{"document": ["In a statement on Wednesday, the Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Seyyed Abbas Mousavi strongly condemned the terrorist attacks in Afghan capital of Kabul and Pakistani city of Lahore.\n\nMousavi extended condolences to the people and the government of Afghanistan and Pakistan, especially the families of the victims. He also wished a speedy recovery for the injured.\n\nThe Taliban attacked the offices of an international non-government organisation (NGO) in Kabul on Wednesday morning. At least 9 people were wounded as the armed group exchanged fire with Afghan security forces.\n\nSeparately, in an explosion outside a famous Sufi shrine in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore, at least 8 people lost their lives and more than 24 were injured, according to world media.", "This article is more than 4 months old\n\nThis article is more than 4 months old\n\nA suicide bomber has killed at least 10 people and injured 24 outside Lahore’s Data Darbar, the largest Sufi shrine in south Asia, police in the Pakistani city said.\n\nThe attack, which has been claimed by the Pakistani Taliban, took place at about 8.45am local time (4.15am GMT) on Wednesday outside the female entrance to the 11th-century shrine, which has been under heavy guard since it was attacked by terrorists in 2010.\n\nThe shells of burnt-out vehicles were scattered near the scene of the explosion. The area was quickly flooded with first responders and armed security personnel.\n\nMuhammad Ashfaq, a senior police official, told a press conference that security personnel at the shrine were targeted.\n\nThree police officials, two security guards and five civilians including a child were among the dead, Usman Buzdar, the chief minister of Punjab province, said.\n\n\n\nPakistan launches major crackdown on extremist groups Read more\n\nHundreds of pilgrims were in and around the shrine when the explosion took place, early in the holy Islamic month of Ramadan. At least 24 people were injured, Ashfaq said.\n\nPakistan’s prime minister, Imran Khan, condemned the attack.\n\nA Pakistani Taliban faction claimed responsibility. “This attack was carried out at a time when there were no civilians near the police,” said Abdul Aziz Yousafzai, spokesman for the Hizbul Ahrar militant group.\n\nThe accident and emergency ward at the Mayo hospital in Lahore was crowded after the blast, with the wounded and other people searching for loved ones.\n\nAmong them was Azra Bibi, whose son Muhammad Shahid cares for visitors’ shoes – which must be removed before entering the shrine. He has been missing since the blast, she said.\n\n“They are not Muslims,” she said, referring to the attackers. “They even targeted worshippers.”\n\nSuicide bombers blew themselves up at the shrine in 2010, killing 50 people and injuring at least 200. Some Islamic extremists regard minority schools of Islam such as Sufism to be heretical.\n\nPakistan has cracked down on domestic extremist groups since the 2014 Peshawar school massacre, in which more than 150 people, mostly children, were killed.\n\nSecurity has since improved but militants can still carry out dramatic attacks. An attack in Lahore in March last year left nine people dead, while a blast targeting Christians celebrating Easter in a park in 2016 killed more than 70 people.\n\nSome analysts have argued that periodic crackdowns on violent extremist groups are inadequate unless the government is also willing to confront Islamic fundamentalists who target religious minorities, and whose support is courted by many political parties.", "LAHORE, Pakistan (Reuters) - A bomb targeting Pakistani police outside a major Sufi shrine in the city of Lahore on Wednesday killed at least 10 people and wounded more than 20, officials said.\n\nThe blast, a day after the beginning of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, went off at a police checkpoint near the Data Darbar, one of the largest Muslim shrines in South Asia, which attracts tens of thousands of visitors a year.\n\n“Police was the prime target in this attack. We are collecting forensic evidences to ascertain the nature of the blast,” said Ashfaq Khan, deputy inspector general of police operations in Lahore.\n\nA police spokesman said the death toll rose to 10, six of them civilians and four police, after a police officer died of his wounds. Officials earlier said eight police had died. At least 23 people were wounded.\n\nMuhammad Farooq, a spokesman for the city’s rescue services, said at least seven of the wounded were in critical condition.\n\nPolice set up checkpoints on main roads leading to the shrine and hospitals were placed on alert, officials said.\n\nThe attack was claimed by the Hizbul Ahrar, a splinter group of the Pakistani Taliban, a movement that has been fighting the government for years. In a statement, the group said the attack targeted police and had been timed to avoid civilian casualties.\n\nAmbulances are parked outside a cordoned off area as rescue workers and a bomb disposal team survey the site after a blast in Lahore, Pakistan May 8, 2019. REUERS/Mohsin Raza\n\n“This attack was carried out at a time when there were no civilians near the police,” said Abdul Aziz Yousafzai, a spokesman for the militant group.\n\nPrime Minister Imran Khan issued a statement condemning the attack and asking the provincial government to help the victims.\n\nSufis, who follow a mystical form of Islam that has been practised in South Asia for centuries, have been regularly attacked by hardline Sunni Muslim militants in the past.\n\nIn 2010, two suicide bombers struck the Data Darbar shrine killing 42 people and wounding 175, in an attack officials said was carried out by the Pakistani Taliban.\n\nMilitant violence has since declined sharply in Pakistan after a sustained crackdown following the country’s deadliest attack in 2014, which killed more than 150 people, many children, at a school in the western city of Peshawar.\n\nSince an attack in a Lahore park targeting Christians celebrating Easter in 2016 killed more than 70 people, Pakistan’s second largest city has been largely quiet although an attack last year killed nine people.\n\nHowever, officials warned that Wednesday’s blast showed the need for vigilance during Ramadan.\n\nSlideshow (5 Images)\n\n“People should remain aware of their surroundings when going to pray,” said a Punjab provincial minister, Mian Aslam.\n\nPolice said a general security alert was in force but there had been no specific warning about a threat to the Data Darbar, which protected by heavy layers of security.\n\nThe complex contains the shrine of Syed Ali bin-Osman Al-Hajvery, widely known as Data Ganj Bakhsh, an 11th century Sufi preacher originally from Ghazni in what is now Afghanistan.", "At least two people have been killed in a blast near Lahore’s Data Darbar, the largest Sufi shrine in south Asia, according to Pakistani media reports.\n\nThe explosion was reported before 10am on Wednesday morning. Reports said a bomb had targeted a van carrying elite police officers.\n\nIt is not clear if the shrine, established in the 11th century, was the intended target and what, if any, damage it had suffered.\n\nSuicide bombers blew themselves up at the mosque in 2010, killing 50 people and injuring at least 200 others. Some Islamic extremists regard minority schools of Islam such as Sufism to be heretical.\n\nMore to come", "At least nine people were killed and 25 others injured after a powerful blast outside Pakistan’s famous Sufi shrine Data Darbar in Lahore. According to initial police reports, the explosion took place close to two police vehicles near Gate 2 of Data Darbar. The nature and exact target of the explosion is yet to be ascertained. Rescue operations are underway. The blast comes as the country marks the fasting month of Ramzan.\n\nData Darbar, located in Pakistan’s Lahore city, is one of the oldest Sufi shrines in South Asia. Considered to be one of the most sacred places in Lahore, the shrine houses the remains of Sufi saint Abul Hassan Ali Hujwiri, commonly known as Data Ganj Baksh. He is said to have lived on the site in the 11th century and was reputed to have miraculous powers.\n\nData Darbar attracts a lot of visitors to its annual Urs festival. The Urs marks the death anniversary of the Sufi saint.\n\nAccording to the BBC, the shrine was originally established as a simple grave next to the mosque which Hujwiri had built on the outskirts of Lahore in the 11th century. It was later expanded in the 13th century to commemorate the burial site of Hujwiri after his spiritual powers became popular.\n\nFor centuries, the shrine has seen visitors from all religions. Pakistan’s former prime minister Nawaz Sharif is also a frequent visitor to the shrine.\n\nIn 2010, two suicide bombers detonated their explosive vests outside the shrine, killing close to 50 people. More than 200 people were injured in the blasts", "According to the authorities, a bomb that exploded near the Data Darbar Sufi shrine in the city of Lahore has killed at least four people, wounding several others. City police chief Ghazanfar Ali confirmed that police officers have been the primary target of the attack, adding that hundreds of pilgrims were inside and outside the Sufi shrine at the moment of the blast.\n\nExplosion rocks #Lahore on second day of #Ramjan near Data Darbar's Gate No 2, a Sufi Srine. Police van(Elite force) is said to have been the target. Initial reports indicate 5 dead & 19 injured.#Pakistan pic.twitter.com/jOZqh3LIRi — (((Eagle eye))) (@cbinewton) May 8, 2019", "At least 9 people have been reported to be dead in an explosion outside a shrine at Pakistan's capital city Lahore on Wednesday (May 8) morning.\n\nAccording to the reports, more than 24 people have been injured in the blast which took place at the 11th-century Data Darbar shrine in the crowded place of Lahore. One of the largest Sufi shrines in South Asia, Data Darbar was earlier targeted by terror outfit in 2010 leaving 40 dead and injuring several.\n\nLocal news channel Geo News said that at least three dead bodies were brought in to Mayo Hospital in Lahore, while 24 others are being treated for injuries. The blast occurred near the entrance gate for female visitors to the shrine. The police are investigating the nature of the blast.\n\nAccording to the police, the blast was caused by a bomb targeting the security forces guarding the Sufi shrine. Hundreds of pilgrims were present inside the shrine when the blast took place, reports Associated Press.\n\nThe emergency and rescue operations team have rushed to the spot. However, a proper number of the casualties and wounded people are unclear as of now. The blasts come at the time when the Muslim community in the country is fasting in the holy month of Ramadan.", "At least eight people were killed and 25 were injured on Wednesday in a suicide bombing targeting a police patrol close to a popular Sufi Muslim shrine in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore, police said.\n\nFive police officers were among the fatalities in the blast near the Data Darbar Sufi shrine, one of the largest in South Asia.", "A blast at one of Pakistan's oldest and most popular Sufi shrines killed at least three people and wounded 15 in the eastern city of Lahore Wednesday, state media reported, as the country marks the fasting month of Ramadan.\n\nPolice have said they are still investigating the nature of the blast, which occurred near the entrance gate for female visitors to the 11th century Data Darbar shrine, one of the largest Sufi shrines in South Asia, the channel and police said.\n\nThe shrine has been targeted previously, in a 2010 suicide attack that killed more than 40 people, and is guarded by heavy security.\n\nSufi worshippers, who follow a mystical strain of Islam, have frequently been the target of bloody attacks by Islamist terrorists including the Islamic State group in Pakistan.\n\nTerrorist Islamists see visits to Sufi shrines and some rituals at the graves of Muslim saints as un-Islamic.\n\nPolice in the eastern city confirmed that a blast had taken place but did not immediately give a toll. PTV aired footage showing damaged vehicles and emergency personnel on the scene.\n\nA local police official, Muhammad Kashif, said the blast may have been \"a suicide attack targeting security officials' vehicle\".\n\n\"We are trying to get more details from the site,\" he added.\n\nA second police official who spoke on condition of anonymity also said that a security vehicle had been targeted in the blast.\n\nPakistan's push against extremism was stepped up after the country's deadliest ever attack, an assault on a school in Peshawar in 2014 that left more than 150 people dead -- mostly children.\n\nSince then, security has dramatically improved -- but terrorists retain the ability to carry out dramatic attacks.\n\nMajor urban centres such as Lahore, Pakistan's second largest city and the provincial capital of its wealthiest province, Punjab, are not immune.\n\nAn attack in Lahore in March last year left nine people dead, while a major blast targeting Christians celebrating Easter in a park in 2016 killed more than 70 people.\n\nCritics have long argued the military and government crackdown does not address the root causes of extremism.\n\nGet the latest election news, live updates and election schedule for Lok Sabha Elections 2019 on ndtv.com/elections. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagram for updates from each of the 543 parliamentary seats for the 2019 Indian general elections. Election results will be out on May 23.", "At least three people were killed on Wednesday after an explosion near a Sufi shrine in Pakistan’s Lahore city, Dawn reported.\n\nAt least 15 people were injured in the explosion, which took place near Gate 2 of Data Darbar. Eight of the injured are in critical condition and are being treated at the Mayo Hospital.\n\nThe police force in the area was the target of the blast, a report in The Express Tribune said. The injured include several police personnel. Security forces have been deployed in the area and a rescue operation is under way.\n\nData Darbar is one of the largest shrines in South Asia, Reuters reported, quoting Punjab province police spokesperson Nayab Haider. In 2010, more than 40 people were killed in a suicide blast at the shrine."], "summary": "A blast near the 11th-century Data Darbar Sufi shrine in Lahore, Pakistan, kills at least eleven people, half of them police officers."}
{"document": ["KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A deadly Taliban attack on U.S.-based aid group in the Afghan capital has raised concerns among other relief organizations that they could be targeted.\n\nAuthorities say Wednesday's assault on Counterpart International in Kabul killed at least nine people as insurgents set off a huge explosion and battled security forces for over six hours. Those killed included three Afghan employees of the organization and two of its security guards.\n\nTaliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on Thursday they had targeted the organization because Counterpart International promotes \"Western culture,\" including encouraging the mixing of the genders — something that is taboo to the Taliban.\n\nMujahid claimed the organization was also training Afghan security forces, without elaborating.\n\nThe attack came as the Taliban hold peace talks with the U.S. in Qatar.", "KABUL, Afghanistan — A deadly Taliban attack on U.S.-based aid group in the Afghan capital has raised concerns among other relief organizations that they could be targeted.\n\nAuthorities say Wednesday’s assault on Counterpart International in Kabul killed at least nine people as insurgents set off a huge explosion and battled security forces for over six hours. Those killed included three Afghan employees of the organization and two of its security guards.\n\nTaliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on Thursday they had targeted the organization because Counterpart International promotes “Western culture,” including encouraging the mixing of the genders — something that is taboo to the Taliban.\n\nMujahid claimed the organization was also training Afghan security forces, without elaborating.\n\nThe attack came as the Taliban hold peace talks with the U.S. in Qatar.\n\nCopyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.", "KABUL — A deadly Taliban attack on U.S.-based aid group in the Afghan capital has raised concerns among other relief organizations that they could be targeted.\n\nAuthorities say Wednesday’s assault on Counterpart International in Kabul killed at least nine people as insurgents set off a huge explosion and battled security forces for over six hours. Those killed included three Afghan employees of the organization and two of its security guards.\n\nTaliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on Thursday they had targeted the organization because Counterpart International promotes “Western culture,” including encouraging the mixing of the genders — something that is taboo to the Taliban.\n\nMujahid claimed the organization was also training Afghan security forces, without elaborating.\n\nThe attack came as the Taliban hold peace talks with the U.S. in Qatar.", "KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A deadly Taliban attack on U.S.-based aid group in the Afghan capital has raised concerns among other relief organizations that they could be targeted.\n\nAuthorities say Wednesday's assault on Counterpart International in Kabul killed at least nine people as insurgents set off a huge explosion and battled security forces for over six hours. Those killed included three Afghan employees of the organization and two of its security guards.\n\nTaliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on Thursday they had targeted the organization because Counterpart International promotes \"Western culture,\" including encouraging the mixing of the genders — something that is taboo to the Taliban.\n\nMujahid claimed the organization was also training Afghan security forces, without elaborating.\n\nThe attack came as the Taliban hold peace talks with the U.S. in Qatar.", "KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A deadly Taliban attack on U.S.-based aid group in the Afghan capital has raised concerns among other relief organizations that they could be targeted.\n\nAuthorities say Wednesday's assault on Counterpart International in Kabul killed at least nine people as insurgents set off a huge explosion and battled security forces for over six hours. Those killed included three Afghan employees of the organization and two of its security guards.\n\nTaliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on Thursday they had targeted the organization because Counterpart International promotes \"Western culture,\" including encouraging the mixing of the genders — something that is taboo to the Taliban.\n\nMujahid claimed the organization was also training Afghan security forces, without elaborating.\n\nThe attack came as the Taliban hold peace talks with the U.S. in Qatar.", "KABUL — A deadly Taliban attack on U.S.-based aid group in the Afghan capital has raised concerns among other relief organizations that they could be targeted.\n\nAuthorities say Wednesday’s assault on Counterpart International in Kabul killed at least nine people as insurgents set off a huge explosion and battled security forces for over six hours. Those killed included three Afghan employees of the organization and two of its security guards.\n\nTaliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on Thursday they had targeted the organization because Counterpart International promotes “Western culture,” including encouraging the mixing of the genders — something that is taboo to the Taliban.\n\nMujahid claimed the organization was also training Afghan security forces, without elaborating.\n\nThe attack came as the Taliban hold peace talks with the U.S. in Qatar.", "KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A deadly Taliban attack on U.S.-based aid group in the Afghan capital has raised concerns among other relief organizations that they could be targeted.\n\nAuthorities say Wednesday’s assault on Counterpart International in Kabul killed at least nine people as insurgents set off a huge explosion and battled security forces for over six hours. Those killed included three Afghan employees of the organization and two of its security guards.\n\nTaliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on Thursday they had targeted the organization because Counterpart International promotes “Western culture,” including encouraging the mixing of the genders — something that is taboo to the Taliban.\n\nMujahid claimed the organization was also training Afghan security forces, without elaborating.\n\nThe attack came as the Taliban hold peace talks with the U.S. in Qatar.", "A car bomb and gun attack against a U.S.-funded international relief organization in Afghanistan Wednesday killed at least five people, including a police guard, and wounded 24 others. Officials say Taliban insurgents attacked the nonprofit Counterpart International, which is a partner of the U.S. Agency for International Development. The NGO's president and CEO Ann Hudock told VOA's Afghan Service after the attack that all her staff is accounted for and safe. Zlatica Hoke has this report.", "KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A deadly Taliban attack on U.S.-based aid group in the Afghan capital has raised concerns among other relief organizations that they could be targeted.\n\nAuthorities say Wednesday's assault on Counterpart International in Kabul killed at least nine people as insurgents set off a huge explosion and battled security forces for over six hours. Those killed included three Afghan employees of the organization and two of its security guards.\n\nTaliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on Thursday they had targeted the organization because Counterpart International promotes \"Western culture,\" including encouraging the mixing of the genders — something that is taboo to the Taliban.\n\nMujahid claimed the organization was also training Afghan security forces, without elaborating.\n\nThe attack came as the Taliban hold peace talks with the U.S. in Qatar.", "A deadly Taliban attack on U.S.-based aid group in the Afghan capital has raised concerns among other relief organizations that they could be targeted.\n\nAuthorities say Wednesday's assault on Counterpart International in Kabul killed at least nine people as insurgents set off a huge explosion and battled security forces for over six hours. Those killed included three Afghan employees of the organization and two of its security guards.\n\nTaliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on Thursday they had targeted the organization because Counterpart International promotes \"Western culture,\" including encouraging the mixing of the genders — something that is taboo to the Taliban.\n\nMujahid claimed the organization was also training Afghan security forces, without elaborating.\n\nThe attack came as the Taliban hold peace talks with the U.S. in Qatar."], "summary": "Nine people were killed after the Taliban launches an attack on the Kabul offices of international non-governmental organization Counterpart International."}
{"document": ["The queen was beaming at the Order of the Merit service on Monday.\n\nQueen Elizabeth was all smiles at Monday’s Order of the Merit service and luncheon at Windsor Castle — particularly when asked about the arrival of her latest great-grandchild by former Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien.\n\nThe Daily Express reports that, hours after the official announcement of Baby Sussex’s birth, the queen was asked by Jean Chrétien if all was well in regards to the arrival of her latest great-grandson.\n\n“Life is good for Your Majesty?”\n\nIn response, the queen replied, “Yes, thank you.”\n\nChrétien then asked how many great-grandchildren she has at this point, and Queen Elizabeth answered him with a smile and a chuckle. “I know. Eight.”\n\nThe former Canadian prime minister answered that she has him beat by one.\n\nQueen Elizabeth was accompanied to the service by the Duke of Edinburgh, despite the fact that he retired from public life in 2017 to have hip replacement surgeries. Prince Philip now makes his home at Windsor Castle, just a short walk from Frogmore Cottage — where the Duke and Duchess of Sussex now reside.\n\nQueen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh were photographed at the luncheon for the member of the Order of Merit. The Order of Merit was founded in 1902 by King Edward VII, and seeks to recognize distinguished service in the armed forces, science, art, and literature.\n\nA royal source reported that Queen Elizabeth stayed over at Windsor Castle on Monday night, and it is believed that she plans to make a visit to Frogmore Cottage on Tuesday — likely hoping to meet her newest great-grandchild.\n\nThe baby boy — who was born on Monday at 5:26 a.m., just as the sun was rising over London — has not been publicly named as yet. However, royal watchers are hoping to learn his name on Wednesday. Prince Harry had indicated that photos would be shared by then, per The Inquisitr.\n\nDuchess Meghan had hoped to give birth to her son at home, but it was decided on Sunday night that she instead deliver the baby at a London hospital. This decision was purportedly made due to the fact that her pregnancy had gone past its due date.\n\nOn Monday, Prince Harry made a media appearance in order to thank everyone for their good wishes, and to express a level of happiness that the prince rarely exhibits in public.\n\nThe Duke of Sussex shared that this was the first birth he had ever witnessed, and he detailed how proud he is of his wife. Prince Harry also expressed that Meghan and the baby are doing well.", "Markle could not have a home birth after going overdue.\n\nMeghan Markle and Prince Harry were hoping to have their baby at home on the grounds of Windsor Castle at Frogmore Cottage, but when the 37-year-old Duchess of Sussex went overdue, it was determined that it was best for mother and baby to be in a hospital.\n\nThe Daily Mail reports that while Duchess Meghan really hoped to deliver her son outside of a hospital, on Sunday it was determined that it was best to quietly make the move to a private London hospital, thought to be Portland, where both Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice were born.\n\nThe Scotland Yard security team assigned to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex reportedly whisked the couple to the London hospital in the evening in such a hushed manner that not even senior royals were told what was afoot, and the baby was born at 5:26 a.m. Monday, local time.\n\nIt has not been revealed whether or not Markle was induced, or if she went into labor naturally, but Buckingham Palace confirmed that the Duchess of Sussex did deliver her son at a London hospital (but not in the Lindo Wing of St. Mary’s Hospital).\n\nMeghan Markle and Prince Harry had determined before her due date that they were not going to pose outside of the hospital the day after having a baby and instead decided to attempt to have more privacy.\n\nBuckingham Palace released a statement on behalf of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, saying that they would eventually share photos with the media and the world.\n\nBut on Monday morning, in an unscheduled announcement for the press, Prince Harry, smiling broadly told the media that he had only gotten two hours of sleep, but still he was thrilled to announce the birth of his son, says People Magazine. The prince apologized for the short notice but seemed as if he was bursting with pride, eager to announce the arrival of his son to anyone who would listen.\n\nPrince Harry confided that this was the first birth he had witnessed, and he is in awe of women who do this every day. He admitted that they were still thinking about names, but he wanted to share how “thrilled and grateful” they are for all the love and support.", "As the world awaits (with a baited breath) for Meghan Markle and Prince Harry to show off their son and reveal his name, many are trying to figure out all of the details behind the royal baby's birth.\n\nMany are speculating the Duchess of Sussex gave birth to her little nugget at a hospital after all. Despite rumors that the former Suits actress wanted a home birth, the Daily Mail reports it's highly unlikely, especially since she was overdue.\n\nAccording to the publication, she was taken to a hospital in London on Sunday night. It was apparently so discreet that some senior royals were unaware of the plans. Her husband and his Scotland Yard security team were allegedly by her side before she welcomed their son on Monday, May 6.\n\nFurthermore, the outlet reports she most likely delivered her baby at the Portland Hospital in London, the same place Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie were born. In addition to the royals being born there, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex's pals Victoria Beckham and David Beckham also had their babies there.", "Meghan and Harry welcomed a healthy baby boy yesterday, delighting fans across the world who awaited the royal baby’s arrival. The royal baby missed being born on Star Wars Day (‘May the 4th’), but shares a birthday with one A-lister who is also best friends with Meghan and Harry. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex’ baby boy was born on the same day as Hollywood actor George Clooney, who just turned 58. Meghan and Harry reportedly visited George and Amal Clooney’s home in Lake Como Italy last summer, where Harry and George played basketball while Meghan and Amal lounged by the pool with her twins, Ella and Alexander.\n\nAmal and George attended the duke and duchess’ wedding last year in May, and George even hopped behind the bar to mix drinks for guests, a source told People Magazine. Amal Clooney even co-hosted Meghan’s lavish baby shower in New York earlier in March, held at the £56,000-a-night suite at The Mark Hotel. George has previously defended Meghan against the press, and blasted the media for their “unkind” and “unjust” comments aimed at the Duchess.\n\nIn an interview for Goodmorning Britain in March, he said: “I think it’s a little unfair at times when – I’ve seen it when the press can turn on you for sort of ridiculous reasons and for almost nothing, and it seemed to me to be a little unjust since [Meghan] hadn’t done anything except just happen to live her life. He later added: “Most of it you can just shrug off and not pay attention to, but sometimes it’s unkind.” Praising the royals, he called the duke and duchess “really wonderful, loving couple” and said Meghan is a “really kind and smart and intelligent young woman”.\n\nIn February, George told Australia’s Who magazine: “She’s a woman who is seven months pregnant and she has been pursued and vilified and chased in the same way that Diana was and its history repeating itself. We’ve seen how that ends.” George was one of the few people to publicly denounce the media for targeting the Duchess. Earlier in February, Meghan’s close friends anonymously stood up for the Duchess to call out what they said was “global bullying”.", "Congratulations are in order for Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.\n\nThe Duke and Duchess of Sussex welcomed their first child, a son, on Monday. The baby boy was born at 5:26 a.m. on May 6 and weighed seven pounds and three ounces. The Palace revealed that both the new mom and child are \"healthy and well.\"\n\nSeveral members of the royal family were notified of the happy news.\n\n\"The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince of Wales, The Duchess of Cornwall, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Lady Jane Fellowes, Lady Sarah McCorquodale and Earl Spencer have been informed and are delighted with the news,\" the Palace stated.\n\nOn Tuesday, Prince William and Kate Middleton attended the launch of the King's Cup Regatta in London and expressed their well-wishes for the new parents. The Duchess of Cambridge said they were \"absolutely thrilled\" about the newest family member and are \"obviously looking forward to seeing them in the next few days when things have quietened down.\"\n\nThe Duke of Cambridge also couldn't resist poking a little fun at his younger brother and his entrance into parenthood.\n\n\"I'm very pleased and glad to welcome my own brother into the sleep deprivation that is parenting,\" he quipped.", "Celebrity confidantes of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex are expected to take on the role of godparents to the couple's new baby son.\n\nHarry and Meghan welcomed a 7lb 3oz baby boy early on Monday morning and will, if they follow royal tradition, announce their first born's godparents on the morning of his christening in a few months' time.\n\nWith the duke and duchess keeping their birth plans and the names of their medical team private, the couple may also decide not to release details of those they select for the spiritual role.\n\nThe duke could pay tribute to his late mother Diana, Princess of Wales, who died in a car crash when he was only 12, by asking relatives from the Spencer side of the family, perhaps one of his Spencer cousins - the children of Diana's siblings Lady Sarah McCorquodale, Lady Jane Fellowes and Earl Spencer.\n\nHarry and Meghan are also predicted to turn to some of their well-known friends, many of whom had VIP seats in the Quire of St George's Chapel at the royal wedding last May, and whose children were their pageboys or bridesmaids.\n\nWhile the tradition for royal babies used to be to select elderly or foreign relatives for the role, Harry and Meghan appear likely to follow in the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's footsteps and opt for mostly friends over family.\n\nRoyal infants usually have more than the standard three godparents.\n\nPrince Louis has six, future king Prince George has seven and Princess Charlotte has five.\n\nSo who might be asked to be baby Sussex's godparents?\n\nMeghan's stylist and best friend is expected to play an important part in the baby's life.\n\nShe supported Meghan in the difficult days leading up to the wedding amid the turmoil caused by the absence of her father, Thomas Markle.\n\nMrs Mulroney's children - twin boys Brian and John and daughter Ivy - were pageboys and bridesmaid.\n\nShe is married to Ben Mulroney, son of former Canadian prime minister Brian Mulroney.\n\nThe duchess's close friend runs her own brand agency and helps others to start businesses.\n\nMeghan has spent Christmas with the Litt family in the past.\n\nShe is godmother to Mrs Litt's daughters Rylan and Remi, and also chose them to be her bridesmaids.\n\nThe tennis champion is said to have hosted Meghan's lavish baby shower in the £57,400-a-night penthouse of the Mark Hotel in New York City.\n\nThe pair have been friends since 2010 when they met at a Super Bowl party.\n\nMeghan wrote of Williams on her former lifestyle website The Tig: \"She quickly became a confidante I would text when I was travelling, the friend I would rally around for her tennis matches, and the down-to-earth chick I was able to grab lunch with.\"\n\nHollywood star George Clooney, who shares a May 6 birthday with baby Sussex, has denied he will be a godfather, declaring: \"No, I'm now a father of twins, I've got enough shit. Literally, literally shit.\"\n\nHe recently claimed that Meghan was being \"pursued and vilified\" and compared her treatment to that of Diana, Princess of Wales.\n\nBut Meghan could ask the actor's wife, human rights lawyer Amal, who attended her luxury baby shower.\n\nThe Sussexes have holidayed with the Clooneys in Italy.\n\nThe chat show queen was seated in the exclusive Quire seats for the royal wedding, and Harry is collaborating with Oprah on a new documentary series on mental health.\n\nWinfrey said she was overcome with emotion during the ceremony, telling British Vogue: \"It left me feeling that anything is possible through the power of love.\"\n\nShe invited Meghan's mother Doria Ragland to her home ahead of the wedding.\n\nFormer actress Meghan has been friends with Spencer since they starred together in the US legal drama Suits.\n\nSpencer also used to contribute to Meghan's lifestyle site.\n\nThe fashion designer is credited with introducing Harry to his future wife via a blind date.\n\nShe had a VIP seat at the royal wedding and used to be married to William and Harry's friend Alexander Gilkes.\n\nMarkus Anderson is Meghan's best male friend, and the pair used to holiday together with Ms Nonoo.\n\nMr Anderson is director of members' club Soho House where the couple's blind date is said to have taken place in summer 2016.\n\n\"What would I do without you, my loving, supportive, and endlessly fun friend??\" Meghan once posted about Mr Anderson.\n\nIt is not just Meghan's friends who are expected to get a look-in. The van Cutsems have been long-standing family pals of Harry, William and the Prince of Wales for many years.\n\nHarry might pick Major Nicholas van Cutsem, whose daughter Florence was a bridesmaid at the royal wedding and is Harry's goddaughter.\n\nMaj van Cutsem is already a godfather to Prince Louis.\n\nHarry could choose one of the other van Cutsem brothers - Edward, Hugh or William, who is one of Prince George's godfathers.\n\nTom \"Skippy\" Inskip has long been considered Harry's wingman and was at his side during his partying days.\n\nThey were childhood friends at Eton and Harry and Meghan attended his wedding to Lara Hughes-Young in Jamaica in 2017.\n\nDubbed the royal court jester for his wild ways, Guy Pelly, whose family are wealthy Kent landowners, has settled down in recent years, marrying American hotel heiress Elizabeth \"Lizzy\" Wilson.\n\nHe was often cited as a bad influence on the royal brothers in their youth, but was asked to be one of Louis's godparents.\n\nHarry and William have also been friends with the van Straubenzees for many years, so it is likely Thomas or his brother Charlie might be asked to be godfather.\n\nThomas van Straubenzee is already godfather to Princess Charlotte, and Harry was said to have been Charlie's best man at his wedding to Daisy Jenks.\n\nPrince Seeiso and Harry set up the charity Sentebale together to help impoverished Aids orphans in the southern African kingdom of Lesotho.\n\nThey have a strong bond and have been friends for 15 years after Seeiso invited Harry to spend a seminal two months in Lesotho during his gap year.\n\nHarry's mentor has been a key father figure since childhood.\n\nThe former Welsh Guards officer, who was an equerry to the Prince of Wales, was tasked by Charles with keeping an eye on Harry in his youth.\n\nThey travelled together in Harry's gap year and he helped arrange Harry's stay in Lesotho.\n\nHis son Jasper - the duke's godson - was one of Harry and Meghan's pageboys.\n\nJake Warren is firm friends with Harry and is the son of the Queen's bloodstock and racing adviser, John Warren.\n\nHis daughter Zalie was the youngest bridesmaid at the royal wedding and is another of Harry's godchildren.\n\nHarry and Meghan may opt to include a royal in the line-up, perhaps choosing the duke's cousin, Princess Eugenie of York.\n\nHarry and William used to spend skiing holidays with the Yorks in the 1990s, and Eugenie is said to have introduced Harry to his ex-girlfriend Cressida Bonas.\n\nThe duke is godfather to Zara's youngest daughter Lena.\n\nHarry may want to recognise bonds with friends of his late mother Diana, Princess of Wales.\n\nHe invited Diana's former flatmate, Carolyn Bartholomew, and one of her best friends, Julia Samuel, who is also a godmother to George, to his wedding.\n\nOr perhaps he might choose someone from Diana's Spencer family - possibly her sisters Lady Sarah McCorquodale or Lady Jane Fellowes, or more likely a cousin from the Spencer side, such as Louis, Viscount Althorp, or Celia Woodhouse or George McCorquodale.\n\nHarry's much-loved former nanny Tiggy Legge Bourke, now Tiggy Pettifer, has played a significant role in his life.\n\nShe once described William and Harry as \"my babies\", and helped care for the princes following the death of their mother in 1997.", "Prince William and Kate Middleton GUSH over Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s newborn baby son during royal engagement as pair open up on his name PRINCE William and Kate Middleton gushed over Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s baby son.\n\nPrince Harry and Meghan Markle welcomed their first child – a baby boy – in the early hours of Monday morning.\n\nThe Duke and Duchess of Sussex announced the arrival of their son on Monday after Meghan gave birth at 5.26am to a little boy weighing 7lbs 3oz.\n\nStepping out the day after their nephew was born, Prince William and Kate Middleton gushed about the new arrival as they spoke to members of the media.\n\nParents-of-three Kate and William, both 37, were at the launch of the King’s Cup Regatta at Cutty Sark, Greenwich in London when they opened up on the baby boy.\n\nWhen quizzed about the big news, Prince William said he was “absolutely thrilled” and said he was “looking forward to seeing them in the next few days when things have quietened down”.\n\nHe added: \"I'm very pleased and glad to welcome my brother to the sleep deprivation society that is parenting.\n\nWhen asked if he has any advice for his younger brother, William said: “There’s plenty of advice, but I wish him all the best and hope over the next few days they will settle down and enjoy having a newborn in the family and all the joys that come with that.”\n\nHis wife Kate said: “It's such a special time, obviously with Louis and Charlotte just having had their birthdays, it's such a great time of year to have a baby, spring is in the air so it’s really great.”\n\nShe added: “As William said, we're looking forward to meeting him and finding out what his name's going to be, so it's really exciting for both of them and we wish them all the best.\n\n“These next few weeks are always a bit daunting the first time round so we wish them all the best.\"\n\nKate and William publicly congratulated Harry and Meghan yesterday, as Kensington Palace said: \"The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are delighted with the news of the birth of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's son today, and look forward to meeting the latest addition to the family.\"\n\nSpeaking after the birth of his son, Prince Harry revealed that he and Meghan have not yet decided on a name.\n\nWhen asked what the little one might be named, he told Sky News: \"Still thinking about names! The baby was a little bit overdue so we had a little bit of time.\"", "Meghan Markle has given birth to a baby boy, who was born on Monday, May 6 at 5.26am. Prince Harry spoke to reporters yesterday, and was visibly ecstatic over the birth of his son, grinning as he told reporters: “It’s been the most amazing experience I could ever have possibly imagined.” Baby Sussex’s name has not yet been announced, but Harry told reporters that a second announcement would be made in around two days time.\n\nWhat is Prince Harry’s full name and title? Prince Harry, 34, is now a proud father and his excitement was palpable as he told reporters of his son’s arrival. An important member of the Royal Family, Harry has a name and titles to match. Harry’s full name is Prince Henry Charles Albert David, but he has been known as Harry since birth. Read More: Kate Middleton news: Kate and William 'planning' FOURTH baby in 2020?\n\nNow known formally as the Duke of Sussex, Harry was granted this title in May 2018 ahead of his wedding to Meghan Markle. Buckingham Palace announced the titles saying: “The Queen has today been pleased to confer a Dukedom on Prince Henry of Wales. “His titles will be Duke of Sussex, Earl of Dumbarton and Baron Kilkeel. “Prince Harry thus becomes His Royal Highness The Duke of Sussex, and Ms Meghan Markle on marriage will become Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Sussex.”\n\nWill the baby have a title? Meghan and Harry’s son as yet has not been automatically granted the title of prince, unlike Kate Middleton and Prince William’s children. However, the little royal could take on one of his father’s titles - the Earl of Dumbarton. Unless the Queen decides to grant the young royal a tile the baby will not be an HRH or a prince. This is due to rules which limit titles within the royal family, introduced by King George V more than 100 years ago.", "London — Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, have revealed the name of their first child. The new royal baby is named Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor. The royal couple made the announcement Wednesday via their official Instagram account, ending several days of feverish speculation about their son's name.\n\nThe announcement came with a black and white photo showing Queen Elizabeth II meeting her new grandson. The monarch was flanked by her husband, Prince Philip, and her grandson, Prince Harry, and Meghan stood beside her mother, Doria Ragland.\n\nArchie became seventh in line to the British throne the moment he was born, but he won't be called \"his royal highness,\" as the rules around the granting of royal titles were tightened up about 100 years ago. Harry and Meghan could have chosen to have Archie bestowed with an aristocratic title — make him an earl, for instance — but they decided against it.\n\nBritain's booming betting business had shown before Wednesday's announcement that a lot of punters expected the new baby to be named Alexander, Arthur, Philip or a handful of other go-to historical British royal names.\n\nArchie was considered a more contemporary choice by many royal observers, but not one that was totally unexpected of Harry and Meghan.\n\nThe Duke and Duchess of Sussex with their baby son, who was born on Monday morning, during a photocall in St George's Hall at Windsor Castle in Berkshire, May 8, 2019. Dominic Lipinski/PA\n\nMeeting the royal baby\n\nEarlier on Wednesday Harry and Meghan introduced their son to the world in a highly-orchestrated photo opportunity at Windsor Castle, but they declined at the time to give his name.\n\nMeghan, who appeared happy and healthy, said her son had \"been a dream\" and has the \"sweetest temperament, he's really calm.\" The new-born slept right through his first media encounter.\n\n\"It's magic, it's pretty amazing, and I have the two best guys in the world, so I'm really happy,\" she said during her son's first brief encounter with a television camera.\n\nThe Duke and Duchess of Sussex with their baby son during a photocall in St. George's Hall at Windsor Castle, west of London, May 8, 2019. Dominic Lipinski/PA Wire\n\n\"His looks are changing every single day,\" Harry noted. \"Parenting is amazing. It's only been, what, two and a half days, three days, but we're just so thrilled to have our own little bundle of joy, and to be able to spend some special time with him as he slowly starts to grow up.\"\n\n\"He's already got a little bit of facial hair as well,\" the bearded prince joked.\n\nHarry and Meghan thanked the public for their well-wishes before they left the camera position, Harry cradling their son in his arms and Meghan resting her arm around his shoulders.\n\nThe royal birth\n\nMeghan gave birth to the couple's first child at 5:26 a.m. local time Monday, May 6. He weighed 7 pounds and 3 ounces, and Harry said on the day that both mom and baby were doing well.\n\nMeghan had hoped and planned for a home birth, but it has been widely reported — though not yet confirmed by the palace — that in the end the royal couple welcomed their first child into the world in a London hospital.\n\nMany newspapers and royal observers have said Meghan gave birth at London's Portland Hospital for Women and Children, an exclusive private facility in the heart of the British capital. Buckingham Palace has issued no statement on the reports, but has not refuted them.\n\nOn Monday, new dad Prince Harry beamed as he announced his son's birth.\n\nRoyal baby: Prince Harry beams as he announces birth of son\n\n\"I am so incredibly proud of my wife, and as every father and parent would ever say, your baby is absolutely amazing, but this little thing is absolutely to die for, so I am just over the moon,\" Harry told reporters. \"Thank you very much guys. Thank you.\"\n\nRoyal reporter Roya Nikkah said this royal baby was always going to be unlike any other.\n\n\"We now have the first British-American prince born into the royal family, that's a landmark moment,\" she said. \"I suppose it shows how ... international and diverse we are as a society.\"", "The name of the newest member of England’s royal family has been announced: Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor.\n\nPrince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, introduced their son to the world on Wednesday. Their son’s name was publicly shared after visiting the Queen.\n\n“He has the sweetest temperament, he’s really calm. He’s been the dream,\" Meghan told reporters Wednesday.\n\n“I don’t know who he gets that from,\" Harry joked. “It’s only been two and a half days, three days, but we’re just so thrilled to have our own little bundle of joy.”\n\nThe couple’s first child was born 5.26 a.m. on Monday, weighing 7 pounds and 3 ounces."], "summary": "Prince Harry and Meghan, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, name their son Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor."}
{"document": ["LONDON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Britain on Wednesday it needed to change its attitude towards China and telecoms company Huawei, casting the world’s second largest economy as a threat to the West similar to that once posed by the Soviet Union.\n\nPompeo questioned the attitude of Prime Minister Theresa May’s government towards Beijing and goaded London by saying that the late former British leader Margaret Thatcher, who was known as the Iron Lady, would have taken a much firmer line with China.\n\nHe brought a tough message to Britain, which agreed last month to allow China’s Huawei Technologies a restricted role in building parts of its 5G network.\n\n“Now is not the time for either of us to go wobbly,” Pompeo said in a speech of the so-called special relationship, paraphrasing what Thatcher once famously told late U.S. President George H.W. Bush.\n\n“In China, we face a new kind of challenge; an authoritarian regime that’s integrated economically into the West in ways that the Soviet Union never was,” Pompeo said.\n\nThe United States has told allies not to use Huawei’s technology to build new 5G networks because of concerns it could be a vehicle for Chinese spying, an accusation the firm has denied. Britain has indicated it would allow the company a restricted role.\n\n“Ask yourself: would the Iron Lady be silent when China violates the sovereignty of nations through corruption or coercion? Would she allow China to control the internet of the future?” Pompeo said.\n\n“Insufficient security will impede the United States’ ability to share certain information within trusted networks. This is just what China wants – to divide Western alliances through bits and bytes, not bullets and bombs.”\n\nPompeo said China steals sensitive intellectual property and sensitive commercial data in Europe, Asia, and the United States, and singled out Huawei.\n\n“The Chinese government can rightfully demand access to data flowing through Huawei and ZTE systems. Why would anyone grant such power to a regime that has already grossly violated cyberspace?” he asked.\n\n“We know 5G is a sovereign decision – but it must be made with the broader strategic context in mind,” he said.\n\nPompeo came to London for talks with May and foreign minister Jeremy Hunt a month before President Donald Trump makes a formal state visit that is likely to generate political controversy and large street protests.\n\nHe said Russia’s Nord Stream 2 project, a project to build a gas pipeline from Russia to Germany, should not be allowed to proceed.\n\nHe praised the Britain’s stance on North Korea. However, his warm words did not mask disagreements between the two allies over Iran and particularly Huawei.\n\nBritish Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright said separately it was still possible that the roll-out of 5G networks in Britain could be delayed by a review into telecoms equipment, adding: “The primary intention of this process is to get the security of the network right.”\n\nThe two countries have also disagreed on Iran.\n\nOn Wednesday, Iran announced it was relaxing curbs on its nuclear program under the 2015 deal with world powers, and threatened to do more - including enriching uranium to a higher level - if other countries did not shield it from U.S. sanctions.\n\nThe United States withdrew from the pact last year, while Britain, France, Germany, China and Russia stayed in the accord with Tehran, under which Iran’s nuclear curbs were rewarded with lifted sanctions.\n\nPompeo told reporters the United States would make decisions on how to respond when it saw what Iran’s actions were. Tim Morrison, Special Assistant to the President, told a conference in Washington to “expect more sanctions ... very soon”.\n\n“I urge the UK to stand with us to rein in the regime’s bloodletting and lawlessness, not soothe the Ayatollahs angry at our decision to pull out of the nuclear deal,” Pompeo said.\n\nEarlier, Pompeo met May, who has been grappling with a political crisis over Britain’s planned exit from the European Union.\n\n“President Trump is eager for a new free trade agreement that will take our Number 1 trade relationship to unlimited new heights,” Pompeo said of the future relationship with Britain.\n\n“We’ve filed all the papers we can at this point. We’re ready to go.”", "BERLIN — The world powers struggling to preserve a nuclear deal with Iran are facing an increasingly uphill battle, with a new deadline from Tehran on finding a solution to make up for last year’s unilateral U.S. withdrawal from the accord and the increasing economic hardship that has put on the Islamic Republic.\n\nAfter Iran notified Britain, Russia, China, the European Union, France and Germany of its intentions in a letter, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said in a televised address Wednesday that the nations have 60 days to come up with a plan to shield his country from the sanctions imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump after he pulled Washington out of the deal.\n\n“If the five countries join negotiations and help Iran to reach its benefits in the field of oil and banking, Iran will return to its commitments according to the nuclear deal,” Rouhani said.\n\nThe 2015 deal, intended to keep Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, promised economic incentives in exchange for restrictions on its nuclear activities. Despite efforts so far by the others to keep the deal from collapsing, Iran’s economy has been struggling and its currency has plummeted in value after the re-imposition of U.S. sanctions.\n\nLater Wednesday, Trump issued an executive order announcing new sanctions targeting Iran’s steel, aluminum, copper and iron sectors, which provide foreign currency earnings for Tehran.\n\nMany international corporations are reluctant to risk running afoul of Washington and have severed ties with Iran; a complicated barter-type system set up by the Europeans to allow their businesses to skirt direct financial transactions with Iran — and thus evade possible U.S. sanctions — is not yet finalized.\n\nIran has continued abiding by the stipulations of the deal, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency, but had been expressing increasing frustration with the inability of the Europeans to provide economic relief, culminating with Wednesday’s threat to resume higher enrichment of uranium in 60 days unless new terms are negotiated.\n\nDespite Rouhani’s threatening rhetoric and the now-ticking clock, Europeans were cautiously hoping the Iranian president was not on the verge of breaking the deal but instead seeking to show strength domestically as the economy slumps.\n\nGerman Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said his office had been in contact with all the others involved in the Iran deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA, since the announcement to see what could be done to get Tehran to back down.\n\n“Our opinion is and remains: We want to preserve the agreement, in particular to prevent Iran from coming into possession of nuclear weapons,” he told reporters. “We don’t need further escalation in the region.”\n\nSimilarly, French Defense Minister Florence Parly told BFMTV television that “nothing would be worse than Iran leaving this deal.”\n\n“We absolutely want to keep this agreement alive,” Parly said.\n\nAt a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in London, British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt called Iran’s threat “unwelcome” and urged it not to take “further escalatory steps,” while emphasizing Britain was not ready to give up on the JCPOA.\n\n“For as long as Iran keeps its commitments then so, too, will the United Kingdom,” he said.\n\nHunt said Britain and the U.S. agreed on the need to confront the threat from Iran, but “it’s no secret we have a different approach on how best to achieve that.”\n\nPompeo was restrained in his own assessment of the letter that Iran sent to the JCPOA group outlining its intentions.\n\n“I think it was intentionally ambiguous,” he said. “We’ll have to wait to see what Iran’s actions actually are. They have made have made a number of statements about actions they have threatened to do in order to get the world to jump.”\n\nIn his television address, Rouhani also tried a gambit designed to hit a sore spot for Europe, over the issue of migration and drug-smuggling.\n\nNoting that Iran now cooperates on issues like controlling immigration and targeting Afghan opium and hashish traffickers, he said: “You are obliged ... for your own security, for protecting your youths against drugs as well as controlling influx of immigrants.”\n\nThere was no immediate response from officials in Europe, which has seen an influx of refugees and migrants from the Middle East in recent years.\n\nChina, a key Iranian ally and trading partner, suggested that Washington’s recent decision to deploy an aircraft carrier group and a bomber wing to the Middle East to confront unspecified threats from Tehran had added fuel to the fire.\n\n“We regret that the U.S. has further aggravated the tension on the Iranian nuclear issue,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said. “We call on all parties concerned to exercise restraint, strengthen dialogue and avoid escalating tensions.”\n\nRussian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov went a step further, saying the situation surrounding the fate of the 2015 nuclear accord has been complicated by “irresponsible behavior” from Washington.\n\nAfter meeting in Moscow with his Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif, Lavrov reaffirmed Russia’s support for the deal and blamed the U.S. for undermining it.\n\n“The U.S. is to blame for the situation and it makes it difficult for both Iran to fulfill its obligations and ... for the general state of the nuclear non-proliferation regime,” Lavrov said.\n\nZarif insisted that Iran’s decision to partially withdraw from certain provisions did not violate the agreement, and asserted it was provoked by U.S. actions toward Iran.\n\nHe also said Iran will uphold its obligations if European signatories to the deal uphold theirs.\n\nAssociated Press writers Matthew Lee and Jill Lawless in London, Frank Jordans in Berlin, Elaine Ganley in Paris, Lorne Cook in Brussels and Matthew Bodner in Moscow contributed.\n\nCopyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.", "Iran has suspended key commitments under the 2015 international nuclear deal, a year after it was abandoned by the US.\n\nPresident Hassan Rouhani said he would keep enriched uranium stocks in the country rather than sell them abroad.\n\nHe also threatened to resume production of higher enriched uranium in 60 days.\n\nAccording to BBC, the accord was aimed at curbing Iran’s nuclear ambitions in return for sanctions relief. Iran-US tensions have risen since Washington quit.\n\nIran’s economy has since been hit by renewed US sanctions.\n\nIran informed the remaining parties to the deal – France, Germany, Russia, China and the UK – of its decision on Wednesday morning.\n\nIn response, French Defence Minister Florence Parly told French media that the European powers were doing everything they could to keep the deal alive but there would be consequences and possibly sanctions if the deal was not adhered to.\n\nIran’s announcement comes after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made an unscheduled visit to Iraq, and a US aircraft carrier was deployed to the Gulf region.\n• Iran nuclear deal – all you need to know\n• Is it about to become more expensive to fill my car?\n\nUS officials have reported threats to US forces and their allies from Iran, but have given few details about the exact nature of the threat.\n\nWhat did President Rouhani say?\n\nMr Rouhani said he was suspending two parts of the deal, which is known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), that Iran was adhering to – the sale of surplus enriched uranium and heavy water.\n\nHe then gave the European powers, Russia and China 60 days to meet their financial and oil commitments to the deal. If they did so, Iran would resume the sales.\n\nIf, however, those commitments were not met and the powers chose to follow US sanctions, he said Iran would begin higher enrichment of uranium, which is currently capped, and begin developing its Arak heavy water reactor based on plans made prior to the deal.\n\nBut the Iranian president said Iran was not pulling out of the deal.\n\n“We do not want to leave the agreement. All the people of the world should know that today is not the end of the JCPOA; it is a new step within the framework of the JCPOA,” he said.\n\nHowever, he said the five powers would face a “very decisive reaction” if Iran’s nuclear case was referred to the United Nations Security Council.", "Tehran, May 8 (IANS) Iran will partially withdraw from the 2015 landmark nuclear deal signed with six other nations, President Hassan Rouhani announced on Wednesday, a move that comes a year after the US unilaterally withdrew from the pact.\n\nIn a televised speech, Rouhani said that Tehran would reduce its “commitments” to the deal, but would not fully withdraw and that signatories of the deal — France, the UK, Germany, Russia and China — had been informed in advance of the move.\n\nAccording to the President, Iran would keep enriched uranium stocks in the country and not sell them abroad. He also threatened to resume production of higher enriched uranium in 60 days.\n\nRouhani accused “hardliners” in the US of working to undermine the agreement, saying it was “in the interests of the region and the world, but not the enemies of Iran, therefore they spared no effort since 2015 to undermine (the deal)”, CNN reported.\n\nThe accord is aimed at curbing Iran’s nuclear ambitions in return for sanctions relief, but Tehran-Washington tensions have risen since the US withdrew from the deal. US President Donald Trump later reimposed sanctions on Tehran, hitting its economy.\n\n“The Islamic Republic of Iran declares that at the current stage, it does not any more see itself committed to respecting the limitations on keeping enriched uranium and heavy water reserves,” Iran’s Supreme National Security Council (SNSC) said in a statement.\n\nThe SNSC said other partners would have 60 days to lift pressure from Iran caused by the US sanctions, otherwise the country “will cease implementation of restrictions on uranium enrichment levels”.\n\nThe announcement comes after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made an unscheduled visit to Iraq, and a US aircraft carrier was deployed to the Gulf region.", "BERLIN (AP) — The world powers struggling to preserve a nuclear deal with Iran are facing an increasingly uphill battle, with a new deadline from Tehran on finding a solution to make up for last year's unilateral U.S. withdrawal from the accord and the increasing economic hardship that has put on the Islamic Republic.\n\nAfter Iran notified Britain, Russia, China, the European Union, France and Germany of its intentions in a letter, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said in a televised address Wednesday that the nations have 60 days to come up with a plan to shield his country from the sanctions imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump after he pulled Washington out of the deal.\n\n\"If the five countries join negotiations and help Iran to reach its benefits in the field of oil and banking, Iran will return to its commitments according to the nuclear deal,\" Rouhani said.\n\nThe 2015 deal, intended to keep Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, promised economic incentives in exchange for restrictions on its nuclear activities. Despite efforts so far by the others to keep the deal from collapsing, Iran's economy has been struggling and its currency has plummeted in value after the re-imposition of U.S. sanctions.\n\nLater Wednesday, Trump issued an executive order announcing new sanctions targeting Iran's steel, aluminum, copper and iron sectors, which provide foreign currency earnings for Tehran.\n\nMany international corporations are reluctant to risk running afoul of Washington and have severed ties with Iran; a complicated barter-type system set up by the Europeans to allow their businesses to skirt direct financial transactions with Iran — and thus evade possible U.S. sanctions — is not yet finalized.\n\nIran has continued abiding by the stipulations of the deal, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency, but had been expressing increasing frustration with the inability of the Europeans to provide economic relief, culminating with Wednesday's threat to resume higher enrichment of uranium in 60 days unless new terms are negotiated.\n\nDespite Rouhani's threatening rhetoric and the now-ticking clock, Europeans were cautiously hoping the Iranian president was not on the verge of breaking the deal but instead seeking to show strength domestically as the economy slumps.\n\nGerman Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said his office had been in contact with all the others involved in the Iran deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA, since the announcement to see what could be done to get Tehran to back down.\n\n\"Our opinion is and remains: We want to preserve the agreement, in particular to prevent Iran from coming into possession of nuclear weapons,\" he told reporters. \"We don't need further escalation in the region.\"\n\nSimilarly, French Defense Minister Florence Parly told BFMTV television that \"nothing would be worse than Iran leaving this deal.\"\n\n\"We absolutely want to keep this agreement alive,\" Parly said.\n\nAt a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in London, British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt called Iran's threat \"unwelcome\" and urged it not to take \"further escalatory steps,\" while emphasizing Britain was not ready to give up on the JCPOA.\n\n\"For as long as Iran keeps its commitments then so, too, will the United Kingdom,\" he said.\n\nHunt said Britain and the U.S. agreed on the need to confront the threat from Iran, but \"it's no secret we have a different approach on how best to achieve that.\"\n\nPompeo was restrained in his own assessment of the letter that Iran sent to the JCPOA group outlining its intentions.\n\n\"I think it was intentionally ambiguous,\" he said. \"We'll have to wait to see what Iran's actions actually are. They have made have made a number of statements about actions they have threatened to do in order to get the world to jump.\"\n\nIn his television address, Rouhani also tried a gambit designed to hit a sore spot for Europe, over the issue of migration and drug-smuggling.\n\nNoting that Iran now cooperates on issues like controlling immigration and targeting Afghan opium and hashish traffickers, he said: \"You are obliged ... for your own security, for protecting your youths against drugs as well as controlling influx of immigrants.\"\n\nThere was no immediate response from officials in Europe, which has seen an influx of refugees and migrants from the Middle East in recent years.\n\nChina, a key Iranian ally and trading partner, suggested that Washington's recent decision to deploy an aircraft carrier group and a bomber wing to the Middle East to confront unspecified threats from Tehran had added fuel to the fire.\n\n\"We regret that the U.S. has further aggravated the tension on the Iranian nuclear issue,\" Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said. \"We call on all parties concerned to exercise restraint, strengthen dialogue and avoid escalating tensions.\"\n\nRussian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov went a step further, saying the situation surrounding the fate of the 2015 nuclear accord has been complicated by \"irresponsible behavior\" from Washington.\n\nAfter meeting in Moscow with his Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif, Lavrov reaffirmed Russia's support for the deal and blamed the U.S. for undermining it.\n\n\"The U.S. is to blame for the situation and it makes it difficult for both Iran to fulfill its obligations and ... for the general state of the nuclear non-proliferation regime,\" Lavrov said.\n\nZarif insisted that Iran's decision to partially withdraw from certain provisions did not violate the agreement, and asserted it was provoked by U.S. actions toward Iran.\n\nHe also said Iran will uphold its obligations if European signatories to the deal uphold theirs.\n\nAssociated Press writers Matthew Lee and Jill Lawless in London, Frank Jordans in Berlin, Elaine Ganley in Paris, Lorne Cook in Brussels and Matthew Bodner in Moscow contributed.", "TEHRAN, Iran — Iran has informed ambassadors from the United Kingdom, France, Germany, China and Russia that it would stop implementing parts of the landmark 2015 nuclear deal.\n\nThe announcements came amid rising pressure on Tehran from the Trump White House. The U.S. withdrew from the accord a year ago Wednesday.\n\nIn a speech broadcast on national television on the anniversary of America's withdrawal from the deal, President Hassan Rouhani said the country would also resume high level enrichment of uranium if world powers did not keep their promises under the Obama-era agreement.\n\n\"We felt that the nuclear deal needs a surgery and the painkiller pills of the last year have been ineffective,\" Rouhani said. \"This surgery is for saving the deal, not destroying it.\"\n\nThe 2015 deal saw sanctions on Iran lifted in exchange for limits on its nuclear program.\n\nThe Trump administration has previously acknowledged that Iran was living up to the agreement, but alleges it also gave the Islamic republic cover to pursue its ballistic weapons program and deepen its regional influence.\n\nWashington subsequently restored crippling sanctions on Iran, exacerbating a severe economic crisis. These measures punish multinationals that do business with Iran. Faced with the choice of working with Iran or stiff American fines, most companies have chosen the latter.\n\nSpeaking Wednesday, Rouhani said the remaining signatories to the pact — the U.K., France, Germany, China and Russia are still committed to the deal — had 60 days to implement their promises to protect Iran's oil and banking sectors from U.S. sanctions.\n\nRouhani also warned of a \"strong reaction\" if European leaders sought to impose more sanctions on Iran via the U.N. Security Council. He did not elaborate.\n\nIn an interview with NBC News in Sept. 2017, Rouhani warned that if Trump backed out of the deal, \"no one will trust America again.\"\n\nWestern governments had long feared Iran's atomic program could allow it to build nuclear weapons. Iran has always maintained its program is for peaceful purposes.\n\nUnder terms of the deal, Iran can keep a stockpile of no more than 660 pounds of low-enriched uranium. That's compared to the 22,046 pounds of higher-enriched uranium it once had.\n\nSaudi Arabia and other Gulf monarchies view Shiite Iran as deeply hostile and have warned for years of the country's influence in the region, including in Iraq, Afghanistan and civil wars in Syria and Yemen.\n\nIsrael, meanwhile, considers Iran its biggest threat and has launched hundreds of airstrikes to curtail Iranian forces and Tehran-backed Lebanese militia Hezbollah in Syria, and keep them away from its northern border.\n\n\"We will not allow Iran to acquire nuclear weapons,\" Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a speech marking Israel's Memorial Day on Wednesday.\n\nOn Monday, the administration announced it had expedited the deployment of an aircraft carrier strike group and sent an Air Force bomber squadron to the Persian Gulf.\n\nOn Tuesday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called off a planned visit to Germany to fly to Iraq. The Trump administration alleges that Iran poses a growing threat to U.S. forces and interests in the Middle East.\n\nThe U.S. has also ended waivers for nations buying Iranian crude oil, a key source of revenue for Iran's government.\n\nAnd on April 8, the U.S. announced it was designating the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC, as a foreign terrorist organization.\n\nThe decision to target the powerful IRGC was aimed at ratcheting up pressure on Iran, and sending a “clear measure to Tehran that its support for terrorism has serious consequences,” according to a statement by the White House on April 8. “We will continue to increase financial pressure and raise the costs on the Iranian regime for its support of terrorist activity until it abandons its malign and outlaw behavior.”\n\nThe \"main signal\" the Iranian government was trying to send Wednesday was that \"they don't want to accept the status quo,\" according to Aniseh Tabrizi, an Middle East expert at the Royal United Services Institute, a London-based think tank.\n\nWhile seeking to contain Iran, the U.S. moves could end up empowering hardliners within the country, Tabrizi said.\n\nRouhani, who is seen as a reformer, had staked his political future on the deal and engaging with the West — arguing that signing a nuclear deal would boost the economy.\n\nNow he and other reformers were “more isolated than ever,” and paying the price for trusting the West and the U.S. specifically, Tabrizi said.\n\nIran’s Foreign Minister Javad Zarif blamed not only the U.S. for the country's decision, but also other signatories of the deal.\n\n\"The European Union and rest of the world community have been incapable of resisting the U.S. pressures,\" he told reporters. \"The Islamic Republic sees it as expedient to stop implementing some of its commitments and some of the measures it had voluntarily taken within the nuclear deal for the time being.\"\n\nZarif spoke during a visit to Moscow — a sign of the widening gap between the U.S. and regional allies like Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates versus Iran and its partners such as Syria and Russia.\n\n“Tehran is an old and reliable partner of Moscow in the region,” the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement. “The Russian-Iranian political dialogue is progressively developing.”\n\nEven before Tehran's announcement, there was growing alarm at the recent moves toward Iran.\n\nLate Tuesday, Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., said he was “deeply worried” that the Trump administration was heading toward an \"unnecessary war.\"\n\n“One year ago, the president withdrew the United States from the deal that prevented Iran from building nuclear weapons,” he said in a statement. “In the months since, Trump’s White House has taken a series of actions to increase tensions, including misrepresenting the regular deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln as a warning to Iran.”\n\nF. Brinley Bruton reported from London, Ali Arouzi from Tehran and Paul Goldman from Tel Aviv, Israel.", "The world powers struggling to preserve a nuclear deal with Iran are facing an increasingly uphill battle, with a new deadline from Tehran on finding a solution to make up for last year's unilateral U.S. withdrawal from the accord and the increasing economic hardship that has put on the Islamic Republic.\n\nAfter Iran notified Britain, Russia, China, the European Union, France and Germany of its intentions in a letter, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said in a televised address Wednesday that the nations have 60 days to come up with a plan to shield his country from the sanctions imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump after he pulled Washington out of the deal.\n\n\"If the five countries join negotiations and help Iran to reach its benefits in the field of oil and banking, Iran will return to its commitments according to the nuclear deal,\" Rouhani said.\n\nThe 2015 deal, intended to keep Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, promised economic incentives in exchange for restrictions on its nuclear activities. Despite efforts so far by the others to keep the deal from collapsing, Iran's economy has been struggling and its currency has plummeted in value after the re-imposition of U.S. sanctions.\n\nLater Wednesday, Trump issued an executive order announcing new sanctions targeting Iran's steel, aluminum, copper and iron sectors, which provide foreign currency earnings for Tehran.\n\nMany international corporations are reluctant to risk running afoul of Washington and have severed ties with Iran; a complicated barter-type system set up by the Europeans to allow their businesses to skirt direct financial transactions with Iran — and thus evade possible U.S. sanctions — is not yet finalized.\n\nIran has continued abiding by the stipulations of the deal, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency, but had been expressing increasing frustration with the inability of the Europeans to provide economic relief, culminating with Wednesday's threat to resume higher enrichment of uranium in 60 days unless new terms are negotiated.\n\nDespite Rouhani's threatening rhetoric and the now-ticking clock, Europeans were cautiously hoping the Iranian president was not on the verge of breaking the deal but instead seeking to show strength domestically as the economy slumps.\n\nGerman Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said his office had been in contact with all the others involved in the Iran deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA, since the announcement to see what could be done to get Tehran to back down.\n\n\"Our opinion is and remains: We want to preserve the agreement, in particular to prevent Iran from coming into possession of nuclear weapons,\" he told reporters. \"We don't need further escalation in the region.\"\n\nSimilarly, French Defense Minister Florence Parly told BFMTV television that \"nothing would be worse than Iran leaving this deal.\"\n\n\"We absolutely want to keep this agreement alive,\" Parly said.\n\nAt a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in London, British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt called Iran's threat \"unwelcome\" and urged it not to take \"further escalatory steps,\" while emphasizing Britain was not ready to give up on the JCPOA.\n\n\"For as long as Iran keeps its commitments then so, too, will the United Kingdom,\" he said.\n\nHunt said Britain and the U.S. agreed on the need to confront the threat from Iran, but \"it's no secret we have a different approach on how best to achieve that.\"\n\nPompeo was restrained in his own assessment of the letter that Iran sent to the JCPOA group outlining its intentions.\n\n\"I think it was intentionally ambiguous,\" he said. \"We'll have to wait to see what Iran's actions actually are. They have made have made a number of statements about actions they have threatened to do in order to get the world to jump.\"\n\nIn his television address, Rouhani also tried a gambit designed to hit a sore spot for Europe, over the issue of migration and drug-smuggling.\n\nNoting that Iran now cooperates on issues like controlling immigration and targeting Afghan opium and hashish traffickers, he said: \"You are obliged ... for your own security, for protecting your youths against drugs as well as controlling influx of immigrants.\"\n\nThere was no immediate response from officials in Europe, which has seen an influx of refugees and migrants from the Middle East in recent years.\n\nChina, a key Iranian ally and trading partner, suggested that Washington's recent decision to deploy an aircraft carrier group and a bomber wing to the Middle East to confront unspecified threats from Tehran had added fuel to the fire.\n\n\"We regret that the U.S. has further aggravated the tension on the Iranian nuclear issue,\" Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said. \"We call on all parties concerned to exercise restraint, strengthen dialogue and avoid escalating tensions.\"\n\nRussian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov went a step further, saying the situation surrounding the fate of the 2015 nuclear accord has been complicated by \"irresponsible behavior\" from Washington.\n\nAfter meeting in Moscow with his Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif, Lavrov reaffirmed Russia's support for the deal and blamed the U.S. for undermining it.\n\n\"The U.S. is to blame for the situation and it makes it difficult for both Iran to fulfill its obligations and ... for the general state of the nuclear non-proliferation regime,\" Lavrov said.\n\nZarif insisted that Iran's decision to partially withdraw from certain provisions did not violate the agreement, and asserted it was provoked by U.S. actions toward Iran.\n\nHe also said Iran will uphold its obligations if European signatories to the deal uphold theirs.\n\nAssociated Press writers Matthew Lee and Jill Lawless in London, Frank Jordans in Berlin, Elaine Ganley in Paris, Lorne Cook in Brussels and Matthew Bodner in Moscow contributed.", "BERLIN (AP) — The world powers struggling to preserve a nuclear deal with Iran are facing an increasingly uphill battle, with a new deadline from Tehran on finding a solution to make up for last year's unilateral U.S. withdrawal from the accord and the increasing economic hardship that has put on the Islamic Republic.\n\nAfter Iran notified Britain, Russia, China, the European Union, France and Germany of its intentions in a letter, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said in a televised address Wednesday that the nations have 60 days to come up with a plan to shield his country from the sanctions imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump after he pulled Washington out of the deal.\n\n\"If the five countries join negotiations and help Iran to reach its benefits in the field of oil and banking, Iran will return to its commitments according to the nuclear deal,\" Rouhani said.\n\nThe 2015 deal, intended to keep Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, promised economic incentives in exchange for restrictions on its nuclear activities. Despite efforts so far by the others to keep the deal from collapsing, Iran's economy has been struggling and its currency has plummeted in value after the re-imposition of U.S. sanctions.\n\nLater Wednesday, Trump issued an executive order announcing new sanctions targeting Iran's steel, aluminum, copper and iron sectors, which provide foreign currency earnings for Tehran.\n\nMany international corporations are reluctant to risk running afoul of Washington and have severed ties with Iran; a complicated barter-type system set up by the Europeans to allow their businesses to skirt direct financial transactions with Iran — and thus evade possible U.S. sanctions — is not yet finalized.\n\nIran has continued abiding by the stipulations of the deal, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency, but had been expressing increasing frustration with the inability of the Europeans to provide economic relief, culminating with Wednesday's threat to resume higher enrichment of uranium in 60 days unless new terms are negotiated.\n\nDespite Rouhani's threatening rhetoric and the now-ticking clock, Europeans were cautiously hoping the Iranian president was not on the verge of breaking the deal but instead seeking to show strength domestically as the economy slumps.\n\nGerman Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said his office had been in contact with all the others involved in the Iran deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA, since the announcement to see what could be done to get Tehran to back down.\n\n\"Our opinion is and remains: We want to preserve the agreement, in particular to prevent Iran from coming into possession of nuclear weapons,\" he told reporters. \"We don't need further escalation in the region.\"\n\nSimilarly, French Defense Minister Florence Parly told BFMTV television that \"nothing would be worse than Iran leaving this deal.\"\n\n\"We absolutely want to keep this agreement alive,\" Parly said.\n\nAt a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in London, British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt called Iran's threat \"unwelcome\" and urged it not to take \"further escalatory steps,\" while emphasizing Britain was not ready to give up on the JCPOA.\n\n\"For as long as Iran keeps its commitments then so, too, will the United Kingdom,\" he said.\n\nHunt said Britain and the U.S. agreed on the need to confront the threat from Iran, but \"it's no secret we have a different approach on how best to achieve that.\"\n\nPompeo was restrained in his own assessment of the letter that Iran sent to the JCPOA group outlining its intentions.\n\n\"I think it was intentionally ambiguous,\" he said. \"We'll have to wait to see what Iran's actions actually are. They have made have made a number of statements about actions they have threatened to do in order to get the world to jump.\"\n\nIn his television address, Rouhani also tried a gambit designed to hit a sore spot for Europe, over the issue of migration and drug-smuggling.\n\nNoting that Iran now cooperates on issues like controlling immigration and targeting Afghan opium and hashish traffickers, he said: \"You are obliged ... for your own security, for protecting your youths against drugs as well as controlling influx of immigrants.\"\n\nThere was no immediate response from officials in Europe, which has seen an influx of refugees and migrants from the Middle East in recent years.\n\nChina, a key Iranian ally and trading partner, suggested that Washington's recent decision to deploy an aircraft carrier group and a bomber wing to the Middle East to confront unspecified threats from Tehran had added fuel to the fire.\n\n\"We regret that the U.S. has further aggravated the tension on the Iranian nuclear issue,\" Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said. \"We call on all parties concerned to exercise restraint, strengthen dialogue and avoid escalating tensions.\"\n\nRussian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov went a step further, saying the situation surrounding the fate of the 2015 nuclear accord has been complicated by \"irresponsible behavior\" from Washington.\n\nAfter meeting in Moscow with his Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif, Lavrov reaffirmed Russia's support for the deal and blamed the U.S. for undermining it.\n\n\"The U.S. is to blame for the situation and it makes it difficult for both Iran to fulfill its obligations and ... for the general state of the nuclear non-proliferation regime,\" Lavrov said.\n\nZarif insisted that Iran's decision to partially withdraw from certain provisions did not violate the agreement, and asserted it was provoked by U.S. actions toward Iran.\n\nHe also said Iran will uphold its obligations if European signatories to the deal uphold theirs.\n\nAssociated Press writers Matthew Lee and Jill Lawless in London, Frank Jordans in Berlin, Elaine Ganley in Paris, Lorne Cook in Brussels and Matthew Bodner in Moscow contributed.", "BERLIN (AP) — The world powers struggling to preserve a nuclear deal with Iran are facing an increasingly uphill battle, with a new deadline from Tehran on finding a solution to make up for last year's unilateral U.S. withdrawal from the accord and the increasing economic hardship that has put on the Islamic Republic.\n\nAfter Iran notified Britain, Russia, China, the European Union, France and Germany of its intentions in a letter, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said in a televised address Wednesday that the nations have 60 days to come up with a plan to shield his country from the sanctions imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump after he pulled Washington out of the deal.\n\n\"If the five countries join negotiations and help Iran to reach its benefits in the field of oil and banking, Iran will return to its commitments according to the nuclear deal,\" Rouhani said.\n\nThe 2015 deal, intended to keep Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, promised economic incentives in exchange for restrictions on its nuclear activities. Despite efforts so far by the others to keep the deal from collapsing, Iran's economy has been struggling and its currency has plummeted in value after the re-imposition of U.S. sanctions.\n\nLater Wednesday, Trump issued an executive order announcing new sanctions targeting Iran's steel, aluminum, copper and iron sectors, which provide foreign currency earnings for Tehran.\n\nMany international corporations are reluctant to risk running afoul of Washington and have severed ties with Iran; a complicated barter-type system set up by the Europeans to allow their businesses to skirt direct financial transactions with Iran — and thus evade possible U.S. sanctions — is not yet finalized.\n\nIran has continued abiding by the stipulations of the deal, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency, but had been expressing increasing frustration with the inability of the Europeans to provide economic relief, culminating with Wednesday's threat to resume higher enrichment of uranium in 60 days unless new terms are negotiated.\n\nDespite Rouhani's threatening rhetoric and the now-ticking clock, Europeans were cautiously hoping the Iranian president was not on the verge of breaking the deal but instead seeking to show strength domestically as the economy slumps.\n\nGerman Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said his office had been in contact with all the others involved in the Iran deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA, since the announcement to see what could be done to get Tehran to back down.\n\n\"Our opinion is and remains: We want to preserve the agreement, in particular to prevent Iran from coming into possession of nuclear weapons,\" he told reporters. \"We don't need further escalation in the region.\"\n\nSimilarly, French Defense Minister Florence Parly told BFMTV television that \"nothing would be worse than Iran leaving this deal.\"\n\n\"We absolutely want to keep this agreement alive,\" Parly said.\n\nAt a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in London, British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt called Iran's threat \"unwelcome\" and urged it not to take \"further escalatory steps,\" while emphasizing Britain was not ready to give up on the JCPOA.\n\n\"For as long as Iran keeps its commitments then so, too, will the United Kingdom,\" he said.\n\nHunt said Britain and the U.S. agreed on the need to confront the threat from Iran, but \"it's no secret we have a different approach on how best to achieve that.\"\n\nPompeo was restrained in his own assessment of the letter that Iran sent to the JCPOA group outlining its intentions.\n\n\"I think it was intentionally ambiguous,\" he said. \"We'll have to wait to see what Iran's actions actually are. They have made have made a number of statements about actions they have threatened to do in order to get the world to jump.\"\n\nIn his television address, Rouhani also tried a gambit designed to hit a sore spot for Europe, over the issue of migration and drug-smuggling.\n\nNoting that Iran now cooperates on issues like controlling immigration and targeting Afghan opium and hashish traffickers, he said: \"You are obliged ... for your own security, for protecting your youths against drugs as well as controlling influx of immigrants.\"\n\nThere was no immediate response from officials in Europe, which has seen an influx of refugees and migrants from the Middle East in recent years.\n\nChina, a key Iranian ally and trading partner, suggested that Washington's recent decision to deploy an aircraft carrier group and a bomber wing to the Middle East to confront unspecified threats from Tehran had added fuel to the fire.\n\n\"We regret that the U.S. has further aggravated the tension on the Iranian nuclear issue,\" Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said. \"We call on all parties concerned to exercise restraint, strengthen dialogue and avoid escalating tensions.\"\n\nRussian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov went a step further, saying the situation surrounding the fate of the 2015 nuclear accord has been complicated by \"irresponsible behavior\" from Washington.\n\nAfter meeting in Moscow with his Iranian counterpart Javad Zarif, Lavrov reaffirmed Russia's support for the deal and blamed the U.S. for undermining it.\n\n\"The U.S. is to blame for the situation and it makes it difficult for both Iran to fulfill its obligations and ... for the general state of the nuclear non-proliferation regime,\" Lavrov said.\n\nZarif insisted that Iran's decision to partially withdraw from certain provisions did not violate the agreement, and asserted it was provoked by U.S. actions toward Iran.\n\nHe also said Iran will uphold its obligations if European signatories to the deal uphold theirs.\n\nAssociated Press writers Matthew Lee and Jill Lawless in London, Frank Jordans in Berlin, Elaine Ganley in Paris, Lorne Cook in Brussels and Matthew Bodner in Moscow contributed.", "Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., a member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, expressed his support for President Trump’s handling of Iran and North Korea on Thursday, saying, “The United States continues to be the most powerful, respected nation in the world and under Donald Trump we're going to continue that way.”\n\nBarrasso made the comment on “America’s Newsroom,” one day after the Pentagon released a new video showing four nuclear-capable B-52 bombers taking off for the Middle East as part of the Trump administration's effort to deter what officials call a \"credible threat\" from Iran.\n\nOfficials told Fox News the Cold War-era bombers, part of the 2nd Bomb Wing, departed Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana Tuesday enroute to Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar.\n\nWATCH: FIRST B-52 BOMBERS DEPART FOR MIDDLE EAST TO DETER IRAN\n\nThe White House said it dispatched the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and the bombers to the Persian Gulf over what it described as a new threat from Iran.\n\nAlso on Wednesday, President Trump announced new sanctions targeting Iran's steel, aluminum, copper and iron sectors and vowed to continue a campaign of \"maximum pressure\" against Tehran until it stops supporting terror groups, ends destabilizing activities in the region, gives up any nuclear weapons efforts and ends development of ballistic missiles.\n\n“The president is absolutely right,” Barrasso said Thursday. “Iran with a nuclear weapon would make the world less safe, less stable, less secure.”\n\n“The Iran deal from the Obama administration was a bad deal. It was so bad it never even came to the U.S. Senate for approval and ratification. The president was right to withdraw and the president is right to add additional sanctions. He’s gone after oil so far and now has added steel, aluminum and other metals.”\n\nEarlier Wednesday, Iran threatened to enrich its uranium stockpile closer to weapons-grade levels in 60 days if world powers fail to negotiate new terms for the 2015 nuclear deal. Trump pulled out of the deal a year ago, but the other nations involved -- China, France, Germany, Great Britain, and Russia -- stayed in.\n\n“The deal was such a bad deal it did allow Iran the path to a nuclear weapon,” Barrasso said.\n\n“I want to prevent Iran from ever getting a nuclear weapon. So whether they complied or not with a bad deal is immaterial, it didn't stop them from getting the path to the weapon.”\n\nNORTH KOREA FIRES 2 SHORT-RANGE MISSILES, 5 DAYS AFTER PREVIOUS LAUNCH; US TESTS LONG-RANGE MISSILE WITHIN 10 MINUTES\n\nOn “America’s Newsroom,\" Barrasso also reacted to North Korea firing two short-range missiles on Thursday, according to South Korean military, as the U.S. responded with an intercontinental ballistic missile test of its own just 10 minutes later.\n\n“To me it seems like the leader of North Korea is frustrated by his inability to get a deal done with President Trump,” said Barrasso.\n\n\n\n “President Trump as you know rightly walked away from a bad deal with North Korea on his last visit, which is what President Obama should have done with Iran last time. President Trump’s not going to take a bad deal. We want to eliminate all the nuclear weapons from the Korean Peninsula. I believe the president is on the right path.”\n\nThe launch, the second such move in less than a week, occurred about 4:30 p.m. local time from the North’s Sino-ri missile base, the South’s joint chiefs of staff said in a statement. The base is located about 130 miles north of the border with South Korea. The U.S. insisted the timing of its own test was entirely coincidental.\n\nCLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP\n\n“We have power, we have potential to use it. The president often communicates our willingness to use power, prefers not to, but we have a capacity and a commitment if necessary,” Barrasso said, adding that under President Trump, the U.S. will continue to be the most powerful and respected nation in the world.\n\nFox News' Lucas Tomlinson and the Associated Press contributed to this report."], "summary": "Iranian President Hassan Rouhani sends letters to the P5+1 leaders of the United Kingdom, China, Russia, Germany, France and the European Union announcing the country's partial withdrawal from the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action agreement. Furthermore, Iran announces that it will stop exporting uranium and heavy water from its nuclear program."}
{"document": ["TO THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES:\n\nIn accordance with section 517 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended (22 U.S.C. 2321k), I am providing notice of my intent to designate Brazil as a Major Non-NATO Ally.\n\nI am making this designation in recognition of the Government of Brazil’s recent commitments to increase defense cooperation with the United States, and in recognition of our own national interest in deepening our defense coordination with Brazil.\n\nDONALD J. TRUMP\n\nTHE WHITE HOUSE,\n\nMay 8, 2019.", "US President will designate Brazil as a major non-NATO ally in recognition of the South American state’s deepening defense cooperation with the US.\n\nUS President Donald Trump announced the decision in a White House press release on Wednesday. The decision to recognize Brazil as a major non-NATO ally comes due to \"Brazil's recent commitments to increase defense cooperation with the United State.\"\n\n“In accordance with section 517 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended, I am providing notice of my intent to designate Brazil as a Major Non-NATO Ally. I am making this designation in recognition of the Government of Brazil’s recent commitments to increase defense cooperation with the United States, and in recognition of our own national interest in deepening our defense coordination with Brazil.” it said.\n\nAs a non-NATO ally, Brazil would become a preferred buyer of US military equipment, would participate in Pentagon military auctions, and would participate in military exercises and training operations with US forces.", "President Donald Trump will designate Brazil assays Trump's notification to the Congress.Trump announced the decision in a White House press release on Wednesday. As a non-NATO ally,Seventeen other countries, including Israel, Japan, South Korea and Australia hold equivalent status.Trump also announced back in March that he was \"very strongly\" considering NATO membership for Brazil, during a visit from Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro to the White House.NATO leadership is a little cooler towards the idea of Brazilian integration. Secretary-General of the alliance Jens Stoltenberg said last week thatNATO is currently made up of 29 full-fledged member states, and a handful of so-called \"aspiring members,\" including Ukraine and Georgia.Bolsonaro rose to power last October as an unabashed admirer of President Trump, and his trip to Washington this year was the right-wing leader's first trip abroad for a bilateral meeting. Since taking office, Bolsonaro has remained a supporter of American foreign policy, following Washington's lead in recognizing Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido's claim to the country's presidency, and coordinating a politically-loaded humanitarian shipment to Venezuela with the US.", "May 9 (UPI) -- Ahead of a U.S. visit by Brazilian President Jair Bolsonro next week, President Donald Trump has designated the South American nation a major non-NATO ally.\n\nTrump previously said he favored Brazil joining NATO and has been a proponent of Bolsonaro's. Wednesday, the U.S. president declared in a memo to Congress Brazil's new status as a major non-NATO ally -- the 18th nation to receive that label from the United States.\n\n\"I am making this designation in recognition of the Government of Brazil's recent commitments to increase defense cooperation with the United States, and in recognition of our own national interest in deepening our defense coordination with Brazil,\" Trump said in a statement.\n\nThe designation is given to non-NATO-affiliated foreign governments considered by the United States a key strategic military partner. Tunisia was the last to receive the designation for its counter-terrorism work with American forces.\n\nBolsonaro will visit the United States next week, in a trip to Dallas. He was supposed to visit New York City to accept a Person of the Year award from the Brazilian-American Chamber of Commerce, but controversial policies and statements caused activists to protest. The American Museum of Natural History ultimately canceled plans to host a black tie gala for Bolsonaro.\n\nSpokesman Rego Barros said some U.S. cities \"do not know how to take advantage of the good democratic environment in the United States, and therefore, Bolsonaro will visit another city within the country.\"\n\n\"Our president has already received several invitations from other [U.S.] states that ensure he will be honored properly when he arrives there,\" he added.", "\"I am making this designation in recognition of the Government of Brazil's recent commitments to increase defense cooperation with the United States, and in recognition of our own national interest in deepening our defense coordination with Brazil\", Trump said in his message to Congress.\n\nDuring a meeting with his Brazilian counterpart, Jair Bolsonaro, at the White House in March, Trump said that he was considering Brazil's membership in NATO.\n\nHowever, article 10 of The North Atlantic Treaty, signed in Washington in April 1949, stipulates that the alliance's members may only invite European states to accede to the treaty.\n\nREAD MORE: Just Business: Brazil Cuts Flow of Money to Venezuela\n\nNATO is currently comprised of 29 member states. According to the North Atlantic Treaty, NATO membership is open to \"any other European state in a position to further the principles of this Treaty and to contribute to the security of the North Atlantic area\".\n\nUS National Security Adviser John Bolton has confirmed Brazil’s designation and has said that the bilateral cooperation would focus on Venezuela, Iran, and China.\n\n\"That's not a hypothesis we're considering. Brazil is looking forward to a peaceful and swift solution to the crisis in Venezuela\". Azevedo said.\n\nLarge-scale protests against Nicolas Maduro sparked in Venezuela on 21 January soon after he was sworn in for a new term. Juan Guaido proclaimed himself an interim leader of the country. A number of Western countries, including the United States, backed his claim. Maduro, in turn, has accused the United States of trying to orchestrate a coup in order to install Guaido as its puppet. Russia, China, and a number of other countries have voiced their support for constitutionally-elected Maduro as the only legitimate president of Venezuela.\n\nREAD MORE: Failed Venezuela Coup 'Example of US Intervention in Latin America' – Campaigner\n\nAmid the events, which Caracas has repeatedly described as a failed coup attempt, Bolton reiterated that \"all options are on the table\" with regard to Venezuela, adding that Washington hopes to see a peaceful transfer of power.", "WASHINGTON DC – US President Donald Trump has notified Congress of his decision to designate Brazil as its main non-NATO partner, as Washington attempts to ratchet up pressure on Caracas, where Maduro’s government has recently succeeded in warding off two rounds of intensive coup-attempts.\n\nFRN assesses that these moves represent attempts by the Trump administration to gear NATO towards Monroe Doctrine types of operations. This is a complicated endeavor because the main tension between the EU and Washington is over whether Washington will be allowed to insert itself as middle-man on Latin American business dealings, particularly in the area of banking and finance. Presently, Venezuela has strong ties not just to Russia, but also to Southern and Western European banking establishments.\n\nThe information was released in a White House statement without further details. According to the note, the appointment is linked to the US recognition of Brazil’s commitment to “increase cooperation on defense issues”, in particular surrounding Cuba and Venezuela.\n\n“I am making this designation in recognition of the Government of Brazil’s recent commitments to increase defense cooperation with the United States, and in recognition of our own national interest in deepening our defense coordination with Brazil,” Trump wrote in a letter to the Congress and released by the White House.\n\nDuring the visit of President Jair Bolsonaro (PSL) to Washington in the United States, the possibility of making Brazil a preferred NATO ally was voiced. In the White House, Donald Trump said that intends to name Brazil for the position.\n\nOn Monday, it was reported that the blockade was maintained for the analysis of new members joining the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), which represents a failure to comply with Donald Trump’s promise to Jair Bolsonaro of support the entry of Brazil into the organization.\n\nTrump also announced back in March that he was “very strongly” considering NATO membership for Brazil, during a visit from Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro to the White House.\n\nNATO leadership is a little cooler towards the idea of Brazilian integration. Secretary-General of the alliance Jens Stoltenberg said last week that Brazil may not join the military pact, but could become “a very close partner” of the group.\n\nNATO is currently made up of 29 full-fledged member states, and a handful of so-called “aspiring members,” including Ukraine and Georgia. Twenty-one more countries are considered partner states, with Colombia the most recent South American addition.\n\nBolsonaro rose to power last October as an unabashed admirer of President Trump, and his trip to Washington this year was the right-wing leader’s first trip abroad for a bilateral meeting. Since taking office, Bolsonaro has remained a supporter of American foreign policy, following Washington’s lead in recognizing Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido’s claim to the country’s presidency, and coordinating a politically-loaded humanitarian shipment to Venezuela with the US.", "U.S. President Donald Trump will nominate Patrick Shanahan to be his second secretary of defense, the White House announced Thursday.\n\nThe former Boeing executive has been leading the Pentagon as acting secretary since Jan. 1, a highly unusual arrangement for arguably the most sensitive Cabinet position.\n\nWhite House press secretary Sarah Sanders said \"Shanahan has proven over the last several months that he is beyond qualified to lead the Department of Defense, and he will continue to do an excellent job.\"\n\nMoments later, Shanahan spoke to reporters outside the Pentagon, saying he was very excited about the nomination and looking forward to a job he said requires him to \"spin a lot of plates.\"\n\n\"The biggest challenge is balancing it all. For me it's about practicing selectful neglect, so that we can stay focused on the future,\" Shanahan said, adding with a grin, \"I called my mom. She was super happy.\"\n\nIndeed, in Shanahan's tenure at the department he's had to deal with a wide array of international hotspots, ranging from missile launches by North Korea to the sudden shift of military ships and aircraft to the Middle East to deal with potential threats from Iran.\n\nThe announcement comes close on the heels of an investigation by the Defense Department's inspector general over accusations that Shanahan had shown favoritism toward Boeing during his time as deputy defense secretary, while disparaging Boeing competitors. The probe appeared to stall his nomination, but the IG wrapped up the investigation rapidly and cleared Shanahan of any wrongdoing.\n\nThe IG interviewed Shanahan as well as 33 witnesses under oath, including Mattis and members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.\n\n\"We did not substantiate any of the allegations. We determined that Mr. Shanahan fully complied with his ethics agreements and his ethical obligations regarding Boeing and its competitors,\" the report said.\n\nShanahan wields none of the star power of Trump's first defense secretary. And that may be just the thing for a commander in chief who seemed to resent Mattis for his reputation in Washington as a superior strategist and a moderating influence on an impulsive president.\n\nTwo months before Mattis resigned, citing policy differences, Trump publicly questioned whether he was \"sort of a Democrat.\" After the former Marine general quit, Trump spoke more harshly, calling Mattis a failure, and insisted he had fired him, even though Mattis had resigned first.\n\nShanahan, 56, has a lifetime of experience in the defense industry but little in government. In more than four months as the acting secretary, he has focused on implementing the national defense strategy that was developed during Mattis' tenure and emphasizes a shift from the resources and tactics required to fight small wars against extremist groups to what Shanahan calls \"great power\" competition with China and Russia.\n\nThe Shanahan nomination is not known to face any organized opposition in Congress, although some members have been lukewarm on him. Sen. James Inhofe, the Oklahoma Republican who is chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, has questioned why Trump was taking so long to seek the Senate's consent but has indicated he would support Shanahan. Others have questioned whether Shanahan might be more willing to endorse plans or policies coming out of the White House.\n\nThis is only the third time in history that the Pentagon has been led by an acting chief. The last was William H. Taft, who served for two months in 1989 after President George H.W. Bush's first choice to be defense secretary, John Tower, became mired in controversy and ultimately failed to be confirmed by the Senate. Dick Cheney, the future vice president under President George W. Bush, then was nominated and confirmed.\n\nPresidents typically take pains to ensure the Pentagon is being run by a Senate-confirmed official, given the grave responsibilities that include sending young Americans into battle, ensuring the military is ready for extreme emergencies like nuclear war and managing overseas alliances that are central to U.S. security.\n\nShanahan, who grew up in Seattle, earned a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Washington and two advanced degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He joined Boeing in 1986, rose through its ranks and is credited with rescuing a troubled Dreamliner 787 program. He also led the company's missile defense and military helicopter programs.\n\nTrump has seemed attracted to Shanahan partially for his work on one of the president's pet projects — creating a Space Force. Trump also has publicly lauded Boeing, builder of many of the military's most prominent aircraft, including the Apache and Chinook helicopters, the C-17 cargo plane and the B-52 bomber, as well as the iconic presidential aircraft, Air Force One.\n\nAlthough a few members of the Senate have rhetorically roughed up Shanahan, he has not generated broad opposition during his months of auditioning for the nomination. Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican, butted heads with Shanahan over the administration's Syria policy, but that confrontation quickly faded after the White House partially reversed course by agreeing to keep a few hundred troops in Syria rather than withdrawing all 2,000.\n\nShanahan was the deputy secretary of defense during Mattis' two-year tenure. No one thought of him then as a potential No. 1 since he had never previously served in government and carried little political sway in Washington or in foreign capitals. Aides say that during his 17 months as deputy, Shanahan was deeply engaged in the full range of policy issues and briefed on military operations. He shares Mattis' conviction that the Pentagon needs to shift its focus from fighting insurgent wars to preparing for and deterring armed conflict with big powers like China.\n\n\"China, China, China,\" was his message to senior department officials the day he took over from Mattis, aides said.", "SAO PAULO, May 7 (Reuters) - Automakers in Brazil warned on Tuesday of the threat from cheap imported cars from Mexico, as the end of a cap on bilateral trade in the sector presents a new challenge to the dominance of local manufacturing in Latin America's largest auto market.\n\nThe Brazil-based arms of global automakers such as General Motors Co, Volkswagen AG and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV, whose local plants have long benefited from high tariffs, said through national industry group Anfavea that they struggled to match Mexico's low production costs.\n\nThe Brazilian industry's warning echoes the concerns of U.S. President Donald Trump and U.S. labor unions about the threat posed by increasingly efficient Mexican factories staffed with lower-paid workers.\n\nBrazil and Mexico agreed in March to open trade in light vehicles after years of capping trade volumes between the countries. Mexico has been seeking to diversify trading partners since Trump warned of the possible end to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) that has defined Mexico's economy.\n\nAnfavea officials said they had presented the Brazilian government with a study comparing production costs and tax burdens facing auto plants in Mexico and Brazil to underscore the challenge.\n\n\"We have a very modern industry in Brazil,\" said Luiz Carlos Moraes, a Mercedes-Benz executive who assumed the presidency of Anfavea in recent weeks. \"We can tend to our market. That is what we defend.\"\n\nEduardo Solis, the president of the Mexican Auto Industry Association, known as AMIA, said his members were not concerned about the new trade rules with Brazil, and that the two groups had already met to discuss the future.\n\nBrazil is one of the world's most closed major economies and its size has historically helped lured some of the world's largest automakers to set up local production there, serving what had been one of the world's top five car markets before a recent slump.\n\n\"We cannot lose our current production volume, or our ability to generate jobs, or our ability to affect the country's GDP,\" Moraes said, citing statistics that were compiled by PwC consultants at Anfavea's request.\n\nMoraes said the study had concluded that making a car in Mexico was 18 percent cheaper than in Brazil and that importing a Mexican car to Brazil was still cheaper than a locally made one.\n\nHe made the comments at a news conference presenting monthly statistics, which showed automobile production in Brazil rose 11.1 percent in April from March, while sales rose 10.9 percent.\n\nAutomakers in Brazil produced around 267,500 new cars and trucks last month, while sales totaled about 231,900 vehicles. Compared with a year ago, auto output rose 0.5 percent and sales grew by 6.7 percent. (Reporting by Marcelo Rochabrun; Additional reporting by Sharay Angulo in Mexico City Editing by Brad Haynes, Bill Trott and Jonathan Oatis)", "May 9 (Reuters) - Latin American stocks and currencies slid on Thursday after U.S. President Donald Trump warned that a trade deal with China was in serious danger, pushing investors away from riskier assets. Trump has warned that tariffs on Chinese goods worth $200 billion would rise beginning Friday if an agreement is not reached. China has reportedly asked the United States to meet halfway to salvage a deal that would end their protracted trade war that has roiled financial markets since last year. MSCI's index of Latin American stocks fell 1.5 percent with Brazil's Bovespa leading losses, while Colombia's IGBC index was the only gainer in the region. Sao Paulo-traded stocks dropped 1.4 percent with oil company Petroleo Brasileiro falling nearly 2 percent. The company is expected to launch a secondary share offering on May 24. Azul, Brazil's third largest airline, was off 2 percent in U.S.-trading as higher operating costs sent first-quarter profits down 20 percent. The real was the biggest loser among regional currencies after Brazil's central bank kept its benchmark interest rate on hold at a record-low 6.50 percent on Wednesday in view of inflationary risks. \"We believe that the central bank will only start considering eventual rate cuts after concrete signs of passing effective pension reform in Congress, \" said Mauricio Oreng, senior Brazil strategist at Rabobank in a note. Mexican stocks fell for a 13th straight session while the peso weakened on lower oil prices. Chile's peso fell to its lowest since the start of the year, tracking a dip in the price of copper, the country's top export, while Peru's sol was off 0.4 percent. Central banks from Chile and Peru will release monetary policy decisions later in the day, with analysts expecting bankers in both countries to hold rates. Key Latin American stock indexes and currencies at 1420 GMT Stock indexes daily % YTD % Latest change change MSCI Emerging Markets 1024.94 -2.47 8.83 MSCI LatAm 2643.07 -2.2 5.32 Brazil Bovespa 94316.44 -1.34 7.32 Mexico IPC 42830.45 -1.34 2.86 Chile IPSA 5019.27 -0.81 -0.81 Argentina MerVal 33571.15 -0.61 10.82 Colombia IGBC 12505.17 0.1 12.21 Currencies daily % YTD % change change Latest Brazil real 3.9688 -0.92 -16.52 Mexico peso 19.2500 -0.88 2.33 Chile peso 686.3 -0.31 -10.44 Colombia peso 3289.88 0.05 -9.36 Peru sol 3.323 -0.21 -2.59 Argentina peso 45.6800 -1.16 -59.28 (interbank) (Reporting by Agamoni Ghosh; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)", "The NATO Council and Mediterranean Dialogue Partners Meeting took place in Ankara earlier this week, at a time when Turkey and the United States are experiencing tensions over the former's plan to purchase the S-400 missile defense system from Russia and disagreements on Turkish drilling in the Eastern Mediterranean.\n\nWhether or not NATO, which experts have been calling an alliance in crisis, can contribute to the solution of pressing problems between Ankara and Washington is a critical question. The alliance could witness a further deepening of the current crisis if it fails to help two of its most powerful members overcome their issues.\n\nDelivering the meeting's opening speech, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan called on all member states to \"respect Turkey's rights.\" He identified common threats in the international arena and took a jab at NATO for failing to assist Turkish efforts to neutralize threats against the country's national security. Erdoğan recalled that Turkey had been dealing with irregular migration, terrorism and the negative side effects of the Syrian civil war for the last eight years.\n\nThe Turkish president also noted that Turkey contributed to NATO operations in Bosnia, Kosovo, Macedonia and Afghanistan. \"It goes against NATO's very existence to expect member states to overcome serious challenges, such as terrorism, unilaterally,\" Erdoğan said: \"We expect our friends in NATO to merely act in line with the spirit of our alliance and defend its founding values. We want our allies to take measures against groups that they regard as terrorist organizations. It is impossible to legitimize the false steps that have been taken under the pretext of fighting ISIS [Daesh]. Nor are the legitimate rights of Turkey and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus [TRNC] in the Eastern Mediterranean subject to discussion. We expect NATO to contribute to the de-escalation of tensions.\"\n\nMost of Erdoğan's messages were obviously addressed to the United States.\n\nThe main reason behind tensions between Turkey and the United States is Washington's disregard for Turkish security concerns. Tactical decisions by the Americans, such as their cooperation with the terrorist organization PKK's Syrian affiliate, the People's Protection Units (YPG), hurt Ankara's strategic interests. Hence Erdoğan's call on NATO to play a positive role in Turkey-U.S. relations. In other words, the Turkish president reminded NATO what it was supposed to do and responded to the incessant questioning of Turkey's position within NATO. Erdoğan also urged member states to contribute to each other's defense: \"We will take steps required by our national interest whilst maintaining our strong position within NATO. The relationships that Turkey nurtures with various countries and regions complement, not contradict, each other.\"\n\nTurkey is determined to remain part of NATO and do what its national interest requires. Failure to answer Erdoğan's call would only serve to deepen NATO's current crisis.\n\nThe alliance, which marked its 70th anniversary last month, faces many challenges. The single greatest challenge against NATO is U.S. President Donald Trump's disregard for the alliance and his view that NATO is obsolete. This is unprecedented in the organization's entire history.\n\nFormer U.S. Ambassadors to NATO, Douglas Lute and Nicholas Burns, believe that NATO also faces the following challenges: Restoring European defense strength, upholding NATO's democratic values, streamlining NATO's decision-making, containing Russia, ending the Afghan war, refocusing NATO partnerships, maintaining an open door for future members, winning the technology battle in the digital age and competing with China.\n\nIf NATO fails to solve the problems between Turkey and the United States on account of the latter's dominance over the organization, it will further deepen its own crisis."], "summary": "U.S. President Donald Trump notifies the Congress that he will designate Brazil as a Major non-NATO ally in light of recent commitments to increase defense cooperation between both countries."}
{"document": ["BELIZE CITY (Reuters) - Belizeans have voted to ask the United Nations world court to decide Guatemala’s claim that it is the rightful owner of half of Belize’s territory, setting the scene for a resolution to a dispute that has rumbled on for centuries.\n\nFILE PHOTO: Poll workers count ballots after polls closed at a polling station during a referendum on a border dispute with Belize in Guatemala City, Guatemala April 15, 2018. REUTERS/Luis Echeverria/File Photo\n\nIn a referendum held on Wednesday, 55.4 percent of voters opted to send the matter to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, according to results published by Belize’s elections and boundaries department on Thursday.\n\nThe remaining 44.6 percent of voters in the former British colony in Central America opposed the motion to ask the court.\n\nGuatemalans in April 2018 voted by an overwhelming majority to have the ICJ rule on the dispute, which stretches back to the dawn of the colonial era in the Americas.\n\nIn a statement, Guatemala’s government applauded the result and said it would immediately contact the foreign ministry of Belize to agree the next steps in the process.\n\n“The final resolution of the dispute will broaden and deepen the good relations that exist between Guatemala and Belize,” the Guatemalan foreign ministry said.\n\nMarta Larra, a spokeswoman for the ministry, estimated it could be around four years before a final court decision.\n\n“The most important thing for Guatemala is defining the border,” said Larra.\n\nOfficials from the U.S. State Department, the European Union and the Organization of American States (OAS) also welcomed the outcome of the referendum.\n\nGuatemala recognized the independence of Belize at the beginning of the 1990s. But it never accepted the borders and continues to claim about 11,000 square km (4,250 square miles) of Belize, about half of its territory.\n\nIn December 2008, both countries signed a deal that its inhabitants could vote to decide whether the territorial claim, which includes various islands, should be decided by the ICJ.\n\nBelize Prime Minister Dean Barrow is betting the court will settle the issue once and for all by confirming the borders.\n\nRelated Coverage Guatemala applauds Belize vote, says to work on next steps\n\nIn Belize City, Barrow told a news conference he wanted to make sure there were “no slip-ups” in preparing Belize’s case.\n\nAn English-speaking country of around 375,000 people, Belize became independent in 1981.\n\nInhabited by Maya before the arrival of Europeans, the territory was claimed by Spain and settled by British buccaneers during the 17th century. Belize later became a British possession surrounded by countries that Spain had colonized.", "CAYO DISTRICT, Belize, (Reuters) – Belizeans yesterday voted in a referendum on whether a top U.N. court should rule on neighboring Guatemala’s claim that it is the rightful owner of half of Belize’s territory, a dispute dating back to Spanish and British colonial rule.\n\nGuatemalans in April 2018 overwhelmingly voted to ask the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague to make a decision on the dispute with Belize.\n\nThe referendum in the small Central American country is highly politicized, but could help end a border conflict that originated during the colonial era.\n\nBelize’s ruling United Democratic Party (UDP) has argued in favor of seeking the court’s intervention in hopes of settling the matter once and for all, betting the court will uphold the current border.\n\nEarl Trapp, UDP mayor of the twin towns San Ignacio and Santa Elena, said a vote for the court was “imperative.”\n\n“This is the time that we have support from the world, from the U.N., to end this unfounded claim,” he said.\n\nA trickle of voters reached polling stations during the morning, with greater numbers expected in the afternoon. Results of the referendum are expected by early Thursday.\n\nCritics of the plan, which include the opposition People’s United Party (PUP), are pushing voters to reject arbitration by the court due to the risk that Belize could lose a large chunk of disputed territory from its center to the south.\n\nAlfaro Bol, a voter in Stann Creek West in southeastern Belize, said he did not want ICJ judges to get involved.\n\n“We have defined borders,” he said. “There’s no need for 15 foreigners to tell us where our borders lie.”\n\nGuatemala recognized the independence of Belize at the beginning of the 1990s. But it never accepted the borders and continues to claim about 11,000 square kilometers, about half the territory of the former British colony.\n\nIn December 2008, both countries signed a deal that its inhabitants could vote to decide whether the territorial claim, which includes various islands, should be decided by the ICJ.\n\nBelize, an English-speaking country of around 375,000 people, became independent in 1981.\n\nInhabited by Maya before the arrival of Europeans, the territory was claimed by Spain and settled by British buccaneers during the 17th century. Belize later became a British possession surrounded by countries that Spain had colonized.\n\nSome 147,000 Belize residents registered to take part in Wednesday’s referendum.", "BELIZE CITY (Reuters) - Belizeans on Wednesday began voting in a referendum on whether a top U.N. court should rule on neighboring Guatemala’s claim that it is the rightful owner of half of Belize’s territory, a dispute dating back to Spanish and British colonial rule.\n\nGuatemalans in April 2018 overwhelmingly voted to ask the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague to make a decision on the dispute with Belize.\n\nThe referendum in the small Central American country is highly politicized, but could help end a border conflict that originated during the colonial era.\n\nBelize’s ruling United Democratic Party (UDP) has argued in favor of seeking the court’s intervention in hopes of settling the matter once and for all, betting the court will uphold the current border.\n\nCritics of the plan, which include the opposition People’s United Party (PUP), are pushing voters to reject arbitration by the court due to the risk that Belize could lose a large chunk of disputed territory from its center to the south.\n\nGuatemala recognized the independence of Belize at the beginning of the 1990s. But it never accepted the borders and continues to claim about 11,000 square kilometers, about half the territory of the former British colony.\n\nIn December 2008, both countries signed a deal that its inhabitants could vote to decide whether the territorial claim, which includes various islands, should be decided by the ICJ.\n\nBelize, an English-speaking country of around 375,000 people, became independent in 1981.\n\nInhabited by Maya before the arrival of Europeans, the territory was claimed by Spain and settled by British buccaneers during the 17th century. Belize later became a British possession surrounded by countries that Spain had colonized.\n\nSome 147,000 Belize residents have registered to take part in Wednesday’s referendum.\n\nResults of the vote are expected by early Thursday.", "BELIZE CITY, May 8 (Reuters) - Belizeans have voted in a referendum that a top United Nations court should make a ruling on Guatemala's claim that it is the rightful owner of half of neighboring Belize's territory, Belize's electoral authorities said on Thursday.\n\nGuatemalans in April 2018 overwhelmingly voted to ask the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague to make a decision on the dispute with Belize. The origins of the dispute date far back into the colonial era. (Reporting by Jose Sanchez)", "BELIZE CITY (Reuters) - Belizeans have voted to ask the United Nations world court to decide Guatemala’s claim that it is the rightful owner of half of Belize’s territory, setting the scene for a resolution to a dispute that has rumbled on for centuries.\n\nIn a referendum held on Wednesday, 55.4 percent of voters opted to send the matter to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, according to results published by Belize’s elections and boundaries department on Thursday.\n\nThe remaining 44.6 percent of voters in the former British colony in Central America opposed the motion to ask the court.\n\nGuatemalans in April 2018 voted by an overwhelming majority to have the ICJ rule on the dispute, which stretches back to the dawn of the colonial era in the Americas. [nL8N1RS0MI]\n\nIn a statement, Guatemala’s government applauded the referendum result and said it would immediately contact the foreign ministry of Belize to agree the next steps in the process.\n\n“The final resolution of the dispute will broaden and deepen the good relations that exist between Guatemala and Belize,” the Guatemalan foreign ministry said.\n\nOfficials from the U.S. State Department, the European Union and the Organization of American States (OAS) also welcomed the outcome of the Belize referendum.\n\nGuatemala recognized the independence of Belize at the beginning of the 1990s. But it never accepted the borders and continues to claim about 11,000 square km (4,250 square miles) of Belize, about half of its territory.\n\nIn December 2008, both countries signed a deal that its inhabitants could vote to decide whether the territorial claim, which includes various islands, should be decided by the ICJ.\n\nBelize Prime Minister Dean Barrow is betting the court will settle the issue once and for all by confirming Belize’s borders.\n\nBelize, an English-speaking country of around 375,000 people, became independent in 1981.\n\nInhabited by Maya before the arrival of Europeans, the territory was claimed by Spain and settled by British buccaneers during the 17th century. Belize later became a British possession surrounded by countries that Spain had colonized.", "Belizeans have voted to ask a top United Nations court to decide on neighbouring Guatemala's claim that it is the rightful owner of half of Belize's territory, setting the scene for potential resolution of a dispute that has rumbled on for centuries.\n\nIn a referendum held in Belize on Wednesday, some 55.4 per cent of voters opted to send the matter to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague, according to preliminary results published by the elections and boundaries department on Thursday.\n\nThe remaining 44.6 per cent of voters in the former British colony in Central America opposed the motion to ask the court.\n\nThe result was a victory for the ruling United Democratic Party (UDP) of Prime Minister Dean Barrow, who is betting the court will settle the issue once and for all.\n\nGuatemalans in April 2018 voted by an overwhelming majority to have the ICJ rule on the dispute.\n\nGuatemala recognized the independence of Belize at the beginning of the 1990s. But it never accepted the borders and continues to claim about 11,000 square kilometres of Belize, about half of its territory.\n\nIn December 2008, both countries signed a deal that its inhabitants could vote to decide whether the territorial claim, which includes various islands, should be decided by the ICJ.\n\nBelize, an English-speaking country of around 375,000 people, became independent in 1981.\n\nInhabited by Maya before the arrival of Europeans, the territory was claimed by Spain and settled by British buccaneers during the 17th century. Belize later became a British possession surrounded by countries that Spain had colonized.\n\nGuatemala's government on Thursday applauded the vote in Belize.\n\nThe Guatemalan foreign ministry said in a statement that it would immediately contact the foreign ministry of Belize to agree on the next steps in efforts to resolve the dispute.", "GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) - Guatemala’s government on Thursday applauded a referendum vote in Belize in favor of sending the countries’ long-running territorial dispute to a top U.N. court, saying the move will help deepen bilateral relations between the two neighbors.\n\nThe Guatemalan foreign ministry said in a statement that it would immediately contact the foreign ministry of Belize to agree on the next steps in efforts to resolve the dispute, which dates back to the colonial era.", "Islanders of Ambergris Caye and Caye Caulker in Belize Rural South (BRS) came out in a steady flow on Wednesday, May 8th to participate in the Territorial Dispute Referendum on whether to take the Guatemalan claim to the International Court of Justice (ICJ). After polls closed at 6PM, a total of 4,253 had cast their vote in BRS. Three hours later, the results were in and with a total of 2,373 against 1,857, the ‘YES’ vote won, with the majority of support recorded in San Pedro Town.\n\nAt the polling stations countrywide, Belizeans were asked to either vote ‘YES’ or ‘NO’ on the question: \"Do you agree that any legal claim of Guatemala against Belize relating to land and insular territories and to any maritime areas pertaining to these territories should be submitted to the International Court of Justice for final settlement and that it determine finally the boundaries of the respective territories and areas of the Parties?\"\n\nThroughout the day, members of both the ruling United Democratic Party and the Opposition People’s United Party encouraged citizens to come out and exercise their democratic right to vote. in Caye Caulker, which carried the polling stations #34 and #38, 385 votes favored the ‘NO’ option, while 341 electorates voted ‘YES’. One ballot was rejected. Hicaqueños said ‘NO’ to the ICJ by a margin of 44 votes.\n\nMeanwhile, in San Pedro Town, Polling Area #37, a total of 2,032 voted ‘YES’, and 1,472 voted ‘NO’ to settling the dispute at the ICJ. 22 ballots were rejected in San Pedro. After tallying the total number of votes, ‘YES’ prevailed in BRS by 516. Returning Officer Martin Alegria shared with the media that the process went smoothly and there were no disputes nor was there any mischief during the process. Nevertheless, he would have liked to see more Belizeans come out and vote.\n\nBRS Area Representative Honorable Manuel Heredia Jr., was more than satisfied with the results and indicated that it was the will of the people. “Everyone wants to end with this dispute, and today the people spoke and decided to deal with and move on as a country,” said Heredia. He added that thanks to the ICJ campaign, many people made an informed decision.\n\nAcross the country, unofficial reports give the same story as BRS, with the ‘YES’ vote leading. In many areas, the vote in favor of the ICJ was unexpected. Overall, 65% of the 148,500 of electorates that re-registered came to vote. The Belize District registered the highest turn out with 69%, while in the Toledo District, only 59% came out to cast their vote.\n\nNow that Belizeans have opted to take the territorial dispute to the ICJ, the government must start preparing to face Guatemala at this international court. In the next six months, both countries will have the time to start planning their presentations, which will take place inside the Peace Palace, at The Hague, Netherlands, where the ICJ is headquartered. Guatemala will first present its evidence on her rights over Belize. Belize will then have six months to dispute the Guatemalan claim and convince the judges that its neighbor to the west has absolutely no title or rights over the Jewel.\n\nFor a complete report on the referendum process, look for our detailed story in the print issue of The San Pedro Sun out this Friday, May 10th.\n\nFollow The San Pedro Sun News on Twitter, become a fan on Facebook. Stay updated via RSS", "BELIZE CITY, Tues. May 7, 2019– In less than 24 hours, Belizeans from all walks of life from all corners of the country will converge on the 344 polling stations that are scattered across the country to vote in a historic referendum on whether or not the International Court of Justice (ICJ) will decide on a judicial end to the Guatemalan claim that has been bedeviling the country and was largely responsible for delaying its political independence, which was finally achieved on September 21, 1981.\n\nIn December 2008, a strange creature crept into Belize’s political vocabulary, when Belize Foreign Minister Wilfred Elrington signed an agreement with the Republic of Guatemala known as the Special Agreement (compromis).\n\nUnder the protocol of the Special Agreement both Belize and Guatemala pledge to hold referenda simultaneously, but the agreement was later amended so that Guatemala could proceed ahead of Belize with its referendum, which it held on April 15, 2018, when Guatemalans went to the polls in their ICJ referendum.\n\nThe question that was asked of Guatemalan voters is the same question that will be asked of Belizean voters “Do you agree that any legal claim of Guatemala against Belize relating to land and insular territories and to any maritime areas pertaining to these territories should be submitted to the International Court of Justice for final settlement and that it determines finally the boundaries of the respective territories and areas of the Parties?”\n\nThe government of Prime Minister Dean Barrow continues to insist, based on a string of legal opinions from international law experts that Belize has an iron-clad case and cannot lose if the claim is taken to the ICJ. For its part, the government embarked on a massive “yes to the ICJ” education campaign. The proponents of the “no to the ICJ” point to the one-sided nature of the government’s campaign.\n\nAs the government continued its push for going to the ICJ, the Opposition, People’s United Party (PUP) embarked on what it called a country wide consultation in all 31 constituencies. Following those consultations, the PUP issued “The People’s Declaration” which emphasized that the PUP adopted a no to the ICJ.\n\nThe PUP would go further, as the referendum date of April 10 got closer and following the publication of a joint legal opinion by three attorneys, Anthony Sylvestre, Dickie Bradley and Kareem Musa, 5 PUP parliamentarians and one standard bearer signed to become claimants in a constitutional challenge to the Special Agreement.\n\nOn April 3, one week before the scheduled April 10 referendum day, the PUP claimants applied for and received an interim injunction from Belize Chief Justice, Hon. Kenneth Benjamin, which stopped the referendum in its tracks.\n\nThe court found that unbeknownst to anyone, the prime minister had submitted for the Governor General, a writ of referendum. The writ of referendum, however, was faulty, and the Chief Justice pounced on it and granted the interim injunction.\n\nThis derailed the government’s plan to hold the referendum, but not for long. The Prime Minister almost immediately called a meeting of the House of Representatives, at which meeting his government introduced and passed the Belize Territorial Dispute Referendum Bill 2019. A few days later went to the Senate, where it was passed by majority vote. The ink wasn’t dry before the government announced the new date for the referendum, tomorrow, May 8th.", "Thursday, May 9th. 2019 –\n\nOf the 148,500 registered voters in Belize 96,417 voters cast ballots, or 2/3 of voters, 65% (64.93%) voted in the May 8th. ICJ Referendum and 55.38% of those who voted are in favor of going to the ICJ.\n\nMost notable in the table below is the 2 areas nearest to Guatemala, Toledo West and Cayo West has the highest margin of NO Votes compared to YES Votes.\n\nHere are the results by division in the May 8th Referendum. The constituencies outlined in yellow are those in which the NO votes outnumbered the YES votes."], "summary": "In a referendum, 55.37% of the Belizean population voted in favor of allowing the International Court of Justice to adjudicate Belize's border dispute with its neighbor Guatemala."}
{"document": ["WATCH: Malala Yousafzai, now 20 and a Nobel Peace Prize winner, returned to her home country for the first time since 2012.\n\nWATCH: Malala Yousafzai, now 20 and a Nobel Peace Prize winner, returned to her home country for the first time since 2012.\n\nA Christian woman acquitted of blasphemy after spending eight years on death row in Pakistan, but who still faced death threats from Islamic extremists upon her release, flew to Canada on Wednesday to join her daughters, Pakistani officials and others involved in the case said.\n\nAasia Bibi was convicted of blasphemy in 2009 after a quarrel with two fellow farmworkers, who refused to drink from the same water container as a Christian. Five days later, the women said Bibi had insulted Islam, a crime punishable by death. Bibi was charged with blasphemy despite repeatedly denying the accusation. The Supreme Court overturned her conviction last year, and she had been in protective custody since then.\n\nIslamic extremists have rioted over the case and threatened to kill Bibi. Even as word of her departure from Pakistan became known, the hard-line Tehree-e-Labbaik Party, whose single-point agenda is defending the controversial blasphemy law, threatened protests. The same party, whose leaders including firebrand cleric Khadim Hussain Rizvi are in jail, also urged the overthrow of the government following Bibi's acquittal. Rizvi's bail hearing is May 13.\n\nA close friend of Bibi confirmed that she had left the country. He spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal. Bibi's lawyer, Saif-ul Malook, said Bibi had already arrived in Canada and officials in Pakistan's interior and foreign ministries also confirmed her departure. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.\n\n\"Obviously there are sensitive privacy and security issues on this and unfortunately I can't comment on this at this time,\" Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters in Ottawa as he prepared to meet legislators Wednesday.\n\nThe U.S. State Department issued a statement welcoming news of her departure, which was cloaked in secrecy.\n\n\"Asia Bibi is now free, and we wish her and her family all the best following their reunification,\" the statement said. \"The United States uniformly opposes blasphemy laws anywhere in the world, as they jeopardize the exercise of fundamental freedoms.\"\n\nBritish Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt tweeted his pleasure at Bibi's departure.\n\n\"Fantastic news that Asia Bibi appears to have left Pakistan safely,\" he tweeted, adding that he was about to meet U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo \"to talk about persecution of Christians around the world.\"\n\nThe case has brought international attention to Pakistan's controversial blasphemy law, which carries an automatic death penalty. The mere suspicion of blasphemy against Islam is enough to ignite mob lynchings in the country. Blasphemy allegations have also been used to intimidate religious minorities and to settle scores.\n\nRadical Islamists have made the punishment of blasphemy a major rallying cry, bringing tens of thousands into the streets and paralyzing major cities. The Tehreek-e Labbaik party won three seats in last year's provincial election on an agenda of defending the blasphemy law.\n\nThe reluctance of some local and foreign officials to speak openly of Bibi's departure may reflect fears of igniting more violence.\n\nSalman Taseer, governor of Punjab province, was shot and killed by one of his guards in 2011 for defending Bibi and criticizing the misuse of the blasphemy law. The assassin, Mumtaz Qadri, was celebrated as a martyr by hard-liners since being hanged for the killing, with millions visiting a shrine set up for him near Islamabad.\n\nEven Punjab's information minister made a pilgrimage to his shrine, generating a public outcry.\n\nPakistan's minister for minorities, Shahbaz Bhatti, was assassinated later in 2011, also after demanding justice for Bibi.\n\nTaseer's son Shaan, who spoke Wednesday to The Associated Press from Canada, said the fight against extremism is \"the most important battle of our time.\"\n\nHe said Bibi's departure was reason to celebrate, but he said there are hundreds more people languishing in Pakistani jails on charges of blasphemy, including university professor Janaid Hafiz, who has been in jail since 2013 for allegedly blasphemous posts on Facebook, which he denies.\n\n\"It is a great day, a great moment but let's not forget the 200 other Aasia Bibi's in jail today on charges of blasphemy,\" Shaan Taseer said. \"These are the people on the front line. ... These are the soldiers against extremism. They are facing the enemy up close and personal.\"\n\nPrime Minister Imran Khan has vowed not to be intimidated by the rioters, saying the rule of law would decide Bibi's fate. Still, she was denied permission to leave the country for several months after her acquittal until sentiments cooled.\n\nBibi's friend, who last spoke to her on Tuesday, said Bibi and her husband Ashiq Masih spent the last several weeks getting their documents in order. She received her passport last Wednesday, he said. He said she longed to see her daughters, with whom she spoke daily from her secure location, protected by Pakistani security forces.\n\nOn Wednesday, Taseer posted a video of Bibi's daughter's farewell message to her mother when they left Pakistan for Canada last year. Taseer said he waited until Bibi was safely out of Pakistan before posting the video.\n\n\"Their message was one of no regrets, no bitterness, just love and gratitude for all,\" he said. \"It takes very special people to have been through such ordeals and to come out with a heart full of love.\"\n\nA three-judge Supreme Court panel in January cleared Bibi's final legal hurdle when they ruled there was no compelling reason to overturn the court's earlier acquittal. The judges accused those who accused Bibi with blasphemy of committing perjury, but said they would not be tried because of the sensitivity of the case. The judges upheld the blasphemy law.\n\n————\n\nAssociated Press writer Munir Ahmed in Islamabad, Rob Gillies in Toronto and Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.", "Aasia Bibi, a Christian woman acquitted of blasphemy after spending eight years on death row in Pakistan, has left the country for Canada to be reunited with her daughters, Pakistan’s media said.\n\nWilson Chawdhry of the British Pakistani Christian Association told the Associated Press on Wednesday that he had received a text message from a British diplomat stating simply: “Aasia is out.”\n\nA close friend of Ms Bibi confirmed that she had left the country, speaking on condition of anonymity.\n\nMs Bibi was convicted of blasphemy in 2009 after a quarrel with a fellow farm worker.\n\nShe spent eight years on death row until the Supreme Court last year overturned her conviction. She has since been in protective custody.\n\nIslamic extremists have rioted over the case and threatened to kill her.", "Asia Bibi: Christian woman acquitted of blasphemy is now in Canada\n\nAsia Bibi: Christian woman acquitted of blasphemy is now in Canada\n\nA Christian woman acquitted of blasphemy after spending eight years on death row in Pakistan has landed in Canada to be reunited with her daughters, her lawyer has said.\n\nSaiful Malook told Sky News on then phone that Ms Bibi arrived in Ottawa yesterday.\n\nShe was convicted of blasphemy in 2009 after a quarrel with a fellow farm worker.\n\nThe mother-of-five spent eight years on death row until the Supreme Court overturned her conviction in October.\n\nShe has since been in protective custody.\n\nMr Malook said Canadian officials have greeted Ms Bibi and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is aware of her arrival.\n\n\"She is now free and can live her life,\" Mr Malook told Sky News.\n\nIslamic extremists have rioted over Ms Bibi's case and threatened to kill her.\n\nThe same radical Islamists, many of whom have been jailed for their threats, also urged the overthrow of the government following Ms Bibi's acquittal.\n\nIt has been a case of high-tension from the outset, with Salman Taseer, a Punjabi governor who supported Ms Bibi, shot by his own bodyguard in Islamabad in 2011.\n\nForeign Secretary Jeremy Hunt tweeted about Ms Bibi's release: \"Fantastic news that Asia Bibi appears to have left Pakistan safely.\"\n\nMs Bibi's husband, Ashiq Masih, asked Theresa May to grant them asylum in Britain following her acquittal. He also called for asylum from US President Donald Trump and Mr Trudeau.\n\nMr Trudeau said his government was in talks with Pakistan over granting her asylum in November.\n\nThe blasphemy law in Pakistan carries a mandatory death penalty and many hardline religious groups are opposed to it being amended.\n\nThe mere suspicion of blasphemy against Islam is enough to ignite mob lynchings in the country.\n\nThose accused of blasphemy are incarcerated immediately, denied bail in most cases and put in solitary confinement.\n\nMs Bibi has always maintained her innocence.\n\nMore than 1,300 people have been charged in the last 30 years and many of them have been murdered before their trial is even complete.\n\nA close friend of Ms Bibi's, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal, said Ms Bibi and her husband had spent the last several weeks getting their documents in order.\n\nHe said she was longing to see her daughters, who have fled to Canada and were granted asylum there.\n\nMs Bibi has talked to them almost daily from her secure location, protected by Pakistani security forces, the friend added.", "Pakistan media: Christian woman acquitted of blasphemy after years on death row has left the country\n\nISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan media: Christian woman acquitted of blasphemy after years on death row has left the country.", "The Pakistani Christian woman who spent years on death row after being convicted of blasphemy has left the country where she has been living in hiding as one of the nation's most reviled figures.\n\nAsia Bibi's lawyer, Saif-ul Malook, told NPR the practicing Catholic and her husband arrived in Canada on Tuesday, where they have reunited with their children.\n\n\"I am happy that she has been allowed to leave the country,\" Malook said.\n\nAlthough he was unable to speak with Bibi before her departure, he said the Canadian embassy arranged the couple's move. \"She will be more secure in Canada,\" he added.\n\n\"I think it is a wise decision by the government of Pakistan to let her go. After all they did not have any legal justification to bar her from traveling because she was a free citizen after the Supreme Court's decision.\"\n\nAlthough she was exonerated in October 2018, a review petition against her release prevented her from leaving the country. That was rejected a few months ago.\n\nBibi, an illiterate farm worker, was convicted of blasphemy in 2010 after being accused of insulting the Prophet Muhammad by her fellow Muslim workers when they feared she might drink water from the same vessel. She was sentenced to death and spent more than eight years in solitary confinement before the country's Supreme Court acquitted her in October 2018.\n\nThe reversal and the court's subsequent decision to uphold the ruling, each sparked days of violent demonstrations and rioting that roiled the country. Religious radicals, who demanded her execution, levied death threats against Bibi as well as the judges who freed her. They also urged Pakistani military forces to revolt against the army chief of staffs and for the public to overthrow of the government.\n\nFor their own protection, Bibi and her husband had been living in an undisclosed location since her conviction was overturned. For months, she had been planning to join her two daughters, who had also faced threats of violence in Pakistan and fled to Canada where they received asylum.\n\nGlobal Affairs Canada, the Canadian government's diplomacy arm, said it had no comment on the matter.\n\n\"Asia Bibi is now free, and we wish her and her family all the best following their reunification,\" U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement on Wednesday. \"The United States uniformly opposes blasphemy laws anywhere in the world, as they jeopardize the exercise of fundamental freedoms.\"\n\nResponding to reports of Bibi's successful departure to Canada, human rights organization Amnesty International said, \"She should never have been imprisoned in the first place, let alone faced the death penalty. That she then had to endure the repeated threats to her life, even after being acquitted, only compounds the injustice. This case illustrates the dangers of Pakistan's blasphemy laws and the urgent need to repeal them.\"\n\nAs NPR's Philip Reeves reported, despite pressure from international organizations and governments, as well as more progressive pockets of the population, \"open discussion of the blasphemy laws will remain extremely difficult in Pakistan because of the deadly response it can draw from religious extremists.\"\n\nOn Tuesday, Wilson Chowdhry, chairman of the British Pakistani Christian Association, which has been in contact with Bibi throughout the ordeal, said she and her husband \"have remained resolute in their faith and have prayed daily for their release and today God has answered their prayers.\"\n\nThe group reports 14 Christians, in addition to Bibi, have been accused of blasphemy in recent years and in remain in jail.\n\n\"Since 1990, at least 65 people have reportedly been killed in Pakistan over claims of blasphemy,\" the BBC reported.", "ASIA BIBI, THE Christian woman at the centre of a decade-long blasphemy row, has left Pakistan for Canada to be reunited with her daughters, months after her death sentence was overturned to mass protests by Islamist hardliners.\n\nWilson Chawdhry of the British Pakistani Christian Association told The Associated Press he received a telephone text message from a British diplomat stating simply that “Asia is out.”\n\nA close friend of Bibi also confirmed that she had left the country, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal.\n\nHer departure was reported by Dawn, Pakistan’s biggest English-language newspaper, and Geo News, one of the country’s largest private broadcasters. Both cited unnamed official and unofficial sources.\n\nBibi – a labourer from central Punjab province – was first convicted of blasphemy in 2010 and was on death row until her acquittal last year.\n\nHer case swiftly became the most infamous in Pakistan, drawing worldwide attention to extremism in the country where blasphemy is an incendiary issue. It carries a maximum death penalty under the country’s penal code.\n\nMere allegations of insulting Islam have sparked lynchings in the past.\n\nBibi has technically been free to leave Pakistan since January when the Supreme Court dismissed a legal challenge to her acquittal in October.\n\nSince then, Bibi has been widely believed to have been held in protective custody by authorities as she awaited an asylum deal in a third country.\n\nMany blasphemy cases in Pakistan see Muslims accusing Muslims, but rights activists have warned that religious minorities – particularly Christians – are often caught in the crossfire, with such accusations used to settle personal scores.\n\n© – AFP 2019 with reporting from Associated Press", "ISLAMABAD (AP) - A Christian woman acquitted of blasphemy after spending eight years on death row in Pakistan has left for Canada to be reunited with her daughters, Pakistani media and a friend close to her said Wednesday.\n\nWilson Chawdhry of the British Pakistani Christian Association told The Associated Press Wednesday that he received a text message from a British diplomat saying \"Aasia is out.\" A close friend of Bibi also confirmed that she had left the country, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal.\n\nBibi was convicted of blasphemy in 2009 after a quarrel with a fellow farmworker. She spent eight years on death row until the Supreme Court last year overturned her conviction. She has since been in protective custody.\n\nIslamic extremists have rioted over the case and threatened to kill her. The same radical Islamists, many of whom have been jailed for their threats, also urged the overthrow of the government following Bibi's acquittal.\n\nThe case has brought international attention to Pakistan's controversial blasphemy law, which carries an automatic death penalty. The mere suspicion of blasphemy against Islam is enough to ignite mob lynchings in the country.\n\nThe friend, who last spoke to her on Tuesday, said Bibi and her husband Ashiq Masih had spent the last several weeks getting their documents in order. He said she was longing to see her daughters, with whom she talked to almost daily from her secure location, protected by Pakistani security forces.\n\nFILE - In this Nov. 20, 2010, file photo, Aasia Bibi, a Pakistani Christian woman, listens to officials at a prison in Sheikhupura near Lahore, Pakistan. Pakistani media say Aasia Bibi, a Christian woman acquitted of blasphemy after spending eight years on death row, has left Pakistan for Canada to be reunited with her daughters. Wilson Chawdhry of the British Pakistani Christian Association told The Associated Press on Wednesday, May 8, 2019, he received a telephone text message from a British diplomat stating simply that \"Aasia is out.\" (AP Photo, File)\n\nChawdhry said he had been in regular contact with Bibi's husband throughout the ordeal as well as with several diplomats as part of an international effort to have her freed.", "A Christian woman acquitted of blasphemy after spending eight years on death row in Pakistan has left for Canada to be reunited with her daughters, Pakistani officials and others involved in the case said Wednesday.\n\nAasia Bibi was convicted of blasphemy in 2009 after a quarrel with a fellow farmworker. The Supreme Court overturned her conviction last year, and she had been in protective custody since then.\n\nREAD MORE: Canada says safety of Pakistan woman Asia Bibi top priority\n\nIslamic extremists have rioted over the case and threatened to kill her. The same radical Islamists, many of whom have been jailed for their threats, also urged the overthrow of the government following Bibi’s acquittal.\n\nWilson Chawdhry of the British Pakistani Christian Association told The Associated Press that he received a text message from a British diplomat saying “Aasia is out.” A close friend of Bibi also confirmed that she had left the country, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal. Her lawyer, Saif-ul Malook, said she had already arrived in Canada.\n\nOfficials at Pakistan’s interior and foreign ministries also confirmed her departure, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media.\n\nThe case has brought international attention to Pakistan’s controversial blasphemy law, which carries an automatic death penalty. The mere suspicion of blasphemy against Islam is enough to ignite mob lynchings in the country. The accusation of blasphemy has also been used to intimidate religious minorities and to settle scores.\n\nRadical Islamists have made the punishment of blasphemy a major rallying cry, bringing tens of thousands into the streets and paralyzing major cities.\n\nWATCH: Protests after Christian acquitted of blasphemy in Pakistan\n\nSalman Taseer, the governor of Punjab province, was shot and killed by one of his guards in 2011 for defending Bibi and criticizing the misuse of the blasphemy law. The assassin, Mumtaz Qadri, has been celebrated as a martyr by hard-liners since he was hanged for the killing, with millions visiting a shrine set up for him near Islamabad. Pakistan’s minister for minorities, Shahbaz Bhatti, was assassinated later that year after demanding justice for Bibi.\n\nPrime Minister Imran Khan has vowed not to be intimidated by the rioters, saying the rule of law would decide Bibi’s fate. But she was denied permission to leave the country for several months until sentiments cooled.\n\nThe friend, who last spoke to her on Tuesday, said Bibi and her husband Ashiq Masih had spent the last several weeks getting their documents in order. He said she was longing to see her daughters, with whom she talked to almost daily from her secure location, protected by Pakistani security forces.\n\nChawdhry said he had been in regular contact with Bibi’s husband throughout the ordeal as well as with several diplomats involved in international efforts to free her and get her to safety.\n\nA three-judge Supreme Court panel in January cleared Bibi’s final legal hurdle when they ruled there was no compelling reason to overturn the court’s earlier acquittal. The judges accused those who charged Bibi with blasphemy of committing perjury, but said they would not be tried because of the sensitivity of the case. The judges upheld the blasphemy law.", "AFP file photo | Asia Bibi, the Christian woman at the centre of a decade-long blasphemy row, has left Pakistan for Canada.\n\nAsia Bibi, the Christian woman at the centre of a decade-long blasphemy row, has left Pakistan, a senior government source told AFP Wednesday, months after her death sentence was overturned to mass protests by Islamist hardliners.\n\nHer departure is the latest chapter in a saga that has sparked violent demonstrations and high-profile assassinations while spotlighting religious extremism across wide sections of Pakistani society.\n\n\"Asia Bibi has left Pakistan of her own free will,\" the government source told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.\n\nIt was not clear when Bibi may have left or where she may have gone. Her lawyer, Saif ul Mulook, said he had not spoken to Bibi directly but understood from \"sources\" that she was in Canada, where her daughters are believed to have already fled.\n\nThere was no immediate announcement from Pakistani officials or the Canadian High Commission in Islamabad.\n\n\"It is a great relief that this shameful ordeal has finally come to an end and Asia Bibi and her family are safe,\" said Omar Waraich, deputy South Asia director at Amnesty International.\n\n\"She should never have been imprisoned in the first place, let alone endure the constant threats to her life. This case horrifyingly illustrates the dangers of Pakistan's blasphemy laws and the urgent need to repeal them.\"\n\nIt is an incendiary issue in the Muslim-majority country, and mere allegations of insulting Islam have sparked lynchings and vigilante violence in the past.\n\nBibi -- a labourer from central Punjab province -- was first convicted of blasphemy in 2010 and was on death row until her acquittal last year.\n\nHer case swiftly became the most infamous in Pakistan, drawing worldwide attention to extremism in the country.\n\nShe has technically been free to leave Pakistan since January when the Supreme Court dismissed a legal challenge to her acquittal in October.\n\nSince then, Bibi has been widely believed to have been held in protective custody by authorities as she awaited an asylum deal in a third country.\n\nMany blasphemy cases in Pakistan see Muslims accusing Muslims, but rights activists have warned that religious minorities -- particularly Christians -- are often caught in the crossfire, with such accusations used to settle personal scores.\n\nTwo politicians have been assassinated in connection with Bibi's case, and she spent much of her time in prison in solitary confinement because of fears she could be attacked by a guard or another prisoner.\n\nIslamist groups have regularly called for her to be executed, and activists have warned that she would not be safe in Pakistan.\n\nFollowing Bibi's acquittal in October the country was gripped for days by violent protests led by hardline group Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP), which also called for mutiny in the armed forces and assassination of the country's top judges for acquitting her.\n\nIn the wake of the nationwide protests, TLP's leaders -- who paralysed the capital Islamabad for weeks in 2017 with an anti-blasphemy sit-in -- were rounded up in a government crackdown months ago and remain in detention.\n\nChristians -- who make up around two percent of the population -- occupy one of the lowest rungs in class-obsessed Pakistani society, largely living in slums and working menial jobs as street sweepers, cleaners and cooks.", "Asia Bibi had been waiting for months for paperwork to be completed so that she could take up an offer of asylum afp/Getty Images\n\nA Christian woman acquitted of blasphemy charges after spending eight years on death row in Pakistan left the country last night to be reunited with her daughters in Canada after months of delays.\n\nAsia Bibi, a 47-year-old mother of four, had been under pressure not to speak out against the state. Arrangements for the family remain a closely guarded secret, with Islamist hardliners still calling for her to be killed.\n\nA government official in Pakistan told The Times this morning: “Asia Bibi left Pakistan according to her own wish. She was a free citizen.” Friends and other officials confirmed that she had departed.\n\nA foreign diplomat said: “We are delighted. We were afraid of her security and there were hurdles in completing her travel arrangements.”"], "summary": "Asia Bibi, a Christian woman acquitted of blasphemy after spending eight years on death row, has left Pakistan for Canada to be reunited with her daughters."}
{"document": ["WASHINGTON — The House Judiciary Committee voted to hold Attorney General William Barr in contempt of Congress, escalating the Democrats’ extraordinary legal battle with the Trump administration over access to special counsel Robert Mueller’s Trump-Russia report.\n\nThe vote Wednesday capped a day of ever-deepening dispute between congressional Democrats and President Donald Trump, who for the first time invoked the principle of executive privilege, claiming the right to block lawmakers from the full report on Mueller’s probe of Russian interference to help Trump in the 2016 election.\n\nCommittee Chairman Jerrold Nadler of New York declared the action by Trump’s Justice Department a clear new sign of the president’s “blanket defiance” of Congress’ constitutional rights to conduct oversight.\n\n“We did not relish doing this, but we have no choice,” Nadler said after the vote.\n\nThe White House’s blockade, he said, “is an attack on the ability of the American people to know what the executive branch is doing.” He said, “This cannot be.”\n\nBut Justice Department spokeswoman Kerri Kupec said it was disappointing that members of Congress “have chosen to engage in such inappropriate political theatrics.”\n\nBarr made “extraordinary efforts” to provide Congress and the public with information about Mueller’s work, she said.\n\nWhite House press secretary Sarah Sanders said neither the White House nor Barr “will comply with Chairman Nadler’s unlawful and reckless demands.”\n\nLate Wednesday the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee issued his own subpoena to the Justice Department for the full Mueller report, as the confrontation intensifies.\n\nDemocratic Rep. Adam Schiff of California, whose committee had previously requested the documents, said he has “no choice” but to compel the department’s compliance. He warned that if it continues to “ignore or rejects our requests,” the panel could take legal action.\n\nThough the White House initially hesitated on invoking privilege, Trump told his staff and political advisers in recent weeks to refuse to cooperate with Democrats, believing the party’s goal was simply to damage him politically going into his re-election campaign. The coming legal battle could stretch to 2020, and the White House is aiming to tie up congressional probes until Election Day.\n\nExecutive privilege is the president’s power to keep information from the courts, Congress and the public to protect the confidentiality of the Oval Office decision-making process.\n\nThe president’s decision was weeks in the making, the next inevitable escalation between the White House and Congress over a number of probes. The White House has rejected all efforts to probe Trump’s business dealings or tax returns as well as the West Wing’s security clearance procedure.\n\nThe committee voted along party lines, 24-16, to recommend the full House hold Barr in contempt, but only after some five hours of heated and, at times, emotional testimony.\n\nDemocrats made their case that Congress was at a historic juncture as it confronts what they consider Trump’s stonewalling of lawmakers’ ability to conduct oversight of the administration. Republicans portrayed the majority as angry and lashing out at Barr after the special counsel did not find that Trump colluded with Russia to swing the 2016 election.\n\nSaid Democrat Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas: “The president now seeks to take a wrecking ball to the Constitution of the United States.”\n\nAnd Rep. Cedric Richmond of Louisiana said the road ahead may be “messy” but Democrats must fight to “protect our democracy.” Other Democrats called the standoff a “serious” and “grave” moment.\n\nHowever, the panel’s top Republican, Doug Collins of Georgia, said Democrats were manufacturing a crisis and rushing the process to “sully Bill Barr’s good name.”\n\nRep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, a Trump ally, said the Democrats were trying to “delegitimize” the president and biding time before they try to impeach him.\n\nHouse Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said the next step will be consideration by the full House. Nadler said that will happen soon.\n\nIf approved by the House, where the Democrats hold a solid majority, the contempt resolution would almost certainly move to an unusual, and potentially protracted, multi-pronged court battle with the Trump administration.\n\nThe contempt finding could be referred to the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, a Justice Department official who would be likely to defend rather than oppose Barr. Democratic House leaders could also file a lawsuit, though the case could take months or even years to resolve. Some committee members have suggested they also could fine Barr as he withholds information.\n\nNadler said Wednesday the Trump administration’s refusal to provide the special counsel’s full Russia report to Congress presents a “constitutional crisis.”\n\nIn a letter Wednesday to Trump , Barr explained that the special counsel’s files contain millions of pages of classified and unclassified information. He said it was the committee’s “abrupt resort to a contempt vote” that “has not allowed sufficient time for you to consider fully whether to make a conclusive assertion of executive privilege.”\n\nBarr told Trump he should assert privilege now, “pending a full decision on the matter.”\n\nTalks with the Justice Department broke down over the committee’s subpoena for an unredacted version of the report.\n\nBarr released a redacted version of Mueller’s 400-plus-page report to the public last month, but Democrats subpoenaed the full document, along with underlying evidence.\n\nThe department has rejected that demand, while allowing a few top lawmakers from the House and Senate to view a version with fewer redactions. That version blacks out grand jury information, which needs a judge’s approval for release, and it doesn’t include the report’s underlying evidence. Democrats have said they won’t view that version until they get broader access.\n\nAlmost half the report’s pages contain some type of redaction including those around the Russian influence campaign, presidential pardons and other topics.\n\nBarr has refused to testify in public to the committee after a disagreement over the Democrats’ demand that he answer questions from a staff attorney in addition to lawmakers. The committee is in talks for Mueller himself to appear May 15, but there is no agreement yet, and Trump has said Mueller should not testify.\n\nNadler also has threatened to hold former White House Counsel Don McGahn in contempt of Congress if he doesn’t testify before the committee later this month. Nadler rejected a White House claim that documents McGahn refused to provide despite a subpoena are controlled by the White House and thus McGahn has no legal right to them.\n\nPelosi, who has tamped down calls from her liberal flank to launch impeachment proceedings against Trump, said in a Washington Post interview Wednesday that the president, by obstructing Congress was becoming “self-impeachable.”\n\nMueller, in his report, said he could not establish a criminal conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russia, but he did not reach a conclusion on whether Trump obstructed justice. Barr said he and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein decided there were not grounds to charge Trump with obstruction.\n\nAssociated Press writers Mike Balsamo and Laurie Kellman contributed to this report.", "WASHINGTON — The House Judiciary Committee voted Wednesday to recommend that the House hold Attorney General William P. Barr in contempt of Congress for failing to turn over Robert S. Mueller III’s unredacted report, hours after President Trump asserted executive privilege to shield the full report and underlying evidence from Congress.\n\nThe committee’s 24-to-16 contempt vote, taken after hours of debate over the future of American democracy, was the first official House action to punish a government official in the standoff over the Mueller report. The Justice Department denounced the move as unnecessary and intended to stoke a fight.\n\nAfter the vote, the Judiciary Committee chairman, Representative Jerrold Nadler of New York, swatted away questions about possible impeachment, but added, “We are now in a constitutional crisis.”\n\nThe contempt vote raised the stakes in the battle over evidence and witnesses as Democrats investigate Mr. Trump over behavior detailed by Mr. Mueller, the special counsel, in his report into Russian election interference and possible obstruction of justice. By the day’s end, it seemed all but inevitable that the competing claims would have to be settled in the nation’s courts rather than on Capitol Hill.", "with an assist from Sarah Ferris\n\nCONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS -- It happened. The House Judiciary Committee voted to hold Attorney General William Barr in contempt of Congress for failing to hand over the full Mueller report, entering a new front in the heated oversight battle between President Donald Trump and congressional Democrats. While largely symbolic, the vote is nonetheless significant: the move represents Democrats’ first formal disciplinary action against a member of the Trump administration and only the second time an AG has ever been held in contempt.\n\nWhat’s next: Now, the contempt citation will head to the floor, so the full House can vote on the resolution. The timing of that vote has yet to be determined. But the Justice Department is highly unlikely to enforce a contempt citation against its own leader, which means Democrats may need to turn to civil court if they want to see a resolution – and that could take months, if not years, to resolve. Andrew and Kyle have the latest: .\n\nBut the biggest surprise of the day came from the other end of the Capitol. The GOP-led Senate Intelligence Committee Donald Trump Jr. to answer questions about previous testimony he gave senators, scooped Axios. Trump’s son told investigators he had little knowledge of a Trump Tower project being planned in Moscow. The shocking move from the Intelligence Committee suggests that the Russia probe might not be “case closed” after all, as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said earlier this week.\n\nRelated reads: “Facing a Trump Stonewall, Democrats Struggle for Options to Compel Cooperation,” by NYT’s Sheryl Gay Stolberg: ; and “Trump oversight fight raises new alarms about shattered precedents,” by Nancy Cook and Andrew Restuccia: .\n\nON TAP TODAY ... The House Ways and Means Committee will decide how to respond to the Treasury Department's refusal to turn over Trump's tax returns. Some senior Democrats have raised the idea of skipping a subpoena entirely and just taking the fight directly to court, report Heather and Aaron Lorenzo. More on that here: .\n\nDEAL ON DREAMERS -- Top Democrats think they’ve found a way out of their Dreamers dispute. In a huddle in Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s office on Wednesday, Democrats floated changes to the bill, known as the DREAM Act, that would toughen some restrictions for undocumented immigrants seeking citizenship — specifically related to their criminal records. Lawmakers and aides in the room say they believe it would be enough to attract support from Democratic moderates, while preventing an ugly face-off with the GOP on a procedural vote.\n\nHouse Democrats already lost one immigration vote on the floor because of GOP antics in February. This time around, Democrats have been extra careful to make sure they can block any kind of Republican procedural vote that could ultimately wind up adding new language to the bill. The scoop from Sarah and Heather, who have been all over this issue: .\n\nGOOD MORNING! Welcome to Huddle, the play-by-play guide to all things Capitol Hill, on this Thursday, May 9, where your host’s mind is blown after Prince Harry and Meghan Markle named their baby Archie Harrison (at least according to fan theories, anyway.)\n\nWEDNESDAY’S MOST CLICKED: The Hill’s on how 2020 hopefuls are complicating Pelosi’s efforts to tamp down impeachment talk was the big winner.\n\n** A message from SoftBank: America is where the world’s innovation happens, and SoftBank is helping that innovation come to life. Here in the U.S., we’re investing in people, companies, and transformational technology that is reshaping the future and improving people’s lives. Learn more about SoftBank’s investment in the U.S. at politico.com/sponsor-content/softbank. **\n\nCHENEY TUG-OF-WAR -- Everyone wants Republican Rep. Liz Cheney in their corner of the Capitol. With a Wyoming Senate seat now up for grabs in 2020, House and Senate Republicans are already jockeying to either keep — or add — Cheney to their ranks. For House lawmakers, they are loathe to lose Cheney, one of just 13 Republican women in the House who brings both star power and girl power to her high-ranking position in GOP leadership. And her absence would leave a glaring hole in the conference, as Cheney is often the only female surrounded by a sea of men at leadership press conferences.\n\nAnd in the Senate, lawmakers are thrilled with the idea of “Senator Cheney”, a prominent voice on national security issues and daughter of former VP Dick Cheney. “She’ll have a lot of encouragement” to run for Senate, said Sen. John Boozman (R-Ark.). “Likewise, she's been a great addition to the House of Representatives, so there will be a lot of encouragement over there for her to stay in her seat.” But the tug-of-war over Cheney underscores a broader problem in the GOP: there is a serious lack of female Republican lawmakers. More from your Huddle host: .\n\nDISASTER UPDATE -- A massive disaster aid package is still stalled in the Senate, but Trump promised to provide Florida over $400 million in new relief funding during last night’s rally in disaster-stricken Panama City Beach. “So now we need Democrats in Congress to work with us to pass an acceptable bill,” Trump said. “You’re getting your money one way or another, and we’re not going to let anybody hold it up.” More from Lauren Egan of NBC News: .\n\nBut the latest wrench in the disaster aid talks came not from Democrats but from Republicans. Senate Appropriations Chairman Richard Shelby (R) is making his parochial push to free up more money for harbor maintenance funds, which would benefit harbors and ports in his home state of Alabama. The request is just one of several factors complicating already-stalled negotiations on the disaster aid package, report Marianne and Caitlin Emma. The deets: .\n\nTRIBAL BILLS AND A TRUMP TWEET -- Democratic leaders had to yank a pair of tribal bills from the House floor Wednesday after Trump, echoing complaints from the conservative media, urged Republicans to oppose the legislation in a tweet. At issue is a bill backed by 2020 hopeful Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) that would grant land rights to a tribe seeking to build a casino in Massachusetts. Democrats are furious that Matthew Schlapp, husband of Trump’s director of strategic communications, lobbies for a company that represents two casinos in Rhode Island and is opposed to the legislation. “This is absolute corruption at the highest level,” said Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.).\n\nBut opposition to the bill had been brewing in the GOP conference all week, as your Huddle host and Bres first reported. Lawmakers sparred over the legislation during a GOP leadership meeting Tuesday night, while members also pushed back on the measures during a GOP-wide caucus meeting Wednesday morning. (Republican support was necessary because the measures were supposed to be considered under a fast-track procedure that requires a two-thirds majority to pass.) Much more: .\n\nTHEM’S FIGHTIN WORDS -- Is it getting hot in here? In an Intercept on Rep. Josh Gottheimer, the centrist New Jersey Democrat called the AOC-wing of the party “the herbal tea party,” likening them to the conservative Tea Party. (Gottheimer also reportedly sat down with some of the progressives and ticked off all his grievances with their rhetoric, behavior that made Rep. Rashida Tlaib call him a “bully.”) Well, it didn’t take long for Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) to . “What’s funny is that there *are* Dems that do act like the Tea Party- but they’re conservative,” she tweeted. “And I drink coffee,” she added.\n\nJAIL FAIL -- Pelosi has revived one of the biggest mysteries on Capitol Hill: does Congress have a jail to imprison people who defy lawmakers? “We do have a little jail down in the basement of the Capitol, but if we were arresting all of the people in the administration, we would have an overcrowded jail situation,” Pelosi said at a Washington Post live event. But where is this mysterious jail cell, you ask? Well, Roll Call went on the hunt to find out — and you may be disappointed. The dispatch from Katherine Tully-McManus: .\n\nTHE PUBLIC WILL LOVE THIS … “Some House members considering taking a pay raise this year,” by the AP’s Andrew Taylor: .\n\nNancy Peele has been named deputy chief of staff for Rep. Sam Graves (R-Mo.). She previously served with Rep. Garret Graves (R-La.) as assistant chief of staff.\n\nThe House gavels in at 10 a.m., with first votes expected between 1:30 and 2:30 p.m. Today’s agenda: . The Senate meets at 9:30 a.m. to resume consideration of Michael H. Park’s nomination to be U.S. circuit judge for the Second Circuit. At 1:45 p.m., senators will vote on confirmation.\n\nSen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.) hold a news conference to announce the introduction of hardrock mining reform legislation at 9:15 a.m. on the House Triangle.\n\nSpeaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) holds her weekly press conference at 10 a.m. in HVC Studio A.\n\nReps. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), Ann Wagner (R-Mo.) and Debbie Lesko (R-Ariz.) hold a news conference with White House counselor Kellyanne Conway on national security at 11 a.m. in HVC-215.\n\nMinority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) holds his weekly press conference at 11:30 a.m. in HVC Studio A.\n\nSens. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Reps. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) and Susan Davis (D-Calif.) hold a news conference with Second Lady Karen Pence on the introduction of the “Portable Certification of Spouses Act of 2019” at 1 p.m. in SR-236.\n\nWEDNESDAY’S WINNER -- Emily Fuger was the first person to correctly guess that Sidney Yates was the longest-serving U.S. Representative from Illinois.\n\nTODAY’S QUESTION -- From Howard Mortman: In 1987, VP Bush described a \"famous ethnic hand gesture to the entire House chamber,\" a reference to a much-publicized expression of disgust on the House floor a few years earlier. \"It set back television in the House by about 30 years.\" Which congressman made the hand gesture? First person to correctly guess gets a mention in the next edition of Huddle. Send your best guess my way: .\n\n** A message from SoftBank: SoftBank Group, founded in 1981 in Japan, has a presence today through its corporate and advisory subsidiaries in Silicon Valley, New York, Miami and London, and the 35-plus companies we've invested in here in America directly support almost 60,000 jobs in nearly 200 cities in 43 states. With SoftBank's help, these companies have created over 10,000 U.S. jobs since January 2017. We've pledged to invest $50 billion in U.S. companies by the end of 2020, both directly and through funds managed by our subsidiaries. It's our largest commitment in any country, and our investments contribute to U.S. leadership in AI, robotics and 5G connectivity. Learn more about SoftBank's investment in the U.S. at politico.com/sponsor-content/softbank. **", "WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Wednesday President Donald Trump was moving closer to impeachment with his effort to thwart congressional subpoenas and obstruct lawmakers’ efforts to oversee his administration.\n\n“Every single day the president is making the case” and “he’s becoming self-impeachable,” Pelosi said in an interview with the Washington Post, when asked about the possibility of the Republican president being impeached by the House.\n\nTrump on Wednesday asserted executive privilege over Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report on Russian meddling in the 2016 campaign and its underlying investigative materials, escalating the battle with the Democrats on the U.S. House Judiciary Committee.\n\nThe move came shortly before the House Judiciary Committee was to vote to hold Attorney General William Barr in contempt for defying a congressional subpoena to hand over the full unredacted report.\n\nThe Judiciary Committee is one of number of committees in the Democratic-controlled House that are investigating Trump and his administration on multiple fronts, including White House security clearances and Trump’s personal and business dealings.\n\nThe House and Senate still are investigating Russian election meddling and possible obstruction of justice by Trump.\n\nMueller’s report cited extensive contacts between Trump’s 2016 campaign and Moscow but did not find a conspiracy between Moscow and the campaign. It also described actions that Trump took to try to impede the investigation and congressional Democrats have vowed to continue their own probe into the issue.\n\nTrump has denied any wrongdoing and vowed to fight all congressional subpoenas.\n\nU.S. Attorney General William Barr faces a contempt citation by the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday for failing to comply with lawmakers’ requests, while former White House lawyer Don McGahn faces a similar threat.\n\nU.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin also has defied Congress, this week not acting on the House Ways and Means Committee’s request for Trump’s tax returns.\n\nRepublicans, who control the U.S. Senate, have dismissed House Democrats’ investigations as political posturing ahead of the 2020 presidential election.\n\nDemocrats are divided over how far to take their investigations with some calling for impeachment proceedings and others backing continued panel investigations.\n\n“The president ... wants to goad us unto impeachment,” Pelosi told the Post. Such proceedings would also be “divisive” for the country, she said.", "WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Democratic-led House panel on Wednesday approved a measure to hold U.S. Attorney General William Barr in contempt for refusing to hand over an unredacted copy of the Mueller report on Russian election interference even as President Donald Trump invoked the legal principle of executive privilege to block its disclosure.\n\nThrowing down another challenge to Trump, the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee voted to recommend that the full House cite Barr, the top U.S. law enforcement official and a Trump appointee, for contempt of Congress after he defied its subpoena for the complete report and underlying evidence.\n\n“We are now in a constitutional crisis,” Jerrold Nadler, the committee’s Democratic chairman, told reporters after the panel approved the contempt resolution on a party-line 24-16 vote, with Democrats in favor and Republicans opposed.\n\nThe confrontation escalated a clash between the Democratic-controlled House and Republican president over congressional authority under the U.S. Constitution to investigate him, his administration, his family and his business interests.\n\nThe committee’s vote was likely to trigger a court battle, with fines and possible imprisonment at stake for Barr.\n\nThe vote came hours after the White House took its own provocative step, asserting executive privilege to block the release of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s full report on Russian actions to boost Trump’s candidacy in the 2016 U.S. election and related evidence such as investigative interviews.\n\nExecutive privilege is only rarely invoked by U.S. presidents to keep other branches of government from getting access to certain internal executive branch information. Trump had not previously taken such a step in his showdown with Congress.\n\nNadler said the White House was misapplying executive privilege in “a clear escalation in the Trump administration’s blanket defiance of Congress’s constitutionally mandated duties,” adding that neither Barr nor Trump should be permitted to be “above the law.”\n\nThe White House said Democrats forced the move. “Faced with Chairman Nadler’s blatant abuse of power, and at the attorney general’s request, the president has no other option than to make a protective assertion of executive privilege,” White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said.\n\nNadler said Trump’s stonewalling of Congress in various investigations is “an assertion of tyrannical power by the president and that cannot be allowed to stand.”\n\nIn a letter to Nadler, Assistant Attorney General Stephen Boyd said Barr could not comply with the subpoena “without violating the law, court rules, and court orders, and without threatening the independence of the Department of Justice’s prosecutorial functions.”\n\nTrump, seeking re-election in 2020, is stonewalling numerous probes by House Democrats, ranging from Mueller’s inquiry to matters such as Trump’s tax returns and past financial records.\n\nContempt of Congress is an offense that can be enforced several ways, most likely by a civil lawsuit, which could lead to a judge ordering imposing daily fines on the defendant or even arrest and imprisonment, according to legal experts.\n\nThe next step will be a floor vote by the full House. No action in the Republican-led Senate is needed.\n\nBarr, who released a 448-page redacted version of the report on April 18, missed two deadlines to turn over the requested material after Nadler last month subpoenaed it. Nadler said lawmakers need the material to determine whether Trump obstructed justice by trying to impede Mueller’s inquiry.\n\nHouse Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the top Democrat in Congress, said Trump’s moves to thwart House subpoenas were obstructing oversight by lawmakers and inquiries into Russian election interference.\n\n“Every single day the president is making the case. He’s becoming self-impeachable,” Pelosi told the Washington Post, referring to the impeachment process in Congress to remove a president from office. Pelosi added that Barr, who last week also refused to testify before the House panel, should be held in contempt of Congress. She last week accused Barr of committing a crime by lying to lawmakers.\n\nTrump has filed lawsuits meant to block House subpoenas seeking some of his financial and business records, and his administration refused to disclose his subpoenaed tax returns. In a letter obtained by Reuters last week, White House legal counsel Emmet Flood asserted that Trump has the right to instruct his advisers not to testify before congressional oversight probes related to the Mueller investigation.\n\nThe clash between Trump and House Democrats presents political risks for both going into the 2020 election, with neither side backing down.\n\nIn a lengthy Judiciary Committee meeting, Republicans condemned the move to hold Barr in contempt. “What a cynical, mean-spirited, counterproductive and irresponsible step,” said Doug Collins, the panel’s top Republican. Other Republicans accused Democrats of paving the way for impeachment.\n\nDemocrats said the Trump administration waived executive privilege when it allowed some senior Trump advisers, including former White House Counsel Don McGahn, to talk to Mueller’s team during the investigation. The Justice Department said allowing such cooperation did not mean Trump relinquished the right to assert executive privilege now.\n\n“I can only conclude that the president now seeks to take a wrecking ball to the Constitution of the United States of America,” Democratic Representative Sheila Jackson Lee said.\n\nWhen the House was controlled by Republicans, it voted in 2012 to hold Eric Holder, attorney general under Democratic President Barack Obama, in contempt for failing to turn over subpoenaed Justice Department documents about a gun-running investigation. It was the first time Congress had held any Cabinet member in contempt.\n\nA 1974 Supreme Court ruling made clear the contours of the doctrine of executive privilege. In the case U.S. v. Nixon, President Richard Nixon was ordered to deliver tapes and other subpoenaed materials to a federal judge for review. The Supreme Court ruled 9-0 that a president’s right to privacy in his communications must be balanced against the power of Congress to investigate and oversee the executive branch.\n\nMueller’s report detailed extensive contacts between Trump’s campaign and Moscow, as well as the campaign’s expectation of benefiting from Russia’s efforts to tilt the election in Trump’s favor. But Mueller concluded there was insufficient evidence to show a criminal conspiracy between Russia and the campaign.\n\nThe report also described numerous actions by Trump to try to impede Mueller’s investigation, but Mueller offered no conclusion on whether Trump committed criminal obstruction.", "Attorney General William Barr appears to dare Congress to begin impeachment proceedings against Donald Trump.\n\nUnited States Attorney General William Barr on Tuesday sent a letter to House Judiciary Committee Chair Jerrold Nadler, posted online via DocumentCloud, in which Barr appeared to to be provoking Congress into commencing impeachment proceedings against Donald Trump.\n\nThe letter came in response to Nadler’s demand that Barr provide Congress with a full, non-redacted version of the Mueller report — the 448-page document in which Russia investigation special counsel Robert Mueller details the findings of his 22-month investigation into links between the 2016 Trump campaign and Russia, as well as possible obstruction of justice by Trump. The Mueller report, with the redactions imposed by Barr, has been posted online by The New York Times.\n\nIn the letter, Barr refuses Nadler’s demand for the unreacted Mueller report. But in the text of the letter, Barr chides Nadler for failing to “identify any available legal basis” for the Justice Department to release the portions of the report that were blacked out because they contained information from grand jury proceedings, which under the law are kept secret — except in certain cases outlined in an April decision by the District of Columbia federal Court of Appeals, posted online by Lawfare.\n\nIn that decision, McKeever vs. Barr, the court ruled that grand jury proceedings could be made public only if the were somehow related to a “judicial proceeding,” according to Lawfare.\n\nWhile routine congressional oversight hearings likely do not count as a “judicial proceeding,” actual impeachment hearings would indeed fall under that label, according to a Politico analysis. In other words, initiating impeachment may be the only way to force Barr to hand over the full, unreacted Mueller report.\n\nBut Democratic leaders in Congress have been consistently attempting to avoid starting the impeachment process against Trump. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in March flatly dismissed the idea of impeaching Trump, telling The Washington Post, “He’s just not worth it,” even though she also expressed her view that Trump in “unfit” to hold the nation’s highest office.\n\nOn Tuesday, the day after Barr sent his letter, Pelosi complained that Trump actually wanted Democrats to begin impeachment, because starting the proceedings that could, in theory, end with Trump’s removal from office would generate a political backlash that could help Trump and damage Democrats, according to CNN.\n\n“Trump is goading us to impeach him,” Pelosi said on Tuesday. “That’s what he’s doing. Every single day, he’s just like taunting, taunting, taunting because he knows that it would be very divisive in the country, but he doesn’t really care. He just wants to solidify his base.”", "\n• The House Judiciary Committee voted on Wednesday to hold Attorney General William Barr in contempt of Congress for refusing to hand over an unredacted copy of Robert Mueller’s final report on Russian interference.\n• Barr provided a partially redacted copy to the public and made multiple attempts to allow certain Democrats to view the report at the Justice Department, but they refused.\n• If the contempt charges advance, Barr could face lofty fines or even jail time.\n• The last attorney general to be held in contempt of Congress was Eric Holder in 2012 during the Obama administration, but the charges were ultimately tossed out.\n\nWASHINGTON – The House Judiciary Committee voted Wednesday to hold Attorney General William Barr in contempt of Congress, a severe penalty for refusing to comply with requests to hand over an unredacted copy of the special counsel Robert Mueller’s final report in the Russia investigation and its underlying evidence.\n\nThe vote fell along party lines at 24 to 16, as Democrats move forward with a multitude of sprawling inquiries into President Donald Trump and his administration.\n\nContempt of Congress is a serious charge, which can later result in a criminal referral to a US attorney. Though rare, if sought all the way through, maximum penalties can include either a $100,000 fine or one year in jail.\n\nDemocrats took the first formal step toward holding Barr in contempt of Congress on Monday. On Tuesday, the Justice Department fired back by threatening to advise President Donald Trump to invoke executive privilege over Mueller’s report in light of Democrats’ actions.\n\nHouse Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler responded by describing the Justice Department’s threat as “without credibility, merit, or legal or factual basis.”\n\nRead more: Being held in contempt of Congress is one of the most severe punishments on Capitol Hill. Here’s what such a move could mean.\n\nThe markup hearing lasted nearly seven hours, during which Republicans and Democrats went back and forth over the merits of holding Barr in contempt.\n\nRepublicans like Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner of Wisconsin, a former chairman of the Judiciary Committee, characterized the contempt effort as “a character assassination” and cited opposition to obtaining an unredacted copy of the Mueller report because it would be leaked to the press within 48 hours.\n\nDemocrats suggested it was about transparency and getting to the bottom of what has been a long and tumultuous investigation.\n\nWhile many Democrats said they were just trying to get to the truth, some continued to bring up the issue of impeaching President Donald Trump, something Democrats have been at odds with one another about for some time.\n\n“This committee, to ensure that we get that report because we have lawful responsibilities – constitutional responsibilities – to engage in. One of which is possibly impeachment,” said Rep. Hank Johnson of Georgia. “How can we impeach without getting the documents?”\n\nBarr released a partially redacted copy of Mueller’s report in April, but Democrats were unsatisfied and demanded to view the report in full. While Barr had initially offered to provide a copy with even fewer redactions for Democrats to view, they declined.\n\nTensions between Barr and congressional Democrats have been high for months, but they kicked up a notch in the weeks leading up to the release of the Mueller report.\n\nAfter Mueller turned in his final report in the Russia probe to Barr in March, the attorney general moved to release a summary of his “principal conclusions” of Mueller’s findings to Congress and the public before making the report available. In the summary, Barr said Mueller did not find sufficient evidence to bring a conspiracy charge against Trump or anyone on his campaign.\n\nRead more: Barr admitted he didn’t look at the underlying evidence before concluding Trump didn’t obstruct justice in the Russia probe\n\nBarr also said Mueller declined to make a “traditional prosecutorial judgment” on whether Trump obstructed justice. The attorney general went on to say prosecutors laid out evidence on “both sides” of the issue and did not come to a conclusion because of “difficult issues of law and fact concerning whether the President’s actions and intent could be viewed as obstruction.”\n\nBut when the Justice Department finally released a redacted version of the report – which featured a roadmap of evidence against Trump and 11 potential instances of obstruction of justice – Barr drew immediate backlash for what Democrats claimed was an effort to shield the president by watering down Mueller’s findings ahead of their release.\n\nRead more: The White House is blocking Don McGahn from cooperating with Congress about the Mueller probe\n\nLast week, Barr was set to appear before the House and Senate judiciary committees for back-to-back days of testimony about the Mueller report and his controversial decisions leading up to its release. Hours before he appeared before the Senate panel, it surfaced that Mueller wrote two letters expressing concerns to Barr about the way his findings had been portrayed by the attorney general.\n\nAfter testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee about the letters and his oversight of the Russia probe, the Justice Department announced Barr would not appear before the House Judiciary Committee the next day.\n\nThe committee launched formal proceedings to hold him in contempt after he missed Monday’s deadline to turn over the unredacted Mueller report and its underlying evidence.\n\nRead more: Over 370 former federal prosecutors say they would have charged Trump with obstruction if he wasn’t president\n\nThe last time Congress voted to hold an attorney general in contempt was in 2012, when Republicans were in the majority. Eric Holder, the then-Attorney General for the Barack Obama administration, had repeatedly refused to hand over documents pertaining to the “Fast and Furious” ATF gun walking scandal.\n\nHolder’s contempt vote passed the House in a bipartisan fashion, with a handful of Democrats joining Republicans to punish the top law enforcement officer at the time. Ultimately, a federal judge tossed out the charges and Holder avoided severe penalties.\n\nOther attempts to oust officials for not complying with Congress have taken different routes. During the Obama administration, a small contingent of Republicans repeatedly tried to impeach IRS Commissioner John Koskinen. They eventually failed and Koskinen finished his term several months into the Trump presidency.", "House Democrats are ready to hold Attorney General William Barr in contempt of Congress after the Department of Justice failed to deliver an unredacted copy of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report.\n\nJerrod Nadler, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, has set a Wednesday vote for lawmakers to hold Barr in contempt of Congress, saying the Attorney General’s failure to comply with a subpoena calling for the full, unredacted Mueller report left the Committee with “no choice but to initiate contempt proceedings.” Barr has objected to releasing the full report over rules that prevent him from giving material related to grand jury testimony to Congress. While the Justice Department has offered to make available a less redacted version to Congress than the one already made public, Democrats have argued that they should be allowed to see the full report.\n\nAs a growing number of Democrats have come out against Barr’s handling of the Mueller report, the party is now taking steps to charge the Attorney General. Here’s what to know about contempt of Congress and how it works.\n\nHow do lawmakers hold someone in contempt of Congress?\n\nThe House or Senate can draw up contempt of Congress citations in instances where their subpoenas are denied. A statute on the criminal contempt of Congress holds that anyone who “willfully” fails to comply with a subpoena is committing a misdemeanor, according to a report from the Congressional Research Service.\n\nUpon issuing the citation, the power to prosecute the individual goes to the executive branch, the report says. Congress can alternatively file a civil suit to enforce a subpoena.\n\nA vote to hold Barr in contempt of Congress is likely to succeed on the floor, since Democrats control the lower chamber. The case would then be sent to the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia or the Department of Justice to pursue criminal charges. But it is unlikely that a federal prosecutor would bring charges against their own boss, a former member of a House counsel office tells TIME.\n\nWhy do Democrats want to hold Barr in contempt?\n\nThe move by Democrats to hold Barr in contempt of Congress marks the first time they have set out to punish an official with the Trump Administration for failing to comply with subpoena requests.\n\nOn Wednesday, the House Judiciary Committee will vote to hold Barr in contempt over his refusal to turn over an unredacted version of the Mueller report. Democrats argue that a full copy of the report will assist them in their push for an investigation into whether Trump abused the powers of his office.\n\n“Access to these materials is essential to the Committee’s ability to effectively investigate possible misconduct, and consider appropriate legislative, oversight, or other constitutionally warranted responses,” the contempt report states. “Attorney General Barr’s refusal to comply with the Committee’s subpoena or to engage in a meaningful accommodations process therefore continues to thwart the Committee’s ability to fulfill its responsibilities.”\n\nWhat are the consequences of being held in contempt?\n\nUnder the contempt of Congress statute, a person found guilty of “willfully” failing to comply with a subpoena can be punished with imprisonment for up to one year and a maximum $1,000 fine.\n\nBut it is unlikely that Barr will face criminal charges because neither a U.S. attorney nor the Department of Justice are expected to go forward in prosecuting the Attorney General, according to veterans of congressional investigations. A former counsel for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tells TIME that failing criminal prosecution, Congress is likely to try to enforce the subpoena through a civil suit. What will happen next is unclear.\n\n“They may have to get the House to vote on contempt, file this case as well, and then we will see what happens,” the former counsel to Pelosi says. “The political pressure may be such because every poll we’ve seen shows the public is tremendously in favor of transparency.” A PBS News Hour/NPR/Marist poll found in March that about three-quarters of people said the full report should be released.\n\nIn the past, the House has also used the no rarely invoked “inherent contempt” method. Lawmakers technically have the power to arrest and detain people who refuse to comply with subpoena requests, according to the Congressional Research Service. It’s an option that gives broader powers than the criminal contempt statute because it can also be used in response to actions that are seen as “obstructing” Congress’s legislative power.\n\nLawmakers have largely abandoned the practice of using the “inherent contempt” option since the 1930s, but they still have the right to detain a person in an effort to speed up their access to the requested information.\n\nWhen has this happened before?\n\nOnly one sitting Attorney General has been held in contempt of Congress. A Republican-controlled House held Attorney General Eric Holder, who served during the Obama Administration, in contempt of Congress in 2012 over his failure to provide documents for a congressional inquiry into an operation called “Fast and Furious,” a failed program run by an Arizona division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives which allowed guns to be sold to Mexican drug gang members.", "The House Judiciary chairman said Wednesday the Trump administration's refusal to provide special counsel Robert Mueller's full Russia report to Congress presents a \"constitutional crisis,\" leaving the panel no choice but to move forward with a contempt vote against Attorney General William Barr.\n\nTalks with the Justice Department broke down late Tuesday over the committee's subpoena for an unredacted version of Mueller's report.\n\nRep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., said the dispute poses \"a constitution crisis\" because President Donald Trump \"is disobeying the law, is refusing all information to Congress.\"\n\n\"We have no choice,\" Nadler told CNN, but to move forward on the contempt vote.\n\nHouse Speaker Nancy Pelosi backed the chairman's decision. She suggested Democrats were surprised by the Justice Department's decision to threaten executive privilege to block the release as last-minute talks failed late Tuesday.\n\n\"We thought they'd just come back with a counteroffer,\" she said Wednesday during a Washington Post interview.\n\nPelosi said if the committee approves contempt resolution, as is expected, the \"next step\" would be eventual consideration by the full House.\n\nBarr released a redacted version of Mueller's report to the public last month, but Democrats said they want to see the full document, along with underlying evidence, and subpoenaed the full report . The department has rejected that demand, while allowing a handful of lawmakers to view a version of Mueller's report with fewer redactions. Democrats have said they won't view that version until they get broader access.\n\nThe House Judiciary Committee and Justice Department negotiated into the evening Tuesday, trading offers on how many lawmakers would be able to view the report, how many staff members and whether the department would work with the committee to gain access to secret grand jury material. But those talks ultimately stalled.\n\nIn a letter sent late Tuesday, Assistant Attorney General Stephen Boyd told Nadler that in the face of the committee's contempt vote, Barr would be \"compelled to request that the president invoke executive privilege with respect to the materials subject to the subpoena.\"\n\nIt was not immediately clear how such a claim of privilege would work with respect to Mueller's report, which has already been released to the public in redacted form. Executive privilege is the president's power to keep information from the courts, Congress and the public to protect the confidentiality of the Oval Office decision-making process.\n\nNadler said in response to Boyd's letter to the committee that \"this is, of course, not how executive privilege works.\"\n\n\"The Department seemed open to sharing these materials with us earlier today. The Department's legal arguments are without credibility, merit, or legal or factual basis,\" Nadler said.\n\nThe top Republican on the panel, Rep. Doug Collins of Georgia, sharply criticized the Democrats' plan to go ahead with the vote.\n\n\"I can't imagine a more illogical hill for a legislator to die on,\" Collins said in a statement.\n\nIf the committee holds Barr in contempt, it would be the first step in what could be a protracted, multipronged court battle between Congress and the Trump administration.\n\nTrump has defied requests from House Democrats since the release of Mueller's report last month, and Democrats are fighting the White House on several fronts as they attempt to learn more about the report, call witnesses and obtain Trump's personal and financial documents.\n\nIn a related move, Nadler also threatened to hold former White House counsel Don McGahn in contempt of Congress if he doesn't testify before the Judiciary committee later this month. Nadler rejected a White House claim that documents McGahn refused to provide despite a subpoena are controlled by the White House and thus McGahn has no legal right to them.\n\nThe Justice Department did not respond to a request for comment on Tuesday's negotiations with Nadler's committee.\n\nOn Monday, when the Judiciary panel scheduled the vote, Justice spokeswoman Kerri Kupec said the department has \"taken extraordinary steps to accommodate the House Judiciary Committee's requests for information\" regarding Mueller's report, but that Nadler had not reciprocated. She noted that Democrats have refused to read the version of Mueller's report with fewer redactions that has been provided to Congress.\n\nA contempt vote against Barr would head to the full House for a vote. If the House were to pass the resolution, it would send a criminal referral to the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, a Justice Department official who is likely to defend the attorney general.\n\nDemocratic House leaders could also file a lawsuit against the Justice Department to obtain the Mueller report, though the case could take months or even years to resolve. Some committee members have suggested they also could fine Barr as he withholds the information.\n\nRepublicans have largely united behind the president, with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Tuesday declaring \"case closed\" on Mueller's Russia probe and potential obstruction by Trump. McConnell said Democrats are \"grieving\" the result.\n\nMueller said he could not establish a criminal conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russia, but he did not reach a conclusion on whether Trump obstructed justice. Mueller didn't charge Trump but wrote that he couldn't exonerate him, either.", "A House committee is poised to hold Attorney General William Barr in contempt of Congress — the opening salvo in what could be a lengthy, acrimonious court battle between House Democrats and President Donald Trump's administration over special counsel Robert Mueller's report .\n\nHouse Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler scheduled a Wednesday vote to hold Barr in contempt of Congress, citing the Justice Department's failure to provide the full text of Mueller's report by the Monday morning deadline. Nadler, D-N.Y., said Barr's failure to comply with a subpoena left them with \"no choice but to initiate contempt proceedings.\"\n\nThe movement to hold Barr in contempt reflects the deepening rift between Democrats and Barr, whom they accuse of spinning the results of Mueller's investigation to Trump's benefit. Barr, in a memo summarizing Mueller's investigation, said there was insufficient evidence that Trump obstructed justice — a conclusion Democrats fiercely dispute.\n\nNadler said the version of Mueller's report that has already been released to the public offered \"disturbing evidence and analysis that President Trump engaged in obstruction of justice at the highest levels.\" Now, he said, lawmakers need the full version and the underlying evidence \"to determine how to best move forward with oversight, legislation and other constitutional responsibilities.\"\n\nThe committee said contempt proceedings could be postponed if the attorney general makes a \"good faith\" effort to comply with the committee.\n\nIn a possible thaw, Nadler said Monday evening that the Justice Department had agreed to meet with his staff Tuesday, adding that he hopes to make \"concrete progress\" toward resolving the dispute.\n\nJustice Department spokeswoman Kerri Kupec said earlier that the department has \"taken extraordinary steps to accommodate the House Judiciary Committee's requests for information\" regarding Mueller's report, but that Nadler had not reciprocated. She noted that Democrats have refused to read a version of Mueller's report with fewer redactions that has already been provided to Congress.\n\nKupec said officials were continuing to engage with the committee, and Nadler's staff had been invited to the department \"to discuss a mutually acceptable accommodation.\"\n\nIf the committee approves the contempt resolution against Barr, as expected, it would head to the full House for final approval. But that step is unlikely to lead to criminal charges. A House vote would send a criminal referral to the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, a Justice Department official who is likely to defend the attorney general.\n\nYet by pursuing contempt, Democrats hope to send a message to the Trump administration about their willingness to invoke congressional powers in the majority. Beyond Mueller's report, House Democrats have, so far mostly unsuccessfully, subpoenaed administration witnesses and made efforts to gain access to Trump's personal and business financial records. Trump has said he will block those efforts, declaring he will \"fight all the subpoenas.\"\n\nDemocratic House leaders could file a civil lawsuit against the Justice Department to obtain the Mueller report, an option that could take months or even years to resolve. Some committee members have suggested they also could fine Barr as he withholds the information. They could also open impeachment proceedings against Trump, though House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said she's not interested in doing that, for now.\n\nRepublicans have lambasted the Democratic tactics as overreach and defended Barr. The top Republican on the Judiciary Committee, Rep. Doug Collins of Georgia, said \"Democrats have launched a proxy war smearing the attorney general\" when their anger actually lies with the president.\n\nThere is precedent for sitting attorneys general to be held in contempt of Congress. In 2012, the House held then-Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt over a botched gun-tracking operation known as Fast and Furious. Republicans cited the Justice Department's failure to turn over, without any preconditions, documents related to the risky operation. The Justice Department took no action to prosecute the attorney general.\n\nMueller's report — now a best-seller even in redacted form — states that his investigation could not establish a criminal conspiracy between the Trump team and Russia. However, it did not reach a conclusion on whether Trump obstructed justice. Mueller didn't charge Trump but wrote that he couldn't exonerate him, either.\n\nHouse Judiciary Democrats say Congress is \"the only body able to hold the president to account\" since the Justice Department has a policy against indicting a sitting president. They say they need the full report and the evidence that it cites, including witness interviews and \"items such as contemporaneous notes.\" Nadler also wants every member of Congress to be able to read the full report.\n\nAs the fight with Barr has escalated, Democrats have been in negotiations to hear from Mueller himself. Trump complicated those talks Sunday by tweeting that he would oppose Mueller's testimony, reversing from his earlier position of leaving it up to Barr.\n\nAs long as Mueller remains a Justice Department employee, Trump or Barr could block him from appearing. Trump did not indicate if he would take steps to do so. It's unclear when Mueller will leave the department — or whether he would want to testify in his own capacity when he does."], "summary": "The United States House Committee on the Judiciary votes to hold United States Attorney General William Barr in contempt of Congress after he failed to comply with a subpoena ordering him to provide them with the full, unredacted version of the Mueller Report last week. The full House will vote on the measure in the near future."}
{"document": ["WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate intelligence committee has subpoenaed Donald Trump Jr., calling him in to answer questions about his 2017 testimony to the panel as part of its probe into Russian election interference.\n\nThat's according to two people familiar with the subpoena who discussed it on condition of anonymity. It's the first known subpoena of a member of President Donald Trump's immediate family, and a new sign that the Senate panel is continuing with its own Russia investigation even after the release of special counsel Robert Mueller's report on the same subject.\n\nIt's unclear if Trump Jr. will comply with the subpoena. A person close to the president's eldest son, who requested anonymity to discuss the matter, said Wednesday that he has continued to cooperate by producing documents and answering written questions.\n\nThe person called the new request a public relations stunt and criticized the chairman of the panel, North Carolina Republican Sen. Richard Burr, for calling Trump Jr. in.\n\nThe committee had renewed interest in talking to Trump Jr. after Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen, testified earlier this year. Cohen told a House committee in February that he had briefed Trump Jr. approximately 10 times about a plan to build a Trump Tower in Moscow before the presidential election. Trump Jr. told the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2017 he was only \"peripherally aware\" of the proposal.\n\nThe panel has also investigated a meeting between Trump Jr., other campaign staff and a Russian lawyer. Emails leading up to the meeting promised dirt on Hillary Clinton.\n\nMueller's report, released last month, says Cohen recalled being in Trump's office \"when Trump Jr. told his father that a meeting to obtain adverse information about Clinton was going forward.\" The report notes that Trump Jr. told the Senate Judiciary Committee, however, that he did not inform his father about the emails or the upcoming meeting.\n\nCohen reported to federal prison this week to start a three-year sentence for crimes including tax evasion and campaign finance violations related to hush-money payments made to protect his former boss.\n\nA spokeswoman for the committee would not confirm the subpoena. But Maine Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican member of the panel, hinted after Cohen spoke behind closed doors to the Senate intelligence panel that the committee would want to talk to Trump Jr. again. She said senators \"clearly need to re-interview some witnesses whose accounts (Cohen) contradicts.\"\n\nThe Senate intelligence committee has been investigating Russian election interference and Trump's ties to Russia for the last two years. The panel is expected to try to call in several witnesses as it winds up its investigation over the next several months.\n\nBurr told The Associated Press last week that he doesn't expect to have any more public hearings and that he hopes to be finished with the investigation by the end of the year.\n\nThe subpoena puts Burr at odds with some of his Republican colleagues who want to move on after the release of Mueller's findings. The Mueller report said he could not establish a criminal conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russia, but he did not reach a conclusion on whether Trump obstructed justice.\n\nSenate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell gave a floor speech Tuesday in which he declared \"case closed\" on the probe.\n\nKentucky Sen. Rand Paul took a shot at Burr after the subpoena was reported, tweeting that \"apparently the Republican chair of the Senate Intel Committee didn't get the memo from the Majority Leader that this case was closed.\"\n\nAlan Futerfas, a lawyer for Trump Jr., declined to comment on the subpoena.\n\nThe subpoena was first reported by Axios.\n\nAssociated Press writer Eric Tucker contributed to this report.", "Mary Clare Jalonick and Jonathan Lemire, The Associated Press \n\n \n\n\n\nWASHINGTON -- The Senate intelligence committee has subpoenaed Donald Trump Jr., calling him in to answer questions about his 2017 testimony to the panel as part of its probe into Russian election interference.\n\nThat's according to two people familiar with the subpoena who discussed it on condition of anonymity. It's the first known subpoena of a member of President Donald Trump's immediate family, and a new sign that the Senate panel is continuing with its own Russia investigation even after the release of special counsel Robert Mueller's report on the same subject.\n\nIt's unclear if Trump Jr. will comply with the subpoena from the committee, which is chaired by Republican Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina. A person close to the president's eldest son, who requested anonymity to discuss the matter, said Wednesday that Trump has continued to co-operate by producing documents and answering written questions.\n\nThe committee had renewed interest in talking to Trump Jr. after Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen, testified earlier this year. Cohen told a House committee in February that he had briefed Trump Jr. approximately 10 times about a plan to build a Trump Tower in Moscow before the presidential election. Trump Jr. told the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2017 he was only \"peripherally aware\" of the proposal.\n\nThe panel has also investigated a meeting between Trump Jr., other campaign staff and a Russian lawyer. Emails leading up to the meeting promised dirt on Hillary Clinton.\n\nMueller's report, released last month, says Cohen recalled being in Trump's office \"when Trump Jr. told his father that a meeting to obtain adverse information about Clinton was going forward.\" The report notes that Trump Jr. told the Senate Judiciary Committee, however, that he did not inform his father about the emails or the upcoming meeting.\n\nCohen reported to federal prison this week to start a three-year sentence for crimes including tax evasion and campaign finance violations related to hush-money payments made to protect his former boss.\n\nA spokeswoman for the committee would not confirm the subpoena. But Maine Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican member of the panel, hinted after Cohen spoke behind closed doors to the Senate intelligence panel that the committee would want to talk to Trump Jr. again. She said senators \"clearly need to re-interview some witnesses whose accounts (Cohen) contradicts.\"\n\nThe Senate intelligence committee has been investigating Russian election interference and Trump's ties to Russia for the last two years. The panel is expected to try to call in several witnesses as it winds up its investigation over the next several months.\n\nBurr told The Associated Press last week that he doesn't expect to have any more public hearings and that he hopes to be finished with the investigation by the end of the year.\n\nThe subpoena puts Burr at odds with some of his Republican colleagues who want to move on after the release of Mueller's findings. The Mueller report said he could not establish a criminal conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russia, but he did not reach a conclusion on whether Trump obstructed justice.\n\nSenate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell gave a floor speech Tuesday in which he declared \"case closed\" on the probe.\n\nKentucky Sen. Rand Paul took a shot at Burr after the subpoena was reported, tweeting that \"apparently the Republican chair of the Senate Intel Committee didn't get the memo from the Majority Leader that this case was closed.\"\n\nAlan Futerfas, a lawyer for Trump Jr., declined to comment on the subpoena.\n\nThe subpoena was first reported by Axios.\n\nAssociated Press writer Eric Tucker contributed to this report.", "WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate intelligence committee has subpoenaed Donald Trump Jr., calling him in to answer questions about his 2017 testimony to the panel as part of its probe into Russian election interference.\n\nThat's according to two people familiar with the subpoena who discussed it on condition of anonymity. It's the first known subpoena of a member of President Donald Trump's immediate family, and a new sign that the Senate panel is continuing with its own Russia investigation even after the release of special counsel Robert Mueller's report on the same subject.\n\nIt's unclear if Trump Jr. will comply with the subpoena. A person close to the president's eldest son, who requested anonymity to discuss the matter, said Wednesday that he has continued to cooperate by producing documents and answering written questions.\n\nThe person called the new request a public relations stunt and criticized the chairman of the panel, North Carolina Republican Sen. Richard Burr, for calling Trump Jr. in.\n\nThe committee had renewed interest in talking to Trump Jr. after Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen, testified earlier this year. Cohen told a House committee in February that he had briefed Trump Jr. approximately 10 times about a plan to build a Trump Tower in Moscow before the presidential election. Trump Jr. told the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2017 he was only \"peripherally aware\" of the proposal.\n\nThe panel has also investigated a meeting between Trump Jr., other campaign staff and a Russian lawyer. Emails leading up to the meeting promised dirt on Hillary Clinton.\n\nMueller's report, released last month, says Cohen recalled being in Trump's office \"when Trump Jr. told his father that a meeting to obtain adverse information about Clinton was going forward.\" The report notes that Trump Jr. told the Senate Judiciary Committee, however, that he did not inform his father about the emails or the upcoming meeting.\n\nCohen reported to federal prison this week to start a three-year sentence for crimes including tax evasion and campaign finance violations related to hush-money payments made to protect his former boss.\n\nA spokeswoman for the committee would not confirm the subpoena. But Maine Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican member of the panel, hinted after Cohen spoke behind closed doors to the Senate intelligence panel that the committee would want to talk to Trump Jr. again. She said senators \"clearly need to re-interview some witnesses whose accounts (Cohen) contradicts.\"\n\nThe Senate intelligence committee has been investigating Russian election interference and Trump's ties to Russia for the last two years. The panel is expected to try to call in several witnesses as it winds up its investigation over the next several months.\n\nBurr told The Associated Press last week that he doesn't expect to have any more public hearings and that he hopes to be finished with the investigation by the end of the year.\n\nThe subpoena puts Burr at odds with some of his Republican colleagues who want to move on after the release of Mueller's findings. The Mueller report said he could not establish a criminal conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russia, but he did not reach a conclusion on whether Trump obstructed justice.\n\nSenate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell gave a floor speech Tuesday in which he declared \"case closed\" on the probe.\n\nKentucky Sen. Rand Paul took a shot at Burr after the subpoena was reported, tweeting that \"apparently the Republican chair of the Senate Intel Committee didn't get the memo from the Majority Leader that this case was closed.\"\n\nAlan Futerfas, a lawyer for Trump Jr., declined to comment on the subpoena.\n\nThe subpoena was first reported by Axios.\n\nAssociated Press writer Eric Tucker contributed to this report.", "WASHINGTON, D.C., USA — The New York Times is reporting that Donald Trump's businesses lost more than $1 billion from 1985 to 1994, based on tax information the newspaper acquired.\n\nThe Times says it has acquired printouts from the president's official IRS tax transcripts, including figures from his federal tax form.\n\nThe newspaper says Trump reported business losses of $46.1 million in 1985, and a total of $1.17 billion in losses for the 10-year period.\n\nThe House Ways and Means Committee has asked the IRS to provide Trump's personal and business returns for 2013 through 2018.\n\nTreasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Monday refused to do so, saying the panel's request \"lacks a legitimate legislative purpose.\"\n\nMnuchin's move, which had been expected, is likely to set a legal battle into motion.\n\nPresident Donald Trump and First lady Melania Trump, left, smile during a one year anniversary event for her Be Best initiative in the Rose Garden of the White House, Tuesday, May 7, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)", "The Republican-led Senate Intelligence Committee has subpoenaed President Donald Trump's eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., to answer questions about his claim to have just limited knowledge of an ultimately aborted plan to build a Trump Tower in Moscow, NBC News reported Wednesday.\n\nTrump Jr.'s prior testimony was called into question earlier this year by new testimony from President Trump's former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, who said he had briefed Trump Jr. repeatedly about the effort to develop a Trump Tower there.\n\nA person close to Donald Trump Jr. blasted the subpoena to CNBC as \"an obvious PR stunt from a so-called 'Republican' senator\" — Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr of North Carolina — \"too cowardly to stand up to his boss [committee ranking Democrat] Mark Warner and the rest of the resistance Democrats on the committee.\"\n\nThat person said people should expect Trump Jr. to fight the subpoena.\n\nTrump Jr. testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee in September 2017 that \"I was peripherally aware\" of an effort to build that project in Russia, which was being pursued as his father was a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination. That effort was not known to the public at the time.\n\nBut Cohen in February told a House committee that he had met with both Donald Trump Jr. and his sister, Ivanka Trump, \"approximately 10\" times to brief them about the Trump Tower plan.\n\n\"The company [the Trump Organization] was involved in the deal, which meant that the family was involved in the deal,\" he testified.\n\nCohen on Monday began serving a three-year federal prison sentence after pleading guilty to crimes that included having lied to Congress in 2017 about details of the Trump Tower project.\n\nCohen originally falsely told Congress that the project was dropped in January 2016 — months before the elder Trump had locked up the GOP presidential nomination — when it actually had continued being pursued through June 2016, when Trump had the nomination well in hand.", "WASHINGTON — The Senate Intelligence Committee has subpoenaed Donald Trump Jr., the president’s eldest son, who met with Russians in June 2016 after being promised political dirt about Hillary Clinton, according to people familiar with the committee’s decision.\n\nThe younger Mr. Trump is the first of President Trump’s children to be subpoenaed in the continuing congressional investigations into Russia’s 2016 election interference, and the move by the Republican-led committee is a sign that some members of the president’s party are not aligned with his desire for a swift end to all of the Russia inquiries.\n\nNews of the subpoena came a day after Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky and the majority leader, sought to lower the curtain on the drama in Congress surrounding Russia’s efforts to sabotage the 2016 election. The end of the Mueller investigation, he said, meant “case closed.”\n\nBut the subpoena of the younger Mr. Trump shows that the Intelligence Committee, which is under Mr. McConnell’s jurisdiction, is proceeding with its vigorous investigation that — for the most part — has not degenerated into a partisan morass like a parallel investigation by the House.", "In 2017, Donald Trump Jr. told congressional investigators that in June 2016 he had informed just two people about his upcoming meeting with a Russian government emissary during which Trump Jr. hoped to obtain incriminating information about Hillary Clinton: his brother-in-law Jared Kushner and Trump campaign chair Paul Manafort. But special counsel Robert Mueller’s report revealed a different story, noting that the president’s eldest son boasted of his efforts during a meeting of campaign staff attended by his brother Eric and sister Ivanka, among others. This apparent contradiction—and concerns that Trump Jr. also was not forthright about his knowledge of the Trump Organization’s pursuit of a Trump tower in Moscow during the 2016 campaign—led the Senate Intelligence Committee to subpoena Trump’s eldest son, according to Senate sources.\n\nThese discrepancies in the testimony by Trump Jr., who appeared before three congressional committees in 2017, underscore that the Trump-Russia scandal continues to pose a threat to President Donald Trump, his family, and his associates, confounding efforts by Trump and his allies to shut down the controversy.\n\nIn a September 7, 2017, interview with staff of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Trump Jr. faced a slew of questions about his June 9, 2016, Trump Tower meeting with that Russian emissary. One issue was whom he had told about a June 3 email he received from Rob Goldstone, a publicist for Emin Agalarov, a Russian pop singer whose father, Aras Agalarov, was a real estate mogul with Kremlin ties and who was Trump’s partner in the 2013 Miss Universe pageant held in Moscow. A senior Russian prosecutor, Goldstone wrote Trump Jr., had “offered to provide the Trump campaign with some official documents and information that would incriminate Hillary and her dealings with Russia and would be very useful to your father” as “part of Russia and its government’s support for Mr. Trump.” Trump Jr. responded enthusiastically—“If it’s what you say I love it”—and agreed to meet with the Russian representative, lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya. Manafort, then the Trump campaign chair, and Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law and adviser, also attended the meeting.\n\nTrump Jr. told the Judiciary Committee that he informed “only Jared Kushner and Paul Manafort” about Goldstone’s offer. And he stuck to that claim when a committee lawyer asked if there was anyone else. “No,” Trump Jr. said. “Not to my recollection.” Trump Jr. also said that he recalled telling Manafort and Kushner of the meeting only via email. “I sent them the email and asked if they could attend.”\n\nThe Judiciary Committee interview is public. Transcripts of Trump Jr.’s interviews with the House and Senate Intelligence committees, both in December 2017, have not been released. But a Senate source says that Trump Jr. also told the Senate Intelligence Committee that he had only alerted Kushner and Manafort about Goldstone’s offer before the meeting.\n\nMueller’s report, a redacted version of which was released last month, included a different account. It stated that Rick Gates, who was deputy Trump campaign manager, said in interviews with the special counsel’s office that before the sit-down with Veselnitskaya, “Trump Jr. announced at a regular morning meeting of senior campaign staff and Trump family members that he had a lead on negative information about the Clinton Foundation.” Gates said that Eric Trump, Hope Hicks, Manafort, Ivanka Trump, and Kushner also attended the meeting. Gates also recalled that Trump Jr. claimed the information came from a group in Kyrgyzstan, where Agalarov does business. According to Gates, Trump Jr.’s announcement sparked a discussion, with Manafort warning the group that “the meeting likely would not yield vital information and they should be careful.”\n\nIn February, Michael Cohen, President Trump’s former personal lawyer, testified before the House Oversight Committee that he overheard a conversation in which he believed Trump Jr. told his father about the meeting in advance. If that is true, it contradicts claims both the president and his son made to investigators.\n\nThe Senate Intelligence Committee is also scrutinizing Trump Jr.’s statements about Trump’s efforts during the 2016 campaign to develop a Trump tower in Moscow. As a candidate, Trump claimed he had no business interests in Russia, despite signing a letter of intent regarding this deal and encouraging Cohen to privately pursue the project until at least the summer of 2016. Cohen even sought Russian President Vladimir Putin’s support for the venture, contacting Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov to seek help. (Cohen ended up talking to Peskov’s personal assistant and requested assistance in securing financing and land for the project.) Cohen recently began a three-year prison term in part because he lied to Congress in 2017 about the project, in what he says was an effort to align his story with Trump’s false claims. Trump Jr. also downplayed the deal in congressional testimony. He told the Senate Judiciary Committee he was only “peripherally aware” of the effort. A Senate aide says Trump Jr. made similar claims to the Intelligence Committee. Cohen, by contrast, testified that he briefed Trump Jr. or Ivanka Trump on the Moscow deal “approximately 10 times.”\n\nThe Intelligence Committee’s subpoena to Trump Jr., issued more than two weeks ago according to multiple reports, has drawn fierce attacks against the Republican chairman of the Intelligence Committee, North Carolina’s Richard Burr, from members of his own party. “Apparently the Republican chair of the Senate Intel Committee didn’t get the memo from the Majority Leader that this case was closed,” Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) tweeted on Wednesday, referencing a recent floor speech by Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). Burr’s fellow North Carolina Republican, Sen. Thom Tillis, who faces a primary challenge in 2020, also slammed Burr in a tweet. “It’s time to move on & start focusing on issues that matter to Americans,” he wrote. White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney said on CBS News that it was “bad form” for the committee to subpoena Trump Jr. without giving the White House a “heads-up.”\n\nTrump Jr. appears poised to fight the subpoena. The New York Times reported he may invoke the Fifth Amendment rather than testify. In a statement sent to various outlets, a person close to Trump Jr.—who would not allow reporters to identify him or her—said that “no lawyer would ever agree to allow their client to participate in what is an obvious PR stunt from a so-called ‘Republican’ senator too cowardly to stand up to his boss Mark Warner and the rest of the resistance Democrats on the committee.” The statement also asserted that “there was an agreement between Don and the Committee that he would only have to come in and testify a single time as long as he was willing to stay for as long as they’d like, which Don did.”\n\nA committee spokesperson says there was no such deal with any witness: “Throughout the investigation, the Committee has reserved the right to recall witnesses for additional testimony as needed, as every witness and witness counsel has been made aware.”\n\nIt is unclear how aggressively Burr will pursue Trump Jr. On Tuesday, before news of the subpoena, Burr told the Washington Post that he was not inclined to press for the Justice Department to prosecute Trump Jr. or other witnesses facing questions about the veracity of their testimonies for perjury, given that Mueller had declined to charge them. Discrepancies between their testimonies and Mueller’s report apparently “weren’t criminal or they weren’t chargeable,” Burr told the Post, noting that Mueller had access to his own committee’s transcripts. But Burr had also previously said the panel will not tolerate dishonest witnesses. “If you lie to us, we’re going to catch you and we’re going to prosecute you, period, end of sentence,” he said last year.", "Trump: Trade deal was close, but China tried to renegotiate\n\nWASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says the United States was close to a trade deal with China, but then China tried to renegotiate.\n\nTrump said Thursday that the Chinese wanted to come back to continue negotiations. He added that if it doesn't work out, the U.S. has an \"excellent\" alternative.\n\nThe United States plans to raise tariffs on Chinese imports on Friday. U.S. and Chinese negotiators are to resume trade talks Thursday.\n\nTrump also said that Chinese President Xi Jinping (shee jihn-peeng) sent him a \"beautiful letter\" and he will \"probably\" speak to him on the phone.\n\nTrump says, \"I have no idea what's going to happen.\"", "WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate intelligence committee has subpoenaed Donald Trump Jr., calling him in to answer questions about his 2017 testimony to the panel as part of its probe into Russian election interference.\n\nThat's according to two people familiar with the subpoena who discussed it on condition of anonymity. It's the first known subpoena of a member of President Donald Trump's immediate family, and a new sign that the Senate panel is continuing with its own Russia investigation even after the release of special counsel Robert Mueller's report on the same subject.\n\nIt's unclear if Trump Jr. will comply with the subpoena. A person close to the president's eldest son, who requested anonymity to discuss the matter, said Wednesday that he has continued to cooperate by producing documents and answering written questions.\n\nThe person called the new request a public relations stunt and criticized the chairman of the panel, North Carolina Republican Sen. Richard Burr, for calling Trump Jr. in.\n\nThe committee had renewed interest in talking to Trump Jr. after Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen, testified earlier this year. Cohen told a House committee in February that he had briefed Trump Jr. approximately 10 times about a plan to build a Trump Tower in Moscow before the presidential election. Trump Jr. told the Senate Judiciary Committee in 2017 he was only \"peripherally aware\" of the proposal.\n\nThe panel has also investigated a meeting between Trump Jr., other campaign staff and a Russian lawyer. Emails leading up to the meeting promised dirt on Hillary Clinton.\n\nMueller's report, released last month, says Cohen recalled being in Trump's office \"when Trump Jr. told his father that a meeting to obtain adverse information about Clinton was going forward.\" The report notes that Trump Jr. told the Senate Judiciary Committee, however, that he did not inform his father about the emails or the upcoming meeting.\n\nCohen reported to federal prison this week to start a three-year sentence for crimes including tax evasion and campaign finance violations related to hush-money payments made to protect his former boss.\n\nA spokeswoman for the committee would not confirm the subpoena. But Maine Sen. Susan Collins, a Republican member of the panel, hinted after Cohen spoke behind closed doors to the Senate intelligence panel that the committee would want to talk to Trump Jr. again. She said senators \"clearly need to re-interview some witnesses whose accounts (Cohen) contradicts.\"\n\nThe Senate intelligence committee has been investigating Russian election interference and Trump's ties to Russia for the last two years. The panel is expected to try to call in several witnesses as it winds up its investigation over the next several months.\n\nBurr told The Associated Press last week that he doesn't expect to have any more public hearings and that he hopes to be finished with the investigation by the end of the year.\n\nThe subpoena puts Burr at odds with some of his Republican colleagues who want to move on after the release of Mueller's findings. The Mueller report said he could not establish a criminal conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russia, but he did not reach a conclusion on whether Trump obstructed justice.\n\nSenate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell gave a floor speech Tuesday in which he declared \"case closed\" on the probe.\n\nKentucky Sen. Rand Paul took a shot at Burr after the subpoena was reported, tweeting that \"apparently the Republican chair of the Senate Intel Committee didn't get the memo from the Majority Leader that this case was closed.\"\n\nAlan Futerfas, a lawyer for Trump Jr., declined to comment on the subpoena.\n\nThe subpoena was first reported by Axios.\n\nAssociated Press writer Eric Tucker contributed to this report.", "(Reuters) - President Donald Trump is refusing to cooperate in numerous U.S. congressional probes of himself and his administration, taking a defiant stance that is likely to land him in protracted court fights with Democrats in the House of Representatives.\n\nTrump’s stonewalling has hardened since the mid-April release of a redacted report from Special Counsel Robert Mueller on how Moscow interfered in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and Trump’s subsequent attempts to impede Mueller’s probe.\n\nOn May 2, it was revealed that the Trump administration is asserting it has the right to instruct advisers not to testify before congressional committees on the Russia probe.\n\nIn most of the cases where Trump and his advisers are refusing to cooperate, they run the legal risk of contempt of Congress citations and legal enforcement actions that could result in fines and even imprisonment.\n\nHere are several instances of Trump defying Congress:\n\nOn Tuesday, the White House told the House Judiciary Committee that ex-White House Counsel Don McGahn does not have the legal right to comply with a committee subpoena seeking documents from him on Mueller’s probe.\n\nMcGahn was a key witness in the probe. House Judiciary, chaired by Democrat Jerrold Nadler, wants to hear from McGahn and review related administration documents that he has.\n\nMcGahn has been directed not to produce the documents in response to the committee’s subpoena, according to current White House counsel Pat Cipollone.\n\nIn a letter to Nadler, Cipollone said McGahn got the documents during the Mueller probe “with the clear understanding that the records remain subject to the control of the White House for all purposes.”\n\nMcGahn left his post at the White House in October 2018.\n\nThe redacted Mueller report, released on April 18 by Attorney General William Barr, left some questions about the probe unanswered. Democrats have subpoenaed the unredacted report and the evidence Mueller relied on.\n\nBarr, a Trump appointee, has refused to comply with the subpoena. The House Judiciary Committee moved a step closer on Monday to holding Barr in contempt of Congress. The panel is slated to vote on Wednesday on finalizing a contempt citation.\n\nUnlike past presidents in recent decades, Trump has refused to make public his tax returns, raising questions about what is in them. Democrats are probing Trump’s past business dealings and possible conflicts of interest involving him.\n\nTreasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Monday denied a leading House Democrat’s request for Trump’s returns. In a May 6 letter, Mnuchin told House tax committee Chairman Richard Neal that he would not comply with the Democrat’s April 3 request, saying it lacks “a legitimate legislative purpose.”\n\nTrump has filed a lawsuit attempting to keep U.S. lawmakers from obtaining his financial records. The unprecedented suit seeks to block a subpoena issued by House Oversight Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings, a Democrat.\n\nThe subpoena sought eight years of documents from Mazars USA, an accounting firm long used by Trump. A May 14 court hearing has been set in the case.\n\nThe Justice Department has rebuffed the Oversight Committee’s request for an interview with John Gore, an official involved in the administration’s decision to include a citizenship question in the 2020 census, if he could not have a Justice Department lawyer at his side.\n\nTrump has vowed to fight any effort by congressional Democrats to launch impeachment proceedings against him, promising to go to the Supreme Court, even though it plays no role in the constitutional impeachment process.\n\nCongressional Democrats have complained that the administration has responded too slowly to their requests for documents about Trump’s abandonment of a plan to relocate the FBI’s headquarters.\n\nBefore he became president, Trump supported moving the headquarters to the suburbs of Washington from the center of town, said Democrats looking into the matter.\n\nThey said that after Trump was elected and disqualified from bidding to buy the FBI’s present headquarters site for commercial development, he switched his position. Democrats have raised questions about a possible Trump conflict of interest.\n\nThe White House has refused a request for Trump’s top immigration aide Stephen Miller to testify to Congress, in a letter to the House Oversight Committee.\n\nTrump, his three oldest children and the Trump Organization have sued to block House subpoenas seeking Trump financial records from two banks: Deutsche Bank AG and Capital One Financial Corp.\n\nA 2017 financial disclosure form showed that Trump had at least $130 million of liabilities to Germany’s Deutsche Bank.\n\nDemocratic lawmakers have asked Capital One’s chief executive for documents related to potential conflicts of interest tied to Trump’s hotel in downtown Washington and other business interests.\n\nIn the lawsuit, Trump accused House leaders of pursuing records for no legitimate or lawful purpose, hoping to “stumble upon something” they could use against him."], "summary": "Donald Trump Jr., son of U.S. President Donald Trump, is subpoenaed to testify before the United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence about the Trump Tower Moscow project and his Russian contacts in June 2016."}
{"document": ["JOHANNESBURG — Millions of South Africans cast ballots on Wednesday, voting for the first time since President Cyril Ramaphosa assumed power early last year with promises to renew both his corruption-ridden party and the beleaguered nation.\n\nA quarter-century after the end of apartheid captured imaginations worldwide, Mr. Ramaphosa and his party, the African National Congress, faced an electorate increasingly disillusioned with the state of South Africa’s democracy. The vote is partly a referendum on Mr. Ramaphosa, whose personal popularity has consistently polled higher than his party’s.\n\nMany of the A.N.C.’s traditional supporters approve of him, polls show. But they question whether he can outflank powerful party rivals and root out the endemic corruption that has come to define the A.N.C., Nelson Mandela’s once celebrated liberation movement.\n\n“I got trust in Cyril Ramaphosa — he’s done a lot already against corruption,” Reckson Chauke, a 57-year-old steelworker, said after he voted for the A.N.C. in Alexandra, a black township in Johannesburg.", "Voters across South Africa will head to the polls today in an election which will test the ruling party’s mandate to fix the country’s deep-rooted issues. Residents voting today will consider the levels of corruption which have permeated the country’s political landscape for years under the now-ousted President Jacob Zuma. With a whopping 26.76 million registered voters having their say on a record 48 parties in the ballot, it will be an interesting day in South Africa.\n\nThese national and provincial elections are important for South Africa for a number of reasons. The South Africa election today is the first since former president Jacob Zuma resigned, leaving acting president Cyril Ramaphosa to prove he could manage the mess left behind and restore the African National Congress to its former glory. The African National Congress (ANC), which led the fight against apartheid, has governed the country since 1994. But support for the ANC has eroded as large inequalities have remained. The centrist Democratic Alliance (DA) and left-wing Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) are providing the main challenges. A massive number of South Africans have registered to vote, but six million young people failed to register to vote - a concerning trend for the ruling party that needs to reconnect and engage with younger voters to survive.\n\nSouth Africans will vote today, which is a public holiday in the country. Polling stations were opened at 7am and will close at 9pm local time. (6am to 8am BST). All voters who are in the queue by 9pm will be allowed to vote.\n\nWhen can we expect a result? Results usually take two to three days to emerge - more often it is three - so a result is expected by Saturday, May 11. Votes from abroad and most special votes have already been cast, but the rest of the country will head to the ballot boxes today. How do these elections work? The general election in South Africa involves two votes: one national and one provincial. The national government vote is for the body that will make and carry out laws and policies across the whole country. This is made up of parliament and is led by the president of the country and ministers.\n\nThe provincial government vote is for the body that makes and carries out laws and policies that only impact the province. South Africa is made up of nine provinces and the provincial government devise legislature concerning these areas. The provincial government is led by a premier and members of the executive council, called MECs. The voting system in South Africa is one of proportional representation, so voters do not choose an individual candidate at the polls but instead vote for a party as a whole.\n\nThis means political parties get a share of seats in parliament in direct proportion to the number of votes received in the election. Each party then decides on members to fill the seats it has won. The president is the leader of the party which wins a majority in the national vote.", "South Africa will hold parliamentary and provincial elections tomorrow, amid frustration with a lack of progress 25...", "PESHAWAR: Up to 2,662,550 registered voters in the erstwhile Fata would exercise their right to vote for the first time in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly election scheduled for July 2.\n\nAccording to the elections schedule, polling would be held for 16 provincial assembly seats in the merged districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. A total of 1,943 polling stations have been established for the upcoming polls. Under the 25th constitutional amendment, the tribal areas were merged with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on May 31, 2018. The people of the merged districts would for the first time get representation in the provincial assembly. They already have 20 seats in the parliament, including 12 in the National Assembly and eight in the Senate. As per population, the former tribal agencies and semi-tribal areas have been divided into 16 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly constituencies. Bajaur and Khyber districts will have three provincial assembly constituencies each while Mohmand, Kurram, South Waziristan and North Waziristan districts would have two provincial assembly seats each. Orakzai and the former Frontier Regions (FRs) would have one each provincial assembly seat. Four seats have been reserved for women while one seat for the members of the minorities residing in the tribal districts. It is the first time that women and the minorities would be represented in any democratic institution. According to the information provided by ECP, a total of 15,99,384 male registered voters and 10,63,166 female voters have been registered in the merged districts. Bajaur has the highest number of voters (522,480), followed by Khyber district with 490,030 registered voters.\n\nOut of the total 1,943 polling stations, 497 polling stations have been established for male voters and 390 for women. The joint polling stations tally is 1,056. Bajaur has been divided into three provincial assembly constituencies. It already has two NA seats. Khyber also has three provincial assembly seats and two in the NA. About 271,251 registered voters in Mohmand district would elect two MPAs in the KP Assembly. As many as 352,794 registered voters in the Kurram district would cast their votes for two provincial assembly seats.", "South Africans will head to the polls on Wednesday, May 8, in the first general elections since Jacob Zuma was ousted from his presidency. And as the nation is gearing up for a pivotal election all eyes are on whether the African National Congress (ANC) will retain its majority. Voters will elect a new National Assembly and provincial legislatures in each province and it will be the sixth elections held since the end of apartheid in 1994.\n\nWho will win the elections in South Africa this week? The 2019 South African general elections have been billed as the most important elections since the nation transitioned into democracy in 1994. And all eyes will be on the African National Congress (ANC) as the party attempt to retain its majority in the South African National Assembly. The party, led by incumbent president Cyril Ramaphosa, has been the ruling party of post-apartheid South Africa since the election of Nelson Mandela in the 1994 election. READ MORE: South Africa election polls 2019: When is South Africa election?\n\nWinning every election since - the ANC has pressure to continue as South Africa’s governing political party. But a recent poll, conducted by Ipsos has shown that the party’s support has dropped from around 61 percent in March to 56,9 percent in April. During the last elections in 2014, ANC won with 62,2 percent of the votes. But the ANC is not the only party seeing declining support from voters.\n\nThe Democratic Alliance (DA) are down from 18 percent in March to 15 percent in April. During the 2014 elections, the DA received 22 percent of the vote. The support for the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) is also slightly down, with 9,5 percent of the vote compared to 10 percent in March. However, the result is significantly up from the 6.4 percent the EFF scored during the last elections.", "South Africa election polls have opened, and a record number of voters have registered to have their say in the general elections. The day has been declared a national holiday by President Cyril Ramaphosa. Polls opened at 7am local time (6am BST) and will close at 9pm local time (8pm BST).\n\nA total of 48 political parties will contest South Africa’s general election today, in what is a record number. The number of voters has already caused issues in voting, as IEC voting stations at Action Cricket Venue in Rinaldo Road and Corovoca Primary School in Avoca ran out of ballot papers before 9:00am local time (8am BST). Voters in these areas are now facing delays, and elsewhere protests are holding up the voting process. According to The South African, in the town of Holpan outside Barkley West in the Northern Cape, eyewitnesses have reported: “a group of disgruntled residents are preventing prospective voters from excising their democratic right to vote”. Read More: South Africa election 2019: Could South Africa run out of electricity?\n\nCan you vote as an expat in Britain in South Africa election? According to the Electoral Commission of South Africa, British expats can vote in the election. But those who are intending to do so from abroad must have already registered and cast their postal vote. Today’s polls are for residents in South Africa, as those outside of the country or not able to vote in person on the day have already done so. The Electoral Commission says: “If you are a registered voter and either live abroad or will be abroad on election day in South Africa, and you have valid South African ID as well as a valid South African passport (valid temporary passports are also accepted), you are eligible to vote abroad.\n\n“However, you must also submit a VEC10 during the period specified in the election timetable (15 days from the date on which the election is proclaimed) notifying us of your intention to vote abroad.” Those wishing to do so must have confirmed registration status online, notified the Electoral Commission of your intention to vote, and selected the foreign mission at which you intend to vote. In order to vote once registered, voters must follow these steps according to the Electoral Commission: Take both your green, bar-coded South African ID book; smartcard ID; or valid Temporary Identity Certificate (TIC) AND your valid South African passport or temporary passport to the foreign mission indicated on the confirmation we sent you via email or text.", "May 8 (Reuters) - South Africa's African National Congress faces its toughest electoral test on Wednesday, seeking to reverse a slide in support from voters frustrated by rampant graft and racial inequalities a generation after it won power in the country's first all-race poll.\n\nVoting in parliamentary and provincial elections begins at 7 a.m. local time (0500 GMT) and polling stations will close at 9 p.m..\n\nLATEST HEADLINES > S.Africa's ANC seeks to reverse sliding support in tough election > ANC vows to act on corruption; EFF promises radical reforms\n\nANALYSIS, FEATURES > South Africa's Ramaphosa faces obstacles to reform > BREAKINGVIEWS-South African reforms need gentle voter kicking > As elections loom, South Africans call for faster land reform > Frustration over racial disparities builds as poll nears > Squalid conditions fuel frustration in South African township > Will young voters have their say in South Africa's election? > S.Africa faces unrest if ANC doesn't reform -opposition > ANC vows to punish corrupt officials as national vote nears > Main opposition party promises to lead coalitions, tackle racism > Anger at corruption dents faith in president, ANC before poll > ANC elders criticise \"tainted\" officials on election list\n\nFACTBOXES, POLLS, RELATED STORIES > Key issues in South Africa's May 8 election > The main political parties in South Africa's election > What has changed in South Africa since white rule ended? > Support for South Africa's ANC at 51-61 percent, opinion polls", "PESHAWAR: Up to 2,662,550 registered voters in the erstwhile Fata would exercise their right to vote for the first time in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly election scheduled for July 2.\n\nAccording to the elections schedule, polling would be held for 16 provincial assembly seats in the merged districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. A total of 1,943 polling stations have been established for the upcoming polls. Under the 25th constitutional amendment, the tribal areas were merged with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on May 31, 2018. The people of the merged districts would for the first time get representation in the provincial assembly. They already have 20 seats in the parliament, including 12 in the National Assembly and eight in the Senate. As per population, the former tribal agencies and semi-tribal areas have been divided into 16 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly constituencies. Bajaur and Khyber districts will have three provincial assembly constituencies each while Mohmand, Kurram, South Waziristan and North Waziristan districts would have two provincial assembly seats each.\n\nOrakzai and the former Frontier Regions (FRs) would have one each provincial assembly seat. Four seats have been reserved for women while one seat for the members of the minorities residing in the tribal districts. It is the first time that women and the minorities would be represented in any democratic institution. According to the information provided by ECP, a total of 15,99,384 male registered voters and 10,63,166 female voters have been registered in the merged districts.", "It is D-day in South Africa and polls have opened in what is the country’s sixth general elections since returning to democracy from apartheid 25 years ago.\n\nSo, what are the stakes here in this election? President Cyril Ramaphosa is battling it out with Julius Malema from the Economic Freedom Fighters, and Mmusi Maimane from Democratic Alliance, the two main opposition parties in the country.\n\nThe elections, will determine the next president of the second largest economy in Africa and will elect a new National Assembly and provincial legislatures.\n\nNow the fact of the matter is that special voting actually had begun since Monday in what was designed to allow for people who might be unable to do so today. Our Journalist Daniel Mumbere is in Pretoria for us and has been monitoring the situation with voting there.", "South Africa goes to the polls today in its sixth general election since the end of apartheid in 1994.\n\nThe ruling African National Congress says it's confident it'll retain its majority in parliament.\n\nBut President Cyril Ramaphosa will need a strong mandate to execute his reforms on corruption and economic inequality.\n\nAnd after a quarter of a century in power, it remains to be seen whether the ANC can still appeal to voters.\n\n\n\nGuest: Sheila Meinthes, politics professor, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg"], "summary": "Voters in South Africa go to the polls to elect new members of the National Assembly and provincial legislatures."}
{"document": ["SEOUL/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - North Korea fired what appeared to be two short-range missiles on Thursday in its second such test in less than a week, and the United States said it had seized a North Korean cargo ship as tensions again mounted between the two countries.\n\nU.S. President Donald Trump said “nobody is happy” at the launches, but still appeared to hold the door open for more talks with North Korea. South Korea said the tests were worrisome and unhelpful and likely a protest against Trump refusing to ease economic sanctions on North Korea at a failed summit in Hanoi in February.\n\nThe United States has given no sign of willingness to budge on sanctions and on Thursday the U.S. Justice Department announced the seizure of a North Korean cargo vessel it said was involved in the illicit shipping of coal.\n\nNorth Korea has effectively pulled back from engagement with Washington since the Hanoi meeting between its leader Kim Jong Un and Trump collapsed without agreement on U.S. demands for the dismantling of Pyongyang’s nuclear program and Kim’s demands for relief from punishing sanctions.\n\n“The relationship continues ... I know they want to negotiate, they’re talking about negotiating. But I don’t think they’re ready to negotiate,” Trump told reporters.\n\nActing U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said the United States would continue to focus on diplomatic efforts with North Korea.\n\n“We’re going to stick to our diplomacy and as you all know we haven’t changed our operations or our posture and we’ll continue to generate the readiness we need in case diplomacy fails,” he told reporters outside the Pentagon.\n\nTrump has held up a freeze in missile testing since 2017 as a sign of progress in his talks with North Korea after exchanges of fiery rhetoric two years ago raised fears of war.\n\nNorth Korea formally announced a freeze in intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and nuclear bomb tests in April last year and Trump stressed that the missiles fired were not of a kind that could threaten the United States.\n\n“We’re looking at it very seriously right now. They were smaller missiles, they were short-range missiles,” he said. “Nobody’s happy about it but we’re taking a good look and we’ll see.”\n\nNorth Korea’s official KCNA news agency said Kim oversaw the army “strike drill,” and said he noted that “genuine peace and security of the country are guaranteed only by the strong physical force capable of defending its sovereignty.”\n\nWhite House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney played down the tests, telling CBS News the “supposed provocation” was “very minor.”\n\n“These missiles, whatever they were, whatever you want to call them, they were very small. And not aimed at Japan, not aimed at Guam, they were aimed up the North Korean coast. So it was a very non-provocative provocation, if there is such a thing.”\n\nHe said the relationship between Kim Jong Un and Trump remained good and he was confident there would be more talks with North Korea. “We want additional talks,” he said.\n\nAsked if the U.S. side wanted another summit, he said: “Eventually? Yeah, I think we do,” while adding that at the last summit the North Koreans “were not really willing to negotiate.’\n\n“They gave us an offer - you know, a take it or leave it offer - five different times. And we couldn’t take it, so we had to leave.”\n\nU.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged all parties to continue talks toward denuclearization, warning that Pyongyang’s latest action “serves only to increase tensions,” U.N. spokesman Farhan Haq said.\n\nLess than a week ago, Kim oversaw the test-firing of multiple rockets and a missile. That was North Korea’s first test of a ballistic missile since an ICBM launch in November 2017 that it said was capable of delivering a warhead anywhere in the United States.\n\nThe two missiles fired on Thursday flew east from the northwestern area of Kusong, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said. They covered distances of 420 km (260 miles) and 270 km (168 miles) and reached an altitude of about 50 km (30 miles) before falling into the sea, they said.\n\nSouth Korea’s President Moon Jae-in, who has strongly advocated engagement with North Korea, said that even if the missiles were short range, they could still violate U.N. resolutions barring North Korea from developing ballistic missiles.\n\n“North Korea seemed to be discontented it could not reach a deal in Hanoi,” he told South Korean broadcaster KBS, while adding that he saw the tests as a sign that North Korea wanted to negotiate and that he planned to push for a fourth inter-Korean summit with Kim.\n\nU.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was due to meet on Thursday with Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, who is expected to raise Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s hopes for a summit with Kim.\n\nTrump and Pompeo have brushed aside Kim’s demand for Washington to show more flexibility in talks by the end of the year.\n\nAnalysts said it was too soon to say exactly what kind of missiles were involved in the latest launches, but the range would probably exceed that of most of the rockets North Korea fired on Saturday from its east coast into the ocean.\n\n“North Korea has returned to its classic escalation tactics from before,” said Yang Uk, a senior research fellow at the Korea Defence and Security Forum. “I believe they will keep escalating by using what appear to be short-range missiles, something that will not cause the U.S. to react right away.”\n\nHarry Kazianis, of Washington’s Center for the National Interest think tank, said the launches could only worsen tensions.\n\n“While this recent launch of short-range missiles does not violate Pyongyang’s promise to halt longer-range tests, North Korea has now made it clear it will not halt developing other parts of its military capabilities that threaten the region,” he said.\n\n“Kim’s goal, beyond ensuring his weapons programs are becoming more powerful, is quite clear: to show America and its allies that if they aren’t willing to compromise on the terms of denuclearization, that Pyongyang will indeed go its own way, with missile launches once again becoming the new norm.”\n\nThe latest tests coincided with a visit to the South Korean capital by U.S. special envoy for North Korea Stephen Biegun.\n\nNorth Korea lashed out at the United States and South Korea this week, saying last weekend’s launches were “regular and self-defensive.” It criticized Seoul and Washington for carrying out military drills.\n\nNorth Korea has repeatedly denounced U.S.-led sanctions aimed at pressing it to give up its nuclear weapons and the mood will not have been lightened by the ship seizure announced on Thursday, the first by the United States of a North Korean cargo vessel for violating sanctions.\n\nThe Justice Department said the 17,061-ton “Wise Honest,” one of North Korea’s largest cargo ships, was first detained by Indonesia in April 2018. It said it was now in the possession of the United States and was currently approaching U.S. territorial waters around American Samoa.\n\nAt the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva on Thursday, the United States called on North Korea to dismantle camps it said held tens of thousands of political prisoners.\n\nNorth Korea denied the existence of political prisoners and said U.S. sanctions were hampering North Koreans’ enjoyment of life.\n\n“Such anachronistic acts are very dangerous,” its ambassador to the council, Han Tae Song, said.", "North Korea fired two short-range missiles on Thursday in its second test in less than a week, while the United States said it had seized a North Korean cargo ship as tensions mount between the two countries.\n\nPresident Donald Trump said “nobody is happy” with the situation, but remained open for more talks with North Korea. Meanwhile, South Korea said the missile tests were worrisome and likely a protest against Trump for refusing to ease economic sanctions on North Korea.\n\nReuters reports that North Korea has effectively pulled back from engaging with Washington since the Hanoi meeting between Kim Jong Un and Trump ended without an agreement.\n\nTrump told reporters on Thursday: “The relationship continues… I know they want to negotiate, they’re talking about negotiating. But I don’t think they’re ready to negotiate.”\n\nActing Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said the United States were continuing to focus on diplomatic efforts.\n\n“We’re going to stick to our diplomacy and as you all know we haven’t changed our operations or our posture and we’ll continue to generate the readiness we need in case diplomacy fails,” Shanahan told reporters outside the Pentagon.", "SEOUL/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - North Korea fired what appeared to be two short-range missiles on Thursday in its second such test in less than a week, and the United States said it had seized a North Korean cargo ship as tensions again mounted between the two countries.\n\nU.S. President Donald Trump said that “nobody is happy” at the launches, but appeared to hold the door open for more talks with North Korea. South Korea said the tests were worrisome and unhelpful and likely a protest against Trump refusing to ease economic sanctions at a failed summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in February.\n\nWashington has given no sign of willingness to budge on sanctions and the U.S. Justice Department announced on Thursday the seizure of a North Korean cargo vessel it said was involved in the illicit shipping of coal.\n\nNorth Korea has effectively pulled back from engagement with Washington since the February meeting between Kim and Trump in Hanoi collapsed without agreement on U.S. demands for the dismantling of Pyongyang’s nuclear program and Kim’s demands for relief from punishing sanctions.\n\n“The relationship continues. ... I know they want to negotiate, they’re talking about negotiating. But I don’t think they’re ready to negotiate,” Trump told reporters.\n\nActing U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said Washington would continue to focus on diplomatic efforts with North Korea.\n\n“We’re going to stick to our diplomacy and as you all know, we haven’t changed our operations or our posture and we’ll continue to generate the readiness we need in case diplomacy fails,” he told reporters.\n\nTrump has held up a freeze in missile testing since 2017 as a sign of progress in his talks with North Korea after exchanges of fiery rhetoric two years ago raised fears of war.\n\nNorth Korea formally announced a freeze in intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and nuclear bomb tests in April last year and Trump stressed that the missiles fired were not of a kind that could threaten the United States.\n\n“We’re looking at it very seriously right now. They were smaller missiles, they were short-range missiles,” he said. “Nobody’s happy about it but we’re taking a good look and we’ll see.”\n\nThe Pentagon said the launches consisted of multiple ballistic missiles that flew in excess of 300 km (185 miles) and landed in the ocean.\n\nNorth Korea’s official KCNA news agency reported that Kim oversaw the army “strike drill,” and said he noted that “genuine peace and security of the country are guaranteed only by the strong physical force capable of defending its sovereignty.”\n\nWhite House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney played down the tests, telling CBS News the “supposed provocation” was “very minor.”\n\n“These missiles, whatever they were, whatever you want to call them, they were very small. And not aimed at Japan, not aimed at Guam, they were aimed up the North Korean coast. So it was a very non-provocative provocation, if there is such a thing.”\n\nHe said the relationship between Kim and Trump remained good and he was confident there would be more talks with North Korea. “We want additional talks,” he said.\n\nAsked if the U.S. side wanted another summit, he said: “Eventually? Yeah, I think we do,” while adding that at the last summit, the North Koreans “were not really willing to negotiate.’\n\n“They gave us an offer - you know, a take-it-or-leave-it offer - five different times. And we couldn’t take it, so we had to leave.”\n\nU.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged all parties to continue talks toward denuclearization, warning that Pyongyang’s latest action “serves only to increase tensions.”\n\nOn Saturday, Kim oversaw the test-firing of multiple rockets and a missile. That was North Korea’s first test of a ballistic missile since an ICBM launch in November 2017 that it said was capable of delivering a warhead anywhere in the United States.\n\nSouth Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the two missiles fired on Thursday flew east from the northwestern area of Kusong and covered 420 km (260 miles) and 270 km (168 miles) and reached an altitude of about 50 km (30 miles) before falling into the sea.\n\nSouth Korean President Moon Jae-in, who has strongly advocated engagement with North Korea, said that even if the missiles were short-range, they could still violate U.N. resolutions barring North Korea from developing ballistic missiles.\n\n“North Korea seemed to be discontented it could not reach a deal in Hanoi,” he told South Korean broadcaster KBS, while adding that he saw the tests as a sign that North Korea wanted to negotiate. He said he planned to push for a fourth inter-Korean summit with Kim.\n\nU.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met on Thursday with Japan’s chief Cabinet secretary, Yoshihide Suga, who was expected to raise Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s hopes for a summit with Kim.\n\nTrump and Pompeo have brushed aside Kim’s demand for Washington to show more flexibility in talks by the end of the year.\n\nAnalysts said it was too soon to say exactly what kind of missiles were involved in the latest launches, but the range would probably exceed that of most of the rockets North Korea fired on Saturday from its east coast into the ocean.\n\n“North Korea has returned to its classic escalation tactics from before,” said Yang Uk, a senior research fellow at the Korea Defence and Security Forum. “I believe they will keep escalating by using what appear to be short-range missiles, something that will not cause the U.S. to react right away.”\n\nHarry Kazianis, of Washington’s Center for the National Interest think tank, said the launches could only worsen tensions.\n\n“While this ... does not violate Pyongyang’s promise to halt longer-range tests, North Korea has now made it clear it will not halt developing other parts of its military capabilities that threaten the region,” he said.\n\n“Kim’s goal, beyond ensuring his weapons programs are becoming more powerful, is quite clear: to show America and its allies that if they aren’t willing to compromise on the terms of denuclearization, that Pyongyang will indeed go its own way, with missile launches once again becoming the new norm.”\n\nThe latest tests coincided with a visit to the South Korean capital by U.S. special envoy for North Korea Stephen Biegun.\n\nNorth Korea lashed out at the United States and South Korea this week, saying last weekend’s launches were “regular and self-defensive.” It criticized Seoul and Washington for carrying out military drills.\n\nNorth Korea has repeatedly denounced U.S.-led sanctions aimed at pressing it to give up its nuclear weapons and the mood will not have been lightened by the ship seizure announced on Thursday, the first by the United States of a North Korean cargo vessel for violating sanctions.\n\nThe Justice Department said the 17,061-ton “Wise Honest,” one of North Korea’s largest cargo ships, was first detained by Indonesia in April 2018. It said it was now in the possession of the United States and was currently approaching U.S. territorial waters around American Samoa.\n\nAt the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva on Thursday, the United States called on North Korea to dismantle camps it said held tens of thousands of political prisoners.\n\nNorth Korea denied it held political prisoners and said U.S. sanctions were hampering North Koreans’ enjoyment of life.\n\n“Such anachronistic acts are very dangerous,” its ambassador to the council, Han Tae Song, said.", "North Korea fired unidentified projectiles on Thursday, according to the South Korean military, less than a week after leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the test-firing of multiple rockets and missiles.\n\n\"We confirmed that North Korea fired two rounds of missiles towards (an) eastern direction from Northern Pyongan Province at 16:29 p.m. and 16:49 p.m. (local time). Estimated travel distances were 420 km, 270 km, respectively,\" a South Korean military official told NBC News. The Northern Pyongan Province is an area located to the west of the country.\n\nThe South Korean and U.S. authorities are conducting analysis for more detailed information and NBC News also said that the chief national security advisor in South Korea is monitoring the situation.\n\n\"(The) South Korea military has reinforced surveillance and vigilance for any more North Korean missile launches, and is maintaining fully preparedness by cooperating with the U.S.,\" the official added.\n\nThe suspected short-range missiles appear to have been launched from a location near a missile base in Sino-Ri, according to the Dow Jones news agency. This is about 130 miles north of the demilitarized zone.\n\nThe new launches come as the U.S. Special Representative for North Korea, Stephen Biegun, travels to Seoul to meet with officials and discuss denuclearization efforts.", "North Korea fired an \"unidentified projectile\" on Thursday afternoon, a South Korean military official said.\n\nIt's the second time in a week that North Korea has apparently conducted a launch.\n\nThe projectile was fired \"towards eastern direction from Sinori area located in Northern Pyongan Province\" about 4:30 p.m. local time (3:30 a.m. ET), the South Korean military official said.", "Media reports: South Korean military says North Korea has fired an unidentified projectile\n\nSEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Media reports: South Korean military says North Korea has fired an unidentified projectile.", "North Korea fired an unidentified projectile on Thursday, the South's military chiefs said, less than a week after its leader Kim Jong Un oversaw the test-firing of multiple rockets and a missile.\n\nThe projectile was fired at about 4:30 p.m. (0730 GMT) from the northwest location of Sino-ri, towards the east, the South's Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement. It did not immediately release further details.\n\nLast week North Korea launched a number of rockets and at least one short-range missile from its east coast into the ocean, sharply raising tension on the Korean peninsula at a time of stalemate in talks between Pyongyang and Washington.\n\nOn Wednesday North Korea lashed out at the United States and South Korea, saying last week's strike drill was \"regular and self-defensive\" and rejecting the notion that it was an act of provocation.\n\nSouth Korea responded to last week's action by the North by calling for an end to acts that escalate military tension.\n\nThe area where Thursday's projectile was launched is believed to be the site of a medium-range Rodong missile base on North Korea's east coast, a Washington-based think tank, the Center for Stratetic International Studies, says.\n\nSaturday's launch of a short-range missile from another east coast area was the North's first test of a ballistic missile since it launched an intercontinental ballistic missile in November 2017.\n\nAt that time, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un declared its nuclear force was complete and extended an olive branch to the South and the United States, holding two summit meetings with U.S. President Donald Trump and three with the South Korean leader.", "SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea on Thursday fired at least one unidentified projectile from the country’s western area, South Korea’s military said, the North’s second weapons launch in the last five days and a possible warning that nuclear disarmament talks with Washington could be in danger.\n\nThe South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff didn’t immediately release details about what type of projectile the North fired and said it was still analyzing the launch. The projectile was launched from the Sino-ri area of North Pyongan Province, an area known to host one of North Korea’s oldest missile bases where a brigade operates mid-range Rodong missiles.\n\nThe launch comes as U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun visits South Korea, and hours after the North described its firing of rocket artillery and an apparent short-range ballistic missile on Saturday as a regular and defensive military exercise. The North also ridiculed South Korea for criticizing those launches.\n\nSouth Korea’s presidential national security director, Chung Eui-yong, has been monitoring the situation while communicating with the Defense Ministry and the Joint Chiefs of Staff by video, according to the presidential Blue House.\n\nThere was no immediate comment from the United States.\n\nSome analysts have said that if the North returns to testing the kind of longer-range banned ballistic weapons that it fired in unusually large numbers in 2017 — when many feared a Washington-Pyongyang standoff could end in war — it may signal that a frustrated North Korea is turning away from diplomacy.\n\nThe tensions in 2017 were followed by a surprising diplomatic outreach by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in 2018, when he attended summits with the South Korean and Chinese presidents and with U.S. President Donald Trump. But North Korea has not gotten what it wants most from its summitry: sanctions relief.\n\nA summit earlier this year between Trump and Kim ended in failure, with the United States not believing that North Korea was offering enough disarmament steps to agree to the widespread sanctions relief the North wants.\n\nJust ahead of the Thursday launch, senior defense officials from South Korea, the United States and Japan met in Seoul to discuss North Korea’s launches on Saturday and other security issues. Details from the meeting weren’t immediately announced.\n\nThe Sino-ri missile base, which is in the area where Thursday’s launch happened, may have played a role in the development of the North’s solid-fuel “Pukguksong-2” that it first flight tested in February 2017, according to a January study by the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies. That was the North’s first missile test after Trump took office.\n\nExperts who analyzed photos from the North Korean state media say it’s clear the North on Saturday tested a new solid-fuel missile that appears to be modeled after Russia’s Iskander short-range ballistic missile system.\n\nSouth Korean and U.S. officials have described what North Korea fired as “projectiles,” a broader term that include both missiles and artillery pieces. This could be an effort to keep diplomacy alive as U.N. sanctions bar the North from engaging in any ballistic activity.\n\nSome observers say the North could fire more missiles, including those of a medium range, to up the pressure on the United States. Others say North Korea won’t likely fire a medium-range missile unless it intends to abandon diplomacy for good as it’s certain to invite fresh U.N. sanctions.\n\nNorth Korea last conducted a major missile test in November 2017 when it flight-tested an intercontinental ballistic missile that demonstrated the potential capability to reach deep into the U.S. mainland. Experts think the North still needs more tests to make its ICBMs viable.\n\nKim in a New Year’s speech said he hopes to continue his nuclear summitry with Trump, but also that he would seek a “new way” if the United States persists with sanctions and pressure against the North.\n\nFollowing the collapse of his second summit with Trump in February, Kim said he is open to a third meeting, but set the year’s end as a deadline for Washington to offer mutually acceptable terms for an agreement.", "SEOUL, Korea, Republic Of -- North Korea on Thursday fired at least one unidentified projectile from the country's western area, South Korea's military said, the second such launch in the last five days and a possible warning that nuclear disarmament talks could be in danger.\n\nThe South's Joint Chiefs of Staff had no other immediate details, and it wasn't clear what the North had fired. But some analysts have said that if the North returns to the kind of longer-range banned weapons that it tested in 2017, when many feared a Washington-Pyongyang standoff could end in war, it will be a strong sign that a frustrated North Korea is turning away from diplomacy.\n\nA summit earlier this year between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ended in failure. North Korea wants widespread sanctions relief in return for disarmament steps that the United States has apparently seen as insufficient.\n\nLonger-range ballistic missile tests, banned by the United Nations and seen as threatening by surrounding countries, would likely result in more sanctions.\n\nThe launch came hours after the North through its state media described its firing of rocket artillery and an apparent short-range ballistic missile on Saturday as a regular and defensive military exercise and ridiculed South Korea for criticizing the launches.", "New York Times North Korea fired a projectile toward the east on Thursday, its second such weapons..."], "summary": "The South Korean military claims that North Korean military has launched an \"unidentified projectile\" into the sea, marking the second time North Korea has conducted a weapons test in a single week."}
{"document": ["South Korea's military says North Korea has fired 'unidentified projectiles' from a site near Pyongyang. South Korea's joint chiefs of staff say the projectiles were fired in an easterly direction. Image: News Corp Australia\n\nTensions are once again on the rise between North Korea and the United States.\n\nPyongyang has conducted two missile tests in the past week, for the first time in 500 days. More recently, the US has seized a North Korean cargo ship that was allegedly operating in violation of international sanctions.\n\nThe events are likely to heighten conflict between the two countries, as US efforts to dissuade North Korea from pursuing its nuclear weapons program have stalled.\n\nTENSIONS ON THE RISE OVER MISSILE TESTS\n\nNorth Korea has conducted two missile tests in the past week.\n\nYesterday afternoon, the hermit nation launched two short-range missiles from the Kusong region in the country’s northwest. The missiles landed in the East Sea between North Korea and Japan.\n\nThe first missile, which was fired off on May 4, marked North Korea’s first short-range missile testing in more than 500 days.\n\nIn February, North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump met in Hanoi, Vietnam. In their second summit, they tried to secure a deal on dismantling North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs, but neither side could come to a mutually accepted agreement.\n\nThe North Korean government has refuted allegations the missile test was conducted aggressively.\n\n“The recent drill conducted by our army is nothing more than part of the regular military training, and it has neither targeted anyone nor led to an aggravation of situation in the region,” a North Korean foreign ministry official said in a statement in the state-run Korean Central News Agency.\n\nThe statement avoided using the words missile, rocket or projectile. “The successful drill of deployment and strike designed to inspect the ability of rapid reaction of the defence units … fully showed the might of the units which were fully prepared to proficiently carry out any operation and combat,” KCNA said.\n\nMr Trump says he knows North Korea wants to negotiate with the United States but he does not think it is ready to do so.\n\n“The relationship continues … I know they want to negotiate, they’re talking about negotiating. But I don’t think they’re ready to negotiate,” Mr Trump told reporters at the White House.\n\nHe said “nobody is happy” about North Korea’s latest missile launch.\n\nEarlier in the week, after the first missile launch, Mr Trump expressed his confidence in the North Korean dictator, saying he “knows that I am with him” and that a “Deal will happen!”\n\nThe Trump administration has seized a North Korean cargo ship used to supply coal to the isolated nation in violation of international sanctions, law enforcement officials said.\n\nThe seizure of the vessel, detained last month in Indonesia, comes at a delicate moment between the two countries.\n\nIt follows a Pentagon decision to suspend efforts to arrange negotiations on recovering additional remains of US service members killed in the North during the Korean War.\n\nThe Justice Department said the seized ship, the Wise Honest, is one of North Korea’s largest bulk carriers and for several years had been used to deliver Russian coal to North Korea.\n\nPayments for maintenance and equipment for the vessel were made in American dollars through unwitting US banks, a violation of sanctions that bar North Korean citizens or entities from the US financial system.\n\nOfficials say North Korea sought to conceal the vessel’s purpose by listing in shipping documentation different countries for its nationality and the origin of the coal.\n\n“This sanctions-busting ship is now out of service,” said Assistant Attorney-General John Demers, the Justice Department’s top national security official.\n\nAccording to a civil complaint filed on Thursday in federal court in Manhattan, the ship was intercepted and seized by Indonesian authorities on April 2, 2018.\n\nAt the time, it was about 4500 kilometres south of Nampo, North Korea, where it had been photographed a month earlier. The complaint says that after taking the load of coal, the ship sailed south with it toward Indonesia.\n\nThe vessel has since been taken into custody by the US.", "SEOUL/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - North Korea fired what appeared to be two short-range missiles on Thursday in its second such test in less than a week, and the United States said it had seized a North Korean cargo ship as tensions again mounted between the two countries.\n\nU.S. President Donald Trump said “nobody is happy” at the missile launches, but still appeared to hold the door open for more talks with North Korea. South Korea said the tests were worrisome and unhelpful and likely a protest against Trump refusing to ease economic sanctions at a failed summit in Hanoi in February.\n\nThe United States has given no sign of willingness to budge on sanctions and on Thursday the U.S. Justice Department announced the seizure of a North Korean cargo vessel it said was involved in the illicit shipping of coal.\n\nNorth Korea has effectively pulled back from engagement with Washington since the Hanoi meeting between its leader Kim Jong Un and Trump collapsed without agreement on U.S. demands for the dismantling of Pyongyang’s nuclear program and Kim’s demands for relief from punishing sanctions.\n\n“The relationship continues ... I know they want to negotiate, they’re talking about negotiating. But I don’t think they’re ready to negotiate,” Trump told reporters.\n\nTrump has previously held up a freeze in missile testing since 2017 as a sign of progress in his talks with North Korea after exchanges of fiery rhetoric two years ago raised fears of war. Trump stressed that the missiles fired were not of a kind that could threaten the United States.\n\n“We’re looking at it very seriously right now. They were smaller missiles, they were short-range missiles,” he said. “Nobody’s happy about it but we’re taking a good look and we’ll see.”\n\nUnited Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged all parties to continue talks toward denuclearization, warning that Pyongyang’s latest action “serves only to increase tensions,” U.N. spokesman Farhan Haq said.\n\nLess than a week ago, Kim oversaw the test-firing of multiple rockets and a missile. It was North Korea’s first test of a ballistic missile since an intercontinental ballistic missile launch in November 2017.\n\nThe two missiles fired on Thursday went east from the northwestern area of Kusong, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said. They covered distances of 420 km (260 miles) and 270 km (168 miles) and reached an altitude of about 50 km (30 miles) before falling into the sea, they said.\n\nSouth Korea’s President Moon Jae-in, who has strongly advocated engagement with North Korea, said that even if the missiles were short range, they could still violate U.N. resolutions barring North Korea from developing ballistic missiles.\n\n“North Korea seemed to be discontented it could not reach a deal in Hanoi,” he told South Korean broadcaster KBS, while adding that he saw the tests as a sign that North Korea wanted to negotiate and that he planned to push for a fourth inter-Korean summit with Kim.\n\nU.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who earlier cut short a European trip to return to Washington for meetings on Iran, was also due to have discussions on North Korea after learning of the launches, a senior U.S. State Department official said.\n\nPompeo was due to meet on Thursday with Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, who is expected to raise Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s hopes for a summit with Kim.\n\nAnalysts said it was too soon to say exactly what kind of missiles were involved in the latest launches, but the range would probably exceed that of most of the rockets North Korea fired on Saturday from its east coast into the ocean.\n\n“North Korea has returned to its classic escalation tactics from before,” said Yang Uk, a senior research fellow at the Korea Defence and Security Forum. “I believe they will keep escalating by using what appear to be short-range missiles, something that will not cause the U.S. to react right away.”\n\nHarry Kazianis, of Washington’s Center for the National Interest think tank, said the launches could only worsen tensions.\n\n“While this recent launch of short-range missiles does not violate Pyongyang’s promise to halt longer-range tests, North Korea has now made it clear it will not halt developing other parts of its military capabilities that threaten the region,” he said.\n\n“Kim’s goal, beyond ensuring his weapons programs are becoming more powerful, is quite clear: to show America and its allies that if they aren’t willing to compromise on the terms of denuclearization, that Pyongyang will indeed go its own way, with missile launches once again becoming the new norm.”\n\nThe latest tests coincided with a visit to the South Korean capital by U.S. special envoy for North Korea Stephen Biegun.\n\nNorth Korea lashed out at the United States and South Korea this week, saying last weekend’s launches were “regular and self-defensive.” It criticized Seoul and Washington for carrying out military drills.\n\nA North Korean media report on Wednesday had hinted at more tests, saying: “The south Korean military were astonished by the recent strike drill. It might fall into a swoon to see a strike drill involving more powerful cutting-edge weapons.”\n\nNorth Korea has repeatedly denounced U.S.-led sanctions aimed at pressing it to give up its nuclear weapons and the mood will not have been lightened by the ship seizure announced on Thursday, the first by the United States of a North Korean cargo vessel for violating sanctions.\n\nThe Justice Department said the 17,061-ton ship “Wise Honest,” one of North Korea’s largest bulk carriers, was in the possession of the United States and was currently approaching U.S. territorial waters.\n\nAt the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva on Thursday, the United States also took aim at North Korea’s rights record, calling on it to dismantle camps it said held tens of thousands of political prisoners.\n\nNorth Korea again denied the existence of political prisoners and camps, but said U.S. sanctions were hampering North Koreans’ enjoyment of life.\n\n“Such anachronistic acts are very dangerous,” its ambassador to the council, Han Tae Song, said.\n\nLast week, the United Nations reported that North Korea had suffered its worst harvest in decades, leaving many there chronically short of food.\n\nWashington blamed the shortages on the North Korean government and said it could meet its people’s needs if it redirected funds from its weapons programs.\n\nTrump said at the weekend he was still confident he could reach a deal with Kim, although he and Pompeo have brushed aside Kim’s demand for Washington to show more flexibility in talks by the end of the year.\n\nIn 2017, after North Korea tested its most powerful ICBM, which it said was capable of delivering a warhead anywhere in the United States, Kim declared his nuclear force complete. He then extended an olive branch to Seoul and Washington, holding two summits with Trump and three with Moon.", "SEOUL (Reuters) - The leader of North Korea ordered its military to boost its strike capability as he directed another missile firing, state media said on Friday, as tensions grew over tests that appeared to show preparations for a new advanced missile system.\n\nThe call for “full combat posture” by Kim Jong Un came while the United States announced it had seized a large cargo ship for carrying an illegal shipment of coal.\n\nThe increased tensions come amid a gridlock in dialogue after the second summit between Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump collapsed over U.S. demands for Pyongyang’s nuclear disarmament and Kim’s demands for relief from punishing sanctions.\n\n“(Kim) stressed the need to further increase the capability of the defense units in the forefront area and on the western front to carry out combat tasks and keep full combat posture to cope with any emergency,” KCNA news agency reported.\n\nHe noted “genuine peace and security of the country are guaranteed only by the strong physical force capable of defending its sovereignty,” KCNA said, adding he “set forth important tasks for further increasing the strike ability.”\n\nThe test of two short-range missiles on Thursday and the firing of a series of projectiles on Saturday were the first missile launches by the North since November 2017 when the North shot an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).\n\nLater, Kim declared the building of its nuclear force was complete and went on to hold three summit meetings with South Korean President Moon Jae-in and two with Trump.\n\nBoth Trump and Moon said the latest missile tests were not helpful but suggested they would not scupper dialogue.\n\n“I know they want to negotiate, they’re talking about negotiating. But I don’t think they’re ready to negotiate,” Trump told reporters.\n\n“They were smaller missiles, they were short-range missiles,” he said. “Nobody’s happy about it but we’re taking a good look and we’ll see.”\n\nSouth Korea’s Moon said late on Thursday the tests were likely a reaction to the failed second summit with Trump in Hanoi in February also he thought North Korea remained hopeful of continuing negotiations.\n\nThe latest tests were swiftly followed by U.S. test-launches of the intercontinental ballistic missile Minuteman III over the Pacific and the Trident II submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) off Florida.\n\nThey also coincided with a visit to the South by U.S. special envoy for North Korea Stephen Biegun, who was scheduled to hold talks with his South Korean counterpart and with presidential Blue House and Unification Ministry officials.\n\nThe two missiles on Thursday were fired from Kusong, an area northwestern of Pyongyang and flew 420 km (260 miles) and 270 km (168 miles) and reached an altitude of about 50 km (30 miles) before hitting the sea, South Korea’s military said.\n\nNorth Korea’s state media did not provide details of the missiles.\n\nThe South Korean and U.S. militaries are analyzing the tests, which will include whether they were the Iskander short-range ballistic missile system developed by Russia, Ahn Gyu-baek, the defense committee chairman in South Korea’s parliament told reporters.\n\nAnalysts said the multiple tests signaled that North Korea is serious about deploying an operational fleet of the missiles, which could be used in the opening hours of any war with the United States and South Korea.\n\nWashington has given no sign it will budge on the North’s demand to lift some sanctions as it announced on Thursday the seizure of a North Korean cargo vessel that it said was involved in the illicit shipping of coal.\n\nThe Justice Department said the 17,061-tonne Wise Honest is one of the North’s largest cargo ships and it was first detained by Indonesia in April 2018 but is now in the possession of the United States. The announcement has no connection with the North’s missile activities, a U.S. official said.", "WASHINGTON -- The U.S. said Thursday that it has seized a North Korean cargo ship that was used to violate international sanctions, a first-of-its kind enforcement action that comes amid a tense moment in relations between the two countries.\n\nThe \"Wise Honest,\" North Korea's second largest cargo ship, was detained in April 2018 as it travelled toward Indonesia. It's now in the process of being moved to American Samoa, Justice Department officials said.\n\nOfficials made the announcement hours after North Korea fired two suspected short-range missiles toward the sea, the second weapons launch in five days and a possible signal that stalled talks over its nuclear weapons program are in trouble. The public disclosure that the vessel is now in U.S. custody may further inflame tensions, though U.S. officials said the timing of their complaint was not a response to the missile launch.\n\nJustice Department lawyers laid out the case for confiscating the ship in a complaint filed in New York, arguing that payments for maintenance and operation of the vessel were channeled through unwitting U.S. financial institutions in violation of American law. The coal trade itself is also believed to fund the isolated country's nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs.\n\n\"This sanctions-busting ship is now out of service,\" Assistant Attorney General John Demers, the Justice Department's top national security official, told reporters. He later added: \"The U.S. sanctions against North Korea reflect the threat these programs pose to U.S. national security.\"\n\nThe 581-foot (177 metres) Wise Honest was used for coal transports to ports abroad, according to the complaint, generating badly needed revenue to a country that is under U.N. sanctions because of its nuclear weapons program. The ship also delivered heavy machinery back to North Korea.\n\nThe vessel was owned by a subsidiary of a North Korean shipping company that is controlled by the country's military and is on a Treasury Department sanctions list, officials said.\n\nNorth Korea sought to disguise the nationality of the ship and the origin of its cargo, according to the complaint. The ship, in what U.S. officials say was a clear act of concealment, also turned off an automatic signal system intended to alert other ships of its course and location. The ship had not broadcast a signal since August 2017 despite having made at least one voyage since then, according to the complaint.\n\nIndonesian authorities intercepted and seized the Wise Honest in the East China Sea a month after it was photographed at the port of Nampo, North Korea, where it took on a load of coal. The captain of the ship was charged in Indonesia with violating that country's maritime laws and convicted, the complaint says. It was not immediately clear what happened to the rest of the crew, which at least at one time totalled two dozen members.\n\nThe U.S. has prosecuted people and businesses for violating sanctions but has never before seized a North Korean ship. The country will have an opportunity to contest the seizure in court. If the U.S. prevails, it will be able to sell the vessel.\n\n\"When nations who have stated an intent to do harm to the United States evade international sanctions, Americans become less safe,\" said Geoffrey Berman, the United States attorney for the Southern District of New York.\n\nAsked whether North Korea's largest merchant ship was similarly involved in illegal coal exports, Demers said that he did not know, but added, \"If it is, we'd love to get our hands on it.\"\n\nPresident Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un have held two summits focused on the North's nuclear program but have made no discernible progress toward a deal that would eliminate its weapons. At the White House on Thursday, Trump said the U.S. was looking \"very seriously right now\" at North Korea's recent military tests.", "WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration has seized a North Korean cargo ship used to supply coal to the isolated nation in violation of international sanctions, law enforcement officials said Thursday.\n\nThe seizure of the vessel, detained last month in Indonesia, comes at a delicate moment between the two countries. It was announced hours after the North Koreans fired two suspected short-range missiles in an apparent sign of trouble for nuclear disarmament talks.\n\nIt also follows a Pentagon decision to suspend efforts to arrange negotiations on recovering additional remains of U.S. service members killed in the North during the Korean War.\n\nThe Justice Department said the ship, the Wise Honest, is one of North Korea's largest bulk carriers and for several years had been used to deliver Russian coal to North Korea.\n\nPayments for maintenance and equipment for the vessel were made in American dollars through unwitting U.S. banks, a violation of sanctions that bar North Korean citizens or entities from the U.S. financial system.\n\nOfficials say North Korea sought to conceal the vessel's purpose by listing in shipping documentation different countries for its nationality and the origin of the coal.\n\n\"This sanctions-busting ship is now out of service,\" said Assistant Attorney General John Demers, the Justice Department's top national security official.\n\nAccording to a civil complaint filed Thursday in federal court in Manhattan, the ship was intercepted and seized by Indonesian authorities on April 2, 2018. At the time, it was about 2,800 miles south of Nampo, North Korea, where it had been photographed a month earlier. The complaint says that after taking the load of coal, the ship sailed south with it toward Indonesia.\n\nThe vessel has since been taken into custody by the U.S.", "WASHINGTON — U.S. authorities have seized a North Korean ship used to sell coal, allegedly in violation of international sanctions, the first such move by Justice Department officials as they ratchet up enforcement efforts against the regime in Pyongyang.\n\nJustice Department officials on Thursday confirmed that the vessel, the Wise Honest, is approaching U.S. territorial waters in American Samoa, in co-ordination with the U.S. Marshals Service and the Coast Guard.\n\n\"This sanctions-busting ship is now out of service,\" Assistant Attorney General John Demers said in announcing the seizure.\n\nThe 17,601-ton, single-hull bulk carrier ship is one of North Korea's largest, and U.S. authorities said it was part of a network of North Korean vessels illicitly shipping coal from that country and bringing back heavy machinery in violation of United Nations and United States sanctions.\n\nLast year, Indonesian authorities stopped the ship on suspicion of violating sanctions. More recently, Indonesian authorities allowed the ship to off-load its coal cargo onto another vessel, which departed for Malaysia.\n\n\"That was something that was not in our control,\" said Demers, who added that the U.S. would like to seize other ships North Korea used to violate sanctions.\n\nThe UN Security Council passed a resolution in 2017, banning North Korea from exporting coal.\n\nThe announcement came hours after North Korea launched a pair of short-range missiles, the regime's second such test in the last week, and it marked an escalation of U.S. government pressure on Pyongyang — even as U.S. President Donald Trump has spoken glowingly about North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.\n\nGeoffrey Berman, the U.S. attorney in New York whose office filed court papers against the ship, said \"there's no connection at all\" between the missile strikes and the Wise Honest seizure.\n\nSeparately Thursday, U.S. military officials conducted a scheduled launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile from an Air Force facility in California. It was the second test of the U.S. Minuteman III missile this month and the third this year, though the Air Force maintains that such activity is scheduled years in advance and not in response to any world events.", "The Trump administration has seized a North Korean cargo ship used to supply coal to the isolated nation in violation of international sanctions, law enforcement officials said Thursday. The seizure of the vessel, initially detained last year in Indonesia, comes at a delicate moment between the two countries.\n\nIt was announced hours after the North Koreans fired three suspected short-range missiles, CBS News national security correspondent David Martin reports. It also follows a Pentagon decision to suspend efforts to arrange negotiations on recovering additional remains of U.S. service members killed in the North during the Korean War.\n\nThe Justice Department said the ship, the Wise Honest, is one of North Korea's largest bulk carriers and for several years had been used to deliver Russian coal to North Korea.\n\nPayments for maintenance and equipment for the vessel were made in American dollars through unwitting U.S. banks, a violation of sanctions that bar North Korean citizens or entities from the U.S. financial system.\n\nOfficials said North Korea sought to conceal the vessel's purpose by listing in shipping documentation different countries for its nationality and the origin of the coal. \"This sanctions-busting ship is now out of service,\" said Assistant Attorney General John Demers, the Justice Department's top national security official.\n\nAccording to a civil complaint filed Thursday in federal court in Manhattan, the ship was intercepted and seized by Indonesian authorities on April 2, 2018. At the time, it was about 2,800 miles south of Nampo, North Korea, where it had been photographed a month earlier. The complaint said that after taking the load of coal, the ship sailed south with it toward Indonesia.\n\nThe vessel has since been taken into custody by the U.S.", "As relations between the United States and North Korea enter a deeper chill, the U.S. has seized a North Korean ship it says was used to evade sanctions against North Korea.\n\nThe 17,601-ton ship, the Wise Honest, was originally detained last year in Indonesia, but its seizure by the United States government was not announced until Thursday. According to The New York Times, the ship was being towed Thursday to American Samoa.\n\n“This sanctions-busting ship is now out of service,” Assistant Attorney General John C. Demers said Thursday, according to a Justice Department statement.\n\n“North Korea, and the companies that help it evade U.S. and U.N. sanctions, should know that we will use all tools at our disposal — including a civil forfeiture action such as this one or criminal charges — to enforce the sanctions enacted by the U.S. and the global community. We are deeply committed to the role the Justice Department plays in applying maximum pressure to the North Korean regime to cease its belligerence,” Demers said.\n\nU.S. officials said that the ship’s papers tried to cover up its real destinations and its cargo. The Justice Department said that U.S. banks were also used in the scheme.\n\nTRENDING: Medical Expert from Canada Explains Why Elderly Will Suffer Most Under ‘Medicare for All’\n\n“Today’s civil action is the first-ever seizure of a North Korean cargo vessel for violating international sanctions,” said U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman in the statement.\n\n“Our office uncovered North Korea’s scheme to export tons of high-grade coal to foreign buyers by concealing the origin of their ship, the Wise Honest. This scheme not only allowed North Korea to evade sanctions, but the Wise Honest was also used to import heavy machinery to North Korea, helping expand North Korea’s capabilities and continuing the cycle of sanctions evasion. With this seizure, we have significantly disrupted that cycle. We are willing and able to deploy the full array of law enforcement tools to detect, deter, and prosecute North Korea’s deceptive attempts to evade sanctions,” Berman said.\n\nIt’s unclear what the next step will be, according to Fox News.\n\n“North Korea doesn’t have many big ships it can use for exports. If this size of ship is seized and that seizure isn’t lifted quickly, it would greatly damage North Korea,” said analyst Cho Bong-hyun of Seoul’s IBK Economic Research Institute.\n\n“The U.S. action could be more like a warning aimed at preventing North Korea from violating sanctions again rather than not sending it back for good,” Cho said.\n\nThe episode was part of a recent chill in North Korean-U.S. relations.\n\nAlso on Thursday, North Korea tested short-range ballistic missiles for the second time in a week. The United States launched a missile of its own shortly afterward, although U.S. officials said the timing was arranged well in advance.\n\nRELATED: North Korea Launches Missiles into East Sea, US Fires Its Own Missile Minutes Later\n\nFurther, the website Beyond Parallel identified what it said was a previously undisclosed operational North Korean missile base.\n\n“They’ve hollowed out an entire mountain,” said Victor Cha, a North Korea expert.\n\nPresident Donald Trump admitted that recent incidents amounted to a pothole on the road to progress, but voiced some hope that relations can be repaired.\n\n“Nobody’s happy about it, but we’re taking a good look and we’ll see. We’ll see. The relationship continues, but we’ll see what happens. I know they want to negotiate, they’re talking about negotiating, but I don’t think they’re ready to negotiate,” Trump said Thursday, according to The New York Times.\n\nWe are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.", "WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration has seized a North Korean cargo ship used to supply coal to the isolated nation in violation of international sanctions, law enforcement officials said Thursday.\n\nThe seizure of the vessel, detained last month in Indonesia, comes at a delicate moment between the two countries. It was announced hours after the North Koreans fired two suspected short-range missiles in an apparent sign of trouble for nuclear disarmament talks.\n\nIt also follows a Pentagon decision to suspend efforts to arrange negotiations on recovering additional remains of U.S. service members killed in the North during the Korean War.\n\nThe Justice Department said the ship, the Wise Honest, is one of North Korea's largest bulk carriers and for several years had been used to deliver Russian coal to North Korea.\n\nPayments for maintenance and equipment for the vessel were made in American dollars through unwitting U.S. banks, a violation of sanctions that bar North Korean citizens or entities from the U.S. financial system.\n\nOfficials say North Korea sought to conceal the vessel's purpose by listing in shipping documentation different countries for its nationality and the origin of the coal.\n\n\"This sanctions-busting ship is now out of service,\" said Assistant Attorney General John Demers, the Justice Department's top national security official.\n\nAccording to a civil complaint filed Thursday in federal court in Manhattan, the ship was intercepted and seized by Indonesian authorities on April 2, 2018. At the time, it was about 2,800 miles south of Nampo, North Korea, where it had been photographed a month earlier. The complaint says that after taking the load of coal, the ship sailed south with it toward Indonesia.\n\nThe vessel has since been taken into custody by the U.S.", "WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has seized a North Korean cargo ship used to supply coal to the isolated nation in violation of international sanctions, law enforcement officials said Thursday.\n\nThe seizure of the vessel, detained last month in Indonesia, comes at a delicate moment between the two countries. It was announced hours after the North Koreans fired two suspected short-range missiles in an apparent sign of trouble for nuclear disarmament talks.\n\nIt also follows a Pentagon decision to suspend efforts to arrange negotiations on recovering additional remains of U.S. service members killed in the North during the Korean War.\n\nThe Justice Department said the ship, the Wise Honest, is one of North Korea’s largest bulk carriers and for several years had been used to deliver Russian coal to North Korea.\n\nPayments for maintenance and equipment for the vessel were made in American dollars through unwitting U.S. banks, a violation of sanctions that bar North Korean citizens or entities from the U.S. financial system.\n\nOfficials say North Korea sought to conceal the vessel’s purpose by listing in shipping documentation different countries for its nationality and the origin of the coal.\n\n“This sanctions-busting ship is now out of service,” said Assistant Attorney General John Demers, the Justice Department’s top national security official.\n\nAccording to a civil complaint filed Thursday in federal court in Manhattan, the ship was intercepted and seized by Indonesian authorities on April 2, 2018. At the time, it was about 2,800 miles south of Nampo, North Korea, where it had been photographed a month earlier. The complaint says that after taking the load of coal, the ship sailed south with it toward Indonesia.\n\nThe vessel has since been taken into custody by the U.S."], "summary": "For the first time the United States seizes a North Korean merchant ship loaded with coal in the East China Sea sailing toward Indonesia. The ship is suspected of violating sanctions."}
{"document": ["BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A blast rocked Baghdad’s northeastern Sadr City district on Thursday but accounts differed on whether it caused any casualties. Islamic State claimed responsibility.\n\nPolice Colonel Jamal Hameed told Reuters a parcel had been found on the side of the road near a market and detonated in a controlled explosion, hurting no one.\n\nHe said an earlier statement by the joint military-police Baghdad Operations Command mentioning a suicide bomb and several deaths had been released in error.\n\nThat statement had said a bomber detonated an explosive belt surrounded by security forces. Local media reported that at least eight people were killed. Reuters was unable to independently verify whether there were any casualties.\n\nIslamic State released its own statement, saying a suicide bomber had detonated an explosive vest in Sadr City, killing eight people and wounding more than 10.\n\nIraq declared victory over the militant group in 2017, three years after it took over vast swathes of the country. Its fighters have since adapted their tactics to focus on insurgent-style attacks.\n\nThe blast hit days after the start of the holy month of Ramadan, when Muslims fast from dawn to sunset and tend to congregate in public places after breaking their fast.", "According to media reports, the attack occurred at around 9:00 pm local time (18:00 GMT), at a time when many Iraqis broke their Ramadan fast and took to the streets.\n\nDaesh claimed in a statement later on Thursday, cited by Reuters, that a suicide bomber detonated an explosive vest in the northeastern Sadr City district of Baghdad.\n\nREAD MORE: Security Official Says At Least 8 Killed in Baghdad Suicide Bombing — Report\n\nSadr City hosts about 1 million residents. It is repeatedly attacked by various factions, including militants from the Daesh terror group.\n\nThe situation across Iraq, however, remains unstable, as terrorists continue staging regular attacks on Iraqi troops and civilians.\n\nREAD MORE: Iraqi Security Agencies Say SDF Handed Over Captured Daesh Militants to Baghdad\n\nDaesh (also known as ISIS/ISIL/IS) is a terrorist group banned in Russia and many other countries.", "BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Islamic State claimed responsibility on Thursday for a blast in Baghdad, saying a suicide bomber had detonated an explosive vest in the northeastern Sadr City district of the Iraqi capital and killed eight people.\n\n“He, thanks to God almighty, entered into a gathering of infidels ... and detonated his vest, killing eight and wounding more than 10 others,” the group said in a statement.", "IS claims responsibility for Iraq blast that killed 8\n\nBAGHDAD (AP) — The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing at a Baghdad market the previous day that killed 8 people.\n\nThe extremist group released a statement early on Friday saying the bomber detonated his explosives vest at the Jamila marketplace in Baghdad's sprawling Shiite neighborhood of Sadr City on Thursday evening. Fifteen people were wounded.\n\nIraq's security agencies have invested heavily in securing Baghdad, the country's capital, even as insurgents continue to stage attacks in the countryside.\n\nIraqis are out late during the holy month of Ramadan, when observant Muslims fast from dawn till sundown.\n\nHakim al-Zamily with the Sadrist political movement, which enjoys wide support in Sadr City, said lax security was to blame and that IS cells are taking advantage of slackened security measures in Baghdad.", "BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A blast in Baghdad’s Sadr City district on Thursday was a controlled explosion and caused no deaths or injuries, an Iraqi police official said.\n\nColonel Jamal Hameed told Reuters a parcel had been found on the side of the road near a market and was detonated by an ordnance team sent by the joint military-police Baghdad Operations Command.\n\nEarlier a military statement described the blast as a suicide bombing that had killed and wounded several people.", "BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A blast rocked Baghdad’s northeastern Sadr City district on Thursday, but there were differing accounts on whether it caused any casualties.\n\nPolice Colonel Jamal Hameed told Reuters a parcel had been found on the side of the road near a market and detonated in a controlled explosion, hurting no one.\n\nHe said an earlier statement by the joint military-police Baghdad Operations Command mentioning a suicide bomb and several deaths had been released in error.\n\nThat statement had said a bomber detonated an explosive belt surrounded by security forces. Local media reported that at least eight people were killed. Reuters was unable to independently verify whether there were any casualties.\n\nThe blast hit days after the start of the holy month of Ramadan, when Muslims fast from dawn to sunset and tend to congregate in public places after breaking their fast.", "BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A blast rocked Baghdad's northeastern Sadr City district on Thursday, but there were differing accounts on whether it caused any casualties.\n\nPolice Colonel Jamal Hameed told Reuters a parcel had been found on the side of the road near a market and detonated in a controlled explosion, hurting no one.\n\nHe said an earlier statement by the joint military-police Baghdad Operations Command mentioning a suicide bomb and several deaths had been released in error.\n\nThat statement had said a bomber detonated an explosive belt surrounded by security forces. Local media reported that at least eight people were killed. Reuters was unable to independently verify whether there were any casualties.\n\nThe blast hit days after the start of the holy month of Ramadan, when Muslims fast from dawn to sunset and tend to congregate in public places after breaking their fast.\n\nThis story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.\n\nYour guide to the latest election news, analysis, commentary, live updates and schedule for Lok Sabha Elections 2019 on firstpost.com/elections. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram or like our Facebook page for updates from all 543 constituencies for the upcoming general elections.", "At least 18 people were killed, and 23 were wounded in recent violence:\n\nIn Baghdad’s Sadr City district, a suicide bomber killed eight people and wounded 15 more. Several stalls at the Jamila market were destroyed. Baghdad Operations Command confirmed the bombing at first, but later claimed that the explosion was controlled and injured no one. ISIS took responsibility for the blast. It is unclear which version of the story is true.\n\nISIS militants were blamed for an attack on a family in Gawar that left six members dead and wounded two others. The target was a local mukhtar. One militant was wounded.\n\nAn attack on a Shirqat grain silo left one guard dead. A soldier was killed when a bomb blew up as first responders arrived.\n\nIn Multaqa, an explosion wounded two policemen.\n\nThree Peshmerga were wounded when a mortar exploded accidentally during a training exercise.", "BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A suicide bomber killed and wounded several people in a marketplace in Baghdad on Thursday, the Iraqi military said.\n\nLocal media said at least eight people were killed. Reuters was unable to independently verify the death toll.\n\nThe evening attack took place days after the start of the holy month of Ramadan, when devout Muslims fast from dawn to sunset and tend to congregate in public places after breaking their fast.\n\nThe bomber detonated an explosive belt in the Jameela marketplace in Baghdad’s northeastern Sadr City district while surrounded by security forces, the Baghdad Operations Command said in a statement.\n\nIt said the attack, for which there was no immediate claim of responsibility, had claimed “a number of martyrs and wounded”.\n\nIraq declared victory over Islamic State militants in 2017, three years after the jihadist group took over vast swathes of the country. Its fighters have since adapted their tactics to focus on insurgent-style attacks.", "A suicide bombing that killed a number of people took place on Thursday in the Sadr City district of Baghdad, according to the Iraqi military.\n\nThe local officials did not disclose the exact number of those killed and injured as a result of the attack.\n\nREAD MORE: Islamist Attacks Have Claimed 146K Lives Since 9/11, German Media Says\n\nIn May last year, another suicide blast, which killed at least four people, took place in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad. According to reports, two police officers were among the dead. The bomber intended to detonate his vest near a resort before officials pushed him out of the area."], "summary": "A blast hits Baghdad's northeastern Sadr City district. ISIL claims responsibility. No verified report on casualties is presently available."}
{"document": ["It was billed as the next generation of banknotes – with improved security and top-to-bottom clear windows – but the numbers folk at the Reserve Bank missed one important step in the tech-heavy journey: spellcheck.\n\nAn anonymous tipster with eagle eyes, a magnifying glass and, presumably, a little free time, alerted radio stations to a typo on the new $50 banknote that has escaped everyone's attention since 46 million of them were rolled out in October last year.\n\nA close-up of the spelling mistake. Credit:Triple M\n\nThe RBA has confirmed the word \"responsibility\" is incorrectly spelled \"responsibilty\" - without the third \"i\".\n\nAnd it has admitted the error was brought to its attention back in December.", "Image copyright Reserve Bank of Australia Image caption A reminder always to check the small print\n\nAustralia's latest A$50 note comes with a big blunder hidden in the small print - a somewhat embarrassing typo.\n\nThe Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) spelled \"responsibility\" as \"responsibilty\" on millions of the new yellow notes.\n\nThe RBA confirmed the typo on Thursday and said the error would be fixed in future print runs.\n\nBut for now, around 46 million of the new notes are in use across the country.\n\nThe bills were released late last year and feature Edith Cowan, the first female member of an Australian parliament.\n\nWhat looks like a lawn in the background of Mrs Cowan's portrait is in fact rows of text - a quotation from her first speech to parliament.\n\n\"It is a great responsibility to be the only woman here, and I want to emphasise the necessity which exists for other women being here,\" is repeated several times over in microscopic print.\n\nAlas, it's printed each time as \"responsibilty\" - with a missing i.\n\nIt took more than six months for someone with a good magnifying glass to spot the typo.\n\nImage copyright Reserve Bank of Australia Image caption The typo lurks just above Edith Cowan's shoulder\n\nThe A$50 note is the most widely circulated in Australia, and the most commonly given out by cash machines. The other side of the note features distinguished Indigenous author David Unaipon.\n\nWhen the latest batch emerged in October, new security features were embedded in the design to improve accessibility and prevent counterfeiting.\n\nAnd for anyone wondering - yes, the \"typo note\" is still totally valid as currency.\n\nPhew. Now let's just hope we didn't make any typos in this artilce.", "Australia’s central bank has taken responsibility for typos on 46 million bank notes after a radio station posted an image of the microscopic error on social media.\n\nTriple M radio posted on Instagram on Thursday a magnified photograph of a 50 Australian dollar ($35) note showing the misspelling of “responsibility”. The word appears three times on the note and the third “i” is omitted every time.\n\nThe Reserve Bank of Australia said the spelling error will be corrected at the next print run later this year. The latest version of the notes was released in October.\n\nAustralia’s high-tech polymer notes are among the most difficult in the world to counterfeit due to their extraordinary level of detail. The technology has been exported to other countries.\n\nThe AU$50 note is known colloquially as a pineapple because of its yellow hues and bares an image of the first woman elected to an Australian parliament, Edith Cowan.\n\nThe misspelling appears in an extract from her first speech to the Western Australia state Parliament in 1921.", "CANBERRA, Australia (AP) - Australia's central bank has taken responsibility for typos on 46 million bank notes after a radio station posted an image of the microscopic error on social media.\n\nTriple M radio posted on Instagram on Thursday a magnified photograph of a 50 Australian dollar ($35) note showing the misspelling of \"responsibility.\" The word appears three times on the note and the third \"i'' is omitted every time.\n\nThe Reserve Bank of Australia said the spelling error will be corrected at the next print run later this year. The latest version of the notes was released in October.\n\nAustralia's high-tech polymer notes are among the most difficult in the world to counterfeit due to their extraordinary level of detail. The technology has been exported to other countries.\n\nThe AU$50 note is known colloquially as a pineapple because of its yellow hues and bares an image of the first woman elected to an Australian parliament, Edith Cowan.\n\nThe misspelling appears in an extract from her first speech to the Western Australia state Parliament in 1921.\n\nThe word \"responsibility\" is printed with a missing \"i\" in the Australian $50 note photographed in Sydney, Australia, Thursday, May 9, 2019. Australia's central bank has confirmed there is a misspelling on 46 million of its latest 50 Australian dollar ($35) notes after a radio station posted an image of the microscopic error on social media. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)", "Australia's central bank has admitted \"responsibilty\" for a spelling error on its latest batch of $50 notes. Although maybe the responsibility for proofreading the notes and spotting the missing \"i\" should have fallen to the eagle-eyed member of the public who pointed out the error. Australia's central bank confirmed the typo has appeared on 46 million notes. The blooper came to light after a listener phoned in to Melbourne radio station Triple M on Thursday morning to point it out. A subsequent Twitter post by the radio station showed the new currency under a magnifying glass, revealing the typo in microscopic text on the note just above Edith Cowan's shoulder.\n\nEdith Cowan was a social reformer who was the first Australian woman ever to serve as a member of an Australian parliament and features on the country's $50 notes. The text which features on the note and contains the spelling mistake is taken from Ms Cowan's maiden speech to the Parliament of Western Australia in 1921. The word \"responsibility\" appears three times in the excerpt, all of which are misspelled on the note in the same manner. The phrase with the error in it reads: \"It is a great responsibilty to be the only woman here, and I want to emphasise the necessity which exists for other women being here. \"If men and women can work for the state side by side and represent all different sections of the community, I cannot doubt that we should do very much better work in the community than was ever done before.\"\n\nA spokesperson for the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) said it was aware of the mistake and said the spelling would be corrected in the next print run, which would occur in the next few months. The new notes would be released into circulation towards the end of 2019. \"The process of designing and printing a banknote is complex and iterative,\" an RBA spokesperson said. \"We have strict quality assurance processes, but like any manufacturing process, errors can occur. We have reviewed our processes to remove the likelihood of such an error occurring in the future.\"", "Around $2.3 billion dollars worth of Australian cash has been printed with a spelling mistake by the country's Reserve Bank.\n\nThe new high tech polymer version of the $50 banknote misspells the word “responsibility” on 46 million notes.\n\nThe note features David Unaipon, indigenous writer and inventor as well as Edith Cowan, Australia’s first female member of parliament.\n\nThe spelling error can be found in “micro-text” of Cowan’s first speech to parliament which the RBA printed on one side of the note.\n\nIn the phrase “it is a great responsibility to be the only woman here, and I want to emphasise the necessity which exists for other women being here,\" the word “responsibility” is misspelt three times. The typo incorrectly spells \"responsibilty\" - without the third \"i\".\n\nThe Reserve Bank of Australia has confirmed the misspelling on the notes which entered circulation last year.\n\nA spokesperson for the bank said the error would be corrected at the next print run.\n\n\"This does not affect the legal tender status of the banknotes. We have reviewed our processes to remove the likelihood of such an error occurring in the future,\" an RBA spokeswoman said.", "A batch of 46 million new Australian 50-dollar notes currently circulating has the same word misspelled three times, local media reported on Thursday.\n\nThe word “responsibility’’ was spelled “responsibilty” three times on each note. The error first came into focus after a Melbourne radio station posted a photo on social media that was sent to them by a listener.\n\nA spokesperson for the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) said that authorities were aware of the mistake and said it will be corrected at the next print run, which will take place later this year.\n\nSome 46 million polymer notes with the typo valuing 2.3 billion dollars in total (1.6 billion dollars) entered circulation in October.\n\nSince a 1995 redesign, Australia’s 50-dollar note features Indigenous writer and inventor David Unaipon on one side, and the country’s first female parliamentarian, Edith Cowan, on the other.\n\nThe “new and improved’’ notes, which have the spelling mistakes, are designed to prevent counterfeiting and have the tactile feature of four raised bumps for people with disabilities.\n\nThe spelling errors appeared in the small microscopic text printed on one side of the note, quoting from the text of a speech by Cowan.\n\nThe 50-dollar note is the most widely circulated banknote in Australia, according to the RBA.", "Facepalm: Even the best of us make the occasional typo at work, but few people have their errors printed 46 million times. That’s the embarrassing situation facing the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) after a misspelled word was discovered on the country’s $50 note.\n\nThe new $50 banknote, which rolled out last October, features a picture of Edith Cowan, the first female member of an Australian parliament.\n\nBehind Cowan's portrait is an excerpt from her maiden speech to the Western Australian Parliament.\n\n“It is a great responsibilty [sic] to be the only woman here, and I want to emphasise the necessity which exists for other women being here,” is printed several times, each instance missing an ‘i’ from “responsibility.”\n\nThe micro-text is tiny, of course, which is why it took six months for it to be discovered, and only through the use of a magnifying glass. According to The New Daily, an anonymous caller to radio station Triple M revealed the mistake that the RBA later confirmed.\n\n“The Reserve Bank of Australia is aware of it and the spelling will be corrected at the next print run,” a spokesman said.\n\nAustralia’s $50 note is the most circulated in the country, and the one most commonly given out by cash machines. Forty-six million have been printed since the new version entered circulation last year.\n\nWhen the $50 note first arrived, the RBA said it came with new security features designed to prevent counterfeiting and improve accessibility.\n\nWhile misprints on individual Australian notes have happened in the past, this is the first time a typo has made it through to mass circulation.", "The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) printed about 46 million new $50 bills last year, but only recently a radio station noticed a typo on the money, The Guardian reports. The word \"responsibility\" is incorrectly spelled on about $1.6 billion worth of currency. That doesn't sound very responsible.\n\nThe RBA announced the new $50 note design in February 2018. The new note honors Aboriginal writer and inventor David Unaipon and the first female member of an Australia's parliament, Edith Cowan. Printed on the back of the note is an excerpt from a speech by Cowan, and one from a book by Unaipon.\n\nHowever, one powerful line from Cowan's speech falls flat on the notes; in extremely tiny print, \"great responsibility\" is spelled \"great responsibilty\" -- not just once but three times. Australia's Triple M radio magnified the relevant part of the note and highlighted the spelling mistake. Their Instagram post quickly went viral.\n\nThe 46 million bills with the typo will remain legal tender and continue to circulate around Australia. The RBA, Australia's central bank, is \"aware of it and the spelling will be corrected at the next print run,\" a spokesperson told The Guardian. CBS News reached out to the RBA for comment but was still awaiting a response on Thursday.\n\nIn the meantime \"responsibilty\" is taking the internet by storm.\n\nCowan's speech, delivered in 1921, was a landmark moment in Australia. In it she discussed the significance of her role as the first woman elected to Parliament.\n\n\"It is a great responsibility to be the only woman here,\" she said, \"and I want to emphasise the necessity which exists for other women being here.\"", "Australia's central bank has taken responsibility for typos on 46 million bank notes after a radio station posted an image of the microscopic error on social media.\n\nTriple M radio posted on Instagram on Thursday a magnified photograph of a 50 Australian dollar ($35) note showing the misspelling of \"responsibility.\"\n\nThe word appears three times on the note and the third \"i'' is omitted every time.\n\nThe Reserve Bank of Australia says the spelling error will be corrected at the next print run later this year.\n\nAustralia's high-tech polymer notes are among the most difficult in the world to counterfeit due to their extraordinary level of detail. The technology has been exported as state-of-the art to other countries."], "summary": "The Reserve Bank of Australia confirms it issued approximately 46 million new Australian $50 notes in late 2018 with a typo in the background fine print: \"responsibility\" is misspelled as \"responsibilty\", the third \"i\" is missing. The mistake appears three times on the note and is extremely small requiring magnification to see. Part of the rollout of Australia's redesigned currency, the A$50 notes feature the first female member of an Australian parliament, social reformer Edith Cowan."}
{"document": ["Dozens dead after migrant boat sinks off Tunisian coast\n\nPosted\n\nThe UN says at least 65 migrants died after their boat capsized in the Mediterranean off the coast of Tunisia as they travelled from Libya to Europe.\n\nKey points: The boat was travelling from Libya, where warfare has gripped the capital Tripoli in the past five weeks\n\nThe Tunisian navy brought 16 survivors to the coast, and said fishing boats had rescued them\n\nIn the first four months of 2019, 164 people were known to have died on the route\n\nThe state-run Tunis Afrique Presse agency gave a death toll of at least 70 people. It was one the deadliest shipwrecks involving migrants trying to reach Europe this year.\n\nIn the first four months of 2019, 164 people were known to have died on the route, a smaller number but higher death rate than in previous years, with one dying for every three who reach European shores, UNHCR said.\n\n\"This is a tragic and terrible reminder of the risks still faced by those who attempt to cross the Mediterranean,\" said Vincent Cochetel, UNHCR Special Envoy for the Mediterranean.\n\nUNHCR said the sunken boat had taken to the sea on Thursday from neighbouring Libya, where renewed warfare between rival factions has gripped the capital Tripoli in the past five weeks.\n\nThe Tunisian navy brought 16 survivors to the coast at Zarzis, where one was immediately taken to hospital and the others awaited permission to disembark, UNHCR said.\n\nThe Tunisian agency said the boat had sunk 40 miles off the coast of Sfax, south of the capital Tunis, and that fishing boats had rescued the survivors.\n\nGovernments called on to step in\n\nTunisia's defence ministry said the boat had left from the Libyan port of Zouara aiming to reach Italy. Navy units have recovered only three bodies so far, it said in a statement.\n\nLibya's west coast is a main departure point for African migrants hoping to reach Europe by paying human traffickers, though numbers have dropped due to an Italian-led effort to disrupt smuggling networks and support the Libyan coast guard.\n\nEarlier on Friday, UNHCR spokesman Babar Baloch said the United Nations had repeatedly voiced its concerns about the lack of boats to pick up migrants and refugees fleeing from \"the horrendous and horrible situation\" in Libya. It called on governments to step in.\n\nAlthough the fighting in Libya has made the situation more difficult for people-trafficking rackets, international aid officials have warned that it could also prompt more Libyans to flee their country.\n\nIt was not immediately known from which countries the migrants involved in Friday's tragedy were from.\n\nAccording to UN agency the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), 2,297 migrants died or went missing in the Mediterranean last year out of a total of 116,959 people who reached Europe by sea.\n\nSome 117 migrants who left Libya in a rubber dinghy in January went missing and most remain unaccounted for, according to the IOM.\n\nReuters/ABC\n\nTopics: refugees, immigration, community-and-society, libyan-arab-jamahiriya, tunisia", "At least 50 migrants drowned on Friday when their boat capsized in the Mediterranean Sea off the Tunisian coast after they had left Libya hoping to reach Europe, the United Nations migration agency said.\n\nThe state-run Tunis Afrique Presse agency gave a death toll of at least 70 people. It was one the deadliest shipwrecks involving migrants trying to reach Europe illegally this year.\n\nThe UN's International Organization for Migration said the sunken boat took to the sea from neighbouring Libya, where renewed warfare between rival factions has gripped the capital, Tripoli, in the past five weeks. It put the number of victims at 50, with 16 survivors.\n\nThe boat sank 65 kilometres off the coast of Sfax, south of the capital, Tunis, the Tunisian agency said. Fishing boats rescued the survivors, it said.\n\nThe Tunisian Defence Ministry said the boat had left from the Libyan port of Zouara on Thursday aiming to reach Italy. Navy units have recovered only three bodies so far, it said in a statement.\n\n\"Another tragedy in the Mediterranean,\" the IOM said.\n\nCountries of origin not yet known\n\nLibya's western coast is a main departure point for migrants from across Africa hoping to reach Europe by paying human traffickers, though numbers have dropped due to an Italian-led effort to disrupt smuggling networks and support the Libyan coast guard.\n\nEarlier on Friday, UNHCR spokesman Babar Baloch said the United Nations had repeatedly voiced its concerns about the lack of boats to pick up migrants and refugees fleeing from \"the horrendous and horrible situation\" in Libya. It called on governments to step in.\n\nAlthough the fighting in Libya has made the situation more difficult for people-trafficking rackets, international aid officials have warned that it could also prompt more Libyans to flee their country.\n\nIt was not immediately known which countries the migrants involved in Friday's tragedy were from.\n\nAccording to the IOM, 2,297 migrants died or went missing in the Mediterranean last year, out of a total of 116,959 people who reached Europe by sea.\n\nSome 117 migrants who left Libya in a rubber dinghy in January went missing, and most remain unaccounted for, according to the IOM.", "A boat carrying up to 70 migrants from sub-Saharan Africa has sunk in the Mediterranean, leaving three people dead and dozens missing, Tunisian officials said Friday, revealing once again that crossing the central Mediterranean has become more treacherous than ever for migrants trying to reach Europe.\n\nThe bodies of three people who drowned in the accident were found Friday, a spokesman for the Tunisian defense ministry said, adding the boat left Zuwara on the northwestern Libyan coast on Thursday.\n\nA fishing boat picked up 16 survivors, who were transferred on board one of three military vessels involved in the search and rescue operation.\n\nA helicopter was also mobilized, the defense ministry said, adding between 60 to 70 people were believed to be on board.\n\nInterior ministry spokesman Sofiene Zaag said however around 75 people are believed to have been on board the Italy-bound boat when it departed Libya.\n\nAn official with the International Organization for Migration in Tunisia said the smuggling boat was coming from Libya when it sent a distress signal in international waters early Friday off the Tunisian coastal city of Sfax. The official said between 60 and 70 people drowned.\n\nThe boat sank 40 nautical miles off the coast of Sfax, south of the capital Tunis. The Tunisian coast has turned into a launch pad for thousands of migrants, including Tunisians, who seek to reach Europe.\n\nThe IOM official says the migrants are now being questioned and cared for by Tunisian authorities. She said the migrants included people from Bangladesh and Morocco, among other nationalities.\n\nItaly's far-right Interior Minister Matteo Salvini has vowed to close the country's ports to migrants, although earlier Friday dozens who had been rescued at sea disembarked in Sicily.\n\nThe Mediterranean is the \"world's deadliest sea crossing\" according to the United Nations refugee agency, with one person in 14 dying on the route from Libya to Europe last year.\n\nIn the face of Gen. Khalifa Haftar's weeks-long violent offensive in Libya, fear has grown that the violent clashes would prompt a new wave of migration.\n\nThe turmoil engulfing the North African country has become a death trap for thousands of migrants, most of them from sub-Saharan African countries, seeking to escape poverty and find a better life in Europe.\n\nThe U.N. considers Libya an unsafe country for migrants, given the considerable risk of being subjected to serious human rights abuses. Thousands of migrants who have been caught trying to cross the Mediterranean from Libya have been returned to the North African country and put in detention centers.", "Up to 70 migrants drown after their boat sinks off Tunisia\n\nTUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — As many as 70 migrants trying to reach Europe from Libya drowned Friday when their boat capsized in the Mediterranean Sea, and at least 16 others on the boat were rescued, according to U.N. migration officials and Tunisia's state news agency.\n\nThe International Organization for Migration called it the deadliest migrant boat sinking since January, and it comes as overall migrant arrivals to Europe are decreasing.\n\nThe smuggling boat was coming from Libya when it sent a distress signal in international waters early Friday off the Tunisian coastal city of Sfax, according to an IOM official in Tunisia. She said between 60 and 70 people drowned.\n\nTunisia's state news agency TAP said 70 people drowned as the boat sank and that fishing boats rescued 16 others.\n\nThe survivors of the sinking are now being questioned and cared for by Tunisian authorities, the IOM official said. She said they included people from Bangladesh and Morocco, among other nationalities.\n\nJoel Millman, an IOM spokesman in Geneva, said the reported death toll is the largest number of migrants killed since a Jan. 19 sinking in which 117 people were reported missing and presumed dead.\n\nSo far this year, 17,000 migrants and refugees have entered Europe by sea, about 30 percent fewer than the 24,000 arriving during the same period last year, according to the IOM. It said 443 people have reportedly died on dangerous Mediterranean Sea crossings so far this year, compared to 620 deaths for the same period in 2018.\n\nLibya's navy said Friday it rescued 213 Europe-bound African and Arab migrants off the Mediterranean coast this week. It said they were handed over to Libyan police after having received humanitarian and medical aid.\n\nLawless Libya in North Africa became a major conduit for African migrants and refugees fleeing to Europe after an uprising toppled and killed longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. Libyan authorities have stepped up efforts to stem the flow of migrants, with European assistance.\n\nBut human rights groups have strongly criticized Libya for its detention centers, saying migrants being sent back to Libya faced hunger, beatings, torture, rapes and a lack of medical care.\n\nIn addition, the head of the self-styled Libyan National Army launched an offensive against the government in the Libyan capital of Tripoli last month. The U.N. health agency says 443 people have died, 2,110 have been wounded and nearly 60,000 have been displaced by the violence.\n\nAngela Charlton in Paris and David Rising in Berlin contributed.", "The boat sank 40 miles off the coast of Sfax in Tunisia\n\nThe boat sank 40 miles off the coast of Sfax in Tunisia\n\nA BOAT CARRYING around 70 migrants from sub-Saharan Africa has sunk in the Mediterranean, leaving at least 50 people dead, Tunisian officials have said.\n\nThe bodies of three people who drowned in the accident were found today, a spokesman for the Tunisian defence ministry said, adding the boat left Zuwara on the northwestern Libyan coast yesterday.\n\nA fishing boat has picked up 16 survivors, who were transferred on board one of three military vessels involved in the search and rescue operation, said the spokesman Mohamed Zekri.\n\nA Maltese helicopter was also mobilised, he said.\n\nAccording to the UN’s International Organisation for Migration (IOM), 50 people have died.\n\nAccording to those rescued between 60 to 70 people from sub-Saharan Africa were thought to be on board the boat, which was travelling to Italy, Zekri added.\n\nInterior ministry spokesman Sofiene Zaag said however around 75 people were believed to have been on board the boat bound for Italy when it departed Libya.\n\nItaly’s far-right Interior Minister Matteo Salvini has vowed to close the country’s ports to migrants, although earlier today dozens who had been rescued at sea disembarked in Sicily.\n\nRome’s populist government has taken an increasingly hard line on migration, and Salvini, head of the anti-immigrant League party, last month signed a new directive banning charity vessels from rescuing migrants off Libya.\n\nThe Mediterranean is the “world’s deadliest sea crossing” according to the United Nations refugee agency, with one person in 14 dying on the route from Libya to Europe last year.\n\nThe Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights NGO denounced in a statement what it said were the European Union’s “restrictive and inhumane policies” which it said led to the latest “human tragedy”.\n\nLibya, which has been wracked by chaos since the 2011 uprising that killed veteran dictator Moamer Kadhafi, has long been a major transit route for people desperate to reach Europe.\n\nThese latest deaths bring to 493 the total for 2019 to date, with 307 reported on the Central Mediterranean route between Libya and Italy, according to the IOM. This compares with 620 deaths confirmed during the same period in 2018, including 383 deaths on the Libya-Italy route.\n\nOver the past week, and despite a surge in violence following the launch of an assault on Tripoli by strongman Khalifa Haftar, Libyan authorities have rescued hundreds of migrants stranded at sea.\n\n© AFP 2019 with reporting from Associated Press", "No fewer than 70 migrants have drowned after their boat sank off the Tunisian coast, Tunisia’s state news agency TAP reported on Friday.\n\n“Coastguard units are trying to recover the bodies of the dead off the Tunisian coastal city of Sfax,’’ the agency added, citing local officials.\n\nAccording to the report, 16 other people have been rescued by fishermen near the site of the accident.\n\n“The migrants were from sub-Saharan Africa,” the agency reported without further details.\n\nIt was not immediately clear how many people were aboard the capsized boat, which is believed to have set sail for Europe from neighbouring Libya.\n\nThe Tunisian coast has turned into a launch pad for thousands of migrants, including Tunisians, who seek to reach Europe.", "A boat carrying up to 70 migrants from sub-Saharan Africa has sunk in the Mediterranean, leaving at least three people dead and dozens missing, Tunisian officials said Friday.\n\nThe bodies of three people who drowned in the accident were found Friday, a spokesman for the Tunisian defense ministry said, adding the boat left Zwara on the northwestern Libyan coast on Thursday.\n\nThere were conflicting reports on how many people had been rescued and how many were missing, but the Guardian of Britain quoted the United Nations immigration agency as saying 16 survivors had been pulled from the water by fishing boats.\n\nThousands of migrants have died trying to cross the Mediterranean from the coast of war-torn Libya to European soil, many landing on Italy's coast. In February last year a similar sinking left about 90 people dead off Libya's coast.\n\nMass migration to Europe has dropped sharply since 2015, when the continent received 1 million refugees and migrants from countries in the Middle East, Asia and Africa. The surge created a humanitarian crisis in which desperate travelers frequently drowned and leading arrival spots such as Italy and Greece struggled to house large numbers of asylum-seekers.\n\nAlong with the dangerous sea journey itself, those who attempt to cross the Mediterranean risk being stopped by Libya's coast guard and held in Libyan detention centers that human rights groups have described as bleak places where migrants allegedly suffer routine abuse.\n\nEU members \"alert the Libyan coast guard when refugees and migrants are spotted at sea so they can be taken back to Libya, despite knowing that people there are arbitrarily detained and exposed to widespread torture, rape, killings and exploitation,\" Matteo de Bellis, an international migration researcher for Amnesty International said earlier this year.\n\nHumanitarian organizations say migrants are mistreated and even tortured in Libya, and have protested protocols to return migrants rescued offshore to the lawless northern African nation. Meanwhile, both Italy and Malta have refused to open their ports to humanitarian ships that rescue migrants at sea, which has created numerous standoffs as European governments haggle over which will take them in.", "At least 50 migrants drowned when their boat capsized in the Mediterranean Sea off the Tunisian coast after they had left Libya hoping to reach Europe, the United Nations migration agency says.\n\nThe state-run Tunis Afrique Presse agency gave a death toll of at least 70 people.\n\nIt was one the deadliest shipwrecks involving migrants trying to reach Europe illegally this year.\n\nThe UN's International Organisation for Migration said on Friday the boat took to the sea from neighbouring Libya, where renewed warfare between rival factions has gripped the capital Tripoli in the past five weeks. It put the number of victims at 50, with 16 survivors.\n\nThe boat sank 64km off the coast of Sfax, south of the capital Tunis, the Tunisian agency said. Fishing boats rescued the survivors.\n\nThe Tunisian Defence Ministry said the boat had left from the Libyan port of Zouara on Thursday aiming to reach Italy. Navy units have recovered only three bodies so far, it said in a statement.\n\n\"Another tragedy in the Mediterranean,\" the IOM said.\n\nLibya's western coast is a main departure point for migrants from across Africa hoping to reach Europe by paying human traffickers, though numbers have dropped due to an Italian-led effort to disrupt smuggling networks and support the Libyan coast guard.\n\nItaly's Interior Minister Matteo Salvini let a charity boat carrying 30 rescued migrants dock at an Italian port but said the vessel would be impounded and not let out to sea again.\n\nThe migrants, including two pregnant women, a baby and four unaccompanied minors, were picked up by the Mare Jonio on Thursday off the coast of Libya as their rubber boat was sinking.\n\nEarlier on Friday, UNHCR spokesman Babar Baloch said the United Nations had repeatedly voiced its concerns about the lack of boats to pick up migrants and refugees fleeing from \"the horrendous and horrible situation\" in Libya. It called on governments to step in.", "At least 70 migrants drowned when their boat capsized in the Mediterranean Sea off the Tunisian coast after they had left Libya hoping to reach Europe, reports suggest.\n\nIt was one the deadliest shipwrecks involving migrants trying to reach Europe illegally this year.\n\nThe UN's International Organisation for Migration said the sunken boat took to the sea from neighbouring Libya, where renewed warfare between rival factions has gripped the capital Tripoli in the past five weeks.\n\nIt put the number of victims at 50, with 16 survivors but the state-run Tunis Afrique Presse agency gave a death toll of at least 70 people.\n\nThe boat sank 40 miles off the coast of Sfax, south of the capital Tunis, the Tunisian agency said.\n\nFishing boats were said to have scrambled to rescue the survivors.\n\nThe Tunisian Defence Ministry said the boat had left from the Libyan port of Zouara on yesterday aiming to reach Italy.\n\nNavy units have recovered only three bodies so far, it said in a statement.\n\n'Another tragedy in the Mediterranean,' the IOM said.\n\nLibya's western coast is a main departure point for migrants from across Africa hoping to reach Europe by paying human traffickers.\n\nBut numbers have dropped due to an Italian-led effort to disrupt smuggling networks and support the Libyan coast guard.\n\nEarlier today, UNHCR spokesman Babar Baloch said the UN had repeatedly voiced its concerns about the lack of boats to pick up migrants and refugees fleeing from 'the horrendous and horrible situation' in Libya.\n\nIt called on governments to step in.\n\nThe Italian government appeared to answer the call today, as Interior Minister Matteo Salvini let a charity boat carrying 30 rescued migrants dock at an Italian port.\n\nBut he said the vessel would be impounded and not let out to sea again.\n\nThe migrants, including two pregnant women, a baby and four unaccompanied minors, were picked up by the Mare Jonio yesterday, some 40 miles off the coast of Libya as their rubber boat was sinking.\n\nThe Italian government has repeatedly accused charity rescuers of being complicit with people smugglers - who charge large sums to help migrants get to Europe - and Salvini has closed the country's ports to their boats.\n\nNGOs deny the accusation, but most of them have stopped sailing in the central Mediterranean given the uncompromising position of the Italian government and repeated investigations by magistrates.\n\nHowever, the Mare Jonio, which is operated by the Italian charity Mediterranea, has so far defied the pressure and it was briefly impounded in March in Lampedusa after bringing dozens of migrants ashore.\n\nSalvini said yesterday it would not be allowed to dock with the latest rescued group, but he changed tack today, apparently after being told that the vessel would be seized.\n\n'The last voyage for the boat ... Mare Jonio. Blocked and seized. Bye bye,' Salvini wrote on Twitter.\n\nThe boat's head of mission, Beppe Caccia, said police had boarded the Mare Jonio, but had not told him they were planning to detain it.\n\nHe denied any wrongdoing and shrugged off the threat of legal action.\n\n'We operated in full respect of the law,' Caccia said in a video message posted on la Repubblica newspaper website.\n\n'The smiles of the child we saved yesterday will make any legal problems worth it.'\n\nNGOs say Italy's closed-port policy has made crossings much more dangerous, with very few charities out looking to save lives.\n\nNew migrant arrivals to Italy have plummeted since Salvini took office last June, with 873 migrants coming to shore so far this year, according to official data, down 91 percent on the same period in 2018 and down 98 percent on 2017.\n\nUnusually, the Italian navy also took part in a rescue mission yesterday, picking up some 36 migrants from a sinking boat off Libya.\n\nThey were brought to Sicily today after France, Malta, Luxembourg and Germany agreed to take them in.\n\nAlthough the fighting in Libya has made the situation more difficult for people-trafficking rackets, international aid officials have warned that it could also prompt more Libyans to flee their country.\n\nIt was not immediately known from which countries the migrants involved in today's tragedy were from.\n\nLibya's navy also revealed today it had rescued a number of migrants.\n\nIt said it saved 213 Europe-bound African and Arab migrants off the Mediterranean coast.\n\nThe navy released a statement online on today saying its coast guard came to the aid of two rubber boats that had sailed separately on May 8.\n\nOne of the two boats was carrying 88 men, 12 women and seven children.\n\nThe second boat carried the remaining 106.\n\nThe statement says the migrants - nationals of several Arab and African countries - were handed over to Libya's police after having received humanitarian and medical aid.\n\nLibya became a major conduit for African migrants and refugees fleeing to Europe after the uprising that toppled and killed Moammar Gadhafi in 2011.\n\nLibyan authorities have stepped up efforts to stem the flow of migrants, with European assistance.\n\nAccording to the IOM, 2,297 migrants died or went missing in the Mediterranean last year out of a total of 116,959 people who reached Europe by sea.\n\nSome 117 migrants who left Libya in a rubber dinghy in January went missing and most remain unaccounted for, according to the IOM.", "At least 50 migrants have drowned after their boat capsized off the coast of Tunisia, according to the UN migration agency.\n\nThe bodies of three victims have been found, while dozens of others are missing, said Tunisian authorities.\n\nA fishing boat saved 16 migrants from the boat, which had left Libya on Thursday, reported a spokesman for Tunisia's defence ministry.\n\nThere were between 60 and 70 sub-Saharan Africans onboard the vessel when it left the coastal city of Zuwara."], "summary": "The United Nations states that at least 65 people are dead after a boat sinks off the coast of Tunisia while carrying migrants from Libya to Europe."}
{"document": ["FILE PHOTO - Brazil's former President Michel Temer arrives at his home in Sao Paulo, Brazil March 25, 2019. REUTERS/Amanda Perobelli\n\nSAO PAULO (Reuters) - Former Brazilian President Michel Temer on Thursday surrendered himself to the country’s federal police, marking the second time he will be jailed on allegations that he participated in a vast corruption scheme for decades.\n\nTelevision images showed Temer leaving his home in Sao Paulo and going into the offices of Brazil’s federal police there. On Wednesday, when the arrest warrant was issued, his attorney decried the decision and said it was an “injustice.”\n\nHis lawyers had filed an appeal before his arrest that will be heard on Tuesday.\n\nTemer, 78, led Brazil between 2016 and the end of 2018 following the impeachment of left-wing President Dilma Rousseff, under whom he served as vice president for six years. He was first jailed in March and held in a Rio de Janeiro facility, but was released a few days later.\n\nAs part of Brazil’s sprawling ‘Car Wash’ anti-corruption probe, prosecutors allege that Temer led a “criminal organization” that took 1.8 billion reais ($455.52 million) in bribes, including kickbacks that were promised but have yet to be paid.\n\nOne of the schemes allegedly involved bribes that were from funds diverted from a nuclear power facility operated by a subsidiary of state-run Centrais Eletricas Brasileiras SA.\n\nWhile those allegations have led to the current arrest warrant, Temer has been charged six times overall in connection with different corruption investigations.\n\nMore than 150 politicians and businessmen have been convicted in connection with the “Car Wash” investigation, including left-wing ex-President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who has been in prison since last year.", "Evaristo Sa / AFP (file photo) Brazilian President Michel at Planalto Palace in Brasilia on August 01, 2017.\n\nA Brazilian court on Wednesday ordered that former President Michel Temer be jailed again over an ongoing investigation into allegations of corruption.\n\nAdvertising Read more\n\nTemer has been charged six times in connection with various corruption investigations.\n\nThe court decision on Wednesday relates to an alleged corruption scheme involving a nuclear power plant operated by Eletronuclear, a subsidiary of state-run Centrais Eletricas Brasileiras SA.\n\nThe former president has repeatedly denied corruption charges against him.\n\nFollowing the arrest order, Temer's attorney told reporters that there were no grounds for the arrest, saying it was an \"injustice.\"\n\nTemer, speaking to reporters in Sao Paulo, said he would turn himself in to authorities the following morning.\n\nTemer had been held for several days in March over charges related to the alleged nuclear scheme.\n\n(REUTERS)", "RIO DE JANEIRO May 8 (Reuters) - A Brazilian court on Wednesday ordered that former President Michel Temer be jailed again over an ongoing investigation into allegations of corruption.\n\nTemer has been charged six times in connection with various corruption investigations. The court decision on Wednesday relates to an alleged corruption scheme involving a nuclear power plant operated by Eletronuclear, a subsidiary of state-run Centrais Eletricas Brasileiras SA.\n\nThe former president has repeatedly denied corruption charges against him. Following the arrest order, Temer's attorney told reporters that there were no grounds for the arrest, saying it was an \"injustice.\"\n\nTemer, speaking to reporters in Sao Paulo, said he would turn himself in to authorities the following morning.\n\nTemer had been held for several days in March over charges related to the alleged nuclear scheme. (Reporting by Rodrigo Viga Gaier Writing by Jake Spring Editing by Leslie Adler)", "RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - A Brazilian court on Wednesday ordered that former President Michel Temer be jailed again over an ongoing investigation into allegations of corruption.\n\nTemer had been held for several days in March over charges in a corruption case involving nuclear power plant operator Eletronuclear before being released.", "Former Brazilian President Michel Temer on Thursday surrendered himself to the country's federal police, marking the second time he will be jailed on allegations that he participated in a vast corruption scheme for decades.\n\nTelevision images showed Temer leaving his home and going into the offices of Brazil's federal police in Sao Paulo.\n\nTemer, who was president until late 2018, was first jailed in March but released days after. He has repeatedly denied the corruption charges against him.\n\nHis lawyers have filed an appeal against the latest arrest order.\n\nAs part of Brazil's sprawling 'Car Wash' anti-corruption probe, prosecutors have alleged that Temer received bribes that were diverted from resources meant for a Brazilian nuclear power facility and have accused him of heading a 'criminal organization.' Temer took office in 2016 following the impeachment of leftwing President Dilma Rousseff, whom he served as vice president for six years.", "RIO DE JANEIRO May 8 (Reuters) - A Brazilian court on Wednesday ordered that former President Michel Temer be jailed again over an ongoing investigation into allegations of corruption.\n\nTemer has been charged six times in connection with various corruption investigations. The court decision on Wednesday relates to an alleged corruption scheme involving a nuclear power plant operated by Eletronuclear, a subsidiary of state-run Centrais Eletricas Brasileiras SA.", "SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Former Brazilian President Michel Temer on Thursday surrendered himself to the country's federal police, marking the second time he will be jailed on allegations that he participated in a vast corruption scheme for decades.\n\nTelevision images showed Temer leaving his home and going into the offices of Brazil's federal police in Sao Paulo.\n\nTemer, who was president until late 2018, was first jailed in March but released days after. He has repeatedly denied the corruption charges against him.\n\nHis lawyers have filed an appeal against the latest arrest order.\n\nAs part of Brazil's sprawling 'Car Wash' anti-corruption probe, prosecutors have alleged that Temer received bribes that were diverted from resources meant for a Brazilian nuclear power facility and have accused him of heading a 'criminal organization.'\n\nTemer took office in 2016 following the impeachment of leftwing President Dilma Rousseff, whom he served as vice president for six years.\n\nThis story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.\n\nYour guide to the latest election news, analysis, commentary, live updates and schedule for Lok Sabha Elections 2019 on firstpost.com/elections. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram or like our Facebook page for updates from all 543 constituencies for the upcoming general elections.", "Brazil ex-President Temer turns himself in on corruption charges\n\nAl Jazeera– Brazil ex-President Temer has turned himself in on corruption charges.\n\n It’s the second time Michel Temer will be jailed on allegations that he participated in a vast corruption scheme. He was arrested for a second time on corruption charges yesterday, facing renewed scrutiny in a sprawling corruption probe that has ensnared top politicians and businessmen.\n\n Temer, 78, is now at the headquarters of the federal police in Sao Paulo, but it was not immediately clear where he would spend the night, a decision that must be taken by a judge.\n\n On Wednesday, a federal judge ordered the former president to return to jail while he’s investigated in several cases of alleged corruption related to the Car Wash investigation, a far-reaching probe that has roiled Latin America’s largest nation.\n\n According to the prosecutors, construction company Engevix paid Temer bribes in exchange for a contract to build a nuclear power plant in the city of Angra dos Reis in the southern part of Rio de Janeiro state.\n\n Prosecutors alleged in a previous statement that one Engevix executive said in plea bargain testimony that he paid more than $300,000 in 2014 to a company owned by a close Temer associate, Joao Baptista Lima Filho. An arrest warrant was also issued for Lima Filho.\n\n Temer was first arrested in March but freed on appeal five days later by a judge who argued he did not pose a risk to the ongoing investigation.\n\n Temer’s lawyer, Eduardo Carnelos, has criticised the court’s latest decision, calling the former president’s detention an “injustice” with “no foundations”.\n\n Temer’s lawyers filed an appeal against the latest order. Temer has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. The Car Wash probe, launched in 2014, unveiled complex corruption schemes of money laundering and kickbacks among the highest echelons of power. Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who was president of Brazil from 2003 to 2010, is currently serving a sentence of eight years and 10 months.\n\n Temer became president in 2016 after ex-President Dilma Rousseff was impeached and removed from office for allegedly violating rules on handling federal finances.\n\n Temer’s administration was clouded by corruption allegations and prosecutors charged him with corruption on three occasions. But Congress’s lower house never gave its consent to lifting his immunity from prosecution, which Brazil’s sitting presidents have.\n\n His immunity ended when he left office January 1.\n\n SOURCE: AP NEWS AGENCY", "Former Brazilian president Temer ordered to return to jail\n\nFormer President Michel Temer was ordered to return to jail by a federal judge on Wednesday while he is investigated in several cases of alleged corruption. Temer’s lawyer, Eduardo Carnelos, told Globo Television that he could only “lament” the court’s decision. He said Temer would have to present himself to authorities Thursday.\n\n“I consider this to be an injustice. My understanding is that there are no foundations for this detention,” Carnelos said.\n\nTemer, 78, was jailed for a few days in March but then freed. He is being investigated as part of the sprawling “Car Wash” corruption probe that has ensnared many of Brazil’s top politicians and business leaders. He denies any wrongdoing.\n\nTemer became president in 2016 after President Dilma Rousseff was impeached and removed from office for allegedly violating rules on handling federal finances.\n\nHis administration was clouded by corruption allegations, and prosecutors charged him with corruption on three occasions. But Congress’ lower house never gave its consent to lifting Temer’s immunity from prosecution, which Brazil’s sitting presidents have. His immunity ended when he left office Jan. 1.", "SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Former Brazilian President Michel Temer on Thursday surrendered himself to the country's federal police, marking the second time he will be jailed on allegations that he participated in a vast corruption scheme for decades.\n\nTelevision images showed Temer leaving his home in Sao Paulo and going into the offices of Brazil's federal police there. On Wednesday, when the arrest warrant was issued, his attorney decried the decision and said it was an \"injustice.\"\n\nHis lawyers had filed an appeal before his arrest that will be heard on Tuesday.\n\nTemer, 78, led Brazil between 2016 and the end of 2018 following the impeachment of left-wing President Dilma Rousseff, under whom he served as vice president for six years. He was first jailed in March and held in a Rio de Janeiro facility, but was released a few days later.\n\nAs part of Brazil's sprawling 'Car Wash' anti-corruption probe, prosecutors allege that Temer led a \"criminal organization\" that took 1.8 billion reais ($455.52 million) in bribes, including kickbacks that were promised but have yet to be paid.\n\nOne of the schemes allegedly involved bribes that were from funds diverted from a nuclear power facility operated by a subsidiary of state-run Centrais Eletricas Brasileiras SA.\n\nWhile those allegations have led to the current arrest warrant, Temer has been charged six times overall in connection with different corruption investigations.\n\nMore than 150 politicians and businessmen have been convicted in connection with the \"Car Wash\" investigation, including left-wing ex-President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who has been in prison since last year.\n\nThis story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.\n\nYour guide to the latest election news, analysis, commentary, live updates and schedule for Lok Sabha Elections 2019 on firstpost.com/elections. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram or like our Facebook page for updates from all 543 constituencies for the upcoming general elections."], "summary": "Former Brazilian President Michel Temer surrenders to the federal police in response to Wednesday's arrest warrant regarding an investigation into an alleged corruption scheme involving an Eletrobras nuclear power plant. Temer's lawyer's appeal will be heard on Tuesday."}
{"document": ["The House voted Thursday to overturn one of President Trump Donald John TrumpTrump administration unveils new executive order on counterterrorism sanctions GOP lawmaker calls for investigation into CNN spy story GOP senators say Trump deserves compatible national security adviser after Bolton firing MORE’s key ObamaCare moves, advancing a bill that Democrats have framed as protecting people with pre-existing conditions.\n\nPassed in a largely party-line vote of 230-183, the bill seeks to overturn guidance the Trump administration released last year expanding a program that allows states to innovate and waive certain ObamaCare rules.\n\nADVERTISEMENT\n\nRepublicans argued that Democrats were simply trying to score political points with a bill that did not actually add new protections for people with preexisting conditions. Democrats, meanwhile, said that the legislation was needed to fight Trump’s efforts to weaken the health law’s current protections for those with preexisting conditions.\n\nFour Republicans voted with Democrats for the bill, including Reps. John Katko John Michael KatkoHillicon Valley: Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey's account hacked | Google found iPhone security bug | YouTube reportedly to pay up to 0M to settle child privacy investigation | DNC expected to nix Iowa virtual caucus plans Key Republican lawmaker introduces legislation to defend state, local governments against cyberattacks Republicans should get behind the 28th Amendment MORE (N.Y) and Brian Fitzpatrick Brian K. FitzpatrickHouse Democrats targeting six more Trump districts for 2020 Ensuring quality health care for those with intellectual disabilities and autism House Democrats target 2020 GOP incumbents in new ad MORE (Pa.), who face potentially tough reelection races next year, and Reps. Jim Sensenbrenner (Wis.) and Chris Smith Christopher (Chris) Henry SmithRepublicans plot comeback in New Jersey The 9 House Republicans who support background checks The Hill's Morning Report: Trump walks back from 'send her back' chants MORE (N.J.).\n\nDemocrats have put forward a range of bills they frame as protecting people with preexisting conditions, looking to hammer Republicans on an issue that helped Democrats win back the House last year.\n\nDemocrats say the move announced by the Trump administration last year allows states to cast aside important protections under ObamaCare.\n\nFor example, the new guidance would allow ObamaCare subsidies to be used to buy cheaper plans, which Democrats deride as “junk” plans, that do not have to cover preexisting conditions.\n\n“This legislation should not be necessary, but unfortunately the Trump Administration continues to take actions that undermine the health care of millions of Americans, including the more than 133 million people with pre-existing conditions,” said House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone Jr. Frank Joseph PallonePush on 'surprise' medical bills hits new roadblocks Overnight Health Care: Insurance lobby chief calls Biden, Sanders health plans 'similarly bad' | Trump officials appeal drug price disclosure ruling | Study finds 1 in 7 people ration diabetes medicine due to cost House Democratic chairman launches probe of e-cigarette makers MORE (D-N.J.).\n\nRepublicans, though, said the Trump administration’s action was simply giving states more flexibility.\n\n“They claim their agenda is ‘for the people,’” said Rep. Greg Walden Gregory (Greg) Paul WaldenWave of GOP retirements threatens 2020 comeback Push on 'surprise' medical bills hits new roadblocks Innovation for the climate through innovative policy MORE (Ore.), the top Republican on the Energy and Commerce Committee. “Well, this bill is ‘for the politics.’”\n\n“Let me be very clear: This bill has nothing to do with protecting Americans with preexisting conditions,” he added. “This bill has everything to do with eliminating health care options and choices for states.”\n\nThe bill is not expected to go anywhere in the Republican-controlled Senate.\n\nThe House will vote on additional health care legislation next week that includes measures to overturn the Trump administration’s expansion of cheaper, skimpier insurance plans and to provide funding for enrollment outreach efforts that Trump slashed.", "WASHINGTON – House Democrats began making good on their campaign promise to shore up the Affordable Care Act Thursday, passing a bill that would bar the Trump administration from granting states some waivers to the landmark health-care law.\n\nNext week, the House will vote on a package of seven health-care bills, several of which would reverse administration actions that Democrats have described as efforts to sabotage former president Barack Obama’s signature domestic achievement.\n\nThe votes come as President Donald Trump recently renewed his vow to repeal the 2010 law and directed the Justice Department to intervene in a lawsuit aimed at invalidating the law entirely – including its popular protections for Americans with preexisting medical conditions.\n\nTrump has vowed to run on health care and has said his campaign would present a plan to voters. Republicans, however, have failed to come with an alternative to the law and there is no GOP effort in Congress to craft a replacement.\n\nNone of the House bills approach anything near the kind of massive expansion of government-run health care that a number of liberal Democrats are now advocating, including several of the 2020 presidential candidates. Instead, under Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., House leaders are pursuing a measured strategy aimed at highlighting Democrats’ efforts to protect coverage for people with preexisting conditions without wading into the murky political waters of a Medicare-for-all-type plan.\n\n“We invite it to be very bipartisan – send it to the Senate, and hope that the president of the United States, who says he supports [benefits for people with] preexisting conditions, signs it into law as soon as possible,” said Pelosi.\n\nThat appears to be a pipe dream. Though there was a faint glimmer of potential cooperation Thursday on a White House proposal to end certain surprise hospital bills not covered by insurance plans, the Democratic health care bills have sparse Republican support and none are expected to get consideration in the GOP-controlled Senate.\n\nThe Trump administration and GOP lawmakers have defended the expanded ACA waivers as a way to allow states to lower insurance prices. But Democrats say the practical effect will be to allow the sale of less comprehensive plans that could leave Americans vulnerable to coverage gaps.\n\nThe House passed the bill blocking the waivers, 230-183, with four Republicans joining all Democrats.\n\nHouse Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone Jr., D-N.J., said during debate Thursday that the short-term plans allowed under the administration waivers would undermine the viability of the more-comprehensive plans than many Americans with preexisting conditions rely on.\n\n“The administration is giving insurers the green light to directly discriminate against people with preexisting conditions,” Pallone said. “It’s giving the green light for these plans to charge people with preexisting conditions more money. And it’s giving these plans the green light to refuse to cover any treatment that is related to someone’s preexisting condition.”\n\nRepublicans disputed that characterization Thursday, saying that despite the bill’s name – the Protecting Americans with Preexisting Conditions Act – the waivers it targets would not erode those protections. They argued that the administration could not waive the ACA’s provisions mandating that insurers sell policies to those with preexisting conditions.\n\n“The misleading title of this bill confirms the Democratic majority position is to score political points instead of governing,” said Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore. “They claim their agenda is for the people. Well, this bill is for the politics.”\n\nDemocrats retorted that, under the Trump waivers, Americans with preexisting conditions could be forced into an untenable choice: “Either stay in your ACA plan and see your premiums rise as healthy people move to cheaper, junk insurance,” said Rep. Tom Malinowski, D-N.J. “Or sign up for a junk plan yourself and risk getting gouged when the services you need aren’t covered. You end up with a two-tier health care system in America – one for healthy people, and one for sick people.”\n\nThe package of bills set for a vote next week includes some bipartisan bills aimed at streamlining the introduction of generic drugs in a bid to lower pharmaceutical costs. But it also includes more bills that seek to directly overturn administration health care moves.\n\nOne would reverse cuts to outreach and enrollment funding that was included as part of the ACA to help Americans as they sign up for health care through marketplaces or other government programs. Another would shore up the ACA’s navigator program, which provide grants to independent outside groups to help Americans enroll in insurance plans. A third would undo other administrative moves to allow for more of the loosely regulated short-term plans that many Democrats deride as “junk” insurance.\n\nThe most glaring threat to the ACA, however, is the pending lawsuit filed by Texas and 17 other GOP-led states. While the federal government is the defendant in that suit, the Justice Department earlier this year joined the plaintiffs instead in arguing the ACA is wholly unconstitutional and should be invalidated. Sixteen states and the District of Columbia have filed to defend the lawsuit.\n\nThe U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit on Thursday tentatively set oral arguments in the case for July 8, keeping it on track to remain a live issue throughout the 2020 presidential and congressional campaigns.\n\nHouse Democrats voted last month on a resolution condemning the administration’s support for the lawsuit. In January, the House voted to authorize its lawyer to intervene in the lawsuit in support of the ACA.\n\nMeanwhile, on the presidential campaign trail, Democratic candidates have largely moved to the left. While some have embraced the Medicare-for-all paradigm, including the possible end of private insurance, even centrist candidates have called for a “public option” that would be offered alongside private insurance plans – expanding the ACA well beyond its initial bounds.", "A lot of the polling on the Affordable Care Act has had wording that's slanted toward one side or another. McClatchy's new poll seems admirably clean, offering four options: repeal the bill, amend it so that it does less, keep it, or amend it so that it does more. The latter two options have the majority:\n\nAs per usual, people strongly favor most of the provisions but oppose the parts (like the individual mandate) that are needed to make the popular stuff work.", "It’s REALLY hard to get Jubal to care about anything… Yet, we still ask, “To care, or not to care”? The hosts decide whether they CARE or DON’T CARE about all kinds of weird topics. If the majority votes that they care, we’ll hear the story… And Jubal who doesn’t care about anything is forced to listen.", "Throughout the country, access to reproductive health care is under unprecedented attacks in state legislatures, threatening to block care for millions of women. Several states have passed bans on abortion before many people know they are pregnant. And with Brett Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court and Donald Trump in the White House, abortion access is on the line more than ever before.\n\nThe good news is that in Illinois, our legislators can act now to ensure abortion access is protected. The Reproductive Health Act would expand access to care, making our state the most progressive in the nation in terms of access to reproductive health care. Our legislators, like Rep. Jay Hoffman, campaigned on protecting women’s access to health care. Now, they need to keep their promises and pass the Reproductive Health Act. We can’t afford to wait.", "On this extremely hot summer day, the ear-splitting siren screaming through New York’s streets is coming from the ambulance I’m in—on a gurney on my way to the ER. That only makes the siren, loud as it is, all the more alarming.\n\nI fell. The pain, its location, and intensity, suggests I’ve probably broken my hip.\n\nThe kind face of the emergency medical technician hovering above me asks questions softly and I confess that I’m in terrible pain. Other gentle hands are busy taking blood pressure and doing oxygen counts. These EMT workers, employees of the Fire Department, are good at what they do.\n\nAt the ER entrance, the gurney’s lifted out of the vehicle, wheels are dropped, and it’s rolled inside. Under a ceiling of bright white lights, it passes—and so I pass—one cubicle after another. I catch bits of voices, speaking in several languages.\n\nMy friend, who’s come with me to the ER, roots around in my purse for my insurance and then heads for the admissions office. Alone, I close my eyes to shut out the glare of the ceiling lights. I want one thing: relief from the pain. Oblivion would even be more appreciated.\n\nMy friend returns to my cubicle and asks, “Is this the only insurance you have?” I panic. Will they not accept me? But they have to! It’s the ER! That’s the reassurance I offer myself and then I tell her, “Yes, it’s all I have.”\n\nShe looks doubtful. “What?” I ask desperately. “What?”\n\n“Don’t you have some kind of supplemental?” And she begins to try to explain, but I can’t deal with this right now. All I want is relief from the pain. Any other moment, I’d worry about the money, but not now. I can’t! Instead, simply to remain half-calm, I remind myself that I have insurance, that I have a health-maintenance organization, or HMO, a plan that offers a wide range of health-care services through a network of providers who agree to work with members.\n\nAfter vital signs are taken, I’m moved to a hospital room and given pain meds that don’t offer oblivion, but do help. There, I learn what the X-rays show: a hip fracture. Surgery necessary. Operating rooms all taken. It may be two days before they can operate, the orthopedic surgeon tells me. My friend whispers that every extra day in the hospital will cost a mint. She then appeals to the staff to expedite the surgery. They can’t.\n\nAt that moment, I don’t care if the hospital costs a million dollars a day, I just want to get better. However, I, too, want the surgery to happen, within the hour if possible, since my leg is now frozen in a distinctly awkward position, thanks to the way I fell, and I realize that it won’t be straight until the operation’s over.\n\nTwo days later, after successful surgery, I develop an infection, pneumonia, and the days in the hospital begin multiplying into weeks. My doctors are so busy they can only visit once a day, if that, but the nurses, well… they’re the healers, the angels, though they themselves are desperately overworked.\n\nEveryone’s so busy here. Hospitals have grown larger than ever in recent years as they’ve swallowed smaller hospitals and medical-treatment centers. Given the overworked nature of the staff, I hire a health-care aide to be with me several hours a day. My friend tells me that insurance won’t pick up this expense either, but I can’t worry about that now. I simply need to heal.\n\nFinally, I’m discharged to months of physical therapy, three times a week. Fortunately, the therapy practice takes my insurance (not always a given). But on that first visit (as on every visit thereafter), they run my Visa card through their machine and I get charged a $40 co-pay. There’s nothing I can do about it. After all, my goal is to get back on my feet, literally as well as metaphorically. Still, that’s $120 a week for 16 weeks and so my out-of-pocket patient expenses begin to add up.\n\nBack at home to recuperate, I find a stack of unopened mail, including notices from my insurance company alerting me to the bills that are to follow. Soon enough, they begin to arrive. They include out-of-pocket patient costs for the ambulance, the hospital, doctors, tests of all sorts, drugs of all sorts, and sundry other services. Those bills list both what insurance has paid for each service and the amount of money that I still owe.\n\nAnd here I experience what must be common to so many Americans. I’m surprised and distressed to learn how much of the cost my insurance doesn’t pick up. The surgery, for instance, was $72,000, but my insurance only covers $67,000 of it. The other $5,000 is my co-pay. Add in the co-pays for everything from that ambulance to other medical services, and my costs come to almost $13,000.\n\nI’m sharing my recent journey as a cautionary tale. And, yet, what am I warning against? That we are all somewhat powerless when sickness strikes, but that those of us who aren’t wealthy suffer so much more. The thought of being without insurance is frightening indeed, yet in our present system we pay in so many ways for the existence of those insurance companies. We pay in co-pay; we pay in not getting treatment we need if insurance deems it unnecessary (no matter what your doctor says); we pay yearly out-of-pocket fees whether we’re 20 or 80 years old. (For Medicare patients, a monthly payment comes out of Social Security.) For most American families with insurance, whether workplace-based or individually purchased, premiums go up regularly, if not annually. At present, we have no alternative to the existing health-insurance system, yet it is actually failing us all in so many ways.\n\nWhat do you do when sickness occurs, if you aren’t rich? Suffer the illness, for sure, and then suffer the out-of-pocket costs afterward. And keep in mind that tens of millions of Americans under age 65 don’t have any health insurance at all. (In the age of Trump, in fact, those numbers are on the rise.) Moreover, the persistent growth of income inequality to Gilded Age levels has had a decided effect on the health of many Americans. For low-paid wage workers, the unemployed, and/or undocumented immigrants, getting sick or having any kind of medical mishap is a disaster of the first order. For them, paying out-of-pocket costs of any sort may simply be impossible, which means that they will often do without medical treatment or even medicine. To put this in perspective, 40% of Americans can’t afford an extra $400 even in a medical emergency. Imagine what $5,000 or $10,000 in expenses means!\n\nAfter an illness, accident, or chronic disease hits, a startling number of those of us with health insurance find that we have to choose between paying for daily needs and paying our medical bills. Such expenses leave people even more impoverished and often in debt, which is tantamount to remaining unhealthy.\n\nFor the poor, Medicaid, the government program that helps those with limited or no incomes, can make a major difference, but many people don’t have Medicaid because their states don’t readily offer it. Even where it’s more easily available, many with incomes not much above the poverty line don’t qualify for it. And as Elizabeth Yuko pointed out in The New York Times recently, “Even if you are fortunate enough to have health insurance, that doesn’t mean that all of the members of your medical team—which may include out-of-network specialists—are covered by your plan.”\n\nAs I learned with my fractured hip, someone who is in great pain or out of it for any number of physical reasons can’t be expected to focus on that future bill. And even if you could, who would want to cancel any of the services needed to heal?\n\nThough Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare, helped significantly, there are still far too many people who will have to agonize over how to manage both an illness and the co-pays that go with it. Meanwhile, of course, the Trump administration and congressional Republicans are working overtime to undermine Obamacare and deprive ever more Americans of any sense of a medical safety net.\n\nWhat Medicare for All Would Mean\n\nAll the talk about making insurance affordable, under the present medical circumstances in this country, adds up to just so many wasted words. Unless something changes big time, insurance companies will continue to sell us their services at ever-higher prices because we can’t do without them. Since we lack alternatives, they remain indispensable. The result: Out-of-pocket costs will continue to rise, no matter what any politician promises. And if the Republicans in Congress were ever to succeed in doing away even with Obamacare, the services that insurance companies now provide would no longer be guaranteed. What then?\n\nWith a single-payer system, whether called Medicare for All or universal health care, everyone would be able to access health care; health would, that is, become a right. Most likely, such programs would be covered by a tax increase, yet they would cost each person so much less than what is now being paid out to insurance companies. With single payer or Medicare for All, there would be no more co-pays, no more premiums, no more refusals of non-doctors to pay for services recommended by medical specialists, no more bills arriving at a patient’s house.\n\nUnderstandably, some might be reluctant to part with a familiar health-care system, however flawed, in exchange for a new but untested universal program. Yet once implemented, any version of Medicare for All would be likely to cost less, be so much simpler to access, and ultimately save lives.\n\nThe present Medicare system is a good indicator of not only what’s possible, but of the ways in which health care can serve people’s needs. However, Medicare is offered only to those who are over 65. Nevertheless, Medicare and Medicaid prove the positive. Those programs work well for the elderly and the poor. Even with Medicare, however, insurance companies continue to handle many aspects of your services, should you opt for a Medicare Advantage plan (an all-in-one alternative to original Medicare), in which co-pays and other costs are still the patient’s responsibility.\n\nAccording to Open Secrets, insurance companies, Big Pharma, and hospitals spent a staggering $143 million in 2018 alone in their lobbying efforts against any future Medicare for All plan. Nonetheless, as the National Nurses United association has pointed out: “There has never been this much public support and momentum for Medicare for All. Eighty-five percent of democratic voters and 70% of all voters support it.” With significant administrative setups already in place, thanks to Medicare and Medicaid, the expansion of those health systems to include everyone seems doable; nor is it hard to imagine that many of the workers now employed by insurance companies would be able to shift to working for an expanding single-payer or Medicare for All program.\n\nTruly decent health care is a necessity for a society in which people do more than just survive. Health is not a negotiable matter. You can decide not to buy a new coat and so shiver through another winter, but you really can’t decide to ignore sickness, disease, broken bones, or chronic illness, all of which can put lives on the line. How can any society function properly without health care available to all? How can any society survive in a reasonably decent way when so many millions of people are left with the choice of either being impoverished by illness or living with an otherwise treatable one?\n\nHealth care should be as much of a right as public education—the right to educate all children, that is—which was only won after its own set of lengthy struggles. After all, who can now imagine making all Americans pay for the first 12 years of schooling? Yes, we know that there are people wealthy enough to pay for whatever kind of education and health care they want, but they are hardly the majority of Americans.\n\nGood health care must not only be affordable, but also provide easy access to medical services—to better nutrition, a healthier environment, and greater longevity. In this context, Medicare for All would be a literal lifesaver.\n\nFinally, good health care is peace of mind, which, at present, our system does not deliver. In my case, the cost of recovery was far too high.", "Rents have been rising for almost a decade, going up faster than incomes. If you are a renter, we’d like to hear how rising rents are affecting you.\n\nIs your rent affordable? Have you had to cut back on essentials like food, clothing, medicine, medical care or dental care to pay the rent? Have you been forced to move to find cheaper housing? What are your plans for the future?\n\nPlease take our short survey to share your experiences. Your responses will help the Southern California News Group with our rental market coverage. Click here to take the survey: https://bit.ly/2vSJuIq", "WASHINGTON, D.C., May 10, 2019 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — Author Paul Orwell’s new book “Total Sh*t Donald Trump” (ISBN: 978-1733807302; ppb; Oceania Press) released today on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple and many other platforms, makes the case that the president is, in a sense, “the physical embodiment of our nation’s collective excrement” and that “we citizens have a duty to flush it, not just shovel it.”\n\n\n\n While Orwell acknowledges that Trump is consistently inconsistent unlike any other President before him, he asserts that Trump is a conscious, committed and unapologetic turd.\n• Hundreds of phrases of Trumpspeak in a “sh*ttery” at the back of the book. “Trumpspeak” is POTUS 45’s version of Newspeak from namesake George Orwell’s book “1984.”\n• Reasons why many Americans think the President’s sh*t doesn’t stink. Not a matter of olfactory glands but a matter of mental avoidance, delusion and the collective suspension of disbelief.\n• Advice to all Americans as to how to help evacuate Trump from the American body. A simple step remedy is described, which would make a timely and effective laxative for the U.S.A.\n\n“The general public is not as comfortable as Don is in the land of lying, litigation, exaggeration and misinformation, which gave Trump great advantage through the election,” says author Paul Orwell. “But in November 2020 the electorate will have a chance to get toilet plungers out and give politicians their quadrennial cleaning at the ballot box.”\n\nLand of the Free:\n\n “Total Sh*t Donald Trump” is published by Oceania Press today as a free eBook at https://pr.bookfunnel.com/gqcknk.\n\nAvailable in Print:\n\n The book is available for purchase for $5.95 in paperback from major booksellers; and available in Kindle and print at Amazon at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07QMSX3WD. It contains 82 pages.\n\nPaul Orwell is the author of “Total Sh*t: Donald Trump,” a satirical essay about our president that uses “sh*t” as a metaphor to describe Trump, and the book “SAD! Donald ‘Biff’ Trump Is President,” which catalogs the striking similarities between Donald Trump and the bully Biff Tannen from “Back to the Future II.”\n\nOrwell is a businessman and writer living in Washington, D.C. who believes that Dirty Don is soiling America and that regular Republicans and Democrats have much more in common than Big Media wants them to believe. He fervently hopes that once the “Trumpster fire” has been extinguished, America can heal again.\n\nThis press release was issued by Send2Press® Newswire on behalf of the news source, who is solely responsible for its accuracy. www.send2press.com.", "Nevada’s freshman Democratic senator makes a powerful pitch for Congress to take immediate action to defend the constitutionality of the remaining parts of Obamacare.\n\nWASHINGTON — Nevada Democrat Jacky Rosen used her first Senate floor speech Thursday to make a powerful pitch for Congress to take immediate legislative action to defend the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act.\n\n“Nevadans sent me here to protect their health care,” Rosen said. “That’s what I’m going to do. That’s what I’m going to continue to do.”\n\nOne of the first bills Rosen introduced after joining the Senate in January was legislation with Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., to have Senate lawyers represent the chamber in a Texas lawsuit challenging the pre-existing condition clause in the ACA.\n\nRosen was instrumental in a similar effort in the House last session. That bill was refiled and approved this year after Democrats took control of the House.\n\nThe Senate version filed by Rosen faces an uphill battle.\n\nSenate Republicans in 2017 came just two votes short of passing legislation that would have repealed the health care act, commonly referred to as Obamacare.\n\nRosen, in her floor speech, took the extraordinary step of asking for unanimous consent of the Senate to take up the bill. It died on an objection raised by Senate Majority Whip John Thune, R-S.D.\n\nAs one of the Senate’s newest members, Rosen supports the ACA but also is seeking to keep intact provisions that allowed roughly 230,000 Nevadans to gain health care coverage through the Medicaid expansion.\n\nIn her speech, she also urged lawmakers to protect insurance coverage for those with pre-existing health conditions, shield those who could lose access to care if ACA provisions are eliminated and allow children to stay on their parent’s policies until age 26.\n\nA former synagogue president, Rosen was elected to the House in 2016 and was successful in her Senate bid in 2018, defeating Republican incumbent Dean Heller in a midterm election where health care was a major issue and Democrats made gains in the House, governorships and state legislatures.\n\nRepublicans, however, kept control of the U.S. Senate and picked up one seat for a 53-47 majority, which includes two independents who caucus with Democrats.\n\nIn the speech, Rosen also championed clean energy, noting Nevada’s success in solar energy and the potential for jobs for veterans in that growing industry.\n\nRosen also spoke in favor programs for immigrants, including the DREAM Act, a program that provides residency status for children brought into this country illegally as minors, and the Temporary Protection Status for immigrants from countries granted protected status for humanitarian reasons.\n\n“In Nevada, we come together from every background and walk of life to make cities that shine from out of the desert,” Rosen said. “Our diversity truly captures who we are.”\n\nRosen also is active in opposing Senate efforts to revive licensing proceedings on a Department of Energy application to permanently store nuclear waste in the desert just 90 miles northwest of Las Vegas.\n\n“If there’s any issue that threatens Nevada’s beautiful landscapes and the people who call our state home, it’s Yucca Mountain,” Rosen said. “Mark my words, Nevadans’ voices matter. We do not consent to this ill-conceived project — not now, not ever.”\n\nContact Gary Martin at gmartin@reviewjournal.com or 202-662-7390. Follow @garymartindc on Twitter.", "The Trump administration is arguing in court that the entire Affordable Care Act should be struck down as unconstitutional. (Reuters)"], "summary": "The United States House of Representatives votes to overturn President Donald Trump’s move on the Affordable Care Act."}
{"document": ["Image copyright EPA Image caption Mr Zambrano's car was towed by Sebin agents with him inside\n\nThe deputy of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó has been detained by the country's intelligence services.\n\nEdgar Zambrano, vice-president of the National Assembly, refused to leave his car when approached, and as a result he and his car were towed to prison.\n\nIt is the first arrest of a senior opposition figure since attempts to spark a military rebellion against President Nicolás Maduro last week.\n\nMr Guaidó is recognised as \"interim president\" by more than 50 nations.\n\nWhat happened?\n\nDemocratic Action party leader Carlos Prosperi told reporters that he had been at a party meeting with Mr Zambrano in the capital Caracas moments before the latter was arrested by agents from Venezuela's Bolivarian Intelligence Service (Sebin).\n\n\"The vehicle was surrounded,\" he said. \"They [Sebin agents] wouldn't allow us to get to him. They brought a tow truck and his vehicle was towed away.\"\n\nVenezuelan online television channel VPI posted footage of the moment Mr Zambrano was towed on Twitter.\n\nMr Prosperi said that he believes Mr Zambrano was taken to El Helicoide, a notorious prison in the centre of the city.\n\n\"We don't know anything about what physical condition he's in and we don't know what is happening at El Helicoide at the moment,\" he said.\n\nWhat's the background?\n\nThe arrest comes a day after Venezuela's Supreme Court ordered that Mr Zambrano and six other National Assembly deputies be charged with treason for their alleged participation in the failed military uprising.\n\nRead more about Venezuela's crisis:\n\nThe court asked the National Constituent Assembly (ANC), a body convened by President Maduro and made up exclusively of his supporters, to lift the parliamentary immunity of the lawmakers, which the ANC promptly did.\n\nSince then, three more opposition lawmakers have been charged and their immunity is expected to be lifted within days.\n\nThey are: Freddy Superlano of the Democratic Action party, Sergio Vergara and Juan Andrés Mejía, who both represent the Popular Will party.\n\nWhat reaction has there been?\n\nMr Guaidó called Mr Zambrano's arrest - in particular the towing of his car - \"absurd\" in a tweet he posted shortly after the incident.\n\nThere was also swift reaction from the officials from the US, a country which has been one of the strongest supporters of Mr Guaidó.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Venezuela crisis: The four countries interested in the presidential battle\n\nOn the Twitter account of its \"virtual\" embassy in Caracas - the embassy closed in March amid growing tensions - the US called the detention \"illegal and inexcusable\" and warned that if he was not released immediately, there would be consequences. However, the tweet did not spell out what those consequences would be.\n\nThe EU said Mr Zambrano's arrest was \"another fragrant violation\" of Venezuela's constitution and described it as \"a politically motivated action aimed at silencing the National Assembly\".\n\nArgentina, Chile, Colombia and Peru have also called for Mr Zambrano's release.\n\nMeanwhile, the head of the National Constituent Assembly, Diosdado Cabello, boasted about the arrest on his TV show.\n\nTo the applause and loud cheers of government supporters, he mocked the lawmaker, saying that he would have to pay for the towing of his vehicle.\n\nEarlier Mr Cabello called Mr Zambrano \"one of the principal conspirators of the coup\" and said that he and his \"co-conspirators\" would have to \"pay before the courts for the failed coup that they have attempted\".\n\nHow did it come to this?\n\nMr Guaidó declared himself Venezuela's acting leader in January. As the head of the opposition-controlled National Assembly, he invoked the constitution to assume as the position of interim president, arguing that Mr Maduro's re-election last year was illegitimate.\n\nSince then, tension between those who support Mr Guaidó and those who back Mr Maduro has increased. The military is seen as holding the key to the balance of power.\n\nOn 30 April, in a video recorded near an air force base in Caracas, Mr Guaidó called on the military to help him oust President Maduro.\n\nMr Zambrano was one of the lawmakers seen in later footage talking to Mr Guaidó on a flyover near the air force base. Mr Cabello said that was \"enough to prove his involvement\".\n\nWhile a small group of uniformed men joined Mr Guaidó, the top brass of the military quickly declared its loyalty to President Maduro and the status quo was maintained.\n\nMr Guaidó has since told the BBC he would consider asking the US to stage a military intervention.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Self-declared interim president Juan Guaidó failed in a third attempt to oust Nicolás Maduro. What now?", "Venezuelan intelligence agents on Wednesday detained Edgar Zambrano, the deputy leader of the opposition-dominated National Assembly, for supporting an attempted uprising on April 30.\n\nZambrano, opposition leader and self-declared President Juan Guaido's deputy as National Assembly speaker, was detained by agents in Caracas for backing the failed April 30 military uprising against President Nicolas Maduro, which was orchestrated by Guaido.\n\n\"We warn the people of Venezuela and the international community: the regime has kidnapped the first vice president\" of the National Assembly, Guaido wrote in a Twitter post. \"They are trying to destroy the power representing all Venezuelans, but they will not achieve it.\"\n\nThe Constituent Assembly has said it would suspend the immunity of any lawmakers who backed the uprising, which sparked two days of clashes between security forces and protesters.\n\nAttorney General Tarek William Saab says the clashes left six people dead. Dozens more were injured and more than 233 were arrested.\n\nRead more: Venezuela: Coup or uprising? It depends on who you support\n\nWatch video 05:22 Share Venezuela's Guaido calls for uprising Send Facebook google+ Whatsapp Tumblr linkedin stumble Digg reddit Newsvine Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/3Hk6G Venezuela's Guaido calls for uprising\n\nTowed to prison\n\nParty head Carlos Prosperi said security forces towed Zambrano's car away while the lawmaker still inside.\n\nZambrano's exact whereabouts were unknown, but he tweeted that at 6:35 p.m. (2235 UTC) he left his party's headquarters and his car was surrounded by intelligence officers.\n\nHe wrote that he refused to leave the vehicle, which was subsequently towed with him inside it to the Helicoide, a government building in Caracas used for holding prisoners.\n\nOpposition lawmakers under investigation\n\nIn a separate case, Venezuela's Supreme Court indicted three more lawmakers for supporting Guaido's uprising.\n\nThe three lawmakers — named as Freddy Superlano, Sergio Vergara and Juan Andres Mejia — have been accused of high treason and conspiracy.\n\nTheir arrests come after a court announced the indictment of seven others on Tuesday.\n\nGuaido, who is recognized as Venezuela's interim president by more than 50 countries, was also stripped of his immunity on April 2.\n\nIn response to the first indictments on Tuesday, Guaido said in a speech that the government's \"only response ... is to persecute, because they no longer govern, because they no longer have command.\"\n\nWatch video 01:53 Share Venezuela's Lopez speaks out Send Facebook google+ Whatsapp Tumblr linkedin stumble Digg reddit Newsvine Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/3Hr88 Venezuelan opposition activist speaks out against Maduro\n\nlaw/sms (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)\n\nEach evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.", "Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó's deputy has been detained by the country's intelligence services.\n\nEdgar Zambrano, vice president of the National Assembly, refused to leave his car when approached, and as a result he and his car were towed to prison.\n\nIt is the first arrest of an opposition figure since attempts to spark a military rebellion against President Nicolás Maduro last week.\n\nMr Guaidó is recognised as \"interim president\" by more than 50 nations.\n\nDemocratic Action party leader Carlos Prosperi told reporters that he had been at a party meeting with Mr Zambrano in the capital Caracas moments before he was arrested by agents from Venezuela's Bolivarian Intelligence Service (Sebin).\n\n\"The vehicle was surrounded,\" he said. \"They [Sebin agents] wouldn't allow us to get to him. They brought a tow truck and his vehicle was towed away.\"\n\nHe added that they believe he was taken to El Helicoide, a notorious prison in the centre of the city.\n\n\"We don't know anything about what physical condition he's in and we don't know what is happening at El Helicoide at the moment,\" Mr Prosperi said.\n\nMr Guaidó also tweeted about the arrest, calling Mr Zambrano's arrest - in particular, the towing of his car - \"absurd\".\n\nThe arrest comes one day after Venezuela's Supreme Court ordered that Mr Zambrano and six other National Assembly deputies be charged with treason for their alleged participation in the failed military uprising.\n\n\"One of the principal conspirators of the coup has just been arrested,\" Diosdado Cabello, head of the pro-Maduro Constituent Assembly, told state TV. \"They will have to pay before the courts for the failed coup that they have attempted.\"\n\nWhat has happened since last week's clashes?\n\nOn 1 May, both pro and anti-government supporters held demonstrations in Caracas which were initially peaceful.\n\nBut there were soon reports of gunfire in the city, and a local NGO, the Venezuelan Observatory of Social Conflict, said Jurubith Rausseo, 27, had been shot dead during a rally in the opposition stronghold of Altamira.\n\nOn Tuesday, Mr Guaidó declared what he called the \"final phase\" of the operation to topple Mr Maduro. He posted a video of him with a number of men in uniform and said he had the support of \"brave soldiers\" in Caracas.\n\nHe urged Venezuelans to join them on the streets, and appeared alongside another opposition leader, Leopoldo López, who had been under house arrest after being found guilty of inciting violence during protests in 2014.\n\nFour people died in the clashes, including two teenagers, and another 46 people were injured.\n\nMr Guaidó declared himself Venezuela's interim leader in January. As the head of the opposition-controlled National Assembly, he invoked the constitution to assume an interim presidency, arguing that Mr Maduro's re-election last year was illegitimate.\n\nThe opposition leader, who is president of the National Assembly, has the support of more than 50 countries, including the US, UK and most Latin American nations.\n\nOn Sunday, he told the BBC that he would consider asking the US to stage a military intervention.\n\nBut Mr Maduro - who is backed by Russia, China and the leaders of Venezuela's military - has refused to cede power.", "Senior Opposition Leader Allied With Guaidó Is Arrested In Venezuela\n\nThe vice president of Venezuela's opposition-controlled National Assembly was arrested by intelligence agents Wednesday night in Caracas. The U.S. government warns that there will be consequences if he isn't released.\n\nEdgar Zambrano was in his car when he was surrounded by SEBIN intelligence agents. When he refused to leave car, agents used a truck to tow it with Zambrano inside to the SEBIN headquarters. The incident was tweeted by Zambrano as it happened.\n\nNeighbors watching shouted \"Assassins!\" as the agents towed him away, The Associated Press reports. The arrest came as President Nicolás Maduro was on live state television at the opening of an agricultural project.\n\nZambrano's detention is the first arrest of a lawmaker since the unsuccessful attempt last week by opposition leader Juan Guaidó to stage an uprising against Maduro's government. The government accuses Zambrano of being involved in that attempted uprising, NPR's Philip Reeves reports.\n\nOn state television, Diosdado Cabello, the head of the pro-Maduro Constituent Assembly, said that \"one of the principal conspirators of the coup\" had just been arrested. \"They will have to pay before the courts for the failed coup that they attempted,\" he said, according to Reuters.\n\nA day earlier, Constituent Assembly stripped Zambrano and six others of their parliamentary immunity – a move the opposition doesn't recognize, Reuters reports.\n\nGuaidó tweeted that \"the dictatorship has kidnapped\" the assembly's vice president. \"They've arrived at the absurd by towing his car with him inside, violating all the processes and displaying the authoritarianism to which they adhere.\"\n\nTensions are high after last week's attempted uprising failed to remove Maduro. So far, Maduro has held back from arresting Guaidó himself, as it would stir an international backlash. The U.S. quickly expressed its disapproval of Zambrano's arrest.\n\n\"The arbitrary detention of deputy @edgarzambranoad by the oppressive security forces of Maduro in Venezuela is illegal and inexcusable,\" The U.S. Embassy in Venezuela tweeted. \"Maduro and his accomplices are directly responsible for Zambrano's safety. If he is not released immediately, there will be consequences.\"\n\nThe Constituent Assembly stripped Guaidó's immunity in early April. The U.S. recognizes Guaidó, the head of the National Assembly, as the country's legitimate interim leader, and the Trump administration has made clear that his arrest would mark a serious escalation.", "Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó has said authorities working on the orders of the Maduro regime have “kidnapped” the vice president of the opposition-controlled National Assembly.\n\n“They are trying to break up the body that represents all Venezuelans, but they will not achieve it,” he tweeted.\n\nEdgar Zambrano, the assembly vice president, said on Twitter that agents from the Sebin intelligence agency had surprised him and, after he refused to get out of his vehicle, were using a tow truck to take him to the Sebin’s Caracas headquarters.\n\n“We Democrats will remain on war footing,” he said.\n\nThis is a developing news story, please check back for updates.", "\n• Venezuelan intelligence agents arrested the vice president of the opposition-led national assembly on Wednesday.\n• Authorities attempted to detain Edgar Zambrano as he drove out of the opposition party headquarters, but he refused to leave his car.\n• His car was then towed directly into a Caracas prison with him still inside.\n• The detention is part of a larger crackdown on opposition leaders who participated in last week’s failed military uprising.\n\nVenezuelan authorities arrested the vice president of the opposition-led national assembly on Wednesday – the first detention of a major opposition figure since last week’s failed military uprising against President Nicolás Maduro.\n\nEdgar Zambrano was leaving his party’s headquarters in Caracas when agents from the SEBIN intelligence agency stopped his car, the politician tweeted. After he refused to leave his vehicle, security forces towed him to the infamous Helicoide prison.\n\n“We democrats will keep fighting,” he said on Twitter.\n\nZambrano was among the high profile leaders who joined an attempted revolt against the socialist government last Tuesday, The Associated Press reported. He went to the Caracas bridge where opposition leader Juan Guaidó was calling for military defections, and thanked the small group of rebel soldiers who had changed allegiances.\n\nThe protest failed to spark any large scale defections.\n\nRead more: Protestors clash with the regime as the opposition struggles to oust Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro\n\nMaduro ally Diosdado Cabello confirmed on state television that Zambrano was arrested because of his involvement in the uprising.\n\n“He was one of the principal bosses behind the coup,” Cabello said to loud applause. “The tow truck got him.”\n\nGuaidó accused Maduro’s government of “kidnapping” his deputy, and undermining the people who voted opposition lawmakers into the national assembly. Guaidó and his supporters believe elections for other government bodies were rigged.\n\n“With these actions, the usurpers want to affect the only democratic institution legitimized by the popular vote,” Guaidó tweeted.\n\nThe US State Department said Zambrano’s detention was “illegal and inexcusable.”\n\n“If he is not freed immediately, there will be consequences,” the American embassy in Venezuela tweeted.\n\nWednesday’s arrest is part of a larger crackdown in response to the unsuccessful revolt.\n\nThe Constituent Assembly, stacked with Maduro loyalists, had already revoked parliamentary immunity from Zambrano and six other lawmakers so they could be prosecuted, The Guardian reported. The opposition does not recognize the decision.\n\nThe Maduro government also said it was investigating Zambrano and eight other opposition leaders for “betraying the homeland” and “instigating insurrection,” according to the AP.\n\nGuaidó believes he hasn’t been arrested yet because Maduro fears retaliation.\n\n“Because they’re scared. Those that try to spread or generate a perception of control are the ones that don’t have it,” Guaidó told CNN.\n\nThe US, Guaidó’s most important international backer, has already threatened military intervention in Venezuela if other avenues for Maduro’s removal do not succeed.", "The vice president of Venezuela’s opposition-run parliament was arrested by secret police in Caracas on Wednesday, the first arrest in an apparent crackdown on opposition leaders involved in a failed revolt against Nicolás Maduro last week.\n\nEdgar Zambrano reportedly refused to get out of his car when it was approached by intelligence agents. The car was towed, with him inside, to Caracas’ notorious El Helicoide prison, the reports.\n\nZambrano was reportedly on the scene when opposition leader Juan Guaidó, who declared himself the interim president of Venezuela in January, called on the military to revolt against Maduro. Mass protests ensued with supporters from both sides taking to the streets, but a large scale military defection failed to materialize.\n\n“Edgar Zambrano has been detained. He was one of the main [leaders] of the coup,” Maduro’s second-in-command, Diosdado Cabello, said on television, according to the\n\nGuaidó said on Twitter that Zombrano had been “kidnapped.”\n\nOpposition leaders and international officials also condemned the arrest.\n\n“The arbitrary detention of First VP Edgar Zambrano by Maduro’s oppressive security forces in Venezuela is illegal and inexcusable,” tweeted Kimberly Breier, Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs at the State Department.\n\nAt least 10 National Assembly officials are facing prosecution for crimes ranging from treason to civil rebellion for participating in the uprising, reports the .\n\nVenezuela has been locked in a political standoff since Guaidó, head of the National Assembly, declared himself the country’s interim president after Maduro, who was first elected President in 2013, was re-elected in 2018 in what many believe to be a sham election.\n\nThe U.S. and several other countries have recognized Guaidó as the legitimate leader of Venezuela.", "Caracas, Venezuela -- Security forces arrested the No. 2 leader of Venezuela's opposition-controlled congress Wednesday as President Nicolás Maduro's government began going after foes tied to a failed attempt to stir up a military uprising last week. National Assembly Vice President Edgar Zambrano was leaving his Democratic Action party's headquarters when he was surprised by a commando unit from the feared SEBIN intelligence agency that surrounded his car.\n\nA half hour later, the officers towed the vehicle away with the lawmaker still inside. At the same time, Maduro was speaking live on state TV inaugurating an agricultural project. Neighbors looking on shouted \"assassins\" as the heavily armed agents pulled away.\n\n\"We democrats we will keep fighting!\" Zambrano tweeted as he was hauled off.\n\nThe arrest was the first following the opposition's fizzled uprising that started early on April 30 outside a Caracas air base. It was led by Juan Guaidó, head of the National Assembly who is leading the U.S.-backed effort to end what he calls Maduro's dictatorship.\n• None Venezuelans suffer and starve as political crisis drags on\n\nZambrano, 63, was one of the first opposition leaders to answer Guaido's call for an insurrection, going to the bridge in Caracas where the opposition leader had appeared at dawn with a small cadre of soldiers ready to rebel against Maduro.\n\nOn the highway overpass, Zambrano embraced popular opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez, who broke house arrest to take part. Zambrano also thanked the handful of rebel National Guardsmen, who wore blue armbands as symbols of their allegiance to Guaidó's movement.\n\nA lawyer by training, Zambrano is seen as a conciliatory figure within the opposition who is close to Henry Ramos, the former head of congress who has been accused of taking part in an earlier alleged conspiracy to oust Maduro. He took up his role as Guaido's deputy as part of a power-sharing arrangement among the biggest parties.\n\nGovernment officials had announced that Zambrano and eight other opposition lawmakers faced investigation on charges of \"betraying the homeland\" and \"instigating an insurrection,\" for their roles in last week's unrest.\n\nTwo hours before his arrest, Zambrano had told The Associated Press in a phone interview that he was not going to hide because \"I have not committed any crime.\"\n\nGovernment supporters have been pushing Maduro to order arrests in the aftermath of the failed uprising, which is the closest the opposition has ever come to ousting the president. But analysts say there are limits to how far Maduro can crack down, and that any attempt to arrest Guaidó risks inviting a strong response from the U.S., which has warned of \"grave consequences\" should the opposition leader be harmed.\n\nEarlier Wednesday, Maduro and the head of Venezuela's top court rejected a U.S. threat to apply sanctions to all its judges. They accused the Trump administration of trying to manipulate the crisis-wracked nation's justice system and foment a coup.\n\nMaikel Moreno, president of the Supreme Tribunal of Justice, pushed back at comments by Vice President Mike Pence, who said the U.S. would extend sanctions to all members of the Venezuelan high court if they continued to be a \"political tool\" of Maduro.\n\n\"This unlawful, despicable and intolerable action violates the norms and principles of international law that govern relations between civilized nations,\" Moreno, a political ally of the Maduro, said in a nationally broadcast TV appearance. Moreno already faces U.S. sanctions.\n\nThere is little sign that tension will break between Maduro and Guaidó, who is backed by the United States and more than 50 other nations.\n\nGuaidó on Wednesday took to the streets of at least two coastal communities outside the capital, pushing to keep up the opposition's rejuvenated momentum. He met with supporters in his hometown of La Guaira and surrounding communities, where he was greeted by cheers, hugs and fist bumps.\n\nMore than 3 million Venezuelans have left their homeland in recent years amid skyrocketing inflation and severe shortages of food and medicine. Pence and other Trump administration officials blame Maduro's socialist policies and government mismanagement for Venezuela's economic crunch, warning that 2 million more people are expected to flee by the end of the year if the crisis continues.\n\nThe U.S. lifted sanctions on a top Venezuelan general who broke ranks with Maduro last week. Pence said the immediate lifting of financial sanctions for Gen. Manuel Figuera, who was Venezuela's spy chief, is intended to encourage others in the military to abandon their support for Maduro.\n\nFiguera was the sole regime insider to defy Maduro during the uprising, although the White House contends several others, including Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino, had been in talks for weeks with the opposition to oust Maduro but backed away from the plan at the last minute.\n\nOn Wednesday, Maduro discharged Figuera from service along with 55 other soldiers accused of taking part in Guaido's uprising.\n\nAmong them was National Guard Lt. Col. Illich Sanchez, who oversaw protection to the opposition-controlled National Assembly and accompanied Guaidó during the uprising last week.\n\nMaduro has fallen under increasing international pressure since winning a second six-year term in an election last May that critics say was rigged. Russia, China and Cuba, among other countries, support Maduro.\n\nMaduro says he is the target of a U.S.-engineered coup plot. He harshly criticized the Trump administration in his speech Wednesday, saying its offer to lift sanctions against members of the armed forces who turn against his government is an \"assault on their honor and dignity.\"\n\n\"Donald Trump is racist and surrounded by crazies,\" Maduro said.", "The vice president of Venezuela’s opposition-controlled National Assembly was detained by intelligence officers in the capital on Wednesday night, the latest sign of crackdown following a failed call for a military uprising against President Nicolás Maduro last week.\n\nThe vice president, Edgar Zambrano, was surrounded by intelligence officers after leaving his party’s headquarters in the capital, Caracas, he said on Twitter. He was towed away in his car after refusing to leave his vehicle, according to Mr. Zambrano and witnesses.\n\nA member of the moderate Democratic Action opposition party, Mr. Zambrano joined the head of the National Assembly, Juan Guaidó, and a few dozen dissident soldiers last week outside a military base as Mr. Guaidó tried to take the base and set off a national rebellion. The call to oust Mr. Maduro failed to convince the military to switch sides en masse, however.\n\nInstead, clashes broke out across Caracas between demonstrators and forces loyal to Mr. Maduro, injuring dozens before Venezuela largely returned to its recent status quo: a protracted political standoff as the country slid into further shortages of food, medicine and electricity.", "Opposition politicians battling to bring down Venezuela’s strongman leader, Nicolás Maduro, have vowed to continue their struggle after the detention of one of their movement’s key figures signalled the start of a major crackdown.\n\nEdgar Zambrano, the vice-president of Venezuela’s opposition-controlled parliament, was seized by intelligence agents on Wednesday night, and at least nine other lawmakers members are also facing detention on charges relating to last week’s failed uprising.\n\nThe politicians – all supporters of Juan Guaidó, the opposition leader spearheading the push to topple Maduro – are alleged to have committed a litany of offences including including treason, conspiracy, instigating insurrection and civil rebellion.\n\nJuan Andrés Mejía, one of the targeted deputies, told the Guardian the group would not be cowed by Maduro’s “absolutely illegal and unconstitutional” counterattack.\n\n“This is not going to work … You are not going to solve Venezuela’s problems by persecuting and imprisoning people. There are just too many of us who want change,” said Mejía, a close Guaidó ally and member of his party, Voluntad Popular (Popular Will).\n\n“A dictatorship is trying to advance and our responsibility is to try to stop that from happening,” added Mejía, 32.\n\nThe detention of Zambrano – who was among those who joined Guaidó’s fruitless attempt to spark a pre-dawn uprising against Maduro on 30 April – sparked a wave of domestic and international condemnation.\n\n“Maduro’s arrest of … Zambrano breaches parliamentary immunity and is a clear violation of the constitution,” tweeted the British foreign secretary, Jeremy Hunt. “Feels like the act of a desperate man on borrowed time.”\n\nThe US state department slammed Zambrano’s “illegal and inexcusable” detention and warned of “consequences” if he was not freed.\n\nGuaidó accused Maduro’s regime of “kidnapping” Zambrano, 63, who was taken to El Helicoide, a notorious political prison in Venezuela’s capital, Caracas.\n\nThe spectacular building, conceived in the 1950s as a glamorous shopping centre symbolising the wealth and swagger of South America’s oil-rich answer to Saudi Arabia, now houses the headquarters of Venezuela’s spy agency, the National Bolivarian Intelligence Service (Sebin).\n\nThat feared and shadowy organisation appears to have been poised to turn on Maduro last week, with Sebin’s director, Manuel Cristopher Figuera, defecting in order to back Guaidó.\n\nHowever, for reasons that remain murky, no other major military figures joined Guaidó’s movement – despite reports that weeks of secret talks had produced an agreement that they would do so.\n\nOn Tuesday – in a clear sign that Washington thinks there may still be life in efforts to unseat Maduro – the US announced it had lifted sanctions on Figuera “in recognition of his recent actions in support of democracy and the rule of law”.\n\nThe US treasury department indicated the move was designed to influence Venezuelan officials “who take concrete and meaningful actions to restore democratic order”.\n\nIn a televised address on Wednesday night, Maduro claimed “victory” over the 30 April plotters and promised to dedicate himself to rescuing Venezuela’s collapsed economy.\n\n“It is time for a great historic rectification of the Bolivarian revolution. It’s time for a great change in the country,” Maduro said.\n\nBut other top Chavistas are more cautious and warn there may be further attempts to topple their embattled leader in the days ahead – a view shared by many political observers in Caracas.\n\n“There could be a repeat – today, in two hours, in a week, in a fortnight,” Freddy Bernal, a senior Socialist party figure, told state television on Tuesday.\n\nMejía also rejected Maduro’s claim to victory, while admitting the failed uprising had also not been a triumph for Venezuela’s opposition.\n\n“He is eventually going to leave power. He has to know that at this point. He can only choose how he wants to end this – and up to now he is choosing the worst possible way,” Mejía said.\n\n“I think there is still hope for Venezuela. I think we are on the right path. I think things are going to change. I think we are going to have a better Venezuelan soon,” Mejía added.\n\n“But if we want this to happen with the least humanitarian cost … then we have to act soon and we have to act together.”"], "summary": "SEBIN agents detain Juan Guaidó's deputy Edgar Zambrano, the Vice President of the opposition-held National Assembly, and are reported to have taken him to El Helicoide prison. He is the most high profile opposition politician arrested since the presidential crisis began in January."}
{"document": ["CARACAS (Reuters) - Two Venezuelan lawmakers sought refuge at foreign embassies in Caracas on Thursday, as the government of President Nicolas Maduro cracked down on allies of opposition leader Juan Guaido who supported his attempted uprising last week.\n\nFILE PHOTO: Lawmaker Richard Blanco gives a speech to opposition supporters during a rally against the National Constituent Assembly, outside a school where a polling center will be established for a Constitutional Assembly election next Sunday in Caracas, Venezuela, July 24, 2017. REUTERS/Andres Martinez Casares/File Photo\n\nThe ex-head of the state intelligence service, Manuel Cristopher, the top Maduro government official to defect during the uprising, also spoke out for the first time on Thursday, urging Venezuelans to “build a new state” and combat corruption.\n\nThe moves came the day after authorities arrested Edgar Zambrano, the opposition-run National Assembly’s vice president.\n\nRichard Blanco of the Brave Peoples’ Alliance party entered Argentina’s embassy on Thursday, according to an Argentine foreign ministry source and a Reuters witness, while Americo De Grazia of the Radical Cause party sought refuge at Italy’s embassy, according to three sources close to him.\n\nBlanco, Zambrano and De Grazia were among 10 lawmakers stripped of congressional immunity by the Supreme Court this week, which said the legislators should be investigated for crimes including conspiracy, treason and rebellion. Marianella Magallanes, another lawmaker, took refuge in the Italian embassy on Wednesday.\n\nThe opposition do not recognize the Supreme Court’s decisions since they say Maduro has stocked it with his own supporters. The U.S. government has threatened to impose sanctions on all of the court’s members.\n\nVenezuela’s information ministry, Argentina’s embassy in Caracas and Italy’s embassy in Caracas did not respond to requests for comment.\n\n“He (Blanco) is there as a guest; we can confirm that,” an Argentine foreign ministry official said, on condition of anonymity.\n\nGuaido invoked the constitution to assume an interim presidency in January, arguing Maduro’s 2018 reelection was illegitimate. About 50 countries, including the United States and much of Latin America, have recognized Guaido as the country’s legitimate leader.\n\nMaduro’s government has so far avoided arresting Guaido, which would likely provoke a strong international backlash. But the recent measures suggest the ruling Socialist Party is seeking to isolate him by pursuing key political allies.\n\n“We take it as a given that the regime is going to keep escalating its repression,” Guaido said at a news conference, referring to Zambrano’s arrest. He also called for Venezuelans to take to the streets on Saturday for fresh protests against Maduro.Cristopher, the ex-intelligence chief, was replaced by Maduro on April 30 and his whereabouts remain unknown. The U.S. government lifted sanctions on Cristopher this week, in a bid to encourage other top officials to withdraw support for Maduro.\n\n“Enough with blaming the world for our country’s disgraces, and to keep demanding more sacrifices from our people while some leaders make fortunes,” Cristopher said in a video posted on Twitter by Venezuelan TV outlet NTN24.\n\nTOWED AWAY AND ARRESTED\n\nZambrano was arrested on Wednesday by agents from the SEBIN intelligence service, who used a tow truck to drag away his vehicle with him inside. He tweeted that he was being taken to the SEBIN headquarters in Caracas. Authorities have not confirmed where he was being detained.\n\nSoley Zambrano, his daughter, said she last heard from her father around 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday.\n\n“Minutes before it happened, he got in touch with me and said, ‘My daughter, you know who your father is: a democrat who will not give in to anything,” she told reporters outside the SEBIN headquarters on Thursday afternoon.\n\nHis arrest drew swift condemnation from the United States, which argues Maduro is a dictator who has undermined the rule of law.\n\n“We will continue to use the full weight of the U.S. government to hold accountable those who subvert democracy and the Venezuelan constitutional order, and threaten the safety of the duly-elected National Assembly of Venezuela,” a senior White House official said on Thursday, on condition of anonymity.\n\nThe decision to strip legislators of their immunity and to arrest Zambrano was condemned as ‘unconstitutional’ in a statement on Thursday by the regional Lima Group bloc.\n\nOther Guaido allies have already been jailed or fled to the embassies of sympathetic nations. Guaido’s chief of staff, Roberto Marrero, was arrested in March and remains in jail.\n\nSlideshow (6 Images)\n\nLast week, Leopoldo Lopez - Guaido’s political mentor - moved into Spain’s diplomatic residence after escaping house arrest to appear alongside Guaido during his call for the military to rise up.\n\nThe United States has slapped sanctions on state oil company PDVSA and several top figures in Maduro’s government in a bid to pressure Maduro to step aside so Guaido can take office and call new elections.\n\nBut Maduro retains control of the military and state functions. He has branded Guaido a U.S.-backed puppet seeking to oust him in a coup.", "(BBC) Three Venezuelan opposition members of parliament have taken shelter in foreign embassies after losing their congressional immunity.\n\nThey are among 10 lawmakers stripped of immunity after the Supreme Court said they should be investigated for conspiracy, rebellion and treason.\n\nThe opposition led by Juan Guaidó tried to spark a military rebellion against President Nicolás Maduro last week.\n\nHis deputy remains in prison after being detained on Wednesday.\n\nEdgar Zambrano live tweeted his arrest by intelligence agents, saying the authorities surrounded his car and then towed it away with a crane when he refused to get out.\n\nMr Guaidó, leader of the opposition-controlled National Assembly, declared himself interim president in January.\n\nWhile more than 50 nations, including the US and most in Latin America, have recognised him, President Maduro retains the support of the military’s top ranks and his allies abroad, such as Russia and China.\n\nMr Guaidó has called for fresh street protests against Mr Maduro on Saturday.\n\nWho has fled to the embassies?\n\nAmérico de Grazia and Mariela Magallanes are both in the Italian embassy, while their colleague Richard Blanco has gone to the Argentine embassy.\n\nItaly’s foreign ministry confirmed on Wednesday that Ms Magellanes, who is married to an Italian and has applied for citizenship, had come to their embassy and would “be extended all possible protection and hospitality”.\n\nOn Friday, Italian authorities also confirmed Mr Grazia was in their Caracas mission. The MP thanked Italy in a tweet, although he did not confirm he was inside.\n\nMr Blanco meanwhile told newspaper El Nacional he went to Argentina’s embassy after Mr Zambrano’s arrest, accusing Mr Maduro of conducting “a wave of persecution”.\n\nSpain meanwhile has vowed to protect another opposition figure, Leopoldo López, who took shelter in their Caracas embassy after escaping from house arrest last week – although acting foreign minister Josep Borrell has said Spain “will not allow its embassy to turn into a centre of political activism”.\n\nSeven other National Assembly lawmakers remain at risk of being arrested.\n\nThe National Constituent Assembly (ANC) – a body convened by President Maduro and made up exclusively of his supporters – lifted the parliamentary immunity of the National Assembly lawmakers this week, on the orders of the Supreme Court.\n\nMr Guaidó invoked the constitution to assume the position of interim president, arguing that Mr Maduro’s re-election last year was illegitimate.\n\nSince then, tension between those who support Mr Guaidó and those who back Mr Maduro has increased. The military is seen as holding the key to the balance of power.\n\nOn 30 April, in a video recorded near an air force base in Caracas, Mr Guaidó called on the military to help him oust President Maduro. Mr Zambrano was one of the lawmakers seen in later footage talking to Mr Guaidó on a flyover near the air force base.\n\nWhile a small group of uniformed men joined Mr Guaidó, the top brass of the military quickly declared its loyalty to President Maduro and the status quo was maintained.\n\nMr Guaidó has since told the BBC he would consider asking the US to stage a military intervention.", "CARACAS/BUENOS AIRES, May 9 (Reuters) - A Venezuelan opposition lawmaker sought refuge at the Argentine embassy in Caracas on Thursday, according to an Argentine foreign ministry source and a Reuters witness, after another top figure in the opposition-controlled legislature was arrested on Wednesday.\n\nRichard Blanco of the Brave Peoples' Alliance party was one of 10 opposition lawmakers stripped of parliamentary immunity by the Supreme Court this week.\n\nThe crackdown came after they joined opposition leader Juan Guaido in rallies last month to spur a military uprising against socialist President Nicolas Maduro.\n\n\"He (Blanco) is there as a guest, we can confirm that,\" said the Argentine official, who asked not to be identified.\n\nVenezuela's information ministry, Argentina's foreign ministry and its embassy in Caracas did not immediately respond to requests for comment.\n\nGuaido invoked the constitution to assume the interim presidency in January, arguing Maduro's 2018 reelection was illegitimate. About 50 countries, including the United States and much of Latin America, have recognized Guaido as the country's legitimate leader.\n\nMaduro's government has so far avoided arresting Guaido, which would likely provoke a strong backlash. But the recent measures suggest the ruling Socialist Party is seeking to isolate him by pursuing key allies in congress.\n\nEdgar Zambrano, the Assembly's vice president, was arrested on Wednesday by intelligence agents who used a tow truck to drag away his vehicle with him inside. Zambrano was among the deputies who had their immunity stripped this week.\n\nZambrano's arrest drew swift condemnation from opposition leaders and the United States, which argues Maduro is a dictator who has undermined the rule of law.\n\n\"We will continue to use the full weight of the U.S. government to hold accountable those who subvert democracy and the Venezuelan Constitutional order, and threaten the safety of the duly-elected National Assembly of Venezuela,\" a senior Trump administration official said on condition of anonymity on Thursday.\n\nThe decision to strip legislators of their immunity and to arrest Zambrano was condemned as 'unconstitutional' in a statement on Thursday by the Lima Group, a regional bloc comprising Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru, Colombia and Canada.\n\nAmong other opposition figures, lawmaker Marianella Magallanes, whose immunity was stripped on Tuesday, sought refuge in the Italian embassy. Guaido's chief of staff, Roberto Marrero, was arrested in March.\n\nLast week, Leopoldo Lopez - Guaido's political mentor - moved into Spain's diplomatic residence after escaping house arrest to appear alongside Guaido during his call for the military to rise up.\n\nThe United States has slapped sanctions on state oil company PDVSA and several top figures in Maduro's government in a bid to pressure Maduro to step aside so Guaido can take office and call new elections. This week, it removed sanctions on a former Venezuelan general it said broke with Maduro last week.\n\nMaduro retains control of the military and state functions. He has branded Guaido a U.S.-backed puppet seeking to oust him in a coup. (Additional reporting by Johnny Carvajal in Caracas and Roberta Rampton in Washington Editing by Brian Ellsworth, Daniel Flynn and Bernadette Baum)", "A Venezuelan opposition lawmaker sought refuge in Argentina's embassy in Caracas Thursday, hours after the detention of a key figure in the movement over last week's failed uprising against President Nicolas Maduro.\n\nRichard Blanco is one of 10 National Assembly members charged with treason for supporting opposition leader Juan Guaido's call for a military revolt on April 30.\n\n\"I've come here to sleep because my life is in danger,\" Blanco told the VPI television station, adding that we would stay only \"temporarily.\"\n\nBlanco sought sanctuary after Edgar Zambrano, the vice-president of Venezuela's opposition-controlled parliament, was seized by intelligence agents on Wednesday night.\n\nThe 64-year-old's car was surrounded outside his Democratic Action Party's headquarters before it was towed, with him still in it, to the notorious Helicoide prison.\n\nHe narrated the drama in real time on Twitter, while images of the incident also circulated on social media.\n\n\"Democrats, keep up the fight!\" tweeted Zambrano.\n\nAnother lawmaker, Mariela Magallanes, had escaped to the Italian embassy, Rome announced on Wednesday.\n\nZambrano is deputy to National Assembly speaker Guaido, who organized the April 30 revolt by around 30 members of the armed forces, many of whom subsequently fled to the Brazilian embassy.\n\nVenezuela was plunged into turmoil in January when Guaido declared himself acting president in a direct challenge to Maduro's authority.\n\nHe has since been recognized as interim president by more than 50 countries as he steps up the pressure to oust Maduro, whom he considers illegitimate after 2018 elections widely seen as fraudulent.\n\nBut the socialist leader remains steadfast, backed by Venezuela's powerful military high command.\n\n\"We warn the people of Venezuela and the international community: the regime has kidnapped the first vice-president\" of the National Assembly, said Guaido.\n\n\"They are trying to destroy the power representing all Venezuelans, but they will not achieve it,\" Guaido said.\n\nThe United States, European Union and several Latin American states criticized Zambrano's arrest.\n\nOn the Twitter account of its now-closed embassy in Caracas, Washington called the detention \"illegal and inexcusable,\" warning of \"consequences\" if he is not immediately released.\n\nUS President Donald Trump -- whose government was among the first to back Guaido -- said he was \"discussing the terrible abuses by Maduro.\"\n\nTrump did not mention Zambrano but said the US would stand with the people of Venezuela \"for however long it takes.\"\n\nThe EU and several of Venezuela's neighbors protested Zambrano's arrest while the country's Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza vowed to bring to justice \"accomplices to an unconstitutional military uprising,\n\nVenezuela's Supreme Court meanwhile added three more lawmakers to the seven already indicted for treason and conspiracy over their backing of Guaido's uprising.\n\nAttorney General Tarek William Saab says the two days of clashes that followed left six people dead.\n\nThe Constituent Assembly, which Maduro created to sideline the National Assembly, has said it would suspend the immunity of any lawmakers who backed the uprising.\n\nGuaido said in a speech after the first indictments on Tuesday that the government's \"only response... is to persecute, because they no longer govern, because they no longer have command.\"\n\nVenezuela has suffered five years of recession that has seen more than 2.7 million people flee poverty, hyperinflation, food shortages and insecurity since 2015, according to United Nations figures.", "A Venezuelan opposition legislator has sought refuge in the Argentinian embassy in Caracas following the arrest of the National Assembly's vice president Edgar Zambrano.\n\nAn Argentine foreign ministry source told Reuters on Thursday that Richard Blanco of the Brave People's Alliance party was in the embassy as a guest.\n\nBlanco was one of the ten opposition lawmakers who was stripped of parliamentary immunity by the Supreme Court this week. He appeared with opposition leader Juan Guaido in the rallies meant to stir a military uprising against President Nicolas Maduro last month.\n\nZambrano was arrested on Wednesday by intelligence agents who towed away his car with him inside. A tweet on his verified account said \"we were surprised by intelligence agents who towed away our vehicle when we refused to leave it in order to transfer us to the Helicoide (a Venezuelan prison). We, democrats, remain on our feet to fight.\"\n\nThe vice president was among the deputies who had their immunity stripped.\n\nAnother opposition figure, Marianella Magallanes, who had her immunity removed sought refuge in the Italian embassy.\n\nGuaido's chief of staff, Roberto Marrero, was arrested in March.\n\nThe Lima group, a regional bloc made up of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru, Colombia, and Canada, condemned the move to strip away immunity and to arrest Zambrano.\n\nEven though Maduro hasn't arrested Guaido yet because of the potential strong backlash, he has tried to isolate the opposition leader by incarcerating key allies.", "CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan opposition lawmaker Americo De Grazia entered the Italian embassy in Caracas on Thursday after a pro-government legislative body stripped him of parliamentary immunity, three sources close to the legislator said.\n\n“I thank Italy for the welcome,” De Grazia wrote on Twitter, though he did not say he had taken refuge in the embassy. He did not respond to a phone call seeking comment.\n\nLawmaker Marianella Magallanes, who also had her immunity taken away this week, sought refuge in the Italian embassy on Wednesday.", "CARACAS/BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Two Venezuelan lawmakers sought refuge at foreign embassies in Caracas on Thursday, as the government of President Nicolas Maduro cracked down on allies of opposition leader Juan Guaido who supported his attempted uprising last week.\n\nRichard Blanco of the Brave Peoples’ Alliance party entered Argentina’s embassy, according to an Argentine foreign ministry source and a Reuters witness, while Americo De Grazia of the Radical Cause party sought refuge at Italy’s embassy, according to three sources close to him.\n\nThe moves came the day after authorities arrested Edgar Zambrano, the opposition-run National Assembly’s vice president.\n\nBlanco, Zambrano and De Grazia were among 10 lawmakers stripped of congressional immunity by the Supreme Court this week, which said the legislators should be investigated for crimes including conspiracy, treason and rebellion. Marianella Magallanes, another lawmaker, took refuge in the Italian embassy on Wednesday.\n\nThe opposition do not recognize the Supreme Court’s decisions since they say Maduro has stocked it with his own supporters. The U.S. government has threatened to impose sanctions on all of the court’s members.\n\nVenezuela’s information ministry, Argentina’s embassy in Caracas, and Italy’s embassy in Caracas did not respond to requests for comment.\n\n“He (Blanco) is there as a guest, we can confirm that,” an Argentine foreign ministry official said, on condition of anonymity.\n\nGuaido invoked the constitution to assume an interim presidency in January, arguing Maduro’s 2018 reelection was illegitimate. About 50 countries, including the United States and much of Latin America, have recognized Guaido as the country’s legitimate leader.\n\nMaduro’s government has so far avoided arresting Guaido, which would likely provoke a strong international backlash. But the recent measures suggest the ruling Socialist Party is seeking to isolate him by pursuing key political allies.\n\n“We take it as a given that the regime is going to keep escalating its repression,” Guaido said at a news conference, referring to Zambrano’s arrest. He also called for Venezuelans to take to the streets on Saturday for fresh protests against Maduro.\n\nZambrano was arrested on Wednesday by agents from the SEBIN intelligence service, who used a tow truck to drag away his vehicle with him inside. He tweeted that he was being taken to the SEBIN headquarters in Caracas. Authorities have not confirmed where he was being detained.\n\nSoley Zambrano, his daughter, said she last heard from her father around 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday.\n\n“Minutes before it happened, he got in touch with me and said, ‘My daughter, you know who your father is: a democrat who will not give in to anything,” she told reporters outside the SEBIN headquarters on Thursday afternoon.\n\nHis arrest drew swift condemnation from the United States, which argues Maduro is a dictator who has undermined the rule of law.\n\n“We will continue to use the full weight of the U.S. government to hold accountable those who subvert democracy and the Venezuelan constitutional order, and threaten the safety of the duly-elected National Assembly of Venezuela,” a senior White House official said on Thursday, on condition of anonymity.\n\nThe decision to strip legislators of their immunity and to arrest Zambrano was condemned as ‘unconstitutional’ in a statement on Thursday by the regional Lima Group bloc.\n\nOther Guaido allies have already been jailed or fled to the embassies of sympathetic nations. Guaido’s chief of staff, Roberto Marrero, was arrested in March and remains in jail.\n\nLast week, Leopoldo Lopez - Guaido’s political mentor - moved into Spain’s diplomatic residence after escaping house arrest to appear alongside Guaido during his call for the military to rise up.\n\nThe United States has slapped sanctions on state oil company PDVSA and several top figures in Maduro’s government in a bid to pressure Maduro to step aside so Guaido can take office and call new elections. This week, it removed sanctions on a former Venezuelan general it said broke with Maduro last week.\n\nBut Maduro retains control of the military and state functions. He has branded Guaido a U.S.-backed puppet seeking to oust him in a coup.", "Opposition MPs flee to the foreign embassies in Venezuela\n\nAfter facing arrest for supporting coup attempt against President Maduro, Guaido's lawmakers fled to the residences of foreign ambassadors.\n\nFour Venezuelan opposition lawmakers facing arrest for supporting last week’s failed coup attempt against President Nicolas Maduro have taken refuge in ambassadors’ residences or embassies in the capital following a government crackdown.\n\nAmerico De Grazia, who reportedly entered the Italian embassy in Caracas on Thursday, is among several opposition lawmakers who have been charged with treason, conspiracy and civil rebellion and stripped of their parliamentary immunity for supporting opposition leader Juan Guaido’s bid to incite an uprising against the government.\n\n“I thank Italy for the welcome,” De Grazia said on Twitter. Earlier in the day, Richard Blanco fled to the residence of Argentina’s ambassador. Another lawmaker, Marianela Magallanes, fled to the Italian ambassador’s residence Wednesday.\n\nLeopoldo Lopez, the leader of the Popular Will party, who is also accused of being part of the coup attempt, fled to the Chilean Embassy and later to the Spanish ambassador's residence in Caracas at the end of April.\n\nVenezuela has been rocked by protests since Jan. 10, when Maduro was sworn in for a second term following a vote boycotted by the opposition. Tensions escalated when Guaido, who heads Venezuela’s National Assembly, declared himself acting president on Jan. 23, a move which was supported by the US and many European and Latin American countries. Russia, Turkey, China, Iran, Bolivia and Mexico have thrown their weight behind Maduro.", "ROME: Italy confirmed on Friday (May 10) that Venezuelan opposition lawmaker Americo De Grazia has entered the Italian embassy in Caracas after a pro-government legislative body stripped him of parliamentary immunity.\n\n\"A member of the Venezuelan National Assembly of Italian origin Americo De Grazia, one of the seven legitimately elected persons in the National Assembly, was received in the residence of the Italian Ambassador in Caracas,\" the Foreign Affairs Ministry said in a statement.\n\nThe ministry added that a judicial proceeding had been initiated against De Grazia.\n\n\"The Embassy operates in full compliance with diplomatic conventions,\" the Foreign Affairs Ministry said.\n\nDe Grazia thanked Italy on Twitter, though he did not say he had taken refuge in the embassy."], "summary": "Colleague Richard Blanco of the Brave Peoples’ Alliance party seeks refuge in Argentina's embassy in Caracas, Venezuela, following Zambrano's arrest."}
{"document": ["A court in Montenegro has sentenced alleged Russian military intelligence agents, opposition politicians and a number of associates to jail terms over an alleged 2016 attempt to organise a coup in the country and prevent it from joining Nato.\n\nThe chief judge, Suzana Mugoša, said Eduard Shishmakov and Vladimir Popov, alleged GRU agents, were guilty of attempted terrorism and creating a criminal organisation, and handed them sentences of 15 and 12 years respectively. The pair were tried in absentia. Two politicians, Andrija Mandić and Milan Knežević, were each sentenced to five years in jail.\n\nIf the prosecutors’ account of events at the trial is correct, the coup attempt would represent one of the most audacious Russian foreign policy gambits in recent times. The verdict said the group intended to take over parliament on election day in October 2016, assassinate the then prime minister, Milo Đukanović, and install a pro-Kremlin leadership.\n\nMontenegro authorities claim the plot was thwarted on the basis of tipoffs from western spy agencies, and the suspects rounded up before the plan could be put into action. Dmitry Peskov, the spokesman for the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, has previously dismissed allegations of Russian involvement as “absurd”, claiming Russia does not meddle in the internal affairs of other countries.\n\nThe verdict handed down on Thursday said the Russian pair coordinated the attempted coup from Serbia and were allowed to leave the country by Serbian authorities. Diplomatic sources told the Guardian at the time that the Russians were allowed to leave the country on the plane of Nikolai Patrushev, the head of Russia’s security council.\n\nA source close to the Belgrade government told the Guardian at the time that Patrushev, a former head of Russia’s FSB domestic security service, apologised for what he called a rogue operation that was conducted without the Kremlin’s sanction. A Russian security council official responded to the Guardian report by saying Patrushev “didn’t apologise to anyone, because there is nothing to apologise for”.\n\nThe investigation website Bellingcat has identified the two Russians sentenced on Thursday as probable GRU agents operating under pseudonyms.\n\nThe judge said the aim of the coup was “to change the electoral will” of the people and “prevent Montenegro from joining Nato”. She said she believed the two politicians had travelled to Moscow to take instructions from GRU operatives.\n\nThe GRU has been accused of a number of audacious operations in recent years, including the 2018 attack on Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury using the nerve agent novichok, and hacking the 2016 US presidential campaign.\n\nThe details of the Montenegro plot remain murky, and sceptics have pointed to a number of oddities about the way the coup suspects were rounded up, discrepancies in the prosecution testimony and key witnesses recanting their testimony.\n\nA source in Serbia told the Guardian recently that the coup plot story was “all true, but it was terribly organised”. Others have speculated that there may have been a genuine plot to cause disruption on election day, but that Montenegrin authorities exaggerated the details.\n\nMandić and Knežević have dismissed the court case as politically motivated and an attempt to remove them from public life. The two men, both ethnic Serbs, are strong opponents of Đukanović and of Montenegro’s Nato membership. The country joined the alliance in 2017, despite an almost 50/50 split inside Montenegro between supporters and opponents of the move.\n\nĐukanović, who supported Nato accession, has been the most powerful man in Montenegro since 1991. His critics say western partners turn a blind eye to corruption and rule of law issues due to his pro-western stance.", "May 10 (UPI) -- A Montenegro court Thursday found 14 people including two suspected Russian agents guilty of plotting to overthrow the Balkan country's government in 2016 to prevent it from joining NATO.\n\nEduard Shishmakov and Vladimir Popov, operatives with the Russian military intelligence agency formerly called G.R.U., were convicted of attempted terrorism and having created a criminal organization. Shishmakov was also convicted of inciting acts against the constitution and safety of Montenegro, the United Kingdom confirmed.\n\nShishmakov was sentenced to 15 years in prison while Popov was sentenced to 12 years, Montenegro's CDM reported.\n\nThey were tried in absentia and are believed to be in Russia.\n\nJudge Susana Mugosa said the two Russians \"knowingly tried to terrorize Montenegrins, attack others, threaten and hurt basic constitutional and social structures,\" the New York Times reported.\n\nTwo leaders of the left-wing Democratic Front opposition party Andrija Mandic and Milan Knezevic were each sentenced to five years in prison for coordinating with the two Russians. Neither was present during sentencing.\n\nMandic and Knezevic said they will appeal the verdict, Balkan Insight reported.\n\n\"This is a breaking point for Montenegro,\" Mandic said in a press conference. \"We don't accept arrests.\"\n\nHe then accused Montenegro President Milo Dukanovic and his brother, Aleksander Dukanovic, of lying that there was an attempted coup while urging Serbia to speak out against their convictions.\n\n\"We Serbs in Montenegro will not be slaves,\" Knezevic said.\n\nFormer commander of an elite Serbian police unit Bratislav Dikic, who was arrested in October, was sentenced to eight years in prison.\n\nThe other defendants received sentences ranging from one to eight years.\n\nAccording to the verdict, the group had planned to assassinate then-Prime Minister Milo Dukanovic on election day Oct. 16, 2016, and install a pro-Russian, anti-NATO leader.\n\nThe coup was thwarted by police after receiving a tip by Western spy organizations, Al Jazeera reported.\n\nRussia has denied any involvement in the attempted coup.\n\nThe U.S. embassy in the capital of Podgorica said the verdict was a \"historic day for the rule of law in Montenegro.\"\n\n\"The open and transparent trial represents an important step forward for the rule of law and sends a strong message about the unacceptability of efforts to undermine democracy,\" the office said in a tweet.\n\nThe 2016 election was largely seen as a referendum on joining NATO, which Montenegro had agreed to but not formally ratified.\n\nSome 20 Serbian nationalists were arrested on the eve of the election with the 14 convicted Thursday being charged of plotting the overthrow of the country.\n\nMontenegro joined NATO June 5, 2017, some 11 years after it gained independence.\n\nThe United Kingdom said the failed coup was \"one of the most outrageous examples of Russia's attempts to undermine European democracy.\"\n\n\"The G.R.U.'s brazen attempt to interfere with Montenegro's national elections and undermine Montenegro's application to join NATO is yet another example of destabilizing and aggressive Russian behavior over the last decade,\" U.K.'s Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said.\n\nThe guilty verdicts were the product of \"unprecedented transparency\" while Russia's claims the two men were researching Russian military in the region during the first world war for an article \"were proven to be absurd.\"\n\nHe then demanded that Russia stop attacking other nations' democratic process while calling on Moscow to uphold the security of Europe and fulfil its responsibilities to the United Nations Security Council.\n\nThe U.S. State Department echoed the U.K.'s message, calling the verdicts a \"clear victory for the rule of law\" while \"laying bare Russia's brazen attempt to undermine the sovereignty of an independent European nation.\"\n\n\"The United States is proud to count Montenegro as an ally and will continue to support Montenegro in its efforts to strengthen the rule of law, protect media freedom and advance other reforms needed to join the European Union,\" State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said in a statement.", "Eduard Shishmakov and Vladimir Popov. Both men are said to be members of the GRU, Russian military intelligence\n\nA Montenegro court has sentenced 13 people, including two men believed to be Russian spies, after they were convicted of plotting a coup in 2016.\n\nChief judge Suzana Mugosa said the two Russians, identified as Eduard Shishmakov and Vladimir Popov, were convicted of \"attempted terrorism\" and \"creating a criminal organisation.\"\n\nThe two were tried in absentia.\n\nTwo leading ethnic Serb opposition politicians, Andrija Mandic and Milan Knezevic, were sentenced to five years each.\n\nThe verdict said the group planned to take over parliament on election day on 16 October 2016, assassinate then-Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic and install a pro-Russia, anti-NATO leadership.\n\nMontenegro became independent in 2006 and joined NATO in 2017 as the Western military alliance’s 29th member, despite strong opposition from Moscow.\n\nThe Kremlin has repeatedly denied involvement in the coup attempt.\n\nMontenegro is politically split. Much of the population is in favour of closer ties with Europe but a sizeable proportion would rather stay close to Moscow.\n\nMontenegro's police thwarted the coup attempt after receiving tips from Western spy organisations, authorities said.\n\nThe Russian pair, said to be members of the Russian military secret service agency GRU, coordinated the attempted coup from neighbouring Serbia, the verdict said.\n\nThey were allowed by Serbia's pro-Russia authorities to leave for Moscow despite reports that they operated with sophisticated spy equipment.\n\nThe judge said that the Russians provided at least €200,000 (roughly £170,000) for the purchase of rifles and guns.\n\nThe two tried to recruit \"as many people as possible to come to the protest\" and try to \"change the electoral will\" and \"prevent Montenegro from joining NATO\".\n\nThe judge said the two ethnic Serb politicians had made several trips to Moscow on the eve of the election where they were believed to get instructions from the GRU operatives.\n\nThe coup attempt went largely unnoticed at the time - partly because of the US presidential elections - but has attracted increased interest across Europe as further details have come to light.\n\nThe trial of alleged coup attempt participants became the largest in Montenegrin history.\n\nIt is also believed to be the first time serving GRU officers have been charged with terrorism offences and criminal activity in a European country.", "PODGORICA, Montenegro (AP) - A Montenegro court on Thursday sentenced 13 people, including two Russian secret service operatives, to up to 15 years in prison after they were convicted of plotting to overthrow the Balkan country's government and prevent it from joining NATO.\n\nChief judge Suzana Mugosa said the two Russians, identified as Eduard Shishmakov and Vladimir Popov, were convicted of \"attempted terrorism\" and \"creating a criminal organization.\" The two were tried in absentia.\n\nShishmakov received a 15-year prison term while Popov got 12 years. Two leading ethnic Serb opposition politicians, Andrija Mandic and Milan Knezevic, were sentenced to five years each.\n\nThe verdict said the group planned to take over parliament on election day on Oct. 16, 2016, assassinate then-Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic and install a pro-Russia, anti-NATO leadership.\n\nMontenegro joined NATO in June 2017 as the Western military alliance's 29th member despite strong opposition from Moscow, which considers the small Adriatic country a historic Slavic ally and is opposed to NATO's enlargement.\n\nThe Kremlin has repeatedly denied involvement in the coup attempt. Montenegro's police thwarted the action after receiving tips from Western spy organizations, authorities said.\n\nMontenegro police officers guard the entrance to the court during the verdict in the case of ''attempted terrorism'' and ''creating a criminal organization'', in Podgorica, Montenegro, Thursday, May 9, 2019. A court in Montenegro has sentenced 13 people, including two Russian secret service operatives, to up to 15 years in prison after they were found guilty of plotting to overthrow the Balkan country's government and prevent it from joining NATO. (AP Photo/Risto Bozovic)\n\nThe Russian pair, said to be members of the Russian military secret service agency GRU, coordinated the attempted coup from neighboring Serbia, the verdict said. They were allowed by Serbia's pro-Russia authorities to leave for Moscow despite reports that they operated with sophisticated spy equipment.\n\nThe judge said that the Russians provided at least 200,000 euros for the purchase of rifles and guns.\n\nThe two tried to recruit \"as many people as possible to come to the protest\" and try to \"change the electoral will\" and \"prevent Montenegro from joining NATO.\"\n\nThe judge said that the two ethnic Serb politicians made several trips to Moscow on the eve of the election where they were believed to get instructions from the GRU operatives.\n\nDusan Stojanovic contributed to this report from Belgrade, Serbia.\n\nMontenegro police officers guard the entrance to the court building during the verdict in the case of ''attempted terrorism'' and ''creating a criminal organization'', in Podgorica, Montenegro, Thursday, May 9, 2019. A court in Montenegro has sentenced 13 people, including two Russian secret service operatives, to up to 15 years in prison after they were found guilty of plotting to overthrow the Balkan country's government and prevent it from joining NATO. (AP Photo/Risto Bozovic)", "PODGORICA, Montenegro (AP) — A Montenegro court on Thursday sentenced two Russian military intelligence operatives and 11 others to up to 15 years in prison for plotting to overthrow the Balkan country's government and prevent it from joining NATO.\n\nThe two Russians, identified as Eduard Shishmakov and Vladimir Popov, were tried in absentia and convicted of attempted terrorism and creating a criminal organization.\n\nThe verdict said the group planned to take over the parliament in Montenegro on election day — Oct. 16, 2016 — assassinate then-Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic and install a pro-Russia, anti-NATO leadership in the Adriatic Sea nation.\n\nThe U.S. Embassy in the capital of Podgorica said the verdict against the reported operatives from the GRU Russian military intelligence service and others represents a \"historic day for the rule of law\" in Montenegro.\n\n\"The open and transparent trial represents an important step forward for the rule of law and sends a strong message about the unacceptability of efforts to undermine democracy,\" the U.S. Embassy said.\n\nThe U.S. and its allies have accused the GRU of involvement in a 2018 nerve agent attack on a Russian ex-spy in Britain, hacking the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign and disrupting anti-doping efforts in world sports. Russian authorities have rejected those accusations, calling them part of a Western smear campaign against Russia.\n\nShishmakov received a 15-year prison term while Popov got 12 years. Two leading ethnic Serb opposition politicians, Andrija Mandic and Milan Knezevic, were sentenced to five years each. The other nine others convicted received verdicts ranging from 8 years in jail to suspended sentences.\n\nMontenegro joined NATO in June 2017 as the military alliance's 29th member despite strong opposition from Moscow, which considers the country a historic Slavic ally and is opposed to NATO's enlargement.\n\nThe Kremlin has repeatedly denied involvement in the Montenegro coup plot.\n\nShishmakov, however, had been a deputy military attache at the Russian embassy in Warsaw and was declared persona non grata in Poland in 2014 because it believed he was involved in spying.\n\nMontenegro's security services said they thwarted the coup attempt after receiving tips from Western spy organizations.\n\nThe lawyers for the convicted Serbs said they will appeal, calling the verdict \"a political fabrication.\"\n\n\"What I heard today is a political message: the Russian Federation is guilty, the Serbian people are guilty,\" said lawyer Miroje Jovanovic. \"That's really scandalous.\"\n\nThe verdict said the two convicted Russians coordinated the attempted coup from neighboring Serbia. They were allowed by Serbia's pro-Russia authorities to leave for Moscow despite reports that they had encrypted mobile phones and other sophisticated spy equipment.\n\nThe judge in Montenegro, Suzana Mugosa, said while reading the lengthy verdict that the Russians provided at least 200,000 euros ($224,500) to buy rifles and guns. She said they tried to recruit \"as many people as possible to come to the protest\" and try to \"change the electoral will\" and prevent Montenegro from joining NATO.\n\nThe judge said the two ethnic Serb politicians made several trips on the eve of the election to Moscow, where they were believed to have gotten instructions from the GRU operatives.\n\n\"Each member of the criminal organization had a task and role that had been previously determined and the criminal organization was ready to implement violence and intimidation,\" she said.\n\nThis story corrects the length of sentences given to nine other defendants to ranging from 8 years in jail to suspended sentences.\n\nDusan Stojanovic contributed to this report from Belgrade, Serbia.", "The verdict given in the heavily guarded Montenegro court said that on Oct. 16, 2016, the accused planned to attack state institutions and kill then-Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic, who has led the Adriatic country almost continuously, either as prime minister or president, for three decades.\n\nTwo Russian intelligence officers and two opposition politicians were among 13 people sentenced on Thursday over a 2016 election day plot aimed at toppling Montenegro's government, killing the prime minister and bringing a pro-Russian alliance to power.\n\nThe two Russian nationals, identified in court as Eduard Shishmakov and Vladimir Popov and described as Russia's military intelligence officers, were sentenced in absentia to jail terms of 15 and 12 years respectively.\n\nMoscow has repeatedly dismissed accusations about their role as absurd. All the accused denied wrongdoing. Under Montenegrin law, they have the right to appeal to the higher court.\n\nThe verdict said that one of the aims of the coup attempt was to prevent Montenegro, which became independent in 2006 after it split from Serbia, from joining NATO, which it did in June 2017. Montenegro also wants to join the European Union.\n\n\"Every member of the criminal organization had a predetermined task and role,\" Judge Suzana Mugosa said at the end of the 19 month trial. \"All included in the indictment are guilty for attempting an act of terrorism.\"\n\n\"In the functioning of (this) criminal group there was the readiness for the use of violence and intimidation,\" she said.\n\nMontenegro's opposition, which supports weekly anti-government protests in Podgorica, accused the authorities of fabricating the plot to secure the narrow election victory for Djukanovic and his Democratic Party of Socialists in 2016.\n\nAndrija Mandic and Milan Knezevic, leaders of the Democratic Front, an opposition alliance that wants to depose Djukanovic, who has been the president since 2018, and seeks closer ties with Serbia and Russia, received five-year jail terms each.\n\nThey were also absent from the court.\n\nEarlier in the day Knezevic told local Vijesti TV that he and Mandic would await sentencing with their \"most trustworthy men\" somewhere in Podgorica.\n\nBratislav Dikic, a retired Serbian police general, was sentenced to eight years in jail.\n\nAlthough the court building and the surrounding area was heavily guarded by police armed with submachine guns, there were no incidents.", "PODGORICA, Montenegro (AP) — A Montenegro court on Thursday sentenced 13 people, including two Russian secret service operatives, to up to 15 years in prison after they were convicted of plotting to overthrow the Balkan country's government and prevent it from joining NATO.\n\nChief judge Suzana Mugosa said the two Russians, identified as Eduard Shishmakov and Vladimir Popov, were convicted of \"attempted terrorism\" and \"creating a criminal organization.\" The two were tried in absentia.\n\nShishmakov received a 15-year prison term while Popov got 12 years. Two leading ethnic Serb opposition politicians, Andrija Mandic and Milan Knezevic, were sentenced to five years each.\n\nThe verdict said the group planned to take over parliament on election day on Oct. 16, 2016, assassinate then-Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic and install a pro-Russia, anti-NATO leadership.\n\nMontenegro joined NATO in June 2017 as the Western military alliance's 29th member despite strong opposition from Moscow, which considers the small Adriatic country a historic Slavic ally and is opposed to NATO's enlargement.\n\nThe Kremlin has repeatedly denied involvement in the coup attempt. Montenegro's police thwarted the action after receiving tips from Western spy organizations, authorities said.\n\nThe lawyer of one of the convicted Serbs said he will appeal.\n\n\"The Russian Federation has been charged and sentenced with this political pamphlet,\" said Miroje Jovanovic, referring to the verdict.\n\nThe Russian pair, said to be members of the Russian military secret service agency GRU, coordinated the attempted coup from neighboring Serbia, the verdict said. They were allowed by Serbia's pro-Russia authorities to leave for Moscow despite reports that they operated with sophisticated spy equipment.\n\nThe judge said that the Russians provided at least 200,000 euros for the purchase of rifles and guns.\n\nShe said two tried to recruit \"as many people as possible to come to the protest\" and try to \"change the electoral will\" and \"prevent Montenegro from joining NATO.\"\n\nThe judge said that the two ethnic Serb politicians made several trips to Moscow on the eve of the election where they were believed to get instructions from the GRU operatives.\n\n\"Each member of the criminal organization had a task and role that had been previously determined and the criminal organization was ready to implement violence and intimidation,\" she said.\n\nThe United States and its allies have accused the GRU of involvement in the 2018 nerve agent attack on a Russian ex-spy in Britain, hacking the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign and disrupting anti-doping efforts in world sports. Russian authorities have rejected the accusations, calling them part of a Western smear campaign.\n\nDusan Stojanovic contributed to this report from Belgrade, Serbia.", "PODGORICA, Montenegro (AP) — A Montenegro court on Thursday sentenced 13 people, including two Russian secret service operatives, to up to 15 years in prison after they were convicted of plotting to overthrow the Balkan country's government and prevent it from joining NATO.\n\nChief judge Suzana Mugosa said the two Russians, identified as Eduard Shishmakov and Vladimir Popov, were convicted of \"attempted terrorism\" and \"creating a criminal organization.\" The two were tried in absentia.\n\nShishmakov received a 15-year prison term while Popov got 12 years. Two leading ethnic Serb opposition politicians, Andrija Mandic and Milan Knezevic, were sentenced to five years each.\n\nThe verdict said the group planned to take over parliament on election day on Oct. 16, 2016, assassinate then-Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic and install a pro-Russia, anti-NATO leadership.\n\nMontenegro joined NATO in June 2017 as the Western military alliance's 29th member despite strong opposition from Moscow, which considers the small Adriatic country a historic Slavic ally and is opposed to NATO's enlargement.\n\nThe Kremlin has repeatedly denied involvement in the coup attempt. Montenegro's police thwarted the action after receiving tips from Western spy organizations, authorities said.\n\nThe Russian pair, said to be members of the Russian military secret service agency GRU, coordinated the attempted coup from neighboring Serbia, the verdict said. They were allowed by Serbia's pro-Russia authorities to leave for Moscow despite reports that they operated with sophisticated spy equipment.\n\nThe judge said that the Russians provided at least 200,000 euros for the purchase of rifles and guns.\n\nThe two tried to recruit \"as many people as possible to come to the protest\" and try to \"change the electoral will\" and \"prevent Montenegro from joining NATO.\"\n\nThe judge said that the two ethnic Serb politicians made several trips to Moscow on the eve of the election where they were believed to get instructions from the GRU operatives.\n\nDusan Stojanovic contributed to this report from Belgrade, Serbia.", "The judicial authorities of Montenegro have today (9 May) announced that 2 Russian intelligence officers have been found guilty of plotting an attempted coup in Montenegro, which took place in 2016.\n\nGRU agents Eduard Shishmakov and Vladimir Popov were tried in absentia for creating a criminal organisation and attempted terrorism. Shishmakov was also tried for inciting acts against the constitution and safety of Montenegro.\n\nThe failed coup attempt against Montenegro in 2016 was one of the most outrageous examples of Russia’s attempts to undermine European democracy. The GRU’s brazen attempt to interfere with Montenegro’s national elections and undermine Montenegro’s application to join NATO is yet another example of destabilising and aggressive Russian behaviour over the last decade. The guilty verdicts announced today against the 2 Russian intelligence officers responsible for plotting this coup were the conclusion of Montenegrin legal proceedings of unprecedented transparency. In the face of such overwhelming evidence, Russia’s claims that the 2 men were researching an article about the Russian military in the region during the First World War were proven to be absurd. Russia is a great country and central to European civilisation. Moscow must desist from any attacks that undermine the territorial integrity and democratic processes of its neighbours or other sovereign states. The UK calls on Russia to choose a different path – to uphold the security of Europe, respect the rules based international system that keeps our societies safe, and to work together with us to fulfil our common responsibilities as permanent members of the UN Security Council.\n• Follow the Foreign Secretary on Twitter @Jeremy_Hunt and Facebook\n• Follow the Foreign Office on Twitter @foreignoffice and Facebook\n• Follow the Foreign Office on Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn", "PODGORICA, Montenegro — A Montenegro court has sentenced 13 people, including two Russian secret service operatives, to up to 15 years in prison after they were convicted of plotting to overthrow the Balkan country's government and prevent it from joining NATO.\n\nChief judge Suzana Mugosa said Thursday the two Russians, identified as Eduard Shishmakov and Vladimir Popov, were convicted of \"attempted terrorism\" and \"creating a criminal organization.\" The two were being tried in absentia.\n\nShishmakov received a 15-year prison term while Popov got 12 years. Two leading ethnic Serb opposition politicians were sentenced to five years each.\n\nThe verdict says the group planned to take over parliament on election day on Oct. 16, 2016, assassinate then-Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic and install a pro-Russia, anti-NATO leadership."], "summary": "Russian officials are sentenced for a 2016 coup attempt in Montenegro."}
{"document": ["Burkina Faso's president has received three liberated hostages in the presidential palace in the capital, Ouagadougou, to wish them well as they fly to Paris.\n\nRoch Kabore tweeted Saturday he wishes the two French tourists and one South Korean citizen a \"safe return to their respective families.\"\n\nThe three will fly to a military airport outside the French capital on Saturday evening where they will be welcomed by President Emmanuel Macron.\n\nThe hostages were liberated in a military operation in the West African nation after they were kidnapped in neighboring Benin.\n\nA fourth freed hostage, an American national, is expected to be repatriated separately.\n\nOfficials said two French special forces officers and four \"terrorists\" were killed in Friday's pre-dawn military operation in northern Burkina Faso.", "OUAGADOUGOU (Reuters) - Hostages freed by French commandos from militants in Burkina Faso offered their condolences on Saturday to the families of the two French soldiers killed in the rescue operation.\n\nIn a daring raid over the night of Thursday to Friday, French special forces liberated two Frenchmen kidnapped in neighboring Benin more than a week earlier as well as an American woman and a South Korean woman who were being held with them.\n\nThe two Frenchmen, Laurent Lassimouillas and Patrick Picque, and the South Korean woman, who has not yet been identified, met Burkinabe President Roch Kabore at the presidential palace in the capital Ouagadougou.\n\nThe three are due to be welcomed by French President Emmanuel Macron at a military airport outside Paris later on Saturday. The American, who has not been identified either, is being repatriated to the United States.\n\n“All our thoughts go to the families of the soldiers and to the soldiers who lost their lives to free us from this hell,” said Lassimouillas in remarks to reporters.\n\n“We wanted to present our condolences right away to those families because we feel ambivalent about everything that happened to us,” he said.\n\nThe French government identified the two soldiers killed as Cédric de Pierrepont and Alain Bertoncello, both officers in the naval special forces.\n\nLassimouillas also expressed regret over the death of the Beninese park guide, who was killed when the two tourists were kidnapped while on safari in northern Benin before being spirited across the border into Burkina Faso.\n\nFrench officials said on Friday that it was not yet clear who had kidnapped them in Benin but described their captors in Burkina Faso as “terrorists” who planned to hand them over to an al Qaeda affiliate in neighboring Mali.\n\nJihadist groups with links to al Qaeda and Islamic State have expanded their presence across West Africa’s Sahel region, a strip of scrubland beneath the Sahara desert, in recent years and taken a number of Western hostages.\n\nFrance, the former colonial power in the region, intervened in Mali in 2013 to halt an advance by Islamist militants toward the capital Bamako and has kept about 4,500 troops in the Sahel since then.\n\nSpeaking to Europe 1 radio, French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian repeated warnings to French citizens against traveling to northern Benin.\n\n“The zone where our two compatriots were has been considered for a while now as a red zone ... where you take a major risk by going,” Le Drian said.\n\nIt was still unclear how the American and South Korean ended up as hostages. French officials said they had been in captivity for four weeks but did not believe the U.S. or South Korean governments were aware they were being held.", "PARIS (AP) - Burkina Faso's president has received three liberated hostages in the presidential palace in the capital, Ouagadougou, to wish them well as they fly to Paris.\n\nRoch Kabore tweeted Saturday he wishes the two French tourists and one South Korean citizen a \"safe return to their respective families.\"\n\nThe three will fly to a military airport outside the French capital on Saturday evening where they will be welcomed by President Emmanuel Macron.\n\nThe hostages were liberated in a military operation in the West African nation after they were kidnapped in neighboring Benin.\n\nA fourth freed hostage, an American national, is expected to be repatriated separately.\n\nOfficials said two French special forces officers and four \"terrorists\" were killed in Friday's pre-dawn military operation in northern Burkina Faso.\n\nThis photo provided Friday May 10, 2019 by the French army shows navy soldiers Cédric de Pierrepont, left, and Alain Bertoncello. Two French soldiers have been killed in a military operation in the West African nation of Burkina Faso that freed four people from the U.S., France and South Korea who were kidnapped in neighboring Benin. (French Army via AP)", "The two French hostages freed by Special Forces in Burkina Faso after being kidnapped in neighboring Benin arrived back in France on Saturday, along with a South Korean woman also freed during the military raid.\n\nPresident Emmanuel Macron greeted the hostages as they disembarked from the plane sent to fetch them at the Villacourblay military airport southwest of Paris, according to AFP reporters at the scene.", "Emmanuel Macron greeted three hostages rescued from a Burkina Faso militant camp as they arrived in Paris today as they paid tribute to the two French special forces commandos who died 'freeing them from hell'.\n\nThe French president spoke to the hostages as they disembarked from the plane sent to fetch them at the Villacourblay military airport south west of Paris.\n\nEarlier today, Frenchmen Laurent Lassimouillas and Patrick Picque and an unidentified South Korean woman spoke on the steps of Kosyam Presidential Palace in Ouagadougou.\n\nThey hailed the sacrifice made by naval officers Cédric de Pierrepont and Alain Bertoncello who were killed during the military operation.\n\nMr Lassimouillas said: 'All our thoughts go to the families of the soldiers and to the soldiers who lost their lives to free us from this hell.\n\n'We wanted to present our condolences right away to those families because we feel ambivalent about everything that happened to us.'\n\nAn American woman who had been kidnapped was also liberated by the commandos, but is already being flown back to the United States.\n\nLassimouillas also expressed regret over the death of the Beninese park guide, who was killed when the French two tourists were snatched while on safari in northern Benin before being bundled across the border into Burkina Faso.\n\nThe men, both music teachers, are expected to travel back to France on Sunday.\n\nFrench officials said on Friday that it was not yet clear who had kidnapped them in Benin but described their captors in Burkina Faso as 'terrorists' who planned to hand them over to an al Qaeda affiliate in neighbouring Mali.\n\nToday, the three freed hostages still in the west African country met with President Roch Kabor.\n\nThe operation took place in a bid to free two French tourists, Patrick Picque and Laurent Lassimouillas, who had disappeared in the remote Pendjari National Park in Benin on May 1.\n\nA statement from the Élysées Palace about the hostage raid said: 'Their liberation was made possible by a military operation led by French forces overnight from Thursday to Friday in northern Burkina Faso.\n\n'During the operation two soldiers were killed in action, Cédric de Pierrepont and Alain Bertoncello, both petty officers under the command of special operations.'\n\nSouth Korea's ambassador in Paris was unable to comment on the identity of the freed Korean national.\n\n'We do not have detailed information, but we are in close contact with French authorities. I can't say anything now,' Jongmoon Choi said.\n\nThe US embassy in Paris was unavailable for comment.\n\nFrench President Emmanuel Macron expressed condolences for the two soldiers killed in the overnight operation.\n\n'[The] president wants to congratulate the French armed forces for the liberation of the hostages, and includes everyone who worked alongside them,' a statement from the presidency said.\n\n'He bows with emotion and solemnity before the sacrifice of our two soldiers who gave their lives to save those of our citizens.'\n\nAdmiral Christophe Prazuck, chief of staff of the French navy, said he admired the soldiers' courage.\n\nHe said yesterday: 'Cédric de Pierrepont and Alain Bertoncello, of Commando Hubert, died last night in battle in a hostage release operation. I admire their courage, I share the pain of their families and their loved ones.'\n\nPierrepont finished first in 47 of his basic training courses and reached the commando stage a year-and-a-half later, the navy said.\n\nHe won four medals and was a decorated 'combat swimmer' and gained accolades for operations in Sahel and Lebanon.\n\nBertoncello also won medals for swimming and took part in operations in the Seychelles and Qatar.\n\nIn a separate statement, Defence Minister Florence Parly thanked authorities in Benin and Burkina Faso, as well as the United States for its 'precious support' in the operation.\n\nNeither statement indicated who was holding the tourists or the identity of the other two people who were released.\n\nIslamic extremists have become increasingly active in Burkina Faso, raising worries the militants could be infiltrating northern Benin and neighboring Togo as well.", "French commandos rescued four foreign hostages including two French citizens from a militant group in Burkina Faso, France’s military said on Friday, adding that two of the elite soldiers were killed in the night-time operation.\n\nFrench special forces carried out the raid under cover of dark over the night of Thursday-Friday, supported by U.S. intelligence and troops from France’s Barkhane operation deployed in the Sahel region to counter Islamist militants.\n\nAll four hostages were safe, President Emmanuel Macron’s office said, adding that a U.S. woman and a South Korean woman were also freed in the covert operation.\n\n“The precise and determined actions of French soldiers allowed us to take out the kidnappers while protecting the lives of the hostages,” France’s army chief Francois Lecointre told a news conference, describing the militant group as “terrorists”.\n\nFour kidnappers were killed and two escaped, he said.\n\n“Those who attack France and the French know that we will spare no effort to track them and take them out. We will never abandon our citizens,” Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly told reporters.\n\nThe French forces had not been aware of the presence of the U.S. and South Korean hostages ahead of the operation and they had been held for 28 days, Lecointre said.\n\n“We were not aware of their presence … the American will be repatriated separately,” Parly said.\n\n“The contacts (with those countries) show that these countries were not necessarily aware of their presence.”\n\nA spokeswoman for the U.S. State Department said the United States was grateful for the successful recovery of the hostages, including a U.S. citizen, and offered condolences to the families of the two solders killed.\n\n“The successful operation demonstrates the importance of our historic alliance with France. We reaffirm our solidarity with the people of Burkina Faso and Benin in the face of these threats,” she said.\n\nSouth Korea had confirmed the identity of the South Korean hostage, a woman in her 40s, its foreign ministry said.\n\nSouth Korea offered condolences to the families of the soldiers killed and was sincerely grateful to France for the rescue, the ministry said.\n\nFrance, the former colonial power in the region, intervened in Mali in 2013 against Islamist militants then occupying Mali’s north and has since kept about 4,500 troops in the Sahel.\n\nThe region has seen a spike in violence by militants linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State in past years, highlighting the difficulty international partners face in restoring stability.\n\nFrance’s defence ministry identified the fallen soldiers as two elite naval commandos.\n\nBurkina Faso’s President Roch Kabore hailed the hostages’ release and offered condolences to the soldiers’ families.\n\n“The joint military intervention that allowed us to achieve these results shows our common engagement in fighting against the forces of evil,” Kabore said in a Facebook post.\n\nThe two French tourists were kidnapped on May 1 in Benin’s Pendjari National Park, which lies on Benin’s northern frontier with Burkina Faso. Their safari guide was found dead, his body riddled with bullets, and their vehicle burned.\n\nThe French government had warned its citizens against travelling to parts of Benin near the Burkina Faso border because of the risk of kidnapping.\n\nSwathes of northern and eastern Burkina Faso have been overrun by militants, leaving the government struggling to assert authority and forcing over 100,000 residents to flee.\n\nIn February, Burkina Faso said militants were increasingly active in West Africa and instability in the Sahel was spreading to coastal countries such as Benin and Ivory Coast.\n\nLed by France, Western powers have also provided funding and weapons to a regional force made up of soldiers from Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Chad and Mauritania to combat jihadists.\n\nBut the so-called G5 force has been hobbled by delays in disbursing the money and poor coordination between the five countries, while insecurity has escalated in the border region between Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso.", "PARIS (AP) — Burkina Faso's president has received three liberated hostages in the presidential palace in the capital, Ouagadougou, to wish them well as they fly to Paris.\n\nRoch Kabore tweeted Saturday he wishes the two French tourists and one South Korean citizen a \"safe return to their respective families.\"\n\nThe three will fly to a military airport outside the French capital on Saturday evening where they will be welcomed by President Emmanuel Macron.\n\nThe hostages were liberated in a military operation in the West African nation after they were kidnapped in neighboring Benin.\n\nA fourth freed hostage, an American national, is expected to be repatriated separately.\n\nOfficials said two French special forces officers and four \"terrorists\" were killed in Friday's pre-dawn military operation in northern Burkina Faso.", "PARIS (AP) — Burkina Faso's president has received three liberated hostages in the presidential palace in the capital, Ouagadougou, to wish them well as they fly to Paris.\n\nRoch Kabore tweeted Saturday he wishes the two French tourists and one South Korean citizen a \"safe return to their respective families.\"\n\nThe three will fly to a military airport outside the French capital on Saturday evening where they will be welcomed by President Emmanuel Macron.\n\nThe hostages were liberated in a military operation in the West African nation after they were kidnapped in neighboring Benin.\n\nA fourth freed hostage, an American national, is expected to be repatriated separately.\n\nOfficials said two French special forces officers and four \"terrorists\" were killed in Friday's pre-dawn military operation in northern Burkina Faso.", "President Emmanuel Macron greeted three former hostages as they arrived on French soil, one day after a military operation freed them in Burkina Faso.\n\nThe pre-dawn rescue cost the lives of two French special forces officers, as well as four “terrorists”.\n\nThe two French citizens, tourists Patrick Picque and Laurent Lassimouillas, as well as an unidentified South Korean national, arrived at Villacoublay military airport.\n\nThe French tourists failed to return from a visit last week to the Pendjari National Park wildlife reserve in Benin, and their guide was discovered dead.\n\nOfficials said the hostages and their captors were in transit in Burkina Faso and the kidnappers intended to take them to Mali.\n\nMr Macron, who attended their arrival in France alongside Defence Minister Florence Parly, Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and Army Chief of Staff Francois Lecointre, did not make a statement and will address the hostages’ ordeal and the soldiers’ deaths publicly next week.\n\nA military ceremony for the commandos is planned.\n\nA fourth hostage, an American woman, was also successfully rescued. It was not immediately known when and where the American and the South Korean were kidnapped.\n\nMs Parly called the rescue “an operation of rare difficulty” that grew more complex with the discovery of the American and South Korean hostages being held with the French citizens.\n\nEarlier on Saturday, Burkina Faso President Roch Kabore received the French and South Korean citizens in the presidential palace in the capital, Ouagadougou.\n\nHe tweeted on Saturday he wished them a “safe return to their respective families”.\n\nMr Macron has thanked authorities in Burkina Faso and Benin for their cooperation and promised them support in fighting terrorism.", "Two French tourists rescued from militants who held them hostage in the African nation of Burkina Faso thanked the soldiers who “lost their lives to free us from this hell.”\n\n“All our thoughts go out to the families of the soldiers and to the soldiers,” said Laurent Lassimouillas, one of the hostages, the BBC reported.\n\nLassimouillas and Patrick Picque, both music teachers, were kidnapped May 1 while on safari in Pendjari National Park in northern Benin, on the border with Burkina Faso.\n\nThe raid to rescue them by French special forces also turned up an American woman and a South Korean woman, who were freed, but have not yet been publicly identified. The two women had been in the kidnappers’ hands for 28 days.\n\nFrench special forces soldiers Cédric de Pierrepont and Alain Bertoncello died during the raid. Four kidnappers were also killed.\n\nLassimouillas and Picque were traveling in an area the French government advises its citizens to avoid. Their Beninese driver and guide were killed by the kidnappers."], "summary": "Four hostages, who were being held in northern Burkina Faso, are rescued by French naval commandos, with two French commandos killed during the rescue operation. Those freed include two Frenchmen who had been kidnapped in Benin on May 1 and a pair of women, one an American and the other a South Korean."}
{"document": ["Lagos, Nigeria (CNN) Almost 900 children who were recruited into the ranks of an anti-Boko Haram militia in Nigeria have been released, UNICEF said Friday.\n\nThe 894 children, including 106 girls, were recruited by the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) in Maiduguri in northeast Nigeria.\n\nCJTF is a local militia created in 2013 to fight insurgency in the region.\n\nUNICEF said more than 3,500 children were recruited between 2013 and 2017 for the ongoing conflict in northern Nigeria, where Boko Haram has fought for more than a decade, burning villages and attacking military bases.\n\nNigerian children released by armed group Civilian Joint Task Force.\n\n\"We cannot give up the fight for the children, as long as children are still affected by the fighting. We will continue until there is no child left in the ranks of all armed groups in Nigeria,\" said Mohamed Fall, UNICEF Nigeria representative.\n\nRead More", "NEARLY 900 children held by a pro-government militia force fighting Boko Haram insurgents in north eastern Nigeria were freed on Friday, the UN said.\n\nThe 894 children, including 106 girls, had been in the ranks of the government-backed Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), a local militia which supports regular soldiers battling the Islamist insurgents. (AFP)", "Nearly 900 children held by a pro-government militia force fighting Boko Haram insurgents in northeastern Nigeria were freed on Friday, the UN said.\n\nThe 894 children, including 106 girls, had been in the ranks of the government-backed Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), a local militia which supports regular soldiers battling the Islamist insurgents.\n\nAt a ceremony in the northeastern town of Maiduguri, they were released as part of the CJTF's \"commitment to end and prevent the recruitment and use of children,\" the UN children's agency (UNICEF) said.\n\n\"Children of north-east Nigeria have borne the brunt of this conflict,\" said UNICEF chief in Nigeria Mohamed Fall.\n\n\"They have been used by armed groups in combatant and non-combatant roles and witnessed death, killing and violence.\"\n\nThe CJTF is a militia formed in 2013 to protect communities from attack, but it has also recruited hundreds of children.\n\nIn 2017, the militia signed a promise to stop recruiting child soldiers and release the ones they hold.\n\nThe children freed on Friday bring the total released since then to 1,727 children, UNICEF said.\n\nIt was not clear how many children remain in its ranks, but the UN welcomed the news on Friday.\n\n\"Any commitment for children that is matched with action is a step in the right direction for the protection of children's rights, and must be recognised and encouraged,\" Fall said.\n\nThe freed children will be enrolled into a reintegration programme with education and training to help them return to civilian life.\n\nBoko Haram's decade-long uprising to establish a hardline Islamic state in Nigeria's northeast has spilled into neighbouring Niger, Chad and Cameroon.\n\nThe jihadis have also recruited thousands of children to fight in their ranks.\n\n\"We will continue until there is no child left in the ranks of all armed groups in Nigeria,\" Fall said, noting that children \"have been abducted, maimed, raped and killed.\"", "A regional militia allied with Nigerian government forces on Friday freed almost 900 children it had used in the war against Boko Haram insurgents, the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) said.\n\nThe move brought the total number of children freed to more than 1,700, a Unicef statement said. Non-state armed groups embroiled in the decade-long conflict against Boko Haram recruited more than 3,500 children between 2013 and 2017 in Nigeria’s northeast, according to Unicef.\n\n“[This] is a step in the right direction for the protection of children’s rights and must be recognised and encouraged,” Unicef Nigeria chief Mohamed Fall said in the statement, referring to Friday’s release by the militia group, which works closely with the military to fight Boko Haram.\n\n“Children of northeast Nigeria have borne the brunt of this conflict. They have been used by armed groups in combatant and non-combatant roles and witnessed death, killing and violence.”\n\nThe militia group had committed in September 2017 to ending its use of children in the conflict. Last October, 833 were released by the group.\n\nIt is not clear how many children in total have been drawn into Nigerian armed groups, including Boko Haram, or how they have been recruited.\n\nNigeria’s war against two jihadist groups, Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province, has left more than 30,000 people dead and displaced millions more, with the Islamist insurgencies showing little sign of ending.\n\nResidents of northeast Nigeria formed the militia, called the Civilian Joint Task Force, to help take on Boko Haram, which arose from the same communities. Some credit the militia with making early headway against Boko Haram in urban areas, using its local knowledge to identify people affiliated with the militants, although also drawing allegations that it sometimes used its power to settle scores in localised feuds.\n\nUnicef’s work in northeast Nigeria has at time angered authorities. In December, the military briefly suspended the agency’s work amid allegations that Unicef staff spied on behalf of militants in the restive region. – Reuters", "Almost 900 children who were recruited into the ranks of an anti-Boko Haram militia in Nigeria have been released, UNICEF said Friday.\n\nThe 894 children, including 106 girls, were recruited by the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) in Maiduguri in northeast Nigeria.\n\nUNICEF said more than 3,500 children were recruited between 2013 and 2017 for the ongoing conflict in northern Nigeria, where Boko Haram has fought for more than a decade, burning villages and attacking military bases.\n\n“We cannot give up the fight for the children, as long as children are still affected by the fighting. We will continue until there is no child left in the ranks of all armed groups in Nigeria,” said Mohamed Fall, UNICEF Nigeria representative.\n\nUNICEF says 1,727 children have been released since CJTF signed an action plan in 2017 to end child recruitment. The UN agency said it is working with the Nigerian government and local authorities to help reintegrate those released.\n\nBoko Haram fighters have carried out mass kidnappings, assassinations and market bombings. They have killed soldiers in territories the military said it had reclaimed.\n\nIn January, almost 30,000 people fled villages to Cameroon, according to the UN Refugee agency.", "ABUJA (Reuters) - A regional militia allied with Nigerian government forces freed on Friday almost 900 children it had used in the war against Islamist Boko Haram insurgents, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said.\n\nThe move brought the total number of children freed to more than 1,700, a UNICEF statement said. Non-state armed groups embroiled in the decade-long conflict against Boko Haram recruited more than 3,500 children between 2013 and 2017 in Nigeria's northeast, according to UNICEF.\n\n\"(This) is a step in the right direction for the protection of children's rights and must be recognised and encouraged,\" UNICEF Nigeria chief Mohamed Fall said in the statement, referring to Friday's release by the militia group, which works closely with the military to fight Boko Haram.\n\n\"Children of northeast Nigeria have borne the brunt of this conflict. They have been used by armed groups in combatant and non-combatant roles and witnessed death, killing and violence.\"\n\nThe militia group had committed in September 2017 to ending their use of children in the conflict. Last October, 833 were released by the group.\n\nIt is not clear how many children in total have been drawn into Nigerian armed groups, including Boko Haram, or how they have been recruited. Videos seen by Reuters show child soldiers rescued from Boko Haram demonstrating to Nigerian troops how they were trained to fight and shoot rifles.\n\nNigeria's war against two jihadist groups, Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province, has left more than 30,000 people dead and displaced millions more, with the Islamist insurgencies showing little sign of ending.\n\nResidents of northeast Nigeria formed the militia, called the Civilian Joint Task Force, to help take on Boko Haram, which arose from the same communities. Some credit the militia with making early headway against Boko Haram in urban areas, using its local knowledge to identify people affiliated with the militants, although also drawing allegations that it sometimes used its power to settle scores in localised feuds.\n\nUNICEF's work in northeast Nigeria has at time angered authorities. In December, the military briefly suspended the agency's work amid allegations that UNICEF staff spied on behalf of militants in the restive region.\n\nThe northeast of Nigeria, Africa's most populous country and biggest energy producer, is rife with abuses on both sides of the conflict - from the recruitment of children to extrajudicial killings and rapes, according to human rights groups.\n\nThis story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.\n\nYour guide to the latest election news, analysis, commentary, live updates and schedule for Lok Sabha Elections 2019 on firstpost.com/elections. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram or like our Facebook page for updates from all 543 constituencies for the upcoming general elections.", "A local militia group that supports the Nigerian government in the fight against Boko Haram insurgents has released nearly 900 children, the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) said Friday.\n\nUNICEF said the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) released 894 children Friday in the northeastern town of Maiduguri \"as part of its commitment to end and prevent the recruitment and use of children.\"\n\nThe CJTF was created in 2013 by a U.S.-led global coalition to help protect communities from attacks by Islamist insurgents in northeast Nigeria. But the militia has also recruited hundreds of children.\n\n\"Children in northeast Nigeria have borne the brunt of this conflict,\" said UNICEF Nigerian representative Mohamed Fall. \"They have been used by armed groups in combatant and non-combatant roles and witnessed death, killing and violence.\"\n\nThe CJTF signed an \"action plan\" in 2017 that included a vow to stop recruiting child soldiers and to release the ones who were in its fold. Since then, UNICEF said 1,727 children had been released.\n\nUNICEF said the newly-released children will be enrolled in a program to help them transition to civilian life. To help with reintegration, they will receive educational support and vocational training.\n\nBoko Haram has also recruited thousands of children in a decade-long uprising to establish a hardline Islamic state in northeastern Nigeria. Between 2013 and 2017, more than 3,500 children were \"recruited and used\" by armed opposition groups, UNICEF said. The agency said other children have been killed, raped, maimed and kidnapped.\n\n\"We will continue until there is no child left in the ranks of all armed groups in Nigeria,\" Fall said.", "ABUJA - Nearly 900 children, including some as young as 13, have been freed by a pro-government militia fighting against Islamist Boko Haram insurgents, the UN children’s agency has said.\n\nMore than 1,700 children have now been released by Civilian Joint Task Force, a local militia thatworks closely with the military to fight Boko Haram and signed a commitment to end the recruitment and use of children in 2017.\n\nNon-state armed groups embroiled in the decade-long conflict against Boko Haram recruited more than 3,500 children between 2013 and 2017 in Nigeria’s north-east, according to Unicef.\n\n“[This] is a step in the right direction for the protection of children’s rights and must be recognised and encouraged,” said Unicef’s Nigeria chief, Mohamed Fall, following the children’s release on Friday.\n\n“Children of north-east Nigeria have borne the brunt of this conflict. They have been used by armed groups in combatant and non-combatant roles and witnessed death, killing and violence.” The UN’s annual report on children and armed conflict, released last year, found that 1,092 children, the majority of them boys (738), were recruited and used by armed groups in 2017. It described Boko Haram, which has been condemned for its use of children as suicide bombers, as the main perpetrator.\n\nThe 894 children, released at a ceremony in the north-eastern town of Maiduguri, were aged between 13 and 19. They were were recruited in 2017.\n\nChildren who had been separated from their families will be reunited from Saturday, said Kusali Nellie Kubwalo of Unicef Nigeria, adding that they will also be offered support to get education and training: “There’s an assessment to see what support can be given … whether they want to go back to school, so we can link them to the right school.”\n\nLast October, 833 children were released by the Civilian Joint Task Force, whose commitment to end the recruitment of children was heralded as a landmark moment when the agreement was signed in September 2017, after a year of negotiations with the UN.\n\nNigeria’s war against two jihadist groups, Boko Haram and Islamic State west Africa province, which has left more than 30,000 people dead and displaced millions more, shows no signs of being resolved.\n\nThe Civilian Joint Task Force is formed largely from vigilante groups in response to the Boko Haram insurgency. Some credit the group with protecting communities in areas poorly guarded by the military, but it has also been accused of rape and human rights abuses by Human Rights Watch and other rights organisations.\n\nUnicef’s work in north-east Nigeria has at times angered authorities. In December, the military briefly suspended the agency’s work amid allegations that Unicef staff spied on behalf of militants in the restive region.\n\nThe north-east of Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country and biggest energy producer, is rife with abuses on both sides of the conflict – from the recruitment of children to extrajudicial killings and rapes, according to human rights groups.", "The jihadis have also recruited thousands of children to fight in their ranks. \"We will continue until there is no child left in the ranks of all armed groups in Nigeria,\" Fall said, noting that children \"have been abducted, maimed, raped and killed.\n\nMaiduguri: Nearly 900 children held by a pro-government militia force fighting Boko Haram insurgents in northeastern Nigeria were freed on Friday, the UN said. The 894 children, including 106 girls, had been in the ranks of the government-backed Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), a local militia which supports regular soldiers battling the Islamist insurgents.\n\nAt a ceremony in the northeastern town of Maiduguri, they were released as part of the CJTF's \"commitment to end and prevent the recruitment and use of children,\" the UN children's agency (UNICEF) said. \"Children of north-east Nigeria have borne the brunt of this conflict,\" said UNICEF chief in Nigeria Mohamed Fall. \"They have been used by armed groups in combatant and non-combatant roles and witnessed death, killing and violence.\" The CJTF is a militia formed in 2013 to protect communities from attack, but it has also recruited hundreds of children. In 2017, the militia signed a promise to stop recruiting child soldiers and release the ones they hold.\n\nThe children freed on Friday bring the total released since then to 1,727 children, UNICEF said. It was not clear how many children remain in its ranks, but the UN welcomed the news on Friday. \"Any commitment for children that is matched with action is a step in the right direction for the protection of children's rights, and must be recognised and encouraged,\" Fall said. The freed children will be enrolled into a reintegration programme with education and training to help them return to civilian life. Boko Haram's decade-long uprising to establish a hardline Islamic state in Nigeria's northeast has spilled into neighbouring Niger, Chad and Cameroon. The jihadis have also recruited thousands of children to fight in their ranks. \"We will continue until there is no child left in the ranks of all armed groups in Nigeria,\" Fall said, noting that children \"have been abducted, maimed, raped and killed.\"\n• None Highway Gomantak in Bandra fight with hsg society over maintenance\n• None 6 dead as cars crash head-on trying to avoid biker near Palghar\n• None Toxic gas, lack of safety equipment cost workers their lives in Thane\n• None Mumbai Crime: 63-yr-old doctor gets bail in molestation case in Bandra\n• None Mumbai volunteers refused space to stock up relief materials for Odisha\n• None Now, meds at Mumbai civic hospitals to have MCGM mark and bar, QR codes\n• None Mumbai: Law students relieved as GLC agrees to have retest\n• None Praveen Pardeshi to be new BMC chief\n• None The dark side: Have you seen these 12 most haunted places in Mumbai?\n• None Himanshu Roy death anniversary: Mumbai's top cop whose life was cut short by suicide\n• None Kelly and Kody: The couple's steamy and dreamy photos are too hot to handle!\n\nCatch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates", "A regional militia allied with Nigerian government forces released on Friday almost 900 children it had used in the war against Islamist Boko Haram insurgents, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said.\n\nThe move brought the total number of children released to more than 1,700, a UNICEF statement said. Non-state armed groups embroiled in the decade-long conflict against Boko Haram recruited more than 3,500 children between 2013 and 2017 in Nigeria's northeast, according to UNICEF.\n\n\"(This) is a step in the right direction for the protection of children's rights and must be recognised and encouraged,\" UNICEF Nigeria chief Mohamed Fall said in the statement, referring to Friday's release by the militia group, which works closely with the military to fight Boko Haram.\n\n\"Children of northeast Nigeria have borne the brunt of this conflict. They have been used by armed groups in combatant and non-combatant roles and witnessed death, killing and violence.\"\n\nThe militia group had committed in September 2017 to ending their use of children in the conflict. Last October, 833 were released by the group.\n\nIt is not clear how many children in total have been drawn into Nigerian armed groups, including Boko Haram, or how they have been recruited. Videos seen by Reuters show child soldiers rescued from Boko Haram demonstrating to Nigerian troops how they were trained to fight and shoot rifles."], "summary": "About 900 children are released from the Civilian Joint Task Force, a militia formed in Nigeria to counter Boko Haram."}
{"document": ["Pakistan: Today's Sehar and Iftar timings for Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar, Quetta; 09 May, 2019\n\nToday is the third day of Ramzan 2019 in Pakistan. Muslims abstain from eating and drinking between Sehar and Iftar time (Dusk till Dawn) during Ramzan.\n\nBelow are Sehr and Iftar timings for two major school of thoughts: Fiqa Hanafia (Sunni) and Jafaria (Shia) living in five major cities of Pakistan and their suburbs on 3rd Ramzan 2019.", "Islamabad, Pakistan - At least five people have been killed in a gun and bomb attack on a coal mine in southwestern Pakistan, officials say, the latest in an uptick of violence by ethnic Baloch separatists.\n\nTwo miners, two security personnel and a driver were among the dead after armed attackers stormed a coal mine on Thursday in Harnai district, about 70km east of the provincial capital of Quetta, deputy commissioner Azeem Dummar said.\n\n\"First unidentified armed men opened fire on two labourers working in [the coal mine], killing both on the spot,\" Dummar said.\n\nAs the security forces responded to the attack, a vehicle belonging to the paramilitary Frontier Corps (FC) that was rushing to the scene was hit by a landmine explosion about a kilometre away from the coal mine, said Dummar. One FC soldier was wounded in the attack, he said.\n\nHours later, the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), an armed separatist group based in Balochistan province, claimed responsibility for the attack.\n\n\"We want to make it clear to the local spies and death squad groups of Pakistan army that they will not be forgiven for their crimes,\" said Jeehand Baloch, a BLA spokesperson, in an emailed statement.\n\nBaloch independence\n\nThe BLA and other armed groups have been fighting Pakistani security forces for more than a decade, demanding independence for the ethnic Baloch areas of Balochistan province, which they claim has been neglected by the Pakistani state and exploited for its mineral resources.\n\nBalochistan, located in southwestern Pakistan, is the country's largest but least populated province, with rich deposits of natural gas, coal, metals and minerals.\n\nRights groups allege that Pakistani security forces have abducted hundreds of pro-freedom Baloch political activists and fighters in their fight to quell the rebellion.\n\nThe province is also the site of a major port, which is the culmination of the $60bn China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a major infrastructure and transportation investment by China in the South Asian nation.\n\nThe CPEC trade corridor will terminate at the Gwadar seaport, giving goods from southwestern China access to the Arabian Sea through Pakistan.\n\n\"Pakistan army along with several other companies is plundering Baloch national wealth,\" said BLA spokesperson Baloch. \"Balochistan is a war-torn region and we will not allow any investments until the independence of Balochistan.\"\n\nThe attack on Thursday was the latest violence targeting security forces this year, as attacks by the BLA and its allies have ramped up.\n\nLast month, Baloch separatist gunmen stopped a bus in southern Balochistan and killed 14 passengers.\n\nThe Baloch Raaji Aajoi Sangar (BRAS), an alliance of the BLA, Baloch Liberation Front and Baloch Republican Guard, claimed responsibility for that attack.\n\nFollow Asad Hashim on Twitter: @AsadHashim\n\nAdditional reporting by Saadullah Akhtar in Quetta", "QUETTA, Pakistan (Reuters) - Three gunmen stormed a luxury hotel in Pakistan’s southwestern port city of Gwadar on Saturday, killing at least one guard and battling security forces inside, officials and the army said.\n\nBalochistan Home Minister Ziaullah Langove said most guests had been evacuated from the five-star Pearl Continental Hotel, which helicopters circled as fighting was underway. He said there were reports of casualties, but did not give details.\n\nThe military said three gunmen killed a guard at the entrance to the hotel when they entered. Security forces had cordoned off the area and cornered the attackers in a staircase leading to the top floor, the military said in its statement\n\nBalochistan Liberation Army, a group fighting for greater autonomy in Pakistan’s poorest province, claimed responsibility in an emailed statement.\n\nGwadar is a strategic port on the Arabian Sea that is being developed as part of the $60 billion China Pakistan Economic Corridor, which is itself part of China’s mammoth Belt and Road infrastructure project.\n\nThe hotel, located on a hillside near the port, is used by foreign guests, including Chinese project staff, but there were none in the building at the time of the attack, Langove said.\n\nPakistani officials have said the security forces were on alert for attacks during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which began in early May.\n\nSecurity across most of Pakistan has improved over recent years following a major crackdown after the country’s worst attack, when some 150 people, most of them children, were killed in an attack on a school in the western city of Peshawar in 2014.\n\nBut Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province, remains an exception and there have been several attacks this year, with at least 14 people killed last month in an attack on buses travelling between the southern city of Karachi and Gwadar.\n\nThe province is rife with ethnic, sectarian and separatist insurgencies, with several militant groups, including the Pakistani Taliban group Tehrik-i Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Balochistan Liberation Army and the Sunni group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi.\n\nSaturday’s incident follows a bombing this week that targeted police outside a major Sufi shrine in Lahore, in the north of Pakistan, that killed at least 10 people and wounded more than 20, officials said.", "QUETTA, Pakistan (Reuters) - Three gunmen stormed a luxury hotel in Pakistan’s southwestern port city of Gwadar on Saturday, killing at least one guard and battling security forces inside, officials and the army said.\n\nBalochistan Home Minister Ziaullah Langove said most guests had been evacuated from the five-star Pearl Continental Hotel, which helicopters circled as fighting was underway. He said there were reports of casualties, but did not give details.\n\nThe military said three gunmen killed a guard at the entrance to the hotel when they entered. Security forces had cordoned off the area and cornered the attackers in a staircase leading to the top floor, the military said in its statement\n\nBalochistan Liberation Army, a group fighting for greater autonomy in Pakistan’s poorest province, claimed responsibility in an emailed statement.\n\nGwadar is a strategic port on the Arabian Sea that is being developed as part of the $60 billion China Pakistan Economic Corridor, which is itself part of China’s mammoth Belt and Road infrastructure project.\n\nThe hotel, located on a hillside near the port, is used by foreign guests, including Chinese project staff, but there were none in the building at the time of the attack, Langove said.\n\nPakistani officials have said the security forces were on alert for attacks during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which began in early May.\n\nSecurity across most of Pakistan has improved over recent years following a major crackdown after the country’s worst attack, when some 150 people, most of them children, were killed in an attack on a school in the western city of Peshawar in 2014.\n\nBut Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province, remains an exception and there have been several attacks this year, with at least 14 people killed last month in an attack on buses traveling between the southern city of Karachi and Gwadar.\n\nThe province is rife with ethnic, sectarian and separatist insurgencies, with several militant groups, including the Pakistani Taliban group Tehrik-i Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Balochistan Liberation Army and the Sunni group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi.\n\nSaturday’s incident follows a bombing this week that targeted police outside a major Sufi shrine in Lahore, in the north of Pakistan, that killed at least 10 people and wounded more than 20, officials said.", "Balochistan Home Minister Ziaullah Langove said most guests were evacuated from the five-star Pearl Continental Hotel, which helicopters circled as fighting was under way. Police said that in addition to the guard killed by the attackers, at least two other people were wounded but there was no final casualty total.\n\nThe military said three gunmen killed a guard at the entrance to the hotel when they entered. Security forces had cordoned off the area and cornered the attackers in a staircase leading to the top floor, the military said in its statement.\n\nBalochistan Liberation Army, a group fighting for greater autonomy in Pakistan's poorest province, claimed responsibility in an emailed statement that said the attack was aimed at \"Chinese and other foreign investors.\"\n\nAs night fell, a Twitter feed apparently run by the insurgents said the attackers had \"achieved all their targets\" but there was no official confirmation that the fighting was over.\n\nGwadar is a strategic port on the Arabian Sea that is being developed as part of the $60 billion China Pakistan Economic Corridor, which is itself part of China's mammoth Belt and Road infrastructure project.\n\nThe Pearl Continental Hotel, located on a hillside near the port, is used by foreign guests, including Chinese project staff, but there were none in the building at the time of the attack, Langove said.\n\nA statement from the Chinese embassy in Islamabad condemned the attack and said \"the heroic action of Pakistani army and law enforcement agencies is highly appreciated.\"\n\nPakistani officials have said the security forces were on alert for attacks during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which began in early May.\n\nSecurity across most of Pakistan has improved over recent years following a major crackdown after the country's worst attack, when some 150 people, most of them children, were killed in an attack on a school in the western city of Peshawar in 2014.\n\nBut Balochistan, Pakistan's largest province, remains an exception and there have been several attacks this year, with at least 14 people killed last month in an attack on buses travelling between the southern city of Karachi and Gwadar.\n\nThe province is rife with ethnic, sectarian and separatist insurgencies, with several militant groups, including the Pakistani Taliban group Tehrik-i Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Balochistan Liberation Army and the Sunni group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi.\n\nSaturday's incident follows a bombing this week that targeted police outside a major Sufi shrine in Lahore, in the north of Pakistan, that killed at least 10 people and wounded more than 20, officials said.", "QUETTA, Pakistan (Reuters) - Three gunmen stormed a luxury hotel in Pakistan’s southwestern port city of Gwadar on Saturday, killing at least one guard and battling security forces inside, officials and the army said.\n\nBalochistan Home Minister Ziaullah Langove said most guests had been evacuated from the five-star Pearl Continental Hotel, which helicopters circled as fighting was underway. He said there were reports of casualties, but did not give details.\n\nThe military said three gunmen killed a guard at the entrance to the hotel when they entered. Security forces had cordoned off the area and cornered the attackers in a staircase leading to the top floor, the military said in its statement\n\nBalochistan Liberation Army, a group fighting for greater autonomy in Pakistan’s poorest province, claimed responsibility in an emailed statement.\n\nGwadar is a strategic port on the Arabian Sea that is being developed as part of the $60 billion China Pakistan Economic Corridor, which is itself part of China’s mammoth Belt and Road infrastructure project.\n\nThe hotel, located on a hillside near the port, is used by foreign guests, including Chinese project staff, but there were none in the building at the time of the attack, Langove said.\n\nPakistani officials have said the security forces were on alert for attacks during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which began in early May.\n\nSecurity across most of Pakistan has improved over recent years following a major crackdown after the country’s worst attack, when some 150 people, most of them children, were killed in an attack on a school in the western city of Peshawar in 2014.\n\nBut Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province, remains an exception and there have been several attacks this year, with at least 14 people killed last month in an attack on buses travelling between the southern city of Karachi and Gwadar.\n\nThe province is rife with ethnic, sectarian and separatist insurgencies, with several militant groups, including the Pakistani Taliban group Tehrik-i Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Balochistan Liberation Army and the Sunni group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi.\n\nSaturday’s incident follows a bombing this week that targeted police outside a major Sufi shrine in Lahore, in the north of Pakistan, that killed at least 10 people and wounded more than 20, officials said.", "QUETTA, Pakistan (Reuters) - Three gunmen stormed a luxury hotel in Pakistan’s southwestern port city of Gwadar on Saturday, killing at least one guard and battling security forces inside, officials and the army said.\n\nBalochistan Home Minister Ziaullah Langove said most guests had been evacuated from the five-star Pearl Continental Hotel, which helicopters circled as fighting was underway. He said there were reports of casualties, but did not give details.\n\nThe military said three gunmen killed a guard at the entrance to the hotel when they entered. Security forces had cordoned off the area and cornered the attackers in a staircase leading to the top floor, the military said in its statement\n\nBalochistan Liberation Army, a group fighting for greater autonomy in Pakistan’s poorest province, claimed responsibility in an emailed statement.\n\nGwadar is a strategic port on the Arabian Sea that is being developed as part of the $60 billion China Pakistan Economic Corridor, which is itself part of China’s mammoth Belt and Road infrastructure project.\n\nThe hotel, located on a hillside near the port, is used by foreign guests, including Chinese project staff, but there were none in the building at the time of the attack, Langove said.\n\nPakistani officials have said the security forces were on alert for attacks during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which began in early May.\n\nSecurity across most of Pakistan has improved over recent years following a major crackdown after the country’s worst attack, when some 150 people, most of them children, were killed in an attack on a school in the western city of Peshawar in 2014.\n\nBut Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province, remains an exception and there have been several attacks this year, with at least 14 people killed last month in an attack on buses traveling between the southern city of Karachi and Gwadar.\n\nThe province is rife with ethnic, sectarian and separatist insurgencies, with several militant groups, including the Pakistani Taliban group Tehrik-i Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Balochistan Liberation Army and the Sunni group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi.\n\nSaturday’s incident follows a bombing this week that targeted police outside a major Sufi shrine in Lahore, in the north of Pakistan, that killed at least 10 people and wounded more than 20, officials said.", "QUETTA, Pakistan (Reuters) - Three gunmen stormed a luxury hotel in Pakistan’s southwestern port city of Gwadar on Saturday, killing at least one guard and battling security forces inside, officials and the army said.\n\nBalochistan Home Minister Ziaullah Langove said most guests had been evacuated from the five-star Pearl Continental Hotel, which helicopters circled as fighting was underway. He said there were reports of casualties, but did not give details.\n\nThe military said three gunmen killed a guard at the entrance to the hotel when they entered. Security forces had cordoned off the area and cornered the attackers in a staircase leading to the top floor, the military said in its statement\n\nBalochistan Liberation Army, a group fighting for greater autonomy in Pakistan’s poorest province, claimed responsibility in an emailed statement.\n\nGwadar is a strategic port on the Arabian Sea that is being developed as part of the $60 billion China Pakistan Economic Corridor, which is itself part of China’s mammoth Belt and Road infrastructure project.\n\nThe hotel, located on a hillside near the port, is used by foreign guests, including Chinese project staff, but there were none in the building at the time of the attack, Langove said.\n\nPakistani officials have said the security forces were on alert for attacks during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which began in early May.\n\nSecurity across most of Pakistan has improved over recent years following a major crackdown after the country’s worst attack, when some 150 people, most of them children, were killed in an attack on a school in the western city of Peshawar in 2014.\n\nBut Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province, remains an exception and there have been several attacks this year, with at least 14 people killed last month in an attack on buses traveling between the southern city of Karachi and Gwadar.\n\nThe province is rife with ethnic, sectarian and separatist insurgencies, with several militant groups, including the Pakistani Taliban group Tehrik-i Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Balochistan Liberation Army and the Sunni group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi.\n\nSaturday’s incident follows a bombing this week that targeted police outside a major Sufi shrine in Lahore, in the north of Pakistan, that killed at least 10 people and wounded more than 20, officials said.", "QUETTA, Pakistan (Reuters) - Three gunmen stormed a luxury hotel in Pakistan’s southwestern port city of Gwadar on Saturday, killing at least one guard and battling security forces inside, officials and the army said.\n\nBalochistan Home Minister Ziaullah Langove said most guests had been evacuated from the five-star Pearl Continental Hotel, which helicopters circled as fighting was underway. He said there were reports of casualties, but did not give details.\n\nThe military said three gunmen killed a guard at the entrance to the hotel when they entered. Security forces had cordoned off the area and cornered the attackers in a staircase leading to the top floor, the military said in its statement\n\nBalochistan Liberation Army, a group fighting for greater autonomy in Pakistan’s poorest province, claimed responsibility in an emailed statement.\n\nGwadar is a strategic port on the Arabian Sea that is being developed as part of the $60 billion China Pakistan Economic Corridor, which is itself part of China’s mammoth Belt and Road infrastructure project.\n\nThe hotel, located on a hillside near the port, is used by foreign guests, including Chinese project staff, but there were none in the building at the time of the attack, Langove said.\n\nPakistani officials have said the security forces were on alert for attacks during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which began in early May.\n\nSecurity across most of Pakistan has improved over recent years following a major crackdown after the country’s worst attack, when some 150 people, most of them children, were killed in an attack on a school in the western city of Peshawar in 2014.\n\nBut Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province, remains an exception and there have been several attacks this year, with at least 14 people killed last month in an attack on buses travelling between the southern city of Karachi and Gwadar.\n\nThe province is rife with ethnic, sectarian and separatist insurgencies, with several militant groups, including the Pakistani Taliban group Tehrik-i Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Balochistan Liberation Army and the Sunni group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi.\n\nSaturday’s incident follows a bombing this week that targeted police outside a major Sufi shrine in Lahore, in the north of Pakistan, that killed at least 10 people and wounded more than 20, officials said.", "Gunmen in stand-off with officers after targeting Pakistan hotel\n\nGunmen in stand-off with officers after targeting Pakistan hotel\n\nGunmen have targeted a hotel in the city of Gwadar in southwestern Pakistan and are engaged in a stand-off with security forces."], "summary": "Suspected Baloch nationalist gunmen storm a coal mine in Islamabad, Pakistan, killing at least five people."}
{"document": ["KABUL, Afghanistan — Taliban militants overran a cluster of government outposts in northwestern Afghanistan on Friday, leaving more than a dozen Afghan soldiers dead, including several troops from an elite police unit, officials said.\n\nThe brutal fighting came a day after the United States and the Taliban ended their sixth round of peace negotiations and the militant group said that it would continue to mount attacks, including ones like the car bomb directed at two Western aid organizations in Kabul on Wednesday that killed nine and wounded at least 20.\n\nCol. Qais Mangal, a spokesman for Afghanistan’s Defense Ministry, said the Taliban had attacked two outposts in the Murghab district of Badghis Province that are shared by the army, the police and the National Directorate of Security. He said the Afghan military had sent reinforcements as the fighting continued.\n\n“Unfortunately, the Afghan forces suffered casualties, but there isn’t any information about the exact number,” Colonel Mangal said.", "KABUL (Reuters) - U.S. and Taliban negotiators wrapped up their sixth round of peace talks on Thursday with “some progress” made on a draft agreement for when foreign troops might withdraw from Afghanistan, a Taliban official said.\n\nThe talks, in which the United States has also sought assurances the Taliban will not allow militant groups to use Afghanistan to stage attacks, began on April 30 in Qatar’s capital Doha.\n\nAbout 17,000 foreign troops are based in Afghanistan as part of a U.S.-led NATO mission to help local forces.\n\nThe United States has been pushing the Taliban to agree to a ceasefire and to talk with Afghanistan’s government, which the militant group considers a U.S. puppet regime.\n\n“The 6th round of talks ... ended, with some progress made on the draft agreement prepared in the last round of talks,” tweeted Muhammad Sohail Shaheen, spokesman for the Taliban’s political office in Doha\n\n“In general, this round was positive and constructive. Both sides listened to each other with care and patience,” he added.\n\nThe negotiations included the Taliban’s political chief Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar and a U.S. team led by special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad.\n\nKhalilzad, an Afghan-born veteran U.S. diplomat, had suggested that the warring sides should declare a ceasefire as part of an effort to end the nearly 18-year war.\n\nBut the Taliban rejected Khalilzad’s offer and have continued attacks on government buildings and offices of foreign organizations.\n\nOn Wednesday, a Taliban attack on a U.S.-based aid group in Kabul killed at least nine people as members of the hardline Islamist group set off a huge explosion and battled security forces for over six hours.\n\nAt least 20 civilians were wounded in the attack, which saw several Taliban gunmen storm the Counterpoint International office.", "KABUL (Reuters) - U.S. and Taliban negotiators wrapped up their sixth round of peace talks on Thursday with “some progress” made on a draft agreement for when foreign troops might withdraw from Afghanistan, a Taliban official said.\n\nThe talks, in which the United States has also sought assurances the Taliban will not allow militant groups to use Afghanistan to stage attacks, began on April 30 in Qatar’s capital Doha.\n\nAbout 17,000 foreign troops are based in Afghanistan as part of a U.S.-led NATO mission to help local forces.\n\nThe United States has been pushing the Taliban to agree to a ceasefire and to talk with Afghanistan’s government, which the militant group considers a U.S. puppet regime.\n\n“The 6th round of talks ... ended, with some progress made on the draft agreement prepared in the last round of talks,” tweeted Muhammad Sohail Shaheen, spokesman for the Taliban’s political office in Doha\n\n“In general, this round was positive and constructive. Both sides listened to each other with care and patience,” he added.\n\nThe negotiations included the Taliban’s political chief Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar and a U.S. team led by special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad.\n\nKhalilzad, an Afghan-born veteran U.S. diplomat, had suggested that the warring sides should declare a ceasefire as part of an effort to end the nearly 18-year war.\n\nBut the Taliban rejected Khalilzad’s offer and have continued attacks on government buildings and offices of foreign organizations.\n\nOn Wednesday, a Taliban attack on a U.S.-based aid group in Kabul killed at least nine people as members of the hardline Islamist group set off a huge explosion and battled security forces for over six hours.\n\nAt least 20 civilians were wounded in the attack, which saw several Taliban gunmen storm the Counterpoint International office.", "ISLAMABAD — Afghan officials say a car bomb-and-gun attack has targeted a U.S.-funded international relief organization in Kabul, causing casualties.\n\nRescue workers transported at least nine injured to city hospitals Wednesday, but there were no immediate reports of death.\n\nThe Interior Ministry said the non-profit group Counterpart International, which is a partner of the U.S. Agency for International Development, was under attack in the upscale Shahri Naw part of the capital city.\n\nAfghan police and military commandos quickly surrounded the building and engaged the assailants.\n\nOfficials said 150 staff members were rescued, while efforts to secure others were underway.\n\nThe Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.\n\nThe insurgent raid began just before noon with a car bomb explosion at the entrance gate before several gunmen stormed the office building, said Nasrat Rahimi, an interior ministry spokesman.\n\nThere was no immediate response to the attack from the U.S.-financed Counterpart International.The aid group has been operating in Afghanistan since 2005 on civic engagement projects, according to its website.\n\n“In all our programs, we bring marginalized people into civic life, supporting their ability to influence decisions that affect their lives,” says Counterpart in its mission statement posted on its website.\n\nTaliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid accused the aid group of conducting “harmful” activities inside Afghanistan.”Counterpart implemented a dangerous program termed ‘Angel’ aimed at promoting open inter-mixing between men and women,” Mujahid alleged in a statement sent to reporters.He accuses the aid group of employing “40-50 foreign advisors” workingin various aspects of brutality, oppression, terror, anti-Islamic ideology and promotion of Western culture.\n\nU.S. ambassador to Afghanistan John Bass strongly condemned the Taliban attack.\n\n“The targeted organization helps local communities, trains journalists and supports the Afghan people.For this, it is the target of senseless violence.Thanks to Afghan Security Forces for rapid response,” Bass said.\n\nThe U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan also denounced as deplorable the “deliberated targeting of the civilian aid organization” by the insurgents.\n\nThe Taliban continues to carry out deadly attacks, despite cease-fire appeals by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and the United States during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which began Monday.\n\nThe insurgent group has justified its violent campaign, saying under Islamic traditions “the blessed month of Ramadan is prime opportunity for jihad [holy war].”\n\nThe latest violence comes as a sixth round of peace talks between U.S. and Taliban negotiators is under way in Doha, Qatar, to try to bring an end to the conflict in Afghanistan.The latest round of discussions between the two sides began a week ago, but neither side has reported any significant progress.", "KABUL (Reuters) - U.S. and Taliban negotiators wrapped up their sixth round of peace talks on Thursday with “some progress” made on a draft agreement for when foreign troops might withdraw from Afghanistan, a Taliban official said.\n\nThe talks, in which the United States has also sought assurances the Taliban will not allow militant groups to use Afghanistan to stage attacks, began on April 30 in Qatar’s capital Doha.\n\nAbout 17,000 foreign troops are based in Afghanistan as part of a U.S.-led NATO mission to help local forces.\n\nThe United States has been pushing the Taliban to agree to a ceasefire and to talk with Afghanistan’s government, which the militant group considers a U.S. puppet regime.\n\n“The 6th round of talks ... ended, with some progress made on the draft agreement prepared in the last round of talks,” tweeted Muhammad Sohail Shaheen, spokesman for the Taliban’s political office in Doha\n\n“In general, this round was positive and constructive. Both sides listened to each other with care and patience,” he added.\n\nThe negotiations included the Taliban’s political chief Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar and a U.S. team led by special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad.\n\nKhalilzad, an Afghan-born veteran U.S. diplomat, had suggested that the warring sides should declare a ceasefire as part of an effort to end the nearly 18-year war.\n\nBut the Taliban rejected Khalilzad’s offer and have continued attacks on government buildings and offices of foreign organizations.\n\nOn Wednesday, a Taliban attack on a U.S.-based aid group in Kabul killed at least nine people as members of the hardline Islamist group set off a huge explosion and battled security forces for over six hours.\n\nAt least 20 civilians were wounded in the attack, which saw several Taliban gunmen storm the Counterpoint International office.", "KABUL, May 9 (Reuters) - U.S. and Taliban negotiators wrapped up their sixth round of peace talks on Thursday with \"some progress\" made on a draft agreement for when foreign troops might withdraw from Afghanistan, a Taliban official said.\n\nThe talks, in which the United States has also sought assurances the Taliban will not allow militant groups to use Afghanistan to stage attacks, began on April 30 in Qatar's capital Doha.\n\nAbout 17,000 foreign troops are based in Afghanistan as part of a U.S.-led NATO mission to help local forces.\n\nThe United States has been pushing the Taliban to agree to a ceasefire and to talk with Afghanistan's government, which the militant group considers a U.S. puppet regime.\n\n\"The 6th round of talks ... ended, with some progress made on the draft agreement prepared in the last round of talks,\" tweeted Muhammad Sohail Shaheen, spokesman for the Taliban's political office in Doha\n\n\"In general, this round was positive and constructive. Both sides listened to each other with care and patience,\" he added.\n\nThe negotiations included the Taliban's political chief Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar and a U.S. team led by special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad.\n\nKhalilzad, an Afghan-born veteran U.S. diplomat, had suggested that the warring sides should declare a ceasefire as part of an effort to end the nearly 18-year war.\n\nBut the Taliban rejected Khalilzad's offer and have continued attacks on government buildings and offices of foreign organizations.\n\nOn Wednesday, a Taliban attack on a U.S.-based aid group in Kabul killed at least nine people as members of the hardline Islamist group set off a huge explosion and battled security forces for over six hours. At least 20 civilians were wounded in the attack, which saw several Taliban gunmen storm the Counterpoint International office. (Reporting by Abdul Qadir Sediqi; Writing by Rupam Jain; Editing by Gareth Jones and Andrew Cawthorne)", "The latest round of US-Taliban talks ended in Qatar on Thursday, an insurgent spokesman said, after \"positive and constructive\" negotiations that continued even as the Taliban bombed a US-funded aid group in Kabul.\n\nSuhail Shaheen, the Taliban's political spokesman in Doha, tweeted that \"some progress\" had been made at the sixth round of peace talks and that the foes would meet again for another round of discussions.\n\n\"In general, this round was positive and constructive. Both sides listened to each other with care and patience,\" Shaheen wrote on Twitter.\n\nThe US embassy in Kabul did not immediately comment, nor did US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, the Afghan-born former US ambassador to Afghanistan who is leading negotiations for the Americans.\n\nShaheen told AFP Sunday that peace negotiations were stumbling over the fundamental question of when foreign forces would depart Afghanistan.\n\nBefore the US agrees to any withdrawal as part of an eventual deal, it is demanding the Taliban put in place security guarantees, a ceasefire and other commitments including an \"intra-Afghan\" dialogue with the Kabul government and other Afghan representatives.\n\nThe Taliban however insist they won't do any of these things until the US announces a withdrawal timeline.\n\nAt the end of a large peace summit in Kabul last week, President Ashraf Ghani offered the Taliban a ceasefire to begin on the first day of Ramadan, but the insurgents refused.\n\nOn Wednesday, a Taliban suicide bomber and four gunmen attacked Counterpart International, a non-profit group working with marginalised people in Afghanistan, killing nine people.\n\n\"This violent attack is a senseless assault on the noble values that the organisations like Counterpart support, such as service to others, education, and inclusion,\" US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement.", "KABUL (Reuters) - U.S. and Taliban negotiators wrapped up their sixth round of peace talks on Thursday with “some progress” made on a draft agreement for when foreign troops might withdraw from Afghanistan, a Taliban official said.\n\nThe talks, in which the United States has also sought assurances the Taliban will not allow militant groups to use Afghanistan to stage attacks, began on April 30 in Qatar’s capital Doha.\n\nAbout 17,000 foreign troops are based in Afghanistan as part of a U.S.-led NATO mission to help local forces.\n\nThe United States has been pushing the Taliban to agree to a ceasefire and to talk with Afghanistan’s government, which the militant group considers a U.S. puppet regime.\n\n“The 6th round of talks ... ended, with some progress made on the draft agreement prepared in the last round of talks,” tweeted Muhammad Sohail Shaheen, spokesman for the Taliban’s political office in Doha\n\n“In general, this round was positive and constructive. Both sides listened to each other with care and patience,” he added.\n\nThe negotiations included the Taliban’s political chief Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar and a U.S. team led by special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad.\n\nKhalilzad, an Afghan-born veteran U.S. diplomat, had suggested that the warring sides should declare a ceasefire as part of an effort to end the nearly 18-year war.\n\nBut the Taliban rejected Khalilzad’s offer and have continued attacks on government buildings and offices of foreign organizations.\n\nOn Wednesday, a Taliban attack on a U.S.-based aid group in Kabul killed at least nine people as members of the hardline Islamist group set off a huge explosion and battled security forces for over six hours.\n\nAt least 20 civilians were wounded in the attack, which saw several Taliban gunmen storm the Counterpoint International office.", "KABUL, Afghanistan — As the Taliban opened a new front this week in the Afghan war by attacking American-backed aid organizations in Kabul, negotiators for the group and the United States were meeting in a new round of talks on ending the war.\n\nThe Taliban has struck aid organizations sparingly in the past, making the attacks on Wednesday at the offices of CARE and Counterpart International even more stark. At least nine people were killed and 20 others wounded, Afghan officials confirmed. The death toll was nearly double initial reports.\n\nA Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, was quick to claim responsibility for the attack and to offer an explanation on Twitter: Counterpart International, which works largely on civic engagement projects, is American led and is financed primarily by the United States Agency for International Development.\n\nBut neither Taliban nor American negotiators commented on the inherent contradiction in talking peace while attacking civilian targets. The Taliban had rejected pleas by the Afghan government and the Americans for a cease-fire during Ramadan, but they had promised to avoid civilian targets during the holy month.", "KABUL: The latest round of US-Taliban talks ended in Qatar on Thursday, an insurgent spokesman said, after “positive and constructive” negotiations that continued even as the Taliban bombed a US-funded aid group in Kabul.\n\nSuhail Shaheen, the Taliban’s political spokesman in Doha, tweeted that “some progress” had been made at the sixth round of peace talks and that the foes would meet again for another round of discussions.\n\n“In general, this round was positive and constructive. Both sides listened to each other with care and patience,” Shaheen wrote on Twitter.\n\nThe US embassy in Kabul did not immediately comment, nor did US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, the Afghan-born former US ambassador to Afghanistan who is leading negotiations for the Americans.\n\nShaheen told AFP Sunday that peace negotiations were stumbling over the fundamental question of when foreign forces would depart Afghanistan.\n\nBefore the US agrees to any withdrawal as part of an eventual deal, it is demanding the Taliban put in place security guarantees, a ceasefire and other commitments including an “intra-Afghan” dialogue with the Kabul government and other Afghan representatives.\n\nThe Taliban however insist they won’t do any of these things until the US announces a withdrawal timeline.\n\nAt the end of a large peace summit in Kabul last week, President Ashraf Ghani offered the Taliban a ceasefire to begin on the first day of Ramadan, but the insurgents refused.\n\nOn Wednesday, a Taliban suicide bomber and four gunmen attacked Counterpart International, a non-profit group working with marginalised people in Afghanistan, killing nine people.\n\n“This violent attack is a senseless assault on the noble values that the organisations like Counterpart support, such as service to others, education, and inclusion,” US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement."], "summary": "One day after peace talks between the Taliban and the United States ended with no resolution, Taliban militants attack government outposts in northwestern Afghanistan, killing at least twelve Afghan soldiers."}
{"document": ["The San Francisco–based ride-hailing company started trading on the New York Stock Exchange on Friday at $42, below the $45 IPO price that had put Uber’s value above $80 billion. Shortly after opening, Uber's market cap fell to roughly $72 billion.\n\nWhile Uber remains one of the largest IPOs in history, it is still not what the company hoped for. Uber told investors as recently as last month it could be valued as high as $100 billion. And its last private funding round valued the company at $76 billion.\n\n\n\nThe IPO caps a turbulent period for Uber. Its founder and CEO, Travis Kalanick, stepped down in June 2017 amid chaos after a former employee exposed its toxic work culture and further reports showed it played fast and loose with the law. The episodes tested how far a CEO could push the Silicon Valley ethos that values skirting the rules in order to grow. Ultimately, Kalanick pushed too hard and gave way to Dara Khosrowshahi. The company’s new, soft-spoken CEO, who previously ran Expedia, has stabilized the company enough to bring it to the public markets, although issues with drivers remain unresolved, with many protesting around the world for fair pay earlier this week.\n\nBrendan Sexton, executive director of the Independent Drivers Guild, said in a statement, \"As Uber’s wealthy investors get wealthier today, remember that most of the drivers who built the company are still making poverty wages, often far less than minimum wage.”\n\nWith the IPO out of the way, Uber’s biggest challenges lie ahead. The company lost $1.8 billion in 2018, and many doubt its business model can work as long as it relies on human drivers. A driverless future, meanwhile, seems further off than initially anticipated.\n\nUnderlining the challenges ahead, Uber’s main competitor, Lyft, lost $1.14 billion in the first quarter of this year alone. Lyft is trading well below its opening price of $72, currently at approximately $55. Uber hopes to avoid a similar fate.", "Uber (UBER) officially began trading Friday on the New York Stock Exchange, but stumbled out of the gate as its stock settled below its $45 initial public offering price.\n\nIn Uber’s first test of whether it can transition from Silicon Valley unicorn to a publicly traded company while winning over a skeptical, volatile market, the stock — which priced at $45 on Thursday — gradually drifted lower from the $46-$48 indicated range prior the open.\n\nIn its first trade, Uber hit the market at $42 per share on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), effectively crashing out of the preferred range that it listed for its IPO. After a choppy session, Uber ended the day at $41.60, down nearly 8% from its listing price.\n\nUber’s offering is the most eagerly anticipated of a wave of technology IPOs expected to hit markets this year. Yet the company has become the victim of circumstances beyond its control, with markets being roiled by fears of a U.S.-China trade war, and the weak debut of Uber’s ride-hailing competitor, Lyft (LYFT).\n\n“Companies like Uber and Lyft have not been tested during a downturn and it is unclear how resilient their business models would be during a period of contracted consumer spending,” said Asad Hussain, an emerging technology analyst at PitchBook.\n\n“To regain investor confidence, we believe both management teams will need to execute well over the next few quarters while maintaining robust revenue growth and convincing the market that a path to profitability exists,” Hussain added.\n\nCredit: David Foster/Yahoo Finance More\n\nMeanwhile, Lyft’s disappointing stock debut has clouded Uber’s prospects.\n\nLyft’s maiden voyage as a public company in March immediately hit rough shoals: The stock opened near $90, but quickly sank to a low of $52.78. On Friday, its stock hit a record low, underscoring investor skepticism about how either company will make money in the near term.\n\nThe stock’s woes — combined with the fact that virtually none of the tech unicorns are profitable at this juncture — is adding to Uber’s challenge. The company burned through $1 billion in the first quarter of 2019, Uber recently revealed in a regulatory filing, and has yet to chart a path toward making a profit.\n\n“Reading the S-1 filings of these companies has been an eye-opening experience,” analysts at Bernstein noted last month.\n\nRide sharing accounts for just a sliver of U.S. vehicle miles traveled, which “is simultaneously the bull case and bear case here for these companies. Bulls on mobility services can claim almost limitless potential for penetration upside,” Bernstein said.\n\nHowever, “Uber and Lyft each took almost a decade to get to their present scale, are seeing growth slow, and incinerate cash at impressive rates while showing modest operating leverage,” the firm added — all of which matters now that both have to report their business conditions on a regular basis.\n\nRead more:", "Uber to give its market value a lift in stock market debut\n\nSAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Uber's next stop is the stock market, where it hopes to pick up more investors willing to bet on a ride-hailing market brimming with potential and conspicuously lacking in profits.\n\nThe world's largest ride-hailing service reached a major milestone Thursday when Uber priced its long-awaited initial public offering at $45 price per share to set the stage for its stock to begin trading Friday morning.\n\nThe IPO came in at the lower end of Uber's targeted price range of $44 to $50 per share. The caution may have been driven by escalating doubts about the ability of ride-hailing services to make money since Uber's main rival, Lyft, went public six weeks ago.\n\nEven at the tamped-down price, Uber now has a market value of $82 billion — five times more than Lyft's.\n\nNo matter how Uber's stock swings Friday, the IPO has to be considered a triumph for the company most closely associated with an industry that has changed the way millions of people get around. That while also transforming the way millions of more people earn a living in the gig economy.\n\nThe IPO raised another $8.1 billion for Uber as it tries to fend off Lyft in the U.S. and help cover the cost of giving rides to passengers at unprofitable prices. The San Francisco company already has lost about $9 billion since its inception and acknowledges it could still be years before it turns a profit.\n\nThat sobering reality is one reason that Uber fell well short of reaching the $120 billion market value that many observers believed its IPO might attain.\n\nAnother factor working against Uber is the cold shoulder investors have been giving Lyft's stock after an initial run-up. Lyft's shares closed Thursday 23% below its April IPO price of $72.\n\nUber \"clearly learned from its 'little brother' Lyft, and the experience it has gone through,\" Wedbush Securities analysts Ygal Arounian and Daniel Ives wrote late Thursday.\n\nThe jitters about an intensifying U.S. trade war with China also have roiled the stock market this week.\n\nDespite all that, Uber's IPO is the biggest since Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group debuted with a value of $167.6 billion in 2014.\n\n\"For the market to give you the value, you've either got to have a lot of profits or potential for huge growth,\" said Sam Abuelsamid, principal analyst at Navigant Research.\n\nUber boasts growth galore. Its revenue last year surged 42% to $11.3 billion while its cars completed 5.2 billion trips around the world either giving rides to 91 million passengers or delivering food.\n\nUber might be even more popular if not for a series of revelations about unsavory behavior that sullied its image and resulted in the ouster of its co-founder, Travis Kalanick, as CEO nearly two years ago.\n\nThe self-inflicted wounds included complaints about rampant internal sexual harassment , accusations that it stole self-driving car technology , and a cover-up of a computer break-in that stole personal information about its passengers. What's more, some Uber drivers have been accused of assaulting passengers, and one of its self-driving test vehicles struck and killed a pedestrian in Arizona last year while a backup driver was behind the wheel.\n\nUber hired Dara Khosrowshahi as CEO to replace Kalanick and clean up the mess, something that analysts say has been able to do to some extent, although Lyft seized upon the scandals to gain market share.\n\nKalanick remains on Uber's board, although he isn't expected to be on the podium to help ring the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange to herald the company's debut Friday. Instead, he will be left standing on the sidelines while the spotlight shines on other Uber executives, although Kalanick can still savor his newfound wealth. At $45 per share, his stake in Uber will be worth $5.3 billion. Hundreds, if not thousands, of other Uber employees are expected to become millionaires in the IPO.\n\nMeanwhile, scores of Uber drivers say they have been mistreated by the company as they work long hours and wear out their cars picking up passengers as they struggle to make ends meet. On Wednesday, some of them participated in strikes across the United States to highlight their unhappiness ahead of Uber's IPO but barely caused a ripple. A similar strike was organized ahead of Lyft's IPO to the same effect.\n\nIn its latest attempt to make amends, Uber disclosed Thursday that it reached a settlement with tens of thousands of drivers who alleged they had been improperly classified as contractors. The company said the settlement covering most of the 60,000 drivers making claims will cost $146 million to $170 million.\n\nNow, Uber will focus on winning over Wall Street.\n\nUber may be able to avoid Lyft's post-IPO stock decline because it has a different story to tell than just the potential for growth in ride-hailing, says Alejandro Ortiz, principal analyst with SharesPost. Uber, he said, has plans to be more than a ride-hailing company by being all things transportation to users of its app, offering deliveries, scooters, bicycles and links to other modes of transportation including public mass transit systems.\n\n\"Whether or not that pitch will work kind of remains to be seen. It's nearly impossible to tell now,\" he said. \"Obviously the risk to the company now is they have a lot more shareholders that they have to convince.\"", "After the biggest initial public offering of the year, Uber Technologies Inc. ended its first day of trading Friday below its last private valuation. The deflated debut cast a pall over 2019’s prospects as the hottest year for tech listings this decade -- and potentially on the future of the ride-hailing industry.It took more than two hours for the stock to finally start trading after Uber executives and drivers congregated at the New York Stock Exchange for the bell-ringing ceremony. The shares debuted at $42, well below the IPO price of $45. A tense wait for those gathered on the trading floor turned into a jittery start for the newly public company, which touched its intraday high and low prices within the first hour of opening.Uber closed at $41.57, giving it a market capitalization of just $69.7 billion. The San Francisco-based company last raised private capital from Toyota Motor Corp. in August at a valuation of about $76 billion.Dara Khosrowshahi, Uber’s chief executive officer, said in an interview on the floor of the exchange Friday that trade tensions between the U.S. and China played a role in the stock’s weak performance. President Donald Trump had moved overnight to slap fresh tariffs on Chinese goods. “You can’t pick when you go public,” Khosrowshahi said.But Uber shares extended losses into the close, even as U.S. equities stabilized on renewed optimism that an all-out trade war could be averted. The tumultuous debut makes Uber the newest member of a stock market club no one would choose to join: Since the start of the decade, just seven other companies that raised more than $1 billion in their IPO have ended the first day of trading in the red.Uber’s inauguration as a public company was sure to be closely watched by the cavalcade of IPO hopefuls lining up to list in 2019. That crop includes Peloton Interactive Inc., Postmates Inc., Slack Technologies Inc. and WeWork Cos., all of which have preparations in progress to go public this year.Along with Uber, they’ll be following companies like rival Lyft Inc. , Pinterest Inc. and Beyond Meat Inc. to market. Those three offerings provide a few clues for how public market investors are going to treat unprofitable startups with huge private valuations.Beyond Meat ended the week 165% over its IPO price with a valuation of $4 billion. Pinterest extended gains to close 53% above its listing price of $19 a share. Lyft, meanwhile, followed its bigger rival down Friday, almost $21 below where it sold the stock just six weeks ago.Len Sherman, a professor at Columbia Business School, said that while too much attention is paid to trading on day one, Uber has provided enough financial information in the run-up to the IPO for investors to know what they’re buying into.“The market has reacted negatively to a shared reality that both Lyft and Uber are struggling with a fundamentally broken business model,” he said. “Uber has lost more money faster than any startup in history, with no clear path to profitability.”Uber’s losses just last year totaled $3.04 billion on an operating basis, with revenue of $11.3 billion. Its total operating losses over the past three years were more than $10 billion, according to filings.Khosrowshahi said in the interview Friday that while profitability was a priority for the company, public market investors should be judging Uber by a different metric once it starts reporting quarterly earnings. “The most important sort of statistic to look at is bookings, because that reflects essentially what people are paying for the service,” he said.In distributing the stock, Uber prioritized shareholders -- particularly institutional investors -- that it thinks will hold on to the shares for a long time. “We found a set of investors who are long-term oriented, that believe in our vision,” Khosrowshahi said. “Now we have to execute to make sure that the bet that they made on us is a great bet.”Uber sold 180 million shares for $45 each Thursday, after marketing them for $44 to $50 apiece. Even at the low end of the price range, Uber’s listing was the ninth-largest U.S. IPO of all time and the biggest on a U.S. exchange since Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.’s $25 billion global record holder in 2014, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.A market value of less than $70 billion is a considerable climb down from earlier projections: Last year, bankers jockeying to lead the offering told Uber it could be valued at as much as $120 billion in an IPO. Shares are trading under the ticker UBER. Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Bank of America Corp. led the listing.", "With shady tactics employed on both sides, which service do Aussies prefer: Uber or taxis?\n\nUber vs Taxis: which is better? 1:22\n\nUber’s transition to becoming a publicly traded company is landing with a thud, but it’s not the first to experience that, not even this week.\n\nHowever, it is uncommon for a company with such a high profile to stumble out of the gate.\n\nAnd traders scratched their heads Friday, trying to remember a high-profile IPO like Uber going south on the first day.\n\nUber’s shares began trading about $US2 ($A2.86) below its initial public offering price of $US45 ($A64.26).\n\nAt the closing bell on Friday it was at $US41.57, whioh is a drop of 7.6%.\n\nUber raised almost $US25 billion ($A35.69) in 23 rounds of financing before going public.\n\nMatt Kennedy, a senior IPO market strategist at Renaissance Capital, says that over the past five years, just 10% of U.S. technology companies backed by venture capital finished their first day of trading below their IPO price.\n\nFacebook debuted in 2012, and after technical difficulties delayed its start to trading, it ended its first day just 23 cents above its IPO price of $US38 ($A54.25).\n\nKennedy points out that unlike Facebook, however, Uber hasn’t been turning profits.\n\nAfter falling close to 9% Friday, shares of Uber Technologies Inc. are down less than 1%.\n\nThat’s highly unusual, especially for a high-profile tech company like Uber. Shares of rid-sharing rival Lyft soared 21% at one point during its initial public offering in late March. But that company has had a rough ride since, falling almost 30% since it debuted.\n\nSome analysts pointed to volatile market conditions over the past few weeks, and Friday as well. All major U.S. markets are in decline, having fallen 3% or more this week.\n\nBoth Uber co-founders, Travis Kalanick and Garrett Camp, were present at the exchange for the opening but absent from the podium during the bell ringing.\n\nTony West, Uber’s chief legal officer who has been working to repair Uber’s image while settling lawsuits around the globe, shot smartphone videos from the floor while waiting for the first trade.\n\nThe opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange was rung by Austin Geidt, one of Uber’s earliest employees.\n\nShe joined the company in 2010 and is now head of strategy for Uber’s Advanced Technologies Group, which works on autonomous vehicles. She and CEO Dara Khosrowshahi were joined by Uber drivers from around the world and other Uber executives at the NYSE.", "NEW YORK: Uber geared up on Thursday (May 9) for its Wall Street debut with a massive share offering that is a milestone for the ride-hailing industry and the so-called \"sharing economy,\" but which comes amid simmering concerns about its business model.\n\nShares will be priced at US$45 for the initial public offering (IPO) on Friday, valuing the startup at more than US$82 billion, according to filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.\n\nSan Francisco-based Uber was set to begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the eponymous ticker \"UBER\" in one of the largest initial public offerings in the tech sector.\n\nDespite the eye-popping valuation, Uber dialed back some of its earlier ambitions for a value over US$100 billion after a rocky start for US rideshare rival Lyft.\n\nAnalyst Daniel Ives of Wedbush Securities said Uber has the potential to be a game-changing company and \"is paving a similar road to what Amazon did to transform retail/ecommerce and Facebook did for social media.\"\n\nIves said Uber has the potential to grow as it morphs its ridesharing platform into a more diverse set of services with Uber Eats, Uber Freight, and self-driving vehicle initiatives.\n\n\"We view Uber's conservative pricing as a smart and prudent strategy coming out of the box as it clearly learned from its 'little brother' Lyft, and the experience it has gone through over the past month,\" Ives said in a note to investors.\n\nBut some of the risks surrounding Uber and its rivals were highlighted on Wednesday as thousands of drivers turned off their apps in a US-wide strike over pay and working conditions.\n\nThe strikes targeting Uber and its US rival Lyft highlighted a dilemma for rideshare firms, which have faced challenges from regulators and traditional taxi operators for using a business model relying on independent contractors.\n\nOne group protested outside the New York Stock Exchange with some signs reading \"Invest in our lives - Not their stocks.\"\n\nUber and Lyft did not immediately comment on the protests.\n\n\"While we aim to provide an earnings opportunity comparable to that available in retail, wholesale, or restaurant services or other similar work, we continue to experience dissatisfaction with our platform from a significant number of drivers,\" Uber said in a filing with securities regulators.\n\n\"In particular, as we aim to reduce driver incentives to improve our financial performance, we expect driver dissatisfaction will generally increase.\"\n\nRideshare companies maintain that drivers are able to thrive and maintain work flexibility, and that their business model would not work if drivers were treated as wage-based employees.\n\nUber said in a securities filing ahead of the IPO that it had set aside US$132 million to settle claims from drivers but maintained it was sticking to its plans on how it classifies drivers.\n\n\"Our business would be adversely affected if drivers were classified as employees instead of independent contractors,\" the company said.\n\nGlobal Equities Research analyst Trip Chowdhry predicted that Uber will eventually have to raise ride prices, causing its customers to seek other options.\n\nUber will be raising up to US$9 billion in the offering being underwritten by Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and Bank of America Merrill Lynch and other large banks.\n\nUber's inauguration as a public company will follow a rocky market debut for Lyft, which has lost more than 15 per cent of its value since its March offering.\n\nLyft's losses in the past quarter widened to US$1.1 billion, according to its first financial report as a public company.\n\nRevenue for California-based Lyft nearly doubled from a year earlier to US$776 million and the number of active riders grew to over 20.5 million.\n\nLyft said its losses deepened as a result of US$894 million in costs that included stock-based compensation and related tax expenses in connection with its IPO.\n\nUber envisions becoming the \"Amazon of transportation\" in a future where people share instead of owning vehicles.\n\nIf all goes to plan, commuters could ride an e-scooter to a transit station, take a train, then grab an e-bike or e-scooter to complete a journey using the Uber smartphone app.\n\nOf course, shared car rides would be an option, eventually driven by computers instead of humans.\n\nUber is also taking to the sky with an Elevate project to have electric aircraft carry people between \"skyports,\" taking off and landing vertically.\n\nUber's platform moves cargo as well as people, with a Freight service that connects truckers with shippers in a way similar to how drivers connect with people seeking rides.\n\nUber is also seeing growing success with an Eats service that pays drivers to deliver meals ordered from restaurants.", "The Latest: Uber stock slides almost 8% on rocky first day\n\nNEW YORK (AP) — The Latest on ride-hailing giant Uber's initial public stock offering (all times local):\n\nUber capped off a rocky first day of trading on Wall Street with its shares closing at $41.57, down almost 8% from their starting price of $45.\n\nIt's uncommon for shares in a company with such a high profile to stumble out of the gate.\n\nThe disappointing performance reflects financial market turmoil due to trade tensions and lingering doubts about whether fast-growing ride-hailing companies will ever turn a profit.\n\nDespite the volatile stock market, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said he did not consider postponing Uber's IPO date.\n\nShares in Lyft, Uber's chief rival, slumped to $51.09 Friday, 29% below their IPO price.\n\nDespite his company's rocky stock market debut, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi says he's thrilled to complete his company's IPO.\n\nKhosrowshahi told The Associated Press Friday it was a tough week to go public, but the company got it done.\n\nDespite the volatile stock market, Khosrowshahi said he did not consider postponing Uber's IPO date.\n\nHe stressed that Uber is not a fair-weather company and keeps moving forward in tough and easy environments. He added that the $8 billion Uber raised is crucial for the ride-hailing company's future growth plans, and called it a great moment for Uber and the employees who worked so hard.\n\nUber's stock was trading at about 3% lower than its IPO price Friday afternoon.\n\nUber's transition to becoming a publicly traded company is landing with a thud, but it's not the first to experience that, not even this week.\n\nHowever, it is uncommon for a company with such a high profile to stumble out of the gate. Uber raised almost $25 billion in 23 rounds of financing before going public.\n\nMatt Kennedy, a senior IPO market strategist at Renaissance Capital, says that over the past five years, just 10% of U.S. technology companies backed by venture capital finished their first day of trading below their IPO price.\n\nFacebook debuted in 2012, and after technical difficulties delayed its start to trading, it ended its first day just 23 cents above its IPO price of $38. Kennedy points out that unlike Facebook, however, Uber hasn't been turning profits.\n\nAfter falling close to 9% Friday, shares of Uber Technologies Inc. are down less than 1%.\n\nUber is suffering a terrible first day as a public company as its shares slid into negative territory in the initial moments of trading.\n\nThat's highly unusual, especially for a high-profile tech company like Uber. Shares of rid-sharing rival Lyft soared 21% at one point during its initial public offering in late March. But that company has had a rough ride since, falling almost 30% since it debuted.\n\nSome analysts pointed to volatile market conditions over the past few weeks, and Friday as well. All major U.S. markets are in decline, having fallen 3% or more this week.\n\nSharesPost principal analyst Alejandro Ortiz said the timing for Uber trading to start was bad with the uncertainty over the trade spat with China. He said that if you saw value in Uber at its IPO price of $45, nothing has changed in the last 48 hours.\n\nShares of Uber Technologies Inc. are down more than 1%, but had fallen more severely in early trading.\n\nUber's shares began trading about $2 below its initial public offering price of $45.\n\nTraders scratched their heads Friday, trying to remember a high-profile IPO like Uber going south on the first day.\n\nShares of Lyft, a rival in the ride-sharing business, are tumbling 6%. That company has had a very rough time since it went public at the end of March. It hit a new all-time low Friday.\n\nCEO Dara Khosrowshahi tried to control expectations, telling CNBC that Uber investors are in it for the long ride. He says the company will be judged on what it does in three to five years.\n\nUber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi (DAH-rah CAWS-row-SHAH-hee) is trying to tamp down the hype on the first day that the general public will be allowed to buy stock in the company.\n\nKhosrowshahi says as much as he wants things to go well during Uber's first day as a public company, what's more important is what is created in the next three to five years.\n\nBoth Uber co-founders, Travis Kalanick and Garrett Camp, were also present at the exchange for the opening but absent from the podium during the bell ringing.\n\nTony West, Uber's chief legal officer who has been working to repair Uber's image while settling lawsuits around the globe, shot smartphone videos from the floor while waiting for the first trade.\n\nUber becomes a publicly traded company Friday. Shares are expected to begin trading before noon.\n\nThe opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange was rung by Austin Geidt, one of Uber's earliest employees.\n\nShe joined the company in 2010 and is now head of strategy for Uber's Advanced Technologies Group, which works on autonomous vehicles. She and CEO Dara Khosrowshahi were joined by Uber drivers from around the world and other Uber executives at the NYSE.\n\nUber becomes a publicly traded company Friday. Shares are expected to begin trading before noon.\n\nWith a ring of the opening bell Uber is looking to pick up passengers as a newly public company. Investors waited to bet on a service with huge potential, but a long way from turning a profit.\n\nShares in the ride-hailing giant were sold in an initial public offering for $45 each, raising $8.1 billion, but it will take several hours for new investors to show whether they're interested. Officials expect trading to start around 11:30 a.m. Friday.\n\nCEO Dara Khosrowshahi and other company officials stood on a balcony above the New York Stock Exchange as the bell rang to signal the start of the day's trading. Khosrowshahi posed for selfies and after the bell while controversial co-founder Travis Kalanick and other Uber officials and employees stood on the trading floor.\n\nThe IPO came in at the lower end of Uber's targeted price range of $44 to $50 per share. The caution may have been driven by escalating doubts about the ability of ride-hailing services to make money since Uber's main rival, Lyft, went public six weeks ago.\n\nEven at the tamped-down price, Uber now has a market value of $82 billion — five times more than Lyft's.", "At long last, it’s lift-off for Uber. After pricing its initial public offering at $45 per share, at the bottom end of the range it set previously, to raise $8.1 billion, the transportation startup began trading today on the New York Stock Exchange, and the shares opened at $42, down from the IPO price.\n\nAhead of Uber finally making its debut, the company had an indication price that went as low as $42 ahead of live trading. With the overall market in a slump this week over trade woes with China, it’s a challenging time to list, to say the least.\n\nUber had raised $28.5 billion as a private company from no less than 166 different backers, with its last valuation in the region of $75 billion. The $82.4 billion valuation that it finally settled on for the IPO (selling 180 million shares at $45/share) is definitely up from that, but far from the lofty projections of $120 billion that banks and analysts that floated in the months leading up to today.\n\nThe figures nevertheless cement Uber, alongside Alibaba and Facebook, as one of the most valuable tech IPOs in history, and a major beacon for breaking ground in a new area of tech, transportation.\n\nBut if it is the sheer scale and potential of Uber that catapulted it to such financial heights (real and imaginary), it’s the bare financials that have tempered some of those notions.\n\nOn one side, Uber essentially created and currently dominates the market for on-demand transportation, which started with the premise of connecting drivers with passengers by way of an app that tracked the location of both, but eventually evolved into a wider two-sided marketplace ambition that brings together different modes of transportation — including bikes, public buses and more — with human passengers, as well as the movement of other goods like food, all on a global scale.\n\nThat model has propelled Uber to 93 million active platform consumers (from 70 million a year ago) and 17 million trips per day across 700 cities on six continents, along with a lot of high hopes from others like PayPal — which are making very late-stage, strategic investments to bank on what it believes could shape up to be a lucrative e-commerce empire in the years to come.\n\nBut Uber’s prospects are not without competition — which includes a host of more regional players like Lyft, Gett, Heetch, MyTaxi, Bolt and more — and not without controversy. Even as it goes public, the company is dealing with high-profile driver protests, lawsuits and ongoing regulatory pressures, not to mention a bigger cloud over its business practices that has hovered for years that the company has worked to dispel.\n\nEven today, during the iconic bell ringing, there was a notable absence: former CEO and co-founder Travis Kalanick, who was ousted over the controversies around business practices but still sits on the board, was not up there — although he did show up at the NYSE for the event.\n\nOutside, meanwhile, protesters against the company were also making their voices heard.\n\nOn the pure metric of profit and loss, Uber’s been firmly in the latter column, most recently posting a loss of some $1 billion in the last quarter on revenues of $3 billion-$3.1 billion, versus $2.6 billion a year ago.\n\nToday’s listing is a small pause on the bigger question of how and if Uber will ever turn that boat around. It has made some significant shifts, such as divesting certain regional assets and reducing some of the incentive payments and discounts it made to drivers around the world to lure them to its platform; and under current CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, it has made a concerted effort to play nice on a number of fronts. Khosrowshahi acknowledged the new set of challenges that staff would be facing as of today in a memo he sent out this morning:\n\nAs we move from a private to a public company, our jobs will no doubt become harder and all eyes will be on us. We’ll have an even deeper responsibility to our customers, to our shareholders, to our cities, and to each other. With every share purchased, someone else will join us as a co-owner of Uber — and we’ll gain another person to whom we owe a duty to always ‘do the right thing, period.’ Remember: while the public markets will keep their version of the ‘score’ and the value of what we build, our true north will be determined over the long term. We will go through periods when we will be misunderstood, as well as periods when we will be hailed as heroes. It’s during those days, regardless of the ups and downs, that we should focus on our work: on creating opportunity, on moving the world, and relentlessly innovating and executing.\n\nBut the big question will still remain of whether all these changes and the recast approach will be enough, and whether — now that it’s listed — public investors will be patient enough. At least in the short term, the performance of its smaller rival, Lyft, which largely operates on similar metrics and business model to Uber, might give some pause: it is currently trading at around $55, well below its debut of $78.29 on March 29.", "NEW YORK (AP) - The Latest on ride-hailing giant Uber's initial public stock offering (all times local):\n\nWith a ring of the opening bell Uber is looking to pick up passengers as a newly public company. Investors waited to bet on a service with huge potential, but a long way from turning a profit.\n\nShares in the ride-hailing giant were sold in an initial public offering for $45 each, raising $8.1 billion, but it will take several hours for new investors to show whether they're interested. Officials expect trading to start around 11:30 a.m. Friday.\n\nCEO Dara Khosrowshahi and other company officials stood on a balcony above the New York Stock Exchange as the bell rang to signal the start of the day's trading. Khosrowshahi posed for selfies and after the bell while controversial co-founder Travis Kalanick and other Uber officials and employees stood on the trading floor.\n\nThe IPO came in at the lower end of Uber's targeted price range of $44 to $50 per share. The caution may have been driven by escalating doubts about the ability of ride-hailing services to make money since Uber's main rival, Lyft, went public six weeks ago.\n\nEven at the tamped-down price, Uber now has a market value of $82 billion - five times more than Lyft's.\n\nFILE - This March 20, 2018, file photo shows the Uber app on an iPad in Baltimore. Uber is about to embark on a wild ride on Wall Street with the biggest and most hotly debated IPO in years. Uber's shares begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange, Friday, May 10, 2019. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)", "Last year, bankers jockeying to lead the offering told Uber it could be valued at as much as $US120 billion in an IPO. This year, widely expected to be the busiest for mega US tech listings this century, started with a partial government shutdown that shuttered the agency that approves IPO documents for 35 days, all but killing activity in the first quarter. After submitting its confidential filing in December, Uber -- along with rival Lyft and a host of other hopefuls -- was left sitting on the sidelines while US stocks enjoyed the best start to a year in at least a decade. Today, the picture looks very different. Companies have been rushing to market, with Lyft, Pinterest and Tradeweb Markets all raising more than $US1 billion each since late March. Markets, meanwhile, aren't looking so hot. US stocks fell for a third day on Wednesday as trade tensions escalated between the US and China, extending the 2 per cent loss that started the week.\n\n\"They're looking at the market as well as what's happened to Lyft,'' Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives said. Shares of Uber's biggest competitor tumbled to a record low on Wednesday after it disclosed a steep loss in its first quarterly earnings report as a public company. The stock closed 26 per cent below the IPO price of $US72, valuing Lyft at just $US15.1 billion -- exactly the valuation it garnered in its last private funding round in 2018. However, because Lyft is focused on the domestic ride-sharing market, Ives said the company is a \"one-trick pony\" compared to Uber, a \"three-headed value monster.\" That's certainly how the company's executives and their advisers have been pitching Uber to potential investors in cities including New York, London and San Francisco. On the roadshow, Uber touted its plans to expand in logistics and other transportation businesses, including scooters, autonomous driving and mass transit, a person familiar with the matter has said. The company aims to become a one-stop shop for customers who would only need to use one platform for multiple services.\n\nArun Sundararajan, a professor at New York University's business school, said that while going public will give Uber money to capture more of the transportation market, it could also push it to put quarterly targets ahead of its broader ambitions. \"The trillion dollar valuation will come if they can spend the next five to 10 years getting to that place where more is spent on Uber than on any other form of transportation,\" Sundararajan said. \"The trouble is that's going to require keeping investors at bay who are putting pressure on Uber to deliver earnings.\" \"The freedom to play the long game gets significantly reduced when you go public even when the resources to do so are increased,\" he said. Like many of the IPO class of 2019, Uber is deeply unprofitable. It lost $US3.04 billion last year on an operating basis on revenue of $US11.3 billion, bringing total operating losses over the past three years to more than $US10 billion, according to filings.\n\nUber has been working with Morgan Stanley to lead its IPO plans, alongside Goldman Sachs -- once the company's go-to bank -- and Bank of America. Its shares are set to trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker UBER. Uber has long been Silicon Valley's wunderkind, with a cavalcade of elite venture investors betting on the ride-hailing business from the start. Blue-chip investors First Round Capital and then Benchmark led the earliest rounds, cutting checks to the startup that could soon prove to be extremely lucrative investments. Over multiple funding rounds its valuation soared: from $US60 million, to $US3.7 billion, to $US42.8 billion, to -- in 2016 -- $US62.5 billion when Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund wrote the company a $US3.5 billion check, sent in a single wire transfer. But while Uber was coming of age as a Silicon Valley success story, behind the scenes it was struggling to grow up. Co-founder Travis Kalanick resigned in 2017 when early investors pushed for his ouster, after a series of controversies including allegations of sexual harassment inside his company and the use of software to bypass regulators.\n\nKalanick had long refused to hire an experienced chief financial officer or chief operating officer, both seen as key steps to moving the company toward the public markets. Neither Kalanick nor his co-founder Garrett Camp will be invited to Friday's bell ringing ceremony at the New York Stock Exchange, a person familiar with the matter said, though both are set to be multi-billionaires after the offering. Uber co-founder Travis Kalanick won't be on the NYSE floor to ring the opening bell. Instead, standing centre stage will be Chief Executive Officer Dara Khosrowshahi, who joined Uber from Expedia Group with the express mandate to take the company public. His compensation post-IPO will reward him handsomely if he brings Uber's public valuation to $US120 billion over a 90-day span. Uber's offering is set to be among the 10 largest US IPOs of all time and the biggest on a US exchange since Alibaba Group's $US25 billion global record holder in 2014, according to data compiled by Bloomberg."], "summary": "Uber makes its initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange, starting by selling stocks at $42 and closing at $41.60. Uber's market cap drops from over $80 billion to about $72 billion."}
{"document": ["Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Chinese Vice-Premier Liu He says talks should progress in a \"principled\" manner\n\nPresident Donald Trump says US-China relations remain \"very strong\" despite the two countries being embroiled in a trade war.\n\nMr Trump said talks between Washington and Beijing will continue even after a deadline passed on Friday for them to reach an agreement.\n\nAs a result the US raised tariffs to 25% from 10% on goods from China.\n\nChina says it \"deeply regrets\" the US action and would have to take \"necessary counter-measures\".\n\nHowever Beijing also confirmed on Friday that further negotiations would take place following two days of what were described as \"honest\" and \"constructive\" talks.\n\nThe latest US move raises tariffs on $200bn (£153.7bn) worth of Chinese imports.\n\nWhat has Trump said?\n\nOn top of the tariffs implemented on Friday, Mr Trump said a process had begun to place the full 25% tariff on a further $325bn of Chinese goods.\n\nThe tariffs taken in would be used to buy US agricultural goods, which would then be used for \"humanitarian assistance\", Mr Trump said.\n\nThe president tweeted that, depending on the outcome of future negotiations, the tariffs \"may or may not\" be removed.\n\nSkip Twitter post by @realDonaldTrump Over the course of the past two days, the United States and China have held candid and constructive conversations on the status of the trade relationship between both countries. The relationship between President Xi and myself remains a very strong one, and conversations.... — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 10, 2019 Report\n\nMr Trump earlier said he was in \"no rush\" to reach a trade agreement following two days of bilateral talks.\n\nOnly recently, the US and China appeared to be close to ending months of tensions over trade.\n\nCritics pointed out on Twitter that it is not China who will pay the taxes, but US importers, and ultimately its consumers.\n\nWhat has China's reaction been?\n\nChina's Commerce Ministry confirmed the latest US tariff increase on its website.\n\n\"It is hoped that the US and the Chinese sides will work together... to resolve existing problems through co-operation and consultation,\" it said in a statement.\n\nChinese stock markets rose on Friday, with the Hang Seng index up less than 1% and the Shanghai Composite more than 3% higher.\n\nWhat will be the impact of the tariff rise?\n\nThe US-China trade war has weighed on the global economy over the past year and created uncertainty for businesses and consumers.\n\nEven though Mr Trump has downplayed the impact of tariffs on the US economy, the rise is likely to affect some American companies and consumers as firms may pass on some of the cost, analysts said.\n\nDeborah Elms, executive director at the Asian Trade Centre, said: \"It's going to be a big shock to the economy.\n\n\"Those are all US companies who are suddenly facing a 25% increase in cost, and then you have to remember that the Chinese are going to retaliate.\"\n\nImage copyright Getty Images Image caption US and Chinese officials have held several rounds of talks in an attempt to strike a deal\n\nFrench Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire warned that the trade dispute escalation threatened jobs across Europe.\n\n\"There is no greater threat to world growth,\" Mr Le Maire told CNews.\n\nBBC economics correspondent Andrew Walker said the direct impact of the trade dispute would be on the US and China.\n\nThere could also be wider implications, he added, saying a softening of demand in the US and China could hurt suppliers elsewhere in the world.\n\nWho will pay the price?\n\nMr Trump's tariff increases have taken many businesses in China and America by surprise, fuelling their anxieties about investment and supply chain viability.\n\nChinese exporters say passing on costs to their US customers may be the only way to compensate for dwindling profit margins.\n\n\"The US importers will have to absorb it and transfer it on to consumers,\" Herbert Lun, a Chinese haircare electronics maker, told the Financial Times.\n\nAmerica's farmers are suffering too. Shipments of soybeans - one of the most valuable US agricultural export crops - to China have slumped.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Will a trade deal end US-China rivalry?\n\nA combination of higher tariffs and depressed farm commodity prices are putting US farmers under increasing pressure, economists say.\n\nDavie Stephens, a west Kentucky farmer and president of the American Soybean Association, told local media that farmers are \"in a desperate situation\".\n\nWhy are the US and China at odds?\n\nChina has been a frequent target of Mr Trump's anger, with the US president criticising trade imbalances between the two countries and Chinese intellectual property rules, which he says hobble US companies.\n\nSome in China see the trade war as part of an attempt by the US to curb its rise, with Western governments increasingly nervous about China's growing influence in the world.\n\nBoth sides have already imposed tariffs on billions of dollars worth of one another's goods.\n\nLast year the US imposed a 10% tariff on $200bn worth of Chinese products - including fish, handbags, clothing and footwear.", "Global financial markets were left reeling in the face of renewed trade wars between the world's largest two economies. The United States and China were all set to come to some agreement this week following six-months of ceasefire talks following a bruising tariff war. President Donald Trump pulled the pin from his economic grenade with a tweet Sunday, and suddenly all bets were off. Trump threatened to raise tariffs from 10 percent to 25 percent on Friday, impacting over $200 billion worth of Chinese exports. Global markets experienced record sell-offs Monday and Tuesday following Trumps tweets. The Chinese, in response, were left scrambling with the vice-premier being dispatched to Washington where he is currently negotiating a ceasefire.\n\nOn another front, Iran has urged the Europeans to ignore U.S. demands and stick to their side of the historic 2015 nuclear accord lest Iran return to enriching uranium. And then of course there's Venezuela. Will Trump be successful fighting multiple economic battles on different fronts?\n\nThe Chinese stepped back from commitments they made late last year, reportedly announcing the changes the U.S. wants to Chinese laws would be near impossible to implement. While this scenario sounds feasible for them to do so, the timing does not. Why wait so late in the game, on the eve of the U.S. presidential election season unless the Chinese believe their hand is much stronger than it is? They must believe Trump is bluffing and won't go ahead with tariffs. A response from the Chinese would not be in the form of applying their own tariffs, however, as Chinese imports are only 20 percent of what the U.S. imports from China. Would a 15 percent hike in tariffs on $100 billion worth of U.S. goods goad U.S. importers to pressure the administration to re-negotiate? Probably not. What might, however, is the pinch American consumers feel in their pocketbooks come late fall when these tariffs make their way into prices Americans pay at retailers. This would be a net negative for Trump unless the Chinese devalue the yuan, absorbing the added cost of the tariffs and further discourage imports from the United States. How this is in the long-term interest of China, I can see, but how it will serve U.S. interests is less clear.\n\nPerhaps an even bigger headache for the United States is Iran's announcement that it would give the Europeans 60 days to either reaffirm their commitment to the Iran Nuclear Deal or if they don't it would no longer abide by their commitments. Iran had promised to stop enriching uranium among other concessions in return for trade normalization of its energy and banking sectors. Should the Europeans agree to Iran's requests, U.S.-European cooperation will have hit a momentous all time low. It will mark the first time in at least a half-century where a united Europe will have decided to face the potential ire of U.S. regulators in exchange for access to Iranian oil. Is the pot too sweet for the Europeans to pass up? A simple back-of-the-envelope calculation this is not. The U.S. response is the largest variable here, obviously. Would the U.S. Treasury sanction all European nations that continue to abide by the Obama-era agreement? Can you picture the U.S. sanctioning Germany, France and the UK for not pulling out of the agreement? If you can, then it doesn't make sense for the Europeans, if you can't, then the Europeans will call Trump's bluff.\n\nOnly three weeks ago a Sino-U.S. trade deal was a near lock, Iran sanctions were a metaphysical certainty, and the U.S. was poised to install a new Venezuelan president. In the interim, all hell has broken lose, and the Trump administration is going all-in on several fronts. Is Trump a genius strategist or has he overplayed his hand? Even if he wins all face-offs in the near-term, this volatility will force his opponents to diligently prepare for the next meeting, and that may mean the U.S. will be a net loser because of Trump's actions.", "WASHINGTON—The U.S. increased tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese goods to 25% Friday as President Trump ratcheted up pressure on Beijing and threatened to impose additional levies on virtually everything China exports to the U.S.\n\nThe tariff hike went into force hours after U.S. and Chinese negotiators met Thursday in hopes of getting the troubled trade talks back on track. Discussions are set to resume Friday, but the White House said it had no plans to suspend the tariff increase, which will raise levies from the current...", "Soldiers wait for a container ship to berth at Qingdao Port on March 8, 2018 in Qingdao, China. VCG | Getty Images\n\nPresident Donald Trump raised the stakes in his trade conflict with China as the U.S. increased tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese goods on Friday. Despite the escalation in the trade war, the Shanghai Composite rose 3% and the Shenzhen soared 4%. U.S. stock futures were down only slightly Friday after a volatile week stemming from uncertainty in the negotiations. China's Commerce Ministry said immediately after the midnight ET deadline for the tariff hike that it would take countermeasures against the American move. It did not announce what its response would entail but said it \"deeply regrets\" the turn of events.\n\nIt had been hoped that a resolution could be reached by the two sides prior to the deadline for the tariff hike, but no deal materialized. Trade talks between the world's two largest economies are set to continue on Friday. \"This evening, (United States Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer) and (Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin) met with President Trump to discuss the ongoing trade negotiations with China. The Ambassador and Secretary then had a working dinner with Vice Premier Liu He, and agreed to continue discussions tomorrow morning at USTR,\" White House deputy press secretary Judd Deere said in a statement Thursday evening. Despite the ongoing talks about a trade agreement, the Trump administration is hiking duties on the products from 10% to 25%. The move risks widening a trade war that has spooked investors and raised fears about global economic damage. Only a week ago, the White House was boosting hopes that the U.S. and China would resolve their trade dispute this week and potentially have a deal to announce. Beijing promised \"necessary countermeasures\" this week if the U.S. raised tariffs but did not specify the actions it would take to retaliate. Trump first announced the tariff increase Sunday as the White House accused China of reneging on key parts of a developing agreement. On Wednesday night, he claimed Beijing \"broke the deal\" — a remark that sent Asian and U.S. stocks tumbling Thursday. U.S. equity markets recovered later in the day after Trump said a deal was still possible this week. He added that he received a letter from Chinese President Xi Jinping and could speak to his counterpart on the phone. Still, the engagement between Washington and Beijing this week did not prevent Trump from following through on his threat. Ahead of the tariff increase, the president called duties an \"excellent\" alternative to a trade deal, saying they brought in \"billions\" for the U.S. government. U.S. consumers bear the brunt of the tariff costs, not China, as Trump has argued.", "Beijing vows retaliation after US increases tariffs on $200 billion of imports\n\n(ABC NEWS) – After the working dinner between U.S. and Chinese negotiators in Washington ended after only 90 minutes and without a last-minute deal, President Donald Trump’s threat to raise tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods went into effect at 12:01 a.m. Friday.\n\nThe response from China to the U.S. increasing levies on imported goods to 25% from 10% was immediate. At least on paper.\n\n“China deeply regrets that it will have to take necessary countermeasures,” the Chinese Ministry of Commerce said in a statement released two minutes after the new tariffs took effect.\n\nBut Beijing has yet to announce exactly how it will retaliate.\n\nThe increased tariffs are a dramatic escalation in the year-long trade dispute between the world’s two largest economies, which had enjoyed an extended ceasefire since late November, when President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping met on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Argentina.\n\nThat ceasefire was intended to create a window for negotiators to finalize a deal.\n\nA final agreement was expected soon, at least until the U.S. side accused the Chinese of backtracking on commitments… angering President Trump, who issued a Twitter threat to raise tariffs by the end of this week.\n\nBloomberg News reported that in the buildup to the midnight deadline, the MSCI AC World Index lost more than $2.1 trillion in value, but market reactions across Asia was mixed on Friday.\n\nAside from Japan’s Nikkei, which closed slightly down, about minus .3%, most markets were trending slightly up. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index closed up almost 1%.\n\nThe Shanghai Composite even rallied in the afternoon session after an initial dip, closing up 3.1%.\n\nBut, according to a Bloomberg News report, Chinese state-backed funds, often dubbed the “National Team,” were active in buying up domestic Chinese stocks after the tariffs went into effect, propping up the market.\n\nThe Chinese statement added that talks between the U.S. and China are ongoing and there was hope the two sides could still “work together to resolve existing issues.”\n\nChina’s top trade negotiator, Vice Premier Liu He, is expected to reconvene with his U.S. counterpart, Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin on Friday morning in Washington for a second day of talks.\n\nThe impact of the tariff hike unlikely will be felt for another few weeks. The increased taxes only apply to shipments leaving China after midday Friday and don’t affect shipments already in transit.\n\nBecause it usually takes about three weeks for container ships to travel from Chinese ports to destinations in America, negotiators still could reach an agreement before shipments arrive.", "The US President had vowed to impose the mammoth tariffs on all remaining imports from China\n\nThe US President had vowed to impose the mammoth tariffs on all remaining imports from China after a major fallout between the two countries. In a statement, United States Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer said the value of products subject to the new round of tariffs is approximately $300 billion. He added that details on the process and comment period for the tariffs would be published soon in the Federal Register.\n\nBREXIT WARNING: UK WILL be dragged in US-China trade war\n\nMore details would be available on the USTD’s website, the statement added.\n\nTrump announced his plan to more than double duties on imports from 10 percent to 25 percent last weekend.\n\nThe Chinese Commerce Ministry responded by saying it \"deeply regrets\" the move and warned it would take \"necessary countermeasures\".\n\nThe spat erupted as US and Chinese negotiators were due to begin further talks in Washington aimed at resolving a dispute which has rocked financial markets and disrupted world trade.\n\nREAD MORE: Whistleblower lifts the lid on HORRIFIC conditions in China's camps", "Trump's tariffs on China: What they are? How do they work?\n\nWASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has heightened tensions with China by escalating his tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese goods from 10% to 25%.\n\nAs a tool of national policy, tariffs had long been fading into history, a relic of the 19th and early 20th centuries that most experts came to see as harmful to all nations involved. Yet more than any other modern president, Trump has embraced tariffs as a punitive tool — against Europe, Canada and other key trading partners but especially against China, the second-largest economy after the U.S.\n\nThe Trump administration asserts, and many independent analysts agree, that Beijing has deployed predatory tactics to try to give Chinese companies an edge in such advanced technologies as artificial intelligence, robotics and electric vehicles. Beijing's tactics, the U.S. contends, include hacking into U.S. companies' computers to steal trade secrets, forcing foreign companies to turn over sensitive technology in exchange for access to China's markets and unfairly subsidizing Chinese companies.\n\nTrump has also complained angrily about America's gaping trade deficit with China for which he blames weak and naive negotiating by previous U.S. administrations.\n\nLast July, Trump began gradually imposing tariffs on Chinese imports. After Friday's increase, the administration is now imposing 25% tariffs on $250 billion in Chinese goods. Beijing has counterpunched by taxing $110 billion of American products, focusing on agricultural goods, notably soybeans, in a calculated effort to inflict pain on Trump supporters in the farm belt.\n\nHere's a look at what tariffs are and how they work:\n\nWHAT EXACTLY ARE TARIFFS?\n\nTariffs are a tax on imports. They are typically charged as a percentage of the transaction price that a buyer pays a foreign seller. To use a simplistic example (ignoring real-world minimum amounts subject to tariffs): Say an American retailer buys 100 garden umbrellas from China for $5 apiece — $500 total. And suppose the U.S. tariff rate for the umbrellas is 6.5 percent. The retailer would have to pay a $32.50 tariff on the shipment, thereby raising the total price from $500 to $532.50.\n\nIn the United States, tariffs — sometimes also called duties or levies — are collected by Customs and Border Protection agents at 328 ports of entry across the country. Proceeds go to the Treasury. The tariff rates are published by the U.S. International Trade Commission in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule, which lists U.S. tariffs on everything from dried plantains (1.4 percent) to parachutes (3 percent).\n\nSometimes, the U.S. will impose additional tariffs on imports that it determines are being sold at unfairly low prices or are being supported by foreign government subsidies.\n\nWHAT ARE TARIFFS SUPPOSED TO ACHIEVE?\n\nTwo things: Increase government revenue. And protect domestic industries from foreign competition. Before the federal income tax was established in 1913, tariffs were a big money raiser for Washington. From 1790 to 1860, tariffs produced 90 percent of federal revenue, according to Douglas Irwin, an economist at Dartmouth College. By contrast, tariffs in recent years have accounted for only about 1 percent of federal revenue.\n\nTariffs are meant to raise the price of imports or punish foreign countries for unfair trade practices, like subsidizing their exporters and dumping their goods at unfairly low prices. They discourage imports by making them costlier. They also reduce pressure from foreign competition and make it easier for home-grown companies to raise prices.\n\nAs global trade grew after World War II, tariffs fell out of favor. The formation of the World Trade Organization and the forging of trade deals like the North American Free Trade Agreement reduced or eliminated tariffs. The average U.S. tariff is now one of the lowest in the world: 1.6 percent, the same as the European Union's, the Pew Research Center reports.\n\nMost economists say no. Tariffs raises the cost of imports for people and companies that need to buy them. And by reducing competitive pressure, they give U.S. producers leeway to raise prices, too. That's good for those producers but bad for almost everyone else.\n\nRising costs especially hurt consumers and companies that rely on imported parts. Some U.S. companies that buy steel, for example, complain that Trump's tariffs on imported steel leave them at a competitive disadvantage. Their foreign rivals can buy steel more cheaply and offer lower-priced goods.\n\nIn 2002, President George W. Bush's administration imported tariffs on imported steel. A study financed by steel-consuming businesses found that the tariffs cost 200,000 American jobs that year.\n\nMore broadly, trade restrictions make an economy less efficient. With lesser competition from abroad, domestic companies lose the incentive to increase efficiency or to focus on what they do best.", "The United States and China hurtled toward a defining moment in their four-decade-old relationship, with financial markets bracing for the outcome of unusually dramatic trade talks in Washington.\n\nNegotiators met into the evening on Thursday but failed to avert an increase in U.S. tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese products that took effect at 12:01 a.m. Friday. The two sides have agreed to continue negotiations Friday.\n\nRobert E. Lighthizer, the chief U.S. trade negotiator, and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin “met with President Trump to discuss the ongoing trade negotiations with China. The Ambassador and Secretary then had a working dinner with Vice Premier Liu He, and agreed to continue discussions,” the White House said in a statement.\n\nIn Beijing, the Commerce Ministry said China “deeply regrets” the decision to increase the tariffs and “will have to take necessary countermeasures.”\n\n“We hope that the U.S. and China will meet each other halfway and make joint efforts to solve the existing problems through cooperation and consultation,” a spokesman said in a statement.\n\nChinese stock markets, after suffering big losses earlier in the week, actually gained on Friday. The Shanghai Composite Index rose 3.1 percent and the Shenzhen Component Index gained 4 percent.\n\nBecause the higher tariffs apply only to goods that leave China on Friday — not shipments already approaching American shores — officials still have time to work out a last-minute solution.\n\nBut no matter what happens at the bargaining table, relations between the world’s two largest economies, accounting for roughly 40 percent of global output, appear certain to change.\n\n“They’re really determined to go in a different direction,” said Timothy Stratford, chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in China and a former U.S. diplomat in Beijing. “The U.S. is recalibrating its policy toward China.”\n\nAt stake — along with industrial supply chains supporting millions of American jobs — was the president’s core campaign promise to rebalance the U.S. trading relationship with China in favor of American blue-collar workers. Nearly $660 billion in goods were traded between the two countries last year.\n\nU.S. officials said Trump’s “America First” stance rocked Chinese leaders and halted the erosion of American manufacturing and technology industries by Chinese trade practices.\n\nBut the tariff war, which has lasted more than a year, also has claimed numerous casualties. The Dow Jones industrial average is below its level on Jan. 22, 2018, when Trump began the dispute by imposing levies on imported washing machines. The benchmark index fell nearly 450 points Thursday before closing down 139 points, or 0.5 percent.\n\nAs China retaliated for subsequent tariff salvos, American farmers and major U.S. industries were caught in the crossfire.\n\nChina is the second-largest export market for U.S.-built vehicles. But Chinese customers, who bought roughly 260,000 vehicles from the United States in 2017, bought more than 100,000 fewer last year, according to John Bozzella, president of Global Automakers, an industry group.\n\n“What was the difference? The difference was the [Chinese] tariffs went from 15 to 40 percent,” Bozzella said. “So that’s what’s at stake.”\n\nThe politics of 2020 are also an inescapable subplot to the trade drama. In recent days, Trump, writing on Twitter, linked Chinese backsliding on a tentative agreement to Beijing’s desire to wait to make an easier deal with a Democratic president “and thereby continue to ripoff the United States.”\n\nDemocratic leaders have publicly supported the president’s hard line. Those statements illustrate the evident bipartisan consensus favoring a tougher stance toward Beijing — but also the political risks for the president of making a deal that a 2020 rival might criticize as soft.\n\n“President Trump has successfully identified Chinese economic behavior that has seriously harmed our economy over time. If U.S.-China talks eventually produce a weak deal, his chances of reelection drop no matter who the Democratic candidate is,” said Derek Scissors, a China expert at the American Enterprise Institute. “If the president does what he insists he will — get a great deal or walk — it will not only boost his reelection prospects, it will boost our economy for years to come.”\n\nTrump said Thursday that he had received “a beautiful letter” from Chinese President Xi Jinping and may speak to him by phone, though he did not say whether that would occur before the scheduled increase in tariffs takes effect.\n\nTrump said Xi’s message was: “Let’s work together. Let’s see if we can get something done.”\n\nLighthizer began meeting shortly after 5 p.m. Thursday with Liu to continue negotiations aimed at a comprehensive deal.\n\nThose talks had been proceeding smoothly, with U.S. officials predicting a final accord could be agreed to as soon as this week.\n\nBut China last weekend angered the president by trying to water down its commitments, according to Lighthizer. Chinese officials balked at specifying in the agreement which laws would be amended to address U.S. concerns over forced technology transfer and intellectual property protection, U.S. officials said.\n\n“We were getting very close to a deal, and then they started to renegotiate the deal. We can’t have that,” the president said, following a White House event on preventing surprise medical bills. “It was their idea to come back.”\n\nLiu, speaking upon his arrival in D.C., acknowledged the recent difficulties. “Much to our regret, we had some problems during our negotiation,” he told Xinhua and CCTV. But, he said, “China believes that raising tariffs is not a solution to the problems.”\n\nTrump said that he expected “a very strong day” at the negotiating table but added that “our alternative is an excellent one,” an apparent reference to the tariff increase.\n\nChina had vowed to retaliate “in kind” if the president proceeds with the increase to 25 percent from 10 percent on $200 billion in Chinese products.\n\nAlong with Friday’s increase, the president has also threatened to extend tariffs to all $540 billion in annual Chinese imports.\n\nThe president had delayed the tariff increase on two earlier occasions in an effort to give negotiators time to strike a bargain that would include massive purchases of American products and structural changes in China’s state-led economy.\n\nAfter more than five months of accelerated diplomacy, following a Trump-Xi dinner in December at the Group of 20 summit in Buenos Aires, several core issues remain to be resolved.\n\nChinese negotiators insist that all the tariffs the United States imposed last year be eliminated in any deal.\n\nBut the president wants to keep some or all of the import taxes in place as leverage to encourage Chinese compliance. The administration is wary of repeating what it sees as the mistakes of earlier Republican and Democratic administrations: reaching agreements with China that lacked ironclad enforcement mechanisms.\n\nThose tariffs are being paid by U.S. importers and, ultimately, by consumers. Yet the president frequently boasts about the revenue the federal government receives from higher tariffs.\n\nThough most economists say such a broadening of the trade conflict would inflict serious damage on both economies, the president insists his tariffs helped the U.S. economy grow at a 3.2 percent annual rate in the first quarter.\n\n“I’m different than a lot of people. . . . I happen to think that tariffs for our country are very valuable,” Trump said.\n\nMany business leaders, who support the president’s efforts to combat Chinese trade practices, are growing weary of the costs of his preferred tool. Tariffs will cost Polaris Industries Inc. — a Medina, Minn., maker of snowmobiles and motorcycles — roughly $200 million annually if the increase to 25 percent takes effect, said Scott Wine, the company’s chief executive.\n\nThe company has 9,000 employees in the U.S. But its main competitor assembles its vehicles in Mexico, escaping the U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods that hit Polaris’s imported wire harnesses and machined parts, he said.\n\n“We’re losing market share right now,” said Wine, who added he would be forced to consider shifting production to Mexico if the tariffs become permanent.\n\nChinese retaliation could take the trans-Pacific relationship into potentially dangerous territory, according to Chris Krueger, an analyst with Cowen’s Washington Research Group.\n\nDuring the past year of tit-for-tat tariff exchanges, China has imposed tariffs on all but $10 billion of its purchases from the United States.\n\nTo keep pace with Trump’s planned escalation, Beijing may use other weapons, including state-backed boycotts of American products, tighter customs inspections and intensified tax audits of U.S. companies, Krueger said.\n\nThe economic and political fallout from such steps “are a lot harder to predict and prone to accident,” he added.\n\nRobert Costa in Washington and Anna Fifield in Beijing contributed to this report.", "WASHINGTON — U.S. and Chinese negotiators are set to resume trade talks just hours before the United States plans to raise tariffs on Chinese imports in a dramatic escalation of tensions between the world's two biggest economies.\n\nChina says it will retaliate if President Donald Trump follows through, though the Commerce Ministry in Beijing offered no specifics.\n\nThe negotiations starting up again Thursday were thrown into disarray after U.S. officials accused the Chinese of reneging on commitments they'd made in earlier rounds of talks. In response to the backsliding, the United States is raising tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese imports from 10% to 25% at 12:01 a.m. Eastern time Friday.\n\nRELATED: China tariffs could kill jobs and end up costing you, experts say\n\nRELATED: Mexico says tariffs will send tomato prices soaring in US\n\nThe two countries are sparring over U.S. allegations that China steals technology and pressures American companies into handing over trade secrets.", "WASHINGTON, D.C., USA — U.S. and Chinese negotiators met Thursday just hours before the United States was set to raise tariffs on Chinese imports in a dramatic escalation of tensions between the world's two biggest economies.\n\nChina has threatened to retaliate if President Donald Trump goes ahead with the tariff hikes, adding to the heated rhetoric from both sides that was shaking stock markets around the world.\n\nThe negotiators met Thursday evening. Then, after briefing Trump on the negotiations, top U.S. trade negotiator Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin had a working dinner with the leader of the Chinese delegation, Vice Premier Liu He. Talks are scheduled to resume Friday morning, the White House said.\n\nThe U.S. was still scheduled to raise the tariffs at 12:01 a.m. Eastern time Friday.\n\nThe talks in Washington were thrown into disarray this week after Lighthizer and Mnuchin accused the Chinese of reneging on commitments they'd made earlier. In response to the alleged backsliding, the United States is raising tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese imports from 10% to 25%.\n\nRELATED: China tariffs could kill jobs and end up costing you, experts say\n\nRELATED: Mexico says tariffs will send tomato prices soaring in US\n\nAt the White House, Trump said that he'd received \"a beautiful letter\" from Chinese President Xi Jinping and that he'd \"probably speak to him by phone.\"\n\nThe two countries are sparring over U.S. allegations that China steals technology and pressures American companies into handing over trade secrets, part of an aggressive campaign to turn Chinese companies into world leaders in robotics, electric cars and other advanced industries.\n\nThe setback was unexpected. Through late last week, Trump administration officials were suggesting that negotiators were making steady progress.\n\nU.S. officials say they got an inkling of China's second thoughts about prior commitments in talks last week in Beijing, but that the backsliding became even more apparent in exchanges over the weekend. They wouldn't identify the specific issues involved.\n\nOn Sunday, Trump took to Twitter to express frustration with the pace of the talks. \"The Trade Deal with China continues, but too slowly, as they attempt to renegotiate. No!\" Trump tweeted, threatening to raise the tariffs. He also said he'd go further and slap 25% tariffs on another $325 billion in Chinese imports, covering everything China sells the United States.\n\nThe administration bought a little extra time for talks to work: According to the filing Wednesday in the Federal Register, the tariff hike won't hit goods that have already left Chinese ports before Friday's deadline.\n\nSo the tariffs won't start taking affect until those shipments complete the three- to four-week voyage across the Pacific Ocean.\n\n\"This creates an unofficial window, potentially lasting a couple of weeks, in which negotiations can continue and generates a 'soft' deadline to reach a deal,\" Goldman Sachs said in a report Thursday.\n\nU.S. officials are insisting that any deal be strictly enforced so that China lives up to its promises — something they say Beijing has repeatedly failed to do in the past. Also unclear is what would happen to the U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports. China wants them lifted; the U.S. wants to keep tariffs as leverage to pressure the Chinese to comply with any agreement.\n\n\"China has been cheating for far too long,\" Rep. Kevin Brady of Texas, top Republican on the House Ways and Means Committee, told reporters. \"Now is that moment in time to get the right trade agreement with China.\"\n\nAs the resumption of talks approached, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke by phone with Trump and urged the U.S. president to press China to release two Canadians who have been in Chinese custody for five months. The men were detained in apparent retaliation after Canada arrested a Chinese executive at the request of the United States; the woman faces fraud charges in America.\n\nThe volley of threats reignited jitters about global economic growth, prompting another round of losses on world stock markets.\n\nIf tariff hikes go ahead, \"risks of a financial market collapse, extreme risk aversion, and sharp slowdown in global growth will spike,\" said Philip Wee of DBS Group in a report.\n\nOn Wall Street, the Dow Jones industrials dropped 0.5%. Earlier, Germany's DAX index shed 1.7% and France's CAC 40 lost 1.9%. Hong Kong's main benchmark skidded 2.4% and the Shanghai Composite Index lost 1.5%. Tokyo's Nikkei 225 lost 0.9%.\n\nJoe McDonald in Beijing and Rob Gillies in Toronto contributed to this story."], "summary": "The United States increases tariffs from 10% to 25% on $200 billion worth of imports from China after no deal materialized prior to the midnight deadline."}
{"document": ["Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Ron Johnson and Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley sent a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and FBI Director Christopher Wray Friday, requesting documents related to Christopher Steele, the former British operative who compiled the infamous Trump dossier.\n\nRepublicans have expressed concern about Steele's role in the origin of the Russia investigation, which they believe has unnecessarily plagued President Trump for two years. Much of the information in Steele's dossier was initially unverified. Some of it has since been corroborated, though many of the sensational claims remain unverified. This has led some to be skeptical about how much the FBI relied on the dossier when opening the counterintelligence investigation into whether Mr. Trump worked with Russia to influence the 2016 presidential election.\n\n\"We understand that State Department employees received unverified memoranda Steele authored about candidate Trump and Russia (commonly referred to as the Steele dossier) in the summer of 2016, met with Steele and one of his colleagues in October 2016, documented that October meeting and topics discussed therein, and referred the information to the FBI. We seek all material related to those incidents along with an explanation of when the State Department provided it to the FBI,\" the senators wrote in the letter.\n\nThe letter also claimed that \"Steele's intent of the meeting with the State Department was to maximize the impact of the unverified information that he had acquired in an effort to undermine the Trump campaign.\"\n\nThe two chairs have also recently \"raised questions about any FBI awareness of leaks to the media and possible efforts to use briefings with the Trump transition team as covert intelligence gathering operations.\"\n\nMr. Trump has often pointed to the Steele dossier as the document which instigated the investigation, and has said that the origin of the Russia investigation was the true scandal.", "The State Department has largely avoided scrutiny from GOP-led investigations of the Steele dossier, but that changed this week with the release of notes that a State Department official took during an October 2016 meeting with dossier author Christopher Steele.\n\nIn letters this week to Sec. of State Mike Pompeo, GOP Sens. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, Ron Johnson of Wisconsin and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina pressed Pompeo for details about the Oct. 11, 2016 meeting, which was held at Foggy Bottom between Steele and Kathleen Kavalec, the deputy assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs.\n\nSteele, a former British spy, was investigating President Donald Trump and his campaign on behalf of the Clinton campaign and DNC.\n\nKavalec’s notes from the meeting, which were released this week, show that Steele told her about contacts he had with the media, including The New York Times and Washington Post. They also showed that Steele said that his client for his anti-Trump research campaign (which he did not identify at the time) was “keen” to see information on Trump released prior to the Nov. 8, 2016 election.\n\nSteele also made dubious or inaccurate claims to Kavalec, including that Russia had planted a mole within the DNC and that the Russian government had a consulate in Miami.\n\nThe trio of Republicans say that the notes contradict some of the claims that the FBI made in applications for surveillance warrants against Carter Page, the former Trump campaign adviser. The FBI relied heavily on Steele’s unverified dossier to obtain the spy warrants.\n\nIn a letter sent to Pompeo on Thursday, Grassley and Johnson, who chair the Senate Banking and Senate Homeland Security Committees, respectively, asserted that any contacts that Steele had with the media would contradict what the FBI claimed the Carter Page warrants.\n\n“If true, that would contradict the Carter Page FISA application where the FBI repeatedly represented to the court that Steele did not have unauthorized contacts with the press prior to October 2016,” they wrote.\n\n“Based on the publicly-released version of the typed notes of the meeting, it appears Steele’s intent of the meeting with the State Department was to maximize the impact of the unverified information that he had acquired in an effort to undermine the Trump campaign,” they added.\n\nKavalec’s notes were obtained by Citizens United through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit. The Hill first published the documents.\n\n“Further, if that information was included in the material submitted to the FBI, then the FBI may have been aware of Steele’s political motivations before submitting any FISA application,” Grassley and Johnson added.\n\nThey are asking Pompeo to disclose when the State Department informed the FBI about Steele’s dossier or the meeting with Kavalec. The bureau obtained its first surveillance warrant against Page on Oct. 21, 2016, ten days after the Kavalec-Steele meeting.\n\nIn a letter sent Friday to Pompeo, Graham, the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, sought communications between Steele and State Department employees, as well as between State employees and the Justice Department regarding Steele.\n\nHe is also asking Pompeo to make Kavalec available for a transcribed interview.\n\nVictoria Nuland, who served as Kavalec’s boss at the bureau of European and Eurasian affairs, was the government official who approved an FBI agent in Rome meeting Steele in early July 2016.\n\nJonathan Winer, who then served as special envoy to Libya, also met with Steele in Summer 2016. The pair had known each other since 2009, and Steele shared more than 100 of his private intelligence reports with Winer over the years. Winer, who shared those reports with others at the State Department, appears to have set up the meeting with Kavalec. He is mentioned throughout Kavalec’s notes.\n\nWiner was also a source for at least two news articles written by reporters who received information from Steele. Michael Isikoff and David Corn revealed in a book they co-authored that Winer was a background source for stories they wrote before the 2016 election. The Daily Caller News Foundation has published emails showing that Fusion GPS founder Glenn Simpson, who hired Steele, was in contact with Winer the day before Isikoff’s article was published on Sept. 23, 2016.\n\nAlex Jones presents CSPAN footage of Republican rep. from Ohio Jim Jordan as he grills Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee about their true intentions behind questioning Attorney General Bill Bar.", "Top Republican lawmakers demanded answers Friday on whether the FBI was warned of anti-Trump dossier author Christopher Steele’s \"political motivations\" before the bureau applied for a surveillance warrant against a Trump campaign aide based in part on that document.\n\nIn a pair of letters to FBI Director Christopher Wray and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Sens. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., and Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa., cited newly revealed notes that a State Department official took during a meeting with Steele in October 2016, just 10 days before the first warrant application and a month before the presidential election. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., has also written separate letters to Pompeo and Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz.\n\nFORMER TOP FBI LAWYER ON DEFENSE AS IG PROBE ON SURVEILLANCE ABUSE NEARS CLOSE\n\nThose notes, first reported by The Hill, say that Steele’s security firm Orbis was “keen to see this information [in the dossier] come to light prior to November 8,” suggesting that it wanted the information to directly influence the 2016 presidential election.\n\n\"Based on the publicly-released version of the typed notes of the meeting, it appears Steele's intent of the meeting with the State Department was to maximize the impact of the unverified information that he had acquired in an effort to undermine the Trump campaign,\" Grassley and Johnson wrote. \"Further, if that information was included in the material submitted to the FBI, then the FBI may have been aware of Steele's political motivations before submitting any FISA application.\"\n\nThey specifically want to know when the State Department shared these details with the FBI. An email from the official, Kathleen Kavalec, was sent on Oct. 13, 2016, though the recipient's identity is completely redacted, as is an attachment.\n\nThe notes, as published by The Hill and posted by Citizens United, also point to the involvement of opposition research firm Fusion GPS, noting that firm co-founder Glenn Simpson and colleague Peter Fritch recommended Steele's group for the job.\n\nThe dossier was eventually published by BuzzFeed News in 2017 and is filled with salacious and unverified claims about alleged dirt the Russians had over Trump. It is believed to have formed a significant part of the FBI’s application for a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrant against Trump campaign aide Carter Page.\n\nSince the release of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia report, which did not find evidence of many of the claims within the dossier, fresh scrutiny has returned to the dossier and the role it played in the Page warrant application.\n\nINSPECTOR GENERAL PROBING ROLE OF TRUMP DOSSIER IN SECURING SURVEILLANCE WARRANT FOR AIDE\n\nRepublicans have pointed to Steele’s political motivations, as well as the funding of the dossier by the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and the Hillary Clinton campaign, as proof that the origins of the probe were political as well.\n\n“This important information further demonstrates the bias of the primary source of material that was the basis for the Carter Page FISA warrant,” Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., wrote.\n\nThe notes also said that Steele indicated he had been in communication with reporters, which Johnson and Grassley say contradicts the FISA warrant application, “where the FBI repeatedly represented to the court that Steele did not have unauthorized contacts with the press prior to October 2016.”\n\nThe lawmakers want to know about the FBI’s communications with the State Department and what information was provided to it about the meetings -- specifically when State provided the notes about the meeting to the FBI. Graham also requested that the State Department make the official who took the meeting with Steele, Kathleen Kavalec, available for a transcribed interview with the Judiciary Committee.\n\nCLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP\n\nThe new revelations come as Horowitz is believed to be approaching the end of his investigation into the FBI and DOJ’s surveillance conduct in the 2016 election, and whether the agencies acted improperly. The Wall Street Journal reported this week that Horowitz's team has questioned why the FBI considered Steele a credible source, and why the bureau seemed to use news reports to bolster his credibility.\n\nPresident Trump has repeatedly called the Russia investigation a “witch hunt” while Attorney General William Barr told lawmakers last month that “spying did occur” during the campaign.", "Against the backdrop of documents from the state department, Senator Lindsey Graham sends a letter to both OIG Michael Horowitz and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo seeking additional information about State Department contact with Christopher Steele.\n\nAdditionally, the FBI has apparently reversed course on the self-serving redactions they put in place when the Kavalec Memo was released. A less redacted version is below:\n\nApparently the Russian “mole” in the DNC didn’t warrant the investigative curiosity of the FBI. Instead, they took the sketchy dossier info and called Carter Page an “agent of a foreign power”…. Go figure.", "WASHINGTON (AFP) - US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will meet President Vladimir Putin next week in Russia in the highest-level formal talks between the powers in 10 months, the State Department said on Friday (May 10).\n\nThe top US diplomat will meet Putin next Tuesday in the Black Sea resort of Sochi to \"discuss the full range of bilateral and multilateral challenges,\" the State Department said.\n\nThe United States and Russia are at loggerheads over a number of global issues including Venezuela, where Pompeo has led US calls to demand that Moscow stop backing President Nicolas Maduro, a leftist whom Washington is trying to oust.\n\nThe trip marks the most significant US interaction with Putin since July, when President Donald Trump met the Russian leader in Finland in an encounter that was widely criticised inside the United States.\n\nTrump at a joint news conference appeared to take at face value Putin's insistence that Russia did not interfere in the 2016 election - despite findings of US intelligence as well as Putin's open statement in Helsinki that he favoured Trump over his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.\n\nPompeo's trip comes after the long-awaited release of a probe by Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who found widespread efforts by Russia to meddle in the US election but did not find that the Trump campaign colluded - a conclusion that has brought relief to the embattled White House.\n\nTrump again raised eyebrows a week ago when he said that Putin told him in a lengthy phone call that he was \"not looking at all to get involved in Venezuela\" and wanted to \"see something positive happen\" in the crisis-torn country.\n\nRussia earlier announced Pompeo's visit but it had been unclear whether he would meet Putin. He will also hold talks in Sochi with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov - their second meeting in as many weeks after they met on the sidelines of an Arctic conference in Helsinki.\n\nPompeo will also visit Moscow, where he will lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier dedicated to Soviet troops killed in World War II - an era when Moscow and Washington were allied.", "May 10 (UPI) -- Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin and foreign minister Sergey Lavrov next week during a trip to Sochi, Russia, the State Department announced Friday.\n\nPompeo will arrive Monday and meet with U.S. Embassy officials in Moscow along with American business leaders there. He is also expected to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.\n\nOn Tuesday, Pompeo is scheduled to meet with Putin and Lavrov to \"discuss the full range of bilateral and multilateral challenges.\"\n\nRussia's state-run Tass news agency reported that Lavrov would meet with Pompeo and that the Kremlin did not rule out a meeting with Putin.\n\nRussia said the discussions will include issues connected with the political standoff in Venezuela, the Syrian civil war and Ukraine.\n\nMoscow said the two sides had agreed to meet during a sidelines meeting Monday at the Arctic Council session in Finland.\n\nBoth countries have criticized each other over Venezuela, where the United States supports National Assembly President Juan Gaido, while Russia backs embattled President Nicolas Maduro.\n\nLast week, Lavrov complained that U.S. involvement in Venezuela's internal affairs by supporting Gaido was a violation of international law. Pompeo said American military intervention was still \"possible.\"\n\nThe Trump administration had slowed an earlier planned withdrawal of troops from Syria, where Russia has been aiding the Syrian government. The White House said earlier this year that 400 troops will remain in Syria as peacekeepers, against the wishes of Moscow and Damascus.\n\nIn March, the U.S. Treasury sanctioned six Russians and several defense entities in connection with Russia's seizure of Ukrainian vessels and sailors in the Kerch Strait in November. American and Western allies voiced opposition to the seizure while Russia claimed the vessels sailed illegally into Russian-controlled waters.", "Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Sochi, Russia next week, according to the State Department.\n\nPompeo will meet with Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday to discuss \"the full range of bilateral and multilateral challenges,\" the department said in a press release. Pompeo is scheduled to arrive in Moscow on Monday with a diplomatic team.\n\nThe two countries are facing tension on a number of fronts around the world, including in Venezuela, Iran and North Korea.\n\nNews of the trip comes one week after a lengthy phone call between President Donald Trump and Putin, the first such high-level conversation since special counsel Robert Mueller's report on Russian interference in the 2016 election was released to the public.\n\nTrump said after the call that the two discussed the \"Russian Hoax\" in addition to a variety of other issues. But Trump said they did not talk about Russian interference in future U.S. elections.\n\nThe meeting also follows the abrupt cancellation on Tuesday of a meeting between Pompeo and Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany. The State Department cited \"pressing issues\" at the time.\n\nPompeo met with Lavrov earlier this month. The two held talks in Finland May 6, which Russian media said made the phone call between Trump and Putin possible.", "Former British spy Christopher Steele made a stunning admission during an October 11, 2016 meeting with Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Kathleen Kavalec, just 10 days before the FBI used his now-discredited dossier to justify securing a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrant to spy on Trump campaign aide Carter Page and the campaign’s ties to Russia, according to The Hill‘s John Solomon.\n\nAccording a typed summary of the meeting – which sat buried for over 2 1/2 years until an open-records litigation by Citizens United – Steele said that his client “is keen to see this information come to light prior to November 8,” the date of the 2016 US election. Also attending the meeting was an employee of Steele’s Orbis Security firm, Tatyana Duran.\n\nAnd according to The Hill, Kavalec’s notes of the meeting – including this stunning admission – do not appear to have been provided to the House Intelligence Committee for its Russia probe, according to former Chairman Devin Nunes (R-CA).\n\n“They tried to hide a lot of documents from us during our investigation, and it usually turns out there’s a reason for it,” Nunes told The Hill‘s Solomon, who notes that One member of Congress had transmitted the memos to the DOJ’s Inspector General, Michael Horowitz out of concern that the IG’s office had never seen it either.\n\nThe FBI has retroactively classified Kavalec’s notes on 4/25/2019, despite the fact that it was originally marked unclassified in 2016. It is set to “Declassify on 12/31/2041,” 25 years after the 2016 election.\n\nThe apparent effort to hide Kavalec’s notes from her contact with Steele has persisted for some time. State officials acknowledged a year ago they received a copy of the Steele dossier in July 2016, and got a more detailed briefing in October 2016 and referred the information to the FBI. But what was discussed was not revealed. Sources told me more than a year ago that Kavalec had the most important (and memorialized) interaction with Steele before the FISA warrant was issued, but FBI and State officials refused to discuss it, or even confirm it. The encounter, and Kavalec’s memos, were forced into public view through Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) litigation by Citizens United. Yet, all but a few lines have been redacted after the fact. Officials are citing as the reason national security, in the name of the FBI and a half-century-old intelligence law. –The Hill\n\n\n\n Big Tech censorship is out of control, but President Trump has yet to use his office to enforce fair practices by the social media companies. Mike Adams explains why Trump should use his presidential powers before he is out of office or Trump may miss his chance to save American liberties.\n\n“This new information proves why the attorney general must conduct a thorough investigation of the investigators,” said Citizens United president and informal Trump adviser David Bossie, adding that Kavalec’s notes suggest there was an illegal effort to “frame” Trump with bogus collusion allegations.\n\nAccording to one source who has seen the notes, they also contain information on Steele’s political ties which have not been given to Congress. “There’s a connection to Hillary Clinton in the notes,” said the source.\n\nTwo days after the meeting with Steele, Kavalec sent an email alerting others – with the only unredacted portion of import reading: “You may already have this information but wanted to pass it on just in case.”\n\nMeanwhile, the memo also sheds light on the DNC’s role in hiring Steele:\n\nThe three sentences visible in her memo show that U.S. officials had good reason to suspect Steele’s client and motive in alleging Trump-Russia collusion because they were election-related and facilitated by the Clinton-funded Fusion GPS founder, Glenn Simpson. “Orbis undertook the investigation into the Russia/Trump connection at the behest of an institution he declined to identify that had been hacked,” Kavalec wrote. At the time, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) was the highest-profile victim of election-year hacking. “The institution approached them based on the recommendation of Glenn Simpson and Peter Fritsch (specialists in economic crime, formerly of the WSJ) and is keen to see this information come to light prior to November 8,” Kavalec wrote. “Orbis undertook the investigation in June of 2016.” Steele’s firm Orbis was a subcontractor to Fusion GPS, and WSJ refers to The Wall Street Journal. –The Hill\n\nThe significance of Kavalec’s notes is monumental, even with redactions, as it is definitive proof that the US government had full knowledge that the foundation of their FISA warrant had a political motive and an Election Day deadline to make public. We also know, according to the report, that this information was transmitted before the Page FISA warrant to people whose job is so sensitive their identity had to be protected. In short, there’s virtually no way the FBI didn’t know what they were dealing with.\n\nMeanwhile, former FBI Director James Comey continues to maintain his pious routine as he peddles his lucrative book, while his Deputy Andrew McCabe’s book deal just went to print in February.", "Former British spy Christopher Steele made a stunning admission during an October 11, 2016 meeting with Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Kathleen Kavalec, just 10 days before the FBI used his now-discredited dossier to justify securing a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrant to spy on Trump campaign aide Carter Page and the campaign’s ties to Russia, according to The Hill‘s John Solomon.\n\nAccording a typed summary of the meeting – which sat buried for over 2 1/2 years until an open-records litigation by Citizens United – Steele said that his client “is keen to see this information come to light prior to November 8,” the date of the 2016 US election. Also attending the meeting was an employee of Steele’s Orbis Security firm, Tatyana Duran.\n\nAnd according to The Hill, Kavalec’s notes of the meeting – including this stunning admission – do not appear to have been provided to the House Intelligence Committee for its Russia probe, according to former Chairman Devin Nunes (R-CA). – READ MORE"], "summary": "Republicans Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Ron Johnson and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley request documents related to Christopher Steele, author of the Trump–Russia dossier, in a letter to United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the FBI Director Christopher Wray."}
{"document": ["WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is prone to upending tradition and shattering presidential norms. His refusal to follow other recent presidents in releasing his tax returns to the public — and his fight against a demand by House Democrats for six years' worth of his personal and business returns — is but one battle in a broader war against oversight demands by congressional Democrats.\n\nThe fight over Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal's demand for the returns is about to head to federal court, but an incomplete picture of Trump's taxes and finances has emerged from media investigations.\n\nTrump's tax returns hold the promise of information about his business entanglements, relationships with foreign creditors and governments, whether he has been truthful in reporting the value of his assets, and whether he got a personal windfall from the 2017 tax bill.\n\nWHAT DO WE KNOW?\n\nThanks to reporting this week from The New York Times, which was given copies of summaries of Trump's tax returns from 1985 to 1994, we know that Trump, a developer and real estate investor in Manhattan, suffered enormous business losses over that period. Those losses exceeded $1.1 billion, according to the Times, from bad investments such as now-defunct Eastern Air Lines and the Trump Taj Mahal hotel and casino in Atlantic City.\n\nTaking to Twitter Wednesday, Trump seemed to confirm the gist of the Times investigation.\n\n\"You always wanted to show losses for tax purposes....almost all real estate developers did — and often re-negotiate with banks, it was sport,\" Trump tweeted. \"Additionally, the very old information put out is a highly inaccurate Fake News hit job!\"\n\nEarlier reporting by the Times about the Trump family finances found that Trump \"participated in dubious tax schemes during the 1990s, including instances of outright fraud\" to reduce taxes paid as his father's holdings were transferred to him and his siblings.\n\nTrump has also been a party in numerous lawsuits over the years that have provided many glimpses into his business dealings. He has frequently skated close to and over ethical lines, critics charge. His tax lawyer testified that Trump's 1984 tax return was fraudulent.\n\nWHAT DON'T WE KNOW?\n\nA lot. This week's Times report relies on summaries of Trump's returns but lacks details to answer basic, obvious questions.\n\nFor starters, Trump's critics say he has long exaggerated his wealth, and the returns promise answers on that front. They would also reveal how much he has paid more recently and what techniques he uses to avoid taxes.\n\nMuch of what is known about Trump's taxes dates to the 1980s and 1990s, when Trump was a casino magnate and a more active developer. His businesses have changed since then. Trump's Washington D.C. hotel on Pennsylvania Ave blocks from the White House hadn't been developed yet, for instance. He has also shifted toward licensing deals, where a developer essentially pays the Trump Organization to use his name.\n\nA key period for investigators could be recent years when Trump was running for president and whether that affected his businesses. Ways and Means Chairman Neal has requested Trump's returns from 2013 to 2018.\n\nWHAT ARE DEMOCRATS LOOKING FOR?\n\nPlenty. Trump's former attorney and \"fixer\" Michael Cohen testified before Congress that Trump would falsify financial records when seeking loans or filing his taxes. Trump's returns would help lawmakers sort out if this is true.\n\nThen there's the question of how Trump financed his businesses. How much foreign money is involved? Who does he owe money to and what is their business before the U.S. government?\n\n\"There are a lot of dots that are out there not yet connected,\" said Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va.\n\n\"The situation with Donald Trump and the myriad ways in which he could potentially be compromised — specifically with who is holding his enormous debt ... these are all absolutely major reasons why it is legitimate to see the tax returns,\" said Rep. Brendan Boyle, D-Pa.\n\nThe Democrats have asked the IRS to provide Trump's personal and business returns for 2013 through 2018.", "The House Democrats have their work cut out for them. It’s become inescapably, ineluctably clear: The Trump administration isn’t going to comply with, acquiesce in or submit to congressional requests. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin won’t turn over President Donald Trump’s tax returns. Attorney General William Barr won’t give Congress the unredacted Mueller report, contempt charge or no contempt charge. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross won’t testify any more about the census citizenship question. Former White House Counsel Don McGahn won’t produce, for now, either testimony or documents.\n\nTrump himself, expansive as ever, has declared that his administration will resist “all” congressional subpoenas. If a third party, like Deutsche Bank, wants to comply with a House subpoena, the Trumps will sue the bank. No cooperation, nothing, nada.\n\nSo, what do Democrats do now? What strategies have the best chance of eliciting or compelling the testimony and documents they need for oversight, impeachment or both?\n\nPlenty of experts are offering advice, with suggestions ranging from the straightforward to the baroque. But the laws governing this executive-legislative dispute aren’t black-and-white — which means that the other side is always going to have a plausible argument to present to a court, which, in turn, means that no magic legal slam dunks are available.\n\nThe Democrats have to face it: No technical trick is going to do the job. Their only route to success is via the muddy road laid out by master politician Abraham Lincoln: “Public sentiment is everything. With public sentiment, nothing can fail; without it nothing can succeed.”\n\nThe most straightforward procedural suggestion for addressing executive branch noncooperation is to subpoena documents and testimony and, if they aren’t produced, hold the responsible individuals in contempt of Congress. This, it turns out, is not such a great idea.\n\nSIGN UP FOR THE THINK WEEKLY NEWSLETTER HERE\n\nFor one thing, a congressional contempt citation like the one the House Judiciary Committee issued for Barr on Wednesday is evanescent. The process is almost comically inefficient, and requires the contempt citation to be eventually approved by the full House. The citation also expires at the end of the Congress that issued it. When a new Congress is seated, it can start again. In contrast, the executive branch marches on as an enterprise, legally speaking, from one presidency to the next. In a power struggle between president and Congress, this is a big advantage for the executive.\n\nThen, there’s the enforcement dilemma. Criminal enforcement of a congressional contempt citation falls to the Justice Department. If you’re asking the current Department of Justice to move against executive branch officials, good luck to you. (This goes double for Barr himself, who of course leads the Justice Department.)\n\nAlternatively, the House itself can file a civil suit, asking a court to enforce its citation — or otherwise order compliance. This is the proverbial long slog. Such proceedings are almost guaranteed to drag on for months or years.\n\nThe House can also impeach, or at least prepare to impeach, either Trump himself or his Senate-confirmed appointees. Some people favor this tactic because it’s a way to establish a clear legislative purpose — one a court would respect — to justify a demand for documents and testimony.\n\nBut this need for “legislative purpose” shows the larger problem for House Democrats seeking executive branch compliance: None of the laws involved are unambiguous enough to keep the dispute out of lengthy court proceedings.\n\nThis problem is demonstrated in the current fight over Trump’s tax returns. The Internal Revenue Code states the Treasury secretary “shall furnish ... any [tax] return” that the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee requests. “Shall” leaves no wiggle room. Because of this provision, the tax return fight is the one, among all the current House v Trump clashes, in which Congress has the clearest statutory authority. Even here, however, where House Democrats can point to a specific statute, their authority is restricted by the requirement that it be used only for legitimate legislative purposes.\n\nThe House Ways and Means Committee's request for Trump’s tax returns has cited the legislative purpose of exercising oversight of IRS performance in auditing presidential tax information. It sounds reasonable. But, according to Mnuchin, Justice Department lawyers have asserted that the committee is actually singling out a particular president in ways that constitute presidential harassment rather than legitimate legislative inquiry. This, too, sounds reasonable.\n\nThe dispute is one that the parties can take all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. Which, in case you’ve forgotten, now includes two of the 100 Trump-nominated judges who have been confirmed by the Senate.\n\nIn other areas in which Congress wants information, from the Mueller report to the census citizenship question, congressional authority rests less on specific statutes than on what we think of as bedrock constitutional principles of checks and balances. But the tectonic plates under the bedrock can shift. Trump’s “resist all subpoenas” position may sound outlandish — but by the time court pleadings are filed, it will be clothed in reasoned arguments about constitutional restraint and legislative overreach. Even if the judges aren’t predisposed toward the executive branch, the outcome of these cases is uncertain. No legal slam dunks are available.\n\nThere is yet another way to enforce a contempt citation, which is that the House can send its own officers to arrest and detain a noncompliant witness. But think about it. Picture the congressional sergeant-at-arms and his staff mounting a police operation against the armed security details that guard the attorney general or the Treasury secretary. Once again, good luck.\n\nIn short, as I said above, no clever technical trick will do the job. If Democrats try to fight the administration through procedural means alone, they’ll become mired in processes that will likely last well beyond the 2020 presidential election — which may be the Trump re-election. Instead, they have to do something harder: Mobilize public sentiment by refusing to “move on” from the Mueller report.\n\nIn judging the House Democrats’ options, it’s impossible not to think of Watergate, in which the House articles of impeachment against President Richard M. Nixon were substantially similar to the charges against Trump today: financial corruption, obstruction of justice, resisting lawful congressional subpoenas.\n\nWhen we look back at Watergate, its course seems preordained. But it wasn’t until the spring and summer of 1974, two years after the break-in, that Republicans began deserting Nixon in droves. The collapse of the Republican wall that had shielded Nixon wasn’t due to any procedural coup by Democrats. Instead, the cause was sustained pressure from Democrats, judges and journalists, much-maligned, who refused to “move on” from the break-in and the sentencing of the Watergate burglars.\n\nThere are people who now urge that we move on from the Mueller report — which, whatever its other merits, won’t provide Democrats with leverage over the Trump administration. If they are to have their chance, it will lie in pursuing the highly contingent path of traditional politics.\n\nThat path is getting messier and more contingent by the day. More than 700 former Justice Department prosecutors have now signed their names to a statement asserting that the facts alleged in the Mueller report are, contrary to Barr’s statements, sufficient to support a charge of obstruction of justice. The head of the FBI has just testified to the Senate that he knows of no evidence of illegal surveillance of the Trump campaign.\n\nHouse Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler threatened Barr with contempt for not delivering the unredacted Mueller report, prompting the attorney general to counter-threaten to have Trump invoke executive privilege over the entire report — which he has now done. The New York Times has produced Trump’s tax information for a decade in which he evidently lost $100 million (you read that right) per year. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., who is running for president, called for impeachment on the Senate floor.\n\nRemember Mao Zedong’s dictum: Political power flows out of the barrel of a gun. The clear-eyed brutality of this statement tore the veil off the fictions that govern much of normal political life. We probably won’t have to look down gun barrels any time soon, thank God. But Trump has done congressional Democrats the favor of reminding them that, at the very least, political power flows only out of Lincoln’s public sentiment.\n\nIf this sentiment can be mobilized or, in its meandering way, mobilizes itself, the Trump era will be over. If not, there will be — as another president once said — four more years. Nothing the Democrats can do in the way of court proceedings and parliamentary maneuvers is likely to stop it.", "WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is prone to upending tradition and shattering presidential norms. His refusal to follow other recent presidents in releasing his tax returns to the public — and his fight against a demand by House Democrats for six years' worth of his personal and business returns — is but one battle in a broader war against oversight demands by congressional Democrats.\n\nThe fight over Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal's demand for the returns is about to head to federal court, but an incomplete picture of Trump's taxes and finances has emerged from media investigations.\n\nTrump's tax returns hold the promise of information about his business entanglements, relationships with foreign creditors and governments, whether he has been truthful in reporting the value of his assets, and whether he got a personal windfall from the 2017 tax bill.\n\nWHAT DO WE KNOW?\n\nThanks to reporting this week from The New York Times, which was given copies of summaries of Trump's tax returns from 1985 to 1994, we know that Trump, a developer and real estate investor in Manhattan, suffered enormous business losses over that period. Those losses exceeded $1.1 billion, according to the Times, from bad investments such as now-defunct Eastern Air Lines and the Trump Taj Mahal hotel and casino in Atlantic City.\n\nTaking to Twitter Wednesday, Trump seemed to confirm the gist of the Times investigation.\n\n\"You always wanted to show losses for tax purposes....almost all real estate developers did — and often re-negotiate with banks, it was sport,\" Trump tweeted. \"Additionally, the very old information put out is a highly inaccurate Fake News hit job!\"\n\nEarlier reporting by the Times about the Trump family finances found that Trump \"participated in dubious tax schemes during the 1990s, including instances of outright fraud\" to reduce taxes paid as his father's holdings were transferred to him and his siblings.\n\nTrump has also been a party in numerous lawsuits over the years that have provided many glimpses into his business dealings. He has frequently skated close to and over ethical lines, critics charge. His tax lawyer testified that Trump's 1984 tax return was fraudulent.\n\nWHAT DON'T WE KNOW?\n\nA lot. This week's Times report relies on summaries of Trump's returns but lacks details to answer basic, obvious questions.\n\nFor starters, Trump's critics say he has long exaggerated his wealth, and the returns promise answers on that front. They would also reveal how much he has paid more recently and what techniques he uses to avoid taxes.\n\nMuch of what is known about Trump's taxes dates to the 1980s and 1990s, when Trump was a casino magnate and a more active developer. His businesses have changed since then. Trump's Washington D.C. hotel on Pennsylvania Ave blocks from the White House hadn't been developed yet, for instance. He has also shifted toward licensing deals, where a developer essentially pays the Trump Organization to use his name.\n\nA key period for investigators could be recent years when Trump was running for president and whether that affected his businesses. Ways and Means Chairman Neal has requested Trump's returns from 2013 to 2018.\n\nWHAT ARE DEMOCRATS LOOKING FOR?\n\nPlenty. Trump's former attorney and \"fixer\" Michael Cohen testified before Congress that Trump would falsify financial records when seeking loans or filing his taxes. Trump's returns would help lawmakers sort out if this is true.\n\nThen there's the question of how Trump financed his businesses. How much foreign money is involved? Who does he owe money to and what is their business before the U.S. government?\n\n\"There are a lot of dots that are out there not yet connected,\" said Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va.\n\n\"The situation with Donald Trump and the myriad ways in which he could potentially be compromised — specifically with who is holding his enormous debt ... these are all absolutely major reasons why it is legitimate to see the tax returns,\" said Rep. Brendan Boyle, D-Pa.\n\nThe Democrats have asked the IRS to provide Trump's personal and business returns for 2013 through 2018.", "The other day, after the New York Times reported that Donald Trump had sustained enormous financial losses from 1985 to 1994, allowing him to pay no taxes for many years, Trump lashed out. He claimed that this was S.O.P. for real estate titans like himself, adding that they were “entitled to massive write offs” that would show “tax losses.\" Such tax chicanery, he said, was “sport.”\n\nIn saying this, Trump may have inadvertently undercut his administration’s defense for keeping his tax returns concealed from House Democrats.\n\nDaniel Hemel, a professor at the University of Chicago, has a great piece explaining the deeper civic significance of Trump’s response to the Times piece.\n\nAs Hemel notes, the types of chicanery Trump admitted to varies in its nefariousness — but the bottom line is that Trump was publicly boasting about his ability to game the tax code to vastly minimize his tax burden. As we already know from a separate Times investigation, Trump and his father committed epic tax fraud, to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars, inflating the very fortune that has long fraudulently sustained his public image as a brilliant self-made businessman.\n\nBut beyond what all this did for Trump’s image, Hemel notes that this type of gloating is pernicious, as it sends a signal to American taxpayers that the head of the executive branch thinks that skirting the tax code is a virtue:\n\nThe perception that the president is a tax cheat, a perception perpetuated by the president’s own words, presents a genuine difficulty for the federal tax system. Our system relies on voluntary compliance — on the idea that individuals and firms will report their income honestly and pay their taxes promptly without the IRS having to track them down. It’s a system that ultimately rests on the faith of the citizenry. When the man on top boasts that taxpaying is beneath him, that essential faith is frayed. For this reason, and to assure Americans that taxes aren’t just for the little people, the IRS has established a special procedure to audit the returns of the president and vice president — a procedure designed to reduce the risk that enforcement will be skewed to favor our leaders. But this procedure does not, according to the IRS’s internal manual, apply to returns filed by the president’s business enterprises. That might have seemed like a minor omission with respect to past presidents, who placed their assets into blind trusts beyond their control. But for Trump, who reportedly receives regular updates on his businesses and retains authority over them, it’s a gaping hole.\n\nWhich brings us to the battle over Trump’s tax returns. In saying these things, Trump may have accidentally strengthened the case House Democrats are making for getting them.\n\nIn requesting the past six years of Trump’s personal and business returns, Rep. Richard E. Neal (D-Mass.), the chair of Ways and Means, argued that Congress needs them to scrutinize whether the IRS is enforcing tax laws against the president. The case for getting Trump’s returns is already strong — the law says the Treasury Department “shall” furnish any individual’s returns upon the request of a tax-writing committee — but Neal added a legislative rationale.\n\nTrump, by boasting before the country that he thinks tax-dodging is cool, strengthened the public rationale for making sure that the IRS is indeed enforcing tax laws against the president. To be sure, Trump has boasted of this before — during the 2016 campaign, he said that minimizing his tax burden “makes me smart” — but the difference now is that Trump made this boast as president.\n\nAs Hemel notes, this increases the need to ensure that the IRS is enforcing the tax laws against the president, for the civic purpose of reassuring American taxpayers that this is the case. But one additional question is whether Trump’s boast gives Democrats another legal tool in the coming court battles.\n\nTreasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has refused to release Trump’s tax returns, arguing that Democrats are not requesting them for any legitimate legislative purpose. But Trump may have now strengthened the argument that there actually is such a legitimate legislative purpose.\n\nAs Steven Rosenthal, a senior fellow at the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center, points out, the president of the United States has publicly confirmed that he thinks skirting the tax code is something to wear as a badge of honor, which raises questions as to whether the IRS is making sure he isn’t taking this too far.\n\n“Neal requested Trump’s returns to ensure that the IRS enforces the tax laws in ‘a fair and impartial manner,’” Rosenthal told me. “Mnuchin questioned whether Neal’s request could ‘reasonably serve a legitimate legislative purpose.’ Trump announced that he treats tax laws as a sport, which effectively validates Neal’s request, because the public must know the IRS is calling fouls on taxpayers that treat the tax laws as a sport.\"\n\nTo be clear, there are numerous other legitimate legislative purposes for House Democrats to request Trump’s tax returns. The one that Neal invoked, however, now may have an even stronger basis than it already did.\n\nAll this points to an interesting tension. On the one hand, Trump loves to boast about how he has successfully gamed the system on his own behalf. Trump didn’t just claim during the campaign that not paying taxes “makes me smart\"; he also openly boasted about his ability to buy politicians. The message was that his ability to milk the system equipped him with an inside knowledge of how other economic elites “rigged” it that he’d put to work on behalf of regular Americans.\n\nThat all turned out to be fraudulent, of course. If anything, he further rigged the system on behalf of those elites. And now, despite all that boasting, Trump is desperate to prevent the details of all his gaming of the system to be revealed before the public. In a way, the con is complete. But the battle to get those details is far from over, and Trump may have weakened his own hand.\n\nThe Post’s View: What is Trump hiding in the rest of his tax forms?\n\nPaul Waldman: Stunning new revelations underscore urgency of getting Trump’s tax returns", "US President Donald Trump’s businesses lost more than $1 billion from 1985 to 1994, according to the New York Times, which said it obtained printouts from the president’s official Internal Revenue Service (IRS) tax transcripts.\n\nThe newspaper on Tuesday said Trump, who was elected in 2016, posted losses in excess of $250m in both 1990 and 1991, which appeared to be more than double any other individual US taxpayer, based on IRS data.\n\nTrump lost so much money that he was able to avoid paying income taxes for eight of the 10 years, the Times said.\n\nThere was no immediate comment from the White House.\n\nUS Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Monday denied a leading House Democrat’s request for President Donald Trump’s tax returns, setting the stage for a lengthy court battle between lawmakers and the Trump administration.\n\nThe Republican president, a real estate magnate who turned over the running of his businesses to his sons after his election, touted his business acumen and negotiating skills on the campaign trail.\n\nHe broke with a decades-old precedent by refusing to release his tax returns as a presidential candidate or since being elected, saying he could not do so while his taxes were being audited.\n\nThe House Ways and Means Committee has asked the IRS to provide Trump’s personal and business returns for 2013 through 2018.\n\nTreasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Monday refused to do so, saying the panel’s request “lacks a legitimate legislative purpose”.", "WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is prone to upending tradition and shattering presidential norms. His refusal to follow other recent presidents in releasing his tax returns to the public — and his fight against a demand by House Democrats for six years' worth of his personal and business returns — is but one battle in a broader war against oversight demands by congressional Democrats.\n\nThe fight over Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal's demand for the returns is about to head to federal court, but an incomplete picture of Trump's taxes and finances has emerged from media investigations.\n\nTrump's tax returns hold the promise of information about his business entanglements, relationships with foreign creditors and governments, whether he has been truthful in reporting the value of his assets, and whether he got a personal windfall from the 2017 tax bill.\n\nWHAT DO WE KNOW?\n\nThanks to reporting this week from The New York Times, which was given copies of summaries of Trump's tax returns from 1985 to 1994, we know that Trump, a developer and real estate investor in Manhattan, suffered enormous business losses over that period. Those losses exceeded $1.1 billion, according to the Times, from bad investments such as now-defunct Eastern Air Lines and the Trump Taj Mahal hotel and casino in Atlantic City.\n\nTaking to Twitter Wednesday, Trump seemed to confirm the gist of the Times investigation.\n\n\"You always wanted to show losses for tax purposes....almost all real estate developers did — and often re-negotiate with banks, it was sport,\" Trump tweeted. \"Additionally, the very old information put out is a highly inaccurate Fake News hit job!\"\n\nEarlier reporting by the Times about the Trump family finances found that Trump \"participated in dubious tax schemes during the 1990s, including instances of outright fraud\" to reduce taxes paid as his father's holdings were transferred to him and his siblings.\n\nTrump has also been a party in numerous lawsuits over the years that have provided many glimpses into his business dealings. He has frequently skated close to and over ethical lines, critics charge. His tax lawyer testified that Trump's 1984 tax return was fraudulent.\n\nWHAT DON'T WE KNOW?\n\nA lot. This week's Times report relies on summaries of Trump's returns but lacks details to answer basic, obvious questions.\n\nFor starters, Trump's critics say he has long exaggerated his wealth, and the returns promise answers on that front. They would also reveal how much he has paid more recently and what techniques he uses to avoid taxes.\n\nMuch of what is known about Trump's taxes dates to the 1980s and 1990s, when Trump was a casino magnate and a more active developer. His businesses have changed since then. Trump's Washington D.C. hotel on Pennsylvania Ave blocks from the White House hadn't been developed yet, for instance. He has also shifted toward licensing deals, where a developer essentially pays the Trump Organization to use his name.\n\nA key period for investigators could be recent years when Trump was running for president and whether that affected his businesses. Ways and Means Chairman Neal has requested Trump's returns from 2013 to 2018.\n\nWHAT ARE DEMOCRATS LOOKING FOR?\n\nPlenty. Trump's former attorney and \"fixer\" Michael Cohen testified before Congress that Trump would falsify financial records when seeking loans or filing his taxes. Trump's returns would help lawmakers sort out if this is true.\n\nThen there's the question of how Trump financed his businesses. How much foreign money is involved? Who does he owe money to and what is their business before the U.S. government?\n\n\"There are a lot of dots that are out there not yet connected,\" said Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va.\n\n\"The situation with Donald Trump and the myriad ways in which he could potentially be compromised — specifically with who is holding his enormous debt ... these are all absolutely major reasons why it is legitimate to see the tax returns,\" said Rep. Brendan Boyle, D-Pa.\n\nThe Democrats have asked the IRS to provide Trump's personal and business returns for 2013 through 2018.", "His initial invocation of the tax code provision — Section 6103 — was novel and set off a flurry of legal scholarship. The section gives the chairmen of Congress’s tax-writing committees unique powers to request information on any taxpayer from the I.R.S. and says only that the executive branch “shall” furnish the material upon request. The House Ways and Means Committee and Senate Finance Committee routinely use this method to study the effects of tax policy on real taxpayers, but there is scant precedent for using it to study a president’s tax information — a fact that Republicans seized on to oppose the effort.\n\nUltimately, Democrats decided it posed too many risks to bring directly to court.\n\nDemocrats have clamored for years for Mr. Trump to release his returns, as every other modern presidential nominee had done before him. They have speculated that the president is trying to hide details of his actual financial worth as well as information that could reveal conflicts of interest between his businesses and his governmental responsibilities. Some Democrats argue they could also reveal evidence of tax evasion.\n\nBut when Mr. Neal ultimately made his request in early April for six years of Trump personal and business returns, he said he needed the information for a narrower Ways and Means investigation of “the extent to which the I.R.S. audits and enforces the federal tax laws against a president.”\n\nHe repeated that justification on Friday.\n\nThe requests infuriated the president and his family. Mr. Trump, his personal lawyers and his Republican allies say that rationale is absurd and that Democrats are clearly concocting a fake investigation to justify getting ahold of information they can use to politically embarrass the president.\n\nMr. Trump’s lawyers have already formalized those arguments in two lawsuits meant to stop companies that have worked with the president from handing over financial information subpoenaed by other House committees.\n\nBut it was up to Mr. Trump’s government, not his private lawyers, to decide on the Ways and Means request. After weeks of delays, Mr. Mnuchin formally rejected the request in writing on Monday, telling Mr. Neal that after consulting Treasury and Justice Department lawyers, he had determined that the request “lacks a legitimate legislative purpose” and that he was not authorized to disclose the information in question.\n\n“As you have recognized, the committee’s request is unprecedented, and it presents serious constitutional questions, the resolution of which may have lasting consequences for all taxpayers,” Mr. Mnuchin wrote. He added that the department would be willing to provide the committee more generalized information about how the I.R.S. conducts presidential audits.", "WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is prone to upending tradition and shattering presidential norms. His refusal to follow other recent presidents in releasing his tax returns to the public — and his fight against a demand by House Democrats for six years' worth of his personal and business returns — is but one battle in a broader war against oversight demands by congressional Democrats.\n\nThe fight over Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal's demand for the returns is about to head to federal court, but an incomplete picture of Trump's taxes and finances has emerged from media investigations.\n\nTrump's tax returns hold the promise of information about his business entanglements, relationships with foreign creditors and governments, whether he has been truthful in reporting the value of his assets, and whether he got a personal windfall from the 2017 tax bill.\n\nWHAT DO WE KNOW?\n\nThanks to reporting this week from The New York Times, which was given copies of summaries of Trump's tax returns from 1985 to 1994, we know that Trump, a developer and real estate investor in Manhattan, suffered enormous business losses over that period. Those losses exceeded $1.1 billion, according to the Times, from bad investments such as now-defunct Eastern Air Lines and the Trump Taj Mahal hotel and casino in Atlantic City.\n\nTaking to Twitter Wednesday, Trump seemed to confirm the gist of the Times investigation.\n\n\"You always wanted to show losses for tax purposes....almost all real estate developers did — and often re-negotiate with banks, it was sport,\" Trump tweeted. \"Additionally, the very old information put out is a highly inaccurate Fake News hit job!\"\n\nEarlier reporting by the Times about the Trump family finances found that Trump \"participated in dubious tax schemes during the 1990s, including instances of outright fraud\" to reduce taxes paid as his father's holdings were transferred to him and his siblings.\n\nTrump has also been a party in numerous lawsuits over the years that have provided many glimpses into his business dealings. He has frequently skated close to and over ethical lines, critics charge. His tax lawyer testified that Trump's 1984 tax return was fraudulent.\n\nWHAT DON'T WE KNOW?\n\nA lot. This week's Times report relies on summaries of Trump's returns but lacks details to answer basic, obvious questions.\n\nFor starters, Trump's critics say he has long exaggerated his wealth, and the returns promise answers on that front. They would also reveal how much he has paid more recently and what techniques he uses to avoid taxes.\n\nMuch of what is known about Trump's taxes dates to the 1980s and 1990s, when Trump was a casino magnate and a more active developer. His businesses have changed since then. Trump's Washington D.C. hotel on Pennsylvania Ave blocks from the White House hadn't been developed yet, for instance. He has also shifted toward licensing deals, where a developer essentially pays the Trump Organization to use his name.\n\nA key period for investigators could be recent years when Trump was running for president and whether that affected his businesses. Ways and Means Chairman Neal has requested Trump's returns from 2013 to 2018.\n\nWHAT ARE DEMOCRATS LOOKING FOR?\n\nPlenty. Trump's former attorney and \"fixer\" Michael Cohen testified before Congress that Trump would falsify financial records when seeking loans or filing his taxes. Trump's returns would help lawmakers sort out if this is true.\n\nThen there's the question of how Trump financed his businesses. How much foreign money is involved? Who does he owe money to and what is their business before the U.S. government?\n\n\"There are a lot of dots that are out there not yet connected,\" said Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Va.\n\n\"The situation with Donald Trump and the myriad ways in which he could potentially be compromised — specifically with who is holding his enormous debt ... these are all absolutely major reasons why it is legitimate to see the tax returns,\" said Rep. Brendan Boyle, D-Pa.\n\nThe Democrats have asked the IRS to provide Trump's personal and business returns for 2013 through 2018.", "WASHINGTON (AP) — A top House Democrat has issued subpoenas for six years of President Donald Trump’s tax returns, giving Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig a deadline of next Friday to deliver them.\n\nWays and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal issued the subpoenas Friday, days after Mnuchin refused to comply with demands to turn over Trump's returns. Mnuchin told the panel he wouldn't provide Trump's tax records because the panel's request \"lacks a legitimate legislative purpose,\" as Supreme Court precedent requires.\n\nNeal is reminding the two Trump appointees in a Friday letter that federal law states that the IRS “shall furnish” the tax returns of any individual upon the request of the chairmen of Congress’ tax-writing committees. He says Ways and Means “has never been denied” a request.", "WASHINGTON — House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal, D-Mass., on Friday took the next step in his battle to obtain President Donald Trump’s tax returns, issuing subpoenas for the records to the Treasury Department and IRS.\n\nIn a statement, Neal said that he decided to issue the subpoenas to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig after the administration denied his initial request on April 3.\n\n“After reviewing the options available to me, and upon the advice of counsel, I issued subpoenas today to the Secretary of the Treasury and the Commissioner of the IRS for six years of personal and business returns,” Neal said.\n\n“While I do not take this step lightly, I believe this action gives us the best opportunity to succeed and obtain the requested material. I sincerely hope that the Treasury Department will furnish the requested material in the next week so the committee can quickly begin its work,” he added.\n\nAnticipating Neal’s move Friday, Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas, ranking member on Ways and Means, wrote to him earlier in the day, pleading with him not to move forward with subpoenas, which Brady called a “compulsory process.”\n\n“Such actions would be an abuse of the committee’s oversight powers and further examples of the Democrat majority’s coordinated attempt to weaponize the tax code and use Congress’s legitimate oversight authority for political gain,” said Brady, who added that Neal’s request is merely meant “to try to embarrass a political enemy.”\n\nNeal’s decision Friday to issue the subpoenas comes after Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Monday formally rejected his request for the tax returns, failing for the third time to meet a congressional deadline to turn over the documents. Mnuchin told Neal in a letter that the request for the president's tax returns “lacks a legitimate legislative purpose.”\n\nIt is considered highly unlikely that top administration officials will comply with the subpoenas, as White House officials have firmly said that Trump’s tax returns will not be released.\n\nSome House Democrats have posed the idea of potentially holding Mnuchin in contempt, as the House Judiciary Committee this week recommended the House do to Attorney General William Barr after he failed to comply with a subpoena for the unredacted Mueller report and its underlying materials.\n\nHouse Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., suggested at her weekly press conference Thursday that House Democrats might also vote on additional contempt citations.\n\nUnder Section 6103 of the U.S. tax code, if Neal or Senate Finance Committee chair Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, or the head of the Joint Committee on Taxation formally requests a person’s tax returns, Treasury officials “shall” turn the documents over, language which leading tax analysts have said means officials must provide them."], "summary": "The United States House Committee on Ways and Means subpoenas United States Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin and Commissioner of Internal Revenue Charles Rettig to provide President Donald Trump's federal tax returns for the last six years."}
{"document": ["Yemen's Houthi rebels began pulling back from three ports on Saturday, the first steps on the ground since a ceasefire deal was agreed.\n\nThe withdrawal from Hodeida, Salif and Ras Issa ports started at 10 a.m. local time (0700 UTC), said Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, the head of the rebels' Supreme Revolutionary Committee.\n\nThe withdrawal of rebel forces, delayed since January, was expected to be complete by Tuesday, General Michael Lollesgaard, head of a UN redeployment committee, said in a statement.\n\nThe Danish general said he welcomed \"the offer and intention\" of the Iran-backed Shiite rebels to withdraw from the three lifeline ports.\n\nEquivocal outcome\n\nThe pullout was part of an accord, seen as the best hope in years of ending the war, reached in Sweden last December. A UN observer mission, led by Lollesgaard, is set to monitor and report on the Houthi redeployment.\n\nThe Houthi representative in a joint coordination team, Brigadier Mohammed al-Qaderi said via Twitter: \"We have implemented all obligations of the first phase of redeployment. The UN must commit the other side to implement its obligations.\"\n\nHowever, later on Saturday information minister Muammar al-Iryani for the Saudi-backed Yemeni government dismissed the pullout from Hodeida as a \"show\" intended to \"disinform the international community.\"\n\nProvincial governor Al-Hasan Taher told AFP \"The Houthis are staging a new ploy by handing over the ports of Hodeida, Salif and Ras to themselves without any monitoring by the United Nations and the government side.\"\n\nWatch video 01:23 Share Controversial military exports Send Facebook google+ Whatsapp Tumblr linkedin stumble Digg reddit Newsvine Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/3Gi2O Germany restarts some arms exports to Saudi Arabia\n\nA Sunni-Muslim coalition led by Saudi Arabia intervened in Yemen in March 2015, to push back against an advance by the rebels and restore power to President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi.\n\nRead more: Outrage at violation of German arms export rules in Yemen war\n\nAccording to UN diplomats, Houthis had refused to pull back from the ports because they were worried that the Saudi-led coalition would move in to seize the facilities.\n\nThe Saudi-led coalition claimed the rebels are using the ports to smuggle weapons, while the rebels say they would be starved of vital supplies if the coalition held control over them.\n\nThe port of Hodeida is one of Yemen's most important lifelines. More than 10 million people are dependent on World Food Programme supplies that enter the country there.\n\njm,rc/ng (Reuters, dpa, AFP)\n\nEach evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.", "Yemen's Houthi rebels have begun on Saturday a unilateral withdrawal from two strategic ports on the Red Sea coast in the west of the country, under a United Nations-sponsored agreement with the internationally recognized government, Houthi sources reported.\n\nAl-Masirah television, controlled by the Houthis, has announced that the withdrawal began in Saleef and Ras Isa ports, under the supervision of two UN teams.", "The release stressed the Houthi redeployment of troops should establish the United Nations with the responsibility to support the Red Sea Ports Corporation in managing the ports.\n\nThe redeployment of forces is one of several steps agreed under UN-mediated talks that began in Stokholm last December. Under the so-called Stockholm Agreement, the Yemeni government and rebel Houthi movement pledged to implement a ceasefire, exchange prisoners and open humanitarian corridors in Al Hudaydah.\n\nYemen has since March 2015 been engulfed in a violent conflict between the government headed by President Abdrabuh Mansour Hadi and the Shiite Houthi movement, also known as Ansar Allah. The Saudi-led coalition has been carrying out airstrikes against the Houthis at Hadi's request since the earliest days of the conflict.", "Alwaght- The United Nations says Yemen’s Ansarullah movement has agreed to unilaterally pull out its forces from three key ports over the next four days, a necessary step for the implementation of a ceasefire deal the warring sides reached in Sweden in December.\n\nLt. Gen. Michael Lollesgaard, who heads the Redeployment Coordination Committee (RCC), a UN mission to monitor the deal, said in a statement on Friday that the movement would make an “initial unilateral redeployment” of its forces from Yemen’s three key ports of Hudaydah, Salif and Ras Isa between May 11 and May 14, Press TV reported.\n\nThe resistance movement, which has been significantly helping the Yemeni army against a Saudi-led military coalition for the past four years, and the country’s former Saudi-backed government, led by ex-president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, signed a UN-brokered truce deal in Stockholm on December 13.\n\nMore than 70 percent of Yemen’s imports used to pass through the docks of Hudaydah, a lifeline for the war-ravaged country's crippled economy. However, since June last year, forces of the United Arab Emirates, a significant ally of Saudi Arabia in its war against Yemen, and Hadi’s militia have laid a tight siege to the city, which is under the control of Houthi fighters.\n\nThe redeployment of forces from the three port cities is a critical part of the ceasefire deal, aimed at averting a full-scale assault on Hudaydah, but has so far failed to materialize on the ground.\n\nThe statement said the redeployment must be followed by “the committed, transparent and sustained actions of the parties to fully deliver on their obligations.”\n\nIt also stressed that the redeployment of forces should allow the UN to take “a leading role in supporting the Red Sea Ports Corporation in managing the ports” and to increase UN checks on cargoes.\n\nFollowing the UN statement, the ex-president's information minister said in a twitter post that the report on the Ansarullah's redeployment offer “is inaccurate and misleading.”\n\nHe claimed that the reported redeployment offer was “unacceptable” because a required joint monitoring and verification mechanism as stipulated in the December pact was not foreseen in the UN's Friday arrangement.\n\nNo response has been released yet either from the RCC or the Houthi Ansarullah movement, which has repeatedly complained about Saudi Arabia’s repeated violation of the ceasefire in Hudaydah.\n\nLeading a coalition of its allies, Saudi Arabia invaded Yemen in March 2015 in an attempt to reinstall Hadi, who had resigned amid popular discontent and fled to Riyadh, and to crush the Ansarullah.\n\nThe imposed war initially consisted of an aerial campaign, but was later coupled with a naval blockade and the deployment of ground mercenaries to Yemen. Furthermore, armed militia forces loyal to Hadi, in line with invaders, launch frequent attacks against Yemeni people in regions held by Ansarullah.\n\nThe aggression is estimated to have left 56,000 Yemenis dead.\n\nThe Saudi-led war has also taken a heavy toll on the country’s infrastructure, destroying hospitals, schools, and factories. The UN has said that a record 22.2 million Yemenis are in dire need of food, including 8.4 million threatened by severe hunger. According to the world body, Yemen is suffering from the most severe famine in more than 100 years.\n\nA number of Western countries, the US and Britain in particular, are also accused of being complicit in the ongoing aggression as they supply the Riyadh regime with advanced weapons and military equipment as well as logistical and intelligence assistance.", "Yemen's Houthi movement has begun withdrawing forces from the country’s port of Saleef in Hodeidah province, finally invoking the terms of a United Nations-sponsored peace deal five months after the agreement was made.\n\nIt is the first major step in implementing the deal, which was reached by the Saudi-backed Yemen government of President Abed-Rabbu Mansour Hadi and the Iran-aligned Houthis for a ceasefire and troop withdrawal in Hodeidah last year. The deal is part of international efforts to end the four-year conflict.\n\nThe UN's Redeployment Coordination Committee had earlier said the Houthis would make an \"initial unilateral redeployment\" between Saturday and Tuesday from the ports of Saleef and Ras Isa, as well as the country's main port of Hodeidah.\n\nThe Committee said the redeployment would allow the UN to take \"a leading role\" in supporting the Red Sea Ports Corporation in the management of the Yemeni ports. It also said that this would enhance UN checks on cargoes.\n\nThe Houthi group and the Yemeni agreed last December - after a week of UN-sponsored peace talks in Sweden - to cease fighting and withdraw forces.\n\nUnder the original terms of the deal, international monitors were to be deployed in Hodeidah and all armed forces were to have pulled back completely within 21 days of the start of the ceasefire.\n\nThe Houthi movement said it had decided to ‘redeploy unilaterally’ because the government and its international backers had refused to implement the Stockholm agreement.\n\nHodeidah has become the focus of the war since last year when the coalition twice tried to seize its port to cut off the Houthis' main supply line.\n\nBoth sides are expected to pull back further in a second phase.\n\nA spokesman for the Yemeni delegation to the Redeployment Coordination Committee emphasised that the beginning of the Houthi move was “the first step of the first stage.”\n\nThe UN has commented that the first day of Houthi redeployment was \"in accordance with established plans.\"", "DUBAI (Reuters) - The first day of a withdrawal of forces by Yemen’s Houthi movement from three of Yemen’s Red Sea ports went “in accordance with established plans”, the head of a U.N. mission to monitor the deal said on Sunday.\n\n“All three ports were monitored simultaneously by United Nations teams as the military forces left the ports and the Coast Guard took over responsibility for security,” Lt. Gen. Michael Lollesgaard, head of the U.N.’s Redeployment Coordination Committee (RCC), said in a statement.", "Houthi Rebels In Yemen Say They Have Begun Withdrawing From 3 Strategic Ports\n\nHouthi rebels in Yemen say they have begun a withdrawal from three key strategic ports that serve as a vital lifeline for food and humanitarian aid into the war-torn country.\n\nIf seen through, the withdrawal from the Red Sea port of Hudaydah, a key gateway for humanitarian aid into Yemen, as well as the ports of Ras Isa and Salif, would represent the first practical step by forces on the ground to implement an internationally-backed ceasefire agreed to in December.\n\nThe pullout has yet to be confirmed by the United Nations, but according to Reuters, rebel forces began withdrawing from Hudaydah port on Saturday. Rebels also said they had begun leaving Ras Isa, a port used for oil, and Salif, used for grain, according to The New York Times.\n\nUnder a December agreement brokered by the U.N., Yemen's Saudi-backed government and Houthi rebels agreed to pull out from the ports to allow desperately needed aid into the country. The U.N. says the conflict in Yemen has created the world's worst humanitarian crisis. The country is on the brink of famine, and an estimated 80 percent of Yemenis, or 24 million people, are in need of aid, according to the U.N.\n\nThe closure of the port in Hudaydah has had a particularly severe impact on the country. In December, reporter Jane Ferguson told NPR, \"This city port is the most important in the entire country. This is where at least 80 percent of the foodstuffs come in to the north of Yemen.\"\n\nThe U.N. has repeatedly appealed for access to a vast store of grain at Hudaydah port, which is enough food to feed 3.7 million people for a month. Aid workers were unable to reach the storage of grain for five months, and have warned that it is at risk of rotting.\n\nThe withdrawal of Houthi forces is expected to take four days. But according to The New York Times, \"The United Nations envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths, described the process as a 'fragile vessel.' \"\n\nObservers fear that if the withdrawal fails, the violence in Yemen could grow even more deadly. More than 10,000 people have been reported killed in Yemen over the last five months, bringing the war's death toll to over 70,000 since 2016, according to data collated by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project.\n\nBritain's Foreign Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, tweeted there were \"encouraging signs\" in Hudaydah, with reports that Houthis were \"beginning to withdraw (under UN supervision) from the Yemeni ports of Hodeidah, Saleff and Ras Issa.\"\n\n\"Vital this happens in full,\" Hunt said.", "Alwaght- The Yemeni conflict developments continue as on the one hand the United Nations envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths has stepped up efforts to revive and implement the Stockholm peace deal on Hudaydah port and on the other hand Ansarullah and army forces of Yemen are engaged in newly escalated clashes with the forces and mercenaries loyal to the resigned President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi as well as the Saudi-Emirati coalition that has been involved in a military campaign against the Arab country since March 2015.\n\nAccording to a UN announcement on Friday, Ansarullah movement, the key force fighting the Arab alliance and in charge of the revolutionary administration in the capital Sana’a and other major provinces, agreed to unilaterally remove its forces from the main ports of the country. The UN statement added that the voluntary withdrawal will be from the three ports of Hudaydah, Salif, and Ras Isa.\n\nThe UN released a statement on the move, welcoming it and saying that it will be first serious step towards cessation of fire in the country. It emphasized the need for the warring sides to take clarifying measures within the mechanism of the Stockholm agreement.\n\nAnsarullah decision at the time being is quite tactical and smart because on the one side it will expose to the world the frequent violations of the opposite side in the process of the agreement implementation and on the other side accentuate its constructive role in the peace process as a reliable actor keeping its commitments. The movement seriously needs to disclose the Saudi-led coalition’s treacheries in the deal implementation. After the failure of the retreat and ceasefire deal, reached in mid-April between the two sides’ negotiators, Riyadh and its Western allies labeled the Yemeni resistant movement as the factor foiling the pro-peace efforts.\n\nHudaydah and Saif ports are located in the north of the southern province of Hudaydah and are the only lifelines taking in food and medical aids from the outside world amid a choking land, sea, and air siege imposed by Saudi Arabia and the UAE since 2015. Ras Isa sea terminal is mainly used to import fuel to the highly-impoverished nation. The terminal hosts an oil storage with capacity of 5 million oil barrels and is connected to an oil refinery.\n\nWith regard to the significance of the three ports as the major lifelines to the heavily-suffocated Yemeni economy, the coalition states along with their Western backers have embarked on a strategy of economic pressure and blockade to force Ansarullah to abandon its resistance. If the Stockholm deal is implemented, the aggressors will find their only hope of winning a costly war of attrition totally shattering. Ansarullah seems to pave the way for this. With declaring a unilateral withdrawal from the key ports, it will give itself some room to put strains on the invaders using the UN, Security Council, and the global public condemnation.\n\nMohammed Ali Al-Houthi, the head of Yemen’s Supreme Revolutionary Council, said that “the Yemeni people, their leaders, the army, and the popular committees proved their commitment to peace by the unilateral withdrawal from the ports.” He urged the world community to take measures against the parties that set up obstacles ahead of the Stockholm peace accord’s implementation.\n\nThe international pressures have been mounting over the past few months on the Arab alliance members and their Western arms providers to end the “inhumane” blockade on the Yemeni civilians that over the past five years caused a major humanitarian crisis marked by famine, impoverishment, and diseases spread. The World Peace Foundation, affiliated with the University of Tufts, suggested that the humanitarian crisis was instigated by the bombing campaign of the coalition and the economic crisis in the already-suffering nation.\n\nBut from another side, the Ansarullah-led popular forces and the army have been advancing in other southern fronts like in Dhale province along with the pullout from the three ports, proving that contrary to the Western-Arab media, Ansarullah’s power is far from declining and the withdrawal is just a tactical step and is not motivated by pressure and force.\n\nWhile on Friday the Hadi loyalists in a statement announced launching an operation to cleanse Dhale, Maris, and Al-Sanah, the recent strong response to the opponents by Ansarullah and its allies remind of the fact that the movement is pro-peace and committed to its promises. While it holds the power to deal blows to the aggression forces, the movement seeks to avoid further war and bloodshed in the country.", "Yemen’s Houthi group has agreed to unilaterally redeploy forces out of three key ports between May 11 and May 14 to pave the way for United Nations management of the ports under a UN-brokered peace deal, a UN committee said on Friday.\n\nLt. Gen. Michael Lollesgaard, who heads a UN mission to monitor the deal, said the Houthis intended to start withdrawing on Saturday from the ports of Hodeidah, Salif and Ras-Issa.\n\n \n\n In a statement, the Redeployment Coordination Committee said it was important that the move be followed by “the committed, transparent and sustained actions of the parties to fully deliver on their obligations”.\n\nThe Iran-aligned Houthi movement and the Arab coalition-backed Yemen government initially agreed in December to withdraw troops by January 7 from Hodeidah - a lifeline for millions facing famine - under a truce aimed at averting a full-scale assault on the port and paving the way for negotiations to end the four-year war.", "SANAA, Yemen — Yemen’s Houthi rebels say they have begun a long-delayed withdrawal of their forces from the key port city of Hodeida, following a U.N.-brokered cease-fire.\n\nMohammed Ali al-Houthi, the head of the rebels’ Supreme Revolutionary Committee, says the pullout from Hodeida, as well as Salif and Ras-Issa ports started on Saturday at 10 a.m. (0700 GMT).\n\nThe Houthi-run al-Masirah TV channel says U.N. observers are monitoring the forces’ withdrawal.\n\nThe head of the U.N. operation monitoring the cease-fire, Lt. Gen. Michael Lollesgaard, said Friday that the Houthi’s withdrawal from the three ports marked the first practical step toward realizing the cease-fire agreed on in December in Sweden. He added that the Houthis must commit to fully following through on the redeployment, which is expected to take place over three days."], "summary": "Houthi forces begin to withdraw from several Yemeni ports, including Al Hudaydah, As-Salif and Ras Isa. The withdrawal is part of a UN-brokered ceasefire deal that aims to end the blockade of Yemen."}
{"document": ["Four insurgents armed with rifles and grenades have targeted a luxury hotel in Pakistan, triggering a lengthy shootout in which a security guard and the attackers were killed.\n\nA military spokesman said the gunmen attacked the Pearl Continental hotel in Baluchistan but all the guests were safely evacuated.\n\nThe hotel guard was killed as the assailants opened fire with small arms.\n\nA Baluch separatist group, the Baluch Liberation Army, claimed responsibility, saying its four fighters were involved.\n\nIn a statement, the group released pictures of the attackers, who authorities say were killed in the ensuing gun battle.\n\n“All four of the terrorists have been killed,” said a senior security official.\n\nThe hotel is located near the port at Gwadar, which was built by Pakistan with China’s help in recent years. Gwadar lies about 435 miles south west of Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan province.\n\nThe region has been the scene of a low-level insurgency by separatists who demand a greater share of the province’s natural gas and mineral resources.\n\nThe latest attack came weeks after Islamabad claimed that a group of militants crossed the border from neighbouring Iran and killed 14 security officials when they were on their way to Gwadar in buses.\n\nPakistan at the time blamed a Baluch separatist group, Raji Aajoi Sangar, for the killings.", "May 11 (UPI) -- Gunmen killed at least one person Saturday after attacking a hotel in Gwadar, Pakistan, in response to Chinese presence in the region.\n\n\"Our fighters have carried out this attack on Chinese and other foreign investors who were staying in PC hotel,\" Jihand Baloch, a spokesperson for the Baloch Liberation Army, told Al Jazeera.\n\nZaver Pearl-Continental Gwadar is part of Pearl-Continental Hotels & Resorts, and is the largest chain of five-star hotels in Pakistan.\n\nGwadar is in southeast Pakistan, near the border with Iran.\n\nSeparatist group the Baloch Liberation Army, told officials that it sent four shooters to carry out the attack on Chinese workers and foreign investors at Zaver Pearl-Continental Gwadar.\n\nAll guests at the 114-room hotel safely escaped, according to military reports, although some reports dispute this claim, saying some guests were injured during the shooting.\n\nGwadar is home to the China Pakistan Economic Corridor, which connects southwestern China and the Arabian Sea.\n\nFor more than a decade, the BLA has been attacking Pakistani security forces in a fight for ethnic Baloch regions to gain independence in the Balochistan province. The BLA says the Pakistani government has exploited and plundered for its minerals.\n\nThis episode follows an attack Thursday where BLA gunmen killed five people at a coal mine in Balochistan, a district in Harnai.\n\nIn April, gunmen from a coalition of Baloch separatist groups killed at least 14 people on a bus traveling from Gwadar to Karachi.", "Image copyright Reuters Image caption The hotel sits on a hilltop overlooking the Gwadar port on the Arabian Sea\n\nPakistan's army says gunmen who attacked a luxury hotel in Balochistan province on Saturday killed four hotel employees and a soldier.\n\nThe three attackers were also killed during a siege that lasted several hours. Six people were injured.\n\nA spokesman for the Zaver Pearl-Continental Hotel in the port of Gwadar said there were few guests because of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.\n\nThe separatist Balochistan Liberation Army said it carried out the attack.\n\nThe group said that the hotel, the centrepiece of a multi-billion-dollar Chinese project, was selected in order to target Chinese and other investors. Militants in Balochistan oppose foreign investments, saying they do not benefit locals.\n\nWho were the casualties?\n\nThe army's media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), says three hotel employees and a hotel security guard were killed by the gunmen.\n\nA soldier of the Pakistan Navy, named as Abbas Khan, was also killed in the operation to clear the hotel.\n\nTwo army captains, two more navy soldiers and two hotel employees were injured in the attack.\n\nWhat happened in the attack?\n\nThree gunmen wearing military-style uniforms stormed the hotel at around 16:50 (11:50 GMT) on Saturday.\n\nThe security guard who died had confronted the attackers to try to stop them entering the hotel.\n\nThe attackers then moved to the upper floors with the intent of taking hotel guests hostage, the ISPR said.\n\nAs they moved up the stairs the other hotel employees were shot dead.\n\nThe ISPR said the attackers cut CCTV and planted improvised explosive devices (IEDs) to stop access to the fourth floor, where they were contained by the arriving security forces.\n\nThe attackers were killed in the corridor and the IEDs removed.\n\nThe military thanked the media for limiting reporting of the attack, saying it had denied the gunmen \"possible live updates\".\n\nWhat has the reaction been?\n\nPrime Minister Imran Khan said the attack had been an attempt to \"sabotage prosperity\" in Balochistan.\n\nThe hotel sits on a hilltop overlooking Gwadar port on the Arabian Sea, which is being developed by China as part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a network of roads, railway and pipelines between the two countries.\n\nThe Chinese embassy in Pakistan said: \"We appreciate the courageous steps taken by Pakistan Army and security agencies.\"\n\nBalochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan such attacks would \"not deter us and Balochistan shall continue on its path to progress\".\n\nWhat is the situation in Balochistan?\n\nHome to a long-running insurgency, Balochistan is Pakistan's poorest and least developed province.\n\nIt shares a large, porous border with Afghanistan and Iran.\n\nIts economy is dominated by natural resources, particularly natural gas, and is being transformed by major Chinese infrastructure projects on the CPEC, part of the ambitious Belt and Road initiative.\n\nSeveral militant groups operate in the region, including the Pakistani Taliban, the BLA and the Sunni Muslim extremist group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi.", "Four insurgents armed with rifles and grenades have targeted a luxury hotel in Pakistan, triggering a lengthy shootout in which a security guard and the attackers were killed.\n\nA military spokesman said the gunmen attacked the Pearl Continental hotel in Baluchistan but all the guests were safely evacuated.\n\nThe hotel guard was killed as the assailants opened fire with small arms.\n\nA Baluch separatist group, the Baluch Liberation Army, claimed responsibility, saying its four fighters were involved.\n\nIn a statement, the group released pictures of the attackers, who authorities say were killed in the ensuing gun battle.\n\n“All four of the terrorists have been killed,” said a senior security official.\n\nThe hotel is located near the port at Gwadar, which was built by Pakistan with China’s help in recent years. Gwadar lies about 435 miles south west of Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan province.\n\nThe region has been the scene of a low-level insurgency by separatists who demand a greater share of the province’s natural gas and mineral resources.\n\nThe latest attack came weeks after Islamabad claimed that a group of militants crossed the border from neighbouring Iran and killed 14 security officials when they were on their way to Gwadar in buses.\n\nPakistan at the time blamed a Baluch separatist group, Raji Aajoi Sangar, for the killings.", "Quetta: Three gunmen stormed a luxury hotel in Pakistan's southwestern port city of Gwadar on Saturday, killing at least one guard and battling security forces inside, officials and the army said.\n\nBalochistan Home Minister Ziaullah Langove said most guests had been evacuated from the five-star Pearl Continental Hotel, which helicopters circled as fighting was underway. He said there were reports of casualties, but did not give details.\n\nThe military said three gunmen killed a guard at the entrance to the hotel when they entered. Security forces had cordoned off the area and cornered the attackers in a staircase leading to the top floor, the military said in its statement.\n\nBalochistan Liberation Army, a group fighting for greater autonomy in Pakistan's poorest province, claimed responsibility in an emailed statement.", "Pakistan's Army says the death toll has risen to five people in the attack by insurgents on a luxury hotel in the country's Southwestern coast.\n\nThree gunmen stormed the Pearl Continental hotel in the city of Gwadar on Saturday, killing three staff members, a hotel security guard and a special forces soldier.\n\nA further six people, including two soldiers, suffered injuries.\n\nAll three gunmen were killed after an eight-hour shootout with Pakistan security forces.\n\nForces also completed a widescale military operation to defuse explosive devices left behind by the attackers.\n\nThe country's military forces released a statement on Sunday clarifying that there were only three gunmen involved and not four as previously thought.\n\nA Baloch separatist group, the Baloch Liberation Army, claimed responsibility Saturday for the attack, releasing photos of the insurgents who it said took part.\n\nPrime Minister Imran Khan called the attack an act of terrorism and praised the 'initial response by security guards and security forces' for preventing greater loss of life.\n\nThe Baloch Liberation Army have been waging armed struggle against the state of Pakistan since 2004 in a bid for self-determination for the Baloch people.\n\nThe Baloch are an ethnic minority group in Pakistan, with historical links to Persia, whose population is mostly located in the province of Balochistan.\n\nResidents of Balochistan and other areas accuse the central government of favouring the country's Punjab province, home to some 60 percent of the country's 200 million people and most of the political elite.\n\nGwadar, where the attack took place, is within Balochistan.\n\nArmed Baloch separatists carried out a dozen attacks last year against Chinese-linked projects in the past year.\n\nBeijing is financing tens of billions of dollars' worth of megaprojects in Pakistan and is currently helping build a modern port in Gwadar, 600 kilometers (373 miles) west of Karachi.", "KARACHI: Three heavily-armed militants on Saturday stormed a luxury hotel in Pakistan's port city of Gwadar in the restive Balochistan province, leading to a fierce gunbattle in which four persons including the attackers were killed, police said.The armed men entered the upscale Pearl Continental (PC) Hotel and opened random firing, a senior police official said.They shot dead a guard at the entrance, the army's media wing Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.A shootout between the militants and the security forces broke out at the hotel as the anti-terrorism force, the Army and the Frontier Corps were called in, Gwadar Station House Officer (SHO) Aslam Bangulzai said.Balochistan Home Minister Ziaullah Langov said that all the three attackers were killed by the security forces.He said that some of the guests in the hotel were also injured but their number was not immediately known.The outlawed Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility of the attack which it said was carried out by the militants linked with its Majeed Brigade group.Locals said several gunshots were heard after the terrorists entered the luxury hotel.Gwadar port is one of the focal points of the USD 50 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) with many Chinese workers from other provinces of Pakistan working at the port.The hotel, frequented by business as well as leisure travellers, is located on the Koh-e-Batil hill, south of West Bay on Fish Harbour road in Gwadar.All foreign and local guests staying at the hotel had been safely evacuated, Express Tribune quoted Balochistan Information Minister Zahoor Buledi as saying.\"At around 4:50 pm (local time) we got reports that there are two to there armed men in PC Hotel,\" SHO Bangulzai said.\"Two to three gunmen had first fired at and then entered the hotel,\" Inspector General of Police (IGP) Mohsin Hassan Butt said.\"A clearance operation was going on,\" a spokesman of the army said.The provincial police chief further said that \"the attackers may have come in a boat to launch the attack\".Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan Alyani condemned \"the terrorists attack\" on PC Hotel, and instructed the authorities to \"ensure the safety of all inside the hotel\", Dawn news reported.He called for a \"well planned and strong action against the terrorists\", adding that he is \"in touch with police and local administration\" regarding the situation.Balochistan, which borders Afghanistan and Iran, is Pakistan's largest and poorest province, rife with ethnic, sectarian and separatist insurgencies.On April 18, unidentified gunmen donning uniforms of paramilitary soldiers massacred at least 14 passengers, including Pakistan Navy personnel, after forcing them to disembark from buses on a highway in Balochistan.China is investing heavily in Balochistan under the CPEC.The CPEC, launched in 2015, is a planned network of roads, railways and energy projects linking China's resource-rich Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region with Pakistan's strategic Gwadar Port on the Arabian Sea.The BLA is one of the most-organised terrorist group of Baloch nationalists fighting against security forces. The group was also involved in the terrorist attack at the Chinese consulate in Karachi last year.", "Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan Sunday condemned a deadly attack on a luxury hotel in the port city of Gwadar in the troubled Balochistan province, saying the terror strike was an effort to \"sabotage\" the country's economic projects and prosperity.\n\nThree heavily-armed militants on Saturday stormed the Pearl Continental (PC) Hotel in Gwadar and opened random firing, killing a guard. All the three attackers were killed by the security forces.\n\n\"Such attempts especially in Balochistan are an effort to sabotage our economic projects and prosperity. The government will not allow these agendas to succeed,\" Khan said in a statement issued by his office.\n\nWhile condemning the attack, Khan appreciated the initial response by security guard and security forces in foiling greater loss to human lives.\n\nThe banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility of the attack.\n\nGwadar port is one of the focal points of the USD 50 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) with many Chinese workers from other provinces of Pakistan working at the port. China is investing heavily in Balochistan under the CPEC.\n\nThe Chinese embassy in Pakistan also condemned the attack on the hotel and expressed condolences to the families of the security guard who was killed and two security men who were injured.\n\nThe hotel, frequented by business as well as leisure travellers, is located on the Koh-e-Batil hill, south of West Bay on Fish Harbour road in Gwadar.\n\nAll foreign and local guests staying at the hotel were safely evacuated.\n\nThe provincial police chief further said that \"the attackers may have come in a boat to launch the attack\".\n\nBalochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan Alyani condemned \"the terrorists attack\" and instructed the authorities to \"ensure the safety of all inside the hotel\".\n\nHe called for a \"well planned and strong action against the terrorists\", adding that he is \"in touch with police and local administration\" regarding the situation.\n\nBalochistan, which borders Afghanistan and Iran, is Pakistan's largest and poorest province, rife with ethnic, sectarian and separatist insurgencies.\n\nOn April 18, unidentified gunmen donning uniforms of paramilitary soldiers massacred at least 14 passengers, including Pakistan Navy personnel, after forcing them to disembark from buses on a highway in Balochistan.\n\nThe CPEC, launched in 2015, is a planned network of roads, railways and energy projects linking China's resource-rich Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region with Pakistan's strategic Gwadar Port on the Arabian Sea.\n\nThe BLA is one of the most-organised terrorist group of Baloch nationalists fighting against security forces. The group was also involved in the terrorist attack at the Chinese consulate in Karachi last year.", "ISLAMABAD: An attack on a luxury hotel in the southwestern city of Gwadar was a bid to \"sabotage prosperity\", Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan said Sunday, as police confirmed all the attackers had been killed.\n\nAt least one person was shot dead Saturday after gunmen stormed a luxury hotel in the southwestern Pakistani city of Gwadar, the centrepiece of a multi-billion dollar Chinese infrastructure project.\n\nA Baloch separatist group, the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), claimed responsibility for the attack via Twitter.\n\n\"Such attempts, especially in Balochistan, are an effort to sabotage our economic projects and prosperity. We shall not allow these agendas to succeed,\" Khan said in a statement issued by his office.\n\nThe Chinese embassy in Islamabad also strongly condemned the incident.\n\nALSO READ | Four killed as heavily-armed terrorists storm 5-star hotel in Pakistan's Gwadar\n\nLocal police said four gunmen who had stormed the hotel, shooting dead a security guard, had been killed overnight by security forces.\n\n\"All four terrorists were killed and security forces had taken complete control of the hotel building,\" a local police official in Gwadar told AFP via telephone.\n\nHis account was confirmed by a security source in Islamabad. The military had said on Saturday that there were three gunmen.\n\nMohammad Aslam, a police official in Gwadar, said Saturday that only staff were present in the building at the time of the attack.\n\nThe BLA is one of a myriad of insurgent groups fighting in tightly-guarded Balochistan province, which has been rocked by separatist, Islamist and sectarian violence for years.\n\nThe Pearl Continental, part of Pakistan's largest five-star hotel chain, is the only luxury hotel in Gwadar, frequented by foreign and Pakistani business delegations as well as diplomats.\n\nIt sits isolated on a ridge overlooking the Arabian Sea port city that was formerly a small fishing village, but now touted by officials as \"the next Dubai\" thanks to the multi-billion dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).\n\nPart of China's Belt and Road initiative, CPEC seeks to connect the western Chinese province of Xinjiang with Gwadar, with the development of the port as the plan's flagship project.\n\nGwadar will provide China with safer and more direct access to the oil-rich Middle East than the waterway trade route it currently uses through the narrow Malacca Straits.\n\nBut it has also drawn its share of attacks -- particularly from separatists who have long complained that residents of Pakistan's poorest and largest province do not receive a fair share of profits from its resources.\n\nThe BLA has targeted Chinese workers in Pakistan multiple times, including during a brazen daylight attack on the Chinese consulate in Karachi which killed four people in November last year.\n\nAt the time, the BLA branded Beijing \"an oppressor\".\n\nBalochistan is tightly guarded by the Pakistani military, who have been targeting insurgents there since 2004. The army has been repeatedly accused by international rights groups of abuses there, but denies all allegations.\n\nThe attack was the second deadly attack in a prominent Pakistan city this week, after a suicide blast claimed by the Pakistani Taliban at one of the country's oldest and most popular Sufi shrines killed at least 12 people in the eastern city of Lahore.", "Quetta, May 11 (IANS) Heavily-armed militants attacked the five-star Pearl Continental hotel in the port city of Gwadar in Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province on Saturday.\n\nForeign and local guests were safely evacuated from the hotel, officials said.\n\nAccording to Geo News, several gunshots were heard after at least three heavily-armed militants were believed to have entered the hotel.\n\nAn operation to neutralise the terrorists was underway, officials said.\n\nThe attack comes two days after at least five people were killed in a gun and bomb attack on a coal mine in the southwestern province which has been wracked by a long-running separatist insurgency."], "summary": "In Gwadar, three insurgents attack a luxury hotel, as a result of the attack, four hotel employees, a soldier and all three attackers have been killed. The Baloch Liberation Army, an ethnic Baloch separatist group fighting for independence for Balochistan province, claimed responsibility for the attack saying that four fighters were involved."}
{"document": ["A view from the top of a two story building in Fagatogo village overlooking the Port of Pago Pago, as the North Korean cargo ship, Wise Honest, docks at the main docking section of Pago Pago Harbor, Saturday, May 11, 2019, in Pago Pago, American Samoa. The North Korean cargo ship was seized by the U.S. because of suspicion it was used to violate international sanctions. It arrived Saturday at the capital of this American territory. (AP Photo/Fili Sagapolutele)\n\nA view from the top of a two story building in Fagatogo village overlooking the Port of Pago Pago, as the North Korean cargo ship, Wise Honest, docks at the main docking section of Pago Pago Harbor, Saturday, May 11, 2019, in Pago Pago, American Samoa. The North Korean cargo ship was seized by the U.S. because of suspicion it was used to violate international sanctions. It arrived Saturday at the capital of this American territory. (AP Photo/Fili Sagapolutele)\n\nPAGO PAGO, American Samoa (AP) — A North Korean cargo ship seized by the U.S. because of suspicion it was used to violate international sanctions arrived at the capital of this American territory, where it will undergo inspections.\n\nThe Wise Honest was slowly towed to the port of Pago Pago during a cloudy Saturday morning and docked at the main docking section of the port that afternoon.\n\nThe trip from Indonesia took about three weeks and American Samoa, in the South Pacific, was chosen because of “its central strategic location,” U.S. Coast Guard public affairs officer Amanda Wyrick said.\n\n“We also have a good strong relationship and partnership with the American Samoan government,” Wyrick said. “With that being said, we also already have the resources that are able to ensure the security of the vessel but most importantly the Port of Pago Pago.”\n\nIndonesian authorities detained the ship in April 2018. Justice Department officials announced Thursday the U.S. had seized the ship.\n\nAsked as to how long the ship will be in the territory, Wyrick said the U.S. Department of Justice is “leading the investigation so they will be conducting that. Upon the conclusion of the investigation, the ship will be moved.” But she said the next destination is unknown.\n\n“I do know that Justice Department is going to do the investigation as fast as they can,” Wyrick added.\n\nShe said she didn’t have the exact number of U.S. Coast Guard personnel or people from other federal agencies who have traveled to American Samoa for the investigation.\n\n“We have a marine and safety security team here from Honolulu,” Wyrick said. “We’re conducting random patrols, also conducting inspection of the vessel and the Port of Pago Pago, keep an eye on things such as security breaches or vandalization of the ship itself.”\n\nOfficials are also making sure the port is protected, she said.\n\n“We especially in the Coast Guard, we understand the importance of the port. It’s a lifeline in getting goods to the islands,” Wyrick said. “So we want to make sure that we’re doing everything we can, to make sure that there’s absolutely no disruption to the flow of commerce coming in and out.”\n\nThe U.S. government dispatched an inspection team to the ship before it docked in Pago Pago, she said. Wyrick noted there was an inspection conducted before leaving Indonesia and, because the ship has been at sea for three weeks, “it’s subject to the elements.”\n\n“The inspection of the ship before entering the harbor is to make sure the structure integrity of the boat is still intact. In that way, once we get the thumb’s up, and the green light, and the inspectors deem it safe, then it will enter the port,” Wyrick said.\n\nU.S. officials made the announcement of the ship’s seizure hours after North Korea fired two suspected short-range missiles toward the sea, the second weapons launch in five days and a possible signal that stalled talks over its nuclear weapons program are in trouble.", "The US Justice Department has taken possession of North Korea's second-largest freighter, seized in Indonesia last year for allegedly shipping coal in violation of UN sanctions, ratcheting up tensions between the two countries.The DoJ has asked a federal judge to transfer ownership of the 17,000-ton Wise Honest - North Korea's second-largest bulk cargo ship - to the US through civil forfeiture, a controversial legal process that allows authorities to take possession of vehicles and other property involved in felonies like drug smuggling.This process has never been used to seize a North Korean ship for sanctions violations, but because the DPRK used American banks to finance the ship's upkeep, the US is entitled to take it, according to the complaint, which charges the vessel itself with crimes including money laundering.Accusing the Korea Songi Shipping Company of \"concealing the origin of their ship\" to sell coal in violation of UN sanctions, US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Geoffrey Berman alleged the Wise Honest was also used to \"import heavy machinery to North Korea, helping expand North Korea's capabilities and continuing the cycle of sanctions evasion.\"Korea Songi, reportedly a subsidiary of a company controlled by the North Korean military, is additionally charged with breaking American law by using three different US banks to pay for the ship's upkeep to the tune of $750,000.Indonesian authorities detained the ship en route to American Samoa after receiving a photograph that appeared to show the vessel being loaded with coal. The captain was charged with improper documentation, a violation of Indonesian maritime law, and convicted. The US seized the ship under warrant in July, but it is only now being towed to American Samoa, according to the Justice Department.In recent days, North Korea has test-fired long-range multiple rocket launchers and what is believed to be short-range missiles. But Justice Department officials insist the decision to take possession of the Wise Honest is unrelated to the drills. The latest launches were conducted on Thursday. The South Korean president alleged that they came in response to stalled nuclear talks with Washington.Earlier this year, US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un met in Hanoi, Vietnam in hopes of another breakthrough in denuclearization. The summit failed, however, with North Korea pinning the blame on Washington.", "PAGO PAGO, American Samoa -- A North Korean cargo ship seized by the U.S. because of suspicion it was used to violate international sanctions arrived Saturday at the capital of this American territory.\n\nThe Wise Honest was slowly towed to the port of Pago Pago during a cloudy Saturday morning and docked at the main docking section of Pago Pago Harbor that afternoon.\n\nThe trip from Indonesia took about three weeks and American Samoa, in the South Pacific, was chosen because of \"its central strategic location,\" U.S. Coast Guard public affairs officer Amanda Wyrick said.\n\n\"We also have a good strong relationship and partnership with the American Samoan government,\" Wyrick said. \"With that being said, we also already have the resources that are able to ensure the security of the vessel but most importantly the Port of Pago Pago.\"\n\nThe ship was detained in April 2018 as it travelled toward Indonesia. Justice Department officials announced Thursday that the U.S. had seized the ship.\n\nAsked as to how long the ship will be in the territory, Wyrick said the U.S. Department of Justice is \"leading the investigation so they will be conducting that. Upon the conclusion of the investigation, the ship will be moved.\" But the next destination is unknown, she said.\n\n\"I do know that Justice Department is going to do the investigation as fast as they can,\" Wyrick added.\n\nShe said she didn't have the exact number of U.S. Coast Guard personnel or people from other federal agencies who have travelled to American Samoa for the investigation.\n\n\"I do know that, we have a marine and safety security team here from Honolulu,\" Wyrick said. \"We're conducting random patrols, also conducting inspection of the vessel and the Port of Pago Pago, keep an eye on things such as security breaches or vandalization of the ship itself.\"\n\nOfficials are also making sure the port is protected, she said.\n\n\"We especially in the Coast Guard, we understand the importance of the port. It's a lifeline in getting goods to the islands,\" Wyrick said. \"So we want to make sure that we're doing everything we can, to make sure that there's absolutely no disruption to the flow of commerce coming in and out.\"\n\nThe U.S. government dispatched to the territory an inspection team to the ship before it docked in Pago Pago, she said. Wyrick noted there was an inspection conducted before leaving Indonesia and, because the ship has been at sea for three weeks, \"it's subject to the elements.\"\n\n\"The inspection of the ship before entering the harbour is to make sure the structure integrity of the boat is still intact. In that way, once we get the thumps up, and the green light, and the inspectors deem it safe, then it will enter the port,\" Wyrick said.\n\nU.S. officials made the announcement of the ship's seizure hours after North Korea fired two suspected short-range missiles toward the sea, the second weapons launch in five days and a possible signal that stalled talks over its nuclear weapons program are in trouble.", "PAGO PAGO, AMERICAN SAMOA - A North Korean cargo ship seized by the U.S. because of suspicions it was used to violate international sanctions arrived Saturday at the capital of this American territory.\n\nThe Wise Honest was slowly towed to the port of Pago Pago Saturday morning and docked at the main docking section of the port that afternoon.\n\nThe trip from Indonesia took about three weeks, and American Samoa, in the South Pacific, was chosen because of its central strategic location, U.S. Coast Guard public affairs officer Amanda Wyrick said.\n\nWe also have a good strong relationship and partnership with the American Samoan government, Wyrick said. With that being said, we also already have the resources that are able to ensure the security of the vessel but most importantly the Port of Pago Pago.\n\nThe ship was detained in April as it traveled toward Indonesia. Justice Department officials announced Thursday that the U.S. had seized the ship.\n\nAsked as to how long the ship will be in the territory, Wyrick said the U.S. Department of Justice is leading the investigation so they will be conducting that. Upon the conclusion of the investigation, the ship will be moved. But the next destination is unknown, she said.\n\nShe said she didnt have the exact number of U.S. Coast Guard personnel or people from other federal agencies who have traveled to American Samoa for the investigation.\n\nI do know that, we have a marine and safety security team here from Honolulu, Wyrick said. Were conducting random patrols, also conducting inspection of the vessel and the Port of Pago Pago, keep an eye on things such as security breaches or vandalization of the ship itself.\n\nOfficials are also making sure the port is protected, she said.\n\nWe especially in the Coast Guard, we understand the importance of the port. Its a lifeline in getting goods to the islands, Wyrick said. So we want to make sure that were doing everything we can, to make sure that theres absolutely no disruption to the flow of commerce coming in and out.\n\nU.S. officials made the announcement of the ships seizure hours after North Korea fired two suspected short-range missiles toward the sea, the second weapons launch in five days and a possible signal that stalled talks over its nuclear weapons program are in trouble.", "A North Korean cargo ship seized by the U.S. because of suspicion it was used to violate international sanctions arrived at the capital of this American territory, where it will undergo inspections.\n\nThe Wise Honest was slowly towed to the port of Pago Pago during a cloudy Saturday morning and docked at the main docking section of the port that afternoon.\n\nThe trip from Indonesia took about three weeks and American Samoa, in the South Pacific, was chosen because of “its central strategic location,” U.S. Coast Guard public affairs officer Amanda Wyrick said. \n\n\n\n“We also have a good strong relationship and partnership with the American Samoan government,” Wyrick said. “With that being said, we also already have the resources that are able to ensure the security of the vessel but most importantly the Port of Pago Pago.”\n\nIndonesian authorities detained the ship in April 2018. Justice Department officials announced Thursday the U.S. had seized the ship.\n\nAsked as to how long the ship will be in the territory, Wyrick said the U.S. Department of Justice is “leading the investigation so they will be conducting that. Upon the conclusion of the investigation, the ship will be moved.” But she said the next destination is unknown.\n\n“I do know that Justice Department is going to do the investigation as fast as they can,” Wyrick added.\n\nShe said she didn’t have the exact number of U.S. Coast Guard personnel or people from other federal agencies who have traveled to American Samoa for the investigation.\n\n“We have a marine and safety security team here from Honolulu,” Wyrick said. “We’re conducting random patrols, also conducting inspection of the vessel and the Port of Pago Pago, keep an eye on things such as security breaches or vandalization of the ship itself.”\n\nOfficials are also making sure the port is protected, she said.\n\n“We especially in the Coast Guard, we understand the importance of the port. It’s a lifeline in getting goods to the islands,” Wyrick said. “So we want to make sure that we’re doing everything we can, to make sure that there’s absolutely no disruption to the flow of commerce coming in and out.”", "N. Korean cargo ship seized by US arrives in American Samoa\n\nPAGO PAGO, American Samoa (AP) — A North Korean cargo ship seized by the U.S. because of suspicion it was used to violate international sanctions arrived Saturday at the capital of this American territory.\n\nU.S. Coast Guard public affairs officer Amanda Wyrick says the trip from Indonesia took about three weeks and American Samoa, in the South Pacific, was chosen because of \"its central strategic location.\"\n\nThe ship was detained in April 2018 as it traveled toward Indonesia. Justice Department officials announced Thursday that the U.S. had seized the ship.\n\nOfficials made the announcement of the ship's seizure hours after North Korea fired two suspected short-range missiles toward the sea, the second weapons launch in five days and a possible signal that stalled talks over its nuclear weapons program are in trouble.", "WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. said Thursday that it has seized a North Korean cargo ship that was used to violate international sanctions, a first-of-its kind enforcement action that comes amid a tense moment in…\n\nWASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. said Thursday that it has seized a North Korean cargo ship that was used to violate international sanctions, a first-of-its kind enforcement action that comes amid a tense moment in relations between the two countries.\n\nThe “Wise Honest,” North Korea’s second largest cargo ship, was detained in April 2018 as it traveled toward Indonesia. It’s now in the process of being moved to American Samoa, Justice Department officials said.\n\nOfficials made the announcement hours after North Korea fired two suspected short-range missiles toward the sea, the second weapons launch in five days and a possible signal that stalled talks over its nuclear weapons program are in trouble. The public disclosure that the vessel is now in U.S. custody may further inflame tensions, though U.S. officials said the timing of their complaint was not a response to the missile launch.\n\nJustice Department lawyers laid out the case for confiscating the ship in a complaint filed in New York, arguing that payments for maintenance and operation of the vessel were channeled through unwitting U.S. financial institutions in violation of American law. The coal trade itself is also believed to fund the isolated country’s nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs.\n\n“This sanctions-busting ship is now out of service,” Assistant Attorney General John Demers, the Justice Department’s top national security official, told reporters. He later added: “The U.S. sanctions against North Korea reflect the threat these programs pose to U.S. national security.”\n\nThe 581-foot (177 meters) Wise Honest was used for coal transports to ports abroad, according to the complaint, generating badly needed revenue to a country that is under U.N. sanctions because of its nuclear weapons program. The ship also delivered heavy machinery back to North Korea.\n\nThe vessel was owned by a subsidiary of a North Korean shipping company that is controlled by the country’s military and is on a Treasury Department sanctions list, officials said.\n\nNorth Korea sought to disguise the nationality of the ship and the origin of its cargo, according to the complaint. The ship, in what U.S. officials say was a clear act of concealment, also turned off an automatic signal system intended to alert other ships of its course and location. The ship had not broadcast a signal since August 2017 despite having made at least one voyage since then, according to the complaint.\n\nIndonesian authorities intercepted and seized the Wise Honest in the East China Sea a month after it was photographed at the port of Nampo, North Korea, where it took on a load of coal. The captain of the ship was charged in Indonesia with violating that country’s maritime laws and convicted, the complaint says. It was not immediately clear what happened to the rest of the crew, which at least at one time totaled two dozen members.\n\nThe U.S. has prosecuted people and businesses for violating sanctions but has never before seized a North Korean ship. The country will have an opportunity to contest the seizure in court. If the U.S. prevails, it will be able to sell the vessel.\n\n“When nations who have stated an intent to do harm to the United States evade international sanctions, Americans become less safe,” said Geoffrey Berman, the United States attorney for the Southern District of New York.\n\nAsked whether North Korea’s largest merchant ship was similarly involved in illegal coal exports, Demers said that he did not know, but added, “If it is, we’d love to get our hands on it.”\n\nPresident Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un have held two summits focused on the North’s nuclear program but have made no discernible progress toward a deal that would eliminate its weapons. At the White House on Thursday, Trump said the U.S. was looking “very seriously right now” at North Korea’s recent military tests.\n\nCopyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.", "By The Associated Press\n\nWASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. government says it has seized North Korean ship used to transport coal in violation of sanctions.\n\nWASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. government says it has seized North Korean ship used to transport coal in violation of sanctions.\n\nCopyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.", "The \"Wise Honest,\" North Korea's second largest cargo ship, was detained during an April 2018 stop in Indonesia and will be moved to American Samoa, Justice Department officials said\n\nWashington: The US said Thursday it has seized a North Korean cargo ship that was used to violate international sanctions, a first-of-its kind enforcement action that comes tense moment in relations between the two countries. The \"Wise Honest,\" North Korea's second largest cargo ship, was detained during an April 2018 stop in Indonesia and will be moved to American Samoa, Justice Department officials said.\n\nOfficials made the announcement hours after the North Korea fired two suspected short-range missiles toward the sea, a second weapons launch in five days and a possible signal that stalled talks over its nuclear weapons program are in trouble. Justice Department lawyers laid out the case for confiscating the ship in a complaint filed in New York, arguing that payments for maintenance and operation of the vessel were channeled through US financial institutions in violation of American law. \"This sanctions-busting ship is now out of service,\" said Assistant Attorney General John Demers, the Justice Department's top national security official.\n\nThe timing of the complaint was unrelated to the missile launch, US officials said. The 581-foot (177 meters) Wise Honest was used to transport North Korean coal to China, Russia and other countries, generating badly needed revenue to a country that is under UN sanctions because of its nuclear weapons program. North Korea sought to disguise the ship's operations by listing various other countries for its nationality and the origin of its cargo, according to the complaint.\n\nIndonesian authorities intercepted and seized the Wise Honest in the East China Sea a month after it was photographed at the port of Nampo, North Korea, where it took on a load of coal. The US has prosecuted people and businesses for violating sanctions but has never before seized a North Korean ship. The country will have an opportunity to contest the seizure in court. If the US prevails, it will be able to sell the vessel. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un have held two summits focused on the North's nuclear program but have made no discernible progress toward a deal that would eliminate its weapons.\n• None Highway Gomantak in Bandra fight with hsg society over maintenance\n• None 6 dead as cars crash head-on trying to avoid biker near Palghar\n• None Toxic gas, lack of safety equipment cost workers their lives in Thane\n• None Mumbai Crime: 63-yr-old doctor gets bail in molestation case in Bandra\n• None Mumbai volunteers refused space to stock up relief materials for Odisha\n• None Now, meds at Mumbai civic hospitals to have MCGM mark and bar, QR codes\n• None Mumbai: Law students relieved as GLC agrees to have retest\n• None Praveen Pardeshi to be new BMC chief\n• None The dark side: Have you seen these 12 most haunted places in Mumbai?\n• None Himanshu Roy death anniversary: Mumbai's top cop whose life was cut short by suicide\n• None Kelly and Kody: The couple's steamy and dreamy photos are too hot to handle!\n\nCatch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates", "As relations between the United States and North Korea enter a deeper chill, the U.S. has seized a North Korean ship it says was used to evade sanctions against North Korea.\n\nThe 17,601-ton ship, the Wise Honest, was originally detained last year in Indonesia, but its seizure by the United States government was not announced until Thursday. According to The New York Times, the ship was being towed Thursday to American Samoa.\n\n“This sanctions-busting ship is now out of service,” Assistant Attorney General John C. Demers said Thursday, according to a Justice Department statement.\n\n“North Korea, and the companies that help it evade U.S. and U.N. sanctions, should know that we will use all tools at our disposal — including a civil forfeiture action such as this one or criminal charges — to enforce the sanctions enacted by the U.S. and the global community. We are deeply committed to the role the Justice Department plays in applying maximum pressure to the North Korean regime to cease its belligerence,” Demers said.\n\nU.S. officials said that the ship’s papers tried to cover up its real destinations and its cargo. The Justice Department said that U.S. banks were also used in the scheme.\n\nTRENDING: Medical Expert from Canada Explains Why Elderly Will Suffer Most Under ‘Medicare for All’\n\n“Today’s civil action is the first-ever seizure of a North Korean cargo vessel for violating international sanctions,” said U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman in the statement.\n\n“Our office uncovered North Korea’s scheme to export tons of high-grade coal to foreign buyers by concealing the origin of their ship, the Wise Honest. This scheme not only allowed North Korea to evade sanctions, but the Wise Honest was also used to import heavy machinery to North Korea, helping expand North Korea’s capabilities and continuing the cycle of sanctions evasion. With this seizure, we have significantly disrupted that cycle. We are willing and able to deploy the full array of law enforcement tools to detect, deter, and prosecute North Korea’s deceptive attempts to evade sanctions,” Berman said.\n\nIt’s unclear what the next step will be, according to Fox News.\n\n“North Korea doesn’t have many big ships it can use for exports. If this size of ship is seized and that seizure isn’t lifted quickly, it would greatly damage North Korea,” said analyst Cho Bong-hyun of Seoul’s IBK Economic Research Institute.\n\n“The U.S. action could be more like a warning aimed at preventing North Korea from violating sanctions again rather than not sending it back for good,” Cho said.\n\nThe episode was part of a recent chill in North Korean-U.S. relations.\n\nAlso on Thursday, North Korea tested short-range ballistic missiles for the second time in a week. The United States launched a missile of its own shortly afterward, although U.S. officials said the timing was arranged well in advance.\n\nRELATED: North Korea Launches Missiles into East Sea, US Fires Its Own Missile Minutes Later\n\nFurther, the website Beyond Parallel identified what it said was a previously undisclosed operational North Korean missile base.\n\n“They’ve hollowed out an entire mountain,” said Victor Cha, a North Korea expert.\n\nPresident Donald Trump admitted that recent incidents amounted to a pothole on the road to progress, but voiced some hope that relations can be repaired.\n\n“Nobody’s happy about it, but we’re taking a good look and we’ll see. We’ll see. The relationship continues, but we’ll see what happens. I know they want to negotiate, they’re talking about negotiating, but I don’t think they’re ready to negotiate,” Trump said Thursday, according to The New York Times.\n\nWe are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards."], "summary": "A North Korean merchant ship loaded with coal, seized by the United States in the East China Sea for suspected sanctions violation, arrives in Pago Pago, American Samoa."}
{"document": ["Efforts will begin on Saturday in Solomon Islands to refloat a wrecked ship at the centre of an environmental disaster.\n\nPhoto: The Australian High Commission Solomon Islands\n\nSince early February, bulk carrier, Solomon Trader, has been wedged on a reef off Rennell Island, where it has spilled an estimated 100 tonnes of oil.\n\nThe spill happened near a protected marine area and poisoned local water supplies and fishing grounds, sparking an international outcry.\n\nMore than three months on, the Solomon Islands Disaster Management Office said the vessel will be refloated and towed from the reef.\n\nIts director, Loti Yates, said the process, which is being led by a salvager contracted by the shipowner's insurer, will take around three days.\n\n\"It is a huge and very, very difficult operation,\" he said.\n\nMr Yates added that cleanup efforts which began in March are ongoing, with oil still coating the shoreline of the nearby and once pristine Kangava Bay.\n\nHe added that all oil onboard the ship had been removed but based on ship records there was an unknown amount missing.\n\n\"Maybe they evaporated, maybe they just sailed away or sunk into the bottom of the ocean. Not sure yet.\"\n\nMr Yates said investigations by the Solomon Islands government into the disaster had been obstructed by a missing data drive taken from the ship by its owner.\n\nHe said requests for the data - which is too big to transfer online - to be sent physically had gone unanswered for the past three weeks.\n\n\"We are sort of frustrated but we are still hoping that it will arrive.\"", "The ship at the centre of an environmental disaster near World-Heritage listed waters in the Solomon Islands was refloated Saturday after being stranded on a coral reef for more than three months.\n\nThe MV Solomon Trader ran aground on February 5 while loading bauxite at Rennell Island, about 240 kilometres (149 miles) south of the capital Honiara.\n\nThe 225-metre (740-foot) ship was carrying more than 700 tonnes of heavy fuel and leaked a huge amount of oil into the sea, sparking an international effort to contain the spill.\n\n\"They have been trying to refloat the vessel since Thursday but because of low tide they have not been able to, until today\", the chairman of the Solomons National Disaster Council, Melchior Mataki, told AFP.\n\nAn oil slick more than six kilometres long has spread along the shoreline, destroying the livelihoods of islanders who rely on waters in the ecologically delicate region.\n\nRennell Island is the largest raised coral atoll in the world and includes a UNESCO World Heritage site which extends kilometres out to sea.\n\nAuthorities have said the site was not affected by the spill, although Mataki said a detailed environmental assessment will be undertaken now that the vessel is out of the way.\n\n\"There is a preliminary report but the full report will be made known once assessments and investigation findings are compiled properly\", he said, adding the government would likely seek compensation for environmental damage.\n\nThe Australian government had sent salvage experts to assist the response and vowed to help the Solomons make sure those responsible for the spill are held to account.\n\nThe Hong Kong-registered ship was chartered by Indonesian-based Bintan Mining and was loaded with almost 11,000 tonnes of bauxite at the time of the incident."], "summary": "Efforts begin in Solomon Islands to refloat a ship after an oil spill in what the government says will be a \"very difficult operation.\""}
{"document": ["Harvard Won’t Renew Weinstein Lawyer As Student House Dean\n\nCAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) — A Harvard faculty member who decided to represent Harvey Weinstein at his rape trial is losing his position as head of a student house at the college.\n\nHarvard College Dean Rakesh Khurana said in a written statement Saturday he would not renew the appointments of Ronald Sullivan and his wife, Stephanie Robinson, the school’s first black faculty deans, citing concerns about the climate at Winthrop House, which he described as serious.\n\nSullivan lives at the house and supervises students there.\n\nSome students and faculty members have faulted Sullivan’s decision to represent Weinstein and his response to students’ concerns.\n\nKhurana called the situation regrettable and said efforts to improve the climate were ineffective.\n\nThe couple said in an email they were surprised and dismayed. They said Harvard unilaterally ended discussions that had been progressing.", "The Harvard law professor representing Harvey Weinstein is being removed as a faculty dean\n\n(CNN) — A Harvard University law professor who faced criticism on campus for representing Harvey Weinstein in his sexual assault trial is being relieved of his position as faculty dean of an undergraduate house.\n\nProfessor Ronald S. Sullivan Jr. and his wife, Harvard law lecturer Stephanie Robinson, will no longer be faculty deans of Winthrop House — one of 12 undergraduate residential houses at the Boston-area university — after their term ends June 30, Harvard College Dean Rakesh Khurana said.\n\nThe couple are the first black faculty deans in Harvard’s history.\n\nKhurana, in a letter explaining his decision not to renew the couple’s deanships, wrote generally about a deteriorating climate in the 400-student house but did not specify the underlying issue.\n\n“Over the last few weeks, students and staff have continued to communicate concerns about the climate in Winthrop House to the college. The concerns expressed have been serious and numerous,” Khurana wrote.\n\n“This decision in no way lessens my gratitude to them for their contributions to the college.”\n\nSullivan made waves on campus in January when he decided to represent Weinstein, the former movie mogul whose downfall helped launch the #MeToo movement.\n\nThat same day, Sullivan sent a lengthy email to undergraduate students and resident tutors at Winthrop House, defending the idea of representing people deemed to be “guilty, unpopular, vile or undesirable.”\n\n“It is particularly important for this category of unpopular defendant to receive the same process as everyone else — perhaps even more important,” Sullivan wrote.\n\n“To the degree we deny unpopular defendants basic due process rights we cease to be the country we imagine ourselves to be. In fact, most of the due process rights we hold dearest derive from lawyers who represented unpopular defendants.”\n\nThe decision to represent a high-profile defendant in an assault case was fraught on Harvard’s campus, where sexual assault and harassment have been a major issue.\n\nJust in the past year, Harvard’s head diving coach resigned amid allegations of sexual misconduct, and a university government professor announced his retirement also over sexual misconduct allegations.\n\nSullivan is a longtime criminal defense attorney and criminal justice reform advocate. He represented the family of Michael Brown, who was fatally shot by police in Ferguson, Missouri, and he spent his early legal career at the Public Defender Service in Washington.\n\nThe tenured Harvard Law School professor also is the faculty director of the Harvard Criminal Justice Institute.\n\nWeinstein is accused of raping a woman in a New York hotel room in 2013 and forcibly performing oral sex on another woman at his Manhattan apartment in 2006.\n\nThe former film executive faces five felony charges: two counts of predatory sexual assault, one count of criminal sexual act in the first degree, and one count each of first-degree rape and third-degree rape. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.\n\nWeinstein has denied all accusations of nonconsensual sex.\n\nThe trial is to begin September 9.", "Harvard University yanked dean status from a long-serving law professor amid student unrest over his serving on disgraced movie mogul Harvey Weinstein’s defense team.\n\nThe announcement came the day after the professor had already quit Weinstein’s legal team, a report said.\n\nProfessor Ronald Sullivan will no longer supervise the Ivy’s Winthrop House undergraduate residence program with his wife, also a law lecturer at the university, because of an “untenable” environment in the dorm, the school said Saturday in a message to the student body, according to The Harvard Crimson school newspaper.\n\n“The actions that have been taken to improve the climate have been ineffective, and the noticeable lack of faculty dean presence during critical moments has further deteriorated the climate in the House,” wrote Dean of the College Rakesh Khurana. “I have concluded that the situation in the House is untenable.”\n\nSullivan’s removal as dean came just one day after he had already told the Manhattan judge hearing the case that he would be leaving Team Weinstein, according to ABC News.\n\nSullivan and his wife, Professor Stephanie Robinson, made history 10 years ago when they were named Harvard’s first black faculty deans.\n\nThe couple will keep their appointments as professors at Harvard Law School but will not be asked to return as undergrad deans when their terms end next month.\n\nThough Khurana’s statement kept the reasoning vague, it came after months of on-campus protests over Sullivan’s post as co-lead counsel for Weinstein, charged with a slew of sick sex crimes brought to light by the #MeToo movement.\n\nSullivan and Robinson said they were “surprised and dismayed” that Harvard gave them the boot — particularly as they were in talks with the Ivy to correct any issues.\n\n“We believed the discussions we were having with high level University representatives were progressing in a positive manner, but Harvard unilaterally ended those talks,” the couple said in a joint statement to The Crimson. “We will now take some time to process Harvard’s actions and consider our options.\n\n“We are sorry that Harvard’s actions and the controversy surrounding us has contributed to the stress on Winthrop students at this already stressful time.”", "BOSTON — A Harvard Law School professor who became a lightning rod on the Ivy League campus for working on the legal defense team of Harvey Weinstein will not be renewed as a Harvard faculty dean, the university said Saturday.\n\nRonald Sullivan Jr. and his wife Stephanie Robinson will not continue as faculty deans for the school's Winthrop House when their term ends after next month.\n\nRakesh Khurana, dean of Harvard College, announced the decision in an email to residents of the school's Winthrop House, calling the situation \"untenable\" and saying it was \"informed by a number of considerations.\"\n\nSullivan has been under fire from students since January when he emerged as one of the attorneys representing Weinstein in the media mogul's upcoming trial where he faces multiple sex-crime charges.\n\nMore: Harvard dean’s legal defense of Harvey Weinstein sparks controversy on campus\n\nBut the controversy surrounding Sullivan – who presides over the Winthrop House with Robinson, his wife and also a Harvard law professor – escalated further amid recent reports from the student-run Harvard Crimson newspaper about numerous complaints against the couple since 2016 about their handling of house affairs.\n\n\"Over the last few weeks, students and staff have continued to communicate concerns about the climate in the Winthrop House to the college,\" Khurana said in the email. \"The concerns expressed have been serious and numerous.\n\n\"The actions that have been taken to improve the climate have been ineffective, and the noticeable lack of faculty dean presence during critical moments has further deteriorated the climate in the house. I have concluded that the situation in the house is untenable.\"\n\nHarvard has faculty deans to lead and reside at each of its 12 buildings that house undergraduate students. It's considered a powerful and prestigious position. Sullivan and Robinson were the first African-Americans to serve as faculty deans at Harvard.\n\nIn response to the university's decision, Sullivan and Robinson said they are \"surprised and dismayed.\"\n\n\"We believed the discussions we were having with high level University representatives were progressing in a positive manner, but Harvard unilaterally ended those talks,\" the couple said in a joint statement.\n\nThe couple added that they \"will now take some time to process Harvard’s actions and consider our options. We are sorry that Harvard’s actions and the controversy surrounding us has contributed to the stress on Winthrop students at this already stressful time.\"\n\nHarvard's action does not change their status as law school professors.\n\nKhurana called the situation \"regrettable\" and said not renewing Sullivan and Robinson as faculty deans is a \"very hard decision to make.\"\n\nHe said he has long admired their \"commitment to justice and civic engagement\" and the \"good work they have done\" to support diversity in the house community.\n\n\"This decision in no way lessens my gratitude to them for their contributions to the college,\" he said.\n\nSullivan, a prominent defense attorney nationally, had garnered calls for removal from Winthrop residents and other Harvard students who objected to his work for Weinstein, whose alleged actions helped ignite the #MeToo movement. At organized protests in recent months, students held signs that read,“Down with the Dean,” “Remove Sullivan” and “Harvard’s Legacy Ignoring Survivors.”\n\nSullivan had defended his work for Weinstein by touting due process for everyone, decrying the country’s “long history of mob justice” and arguing that it’s even more important that “unpopular, vile, or undesirable” defendants have their rights.\n\nProtesters said they acknowledge the constitutional right for everyone, even unpopular defendants, to have a legal defense. But they questioned Sullivan’s ability to simultaneously carry out a house dean position whose duties they said include being a protector of students and ensuring they feel comfortable sharing concerns.\n\nThey accused Sullivan of dismissing their concerns.\n\nMore: Harvard bans ex-professor Jorge Dominguez after finding 'unwelcome sexual conduct' spanned four decades\n\nOther concerns about Sullivan that apparently predated the Weinstein controversy.\n\nThe Harvard Crimson reported this week that more than a dozen Winthrop tutors, students and staff have brought concerns about Sullivan and Robinson to Harvard administrators over the past three years. The complaints have involved questions about their leadership, a \"revolving door\" of staff administrators at the house, and \"threats\" to push out residents deemed as disloyal by Sullivan and Robinson.\n\nThe trial for Weinstein, whose alleged crimes helped set off the #MeToo movement, is tentatively set to begin in June.\n\nAmid protests earlier this year, Khurana had offered support for Sullivan's legal defense of Weinstein.\n\n“I think a faculty member is given academic freedom to make decisions that are right for them,” Khurana said in February. “I also think that every individual is entitled to a vigorous defense. It's a cornerstone of our justice system.”\n\nSullivan also serves as director of the Harvard Criminal Justice Institute. He's no stranger to controversial legal clients, having represented former and now-deceased New England Patriots player Aaron Hernandez defeat a double-murder charge.\n\nIn another high-profile case, Sullivan represented the family of Michael Brown in reaching a $1.5 million settlement with the city of Ferguson, Missouri, following his shooting death in 2017.", "A Harvard law professor who joined the legal team defending Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein against sexual assault charges will not be allowed to continue as dean of a residential house on campus, a university official said on Saturday.\n\nThe Ivy League university's move to end the role of law professor Ronald Sullivan Jr and law school lecturer Stephanie Robinson, Sullivan's wife, at Winthrop House follows protests over his representation of Weinstein.\n\nSullivan and Robinson in 2009 became the first African-American faculty deans in Harvard history when they took their positions at Winthrop House, one of several undergraduate residences at the Cambridge, Massachusetts, university.\n\nTheir terms as faculty deans were scheduled to end on June 30. Harvard College Dean Rakesh Khurana said in a statement that he had decided not to keep them in their roles at Winthrop House beyond that date.\n\n\"Over the last few weeks, students and staff have continued to communicate concerns about the climate in Winthrop House to the college,\" Khurana said.\n\n\"The concerns expressed have been serious and numerous. The actions that have been taken to improve the climate have been ineffective, and the noticeable lack of faculty dean presence during critical moments has further deteriorated the climate in the house,\" Khurana said.\n\nKhurana has previously said Sullivan's decision to join Weinstein's legal team was a matter of academic freedom and that everyone is entitled to a vigorous legal defense.\n\nSullivan and Robinson continue to hold their positions at Harvard Law School.\n\nSullivan and Robinson said in a joint statement that they were \"surprised and dismayed\" by the decision.\n\n\"We believed the discussions we were having with high level university representatives were progressing in a positive manner, but Harvard unilaterally ended those talks,\" they said.\n\nIn January, a judge approved Weinstein's request to have Sullivan join his legal team.\n\nProsecutors in New York accuse Weinstein, 67, of forcibly performing oral sex on a woman in 2006 and raping another woman in 2013. Weinstein faces five criminal charges, including rape, and could be sentenced to life in prison if convicted.\n\nHe has pleaded not guilty to the charges.\n\nMore than 70 women have accused Weinstein of sexual misconduct. He has denied all accusations and said any contact was consensual.\n\nStudents at Winthrop House staged a sit-in this month to protest Sullivan's defense of Weinstein, according to a report at the time in the Harvard Crimson student newspaper. Students denounced Sullivan in other actions earlier this year.\n\nGet the latest election news, live updates and election schedule for Lok Sabha Elections 2019 on ndtv.com/elections. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagram for updates from each of the 543 parliamentary seats for the 2019 Indian general elections. Election results will be out on May 23.", "CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Harvard said on Saturday that a law professor who is representing Harvey Weinstein would not continue as faculty dean of an undergraduate house, bowing to months of pressure from students who had demanded the removal of the professor from his role as dean.\n\nThe professor, Ronald S. Sullivan Jr., and his wife, Stephanie Robinson, who is a lecturer at the law school, have been the faculty deans of Winthrop House, one of Harvard’s residential colleges for undergraduate students, since 2009. They were the first African-American faculty deans in Harvard’s history.\n\nBut when Mr. Sullivan joined the defense team of Mr. Weinstein, the Hollywood producer, in January, many students expressed dismay, saying that his decision to represent a person accused of abusing women made Mr. Sullivan no longer qualified to serve in a role of support and mentorship to students.", "Harvard announced Saturday that law professor Ronald S. Sullivan Jr., who represented embattled film producer Harvey Weinstein until recently, would not continue as faculty dean of an undergraduate house after his term ends on June 30, following pressure from students, according to the New York Times.\n\nWeinstein is set to stand trial on rape and other charges in June. Sullivan’s decision to represent Weinstein highlighted the tension between the principle of affording legal counsel to the accused and college staff standing on the side of the victims of sexual abuse.\n\nSullivan, along with his wife Stephanie Robinson, who is a lecturer at the law school, have been faculty deans of Winthrop House, one of the university’s residential houses for undergraduates since 2009. They were the first black faculty deans in Harvard history. Faculty deans are tasked with supporting students academically and personally, as well as helping with social activities.\n\nStudents began voicing their disapproval of his decision to join Weinstein’s defense team in January of this year, believing his decision disqualified him from supporting and mentoring students.\n\nA wave of protests eventually pushed administration to say they would conducted a review of the climate in the Winthrop House, which has hosted a student sit-in and seen a lawsuit stemming from a fracas between a protest leader and a pair of staff members who supported Sullivan.\n\nSullivan told the Times that he was aware that race was playing a role in the school’s handling of the issue.\n\n“It is not lost on me that I’m the first African-American to hold this position,” he said earlier in the year. “Never in the history of the faculty dean position has the dean been subjected to a ‘climate review’ in the middle of some controversy.”\n\nThe tension prompted Harvard College Dean Rakesh Khurana to send an email to students and staff at the house, informing them that they would not be renewing Sullivan.\n\n“Over the last few weeks, students and staff have continued to communicate concerns about the climate in Winthrop House to the college,” Khurana wrote. “The concerns expressed have been serious and numerous. The actions that have been taken to improve the climate have been ineffective, and the noticeable lack of faculty dean presence during critical moments has further deteriorated the climate in the house. I have concluded that the situation in the house is untenable.”\n\nDuring the review of the Winthrop House, current and former staff members told the Harvard Crimson they experienced “a workplace climate of hostility and suspicion” while Sullivan and Robinson were at the helm.\n\nSullivan and Robinson said they were “surprised and dismayed by the action Harvard announced today,” according to a joint statement. “We believed the discussions we were having with high-level university representatives were progressing in a positive manner, but Harvard unilaterally ended those talks.”\n\n“We are sorry that Harvard’s actions and the controversy surrounding us has contributed to the stress on Winthrop students at this already stressful time,” the statement continued.\n\nSullivan and Robinson will still retain their positions at the law school. Sullivan is the director of the school’s Criminal Justice Institute. He also represented the family of Mike Brown.", "Harvard University has declined to renew the contracts of “faculty deans” Ronald S. Sullivan, Jr. and Stephanie R. Robinson because Mr. Sullivan, an attorney, is representing disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein in court.\n\nA decade ago, the couple became the first African-American “masters” of a Harvard “house” — namely, Winthrop House, one of twelve undergraduate dormitories modeled after the “colleges” of Oxford and Cambridge. (The title was changed from “master” to “faculty dean” in 2016, after complaints that “master” might “trigger” hurt feelings in black students, despite Harvard’s abolitionist past.)\n\nWhen Ron Sullivan accepted a position on Weinstein’s criminal defense team, students began protesting, and the college launched an investigation into the “climate” at Winthrop House.\n\nThat culminated in a capitulation by the university this week, as the Harvard Crimson reported Sunday:\n\nDean of the College Rakesh Khurana announced that he will not renew Winthrop Faculty Deans Ronald S. Sullivan, Jr. and Stephanie R. Robinson after their term ends on June 30 in an email to House affiliates Saturday morning. The decision comes after more than three months of activism and outcry surrounding Sullivan’s decision to represent Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein — who stands accused of rape — and a day after The Crimson reported allegations brought by Winthrop students, tutors, and staff of a toxic environment under Sullivan and Robinson stretching back years. Khurana wrote in his email to Winthrop residents that he decided not to renew Sullivan and Robinson’s faculty dean appointments because the environment in the House was “untenable.” Sullivan and Robinson wrote in an emailed statement to The Crimson they were surprised by the College’s decision and that Harvard “unilaterally” ended discussions they were having with University representatives.\n\nKhurana has been at the center of other controversial decisions, such as a new policy barring students from joining same-sex organization — a decision aimed at elite all-male “final clubs” that had the effect of banning women’s groups.\n\nSullivan and Robinson will remain professors at Harvard Law School.\n\nJoel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. He is also the co-author of How Trump Won: The Inside Story of a Revolution, which is available from Regnery. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.", "The tenure of Winthrop Faculty Dean Ronald S. Sullivan, Jr. is coming to an end after what has been called a “tumultuous semester” as a result of his representation of Harvey Weinstein and his lack of response to the concerns of Harvard students.\n\nThe Crimson says that Dean of the College Rakesh Khurana announced that Sullivan will end his term on June 30 as the result of an environment which has become “untenable.” Sullivan, who is also a professor at Harvard Law School, announced in January that he was representing former film mogul Harvey Weinstein, who faces multiple accusations of sexual assault.\n\nKhurana wrote in an email that it wasn’t just Sullivan’s representation of Weinstein, but the way he reacted to the concerns of students and faculty.\n\nKhurana stated that the concerns are “serious and numerous,” and now Sullivan’s leadership has been deemed “ineffectual,” and Dean Sullivan hasn’t been around to answer the concerns of the college.\n\nWhile Sullivan’s termination is being called regrettable, it was deemed necessary.\n\nThe Daily Beast reported that Ronald Sullivan, Jr. stepped in when Weinstein’s lead attorney, Ben Brafman, quit after butting heads with the former film producer, who is up to his neck in sexual assault accusations.\n\nWeinstein and Brafman had a difference of opinion about the direction of the case, and so as the lawyer planned to make his exit, the movie mogul started shopping for a new attorney to take the lead. Brafman wanted to handle the case in court, and Weinstein wanted to keep it alive in the media according to a legal source.\n\nBrafman had scored a number of big victories for Weinstein, but there is a conflict in their styles, which ended the professional relationship. Harvey Weinstein wants to continue to do things in a familiar way in going after those making the accusations against him in the media, and that seemingly isn’t Brafman’s way.\n\nIn an interview in June, Brafman stated that Weinstein is “a forceful personality” who “soaks up all the oxygen in the room,” leading observers to believe that the partnership was on fragile ground.", "iStock/travelview(BOSTON) — In response to an uproar on campus, Harvard University decided this weekend to remove law professor Ron Sullivan from a dean’s post after Sullivan had signed on as a member of the team defending disgraced movie producer Harvey Weinstein. Ironically, Harvard’s decision comes just a day after Sullivan told the Manhattan judge overseeing Weinstein’s case that Sullivan would, in fact, be leaving the defense team.\n\nSullivan’s notice to the court is due to be made public Monday.\n\nThe lawyer and his wife, Stephanie Robinson, who also works at the school, will not be renewed as deans at Harvard’s Winthrop House once their terms expire next month.\n\nSullivan’s decision has no impact on Jose Baez, the noted criminal lawyer now leading Weinstein’s defense, or the rest of the team. Sullivan is a noted expert on criminal law and criminal procedure and is director of the Harvard Criminal Justice Institute.\n\nWeinstein spokesman Juda Engelmayer told ABC News Saturday evening that Weinstein “is extremely grateful to Ronald Sullivan for his work with him until now, and for Ron’s offer to advise where he can going forward.”\n\n“Mr. Sullivan believed that Mr. Weinstein deserved a vigorous defense, and it is a sad moment for us all right now,” Engelmayer said. “We, as a country, have now reached the point when a Harvard lawyer and professor cannot serve his duty to, and belief in, the law and defend a person who may be deemed unpopular or unworthy of a legal defense by segments of the public.”\n\nThe Harvard Crimson, the college’s newspaper, was the first to report on Sullivan’s exit.\n\nThe Harvard Black Law Students Association supported Sullivan’s decision to represent Weinstein, saying in a statement released March 31, “HBLSA finds it important that we speak to the controversy and make the ask of Harvard University to both unequivocally support survivors of sexual violence and to do so in a way that does not scapegoat Professor Sullivan for the University’s failings to address sexual violence on campus.”\n\nWeinstein is due to go on trial in September on charges of rape and sexual assault. He was arrested nearly a year ago and is out on bail.\n\nHe is set to go on trial on accusations made by two women in New York, but has been accused of improper conduct by dozens of other women over decades.\n\nWeinstein, 66, has been investigated by the New York City Police Department, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, the New York Attorney General’s Office, the Los Angeles Police Department and U.K. authorities.\n\nHe has denied all allegations of nonconsensual sex."], "summary": "Harvard announces that they will not renew law professor Ronald S. Sullivan Jr.'s appointment as dean of Winthrop House after he joined the defense of Harvey Weinstein. He remains a regular professor."}
{"document": ["PALIKIR, 13 MAY 2019 (FSMIS) – The 21st Congress of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) has elected H.E David W. Panuelo as its ninth President, during its First Regular Session on 11 May. Prior to his election, President Panuelo was elected Senator At-Large for Pohnpei State. Also elected was the new Vice President, the […]", "WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's FEMA announced that federal disaster aid has been made available to the government of the Federated States of Micronesia under the Compact of Free Association between the government of the United States of America and the government of the Federated States of Micronesia, as amended, due to Typhoon Wutip, from Feb. 19 to Feb. 23, 2019.\n\nThe President's action makes federal funding available for U.S. Government emergency relief and reconstruction assistance to the Federated States of Micronesia in accordance with Public Law 108-188, as amended, including Article X of the Federal Programs and Services Agreement to the Compact of Free Association. Federated States of Micronesia President Peter M. Christian requested a disaster declaration on April 17, 2019.\n\nThe United States Agency for International Development’s Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance will coordinate U.S. Government disaster assistance efforts in conjunction with FEMA and the government of the Federated States of Micronesia.\n\nFEMA's mission is to help people before, during and after disasters.\n\nFollow FEMA online at www.fema.gov/blog, www.twitter.com/fema, www.twitter.com/FEMAespanol, https://www.facebook.com/FEMA, www.facebook.com/FEMAespanol and www.youtube.com/fema. Also, follow Acting Administrator Pete Gaynor's activities @FEMA_Pete.\n\nThe social media links provided are for reference only. FEMA does not endorse any non-government websites, companies or applications."], "summary": "David W. Panuelo is sworn in as President of the Federated States of Micronesia, succeeding Peter M. Christian, after being elected by the Congress."}
{"document": ["Gunmen have killed six people including a priest as Mass was being celebrated in a church in Dablo in northern Burkina Faso, officials say.\n\nThe attackers, said to number between 20 and 30, then burned down the church.\n\nThe town's mayor, Ousmane Zongo, said that there was panic as other buildings were burned down and a health centre looted.\n\nJihadist violence has flared in Burkina Faso since 2016, and this is the third attack on a church in five weeks.\n\nHow did the attack unfold?\n\nIt began at about 09:00 (GMT and local time), during Mass.\n\nThe mayor of Dablo, Mr Zongo told the AFP news agency: \"Armed individuals burst into the Catholic church... They started firing as the congregation tried to flee.\n\n\"There is an atmosphere of panic in the town. People are holed up in their homes, nothing is going on. The shops and stores are closed. It's practically a ghost town,\" he said.\n\nSecurity sources told AFP that reinforcements were being sent from Barsalogho, some 45km (30 miles) to the south.\n\nA local journalist told the BBC those killed included church elders and that residents were angry that soldiers in a nearby base did not respond promptly.\n\nWho could be behind the attack?\n\nIslamist groups have been blamed for a number of attacks in the West African nation in recent years.\n\nFighters affiliated to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group as well as the local Ansarul Islam have been active in the region.\n\nLast month, attackers targeted a Protestant church in the town of Silgadji, killing at least six people\n\nAnd earlier in April, four people died when a Catholic church was attacked in a nearby village, the bishop of Dori in northern Burkina Faso told Vatican news agency Fides.\n\nSchools and teachers have also been targeted by the groups, who are opposed to Western education.\n\nOn Friday, French special forces carried out a rescue mission in northern Burkina Faso, freeing four hostages.\n\nIt is believed the four - two French citizens kidnapped in Benin, a South Korean and an American - were being driven to Mali to be handed over to the militant group, Katiba Macina. Two French soldiers died during the mission.\n\nWhat's the wider picture?\n\nBurkina Faso is among countries in the vast Sahel region battling Islamist insurgencies in the region.\n\nIt formed a regional force, G5 Sahel, along with Niger, Chad, Mauritania and Mali to take on the militants.\n\nIn January, PM Paul Kaba Thieba resigned amid growing pressure over a rise in kidnappings and jihadist attacks, and Christophe Joseph Marie Dabiré was named his replacement.\n\nFrance, a former colonial ruler in the region, has some 4,500 troops in four nations carrying out a mission codenamed Barkhane to counter jihadists.", "Burkina Faso’s President Roch Marc Christian Kabore on Saturday received at the presidential palace in Ouagadougou the...", "Protesters demonstrate against terrorism in central Ouagadougou on August 19, 2017. (AFP/Getty)\n\nGunmen Kill Six Including the Priest During Mass in Burkina Faso\n\nThe people of Burkina Faso have suffered an increasing number of terrorist attacks in recent years from Islamic jihadist groups including al-Qaeda affiliates.\n\nOUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso - A group of gunmen burned down a Catholic Church during Sunday Mass and killed at least six people, including a priest, in the west African nation of Burkina Faso Sunday morning.\n\nThe attackers reportedly burst into the church, located in the northern town of Dablo, and started shooting at the beginning of Mass, around 9 am local time.\n\nFrance 24 cited a security source who said there were “some twenty to thirty armed men\" involved in the attack. The gunmen are as yet unidentified.\n\nA government official told the BBC that the militants also set fire to a nearby shops and a health center. Dablo’s Mayor, Ousmane Zongo, said the town is “filled with panic” and that citizens are “holed up at home.”\n\nThe people of Burkina Faso have suffered an increasing number of terrorist attacks in recent years from Islamic jihadist groups including al-Qaeda affiliates. Authorities said five teachers were shot to death in a separate attack on Friday.\n\nThe government in Burkina Faso declared a state of emergency in several northern provinces last December because of deadly Islamist attacks, including in the region where the assault on Sunday took place, Reuters reports.\n\nSunday’s attack is the second on a Catholic church in the area this year; four died after an attack on a church in a nearby village in April. In addition, attackers targeted a Protestant church during the same month, killing six including the priest.\n\nLast week, two French soldiers died during a successful attempt to rescue two Frenchmen, an American and a South Korean who had been kidnapped and were being held in that very region.\n\nIn 2017, Pope Francis offered prayers for the people of the country after gunmen opened fire in a Turkish restaurant in the capital Ouagadougou, killing at least 18 people and taking hostages before police ended the standoff.", "OUAGADOUGOU, BURKINA FASO (AFP) – Gunmen killed a priest and five church-goers during mass on Sunday (May 12) in an attack on a Catholic church in Dablo, northern Burkina Faso, security sources and local official said.\n\n“Towards 9am, during mass, armed individuals burst into the Catholic church,” the mayor of Dablo, Mr Ousmane Zongo, told AFP.\n\n“They started firing as the congregation tried to flee.”\n\nThe gunmen managed to trap some of the worshippers, he added.\n\n“They killed five of them. The priest, who was celebrating mass, was also killed, bringing the number of dead to six.”\n\nThe attackers set fire to the church, several shops and a small cafe before heading to the local health centre, which they looted and burnt the chief nurse’s vehicle, said Mr Zongo.\n\nSunday’s attack was the latest of a series carried out against Christian churches in Burkina Faso.\n\nLast Sunday, gunmen killed five people in an attack on a Protestant church in the small northern town of Silgadji.", "Gunmen kill six and burn Catholic church in Burkina Faso attack, government says\n\nGunmen have killed six people, including a priest, outside a Catholic church in Burkina Faso, the Government says, the second attack on Christians in two weeks in a nation increasingly overrun by jihadists.\n\nCongregants were leaving church about 9:00am Sunday in the town of Dablo in the Central North region when about 20 men encircled them and shot six dead, according to a government statement and local sources.\n\nThe attackers then burned the church, looted a pharmacy and some others stores, and left, Dablo Mayor Ousmane Zongo told Reuters.\n\nThe Government statement only mentioned the burning of a shop and two vehicles.\n\nBurkina Faso has been beset by a rise in attacks in 2019 as groups with links to Islamic State and Al Qaeda based in neighbouring Mali seek to fuel local tensions and extend their influence over the porous borders of the Sahel, the arid scrubland south of the Sahara.\n\nThe Government declared a state of emergency in several northern provinces bordering Mali in December because of deadly Islamist attacks.\n\nBut violence has only worsened since. Two French soldiers were killed in an operation to rescue four people taken hostage in Burkina last week, France said.\n\nOver 100,000 people in Burkina Faso have been displaced by the unrest this year, the United Nations has said.\n\nRoughly 55 per cent to 60 per cent of Burkina Faso's population is Muslim, with up to a quarter Christian.\n\nThe two groups generally live in peace and frequently intermarry.\n\nThen in late April unidentified gunmen killed a pastor and five congregants at a Protestant church, also in the north, suggesting the violence was taking a religious turn.", "Gunmen kill six during Catholic mass in Burkina Faso\n\n\"Towards 9:00 am, during mass, armed individuals burst into the Catholic church,\" the mayor of Dablo, Ousmane Zongo, told AFP. \"They started firing as the congregation tried to flee.\"", "Six people were killed Sunday during mass at a Catholic church in central Burkina Faso, according to state media.\n\nGunmen on motorcycles stormed the church in Dablo on Sunday morning, killing six men, including the priest, before setting fire to the church and buildings in the area, the Burkina Information Agency reported.", "Gunmen have burned down a church during mass and killed six people, including a priest, in Burkina Faso, officials say.\n\nThe morning attack happened in the northern town of Dablo, security sources and local official said.\n\n“Armed individuals burst into the Catholic church…They started firing as the congregation tried to flee,” the mayor of Dablo, Ousmane Zongo, told news agency AFP.\n\nIt is the third attack on churches in Burkina Faso in the past five weeks.\n\nA priest was among those killed in the attack which happened at 09.00 local time [10:00 GMT), Mayor Zongo said.\n\nThe militants also set fire to a nearby shops and a health centre, a government official told the BBC.", "May 12 (UPI) -- Attackers killed six people attend mass at a Catholic church in Burkina Faso on Sunday morning, officials said.\n\nWitnesses said the priest and five churchgoers were killed and several others were injured in the attack on the Catholic Church of Dablo in the landlocked West African country, VOA Africa reported.\n\n\"They were about 40 on motorcycles,\" a witness said. \"They made everyone lie down, executed five before torching the church.\"\n\nThe attackers stormed the mass on Sunday morning and then proceeded to set fire to the church and surrounding shops.\n\nBurkina Faso has experienced religious terrorist attacks since April 2015 and last month six people, including a pastor, were killed by assailants at a Protestant church in the community of Sigadji.\n\nThe population of the country is 61.5 percent Muslim, 23.3 percent Roman Catholic and 6.5 percent Protestant, according to the 2010 census.", "Gunmen killed six people including a priest outside a Catholic church in Burkina Faso on Sunday, a local official said, the second attack on Christians in two weeks in a nation increasingly overrun by jihadists.\n\nCongregants were leaving church around 9 a.m. (0900 GMT) when about twenty men encircled them and shot six dead, Boucary Zongo, mayor of the northern town of Dablo where the attack took place, and a witness, told Reuters.\n\nThe attackers then burned the church, looted a pharmacy and some others stores, and left in vehicles, they said.\n\nBurkina Faso historically known for its religious tolerance has been beset by a rise in attacks in 2018 as the attack comes as jihadist groups seek to destabilise Burkina and the wider Sahel region.\n\nGroups with links to Islamic State and al Qaeda, based in neighbouring Mali, are violently attempting to extend their influence over the porous borers of the Sahel, the arid scrubland south of the Sahara.\n\nThe government declared a state of emergency in several northern provinces bordering Mali in December because of deadly Islamist attacks.\n\nBut violence has only worsened since. Two French soldiers were killed in an operation to rescue four people taken hostage in Burkina last week, France said.\n\nRoughly 55% to 60% of Burkina Faso's population is Muslim, with up to a quarter Christian. The two groups generally live in peace and frequently intermarry.\n\nThen in late April unidentified gunmen killed a pastor and five congregants at a Protestant church, also in the north, suggesting the violence was taking a religious turn.\n\nGunmen on motorbikes entered the church in the town of Silgadji near Djibo, the capital of Soum province, and opened fire near the end of a Sunday service.\n\nFollowing the first church attack on the region a security source told AFP: 'Unidentified armed individuals have attacked the Protestant church in Silgadji killing four members of the congregation and the pastor. At least two other people are missing.'\n\nBurkina Faso has seen a surge in killings blamed on jihadists.\n\nThe attacks started in the north of the country before targeting the capital Ouagadougou and other regions, notably the east of the country.\n\nFormer colonial ruler France has deployed some 4,500 troops in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad in a mission codenamed Barkhane to help local forces try to flush out jihadist groups.\n\nIn February, a Spanish priest, Father Cesar Fernandez, was killed in a raid attributed to jihadists in Nohao in the centre of the country.\n\nViolent organisations include the Ansarul Islam group, the Group to Support Islam and Muslims (GSIM) and Islamic State in the Greater Sahara.\n\nBurkina Faso is part of the vast Sahel region, which has turned into a hotbed of violent extremism and lawlessness since chaos engulfed Libya in 2011.\n\nDespite international efforts to create a transnational anti-jihadist military operation, named the G5 Sahel force, the situation is getting worse.\n\nA report submitted to the UN Security Council last year warned that security had 'deteriorated rapidly over the last six months' in the area between Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger, with attacks spreading to eastern Burkina Faso.\n\nAccording to an official report in September, 229 people had been killed in Islamist attacks in Burkina Faso since 2015, and the number has increased since then.\n\nThe growing boldness of jihadist fighters in the former French colony reflects the government's apparent inability to protect its citizens."], "summary": "Gunmen burn down a Catholic church during mass and kill six people, including a priest, in Dablo, Burkina Faso."}
{"document": ["DUBAI (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia said on Monday that two Saudi oil tankers were among vessels targeted by a “sabotage attack” off the coast of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), condemning it as an attempt to undermine security of global crude supplies.\n\nThe UAE said on Sunday that four commercial vessels were hit by sabotage near the emirate of Fujairah, one of the world’s largest bunkering hubs lying just outside the Strait of Hormuz.\n\nThe UAE gave no details on the nature of the sabotage or who was behind it. It said there were no casualties and operations at Fujairah port were normal.\n\nThe strait, a vital global oil and gas shipping route, separates the Gulf states and Iran, which has been embroiled in an escalating war of words with the United States over sanctions and the U.S. military’s presence in the region.\n\nSaudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih said in a statement that one of the two Saudi vessels attacked was on its way to be loaded with Saudi crude from Ras Tanura port for delivery to state-owned Saudi Aramco’s customers in the United States.\n\nThe attack did not lead to any casualties or an oil spill but caused significant damage to the structures of the two vessels, said the statement carried on state news agency SPA.\n\nTrading and shipping sources identified the Saudi vessels as Bahri-owned very large crude carrier (VLCC) tanker Amjad and crude tanker Al Marzoqah. National Shipping Company of Saudi Arabia (Bahri) did not respond to a request for comment.\n\nFalih said the attack aimed to undermine maritime freedom and “security of oil supplies to consumers all over the world”.\n\n“The international community has a joint responsibility to protect the safety of maritime navigation and the security of oil tankers, to mitigate against the adverse consequences of such incidents on energy markets and the danger they pose to the global economy,” he said.\n\nThe U.S. Maritime Administration said in an advisory on Sunday that the incidents off Fujairah, one of the seven emirates that make up the UAE, have not been confirmed and urged caution when transiting the area. It said “the precise means of attack or sabotage is unknown”.\n\nEarlier this month, the Maritime Administration warned that U.S. commercial ships including oil tankers sailing through key Middle East waterways could be targeted by Iran in one of the threats to U.S. interests posed by Tehran.\n\nIran’s foreign ministry spokesman called the incidents on Sunday to ships near the coast of Fujairah “worrisome and dreadful”, and asked for an investigation into the matter.", "GENEVA (Reuters) - A senior Iranian lawmaker said on Sunday that explosions near Fujairah port in the United Arab Emirates showed that the security of Gulf states is fragile.\n\n“The explosions of Fujairah showed that the security of the south of the Persian Gulf is like glass,” Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh, head of parliament’s national security committee, wrote on his Twitter account.\n\nOn Sunday the UAE Foreign Ministry said four commercial vessels were targeted by “sabotage operations” near the territorial waters of the United Arab Emirates without causing casualties. Earlier the government of Fujairah denied media reports about blasts inside the port and said the facility was operating normally.", "Trump warns Iran after vessels sabotaged off coast of UAE\n\nWASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is warning Iran, saying that if Tehran does \"anything\" in the form of an attack \"they will suffer greatly.\"\n\nTrump was asked Monday about two Saudi oil tankers and a Norwegian-flagged vessel being damaged in what Gulf officials described as a \"sabotage\" attack off the coast of the United Arab Emirates.\n\nDetails of the incident remain unclear. But it raised risks for shippers in a region vital to global energy supplies at a time of increasing tensions between the U.S. and Iran over its unraveling nuclear deal with world powers.\n\nTrump was asked about the sabotage, and responded: \"It's going to be a bad problem for Iran if something happens.\"\n\nHe spoke to reporters in the Oval Office while meeting with the prime minister of Hungary.", "DUBAI (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia said on Monday that two Saudi oil tankers were among vessels targeted by a “sabotage attack” off the coast of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), condemning it as an attempt to undermine security of global crude supplies.\n\nThe UAE said on Sunday that four commercial vessels were hit by sabotage near the emirate of Fujairah, one of the world’s largest bunkering hubs lying just outside the Strait of Hormuz.\n\nThe UAE gave no details on the nature of the sabotage or who was behind it. It said there were no casualties and operations at Fujairah port were normal.\n\nThe strait, a vital global oil and gas shipping route, separates the Gulf states and Iran, which has been embroiled in an escalating war of words with the United States over sanctions and the U.S. military’s presence in the region.\n\nSaudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih said in a statement that one of the two Saudi vessels attacked was on its way to be loaded with Saudi crude from Ras Tanura port for delivery to state-owned Saudi Aramco’s customers in the United States.\n\nThe attack did not lead to any casualties or an oil spill but caused significant damage to the structures of the two vessels, said the statement carried on state news agency SPA.\n\nTrading and shipping sources identified the Saudi vessels as Bahri-owned very large crude carrier (VLCC) tanker Amjad and crude tanker Al Marzoqah. National Shipping Company of Saudi Arabia (Bahri) did not respond to a request for comment.\n\nFalih said the attack aimed to undermine maritime freedom and “security of oil supplies to consumers all over the world”.\n\n“The international community has a joint responsibility to protect the safety of maritime navigation and the security of oil tankers, to mitigate against the adverse consequences of such incidents on energy markets and the danger they pose to the global economy,” he said.\n\nThe U.S. Maritime Administration said in an advisory on Sunday that the incidents off Fujairah, one of the seven emirates that make up the UAE, have not been confirmed and urged caution when transiting the area. It said “the precise means of attack or sabotage is unknown”.\n\nEarlier this month, the Maritime Administration warned that U.S. commercial ships including oil tankers sailing through key Middle East waterways could be targeted by Iran in one of the threats to U.S. interests posed by Tehran.\n\nIran’s foreign ministry spokesman called the incidents on Sunday to ships near the coast of Fujairah “worrisome and dreadful”, and asked for an investigation into the matter.", "DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Saudi Arabia said Monday two of its oil tankers were sabotaged off the coast of the United Arab Emirates in attacks that caused \"significant damage\" to the vessels.\n\nOne of the ships was en route to pick up Saudi oil to take to the United States.\n\nThe announcement by the kingdom's energy minister, Khalid al-Falih, came as the U.S. issued a new warning to sailors.\n\nEmirati officials have declined to elaborate on the nature of the sabotage or say who might have been responsible.\n\nHowever, the reports come as the U.S. has warned ships that \"Iran or its proxies\" could be targeting maritime traffic in the region, and as America is deploying an aircraft carrier and B-52 bombers to the Persian Gulf to counter alleged threats from Tehran. Iran's ambassador to the United Nations last week denied that Tehran had given a green light to its proxies to attack U.S. forces in the Middle East, accusing U.S. officials of employing \"fake intelligence.\"\n\nTensions have risen in the year since President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, restoring American sanctions that have pushed Iran's economy into crisis. Last week, Iran warned it would begin enriching uranium at higher levels in 60 days if world powers failed to negotiate new terms for the deal.\n\nIn his statement, al-Falih said the attacks on the two tankers happened at 6 a.m. Sunday.\n\n\"One of the two vessels was on its way to be loaded with Saudi crude oil from the port of Ras Tanura, to be delivered to Saudi Aramco's customers in the United States,\" al-Falih said. \"Fortunately, the attack didn't lead to any casualties or oil spill; however, it caused significant damage to the structures of the two vessels.\"\n\nSaudi Arabia did not identify the vessels involved, nor did it say whom it suspected of carrying out the alleged sabotage.\n\nA statement Sunday from the UAE's Foreign Ministry put the ships near the country's territorial waters in the Gulf of Oman, east of the port of Fujairah. It said it was investigating \"in cooperation with local and international bodies.\" It said there were \"no injuries or fatalities on board the vessels\" and \"no spillage of harmful chemicals or fuel.\"\n\nThe U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet, which oversees the region, did not immediately offer comment. Emirati officials declined to answer questions from The Associated Press, saying their investigation is ongoing.\n\nFujairah's port is about 85 miles south of the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which a third of all oil at sea is traded. The facility handles oil for bunkering and shipping, as well as general and bulk cargo. It is seen as strategically located, serving shipping routes in the Persian Gulf, the Indian subcontinent and Africa.\n\nSunday's incident comes after the U.S. Maritime Administration, a division of the U.S. Transportation Department, warned Thursday that Iran could target commercial sea traffic.\n\n\"Since early May, there is an increased possibility that Iran and/or its regional proxies could take action against U.S. and partner interests, including oil production infrastructure, after recently threatening to close the Strait of Hormuz,\" the warning read. \"Iran or its proxies could respond by targeting commercial vessels, including oil tankers, or U.S. military vessels in the Red Sea, Bab-el-Mandeb Strait or the Persian Gulf.\"", "DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The Latest on alleged sabotage of ships off the coast of the United Arab Emirates (all times local):\n\nIran’s Foreign Ministry is calling for clarification about what happened with two Saudi oil tankers that the kingdom said were targeted in a “sabotage attack” off the coast of the United Arab Emirates.\n\nMinistry spokesman Abbas Mousavi on Monday expressed concerns over the explosions that affected the oil tankers and said there should be more information about what exactly happened.\n\nHe says the security of shipping and maritime transport in the region is of paramount importance.\n\nThe state-run IRNA news agency also quoted Mousavi on Monday as cautioning against any “conspiracy orchestrated by ill-wishers” and “adventurism by foreigners” to undermine the region’s stability and security.\n\nSaudi Arabia’s energy minister says two Saudi oil tankers were targeted in a “sabotage attack” off the coast of the United Arab Emirates and sustained “significant damage.”\n\nKhalid Al-Falih made the comments in a statement carried early Monday by the state-run Saudi Press Agency.\n\nHe said the two tankers were targeted off the coast of Fujairah.\n\nHe said one tanker was en route to the kingdom to be loaded with Saudi crude oil to send to the United States.\n\nHe did not identify the tankers.\n\nHe said: “Fortunately, the attack didn’t lead to any casualties or oil spill; however, it caused significant damage to the structures of the two vessels.”\n\nThe UAE on Sunday said an alleged sabotage attack targeted four boats, without elaborating or naming suspects.\n\nThe U.S. has issued a new alert to maritime traffic over alleged “acts of sabotage” of ships off the coast of the United Arab Emirates amid heightened regional tensions between American and Iran.\n\nThe U.S. Maritime Administration, which stressing the incidents had not been confirmed, warned shippers early Monday to exercise caution when travelling past Fujairah, a port city on the eastern edge of the United Arab Emirates on the Gulf of Oman.\n\nIt gave co-ordinates of the alleged sabotage, putting it just north of Fujairah.\n\nThe UAE on Sunday said the sabotage targeted four boats, without elaborating or naming suspects. It came just hours after Iranian and Lebanese media outlets aired false reports of explosions at the nearby Emirati port in Fujairah, which bunkers and ships oil.", "(CNN) Four ships were targeted on Sunday near the strategic Emirati port of Fujairah, in what the UAE described as a \"sabotage attack.\" One was flying a UAE flag, and another the Norwegian flag. The other two were tankers owned by Saudi Arabia, which described the incident as a threat to the security of global oil supplies.\n\nThere were no injuries or deaths, according to the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. It did not elaborate on the nature of the alleged sabotage, or offer any indication as to who might be responsible.\n\nTensions have risen in the oil-rich region in recent weeks amid the deployment of a growing number of United States military assets to the Middle East, due to deteriorating relations with Iran\n\nIran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Seyyed Abbas Mousavi said Monday that the incidents were \"alarming and regrettable,\" and requested further information on the alleged sabotage. He also warned against \"plots by ill-wishers to disrupt regional security\" and called for \"vigilance of regional states in the face of any adventurism by foreign elements.\"\n\nSeveral US officials are cautioning there is no final conclusion on how the ships were damaged. One US official pointed out the lack of detail from the UAE and Saudi Arabia about how the ships were damaged.\n\nIn a tweet, Emirati Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said investigations in the incident were ongoing but that the government had its \"own readings and conclusions.\"\n\n\"The international community (needs to) assume its responsibilities to prevent any parties trying to undermine the security and safety of maritime traffic,\" the ministry said.\n\nWhat we know\n\nThe incident took place near UAE territorial waters in the Gulf of Oman, east of the emirate of Fujairah, the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation said. The ministry added that authorities were working with local and international bodies to investigate the incident, which it described as a \"dangerous development.\"\n\nImages that CNN captured of the Norwegian tanker, Andrea Victory, show damage sustained to the hull of the vessel. In a statement Monday, Thome Ship Management, which manages the ship, confirmed it suffered hull damage after being struck by an unknown object at the waterline and said that it was not in any danger of sinking.\n\nOne of the Saudi vessels was on its way to be loaded with Saudi crude oil from the port of Ras Tanura, to be delivered to customers in the US, Saudi Arabia's state-run Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported Monday. While the agency didn't mention casualties or oil spills, it did say there had been \"significant damage to the structures of the two vessels.\"\n\nOn Monday, the UAE formally asked the US for technical assistance in assessing the vessels' damage, according to a US official. The US experts will look at the damage patterns, try to recover any material from the site, and determine if some kind of missile or weapon hit the ships.\n\nA Monday photo shows the oil tanker \"Amjad,\" one of two Saudi-owned vessels Riyadh says were sabotaged.\n\nRumblings about Iran\n\nLast week, the US Maritime Administration issued an advisory that \"Iran or its proxies\" could be targeting commercial vessels and oil production infrastructure in the region. The warning followed Iran's announcement that it was partially withdrawing from a landmark nuclear deal , the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which the US itself unilaterally exited one year ago.\n\nUS Air Force F-15s and F-35s, along with B-52 bombers, are now flying visible air patrols over the Persian Gulf, according to a US official, who said that the flights were designed to demonstrate to both Iran and US allies that US forces are in a deterrence mode.\n\nSeveral officials say that the US is continuing to conduct intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) flights in the Middle East.\n\nAlso on Monday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo canceled a planned visit to Moscow on Monday and flew to Brussels for talks on Iran with his counterparts from the UK, Germany, France.\n\nAsked later that day if the US was going to war with Iran and if the US was seeking regime change there, Trump said, \"We'll see what happens with Iran.\"\n\nThe Strait of Hormuz: A strategic passage\n\nIran borders the Persian Gulf (also known as the Arabian Gulf) and the Strait of Hormuz, a strategically important waterway\n\nThe US Energy Information Administration calls the Strait of Hormuz \"the world's most important oil transit chokepoint,\" with an estimated 20% of oil traded worldwide moving through the channel, which is about 30 miles wide at its narrowest point.\n\nSaudi Arabian Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih described the incident as a deliberate attempt to \"undermine the freedom of maritime navigation, and the security of oil supplies to consumers all over the world.\"\n\nA senior source at Saudi Arabia's ministry of energy told CNN that the attacks were particularly alarming because the tankers were targeted outside the Strait of Hormuz.\n\nUAE denied earlier reports\n\nThe accusations of sabotage come less than 24 hours after the UAE government denied reports alleging that seven oil tankers were involved in an explosion in the port of Fujairah on Sunday morning.\n\nThe reports were carried first by Lebanon's pro-Hezbollah Al-Mayadeen satellite channel and later picked up by Iran's state-owned Press TV and other outlets.\n\n\"The operations at the port are going as normal,\" a statement from the Emirates News Agency said Sunday. \"Media outlets must be responsible and rely on official sources.\"\n\nThe \"Al-Marzoqah\" tanker belongs to the privately-owned Dubai-based Red Sea Marine Services firm, which was established in Jeddah in 1987.\n\nIn a statement Sunday, the Gulf Cooperation Council condemned those reported \"sabotage operations,\" with council General Secretary Abdul Latif bin Rashid al-Zayani calling the incident a \"dangerous escalation (that) speaks of the evil intentions\" of whoever carried out the attack.", "Four ships, including two Saudi oil tankers, were damaged in mysterious \"sabotage attacks\" that further inflamed Gulf tensions on Monday amid a standoff between the United States and Iran.\n\nIn the face of growing international concern, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo scrapped a planned visit to Moscow to head to Brussels instead for talks with European officials on Iran.\n\nTehran called for an investigation into Sunday's \"alarming\" attacks off the Emirati coast and warned of \"adventurism\" by foreign players to disrupt maritime security.\n\nBritain warned of the danger of conflict erupting \"by accident\" in the Gulf.\n\nThe US has already strengthened its military presence in the region, including deploying a number of strategic B-52 bombers in response to alleged Iranian threats.\n\nSaudi Arabia, the Islamic republic's regional arch-rival, condemned \"the acts of sabotage which targeted commercial and civilian vessels near the territorial waters of the United Arab Emirates\", a foreign ministry source said.\n\n\"This criminal act constitutes a serious threat to the security and safety of maritime navigation and adversely impacts regional and international peace and security,\" the source added.\n\nA UAE government official said the Saudi oil tankers Al-Marzoqah and Amjad were attacked off the emirate of Fujairah along with the Norwegian tanker Andrea Victory and an Emirati ship, the A. Michel.\n\nThe Andrea Victory's managers, Thome Group, said the tanker had a hole in the hull area \"after being struck by an unknown object on the waterline\".\n\nThe crew were unharmed and the ship was not in any danger of sinking, it said.\n\nSaudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih said the kingdom's two tankers suffered \"significant damage\" but there were no casualties or any oil spill.\n\nNeither Saudi Arabia nor the UAE gave details on the nature of the attacks or accused anyone of responsibility.\n\nThe UAE minister of state for foreign affairs, Anwar Gargash, said the Emirates would probe the \"deliberate sabotage\" of the ships.\n\nFujairah port is the only Emirati terminal located on the Arabian Sea coast, bypassing the Strait of Hormuz, through which most Gulf oil exports pass.\n\nIran has repeatedly threatened to close the strait in case of a military confrontation with the United States.\n\n\"If, and it's an 'IF', there really has been a deliberate attempt to damage these oil tankers, then it's possibly a warning from Iran about the consequences of anybody taking military action against Iranian targets anywhere in the region,\" said Middle East analyst Neil Partrick.\n\nOil prices rose on world markets on Monday with benchmark Brent North Sea crude up 1.6 percent at $71.74 a barrel in London.\n\nIranian foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi expressed concern over the incidents which he called \"alarming and regrettable\".\n\nHe \"warned against plots by ill-wishers to disrupt regional security\" and \"called for the vigilance of regional states in the face of any adventurism by foreign elements\", a statement said.\n\nAlmost all the oil exports of Saudi Arabia, Iraq, UAE, Kuwait, Qatar and Iran itself, at least 15 million barrels per day, are shipped through the Strait of Hormuz.\n\nThe Saudi minister denounced the attack on the vessels, saying it \"aims to undermine the freedom of maritime navigation and the security of oil supplies to consumers all over the world.\"\n\nThe UAE had earlier categorically denied reports on social media of massive explosions in oil tankers off the coast of Fujairah, whose port on Monday was calm with no signs of damage.\n\nKaren Young, a resident scholar at the Washington-based American Enterprise Institute think tank, said the incidents were \"clearly... more than a one off attack, but something more coordinated.\"\n\n\"Tensions are high and have been escalated by the US as well. We have to be wary of tit for tat provocations, and those that may be misinterpreted or even false flag actions,\" she told AFP.\n\nThe six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council -- which includes Saudi Arabia and the UAE -- as well as the Arab League condemned Sunday's incident.\n\n\"This is a dangerous escalation representing evil intentions by those that planned and executed this operation,\" said GCC secretary general Abdullatif al-Zayani.\n\nArab League chief Ahmed Aboul Gheit said the \"criminal acts were a dangerous violation of the freedom and safety of trade\".\n\n\"We are very worried about the risk of a conflict happening by accident with an escalation that is unintended on either side but ends with some kind of conflict,\" he said as he arrived for a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels.\n\nGerman Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said he used a one-on-one meeting with Pompeo to stress that \"we are concerned about the development and the tensions in the region, that we do not want there to be a military escalation\".\n\nShiite-majority Iran rivals Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia for influence in the Middle East, with the two taking opposing sides in multiple regional conflicts including in Yemen.\n\nLast year, Saudi Arabia temporarily suspended oil shipments through the Bab al-Mandab strait -- a vital shipping route between the Arabian Peninsula and the Horn of Africa -- after two of its ships were attacked by Iran-aligned Yemeni rebels.\n\nThe increasing tensions come after Tehran said Wednesday it had stopped respecting limits on its nuclear activities agreed under a 2015 deal that has since been abandoned by Washington.", "Trump warns Iran after vessels sabotaged off coast of UAE\n\nWASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is warning Iran, saying that if Tehran does \"anything\" in the form of an attack \"they will suffer greatly.\"\n\nTrump was asked Monday about two Saudi oil tankers and a Norwegian-flagged vessel being damaged in what Gulf officials described as a \"sabotage\" attack off the coast of the United Arab Emirates.\n\nDetails of the incident remain unclear. But it raised risks for shippers in a region vital to global energy supplies at a time of increasing tensions between the U.S. and Iran over its unraveling nuclear deal with world powers.\n\nTrump was asked about the sabotage, and responded: \"It's going to be a bad problem for Iran if something happens.\"\n\nHe spoke to reporters in the Oval Office while meeting with the prime minister of Hungary.", "LONDON (Reuters) - A senior Iranian lawmaker said on Monday that “saboteurs from a third country” could be behind explosions near Fujairah port in the United Arab Emirates.\n\n“The explosions of Fujairah port could have been carried out by saboteurs from a third country who seek instability in the region,” Heshmatollah Falahatpisheh, head of parliament’s national security committee, was quoted as saying by the state news agency IRNA.\n\nSaudi Arabia’s Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih said on Monday that two Saudi oil tankers were targeted on Sunday in “a sabotage attack” off the coast of Fujairah, part of the United Arab Emirates, threatening the security of global oil supplies."], "summary": "The United Arab Emirates reports four commercial vessels were subject to \"sabotage operations\" just outside its territorial waters in the Gulf of Oman and two of the vessels suffer \"significant damage\" to their structure off the coast of Fujairah. One of the vessels was en route to the United Arab Emirates to be loaded with Saudi Arabia crude oil and sent to the United States."}
{"document": ["Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government has been running a network of secret torture facilities across Syria while the country's civil war unfolded, a new report has found.\n\nIn a lengthy report, the New York Times found that the rate at which people are being detained in the country is still increasing, despite Assad's military win in the bloody conflict - now in its ninth year.\n\nIn the report, several survivors shared gruesome testimonies of how they were arrested and tortured across a number of prison facilities run by the Syrian intelligence.\n\nThe survivors are just a handful of hundreds of thousands of people believed to have passed through the secret prison system since the Syrian uprising kicked off in 2011.\n\nMemos sent to Syria's head of military intelligence, and obtained by the New York Times, are reporting the deaths of those imprisoned, while also apparently showing government officials ordering crackdowns and discussing deaths in detention, the Times reported.\n\n\"The memos were signed by top security officials, including members of the Central Crisis Management Committee, which reports directly to Mr. al-Assad,\" the Times reported.\n\nThe exact number of civilians detained in these prisons is unknown, but around 128,000 Syrians are either considered to be detained or dead, according to the Syrian Network for Human Rights.\n\n170207035230495\n\nNearly 14,000 were killed as a result of torture. Testimonies by survivors of the prison system reveal torture methods including regular beatings, hanging by the wrists, being shocked with electricity, rape, and other forms of sexual assault.\n\nOther methods have forced detainees to \"act like animals\" and \"beat or kill one another\".\n\nMethods of routine torture have been utilised as a tool to crack down on opposition and dissent, and according to the Times, have been \"critical\" to Assad's military success in Syria.\n\nAlthough the Syrian government has denied that it carries out systematic abuse, it has recently acknowledged the death of hundreds in detention by issuing death certificates, or \"listing them as dead\" in family registration files.\n\nThe Times said the millions of relatives of those missing detainees remain living in \"social and psychological limbo\".\n\n\"Without death certificates, presumed widows cannot remarry. Children cannot inherit,\" the report read.\n\nA United Nations panel said last year that the conditions of the prisons – where detainees, crammed in tiny cells, are often denied water, clean food, blankets, and clothes – amounted to \"extermination\".\n\nMedical neglect and poor hygiene conditions have claimed the lives of many in detention, the Times revealed. The Times said those transferred to a military hospital are also unsafe as many have been tortured and killed by the staff.\n\nAccording to the Syrian Network for Human Rights, government detention accounts for about 90 percent of all disappearance cases in Syria - a figure significantly higher than the number of people detained by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, or ISIS), the Times said.\n\nWhile Assad and his aides remain in power, a growing movement is seeking justice via European courts. French and German prosecutors have arrested three former security officials, the Times said, and have issued arrest warrants for individuals including Syria's national security head, Ali Mamlouk.\n\nToday, there are nearly six million Syrian refugees who fled the war in Syria. Even as the war ends, many fear persecution upon returning and have voiced their need for a UN-sponsored safe return process.", "Ghabbash, a law student from Aleppo, repeatedly confessed his actual offense: organizing peaceful anti-government protests. But the torture continued for 12 days, until he wrote a fictional confession to planning a bombing.\n\nThat, he said, was just the beginning.\n\nHe was flown to a crammed prison at Mezze air base in Damascus, the Syrian capital, where he said guards hung him and other detainees from a fence naked, spraying them with water on cold nights. To entertain colleagues over dinner, he and other survivors said, an officer calling himself Hitler forced prisoners to act like dogs, donkeys and cats, beating those who failed to bark or bray correctly.\n\nIn a military hospital, he said, he watched a nurse bash the face of an amputee who begged for painkillers. In yet another prison, he counted 19 cellmates who died from disease, torture and neglect in a single month.\n\n“I was among the lucky,” said Ghabbash, 31, who survived 19 months in detention until a judge was bribed to free him.\n\nAs Syria’s president, Bashar Assad, closes in on victory over an eight-year revolt, a secret, industrial-scale system of arbitrary arrests and torture prisons has been pivotal to his success. While the Syrian military, backed by Russia and Iran, fought armed rebels for territory, the government waged a ruthless war on civilians, throwing hundreds of thousands into filthy dungeons where thousands were tortured and killed.\n\nNearly 128,000 have never emerged, and are presumed to be either dead or still in custody, according to the Syrian Network for Human Rights, an independent monitoring group that keeps the most rigorous tally. Nearly 14,000 were “killed under torture.” Many prisoners die from conditions so dire that a UN investigation labelled the process “extermination.”\n\nNow, even as the war winds down, the world’s attention fades and countries start to normalise relations with Syria, the pace of new arrests, torture and execution is increasing. Detainees have recently smuggled out warnings that hundreds are being sent to an execution site, Saydnaya Prison, and newly released prisoners report that killings there are accelerating.\n\nThe Syrian government has denied the existence of systematic abuse. However, newly discovered government memos show that Syrian officials who report directly to Assad ordered mass detentions and knew of atrocities.\n\nWar crimes investigators with the non-profit Commission for International Justice and Accountability, or CIJA, have found government memos ordering crackdowns and discussing deaths in detention. The memos were signed by top security officials, including members of the Central Crisis Management Committee, which reports directly to Assad.\n\nA military intelligence memo acknowledges deaths from torture and filthy conditions. Other memos report deaths of detainees, some later identified among photos of corpses smuggled out by a military police defector. Two memos authorise “harsh” treatment of specific detainees. A memo from the head of military intelligence, Rafiq Shehadeh, orders officers to take steps to ensure “judicial immunity” for security officials.\n\nIn an interview in 2016, Assad cast doubt on the truthfulness of survivors and the families of the missing. Any abuses, he said, were isolated mistakes unavoidable in a war.\n\nOver seven years, The New York Times has interviewed dozens of survivors and relatives of dead and missing detainees, reviewed government documents and examined hundreds of pages of witness testimony. The survivors’ accounts align with accounts from other prisoners held in the same jails, and are supported by the government memos and by photos smuggled out of Syrian prisons.\n\nThere is little hope for holding top officials accountable anytime soon. But there is a growing movement to seek justice through European courts. French and German prosecutors have arrested three former security officials and issued international arrest warrants for Syria’s national security chief, Ali Mamlouk; its air force intelligence director, Jamil Hassan; and others for torture and deaths in prison of citizens or residents of those countries.\n\nYet Assad and his lieutenants remain in power, safe from arrest, protected by Russia with its military might and its veto in the UN Security Council. At the same time, Arab states are restoring relations with Damascus and European countries are considering following suit.\n\nThat impunity is not just a domestic Syrian problem. Without security reforms, the 5 million Syrian refugees in the Middle East and Europe are unlikely to return home to risk arbitrary arrest.\n\n“Justice is not a Syrian luxury,” Mazen Darwish, a Syrian human rights lawyer, said in Berlin, where he has assisted prosecutors. “It’s the world’s problem.”\n\nIt was the detention and torture of several teenagers in March 2011, for scrawling graffiti critical of Assad, that pushed Syrians to join the uprisings then sweeping Arab countries. Demonstrations protesting their treatment spread from their hometown, Daraa, leading to more arrests, which galvanised more protests.\n\nA flood of detainees from all over Syria joined the dissidents at Saydnaya Prison. The new detainees ranged “from the garbageman to the peasant to the engineer to the doctor, all classes of Syrians,” said Riyad Avlar, a Turkish citizen who was held for 20 years after being arrested in 1996, as a 19-year-old student, for interviewing Syrians about a prison massacre.\n\nTorture increased, he said; the newcomers were sexually assaulted, beaten on the genitals, and forced to beat or even kill one another.\n\nNo one knows exactly how many Syrians have passed through the system since; rights groups estimate hundreds of thousands to a million. The Syrian Network’s tally of 127,916 people currently caught in the system is probably an undercount. The number, a count of arrests reported by detainees’ families and other witnesses, does not include people later released or confirmed dead.\n\nBecause of government secrecy, no one knows how many have died in custody, but thousands of deaths were recorded in memos and photographs. A former military police officer, known only as Caesar to protect his safety, fled Syria with pictures of at least 6,700 corpses, bone-thin and battered, which shocked the world when they emerged in 2014.\n\nGhabbash, the protest organiser from Aleppo, survived torture at at least 12 facilities, making him, he says, “a tour guide” to the system. His odyssey began in 2011, when he was 22.\n\nGhabbash was hung up, beaten and whipped in a string of military and general intelligence facilities, he said.\n\nIn March 2012, Ghabbash was flown to Mezze military air base, named for a well-off Damascus neighborhood nearby.\n\nBy then, he and numerous survivors said, there was an industrial-scale transportation system among prisons. Detainees were tortured on each leg of their journeys. Some recalled riding for hours in trucks normally used for animal carcasses, chained to meat hooks. Ghabbash’s new cell was typical: 12 feet long, 9 feet wide, usually packed so tightly that prisoners had to sleep in shifts.\n\nOutside the cell, a man was blindfolded and handcuffed in the corridor. It was Darwish, the human rights lawyer. He had been singled out for lecturing a judge on Syrian laws guaranteeing fair trials.\n\nHe later ticked off his punishment: “Naked, no water, no sleep, forced to drink my pee.”\n\nPrison torture grew more brutal and baroque as rebels outside made advances and government warplanes bombed restive neighborhoods. Survivors describe sadistic treatment, rape, summary executions or detainees left to die of untreated wounds and illnesses.\n\nAfter weeks or months, many prisoners got so-called trials lasting minutes with no defense lawyers. Ghabbash’s was typical. At a military “field court” in 2012, he heard a judge rattle off his conviction, “terrorism that destroyed public property,” and his sentence: death.\n\n“The whole trial was 1 1/2 minutes,” he said.\n\nHe expected to go to Saydnaya Prison, which by then was a mass execution center. Thousands have been hanged there after summary trials, according to an Amnesty International report.\n\n“Good, it’s finished,” he recalled thinking. But it was not. He would endure another year of daily beatings.\n\nHis last stint was in a makeshift prison deep underground near Damascus, a military bunker of the elite 4th Division, a fief of Assad’s brother Maher. There were no more interrogations.\n\n“Torture just for torture,” said Darwish, who was also transferred there. “For revenge, for killing, for breaking the people.”\n\nWomen and girls have been raped and sexually assaulted in at least 20 intelligence branches, and men and boys in 15 of those, a UN human rights commission reported last year.\n\nSexual assault is a double-barrelled weapon in traditional Muslim communities, where survivors are often stigmatised. Relatives have killed female ex-detainees in honour killings, sometimes merely on the assumption they have been raped, rights reports and survivors say.\n\nMariam Khleif, a 32-year-old mother of five from Hama, was repeatedly raped during her detention. Khleif said she had aided injured protesters and delivered medical supplies to rebels, acts that the government labelled terrorism.\n\nKhleif’s family rejected her over what they considered her loss of honor and her politics, she said. Her pro-government brother texted death threats; her husband divorced her.\n\nFor some conservative men, the conflict changed attitudes. Several survivors and male relatives say their families now honour sexual assault survivors as war wounded. Khleif hid nothing from her new husband, a former rebel.\n\n“You are a medal on my chest, you are the crown on my head,” she recalled him telling her.\n\nDetainees and defectors have risked their lives to tell their families, and the world, of their plight.\n\nIn the 4th Division dungeon, several detainees decided to smuggle out the names of every prisoner they could identify.\n\n“Even though we are three stories underground, still we can continue our work,” recalled one, Mansour Omari, who said he was imprisoned for human rights work.\n\nAnother detainee, Nabil Shurbaji — a journalist who, by coincidence, was the first to inspire Ghabbash to activism in 2011 and later shared his cell in Mezze — tried to write on cloth scraps with tomato paste. Too faint. Shurbaji finally used the detainees’ own blood, from their malnourished gums, mixed with rust. A detained tailor sewed the scraps into Omari’s shirt. He made it out.\n\nThe message in blood reached Western capitals; the shirt scraps were displayed at the Holocaust Museum in Washington. Two years later, a released detainee reported that Shurbaji had been beaten to death.\n\nSyria’s war remains without a political solution. With peace talks stalled, Russia is urging the West to normalise and finance reconstruction anyway, deferring reforms. The millions of relatives of missing detainees float in a social and psychological limbo. Without death certificates, presumed widows cannot remarry. Children cannot inherit.\n\nIn Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, Jordan, Germany, France, Sweden and beyond, families and survivors push on. After he was freed in 2013, Ghabbash landed in Gaziantep, Turkey, where he runs women’s rights and aid programs for refugees in the last patch of rebel-held Syria.\n\nDarwish struggles with insomnia and claustrophobia, but continues his work for accountability. He recently testified about Mezze prison in a French court hearing in the case of a Syrian-French father and son who died there. That helped French prosecutors secure arrest warrants for Mamlouk, the top security official, Hassan, the air force intelligence chief, and the head of Mezze prison. Now, Mamlouk could be arrested if he travels to Europe.\n\nThe threat of prosecution, Darwish said, is the only tool left to save detainees.\n\n“It gives you energy, but it’s a heavy responsibility,” he said. “This could save a soul. Some are my friends. When I was released they said, ‘Please don’t forget us.’”", "On Sunday, the Times published an exhaustively reported and harrowing story about Bashar al-Assad’s secret network of prisons, which also serve as torture sites and execution centers. According to the Syrian Network for Human Rights, an independent monitoring group, nearly a hundred and twenty-eight thousand people are presumed to have been killed in the prisons or are being held there in custody—and nearly fourteen thousand have been killed by torture. Many prisoners die from conditions so dire that a United Nations investigation labelled the process “extermination.”\n\nEight years into the Syrian civil war, with Assad’s regime quickly gaining ground, Anne Barnard, of the Times, tells the stories of numerous survivors of the prison system, including details of the torture, sexual violence, and dehumanization that they faced there. Former prisoners recalled a guard who went by the name Hitler, who forced them “to act the roles of dogs, donkeys and cats, beating those who failed to bark or bray correctly.” Mariam Khlief and six other women were held in a basement cell, where they were beaten, tortured, and repeatedly raped. Survivors recalled blood from violent rapes staining the floor, guards stuffing excrement in the mouths of prisoners, and “a man who doubled as a nurse and a guard and called himself Azrael,” the angel of death, who murdered prisoners at night. It is almost impossible to do justice to the depth of Barnard’s reporting and the evil it describes.\n\nBarnard, who has been working on the story for seven years, holds the Edward R. Murrow Press Fellowship at the Council on Foreign Relations. She previously spent six years as the Times’ Beirut bureau chief. After the story was posted online, I spoke with her by phone. During our conversation, which has been edited for length and clarity, we discussed how Syria’s prisons have changed in the past several decades, whether the Western focus on ISIS warped our understanding of the Syrian civil war, and the long-term consequences of systemized torture.\n\nHow did you decide to turn all this reporting from over seven years, as the piece says, into one giant story?\n\nOver the years, the pivotal importance of the detention system and rampant torture and even the fear of the detention—the pivotal role that that whole complex played in the trajectory and outcome of the war—became more and more clear. We had spent years covering the things that were happening more out in the open—I’m talking about the barrel bombs, the artillery attacks on neighborhoods, the war planes bombing neighborhoods, the attacks on medical facilities. All those things were, when they started to happen, in a way more newsy than the prisons, because the prisons had existed for decades before the civil war even began, before the political protests even began. These prisons are a reason why there was an uprising, and they were also the pivotal tool for suppressing that uprising.\n\nI just continued to believe, the more it took shape in my mind, that this had actually been a pivotal factor in the outcome of the conflict, and the more we talked to hundreds of Syrians in the course of our work, we understood that almost every Syrian seemed to have somebody who was lost inside this system. So the scale, as well as the integrity of it.\n\nAssad’s regime has always been a dictatorship, as was the regime of his father. How rampant was torture before the civil war began, in 2011? You write that Assad kept his father’s system of detention in place. But did it grow just in that there were more and more people thrown into prisons, or did the way the prisons operate change as well over these years?\n\nIt’s more the former than the latter. We have the account of a guy who had been in prison for almost twenty years when the uprising started, so he commented on how it changed. There was a much bigger flood of people coming to the prisons, and they were no longer just the long-term, hardcore dissidents that he described as almost élite political prisoners, like a club. All of a sudden, the prisons started getting completely packed with every kind of Syrian, he said, from the professor to the doctor to the garbage man. Because there was this much bigger scale of roundups going on.\n\nAnd he said, at the same time, the torture became worse. Torture became more intense and chaotic and sadistic. And that account is echoed by others who were in the prisons at that period.\n\nOne thing that I thought was interesting about the piece is the way that the behavior of the guards and the people running the prison system seems at times calculated but at other times simply sadistic. You’re describing how this system became more sadistic. Is that mostly the regime’s plan to instill fear and win the civil war, or is it also that, because it’s wartime, there are more prisons, the prisons are being run by people who don’t have training, and things get out of hand, even beyond the disturbing plans of the regime?\n\nThere are elements of both. I think that a lot of the sadism you’re describing is not new; it is not rogue. It is similar to what happened in the Tadmor prison after the Hama uprising, in 1982, even down to forcing prisoners to pretend to be animals. Even that has been described by prisoners from the eighties, and all the specific torture methods have been used all along. So I think the idea that things got out of hand and this was somehow out of the norm—unfortunately, from our reporting, the more chilling thing is that these things were not that unusual. This was the way it was in these prisons.\n\nIs the same true for sexual violence?\n\nYes. Of course not every female prisoner was raped every day, like Mariam [Khleif]. That really did seem to vary from location to location in these prisons. And anecdotally it varied, but one degree of sexual assault or another was extremely rampant. Everything from pretending that they’re searching your body cavities, but really it’s being done by a man to a woman, and it’s being done in a lewd manner—this kind of stuff. There was a recent study, which I don’t think was included in our story, that found that a very high percentage of men had experienced one form of sexual assault or sexual humiliation or another. The pattern suggests that it is a deliberate attempt to humiliate and demoralize people and to make the cost of any kind of civil protests too high.\n\nIn Syria, women who were been raped or sexually assaulted were often seen as having lost honor or having brought dishonor upon their family. But what you say is that, for some men, this is no longer the case, which I suppose at one level is a great thing, but it felt like maybe the implication of what you were saying is that this change has only come about because it’s become so widespread and overwhelming. Is my interpretation fair or am I reading too much into what you’re saying?\n\nI don’t know whether it’s because of it being widespread, or if it’s because of the political context. But it was something that I wasn’t particularly looking for or expecting to find but found notable enough to mention in this story, that some families from very conservative backgrounds had changed their opinion about this as a result of the war.\n\nThere is an amazing story, which is not in this piece because it has to do with prisons. I met a woman who had been one of the survivors at the Hula massacre, which was a situation where militia members went into a village where some of the men were armed rebels, and went from house to house raping and killing women, mostly with knives. This woman witnessed the rapes and murders of several of her daughters, and they raped her. I can’t remember why they didn’t kill her, but, when her brother came to the door and found her naked, she came running to him and she thought he was going to kill her right there. And he didn’t. He said, “No, I’m not going to kill you.” And then I met her son, who said, “Yes, these women in our family who survived this, we honor them the same way we honor people that were wounded in the war.” So that was an incredibly disturbing and moving story—that she thought her own brother would kill her after she just survived this, and he immediately saw it differently.\n\nThat’s a good point you raise also about it occurring in the context of the civil war, that people might see it differently.\n\nWell, that they’re like martyrs for the cause. Just like anybody else.\n\nHow does the group that you’re quoting, especially at the beginning of the story, the Syrian Network for Human Rights, compile these astonishingly bleak figures?\n\nThe reason that they are considered the most rigorous and reliably conservative numbers, which are used by many U.N. agencies and governments and human-rights organizations, is that their numbers are not extrapolations or estimates. Their numbers are actual counts of reports that they get. They have people on the ground and people outside Syria, and they basically just take phone calls, and they also have a form on their Web site that you can fill in. They go through the detailed report to them, they verify what they can, and they take this actual tally. A death has to be reported by a family member or direct witness. They don’t take third-party accounts. They even have a guy who goes back and calls the people who have been listed as possible family members of people who have been listed as missing for a long time, to find out if they’re still missing or not. The guy who runs the place told me that they all need therapy, because all they do is take these reports from these family members and contact all these family members. All the people in his organization, like all the Syrians who are working on this and journalists—it piles up to be a large load of trauma and despair.\n\nYou mentioned that, especially earlier in the war, there was more of a focus on things like barrel bombs. I do not mean this as a criticism at all of any of the incredible ISIS reporting that a lot of people have done, but do you ever think that the obsessive focus on ISIS and its brutality, including from the American government, warped people’s idea of what was going on in Syria, and which side was committing the most atrocities?\n\nYes. ISIS and Assad both, in their own ways, played on the tendency of people in the West to be disproportionately terrified by Islamist terrorism, which is partly a phenomenon of Islamophobia and partly the over-weighting of terrorism that everybody does, because it’s such a sensational type of event. ISIS wanted its attacks to be publicized, and they did it on purpose, to terrify people and to expand their reach through psychological terror. Assad very specifically wanted to show the world that he was fighting terrorists and jihadists, whereas, in fact, his government is using all the machinery of the state, and the numbers of people that they are killing and arresting is much, much higher than the numbers that were harmed by ISIS, as terrible and criminal as ISIS’s acts were.\n\nIf the war keeps going in Assad’s favor, do you see any sign of this slowing down? Or do you think that this level of repression is likely to be the new norm as the war goes even more in his favor?\n\nUnfortunately, yes. There’s an offensive right now, this weekend, trying to take territory in Idlib, and, while Idlib had become the last bastion of a lot of militant groups, it’s also where several million civilians have taken refuge, including those who fled from other areas that the government took over. So that’s a population that typically went to Idlib to avoid being detained, and, if that territory is retaken, those people risk being detained. More broadly, five million refugees don’t want to go back to Syria when there’s still a danger of being sucked into the system.\n\nI asked a lot of people this question. I said, “Is there any reason to believe that Assad will become, let’s say, more magnanimous in victory? That he would ease up on this?” Everybody who had an experience with this system said that they believe, to the contrary, that the oppression will stay just as tight and that, in fact, the system might come back around to arrest the people that they forgot before.\n\nAnd, really, one of the things that has the most impact for me is that, just as after the Hama massacre, in 1982, it was forbidden to talk about these massacres. So all this trauma had to go underground. It was repressed both psychologically and politically. It could not be talked about. That buried trauma and anger and unresolved conflict is part of what burst into the open when the 2011 uprising began.\n\nSo now we’re talking about something that was much bigger than Hama, and we’re talking about literally millions of Syrians who have a relative who is still missing inside the system and they can’t even talk about it. They can be arrested for even talking about it. And beyond that, there’s evidence that some of the people who have taken what they call reconciliation deals to stay in their homes and be under the government’s control—some of those people end up being arrested anyway.\n\nHow did reporting on Syria change over the course of the seven years that you reported this story?\n\nThere were a lot of things that evolved over time. Syria ended up becoming, in some ways, the most documented conflict maybe in history. What changed over time was that we were able to build amazing networks, really on all sides of the conflict, where we could have unprecedented real-time access to people in places that we couldn’t physically reach.\n\nBut, at the same time, the physical access has waxed and waned. The government is very unpredictable about when and if it will give a visa to go to their side. We used to have a team inside the rebel-held territories all the time. And then that stopped when the bombing from the government got so intense and the risk of kidnapping increased. Then at some point the New York Times didn’t let people go anymore. Then it became possible to go sometimes into Kurdish-held areas, but not always.\n\nSo it’s really been a mixed bag in terms of access, but I also think that one thing that’s happened is that, certainly, over the last year, the interest in day-to-day coverage and even enterprise coverage has really decreased. And that’s one of the reasons I wanted to do this piece. Now, more than ever, it’s important to keep this in focus and not forget about it, as the world thinks that the war is over and they’re moving on and they’re even considering normalizing relations with this government. We have to know what it is that they’re normalizing with.", "One government memo urged personnel to complete paperwork to protect officials from future prosecution.\n\nThe prison system is an integral part of the war effort.\n\nWhile the Syrian military, backed by Russia and Iran, fought armed rebels for territory, the prison system was the government’s main weapon against the civilian opposition. Imprisonment and torture crushed the civil protest movement and helped drive the opposition into an armed conflict it could not win.\n\nDetainees are regularly beaten, hung by their wrists, beaten while crammed inside tires, shocked with electricity and sexually assaulted.\n\nMore baroque forms of torture include forcing detainees to act like animals, beat or kill one another, and dousing them with fuel and burning them.\n\nCells are often so crowded that detainees take turns lying down to sleep.\n\nFood is scarce. Toilets are often absent, diarrhea rampant. Injuries and illnesses, usually left untreated, lead to lingering deaths.", "GAZIANTEP, Turkey — Syrian security officers hung Muhannad Ghabbash from his wrists for hours, beat him bloody, shocked him with electricity and stuck a gun in his mouth.\n\nMr. Ghabbash, a law student from Aleppo, repeatedly confessed his actual offense: organizing peaceful antigovernment protests. But the torture continued for 12 days, until he wrote a fictional confession to planning a bombing.\n\nThat, he said, was just the beginning.\n\nHe was flown to a crammed prison at Mezze air base in Damascus, the Syrian capital, where he said guards hung him and other detainees from a fence naked, spraying them with water on cold nights. To entertain colleagues over dinner, he and other survivors said, an officer calling himself Hitler forced prisoners to act the roles of dogs, donkeys and cats, beating those who failed to bark or bray correctly.\n\nIn a military hospital, he said, he watched a nurse bash the face of an amputee who begged for painkillers. In yet another prison, he counted 19 cellmates who died from disease, torture and neglect in a single month."], "summary": "Memos sent to Syria's head of military intelligence, and obtained by the New York Times, report that President Bashar al-Assad's government has been running a network of secret torture facilities across Syria, crushing opposition via routine torture in secret prisons."}
{"document": ["FILE PHOTO: A police officer stands next to the crime scene after Argentine Congressman Hector Olivares was injured and his adviser, Miguel Yadon, was killed in an attack near the National Congress in Buenos Aires, Argentina May 9, 2019. REUTERS/Agustin Marcarian/File Photo\n\nBUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Argentine lawmaker Hector Olivares died on Sunday after he was shot in what authorities called a “mafia-style” attack outside Congress in downtown Buenos Aires on Thursday, according to state-run news agency Telam.\n\nOlivares underwent surgery after being shot and had been listed in “serious condition,” officials said. But he died at Ramos Mejia hospital in Buenos Aires, Telam reported, citing police and judicial sources.\n\nGovernment aide Miguel Yadon was also shot in the attack and died at the scene.\n\nArgentine authorities announced the arrests of members of a mafia gang on Friday. Security Minister Patricia Bullrich said that all members of the group had been detained, including one who had fled across the border to Uruguay.\n\nLocal officials and media have indicated the motive was personal, rather than political, and that the gang had targeted Yadon specifically.", "El diputado radical Héctor Olivares murió este domingo, después del brutal ataque a tiros del que fue víctima junto su asesor Miguel Yadón el jueves por la mañana. El legislador de La Rioja estaba internado en estado crítico en el hospital Ramos Mejía.\n\nLeé también Quién es Héctor Olivares, el diputado radical baleado en la esquina del Congreso\n\nEl subdirector del centro de salud, Pablo Rossini, había detallado que el diputado tenía tres sistemas vitales muy afectados por los balazos y que estaba en terapia intensiva con riesgo de vida.\n\nUn gran dolor la muerte del diputado Olivares. Un fuerte abrazo a su familia, correligionarios y amigos. — Federico Pinedo (@PinedoFederico) 12 de mayo de 2019\n\nOlivares tenía 61 años y era el presidente del Comité Provincial de la UCR, mandato que había renovado en 2015 con más del 50% de los votos. En una de sus últimas reuniones había tratado una iniciativa para combatir las barras bravas.\n\nEl diputado riojano era ingeniero agrónomo y él mismo se definía en su biografía en las redes sociales como \"productor olivícola y Arauqueño\". También era titular de la comisión de Transporte. En su extensa lista de actividades, además participaba como vocal en las comisiones de Deportes, Economía, Recursos Naturales y Conservación del Ambiente Humano, Agricultura y Ganadería; Economías y Desarrollo Regional, Asuntos Cooperativos, Mutuales y de Organizaciones no gubernamentales.\n\nEl jueves pasado a primera hora de la mañana, mientras caminaba junto a su asesor Yadón por la esquina de Sáenz Peña y avenida de Mayo, fue baleado desde un Volskwagen Vento que estaba estacionado a pocos metros del lugar. En total, hubo una ráfaga de 13 disparos.\n\nLeé también Detuvieron al último prófugo y ahora creen que fue el que disparó\n\nPor el ataque, hubo seis detenidos. Juan Jesús \"El Gitano\" Fernández era el hombre que manejaba el auto, mientras que Juan José \"Cebolla\" Navarro Cádiz era el acompañante que habría disparado.\n\nEn la lista de arrestados también figuran otros miembros de la familia de \"El Gitano\". Su hija, Estefanía Fernández, quedó involucrada ya que en una primera instancia sospecharon que era la amante de Yadón y que ese supuesto amorío había generado una \"venganza\" familiar, aunque después se descartó. Rafael Cano Carmona, cuñado de Fernández, tiene a nombre una cédula azul del Volskwagen de la balacera. Luis Cano, familiar de Carmona, es el titular del vehículo. Y Miguel Navarro Fernández, era el conductor del Renault 19 en donde detuvieron a \"El Gitano\" en Concepción del Uruguay.\n\nEl abogado de Juan Jesús Fernández, Ramiro Rúa,descartó que se haya tratado de un \"atentado\" premeditado y que, en realidad, fue un ataque al azar. El letrado, en diálogo con TN, reiteró que \"Cebolla\" sería el autor de los homicidios.\n\n\"(Fernández) Fue a la plaza Congreso, dejó el auto ahí para reunirse con gente que iba a jugar a las cartas, se encuentra con Navarro Cádiz y ocurrió el hecho\", aseguró. Según Rúa, esa madrugada Navarro Cádiz \"estaba muy irascible y violento porque había discutido con su esposa, que era algo cotidiano, Fernández lo estaba tratando de calmar y de repente sacó el arma y disparó\".", "An Argentine lawmaker who was shot last Thursday outside the Congress building in the capital, Buenos Aires, has died of his wounds. Héctor Olivares, 61, was a member of Congress for the governing Cambiemos coalition.\n\nPolice think the shooting was not politically motivated and that the target was a friend of Olivares’, Miguel Marcelo Yadón.\n\nThe two men were shot at from a car. Six people have been arrested. Yadón, 58, was hit five times and died on the spot.\n\nOlivares was hit by three bullets and died in hospital on Sunday. “Yadón was the murder target. Our hypothesis is that it was a personal attack,” Public Safety Minister Patricia Bullrich said.\n\nLocal media reported that all those detained allegedly belonged to the same criminal gang.\n\nThey also said that the motive for the killing may have been an alleged relationship Yadón was having with the daughter of one of the suspects.\n\nArgentine President Mauricio Macri has declared two days of mourning for Olivares, whom he described as a hard-working, popular and upstanding man. (BBC)", "An Argentine lawmaker died Sunday of gunshot wounds he suffered last week in a daylight attack outside the Congress building in Buenos Aires.\n\nThe death of Hector Olivares, 61, was announced by his ruling party coalition, called Cambiemos.\n\nSix people have been detained, including two men arrested Friday for the shooting which happened a day earlier and left Marcelo Yadon, a civil servant, dead at the scene.\n\nHe had been walking with Olivares.\n\nAuthorities say they do not think the shooting was politically motivated.\n\nYadon, 58, was hit five times at close range as he walked in a square in front of the National Congress with Olivares, a childhood friend.\n\nOlivares was struck in the abdominal area and his condition had been touch-and-go ever since.\n\nThe motive of the shooting is still not known.\n\nPress reports in Argentina have said it may have been linked to a relationship that Yadon was having with a much younger daughter of one of the assailants.\n\nThe shooting was caught on security cameras. Shots were fired at Olivares and Yadon from inside a parked car.", "Police arrest two of the alleged gunmen involved in the shooting of the Argentine deputy Hector Olivares. Photo: EPA", "BUENOS AIRES – Argentine lawmaker Hector Olivares died on Sunday after he was shot in what authorities called a “mafia-style” attack outside Congress in downtown Buenos Aires on Thursday, according to state-run news agency Telam.\n\nOlivares underwent surgery after being shot and had been listed in “serious condition,” officials said. But he died at Ramos Mejia hospital in Buenos Aires, Telam reported, citing police and judicial sources.\n\nGovernment aide Miguel Yadon was also shot in the attack and died at the scene.\n\nArgentine authorities announced the arrests of members of a mafia gang on Friday. Security Minister Patricia Bullrich said that all members of the group had been detained, including one who had fled across the border to Uruguay.\n\nLocal officials and media have indicated the motive was personal, rather than political, and that the gang had targeted Yadon specifically.", "Bogota - Argentinian lawmaker Hector Olivares died Sunday after being shot in Buenos Aires's Congressional Plaza three days earlier, his party confirmed. Olivares, a lawmaker with the centrist Union Civica Radical (UCR) party, was shot by individuals sitting in a parked car as he was walking near the Argentine Congress with government aide Miguel Yadon early Thursday.\n\nYadon was also shot and died at the scene.\n\n\"Hector Olivares died,\" UCR said in a tweet late Sunday. \"We will demand justice and that the killers serve an effective sentence.\"\n\n\"All those involved in the attack on lawmaker Olivares and Miguel Yadon have been detained, one day after committing the crime, thanks to the impressive work of our community forces,\" Argentinian President Mauricio Macri said on Friday.\n\nSix people were arrested following the attack, Telam state news agency reported, adding that all six were \"part of a gypsy clan.\"\n\nOn Friday, Security Minister Patricia Bullrich said that Yadon appeared to be the target of the attack. \"A mafia clan ... killed a person over issues of a personal nature,\" she said.", "BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Six people have been detained for a “mafia-style” attack in Argentina that seriously wounded a lawmaker and left a provincial official dead, authorities said Friday. Héctor Olivares and Miguel Marcelo…\n\nBUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Six people have been detained for a “mafia-style” attack in Argentina that seriously wounded a lawmaker and left a provincial official dead, authorities said Friday.\n\nHéctor Olivares and Miguel Marcelo Yadón were shot a day earlier near the country’s congressional building by gunmen in a parked car in a brazen attack that has shocked Argentines.\n\nOlivares, who is a representative of La Rioja province in Argentina’s lower house of congress, was being treated for gunshot wounds that pierced his abdomen and affected vital organs. Pablo Rossini, subdirector of Ramos Mejía Hospital, said his condition was critical.\n\n“We’re waiting for the right moment to put him through another surgery,” Rossini said. “He’s depending on life support that he’s receiving in intensive care.”\n\nYadón, a coordinator who worked in the fiduciary of La Rioja’s federal electric transportation system, died shortly after being shot.\n\nAuthorities said Friday that they arrested several people, including Juan José Navarro in Uruguay with help from Interpol. He is allegedly one of the two gunmen who launched the attack on Olivares and Yadón from the car.\n\n“We were able to establish that this was part of a mafia clan that had planned the attack since 5 a.m.,” said Security Minister Patricia Bullrich. The attack took place around 7 a.m. local time.\n\n“A case has been resolved,” Bullrich said. “If it hadn’t been resolved, it would mean a profound political crisis because there is a member of the lower house of Congress fighting for his life after suffering an attack from a mafia clan that didn’t hesitate to kill a person for personal issues.”\n\nBullrich said Friday that investigators are still trying to determine a possible motive behind the crime.\n\nAuthorities also detained Juan Jesús Fernández as he was en route to the Argentine town of Concepción de Uruguay, about 300 kilometers (186 miles) northwest of the capital of Buenos Aires. Fernández is the owner of the car used in the attack.\n\nBullrich said that both Navarro and Fernández will likely be charged with the shooting. Others were arrested for collaborating with the plan or helping cover-up the crime.\n\nBullrich also said that the attack presumably targeted Yadón for “personal reasons” rather than political ones, and that officials in Argentina and Uruguay are working to expel Navarro from Uruguay so he can face justice in his native country.\n\n“What matters is that the two killers who were in the car have been detained,” Bullrich said.\n\nFernández’s daughter, Estefanía Fernández, and three others whose identities have not been released, were also taken into custody.\n\nPoliticians across the political spectrum have condemned the attack.\n\nArgentine President Mauricio Macri said in a televised address that authorities would go “until the very last instances to understand what happened and to find the culprits.”\n\nFormer President Cristina Fernández, who is widely viewed as a potential challenger to Macri in October elections, also took to Twitter to demand answers.\n\nOlivares belongs to the Radical Civic Union party of the ruling government coalition and is part of the transportation committee in the lower house.\n\nAssociated Press journalist Paul Byrne contributed to this report.\n\nCopyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.", "Argentine legislator Héctor Olivares died three days after being seriously wounded in a gun attack that killed a provincial official, a Senate official said Sunday.\n\nActing Senate president Federico Pinedo said Olivares died of his wounds earlier in the day.\n\nARGENTINE LAWMAKER FIGHTING FOR HIS LIFE AFTER BEING AMBUSHED BY GUNMEN\n\nAt least six people have been detained in what has been described as a \"mafia-style\" attack Thursday that shocked Argentines. Officials have said two gunmen in a parked car shot wounded Olivares and killed Miguel Marcelo Yadón near the country's congressional building in Buenos Aires.\n\nOlivares, a member of the pro-government Radical Civic Union party, represented La Rioja province in the Chamber of Deputies, the lower house of congress. Yadón worked for La Rioja's federal electric transportation system.\n\nAuthorities have said investigators are working to determine a motive.", "An Argentine lawmaker died on Sunday of gunshot wounds he suffered last week in a daylight attack outside the Congress building in Buenos Aires. The death of Hector Olivares, 61, was announced by his ruling party coalition, called Cambiemos.\n\nSix people have been detained, including two men arrested on Friday for the shooting which happened a day earlier and left Marcelo Yadon, a civil servant, dead at the scene.\n\nHe had been walking with Olivares.\n\nAuthorities say the shooting was not politically motivated.\n\nYadon, 58, was hit five times at close range as he walked in a square in front of the National Congress with Olivares, a childhood friend.\n\nOlivares was struck in the abdominal area and his condition had been touch-and-go ever since.\n\nThe motive of the shooting is still not officially known but press reports in Argentina have said it may have been linked to a relationship that Yadon was having with a much younger daughter of one of the assailants.\n\nThe shooting was caught on security cameras. Shots were fired at Olivares and Yadon from inside a parked car.\n\nTwo of the detainees were caught in neighboring Uruguay where they had fled and the car caught on video was rapidly found and helped to arrest the families involved in the apparently marriage cheatings and vengeance."], "summary": "Argentine lawmaker Héctor Enrique Olivares, who was seriously injured in a shooting attack near the Congress on May 9, dies in hospital as result of the gunshot injuries."}
{"document": ["Lithuanians voted on Sunday in a first-round ballot to elect one of nine candidates to the presidency.\n\nPolls predicted three candidates — former Finance Minister Ingrida Simonyte, economist Gitanas Nauseda and Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis — have a realistic chance of replacing incumbent President Dalia Grybauskaite, who cannot stand for reelection after completing her two five-year terms.\n\nThe center-right Simonyte was popular with educated urban voters, while Skvernelis' populist politics appealed to rural voters. Nauseda, on the other hand, sought to appeal across the rich-poor divide in the former Soviet republic of 2.8 million people.\n\nIf no candidate wins an absolute majority following Sunday's poll, the two best-placed candidates will go into a runoff on May 26.\n\nLithuania simultaneously held two referendums: one on the introduction of dual citizenship to the country and another on the reduction of the number of parliamentary representatives.\n\nVoter turnout tallied at 56.45% at the close of voting, according to the Central Elections Commission. Partial official results are expected to be announced during the night or early on Monday.\n\n'Thirsty for social justice'\n\nLithuania is struggling with a population decline, partly owing to emigration to Western Europe by people seeking better living conditions. The Eastern European country's economic growth has improved, but poverty, income inequality and unemployment remain high.\n\n\"Citizens are thirsty for social justice and seek a candidate who can bridge existing social polarization,\" Donatas Puslys from the Vilnius Policy Analysis Institute told the AFP news agency.\n\nAll main contenders support EU and NATO memberships for Lithuania and are wary of neighboring Russia, particularly since Moscow's 2014 military intervention in Ukraine.\n\nThe president has the power to veto laws, set foreign and defense policy, and is involved in appointing judges, the chief prosecutor and the central bank chief. Around 2.5 million people are eligible to vote in the election.\n\nRead more: Lithuania set to ban fake news from Russia\n\nkw,shs/ng (AFP, dpa)\n\nEach evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.", "Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Mr Skvernelis, seen here with his partner and children, said he would resign his post on 12 July\n\nLithuanian PM Saulius Skvernelis says he will step down after failing to qualify for the second round in the country's presidential election.\n\nMr Skvernelis, who was one of the expected frontrunners in the vote, said he planned to resign as PM in July.\n\nPartial results suggest that prominent economist Gitanas Nauseda topped the first round, followed by former Finance Minister Ingrida Simonyte.\n\nThe pair will face each other in a run-off at the end of the month.\n\nThe winner will succeed the popular President Dalia Grybauskaite after her second and final five-year term.\n\nMs Grybauskaite has been a strong critic of President Vladimir Putin of Russia, which borders Lithuania, and has focused on tackling corruption in her country.\n\nSpeaking to reporters on Sunday, Mr Skvernelis admitted defeat but said he had \"really believed\" he would get through to the next stage.\n\n\"The failure to get into the second round is an assessment of me as a politician,\" he said.\n\nThe run-off is due to take place on 26 May.", "VILNIUS (Reuters) - Ingrida Simonyte and Gitanas Nauseda will face off in the second round in Lithuania’s presidential election after Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis conceded defeat in Sunday’s vote and said he would resign his post in July.\n\nSimonyte, 44, a former finance minister in a center-right government, and Nauseda, 54, a former senior economist at a top bank, were favorites ahead of the election.\n\n“I really believed I would get to the runoff, but the result shows that my expectations were too high,” Skvernelis told supporters in Vilnius.\n\nSkvernelis said he would resign as prime minister on July 12, as he previously said he would if he did not reach the second round.\n\nA runoff between the two top candidates will be held on May 26.", "Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)\n\nClick to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)\n\nClick to share on Flipboard (Opens in new window)\n\nClick to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)\n\nClick to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)\n\nThe final buzzer sounded on the second round of the 2019 playoffs.\n\nYet, the suspense was still rising.\n\nKawhi Leonard‘s final shot bounced, bounced, bounced, bounced then hung on the rim for an excruciatingly long split second. Finally, it fell – the fitting end to an all-time great second round.\n\nThe first Game 7 game-winner at the buzzer in NBA history capped a playoff round that also included triumph, heartbreak, redemption, hostility, high stakes, close games, quadruple overtime, two tight Game 7s, an intensifying rivalry and a comically bad prediction.\n\nKawhi Leonard and Giannis Antetokounmpo played great. Kevin Durant played great until he got hurt. Stephen Curry played terribly until he played great. C.J. McCollum played great when it mattered most.\n\nThe Bucks, Raptors, Warriors and Trail Blazers advanced. The Celtics, 76ers, Rockets and Nuggets will have a summer to lick their wounds.\n\nThere’s no simple way to judge a playoff series, but it generally rests on the quality of teams and quality of games.\n\nThese eight teams were excellent. For the first time since 2008, there were no first-round upsets by seed. That left only the league’s strongest teams for the second round. The Bucks have been excellent all season. Nobody questions the Warriors’ talent. The Raptors could be a sleeping giant after their moves around the trade deadline.\n\nMilwaukee, Toronto, Golden State, Portland, Boston, Philadelphia, Houston and Denver combined to outscore opponents by 5.5 points per game (regular season and first round) entering the second round. That’s the sixth-highest mark since the NBA adopted its current 16-team postseason format in 1984.\n\nTo judge game quality, I created an excitement score – one point for every game decided by five or fewer points, one point for every overtime and one point for every Game 7. Admittedly, the system is skewed toward this year. But after watching these fun games, how could it not be? The 2019 second round’s excitement score of 18 (11 close games, five overtimes and two Game 7s) is higher than any other year’s second round.\n\nHere’s how every second round in the current playoff era rates by margin per game entering the round and excitement score within the round:\n\nSo, is this the best second round ever?\n\nThere’s a case for 1997, which featured Bulls (69-13) over Hawks (56-26), Heat (61-21) over Knicks (57-25), Rockets (57-25) over SuperSonics (57-25) and Jazz (64-18) over Lakers (56-26). That year also had two Game 7s (Miami-New York and Houston-Seattle).\n\nBut, considering the ramifications for the teams involved, I’d favor the round we just watched.\n\nThe Bucks are more likely to pay to keep humming. The Warriors are seemingly improving their odds of keeping Durant. The Raptors have a better chance of retaining Leonard. The Trail Blazers and Damian Lillard are more likely to sign a super-max extension this summer.\n\nOn the other hand, the Celtics could lose Kyrie Irving. The 76ers might fire Brett Brown and must deal with pending free agents Jimmy Butler, Tobias Harris and J.J. Redick. The Rockets are still stuck behind Golden State and only getting more desperate as they age. (At least the young Nuggets should feel content with their playoff run).\n\nSo much rode on this second round, and the games lived up to the hype.", "Lithuania is considered one of the most unequal countries in the European Union - one of many challenges the new president is set to tackle.\n\nAnd that could be either the Independent Gitanas Nauseda or Ingrida Simonyte, a Christian Democrat.\n\nNauseda, a senior economist, won over 30% of votes in the first round of this weekend's presidential election. He promised to listen to those who feel abandoned by the elite in power across the small Baltic nation.\n\n“I think we have very good chances to continue our work and probably we would stress the importance of, again, visit the municipalities because we wanted to visit all municipalities during the last few months,” Nauseda said.\n\nIngrida Simonyte is a former Minister of Finance and a member the Seimas, the Parliament - in an election plagued with anger over corruption and low wages, she insisted on the importance of listening to those away from the big cities.\n\n“Regardless of the results we had in the first round, we still need to consider things that are important not only for big cities of this country but also for smaller towns and regions in order to have a successful country,” Simonyte said.\n\nSaulius Skvernelis, who currently serves as prime minister, came third in the vote. He conceded defeat and promptly announced his resignation.\n\nThe run-off vote is set for May 26.", "Some 2.5 million people have been summoned to vote at Lithuania's presidential elections on Sunday which will also include a referendum on the extension of dual nationality to some 800,000 people who left the country after 1990.\n\nCurrent Lithuanian legislation only allows dual citizenship to those who left the country before 1990, which favored first and foremost the post-war refugees who fled the Soviet occupation.\n\nThe new norm would also allow dual citizenship to the Lithuanians who left the country after 1990 and would also extend to their children.\n\nThis affects, for example, those who left Lithuania between 2008 and 2009, as a result of the economic crisis, who are mostly young people of childbearing age.\n\nA study by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) concluded in 2013 that emigration remains one of Lithuania's main national problems.\n\nThe referendum includes another question about a project to reduce the number of seats in Parliament.\n\nLithuania has a semi-presidential system in which the president has important foreign policy powers.\n\nAll of the nine candidates are pro-European and are in favor of remaining in NATO.\n\nCurrent Prime Minister, Saulius Skvernelis (center-left), former finance minister and conservative Ingrida Simonyte and independent economist Gitanas Nauseda are leading polls.\n\nIn the last published poll, carried out in April, Simonyte would have 26.2 percent votes and Nauseda 24.6 percent.\n\nIn that survey Skvernelis only reached 16.6 percent of votes but he could benefit from the fact that another candidate, Naglis Puteikis, has called his supporters to vote for the current prime minister.\n\nSome consider this move a de facto resignation to Puteikis' candidacy even though his name will still feature on the ballots.\n\nOther aspiring candidates include philosopher Arvydas Juazatys, European Commissioner Vytenis Andriukatis, MEP Valentinas Mazuroniz and the representative of the Christian Families Alliance Valdemar Tomasevski.\n\nSkvernelis and his coalition government have said they would reshuffle the government if they lose the presidential election.\n\nIf elected president, Skvernelis would no longer be able to continue in his role as prime minister.\n\nCurrently, the Government is formed by the Union of Greens and Farmers and by the Social Democratic Party of Lithuania although many of the current ministers are independent, including prime minister Skvernelis.\n\nThe new president will have to replace incumbent Dalia Grybauskaite who has already fulfilled the legal maximum of two five-year terms.\n\nGrybauskaite was the first woman to reach the presidency of Lithuania and has been nicknamed the \"Iron Lady\", in memory of former UK prime minister Margaret Thatcher.\n\nGrybauskaite has been a vociferous critic of former US President Barak Obama's policies on nuclear disarmament and has also lashed out against the lack of a viable plan for Brexit.\n\nInternally she earned her label as a ruthless leader for frequently removing ministers from their positions.\n\nIf on Sunday a candidate obtains at least 50 percent of the votes, he will automatically be elected president.\n\nIf, as the polls indicate, no candidate reaches that percentage, a second round will be held on May 26 - the same day of the European elections - in which voters will have to choose between the two most popular candidates.\n\nThe issues that most concern voters are the economy and the social inequalities that persist despite the strong economic growth of recent years, according to the polls.\n\nIn any case, the president, as head of the state, only has limited legislative powers which include proposing a candidate for prime minister after parliamentary elections.\n\nThe president can also appoint and remove ministers, usually with the recommendation of the head of government. EFE-EPA", "Despite a number of clubs counting the cost of Magic Round’s injury toll, the numbers are in fact consistent with the same round last year.\n\nA team of 13 stars went down with non concussion injuries at Suncorp Stadium over the weekend, but that was no more or less than the corresponding round last season.\n\nThere were questions asked over the Suncorp surface following an unprecedented eight games being played on the same field for Magic Round, but the statistics show that however unfortunate, injuries are just part of the game.\n\nLive stream the 2019 NRL Telstra Premiership on KAYO SPORTS. Every game of every round live & anytime on your TV or favourite device. Get your 14 day free trial >\n\nThe 13 injuries across Magic Round was the same number of non concussion injuries that resulted from Round 5 and Round 3 earlier this year.\n\nRound 8 saw a total of 11 injuries, while Round 7 had 12.\n\nLast season six of the opening nine rounds saw double digit injury tolls, with Round 7 resulting in 10 injuries, Round 2 had 11, Round 6 and 8 had 12 injuries and Round 3 had 14.\n\nFAN VIEW: Why NRL’s Magic Round will become a must"], "summary": "Lithuanians are called to the polls to elect the new President. Ingrida Šimonytė wins the first round and will dispute the second round with Gitanas Nausėda. Prime Minister and presidential candidate, Saulius Skvernelis is about to resign after the bad results of his candidature."}
{"document": ["Stevo Pendarovski was sworn in as North Macedonia's new president in an inauguration ceremony in Skopje on Sunday in the presence of senior government officials, including outgoing president Gjorge Ivanov.\n\nPendarovski, a 56-year-old law professor, defeated nationalist candidate and university professor Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova last week.\n\nGovernment-backed candidate Pendarovski had received roughly 436,000 votes as of Monday. There were 1.8 million eligible voters.\n\nPendarovski supports North Macedonia’s June 2018 agreement with Greece to change its name from the Republic of Macedonia to the Republic of North Macedonia after a long dispute over the term “Macedonia.”\n\nGreece has a province that borders North Macedonia called Macedonia.\n\nThe newly elected president’s support for the agreement will help North Macedonia move ahead in accession to the European Union and NATO, experts say.\n\nRead More: What’s next for North Macedonia? | Euronews Answers", "Pendarovski sworn in as new North Macedonia president\n\nSKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP) — Stevo Pendarovski has been sworn in as the new president of North Macedonia, promising he will serve all citizens in a deeply divided society and will lobby European Union leaders to approve the start of his country's accession talks in June.\n\nThe 56-year-old was sworn in before lawmakers Sunday. He won the election May 5 in a tightly contested runoff with a conservative rival.\n\nThe presidents of Albania, Bulgaria, Serbia and Kosovo attended the inauguration ceremony.\n\nPendarovski is a strong supporter of the deal with Greece, finalized in February, that ended a decades-long dispute over the name Macedonia, in exchange for the prospect of NATO and European Union membership.\n\nFormer president Gjorge Ivanov, who ended his second and last five-year term Sunday, was a fierce opponent of the name deal.", "Stevo Pendarovski was sworn in as N.Macedonia's new president in an inauguration ceremony in Skopje on Sunday in the presence of senior government officials, including outgoing president Gjorge Ivanov\n\nStevo Pendarovski, the newly-elected president of North Macedonian, has been sworn in on Sunday.\n\nSpeaking at the oath-taking ceremony, Pendarovski said his country will remain fully committed to Euro-Atlantic integration. Pendarovski, who is a supporter of North Macedonia's name change deal with Greece, said that he will be \"everyone's president.\"\n\nElection on May 5 was the sixth presidential election in the country's modern history, but the first since it made a momentous name change.\n\nLast June, the country agreed to change its name in line with a deal under which Greece dropped its objection to North Macedonia joining NATO and the EU.\n\nSince Macedonia declared independence from the former Yugoslavia in 1991, the nation has had four presidents. Under the Constitution, a president can be elected for a maximum of two times.", "Stevo Pendarovski was sworn in as North Macedonia's new president in an inauguration ceremony in Skopje on Sunday in the presence of senior government officials, including outgoing president Gjorge Ivanov.\n\nGovernment-backed candidate Pendarovski had received roughly 436,000 votes as of Monday. There were 1.8 million eligible voters.\n\nPendarovski supports North Macedonia’s June 2018 agreement with Greece to change its name from the Republic of Macedonia to the Republic of North Macedonia after a long dispute over the term “Macedonia.”\n\nThe newly elected president’s support for the agreement will help North Macedonia move ahead in accession to the European Union and NATO, experts say.\n\nRead More: What’s next for North Macedonia? | Euronews Answers", "Following his second-round victory in the Republic of North Macedonia’s presidential elections, ruling coalition candidate Stevo Pendarovski was sworn in as head of state on May 12, pledging to be president for all and to co-operate with the opposition.\n\n“The first thing I will do is co-operate with the opposition. The time has come to heal the open wounds and enable reconciliation,” said Pendarovski, a 56-year-old academic and politician who is the country’s fifth president and the first to take office after the former Yugoslav republic changed its name. The constitutional role of North Macedonia’s head of state is largely ceremonial.\n\nNoting that he had been backed by the political majority, he said that he saw his first task as President as being to protect the status and rights of the political minority “because democracy endures only when the various minorities in society are protected by the will of the majority”.\n\nPolitical differences among people and parties would continue because they are natural and necessary, but the energy and potential of society can be united, Pendarovski said.\n\nThere was no other such small country in Europe in which there was so much division in society, he said.\n\nOne of the biggest challenges was the fight against corruption and organised crime, he said.\n\nHe said that his main goal would be North Macedonia’s entry into the EU and Nato, as well as the preservation of ethnic equilibrium.\n\nAmong those attending the ceremony were Albanian President Ilir Meta, Bulgarian President Roumen Radev, Kosovo President Hashim Thaçi, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, Greek Foreign Minister Georgios Katrougalos, Montenegrin Foreign Minister Srđan Darmanović, Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Faruk Kaymakcı and Polish Deputy Foreign Minister Maciej Lang, as well as Pendarovski’s predecessor as President, Gjorge Ivanov, and Branko Crvenkovski, President from 2004 to 2009. Those in the parliamentary hall for the swearing-in ceremony included MPs from the opposition VMRO-DPMNE.\n\nPendarovski becomes head of state in a changed political environment in North Macedonia, following the landmark agreement that ended the long-standing dispute with Greece over the use of the name “Macedonia”. Skopje and Sofia earlier achieved ratification of a long-awaited good-neighbourliness agreement.\n\nIn February 2019, the permanent representatives of Nato member states signed the accession protocol of North Macedonia, now undergoing the process of ratification by legislatures of the alliance’s member states.\n\nThe agreement on the name Republic of North Macedonia cleared away Greece’s objections to the country’s path towards membership of the EU. Subject to a number of conditions, talks on North Macedonia’s EU accession may begin in June 2019. The country has had EU membership candidate status since December 2005.\n• With reporting by the", "SKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP) — Stevo Pendarovski, the presidential candidate backed by North Macedonia’s center-left government, won the presidency Sunday in a runoff election with a conservative rival.\n\nState election commission chief Oliver Derkorski announced late Sunday that with nearly 99 percent of the votes counted, Pendarovski, the candidate of the ruling Social Democratic Union, had won with 51.8% of the votes. Gordana Siljanovska Davkova, the candidate favored by the conservative opposition VMRO-DPMNE party, got 44.5%.\n\nThe two politicians had each received about 42% in the first round of voting April 21, which had three candidates.\n\nEven before the official announcement, Social Democrat supporters had gathered at the party’s headquarters in downtown Skopje, the country’s capital, to celebrate as favorable results trickled in.\n\n“This is a victory for all who are convinced that we have to continue forward together and I promise I’ll serve all the people equally,” Pendarovski said from the Social Democrats’ headquarters. He also thanked the people for their “wise choice.”\n\n“Our path is paved with success. … We all will continue to move forward toward our common goal of progress and … toward NATO and the European Union,” said Prime Minister Zoran Zaev.\n\nSiljanovska accepted her defeat but took a rosy view.\n\n“The figures say defeat, but I’ve never felt more fulfilled .,” she said. “I believed I could help Macedonia to gain democracy. … I know that the other candidate has won, but I know that I did not lose the battle.”\n\nThe election was seen as a test of the government’s pro-West policies. Pendarovski backed the government deal with Greece that renamed the country in exchange for NATO membership, while Siljankovska criticized it.\n\nA key question in the runoff had been whether voter turnout would reach the 40% threshold needed for the election to be valid. The head of the election commission said the final turnout figure was 46.4% of registered voters, in what he had earlier termed a “peaceful and dignified” election.\n\nElection observers reported a small number of minor infractions, such as voters photographing ballots with cellphones and disturbances outside some polling stations.\n\nNorth Macedonia’s previous constitutional name was the Republic of Macedonia. The name change took effect in February as part of an agreement to end a decades-long dispute with Greece, which blocked the former Yugoslav republic’s path to membership in NATO and the European Union over rights to the Macedonia name.\n\nBoth Pendarovski, 55, and Siljanovska, 63, are law professors. Siljanovska said as she cast her ballot Sunday that she would respect the new constitutional name in a professional capacity “but will not use it personally” and planned to do her “best to show that the Prespa agreement (with Greece) has severe (legal) problems.”\n\nAlthough the presidency is mostly ceremonial, with some powers to veto legislation, the outcome of the vote could trigger an early parliamentary election. Prime Minister Zaev, who staked his reputation on negotiating the name deal, said he would call one if Pendarovski were not elected.\n\nOutgoing President Gjorge Ivanov, a conservative, is serving his second and final five-year term, which ends on May 12. Ivanov opposed the agreement with Greece.\n\nCopyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.", "Stevo Pendarovski has been inaugurated as the new president of North Macedonia, calling for \"reconciliation\" in a deeply divided society.\n\nIn his inauguration speech before parliament on May 12, Pendarovski promised he will serve all citizens and said, \"It is time to heal open wounds from our recent past and to really start civil reconciliation.\"\n\n\"There are so many divisions, especially political,\" he said.\n\nThe swearing-in ceremony was attended by the presidents of Albania, Bulgaria, Serbia, and Kosovo, as well as Pendarovski's predecessor, former president Gjorge Ivanov.\n\nPendarovski told lawmakers that the country will have to tackle two priorities: economic development and the fight against \"corruption, crime, and nepotism.\"\n\nHe said he will lobby European Union leaders to approve the opening of North Macedonia's accession talks in June.\n\nPendarovski, backed by North Macedonia's ruling Social Democratic Union (SDSM), won the presidential election runoff on May 5 with nearly 52% of the vote.\n\nGordana Siljanovska-Davkova, the candidate favored by the main conservative opposition VMRO DPMNE party, had 45%.\n\nTurnout was less than 47%.\n\nPendarovski, a former political-science professor, has strongly supported the so-called Prespa deal signed with Greece last year to change the country's name.\n\nSiljanovska-Davkova has been critical of it, though the opposition has said it would not cancel the accord. She is also a strong proponent of EU and NATO integration.\n\nThe signing of the historic agreement with Greece changed the country's name to North Macedonia and ended a decades-long dispute that had blocked the Balkan state's path to NATO and the EU.\n\nIvanov, who ended his second and last five-year presidential term on May 12, was a fierce opponent of the deal.\n\nSome information for this story came from AP.", "SKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP) — Pope Francis made the first-ever papal visit to North Macedonia on Tuesday and sought to encourage its efforts to integrate into European institutions after its name change resolved a decades-long dispute with Greece.\n\nIn a meeting with government authorities, Francis praised North Macedonia’s multi-ethnic and multi-faith culture and said its example of being a bridge between East and West showed that peaceful coexistence can exist in a country rich with diversity.\n\n“These particular features are also highly significant for increased integration with the nations of Europe,” he said. “It is my hope that this integration will develop in a way that is beneficial for the entire region of the Western Balkans, with unfailing respect for diversity and for fundamental rights.”\n\nNorth Macedonia’s previous constitutional name was the Republic of Macedonia. It officially changed its name to North Macedonia in February as part of an agreement to end an almost three-decade long dispute with Greece, which blocked the former Yugoslav republic’s path to membership in NATO and the EU over rights to the Macedonia name.\n\nAfter landing at Skopje’s airport, Francis went by car — a typically small Volkswagen Jetta — for talks with outgoing President Gjore Ivanov. His 10-hour visit also included a prayer at the memorial of North Macedonia’s most famous native daughter, Mother Teresa, as well as a Mass for the tiny Catholic community in the country of 2.1 million.\n\nFrancis was surrounded by Mother Teresa’s sari-clad Sisters of Charity nuns in praying before the memorial, a giant statue of the tiny nun, located outside the remains of the church where Anjeze Gonxhe Bojaxhiu was baptized in 1910.\n\nIn his homily at Mass, Francis praised Mother Teresa’s dedication to the poor, saying it quenched her hunger for God.\n\n“She went to the Lord exactly as she went to the despised, the unloved, the lonely and the forgotten,” Francis said to a crowd in a central Skopje square that organizers estimated at 15,000 gathered.\n\nViktor Dimovski, North Macedonia’s foreign ministry state secretary, told reporters Monday that Francis’ visit was historic and comes at a crucial moment as North Macedonia seeks entry into the European Union and NATO.\n\n“The pope’s visit strengthens further internal cohesion and unity, and brings messages of reconciliation and solidarity,” he said.\n\nThe country has been an EU candidate since 2005, but is still waiting for the start of membership talks with the bloc. With the name dispute now resolved, North Macedonia hopes to get a clear signal for the start of accession talks in June. It expects to become the 30th NATO member at the end of this year.\n\nBut the country is deeply polarized between the governing Social Democrats, who support the name deal, and the opposition VMRO-DPMNE conservatives, fierce opponents of the name change.\n\nIvanov, the outgoing president, referred to the divisions in his speech to the pope, urging Macedonians to use the visit as an opportunity to heal after being “heavily wounded by broken promises, unfulfilled expectations and faltering trust in the international community.”\n\n“Only spiritually transformed people can transform the spirit of society,” Ivanov said.\n\nPro-EU President Stevo Pendarovski, who was elected president in a runoff election last weekend, said he saw his victory as a “ticket for NATO and EU.”\n\nWhile the visit was a political boost for North Macedonia, it was also a spiritual boost for Catholics from across the region and ethnic spectrum.\n\n“It is magnificent that we came to see the pope here in Macedonia because he has a message for the youth and whole humanity, and we need to apply it in our lives,” said Kristiana Mjeshtri, a Catholic from Albania.\n\nIvan Giljanovic traveled from Split, Croatia. “I am a Catholic and it means a lot for me,” he said. “Everything is about faith.”\n\nCopyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.", "The URL has been copied to your clipboard\n\nThe code has been copied to your clipboard.\n\nNorth Macedonia's newly elected president, Stevo Pendarovski, assumed power in Skopje on May 12 after winning a presidential runoff a week ago. Pendarovski's swearing-in ceremony at the parliament brought together Bulgarian President Rumen Radev with Albanian counterpart Ilir Meta, but also Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic with Kosovar President Hashim Thaci. Pendarovski was then introduced in the presidential seat, Villa Vodno, by outgoing President Gjorge Ivanov.", "By The Associated Press\n\nSKOPJE, North Macedonia (AP) — The Latest on the runoff presidential election in North Macedonia (all times local):\n\nElection officials in North Macedonia say voter turnout in the runoff presidential election is close to the threshold needed for results to be valid.\n\nNorth Macedonia’s State Electoral Commission said that as of 5 p.m. local time (1500 GMT), turnout stood at 38.2 percent. The election for the largely ceremonial post needs 40 percent to stand.\n\nIf too few ballots are cast Sunday, the two-round contest would have to be repeated and the parliament speaker would serve as interim president.\n\nThe two candidates, both law professors, are Stevo Pendarovski of the ruling Social Democratic Union, and Gordana Siljanovska Davkova, who was backed by the conservative opposition VMRO-DPMNE party.\n\nPolls have opened in North Macedonia for a presidential election runoff between two top vote-getters from the first round.\n\nMore than 3,400 polling stations opened at 7 a.m. Sunday.\n\nThe two candidates, Stevo Pendarovski of the ruling Social Democrats, and Gordana Siljanovska Davkova, backed by the conservative opposition VMRO-DPMNE party, finished in a near dead heat, with about 42% of the votes each, in the first round on April 21.\n\nA key question is whether turnout will reach the 40% needed for the election to be valid. The first round barely made it past, with a turnout of 41.8%.\n\nIf declared invalid, the two-round contest for the largely ceremonial post will be repeated.\n\nCopyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area."], "summary": "Stevo Pendarovski is sworn in as the President of North Macedonia after winning the election, the first after the Prespa agreement."}
{"document": ["", "Manchester City retained the Premier League crown on Sunday thanks to a 4-1 win at Brighton and Hove Albion, becoming the first team to win back-to-back titles in England's top flight for a decade.\n\nAlex Ferguson's Manchester United made it three in a row in the 2008-09 season, after which point the Premier League has changed hands year on year.\n\nCity now have their fourth title in the past eight seasons and can contemplate the prospect of a similar era of dominance under Pep Guardiola, having followed up last season's 100-point haul with 98 to edge a relentless tussle with Liverpool.\n\nThe EFL Cup winners will now turn their attentions towards next weekend's FA Cup final against Watford at Wembley and the prospect of an unprecedented domestic treble.\n\nAs in 2012 and 2014, City were forced to go to the final day of the campaign to seal glory, although there was no need to repeat the unforgettable drama of Sergio Aguero's last-gasp strike against QPR on the former occasion, as, despite falling behind, they moved through the gears to claim the three points they required at the Amex Stadium.\n\nGlenn Murray nodded the hosts in front but City led by half-time thanks to goals from Aguero and Aymeric Laporte. Riyad Mahrez and Ilkay Gundogan netted after the break to get the party in full swing.\n\nLiverpool have the relative consolation of finishing with the best points total of any second-placed team in Premier League history, but their 29-year wait for a 19th English title goes on.\n\nIndeed, the 97 points Klopp's men amassed is the third highest points total any team has managed in the division, behind City's exploits of the past two seasons.\n\nFollowing their scarcely credible Champions League semi-final triumph over Barcelona in midweek, the Reds returned to Anfield to beat Wolves 2-0 thanks to Sadio Mane's double.\n\nBut football's apparent thirst for the unexpected this week was not further quenched on England's south coast, as City ensured they prevailed in this gruelling title battle of epic proportions.\n\nBoth teams took unbeaten runs into the eighth league game of the season, where they shared a 0-0 draw on Merseyside – Mahrez's late penalty miss denying City their first win at Anfield since 2003.\n\nThe first team to show signs of buckling under the unforgiving pace were City, who lost to Chelsea, Crystal Palace and Leicester City in the space of a four-game December nightmare.\n\nThat slump meant Liverpool arrived at the Etihad Stadium in January with a seven-point advantage. Goals from Aguero and Leroy Sane either side of a second-half Roberto Firmino equaliser gave City a pivotal 2-1 win and handed Liverpool their only top-flight loss of the campaign.\n\nIn normal circumstances, draws with Leicester City, West Ham, Manchester United and Everton would be welcome contributions to a title-winning haul, but those Liverpool slips proved decisive as City embarked on a run of 14 consecutive league victories after their loss at Newcastle United on January 29.", "Manchester City have been crowned Premier League champions after one of the most historic title races of all-time.\n\nCity needed to head to Brighton and match Liverpool's result against Wolves on the final day of the season to retain the crown.\n\nThe Reds ran out 2-0 winners against Wolves, but City saw off the Seagulls 4-1 to seal the title, despite falling behind to Glenn Murray's goal.\n\nSergio Aguero squared things up before Aymeric Laporte, Riyad Mahrez and Ilkay Gundogan ensured they ran out convincing winners at the Amex Stadium.\n\nIt is the first time in Manchester City's history that they have retained a league championship.\n\nEarlier this season, City defended a trophy for the first time ever when they won the Carabao Cup for a second consecutive year.\n\nLiverpool will feel especially unlucky in this year's race for the Premier League title, as they end the season on a record points total for a second-placed team.\n\nThe Reds would have won the league title in 117 of the previous 119 top flight seasons with their mammoth points total.\n\nBut ultimately it was City's dominance in the second half of the season which has seen them run out victorious.\n\nLiverpool's only loss of the season came against City at the Etihad, where Leroy Sane's goal in the second half secured a 2-1 win for Pep Guardiola's side, which has now proved the most pivotal moment of the season.\n\nCity put themselves in a position to win the Premier League title on the final day of the season after a moment of individual brilliance from Vincent Kompany secured a 1-0 win over Leicester on the penultimate weekend.\n\nAnd City finished the job by securing the result they required against Brighton.\n\nThe pressure was on Guardiola and his squad to replicate the success of the 2017/18 season, where City romped to the title by becoming the first team to ever reach 100 points.\n\nA win at Arsenal on the opening day got the season off to a the perfect start, but a draw at Wolves early on suggested City might not have it all their own way this year.\n\nLiverpool, meanwhile, just wouldn't be stopped. They drew only the one game (against Chelsea , who at the point had appeared to be title challengers themselves), before coming up against City at Anfield.\n\nA goalless draw was played out, but with City's Riyad Mahrez missing a penalty in the final minutes. The Algerian was not necessarily the favourite to take the kick with Gabriel Jesus on the pitch - and duly blasted his effort over the bar to continue his miserable spot kick record.\n\nAvoiding defeat, Liverpool then flourished and looked more like title challengers.\n\nCity, on the other hand, started to show weakness in the weeks to come. A crushing home defeat to Crystal Palace was followed up by the same outcome in their trip to Leicester over the Christmas period.\n\nBefore they knew it, they were facing Liverpool again.\n\nCity looked a shade of the team that had wobbled in the weeks before. Sergio Aguero gave them the lead, and even when Roberto Firmino brought Liverpool level, City showed the character which proved they can be champions.\n\nLeroy Sane hammered the ball across the face of goal, out of Alisson's reach and it cannoned in off the post.\n\nCity won 2-1. The title race was back on.\n\nAnd the race became a sprint. After City's final slip up - a 2-1 loss at Newcastle - it became a slugfest with each team exchanging knockout blows, but nobody refusing to drop to one knee.\n\nBut ultimately, that cold Thursday night at the start of January proved to be decisive, edging City ahead of Liverpool and allowing them to secure the Premier League title.\n\nCity now turn their attention towards securing the domestic treble, having also won the Carabao Cup, with the FA Cup final against Watford to come next week.\n\nIt has been a season of yet more history of Manchester City . All they need now is that elusive first Champions League win - and then maybe Pep Guardiola's campaign can be considered an overwhelming success.", "(Reuters) - Following are facts and figures after Manchester City clinched the Premier League title on the final day of the season:\n\n*A 4-1 victory at Brighton and Hove Albion on Sunday meant that City ended their campaign with 98 points to pip Liverpool to the league crown by a single point.\n\n*The top two scored more points than what 13-times winners Manchester United ever managed in a 38-game season.\n\n*City retained the league title for the first time in their history and became the first Premier League team to do so since United in 2009.\n\n*They won their fourth league crown in eight years, with the latest title coming on the back of a 14-game winning run.\n\n*Pep Guardiola’s side beat every team they faced for a second straight season. The only other English top-flight team to do so was Preston between 1888-89 and 1889-90.\n\n*City, who won the League Cup earlier this season, can clinch their third major trophy of the campaign if they beat Watford in the FA Cup final next week.\n\n*They have scored 100 goals in all competitions at the Etihad Stadium this season, extending their record for most home goals by an English top-flight team in a single season.\n\n*Liverpool, who finished with 97 points, set a record for the highest tally for a team finishing second, beating the previous Premier League best of 89 amassed by Manchester United in 2011-12.\n\n*Their tally would have won them the league title in 25 of the previous 26 seasons, barring last season where City accumulated a record 100 points.\n\n*Guardiola has now won eight league titles, including three each at Barcelona and Bayern Munich, for a total of 25 major trophies in his career.\n\n*The lead at the top of the Premier League table changed hands a record 32 times this season.\n\n*Guardiola’s last four titles have been won by a margin of at least 10 points, but this season is the joint-closest race he has been involved in — with only one of his previous seven league title wins decided on the final day.\n\n*Neither City nor Liverpool have dropped points since March 3, when Juergen Klopp’s side could only manage a draw against local rivals Everton.", "Having absorbed everything Liverpool could throw at them in a titanic title battle, Manchester City will retain their crown with victory at Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday. It is possible they could get by with a draw, or even an unlikely defeat, as they will start the final round of a monumental title battle one point ahead but Pep Guardiola’s side know better than to expect gifts from Merseyside.\n\nIn all likelihood, City will rack up a 14th successive Premier League win and Liverpool will beat Wolverhampton Wanderers to make it nine in a row. If that happens, City will take the honours with 98 points to Liverpool’s 97.\n\nTo put that into perspective, those totals would be the second and third highest in the history of the Premier League behind only City’s record-breaking 100-point haul last season when Guardiola delivered his first title.\n\nIf there was ever a case to share the trophy it is this season, such has been the excellence of both clubs, but in reality finishing second will be a bitter pill to swallow.\n\n“I’m not going to change my opinion on what we have done, but I know we will be judged. We have to win,” Guardiola said as he prepared for the trip to a Brighton side who could prove troublesome.\n\nJuergen Klopp’s Liverpool finished 25 points behind City last year, but have bridged the gap playing football that at times has surpassed even Guardiola’s slickers. Liverpool have lost just once to City’s four defeats and were briefly seven points in front in January, but in the run-in they have found that as well as the style that is Guardiola’s blueprint, his team also have core of steel.\n\nThat manifested itself perfectly on Monday when, with Leicester City holding out at the Etihad Stadium, captain marvel Vincent Kompany thumped home a 30-metre screamer to send his side into the final day with their fate in their hands.\n\nIt was their third 1-0 victory in four games and, say what you like about Liverpool’s armour-plated defence, City have conceded only three times in their last 13 games as they relentlessly went about becoming the first club to retain the Premier League title since Manchester United 10 years ago.\n\nLiverpool captain Jordan Henderson has admitted his side need a miracle to become the first team to overtake the Premier League leaders on the final day of the season.\n\nBut in a week in which they performed one to beat Barcelona 4-0, overhauling a three-goal deficit to reach the Champions League final, it would be folly to dismiss the notion of him raising the trophy aloft to end Liverpool’s 29-year wait since they last reigned supreme in England.\n\n“City are a great team, but so are we. We’ve competed right to the very end,” Henderson said. “Whoever gets it will deserve it. From our point of view, we couldn’t have done any more.”\n\nIt is only the eighth time in the Premier League era that the title has been decided on the final day.", "Liverpool end the season on 97 points, without a defeat at home, but their 2-0 win over Wolves was still not enough for the title.", "BRIGHTON, England (AP) — Earning 97 points is almost always enough to win the Premier League. Not for Liverpool, which had the misfortune of running up against a Manchester City team setting new standards of excellence.\n\nOnly for 21 minutes during Sunday's season finale was the title in Liverpool's hands.\n\nBut by completing the season with a 14th successive victory — coming from behind to overwhelm Brighton 4-1 — City finished a point ahead of Liverpool and retained the trophy.\n\nAn English title drought that has clocked up 29 years rolls on for Liverpool. It's no consolation that Juergen Klopp's side combined with City to amass 195 points for the highest Premier League tally for the top two.\n\nThe only comfort for Liverpool is that it didn't sign off the season on Sunday with a 2-0 victory over Wolverhampton. While City has an FA Cup final to come to try to complete a domestic treble, Liverpool can win a sixth continental title if it beats Tottenham in the June 1 Champions League final.\n\nThe one major trophy missing in the City trophy cabinet is the European Cup. It's the target for the Abu Dhabi ownership and manager Pep Guardiola who has shown he can conquer the Premier League.\n\nCaptain Vincent Kompany has been part of City's four title triumphs since 2012, having previously won under Roberto Mancini and Manuel Pellegrini before the Guardiola double.\n\n\"It was the hardest and most satisfying Premier League title win ever,\" Kompany said. \"Liverpool was exceptional, I don't mean to rub it in, it is what it is, they didn't deserve to lose.\"\n\nTen minutes after Liverpool went in front against Brighton through the first of Sadio Mane's two goals, City fell behind at Brighton.\n\nAlthough Sergio Aguero leveled 83 seconds after Glenn Murray's header, it took Aymeric Laporte's header in the 38th minute to put City back in control of its title destiny.\n\nThat goal turned out to be the title-clincher, with City's anxieties only eased in the second half by record-signing Riyad Mahrez netting and Ilkay Gündogan scoring from a free kick.\n\nIt was on the south-coast exactly 21 months ago where Guardiola's first title-winning campaign began.\n\nBy the time the blue-and-white streamers had rained down on the City players on Sunday night, 201 goals had been scored and 198 points collected across the two title-winning campaigns.\n\nLong forgotten is the spell four months ago when Liverpool blew the chance to go 10 points clear of City.\n\nInstead the title hinged on Liverpool's only defeat of the campaign in January to City, which could afford to lose four times and still emerge victorious.\n\n\"As long as City are around,\" Klopp said, \"with the quality they have, the power, the financial power and that stuff, then it's not any other team will pass them easily, that is clear. So we need to be very, very close to perfection to win the Premier League as long as this is the case.\"\n\nTottenham qualified for a fourth successive season in the Champions League after an unlikely series of results failed to materialize, leaving north London rival Arsenal finishing a point behind in fifth.\n\nChristian Eriksen's free kick clinched Tottenham's 2-2 draw with Everton and Arsenal beat Burnley 3-1. Arsenal could still make the Champions League if it beats Chelsea in the Europa League final on May 29.\n\nChelsea was already sure of its return to the Champions League going into the final day and sealed third place — 25 points behind Liverpool — with a 0-0 draw at Leicester.\n\nManchester United slumped to its first league loss to Cardiff since 1960 in front of many empty seats as fans left Old Trafford before the final whistle.\n\nThe 2-0 collapse ensured United finished in sixth place — just where the record 20-time English champions were when Ole Gunnar Solskjaer replaced the fired Jose Mourinho in January. A bright start to Solskjaer's interim reign saw him rewarded with a three-year contract in March, but United has endured a miserable run since then.\n\nThere was a three-way split for the Golden Boot as Liverpool duo Mane and Mohamed Salah finished level on 22 goals with Arsenal forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Both Mane and Aubameyang netted twice on Sunday.\n\nWith doubts over his future, Rafael Benitez will hold talks with Newcastle owner Mike Ashley after completing the season with a 4-0 victory over relegated Fulham.\n\nCrystal Palace's club doctor has said he and his family were racially abused by a young child near Selhurst Park ahead of the team's 5-3 home victory over Bournemouth.", "Manchester City's Belgian defender Vincent Kompany (2nd R) shows the Premier League trophy to supporters outside the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, northern England on May 12, 2019.\n\nManchester City retained the Premier League title in style on Sunday, holding their nerve to come from behind and thrash Brighton to hold off a charging Liverpool after a nailbiting campaign.\n\nPep Guardiola's team won 4-1 at Brighton to finish with 98 points -- the second-highest total in Premier League history -- as Liverpool beat Wolves 2-0 at Anfield to finish a single, agonising, point adrift.\n\nCity, who strung together 14 league wins at the end of the season, are the first side to retain the title since their bitter rivals Manchester United managed the feat in 2009, and remain on course for the first domestic treble in English football history.\n\nBut Guardiola's team did not have it all their own way as they won a fourth English title in eight seasons and the sixth in the club's history.\n\nA day of drama on England's south coast was in keeping with an astonishing season in which the lead switched hands time after time.\n\nLiverpool drew first blood on Sunday, with Sadio Mane striking in the 17th minute to put them mathematically top of the table and on course for their first English top-flight title since 1990, before the Premier League era even started.\n\nCity fans' nerves were shredded even further when Glenn Murray put Brighton in front from a corner in the 27th minute, drawing a huge roar at Anfield.\n\nBut those cheers were quickly muted, with Guardiola's side level just 83 seconds later, Sergio Aguero staying onside and keeping his cool to finish after a brilliant ball from David Silva.\n\nTen minutes later, the unmarked Aymeric Laporte rose to head in Riyad Mahrez's corner to complete the turnaround for City and second-half goals from Mahrez and Ilkay Gundogan put the result beyond doubt.\n\n\"We have to say congratulations to Liverpool and thank you so much -- they pushed us to increase our standards,\" Guardiola told Sky Sports.\n\n\"It's incredible, 98 points, to go back-to-back. We made the standard higher last season and Liverpool helped us -- to win this title we had to win 14 in a row. We couldn't lose one point.\"\n\n\"It's the toughest title we have won in all my career, by far,\" added the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss.\n\nCity jetted back north to celebrate with around 10,000 of their own fans at their Etihad Stadium late into the evening, with supporters singing along to \"Wonderwall\" by Oasis.\n\nPlayers took it in turns to hoist the Premier League trophy, with club captain Vincent Kompany and Guardiola last to lift it, together.\n\n\"I'm so, so proud,\" said Kompany as the party got underway at 22:45 local time. \"This team is amazing. We're able to fill this place at this time of night. Thank you so much.\"\n\nCity finished a record 19 points clear of Manchester United last season, but this term has been a totally different campaign.\n\nGuardiola's side had to dig deep to see off the relentless challenge of Liverpool, who lost just one Premier League game all season.\n\nThe outcome was cruel on Liverpool, who are second behind only United in the all-time list of English champions with 18 titles.\n\nLiverpool boss Jurgen Klopp praised City but vowed his side would be back.\n\n\"City got the points they have because we were there,\" he told the BBC.\n\n\"They have 198 points in two years, that's special. We made such big steps. It's only the first step. Always after a good year we lost key players (in the past) but we won't (this time) so we'll be there again.\"\n\nLiverpool forward Mohamed Salah shared the Premier League Golden Boot award with teammate Mane and Arsenal's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang after they all scored 22 goals.\n\nThe Merseysiders' points tally is the third-highest in Premier League history.\n\nKlopp's side travelled to face City at the Etihad in January with the chance to open up a 10-point lead but the defending champions won 2-1 in what turned out to be the pivotal match of the campaign.\n\nLiverpool suffered a blip in late January and February, held to a series of draws, but they found their form again and relentlessly harried City, finishing with nine straight league wins.\n\nKlopp's team will have to put the disappointment behind them as they prepare to face Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur in the Champions League final in Madrid on June 1.\n\nElsewhere on the final day of Premier League action, Spurs made mathematically certain of a place in the top four, drawing 2-2 against Everton.\n\nArsenal beat Burnley 3-1 while fellow Europa League finalists Chelsea were held to a goalless draw at Leicester but secured third place.\n\nOle Gunnar Solskjaer's Manchester United finished their season with a whimper, losing 2-0 at home to relegated Cardiff -- a side he once managed.\n\nThere were also wins for Crystal Palace, Newcastle and West Ham. Southampton and relegated Huddersfield drew 1-1.", "Brighton: Liverpool's 29-year wait for a league title continues after they had to settle for runners-up spot behind Manchester City despite Sadio Mane scoring twice in a 2-0 win over Wolverhampton on the final day of the Premier League season.\n\nThe victory for Juergen Klopp's side became irrelevant to the title outcome as City won 4-1 at Brighton & Hove Albion to ensure their second straight league crown.\n\nCity were ruthless at Brighton, ending the season with 98 points, just two shy of last season's record-breaking 100, while Liverpool's win over Wolves saw them end on 97 – by far the largest tally for a Premier League runners-up.\n\nNeeding a 14th successive league win to be certain of prevailing in an unprecedented title duel, City fell behind to Glenn Murray's 27th minute header but Pep Guardiola's side responded in devastating fashion.", "Having absorbed everything Liverpool could throw at them in a titanic Premier League title battle, Manchester City will retain their crown with victory at Brighton & Hove Albion on Sunday.\n\nIt is possible they could get by with a draw, or even an unlikely defeat, as they will start the final round of a monumental title battle one point ahead -- but Pep Guardiola's side know better than to expect gifts from Merseyside.\n\nIn all likelihood, City will rack up a 14th successive win and Liverpool will beat Wolverhampton Wanderers to make it nine in a row. If that happens, City will take the honours with 98 points to Liverpool's 97.\n\nTo put that into perspective, those totals would be the second and third highest in the history of the Premier League -- behind only City's record-breaking 100-point haul last season when Guardiola delivered his first title.\n\nIf there was ever a case to share the trophy it is this season, such has been the excellence of both clubs, but in reality finishing second will be a bitter pill to swallow."], "summary": "Manchester City F.C. win England's 2018–19 Premier League for the second year in a row with 98 points, while Liverpool F.C. come in second with 97 points, continuing their 29-year title drought."}
{"document": ["UAE says 4 ships targeted by 'sabotage' off its coast\n\nDUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The United Arab Emirates says that four commercial ships \"were subjected to sabotage operations\" after false reports circulated in Lebanese and Iranian media outlets saying there had been explosions at one of the nation's seaports.\n\nThe statement carried by the state-run WAM news agency on Sunday did not say who the UAE suspected of carrying out the sabotage or identify the ships involved.\n\nThe statement said there had been \"no injuries or fatalities on board the vessels\" and \"no spillage of harmful chemicals or fuel.\"\n\nEarlier Sunday, pro-Iran Lebanese media and Iranian media falsely reported there had been explosions at oil tankers at the port of Fujairah. The Associated Press found the reports to be unfounded after speaking to Emirati officials and local witnesses.", "DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The U.S. has issued a new alert to maritime traffic over alleged “acts of sabotage” of ships off the coast of the United Arab Emirates amid heightened regional tensions between American and Iran.\n\nThe U.S. Maritime Administration, which stressing the incidents had not been confirmed, warned shippers early Monday to exercise caution when traveling past Fujairah, a port city on the eastern edge of the United Arab Emirates on the Gulf of Oman.\n\nIt gave coordinates of the alleged sabotage, putting it just north of Fujairah.\n\nThe UAE on Sunday said the sabotage targeted four boats, without elaborating or naming suspects. It came just hours after Iranian and Lebanese media outlets aired false reports of explosions at the nearby Emirati port in Fujairah, which bunkers and ships oil.", "Stock markets in the energy-rich Gulf states dived on Monday as regional tensions soared after ships and oil tankers were targeted by acts of \"sabotage\" off the UAE coast.\n\nThe Saudi bourse, the largest in the region, was down 2.7 percent after the kingdom's energy minister said two Saudi oil tankers were damaged in a \"sabotage attack\" off the coast of Fujairah on the Arabian Sea.\n\nThe United Arab Emirates said on Sunday that four commercial vessels from various nationalities had been targeted by acts of sabotage just outside its territorial waters near Fujairah.\n\nThe attacks did not result in any casualties but they caused damage to the vessels.\n\nThe UAE bourses of Dubai and Abu Dhabi dropped by 3.7 percent and 2.5 percent, respectively on Monday.\n\nQatar shares were down 2.1 percent and Kuwait Bourse was 1.2 percent lower while the small bourses of Oman and Bahrain were down 0.16 percent and 0.6 percent, respectively.\n\nThe incidents came amid rising tensions in a region already shaken by a standoff between the United States and Iran.\n\nTehran called for an investigation into the \"alarming\" attacks and warned of \"adventurism\" by foreign players to disrupt maritime security.\n\nUS Secretary of State Mike Pompeo meanwhile scrapped a planned visit to Moscow to head Brussels to discuss Iran with European officials.", "The United Arab Emirates has said that four commercial ships were yesterday sabotaged in the Persian Gulf.\n\nNo injuries or deaths were caused by the breach and no fuel was spilled, according to the country's foreign ministry which has so far stopped short of accusing someone for the incident.\n\nIn recent weeks, the stretch of water off the Oman coast has become a flashpoint in heightened tensions between the United States and Iran that have threatened to boil over since President Trump pulled out of the 2015 nuclear deal and reimposed sanctions which have crippled the Iranian economy.\n\nAnd the alleged sabotage of the merchant ships comes as aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and B-52 bombers are deployed to bolster the American Navy's grip on the region.\n\nIn an escalation of the cold war being fought by the White House and Tehran, the US also warned ships in the region that they risk attack from 'Iran or its proxies'.\n\nThe statement from the UAE's Foreign Ministry pinpointed the supposedly sabotaged ships near the country's territorial waters in the Gulf of Oman, east of the port of Fujairah.\n\nThe US Navy's 5th Fleet, which controls the waters, did not immediately offer comment on the incident.\n\nHours before yesterday's sabotage, Lebanon's pro-Iran satellite channel Al-Mayadeen, quoting 'Gulf sources,' falsely reported that a series of explosions had struck the strategically located Fujairah's port.\n\nState media in Iran picked up the report from Al-Mayadeen, which later published the names of vessels it claimed were involved in the incident.\n\nBut subsequent investigations have since found the report about explosions at the port to be untrue.\n\nThese false reports came after the warning put out by the US government alerting sea traffic to the perceived threat posed by Iranian ships.\n\nThe warning read: 'Since early May, there is an increased possibility that Iran and/or its regional proxies could take action against US and partner interests, including oil production infrastructure, after recently threatening to close the Strait of Hormuz.\n\n'Iran or its proxies could respond by targeting commercial vessels, including oil tankers, or U.S. military vessels in the Red Sea, Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, or the Persian Gulf.'", "WASHINGTON, May 14 — US President Donald Trump warned yesterday Iran would “suffer greatly” if it targeted US interests after Washington deployed an aircraft carrier and more jet fighters at a time of rising tensions with Tehran.\n\n“We'll see what happens with Iran. If they do anything, it will be a very bad mistake,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “If they do anything they will suffer greatly.”\n\nTrump's comments came after the United Arab Emirates reported four commercial vessels had been sabotaged on Sunday near Fujairah emirate just outside the Strait of Hormuz. Iran sought to distance itself from the incident.\n\nWashington withdrew last year from a 2015 pact between Iran and global powers aimed at reining in Tehran's nuclear plans. Since then, the United States has ratcheted up sanctions on Iran, saying it wanted to reduce its oil exports to zero.\n\nUS Secretary of State Mike Pompeo cancelled a trip to Moscow yesterday and instead stopped in Brussels to share information on “escalating” threats from Iran with European allies and Nato officials, the US special representative for Iran said. — Reuters", "DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The United Arab Emirates says that four commercial ships “were subjected to sabotage operations” after false reports circulated in Lebanese and Iranian media outlets saying there had been explosions at one of the nation’s seaports.\n\nThe statement carried by the state-run WAM news agency on Sunday did not say who the UAE suspected of carrying out the sabotage or identify the ships involved.\n\nThe statement said there had been “no injuries or fatalities on board the vessels” and “no spillage of harmful chemicals or fuel.”\n\nEarlier Sunday, pro-Iran Lebanese media and Iranian media falsely reported there had been explosions at oil tankers at the port of Fujairah. The Associated Press found the reports to be unfounded after speaking to Emirati officials and local witnesses.", "DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - The U.S. issued a new warning early Monday to sailors over alleged “acts of sabotage” targeting ships off the coast of the United Arab Emirates amid heightened regional tensions between America and Iran. The UAE’s regional allies meanwhile condemned the reported sabotage Sunday of the four ships off the coast of Fujairah, which came just hours after Iranian and Lebanese media outlets aired false reports of explosions at the city’s port.\n\nEmirati officials have declined to elaborate on the nature of the sabotage or say who might have been responsible. However, the reported incident comes as the U.S. has warned ships that “Iran or its proxies” could be targeting maritime traffic in the region, and as America is deploying an aircraft carrier and B-52 bombers to the Persian Gulf to counter alleged threats from Tehran. Tensions have risen in the year since President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, restoring American sanctions that have pushed Iran’s economy into crisis. Last week, Iran warned it would begin enriching uranium at higher levels in 60 days if world powers failed to negotiate new terms for the deal. Underling the regional risk, the general-secretary of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council described the alleged sabotage as a “serious escalation” in an overnight statement.\n\n“Such irresponsible acts will increase tension and conflicts in the region and expose its peoples to great danger,” Abdullatif bin Rashid al-Zayani said. Bahrain, Egypt and Yemen’s internationally recognized government similarly condemned the alleged sabotage. A statement Sunday from the UAE’s Foreign Ministry put the ships near the country’s territorial waters in the Gulf of Oman, east of the port of Fujairah. It said it was investigating “in co-operation with local and international bodies.” It said there were “no injuries or fatalities on board the vessels” and “no spillage of harmful chemicals or fuel.”\n\nThe U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet, which oversees the region, did not immediately offer comment. Emirati officials declined to answer questions from The Associated Press, saying their investigation is ongoing. Earlier Sunday, Lebanon’s pro-Iran satellite channel Al-Mayadeen, quoting “Gulf sources,” falsely reported that a series of explosions had struck Fujairah’s port. State and semi-official media in Iran picked up the report from Al-Mayadeen, which later published the names of vessels it claimed were involved. The AP, after speaking to Emirati officials and local witnesses, found the report about explosions at the port to be unsubstantiated.\n\nFujairah’s port is about 140 kilometres (85 miles) south of the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which a third of all oil at sea is traded. The facility handles oil for bunkering and shipping, as well as general and bulk cargo. It is seen as strategically located, serving shipping routes in the Persian Gulf, the Indian subcontinent and Africa. Sunday’s incident comes after the U.S. Maritime Administration, a division of the U.S. Transportation Department, warned Thursday that Iran could target commercial sea traffic.\n\n“Since early May, there is an increased possibility that Iran and/or its regional proxies could take action against U.S. and partner interests, including oil production infrastructure, after recently threatening to close the Strait of Hormuz,” the warning read. “Iran or its proxies could respond by targeting commercial vessels, including oil tankers, or U.S. military vessels in the Red Sea, Bab-el-Mandeb Strait or the Persian Gulf.” Early Sunday, the agency issued a new warning to sailors about the alleged sabotage, while stressing “the incident has not been confirmed.” It urged shippers to exercise caution in the area for the next week. Publicly available satellite images of the area taken Sunday showed no smoke or fire. It remains unclear if the previous warning from the U.S. Maritime Administration is the same perceived threat that prompted the White House to order the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group and B-52 bombers to the region on May 4. Associated Press writers Aya Batrawy in Dubai and Bassem Mroue in Beirut contributed to this report. This story has been corrected to say date is Monday.", "The United Arab Emirates has said that four commercial ships off its eastern coast “were subjected to sabotage operations,” just hours after Iranian and Lebanese media outlets aired false reports of explosions at a nearby Emirati port.\n\nEmirati officials declined to elaborate on the nature of the sabotage or say who might have been responsible.\n\nHowever, the reported incident comes as the US has warned ships that “Iran or its proxies” could be targeting maritime traffic in the region.\n\nThe incident happened as America deploys an aircraft carrier and B-52 bombers to the Persian Gulf to counter alleged threats from Tehran.\n\nTensions have risen in the year since President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, restoring American sanctions that have pushed Iran’s economy into crisis.\n\nLast week, Iran warned it would begin enriching uranium at higher levels in 60 days if world powers failed to negotiate new terms for the deal.\n\nThe statement from the UAE’s Foreign Ministry put the ships near the country’s territorial waters in the Gulf of Oman, east of the port of Fujairah.\n\nIt said it was investigating the incident “in co-operation with local and international bodies”. It said there were “no injuries or fatalities on board the vessels” and “no spillage of harmful chemicals or fuel”.\n\nEarlier on Sunday, Lebanon’s pro-Iran satellite channel Al-Mayadeen, quoting “Gulf sources,” falsely reported that a series of explosions had struck Fujairah’s port.\n\nState and semi-official media in Iran picked up the reports, citing Al-Mayadeen, which later published the names of vessels it claimed were involved in the incident.\n\nThe Associated Press, after speaking to Emirati officials and local witnesses, found the reports about an explosion at the port to be unsubstantiated.\n\nThe reported sabotage incident comes after the US Maritime Administration warned last week that Iran could target commercial sea traffic.\n\n“Since early May, there is an increased possibility that Iran and/or its regional proxies could take action against US and partner interests, including oil production infrastructure, after recently threatening to close the Strait of Hormuz,” the warning read.\n\n“Iran or its proxies could respond by targeting commercial vessels, including oil tankers, or US military vessels in the Red Sea, Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, or the Persian Gulf.”", "UAE says 4 ships targeted by 'sabotage' off its coast\n\nDUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The United Arab Emirates says that four commercial ships \"were subjected to sabotage operations\" after false reports circulated in Lebanese and Iranian media outlets saying there had been explosions at one of the nation's seaports.\n\nThe statement carried by the state-run WAM news agency on Sunday did not say who the UAE suspected of carrying out the sabotage or identify the ships involved.\n\nThe statement said there had been \"no injuries or fatalities on board the vessels\" and \"no spillage of harmful chemicals or fuel.\"\n\nEarlier Sunday, pro-Iran Lebanese media and Iranian media falsely reported there had been explosions at oil tankers at the port of Fujairah. The Associated Press found the reports to be unfounded after speaking to Emirati officials and local witnesses.", "FUJAIRAH (United Arab Emirates): Saudi Arabia on Monday said two of its oil tankers were sabotaged off the coast of the United Arab Emirates in attacks that caused \"significant damage\" to the vessels, one of them as it was en route to pick up Saudi oil to take to the United States.\n\nThe announcement by the kingdom's energy minister, Khalid al-Falih, came as the US issued a new warning to sailors and the UAE's regional allies condemned the reported sabotage on Sunday of four ships off the coast of the port city of Fujairah.\n\nThe statement came just hours after Iranian and Lebanese media outlets aired false reports of explosions at the city's port. Emirati officials have declined to elaborate on the nature of the sabotage or say who might have been responsible.\n\nThe US has warned ships that \"Iran or its proxies\" could be targeting maritime traffic in the region. America is deploying an aircraft carrier and B-52 bombers to the Persian Gulf to counter alleged threats from Tehran.\n\nShortly after the Saudi announcement, Iran's Foreign Ministry called for further clarification about what exactly happened with the Saudi tankers. The ministry' spokesman, Abbas Mousavi, was quoted by the official IRNA news agency as saying there should be more information about the incident.\n\nMousavi also warned against any \"conspiracy orchestrated by ill-wishers\" and \"adventurism by foreigners\" to undermine the maritime region's stability and security.\n\nTensions have risen in the year since President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, restoring American sanctions that have pushed Iran's economy into crisis. Last week, Iran warned it would begin enriching uranium at higher levels in 60 days if world powers failed to negotiate new terms for the deal.\n\nIn his statement, al-Falih said the attacks on the two tankers happened at 6 a.m. Sunday.\n\n\"One of the two vessels was on its way to be loaded with Saudi crude oil from the port of Ras Tanura, to be delivered to Saudi Aramco's customers in the United States,\" al-Falih said. \"Fortunately, the attack didn't lead to any casualties or oil spill; however, it caused significant damage to the structures of the two vessels.\"\n\nSaudi Arabia did not identify the vessels involved, nor did it say whom it suspected of carrying out the alleged sabotage.\n\nThe kingdom's Foreign Ministry condemned the incident in a statement published on the state-run Saudi Press Agency on Monday as a \"criminal act\" that threatens the \"safety of maritime traffic, which reflects negatively on regional and international peace and security.\"\n\nAl-Falih also said the attack aimed to undermine the \"security of oil supplies to consumers all over the world\" and emphasized the \"joint responsibility of the international community to protect\" the safety of maritime navigation and oil tankers.\n\nUnderling the regional risk, the general-secretary of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council described the incident as a \"serious escalation.\"\n\n\"Such irresponsible acts will increase tension and conflicts in the region and expose its peoples to great danger,\" Abdullatif bin Rashid al-Zayani said. Bahrain, Egypt and Yemen's internationally recognized government similarly condemned the alleged sabotage."], "summary": "The United States Maritime Administration (MARAD) issues a new alert to all ships passing Fujairah, off the coast of the United Arab Emirates on the Gulf of Oman over \"acts of sabotage\" amid heightened regional tensions between the United States and Iran."}
{"document": ["Anchorage — A team of federal accident investigators is expected to arrive in Alaska Tuesday to try to piece together what caused a deadly midair collision between two sightseeing planes. Four people were killed when the floatplanes carrying cruise ship tourists collided Monday near the southeast Alaska town of Ketchikan, the Coast Guard said.\n\nTwo others were missing, according to Petty Officer Jon-Paul Rios, a Coast Guard spokesman.\n\nPrincess Cruises said one of the planes was flying a shore excursion sold through its cruise line, and that it was carrying ten guests and a pilot. The second plane, an independent flight tour, was carrying four people from the cruise ship Royal Princess as well as a pilot, it said.\n\nMultiple people were rescued, according to Princess Cruises and the Coast Guard.\n\nBoth aircraft plunged into waters below, where they are submerged, a source familiar with the situation told CBS News. Investigators believe one came to rest in a lake, the other in the ocean. It was unclear how far apart they are.\n\nA Washington, D.C.-based investigative team from the National Transportation Safety Board is expected to arrive in Ketchikan Tuesday afternoon, agency spokesman Peter Knudson said. He said board member Jennifer Homendy also is traveling with the so-called \"Go Team,\" which investigates major accidents.\n\nThe floatplanes collided under unknown circumstances, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Allen Kenitzer said in an email to The Associated Press. Floatplanes have pontoons mounted under the fuselage so they can land on water.\n\nEmergency response crews transport an injured passenger to an ambulance at the George Inlet Lodge docks, Monday, May 13, 2019, in Ketchikan, Alaska. Dustin Safranek/Ketchikan Daily News via AP\n\nLocal emergency responders worked with state and federal agencies and good Samaritan vessels to help rescue and recover victims.\n\n\"It's been a long day and the crews have been working really hard to rescue people and recover the deceased,\" Deanna Thomas, a spokeswoman for the Ketchikan Gateway Borough, the local government, said Monday evening.\n\nMap shows location of sightseeing plane collision near Ketchikan, Alaska on May 13, 2019 Google Maps\n\nA spokeswoman for Taquan Air, operator of one of the planes, said the company had suspended operations while federal authorities investigate the deadly crash.\n\n\"We are devastated by today's incident and our hearts go out to our passengers and their families,\" Taquan said in a statement.\n\nCindy Cicchetti, a passenger on the Royal Princess cruise ship, told the AP the ship was not leaving as scheduled and there weren't any details on how the accident will affect the rest of the trip. The ship left Vancouver, British Columbia, on May 11 and was scheduled to arrive in Anchorage on Saturday.\n\n\"Our thoughts and prayers are with those who lost their lives and the families of those impacted by today's accident. Princess Cruises is extending its full support to traveling companions of the guests involved,\" Princess Cruises said in a statement.\n\nIt wasn't the first major plane crash near Ketchikan, a popular tourist destination. In June 2015, a pilot and eight passengers died when a de Havilland DHC-3 Otter operated by Promech Air Inc. crashed into mountainous terrain about 24 miles from Ketchikan. The NTSB later determined that pilot error and lack of a formal safety program were behind the crash.\n\nWeather conditions in the area on Monday included high overcast skies with 9 mph southeast winds.", "The United States Coast Guard said Tuesday that the bodies of two people missing after the midair collision of two small planes on Monday in a remote part of Alaska had been recovered, bringing the number of people killed to six.\n\nThe collision, which happened at 12:12 p.m. on Monday and also injured 10 others, happened after one of the two planes descended by several hundred feet, officials said on Tuesday.\n\nThe two small planes, which were carrying cruise ship passengers, crashed Monday as they approached the city of Ketchikan, a National Transportation Safety Board member, Jennifer Homendy, said at a news conference.\n\n“The preliminary data shows speed and altitude, but we don’t want to make any assumptions based on that,” Ms. Homendy said. “We still have to recover the planes and then we have to look at those, and it takes some significant work to understand how the two came together.”", "Five people have died and one person is missing after two float planes carrying cruise ship guests crashed into each other, according to reports.\n\nOne person is missing and 10 have been injured after the aircraft reportedly went down near Ketchikan, Alaska, US, at around 9.09pm last night [GMT].\n\nBoth of the sightseeing planes were carrying tourists from the Royal Princess ship, owned by Princess Cruises, when they crashed off the coast of Alaska.\n\nA statement from the cruise firm said: \"The flight was returning from a Misty Fjords tour and carried ten guests from Royal Princess and a pilot.\n\n\"A second float plane was also involved in an incident and was carrying four guests from Royal Princess on an independent tour.\n\n\"We are incredibly distressed by this situation and our thoughts and prayers are with those on board the planes and their families.\n\n\"The U.S. Coast Guard and local search and rescue teams have confirmed that nine of the guests on the Taquan Air plane have been rescued and are receiving medical attention, with the condition of one guest still unknown.\n\n\"It has also been confirmed there are five fatalities from the independent air tour, four Royal Princess guests and one pilot.\"\n\nKTUU-TV, an Alaskan television station, reported that the two planes crashed into each other, leaving five dead and one missing.\n\nThere were 16 people on board the de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver and de Havilland Otter, which crashed into each other in mid-air, according to the station.\n\nLocal media originally reported that ten people were hospitalised in the crash, with one critically injured, three in a serious condition and six others in a fair condition.\n\nA spokesman for Taquan Air, which organised one of the flights, said it had suspended operations while authorities investigate the crash.\n\nWe'll be bringing you the very latest updates, pictures and video on this breaking news story.\n\nPlease check back regularly for updates on this developing story here at Mirror.co.uk.\n\nFor the latest news and breaking news visit Mirror.co.uk/news.", "Five people are dead and one is unaccounted for after two floatplanes carrying passengers from a cruise excursion collided mid-air in Alaska, NBC News reported.\n\nThe two planes carried 14 passengers from a seven-day roundtrip cruise out of Vancouver, according to a statement Monday from Royal Princess Cruises.\n\nThe planes collided mid-air about eight nautical miles from Ketchikan, Alaska, at the southeastern end of the state at about 1 p.m. local time.", "KETCHIKAN, Alaska — Five people are dead after two float planes collided in flight Monday afternoon near Ketchikan, Alaska, according to a news release from Princess Cruises.\n\nThe crash took place around 1 p.m. (5 p.m. ET) when a small floatplane — an aircraft with pontoons or floats that allow it to land on water — operated by Taquan Air was flying a shore excursion. The flight, sold through Princess Cruises, was returning from a tour of Alaska’s Misty Fjords and was carrying 10 passengers and a pilot.\n\nThe second plane involved was carrying four passengers from Royal Princess on an separate tour, the release said.\n\nThe four passengers on the Royal Princess plane and one pilot were confirmed dead, the release said.\n\nNine of the passengers on the Taquan Air plane were rescued and received medical attention with one passenger’s condition still unknown, the release said. The release did not say what happened to the pilot.\n\n“We are deeply saddened to report this news and our thoughts and prayers are with those who lost their lives and the families of those impacted by today’s accident. Princess Cruises is extending its full support to traveling companions of the guests involved,” the company said.", "Coast Guard says 3 dead after two sightseeing planes collide in midair in Alaska; both carried cruise ship tourists\n\nANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Coast Guard says 3 dead after two sightseeing planes collide in midair in Alaska; both carried cruise ship tourists.", "ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - A team of federal accident investigators is expected to arrive in Alaska Tuesday to try to piece together what caused a deadly midair collision between two sightseeing planes.\n\nFour people were killed after the floatplanes carrying cruise ship tourists collided Monday near the southeast Alaska town of Ketchikan, the Coast Guard said. Two others were missing, said Petty Officer Jon-Paul Rios, a Coast Guard spokesman.\n\nThe Washington, D.C.-based investigative team from the National Transportation Safety Board is expected to arrive in Ketchikan Tuesday afternoon, agency spokesman Peter Knudson said. He said board member Jennifer Homendy also is traveling with the so-called \"Go Team,\" which investigates major accidents.\n\nThe floatplanes collided under unknown circumstances, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Allen Kenitzer said in an email to The Associated Press. Floatplanes have pontoons mounted under the fuselage so they can land on water.\n\nThe passengers were from the cruise ship Royal Princess and were on sightseeing flights, one of which was operated by flightseeing company Taquan Air.\n\nEleven people were inside Taquan's single-engine de Havilland Otter DHC-3 when it went down as it returned from Misty Fjords National Monument, which is part of the Tongass National Forest, the nation's largest. Ten people were taken to a Ketchikan hospital.\n\nAll patients were in fair or good condition, according to Marty West, a spokeswoman for PeaceHealth Ketchikan Medical Center.\n\nThree people who died were among five people aboard the second plane, a single-engine de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver, according to Coast Guard Lt. Brian Dykens. It's unclear which plane carried the fourth victim, whose body was recovered during a Monday night search, Rios said.\n\nLocal emergency responders worked with state and federal agencies and good Samaritan vessels to help rescue and recover victims.\n\n\"It's been a long day and the crews have been working really hard to rescue people and recover the deceased,\" Deanna Thomas, a spokeswoman for the Ketchikan Gateway Borough, the local government, said Monday evening.\n\nA spokeswoman for Taquan Air, operator of the Otter, said the company had suspended operations while federal authorities investigate the deadly crash.\n\n\"We are devastated by today's incident and our hearts go out to our passengers and their families,\" Taquan said in a statement.\n\nCindy Cicchetti, a passenger on the Royal Princess cruise ship told the AP that the ship captain announced that two planes were in an accident Monday. She said the ship is not leaving as scheduled and there weren't any details as to how the accident will affect the rest of the trip.\n\nThe ship left Vancouver, British Columbia, on May 11 and is scheduled to arrive in Anchorage on Saturday.\n\n\"Our thoughts and prayers are with those who lost their lives and the families of those impacted by today's accident. Princess Cruises is extending its full support to traveling companions of the guests involved,\" Princess Cruises said in a statement.\n\nThe FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating.\n\nWeather conditions in the area on Monday included high overcast skies with 9 mph (14 kph) southeast winds.\n\nIt's not the first time a major plane crash has occurred near Ketchikan, a popular tourist destination.\n\nIn June 2015, a pilot and eight passengers died when a de Havilland DHC-3 Otter operated by Promech Air Inc. crashed into mountainous terrain about 24 miles (39 kilometers) from Ketchikan. The NTSB later determined that pilot error and lack of a formal safety program were behind the crash.", "ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Three people were killed after two sightseeing airplanes carrying cruise ship tourists collided in midair Monday near a southeast Alaska town, the Coast Guard said.\n\nThree others are missing after the collision about 10 miles (16 kilometers) from Ketchikan, Coast Guard Lt. Brian Dykens said.\n\nThe Coast Guard had a cutter onsite and planned to work overnight to find the missing.\n\nThe National Transportation Board was sending an elite investigative team from Washington, D.C., to investigate the crash, another deadly mishap for cruise ship passengers taking side excursions off cruise ships in Ketchikan.\n\nThe floatplanes with passengers from Princess Cruises' Royal Princess ship collided under unknown circumstances, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Allen Kenitzer said in an email to The Associated Press. Floatplanes have pontoons mounted under the fuselage so they can land on water.\n\nEleven people were inside Taquan Air's single-engine de Havilland Otter DHC-3 when it went down as it returned from Misty Fjords National Monument, which is part of the Tongass National Forest, the nation's largest. Ten were taken to a Ketchikan hospital.\n\nAll patients were in fair or good condition, according to Marty West, a spokeswoman for PeaceHealth Ketchikan Medical Center.\n\nThe three people who died were among five people aboard the second plane, a single-engine de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver, according to Dykens.\n\nLocal emergency responders worked with state and federal agencies and good Samaritan vessels to help rescue and recover victims.\n\n\"It's been a long day and the crews have been working really hard to rescue people and recover the deceased. They're still working on a search and recovery of three more individuals,\" Deanna Thomas, a spokeswoman for the Ketchikan Gateway Borough, the local government, said Monday evening.\n\nAll 14 passengers were on sightseeing flights. The plane with 11 on board was operated by Taquan Air. A spokeswoman for the flightseeing company said Taquan has suspended operations while federal authorities investigate the deadly crash. The other four, Princess Cruises said in a statement, were on an independent tour.\n\n\"We are devastated by today's incident and our hearts go out to our passengers and their families,\" Taquan said in a statement. \"At this time, we are in the midst of an active crisis response, and our focus is on assisting these passengers, the pilot, our staff, their families and loved ones, and first responders.\"\n\nCindy Cicchetti, a passenger on the Royal Princess cruise ship, told the AP that the ship captain announced that two planes were in an accident Monday. She said the ship is not leaving as scheduled and there weren't any details as to how the accident will affect the rest of the trip.\n\nThe ship left Vancouver, British Columbia, on May 11 and is scheduled to arrive in Anchorage on Saturday.\n\n\"Our thoughts and prayers are with those who lost their lives and the families of those impacted by today's accident. Princess Cruises is extending its full support to traveling companions of the guests involved,\" Princess Cruises said in its statement.\n\nWeather conditions in the area on Monday included high overcast skies with 9 mph (14 kph) southeast winds.\n\nA pilot and eight cruise ship passengers died June 25, 2015, when a de Havilland DHC-3 Otter operated by Promech Air Inc. crashed into mountainous terrain about 24 miles (38 kilometers) from Ketchikan, also as it was returning from Misty Fjords.\n\nAssociated Press journalist Michelle A. Monroe in Phoenix contributed to this report.", "ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Coast Guard says 3 dead after two sightseeing planes collide in midair in Alaska; both carried cruise ship tourists.", "At least four people were killed, 10 people injured and two missing after two small planes carrying cruise ship passengers collided in midair on Monday afternoon over a remote part of southeast Alaska, the authorities said.\n\nIt was not immediately clear what caused the two small propeller planes — which had pontoons to land on water — to crash near George Inlet about 1 p.m., Alaska Standard Time.\n\nLt. Brian Dykens, a Coast Guard spokesman, said that passengers of Princess Cruises were on the planes, but that he did not have further details.\n\nMore than 50 members of the United States Coast Guard were using helicopters and boats to search the waters for the missing people, Lieutenant Dykens said."], "summary": "Four people are killed when two sightseeing planes, with a total of 14 Royal Princess ship tourists, collide near Ketchikan, Alaska. Multiple people were rescued though two others are missing."}
{"document": ["LONDON (Reuters) - Iran said on Monday it had sentenced an Iranian woman to 10 years prison for spying for Britain, as tension rises between Tehran and some Western countries over its nuclear and missile programs.\n\n“An Iranian who was in charge of Iran desk in the British Council and was cooperating with Britain’s intelligence agency... was sentenced to 10 years in prison after clear confessions,” Gholamhossein Esmaili, a judiciary spokesman, said on the state television.\n\nEsmaili said the woman was in charge of projects for “cultural infiltration” in Iran. He did not identify her, but said she was a student in Britain before being recruited by the British Council.\n\nEsmaili said the woman had been in custody for almost a year. He did not specify whether she held British nationality.\n\nThe British Foreign Office did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment. The British Council is Britain’s cultural agency overseas.\n\nThe arrest of Iranians accused of espionage has increased since Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said last year there had been “infiltration” of Western agents in the country.\n\nIran has been increasingly at odds with Western countries since the United States withdrew from a deal Tehran signed with global powers to curb its nuclear program in return for the lifting of sanctions.\n\nRelated Coverage Britain concerned at reports Iran jailed woman for spying for UK\n\nBritain is a signatory to the nuclear deal. Like other European signatories, it supports maintaining the deal.\n\nThe United States has ratcheted up sanctions against Iran this month, revoking waivers that had permitted some countries to continue buying Iranian oil. Tehran has responded by reducing curbs on its nuclear program, although steps it has taken so far stop short of violating the agreement.", "An Iranian woman who worked for the was sentenced to 10 years in prison for \"spying\", the judiciary's website Mizan Online reported Monday, sparking concern in\n\n\"An Iranian citizen in charge of the desk at the... was cooperating with English spying agencies,\" Mizan reported, quoting judiciary\n\nHe did not identify the suspect, but said she had been sentenced recently after she \"made a straightforward confession\".\n\nEsmaili added that the suspect, who had been tasked with drawing up and managing cultural \"infiltration\" projects, had been arrested by and security agencies \"more than a year ago\".\n\nThe United Kingdom's foreign ministry voiced concern over the sentence.\n\n\"We are very concerned by reports that an Iranian employee has been sentenced to jail on charges of espionage,\" a for the told AFP.\n\n\" officials in are in touch with the to seek further information.\" The British Council is a cultural and educational organisation with branches around the world, but according to its website it is not \"physically preset\" in\n\nIranian authorities shut down the British Council more than a decade ago for what Esmaili described as \"illegal activities\".\n\nEsmaili said that during her confession, the suspect described how she had been recruited, telling investigators about the instructions she had been given by \"the English security agency\".\n\nThe said that she was \"an Iranian student who wanted to live and work in the UK\", was hired by the British Council and \"repeatedly travelled to under aliases... and made connections with artistic and theatre groups\".\n\nA London-based British Council employee was arrested in Iran in 2018 during a trip to visit relatives.\n\nIt was not immediately clear if she was the person sentenced on Monday.\n\nThe sentencing comes amid tensions between Iran and Britain over the fate of British-Iranian mother who was arrested by Iranian authorities in 2016 as she was leaving\n\nZaghari-Ratcliffe, who worked for the Thomson Reuters Foundation, was put on trial and is now serving a five-year jail sentence for allegedly trying to topple the", "\"An Iranian citizen in charge of the Iran desk at the... British Council was cooperating with English spying agencies,\" Mizan reported, quoting judiciary spokesman Gholamhossein Esmaili.", "LONDON (Reuters) - Iran said on Monday it had sentenced an Iranian national to 10 years prison for spying for Britain.\n\n“An Iranian who was in charge of Iran desk in the British Council and was cooperating with Britain’s intelligence agency... was sentenced to 10 years in prison after clear confessions,” Gholamhossein Esmaili, a judiciary spokesman, was quoted as saying by Fars news agency.\n\nHe did not identify the person who was sentenced. The British Council is Britain’s cultural agency overseas.", "An Iranian woman who worked for the was sentenced to 10 years in prison for \"spying\", the judiciary's website Mizan Online reported Monday.\n\n\"An Iranian citizen in charge of the desk at the English cultural council called was cooperating with English spying agencies,\" it said quoting judiciary\n\nHe said the sentence was handed down recently and did not identify the suspect who \"had made a straightforward confession and was sentenced to 10 years by the court\".\n\nEsmaili added that the suspect, who had been tasked with drawing up and managing cultural \"infiltration\" projects, had been arrested by and security agencies \"more than a year ago\".\n\nThe is a cultural and educational organisation overseas but according to its website it is not \"physically present\" in\n\nIranian authorities shut down the British Council more than a decade ago for what Esmaili described as \"illegal activities\".\n\nEsmaili said during her confession, the suspect described how she had been recruited and provided information on \"the instructions that the English security agency had given\" her.\n\nThe said she was \"an Iranian student who wanted to live and work in the UK\" had been \"employed by the British Council\" and \"repeatedly travelled to under aliases... and made connections with artistic and theatre groups\".\n\nA London-based employee was arrested in Iran in 2018 during a trip to visit relatives.\n\nIt was not immediately clear if she was the person sentenced on Monday.\n\nThe sentencing comes amid tensions between Iran and Britain over the fate of British-Iranian mother who was arrested by Iranian authorities in 2016 as she was leaving\n\nZaghari-Ratcliffe, who worked for the Thomson Reuters Foundation, was put on trial and is now serving a five-year jail sentence for allegedly trying to topple the", "Alwaght- Iran has sentenced a woman to 10 years in prison for spying for Britain, a spokesperson for the Islamic Republic's judiciary has said on Monday.\n\n\"An Iranian who was in charge of the Iran desk in the British Council and was cooperating with Britain’s intelligence agency … was sentenced to 10 years in prison after clear confessions,” Gholamhossein Esmaili told reporters at a press conference.\n\nThe British Council is a so-called cultural organization with branches around the world that is funded from the UK's foreign office. Iran shut down the British Council's offices in 2009 for their \"illegal activities\".\n\nThe spokesman did not identify the person who was sentenced but said she had been sentenced recently after she \"made a straightforward confession\". A friend of the sentenced woman has allegedly identified her as Aras Amiri to the Reuters news agency, while British newspaper The Telegraph claimed that one of Amiri's family members confirmed she was the person sentenced.\n\nThe 33-year -old Amiri lived in London for more than a decade and worked at the British Council on projects.\n\nEsmaili said that during her confession, the suspect described how she had been recruited, telling investigators about her instructions from the \"English security agency\".\n\nThe spokesman added that she was \"an Iranian student who wanted to live and work in the UK\", was hired by the British Council and \"repeatedly travelled to Iran under aliases... and made connections with artistic and theatre groups\".\n\nHer case has similarities to that of the Iranian-British dual national spy Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, arrested three years ago.", "(Hatha al-Youm | Iraq News )-Iran has accused one of its own citizens of spying for Britain and jailed them for ten years. A government official told the Iranian Fars news agency the unidentified person worked for the British Council's Iran desk. \"An Iranian who was in charge of Iran desk in the British Council and was cooperating with Britain's intelligence agency... was sentenced to 10 years in prison after clear confessions,\" Gholamhossein Esmaili, a judiciary spokesman, has said.", "An Iranian woman employee of the has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for \"spying\", the judiciary's website Mizan Online reported Monday, sparking concern in\n\n\"An Iranian citizen in charge of the desk at the... was cooperating with English spying agencies,\" Mizan reported, quoting judiciary\n\nHe did not identify the suspect but said she had been sentenced recently after she \"made a straightforward confession\".\n\nEsmaili added that the suspect, who had been tasked with drawing up and managing cultural \"infiltration\" projects, had been arrested by and security agencies \"more than a year ago\". Britain's foreign ministry voiced concern over the case.\n\n\"We are very concerned by reports that an Iranian employee has been sentenced to jail on charges of espionage,\" a for the told AFP.\n\n\" officials in are in touch with the to seek further information.\" The British Council, a cultural and educational organisation with branches around the world, said in a statement that \"it does not have offices or representatives in Iran, and does not do any work in Iran\".\n\nIranian authorities shut down the British Council's office in more than a decade ago for what Esmaili described as \"illegal activities\".\n\nEsmaili said that during her confession, the suspect described how she had been recruited, telling investigators about her instructions from the \"English security agency\".\n\nThe said she was \"an Iranian student who wanted to live and work in the UK\", was hired by the British Council and \"repeatedly travelled to under aliases... and made connections with artistic and theatre groups\".\n\nA London-based British Council employee, Aras Amiri, was arrested in in 2018 during a trip to visit relatives.\n\nIt was not immediately clear if she was the person whose sentencing was announced on Monday. The \"safety and wellbeing (of colleagues) remain our first concern... We are in close contact with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office,\" the British Council said.\n\n\"We are a non-political organisation committed to people-to-people engagement, and our staff are not connected to any espionage agency.\" The sentencing comes amid tensions between Iran and Britain over the fate of British-Iranian mother who was arrested by Iranian authorities in 2016 as she was leaving\n\nZaghari-Ratcliffe, who worked for the Thomson Reuters Foundation, was put on trial and is now serving a five-year jail sentence for allegedly trying to topple the", "The UK embassy in Tehran was stormed in 2011 - AFP\n\nAn Iranian woman working for the British Council has been sentenced to 10 years in prison in Iran on allegations that she spied for the UK government.\n\nAras Amiri, 33, worked for the UK cultural institution in London and was arrested in Iran in March 2018 while on a private holiday to visit family.\n\nIranian authorities announced Monday that a woman had been jailed for 10 years for “cultural infiltration by the British intelligence services in Iranian internal affairs”.\n\nThe report did not specifically name Ms Amiri as the woman being sentenced but a family member confirmed to The Telegraph that it was her.\n\nMs Amiri’s conviction is the latest in a long pattern of Iranian authorities arresting and harassing people it accuses of being British spies.\n\nNazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, a 41-year-old charity worker, has been held for more than three years on espionage allegations, while Iranian authorities have repeatedly targeted employees of the BBC’s Persian service.\n\nMs Amiri lived in London for more than a decade and worked at the British Council on projects intended to showcase the Iranian art scene. She was also studying art philosophy at Kingston University.\n\nThe British Council, a charity partly funded by the UK government, closed its offices in Iran in 2009 after its staff were harassed by the Iranian government. The UK embassy closed two years later after it was stormed by a mob.\n\nSir Ciarán Devane, the chief executive of the British Council, said: “Our colleague’s safety and wellbeing remain our first concern, as it has been throughout their detention. We are in close contact with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.”\n\nThe British Council said had no offices or representatives in Iran and no longer does any work in the country.\n\nA spokesman for the Iranian judiciary described Ms Amiri as being the head of the Iran desk at the British Council but the organisation said she was a junior employee.\n\nA Foreign Office spokesman said: “We are very concerned by reports that an Iranian British Council employee has been sentenced to jail on charges of espionage. We have not been able to confirm any further details at this stage and are urgently seeking further information.”", "Iran said on Monday it had sentenced an Iranian woman to 10 years prison for spying for Britain, as tension rises between Tehran and some Western countries over its nuclear and missile programs.\n\n“An Iranian who was in charge of Iran desk in the British Council and was cooperating with Britain’s intelligence agency … was sentenced to 10 years in prison after clear confessions,” Gholamhossein Esmaili, a judiciary spokesman, said on the state television.\n\nREAD MORE: Iran threatens to resume higher uranium enrichment if nuclear deal fails\n\nEsmaili said the woman was in charge of projects for “cultural infiltration” in Iran. He did not identify her, but said she was a student in Britain before being recruited by the British Council.\n\nEsmaili said the woman had been in custody for almost a year. He did not specify whether she held British nationality.\n\nThe British Foreign Office did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment. The British Council is Britain’s cultural agency overseas.\n\nThe arrest of Iranians accused of espionage has increased since Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said last year there had been “infiltration” of Western agents in the country.\n\nIran has been increasingly at odds with Western countries since the United States withdrew from a deal Tehran signed with global powers to curb its nuclear program in return for the lifting of sanctions."], "summary": "An Iranian woman is sentenced to 10 years in prison for suspected spying for the United Kingdom. A judiciary spokesman alleged that she was recruited by the British Council's Iran desk."}
{"document": ["China will raise tariffs on $60 billion in U.S. goods in retaliation for the U.S. decision to hike duties on Chinese goods, the Chinese Finance Ministry said Monday.\n\nBeijing will increase tariffs on more than 5,000 products to as high as 25%. Duties on some other goods will increase to 20%. Those rates will rise from either 10% or 5% previously.\n\nThe move follows President Donald Trump's decision to raise duties on $200 billion in Chinese products to 25% from 10%. The world's two largest economies have struggled to sign a trade deal and end a widening conflict that threatens to damage the global economy.\n\nThe latest shot in the trade war rattled investors. Major U.S. stock indexes dove more than 2% Monday amid the escalation.", "The Chinese government Monday said that from June 1 it will impose tariffs on $60 billion worth of goods from the United States, in response to the latest measure adopted by President Donald Trump.\n\nIt was a new chapter in the bitter trade dispute between the two countries, China responded to the last tariff increase ordered by Trump on Friday, which affects Chinese goods worth $200 billion.", "BEIJING — China announces tariff hikes on $60 billion of US imports in retaliation for Trump’s latest trade penalties.\n\nThe United States has escalated its trade war with China, hiking tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese exports, hours after trade talks held in Washington failed to produce a breakthrough.\n\nTariffs on the targeted exports increased from 10% to 25% at 12:01 a.m. ET on Friday, prompting a swift rebuke from Beijing.\n\nThe Chinese government expressed “deep regret over the development” and pledged to take “necessary countermeasures.”\n\nThe Trump administration’s decision to impose new taxes on Chinese exports comes after the United States accused China of backtracking on commitments made during recent negotiations on trade.\n\nTrump has repeatedly slammed China for indulging in what he says are unfair trade practices, particularly with regards to access to its giant market, intellectual property and technology transfers.", "BEIJING (Reuters) - China said on Monday it will adjust tariffs on a revised target list of $60 billion worth of U.S. imports, with additional rates of 20% to 25% in retaliation for a U.S. tariff hike on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods.\n\nA total of 5,140 U.S. products will be subject to various tariff rates starting June 1, the finance ministry said in a statement.\n\nAn additional tariff of 25% will be levied against 2,493 goods including liquefied natural gas, the ministry said, and an additional tariff of 20% will be imposed on 1,078 products.\n\nBeijing previously set additional rates of 5% and 10% on 5,207 U.S. products worth $60 billion in September, and warned at the time that it would counter any higher tariffs imposed by Washington on Chinese products.\n\n“China’s adjustment on additional tariffs is a response to U.S. unilateralism and protectionism,” the ministry said. “China hopes the U.S. will get back to the right track of bilateral trade and economic consultations and meet with China halfway.”\n\nThe United States on Friday activated a new 25% duty on more than 5,700 categories of products from China, even as top Chinese and U.S. negotiators resumed trade talks in Washington.\n\nU.S. President Donald Trump had ordered the new tariffs, saying China “broke the deal” by reneging on earlier commitments made during months of negotiations. China has denied the allegations.", "has ordered his top officials to begin the process to raise tariffs on almost all the imports from China, US Trade said Friday.\n\nThis amounts to about USD300 billion. This is in addition to the Chinese imports worth USD200 billion on which Trump increased the import duty from 10 percent to 25 percent, beginning Friday.\n\n\"Earlier today, at the direction of the President, the increased the level of tariffs from 10 percent to 25 percent on approximately $200 billion worth of Chinese imports,\" Lighthizer said.\n\n\"The also ordered us to begin the process of raising tariffs on essentially all remaining imports from China, which are valued at approximately USD300 billion,\" he said.\n\nThe process for public notice and comment will be published shortly in the Federal Register. \"The details will be on the USTR website on Monday as we begin the process prior to a final decision on these tariffs,\" Lighthizer said.\n\nExpected to escalate trade war between US and China, the latest Trump move came as the Chinese concluded his two days of trade talks with the US team led by Lighthizer.\n\nIn a series of tweets, Trump described the talks as candid and constructive, but indicated taking a tough approach against massive imbalance of trade with\n\n\"Over the course of the past two days, the and have held candid and constructive conversations on the status of the trade relationship between both countries,\" he said.\n\n\"The relationship between and myself remains a very strong one, and conversations into the future will continue,\" he added.\n\n\"In the meantime, the United States has imposed Tariffs on China, which may or may not be removed depending on what happens with respect to future negotiations!\" Trump said.\n\nTariffs will bring in \"far more\" wealth to the United States than even a phenomenal deal of the traditional kind. \"Also, much easier & quicker to do. Our Farmers will do better, faster, and starving nations can now be helped. Waivers on some products will be granted, or go to new source!\" he said in another tweet.\n\n\"If we bought from our Farmers, far more than buys now, we would have more than 85 Billion Dollars left over for new Infrastructure, Healthcare, or anything else. China would greatly slow down, and we would automatically speed up!\" Trump said.\n\nReferring to his latest direction, Trump said that the process has begun to place additional Tariffs at 25 percent on the remaining 325 Billion Dollars. \"The US only sells China approximately 100 Billion Dollars of goods and products, a very big imbalance,\" he said.\n\n\"With the over 100 Billion Dollars in Tariffs that we take in, we will buy from our Great Farmers, in larger amounts than China ever did, and ship it to poor & starving countries in the form of humanitarian assistance. In the meantime, we will continue to negotiate with China in the hopes that they do not again try to redo deal!\" said the\n\nTrump said he is in no rush to conclude trade talks with China.\n\n\"Talks with China continue in a very congenial manner - there is absolutely no need to rush - as Tariffs are NOW being paid to the United States by China of 25 percent on 250 Billion Dollars worth of goods & products. These massive payments go directly to the Treasury of the U.S....,\" he said.\n\n\"We have lost 500 Billion Dollars a year, for many years, on Crazy Trade with China. NO MORE!\" Trump said.", "China 'won't surrender' to pressure in US trade war After the latest round of trade negotiations ended on Friday without a deal, China on Monday warned that it will \"never surrender to external pressure\", referring to the US increasing tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods to 25% and will impose new duties on another $300 billion. China has said that it will hit back with \"necessary countermeasures\".\n\nNEW DELHI: China on Monday said it will impose tariffs on $60 billion worth of US goods from June 1, after Washington announced plans to tax almost all Chinese imports to the United States.Beijing will impose tariffs ranging from 5 per cent to 25 per cent on a number of American goods, according to a statement by the Tariff Policy Commission of the State Council -- China's cabinet.China's finance ministry said that it will impose tariffs on a total of 5,140 US products.The latest round of trade negotiations between the world's top two economies ended on Friday without a deal, with US President Donald Trump increasing tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods to 25 per cent and ordering the start of a process to impose new duties on another $300 billion worth of items.The response was announced after Trump warned Beijing not to retaliate.\"China should not retaliate-will only get worse!\" the US president wrote in a series of tweets on trade.But Beijing also appeared to dig in. \"China will never surrender to external pressure,\" foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said at a regular briefing on Monday.Global markets remain on red alert over a trade war between the two superpowers that most observers have warned could shatter global economic growth, and hurt demand for commodities like oil.", "The Latest: China to hike tariffs on $60 billion in US goods\n\nBEIJING (AP) — The Latest on the tariffs battle between China and the United States (all times local):\n\nChina has announced it is raising tariffs on $60 billion in U.S. goods in retaliation for the latest penalties on its exports announced by the Trump administration.\n\nThe Finance Ministry said Monday the penalty duties of 5% to 25% on hundreds of U.S. products including batteries, spinach and coffee take effect June 1.\n\nThat followed Trump's increase Friday of duties on $200 billion of Chinese imports from 10% to 25% in a dispute over Beijing's technology ambitions and trade surplus.\n\nCompanies are waiting to see how China will retaliate for President Donald Trump's latest tariff hikes on Chinese imports while economists warned the escalating dispute could slow growth.\n\nChinese officials gave no indication Monday what steps they might take after threatening \"necessary countermeasures\" for Trump's penalties on $200 billion of Chinese goods, imposed Friday.\n\nTrade talks wrapped up later Friday in Washington without an agreement.\n\nJake Parker, the vice president of the U.S.-China Business Council, an industry group, said officials appeared to be studying the potential impact on China's economy before deciding how to respond.\n\nMorgan Stanley economists said the tariff hike could trim China's annual economic growth by 0.5 percentage points. They said that impact could grow if uncertainty prompts companies to cut jobs or postpone investment.", "Trump's tariffs on China: What are they? How do they work?\n\nWASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has heightened tensions with China by escalating his tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese goods from 10% to 25%.\n\nAs a tool of national policy, tariffs had long been fading into history, a relic of the 19th and early 20th centuries that most experts came to see as harmful to all nations involved. Yet more than any other modern president, Trump has embraced tariffs as a punitive tool — against Europe, Canada and other key trading partners but especially against China , the second-largest economy after the U.S.\n\nThe Trump administration asserts, and many independent analysts agree, that Beijing has deployed predatory tactics to try to give Chinese companies an edge in such advanced technologies as artificial intelligence, robotics and electric vehicles. Beijing's tactics, the U.S. contends, include hacking into U.S. companies' computers to steal trade secrets, forcing foreign companies to turn over sensitive technology in exchange for access to China's markets and unfairly subsidizing Chinese companies.\n\nTrump has also complained angrily about America's gaping trade deficit with China for which he blames weak and naive negotiating by previous U.S. administrations.\n\nLast July, Trump began gradually imposing tariffs on Chinese imports. After Friday's increase, the administration is now imposing 25% tariffs on $250 billion in Chinese goods. Beijing has counterpunched by taxing $110 billion of American products, focusing on agricultural goods, notably soybeans, in a calculated effort to inflict pain on Trump supporters in the farm belt.\n\nA look at what tariffs are and how they work:\n\nWHAT EXACTLY ARE TARIFFS?\n\nTariffs are a tax on imports. They are typically charged as a percentage of the transaction price that a buyer pays a foreign seller. To use a simplistic example (ignoring real-world minimum amounts subject to tariffs): Say an American retailer buys 100 garden umbrellas from China for $5 apiece — $500 total. And suppose the U.S. tariff rate for the umbrellas is 6.5 percent. The retailer would have to pay a $32.50 tariff on the shipment, thereby raising the total price from $500 to $532.50.\n\nIn the United States, tariffs — sometimes also called duties or levies — are collected by Customs and Border Protection agents at 328 ports of entry across the country. Proceeds go to the Treasury. The tariff rates are published by the U.S. International Trade Commission in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule, which lists U.S. tariffs on everything from dried plantains (1.4 percent) to parachutes (3 percent).\n\nSometimes, the U.S. will impose additional tariffs on imports that it determines are being sold at unfairly low prices or are being supported by foreign government subsidies.\n\nWHAT ARE TARIFFS SUPPOSED TO ACHIEVE?\n\nTwo things: Increase government revenue. And protect domestic industries from foreign competition. Before the federal income tax was established in 1913, tariffs were a big money raiser for Washington. From 1790 to 1860, tariffs produced 90 percent of federal revenue, according to Douglas Irwin, an economist at Dartmouth College. By contrast, tariffs in recent years have accounted for only about 1 percent of federal revenue.\n\nTariffs are meant to raise the price of imports or punish foreign countries for unfair trade practices, like subsidizing their exporters and dumping their goods at unfairly low prices. They discourage imports by making them costlier. They also reduce pressure from foreign competition and make it easier for home-grown companies to raise prices.\n\nAs global trade grew after World War II, tariffs fell out of favor. The formation of the World Trade Organization and the forging of trade deals like the North American Free Trade Agreement reduced or eliminated tariffs. The average U.S. tariff is now one of the lowest in the world: 1.6 percent, the same as the European Union's, the Pew Research Center reports.\n\nMost economists say no. Tariffs raise the cost of imports for people and companies that need to buy them. And by reducing competitive pressure, they give U.S. producers leeway to raise prices, too. That's good for those producers but bad for almost everyone else.\n\nRising costs especially hurt consumers and companies that rely on imported parts. Some U.S. companies that buy steel, for example, complain that Trump's tariffs on imported steel leave them at a competitive disadvantage. Their foreign rivals can buy steel more cheaply and offer lower-priced goods.\n\nIn 2002, President George W. Bush's administration placed tariffs on imported steel. A study financed by steel-consuming businesses found that the tariffs cost 200,000 American jobs that year.\n\nMore broadly, trade restrictions make an economy less efficient. With lesser competition from abroad, domestic companies lose the incentive to increase efficiency or to focus on what they do best.", "(BEIJING) — Deepening a trade battle and sending financial markets spinning, China announced Monday it was raising tariffs on $60 billion of U.S. goods in retaliation for the latest hike in U.S. tariffs on its exports.\n\nThe Finance Ministry said Monday the new penalty duties of 5% to 25% on hundreds of U.S. products including batteries, spinach and coffee will take effect June 1.\n\nThat followed Trump’s increase on Friday of duties on $200 billion of Chinese imports from 10% to 25% after charging that China had backtracked on commitments it made in earlier negotiations in a dispute over Beijing’s technology ambitions and perennial trade surplus.\n\nResuming his messages over Twitter early Monday, President Donald Trump warned Chinese President Xi Jinping (shee jihn-peeng) that China “will be hurt very badly” if it doesn’t agree to a trade deal.\n\nTrump insisted the tariffs the U.S. has placed on Chinese goods don’t hurt American consumers, saying there is “no reason for the U.S. Consumer to pay the Tariffs.”\n\nWhite House economic adviser Larry Kudlow acknowledged Sunday that U.S. consumers and businesses pay the tariffs. “Both sides will pay,” he told Fox News.\n\nChina had vowed “necessary countermeasures” on Friday against Trump’s escalation of the tariff conflict.\n\nFrazzled by the uncertainty, shares sank Monday across the globe. Futures contracts for the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 were down 2 percent before markets opened on Wall Street.\n\nBeijing is running out of U.S. imports for penalties due to the lopsided trade balance between the world’s two largest economies. Regulators have targeted American companies in China by slowing down customs clearance for shipments and processing of business licenses.\n\nThe new tariffs are likely to hurt exporters on both sides, as well as European and Asian companies that trade between the United States and China or supply components and raw materials to their manufacturers.\n\nThe increases already in place have disrupted trade in goods from soybeans to medical equipment and sent shockwaves through other Asian economies that supply Chinese factories.\n\nForecasters have warned that the U.S. tariff hikes could disrupt a Chinese recovery that had appeared to be gaining traction. Growth in the world’s second-largest economy held steady at 6.4% over a year earlier in January-March, supported by higher government spending and bank lending.\n\nThe tensions “raise fresh doubts about this recovery path,” Morgan Stanley economists Robin Xing, Jenny Zheng and Zhipeng Cai said in a report.\n\nThe latest U.S. charges could knock 0.5 percentage points off annual Chinese economic growth and that loss could widen to 1 percentage point if both sides extend penalties to all of each other’s exports, economists say. That would pull annual growth below 6%, raising the risk of politically dangerous job losses.\n\nThe latest talks ended with no word of progress on Friday. Chinese officials said they hoped that the U.S. side would meet them halfway, describing the standoff as just a “setback.”\n\nTrump might meet his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, during next month’s meeting of the Group of 20 major economies in Osaka, said Kudlow, his economic adviser.\n\nChinese officials have invited the top U.S. envoys – Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin -to Beijing, Kudlow said on Fox News. But he said there were no “definite plans.”\n\nChina’s state media has sought to reassure businesses and consumers that the ruling Communist Party has the resources and policy tools to respond to the dispute with Washington.\n\n“There is nothing to be afraid of,” said the party newspaper People’s Daily. “The U.S.-instigated trade war against China is just a hurdle in China’s development process. It is no big deal.”\n\nTrump started raising tariffs last July over complaints China steals or pressures companies to hand over technology.\n\nWashington wants Beijing to roll back government support for Chinese companies striving to become global leaders in robotics and other technology. The U.S. and other trading partners say such efforts violate Beijing’s free-trade commitments.\n\nA stumbling block has been U.S. insistence on an enforcement mechanism with penalties to ensure Beijing carries out its commitments. Economists say Chinese leaders probably reject that as a violation of Chinese sovereignty.\n\nThe abruptness of Trump’s announcement on May 5, just days before the last round of talks, about raising tariffs to 25% made companies see doing business in China as more uncertain, said Jake Parker, vice president of the U.S.-China Business Council, an industry group.\n\nNo matter what Washington and Beijing decide, “there is an enormous risk in the background that tariffs could come back into play at any moment,” he said.", "The Dow dropped more than 450 points Monday morning after China said it would raise tariffs on roughly $60 billion worth of U.S. imports as retaliation for additional tariffs on Chinese goods.\n\nTrade talks between the United States and China ended without a deal Friday afternoon. President Donald Trump announced last week he would raise tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports.\n\nShortly before markets opened Monday, China announced it would implement the new tariffs starting June 1.\n\nTrump fired off a series of tweets in which he repeated a false claim that the U.S. consumer does not need to pay for tariffs. In reality, tariffs would cause prices on many consumer goods to increase.\n\n..There will be nobody left in China to do business with. Very bad for China, very good for USA! But China has taken so advantage of the U.S. for so many years, that they are way ahead (Our Presidents did not do the job). Therefore, China should not retaliate-will only get worse! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 13, 2019\n\nThe president also appealed to Chinese President Xi Jinping in his tweets, claiming China will be \"hurt very badly\" if he doesn't make a deal.\n\nThe U.S. and China had been making progress toward a final trade deal but a tentative agreement all but fell apart last week after the Chinese sought to make revisions to the deal, the White House said. It's not clear when the trade representatives will meet again.\n\nThis is a developing story. Please check back for updates."], "summary": "China announces its intent to increase tariffs from 10% to 25% on $60 billion worth of imports from the United States effective June 1, 2019."}
{"document": ["Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó on Saturday said he's instructed his political envoy in Washington to immediately open relations with the U.S. military in a bid to bring more pressure on President Nicolás Maduro to resign.\n\nAn opponent of the Nicolas Maduro government, his mouth covered with strands representing the national colors of Venezuela, waits for the arrival of opposition leader Juan Guaidó to lead a rally in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, May 11, 2019. Guaidó has called for nationwide marches protesting the Maduro government, demanding new elections and the release of jailed opposition lawmakers. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)\n\nVenezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó on Saturday said he's instructed his political envoy in Washington to immediately open relations with the U.S. military in a bid to bring more pressure on President Nicolás Maduro to resign.\n\nCARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó on Saturday said he’s instructed his political envoy in Washington to immediately open relations with the U.S. military in a bid to bring more pressure on President Nicolás Maduro to resign.\n\nThe leader said he’s asked Carlos Vecchio, who the U.S. recognizes as Venezuela’s ambassador, to open “direct communications” toward possible military “coordination.”\n\nThe remarks, at the end of a rally Saturday, mark one of his strongest public pleas yet for greater U.S. involvement in the country’s fast-escalating crisis. While Guaidó has repeatedly echoed comments from the Trump administration that “all options” are on the table for removing Maduro, few in the U.S. or Venezuelan opposition view military action as likely nor has the White House indicated it’s seriously considering such a move.\n\nBut with tensions between the U.S. and Maduro running high, the saber rattling is getting louder.\n\nOn Saturday, Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino condemned what he said was an illegal incursion by a U.S. Coast Guard cutter into Venezuelan territorial waters. He provided no evidence to back the claim but said that the Venezuelan Navy vessels forced it to withdraw..\n\n“I don’t know if other republics will accept actions like this in their jurisdiction, but we will not,” he said.\n\nArmy Col. Amanda Azubuike, a South Command spokeswoman, said a U.S. Coast Guard vessel was conducting a drug interdiction mission in the international waters of the Caribbean Sea. She declined to provide further comment.\n\nIn past days, Padrino also denounced what he said were attempts by the U.S. military to sow discord inside Venezuela’s barracks, inviting an angry response from U.S. Navy Adm. Craig Faller, the head of South Command, who said he “stands ready” to assist Guaidó.\n\n“I look forward to discussing how we can support the future role of those (leaders of Venezuelan armed forces) who make the right decision, put the Venezuela people first & restore constitutional order,” Faller said.\n\nAs head of the embattled National Assembly, Guaidó launched a campaign in January to oust Maduro, gaining the support of the U.S. and more than 50 nations.\n\nHe announced Saturday a forthcoming meeting with U.S. military officials and said that new actions taken by the opposition will seek to “achieve the necessary pressure” to put an end to the Bolivarian revolution launched 20 years ago by the late socialist President Hugo Chávez.\n\nGuaidó has said that as Venezuela’s rightful leader he reserves the right to invite foreign military actions in the same way independence hero Simon Bolivar hired 5,000 British mercenaries to liberate South America from Spain. He says any such help should be considered “cooperation,” instead of intervention, something he has accused Maduro of allowing in the form of military and intelligence support from allies Cuba and Russia.\n\nIn recent days, the government has sought to ramp up its own pressure on the opposition with the arrest of the No. 2 leader of the opposition-controlled National Assembly, Edgar Zambrano. Several other anti-Maduro lawmakers have sought refuge in the embassies of foreign nations as the country’s top court announced investigations of Zambrano and nine other members of congress.\n\nMeanwhile, noticeably diminished crowds at opposition protests reflected a growing fear and demoralization that has permeated Guaidó’s ranks of supporters after he led a failed military uprising on April 30. In previous months, thousands of demonstrators heeded his calls to protest.\n\nOn Saturday, a modest crowd of several hundred Venezuelans gathered in the capital of Caracas.\n\n“We live in dictatorship,” Guaidó said, urging his supporters to press forward in their campaign to oust his foe. “We don’t have the option to stay at home waiting, but to keep demanding our rights in the streets.”\n\nGuaidó argues that Maduro illegitimately won a second term in rigged elections and has boldly declared himself interim president of Venezuela.\n\nMaduro has maintained control of the military by securing the loyalty of top commanders. He calls Guaidó a “puppet” of the Trump administration and says that the U.S. is supporting a coup to oust him to exploit the country’s vast oil wealth.\n\n“The U.S. Empire aims to end the Bolivarian Revolution,” Maduro tweeted early Saturday, boasting of the country’s education and social security systems. “We show the world that we can do social justice.”\n\nA once-wealthy oil nation, Venezuela has sunk into economic and social collapse marked by soaring inflation and a scarcity of basic goods that has sent an estimated 3.7 million of its citizens to emigrate.\n\nCopyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.", "Formal request for a meeting is the closest the Guaidó camp has come to requesting US military intervention to help oust Maduro\n\nThe head of Venezuela’s national assembly, Juan Guaidó, has asked for a meeting with the US military for “strategic and operational planning” in the power struggle between the Guaidó camp and the government of Nicolás Maduro.\n\nIn a letter to the head of US Southern Command (SouthCom), Guaidó’s representative in Washingon, Carlos Vecchio, pointed to worsening conditions in Venezuela as the standoff continues and “the impact of the presence of uninvited foreign forces that place our country and others at risk”.\n\nVecchio wrote: “We welcome strategic and operational planning so that we may fulfill our constitutional obligation to the Venezuelan people in order to alleviate their suffering and restore our democracy.”\n\nThe formal request for a meeting between SouthCom commander, Adm Craig Faller, and “appropriate members of the Guaidó administration” is the closest the Guaidó camp has come to requesting US military intervention to help oust Maduro, since a 30 April uprising failed to draw significant backing from the country’s generals.\n\nSouthCom’s headquarters in Florida did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Vecchio letter. Faller said in a tweet last week that he was willing to meet the “legitimate” Venezuelan government to discuss “how we can support the future role of those [Venezuelan army] leaders who make the right decision, put the Venezuela people first and restore constitutional order”.\n\nGuiadó told supporters at a rally in Caracas on Saturday that he would send Vecchio to meet SouthCom “to be able to establish a direct and far-reaching relationship in terms of cooperation”.\n\nThe national assembly is debating a possible return to a cold war agreement, Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance, known as the Rio pact, which would provide a possible legal basis for intervention. Venezuela and other left-leaning Latin American states pulled out of the pact in 2012. The US and much of western Europe and Latin America recognise Guaidó as Venezuela’s head of state on the grounds that Maduro’s re-election last year was rigged. Maduro’s allies include Russia, Cuba and China.\n\n“I think that the [Guaidó camp] are more willing to entertain the idea or at least to look at what the options might be. And it might not be an invasion. [It could be] send an aircraft carrier or send more naval assets or send more advisers and things to Colombia and Brazil,” said Adam Isacson, director for defence oversight at the Washington Office on Latin America.\n\n“Just about everybody who supports a military option in Venezuela – which I don’t – their hope is that they can just rattle the sabers really loudly and really close to Venezuela, and that alone would cause enough division in the Venezuelan military that the military would pull away from Maduro.”", "By The Associated Press\n\nCARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela’s opposition leader Juan Guaidó seeks contact with U.S. military to pressure President Nicolás Maduro’s exit.\n\nCARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela’s opposition leader Juan Guaidó seeks contact with U.S. military to pressure President Nicolás Maduro’s exit.\n\nCopyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.", "Guaido, the man who need the US to be president\n\nCARACAS – Carlos Vecchio, the representative of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó, reported that he officially requested support for the US Southern Command to advance strategic and operational planning.\n\n“I write at the direction of the Interim president of Venezuela, Juan Guaido. We are grateful to the United States for its friendship, resolve and readiness to support our continued efforts to place Venezualan people first and look forward to fruitful planning and coordinaton. According, I respectfully request a meeting at United States Southern Command with appropriate members of the Guaido Administration,” Carlos Vecchio said on behalf of Juan Guaidó as Chargé d’Affaires of Venezuela in the USA.\n\nHe also published his letter to the head of the US Southern Command, Admiral Craig Falle, where he writes that the interim government thanks and receives US support and confirms our willingness to begin talks regarding the cooperation that had been offered by his command.\n\nIn addition, Vecchio called for a meeting between the US Southern Command and the appropriate members of President Guaido’s interim government.\n\nThe letter was sent on May 11. On the same day Guaidó stated that he instructed “our representative Carlos Vecchio to meet with the Southern Command to establish direct relations to achieve cooperation.”\n\n“We instruct our representative Carlos Vecchio to meet with the Southern Command to establish direct relations to achieve cooperation,” said Guaidó.\n\nVenezuela has dealt with a serious political crisis, with opposition leader Juan Guaidó proclaiming himself interim president of the country on January 23.\n\nThe US and several countries in Europe and Latin America, including Brazil, have recognized Guaidó as interim president of the country.\n\nRussia, China, Cuba, Bolivia, Nicaragua, Turkey, Mexico, Iran and many other countries expressed their support for Maduro as the legitimate president and demanded that other countries respect the principle of non-interference in Venezuelan internal affairs.\n\nHowever, the Bolivarian defense forces have pledged their loyalty to Maduro and are fully prepared to defend the country from a US military invasion.", "Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó said on Saturday he has asked his envoy to the United States to meet with Pentagon officials to \"cooperate\" on a solution to the South American country's political crisis.\n\nGuaidó, the leader of the opposition-controlled National Assembly, added he had received word from China that the country would join a diplomatic effort between European and Latin American countries, known as the International Contact Group on Venezuela, to negotiate an end to the crisis.\n\nIn January, Guaidó invoked the OPEC nation's constitution to assume an interim presidency, arguing President Nicolas Maduro's 2018 re-election was illegitimate. He has been recognized by most Western and Latin American countries, but Maduro has retained the support of allies China, Russia and Cuba.\n\nGuaidó's effort to oust Maduro so he can take power and call new elections has stalled in recent weeks, after an attempted military uprising on April 30 was put down. Guaidó told an Italian newspaper this week that he would \"probably\" accept a U.S. military intervention if the United States proposed it.\n\n\"We have instructed our ambassador Carlos Vecchio to meet immediately ... with the Southern Command and its admiral to establish a direct relationship,\" Guaidó said at a rally in Caracas on Saturday. \"We have said from the beginning that we will use all the resources at our disposal to build pressure.\"\n\nRepresentatives of the U.S. Southern Command and Vecchio did not immediately respond to requests for comment. President Donald Trump's administration officials have repeatedly said that \"all options are on the table\" to oust Maduro, who calls Guaidó a U.S. puppet seeking to oust him in a coup. The White House however seems to be cold on the possibility of boots on the ground in the unstable country.\n\nThe Southern Command said in a tweet on Thursday that it was prepared to discuss \"how we can support the future role\" of Venezuelan armed forces leaders who \"restore constitutional order,\" when invited by Guaidó.\n\nVenezuela's Information Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino separately said on Saturday that a U.S. Coast Guard ship had entered Venezuelan territorial waters, which he said \"we will not accept.\"\n\nA Southern Command spokesman had said on Friday that a U.S. Coast Guard vessel was conducting a \"counterdrug detection and monitoring mission\" in \"international waters\" in the Caribbean Sea on May 9.\n\nGuaidó was speaking at a rally in support of opposition lawmakers who have been arrested, taken refuge at foreign embassies in Caracas, and been threatened in recent days amid a broad crackdown by Maduro against congress after the April 30 uprising.\n\nMost Latin American countries, as well as the European Union, have expressed opposition to potential military intervention in Venezuela. EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said last week the contact group is prepared to begin a \"mission at the political level\" in Caracas.\n\nWhile Guaidó has been recognized by some prominent states, Italy is explaining its refusal to recognize the Venezuelan opposition leader as interim president, saying it doesn't want to contribute to any \"radicalization\" of sides in the political crisis.\n\nIn a letter Saturday in La Stampa daily, Premier Giuseppe Conte said Italy considers Guaidó the democratically elected president of the National Assembly, and that President Nicolás Maduro has no \"democratic legitimacy.\"\n\nHowever he said the government wouldn't recognize Guaidó for \"formal-juridical\" reasons and \"because it is aware of the risk of contributing to the radicalization of various positions and favoring a spiral of violence with the result of making conditions for the people even more dramatic.\"", "Venezuelan diplomats who are loyal to Juan Guaidó are making their efforts to work more closely with U.S. President Donald Trump's administration and Florida lawmakers public.\n\nGuaidó's U.S. ambassador, Carlos Vecchio, sent a letter Saturday to Craig S. Faller, the commander of the U.S. Southern Command, requesting a meeting. The letter published on social media says Vecchio is ready to discuss the U.S. assistance that was offered.\n\n\"We welcome the strategic and operational planning so that we may fulfill our constitutional obligation to the Venezuelan people,\" Vecchio wrote.\n\nGuaidó is asking the U.S. for assistance with his efforts to oust Nicolás Maduro, who still has the support of the Venezuelan military top brass, and to help the Venezuelans who are suffering because of the economic crisis.\n\nU.S. immigration laws have challenged the asylum bids of Venezuelan migrants in South Florida. The United Nations estimates there were at least 70,000 Venezuelan asylum-seekers in the U.S. from 2014 to 2018. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services experienced an 88 percent increase in asylum petitions in 2017.\n\n\"There is no reason not to protect Venezuelans that are here,\" Rep. Donna Shalala told Local 10 News during a news conference Monday. \"Even if the Maduro government failed tomorrow, they would still need to be protected here for a period of time.\"\n\nShalala and Rep. Debbie Murcarsel-Powell met with Vecchio's senior aide, Gustavo Marcano, to announce they are working together to help keep Venezuelan migrants from being deported from the U.S. through a temporary protected status.\n\nRep. Darren Soto, a Democrat, introduced the Venezuela TPS Act of 2019 and Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, a Republican, co-sponsored it in January.\n\nOther Florida co-sponsors include Reps. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, Alcee Hastings, Stephanie Murphy, Charlie Crist, Kathy Castor and Ted Deutch. In February, the House Judiciary Committee referred the bill to the subcommittee on immigration and citizenship.", "Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro Pushes Back Against U.S. Support To Unseat Him\n\nIn Venezuela, President Nicolás Maduro is starting to push back on U.S.-supported opposition to unseat him. But that may only fuel anti-government demonstrations.", "The Venezuelan politician fighting to depose Nicolás Maduro has accused his rival of attempting to obliterate the opposition challenge to his rule with a campaign of “state terrorism”.\n\nSpeaking to the Guardian nearly two weeks after his failed uprising against Maduro, Juan Guaidó claimed Venezuela’s strongman president was illegally targeting opposition leaders who took part.\n\nAt least 10 Guaidó allies are facing years in jail for their role in the abortive 30 April insurrection – with three seeking refuge in diplomatic compounds and one fleeing to Colombia in recent days.\n\nThe current location of Edgar Zambrano, the vice-president of Venezuela’s opposition-controlled parliament, is unknown after he was seized by intelligence agents last Wednesday.\n\n“Today what we are seeing is terror, the sowing of terror, which is all the Maduro regime has left,” Guaidó said during an interview at his party headquarters in Caracas.\n\n“What they are doing right now is basically state terrorism – because they are using the state apparatus to spread fear.”\n\nVenezuela’s foreign minister, Jorge Arreaza, has rejected international criticism of his government’s clampdown, asking critics how they would respond to a similarly “foolhardy operation” to remove their leader.\n\nMaduro and his backers describe the botched mutiny as a United States-backed coup attempt that was defeated thanks to the loyalty of Venezuela’s armed forces.\n\nBut Guaidó, the 35-year-old president of Venezuela’s national assembly, claimed Maduro’s pursuit of opposition lawmakers reflected the desperation of a regime “in its final moments”.\n\n“All that he has left, regrettably, is persecution,” Guaidó said of Maduro, who took power after Hugo Chávez’s 2013 death and was returned to office last year in elections widely denounced as a fraud.\n\nSeveral key Maduro confidants were reportedly involved in the plot against him – including the defence minister and the head of the supreme court - and Guaidó said he believed Maduro was now racked with paranoia. “I think he mistrusts everyone … even the person who serves him coffee.”\n\nHe called the defection of Venezuela’s top spy – who Maduro has accused of being a CIA mole – proof of a deep split within the military and predicted: “There will be more and more [defections]”.\n\nDespite the recent upheaval, Guaidó cut a confident and carefree figure during the half-hour interview, at one point spontaneously breaking into a falsetto rendition of his campaign jingle: “Vamos bien!” (“We’re doing good!”). As the Guardian left his office, Guaidó beamed and flashed a V sign with his left hand.\n\nBut for all that outward bounce the politician’s life has been upended since he launched his campaign against Maduro in January by declaring himself Venezuela’s rightful interim president – a decision now endorsed by 54 governments, including the United States and Britain.\n\nThickset security guards prowl the corridors of his offices with walkie talkies strapped to their hips. Guaidó’s wife and baby daughter have reportedly left Venezuela.\n\n“There have been lots of threats,” he said, calling recent days “very complicated”.\n\nGuaidó has yet to be detained or charged – something many attribute to Maduro’s reluctance to provoke the White House.\n\nBut several close allies have gone into hiding or fled abroad after being stripped of their parliamentary immunity and accused of crimes including treason, civil rebellion and instigating insurrection.\n\nOn Saturday, Venezuela’s El Nacional newspaper said Zambrano faced up to 30 years in prison for his role in the so-called “Operation Freedom” against Maduro.\n\nGuaidó recalled feeling “great expectation” as he headed to Caracas’ La Carlota airfield to launch the rebellion in the early hours of 30 April. But by noon it was clear crucial support from top military and political figures had not materialised. “We needed more,” Guaidó admitted.\n\nDespite the setback – which some view as a calamitous defeat and others a temporary hitch - Guaidó insisted the opposition was close to achieving its objective.\n\nHe hinted secret negotiations aimed at securing Maduro’s departure continued and said he would talk to any civil or military figure prepared to back his cause.\n\nAsked how long Maduro had left, Guaidó said he hoped it was “nanoseconds”.\n\n“They have already lost. Venezuela hasn’t won yet … [but] I believe it is just a matter of time.”\n\nMaduro loyalists see the uprising as part of a gringo plot masterminded by Donald Trump’s White House. Pedro Carreño, a top Maduro ally, branded Guaidó’s movement a “despicable” jukebox that would play whatever tune it was paid to.\n\nGuaidó rejected his depiction as a “diabolical imperialist puppet” and urged foreign critics to consider how Chavista criminality – not US sanctions – had caused Venezuela’s collapse.\n\n“It wasn’t a tornado. It wasn’t a hurricane. It wasn’t an earthquake. It wasn’t a fire that spread uncontrollably,” Guaidó said. “No – it was caused by the corruption of this regime.”", "CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó on Saturday said he’s instructed his political envoy in Washington to immediately open relations with the U.S. military in a bid to bring more pressure on President Nicolás Maduro to resign.\n\nGuaidó said he’s asked Carlos Vecchio, whom the United States recognizes as Venezuela’s ambassador, to open “direct communications” toward possible military “coordination.”\n\nThe remarks, at the end of a rally Saturday, were one of his strongest public pleas yet for greater U.S. involvement in the country’s escalating crisis. While Guaidó has repeatedly echoed comments from the Trump administration that “all options” are on the table for removing Maduro, few in the U.S. or Venezuelan opposition view military action as likely, nor has the White House indicated it’s seriously considering such a move.\n\nBut with tensions between the U.S. and Maduro running high, the saber rattling is getting louder.\n\nOn Saturday, Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino condemned what he said was an illegal incursion by a U.S. Coast Guard cutter into Venezuelan territorial waters. He provided no evidence to back the claim but said that the Venezuelan Navy vessels forced it to withdraw.\n\n“I don’t know if other republics will accept actions like this in their jurisdiction, but we will not,” he said.\n\nU.S. Army Col. Amanda Azubuike, a Southern Command spokeswoman, said a U.S. Coast Guard vessel was conducting a drug interdiction mission in the international waters of the Caribbean Sea. She declined to provide further comment.\n\nIn past days, Padrino also denounced what he said were attempts by the U.S. military to sow discord inside Venezuela’s barracks, inviting an angry response from U.S. Navy Adm. Craig Faller, the head of Southern Command, who said he “stands ready” to assist Guaidó.\n\n“I look forward to discussing how we can support the future role of those (leaders of Venezuelan armed forces) who make the right decision, put the Venezuela people first & restore constitutional order,” Faller said.\n\nAs head of the embattled National Assembly, Guaidó launched a campaign in January to oust Maduro, gaining the support of the United States and more than 50 nations.\n\nHe announced Saturday a forthcoming meeting with U.S. military officials and said that new actions taken by the opposition will seek to “achieve the necessary pressure” to put an end to the Bolivarian revolution launched 20 years ago by the late socialist President Hugo Chávez.\n\nGuaidó has said that as Venezuela’s self-proclaimed leader he reserves the right to invite foreign military actions in the same way independence hero Simon Bolivar hired 5,000 British mercenaries to liberate South America from Spain. He says any such help should be considered “cooperation,” instead of intervention, something he has accused Maduro of allowing in the form of military and intelligence support from allies Cuba and Russia.\n\nHow that argument will play throughout South and Central America, most of whose countries have seen U.S. interventions to support corrupt and murderous governments over the years, remains to be seen.\n\nIn recent days, Maduro’s government has sought to ramp up its own pressure on the opposition with the arrest of the No. 2 leader of the opposition-controlled National Assembly, Edgar Zambrano. Several other anti-Maduro lawmakers have sought refuge in the embassies of foreign nations as the country’s top court announced investigations of Zambrano and nine other members of congress.\n\nMeanwhile, noticeably diminished crowds at opposition protests reflected a growing fear and demoralization that has permeated Guaidó’s ranks of supporters after he led a failed military uprising on April 30. In previous months, thousands of demonstrators heeded his calls to protest.\n\nOn Saturday, a modest crowd of several hundred gathered in the capital of Caracas.\n\n“We live in dictatorship,” Guaidó said, urging his supporters to press forward in their campaign to oust Maduro. “We don’t have the option to stay at home waiting, but to keep demanding our rights in the streets.”\n\nGuaidó claims that Maduro illegitimately won a second term in rigged elections and has declared himself interim president of Venezuela.\n\nMaduro has maintained control of the military by securing the loyalty of top commanders. He calls Guaidó a “puppet” of the Trump administration and says that the United States is supporting a coup to oust him to exploit the country’s vast oil wealth.\n\n“The U.S. Empire aims to end the Bolivarian Revolution,” Maduro tweeted early Saturday, boasting of the country’s education and social security systems. “We show the world that we can do social justice.”\n\nA once-wealthy oil nation, Venezuela has sunk into economic and social collapse marked by soaring inflation and scarcity of basic goods that has sent an estimated 3.7 million of its citizens to emigrate.", "A supporter of Venezuela's opposition leader and self-proclaimed interim president Juan Guaidó, waves a Venezuelan flag marked with the letters \"SOS\", during a rally in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, May 11, 2019. Guaidó has called for nationwide marches protesting the Maduro government, demanding new elections and the release of jailed opposition lawmakers. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)\n\nCARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — The latest on the political crisis in Venezuela (all times local):\n\nVenezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó says he's instructed his political envoy in Washington to immediately open relations with the U.S. military.\n\nGuaidó said Saturday that he's asked his ambassador Carlos Vecchio to open \"direct communications\" toward possible coordination.\n\nU.S.-backed Guaidó is leading a campaign to oust President Nicolás Maduro.\n\nIn recent days Venezuelan security forces arrested National Assembly Vice President Edgar Zambrano, the body's No. 2 leader. Other lawmakers also scrambled for refuge in foreign embassies amid renewed fears of a crackdown following an unsuccessful military rebellion.\n\nGuaidó says he's keeping \"all options on the table\" to remove Maduro, repeating language used by U.S. President Donald Trump and his chief advisers.\n\nEarlier this week, U.S. Navy Adm. Craig Faller said he would meet with Guaidó when invited to discuss the future role of Venezuela's armed forces.\n\nA modest crowd of Venezuelans took to the streets Saturday to show support for the opposition-led congress which is coming under increasing pressure from the government of President Nicolás Maduro.\n\nOpposition leader Juan Guaidó addressed several hundred people who had gathered in the capital in support of his bid to oust the socialist president.\n\nBut the noticeably diminished crowds reflected a growing fear and demoralization that has permeated Guaidó's ranks of supporters after he led a failed military uprising on April 30. In previous months, thousands of demonstrators heeded his calls to protest.\n\n\"We live in dictatorship,\" Guaidó said. \"We don't have the option to stay at home waiting, but to keep demanding our rights in the streets.\""], "summary": "Venezuelan National Assembly leader Juan Guaidó formally requests help from the United States Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) for \"strategic and operational planning\" against the government of Nicolás Maduro."}
{"document": ["Vice chief prosecutor Eva-Britt speaks at a press conference in Stockholm, Sweden, Monday May 13, 2019. Swedish prosecutors plan to say Monday whether they will reopen a rape case against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, a month after he was removed from the Ecuadorian Embassy in London. (Anders Wiklund/TT News Agency via AP)\n\nVice chief prosecutor Eva-Britt speaks at a press conference in Stockholm, Sweden, Monday May 13, 2019. Swedish prosecutors plan to say Monday whether they will reopen a rape case against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, a month after he was removed from the Ecuadorian Embassy in London. (Anders Wiklund/TT News Agency via AP)\n\nSTOCKHOLM (AP) — The Latest on Swedish prosecutors’ decision whether to reopen a rape case against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange (all times local):\n\n2 p.m.\n\nThe lawyer for a Swedish woman who reported being raped by WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in 2010 says “today we got great news.”\n\nElisabeth Massi Fritz says the decision by Swedish authorities to open the rape case against Assange “signals that no one stands above the law,” and that “the legal system in Sweden doesn’t give a special treatment to anyone.”\n\nMassi Fritz told reporters Monday she spoke with her client, who is not named, by phone. She said her client “feels great gratitude.”\n\nEarlier in the day, Swedish prosecutors said they will seek Assange’s extradition to Sweden.\n\nMassi Fritz said she hoped justice would prevail, and “we believe the evidence is good enough that it must be tested.”\n\nAssange denies wrongdoing. He is serving a 50-week prison term in London for jumping bail in 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden to face the allegations.\n\n___\n\n11:45 a.m.\n\nWikiLeaks’ editor-in-chief says the Swedish decision to reopen a rape case against Julian Assange “will give Julian a chance to clear his name.”\n\nKristinn Hrafnsson said in a statement Monday that Swedish prosecutor Eva-Marie Persson had been under “intense political pressure” to reopen the case. He also asserted that the case has been “mishandled” from the start.\n\nPersson announced the Swedish decision a month after Assange was removed from the Ecuadorian Embassy in London. Assange’s Swedish lawyer, Per E. Samuelsen, said that his client is innocent and he doesn’t understand the reasoning for reopening a 10-year-old case.\n\n___\n\n11:35 a.m.\n\nJulian Assange’s Swedish lawyer says he is “very surprised” by prosecutors’ decision to reopen a rape case against the WikiLeaks founder and says that his client is innocent.\n\nProsecutors in Stockholm announced the decision on Monday, a month after Assange was removed from the Ecuadorian Embassy in London. They said they would seek Assange’s extradition from Britain.\n\nLawyer Per E. Samuelson told Swedish broadcaster SVT: “I do not understand the Swedish prosecutor’s ... reasoning for reopening a 10-year old case.”\n\nSwedish prosecutors filed preliminary charges against Assange in 2010.\n\nSeven years later, a case of alleged sexual misconduct was dropped when the statute of limitations expired. That left a rape allegation, which couldn’t be pursued while Assange was living at the embassy. The statute of limitations on that case expires in August 2020.\n\n___\n\n11:25 a.m.\n\nSwedish prosecutors say they will seek the extradition of WikiLeaks founder Assange after he has served his 50-week prison term in Britain for jumping bail.\n\nProsecutors in Stockholm said Monday that they will reopen a rape case against Assange, a month after he was removed from the Ecuadorian Embassy in London. Assange denies wrongdoing.\n\nEva-Marie Persson, Sweden’s deputy director of public prosecutions, told a news conference that “in order to execute the arrest warrant, the prosecutor will issue a so-called European arrest warrant.”\n\nThe Swedish move would leave Britain to decide whether to extradite Assange to Sweden or to the United States, where he is wanted for allegedly hacking into a Pentagon computer.\n\n___\n\n11:15 a.m.\n\nSwedish prosecutors are reopening a rape case against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange after he was removed from the Ecuadorian Embassy in London.\n\nEva-Marie Persson, Sweden’s deputy director of public prosecutions, told a news conference in Stockholm that “there is still a probable cause to suspect that Assange committed a rape.” She added: “It is my assessment that a new questioning of Assange is required.”\n\nSwedish prosecutors filed preliminary charges against Assange after he visited the country in 2010.\n\nSeven years later, a case of alleged sexual misconduct was dropped when the statute of limitations expired. That left a rape allegation, which couldn’t be pursued while Assange was living at the embassy. The statute of limitations on that case expires in August 2020.\n\n___\n\n9:25 a.m.\n\nSwedish prosecutors plan to say Monday whether they will reopen a rape case against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, a month after he was removed from the Ecuadorian Embassy in London.\n\nEva-Marie Persson, Sweden’s deputy director of public prosecutions, is scheduled to hold a news conference in Stockholm. If Sweden relaunches the case, that could leave Britain deciding whether to extradite him to the Scandinavian country or the United States.\n\nSwedish prosecutors filed preliminary charges against Assange after he visited the country in 2010.\n\nSeven years later, a case of alleged sexual misconduct was dropped when the statute of limitations expired. That left a rape allegation, which couldn’t be pursued while Assange was living at the embassy. The statute of limitations on that case expires in August 2020.\n\n___\n\nThis story has been corrected to spell the name of Assange’s lawyer as Samuelson, instead of Samuelsen.", "Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption A Swedish prosecutor announces that the case has been reopened\n\nSwedish prosecutors have reopened an investigation into a rape allegation made against Wikileaks co-founder Julian Assange in 2010.\n\nThe inquiry has been revived at the request of the alleged victim's lawyer.\n\nAssange, who denies the accusation, has avoided extradition to Sweden for seven years after seeking refuge at the Ecuadorean embassy in London in 2012.\n\nThe 47-year-old was evicted last month and sentenced to 50 weeks in jail for breaching his bail conditions.\n\nHe is currently being held at Belmarsh prison in London.\n\nWhy is the case being reopened?\n\nSwedish prosecutors originally decided to drop the rape investigation two years ago, saying they felt unable to take the case forward while Assange remained holed up inside the embassy.\n\nBut on Monday, Sweden's deputy director of public prosecutions, Eva-Marie Persson, announced the case would be reopened because there was still \"probable cause to suspect\" that Assange had committed the alleged rape.\n\n\"Now that he has left Ecuador's embassy, the conditions in the case have changed and... the conditions are in place once again to pursue the case,\" she said at a news conference, adding that a European Arrest Warrant would now be issued.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Who is Julian Assange?\n\nHis removal from the embassy, and the subsequent decision to reopen the inquiry, is likely to raise the question of which extradition request should take precedence: that of Sweden or the US.\n\nThe US is seeking Assange's extradition from the UK over his alleged role in the release of classified military and diplomatic material by Wikileaks in 2010.\n\nAustralian-born Assange faces a charge of conspiracy to commit computer intrusion in the US. He is accused of participating in one of the largest ever leaks of government secrets, which could result in a prison term of up to five years.\n\nWhat happens now?\n\nSweden's original extradition request was made under the European Arrest Warrant (EAW) arrangements. However, it was withdrawn and so the extradition request from the US now ranks first in line. In order to displace it, Sweden's deputy director of public prosecutions said a fresh EAW request would now be issued.\n\nIf that does happen the decision as to which of the two requests take precedence will be made by UK Home Secretary Sajid Javid. He would make his decision primarily on the basis of which alleged offence was considered to be more serious.\n\nRape is likely to be considered more serious than conspiracy to commit computer intrusion. That would mean ordering Assange's extradition to Sweden.\n\nAssange challenged the original Swedish request through the UK courts and could bring fresh challenges in response to a new request. These would most likely be based on human rights grounds and in particular that it would be unjust or oppressive in light of his health to extradite him.\n\nWhat has the reaction been?\n\nWikileaks said the reopening of the rape case would give Assange \"a chance to clear his name\".\n\n\"There has been considerable political pressure on Sweden to reopen their investigation, but there has always been political pressure surrounding this case,\" its editor-in-chief, Kristinn Hrafnsson, said in a statement.\n\nA lawyer for Assange told Swedish broadcaster SVT that the decision was \"embarrassing for Sweden\", adding that his client wanted to resolve the case but feared being extradited to the US.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Assange being dragged from the Ecuadorean embassy in London\n\nAt a separate news conference, the alleged victim's lawyer, Elisabeth Massi Fritz, said the decision to reopen the case had been \"very gratifying\" and that she expected this would result in a criminal charge.\n\nNick Vamos, former head of extradition at the Crown Prosecution Service, told Reuters news agency that the UK proceedings should not take more than 18 months.\n\nConsidering Assange's potential objections to extradition, Mr Vamos said he did not think courts would accept the US case was politically motivated.\n\nWhat is the Swedish investigation about?\n\nAssange was accused of rape by a woman and sexual assault by another one following a Wikileaks conference in Stockholm in 2010. He has always denied the allegations, saying the sex was consensual.\n\nHe also faced investigations for molestation and unlawful coercion, but these cases were dropped in 2015 because time had run out.\n\nProsecutors have decided to reopen the rape case before the 10-year statute of limitations expires in August 2020. The sexual assault investigation was dropped after the five-year statute of limitations expired.", "The Swedish authorities announced on Monday that they would reopen an investigation into a rape allegation against Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks founder, who is serving a prison term in Britain for jumping bail as the United States seeks his extradition over accusations that he tried to assist in a huge breach of classified data.\n\nThe United States has already begun trying to extradite Mr. Assange, an effort that was expected to be prolonged and complex even before the announcement in Stockholm on Monday.\n\nBritish officials will determine which case takes precedence, Swedish prosecutors said, adding that if Mr. Assange were eventually extradited to Sweden, he could not be sent to the United States without the consent of Britain.\n\nThe investigation stems from an accusation in August 2010 made by a Swedish woman who said Mr. Assange had sexually assaulted her.", "Swedish prosecutors said Monday they are reopening a rape case against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and seek his extradition after he has served his 50-week prison term in Britain for jumping bail.Eva-Marie Persson, Sweden's deputy director of public prosecutions, told a news conference in Stockholm that \"there is still a probable cause to suspect that Assange committed a rape.\" She added: \"It is my assessment that a new questioning of Assange is required.\"Swedish prosecutors filed preliminary charges - a step short of formal charges - against Assange after he visited the country in 2010, following complaints from two Swedish women who said they were the victims of sex crimes committed by Assange.The Australian secret-spiller left Sweden for Britain in September 2010, and took refuge in the Ecuadorian Embassy in June 2012 to avoid extradition.After almost seven years holed up in the building, he was arrested by British police April 11 when Ecuador revoked his political asylum, accusing him of everything from meddling in the nation's foreign affairs to poor hygiene.He is currently in London's Belmarsh Prison serving a 50-week sentence for jumping bail in 2012. He is also being held on a U.S. extradition warrant for allegedly hacking into a Pentagon computer.While a Swedish case of alleged sexual misconduct was dropped in 2017 when the statute of limitations expired, a rape allegation remains. Swedish authorities have had to shelf it because Assange was living at the embassy at the time and there was no prospect of bringing him to Sweden.The statute of limitations on that case expires next August. Assange has denied wrongdoing, asserting that the allegations were politically motivated and that the sex was consensual.Julian Assange's Swedish lawyer Per E. Samuelsen told Swedish broadcaster SVT on Monday he was \"very suprised\" by the decision to reopen the case.\"I do not understand the Swedish prosecutor's ... reasoning for reopening a 10-year old case,\" he said.Persson said a European arrest warrant will be issued for Assange. A Swedish court would formally issue the extradition request, which Assange could appeal.She added that while there is a risk the case may cut close to the statute of limitations deadline, \"there is also a chance that we will be able to get him extradited before August 17 next year.\"The Swedish move would leave British authorities to decide whether to extradite Assange to Sweden or to the United States, where he is wanted separately for allegedly hacking into a Pentagon computer.There was no immediate reaction from Elisabeth Massi Fritz, the lawyer for the woman who reported being raped by Assange.The 47-year-old Australian met the women in connection with a lecture in August 2010 in Stockholm. One was involved in organizing an event for Sweden's center-left Social Democratic Party and offered to host Assange at her apartment. The other was in the audience.A police officer who heard the women's accounts decided there was reason to suspect they were victims of sex crimes and handed the case to a prosecutor.Neither of the alleged victims has been named publicly.Assange faces a maximum of four years in prison in Sweden.The British extradition process is not swift, and Assange could appeal several times if decisions go against him. It's expected it would take a year or longer for him to be sent to the United States or possibly to Sweden even if he ultimately loses in court.WikiLeaks' Editor-in-Chief Kristinn Hrafnsson said the decision to reopen the case against Assange \"will give Julian a chance to clear his name.\"He said in a statement that Swedish prosecutor Eva-Marie Persson had been under \"intense political pressure\" to reopen the case, and criticized authorities for \"mishandling\" it from the start.", "Swedish prosecutors to seek the extradition of WikiLeaks founder Assange after he has served his prison term in UK.", "Swedish prosecutors to seek the extradition of WikiLeaks founder Assange after he has served his prison term in UK\n\nSTOCKHOLM (AP) — Swedish prosecutors to seek the extradition of WikiLeaks founder Assange after he has served his prison term in UK.", "Swedish prosecutors are to reopen an investigation into a rape allegation against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, deputy director of prosecutions Eva-Marie Persson announced.\n\nThat leaves the UK with a decision to make on whether to extradite Assange to the Scandinavian country or the United States.\n\nSwedish prosecutors filed preliminary charges against Assange after he visited the country in 2010.\n\nSeven years later, a case of alleged sexual misconduct was dropped when the statute of limitations expired.\n\nThat left a rape allegation, which could not be pursued while Assange was living at the embassy. The statute of limitations in that case expires in August 2020.\n\nThe case was opened following complaints from two Swedish women who said they were the victims of sex crimes committed by Assange. He has denied the allegations, asserting that they were politically motivated and that the sex was consensual.\n\nA police officer who heard the women's accounts decided there was reason to suspect they were victims of sex crimes and handed the case to a prosecutor.\n\nAssange left Sweden for Britain in September 2010. In November that year, a Stockholm court approved a request to detain him for questioning.\n\nThe Australian took refuge at the Ecuadorian embassy in London in June 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden.\n\nHe was arrested by UK police on April 11 after Ecuador revoked his political asylum, accusing him of everything from meddling in the nation's foreign affairs to poor hygiene.\n\nCurrently, Assange is in London's Belmarsh Prison serving a 50-week sentence for jumping bail in 2012.\n\nHe is also being held on a US extradition warrant for allegedly hacking into a Pentagon computer.\n\nIf there are competing extradition requests from Sweden and the US, UK Home Secretary Sajid Javid is expected to have the final say over which claim takes priority.", "STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Sweden reopened an investigation into a rape allegation against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on Monday and said it would seek his extradition from Britain.\n\nDeputy Chief Prosecutor Eva-Marie Persson told a news conference she would continue and conclude a preliminary investigation that was dropped in 2017 without charges being brought because Assange had taken refuge in the Ecuadorean embassy in London.\n\nAssange was arrested in Britain last month after spending seven years hiding inside the embassy.\n\nThe United States is also seeking his extradition on charges relating to the public release by Wikileaks of a huge cache of secret documents.\n\nThe Swedish prosecutor said it would request Assange be detained in his absence on probable cause for an allegation of rape and that it would issue a European arrest warrant - the process under which his extradition would be sought.\n\nThe 47-year-old Australian is currently in prison in London after being sentenced to 50 weeks behind bars last month for jumping bail when he fled to the Ecuadorean embassy.\n\nThe decision to reopen the investigation poses the question of whether Assange will be moved to the United States to face conspiracy charges for hacking into classified information or to Sweden.\n\n“I am well aware of the fact that an extradition process is ongoing in the UK and that he could be extradited to the US,” Persson said.\n\nA British judge has given the U.S. government a deadline of June 12 to outline its case against Assange.\n\nThe statute of limitation for rape in Sweden is 10 years - a deadline which would be reached in mid-August next year for the alleged incident involving Assange, leaving prosecutors pressed for time to file any formal charge.\n\nResponding to the reopening of the Swedish investigation, WikiLeaks said it would give Assange a chance to clear his name.\n\n“Since Julian Assange was arrested on 11 April 2019, there has been considerable political pressure on Sweden to reopen their investigation, but there has always been political pressure surrounding this case,” Kristinn Hrafnsson, WikiLeaks’ editor-in-chief, said in a statement.\n\n“Its reopening will give Julian a chance to clear his name.”\n\nIf convicted in Sweden, Assange could face a prison sentence of up to four years. Per Samuelson, a Swedish lawyer for Assange, told public service broadcaster the decision to reopen the case was “embarrassing for Sweden”.\n\nThe British courts will have to rule on any extradition request and Home Secretary Sajid Javid would decide which one takes precedence once Swedish prosecutors file theirs.\n\nNick Vamos, lawyer at London-based firm Peters & Peters and former head of extradition at Britain’s Crown Prosecution Service, told Reuters before Monday’s decision that he expected a Swedish request would take supremacy.\n\n“In the event of a conflict between a European Arrest Warrant and a request for extradition from the US, UK authorities will decide on the order of priority,” a Swedish prosecutor’s statement said.\n\nAssange’s supporters cast him as a dissident facing the wrath of a superpower over one of the largest compromises of classified information in U.S. history.\n\nWikiLeaks published hundreds of thousands of secret U.S. diplomatic cables that laid bare often critical U.S. appraisals of world leaders, from Russian President Vladimir Putin to members of the Saudi royal family.\n\nIt also published a classified U.S. military video showing a 2007 attack by Apache helicopters in Baghdad that killed a dozen people, including two Reuters news staff.", "STOCKHOLM (AP) — Swedish prosecutors said Monday they are reopening a rape case against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, a month after he was removed from the Ecuadorian Embassy in London. They said they will seek his extradition after he has served his 50-week prison term in Britain for jumping bail.\n\nEva-Marie Persson, Sweden’s deputy director of public prosecutions, told a news conference in Stockholm that “there is still a probable cause to suspect that Assange committed a rape.” She added: “It is my assessment that a new questioning of Assange is required.”\n\nSwedish prosecutors filed preliminary charges — a step short of formal charges — against Assange after he visited the country in 2010, following complaints from two Swedish women who said they were the victims of sex crimes committed by Assange.\n\nA case of alleged sexual misconduct was dropped in 2017 when the statute of limitations expired. That left a rape allegation, but officials couldn’t pursue it because Assange was living at the embassy and there was no prospect of bringing him to Sweden.\n\nThe statute of limitations on that case expires in August 2020. Assange has denied wrongdoing, asserting that they were politically motivated and that the sex was consensual.\n\nPersson said a European arrest warrant will be issued for Assange. The Swedish move would leave British authorities to decide whether to extradite Assange to Sweden or to the United States, where he is wanted separately for allegedly hacking into a Pentagon computer.\n\nThe 47-year-old Australian met the women in connection with a lecture in August 2010 in Stockholm. One was involved in organizing an event for Sweden’s center-left Social Democratic Party and offered to host Assange at her apartment. The other was in the audience.\n\nA police officer who heard the women’s accounts decided there was reason to suspect they were victims of sex crimes and handed the case to a prosecutor.\n\nNeither of the alleged victims has been named publicly.\n\nAssange left Sweden for Britain in September 2010. In November that year, a Stockholm court approved a request to detain Assange for questioning.\n\nThe Australian secret-spiller took refuge at the Ecuadorian Embassy in June 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden.\n\nAfter almost seven years holed up in the building he was arrested by British police April 11 after Ecuador revoked his political asylum, accusing him of everything from meddling in the nation’s foreign affairs to poor hygiene.\n\nAssange faces a maximum of four years in prison in Sweden.\n\nHe is currently in London’s Belmarsh Prison serving a 50-week sentence for jumping bail in 2012. He is also being held on a U.S. extradition warrant for allegedly hacking into a Pentagon computer.", "The Latest: Sweden to seek extradition of Assange from UK\n\nSTOCKHOLM (AP) — The Latest on Swedish prosecutors' decision whether to reopen a rape case against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange (all times local):\n\nSwedish prosecutors say they will seek the extradition of WikiLeaks founder Assange after he has served his 50-week prison term in Britain for jumping bail.\n\nProsecutors in Stockholm said Monday that they will reopen a rape case against Assange, a month after he was removed from the Ecuadorian Embassy in London. Assange denies wrongdoing.\n\nEva-Marie Persson, Sweden's deputy director of public prosecutions, told a news conference that \"in order to execute the arrest warrant, the prosecutor will issue a so-called European arrest warrant.\"\n\nThe Swedish move would leave Britain to decide whether to extradite Assange to Sweden or to the United States, where he is wanted for allegedly hacking into a Pentagon computer.\n\nSwedish prosecutors are reopening a rape case against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange after he was removed from the Ecuadorian Embassy in London.\n\nEva-Marie Persson, Sweden's deputy director of public prosecutions, told a news conference in Stockholm that \"there is still a probable cause to suspect that Assange committed a rape.\" She added: \"It is my assessment that a new questioning of Assange is required.\"\n\nSwedish prosecutors filed preliminary charges against Assange after he visited the country in 2010.\n\nSeven years later, a case of alleged sexual misconduct was dropped when the statute of limitations expired. That left a rape allegation, which couldn't be pursued while Assange was living at the embassy. The statute of limitations on that case expires in August 2020.\n\nSwedish prosecutors plan to say Monday whether they will reopen a rape case against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, a month after he was removed from the Ecuadorian Embassy in London.\n\nEva-Marie Persson, Sweden's deputy director of public prosecutions, is scheduled to hold a news conference in Stockholm. If Sweden relaunches the case, that could leave Britain deciding whether to extradite him to the Scandinavian country or the United States.\n\nSwedish prosecutors filed preliminary charges against Assange after he visited the country in 2010.\n\nSeven years later, a case of alleged sexual misconduct was dropped when the statute of limitations expired. That left a rape allegation, which couldn't be pursued while Assange was living at the embassy. The statute of limitations on that case expires in August 2020."], "summary": "Prosecutors in Sweden reopen the rape allegation investigation against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. Swedish prosecutors mention their intent to seek extradition of Assange from the United Kingdom after he has served his 50-week prison sentence for skipping bail."}
{"document": ["Un hombre fue detenido en Casa Rosada en la mañana de este lunes 13 de mayo, luego de que intentara ingresar armado a la sede del Poder Ejecutivo Nacional con el argumento de que tenía una entrevista con el presidente Mauricio Macri.\n\n\"Personal de seguridad de la Casa Rosada, dependiente de la Casa Militar, detuvo esta mañana y puso a disposición de la justicia, a una persona que, aduciendo tener una audiencia con el presidente Mauricio Macri, intentó ingresar llevando un arma de fuego en su portafolios\", indicaron desde Presidencia en un comunicado.\n\nEl detenido fue identificado como Francisco Ariel Muñiz, de 36 años, un artesano conocido de la zona del microcentro de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Tenía en su posesión un revólver Magnum 44 Taurus.\n\nLa pistola que lo encontraron al detenido.\n\nSegún el reporte policial, el hombre se acercó a la reja de la Casa Rosada y pidió una audiencia con el mandatario. El personal de Policía Federal Argentina (PFA) le indicó que esa no era la forma adecuada de solicitar una entrevista con el Presidente, lo que generó el descontento del hombre, quien de manera imprevista arrojó una caja plástica de pequeña dimensión dentro del predio de la Casa Rosada.\n\nLuego, Muñiz se alejó caminado mientras se activó el protocolo de seguridad, tanto externo como interno de la Casa de Gobierno. El hombre fue capturado por agentes de la Policía de la Ciudad en la boca del subte de Balcarce e Hipólito Yrigoyen. Se desplazó hasta el lugar la Brigada de explosivos de la PFA que determinó que en el interior de la caja lanzada se encontraba un revolver.\n\nSe van a labrar actuaciones por intimidación pública. El caso quedó a cargo del Juzgado Federal Nro 11 del juez Claudio Bonadio.\n\nEn conferencia de prensa, la ministra de Seguridad Patricia Bullrich detalló que era un hombre que realizó a lo largo de los años varios pedidos de audiencias con Macri que \"fueron canalizados por distintas dependencias del Gobierno, como la Oficina de Empleo y en el Ministerio de Justicia\".\n\nEl hombre envió el año pasado un hacha como regalo al Presidente, contó Bullrich\n\n\"Las primeras palabras que dijo que que quería llamar la atención porque había pedido varias entrevistas. En todos fue derivado en distintas dependencias de acuerdo a lo que había solicitado. Tiene un problema, de acuerdo a lo que él mismo dijo, de vinculación con su hija que hacía 4 años que no la veía, era un caso complejo\", indicó la ministra de Seguridad. Bullrich contó que Muñiz había tenido una \"relación superficial\" con el PRO y eso fue lo que \"utilizaba como mecanismo para pedir una entrevista con el Presidente\".\n\nPor otro lado, la titular de la cartera de Seguridad reveló que el año pasado el hombre habiía enviado un regalo un \"poco extraño\": un hacha. \"A la persona evidentemente habrá que hacerle análisis psiquiátricos. Ahora vino con un revolver, así que creemos que es alguien que puede tener algún problema y van a hacérsele estudios médicos\", concluyó.\n\nF.F./ B.D.N.", "Armed man arrested in Argentina’s presidential office: he wanted to meet with Mauricio Macri\n\nAn armed man was arrested in the Casa Rosada, Argentina’s presidential office, who tried to enter on the grounds that he had an audience with President Mauricio Macri. The suspect was carrying a box with a Magnum 44 Taurus revolver and was arrested by the Military House before entering the building, according to information from the Government office in Buenos Aires.\n\nThe arrested man is Francisco Ariel Muñiz (36), a person who, claiming to have a hearing with the president, tried to enter with a firearm in his portfolio.\n\nUpon finding out that the hearing with the president did not exist, the man tried to leave the briefcase containing a Magnum 44 Taurus revolver, the Argentine presidency added in a bulletin.\n\nThis fact occurs almost two years after a man with psychiatric problems also tried to circumvent the security of the building by crashing into the bars of the Casa Rosada during night.\n\nThe head of state has received various threats through social networks and by telephone, as when in August 2017 a 26-year-old man was apprehended and accused of threatening to burst his house.\n\nLast November, four teenagers were imprisoned and later released, for trying to enter with a car in a Macri holliday residence, giving as an excuse that one was the goddaughter of the president.\n\nThey had managed to pass the first access control to the fifth, at a time when the president was resting with his family.\n\nHowever, when the security officers became aware of the deception and tried to stop them, the driver of the car backed off and left the place, which led to a police pursuit.\n\n Finally, the four were arrested later in a fast food restaurant.\n\nThe image of Macri has fallen sharply in the polls in recent months, which has worsened the economic crisis that the country is living since, at the end of April 2018, began a sharp devaluation of the peso, inflation rose and it was triggered in a recession that still continues. Macri is still a candidate for October’s presidential elections.", "BUENOS AIRES – Argentina’s military and federal police scrambled to deal with a bomb threat made against the presidential palace in Buenos Aires while President Mauricio Macri was there on Monday, just hours after a man was arrested trying to enter the building with a gun, an official with the presidential press team said.\n\nThe threat against Casa Rosada was made via a phone call in which a person indicated a plan to put a bomb inside a car, the office of Argentina’s Secretary General confirmed to Reuters.\n\nThe military activated its protocol for such threats, and a team was dispatched to check and secure the entrances of Casa Rosada, the presidential palace and seat of national government. No car containing explosives was found, and the building was not evacuated.\n\n“There is no possibility of a bomb entering without detecting it,” an official from the office of the secretary general said.\n\nLocal media reported that another threat was made against a congressional office and a response team was also on the scene there.\n\nThe bomb threat followed the arrest of a man carrying a gun who claimed to have a meeting with Macri, his office said in a separate statement. The city has faced false bomb threats before, including ahead of a meeting of the Group of 20 nations there last year.\n\nSecurity personnel said Francisco Ariel Muniz, 36, had tried to enter the building with a .44 Magnum Taurus revolver inside his briefcase and told officials he was there for an appointment with center-right leader Macri.\n\nAfter officials confirmed that no such meeting was scheduled, he tried to leave the briefcase behind. The statement said Muniz was detained by security personnel. Security Minister Patricia Bullrich tweeted that the gun was not loaded.\n\nMacri, who came into office in 2015, will seek re-election in October in what is likely to be a closely fought battle. He has been falling in opinion polls amid high inflation and a tumbling peso that has hurt voters in the recession-hit nation.\n\nAn attack outside Argentina’s Congress last week led to the deaths of a senior lawmaker and an aide, though local officials and media have indicated the motive behind the “mafia-style” shooting was personal rather than political.", "BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — A man was detained Monday after he tried to walk into Argentina’s presidential palace with a pistol while seeking a meeting with the president.\n\nSecurity agents stopped Francisco Ariel Muñiz when he sought to enter the Casa Rosada — or Pink House — with a .44-caliber Taurus revolver inside a briefcase. Officials said he claimed to have a private audience with President Mauricio Macri.\n\nThe man fled, but was detained by presidential security agents at a subway station. Security Minister Patricia Bullrich said that he would be given a medical examination and that the gun was not loaded.\n\nThe Telam state news agency later said that explosives experts were sent to a building next to the lower house of Congress and the presidential palace following bomb threats.\n\nLocal media then reported that other bomb threats forced an evacuation of the capital’s two main train stations.\n\nIt was not clear if the incidents were related.\n\n\n\n In this photo released by the Argentine Federal Police, a man is taken into custody outside the government house, La Casa Rosada, in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, May 13, 2019. According to officials, a man they identify as Francisco Ariel Muñiz tried to enter the government house with a gun in a briefcase. (Argentine Federal Police via AP) (Associated Press)\n\nCopyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.", "BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) - Argentine authorities say they've detained a man who tried to walk into the presidential palace with a gun while seeking a meeting with the president.\n\nThe Telam state news agency says that agents detained Francisco Ariel Muñiz when he tried to enter the Casa Rosada - or Pink House - with a .44-caliber Taurus revolver inside a briefcase.\n\nOfficials say he claimed to have a private audience with President Mauricio Macri.\n\nHe tried to escape, but was detained by presidential security agents at a subway station. Security Minister Patricia Bullrich says he'll be given a medical examination.\n\nTelam later said explosives experts were sent to a congressional building and the presidential office following bomb threats. It's not clear if the two incidents are related.\n\nA van from the Argentine Federal Police Explosion Brigade sits parked outside Congress after bomb threats in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, May 13, 2019. Bomb threats were received at the annex building of the Chamber of Deputies and in the Casa Rosada, according to the official news agency Télam. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)\n\nPolice with a work dog stands outside one of Congress' annex buildings after bomb threats in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Monday, May 13, 2019. Bomb threats were received at the annex building of the Chamber of Deputies and in the Casa Rosada, according to the official news agency Télam. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)", "Man with gun tries to enter Argentina presidential office\n\nBUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — A man was detained Monday after he tried to walk into Argentina's presidential palace with a pistol while seeking a meeting with the president.\n\nSecurity agents stopped Francisco Ariel Muñiz when he sought to enter the Casa Rosada — or Pink House — with a .44-caliber Taurus revolver inside a briefcase. Officials said he claimed to have a private audience with President Mauricio Macri.\n\nThe man fled, but was detained by presidential security agents at a subway station. Security Minister Patricia Bullrich said that he would be given a medical examination and that the gun was not loaded.\n\nThe Telam state news agency later said that explosives experts were sent to a building next to the lower house of Congress and the presidential palace following bomb threats.\n\nLocal media then reported that other bomb threats forced an evacuation of the capital's two main train stations.\n\nIt was not clear if the incidents were related.", "BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Argentine authorities say they’ve detained a man who tried to walk into the presidential palace with a gun while seeking a meeting with the president.\n\nThe Telam state news agency says that agents detained Francisco Ariel Muniz when he tried to enter the Casa Rosada — or Pink House — with a .44-calibre Taurus revolver inside a briefcase.\n\nOfficials say he claimed to have a private audience with President Mauricio Macri.\n\nHe tried to escape, but was detained by presidential security agents at a subway station. Security Minister Patricia Bullrich says he’ll be given a medical examination.\n\nTelam later said explosives experts were sent to a congressional building and the presidential office following bomb threats. It’s not clear if the two incidents are related.", "BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Argentine security officials at the Casa Rosada, the presidential palace and seat of national government, arrested a man carrying a gun on Monday who claimed to have a meeting with President Mauricio Macri, his office said in a statement.\n\nSecurity personnel said Francisco Ariel Muniz, 36, had tried to enter the building with a .44 Magnum Taurus revolver inside his briefcase and told officials he was there for an appointment with center-right leader Macri.\n\nAfter officials confirmed that no such meeting was scheduled, he tried to leave the briefcase behind. The statement said Muniz was detained by security personnel, but did not give any further details.\n\nMacri, who came into office in 2015, will seek re-election in October in what is likely to be a closely fought battle. He has been falling in opinion polls amid high inflation and a tumbling peso that has hurt voters in the recession-hit nation.\n\nAn attack outside Argentina’s Congress last week led to the deaths of a senior lawmaker and an aide, though local officials and media have indicated the motive behind the “mafia-style” shooting was personal rather than political.", "Macri's coalition suffers heavy defeat in Argentina's second most populous district\n\nThe ruling coalition of Argentine president Mauricio Macri suffered a heavy defeat Sunday in elections held in Cordoba province, the country's second most populous district. Peronist governor Juan Schiaretti led comfortably after 94.2% of the vote had been counted, claiming 54% of ballots cast in his bid for re-election.\n\nMacri's Cambiemos coalition was divided between rival candidates in the provincial elections, with Mario Negri garnering 17.8% and Ramon Mestre 11% of the vote. Peronists also took the mayoralty of the city of Cordoba for the first time since 1974.\n\nThe contest in an electoral district of 2.8 million voters -- some 8.7% of the national electorate -- had generated particular interest as Macri's success in the same province led to his victory in the 2015 presidential ballot.\n\nArgentina will vote in the first round of presidential elections in late October. Macri is under pressure over a misfiring economy six months ahead of the polls.\n\nHe has implemented a series of unpopular austerity policies to try to restore stability in the face of soaring inflation, huge debt obligations and a currency crisis. The measures came in exchange for a US$ 56 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund.\n\nPeronists greeted the strong showing in Cordoba with chants against Macri earlier Sunday.", "Zacks Investment Research downgraded shares of Casa Systems (NASDAQ:CASA) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report published on Wednesday, Zacks.com reports.\n\nAccording to Zacks, “Casa Systems, Inc. develops and provides digital cable video and broadband services. It offers fixed, mobile, optical and wireless network solutions for ultra-broadband services, carrier-grade solutions to cable service providers and cable network access solutions which incorporate RF engineering, high-density access aggregation, software innovation and extreme subscriber management capabilities. Casa Systems, Inc. is headquartered in Andover, MA. “\n\nCASA has been the subject of several other reports. Stifel Nicolaus lowered shares of Casa Systems from a buy rating to a hold rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $18.00 to $14.00 in a research note on Friday, January 18th. DA Davidson started coverage on Casa Systems in a research note on Monday, March 18th. They set a buy rating and a $12.00 price objective on the stock. Raymond James cut Casa Systems from an outperform rating to a market perform rating in a research note on Friday, February 22nd. Needham & Company LLC cut their price objective on Casa Systems from $19.00 to $14.00 and set a buy rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 18th. Finally, ValuEngine cut Casa Systems from a hold rating to a sell rating in a research note on Monday, February 4th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, six have assigned a hold rating and three have issued a buy rating to the stock. Casa Systems currently has an average rating of Hold and a consensus price target of $15.63.\n\nCasa Systems (NASDAQ:CASA) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, May 1st. The company reported ($0.16) EPS for the quarter, missing the Thomson Reuters’ consensus estimate of $0.02 by ($0.18). The firm had revenue of $35.50 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $55.83 million. Casa Systems had a net margin of 16.38% and a return on equity of 51.33%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was down 60.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $0.23 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Casa Systems will post -0.08 EPS for the current year.\n\nSeveral institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Royce & Associates LP acquired a new stake in Casa Systems in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Casa Systems in the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank acquired a new stake in shares of Casa Systems in the fourth quarter worth $33,000. BNP Paribas Arbitrage SA boosted its position in shares of Casa Systems by 609.2% in the first quarter. BNP Paribas Arbitrage SA now owns 6,213 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,000 after buying an additional 5,337 shares during the period. Finally, Great West Life Assurance Co. Can acquired a new stake in shares of Casa Systems in the fourth quarter worth $79,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 66.02% of the company’s stock.\n\nCasa Systems, Inc provides software-centric broadband products in North America, Latin America, the Asia-Pacific, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. The company offers solutions that allow cable service providers to deliver voice, video, and data services over a single platform at multi-gigabit speeds.\n\nGet a free copy of the Zacks research report on Casa Systems (CASA)\n\nFor more information about research offerings from Zacks Investment Research, visit Zacks.com\n\nReceive News & Ratings for Casa Systems Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Casa Systems and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter."], "summary": "A 36-year-old man is arrested just outside Casa Rosada in Argentina, armed with a handgun, after requesting to hold an interview with President Mauricio Macri."}
{"document": ["Felicity Huffman tearfully pleads guilty in college admissions scandal\n\nThe Oscar-nominated actress admitted to paying $15,000 for a proctor to change her daughter's SAT answers.", "Felicity Huffman pleads guilty to paying $15,000 to rig daughter's SAT score in college admissions scheme.", "Felicity Huffman pleads guilty to paying $15,000 to rig daughter's SAT score in college admissions scheme\n\nBOSTON (AP) — Felicity Huffman pleads guilty to paying $15,000 to rig daughter's SAT score in college admissions scheme.", "Actress Felicity Huffman cried and held her hands in front of her face while pleading guilty for her role in the college admissions scandal. The Boston judge accepted her plea and prosecutors are recommending she gets four months in prison and a 20-thousand dollar fine. However, the judge has the final say in her sentence.\n\nHuffman admitted to paying 15-thousand-dollars to rig her daughter’s SAT Test. She agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud last month.", "Felicity Huffman pleaded guilty for her involvement in the \"Operation Varsity Blues\" scandal in a Boston federal court Monday afternoon.The \" Desperate Housewives \" star was accused of paying $15,000 to increase her oldest daughter's SAT scores.Huffman agreed to plead guilty for \"conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud\" in April.\"I am in full acceptance of my guilt, and with deep regret and shame over what I have done, I accept full responsibility for my actions and will accept the consequences that stem from those actions,\" Huffman said in an April statement.Huffman's daughter received a 1420 on the SAT . This was 400 points higher than her Preliminary SAT scores.according to The Associated Press Huffman's daughter was reportedly unaware of her mother's involvement in the scheme.The 56-year-old's guilty plea makes her the highest-profiled person, so far, to admit to the allegations, the AP reported.Federal officials accused William Rick Singer of cheating the college entrance system to help parents get their children into elite colleges. He allegedly ran and used his purported charity Key Worldwide Foundation (KWF) in California to facilitate the bribes. Authorities charged at least 50 people in the case.The scam reportedly involved cheating on the SAT and ACT college entry exams and bribing college athletic coaches.\"Full House\" actress Lori Loughlin the other high-profile person in the case, along with fashion designer husband", "Academy Award-nominated actress Felicity Huffman appeared in Boston federal court Monday and pleaded guilty to a charge stemming from the massive “Varsity Blues” college entrance scandal that ensnared dozens of parents nationwide who prosecutors say lied and bribed to get their children into elite schools.\n\nHuffman, 56, agreed to plead guilty to a charge of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud.\n\nThrough tears, Huffman acknowledged she was guilty of paying $15,000 to arrange for an college entrance exam proctor to correct her daughter’s answers and for her daughter to be allowed more time to take the test.\n\nIn exchange for her plea, federal prosecutors consented to recommend a sentence of four months imprisonment, a year of supervised release and a $20,000 fine.\n\nIn a statement last month, Huffman said she is prepared to accept her punishment.\n\n“I am pleading guilty to the charge brought against me by the United States Attorney’s Office,” Huffman said in her statement. “I am in full acceptance of my guilt, and with deep regret and shame over what I have done, I accept full responsibility for my actions and will accept the consequences that stem from those actions.”\n\nThe actress — famous for her Academy Award-nominated role in the 2005 movie “Transamerica” and for playing one of the main characters in the ABC television show “Desperate Housewives” — allegedly gave $15,000 to William “Rick” Singer, who prosecutors identified as the ringleader of the nationwide scam, “to participate in the college entrance exam cheating scheme on behalf of their oldest daughter,” court documents allege.\n\nHuffman said in court Monday that she had no knowledge that Singer allegedly paid Igor Dvorskiy, a test administrator for the College Board and ACT, and Mark Riddell, who allegedly took or rigged test scores for students, to facilitating cheating scam on behalf of her daughter.\n\n“But everything else Mr. Rosen said I did I did,” Huffman said in court, referring to assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Rosen, who outlined the charge against her.\n\nProsecutors said Huffman helped facilitate the scheme by having her daughter diagnosed with a learning disability, an excuse that allowed girl extra time to take her SAT exam.\n\nCrying in court, Huffman sought to clarify that a neuropsychologist who diagnosed her daughter with a learning disability had been seeing her since she was 8 years old and had nothing to do with the scheme.\n\nThe agreement Huffman reached with prosecutors requires her to relinquish her right to appeal both her conviction and her sentence. In exchange, the government agreed to recommend the lesser sentence and to not bring additional charges.\n\n“There is a trade here. They’ve given up something,” U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani told Huffman, referring to federal prosecutors.\n\nHuffman was ordered to return to court on Sept. 13 to be sentenced.\n\nThe actress claimed in her statement last month that her daughter “knew absolutely nothing about my actions, and in my misguided and profoundly wrong way, I have betrayed her.”\n\nHuffman and her husband, actor William H. Macy, later made arrangements to pursue the scheme a second time, for her younger daughter, before deciding not to do so, court documents allege. Macy was not charged in the scam.\n\nOn March 13, federal prosecutors announced that 50 wealthy people, including chief executive officers of major companies and a partner in a New York City law firm, were charged in the largest college cheating scam ever prosecuted by the U.S. Department of Justice.\n\nAlso pleading guilty Monday was Devin Sloane, a Los Angeles businessman who paid $250,000 to get his son admitted to USC as a water polo recruit even though the teen never the sport. Prosecutors detailed the lengths Sloane went to photograph his son wearing water polo gear and how he got a graphic designer to make the photos look legitimate.\n\nThose indicted in the investigation, dubbed “Operation Varsity Blues,” allegedly paid bribes up to $6.5 million to get their children into elite colleges, including Yale, Stanford, Georgetown and the University of Southern California, federal prosecutors said.\n\nAnother well-known actress indicted in the scam is Lori Loughlin, best known for her role as Aunt Becky in the ABC sitcom “Full House.”\n\nLoughlin, 54, and her husband, fashion designer Mossimo Giannulli, 55, allegedly agreed to pay Singer “bribes totaling $500,000 in exchange for having their two daughters designated as recruits to the USC crew team — despite the fact that they did not participate in crew — thereby facilitating their admission to USC,” according to the indictment.\n\nBoth were initially charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud.\n\nWhen Loughlin and Giannulli declined to accept a plea deal in April, federal prosecutors filed an additional charge of conspiracy to commit money laundering against them.\n\nA superseding indictment unsealed in April alleged the couple and 14 other parents conspired to “conceal their fraud scheme by funneling bribe and other payments through the facade” of the Key Worldwide Foundation, a sham charity established Singer.\n\nLoughlin and Giannulli have pleaded not guilty to the charges.\n\nSinger has already pleaded guilty in a Boston federal court to charges of racketeering conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, conspiracy to defraud the United States and obstruction of justice. He’s scheduled to be sentenced on June 19.\n\nSeveral coaches involved in the scam have also pleaded guilty, including former Yale soccer coach Rudolph “Rudy” Meredith and former Stanford sailing coach John Vandemoer.\n\nOne of Singer’s top accomplices in the scandal, Mark Riddell, also pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud, as well as conspiracy to commit money laundering.\n\nRiddell, an alumnus of Harvard University, played a pivotal role in the scheme, taking the ACT and SAT for the students whose parents conspired with Singer to pay to help secure their admission into prestigious schools.", "Actress Felicity Huffman pleaded guilty Monday in a federal court in Boston to charges related to paying a large sum for her daughter to gain admission into college as part of a widespread scandal.\n\nThe former \"Desperate Housewives\" star, who released a statement in April that she would be pleading guilty, was charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud.\n\nShe is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 13. Prosecutors on Monday recommended that she receive four months in prison.\n\nA tearful Huffman explained in court that her oldest daughter had been seeing a neuropsychologist since she was 8 and had been receiving extra time on tests since she was 11.\n\n\"I just didn't want to create the impression that the neuropsychologist had any involvement because she, like my daughter, didn’t have any knowledge of my actions, of what I had done,\" she said.\n\nHuffman, 56, admitted in her statement last month that she paid at least $15,000 for a proctor to alter answers on her oldest daughter’s SAT to boost her score.\n\n\"I am in full acceptance of my guilt, and with deep regret and shame over what I have done, I accept full responsibility for my actions and will accept the consequences that stem from those actions,'' she said in her statement.\n\nShe is part of a group of more than a dozen parents who have already agreed to plead guilty in connection with the scandal, in which the FBI says scheme mastermind William Rick Singer accepted millions of dollars to help wealthy parents get their children into top universities.\n\nHuffman's husband, actor William H. Macy, has not been charged.\n\nLori Loughlin, another high-profile actress charged in the scandal, pleaded not guilty last month along with her husband, Mossimo Giannulli.\n\nThe \"Fuller House\" star and her husband were indicted on a charge of money laundering along with conspiracy to commit mail fraud after allegedly paying $500,000 in bribes to help their two daughters get admitted into the University of Southern California.\n\nThe scandal is now becoming the subject of a limited TV series based on \"Accepted,\" an upcoming book by Wall Street Journal reporters Melissa Korn and Jennifer Levitz, Deadline reported.", "Felicity Huffman pleaded guilty Monday to paying $15,000 to a fake charity that facilitated cheating when her daughter took the SATs.\n\nWhen she appeared in federal court in Boston, prosecutors recommended a sentence of four months prison time for the “Desperate Housewives” TV star for her role in the college admissions scandal. They also suggested a $20,000 fine and 12 months of supervised release for the charge, which is a felony.\n\nThe charity was associated with Rick Singer, who has confessed to helping wealthy parents cheat on standardized tests for their children. Singer also bribed college coaches to falsely designate students as recruited athletes, smoothing their path to admission, a criminal complaint says.\n\nHuffman and Singer exchanged emails on how to provide her daughter with extra time to take the SAT exam, the complaint says, and arranged for the girl to take the test in a location controlled by an administrator whom Singer had bribed.\n\nHuffman’s daughter received an SAT score of 1420 out of a possible 1600 — about 400 points higher than her Preliminary SAT exam a year earlier.\n\nHuffman later discussed the scheme in a recorded phone call with Singer, the complaint says.\n\nHuffman agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud in April. She was among 13 parents who have said they would plead guilty in the scam. Seventeen other parents, including actress Lori Loughlin, submitted not guilty pleas. A federal judge will have the final say on the outcome for Huffman and the other defendants.\n\nHuffman arrived at court Monday afternoon accompanied by her brother.\n\n“I am in full acceptance of my guilt, and with deep regret and shame over what I have done, I accept full responsibility for my actions and will accept the consequences that stem from those actions,” the actress said in a statement early April.\n\n“I am ashamed of the pain I have caused my daughter, my family, my friends, my colleagues and the educational community. I want to apologize to them and, especially, I want to apologize to the students who work hard every day to get into college, and to their parents who make tremendous sacrifices to support their children and do so honestly.”\n\nHuffman’s husband, actor William H. Macy, is not charged in the case.", "56-year-old actress entered plea Monday to a charge of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, honest services mail fraud\n\nFelicity Huffman arrives at federal court Monday, May 13, 2019, in Boston, where she is scheduled to plead guilty to charges in a nationwide college admissions bribery scandal. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)\n\nThe Latest on the plea of actress Felicity Huffman in the college admissions bribery scheme (all times local):\n\n“Desperate Housewives” star Felicity Huffman has pleaded guilty to participating in the college admissions cheating scheme.\n\nThe 56-year-old actress entered the plea Monday to a charge of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud.\n\nHuffman stood with her hands clasped in front of her and responded, “Yes, your honour,” when asked whether she understood the charges. Her brother watched from the front row. Her husband, actor William H. Macy, didn’t attend.\n\nSentencing is set for Sept. 13. Prosecutors said they would recommend four months in prison.\n\nShe was arrested in March along with dozens of other prominent parents, athletic coaches and others implicated in the scandal. She was charged with paying $15,000 to have a proctor boost her older daughter’s SAT score.\n\nShe has apologized and says she will accept the consequences.\n\nA California businessman has pleaded guilty to paying $250,000 in bribes to get his son into the University of Southern California as a fake water polo recruit.\n\nDevin Sloane entered his plea Monday in Boston federal court. He is among 14 parents who have agreed to plead guilty to charges in the sweeping college admissions scandal.\n\nAuthorities say Sloane gave $250,000 to an admissions consultant’s sham charity and the USC women’s athletic program and to have his son designated as a water polo recruit even though he didn’t play the sport.\n\nOfficials say Sloane bought athletic gear online and worked with a graphic designer to create a bogus photo of his son playing the sport for the teen’s application.\n\nActress Felicity Huffman was also scheduled to plead guilty Monday.\n\n“Desperate Housewives” star Felicity Huffman has arrived at federal court in Boston, where she is set to plead guilty in the college admissions cheating scheme.\n\nThe 56-year-old actress didn’t speak as she walked into the courthouse Monday with her brother Moore Huffman Jr.\n\nHuffman is expected to admit to allegations that she paid $15,000 to have someone correct the answers on her daughter’s SAT.\n\nShe is among 14 prominent parents who have agreed to plead guilty since dozens of people were arrested in March in the case named “Operation Varsity Blues.”\n\nHuffman has apologized and said her daughter was unaware of her actions.\n\nProsecutors have said they will seek a prison sentence on the low end of a range between four and 10 months.\n\nActress Felicity Huffman is set to plead guilty to participating in the sweeping college admissions bribery scheme.\n\nThe “Desperate Housewives” star is scheduled to appear Monday in Boston federal court.\n\nHuffman was among 50 people charged in March in what authorities have called the largest college admissions cheating scandal ever prosecuted in the U.S.\n\nThe Emmy-award winning actress was accused of paying $15,000 to have a proctor correct the answers on daughter’s SAT exam.\n\nHuffman has said she takes full responsibility and will accept the consequences.\n\nProsecutors say they will seek between four and 10 months in prison.\n\nThirteen other parents have also agreed to plead guilty.\n\nParents still fighting the charges include fellow actress Lori Loughlin and her fashion designer husband, Mossimo Giannulli.\n\nLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.", "Actress Felicity Huffman arrives holding hands with an unidentified man, left, at federal court in Boston on Wednesday, April 3, 2019, to face charges in a nationwide college admissions bribery scandal. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)\n\nBOSTON (WHDH) - Actress Felicity Huffman is expected to plead guilty Monday to a criminal charge in connection with the college admissions scandal.\n\nHuffman is set to plead guilty in federal court in Boston to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud.\n\nThe Desperate Housewives actress signed a plea deal in April admitting to paying $15,000 to improve her daughters SAT score.\n\nThe maximum penalty for the charge is 20 years in prison. However, prosecutors are recommending a much lighter sentence.\n\nMeanwhile, Fuller House actress Lori Loughlin pleaded not guilty back in April to charges of mail fraud and money laundering.\n\nShe and her fashion designer husband, Mossimo Giannulli, are accused of paying $500,000 to get their two daughters into college with fake sports profiles.\n\nLoughlin and Huffman are just two of 33 parents charged in that scandal."], "summary": "Actress Felicity Huffman pleads guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud and honest services mail fraud and admits to paying $15,000 for a proctor to change her daughter's SAT answers."}
{"document": ["Reporting by Paula Reid\n\nAttorney General William Barr has asked the U.S. attorney in Connecticut, John Durham, to review the origins of the Russia investigation, a source familiar with the assignment confirmed to CBS News on Monday.\n\nIn congressional testimony last month about the release of special counsel Robert Mueller's report on the Russia probe, Barr expressed concern about the possibility of \"improper surveillance\" of the Trump campaign.\n\n\"I am not saying that improper surveillance occurred. I'm saying that I am concerned about it and looking into it, that's all,\" Barr said.\n\nHe told the Senate panel, \"I just want to satisfy myself that there were no abuse of law enforcement or intelligence powers.\" Barr also said, \"I'm not suggesting that those rules were violated, but I think it's important to look at that. And I'm not just talking about the FBI necessarily, but intelligence agencies more broadly.\"\n\nDuring his testimony before the Senate committee, Barr also at one point said he believed the Trump campaign had been subject to \"spying\" during the 2016 presidential election. Last week, asked about this in an appropriations hearing on the hill, FBI Director Christopher Wray told lawmakers that \"spying\" is \"not the term I would use,\" and under questioning, also said he didn't think he had \"any evidence\" that the FBI had conducted any illegal surveillance into campaigns or individuals associated with campaigns.\n\nThis is the third investigation into the origins of the Russia probe. The Justice Department's inspector general is examining the Justice Department's handling of the investigation, and the U.S. attorney in Utah was previously asked to review aspects of the investigation. The inspector general's report, which is focusing on the handling of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) process during the Russia probe, should be complete in \"May or June,\" Barr told Congress in early April.\n\nFILE - In this April 25, 2006 file photo, John Durham speaks to reporters on the steps of U.S. District Court in New Haven, Conn. AP photo / Bob Child\n\nDurham, according to the source, has been tasked by Barr with ensuring that the U.S. government's intelligence collection efforts related to the Trump campaign -- leading up to President Trump's 2017 inauguration -- were both lawful and appropriate.\n\nWhen Durham was appointed Connecticut U.S. attorney by President Trump, he was given a positive recommendation by both of the state's senators, Dick Blumenthal and Chris Murphy, who consider him to be a \"fierce and fair\" prosecutor.\n\nHis career with the Justice Department spans several decades, working under Republic and Democratic administrations alike. In 1999, Attorney General Janet Reno appointed Durham to investigate law enforcement corruption in Boston.\n\nUnder Attorney General Eric Holder, Durham examined the CIA's destruction of videotapes and its treatment of detainees.", "(CNN) The top federal prosecutor in Connecticut is assisting Attorney General Bill Barr in his review of the genesis of the 2016 Russia investigation, according to a source familiar with the review.\n\nUS attorney John Durham has been tapped to help Barr, but is not acting as a special counsel like Robert Mueller, the source said, and will be looking at whether intelligence collection activities by the US government prior to election day were lawful. Durham has been working on this for \"weeks,\" the source added.\n\nDurham is a Trump appointee who has investigated numerous public corruption cases under Republican and Democratic administrations. He was appointed by then-Attorney General Janet Reno to investigate corruption surrounding the use of FBI informants in Boston in the late 1990s, and later called on to investigate the CIA's destruction of videotapes of detainee interrogations in 2008.\n\nAnd while Barr has said publicly that he's not launching a full blown investigation into the FBI's handling of the matter, Durham's role -- first reported by The New York Times -- does provide one of the clearest signals to date of the seriousness of an inquiry President Donald Trump had called for repeatedly.\n\nBarr's concerns about surveillance of the Trump campaign were first revealed during testimony before the House Appropriations Committee last month when he suggested, controversially, that Trump's campaign was spied on , but he has declined to elaborate on the precise contours of the review or the basis of concern.\n\nRead More", "Attorney General William Barr has assigned the United States attorney in Connecticut to look into the origins of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s probe into the Trump campaign, according to reports.\n\nBarr has appointed John Durham for the assignment, according to the New York Times. Durham has a history of investigating potential wrongdoing among national security officials.\n\nBarr sent shockwaves through Washington after he acknowledged earlier this year during a hearing that he would review the origins of the FBI’s investigation into the Trump campaign, and again when he referred to those activities as “spying.”\n\nSpecifically, he has said he wants to review whether the FBI had appropriate predicate for spying on the Trump campaign, for example, when it sought a surveillance warrant against former campaign adviser Carter Page.\n\nBarr’s assignment of Durham may indicate that his review of the origins warrants further investigation and action.\n\nSeparately, the DOJ’s inspector general, Michael Horowitz, is due to issue a report on his findings on whether the FBI acted improperly when investigating the Trump campaign and launching an investigation in July 2016.\n\nFormer Attorney General Jeff Sessions appointed the U.S. attorney in Utah, John Huber, to review aspects of the Russia investigation, but it is unclear what he has been investigating or has found.\n\nTrump nominated Durham for his current position in 2017, and Durham has conducted special investigations under administrations of both parties, according to the Times.", "Attorney General William P. Barr has tapped John H. Durham, the U.S. attorney for the District of Connecticut, to investigate the origins of the special counsel probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election.\n\nBarr tapped Durham in recent weeks to work on the review, which is designed at ensuring the U.S. government’s “intelligence collection activities” related to the Trump campaign were “lawful and appropriate,” a person familiar with the decision said.\n\nBarr had confirmed the review publicly, though the person leading it was not previously known.\n\nDurham was confirmed as the U.S. attorney in Connecticut in February 2018, though he had previously earned a reputation as a dogged career prosecutor tapped by previous attorneys general for similarly high-profile roles.\n\nIn 1999, Attorney General Janet Reno appointed Durham to investigate law enforcement corruption in Boston, and more recently, Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. called on him to investigate the treatment of CIA detainees and the destruction of videotapes.\n\nIn its 448-page report, special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s team wrote that while its investigation established that the Trump campaign “expected it would benefit electorally from” information stolen in Russia-backed efforts, it “did not establish that members of the Trump campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities.”\n\nMueller also found 10 “episodes” of potential obstruction of justice by President Trump but ultimately concluded that it was not his decision to determine whether Trump broke the law.\n\nIn the weeks since the release of the report, the president and his allies have sought to launch a new political rallying cry: “Investigate the investigators.”\n\nTrump’s campaign is publicly calling for criminal investigations into former FBI officials and is making “spygate” fundraising pitches, seeking to turn the tables and transform the Russia investigation into a political asset instead of a liability.\n\nTrump and other Republicans have argued that the FBI “spied” on Trump’s campaign by surveilling former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page under a warrant from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. Page’s communications were surveilled in late 2016 and early 2017, after he left the Trump campaign. Barr has said government “spying” occurred on the Trump campaign, though he has insisted he did not mean the word to carry a pejorative meaning.\n\nCritics contend that the allegations are an effort by Trump to divert public attention away from his own actions.", "WASHINGTON — Attorney General William Barr has appointed a U.S. attorney to examine the origins of the Russia investigation and determine if intelligence collection involving the Trump campaign was “lawful and appropriate.”\n\nThat’s according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke to The Associated Press on Monday. The person couldn’t discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.\n\nThe person said Barr has appointed John Durham, the U.S. attorney in Connecticut, to conduct the inquiry.\n\nThe inquiry will focus on whether the government’s methods to collect intelligence relating to the Trump campaign were lawful and appropriate.\n\nDurham has previously investigated law enforcement corruption, the destruction of CIA videotapes and the Boston FBI office’s relationship with mobsters.\n\nHe will continue to serve as the chief federal prosecutor in Connecticut.", "Once again the New York Times is getting out ahead of the story to reveal Attorney General Bill Barr has instructed U.S. Attorney John Durham to review the origins of the 2016 DOJ and FBI surveillance of the Trump campaign. [Durham Background Here]\n\nThe appointment looks like a way to keep the sensitive inquiry within Barr’s control as opposed to appointing a special counsel. John H Durham, the U.S. attorney from Connecticut, has handled previous investigations into the intelligence community.\n\nWASHINGTON — Attorney General William P. Barr has assigned the top federal prosecutor in Connecticut to examine the origins of the Russia investigation, according to two people familiar with the matter, a move that President Trump has long called for but that could anger law enforcement officials who insist that scrutiny of the Trump campaign was lawful. John H. Durham, the United States attorney in Connecticut, has a history of serving as a special prosecutor investigating potential wrongdoing among national security officials, including the F.B.I.’s ties to a crime boss in Boston and accusations of C.I.A. abuses of detainees.\n\nHis inquiry is the third known investigation focused on the opening of an F.B.I. counterintelligence investigation during the 2016 presidential campaign into possible ties between Russia’s election interference and Trump associates. The department’s inspector general, Michael E. Horowitz, is separately examining investigators’ use of wiretap applications and informants and whether any political bias against Mr. Trump influenced investigative decisions. And John W. Huber, the United States attorney in Utah, has been reviewing aspects of the Russia investigation. His findings have not been announced. […] Mr. Durham, who was nominated by Mr. Trump in 2017 and has been a Justice Department lawyer since 1982, has conducted special investigations under administrations of both parties. Attorney General Janet Reno asked Mr. Durham in 1999 to investigate the F.B.I.’s handling of a notorious informant: the organized crime leader James (Whitey) Bulger. In 2008, Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey assigned Mr. Durham to investigate the C.I.A.’s destruction of videotapes in 2005 showing the torture of terrorism suspects. A year later, Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. expanded Mr. Durham’s mandate to also examine whether the agency broke any laws in its abuses of detainees in its custody. (read more)\n\nAgain, cautious optimism this appointment is a step in the right direction.\n\nWe would be remiss if we didn’t note the prior DOJ head-fake when U.S. Attorney John Laush was assigned to review and deliver documents to congress. That effort resulted in absolutely nothing; the documents were never produced; the redactions were never removed; and the corrupt institutional schemes were unfazed by Laush’s assignment.\n\nIt would seem like most of the investigative material Mr. Durham might need is already present in the accumulated files from DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz. Keep an eye open to see if John H Durham is given a staff, investigative resources and/or a budget therein. If this is a genuinely motivated effort there should be visible activity.\n\nThis better-damn-well-not be another years-long investigation, specifically structured and coordinated to extend the tick-tock timeline of investigative inquiry into another 2020 election year, while the deep state institutional protectors say: “Trust Durham“.\n\nUPDATE: Prior letter from Jim Jordan and Mark Meadows to U.S. Attorney John H Durham in January of 2019, about the October 18, 2018, testimony from former FBI legal counsel James Baker where Baker’s lawyers identified Durham as a prosecutor investigating the claims of Baker leaking to media.", "Attorney General William Barr has appointed a U.S. attorney to examine the origins of the Russia investigation and determine if intelligence collection involving the Trump campaign was \"lawful and appropriate,\" a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press on Monday.\n\nBarr appointed John Durham, the U.S. attorney in Connecticut, to conduct the inquiry, the person said. The person could not discuss the matter publicly and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.\n\nDurham's appointment comes about a month after Barr told members of Congress he believed \"spying did occur\" on the Trump campaign in 2016. He later said he didn't mean anything pejorative and was gathering a team to look into the origins of the special counsel's investigation.\n\nBarr provided no details about what \"spying\" may have taken place but appeared to be alluding to a surveillance warrant the FBI obtained on a former Trump associate, Carter Page, and the FBI's use of an informant while the bureau was investigating former Trump campaign foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos.\n\nTrump and his supporters have seized on both to accuse the Justice Department and the FBI of unlawfully spying on his campaign.\n\nThe inquiry, which will focus on whether the government's methods to collect intelligence relating to the Trump campaign were lawful and appropriate, is separate from an investigation by the Justice Department's inspector general. The agency's watchdog is also examining the Russia probe's origins and Barr has said he expects the watchdog report to be done in May or June.\n\nCongressional Republicans have also indicated they intend to examine how the investigation that shadowed Trump's presidency for nearly two years began and whether there are any legal concerns.\n\nThe recently concluded investigation from special counsel Robert Mueller did not find a criminal conspiracy between the campaign and the Kremlin to tip the outcome of the 2016 presidential election.\n\nDurham has previously investigated law enforcement corruption, the destruction of CIA videotapes and the Boston FBI office's relationship with mobsters.\n\nIn addition to conducting the inquiry, he will continue to serve as the chief federal prosecutor in Connecticut.", "Attorney General William Barr has appointed a U.S. attorney to examine the origins of the Russia investigation and determine if intelligence collection involving the Trump campaign was “lawful and appropriate,” a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press on Monday.\n\nBarr appointed John Durham, the U.S. attorney in Connecticut, to conduct the inquiry, the person said. The person could not discuss the matter publicly and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.\n\nREAD MORE: Democrats set contempt vote for William Barr over Mueller report\n\nDurham’s appointment comes about a month after Barr told members of Congress he believed “spying did occur” on the Trump campaign in 2016. He later said he didn’t mean anything pejorative and was gathering a team to look into the origins of the special counsel’s investigation.\n\nBarr provided no details about what “spying” may have taken place but appeared to be alluding to a surveillance warrant the FBI obtained on a former Trump associate, Carter Page, and the FBI’s use of an informant while the bureau was investigating former Trump campaign foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos.\n\nWATCH ABOVE: William Barr says there was ‘spying’ on Trump campaign\n\nTrump and his supporters have seized on both to accuse the Justice Department and the FBI of unlawfully spying on his campaign.\n\nREAD MORE: Trump pledges not to use stolen information in 2020 re-election campaign\n\nThe inquiry, which will focus on whether the government’s methods to collect intelligence relating to the Trump campaign were lawful and appropriate, is separate from an investigation by the Justice Department’s inspector general. The agency’s watchdog is also examining the Russia probe’s origins and Barr has said he expects the watchdog report to be done in May or June.\n\nCongressional Republicans have also indicated they intend to examine how the investigation that shadowed Trump’s presidency for nearly two years began and whether there are any legal concerns.\n\nWATCH: House Judiciary Committee votes in favour of holding William Barr in contempt\n\nThe recently concluded investigation from special counsel Robert Mueller did not find a criminal conspiracy between the campaign and the Kremlin to tip the outcome of the 2016 presidential election.\n\nDurham is a career prosecutor who was nominated for his post as U.S. attorney in Connecticut by Trump. He has previously investigated law enforcement corruption, the destruction of CIA videotapes and the Boston FBI office’s relationship with mobsters.\n\nREAD MORE: Robert Mueller’s letter of complaint was ‘a bit snitty’, U.S. AG William Barr says\n\nIn nominating him, the White House said Durham and other nominees for U.S. attorney jobs share Trump’s vision for “making America safe again.”\n\nDurham was unanimously confirmed by the Senate in 2018. At the time, Connecticut’s two Democratic senators, Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy, called Durham a “fierce, fair prosecutor” who knows how to try tough cases.\n\nWATCH: Trump could end up blocking release of Mueller report\n\nIn addition to conducting the inquiry, Durham will continue to serve as the chief federal prosecutor in Connecticut.", "Attorney General William P. Barr has tapped the U.S. Attorney in Connecticut to examine the origins of the Russian election-interference probe, according to reports late Monday.\n\nJohn H. Durham, the top federal prosecutor in Connecticut, has been asked get the bottom of the Justice Department’s investigation into members of the Trump presidential campaign.\n\nMr. Durham’s probe will focus on whether the Justice Department lawfully collected intelligence on Trump campaign associates, according to both the New York Times and Associated Press, each citing sources familiar with the matter.\n\nIt is not clear what investigative powers Mr. Durham will have or whether Mr. Barr will authorize a team or budget. Special counsel Robert Mueller had a squad of roughly 20 people to conduct his investigation.\n\n\n\nJustice Department spokeswoman Kerri Kupec did not immediately return a request for comment. Thomas Carson, a spokesman for Mr. Durham, declined to comment.\n\nPresident Trump has long demanded the Justice Department look into whether the FBI spied on his campaign at the behest of the Obama administration. His calls have increased since Mr. Mueller concluded there was no evidence that the president or members of his campaign colluded with Russia.\n\nMr. Durham’s probe is the third known investigation into FBI and Justice Department decisions surrounding the 2016 election. Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz is evaluating the Justice Department’s wiretaps on former campaign associate Carter Page. And John Huber, the U.S. attorney in Utah, is also reviewing a surveillance warrant obtained by the FBI to spy on Mr. Page.\n\nMr. Horowitz’s findings are expected to be released this month or next while the progress of Mr. Huber’s probe has remained shrouded in mystery.\n\nIn addition, Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham, South Carolina Republican, has also pledged an aggressive committee investigation into the FBI and Justice Department’s actions in 2016. He said the probe will target how the department was “so in the tank for [Hillary] Clinton and hated Trump’s guts.”\n\nThe Durham probe is not a surprise as Mr. Barr signaled earlier this month that he had “people in the department” helping him examine intelligence actions related to the Trump campaign.\n\nMr. Barr’s disclosure came during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. He said it “was a little early” to update Congress on his findings, but he envisioned “some kind of reporting at the end of this.”\n\nHe has also been steadfast in his claim that the FBI spied on Trump campaign associates, but wasn’t sure whether it was legal or justified.\n\n“I think spying did occur,” he said. “The question is whether it was adequately predicated. And I’m not suggesting it wasn’t adequately predicated. But I need to explore that.”\n\nLast week, FBI Director Christopher Wray broke from Mr. Barr’s use of the word “spying” to describe the bureau’s activities related to the Trump campaign.\n\n“Well, it’s not the term I would use,” he said during a hearing before the House Appropriations Committee. “Lots of people have different colloquial phrases. I believe the the FBI is engaged in investigative activity and part of investigative activity includes surveillance.”\n\nMr. Durham, who was sworn in as U.S. attorney on February 22, has worked at the Justice Department since 1982 and has plenty of experience conducting high-level special investigations.\n\nAttorney General Janet Reno in 1999 asked him to investigate whether two FBI informants, James “Whitey” Bulger and Stephen Fleming, had corrupted their handlers at the bureau.\n\nIn 2008, then-Attorney General Michael Mukasey appointed Mr. Durham to investigate the destruction of CIA videotapes showing the torture of terrorism suspects during interrogations. The probe closed in November 2010 without any criminal charges being filed.\n\nThe next year, President Barack Obama’s Attorney General Eric Holder assigned him to head a Justice Department investigation into the CIA’s interrogation techniques.", "Attorney General William Barr has appointed a US attorney to examine the origins of the Russia investigation and determine if intelligence collection involving the Trump campaign was \"lawful and appropriate,\" a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press on Monday.\n\nBarr appointed John Durham, the US attorney in Connecticut, to conduct the inquiry, the person said. The person could not discuss the matter publicly and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.\n\nDurham's appointment comes about a month after Barr told members of Congress he believed \"spying did occur\" on the Trump campaign in 2016. He later said he didn't mean anything pejorative and was gathering a team to look into the origins of the special counsel's investigation.\n\nBarr provided no details about what \"spying\" may have taken place but appeared to be alluding to a surveillance warrant the FBI obtained on a former Trump associate, Carter Page, and the FBI's use of an informant while the bureau was investigating former Trump campaign foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos.\n\nTrump and his supporters have seized on both to accuse the Justice Department and the FBI of unlawfully spying on his campaign."], "summary": "Trump's U.S. Attorney General William Barr appoints Republican U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut John Durham to investigate the origins of the Crossfire Hurricane and Special Counsel investigations, and any criminality that may have occurred."}
{"document": ["This term's merits cases Air and Liquid Systems Corp. v. DeVries Apple Inc. v. Pepper Azar v. Allina Health Services Barr v. East Bay Sanctuary Covenant Biestek v. Berryhill BNSF Railway Company v. Loos Box v. Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky Inc. Bucklew v. Precythe City of Escondido, California v. Emmons Cochise Consultancy Inc. v. United States, ex rel. Hunt Culbertson v. Berryhill Dawson v. Steager Department of Commerce v. New York Emulex Corp. v. Varjabedian Flowers v. Mississippi Food Marketing Institute v. Argus Leader Media Fort Bend County, Texas v. Davis Fourth Estate Public Benefit Corp. v. Wall-Street.com Franchise Tax Board of California v. Hyatt Frank v. Gaos Gamble v. United States Garza v. Idaho Gundy v. United States Helsinn Healthcare S.A. v. Teva Pharmaceuticals USA Inc. Henry Schein Inc. v. Archer and White Sales Inc. Herrera v. Wyoming Home Depot U.S.A. Inc. v. Jackson Iancu v. Brunetti Jam v. International Finance Corp. Kisor v. Wilkie Knick v. Township of Scott, Pennsylvania Lamone v. Benisek Lamps Plus Inc. v. Varela Lorenzo v. Securities and Exchange Commission Madison v. Alabama Manhattan Community Access Corp. v. Halleck Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission v. American Humanist Association McDonough v. Smith Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp. v. Albrecht Mission Product Holdings Inc. v. Tempnology, LLC Mitchell v. Wisconsin Mont v. United States Moore v. Texas Mount Lemmon Fire District v. Guido New Prime Inc. v. Oliveira Nielsen v. Preap Nieves v. Bartlett North Carolina Department of Revenue v. The Kimberley Rice Kaestner 1992 Family Trust Nutraceutical Corp. v. Lambert Obduskey v. McCarthy & Holthus LLP Parker Drilling Management Services, Ltd. v. Newton PDR Network, LLC v. Carlton & Harris Chiropractic Inc. Quarles v. United States Rehaif v. United States Republic of Sudan v. Harrison Return Mail Inc. v. United States Postal Service Rimini Street Inc. v. Oracle USA Inc. Rucho v. Common Cause Sharp v. Murphy Shoop v. Hill Smith v. Berryhill Stokeling v. United States Sturgeon v. Frost Taggart v. Lorenzen Tennessee Wine & Spirits Retailers Association v. Thomas Thacker v. Tennessee Valley Authority The American Legion v. American Humanist Association The Dutra Group v. Batterton Timbs v. Indiana United States v. Davis United States v. Haymond United States v. Sims United States v. Stitt Virginia House of Delegates v. Bethune-Hill Virginia Uranium, Inc. v. Warren Washington State Department of Licensing v. Cougar Den Inc. Weyerhaeuser Company v. United States Fish and Wildlife Service Yovino v. Rizo Next term's merits cases Allen v. Cooper Altitude Express Inc. v. Zarda Atlantic Richfield Co. v. Christian Aurelius Investment, LLC v. Puerto Rico Babb v. Wilkie Banister v. Davis Barton v. Barr Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia CITGO Asphalt Refining Co. v. Frescati Shipping Co., Ltd. Comcast Corp. v. National Association of African American-Owned Media County of Maui, Hawaii v. Hawaii Wildlife Fund Department of Homeland Security v. Regents of the University of California Dex Media Inc. v. Click-To-Call Technologies, LP Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico v. Aurelius Investment, LLC GE Energy Power Conversion France SAS v. Outokumpu Stainless USA LLC Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org Inc. Guerrero-Lasprilla v. Barr Hernandez v. Mesa Holguin-Hernandez v. United States Intel Corp. Investment Policy Committee v. Sulyma Kahler v. Kansas Kansas v. Garcia Kansas v. Glover Kelly v. United States Land of Lincoln Mutual Health Insurance Co. v. United States Lucky Brand Dungarees Inc. v. Marcel Fashion Group Inc. Maine Community Health Options v. United States Mathena v. Malvo McAleenan v. Vidal McKinney v. Arizona Moda Health Plan Inc. v. United States Monasky v. Taglieri New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc. v. City of New York, New York Official Committee of Debtors v. Aurelius Investment, LLC Opati v. Republic of Sudan Ovalles v. Barr Peter v. NantKwest Inc. R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes Inc. v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Ramos v. Louisiana Retirement Plans Committee of IBM v. Jander Ritzen Group Inc. v. Jackson Masonry, LLC Rodriguez v. Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Romag Fasteners Inc. v. Fossil Inc. Rotkiske v. Klemm Shular v. United States Thole v. U.S. Bank, N.A. Trump v. NAACP United States v. Aurelius Investment, LLC UTIER v. Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico\n\nArchives Month Sept 2019 Aug 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 Apr 2019 Mar 2019 Feb 2019 Jan 2019 Dec 2018 Nov 2018 Oct 2018 Sept 2018 Aug 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 Apr 2018 Mar 2018 Feb 2018 Jan 2018 Dec 2017 Nov 2017 Oct 2017 Sept 2017 Aug 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 Apr 2017 Mar 2017 Feb 2017 Jan 2017 Dec 2016 Nov 2016 Oct 2016 Sept 2016 Aug 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 Apr 2016 Mar 2016 Feb 2016 Jan 2016 Dec 2015 Nov 2015 Oct 2015 Sept 2015 Aug 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 Apr 2015 Mar 2015 Feb 2015 Jan 2015 Dec 2014 Nov 2014 Oct 2014 Sept 2014 Aug 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 Apr 2014 Mar 2014 Feb 2014 Jan 2014 Dec 2013 Nov 2013 Oct 2013 Sept 2013 Aug 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 Apr 2013 Mar 2013 Feb 2013 Jan 2013 Dec 2012 Nov 2012 Oct 2012 Sept 2012 Aug 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 Apr 2012 Mar 2012 Feb 2012 Jan 2012 Dec 2011 Nov 2011 Oct 2011 Sept 2011 Aug 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 Apr 2011 Mar 2011 Feb 2011 Jan 2011 Dec 2010 Nov 2010 Oct 2010 Sept 2010 Aug 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 Apr 2010 Mar 2010 Feb 2010 Jan 2010 Dec 2009 Nov 2009 Oct 2009 Sept 2009 Aug 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 Apr 2009 Mar 2009 Feb 2009 Jan 2009 Dec 2008 Nov 2008 Oct 2008 Sept 2008 Aug 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 Apr 2008 Mar 2008 Feb 2008 Jan 2008 Dec 2007 Nov 2007 Oct 2007 Sept 2007 Aug 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 Apr 2007 Mar 2007 Feb 2007 Jan 2007 Dec 2006 Nov 2006 Oct 2006 Sept 2006 Aug 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 Apr 2006 Mar 2006 Feb 2006 Jan 2006 Dec 2005 Nov 2005 Oct 2005 Sept 2005 Aug 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 Apr 2005 Mar 2005 Feb 2005 Category Featured Round-up Special Features Merits Cases Cases in the Pipeline What’s Happening Now Emergency appeals and applications Academic Round-up Breaking News Book Reviews Capital Cases Cases and Controversies Corrections Editor’s Notes Empirical SCOTUS Event Announcements Live Plain English / Cases Made Simple SCOTUStalk SCOTUS for law students Supreme Court history This Week at the Court Everything Else or", "WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court decided Monday that one state cannot unwillingly be sued in the courts of another, overruling a 40-year precedent and perhaps, foreshadowing an argument over the viability of other high court decisions.\n\nThe outcome left one dissenting justice wondering “which cases the court will overrule next.”\n\nThe justices divided 5-4 to end a long-running dispute between California officials and Nevada inventor Gilbert Hyatt.\n\nHyatt is a former California resident who sued California’s tax agency for being too zealous in seeking back taxes from him. Hyatt won a judgment in Nevada courts.\n\nBut Justice Clarence Thomas wrote for the court’s conservative justices that the Constitution forbids states from opening the doors of their courts to a private citizen’s lawsuit against another state. In 1979, the high court concluded otherwise.\n\nThe four liberal justices dissented, saying they would have left alone the court’s decision in Nevada v. Hall. Justice Stephen Breyer said there are good reasons to overrule an earlier case, including that it is no longer workable or a vestige of an otherwise abandoned legal doctrine.\n\nBut Breyer said that justices should otherwise adhere to the principle of stare decisis, Latin for to stand by things decided.\n\n“It is far more dangerous to overrule a decision only because five members of a later court come to agree with earlier dissenters on a difficult legal question,” Breyer wrote. He included a reference to the court’s 1992 ruling in Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey that reaffirmed the right to abortion the court declared in Roe v. Wade in 1973.\n\nThe future of abortion rights at the court is a matter of intense interest as several states have enacted increasingly restrictive abortion laws in the hope that a more conservative Supreme Court majority will uphold them.\n\nIn his majority opinion, Thomas cited other Supreme Court precedent that held “stare decisis is not an inexorable command.”\n\nThe Hyatt case had been to the Supreme Court twice before. In 2016, the justices split 4-4 over the same question that was finally answered on Monday.\n\nThe case is Franchise Tax Board of California v. Hyatt, 17-1299.", "The Supreme Court decided Monday that one state cannot unwillingly be sued in the courts of another, overruling a 40-year precedent.\n\nThe justices voted 5-4 to end a long-running dispute between California officials and Nevada inventor Gilbert Hyatt.\n\nHyatt is a former California resident who sued California’s tax agency for being too zealous in seeking back taxes from him. Hyatt won a judgment in Nevada courts.\n\nBut Justice Clarence Thomas wrote for the court’s conservative justices that the Constitution forbids states from opening the doors of their courts to a private citizen’s lawsuit against another state.\n\nIn 1979, a more liberal Supreme Court concluded otherwise.\n\nHowever, Thomas said the case four decades ago, Nevada v. Hall, “is contrary to our constitutional design and the understanding of sovereign immunity shared by the States that ratified the Constitution.”\n\nThe four liberal justices dissented, saying they would have left alone the court’s decision in Nevada v. Hall.\n\nJustice Stephen Breyer said there are good reasons to overrule an earlier case, including that it is no longer workable or a vestige of an otherwise abandoned legal doctrine.\n\nBut Breyer said justices should otherwise adhere to the principle of stare decisis, Latin for to stand by things decided.\n\n“It is far more dangerous to overrule a decision only because five members of a later court come to agree with earlier dissenters on a difficult legal question,” he wrote.\n\nHe included a reference to the court’s 1992 ruling in Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey that reaffirmed the right to abortion the court declared in Roe v. Wade in 1973.\n\nThe future of abortion rights at the court is a matter of intense interest as several states have enacted increasingly restrictive abortion laws in the hope that a more conservative Supreme Court majority will uphold them.\n\nIn his majority opinion, Thomas cited other Supreme Court precedent that held “stare decisis is not an inexorable command.”\n\nThe Hyatt case had been to the Supreme Court twice before. In 2016, the justices split 4-4 over the same question that was finally answered Monday.\n\nRELATED: Trump Vows To Take Democrats’ Potential Impeachment Attempt to Supreme Court\n\nThe case is Franchise Tax Board of California v. Hyatt, 17-1299.\n\nThe Associated Press contributed to this report.\n\nWe are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.", "Supreme Court Says 1 State Can’t Be Sued in Another State’s Courts\n\nWASHINGTON (AP) – The Supreme Court is ruling that one state cannot unwillingly be sued in the courts of another, overruling a 40-year precedent.\n\nThe justices are dividing 5-4 Monday in ending a long-running dispute between California officials and Nevada inventor Gilbert Hyatt.\n\nHyatt is a former California resident who sued California’s tax agency for being too zealous in seeking back taxes from him. Hyatt won a judgment in Nevada courts.\n\nBut Justice Clarence Thomas wrote for the court’s conservative justices that the Constitution forbids states from opening the doors of their courts to a private citizen’s lawsuit against another state. In 1979, the high court concluded otherwise.", "Precedents are falling, and with state legislators eating away at any middle ground, it’s probably time to worry about Roe v. Wade.\n\n\n\nOn Monday, the Supreme Court made a monumental decision on a fairly bland case. In ruling on Franchise Tax Board of California v. Hyatt, the Court’s five conservatives overturned the precedent set by the 1979 decision Nevada v. Hall, in which the Court established that individuals can sue a state in a state court outside of the defendant state. The example in this long-winding case was millionaire Gilbert Hyatt’s legal fight against the state of California’s Franchise Tax Board; until Monday, the courts had honored Hyatt’s ability to sue the state via Nevada’s courts.\n\nBut in the majority opinion penned by Justice Clarence Thomas, the Court’s conservatives decided to side with the state board and dump four decades of precedent, declaring that states have sovereign immunity from private lawsuits brought against them in state courts outside of their own.\n\nIn dismissing Hall, Justice Thomas—he loves breaking precedent—spent just three paragraphs explaining his constitutional reasoning, ultimately concluding that the 1979 ruling, “failed to account for the historical understanding of state sovereign immunity.”\n\nThat is not the news, not the news that matters anyways. The reason this is important is found in the Court’s decision to forgo precedent simply because they don’t personally agree with it. No legal loopholes were deployed, and no grand research effort was undertaken to disqualify Hall. Thomas and his fellow conservative cohorts simply disagreed with the precedent-setting ruling, finally had the votes to change it, and did just that.\n\n\n\nAs Justice Stephen Breyer wrote in his dissent, there now exists a very real possibility that such a decision being made—without a specific prior case or constitutional issue cited—will give way to other precedents being overturned. Given he cites from Planned Parenthood v. Casey in his dissent, this paragraph is as close to a Justice ringing the warning bell for Roe v. Wade as one can get.\n\nTo overrule a sound decision like Hall is to encourage litigants to seek to overrule other cases; it is to make it more difficult for lawyers to refrain from challenging settled law; and it is to cause the public to become increasingly uncertain about which cases the Court will overrule and which cases are here to stay.\n\nIn recent months, state governments have begun outlawing abortions in practice by drafting and passing a recent rash of what are known as “heartbeat bills,” which make abortions following the presence of a fetal heartbeat illegal. As the Associated Press pointed out this morning, four states have such legislation in place, and three more are on the cusp. In the very near future, one of these states is going to come for Roe.\n\nAnd if the Supreme Court’s actions today are any harbinger of the decision to come, the justification to overturn the one law protecting women’s right to seek an abortion could be shorter than this blog.", "WASHINGTON (CN) – Divided 5-4 Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned 40-year-old precedent that allowed states to be sued in the courts of another state.\n\nThe case began when the Franchise Tax Board of California began auditing inventor Gilbert Hyatt in the early 1990s, suspecting that Hyatt had moved out of the state later than he claimed in an attempt to skip out on tax payments.\n\nAfter California hit Hyatt with a $6 million tax bill, Hyatt sued the board in Nevada, ultimately securing a $490 million judgment that said California had violated Hyatt’s privacy by snooping through his trash and sending his Social Security number to people as part of the audit.\n\nCalifornia spent another several years whittling that judgment down down, but Nevada’s high court said a Nevada law capping tort liability for its own state agencies at $50,000 did not apply to California.\n\nThe U.S. Supreme Court vacated this holding in 2016 and held another hearing this past January on whether California’s sovereignty should have foreclosed Hyatt’s suit against in Nevada from the beginning,\n\nJustice Clarence Thomas penned Monday’s reversal, which says the 1979 ruling Nevada v. Hall unconstitutionally impacted the sovereign immunity of states.\n\n“The Founders believed that both ‘common law sovereign immunity’ and ‘law-of-nations sovereign immunity’ prevented states from being amenable to process in any court without their consent,” Thomas wrote. “The common-law rule was that ‘no suit or action can be brought against the king, even in civil matters, because no court can have jurisdiction over him.’”\n\nThomas called interstate sovereign immunity “integral to the structure of the Constitution.”\n\n“Like a dispute over borders or water rights, a state’s assertion of compulsory judicial process over another state involves a direct conflict between sovereigns,” he wrote. “The Constitution implicitly strips states of any power they once had to refuse each other sovereign immunity, just as it denies them the power to resolve border disputes by political means.”\n\nJustices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan joined a dissent meanwhile by Justice Stephen Breyer.\n\n“The court in Hall observed that an express provision of the Constitution undermined the assertion that states were absolutely immune in each other’s courts,” he wrote. “Unlike suits brought against a state in the state’s own courts, Hall noted, a suit against a state in the courts of a different state ‘necessarily implicates the power and authority of’ both states.”\n\nBreyer also identified what he called an “obvious” problem with the majority saying that the Constitution altered interstate relationships by offering immunity they didn’t possess before unifying.\n\n“No provision of the Constitution gives states absolute immunity in each other’s courts,” he wrote. “The majority does not attempt to situate its newfound constitutional immunity in any provision of the Constitution itself. Instead, the majority maintains that a state’s immunity in other states’ courts is ‘implicit’ in the Constitution.”\n\nWilmerHale attorney Seth Waxman argued for Franchise Tax Board of California, and Erwin Chemerinsky, a Berkeley School of Law professor, argued for Hyatt. Neither lawyer has returned a request for comment.\n\nHyatt is still contesting his tax penalty in administrative proceedings.", "WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court is ruling that one state cannot unwillingly be sued in the courts of another, overruling a 40-year precedent.\n\nThe justices are dividing 5-4 Monday in ending a long-running dispute between California officials and Nevada inventor Gilbert Hyatt.\n\nHyatt is a former California resident who sued California’s tax agency for being too zealous in seeking back taxes from him. Hyatt won a judgment in Nevada courts.\n\nBut Justice Clarence Thomas wrote for the court’s conservative justices that the Constitution forbids states from opening the doors of their courts to a private citizen’s lawsuit against another state. In 1979, the high court concluded otherwise.\n\nCopyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.", "The Supreme Court’s conservative majority overturned a 41-year-old precedent Monday, prompting a pointed warning from liberal justices about “which cases the court will overrule next.”\n\nThe issue in Monday’s 5 to 4 ruling was one of limited impact: whether states have sovereign immunity from private suits in the courts of other states. In 1979, the Supreme Court ruled that there is no constitutional right to such immunity, although states are free to extend it to one another and often do.\n\nBut the court’s conservative majority overruled that decision, saying there was an implied right in the Constitution that means states “could not be hauled involuntarily before each other’s courts,” in the words of Justice Clarence Thomas, who wrote Monday’s decision.\n\nThomas acknowledged the departure from the legal doctrine of stare decisis, in which courts are to abide by settled law without a compelling reason to overrule the decision.\n\nBut he said the court’s decision four decades ago in Nevada v. Hall “is contrary to our constitutional design and the understanding of sovereign immunity shared by the states that ratified the Constitution. Stare decisis does not compel continued adherence to this erroneous precedent.”\n\nAs was evident during the confirmation hearings of President Trump’s nominees to the Supreme Court — Justices Neal M. Gorsuch and Brett M. Kavanaugh — liberals are worried about what other court precedents the newly fortified conservative majority will find wrongly decided.\n\nJustice Stephen G. Breyer clearly had other issues — abortion rights, for instance, or affirmative action — in mind in his dissent.\n\nIt is “dangerous to overrule a decision only because five members of a later court come to agree with earlier dissenters on a difficult legal question,” Breyer wrote, adding: “Today’s decision can only cause one to wonder which cases the court will overrule next.”\n\nGorsuch and Kavanaugh joined Thomas in the majority, along with Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr.\n\nAdhering to precedent dominated the oral arguments in the case. Two of the court’s most experienced practitioners recounted the founding of the union and the framing of the Constitution, and both claimed that the notion of state sovereignty was on their side.\n\nThomas sided with the view that “the states’ sovereign immunity is a historically rooted principle embedded in the text and structure of the Constitution.”\n\nHe conceded that it was not explicitly set out in the text of the document. However, “there are many other constitutional doctrines that are not spelled out in the Constitution but are nevertheless implicit in its structure and supported by historical practice,” Thomas wrote.\n\nBut Breyer countered that the arguments on the other side are just as compelling, and that there was no reason to junk a precedent that has hardly proven unworkable. There have been only 14 cases of states being involuntarily called into another state’s courts, he said.\n\n“Stare decisis requires us to follow Hall, not overrule it,” Breyer wrote, mentioning one of the court’s decisions upholding abortion rights as an example. “What could the justification be in this case? The majority doesn’t find one.”\n\nIn reality, both conservatives and liberals find justification for overturning precedent when they see the need as compelling. But lately, liberals on the court have been especially protective of precedent, fearing the court’s conservative majority.\n\nThe case at hand was at the Supreme Court for the third time. California’s Franchise Tax Board accused Gilbert P. Hyatt of basically faking his move from the Golden State to Nevada in the early 1990s to avoid paying income tax.\n\nBut the way investigators went about their work — looking through his garbage, interrogating family members and business associates — prompted Hyatt to file suit against the auditors in Nevada court. He won and was awarded nearly $500 million, a figure that has been reduced through the years of litigation to $100,000.\n\nThe California tax board contends that it never should have been hauled into Nevada court. When an earlier iteration of the case was heard two years ago, the Supreme Court split 4 to 4 on whether the 1979 decision allowing such suits was correct. At the time, the court had only eight members because of the death of Justice Antonin Scalia.\n\nThe case is Franchise Tax Board of California v. Hyatt.", "WASHINGTON — Overruling a 40-year-old precedent, the Supreme Court said on Monday that states may not be sued in the courts of other states.\n\nThe vote was 5 to 4, with the court’s more conservative members in the majority. The ruling itself will probably not be particularly consequential, as most states already grant sovereign immunity to other states, shielding them from lawsuits. By one count, there have been only 14 cases in the past 40 years in which one state allowed another to be sued in its courts.\n\nThe decision was more important for its discussion of when precedents may be overruled. In dissent, after repeatedly citing a 1992 decision that reaffirmed the constitutional right to abortion established in 1973 in Roe v. Wade, Justice Stephen G. Breyer said he feared for the future.\n\n“Today’s decision can only cause one to wonder which cases the court will overrule next,” he wrote.\n\nMonday’s decision, Franchise Tax Board of California v. Hyatt, No. 17-1299, resolved a long-running dispute involving Gilbert P. Hyatt, who had made money from technology patents, and California’s tax authorities. In 1991, Mr. Hyatt, who had lived in California, told the authorities that he had moved to Nevada, which collects no personal income tax.", "The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday overturned a 40-year-old legal precedent regarding state sovereignty, leading Justice Stephen Breyer to question in a dissenting opinion which longstanding rulings the court may choose to toss out next.\n\nMonday’s decision pertained to Franchise Tax Board of California v. Hyatt, a tax dispute involving inventor Gilbert P. Hyatt who was accused of lying about when he moved from California to Nevada in order to escape the former state’s income taxes.\n\nIn 1998, Hyatt sued the California board in a Nevada state court over what he argued were extreme measures it had taken to prove its claim, including sending an auditor to sort through his trash, enlisting estranged family members against him and releasing his address and Social Security number to newspapers.\n\nA jury awarded Hyatt $490 million in damages, reduced to $1 million by the Nevada Supreme Court. The board then appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn Nevada v. Hall, a 1979 decision that allows individuals to sue a state in the courts of a different state. The high court split 4-4 over the matter, leaving Nevada v. Hall intact for the time being.\n\nBut in a 5-4 decision on Monday, the Supreme Court overturned the 40-year-old decision, arguing that “states retain their sovereign immunity from private suits brought in courts of other states.”\n\nIn a dissenting opinion joined by Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan, Breyer argued that the majority shouldn’t be so quick to overturn longstanding decisions that have provided “legal stability” in the U.S. for decades.\n\n“Each time the Court overrules a case, the Court produces increased uncertainty,” Breyer wrote. “To overrule a sound decision like Hall is to encourage litigants to seek to overrule other cases; it is to make it more difficult for lawyers to refrain from challenging settled law; and it is to cause the public to become increasingly uncertain about which cases the Court will overrule and which cases are here to stay.”\n\n“It is far more dangerous to overrule a decision only because five Members of a later Court come to agree with earlier dissenters on a difficult legal question,” Breyer wrote.\n\nThomas, joined by Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. and Justices Samuel Alito Jr., Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, “surrendered to the temptation to overrule Hall even though it is a well-reasoned decision that has caused no serious practical problems in the four decades since we decided it,” Breyer said.\n\nBreyer didn’t mention Roe v. Wade in his dissent, but the implications were clear. The justice cited portions of Planned Parenthood v. Casey, a case that reaffirmed Roe v. Wade while also upholding certain provisions of Pennsylvania’s abortion law. The portions Breyer cited in his dissent on Monday specifically discuss why Roe should be upheld.\n\nAnd he has good cause to sound the alarm. State legislatures in portions of the Deep South and Midwest are slowly enacting more and more restrictive measures that could essentially spell the end of the constitutional right to abortion, granted by Roe, in those states.\n\nAlabama is close to approving a bill that the state’s lieutenant governor admitted is a direct attempt to get Roe v. Wade overturned. The bill, called the Human Life Protection Act, would make it a felony for a doctor to perform an abortion.\n\nRepublican Gov. Brian Kemp of Georgia this month signed a controversial “heartbeat bill” that bans abortion as soon as a doctor can detect a fetal heartbeat, which usually happens at around six weeks into a pregnancy and before most women are aware that they’re pregnant.\n\nMississippi, Ohio and Kentucky have also passed heartbeat laws. The Louisiana legislature is halfway toward passing one, and Missouri’s GOP-controlled legislature is considering one. The Guttmacher Institute, a nonprofit reproductive health care research group, has said such legislation is “part of a deliberate strategy” to challenge Roe v. Wade “in hopes that an increasingly conservative Court will undermine or even overturn” it in inevitable court challenges. President Donald Trump has successfully appointed two conservatives justices to the high court ― Gorsuch and Kavanaugh ― and has filled over 100 federal judgeships, including nearly 40 circuit appeal court positions. Vice President Mike Pence told The Federalist Society, a conservative legal group, at a conference over the weekend: “They are all conservatives who are committed to the principles enshrined in the Constitution of the United States.” And for Pence and conservatives of his ilk, a key tenet is that the right to an abortion does not enjoy constitutional protection."], "summary": "The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) rules in Franchise Tax Board of California v. Hyatt, that a state cannot be sued in another state's court, overturning a 40-year-old precedent. The 5-4 decision overrules the Nevada v. Hall stare decisis set in 1979 which allowed private suits from one state to be brought in another state's court."}
{"document": ["MANILA — Millions of Filipinos voted Monday to choose half of the nation’s Senate in what was widely seen as a proxy battle between President Rodrigo Duterte and politicians opposed to his deadly war on drugs.\n\nThroughout the day, the police reported scattered incidents of violence and voter intimidation, including a shooting that injured five people at one voting area, as well as bombings believed to be connected to the elections.\n\nNearly 300,000 police officers and members of the armed forces were deployed nationwide to prevent violence, with the national police reporting that at least 20 people had been killed and 24 injured in election-related attacks in the weeks leading up to the voting.\n\nUp for grabs are 12 Senate seats, nearly 300 seats in the House of Representatives and thousands of local posts, including mayor and governor positions, according to the Commission on Elections. But the spotlight was on the races for the Senate, where a tiny minority has been successful in blocking Mr. Duterte’s legislative agenda. Results are expected to be released in a few days.", "Millions Of Voters Turn Out For Philippines' Midterm Elections\n\nVoters went to the polls in the Philippines Monday to choose half of the country's Senate, and its entire House of Representatives. The election is widely seen as a referendum on President Duterte.", "Ruben Enaje, right, grimaces as his feet are nailed to the cross for the 32nd time during a reenactment of Jesus Christ's sufferings as part of Good Friday rituals in the village of San Pedro Cutud, Pampanga province, northern Philippines Friday, March 30, 2018.", "Voters go to the polls in the Philippines Monday to choose half of the country's Senate, and its entire House of Representatives. The election is widely seen as a referendum on President Duterte.", "Filipinos vote Monday in midterm polls that are expected to strengthen President Rodrigo Duterte's grip on power, opening the way for him to deliver on pledges to restore the death penalty and rewrite the constitution.\n\nDuterte has found international infamy for his foul-mouthed tirades, but remains hugely popular among Filipinos fed up with the country's dysfunction and elite politicians.\n\nHe wants to bring back capital punishment for drug-related crimes as part of a deadly crackdown on narcotics in which thousands of suspects and drug dependents have already been killed.\n\nHis tough-on-crime platform -- which also includes lowering the age of criminal responsibility from 15 to 12 -- was key to his landslide election victory in 2016.\n\nMore than 18,000 posts are at stake when polls open for the more than 61 million registered voters at 6:00 am (2200 GMT Sunday), including half of the seats in the upper house Senate.\n\nBut for Duterte the key is wresting control of an independent-minded Senate while keeping the House of Representatives in the hands of his allies.\n\nHistorically, the nation's 24 senators -- who serve six-year terms -- have had a reputation for being more independent-minded than the lower house.\n\nWinning a Senate majority, something which independent national surveys indicate is well within reach, would give him legislative backing for his anti-crime proposals and his plan to rewrite the constitution.\n\nThe opposition warns that could lead to the single-term limit for the presidency being lifted, allowing him to seek re-election despite his repeated statements that he would stand down at the end of his mandate.\n\nIt would also allow him to expand his contentious anti-drug crackdown by bringing back the death penalty, a pledge which the UN Human Rights Council said gave it \"deep alarm\".\n\nThe Philippines outlawed capital punishment in 1987, reinstated it six years later and then abolished again in 2006.\n\nThe 73-year-old hit the campaign trail to get his supporters in the Senate, giving two-hour speeches at late-night rallies and routinely insulting their opponents -- calling one a \"faggot\" and accusing another of lawyering for communist guerrillas.\n\nThe results for municipal and city mayors and councils are expected within hours after the polls close at 6:00 pm Monday, with winners for the Senate and congressional seats scheduled to be declared from Friday.\n\nEven if the presidential term limit is not lifted, the Duterte family looks well-placed to continue after him.\n\nThe president's daughter Sara -- tipped by many as the president's potential successor in the 2022 presidential vote -- is running to keep her post as mayor in its southern bailiwick of Davao city.\n\nHer younger brother Sebastian is seeking, unopposed, the city's vice-mayoral seat, while the eldest presidential son Paolo is standing for a seat in the House of Representatives.\n\nElectoral contests in the Philippines have always been bloody, with dozens, including candidates and their supporters, getting killed in the fierce competition for posts that are a source of wealth in a nation with deep poverty.\n\nPolice are on full alert to safeguard Monday's balloting as the bloody trend continued this year, with 14 dead and 14 wounded in \"election-related violent incidents\" since January, according to a grim official count.", "More than 18,000 positions are at stake, including half of the seats in the upper house Senate, which has served as a bulwark against some of President Rodrigo Duterte's most controversial policies.\n\nFilipinos headed to the polls on Monday in a vote that is expected to strengthen President Rodrigo Duterte's grip on power, opening the way for him to deliver on pledges to restore the death penalty and rewrite the constitution.\n\nMore than 18,000 positions are at stake, including half of the seats in the upper house Senate, which has served as a bulwark against some of Duterte's most controversial policies.\n\nDuterte is known internationally for his foul-mouthed tirades and deadly drug war, but remains hugely popular among Filipinos fed up with the country's general dysfunction and leaders who have failed to fix it.\n\nHe wants to bring back capital punishment for drug-related crimes as part of his narcotics crackdown in which thousands of alleged pushers and users have already been killed by police.\n\nHis tough-on-crime platform -- which also includes lowering the age of criminal responsibility from 15 to 12 -- was key to his landslide election victory in 2016.\n\nVoters crowded voting centres in the capital Manila even ahead of polls opening at 6:00 am (2200 GMT Sunday) in an election where some 61 million are registered to cast ballots.\n\n\"I voted for many of the candidates endorsed by President Duterte because his government is doing its job,\" said Myrna Cruz, 51.\n\n\"I support their programmes, including the anti-drug campaign... but I wish the bloodshed would stop,\" she adding, echoing many Filipinos' nuanced backing of the crackdown.\n\nThe opening of the polls were accompanied by isolated outbursts of violence, which is not unusual in the Philippines' frequently bloody competition for elected posts.\n\nAt least 20 people have been killed and 24 wounded in election-related violence in the run up to the vote, according to an official count.\n\nEarly on Monday nine people were shot and wounded during a confrontation at a polling station on the restive southern island of Jolo, which is home to insurgents and powerful local clans, according to the military.\n\nThe violence is more frequent with the lower level races and will not likely be a major feature in the election's main contest for the Senate.\n\nWinning a Senate majority, something that independent national surveys indicate is well within reach, would give Duterte legislative backing for his anti-crime proposals and his plan to rewrite the constitution.\n\nHistorically, the nation's 24 senators -- who serve six-year terms -- have had a reputation for being more independent-minded than the lower house.\n\nThe opposition warns that could lead to the single-term limit for the presidency being lifted, allowing him to seek re-election despite his repeated statements that he would stand down at the end of his mandate.\n\nIt would also allow him to expand his contentious anti-drug crackdown by bringing back the death penalty, a pledge that the UN Human Rights Council said gave it \"deep alarm\".\n\nThe Philippines outlawed capital punishment in 1987, reinstated it six years later and then abolished it again in 2006.\n\nDuterte, 74, hit the campaign trail to get his supporters in the Senate, giving two-hour speeches at late-night rallies and routinely insulting their opponents -- referring to one by an anti-gay slur and accusing another of working for communist guerrillas.\n\nThe results for municipal and city mayors and councils are expected within hours of polls closing at 6:00 pm Monday, with winners for the Senate and congressional seats likely to be declared from Friday.\n\nEven if the presidential term limit is not lifted, the Duterte family looks well-placed to continue its reign.\n\nThe president's daughter Sara -- being eyed by some as the president's potential successor in the 2022 vote -- is running to keep her post as mayor in its southern bailiwick of Davao city.\n\nHer younger brother Sebastian is seeking, unopposed, the city's vice-mayoral seat, while Duterte's eldest son Paolo is standing for a seat in the lower House of Representatives.", "FILIPINOS headed to the polls on Monday in a vote that is expected to strengthen President Rodrigo Duterte’s grip on power, opening the way for him to deliver on pledges to restore the death penalty and rewrite the constitution.\n\nMore than 18,000 positions are at stake, including half of the seats in the upper house Senate, which has served as a bulwark against some of Duterte’s most controversial policies.\n\nDuterte is known internationally for his foul-mouthed tirades, but remains hugely popular among Filipinos fed up with the country’s general dysfunction and leaders who have failed to fix it.\n\nHe wants to bring back capital punishment for drug-related crimes as part of a deadly crackdown on narcotics in which thousands of suspects and drug addicts have already been killed.\n\nSEE ALSO: Why is peace failing in the Philippines?\n\nHis tough-on-crime platform — which also includes lowering the age of criminal responsibility from 15 to 12 — was key to his landslide election victory in 2016.\n\nVoters crowded voting centres in the capital Manila ahead of polls opening at 6:00 am (2200 GMT Sunday) in an election where some 61 million are registered to cast ballots.\n\n“I voted for many of the candidates endorsed by President Duterte because his government is doing its job,” said Myrna Cruz, 51.\n\n“I support their programmes, including the anti-drug campaign… but I wish the bloodshed would stop,” she adding, echoing many Filipinos’ nuanced backing of the crackdown.\n\nHistorically, the nation’s 24 senators — who serve six-year terms — have had a reputation for being more independent-minded than the lower house.\n\nWinning a Senate majority, something that independent national surveys indicate is well within reach, would give Duterte legislative backing for his anti-crime proposals and his plan to rewrite the constitution.\n\nThe opposition warns that could lead to the single-term limit for the presidency being lifted, allowing him to seek re-election despite his repeated statements that he would stand down at the end of his mandate.\n\nIt would also allow him to expand his contentious anti-drug crackdown by bringing back the death penalty, a pledge that the UN Human Rights Council said gave it “deep alarm”.\n\nThe Philippines outlawed capital punishment in 1987, reinstated it six years later and then abolished again in 2006.\n\nThe 74-year-old hit the campaign trail to get his supporters in the Senate, giving two-hour speeches at late-night rallies and routinely insulting their opponents — calling one a “faggot” and accusing another of working for communist guerrillas.\n\nThe results for municipal and city mayors and councils are expected within hours of polls closing at 6:00 pm Monday, with winners for the Senate and congressional seats likely to be declared from Friday.\n\nEven if the presidential term limit is not lifted, the Duterte family looks well-placed to continue its reign.\n\nThe president’s daughter Sara — being eyed by some as the president’s potential successor in the 2022 vote — is running to keep her post as mayor in its southern bailiwick of Davao city.\n\nHer younger brother Sebastian is seeking, unopposed, the city’s vice-mayoral seat, while Duterte’s eldest son Paolo is standing for a seat in the lower House of Representatives.\n\nElectoral contests in the Philippines have always been bloody. Dozens, including candidates and their supporters, are killed in the fierce competition for posts, which are a source of wealth in a nation with deep poverty.\n\nPolice are on high alert to safeguard balloting as the bloody trend continued this year, with 20 killed and 24 wounded in election-related violence in the run up to the vote, according to an official count.", "MANILA: Gertrudes Batocabe never wanted to enter the Philippines’ cutthroat politics, but after her husband was shot dead, allegedly by a rival in next week’s midterm election, she felt bound to take his place.\n\n\"It’s not really automatic that the wife takes over, but in this case I cannot see my opponents sitting down (quitting)\" she told AFP, holding back tears.\n\n\"I have a lot of things to do for Rodel, for the people of Daraga,\" she said, referring to her husband and the central city where she is running for mayor.\n\nIn taking over his candidacy, Batocabe was among at least half a dozen women standing in for their slain husbands this year -- a long tradition in the Philippines’ notoriously deadly politics.\n\nDozens of people, including candidates and their supporters, routinely get killed in the fierce competition for elected posts that are a source of wealth in a nation with deep poverty.\n\nOver 18,000 seats, ranging from local councils to the upper house Senate, are up for grabs when the nation’s more than 61 million voters are called to cast ballots on Monday.\n\nOne widow styled her campaign as a quest for justice for her husband, who was murdered last year after announcing plans to run for mayor in Trece Martires, a city south of Manila.\n\n\"My name is Gemma Lubigan. I will take up the fight of Vice-Mayor Alex Lubigan,\" she told a cheering crowd at a recent campaign rally.\n\nA political rival, the sitting mayor of Trece Martires, was initially fingered as a suspect, but prosecutors have declined to file charges.\n\nPolitical widowhood reached its apogee in the Philippines in 1986, when Corazon Aquino took power after a bloodless popular revolt that toppled the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos.\n\nThe upheaval was triggered by the 1983 assassination of her opposition leader husband Benigno Aquino at the hands of security forces loyal to Marcos, forcing her into politics.\n\nIn the Philippines, widow candidates carry a powerful aura of suffering and perseverance that resonates with voters in the overwhelmingly Catholic nation, experts say.\n\n\"It works especially in the Philippine context because widowhood has symbolic elements that are very much valued in politics,\" said University of the Philippines political science professor Jean Franco told AFP.\n\nThe Philippines also lacks a strong party system so family dynasties play a similar role, with wives called on to assume the clan’s figurehead position after a slaying.\n\nSome of Asia’s most powerful political families have been marked by the same phenomenon. India’s Sonia Gandhi was pushed into politics after her husband, former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, was assassinated.\n\nBenazir Bhutto led Pakistan’s return to democracy about a decade after her father was ousted as prime minister in a coup and subsequently executed. Political analyst Franco said the rise of the Philippine widows also marks a way into the nation’s male-dominated political area.\n\n\"Many of our female politicians, especially at the local level, are members of political dynasties,\" she added.\n\nBefore Rodel’s murder, the plan was for the Batocabes to groom their first-born son, a newly minted lawyer, to follow his father’s footsteps into politics.\n\nBut that changed after Rodel, who was an ally of President Rodrigo Duterte, was gunned down days before Christmas while handing out gifts to elderly and disabled Daraga residents.\n\nThe incumbent mayor of Daraga is charged with orchestrating the killing, leaving Batocabe acutely aware of the risks she faces in running.\n\n\"I’m careful, is the word, but I’ve been given so much protection by the president,\" she said, referring to an armed security detail.", "Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s allies were poised for victory in midterm polls, according to unofficial results on Tuesday, signalling firm approval of his policies and clearing a path for his most controversial plans.\n\nDuterte’s deadly drug war has drawn international censure, but is central to the populist appeal that has buoyed his remarkable popularity among Filipinos since taking the presidency in 2016.\n\nIn Monday’s vote, administration loyalist candidates for the Senate were headed for a resounding election win, according to data released by the PPCRV, a Catholic-run poll monitor accredited by the government to tally votes.\n\nWith 94% of ballots counted early on Tuesday, Duterte allies were on track to take nine of 12 open seats in the upper house, which has been a bulwark against some of the president’s most controversial proposals.\n\nOfficial, complete results from the nation’s elections commission are expected in the coming days.\n\nHistorically, the nation’s 24 senators – who serve six-year terms – have had a reputation for being more independent-minded than the lower house.\n\nAs part of his drug crackdown that has killed more than 5,000 people, Duterte has pledged to bring back the death penalty and lower the age of criminal responsibility from 15 to 12.\n\nThe Philippines outlawed capital punishment in 1987, reinstated it six years later and then abolished it again in 2006.\n\nHe also promised to rewrite the nation’s constitution to create a federal republic where regions would be given more power to tackle the nation’s deep rooted poverty.\n\nHowever, opponents see those plans as an effort to extend his hold on power or weaken the nation’s democratic institutions.\n\n“This election just gave Duterte carte blanche to push his brand of governance to its logical conclusion: complete transformation of the nation’s political system,” analyst Richard Heydarian told AFP.\n\nMore than 18,000 positions were at stake in the vote, primarily local posts, but also half the Senate and nearly 300 seats in the lower House of Representatives.\n\nThe polls saw isolated outbursts of violence, which is not unusual in the Philippines’ frequently bloody competition for elected seats.\n\nAt least 20 people were killed and 24 wounded in election-related violence in the run-up to the vote, according to an official count.\n\nThe military said nine people were shot and wounded Monday during a confrontation at a polling station on the southern island of Jolo, which is home to insurgents and powerful local clans.\n\nTurnout was steady throughout the day and voters across the country flooded social media with images of their ink-stained fingernails, which are daubed blue as a protection against voter fraud.\n\n“I voted for many of the candidates endorsed by President Duterte because his government is doing its job,” voter Myrna Cruz, 51, told AFP in Manila.\n\n“I support their programmes, including the anti-drug campaign ... but I wish the bloodshed would stop,” she added, echoing many Filipinos’ nuanced backing of the crackdown.", "(CNN) Over 60 million voters are going to the polls across the Philippines for midterm elections on Monday that are being seen as a bellwether for the popularity of President Rodrigo Duterte.\n\nWhile more than 18,000 government posts are up for grabs, the highest office in the land is not being contested. Nonetheless, the election is widely considered to be a referendum on the brash, plain-spoken leader's three years in office.\n\nDuterte's divisive policies, including his war on drugs, which has seen thousands of people lose their lives in extrajudicial killings, have provoked a chorus of condemnation from human rights groups at home and overseas.\n\nBut opinion polls in the lead-up to the election have been favorable to the president, suggesting many in the country still admire his strongman tactics.\n\nIn early May, Philippine pollster Social Weather Stations (SWS) reported a record high approval rating for the Duterte administration of 72% -- classified as \"excellent.\"\n\nThe high approval rating is likely indicate a smooth path to power for politicians who have aligned themselves with the ruling PDP-Laban party.\n\nThe party's high-profile candidates include Duterte's former special assistant-turned-Senate candidate Bong Go, former Philippines National Police (PNP) chief Ronald \"Bato\" dela Rosa -- who oversaw much of Duterte's war against drugs -- and Imee Marcos, daughter of former dictator Ferdinand Marcos.\n\nHalf of the country's 24-seat Senate is up for grabs, potentially allowing Duterte to strengthen his support base and push through some of his more controversial policies.\n\nCritics also fear that if Duterte tightens his hold on the Senate, he'll more easily be able to rewrite the constitution, potentially lifting the limit on six-year presidential terms.\n\nDuterte has declared a special non-working holiday in hopes to push up turnout -- which in recent elections has been above 70%.\n\nVoter Louie Valenzuela, told news agency AFP that he saw graft as a main issue in the election.\n\n\"It's very important to vote because this is for the younger generation who will also get to vote soon, like my children,\" he said. \"Today we will vote for our new leaders and (I am) hoping that this could end corruption.\"\n\nThe Philippines National Police has deployed 160,000 officers and other personnel to polling stations to ensure that voting goes ahead free of violence.\n\nEven before polls opened, there were reports of vote-buying on a \"massive\" scale. However, PNP Chief Oscar Albayalde said that some complaints had been exaggerated by candidates or their supporters.\n\nAlbayalde added there had been 79 cases of voter fraud so far, with as many as 240 people implicated in the schemes. The vast majority of offenders had been apprehended, he said.\n\nEarly reports suggest that districts have been beset with problems, including technical issues that are not allowing voters -- and even some candidates -- to register their choices.\n\nElsewhere, the candidate for mayor in Pasig, Vico Sotto, refused to cast his vote until voting machine issues had been addressed. He said he had received reports of 35 defective machines in the city, another part of the capital region."], "summary": "Voters in the Philippines go to the polls to elect new members of the Senate of the Philippines and House of Representatives of the Philippines, as well as various other local positions."}
{"document": ["Zury Ríos Sosa, candidata presidencial del partido Valor, durante una entrevista de Sin Filtro Electoral, de Guatevisión, el 7 de mayo. (Foto Prensa Libre: Hemeroteca PL)\n\nLos magistrados que votaron contra la candidatura e hicieron mayoría fueron Bonerge Mejía, Gloria Porras, Francisco de Mata Vela y Mynor Par Usen; votaron a favor Dina Ochoa, Neftalí Aldana y Phillip Comte.\n\nLa ponencia del caso fue presentada por el magistrado Neftaly Aldana, quien había sugerido que Zury Ríos sí participara en los comicios. Luego de la discusión, los otros magistrados sumaron más votos en contra de esa propuesta.\n\nMartín Guzmán, secretario de la CC, dijo en conferencia de prensa que la resolución ordena al órgano electoral revocar la inscripción de Zury Ríos dentro de un plazo de 24 horas, de lo cual deberá informar sobre su cumplimiento.\n\nAún no hay notificación a las partes de la decisión de los magistrados, pero, según Guzmán, esta debería estar el 14 de mayo para que se cumpla la revocatoria, y posteriormente se notificarán los votos razonados.\n\nLuego de esta decisión, al partido Valor solo queda el recurso de aclaración o ampliación, pero en ambos casos no cambian el fondo de la resolución.\n\nEl fallo de la CC llega 21 días después de la vista pública, en la que candidata enumeró las razones por las cuales se le debía permitir su candidatura.\n\nLa resolución responde a la apelación del Tribunal contra el amparo definitivo de la Corte Suprema de Justicia (CSJ) que le dio el sí a Zury Ríos, luego que tanto el Registro de Ciudadanos y el pleno de magistrados del órgano electoral dijeron no.\n\nNo deje de leer: Esta era la oferta de campaña de Zury Ríos\n\nReacción\n\nZury Ríos se pronunció en Twitter después de que se supiera la decisión de la Corte.\n\n“Ante los rumores que han surgido durante la última hora sobre nuestra candidatura, quiero decirles que sólo son rumores. Estamos en ley, estamos firmes y vamos”, dijo.\n\nSe oponía\n\nEl tribunal electoral no estaba de acuerdo con la inscripción de Zury Ríos porque había violación al artículo 186 constitucional, toda vez que es hija de Efraín Ríos Montt, quien tomó el poder mediante un golpe de Estado en 1982.\n\nLea más: Obra en lugar de impuesto ofreció Zury Ríos en mitin en Quetzaltenango\n\n“El artículo 186 de la Constitución regula las prohibiciones para optar al cargo de presidente y vicepresidente de la República… a) el caudillo ni los jefes de un golpe de Estado, revolución armada o movimiento similar, que haya alterado el orden constitucional, ni quienes como consecuencia de tales hechos asuman la jefatura de gobierno… c) los parientes dentro del cuarto grado de consanguinidad y segundo de afinidad del presidente o vicepresidente, cuando este último se encuentre ejerciendo la presidencia y los de las personas que se refiere al inciso primero de este artículo”, defendió el tribunal electoral ante la Corte.\n\nEl TSE ha señalado que la norma constitucional, al establecer la prohibición a optar el cargo de Presidencia y Vicepresidencia a los jefes de Estado, como a sus parientes dentro del cuarto grado de consanguinidad, persigue no solo sancionar un acto grave, como el rompimiento del orden constitucional, sino también persuadir a los golpistas de cometer tales actos, pues de cometerlos no solo afectarán su participación, sino también la de sus parientes a optar a los cargos relacionados.\n\nUn derecho humano\n\nZury Ríos esgrimió a ese argumento que ella no tiene impedimento legal porque la prohibición está redactada en presente y no en pasado.\n\nLe puede interesar: Primero sí, luego no: Así cambió criterio el MP sobre Zury Ríos\n\n“En primer lugar, el artículo 186 constitucional tiene una prohibición que no se me aplica, porque el general Ríos Montt no es el jefe de Estado, no está en funciones de gobierno, y por lo tanto ya no se me aplica. Definitivamente que todas las convenciones de derechos humanos no permiten discriminación por aspectos de linaje, raza, religión o de género por lo tanto tengo el derecho de participar”, dijo la candidata al momento de la vista pública del 22 de abril. También defendió el antecedente de que ella ya fue candidata en 2015. “Perdí la elección, pero ya participé como candidata a la Presidencia”, recordó.\n\nContenido relacionado\n\n> Crece rechazo a intento de Sandra Torres de censurar a elPeriódico\n\n> TSE habilitará 2 mil 932 centros de votación para las elecciones\n\n> Sandra Jovel no quiso cooperar con el TSE sobre el voto en Estados Unidos", "Jerry Nadler, the New York Representative who is the chair of the House Judiciary Committee, sure thinks so. He said last week, after the White House refused to release the full version of the Mueller report, “Certainly, it’s a constitutional crisis.” He added that the country is “in one because the president is disobeying the law, is refusing all information to Congress.”\n\nSince he issued that statement, others have lined up behind him. On Thursday, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi agreed with him. She said that “this administration wants to have a constitutional crisis because they do not respect the oath of office that they take.”\n\nAnd over the weekend, Senator and presidential candidate Kamala Harris jumped aboard, although with a bit of equivocation. She told CNN, “I think it is fair to say that we are looking at a crisis, not only of confidence, but potentially a constitutional crisis.”\n\nThere is no doubt that more and more Democrats are going to chime in on this question in the coming days and weeks. However, there is also little doubt that this is the wrong question. The right question, and really the only question that matters here, is what anyone is going to do about the situation, above and beyond what we’ve been doing so far (which has accomplished very little in terms of stopping the president). Because whether we are in a constitutional crisis or not is completely irrelevant if all anyone does is talk about it and no one takes any action about it.\n\nWe can debate the specifics of what is a constitutional crisis until the proverbial cows come home. Law professors and other legal experts make their money and their reputation waxing intelligent on the issue.\n\nThe reality, though, is that there is no magic definition of what is a constitutional crisis and what isn’t one. You can read the Constitution all you want and you won’t find the term mentioned there. Moreover, the term appears only twice in the history of Supreme Court majority opinions (and only three times referring to American history in non-majority opinions), and both times referred to events in American history that happened decades prior to the Court’s use of the term (the 1937 Court-packing threat and the 1832 Nullification Crisis). In other words, the Court used the term with hindsight to describe history, not to evaluate any on-going legal dispute.\n\nWhat this means is that there is no significance whatsoever to using the term “constitutional crisis.” It may sound good in a television clip, but as a matter of constitutional law, it means nothing.\n\nThere is, however, something that does have constitutional meaning. And that’s the co-equal branches of government using their constitutionally defined powers to check the President when he acts in a way that goes against basic principles of American law. Congress can investigate, censure, recommend for prosecution, impeach and ultimately remove a president from office. But those are the options before we even get creative. A creative Congress can do even more, by using its power to delay, withhold the budget, hold its own trials, and much more.\n\nThen there are the courts. The courts also play a role in checking the President, by adjudicating disputes that come before it involving him and forcing the president to comply with the law. So far, though, the Roberts Supreme Court has done very little to check the president, which is the key difference between Trump and Nixon so far.\n\nAnd finally, there are the people. The people are always the final arbiters of what is and isn’t within bounds in our democracy. We in the resistance have talked a good talk, but outside the first couple of Women’s Marches and the people who descended on the airports after the first Muslim Ban was announced, we haven’t taken to the streets or engaged in any mass radical action to stop the ongoing threats. It’s just too damn easy to tweet about them instead. (I’m as guilty as the next person in this regard.)\n\nSo declaring we are in a constitutional crisis is really a non-answer to a stupid question. The real question is what we are going to do about it. And so far, the answer is not much.", "Why the U.S. is in a Constitutional Crisis\n\nIf it was up to the newly elected millennials in the U.S. congress the current president would have been impeached a long time ago. But, alas, that decision is in the hands of the septuagenarian opposition leaders who seem to have this strange theory that if they can drag their feet long enough they will win the hearts and minds of 'We the People' in 2020. Yeah, right. In fairness though, Pelosi says Trump is ‘self-impeaching.’ As the Chinese say: \"May you live in interesting times.\" Below is an excerpt from a reflection piece published by the online magazine Slate and an opinion video from The Post on the situation in Washington. (Getty Images)\n\nAre We in a Constitutional Crisis?\n\nNew York Rep. Jerrold Nadler described the battle unfolding between the Trump White House and Congress thusly: “The ongoing clash between congressional Democrats and President Trump over the Mueller report has turned into a full-blown constitutional crisis.” On Thursday morning, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi used the same turn of phrase, warning that the nation is now in a “constitutional crisis.”\n\nIn the totality of Trump scandals, this week’s is rather boring and technical. The problem at hand: The House Judiciary Committee seeks to interview William Barr, the attorney general of the United States, on the subject of the Mueller report. When he refused to show up, they voted to hold him in contempt of Congress for doing so. Meanwhile, the president has opted to assert seemingly boundless executive privilege in an attempt to shield the unredacted Mueller report from congressional scrutiny. The question at hand is basically: What happens in this standoff between Congress and the president? The stalemate, and immovable positioning, is certainly making it feel as though we are hurtling at high speeds toward a new precipice…\n\nBut Pelosi and Nadler’s “constitutional crisis” language has raised the possibility, once again, that America has unwittingly crossed into a red zone; that an immovable conflict between two coequal branches is about to take place or is perhaps already taking place. So, we went back to some of our most eminent constitutional experts to ask them whether we’d slid over a line this week. The results were very mixed, which perhaps perfectly encapsulates the problem. In reflecting on how this is possible, it’s useful to keep in mind the words of Orin Kerr, who teaches law at the USC Gould School of Law and was quick to warn that the phrase “constitutional crisis” means different things to different people: “There is no accepted definition, unfortunately, so the phrase gets tossed around by a lot of people without it meaning very much.”\n\nWatch: Opinion | Trump’s war on the constitution is testing our democracy – The Washington Post\n\n—\n\n Join the conversation on Twitter and Facebook.", "A top court in Guatemala is expected to rule on Monday whether or not to uphold a constitutional ban that allegedly prohibits Zury Rios, a conservative presidential candidate and daughter of a former military dictator, from running for president due to her father’s participation in the country’s 1982 coup.\n\nHer supporters in Guatemala believe it is unfair for Rios to be judged for the sins of her father, Gen. Efrain Rios Montt.\n\nThe late Rios Montt served as the right-wing military dictator backed by the United States who helped oust the government of Gen. Romeo Lucas Garcia over alleged corruption and vote-rigging in 1982 during the Central American country’s civil war between communist guerillas and the government.\n\nGuatemala’s fairly new constitution, adopted in 1985, does bar family members of coup leaders from running for the highest office in the country.\n\nArticle 186 of that document states, “The relatives [of coup leaders] to the fourth degree of consanguinity and second of affinity” are not allowed to run for the office of president or vice president.\n\nThis year, the country’s top electoral body — the Supreme Electoral Court or TSE for its Spanish name’s acronym — filed an appeal to the country’s top constitutional court against provisional protection granted by the nation’s Supreme Court.\n\nThe Supreme Court cleared the way for her to continue with her presidential campaign this year, echoing its decision that allowed Rios to run in 2015.\n\nDuring the Breitbart News Saturday show on Sirius XM Patriot Channel 125, Cristy Lopez-Ibañez, a Guatemalan-Cuban columnist and political activist who supports Rios for president, stressed to host Matthew Boyle that it is unfair for the candidate to be held responsible for her late father’s actions in the early 80s.\n\nReferring to the electoral body, the Guatemalan activists told Breitbart News, “They’re opposing her candidacy because she is the one person who can actually change things. Of course, they’re talking about a constitutional [ban] they want to apply that, in my opinion, doesn’t apply to her.”\n\n“This constitutional prohibition that they want to apply, I think, is ridiculous because you don’t punish a daughter for something that you’re dad supposedly did,” she added.\n\nLopez-Ibañez argued that the constitutional ban was only meant to stand for a limited time, adding that it now violates her “human right” to run for office.\n\n“She shouldn’t have to pay for the sins anybody [else] committed,” she said.\n\nRios’s detractors, coming from both the right and the left, just do not want her to be president, Lopez-Ibañez declared.\n\n“Her chances of winning are very high. So, it’s not only the left that’s against her. There are also various groups that are from the right that are also [plotting] against her,” she said.\n\nLopez-Ibanez described Rios as a Christian conservative. She acknowledged that although the candidate is not perfect, the public trusts her to keep her promises, which she said makes the candidate similar to U.S. President Donald Trump.\n\nGuatemala’s constitutional court is expected to issue a final decision on whether or not to allow Rios to continue with her campaign on Monday, making the upcoming week decisive for the upcoming general election on June 16.\n\nRios, one of the top lawmakers in the country, also contends that the Guatemalan government should not punish her for her father’s sins.\n\n“My father is my father. I love him. I respect him. But he was president in the last century. The person running for president this century is me,” Rios declared recently.\n\nIn 2013, a Guatemalan court convicted Rios Montt of genocide and crimes against humanity targeting the country’s indigenous Maya population during his short 1982 to 1983 reign, but officials reportedly set aside the ruling.\n\nRios Montt died before another trial was held. Lopez-Ibanez praised Rios Montt, noting that he was closed to former U.S. President Ronald Reagan, improved human rights, restored order, and defeated communist guerilla groups.\n\nShe said the charges against the former dictator stem from the left’s resentment towards him taking power.\n\nAccording to the Encyclopedia Britannica, Rios Montt did not actively participate in the 1982 coup.\n\nOn February 13, Guatemala’s Supreme Court unanimously cleared the way for aspiring president Rios to run in the nation’s looming elections.\n\nThe country’s top electoral body, however, has filed an appeal against the provisional ruling, citing the constitutional ban for coup-linked candidates. It made a similar attempt in 2015, but the court ultimately allowed Rios to run.\n\nSome local analysts, including Stephanie Rodriguez, believe that the constitutional court will uphold the ban.\n\n“I think the Constitution is very clear and although it seems unfair, this is already established by law,” she told Guatemalan newspaper La Hora.\n\nIf the constitutional rules in favor of Rios, the nation’s electoral body can file another appeal to render her candidacy invalid once again. Guatemalan presidents are limited to one term.", "The Democrats have made it abundantly murky, we are facing a Constitutional Crisis.\n\nAgreed, there must be checks and balances between the executive and legislative branches, but which one of these branches is overstepping its authority?\n\nOn the one hand, President Trump is now stonewalling an unrelenting investigation by Congress into every aspect of his financial and personal life.\n\nAn investigation that should have ended with the conclusion of the Mueller report, thus allowing America to tackle the increasingly important issues facing its survival – namely the immigration crisis that more and more Americans are becoming concerned with, according to recent polling.\n\nOn the other hand, Jerry Nadler and a horde of disingenuous Democrats want to continue a Russian collusion smear campaign that’s run out of gas, demanding all of Trump’s financial records in a vague attempt to link Trump to the Russian Government.\n\nThey’re also pivoting on the Don McGahn incident, where Trump had instructed former White House lawyer McGahn to have then-Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein fire Special Counsel Robert Mueller – an order McGahn ignored, claiming this was obstruction.\n\nObstruction of what? There was no collusion.\n\nThe Democrats doth protest too much.\n\nThey continue to harass a president found innocent, offering zero explanation of their knowledge of the real Constitutional crisis we are facing.\n\nThe crisis where Democratic operatives of the legislative branch who couldn’t accept the constitutional election of the President were in league with rogue agents of the United States intelligence services to illegally spy on then-candidate Trump. They supported a fraudulent Dossier, that in turn created illegal FISA warrants, which led to a two-year 35-million-dollar investigation that turned up a giant nothing burger.\n\nThe only real Constitutional Crisis is in the investigation now sitting on the Attorney General’s desk.\n\nThe 2020 election is getting closer everyday and the Democrats have become desperate to regain the White House with presidential candidates making an unprecedented drastic move to the far left. Matt Bracken discusses the coming election and offers solutions patriots can take to have a better life.", "GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) - Guatemala’s top judicial body said on Monday that it had barred the daughter of former military dictator Efrain Rios Montt from participating in the country’s presidential elections in June.\n\nGuatemala’s Constitutional Court rejected a challenge by Montt’s daughter, right-wing politician Zury Rios, to a lower court’s decision to block her candidacy for the presidency, the court said in a statement.\n\nThe court based its decision on an article of the Guatemalan constitution that bars close relatives of the leaders of coups d’etat from serving as president or vice president.\n\n“The measure limiting a close relative from assuming the position of president or vice president of the republic is logical because it prioritizes the common good over individual interest,” the court said.\n\nA lawyer for Rios, who was vying to succeed Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Rios wrote in a post on Twitter that she would respond to the court’s decision in a television interview later on Monday evening.\n\nThe Supreme Electoral Tribunal will have 24 hours to revoke Rios’ registration, Martin Guzman, the constitutional court’s secretary general, said in a press conference.\n\nThe Guatemalan constitution prohibits relatives within four degrees of the architects of coups d’etat, armed revolutions and similar movements from seeking the nation’s top offices, the constitutional court said.\n\nRios, who had planned to run representing the Valor party, also sought the presidency in 2015. She was among the frontrunners for the presidency but trailed behind Thelma Aldana, the country’s former attorney general, in polls.\n\nHer father, Rios Montt, was convicted in 2013 of genocide and crimes against humanity. But barely a week later, judges on the country’s top court overturned the sentence.\n\nRios Montt, who headed a junta that removed President Angel Guevara from power in 1982, died last year at the age of 91.", "Guatemala City - Guatemala's top court said on Monday that it had barred the daughter of former military dictator Efrain Rios Montt from taking part in presidential elections in June. The Constitutional Court rejected a challenge by Montt's daughter, right-wing politician Zury Rios, to a lower court's decision to block her candidacy, basing its decision on an article of the constitution that bars close relatives of coup leaders from top office.\n\n\"The measure limiting a close relative from assuming the position of president or vice president of the republic is logical because it prioritizes the common good over individual interest,\" the court said in a statement.\n\nA lawyer for Rios, who was vying to succeed President Jimmy Morales, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Rios said in an interview with local television that she had not yet been formally notified of the decision and would pursue an international appeal.\n\nThe Supreme Electoral Tribunal will have 24 hours to revoke Rios' registration, Martin Guzman, the constitutional court's secretary general, said in a press conference.\n\nThe constitution prohibits relatives within four degrees of the architects of coups, armed revolutions and similar movements from seeking the nation's top offices, the constitutional court said.\n\nRios, who had planned to represent the Valor party, also sought the presidency in 2015. She was among the frontrunners for the presidency but trailed behind Thelma Aldana, the former attorney general, in polls.\n\nHer father, Rios Montt, was convicted in 2013 of genocide and crimes against humanity. But barely a week later, judges overturned the sentence.\n\nRios Montt, who headed a junta that removed President Angel Guevara from power in 1982, died last year at the age of 91.", "\"A constitutional crisis is generally when the system we set up with checks and balances, when each of the independent co-equal branches of government fails to perform its duties and I think we're seeing the breakdown of responsibilities,\" the 2020 presidential hopeful said. \"I think it's fair to say we're looking at a crisis of confidence, potentially a constitutional crisis.\"\n\nThe comments led a wide-ranging interview with Tapper that touched on her views on the Trump administration's foreign policy, gun control, Facebook, her controversial truancy initiative in California and her relationship with her step-children.\n\nHarris is not the first prominent Democrat to voice concern about a constitutional crisis."], "summary": "The Constitutional Court determines that Zury Ríos has a constitutional impediment to be a presidential candidate and leaves her out of the electoral contest. Her constitutional impediment is for being the daughter of former dictator Efraín Ríos Montt."}
{"document": ["Image copyright Tamara Stubbs Image caption The latest dive reached 10,927m (35,849ft) beneath the waves - a new record\n\nAn American explorer has found plastic waste on the seafloor while breaking the record for the deepest ever dive.\n\nVictor Vescovo descended nearly 11km (seven miles) to the deepest place in the ocean - the Pacific Ocean's Mariana Trench.\n\nHe spent four hours exploring the bottom of the trench in his submersible, built to withstand the immense pressure of the deep.\n\nHe found sea creatures, but also found a plastic bag and sweet wrappers.\n\nIt is the third time humans have reached the ocean's extreme depths.\n\nImage copyright Atlantic Productions for Discovery Channel Image caption The explorers believe they have discovered four new species of prawn-like crustaceans called amphipods\n\nThe first dive to the bottom of the Mariana Trench took place in 1960 by US Navy lieutenant Don Walsh and Swiss engineer Jacques Piccard in a vessel called the bathyscaphe Trieste.\n\nMovie director James Cameron then made a solo plunge half a century later in 2012 in his bright green sub.\n\nThe latest descent, which reached 10,927m (35,849ft) beneath the waves, is now the deepest by 11m - making Victor Vescovo the new record holder.\n\nImage copyright Reeve Jolliffe Image caption Don Walsh (left), who dived to the bottom of the Mariana Trench in 1960, congratulated Victor Vescovo (right)\n\nIn total, Mr Vescovo and his team made five dives to the bottom of the trench during the expedition. Robotic landers were also deployed to explore the remote terrain.\n\nMr Vescovo said: \"It is almost indescribable how excited all of us are about achieving what we just did.\n\n\"This submarine and its mother ship, along with its extraordinarily talented expedition team, took marine technology to a ridiculously higher new level by diving - rapidly and repeatedly - into the deepest, harshest, area of the ocean.\"\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Victor Vescovo descended almost 11km in a submersible to the deepest part of the Pacific Ocean\n\nWitnessing the dive from the Pacific was Don Walsh. He told BBC News: \"I salute Victor Vescovo and his outstanding team for the successful completion of their historic explorations into the Mariana Trench.\n\n\"Six decades ago, Jacques Piccard and I were the first to visit that deepest place in the world's oceans.\n\n\"Now in the winter of my life, it was a great honour to be invited on this expedition to a place of my youth.\"\n\nThe team believes it has discovered four new species of prawn-like crustaceans called amphipods, saw a creature called a spoon worm 7,000m-down and a pink snailfish at 8,000m.\n\nThey also discovered brightly coloured rocky outcrops, possibly created by microbes on the seabed, and collected samples of rock from the seafloor.\n\nHumanity's impact on the planet was also evident with the discovery of plastic pollution. It's something that other expeditions using landers have seen before.\n\nMillions of tonnes of plastic enter the oceans each year, but little is known about where a lot of it ends up.\n\nImage copyright Atlantic Productions for Discovery Channel Image caption Victor Vescovo spent four hours exploring the bottom of the trench\n\nThe scientists now plan to test the creatures they collected to see if they contain microplastics - a recent study found this was a widespread problem, even for animals living in the deep.\n\nThe dive forms part of the Five Deeps expedition - an attempt to explore the deepest points in each of the world's five oceans.\n\nIt has been funded by Mr Vescovo, a private equity investor, who before turning his attention to the ocean's extreme depths also climbed the highest peaks on the planet's seven continents.\n\nImage copyright Reeve Jolliffe Image caption The 4.6m-long, 3.7m-high DSV Limiting Factor submersible was built by the US-based company Triton Submarines\n\nImage copyright Reeve Jolliffe Image caption After the record dive, the submersible was brought back on the expedition's main vessel - the DSSV Pressure Drop\n\nAs well as the Mariana Trench in the Pacific, in the last six months dives have also taken place in the Puerto Rico Trench in the Atlantic Ocean (8,376m/27,480ft down), the South Sandwich Trench in the Southern Ocean (7,433m/24,388ft) and the Java Trench in Indian Ocean (7,192m/23,596ft).\n\nThe final challenge will be to reach the bottom of the Molloy Deep in the Arctic Ocean, which is currently scheduled for August 2019.\n\nThe 4.6m-long, 3.7m-high submersible - called the DSV Limiting Factor - was built by the US-based company Triton Submarines, with the aim of having a vessel that could make repeated dives to any part of the ocean.\n\nAt its core is a 9cm-thick titanium pressure hull that can fit two people, so dives can be performed solo or as a pair.\n\nIt can withstand the crushing pressure found at the bottom of the ocean: 1,000 bars, which is the equivalent of 50 jumbo jets piled on top of a person.\n\nAtlantic Productions for Discovery Channel Mariana Trench 10,994 Deepest natural trench in metres\n\n1960 First dive\n\n3 Number of dives to date\n\n2,146Higher than Mount Everest in metres, if inverted Source: Deepsea Challenge/Geology.com\n\nAs well as working under pressure, the sub has to operate in the pitch black and near freezing temperatures.\n\nThese conditions also made it challenging to capture footage - the Five Deeps expedition has been followed by Atlantic Productions for a documentary for the Discovery Channel.\n\nAnthony Geffen, creative director of Atlantic Productions, said it was the most complicated filming he'd ever been involved with.\n\n\"Our team had to pioneer new camera systems that could be mounted on the submersible, operate at up to 10,000m below sea level and work with robotic landers with camera systems that would allow us to film Victor's submersible on the bottom of the ocean.\n\n\"We also had to design new rigs that would go inside Victor's submersible and capture every moment of Victor's dives.\"\n\nAfter the Five Deeps expedition is complete later this year, the plan is to pass the submersible onto science institutions so researchers can continue to use it.\n\nThe challenges of exploring the deep ocean - even with robotic vehicles - has made the ocean trenches one of the last frontiers on the planet.\n\nOnce thought to be remote, desolate areas, the deep sea teems with life. There is also growing evidence that they are carbon sinks, playing a role in regulating the Earth's chemistry and climate.\n\nFollow Rebecca on Twitter.\n\nAll pictures subject to copyright", "Plastic bag found at bottom of Mariana Trench — during the deepest dive\n\n(CNN) — An American undersea explorer has completed what is claimed to be the deepest manned sea dive ever recorded — returning to the surface with the depressing news that there’s plastic trash down there.\n\nVictor Vescovo journeyed 10,927 meters (35,853 feet) to the bottom of the Challenger Deep , the southern end of the Pacific Ocean’s Mariana Trench, as part of a mission to chart the world’s deepest underwater places.\n\nMaking multiple trips nearly 11 kilometers, or seven miles, to the ocean floor — one of them four hours in duration — Vescovo set a record for the deepest solo dive in history, his team said. The previous record was held by “Titanic” director James Cameron in 2012.\n\nAs well as four new species that could offer clues about the origins of life on Earth, Vescovo observed a plastic bag and candy wrappers at the deepest point on the planet.\n\nDetails of the voyage, made May 1, were released for the first time on Monday.\n\nVescovo, a 53-year-old financier with a naval background, tells CNN Travel his journey to the depths was about testing the limits of human endeavor as much as scientific discovery.\n\n“Going to the extremes I believe is a natural inclination of man,” Vescovo he says.\n\n“I think it is a wonderful part of human nature that makes us want to push ourselves to the limits, which has helped propel us as a species to where we are now.”\n\nHis voyage, in a submersible named The Limiting Factor, is part of a landmark odyssey into the world’s watery depths that’s being filmed for Discovery Channel — dubbed the Five Deeps Expedition.\n\nThe expedition’s mission is to conduct detailed, sonar mapping missions at the five deepest spots in our oceans. As well as the Mariana Trench, it’s now completed surveys of the Atlantic Ocean’s Puerto Rico Trench, the South Atlantic’s South Sandwich Trench and the Java Trench in the Indian Ocean.\n\nNext up is a trip to the bottom of the as-yet unexplored Molloy Deep in the Arctic Ocean, due to be completed in August 2019.\n\nThe ocean depths represent some of the least explored and remote places on the planet. The Mariana Trench is deeper than Mount Everest is tall.\n\nA key mission objective was to capture video evidence of what was at the bottom of the Challenger Deep, which was first explored in 1960 by oceanographers Don Walsh and Jacques Piccard in submersible called Bathyscaphe Trieste.\n\n“I criss-crossed all over the bottom looking for different wildlife, potentially unique geological formations or rocks, man-made objects, and yes, trying to see if there was an even deeper location than where the Trieste went all the way back in 1960,” Vescovo says.\n\nDiscoveries in the Challenge Deep included “vibrantly colorful” rocky outcrops that could be chemical deposits, prawn-like supergiant amphopods, and bottom-dwelling Holothurians, or sea cucumbers.\n\nThe team said its scientists were going to perform tests on the creatures found to determine the percentage of plastics found in them.", "An American explorer who set a new record for the deepest ever manned sea dive says he saw a plastic bag and candy wrappers at the bottom of the ocean.\n\nVictor Vescovo, 53, visited Challenger Deep, which is the deepest known point in the ocean in the Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean on May 1, according to CNN. Details of his trip were released on Monday. His team said he set a new record for the deepest solo dive in history, venturing to depths of 35,853 feet.\n\nAside from plastic trash, he discovered four new species, reports CNN. The team’s scientists plan to test the creatures to see if they have ingested plastic.\n\nHis expedition was part of a Discovery Channel series on deep ocean exploration. The explorers are trying to complete sonar mapping at the five deepest spots in the world’s oceans, according to CNN.\n\nEach year, 8 million tons of plastic ends up in the ocean.", "On the deepest dive ever made by a human inside a submarine, a United States explorer saw something he could have found in the gutter of nearly any street in the world: rubbish.\n\nVictor Vescovo, a retired naval officer and Texas-based investor, said he made the unsettling discovery as he descended nearly 10,928 metres to a point in the Pacific Ocean's Mariana Trench that is the deepest place on Earth.\n\nMr Vescovo also saw angular metal or plastic objects, one with writing on it.\n\n\"It was very disappointing to see obvious human contamination of the deepest point in the ocean,\" he said.\n\nPlastic waste has reached epidemic proportions with an estimated 100 million tonnes of it now found in the world's oceans, according to the United Nations.\n\nPrevious analysis of tiny deep-sea animals in the Mariana Trench found the ocean depths contain high levels of pollution.\n\nIn the last three weeks, the expedition has made four dives in the Mariana Trench in Mr Vescovo's submarine, DSV Limiting Factor, collecting biological and rock samples.\n\nAccording to Five Deeps Expedition, their scientific team identified at least three new species of marine animal during the dive series, which also went to the bottom of the Indian, Southern and Atlantic oceans.\n\nA type of long-appendaged amphipod was discovered at the bottom of the Challenger Deep, in the Mariana Trench.\n\nIn the Java Trench, the deepest point of the Indian Ocean, researchers identified a gelatinous animal — thought to be a stalked ascidean, otherwise known as a sea squirt — which they said does not resemble anything seen before.\n\n\"It is not often we see something that is so extraordinary that it leaves us speechless,\" said chief expedition scientist Dr Alan Jamieson.\n\nMr Vescovo is the first person to make multiple dives to the depths of the Mariana Trench, where on one occasion he spent four hours on the bottom.\n\nHis latest dive went 16 metres lower than the previous deepest descent in the trench in 1960.\n\n\"It is almost indescribable how excited all of us are about achieving what we just did,\" Mr Vescovo said after arriving in Guam after the completion of the dives.\n\n\"This submarine and its mother ship, along with its extraordinarily talented expedition team, took marine technology to an unprecedented new level by diving — rapidly and repeatedly — into the deepest, harshest area of the ocean.\"\n\nCanadian filmmaker James Cameron was the last to visit in 2012 in his submarine, reaching a depth of 10,908 meters.\n\nThe first-ever expedition to Challenger Deep was made by the United States Navy in 1960.", "An American undersea explorer has completed what is claimed to be the deepest manned sea dive ever recorded — returning to the surface with the depressing news that there’s plastic trash down there.\n\nVictor Vescovo journeyed 10,927 meters (35,853 feet) to the bottom of the Challenger Deep , the southern end of the Pacific Ocean’s Mariana Trench, as part of a mission to chart the world’s deepest underwater places.\n\nMaking multiple trips nearly 11 kilometers, or seven miles, to the ocean floor — one of them four hours in duration — Vescovo set a record for the deepest solo dive in history, his team said. The previous record was held by “Titanic” director James Cameron in 2012.\n\nAs well as four new species that could offer clues about the origins of life on Earth, Vescovo observed a plastic bag and candy wrappers at the deepest point on the planet.\n\nDetails of the voyage, made May 1, were released for the first time on Monday.\n\nVescovo, a 53-year-old financier with a naval background, tells CNN Travel his journey to the depths was about testing the limits of human endeavor as much as scientific discovery.\n\n“Going to the extremes I believe is a natural inclination of man,” Vescovo he says.\n\n“I think it is a wonderful part of human nature that makes us want to push ourselves to the limits, which has helped propel us as a species to where we are now.”\n\nHis voyage, in a submersible named The Limiting Factor, is part of a landmark odyssey into the world’s watery depths that’s being filmed for Discovery Channel — dubbed the Five Deeps Expedition.\n\nThe expedition’s mission is to conduct detailed, sonar mapping missions at the five deepest spots in our oceans. As well as the Mariana Trench, it’s now completed surveys of the Atlantic Ocean’s Puerto Rico Trench, the South Atlantic’s South Sandwich Trench and the Java Trench in the Indian Ocean.\n\nNext up is a trip to the bottom of the as-yet unexplored Molloy Deep in the Arctic Ocean, due to be completed in August 2019.\n\nThe ocean depths represent some of the least explored and remote places on the planet. The Mariana Trench is deeper than Mount Everest is tall.\n\nA key mission objective was to capture video evidence of what was at the bottom of the Challenger Deep, which was first explored in 1960 by oceanographers Don Walsh and Jacques Piccard in submersible called Bathyscaphe Trieste.\n\n“I criss-crossed all over the bottom looking for different wildlife, potentially unique geological formations or rocks, man-made objects, and yes, trying to see if there was an even deeper location than where the Trieste went all the way back in 1960,” Vescovo says.\n\nDiscoveries in the Challenge Deep included “vibrantly colorful” rocky outcrops that could be chemical deposits, prawn-like supergiant amphopods, and bottom-dwelling Holothurians, or sea cucumbers.\n\nThe team said its scientists were going to perform tests on the creatures found to determine the percentage of plastics found in them.\n\nThe expedition’s chief scientist, Alan Jamieson, spoke to CNN Travel back in April about the discovery of a jellyfish-like creature in the Indian Ocean and the mapping process.\n\n“So far, we’ve made up something like 150,000 square kilometers of deep sea floor now — and we’re only halfway through it. Those maps, once we’ve processed them and cleaned them up, they will get put on online repositories, so they will be made available to anyone who wants to use them,” said Jamieson.\n\nVescovo says he’s proud of these scientific finds — and also that the team’s got a submersible that’s up for the challenge. The Limiting Factor is described as the world’s first two-person, titanium-hulled submersible fully tested to 120% of full ocean depth.\n\n“It is very important to us that we show some initial scientific discoveries, just to give a small sample of what we could do if the sub was in the hands of a professional research organization,” says Vescovo.\n\n“That is my sincere hope — to sell the system to an institute, government, or individual, that can use the whole diving system to advance marine science for decades to come.”\n\nSpending four hours scouring the sea floor, Vescovo also took time to enjoy the moment.\n\n“Honestly, towards the end, I simply turned the thrusters off, leaned back in the cockpit, and enjoyed a tuna fish sandwich while I very slowly drifted just above the bottom of the deepest place on earth, enjoying the view and appreciating what the team had done technically,” he recalls. “It was a very happy, peaceful moment for me. And then I came up.”", "An American diver broke the record for deepest submarine dive ever and found something disheartening at the bottom of the ocean — a plastic bag. Victor Vescovo traveled seven miles down to the deepest part of the ocean, the Mariana Trench in the Pacific In total, he spent four hours exploring the bottom of the trench in his submersible, built to withstand the immense pressure of the deep. The last dive he made reached 10,927 meters (35,849 feet) beneath the waves - setting a new record for the deepest dive ever into the Mariana Trench, the deepest trench in all the world's oceans. Humans have reached the ocean's extreme depths for the 3d time, nearly 11km (seven miles) down the Pacific Ocean's Mariana Trench. There were sea creatures, but a plastic bag and sweet wrappers were also foundQOqd3fVQMB — Alfons López Tena #FBPE (@alfonslopeztena) May 13, 2019 Vescovo is only the third adventurer to ever accomplish the feat. The first deep dive into the Mariana Trench was in 1960 when U.S. Navy Lieutenant Don Walsh and Swiss engineer Jacques Piccard ventured into the deep abyss of the Pacific Ocean. They were followed in 2012 by movie director James Cameron who made a solo trip into the trench. Vescovo's dive broke \"Six decades ago, Jacques Piccard and I were the first to visit that deepest place in the world's oceans. Now in the winter of my life, it was a great honor to be invited on this expedition to a place of my youth.\" Lieutenant Don Walsh, USN, and Jacques Piccard in the bathyscaphe TRIESTE. Location: Marianas Trench Photo dated 1960. Archival Photography by Steve Nicklas, NOS, NGS/Part of the NOAA Ship Collection The dives were made in Vescovo's submersible, the \"DSV Limiting Factor,\" collecting biological and rock samples. The team believes they have discovered four new species of prawn-like crustaceans called amphipods, saw a creature called a spoon worm 7,000 meters-down and a pink snailfish at 8,000 meters, all inhabitants of the deep sea, reports However, he also made an unsettling discovery as he descended nearly 6.8 miles to a point in the Pacific Ocean's Mariana Trench that is the deepest place on Earth, seeing something he was not expecting to come across so deep beneath the surface - trash. This is a spoon worm (Echiura) like the one Vescovo saw in the Mariana Trench. Yes, Vescovo had to travel nearly seven miles down into the ocean to find a plastic bag. The team plans on having the sea creatures they collected tested for microplastics. A recent study found this was a widespread problem, even for animals living in the deep. So far, besides the recent descent into the Mariana Trench, Vescovo has also dived the Puerto Rico Trench in the Atlantic Ocean (8,376m/27,480ft down), the South Sandwich Trench in the Southern Ocean (7,433m/24,388ft) and the Java Trench in the Indian Ocean (7,192m/23,596ft). The last challenge will be to reach the bottom of the Molloy Deep in the Arctic Ocean, an expedition planned for August this year. Victor Vescovo is a retired naval officer and the Dallas-based co-founder of Insight Equity Holdings, a private equity fund. He is also an adventurer and explorer. Vescovo and his team dove to the bottom of the Mariana Trench five times as part of Vescovo's \"Five Deeps expedition,\" his attempt to explore the deepest parts of all five oceans.In total, he spent four hours exploring the bottom of the trench in his submersible, built to withstand the immense pressure of the deep. The last dive he made reached 10,927 meters (35,849 feet) beneath the waves - setting a new record for the deepest dive ever into the Mariana Trench, the deepest trench in all the world's oceans.Vescovo is only the third adventurer to ever accomplish the feat. The first deep dive into the Mariana Trench was in 1960 when U.S. Navy Lieutenant Don Walsh and Swiss engineer Jacques Piccard ventured into the deep abyss of the Pacific Ocean. They were followed in 2012 by movie director James Cameron who made a solo trip into the trench.Vescovo's dive broke the previous record by 52 feet (16 meters), and Don Walsh was there to witness the record-breaking dive. He told BBC News: \"I salute Victor Vescovo and his outstanding team for the successful completion of their historic explorations into the Mariana Trench.\"\"Six decades ago, Jacques Piccard and I were the first to visit that deepest place in the world's oceans. Now in the winter of my life, it was a great honor to be invited on this expedition to a place of my youth.\"The dives were made in Vescovo's submersible, the \"DSV Limiting Factor,\" collecting biological and rock samples. The team believes they have discovered four new species of prawn-like crustaceans called amphipods, saw a creature called a spoon worm 7,000 meters-down and a pink snailfish at 8,000 meters, all inhabitants of the deep sea, reports CBS News. However, he also made an unsettling discovery as he descended nearly 6.8 miles to a point in the Pacific Ocean's Mariana Trench that is the deepest place on Earth, seeing something he was not expecting to come across so deep beneath the surface - trash.Yes, Vescovo had to travel nearly seven miles down into the ocean to find a plastic bag. The team plans on having the sea creatures they collected tested for microplastics. A recent study found this was a widespread problem, even for animals living in the deep.So far, besides the recent descent into the Mariana Trench, Vescovo has also dived the Puerto Rico Trench in the Atlantic Ocean (8,376m/27,480ft down), the South Sandwich Trench in the Southern Ocean (7,433m/24,388ft) and the Java Trench in the Indian Ocean (7,192m/23,596ft). The last challenge will be to reach the bottom of the Molloy Deep in the Arctic Ocean, an expedition planned for August this year.", "Washington: An American undersea explorer who has completed what is claimed to be the deepest manned sea dive ever recorded, found a plastic bag and candy wrappers in the southern end of the Pacific Ocean’s Mariana Trench.\n\nVictor Vescovo journeyed 35,853 feet to the bottom of the Challenger Deep as part of a mission to chart the world’s deepest underwater places, CNN reported.\n\nMaking multiple trips nearly 11 km to the ocean floor — one of them four hours in duration — Vescovo set a record for the deepest solo dive in history, his team said.\n\nThe previous record was held by “Titanic” director James Cameron in 2012.\n\nThe ocean depths represent some of the least explored and remote places on the planet. The Mariana Trench is deeper than Mount Everest is tall.\n\nAs well as four new species that could offer clues about the origins of life on Earth, Vescovo observed the plastic bag and candy wrappers at the deepest point on the planet.\n\nDetails of the voyage, made on May 1, were released for the first time on Monday.\n\nVescovo, a 53-year-old financier with a naval background, told CNN that his journey to the depths was about testing the limits of human endeavour as much as scientific discovery.\n\nA key mission objective was to capture video evidence of what was at the bottom of the Challenger Deep, which was first explored in 1960.\n\n“I criss-crossed all over the bottom looking for different wildlife, potentially unique geological formations or rocks, man-made objects, and yes, trying to see if there was an even deeper location than where the Trieste went all the way back in 1960,” Vescovo said.\n\nDiscoveries in the Challenge Deep included “vibrantly colourful” rocky outcrops that could be chemical deposits, prawn-like supergiant amphopods, and bottom-dwelling Holothurians, or sea cucumbers.\n\nThe team of the Five Deeps Expedition that Vescovo’s voyage was a part of, said its scientists were going to perform tests on the creatures found to determine the percentage of plastics found in them.", "The alleged deepest manned sea dive ever recorded showed us just how far down our trash goes.\n\nExplorer Victor Vescovo journeyed 10,928 meters (35,853 feet) to the bottom of the Challenger Deep in the Pacific Ocean's Mariana Trench, believed to be the deepest point on the planet, on April 28. It's part of the Five Deeps Expedition, which is charting the ocean's five deepest areas.\n\nThe scientific team identified at least three new species of marine animal during this dive series, including a type of long-appendaged Amphipod, at the bottom of the Challenger Deep.\n\nUnfortunately, Vescovo also spotted a plastic bag and candy wrappers during his four-hour dive in the Limiting Factor submersible, as previously reported by CNN.\n\n\"It is almost indescribable how excited all of us are about achieving what we just did,\" he said in a release after the completion of the dives. \"We feel like we have just created, validated, and opened a powerful door to discover and visit any place, any time, in the ocean -- which is 90% unexplored.\"\n\nVescovo also beat James Cameron's Challenger Deep record -- the Titanic director reached a depth of 10,908 meters (35,787 feet) in 2012.\n\nThe Five Deeps Expedition will be aired in a five-part Discovery Channel documentary series in late 2019. It already revealed a strange new species of sea squirt at the deepest point of the Indian Ocean.\n\nDepressingly, scientists last month revealed that radioactive carbon from nuclear testing in the 1950s and 1960s reached the deepest points of the Pacific Ocean.\n\nOn the positive side, Australia is committing around $157 million a year to preserve its Great Barrier Reef from the ravages of climate change.", "NEW YORK: On the deepest dive ever made by a human inside a submarine, a Texas investor and explorer found something he could have found in the gutter of nearly any street in the world: trash.\n\nVictor Vescovo, a retired naval officer, said he made the unsettling discovery as he descended nearly 6.8 miles (35,853 feet/10,928 meters) to a point in the Pacific Ocean`s Mariana Trench that is the deepest place on Earth. His dive went 52 feet (16 meters) lower than the previous deepest descent in the trench in 1960.\n\nVescovo found undiscovered species as he visited places no human had gone before. On one occasion he spent four hours on the floor of the trench, viewing sea life ranging from shrimp-like anthropods with long legs and antennae to translucent \"sea pigs\" similar to a sea cucumber.\n\nHe also saw angular metal or plastic objects, one with writing on it.\n\n\"It was very disappointing to see obvious human contamination of the deepest point in the ocean,\" Vescovo said in an interview.\n\nPlastic waste has reached epidemic proportions in the world`s oceans with an estimated 100 million tonnes dumped there to date, according to the United Nations. Scientists have found large amounts of microplastic in the guts of deep-dwelling ocean mammals like whales.\n\nVescovo hoped his discovery of trash in the Mariana Trench would raise awareness about dumping in the oceans and pressure governments to better enforce existing regulations, or put new ones in place.\n\n\"It`s not a big garbage collection pool, even though it`s treated as such,\" Vescovo said of the worlds` oceans.\n\nIn the last three weeks, the expedition has made four dives in the Mariana Trench in his submarine, \"DSV Limiting Factor,\" collecting biological and rock samples.\n\nIt was the third time humans have dived to the deepest point in the ocean, known as Challenger Deep. Canadian moviemaker James Cameron was the last to visit in 2012 in his submarine, reaching a depth of 35,787 feet (10,908 meters).\n\nPrior to Cameron`s dive, the first-ever expedition to Challenger Deep was made by the U.S. Navy in 1960, reaching a depth of 10,912 meters.", "Four new species of crustaceans. Samples of rock from the seafloor. Plastic pollution.\n\nThat's what American explorer Victor Vescovo found when he descended seven miles underwater to the Mariana Trench in the Pacific Ocean—the deepest dive in human history. The plastic Vescovo found at the bottom of the trench is a grim reminder that human refuse is everywhere on the planet.\n\nVescovo and his team announced they had made the journey to the bottom of the trench on Monday. Along with the dive depth record, Vescovo holds the distinction of being the first person to dive to the trench more than once.\n\nAccording to the BBC, Vescovo's team collected samples from the sea floor for further study.\n\nReaction to Vescovo's accomplishment was tempered by his discovery of the plastics.\n\n\"Our waste is finding its way into the planet's most remote environments,\" BBC science correspondent Rebecca Morelle said.\n\nThe Science Channel listed off all the life found on the sea floor—and plastic.\n\nIt's \"a travesty that even at our ocean's deepest reaches, humanity's garbage is having an impact,\" said TV host Rachel Rudwall."], "summary": "American undersea explorer Victor Vescovo sets a new world record for the deepest ever sea dive at 10,972 metres (35,997 ft) in the Pacific Ocean's Mariana Trench. Several unusual things are discovered at the bottom, including four new species of prawn-like crustaceans, a new species of snailfish, strange brightly coloured rocky outcrops and a plastic bag."}
{"document": ["Why did this happen?\n\nPlease make sure your browser supports JavaScript and cookies and that you are not blocking them from loading. For more information you can review our Terms of Service and Cookie Policy.", "The Latest: Khamenei says Iran won’t negotiate with US\n\nIn this photo taken in March 2006 and made available by the Ministerio de Defensa de Espana, sailors stand on board the Mendez Nunez Spanish frigate, in Ferrol, Spain. Spain has temporarily pulled out the frigate that was part of a United States-led combat fleet from waters near the Persian Gulf, where tension is mounting between the US and Iran. (Ministerio de Defensa de Espana, via AP)\n\nIn this photo taken in March 2006 and made available by the Ministerio de Defensa de Espana, sailors stand on board the Mendez Nunez Spanish frigate, in Ferrol, Spain. Spain has temporarily pulled out the frigate that was part of a United States-led combat fleet from waters near the Persian Gulf, where tension is mounting between the US and Iran. (Ministerio de Defensa de Espana, via AP)\n\nDUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The Latest on developments in the Persian Gulf, elsewhere in Mideast, amid heightened tensions between the U.S. and Iran (all times local):\n\n9:25 p.m.\n\nIran’s Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says his country won’t negotiate with the United States and there will be no war between the two countries.\n\nIran’s state TV quoted Khamenei on Tuesday as calling negotiations with the U.S. “poison” and saying: “This is not a military confrontation, because no war is going to happen.”\n\nKhamenei, who has final say on all state matters, said: “Neither we, nor they are seeking war, they know that it is not to their benefit.”\n\nThe Ayatollah’s comments come as tensions have escalated between Washington and Tehran. The Trump administration has sent the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and a bomber squadron to the region in response to unspecified threats by Iran against American interests.\n\n___\n\n7:50 p.m.\n\nPresident Donald Trump is dismissing a report that the U.S. is planning for a military conflict with Iran.\n\nTrump was responding to Tuesday’s report in The New York Times that the White House is reviewing military plans against Iran that could result in sending 120,000 U.S. troops to the Middle East if Iran attacks American forces or steps up work on nuclear weapons.\n\nTrump says it’s “fake news.” He says he would “absolutely” be willing to send troops, but that he’s not planned for that and hopefully won’t have to plan for that.\n\nHe says if the U.S. was going to get into a military conflict with Iran, “we’d send a hell of a lot more” troops.\n\nTrump spoke to reporters at the White House before traveling to Louisiana.\n\n___\n\n6:30 p.m.\n\nThe head of the Arab League has condemned attacks claimed by Yemen’s Houthi rebels against an oil pipeline and other energy infrastructure in Saudi Arabia.\n\nAhmed Aboul-Gheit says in a statement on Tuesday that the attacks were a “serious threat to the regional and international security, and the world economy.”\n\nHe says the Arab League stands by Saudi Arabia to “counter these terrorist threats aimed at stabilizing the region.”\n\nThe attacks on Saudi oil targets marked the latest incidents challenging Mideast security after the alleged sabotage of two Saudi oil tankers and two other vessels off the coast of the United Arab Emirates on Sunday. The attacks come amid heightened tensions between the U.S. and Iran and the unraveling of the Iranian nuclear deal with world powers.\n\n___\n\n6:10 p.m.\n\nYemen’s Houthi rebels say their drone attack on Saudi Arabia was the biggest since the civil war in Yemen erupted in 2015.\n\nYahia al-Sarei, a spokesman for Houthi-affiliated forces, said in a video statement that seven drones were involved in Tuesday’s attacks against an oil pipeline and other energy infrastructure in Saudi Arabia.\n\nHe says the attacks were a “legitimate response on the crimes committed against the Yemeni people.”\n\n___\n\n4:25 p.m.\n\nEgypt has condemned drone attacks claimed by Yemen’s Houthi rebels against an oil pipeline and other energy infrastructure in Saudi Arabia.\n\nA statement by the Foreign Ministry says Egypt stands alongside Saudi Arabia “to counter all attempts meant to stabilize the kingdom” in the wake of Tuesday’s attacks.\n\nThe statement says Egypt is coordinating with Saudi Arabia to face “terror and all threats to its national security.”\n\nThe attacks on Saudi oil targets marked the latest incidents challenging Mideast security after the alleged sabotage of two Saudi oil tankers and two other vessels off the coast of the United Arab Emirates on Sunday amid heightened tensions between the U.S. and Iran and the unraveling of the Iranian nuclear deal with world powers.\n\n___\n\n4 p.m.\n\nSpain’s defense minister says the government’s decision to remove a Spanish frigate from a U.S.-led combat fleet approaching the Persian Gulf was taken for “technical reasons” and had no political motive.\n\nDefense Minister Margarita Robles said on Tuesday the decision “is not an expression of distaste” over the crossing into the Strait of Hormuz of the fleet headed by the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier.\n\nThe U.S. fleet is heading to the Persian Gulf as tension mounts between the United States and Iran.\n\nRobles told reporters the Gulf mission was not included in a cooperation agreement signed two years ago that placed the Méndez Núñez frigate on a training mission with the U.S. fleet.\n\nShe says the frigate will return to the fleet once normal operations resume, declining to give an opinion about the U.S. policy toward Iran.\n\nSpanish media, citing government sources, said Spain is concerned it could be dragged to an unwanted conflict as a result of the crisis between Washington and Teheran surrounding the unraveling nuclear deal.\n\n___\n\n3:40 p.m.\n\nIran’s foreign minister says the sabotage attack on oil tankers off the coast of the United Arab Emirates this week was meant to stir up wider conflict in the region.\n\nMohammad Javad Zarif spoke on Tuesday while visiting New Delhi for meetings with Indian officials. He says they discussed the recent incidents of “suspicious activities and sabotage in the region.”\n\nZarf says he had “previously predicted this sort of activities, aimed at escalating tension in the region.”\n\nThe official IRNA news agency also quoted Zarif as saying he discussed the dangers imposed by “hard-liners in the U.S. administration and the region.” He did not elaborate.\n\nZarif regularly accuses the Trump administration, Israel and Saudi Arabia of pushing the region into war.\n\n___\n\n3:05 p.m.\n\nYemen’s Houthi rebels say their drone assault on Saudi Arabia was meant to send a message to the kingdom to “stop your aggression” on Yemen.\n\nThe spokesman of the rebels, Mohammed Abdel-Salam, says the Houthis launched a series of drone attacks on Tuesday on the kingdom.\n\nHe told The Associated Press: “This is a message to Saudi Arabia, stop your aggression.”\n\nAbdel-Salam also says: “Our goal is to respond to the crimes they are committing every day against the Yemeni people.”\n\nYemen has been devastated by a brutal civil war in which the Houthis, who have occupied the capital, Sanaa, and much of northern Yemen, are battling government troops, backed by a Saudi-led coalition.\n\n___\n\n2:35 p.m.\n\nSaudi Arabia says oil infrastructure sites belonging to the country’s state-run oil company Aramco have been targeted and that at least one of the attacks was carried out by drone strikes.\n\nThe announcement came shortly after Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed an assault on the kingdom.\n\nThe state Saudi Press Agency quoted Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih as saying that between 6-6:30 a.m. on Tuesday, a petroleum pumping station supplying an east-west pipeline between the Eastern Province and to the Yanbu Port on the Red Sea was targeted by drones.\n\nHe says a fire broke out at a station along the pipeline and was subsequently put out. Aramco has temporarily stopped pumping petroleum through the pipeline until inspection of the damage is complete.\n\nThe kingdom’s state security body also says two oil infrastructure sites in the greater region of Riyadh, its landlocked capital, were targeted at the same time. The statement described it as a “limited targeting” of petroleum stations in areas al-Duadmi and Afif in Riyadh region.\n\n___\n\n11:50 a.m.\n\nSpain has temporarily pulled out a frigate that was part of a U.S.-led combat fleet from waters near the Persian Gulf, where tensions are mounting between the United States and Iran.\n\nThe Spanish Ministry of Defense says the Méndez Núñez frigate, with 215 sailors on board, will not cross the Strait of Hormuz into the Gulf together with the fleet headed by the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier.\n\nThe Ministry declined to elaborate on the reasons of the sudden change.\n\nSpanish media, citing government sources, said Spain is concerned that it could be dragged to an unwanted conflict as a result of the crisis between Washington and Teheran surrounding the unraveling nuclear deal with world powers.\n\nThe Spanish frigate was the only non-U.S. vessel in the fleet, which is scheduled to sail to California in late October.\n\n___\n\n7:50 a.m.\n\nNew satellite photos obtained by The Associated Press show the oil tankers that Gulf officials alleged were the targets of “sabotage” off the coast of the United Arab Emirates.\n\nThe images, provided on Tuesday by Colorado-based Maxar Technologies, show the oil tankers. Two are from Saudi Arabia, one is Norwegian and the other is Emirati.\n\nA boom surrounds the Emirati oil tanker, suggesting officials worry about an oil leak from the vessel.\n\nOtherwise, the vessels do not show signs of massive damage. The Norwegian ship sustained a hole just above its hull in the incident.\n\nA U.S. official, who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing investigation, said all the ships sustained similar damage.\n\n—Lolita C. Baldor in Washington;", "The Houthis have launched fresh drone attacks on Saudi Arabia, a TV channel linked to the Iran-aligned movement said on Tuesday. The report comes amid the chaos set off by the attacks on the oil ships of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates over the weekend.\n\nSeven drones carried out attacks on vital Saudi installations on Tuesday, the Masirah TV reported, according to Reuters. The agency says it is not clear if the Houthi group was claiming responsibility for the tanker ship attack near the Strait of Hormuz.\n\nThe Houthis are engaged in a fierce battle with the Saudi-led coalition forces in Yemen. The Houthis had launched multiple drone attacks on Saudi Arabia in the past. They have also targeted UAE, an important ally of Saudi Arabia.\n\nTuesday's report doesn't specify which Saudi installation was targeted.\n\nOn Sunday the UAE said four commercial cargo ships were attacked off its eastern coast, near the Hormuz Strait. A day later, Saudi Arabia confirmed that four of its vessels were also targeted by sabotage attacks at the Fujairah port. Apart from Saudi and UAE ships, some foreign oil carriers were also attacked. The scale and damage of the attacks aren't disclosed as yet.\n\nA day before Saudi Arabia and UAE revealed the attacks took place, Lebanon's pro-Hezbollah Al-Mayadeen satellite channel had said seven oil tankers of the UAE were involved in an explosion in the Fujairah port. The USE had denied this report.\n\nSaudi Arabia hasn't reacted to reports of Tuesday's attacks, Reuters said. Iran called for more information on the purported attack on vessels at Fujairah Monday, saying it was the result of \"conspiracy orchestrated by ill-wishers\". It also said the attack was the result of \"adventurism by foreigners\", in a veiled attack on the US, which has been shoring up military presence in the region.\n\nHowever, some Iranian media outlets had said the Houthis in Yemen may have launched the attack. Saudi Arabia and the UAE got involved in the Yemen war in 2015 when the Shia group ousted the government of Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. Sensing the hand of the Iran, the Shia power base in the region, behind the development, Saudi Arabia and the UAE formed a Sunni Muslim military alliance to fight off the Houthis.\n\nThe Strait of Hormuz holds a strategic significance as more than 25 percent of the world's crude passes through it. The rising sabre-rattling by the US and Iran over the nuclear pact and sanctions on Tehran has ratcheted up tensions in the region.", "Abu Dhabi: Oil prices spiked by 2 per cent on Monday on supply concerns, following attacks on two oil tankers from Saudi Arabia near the Strait of Hormuz.\n\nBrent, the global benchmark was up 1.76 per cent at $71.86 per barrel on Monday at 2.26pm.\n\nOne of the two vessels was on its way to be loaded with Saudi crude oil from the port of Ras Tanura, to be delivered to Saudi Aramco’s customers in the United States.\n\nThe Strait of Hormuz is one of the busiest shipping routes in the world, through which 40 per cent of traded global oil passes daily.\n\nThough the incident didn’t lead to any causalities or oil spill, it has sparked fears of a potential supply disruption in what is the global epicentre of the world’s oil supply.\n\n“This strategic waterway is without a doubt the most important oil artery with around 19 million barrels or a third of all seaborne oil passing through it. Any further disruptions to shipping flows in this most vital of choke points risk stoking fears of a supply crunch and subsequent spike in oil prices,” Stephen Brennock, an oil analyst from London based PVM oil associates told Gulf News.\n\nAttention will now turn to avoiding repeat incidences and safeguarding passage for all freight in the Strait of Hormuz, he added.\n\nThe latest tensions in the Middle East come as the United States administration terminates Iran sanction waivers granted to eight countries that import oil from the Islamic Republic.\n\nBjornar Tonhaugen, head of oil market research at Rystad Energy in Oslo, also told Gulf News oil prices would react violently upwards if the strait was to be blocked or disrupted, even only for a short period of time.\n\n“There is limited bypassing options to export crude although Saudi Arabia and the UAE have limited pipeline capacity to pass some crude exports to the Red Sea or the Gulf of Oman. All oil exports from Iran, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and around 90 per cent of Saudi Arabia’s oil and 75 per cent of Iraqi crude exports pass through the Strait of Hormuz.”\n\nThe UAE built a 370-kilometre pipeline connecting Habshan in Abu Dhabi and Fujairah with a capacity to transport 1.5 million barrels per day of crude oil in 2012 to help the country supply oil bypassing the Strait of Hormuz.", "Rumblings of an impending conflict are rising over the Middle East horizon. Both Saudi Arabia and the UAE have said their oil tankers were targeted by \"sabotage operations\" near the Strait of Hormuz, a strategic passage through which more than 25 percent of the world's crude passes.\n\nWho is behind the attack? What was the scale of it? Answers to these and other questions are shrouded in mystery. While the US points fingers at Iran, UAE and Saudi Arabia haven't raised the spectre openly. Interestingly, after the Saudis claimed the sabotage attack on fuel tankers on Monday, Iranians issued a statement condemning it.\n\nIt was on Sunday that the UAE said four commercial cargo ships were attacked off its eastern coast, near the Hormuz Strait. However, 24 hours earlier, Lebanon's pro-Hezbollah Al-Mayadeen satellite channel had said seven oil tankers of the UAE were involved in an explosion in the Fujairah port. The USE denied this report, which was picked up by Iranian press.\n\nNow, a day after the UAE conceded that four of its vessels were attacked, Saudi Arabia has also said its ships were also targeted in sabotage attacks.\n\nAll this has come amid signs of intensifying conflict between the US and Iran. The US is moving more of its military assets to the region. It had also warned its allies in the region of possible Iranian attacks on oil tankers and commercial vessels.\n\nBoth Saudi Arabia and the UAE haven't given the account of the damage or casualties suffered in the attack. Interestingly, both the American allies and Iran are voicing concerns over the region's safety and stability in the aftermath of the attacks. Iran called for more information on the purported attack on Monday and warned against \"conspiracy orchestrated by ill-wishers\" and \"adventurism by foreigners\", according to the Associated Press.\n\nRelations between the US and Iran soured further after American President Donald Trump withdrew from the US-Iran nuclear treaty. Tehran last week said it would start enriching uranium at higher levels if the treaty wasn't put in place again.\n\nOil exports were temporarily halted from Fujairah after the incident. UAE said earlier this year it's building the world's largest crude oil storage facility in the city, which is about 140 kilometers south of the Strait of Hormuz.\n\nThe US Maritime Administration issued a warning last week about possible attacks, specifically mentioning Iran.\n\n\"Since early May, there is an increased possibility that Iran and/or its regional proxies could take action against U.S. and partner interests, including oil production infrastructure, after recently threatening to close the Strait of Hormuz ... Iran or its proxies could respond by targeting commercial vessels, including oil tankers, or U.S. military vessels in the Red Sea, Bab-el-Mandeb Strait or the Persian Gulf,\" the communiqué said.\n\nWhile Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Moussavi said the incident was \"lamentable\" and \"worrying\", Iran's Press TV speculated that drone attack from Yemen may have been the reason. It also said the US may have possibly dropped to 'ignite tensions in the region.", "OPEC kingpin Saudi Arabia said it had stopped pumping crude oil along a major pipeline Tuesday following a drone attack, hours after Yemen's Huthi rebels said they had targeted vital Saudi installations.\n\nEnergy Minister Khalid al-Falih said two pumping stations on the pipeline from the oil-rich Eastern Province to the Red Sea had been targeted early Tuesday.\n\nThe vital pipeline has a capacity of at least five million barrels per day.\n\n\"Saudi Aramco took precautionary measures and temporarily stopped operation of the pipeline, as it is evaluating the situation and working on restoring the operations of the affected pump station and the pipeline,\" Falih said in a statement cited by state news agency SPA.\n\nThe 1,200-kilometre (750-mile) pipeline carries crude from Saudi Arabia's main eastern oil fields to the Red Sea port city of Yanbu in the west.\n\nIt was created several decades ago as an alternative for Saudi crude exports if the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz at the mouth of the Gulf were to be closed.\n\nThe pumping stations reportedly targeted lie west of the capital Riyadh, at Dawadmi and Afeef.\n\nYemen's Huthi rebels said Tuesday they had attacked several vital Saudi targets with drones.\n\nThe reported pipeline attacks came amid spiralling tensions in the Gulf, following a series of mysterious attacks on ships off the coast of the UAE and a major US military deployment to the region.\n\n\"The latest acts of terrorism and sabotage in the Arabian Gulf... not only target the Kingdom but also the security of oil supplies to the world and the global economy,\" he said.\n\n\"These attacks prove again that it is important for us to face terrorist entities, including the Houthi militias in Yemen that are backed by Iran.\"\n\nGet the latest election news, live updates and election schedule for Lok Sabha Elections 2019 on ndtv.com/elections. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagram for updates from each of the 543 parliamentary seats for the 2019 Indian general elections. Election results will be out on May 23.", "Saudi Arabia has confirmed that two pump stations on its East-West pipeline were attacked by armed drones, however asserted that its supplies and exports of crude oil and products are operating normally without interruption In a statement, Khalid A. Al Falih, Minister of Energy, Industry, and Mineral Resources of Saudi Arabia, said that on Tuesday, 14th May 2019, between 06:00 and 06:30, Pump Stations Nos. 8 and 9 on the East-West pipeline, which carries Saudi oil from the Eastern Province to Yanbu port, were attacked by armed drones, igniting a fire that caused minor damage to Pump Station No. 8, but it was eventually brought under control.\n\nSaudi Aramco took precautionary measures and temporarily stopped operation of the pipeline, as it is evaluating the situation and working on restoring the operations of the affected pump station and the pipeline, according to the Saudi state news agency, SPA.\n\nAl Falih asserted that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia condemns this attack, emphasising that the latest acts of terrorism and sabotage in the Arabian Gulf targeting vital facilities do not only target the Kingdom but also the security of oil supplies to the world and the global economy.\n\n\"These attacks prove again that it is important for us to face terrorist entities, including the Houthi militias in Yemen that are backed by Iran,\" the minister added.", "Saudi Arabia says oil infrastructure sites belonging to the country's state-run oil company Aramco have been targeted and that at least one of the attacks was carried out by drone strikes.\n\nThe announcement came shortly after Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed an assault on the kingdom.\n\nThe state Saudi Press Agency quoted Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih as saying that between 6-6.30am on Tuesday, a petroleum pumping station supplying an east-west pipeline between the Eastern Province and to the Yanbu Port on the Red Sea was targeted by drones.\n\nHe said a fire broke out at a station along the pipeline and was subsequently put out. Aramco has temporarily stopped pumping petroleum through the pipeline until inspection of the damage is complete.\n\nThe kingdom's state security body also said two oil infrastructure sites in the greater region of Riyadh, its landlocked capital, were targeted at the same time. The statement described it as a “limited targeting” of petroleum stations in areas al-Dudami and Afif in Riyadh region.", "DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Saudi Araba said drones attacked one of its oil pipelines as other assaults targeted energy infrastructure elsewhere in the kingdom on Tuesday, shortly after Yemen’s rebels claimed a coordinated drone attack on the Sunni power.\n\nThe assaults marked the latest incidents challenging Mideast security after the alleged sabotage of oil tankers off the coast of the United Arab Emirates earlier this week amid heightened tensions between the US and Iran.\n\nYemen’s Houthi rebels, whom Saudi Arabia has been fighting against since March 2015, said they launched a series of drone attacks on the kingdom, across the border from Yemen. The spokesman of the rebels, Mohammed Abdel-Salam, told The Associated Press: “This is a message to Saudi Arabia, stop your aggression.”\n\nGet The Times of Israel's Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Free Sign Up\n\n“Our goal is to respond to the crimes they are committing everyday against the Yemeni people,” he added.\n\nIn a statement carried on the state-run Saudi Press Agency, Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih said that drones attacked a petroleum pumping station supplying a pipeline running from its oil-rich Eastern Province to the Yanbu Port on the Red Sea.\n\nA fire broke out and firefighters later brought it under control, though the state-run Saudi Aramco stopped pumping oil through the pipeline.\n\nThe kingdom’s state security body also said two petroleum pumping stations in the greater region of Riyadh, the landlocked capital, were targeted at the same time. The statement described it as a “limited targeting” of petroleum stations in areas al-Duadmi and Afif in the Riyadh region, without elaborating.\n\nAl-Falih called the attack “cowardly,” saying that recent sabotage acts against the kingdom’s vital installations not only target Saudi Arabia, but the safety of the world’s energy supply and global economy. He said this reaffirms the need of the international community to confront the activities of groups like the Houthis. He also promised the production and export of Saudi oil would not be interrupted.\n\nBenchmark Brent crude traded at $71 a barrel Tuesday, up $1.27 on the day.\n\nThe attack on Saudi oil targets comes after four oil tankers anchored in the Mideast were damaged by what Gulf officials described as sabotage, though satellite images obtained by The Associated Press on Tuesday showed no major visible damage to the vessels.\n\nDetails of the alleged sabotage to two Saudi, one Norwegian and one Emirati oil tanker on Sunday remained unclear, and Gulf officials have declined to say who they suspected was responsible. But it demonstrated the raised risks for shippers in a region vital to global energy supplies as tensions are increasing between the US and Iran over its unraveling nuclear deal with world powers.\n\nThe US has warned sailors of the potential for attacks on commercial sea traffic, and regional allies of the United Arab Emirates condemned the alleged sabotage as the tankers were off the coast of the UAE port city of Fujairah.\n\nA US official in Washington, without offering any evidence, told the AP that an American military team’s initial assessment indicated Iran or Iranian allies used explosives to blow holes in the ships. The official, who was not authorized to discuss the investigation, agreed to reveal the findings only if not quoted by name. The US Navy’s 5th Fleet, which patrols the Mideast and operates from a base in Fujairah, has repeatedly declined to comment.\n\nThe US already had warned ships that “Iran or its proxies” could be targeting maritime traffic in the region. America is deploying an aircraft carrier, USS Abraham Lincoln, and B-52 bombers to the Persian Gulf to counter alleged, still-unspecified threats from Tehran.\n\nOn Tuesday, Spain temporarily pulled one of its frigates that was part of a US-led combat fleet from near the Persian Gulf because of mounting US-Iran tensions. The Ministry of Defense said the Méndez Núñez, with 215 sailors on board, will not cross the Strait of Hormuz into the Gulf together with the USS Abraham Lincoln. The Spanish frigate was the only non-US vessel in the fleet.\n\nCiting heightened tensions in the region, the United Nations called on “all concerned parties to exercise restraint for the sake of regional peace, including by ensuring maritime security” and freedom of navigation, UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said.\n\nTensions in the region have risen since Trump withdrew America from the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, and restored US sanctions that have pushed Iran’s economy into crisis. Last week, Iran warned it would begin enriching uranium at higher levels in 60 days if world powers failed to negotiate new terms for the deal.\n\nThe oil tankers were visible in satellite images provided Tuesday to the AP by Colorado-based Maxar Technologies. A boom surrounded the Emirati oil tanker A. Michel, indicating the possibility of an oil leak. The other three showed no visible major damage from above.\n\nYemen plunged into civil war in 2014 when Iran-backed rebels captured the capital, Sanaa. A Saudi-led coalition entered the war in March 2015 to help government troops facing the Houthi advance. The US supported the coalition for years despite its airstrikes killing civilians, and is only recently beginning to step back after the October killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul by Saudi agents.\n\nThis isn’t the first time Yemen’s Houthis have used drones as weapons — a bomb-laden drone launched by the rebels exploded over a military parade in January for the Saudi-led coalition, killing at least six people.\n\nThe use of drones also raises new concerns over Iran’s influence in the conflict. Coalition officials have recently displayed a series of drones they claim show a growing sophistication of the Houthis, starting first with plastic foam models that could be built by a hobby kit, to one captured in April that closely resembled an Iranian-made drone.\n\nThose drones have been flown into the radar arrays of Saudi Arabia’s Patriot missile batteries, according to the research group Conflict Armament Research, disabling them and allowing the Houthis to fire ballistic missiles into the kingdom unchallenged.\n\nIran has been accused by the US and the UN of supplying ballistic missile technology and arms to the Houthis, which Tehran denies.\n\nSuch drones remain difficult to shoot down with either light or heavy weapons. Iraqi forces learned this from driving out the Islamic State group from northern Iraq, where the extremists would load drones with grenades or simple explosives to target their forces.", "Two oil-pumping stations for the East-West pipeline had been hit by explosive-laden drones, Saudi Arabia's Minister of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources Khalid al-Falih said on Tuesday, calling the attack \"an act of terrorism\" that targeted global oil supplies.\n\nAl-Falih said that Saudi oil output and exports for crude and refined products were continuing without disruption, but that the state oil giant Aramco had halted oil pumping in the pipeline while the damage was evaluated and the stations were repaired. He added that a fire broke out in one of the stations as a result of the attack, but was quickly contained.\n\nThe oil-pumping stations linked the Eastern Province and the city of Yanbu. The two targeted pipeline booster stations were located in Saudi Arabia’s town of Al al-Duwadimi and the city of Afif.\n\nAl-Falih added that the drone attack was done with the aim of disrupting world oil supplies.\n\nThe energy minister said that Saudi oil production and exports will still continue uninterrupted, adding that the attack “proves the importance of confronting all terrorist organizations.”\n\nYemen’s Houthi-run Masirah TV had cited a military official saying seven drones staged attacks on vital Saudi installations."], "summary": "Two Saudi Aramco oil pumping stations are attacked in an apparent drone strike according to Saudi Arabia's Energy Ministry. The stations are linked to a pipeline transporting oil from the eastern fields to the western coast port of Yanbu on the Red Sea."}
{"document": ["Power is still out in Papua New Guinea's East New Britain province after last night's magnitude 7.5 earthquake.\n\nPhoto: United States Geological Survey\n\nThe shallow quake hit about 50 kilometres offshore from Rabaul, triggering violent shaking and widespread panic.\n\nIt triggered an initial tsunami warning, though local officials said no waves were observed nor any casualties yet reported, with a full assessment of damage not possible until daybreak.\n\nNamatanai district on New Ireland is the populated area closest to the epicentre.\n\nThe MP for Namatanai, Walter Schnaubelt, says preliminary reports from his district indicate the violent shaking caused numerous houses in Konoagil sub-district to fall over.\n\nHe says no deaths have been reported, but is waiting for a more extensive report from a district team that has been dispatched to assess damage.\n\nMeanwhile, MP Jelta Wong for Gazelle district in East New Britain, some 33km to the west of the quake epicentre said he was waiting on a rapid assessment but there had been a lot of damage from the quake.\n\nThe districts close to the epicentre have all experienced power outages.\n\n\"It was very, very violent,\" said Frank Kilaur, a sergeant at the Rabaul police station said after the quake. \"It was very strong and shook the whole place up.\n\n\"At the moment there's no damage, but we have to wait until daylight, we're in pitch black right now.\"\n\n\"We will have some more reports, probably in the morning, so we will wait. We are okay here.\"\n\nIn an update this afternoon, the national provider PNG Power says electricity has not yet been restored to the East New Britain grid.\n\nThe company said two power stations suffered minor damage and will need to be repaired.\n\nIt said work is under way to check generators and power lines.\n\nPhoto: RNZI / Johnny Blades\n\nMr Kilaur said the earthquake had sent panicked residents fleeing into the streets, although he said the town quietened down again soon after. There had been violent aftershocks through the night, he said.\n\nAn initial scan by torchlight showed no significant damage in the town, he said, adding that authorities were waiting for daylight to conduct a more thorough assessment.\n\nThe police were yet to hear from remote areas outside of the town, and from small islands closer to the epicentre, he added.\n\nA spokesperson for the district's Nonga Hospital said no one had been taken there needing treatment.\n\nThere is no tsunami threat to New Zealand following the M7.7 NEW BRITAIN REGION PAPUA NEW GUINEA earthquake. Based on current information, the initial assessment is that the earthquake is unlikely to have caused a tsunami that will pose a threat to NZ. https://t.co/ccVFYQQoBr — MCDEM (@NZcivildefence) May 14, 2019\n\nThe shallow earthquake trigged an initial tsunami warning for Papua New Guinea and nearby Solomon Islands, with the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre forecasting a surge as high as one metre.\n\nBut early on Wednesday, the centre said the threat had largely passed with no reports of tsunami waves.\n\nDon Tokunai, a disaster official on Rabaul, said villagers close to the epicentre had reported the ocean receding, but there was no tsunami wave.\n\n\"They said they just woke up and felt the shake, but that they are still okay there,\" he said.\n\n\"As yet we haven't received any information about damage,\" he said.\n\nPapua New Guinea is one of the most seismically active countries in the world, sitting on the Pacific's Ring of Fire. Tuesday's tremor was the third earthquake in three months with a magnitude higher than seven.\n\nRabaul itself is no stranger to natural disaster either, with much of the town buried by ash in a 1994 volcanic eruption.\n\nFor updates during the day on the quake's aftermath see RNZ Pacific News\n\n- RNZ Pacific / Reuters", "The 7.7 earthquake struck the island of New Ireland in Papua New Guinea. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said there was a threat of tsunami. They said in an alert: “An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.7 occurred in the New Britain region, Papua New Guinea at 12:58 UTC.\n\n“Based on the preliminary earthquake parameters, hazardous tsunami waves are possible for coasts located within 1000KM of the earthquake epicentre.”\n\nThey later added: “A tsunami threat exists for parts of the Pacific located closer to the earthquake.\n\n“It is still too early to determine whether there is a possible tsunami threat to Hawaii.”\n\nThe County of Hawaii Civil Defense later confirmed there was no threat.", "Two of the damaged homes collapsed, Sinaproc added. There was no tsunami alert issued from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.", "A 6.1 magnitude earthquake hit Panama on Sunday near the border with Costa Rica, the U.S. Geological Survey said, but there were no immediate reports of damage or casualties.The quake struck at a depth of 37 km (23 miles) in the far west of the country and the closest town was Santa Cruz, about 5 km away, it said.There was no tsunami alert issued from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, and USGS said there was a low likelihood of casualties and damage.In November 2017 a 6.5-magnitude quake on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica left buildings swaying in the capital San Jose and contributed to the deaths of two people who had heart attacks.Farther north, two months earlier in September 2017 a 7.1-magnitude earthquake killed more than 300 people in Mexico."], "summary": "A 7.5 MMS quake rattles New Ireland, Papua New Guinea. Police Sergeant Frank Kilaur says that the quake was \"very, very violent\" but no immediate reports of major damages or casualties have been reported. A tsunami alert is issued by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center. The tsunami threat has now largely passed."}
{"document": ["On Visit To Russia, Pompeo Says 'We Would Not Tolerate' Interference In 2020 Election\n\nEnlarge this image toggle caption Pavel Golovkin/AFP/Getty Images Pavel Golovkin/AFP/Getty Images\n\nSecretary of State Mike Pompeo met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Sochi Tuesday, holding talks that are aimed at improving relations between Washington and Moscow. But the discussions also allowed them to air their disagreements — and they took advantage of that, diverging on topics from Russia's attempts to destabilize other countries to how to resolve crises in Venezuela, Iran and other complicated issues.\n\nAt a wide-ranging news conference, Pompeo said the two spoke about \"the question of interference in our domestic affairs,\" adding that Russia now has a chance to prove \"that these types of activities are a thing of the past.\"\n\nPompeo later said, \"I made clear to Foreign Minister Lavrov... that interference in American elections is unacceptable. If the Russians were to engage in that in 2020, it would put our relationship in an even worse place than it has been.\"\n\n\"We would not tolerate that,\" he added.\n\nPompeo is also slated to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin during his visit to Sochi, the Black Sea resort that hosted the 2014 Winter Olympics.\n\nDescribing talks that went on for well over an hour, Lavrov said they held \"negotiations\" on a variety of pressing global issues, from Venezuela, the Korean peninsula and Iran, as well as Ukraine, Syria and Afghanistan.\n\nBoth of the diplomats said they had \"frank\" discussions on those issues.\n\nHe and Pompeo have decided to rebuild channels of communication between the U.S. and Russia, Lavrov said.\n\n\"Lately these channels were frozen,\" Lavrov said, citing what he called \"baseless accusations against us\" regarding Russia's attempts to influence American elections and \"certain collusion of high-ranking officials.\"\n\nSaying that \"such insinuations are absolutely fake,\" Lavrov added that with the release of special counsel Robert Mueller's report, \"we hope that this tumultuous situation will die down.\"\n\nTo improve relations, Lavrov recommended creating a \"nongovernmental expert council of famous political analysts, ex-military and diplomats\" who could offer a \"fresh take\" on overcoming mistrust.\n\nOn Venezuela — the country where the Trump administration has backed opposition leader Juan Guaidó's bid to become president — Pompeo said, \"We have disagreement.\"\n\nVenezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has \"brought nothing but misery to the Venezuelan people,\" Pompeo said, \"and we hope that Russia's support for Maduro will end.\"\n\nDespite being at odds on that issue, Pompeo added, the U.S. and Russia should work to ease the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela. He later called on \"every country that's interfering in Venezuela to cease doing that. We want the Venezuelan people to get their democracy back.\"\n\nShowing the depths of the disagreement over Venezuela, Lavrov countered, \"Democracy cannot be done by force.\" He cited threats against Maduro's government that have come from both U.S. officials and from Guaidó himself.\n\n\"This has nothing in common with democracy,\" Lavrov said. And to drive home his point, he mentioned America's intervention in Iraq, and its long-running attempts to install democracy there.\n\nPompeo also said he \"raised the issue of U.S. citizens who have been detained in Russia\" — U.S. citizen Paul Whelan, an ex-Marine has been held since his arrest in late December.\n\nBoth officials said that while they noted their differences, they are intent on working through them. As Pompeo said at the start of his meeting with Lavrov, \"I'm here today because President Trump is committed to improving this relationship.\"\n\nTuesday's trip to Russia is the latest leg of Pompeo's journey that included meetings with EU officials in Brussels Monday — a surprise visit that displaced what had been a scheduled visit to the U.S. embassy in Moscow. While in Belgium, Pompeo discussed another high-profile part of the Trump administration's foreign policy, its sanctions against Iran.\n\nWhen he was asked about the U.S. withdrawal from an international agreement on Iran's nuclear program in Sochi — and recent reports that the U.S. may be planning to mass some 120,000 troops to the Persian Gulf — Pompeo said the Trump administration is pressuring Iran's leaders because \"we're looking for Iran to behave like a normal country.\"\n\n\"We fundamentally do not seek a war with Iran,\" Pompeo said.\n\nAs for reports that more U.S. troops could be moved to the Middle East, Pompeo said he would defer to the Defense Department. He added, \"We've also made clear to the Iranians that if American interests are attacked, we will most certainly respond in an appropriate fashion.\"\n\nAt the start of the sessions between the top U.S. and Russian diplomats, Lavrov told Pompeo, \"I believe that it is time to build a new, more constructive and responsible matrix of our relationship, of our mutual perception. We are prepared to do that, if our U.S. colleagues and counterparts are ready to reciprocate that.\"\n\nLavrov added that the two countries must now rebuild trust, concluding, \"Let's try, and see what happens.\"\n\nIn reply, Pompeo noted that they have met twice in the past two weeks, with more chances to come. And he said that despite their differences, the two countries might work together better.\n\n\"It's not destined that we're adversaries on every issue, and I hope that we can find places where we have a set of overlapping interests and can truly begin to build out strong relationships — at least on those particular issues.\"\n\nPompeo noted examples such as counter-terrorism and security concerns.", "BRUSSELS – Secretary of State Mike Pompeo crashed a meeting of European foreign ministers in Brussels on Monday to push for a united transatlantic front against Tehran and its nuclear program. But he failed to bend attitudes among leaders who fear the United States and Iran are inching toward war.\n\nPompeo’s last-minute decision to visit the EU capital, announced as he boarded a plane from the United States, set up a confrontation between the U.S. secretary and European diplomats who have been scrambling to save the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. At least one, British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, said he feared that unintentional escalation from the United States and Iran could spark a conflict – an unusually bold statement that appeared to assign equal culpability to Washington and Tehran.\n\nThe visit came on a day that the Saudi Foreign Ministry said two of its oil tankers were attacked and damaged off the coast of the United Arab Emirates. Saudi Arabia did not assign blame for the attack, but the announcement contributed to fears of open aggression in the region.\n\nPompeo was rebuffed on even some basic requests in Brussels. European diplomats haggled over how much to accomodate him while his plane sped across the Atlantic. The European Union’s chief diplomat, Federica Mogherini, coolly announced she had a busy day and that the pair would talk “if we manage to arrange a meeting.” (She found the time.) The top diplomats of Britain, France and Germany agreed to meet one-on-one with Pompeo but would not allow the Americans the symbolic victory of a group meeting. (The Europeans – they’re diplomats, after all – blamed the decision on scheduling difficulties.)\n\nThe Trump administration has called for “maximum pressure” against Iran. Mogherini reached for a different extreme after meeting with Pompeo.\n\n“The most responsible attitude to take,” Mogherini said, “should be that of maximum restraint and avoiding any escalation on the military side.”\n\n“We agree on much more than we disagree. That continues to be the case,” said Pompeo’s top Iran adviser, Brian Hook. “We share the same threat assessment. We are very concerned about Iran’s – a lot of the multiple threat streams that have been reported over the last three or four days.”\n\nBut the Europeans said they are fearful about the behavior of both Iran and the Trump administration.\n\n“We are very worried about the risk of a conflict happening by accident, with an escalation that is unintended really on either side,” said Hunt, the British foreign secretary. “Most of all, we need to make sure we don’t end up putting Iran back on the path to renuclearization. Because if Iran becomes a nuclear power, its neighbors are likely to want to become nuclear powers. This is already the most unstable region in the world, and this would be a massive step in the wrong direction.”\n\nIranian leaders announced last week that they would scale back their cooperation under the agreement, in essence forcing Europe to choose between defying Washington or kissing the nuclear deal goodbye. Europe considers the deal key to preventing a nuclear-armed Iran. President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the deal in May 2018.\n\nPompeo scrapped a day of mostly ceremonial events in Moscow on Monday in favor of the Brussels stopover. He plans to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in the Black Sea resort of Sochi on Tuesday.\n\nDiplomats familiar with Pompeo’s conversations in Brussels said little new ground was covered, with each side repeating standard talking points about whether or not the nuclear deal is worth preserving\n\n“I once again made it clear that we are concerned about developments and tensions in the region,” German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said after meeting with Pompeo.\n\nThe United States has bolstered its firepower in the Middle East in the past week, warning of imminent and direct threats from Iran to U.S. troops in Iraq and elsewhere. EU foreign ministers had planned to focus on other topics at Monday’s meeting. But with both Iran and the United States quickly ramping up bellicose rhetoric, the issue took center stage.\n\nEuropean leaders agree with the United States that Iran’s developing ballistic missile program and its belligerent behavior are problematic. But they differ about whether that means that the separate nuclear deal – a key part of President Barack Obama’s foreign policy legacy – should be scrapped.\n\n“The American position to increase pressure and sanctions doesn’t suit us,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Monday ahead of the meeting.\n\nPompeo had beenscheduled to stop in Moscow on Monday before continuing on to Sochi. The State Department had said he would meet with U.S. Embassy staff members and U.S. business leaders in the Russian capital and lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Kremlin wall.\n\nBut the Moscow portion of the visit was canceled in favor of Brussels, the State Department official told reporters shortly before Pompeo took off from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.\n• As Trump fights with China over trade, US-China economic relationship already being redefined Pompeo is still expected in Sochi on Tuesday, and a wide range of issues will be on the agenda, Russian officials said, including policy in Iran, Ukraine and Venezuela.\n\nPompeo’s stop in Brussels is his second last-minute schedule change on a European visit this month. On May 7, he canceled a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin on a few hours’ notice to travel to Iraq amid rising tensions with Iran.\n\nThe Washington Post’s Quentin Ariès in Brussels and Anton Troianovski in Sochi, Russia, contributed to this report.", "BRUSSELS (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo shared information on \"escalating\" threats from Iran with European allies and NATO officials during meetings in Brussels on Monday, the U.S. special representative for Iran said.\n\n\"Iran is an escalating threat and this seemed like a timely visit on his way to Sochi,\" Brian Hook told reporters, referring to Pompeo's planned visit to Russia on Tuesday for meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.\n\nPompeo cancelled a visit to Moscow on Monday and stopped in Brussels instead, en route to Sochi.\n\n\"The secretary wanted to share some details behind what we have been saying publicly,\" Hook said. \"We believe that Iran should try talks instead of threats. They have chosen poorly by focusing on threats.\"\n\nHook said Pompeo, while in Brussels, also discussed reported attacks on several oil tankers off the coast of the United Arab Emirates.\n\nAsked if Pompeo was blaming Iran for the attacks, Hook said: \"We discussed ... what seemed to be attacks on commercial vessels that were anchored ... we have been requested by the UAE to provide assistance in the investigation, which we are very glad to do.\"\n\nAsked if he himself believed there was the possibility of an Iranian role, Hook had no comment.\n\nThe UAE said on Sunday that four commercial vessels were sabotaged near Fujairah emirate, one of the world's largest bunkering hubs lying just outside the Strait of Hormuz. It did not describe the nature of the attack or say who was behind it.\n\nSaudi Arabia said Monday that two of its oil tankers were among those attacked and described it as an attempt to undermine the security of crude supplies amid tensions between the United States and Iran.\n\nThe UAE on Monday identified the vessels as very large crude carrier (VLCC) tanker Amjad and crude tanker Al Marzoqah, both owned by Saudi shipping firm Bahri. The other two were UAE-flagged fuel bunker barge A. Michel and Norwegian-registered oil products tanker MT Andrew Victory.\n\nThis story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.\n\nYour guide to the latest election news, analysis, commentary, live updates and schedule for Lok Sabha Elections 2019 on firstpost.com/elections. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram or like our Facebook page for updates from all 543 constituencies for the upcoming general elections.", "BRUSSELS: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo shared information on \"escalating\" threats from Iran with European allies and NATO officials during meetings in Brussels on Monday (May 13), the US special representative for Iran said.\n\n\"Iran is an escalating threat and this seemed like a timely visit on his way to Sochi,\" Brian Hook told reporters, referring to Pompeo's planned visit to Russia on Tuesday for meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.\n\nPompeo canceled a visit to Moscow on Monday and stopped in Brussels instead, en route to Sochi.\n\n\"The secretary wanted to share some details behind what we have been saying publicly,\" Hook said. \"We believe that Iran should try talks instead of threats. They have chosen poorly by focusing on threats.\"\n\nHook said Pompeo, while in Brussels, also discussed reported attacks on several oil tankers off the coast of the United Arab Emirates.\n\nAsked if Pompeo was blaming Iran for the attacks, Hook said: \"We discussed ... what seemed to be attacks on commercial vessels that were anchored ... we have been requested by the UAE to provide assistance in the investigation, which we are very glad to do.\"\n\nAsked if he himself believed there was the possibility of an Iranian role, Hook had no comment.\n\nThe UAE said on Sunday that four commercial vessels were sabotaged near Fujairah emirate, one of the world's largest bunkering hubs lying just outside the Strait of Hormuz. It did not describe the nature of the attack or say who was behind it.\n\nSaudi Arabia said Monday that two of its oil tankers were among those attacked and described it as an attempt to undermine the security of crude supplies amid tensions between the United States and Iran.\n\nThe UAE on Monday identified the vessels as very large crude carrier (VLCC) tanker Amjad and crude tanker Al Marzoqah, both owned by Saudi shipping firm Bahri. The other two were UAE-flagged fuel bunker barge A. Michel and Norwegian-registered oil products tanker MT Andrew Victory.", "BRUSSELS (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo shared information on “escalating” threats from Iran with European allies and NATO officials during meetings in Brussels on Monday, the U.S. special representative for Iran said.\n\n“Iran is an escalating threat and this seemed like a timely visit on his way to Sochi,” Brian Hook told reporters, referring to Pompeo’s planned visit to Russia on Tuesday for meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.\n\nPompeo canceled a visit to Moscow on Monday and stopped in Brussels instead, en route to Sochi.\n\n“The secretary wanted to share some details behind what we have been saying publicly,” Hook said. “We believe that Iran should try talks instead of threats. They have chosen poorly by focusing on threats.”\n\nHook said Pompeo, while in Brussels, also discussed reported attacks on several oil tankers off the coast of the United Arab Emirates.\n\nAsked if Pompeo was blaming Iran for the attacks, Hook said: “We discussed ... what seemed to be attacks on commercial vessels that were anchored off Fujairah ... we have been requested by the UAE to provide assistance in the investigation, which we are very glad to do.”\n\nAsked if he himself believed there was the possibility of an Iranian role, Hook had no comment.\n\nThe UAE said on Sunday that four commercial vessels were sabotaged near Fujairah emirate, one of the world’s largest bunkering hubs lying just outside the Strait of Hormuz. It did not describe the nature of the attack or say who was behind it.\n\nSaudi Arabia said Monday that two of its oil tankers were among those attacked and described it as an attempt to undermine the security of crude supplies amid tensions between the United States and Iran.\n\nThe UAE on Monday identified the vessels as very large crude carrier (VLCC) tanker Amjad and crude tanker Al Marzoqah, both owned by Saudi shipping firm Bahri. The other two were UAE-flagged fuel bunker barge A. Michel and Norwegian-registered oil products tanker MT Andrew Victory.", "Iran and the United States could trigger a conflict by accident in an already unstable Gulf region, Britain’s foreign minister said on Monday, as US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held talks in Brussels with the main European powers on the crisis.\n\nPresident Donald Trump is seeking to isolate Tehran by cutting off its oil exports after pulling out of a 2015 deal aimed at curbing Iran’s nuclear programme. Trump has also beefed up the US military presence in the Gulf to pressure Iran.\n\nWhile the European Union shares some US concerns about Iran, including over its involvement in the Syrian conflict, it still backs the 2015 nuclear deal, saying that it is in Europe’s own security interests.\n\n“We are very worried about a conflict, about the risk of a conflict … of an escalation that is unintended,” Britain’s Jeremy Hunt told reporters in Brussels before talks with Pompeo.\n\nBritain, Germany and France are signatories to the 2015 deal and their foreign ministers held separate meetings in Brussels on Monday with Pompeo, who cancelled a planned stopover in Moscow in order to brief the European allies on Washington’s latest moves. Pompeo also met Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.\n\nPompeo shared information on “escalating” threats from Iran during the meetings, the US special representative for Iran Brian Hook told reporters.\n\nHook said Pompeo also discussed reported attacks on several oil tankers off the coast of the United Arab Emirates.\n\nAsked if Pompeo was blaming Iran for the attacks, Hook said: “We discussed … what seemed to be attacks on commercial vessels that were anchored off Fujairah … we have been requested by the UAE to provide assistance in the investigation, which we are very glad to do.”\n\nAsked if he himself believed there was the possibility of an Iranian role, Hook said: “Don’t have any comment.”\n\nTrump, who wants to force Tehran to agree a broader arms control accord, has sent an aircraft carrier and B-52 bombers to the Gulf in a show of force against what US officials have said is a threat to US troops in the region.\n\nIran says the strategy amounts to “psychological warfare” and a senior Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander on Sunday said Iran would retaliate against any aggressive US moves.\n\nGerman Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said he had told Pompeo during their Monday meeting: “We do not want it to come to a military conflict (between the United States and Iran).”\n\nMaas avoided any public criticism of Washington, saying both sides wanted to ensure peace in the Middle East. But he said it was clear Europe and the United States were “going about it in different ways … taking different courses.”\n\nBefore his meeting with Pompeo, France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian urged Europeans to remain united in support of the nuclear deal, which was signed by the United States, Britain, France, Germany, China and Russia, and which the EU helped to negotiate.\n\nFor Europe, the tensions with the Trump administration mark a deepening split in transatlantic ties that were traditionally marked by close coordination on Middle East policy, despite sharp disagreements over the 2003 Iraq war.\n\nHook said the bilateral meeting had been “very good”.\n\n“We agree on much more than we disagree … We share the same threat assessment,” he said. “We are very concerned about Iran’s – a lot of the multiple threat streams that have been reported over the last three or four days.”\n\nIranian President Hassan Rouhani warned last week Tehran could resume enrichment of nuclear fuel at a higher grade if the European powers, China and Russia did not do more to circumvent punitive US measures on banking and energy to boost trade.\n\nHunt, who held talks with Maas and Le Drian on the margins of a regular EU meeting in Brussels, expressed concern about the risks of a nuclear arms race in the Middle East if Iran were to acquire such weapons.\n\n“We need to make sure that we don’t end up putting Iran back on the path to re-nuclearisation,” Hunt said, calling for “a period of calm so that everyone understands what the other side is thinking.”\n\nEU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said the EU would continue to support the nuclear pact because Iran continued to comply with inspections and uranium production limits.\n\nThe EU is trying to implement a new channel to allow Iran to sell its oil and circumvent newly-instated U.S. sanctions, but setting it up is proving complex.\n\nSpain’s Foreign Minister Josep Borrell said Madrid was considering joining the special trade channel, known as INSTEX, which so far counts France, Germany and Britain as shareholders and could be operational by the end of June", "BRUSSELS—U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo crashed a meeting of European foreign ministers in Brussels on Monday to push for a united transatlantic front against Tehran and its nuclear program. But he failed to bend attitudes among leaders who fear the United States and Iran are inching toward war. Pompeo’s last-minute decision to visit the European Union capital, announced as he boarded a plane from the United States, set up a confrontation between the top U.S. diplomat and his European counterparts, who have been scrambling to save the 2015 Iran nuclear deal in the wake of the U.S. withdrawal last year. At least one, British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, said he feared that unintentional escalation from the United States and Iran could spark a conflict — an unusually bold statement that appeared to assign equal culpability to Washington and Tehran.\n\nThe visit came on a day that the Saudi Foreign Ministry said two of its oil tankers and a Norwegian ship were damaged near the Persian Gulf, in what it claimed was an “act of sabotage.” A statement from Thome Ship Management, the owners of the Norwegian-flagged vessel, said an “unknown object” had created a hole in the hull of one of its ships, the MT Andrea Victory. Photographs of the ship show a hole just above the waterline. Neither Saudi Arabia nor the UAE produced photographs to support claims that Saudi tankers had incurred “significant damage.” The incidents did not cause casualties or oil spills, according to a statement by Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih.\n\nThe countries stopped short of assigning blame, but the incidents occurred at the same time and in the same place off the coast of the United Arab Emirates only days after the United States dispatched warships and bombers to the area to deter alleged threats from Iran. Asked on Monday about the damage to the ships off the UAE coast, President Donald Trump seemed to implicate Iran. “It’s going to be a bad problem for Iran if something happens, I can tell you that,” he said. “They’re not going to be happy. They are not going to be happy people, OK?” Iran’s Foreign Ministry condemned the shipping incidents as “alarming and regrettable” and said they would have a “negative effect” on shipping safety and maritime security, according to the Iranian Students’ News Agency. The Trump administration has called for “maximum pressure” on Iran. The EU’s chief diplomat, Federica Mogherini, reached for a different extreme after meeting with Pompeo on Monday.\n\n“The most responsible attitude to take,” she said, “should be that of maximum restraint and avoiding any escalation on the military side.” Pompeo was rebuffed on even some basic requests in Brussels. European diplomats haggled over how much to accommodate him while his plane sped across the Atlantic. Although Mogherini managed to find time, initially she said she had a busy day and that the pair would talk “if we manage to arrange a meeting.” The top diplomats of Britain, France and Germany agreed to meet one on one with Pompeo but would not allow the Americans the symbolic victory of a group meeting. (The Europeans publicly blamed scheduling difficulties.)\n\n“No, no, this was great,” Pompeo told Mogherini after she appeared to apologize for not meeting collectively while they posed for pictures together. “You had a busy day,” he said. “We agree on much more than we disagree. That continues to be the case,” said Pompeo’s top Iran adviser, Brian Hook. “We share the same threat assessment. We are very concerned about Iran’s — a lot of the multiple threat streams that have been reported over the last three or four days.” But the Europeans said they are fearful about the behaviour of both Iran and the Trump administration. “We are very worried about the risk of a conflict happening by accident, with an escalation that is unintended really on either side,” said Hunt, the British foreign secretary. “What we need is a period of calm to make sure that everyone understands what the other side is thinking. Most of all, we need to make sure we don’t end up putting Iran back on the path to renuclearization.” The incidents in the Persian Gulf follow a surge in U.S.-Iranian tensions in recent weeks. First, the Trump administration lifted sanctions waivers given to eight countries that import Iranian oil, in a bid to bring Iran’s exports down to “zero,” according to U.S. officials. Iranian imports had already plunged after the Trump administration pulled out of the Iran nuclear accord and reimposed sanctions in November. The expiration of the waivers is expected to inflict further pain on Iran’s reeling economy. Then, the United States said it had received intelligence that Iran was planning some kind of attack on U.S. forces in the Middle East. The Pentagon dispatched reinforcements to the Persian Gulf, including an aircraft carrier, a Patriot missile battery and a squadron of B-52 bombers. The moves prompted Iran to warn that it is prepared to retaliate if attacked. Tehran also announced last week that it would scale back its compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal it struck with major world powers and step up uranium enrichment, raising concern among the accord’s remaining signatories that it will soon collapse altogether. Europe still considers the deal key to preventing a nuclear-armed Iran. The Trump administration responded to the move by slapping new sanctions on metals exports. Pompeo scrapped a day of mostly ceremonial events in Moscow on Monday in favour of the Brussels stopover. He plans to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in the Black Sea resort of Sochi on Tuesday. Diplomats familiar with Pompeo’s conversations in Brussels said little new ground was covered, with each side repeating talking points about whether the nuclear deal is worth preserving “I once again made it clear that we are concerned about developments and tensions in the region,” German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said after meeting with Pompeo. European leaders agree with the United States that Iran’s developing ballistic missile program and its belligerent behaviour are problematic. But they differ about whether that means the nuclear deal — a key part of President Barack Obama’s foreign policy legacy — should be scrapped. Abbas Mousavi, an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman, suggested that the apparent sabotage might have been carried out as part of a conspiracy to ignite conflict in the region. He cautioned against “plots by ill-wishers to disrupt regional security” and called for an inquiry.", "Iran and the United States could trigger a conflict by accident in an already unstable Gulf region, Britain's foreign minister said on Monday, as US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held talks in Brussels with the main European powers on the crisis.\n\n[BRUSSELS] Iran and the United States could trigger a conflict by accident in an already unstable Gulf region, Britain's foreign minister said on Monday, as US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held talks in Brussels with the main European powers on the crisis.\n\nUS President Donald Trump is seeking to isolate Tehran by cutting off its oil exports after pulling out of a 2015 deal aimed at curbing Iran's nuclear programme. Mr Trump has also beefed up the US military presence in the Gulf to pressure Iran.\n\nWhile the European Union shares some US concerns about Iran, including over its involvement in the Syrian conflict, it still backs the 2015 nuclear deal, saying that it is in Europe's own security interests.\n\n\"We are very worried about a conflict, about the risk of a conflict ... of an escalation that is unintended,\" Britain's Jeremy Hunt told reporters in Brussels before talks with Mr Pompeo.\n\nBritain, Germany and France are signatories to the 2015 deal and their foreign ministers held separate meetings in Brussels on Monday with Mr Pompeo, who cancelled a planned stopover in Moscow in order to brief the European allies on Washington's latest moves. Mr Pompeo also met NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.\n\nMr Pompeo shared information on \"escalating\" threats from Iran during the meetings, the US special representative for Iran Brian Hook told reporters.\n\nMr Hook said Pompeo also discussed reported attacks on several oil tankers off the coast of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).\n\nAsked if Mr Pompeo was blaming Iran for the attacks, Mr Hook said: \"We discussed ... what seemed to be attacks on commercial vessels that were anchored off Fujairah ... we have been requested by the UAE to provide assistance in the investigation, which we are very glad to do.\"\n\nAsked if he himself believed there was the possibility of an Iranian role, Mr Hook said: \"Don't have any comment.\"\n\nMr Trump, who wants to force Tehran to agree a broader arms control accord, has sent an aircraft carrier and B-52 bombers to the Gulf in a show of force against what US officials have said is a threat to US troops in the region.\n\nIran says the strategy amounts to \"psychological warfare\" and a senior Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander on Sunday said Iran would retaliate against any aggressive US moves.\n\nGerman Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said he had told Mr Pompeo during their Monday meeting: \"We do not want it to come to a military conflict (between the United States and Iran).\"\n\nMr Maas avoided any public criticism of Washington, saying both sides wanted to ensure peace in the Middle East. But he said it was clear Europe and the United States were \"going about it in different ways ... taking different courses\".\n\nBefore his meeting with Mr Pompeo, France's Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian urged Europeans to remain united in support of the nuclear deal, which was signed by the United States, Britain, France, Germany, China and Russia, and which the EU helped to negotiate.\n\nFor Europe, the tensions with the Trump administration mark a deepening split in transatlantic ties that were traditionally marked by close coordination on Middle East policy, despite sharp disagreements over the 2003 Iraq war.\n\nMr Hook said the bilateral meeting had been \"very good\".\n\n\"We agree on much more than we disagree ... We share the same threat assessment,\" he said. \"We are very concerned about Iran's - a lot of the multiple threat streams that have been reported over the last three or four days.\"\n\nIranian President Hassan Rouhani warned last week Tehran could resume enrichment of nuclear fuel at a higher grade if the European powers, China and Russia did not do more to circumvent punitive US measures on banking and energy to boost trade.\n\nMr Hunt, who held talks with Mr Maas and Mr Le Drian on the margins of a regular EU meeting in Brussels, expressed concern about the risks of a nuclear arms race in the Middle East if Iran were to acquire such weapons.\n\n\"We need to make sure that we don't end up putting Iran back on the path to re-nuclearisation,\" Mr Hunt said, calling for \"a period of calm so that everyone understands what the other side is thinking.\"\n\nEU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said the EU would continue to support the nuclear pact because Iran continued to comply with inspections and uranium production limits.\n\nThe EU is trying to implement a new channel to allow Iran to sell its oil and circumvent newly-instated US sanctions, but setting it up is proving complex.\n\nSpain's Foreign Minister Josep Borrell said Madrid was considering joining the special trade channel, known as INSTEX, which so far counts France, Germany and Britain as shareholders and could be operational by the end of June.", "BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Iran and the United States could trigger a conflict by accident in an already unstable Gulf region, Britain’s foreign minister said on Monday, as U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held talks in Brussels with the main European powers on the crisis.\n\nPresident Donald Trump is seeking to isolate Tehran by cutting off its oil exports after pulling out of a 2015 deal aimed at curbing Iran’s nuclear programme. Trump has also beefed up the U.S. military presence in the Gulf to pressure Iran.\n\nWhile the European Union shares some U.S. concerns about Iran, including over its involvement in the Syrian conflict, it still backs the 2015 nuclear deal, saying that it is in Europe’s own security interests.\n\n“We are very worried about a conflict, about the risk of a conflict ... of an escalation that is unintended,” Britain’s Jeremy Hunt told reporters in Brussels before talks with Pompeo.\n\nBritain, Germany and France are signatories to the 2015 deal and their foreign ministers held separate meetings in Brussels on Monday with Pompeo, who cancelled a planned stopover in Moscow in order to brief the European allies on Washington’s latest moves. Pompeo also met NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.\n\nPompeo shared information on “escalating” threats from Iran during the meetings, the U.S. special representative for Iran Brian Hook told reporters.\n\nHook said Pompeo also discussed reported attacks on several oil tankers off the coast of the United Arab Emirates.\n\nAsked if Pompeo was blaming Iran for the attacks, Hook said: “We discussed ... what seemed to be attacks on commercial vessels that were anchored off Fujairah ... we have been requested by the UAE to provide assistance in the investigation, which we are very glad to do.”\n\nAsked if he himself believed there was the possibility of an Iranian role, Hook said: “Don’t have any comment.”\n\nTrump, who wants to force Tehran to agree a broader arms control accord, has sent an aircraft carrier and B-52 bombers to the Gulf in a show of force against what U.S. officials have said is a threat to U.S. troops in the region.\n\nIran says the strategy amounts to “psychological warfare” and a senior Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander on Sunday said Iran would retaliate against any aggressive U.S. moves.\n\nGerman Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said he had told Pompeo during their Monday meeting: “We do not want it to come to a military conflict (between the United States and Iran).”\n\nMaas avoided any public criticism of Washington, saying both sides wanted to ensure peace in the Middle East. But he said it was clear Europe and the United States were “going about it in different ways ... taking different courses.”\n\nBefore his meeting with Pompeo, France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian urged Europeans to remain united in support of the nuclear deal, which was signed by the United States, Britain, France, Germany, China and Russia, and which the EU helped to negotiate.\n\nFor Europe, the tensions with the Trump administration mark a deepening split in transatlantic ties that were traditionally marked by close coordination on Middle East policy, despite sharp disagreements over the 2003 Iraq war.\n\nHook said the bilateral meeting had been “very good.”\n\n“We agree on much more than we disagree ... We share the same threat assessment,” he said. “We are very concerned about Iran’s - a lot of the multiple threat streams that have been reported over the last three or four days.”\n\nIranian President Hassan Rouhani warned last week Tehran could resume enrichment of nuclear fuel at a higher grade if the European powers, China and Russia did not do more to circumvent punitive U.S. measures on banking and energy to boost trade.\n\nHunt, who held talks with Maas and Le Drian on the margins of a regular EU meeting in Brussels, expressed concern about the risks of a nuclear arms race in the Middle East if Iran were to acquire such weapons.\n\n“We need to make sure that we don’t end up putting Iran back on the path to re-nuclearisation,” Hunt said, calling for “a period of calm so that everyone understands what the other side is thinking.”\n\nEU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said the EU would continue to support the nuclear pact because Iran continued to comply with inspections and uranium production limits.\n\nThe EU is trying to implement a new channel to allow Iran to sell its oil and circumvent newly-instated U.S. sanctions, but setting it up is proving complex.\n\nSpain’s Foreign Minister Josep Borrell said Madrid was considering joining the special trade channel, known as INSTEX, which so far counts France, Germany and Britain as shareholders and could be operational by the end of June.", "BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Iran and the United States could trigger a conflict by accident in an already unstable Gulf region, Britain's foreign minister said on Monday, as U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held talks in Brussels with the main European powers on the crisis.\n\nPresident Donald Trump is seeking to isolate Tehran by cutting off its oil exports after pulling out of a 2015 deal aimed at curbing Iran's nuclear programme. Trump has also beefed up the U.S. military presence in the Gulf to pressure Iran.\n\nWhile the European Union shares some U.S. concerns about Iran, including over its involvement in the Syrian conflict, it still backs the 2015 nuclear deal, saying that it is in Europe's own security interests.\n\n\"We are very worried about a conflict, about the risk of a conflict ... of an escalation that is unintended,\" Britain's Jeremy Hunt told reporters in Brussels before talks with Pompeo.\n\nBritain, Germany and France are signatories to the 2015 deal and their foreign ministers held separate meetings in Brussels on Monday with Pompeo, who cancelled a planned stopover in Moscow in order to brief the European allies on Washington's latest moves. Pompeo also met NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.\n\nPompeo shared information on \"escalating\" threats from Iran during the meetings, the U.S. special representative for Iran Brian Hook told reporters.\n\nHook said Pompeo also discussed reported attacks on several oil tankers off the coast of the United Arab Emirates.\n\nAsked if Pompeo was blaming Iran for the attacks, Hook said: \"We discussed ... what seemed to be attacks on commercial vessels that were anchored off Fujairah ... we have been requested by the UAE to provide assistance in the investigation, which we are very glad to do.\"\n\nAsked if he himself believed there was the possibility of an Iranian role, Hook said: \"Don't have any comment.\"\n\nTrump, who wants to force Tehran to agree a broader arms control accord, has sent an aircraft carrier and B-52 bombers to the Gulf in a show of force against what U.S. officials have said is a threat to U.S. troops in the region.\n\nIran says the strategy amounts to \"psychological warfare\" and a senior Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander on Sunday said Iran would retaliate against any aggressive U.S. moves.\n\nGerman Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said he had told Pompeo during their Monday meeting: \"We do not want it to come to a military conflict (between the United States and Iran).\"\n\nMaas avoided any public criticism of Washington, saying both sides wanted to ensure peace in the Middle East. But he said it was clear Europe and the United States were \"going about it in different ways ... taking different courses.\"\n\nBefore his meeting with Pompeo, France's Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian urged Europeans to remain united in support of the nuclear deal, which was signed by the United States, Britain, France, Germany, China and Russia, and which the EU helped to negotiate.\n\nFor Europe, the tensions with the Trump administration mark a deepening split in transatlantic ties that were traditionally marked by close coordination on Middle East policy, despite sharp disagreements over the 2003 Iraq war.\n\nHook said the bilateral meeting had been \"very good.\"\n\n\"We agree on much more than we disagree ... We share the same threat assessment,\" he said. \"We are very concerned about Iran's - a lot of the multiple threat streams that have been reported over the last three or four days.\"\n\nIranian President Hassan Rouhani warned last week Tehran could resume enrichment of nuclear fuel at a higher grade if the European powers, China and Russia did not do more to circumvent punitive U.S. measures on banking and energy to boost trade.\n\nHunt, who held talks with Maas and Le Drian on the margins of a regular EU meeting in Brussels, expressed concern about the risks of a nuclear arms race in the Middle East if Iran were to acquire such weapons.\n\n\"We need to make sure that we don't end up putting Iran back on the path to re-nuclearisation,\" Hunt said, calling for \"a period of calm so that everyone understands what the other side is thinking.\"\n\nEU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said the EU would continue to support the nuclear pact because Iran continued to comply with inspections and uranium production limits.\n\nThe EU is trying to implement a new channel to allow Iran to sell its oil and circumvent newly-instated U.S. sanctions, but setting it up is proving complex.\n\nSpain's Foreign Minister Josep Borrell said Madrid was considering joining the special trade channel, known as INSTEX, which so far counts France, Germany and Britain as shareholders and could be operational by the end of June.\n\nThis story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.\n\nYour guide to the latest election news, analysis, commentary, live updates and schedule for Lok Sabha Elections 2019 on firstpost.com/elections. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram or like our Facebook page for updates from all 543 constituencies for the upcoming general elections."], "summary": "United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo meets Russian President Vladimir Putin and warns Russia to not interfere in the 2020 United States presidential election."}
{"document": ["Anthony Weiner wrapped up the last leg of his prison sentence for sexting an underage girl on Tuesday morning, walking out of a Bronx halfway house a free man.\n\n“It’s good to be out,” the disgraced former congressman said. “I hope to be able to live a life of integrity and service. I’m glad this chapter of my life is behind me.”\n\nWeiner, who will still be registered as a Level 1 sex offender, had called the halfway house on Creston Avenue home for three months following his transfer from a Massachusetts lockup as part of a federal re-entry program.\n\nHe walked out shortly after 6 a.m. wearing khaki pants, red Nike running shoes and a sweater. His release came early after getting three months shaved off for good behavior.\n\nThe Post revealed last month how he is now hoping to land a book deal.\n\nAfter sinking his political career in a series of salacious sexting scandals with adult women, the married ex-pol was busted in 2017 for sending obscene messages to a 15-year-old North Carolina high schooler.\n\nWeiner wept and called himself a “very sick man” at his sentencing, where he was ordered to serve 21 months behind bars, pay a $10,000 fine and to register as a sex offender upon his release.\n\nHe started his time in November 2017 in the Federal Medical Center in Devens, Mass., a former Army base about 40 miles northwest of Boston and just one of two sites that offer residential treatment for sex offenders.\n\nHe was transferred in mid-February to the Bronx — where The Post caught him ordering a hearty pasta take-out.", "Former Rep. Anthony Weiner left a New York City halfway house on Tuesday after completing his prison sentence for illicit online contact with a 15-year-old girl.\n\n“It’s good to be out,” the disgraced former congressman said, according to the New York Post. “I hope to be able to live a life of integrity and service. I’m glad this chapter of my life is behind me.”\n\nWeiner, 54, was ordered in April to register as a sex offender as he neared the end of a 21-month prison sentence. The judge designated Weiner a Level 1 offender under the state’s version of what’s known as Megan’s Law, meaning that he is thought to have a low risk of reoffending.\n\nWeiner, a once-rising star in the Democratic Party who served in Congress for nearly 12 years, had been living in the halfway house since February after serving most of his sentence at a prison in Massachusetts. He still faces three years of court supervision.\n\nAdvertisement\n\nWeiner pleaded guilty in May 2017 to transferring obscene material to a minor.\n\nProsecutors said he had a series of sexually explicit Skype and Snapchat exchanges with a North Carolina high school student and encouraged the teen to strip naked and touch herself sexually.\n\nAt his sentencing, Weiner said he’d been a “very sick man for a very long time” and said he had a sex addiction.\n\nWeiner’s lawyer said the former lawmaker likely exchanged thousands of messages with hundreds of women over the years and was communicating with up to 19 women when he encountered the teenager.\n\nAdvertisement\n\nIt wasn’t the first time Weiner had been caught acting inappropriately.\n\nAfter sending a lewd picture of himself to a college student in 2011, Weiner claimed his account had been hacked, then admitted online interactions with at least six other women while married to top Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin.\n\nWeiner resigned from Congress, only to try for a political comeback with a run for New York City mayor in 2013. Then came the revelation that Weiner had used the alias “Carlos Danger” to send explicit photos to at least one woman after resigning from Congress.\n\nWeiner received less than 5% of the Democratic primary vote.\n\nAbedin filed for divorce from Weiner in 2017. But the two, who have a young son together, later agreed to discontinue the case in order to negotiate their separation privately.\n\nThe investigation into Weiner’s contact with the 15-year-old roiled the 2016 presidential campaign because emails Clinton had sent to Abedin were found on a laptop computer FBI agents seized from him. That led then-FBI Director James B. Comey to announce just days before the election that that agency was reopening its investigation into Clinton’s use of a private email server while secretary of State.\n\nDays later, Comey said nothing in the new emails changed his view that Clinton could not be charged with a crime.\n\nNevertheless, Clinton felt damage was done and said Comey shared blame for her loss to Donald Trump.", "NEW YORK — Former Democratic Rep. Anthony Weiner was released early from a Bronx halfway house Tuesday morning, after serving most of his sentence at a prison in Massachusetts, according to reports.\n\nAccording to the New York Post, Weiner walked out of the halfway house shortly after 6 a.m. Tuesday.\n\nWeiner will have served 18 months of his 21-month sentence for sending sexually explicit text messages to an underage teenager.\n\nA New York City judge on April 5 designated Weiner a Level 1 sex offender, meaning he’s thought to have a low risk of reoffending.\n\nWeiner was ordered to register for a minimum of 20 years. He’s required to verify his address every year and visit a police station every three years to have a new picture taken.\n\nBefore being sentenced, the Democrat said he’d been a “very sick man.”", "Anthony Weiner, the disgraced former New York congressman, is officially a free man.\n\nThe 54-year-old was seen leaving a Bronx halfway house on Tuesday morning which marked the final day of his 21-month sentence for having illicit contact with a 15-year-old girl which DailyMail.com exposed.\n\nHe told Fox upon his departure that he hoped to get back to my family and make up for some lost time.'\n\n'I hope to be able to live a life of integrity and service, and I’m glad this chapter of my life is behind me.\n\nHe was released from prison in February but has been living in the halfway house since then.\n\nIt is unclear where he will now go. He and wife Huma Abedin, one of Hillary Clinton's top aides, are no longer together.\n\nSince being released, Weiner has been touting a book deal and asking for investors for a marijuana business.\n\nHe told one potential investor that the 'sexual stuff shouldn't matter'.\n\nThe 'stuff' he referred to were explicit text messages he exchanged with a 15-year-old girl while he was married in September 2016.\n\nAmong them was one text which read: 'I would bust that tight p***y so hard you would leak and limp for a week.'", "Disgraced former Congressman Anthony Weiner left a Bronx halfway house early this morning after being released from federal custody.\n\nWeiner served a nearly two-year sentence for having illicit online contact with a 15-year-old girl. He was released from a Massachusetts federal corrections facility in February and has been staying at the halfway house since.\n\n“I am glad to be getting back to my family. I hope to be able to live a life of integrity and service,” he told reporters Tuesday morning. “Hopefully this chapter of my life is behind me.”\n\nWeiner was also ordered to register as a Level 1 sex offender for a minimum of 20 years. He’s required to verify his address every year and visit a police station every three years to have a new picture taken.\n\nA once-rising star in the Democratic Party who served nearly 12 years in Congress, Weiner had a dramatic and sordid fall from grace after he sent a lewd picture of himself to a college student over Twitter in 2011.\n\nHe initially claimed his account had been hacked, then admitted he’d had inappropriate online interactions with at least six other women while married to top Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin.\n\nWeiner resigned from Congress that year but mounted a campaign for New York City mayor in 2013.\n\nBut his personal behavior was again his undoing after it was disclosed he sent explicit photos under the alias “Carlos Danger” to at least one woman after resigning from Congress.\n\nWeiner ultimately garnered less than 5 percent of the vote in the Democratic primary.\n\nHis final fall came in 2017 after prosecutors say he sent a series of sexually explicit messages to a North Carolina high school student. Weiner pleaded guilty to transferring obscene material to a minor.\n\nAt his sentencing, he said he’d been a “very sick man for a very long time” because of his sex addiction.\n\nWeiner’s attorney said the ex-lawmaker likely exchanged thousands of messages with hundreds of women over the years and was communicating with up to 19 women when he encountered the teenager.", "Anthony Weiner, the disgraced former New York congressman, is officially a free man.\n\nThe 54-year-old was seen leaving a Bronx halfway house at 6am on Tuesday morning which marked the final day of his 21-month sentence for having illicit contact with a 15-year-old girl.\n\nHis messages to the girl were exposed by DailyMail.com in September 2016.\n\nOn Tuesday, Weiner told reporters upon his departure that he hoped to get back to my family and make up for some lost time.'\n\n'I hope to be able to live a life of integrity and service, and I’m glad this chapter of my life is behind me,' he said.\n\nHe was released from prison in February but has been living in the halfway house since then.\n\nIt is unclear where he will now go.\n\nHe and wife Huma Abedin, one of Hillary Clinton's top aides, had filed for divorce bu she has since withdrawn her request.\n\nThe status of their relationship is unknown.\n\nSince being released, Weiner has been touting a book deal and asking for investors for a marijuana business.\n\nHe told one potential investor that the 'sexual stuff shouldn't matter'.\n\nThe 'stuff' he referred to were explicit text messages he exchanged with a 15-year-old girl while he was married in September 2016.\n\nAmong them was one text which read: 'I would bust that tight p***y so hard you would leak and limp for a week.'\n\nHe originally made contact with the girl on Twitter.\n\nSince being released from prison in February, he has spent his days trying to get a book deal.\n\nSources told The New York Post last month that there was zero interest in it from publishers.\n\nThe sexting scandal was revealed during the fever pitch of the 2016 presidential elections and was the reason James Comey, the former FBI director, reopened the case into Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server days before the polls opened.\n\nWhile investigating Weiner's sexts, law enforcement agents seized computers from his home including his wife's.\n\nIt revealed that she had been using the laptop to work on behalf of Clinton while she was Secretary of State.\n\nAbedin has said nothing since the scandal broke. She and Weiner have one son together.\n\nIn May 2017, she filed for divorce but the pair withdrew it in January this year.", "NEW YORK (AP) — Former Rep. Anthony Weiner has left a New York City halfway house after completing his prison sentence for illicit online contact with a 15-year-old girl.\n\nAccording to the New York Post , Weiner said while leaving the Bronx facility on Tuesday that it's \"good to be out\" and he hopes to \"live a life of integrity and service.\"\n\nThe once-rising star in the Democratic Party was in Congress for nearly 12 years.\n\nHe'd been living in the halfway house since February after serving prison time in Massachusetts.\n\nHe's been ordered to register as a sex offender.\n\nProsecutors said he had a series of sexually explicit Skype and Snapchat exchanges with a North Carolina high school student and encouraged the teen to strip naked and touch herself sexually.", "NEW YORK (WABC) -- Disgraced former Congressman Anthony Weiner was released from a halfway house in the Bronx on Tuesday. He had been living there since his release from federal prison in February.Last month, Weiner was designated a Level 1 sex offender by a judge.The New York Democrat, a once-rising star who also ran for mayor, was convicted of having illicit online contact with a 15-year-old North Carolina girl in 2017.He began serving a 21-month prison sentence that November at the Federal Medical Center Devens, located about 40 miles west of Boston in Ayer, Massachusetts.Weiner, 54, must register for a minimum of 20 years. He is required to verify his address every year, notify the state within 10 days of moving and visit a police station every three years to have a new picture taken.He still faces three years of court supervision.Because of his low-level designation, Weiner's information won't show up in the state's online sex offender registry, but will be available via a toll-free telephone number.At his sentencing, Weiner said he'd been a \"very sick man for a very long time\" and said he had a sex addiction.Weiner's lawyer said the former lawmaker likely exchanged thousands of messages with hundreds of women over the years and was communicating with up to 19 women when he encountered the teenager.It wasn't the first time Weiner had been caught acting inappropriately.After sending a lewd picture of himself to a college student in 2011, Weiner claimed his account had been hacked, then admitted online interactions with at least six other women while married to top Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin.Weiner resigned from Congress, only to try for a political comeback with a run for New York City mayor in 2013. Then came the revelation that Weiner had used the alias \"Carlos Danger\" to send explicit photos to at least one woman after resigning from Congress.Weiner received less than 5 percent of the Democratic primary vote.Abedin filed for divorce from Weiner in 2017. But the two, who have a young son together, later agreed to discontinue the case in order to negotiate their separation privately.----------", "— Former U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner ‘s 21-month prison sentence for having illicit online contact with a 15-year-old girl is set to end Tuesday.\n\nWeiner was ordered to register as a Level 1 sex offender – meaning he’s thought to have a low risk of reoffending.\n\nHe has been staying at a Brooklyn halfway house.\n\nWeiner must register for a minimum of 20 years. He’s required to verify his address every year and visit a police station every three years to have a new picture taken.\n\nA once-rising star in the Democratic Party who served nearly 12 years in Congress, Weiner had a dramatic and sordid fall from grace after he sent a lewd picture of himself to a college student over Twitter in 2011.\n\nWeiner initially claimed his account had been hacked, then admitted he’d had inappropriate online interactions with at least six other women while married to top Hillary Clinton aide Huma Abedin.\n\nWeiner resigned from Congress that year but mounted a campaign for New York City mayor in 2013.\n\nBut his personal behavior was again his undoing after it was disclosed he sent explicit photos under the alias “Carlos Danger” to at least one woman after resigning from Congress.\n\nWeiner ultimately garnered less than 5 percent of the vote in the Democratic primary.\n\nHis final fall came in 2017 after prosecutors say he sent a series of sexually explicit messages to a North Carolina high school student. Weiner pleaded guilty to transferring obscene material to a minor.\n\nAt his sentencing, he said he’d been a “very sick man for a very long time” because of his sex addiction.\n\nWeiner’s attorney said the ex-lawmaker likely exchanged thousands of messages with hundreds of women over the years and was communicating with up to 19 women when he encountered the teenager.", "The Bronx is kicking off their annual borough-wide celebration.\n\nIt’s the home to the Yankees and the birthplace of hip hop, but you can’t mention the Bronx without talking about Arthur Avenue.\n\nPIX11’s Jill Nicolini helps kick off Bronx Week on Arthur Avenue, known as the borough’s “Little Italy.”\n\n Generations come to the Bronx and Arthur Avenue to embrace the Italian and Bronx cultures, and they always come back.\n\nWhy? “The food. The food and the food,” said one customer.\n\nPIX11 had a chance to chat with David Greco, owner of Mike’s Deli, and Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.\n\nWe were also there when Greco unveiled a dish named after Diaz.\n\nVincent Pastore, “Sopranos” actor and popular Bronx figure, even had a chance to stop by.\n\nFor a list of events during Bronx Week, click here."], "summary": "Former New York congressman Anthony Weiner is released from a halfway house in the Bronx, completing his 21-month federal prison sentence for illicit online contact with a 15-year-old girl."}
{"document": ["Florida Governor Says Russian Hackers Breached 2 Counties In 2016\n\nEnlarge this image toggle caption Rhona Wise/AFP/Getty Images Rhona Wise/AFP/Getty Images\n\nRussian hackers breached the systems of two county elections systems in Florida in 2016, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday at a news conference. DeSantis said no data were tampered with and vote tallies were not affected.\n\nThe intrusions, which had not ever been publicly confirmed, were first disclosed in special counsel Robert Mueller's report about Russian interference in the 2016 election last month.\n\n\"I recently met with the FBI concerning the election issue mentioned in the Mueller report,\" DeSantis said. \"Two Florida counties experienced intrusion into the supervisor of election networks. There was no manipulation.\"\n\nDeSantis said he could not disclose which counties' networks were compromised, but he said the voter data that the attackers gained access to was already public.\n\n\"Nothing that affected the vote count,\" DeSantis said.\n\nOne sentence in the Mueller report prompted DeSantis' meeting with the FBI: \"We understand the FBI believes that this operation enabled [Russian military intelligence] to gain access to the network of at least one Florida county government\" during the 2016 election.\n\nThe mention that Russian hackers had accessed Florida networks came as a surprise to many in the state.\n\n\"I haven't heard even a whisper\" about such a breach, said Paul Lux, president of the Florida State Association of Supervisors of Elections in an interview with NPR last month.\n\nTo break into the Florida elections systems, the Russian hackers used a spear-phishing campaign, where they used email addresses designed to look like a voting system vendor to trick the election officials into giving them access to their networks.\n\nA leaked document from the National Security Agency in 2017 identified the company as Florida-based VR Systems.\n\nThe campaign was detailed in an indictment filed last summer by Mueller's office:\n\nIn or around November 2016 and prior to the 2016 U.S. presidential election, KOVALEV and his co-conspirators used an email account designed to look like a Vendor 1 email address to send over 100 spearphishing emails to organizations and personnel involved in administering elections in numerous Florida counties. The spearphishing emails contained malware that the Conspirators embedded into Word documents bearing Vendor 1's logo.\n\nLast year, former Florida Sen. Bill Nelson warned that Russia had \"penetrated\" Florida's voter registration systems, but election officials denied that vehemently at the time.\n\nThen-Gov. Rick Scott, who defeated Nelson in the Senate race, decried Nelson's claims and said they \"only serve to erode public trust in our elections at a critical time.\"", "Judge requires ballots in Spanish in more Florida counties\n\nORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — More Florida counties must provide election materials and ballots in Spanish, a federal judge has ruled.\n\nAn order Friday from U.S. District Judge Mark Walker expanded a temporary injunction that he had granted ahead of last fall's elections.\n\nUnder Walker's latest order, election supervisors in 32 more counties must provide ballots in Spanish by March 2020 when the presidential primary election is held. Fifteen counties already do so, and Walker's order would raise the total to almost four dozen of Florida's 67 counties.\n\n\"This case is about the fundamental right to cast a ballot,\" the judge wrote.\n\nIf a county holds an election before next March's primary election, elections supervisors must provide sample ballots in Spanish, according to the order.\n\nThe order also requires election supervisors to provide information in Spanish on their websites, recruit bilingual poll workers and have a bilingual hotline to assist Spanish-speaking voters during early voting.\n\nThe judge's order was in response to a lawsuit filed last year by a coalition of Latino civic groups as well as Puerto Ricans who had moved to Florida after Hurricane Maria in 2017 and said they didn't understand English well.\n\n\"I will not be able to vote effectively without access to Spanish-language elections materials,\" said one of the plaintiffs, Marta Valentina Rivera Madera, in a declaration filed in the case.\n\nFlorida Gov. Ron DeSantis last month directed the Florida Department of State to start rule-making that would expand the availability of ballots and elections material in Spanish throughout the state for the 2020 election cycle and beyond.\n\nMore than 4 million of Florida's 20 million residents speak Spanish at home, according to U.S. Census figures from the 2017 American Community Survey.\n\n\"Florida has a significant Spanish-speaking population and our state is home to many Puerto Ricans who moved here after the devastation of Hurricane Maria,\" the Republican governor said last month. \"These fellow citizens should be able to fully participate in our democracy.\"\n\nThe judge praised the state's efforts to update rules expanding access to Spanish-language election materials, but he said there was no way of knowing when they would be finished. An order was necessary to ensure compliance with the federal Voting Rights Act, he said.\n\n\"What is clear is that the rules are currently not in place and elections will be held between now and then,\" the judge wrote.", "Election and voter registration materials in 32 of Florida's counties were only printed in English. A federal judge says that will end, starting with the 2020 primaries.\n\n(CNN) — Election and voter registration materials in 32 of Florida’s counties were only printed in English. A federal judge says that will end, starting with the 2020 primaries.\n\nThose Florida counties have, essentially, been running English-only elections: voter registration materials, guides, instructions, ballots and other materials were only provided in English. Florida resident Marta Valentina Rivera Madera and a number of Latino advocacy and civic engagement groups say those elections are disenfranchising the votes of Spanish-speakers across Florida. Their lawsuit, brought in 2018, is trying to change that.\n\nThe federal Voting Rights Act says that if a student is taught in an American school where the primary language is not English, the student can’t be denied the right to vote just because they cannot understand English. And because Spanish is the predominate language used and taught in Puerto Rico’s schools, that means English-only elections in Florida could prevent Puerto Ricans from being able to vote.\n\nThe plaintiffs say the US Census Bureau’s American Community Survey found that just over 30,000 Puerto Rican adults in the 32 counties are not proficient in English. That survey took place between 2011 and 2015 and Florida’s seen a marked increase in its Puerto Rican population.\n\nMany have fled the devastation caused by Hurricane Maria in the US territory Rivera is just one of the many who fled the destruction, having lived in Puerto Rico for 70 years until moving to the Gainesville, Florida, area.\n\n“I am looking forward to exercising my right to vote as I always have in Puerto Rico,” Rivera said in a 2018 press release. “I want to be able to vote in the language I speak best because I take voting very seriously and have always educated myself about the candidates and issues before casting my ballot.”\n\nOn Friday, US District Court Chief Judge Mark Walker sided with Rivera, in part, and issued a preliminary injunction, saying those English-only elections are in violation of the Voting Rights Act.\n\nWhile Walker praised Florida’s governor and secretary of state for starting the process to bring the state into compliance with the federal law, he said more needs to be done now and in time for 2020.\n\nBy the time votes are cast in Florida’s 2020 primary elections on March 17, 2020, 32 of Florida’s 67 counties must provide official, paper or electronic, ballots in Spanish — that includes early voting and vote-by-mail ballots. Those counties are: Alachua, Bay, Brevard, Charlotte, Citrus, Clay, Columbia, Duval, Escambia, Flagler, Hernando, Highlands, Indian River, Jackson, Lake, Leon, Levy, Manatee, Marion, Martin, Monroe, Okaloosa, Okeechobee, Pasco, Putnam, St. Johns, St. Lucie, Santa Rosa, Sarasota, Sumter, Taylor, and Wakulla.\n\nThe counties also are required under the ruling to provide Spanish-language election-related materials, both hard-copy and electronic: voter registration cards, applications, voter instructions, guides, polling place changes, sample ballots and more.\n\nThey must make attempts to recruit, hire, train and staff bilingual poll workers at polling locations when practical; but the counties are required to set up a toll-free, county specific Spanish-language hotline to assist Spanish-language voters during early voting hours.\n\nWalker, who previously ordered the same counties to provide Spanish-language sample copies of the ballots before the 2018 midterm elections, also had a message for any Florida County Elections Supervisor that may not fully implement his order: Compliance is not a choice.\n\n“Compliance with this order is not optional,” he wrote in the ruling. “This court will not hesitate to use every tool the law provides to enforce this order.”\n\nYanidsi Velez — Florida director of the Hispanic Federation, a plaintiff in the case — said in a statement Monday that the group is “pleased” with Walker’s ruling.\n\n“Latinos represent more than 25 percent of the Florida population, and it is essential that their voices are heard and included in every election cycle,” Velez said. “We have important work to do in Florida to remove barriers to voting, improve voter access and enforce the rights of all voters so that their votes are counted.”", "The Mueller report confirmed at least one Florida elections office was compromised by Russia during the 2016 vote.\n\nThis Thursday the FBI will hold a classified briefing with members of the Florida congressional delegation to discuss the hacking.\n\nFormer Leon County Elections Supervisor Ion Sancho told the Florida Roundup why the FBI has not been transparent.\n\n“The FBI actually lied to the 67 supervisors of elections and the secretary of state staff that was on that call,” said Sancho.\n\n“The penetration had already taken place, but the FBI did not want to inform the Russians and so they didn’t inform us.”\n\nAccording to Politico, Governor Ron DeSantis is also expected to meet with the FBI.\n\nLast month DeSantis expressed frustration that Florida officials didn’t know more about the incident.", "Judge requires ballots in Spanish in more Florida counties\n\nORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A federal judge says 32 more Florida counties must provide election materials and ballots in Spanish.\n\nAn order Friday from U.S. District Judge Mark Walker expanded a temporary injunction that he granted ahead of last fall's elections.\n\nUnder Walker's latest order, election supervisors in the 32 counties must provide ballots in Spanish by March 2020 when the presidential primary election is held.\n\nFifteen counties already do so. Walker's order would raise the total to almost four dozen of Florida's 67 counties.\n\nIf a county holds an election before then, elections supervisors must provide sample ballots in Spanish.\n\nThe order also says election supervisors must have a bilingual hotline to assist Spanish-speaking voters during early voting, provide information in Spanish on their website and recruit bilingual poll workers.", "A federal judge ordered nearly three dozen counties in Florida to provide ballots in Spanish ahead of the 2020 election, calling the issue a “fundamental right” for the state’s voters.\n\nU.S. District Judge Mark Walker expanded an earlier injunction on Friday, requiring 32 additional counties to provide the Spanish-language ballots by March 2020, the start of the state’s presidential primaries.\n\nThe decision arose from a lawsuit filed by the groups LatinoJustice, Demos and other voting rights organizations that said up to 30,000 Puerto Ricans living in Florida faced unlawful hardship casting a ballot because of language barriers.\n\n“In today’s decision, the court recognized that Spanish-speaking voters are not second-class citizens and should not have to wait for their voting rights to be fully protected,” Stuart Naifeh, a senior counsel at Demos, said in a statement. “For democratic participation to have any meaning, voters must be able to exercise their right to vote in a language they understand.”\n\nThe Orlando Sentinel notes that most counties in Florida provide support for voters in Spanish, including phone assistance and language-specific sample ballots or registration materials, but the plaintiffs argued that wasn’t enough.\n\nFlorida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) last month ordered the state to begin expanding access to voting booths to Spanish speakers as the suit was making its way through the court system.\n\n“It is critically important that Spanish-speaking Floridians are able to exercise their right to vote without any language barriers,” DeSantis said in a statement last month. “These fellow citizens should be able to fully participate in our democracy, which is why I am directing the Department of State to address voting accessibility issues for Florida’s Spanish-speaking community statewide.”\n\nWhile Walker praised DeSantis’ move, the judge said it was premature to determine if the governor’s efforts would provide appropriate access in line with the Voting Rights Act and that an injunction was necessary to protect any election that happens before such rules go into effect. The judge issued an early injunction last year ahead of the 2018 election, but that ruling only mandated that sample ballots be printed for Spanish speakers.\n\n“This case is about the fundamental right to cast an effective ballot,” Walker wrote. “Compliance with this Order is not optional. While the vast majority of supervisors of election are upstanding professionals who follow the law and court orders, do difficult but necessary work under tight timelines, and are often subjects of multiple bouts of litigation, there may be some who selectively interpret parts of this Court’s orders or otherwise avoid compliance. This Court will not hesitate to use every tool the law provides to enforce this Order.”"], "summary": "Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announces that Russian hackers accessed voter databases in two Florida counties prior to the 2016 presidential election. No data or vote tallies were affected."}
{"document": ["CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuelan security forces prevented opposition lawmakers from entering the parliament building for a session on Tuesday, a week after the top court stripped several lawmakers of their immunity amid a political crisis in the South American country.\n\nMembers of the Sebin intelligence service, wearing masks and carrying long guns, together with members of the national police and the military blocked the entrance and were investigating the possible presence of an explosive device inside the National Assembly building, lawmakers said.\n\nLast week, one opposition lawmaker was arrested and several took refuge in foreign embassies in Caracas or fled the country as President Nicolas Maduro cracked down on allies of opposition leader Juan Guaido, following a failed effort to convince members of the military to rise up against Maduro in late April.\n\nGuaido, the leader of the opposition-controlled Assembly, in January invoked Venezuela’s constitution to assume an interim presidency, arguing Maduro’s 2018 re-election was illegitimate. More than 50 countries have recognised him as the country’s rightful leader, and say the assembly is its last remaining democratic institution.\n\n“This is all part of a show to prevent the National Assembly from functioning,” lawmaker Juan Pablo Guanipa told Reuters. “This is a dictatorship that goes after dissidents, and we are fighting for a political change.”\n\nVenezuela’s information ministry, which handles media inquiries on behalf of the government, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Maduro, a socialist, calls Guaido a puppet of the United States seeking to oust him in a coup.\n\nThe government stripped the assembly of most of its powers after the opposition won a majority in 2015 elections. Lawmakers loyal to Maduro generally do not attend the sessions, but go to meetings of the constituent assembly, a legislative “superbody” created in 2017 that meets in the same building on Wednesdays.\n\nThe “superbody” is an all-powerful legislature controlled by the ruling Socialist Party and whose powers supersede those of the National Assembly.\n\nTuesday’s session was scheduled for 10 a.m. (1400 GMT), but never began. The lawmakers were set to discuss the Supreme Court’s stripping of several of their colleagues’ parliamentary immunity and the arrest of Edgar Zambrano, the Assembly’s vice president and an outspoken critic of Maduro.\n\nOpposition lawmaker Jorge Millan told reporters the report of “bombs” in the building was false.\n\n“It is a trick to prevent the parliament from functioning today,” he said. “If we do not have a session today, we will do it tomorrow.”\n\n(Reporting by Mayela Armas and Corina Pons; Writing by Luc Cohen; Editing by Phil Berlowitz)", "CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela’s top court opened a criminal investigation against six opposition lawmakers Tuesday following last week’s failed attempt to spark a military uprising against President Nicolás Maduro.\n\nThe lawmakers are suspected of “betraying the homeland” and “instigating an insurrection,” among other charges, the pro-government Supreme Court said. Those facing accusations include prominent figures in the Venezuelan opposition such as Henry Ramos Allup and Luis Germán Florido.\n\nThe court initially had said seven faced investigation, but later in the day lowered the number to six without explanation.\n\nThe action came one week after opposition leader Juan Guaidó urged soldiers to oust Maduro, who has taken steps to reassert his authority in the aftermath of the failed uprising.\n\nAdditionally, the government announced that it was taking control of three private airports. Interior Minister Nestor Reverol described it as a necessary measure to “guarantee efficiency” and crack down on illegal activity.\n\nVenezuela’s opposition-controlled congress, meanwhile, met to discuss a proposal for the country’s return to a regional defense agreement that dates from the Cold War — a move that could provide political cover for greater international involvement in the nation’s crisis. The matter was referred to an assembly committee.\n\nYears ago, Venezuela and other left-governed nations pulled out of the U.S.-led defense pact, the Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance.\n\nU.S. officials have repeatedly said they are considering military “options” in the Venezuelan crisis, in addition to diplomatic and economic pressure that has been intensifying for months against Maduro.\n\nMilitary police prevented journalists from entering the National Assembly, and some reporters were harassed by government supporters outside the building.\n\nVenezuela’s state-run internet provider restricted access to YouTube, some Google services and other streaming platforms during the assembly session, according to NetBlocks, an online censorship-monitoring group based in Europe.\n\nThe lights in the chamber went out temporarily as a senior assembly member, Edgar Zambrano, was speaking. The cause of the power cut was unclear.\n\nLast week, Venezuela’s top court opened a treason investigation of Zambrano, who had joined Guaidó outside a military base in Caracas during a failed call on the armed forces to overthrow Maduro. The appeal to the military was followed by deadly clashes between police and protesters.\n\nThe United States and dozens of other nations have recognized Guaidó, head of the National Assembly, as Venezuela’s interim president, saying Maduro’s re-election last year was rigged.\n\nGuaidó earlier Tuesday met with top diplomats from some of the more than 50 countries that support his campaign to seize power from Maduro, whose allies include Russia, China and Cuba.\n\nA group of mostly European nations is looking to send a high-level delegation to Caracas in the coming days. European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini made the announcement in Costa Rica after a meeting of the countries. The International Contact Group wants to facilitate free presidential elections in Venezuela as soon as possible, a goal that it shares with Guaidó.\n\nMaduro says he is the target of a U.S.-engineered coup plot and has denounced the Guaidó-led assembly, instead recognizing a rival assembly packed with government loyalists that was set up in 2017.\n\nIn early April, the government-backed National Constituent Assembly voted to strip Guaidó of his parliamentary immunity from prosecution, and it did the same Tuesday for the opposition lawmakers placed under criminal investigation by the Supreme Court.\n\nMaduro, however, has not moved to detain Guaidó, possibly reflecting wariness over a likely backlash from the United States and its allies.\n\nCopyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.", "US State Department head Mike Pompeo has suffered a public meltdown, reacting forcefully that the constitutional government of Venezuela actually arrested a key member of the upper house of parliament (AN) -Pompeo reached out to world media, announcing that the Venezuelan courts moves were an \"Unacceptable and illegal step.\"Mike Pompeo denounced the detention by Venezuelan authorities of the now-former Vice-Speaker of the National Assembly, Edgar Zambrano. In a statement released last night, Pompeo describes as an \"arbitrary\" and \"unacceptable and illegal act\" the arrest of the politician, first vice president of the National Assembly of Venezuela, which took place this Wednesday night in Caracas, at the hands of SEBIN agents.Despite Pompeo's public tantrum, widely viewed as hypocritical,According to witnesses, bodies of the Bolivarian Intelligence Service (SEBIN) arrived at the main headquarters of the Acción Democrática party, to which Zambrano belongs. The deputy was in his vehicle, who refused to step outside. It was then that SEBIN officials pulled the deputy's car with a crane, and in a raucous scene, he was arrested by SEBIN while in his car, taken by tow-truck. It should be noted that Diosdado Cabello confirmed the arrest of Zambrano on the same Wednesday night.- the legislative body in Venezuela comparable to the house of commons or the house of representatives - authorized legislation which the executive branch and courts approved, whichwhich were previously enjoyed by members of both houses.FRN reported yesterdayThe head of the National Assembly, the leader of the opposition, Juan Guaido , announced his arrest.Earlier, Guaido acknowledged the failure of the coup attempt, which he says occurred due to the refusal of the military to go over to the side of the self-proclaimed president.Likewise, the(AN), an instance that has been in contempt since 2016, for their participation in the coup attempt. Among them, the first vice president of the AN, Edgar Zambrano.The other seven opposition deputies, whose parliamentary immunity was raided are: Herry Ramos, Luis Florido, Richard Blanco, Marianela Magallanes, Américo De Grazia, Andres Velazques and José Calzadilla.", "CARACAS: Venezuela reacted with outrage on Monday (May 13) after the opposition openly courted US military support, with the regime denouncing what it called a \"repugnant\" attempt to plot an armed intervention in the crisis-torn country.\n\nVice-President Delcy Rodriguez lambasted the move by opposition leader Juan Guaido's representative in Washington, accusing him of paving the way for a US \"military intervention.\"\n\nGuaido's envoy Carlos Vecchio sent a letter to US Southern Command Chief General Craig Faller requesting a meeting to discuss closer cooperation \"with the aim of alleviating the suffering of the Venezuelan people and restoring democracy,\" his aides said on Monday.\n\nFaller last week warned the Venezuelan army it must decide whether to support the people or a \"tyrant\" - a reference to embattled President Nicolas Maduro.\n\nDespite economic collapse and international isolation, the embattled socialist president has to date retained the support of the powerful military.\n\nGuaido, locked in a power struggle with Maduro since he declared himself interim president in January - winning recognition from more than 50 countries - has sought to ratchet up pressure on the regime abroad as his support at home has waned.\n\nHowever, his open courting of the US Southern Command, responsible for the Latin American region, is a bold new step for Guaido, following the failure of an Apr 30 uprising.\n\nIt comes after Faller said in a tweet on Friday that he was at Guaido's disposal to discuss \"support\" for military leaders who abandon Maduro.\n\nVecchio's office said the meeting could take place in the coming days.\n\n\"We read and we reject this repugnant letter, in which one of the coup leaders hiding today in Washington, asks for military intervention in Venezuela,\" Rodriguez said in her speech.\n\nAlongside Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino, she said such a \"submissive\" stance was not only to be condemned but was \"doomed to failure.\"\n\nPadrino and army chiefs have made repeated public pledges of support for Maduro and high-profile defections have been few and far between.\n\nIn a video message posted late Sunday on Twitter, the Venezuelan air force's General Ramon Rangel urged the military to forsake Maduro. \"It's time to rise up, it's time to fight,\" he urged.\n\nRangel - who appeared in civilian clothes and whose location is unknown - is the latest of several military figures to call on Venezuela's military to abandon Maduro.\n\nArmy sources in Caracas dismissed Rangel as irrelevant, saying he had not been active in the military for years.\n\nAnother air force general, Francisco Yanez, pledged his allegiance to opposition leader Juan Guaido on Feb 2 - but with few exceptions, the army has remained in Maduro's corner.\n\nThe highest-profile defector has been intelligence chief Cristopher Figuera, who joined the opposition last month.\n\nFiguera and 55 other officers have been expelled from the Venezuelan armed forces, and Maduro has followed up with a crackdown on lawmakers who backed Guaido's uprising, chipping away at his support base inside the country.\n\nAt his weekly anti-government rally on Saturday, Guaido urged his supporters to maintain nationwide protests in the face of the crackdown, in which his deputy Edgar Zambrano and nine others have been arrested for treason.\n\nSome 1,500 to 2,000 people filled a square in an opposition-friendly part of eastern Caracas to hear Guaido, but that was far fewer than the several thousands who took part in earlier protests.\n\nMaduro, re-elected last year in elections widely seen as rigged, has presided over the collapse of once-rich Venezuela, which sits on the world's biggest oil reserves.\n\nThe country has suffered more than four years of recession marked by shortages of basic necessities such as food and medicine.\n\nThe United Nations says a quarter of Venezuela's 30 million population are in urgent need of aid, and more than 2.7 million have fled the deprivation.\n\nThe United States, Guaido's main international backer, has not ruled out a military intervention to resolve the Venezuelan crisis, which Maduro said is a naked attempt to appropriate the country's vast oil reserves.\n\nIn his letter, Vecchio said \"the conditions in Venezuela are worsening, as a consequence of the corrupt, incompetent and illegitimate regime of the usurper Nicolas Maduro.\""], "summary": "Venezuelan security forces surround the Palacio Federal Legislativo in Caracas, preventing opposition National Assembly lawmakers from entering the building to discuss a response to the recent arrest of National Assembly Vice President Edgar Zambrano."}
{"document": ["Security researchers have found a new class of vulnerabilities in Intel chips which, if exploited, can be used to steal sensitive information directly from the processor.,\n\nThe bugs are reminiscent of Meltdown and Spectre, which exploited a weakness in speculative execution, an important part of how modern processors work. Speculative execution helps processors predict to a certain degree what an application or operating system might need next and in the near-future, making the app run faster and more efficient. The processor will execute its predictions if they’re needed, or discard them if they’re not.\n\nBoth Meltdown and Spectre leaked sensitive data stored briefly in the processor, including secrets — such as passwords, secret keys and account tokens, and private messages.\n\nNow some of the same researchers are back with an entirely new round of data-leaking bugs.\n\n“ZombieLoad,” as it’s called, is a side-channel attack targeting Intel chips, allowing hackers to effectively exploit design flaws rather than injecting malicious code. Intel said ZombieLoad is made up of four bugs, which the researchers reported to the chip maker just a month ago.\n\nAlmost every computer with an Intel chips dating back to 2011 are affected by the vulnerabilities.\n\nZombieLoad takes its name from a “zombie load,” an amount of data that the processor can’t understand or properly process, forcing the processor to ask for help from the processor’s microcode to prevent a crash. Apps are usually only able to see their own data, but this bug allows that data to bleed across those boundary walls. ZombieLoad will leak any data currently loaded by the processor’s core, the researchers said. Intel said patches to the microcode will help clear the processor’s buffers, preventing data from being read.\n\nPractically, the researchers showed in a proof-of-concept video that the flaws could be exploited to see which websites a person is visiting in real-time, but could be easily repurposed to grab passwords or access tokens used to log into a victim’s online accounts.\n\nLike Meltdown and Spectre, it’s not just PCs and laptops affected by ZombieLoad — the cloud is also vulnerable. ZombieLoad can be triggered in virtual machines, which are meant to be isolated from other virtual systems and their host device.\n\nDaniel Gruss, one of the researchers who discovered the latest round of chip flaws, said it works “just like” it does on PCs and can read data off the processor. That’s potentially a major problem in cloud environments where different customers’ virtual machines run on the same server hardware.\n\nAlthough no attacks have been publicly reported, the researchers couldn’t rule them out nor would any attack necessarily leave a trace, they said.\n\nWhat does this mean for the average user? There’s no need to panic, for one.\n\nThese are far from drive-by exploits where an attacker can take over your computer in an instant. Gruss said it was “easier than Spectre” but “more difficult than Meltdown” to exploit — and both required a specific set of skills and effort to use in an attack.\n\nBut if exploit code was compiled in an app or delivered as malware, “we can run an attack,” he said.\n\nThere are far easier ways to hack into a computer and steal data. But the focus of the research into speculative execution and side channel attacks remains in its infancy. As more findings come to light, the data-stealing attacks have the potential to become easier to exploit and more streamlined.\n\nBut as with any vulnerability where patches are available, install them.\n\nIntel has released microcode to patch vulnerable processors, including Intel Xeon, Intel Broadwell, Sandy Bridge, Skylake and Haswell chips. Intel Kaby Lake, Coffee Lake, Whiskey Lake and Cascade Lake chips are also affected, as well as all Atom and Knights processors.\n\nBut other tech giants, like consumer PC and device manufacturers, are also issuing patches as a first line of defense against possible attacks.\n\nComputer makers Apple and Microsoft and browser makers Google have released patches, with other companies expected to follow.\n\nIn a call with TechCrunch, Intel said the microcode updates, like previous patches, would have an impact on processor performance. An Intel spokesperson told TechCrunch that most patched consumer devices could take a 3 percent performance hit at worst, and as much as 9 percent in a datacenter environment. But, the spokesperson said, it was unlikely to be noticeable in most scenarios.\n\nAnd neither Intel nor Gruss and his team have released exploit code, so there’s no direct and immediate threat to the average user.\n\nBut with patches rolling out today, there’s no reason to pass on a chance to prevent such an attack in any eventuality.\n\nRead more:", "Intel may move its Optane production to Fab 68 in China after its deal with Micron unwinds — and, of course, likely assuming that the ongoing Chinese trade war is resolved by then.\n\nFor years, Micron and Intel have operated a joint flash foundry, IM Flash, in Lehi, Utah. Intel is selling its stake in the foundry to Micron, which will kick off a 12-month period during which Micron will Optane to Intel at prearranged prices. After October 2020, the two companies will have to come to a new arrangement for Optane purchases, or Intel will need to have ramped its own manufacturing elsewhere. We know that Intel is developing third-generation Optane at its Rio Rancho facility in New Mexico, but not where it might build the memory thereafter. Anandtech thinks the smart money is on Fab 68 in China, both because this is where Intel is already building its 3D NAND in bulk and because the company has said it wants to ramp Optane production.\n\nDuring its analyst day last week, Intel CEO Bob Swan announced his company wouldn’t be expanding its own 3D NAND production in the near future, though it will continue to roll out higher layer 3D NAND designs, allowing for more capacity to be built on existing lines.\n\nIntel doesn’t expect to be profitable in NAND this year (this is unsurprising, given the NAND market’s meteoric price declines), and ramping Optane sales is also expected to be difficult, given how much of a gap has opened between NAND and Intel’s latest memory technology. There have been questions raised about how successful the Optane push will be, given the supposedly limited performance benefits from adapting Optane DC Persistent Memory. It’s possible that rearchitecting applications to take more specific advantage of Optane’s capabilities may yet yield better results, but this is unknown as yet.\n\nThe trade issues with China will undoubtedly be another factor in Intel’s decision-making. The assumption on Wall Street through Monday morning was that the US and China would settle this dispute relatively amicably. The Dow fell 2.45 percent on Monday, down more than 600 points as investors reacted to continuing problems between the two nations. This issue could still be resolved long before Fab 68 is ready to build Optane, but it takes a significant amount of time to ramp a fab for volume production. If the trade issues between the US and China keep tariffs in place, it could be extremely difficult for Optane to establish itself in-market, particularly given that it already carries a price premium over NAND.\n\nAll of this raises difficult questions for Intel, which will have to decide which foundry to use for future Optane expansion plans without knowing exactly what the status quo with China may be. It’s already quite difficult to ramp a new memory type as a NAND or DRAM competitor given the scale factor these technologies already enjoy. Doing so during a price decline is even harder, because DRAM and NAND prices are falling due to overcapacity, while Intel can’t leverage the same conditions to cut the price of Optane. Launching a new memory technology during a price downturn when a 10-25 percent tariff might be levied on the final goods makes the situation tougher still. While the tariff levied might be the same in percentage terms, the more-expensive memory ends up with a larger price increase in actual dollars. Server purchases and server companies are much less impacted by cost than your average consumer, but that doesn’t mean the price of hardware doesn’t matter, particularly when attempting to debut a new technology in new market segments that requires software support to reach its full potential.\n• Should Sandy Bridge Users Upgrade? Evaluating the 2600K Against Modern CPUs", "Researchers have found a new way to defeat the boot verification process for some Intel-based systems, but the technique can also impact other platforms and can be used to compromise machines in a stealthy and persistent way.\n\nResearchers Peter Bosch and Trammell Hudson presented a time-of-check, time-of-use (TOCTOU) attack against the Boot Guard feature of Intel's reference Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) implementation at the Hack in the Box conference in Amsterdam this week.\n\nBoot Guard is a technology that was added in Intel Core 4th generation microarchitecture -- also known as Haswell -- and is meant to provide assurance that the low-level firmware (UEFI) has not been maliciously modified.\n\nIt does this by checking that the loaded firmware modules are digitally signed with trusted keys that belong to Intel or the PC manufacturer every time the computer starts.\n\nBosch, an independent researcher and computer science student at Leiden University in the Netherlands, discovered an anomaly in the Boot Guard verification process while he was trying to find a way to use the open-source Coreboot firmware on his own laptop.\n\nIn particular, he noticed that after the system verified the firmware and created a validated copy in cache, it later re-read modules from the original copy located in the Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) memory chip -- the chip that stores the UEFI code.\n\nThis isn't correct behaviour, because the system should only rely on the verified copy after the cryptographic checks are passed. This made Bosch think there might be an opportunity for an attacker to modify the firmware code after it's been verified and before it's incorrectly re-read from SPI memory.\n\nHe took his findings and an early proof-of-concept implementation to Trammell Hudson, a well-known hardware and firmware researcher whose previous work includes the Thunderstrike attacks against Apple's Thunderbolt technology.\n\nHudson confirmed Bosch's findings and together worked on an attack that involves attaching a programming device to the flash memory chip to respond with malicious code when the CPU attempts to reread firmware modules from SPI memory instead of the validated copy.\n\nThe result is that malicious and unsigned code is executed successfully, something that Boot Guard was designed to prevent.\n\nWhile the attack requires opening the laptop case to attach clip-on connectors to the chip, there are ways to make it permanent, such as replacing the SPI chip with a rogue one that emulates the UEFI and also serves malicious code.\n\nIn fact, Hudson has already designed such an emulator chip that has the same dimensions as a real SPI flash chip and could easily pass as one upon visual inspection if some plastic coating is added to it.\n\nWhat are the implications of such TOCTOU attacks?\n\nThe reason why the Intel Boot Guard and Secure Boot features were created was to prevent attackers from injecting malware into the UEFI or other components loaded during the booting process such as the OS bootloader or the kernel.\n\nSuch malware programs have existed for a long time and are called boot rootkits, or bootkits, and attackers have used them because they are very persistent and hard to remove. That's because they re-infect the operating system after every reboot before any antivirus program has a chance to start and detect them.\n\nIn its chip-swapping variant, Hudson's and Bosch's attack acts like a persistent hardware-based bootkit. It can be used to steal disk encryption passwords and other sensitive information from the system and it's very hard to detect without opening the device and closely inspecting its motherboard.\n\nEven though such physical attacks require a targeted approach and will never be a widespread threat, they can pose a serious risk to businesses and users who have access to valuable information.\n\nSuch a physical compromise could occur in different ways, for example in an Evil-Maid-type scenario where a high value target, like a company's CEO, travels to a foreign country and leaves their laptop unattended in their hotel room.\n\nBosch tells CSO that replacing the SPI memory chip with a rogue one designed to execute this attack would take 15 to 20 minutes for an experienced attacker with the right equipment.\n\nAnother possibility are supply chain attacks or the so-called \"interdiction\" techniques where computer shipments are intercepted in transit, for example by an intelligence agency, are back-doored and then resealed to hide any tampering.\n\nThe documents leaked by Edward Snowden showed that the NSA uses such techniques, and it is likely not the only intelligence agency to do so.\n\nSome devices do have tamper-evident seals or mechanisms, but someone with the right resources and knowledge can easily bypass those defences, Bosch tells CSO.\n\nMalicious employees could also use this technique on their work-issued laptops to either bypass access controls and gain administrator privileges or to maintain access to the company's data and network after they leave the company. Such a compromise would survive the computer being wiped and being put back into use.\n\nThere have been several cases over the years of economic espionage where employees working for various companies were caught stealing trade secrets and passing them to foreign governments or to competitors.\n\nWhat is the mitigation?\n\nThe two researchers notified Intel of their findings in January and tell CSO that the chipmaker treated the issue seriously and assigned a high severity to it. The company already has patches available for its reference UEFI implementation -- known as Tianocore -- that it shares with BIOS vendors and PC manufacturers.\n\nThe researchers haven't yet tested the fixes, but at least based on the description they seem comprehensive and should prevent similar attacks in the future.\n\nThe problem is that distributing UEFI patches has never been an easy process. Intel shares its UEFI kit with UEFI/BIOS vendors who have contracts with various PC manufacturers. Those OEMs then make their own firmware customisations before they ship it inside their products.\n\nThis means that any subsequent fixes require collaboration and coordination from all involved parties, not to mention end users who need to actually care enough to install those UEFI updates.\n\nThe patches for the critical Meltdown and Spectre vulnerabilities that affected Intel CPUs also required UEFI updates and it took months for some PC vendors to release them for their affected products. Many models never received the patches in the form of UEFI updates because their manufacturers no longer supported them.\n\nThe two researchers plan to release their proof-of-concept code in the following months as part of a tool called SPISpy that they hope will help other researchers and interested parties to check if their own machines are vulnerable and to investigate similar issues on other platforms.\n\n\"I would really like to see the industry move towards opening the source to their firmware, to make it more easy to verify its correctness and security,\" says Bosch.", "ValuEngine downgraded shares of Intel (NASDAQ:INTC) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report released on Thursday, ValuEngine reports.\n\nINTC has been the subject of several other research reports. Credit Suisse Group set a $58.00 target price on shares of Intel and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Thursday. Deutsche Bank dropped their target price on shares of Intel from $62.00 to $60.00 and set a buy rating for the company in a report on Thursday. Wells Fargo & Co dropped their target price on shares of Intel from $60.00 to $55.00 and set a market perform rating for the company in a report on Thursday. BMO Capital Markets downgraded shares of Intel from an outperform rating to a market perform rating and set a $47.99 target price for the company. in a report on Thursday. Finally, BidaskClub downgraded shares of Intel from a strong-buy rating to a buy rating in a report on Tuesday, April 30th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, fourteen have given a hold rating and twenty-one have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. The company presently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $54.49.\n\nNASDAQ:INTC opened at $45.19 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.13, a current ratio of 1.54 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The firm has a market capitalization of $218.10 billion, a PE ratio of 9.87, a P/E/G ratio of 1.45 and a beta of 0.75. Intel has a one year low of $42.36 and a one year high of $59.59.\n\nThe business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Saturday, June 1st. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, May 7th will be given a dividend of $0.315 per share. This represents a $1.26 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.79%. The ex-dividend date is Monday, May 6th. Intel’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 27.51%.\n\nIn other news, EVP Navin Shenoy sold 1,254 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $50.80, for a total transaction of $63,703.20. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Venkata S. M. Renduchintala sold 37,989 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $52.19, for a total transaction of $1,982,645.91. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 76,855 shares in the company, valued at $4,011,062.45. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 100,320 shares of company stock worth $5,343,843. Corporate insiders own 0.02% of the company’s stock.\n\nHedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Tributary Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Intel during the fourth quarter worth $28,000. Stone House Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Intel during the first quarter worth $32,000. Guidant Wealth Advisors lifted its stake in shares of Intel by 234.9% during the first quarter. Guidant Wealth Advisors now owns 921 shares of the chip maker’s stock worth $49,000 after buying an additional 646 shares during the period. Harvest Group Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Intel during the first quarter worth $52,000. Finally, Next Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Intel during the fourth quarter worth $46,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 64.80% of the company’s stock.\n\nIntel Corporation offers computing, networking, data storage, and communication solutions worldwide. It operates through Client Computing Group, Data Center Group, Internet of Things Group, Non-Volatile Memory Solutions Group, Programmable Solutions Group, and All Other segments. The company offers microprocessors, and system-on-chip and multichip packaging products.\n\nFurther Reading: Trading Stocks – What are percentage gainers?\n\nReceive News & Ratings for Intel Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Intel and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.", "Intel reportedly believes foldable laptops could hit the market in the next 2 years. Speaking to Nikkei Asian Review, Joshua D. Newman, Intel’s general manager of mobile innovation and vice president of the company’s Client Computing Group, confirmed the chipset giant is exploring the idea of foldable laptops with display manufacturers such as Samsung, LG, BEO, and Sharp.\n\nNewman explained that the company is ” trying to understand the capability and the limitation of the [foldable] technology.” He also revealed that it will take “at least some two years” for foldable laptops to reach the consumer market.\n\nFlexible devices are seen as the future as touted by Samsung and Huawei, two of the world’s largest smartphone makers. But the Samsung Galaxy Fold screen malfunction made many tech companies and consumers rethink about the potential of the foldable tech. The situation got so worse that Samsung had to delay the release of the Galaxy Fold after some reviewers reported the $2000 phone was breaking just after two days.\n\nFoldable devices like the Galaxy Fold and Mate X may offer a glimpse to the future, but it’s not clear if people are excited about them. Newman appears to be cautious about the foldable display tech, which is still in the early stages. Perhaps the reason why he predicts that foldable laptops are at least 2 years away.\n\nIn related news, Intel has confirmed that it will ship 10nm Ice Lake CPUs in June. Looking further ahead, Intel plans to launch 7nm chips, starting 2021.\n\nIf you have an interesting article / experience / case study to share, please get in touch with us at editors@expresscomputeronline.com", "I am a fan of Intel (NASDAQ: ), but its stock is severely lagging the sector. Year to date, INTC is in negative territory while the VanEck Vectors Semiconductor ETF (NYSEARCA: ) is up about 21%. So a few weeks ago I wrote about putting the stock in the penalty box, which was the right thing to do at the time — it has fallen another 15% since then.\n\nClearly the stock is broken, but since the company isn’t yet, it’s an opportunity to consider a long position in INTC stock. It is time to get Intel stock out of the penalty box and back in play.\n\nThere rarely are perfect entry points into stocks, and since this is a long-term bet on the recovery of this stock, I am not concerned to find the absolute bottom. So those who buy the stock now should be ready to see periods of more red.\n\nThis is especially true since we literally just saw markets take a tumble this morning on geopolitical headlines. Last week, the trade talks between the U.S. and China broke down and stocks are suffering from the mess. This morning, again, markets are under selling pressure, and this takes most stocks down — the good with the bad.\n\nIt is important to note that initiating any bullish positions in stocks now assumes that this economic war will abate soon. So the size of the position matters, and it is prudent to break orders up in tranches. This leaves room for adding more at lower prices if the macroeconomic malaise persists.\n\nIntel Stock Needs to Straighten Out\n\nIntel is a survivor of the Dotcom bubble, so clearly they are proven winners in the long term. But here, it is still not a conviction buy from the fundamental stand point because I am still if disappointed with their management.\n\nThey are making too many bungles and they look like amateurs. Compared them to Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ: ), for example, which has the vote of confidence from experts. Also, recently Intel announced it is leaving the 5-G market, just when the rest of the world is starting to embrace it. This is heralded as the next big thing in communications yet Intel already gave up on it. Management cited the deal between Apple (NASDAQ: ) and Qualcomm (NASDAQ: ) as the reason for their departure from the field.\n\nNevertheless, today’s trade is tactical and has a hybrid thesis of fundamentals and technicals. INTC is cheap at a 10x trailing price-to-earnings ratio, so there is value below, which means that there is little froth left in the stock. This is the upside result of a 24% drop in two weeks. Meaning, the bears will need incremental bad news to inflict similar pain from here.\n\nAlso technically the two recent falls were too fast, leaving too many open gaps above. Unless the company is on its last leg forever, the market action will eventually fill those gaps. INTC and Xilinx (NASDAQ: ) fell on specific problems in their reports. On the other hand, the SMH ETF and AMD aren’t seeing the same negativity. And therein lies the bounce opportunity as the laggards will eventually fall in line with the sector.\n\nThe bottom line is that Intel stock has value below, so it is will stabilize soon. So there is an upside opportunity after this severe correction which actually qualifies as a recession per Wall Street terms. There will be resistance lines at $47, $48.40, $50.50 and $53 per share.\n\nOn the downside, the bulls need to defend $44 per share area, or else they could trigger a bearish technical pattern to target $40 per share. While this is not a forecast, it is one of the current scenario. Furthermore, It will need the help of the equity market in general. After all we are still expecting the next shoes to drop from China’s retaliation to the U.S. tariffs. So if the markets continue falling then INTC stock will not find its footing yet.\n\nBut overall, my thesis is that investors will shrug off this tizzy and we will resume higher. And eventually there will be an upside in Intel that will start a healthy rebound rally.\n\nNicolas Chahine is the managing director of SellSpreads.com. As of this writing, he did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities. You can follow him as @racernic on Twitter and Stocktwits."], "summary": "Security researchers from Graz University of Technology and Catholic University of Leuven discover a major new class of Microarchitectural Data Sampling vulnerabilities called ZombieLoad in Intel processors, which, if exploited, can be used to steal sensitive information directly from the processor. Almost every computer with an Intel chip dating back to 2011 is affected by these vulnerabilities."}
{"document": ["All users of the 5.1 kernel series must upgrade. Well, kind of, let me rephrase that...\n\n\n\nAll users of Intel processors made since 2011 must upgrade.\n\n\n\nNote, this release, and the other stable releases that are all being released right now at the same time, just went out all contain patches that have only seen the \"public eye\" for about 5 minutes. So be forwarned, they might break things, they might not build, but hopefully they fix things. Odds are we will be fixing a number of small things in this area for the next few weeks as things shake out on real hardware and workloads. So don't think you are done updating your kernel, you never are done with that :)\n\nFollowing today's disclosure of the new MDS vulnerabilities affecting Intel CPUs, a slew of new Linux kernel stable releases have been issued.Greg Kroah-Hartman has issued Linux 5.1.2, 5.0.16, 4.19.43, 4.14.119, and 4.9.176 with these now public mitigation patches that pair with Intel's CPU microcode for mitigating this latest set of speculative execution side-channel vulnerabilities.Greg wrote Go fetch from Kernel.org Yes, I'll be running some benchmarks of this latest mitigation work... Supposedly up to 10% performance penalty for MDS. Benchmarks out later this week.", "Big tech is stepping in to patch newly disclosed security flaws affecting almost every Intel chip since 2011.\n\nResearchers on Tuesday released details of the vulnerability, known as ZombieLoad — or microarchitectural data sampling (MDS) as its technical name — which can leak sensitive data stored in the processor, such as passwords, secret keys and account tokens and private messages.\n\nYou can read our coverage here. In short, don’t panic — but you should patch your systems. Here’s how.\n\nApple released macOS fixes\n\nApple has fixes out for every Mac and MacBook released during and after 2011.\n\nThe tech giant said in an advisory that any system running macOS Mojave 10.14.5, released Monday, is patched. This will prevent an attack from being run through Safari and other apps. Most users won’t experience any decline in performance. But some Macs could face up to a 40% performance hit for those who opt-in to the full set of mitigations.\n\nThe security update will also be pushed to Sierra and High Sierra versions. iPhones, iPads and Apple Watch devices aren’t affected by the bugs.\n\nGoogle patches Android, will update Chrome\n\nThe search and browser maker also confirmed it has released patches to mitigate against ZombieLoad.\n\nGoogle said the “vast majority” of Android devices aren’t affected but Intel-only devices will need to be patched once device makers make updates available.\n\nChrome OS devices, such as Chromebooks, are already protected in the latest version, and permanent mitigations will be pushed to devices in the next version.\n\nAnd, the company’s Chrome team has a technical advisory out, but said users should rely on patches for their computer. “Operating system vendors may release updates to improve isolation, so users should ensure they install any updates and follow any additional guidance from their operating system vendor,” said Google. In other words, make sure your Windows PC or your Mac is patched.\n\nGoogle also rolled out patches to its data centers, so cloud customers are already patched, but should be aware of the company’s guidance.\n\nMozilla plans long-term Firefox fix\n\nFirefox browser maker Mozilla said it’s got a long-term fix on the way.\n\n“Firefox has applied the mitigation recommended by Apple on macOS,” said a Mozilla spokesperson. “The macOS mitigation will be part of our upcoming Firefox release (67) and Extended Support Release update (60.7), both scheduled for May 21.”\n\n“Firefox Beta and Firefox Nightly already include the change,” the spokesperson said, adding that no action was recommended for browsers on Windows and Linux.\n\nMicrosoft rolls out Windows updates\n\nMicrosoft has released patches for its operating system and cloud.\n\nJeff Jones, a senior director at Microsoft, said the software and cloud giant has been “working closely with affected chip manufacturers to develop and test mitigations” for its customers. “We are working to deploy mitigations to cloud services and release security updates to protect Windows customers against vulnerabilities affecting supported hardware chips,” he said.\n\nIn a TechNet article, the company said customers may need to obtain directly from their device maker microcode updates for their processor. Microsoft is pushing many of the microcode updates itself through Windows Update, but they are also available from its website.\n\nSoftware updates will be released Tuesday also through Windows Update. Microsoft also has a page with guidance for how to protect against the new attacks.\n\nMicrosoft Azure customers are already protected, the company said.\n\nAmazon patches AWS\n\nA spokesperson for Amazon has confirmed its cloud service Amazon Web Services has been updated to prevent attacks.\n\n“AWS has designed and implemented its infrastructure with protections against these types of bugs, and has also deployed additional protections for MDS,” said an advisory posted on Amazon’s website. “All EC2 host infrastructure has been updated with these new protections, and no customer action is required at the infrastructure level.”\n\nUpdated article and headline to include remarks from Amazon and Mozilla.\n\nRead more:", "In March, Apple officially debuted its Apple Arcade game subscription service. Ahead of a launch later this year, the company is working to court potential developers to be included in the subscription service.\n\nOn the Apple Arcade developer website, Apple has offered developers the ability to pitch their games since March. Today, however, the company has taken things up a notch and is now pitching developers via email.\n\nIn the email, Apple says:\n\nIn March, we introduced Apple Arcade, the world’s first game subscription service for mobile, desktop, and the living room. We’re working closely with some of the most innovative game developers in the world to bring their games to life in Apple Arcade. If you’re working on a groundbreaking unreleased game and would like ti to be considered for Apple Arcade, we’d love to hear from you.\n\nNotably, games offered via Apple Arcade will not be available outside of the subscription service. This is why Apple specifically mentions in its pitch to developers that the game must be unreleased.\n\nThrough Apple Arcade, developers will be paid based on the time users spend playing their game. Apple is also offering upfront funding for developers during the creation process of their Apple Arcade games.\n• Apple reportedly spending $500 million to fund development of 100+ games for its Apple Arcade subscription service\n• Developers cautiously optimistic about the effects of Apple Arcade, report explains\n• Poll: How much will Apple Arcade cost, and what are you willing to pay every month?\n\nSubscribe to 9to5Mac on YouTube for more Apple news:", "Google Now is a personal-assistant tool developed by Google, comparable to Apple’s Siri. It functions through the Google Search mobile app and Google Chrome, allowing users to communicate their requests orally and receive recommendations or answers in response. Using one’s search history, Google Now can also determine relevant information and provide it without user initiation.", "Leaders in their various fields, the three have found amazing ways to cooperate and better serve their customers.\n\nThis article involves three completely different kinds of businesses that have found a way to co-operate with on other in a unique way. In short, Microsoft (MSFT) will offer its customers to build Ethereum (ETH-USD)-based blockchain solutions on its Azure cloud platform, and Starbucks (SBUX) will use Azure and the Ethereum blockchain to track and benefit its coffee farmers. It is, to my knowledge, a unique partnership with no losers and only winners.\n\nMany readers will perhaps be familiar with one or two of the businesses described, but for many an explanation of each business is required.\n\nMicrosoft are leaders in the designing of software for home computers, with its most prominent products being Windows Operating System and Microsoft Office. It is also a force to reckon with in the cloud storage business. Its cloud storage platform, Azure, lets developers connect and integrate a wide range of tools and services at one place.\n\nEthereum is the world's most popular blockchain-based technology for apps (called dApps) and games. It is the first blockchain in the world with the capability of processing code. Among 2000 other cryptocurrencies, Ethereum is the one that most developers use as a backbone for their projects.\n\nStarbucks is the world's largest coffee chain with 24,395 cafes in 74 countries, with a clear focus on social responsibility and providing high-quality coffee and non-alcoholic drinks.\n\nWhat it means for Microsoft\n\nMicrosoft recently announced that it is launching an Ethereum development kit on Azure. This proves that the company understands the power of blockchain technology and wants to be among its leading investors when it reaches the masses.\n\nMicrosoft released the kit as an extension of its already very powerful Visual Studio code. Visual Studio is a must for any serious developer because it offers tons of possibilities for coders of many programming languages, plus features to interact with databases and build advanced predictive analytics features.\n\nNow, with the integration of the Ethereum blockchain, developers can integrate blockchain with all the other features Azure offers.\n\nThe main strength of Ethereum compared to the other 2000 cryptocurrencies lies in its power of smart contracts and \"code is law\" plus its first mover advantage of processing capabilities on the blockchain. This has made Ethereum the by far, most popular blockchain for developers of blockchain apps (dApps) and games.\n\nA major drawback in the use of Ethereum for programming activities used to be the fact that developers of Solidity (the programming language developed by Ethereum) had to build every single feature running on Ethereum from scratch, making the work tedious and slow. Now that the blockchain technology has gained a high level of popularity among programmers, programming on Ethereum has become easier and faster.\n\nNow Ethereum developers can let Azure take a big part of the processing plus connect their dApps to the already vast and growing number of features Azure offers.\n\nMicrosoft is also showing us its future plans for GitHub (the world's number one platform for hackers and code development). I believe the aim is to make GitHub the go-to place for hobbyist, companies, hackers and pretty much everyone interested in free code projects.\n\nWe also see that Microsoft is encouraging all sorts of open source project, even paying its own staff to develop on the Ethereum blockchain.\n\nThis may seems like wasteful thing to do for companies such as Google (GOOG), Amazon (AMZN) and Microsoft, but if we look deeper into the solution offerings they provide (I have written extensively about Microsoft's products here), we can see that Microsoft no longer fights open source code, it actually encourages it in every single way.\n\nBad business for Google, Oracle (ORCL) and Amazon, which likes to hide most of its important code. Some even claim Amazon steals open source code (\"The crusade against open-source abuse,\" TechCrunch).\n\nGreat business for Microsoft, which nowadays sees open source code as an important part of business life and does everything in its power to help open source projects by providing services for open source to integrate with, such as Azure. Microsoft's core business in the future will be Azure and not Office or Windows, and the company knows it.\n\nInstead of fighting open source like its competitors, the company helps open source project succeeds and become more powerful, and if an open source project could start to compete with Google, Facebook (FB), Amazon or Oracle in the future with features build in GitHub and Azure, so much the better.\n\nThis is why it is a wonderful bet on open source features for Microsoft, as it seems to be saying to itself, \"Do not make open source coders angry. Help them and their community instead, and they will start using your features instead of your competitors' whom they will be unhappy with.\"\n\nWhat it means for Ethereum\n\nEthereum has something that Bitcoin does not. Its ability to be able to process code has made it the best blockchain tool for the largest ecosystem of cryptocurrency projects and solutions. In fact, according to Forbes list, 50 big companies building blockchain solutions use Ethereum.\n\nAs I wrote above, Microsoft now officially supports building of smart contracts in Solidity on its wildly popular Visual Studio Code editor.\n\nThis means Ethereum developers are empowered with Microsoft's cutting-edge Machine Learning (AI) tools such as Azure Machine Learning Studio and Azure Cognitive Services, plus all the other services Azure offers.\n\nMicrosoft is not the only one that has noticed the endless opportunities attached with Ethereum. Ernst & Young (one of the largest professional services firm in the world) is rolling out free software running on the Ethereum blockchain for its corporate clients.\n\nYou may have heard of JPMorgan's (JPM) cryptocurrency, the JPM coin. It is powered by Quorum, an enterprise-focused version of Ethereum. More than 200 banks now use the JPM coin.\n\nWhat it means for Starbucks\n\nGeekWire reports that Starbucks will use Microsoft's Blockchain Azure Service to track coffee production. The company also described other initiatives it is working on at the Microsoft Build developer conference.\n\nThe aim is to bring greater financial possibilities for coffee farmers and let users and customers track their coffee back to its source. This is a perfect use case for Ethereum, because it is fully transparent, with thousands of individual nodes verifying the transactions. Everyone can freely track each transaction being made on Ethereum via Etherscan.\n\nThis is all part of Starbucks' \"bean to cup\" program with the intention of gathering real time information about the supply chain and supporting farmers.\n\nStarbucks is actively strengthening its brand by helping farmers get a fairer share of their work and also making the crypto community like the brand more.\n\nWhat open source platform is by far the largest in the world if not Microsoft-owned GitHub?\n\nThe risk it poses for Microsoft\n\nMicrosoft is taking a big bet on open source. Many open source projects aim to compete with or even disrupt existing tech. Thus, Microsoft may end up helping other projects take slices of its own business. Other big companies such as Google and Amazon are more wary about open source, since they have the potential to take market share from them and not nearly as helpful as Microsoft to open source.\n\nThe Risk it Poses to Ethereum\n\nEthereum is a very popular blockchain technology that can be used to build solutions, but it has major issues with scaling. Ethereum currently needs consensus among its nodes, requiring everyone to agree on each transaction, which results in the use of lots of computing power. Also, because Ethereum acts as a gigantic decentralized supercomputer, it causes stress on the network when many are using it at the same time. This has caused prices for transactions to be quite expensive, currently costing about six dollars to make a fairly fast transaction. The cost fluctuates heavily, but it is currently unsustainable to pay such a high price for a transaction.\n\nThe Risk it Poses for Starbucks\n\nBlockchain is a direct threat to many banking and card issuer businesses. It is not impossible that companies like Visa (V) or Mastercard (MA) are forced to make customers choose either them or cryptocurrency. Card issuers might stop doing business with companies accepting cryptocurrencies as payments, forcing Starbucks to choose one of them, while inevitably angering either their cryptocurrency-paying customers or their card-paying customers.\n\nStarbucks also risks having bad press if anyone finds out it has been treating coffee farmers negatively. Every transaction can be traced on the blockchain, therefore the company must be absolutely sure it conducts its business in the best possible manner.\n\nThis partnership between the three described entities is a \"win-win-win\" deal. It strengthens each individual business, as well as putting it in the first-mover advantage over its competitors, leveraging technology from both blockchain and Artificial Intelligence.\n\nMicrosoft benefits by increased user ability on Azure and increased revenues from Starbucks and solutions built on the Ethereum blockchain.\n\nThe stock has risen a lot in the past, but I believe there is more coming. Azure continues to position itself as a leader in its field.\n\nEthereum benefits by increased adoption from businesses on the blockchain, as well as a potential super customer in Starbucks. Imagine what would happen with Ethereum price if people could buy Starbucks coffee with Ethereum (it would explode).\n\nEthereum has seen a huge drop, from 1300 dollars per coin down to 86 dollars at its lowest point. In the last three months it has seen huge increases, and at the time of writing of this article it trades for 171 dollars. Ethereum is volatile, but we see its unique capacities for real-world adoption, and I believe 171 dollars per coin will look like a bargain in the future.\n\nStarbucks benefits by strengthening its brand. Potentially with the use of the Ethereum blockchain, its customers could pinpoint exactly where in the world its coffee came from and also see how much the coffee farmer received in compensation, increasing its customers' experience. Starbucks is also increasingly being loved by crypto enthusiasts because of the help it does to crypto adoption. It is estimated that there are over 7 million crypto enthusiasts in the world. This means 7 million people who will more likely buy their coffee from Starbucks than a competitor in the future.\n\nStarbucks stock has also increased nicely in 2019. I believe the company's increased branding efforts will pay off. If the economy takes a downturn from here or even enters a recession, Starbucks may still thrive, as people are not likely to give up their coffee in the first place. Plus, numerous crypto folk are likely to buy their coffee from Starbucks.\n\nDisclosure: I/we have no positions in any stocks mentioned, but may initiate a long position in MSFT, ETH-USD, SBUX over the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.", "Microsoft stock’s (ticker: MSFT) ongoing flirtation with a $1 trillion market valuation was aided greatly last week by the software giant’s Build conference with developers, and what it had to say about its Azure cloud-computing platform.\n\n“Azure continues to make meaningful strides closing the functionality and usability gap with [ Amazon.com (AMZN) Web Services],” Stifel analyst Brad Reback wrote in a note Sunday. “In fact, these same individuals [Microsoft developers] reinforced the idea that Azure’s hybrid capabilities remain far ahead of AWS.”\n\nReback, who attended the conference in Seattle last week, reiterated a Buy rating and price target of $150. Microsoft stock is down 2.7% to $123.74 in a day of heavy losses on Wall Street on Monday. Cloud was front and center at Build this year. The tone marked a shift from previous years, when Microsoft executives talked as much about consumer products such as the Windows operating system and Surface tablet computers as they did on cloud. A variety of updates to cloud services announced at Build were part of a companywide push for greater adoption of Azure among big businesses for managing applications and storing data. Microsoft finds itself in a pitched battle for cloud revenue with Amazon, the market leader at 32%, and Alphabet ’s (GOOGL) Google, at 7.6%, according to market researcher Canalys. Microsoft is at 13.7%. In April, Microsoft said Azure’s fiscal-third-quarter sales soared 73% from a year ago, as the company’s results topped Wall Street expectations. Microsoft doesn’t disclose the actual sales figures of Azure.", "WASHINGTON—The Supreme Court ruled Monday that consumers can proceed with an antitrust lawsuit challenging Apple Inc.’s exclusive control over the marketplace for iPhone apps, threatening the tech giant’s slice of billions of dollars in software sales. Plaintiffs, who are suing on behalf of a class of app purchasers, allege consumers pay inflated prices because Apple requires that all phone software be sold and purchased through the company’s App Store. Apps would be cheaper if software developers could sell them directly and bypass Apple as a middleman, the lawsuit alleges.\n\nApple typically takes a 30% cut of every app it sells, and a 15% cut of subscriptions sold through the app store after subscribers’ first year. The consumer lawsuit also complains about other App Store rules that affect pricing, such as Apple’s requirement that every app price point end in “99 cents,” meaning developers can only set prices in one-dollar increments like $1.99, $2.99 and so forth. The Supreme Court’s decision focused on a preliminary issue in the case: whether consumers had a right to sue Apple over these practices. The court, in a 5-4 opinion by Justice Brett Kavanaugh, said they did. The court rejected Apple’s arguments that consumers can’t sue because it is the app developers, not the company, that set app prices.\n\n“If accepted, Apple’s theory would provide a roadmap for monopolistic retailers to structure transactions with manufacturers or suppliers so as to evade antitrust claims by consumers and thereby thwart effective antitrust enforcement,” Justice Kavanaugh wrote in a 14-page opinion. Justice Kavanaugh, President Trump’s most recent appointee to the high court, was joined by four liberal justices: Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan. Four conservatives dissented: Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch.\n\nThe high court didn’t address the merits of the plaintiffs’ claims. If they ultimately win, the case could change the way apps are sold and make Apple liable for significant monetary damages. The case could take one to two years, if not longer, to resolve. The court’s decision came on a day when Apple shares already were trading sharply lower because of rising U.S.-China trade tensions. Apple assembles most of its devices in China and counts on China for about a fifth of its sales. As of mid-morning Monday, Apple’s stock price was down about 4.5%, while the broader market had declined about 2%.\n\nMore broadly, Monday’s decision could open the door to additional consumer lawsuits against other tech companies that run marketplaces on their platforms. App-store sales account for about 35% of Apple’ ballooning services business. Apple has pointed to that business as a bright spot in the face of declines in the number of iPhones sold. The services business grew by about 30% during last fiscal year to $39.75 billion.\n\nThe App Store offers developers access to 900 million iPhones world-wide and generally reaches a more affluent audience than rivals. Users of iPhones and iPads spent an estimated $46.6 billion on apps in 2018, almost double what was spent for apps from rival service Google Play, according to Sensor Tower, a market research firm. Apple said last year it had paid developers more than $100 billion from app sales over the past decade. The company didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Apple has said it is entitled to take a share of app sales because it built the store and employs staff who review 100,000 submissions weekly for compliance with its rules around privacy and content. The Apple tax, as some developers have called it, has faced criticism for years. In addition to the litigation on app sales, separately the iPhone maker is facing pushback on how it handles in-app subscription services. In 2015, Spotify Technology SA began encouraging users to stop subscribing through Apple by raising monthly pricing to $13 in the App Store compared with $10 through the music service’s website. Lately, Netflix Inc. and Fortnite creator Epic Games have moved to avoid Apple’s fees by offering their products outside the App Store. Apple’s rules differ somewhat from those of Alphabet Inc.’s Google, which developed the Android phone operating system. Google also takes a 30% cut of apps sold in its Google Play store, but Android phone can buy apps elsewhere, including directly from the software maker in some cases. Write to Brent Kendall at brent.kendall@wsj.com and Tripp Mickle at Tripp.Mickle@wsj.com", "During its I/O Developers Conference on Tuesday, Google did a live demo of the next-generation of Google Assistant running on a Pixel phone. It’s a dramatic rethinking of how the Assistant interacts with you and your phone, down to its interface, which barely takes up any space on the screen. With a single “Hey Google” command, the presenter was able to execute 12 actions in 40 seconds, including launching and searching within third-party apps:\n• Get a Lyft ride to my hotel\n\nAll that took just 40 seconds, but it’s not just the speed that’s impressive. Google Assistant only had to be summoned once, and it continued listening, understood the context of what was being asked, and didn’t require any, um, assistance. When asked to get a Lyft ride to “my hotel,” it knew where she was staying. It launched John Legend’s profile in the Twitter app. It even started a countdown after opening the front camera.\n\nI tried the same thing with Siri and wasn’t nearly as successful. I had to press the button each time, since Siri doesn’t wait around after completing a task. (To be fair, Google Assistant doesn’t on phones yet either.) Siri was able to parse “it” to mean flashlight when I asked to turn it off, but Siri wasn’t able to launch a route on Lyft, and merely showed recent tweets about John Legend. I still had to press the shutter when the selfie cam came up. All in all, it still took more than 50 seconds to accomplish fewer tasks.\n\nGoogle Assistant is so far ahead, I’m not sure Apple can ever catch up. The next-generation Assistant is due to launch in the fall on Pixel phones, and quite frankly, Siri isn’t even as good as this generation. Where does Apple go from here?\n\nTo accomplish the tremendous speed boost, Google moved the entire AI model to the device itself, trimming the whole stack from 100GB down to 50MB. That means requests don’t need to be routed through Google’s servers, and Assistant can work even when your internet doesn’t. It’s not clear exactly how much you’ll be able to do without being online, but general tasks like checking your calendar appointments and turning on the flashlight can be done locally on your phone.\n\nThat might sound familiar. Apple has made a big deal about on-device processing and machine learning as part of its privacy push, and there has been persistent speculation that it is developing an offline Siri. To that end, Apple has been anonymizing and encrypting Siri data for years and using differential privacy to analyze data without collecting it. It’s been a line in the sand between Apple and Google that’s gotten thicker over time, but with the second-generation Assistant, Google is proving that it can both collect and protect your data.\n\nOf course, Google still accesses far more data than Apple does—in fact, one of the key new Assistant features, Personal References, rifles through your messages and calendar entries to learn more about the people in your life—but Google is definitely rethinking how much needs to leave your phone. You can credit Apple with that shift in methodology, but Google appears to be doing a lot more. From the unobtrusive interface to the tremendous speed boost, Google understands what people want out of an assistant, and that includes keeping things as private as possible.\n\nIn an op-ed for the New York Times earlier this week, Google CEO Sundar Pichai outlined a new approach for AI called “federated learning,” which sounds an awful lot like Apple’s differential privacy: “We’re also working hard to challenge the assumption that products need more data to be more helpful. Data minimization is an important privacy principle for us, and we’re encouraged by advances developed by Google A.I. researchers called ‘federated learning.’ It allows Google’s products to work better for everyone without collecting raw data from your device.”\n\nSkeptics will scoff at Google’s privacy assertions and claims here, but the fact of the matter is, Google is doing incredible things with a fully on-device and offline Assistant. No matter how many toggles they build into Android, privacy issues will always plague Google, and for many Apple fans, its efforts will never be enough. But Assistant is acting in ways Siri is still only thinking about. The fact of the matter is Google is taking the fight to Apple in a big way. Apple has been banging the privacy drum for a while, but it’s yet to show how it can keep data local and streamline Siri’s usefulness. With the next-gen Assistant, Google is doing both, leaving Siri to play catch-up.\n\nHow does Apple respond? With WWDC set to kick off in just a few weeks, all eyes will be on Siri and Apple’s new senior vice president of Machine Learning and AI Strategy John Giannandrea, who was plucked from Google last year. It’s been years since Apple outlined its stance on using data to bolster Siri’s smarts, and now it’s time to show us all what it can do. Because pretty soon, it might be too late.", "The Nest smart home ecosystem as we know it is dead.\n\nAt its annual Google I/O developers conference last week, the search giant announced a broader restructuring of its smart home lineup that was long coming. Gone is the Google Home brand, as is the standalone Nest, which it acquired in 2014. In its place is the new Google Nest.\n\nThe new rebranding is the result of a shakeup that brought the Nest and Google Hardware teams together February last year.\n\nBut in a separate announcement, Google said it will discontinue the Works with Nest program on August 31 this year, effectively putting an end to the only way that allows third-party device manufacturers to integrate their products with the Nest ecosystem.\n\nInstead, it wants other companies to come aboard an alternative Works with Google Assistant program that necessitates them to support Google’s AI-powered virtual assistant if they want their devices to pair well with Nest products.\n\nIt’s no surprise that Google has been realigning its vast array of services, both hardware and software, around a Google Assistant-centric universe for a while now. The unification of its smart home efforts is only a logical next step in the larger scheme of things, one that enables all your connected devices to be controlled by the Google Assistant through voice.\n\nGoogle has said it’s making the switch keeping users’ privacy in mind, with Variety reporting that the more “restrictive” Works with Google Assistant program “would give a small number of thoroughly vetted partners access to additional data if customers explicitly allowed such data sharing.”\n\nBut in a surprise development, Google has also announced that it will be entirely doing away with Nest accounts for new users, in addition to urging existing users to migrate to a unified Google account for a better “seamless” experience.\n\n“We strongly recommend account migration to Google for all of our users. Having a single account will also enable Nest and Google Home devices and services to work more seamlessly together – for example, if you have a Nest thermostat and a Google Home, just say, ‘Hey Google, make it warmer’ to turn up the heat without any additional setup,” Google notes in a new FAQ it has put up on the Nest website.\n\nBut by getting rid of the privacy barrier between Google and Nest, the move has significant implications for user privacy.\n\nPrivacy in the Internet of Things space has already been a hot topic. Last month, Bloomberg published a piece about how thousands of Amazon employees listen to voice recordings captured in Echo speakers, transcribing and annotating them to improve the Alexa digital assistant that powers the smart speakers.\n\nThen a couple of days ago, the retail behemoth came under further scrutiny for its data collection practices after it emerged that Alexa assistant not only keeps your voice recordings, but also keeps a record of your voice transcriptions for improving its AI algorithms, with no option to delete them.\n\nWhat’s more, Facebook, last month, admitted that it still tracked users even after they deactivated their accounts. Google, for its part, invited criticism last year after it was discovered that it could still track its users despite turning the Location History setting off, prompting the company to add new auto-delete controls to allow users manage their activity better.\n\nWith privacy settings offered by big tech really not doing what they are supposed to do, but merely give consumers an illusion of control, the company’s ploy to migrate all existing Nest users to Google raises a potential red flag that needs to be treated with caution.\n\n“When you work with Nest and use Nest products, that data does not go into the greater Google or any of [its] other business units,” Tony Fadell, co-founder and former chief of Nest, told BBC in July 2015 in an attempt to allay such fears. “So, just when you say we may be owned by Google, it doesn’t mean that the data is open to everyone inside the company or even any other business group – and vice versa,” he added.\n\nThe shift, while convenient, not only means combining two massive sets of information that were previously kept separate, but also risks repeating the privacy concerns that became evident in the aftermath of Facebook’s takeover of WhatsApp and Instagram.\n\nThat’s not all. Google also warns users that not migrating to a Google account would risk losing access to new connected experiences that it might offer in the future, suggesting it’s more than happy to hold Nest users at ransom in order to make them forcefully move to a Google account.\n\nBy “threatening” users with loss of functionality or deletion of their accounts if certain settings are not enabled, companies have repeatedly resorted to a rewards-like system where the right action (which is privacy intrusive) is compensated with a better service, while choosing to turn them off can result in a penalty of some sort. What’s more, it’s always opt-out by default, never opt-in.\n\nAlthough Google has stressed that it will be transparent about its data collection practices, and that it will give users more options to review and delete data as and when necessary, the very fact that your activity on Nest will be used to personalize your experience elsewhere on Google and serve relevant ads is a clear sign that it’s time for more robust privacy controls.\n\nRead next: Foldable phone race heats up as Google enters the fold", "MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. (AP) — The Latest on Google conference in California (all times local):\n\nGoogle says it’s working to overhaul its Chrome browser to let users limit the number of tracking cookies that follow you around.\n\nThe privacy-focused announcement from Google comes as tech companies are facing increasing scrutiny over the amount of user information they collect in order to sell ads.\n\nGoogle says it’s changing how cookies work to better identify those used by third-party websites and advertisers to track users. The company says that change will enable users to clear most tracking cookies while leaving alone those used to preserve logins and personalized website settings.\n\nGoogle says it’s also introducing “anti-fingerprinting” measures to block other techniques used to identify and track individuals.\n\nApple made similar changes to its Safari browser last year.\n\nThe announcements came Tuesday during Google’s developers conference in Mountain View, California.\n\nAnalysts say Google is making a showing to set itself apart from competitors with its artificial intelligence updates and hardware expansions.\n\nGoogle announced a new, cheaper Pixel phone and more advanced voice assistant capabilities as its annual developers conference opened Tuesday.\n\nAnalyst Dan Ives of Wedbush Securities says Google knows it is a leader in artificial intelligence and it reminded people of that.\n\nGeoff Blaber of CCS Insight is calling attention to Google’s new Pixel versions. The cheaper phones could make the company more competitive in a struggling smartphone market.\n\nGartner analyst Werner Goertz says Google’s announcements are all about using devices as the missing link between the company’s cloud services and the real world.\n\nThe next version of Google’s Android operating system will include more features to help people prevent mobile apps from shadowing them.\n\nLocation-tracking by Google and other digital services have become a hot-button topic as people have become more aware about how that data can be used to sell ads and create profiles about the way they live and where they go.\n\nTo address that, the forthcoming “Android Q” update will include settings to help users prevent different apps from tracking their whereabouts as they carry their device during their travels.\n\nMeanwhile, more people are becoming worried about becoming too addicted to their phones. Toward that end, Android Q will add a “focus mode” that will allow people to turn off apps that lure them into doing unproductive things. There will also be more parental controls to limit the time that children spend on their devices.\n\nGoogle is releasing cheaper versions of its smartphone in an effort to appeal to budget-minded consumers who aren’t willing to spend $800 on the Pixel 3.\n\nThe more affordable phones are a response to a worldwide slowdown in smartphone sales, which has been partially driven by people’s reluctance to splurge on the increasingly expensive models from Apple, Samsung, Google and other manufacturers.\n\nThe price for the Pixel 3a will start at $399. There’s also a larger, XL model at $479. Both are available immediately.\n\nGoogle announced the long-rumored mid-range phones at its developers conference Tuesday in Mountain View, California, five months before it’s expected to release the next generation in a product line it created in 2016.\n\nThe new versions of the Pixel will have the same camera as the top-of-the-line model, but the glass back will be replaced with plastic.\n\nAlthough they have been praised in reviews, Pixel phones still haven’t made a significant dent in the smartphone market. The research firm IDC says Google had only sold 8.2 million Pixels through — a drop in the bucket of total smartphone sales.\n\nGoogle’s new smart home display will be able to make video calls on a bigger screen.\n\nThe company unveiled the larger and more versatile device, called Nest Hub Max, on Tuesday at its annual conference in Mountain View, California.\n\nThe Nest Hub Max has a 10-inch display that offers a wide field of vision that’s designed to make it easy to conduct video calls even while walking around. That’s a feature unavailable on a 7-inch display called Home Hub that Google released last year.\n\nThe previous model primarily serves as a digital frame for photos. With video calling, Google’s device becomes more competitive with similar smart home displays made by Amazon and Facebook that already include that option.\n\nPeople can enable facial recognition if they want the Nest Hub Max, so that the device can distinguish identify members of the household and offer personal reminders. Google says the analysis is done on the device, with nothing sent to Google’s servers.\n\nGoogle is retiring the Home name and shifting to the Nest brand best known for its line of internet-connected thermostats and cameras.\n\nGoogle researchers are working to train its speech recognition system to understand people with speech impairments.\n\nThe company showcased its Project Euphonia Tuesday during its annual developers conference in Mountain View, California.\n\nProject Euphonia is working with people who have neurological conditions including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, to better understand their speech patterns. The researchers hope to train the system to reliably transcribe the speech to better help people communicate.\n\nGoogle also announced an update that will help people type one side of a phone conversation on a keyboard and have words quickly translated into speech.\n\nTo help people who cannot speak, the company revealed a button that will connect to Google Assistant to allow people to send simple commands without speaking.\n\nGoogle will allow users of its digital maps to cloak their identities to prevent their locations from being recorded.\n\nThe new privacy control called “Incognito” is being offered by Google as tech companies face intensifying scrutiny over the amount of user information they collect and sell for advertising. Facebook dedicated much of its own conference last week to connecting people though more private channels rather than broadly on the social network.\n\nIncognito has long been offered on various browsers, including Google’s Chrome, though that may get overridden when people sign in to a Google or other account.\n\nGoogle also showed off recently announced auto-delete features. The tools let people set a time limit for how long their location history will be saved before it is deleted.\n\nThe announcements came Tuesday during Google’s developers conference in Mountain View, California.\n\nGoogle says its artificial intelligence assistant will get a series of updates this year, including one that lets it book rental cars and movie tickets for you.\n\nGoogle says Assistant will be able to book cars and tickets using online forms on Android phones later this year. The technology behind this, called Duplex, was released last year amid much fanfare and some worries about its ability to sound creepily human when calling restaurant to make reservations.\n\nAssistant will also be shrunk down on new Pixel phones later this year to a size that lets it understand and respond to some commands without sending information to Google’s servers.\n\nThe AI is also learning to offer more personal suggestions to users by learning common contact names and addresses.\n\nGoogle announced the updates at its annual developers conference Tuesday in Mountain View, California.\n\nGoogle CEO Sundar Pichai has kicked off the company’s annual conference by reiterating his intention to come up with more features to help make people’s live easier.\n\nThe pledge made Tuesday before a crowd of about 7,000 computer programmers is part of Pichai’s efforts to diversify Google beyond its roots as a search.\n\nThe search engine remains the main way that Google makes billions of dollars annually by selling digital ads that are targeted at the interests that people reveal through their search requests.\n\nEarly announcements include features to automatically calculate tips and split the bill by pointing the camera at a receipt. Or point the camera to a physical menu to highlight popular dishes.\n\nGoogle is expected to unveil several products and other features unrelated to its search engine during the conference in Mountain View, California.\n\nGoogle CEO Sundar Pichai is expected to showcase much-anticipated updates to the company’s hardware lines and artificial intelligence.\n\nGoogle will also likely address privacy updates as concerns about data sharing continue to plague the tech industry. Facebook dedicated much of its own conference last week to addressing privacy.\n\nRumors suggest that Google may unveil a mid-range Pixel phone as a cheaper option to the flagship model currently on sale for $800.\n\nPichai has a keynote scheduled Tuesday at the company’s annual I/O conference for software developers in Mountain View, California.\n\nGoogle says more than 7,000 developers will attend. The conference is focused on updates for the computer engineers that build apps and services on top of Google technology. I/O has also become a stage to announce new consumer products.\n\nCopyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area."], "summary": "Linux kernel developers, Apple, Google and Microsoft release emergency patches for their products to mitigate ZombieLoad."}
{"document": ["Image copyright Getty Images Image caption WhatsApp has 1.5bn users, but it believed the attacks were highly-targeted\n\nHackers were able to remotely install surveillance software on phones and other devices using a major vulnerability in messaging app WhatsApp, it has been confirmed.\n\nWhatsApp, which is owned by Facebook, said the attack targeted a \"select number\" of users and was orchestrated by \"an advanced cyber-actor\".\n\nA fix was rolled out on Friday.\n\nOn Monday, WhatsApp urged all of its 1.5 billion users to update their apps as an added precaution.\n\nThe surveillance software involved was developed by Israeli firm NSO Group, according to a report in the Financial Times.\n\nFacebook first discovered the flaw in WhatsApp earlier in May.\n\nWhatsApp promotes itself as a \"secure\" communications app because messages are end-to-end encrypted, meaning they should only be displayed in a legible form on the sender or recipient's device.\n\nHowever, the surveillance software would have let an attacker read the messages on the target's device.\n\nSome users of the app have questioned why the app store notes associated with the latest update are not explicit about the fix.\n\nImage copyright Twitter\n\n\"Journalists, lawyers, activists and human rights defenders\" are most likely to have been targeted, said Ahmed Zidan from the non-profit Committee to Protect Journalists.\n\nHow do I update WhatsApp?\n\nAndroid\n\nOpen the Google Play store\n\nstore Tap the menu at the top left of the screen\n\nTap My Apps & Games\n\nIf WhatsApp has recently been updated, it will appear in the list of apps with a button that says Open\n\nIf WhatsApp has not been automatically updated, the button will say Update. Tap Update to install the new version\n\nThe latest version of WhatsApp on Android is 2.19.134\n\niOS\n\nOpen the App Store\n\nAt the bottom of the screen, tap Updates\n\nIf WhatsApp has recently been updated, it will appear in the list of apps with a button that says Open\n\nIf WhatsApp has not been automatically updated, the button will say Update. Tap Update to install the new version\n\nThe latest version of WhatsApp on iOS is 2.19.51\n\nHow was the security flaw used?\n\nIt involved attackers using WhatsApp's voice calling function to ring a target's device.\n\nEven if the call was not picked up, the surveillance software could be installed. According to the FT report, the call would often disappear from the device's call log.\n\nWhatsApp told the BBC its security team was the first to identify the flaw. It shared that information with human rights groups, selected security vendors and the US Department of Justice earlier this month.\n\n\"The attack has all the hallmarks of a private company reportedly that works with governments to deliver spyware that takes over the functions of mobile phone operating systems,” the company said on Monday in a briefing document note for journalists.\n\nThe firm also published an advisory to security specialists, in which it described the flaw as: \"A buffer overflow vulnerability in WhatsApp VOIP [voice over internet protocol] stack allowed remote code execution via specially crafted series of SRTCP [secure real-time transport protocol] packets sent to a target phone number.”\n\nProf Alan Woodward from the University of Surrey said it was a \"pretty old-fashioned\" method of attack.\n\n\"A buffer overflow is where a program runs into memory it should not have access to. It overflows the memory it should have and hence has access to memory in which malicious code can potentially be run,\" he explained.\n\n\"If you are able to pass some code through the app, you can run your own code in that area.\n\n\"In VOIP there is an initial process that dials up and establishes the call, and the flaw was in that bit. Consequently you did not need to answer the call for the attack to work.\"\n\nWho is behind the software?\n\nThe NSO Group is an Israeli company that has been referred to in the past as a \"cyber-arms dealer\".\n\nWhile some cyber-security companies report the flaws they find so that they can be fixed, others keep problems to themselves so they can be exploited or sold to law enforcement.\n\nThe NSO Group is part-owned by the London-based private equity firm Novalpina Capital, which acquired a stake in February.\n\nNSO's flagship software, Pegasus, has the ability to collect intimate data from a target device, including capturing data through the microphone and camera, and gathering location data.\n\nIn a statement, the group said: \"NSO's technology is licensed to authorised government agencies for the sole purpose of fighting crime and terror.\n\n\"The company does not operate the system, and after a rigorous licensing and vetting process, intelligence and law enforcement determine how to use the technology to support their public safety missions. We investigate any credible allegations of misuse and if necessary, we take action, including shutting down the system.\n\n\"Under no circumstances would NSO be involved in the operating or identifying of targets of its technology, which is solely operated by intelligence and law enforcement agencies. NSO would not or could not use its technology in its own right to target any person or organisation.\"\n\nWho has been targeted?\n\nWhatsApp said it was too early to know how many users had been affected by the vulnerability, although it added that suspected attacks were highly-targeted.\n\nAccording to the New York Times, one of the people targeted was a London-based lawyer involved in a lawsuit against the NSO Group.\n\nAmnesty International, which said it had been targeted by tools created by the NSO Group in the past, said this attack was one human rights groups had long feared was possible.\n\n\"They're able to infect your phone without you actually taking an action,\" said Danna Ingleton, deputy programme director for Amnesty Tech. She said there was mounting evidence that the tools were being used by regimes to keep prominent activists and journalists under surveillance.\n\n\"There needs to be some accountability for this, it can't just continue to be a wild west, secretive industry.\"\n\nOn Tuesday, a Tel Aviv court will hear a petition led by Amnesty International that calls for Israel's Ministry of Defence to revoke the NSO Group's licence to export its products.\n\nWhat are the unanswered questions?\n\nHow many people were targeted? WhatsApp says it is too early in its investigation to say how many people were targeted, or how long the flaw was present in the app\n\nWhatsApp says it is too early in its investigation to say how many people were targeted, or how long the flaw was present in the app Does updating WhatsApp remove the spyware? While the update fixes the flaw that let this attack take place, WhatsApp has not said whether the update removes any spyware that has already infected a compromised device\n\nWhile the update fixes the flaw that let this attack take place, WhatsApp has not said whether the update removes any spyware that has already infected a compromised device What could the spyware do? WhatsApp has not said whether the attack could extend beyond the confines of WhatsApp, reaching further into a device and accessing emails, photos and more\n\n\"Using an app as an attack route is limited on iOS as they run apps in very tightly controlled sandboxes,\" said Prof Woodward. \"We're all assuming that the attack was just a corruption of WhatsApp but analysis is still ongoing.\n\n\"The nightmare scenario would be if you could get something much more capable onto the device without the user having to do anything,\" he said.\n\nThe BBC has asked WhatsApp for clarification.\n\n_______\n\nFollow Dave Lee on Twitter @DaveLeeBBC\n\nDo you have more information about this or any other technology story? You can reach Dave directly and securely through encrypted messaging app Signal on: +1 (628) 400-7370", "WhatsApp users have been urged to update their app immediately, after it was hit by one of the worst security bugs ever seen.\n\nThe flaw allows the app to be attacked through a missed call – and until the update was released there was nothing an affected user could do. Once hit, the phone would be compromised without the user knowing.\n\nThe technology to use the attack appears to have been created by an Israeli company that sells technology exploits to governments, allowing them to spy on citizens. It is not clear how prevalent the attack was but it appears to have already been used.\n\nWe’ll tell you what’s true. You can form your own view. From 15p €0.18 $0.18 USD 0.27 a day, more exclusives, analysis and extras.\n\nAn update is now available for all major platforms that fixes the bug, and security experts have urged users to ensure that their phones are up to date as soon as they can.\n\nThe release notes for the new version of the app make no mention of the bug or the fix that will be installed. On iOS, they only mentioned stickers, but WhatsApp’s owner Facebook confirmed that the latest update fixes the bug.\n\nShape Created with Sketch. 12 useful WhatsApp features you didn’t know existed Show all 12 left Created with Sketch. right Created with Sketch. Shape Created with Sketch. 12 useful WhatsApp features you didn’t know existed 1/12 Unsend messages You can unsend a message by tapping and holding it, hitting the Delete symbol and selecting Delete for Everyone. The feature works for all types of messages, but only if they were sent less than seven minutes ago. 2/12 Dodge the blue ticks WhatsApp’s blue ticks show when sent messages have been read, but you can disable them buy going to Settings > Account > Privacy > Read Receipts. However, bear in mind that, by doing so, you’ll lose the ability to see when your own sent messages have been read. Another, more fiddly way of reading your messages without triggering the blue ticks, is enabling Aeroplane Mode before opening your messages - just remember to close the app before switching Aeroplane Mode off again. 3/12 Hide your 'last seen' time Prevent your friends from finding out when you were last online by hiding your last seen time. Go to Settings > Account > Privacy > Last Seen. As is the case with disabling read receipts, hiding your ‘last seen’ time will also stop you from seeing anybody else’s. 4/12 Limit data usage You can control how much data you munch through on WhatsApp by limiting the types of media you automatically download on a mobile connection. Go to Settings > Data Usage and choose the best option for you. 5/12 Customise notifications If you’re expecting an important WhatsApp message from someone, set a custom notification for them by opening the chat, tapping their name at the top and hitting Custom Notifications. 6/12 Format your messages To jazz up any of your messages, simply highlight it by tapping and holding it, hit the More Options key on the pop-up menu and tap the formatting option you want - bold, italic, strikethrough or monospace. 7/12 Type hands-free You can get Siri or Google Assistant to type your WhatsApp messages out for you by saying either “Hey Siri” or “Okay Google”, followed by the name of the person you want to message and the actual contents of the message. 8/12 Mark chats as unread When you’ve read a message but can’t reply to it straight away, you can set a visual reminder by marking it as unread. On Android, long-press the conversation, and on iOS, swipe from left to right on a chat. 9/12 Email entire conversations You almost certainly won’t do this on a regular basis, but it’s a handy option to have. You can export entire conversations - complete with emoji and media attachments - by hitting More inside a chat a selecting Email Chat. 10/12 Mass-message contacts You can send the same message to lots of your contacts without lumping them all into one group, much like the BCC option on email, by hitting the New Broadcast option on the app’s main menu. 11/12 Pin conversations You pin up to three contacts and groups to the top of your WhatsApp conversation list by tapping and holding a chat, then hitting the pin icon. 12/12 Make things easier to find You can easily mark key messages with a star, allowing you to find them easily when you need to. Just tap and hold a message and hit the star icon to save it, and return to it later by selecting Starred Messages in WhatsApp’s main menu. 1/12 Unsend messages You can unsend a message by tapping and holding it, hitting the Delete symbol and selecting Delete for Everyone. The feature works for all types of messages, but only if they were sent less than seven minutes ago. 2/12 Dodge the blue ticks WhatsApp’s blue ticks show when sent messages have been read, but you can disable them buy going to Settings > Account > Privacy > Read Receipts. However, bear in mind that, by doing so, you’ll lose the ability to see when your own sent messages have been read. Another, more fiddly way of reading your messages without triggering the blue ticks, is enabling Aeroplane Mode before opening your messages - just remember to close the app before switching Aeroplane Mode off again. 3/12 Hide your 'last seen' time Prevent your friends from finding out when you were last online by hiding your last seen time. Go to Settings > Account > Privacy > Last Seen. As is the case with disabling read receipts, hiding your ‘last seen’ time will also stop you from seeing anybody else’s. 4/12 Limit data usage You can control how much data you munch through on WhatsApp by limiting the types of media you automatically download on a mobile connection. Go to Settings > Data Usage and choose the best option for you. 5/12 Customise notifications If you’re expecting an important WhatsApp message from someone, set a custom notification for them by opening the chat, tapping their name at the top and hitting Custom Notifications. 6/12 Format your messages To jazz up any of your messages, simply highlight it by tapping and holding it, hit the More Options key on the pop-up menu and tap the formatting option you want - bold, italic, strikethrough or monospace. 7/12 Type hands-free You can get Siri or Google Assistant to type your WhatsApp messages out for you by saying either “Hey Siri” or “Okay Google”, followed by the name of the person you want to message and the actual contents of the message. 8/12 Mark chats as unread When you’ve read a message but can’t reply to it straight away, you can set a visual reminder by marking it as unread. On Android, long-press the conversation, and on iOS, swipe from left to right on a chat. 9/12 Email entire conversations You almost certainly won’t do this on a regular basis, but it’s a handy option to have. You can export entire conversations - complete with emoji and media attachments - by hitting More inside a chat a selecting Email Chat. 10/12 Mass-message contacts You can send the same message to lots of your contacts without lumping them all into one group, much like the BCC option on email, by hitting the New Broadcast option on the app’s main menu. 11/12 Pin conversations You pin up to three contacts and groups to the top of your WhatsApp conversation list by tapping and holding a chat, then hitting the pin icon. 12/12 Make things easier to find You can easily mark key messages with a star, allowing you to find them easily when you need to. Just tap and hold a message and hit the star icon to save it, and return to it later by selecting Starred Messages in WhatsApp’s main menu.\n\nAs such, it is important to check that your phone has the right version, which will show alongside the update. On iOS, it should be version 2.19.51, and on Android it needs to be 2.19.134 or later.\n\nThe spyware was created by an “advanced cyber actor” and has already been used on multiple phones, WhatsApp said.\n\nThe Financial Times identified the actor as Israel’s NSO Group. A WhatsApp spokesperson later said: “We’re certainly not refuting any of the coverage you’ve seen.” The NSO said in a statement that it provides spying technology to government agencies, and that it does not use it itself.\n\nThe malware was able to penetrate phones through missed calls alone via the app’s voice calling function, a WhatsApp spokesperson said. An unknown number of people – an amount at least in the dozens would not be inaccurate – were infected with the malware, a spokesperson said. The company said it discovered the malware in early May.\n\nJohn Scott-Railton, a researcher with the internet watchdog Citizen Lab, called the hack “a very scary vulnerability”. He said: “There’s nothing a user could have done here, short of not having the app.”\n\nThe WhatsApp spokesperson said the attack had “all the hallmarks of a private company that has been known to work with governments to deliver spyware that has the ability to take over mobile phone operating systems”.\n\nThe spokesperson said WhatsApp, which has more than 1.5 billion users, immediately contacted Citizen Lab and human rights groups, quickly fixed the issue and pushed out a patch. He said WhatsApp also provided information to US law enforcement officials to assist in their investigation.\n\nHe said the flaw was discovered while “our team was putting some additional security enhancements to our voice calls”. He added that engineers found that people targeted for infection “might get one or two calls from a number that is not familiar to them – in the process of calling, this code gets shipped”.\n\n“We are deeply concerned about the abuse of such capabilities,” WhatsApp said in a statement.\n\nAn NSO spokesperson said: “NSO’s technology is licensed to authorised government agencies for the sole purpose of fighting crime and terror. The company does not operate the system, and after a rigorous licensing and vetting process, intelligence and law enforcement determine how to use the technology to support their public safety missions.\n\n“We investigate any credible allegations of misuse and if necessary, we take action, including shutting down the system.”\n\nThe revelation adds to the questions over the reach of the Israeli company’s powerful spyware, which can hijack smartphones, control their cameras and effectively turn them into pocket-sized surveillance devices.\n\nNSO’s spyware has repeatedly been found deployed to hack journalists, lawyers, human rights defenders and dissidents. Most notably, the spyware was implicated in the gruesome killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was dismembered in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last year and whose body has never been found.\n\nSeveral alleged targets of the spyware, including a close friend of Khashoggi and several Mexican civil society figures, are currently suing NSO in an Israeli court over the hacking.\n\nOn Monday, Amnesty International – which said last year that one of its staffers was also targeted with the spyware – announced it would join a legal bid to force Israel’s Ministry of Defence to suspend NSO’s export licence.\n\nAn Amnesty attorney said the discovery of the vulnerability was particularly disturbing because one of the targets was a UK-based human rights lawyer.\n\nThe lawyer, who spoke on condition of anonymity for professional reasons, said he received several suspicious missed calls over the past few months, the most recent one on Sunday, only hours before WhatsApp issued the update to users fixing the flaw.\n\nAdditional reporting by agencies", "WhatsApp uncovered a security flaw which allowed hackers to install and use spyware software on phones, the company has confirmed to Euronews.\n\nIt identified and fixed the security flaw but said that some users were targeted.\n\nWhatsApp, an encrypted messaging programme owned by Facebook, began rolling out an upgrade for its estimated 1.5 billion users on Friday.\n\nThe flaw allowed attackers to install commercial Israeli surveillance spyware on phones through the messaging app's phone call function, according to a report in the Financial Times (FT).\n\nHow did the attack work?\n\nA WhatsApp spokesperson told Euronews that this type of attack \"would be highly selective in nature and would be available to only advanced and highly motivated actors\".\n\nThe \"advanced actor\" in this case used code developed by Israeli company NSO Group, according to FT.\n\nThe spyware manufacturer is known to sell surveillance software to countries such as Saudi Arabia.\n\nBy calling a targeted user through the app, hackers could install the Israeli software onto both iPhones and Androids even if the user did not answer the call, the FT report said.\n\nThe spyware company's flagship spyware program \"Pegasus\" can take control of a phone camera and microphone, track movement and record calls.\n\nAn NSO spokesperson told Euronews that the company licenses software to \"government agencies for the sole purpose of fighting crime and terror,\" but that \"intelligence and law enforcement determine how to use the technology to support their public safety missions.\"\n\nA UK-based human rights lawyer's phone was targeted as late as Sunday, according to the FT report.\n\nIn a statement to Euronews, the Israeli spyware company said \"NSO would not or could not use its technology in its own right to target any person or organization, including this individual,\" presumably referring to the lawyer targeted.\n\nAmnesty International said that the company's \"Pegasus\" software has been used to target at least 24 human rights defenders, journalists and parliamentarians in Mexico, an Amnesty employee, and Saudi and Emirati activists.\n\nThe software reportedly helped Saudi Arabia to spy on journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was killed in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in 2018.\n\nThe human rights organisation will file a petition on Tuesday at the District Court of Tel Aviv to attempt to stop NSO Group from exporting its products.\n\nBetween August 2016 and August 2018, the University of Toronto's \"Citizen Lab\" tracked the NSO software to 45 countries out of which \"at least six countries with significant Pegasus operations have previously been linked to abusive use of spyware to target civil society, including Bahrain, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.\"\n\nWhat can you do to protect yourself?\n\nWhatsApp issued a security fix and cybersecurity notice on Monday for users and security professionals.\n\nUsers should upgrade the app to get the security fix by checking updates in their phone's application store.\n\n\"WhatsApp encourages people to upgrade to the latest version of our app, as well as keep their mobile operating system up to date, to protect against potential targeted exploits designed to compromise information stored on mobile devices,\" a WhatsApp spokesperson wrote in an email Euronews.\n\nApp Versions Affected: WhatsApp for Android prior to v2.19.134, WhatsApp Business for Android prior to v2.19.44, WhatsApp for iOS prior to v2.19.51, WhatsApp Business for iOS prior to v2.19.51, WhatsApp for Windows Phone prior to v2.18.348, and WhatsApp for Tizen prior to v2.18.15.", "Cybersecurity experts have warned WhatsApp users to update the messaging app as soon as possible following the discovery of a major vulnerability that could allow attackers to install a malicious code on smartphones.\n\nThe Facebook-owned app said it identified and fixed the issue earlier this month but Citizen Lab, a research group at the University of Toronto, suspects that an attacker attempted to exploit it again on Sunday.\n\nWhatsApp believes that a select number of users were targeted by an advanced cyber actor, exploiting its voice calling feature, which it said had all the hallmarks of a private company reportedly that works with governments to deliver spyware that takes over the functions of mobile phone operating systems.\n\n“It demonstrates the importance of keeping your software updated,” said Dr Budi Arief, a cybersecurity expert at the University of Kent.\n\n“I’m not particularly surprised by this development, this happens all the time.\n\n“This recent vulnerability bears a resemblance to the Apple FaceTime vulnerability discovered earlier this year.\n\n“At this stage, it is too early to say whether there is any connection between the WhatsApp vulnerability and the FaceTime vulnerability.\n\n“Software is a very complex system – it’s practically impossible to guarantee it is completely bug-free, there are always potential vulnerabilities that could be exploited.”\n\nWhatsApp said it was deeply concerned about the abuse of such capabilities and is also urging users to update their apps out of an abundance of caution.\n\nThe company, which has some 1.5 billion users worldwide, has been in contact with a number of human rights organisations to share information on the incident, as well as US law enforcement to assist in conducting an investigation.\n\n“WhatsApp encourages people to upgrade to the latest version of our app, as well as keep their mobile operating system up to date, to protect against potential targeted exploits designed to compromise information stored on mobile devices,” a spokeswoman said.\n\n“We are constantly working alongside industry partners to provide the latest security enhancements to help protect our users.”\n\nThere are concerns that the software was used in attempts to access the phones of human rights campaigners, including a UK-based lawyer.\n\nAccording to the Financial Times, the spyware was developed by NSO Group, an Israeli cybersecurity and intelligence company.\n\n“Under no circumstances would NSO be involved in the operating or identifying of targets of its technology, which is solely operated by intelligence and law enforcement agencies,” the company told the paper.\n\n“NSO would not, or could not, use its technology in its own right to target any person or organisation, including this individual (the UK lawyer).”\n\nThe National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has reiterated the importance of keeping devices up to date and published guidance in response to the incident.\n\n“WhatsApp have today announced a vulnerability that could have allowed users’ phones to be compromised,” an NCSC spokesman said.\n\n“The company has reportedly said that a small number of accounts have been affected and has told its users to update their apps using standard updates from the app store as a precaution.\n\n“The NCSC has published guidance for users and always recommends that people protect their device by installing updates as soon as they become available.\n\n“The NCSC also recommends that people switch on automatic updates to install them as quickly as possible.”", "WhatsApp on Monday urged all of its 1.5 billion users to update their apps as an added precaution against hackers who remotely install surveillance software on phones and other devices.\n\nAccording to reports, the hackers were able to operate using a major vulnerability in the messaging app.\n\nWhatsApp, which is owned by Facebook, said the attack targeted a “select number” of users, and was orchestrated by “an advanced cyber actor”.\n\nA fix was rolled out on Friday.\n\nThe attack was developed by Israeli security firm NSO Group, according to a report in the Financial Times.\n\nThe attack was first discovered earlier this month, according to the BBC.\n\nIt involved attackers using WhatsApp’s voice calling function to ring a target’s device. Even if the call was not picked up, the surveillance software would be installed, and, the FT reported, the call would often disappear from the device’s call log.\n\nWhatsApp told the BBC its security team was the first to identify the flaw, and shared that information with human rights groups, selected security vendors and the US Department of Justice earlier this month.\n\n“The attack has all the hallmarks of a private company reportedly that works with governments to deliver spyware that takes over the functions of mobile phone operating systems,” the company said on Monday in a briefing document note for journalists.\n\nThe firm also published an advisory to security specialists, in which it described the flaw as: “A buffer overflow vulnerability in WhatsApp VOIP stack allowed remote code execution via specially crafted series of SRTCP packets sent to a target phone number.”", "Cybersecurity experts have warned WhatsApp users to update the messaging app as soon as possible following the discovery of a major vulnerability that could allow attackers to install a malicious code on smartphones.\n\nThe Facebook-owned app said it identified and fixed the issue earlier this month but Citizen Lab, a research group at the University of Toronto, suspects that an attacker attempted to exploit it again on Sunday.\n\nWhatsApp believes that a select number of users were targeted by an advanced cyber actor, exploiting its voice calling feature, which it said had all the hallmarks of a private company reportedly that works with governments to deliver spyware that takes over the functions of mobile phone operating systems.\n\n“It demonstrates the importance of keeping your software updated,” said Dr Budi Arief, a cybersecurity expert at the University of Kent.\n\n“I’m not particularly surprised by this development, this happens all the time.\n\n“This recent vulnerability bears a resemblance to the Apple FaceTime vulnerability discovered earlier this year.\n\n“At this stage, it is too early to say whether there is any connection between the WhatsApp vulnerability and the FaceTime vulnerability.\n\n“Software is a very complex system – it’s practically impossible to guarantee it is completely bug-free, there are always potential vulnerabilities that could be exploited.”\n\nWhatsApp said it was deeply concerned about the abuse of such capabilities and is also urging users to update their apps out of an abundance of caution.\n\nThe company, which has some 1.5 billion users worldwide, has been in contact with a number of human rights organisations to share information on the incident, as well as US law enforcement to assist in conducting an investigation.\n\n“WhatsApp encourages people to upgrade to the latest version of our app, as well as keep their mobile operating system up to date, to protect against potential targeted exploits designed to compromise information stored on mobile devices,” a spokeswoman said.\n\n“We are constantly working alongside industry partners to provide the latest security enhancements to help protect our users.”\n\nThere are concerns that the software was used in attempts to access the phones of human rights campaigners, including a UK-based lawyer.\n\nAccording to the Financial Times, the spyware was developed by NSO Group, an Israeli cybersecurity and intelligence company.\n\n“Under no circumstances would NSO be involved in the operating or identifying of targets of its technology, which is solely operated by intelligence and law enforcement agencies,” the company told the paper.\n\n“NSO would not, or could not, use its technology in its own right to target any person or organisation, including this individual (the UK lawyer).”", "Hackers were able to remotely install surveillance software on phones and other devices using a major vulnerability in messaging app WhatsApp, it has been confirmed.\n\nWhatsApp, which is owned by Facebook, said the attack targeted a \"select number\" of users, and was orchestrated by \"an advanced cyber actor\".\n\nA fix was rolled out on Friday.\n\nThe attack was developed by Israeli security firm NSO Group, according to a report in the Financial Times.\n\nOn Monday WhatsApp urged all of its 1.5bn users to update their apps as an added precaution.\n\nThe attack was first discovered earlier this month.\n\nHow was the security flaw used?\n\nIt involved attackers using WhatsApp's voice calling function to ring a target's device. Even if the call was not picked up, the surveillance software would be installed, and, the FT reported, the call would often disappear from the device's call log.\n\nWhatsApp told the BBC its security team was the first to identify the flaw, and shared that information with human rights groups, selected security vendors and the US Department of Justice earlier this month.\n\n\"The attack has all the hallmarks of a private company reportedly that works with governments to deliver spyware that takes over the functions of mobile phone operating systems,” the company said on Monday in a briefing document note for journalists.\n\nThe firm also published an advisory to security specialists, in which it described the flaw as: \"A buffer overflow vulnerability in WhatsApp VOIP stack allowed remote code execution via specially crafted series of SRTCP packets sent to a target phone number.”\n• On the frontline of India's WhatsApp fake news war\n\nWho is behind the software?\n\nThe NSO Group is an Israeli company that has been referred to in the past as a \"cyber arms dealer\".\n\nIts flagship software, Pegasus, has the ability to collect intimate data from a target device, including capturing data through the microphone and camera, and gathering location data.\n\nIn a statement, the group said: \"NSO's technology is licensed to authorised government agencies for the sole purpose of fighting crime and terror.\n\n\"The company does not operate the system, and after a rigorous licensing and vetting process, intelligence and law enforcement determine how to use the technology to support their public safety missions. We investigate any credible allegations of misuse and if necessary, we take action, including shutting down the system.\n\n\"Under no circumstances would NSO be involved in the operating or identifying of targets of its technology, which is solely operated by intelligence and law enforcement agencies. NSO would not or could not use its technology in its own right to target any person or organisation.\"\n\nWho has been targeted?\n\nWhatsApp said it was too early to know how many users had been affected by the vulnerability, although it added that suspected attacks were highly-targeted.\n\nAccording to Facebook's latest figures, WhatsApp has around 1.5bn users worldwide.\n\nAmnesty International, which said it had been targeted by tools created by the NSO Group in the past, said this attack was one human rights groups had long feared was possible.\n\n\"They're able to infect your phone without you actually taking an action,\" said Danna Ingleton, deputy programme director for Amnesty Tech. She said there was mounting evidence that the tools were being used by regimes to keep prominent activists and journalists under surveillance.\n\n\"There needs to be some accountability for this, it can't just continue to be a wild west, secretive industry.\"\n\nOn Tuesday, a Tel Aviv court will hear a petition led by Amnesty International that calls for Israel's Ministry of Defence to revoke the NSO Group's licence to export its products.\n\nDo you have more information about this or any other technology story? You can reach Dave directly and securely through encrypted messaging app Signal on: +1 (628) 400-7370", "Hackers were able to remotely install surveillance software on phones and other devices using a major vulnerability in messaging app WhatsApp, it has been confirmed.\n\nWhatsApp, which is owned by Facebook, said the attack targeted a “select number” of users, and was orchestrated by “an advanced cyber actor”.\n\nA fix was rolled out on Friday.\n\nThe attack was developed by Israeli security firm NSO Group, according to a report in the Financial Times.\n\nOn Monday, WhatsApp urged all of its 1.5 billion users to update their apps as an added precaution.\n\nThe attack was first discovered earlier this month.\n\nWhatsApp promotes itself as a “secure” communications app because messages are end-to-end encrypted, meaning they should only be displayed in a legible form on the sender or recipient’s device.\n\nHowever, the surveillance software would have let an attacker read the messages on the target’s device.\n\n“Journalists, lawyers, activists and human rights defenders” are most likely to have been targeted, said Ahmed Zidan from the non-profit Committee to Protect Journalists.\n• Tap the menu at the top left of the screen\n• If WhatsApp has recently been updated, it will appear in the list of apps with a button that says Open\n• If WhatsApp has not been automatically updated, the button will say Update. Tap Update to install the new version\n• The latest version of WhatsApp on Android is 2.19.134\n• At the bottom of the screen, tap Updates\n• If WhatsApp has recently been updated, it will appear in the list of apps with a button that says Open\n• If WhatsApp has not been automatically updated, the button will say Update. Tap Update to install the new version\n• The latest version of WhatsApp on iOS is 2.19.51\n\nHow was the security flaw used?\n\nIt involved attackers using WhatsApp’s voice calling function to ring a target’s device. Even if the call was not picked up, the surveillance software would be installed, and, the FT reported, the call would often disappear from the device’s call log.\n\nWhatsApp told the BBC its security team was the first to identify the flaw, and shared that information with human rights groups, selected security vendors and the US Department of Justice earlier this month.\n\n“The attack has all the hallmarks of a private company reportedly that works with governments to deliver spyware that takes over the functions of mobile phone operating systems,” the company said on Monday in a briefing document note for journalists.\n\nThe firm also published an advisory to security specialists, in which it described the flaw as: “A buffer overflow vulnerability in WhatsApp VOIP [voice over internet protocol] stack allowed remote code execution via specially crafted series of SRTCP [secure real-time transport protocol] packets sent to a target phone number.”\n\nProf Alan Woodward from the University of Surrey said it was a “pretty old-fashioned” method of attack.\n\n“In a buffer overflow, an app is allocated more memory than it actually needs, so it has space left in the memory. If you are able to pass some code through the app, you can run your own code in that area,” he explained.\n\n“In VOIP there is an initial process that dials up and establishes the call, and the flaw was in that bit. Consequently you did not need to answer the call for the attack to work.”\n\nSome users of the app have questioned why the app store notes associated with the latest update are not explicit about the fix.Who is behind the software?\n\nThe NSO Group is an Israeli company that has been referred to in the past as a “cyber-arms dealer”.\n\nThe business is part-owned by the London-based private equity firm Novalpina Capital, which acquired a stake in February.\n\nNSO’s flagship software, Pegasus, has the ability to collect intimate data from a target device, including capturing data through the microphone and camera, and gathering location data.\n\nOn the frontline of India’s WhatsApp fake news war\n\n WhatsApp sets new rules after mob killings\n\nIn a statement, the group said: “NSO’s technology is licensed to authorised government agencies for the sole purpose of fighting crime and terror.\n\n“The company does not operate the system, and after a rigorous licensing and vetting process, intelligence and law enforcement determine how to use the technology to support their public safety missions. We investigate any credible allegations of misuse and if necessary, we take action, including shutting down the system.\n\n“Under no circumstances would NSO be involved in the operating or identifying of targets of its technology, which is solely operated by intelligence and law enforcement agencies. NSO would not or could not use its technology in its own right to target any person or organisation.”\n\nWho has been targeted?\n\n WhatsApp said it was too early to know how many users had been affected by the vulnerability, although it added that suspected attacks were highly-targeted.\n\nAmnesty International – which said it had been targeted by tools created by the NSO Group in the past – said this attack was one human rights groups had long feared was possible.\n\n“They’re able to infect your phone without you actually taking an action,” said Danna Ingleton, deputy programme director for Amnesty Tech. She said there was mounting evidence that the tools were being used by regimes to keep prominent activists and journalists under surveillance.\n\n“There needs to be some accountability for this, it can’t just continue to be a wild west, secretive industry.”\n\nOn Tuesday, a Tel Aviv court will hear a petition led by Amnesty International that calls for Israel’s Ministry of Defence to revoke the NSO Group’s licence to export its products.", "A security flaw in WhatsApp has led to the massively popular messaging app becoming the vehicle for a spyware used for a surveillance operation. The malicious software, called Pegasus, can be loaded onto an Android or iOS device via a WhatsApp voice call and then gather information from the device.\n\nBoth WhatsApp and NSO Group, the Israeli company responsible for developing the spyware, have confirmed the vulnerability. Pegasus can infect a device via WhatsApp call even if the user doesn't answer, delete its calls from the logs, and hijack the camera and microphone on a device in addition to harvesting communication and location data.\n• Eight things we don't like about WhatsApp\n\nPegasus is sold commercially to Western and Middle Eastern government agencies, ostensibly for counter-terrorism and crime-fighting surveillance efforts. In this case, there are indications that the perpetrators of the latest cyberattacks via WhatsApp may be a Middle Eastern nation trying to silence criticism of its human rights violations. On May 12, Pegasus was used in a failed attempt to compromise the phone of a UK based human rights lawyer who has helped a group of Mexican journalists and government critics and a Saudi dissident living in Canada to sue NSO for liability in the actions of its customers. Middle Eastern human rights activists have been targeted by Pegasus in the past.\n\nWhatsApp alerted the US Justice Department and human rights groups about the threat, asserting that the operation had \"all the hallmarks of a private company known to work with governments to deliver spyware that reportedly takes over the functions of mobile phone operating systems\". NSO, however, denies any involvement with the attacks after the point of sale. \"Under no circumstances would NSO be involved in the operating or identifying of targets of its technology.\"\n\nThe flaw is fixed, so long as you're up-to-date\n\nAlthough WhatsApp has patched this security flaw at the time of writing, as a precautionary measure the company told users to check that they’re running the latest version of the app on their devices. You can check the latest WhatsApp build by hitting the Play Store button below or getting it from WhatsApp directly.\n\nWhatsApp also advised users to ensure their mobile operating system, whether iOS or Android is up to date to ensure proper protection against potential targeted exploits designed to access information stored on your device. Although NSO claims that it always investigates credible allegations of misuse, and is looking into the WhatsApp call attack, so long as sophisticated spyware can be sold exported to third party actors without much oversight, it won't be easy to prevent similar surveillance campaigns from affecting many in WhatsApps 1.5 billion strong userbase.\n• How to transfer WhatsApp chats to a new phone\n• How and why you should keep Google Play Services up-to-date\n\nAre you concerned about WhatsApp's security?", "Facebook's WhatsApp urged users to upgrade to the latest version of its popular messaging app following a report that users could be vulnerable to having malicious spyware installed on phones without their knowledge.\n\nJERUSALEM, May 14 (Reuters) - Facebook's WhatsApp urged users to upgrade to the latest version of its popular messaging app following a report that users could be vulnerable to having malicious spyware installed on phones without their knowledge.\n\nWhatsApp, one of the most popular messaging tools, is used by 1.5 billion people monthly and it has touted its high level of security and privacy, with messages on its platform being encrypted end to end.\n\n\"WhatsApp encourages people to upgrade to the latest version of our app, as well as keep their mobile operating system up to date, to protect against potential targeted exploits designed to compromise information stored on mobile devices,\" a spokesman said.\n\n\"We are constantly working alongside industry partners to provide the latest security enhancements to help protect our users,\" he said. WhatsApp did not elaborate further.\n\nThe Financial Times reported that a vulnerability in WhatsApp allowed attackers to inject spyware on phones by ringing up targets using the app's phone call function.\n\nIt said the spyware was developed by Israeli cyber surveillance company NSO Group and affects both Android and iPhones. The FT said WhatsApp could not yet give an estimate for how many phone were targeted.\n\nThe FT reported that teams of engineers had worked around the clock in San Francisco and London to close the vulnerability and it began rolling out a fix to its servers on Friday last week and issued a patch for customers on Monday.\n\nAsked about the report, NSO said its technology is licensed to authorised government agencies \"for the sole purpose of fighting crime and terror,\" and that it does not operate the system itself while having a rigorous licensing and vetting process.\n\n\"We investigate any credible allegations of misuse and if necessary, we take action, including shutting down the system. Under no circumstances would NSO be involved in the operating or identifying of targets of its technology, which is solely operated by intelligence and law enforcement agencies,\" the company said.\n\nWhatsApp disclosed the issue to the US Department of Justice last week, the FT said.\n\nFacebook co-founder Chris Hughes last week wrote in The New York Times that fellow co-founder Mark Zuckerberg had far too much influence by controlling Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, three core communications platforms, and called for the company to be broken up."], "summary": "WhatsApp confirms a major security bug in the app let hackers remotely install surveillance software on its users' devices. All 1.5 billion users are urged to update WhatsApp as a precaution. The technology used in the cyberattack appears to have originated from NSO Group, a technology company operating out of Israel."}
{"document": ["The bodies of 11 Nigerien soldiers missing since Tuesday's ambush have been discovered, bringing the death toll to 28.\n\nMilitants killed four US soldiers at the same place in 2017.\n\nNiger and other countries in the Sahel have been facing a growing militant threat from several Islamist groups.\n\nThe Islamic State group has said it was behind the ambush but there has been no confirmation of this claim by the authorities.\n\nMilitants belonging to affiliates of al-Qaeda are also active in the region.\n\nThey are most active in neighbouring Mali, where French troops intervened in 2013 to prevent them from advancing on the capital, but they often stage cross-border raids.\n\nHow did the attack happen?\n\nThe soldiers were in pursuit of militants who attacked a high security prison 50km (30 miles) on Tuesday outside the capital, Niamey, a government spokesman told the BBC.\n\n\"One of the soldiers' vehicles drove into a landmine and then the assailants started firing at our soldiers,\" Mr Zakariyyah told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme on Tuesday.\n\nIt was initially reported that 17 soldiers had been killed in the ambush.\n\nWithout providing any evidence, the Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the attack via its news agency Amaq. According to the statement, 40 were killed and injured, although for now the government has said that the death toll was 28.\n\nMr Zakariyyah did not identify the perpetrators of the attack but said it happened near where US troops and five Niger soldiers were killed two years ago.\n\nA search operation, aided by French and American troops, who have a base in Niger, continues.\n\nNiger is part of a five nation anti-insurgency force operating in the Sahel. It includes Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali and Mauritania.\n\nThe G5 Sahel, as it is called, is backed by a 3,000-strong French force.\n\nCall to attack French allies\n\nBy Louise Dewast, BBC West Africa correspondent\n\nThis was the deadliest attack recorded in western Niger, where government troops and their international allies are fighting affiliates of al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group.\n\nAuthorities say it was a complex attack in which the militants planted improvised explosive devices. Despite years of heavy deployments of French, US and UN forces, the region - including Niger - remains a tinderbox.\n\nThe group called the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS), which has claimed responsibility for the attack, has recently been subject to counter-militancy operations, mainly led by the French, making large-scale attacks against government troops difficult.\n\nFor one expert on the region, Héni Nsaibia, a researcher at The Armed Conflict Location and Event Data group, this attack could be the result of French forces shifting its focus to central Mali, and to the recent hostage-release operation in Burkina Faso which required attention and assets.\n\nHe adds it could also be that militants are heeding the call of Islamic State group leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who in a recent audiovisual speech explicitly called on them to intensify attacks against France and its allies in the Sahel region.\n\nThe statement released on Thursday was issued by the central Islamic State but is being attributed to its affiliate in the region. It is believed to be just the second official claim - in the form of a statement - from ISGS in the region.", "NIAMEY (Reuters) - Gunmen killed at least 17 Nigerien troops in an ambush near the Malian border, where several jihadist groups are active, and another 11 soldiers are missing, a government spokesman said on Wednesday.\n\nThe attack on Tuesday occurred near the town of Tongo Tongo, where fighters from an Islamic State affiliate killed four U.S. special forces and four Nigerien soldiers in an ambush in October 2017, spokesman Abdourahamane Zakaria told Reuters.\n\nZakaria did not identify the perpetrators of the attack, which is one of the deadliest against the military in Niger’s west in recent years.\n\nJihadists, including affiliates of al Qaeda and Islamic State, have stepped up attacks on military and civilian targets across West Africa’s Sahel region this year, particularly along the porous borders between Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso.\n\nNiger also faces a threat in its southeast from Boko Haram and a splinter group affiliated with Islamic State, which are both based in Nigeria but frequently strike in neighbouring Niger, Chad and Cameroon.", "17 soldiers killed in Niger, 11 said missing after ambush\n\nNIAMEY, Niger (AP) — Niger's defense ministry says 17 soldiers have been killed and 11 are missing after an ambush by jihadists.\n\nThe attack took place on Tuesday not far from the volatile border with Mali where Islamic extremists are known to operate.\n\nA ministry statement says the soldiers came under attack by heavily armed assailants with explosives.\n\nThe attack took place about 45 kilometers (27 miles) from where an ambush in October 2017 killed four American soldiers and four soldiers from Niger. Their convoy was attacked by more than 100 extremists while searching for a high-level Islamic State group leader.", "The bodies of 11 Nigerian soldiers missing since Tuesday’s ambush have been discovered, bringing the death toll to 28.\n\nMilitants killed four US soldiers at the same place in 2017.\n\nNiger and other countries in the Sahel have been facing a growing militant threat from several Islamist groups.\n\nThe Islamic State group has said it was behind the ambush but there has been no confirmation of this claim by the authorities.\n\nMilitants belonging to affiliates of al-Qaeda are also active in the region.\n\nThey are most active in neighbouring Mali, where French troops intervened in 2013 to prevent them from advancing on the capital, but they often stage cross-border raids.\n\nHow did the attack happen?\n\nThe soldiers were in pursuit of militants who attacked a high security prison 50km (30 miles) on Tuesday outside the capital, Niamey, a government spokesman told the BBC.\n\n“One of the soldiers’ vehicles drove into a landmine and then the assailants started firing at our soldiers,” Mr Zakariyyah told the BBC’s Focus on Africa programme on Tuesday.\n\nIt was initially reported that 17 soldiers had been killed in the ambush.\n\nMr Zakariyyah did not identify the perpetrators of the attack but said it happened near where US troops and five Niger soldiers were killed two years ago.\n\nA search operation, aided by French and American troops, who have a base in Niger, continues.\n\nNiger is part of a five nation anti-insurgency force operating in the Sahel. It includes Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali and Mauritania.\n\nThe G5 Sahel, as it is called, is backed by a 3,000-strong French force. BBC News", "NIAMEY, Niger — Niger’s defense ministry says 17 soldiers have been killed and 11 are missing after an ambush by jihadists.\n\nThe attack took place on Tuesday not far from the volatile border with Mali where Islamic extremists are known to operate.\n\nA ministry statement says the soldiers came under attack by heavily armed assailants with explosives.\n\nThe attack took place about 45 kilometers (27 miles) from where an ambush in October 2017 killed four American soldiers and four soldiers from Niger. Their convoy was attacked by more than 100 extremists while searching for a high-level Islamic State group leader.\n\nCopyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.", "The bodies of 11 Nigerian soldiers missing since Tuesday's ambush have been discovered, bringing the death toll to 28.\n\nMilitants killed four US soldiers at the same place in 2017.\n\nNiger and other countries in the Sahel have been facing a growing militant threat from several Islamist groups.\n\nMilitants belonging to affiliates of both al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group are active in the region and are known to conduct cross-border raids.\n\nThey are most active in neighbouring Mali, where French troops intervened in 2013 to prevent them from advancing on the capital.\n\nBut no group has said it carried out the latest attack.\n• Why the Sahara is terror's new front line\n• US Niger ambush: How raft of failures ended in death\n• Find out more about Niger\n\nHow did the attack happen?\n\nThe soldiers were in pursuit of militants who attacked a high security prison 50km (30 miles) on Tuesday outside the capital, Niamey, a government spokesman told the BBC.\n\n\"One of the soldiers' vehicles drove into a landmine and then the assailants started firing at our soldiers,\" Mr Zakariyyah told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme on Tuesday.\n\nIt was initially reported that 17 soldiers had been killed in the ambush.\n\nMr Zakariyyah did not identify the perpetrators of the attack but said it happened near where US troops and five Niger soldiers were killed two years ago.\n\nA search operation, aided by French and American troops, who have a base in Niger, continues.\n\nNiger is part of a five nation anti-insurgency force operating in the Sahel. It includes Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali and Mauritania.\n\nThe G5 Sahel, as it is called, is backed by a 3,000-strong French force.\n\nThis was the deadliest attack recorded in western Niger, where government troops and their international allies are fighting affiliates of al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group.\n\nAuthorities say it was a complex attack in which the militants planted improvised explosive devices. Despite years of heavy deployments of French, US and UN forces, the region - including Niger - remains a tinderbox.\n\nThe group called the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara has recently been subject to counter-militancy operations, mainly led by the French, making large-scale attacks against government troops difficult.\n\nFor one expert on the region, Héni Nsaibia, a researcher at The Armed Conflict Location and Event Data group, this attack could be the result of French forces shifting its focus to central Mali, and to the recent hostage-release operation in Burkina Faso which required attention and assets.\n\nHe adds it could also be that militants are heeding the call of Islamic State group leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who in a recent audiovisual speech explicitly called on them to intensify attacks against France and its allies in the Sahel region.", "The bodies of 11 missing Niger soldiers have been discovered after an ambush by armed men killed 17 of their colleagues on patrol near the Mali border, security sources said.\n\n\"We have confirmation that the dead bodies of the eleven missing soldiers have been found, bringing the death toll to 28,\" a source said late Wednesday.\n\nThe military patrol was ambushed on Tuesday near the village of Tongo Tongo in the western Tillaberi region, sources said.\n\nOne of the military vehicles had set off an explosive device.\n\nA source referred to what happened as a \"terrorist attack\".\n\nSeveral troops were also injured and evacuated to the capital Niamey, a different source told AFP.\n\nAccording to the news site Actuniger, a patrol of 52 Niger soldiers happened upon a group of heavily armed men at Baley Beri, near Tongo Tongo. Heavy fighting ensued, lasting more than two hours.\n\nTwenty-two soldiers made it back to their base at Ouallam in three vehicles, while the rest were unaccounted for, it said, citing local and security sources.\n\nThis is the same region where four American and five Niger soldiers were killed in a jihadist attack in October 2017.\n\nNiger is one of a number of poor, fragile countries in the Sahel region that have been hit by a jihadist revolt.\n\nDifferent jihadist groups operate in the country's west and north, and Boko Haram from Nigeria in its southeast.\n\nThe country is part of the so-called G5 Sahel group set up to manage a coordinated response to the jihadist insurgency.", "CAIRO (Reuters) - Islamic State claimed responsibility on Thursday for an attack on Niger soldiers near the Mali border, the group’s Amaq news agency said, without providing evidence.\n\nThe death toll from Tuesday’s attack rose to 28, an army spokesman said earlier.", "The death toll from an ambush on Nigerien troops near the Mali border has risen to 28, an army spokesman said on Thursday, a major setback for military operations trying to restore order in a region plagued by jihadist groups and allied criminal gangs.\n\nTuesday’s ambush occurred in a region near the town of Tongo Tongo, where fighters from an Islamic State affiliate killed four U.S. special forces and four Nigerien soldiers in an ambush in October 2017.\n\nThe spokesman did not say who was behind the attack, and there was no immediate claim of responsibility.\n\nDespite years of heavy deployments of French, U.S. and U.N. forces, Africa’s Sahel region remains a tinderbox of Islamist fighters, ethnic militias and criminal smuggling rackets.\n\nThe border areas where Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali meet are especially dangerous and violence is worsening across the region. Gunmen suspected to be Islamists killed at least 10 in apparently sectarian attacks on churches in neighbouring Burkina Faso this week.", "NIAMEY (Reuters) - The death toll from an ambush on Nigerien troops near the Mali border has risen to 28, an army spokesman said on Thursday.\n\nThe ambush occurred in a region where several jihadist groups are active, including an Islamic State affiliate."], "summary": "Militants kill at least 17 Niger Armed Forces troops in an ambush near the Malian border. Another 11 soldiers are missing; six others have been evacuated to a hospital. No group has claimed responsibility."}
{"document": ["Image copyright Shutterstock Image caption About one million people watched The Jeremy Kyle Show every day\n\nITV has axed The Jeremy Kyle Show after 14 years following the death of a guest who took part in the programme.\n\nSteve Dymond was found dead on 9 May a week after filming the show, during which he took a lie detector test.\n\nITV's chief executive Carolyn McCall said the decision was a result of the \"gravity of recent events\".\n\nFollowing the announcement, a committee of MPs launched an inquiry into whether enough support is offered to guests on TV shows during and after filming.\n\nITV's statement in full:\n\n\"Given the gravity of recent events we have decided to end production of The Jeremy Kyle Show.\n\n\"The Jeremy Kyle Show has had a loyal audience and has been made by a dedicated production team for 14 years, but now is the right time for the show to end.\n\n\"Everyone at ITV's thoughts and sympathies are with the family and friends of Steve Dymond. The previously announced review of the episode of the show is under way and will continue.\n\n\"ITV will continue to work with Jeremy Kyle on other projects.\"\n\nDamian Collins MP, chair of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport select committee, said the broadcaster had made the right decision.\n\n\"However, that should not be the end of the matter,\" he said. \"There needs to be an independent review of the duty of care TV companies have to participants in reality TV shows.\"\n\nProgrammes like The Jeremy Kyle Show risked \"putting people who might be vulnerable on to a public stage at a point in their lives when they are unable to foresee the consequences\", he said.\n\nThe committee will question broadcasting executives and regulators. Love Island, another ITV show, has also come under scrutiny after the deaths of two former contestants.\n\nThe Jeremy Kyle Show was the most popular programme in ITV's daytime schedule, with an average of one million viewers and a 22% audience share.\n\nMore than 3,000 episodes have been broadcast since its debut in 2005. Following Mr Dymond's death, ITV initially took the show off air and suspended filming.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Jeremy Kyle Show: Audience member recalls Steven Dymond episode\n\nThe pre-recorded episode Mr Dymond took part in was based on the subject of infidelity.\n\nA member of the audience who was at the recording told BBC News that Mr Dymond \"collapsed to the ground\" and was \"sobbing\" when he failed the lie detector test.\n\nLie detectors were a regular fixture on the programme, which often featured disputes between partners and family members.\n\nBroadcasting regulator Ofcom has told ITV to report back its initial findings on Mr Dymond's participation in the programme by Monday.\n\n\"While ITV has decided to cancel the programme, its investigation into what happened is continuing and we will review the findings carefully,\" an Ofcom spokesperson said.\n\nThe watchdog is now examining whether to update its code of conduct to protect people taking part in reality and factual shows.\n\n\"We're examining whether more can be done to safeguard the welfare of those people, similar to the duty of care we have in the broadcasting code to protect under-18s,\" the spokesperson said.\n\nA lot has changed in 24 hours.\n\nYesterday morning, ITV were minded to wait for the coroner's verdict before deciding what to do with the show. In the past 24 hours, the evidence has grown that his appearance on the show had a devastating impact on Steve Dymond.\n\nThat evidence, and the fact that ITV is plastered across front pages once again, will have weighed heavily on the board's mind.\n\nThe company's director of television Kevin Lygo has tried to reinvent the broadcaster, and this programme was an anomaly within his offering: different in tone and editorial approach.\n\nNevertheless, it was a ratings hit, and much of its loyal audience will be despondent about it being pulled.\n\nFor all that, it's vital to remember that this is ultimately an exceptionally sad story of a troubled individual who was found dead in his flat.\n\nOwen Jones, author of Chavs: The Demonization of the Working Class, was among those who welcomed the decision to pull the show, which he said \"consisted of putting vulnerable people from disadvantaged backgrounds in stocks to have eggs thrown at them\".\n\nPiers Morgan, who hosts Good Morning Britain - a show Jeremy Kyle has previously guest presented - defended the host on Twitter, saying there was \"so much snobbery an hypocrisy being spewed by his critics\".\n\nFormer EastEnders actress Danniella Westbrook, who has appeared on The Jeremy Kyle Show, praised the care she was given.\n\nAppearing on Channel 5's Jeremy Vine Show, she said: \"If it wasn't for Jeremy Kyle I probably wouldn't be alive myself.\"\n\nShe added: \"They really have looked after me and you know, since I've been in rehab I've spoken to Jeremy all the time and [psychotherapist] Graham [Stanier] and the team, and went I went back on the show, reassessed and [I was] really looked after.\"\n\nTV critic Emma Bullimore told BBC Radio 5 Live she was surprised by the speed of ITV's decision to cancel the show.\n\n'A loyal audience'\n\n\"Usually these things take a review, and it's ages, but with this one the public opinion and the pressure they were under was so strong that they didn't really have another option,\" she said.\n\nITV has said it will still work with the host, who also fronts The Kyle Files.\n\n\"I don't think this is the end of this kind of television,\" Bullimore added. \"There's no getting away from the fact that whether you like it or you find it reprehensible, there is a loyal audience for this show.\"\n\nSpeaking to BBC Radio 4's World At One programme, former ITV chief executive Stuart Prebble said the cancellation was \"a good decision\", but that producers \"do take seriously their duty of care\".\n\n'Tip-toeing close to the edge'\n\nHe said: \"The producers of these programmes walk a very thin line and and they know they do. If you are always tip-toeing close to the edge as I think this show did, perhaps it is not surprising that something like this will eventually happen.\n\n\"They [ITV] have done the right thing - a speedy and effective review, and the faster these things are dealt with the better.\"\n\nAll previous episodes of The Jeremy Kyle Show have been taken down from the channel's catch-up service, ITV Hub. Episodes will not air on ITV2 either, and the show's YouTube channel has been deleted.\n\nA spokeswoman for Portsmouth coroner's office said an inquest into Mr Dymond's death would be likely to be opened within the next few days, following the result of the post-mortem investigation.\n\nWhat does a lie detector test involve?\n\nThe lie detectors used on The Jeremy Kyle show are supplied by a company called UK Lie Tests, which declined to comment to the BBC.\n\nA lie detector test, or polygraph test, involves an examiner using various instruments to measure the subject's reaction to a series of questions - and determine whether or not they are giving truthful answers.\n\nAccording to the British Polygraph Association (BPA), two convoluted rubber pneumograph tubes are placed around the subject's chest and abdomen to record breathing and movement.\n\nSensors attached to the subject's fingers or hand monitor changes to skin resistance during the test, while a cardiosphygmograph traces changes to the subject's blood pressure and pulse.\n\nVarious charts are then generated, which the examiner reviews to establish the test results.\n\nThe BPA says the tests are \"the most reliable technique to test if someone is being deceptive to a specific issue\".\n\nHowever the results of lie detector tests are considered too unreliable for use in UK criminal trials.\n\nIf you are feeling emotionally distressed and would like details of organisations in the UK which offer advice and support, go to bbc.co.uk/actionline.\n\nHave you appeared on the Jeremy Kyle show? Email us with your story at haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways:\n\nWhatsApp: +44 7555 173285\n\nTweet: @BBC_HaveYourSay\n\nText an SMS or MMS to 61124 or +44 7624 800 100\n\nor Please read our terms of use and privacy policy\n\nFollow us on Facebook, on Twitter @BBCNewsEnts, or on Instagram at bbcnewsents. If you have a story suggestion email entertainment.news@bbc.co.uk.", "The Jeremy Kyle Show has been cancelled after a guest died one week after appearing on the show.\n\nSteven Dymond, 62 was \"sobbing and distraught\" when he returned home to Portsmouth, England after filming the show with his on and off again girlfriend on May 2, his landlady told The Daily Mail.\n\n\"Four days later he was dead. I really believe it was the show that tipped him over the edge,\" she told The Daily Mail.\n\nTonight, ITV announced the long running show would be permanently cancelled in a press release which can be read below.\n\n\"Given the gravity of recent events we have decided to end production of The Jeremy Kyle Show.\n\n\"The Jeremy Kyle Show has had a loyal audience and has been made by a dedicated production team for 14 years, but now is the right time for the show to end.\n\n\"Everyone at ITV's thoughts and sympathies are with the family and friends of Steve Dymond.\n\n\"The previously announced review of the episode of the show is under way and will continue.\n\n\"ITV will continue to work with Jeremy Kyle on other projects.\"\n\nThe show airs in New Zealand on TVNZ 2 and a spokesperson for the network said earlier this week, \"We are speaking with ITV about this upsetting incident. TVNZ will air future episodes of Jeremy Kyle as delivered by ITV and approved for broadcast. We will not broadcast the episode featuring this guest at any point.\"", "The way TV programmes are made has been very much in the spotlight this week after the death of a guest on The Jeremy Kyle Show.\n\nSteve Dymond was found dead just a week after recording an episode of the ITV show.", "The Jeremy Kyle Show has been permanently cancelled by ITV following the death of a guest, the broadcaster has said.\n\nThe confrontational talk show was suspended indefinitely by the broadcaster following the death of the participant, 63-year-old Steve Dymond, a week after the programme was filmed.\n\nThe programme has now ended for good, following an outcry for it to be cancelled from MPs and members of the public.\n\nIn a statement, ITV chief executive Carolyn McCall said: \"Given the gravity of recent events we have decided to end production of The Jeremy Kyle Show.\n\n\"The Jeremy Kyle Show has had a loyal audience and has been made by a dedicated production team for 14 years, but now is the right time for the show to end.\n\n\"Everyone at ITV's thoughts and sympathies are with the family and friends of Steve Dymond.\"\n\nThe broadcaster said that it will continue to work with Kyle on other projects.", "The Jeremy Kyle Show has been permanently cancelled by ITV this week after the death of a guest a week after filming.\n\nPresented by former BRMB radio presenter Jeremy, the confrontational talk show sees guests open up about their conflicts, dilemmas and relationship issues in front of a studio audience.\n\nAn Ofcom investigation is currently underway.\n\nJeremy Kyle was a life insurance salesman before becoming a radio presenter in 1996.\n\nHe began presenting on Birmingham's BRMB radio station in 1997, with shows Late & Live and Jezza's Jukebox.\n\nPerhaps the most famous moment in his BRMB career was the controversial competition Two Strangers and a Wedding - which led to two people being married after meeting for the first time on their wedding day.\n\nCarla Germaine married fellow winner Greg Cordell having met for the first time on their wedding day.\n\nHowever it didn't last and Carla hooked up with DJ Kyle, who was working for the station at the time.\n\nShe married Jeremy - but the couple split up in 2015 after 13 years of marriage.\n\nKyle left BRMB and later got a spot on Virgin Radio with his show Jezza's Virgin Confessions.\n\nIt was in 2005 he moved firmly into the spotlight with his new ITV show The Jeremy Kyle Show.\n\nHis TV career extended to two series of The Kyle Files from 2015 and a ten part series called Jeremy Kyle's Emergency Room.\n\nIt was on Kyle Files the presenter was pepper sprayed during a programme focusing on the impact drinking was having on the lives of young people in a Majorcan resort.\n\nEarlier this year it was revealed that the former Birmingham DJ is going to marry his kids' former nanny in the Caribbean next year.\n\nThe 53-year-old got engaged to the 37-year-old last year and said \"I'm very happy.\"\n\nA source told the Mirror : “Jeremy has been telling those closest to make sure they are available next summer as that is when he is looking to marry.\n\n\"The pair haven’t confirmed an exact date but have started thrashing out plans – with the Caribbean being one of their main destination choices.\"\n\nJeremy owns a home in Barbados, where the couple regularly holiday.\n\nIn 2013 Kyle was diagnosed with suffering from testicular cancer and underwent chemotherapy treatment - eventually getting the all clear.\n\nHe has since campaigned for men to check themselves regularly and for more screening to take place.\n\nWhat was The Jeremy Kyle Show?\n\nThe Jeremy Kyle Show was one of the most popular programmes in ITV's daytime schedules, with regular viewing figures of over one million.\n\nIt first aired on ITV in July 2015.\n\nIt saw guests open up about their conflicts, dilemmas and relationship issues in front of a studio audience, whilst Jeremy Kyle mediated between the involved parties.\n\nCommon problems included: uncertainty over the biological father of a baby, a family member committing petty theft, cheating and addiction to drugs.\n\nWhy was The Jeremy Kyle Show cancelled?\n\nThe talk show was pulled from the TV schedule indefinitely on Monday following the death of the guest a week after the programme was filmed - and it's now been confirmed it won't be returning .\n\nSteve Dymond took a lie-detector test to convince fiancé Jane Callaghan he hadn't been unfaithful but they split after he failed, according to The Sun.\n\nHe was found dead on May 9, 2019 and the show was removed from schedules on May 13, 2019.\n\nHis son Carl Woolley, 39, said his father had been \"distraught\" over the breakdown of his relationship and hoped the show would help him \"clear his name\".\n\nCarolyn McCall, ITV’s CEO, announced today: “Given the gravity of recent events we have decided to end production of The Jeremy Kyle Show.\n\n“The Jeremy Kyle Show has had a loyal audience and has been made by a dedicated production team for 14 years, but now is the right time for the show to end.\n\n“Everyone at ITV's thoughts and sympathies are with the family and friends of Steve Dymond.\"\n\nAn examination by Ofcom is also being carried out.\n\nAn Ofcom spokesman said: \"This is clearly a very distressing case.\n\n\"Although we can only assess content that has been broadcast, we are discussing this programme with ITV as a priority to understand what took place.\"", "The Jeremy Kyle Show has been removed from the ITV Hub after the programme was suspended indefinitely following the death of a guest.\n\nBroadcaster ITV confirmed Monday’s show would not air and it has now wiped all episodes of the programme from its on-demand service the ITV Hub. Episodes will not air on ITV2.\n\nAn ITV spokeswoman said: “Everyone at ITV and The Jeremy Kyle Show is shocked and saddened at the news of the death of a participant in the show a week after the recording of the episode they featured in and our thoughts are with their family and friends.\n\n“ITV will not screen the episode in which they featured.\n\n“Given the seriousness of this event, ITV has also decided to suspend both filming and broadcasting of The Jeremy Kyle Show with immediate effect in order to give it time to conduct a review of this episode of the show.”\n\nDickinson’s Real Deals was aired instead of the Jeremy Kyle Show at 09:30am on Monday (13 May) morning.", "It was ITV’s highest rating daytime show and ran for 14 years. Today the channel pulled the plug on The Jeremy Kyle Show after the death of a guest, just a week after he’d failed a lie detector test on an episode about infidelity.\n\nIt’s raised uncomfortable questions, not just for ITV, but the whole television industry. A powerful committee of MPs has now launched an investigation into reality TV and the support offered to participants after filming.", "The Jeremy Kyle Show has been permanently cancelled following the apparent suicide of guest Steve Dymond.\n\nCarolyn McCall, ITV’s CEO, said today: “Given the gravity of recent events we have decided to end production of The Jeremy Kyle Show.\n\n“The Jeremy Kyle Show has had a loyal audience and has been made by a dedicated production team for 14 years, but now is the right time for the show to end.\n\n“Everyone at ITV’s thoughts and sympathies are with the family and friends of Steve Dymond.”\n\nThe statement comes after guest Steve Dymond was found dead in his bedroom just days after his appearance on the show.\n\nDuring his appearance, according to reports from audience members, Dymond, 63, fell to the floor crying after failing a lie detector test that said he’d been unfaithful to his fiancée, Jane Callaghan.", "ITV has confirmed that The Jeremy Kyle Show has been axed following the death of a guest.\n\nThe ITV daytime series was initially suspended on Monday 13th May. However, on Wednesday 15th May, ITV chief executive Carolyn McCall confirmed that the show would be cancelled permanently.\n\n“Given the gravity of recent events we have decided to end production of The Jeremy Kyle Show,” she said in a statement.\n\n“The Jeremy Kyle Show has had a loyal audience and has been made by a dedicated production team for 14 years, but now is the right time for the show to end.\n\n“Everyone at ITV’s thoughts and sympathies are with the family and friends of Steve Dymond.”\n\nDymond was found dead on 9th May after reportedly taking part in a lie detector test during recording for the show.\n\nITV removed the programme from the schedules on Monday 13th May and announced that filming and future broadcasts would be suspended “with immediate effect” while an investigation into the episode featuring Dymond was carried out.\n\nITV has said that this review of the show would continue. The broadcaster has also confirmed that it will continue to work with presenter Jeremy Kyle on other projects.\n\nA petition calling for the show to be permanently cancelled had been signed by 62,697 people at the time of writing. The petition claims that The Jeremy Kyle Show has “turned the real-life suffering of people into entertainment”.\n\n“Given the gravity of recent events we have decided to end production of The Jeremy Kyle Show,” ITV chief executive Carolyn McCall said.\n\n“The Jeremy Kyle Show has had a loyal audience and has been made by a dedicated production team for 14 years, but now is the right time for the show to end.\n\n“Everyone at ITV’s thoughts and sympathies are with the family and friends of Steve Dymond.”\n\nThe previously announced review of the episode of the show is underway and will continue.\n\nITV will continue to work with Jeremy Kyle on other projects.\n\nDamian Collins MP, chair of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport select committee, had called on Ofcom to carry out an independent review of the programme.\n\nITV had defended the show’s welfare policies, saying in a statement on Tuesday 14th May: “The Jeremy Kyle Show has significant and detailed duty of care processes in place for contributors pre, during and post-show which have been built up over 14 years, and there have been numerous positive outcomes from this, including parties who have resolved complex and long-standing personal problems.”\n\nThe Jeremy Kyle Show was one of the most popular programmes in ITV’s daytime schedules, with regular viewing figures of over one million.\n\nPrevious episodes of the show have been removed from catch-up service ITV Hub.", "The Jeremy Kyle Show has been permanently cancelled by ITV following the death of a guest.\n\nThe confrontational talk show was suspended indefinitely by the broadcaster following the death of the participant, 63-year-old Steve Dymond, a week after the programme was filmed.\n\nThe programme has now ended for good, following an outcry for it to be cancelled from MPs and members of the public.\n\nITV's CEO Dame Carolyn McCall said in a statement: \"Given the gravity of recent events we have decided to end production of The Jeremy Kyle Show.\n\n\"The Jeremy Kyle Show has had a loyal audience and has been made by a dedicated production team for 14 years, but now is the right time for the show to end.\n\n\"Everyone at ITV's thoughts and sympathies are with the family and friends of Steve Dymond.\"\n\nThe programme was initially pulled off air on Monday, and a review of the episode featuring Mr Dymond is under review."], "summary": "The Jeremy Kyle Show, one of the United Kingdom's most watched reality television programmes, is cancelled by ITV Studios following the suicide of a male guest shortly after taking part in the programme. The show has long been criticised for its style, with many describing it as poverty porn."}
{"document": ["\n\n\n\n– A helicopter went into the water of the Hudson River around 1:20 p.m. on Wednesday, near 30th Street and the Lincoln Tunnel.\n\nEric Morales, the 35-year-old pilot, was the only person on the helicopter when it went down. Shortly after the crash, he was rescued out of the water by a NY Waterway ferry crew.\n\nMorales did not appear to have suffered any serious injuries beyond a cut on his hand.\n\nA second person at the helipad suffered injuries, possibly from debris from the crash, and was treated at the scene.\n\nMorales said was coming in to land when he felt something wrong. He tried to pull up, but after that failed, he did his best not to hit the helipad where people were standing and the highway beyond.\n\nWEB EXTRA – Chopper 2’s Dan Rice Shares Helicopter Safety Tips And Explains How Pilots Train For Crashes Like This:\n\nWitnesses say the chopper was coming into the West 30th Street helipad and fell short about 50 feet of the landing area. The helicopter had just taken off from the helipad before attempting to return.\n\nAccording the helicopter’s operator, the chopper was re-positioning and was not on a flight at the time.\n\n“I was recording the helicopter taking off and it did like a spin,” said Jack Lincoln from Middletown, N.J. “I guess the wind caught it and it just went right into the river. It happened so quickly we couldn’t believe what happened, but everybody turned around and said a helicopter crashed.”\n\nMorales deployed floats along the helicopter’s landing skids which, when inflated, kept the helicopter from sinking in the water.\n\nSEE IT: Video Of Helicopter Into Hudson\n\n\n\nThe chopper is operated by Zip Avation chopper service, which flies shuttle service between Manhattan and local airports for companies from Manhattan to local airports.\n\nEyewitness Talks On Chopper Crash Into Hudson River, Part 1\n\n\n\nAdditional Eyewitness Reports Of Chopper Crash Into Hudson River, Part 2\n\n\n\nEyewitness Talks On Chopper Crash Into Hudson River, Part 3\n\n\n\nThe NY Waterway ferry crew aboard the Gov. Thomas Kean boat that rescued the pilot was carrying passengers between West 39th Street in Manhattan and 14th Street in Hoboken when they saw the helicopter go down.\n\nThis incident was the second rescue in 10 years for Ferry Capt. Adam Sciaino. Deckhand Edwin Montoya deployed the Jason’s Cradle rescue device off the bow of the ferry to pull the pilot aboard.\n\nThere are currently 2 non-life-threatening injuries reported on scene of a helicopter crash into the Hudson River – the pilot and one heliport worker injured by debris. #FDNY operations continue. pic.twitter.com/Z1hA2PBKMC — FDNY (@FDNY) May 15, 2019\n\nThe southbound lane of FDR Drive was closed for about three hours as authorities investigated the crash, but reopened to traffic around 4:00 p.m.\n\nThe FAA responded to the scene and has launched an investigation. There was no indication drugs or alcohol played a role in the crash.\n\nMORE: Heroes On The Hudson: Ferry Crew Talks About Saving Helicopter Pilot From River Crash", "A charter pilot was pulled from the Hudson River after his helicopter crashed in the water near where the Lincoln Tunnel comes into Manhattan, authorities said.\n\nThe pilot was the only person aboard the helicopter and was rescued by the New York Police Department's Aviation and Harbor unit, according to a law enforcement official with knowledge of the rescue.\n\nThe pilot was moving the aircraft from the fueling area to another part of the West 30th Street Heliport, and had trouble as he reapproached the facility, NYPD Assistant Chief Stephen Hughes told reporters\n\nThe pilot, who only suffered a hand injury, deployed the helicopter's flotation equipment and was picked up by a passing boat shortly after the helicopter hit the water, Hughes added.\n\nA dock worker who was trying to get out of the way of the helicopter was also injured after he slipped and hurt his wrist, Hughes said.\n\nAshton Byrd was walking with a friend when he saw the helicopter going down, and managed to capture it on video.\n\nThe footage shows the aircraft descending toward the water with its nose down and its rotors moving. The helicopter appears to level out and water sprays as the craft goes down.\n\n\"It was the craziest thing I've ever seen,\" Byrd said.\n\nByrd said the helicopter appeared fine as it took off, but then the motor began to whine.\n\n\"He was just kind of spinning and then the helicopter got sideways on him and then that's when it started going down,\" Byrd said.\n\nThe helicopter was a Bell 206, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Jim Peters said. The crashed occurred about 2:30 p.m. ET, he added.", "Helicopter crashes into Hudson River in New York, injuring two\n\nNEW YORK (Reuters) - A helicopter crashed into the Hudson River in New York City on Wednesday shortly after taking off from Manhattan, causing minor injuries to the pilot and a dockworker, police and fire officials said.\n\nDramatic video footage of the incident shot by witnesses and posted on social media showed the helicopter spinning seemingly out of control over the Hudson near 30th Street, before plummeting into the water.\n\n\"Relieved to report there were no deaths or serious injuries after a helicopter incident on the Hudson river. Thank you to our first responders for your quick action,\" New York Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Twitter, urging residents to avoid the area.\n\nNew York police officials told a news conference that the 34-year-old pilot suffered an injury to his left hand. No one else was on board.\n\nA dockworker injured his right wrist after he fell while scrambling to get out of the way of the plunging aircraft, police said at the press conference.\n\nA deckhand on ferry crossing the Hudson, Edwin Montoya, pulled the pilot out of the water after witnessing the crash, its captain said in a statement released by the ferry company, NY Waterway.\n\n\"It was just instinct. Just another day for NY Waterway rescues. We’re right here. Edwin Montoya is an outstanding deckhand. He moved instantly to the rescue,\" Captain Adam Sciaino said in the statement.\n\nIn 2009, US Airways pilot Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger famously landed an Airbus A320 with 155 people safely on the Hudson River off Manhattan after it struck a flock of geese and lost power.", "NEW YORK -- A helicopter crashed into the Hudson River near a busy Manhattan heliport Wednesday and partially sank, but not before the pilot was able to escape.\n\nNew York City Fire Department officials said the pilot was being treated for a non-life-threatening injury after the helicopter landed in the river at around West 30th Street.\n\nNo other people were aboard but a worker at the heliport was hurt by flying debris, the fire department said on Twitter.\n\nA mobile phone video of the helicopter going down, taken by a WCBS TV editor, showed it descending into the river just feet from the helipad. The aircraft came down quickly, but it wasn't in freefall. Its blades were rotating.\n\nAnthony Raisley, 20, a college student from Middletown, New Jersey, said he and a friend were at the nearby High Line park, watching the river, when they noticed a helicopter near the pad, spinning and wobbling in a way that didn't seem normal.\n\nThe friends thought it might be a stunt.\n\n“The next thing you know, it was out of sight,” he said.\n\nHis reaction: “Just shock. You see this stuff in the news, and you never think you'll witness it.”\n\nVideo footage from hovering TV news helicopters taken in the aftermath of the crash showed the helicopter capsized and mostly beneath the water but kept from totally sinking by inflatable pontoons that deployed as the aircraft was about to hit the surface.\n\nIt was tethered to rescue boats and the helipad pier.\n\nThe Fire Department said it got its first call about the crash at around 2:30 p.m.\n\nThe FAA identified the helicopter as a Bell 206.\n\nTraffic was moving at a crawl on a busy road that passes by the scene.\n\nA person who answered the phone at a lounge at the helipad said the pilot made an “emergency landing” but was OK.\n\nNEW YORK - A helicopter crashed into the Hudson River near a busy Manhattan heliport Wednesday and partially sank, but not before the pilot was able to escape.\n\nNew York City Fire Department officials said the pilot was being treated for a non-life-threatening injury after the helicopter landed in the river at around West 30th Street.\n\nNo other people were aboard but a worker at the heliport was hurt by flying debris, the fire department said on Twitter.\n\nA mobile phone video of the helicopter going down, taken by a WCBS TV editor, showed it descending into the river just feet from the helipad. The aircraft came down quickly, but it wasn't in freefall. Its blades were rotating.\n\nAnthony Raisley, 20, a college student from Middletown, New Jersey, said he and a friend were at the nearby High Line park, watching the river, when they noticed a helicopter near the pad, spinning and wobbling in a way that didn't seem normal.\n\nThe friends thought it might be a stunt.\n\n“The next thing you know, it was out of sight,” he said.\n\nHis reaction: “Just shock. You see this stuff in the news, and you never think you'll witness it.”\n\nVideo footage from hovering TV news helicopters taken in the aftermath of the crash showed the helicopter capsized and mostly beneath the water but kept from totally sinking by inflatable pontoons that deployed as the aircraft was about to hit the surface.\n\nIt was tethered to rescue boats and the helipad pier.\n\nThe Fire Department said it got its first call about the crash at around 2:30 p.m.\n\nThe FAA identified the helicopter as a Bell 206.\n\nTraffic was moving at a crawl on a busy road that passes by the scene.\n\nA person who answered the phone at a lounge at the helipad said the pilot made an “emergency landing” but was OK.", "NEW YORK (AP) — A helicopter crashed into the Hudson River near a busy Manhattan heliport Wednesday and partially sank, but not before the pilot was able to escape.\n\nNew York City Fire Department officials said the pilot was being treated for a non-life-threatening injury after the helicopter landed in the river at around West 30th Street.\n\nNo other people were aboard but a worker at the heliport was hurt by flying debris, the fire department said on Twitter.\n\nA mobile phone video of the helicopter going down, taken by a WCBS TV editor, showed it descending into the river just feet from the helipad. The aircraft came down quickly, but it wasn't in freefall. Its blades were rotating.\n\nAnthony Raisley, 20, a college student from Middletown, New Jersey, said he and a friend were at the nearby High Line park, watching the river, when they noticed a helicopter near the pad, spinning and wobbling in a way that didn't seem normal.\n\nThe friends thought it might be a stunt.\n\n\"The next thing you know, it was out of sight,\" he said.\n\nHis reaction: \"Just shock. You see this stuff in the news, and you never think you'll witness it.\"\n\nVideo footage from hovering TV news helicopters taken in the aftermath of the crash showed the helicopter capsized and mostly beneath the water but kept from totally sinking by inflatable pontoons that deployed as the aircraft was about to hit the surface.\n\nIt was tethered to rescue boats and the helipad pier.\n\nThe Fire Department said it got its first call about the crash at around 2:30 p.m.\n\nThe FAA identified the helicopter as a Bell 206.\n\nTraffic was moving at a crawl on a busy road that passes by the scene.\n\nA person who answered the phone at a lounge at the helipad said the pilot made an \"emergency landing\" but was OK.", "NEW YORK — The Latest on a helicopter crash in the Hudson River (all times local):\n\nNew York City police and fire officials say the pilot of a helicopter that crash landed in the Hudson River escaped with just a minor hand injury.\n\nAt a news conference Wednesday, authorities said the 34-year-old pilot had just taken off from a Manhattan helipad after refueling when he suddenly felt the aircraft drop.\n\nHe was able to steer it into the water about 150 feet from the waterside helipad and then scramble on to the aircraft's inflatable pontoons.\n\nNobody else was aboard. A dockworker trying to get out of the way of the descending aircraft slipped and injured his wrist.\n\nVideo of the 2:30 p.m. crash landing showed the aircraft wobbling and then spinning as it dropped into the water.\n\nA marine crane hauled the helicopter out of the water about 4 p.m.\n\nThe Fire Department of New York says a pilot and a heliport worker have non-life-threatening injuries after a helicopter crashed into the Hudson River near a busy Manhattan heliport.\n\nThe pilot was alone in the helicopter and was able to escape when it landed in the river near West 30th Street on Wednesday afternoon.\n\nIt was mostly beneath the water but inflatable pontoons kept it from totally sinking.\n\nThe FDNY says the heliport worker was hit by debris.\n\nThe Fire Department of New York says a helicopter has gone down in the Hudson River.\n\nWABC says the pilot got out and was OK after the helicopter landed in the river at around West 30th Street on Wednesday afternoon.\n\nIt's believed no passengers were aboard the chopper.\n\nA video of the helicopter going into the down showed it descending into the river very close to the shoreline near a busy helipad.", "A helicopter had a crash landing on the Hudson River close to 12th avenue and 34th street in Midtown Manhattan on the afternoon of May 15. The pilot was the only person on-board at the time of the landing, he exited the helicopter and according to scanner traffic, he is uninjured. The pilot’s identity has not been made public. The incident occurred at around 2:30 p.m. local time.\n\nThe Helicopter Was Operated by Blade, the Uber of the Skies\n\nThe helicopter was operated by Blade chopper service. Blade typically operates a shuttle service between Manhattan and the surrounding airports. The service charges $195 per seat for travel to JFK, Newark and LaGuardia. A May 2019 Bloomberg feature on Blade described the company as targeting the Uber Black market. The company was founded by Rob Wiesenthal and Steve Martocci in 2014.\n\nThere Were 2 Non-Life Threatening Injuries at the Scene\n\nAccording to the New York City Fire Department, there are no injuries as a result of the crash. The FDNY later amended their report to say that there were two “non-life threatening” injuries at the scene. One of those was the pilot, the other was a heliport worker who was hurt by debris.\n\nScanner traffic indicates that the chopper fell just short of a landing pad on West 30th street. That same scanner traffic says that the helicopter has been secured. Live video from the scene shows the helicopter being tied to a bulkhead.\n\nThe NYPD’s Manhattan South Division has asked persons to avoid the area around 30th street and the West Side Highway as that is where the rescue is taking place. The New York Daily News reports that FDNY divers could be seen entering the water at the scene.\n\nThe Crash Occurred in the Same Are Were Chester Sullenberger Successfully Landed His U.S. Airways Plane in November 2009\n\nThe crash occurred close to where Chester “Sully” Sullenberger successfully crashlanded his U.S. Airways flight in November 2009, saving the lives of all 155 persons on board.\n\nREAD NEXT: Teenage Adult Movie Star Doesn’t Get Why ‘Everyone Is Making Such a Big Deal About it’", "A helicopter has crashed into the Hudson River in New York City, the fire department confirmed Wednesday afternoon.\n\nA spokesperson for the FDNY confirmed the crash and said the pilot, the only person on board, was safely removed from the water with no injuries. The department's verified Twitter account said there were two other non-life-threatening injuries.\n\nNew York Waterway, a company that operates ferries between Manhattan and New Jersey, said in a press release that one of its boats had rescued the pilot of the helicopter at about 1:20pm. The company also assisted with rescue efforts when a U.S. Airways plane famously landed in the Hudson River in 2009.\n\nLocal news channels showed a large police and fire response to the crash, as onlookers flooded the riverside park to get a better look at the incident. The West Side Highway was partially closed to southbound traffic following the crash as first responders towed the aircraft to the shore.\n\nVideo from local news helicopters showed police and fire boats towing the helicopter to shore. ABC7\n\nMultiple people on Twitter said they saw a helicopter plunge into the water around 2:20 pm local time, near a pier where Blade and other helicopters operate on Manhattan's West side at 30th street and 12th avenue.\n\nIt was not immediately clear which company owns or was operating the helicopter at the time of the incident.\n\nIn March 2018, a private helicopter crashed into the East River in New York, killing five people on board.\n\nThis story is developing, check back for updates...", "A helicopter that crashed in the Hudson River is pulled out of the water on Wednesday in New York City. The pilot survived the incident. The pilot was the only person aboard the helicopter and was rescued by the New York Police Department's Aviation and Harbor unit, according to a law enforcement official. (Drew Angerer/Getty)", "NEW YORK (AP) — A helicopter crash landed in the Hudson River near a busy Manhattan heliport Wednesday and partially sank, but not before the pilot was able to escape mostly unscathed.\n\nThe 34-year-old pilot suffered just a minor hand injury after the hard splashdown, which happened just before 2:30 p.m. and was recorded by bystanders who saw the aircraft in trouble and whipped out their mobile phones.\n\nNo other people were aboard but a dockworker trying to get out of the way of the descending aircraft slipped and injured his wrist, fire and police officials said.\n\nThe helicopter, a charter aircraft, was hauled out of the water Wednesday afternoon by a marine crane after about 90 minutes in the river.\n\nAt a news conference, authorities said the pilot had just taken off from the helipad after refueling when something went wrong.\n\n\"All of a sudden, he felt the helicopter go down,\" said Police Department Assistant Chief Stephen Hughes.\n\nA mobile phone video of the helicopter going down, taken by a WCBS TV editor, showed it descending into the river about 150 feet (46 meters) from the helipad. The aircraft came down quickly, but it wasn't in freefall. Its blades were rotating. Emergency pontoons inflated moments before it hit the water.\n\nAnthony Raisley, 20, a college student from Middletown, New Jersey, said he and a friend were at the nearby High Line park, watching the river, when they noticed the aircraft spinning and wobbling in a way that didn't seem normal.\n\nThey thought it might be a stunt.\n\n\"The next thing you know, it was out of sight,\" Raisley said.\n\nHis reaction: \"Just shock. You see this stuff in the news, and you never think you'll witness it.\"\n\nThe pilot, who was not immediately identified by authorities, quickly scrambled on to the aircraft's pontoons.\n\nThe helicopter eventually capsized and sank mostly beneath the water but was kept from going to the bottom by the floats.\n\nThe FAA identified the helicopter as a Bell 206. The National Transportation Safety Board said it would investigate the accident.\n\nNew York City has a history of both minor and major helicopter wrecks and crash landings.\n\nFive people died when a sightseeing helicopter crashed into the East River last year. Three people died in another crash into the same river in 2011. Nine people died in a collision between a sightseeing helicopter and a small plane in 2009, not far from the scene of Wednesday's mishap.\n\nFollowing the East River mishap, Rep. Carolyn Maloney said she called for a ban on helicopter flights over Manhattan and Brooklyn until their safety could be properly studied.\n\n“Helicopter flights are not subject to proper regulation and safety standards and pose significant public safety risks to our community,” Maloney said Wednesday. “Today’s crash is yet another reminder that oversight of helicopter operations over New York City is absolutely necessary.”"], "summary": "A helicopter with only the pilot onboard crashes into the Hudson River shortly after taking off from the West 30th Street Heliport in New York City injuring the pilot and the dockworker on the ground."}
{"document": ["WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Sunday that the political will to fight climate change seems to be fading at the same time as things are getting worse for those feeling…\n\nWELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Sunday that the political will to fight climate change seems to be fading at the same time as things are getting worse for those feeling the effects.\n\nGuterres made the comments after arriving in New Zealand, where he spoke to media alongside Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in Auckland. Guterres plans to spend three days in New Zealand as part of a trip to the South Pacific to highlight the problems of climate change.\n\nIn Christchurch, he will also meet with Muslim leaders following the March 15 slaughter of 51 worshippers by a gunman who attacked two mosques during Friday prayers.\n\nGuterres said he usually visits a Muslim country during the holy month of Ramadan but this year decided to visit Muslims in New Zealand as a tribute to their courage and resilience after the attack.\n\nHe said he admired the solidarity New Zealand showed after the attack, and praised Ardern for helping implement new gun control laws and for urging other world leaders and tech companies to find a way to prevent acts of extremism from being shown online, after the gunman livestreamed his attack on Facebook.\n\nArdern this week plans to travel to Paris, where she and French President Emmanuel Macron will host a meeting seeking to eliminate such acts from being shown online.\n\nGuterres said countries were not living up to their commitments under the 2016 Paris Agreement to keep the global temperature rise to below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.\n\n“We are not on track to achieve the objectives defined in the Paris Agreement,” Guterres said. “And the paradox is that as things are getting worse on the ground, political will seems to be fading.”\n\nHe commended Ardern on last week introducing an ambitious bill that aims to make New Zealand mostly carbon neutral by 2050 while giving some leeway to farmers. The bill is expected to come to a final vote in Parliament later this year.\n\nGuterres said Pacific Island nations are on the front line of climate change.\n\n“We cannot allow for runaway climate change,” he said. “We need to protect the lives of our people and we need to protect our planet.”\n\nGuterres also plans to visit the island nations of Fiji, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. In Fiji, he will meet with leaders and senior government officials from the Pacific Islands Forum. His trip comes ahead of the Climate Action Summit that he plans to convene in September in New York.\n\nCopyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.", "The UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has praised Fiji as a strong committed partner in peacekeeping and for taking a leading role in the battle against climate change.\n\nPhoto: Supplied\n\nMr Guterres was speaking after formal talks with the Fijian prime minister Frank Bainimarama this morning.\n\nMr Guterres said it needs to be recognised the battle is not being won for the commitments made in Paris to be respected and there needs to be much stronger political will to rescue the planet.\n\nThere was nowhere better than the Pacific to feel the moral duty to rally the international community, he said.\n\n\"The prime minister was telling me in the meeting we just had, that climate change corresponds to the battle of our lives from the point of view of Fiji and the Pacific.\n\n\"As secretary general of the United Nations , I have many battles but I have no doubt to say that as a grandfather this is also the battle of my life.\"\n\nMr Guterres side-stepped a reporter's question on whether human rights issues were discussed with the Fijian prime minister, saying Fiji's progress is being discussed during the Universal Periodic Review process at the UN Human Rights Council.\n\nGuterres told Pacific running out of time for climate action\n\nEarlier, Pacific Island leaders asked the UN Secretary General to tell the world their region is running out of time.\n\nAt a meeting yesterday in Fiji, leaders from countries in the Pacific Islands Forum said climate change was the single greatest threat to their region.\n\nPhoto: United Nations in the Pacific\n\nIn a statement, the leaders welcomed Mr Guterres to witness the everyday reality of climate change and to drive momentum in the lead up to his Climate Action Summit in September.\n\n\"After meeting today, we will return to our island homes. Some of us will find our villages inundated by waves and our homes and public infrastructure wrecked by cyclones. Our coral reefs are dying, our food is disappearing, and we fear for the safety of our loved ones, who are being injured and even killed by some of the most ferocious of cyclones and other extreme weather events ever witnessed in our region,\" the statement said.\n\n\"Let us together seize the opportunity of the UNSG's Climate Action Summit to make the changes we need to reverse climate change.\"\n\nThey said all countries attending the summit must agree to reduce global emissions, and to mitigation and adaptation support for countries that need it.\n\nWithout agreement, the leaders said people of the Pacific will continue to lose their homes, their ways of life and their livelihoods.\n\n\"To the major polluters - our today in the Pacific is undoubtedly your tomorrow.\n\n\"Sea level rise in Tuvalu is sea level rise in New York, though one might go under before the other.\"\n\nAntonio Guterres, acknowledged the message from Pacific leaders saying he stood with them in calling for climate action.\n\n\"The Pacific has a unique moral authority to speak out. It is time for the world to listen,\" he said.", "WELLINGTON: Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has kicked off a major United Nations push for progress on what he calls the defining issue of our time: climate change.\n\nGuterres travelled to New Zealand on Sunday, from where he is set to visit several Pacific islands where rising sea levels are threatening the very existence of those small countries.\n\nThe stepped-up diplomacy will culminate with a climate action summit at the UN in September, an event billed as the last chance to prevent irreversible climate change, three years after the Paris agreement went into force.\n\n\"We are seeing everywhere a clear demonstration that we are not on track to achieve the objectives defined in the Paris agreement,\" Guterres said on the failure to limit rises to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial revolution levels.\n\nIn a strong message for action on climate change, Guterres said international political resolve was fading and it was the small island nations that were \"really in the front line\" and would suffer most.\n\nIn Fiji, Tuvalu and Vanuatu, Guterres will meet with families whose lives have been upended by cyclones, flooding and other extreme weather events.\n\nPacific island countries face an especially dire risk from climate change because of sea level rise.\n\nIn some cases, low-lying countries could disappear completely. Fiji is working to build a coalition of more than 90 countries from the Caribbean, Africa and Asia facing the climate crisis.\n\n\"We hope that the secretary-general will draw far more inspiration from his first visit to go further, faster and deeper with the climate summit,\" Fiji's UN Ambassador Satyendra Prasad told AFP.\n\n\"We are very hopeful that the climate summit will mark a turning point.\n\n\" Guterres on Sunday praised New Zealand's \"extremely important\" leadership on climate change -- Wellington has introduced legislation to become carbon neutral by 2050 -- but warned that international political resolve was fading.\n\nNew Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, speaking at the joint press conference in Auckland, called climate change \"the biggest challenge\" facing the global community and said it would be \"gross negligence\" to avoid the issue.\n\nBut the UN push on climate change is shaping up amid geopolitical shifts: the United States under Donald Trump has decided to pull out of the Paris agreement to combat global warming, giving China more space to assert its views.\n\n\"The Trump administration's disdain for climate diplomacy has left China looking like the main guarantor of the Paris agreement,\" said Richard Gowan, UN director for the International Crisis Group.\n\n\"While China is increasingly active across the UN, other states are suspicious of its stances on human rights and development.\n\nBut it is the indispensable power in climate talks now.\n\n\" Trump announced in 2017 that the United States would exit the Paris agreement, but under the terms of the deal, the withdrawal will only become effective in 2020.\n\nThe US administration is not taking part in summit preparations but has not said it will skip the event, according to UN officials.\n\nGuterres' mission may also be further complicated by Trump's nomination of Kelly Knight Craft as UN ambassador.\n\nCraft, who is married to a major coal magnate, raised eyebrows for declaring that she believed \"both sides\" of climate science, indicating she may well be out of sync with the UN on the issue.\n\nGuterres has told leaders to bring plans, not speeches, to the summit to be held in New York on September 23 during the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations.\n\nThe summit is seen as critical because of US resistance to discuss climate change at other forums including the G7 and G20, and again last week at a meeting of the Arctic Council in Finland.\n\n\"What people are looking for is countries to commit to major ambition increases in 2025 and 2030 at the summit or in 2020,\" said Nick Mabey, head of the E3G climate think tank.\n\nThis should include legally binding targets for countries to phase out coal, become climate neutral and invest in climate resilience, especially for the poorest countries, he added.\n\nA string of apocalyptic reports on the state of the planet is bringing home the need for concrete steps. One million species are on the brink of extinction.\n\nCarbon dioxide emissions continue to rise, pushing targets from the Paris accord further out of reach.\n\nUN climate envoy Luis Alfonso de Alba told AFP on Friday that he was optimistic about prospects for a breakthrough on climate, saying the dire predictions were having a galvanising effect.\n\n\"The situation worldwide is quite different from what it was five to 10 years ago. Five to 10 years ago, countries were looking at their neighbours before acting,\" he said.\n\nToday, everybody has full conscience of the urgency to act, and they are not going to wait for their neighbours to act.", "WELLINGTON, New Zealand — UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Wednesday that he’s traveling to three South Pacific island nations to see the effects of climate change firsthand.\n\nSpeaking in Fiji, the UN leader said he wanted to learn about the work being undertaken by island communities to bolster resilience. He said the Pacific needs stronger international support because climate change is taking place faster than efforts to address it.\n\n“The last four years were the hottest on record. The loss of ice in Greenland and Antarctica is accelerating, meaning that sea levels will rise a full meter (over 3 feet) by 2100 if nothing is done to avoid it,” Guterres said.\n\n“Here in the Pacific, sea-level rise in some countries is four times greater than the global average and is an existential threat to some island states.”\n\nGuterres said island nations should speak out.\n\n“As we look ahead, your voices will remain crucial in global negotiations,” he said. “Your experiences underscore the urgency of the threat and the Pacific has a unique moral authority to speak out. It is time for the world to listen.”\n\nGuterres made the comments at a meeting with officials from the Pacific Islands Forum in Suva, Fiji’s capital.\n\nHe also plans to visit the island nations of Tuvalu and Vanuatu.\n\nHis trip comes ahead of the Climate Action Summit that he plans to convene in September in New York.", "Visiting Fiji for the first time as Secretary-General, António Guterres outlined two “fundamental challenges” facing leaders attending the Pacific Islands Forum on Thursday, namely climate change and the world’s rising ocean, which threatens to submerge low-lying nations.\n\n“The Pacific region is on the frontline of climate change”, he said. “That means you are also our important allies in the fight against it”.\n\nThe UN chief said that he was there “to see the region’s climate pressures firsthand, and to learn about the work being undertaken by communities here in Fiji and elsewhere to bolster resilience”.\n\nNoting that the last four years were the hottest on record, Mr. Guterres highlighted recent ice losses in Greenland and Antarctica, saying that “sea levels will rise a full meter by 2100”.\n\nIn the Pacific specifically, he said that sea-levels are set to rise in some countries four times above the global average, posing “an existential threat to some island States”.\n\nProviding “ample evidence of the region’s vulnerability” the UN chief cited recent damage caused by Tropical Cyclones Gita, Josie and Keni as well as by volcanic eruptions and earthquakes and other extreme weather events in the region.\n\n“Climate change will further worsen the risks”, he spelled out, noting that the salinization of water and crops is endangering food security and escalating the impact on public health.\n\nHe maintained that climate change also brings “clear dangers” for international peace and security, pointing to the 2018 Boe Declaration, which reaffirms climate change as the single greatest threat to the wellbeing of the Pacific.\n\nMr. Guterres said that he recently appointed a task force to coordinate UN initiatives to address these challenges.\n\n“Military strategists see clearly the possibility of climate impacts increasing tensions over resources and mass movements of people”, he continued. “As coastal areas or degraded inland areas become uninhabitable, people will seek safety and better lives elsewhere”.\n\nRecalling that more than 24 million people in 118 countries and territories were displaced by natural disasters in 2016, he told Pacific leaders their islands and communities “are in the forefront of global climate negotiations”.\n\nHe vowed the UN’s strong commitment “to supporting your response to climate change and reversing the negative trends that have put your cultures and very existence at risk”.\n\nClimate change also threatens the well-being of the world’s ocean and seas, which are critical to the economies and traditions of the Pacific.\n\n“Oceans are warming and becoming more acidic, causing coral bleaching and reducing biodiversity” the UN chief told the Forum, stating that global warming of 1.5 degrees Celsius would cause “severe damage to tropical reefs”.\n\nMoreover, if warming reached two degrees Celsius or more, “it would be catastrophic for marine life and humans alike” he said. “Food security would decline. Economic growth would suffer”.\n\nBut seas and marine life are also under attack from other directions. Mr. Guterres painted a picture of overfishing; underwater deserts in effect, with no oxygen; seas filled with poison and trash, and species becoming extinct within decades.\n\n“Every year, more than eight million tonnes of harmful plastic waste end up in the ocean” he said. “According to one recent study, plastic could outweigh fish in our seas by 2050”.\n\nWhile many countries are finally rejecting single-use plastic, the UN chief underscored that “we must do even more” to address the unsustainable levels of stress on marine and coastal ecosystems.\n\nHe commended Pacific countries for ensuring the adoption of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14 to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development, saying that his Special Envoy for the Ocean, Fiji’s Peter Thomson, is promoting the SDGs and the outcomes of the UN Ocean Conference.\n\n“To address the intertwined challenges of climate change and ocean health, we need smart and far-reaching steps” that require action aligned with the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda, which makes full use of tools, such as the Convention on the Law of the Sea, according to the UN chief.\n\n“We have the blueprints, frameworks and plans” he stated. “What we need is urgency, will and ambition”.\n\nMr. Guterres spoke of his Climate Action Summit in September at UN Headquarters, as an opportunity “to scale up” pledges to halt emission increases 2020, and “dramatically reduce” them to net-zero emissions by mid-century.\n\nHe also stressed the importance of gender diversity in decision making as climate change has impacts on women, citing as an example that food salinization affects the health of pregnant women and newborns.\n\nCome September, Mr. Guterres said that sustainable development will be centre-stage as SDG progress will be reviewed and finance mobilization discussed.\n\nHe lauded Pacific countries’ commitment to promote their vision of a “Blue Continent” and maintained that their voices “remain crucial in global negotiations”.\n\n“The Pacific has a unique moral authority to speak out” he said. “It is time for the world to listen”.", "The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is preparing to launch a major push for progress on climate change with a historic visit to the Pacific.\n\nThe UN chief is currently in New Zealand and will later today head to Fiji where he'll meet with Pacific island leaders in Suva for the first time.\n\nAntonio Guterres has described the Pacific as the front line of climate change with rising sea levels threatening the very existence of the small island nations.", "SUVA: UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said on Wednesday (May 15) the Pacific possesses \"a unique moral authority\" to demand global action on climate change because its people are bearing the brunt of the problem.\n\nVisiting Fiji as part of a South Pacific tour to highlight the dangers of global warming, Guterres said the region was on the front line of climate change.\n\n\"Here in the Pacific, sea-level rise in some countries is four times greater than the global average and is an existential threat to some island states,\" he said.\n\nHe said this was despite the fact that the Pacific islands contributed little to global warming and had been among the first nations to minimise their greenhouse gas emissions.\n\n\"Your experiences underscore the urgency of the threat,\" he said. \"The Pacific has a unique moral authority to speak out - it is time for the world to listen.\"\n\nGuterres' visit - which also includes New Zealand, Tuvalu and Vanuatu - will see the UN chief meet locals whose lives have been upended by cyclones, flooding and other extreme weather events linked to climate change.\n\nIt comes ahead of the Climate Action Summit in September in New York, billed as a last chance to prevent irreversible climate change.\n\nMembers of the Pacific Islands Forum regional grouping commended Guterres for travelling to see \"the everyday reality of climate change\".\n\nThey sent a strong message to the New York conference, warning \"we are facing an unprecedented global catastrophe for our blue planet\".\n\n\"Platitudes and repackaged commitments cannot be the substance of our deliberations,\" they said in a statement.\n\n\"We need transformational change at scale, and courageous leaders prepared to deliver it.\"\n\nGuterres will address the Fiji parliament on Thursday.", "Governments around the world must introduce carbon taxes, halt plans for new coal plants and accelerate the closure of existing ones if damage to the Pacific from climate change is to be limited, the UN secretary general has told Pacific leaders on his first visit to the region.\n\nAntonio Guterres met leaders of Pacific countries in Fiji, on a trip that will also see him visit Vanuatu, considered one of the countries most vulnerable to natural disasters due to climate change, and Tuvalu, which is at risk of sinking under rising waters.\n\nSpeaking after meetings in Suva on Wednesday, Guterres acknowledged the region was “on the frontline of climate change” and its people were “important allies in the fight against it”.\n\n“Here in the Pacific, sea-level rise in some countries is four times greater than the global average and is an existential threat to some island states,” he said.\n\n“My messages to governments around the world from the Pacific are clear: first, shift taxes from salaries to carbon. Tax pollution, not people. Second, stop subsidising fossil fuels. Taxpayer money should not be used to boost hurricanes, spread drought and heatwaves, melt glaciers, and bleach corals. Third, stop building new coal plants by 2020.”\n\nHis comments came in the closing days of the Australian election campaign, where climate action is a key issue.\n\nLeaders of the Pacific Islands Forum told Guterres they were “running out of time” and asked him to share a message of urgency with the world, saying they were facing “an unprecedented global catastrophe”.\n\n“The blue Pacific – our great ocean continent, our thousands of islands, our strong and resilient people – is running out of time,” said forum leaders in a statement.\n\n“All countries, with no caveats, must agree to take decisive and transformative action to reduce global emissions ... If we do not, we will lose. We will lose our homes, our ways of life, our wellbeing and our livelihoods. We know this because we are experiencing loss already.”\n\nGuterres said climate change particularly affected women, offering the example of the effect of salinisation of food crops on pregnant women and newborn health, and said women needed to be involved in all decisions related to climate change.\n\n“There can be no successful response to a changing climate without also changing mindsets about the role of women in prevention and response,” he said.\n\nDr Tess Newton Cain, a Pacific analyst and visiting fellow at the Australian National University, said this message was particularly important given there was only one national Pacific leader who was a woman – Hilda Heine, president of the Marshall Islands.\n\nShe also said Guterres’ visit was very timely in light of the climate summit in September and that Pacific voices should be key in shaping the agenda.\n\n“What I was particularly struck by was that he was at pains to flag very clearly that not only are Pacific countries on the frontlines when it comes to being victims of climate change impacts but more importantly they’re on the frontline when it comes to resilience and innovation and global leadership,” she said.\n\n“These are small countries that have really not allowed themselves to be seen as hapless victims but they have grasped opportunities to take things forward and lead by example, it’s very pleasing that the UN secretary general has acknowledged that.”", "Ngāi Tahu hosted United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in his last meeting in Aotearoa before he heads to the Pacific Islands for further UN discussions.\n\nThe iwi will put forward what they're doing to combat climate change in the hope that ideas and initiatives may be taken up by the UN.\n\nNgāi Tahu spent almost an hour addressing one of the most influential leaders in the world. They gave insight into their environmental objectives and protections.\n\n\"Our climate change strategy requires our commercial entities to develop climate change action plans,\" says Lisa...\n\nAddressing climate change was the main reason Guterres came to this part of the world. He has seen value in his venturing to New Zealand.\n\n\"We are facing a dramatic challenge and I must confess that I have been more strongly occupied by energy transformation, mobility transformation, industrial transformation that then agriculture transformation. So this was very enlightening for me,\" he says.\n\nClimate Change Minister James Shaw sees great value in what Ngāi Tahu are doing in this space, and believes it will be of value for the UN to take notice.\n\n\"I think Ngai Tahu is one of the leading organisations in the country and a great role model not just for other iwi, but organisations across Aotearoa New Zealand. The fact is underlining their strategy, is a 500 year strategic plan,\" says Shaw.\n\nAntonio Guterres' time here is New Zealand has come to a close. The question remains, will there be some tangible impact from his three days in the country.\n\nGuterres will now go to the Pacific Islands, were climate change will be the main issue discussed.", "“The planet’s on fire,” were some of the milder words that Bill Nye The Science Guy used in HBO’s “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver”, to describe his thoughts on climate change, adding a few other choice words for the so-called climate deniers, telling them to “Wake the **** Up”—a far cry from his normal PBS kid-directed schtick that seeks to educate, rather than berate.\n\nPulling no punches, Nye was speaking directly to members of Congress—at least those that are not on the climate change bandwagon that has become the cause de celebre for progressive democrats such as AOC through the Green New Deal and carbon pricing.\n\nNye supported the AOC and the Green New Deal, selling the latter as a solution for global warming. Nye went a step further and chastised critics of the plan, who have pointed out the GND’s shortcomings when it comes to the plan’s ambiguous details, thin plan for executing it, and likely high costs.\n\nNye’s scathing words for those who oppose the plan didn’t stop there.\n\nSaid Nye of the proposed solutions “…when something costs more, people buy less of it….” Shaming his audience further with the barb, “Nothing is free, you idiots.”\n\nNye has long been an advocate for climate change measures, going toe to toe with Fox News’ Tucker Carlson on the legitimacy of the science behind climate change, and debating whether climate change is human-driven. However, Nye has irked those in the climate change camp by tagging along with climate denier Republic Rep. Jim Bridenstine to Trump’s State of the Union address—a move that some in the scientific community said inadvertently backed climate denial.\n\nNye’s open chastisement of the climate-denier crowd may just buy him back some cred with his scientific peers.\n• None Global Oil Flows At Stake In New Middle East Proxy War"], "summary": "United Nations Secretary General António Guterres says Pacific island nations are \"running out of time\" in regards to climate change and global warming effects."}
{"document": ["The U.S. State Department issued a Security Alert Wednesday morning ordering the departure of all non-emergency U.S. government employees from Iraq.\n\nThe alert calls for the immediate evacuation of non-emergency workers from both the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and the U.S. Consulate in Erbil.\n\n“Normal visa services at both posts will be temporarily suspended,” the alert reads. “The U.S. government has limited ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in Iraq.”\n\nThe order comes amid escalating tensions between the U.S. and Iran. In the wake of President Donald Trump’s decision last year to withdraw the U.S. from the 2015 Obama-era Iran nuclear deal, the administration has reimposed sanctions on Iran.\n\nAnd in April, the administration said countries that import Iranian oil will be subject to sanctions, CNN reported.\n\nSanctions against Iran have pushed the nation toward economic crisis in recent months.\n\n“Last week, Iran warned it would begin enriching uranium at higher levels in 60 days if world powers failed to negotiate new terms for the deal,” according to The Times of Israel.\n\nIt appears that this is not the only way Iran has attempted to push western leaders to meet its nuclear deal demands.\n\nThe U.S. government reported last week that evidence suggests Iran and its proxies could soon take aim at Americans and American interests in the area, according to the The Associated Press.\n\nMeanwhile, Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for drone attacks that targeted Saudi Arabian pumping stations earlier this week.\n\nAnd Wednesday’s State Department evacuation order came after the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad issued a similar alert Sunday.\n\n“The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad advises all U.S. citizens of heightened tensions in Iraq and the requirement to remain vigilant,” the alert reads.\n\nAmericans in the area should “avoid places known as U.S. citizen gathering points,” the alert said. But in general, U.S. citizens should “not travel to Iraq” at all.\n\nLast week, Marine Corps Gen. Kenneth “Frank” McKenzie, who heads U.S. Central Command, issued a blunt warning to Iran as the U.S. dispatched a carrier strike group and bomber task force to the region, the Washington Examiner reported.\n\nRELATED: Senator Says US Can Defeat Iran with ‘Two Strikes’\n\n“First, it sends a clear and unmistakable message to the Iranian regime that any attack on U.S. interests will be met with unrelenting force,” McKenzie said at a Foundation for Defense of Democracies conference in Washington, D.C.\n\n“If a fight is to be had, we will be fully prepared to respond and defend our interests,” McKenzie continued. “And it won’t be a fair fight.”\n\nTrump also weighed in Tuesday on the growing tensions with Iran, denying a report that U.S. officials were working on a plan that would send upward of 100,000 troops to the Middle East.\n\n“I think it’s fake news,” Trump said. “Would I do that? Absolutely. But we have not planned for that. Hopefully, we’re not going to have to plan for that.”\n\n“And if we did that, we’d send a hell of a lot more troops than that,” Trump said.\n\nWe are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.", "BAGHDAD (AP) — The U.S. Embassy in Iraq is advising U.S. citizens against traveling to the country amid what it called “heightened tensions,” reflecting worsening strains between Washington and Tehran. The advisory was posted on…\n\nBAGHDAD (AP) — The U.S. Embassy in Iraq is advising U.S. citizens against traveling to the country amid what it called “heightened tensions,” reflecting worsening strains between Washington and Tehran.\n\nThe advisory was posted on Twitter on Sunday night. The U.S. has long advised its citizens against travel to Iraq, but the renewed warning followed Washington’s deployment of the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and B-52 bombers to the Persian Gulf in response to unspecified “threats” by Iran.\n\nThe warning follows a surprise visit to Baghdad by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo last week which he said was aimed at demonstrating U.S. support for the Iraqi government, as the U.S. says it has been picking up intelligence that Iran is threatening American interests in the Middle East.\n\nDuring his visit, Pompeo also said he wanted to underscore Iraq’s need to protect Americans in the country.\n\nTensions between the U.S. and Iran have rocketed since President Donald Trump pulled his country out of the 2015 nuclear treaty with Iran and re-imposed severe sanctions on Iran’s energy and finance sectors.\n\nThe strain has tested Iraq’s leaders as they try to balance relations between the two rivals. Iraq sees billions of dollars in cross-border trade with Iran and has close ties with Tehran after it stepped in to fill the political vacuum following the 2003 U.S. invasion.\n\nBut Iraq is also host to more than 5,000 U.S. servicemen and women invited by the Iraqi parliament in 2014 to assist in the war against the Islamic State group.\n\nCopyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.", "Great Britain also issued security alert for its personnel in Iraq. The threat leveal was raised for UK troops and diplomats in Kuwait, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia as well.\n\nEarlier this week the US State Department ordered the departure of \"non-emergency government employees\" from Baghdad and Erbil after US Central Command spokesman Bill Urban that the US-led coalition was on high alert because it saw credible threats to American forces in Iraq.\n\nREAD MORE: Iran Reminds of US Lies Before Iraq War, Hints US Official Behind Scaremongering\n\nHowever, British Maj. Gen. Christopher Ghika, who is a deputy commander of the coalition forces, stated that the threat level by Iranian-backed groups against the troops in Iraq and Syria has not risen.\n\nThe news comes after the US increased its military presence in the Middle East amid growing tensions with Tehran, sending an aircraft carrier strike group to the Persian Gulf.\n\nREAD MORE: Russian FM: Iran Had the Right to Partially Suspend Nuclear Deal Commitments\n\nAccording to White House National Security Adviser John Bolton, Washington is fully prepared to \"respond to any attack, whether by proxy, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or regular Iranian forces\".\n\nIn the meantime, the Islamic Republic has suspended certain obligations under the 2015 nuclear deal, giving five remaining signatories — France, the UK, Russia, China, and Germany — a 60-day deadline to take measures towards ensuring the country's interests amid US sanctions.", "The US State Department on Wednesday ordered all non-emergency staff to leave its embassy in Baghdad and consulate in Arbil, as tensions mount between the United States and Iraq's neighbor Iran.\n\nWashington has ramped up pressure on Tehran in recent days, accusing Iran of planning \"imminent\" attacks in the region, and bolstering the American military presence in the Gulf.\n\n\"Numerous terrorist and insurgent groups are active in Iraq and regularly attack both Iraqi security forces and civilians,\" a travel advisory warned.\n\n\"Anti-US sectarian militias may also threaten US citizens and Western companies throughout Iraq.\"\n\nThe US last year shut its consulate in the protest-hit southern Iraqi city of Basra, blaming \"indirect fire\" by Iran-backed forces and warning its rival of retaliation for any damage.\n\nUS Secretary of State Mike Pompeo last week paid a surprise trip to Baghdad in a move to bolster ties with Iraq as it pushes ahead with its \"maximum pressure\" against Tehran -- a US arch-rival, but an ally of Iraq.\n\nHe told reporters he had made the trip because Iranian forces are \"escalating their activity\" and said the threat of attacks were \"very specific.\"\n\nPompeo met with Iraq President Barham Saleh and Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi, and spoke to them \"about the importance of Iraq ensuring that it's able to adequately protect Americans in their country.\"\n\nThe Pentagon said it was sending several massive, nuclear-capable B-52s to the region in response to \"recent and clear indications that Iranian and Iranian proxy forces were making preparations to possibly attack US forces.\"\n\nBoth Pompeo and Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei have this week played down fears that their countries were seeking conflict.\n\nBut National Security Advisor John Bolton warned Iran that Washington would respond with \"unrelenting force\" to any attack by Tehran, including by its regional allies.\n\nBlasts involving improvised explosive devices (IEDs) occur in many areas of Iraq, including the capital Baghdad, the advisory added. Arbil is the Iraqi Kurdish regional capital, in northern Iraq.\n\nGet the latest election news, live updates and election schedule for Lok Sabha Elections 2019 on ndtv.com/elections. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagram for updates from each of the 543 parliamentary seats for the 2019 Indian general elections. Election results will be out on May 23.", "The Latest: UK raises threat level for its personnel in Iraq\n\nDUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The Latest on developments in the Persian Gulf region and elsewhere in the Mideast amid heightened tensions between the U.S. and Iran (all times local):\n\nSky News is reporting that the U.K. has raised the threat level for British personnel in Iraq because of a heightened risk from Iran.\n\nSky also said on Thursday that British forces and diplomats in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar have also been placed on an increased state of alert.\n\nThe Ministry of Defense declined to comment. But it said Wednesday that it recognizes threats in the region to British, American and coalition forces and acts accordingly.\n\nThe ministry says it keeps \"the security of our deployed personnel and assets under constant review\" and that it has a \"very robust range of force protection measures.\"\n\nIt says that Britain \"has long been clear about our concerns over Iran's destabilizing behavior in the region.\"\n\nA state-aligned Saudi newspaper is calling for \"surgical\" U.S. strikes in retaliation against alleged threats from Iran.\n\nThe Arab News published an editorial in English on Thursday, arguing that after incidents this week against Saudi energy targets, the next logical step \"should be surgical strikes.\"\n\nThe editorial says U.S. airstrikes in Syria, when the government there was suspected of using chemical weapons against civilians, \"set a precedent.\"\n\nIt added that it's \"clear that (U.S.) sanctions are not sending the right message\" and that \"they must be hit hard,\" in reference to Iran, without elaborating on what specific targets should be struck.\n\nThe newspaper's publisher is the Saudi Research and Marketing Group, a company that had long been chaired by various sons of King Salman until 2014 and is regarded as reflecting official position.\n\nIran's ambassador to the United Nations says the Islamic Republic is not interested in escalating regional tensions but has the \"right to defend ourselves.\"\n\nMajid Takht-e Ravanchi made the comments in an interview Thursday on NPR's \"Morning Edition.\"\n\nRavanchi said: \"We are not interested in the escalation of tensions in our region. If something goes wrong, everyone loses.\"\n\nHowever, he added: \"It is our right to be prepared. It is our right to defend ourselves.\" He accused the U.S. and regional nations of airing \"false allegations\" about Iran.\n\nIn recent days, the United Arab Emirates has alleged four oil tankers off its east coast were targeted in sabotage attacks, while Iranian-allied rebels in Yemen launched a coordinated drone attack on Saudi Arabia.\n\nThe U.S. has sent an aircraft carrier and bombers into the Mideast to counter a still-unexplained threat it perceives from Tehran.\n\nIran says it has successfully tested a firewall to prevent cyberattacks on industrial facilities.\n\nTelecommunications Minister Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi said in a post on his Instagram page that the firewall was designed by Iranian students, without providing further details.\n\nIran blamed Israel for a cyberattack on its communications infrastructure in November.\n\nThe Islamic Republic moved to boost its cyber capabilities in 2011 after the Stuxnet computer virus destroyed thousands of centrifuges involved in its contested nuclear program. Stuxnet is widely believed to be an American and Israeli creation.\n\nYemen's Health Ministry has raised the death toll from early morning airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition, saying six people were killed, including four children.\n\nThe ministry says 41 people were also wounded, including two women of Russian nationality.\n\nThursday's airstrikes came after Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who control the capital, launched a drone attack Tuesday on a critical oil pipeline in Saudi Arabia, Tehran's biggest rival in the region.\n\nMeanwhile, Saudi Deputy Defense Minister Khalid bin Salman wrote on Twitter on Thursday that Tehran had ordered \"the terrorist acts\" carried out by the Houthis against the oil pipeline.\n\nHe said the attack proves the Houthis \"are merely a tool that Iran's regime uses to implement its expansionist agenda in the region.\"\n\nA Yemeni medic and residents of the country's capital, Sanaa, say at least three people, including a child, were killed in Saudi-led airstrikes on the city earlier in the morning.\n\nThursday's airstrikes came two days after Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who control the capital, launched a drone attack on a critical oil pipeline in Saudi Arabia, Tehran's biggest rival in the region.\n\nIn Sanaa, people scrambled to pull 14 wounded from the rubble of a building hit by one of the airstrikes in the al-Raqas neighborhood.\n\nA medic at the al-Manar city hospital said bodies of three civilians killed in the strikes were brought to the hospital morgue. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak to the media.\n\nFawaz Ahmed, a middle-aged broker, told The Associated Press he saw the three bodies being retrieved from the rubble — a father, his child and his wife, all buried together.\n\nResidents in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa are saying there has been a wave of airstrikes that have hit targets in the city this morning, including a residential house. They say there are casualties, including civilians.\n\nThe residents say the airstrikes started early on Thursday, with coalition jets bombing military sites belonging to the rebel Houthis who have been at war with the coalition since 2015.\n\nThey spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.\n\nOn Wednesday, Iran-aligned Houthi rebels launched a coordinated drone attack on a critical oil pipeline in Saudi Arabia, Tehran's biggest rival in the region. It was the latest incident to shake global energy markets.\n\nThe Qatar-funded satellite news broadcaster Al-Jazeera says that Doha is trying to \"defuse escalating tensions\" across the Persian Gulf.\n\nAl-Jazeera cited an anonymous official on Wednesday night as saying that Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani had traveled to Tehran in recent days to speak with his Iranian counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif.\n\nAl-Jazeera said the U.S. was aware of the trip in advance, but did not elaborate further. FlightRadar24.com, a flight-tracking website, showed a Qatari government airplane landed in Tehran on Saturday.\n\nQatar hosts the forward headquarters of the U.S. military's Central Command at its vast Al-Udeid Air Base. Several of the B-52 bombers ordered by the White House to the region amid the latest escalation between Washington and Tehran are stationed there.\n\nQatar has grown closer to Iran diplomatically amid it begin boycotted by four Arab nations over a political dispute.\n\nIran's foreign minister says his country is committed to an international nuclear deal but that the escalating U.S. sanctions are \"unacceptable.\"\n\nThe remarks come amid rising tensions in the Mideast, with allegations of sabotage targeting oil tankers near the Persian Gulf, a drone attack by Yemen's Iranian-allied rebels and the dispatch of U.S. warships and bombers to the region.\n\nForeign Minister Mohammad Zarif told Japanese officials on Thursday in Tokyo that his country's response to the U.S. actions is within the frameworks of the current nuclear deal and Iran's rights.\n\nIran recently threatened to resume higher enrichment in 60 days if no new nuclear deal is in place, beyond the level permitted by the current one between Tehran and world powers. The U.S. pulled out of the deal last year.", "WASHINGTON — Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle warned President Donald Trump on Wednesday to avoid plunging the United States into another Iraq-like war in the Middle East, demanding more information about vague warnings that Iran might be planning attacks on U.S. personnel and facilities in the region.\n\nCongressional leaders will get more information about the situation on Thursday during a confidential briefing with Trump officials, according to two Democratic sources. On Capitol Hill and on the campaign trail, politicians fretted the situation feels eerily similar to the run-up to the Iraq war.\n\n\"It's close to inconceivable that the president, the administration would consider a war with Iran,\" said Utah Senator Mitt Romney, a Republican critic of the president. \"The president made it clear when he ran for president that one of the worst foreign policy mistakes in American history was the decision to go to war with Iraq. And that we would repeat that [is] unthinkable and something I can't imagine the president or his senior staff would consider.\"\n\nHouse Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who will attend Thursday's briefing, minced no words during a closed-door Democratic caucus meeting Wednesday, which came as the State Department evacuated non-emergency staffers from the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.\n\n\"Let me say that we have to avoid any war with Iran,\" she said, according to a congressional aide.\n\nPelosi's deputy, Maryland Representative Steny Hoyer, stressed that all members of Congress must get a briefing. \"This is a serious situation and we want to make sure we're not getting ahead of ourselves,\" he said.\n\nSenator Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) said Senate foreign relations Chairman Jim Risch (R-Idaho) is seeking an all-senators briefing for next week.\n\n\"I think there's a lot more to be known before decisions are made,\" said Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.).\n\nTensions between Iran and the United States have spiked in the past week as U.S. officials announced fresh intelligence that Iran or its proxies in the region are planning attacks on American troops, diplomats and facilities.\n\nThe State Department on Wednesday ordered the evacuation of non-emergency staff from the U.S. Embassy in Iraq, where a number of Iranian-allied militias operate. The department also urged Americans not to travel to Iraq.\n\nThe Trump administration also has sped up the deployment of an aircraft carrier to the Persian Gulf, while reportedly drafting plans for sending tens of thousands of troops to the Middle East.\n\nIt's difficult to tell, however, how serious the alleged Iranian threats are, and whether the administration's response so far has been proportional. The president himself appears hesitant to engage Iran in a military conflict. But some of his top aides, especially National Security Adviser John Bolton, have in the past championed the idea of toppling Iran's regime by force.\n\nIran has responded to the Trump administration's rhetoric with a mixture of mockery and bellicosity, but always insisting it wants no part in a war with the U.S.\n\nStill, there's fear a war could evolve inadvertently if lower-level fighters on either side make moves that lead to a military response.\n\nDemocrats challenging Trump for the presidency in 2020 quickly jumped into the fray, comparing the burgeoning situation to the run-up to the U.S. invasion of Iraq. They noted that several top Trump staffers, including Bolton, pushed for the U.S. invasion of Iraq based on faulty — and possibly manipulated — intelligence that Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction.\n\nThe U.S. can't make the same mistake on Iran, a harder target than Iraq, they said.\n\n\"It's time to end the forever wars,\" 2020 candidate Pete Buttigieg wrote on Twitter. \"But in this White House, some of the same people who got us into Iraq now seem ready to stoke a new conflict. It's another reason Congress must reassert its war powers.\"\n\n\"This is chicken hawks trying to drag us into a war with Iran just like they did 15 years ago in Iraq,\" said Representative Seth Moulton of Massachusetts, a 2020 Democrat who has been highlighting his military service.\n\nSome U.S. allies have also appeared hesitant to take the Trump administration at its word about imminent Iranian threats in the region.\n\nA British major general, Chris Ghika, who is a top official in the U.S.-led battle against the Islamic State terrorist group, told reporters Tuesday there is \"no increased threat from Iranian-backed forces\" to U.S. and other coalition troops in Iraq and Syria. Ghika quickly walked back his comments, insisting there is no dissension between the U.S. and Britain on the subject, but U.S. military officials still issued a rare rebuttal of his remarks later that afternoon.\n\nEuropean diplomatic officials, meanwhile urged Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to exercise \"maximum restraint\" with Iran after he flew to Brussels to brief them this week, a nod to the Trump administration's \"maximum pressure\" campaign against Iran.\n\nAmerica's European allies \"do not see the same threat that this administration is talking about,\" said Ben Rhodes, a top aide to former President Barack Obama, Wednesday on MSNBC.\n\nRhodes added that during his eight years in the White House, \"there was always intelligence about one particular group or another that could pose a threat to U.S. interests in the region from Iran or one of its proxies. That's not new.\"\n\nBut some U.S. and foreign diplomats privately told POLITICO the threats are credible, noting that the diplomatic security division of the State Department is known for its caution on such matters.\n\nHow the U.S. reacts could depend on how it is defining the threat, and critics of the administration worry its parameters are far too wide.\n\nIn announcing the administration is speeding up the deployment of an aircraft carrier and other warships to the Middle East, Bolton said that \"any attack on United States interests or on those of our allies will be met with unrelenting force.\"\n\nIran has links to an array of militias throughout the Middle East, but it is not always in direct command and control of their actions. The U.S. also has many allies in the region, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Israel, whose own military forces are in multiple places, raising the risk of contact with Iran or its proxies.\n\nTrump on Tuesday denied a New York Times report that he is considering sending some 120,000 troops to the Middle East to counter the Iranian threat. But he didn't rule it out, either.\n\n\"Now, would I do that? Absolutely,\" Trump said. \"But we have not planned for that. Hopefully we're not going to have to plan for that. If we did that, we would send a hell of a lot more troops than that.\"\n\nA massive build-up of U.S. troops would take many months, but the 120,000 figure is widely believed to be an inadequate number for a full-on invasion of Iran, a country that is larger in size and population than Iraq, with a far more sophisticated military apparatus.\n\nIranian officials dismissed the notion that the two countries will go to war, while still saying they would prevail in any encounter.\n\n\"We don't seek a war nor do they. They know a war wouldn't be beneficial for them,\" Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Tuesday.\n\nIt's a back-and-forth that is causing hand-wringing back in Washington.\n\n\"There's concern of the rhetoric on both sides,\" said Rhode Island Senator Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the armed services committee. \"We have to know what's going on. And we don't know.\"", "WASHINGTON — International worries that the Trump administration is sliding toward war with Iran flared into the open amid skepticism about its claims that the Islamic Republic poses a growing threat to the U.S. and its allies in the Persian Gulf and beyond .\n\nThe U.S. military on Tuesday rebutted doubts expressed by a British general about such a threat. President Donald Trump denied a report that the administration has updated plans to send more than 100,000 troops to counter Iran if necessary. But Trump then stirred the controversy further by saying: \"Would I do that? Absolutely.\"\n\nThe general's remarks exposed international skepticism over the American military build-up in the Middle East, a legacy of the 2003 invasion of Iraq that was predicated on false intelligence. U.S. officials have not publicly provided any evidence to back up claims of an increased Iranian threat amid other signs of allied unease.\n\nAs tensions in the region started to surge, British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said his nation was worried about the risk of accidental conflict \"with an escalation that is unintended really on either side.\" Then on Tuesday, Spain temporarily pulled one of its frigates from the U.S.-led combat fleet heading toward the Strait of Hormuz. That was followed by the unusual public challenge to the Trump administration by the general.\n\n\"No, there's been no increased threat from Iranian-backed forces in Iraq and Syria,\" said Maj. Gen. Chris Ghika, a senior officer in the U.S.-backed coalition fighting the Islamic State group. Ghika, speaking in a video conference from coalition headquarters in Baghdad, told reporters at the Pentagon that the coalition monitors the presence of Iranian-backed forces \"along with a whole range of others because that's the environment we're in.\"\n\nBut he added, \"There are a substantial number of militia groups in Iraq and Syria, and we don't see any increased threat from any of them at this stage.\"\n\nLate in the day, in a rare public rebuttal of an allied military officer, U.S. Central Command said Ghika's remarks \"run counter to the identified credible threats\" from Iranian-backed forces in the Mideast. In a written statement, Central Command said the coalition in Baghdad has increased the alert level for all service members in Iraq and Syria.\n\n\"As a result, (the coalition) is now at a high level of alert as we continue to closely monitor credible and possibly imminent threats to U.S. forces in Iraq,\" the statement said.\n\nAt the White House, Trump, who has repeatedly argued for avoiding long-term conflicts in the Mideast, discounted a New York Times report that the U.S. has updated plans that could send up to 120,000 troops to counter Iran if it attacked American forces.\n\n\"Would I do that? Absolutely,\" he told reporters. \"But we have not planned for that. Hopefully we're not going to have to plan for that. If we did that, we'd send a hell of a lot more troops than that.\"\n\nReinforcing Trump's denial, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said at a joint news conference in Sochi with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, \"We fundamentally do not seek war with Iran.\"\n\nA Trump administration official said a recent small meeting of national security officials was not focused on a military response to Iran, but instead concentrated on a range of other policy options, including diplomacy and economic sanctions. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.\n\nLavrov said Pompeo told him that a potential deployment of 120,000 U.S. troops to the Mideast was only a \"rumor.\" Lavrov said the international community needs to focus on diplomacy with Iran, including on the potentially explosive issue of Iran's nuclear program, which is constrained by a U.S.-brokered deal in 2015 that Trump has abandoned.\n\nU.S. Iran envoy Brian Hook told reporters traveling with Pompeo in Brussels that the secretary of state shared intelligence on Iran with allies since \"Europe shares our concerns about stability in the Gulf and the Middle East.\" What the Europeans do not share, however, is Washington's more aggressive approach to Iran.\n\n\"We are very worried about the risk of a conflict happening by accident, with an escalation that is unintended really on either side but ends with some kind of conflict,\" British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt told reporters in Brussels.\n\n\"What we need is a period of calm to make sure that everyone understands what the other side is thinking,\" Hunt said.\n\nLast week, U.S. officials said they had detected signs of Iranian preparations for potential attacks on U.S. forces and interests in the Mideast, but Washington has not spelled out that threat.\n\nThe U.S. has about 5,000 troops in Iraq and about 2,000 in Syria as part of the coalition campaign to defeat the Islamic State group there. It also has long had a variety of air and naval forces stationed in Bahrain, Qatar and elsewhere in the Gulf, partly to support military operations against IS and partly as a counter to Iranian influence.\n\nGen. Ghika's comments came amid dramatically heightened tensions in the Middle East. The U.S. in recent days has ordered the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group to the Gulf region, plus four B-52 bombers. It also is moving a Patriot air-defense missile battery to an undisclosed country in the area. As of Tuesday, the Lincoln and its strike group had passed through the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait in the Red Sea, but officials would not disclose their exact location.\n\nTensions rose another notch with reports Sunday that four commercial vessels anchored off the United Arab Emirates had been damaged by sabotage.\n\nA U.S. military team was sent to the UAE to investigate, and one U.S. official said the initial assessment is that each ship has a 5- to 10-foot hole in it, near or just below the water line. The official, who was not authorized to publicly discuss details of the investigation, said the early interpretation is that the holes were caused by explosive charges.\n\nThe official on Tuesday acknowledged seeing some photographs of the damage to the ships, but those images have not been made public. The official also said that the team is continuing to conduct forensic testing on the ship damage and that U.S. leaders are still awaiting the final report. The team's initial assessment is that the damage was done by Iranian or Iranian-backed proxies, but they are still going through the evidence and have not yet reached a final conclusion, the official said.\n\nAP Diplomatic Writer Matthew Lee and Associated Press writer Zeke Miller contributed to this report.", "The U.S. military put its forces in Iraq on high alert, and the State Department ordered all nonemergency employees Wednesday to leave the country immediately amid escalating tensions with Iran. Some U.S. allies have expressed skepticism about the Trump administration’s claims that Iran poses a growing threat.\n\nNavy Capt. Bill Urban, a spokesman at the U.S. military’s Central Command, said in a statement that there were \"possibly imminent threats to U.S. forces in Iraq\" as he sought to clarify contradictory remarks by a British commander Tuesday.\n\nBritish Maj. Gen. Christopher Ghika, a senior officer in the U.S.-backed coalition fighting the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria, said, \"There’s been no increased threat from Iranian-backed forces in Iraq and Syria.\" Urban rebutted Ghika's remarks in a sign of how the United States and its close allies have split over Iran's potential threat.\n\nApplying \"maximum pressure\" on Iran is a central tenet of the Trump administration's foreign policy. Trump withdrew the United States from a nuclear deal reached between Iran and world powers in 2015, reimposed crushing sanctions and boosted the U.S. military presence in the Persian Gulf. Unease that Washington and Tehran could be headed toward military confrontation has mounted.\n\nIran to Trump: You are playing 'very dangerous game,' risking 'devastating war'\n\nIn Baghdad, the U.S. Embassy published a statement Wednesday saying the State Department mandated that all nonemergency government staff leave the country after Washington said last week it detected urgent \"credible\" threats from Iran and its proxy forces in the region targeting Americans and U.S. interests.\n\nSpecific details about the intelligence have not been revealed.\n\nSaudi Arabia said this week that two of its oil tankers and other energy-related infrastructure were damaged in an act of \"sabotage\" in the Gulf. Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who are fighting a war with Saudi Arabia, claimed responsibility for drone attacks on Saudi oil facilities Tuesday.\n\nFederica Mogherini, Europe's top foreign affairs diplomat, called for the United States to show \"maximum restraint\" after meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.\n\nMixed messages: Varied points of view from Trump on Iran\n\nWhen the United States pulled out of the nuclear deal in May last year, the other signatories to the accord – Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the European Union – vowed to stay in and establish a financial mechanism that would allow them to keep trade and other ties with Iran open amid the U.S. sanctions. They have struggled to achieve that. As a result, Iran gave European countries 60 days to find a way of salvaging the agreement or it would start enriching uranium to far higher levels.\n\nIf nothing happens when the 60 days are up, \"there will be consequences from our side,\" Hamid Baeidinejad, Iran’s ambassador to the United Kingdom, told USA TODAY and other media outlets during a briefing in Iran's Embassy in London on Tuesday.\n\nSuccessive U.S. administrations have viewed Iran as a regional troublemaker and described it as the \"largest state sponsor of terrorism.\" Tehran aids a number of Shiite militant groups in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria and elsewhere across the Middle East. The Trump administration pulled out of the nuclear deal in part because of that and also because the deal does not address Iran's ballistic missile activity.\n\nIran or its proxies, such as Hezbollah, Hamas and the Taliban, have carried out bombings, abductions and hijackings against the USA and other Western nations.\n\n\"Iran is certain to continue to pursue its regional strategy, unless and until its adversaries are willing or able to blunt Iran’s efforts,\" the authors of a new report by the Soufan Center, a global security research center, wrote. \"Rolling back Tehran’s regional influence will require an equally nimble approach combining diplomacy, smart counter-terrorism policy, and a nuanced understanding of how and why Iran’s soft power efforts have been successful so they may be effectively countered.\"\n\nNew Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said lawmakers needed an immediate briefing from Trump administration officials on the alleged threats from Iran. He said there are only two reasons for the State Department to order the departure of U.S. Embassy staff from Baghdad: credible intelligence Americans are at risk or preparation for military action.\n\n\"The Trump administration has not provided any information to this committee on the intelligence behind their decisions or what they plan to do in Iraq or Iran,\" he said.\n\nWar plan?: Trump dismisses report of plan to send troops to Middle East\n\nLike what you’re reading?Download the USA TODAY app for more", "Trump Says He Hopes for No U.S. War With Iran as Tensions Rise\n\n(Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump said he hopes the U.S. doesn’t go to war with Iran, as tensions rise with the Islamic Republic over his administration’s allegation that Tehran may be preparing an attack.\n\n“I hope not,” Trump told reporters on Thursday after he was asked about going to war with Iran while greeting Swiss President Ueli Maurer for a meeting a the White House.\n\nThe U.S. hastened the deployment of an aircraft carrier to the Persian Gulf and withdrew diplomatic personnel from Iraq after claiming intelligence showed a growing threat from Iran or its proxy forces in the Mideast. The New York Times reported on Thursday that aerial photograps recently showed the Iranians placing missile launchers on small boats, raising U.S. concern that Tehran may be preparing to attack American military or commercial shipping.\n\nTrump’s national security adviser, John Bolton, has repeatedly warned Iran against any provocation.\n\nTrump denied in tweets on Wednesday that there’s any “infighting” within his administration over Iran, and said he believes the country’s leaders “will want to talk soon.” His administration withdrew last year from a 2015 pact negotiated by former President Barack Obama to curb Iran’s nuclear ambitions and has subsequently reimposed sanctions on much of the country’s economy.\n\nIran’s vice president said Thursday that the country’s leaders would only consider negotiating with Trump if the U.S. rejoins the nuclear deal, called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.\n\nTo contact the reporter on this story: Alyza Sebenius in Washington at asebenius@bloomberg.net\n\nTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Alex Wayne at awayne3@bloomberg.net, Justin Blum", "The State Department ordered Wednesday the departure of non-emergency US government employees from Iraq amid increasing tensions with Iran and warned US citizens not to travel to the country, citing a “high risk for violence and kidnapping.”\n\nThe department said in a statement that employees working in the US embassy in Baghdad and the US consulate in Erbil were instructed to leave Iraq, and that “normal visa services will be temporarily suspended at both posts.”\n\nIt added that American Citizens Services employees who were working in the embassy in Baghdad “will continue to provide consular services to U.S. citizens in Basrah.”\n\nThe department said the sudden changes were because the US government’s “ability to provide routine and emergency services to US citizens in Iraq is extremely limited” and that as a result, the threat of “terrorism, kidnapping, and armed conflict” aimed at Americans in the country was too great a risk.\n\nSecretary of State Mike Pompeo made an unannounced visit to Iraq last week amid escalating tensions with Iran.\n\nWhile there, Pompeo said he spoke to Iraqi officials “about the importance of Iraq ensuring that it’s able to adequately protect Americans in their country.”\n\nUS officials have told CNN the US had “specific and credible” intelligence that suggested Iranian forces and proxies were planning to target US forces in locations including Iraq. That intelligence led the Pentagon to recommend a carrier strike group be moved to the region.\n\nThe State Department also said Wednesday that Americans “should not travel through Iraq to Syria to engage in armed conflict” as they may face similar threats in Syria and face “legal risks” from both the US and Syria.\n\nThe orders from the State Department come a day after US Central Command, which oversees US military operations in the Middle East, said in a statement that the Pentagon has increased the threat risk for US troops in Iraq and Syria.\n\n“US Central Command, in coordination with Operation Inherent Resolve, has increased the force posture level for all service members assigned to OIR in Iraq and Syria. As a result, OIR is now at a high level of alert as we continue to closely monitor credible and possibly imminent threats to US forces in Iraq,” US Navy Capt. Bill Urban, a spokesman for Central Command, said in a statement Tuesday.\n\nUrban’s statement also pushed back against comments made earlier Tuesday by the deputy commander of the US-led military coalition against ISIS, UK Major Gen. Chris Ghika, who said “there has been no increased threat from Iranian backed forces in Iraq and Syria.”"], "summary": "The United States Department of State orders all non-emergency, non-essential government employees at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad and Erbil consulate office to leave Iraq amid heightened tensions in the Persian Gulf between the United States and Iran."}
{"document": ["and the said Wednesday they were halting their training of soldiers in as tensions rise between neighbouring and the\n\n\"The has suspended the training,\" said, adding that there was \"generally heightened alert, awareness\" for soldiers currently operating in the region.\n\nFlosdorff said training may resume in the next few days and that there was \"no concrete threat\" at the moment.\n\nhas about 160 soldiers deployed in Iraq, including 60 in Taji, just to the north of Baghdad, and 100 in Erbil, in Kurdish-controlled northern territory.\n\nSeparately, the Netherlands' defence ministry said it was also suspending its training mission in due to \"threats\", the Dutch ANP agency said.\n\nMore than 50 Dutch soldiers are training Kurdish troops in Erbil in the context of the international coalition against the Islamic State group, ANP said.\n\nThe defence ministry website says the also supplies two military advisers and four civilian experts to the NATO \"capacity-building mission\" in\n\nLithuania, which has eight soldiers in Iraq, said it did not plan to halt its mission.", "US congressional leaders will receive a classified briefing from intelligence officials Thursday on apparent military threats from Iran amid rapidly escalating tensions between Washington and the Islamic republic.\n\nBut House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she wanted the entire Congress to be briefed by next week ahead of a week-long recess so that all lawmakers can be brought up to speed on any new intelligence developments before debating any next steps.\n\n\"We're hoping that for sure that before the break we will have a classified briefing on the Middle East, on Iran before the full House of Representatives,\" Pelosi told reporters.\n\nIt was not immediately clear who would conduct the briefing later Thursday, expected to include Pelosi, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, top Senate Democrat Chuck Schumer, and the four top leaders of the House and Senate intelligence committees.\n\nThe United States on Wednesday ordered non-emergency staff evacuated from its Baghdad embassy due to an \"imminent\" threat from Iranian-linked Iraqi militias, a move that prompted concern on Capitol Hill.\n\nStrains have ratcheted up with the US deploying an aircraft carrier group and B-52 bombers to the Gulf, and Iran denouncing what it sees as \"unacceptable\" provocations by Washington.\n\nWorld powers have rushed to urge calm and US allies continued to show skepticism over Washington's alarm bells.\n\nOpponents of President Donald Trump say hardliners led by national security advisor John Bolton, who has long advocated toppling the Iranian regime, are pushing the country into war.\n\nPelosi issued her own warning, saying Congress, not the president, has the constitutional power to declare war, and she was quick to note Trump's repeated opposition to the US military intervention in Iraq.\n\n\"I like what I hear from the president, that he has no appetite for this,\" she said.\n\n\"One of the places that I agree with the president is in both of our opposition to the war in Iraq, and I hope that that same attitude will prevail with (Trump), even though some of his supporters are rattling sabers.\"", "LONDON — Gone, at least for now, are the halcyon days when strong military and political ties between Britain and the United States meant that Washington could assume it had a staunch partner for standing up to a foreign foe.\n\nDating back to World War II and including joint actions against Kosovo, Afghanistan and the two wars against Iraq, U.S. leaders have been able to count on Britain to take part in invasions and airstrikes, and to help persuade sometimes cautious European allies to offer political and logistical support.\n\nThe Trump administration was expecting similar support over what it calls an increased threat from Iran, but this hope has been swatted down — not with anonymous whispers but by public comments from top British officials.\n\nIn an unusually blunt challenge from Britain, Maj. Gen. Chris Ghika denied the U.S. assertion of an increased threat from Iranian-backed forces in Iraq and Syria. Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt also warned that the heated rhetoric could lead to an \"accidental\" war between the U.S. and Iran.\n\nThe very public display of disunity comes as President Donald Trump prepares to travel to Britain and France next month to mark the 75th anniversary of the D-Day invasion, often cited as a shining example of the value of trans-Atlantic cooperation.\n\nPeter Beyer, the German government's coordinator for trans-Atlantic relations, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that Germany is working closely with its European allies to \"calm the situation in the Persian Gulf\" before it gets out of hand.\n\n\"Our goal remains to keep the Iran nuclear deal in place,\" he said, referring to the deal that world powers reached with Iran in 2015 to constrain its nuclear development. Trump has abandoned the deal, frustrating Britain, France and Germany, whose leaders believe it offers the best way to prevent nuclear proliferation in the unstable Middle East.\n\nBeyer said Germany's foreign minister met privately in Brussels with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday and \"outlined very clearly that we do not want any type of military escalation.\"\n\nIn a newspaper interview to be published Thursday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Germany, France and Britain are taking \"a different approach\" from the U.S. on Iran, adding that in this instance the three countries \"have common interests\" with Russia and China.\n\nBritain's ability to influence Trump on its own seems particularly weak at the moment because the government is in disarray over its stalled Brexit divorce plan from the EU, and Prime Minister Theresa May has said she will step down once the withdrawal becomes a reality.\n\nSome European diplomats say privately that Pompeo was unconvincing when he met separately with several European foreign ministers and that there is little comprehension of what U.S. officials hope to achieve by putting maximum pressure on Iran at a time when its economy is already suffering under sanctions.\n\nFor now, the EU refuses to be drawn into the war of words. Under the nuclear agreement, which is backed by a U.N. Security Council resolution, the International Atomic Energy Agency reports every few months on whether Iran is in compliance with the terms of the deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.\n\nA new report is due at the end of May, and the Europeans are waiting to see what its conclusions will be, rather than endorsing the U.S. position.\n\nIn the meantime, Europeans have been trying to keep supply lines open to Iran. They have set up a complicated barter-type system to skirt direct financial transactions with Tehran to try to evade possible U.S. sanctions.\n\nThe plan, run jointly by Britain, France and Germany, is not yet operational, but the fact that the three influential nations banded together to come up with a way to frustrate U.S. sanctions is one more sign that the alliances that helped rebuild western Europe after World War II are being tested as never before.", "Germany and the Netherlands have suspended their military training programmes in Iraq because of a perceived security threat in the wake of rising US-Iranian tensions in the region.\n\nThe announcements came after the US embassy in Baghdad ordered all but emergency staff to leave Iraq. No details of the supposed security threat were provided.\n\nA German defence ministry spokesman, Jens Flosdorff, said that by pausing its small-scale training missions north of Baghdad and the Kurdish region of northern Iraq, Germany was “orienting itself toward our partner countries, which have taken this step”.\n\nHowever, Flosdorff said the move was not a response to a “concrete threat” but rather to a general security situation being viewed as more tense.\n\nThe Dutch public broadcaster, NOS, reported that the country’s 50-strong mission, mostly involved in training Kurdish fighters, had been halted “until further orders”, but quoted a defence ministry spokesman as saying he could not elaborate on the nature of the threat.\n\nGerman and Dutch officials did not respond to requests for comment on Wednesday morning. Neither country has followed the US example and withdrawn diplomats from their embassies in Iraq.\n\nIn their public pronouncements, European capitals have generally voiced anxiety at the rising US-Iranian tensions, but European diplomats overwhelmingly blame the Donald Trump administration for seeking to provoke a confrontation. US allies have conspicuously avoided echoing US claims of an imminent threat from Iran.\n\nThe UK and US military have given strikingly different views of the security situation for coalition forces in Iraq and Syria. The UK defence ministry stood by British Maj Gen Christopher Ghika, who was rebuked by US central command on Tuesday for insisting there was no increased threat from Iranian-aligned militias in the region.\n\n“Maj Gen Ghika speaks as a military officer in the US-led coalition focused on the fight against Daesh [Isis] in Iraq and Syria. His comments are based on the day to day military operations and his sole focus is the enduring defeat of Daesh,” the ministry said in a statement, which did not directly address the question of whether the security threat had increased.\n\n“He made clear in his Pentagon briefing that “there are a range of threats to American and coalition forces in this part of the world. There always have been, that is why we have a very robust range of force protection measures. The UK has long been clear about our concerns over Iran’s destabilising behaviour in the region.”\n\nThe New York Times on Wednesday quoted an unnamed American official as saying an increased Iranian threat was “small stuff” that did not merit the military build-up advocated by the national security adviser, John Bolton. The official said the “ultimate goal of the year-long economic sanctions campaign by the Trump administration was to draw Iran into an armed conflict with the United States”, according to the report.\n\nDemocrats in Congress have raised similar concerns, pointing to the parallels between the current US actions and the buildup to the 2003 invasion of Iraq, in which Bolton played a supporting role.\n\n“Iran is and has been for decades a malevolent actor and a state sponsor of terror,” Adam Schiff, the chairman of the House intelligence committee, told the Washington Post. “But I’m also gravely concerned about actions taken by the administration that appear calculated to put us on a collision course.”\n\nIn recent days there have been sabotage attacks against oil tankers, two of them Saudi-owned, in the Persian Gulf, and Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed responsibility for drone strikes against Saudi oil installations. The Houthis receive backing from Iran but most experts say they are not directly controlled from Tehran.\n\nIran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, insisted that “no one is seeking war”, but in the same speech he also ruled out negotiations with the US, saying such talks would be “poison” – an apparent response to Trump’s suggestion that the Iranian leadership call him directly.\n\nKhamenei also repeated Iran’s threat to enrich uranium beyond the 3.67% limit agreed in a multilateral nuclear deal in 2015, which Trump abrogated last year, if US does not ease its oil embargo and other sanctions. He made clear Iran could even go beyond its previous boundary of 20% enrichment, beyond which it becomes increasingly easy to attain weapons grade, above 90%.\n\n“Achieving 20% enrichment is the most difficult part,” Khamenei said, according to an Iranian press report. “The next steps are easier than this step.”", "LONDON (AP) — Gone, at least for now, are the halcyon days when strong military and political ties between Britain and the United States meant that Washington could assume it had a staunch partner for standing up to a foreign foe.\n\nDating back to World War II and including joint actions against Kosovo, Afghanistan and the two wars against Iraq, U.S. leaders have been able to count on Britain to take part in invasions and airstrikes, and to help persuade sometimes cautious European allies to offer political and logistical support.\n\nThe Trump administration was expecting similar support over what it calls an increased threat from Iran, but this hope has been swatted down — not with anonymous whispers but by public comments from top British officials.\n\nIn an unusually blunt challenge from Britain, Maj. Gen. Chris Ghika denied the U.S. assertion of an increased threat from Iranian-backed forces in Iraq and Syria. Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt also warned that the heated rhetoric could lead to an \"accidental\" war between the U.S. and Iran.\n\nThose remarks brought Britain closely into line with other European nations that want a focus on diplomacy, not escalation. Europe wants to salvage a nuclear containment deal with Iran, not ratchet up tensions.\n\nThe very public display of disunity comes as President Donald Trump prepares to travel to Britain and France next month to mark the 75th anniversary of the D-Day invasion, often cited as a shining example of the value of trans-Atlantic cooperation.\n\nPeter Beyer, the German government's coordinator for trans-Atlantic relations, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that Germany is working closely with its European allies to \"calm the situation in the Persian Gulf\" before it gets out of hand.\n\n\"Our goal remains to keep the Iran nuclear deal in place,\" he said, referring to the deal that world powers reached with Iran in 2015 to constrain its nuclear development. Trump has abandoned the deal, frustrating Britain, France and Germany, whose leaders believe it offers the best way to prevent nuclear proliferation in the unstable Middle East.\n\nBeyer said Germany's foreign minister met privately in Brussels with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday and \"outlined very clearly that we do not want any type of military escalation.\"\n\nIn a newspaper interview to be published Thursday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Germany, France and Britain are taking \"a different approach\" from the U.S. on Iran, adding that in this instance the three countries \"have common interests\" with Russia and China.\n\nBritain's ability to influence Trump on its own seems particularly weak at the moment because the government is in disarray over its stalled Brexit divorce plan from the EU, and Prime Minister Theresa May has said she will step down once the withdrawal becomes a reality.\n\nSome European diplomats say privately that Pompeo was unconvincing when he met separately with several European foreign ministers and that there is little comprehension of what U.S. officials hope to achieve by putting maximum pressure on Iran at a time when its economy is already suffering under sanctions.\n\nThe meetings with Pompeo seemed to be thrown together at the last minute rather than a carefully choreographed diplomatic encounter.\n\nGerman Foreign Minister Heiko Maas told lawmakers that putting intense pressure on Iran adds to the risk of an unintended escalation.\n\n\"What has happened in recent days — acts of sabotage against ships or pipelines — are indications that these dangers (of escalation) are concrete and real,\" he said.\n\nFor now, the EU refuses to be drawn into the war of words. Under the nuclear agreement, which is backed by a U.N. Security Council resolution, the International Atomic Energy Agency reports every few months on whether Iran is in compliance with the terms of the deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.\n\nA new report is due at the end of May, and the Europeans are waiting to see what its conclusions will be, rather than endorsing the U.S. position.\n\nIn the meantime, Europeans have been trying to keep supply lines open to Iran. They have set up a complicated barter-type system to skirt direct financial transactions with Tehran to try to evade possible U.S. sanctions.\n\nThe plan, run jointly by Britain, France and Germany, is not yet operational, but the fact that the three influential nations banded together to come up with a way to frustrate U.S. sanctions is one more sign that the alliances that helped rebuild western Europe after World War II are being tested as never before.\n\nRising reported from Berlin. Associated Press writers Geir Moulson in Berlin and Lorne Cook in Brussels contributed.", "Iran threat: Fears of an attack have led to an increased security alert\n\nBritish military and diplomatic service personnel in the Middle East have been placed on an increased state of alert as fears grow of an attack by Iran on UK targets in the strife-torn region. A Foreign Office spokeswoman declined to immediately comment on the reports. It is believed tensions between Iran and the US were a “hot topic” in Tuesday’s National Security Council meeting.\n\nThe heightened alert from British officials comes after the US ordered all non-essential government staff to leave Iraq.\n\nGermany and the Netherlands have also suspended their military assistance programmes in the volatile country.\n\nTensions have reached boiling point in the Persian Gulf region over unspecified threats the US says are linked to Iran.\n\nUS defence chiefs have been positioning warships, bombers and thousands of troops in the Persian Gulf.\n\nWashington officials said they had detected signs of Iranian preparations for potential attacks on US forces and interests in the Middle East have not elaborated on that threat.\n\nIran’s supreme leader issued a veiled warning on Tuesday whenhe said it would not be difficult for the Islamic Republic to enrich uranium to weapons-grade levels but officials such sabre-rattling is not unusual from the regime's hardline leadership.\n\nThe movement of diplomatic personnel is often done in times of conflict but what is driving the decisions from the White House remains unclear.", "CAPITOL HILL — U.S. President Donald Trump says there is “no infighting whatsoever” about his Middle East policies and that as tensions with Iran continue, he is “sure that Iran will want to talk soon.”\n\nTrump responded to reports in the Washington Post and New York Times about clashing opinions between those in his administration who see Iran taking clear steps in preparation to attack U.S. forces, and other officials, including some from European allies, who argue the Iranian moves are defensive precautions in response to U.S. actions toward Iran.\n\n“Different opinions are expressed and I make a decisive and final decision,” Trump tweeted. “All sides, views, and policies are covered.”\n\nTrump decided last year to withdraw from an international agreement limiting Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief, and applied fresh actions to cut off Iran’s oil and banking sectors in an attempt to alter the Iranian government’s behavior.\n\nIranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Thursday that “the escalation by the United States is unacceptable and uncomfortable,” and that despite the U.S. withdrawal from the nuclear deal, Iran is exercising “maximum restraint.”\n\nThe United States has ordered its non-essential employees to leave the country’s embassy in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, and its consulate in Irbil as the Trump administration warned of threats against American forces in the Middle East from Iran or Iranian-backed proxies.\n\n“There are only two reasons for ordering their departure: we have credible intelligence that our people are at risk or in preparation for military action in Iran,” the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s top Democrat, Robert Menendez of New Jersey, said. “The Trump administration has not provided any information to this committee on the intelligence behind their decisions or what they plan to do in Iraq or Iran.”\n\nMenendez demanded the officials bring panel members up to date on “any plans to go to war with Iran.”\n\nCommittee chairman, Idaho Republican James Risch, said he, personally, has been briefed on the unfolding situation in the Middle East and said a briefing of the full U.S. Senate was “in the works.”\n\nThe United States is not alone in curtailing activities in Iraq. Germany and the Netherlands say they are suspending military training operations in the country, although Berlin said it had no signals of its own that a threat against Western interests in Iraq was imminent. The Dutch government cited an unspecified security threat in curtailing its training operations.\n\nTrump has rejected a report that he is considering sending 120,000 troops to counter Iran but didn’t rule out deploying “a lot more” soldiers in the future.\n\n“I think it’s fake news,” Trump said of The New York Times report. “Now, would I do that? Absolutely. But we have not planned for that.”\n\nThe Pentagon has dispatched an aircraft carrier and nuclear-capable bomber planes to the region in the past few days, with a Patriot missile battery and a landing platform dock ship on the way. The Patriot system offers protection from aircraft and missiles, while the LPD carries Marines and the aircraft, hovercraft or boats needed to put them ashore to fight in distant places.\n\nBut a major U.S. ally in the region, the United Arab Emirates, says it will show “restraint” in the face of Iranian aggression.\n\nThe United States suspects Iran was behind the sabotage of four foreign vessels Sunday off the UAE coast. Two Saudi oil tankers were among those damaged.\n\n“We need to emphasize caution and good judgment,” UAE Foreign Affairs Minister Anwar Gargash said Wednesday. “It is easy to throw accusations, but it is a difficult situation. There are serious issues and among them is Iranian behavior.”\n\nHe said the UAE will not publicly speculate who was behind the sabotage while the investigation is under way.\n\nMeanwhile, a senior British officer in the U.S.-led military coalition fighting Islamic State in Syria said Tuesday he has not seen an increased threat to his troops by Iranian-backed forces in Iraq or Syria.\n\nMajor General Chris Ghika’s statement to reporters contradicts the Trump administration, which has asserted for more than a week that it has detected potential Iranian threats against U.S. forces in the Middle East.\n\n“This seems like an escalation with no endgame,” Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut said, describing the pressure campaign on Tehran as “ham-handed.”", "Pakistan on Thursday urged the United States and Iran to exhibit \"restraint\" and resolve the issues that have ratcheted up tensions between them through negotiations, Radio Pakistan reported.\n\nAddressing a weekly news conference in Islamabad today, Foreign Office Spokesperson Dr Mohammad Faisal termed the recent developments in the Persian Gulf as \"disturbing\".\n\nHe said Washington's decision to deploy an aircraft carrier and B-52 bombers to the Gulf has \"added to the tension[s] and the existing precarious security situation in the Middle East\".\n\n\"Any miscalculated move can transmute into a large scale conflict,\" the FO spokesperson was quoted as saying.\n\nEditorial: Can Pakistan help ward off a potentially catastrophic regional conflict amid US-Iran rift?\n\nThe remarks come a day after the US ordered all nonessential government staff to leave Iraq, and Germany and the Netherlands both suspended their military assistance programs in the country in the latest sign of tensions sweeping the Persian Gulf region over still-unspecified threats that the Trump administration says are linked to Iran.\n\nRecent days have seen allegations of sabotage targeting oil tankers off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, a drone attack by Yemen's Iranian-allied Houthi rebels, and the dispatch of US warships and bombers to the region.\n\nAt the root of this appears to be President Donald Trump's decision a year ago to pull the US from Iran's nuclear deal with world powers, embarking on a maximalist sanctions campaign against Tehran. In response, Iran's supreme leader issued a veiled threat on Tuesday, saying it wouldn't be difficult for the Islamic Republic to enrich uranium to weapons-grade levels.\n\nDr Faisal during the news briefing also announced that the UAE government has decided to release 572 Pakistani prisoners who were incarcerated in its jails.\n\nHe said that the Pakistani mission in the Emirates is in touch with local authorities in order to expedite the inmates' release and deportation.\n\nAnswering a question, the spokesperson said the nation would also hear a \"good news\" regarding the release of Pakistani prisoners from jails in Saudi Arabia very soon.\n\nHe revealed that the US had deported 50 Pakistanis through a chartered flight on Wednesday.", "National Security Advisor John Bolton (R) announced a new US military deployment to the Gulf, calling it \"a clear and unmistakable message to the Iranian regime\" (AFP Photo/Brendan Smialowski)\n\nWashington (AFP) - President Donald Trump's order of a US military buildup in the Gulf to counter alleged threats by Iran has many worried about a looming war and others skeptical of Washington's motivations.\n\n- What assets has the US deployed? -\n\nOn May 5, Trump's hawkish National Security Advisor John Bolton announced the deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group and a B-52 bomber force to the Gulf.\n\nDays later, the Pentagon added a Patriot missile defense battery and an amphibious assault ship to the deployment\n\n- What is the alleged Iran threat? -\n\nIran has not made any direct public threats to spark the US deployment. Washington says it acted on intelligence reports of Iranian actions.\n\nBolton said the aircraft carrier and bomber deployments were \"in response to a number of troubling and escalatory indications and warnings.\"\n\nOn Wednesday, the US was more specific, saying there was an \"imminent\" threat to US personnel in Iraq from Iraqi militias allegedly controlled by Tehran. The US State Department ordered the partial evacuation of the US embassy in Baghdad and the consulate in Arbil in response.\n\nAnalysts in Washington suspect that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps could have been plotting an attack in retaliation for the US declaring it a terrorist organization in April.\n\nIran subsequently designated all US troops as \"terrorists,\" effectively making them a potential target.\n\nHave there been any incidents?\n\nOne. On Monday, Saudi and United Arab Emirates officials said three oil tankers and a barge anchored at Fujairah near the strategically important entrance to the Gulf were damaged in an alleged \"sabotage\" operation.\n\nBut what caused the relatively minor damage to the vessels and who was behind it remains unknown.\n\n- Is the US preparing for war? -\n\nSecretary of State Mike Pompeo said it is not. \"We fundamentally do not seek a war with Iran,\" he said Tuesday in Sochi, Russia.\n\nPresident Donald Trump tweeted Wednesday that expects the pressure on Iran will bring it to the negotiating table.\n\n\"I'm sure that Iran will want to talk soon,\" he wrote.\n\nAt the same time, The New York Times reported last week that Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan presented the White House with a plan for responding to an Iranian attack that involved sending up to 120,000 American troops to the region.\n\nThat is not enough to invade Iran but is enough for an attack from outside its borders.\n\n- What do US allies say? -\n\nWashington's European allies have kept their distance, calling for calm and expressing concern over military escalation.\n\nThey fear that more pressure on Tehran will compel it to abrogate the international agreement on its nuclear program, the JCPOA, from which Trump withdrew the United States one year ago.\n\nGerman Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said Berlin \"still regards this nuclear agreement as the basis for Iran not having any nuclear weapons in the future, and we regard this as existential for our security.\"\n\nBritish, Netherlands and German forces in the international coalition against the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria downplayed the immediate threat from Iran.\n\nBut Germany and the Netherlands said Wednesday that they were suspending training of soldiers in Iraq due to a \"generally heightened\" state of alert.\n\nAnd Spain recalled a frigate accompanying the US carrier task force, explaining that the frigate's mission was not to take part in actual hostilities with Iran.", "LONDON (AP) — Gone, at least for now, are the halcyon days when strong military and political ties between Britain and the United States meant that Washington could assume it had a staunch partner for standing up to a foreign foe.\n\nDating back to World War II and including joint actions against Kosovo, Afghanistan and the two wars against Iraq, U.S. leaders have been able to count on Britain to take part in invasions and airstrikes, and to help persuade sometimes cautious European allies to offer political and logistical support.\n\nThe Trump administration was expecting similar support over what it calls an increased threat from Iran, but this hope has been swatted down — not with anonymous whispers but by public comments from top British officials.\n\nIn an unusually blunt challenge from Britain, Maj. Gen. Chris Ghika denied the U.S. assertion of an increased threat from Iranian-backed forces in Iraq and Syria. Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt also warned that the heated rhetoric could lead to an \"accidental\" war between the U.S. and Iran.\n\nThose remarks brought Britain closely into line with other European nations that want a focus on diplomacy, not escalation. Europe wants to salvage a nuclear containment deal with Iran, not ratchet up tensions.\n\nThe very public display of disunity comes as President Donald Trump prepares to travel to Britain and France next month to mark the 75th anniversary of the D-Day invasion, often cited as a shining example of the value of trans-Atlantic cooperation.\n\nPeter Beyer, the German government's coordinator for trans-Atlantic relations, told The Associated Press on Wednesday that Germany is working closely with its European allies to \"calm the situation in the Persian Gulf\" before it gets out of hand.\n\n\"Our goal remains to keep the Iran nuclear deal in place,\" he said, referring to the deal that world powers reached with Iran in 2015 to constrain its nuclear development. Trump has abandoned the deal, frustrating Britain, France and Germany, whose leaders believe it offers the best way to prevent nuclear proliferation in the unstable Middle East.\n\nBeyer said Germany's foreign minister met privately in Brussels with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Monday and \"outlined very clearly that we do not want any type of military escalation.\"\n\nIn a newspaper interview to be published Thursday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Germany, France and Britain are taking \"a different approach\" from the U.S. on Iran, adding that in this instance the three countries \"have common interests\" with Russia and China.\n\nBritain's ability to influence Trump on its own seems particularly weak at the moment because the government is in disarray over its stalled Brexit divorce plan from the EU, and Prime Minister Theresa May has said she will step down once the withdrawal becomes a reality.\n\nSome European diplomats say privately that Pompeo was unconvincing when he met separately with several European foreign ministers and that there is little comprehension of what U.S. officials hope to achieve by putting maximum pressure on Iran at a time when its economy is already suffering under sanctions.\n\nThe meetings with Pompeo seemed to be thrown together at the last minute rather than a carefully choreographed diplomatic encounter.\n\nGerman Foreign Minister Heiko Maas told lawmakers that putting intense pressure on Iran adds to the risk of an unintended escalation.\n\n\"What has happened in recent days — acts of sabotage against ships or pipelines — are indications that these dangers (of escalation) are concrete and real,\" he said.\n\nFor now, the EU refuses to be drawn into the war of words. Under the nuclear agreement, which is backed by a U.N. Security Council resolution, the International Atomic Energy Agency reports every few months on whether Iran is in compliance with the terms of the deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.\n\nA new report is due at the end of May, and the Europeans are waiting to see what its conclusions will be, rather than endorsing the U.S. position.\n\nIn the meantime, Europeans have been trying to keep supply lines open to Iran. They have set up a complicated barter-type system to skirt direct financial transactions with Tehran to try to evade possible U.S. sanctions.\n\nThe plan, run jointly by Britain, France and Germany, is not yet operational, but the fact that the three influential nations banded together to come up with a way to frustrate U.S. sanctions is one more sign that the alliances that helped rebuild western Europe after World War II are being tested as never before.\n\nRising reported from Berlin. Associated Press writers Geir Moulson in Berlin and Lorne Cook in Brussels contributed."], "summary": "Germany and the Netherlands suspend military training mission in Iraq citing escalating tensions in the region with Iran."}
{"document": ["Major tech firms on Wednesday pledged to come up with new measures for stamping out violent extremist content on the internet, amid growing pressure from governments pushing for action in the wake of the massacres at two New Zealand mosques in March.\n\nExecutives from Google, Twitter, Facebook and Microsoft met with the leaders of 18 countries in Paris to unveil the \"Christchurch Call\" of voluntary commitments for online platforms.\n\nIt was named for the city where a gunman killed 51 people at two New Zealand mosques two months ago while broadcasting his rampage live on Facebook via a head-mounted camera.\n\nGetty Images\n\nThe social networking giant has faced withering criticism since the attack, after the horrific footage was uploaded and shared millions of times despite efforts to remove it.\n\n\"The call is a roadmap to action,\" New Zealand Premier Jacinda Ardern said at a press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron.\n\n\"It commits us all to build a more humane internet which cannot be misused by terrorists for their hateful purposes,\" she said.\n\nREAD MORE Jacinda Ardern to lead international summit tackling online extremism\n\nWhat did the tech companies pledge?\n\nGoogle, Microsoft, Facebook, Twitter and Amazon later released a nine-point plan for jointly putting the Christchurch pledges in motion, in particular for addressing the threat posed by livestreaming.\n\nThey promised investments in \"digital fingerprinting\" to track and remove harmful pictures and videos, and easy-to-use methods for users to report illicit content.\n\n\"This is leading to real action, and I think real action can play an important role in at least preventing a number of these kinds of attacks,\" Microsoft's president and chief legal officer Brad Smith told AFP in Paris.\n\n\"No one wants to see the internet used as the staging ground for these kinds of terrorist atrocities,\" he said.\n\nFacebook had already promised Wednesday to tighten access to Facebook Live, in particular by denying the service to users who have shared extremist content.\n\n0:00 Google.Org President Jacquelline Fuller arriving at Paris tech summit 00:00 / 00:00 Share Share on Twitter\n\nShare on Facebook\n\nNo US for now\n\nThe largely symbolic initiative is intended to keep up the pressure on social media companies, which face growing calls from politicians across the world to prevent their platforms from becoming stages for broadcasting extremist violence.\n\n\"Our goal is to never again see the internet transformed into a crazy propaganda machine, a goal sought by both terrorists on the far right and Islamic terrorists,\" Macron said.\n\nA total of 18 governments signed the call: Australia, Canada, the European Commission, France, Germany, Indonesia, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Jordan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Senegal, Spain, Sweden, and the UK.\n\nBut despite the endorsement from the biggest US tech firms, Washington will not join for now, even though \"we continue to support the overall goals reflected,\" the White House said in a statement.\n\n\"We continue to be proactive in our efforts to counter terrorist content online while also continuing to respect freedom of expression and freedom of the press,\" it said.\n\nGetty Images\n\nMacron appeared to take the refusal in stride, saying \"The American administration has expressed its support for our effort, which I already consider progress.\"\n\nThe companies said they would cooperate on finding new tools to identify and quickly remove extremist content, such as sharing databases of violent posts or images to ensure they don't spread across multiple platforms.\n\nThey also said they would explore tweaking their algorithms to prevent violent or hateful content from going viral, while making it easier for users to report harmful posts.\n\nBut it will be up to companies to develop specific tools or policies.\n\n'Can't prevent content'\n\nMany countries have already tightened legislation to introduce penalties for companies that fail to take down offensive content once it is flagged, by either users or the authorities.\n\nBut analysts say the tighter controls pledged Wednesday will go only so far in preventing people from circumventing rules and policies already in place against disseminating violence and hate speech.\n\n\"You can't prevent content from being uploaded: it would require the resources for tracking everything put online by all internet users,\" said Marc Rees, editor in chief of the technology site Next INpact.\n\n\"Can you imagine trying to get TV or radio to prevent libellous, abusive or violent speech that someone might say?\" he asked.\n\nThe \"Christchurch Call\" meeting ran in parallel to an initiative launched by Macron called \"Tech for Good\" which brought together 80 tech executives to discuss how to harness technologies for the common good.\n\nBut the US government was represented only at a junior level at a meeting of G7 digital ministers which also took place Wednesday in Paris.", "(PARIS) — The White House is not endorsing a global pledge to step up efforts to keep internet platforms from being used to spread hate, organize extremist groups and broadcast attacks, citing respect for “freedom of expression and freedom of the press.”\n\nThe statement came Wednesday after world leaders led by French President Emmanuel Macron and executives from Facebook, Google, Twitter and other tech companies gathered in Paris to compile a set of guidelines dubbed the “Christchurch Call,” named after the New Zealand city where 51 people were killed in a March attack on mosques. Much of the attack was broadcast live on Facebook, drawing public outrage and fueling debate on how to better regulate social media. Facebook said before the meeting that it was tightening rules for livestream users.\n\nIn a statement, the White House said it will “continue to be proactive in our efforts to counter terrorist content online” while also protecting free speech.\n\nThe Christchurch Call “is a global response to a tragedy that occurred on the shores of my country but was ultimately felt around the world,” said New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinta Ardern, who has played a leading role pushing for globally coordinated efforts to eliminate online extremism.\n\n“Fundamentally it ultimately commits us all to build a more humane internet, which cannot be misused by terrorists for their hateful purposes,” she said at a joint news conference with Macron.\n\nThe French and New Zealand governments drafted the agreement — a roadmap that aims to prevent similar abuses of the internet while insisting that any actions must preserve “the principles of a free, open and secure internet, without compromising human rights and fundamental freedoms.”\n\nThe call was adopted by U.S. tech companies that also included Amazon, Microsoft and YouTube, along with France’s Qwant and DailyMotion, and the Wikimedia Foundation. Countries backing France and New Zealand were Britain, Canada, Ireland, Jordan, Norway, Senegal, Indonesia and the European Union’s executive body. Several other countries not present at the meeting added their endorsement.\n\nThe meeting in Paris comes at a pivotal moment for tech companies, which critics accuse of being too powerful and resistant to regulation. Some have called for giants like Facebook to be broken up. Europe is leading a global push for more regulation of how the companies handle user data and copyrighted material. The tech companies, meanwhile, are offering their own ideas in a bid to shape the policy response.\n\nUnlike previous official attempts to regulate the internet, “the Christchurch Call is different in that it associates all actors of the internet” including the tech companies themselves, Macron said.\n\nHe said he hopes to get broader support for the agreement in coming months, with technical questions to be discussed by June.\n\nIn Wednesday’s agreement, which is not legally binding, the tech companies committed to measures to prevent the spread of terrorist or violent extremist content. That may include cooperating on developing technology or expanding the use of shared digital signatures.\n\nThey also promised to take measures to reduce the risk that such content is livestreamed, including flagging it up for real-time review.\n\nAnd they pledged to study how algorithms sometimes promote extremist content. That would help find ways to intervene more quickly and redirect users to “credible positive alternatives or counter-narratives.”\n\nAmazon, Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Twitter issued a joint supporting statement, outlining in further detail actions they would take individually or together to combat abuse of technology to spread extremist content. They include making it easier for users to flag up inappropriate content, using enhanced vetting for livestreaming and publishing transparency reports on material that’s removed.\n\nFacebook, which dominates social media and has faced the harshest criticism for overlooking the misuse of consumer data and not blocking live broadcasts of violent actions, said separately it is toughening its livestreaming policies.\n\nIt’s tightening the rules for its livestreaming service with a “one strike” policy applied to a broader range of offenses. Activity on the social network that violates its policies, such as sharing an extremist group’s statement without providing context, will result in the user immediately being temporarily blocked. The most serious offenses will result in a permanent ban.\n\nPreviously, the company took down posts that breached its community standards but only blocked users after repeated offenses.\n\nThe tougher restrictions will be gradually extended to other areas of the platform, starting with preventing users from creating Facebook ads.\n\nFacebook, which also owns Instagram and WhatsApp, said it’s investing $7.5 million to improve technology aimed at finding videos and photos that have been manipulated to avoid detection — a problem the company encountered with the Christchurch shooting, where the attacker streamed the killing live on Facebook.\n\n“Tackling these threats also requires technical innovation to stay ahead of the type of adversarial media manipulation we saw after Christchurch,” Facebook’s vice president of integrity, Guy Rosen, said in a blog post.\n\nThe Christchurch Call was drafted as 80 CEOs and executives from technology companies gathered in Paris for a “Tech for Good” conference meant to address how they can use their global influence for public good — for example by promoting gender equality, diversity in hiring and greater access to technology for lower income users.\n\nArdern and Macron have insisted that the Christchurch guidelines must involve joint efforts between governments and tech giants. France has been hit by repeated Islamic extremist attacks by groups who recruited and shared violent images on social networks.\n\nFree speech advocates and some in the tech industry bristle at new restrictions and argue that violent extremism is a societal problem that the tech world can’t solve.\n\nFormer U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, a member of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said that while “a higher level of responsibility is demanded from all of the platforms,” it is necessary to find a way to not censor legitimate discussion.\n\n“It’s a hard line to draw sometimes,” he said.", "The United States broke with 18 governments and five top American tech firms Wednesday by declining to endorse a New Zealand-led effort to curb extremism online, a response to the live-streamed shootings at two Christchurch mosques that killed 51.\n\nWhite House officials said free-speech concerns prevented them from formally signing onto the largest campaign to date targeting extremism online. But it was another example of the United States standing at odds to some its closest allies.\n\nLeaders from around the globe, including British Prime Minister Theresa May, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Jordan’s King Abdullah II, signed the “Christchurch Call,” which was unveiled at a gathering in Paris that had been organized by French President Emmanuel Macron and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. Amazon, Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Twitter also signed on to the document, pledging to work more closely with one another and governments to make certain their sites do not become conduits for terrorism. Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey was among the attendees at the conference.\n\nThe document was nonbinding, but reflected the heightened global frustration with the inability of Facebook, Google and Twitter to restrain hateful posts, photos and videos that have spawned real-world violence.\n\nThe governments pledged to counter online extremism, including through new regulation, and to \"encourage media outlets to apply ethical standards when depicting terrorist events online.”\n\nThe companies agreed to accelerate research and information sharing with governments in the wake of recent terrorist attacks. “It is right that we come together, resolute in our commitment to ensure we are doing all we can to fight the hatred and extremism that lead to terrorist violence,” Amazon, Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Twitter said in a joint statement. (Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post.)\n\nBut the White House opted against endorsing the effort, and President Trump did not join the other leaders in Paris. The White House felt the document could present constitutional concerns, officials there said, potentially conflicting with the First Amendment, even though Trump previously has threatened to regulate social media out of concern that it’s biased against conservatives.\n\nHours after declining to sign the document, the White House escalated its war against social media by announcing an unprecedented campaign asking Internet users to share stories of when they thought they were censored by Facebook, Google’s YouTube and Twitter, companies the president frequently takes aim at for alleged political censorship.\n\nStill, in a statement about the Christchurch Call, the White House said it stands “with the international community in condemning terrorist and violent extremist content online,” and supports the call’s goals. But the United States is “not currently in a position to join the endorsement.”\n\n[Facebook, Google will join New Zealand in international pact against online extremism]\n\nThe White House’s decision against supporting the Christchurch Call drew criticism from some experts who’ve called for stronger regulation across the Web. Alistair Knott, a computer-science professor at the University of Otago in New Zealand, said the absence of a U.S. endorsement potentially would undercut the global argument for controlling how hate and violence spread online.\n\n“It seems insufficient to say that free speech prevents the U.S. from doing something about violent extremist attacks,” said Carl Tobias, a professor at the University of Richmond law school. “Congress should consider carefully crafted legislation that both protects core First Amendment interests and public safety.”\n\nBut others worried the Christchurch document could potentially blur the lines between government power and free expression.\n\n“It’s hard to take seriously this administration’s criticism of extremist content, but it’s probably for the best that the United States didn’t sign,” said James Grimmelmann, a Cornell Tech law professor. “The government should not be in the business of ‘encouraging’ platforms to do more than they legally are required to — or than they could be required to under the First Amendment.”\n\n“The government ought to do its ‘encouraging’ through laws that give platforms and users clear notice of what they’re allowed to do, not through vague exhortations that can easily turn into veiled threats,” Grimmelmann said.\n\nFor its part, the White House stressed it would continue to be “proactive in our efforts to counter terrorist content online while also continuing to respect freedom of expression and freedom of the press.”\n\nThe call is named for the New Zealand city where a shooter killed 51 people in a March attack that was broadcast on Facebook and posted afterward on other social media sites. Facebook, Google and Twitter struggled to take down copies of the violent video as fast as it spread on the Web, prompting an international backlash from regulators who felt malicious actors had evaded Silicon Valley’s defenses too easily. Before the attack, the shooter also posted a hate-filled manifesto online that included references to previous mass killings.\n\nNew Zealand’s Ardern said in a statement that the document was intended to help head off a repeat of the Christchurch attacks. “We’ve taken practical steps to try and stop what we experienced in Christchurch from happening again,” Ardern said.\n\nFewer than 200 people watched the live stream during the attack, which Facebook said it removed 29 minutes after it began. But within 24 hours, users had attempted to re-upload the video onto Facebook more than 1.5 million times. About 300,000 of those videos slipped through and were published on the site before being taken down by the site’s content-moderation teams and systems designed to automatically remove blacklisted content.\n\nTech companies on Wednesday said they’d pursue a nine-point plan of technical remedies designed to find and combat objectionable content, including instituting more user-reporting systems, more refined automatic detection systems, improved vetting of live-streamed videos and more collective development of organized research and technologies the industry could build and share.\n\nThe companies also promised to implement “appropriate checks on live-streaming,” with the aim of ensuring that videos of violent attacks aren’t broadcast widely, in real time, online. To that end, Facebook this week announced a new “one-strike” policy, in which users who violate its rules — such as sharing content from known terrorist groups — could be prohibited from using its live-streaming tools. The company has said such a restriction might have prevented the Christchurch shooter from broadcasting the attack using his account.\n\n“Terrorism and violent extremism are complex societal problems that require an all-of-society response,” Amazon, Microsoft, Facebook, Google and Twitter said in their joint statement. “For our part, the commitments we are making today will further strengthen the partnership that Governments, society and the technology industry must have to address this threat.”\n\nThe Christchurch Call reflects heightened global frustrations with Silicon Valley, which has struggled around the world to stop malicious actors from weaponizing social media platforms to deadly ends. Facebook has been linked to ethnic violence in Sri Lanka, for example, and the company has admitted it failed to prevent the platform from becoming a tool to foster genocide in Myanmar.\n\n[Why won’t the U.S. change its gun laws? New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern says: ‘I do not understand.’]\n\nIn response, regulators have introduced or adopted tough new rules over the past year that require social media sites to take down offensive content faster or face tough fines. French regulators, meanwhile, positioned a top government official at Facebook to study the company’s efforts to combat hate speech for six months.\n\nU.S. officials also have struggled with the rise of online extremism and its ability to incite real-world violence. Self-proclaimed neo-Nazis used Facebook as an organizing tool ahead of the deadly 2017 rally in Charlottesville, for example, and the shooter who opened fire on a synagogue in Pittsburgh last year had long posted anti-Semitic screeds on fringe websites.\n\nBut even federal policymakers who have grown furious with Silicon Valley have struggled to rein in the industry without violating the First Amendment, which protects even repugnant speech. The issue loomed large over U.S. officials as they decided whether to endorse the Christchurch Call, White House officials told The Post, even though Trump has expressed openness to regulating social media sites in other contexts, including in response to concerns that they are politically biased against conservatives.\n\nThe disagreement over the Christchurch Call highlighted a long-simmering tension between officials in Europe, which has traditionally shown a greater willingness to rein in and regulate Internet firms, and the United States, where companies are given broad leeway to police themselves.\n\n[8chan looks like a terrorist recruiting site after the New Zealand shootings. Should the government treat it like one?]\n\nAdrian Shahbaz, a research director at Freedom House, a think tank partially funded by the U.S. government, said he was “alarmed by the vague call for governments to ban more speech” in a way that could have “negative consequences for human rights.”\n\nGreater regulation on tech companies is needed, but “we shouldn’t be calling on tech companies to remove content without also demanding that they act with far more transparency and accountability,” he said. “Otherwise, companies will censor first and ask questions later, leaving users with little recourse to appeal poor decisions and uphold their right to free expression.”\n\nSigners included Australia, Canada, the European Commission, France, Germany, Indonesia, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Jordan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Senegal, Spain, Sweden and Britain.", "The Trump administration will not sign an international pledge by governments and online services to combat extremist content online. The Christchurch Call is named after the New Zealand city where a terrorist livestreamed the shooting deaths of 50 Muslims in March.\n\nThe statement is being formally released today as part of an international summit in Paris. It will bear the signatures of more than a dozen nations, including Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. Leading technology companies, including Facebook, Google, Microsoft, and Twitter, have also signed on. But not the US government.\n\n\"The United States stands with the international community in condemning terrorist and violent extremist content online in the strongest terms,\" the White House said in an emailed statement Wednesday. The US government says it will \"continue to support the overall goals reflected in the Call,\" however, it is \"not currently in a position to join the endorsement.\"\n\nThe White House didn't explain why it couldn't support the statement, but the First Amendment seems to be a significant concern, the Washington Post reports. \"We maintain that the best tool to defeat terrorist speech is productive speech,\" the White House said yesterday.\n\nUnder the First Amendment, American law protects a broader and more robust concept of free speech than the law in most other countries. Other countries strictly regulate hate speech, pornography, political advertising, and other controversial content. By contrast, the US Supreme Court allows speech restrictions only in a handful of narrow categories, such as child pornography, defamation, and incitement to violence.\n\nAhead of Wednesday's release of the international statement, Facebook announced that it would be expanding its \"one strike\" policy for Facebook Live. Anyone who commits one of several major infractions under Facebook rules—for example by linking to pro-terrorism propaganda—will now be banned from using Facebook Live for a period of time (such as 30 days) on the first offense. Facebook says that such users will also be restricted from buying ads on the platform.", "The leaders of France and New Zealand joined with the world’s biggest online platforms in pledging to help curb the internet’s role in spreading hate speech and incitement to violence.\n\nAt a summit in Paris Wednesday, representatives from Facebook Inc., Twitter Inc. and Alphabet Inc., committed to use and develop rules, algorithms and direct intervention to curb the uploading, promotion, amplification and distribution of violent extremism on social media platforms. The initiative calls for hate speech to be “immediately and permanently” taken down, though isn’t legally binding.\n\nFrench President Emmanuel Macron and New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, were joined by leaders from the U.K., Canada, Jordan, Indonesia and others to approve the push they dubbed the “Christchurch Call.” The U.S. abstained from a formal endorsement of the agreement due to concerns about restricting free speech, but said it agreed in principle.\n\nThe call comes after the March 15 mosque shootings in Christchurch, New Zealand, in which 51 people were killed by a right-wing extremist who had posted racist manifestos online and then live-streamed his rampage. Facebook and Alphabet Inc.’s YouTube were widely criticized for failing to quickly remove the video from their platforms.\n\n“Today must be Day One for change,” Ardern told reporters after the summit. “It’s a road map for action, and it’s comforting to see major internet companies committing to collaborative action.”\n\nMacron admitted it was hardly the first time governments have called for action or internet companies have promised steps to contain on-line incitement — he listed a series of forums and initiatives — but he said this time there were leaders from all the world’s continents, civil society, and companies working together.\n\nCompanies and states pledged to endorse the initiative that includes transparent reporting of incidents, research for “technical solutions to prevent” the uploading and dissemination of hate speech, the use algorithms to “redirect users from (terrorist and violent extremist content)” or to promote “credible and positive alternatives or counter-narratives.” Macron said more work was needed to define some of what he called “gray zones” around hate speech.\n\nTwitter Chief Executive Officer Jack Dorsey, Facebook vice president for global affairs and communications Nick Clegg and Google Chief Legal Officer Kent Walker attended the meeting, according to the French president’s office.\n\nFacebook said it’s tightening rules for Facebook Live to try to prevent people from using the streaming service to “cause harm or spread hate.” In a blog post timed to coincide with the summit, the social network said it’s instituting a “one-strike” policy for users who violate its rules on offensive or dangerous content, such as sharing a link to a terrorist group’s statement. Those users will be blocked from using Live to broadcast content for a specific period of time after a first offense. Facebook said the restrictions will be expanded into other areas in the coming weeks.\n\n“At the end of the day, everyone will be judged on their actions,” Ardern said.\n\nAttendees also included U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Irish Premier Leo Varadkar, Senegal President Macky Sall and Jordan’s King Abdullah II, as well as representatives from Amazon, Microsoft Corp. and Vivendi SA’s DailyMotion.\n\nThe White House said that while the U.S. is “not currently in a position to join the endorsement, we continue to support the overall goals reflected in the call. We will continue to engage governments, industry, and civil society to counter terrorist content on the internet.”\n\nMacron suggested the U.S. couldn’t sign because of its more absolutist positions on freedom of speech, but both he and Ardern said the U.S. agreed with the general goals.\n\n“The statement they put out demonstrates considerable support for the principles of our call to action,” Ardern said. “I think the statement speaks for itself.”", "Two months after deadly attacks inspired by online hate left dozens dead in Christchurch, New Zealand, the country's prime minister will urge other governments and top tech giants to commit to combating the spread of extremism on social media.\n\nThe so-called \"Christchurch call\" - a voluntary pledge presented on the sidelines of a G-7 gathering in Paris - reflects heightened global fears that Facebook, Google, and Twitter have become conduits for terrorism, unable to keep pace with malicious actors who've proven deft at evading Silicon Valley's efforts to prevent harmful content from going viral on the Web.\n\nNew Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and French President Emmanuel Macron organised Wednesday's meeting in Paris as a response to Ardern's plea in March for greater social media accountability after a shooter killed 51 people at two mosques and streamed the attack live for millions to see online.\n\nOfficials from countries including Canada, Britain and the United States are expected to attend, along with representatives of Facebook, Amazon, Google, Twitter and other tech giants. Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey is making the trip to Paris, the company said this week, while the White House is dispatching President Donald Trump's top tech adviser. (Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post.)\n\nAhead of the summit, Facebook on Tuesday announced two efforts to address regulators' concerns and stop the spread of harmful content on its services. Now, users who violate Facebook's \"most serious policies\" - such as sharing a link to statements from a known terrorist group - would be banned from broadcasting live videos on the platform for set periods of time. Facebook said the policy, if implemented sooner, might have stopped the Christchurch shooter from using the company's live-streaming feature to stream the attacks on the mosques.\n\nThe tech giant also pledged to commit $7.5 million to work with researchers at three universities to improve its ability to detect photos and videos that have been manipulated. The new investment follows an admission from Facebook that malicious users evaded its censors by uploading slightly altered versions of the Christchurch attack video.\n\nFacebook, Google, and Microsoft intend to sign the Christchurch agreement, the companies confirmed. Twitter did not indicate its plans, but it described the meeting as a \"critical opportunity to listen and learn from various heads of state and digital ministers from across the world.\"\n\nThe White House has not said whether it will sign the document, and a spokesman declined to comment Tuesday. Behind the scenes, though, Trump administration officials said they have been actively negotiating with French and New Zealand officials over the document's text. While the administration supports the document's goals, it fears some of its language would run counter to the Constitution's First Amendment guarantees of freedom of speech, according to two people familiar with the deliberations but not authorised to discuss them on the record.\n\nSpokespeople for Macron and Ardern did not respond to requests for comment.\n\nAround the world, the Christchurch attack sparked renewed scrutiny of social media. Facebook, Google and Twitter each have hired thousands of reviewers and created new artificial-intelligence tools with the goal of thwarting hate speech, extremism and terrorism online. Despite those efforts, the tech giants were unable to stop the spread of the Christchurch videos, prompting government officials across the world to call for more regulation.\n\nFewer than 200 people watched the live stream during the attack, which Facebook said it removed 29 minutes after it began. But within 24 hours, users had attempted to re-upload the video onto Facebook more than 1.5 million times. About 300,000 of those videos slipped through and were published on the site before being taken down by the site's content-moderation teams and blacklist algorithms.\n\nBeyond Facebook, the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism - a trade group formed by Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter and YouTube - has said more than 800 visually distinct videos of the attack have been \"fingerprinted\" for its automatic ban list.\n\nIn response, Ardern, New Zealand's prime minister, has urged the tech giants to take more responsibility and ensure they \"are not perverted as a tool for terrorism.\" She has said the Christchurch call is not about limiting free expression, but rather \"preventing violent extremism and terrorism online.\"\n\n\"I don't think anyone would argue that the terrorist on the 15th of March had a right to live-stream the murder of 50 people,\" she said last month.\n\nRegulators in the European Union have proposed rules requiring tech giants to take down terrorist content within an hour or face steep fines. In the United Kingdom, government leaders last month put forward a proposal that could see social-media sites penalised for failing to combat a wide array of harmful content, including hate speech and cyberbullying. In Sri Lanka, authorities there grew so concerned about social media - and the spread of potential violence - that they shuttered access to Facebook and other sites after attacks on churches there last month.\n\nLast year, France struck a six-month deal with Facebook that allows regulators unprecedented access to study the tech giant's approach to fighting posts and photos that attack people on the basis of race, religion, sexuality or gender. Macron since then has pursued new rules targeting tech companies' efforts to combat hate speech and met with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg last week.\n\nThe flurry of activity stands in stark contrast to the United States. Facebook served as an organizing tool for the deadly neo-Nazi rally in Charlottesville in 2017, for example, and lesser-known fringe websites hosted hateful screeds penned by the man accused of opening fire on a Pittsburgh synagogue last year. But the First Amendment's protections for free speech have left many policymakers reluctant to regulate social media even when those companies have erred.\n\nAlistair Knott, a computer-science professor at the University of Otago in New Zealand, said companies and governments can combat violent content in a way that does not violate rights to free expression by focusing on how the sites bring it to users, through Internet searches, live-streaming videos and social media feeds.\n\nThe systems would not have to actively remove dangerous content, but could filter them out so they are not recommended or shown in people's search results and news feeds, limiting their spread.\n\nKnott said the United States should be involved in the effort, and worried that its refusal to engage could undermine an issue of global importance - particularly because virtually all of the major social-media companies are based there.\n\n\"Companies like Facebook are becoming more aware and more willing to make reforms than the U.S., and they're doing it purely on grounds of public opinion,\" Knott said. But \"ultimately the regulation of these tools that transmit information should be a matter for governments, not just the whims of private companies.\"", "WASHINGTON – The United States on Wednesday broke with 18 governments and top American tech firms by declining to endorse a New Zealand-led response to the live-streamed shootings at two Christchurch mosques, saying free-speech concerns prevented the White House from formally joining the largest campaign to date targeting extremism online.\n\nThe “Christchurch Call,” unveiled at an international gathering in Paris, commits foreign countries and tech giants to be more vigilant about the spread of hate on Facebook and posted afterward on other social media. It reflects heightened global frustrations with the inability of Facebook, Google and Twitter to restrain hateful posts, photos and videos that have spawned real-world violence.\n\nLeaders from across the globe pledged to counter online extremism, including through new regulation, and to “encourage media outlets to apply ethical standards when depicting terrorist events online.” Companies including Facebook, Google and Twitter, meanwhile, said they’d work more closely to ensure their sites don’t become conduits for terrorism. They also committed to accelerated research and information sharing with governments in the wake of recent terrorist attacks.\n\nThe call is named after the New Zealand city where a shooter killed 51 people in a March attack broadcast on social-media sites. Facebook, Google and Twitter struggled to take down copies of the violent video as fast as it spread on the web, prompting an international backlash from regulators who felt malicious actors had evaded Silicon Valley’s defenses too easily. Before the attack, the shooter also posted online a hate-filled manifesto that included references to previous mass killings.\n\nNew Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and French President Emmanuel Macron organized the call to action, part of Ardern’s international plea this year for greater social-media accountability. Along with New Zealand and France, countries such as Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom endorsed the document, as did tech giants Amazon, Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Twitter. (Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post.)\n\n“We’ve taken practical steps to try and stop what we experienced in Christchurch from happening again,” Ardern said in a statement.\n\nAmerica’s top tech giants celebrated the call – a voluntary effort, not full regulation – as an important step toward tackling one of the Web’s biggest challenges. Amazon, Facebook, Google, Microsoft and Twitter issued a joint statement saying “it is right that we come together, resolute in our commitment to ensure we are doing all we can to fight the hatred and extremism that lead to terrorist violence.”\n\nBut the White House opted against endorsing the call to action, and President Donald Trump did not join world leaders, including Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and tech executives, such as Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, in Paris. In a statement, the White House said it stands “with the international community in condemning terrorist and violent extremist content online,” and support the goals of the Christchurch call to action. But the White House still said it is “not currently in a position to join the endorsement.”\n\nA day earlier, as negotiations progressed, White House officials raised concerns that the document might run afoul of the First Amendment.\n\n“We continue to be proactive in our efforts to counter terrorist content online while also continuing to respect freedom of expression and freedom of the press,” the White House said Wednesday. “Further, we maintain that the best tool to defeat terrorist speech is productive speech, and thus we emphasize the importance of promoting credible, alternative narratives as the primary means by which we can defeat terrorist messaging.”\n\nAmid global scrutiny, Facebook, Google and Twitter over the past year have hired more reviewers and created new artificial-intelligence tools in an attempt to thwart hate speech, extremism and terrorism online. Despite those efforts, the tech giants were unable to stop the spread of the Christchurch videos.\n\nFewer than 200 people watched the live stream during the attack, which Facebook said it removed 29 minutes after it began. But within 24 hours, users had attempted to re-upload the video onto Facebook more than 1.5 million times. About 300,000 of those videos slipped through and were published on the site before being taken down by the site’s content-moderation teams and systems designed to automatically remove blacklisted content.\n\nTech companies on Wednesday committed to enforcing policies that prohibit terrorist and extremist content, improving technology that can spot harmful posts in real time and issuing regular reports about their progress. Facebook, Google and Twitter already have such rules and tools in place, though at times they’ve fielded sharp criticism for not using them effectively. The tech giants also agreed to share more information with one another, particularly to stop the real-time spread of extremism during emergencies like the Christchurch attack.\n\nThese companies also promised to implement “appropriate checks on livestreaming,” with the aim of ensuring that videos of violent attacks aren’t broadcast widely, in real time, online. To that end, Facebook this week announced that users who violate its rules – such as sharing content from known terrorist groups – could be prohibited from using its live-streaming tools. The company has said such a restriction might have prevented the Christchurch shooter from broadcasting the attack using his account.\n\n“Terrorism and violent extremism are complex societal problems that require an all-of-society response,” Amazon, Microsoft, Facebook, Google and Twitter said in their joint statement. “For our part, the commitments we are making today will further strengthen the partnership that Governments, society and the technology industry must have to address this threat.”\n\nThe Christchurch call reflects heightened global frustrations with Silicon Valley, which has struggled to stop malicious actors from weaponizing social media platforms to deadly ends around the world. Facebook has been linked to ethnic violence in Sri Lanka, for example, and the company has admitted it failed to prevent the platform from becoming a tool to foster genocide in Myanmar.In response, regulators have introduced or adopted tough new rules over the past year that require social-media sites to take down offensive content faster or face tough fines.\n\nFrench regulators, meanwhile, positioned a top government official at Facebook to study the company’s efforts to combat hate speech for six months.\n\nU.S. officials also have struggled with the rise of online extremism and its ability to incite real-world violence. Self-proclaimed neo-Nazis used Facebook as an organizing tool ahead of their deadly 2017 rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, for example, and the shooter who opened fire on a synagogue in Pittsburgh last year long had posted anti-Semitic screeds on fringe websites.\n\nBut even federal policymakers who have grown furious with Silicon Valley have struggled to rein in the industry without violating the First Amendment, which protects even some repugnant speech online. The issue loomed large over U.S. officials as they decided whether to endorse the Christchurch call, sources told The Post, even though Trump has expressed openness to regulating social media sites in other contexts, including in response to concerns that they are politically biased against conservatives.\n\nThe governments signing the call include Australia, Canada, the European Commission, France, Germany, Indonesia, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Jordan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Senegal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.\n\nThe White House’s stance drew criticism from some experts who’ve called for stronger regulation across the Web. Alistair Knott, a computer-science professor at the University of Otago in New Zealand, said the absence of a U.S. endorsement potentially would undercut the global argument for controlling how hate and violence spread online.\n\n“It seems insufficient to say that free speech prevents the U.S. from doing something about violent extremist attacks,” said Carl Tobias, a professor at the University of Richmond law school. “Congress should consider carefully crafted legislation that both protects core First Amendment interests and public safety.”\n\nBut others worried the Christchurch document could potentially blur the lines between government power and free expression.\n• Church attack in Burkina Faso kills at least 6 “It’s hard to take seriously this administration’s criticism of extremist content, but it’s probably for the best that the United States didn’t sign,” said James Grimmelmann, a Cornell Tech law professor. “The government should not be in the business of ‘encouraging’ platforms to do more than they legally are required to – or than they could be required to under the First Amendment.”\n\n“The government ought to do its ‘encouraging’ through laws that give platforms and users clear notice of what they’re allowed to do, not through vague exhortations that can easily turn into veiled threats,” Grimmelmann said.\n\nAdrian Shahbaz, a research director at Freedom House, a think tank partially funded by the U.S. government, said he was “alarmed by the vague call for governments to ban more speech” in a way that could have “negative consequences for human rights.”\n\nGreater regulation on tech companies is needed, but “we shouldn’t be calling on tech companies to remove content without also demanding that they act with far more transparency and accountability,” he said. “Otherwise, companies will censor first and ask questions later, leaving users will little recourse to appeal poor decisions and uphold their right to free expression.”", "The United States will not be joining the Christchurch Call for Action, a push by New Zealand and France to encourage tech companies and countries to work together to end the use of social media in acts of terrorism, the Trump administration announced Wednesday.\n\n“While the United States is not currently in a position to join the endorsement, we continue to support the overall goals reflected in the call. We will continue to engage governments, industry and civil society to counter terrorist content on the internet,” the White House said in a statement.\n\nNew Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and French President Emmanuel Macron announced the Christchurch Call earlier Wednesday in Paris at a meeting of digital leaders for the G7 nations, just two months after the March 15 mass shootings on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, left 51 dead and many wounded.\n\nFacebook removed 1.5 million videos of the Christchurch attacks in the first 24 hours after the massacre. It also blocked 1.2 million of them at upload, meaning they would not have been seen by users.\n\n“When it came to the way this attack was specifically designed to be broadcast and to go viral, (responding) to that needed a global solution, so that was why we immediately got in contact with international counterparts,” Ardern told CNN Tuesday.\n\nFacebook has signed on to the agreement, introducing new rules for live-streaming. Under the new policy, the alleged Christchurch shooter would not have been able to livestream the massacre from his account in March, a Facebook spokesperson told CNN Business.\n\nThe US thanked Ardern and Macron “for organizing this important effort” in its Wednesday statement, noting that the administration “(agrees) with the overarching message” in the nonbinding agreement.\n\nThe statement condemned terrorist and violent extremist content online “in the strongest terms,” however, it cited freedom of expression and freedom of the press as reasons it would not be joining the agreement.\n\n“We encourage technology companies to enforce their terms of service and community standards that forbid the use of their platforms for terrorist purposes. We continue to be proactive in our efforts to counter terrorist content online while also continuing to respect freedom of expression and freedom of the press,” the statement read.\n\nIt continued: “Further, we maintain that the best tool to defeat terrorist speech is productive speech, and thus we emphasize the importance of promoting credible, alternative narratives as the primary means by which we can defeat terrorist messaging.”\n\nThe Trump administration has been involved in efforts to end online terrorist content, including its September 2017 endorsement of the Zurich-London Recommendations on Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism and Terrorism Online.", "U.S. Will Not Join Tech Giants In 'Christchurch Call' Pledge Against Online Terror\n\nTech giants met with a dozen countries Wednesday to sign a joint agreement on how to block terrorist content online. The Trump administration said Wednesday that it would not endorse the plan.\n\nSocial media giants say they will work with heads of state to regulate extremist content that spreads online. One key player has refused to endorse the plan - the United States. NPR's Aarti Shahani reports.\n\nAARTI SHAHANI, BYLINE: There is a growing rift between the U.S. government and, well, the world. That rift was on full display at the Elysee Palace in Paris.\n\nPRIME MINISTER JACINDA ARDERN: Fifty-one men, women and children from the New Zealand Muslim community were killed and were killed online.\n\nSHAHANI: New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern helped convene a summit. Today is the two-month anniversary of the Christchurch shooting, where a gunman used Facebook Live to broadcast his massacre. Ardern...\n\nARDERN: The social media dimension to the attack was unprecedented, and our response today with the adoption of the Christchurch call is equally unprecedented.\n\nSHAHANI: It's been a long road for tech leaders who once fancied themselves protectors of speech, who feared looking too chummy with governments. Now in Paris, Facebook, Google, YouTube, Amazon, Twitter and Microsoft are entering a voluntary compact. It's called the Christchurch Call. Basically they're agreeing to beef up their efforts to catch terrorist content as it spreads across platforms. And they say they'll share more data with each other to make their algorithms smarter, better at identifying a video by ISIS or a white nationalist.\n\nARDERN: Never before have countries and tech companies come together in the wake of an horrific attack to commit to an action plan.\n\nSHAHANI: The social media giants agreed to work with governments to redirect users away from extremism and let investigators in. French President Emmanuel Macron, heard here with an English voice-over, says he and Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg have come to an agreement.\n\nPRESIDENT EMMANUEL MACRON: (Through interpreter) He has authorized the regulator teams - the teams of French regulators - to join his machine to share confidential information to fight against terrorist content but also hatred content or harassment methods.\n\nSHAHANI: More than a dozen countries have signed today's pact, including France, Germany, United Kingdom, India, Australia and New Zealand. The U.S. is staying out of the deal. The White House sent a tech policy adviser to observe and show support. But in a statement, the Trump administration said the best tool to defeat terrorist speech is productive speech, and thus we emphasize the importance of promoting credible alternative narratives. This stance puts the U.S. increasingly at odds with other countries as well as with American tech giants. Aarti Shahani, NPR News.", "Facebook announced steps on Wednesday to temporarily block users who break its rules from broadcasting live video, in the wake of an international outcry after a gunman killed 51 people in New Zealand last month and streamed the attack live on his page.\n\nThe tweaks to Facebook's rules came as the White House snubbed other world leaders, who met with tech companies in Paris to back a call by New Zealand's prime minister for stronger measures against social media hate speech.\n\nSilicon Valley tech giants expressed their support for Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's so-called \"Christchurch Call,\" named for the city where the gunman attacked two mosques on March 15 and broadcast his killings live.\n\nBut Washington declined to send a delegation to the meeting hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron. The White House said it would not endorse Ardern's initiative, although it supported the broader aims.\n\nFacebook said in a statement it was introducing a \"one-strike\" policy for use of Facebook Live, a service which lets users broadcast live video. Those who broke the company's most serious rules anywhere on its site would have their access to make live broadcasts temporarily restricted.\n\nThe range of offences that would qualify for one-strike suspensions would be broadened.\n\nThe company did not specify which offences would result in such a ban or how long suspensions would last, but a spokeswoman said it would not have been possible for the Christchurch shooter to use Facebook Live on his account under the new rules.\n\nFacebook has come under intense scrutiny in recent years over hate speech, privacy lapses and its dominant market position in social media. The company is trying to address those concerns while averting more strenuous action from regulators.\n\nArdern called the changes announced on Wednesday \"a good first step to restrict the application being used as a tool for terrorists, and shows the Christchurch Call is being acted on.\"\n\nThe company said it plans to extend the restrictions to other areas over coming weeks, beginning with preventing the same people from creating Facebook ads. It also said it would fund research at three universities on techniques to detect manipulated media, which its systems struggled to spot in the aftermath of the attack.\n\nArdern said the research was welcome and that edited and manipulated videos of the March 15 mosque shootings had been slow to be removed, resulting in many people, including herself, seeing video of the killings played in their Facebook feeds.\n\nMacron hosted Ardern, British Prime Minister Theresa May, Canada's Justin Trudeau and other leaders at a summit on Wednesday to support Ardern's initiative.\n\nSignatories would \"encourage media outlets to apply ethical standards when depicting terrorist events online, to avoid amplifying terrorist and violent extremist content,\" although the initiative is non-binding, light on details and leaves countries and companies to decide how to apply guidelines.\n\nCountries including Australia, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, Spain, India and Sweden said they backed it, as did U.S. tech giants Microsoft, Alphabet's Google and its video platform YouTube and Amazon.\n\nBut the White House said in a statement the United States was \"not currently in a position to join the endorsement,\" although it added: \"we continue to support the overall goals reflected in the call\".\n\nIn comments made at a joint news conference with Ardern, Macron put a positive spin on the White House response.\n\n\"We'll do everything we can so that there is a more concrete and formal commitment, but I consider... the fact that the U.S. administration said it shared the objectives and the common will as a positive element,\" Macron said.\n\nBrad Smith, the president of Microsoft, said the call was\"leading to real action, even if it's not binding\".\n\n\"The Christchurch Call will be assessed ultimately by the impact it has. And the impact it has will be determined not only by governments but also by tech companies,\" Smith told Reuters."], "summary": "Representatives from 17 world governments and various U.S. technology companies meet in Paris to support a set of anti-terrorism guidelines called the \"Christchurch Call to Action\" drafted by the governments of France and New Zealand. The White House expressed support for the \"overall goals reflected\" in this pledge, but refused to back it, citing freedom of speech concerns."}
{"document": ["Image copyright Reuters Image caption High-definition cameras \"map\" faces in a crowd and compare them to existing images\n\nLegislators in San Francisco have voted to ban the use of facial recognition, the first US city to do so.\n\nThe emerging technology will not be allowed to be used by local agencies, such as the city’s transport authority, or law enforcement.\n\nAdditionally, any plans to buy any kind of new surveillance technology must now be approved by city administrators.\n\nOpponents of the measure said it will put people’s safety at risk and hinder efforts to fight crime.\n\nThose in favour of the move said the technology as it exists today is unreliable, and represented an unnecessary infringement on people’s privacy and liberty.\n\nIn particular, opponents argued the systems are error prone, particularly when dealing with women or people with darker skin.\n\n\"With this vote, San Francisco has declared that face surveillance technology is incompatible with a healthy democracy and that residents deserve a voice in decisions about high-tech surveillance,\" said Matt Cagle from the American Civil Liberties Union in Northern California.\n\n\"We applaud the city for listening to the community, and leading the way forward with this crucial legislation. Other cities should take note and set up similar safeguards to protect people's safety and civil rights.\"\n\nThe vote was passed by San Francisco’s supervisors 8-1, with two absentees. The measure is expected to be officially passed into city law after a second vote next week.\n\nImage copyright Getty Images Image caption The move angered campaigners who said the tech would help fight crime\n\n\"Instead of an outright ban, we believe a moratorium would have been more appropriate,\" said Joel Engardio, vice-president of Stop Crime SF.\n\n\"We agree there are problems with facial recognition ID technology and it should not be used today. But the technology will improve and it could be a useful tool for public safety when used responsibly. We should keep the door open for that possibility.\"\n\nThe new rules will not apply to security measures at San Francisco’s airport or sea port, as they are run by federal, not local, agencies.\n\nSome campaigners unsuccessfully urged for the measures not to apply to local police. While San Francisco’s officers do not currently use facial recognition technology, a number of other police forces across the US do.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption WATCH: Could facial recognition cut crime?\n\n_______\n\nFollow Dave Lee on Twitter @DaveLeeBBC\n\nDo you have more information about this or any other technology story? You can reach Dave directly and securely through encrypted messaging app Signal on: +1 (628) 400-7370", "San Francisco on Tuesday became the first city in the United States to ban the use of facial-recognition software by city agencies and the police, dealing a swift symbolic blow to a key technology rapidly being deployed by law enforcement nationwide.\n\nThe 8-to-1 vote by the city’s Board of Supervisors will forbid public agencies from using the artificial-intelligence software to find the identity of someone based on a video clip or photograph. Privacy and civil rights advocates have worried that the capability could be misused for mass surveillance and possibly lead to more false arrests.\n\nThe law will not regulate local businesses, and the technology is still largely unregulated across the United States. But San Francisco’s ban will resonate because of the city’s identity as a friendly backyard for some of the world’s most powerful tech firms, including Google and Facebook, whose engineers have designed systems that can detect and recognize faces for business and consumer use.\n\n“That a community where a lot of the folks are building facial recognition is the first to ban it is pretty telling of the dangers of the technology,” said Jevan Hutson, a University of Washington law student who advocated a facial-recognition moratorium in Washington, the home state of Amazon and Microsoft. (Amazon founder and chief executive Jeff Bezos owns The Washington Post.)\n\n[Oregon became a testing ground for Amazon’s facial-recognition policing. But what if Rekognition gets it wrong?]\n\n“For too long we’ve had this ‘move fast, break things’ model on the public side with surveillance,” Hutson added. “We’re reclaiming our ability to say no to technologies that deface democracy and our ability to live freely.”\n\nNo federal laws govern the use of facial recognition nationwide, and more than 50 state or local police agencies across the country have at some point used facial-recognition systems in attempts to identify criminal suspects or verify identities.\n\nOakland, Calif., and Somerville, Mass., have introduced legislation for bans similar to San Francisco’s. A bipartisan bill introduced in the U.S. Senate in March would ban companies, but not governments, from collecting facial-recognition data without consent.\n\nThe San Francisco ordinance will also require all new surveillance equipment to be approved by city leaders, who could also seek measures “to verify that mandated civil rights and civil liberties safeguards have been strictly adhered to.”\n\nA second reading of the Stop Secretive Surveillance Ordinance is expected to be approved at an upcoming board meeting, when it will officially become law. Aaron Peskin, the San Francisco supervisor who introduced the bill earlier this year, has voiced concerns that facial-recognition technology could turn the city into a “police state.”\n\nThe law could increase the pressure on companies such as Amazon that have sought to sell facial-recognition systems to police agencies, citing their potential benefits in finding missing children or pursuing criminals. Amazon investors will vote next week on a proposal that could block the company from selling its system, Rekognition, to government agencies.\n\nGoogle has said it won’t offer a general-purpose facial-recognition tool until it works through “important technology and policy questions.” Microsoft has urged Congress to regulate the technology, saying companies should not be left to police themselves because of the technology’s “broad societal ramifications and potential for abuse.”\n\nMembers of Congress, civil rights groups and leading artificial intelligence researchers have called on Amazon and other companies to stop developing the technology for law enforcement use. Studies have found that the systems perform less accurately on people of color, raising the risks of misidentification.\n\nBut the San Francisco law may not slow the growth of facial-recognition technology in schools, sporting arenas and airports, which have folded them into their gate areas for an additional layer of identify verification and surveillance. The Department of Homeland Security said last month that it wanted 97 percent of all departing air travelers to undergo a facial-recognition scan by 2023.", "SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - San Francisco officials on Tuesday voted 8 to 1 to ban the purchase and use of facial recognition technology by city personnel, in a move to regulate tools that local Silicon Valley companies helped develop.\n\nThe ordinance, which also would require city departments to submit surveillance technology policies for public vetting, can become final after a second vote next week by the same officials, the city’s Board of Supervisors.\n\nThe action puts San Francisco at the forefront of increasing discontent in the United States over facial recognition, which government agencies have used for years and now has become more powerful with the rise of cloud computing and artificial intelligence technologies.\n\n“We have a fundamental duty to safeguard the public from potential abuses,” Aaron Peskin, the city supervisor who championed the ban, said before the board’s vote.\n\nPeskin said the ordinance was not an anti-technology policy. It allows continued use of surveillance tools like security cameras; the district attorney or sheriff can make an appeal to use certain restricted technology in exceptional circumstances as well.\n\nRather, Peskin said, the aim is to protect “marginalized groups” that could be harmed by the technology.\n\nFor instance, Amazon.com Inc has come under scrutiny since last year for selling an image analysis and ID service to law enforcement. Researchers have said this service struggles to identify the gender of individuals with darker skin, prompting fears of unjust arrests. Amazon has defended its work and said all users must follow the law.\n\nCivil rights groups and companies including Microsoft Corp, which markets a facial recognition service, have called for regulation of the technology in recent months. This has added momentum to the effort in San Francisco and to a parallel ban reportedly in the works in nearby Oakland.\n\nFor a draft text of the San Francisco ordinance, see bit.ly/30jkPuJ\n\nWhile communities at the heart of the technology industry are moving to limit facial recognition, police elsewhere have increased their use, primarily to spot potential suspects in known offender databases after a crime has occurred.\n\nU.S. customs agents are vetting foreign travelers at airports with facial recognition, and other federal agencies use the technology too.\n\nDaniel Castro, vice president of the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation, said concerns that the U.S. government would use face identification for mass surveillance, like China has, were overblown. The non-profit includes technology industry representatives on its board.\n\nSan Francisco’s “ban on facial recognition will make it frozen in time with outdated technology,” he said.", "SAN FRANCISCO (REUTERS) - San Francisco officials on Tuesday (May 14) voted eight to one to ban the purchase and use of facial recognition technology by city personnel, in a move to regulate tools that local Silicon Valley companies helped develop.\n\nThe ordinance, which also would require city departments to submit surveillance technology policies for public vetting, can become final after a second vote next week by the same officials, the city's Board of Supervisors.\n\nThe action puts San Francisco at the forefront of increasing discontent in the United States over facial recognition, which government agencies have used for years and now has become more powerful with the rise of cloud computing and artificial intelligence technologies.\n\nSince last year, Amazon.com Inc has come under scrutiny for selling an image analysis and ID service to law enforcement, which researchers say struggles to identify the gender of individuals with darker skin, prompting fears of unjust arrests. Amazon has defended its work and said all users must follow the law.\n\nCivil rights groups, as well as some companies including Microsoft Corp, which markets a facial recognition service, have called for regulation of the technology in recent months. This has added momentum to the effort in San Francisco.", "First city in the United States looks to ban the use of facial recognition over privacy and human rights concerns\n\nThe West coast city of San Francisco looks set to become the first metropolitan area in the US to ban the use of facial recognition technology.\n\nThe ban would mean that local agencies, such as the local police force and other city agencies such as transportation would not be able to utilise the technology in any of their systems.\n\nIt comes amid growing concern at the privacy implications of the technology. Last year for example FBI agents in Columbus, Ohio forced an Apple iPhone X owner to unlock his device with his face, via the device’s Face ID technology.\n\nThe FBI had arrested a suspect whilst he was being investigated for child abuse. The FBI had obtained a search warrant and entered the suspect’s home on 10 August as part of their investigation.\n\nSpecial agent David Knight reportedly unlocked the suspect’s iPhone by holding up the handset to the suspect’s face, as they did not have his phone passcode.\n\nThis allowed the FBI investigator to delve into the contents of the suspect’s device, including his online chats and photos, all of which proved highly incriminating.\n\nCases like this illustrate growing alarm in some quarters at the growing use of facial recognition. A number of police forces in the US (and the UK) already use the tech, but not San Francisco’s local police force.\n\nSo this week San Francisco officials at the city’s Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted 8 to 1 to ban the purchase and use of facial recognition technology by city personnel, Reuters reported.\n\nThe ban also requires city departments to submit surveillance technology policies for public vetting. The ban would become final after a second vote next week by the same officials.\n\nThe draft ban can be found online here.\n\n“We have a fundamental duty to safeguard the public from potential abuses,” Aaron Peskin, the city supervisor who championed the ban, was quoted as saying by Reuters.\n\nPeskin reportedly said the ban was not an anti-technology policy, as it still allows for the continued use of surveillance tools such as security cameras, and local law enforcement can appeal to use certain restricted technology in exceptional circumstances as well.\n\nPeskin said the aim of the ban was was to protect “marginalized groups” that could be harmed by the technology.\n\nIt should be noted that the San Fran ban would only apply to local city agencies and not federal agencies such as the FBI.\n\nThis would mean that security measures at San Francisco’s airport or other transport hubs would retain the use of facial recognition.\n\nSan Francisco officials have stated their concern at the implications of facial recognition for privacy and human rights, as some have alleged it can unfairly pick out certain racial groupings.\n\nAnd this concerns may not be misplaced. As far back as 2011, a Carnegie Mellon University researcher used Facebook photos to demonstrate how facial-recognition technology could be used to identify people as they walked down the street.\n\nUsing off-the-shelf facial-recognition software and students’ photos posted on Facebook, Alessandro Acquisiti, a CMU researcher, showed attendees at the annual Black Hat security conference how he was able to positively identify 30 percent of students walking around the campus.\n\nAnd facial recognition can also be fooled as well. In 2017 Vietnamese cybersecurity firm said it had tricked the facial recognition feature on the iPhone X using a 3D-printed mask.\n\nResearchers at Bkav created a $150 mask, and they said it took them less than a week to spoof Apple’s Face ID. They also said it was even easier than they expected with only half a face needed to create the fake mask.\n\nCan you protect your privacy online? Take our quiz!", "San Francisco supervisors voted Tuesday to ban the use of facial recognition software by police and other city departments, becoming the first U.S. city to outlaw a rapidly developing technology that has alarmed privacy and civil liberties advocates.\n\nThe ban is part of broader legislation that requires city departments to establish use policies and obtain board approval for surveillance technology they want to purchase or are using at present. Several other local governments require departments to disclose and seek approval for surveillance technology.\n\n“This is really about saying: ‘We can have security without being a security state. We can have good policing without being a police state.’ And part of that is building trust with the community based on good community information, not on Big Brother technology,” said Supervisor Aaron Peskin, who championed the legislation.\n\nThe ban applies to San Francisco police and other municipal departments. It does not affect use of the technology by the federal government at airports and ports, nor does it limit personal or business use.\n\nThe San Francisco board did not spend time Tuesday debating the outright ban on facial recognition technology, focusing instead on the possible burdens placed on police, the transit system and other city agencies that need to maintain public safety.\n\n“I worry about politicizing these decisions,” said Supervisor Catherine Stefani, a former prosecutor who was the sole no vote.\n• People are having less sex than ever: Could your phone be a passion killer?\n• Disney rivalling Netflix with its own streaming service to launch in November\n\nThe Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, a non-profit think-tank based in Washington, D.C., issued a statement chiding San Francisco for considering the facial recognition ban. It said advanced technology makes it cheaper and faster for police to find suspects and identify missing people.\n\nCritics were silly to compare surveillance usage in the United States with China, given that one country has strong constitutional protections and the other does not, said Daniel Castro, the foundation’s vice-president.\n\n“In reality, San Francisco is more at risk of becoming Cuba than China–a ban on facial recognition will make it frozen in time with outdated technology,” he said.\n\nIt’s unclear how many San Francisco departments are using surveillance and for what purposes, said Peskin. There are valid reasons for license-plate readers, body cameras, and security cameras, he said, but the public should know how the tools are being used or if they are being abused.\n\nSan Francisco’s police department stopped testing face ID technology in 2017. A representative at Tuesday’s board meeting said the department would need two to four additional employees to comply with the legislation.\n\nPrivacy advocates have squared off with public safety proponents at several heated hearings in San Francisco, a city teeming with tech innovation and the home of Twitter, Airbnb and Uber.\n\nThose who support the ban say the technology is flawed and a serious threat to civil liberties, especially in a city that cherishes public protest and privacy. They worry people will one day not be able to go to a mall, the park or a school without being identified and tracked.\n\nBut critics say police need all the help they can get, especially in a city with high-profile events and high rates of property crime. That people expect privacy in public space is unreasonable given the proliferation of cellphones and surveillance cameras, said Meredith Serra, a member of a resident public safety group Stop Crime SF.\n\n“To me, the ordinance seems to be a costly additional layer of bureaucracy that really does nothing to improve the safety of our citizens,” she said at a hearing.\n\nThe city of Oakland is considering similar legislation.", "San Francisco Is First U.S. City To Ban Facial Recognition Technology\n\nPolice in San Francisco will be banned from using facial recognition, part of sweeping restrictions put on surveillance technology used by the city's agencies.\n\nSan Francisco could become the first large city to bar police from using facial recognition software. NPR's Martin Kaste has the story.\n\nMARTIN KASTE, BYLINE: This ban wouldn't change anything for San Francisco police right now. They tried a facial recognition system for a time, but sources in the department say they gave up on it because it wasn't much good. But what is significant about this legislation is the way the city has now singled-out facial recognition going forward.\n\nKASTE: That's the legislation's author, Supervisor Aaron Peskin, explaining yesterday why his legislation allows for other kinds of surveillance tech but not facial recognition.\n\nPESKIN: Unlike other technologies, we cannot hide our faces or change what we look like.\n\nKASTE: And Peskin raised the specter of mass surveillance in China, where cameras in the street can now reportedly ID faces in real time. The thing is, that's not how most American police are using facial recognition. So far, it's mostly been used like other forms of biometric evidence - say, fingerprints. It's evidence taken from a crime scene and matched against a database, not surveillance of where everybody goes. Brian van Kleef is a deputy in Washington County, Ore., where the sheriff's office has been very public about its embrace of facial recognition software for solving crimes.\n\nBRIAN VAN KLEEF: It's a needle-in-a-haystack type of thing. We have a needle, or a suspect photo, and we're able to search our haystack of 300,000 previous booking photos and narrow it down to five possible matches.\n\nKASTE: The system compares crime scene images only to booking photos from their jail, and they're not allowed to use it to identify people in real time, say, with a camera pointed at the street. In San Francisco, Joel Engardio wishes his city would keep the door open to responsible uses of the technology.\n\nJOEL ENGARDIO: There's got to be a balance that actually works where you can be both safe and free.\n\nKASTE: He runs a group called Stop Crime SF, formed in response to rampant car break-ins. He says as more residents send in video clips from their home security cameras, facial recognition could help the police to ID suspects more easily. That's why he wishes the city would consider a temporary moratorium rather than an outright ban.\n\nENGARDIO: When you're in a political climate where your default is just to ban something then you preclude yourself from actually using the benefits of a technology.\n\nKASTE: But privacy advocates worry that waiting to see the benefits of facial recognition will mean giving this technology time to entrench itself as a form of mass surveillance. Alvaro Bedoya runs the Center on Privacy and Technology at Georgetown Law, which has tracked the advance of facial recognition. He says, yes, American police right now use the technology mostly forensically to investigate crimes. But he believes that the police are interested in more real-time applications.\n\nALVARO BEDOYA: More and more, you see tidbits in trade press, and you see documents from cities and states suggesting that they are making major investments in face surveillance.\n\nKASTE: And that's why Bedoya welcomes this vote by San Francisco, arguably the most tech-savvy big city in the country. If it signals that a red line should be drawn around facial recognition, he says other cities, states and even the federal government might take notice. Martin Kaste, NPR News.", "San Francisco is the first US city to ban facial recognition - Webroot response\n\nFollowing the news that San Francisco has become the first city to ban the use of facial recognition in local agencies, such as law enforcement, see a comment below from Matthew Aldridge, Senior Solution Architect at Webroot, who believes that while the technology can work well, the risk of biometric data being stolen is too great a risk for it to be deployed worldwide:\n\n“It is great to see San Francisco leading the way on this debate. We’ll see in time whether this course of action is the best one, but it is important that this discussion is ongoing with all legislators. There are many factors to consider here, ranging from privacy concerns for the many to the detection of the wrongdoings of the few. In this case it seems that the concerns of the many have prevailed.\n\nThere are however legitimate applications from law enforcement and other similar agencies where face recognition technology could greatly reduce policing costs and increase the chances of successful prosecutions in certain cases. In these situations it should only be perpetrators of crime who have their biometrics stored in this way. There is a temptation in mass surveillance to build a profile on every unique person detected, track their movements and categorise them into behaviour groups. This type of approach is being taken for example in China, where the state is able to not only do this, but to map the profiles to the identities of the individual citizens concerned, raising questions about how and why this data is being used.\n\nCurrent facial recognition technology can work well, but is far from perfect. Despite its shortcomings, it demonstrates its value by reducing the workload of investigators, effectively augmenting their role. Facial recognition for personal use - such as tagging photos and authenticating access to your smartphone - is a very different application and should not be confused with mass surveillance at city and state level. There is a real chance of that biometric data being leaked, stolen or hacked and it is the associated privacy and human rights risks of the technology that we must continue to address through ongoing legislation combined with improved technical controls.”", "San Francisco may have a reputation for being a hub for tech companies but it's also a place where technological advancements swing between helping and harming the community. Although the city has sometimes struggled to find a balance between the two, it has recently taken a notable step toward establishing regulations to protect its citizens. On May 14, San Francisco banned facial recognition technology from being used by the city's police and local government agencies in a 8-1 vote by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. The ordinance still needs to be formally approved before becoming a law, but privacy advocates are already considering this a victory for civil liberties.\n\nWhat exactly is facial recognition technology?\n\nFacial recognition technology is an A.I.-driven system that identifies the face of a real person and quickly matches it to images in a database. Usually, this means the A.I. must scan for attributes of a face, such as the size of eyes and noses, to match it to existing pictures. This technology is already in use in multiple areas like social media and ID verification. In fact, Snapchat uses a form of facial recognition to create filters for your selfies. And Apple's Face ID uses the technology to unlock your devices or confirm payments.\n\nFacial recognition is non-invasive, meaning the subject doesn't have to interact with anything, and discreet, making it perfect for surveillance systems.\n\nFacial recognition systems are imperfect. Tests by MIT Media Lab have shown that the A.I. has difficulty with correctly identifying dark-skinned and/or female faces. Uber's facial recognition system has improperly deactivated transgender drivers in transition. Other A.I. experts have also expressed concern about the use of such technology to the New York Times in April, stating that lack of regulations leave it far too open for potential abuse of civil liberties. Additionally, in January, The Verge reported that an ACLU test erroneously identified and matched members of Congress with mugshots. As humorous as that finding might be — those are some easy jokes I won't take — the error rate is alarming for human rights and privacy advocates who warn a mistake with law enforcement can be a dangerous or life-threatening one. This has already become an issue in a lawsuit against Apple, where the plaintiff claims facial recognition technology erroneously labeled him as a thief.\n\nSome companies behind facial recognition technology, such as Microsoft and I.B.M., have taken the criticism to heart and improved their technology or backed legislative bills that will put the public on notice if facial recognition technology is in use in an area. However, Amazon, which also produces facial recognition tech, repeatedly insisted the MIT and ACLU tests showed errors because of improper calibration or misuse and that, with their adjustments, they can produce more accurate results.\n\nOther opinions fall in between the two stances. According to NPR, some activists believe the technology shouldn't be completely banned. Rather than a final and total ban, the activists say, the nation should place restrictions until the failure rate can be reduced. Daniel Castro of the Technology and Innovation Foundation is one man who believes future improvements to the system will make it more beneficial than harmful.\n\n\"We want to use the technology to find missing elderly adults,\" he said to NPR. \"We want to use it to fight sex trafficking. We want to use it to quickly identify a suspect in case of a terrorist attack. These are very reasonable uses of the technology, and so to ban it wholesale is a very extreme reaction to a technology that many people are just now beginning to understand.\"\n\nThe possibility of abuse and racial profiling\n\nUnfortunately, the fears of governments using facial recognition against certain races or to profile particular populations are not unfounded. In April, the Chinese government received widespread criticism for using their A.I. to target Muslim minorities living in the country. According to the New York Times, this A.I. not only purportedly tracks minorities like Uighurs and Tibetans, but also uses facial recognition to track individuals' schedules and activities. The publication decried the practice, saying it \"makes China a pioneer in applying next-generation technology to watch its people, potentially ushering in a new era of automated racism.\"\n\nIt's not just China, either. On May 13, the BBC reported on several police forces within the U.K. who were trialing facial recognition systems. The use of the system has troubled human rights groups due to its reliance on a database of custody images (mugshots) that includes the faces of innocent individuals who were cleared of any offenses. \"A 2012 court decision ruled that holding such images was unlawful,\" stated the BBC, but the images are still in the database to this day and are open to use by automated facial recognition technology.\n\nFacial recognition technology may sound helpful on paper, but critics believe it is still too inaccurate to utilize properly. San Francisco has taken the first step toward making sure it isn't available for the city to abuse. It remains to be seen whether the rest of California and other cities and states in the U.S. will soon follow suit.", "(CNN) — San Francisco, long one of the most tech-friendly and tech-savvy cities in the world, is now the first in the United States to prohibit its government from using facial-recognition technology.\n\nThe ban is part of a broader anti-surveillance ordinance that the city’s Board of Supervisors approved on Tuesday. Eight of the board’s 11 supervisors voted in favor of it. The ordinance, which outlaws the use of facial-recognition technology by police and other government departments, could also spur other local governments to take similar action.\n\nFacial-recognition systems are increasingly used everywhere from police departments to rock concerts to homes, stores and schools. They are designed to identify specific people from live video feeds, recorded video footage or still photos, often by comparing their features with a set of faces (such as mugshots).\n\nSan Francisco’s new rule, which is set to go into effect in a month, forbids the use of facial-recognition technology by the city’s 53 departments — including the San Francisco Police Department, which doesn’t currently use such technology but did test it out between 2013 and 2017. However, the ordinance carves out an exception for federally controlled facilities at San Francisco International Airport and the Port of San Francisco. The ordinance doesn’t prevent businesses or residents from using facial recognition or surveillance technology in general — such as on their own security cameras. And it also doesn’t do anything to limit police from, say, using footage from a person’s Nest camera to assist in a criminal case.\n\n“We all support good policing but none of us want to live in a police state,” San Francisco Supervisor Aaron Peskin, who introduced the bill earlier this year, told CNN Business ahead of the vote.\n\nThe ordinance adds yet more fuel to the fire blazing around facial-recognition technology. While the technology grows in popularity, it has come under increased scrutiny as concerns mount regarding its deployment, accuracy, and even where the faces come from that are used to train the systems.\n\nIn San Francisco, Peskin is concerned that the technology is “so fundamentally invasive” that it shouldn’t be used.\n\n“I think San Francisco has a responsibility to speak up on things that are affecting the entire globe, that are happening in our front yard,” he said.\n\nFacial recognition has improved dramatically in recent years due to the popularity of a powerful form of machine learning called deep learning. In a typical system, facial features are analyzed and then compared with labeled faces in a database.\n\nYet AI researchers and civil rights groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union are particularly concerned about accuracy and bias in facial-recognition systems. There are concerns that they are not as effective at correctly recognizing people of color and women. One reason for this issue is that the datasets used to train the software may be disproportionately male and white.\n\nThe ACLU is one of many civil-rights groups supporting the ordinance. Matt Cagle, a technology and civil liberties attorney at the ACLU of Northern California, said the raft of issues posed by facial-recognition systems mean the city’s legislation would prevent harm to community members. He also expects that the rule will prompt other cities to follow suit.\n\n“With this vote, San Francisco has declared that face surveillance technology is incompatible with a healthy democracy and that residents deserve a voice in decisions about high-tech surveillance,” he said in a statement Tuesday afternoon. “We applaud the city for listening to the community, and leading the way forward with this crucial legislation.”\n\nThere are currently no federal laws addressing how artificial-intelligence technology in general, or facial-recognition systems specifically, can be used, though a Senate bill introduced in March would force companies to get consent from consumers before collecting and sharing identifying data.\n\nA few states and local governments have made their own efforts: Illinois, for example, has a law that requires companies get consent from customers before collecting biometric information. California’s senate is currently considering a bill that would ban police in the state from using biometric technology — such as facial recognition — with body-camera footage.\n\nIn the Bay Area alone, Berkeley, Oakland, Palo Alto and Santa Clara County (of which Palo Alto is a part) have passed their own surveillance-technology laws. Oakland is also currently considering whether to ban the use of facial-recognition technology.\n\nHow surveillance could be harder in San Francisco\n\nUnder the new San Francisco law, any city department that wants to use surveillance technology or services (such as the police department if it were interested in buying new license-plate readers, for example) must first get approval from the Board of Supervisors. That process will include submitting information about the technology and how it will be used, and presenting it at a public hearing. With the new rule, any city department that already uses surveillance tech will need to tell the board how it is being used.\n\nThe ordinance also states that the city will need to report to the Board of Supervisors each year on whether surveillance equipment and services are being used in the ways for which they were approved, and include details like what data was kept, shared or erased.\n\nIn a statement ahead of the vote, the San Francisco Police Department said it “looks forward” to working with the city’s supervisors, the ACLU, and others to develop laws that speak to tech-related privacy worries “while balancing the public safety concerns of our growing, international city.”\n\n“In accordance with the legislation, we are in the process of auditing our technologies and related policies,” the statement said.\n\nSome locals have been vocally opposed to the surveillance ordinance, including several groups of residents. Frank Noto, president of Stop Crime SF, a group focused on crime prevention, said prior to the vote that his organization recognizes privacy and civil-liberties concerns that may have prompted the ordinance’s introduction, but sees it as flawed legislation largely because it requires the police department to get approval from the city for existing surveillance technology.\n\nAfter the ordinance passed, Stop Crime SF vice president Joel Engardio said that overall the legislation is “necessary and helpful” though it “could have been better.”\n\nAnd while Stop Crime SF sees the faults in existing facial-recognition technology, it’s also concerned about prohibiting its use entirely. The group believes a moratorium on using it might be a better option so that it’s possible to use the technology when it improves.\n\n“When responsibly used, it could be a good public safety tool,” Engardio said."], "summary": "San Francisco becomes the first U.S. city to ban the use of facial recognition systems by law enforcement."}
{"document": ["But she added, \"No matter one’s personal view on abortion, we can all recognize that, at least for the short term, this bill may similarly be unenforceable. As citizens of this great country, we must always respect the authority of the U.S. Supreme Court even when we disagree with their decisions. Many Americans, myself included, disagreed when Roe v. Wade was handed down in 1973. The sponsors of this bill believe that it is time, once again, for the U.S. Supreme Court to revisit this important matter, and they believe this act may bring about the best opportunity for this to occur. \"", "Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed the state's controversial near-total abortion ban Wednesday evening. The new law is the most restrictive anti-abortion measure passed in the United States since Roe v. Wade was decided in 1973.\n\nThe legislation — House Bill 314, \"Human Life Protection Act\" — bans all abortions in the state except when \"abortion is necessary in order to prevent a serious health risk\" to the woman, according to the bill's text. It criminalizes the procedure, reclassifying abortion as a Class A felony, punishable by up to 99 years in prison for doctors. Attempted abortions will be reclassified as a Class C penalty.\n\nThe legislation makes no exceptions for victims or rape or incest.\n\n\"Today, I signed into law the Alabama Human Life Protection Act,\" Ivey wrote in a statement Wednesday night. \"To the bill's many supporters, this legislation stands as a powerful testament to Alabamians' deeply held belief that every life is precious & that every life is a sacred gift from God.\"\n\nAlabama Gov. Kay Ivey signs new abortion restrictions into law May 15, 2019. Office of the Governor of Alabama\n\nAlabama's ban is the latest in an onslaught of state-level anti-abortion measures that activists hope will be taken up by the Supreme Court and potentially overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 decision that protects a woman's right to the procedure.\n\nLast week, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed into law the state's so-called \"fetal heartbeat\" bill, a measure that will prohibit abortions after a heartbeat is detected in an embryo, which is typically five to six weeks into a pregnancy, and before most women know that they're pregnant. The state was the sixth to pass such a law, and the fourth this year alone.\n\nIn previous years the Supreme Court declined to hear such cases. But a new ideological makeup on the nation's highest court, including the recent appointment of conversative Justice Brett Kavanaugh, has emboldened anti-abortion activists to try again.\n\nAbortion rights advocates have promised to challenge Alabama's controversial legislation long before November, when the law is scheduled to be implemented.\n\n\"We vowed to fight this dangerous abortion ban every step of the way and we meant what we said,\" said Staci Fox, president and chief executive officer of Planned Parenthood Southeast, in a statement emailed to CBS News on Wednesday. \"We haven't lost a case in Alabama yet and we don't plan to start now.\"\n\nBut the bill's sponsor, Rep. Terri Collins, said that's the point. The state lawmaker called the bill a \"direct attack\" on Roe v. Wade and anticipates that the bill will be contested by abortion rights advocates, like the ACLU, and potentially make its way to the high court.\n\n\"The heart of this bill is to confront a decision that was made by the courts in 1973 that said the baby in the womb is not a person,\" Collins said last week when the Alabama House debated the legislation. \"This bill addresses that one issue. Is that baby in the womb a person? I believe our law says it is.\"\n\nThe governor's signature comes less than 24 hours after the Senate passed the controversial law, sparking outrage far beyond Alabama's state lines. Nearly every 2020 Democratic presidential candidate weighed in to condemn the legislation. In an interview Wednesday with Sirius XM's Joe Madison Show, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker called the measure a \"frontal assault on women's reproductive rights, on women's freedom and liberty.\"\n\n\"Not only am I 100 percent against it, but it makes me double down on my determination frankly to become president of the United States and make sure that we pass the kind of federal laws that prevent the erosion of women's rights,\" Booker said.\n\nAlabama state lawmakers also compare abortions in the U.S. to the Holocaust and other modern genocides in the legislation, prompting Jewish activists and abortion rights groups to rebuke the legislation as \"deeply offensive.\"\n\nDuring the debate leading up to the vote on Tuesday evening, Senate Minority Leader Bobby Singleton proposed an amendment that would have carved out an exception for victims of rape and incest. During debate he introduced three women who were victims of rape and told his colleagues, \"They didn't ask for what they got. It happened. And now they're having to live with it.\"\n\nThe amendment ultimately failed, with 21 senators voting against the rape and victim exception and 11 voting in favor of it.\n\nRepublican Sen. Clyde Chambliss argued that the ban was still fair to victims of rape and incest because those women would still be allowed to get an abortion \"until she knows she's pregnant,\" a statement that garnered a mixture of groans and cackles from the chamber's gallery.\n\n\"In a state that has some of the worst health outcomes for women in the nation-such as the highest rate of cervical cancer — Alabama is putting women's lives at an even greater risk,\" said Dr. Leana Wen, President of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, in a statement emailed Tuesday night to CBS News. \"Politicians who say they value life should advocate for policies to solve the public health crises that are killing women, not dismantle what little access to health care Alabamians have left.\"", "A seismic shift in reproductive rights has occurred, undermining the principle of Roe v. Wade, and leaving many individuals concerned for the future of bodily autonomy. On May 15, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey signed the nation's most restrictive abortion ban into law, the consequences for which are potentially devastating to say the least. In fact, these tweets about Alabama's abortion law and other states' anti-choice legislation highlight just how serious it is, and how much we need to be paying attention.\n\nFor those who aren't familiar, this week, HB314, \"The Human Life Protection Act,\" was signed into law in the state of Alabama. According to CBS News, it's the \"most restrictive abortion measure passed in the United States since Roe v. Wade,\" as it bans nearly all abortions except for when necessary to \"avoid a serious health risk to the unborn child's mother\" or if the fetus \"has a lethal anomaly.\"\n\nEven more strikingly, Alabama's new law would actually criminalize abortion; according to CNN, those who perform abortions could be charged with a Class A Felony, punishable by 99 years in prison. The Washington Post clarified that, despite popular misconceptions, women who have sought abortions cannot be incriminated for them, rather, the law moves to actually charge those who conduct the procedure (doctors or other medical professionals) instead.\n\nThe situation has caused a predictable and understandable uproar on social media, as countless people from around the country and world share the most compelling reasons why we need to rethink the legitimacy — and the claims being made — as to why this is a moral and ethical good for our country, but not individuals as a whole.\n\nHere are some of the best.\n\n\"Your Silence Will Not Save You\" Director Ava DuVernay had a message for all those who are compliant or at minimum not speaking out about the potentially dangerous infringement upon reproductive health rights and autonomy that this legislation could easily snowball into. \"It's Alabama and abortion today. It's you and your rights tomorrow,\" she replied to CNN's announcement that the bill was passed. \"Your silence will not save you. So speak up.\"\n\nSinger and actress Evan Rachel Wood suggests that instead of criminalizing and banning abortion, we instead make a change at the root of the issue, and mandate that vasectomies must be given to all men past puberty. After all, it is reversible. Oh, wait, that wouldn't work? She suggests with some reverse psychology: \"A hard no? Why? Cause it's your body and we don't get to make that choice for you? Ooooohhh!!!\"\n\nThe Legislation Was Voted Into Law By White Men Educator, author and activist Simran Jeet Singh posted a collection of all the photos of the senators who voted on the bill, asking followers: \"Notice any similarities?\" Every single individual is, as it appears, a White/Caucasian male, which is fascinating in that there was not one woman representing those the bill would actually impact, let alone anyone from the LGBTQ+ community, minorities or any other marginalized groups. And out of the six individuals who opposed it, all of them were people of color or women. However, it's important to note that it was a woman who signed the bill into law.\n\nIt's Not About \"Babies,\" It's About Policing & Politicizing Women's Bodies If states like Alabama and otherwise were so deeply concerned about the welfare of children, they would be putting as much money, effort and legislation into everything from sexual education to childcare and education. They aren't, as new reports say that Alabama actually ranks second to last for education in the United States, utilize an abstinence-only sexual education system, and lack sufficient childcare and benefits for women of color. It seems they are disproportionately concerned with what happens to an unborn fetus, and then not at all concerned with the risks and issues that come with actually giving them a quality of life.\n\nShannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action, brought up the excellent point that legislators seem convinced an abortion ban will actually stop abortion (it won't, it will only stop safe, accessible abortion) but at the same time, legislating gun ownership won't possibly stop the ownership and use of guns. Interesting. Gun violence is on the rise in the United States, The Guardian previously reported, but rates of abortion were at record-lows as more access to birth control and education became readily available over the past decade, TIME reported the CDC shared in 2018.\n\n\"They Can Never Ban Abortions, They Can Only Ban SAFE Abortions\" Another Twitter user elaborated on the issue explaining that banning abortions is an illusion, it's an impossibility. They will happen regardless. However, banning them and criminalizing those who perform them only ensures that safe abortions will disappear. It's a public health crisis, through and through. In countries such as Latin America, where abortion is illegal, The Guttmacher Institute reports that \"an estimated 14 million unintended pregnancies occur each year in Latin America and the Caribbean; of these, nearly half (46%) end in abortion,\" leaving those women to try to utilize unsafe and possibly unsanitary options.", "According to CNN, Alabama’s governor Kay Ivey just signed the state’s restrictive abortion bill, passed solely by Republican men, into law. We already know it’s in opposition to Roe v Wade, and that it allows NO exceptions for pregnancies due to rape or incest. No matter what you think about abortion, it’s reprehensible to force women who were victims of rape and incest to have their baby. Even Pat Robertson, as I saw on the evening news, is opposed to this law.\n\nIt’s a long road from the Alabama legislature to the Supreme Court, and nobody, I hope, will be prosecuted for performing abortions in the state until there’s a ruling. I’m hoping desperately that the Supreme Court thinks hard about how it rules here, and what it will mean for the country, but it’s all a mystery at this point.\n\nIn the meantime, I despise those in Alabama who have made abortion a felony, punishable by up to 99 years in prison.", "Alabama’s governor signed a bill to ban nearly all abortions in the state, even in cases of rape and incest, in the latest challenge by conservatives to the landmark US Supreme Court decision establishing a woman’s right to terminate her pregnancy.\n\nUS abortion rights activists had already vowed to go to court to block enforcement of the Alabama measure, the strictest anti-abortion law yet enacted with the intention of provoking reconsideration of the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling.\n\nThat effort has thrust the emotional debate over abortion back to the forefront of national politics in the run-up to the 2020 US presidential elections.\n\nGovernor Kay Ivey, a Republican, signed the measure a day after the Republican-controlled state Senate approved the ban and rejected a Democratic-backed amendment to allow abortions for women and girls impregnated by rape or incest.\n\n“To the bill’s many supporters, this legislation stands as a powerful testament to Alabamians’ deeply held belief that every life is precious and that every life is a sacred gift from God,” Ivey said in a statement.\n\nAbortion supporters across the country condemned the bill as part of a Republican-backed assault on the rights of women to control their own bodies.\n\n“This is the war on women,” said California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, “It’s in full swing, and it’s decades in the making.”\n\nThe Alabama law would take effect in six months.\n\nLegislation to restrict abortion rights has been introduced this year in 16 states, four of whose governors have signed bills banning abortion if an embryonic heartbeat can be detected.\n\nPlanned Parenthood joined the American Civil Liberties Union on Wednesday in filing a legal challenge to Ohio’s recent ban on abortions after six weeks of pregnancy.\n\nThe Alabama bill goes further, banning abortions at any time, unless the mother’s health is in danger. Those performing abortions would be committing a felony, punishable by up to 99 years in prison. A woman who receives an abortion would not be held criminally liable.", "- Alabama's Republican governor signed the most stringent abortion legislation in the nation Wednesday, making performing an abortion a felony in nearly all cases.\n\n\"To the bill's many supporters, this legislation stands as a powerful testament to Alabamians' deeply held belief that every life is precious and that every life is a sacred gift from God,\" Republican Gov. Kay Ivey said in a statement.\n\nThe bill's sponsors want to give conservatives on the U.S. Supreme Court a chance to gut abortion rights nationwide, but Democrats and abortion rights advocates criticized the bill as a slap in the face to women voters.\n\n\"It just completely disregards women and the value of women and their voice. We have once again silenced women on a very personal issue,\" said Sen. Linda Coleman-Madison, a Birmingham Democrat.\n\nColeman-Madison said she hopes the measure awakens a \"sleeping giant\" of women voters in the state.\n\nBut Republican pollster Chris Kratzer noted that there is no congressional district and likely no legislative district with enough swing voters to put Republicans at serious risk in the state.\n\n\"The people who are outraged about this are not the people who are electing these guys, generally speaking, especially when we're talking about the primary,\" he said.\n\nThe legislation Alabama senators passed Tuesday would make performing an abortion at any stage of pregnancy a felony punishable by 10 to 99 years or life in prison for the provider. The only exception would be when the woman's health is at serious risk. Women seeking or undergoing abortions wouldn't be punished.\n\nSEE ALSO: Alabama abortion bill passes Senate, heads to governor\n\nIvey acknowledged Wednesday that the measure may be unenforceable in the short term.\n\n\"The sponsors of this bill believe that it is time, once again, for the U.S. Supreme Court to revisit this important matter, and they believe this act may bring about the best opportunity for this to occur,\" Ivey said.\n\nRep. Terri Collins, the bill's sponsor, said she believes the bill reflects the beliefs of the majority of the state electorate.\n\n\"I've heard from lots of women in the state who are extremely pro-life and they're very supportive,\" Collins said.\n\nKentucky, Mississippi, Ohio, and Georgia recently have approved bans on abortion once a fetal heartbeat is detected, which can occur in about the sixth week of pregnancy. The Alabama bill goes further by seeking to ban abortion outright.\n\n\"We are laser-focused on urging Gov. Kay Ivey to veto this dangerous bill. If she chooses not to, then we will take this to court and ensure that abortion remains safe and legal and accessible in the state of Alabama,\" said Staci Fox, president, and CEO of Planned Parenthood Southeast.\n\nSupporters of the bill acknowledged the ban would not be effective anytime soon because they expected it to be blocked by the courts as they fight upward toward the court.\n\nOne mile from the Alabama Statehouse - down the street from the Governor's Mansion - sits Montgomery's only abortion clinic. Because of its location, the clinic sees a stream of patients from Mississippi and the Florida Panhandle because other clinics have closed.\n\nClinic staff on Wednesday fielded calls from patients, and potential patients, wrongly worried that abortion was now illegal in the state. They were assured abortion remained legal in the state.\n\n\"It's been a lot of fear. A lot of people who are afraid they can't get their procedure,\" said Kari Crowe, a clinic employee, and escort.\n\n\"Abortion is OK!\" read a banner paid for by abortion-rights advocates that a plane carried as it circled the Alabama Capitol and Statehouse on Wednesday.\n\nRELATED: Alabama law moves abortion to the center of 2020 campaign\n\nAssociated Press writer Blake Paterson in Montgomery, Alabama, contributed to this report.", "(Reuters) - Alabama’s governor signed a bill on Wednesday to ban nearly all abortions in the state, even in cases of rape and incest, in the latest challenge by conservatives to the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision establishing a woman’s right to terminate her pregnancy.\n\nU.S. abortion rights activists had already vowed to go to court to block enforcement of the Alabama measure, the strictest anti-abortion law yet enacted with the intention of provoking reconsideration of the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling.\n\nThat effort has thrust the emotional debate over abortion back to the forefront of national politics in the run-up to the 2020 U.S. presidential elections.\n\nGovernor Kay Ivey, a Republican, signed the measure a day after the Republican-controlled state Senate approved the ban and rejected a Democratic-backed amendment to allow abortions for women and girls impregnated by rape or incest.\n\n“To the bill’s many supporters, this legislation stands as a powerful testament to Alabamians’ deeply held belief that every life is precious and that every life is a sacred gift from God,” Ivey said in a statement.\n\nAbortion supporters across the country condemned the bill as part of a Republican-backed assault on the rights of women to control their own bodies.\n\n“This is the war on women,” said California Governor Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, “It’s in full swing, and it’s decades in the making.”\n\nThe Alabama law would take effect in six months.\n\nLegislation to restrict abortion rights has been introduced this year in 16 states, four of whose governors have signed bills banning abortion if an embryonic heartbeat can be detected.\n\nPlanned Parenthood joined the American Civil Liberties Union on Wednesday in filing a legal challenge to Ohio’s recent ban on abortions after six weeks of pregnancy.\n\nThe Alabama bill goes further, banning abortions at any time, unless the mother’s health is in danger. Those performing abortions would be committing a felony, punishable by up to 99 years in prison. A woman who receives an abortion would not be held criminally liable.\n\nMost of the Democratic candidates seeking their party’s 2020 nomination to run for the White House condemned the Alabama law, calling it an attack on women’s rights and vowing to fight to uphold legal access to abortion.\n\n“The idea that supposed leaders have passed a law that would criminalize a physician for assisting a woman on something that she, in consult with her physician, with her God, with her faith leader, has made the decision to do, that is her body that you would criminalize,” U.S. Senator Kamala Harris of California, one of the large field of hopefuls, said at a town hall on Wednesday morning in Nashua, New Hampshire.\n\nSome on Twitter had called on their allies to mail coat hangers to Ivey, as a reminder of the illegal abortion practices common before it was made legal.\n\nChristian television broadcaster Pat Robertson, a staunch critic of Roe v. Wade, said the Alabama law “has gone too far.”\n\n“It’s an extreme law, and they want to challenge Roe versus Wade. But my humble view is that this is not the case we want to bring to the Supreme Court because I think this one will lose,” Robertson said on his program, “The 700 Club.”\n\nAnti-abortion advocates are aware that any laws they pass are certain to be challenged. Courts this year have blocked a restrictive Kentucky law and another in Iowa passed last year.\n\nBut supporters of the Alabama ban said the right to life of the fetus transcended other rights, an idea they would like tested at the Supreme Court.\n\nThe highest U.S. court, now with a majority of conservative justices after Republican President Donald Trump appointed two, could possibly overturn Roe v. Wade. That decision held that the due process clause of the 14th Amendment provides a fundamental right to privacy that protects a woman’s right to abortion.\n\nRoe v. Wade did allow states to place restrictions on the procedure from the time a fetus could viably survive outside the womb, except in cases in which a woman’s health was otherwise at risk. A fetus is generally considered viable at 22 to 24 weeks. A full-term pregnancy typically is about 40 weeks.\n\nGeorgia, Kentucky, Mississippi and Ohio enacted statutes this year outlawing abortion after a doctor can detect an embryonic heartbeat.\n\nOpponents call the “heartbeat” legislation a virtual ban because embryonic cardiac activity can be detected as early as six weeks, before a woman may even be aware she is pregnant.", "MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — The Latest on a proposed on Alabama's abortion bill (all times local):\n\nConservative televangelist Pat Robertson says Alabama has \"gone too far\" by passing a bill that would make performing an abortion a felony in nearly all cases.\n\nRobertson is a longtime abortion opponent, but on Wednesday, as he hosted \"The 700 Club\" on the Christian Broadcasting Network, he called the bill \"extreme\" and noted that it does not have exceptions for rape or incest.\n\nGov. Kay Ivey signed the measure into law Wednesday evening, although it is expected to be challenged in court.\n\nSome Alabama lawmakers are hoping to ignite a legal fight in the hopes of getting the U.S. Supreme Court to gut abortion rights nationwide.\n\nRobertson, however, said, \"My humble view is that this is not the case we want to bring to the Supreme Court because I think this one will lose.\"\n\nAlabama's governor has signed the most stringent abortion ban in the nation.\n\nRepublican Gov. Kay Ivey signed the measure Wednesday. The law will make performing an abortion at any stage of pregnancy a felony punishable by 10 to 99 years or life in prison.\n\nThe bill contains an exception for when the pregnancy creates a serious health risk for the woman, but not an exception for rape or incest.\n\nThere would be no punishment for the woman receiving the abortion, only for the abortion provider.\n\nCritics have promised a swift lawsuit to challenge Alabama's ban if enacted.\n\nAlabama Gov. Kay Ivey is not saying whether she intends to sign a proposed abortion ban into law.\n\nIvey told reporters Wednesday that she will review the legislation approved by lawmakers Tuesday night before announcing her decision. She says potential legal fees should not deter \"efforts to protect the unborn.\"\n\nThe Alabama Legislature has given final approval to the nation's most restrictive abortion law in the country, a measure that makes performing abortion at any stage of pregnancy a felony.\n\nSupporters say they hope to create a court case to challenge the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion nationwide.\n\nAbortion rights advocates are urging Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey to veto an attempted abortion ban in Alabama and vowed swift legal action to prevent it from taking effect.\n\nStaci Fox, of Planned Parenthood Southeast, said they urged Ivey to veto \"this dangerous bill.\" She says they'll file a legal challenge against the ban if needed to block it from taking effect.\n\nLawmakers on Tuesday gave final approval to legislation that would make it a felony to perform an abortion at any stage of pregnancy.\n\nHowever, even supporters of the bill expect courts to quickly block it from taking effect.\n\nState Rep. Terri Collins said the goal is to create a court case to challenge the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion nationwide.\n\nAlabama Gov. Kay Ivey will now decide whether to sign legislation that would outlaw almost all abortions in the state as some conservatives seek to ignite legal fights in the hopes of getting the U.S. Supreme Court to revisit the landmark 1973 decision that made the procedure legal.\n\nThe Alabama Legislature on Tuesday gave final approval to the nation's most restrictive abortion law in the country, a measure that makes performing abortion a felony at any stage of pregnancy with almost no exceptions.\n\nIvey will now decide whether to sign the bill State senators voted for 25-6. It cleared the House of Representatives earlier 74-3.\n\nState Rep. Terri Collins said the goal is to create a court case to challenge the 1973 decision that legalized abortion nationwide.\n\nSen. Bobby Singleton, who voted against the bill, said the state should be ashamed.", "(CNN) –Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey on Wednesday signed into law a controversial abortion bill that could punish doctors who perform abortions with life in prison.\n\n“Today, I signed into law the Alabama Human Life Protection Act, a bill that was approved by overwhelming majorities in both chambers of the Legislature,” said Ivey, a Republican, in a statement. “To the bill’s many supporters, this legislation stands as a powerful testament to Alabamians’ deeply held belief that every life is precious and that every life is a sacred gift from God.”\n\nThe Alabama Senate passed the bill 25-6 late Tuesday night. The law only allows exceptions “to avoid a serious health risk to the unborn child’s mother,” for ectopic pregnancy and if the “unborn child has a lethal anomaly.” Democrats re-introduced an amendment to exempt rape and incest victims, but the motion failed on an 11-21 vote.\n\nIvey noted in her statement that the new law may be unenforceable due to the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion in all 50 states. But, the new law was passed with the aim of challenging that decision, Ivey said.\n\n“No matter one’s personal view on abortion, we can all recognize that, at least for the short term, this bill may similarly be unenforceable,” Ivey wrote. “As citizens of this great country, we must always respect the authority of the U.S. Supreme Court even when we disagree with their decisions. Many Americans, myself included, disagreed when Roe v. Wade was handed down in 1973. The sponsors of this bill believe that it is time, once again, for the U.S. Supreme Court to revisit this important matter, and they believe this act may bring about the best opportunity for this to occur.”\n\nAlabama lawmakers now lead the pack of legislators across several states who are producing measures to restrict abortion, such as Georgia’s recent fetal heartbeat bill. Many women don’t yet know for certain that they’re pregnant at six weeks into a pregnancy — the earliest a fetal heartbeat can be detected.\n\nRepublican state Sen. Clyde Chambliss, who ushered the bill through the chamber, repeatedly referred on the Senate floor Tuesday to a “window” of time between conception and when a woman knows for certain that she’s pregnant. The state senator said he believed that time was between about seven and 10 days.\n\nYashica Robinson, an obstetrician at the Alabama Women’s Center for Reproductive Alternatives who provides abortion services, said the law would have a “devastating impact” on patients. She said that she was unclear under what circumstances the law would allow an abortion based on “reasonable medical judgment” and health of the mother.\n\n“I’m not clear about exactly what that means,” Robinson said on CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360.” “I’ve already met instances where it is difficult for us to determine those things in the health care setting now, and it has resulted in delays in care.”\n\nThe bill’s passage Tuesday night elicited a wave of protest from a slew of Democrats, including 2020 hopefuls, and celebrities.\n\nWashington Gov. Jay Inslee, Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sandersand former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke all ripped the legislation as unconstitutional. New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, California Rep. Eric Swalwell, former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren vowed to protect Roe.\n\nNew York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand announced that she was headed to Georgia to “fight back, hard, on the frontlines” against “the greatest threat to reproductive freedom in our lifetimes.”\n\nFormer Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton called the bill an example of “appalling attacks on women’s lives and fundamental freedoms.”\n\nAmerican Civil Liberties Union of Alabama Executive Director Randall Marshall promised Ivey a lawsuit, slamming the governor for the anticipated legal costs that the legislation would mean for the state from court challenges.\n\n“By signing this bill, the governor and her colleagues in the state legislature have decided to waste millions in Alabama taxpayer dollars in order to defend a bill that is simply a political effort to overturn 46 years of precedent that has followed the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision,” he wrote in a statement Wednesday.\n\n“We will not allow that to happen, and we will see them in court,” Marshall added. “Despite the governor signing this bill, clinics will remain open, and abortion is still a safe, legal medical procedure at all clinics in Alabama.”\n\nMarshall told CNN on Tuesday before the bill’s Senate passage that his organization would join with the national ACLU, Planned Parenthood and Planned Parenthood Southeast to challenge the measure in court within “a few weeks” should it become law.\n\n“We vowed to fight this dangerous abortion ban every step of the way and we meant what we said,” Fox told CNN. “We haven’t lost a case in Alabama yet and we don’t plan to start now.”\n\nThis story has been updated.", "ALABAMA- Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey on Wednesday signed into law a controversial abortion bill that could punish doctors who perform abortions with life in prison.\n\n“Today, I signed into law the Alabama Human Life Protection Act, a bill that was approved by overwhelming majorities in both chambers of the Legislature,” said Ivey, a Republican, in a statement. “To the bill’s many supporters, this legislation stands as a powerful testament to Alabamians’ deeply held belief that every life is precious and that every life is a sacred gift from God.”\n\nThe Alabama Senate passed the bill 25-6 late Tuesday night. The law only allows exceptions “to avoid a serious health risk to the unborn child’s mother,” for ectopic pregnancy and if the “unborn child has a lethal anomaly.” Democrats re-introduced an amendment to exempt rape and incest victims, but the motion failed on an 11-21 vote."], "summary": "The Governor of Alabama Kay Ivey signs the Human Life Protection Act into law, effective six months after signing, bans all abortions in the state of Alabama, except when \"abortion is necessary in order to prevent a serious health risk\" to the woman according to the bill's text. The law reclassifies abortion as a Class A felony and attempted abortion as a Class C felony."}
{"document": ["El candidat demòcrata ha rebut el suport dels consellers de DA, Liberals i Ciutadans Compromesos i Pere López ha sumat els set vots socialdemòcrates\n\nXavier Espot elegit cap de Govern Xavier Espot és el nou cap de Govern del Principat Fernando Galindo\n\nActualitzada 15/05/2019 a les 17:40\n\nRedacció Andorra la Vella\n\nXavier Espot Zamora ha estat escollit aquesta tarda cap de Govern amb els onze vots del grup demòcrata, els quatre de liberals i els dos de Ciutadans Compromesos i Pere López ha rebut els set vots socialdemòcrates. Els quatre consellers de terceravia s'ha abstingut en una votació que ha posat punt final a dos dies de sessió d'investidura en les quals els tres partits de la coalició de Govern han destacat la necessitat d'arribar a una entesa per garantir l'estabilitat del país i avançar en assumptes generals de manera consensuada. Des del PS s'ha insistit a criticar l'acord dels tres partits, en particular el posicionament de Liberals als què han acusat d'actuar per interessos propis.\n\nEl jurament del nou cap de l'executiu serà demà al matí a Casa de la Vall.\n\n#11 Miquel\n\n(20/05/19 13:01)\n\n\n\n#10 Navas\n\n(17/05/19 11:47)\n\n\n\n#9 Luck\n\n(15/05/19 22:52)\n\n\n\n#8 Roser\n\n(15/05/19 22:26)\n\n\n\n#7 Luis\n\n(15/05/19 21:37)\n\n\n\n#6 Politar Andorrà\n\n(15/05/19 19:56)\n\n\n\n#5 ciutadana\n\n(15/05/19 19:54)\n\n\n\n#4 El Corb\n\n(15/05/19 19:44)\n\n\n\n#3 Pleguem\n\n(15/05/19 18:29)\n\n\n\n#2 RJ\n\n(15/05/19 18:04)\n\nVeure’n més", "Caz Sismore-Hunt will be the mayor of Budleigh Salterton for the next 12 months\n\nThe new mayor of Budleigh Salterton is anticipating an 'interesting' year for the town council with as many as four new councillors involved.\n\nAt the annual meeting of Budleigh Salterton Town Council, Caz Sismore-Hunt was elected as mayor with Mike Hilliar chosen as the deputy.\n\nThe town council seats were not contested in the recent elections, but as a result, there are currently three new councillors with one seat still vacant.\n\nCllr Sismore-Hunt said: \"I am delighted to be chairman of the town council.\n\n\"For the year to come, we have got new councillors which means it is going to be an interesting time for the town council.\"\n\nAt the meeting, former mayor Steve Hall - who did not stand for re-election - was presented with a commemorative plaque to mark his time on the council.\n\nPreviously, Courtney Richards, Chris Kitson and Tony Gooding were also presented with plaques as they did not stand in the elections."], "summary": "Xavier Espot Zamora is elected the new Prime Minister by the General Council, succeeding Antoni Martí."}
{"document": ["Sao Paulo, Brazil - Tens of thousands of students, teachers and researchers across Brazil took to the streets on Wednesday to protest against government cuts and spending freezes to the education budget.\n\nBrazil's National Student Union called for protests after the Ministry of Education said it was freezing nearly a quarter of discretionary spending due to budget restrictions across public services because of the current financial crisis in the country.\n\nBut scholars across Brazil accuse President Jair Bolsonaro of waging an ideological attack against education, and of using budget cuts to pressure congressmen to approve a much-anticipated but controversial pension reform.\n\n\"This protest is against what is happening at MEC,\" said Celso Napolitano, president of the Federation of Teachers of Sao Paulo (FEPESP). \"The cuts in federal universities mean a death strike in the scientific production in Brazil.\"\n\nProtests took place in 27 cities across the country. Online, the hashtag \"education tsunami\" trended throughout the day.\n\n'My weapon is my education'\n\nIn Sao Paulo thousands of protesters occupied the city centre for hours, chanting \"Bolsonaro Out\", and holding signs reading \"my weapon is my education\".\n\nMarcus Vinicius, 19, was part of a large group of students from the University of Sao Paulo, one of the leading institutions in the country.\n\n\"The minister says we only party, then I want to invite him to come to our school and see what we produce every day,\" Vinicius told Al Jazeera, referring to the Minister of Education's statement that universities are in \"shambles\".\n\nVinicius is studying public management and says his university has already made cuts to research, especially for post-graduates. \"The 'party' we do is being here, protesting for education for our country, so that there is more inclusion, and people that really need public universities can have access to it,\" he added.\n\nJust a few metres away, Letícia Coelho and other teachers looked on the protests and their students. A group dressed in blue protested in defence of the \"survival of oceanography\" courses, while others wearing black t-shirts rallied for law courses and departments.\n\n\"It touches me to see them here but it also makes me really sad that we still have to be fighting for education in 2019,\" Coelho told Al Jazeera. She is an art history professor at the Federal University of Sao Paulo, and said many of her students come from lower classes and are the first generation of their families attending school.\n\n\"That makes it extra hard,\" she said. \"I think these cuts are scandalous and go against a long policy of investment in federal universities.\"\n\n'Contingencies'\n\nIn a congressional hearing about MEC's decision, Education Minister Abraham Weintraub said, \"There are no cuts, only contingencies\".\n\nHe said the \"contingencies\" were part of a government austerity plan and that all funds could be reinstated \"if the economy records any growth\". Opposition politicians accused Weintraub and the government of using budget cuts as \"blackmail\" to move their agenda forward.\n\nIn Brazil, the budget for universities is divided into mandatory expenses, such as salaries and pensions, which the government cannot reduce, and \"discretionary\" expenses, which includes water and electricity bills, housing for foreign students or maintenance work.\n\nThe recently announced cuts will slash 30 percent of funds to the discretionary expenses budget. This represents a cut of about $1.8bn, or 3.4 percent of the total annual budget for universities, according to MEC.\n\n\"The minister says the cuts only regard water and electricity bills, considered 'non-mandatory', but a university cannot run without water or light,\" Napolitano said.\n\n\"Because those expenses have to be covered, and the council of deans have said this, they will have to end up cutting their financing for scientific research,\" he added.\n\nFunding for federal universities has been on a steady decline for years. A report by the news channel G1, using government data, revealed that more than 90 percent of all federal universities in Brazil have had their budgets reduced since 2013. The study found the decline in funding reached an average of 28 percent, although student enrolment went up 10 percent.\n\nInvestment in education has been a constant debate in Brazil, with pictures of schools with no light, holes in the roofs or cracks on the walls, constantly circulating on social media. For many, the announced budget cuts will deteriorate an already overwhelmed education system.\n\nBolsonaro and many of his ministers have criticised what they say goes on in public universities, often suggesting students use drugs and party instead of studying.\n\nEarlier this month, during a Facebook Live broadcast, Bolsonaro said the money cut from federal universities will be reinvested in primary education, calling the education system in Brazil \"a house with an excellent roof but rotten walls\".\n\nAs thousands took to the streets across the country, Bolsonaro arrived in Dallas, Texas, for an event.\n\nTalking to reporters at the Dallas airport, Bolsonaro called those protesting \"useful idiots and imbeciles\" and that most were \"militants with nothing in their hands\".\n\nThe government's plan also includes freezing 3,500 post-graduate scholarships across the country, which represent an investment of $12.5m. A representative of MEC's office for post-graduate studies (CAPES) told Al Jazeera the money \"will not be re-invested somewhere else\", but that \"if the economy recovers, the idea is that all scholarships are reinstated\". Until then, no new scholarships will be given.", "Tens of thousands of students and teachers have protested across Brazil against sharp cuts to education enacted by Jair Bolsonaro’s administration – the first mass protests since the far-right president took office in January.\n\nBrazil’s National Student Union called for demonstrations after the education ministry said it was freezing up to 30% of discretionary spending due to the government’s precarious fiscal situation.\n\nThe rally in Rio de Janeiro turned violent when police fired tear gas and percussion grenades and protestors set a bus on fire.\n\nProtestors chanted “education is not a commodity” and “there will be no cuts, there will be fight” and referenced Bolsonaro’s connections to militia groups.\n\n“The government makes mayhem. Public universities make science,” read one sign, referencing a recent interview given by the education minister, Abraham Weintraub, in which he said: “Universities that instead of trying to achieve the best academic form, are just making a mayhem, will have their budgets cut.”\n\nSpeaking in Dallas, Texas, where he travelled to attend a gala dinner, Bolsonaro denied his government had cut education budgets and cast the protests as a partisan spectacle. “They are useful idiots, imbeciles, who are being used as the manoeuvring mass of a clever little minority who make up the nucleus of many federal universities in Brazil,” he said.\n\nThe cuts to the country’s education system sent shock waves through federally funded universities, generally Brazil’s most prestigious and competitive schools.\n\nUniversity hospitals, research grants and federally funded high schools are also affected by the cuts, which the Ministry of Education said was a part of meeting a spending cap imposed by Bolsonaro.\n\nCalled to explain the cuts to lawmakers in Congress, Weintraub blamed the situation on the legacy of the previous government, while defending a shift away from spending on universities to favour elementary schools.\n\n“The priority is preschool, elementary school and technical school,” he said. “A scientific, technical, number-based, efficient and managerial approach is vital to save this country from the economic stagnation of the last 20 years that we are living.”\n\nAt the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, students said conditions on campus were already dire. Letícia Ferreira, an art student, said the classroom she studied in flooded when it rained and lost electricity if they turned on a fan.\n\nAnother art student at the university, Isadora Grilo, said the cuts were aimed to “alienate everyone, so they don’t have any critical thinking.” The university said 41% of its budget was cut.\n\nBarbara Ottero, 29, who got her bachelors and masters degrees from a federal university that will be affected by the cuts. “They will make education totally inaccessible. It’s practically privatising,” she said.\n\n“My father was unemployed when I went to university, there was no way I could have paid. It’s unjust for students.”\n\nElizabeth Saar, a retired sociology teacher said universities were being attacked. “If we had difficulties in schools before, now public education is practically over.”\n\nThe marches marked the first national protests against the administration of Bolsonaro, whose poll numbers are falling as he struggles with a weak economy, rising unemployment, an unruly coalition in Congress and infighting in his cabinet.\n\nThe protest is the latest development in an increasingly heated battle over Brazilian education. Bolsonaro and many of his supporters have declared war over what they call “indoctrination” by left-leaning teachers in schools by instructing students to record and snitch on their teachers.", "Tens of thousands of students and teachers from across Brazil have demonstrated in \"defense of education\" after spending freezes were announced by the government of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.\n\n \n\n Classes at universities and colleges were suspended in Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Brasilia and 17 of the country's 27 states on Wednesday, local media reported. Government soldiers were seen guarding the Education Ministry in the capital, Brasilia.\n\nProtesters said Education Minister Abraham Weintraub's decision to cut federal university subsidies by 30% would undermine the ability of universities to fulfill their mandate.\n\nThe Education Ministry also announced last week that it would suspend scholarship payments to postgraduate students in the sciences.\n\n\"Secondary school pupils, university students, researchers, teachers and other education employees will take to the streets in every state,\" the National Student Union (UNE) said ahead of the demonstrations.\n\nBolsonaro, who was attending an event in Dallas, Texas, called the protesters \"useful idiots, imbeciles, who are being used as the maneuvering mass of a clever little minority who make up the nucleus of many federal universities in Brazil.\"\n\nBolsonaro fired Weintraub's predecessor, Ricardo Velez, in April after he vowed to stamp out \"cultural Marxism\" and gender-identity \"ideology.\"\n\nEvery evening, DW sends out a selection of the day's news and features. Sign up here.", "Tens of thousands of students and teachers protested across Brazil in \"defense of education\" on Wednesday in response to a raft of budget cuts announced by President Jair Bolsonaro's government.\n\nClasses were suspended in federal universities and secondary schools across Brazil's 27 states in the first nationwide protests against the far-right president since he took office on January 1.\n\nProtesters flocked onto the streets in Brazil's biggest cities including Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte, in marches that grew steadily larger as the day wore on.\n\nThe budget cuts feature a 30 percent reduction in subsidies paid to state-owned universities.\n\nBolsonaro blasted the protesters as being \"useful idiots manipulated by an expert minority that makes up the heart of federal universities in Brazil.\"\n\nHe accused leftist militants of stoking the protests.\n\nSpeaking from Texas -- where he was to receive an award from the US-Brazil Chamber of Commerce -- Bolsonaro defended his education policy, saying he had inherited \"a Brazil that was destroyed economically.\"\n\nHe added that necessary budget cuts had been \"lower than forecast.\"\n\nSome 15,000 protesters marched in the capital Brasilia, while 20,000 took part in demonstrations in the northern city of Belem, according to police.\n\nOrganizers said 70,000 people marched in the leftist stronghold of Salvador in the northeast.\n\nIsolated incidents were reported. Police used tear gas to disperse protesters in the southern city of Porto Alegre, and a bus was set on fire at the end of the march in Rio.\n\n\"I have a master's degree and a post-doctorate in energy. If someone is an idiot in this story, it's not me,\" said Mariana Moura, a 38-year-old protester in Sao Paulo, angered at Bolsonaro's criticism.\n\n\"Without science there is no health, or work. We are here fighting for Brazil to continue producing knowledge. Without money, there is no knowledge,\" said Moura, a researcher.\n\n\"Unfortunately, education is not a priority. That's why I'm here today to fight for public education,\" said Alessandra Roscoe, a writer, as she took part in the protest in Brasilia.\n\n\"Class today is in the street,\" read one banner in Rio. Demonstrators chanted: \"Either stop the cuts or we stop Brazil.\"\n\nOrganizers estimated up to 150,000 people had taken to the streets in a massive demonstration in Sao Paulo, Brazil's economic capital and biggest city, where protesters chanted the slogan: \"Books Yes, Weapons No.\"\n\nEducation Minister Abraham Weintraub -- who sparked the protests by slashing the federal university subsidies -- was forced to defend his policy in Congress.\n\nWeintraub insisted the government \"is not responsible for the disaster of basic education in Brazil.\"\n\nHe warned that \"university autonomy is not sovereignty. Universities have to respect the laws.\"\n\nSince assuming the presidency, Bolsonaro has been on an ideological campaign to promote his ultraconservative ideas and values, and to erase any trace of the 2003-2016 leftist Workers Party government -- including what he called \"cultural Marxism\" -- from classrooms.\n\nEduardo Bolsonaro, one of the president's three lawmaker sons, accused the Workers Party of being behind Wednesday's massive street protests.\n\nThe reaction to the education cuts combined with international trade tensions worried the markets, with the Sao Paulo Stock Exchange hitting its lowest level since January 3.\n\nSeveral chief education officers claimed the budget cuts would compromise the ability of federal universities to operate and threatened to paralyze them.\n\nA sudden suspension of financing for masters degrees and doctorate scholarships in the sciences and human sciences last week threw oil on the fire.\n\nAlthough the cuts affect only federal institutions, the protest movement has been joined by many private universities such as Rio's Pontifical University, which voted last week to join the nationwide demonstration.", "Tens of thousands of protesters gathered in cities across Brazil on Wednesday to rally against education spending freezes in the biggest demonstrations yet against President Jair Bolsonaro, who called marchers \"useful idiots and imbeciles.\"\n\nBrazil's National Student Union called for protests against what it called spending cuts, after the Education Ministry said it was freezing nearly a quarter of discretionary spending due to the government's precarious fiscal situation.\n\nThe marches in over 200 cities, according to a count by the Globo TV network, mark the first national protests against the administration of the far-right Bolsonaro, whose poll numbers are falling as he struggles with a weak economy, rising unemployment, an unruly coalition in Congress and infighting within his cabinet.\n\nSpeaking in Dallas, Texas, where he traveled to attend a gala dinner, Mr Bolsonaro denied his government had cut education budgets and cast the protests as a partisan spectacle.\n\n\"They are useful idiots, imbeciles, who are being used as the maneuvering mass of a clever little minority who make up the nucleus of many federal universities in Brazil,\" he said.", "RIO DE JANEIRO: Students and teachers from hundreds of universities and colleges across Brazil began a nationwide demonstration on Wednesday (May 15) in \"defence of education\" following a raft of budget cuts announced by President Jair Bolsonaro's government.\n\nClasses were suspended in numerous establishments as demonstrations took place in 17 of Brazil's 27 states, local media said, with particularly large ones in major cities like Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Brasilia and Belo Horizonte.\n\nThe biggest demonstrations are planned for the end of the day, though.\n\nIn the capital Brasilia, federal troops were deployed in front of the ministry of education in case of trouble.\n\nThe protest movement was sparked by Education Minister Abraham Weintraub recently slashing federal university subsidies by 30 per cent.\n\nSeveral chief education officers claimed the budget cuts would compromise the ability of federal universities to function, and threatened to paralyse them.\n\nThen the sudden suspension of the payment of masters and doctorate scholarships in the sciences and human sciences last week threw oil on the fire.\n\n\"Secondary school pupils, university students, researchers, teachers and other education employees will take to the streets in every state\" to protest against the budget cuts, the National Student Union (UNE) had announced on Tuesday.\n\nDespite the cuts affecting only federal institutions, the protest movement has been joined by many private universities such as Rio's Pontifical University which voted last week to join the nationwide demonstration.", "Rio de Janeiro: Tens of thousands of students and teachers protested across Brazil in “defence of education” on Wednesday in response to a raft of budget cuts announced by President Jair Bolsonaro’s government.\n\n Classes were suspended in federal universities and secondary schools across Brazil’s 27 states in the first nationwide protests against the far-right president since he took office on January 1.\n\n Protesters flocked onto the streets in Brazil’s biggest cities including Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte, in marches that grew steadily larger as the day wore on.\n\n The budget cuts feature a 30 per cent reduction in subsidies paid to state-owned universities.\n\n Bolsonaro blasted the protesters. He accused leftist militants of stoking the protests.\n\n Speaking from Texas — where he was to receive an award from the US-Brazil Chamber of Commerce — Bolsonaro defended his education policy, saying he had inherited “a Brazil that was destroyed economically.”\n\n He added that necessary budget cuts had been “lower than forecast.”\n\n Some 15,000 protesters marched in the capital Brasilia, while 20,000 took part in demonstrations in the northern city of Belem, according to police.\n\n Organizers said 70,000 people marched in the leftist stronghold of Salvador in the northeast.\n\n Isolated incidents were reported. Police used tear gas to disperse protesters in the southern city of Porto Alegre, and a bus was set on fire at the end of the march in Rio.\n\n Organisers estimated up to 150,000 people had taken to the streets in a massive demonstration in Sao Paulo, Brazil’s economic capital and biggest city, where protesters chanted the slogan: “Books Yes, Weapons No.”\n\n Education Minister Abraham Weintraub — who sparked the protests by slashing the federal university subsidies — was forced to defend his policy in Congress.\n\n Weintraub insisted the government “is not responsible for the disaster of basic education in Brazil.” — AFP", "RIO DE JANEIRO — Tens of thousands joined in demonstrations across Brazil on Wednesday to protest big cuts in federal funding for public education, the first nationwide rallies organized against far-right President Jair Bolsonaro since he took office Jan. 1.\n\nAvenues and public squares in Sao Paulo, Brasilia, Rio de Janeiro, Salvador and Recife were jammed as students and teachers marched against the decision to pare $1.85 billion from funds for the public education network, from elementary schools to universities.\n\nSpeaking during a visit to Dallas, Texas, Bolsonaro dismissed the protests, calling student demonstrators \"useful idiots\" who have \"nothing in their heads\" and are being manipulated by \"a sly minority\" in federal universities.\n\nEducation experts, professors and students say they are particularly worried about the government freezing 30% of the discretionary budgets at all federal universities, money that goes to pay such things as utility bills, security, cleaning and maintenance work.\n\nNilton Brandao, president of one of Brazil's largest teacher unions in higher education, said the second semester at universities, which in Brazil run August-September, will be compromised due to the lack of financing. Brandao said that if the decision is not reversed, universities may not be able to open.\n\nBrandao said the new government should be following the previous administration's 10-year education roadmap that was implemented in 2014.\n\n\"We (in Brazil) approved a national education plan, with clear objectives to meet. It's a project that has been approved and that is still in vigor,\" he told The Associated Press. \"The government is ignoring this plan. They don't want to discuss education.\"\n\nSince the early stages of his presidential campaign, Bolsonaro has repeatedly vowed to improve Brazil's underperforming education system, mostly by ousting what he considers a deeply engrained \"Marxist ideology\" and by increasing security in violent schools. After assuming the presidency, Once in the presidential office, Bolsonaro spoke of plans to revise school textbooks to excise references to feminism, homosexuality and violence against women.\n\nOn Wednesday, Bolsonaro said he wished he didn't have to implement the cuts but that he was legally obligated to do so as they are part of a wider effort to slash all government spending.\n\n\"There is no way around it, we need the (cuts),\" he said.\n\nIn Brazil's biggest city, thousands of protesters chanted \"Bolsonaro, the youth are not afraid!\" as they overflowed Paulista Avenue by the Sao Paulo Museum of Art.\n\nCarolina Ponce, a 20-year architecture student, said Brazilians are feeling \"anger and frustration\" over Bolsonaro's \"attack\" on education.\n\n\"Many smart and prepared people are out of work because of the cuts. This government reduces investment because it wants to end the critical thinking of the population,\" she said.\n\nThere were confrontations in Rio de Janeiro toward the end of the protest there, but violent activists were quickly driven off by police using tear gas. A bus was set on fire in the city center but it was not immediately clear who was responsible.\n\nIn Brasilia, the capital, thousands of protesters carried banners down the Esplanade of Ministers past the lower house of congress, where Education minister Abraham Weintraub had been summoned to testify about the budget cuts.\n\nWeintraub told lawmakers during a heated, nearly four-hour debate that the government is not responsible for the \"disaster\" in education, which it inherited from previous administrations. He added that the Education Ministry had been affected to a lesser extent than other government areas such as defense and infrastructure.\n\n\"Management is why I am here; it is my specialty,\" said Weintraub, an economist.\n\nHe reiterated his and Bolsonaro's previous criticisms of Brazil's academic research, especially in social and human sciences and linguistics, which he said did not have any significant impact in international academia.\n\nLast month, Bolsonaro tweeted that funding for sociology and philosophy studies could be eliminated. In the latest budget cuts, scholarships for master's and doctorate research were suspended.\n\nThe scholarships \"are precisely in the areas that do not generate enough scientific production,\" Weintraub said. \"Who does not produce does not receive.\"\n\nLawmaker Alessandro Molon, from the Brazilian Socialist Party, said that if the government is not stopped, it will cause \"great evil\" in the Brazilian education system.\n\n\"The last governments, several, of various different ideological positions, had a clear consensus: education is the way out Brazil. This government seems to want to destroy everything, including this consensus,\" Molon said.", "BRASILIA/SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Tens of thousands of protesters gathered in cities across Brazil on Wednesday to rally against education spending freezes in the biggest demonstrations yet against President Jair Bolsonaro, who called marchers “useful idiots and imbeciles.”\n\nBrazil’s National Student Union called for protests against what it called spending cuts, after the Education Ministry said it was freezing nearly a quarter of discretionary spending due to the government’s precarious fiscal situation.\n\nThe marches in over 200 cities, according to a count by the Globo TV network, mark the first national protests against the administration of the far-right Bolsonaro, whose poll numbers are falling as he struggles with a weak economy, rising unemployment, an unruly coalition in Congress and infighting within his cabinet.\n\nSpeaking in Dallas, Texas, where he traveled to attend a gala dinner, Bolsonaro denied his government had cut education budgets and cast the protests as a partisan spectacle.\n\n“They are useful idiots, imbeciles, who are being used as the maneuvering mass of a clever little minority who make up the nucleus of many federal universities in Brazil,” he said.\n\nA peaceful rally of thousands in central Rio de Janeiro turned violent as the protest was ending, with unknown assailants setting a bus ablaze and shooting fireworks at police, who responded with tear gas to break a crowd up. There was no word on any injuries.\n\nIn the capital Brasilia some 7,000 students and university professors marched to Congress, carrying signs against the cuts. One said: “Education is not an expense, it is an investment.” Another read: “Without investment there is no knowledge.”\n\n“Our message to Bolsonaro is that society will not accept these cuts of 30 percent,” said marcher Luis Antonio Pasquetti, head of the National University of Brasilia’s teacher union.\n\nThere was no official nationwide crowd estimate available, but the protests were likely the largest such gatherings since the 2016 impeachment of former President Dilma Rousseff.\n\n“The importance is to show that civil society is organized against these cuts,” said Rodrigo Tonieto, 22, in Sao Paulo. “Together, we are going to say ‘no’ to the Bolsonaro government ... To say ‘no’ to the mess that this government is.”\n\nCalled to explain the cuts to lawmakers in Congress, Education Minister Abraham Weintraub blamed the situation on the legacy of the previous government, while defending a shift away from spending on universities to favor elementary schools.\n\n“The priority is preschool, elementary school and technical school,” he said. “A scientific, technical, number-based, efficient and managerial approach is vital to save this country from the economic stagnation of the last 20 years that we are living.”", "Brasilia: Tens of thousands of protesters have gathered in 200 cities across Brazil to rally against education spending cuts in the biggest demonstrations yet against far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, who called marchers \"useful idiots and imbeciles.\"\n\nBrazil's National Student Union called for protests after the Education Ministry said it was freezing nearly a quarter of discretionary spending due to the government's precarious fiscal situation.\n\nFederal education officials this month announced budget cuts of $US1.8 billion ($2.6 billion) for public education, part of a wider government effort to slash spending.\n\nThe marches in more than 200 cities, according to a count by the Globo TV network, mark the first national protests against the administration of Bolsonaro, whose poll numbers are falling as he struggles with a weak economy, rising unemployment, an unruly coalition in Congress and infighting within his cabinet."], "summary": "Hundreds of thousands of students, schoolteachers, and university professors hold demonstrations across Brazil's biggest cities in opposition to large cuts in the education budget. From Dallas, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro calls demonstrators \"stupid.\""}
{"document": ["Forty-seven fighters and five Egyptian soldiers were killed during Egypt's ongoing military offensive in the restive Sinai Peninsula, where it is fighting the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIS) group.\n\nThe fighters had \"guns of different makes, ammunition, explosive devices in northern and central Sinai\" in their possession, according to a video statement posted on Thursday on the armed forces' social media accounts.\n\nOne of the Egyptian troops killed included an officer, it said. As part of the wide-ranging operation to secure Egypt's borders, 158 \"criminal elements\" were arrested.\n\nThe armed forces also neutralised 385 explosive devices targeting security forces. The army did not specify when the deaths and arrests took place, saying only the fighting happened as part of \"recent efforts\" against armed groups.\n\nThe Sinai Peninsula, in the northeast of the country, is the epicentre of violence spearheaded by ISIL-linked fighters.\n\nIn February 2018, the army launched a nationwide operation against armed groups, focusing mainly on the North Sinai region.\n\nSome 650 fighters and about 45 soldiers have been killed since the start of the offensive, according to the armed forces.\n\nNo independent statistics are available to verify the death toll and the region is cut off to journalists.\n\nAttacks against security and civilian targets have surged following the 2013 military overthrow of Egypt's first democratically elected president Mohamed Morsi, who was replaced by former army general Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.\n\nSisi has presented himself as a bulwark against \"terrorism\" and a rock of political stability in a region in turmoil.", "A millitant has been killed in gunfight that erupted between militants and government forces in Hendew village of Shopian.\n\nPolice officials said that a militant was killed in the gunfight.\n\nAn army man is also said to have got injured during the gunfight.", "SRINAGAR: While a police statement said that three militants were killed in a gunfight in Jammu and Kashmir's Shopian district, it was confirmed later that one of the victims was a civilian.\n\nThe police said in a statement on Thursday that three militants were killed in the gunfight that took place earlier in the day in Handew village.\n\nWhile two victims were identified as Yawar Mushtaq and Shakeel Ahmed, both Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) militants from Shopian, the third was identified as a civilian, Ishtiyaq Ahmed Bhat.\n\nA soldier, Rohit Kumar Yadav who was injured in the gunfight, succumbed to his wounds on Thursday night in the Army's 92 base hospital in Srinagar, the police said.\n\nIn Thursday's two gunfights in Pulwama and Shopian districts killed a total of five militants, two civilians and two soldiers.\n\nThree Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) militants, including a top commander identified as a Pakistan national Khalid Bhai, a civilian and a soldier were killed in a gunfight in Dalipora village of Pulwama.\n\nPolice said Khalid Bhai had masterminded the 2017 attack on the Lethpora CRPF camp in Pulwama district in which five troopers were killed.\n\nIn a third shootout between the security forces and militants in Kupwara's Kandi forests on Thursday, there were no reports of any casualty.", "By AFP - May 16,2019 - Last updated at May 16,2019\n\nMilitary forces are seen in North Sinai, Egypt,on December 1, 2017 (Reuters photo)\n\nCAIRO — Egypt's army on Thursday said 47 militants and five of its troops were killed as part of its military offensive in the restive Sinai Peninsula, where it is fighting the Daesh group.\n\nThe suspected militants had \"guns of different makes, ammunition, explosive devices in northern and central Sinai\" in their possession, according to a slickly produced video statement posted on the armed forces' social media accounts.\n\nAs part of the wide-ranging operation to secure Egypt's borders, 158 \"criminal elements\" were arrested.\n\nThe armed forces also neutralised 385 explosive devices that insurgents planted targeting security forces.\n\nThe army did not specify when the deaths and arrests took place, saying only that they happened as part of \"recent efforts\" against militants.\n\nThe Sinai Peninsula, in the northeast of the country, is the epicentre of a hardened insurgency spearheaded by Daesh.\n\nIn February 2018, the army launched a nationwide operation against militants, focusing mainly on the north Sinai region.\n\nSome 650 militants and around 45 soldiers have been killed since the start of the offensive, according to the armed forces.\n\nNo independent statistic are available to verify the deaths and the region is largely cut off to journalists.\n\nTerror attacks have surged following the 2013 military ouster of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, who was replaced by former army general Abdel Fattah Sisi.\n\nThe Egyptian president has presented himself as a bulwark against terrorism and a rock of political stability amid a region in turmoil.", "According to the information given by the police, three Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) militants, including a top commander who masterminded the 2017 attack on a CRPF camp, a soldier and a civilian were killed in a gunfight in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pulwama district.\n\n“The slain militants have been identified as two locals, Naseer Pandit and Umar Mir and a Pakistani Khalid Bhai. Khalid was a top JeM commander and he had masterminded the 2017 attack on the CRPF camp in Lethpora in which five troopers were killed,” police sources said.\n\nThe civilian victim was identified as Rayees Ahmad Dar, son of the owner of a house where the militants were hiding. While Dar’s brother Muhammad Younis, sustained a gunshot injury. According to the sources, two soldiers and were also injured.\n\nThe gunfight started in Dalipora village early Thursday morning after security forces including Rashtriya Rifles (RR), Central Reserve Police Force (CR PF) and the Special Operations Group (SOG) of the state police, started a cordon and search operation following a tip-off about the militants.\n\n Mobile internet speed has also been brought down in Srinagar city to prevent uploading of inflammatory pictures and posts.", "A militant was killed while three Army men and a civilian were injured during a gunfight at Dalipora area of South Kashmir's Pulwama district on Thursday wee hours.\n\nPolice sources said that a Cordon and Search Operation (CASO) was launched around a cluster of houses in Dalipora area of Pulwama.\n\nThey said the CASO turned into gunfight after contact was established with militants hiding in a residential house.\n\nOne militant has been killed in the gunfight, they said.\n\nA civilian and three Army men were wounded during the gunfight, they added.\n\nThe injured civilian has been identified as Younis Ahmad and he was evacuated to hospital for treatment.", "Egypt says five soldiers and dozens of militants were killed in recent clashes in the country's restive northern Sinai Peninsula.\n\nMilitary spokesman Tamer al-Rifai issued a statement on Thursday saying the five slain troops included an officer. He says four were wounded and as many as 47 militants were killed.\n\nThe statement didn't specify when the clashes took place. The last update on Sinai released by al-Rifai was on March 11.\n\nThe statement says scores of militant hideouts and much ammunition and bombs were uncovered. It says the bombs were safely detonated by the Egyptian forces.\n\nEgypt has been battling Islamic militants in Sinai for years. The area remains off limits for journalists, diplomats and other observers so information from there cannot be independently verified.", "A gunfight reportedly erupted between government forces and militants in south Kashmir's Shopian district's Hendew village.\n\nAs per reports, militants and government forces engaged in gunbattle following searches in the area.\n\nPolice had earlier rebutted news reports about millitant attack on Army in Shopian district.\n\nOn Thursday, three militants, an army man and a civilian were killed during a gunfight in Pulwama. Meanwhile, another gunfight is underway in Kupwara forests.", "Three militants, an Army man and a civilian were killed in a gunfight at Dalipora area of South Kashmir's Pulwama district on Thursday.\n\nSources said three militants were killed while arms and ammunition were recovered from the gunfight site.\n\nHowever, the identity of the slain militants was yet to be ascertained, they said.\n\nSources said a civilian Rayees Ahmad Dar was also killed while his brother Younis sustained firearm injury in the leg.\n\nDoctors said Rayeees was brought dead to district hospital Pulwama.\n\nHe had suffered firearm injury in neck and chest, they said. An official said one Army man was also killed in the gunfight."], "summary": "Forty-seven insurgents and five Egyptian soldiers are killed in a gunfight in the Sinai Peninsula."}
{"document": ["SRINAGAR (Reuters) - Indian troops and separatist militants clashed in Indian-controlled Kashmir on Thursday and nine people were killed, officials said, the latest casualties in a new phase of violence in the 30-year insurgency.\n\nPeople offer funeral prayers for Naseer Ahmad Pandit, a separatist militant, after he was killed in a gun battle with Indian soldiers, in Karimabad village in south Kashmir's Pulwama district May 16, 2019. REUTERS/Younis Khaliq\n\nIn one of the deadliest clashes since the Feb. 14 suicide bomb attack in the valley, three Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) militants, including a Pakistani commander, two members of the local Hizbul Mujahideen, two Indian soldiers and two civilians were killed.\n\nTension in Muslim-majority Kashmir has been high since the suicide bomb attack by the Pakistan-based JeM militant group killed at least 40 Indian paramilitary police.\n\nPrime Minister Narendra Modi gave troops a “free hand” to respond to the attack, and near-daily searches in villages in Kashmir since then have often triggered violent confrontations, with civilians caught in crossfire to the alarm of rights groups.\n\nModi’s tough response to the bomb attack, which included an air strike against what India said was a militant camp in Pakistan, is believed to have given his party a boost in a general election that began on April 11 and ends on May 19.\n\nJEM leaders were killed in a gun battle in Dalipora, a village in south Kashmir, where clashes began between the militant group and Indian soldiers in the early hours, while Hizbul Mujahideen militants were killed in a separate clash in the Handew area of south Kashmir’s Shopian district.\n\nROCKS AND TEARGAS\n\nVillagers said a civilian, who they identified as Rayees Ahmad Dar, 32, was killed after Indian soldiers sent him to search a house where militants were believed to be hiding. Villagers in the area have complained before about the army using civilians in searches.\n\nA police spokesman said Dar was killed in indiscriminate firing by the militants and denied he had been sent on a search.\n\nAfter the clash, villagers threw rocks at security forces, who responded with teargas, while lawyers in the state’s high court went on strike in protest over Dar’s death.\n\nPolice said seven people had been arrested and a curfew imposed on a town in the region after a Muslim man transporting horses was shot dead, allegedly by a Hindu group wanting to protect the rights of cows, which they consider sacred.\n\nYasir Hussain told Reuters he was one of three men confronted overnight by the group on the outskirts of Bhaderwah.\n\n“They alleged that we are cow smugglers, but I directed my torch towards the horses,” he said. “They fired at us and we fled.”\n\nKashmir is at the heart of decades of hostility between India and Pakistan. The nuclear-armed neighbours both claim it in full but rule it in part.\n\nThe rivals have fought three wars since independence, two of them over the Himalayan region, and came close to another after the February bomb attack.\n\nSeparatist militants, who India says are backed by Pakistan, have been fighting Indian security forces since 1989. Pakistan denies supporting the insurgents.\n\n“Even in the holy month of Ramadan there is no let up in killings and bloodshed in Kashmir as civilians, armed youth or even Indian forces are getting killed,” Kashmir’s main separatist political group, the Joint Resistance Leadership, said in a statement. It called for a general strike in Kashmir on Friday.", "Six militants, an Indian soldier and a civilian were killed in two separate gun battles in Jammu and Kashmir’s south on Thursday, police said.\n\nIn a statement, the police said three militants, an Indian army soldier, and a civilian were killed in a gunfight in Pulwama district when Indian forces a joint group of army, paramilitary and police launched a cordon and search operation in the Dalipora village.\n\n“Three terrorists were killed in the ensuing encounter and their bodies were retrieved from the site of the encounter,” said the police statement. Police identified two of the slain militants as Naseer Pandith and Umar Mir, both were Kashmiri locals, and named the third militant Khalid, a Pakistani citizen. The militants were linked to the Jaish-e-Muhammad militant outfit, according to the police.\n\nAbdul Rashid Para, a medical superintendent of the Pulwama district hospital, confirmed the death of a 25-year-old civilian, identified as Rayees Ahmad Dar.\n\nAccording to Dar’s family, he and his brother were taken away from their home and used as human shields by the Indian forces during the gunfight. Dar’s brother was also wounded and has been hospitalized. Later in the day, three more militants were killed in a gun battle in Shopian.\n\n“In the encounter, 3 terrorists were killed and their bodies were retrieved from the site of encounter. The identities and affiliations of the slain terrorists is being ascertained,” police said in another statement.\n\nJammu and Kashmir, a Muslim-majority Himalayan region, is held by India and Pakistan in parts and claimed by both in full. A small sliver of Kashmir is also held by China.", "New Delhi (Sputnik): In a fierce gunfight between security forces and terrorists that lasted over five hours, five people including an Indian soldier and a civilian were killed in Pulwama in southern Kashmir on Thursday. A local official told Sputnik that three alleged terrorists believed to be from Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) were killed in the gunfight that broke out shortly before dawn after the security forces launched a cordon-and-search operation in Dalipora.\n\nREAD MORE: Indian Forces Kill Three Militants in Kashmir, 20 Hurt Protesting the Move\n\nREAD MORE: Two Terrorists Killed in Shootout with Indian Security Forces in Kashmir\n\nPolice said that two more soldiers and a civilian were injured in the incident. A huge cache of weapons were recovered. The internet has been blacked out in the area to avoid more violence.\n\nAccording to data available on the South Asia Terrorism Portal, at least 78 terrorists have been eliminated in counter-terror operations by Indian security forces in 2019. Additionally, some 59 soldiers and 14 civilians have been killed in terrorist attacks this year.", "SRINAGAR (Reuters) - Indian troops and separatist militants clashed in Indian-controlled Kashmir on Thursday and five people were killed including a civilian, officials said, the latest casualties in a new phase of violence in the 30-year insurgency.\n\nTension in Muslim-majority Kashmir has been high since a Feb. 14 suicide bomb attack by the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) militant group killed at least 40 Indian paramilitary police.\n\nPrime Minister Narendra Modi gave troops a “free hand” to respond to the attack, and near-daily searches in villages in Kashmir since then have often triggered violent confrontations, with civilians caught in crossfire to the alarm of rights groups.\n\nModi’s tough response to the bomb attack, which included an air strike against what India said was a militant camp in Pakistan, is believed to have given his party a boost in a general election that began on April 11 and ends on May 19.\n\nThree JeM militants, including a Pakistani commander, and an Indian soldier were killed in the gun battle in Dalipora, a village in south Kashmir, which began in the early hours, police said.\n\nVillagers said a civilian, who they identified as Rayees Ahmad Dar, 32, was also killed after Indian soldiers had sent him to search a house where militants were believed to be hiding. Villagers in the area have complained before about the army using civilians as human shields in searches.\n\nA police spokesman said Dar had been killed in indiscriminate firing by the militants, and denied he had been sent on a search.\n\nAfter the clash, villagers threw rocks at security forces, who responded with teargas, while lawyers in the state’s high court went on strike in a protest over Dar’s death.\n\nAlso on Thursday, police said seven people had been arrested and a curfew imposed on a town in the region after a Muslim man transporting horses was shot dead, allegedly by a Hindu group wanting to protect the rights of cows, an animal considered sacred in their religion.\n\nWitness Yasir Hussain told Reuters he was one of three men confronted overnight by the group on the outskirts of Bhaderwah.\n\n“They alleged that we are cow smugglers, but I directed my torch towards the horses and told them that these are the horses,” he said. “They then fired at us and we fled.”\n\nKashmir is at the heart of decades of hostility between India and Pakistan. The nuclear-armed neighbours both claim it in full but rule it in part.\n\nThe rivals have fought three wars since their independence, two of them over the Himalayan region, and came close to another after the February bomb attack.\n\nSeparatist militants, who India says are backed by Pakistan, have been fighting Indian security forces since 1989. Pakistan denies supporting the insurgents.\n\n“Even in the holy month of Ramadan there is no letup in killings and bloodshed in Kashmir as civilians, armed youth or even Indian forces are getting killed,” Kashmir’s main separatist political group, the Joint Resistance Leadership, said in a statement.\n\nThe group called for a general strike in Kashmir on Friday.", "Tension in Muslim-majority Kashmir has been high since a Feb 14 suicide bomb attack by the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) militant group killed at least 40 Indian paramilitary police.\n\nPrime Minister Narendra Modi gave troops a \"free hand\" to respond to the attack, and near-daily searches in villages in Kashmir since then have often triggered violent confrontations, with civilians caught in crossfire to the alarm of rights groups.\n\nModi's tough response to the bomb attack, which included an air strike against what India said was a militant camp in Pakistan, is believed to have given his party a boost in a general election that began on April 11 and ends on May 19.\n\nThree JeM militants, including a Pakistani commander, and an Indian soldier were killed in the gun battle in Dalipora, a village in south Kashmir, which began in the early hours, police said.\n\nVillagers said a civilian, who they identified as Rayees Ahmad Dar, 32, was also killed after Indian soldiers had sent him to search a house where militants were believed to be hiding. Villagers in the area have complained before about the army using civilians as human shields in searches.\n\nA police spokesman said Dar had been killed in indiscriminate firing by the militants, and denied he had been sent on a search.\n\nAfter the clash, villagers threw rocks at security forces, who responded with teargas, while lawyers in the state's high court went on strike in a protest over Dar's death.\n\nKashmir is at the heart of decades of hostility between India and Pakistan. The nuclear-armed neighbours both claim it in full but rule it in part.\n\nThe rivals have fought three wars since their independence, two of them over the Himalayan region, and came close to another after the February bomb attack.\n\nSeparatist militants, who India says are backed by Pakistan, have been fighting Indian security forces since 1989. Pakistan denies supporting the insurgents.\n\n\"Even in the holy month of Ramadan there is no let-up in killings and bloodshed in Kashmir as civilians, armed youth or even Indian forces are getting killed,” Kashmir's main separatist political group, the Joint Resistance Leadership, said in a statement.\n\nThe group called for a general strike in Kashmir on Friday.", "Two separate gun battles between rebels and government forces in restive Indian-administered Kashmir on Thursday left eight dead including six suspected rebels, police said.\n\nA firefight broke out before dawn when government forces besieged a residential area in the city of Pulwama after being told about the presence of anti-India insurgents.\n\nPolice said that militants fired at the soldiers and a young man, in whose house the militants were hiding, was killed in the crossfire.\n\n\"After the security forces retaliated, three terrorists were killed in the ensuing encounter and their bodies retrieved,\" a police statement said, referring to the suspected rebels.\n\nThe slain militants belonged to Pakistan based Jaishe-e-Mohammad militant group, two of whom were locals while the other was a Pakistani citizen, the statement added.\n\nThe dead civilian's brother was also wounded during the gun battle.\n\nSoldiers surrounded an orchard in neighbouring Shopian district where a group of rebels were hiding, sparking another fierce gun battle that lasted hours and ended with the deaths of three militants.\n\n\"All the three terrorists found in the orchard were killed in the encounter,\" regional inspector general of police Swayam Prakash Pani told AFP.\n\nPani said both the shootouts were a result of deliberate \"counter-terrorist operations\".\n\nYet another gun battle broke out in the forests of frontier Kupwara area near the heavily militarised Line of Control that divides the disputed region between India and Pakistan, a police officer said. No casualties were reported in that incident.\n\nRebel groups have for decades fought against Indian soldiers deployed in the part of Kashmir controlled by New Delhi, seeking the Himalayan territory's merger with Pakistan or outright independence.\n\nThe conflict has left tens of thousands dead, mostly civilians.\n\nAt least 83 rebels have been killed in armed clashes with Indian forces so far this year.\n\nLast year was the deadliest in a decade when around 600 were killed including soldiers, rebels and civilians.\n\nKashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since the end of British rule of the subcontinent in 1947. Both claim the territory in full.\n\nNew Delhi regularly blames Pakistan for helping the rebels, an allegation denied by Islamabad, which says it only provides moral and diplomatic support to a Kashmiri struggle for right to self-determination.", "SRINAGAR, KASHMIR (DPA) - Three suspected militants and an Indian Army soldier were killed on Thursday (May 16) in a counter-insurgency operation in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir state, police said.\n\nA civilian was also killed in the crossfire between the rebels and security forces, a local police official said.\n\nThe Indian Army's Northern Command said in a Twitter post that three \"terrorists\" had been killed and weapons have been confiscated.\n\nThe incident kicked off when a team made up of army, police and paramilitary forces cordoned off the Dalipora area after receiving information on the presence of militants. As the joint team intensified its search, the militants opened fire.\n\nTwo soldiers were injured in the ensuing gun battle. One of them succumbed to injuries as he was being airlifted to the army hospital in Srinagar. A civilian was killed and his brother injured in the crossfire, police said.\n\nSearch and sanitisation operations were being carried out. A curfew has been imposed in the area as hundreds of local people tried to march to the site of the encounter, NDTV news channel reported.\n\nInternet services were suspended in the district.\n\nIndian security forces have intensified anti-insurgency operations in the region after a suicide bombing killed 40 paramilitary troopers on a highway in Pulwama on Feb 14.\n\nTensions between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan escalated after the bombing following which India launched an airstrike on what it claimed was a rebel camp inside Pakistan.", "A shutdown is being observed in Kashmir following a call from Joint Resistance Leadership (JRL) against the killings in the holy month of Ramadhan.\n\nAll the shops and other business establishments are closed Srinagar and other parta of the Valley. However, transport services were also affected in parts of thr Valley.\n\nOn Thursday five militants, two civilians and two army men were killed in separate gunfights in south Kashmir’s Pulwama and Shopian districts.\n\nThe JRL has called for a strike against killing of civilians and militants during the holy month of Ramadhan.", "SRINAGAR, India (AP) - Five rebels, two army soldiers and two civilians were killed Thursday during two gunbattles in disputed Kashmir that triggered anti-India protests and clashes, officials and residents said.\n\nThe first gunbattle broke out in a neighborhood in southern Pulwama town as police and soldiers scoured the area looking for militants, said Col. Rajesh Kalia, an Indian army spokesman. He said as troops began conducting searches, they came under heavy gunfire, leading to a clash that killed three militants and a soldier.\n\nA civilian was also killed and his brother was wounded during the fighting, police said. Two soldiers were also injured.\n\nLocal residents said troops damaged one civilian home with explosives.\n\nThe fighting sparked protests and clashes as hundreds of residents tried to march to the site of the battle in solidarity with the rebels despite the security lockdown in the area.\n\nGovernment forces fired shotgun pellets and tear gas at protesters, who threw stones at them. No one was immediately reported injured in the street clashes.\n\nIn the second gunbattle, also in southern Kashmir, government forces launched a search operation in a village near Shopian town following a tip that militants were hiding there, police said. As the troops surrounded a civilian house, militants reportedly came out while firing at them and tried to take refuge in a nearby apple orchard.\n\nIn the ensuing exchange of gunfire, two rebels, a civilian and a soldier were killed, police and residents said. Earlier, police had said three militants were killed. However, one of the slain people turned out to be a local resident, residents said. Police maintained that he was an \"active associate\" of the militants but acknowledged he was not an underground militant.\n\nMeanwhile, the Joint Resistance Leadership, composed of three top separatist leaders who challenge India's sovereignty over Kashmir, called for a protest strike on Friday, saying there has been no letup in the bloodshed even in the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan \"as civilians, armed youth or even Indian forces are getting killed.\"\n\n\"In one manner or the other, Kashmiris continue to pay the price of the unresolved Kashmir issue,\" they said in a statement. \"Use of force against them continues unabated.\"\n\nIndia and Pakistan each claim the divided Himalayan territory of Kashmir in its entirety. Rebels have been fighting Indian control since 1989.\n\nMost Kashmiris support the rebels' demand that the territory be united either under Pakistani rule or as an independent country, while also participating in civilian street protests against Indian control.\n\nAbout 70,000 people have been killed in the uprising and the ensuing Indian crackdown.", "Indian troops and separatist militants have clashed in Indian-controlled Kashmir, killing five people including a civilian, officials say.\n\nTension in Muslim-majority Kashmir has been high since a February 14 suicide bomb attack by the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) militant group killed at least 40 Indian paramilitary police.\n\nPrime Minister Narendra Modi gave troops a \"free hand\" to respond to the attack, and near-daily searches in villages in Kashmir since then have often triggered violent confrontations, with civilians caught in crossfire.\n\nModi's tough response to the attack, which included an air strike against what India said was a militant camp in Pakistan, is believed to have given his party a boost in a general election that ends on May 19.\n\nThree JeM militants, including a Pakistani commander, and an Indian soldier were killed in the gun battle in Dalipora, a village in south Kashmir, police said.\n\nVillagers said a civilian, who they identified as Rayees Ahmad Dar, 32, was also killed after Indian soldiers had sent him to search a house where militants were believed to be hiding. Villagers in the area have complained before about the army using civilians as human shields in searches.\n\nA police spokesman said Dar had been killed in indiscriminate firing by the militants, and denied he had been sent on a search.\n\nAlso on Thursday, police said seven people had been arrested and a curfew imposed on a town in the region after a Muslim man transporting horses was shot dead, allegedly by a Hindu group wanting to protect the rights of cows, an animal considered sacred in their religion.\n\nIndia and Pakistan have fought three wars since their independence, two of them over the Himalayan region, and came close to another in February."], "summary": "Multiple people are killed, including three militants, two Mujahideen, two civilians and two Indian soldiers, in Kashmir after a shootout."}
{"document": ["Three Britons killed as small plane crashes near Dubai airport\n\nThree Britons killed as small plane crashes near Dubai airport\n\nA plane similar to the one involved. Pic: Dubai Media Office\n\nThree Britons have died after a light aircraft crashed near Dubai International Airport, authorities have said.\n\nA South African person on board was also killed when the small plane came down about three miles south of the busy transport hub.\n\nFlights were halted for 46 minutes on Thursday from 7.36pm to 8.22pm (local time).\n\nThe four-seater Diamond DA42, registered in the UK, had been involved in upgrading a runway and was used to \"calibrate the approach systems\", the airport said.\n\nThe plane is registered to Flight Calibrations Service Ltd, based in Shoreham in West Sussex, the AP news agency reported.\n\nAdvertisement\n\nOne of the victims was an employee of Honeywell, which provides engineering services and aerospace systems.\n\nA spokesman said: \" We are deeply saddened by the news that a small, chartered plane crashed in Dubai yesterday evening and our heartfelt condolences are with the victims' families.\n\n\"A Honeywell employee was among the four victims. The plane was not owned or operated by Honeywell but by a third party engaged by Honeywell.\"\n\nA Foreign Office spokeswoman said: \"We are working closely with the Emirati authorities following reports of a small aircraft crash in Dubai.\"\n\nAn investigation has begun and air traffic has returned to normal.\n\nImage: Dubai International Airport is the world's busiest for international passenger traffic\n\nFlight Calibrations Service said in November that it had signed a contract to work on the UAE airport's \"navaids\" - beacons which help pilots to locate runways and to land.\n\nOn 16 April, the airport's southern runway was closed so it could be resurfaced and all its lighting and supporting infrastructure replaced. It is set to re-open on 30 May.\n\nDubai International Airport is the world's busiest when measured by international passenger traffic.\n\nIt is also the busiest airport for Airbus A380 and Boeing 777 movements.", "Three Britons killed as small plane crashes near Dubai airport\n\nThree Britons killed as small plane crashes near Dubai airport\n\nA plane similar to the one involved. Pic: Dubai Media Office\n\nThree Britons have died after a light aircraft crashed near Dubai International Airport, authorities have said.\n\nA South African person on board was also killed when the small plane came down about three miles south of the busy transport hub.\n\nFlights were halted for 46 minutes on Thursday from 7.36pm to 8.22pm (local time).\n\nThe four-seater Diamond DA42, registered in the UK, had been involved in upgrading a runway and was used to \"calibrate the approach systems\", the airport said.\n\nThe plane is owned by Honeywell, which provides engineering services and aerospace systems, and is registered to Flight Calibrations Service Ltd, based in Shoreham in West Sussex, the AP news agency reported.\n\nThe Dubai Media Office tweeted that the \"relevant teams are on the scene\".\n\nIt added that an \"accident involving a small plane with four passengers occurred\".\n\nA Foreign Office spokeswoman said: \"We are working closely with the Emirati authorities following reports of a small aircraft crash in Dubai.\"\n\nAn investigation has begun and air traffic has returned to normal.\n\nFlight Calibrations Service said in November that it had signed a contract to work on the UAE airport's \"navaids\" - beacons which help pilots to locate runways and to land.\n\nOn 16 April, the airport's southern runway was closed so it could be resurfaced and all its lighting and supporting infrastructure replaced. It is set to re-open on 30 May.\n\nDubai International Airport is the world's busiest when measured by international passenger traffic.\n\nIt is also the busiest airport for Airbus A380 and Boeing 777 movements.", "Four people were killed when a small plane crashed near Dubai International Airport, temporarily halting some flights in and out of the busy regional hub.\n\nThe crash killed three Britons and a South African on board the four-seater Diamond DA62, the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority said. The UK registered plane was on a mission to calibrate terrestrial navigation systems at the airport when it crashed about 5 kilometers south of the airport.\n\nThe crash was due to a mechanical fault, Dubai Media Office said.\n\nThe airport said it halted flights from 7.36 p.m. until 8.22 p.m. local time over the crash.\n\n“All operations at the Dubai airport are running smoothly after a slight delay and diversion of some flights as a precautionary measure to ensure security following a minor incident involving a small plane,” the media office said.\n\nDubai International Airport, home to the long-haul carrier Emirates, is the world’s busiest airport for international travel.", "Three Britons and a South African have died after the small plane they were flying crashed near Dubai airport.\n\nThe DA42 aircraft crashed three miles south of the international airport according to the Dubai media office.\n\nThe UK-registered aircraft is owned by the US tech giant Honeywell. Initial indications suggest the crash was the result of a technical malfunction.\n\nA spokesman said: 'All operations at the Dubai airport are running smoothly after a slight delay and diversion of some flights as a precautionary measure to ensure security,' it added.\n\nDubai's international airport is one of the world's busiest aviation hubs.\n\nThe aircraft was on a mission to calibrate terrestrial navigation systems at the airport, the statement said.\n\nAir traffic at the airport has since returned to normal, it said.", "A small plane involved in work on a runway at Dubai International Airport crashed today, killing four people and halting traffic at the world's busiest airport for international travel for nearly an hour.\n\nAuthorities gave no explanation for what caused the crash of the aircraft, a Diamond DA62 with a tail number belonging to Flight Calibrations Service Ltd. of Shoreham, England.\n\nThe UAE's General Civil Aviation Authority said all four people on board, three British and one South African, were killed in the crash. It said the crash happened 5 kilometres south of the airport, without elaborating.\n\nDubai International Airport, home to long-haul carrier Emirates, is the world's busiest airport for international travel. The airport said it halted flights from 7:36 p.m. until 8:22 p.m. local time over the crash.\n\nFlight Calibrations Service announced in November it signed a contract at Dubai International Airport to do work on its \"navaids,\" beacons surrounding an airport that help pilots know where runways are and how to land. Dubai International Airport later told The Associated Press in a statement that the plane \"was being used to calibrate the approach systems\" at the airport.\n\nAn employee at Flight Calibrations Services, which has two Diamond DA62s stationed in the United Arab Emirates, declined to comment Thursday night.\n\nThe work comes as Dubai has shut down its southern runway to resurface it and replace all its lighting and supporting infrastructure. It closed on April 16 and officials hope to reopen it on May 30.\n\nDubai has cut back on some of its scheduled flights and redirected others to Al Maktoum Airport at Dubai World Central, the city's second airport.\n\nDubai is a major city in the United Arab Emirates, a federation of seven sheikhdoms on the Arabian Peninsula.", "Three Britons and a South African have been killed after a four-seat plane crashed near Dubai International Airport.\n\nThe UK-registered light aircraft came down after a reported technical malfunction, officials in Dubai claim. Among the dead are the pilot and his assistant.\n\nIt plummeted to the ground around three miles south of Dubai International Airport, killing all four people on board.\n\nThe United Arab Emirates General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) have confirmed the tragedy, which happened at about 7.30pm local time.\n\nThe crash happened as the DA42 aircraft was \"on a mission to calibrate terrestrial navigation systems at the airport\", said the GCAA.\n\nInvestigations are under way and the airport is operating as normal.", "Three Britons have died after a UK-registered light aircraft crashed near Dubai International Airport, the United Arab Emirates General Civil Aviation Authority said.\n\nThe Dubai Media Office tweeted: \"A UK-registered small DA42 plane crashed three miles to the south of Dubai International Airport, killing four people on board, the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) announced today.\n\n\"The four-seat plane crashed while on a mission to calibrate terrestrial navigation systems at the airport, with all crew members, three British, and one South African, killed, said the GCAA in a statement.\n\n\"An investigation team from the GCAA arrived at the scene of the crash.\n\n\"The GCAA said air traffic at the airport is back to normal, adding that it will continue the investigation and provide updates on the progress.\"", "Three Britons have died after a UK-registered light aircraft crashed in Dubai, authorities said.\n\nThe four-seat plane plummeted to the ground around three miles south of Dubai International Airport, killing all four people on board, according to the United Arab Emirates General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA).\n\nThree UK citizens and one South African died, it added in a statement.\n\nThe crash happened as the DA42 aircraft was “on a mission to calibrate terrestrial navigation systems at the airport”, said the GCAA.\n\nInvestigations are under way and the airport is operating as normal.", "A small plane crashed Thursday near the busy Dubai International Airport, killing at least two people, Dubai authorities said.\n\nThe government’s Dubai Media Office tweeted that the plane had at least four people on board.\n\nDubai International Airport, home to the long-haul carrier Emirates, is the world’s busiest airport for international travel.\n\nThe airport said that it halted flights from 7:36pm until 8:22pm local time over the crash.\n\nDubai is a major city in the United Arab Emirates, a federation of seven sheikhdoms on the Arabian Peninsula.\n\nThe crash caused delays at Dubai airport, the emirate’s government media office said.\n\nAuthorities gave no explanation for what caused the crash of the aircraft, a Diamond DA62 with a tail number belonging to Flight Calibrations Service Ltd. of Shoreham, England.\n\nThe UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority said all four people on board, three British and one South African, were killed in the crash.\n\nIt said the crash happened 5 kilometres south of the airport, without elaborating.\n\n“All operations at the Dubai airport are running smoothly after a slight delay and diversion of some flights as a precautionary measure to ensure security,” it added.\n\nDubai’s international airport is one of the world’s busiest aviation hubs.", "Three Britons have died after a UK-registered light aircraft crashed in Dubai, authorities said. The four-seat plane plummeted to the ground around three miles south of Dubai International Airport, killing all four people on board, according to the United Arab Emirates General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA). Three UK citizens and one South African died, it added in a statement.\n\nThe crash happened as the DA42 aircraft was “on a mission to calibrate terrestrial navigation systems at the airport”, said the GCAA. A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: “We are working closely with the Emirati authorities following reports of a small aircraft crash in Dubai.” The Diamond DA42 aircraft is described on the Diamond website as having a “high degree of crashworthiness” and being “easy to fly and burns fuel like a single, but with the added safety of a second engine”. The Government of Dubai Media Office tweeted an image of a small plane with the registration G-MDME in its initial announcement of the crash.\n\nThat aircraft is registered to Flight Calibration Services Ltd, based in Shoreham, West Sussex, according to Flight Radar. In November the company said it had secured a contract to carry out work at Dubai International Airport. The Diamond website added: “Diamond’s industry-leading safety record is the result of our commitment to protecting you and your passengers with a long list of active and passive safety features. “Active safety features help to avoid accidents in the first place, the first and most important line of defence. “Passive safety features are designed to minimise the probability and degree of injury, in case the unexpected happens. “The DA42 offers the ultimate in handling, stability and control, ease of operation and structural, system and propulsion redundancies, all coupled with a high degree of crashworthiness.” The aircraft, which has an all-carbon airframe, has a maximum speed of 226mph, can operate at a maximum altitude of 18,000ft and weighs 1,410kg, the site added. Dubai International Airport, the world’s busiest by international passenger traffic, was closed between 7.36pm and 8.22pm local time before reopening, said Dubai Airports. The aircraft was owned by Honeywell, a US-based multinational involved in engineering and aerospace systems, according to the Dubai media office. Investigations are under way and the airport is operating as normal."], "summary": "Three Britons and a South African die when their light aircraft crashes on approach to Dubai International Airport, closing the world's busiest airport for 45 minutes."}
{"document": ["The Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte met Thursday with Khalifa Haftar in Rome in what he described a \"long meeting\" saying they reviewed the current serious unrest in Tripoli.\n\nConte told reporters after his two-hour meeting with Haftar that he had called on Haftar to commit to ceasefire and that Italy is certain that Libyans can reach a political solution to the crisis.\n\nHaftar met with the US ambassador to Italy before meeting with Conte.\n\nAccording to many Italian sources, the meeting discussed the offensive led by Haftar on Tripoli, which has been condemned by Italy on its early days.\n\nHaftar is expected to visit France to meet President Emmanuel Macron amid Italian-French reiteration for a ceasefire in Libya.", "French President Emmanuel Macron speaks during a news conference with New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern (not pictured) at the 'Christchurch Call Meeting' at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France May 15, 2019. Yoan Valat/Pool via REUTERS\n\nPARIS, (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron will meet eastern Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar in the middle of next week to discuss how to resume peace talks in the country, a French presidential source said on Thursday.\n\nMacron last week called for a ceasefire in the month-long battle for Libya’s capital Tripoli after meeting U.N.-backed Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj.\n\n“They will discuss the situation in Libya, the conditions for a return to political dialogue following the visit of Serraj and in co-ordination with the United Nations and partners,” the source told Reuters.\n\nItalian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte met Haftar on Thursday as European powers seek to put an end to fighting after troops loyal to Haftar launched an offensive on the capital breaking months of U.N.-led peace negotiations.\n\n“Prime Minister Conte reiterated the need to agree to a ceasefire as soon as possible to avoid a humanitarian crisis in the country and safeguard the already difficult conditions of the Libyan people,” his office said.\n\nTripoli is home to the internationally-recognized administration but some European countries such as France have also supported eastern military commander Haftar as a way to fight militants in a country in chaos since the toppling of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.\n\nA day after meeting Macron last week, Serraj’s administration asked 40 foreign firms including French oil major Total to renew their licenses or have their operations suspended.", "PARIS, (Reuters) - President Emmanuel Macron wants to meet Libyan eastern commander Khalifa Haftar to push a ceasefire and resume peace talks, France’s foreign minister said on Tuesday.\n\nMacron last week called for a ceasefire in the month-long battle for Libya’s capital Tripoli after meeting U.N.-backed Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj.\n\nTripoli is home to the recognized administration but some European countries such as France have also supported eastern military commander Haftar as a way to fight militants in a country in chaos since the toppling of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.\n\nA day after meeting Macron, the internationally recognized government asked 40 foreign firms including French oil major Total to renew their licenses or have their operations suspended.\n\n“The situation in Libya is extremely worrying because the proposed U.N. roadmap to both parties - and which almost reached a positive conclusion - ... has today failed on the one hand because of Field Marshal Haftar’s initiative and Serraj’s non-initiative,” Jean-Yves Le Drian told lawmakers.\n\n“It’s for this reason that the president wanted to meet one and the other to support the U.N. initiative.”\n\nThe French presidency said there was no meeting planned at this stage.", "PARIS,, May 14 (Reuters) - President Emmanuel Macron wants to meet Libyan eastern commander Khalifa Haftar to push a ceasefire and resume peace talks, France’s foreign minister said on Tuesday.\n\nMacron last week called for a ceasefire in the month-long battle for Libya’s capital Tripoli after meeting U.N.-backed Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj.\n\nTripoli is home to the recognised administration but some European countries such as France have also supported eastern military commander Haftar as a way to fight militants in a country in chaos since the toppling of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.\n\nA day after meeting Macron, the internationally recognised government asked 40 foreign firms including French oil major Total to renew their licences or have their operations suspended.\n\n“The situation in Libya is extremely worrying because the proposed U.N. roadmap to both parties - and which almost reached a positive conclusion - ... has today failed on the one hand because of Field Marshal Haftar’s initiative and Serraj’s non-initiative,” Jean-Yves Le Drian told lawmakers.\n\n“It’s for this reason that the president wanted to meet one and the other to support the U.N. initiative.”\n\nA French diplomatic source could not confirm when the meeting could take place or whether Paris’ objective was to bring the two men together as it has done twice previously.\n\nThe French presidency did not respond immediately. (Reporting by John Irish; editing by Michel Rose)", "PARIS,, May 16 (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron will meet Libyan eastern commander Khalifa Haftar in the middle of next week to discuss how to resume peace talks in the country, a French presidential source said on Thursday.\n\nMacron last week called for a ceasefire in the month-long battle for Libya's capital Tripoli after meeting U.N.-backed Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj.\n\n\"They will discuss the situation in Libya, the conditions for a return to political dialogue following the visit of Serraj and in co-ordination with the United Nations and partners,\" the source told Reuters. (Reporting by Marine Pennetier; writing by John Irish; editing by Inti Landauro)", "Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar, who has launched a military offensive against the UN-recognised government in Tripoli, held surprise talks with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte in Rome on Thursday ahead of a visit to Paris next week, officials said.\n\nConte said he urged Haftar to call a ceasefire to his assault on the government of Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, who also travelled to Rome and Paris for talks last week.\n\n\"It was a fairly long meeting, a lengthy exchange of information,\" Conte told journalists. \"I informed him of the government's position. We want a ceasefire and we feel that the political path is the only solution.\"\n\nConte said last week that he wanted to meet Haftar after his talks with Sarraj.\n\nThe Libyan military chief, whose forces control large swathes of the country's east, will travel next week to Paris for talks with President Emmanuel Macron, his office said.\n\n\"The goal will be to discuss the situation in Libya and the conditions for resuming a political dialogue... in conjunction with the UN and our partners,\" an Elysee Palace official said.\n\nFrance and Italy are the two lead European powers seeking to find a solution to years of instability, spreading Islamic extremism and a migrant crisis in Libya which fell into chaos after the NATO-backed toppling of dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011.\n\nBut the neighbours are seen by experts as competing for influence and the issue has caused tensions between the governments.\n\nSarraj, who is seen as being close to Rome, has accused France of supporting \"dictator\" Haftar's campaign against his internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA).\n\nParis has rejected the claims, saying it supports Sarraj but also considers Haftar a key player in rebuilding Libya after years of strife.\n\nHaftar's bid to unseat Sarraj and take control of the Libyan capital has reached a military and political impasse after more than a month of fighting.\n\nAfter the initial advance, forces loyal to the GNA launched a counter-offensive that has led to a stalemate on the ground.\n\nThe fighting has killed at least 430 people and wounded over 2,000 while displacing 55,000 others, according to UN estimates.\n\nThe European Union on Monday called for all sides in the conflict to put down their arms and commit to UN talks, saying the offensive was a threat to international peace.\n\n\"The situation in Libya is very worrying because the roadmap proposed by the United Nations... has been jeopardised by both the move by Marshal Haftar and by the move, or non-move by Prime Minister Sarraj,\" French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told lawmakers on Tuesday.", "Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said Thursday that he reiterated a call for a ceasefire in Libya during a surprise meeting in Rome with Libyan strongman General Khalifa Haftar.\n\n\"We want a ceasefire and we feel that the political path is the only solution,\" he said.\n\nRead more: Libya's battle for Tripoli — what you need to know\n\nHaftar's self-proclaimed Libyan National Army (LNA) has been fighting forces loyal to the UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) since early April as part of an offensive to capture the capital city of Tripoli.\n\n\"I expressed the concern of Italy and of my government for the current situation, which we consider very critical,\" he added, without providing details on Haftar's response to the ceasefire call.\n\nHaftar is expected to travel on to Paris for meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron, Italian media reported.\n\nFrance and Italy have squabbled over the conflict, with France a long-time backer of Haftar and Italy a strong supporter of the GNA.\n\nLibya's political turmoil began after the ouster and killing of longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi during a NATO-backed uprising in 2011.\n\nAlongside the rivalry between the GNA and the LNA, several militias, including jihadi groups, have vied for control of key cities in the North African country.\n\nEvery evening, DW sends out a selection of the day's news and features. Sign up here.", "All the newspapers are writing headlines about “The Military Strongman Leading The Offense Against Libya’s UN-Backed Government” or “Halifa Haftar, Libya’s Strongest Warlord, Makes A Push For Tripoli” and “The Libyan Crisis: Who Is Strongman Khalifa Haftar?”\n\nWe must know who this man is, who the newspapers say is the strongest man? An ex-General who came back to Libya from the United States just in time (in 2011, just after the beginning of the political turmoils), the dictator Gaddafi made him a commanding officer in the 1980s, but Haftar soon turned against his own leader, calling for a coup and eventually had to be rescued by the CIA. Then he lived in the US for 20 years, where he was granted U.S. citizenship before returning to his homeland just before Muammar Gaddafi’s fall in 2011,\n\nNow he controls eastern Libya, and has never disguised his ambitions, Haftar returned from exile in the US, to be the next president, and he became commander of Dignity Operation in Benghazi and was the military officer who is supported by the Interim Government and the eastern parliament in Libya. And yet, Haftar never agreed to recognize Al-Sirraj and his Skhirat-signed UN-brokered government as a legitimate body.\n\nHaftar wants to take power the same as Sisi in Egypt, with his supporters issuing statements and holding demonstrations in Benghazi and other cities calling for mandating him as the ruler of Libya, this giving him power outside Libya to make him a strong man. Haftar’s loyalists have demanded an end to the elections’ preparations saying, “We only need Haftar as the president here in east Libya, we don’t need elections or anything like that.”\n\nSo, who makes Haftar the most powerful man in Libya?\n\nHaftar has long worked hand-in-glove with the UAE and Egypt to bring Libya within the framework of the intra-Gulf dispute with Qatar, which is known to back many of the western militias. His coalition also has Saudi support, unlocking a sizeable war chest and an important channel of influence for the Trump administration in the Middle East.\n\nThe Great Powers of the Middle East’s A plan is to control the Libyan region initially by putting under its control Benghazi and then the capital of Tripoli. Therefore, Haftar has a limited window to convert his recent advance in the south-west of the country into a meaningful victory and as such he sent forces into strategic locations in the south.\n\nHaftar launched an attack on Tripoli on April 4, after his cakewalk through the south of Libya from his power base in the eastern half of the country. The assault on the capital was his strongman effort to bring all of Libya under his control and vanquish the country’s “terrorist” gangs. But his goal is to eliminate Al-Sirraj and his Skhirat-signed UN-brokered government.\n\nHaftar claimed to be purging the south of terrorists and mercenaries from sub-Saharan Africa, despite the scores of Chadian and Darfuri guns-for-hires within the LNA’s own ranks that address its abiding manpower shortage.\n\nLibyans, who endured decades of Gaddafi’s rule followed by the bloodshed and turmoil after his overthrow by rebels with NATO support, now face a new chapter of suffering. The cost of Haftar;s ambitions is becoming clearer as more than 260 have already died, including civilians, and many more are wounded. Around 32,000 people have been displaced.\n\nAs we know US policy encourages the fighting against extremism and terrorism, however, this time the US against Haftar.\n\nHaftar did not get the message right as US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had already spoken against the operation in Tripoli, as well as US President Donald Trump’s speech saying his forces must cease fire and return to their status quo positions.\n\nNevertheless, Haftar did get support from Middle East countries.\n\nAnd, Haftar got support by two ways he controlled Libyan media and used it for his purposes by a formidable electronic army, which has artfully combined misinformation with selected facts to amplify and exaggerate the LNA’s influence in parts of the south-west, and creating new facts on the ground that are temporary and reversible.\n\nWhich makes Libyans wonder what does the West and the East want from Libya? Is the West pro-democracy or not? They say speech’s without actions, and yet they are siding with a military man who is trying to grab power through war and destruction in the name of fighting terrorists. To them, these terrorists seem to be the same group the US, France, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Bahrain is backing as the internationally recognized government of national accord in Libya.\n\nThe danger, of course, is that Haftar himself has come to believe the myth-making of his media machine and he will be the next president.\n\nThis cannot be Washington’s stance as it has helped embolden Haftar and his backers to wage an all-out war that could last for months and lead to thousands of casualties; therefore, no hope for democracy and rule for the fittest.\n\nIn view of all these factors, will Haftar stand up to remain the strongest man in Libya, although in the beginning America supported him and now, they are trying to give him up.\n\nWar in Tripoli with no doubt would leave a massive split in the fabric of the region’s society.", "Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini excoriated German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday, accusing them of having “ruined” Europe -- after Merkel said he wasn’t welcome in her center-right European party.\n\n\"It is we who do not want to have anything to do with Merkel and with Emmanuel Macron and with those who have ruined this Union,” he said in San Severo, according to Libero Quotidiano.\n\n“We want to save Europe, which is not that of bureaucrats, bankers, financiers and those who have ruined it in recent years,\" he said.\n\n\n\n Salvini is leader of the right-wing League, which is in coalition with the anti-establishment Five-Star Movement. But he has quickly become the de facto face of the government abroad in his role as interior minister, often overshadowing Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, as he has fought to cut immigration from Africa and has formed alliances with other nationalists abroad.\n\nHis scathing remarks were in response to comments Merkel made to Suddeutsche Zeitung, where she addressed the question of whether the League would be allowed in her European People’s Party (EPP)\n\n\"It is clear that for example as regards the policy on migrants we have very different approaches. This is already a reason why the EPP will not open up to Mr. Salvini's party,” she said.\n\nITALY'S SALVINI SAYS HE IS UNDER INVESTIGATION FOR 'KIDNAPPING' MIGRANTS AFTER REFUSING ENTRY\n\nShe spoke a week before Europeans go to polls to elect candidates to the European Parliament. Nationalist and anti-immigration parties are expected to do well, particularly in France, Italy, Hungary and the U.K., amid long-standing concerns about mass migration onto the continent.\n\nIn Britain, the anti-European Union Brexit Party is expected to come first over anger at the failure of the British government to leave the bloc after the Brexit vote in 2016.\n\n\"They are certainly important, special elections,” Merkel said. “Many people are worried about Europe and so am I.”\n\nCLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP\n\nSalvini has frequently targeted Merkel and Macron as he sought to defend his government’s stance on migration. In January he responded to criticism from Macron by accusing France of turning back migrants at the border.\n\n\"I don't take lessons on humanity and generosity from Macron,” he later added.", "Mrs Le Pen’s candidate list is “the only sovereign list, the only list that calls for France’s independence and the only list which is in a position to block Emmanuel Macron and his steamroller-like anti-social policies,” Andréa Kotarac told the French news channel BFMTV on Tuesday. Mr Kotarac, a former member of far-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon’s presidential campaign team, added: “Although I do not adhere to the politics of the RN, the current political climate requires us to do what we can to counter Emmanuel Macron. “If Emmanuel Macron comes out on top in the elections, he will accelerate his anti-social reforms.”\n\nThe upcoming vote will pit hardline eurosceptics determined to upend the political status quo against liberal progressives bent on deepening EU integration and revamping the EU project.\n\nIn a separate interview with the far-right magazine Elements earlier this week, Mr Kotarac, insisted his “only compass” was the need to “defend popular sovereignty and social justice”.\n\nHe said: “The European elections offer us a unique opportunity to make a choice: we can either bolster Mr Macron and his damaging social policies, which will in turn trigger the launch of a federal Europe; or we can cast a useful vote and back the only list capable of beating him.\n\n“My choice is made: I will vote for the list led by Jordan Bardella and Marine Le Pen.”\n\nHe swiftly announced that he was quitting his job as a socialist councillor for the southern Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region.\n\nA furious Mr Mélenchon, leader of the far-left La France Insoumise (LFI) party, branded Mr Kotarac a “traitor” and expelled him from his political group.\n\n“Kotarac’s switch is an end-of-campaign stink bomb. A set up. The support of such a traitor dishonours those who intend to profit from it,” he tweeted."], "summary": "Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar of the Tobruk-based House of Representatives meets with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte and has scheduled a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron for next week."}
{"document": ["New York mayor, who traveled to early primary states such as Iowa, says he is running ‘because it’s time we put working people first’\n\nThis article is more than 3 months old\n\nThis article is more than 3 months old\n\nNew York’s mayor, Bill de Blasio, has jumped into the 2020 presidential race, joining at least 21 other declared Democratic candidates for the party’s nomination.\n\nThe mayor announced his run with a video released by his campaign.\n\n“There’s plenty of money in this world. There’s plenty of money in this country. It’s just in the wrong hands,” De Blasio says at the beginning of the video. He concludes: “I’m running for president because it’s time we put working people first.”\n\nDe Blasio has traveled to early primary states including Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina, and formed a federal political action committee (Pac) called Fairness Pac to bankroll his travels.\n\nWho is running for president? The full list of 2020 Democratic candidates Read more\n\nHis message on those travels has centered on economic inequality.\n\nDe Blasio has sought for years to position himself as a national progressive leader, after racking up accomplishments in his first few years in office including universal pre-kindergarten, paid sick days and living wage legislation and a city ID card available to undocumented immigrants.\n\nBut frustrations have built over New York’s crumbling public housing system, where hundreds of children got lead poisoning after officials lied about doing inspections, and stubbornly high homelessness.\n\nDe Blasio has also been the target of multiple ethics inquiries, where no criminal charges were brought, but prosecutors found he made inquiries on behalf of political donors seeking favors.\n\nPolls have shown a vast majority of New Yorkers – 76% – don’t think he should run for president, and his aspirations have been widely mocked in his home town and discouraged by his own allies.\n\n“I’m glad I’ve unified the people of New York City,” he quipped when asked about the lack of enthusiasm in the polls.\n\nDe Blasio has been criticized for leaving the city to explore a presidential run in early voting states, and that criticism will probably grow as he travels more for official campaign stops. This week, he is scheduled to campaign in Iowa and South Carolina before traveling to Connecticut for his son’s graduation on Sunday.\n\nPolitical observers said that even if De Blasio’s candidacy doesn’t gain traction, he will be able to promote his policies and potentially angle for a job in a future Democratic administration. He is barred by term limits from running for mayor again.\n\nDe Blasio’s Pac has been polling voters in Iowa. He said last week in an appearance on WNYC radio that he has not yet hit the polling or donation thresholds to qualify for the Democratic primary debates.\n\nThe previous New York City mayor, Michael Bloomberg, decided not to run for president after months of flirting with a bid as a Democrat, opting instead to pour his considerable wealth into the resistance to Donald Trump. Though, since then at least one news report has said Bloomberg was reconsidering his position.\n\nIn the video announcing his bid, the mayor touted his work pushing a progressive agenda in New York City before arguing that he is the candidate who can defeat the president.\n\n“I’m a New Yorker, I’ve known Trump is a bully for a long time,” De Blasio said.\n\nUnder De Blasio, New York City has challenged Trump immigration policies, including family separation, in court and maintained a commitment to fighting climate change, despite the Trump administration’s rolling back of environmental regulations and withdrawal from the Paris climate accord.\n\n“Donald Trump must be stopped,” De Blasio said.\n\nHe is the second Democrat this week to announce they are joining the presidential race, following Montana’s governor, Steve Bullock.", "New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Thursday that he will seek the Democratic nomination for president, adding his name to an already long list of candidates itching for a chance to take on Donald Trump.\n\nThe mayor announced his run with a video released by his campaign.\n\n\"There's plenty of money in this world. There's plenty of money in this country. It's just in the wrong hands,\" de Blasio says at the beginning of the video.\n\nHe concludes: \"I'm running for president because it's time we put working people first.\"\n\nIn announcing his candidacy, de Blasio seeks to claim a role on the national stage that has eluded him as mayor of the biggest U.S. city.\n\nWhen he took office in 2014, de Blasio seemed briefly poised to become a leading voice for an emerging left wing of the Democratic Party.\n\nBut liberal enthusiasm faded over his first term, partly because of political missteps at home and the emergence of bigger names elsewhere. He could face obstacles trying to distinguish himself in a crowded field.\n\nDuring a Thursday morning appearance on \"Good Morning America,\" de Blasio borrowed one of Trump's favorite tactics by giving the president a disparaging nickname: Con Don.\n\n\"He's a con artist. I know his tricks I know his playbook,\" the mayor said.\n\nEarlier this week, de Blasio held a news conference in the lobby of Trump Tower to blame the skyscraper for contributing to air pollution.\n\nBut the event also drew a group of Trump supporters who heckled as de Blasio hollered to make himself heard.\n\nOn Thursday Trump tweeted that de Blasio was \"considered the worst mayor in the U.S.\"\n\nThe president continued, \"He is a JOKE, but if you like high taxes & crime, he's your man. NYC HATES HIM!\"\n\nDe Blasio, 58, has drawn small audiences so far in visits to early primary states including Iowa, South Carolina, Nevada and New Hampshire, where an audience of six showed up for a mental health discussion.\n\nA recent Quinnipiac University poll found 76% of New York City voters say they believe he shouldn't run.\n\nDe Blasio's hometown press has, so far, delighted in disparaging his presidential hopes.\n\n\"De Blasio for President? 'Nah,'\" read one recent New York Times headline summing up the city's reaction to his possible candidacy.\n\n\"Who hasn't told Bill de Blasio that he shouldn't run for president?\" asked New York Magazine.\n\nThe New York Post on Thursday published a front-page picture simply showing a group of people laughing hysterically at the thought of a de Blasio presidential run.\n\nDe Blasio, though, has remained undaunted by the obstacles and said he believes he has a message that can resonate with the American public.\n\nOn Thursday, when asked about the Quinnipiac poll, de Blasio laughed and pointed that those same voters had elected him to office twice.\n\n\"You know, I got elected mayor with 73 percent of the vote originally, re-elected with 67 percent of the vote,\" he said. \"I think you'd agree that the poll that actually matters is the election.\"\n\nPolitical observers said that even if de Blasio's candidacy doesn't catch fire, he'll be able to promote his policies and potentially angle for a job in a future Democratic administration. He is barred by term limits from running for mayor again.\n\n\"If he ran a strong and credible campaign, it could enhance his stature for gaining a major appointment or becoming a significant player, particularly if a Democrat is elected president,\" said Michael Malbin, a professor of political science at the University at Albany.\n\nBut Matthew Dallek, an associate professor of political management at George Washington University, said a losing White House campaign wouldn't come without risks.\n\n\"If his legacy is that a crisis happened and he was off campaigning in Iowa, that's significant,\" Dallek said. \"So yeah, there are risks.\"\n\nOn the campaign trail, de Blasio will be able to cite accomplishments like expanding full-day prekindergarten and curtailing police tactics that critics said were discriminatory, while presiding over continued drops in violent crime.\n\nDe Blasio was born Warren Wilhelm Jr. in 1961 but took his mother's family name in adulthood because, he said, his father was \"largely absent from his life.\" The mayor has spoken about how his father, Warren Wilhelm, a veteran who lost part of his left leg in World War II, descended into alcoholism and killed himself when de Blasio was 18.\n\nBorn in New York City, de Blasio grew up in the Boston area and has provoked New York sports fans by rooting ardently for the Boston Red Sox. He graduated from New York University and earned a master's degree from Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs.\n\nDe Blasio met his wife, Chirlane McCray, when they both worked for Democratic Mayor David Dinkins. They married in 1994 and have two children, Chiara and Dante.\n\nDe Blasio was elected to a local school board in his Brooklyn neighborhood in 1999 and won a City Council seat in 2001. In 2009, he was elected to the citywide position of public advocate, a job that holds little real power but comes with a bully pulpit that allowed de Blasio to build a reputation as a champion of regular citizens in a city built for the powerful.\n\nHe was not initially favored to win the 2013 race for the Democratic nomination for mayor but was helped by the implosion of rival Anthony Weiner's campaign after the disgraced former congressman was accused in a new sexting scandal.\n\nDe Blasio defeated Republican Joe Lhota by a wide margin in the 2013 general election for mayor. He won reelection in 2017, defeating Republican state Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis by 39 percentage points.\n\nWith his candidacy, de Blasio becomes the latest in a line of New York City mayors who have run for president. None has ever won.\n\nJohn Lindsay sought the office in 1972. Rudy Giuliani ran in 2008. Michael Bloomberg flirted with a run for years before ruling it out in both the 2016 and 2020 campaigns.", "New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Thursday that he will seek the Democratic nomination for president, adding his name to an already long list of candidates itching for a chance to take on Donald Trump.\n\nThe mayor announced his run with a video released by his campaign.\n\n“There’s plenty of money in this world. There’s plenty of money in this country. It’s just in the wrong hands,” de Blasio says at the beginning of the video.\n\nHe concludes: “I’m running for president because it’s time we put working people first,” de Blasio says at the video’s conclusion.\n\nIn announcing his candidacy, de Blasio is seeking to claim a role on the national stage that has eluded him as mayor of the biggest U.S. city.\n\nWhen he took office in 2014, de Blasio seemed briefly poised to become a leading voice for an emerging left wing of the Democratic Party.\n\nBut liberal enthusiasm faded over his first term, partly because of political missteps at home and the emergence of bigger names elsewhere. He could face obstacles trying to distinguish himself in a crowded field.\n\nDe Blasio, 58, has drawn small audiences so far in visits to early primary states including Iowa, South Carolina, Nevada and New Hampshire, where an audience of six showed up for a mental health discussion.\n\nA recent Quinnipiac University poll found 76% of New York City voters say they believe he shouldn’t run.\n\nDe Blasio’s hometown press has, so far, delighted in disparaging his presidential hopes.\n\n“De Blasio for President? ‘Nah,“’ read one recent New York Times headline summing up the city’s reaction to his possible candidacy.\n\n“Who hasn’t told Bill de Blasio that he shouldn’t run for president?” asked New York Magazine.\n\nDe Blasio, though, has remained undaunted by the obstacles and said he believes he has a message that can resonate with the American public.\n\nPolitical observers said that even if de Blasio’s candidacy doesn’t catch fire, he’ll be able to promote his policies and potentially angle for a job in a future Democratic administration. He is barred by term limits from running for mayor again.\n\n“If he ran a strong and credible campaign, it could enhance his stature for gaining a major appointment or becoming a significant player, particularly if a Democrat is elected president,” said Michael Malbin, a professor of political science at the University at Albany.\n\nBut Matthew Dallek, an associate professor of political management at George Washington University, said a losing White House campaign wouldn’t come without risks.\n\n“If his legacy is that a crisis happened and he was off campaigning in Iowa, that’s significant,” Dallek said. “So yeah, there are risks.”\n\nOn the campaign trail, de Blasio will be able to cite accomplishments like expanding full-day prekindergarten and curtailing police tactics that critics said were discriminatory, while presiding over continued drops in violent crime.\n\nDe Blasio was born Warren Wilhelm Jr. in 1961 but took his mother’s family name in adulthood because, he said, his father was “largely absent from his life.” The mayor has spoken about how his father, Warren Wilhelm, a veteran who lost part of his left leg in World War II, descended into alcoholism and killed himself when de Blasio was 18.\n\nBorn in New York City, de Blasio grew up in the Boston area and has provoked New York sports fans by rooting ardently for the Boston Red Sox. He graduated from New York University and earned a master’s degree from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.\n\nDe Blasio met his wife, Chirlane McCray, when they both worked for Democratic Mayor David Dinkins. They married in 1994 and have two children, Chiara and Dante.\n\nDe Blasio was elected to a local school board in his Brooklyn neighbourhood in 1999 and won a City Council seat in 2001. In 2009, he was elected to the citywide position of public advocate, a job that holds little real power but comes with a bully pulpit that allowed de Blasio to build a reputation as a champion of regular citizens in a city built for the powerful.\n\nHe was not initially favoured to win the 2013 race for the Democratic nomination for mayor but was helped by the implosion of rival Anthony Weiner’s campaign after the disgraced former congressman was accused in a new sexting scandal.\n\nDe Blasio defeated Republican Joe Lhota by a wide margin in the 2013 general election for mayor. He won reelection in 2017, defeating Republican state Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis by 39 percentage points.\n\nWith his candidacy, de Blasio becomes the latest in a line of New York City mayors who have run for president. None has ever won.\n\nJohn Lindsay sought the office in 1972. Rudy Giuliani ran in 2008. Michael Bloomberg flirted with a run for years before ruling it out in both the 2016 and 2020 campaigns.", "New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio says he's joining crowded field of Democrats running for president in 2020\n\nWASHINGTON (AP) — New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio says he's joining crowded field of Democrats running for president in 2020.", "The mayor of America's biggest city, New York's Bill de Blasio, is jumping into a presidential race where an expansive Democratic field includes the man running a city about 99% smaller.\n\nThe second-term mayor announced Thursday that he is running for the White House. He has spent time traveling to early primary states, hinting at a possible run before becoming the 23rd Democrat to declare a candidacy. But the progressive de Blasio could still find it hard to stand out in such a crowded race, and many top Democrats and onetime allies have cautioned him against such a bid.\n\nThe risk may not seem so daunting, however, given that Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Ind. — a city with 1% of New York City's population — has gotten visibility, alongside national figures like former Vice President Joe Biden, senators including Bernie Sanders and Kamala Harris, and others.\n\nRebecca Katz, a former de Blasio aide, told a New York City podcast in February that while she thinks his message is \"100%\" right, \"I'm just not so sure he's the right messenger.\" Politico talked to others who were far more frank on background, calling a presidential campaign \"idiotic\" and \"insane.\" And even as his own wife, Chirlane McCray, said her husband would \"be a great president,\" she admitted that \"the timing is not exactly right.\" A week later McCray tried to walk that back.\n\nEven in his hometown there is little enthusiasm for a de Blasio campaign. An early April Quinnipiac University poll found that three-quarters of New York City voters don't want the mayor to run for president; just under half think his campaign would be bad for the city, including 43% of Democrats who express such concerns.\n\nDe Blasio has argued he has been counted down and out in his political campaigns before, only to succeed. He told The New York Times at the beginning of the year, \"I have spent a lot of time in dead last in many a poll in many a race. ... It's not where you start. It's where you end.\"\n\nThat was true for his ascension to Gracie Mansion. When he ran for the mayor's office in 2013, the then-New York City public advocate was at the back of the Democratic pack. But as other candidates faded or imploded, de Blasio began to gain traction, and his progressive positions earned him support from activists and celebrities. De Blasio served on the City Council before being elected public advocate in 2009.\n\nThe New York mayor's progressive platform helped him win in the first place, and since then he has lamented that he doesn't get enough credit for his achievements, including decreasing arrests in the city. He faced backlash over the decision for one of the new Amazon headquarters to locate in Queens, as well as the reversal of that decision, and he has gotten backlash over the city's transit system.\n\nEarlier this week, inside Trump Tower, de Blasio unveiled his own version of a Green New Deal for New York City, attracting pro-Trump protesters who distracted from the event.\n\nPrior to running for office himself, de Blasio was a political aide. He served as campaign manager for Hillary Clinton's successful Senate bid in 2000, but the relationship between them has become icy over the past two decades. He was slow to endorse her 2016 presidential bid, and after originally being sworn in by former President Bill Clinton, last year de Blasio chose Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton's 2016 primary rival, to swear him in for a second term.\n\nNow, de Blasio has joined a race that includes Sanders as a leading candidate.", "NEW YORK -- New York City's 109th mayor officially entered the 2020 race for president Thursday, posting a video on YouTube and then appearing with his wife on \"Good Morning America.\"Mayor Bill de Blasio's slogan is \"Working People First,\" and he joins more than 20 other candidates vying for the Democratic nomination.\"There's plenty of money in this world. There's plenty of money in this country. It's just in the wrong hands,\" de Blasio says at the beginning of the video.The mayor took direct aim at President Donald Trump, referring to him as \"Con Don.\" De Blasio, who is in his second term and sixth year as mayor, is expected to travel to Iowa on Friday.President Trump responded to the announcement on Twitter a short time later. Quinnipiac University poll back in April found that 76 percent of New Yorkers do not think de Blasio should run for president. The same poll found that 47 percent of respondents thought a de Blasio campaign would be bad for New York City.\"The first reaction is what, is he kidding?\" Democratic strategist Hank Sheinkopf said. \"But you know what, other mayors have tried, and they've also been forgotten by history. This guy has one big achievement in New York City, it's universal Pre-K, and that's a big deal. So can he run on that nationally? Not impossible. Will it work? The real strategy, wait till the left collapses and hope that he can pick up the pieces.\"De Blasio will look for a boost in three of the key early voting states.In Iowa, where union votes matter, the mayor is pro-labor. New Hampshire is close to his hometown of Boston. And South Carolina is a state with a sizable number of black voters, a group he performs well with.If he can survive until then, the field may have winnowed considerably. And polls have been wrong about him before.\"Bill de Blasio has never been a front runner in any race he's been involved in,\" Sheinkopf said. \"He was a mayor by accident. He should've lost, according to polls. Ditto for public advocate. He's prepared to take risks.\"Following the stop in Iowa Friday, sources say the mayor will head to South Carolina over the weekend.New York City Housing Authority residents protested outside the Good Morning America studios Thursday, saying they will call on the mayor to fix the NYCHA public housing authority and solve the crisis of affordable housing in New York City.De Blasio is not the first New York City mayor to run for president.Back in 1972, Mayor John Lindsay launched a bid for the White House. After he left office, Rudy Giuliani ran for the Republican nomination. Neither candidate did well in the early voting states.----------", "New York Mayor Bill de Blasio has released a video on YouTube announcing his campaign for president, which will be followed by an appearance on \"Good Morning America\" Thursday morning.\n\nHe's expected to speak to reporters in lower Manhattan later in the day. His first campaign stop Friday morning will be in Gowrie, Iowa, with his wife, Chirlane McCray. With several stops expected that day, the mayor will end the night in Sioux City. On Saturday, he'll head to South Carolina with stops in Columbia and Charleston. Sunday, he starts the day in Charleston and leaves early for his son, Dante’s, graduation.\n\nDe Blasio, who is in his second term, joins a crowded field of nearly two dozen Democrats seeking to move into the White House.\n\nThe central theme of de Blasio's campaign will be \"working people first.\"\n\nEarlier this week, de Blasio held an event at Trump Tower in New York to announce that eight of the president's signature namesake buildings would owe the city $2.1 million per year if the Trump Organization doesn't make changes to cut their greenhouse gas emissions, in New York City's version of the Green New Deal, which is set to take effect on Friday. As he took the stage, behind him were protesters holding signs that said \"failed mayor\" and \"worst mayor ever,\" as well as his face on the body of Big Bird from \"Sesame Street.\"\n\nWhen asked if the protests foreshadow what's to come for a potential bid, the mayor on Monday said: \"It means we're doing something important here in New York City, if all these people who support President Trump are opposing what we're doing. We must be doing something right.\"\n\nDe Blasio has been New York City's mayor since January 2014. In that role, he implemented universal pre-K and signed an executive order to exchange single-use plastics for compostable or recycling alternatives in an effort to reduce carbon emissions, plastic pollution and wildlife risks.\n\nIn January, de Blasio talked on \"The View\" about his plan for comprehensive health care for all New Yorkers, including 300,000 undocumented New Yorkers.\n\nDe Blasio has a history with several prominent Democrats very familiar with presidential runs. He was the campaign manager for Hillary Clinton's Senate campaign in 2000 and was sworn into office for his first term as mayor by Bill Clinton. Earlier this year, he was sworn in to his second term by Sen. Bernie Sanders.", "Bill de Blasio, mayor of New York City, pauses while speaking during a 'Green New Deal' rally in the lobby of Trump Tower in New York, U.S., on Monday, May 13, 2019.\n\nMayor Bill de Blasio officially entered the 2020 race for president Thursday morning, vowing to make his campaign a battle against corporations and the wealthy — especially fellow New Yorker Donald Trump.\n\nIn an announcement video, de Blasio touted his familiarity with the president: \"I know how to take him on.\"\n\n\"Donald Trump must be stopped,\" he added.\n\nTrump did not waste much time in ripping de Blasio's candidacy. \"He is a JOKE,\" the president tweeted Thursday morning.\n\nAfter the announcement, de Blasio travels to Iowa and South Carolina for multiple stops over the course of four days, NBC News reported Wednesday.\n\nDe Blasio, 58, has faced more resistance to his presidential aspirations — including from his own constituents — than nearly any other Democrat in the race.\n\nRecent polls from Quinnipiac University show the mayor's approval rating underwater in New York City, and 76% of New Yorkers told the pollster in April that de Blasio should not run for president. De Blasio's staunchly progressive rhetoric appears to have turned off New York Republicans: 70% of them disapproved of their mayor, according to Quinnipiac's April poll.\n\nHe is not particularly popular in early surveys of Iowa and New Hampshire either.\n\nNevertheless, de Blasio took a number of steps signaling his intention to run for the White House. The New York Times reported that de Blasio traveled to battleground states, held pricey donor events and spoke at high-profile political conferences.", "New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio entered the 2020 Democratic presidential primary Thursday morning, setting himself up as the best candidate in a 23-person race to challenge President Donald Trump.\n\nIn a video posted online, de Blasio outlined a number of policies he championed in the city, including a $15 minimum wage, guaranteed health care and paid sick leave. He also took direct aim at Trump, calling the President a “bully” and saying he was best equipped to beat him in 2020.\n\n“I’m a New Yorker, I’ve known Trump’s a bully for a long time. This is not news to me or anyone else here. And I know how to take him on,” de Blasio said. “Don’t back down in the face of a bully — confront him, take him on.”\n\nHe added: “Donald Trump must be stopped — I’ve beaten him before and I will do it again. I’m Bill de Blasio, and I’m running for president because it’s time we put working people first.”\n\nDe Blasio’s Thursday entrance into the race, which was first reported by NBC News, brings the total number of candidates to 23 nearly nine months before the first votes are cast.\n\nDe Blasio will head out on the trail almost immediately following an appearance on ABC’s Good Morning America, traveling to Iowa and South Carolina on his early itinerary. The two-term mayor, who in 2017 became the first Democrat re-elected to his office in more than three decades, joins the race after months of deliberations and a handful of visits to early states like Iowa and New Hampshire.\n\nEven before he made his plans official, de Blasio has come under fire — and some mockery — from the city’s unrelenting press corps, a group he’s clashed with repeatedly over the years and which openly delights in the mayor’s every misstep or misfortune. Still, his national profile is less defined, and de Blasio, as he introduces himself to Democrats outside New York, is expected to sell a record of progressive policy wins — bolstered by a racially diverse coalition of support — in a city with more residents than the home states of some of his rivals.\n\nThe questions dogging de Blasio, which tend to boil down to a simple “Why?,” will be familiar to him. His first campaign for mayor was greeted with similar skepticism and doubt, if not the hostility and contempt generated by his presidential ambitions. Whether de Blasio can transform those perceptions on the national stage — where he’s already been roasted by The Onion, which joked in a headline last week, “De Blasio PAC Spends $30 Million On Ads Urging Candidate Not To Embarrass Self By Running” — will be his first test.\n\n“I think Bill de Blasio has a toxic relationship with the press corps that covers him. It goes both ways,” former aide Rebecca Katz, who is not involved in his new campaign, told CNN. “And that’s going to make it very hard for this run because wherever he will be, whatever small town in Iowa or New Hampshire, he will have NY1 and the New York Post front and center. Whether he likes it or not.”\n\nThe Post has already been alongside the mayor during some early test runs. When he got caught in an Iowa snowstorm, it crowed over his decision — reportedly unsuccessful — to drive through the blizzard. When he was forced to stopover at a motel, the tabloid gleefully reported that, “instead of enjoying some of the Hawkeye State’s award-winning barbecue or succulent steaks, he had to make do with a microwaved burrito.”\n\nBut the press hasn’t been all bad — even when it’s been critical.\n\nDe Blasio’s climate protest this week outside Trump Tower, which had to be moved inside Trump Tower because of the weather, set off a Twitter clash with President Donald Trump’s son, Eric. Their back-and-forth led Fox News host and Trump super-ally Sean Hannity to name de Blasio his “Villain of the Day” — a designation most Democratic primary candidates would gladly wear.\n\nDe Blasio’s candidacy begins now in earnest now, but he has been running against Trump and national Republicans for some time. At his November 2017 re-election party in Brooklyn, he said the city had “sent a message: You can’t take on New York values and win, Mr. President. If you turn against the values of your hometown, your hometown will fight back.”\n\nWhen the Alabama state legislature passed its near total abortion ban this week, he called it “vile and illegal” in a tweet and then urged the state’s Republican governor, Kay Ivey, to come down “on the right side of history” and veto the bill.\n\nDe Blasio’s status at home has taken a hit as he ventured more openly into national politics. The popular policies — like universal pre-K and raising the minimum wage — have mostly disappeared from the headlines, which have focused on speculation over potential fundraising scandals and stories about the mayor’s commuting habits.\n\nThe murder rate in New York City is low and declined again last year, but economic inequality — the focus of de Blasio’s first campaign — remains a problem, as does the public housing authority, which has left many tenants living in squalor. De Blasio’s constant feuding with New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, most visibly over the city’s troubled subway system, which is run by the state, also means he won’t enter this primary with much support from statewide leaders.\n\nStill, predictions of de Blasio’s imminent unraveling should be tempered — as history suggests.\n\n“There was no one who believed Bill de Blasio was going to win (in 2013),” Katz said. “Everyone thought he was crazy. He was in single digits right up until a few months before Election Day and he proved them wrong and then he went ahead and prove the pundits wrong when they said he couldn’t get universal Pre-K done, and then did in his first year.”", "New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, an unapologetically progressive Democrat who has been a frequent critic of the Trump administration’s policies, has decided to go after the president’s job.\n\nDe Blasio, 57, launched his candidacy for president on Thursday with the central campaign message, “Working People First,” after months of speculation that he would add his name to a growing list of Democrats eager to take on President Donald Trump in the 2020 election.\n\nIn a video released on Thursday, de Blasio returned to the theme of income inequality that animated his first mayoral campaign in 2013, when he emerged as a leading voice for the burgeoning left wing that has since reshaped his party.\n\n“People in every part of this country feel stuck or even like they’re going backwards,” he said in the video. “But the rich got richer.”\n\nThe mayor, who is barred from seeking a third four-year term in 2021, has struggled to build a national profile, even as he has been eclipsed in the national consciousness by other progressives like U.S. senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, who are now his rivals for the presidency.\n\nHe is scheduled to travel to the early-voting states of Iowa and South Carolina this weekend to begin campaigning.\n\n In the video, the mayor emphasized his record of progressive accomplishments, including universal pre-kindergarten, a $15 minimum wage and paid sick leave, all in a city that has a bigger population, more than 8 million, than most U.S. states.\n\nHe also promised to stand up to Trump.\n\n“Don’t back down in the face of a bully,” he said. “Confront him and take him on.”\n\nStill, de Blasio faces an uphill battle to stand out among nearly two dozen Democratic contenders, including former\n\n Vice President Joe Biden and a long list of experienced politicians.\n\nMost New Yorkers appear unenthusiastic about de Blasio’s presidential aspirations. A Quinnipiac University poll in April found more than three-quarters of New Yorkers did not feel he should make a White House bid.\n\nHis popularity took a hit after a federal investigation found the mayor made inquiries to city agencies on behalf of donors, though it cleared him of criminal wrongdoing. De Blasio has denied misconduct, saying he acted appropriately at all times.\n\nDe Blasio has sharply criticized Trump on issues like climate change, immigration and policing. On Monday, he held a news conference inside Trump Tower to call on the Trump Organization to meet newly enacted emissions standards in their skyscrapers, or face significant fines.\n\nIn a preview of what could be to come, the event drew scathing insults on Twitter from Trump’s two oldest sons, Eric and Donald Jr., who run the family company. The president retweeted a message from Eric Trump slamming de Blasio’s stewardship of his family’s hometown."], "summary": "Mayor of New York City Bill de Blasio announces he is running for the Democratic Party's nomination to be President of the United States in the 2020 presidential election."}
{"document": ["WASHINGTON — President Trump on Thursday will unveil a plan to overhaul parts of the nation’s immigration system that would impose new security measures at the border and significantly increase the educational and skills requirements for people allowed to migrate to the United States.\n\nThe proposal, senior administration officials said on Wednesday, would vastly scale back the system of family-based immigration that for decades has allowed immigrants to bring their spouses and children to live with them, the officials said. In its place, the new plan would provide opportunities for immigrants who have specific skills or job offers to work in the United States, provided they can demonstrate English proficiency and educational attainment, and pass a civics exam.\n\nJared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and a White House adviser, spent months working on the plan, which will serve as a central part of Mr. Trump’s re-election campaign message. Working with him was Stephen Miller, the president’s top immigration adviser, but the plan falls short of the more extreme measures that Mr. Miller has long pressed the president to adopt and that have long been opposed by Democrats in Congress.\n\n[Update: Trump’s immigration plan gets a Rose Garden rollout and a cool reception.]\n\nAttempts by Mr. Trump’s two predecessors, George W. Bush and Barack Obama, to overcome those kinds of differences and achieve a bipartisan consensus on immigration policy ended in failure. Since then, the divisions between the parties have only worsened, and there is little chance the new proposal will change that. For different reasons, the broad outlines of the plan described on Wednesday are certain to be unpopular with lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.", "WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on President Donald Trump's immigration plan (all times local):\n\nPresident Donald Trump says that if Democrats won't adopt his merit-based immigration plan, he'll get it passed after the election.\n\nTrump on Thursday unveiled his proposal in a Rose Garden news conference with little hard-line rhetoric. He says he wants to recruit the \"most brilliant\" people to live in the U.S. through a system that rewards talent and brains.\n\nTrump is seeking to put a softer facade on the signature issue from his first campaign as he eyes a 2020 reelection. He said Thursday it was time to \"restore national unity.\"\n\nHe suggested the plan could get passed after the 2020 election if necessary because the House could flip back to the GOP.\n\nPresident Donald Trump says the immigration plan he's proposing would prioritize \"totally brilliant\" immigrants.\n\nTrump on Thursday laid out a merit-based plan that would give preferential treatment to high-skilled workers. He says right now the U.S. immigration laws \"discriminate against genius\" and \"discriminate against brilliance\" because most of the green cards are given to low-skilled people who would make low wages.\n\nUnder the plan, the country would award the same number of green cards as it now does. But far more would go to exceptional students, professionals and people with high-level and vocational degrees. Factors such as age, English language ability and employment offers would also be considered.\n\nFar fewer green cards would be given to people with relatives already in the U.S. Fifty-seven percent would be awarded on merit as opposed to the current 12%.\n\nPresident Donald Trump is laying out a new immigration plan to convince the public and lawmakers that the U.S. legal migration system needs to be overhauled.\n\nTrump, speaking Thursday in the Rose Garden, says his plan aims to create a \"fair, modern and lawful system of immigration for the United States.\" He says: \"It's about time.\"\n\nThe latest effort, spearheaded by Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner, focuses on beefing up border security and rethinking the nation's green card system so that it would favor people with high-level skills, degrees and job offers instead of relatives of those already in the country.\n\nThe plan is not yet embraced by his own party — let alone Democrats — and faces an uphill battle in Congress.\n\nHouse Speaker Nancy Pelosi says President Donald Trump's emphasis on merit-based immigration is \"condescending\" because families have merit, too.\n\nTrump is unveiling a new immigration proposal and Pelosi told reporters she welcomes White House officials who want to come to Capitol Hill to brief lawmakers.\n\nBut shifting away from a family-based immigration system to one that favors immigrants with high skills is running into resistance from Democrats.\n\nPelosi said they want to attract \"the best to our country.\" But she asked if Trump means family is without merit. She said it's what merit means \"in the eyes of Donald Trump.\"\n\nTrump's plan does not include protections for immigrants known as Dreamers, and Pelosi said Democrats want to help those young people who were brought here illegally in childhood.\n\nWhite House press secretary Sarah Sanders says President Donald Trump's immigration plan doesn't include young \"Dreamer\" immigrants because past plans involving them have failed.\n\nTrump, who's rolling out his plan later Thursday, has dismayed Democrats by trying to end the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. DACA protects hundreds of thousands of young people who were brought to the United States illegally as children.\n\nSanders tells reporters that \"every single time that we have put forward or anyone else has put forward any type of immigration plan that has included DACA it's failed.\"\n\nTrump's latest plan has been spearheaded by his son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner. It focuses on border security and overhauling the legal immigration system to favor people with skills, rather than favoring family ties.\n\nA new immigration proposal from President Donald Trump focuses on bolstering border security and rethinking the green card system.\n\nThe shift would favor people with high-level skills, degrees and job offers instead of relatives of those already in the country.\n\nTrump is scheduled to roll out the plan Thursday afternoon at the White House. Democrats already criticizing it, and some Republicans have reservations as well.\n\nThe plan, as previewed by the White House, doesn't address the millions of immigrants already living in the country illegally. They include hundreds of thousands of young \"Dreamers\" brought to the U.S. as children. Their fate is a priority for Democrats.\n\nThe plan also doesn't reduce overall rates of immigration, as many conservatives would like to see.", "WASHINGTON -- Setting aside some of his hard-line rhetoric on illegal immigration, President Donald Trump said Thursday that he wanted to recruit \"top talent\" to the nation as he unveiled his latest efforts to reform residency laws after years of setbacks and stalemates.\"We discriminate against genius,\" Trump said of current policies, which he contended excessively favor family based immigration. \"We discriminate against brilliance. We won't anymore once we get this passed.\"The latest effort, spearheaded by Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner, focuses on beefing up border security and rethinking the nation's green card system so that it would favor people with high-level skills, degrees and job offers instead of relatives of those already in the country. The proposed shift to a more merit-based system prioritizing high-skilled workers would mark a dramatic departure from the nation's largely family based approach, which officials said gives roughly 66% of green cards to those with family ties and 12% based on skills.The president's plan, unveiled in a Rose Garden ceremony, has yet to be embraced by his own party - let alone Democrats - and faces dubious prospects in a divided Congress. The show of magnanimity comes as Trump seeks to put a softer facade on the signature campaign issue from his first campaign as he eyes his 2020 reelection.\"Our plan is pro-American, pro-immigrant and pro-worker,\" Trump said, adding that it contrasts with what he called Democrats' support of \"chaos.\"Efforts to overhaul the immigration system have gone nowhere for three decades amid deep partisan divisions. Prospects for an agreement seem especially bleak as the 2020 elections near, though the plan could give Trump and the GOP a proposal to rally behind, even as Democrats signaled their opposition.House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Trump's emphasis on merit-based immigration is \"condescending\" because families have merit, too.The plan does not address what to do about the millions of immigrants already living in the country illegally, including hundreds of thousands of young \"Dreamers\" brought to the U.S. as children - a top priority for Democrats. Nor does it reduce overall rates of immigration, as many conservative Republicans would like to see.White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said \"Dreamer\" immigrants were not included in Trump's new plan because past proposals involving them have failed.In briefings Wednesday that attracted dozens of journalists and outside allies, administration officials said the plan would create a points-based visa system, similar to those used by Canada and other countries.Under the new plan, the U.S. would award the same number of green cards as it now does. But far more would go to exceptional students, professionals and people with high-level and vocational degrees. Factors such as age, English language ability and employment offers would also be considered.The diversity visa lottery, which offers green cards to citizens of countries with historically low rates of immigration to the U.S., would be eliminated.As part of the plan, officials want to shore up ports of entry to ensure all vehicles and people are screened and to create a self-sustaining fund, paid for with increased fees, to modernize ports of entry.The plan also calls for building border wall in targeted locations and continues a push for an overhaul to the U.S. asylum system, with the goal of processing fewer applications and removing people who don't qualify faster.While the officials insisted their effort was not a \"political\" plan, they nonetheless framed it as one they hoped Republicans would unite behind, making clear to voters what the party is \"for.\"\"I don't think it's designed to get Democratic support as much as it is to unify the Republican Party around border security, a negotiating position,\" said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a close ally of the White House.Indeed, the plan drew immediate criticism from Democrats as well as immigration activists, who remain deeply skeptical of Trump after past negotiation failures.Democrats and some Republicans tried crafting a compromise with Trump last year that would have helped young Dreamer immigrants and added money for border security. But those talks collapsed over White House demands to curb legal immigration and a dramatic Senate showdown in which lawmakers rejected three rival proposals that aligned with the \"four pillars\" immigration plan Trump unveiled that year.Lisa Koop, director of legal services at the National Immigrant Justice Center, also criticized the various planks of the proposal, including its failure to address those brought to the U.S. illegally as children who are currently protected from deportation by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy, or DACA, which Trump has tried to end.\"A plan that forces families apart, limits access to asylum and other humanitarian relief, and doesn't contemplate a path to citizenship for DACA recipients and other undocumented community members is clearly a political stunt intended to posture rather than problem-solve,\" she said.Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, which advocates for lower immigration rates, applauded a \"very positive effort\" on legal immigration, but said it was \"undermined by the embrace of the current very high level of immigration.\"Republicans on Capitol Hill, too, voiced skepticism. A PowerPoint presentation shared with reporters Wednesday referred to the plan as \"The Republican Proposal,\" even though many GOP members had yet to see it.", "President Donald Trump speaks about modernizing the immigration system in the Rose Garden of the White House, Thursday, May 16, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)\n\nPresident Donald Trump speaks about modernizing the immigration system in the Rose Garden of the White House, Thursday, May 16, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)\n\nPresident Trump says his new immigration reform plan “will transform America’s immigration system.” In a White House speech, Trump and said it will create a fair, modern and lawful immigration system.\n\nThe proposal aims to move the U.S. toward a merit-based immigration system. It does not address Dreamers, the millions of young men and women who were brought into the U.S. illegally as children. He also took a shot at Democrats, saying they are for open borders and “lawless chaos.”", "After years of setbacks and stalemates, President Donald Trump will lay out yet another immigration plan on Thursday as he tries to convince the American public and lawmakers that the nation's legal immigration system should be overhauled.\n\nThe latest effort, spearheaded by Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner, focuses on beefing up border security and rethinking the green card system so that it would favor people with high-level skills, degrees and job offers instead of relatives of those already in the country.\n\nA shift to a more merit-based system prioritizing high-skilled workers would mark a dramatic departure from the nation's largely family-based approach, which officials said gives roughly 66% of green cards to those with family ties and only 12% based on skills.\n\nBut the plan, which has yet to be embraced by Trump's own party — let alone Democrats — faces an uphill battle in Congress, where efforts to overhaul the immigration system have gone nowhere for three decades amid deeply divided Republicans and Democrats. Prospects for an agreement seem especially bleak as the 2020 elections near, though the plan could give Trump and the GOP a proposal to rally behind, even if talks with Democrats go nowhere.\n\nThe plan does not address what to do about the millions of immigrants already living in the country illegally, including hundreds of thousands of young \"Dreamers\" brought to the U.S. as children — a top priority for Democrats. Nor does it reduce overall rates of immigration, as many conservative Republicans would like to see.\n\nTrump will nonetheless deliver a Rose Garden speech Thursday throwing his weight behind the plan, which has thus far received mixed reviews from Republicans in the Senate.\n\nIn briefings Wednesday that attracted dozens of journalists, administration officials said the plan would create a points-based visa system, similar to those used by Canada and other countries.\n\nThe officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to outline the plan before Trump's announcement, said the U.S. would award the same number of green cards as it now does. But far more would go to exceptional students so they can remain in the country after graduation, professionals and people with high-level and vocational degrees. Factors such as age, English language ability and employment offers would also be taken into account.\n\nFar fewer green cards would be given to people with relatives already in the U.S. and 57% versus the current 12% would be awarded based on merit. The diversity visa lottery, which offers green cards to citizens of countries with historically low rates of immigration to the U.S., would be eliminated. Officials insisted diversity would be addressed in other ways.\n\nThe officials offered fewer specifics on border security, which is expected to remain a key focus for Trump as he campaigns for reelection. Trump has been furiously railing against the spike in Central American migrant families trying to enter the country, and he forced a government shutdown in a failed effort to fulfill his 2016 promise to build a southern border wall.\n\nAs part of the plan, officials want to shore up ports of entry to ensure all vehicles and people are screened and to create a self-sustaining fund, paid for with increased fees, to modernize ports of entry.\n\nThe plan also calls for building border wall in targeted locations and continues to push for an overhaul to the U.S. asylum system, with the goal of processing fewer applications and removing people who don't qualify faster.\n\nWhile the officials insisted their effort was not a \"political\" plan, they nonetheless framed it as one they hoped Republicans would unite behind, making clear to voters what the party is \"for.\"\n\n\"I don't think it's designed to get Democratic support as much as it is to unify the Republican Party around border security, a negotiating position,\" said Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a close ally of the White House.\n\nIndeed, the plan drew immediate criticism from Democrats as well as immigration activists, who remain deeply skeptical of Trump after past negotiation failures.\n\nDemocrats and some Republicans tried crafting a compromise with Trump last year that would have helped young Dreamer immigrants and added money for border security. But those talks collapsed over White House demands to curb legal immigration and a dramatic Senate showdown in which lawmakers rejected three rival proposals that aligned with the \"four pillars\" immigration plan Trump unveiled that year.\n\nSenate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer criticized the White House for failing to engage in talks with Democrats over the latest proposal.\n\n\"Don't come up with a plan that Stephen Miller rubber stamps and say, 'Now, pass it.' It's not going to happen,\" Schumer, D-N.Y., said, referring to Trump's hard-line policy adviser.\n\nLisa Koop, director of legal services at the National Immigrant Justice Center, also criticized the various planks of the proposal, including its failure to address those brought to the U.S. illegally as children who are currently protected from deportation by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy, or DACA, which Trump has tried to end.\n\n\"A plan that forces families apart, limits access to asylum and other humanitarian relief, and doesn't contemplate a path to citizenship for DACA recipients and other undocumented community members is clearly a political stunt intended to posture rather than problem-solve,\" she said.\n\nMark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration Studies, which advocates for lower immigration rates, applauded a \"very positive effort\" on legal immigration, but said it was \"undermined by the embrace of the current very high level of immigration.\"", "WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday said he wants to overhaul the immigration system to favour young, educated, English-speaking applicants with job offers instead of people with family ties to Americans, a plan with little chance of advancing in Congress.\n\nTrump’s plan, roundly panned by Democrats and immigration advocacy groups, is aimed at trying to unite Republicans - some who want to boost immigration, others who want to restrict it - ahead of the November 2020 presidential and congressional elections.\n\n“If for some reason, possibly political, we can’t get the Democrats to approve this merit-based, high-security plan, then we will get it approved immediately after the election when we take back the House (of Representatives), keep the Senate, and, of course, hold the presidency,” Trump said in a Rose Garden address to Republican lawmakers and Cabinet members.\n\nCurrently, about two-thirds of the 1.1 million people allowed to emigrate to the United States each year are given green cards granting permanent residency because of family ties.\n\nTrump proposed keeping the overall numbers steady, but shift to a “merit-based” system similar to one used in Canada - a plan he said would result in 57% of green cards to be based on employment and skills.\n\nAhead of the speech, Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said “merit” was a “condescending” term.\n\n“Are they saying family is without merit? Are they saying most of the people who have ever come to the United States in the history of our country, are without merit, because they don’t have an engineering degree?” Pelosi told reporters.\n\nThe plan was developed by Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner, and Stephen Miller, an adviser known for his hard line on immigration issues.\n\nDemocratic support would be needed to advance any legislation through the Republican-led Senate - let alone the Democratic-controlled House.\n\nSenate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer criticized the White House for failing to consult with Democratic lawmakers, and said that showed the proposal was not serious.\n\nTrump’s plan included proposals to beef up security at the border to try to prevent people from crossing illegally and legal changes aimed at curbing a flood of Central American migrants seeking asylum.\n\nBut it left aside the thorny issue of how to deal with the roughly 11 million immigrants living in the country illegally - many for years - and protections for “Dreamer” children brought to the country illegally, a top priority for Democratic lawmakers.\n\n“To say it’s dead on arrival would be generous,” said Pili Tobar, deputy director of America’s Voice, a group that advocates for undocumented immigrants.\n\nThe plan also does not include provisions to help farmers and other seasonal employers obtain more guest workers, or reforms for technology visa programs.\n\nBusiness groups said the plan was a good first step but emphasized solutions needed to be broader and bipartisan.\n\n“It should also incorporate policies to improve access to temporary workers with skills needed in the marketplace and provide a practical solution for undocumented immigrants and those living under temporary relief from removal, including Dreamers,” the Business Roundtable - a group of chief executives from large companies - said in a statement.", "Washington: US President Donald Trump has launched a new attempt to reform the immigration system in the US. Trump presented a plan aimed at stopping illegal immigration and creating an immigration-based system of benefits.\n\nHowever, it is currently unlikely that the initiative will find broad support in Congress. The Democrats were already sharply criticizing. Trump relies on their support because the party has a majority in the House of Representatives.\n\nTrump said it was time to reform the immigration system. His plan put \"the jobs, wages and security of American workers\" first. The Republican again criticized that immigrants under the current system can come to the US because they have family members in the country. The current laws would also prevent \"totally brilliant\" people from immigrating.\n\nThe Democrats made it clear that they had no interest in supporting Trump's plan. Senate Democratic faction leader Chuck Schumer said the deal included the same radical policy that Trump's government had been following for the past two years.\n\nBoth Trump's Democratic predecessor Barack Obama and Republican President George W. Bush had tried to reform the immigration system, but had failed.", "WASHINGTON: In a major policy speech Thursday, US President Donald Trump is all set to announce a new proposal to overhaul the country's immigration policy that would give preference to foreigners based on merit rather than the existing system that gives preference to family ties, a move that could end the agonising Green Card wait for hundreds and thousands of Indian professionals.Brainchild of Trump's son-in-law, Jarred Kushner, the new plan primarily focusses on strengthening border security and revamping the system of Green Card or legal permanent residency so that people with merit, higher degrees and professional qualifications could get an easy access to the immigration system.As of now, about 66 per cent of the green cards are given to those with family ties and only 12 per cent are based on skills. The Trump Administration intends to change this. Trump is scheduled to roll out his plan at the Rose Garden of the White House Thursday afternoon.However, the plan faces an uphill task mainly because of the bitterly divided Congress on partisan lines, especially on the issue of immigration reform.Even if Trump succeeds in convincing his Republican lawmakers on this, the opposition Democrats, led by Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, House Speaker, and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, are dead against any such legislative success to the president.The Trump Administration is well aware of the issue. It is planning to make it an election issue in 2020 if the opposition Democrats are unwilling to be engaged on this, a senior administration official told reporters during an interaction on the eve of the rollout of the merit-based immigration policy.\"It is going to be a very detailed piece of legislation and it can be what they want it to be. If they do not want to engage, then it will be part of the election. If they want to engage, then it could be part of a negotiation. That is going to be up to them,\" said the official who requested anonymity.Both Trump and Kushner are believed to have briefed Republican lawmakers on the issue.In his speech, Trump is unlikely to propose changes in the existing number -- 1.1 million -- of green cards issued each year. Instead, the new policy calls for issuing more than half of the green cards to those based on employment or skills.Such a move is likely to benefit hundreds and thousands of Indian professionals on H-1B visa whose current Green Card wait, on an average, is more than a decade.According to the details given by the senior administration official, the proposed system mirrors the point-based system of countries like Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Japan.Officials said the plan would favour those immigrants who are exceptional students, those with \"extraordinary talent\" and people who work in professional and specialised vocations.The applicants would receive points for age, English proficiency and offers of employment at a certain wage threshold in order to protect low-wage American workers, the official said.", "Setting aside some of his hard-line rhetoric on illegal immigration, President Donald Trump said Thursday that he wanted to recruit “top talent” to the nation as he unveiled his latest efforts to reform residency laws after years of setbacks and stalemates.\n\n“We discriminate against genius,” Trump said of current policies, which he contended excessively favor family based immigration. “We discriminate against brilliance. We won’t anymore once we get this passed.”\n\nThe latest effort, spearheaded by Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner, focuses on beefing up border security and rethinking the nation’s green card system so that it would favor people with high-level skills, degrees and job offers instead of relatives of those already in the country. The proposed shift to a more merit-based system prioritizing high-skilled workers would mark a dramatic departure from the nation’s largely family based approach, which officials said gives roughly 66% of green cards to those with family ties and 12% based on skills.\n\nThe president’s plan, unveiled in a Rose Garden ceremony, has yet to be embraced by his own party — let alone Democrats — and faces dubious prospects in a divided Congress. The show of magnanimity comes as Trump seeks to put a softer facade on the signature campaign issue from his first campaign as he eyes his 2020 reelection.\n\n“Our plan is pro-American, pro-immigrant and pro-worker,” Trump said, adding that it contrasts with what he called Democrats’ support of “chaos.”\n\nEfforts to overhaul the immigration system have gone nowhere for three decades amid deep partisan divisions. Prospects for an agreement seem especially bleak as the 2020 elections near, though the plan could give Trump and the GOP a proposal to rally behind, even as Democrats signaled their opposition.", "President Donald Trump's proposed plan to overhaul the U.S. immigration system would have made it more difficult for his in-laws to migrate to the United States.\n\nFirst lady Melania Trump, who immigrated from Slovenia in 1996 for modeling, likely brought her parents over through a family unification process that Trump wants to limit, immigration experts say.\n\nThe president announced Thursday the contours of a plan that would include increasing the percent of highly skilled immigrants and decreasing those sponsored by family members living lawfully in the United States.\n\nAbout two-thirds of green cards are issued to people through family ties, and 12 percent are based on merit. The White House wants 57 percent of all green cards to be given to highly skilled workers and just a third to family, with priority given to spouses and children.\n\n\"The loved ones you choose to build a life with, we prioritize\" Trump said during his Rose Garden speech announcing the plan. \"And we have to do that. They go right to the front of the line. Right to the front of the line, where they should be.\"\n\nBecause Trump does not intend to increase the number of green cards issued per year, that would mean the parent category would be significantly cut if not eliminated, said Julia Gelatt of the Migration Policy Institute.\n\n\"When you play out the numbers, in order to get there, you'd have to cut most categories of family sponsorship,\" she said.\n\nMelania Trump's parents, Viktor and Amalija Knavs, most likely came to the United States via family sponsorship. The only other way would have been through employer sponsorship and the Knavses are reportedly retired.\n\nIt is unclear when the Knavses first moved to the United States, but by late 2007, Viktor Knavs was listed in public records as residing at Mar-a-Lago, Trump's private club in Palm Beach, Florida. They became U.S. citizens last August.\n\nDavid Leopold, past president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, dismissed Trump's plan as a campaign ploy but said it was no surprise Trump is seeking to devastate family reunifications.\n\n\"That is the consistent theme of this administration,\" he said, \"Yet, Melania has benefited from the immigration system, his in-laws are here because of the immigration system. He demonizes immigrants when he is benefiting and profiting from undocumented workers at his golf club.\"\n\n\"For them to talk about the immigration system is an absolute joke and it's shameful,\" Leopold said.\n\nShoba Sivaprasad Wadhia, founder of the University of Pennsylvania law school's Center for Immigrants' Rights Clinic, said Trump's proposal to restrict family immigration undermines American values.\n\n\"Family has long been a core value in our immigration law,\" she said. \"The real impact of Trump's plan is that family would be diminished, longtime residents in the United States would be devalued, and a slice of 'skills' would be favored.\"\n\nGet the latest election news, live updates and election schedule for Lok Sabha Elections 2019 on ndtv.com/elections. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagram for updates from each of the 543 parliamentary seats for the 2019 Indian general elections. Election results will be out on May 23."], "summary": "U.S. President Donald Trump proposes a new immigration plan based on merits such as college degrees and skilled trades and less on family ties."}
{"document": ["WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. law enforcement officers raided the Venezuelan Embassy on Thursday to oust a small group protesting U.S. policy toward the oil-rich country, paving the way for the diplomatic compound to be handed to the U.S. envoy of opposition leader Juan Guaido.\n\nSupporters of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido celebrate outside the Venezuelan embassy to the United States after U.S. law enforcement officers arrested and removed the remaining activists sympathetic to embattled President Nicolas Maduro who had been part of a multi-week occupation of the embassy in Washington, U.S., May 16, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst\n\nSince mid-April, members of three activist groups have been occupying the embassy, a red brick building in the upscale Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, where they say they are “invited guests” of the Venezuelan government.\n\nThe activists oppose U.S. intervention in Venezuela to oust President Nicolas Maduro in favor of Guaido, self-proclaimed interim president of the OPEC-member nation.\n\n“I am here standing before you announcing that we have recovered this building thanks to the Venezuelan diaspora,” Carlos Vecchio, Guaido’s representative in Washington, told a group of supporters outside the building late on Thursday.\n\nVecchio also thanked President Donald Trump’s administration. The building was undergoing safety checks and would be open for business soon, he said.\n\nAuthorities arrested the last four protesters on Thursday after utilities for the building were cut off and they ignored an eviction order, the groups say.\n\nA spokesman for Pepco, Washington’s energy utility, said the company does not discuss service to individual properties.\n\nThe U.S. Secret Service confirmed officers had helped agents from the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service execute arrest warrants against people inside the embassy.\n\nA U.S. State Department spokeswoman said the government of Guaido, whom the United States recognizes as the leader of Venezuela, asked for U.S. assistance in removing the protesters from the embassy.\n\n“The Venezuelan government, led by Interim President Juan Guaido ... has asked the trespassers to depart the premises,” the spokeswoman said.\n\nNeither agency identified what charges the protesters faced.\n\nTensions have escalated between the United States and Venezuela as Washington has ratcheted up pressure against the government of Maduro, which it says is illegitimate.\n\nThe United States has imposed sanctions against Venezuelan leaders, ordered the withdrawal of diplomatic personnel from Venezuela in March and, on Wednesday, suspended passenger and cargo flights between the United States and Venezuela.\n\nMaduro, who has branded Guaido a U.S. puppet seeking to oust him in a coup, broke off relations with Washington after it recognized Guaido and recalled diplomatic and consular staff.\n\nRepresentatives of Guaido took control of three of the country’s diplomatic properties in the United States in March.\n\nAt its peak, about 50 people from three groups had occupied the Venezuelan Embassy, according to Medea Benjamin, a co-founder of Code Pink, one of the groups involved.", "American police have forcibly removed four protesters who have been living inside the Venezuelan Embassy in Washington DC, for more than a month — leading critics to claim that the US is violating the Vienna Convention.\n\nThe embassy has been the site of a standoff between supporters of the country’s president, Nicolas Maduro, and backers of opposition leader Juan Guaido, who Donald Trump has recognised as the interim president of Venezuela.\n\nAs conflict continues back home in Venezuela, Mr Guaido’s appointed ambassador to the US, Carlos Vecchio, said that the removal of the four protesters represents a liberation for the embassy.\n\nWe’ll tell you what’s true. You can form your own view. From 15p €0.18 $0.18 USD 0.27 a day, more exclusives, analysis and extras.\n\nWhile Washington police and federal authorities were seen entering the embassy on Thursday morning, no official comment has been made related to the circumstances, according to the Washington Post.\n\nCode Pink, an international peace and social justice group, identified the four protesters arrested in the Venezuelan embassy as Kevin Zeese, Margaret Flowers, Adrienne Pine, and David Paul.\n\nShape Created with Sketch. Venezuelans seek joy amid the chaos Show all 24 left Created with Sketch. right Created with Sketch. Shape Created with Sketch. Venezuelans seek joy amid the chaos 1/24 Children play while attending a birthday party celebration at Catia neighbourhood Reuters 2/24 Anderson Rodriguez trains on a slackline at a National Circus of Venezuela venue in Caracas Reuters 3/24 A child climbs on a bike to see an amusement park with an illuminated ferris wheel in Caracas Reuters 4/24 Andrew rides a small tricycle on the rooftop of his family house in Caracas's Catia neighbourhood Reuters 5/24 A child reacts next to members of a folk group dressed as devils while taking part in the celebration of Los Palmeros de Chacao, a Holy Week tradition, in Caracas Reuters 6/24 Members of Family Rose softball team put their hands together before a match at Lecuna Avenue softball pitch in Caracas. \"After the game we always had a few beers. But now they are too expensive,\" said Felix Babaza Reuters 7/24 Oriana Contreras and her niece ride a roller coaster at Italo Americano amusement park in Caracas. Contreras said, \"Sometimes, the quotidian things bore, more the situation which we are going through. We try to have fun with what we can.\" Reuters 8/24 Members of a folk group take part in the celebration of Palmeros de Chacao Reuters 9/24 A bird is seen inside a cage in front of the beach at La Guaira near Caracas Reuters 10/24 Leonel Martinez, who works as soldier, kisses his girlfriend as they spend a day at Coral beach in La Guaira. \"It's a way to think about something besides what is happening in the country,\" said Martinez. \"It's not something you can do every day, because of the situation in the country.\" Reuters 11/24 A young boy practices on a unicycle while hula hooping at the Teresa Carreno theatre area where friends meet to practice in Caracas Reuters 12/24 Ana Gabriela Alzola and Deniali Vega pose for a photograph at a backdrop used by customers to take pictures inside a mall in Caracas Reuters 13/24 Carmelo Gonzalez dances salsa at El Venezolano square where he meets a seniors club every Friday, Saturday and Sunday afternoon in Caracas. Gonzalez said, \"I have fun and I work. The pension helps me a bit. You have to enjoy life, after you die there is nothing else.\" Reuters 14/24 Children pose for a photograph on a disused tank displayed at Los Proceres boulevard in Caracas Reuters 15/24 A boy flies a homemade kite next to Gran Mision Vivienda housing project in Caracas. The children make their own kites using a plastic bag, sticks and a nylon line. \"Most expensive is the nylon cone, which is 10 thousand Bolivar notes (approximately 3 US dollars),\" said Luis Flores Reuters 16/24 Arianny Itriago sits during her quinceanera (15th birthday celebration) at Catia neighbourhood. Arianny's father, Ronny, said, \"It's a family tradition to celebrate a quinceanera. Now everything is hyper expensive in our country. Everything is handled based on the US dollar, our Bolivars do not have much weight due to inflation, we are practically dollarized... The music that we hired was 80 or 90 US dollars.\" Reuters 17/24 Genesis Gonzalez arranges her mortarboard before posing for a photograph at Valle Arriba lookout point in Caracas. Genesis's father, Rafael, said, \"My daughter is a Psychology Graduate of the Catholic University Andres Bello, despite the adversity, we must celebrate these things.\" Reuters 18/24 A man looks at pinatas at a birthday supplies shop in Caracas. The manager of the shop said, \"People were coming after work or early on Saturdays to buy birthday supplies. Now few people come.\" Reuters 19/24 Children walk along a breakwater at Coral beach in La Guaira near Caracas. \"A person who has a minimum wage can't come [to the beach]. The anguish that has all Venezuelans is food. First the flour and the rice.\" said Carla Cordova Reuters 20/24 Yeafersonth Manrique whose nickname is B-Boy Chispa practices break dancing at the Teresa Carreno theatre area where he meets friends to dance. \"When we're out here dancing, we don't think about the state of the country,\" said Yeafersonth Manrique, a 24-year-old drenched in sweat after a long practice. \"In this world there is no crisis.\" Reuters 21/24 Neidi Luzardo and his relative enjoy a ride at the Italo Americano amusement park. \"The most common fun for a Caraqueno is a beach day,\" said Luzardo Reuters 22/24 Belinda, a former teacher, laughs after taking a photograph of graffiti which reads 'Normality is a privilege?' in Caracas. \"We, the Venezuelan people, make a joke of everything,\" said Belinda Reuters 23/24 A woman holds a child as they get ready to hit a pinata at a birthday party celebration in Caracas Reuters 24/24 Victor floats in the sea as he spends a day at Coral beach Reuters 1/24 Children play while attending a birthday party celebration at Catia neighbourhood Reuters 2/24 Anderson Rodriguez trains on a slackline at a National Circus of Venezuela venue in Caracas Reuters 3/24 A child climbs on a bike to see an amusement park with an illuminated ferris wheel in Caracas Reuters 4/24 Andrew rides a small tricycle on the rooftop of his family house in Caracas's Catia neighbourhood Reuters 5/24 A child reacts next to members of a folk group dressed as devils while taking part in the celebration of Los Palmeros de Chacao, a Holy Week tradition, in Caracas Reuters 6/24 Members of Family Rose softball team put their hands together before a match at Lecuna Avenue softball pitch in Caracas. \"After the game we always had a few beers. But now they are too expensive,\" said Felix Babaza Reuters 7/24 Oriana Contreras and her niece ride a roller coaster at Italo Americano amusement park in Caracas. Contreras said, \"Sometimes, the quotidian things bore, more the situation which we are going through. We try to have fun with what we can.\" Reuters 8/24 Members of a folk group take part in the celebration of Palmeros de Chacao Reuters 9/24 A bird is seen inside a cage in front of the beach at La Guaira near Caracas Reuters 10/24 Leonel Martinez, who works as soldier, kisses his girlfriend as they spend a day at Coral beach in La Guaira. \"It's a way to think about something besides what is happening in the country,\" said Martinez. \"It's not something you can do every day, because of the situation in the country.\" Reuters 11/24 A young boy practices on a unicycle while hula hooping at the Teresa Carreno theatre area where friends meet to practice in Caracas Reuters 12/24 Ana Gabriela Alzola and Deniali Vega pose for a photograph at a backdrop used by customers to take pictures inside a mall in Caracas Reuters 13/24 Carmelo Gonzalez dances salsa at El Venezolano square where he meets a seniors club every Friday, Saturday and Sunday afternoon in Caracas. Gonzalez said, \"I have fun and I work. The pension helps me a bit. You have to enjoy life, after you die there is nothing else.\" Reuters 14/24 Children pose for a photograph on a disused tank displayed at Los Proceres boulevard in Caracas Reuters 15/24 A boy flies a homemade kite next to Gran Mision Vivienda housing project in Caracas. The children make their own kites using a plastic bag, sticks and a nylon line. \"Most expensive is the nylon cone, which is 10 thousand Bolivar notes (approximately 3 US dollars),\" said Luis Flores Reuters 16/24 Arianny Itriago sits during her quinceanera (15th birthday celebration) at Catia neighbourhood. Arianny's father, Ronny, said, \"It's a family tradition to celebrate a quinceanera. Now everything is hyper expensive in our country. Everything is handled based on the US dollar, our Bolivars do not have much weight due to inflation, we are practically dollarized... The music that we hired was 80 or 90 US dollars.\" Reuters 17/24 Genesis Gonzalez arranges her mortarboard before posing for a photograph at Valle Arriba lookout point in Caracas. Genesis's father, Rafael, said, \"My daughter is a Psychology Graduate of the Catholic University Andres Bello, despite the adversity, we must celebrate these things.\" Reuters 18/24 A man looks at pinatas at a birthday supplies shop in Caracas. The manager of the shop said, \"People were coming after work or early on Saturdays to buy birthday supplies. Now few people come.\" Reuters 19/24 Children walk along a breakwater at Coral beach in La Guaira near Caracas. \"A person who has a minimum wage can't come [to the beach]. The anguish that has all Venezuelans is food. First the flour and the rice.\" said Carla Cordova Reuters 20/24 Yeafersonth Manrique whose nickname is B-Boy Chispa practices break dancing at the Teresa Carreno theatre area where he meets friends to dance. \"When we're out here dancing, we don't think about the state of the country,\" said Yeafersonth Manrique, a 24-year-old drenched in sweat after a long practice. \"In this world there is no crisis.\" Reuters 21/24 Neidi Luzardo and his relative enjoy a ride at the Italo Americano amusement park. \"The most common fun for a Caraqueno is a beach day,\" said Luzardo Reuters 22/24 Belinda, a former teacher, laughs after taking a photograph of graffiti which reads 'Normality is a privilege?' in Caracas. \"We, the Venezuelan people, make a joke of everything,\" said Belinda Reuters 23/24 A woman holds a child as they get ready to hit a pinata at a birthday party celebration in Caracas Reuters 24/24 Victor floats in the sea as he spends a day at Coral beach Reuters\n\nMedea Benjamin, a founder of Code Pink, had previously told CNN that the activists had been given access to the embassy before Venezuelan diplomats left amid the standoff between Mr Maduro and Mr Guaido last month.\n\nThe Vienna Convention establishes that diplomatic missions on foreign soil are “inviolable”, and prohibits hosting states from entering embassies unless they were given permission beforehand. Mr Maduro’s government has said they did not give US forces permission to enter.\n\n“The Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela does not authorise the entrance of any US law enforcement officers into our former Embassy building in Washington,” Venezuelan deputy foreign minister Carlos Ron said in a tweet. “Any such entrance is an unlawful breach of the Vienna Convention.”", "U.S. law enforcement officers raided the Venezuelan Embassy on Thursday to oust a small group protesting U.S. policy toward the oil-rich country, paving the way for the diplomatic compound to be handed to the U.S. envoy of opposition leader Juan Guaido.\n\nSince mid-April, members of three activist groups have been occupying the embassy, a red brick building in the upscale Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, where they say they are \"invited guests\" of the Venezuelan government.\n\nThe activists oppose U.S. intervention in Venezuela to oust President Nicolas Maduro in favor of Juan Guaido, the Venezuelan opposition leader and self-proclaimed interim president of the OPEC-member nation.\n\nAuthorities arrested the last four protesters on Thursday after utilities for the building were cut off and they ignored an eviction order, the groups say.\n\nA spokesman for Pepco, Washington's energy utility, said the company does not discuss service to individual properties.\n\nThe U.S. Secret Service confirmed officers had helped agents from State Department's Diplomatic Security Service execute arrest warrants against people inside the embassy.\n\nA U.S. State Department spokeswoman said the government of Guaido, who the United States recognizes as the leader of Venezuela, asked for U.S. assistance in removing the protesters from the embassy.\n\n\"The Venezuelan government, led by Interim President Juan Guaido ... has asked the trespassers to depart the premises,\" the spokeswoman said.\n\nNeither agency identified what charges the protesters faced.\n\nTensions have escalated between the United States and Venezuela as Washington has ratcheted up pressure against the government of Maduro, which it says is illegitimate.\n\nThe United States has imposed sanctions against Venezuelan leaders, ordered the withdrawal of diplomatic personnel from Venezuela in March and, on Wednesday, suspended passenger and cargo flights between the United States and Venezuela.\n\nMaduro, who has branded Guaido a U.S. puppet seeking to oust him in a coup, broke off relations with Washington after it recognized Guaido and recalled diplomatic and consular staff.\n\nRepresentatives of Guaido took control of three of the country's diplomatic properties in the United States in March.\n\nAt its peak, about 50 people from three groups occupied the Venezuelan Embassy, according to Medea Benjamin, a co-founder of Code Pink, one of the groups involved.\n\nMeanwhile, supporters of Guaido have mounted their own protests outside the embassy. Following Thursday's arrests, dozens of the opposition government's supporters celebrated in the streets.\n\n\"The liberation of our embassy was thanks to the fight of the Venezuelan diaspora,\" Carlos Vecchio, Guaido's representative in Washington, wrote on Twitter. \"Next liberation: Venezuela.\"\n\nBenjamin said the activists will continue to protest in what she says is a bid to ease tensions between the two countries. \"This issue is not over yet,\" she said.", "Four protesters who had been living inside the Venezuelan Embassy were arrested by federal law enforcement officers and forcibly removed from the building Thursday, ending a month-long standoff.\n\nThe embassy, a red-brick building in Georgetown, has been the site of a standoff between supporters of President Nicolas Maduro and backers of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó. The Guaidó supporters spent weeks standing outside the embassy, wanting the Maduro backers inside to leave the building.\n\nThe U.S. Secret Service confirmed officers aided agents from State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service execute arrest warrants against people inside the embassy.\n\nA State Department spokeswoman said the government of Guaidó, who the United States recognizes as the leader of Venezuela, asked for U.S. assistance in removing the protesters from the embassy, Reuters reported.\n\nThe daily protests at the embassy have mirrored the struggle for control over the South American country.\n\nCarlos Vecchio, the Guaidó-appointed ambassador, tweeted Thursday that the embassy had been \"liberated\" and thanked Matthew Burwick, a pro-Guaidó demonstrator who stood outside the building for weeks, \"for becoming that fight symbol.\"\n\nThe embassy, which was abandoned by Maduro loyalists in late April when the officials' visas expired, has since been under the control of Code Pink activists, who vowed to protect the building from a \"hostile takeover.\"\n\n“This group – the Code Pink – has taken the embassy,” one pro-Guaidó protester, Giuliano Gandullia, 40, told Fox News outside the embassy earlier this month. “We want to enter. We want to take over. And demonstrate that it belongs to us.”\n\nThe Venezuelan opposition has also been looking for ways to increase international pressure on Maduro to step down. U.S. officials have said \"all options are on the table\" in the campaign to oust him.\n\nPOMPEO RIPS SUPPORT FOR MADURO BY US, UK LAWMAKERS AS 'DISGUSTING'\n\nThe U.S. and more than 50 other countries say Maduro’s re-election was fraudulent and back Guaidó’s claim to be Venezuela’s interim president. Washington has imposed sanctions on individuals linked to Maduro’s government as well as the country’s oil industry in an attempt to force a change of government. Maduro, whose allies include Russia and Cuba, says he is the target of a U.S.-designed coup plot.\n\nIn Russia on Tuesday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and said later that he had urged Moscow to end its support for Maduro.\n\nCLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS APP\n\nBoth the U.S. and Russia accuse each other of meddling in Venezuela’s affairs.\n\nFox News' Alex Pappas and The Associated Press contributed to this report.", "The decision by US authorities to break into Venezuela's Washington, DC embassy and arrest anti-coup activists on Wednesday is a clear violation of international law, Code Pink co-founder Medea Benjamin told RT.A group calling itself the 'Embassy Protection Collective' has been under siege inside the building for weeks, as supporters of Venezuelan coup leader Juan Guaido called for their removal.Benjamin told RT that Code Pink, an anti-war activist group, received \"an urgent call\" from members of the 'Collective' on Wednesday morning saying \"police had broken down the door and that they were going to be arrested.\"She denounced police action as a violation of the Vienna ConventionUS authorities had previously cut off power to the embassy in an effort to force activists to leave.Benjamin said the best way to protect both the US embassy in Caracas and the Venezuelan embassy in DC was for the two governments to sign a \"Protecting Power Agreement\" - something Venezuela's ambassador has been calling for at the United Nations.Benjamin said the break-in by police could be a \"a tremendous step toward greater conflict with the US\" if Guaido's representatives are now allowed to enter the building.The Trump administration recognized Guaido as Venezuela's self-declared \"interim president\" in January and helped organize two failed coup attempts against the government of President Nicolas Maduro, which it brands \"illegitimate.\"Asked why anti-intervention activists inside the building had ignored police warnings before Wednesday's raid, Benjamin said the warning to vacate was an \"illegal notice.\"\"It was not signed by anybody, it had no address on it, it had no stamp on it or anything,\" she said. What's more, she added, the \"legitimate government\" of Venezuela had invited the activists inside and Code Pink does not comply with \"illegal orders.\"\"We don't consider this chapter over yet,\" Benjamin said, calling on the US to \"dial down this crisis, lift the economic sanctions [on Venezuela]\" and \"come to a negotiated solution.\"", "U.S. police have evicted a small group of demonstrators from the Venezuelan embassy in Washington, after a weeks-long protest by the group against U.S. policy toward the South American country.\n\nLaw enforcement officials raided the building Thursday and arrested four demonstrators, paving the way for the diplomatic compound to be handed to the U.S. envoy of opposition leader Juan Guaido, who is recognized by the United States.\n\nDemonstrators had been occupying the building in an upscale Georgetown neighborhood since mid-April, saying they consider Nicolas Maduro the legitimate president of Venezuela.\n\nAt the start of the protest, more than 30 activists were living inside the embassy, but their numbers gradually dwindled after police threatened to remove them.\n\nMaduro criticized the U.S. police action, calling it shameful. The embassy building had been vacant for more than a month after the Maduro administration pulled its diplomats from Washington. However, once the protesters began occupying the building, the Maduro government gave its support to the demonstrators and said they were \"protecting\" the building.\n\nGuaido's representative in Washington, Carlos Vecchio, told a group of his supporters outside the building late Thursday the embassy would be open for business soon. He thanked President Donald Trump's administration for recovering the building.\n\nA U.S. State Department spokeswoman said the government of Guaido, whom the United States recognizes as the leader of Venezuela, asked for U.S. help in removing the demonstrators from the embassy.\n\nA lawyer for the activists who were arrested said in a statement they were charged with interference with protective functions.\n\nGuaido, Venezuela's National Assembly leader, declared himself the country's interim president in January, saying Maduro's election in December was a fraud.\n\nIn addition to the U.S., Guaido is recognized by about 50 other countries as the legitimate leader of the South American nation, but he has not been able to nudge Venezuela's socialist president from office.\n\nMillions of Venezuelans — exhausted by out-of-control inflation, severe food and fuel shortages, a lack of medical care, and periodic blackouts — have fled the country.\n\nMaduro has accused Guaido of trying to carry out a U.S.- and Colombian-supported coup and says the opposition will fail.", "Self-proclaimed Venezuelan interim president Juan Guaido said here Thursday that his representatives have been meeting in Norway with officials from the government of incumbent head of state Nicolas Maduro, confirming reports in Norwegian media.\n\n\"Yes, there are some people who were sent to Norway,\" he said during a meeting with supporters in Caracas.\n\nThe National Assembly speaker said he would not take part in a \"false negotiation that does not lead to three things: end of the usurpation (Maduro's presidency), a transitional government and free elections.\"\n\nGuaido, who proclaimed himself acting president on Jan. 23, denounces Maduro's May 2018 re-election as illegitimate, a position shared by the United States and other among the upwards of 50 nations who have recognized the opposition leader.\n\nMore than 120 other countries - including Russia, China, India and Japan - continue to acknowledge Maduro as president.\n\nNorwegian television network NRK, citing unnamed sources, reported that contacts between the Maduro and Guaido camps began in Cuba before shifting to the Scandinavian country.\n\nNRK said that talks have been held at a secret location in Oslo with the participation of Norway's foreign ministry, which declined to comment on the story.\n\nRepresenting the Maduro government are Communications Minister Jorge Rodriguez and the governor of Miranda state, Hector Rodriguez, according to NRK, while Guaido sent deputy National Assembly speaker Stalin Gonzalez, former lawmaker Gerardo Blyde and one-time government minister Fernando Martinez Mottola.\n\n\"There is no type of negotiation,\" Guaido said in Caracas, only a response to an appeal made by Norway as part of a months-long mediation effort by Oslo.\n\n\"It's another initiative from a country that wants to collaborate\" in resolving the crisis in Venezuela, he said, adding that \"no magic formula exists.\"\n\nGuaido said that the meetings in Norway were similar to ones he has held with foreign diplomats and officials, such as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and the discussions his envoy in Washington is scheduled to have with US military commanders.\n\nThe assembly speaker urged his supporters not to confuse \"objectives, achievements, accomplishment and dreams with the mechanisms to reach them.\"\n\nDuring the same event, Guaido announced that he had issued a \"pardon\" to a former police commander convicted in connection with killings during an abortive 2002 coup against Maduro's predecessor, the late Hugo Chavez.\n\n\"Inspector Ivan Simonovis is free today as a result of that Operation Liberty that we are carrying out,\" Guaido said. \"He was liberated.\"\n\nSimonovis, who was sentenced to 30 years in 2009, had been serving his time under house arrest since 2014.\n\nWord began circulating early Thursday that Simonovis had eluded his guards and left the residence.\n\nSimonovis and two other high-ranking police, Lazaro Forero and Henry Vivas, were found guilty for the deaths of eight of the 19 people who were killed on April 11, 2002, when snipers - some of them cops - opened fire on opposition protesters as they marched to the presidential palace to demand that Chavez step down.\n\nSenior military officers seized on the violence as a pretext to oust Chavez, though their video announcing the move against the president was subsequently found to have been recorded before the shooting began.\n\nWhile members of the top brass forced Chavez from office, commanders at bases outside Caracas were uneasy with the removal of an elected president and the head of state was restored to power within 48 hours.", "The Venezuela crisis is entering its “final phase,” according to opposition leader Juan Guaido, who says the push to remove President Nicolas Maduro from power has begun. Fifty-two people were injured during protests in the capital city of Caracas, where video footage showed an armored vehicle running over a group of Guaido supporters. National security adviser John Bolton declined to call the violent clashes a coup, because the U.S. recognizes Guaido as the country’s leader. According to Bolton, Trump “has been monitoring it minute-by-minute throughout the day as have his advisers.” “... We want as our principal objective, a peaceful transfer of power and I will say again as the president said from the outset, that Nicolás Maduro and those supporting him, particularly those not Venezuelan should know all options are on the table,” Bolton said Tuesday.\n\nIn a video shot at a Caracas air base showing him surrounded by soldiers, Guaido called on Venezuelans and the military to join him to end Maduro’s “usurpation” once and for all. “The national armed forces have taken the correct decision, and they are counting on the support of the Venezuelan people,” Guaido said. “The moment is now.” Around 50 countries have recognized Guaido as Venezuela’s interim president.", "US police on Thursday evicted the last of a group of protestors who have been occupying the Venezuelan embassy in Washington in support of President Nicolas Maduro, ending a weeks-long standoff.\n\n\"The liberation of our embassy came about thanks to the struggle of the Venezuelan diaspora,\" said Carlos Vecchio, envoy for opposition leader Juan Guaido, who declared himself interim president earlier this year in a power play against Maduro.\n\n\"With sacrifice they held the grounds against all adversity,\" said Vecchio on Twitter.\n\nVarious police and firefighting vehicles were seen inside the grounds of the diplomatic mission in the US capital, which was taken over last month by a number of left-wing and pacifist activists protesting Guaido's bid to push Maduro out.\n\nThe most high-profile of the groups behind the occupation, CODEPINK, denounced what it called the \"illegal entry and arrest at DC Venezuela Embassy.\"\n\nIt promised to \"keep fighting to protect the embassy from illegal takeover by Guaido forces.\"\n\nGuaido has been recognized as leader of the crisis-stricken country by some 50 states, including the United States.\n\n\"At this moment the authorities are checking the building to ensure its security before taking it over,\" Vecchio said.\n\nA group of Venezuelans had gathered outside the cordoned-off embassy building and were chanting slogans such as \"Viva Venezuela.\"\n\nFor more than a month, an unclear number of Americans belonging to a group calling itself the Embassy Protection Collective had been living in the embassy, with the consent of the Maduro government.\n\nThe American squatters, whose numbers dwindled to just four people this week after police warned they would enter the building by force, aimed to block the entry of the Guaido delegation to the embassy.", "on Thursday evicted the last of a group of protestors who have been occupying the in support of Nicolas Maduro, ending a weeks-long standoff.\n\n\"The liberation of our embassy came about thanks to the struggle of the Venezuelan diaspora,\" said Carlos Vecchio, envoy for opposition Juan Guaido, who declared himself earlier this year in a power play against Maduro.\n\n\"With sacrifice they held the grounds against all adversity,\" said Vecchio on\n\nThe condemned the eviction, with saying that \"once again, the has shown that it finds the truth painful. It reacts with arrogance by violating international law.\" \n\n\n\n and firefighting vehicles were seen inside the grounds of the diplomatic mission in the US capital, which was taken over last month by a number of left-wing and pacifist activists protesting Guaido's bid to push Maduro out.\n\nThe most high-profile of the groups behind the occupation, CODEPINK, denounced what it called the \"illegal entry and arrest at DC Embassy.\" \n\n\n\nIt promised to \"keep fighting to protect the embassy from illegal takeover by Guaido forces.\" \"All four of the peace activists who have been inside the embassy have now been arrested,\" said Mara Verheyden-Hilliard, a representing the protesters.\n\nGuaido has been recognized as of the crisis-stricken country by some 50 states, including the\n\n\"At this moment the authorities are checking the building to ensure its security before taking it over,\" Vecchio said.\n\nFor more than a month, an unclear number of Americans belonging to a group calling itself the Embassy Protection Collective had been living in the embassy, with the consent of the\n\nThe American squatters, whose numbers dwindled to just four people this week after police warned they would enter the building by force, aimed to block the entry of the Guaido delegation to the embassy.\n\nA group of Venezuelans had gathered outside the cordoned-off embassy building Thursday and were chanting slogans such as \"Viva \" \n\n\n\n\"I came to see the results of 14 days of our community action, of staying in our embassy to reclaim what belongs to us,\" said Roberto Nasser, a 56-year-old Venezuelan, whio had been spending up to 16 hours a day standing outside the building.\n\nHe and other Venezuelan residents of the capital had camped outside the embassy and tried to prevent any supplies from being delivered to the squatters inside."], "summary": "U.S. federal agents raid the Venezuelan embassy to evict Code Pink protesters, at the request of National Assembly leader Juan Guaido. They had been staying at the embassy at the invitation of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who is locked in a dispute over the presidency with Guaido. Maduro's government considers the raid to be a violation of the Vienna convention."}
{"document": ["Pay based on use\n\nGet Started\n\nPurchase a Team or Enterprise subscription for per week\n\nYou will be billed per month after the trial ends", "Most analysts expect at least the first phase of the contest, among Conservative lawmakers, to be completed before Parliament breaks for its summer vacation, toward the end of July.\n\nThe statement from Mr. Brady sets the stage for a turbulent start to next month when Mrs. May has promised to hold a vote on legislation enacting her plan to leave the European Union, a proposal that has already been rejected three times by lawmakers.\n\nThe plan would keep Britain closely tied to the European Union at least until the end of 2020, and then remove it from the bloc’s main economic structures.\n\nA critical vote is scheduled for the week of June 3, when President Trump is expected in Britain on a state visit and there will be events to mark the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings that preceded the Allied victory in World War II.\n\nMrs. May is used to drama after a tumultuous period in Downing Street that has been marked by her sometimes shambolic efforts to extract Britain from the European Union, the one task she really set herself. Though her critics see her as stubborn and inflexible, her determination to plow on through adversity, her ability to absorb political pain and her refusal to stand aside have won her some admiration.\n\nBut she now appears to be nearing the end of the road. Twice, Mrs. May has had to ask the European Union to delay Brexit, and now her Conservatives face fierce competition from a new Brexit party started by Nigel Farage, which argues that Britain should leave the bloc soon, without any agreement if necessary.\n\nEarlier this year Mrs. May offered to stand aside if Parliament voted to agree to her Brexit plan, and to allow someone else to take over the next phase of the negotiations with Brussels, which would cover the details of any new trade agreement.", "The U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May looks set to step down in June or July after a meeting with disgruntled lawmakers that left her \"tearful,\" according to British media.\n\nIn the Thursday meeting with the 1922 Committee, an influential group of Conservative lawmakers from her own party, the prime minister agreed to step down if her Brexit deal is voted down when she brings it to the House of Commons in the week beginning June 3.\n\nSenior political sources told the BBC she promised to resign if the vote fails and that it was \"inconceivable\" May would stay in power after the next vote.\n\nThe Daily Telegraph, a newspaper favoring Brexit, reported the meeting was \"emotionally charged\" and that Prime Minister May will step down by June 30 at the latest.\n\nHowever, the BBC reported an exact date has not been set and that the prime minister had only agreed to a \"timetable for departure.\"\n\nThe prime minister had previously said she would resign if her Brexit deal, which has been voted down three times this year, was accepted by British lawmakers.\n\nThat announcement was an attempt to get more lawmakers to side with the deal, but it now seems that whatever happens, a new prime minister will be in place by the deadline for the U.K. to leave the European Union on Oct. 31 of this year.\n\nIt is not only the prime minister's own future at stake. May had spent the last six weeks negotiating with Jeremy Corbyn in a bid to find a compromise agreement that would pass through the House of Commons.\n\nFriday, the talks broke down, with Corbyn saying the negotiations \"have gone as far as they can\" in a letter to the prime minister.\n\nThis means that when Parliament votes again on Brexit next month, the deal will effectively be the same as the one defeated by a historic margin in January and again in March.\n\nMay's Brexit deal has come under criticism from lawmakers of all political persuasions. Some suggest the deal will leave the U.K. too closely aligned to the EU, while others believe the deal will damage the U.K.'s economy.\n\nConservative lawmakers within May's own party will spend the coming months jostling for positions. When she resigns, a leadership election will take place. Boris Johnson, the former mayor of London, has already put himself forward as a future candidate.\n\nThe current deadline for leaving the European Union is set at Oct. 31 of this year. The original date for departure was March 29, but the government were forced to ask the EU for an extension after they were unable to agree a deal, despite negotiating with the EU for the better part of three years.\n\nIf Parliament cannot agree a deal, the U.K. will leave a \"no deal\" Brexit, unless lawmakers decide to cancel Brexit entirely by revoking Article 50, the legal mechanism for leaving the EU.\n\nThe next vote on May's Brexit deal will be taking place the same early June week President Donald Trump, who has been critical of May's Brexit deal, embarks on a state visit to the U.K.", "Theresa May is giving MPs another chance to vote on Brexit in early June - whether or not the government and Labour have reached a deal by then.\n\nA vote on the bill that would pave the way for Brexit was \"imperative\" if the UK was to leave the EU before MPs' summer recess, Downing Street said.\n\nLabour sources say they will not back the bill without a cross-party deal.\n\nIf Mrs May's plan is defeated, Number 10 said the UK is set for no deal or for Article 50 to be revoked.\n\nThat is because the EU will not grant a further extension beyond 31 October, says BBC assistant political editor Norman Smith.\n\nBrexit Secretary Stephen Barclay also said the deal the PM negotiated with the EU would be \"dead\" if the bill did not pass.\n\nAttempts to find a cross-party compromise began after Mrs May's Brexit deal was rejected three times by MPs.\n\nBut government sources have told the BBC that there would not be a further attempt if the plan is rejected.\n• PM all but out of time to pass Brexit deal\n\nThe vote - which will take place when MPs return from half-term recess - would bring the withdrawal agreement into UK law via the Withdrawal Agreement Bill.\n\nThe prime minister has negotiated a withdrawal agreement with the EU, which MPs have effectively rejected three times in Commons votes.\n\nNo 10 described Tuesday evening's discussions between Mrs May and Mr Corbyn on Brexit as \"both useful and constructive\".\n\nMrs May had made clear the government's \"determination to bring the talks to a conclusion and deliver on the referendum result to leave the EU\", a spokesman said.\n\nA Labour party spokesman said Mr Corbyn had \"raised doubts over the credibility of government commitments, following statements by Conservative MPs and cabinet ministers seeking to replace the prime minister\".\n\nHe said the Labour leader had called for \"further movement\" from the government and the prime minister's team would bring back \"further proposals tomorrow\".\n\nBringing the EU Withdrawal Agreement Bill forward would allow the prime minister to push ahead with her ambition of delivering Brexit before the summer - despite the lack of agreement so far in the cross-party talks, said BBC political correspondent Iain Watson.\n\nBrexit Secretary Steve Barclay said: \"It is now time for Parliament to make a decision, reflecting the manifestos of both the Conservative and Labour parties at the last general election and to deliver Brexit in the way that the public were promised.\"\n\nIn the 2017 general election, the two main parties promised in their manifestos to respect the result of the Brexit referendum.\n\nInternational Trade Secretary Liam Fox said that if MPs do not vote for the government's Brexit plan next month, then it will \"take us to either the potential of revocation of Article 50 or leaving without a deal\".\n\nHe said MPs will have to decide \"if they want to vote for Brexit or not\".\n\nBrexiteer and Conservative MP Steve Baker said bringing the bill forward \"over the heads\" of DUP MPs - on whom the government relies for a majority - would \"eradicate the government's majority\".\n\n\"What is the government thinking?\" he asked.\n\nDUP Westminster leader Nigel Dodds said: \"If the prime minister brings the withdrawal bill to the Commons for a vote, the question will be, 'What has changed?'.\n\n\"Unless she can demonstrate something new that addresses the problem of the backstop, then it is highly likely her deal will go down to defeat once again.\"\n\nThe backstop is the controversial part of the withdrawal deal that aims to ensure an open border on the island of Ireland if the UK leaves the EU without securing an all-encompassing deal.\n\nIt's not exactly the same thumbs up or thumbs down that another meaningful vote would be. That is a straightforward yes or no to the divorce deal that the prime minister negotiated with the EU.\n\nThis time, it will be the Withdrawal Bill which is a whole tome of new laws that will be needed to take us out of the European Union.\n\nThe draft of that bill is still being kept under wraps. Very, very few people have seen it. It's much more detailed than just a vote on the agreement would be.\n\nOf course, that gives people more things to object to.\n\nAlthough Theresa May might have pleaded in cabinet that people on all sides have to move away from absolutism, and move to a mood of compromise, there's not much sign of it.\n\nAs and when that bill actually emerges, that may well - in the words of one cabinet minister - make things worse before they can get better.\n\nWhat is the Withdrawal Agreement Bill?\n\nThe UK needs to pass a law to implement the withdrawal agreement - the part of the PM's Brexit deal which will take the country out of the EU - in UK law.\n\nThis is a requirement under the terms of previous Brexit legislation passed last year.\n\nThe legislation would make the citizens' rights part of the agreement directly enforceable in UK courts, and set their relationship with the EU's Court of Justice.\n\nIt will also allow ministers to make \"divorce payments\" to the EU foreseen under the current deal, and give effect to the so-called backstop plan for the Irish border.\n\nMPs will be able to vote on amendments to the bill, and this could allow ministers to make good on any compromise they reach with Labour in the cross-party talks.\n\nIf the bill is introduced in the first week of June it will come seven days after the European Parliament elections - which Education Secretary Damian Hinds has acknowledged could be \"difficult\" for the Conservatives.\n\nA state visit by US President Donald Trump and a by-election in Peterborough will also take place that same week.", "LONDON — British Prime Minister Theresa May fended off pressure Thursday from Conservative Party lawmakers demanding she set a date for her resignation, buying herself a few more weeks to try to unblock Britain's Brexit impasse. But she agreed to give a timetable next month for her departure, raising the prospect that Britain will get a new prime minister before it leaves the European Union — currently scheduled for Oct. 31.\n\nLeaders of a powerful committee that oversees Conservative leadership contests met May to express growing frustration party ranks at her refusal to name an exit date following her failure to take Britain out of the EU by the original Brexit date of March 29.\n\nMembers of the body, known as the 1922 Committee, have threatened May with a leadership challenge if she does not step down.\n\nCommittee chairman Graham Brady said after the \"frank\" meeting that May wanted to defer naming her departure date until Parliament votes on her Brexit bill in the week of June 3.\n\n\"Following that ... she and I will meet to agree a timetable for the election of a new leader of the Conservative Party,\" Brady said.\n\nMay's 10 Downing St. office said Brady spoke with the prime minister's agreement, and insisted May remained focused \"on securing our departure from the EU\" by getting backing for an exit agreement.\n\nMay's successor will be chosen by a party leadership contest in which any Conservative lawmaker can run. The winner will become party leader and prime minister without the need for a general election.\n\nMay survived a no-confidence vote among party colleagues in December, and under Conservative rules she can't face another challenge until a year has passed. Some lawmakers have been pressing for a change to those rules to allow a new vote on May's leadership as soon as June.\n\nPro-Brexit Conservatives are furious that Britain has not yet left the European Union, almost three years after voters backed Brexit in a referendum. Many blame May for the impasse and want her replaced with a more staunchly pro-Brexit leader such as the former foreign secretary, Boris Johnson.\n\nJohnson told an audience at a business event Thursday that \"of course I'm going to go for it\" when the contest to replace May as Conservative leader is formally launched. Several members of May's Cabinet have also started unofficial leadership campaigns.\n\nMay points out that she struck a divorce deal with the EU, but it has been rejected by Parliament three times, even by many of the lawmakers who backed Brexit in the referendum.\n\nMay has said she will resign once a Brexit deal is approved and make way for a new leader to guide the U.K. through the next stage in the process, which will determine the country's future relationship with the EU.\n\nThe U.K.'s departure from the EU, long set for March 29, has been delayed until Oct. 31 while Britain's politicians try to break the deadlock.\n\nMay plans to make a fourth attempt to get lawmakers' backing for Brexit terms by putting a withdrawal agreement bill to a vote in early June. She says that if it passes, Britain could leave the EU in July, well before the October deadline set by the bloc.\n\nBut it's unclear how the government plans to persuade a majority of lawmakers to back May's EU divorce terms, since few legislators on either side of the Brexit divide seem prepared to change their positions.\n\nWeeks of talks between the government and the opposition Labour Party have failed to produce a compromise agreement.\n\n\"I'd have thought it was patently clear that if the prime minister's deal is put for a fourth time, if it's allowed, it will fail just as it has failed three times already,\" Labour Brexit spokesman Keir Starmer said.", "Theresa May is set to agree her resignation timetable in two weeks' time after a showdown meeting with Tory MPs.\n\nCabinet ministers and the PM's allies now accept there'll be a full-blown Tory leadership contest before the summer holiday after her two-hour summit with the 1922 Committee.\n\nMPs on the powerful body gave her one last chance to get her Brexit Withdrawal Agreement Bill through the Commons - stepping back from calls to quit now.\n\nBut after a \"very frank\" meeting, 1922 Committee chairman Sir Graham Brady revealed Mrs May will meet him again in around two weeks - \"to agree a timetable for the election of a new leader.\"\n\nAnd before the meeting had even finished, Boris Johnson officially announced he'll run for the leadership.\n\nSir Graham, the \"shop steward\" for Tory backbenchers, met Mrs May today with the 18-strong executive of the 1922 Committee.\n\nDespite a split down the middle of the powerful group, they agreed not to demand an immediate resignation timetable.\n\nInstead Theresa May will have until after the 'second reading' vote on her Brexit Withdrawal Agreement Bill.\n\nThe Bill - the FOURTH vote on her Brexit deal - is due before MPs in the week of June 3, at the same time as Donald Trump's State Visit.\n\nBut privately, government sources appear to accept there will be a leadership contest before the summer holiday.\n\nA No10 insider told the Mirror Mrs May was still 80 MPs short of winning the vote.\n\nThe insider admitted the prospect of victory was slim and added: \"If the Bill falls, everyone knows what comes after that.\n\n\"It's the last act of this government.\"\n\nThe No10 insider also dismissed suggestions the PM could stay and enter further talks with the EU.\n\n\"She doesn't want to go to Brussels again - ever,\" they said.\n\nMeanwhile a normally loyal Cabinet minister said they want MPs to choose their final two leadership candidates before the summer break.\n\nThat way Tory members could vote in August while EU officials are on holiday - and have a leader in place by early September.\n\n\"They can take over in early September, have a few weeks in Parliament to get used to PMQs and things like that,\" the minister said.\n\n\"You need to have a contest.\n\n\"If there had been a contest last time I think Theresa May would still have won but it would have exposed some problems and perhaps she would have had a different leadership style.\"\n\n\"The Prime Minister is determined to secure our departure from the European Union and is devoting her efforts to securing the second reading of the Withdrawal Agreement Bill in the week commencing June 3 2019 and the passage of that Bill and the consequent departure of the United Kingdom from the European Union by the summer.\n\n\"We have agreed that she and I will meet following the second reading of the Bill to agree a timetable for the election of a new leader of the Conservative and Unionist Party.\"", "LONDON — When the world last focused full attention on Prime Minister Theresa May of Britain, she had returned from a “begging tour” in Europe with a Brexit extension she had hoped never to ask for and was fighting for her political life with her Conservative Party in open revolt.\n\nShe won the extension, to Oct. 31, but she is still fighting for her political life, this time against the embarrassing backdrop of a rising Brexit Party helmed by Nigel Farage that is easily outperforming Conservatives in most opinion polls.\n\nAll that seems to have led Mrs. May to take a last, desperate gamble, by holding a fourth — and, almost certainly, final — vote on a plan to leave the European Union that Parliament has rejected three times already. The vote seems set for the week beginning June 3, which is also when President Trump is scheduled to make a state visit to Britain.\n\nMrs. May has promised to stand aside if Parliament approves her plan, but she could face the exit gate anyway if Parliament were to reject it a fourth time.", "Theresa May has blamed Labour’s divisions over a second referendum for the collapse of cross-party talks, after Jeremy Corbyn wrote to her to say they had ‘gone as far as they can’. May plans to make a fourth attempt to get MPs’ backing for Brexit terms by putting a withdrawal agreement bill to a vote during the week of 3 June.\n• Theresa May blames Labour divisions for collapse of Brexit talks", "Theresa May’s Brexit deal will be “dead” if MPs reject if for a fourth time, ministers have admitted.\n\nBrexit Secretary Steve Barclay acknowledged it would be the end of the road for the deal thrashed out with the European Union if the Withdrawal Agreement Bill (WAB) is defeated when it is brought to the Commons in June.\n\nDefeat would also deal a heavy blow to the Prime Minister’s already fragile authority and, although the WAB vote would not be a formal confidence motion, Number 10 sources acknowledged its significance “won’t be underestimated”.\n\nThe legislation writes the Brexit agreement into law and represents a fresh attempt to secure Parliament’s support for a deal which has already been rejected three times by MPs, including the heaviest defeat ever suffered by a Government.\n\nMr Barclay said the WAB would be published as soon as possible and would have its second reading in the Commons, the first legislative hurdle it would have to clear, in the week beginning June 3.\n\nHe told the Lords EU Committee: “I think if the House of Commons does not approve the WAB then the (Michel) Barnier deal is dead in that form.”\n\nNumber 10 said efforts were continuing to find a “sustainable” majority for the deal, with discussions involving DUP and Labour MPs.\n\nAsked whether the vote would be considered a “confidence” vote for the Prime Minister, a source said: “That’s not the world that we are currently in but clearly the significance of this piece of legislation can’t and I suspect won’t be underestimated.”\n\nThe Prime Minister has already said she will step down once the first phase of the Brexit process is completed and will meet senior Tories on the executive of the backbench 1922 Committee to discuss her future on Thursday.\n\nMrs May insisted the legislation delivers on Brexit.\n\nSpeaking after attending an international summit in Paris, the Prime Minister said: “What we have been doing is talking with the official opposition, we have been talking with MPs across the House looking at the issues that they have had concerns with in relation to the deal that we agreed with the European Union.\n\n“What this Bill does is delivers on Brexit.\n\n“When MPs come to look at this Bill, when they come to vote on this legislation, I’m sure that they will be thinking of the duty that we have to ensure that we deliver on the vote of the British people.\n\n“This is the Bill that delivers Brexit.”\n\nBoth Mr Barclay and International Trade Secretary Liam Fox warned Eurosceptics that the possibility of Brexit not happening at all would increase if the WAB was defeated.\n\nThat would leave just two options when the October 31 deadline looms, a no-deal Brexit, which has previously been rejected by MPs, or the revocation of Article 50, cancelling the entire process.\n\nCross-party Brexit talks between Labour and the Tories have so far failed to produce a compromise agreement.\n\nJeremy Corbyn’s spokesman repeatedly said the party would not support the WAB if no cross-party agreement was reached, but refused to say whether Labour MPs would abstain, which could allow the Bill to receive its second reading, or vote against it and potentially consign it to defeat.\n\nThe spokesman said that unless there was an agreement based on “real compromise and movement by the Government” then the WAB would be “based on the same botched Brexit deal that has been rejected three times already by Parliament”.\n\nThe spokesman said the talks with the Government were “not an unlimited process” and Labour had “serious concerns about negotiating with a government that is in the process of disintegration” because any deal struck with Mrs May could be scrapped by her replacement.\n\nAt Prime Minister’s Questions, Mrs May was challenged by Tory Eurosceptic Peter Bone, who said activists in his constituency favoured a no-deal Brexit and wanted her to quit before the May 23 European elections.\n\nHe told the Press Association “I just don’t follow the logic” of bringing the deal back to the Commons.\n\nIt was “the definition of madness to keep repeating the same thing and expecting to have a different result”.\n\nFormer Brexit minister Steve Baker also questioned the Prime Minister’s decision to bring the legislation for her “failed deal” before Parliament and suggested it would do little to counter the threat posed by Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party.\n\nHe said: “If the Brexit Party were demanding we pass this Withdrawal Agreement, a vote might just make sense.\n\n“But they aren’t. Quite the reverse.\n\n“And driving it through over the heads of the DUP appears to eradicate the Government’s majority.”\n\nDUP Westminster leader Nigel Dodds said: “Unless she can demonstrate something new that addresses the problem of the backstop then it is highly likely her deal will go down to defeat once again.”\n\nTory and Labour officials were continuing the efforts to reach an agreement on Wednesday and the Prime Minister’s Brexit negotiator Olly Robbins was in Brussels for a second day of talks about the potential to make changes to the Political Declaration setting out the future UK-EU relationship.\n\nThe legislation will go before the Commons in the same week US President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly spoken out about the Brexit process, is due to make a state visit to the UK.\n\nMr Trump and his wife Melania will be in the UK from June 3 to June 5.\n\nOn June 6, a by-election will also be held in Peterborough to find a replacement for MP Fiona Onasanya, who lost her seat through a recall petition after serving time in prison for lying about a speeding offence.", "LONDON - Beleaguered British Prime Minister Theresa May’s tenure appears all but ove r after Britain’s opposition Labour Party quit Brexit compromise talks on Friday and said it would oppose her EU divorce deal once again.\n\nThe Conservative leader has previously won praise for her determination and ability to survive what has often felt like a three-year political crisis since the referendum vote.\n\nBut her approach to the Brexit endgame, refusing to accept MPs’ trenchant opposition to her deal before belatedly opening ultimately futile negotiations with Labour, has left May politically abandoned.\n\nMeanwhile, by twice delaying Britain’s exit from the European Union, she has prompted frustration and anger among Brexit supporters and ridicule from Remainers.\n\nIn a forlorn bid in March to appease the most ardent Eurosceptic MPs in her party, May offered to resign if they finally approved her deal.\n\nBut several dozen rebelled anyway, consigning it to a third defeat in parliament and leaving her mortally weakened.\n\nThis week she agreed to set out a timetable for the election of a new leader once lawmakers have held a fresh vote on the agreement in early June, but rival Tories are already jockeying for the succession.\n\n“It’s hard to see her surviving more than two or three weeks now and the chances of her plan passing now must be close to zero,” said Tim Bale, a politics professor at Queen Mary University of London.\n\nThe daughter of a Church of England vicar, May was born on 1 October 1956 in Eastbourne - a seaside town in southern England where her father was a chaplain at the local hospital.\n\nShe has described herself in interviews as a “goody two shoes” whose Protestant faith defined her upbringing.\n\nShe listened to cricket matches on the radio with her father and knew that she wanted to become a politician when she was just 12.\n\nMay studied geography and met her husband Philip at Oxford University before joining the Bank of England.\n\nThe two never had children and May devoted herself to a life of public service that saw her become Conservative Party chairwoman in 2002.\n\nMay made her first splash by telling her Tories at an annual conference to stop being “the nasty party” if they wanted to unseat then-popular Labour leader Tony Blair.\n\nBut her 2010-16 stint as home secretary saw May adopt isolationist rhetoric that included a vow to create “a really hostile environment for illegal migration”.\n\nMay took office in the aftermath of the 2016 Brexit referendum which swept away her predecessor David Cameron.\n\nDespite having campaigned to stay in the EU, she embraced the cause with the mantra “Brexit means Brexit”.\n\nHer promise to leave the EU’s institutions and end free movement of workers delighted eurosceptic MPs, but caused dismay among many pro-Europeans.\n\nThe splits in her Conservative party became a serious problem after a disastrous snap election in June 2017, when she lost her parliamentary majority.\n\nMay was forced to strike a deal with Northern Ireland’s pro-Brexit Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), and since then has struggled to keep her party and its allies together.\n\nNaturally reserved and reliant on her husband and a few close aides, she often says she is just quietly “getting on with the job”.\n\nBut in the last election, the leader struggled to engage with voters and was dubbed the “Maybot” after churning out the same answers and speeches over and over again.\n\nMay has been written off before, with columnist Matthew Parris - a former Conservative MP - calling her the “zombie prime minister” for her ability to stagger on despite multiple attacks.\n\nShe has survived the resignations of a string of high-profile Brexit supporters, notably former foreign secretary Boris Johnson, and has endured constant sniping from MPs on the sidelines.\n\nShe won a leadership challenge within her own Conservatives in December, a victory that made her immune from a similar challenge for a year.\n\nHowever, in a sign of May’s soaring unpopularity, party power-brokers are considering changing the rules to make another earlier contest possible if she refuses to go.\n\n“It looks like she’s failed, and failed utterly,” added Bale.\n\n“History’s judgement is unlikely to be any less harsh to her than most of her colleagues and most voters are right now.”"], "summary": "UK Prime Minister Theresa May says that she will detail the timetable for her resignation after the Brexit vote in June."}
{"document": ["U.S. Will Lift Tariffs On Steel And Aluminum From Canada And Mexico\n\nEnlarge this image toggle caption Candace Elliott/Reuters Candace Elliott/Reuters\n\nUpdated at 3 p.m. ET\n\nThe Trump administration has reached a deal to lift tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Canada and Mexico, in a move that could put the three nations a step closer to ratifying the USMCA trade deal that would replace NAFTA.\n\nThe tariffs will be lifted within two days, according to a joint U.S.-Canada statement posted by Canada's foreign ministry.\n\nThe U.S. tariffs on metals from Canada and Mexico have been in effect for nearly a year, with steel imports subject to a 25% tariff and aluminum to a 10% hike. Retaliatory tariffs from Canada and Mexico have been in place for nearly as long.\n\n\"I'm pleased to announce that we've just reached an agreement with Canada and Mexico\" to end the recent tariffs, President Trump said during at a National Association of Realtors event Friday.\n\nTrump then called on Congress to ratify the USMCA, to \"make our economy even more successful than it already is — if that's possible. Which, it is possible.\"\n\nMexico's foreign affairs undersecretary for North America, Jesús Seade, also hailed the agreement, saying it was received with \"great enthusiasm\" in Mexico. He added, \"This action opens the path to advance toward the ratification\" of the replacement NAFTA deal.\n\nDiscussing the breakthrough Friday afternoon, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said, \"There was no one breakthrough moment\" in negotiations.\n\nAt the Stelco steel plant in Hamilton, Ontario, Trudeau told reporters that he had \"lots of conversations with the [U.S.] president over the past week, and an understanding as well that these tariffs were harming workers and consumers on both sides of the border.\"\n\nAnd with both countries' leaders now hoping to get the USMCA ratified, Trudeau said, \"it didn't make a lot of sense to continue to have tariffs on steel and aluminum between our countries.\"\n\nTrudeau spoke to Trump about a deal to end the tariffs around midday, according to Cameron Ahmad, Trudeau's director of communications.\n\nThe joint U.S.-Canada statement says the two countries will establish a way to monitor aluminum and steel trade between them, with an eye to prevent the \"transshipment\" of aluminum and steel produced by a third country.\n\nThe deal also calls on both countries to prevent the importation of aluminum and steel that is \"unfairly subsidized and/or sold at dumped prices.\"\n\nThe pact also leaves room for tariffs to be instated \"imports of aluminum or steel products surge meaningfully beyond historic volumes of trade over a period of time, with consideration of market share.\"\n\n\"Canada buys more American steel than any other country in the world, accounting for some 50% of U.S. exports,\" the Canadian government says. It adds that nearly 84% of Canadian aluminum production is exported to the U.S.\n\nIn response to the tariff deal, the Coalition of American Metal Manufacturers and Users, or CAMMU, welcomed the news and called on the Trump administration to lift other steel and aluminum tariffs. The group of U.S. businesses and trade associations represents some 30,000 companies and was formed to advocate against Trump's tariffs on metals.\n\n\"These tariffs are damaging the U.S. manufacturing sector, and particularly downstream U.S. steel and aluminum consuming companies, by increasing prices and lead times for both domestic and imports of steel and aluminum and making the U.S. an island of high steel prices,\" the coalition said in a statement sent to NPR Friday.\n\nCAMMU also praised the new agreement for not replacing the newly eliminated tariffs with quotas, which it described as \"even worse for U.S. companies.\"\n\nTrump imposed steel and aluminum tariffs on every country except Canada and Mexico about a month after receiving a letter from 25 U.S. steel and metal companies urging him to act \"to prevent excess steel capacity and surging steel imports from undermining our national security and the viability of the U.S. steel industry.\"\n\nTrump's original order included carve-outs for the closest U.S. neighbors. But after talks on a revised NAFTA deal took longer than the U.S. administration had hoped, Canada and Mexico were included in the tariffs. The leaders of the three countries signed the new U.S. Mexico Canada Agreement in late November. It won't take effect until all three countries' legislatures have voted to ratify the trade pact.\n\nIn late April, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, warned Trump that the USMCA deal would be \"dead\" unless the steel and aluminum tariffs were lifted.\n\nNews of a deal to lift the tariffs comes two days after Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said during testimony before a Senate Appropriations subcommittee that a deal was in the offing.\n\nEarlier this week, Mexican Economy Secretary Graciela Márquez Colín said she believed a solution to the tariff standoff was imminent, as she held meetings in Toronto with Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland.", "United States President Donald Trump on Friday announced a deal to lift tariffs on steel and aluminium imported from Canada and Mexico that had halted discussions on a new North American free trade agreement and complicated relations between America and its neighbours, The New York Times reported.\n\n“I am pleased to announce we have just reached an agreement with Canada and Mexico,” Trump said. “We will be selling our product into those countries without the imposition of tariffs.”\n\nThe statement came moments after Canada released the text of the agreement between Ottawa and Washington to eliminate US tariffs on steel and aluminium, and Canada’s retaliatory measures, within two days, CNBC reported. Soon after, Mexico confirmed it had reached a similar agreement with the US and promised to ease pending legal challenges it had mounted against the US decision last year in the World Trade Organisation.\n\nCanadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters that the normalisation of trade relations with the US was “pure good news”. He said the lifting of the tariffs could help clear the the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, which was reached late last year, get ratified. “We are very optimistic we will be able to move forward in coming weeks,” Trudeau added.\n\nCanada and Mexico had refused to ratify the new trade agreement, the successor to the current North American Free Trade Agreement, with the restrictions in place. It was signed in November. American legislators of both parties had also insisted that tariffs on steel and aluminium must be lifted before votes would be held.\n\nTrump had cited a national security threat when he imposed tariffs of 25% and 10% on steel and aluminium imports last year. Canada and Mexico, along with a number of US legislators, had asked why the Trump administration considers allies a threat. Canada then implemented retaliatory tariffs of 25% on a host of steel and aluminium products and 10% on goods, including pizza, quiche, whiskies, toilet paper and inflatable boats, from July. Many of products were chosen for their political rather than economic impact.", "US President Donald Trump on Friday announced a deal to lift US tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Canada and Mexico that had created friction between the neighbors and blocked a new North American free trade agreement.\n\n\"I'm pleased to announce that we've just reached an agreement with Canada and Mexico and will be selling our product into those countries, without the imposition of tariffs,\" Trump said at an event in the US capital.\n\nHis statement came moments after Canada released the text of the agreement between Ottawa and Washington in which they agree to eliminate US tariffs on steel and aluminum, and Canada's retaliatory measures, within no more than two days.\n\nMexico subsequently confirmed it had reached a similar agreement with the United States.\n\nThe steep US tariffs imposed last year -- 25 percent on steel and 10 percent on aluminum -- became a major stumbling block to ratifying a new North American trade pact negotiated last year by the three countries.\n\nCanada and Mexico initially were exempted from the tariffs Trump enforced using a national security argument, as part of his hardline trade tactics.\n\nOnce America's neighbors were included, the levies drew retaliation with tariffs on a host of US products.\n\nEven after the governments agreed to a revised free trade deal -- the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA -- the tariffs remained in place, but officials in Ottawa and Mexico City said they would not sign unless Washington removed the metals duties.\n\nSpeaking to reporters in Ottawa, Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said there had was a shared recognition that \"these tariffs were harming workers and consumers on both sides of the border\" and \"didn't make a lot of sense\" in the context of a new free trade deal.\n\n\"Obviously these continued tariffs on steel and aluminum and our countermeasures represented significant barriers to moving forward with the new NAFTA agreement,\" he said, referring to the 24-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement.\n\n\"Now that we've had a full lift on these tariffs we are going to work with the United States on timing for ratification but we're very optimistic we are going to be able to move forward well in the coming weeks,\" Trudeau said.\n\nMexican chief trade negotiator Jesus Seade likewise tweeted that the lifting of tariffs \"clears the way towards ratification of USMCA.\"\n\nSome key members of the US Congress had said they would not agree to vote for the three-country free trade pact unless the Trump's metals tariffs ended.\n\n\"Hopefully Congress will approve it quickly,\" said Trump.\n\nAccording to the agreement with Canada, the two governments will withdraw all complaints lodged in the World Trade Organization.\n\nThe two countries also agreed to monitor imports of steel and aluminum to ensure metals that are sold at \"dumped prices\" -- below the cost of production -- are not purchased in or shipped through Canada.\n\nIn addition, they agreed to a provision to reimpose steep duties if imports of the metals \"surge meaningfully beyond historic volumes of trade over a period of time.\"\n\nUS tariffs on steel and aluminum from Europe remain in place, as does the EU retaliation. Some countries, including South Korea, accepted export quotas to avoid the tariffs.\n\nGet the latest election news, live updates and election schedule for Lok Sabha Elections 2019 on ndtv.com/elections. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagram for updates from each of the 543 parliamentary seats for the 2019 Indian general elections. Election results will be out on May 23.", "President Donald Trump on Friday announced a deal to lift US tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Canada and Mexico that had created friction between the neighbors and blocked a new North American free trade agreement.\n\n\"I'm pleased to announce that we've just reached an agreement with Canada and Mexico and will be selling our product into those countries, without the imposition of tariffs,\" Trump said at an event in the US capital.\n\nHis statement came moments after Canada released the text of the agreement between Ottawa and Washington in which they agreed to eliminate US tariffs on steel and aluminum, and Canada's retaliatory measures, within no more than two days.\n\nMexico confirmed it had reached a similar agreement with the United States.\n\nThe steep US tariffs imposed last year -- 25 percent on steel and 10 percent on aluminum -- became a major stumbling block to ratifying a new North American trade pact negotiated last year by the three countries.\n\nCanada and Mexico initially were exempted from the tariffs Trump enforced using a national security argument, as part of his hardline trade tactics.\n\nOnce America's neighbors were included, the levies drew retaliation with tariffs on a host of US products.\n\nEven after the governments agreed to a revised free trade deal -- the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA -- the tariffs remained in place, but officials in Ottawa and Mexico City said they would not sign unless Washington removed the metals duties.\n\nSpeaking to reporters in Ottawa, Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said there was a shared recognition that \"these tariffs were harming workers and consumers on both sides of the border\" and \"didn't make a lot of sense\" in the context of a new free trade deal.\n\n\"Obviously these continued tariffs on steel and aluminum and our countermeasures represented significant barriers to moving forward with the new NAFTA agreement,\" he said, referring to the 24-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement.\n\n\"Now that we've had a full lift on these tariffs we are going to work with the United States on timing for ratification but we're very optimistic we are going to be able to move forward well in the coming weeks,\" Trudeau said.\n\nMexican chief trade negotiator Jesus Seade likewise tweeted that the lifting of tariffs \"clears the way towards ratification of USMCA.\"\n\nSome key members of the US Congress had said they would not agree to vote for the three-country free trade pact unless the Trump's metals tariffs ended.\n\n\"Hopefully Congress will approve it quickly,\" said Trump.\n\nDemocratic US Senator Chuck Schumer applauded the decision to remove the metals tariffs, but said there are other concerns about the USMCA.\n\n\"It is a good thing these tariffs will be lifted, and we should urge our allies to join us in preventing China's predatory practices,\" Schumer said in a statement.\n\nHowever, \"There are still many other issues that are outstanding before Democrats would support the USMCA.\"\n\nAccording to the agreement, Canada and Mexico will withdraw all complaints lodged against the United States at the World Trade Organization.\n\nThe two countries also agreed to monitor imports of steel and aluminum to ensure metals that are sold at \"dumped prices\" -- below the cost of production -- are not purchased in or shipped through Canada and Mexico.\n\nIn addition, they agreed to a provision to reimpose steep duties if imports of the metals \"surge meaningfully beyond historic volumes of trade over a period of time.\"\n\nThe US Trade Representative's office said the agreement \"provides for aggressive monitoring and a mechanism to prevent surges in imports of steel and aluminum.\"\n\n\"This agreement is great news for American farmers that have been subject to retaliatory tariffs from Canada and Mexico,\" USTR said.\n\nUS tariffs on steel and aluminum from Europe remain in place, as does the EU retaliation. Some countries, including South Korea, accepted export quotas to avoid the tariffs.", "The United States has agreed to lift its tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Canada and Mexico.\n\nThe move, which removes a major obstacle to renegotiating the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), will be implemented by Sunday afternoon, officials said.\n\nPresident Donald Trump had imposed the tariffs — 25% on steel and 10% on aluminium imports — in March 2018 on national security grounds, saying the US market was being flooded with cheap imports from other countries, particularly China.\n\nUnder this weekend's agreement Canada and Mexico will also eliminate retaliatory tariffs on US products including cheese, milk and bourbon.\n\nCanadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said it would open the way to further talks on a revised free trade deal.\n\n\"Obviously, these continued tariffs on steel and aluminum and our countermeasures, represented significant barriers to moving forward with the new NAFTA agreement,\" he said on Friday.\n\n\"Now that we've had a full lift on these tariffs, we are going to work with the United States on timing for ratification, but we're very optimistic we're going to be able to move forward move forward well in the coming weeks.\"\n\nSpeaking in Washington, Trump said he was now hopeful NAFTA could be replaced with the new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).\n\n\"That deal is going to be a fantastic deal for our country and hopefully Congress will approve the USMCA quickly, and then the great farmers and manufacturers and steel plants will make our economy even more successful than it already is, if that's possible, which it is possible,\" he said.", "The United States has agreed to remove steel and aluminum tariffs on Canada in what was a key roadblock to a new trade deal and a sore point in relations.\n\nCanada, in turn, has agreed to scrap the tariffs it imposed in retaliation.\n\nIn a joint statement on Friday, the two countries said they have agreed to eliminate the tariffs within 48 hours.\n\nSources in the U.S. and Canada said the Trump administration also has reached a deal to remove steel and aluminum tariffs from Mexico.\n\nPresident Donald Trump last year slapped tariffs on imported steel and aluminum from China and a number of other nations, including Canada, invoking a rarely used provision of a 1962 law to claim that the foreign metals posed a threat to U.S. national security.\n\nThe administration retained the tariffs on Canada and Mexico even after the two countries agreed to Trump’s demands to overhaul the North American Free Trade Agreement, which went into effect in 1994. Removal of those tariffs on Canada has become a key demand for the administration to win support of the reworked trade agreement.\n\nCopyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.", "Trump lifts tariffs on steel from Mexico and Canada, delays auto tariffs\n\nWASHINGTON — Bogged down in a sprawling trade dispute with U.S. rival China, President Trump took steps Friday to ease tensions with America’s allies — lifting import taxes on Canadian and Mexican steel and aluminum and delaying auto tariffs that would have hurt Japan and Europe.\n\nBy removing the metals tariffs on Canada and Mexico, Trump cleared a key roadblock to a North American trade pact his team negotiated last year. As part of Friday’s arrangement, the Canadians and Mexicans agreed to scrap retaliatory tariffs they had imposed on U.S. goods.\n\n“I’m pleased to announce that we’ve just reached an agreement with Canada and Mexico, and we’ll be selling our product into those countries without the imposition of tariffs, or major tariffs,” Trump said in a speech to the National Association of Realtors.\n\nIn a joint statement, the U.S. and Canada said they would work to prevent cheap imports of steel and aluminum from entering North America. The provision appeared to cover China, which has long been accused of flooding world markets with subsidized metal, driving down world prices and hurting U.S. producers. The countries could also reimpose the tariffs if they face a “surge” in steel or aluminum imports.\n\nIn Washington, some were urging Trump to take advantage of the truce with U.S. allies to get even tougher with China.\n\n“China is our adversary,” said Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb. “Canada and Mexico are our friends. The president is right to increase pressure on China for their espionage, their theft of intellectual property, and their hostility toward the rule of law. The president is also right to be deescalating tension with our North American allies.”\n\nEarlier Friday, the White House said Trump is delaying for six months any decision to slap tariffs on foreign cars, a move that would have hit Japan and the Europe especially hard.\n\nTrump still is hoping to use the threat of auto tariffs to pressure Japan and the European Union into making concessions in ongoing trade talks.\n\n“If agreements are not reached within 180 days, the president will determine whether and what further action needs to be taken,” White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement.\n\nIn imposing the metals tariffs and threatening those on autos, the president was relying on a rarely used weapon in the U.S. trade war arsenal — Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 — which lets the president impose tariffs on imports if the Commerce Department deems them a threat to national security.\n\nBut the steel and aluminum tariffs were also designed to coerce Canada and Mexico into agreeing to a revision of North American free trade pact. In fact, the Canadians and Mexicans did go along last year with a revamped regional trade deal that was to Trump’s liking. But the administration had refused to lift the taxes on their metals coming into the United States until Friday.\n\nThe new trade deal — the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement — needs approval from legislatures in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Several key U.S. lawmakers were threatening to reject the pact unless the tariffs were removed. And Canada had suggested it wouldn’t ratify any deal with tariffs still in place.\n\nThomas Donohue, president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, said the lifting of the tariffs “will bring immediate relief to American farmers and manufacturers. Critically, this action delivers a welcome burst of momentum for the USMCA in Congress.”\n\nCanadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau credited his government for holding out to get the tariffs removed.\n\n“We stayed strong,” he said. “That’s what workers asked for. These tariffs didn’t make sense around national security. They were hurting Canadian consumers, Canadian workers and American consumers and American workers.”\n\nTrump had faced a Saturday deadline to decide what to do about the auto tariffs.\n\nTaxing auto imports would mark a major escalation in Trump’s aggressive trade policies and is expected to meet resistance in Congress. Last year, the United States imported $192 billion worth of passenger vehicles and $159 billion in auto parts.\n\n“I have serious questions about the legitimacy of using national security as a basis to impose tariffs on cars and car parts,” Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said in a statement. Grassley, who chairs the Senate Finance Committee, is working on legislation to scale back the president’s authority to impose national security tariffs.\n\nThe White House said that Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross has determined that imported vehicles and parts are a threat to national security. Trump deferred action on tariffs for 180 days to give negotiators time to work out deals, but threatened to impose them them if talks break down.\n\nIn justifying tariffs for national security reasons, Commerce found that the U.S. industrial base depends on technology developed by American-owned auto companies to maintain U.S. military superiority. Because of rising imports of autos and parts over the past 30 years, the market share of U.S.-owned automakers has fallen. That has caused a lag in research and development spending which is “weakening innovation and, accordingly, threatening to impair our national security,” the statement said.\n\nThe market share of vehicles produced and sold in the U.S. by American-owned automakers, the statement said, has declined from 67% in 1985 to 22% in 2017.\n\nBut the statistics don’t match market share figures from the industry. A message was left Friday seeking an explanation of how Commerce calculated the 22%.\n\nIn 2017, General Motors, Ford, Fiat Chrysler and Tesla combined had a 44.5% share of U.S. auto sales, according to Autodata Corp. Those figures include vehicles produced in other countries.\n\nIt’s possible that the Commerce Department didn’t include Fiat Chrysler, which is now legally headquartered in The Netherlands but has a huge research and development operation near Detroit. It had 12% of U.S. auto sales in 2017.\n\nThe Commerce figures also do not account for research by foreign automakers. Toyota, Hyundai-Kia, Subaru, Honda and others have significant research centers in the U.S.\n\nMeanwhile, Trump is locked in a high stakes rumble with China. The U.S. accuses Beijing of stealing trade secrets and forcing American companies to hand over technology in a headlong push to challenge American technological dominance. The two countries have slapped tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars of each other’s products. Talks broke off last week.\n\nPaul Wiseman, Tom Krisher, Kevin Freking And Rob Gillies are Associated Press writers.", "WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on President Donald Trump and U.S. trade tariffs (all times local):\n\nPresident Donald Trump has announced a deal with Canada and Mexico that would scrap \"major tariffs,\" ending a simmering trade dispute that began when the president imposed tariffs on imported steel and aluminum in the name of national security.\n\nTrump addressed the agreement while speaking before The National Association of Realtors. He urged Congress to approve a new trade pact between the three nations to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement.\n\nTrump did not mention the tariffs he imposed last year on steel and aluminum imports. But he said \"we'll be selling our product into those countries without the imposition of tariffs, or major tariffs.\"\n\nWhile the tariffs helped many U.S. steel and aluminum makers, the retaliatory tariffs hurt other sectors of the U.S. economy, such as agriculture.\n\nCanadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada stayed strong in asking for a full lift of the Trump administration's tariffs on steel and aluminum.\n\nTrudeau said at a steel facility in Hamilton, Ontario, that now that there is a full lift of those tariffs Canada is going to work with the United States on ratification of the new trade agreement between the U.S., Canada and Mexico.\n\nPresident Donald Trump used a national security justification last year to impose tariffs on imported steel and aluminum. One of the motivations was to pressure Canada and Mexico into agreeing to a rewrite of the North American Free Trade Agreement.\n\nThe Canadians and Mexicans did go along with a revamped regional trade deal that was to Trump's liking. But the administration refused to lift the taxes on the metals imports anyway.\n\nTrudeau says the Trump administration's national security justification didn't make sense and it was hurting workers and consumers in Canada and the United States.\n\nThe United States has agreed to remove steel and aluminum tariffs on Canada in what was a key roadblock to a new trade deal and a sore point in relations.\n\nCanada, in turn, has agreed to scrap the tariffs it imposed in retaliation.\n\nIn a joint statement on Friday, the two countries said they have agreed to eliminate the tariffs within 48 hours.\n\nSources in the U.S. and Canada said the Trump administration also has reached a deal to remove steel and aluminum tariffs from Mexico.\n\nPresident Donald Trump last year slapped tariffs on imported steel and aluminum from China and a number of other nations, including Canada, invoking a rarely used provision of a 1962 law to claim that the foreign metals posed a threat to U.S. national security.\n\nThe administration retained the tariffs on Canada and Mexico even after the two countries agreed to Trump's demands to overhaul the North American Free Trade Agreement, which went into effect in 1994. Removal of those tariffs on Canada has become a key demand for the administration to win support of the reworked trade agreement.\n\nThe United States has reached a deal to remove steel and aluminum tariffs on Canada and Mexico, while those nations would scrap retaliatory tariffs they imposed on U.S. products.\n\nThat's according to sources in the U.S. and Canada who spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of an announcement.\n\nThe deal removes a major hurdle to the passage of a new pact to replace the North American Free Trade Agreement.\n\nPresident Donald Trump imposed tariffs last year of 25 percent on steel imports and 10 percent on imported aluminum. He employed a rarely used 1962 law that empowers him to put a levy on products that the Commerce Department determines threaten national security. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau planned a news conference this afternoon after earlier speaking with Trump.\n\nPresident Donald Trump is delaying any decision to impose tariffs on car and auto part imports, deciding against ratcheting up trade disputes or impacting talks with European nations and Japan.\n\nTrump announced his decision to delay for up to six months in a proclamation issued by the White House on Friday.\n\nHe was required to make a decision on Commerce Department recommendations aimed to protect the U.S. auto industry, based on national security concerns.\n\nTrump directed his trade team to pursue negotiations and address the impact that imports are having on the U.S. auto industry and its ability to invest in new research and development that he says is critical to the nation's security.\n\nTrump says he'll decide whether to take further action in 180 days.", "The United States has agreed to remove punitive tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum imports. This removes a major obstacle in efforts to ratify the new North American trade agreement between the two countries and Mexico.\n\nThe U.S. had imposed a levy of 25 per cent on steel and 10 per cent on aluminum and it took almost one year to have them lifted. “This is pure good news,” said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at a stop at the Stelco plant in Hamilton, Ontario. He added that tariffs were hurting workers on both sides of the border.\n\nIn return, Canada has agreed to drop retaliatory action it has taken at the World Trade Organization. In addition, there will be a process created to monitor the trade, and if imports “surge meaningfully beyond historic volumes of trade” the importing country may reimpose duties of 25 per cent on steel and 10 per cent on aluminum.\n\nIn 2017, Canada was the world’s 19th largest exporter of steel. While Canada exports steel to over 140 countries and territories, the U.S. and Mexico represent the top markets for it. At the same time, Canada buys about half of the United States’ steel exports.\n\nCanada is the world’s third-largest producer of aluminum. About 84 per cent of primary production is exported to the U.S.\n\nThe steel and aluminum industries are important to the Canadian economy. The government says that in 2017, the steel industry accounted for more than 23,000 jobs and contributed $4.2 billion to the GDP. The aluminum industry employed 10,500 people and contributed $4.7 billion to the GDP.\n\nIn 2017, Canada was the world’s 19th largest exporter of steel. While Canada exports steel to over 140 countries and territories, the U.S. and Mexico represent the top markets for it. At the same time, Canada buys about half of the United States’ steel exports.\n\nCanada is the world’s third-largest producer of aluminum. About 84 per cent of primary production is exported to the U.S.\n\nThe steel and aluminum industries are important to the Canadian economy. The government says that in 2017, the steel industry accounted for more than 23,000 jobs and contributed $4.2 billion to the GDP. The aluminum industry employed 10,500 people and contributed $4.7 billion to the GDP.", "They \"also discussed relations with China, uranium, and the new NAFTA.\"\n\nOne year ago, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said the tariffs on Canada, as well as Mexico, were necessary to prevent a flood of cheap Chinese steel into the U.S. through its NAFTA partner countries.\n\nRoss also said the U.S. was imposing tariffs on Canada and Mexico because the trade talks were taking too long, even though they were ostensibly imposed under a section of American trade law that gives the president that authority to do that to protect national security.\n\nThe Trudeau government has branded the tariffs as illegal, absurd and insulting, while Canada and Mexico say that it will be tough to ratify the new continental free trade agreement — the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement — if they remain in place.\n\nOttawa has also been working to demonstrate to Washington that it has taken steps to stem the flow of cheaper Chinese metals into the Canada.\n\nBut Canada has stood firm with the U.S. on one key, related point: it has steadfastly refused to agree to quotas or other limits on its exports in order to get the tariffs lifted.\n\nCanadian sources have described the idea of a quota system as a non-starter and a concession that Canada was not prepared to make.\n\nNow, it appears Canadian negotiators have persuaded their American counterparts to accept that position — paving the way for a compromise that could allow the Trump administration to holster one of its favourite new trade weapons, while claiming to have enlisted the help of an ally in its ongoing fight.\n\n\"We have always said we are not the problem and that USMCA wouldn't pass as long as the tariffs were in place. We would never accept a hard quota. I think they finally heard us,\" said one source, speaking on the condition of anonymity, citing the delicate new phase of the current negotiations.\n\n\"Now we can work together to deal with over production outside of North America and approve the improved free trade deal.\"\n\nDan Ujczo, a trade lawyer and Canada-U.S. specialist in Columbus, Ohio, said he believes the U.S. has \"moved off of its demand for a hard quota which is a key factor in the new optimism.\"\n\nThe discussions between the three countries have now moved to creating \"enhanced monitoring/anti-circumvention measures\" relating to non-North American steel imports.\n\nThe three countries are also considering strict new rules of origin for steel and aluminum, said Ujczo.\n\n\"Companies that rely on non-North American steel and aluminum in their NAFTA/USMCA region supply chains are highly likely to be impacted by these discussions,\" he said.\n\n\"While companies may celebrate a top-line without a hard quota, the devilment will be in the details.\"\n\nBut Ujczo said caution is warranted before getting too excited: \"Trump has not approved any of the proposals. As previously reported, the U.S. and Mexico were near resolution of the Section 232 tariffs in November 2018 only to have the president reject the deal.\"\n\nCanadian officials are \"encouraged\" by a pair of conversations in the past week between Trump and Trudeau, as well as Wednesday's Washington meeting between Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland and Trump trade czar Robert Lighthizer.\n\nBut sources say that after so many false starts about the possible lifting of tariffs, nothing is certain until it actually happens.\n\n\"There have been many false starts… we've been close before,\" said another source, speaking on the condition of anonymity. \"We have ramped up efforts recently.\"\n\nA U.S. Commerce Department review found that imports of automobiles and some parts could hurt U.S. national security, but Trump decided to wait 180 days before imposing tariffs and ordered new talks to deal with the issue.\n\nThe Commerce Department reached the same conclusion about Canadian and Mexican steel and aluminum imports almost one year ago.\n\nFreeland to meet Lighthizer, Grassley in Washington to push for tariff removal\n\nOpinion | Why Donald Trump's trade war did not lead to a recession\n\nSteelmakers in Hamilton face flood of cheap imports with federal decision to lift safeguards"], "summary": "The United States lifts tariffs on steel and aluminum from Canada and Mexico."}
{"document": ["At the time of his recruitment, prosecutors said Mr. Mallory was in debt and behind his mortgage, making him an attractive target for Chinese intelligence. In 2017, he twice traveled to China, where an intelligence operative gave him a phone so they could communicate covertly. The F.B.I. later found classified documents on the phone, including at least two that had been successfully transmitted. Prosecutors said one of the documents “contained unique identifiers for human sources who had helped the United States government.”\n\nMr. Mallory’s case is among a spate of recent ones involving former American intelligence officials who had been recruited by the Chinese. In 2018, the F.B.I. arrested Jerry Chun Shing Lee, another former C.I.A. officer, who had repeated contacts with Chinese intelligence. He pleaded guilty in May to conspiring to spy for the Chinese. Mr. Lee also could face life in prison, but as part of the plea deal prosecutors will seek a sentence of 17 to 27 years.\n\nIn another case, Ron Rockwell Hansen, a former contractor for the Defense Intelligence Agency, is likely to spend 15 years in prison. He had met regularly with Chinese intelligence operatives in China, receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars. The F.B.I. began investigating his activities in 2014 and arrested him after a highly controlled operation. He pleaded guilty to attempted espionage and is scheduled to be sentenced in September.\n\nLike Mr. Hansen, Mr. Mallory had been employed by the Defense Intelligence Agency. Defense lawyers for Mr. Mallory had tried to say the cases were similar but prosecutors disagreed.\n\n“The first, and most crucial, difference between Hansen and defendant is that Hansen accepted responsibility for his actions — and did so without delay,” prosecutors said in a court filing this year. “Conversely, to this day, defendant has yet to accept any responsibility whatsoever for his actions.”", "Image copyright ALEXANDRIA SHERIFF'S OFFICE Image caption Kevin Mallory, 62, was convicted under the Espionage Act\n\nA former CIA officer has been jailed for 20 years for disclosing military secrets to a Chinese agent, the US justice department says.\n\nKevin Mallory, 62, was found guilty of several spying offences following a two-week trial last June.\n\nThe fluent Mandarin speaker from Leesburg, Virginia, held top-level security clearance and had access to sensitive documents.\n\nHe was convicted of selling secrets to China for $25,000 (£19,600).\n\nEvidence at his trial included a surveillance video which showed him scanning classified documents onto a digital memory card at a post office.\n\nHe also travelled to Shanghai to meet with a Chinese agent in March and April 2017, the justice department said.\n\n\"Mallory not only put our country at great risk, but he endangered the lives of [people] who put their own safety at risk for our national defence,\" US attorney Zachary Terwilliger said in a statement.\n\n\"This case should send a message to anyone considering violating the public's trust and compromising our national security,\" he added. \"We will remain steadfast and dogged in pursuit of these challenging but critical national security cases.\"\n\nThe Justice Department said Mallory held a number of sensitive jobs with government agencies.\n\nHe had worked as a covert case officer for the CIA and as an intelligence officer for the Defense intelligence Agency (DIA).\n\n\"This case is one in an alarming trend of former US intelligence officers being targeted by China and betraying their country and colleagues,\" Assistant Attorney General John Demers said following the sentencing.\n\nEarlier this month, ex-CIA agent Jerry Chun Shing Lee pleaded guilty to spying for China. Prosecutors said the naturalised US citizen was paid to divulge information on US covert assets.\n\nAnd last June, former US intelligence officer Ron Rockwell Hansen was also charged with attempting to spy for China.\n\nHe attempted to pass on information and received at least $800,000 (£600,000) for acting as a Chinese agent, the justice department said at the time.\n\nCIA spy operation in China: Key dates\n\nImage copyright AFP Image caption Chinese police guard the US embassy in the capital, Beijing", "A former official of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) was on Friday sentenced to 20 years of imprisonment for spying for China.\n\nThe former official, Kevin Mallory, 62, of Leesburg, Virginia, is an Army veteran who also worked for the Central Intelligence Agency and the Defense Intelligence Agency, and had a top-secret security clearance until he stopped working as a CIA contractor in 2012. He then launched his own consulting business.\n\nMallory, 62, was found guilty by a federal jury in June 2018 of conspiracy to deliver, attempted delivery, delivery of national defence information to aid a foreign government and making material false statements.\n\nMallory had previously been accused of sharing classified information with a defence contractor in 2010 while trying to start his consulting business, and his security clearance was revoked.\n\nMallory is one of three former intelligence officers charged in recent years with helping China.", "A former spy for the US Central Intelligence Agency was sentenced on Friday to 20 years in prison after being convicted on charges of conspiring to transmit US defence secrets to China, the Justice Department said.\n\nKevin Patrick Mallory, of Leesburg, Virginia, was found guilty by a federal jury in June 2018 of several counts of conspiring to provide national defence information to aid a foreign government and making false statements.\n\n“This case is one in an alarming trend of former US intelligence officers being targeted by China and betraying their country and colleagues,\" Assistant Attorney General John Demers said in a statement.\n\nThe Justice Department said that Mallory, 62, held numerous sensitive jobs with government agencies and defence contractors. His career included working as a covert case officer for the CIA and as an intelligence officer for the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA). He held a top secret security clearance.\n\nEvidence at Mallory`s trial included surveillance video from a FedEx store in Leesburg, where Mallory could be seen scanning documents classified \"Secret\" and \"Top Secret\" onto a memory card, which\n\nFBI investigators found during a search of Mallory`s home the day he was arrested.\n\nEarlier this month, another former CIA officer, Jerry Chun Shing Lee, pleaded guilty to federal charges of spying for China. Ron Rockwell Hansen, a former DIA officer, pleaded guilty in March to espionage-related charges and receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars while acting as an agent for Beijing.", "WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A former spy for the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency was sentenced on Friday to 20 years in prison after being convicted on charges of conspiring to transmit U.S. defence secrets to China, the Justice Department said.\n\nKevin Patrick Mallory, of Leesburg, Virginia, was found guilty by a federal jury in June 2018 of several counts of conspiring to provide national defence information to aid a foreign government and making false statements.\n\n“This case is one in an alarming trend of former U.S. intelligence officers being targeted by China and betraying their country and colleagues,\" Assistant Attorney General John Demers said in a statement.\n\nThe Justice Department said that Mallory, 62, held numerous sensitive jobs with government agencies and defence contractors. His career included working as a covert case officer for the CIA and as an intelligence officer for the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA). He held a top secret security clearance.\n\nEvidence at Mallory's trial included surveillance video from a FedEx store in Leesburg, where Mallory could be seen scanning documents classified \"Secret\" and \"Top Secret\" onto a memory card, which FBI investigators found during a search of Mallory's home the day he was arrested.\n\nEarlier this month, another former CIA officer, Jerry Chun Shing Lee, pleaded guilty to federal charges of spying for China. Ron Rockwell Hansen, a former DIA officer, pleaded guilty in March to espionage related charges and receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars while acting as an agent for Beijing.\n\nThis story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.\n\nYour guide to the latest election news, analysis, commentary, live updates and schedule for Lok Sabha Elections 2019 on firstpost.com/elections. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram or like our Facebook page for updates from all 543 constituencies for the upcoming general elections.", "An ex-CIA officer was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Friday for spying for China in a case called part of an “alarming trend” in the US intelligence community.\n\nKevin Mallory, 62, was convicted under the Espionage Act for selling classified US “defence information” to a Chinese intelligence agent for $25,000 during trips to Shanghai in March and April 2017.\n\n“Your object is to gain information, and my object is to be paid,” he told the Chinese agent in a 5 May 2017 message.\n\nThe fluent Mandarin speaker had served in the US army, then as a special agent for the security service of the state department, before becoming a covert case officer for the CIA.\n\nMallory is one of several US officials with high-level security clearances arrested and charged over unsanctioned dealings with Chinese intelligence.\n\nThe former defence intelligence agency official Ron Hansen faces 15 years in prison after pleading guilty in March to charges of attempting to sell classified information to China.\n\nIn April, a former diplomat Candace Marie Claiborne pleaded guilty to lying to investigators about money she received from Chinese intelligence agents in exchange for US documents.\n\nAnd in the most significant case, on 1 May, the former CIA officer Jerry Chun Shing Lee pleaded guilty to spying for China.\n\nLee, 54, faces a possible life sentence. Arrested in January 2018, he was suspected of having provided Beijing the information it needed to bring down a CIA network of informants in China between 2010 and 2012.\n\n“This case is one in an alarming trend of former US intelligence officers being targeted by China and betraying their country and colleagues,” assistant attorney general John Demers said of the Mallory case.\n\n“This sentence, together with the recent guilty pleas of Ron Hansen in Utah and Jerry Lee in Virginia, deliver the stern message that our former intelligence officers have no business partnering with the Chinese, or any other adversarial foreign intelligence service.”\n\nMallory’s lawyers said they planned to appeal the conviction.", "\"Kevin Patrick Mallory, 62, of Leesburg, Virginia, was sentenced today to 20 years in prison… after being convicted under the Espionage Act for conspiracy to transmit national defense information to an agent of the People’s Republic of China,\" the release said on Friday.\n\nREAD MORE: US Admiral Urges Australia, Indonesia to Counter Beijing in South China Sea\n\nThe former CIA officer was charged with lying to investigators, delivering, attempting to deliver defence documents in order to help foreign governments, the release added.", "Washington: A former spy for the US Central Intelligence Agency has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after being convicted on charges of conspiring to transmit defence secrets to China, the US Justice Department said.\n\nKevin Patrick Mallory, of Leesburg, Virginia, was found guilty by a federal jury in June 2018 of several counts of conspiring to provide national defence information to aid a foreign government and making false statements.\n\n“This case is one in an alarming trend of former US intelligence officers being targeted by China and betraying their country and colleagues,\" Assistant Attorney-General John Demers said in a statement.\n\nThe Justice Department said that Mallory, 62, held numerous sensitive jobs with government agencies and defence contractors. His career included working as a covert case officer for the CIA and as an intelligence officer for the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA). He held a top secret security clearance until he stopped working as a CIA contractor in 2012. He then launched his own consulting business.", "ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — A former CIA officer has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after a jury convicted him of spying for China.\n\nThe sentence issued Friday in federal court in Alexandria for 62-year-old Kevin Mallory of Leesburg, Virginia, is less than the life sentence sought by prosecutors but more than the 10-year term requested by the defense.\n\nA jury convicted Mallory last year under the Espionage Act for providing classified information to Chinese handlers in exchange for $25,000.\n\nProsecutors and defense attorneys differed sharply on the value of the information provided by Mallory. Defense attorneys argued the information was practically worthless. Prosecutors say Mallory either sent or intended to send material that put human assets at risk.\n\nMallory’s lawyers say they plan to appeal.", "A former CIA officer has been sentenced to 20 years in prison on charges that he spied for China and sought to expose agents who were once his responsibility.\n\nA former CIA officer has been sentenced to 20 years in prison on charges that he spied for China and sought to expose agents who were once his responsibility.\n\nThe sentence handed to Kevin Mallory, 62, of Leesburg, Virginia, is less than the life term sought by prosecutors but more than the 10 years requested by the defence.\n\nA jury convicted Mallory last year under the Espionage Act for providing classified information to Chinese handlers in exchange for 25,000 dollars (£20,000).\n\nMallory’s scheme began to unravel when he was selected for secondary screening at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport in April 2017 on a flight back from Shanghai with his son, and customs agents found 16,500 dollars (£13,000) in unreported cash.\n\nLater, in voluntary interviews with authorities, he was caught off guard when a phone given to him by the Chinese displayed text conversations between Mallory and the Chinese recruiter. He had expected the phone’s secure messaging features to keep the conversation hidden.\n\nIn one text message, Mallory wrote: “Your object is to gain information, and my object is to be paid.”\n\n“At its heart, this was a very basic crime,” prosecutor John Gibbs said during the sentencing hearing. “He was desperate for money, and the most valuable thing he had was our nation’s secrets.”\n\nMr Gibbs said the 25,000 dollars was just the beginning of what would have occurred if he had not been caught.\n\nHis sentence was delayed multiple times as US District Judge TS Ellis III, sitting in federal court in Alexandria, sought clarity on a key point — the value of the information provided by Mallory.\n\nIn particular, prosecutors and defence lawyers differed sharply on whether he intended to put human assets at risk.\n\nMuch of the evidence in the case remains classified and even a portion of Friday’s sentencing hearing was closed to the public, but at the bottom of it, prosecutors believe Mallory either sent or intended to send evidence that would have led to exposure of human assets described in court as “the Johnsons”.\n\nMr Gibbs said Mallory was the Johnsons’ handler when he worked at the CIA.\n\nDefence lawyers said Mallory never intended to send it and pointed to computer forensic evidence supporting their claim.\n\nJudge Ellis ruled that he could not determine conclusively that Mallory intended to send the information though he suspected the “long-term intentions” were sinister.\n\n“If I had concluded that sources had been compromised … I would impose a far more severe sentence,” Judge Ellis said.\n\nDefence lawyers pointed to the relatively small amount of money Mallory received, and the fact that he voluntarily disclosed his contacts with the Chinese to his former employers at the CIA.\n\nBut Judge Ellis said the amount of money was small only because Mallory was caught at an early stage in his relationship with the Chinese.\n\nHe said Mallory’s contacts with the CIA suggest an effort to cover his espionage with the Chinese with a veneer of legitimacy by portraying himself as some sort of double agent.\n\n“If you choose to play footsie with another country … you have committed a crime,” Judge Ellis said. “Don’t think that you can be a double agent.”\n\nMallory’s lawyers said they plan to appeal against the conviction."], "summary": "A former CIA officer, Kevin Patrick Mallory, is sentenced to 20 years in prison by a federal judge in Virginia for spying for China."}
{"document": ["Taiwan's parliament has legalised same-sex marriage in a landmark vote that made the self-ruled island the first in Asia to adopt such legislation.\n\nThe lawmakers comfortably passed a law on Friday, allowing same-sex couples to form \"exclusive permanent unions\" and a second clause that would let them apply for a \"marriage registration\" with government agencies.\n\nThe vote is a major victory for the island's LGBT community who have campaigned for years to have similar of equal marriage rights as heterosexual couples and places the island at the vanguard of Asia's burgeoning gay rights movement.\n\nIn recent months conservatives had mobilised to rid the law of any reference to marriage, instead putting forward rival bills that offered something closer to limited same-sex unions. But those bills struggled to receive enough votes.\n\nHundreds of gay rights supporters on Friday gathered despite heavy rain near the parliament building in the capital, Taipei, as legislators were set to vote on a series of bills that could offer same-sex couples similar legal protections for marriage as heterosexuals.\n\nThe vote came after Taiwan's top court ruled that not allowing same-sex couples to marry violates the constitution. Judges gave the government until May 24 this year to make the changes or see marriage equality enacted automatically. But they gave no guidance on how to do that.\n\nBitter divisions\n\nIn a Facebook post, President Tsai Ing-wen said ahead of the vote that she recognised the issue had divided \"families, generations and even inside religious groups\".\n\n\"Today, we have a chance to make history and show the world that progressive values can take root in an East Asian society,\" she added in a Twitter post.\n\nTsai's ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) holds the majority in parliament, occupying 68 out of 113 seats.\n\nTaiwan's LGBT community has been left in limbo the last two years, with many couples planning weddings before the May 24 deadline but unsure of what marriage equality would look like.\n\n\"The world is watching to see if Taiwan's parliament will write a new page in gender equality or deal another blow to Taiwan's hard-fought democracy, human rights and the rule of law,\" said Jennifer Lu, a spokeswoman for Marriage Equality Coalition Taiwan.\n\n\"For the gay communities what matters the most is whether we can legally get married on May 24 and be listed as the spouse in ID cards, to be treated and respected as the 'spouse' in the whole legal system ... and whether same-sex families can obtain legal parental rights for their children.\"\n\nCindy Su was one of the thousands of gay marriage supporters gathered outside parliament on Friday in the run-up to the debate.\n\n\"We are just a group of people who want to live well on this land and who love each other,\" she told the crowd.", "TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan has become the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage after 66 of 93 present legislators on Friday (May 17) voted in favor of four key articles guaranteeing same-sex couples the right to marry.\n\nTens of thousands of marriage equality supporters gathered outside the Legislative Yuan as lawmakers cast their votes on a bill put forward by the country’s executive office.\n\nArticle four of the bill which stipulates that same-sex couples may register their marriage with the Household Administration Office passed at around 1 p.m. 66 out of 93 legislators in attendance voted in favor of the motion, while 27 voted against.\n\nArticle two of the bill, which states that “two people of the same gender may establish a permanent, exclusive relationship for the purpose of pursuing a common life,” passed Friday morning with 75 votes in favor and 22 against.\n\nAs of 3.30 p.m., all articles of the \"Enforcement Act of Judicial Yuan Interpretation No. 748\" were cleared by the Legislative Yuan.\n\nThe ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) made slight amendments to its bill Thursday evening, removing references to “same-sex marriage” in order to appease opposing groups fixated on the term.\n\nThe bill will be signed into law by President Tsai Ing-wen before the deadline of May 24 set by the Constitutional Court.", "TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan became the first place in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage on Friday, as thousands of demonstrators outside parliament cheered and waved rainbow flags, despite deep divisions over marriage equality.\n\nLawmakers of the majority Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) backed the bill, which passed 66 to 27, although the measure could complicate President Tsai Ing-wen’s bid to win a second term in presidential elections next year.\n\nDemonstrators braved heavy rain outside parliament in Taipei, the capital, with some embracing tearfully as others hailed the vote with chants of “Asia’s first,” and “Way to go, Taiwan!”\n\nThe bill, which offers same-sex couples similar legal protections for marriage as heterosexuals, takes effect on May 24 after Tsai signs it into law.\n\n“Today is a proud day for Taiwan. We demonstrate the value of kindness and inclusiveness from this land to the world,” Tsai told reporters after the measure passed.\n\n“Through legalization, (we) ensure that everyone’s love is equal and everyone is treated equally,” added Tsai, who campaigned on a promise of marriage equality in the 2016 presidential election.\n\nThe law, however, allows same-sex marriages only between Taiwanese, or with foreigners whose countries recognize same-sex marriage. It permits adoption of children biologically related to at least one of the same-sex pair.\n\nThe vote followed a years-long tussle over marriage equality that culminated in a 2017 declaration by the democratic island’s constitutional court giving same-sex couples the right to marry, and setting a deadline of May 24 for legislation.\n\nThe reflection of a rainbow flag is seen in the glasses of a supporter at a rally during a parliament vote on three draft bills of a same-sex marriage law, outside the Legislative Yuan in Taipei, Taiwan May 17, 2019. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu\n\nTaipei’s colorful gay pride parade, one of Asia’s largest, puts on display every year the vibrancy of the island’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.\n\n“After 30 years of fighting, homosexuals can finally get married,” said 32-year-old musician Ken Chen, who was outside parliament watching the vote broadcast live. “Many of us were in tears.”\n\nCHALLENGE FOR TSAI\n\nRights group Amnesty International welcomed the end of a “long and arduous campaign”.\n\n“We hope this landmark vote will generate waves across Asia and offer a much-needed boost in the struggle for equality for LGBTI people in the region,” said Annie Huang, acting director of Amnesty International Taiwan.\n\nHowever, Friday’s measure could prove a hurdle for Tsai’s effort to seek a second term in a January election, after a DPP poll defeat last year was blamed partly on criticism of her reform agenda, including marriage equality.\n\nLate last year, Taiwan voters opposed same-sex marriage in a series of referendums, defining marriage as being between a man and a woman in civil law, though seeking a special law for same-sex unions.\n\nSlideshow (22 Images)\n\nConservative groups that oppose same-sex marriage said the legislation disrespected the people’s will.\n\n“The will of some seven million people in the referendum has been trampled,” one group, the Coalition for the Happiness of Our Next Generation said in a statement. “The massive public will strike back in 2020.”\n\nAustralia passed laws allowing same-sex marriage in 2017, but such unions are not recognized by Hong Kong and neighboring China, which regards Taiwan as a wayward province to be returned to the fold by force, if necessary.", "TAIWAN — Lawmakers in Taiwan have approved a bill legalizing same-sex marriage, a landmark decision that makes the self-ruled island the first place in Asia to pass gay marriage legislation.\n\nThe vote came almost two years after the island’s Constitutional Court ruled that the existing law — which said marriage was between a man and a woman — was unconstitutional. The panel of judges gave the island’s parliament two years to amend or enact new laws.\n\nOn Friday — only a week off the two-year deadline — lawmakers in Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan passed a bill making same-sex marriage a reality. It will go into effect on May 24.\n\nAlthough the island has a large gay community and its annual gay pride parade is the biggest in Asia, the issue of marriage equality has bitterly divided Taiwanese society. In a controversial referendum in November last year, 67% voted to reject same-sex marriage.\n\nIn recent months conservative groups have campaigned against same-sex marriage reform, pushing for a law that would see gay marriages redefined as something closer to same-sex unions.\n\nTens of thousands of people braved pouring rain Friday to demonstrate in favor of same-sex marriage outside the parliament, as lawmakers began voting on three draft bills, one tabled by the island’s Cabinet — which would ultimately prove successful — and two watered-down rival bills tabled by conservative groups.\n\nThe successful Cabinet bill was the only one to use the word “marriage.” It was backed by LGBTQ groups, despite the fact it could see same-sex couples denied rights enjoyed by hetrosexual couples, such as adoption and cross-national marriage.\n\nWu Tzu-an, a 33-year-old gay artist from Taipei, was among the crowds outside the parliament celebrating Friday.\n\n“Today the result was the best we got for this stage,” said Wu. “It’s also a sign to show that Taiwan was different from China,” he added, referring to mainland China where same-sex marriage has not been legalized. “Personally I don’t have plans to get married, but I think it’s a sign for equality.”\n\nXiaogang Wei, who heads the Beijing Gender Health Education Institute, called the bill’s passing a historic moment, not only for Asia but for the global LGBTQ rights movement.\n\n“It will have a very positive impact on China’s LGBT community, offering us a lot of hope,” he told CNN.\n\n“The Chinese government has pointed to cultural tradition as a reason for same-sex marriage being unsuitable in China. But the decision in Taiwan, which shares a cultural tradition with us, proves that Chinese culture can be open, diverse and progressive.”\n\nAfter the vote, Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen tweeted: “We took a big step towards true equality, and made Taiwan a better country.”\n\nFriday’s decision has been a long time in the making.\n\nIn 2015, veteran gay rights activist Chi Chia-wei — who has spent 30 years fighting for marriage equality — filed a request to the Constitutional Court asking for a ruling on an article in the island’s civil code stating that marriage is between a man and a woman.\n\nThe Taipei city government filed a similar request the same year after three same-sex couples lodged an administrative lawsuit against the government when their marriage registrations were rejected, CNA reported.\n\nIn 2017, the court ruled the law violated the constitution.\n\nLawmakers were given a two-year deadline, but reached a deadlock. Taiwan’s gay marriage opponents seized the opportunity to put forward a referendum asking voters whether they agreed with same-sex marriage.\n\nTaiwan Alliance to Promote Civil Partnership Rights executive director Victoria Hsu, who represented Chi during his case, said she expected attitudes towards LGBTQ people to improve after the bill as they would see that heterosexual families “wouldn’t lose anything.”\n\nBut Hsu — who plans to register her marriage with her partner of six years when the bill takes effect next Friday — said more still needed to be done to make LGBTQ people truly equal.\n\n“The fight is not over, but we will continue from this brand-new start,” she added.\n\nAmnesty International Taiwan’s acting director Annie Huang agreed, saying: “The Taiwanese government must not stop here. It needs to act to eliminate all forms of discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation, gender identities and intersex status.”\n\nTaiwan’s vote sets it apart from other parts of Asia where LGBTQ rights have regressed.\n\nIn mainland China, where homosexuality is legal but prejudices and discrimination against LGBT people persist under Communist Party rule, an author of same-sex erotic fiction was sent to jail for 10 years in November.\n\nIn April, the ruler of the tiny, oil-rich kingdom of Brunei announced he would introduce death by stoning for those convicted of gay sex. Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah has since said the death penalty will not be imposed, although he did not repeal the law.\n\nIn Indonesia, declining secularism has led to deepening discrimination against the country’s gay, lesbian and transgender communities. Last year, two men accused of being gay received 87 lashes for gay sex in the country’s conservative Aceh province.\n\nMore than two dozen countries around the world allow gay marriage, according to Pew Research.", "Taiwan became the first place in Asia to legalise same-sex marriage on Friday, as thousands of demonstrators outside parliament cheered and waved rainbow flags, despite deep divisions over marriage equality.\n\nLawmakers of the majority Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) backed the Bill, which passed 66 to 27, although the measure could complicate President Tsai Ing-wen’s bid to win a second term in presidential elections next year.\n\nDemonstrators braved heavy rain outside parliament in Taipei, the capital, with some embracing tearfully as others hailed the vote with chants of “Asia’s first” and “Way to go, Taiwan!”\n\nThe Bill, which offers same-sex couples similar legal protections for marriage as heterosexuals, takes effect on May 24th after Ms Tsai signs it into law.\n\n“Today is a proud day for Taiwan. We demonstrate the value of kindness and inclusiveness from this land to the world,” Ms Tsai told reporters after the measure passed.\n\n“Through legalisation, [we] ensure that everyone’s love is equal and everyone is treated equally,” added Ms Tsai, who campaigned on a promise of marriage equality in the 2016 presidential election.\n\nThe law, however, allows same-sex marriages only between Taiwanese, or with foreigners whose countries recognise same-sex marriage. It permits adoption of children biologically related to at least one of the same-sex pair.\n\nThe vote followed a years-long tussle over marriage equality that culminated in a 2017 declaration by the democratic island’s constitutional court giving same-sex couples the right to marry, and setting a deadline of May 24th for legislation.\n\nTaipei’s colourful gay pride parade, one of Asia’s largest, puts on display every year the vibrancy of the island’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.\n\n“After 30 years of fighting, homosexuals can finally get married,” said musician Ken Chen (32), who was outside parliament watching the vote broadcast live. “Many of us were in tears.”\n\nAmnesty International welcomed the end of a “long and arduous campaign”.\n\n“We hope this landmark vote will generate waves across Asia and offer a much-needed boost in the struggle for equality for LGBTI people in the region,” said Annie Huang, acting director of Amnesty International Taiwan.\n\nHowever, Friday’s measure could prove a hurdle for Ms Tsai’s effort to seek a second term in a January election, after a DPP poll defeat last year was blamed partly on criticism of her reform agenda, including marriage equality.\n\nLate last year, Taiwan voters opposed same-sex marriage in a series of referendums, defining marriage as being between a man and a woman in civil law, though seeking a special law for same-sex unions.\n\nConservative groups that oppose same-sex marriage said the legislation disrespected the people’s will.\n\n“The will of some seven million people in the referendum has been trampled,” one group, the Coalition for the Happiness of Our Next Generation said in a statement. “The massive public will strike back in 2020.” – Reuters", "Taiwan’s legislature voted Friday to legalize same-sex marriage, a first in Asia and a boost for LGBT rights activists who had championed the cause for two decades.\n\nTAIPEI, Taiwan — Taiwan’s legislature voted Friday to legalize same-sex marriage, a first in Asia and a boost for LGBT rights activists who had championed the cause for two decades.\n\nLawmakers pressured by LGBT groups as well as by church organizations opposed to the move approved most of a government-sponsored bill that recognizes same-sex marriages and gives couples many of the tax, insurance and child custody benefits available to male-female married couples.\n\nThat makes Taiwan the first place in Asia with a comprehensive law both allowing and laying out the terms of same-sex marriage.\n\nTaiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, a supporter of the law, tweeted: “On May 17th, 2019 in Taiwan, LoveWon. We took a big step toward true equality, and made Taiwan a better country.”\n\n“It’s a breakthrough, I have to say so,” said Shiau Hong-chi, professor of gender studies and communications management at Shih-Hsin University in Taiwan.\n\nThousands of people, including same-sex couples, demonstrated Friday morning in the rainy streets outside parliament before the vote. Many carried rainbow-colored placards reading “The vote cannot fail.” About 50 opponents sat under a tent outside parliament and gave speeches favoring marriage between only men and women.\n\nTaiwan’s Constitutional Court in May 2017 said the constitution allows same-sex marriages and gave parliament two years to adjust laws accordingly.\n\nThe court order mobilized LGBT advocacy groups pushing for fair treatment, as well as opponents among church groups and advocates of traditional Chinese family values that stress the importance of marriage and producing offspring.\n\nReligion, conservative values and political systems that discourage LGBT activism have slowed momentum toward same-sex marriage in many Asian countries from Japan through much of Southeast Asia, although Thailand is exploring the legalization of same-sex civil partnerships.\n\n“This will help spark a debate in Thailand, and hopefully will help Thailand move faster on our own partnership bill,” said Wattana Keiangpa of the Asia Pacific Coalition on Male Sexual Health.\n\nPhil Robertson, deputy Asia director for Human Rights Watch, said Taiwan’s action should “sound a clarion call, kicking off a larger movement across Asia to ensure equality for LGBT people and pro-active protection of their rights by governments throughout the region. No more excuses!”\n\nTaiwan’s acceptance of gay and lesbian relationships began in the 1990s when leaders in today’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party championed the cause to help Taiwan stand out in Asia as an open society.\n\nAlthough claimed by China as its own territory, Taiwan is a self-governing democracy with a vibrant civil society dedicated to promoting rights for sexual and ethnic minorities, women, the handicapped and others.\n\nMainland China, ruled by the authoritarian Communist Party, remains much more conservative and officials have repeatedly discouraged even the discussion of legalizing same-sex marriage.\n\nDespite that, news of Taiwan’s new law was a major trending topic on social media in China, with more than 100 million views on the Twitter-like microblogging site Weibo.\n\nOpponents in Taiwan raised fears of incest, insurance scams and children confused by having two mothers or two fathers. Both sides of the issue have held colorful street demonstrations and lobbied lawmakers.\n\n“This is going to cause a lot of morality problems,” said Lin Shih-min with the Taiwan political action group Stability of Power, which opposed the law. “From the point of view of the children, they have the right to grow up with both a mother and a father.”\n\nIn November 2018, a majority of Taiwan voters rejected same-sex marriage in an advisory referendum. However, legislators favoring the bill, and voting separately on each item largely along party lines, said it followed the law as well as the spirit of the referendum.\n\n“We need to take responsibility for the referendum last year and we need to take responsibility for people who have suffered from incomplete laws or faced discrimination,” ruling party legislator Hsiao Bi-khim said during the three-hour parliament session.\n\nAt least 20 same-sex couples are planning a mass marriage registration in Taipei on May 24, a spokesman for the advocacy group Marriage Equality Coalition Taiwan said. The newlyweds and hundreds of invitees will hold a mass party a day later on a blocked-off boulevard outside the presidential office, the event organizer said.\n\nThe law will give a boost to Jay Lin and his partner, who hope to marry and assume joint custody of their two 2-year-old sons. They plan to register after May 24.\n\n“A lot of gay parents are excited about that already,” said Lin, a Taipei-based online streaming service founder.\n\n“I think once more people are married and more families are more comfortable being out in public, that will naturally have a beneficial impact on society and on people’s minds,” Lin said.", "Taiwan approves same-sex marriage in first for Asia\n\nTAIPEI: Taiwan’s parliament legalised same-sex marriage on Friday in a landmark first for Asia as the government survived a last-minute attempt by conservatives to pass watered-down legislation.\n\nLawmakers comfortably passed a bill allowing same-sex couples to form \"exclusive permanent unions\" and another clause that would let them apply for a \"marriage registration\" with government agencies.\n\nThe vote, which took place on the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia, is a major victory for the island´s LGBT community and it places the island at the vanguard of Asia´s burgeoning gay rights movement.\n\nThousands of gay rights supporters gathered outside parliament despite heavy downpours, waving rainbow flags, flashing victory signs and breaking into cheers as the news filtered out.\n\nIn recent months conservatives had mobilised to rid the law of any reference to marriage, instead putting forward rival bills that offered something closer to limited same-sex unions. But those bills struggled to receive enough votes.\n\nGay rights groups hailed the vote on Friday, saying the ability to apply for a \"marriage registration\", known as clause four, put their community much closer to parity with heterosexual couples.\n\n\"The passage of clause four ensures that two persons of the same-sex can register their marriage on May 24th and ensure that Taiwan becomes the first country in Asia to legalise same-sex marriage and to successfully open a new page in history,\" said the Taiwan Alliance to Promote Civil Partnership Rights.\n\nTwo years ago Taiwan´s top court ruled that not allowing same-sex couples to marry violates the constitution with judges giving the government until May 24 to make the changes or see marriage equality enacted automatically.\n\nThe law does not bring full equality with heterosexual couples, it only allows for biological adoption, for example, and marriages with foreigners are not recognised.\n\nBut gay rights groups have said they were willing to accept compromises, as long as the new law recognised the concept of marriage, adding they could fight further legal battles over surrogacy and adoption down the line. “For me the outcome today is not 100 percent perfect, but it´s still pretty good for the gay community as it provides legal definition,” Elias Tseng, a gay pastor who was among the crowds outside parliament, told AFP.\n\nVictoria Hsu, a gay rights lawyer, said it was crucial that conservatives failed in their bid to delete the reference to marriage registration with lawmakers voting 66-27 in favour of the provision. “In Taiwan a marriage will take effect when it´s registered, so allowing marriage registration is no doubt recognising the marriage itself,” she told AFP.\n\nThe first marriages are expected to be registered next Friday, the date the court set for their deadline.\n\nIn the last decade, Taiwan has been one of the most progressive societies in Asia when it comes to gay rights, staging the continent´s biggest annual gay pride parade. But the island remains a staunchly conservative place, especially outside urban areas. Conservative and religious groups were buoyed by a series of referendum wins in November, in which voters comprehensively rejected defining marriage as anything other than a union between a man and a woman, illustrating the limited popular support for change.\n\nPresident Tsai Ing-wen hailed the vote as a “big step towards true equality” that “made Taiwan a better country.” Tsai had previously spoken in favour of gay marriage but was later accused of dragging her feet after the court judgement, fearful of a voter backlash.\n\nTaiwan goes to the polls in January and the gay marriage issue could hamper Tsai´s chances of re-election.\n\nOpponents were incensed by the vote, saying the inclusion of the “marriage registration” clause ignored the 70 percent of voters who had cast ballots in the referendum wanting to keep marriage limited to a man and a woman. Tseng Hsien-ying, from the Coalition for the Happiness of Our Next Generation, told local media the vote “trampled on Taiwanese people´s expectations that a marriage and a family is formed by a man and a woman, a husband and a wife”.\n\nAustralia and New Zealand are the only places in the wider Asia-Pacific region to have passed gay marriage laws.\n\nTaiwan is the first place in Asia to do so. Vietnam decriminalised gay marriage celebrations in 2015, but it stopped short of full legal recognition for same-sex unions.\n\n“We hope this landmark vote will generate waves across Asia and offer a much-needed boost in the struggle for equality for LGBTI people in the region,” Annie Huang, from Amnesty International Taiwan, said in a statement.", "The vote came almost two years after the island's Constitutional Court ruled that the existing law -- which said marriage was between a man and a woman -- was unconstitutional. The panel of judges gave the island's parliament two years to amend or enact new laws.\n\nOn Friday -- only a week off the two-year deadline -- lawmakers in Taiwan's Legislative Yuan passed a bill making same-sex marriage a reality. It will go into effect on May 24.\n\nTens of thousands of people braved pouring rain Friday to demonstrate in favor of same-sex marriage outside the parliament, where lawmakers were voting on three draft bills, one tabled by the country's Cabinet -- which would ultimately prove successful -- and two watered-down rival bills tabled by conservative groups.\n\nThe successful Cabinet bill was backed by LGBTQ groups, despite the fact it creates a law different to straight marriage. For instance, under Cabinet's bill, a Taiwanese person could not marry foreigners from countries where same-sex marriage is not legal.", "TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan's legislature voted today to legalize same-sex marriage, a first in Asia and a boost for LGBT rights activists who had championed the cause for two decades.\n\nLawmakers pressured by LGBT groups as well as by church organizations opposed to the move approved most of a government-sponsored bill that recognizes same-sex marriages and gives couples many of the tax, insurance and child custody benefits available to male-female married couples.\n\nThat makes Taiwan the first place in Asia with a comprehensive law both allowing and laying out the terms of same-sex marriage.\n\nTaiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, a supporter of the law, tweeted: \"On May 17th, 2019 in Taiwan, LoveWon. We took a big step toward true equality, and made Taiwan a better country.\"\n\n\"It's a breakthrough, I have to say so,\" said Shiau Hong-chi, professor of gender studies and communications management at Shih-Hsin University in Taiwan.\n\nThousands of people, including same-sex couples, demonstrated Friday morning in the rainy streets outside parliament before the vote. Many carried rainbow-colored placards reading \"The vote cannot fail.\" About 50 opponents sat under a tent outside parliament and gave speeches favoring marriage between only men and women.\n\nTaiwan's Constitutional Court in May 2017 said the constitution allows same-sex marriages and gave parliament two years to adjust laws accordingly.\n\nThe court order mobilized LGBT advocacy groups pushing for fair treatment, as well as opponents among church groups and advocates of traditional Chinese family values that stress the importance of marriage and producing offspring.\n\nReligion, conservative values and political systems that discourage LGBT activism have slowed momentum toward same-sex marriage in many Asian countries from Japan through much of Southeast Asia, although Thailand is exploring the legalization of same-sex civil partnerships.", "Taiwan’s parliament approved a bill on Friday that legalizes same-sex marriage, making it the first place in Asia to do so. Hundreds of supporters who gathered outside parliament cheered and embraced at the news.\n\nThe island’s Constitutional Court ruled in 2017 that Taiwanese laws prohibiting same-sex couples from marrying violated their personal freedom and equal protection – and gave the government two years to come up with a legal framework to comply with the decision.\n\nParliament considered three different bills before passing the most progressive among them 66-27, the BBC reports, supported by the majority Democratic Progressive Party. It was the only of the proposed bills to use the word “marriage” to define the same-sex relationship, rather than terms such as “same-sex union.”\n\nMarriage equality was part of President Tsai Ing-wen’s 2016 campaign platform. Before the vote on Friday, she tweeted: “Good morning Taiwan. Today, we have a chance to make history & show the world that progressive values can take root in an East Asian society. Today, we can show the world that LoveWins.”\n\nAfter it passed, she posted another message: “On May 17th, 2019 in Taiwan, #LoveWon. We took a big step towards true equality, and made Taiwan a better country.” The bill takes effect after Tsai signs it into law.\n\nIt’s not yet clear what the law will mean for rights such as adoption and cross-national marriages, topics that will be part of continuing parliamentary discussion on Friday, according to Reuters. But the vote establishes full legal marriage rights in terms of insurance, taxes and child custody, The Associated Press reports.\n\nWhile China, with a more conservative take on traditional values, still claims Taiwan as its territory, though the island nation is a self-governing democracy that has promoted civil rights for sexual and ethnic minorities, women, the disabled and others.\n\nThe capital city Taipei is home to East Asia’s largest gay pride parade – an event that regularly draws tens of thousands of participants.\n\nBut gay marriage is divisive in Taiwan. The court’s 2017 ruling sparked a public backlash, putting pressure on the government to hold a referendum on whether the people approved of gay marriage. When the referendum was held last November, voters indicated they overwhelmingly opposed it.\n\nThe public’s disapproval could spell trouble for Tsai’s bid for re-election in January.\n\n“How can we ignore the result of the referendums, which demonstrated the will of the people?” said John Wu, a lawmaker from the opposition Kuomintang party, according to Reuters. “Can we find an appropriate compromise solution? We need more dialogue in society.”\n\n“Hurrah!” tweeted Phil Robertson, Deputy Asia Director at Human Rights Watch. “Taiwan leads the way in Asia on LGBT rights, cementing its laudable record as an increasingly progressive, rights respecting government amid growing authoritarianism and rights abuses in other countries throughout the region. Kudos to activists for this victory!”"], "summary": "Taiwan's Legislative Yuan passes legislation legalizing same-sex marriage and limited joint-custody rights, making Taiwan the first country in Asia to do so. President Tsai Ing-wen and her cabinet helped draft the bill, and she will sign it into law on or before May 24."}
{"document": ["WASHINGTON — The United States House of Representatives on Friday passed substantial reforms to the Civil Rights Act to include protections for LGBTQ Americans.\n\nThe bill, called the Equality Act, would protect LGBTQ Americans from discrimination in applying for credit, housing, employment, and more. But Republican critics of the legislation say it would harm religious freedoms, making it unlikely the GOP-led Senate will take up the bill.\n\nRead more: If a Democrat beats Trump in 2020, they might still have to face the toughest obstacle in politics — Mitch McConnell\n\nThe bill passed 236-173, with unanimous support from the Democratic caucus. In total, eight Republicans crossed the aisle to support the legislation.\n\n\"This is not only important to the LGBTQ community, it's important for America, ending discrimination,\" House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a Thursday press conference. \"Our history has always been one of expanding freedom and reducing discrimination.\"\n\nOther Democratic leaders praised the bill, saying it would boost civil-rights protections across the board.\n\n\"Much of the history of the United States has been about expanding the definition of who is understood to be included when the Declaration of Independence says 'All men are created equal,'\" Rep. Jerry Nadler, the House Judiciary Committee chairman, said in a Friday floor speech. \"When these words were first written, that phrase did not include black and Latino men. It did not include Native Americans. It did not include women. And it certainly did not include LGBTQ individuals.\"\n\nHe added: \"At this moment, we have an opportunity to continue our march toward justice — to enshrine in our nation's laws protections for marginalized communities to ensure that everyone can fully participate in key areas of life and to provide them recourse in the face of discrimination.\"\n\nThe bill was also endorsed by the New Democrat Coalition, a large group of moderate lawmakers in the House.\n\nRead more: Progressives like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez may be the 'rock stars' of the Democratic House majority — but another group of freshman Democrats is reshaping Congress\n\nBut Republicans vehemently opposed the legislation, saying it would roll back religious freedoms and laws in place to protect Americans who oppose abortion rights.\n\nThey said that because of language in the bill about discrimination against pregnant people and people who've given birth, it would prevent doctors from objecting to performing abortions for moral reasons.\n\n\"The Democrats' latest piece of legislation is another mirage, packaged with a deceiving title, that ultimately chips away at our religious freedoms, would jeopardize Title IX sports programs, and puts our children at risk by eliminating parental consent in life-altering medical procedures,\" House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy said in a statement to The Daily Signal, the media arm of the conservative Heritage Foundation.\n\nCritics also said this would undermine Hyde Amendment protections that ensure that federal taxpayer dollars are not used to fund abortions.\n\nAs a result, the Republican-led Senate is not likely to consider the Equality Act. In addition, a senior White House official told the Washington Blade that President Donald Trump would not sign the bill in its current form.", "Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif., left, is greeted by Chad Griffin, president of the Human Rights Campaign, as they and other advocates for LGBTQ rights rally before a vote in the House on the \"Equality Act of 2019,\" sweeping anti-discrimination legislation that would extend civil rights protections to LGBT people by prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity, at the Capitol in Washington on Friday. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)", "The House passed legislation Friday to amend the decades-old Civil Rights Act to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.\n\nDespite a sea change in the past decade in public opinion regarding gay rights and the legalization of same-sex marriage nationally, 30 states have no laws protecting people from being fired, denied housing or harassed for their sexuality or gender identity. The bill would prohibit such discrimination in education, jury duty and federal financing along with housing and employment.\n\n“The ability to have a job, to receive medical care or to rent a home should not depend on who someone is,” Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) said during House debate. “We cannot accept the situation where anyone in this country can get married on Sunday and legally fired on Monday because of who they love.”\n\nRep. David N. Cicilline (D-R.I.) was chief sponsor of the measure to amend the 1964 law, calling it “a life-saving bill that addresses some of the fundamental inequality.”\n\nAs Democrats applauded, the bill passed 236-to-173, with eight Republicans breaking ranks and joining all Democrats in backing the measure. It is unlikely to get a vote in the Republican-led Senate, and the White House has signaled that President Trump would veto the measure if it ever reached his desk.\n\nSeveral Republicans spoke in opposition to the legislation, arguing that it violates religious freedom and nullifies women’s rights, particularly in the area of competitive sports.\n\n“It is bad for freedom to force small business owners all across this country to provide services or products to the public that may violate their deeply held faith-based convictions,” said Rep. Ross Spano (R-Fla). “Again, allowing the state to essentially impose from above top down its own moral codes and rules in place of those of the individual.”\n\nMany Republicans also warned that if the bill became law, men who identify as women would take spots on women’s sports teams or get their scholarships.\n\nRep. James Comer (R-Ky.) said the law would “subvert the purpose of gender division by allowing men to compete against girls.”\n\nHe said the legislation had “a clever name,” but was a “vehicle for harmful consequences.”\n\nRep. Louie Gohmert (R-Tex.) said Democrats were making bad laws just to protect the feelings of “people who are gender confused or suffering gender dysphoria, the opposite of euphoria.”", "WASHINGTON — The House passed sweeping legislation Friday to ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity after an emotional debate that underscored the divide between the two parties.\n\nDemocrats cast the decades-in-the-making move to change the 1964 Civil Rights Act as a historic step to extend protections to LGBTQ Americans, with several gay and bisexual lawmakers emphasizing the need for the bill called the Equality Act.\n\nRepublicans warned of the threat to religious freedom and argued that the measure could undermine women’s rights, with men who identify as women taking spots on women’s sports teams and denying them athletics scholarships.\n\nThe bill would prohibit discrimination in employment, housing, education, jury service and federal financing, protecting people from being fired or harassed for their sexuality or gender identity.\n\nAs Democrats cheered and applauded, the bill passed 236-to-173, with eight Republicans breaking ranks and joining all Democrats in backing the measure. It is unlikely to get a vote in the Republican-led Senate, and the White House has signaled that President Donald Trump would veto the measure if it ever reached his desk.\n\nThe Trump administration has taken several steps to roll back or limit rights for LGBTQ people, most notably Trump’s broad restriction on transgender people serving in the military.\n\nDespite a sea change in the past decade in public opinion regarding gay rights and the legalization of same-sex marriage nationally, 30 states have no laws protecting people and proponents argued that the measure would create a national standard.\n\nRep. David Cicilline, D-R.I., who is openly gay and the chief sponsor of the measure, called it “a life-saving bill that addresses some of the fundamental inequality that still exists.”\n\nHouse Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said, “no one should be forced to lose his or her job, their home or to live in fear because of who they are and whom they love.”\n\nAnd Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg, who is gay, tweeted his approval with the outcome and urged Americans to call senators and press for a vote.\n\n“Thanks to the work of thousands of activists, organizers, and voters, the Equality Act has [in] passed the House. This is a historic moment for equal rights in America,” the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, wrote.\n\nRepublicans countered that the bill infringes on the religious beliefs of individuals and repeatedly raised the specter of women’s sports.\n\n“It is bad for freedom to force small business owners all across this country to provide services or products to the public that may violate their deeply held faith-based convictions,” said Rep. Ross Spano, R-Fla.\n\nRep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, said Democrats were making bad laws just to protect the feelings of “people who are gender confused or suffering gender dysphoria, the opposite of euphoria.”\n\nAnd Rep. Vicky Hartzler, R-Mo., described the bill as government-imposed discrimination against those Americans with “time-honored views” of marriage. She also wondered what would happen in future Olympics.\n\n“It would only take three biological males who identify as female to prevent the best female athletes from reaching the medal stand,” said Hartzler.\n\nDemocrats dismissed the sports argument, with Rep. Katie Hill, D-Calif., who identifies as bisexual, delivering an impassioned rebuke.\n\n“I can’t believe I’m standing here and having a man telling me what protections I need,” she told GOP lawmakers, arguing that no transgender person is trying to “game the system to participate in sports.”\n\n“You, my colleagues, are on the wrong side of history and we will be waiting for you on the other side,” she said to applause from Democrats.\n\nThe bill had the support of many well-known businesses like Google, Apple and General Motors. After passage, IBM tweeted a statement, “While this is a historic milestone to be celebrated, we know there’s still much work ahead. IBM will continue to push for final passage of the Equality Act to prevent discrimination against Americans for being who they are.”", "Rep. Donna Shalala (FL-27) kept her promise to strengthen LGBTQ rights today by voting for H.R. 5, the Equality Act, landmark legislation that would extend anti-discrimination protections to the LGBTQ community with regard to employment, education, access to credit, jury service, federal funding, housing, public accommodations, and more.\n\n“In Florida and many other states, LGBTQ Americans are still at risk of being fired, evicted and denied services because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Today, we have taken a crucial step in ending this injustice,” said Rep. Shalala. “With the passage of this bill, we uphold the human rights of LGBTQ individuals across the country, asserting that no American should face discrimination based on who they are or who they love.”\n\nThe Equality Act builds on decades of civil rights legislation, including the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act, and the Fair Housing Act. While federal courts and administrative agencies have already taken some steps to extend sex discrimination protections to discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, the Equality Act codifies these interpretations into law. This explicit prohibition against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity provides clarity for employers, schools, businesses, and the public. In areas where sex discrimination is not already prohibited, the bill amends existing law to bar discrimination on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity.\n\nThe Equality Act has bipartisan support in Congress and the endorsement of over 200 major companies operating across all 50 states, over 45 trade organizations, and over 500 statewide and national organizations. Most importantly, the bill has the overwhelming support of the American people – with over seven in ten Americans supporting the Equality Act.", "(WASHINGTON) — Democrats in the House approved sweeping anti-discrimination legislation Friday that would extend civil rights protections to LGBT people by prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. The protections would extend to employment, housing, loan applications, education, public accommodations and other areas.\n\nCalled the Equality Act, the bill is a top priority of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who said it will bring the nation “closer to equal liberty and justice for all.”\n\nSexual orientation and gender identity “deserve full civil rights protections – in the workplace and in every place, education, housing, credit, jury service, public accommodations,” Pelosi said.\n\nThe legislation’s chief sponsor, Rep. David Cicilline, D-R.I., said it affirms fairness and equality as core American values “and ensures members of the LGBTQ community can live their lives free from the fear of legal discrimination of any kind.”\n\nCicilline, who is gay, called equal treatment under the law a founding principle of the United States, adding “It’s absurd that, in 2019, members of the LGBTQ community can be fired from their jobs, denied service in a restaurant or get thrown out of their apartment because of their sexual orientation or gender identify.”\n\nMost Republicans oppose the bill and call it another example of government overreach. Several GOP lawmakers spoke against it Friday on the House floor. President Donald Trump is widely expected to veto the legislation if it reaches his desk.\n\nAt a news conference Thursday, the Republicans said the bill would jeopardize religious freedom by requiring acceptance of a particular ideology about sexuality and sexual identity.\n\nRep. Vicky Hartzler, R-Mo., called the legislation “grossly misnamed” and said it is “anything but equalizing.”\n\nThe bill “hijacks” the 1964 Civil Rights Act to create “a brave new world of ‘discrimination’ based on undefined terms of sexual orientation and gender identity,” Hartzler said. The legislation threatens women’s sports, shelters and schools, and could silence female athletes, domestic abuse survivors and other women, she said.\n\nA similar bill in the Senate has been co-sponsored by all but one Senate Democrat, but faces long odds in the Republican-controlled chamber.\n\nA Trump administration official who asked not be identified, because he was not authorized to speak publicly about the president’s intentions, said the White House “opposes discrimination of any kind and supports the equal treatment of all. However, this bill in its current form is filled with poison pills that threaten to undermine parental and conscience rights.”\n\nSome critics also said the bill could jeopardize Title IX, the law prohibiting sex discrimination in federally funded education programs. Former tennis star Martina Navratilova co-wrote an opinion piece in The Washington Post urging lawmakers not to “make the unnecessary and ironic mistake of sacrificing the enormously valuable social good that is female sports in their effort to secure the rights of transgender women and girls.”\n\nAhead of the vote, Rep. Jody Hice, R-Ga., called the House bill “horrifying” and said it could cause Catholic schools to lose federal grants for school lunches or require faith-based adoption agencies to place children with same-sex couples.\n\nNeena Chaudhry, a lawyer for the National Women’s Law Center, said the bill does not undermine Title IX, because courts have already found that Title IX protects against gender-identity discrimination.\n\n“It is way past time to fully open the doors of opportunity for every American,” said Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., one of the Senate bill’s lead sponsors. “Let’s pass the Equality Act, and let us rejoice in the bells of freedom ringing for every American.”\n\nIn the Senate, Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine also supports the bill, while Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia is the sole Democrat who is not a co-sponsor.", "The House of Representatives on Friday passed the Equality Act, which would ban discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. In hailing its passage, 236 votes to 173 (only 6 Republicans voting for it), the Human Rights Campaign said the Act was “the first time a chamber of Congress has approved a comprehensive LGBTQ civil rights bill that would finally provide clear, nationwide protections for LGBTQ people throughout daily life.” However, the Equality Act, which would amend the 1964 Civil Rights Act to include protections for LGBT individuals, is unlikely to get a vote in the Republican-controlled Senate. The Trump administration has also signaled its opposition to it.", "The U.S. House today took a long-overdue step by passing the Equality Act, a measure addressing the anomaly that federal civil-rights laws don’t protect Americans from discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation or gender identity. The legislation would cover discrimination in employment and housing, education, jury duty, and federal financial assistance.\n\nLGBTQ-rights efforts have in the past divided Democrats, but every one of them, including those thought to be social conservatives, like Illinois’s Dan Lipinski, voted for it. But only eight Republicans went along, reflecting the bill’s ultimate fate in the GOP-controlled Senate, which will bury it. It would have been vetoed by President Trump, in thrall to his homophobic conservative Evangelical base, in any event.\n\nIndeed, the need for such legislation (which would be of particular importance in the 30 states without their own anti-discrimination laws in this area) has been dramatized by the administration’s own discriminatory actions, as the New York Times noted:\n\nHouse Republican rhetoric in opposition to the Equality Act fanned the usual tragicomic fears, as the Washington Post reported:\n\n“It is bad for freedom to force small business owners all across this country to provide services or products to the public that may violate their deeply held faith-based convictions,” said Rep. Ross Spano (R-Fla). “Again, allowing the state to essentially impose from above top down its own moral codes and rules in place of those of the individual.” Many Republicans also warned that if the bill became law, men who identify as women would take spots on women’s sports teams or get their scholarships … Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Tex.) said Democrats were making bad laws just to protect the feelings of “people who are gender confused or suffering gender dysphoria, the opposite of euphoria.”\n\nIt’s increasingly clear that the concerns addressed by the Equality Act will become one of many issues where the nation’s direction is at stake in the 2020 congressional and presidential elections.", "The U.S. House passed legislation Friday that would expand Federal civil rights protections on basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.\n\nTitle VII of the Civil Rights Act, as it stands, only explicitly provides protections for race, color, religion, sex and national origin. The legislation, entitled The Equality Act, would provide the aforementioned identities with protections related to public accommodations, education, federal funding, employment, housing, credit, and the jury system.\n\nAll five Minnesota Democrats in the House cosponsored the bill. It passed 236-173, with four Minnesota Democrats voting in favor and all three Minnesota Republicans voting against the bill. Rep. Collin Peterson cosponsored the bill, but was the only Democrat in the Minnesota delegation who did not vote.\n\nEight House Republicans in total voted for the bill, with two of them cosponsoring the legislation: Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania and Rep. John Katko of New York.\n\n“This landmark legislation will protect all LGBTQ Americans from discrimination in employment, housing, access to public places, federal funding, credit, education and jury service,” said Rep. Betty McCollum, MN-3“Minnesota has outlawed employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation since 1993, and it’s long past time the federal government do the same.”\n\nA handful of states already similar protections to those found in the House bill and Minnesota is one such state. The Minnesota Human Rights Act was first passed in 1973, but amended in 1993 to prohibit discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation, making it the first law in the country to do so.\n\nMinnesota Commissioner Commissioner of Human Rights Rebecca Lucero said her department uses litigation as a tool to protect all Minnesotans from discrimination, regardless of sexual orientation and gender identity. “We know there is a lot of work to be done in Minnesota and across the country to breakdown implicit and explicit bias and violence, especially against trans women of color and gender nonconforming individuals,” she said.\n\nExplicit protections related to gender identity, like those that would be put into place by The Equality Act, are not codified into Federal law, although courts are currently deciding whether or not many of these same protections already apply under current law. The Department of Education under President Barack Obama did issue guidelines that extended Title IX protections of sex-discrimination to transgender students in 2014. Those guidelines were revoked last year by President Trump’s Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. The Minnesota Human Rights Act also provides these protections, and if signed into law, The Equality Act would as well.\n\n“I do still think that Title IX does prohibit discrimination under transgender status, but that is something that will have to be decided by the courts,” said Teresa Nelson, Legal Director at the ACLU of Minnesota. “So having a state law that very explicitly says you can’t discriminate based on transgender status is very important in the absence of strong federal protections.”\n\nReps. Tom Emmer, of the sixth district, and Pete Stauber, of the eighth, did not respond to request for comment as to why they voted against the bill. First district Rep. Jim Hagedorn’s office said they would put out a statement on Friday but had yet to do so as of publication of this story.\n\nThe bill will now move forward to the Senate, where their version of the bill has 47 sponsors and one Republican co-sponsor: Sen. Susan Collins of Maine. Both Senators from Minnesota support the legislation.\n\n“This is a way of improving protections for everyone: whether it’s their workplace, going to school, wherever they are in the public sphere,” said Sen. Tina Smith\n\nThe White House has not yet given a position on the bill, but like most bills to come out of the House, is not likely to make it past a Senate led by Mitch McConnell of Kentucky. Smith was candid about the bill’s prospects. “I hate to say it, but to be honest, I think the Senate has really just become a graveyard for almost all legislation. I’m not hopeful,” Smith said.\n\nAs to what she would say to her Republican colleagues, moving forward, she said that she wishes that the Senate took each piece of legislation on their own individual merits more seriously.\n\n“Mitch McConnell has turned the Senate into a personnel agency for the White House. I think that’s a real shame,” she said. “I know that the Equality Act passed with a handful of Republican votes in the House and we should be able to see that same kind of bipartisan leadership in the Senate.”", "A majority of states don't explicitly ban LGBTQ discrimination; the act would change that at the federal level.\n\nOn Friday, the House of Representatives passed the Equality Act, a sweeping new LGBTQ rights bill that would tighten existing federal laws on anti-LGBTQ discrimination, as well as provide protections for LGBTQ individuals in states where those rights aren’t explicitly protected.\n\nWhat Is The Equality Act?\n\nThe bill, first introduced in 2015, according to Vox, and which you can read in its entirety here, is the first major Congressional effort aimed at codifying LGBTQ rights at the federal level. Friday’s vote by the House of Representatives marks the first time the bill has been given approval by either chamber of Congress.\n\nThe bill essentially adds sexual orientation and gender identity to existing federal law with regard to discrimination in housing, employment, borrowing, and in other areas. As the Equality and Human Rights Commission notes, the Equality Act “merges” nine existing federal laws regarding discrimination into one omnibus law.\n\nThe bill faces an uncertain future in the Republican-controlled Senate, and it is unclear if Donald Trump will sign it into law. However, considering that Trump has, in the past, made policy decisions that are anti-LGBTQ (such as banning transgender troops from serving in the military), it seems unlikely that the bill will get Trump’s signature.\n\nWhat Does It Mean For LGBTQ Individuals?\n\nAs The Advocate explains, the Equality Act insures that LGBTQ individuals cannot be discriminated against in key areas.\n\nEmployment: The Act extends federal anti-discrimination legislation related to employment of LGBTQ individuals. What this means is that a person cannot be denied a job on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity in both the public and private sector. Exceptions are made for religious institutions, religious institutions of higher education, and certain advocacy groups (so, for example, an anti-LGBTQ advocacy group would not be forced to hire an LGBTQ individual).\n\nHousing: Similarly, the Act extends the protections of the Fair Housing Act to LGBTQ individuals. The Act would still provide exceptions for owner-occupied rental housing that has four or fewer units; and does not extend to arrangements between individual roommates.\n\nPublic Accommodations: Provides the same protections for LGBTQ individuals that the Civil Rights Act extends to other minority groups in places of “public accommodation,” such as restaurants, sports stadiums, or movie theaters, for example. Exceptions will still be in place for religious institutions that only provide facilities for their members. So, an evangelical Christian church, for example, would not be forced to host a wedding for LGBTQ individuals.\n\nThe Act would also put an end to disputes over whether or not a baker could be forced to bake a cake for a gay wedding. Under the wording of the bill, a baker could choose to limit his inventory to, say, birthday cakes or graduation cakes. But if the baker offers wedding cakes to straight couples, he or she would be required to bake a cake for a gay couple when asked.\n\nThe Act also requires that businesses and public K-12 schools allow individuals to use the restroom that corresponds to their gender identity.\n\nBorrowing: The Act prohibits banks and lending institutions from discriminating against individuals based on sexual orientation or gender identity."], "summary": "The U.S. House of Representatives passes the Equality Act, which prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity."}
{"document": ["This article is more than 3 months old\n\nThis article is more than 3 months old\n\nEurope’s annual musical jamboree culminated in triumph for the Netherlands on Saturday night.\n\nIn one of the closest competitions in recent years, the battle for top spot in the Eurovision song contest was a tight fight between Sweden, the Netherlands, Italy and North Macedonia.\n\nDuncan Laurence, the bookies’ favourite from the Netherlands, justified his pre-contest hype after the public voted his ballad Arcade the winner. It is the first time the Dutch have won since 1975.\n\nLaurence’s haunting track has already become a big hit on streaming services since its release earlier this year.\n\nFacebook Twitter Pinterest Duncan Laurence performing his track Arcade. Photograph: Ronen Zvulun/Reuters\n\nSweden’s entry John Lundvik had looked like adding to the Scandinavian country’s illustrious record of six wins, beginning back in 1974 when Abba came first.\n\nSweden has such a surplus of Eurovision talent it also furnished the song for the UK’s entry, as well as Estonia’s – Victor Crone is Swedish.\n\nThe Eurovision show brought together acts from 41 countries. The surprise of the night was North Macedonia, the newly renamed country in the Balkans. Their performer, Tamara Todevska, had previously appeared twice before in the competition but Saturday night’s entry, Proud, proved their most popular entry ever.\n\nThe coveted 12 points from the UK’s jury panel of industry professionals also went to North Macedonia. The UK’s entrant, Michael Rice, delivered a rousing performance earlier in the evening singing Bigger Than Us against a backdrop of a starry night sky and racing comets.\n\nRice had said before the contest that he hoped to improve the UK’s reputation at Eurovision, as the UK had not won in 22 years or been in the top 10 in a decade. However, it was not to be – the UK finished last in the final with just 16 points.\n\nUnusually, none of the performers went home with zero points.\n\nMadonna makes call for Israel-Palestine unity at Eurovision Read more\n\nThe contest was staged in Israel, a country that had played host twice before, in Jerusalem in 1979 and 1999. The recent policies of Benjamin Netanyahu’s government towards the occupied Palestinian territories roused considerable anger and calls for a boycott of the contest.\n\nThe Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement claimed that Israel was “shamelessly using Eurovision as part of its official Brand Israel strategy” to “whitewash and distract attention from its war crimes against Palestinians”.\n\nIceland’s entry, the leather-clad BDSM group Hatari, had slammed Eurovision in Israel as being “built on a lie”, but nonetheless took to the stage – choosing to instead focus on Eurovision as a champion of diversity and inclusiveness. Their song, Hatrið Mun Sigra, was one of the eye-catching performances of the final.\n\nHatari showed support for Palestine, holding up Palestinian flags as their points scores were read out.\n\nFacebook Twitter Pinterest Madonna performed two tracks during the final’s halftime show. Photograph: Michael Campanella/Getty Images\n\nMadonna’s performance during the show received a muted response from the studio audience. Dressed by the designer Jean-Paul Gaultier, who said he had been channeling Joan of Arc, Madonna’s show featured as many as 30 dancers dressed as monks.\n\n“You’re all winners,” Madonna told the Eurovision finalists before her appearance.\n\n“Let’s not underestimate the power of music to bring people together. That’s the most important thing. Music makes the people come together.”\n\nGlitz, glamour and geopolitics: is Eurovision hosted by Israel the most contentious ever? Read more\n\nHer decision to perform had provoked furious reaction from fellow musicians in the lead up to the event.\n\nMadonna defended her choice to perform, saying: “I’ll never stop playing music to suit someone’s political agenda nor will I stop speaking out against violations of human rights wherever in the world they may be.”\n\nRoger Waters, founding member of Pink Floyd, wrote in the Guardian that her decision to perform in Tel Aviv “raised fundamentally important ethical and political questions for each and every one of us to contemplate”.\n\nWaters said that “to perform in Israel is a lucrative gig but to do so serves to normalise the occupation.”\n\n• This article was amended on 20 May 2019. The Eurovision song contest was held in Jerusalem in 1999, not Tel Aviv.", "The Netherlands wins the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest with Duncan Laurence's piano ballad \"Arcade\"\n\nTEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — The Netherlands wins the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest with Duncan Laurence's piano ballad \"Arcade\" .", "TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — The Netherlands wins the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest with Duncan Laurence's piano ballad \"Arcade\" .", "The Netherlands' Duncan Laurence has been declared winner, with 492 points, of the 64th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest with \"Arcade,\" a soul song with an intimate style and electronic arrangements that brings that country its fifth victory in the competition, the first since 1975.\n\nThe gala was held in the Expo Tel Aviv facilities in this Israeli city, where the Spanish candidate, Miki, ended up with his song \"La Venda\" in 22nd place with 50 points, the same result as Barei in 2016 and ahead of Alfred and Amaia last year.", "Duncan Laurence has achieved his first win of the night at the Eurovision Song Contest.\n\nThe Netherlands entry’s song Arcade has been named the Best Song by the press in the annual Marcel Bezençon Awards.\n\nThe Marcel Bezençon Award chooses the best song of the year in three categories – Press (voted for by accredited media in the host country), Artistic (voted for by the commentators) and Composer (voted by a jury of participating composers) – and this year, the press has honoured Duncan.\n\nThe 25-year-old shared a picture with his trophy to Instagram and wrote: ‘Whuuuut?! I just won a Marcel Bezençon Award for Best Song voted by the press! Thank you so much!’\n\nThe press haven’t given the Best Song award to the eventual winner since 2014, when they honoured Conchita Wurst and Rise Like A Phoenix.\n\nLast year, they chose France’s Madame Monsieur and their 13th place song, Mercy; in 2017, they voted Occidentalli’s Karma by Franceso Gabbani of Italy, which came sixth; 2016 saw Russia’s Sergey Lazarev and his third place song You Are The Only One win; while in 2015, Il Volo’s Grande amore for Italy won Best Song and went on to come third.\n\nHowever, the press have previously voted for three other winning songs – Alexander Rybek’s Fairytale, Lordi’s Hard Rock Hallelujah and Turkey’s Everyway That I Can.\n\nDuncan is the firm favourite to take the crown tonight at the grand final, with his Sam Smith, James Blake-esque ballad Arcade being a huge hit within the Eurovision community since it was selected by the Netherlands.\n\nSpeaking to Metro.co.uk ahead of the competition, the singer-songwriter said: ‘I do think it adds a bit of pressure, yeah, both positive and a bit “woah, don’t expect too much, we still need to qualify and win!” There are a lot of other really good participants – I love Mahmood especially.\n\n‘But I see it as a really big compliment, that people would love to see me win. Especially since Arcade is the first song I’ve ever released. It’s kind of weird. It’s the American dream – well, the Dutch dream come true.’\n\nThe Eurovision Song Contest airs tonight from 8pm on BBC1.\n\nMORE: Iceland’s Eurovision song from Hatari translated into English is pretty dark", "With all performances from the 26 competing countries over and voting now closed, it’s time we think about the big questions of the Eurovision Song Contest 2019: who will be unveiled as the winner? Who will finish bottom? And where on the table will the UK’s Michael Rice end up?\n\nAhead of the competition, The Netherlands’ Duncan Laurence and his song Arcade were strong favourites to win the contest, but we’ll only find out exactly who’s won at the last second, thanks to the new Eurovision voting system.\n• Meet the acts competing at the Eurovision Song Contest 2019\n• Who is the UK’s entry at Eurovision 2019?\n• Everything you need to know about the Eurovision Song Contest 2019\n\nHere’s all you need to know about the Eurovision 2019 winner…\n\nWho has won the Eurovision Song Contest 2019?\n\nYou can find out the winner of the contest on this page as soon as they’re announced.\n\nWhen will the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 winner be announced?\n\nThe voting window opens after the last song has been performed, and ends 15 minutes later. After this, the Eurovision presenters will call on the spokespersons from the 41 Eurovision countries, who will unveil how their respective juries voted. Finally, the public’s vote will be revealed.\n\nNormally, there’s a 50-minute wait between the lines closing and the winner being unveiled at around 11.30pm.\n\nHow well did the UK do at Eurovision 2019?\n\nThis page will be updated with the UK’s final position as it’s announced.\n\nWhat happens after the winner is declared?\n\nThe lucky act will be presented with the iconic glass Eurovision trophy before performing their winning song once again.", "Singer Duncan Laurence from the Netherlands has emerged victorious at the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest. The finals were held Saturday night in Tel Aviv, Israel.\n\nThe 25-year-old Laurence won the international competition with a song called \"Arcade,\" which he co-wrote. The song is a sweet, emotional ballad that stands in contrast to Israeli singer Netta's wacky \"Toy,\" which won in 2018.\n\nLaurence, whose real name is Duncan de Moor, participated in the Dutch version of \"The Voice\" in 2014. He's also been writing for other performers, including the K-pop band TVXQ.\n\nIn all, 41 countries started out in this year's competition. The 26 finalists' songs included a number of power ballads alongside Duncan's, as well as perky, anodyne pop from artists like the Czech Republic's Lake Malawi and Denmark's Leonora; and aspiring club bangers from the artist Tamta, the singer representing Cyprus, and Belarus' Zena, among many others.\n\nBut because this is Eurovision, where camp appeal often outweighs other factors, there was also Serhat — a dentist turned-television impresario-turned singer, who channels Leonard Cohen at the disco and represented tiny San Marino — and Iceland's Hatari, which describes itself as an \"anti-capitalist performance art group inspired by BDSM and anti-authoritarian dystopic aesthetics.\"\n\nHatari reportedly \"tested the patience\" of the European Broadcasting Union, which mounts Eurovision, in the week leading up to the finals by repeatedly speaking out against the Israeli government.\n\nMore widely, this year's event has been partly overshadowed by politics and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. On Tuesday, hackers interrupted the Israeli live webcast of the first semi-final to warn, falsely, that the city of Tel Aviv was under attack. Israel's national broadcaster, Kan, blamed Hamas for the hacking. Palestinian activists unsuccessfully urged performers to boycott Eurovision 2019.\n\nOrganizers said the Eurovision finals were being watched by 200 million people across the globe. However, the show was not broadcast in the United States this year after the Logo TV network, which carried the 2016 to 2018 editions, chose not to pick up this year's contest.\n\nAlong with this year's competitors, other performers at Eurovision 2019 included previous winners Netta from Israel, who won in 2018, and 2014's winner, Conchita Wurst from Austria — as well Madonna, who performed \"Like a Prayer,\" as well as her new, reggae-flavored song \"Future\" with Migos' Quavo.", "TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — The Latest on the Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest (all times local):\n\nThe Netherlands is the winner of the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest.\n\nDuncan Laurence's doleful piano ballad \"Arcade\" was tapped as an early front-runner before Saturday's Grand Final. But it had to rely on the fan vote to secure the country's fifth win in the competition. Italy finished second, followed by Russia, Switzerland and Norway.\n\nSome 200 million people around the world were expected to watch the annual campy contest with 26 nations battling to be crowned Europe's best pop act.\n\nEurope's ultimate pop extravaganza is hosting the Queen of Pop.\n\nMadonna was the special guest Saturday at the Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest in Tel Aviv where 26 nations were battling to be crowned Europe's best pop act. Some 200 million people around the world are expected to be watching the annual campy contest.\n\nIsrael earned the right to host the show after Netta Barzilai carried off last year's prize with her spunky pop anthem \"Toy.\"\n\nMadonna had faced calls to boycott the event by a Palestinian-led campaign. But she rejected them, saying she will \"never stop playing music to suit someone's political agenda.\"\n\nMadonna performed her hit song, \"Like a Prayer,\" marking 30 years to its release, and a new song \"Future\" from her forthcoming album \"Madame X.\"\n\nThe 26 contestants in the Grand Final of the 64th Eurovision Song Contest have finished their acts.\n\nNow the voting gets underway. To maximize onscreen tension, performers are picked Saturday by a mix of fan votes and professional juries from the participating countries. Spectators cannot vote for their own country, but like-minded countries tend to fall into blocs that back their regional favorites.\n\nIsrael earned the right to host the show after Netta Barzilai won last year with her spunky pop anthem \"Toy.\"\n\nThe Netherlands has been tapped as an early front-runner for Duncan Laurence's doleful piano ballad \"Arcade.\" Other favorites include Switzerland's energetic \"She Got Me,\" sung by Luca Hänni, Sweden's soulful \"Too Late for Love,\" sung by John Lundvik, and Australia's breathy act, \"Zero Gravity,\" by Kate Miller-Heidke.\n\nIceland's controversial steampunk band Hatari has concluded their live performance without incident.\n\nThe band had drawn attention in Israel by initially vowing to stay out, saying it would be \"absurd\" to participate in Israel because of its policies toward the Palestinians. Later, they vowed to use the Eurovision spotlight to expose the \"face of the occupation.\" But at a press conference after the semifinal, Hatari offered a purely positive message. \"We need to unite and remember to love,\" it said, in the wake of \"hate that's on the rise in Europe.\"\n\nIn Saturday's final they belted out their grinding metal rock to cheers from the audience. They are not a favorite to win.\n\nCalls for performers to boycott the show have failed to generate much momentum.\n\nIsrael's prime minister has called the country's Eurovision representative to wish him luck in the contest.\n\nBenjamin Netanyahu's office says he spoke to Kobi Marimi Saturday night to tell him the \"the entire nation is supporting you.\"\n\nMarimi, with his song \"Home,\" is considered a long shot to win. He has a tough act to follow after Netta Barzilai won it all for Israel last year with her spunky pop anthem \"Toy.\"\n\nIsrael has won the Eurovision four previous times and it has provided the country with some cultural touchstones. \"Hallelujah\" became the country's unofficial national song after Milk and Honey won the contest Israel hosted in the late 1970s, and Dana International became a national hero and global transgender icon when she won with \"Diva\" in 1998.\n\nThe Grand Final of the 64th Eurovision Song Contest is under way.\n\nEurope's annual music extravaganza will crown one of 26 entries with dreams of following in the footsteps of past winners such as Swedish pop icons ABBA and Celine Dion, who represented Switzerland.\n\nThe show is taking place at Tel Aviv's Expo Center, starting at 10 p.m. Saturday (1900 GMT.) Some 200 million people around the world are expected to be watching.\n\nIsrael earned the right to host the show after Netta Barzilai carried off last year's prize with her spunky pop anthem \"Toy.\"\n\nThe show of European unity brings together acts from 41 countries, including those with little connection to Europe, such as Australia.\n\nThe final round's winner will be influenced by TV viewers casting votes via text message.", "The Netherlands won the 64th Eurovision Song Contest in Israel on Sunday in a songfest that passed off without serious incident, despite calls by pro-Palestinian groups to boycott the event.\n\nDuncan Laurence singing ‘Arcade’ beat off 25 other contestants in the grand final in Tel Aviv to win the glass microphone trophy.\n\nCyprus, with Tamta and the song “Replay” finished in 15th place.\n\nThe 41-country singing competition featured a guest appearance by Madonna, who caused some controversy when two backing dancers briefly appeared on stage wearing costumes emblazoned with the Israeli and Palestinians flags. Iceland’s contestants also displayed small Palestinian banners during the voting.\n\nWith its victory, the Netherlands wins the right to host next year’s competition.", "BBC One will air the Eurovision Song Contest 2019 grand final tonight (Saturday, May 18). Eurovision 2019 will be streaming live as it airs on the BBC. BBC iPlayer is also streaming the two Eurovision semi-finals now for those who want to catch up before the final.\n\nBBC iPlayer will be streaming the Eurovision 2019 grand final as it airs on TV. The Eurovision live stream will start at 8pm on iPlayer, with commentary by Graham Norton. iPlayer will livestream the final until around 11.40pm, when the winning act is crowned. The two semi finals, hosted by Rylan Clark-Neal and Scott Mills, are both on BBC iPlayer now. HOW TO VOTE IN THE EUROVISION SONG CONTEST 2019\n\nThose without TV licences or outside of the UK have other ways of streaming Eurovision. The Eurovision YouTube account has a live stream of the contest which will start at 8pm BST. Though this stream is available in many countries around the world, it is geo-blocked in America. When asked why at a Eurovision press conference, executive supervisor Jon Ola Sand said: “The reason why we can’t show it in the USA is that YouTube doesn’t have a collecting society in the USA, so for copyright purposes, we cannot show content in the USA. “YouTube needs to arrange a deal with a collecting society so that artists get paid.” HOW TO WATCH EUROVISION IN AUSTRALIA\n\nThe Netherlands are the bookies’ favourite to win Eurovision 2019. BetVictor have Duncan Laurence and his song Arcade at 11/1 to win his country its 5th Eurovision win. Other countries with a good chance of winning tonight’s song contest include Sweden at 6/1 and Australia at 8/1. If Sweden wins tonight, they make Eurovision history by matching Ireland’s record of seven wins. WHY ARE THE EUROVISION BIG 5 NOT IN THE SEMI-FINALS?"], "summary": "Duncan Laurence, representing the Netherlands, wins the 2019 edition of the Eurovision Song Contest with the song \"Arcade\". It is the country's first win since 1975."}
{"document": ["Four Americans have died after a small plane plummeted into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Honduras, according to the U.S. State Department.\n\n\"We express our condolences to all those affected by this tragedy,\" a State Department spokesperson told ABC News. \"We extend our sincere condolences to the family and friends of the deceased.\"\n\nA Canadian pilot was also killed in the accident on Saturday, bringing the total number of fatalities to five, according to the Associated Press. The Canadian government did not immediately return ABC News' request for comment.\n\nJunto con los @Bomberoshn y pobladores trabajamos con el rescate de los tripulantes de la avioneta accidentada en #Roatán #IslasDeLaBahía pic.twitter.com/zv6m6BGMIb — Policía Nacional (@PoliciaHonduras) May 18, 2019\n\nThe single-engine Piper Cherokee Six airplane plunged into the ocean shortly after takeoff, according to the AP. The passengers, whose identities have not been released, were traveling from the island of Roatan to the city of Trujillo.\n\nRescue boats with police and firemen found four bodies within minutes of the crash, according to a statement released by the Honduras military.\n\nRescuers were able to transport one passenger to a local hospital, but he died of internal injuries, according to the military.\n\nABC News' Amanda Maile contributed to this report.", "Five foreign tourists were killed in a private plane crash near the Atlantic coast of Honduras on Saturday. The aircraft plunged into the sea shortly after taking off from the island of Roatán, local officials said, according to Reuters.\n\nLocal authorities said that four of the victims are Canadian nationals while the nationality of one of the victims is yet to be identified.\n\nThe plane crashed near Dixon Cove, a town in Honduras, rescuers said, according to AFP. The tourists were on their way to the city of Trujillo, nearly 70 kilometres from Roatán. Cause of the crash is still unavailable.\n\nLocal authorities said that the make of the plan was a Piper PA-32-260, Reuters reported.", "TEGUCIGALPA, May 18 (Reuters) - Five foreign tourists, four of them Canadians, died on Saturday after a private plane they were traveling in crashed into the sea shortly after taking off from the island of Roatán, near the Atlantic coast of Honduras, local authorities said.\n\nLocal emergency services said they could not immediately confirm the nationality of the other person who died in the accident or the cause of the crash.\n\nThe plane was headed to the tourist port city of Trujillo, about 80 kilometers (49.71 miles) from Roatan, a picturesque island frequented by tourists from the United States, Canada and Europe, authorities said.\n\nThe make of the plane was a Piper PA-32-260, local authorities said. (Reporting by Gustavo Palencia; writing by Julia Love; editing by Diane Craft)", "Five foreign tourists, four of them Canadians, died on Saturday after a private plane they were traveling in crashed into the sea shortly after taking off from the island of Roatán, near the Atlantic coast of Honduras, local authorities said.\n\nLocal emergency services said they could not immediately confirm the nationality of the other person who died in the accident or the cause of the crash.\n\nThe plane was headed to the tourist port city of Trujillo, about 80km (49.71 miles) from Roatán, a picturesque island frequented by tourists from the US, Canada and Europe, authorities said.\n\nThe make of the plane was a Piper PA-32-260, local authorities said. Piper Aircraft did not immediately respond to a request for comment.", "Five people, including four Americans, were killed when a small plane crashed into the sea shortly after takeoff from an airport in Honduras on Saturday, according to officials.\n\nThe crash happened off Roatán island, a tourist destination on the Atlantic coast of Honduras.\n\nThe Piper PA-32-260 plane was headed to the tourist port city of Trujillo, about 49 miles from Roatán, an island frequented by tourists from the United States, Canada and Europe, authorities told Reuters.\n\nUS COLLEGE GRAD AMONG VICTIMS OF HORRIFIC RUSSIA PLANE FIRE\n\nA State Department spokesperson confirmed to Fox News that four Americans were among the dead, and the U.S. Embassy in Tegucigalpa is \"providing all appropriate consular assistance.\"\n\n\"We express our condolences to all those affected by this tragedy,\" a spokesperson said. \"We extend our sincere condolences to the family and friends of the deceased.\"\n\nAEROFLOT CREW'S HEROIC ACTIONS PRAISED, AS FLIGHT ATTENDANT KILLED TRYING TO SAVE PASSENGERS FROM DEADLY INFERNO\n\nGlobal Affairs Canada told CTV News that a Canadian citizen was also among those killed in the crash.\n\n“Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the Canadian Citizen who died in a tragic plane crash in Roatán Islands, Honduras. Canadian consular officials in Tegucigalpa, Honduras are in contact with local authorities and are providing consular assistance to the family of the victim,” a Global Affairs Canada spokesperson told CTV.\n\nCLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS APP\n\nOfficials said that firefighters responded quickly to the crash site, where four of the plane's occupants were found dead. Another died hours later after being taken to a hospital, according to CTV News.\n\nLocal authorities in Honduras did not immediately offer a cause for the accident, Reuters reported.", "TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) - Five foreigners including the pilot died on Saturday when their private plane crashed into the sea shortly after taking off from Roatán island, a tourist destination on the Atlantic coast of Honduras, local authorities said.\n\nOfficials gave conflicting accounts of the victims’ nationalities. Armed forces spokesman Jose Domingo Meza said four of the victims were from the United States and the fifth victim’s nationality had yet to be determined.\n\nLocal emergency services initially said the victims included four Canadians and another victim of unknown nationality.\n\nLocal authorities did not immediately offer a cause for the accident.\n\nThe Piper PA-32-260 plane was headed to the tourist port city of Trujillo, about 80 kilometers (49.71 miles) from Roatan, a picturesque island frequented by tourists from the United States, Canada and Europe, authorities said.", "May 19 (UPI) -- Four Americans and one Canadian died in a plane crash off the coast of Honduras on Saturday.\n\nThe U.S. State Department said four people who died in the crash were U.S. citizens and the U.S. embassy in Honduras' capital city of Tegucigalpa were providing assistance, while Global Affairs Canada confirmed a Canadian citizen also died, CBS News reported.\n\nIndependent Honduran newspaper La Prensa reported that the N260 TM Piper PA-32-260 aircraft crashed off the coast of the island of Roatan shortly after taking off from the airport.\n\nThe single-engine plane was reportedly heading to the port city of Trujillo, a popular destination for tourists from the United States Canada and Europe.\n\nAuthorities didn't immediately identify a cause for the incident.\n\nThe identities of the U.S. victims weren't immediately released, but the family of Patrick Forseth confirmed he was the Canadian victim, the CBC reported.\n\nForseth, who was from British Columbia but lived in Honduras, was a pilot, but it wasn't immediately clear if he was flying the plane at the time of the crash.", "Five foreigners including the pilot died on Saturday when their private plane crashed into the sea shortly after taking off from Roatan island, a tourist destination on the Atlantic coast of Honduras, local authorities said.\n\nOfficials gave conflicting accounts of the victims' nationalities. Armed forces spokesman Jose Domingo Meza said four of the victims were from the United States and the fifth victim's nationality had yet to be determined.\n\nLocal emergency services initially said the victims included four Canadians and another victim of unknown nationality. La Prensa, a local newspaper, reported that four Canadian passengers and the plane's American pilot were killed.\n\nLocal authorities did not immediately offer a cause for the accident.\n\nThe Piper PA-32-260 plane was headed to the tourist port city of Trujillo, about 80 kilometers from Roatan, a picturesque island frequented by tourists from the United States, Canada and Europe, authorities said.\n\nGlobal Affairs Canada could not immediately confirm whether Canadians were killed in the crash.", "Four Americans were among those killed when a small plane they were traveling in crashed shortly after take off from an island off the coast of Honduras on Saturday, according to a spokesperson from the State Department.\n\nAccording to a report by La Prensa, an independent newspaper in Honduras, the single-engine plane crashed off the coast of Roatán, an island about 40 miles off the Honduran coast in the Caribbean. La Prensa reported the plane fell into the sea minutes after taking off from the Roatán Airport.\n\nFootage from the scene showed emergency responders pulling wreckage from the water.\n\nOfficials and news outlets had earlier given conflicting accounts of the victims' nationalities, as local emergency services initially told Reuters the victims included four Canadians and a fifth victim of an unknown nationality.\n\nOn Sunday, the State Department said four of those killed were U.S. citizens and that the U.S. embassy in the Honduran capital of Tegucigalpa is providing assistance. A spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada confirmed a Canadian citizen was also killed.\n\nThe State Department did not release the identities of the victims.\n\nReuters reported the plane was a Piper PA-32-260 that was headed to the tourist port city of Trujillo, roughly 50 miles from Roatán.", "Four Americans have died after a small plane plummeted into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Honduras, according to the U.S. State Department.\n\n\"We express our condolences to all those affected by this tragedy,\" a State Department spokesperson told ABC News. \"We extend our sincere condolences to the family and friends of the deceased.\"\n\nA Canadian pilot was also killed in the accident on Saturday, bringing the total number of fatalities to five, according to the Associated Press. The Canadian government did not immediately return ABC News' request for comment.\n\nThe single-engine Piper Cherokee Six airplane plunged into the ocean shortly after takeoff, according to the AP. The passengers, whose identities have not been released, were traveling from the island of Roatan to the city of Trujillo.\n\nRescue boats with police and firemen found four bodies within minutes of the crash, according to a statement released by the Honduras military.\n\nRescuers were able to transport one passenger to a local hospital, but he died of internal injuries, according to the military."], "summary": "Five foreign tourists, four of whom were Americans, are killed when their Piper PA-32 crashes into the Atlantic Ocean near Honduras shortly after taking off from Roatán island."}
{"document": ["The Cook Islands secretary of health, Josephine Herman, said the country is holding and containing the latest outbreak of dengue.\n\nPhoto: lamyai/123RF\n\nShe saids to date there are 50 cases of type 1 dengue in the Cooks.\n\nOf these, 22 people have had the virus confirmed after analysis in New Zealand, and the remaining 28 have been identified as likely to have dengue after clinical diagnosis, Dr Herman said.\n\nShe also said that while health authorities anticipate more victims, extensive efforts are being made to ensure the spread is minimised.", "The Cook Islands is aiming to eliminate the mosquito that carries the dengue virus.\n\nRead more on Radio New Zealand International"], "summary": "The Cook Islands secretary of health, Josephine Herman, says that the country is holding and containing the latest outbreak of Dengue, which has killed 22 people and infected another 28."}
{"document": ["Alabama authorities say a high school graduation party fueled by alcohol spiraled out of control early Saturday, leaving one person dead.\n\nA shooting took place at a community center in Atmore early Saturday morning, killing one person and wounding eight others. (Source: WPMI/CNN)\n\nAtmore Police Chief Chuck Brooks tells news outlets eight other people were hurt in a shooting at the old Escambia County Middle School, which now serves as the city's community center.\n\nAuthorities received a 911 call around 2 a.m. When police arrived, they found a man who was shot to death inside the building's cafeteria. His name has not been released.\n\nWitnesses say the gunfire erupted after a fight between two women during a party that drew hundreds. Brooks said word spread about the party via social media.\n\nBrooks says they have made no arrests at this time, but they are looking for two people.\n\nCopyright 2019 Associated Press. All rights reserved.", "Students are led out of Forest High School after a shooting at the school on Friday, April 20, 2018 in Ocala, Fla. One student shot another in the ankle at the high school and a suspect is in custody, authorities said Friday.", "ATMORE, Ala. — Celebration and pride turned into tragedy for a small city in Alabama after gunfire erupted during a high school graduation party.\n\nOne person was killed and eight others were injured at a community center in Atmore, near the Florida border, early Saturday morning.\n\nWitnesses say a fight broke out between two women during a graduation party for Escambia County High School’s seniors. As people were trying to separate the two women, police said, gunshots were fired inside that hit several people.\n\nAtmore Police Chief Chuck Brooks told CNN officers responded to a 911 call for shots fired at the community center around 2 a.m. Saturday. Once officers got on the scene, shots were still being fired and police found one man dead in the center’s cafeteria. The shooting was at a former middle school transformed into a community center, police said.\n\nThe eight injured people were taken to a local hospital for treatment.\n\nThe suspects fled the scene and are still at large, Brooks said.\n\nThe high school’s principal Dennis Fuqua said in a statement Saturday the community “felt the pangs of tragedy due to the acts of violence that have left several of our past and present students injured.”\n\n“It is unfortunate that the event at the community center has tainted the success our seniors and football team felt, but we love our Blue Devil Family and will continue to pray for wisdom and healing,” Fuqua said.", "One person was killed and eight others were wounded in a shooting at an alcohol-fueled high school graduation party in Alabama, authorities say.\n\nHundreds of past and present students of Escambia County High School in Atmore reportedly attended the gathering that spiraled out of control in the early hours of Saturday morning.\n\nPolice received a 911 call about shots fired inside the venue, a building which once housed the local middle school, at around 2am and arrived to find one male dead of a gunshot wound.\n\nWitnesses said shots rang out following an argument between two women at the party attended by hundreds.\n\n'The shooter just started shooting and didn't stop you could hear pop, pop, pop, pop,' one woman, who asked not to be named, told NBC15, noting that the victim was a teenage boy.\n\n'For this young boy to lose his life it's a tragedy. The kids had to bust the windows out of the building with their hands and arms and building running for their lives because the gunshots were inside,' she said.\n\nAtmore Police Chief Chuck Brooks said person killed, who has not been named, was found in the cafeteria of the former Escambia County Middle School, which now serves as Atmore's community center.\n\nNo arrests have been made but authorities are looking for two potential suspects, according to Brooks.\n\nHe said the party spiraled out of control as word spread on social media.\n\nNone of the other eight victims were named and no details about their identities or conditions have been released.\n\nEscambia County High School Principal Dennis Fuqua released a statement after the incident, which said: 'It's always a great day to be a Blue Devil, but yesterday was a day of triumph and tragedy.\n\n'By day, our seniors experienced the high of obtaining 8.6 million dollars in scholarships, and our varsity football team experienced their first win of the season. Yet, by night we all felt the pangs of tragedy due to the acts of violence that have left several of our past and present students injured.\n\n'It is unfortunate that the event at the community center has tainted the success our seniors and football team felt, but we love our Blue Devil Family and will continue to pray for wisdom and healing.'\n\nAnyone with information about the shooting is urged to contact investigators at 251-368-9141.", "ATMORE, Ala. (WHTM) - A high school graduation party in Atmore, Alabama took a violent turn on the morning of May 18th.\n\nAtmore Police Chief Chuck Brooks says One man is dead and eight other people were hurt in a shooting at the old Escambia County Middle School.\n\nPolice responded to a call around 2:00 am reporting gunshots being heard in the area.\n\nPolice say that when they arrived at the middle school which has now been turned to a community center, there were more 300 people at the scene.\n\nBrooks said that it started with two women fighting and then more people jumped in. One body was found in the cafeteria and 8 others have been reported injured and were escorted by helicopter to Sacred Heart Hospital.\n\nBrooks says that no arrests have been made at this time.\n\nThis story is still updating at this time.", "One person was injured in a Friday morning shooting in South Bend.\n\nThe shooting happened at around 7:57 a.m. on South Scott Street near Dubail Avenue. According to dispatchers, one person was taken to the hospital in unknown condition.\n\nThis is a developing story. Stay with NewsCenter 16 -- on-air and online -- as we learn new information.", "SARDIS, Miss. — One person has been killed in a shooting in Sardis.\n\nThe shooting happened at a gas station at the intersection of Highway 315 and Highway 51.\n\nPolice and the Panola County Coroner responded to the scene sometime around 11:30 a.m. Saturday morning.\n\nThe Panola County Sheriff’s Office says they have a suspect in custody. The victim’s name has not been released at this time.\n\nWREG will update this story as more information becomes available.", "KINGMAN – Graduation is just around the corner, and in case you know someone who is graduating and they forgot to tell you the time, date and place, here is a list of the high school graduations:\n• Kingman High School is from 6-8 p.m. Monday, May 20 at KHS field, 4182 N. Bank St.\n• Lee Williams High School is from 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, May 22 at LWHS field, 400 Grandview Ave.\n• Kingman Academy of Learning High School starts at 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 22 at Betty Rowe Gymnasium, 3420 Burbank St.", "HINGHAM — A fire in a classroom at Hingham High School has cancelled classes.\n\nThe school department sent this message on Twitter: \"No school at Hingham High School today. The Hingham Fire Department has put out a fire that started early this morning, but school is cancelled for all HHS students.\"\n\nThis is a developing story and will be updated.", "People arrive for the funeral of Alyssa Alhadeff at the Garden of Aaron at Star of David Memorial Gardens on Feb. 16, 2018, in Parkland, Florida. Alhadeff was one of 17 people killed in the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School."], "summary": "One person was killed and eight injured in a shooting after a dispute between two women at a large high school graduation party. The suspect is still at large."}
{"document": ["El video donde Cristina Kirchner confirma que se postulará como vicepresidenta 12:51\n\nVideo\n\nComentar Me gusta Me gusta Compartir E-mail Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Guardar 18 de mayo de 2019 • 09:46\n\nLa senadora Cristina Kirchner anunció hoy en un mensaje grabado que difundió por redes sociales que será candidata a vicepresidenta en una fórmula que encabezará el dirigente Alberto Fernández como postulante a presidente.\n\nEl video fue publicado esta mañana en sus cuentas de redes sociales bajo el título \"En la Semana de Mayo, reflexiones y decisiones\" y dura casi 13 minutos.\n\n\"Le he pedido a Alberto Fernández que encabece la fórmula que integraremos juntos. Él como candidato a presidente y yo como candidata a vice, para participar en las próxima elecciones primarias, abiertas, simultáneas y obligatorias\", dijo Cristina.\n\nEn el mensaje, la senadora recordó que conoce a Fernández \"desde hace más de 20 años\", y admite que con el dirigente tuvieron \"diferencias\".\n\nAdemás, señaló que \"después de haber sido dos veces presidenta de este país, la expectativa o ambición personal están subordinadas al interés general\" y, en otro fragmento, afirmó: \"Estoy convencida que este es el mejor aporte que puedo hacerle a mi país\".\n\n\"No se trata de volver al pasado ni de repetir lo que hicimos del 2003 al 2015 -y de lo que más allá de aciertos, críticas o errores nos sentimos muy orgullosos-, pero el mundo es distinto y nosotros también\", dijo Cristina Kirchner.", "Cristina Kirchner anunci� que ser� candidata a vicepresidenta de una f�rmula con Alberto Fern�ndez.\n\nEsta fórmula la que mejor expresa lo que en este momento se necesita para convocar a los más amplios sectores sociales y políticos” Cristina Kirchner\n\nLa senadora Cristina Fernández de Kirchner anunció sorpresivamente que será candidata a vicepresidenta en una fórmula que encabezará el dirigente Alberto Fernández, y convocó a los \"más amplios sectores\" para \"no solo ganar la elección\" de octubre sino para \"gobernar\" a partir de diciembre \"un país en ruinas\".\"Le he pedido a Alberto Fernández que encabece la fórmula que integraremos juntos; él, como candidato a presidente, y yo, como candidata a vice, para participar en las próximas elecciones primarias abiertas simultáneas y obligatorias, las famosas PASO\", anunció la ex mandataria en un mensaje grabado que difundió por redes sociales, con su voz en off e imágenes de distintos momentos de su carrera política.La ex presidenta expresó que la fórmula \"es la que mejor expresa lo que en este momento se necesita para convocar a los más amplios sectores sociales y políticos, y económicos también, no solo para ganar la elección sino para gobernar\".\"Se va tratar de tener que gobernar una Argentina otra vez en ruinas, con un pueblo otra vez empobrecido. Está claro que la coalición que gobierne va a tener que ser mucho más amplia que la que gane las elecciones\" el 27 de octubre, dijo Cristina, que desde el próximo martes deberá afrontar el primer juicio oral, acusada de formar parte de una presunta asociación ilícita que favoreció a Lázaro Báez con la adjudicación de obras públicas.En el mensaje, Cristina Kirchner recordó que conoce a Fernández \"desde hace más de 20 años\", y reconoció que con el dirigente mantuvieron \"diferencias\".\"Fue jefe de Gabinete de Néstor (Kirchner) durante toda su presidencia. Lo vi junto a él decidir, organizar, acordar y buscar siempre la mayor amplitud posible del gobierno. Fueron tiempos muy difíciles, pero éstos que estamos viviendo son realmente dramáticos. Nunca tantos y tantas durmiendo en la calle\", sostuvo la senadora nacional.El mensaje, de poco más de 12 minutos, titulado \"En la Semana de Mayo, reflexiones y decisiones. Sinceramente Cristina\", comienza diciendo: \"Hoy sábado 18 comienza la Semana de Mayo y el próximo 25 se cumplen 16 años del día en que Néstor asumió como presidente de un país devastado\".\"Quiero dirigirme a mi compatriotas para compartir reflexiones y decisiones\", inicia la ex presidenta en el mensaje grabado, en el que destaca que \"nunca me desvelaron los cargos políticos ni fueron mi principal motivación\".\"Después de haber sido dos veces presidenta de este país, la expectativa o ambición personal están subordinadas al interés general\", indicó la senadora de Unidad Ciudadana, antes de dar a conocer su decisión de presentarse como candidata a vicepresidenta.En otro tramo del video, la senadora hace una descripción de la situación que atraviesa el país en la actualidad: \"La gente con problemas de comida, de trabajo, desesperados llorando ante una factura impagable\", y agrega: \"Con un apabullante e innecesario endeudamiento que empieza a mostrar los primeros síntomas de una realidad muy difícil de revertir\".La ex mandataria habla también de la necesidad de \"construir una coalición electoral\" para revertir esa situación que, \"no solo sea capaz de resultar triunfante, sino también que aquello por lo que se convoca a la sociedad pueda ser cumplido, y evitar sumar a la frustración actual, producto de la estafa electoral que facilitó la llegada al poder de Mauricio Macri, una nueva frustración que sumergiría a la Argentina en el peor de los infiernos\".\"Más que ganar una elección, necesitamos de hombres y mujeres que puedan gobernar una Argentina que se encuentra en una situación de endeudamiento y empobrecimiento peor que la del 2001. Y que tenga la suficiente amplitud de ideas y de sectores políticos para representar con compromiso el interés nacional, repito, para representar con compromiso el interés nacional, y dar respuesta a las necesidades más urgentes de nuestro pueblo\", remarcó.Por último, en un mensaje a sus \"compañeros y compañeras\", les pidió que \"estrechemos filas acompañando esta fórmula militando y trabajando con alegría y esperanza, porque el triunfo depende de nosotros mismos y de lo que cada uno de nosotros vaya aportando\".\"Yo creo, sinceramente, estar dando hoy el primer paso\", finalizó el mensaje en el que repitió varias veces el título del libro que acaba de publicar y presentar en la Feria del Libro.", "BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) - Argentina's former President Cristina Fernández has announced her candidacy for vice president in October's general elections.\n\nIn a video posted on Twitter on Saturday, Fernández said that former cabinet chief Alberto Fernández will lead the ticket.\n\n\"I have asked Alberto Fernández to head the formula that we will integrate together, he as a presidential candidate and I as a vice presidential candidate,\" she said.\n\nAlberto Fernández served as chief of staff from 2003 to 2007 for Fernández's predecessor and late husband, Néstor Kirchner. He remained in that position during a portion of Fernández's term as president from 2007 to 2015.\n\nAlberto Fernández will challenge conservative President Mauricio Macri, who has seen his popularity ratings plummet due to high inflation.\n\nIn this handout photo provided by the Unidad Ciudadana political party, former Argentine President Cristina Fernandez smiles as she officially present her book \"Sincerely,\" during the Buenos Aires book fair in Argentina, Thursday, May 9, 2019. The presentation of her memoirs has become a best-seller since its release. (Unidad Ciudadana via AP )", "Argentina's former President Cristina Fernández has announced her candidacy for vice president in October's general elections.\n\nIn a video posted on on Saturday, Fernández said that former cabinet chief Alberto Fernández will lead the ticket.\n\n\"I have asked Alberto Fernández to head the formula that we will integrate together, he as a presidential candidate and I as a vice presidential candidate,\" she said.\n\nAlberto Fernández served as chief of staff from 2003 to 2007 for Fernández's predecessor and late husband, Néstor Kirchner. He remained in that position during a portion of Fernández's term as president from 2007 to 2015.\n\nAlberto Fernández will challenge conservative President Mauricio Macri, who has seen his popularity ratings plummet due to high inflation.", "BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Argentina's former President Cristina Fernández announced on Saturday her candidacy for vice president in October's general elections, a surprising move that now puts a more moderate challenger at the helm of the presidential ticket.\n\nIn a video posted on Twitter on Saturday, Fernández said that Alberto Fernández, of the left-leaning Unidad Ciudadana political party, will run for the presidency against conservative President Mauricio Macri.\n\n\"I have asked Alberto Fernández to head the formula that we will integrate together, he as a presidential candidate and I as a vice presidential candidate,\" Fernández said. \"I am convinced that this formula that we are proposing is the one that best expresses what Argentina needs at this moment to summon the broadest social and political and economic sectors.\"\n\nAlberto Fernández served as chief of staff from 2003 to 2007 for Fernández's predecessor and late husband, Néstor Kirchner. He remained in the position during a portion of Fernández's term as president from 2007 to 2015, but left after a steep economic crisis took hold.\n\nIn announcing her vice presidential bid, Fernández said that she was \"convinced that personal expectation or ambition must be subordinated to the general interest,\" and called the country's current economic situation \"dramatic.\"\n\n\"Never (have there been) so many sleeping in the street. Never so many with problems about food, about work,\" she said.\n\nSome polls have suggested Fernández could defeat Macri in a second round of voting, but it is unclear how those prospects will change now that Fernández has thrown her hat in the ring in a lesser capacity. While many had assumed she would run for the top post, her decision to pursue the position of second-in-command reflects possible doubts over whether she is best positioned to challenge Macri directly in light of a series of looming corruption trials.\n\nArgentina's Supreme Court has said the first corruption trial against Fernández could start as early as next week, despite a judicial order that her opponents feared could delay the trial into the presidential campaign season or beyond.\n\nFernández has been accused of taking bribes in exchange for public work contracts, but denies wrongdoing and says lower courts did not allow her to present more witnesses. In separate cases, she faces several formal investigations into allegations of bribery, money laundering and criminal association during her administration and that of Kirchner.\n\nStill, many voters are frustrated by an inflation rate that reached 47.6% last year, the highest since 1991, and a decision by Macri's government to slash subsidies on utilities and public transportation. In April, the Argentine peso hit a record low due to growing distrust of the conservative president's economic management.\n\nMacri says he underestimated the macroeconomic imbalances inherited from his populist predecessor, center-left Fernández. He has also argued that correcting them became more difficult when Argentina's worst drought in decades deprived his government of much-needed farm export revenue.\n\nAt a political meeting on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, he appeared to respond to the announcement by saying that \"going back to the past would be self-destruction.\"\n\nFernández, 66, was known for her interventionist and populist policies while in office. Some credit her for leading the country out of an economic crisis, while others blame her for creating its current woes. But in announcing the presidential candidacy of her running mate, she appeared to be the one who could effectively pull the ticket's strings going forward.\n\nMariel Fornoni, director of the political consultancy Management and Fit, said that voters who were somewhat apprehensive of Fernández could be more willing to vote for the Unidad Ciudadana party with Alberto Fernández as the leader and Fernández as the vice presidential candidate.\n\n\"It seems to me that all this is aimed at a more moderate voter,\" Fornoni said, noting that Alberto Fernández is praised by some for his work during Kirchner's administration. \"Painting him as Nestor's chief of staff when we left the crisis is associated with having someone with experience.\"\n\nSince leaving office, Alberto Fernández has been critical of his current running mate — going so far as to even oversee the campaigns of her political opponents.\n\nFernández said in her video message Saturday that she had known Alberto Fernández for 20 years, but admitted there had been \"differences\" between them.\n\nAlberto Fernández did not comment publicly on her announcement, but appeared to confirm his candidacy on Twitter by saying that he would help make \"the country that all Argentines deserve,\" and would \"return dignity to millions.\"\n\nRoberto Bacman, of the Center for Public Opinion Studies, said that the former chief of staff \"has another profile,\" which is not \"the profile of someone from Cristina's central core who strictly repeats everything she says.\"\n\nThe ticket, he said, \"totally changes the direction of electoral politics, the electoral hypothesis and the measurements that had been made so far.\"", "BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Argentina’s former President Cristina Fernández announced on Saturday her candidacy for vice president in October’s general elections, a surprising move that now puts a more moderate challenger at the helm of the presidential ticket.\n\nIn a video posted on Twitter on Saturday, Fernández said that Alberto Fernández, who leads the left-leaning Unidad Ciudadana political party, will run for the presidency against conservative President Mauricio Macri.\n\n“I have asked Alberto Fernández to head the formula that we will integrate together, he as a presidential candidate and I as a vice presidential candidate,” Fernández said. “I am convinced that this formula that we are proposing is the one that best expresses what Argentina needs at this moment to summon the broadest social and political and economic sectors.”\n\nAlberto Fernández served as chief of staff from 2003 to 2007 for Fernández’s predecessor and late husband, Néstor Kirchner. He remained in the position during a portion of Fernández’s term as president from 2007 to 2015, but left the post after a steep economic crisis took hold.\n\nSome polls have suggested Fernández could defeat Macri in a second round of voting, but it is unclear how those prospects will change now that Fernández has thrown her hat in the ring as a vice presidential candidate. While many had assumed she would run for the top post, Fernández’s decision to pursue the position of second-in-command reflects possible doubts over whether she was best positioned to challenge Macri in light of a series of looming corruption trials.\n\nArgentina’s Supreme Court has said the first corruption trial against Fernández could start as early as next week, despite a judicial order that her opponents feared could delay the trial into the presidential campaign season or beyond.\n\nFernández has been accused of taking bribes in exchange for public work contracts, but denies wrongdoing and says lower courts did not allow her to present more witnesses.\n\nIn separate cases, she faces several formal investigations into allegations of bribery, money laundering and criminal association during her administration and that of Kirchner.\n\nStill, many voters are frustrated by an inflation rate that reached 47.6% last year, the highest since 1991, and a decision by Macri’s government to slash subsidies on utilities and public transportation.\n\nIn April, the Argentine peso hit a record low due to investors’ growing distrust of the conservative president’s economic management.\n\nMacri says he underestimated the macroeconomic imbalances inherited from his populist predecessor, center-left Fernández.\n\nFernández, 66, was known for her interventionist and populist policies while in office. Some credit her for leading the country out of an economic crisis, while others blame her for creating its current woes.\n\nCopyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.", "Days before she is set to go on trial on corruption charges, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner announced on Saturday that she intends to return to the presidential palace this year, this time as vice president running alongside Alberto Fernández, a former ally with whom she has had an uneasy relationship.\n\n\n\nThe announcement by Mrs. Kirchner, who governed Argentina from 2007 to 2015 and is currently a senator, stunned Argentine political observers who had widely expected the leftist leader to mount a bid for a third presidential term.\n\nMr. Fernández served as cabinet chief to Mrs. Kirchner’s husband, Néstor, who took office after a record-breaking default in 2001 left the economy in collapse and who governed during a period of relative prosperity fueled by a commodities boom.\n\nHe remained in the role when Mrs. Kirchner succeeded her husband, but stepped down a few months later after a battle between the government and farmers over export taxes.", "With polls giving her strong support ahead of October elections, former Argentine president Cristina Kirchner made the...", "With polls giving her strong support ahead of October elections, former Argentine president Cristina Kirchner made the surprise announcement Saturday that she will seek the vice presidency.\n\nThe announcement, made in a 12-minute video posted on social media, comes just three days before the leftist politician goes on trial on corruption charges.\n\nKirchner, 66, said in the video that she was asking former cabinet chief Alberto Fernandez to run at the top of the ticket as they seek to oust center-right president Mauricio Macri.\n\nFernandez, who was chief of staff to Kirchner's husband Nestor from 2003-2007 before holding the same position during her presidency, is considered a moderate. Nestor Kirchner died in 2010.\n\nIn her video, Kirchner said Argentinians were living through \"really dramatic\" times, with more people than ever \"sleeping on the streets, with problems at work or crying as they face electric or gas bills they cannot pay.\"\n\nA series of corruption scandals shadowed Kirchner's 2007-2015 presidency but she has retained a strong base of support, notably among the poorest Argentinians.\n\nThat had helped make her a favorite in polling ahead of the October 27 presidential election, with some surveys putting her ahead of Macri.\n\nJudge Claudio Bonadio had asked that Kirchner be held in pre-trial detention, but the parliamentary immunity she enjoys as a senator spared her.\n\nIt does not protect her from prosecution, however, and on Tuesday she faces a trial on charges of diverting public funds."], "summary": "Former Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner announces that she will run for Vice President in the 2019 Argentine general election, with former Chief of Staff Alberto Fernández as her running mate for President."}
{"document": ["Labor is tipped to take out the 2019 federal election, according to the latest YouGov exit poll.\n\nNine's YouGov Galaxy poll has placed Labor ahead by a four-point margin on a two-party preferred basis, 52-48, delivering a potential 80 lower house seats for the ALP.\n\nThe poll has also predicted a slide for Coalition primary votes - 39 down to 38 per cent.\n\nLabor frontbencher Chris Bowen said the exit poll results were \"encouraging\".\n\n\"But polls haven't closed yet and I do think we're in for a long night, with pre-poll votes. And some sets aren't even counting pre-polls,\" he told the Seven Network.\n\nThe polls are set to close shortly across the country, with more than 16 million Australians expected to take part in the national vote at 7000 polling locations across the country.\n\n'Shake up'\n\nScott Morrison and Bill Shorten have cast their votes along with millions of Australians across the country in a poll that is tipped to see Labor form the next federal government.\n\nThe final Newspoll of the campaign has Labor ahead of the Coalition 51.5 to 48.5 on a two-party preferred basis, while the latest Ipsos poll shows Labor in front 51-49.\n\nAssociated Press\n\nA confident Mr Shorten was handing out how-to-vote cards at his local polling booth in the Melbourne seat of Maribyrnong, before voting himself.\n\n\"We will shake up politics and get on with climate action,\" the opposition leader told one supporter.\n\nMr Shorten said pre-polling is convenient, describing it as the \"Uber factor\".\n\nAP\n\n\"But I also believe there's a mood for change. You don't have record numbers being set, people rushing out to save the government,\" Mr Shorten told ABC news.\n\n'It will be a long night'\n\nPrime Minister Scott Morrison returned home to Sydney's Sutherland Shire to cast his vote on Saturday afternoon.\n\n\"This community means the world to me,\" he told reporters after casting his ballot, flanked by wife Jenny and daughters Abbey and Lily.\n\n0:00 00:00 / 00:00 Share Share on Twitter\n\nShare on Facebook\n\n\"I am so up for this because the people of Australia have energised me so much and continue to,\" he said.\n\n\"That is why I will burn for them every single day in this job.\"\n\nMr Morrison visited two voting stations in northern Tasmania earlier in the day.\n\nPrime Minister @ScottMorrisonMP arrives with wife Jenny and daughters Abbey and Lilly to cast his vote at the Lilli Pilli Primary School in his electorate of Cook #auspol #AusVotes19 @SBSNews pic.twitter.com/WtrF9Pef8S — Nakari Thorpe (@nakarithorpe) May 18, 2019\n\n\"I think it will be a long night. I've always said this election will be close,\" Mr Morrison told the Network Seven.\n\n\"Five weeks ago people weren't saying that but I've always known it to be the case,\" he said.\n\nMr Shorten started the day with a jog around Melbourne in a t-shirt with the slogan \"Vote 1 Chloe Shorten's husband\".\n\nTime for change. Let’s do this! pic.twitter.com/gD9gZwTBvA — Bill Shorten (@billshortenmp) May 17, 2019\n\n\"What I know after 2000 days in the job is that I'm confident Labor can run a united government,\" he told Seven's Sunrise.\n\nNationals Leader Michael McCormack holds a safe margin of 16 per cent in his regional NSW seat of Riverina, but he is taking nothing for granted in his constituency or those of his National colleagues.\n\n\"I'm feeling quietly confident, quietly optimistic. I know we've delivered. I know we've been a good, Coalition government and I'd like to think that people will restore or put their faith in us, continue to put their faith in us,\" he told SBS News.\n\nNationals Leader & Deputy PM ⁦@M_McCormackMP⁩ says he is “quietly confident” about tonight’s result, & when asked about instabilities within the Coalition said: “People have to come first, personalities need to be pushed aside...it’s not about power.” #AusVotes2019 @sbsnews pic.twitter.com/BZAvRpo0D8 — Omar Dabbagh (@Omar_Dabbagh) May 18, 2019\n\nHe said, that in addition to drought, regional voters were concerned about mobile phone connectivity and funding for hospitals and education.\n\nThe deputy PM also said he remained confident, despite polls favouring Labor.\n\n\"Three out of the last four state elections, the polls have got it wrong. There is only one poll that matters and that's right here,\" he said.\n\nConfident punter\n\nAs voters were putting their mark on their ballot papers, one punter put $850,000 on Labor to win the 2019 election.\n\nSportsbet.com.au says the trend over the past 48 hours has been to back Bill Shorten and Labor to win, with the odds coming into $1.10.\n\nAAP\n\nConversely, the coalition is now out to $7.00 despite Prime Minister Scott Morrison's best efforts to retain power.\n\n\"Our punter has waited until the eleventh hour to pull the trigger,\" sportsbet.com.au's Rich Hummerston said in a statement on the $850,000 wager.\n\n\"If the money coming in for Labor is any indication, he'll be a happy man later on tonight.\"\n\n'A few butterflies'\n\nSeveral other candidates also cast their votes.\n\nGreen leader Richard Di Natale voted mid-morning, after saying it would be a climate change election.\n\n0:00 00:00 / 00:00 Share Share on Twitter\n\nShare on Facebook\n\n\"What I'm hearing from lifetime Liberal voters is that they want strong action on climate change,\" he told the ABC.\n\nFormer Prime Minister Tony Abbott voted in his seat of Warringah not long after polls opened.\n\nHe is facing the fight of his political career against Independent Zali Steggall.\n\nAAP\n\n\"I've always been a nervous candidate,\" he told reporters.\n\n\"Sure, I've got a few butterflies doing loop-the-loops in my tummy today as well. But that's the lot of all candidates because the one thing you can never take for granted is the vote of the Australian people.\"\n\n0:00 What's at stake this federal election? 00:00 / 00:00 Share Share on Twitter\n\nShare on Facebook\n\nWhile Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton is confident he can hold his marginal seat of Dickson, which he's held for 18 years.\n\nThe home affairs minister is in the fight of his political life as he duels for votes with Labor candidate Ali Francis.\n\nAAP\n\n\"Get Up and Labor have thrown a lot of mud,\" he said, while talking to voters and LNP volunteers at the polling booth at Strathpine West State School.\n\n\"So we've countered that and we've had a really strong campaign.\"\n\nMeanwhile, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg arrived at the Balwyn North Primary School to anti Adani mine protesters.\n\nAAP\n\nEarly-voting up\n\nAbout 4.76 million votes have been cast at early-voting centres, with 700,000 votes cast on Friday, the final day of campaigning.\n\nFinal figure for pre-poll votes cast at early voting centres for the 2019 federal election - 4.76m. Around 700k cast a pre-poll vote on Friday. #ausvotes — AEC (@AusElectoralCom) May 17, 2019\n\nThis compares to a total of 2.5 million at the same stage of the 2016 federal election.\n\nIn addition, there have been 1.5 million postal vote applications, the AEC said.\n\nREAD MORE Vote 2019: Polls point to narrow Labor election win\n\nMore than 1500 candidates have thrown their hat into the ring across 151 electorates, including more than 400 candidates contesting 40 Senate vacancies and just over 1000 people vying for 151 House of Representatives seats.\n\nThe final Newspoll of the campaign had Labor ahead of the coalition 51.5 to 48.5 on a two-party preferred basis while the last Ipsos poll had Labor ahead 51-49.\n\nWho’s running in your electorate? Check out our interactive map\n\nAdditional reporting: AAP", "Voters go to the polls in five states", "The camp of Femi Gbajabiamila and Idris Wase to head the Ninth House of Representatives got a boost yesterday with the declaration of support by 12 out of 16 members-elect from Kaduna State.\n\nThe members-elect also promised to secure the support of four Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members from the state for their Ninth House of Representatives leadership candidates.\n\nA statement yesterday by the Tajudeen Abass, on behalf of the others, reads: “Members-elect of the Kaduna State Caucus in Ninth assembly of the House of Representatives on Saturday met in Kaduna to discuss, among other things, their commitment to the candidature of Femi Gbajabiamila/Ahmed Wase as Speaker and Deputy Speaker.\n\n“Nine out of the 12 All Progressives Congress (APC) members-elect were in attendance; two were in Saudi Arabia for (lesser hajj) and one member-elect sent apology due to ill-health.\n\n“The meeting was a huge success as all the members-elect not only reiterated their unflinching support for the project but also assisted in convincing the other four PDP members-elect from Kaduna State to come on board.\n\n“The Kaduna State Caucus meeting was chaired by a fourth-term member of the House, Garba Datti Mohammad.”\n\nAlso, House of Representatives Deputy Whip Pally Iriase (Owan, Edo) has said House Leader Femi Gbajabiamila would win the June 10 speakership contest, even if the party had not anointed him as its choice candidate.\n\nIriase told reporters that Gbajabiamila’s experience and support base among his colleagues would have seen him through.\n\nHe said: “Let me say right away that the House is a self-regulating one. The constitution gives the House the ability and authority to, among themselves, chose or elect their presiding officers, first of whom is the Speaker.\n\n“So, if that is the position of the Constitution, then, the House, historically, has always been able to determine who is the best among several people who will put interest forward.\n\n“It’s not a crime for any elected member, particularly re-elected members, to want to give the speakership a shot. But whether or not he would win is for the entire membership of the House to decide.”\n\nIriase noted the APC going person-specific after zoning the speakership to the Southwest was unnecessary.\n\n“From the outset, let me say that it was totally unnecessary. We’ve passed this road before. I don’t know why we don’t learn from history. But I pray that this time round, history does not repeat itself, and I don’t wish it does.”", "The Australian Federal election takes place on Saturday, May 18 and will see Australians take to the polls to elect the 46th Parliament of Australia. All 151 seats in the House of Representatives are up for election, and 40 out of the 76 Senate seats are too. The main race is between incumbent minority coalition government Liberal-National Coalition (LNC) more commonly known as the “Coalition”– made up of the Liberal Party of Australia and National Party of Australia – against the Labor Party (ALP).\n\nPrime Minister Scott Morrison, of the Liberal Party, is seeking a third term but is facing competition from opposition leader Bill Shorten. There are also independents and minor parties in the race, the most popular are the Greens and One Nation (ONP). Australia practices compulsory voting, meaning every citizen of voting age is required to cast their vote. Today’s election was called following the dissolution of the 45th Parliament which had been chosen at the 2016 double dissolution federal election. Read More: Australia election 2019 explained: Who will win, when is result out?\n\nAustralia is 11 hours ahead of the UK currently, as the UK is currently set to British Summertime (BST). This means that the polls will open at 8am local time across Australia, but 9pm BST. There are several time zones across Australia, but in each state polls will open at 8am their time.\n\nThe polls will then close 10 hours later at 6pm in Australia (7am BST), and with the differing timezones, this means all voting will be finished by 8pm Australian Eastern Standard Time. According to the latest opinion polls by Newspoll, the Coalition or L/NP are in the lead with 38 percent of the vote. Second is the ALP with 37 percent, followed by others or independents at 13 percent, the Green party at nine percent and the One Nation party at three percent. In a two-party preferred poll undertaken by Newspoll, Labor had the lead with 51.5 percent compared to the Coalition’s 48.5 percent.", "Kaduna State members-elect of the House of Representatives on the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC) on Sunday reaffirmed their support for Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila (APC-Lagos) for the office of Speaker of the 9th Assembly.\n\nIn a statement signed by nine of the 12 members-elect and read to newsmen by Rep. Tajudeen Abass at the end of their caucus meeting, the incoming legislators also pledged support for Rep. Ahmed Wase (APC-Plateau) for Deputy Speaker of the Lower chamber.\n\nAccording to the statement, two of the members-elect were in Saudi Arabia for Holy pilgrimage, while one had sent apology due to ill health.\n\n“The meeting was a huge success as all the members-elect not only reiterated their unflinching support for the project but also tried to convince other four members-elect of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to join the APC.\n\n“The caucus meeting was chaired by a 4th term member of the house, Rep. Garba Datti Mohammad,” the statement quoted the Rep. members-elect as saying.\n\nThe APC had earlier zoned the office of the Speaker to the South West and endorsed Gbajabiamila for the position and Wase, of the North Central, as his deputy.\n\nGbajabiamila, who will be returning to the house for the fifth time in the 9th Assembly, is currently the Majority Leader of the house, while Wase is the current Deputy Majority Leader.\n\nOther contenders for the office of speaker include; Rep. Nkiruka Onyejeocha (APC-Abia) Rep. John Dyegh (APC-Benue) Rep. Umaru Bago (APC-Niger) Rep. Abdulrazak Namdas (APC-Adamawa) among others.\n\nThe election is expected to hold on June 10, where all the 360 members of the green chamber are expected to elect Principal officers of the house.", "More than half of Australia lies above the Tropic of Capricorn, but it is home to only five percent of the population. It is a frontier land with little infrastructure, populated by cattle barons, crocodile hunters and aboriginal tribes.", "A dilapidated property in New South Wales has become Australia's cheapest home - but the new owners may need to renovate.\n\nThe Murray Street property, in Hay, was sold for the extraordinarily low price of $7000 in May this year.\n\nIn August 2004, the property sold for $48,000, and in June 2012 it was sold again for $30,000.\n\nThe tiny 1920 property is cheaper than most used cars, and almost $2000 less expensive than some luxury handbags, realestate.com.au reported.\n\nThe median property price for a three-bedroom house in the Hays area is around $113,500.\n\nDespite the reasonable price-tag, the property boasts three bedrooms, one bathroom and one garage space, and is close to several schools.\n\nReal estate agent Therese Murphy said the house was an 'ideal renovators delight' and went for a $7000 because it required work.\n\n'The house was trashed and there were loose bricks everywhere,' she told the publication.\n\nThe Hay property is one of the few within the Greater Sydney area where houses are going for less than $30,000.\n\nA house on Edward Street in Moree, northern NSW, is currently for sale with the asking price set at $10,000, while another house is going for $15,000.\n\nLast year a property in Wee Waa, with an asking price of $30,000, was branded Australia's cheapest property.\n\nAccording to CoreLogic, homes in the Greater Sydney area are 74 times cheaper than the average Australian home price of about $520,000."], "summary": "Voters in Australia go to the polls to elect new members of the House of Representatives and half of the Senate."}
{"document": ["MELBOURNE/SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia’s Liberal-led conservative government was headed for a remarkable victory at the national election early on Sunday after uncovering a narrow path to victory that twisted through urban fringes and rural townships.\n\nThe results upended pre-election polls which predicted a Labor victory, though it is unclear whether the Scott Morrison-led coalition can govern with an outright majority or will need to negotiate support from independents.\n\nThe final result may not be known for some time.\n\n“I have always believed in miracles,” Morrison told cheering supporters at Sydney’s Wentworth Hotel, where the government holds its official election night function.\n\n“Tonight is not about me or it’s not about even the Liberal party. Tonight is about every single Australian who depends on their government to put them first.”\n\nThe conservative government has won or is leading in 72 seats in its quest for a 76-seat majority, according to the Australian Electoral Commission.\n\nSeveral seats are still too close to call and the final result is complicated by a large number of early votes that have delayed counting.\n\nMorrison’s coalition defied expectations by holding onto a string of outer suburban seats in areas where demographics closest resemble America’s Rust Belt, blocking Labor’s path to victory.\n\nThis included a devastating result in the coal-rich state of Queensland, which backed the Pentecostal church-going prime minister by defying expectations and delivering several marginal seats to his government.\n\nLabor leader Bill Shorten said late on Saturday he could not win enough seats to form a government. Speaking to supporters in Melbourne he said he would step down as party leader.", "SYDNEY: Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has celebrated election victory while the opposition leader conceded an unexpected defeat.\n\nMorrison thanked “quiet Australians” for delivering his party a “miracle” election victory in Saturday’s election.\n\n“I have always believed in miracles!” Morrison told a room filled with happy supporters of the Liberal Party, adding, “How good is Australia?”\n\nInitial vote counts indicate that Morrison’s coalition government is to remain in power. With half the votes counted on Saturday, it is unclear whether Morrison’s party can govern with an outright majority.\n\nThe rest of the ballots are to be counted this weekend.\n\nPre-election polls, however, had indicated that the Labor Party was set to win the elections.\n\nHowever, the center-left party suffered a shock defeat in national polls.\n\nThe leader of the party, Bill Shorten, conceded defeat late Saturday, saying that the Labor Party would not be able to form government\n\nHe announced that he had decided that he would resign from his post as party leader.\n\n“And without wanting to hold out any false hope … it is obvious that Labor will not be able to form the next government,” Shorten said.\n\nSurveys showed that the economy, cost of living, environment and health were central concerns for voters, while younger people in particular voiced frustration about climate change and a lack of affordable housing. Morrison campaigned primarily on economic issues, often doing so alone while painting the election as a choice between himself and Shorten.Shorten promised to cut tax breaks for the wealthy and to lower greenhouse gas emissions.\n\nThere were fierce debates about the rolling leadership turmoil, formal recognition of indigenous Australians, and the treatment of female MPs in parliament.\n\n“I think people have become afraid after a very negative campaign,” Labor supporter Julie Nelson said at the party’s Melbourne election night function. “They [the Liberals] managed to convince people they should be afraid of change.”", "Scott Morrison has swept to victory in a sensational federal election result that defied the polls and cements the Coalition's power.\n\nThe Coalition is on track to win government, fending off Labor and Bill Shorten's efforts to take over as prime minister.\n\nAs it stands, the Coalition is headed to form a minority government at least, but could still reach the 76 seats needed to form a majority government.\n\nThe bombshell triumph comes after repeated polls placed the ALP ahead of the Morrison government, and the Prime Minister's demise appeared assured.\n\nSwings to the Coalition in Queensland turned the election on its head as early figures suggested the Government could hold on.\n\nElection experts said there would be no clear government tonight.\n\nLabor scrutineers told news.com.au older voters have punished the party for its higher-taxing agenda. States where the economy is not thriving - such as Queensland, WA and country areas - have backed the Liberals' agenda focused on the economy and jobs.\n\n\"A bold agenda is now dead forever in Australia,\" a Labor scrutineer says as it became clear the election was turning against Shorten.\n\nAs the votes came in confidence began to grown among Liberal surpporters. At the official Liberal Party function in Sydney exuberant young Liberal supporters were heard chanting that the Liberals were \"an election winning machine\".\n\n\"Labor used to be party for the workers, now it's a party for people who don't work,\" one said.\n\nAlthough former PM Tony Abbott lost his seat of Warringah to independent Zali Steggall, the Wentworth by-election result was reversed, with Liberal Dave Sharma reclaiming the old seat of Malcolm Turnbull from the woman who defeated him in October, Dr Kerryn Phelps.\n\nBut the swing against Labor in Queensland was devastating.\n\nThe Australian's columnist Troy Bramston says Labor figures are \"stunned and shocked\" at the result currently unfolding, which pretty much nobody expected.\n\n\"It looks like a diabolical night for the party,\" Bramston said.\n\nABC political editor Andrew Probyn says Labor sources are telling him their chances have been \"killed\" by the Coalition's preference deals with Clive Palmer's United Australia Party and Pauline Hanson's One Nation.\n\nResults then began flowing in from the west.\n\nLabor's Anny Aly has held on in the West Australian seat of Cowan while Patrick Gorman has also retained the seat of Perth.\n\nThe Liberal Party was won Swan, with Steve Irons being re-elected.\n\nAnd Attorney-General Christian Porter has won his tough race in Pearce. Fellow minister Ken Wyatt has held on in Hasluck.\n\nLabor gained Chisolm in Victoria. That's the seat former Liberal Julia Banks held, before deciding to contest Flinders instead. Health Minister Greg Hunt defeated her there.\n\nThe Nationals have held Cowper, fending off Rob Oakeshott.\n\nIn the days before the eleciton news.com.au's State of the Nation survey placed the Coalition ahead, however, with about 32 per cent saying the Coalition would get their vote, compared to 26 per cent for Labor.\n\nMr Morrison has also consistently beaten Mr Shorten in the polls as preferred PM, at 58 per cent in the State of the Nation survey compared to 42 per cent for Mr Shorten.\n\nLabor has repeatedly beaten the Coalition in Newspoll surveys, but its leader's approval ratings trailed behind. Last week's poll showed only 38 per cent of respondents thought Mr Shorten would make the better PM to Mr Morrison's 45 per cent, although 51 per cent backed Labor to 49 per cent supporting the Coalition in the two-party preferred vote.\n\nIt was a tight race, but the news is a huge blow for Mr Shorten, who had worked hard to rehabilitate his image and appeared to grow in confidence during the campaign. His second election failure is almost certain to spell the end of his leadership, while Mr Morrison will be relieved he has helped the Coalition edge over the line to return for a third term in government.\n\nMr Morrison's landmark achievement has up-ended almost all commentators' predictions, proving polls and general consensus are not always correct, following a pattern of recent global surprises - including the UK's Brexit vote and the election of Donald Trump as US President.\n\nThe Prime Minister repeatedly emphasised the Coalition's strength on the economy, promising income tax cuts and lower bills while playing down the threat of climate change.\n\nMr Morrison was a controversial Immigration Minister under Tony Abbott after the 2013 election, implementing Operation Sovereign Borders before becoming Social Services Minister in a 2014 reshuffle. The MP for Cook in New South Wales was promoted to Treasurer when Malcolm Turnbull became prime minister in 2015, and stepped in as the compromise candidate after a Peter Dutton challenge in August 2018.\n\nBut it seems he has been underestimated. After nine months in the job, Mr Morrison has been given the seal of approval by Australia.", "Scott Morrison has swept to victory in a sensational federal election result that defied the polls and cements the Coalition's power.\n\nThe Coalition is on track to win government, fending off Labor and Bill Shorten's efforts to take over as prime minister.\n\nAs it stands, the Coalition is headed to form a minority government at least, but could still reach the 76 seats needed to form a majority government.\n\nThe bombshell triumph comes after repeated polls placed the ALP ahead of the Morrison government, and the Prime Minister's demise appeared assured.\n\nSwings to the Coalition in Queensland turned the election on its head as early figures suggested the Government could hold on.\n\nElection experts said there would be no clear government tonight.\n\nLabor scrutineers told news.com.au older voters have punished the party for its higher-taxing agenda. States where the economy is not thriving - such as Queensland, WA and country areas - have backed the Liberals' agenda focused on the economy and jobs.\n\n\"A bold agenda is now dead forever in Australia,\" a Labor scrutineer says as it became clear the election was turning against Shorten.\n\nAs the votes came in confidence began to grown among Liberal surpporters. At the official Liberal Party function in Sydney exuberant young Liberal supporters were heard chanting that the Liberals were \"an election winning machine\".\n\n\"Labor used to be party for the workers, now it's a party for people who don't work,\" one said.\n\nAlthough former PM Tony Abbott lost his seat of Warringah to independent Zali Steggall, the Wentworth by-election result was reversed, with Liberal Dave Sharma reclaiming the old seat of Malcolm Turnbull from the woman who defeated him in October, Dr Kerryn Phelps.\n\nBut the swing against Labor in Queensland was devastating.\n\nThe Australian's columnist Troy Bramston says Labor figures are \"stunned and shocked\" at the result currently unfolding, which pretty much nobody expected.\n\n\"It looks like a diabolical night for the party,\" Bramston said.\n\nABC political editor Andrew Probyn says Labor sources are telling him their chances have been \"killed\" by the Coalition's preference deals with Clive Palmer's United Australia Party and Pauline Hanson's One Nation.\n\nResults then began flowing in from the west.\n\nLabor's Anny Aly has held on in the West Australian seat of Cowan while Patrick Gorman has also retained the seat of Perth.\n\nThe Liberal Party was won Swan, with Steve Irons being re-elected.\n\nAnd Attorney-General Christian Porter has won his tough race in Pearce. Fellow minister Ken Wyatt has held on in Hasluck.\n\nLabor gained Chisolm in Victoria. That's the seat former Liberal Julia Banks held, before deciding to contest Flinders instead. Health Minister Greg Hunt defeated her there.\n\nThe Nationals have held Cowper, fending off Rob Oakeshott.\n\nIn the days before the eleciton news.com.au's State of the Nation survey placed the Coalition ahead, however, with about 32 per cent saying the Coalition would get their vote, compared to 26 per cent for Labor.\n\nMr Morrison has also consistently beaten Mr Shorten in the polls as preferred PM, at 58 per cent in the State of the Nation survey compared to 42 per cent for Mr Shorten.\n\nLabor has repeatedly beaten the Coalition in Newspoll surveys, but its leader's approval ratings trailed behind. Last week's poll showed only 38 per cent of respondents thought Mr Shorten would make the better PM to Mr Morrison's 45 per cent, although 51 per cent backed Labor to 49 per cent supporting the Coalition in the two-party preferred vote.\n\nIt was a tight race, but the news is a huge blow for Mr Shorten, who had worked hard to rehabilitate his image and appeared to grow in confidence during the campaign. His second election failure is almost certain to spell the end of his leadership, while Mr Morrison will be relieved he has helped the Coalition edge over the line to return for a third term in government.\n\nMr Morrison's landmark achievement has up-ended almost all commentators' predictions, proving polls and general consensus are not always correct, following a pattern of recent global surprises - including the UK's Brexit vote and the election of Donald Trump as US President.\n\nThe Prime Minister repeatedly emphasised the Coalition's strength on the economy, promising income tax cuts and lower bills while playing down the threat of climate change.\n\nMr Morrison was a controversial Immigration Minister under Tony Abbott after the 2013 election, implementing Operation Sovereign Borders before becoming Social Services Minister in a 2014 reshuffle. The MP for Cook in New South Wales was promoted to Treasurer when Malcolm Turnbull became prime minister in 2015, and stepped in as the compromise candidate after a Peter Dutton challenge in August 2018.\n\nBut it seems he has been underestimated. After nine months in the job, Mr Morrison has been given the seal of approval by Australia.", "With so many gains for the Coalition and so few for Labor, Mr Shorten's hopes of becoming Prime Minister receded as election night went on. The Coalition, which has trailed Labor in the polls throughout its turbulent time in government, went in to the campaign with 74 seats and added to that tally across Queensland, where it defeated Labor in Longman and Herbert. The Coalition also wrested the Tasmanian seat of Braddon from Labor and appeared likely to claim the neighbouring electorate of Bass as well. The Coalition and Labor teams were anxiously waiting on results from Western Australia to be sure of the outcome. The Coalition's gains left Labor clutching to the hope of negotiating with crossbench MPs to hold government in a hung Parliament. With the electorate enduring more than a decade of unprecedented parliamentary bloodletting - Australia has had seven Prime Ministers in 11 years - many neutral observers were hoping for a period of political stability.\n\nHowever, the result shows the nation is divided along geographic and ideological lines with Mr Abbott declaring a political \"realignment\" with Labor making gains in progressive wealthy seats and the Coalition doing better in working class areas. A group of key independents could still hold the key to power. Mr Abbott said the Coalition would be able to retain government even though he conceded he would lose his seat of Warringah, a safe Liberal electorate for years that came under attack from independent candidate Zali Steggall and her campaign for more action on climate change. \"The good news is that there is every chance the Liberal National Coalition has won this election,\" Mr Abbott said. \"This is a really extraordinary result, it is a stupendous result, it is a great result for Scott Morrison and the rest of the Liberal team, and Scott Morrison will quite rightly enter the Liberal pantheon forever.\"\n\nIn western Sydney, the electorate of Lindsay fell to the Liberals while the neighbouring electorate of Macquarie appeared to be shifting in the same way. In eastern Sydney, the Liberal Party was confident of regaining the blue-ribbon seat of Wentworth with Liberal candidate Dave Sharma ahead of independent MP Kerryn Phelps, who gained the seat at a byelection last year. The outcomes give the Coalition a narrow majority in the House of Representatives unless it suffers the loss of other seats. Labor gained the seat of Gilmore on the NSW South Coast and the two Victorian seats of Chisholm and Dunkley. Bill Shorten with his wife Chloe on election day. Early in the night, Mr Shorten appeared to be on track to become Australia's 31st prime minister after an exit poll predicted a swing to Labor, with voters naming health and climate change as key factors in their decisions.\n\nWhile Labor Party members were buoyant before the early count, Mr Morrison expressed caution about his chances, saying he made \"no assumptions\" about holding on to power. While the Liberal Party appeared likely to regain Wentworth, independent MPs made gains elsewhere with Victorian independent Helen Haines on track to win Indi and succeed former independent MP Cathy McGowan. Combined with the victory for Ms Steggall, the election appears to leave Parliament with a crossbench that includes Greens MP Adam Bandt, Tasmanian independent Andrew Wilkie, Queenslander Bob Katter, South Australian Rebekha Sharkie as well as Ms Steggall and Dr Haines. Mr Wilkie has ruled out doing any deal with a minority government while Mr Katter has backed the Coalition in the past. Others have named climate change policy as a factor in their decisions on whether to support a minority government on votes of confidence and supply.\n\nThe government's 74 seats in the House of Representatives was down from the 76 it won at the last election due to the departure of former Liberal MP Julia Banks to the crossbench and the arrival of independent MP Kerryn Phelps in Wentworth. Labor started with 69 seats from the last Parliament. Bill Shorten and wife Chloe, left, and Scott Morrison and wife Jenny, right, vote on Saturday. Labor described its election effort as its largest \"field campaign\" in history, putting more than 25,000 volunteers into the field to knock on more than one million doors. Labor claimed its supporters made more than one million phone calls to urge Australians to back their party. Activist group GetUp said it had mobilised more than 9000 volunteers who had worked on the ground, with a wider group of helpers making more than 700,000 phone calls during the campaign. The ACTU had about 5000 volunteers working during the campaign.\n\nMr Shorten began the final day of the campaign by urging Australians to change the government because Labor would act on climate change, spend more on health, restore stability after the leadership division within the Liberal Party and improve fairness by scaling back tax concessions for the wealthy. He visited Melbourne electorates after an early morning run wearing a t-shirt that asked people to vote for \"Chloe Shorten's husband\" – an acknowledgement of his wife's importance to his campaign. Mr Morrison campaigned at a more hectic pace by flying to Tasmania on Saturday morning to woo voters in the marginal seat of Bass before heading to Sydney for the remainder of the day. The Coalition adopted the same approach the previous day with a relentless tour through Queensland marginal seats.\n\n\"I already feel a responsibility to millions of people to win. But sure, I want to do it for Bob, as well,\" Mr Shorten said on Thursday. \"I don't want to let his memory down.\"", "Australia 2019 elections: Scott Morrison and Bill Shorten go head-to-head in close battle\n\nAustralia 2019 elections: Scott Morrison and Bill Shorten go head-to-head in close battle\n\nMore than 16 million Australians are eligible to head to the polls on Saturday to select the democratic country's eighth prime minister.\n\nThe country has seen six changes of prime minister over 12 years, which is mostly the result of infighting in both major parties.\n\nPrime Minister Scott Morrison, leader of the Liberal-National Coalition government, is hoping to win a third three-year term against the Labor opposition, led by Bill Shorten.\n\nMr Morrison, who replaced Malcolm Turnbull as prime minister last August, hopes that tax cuts and the Australian economy will be enough to secure his position in office.\n\nAll 151 seats in the House of Representatives, known as the lower house, and 40 of the 76 seats in the Senate, the upper house, will be up for election.\n\nBoth parties have promised that whoever is elected prime minister will lead the country until voters next choose - most likely in three years' time.\n\nHere is a round up of what you need to know about the elections:\n\nVoting will take place on Saturday to elect members of the 46th parliament of Australia.\n\nPolling stations will be open between 8am and close at 6pm in each state. They are typically located at schools, churches or other community buildings.\n\nAll voting will be complete by 8pm when polls close in Western Australia.\n\nWho is the favourite?\n\nThe election sees the current prime minister, Scott Morrison, go against Labor Party leader Bill Shorten.\n\nBoth candidates are seeking an outright majority in the 151-seat House of Representatives to win office.\n\nFor the past two years, opinion polls have consistently put Labor ahead of Mr Morrison's Liberal Party-led coalition.\n\nThe opposition Labor Party retained a narrow lead over Mr Morrison's government in a poll conducted by Newspoll on 13 May, putting Labor ahead of the Liberal-National coalition - 51% against 49%.\n\nThe government has remained behind since.\n\nThe poll revealed that 44% were satisfied with Mr Morrison's performance and 44% were dissatisfied for a net zero approval.\n\nMr Shorten's net approval was up eight points to -10, which was his best net approval since 2015.\n\nHowever Mr Shorten, who has been the Labor Party leader since 2013, is not particularly popular with Australians.\n\nWhile Labor has beaten the ruling coalition in more than 50 consecutive Newspoll surveys, Mr Shorten's approval ratings still trail behind Mr Morrison's.\n\nThe latest poll showed only 35% of respondents thought Mr Shorten would make the better prime minister.\n\nMr Shorten has blamed his position as opposition leader for his popularity problem.\n\nHe has said: \"When you're the opposition leader, the only time you get on the media is by opposing... when you're prime minister, you can be constructive.\"\n\n... A little more about the incumbent PM\n\nThe incumbent prime minister Scott Morrison has been leading the Liberals since August 2018 after taking power when the party turned against former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull.\n\nA member of the House of Representatives since 2007, he was previously an immigration minister where he implemented tough policies on asylum seekers, before he was promoted to treasurer in 2015.\n\nSaturday's elections will determine whether Mr Morrison can maintain his shaky grip on power or whether the centre-left Labor party will return to office after six years in opposition.\n\nMr Morrison said on Friday the election result \"is going to be incredibly close\".\n\nWhen will the results be announced?\n\nPreliminary counting of votes will begin at polling stations straight after they close.\n\nThe winner for the lower house, which forms the government, will most likely be known on Saturday night or in the early hours of Sunday morning.\n\nHowever, there were reports that the election result could be delayed due to the very large number of pre-poll votes already cast.\n\nAustralian electoral commissioner Tom Rogers warned that the early votes will stretch the resources of the Australian Electoral Commission and create more complexity around counting on Saturday.\n\n\"It's a huge logistic activity; we'll be doing our very best, but there may well be some delays on the night,\" he told ABC.\n\nWho needs what to win?\n\nSeventy-six of the 151 lower house seats are needed to an overall majority.\n\nAs it stands, the ruling coalition is on 73 and Labor is on 69.\n\nTo win a majority, either the coalition or Labor must win 76 or more seats.\n\nThe coalition won the 2016 election with 76 of the 150 seats to 69 for Labor, however Labor later gained 14 seats.\n\nLabor is expected to do better in terms of seats as a result of these gains.\n\nHow does the vote work?\n\nWhen voting, Australians must number their choice of candidates when choosing 150 members of the lower house and some 76 seats of the upper house.\n\nA number \"1\" next to a candidate's name is considered a first preference.\n\nThe contender who receives more than 50% of the total first preference votes is declared the winner.\n\nIf nobody receives at least 50% in first preference votes, then the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated.\n\nThe votes would then be distributed to the remaining hopefuls based on the second preferences until a candidate reaches 50%.\n\nElectoral authorities aim to make voting quick and simple without the long queues that are characteristic in other countries.\n\nAustralia enforces compulsory voting to ensure high rates of participation and more than 16 million Australians are eligible to vote in Saturday's elections.\n\nCould there be a hung parliament?\n\nLabor's quest for a majority could be ousted if independents perform strongly.\n\nCurrently, there are seven crossbenchers (independent or minor party members) and there could be more if for example the Greens win more seats in Victoria.\n\nIf there is a hung parliament, the party that can negotiate with the crossbenchers the best, and gain support to gain 76 seats, will form government.\n\nWhat are the parties' policy differences?\n\nThe policy differences between the two major parties have been described as the widest divide at a federal contest in 26 years.\n\nPromoting a \"mood for change\", Labor is regarded as pursuing a \"big target strategy\" with a diverse range of policies aimed at creating a more equitable society under the slogan \"A Fair Go for Australia\" - which is an Australian colloquialism for providing justice.\n\nThe coalition is promising a steady course in uncertain times under the banner \"Building Our Economy, Securing Your Future\".\n\nMr Morrison has warned voters that Australia's slowing economy would be harmed by Labor's ambitious agenda.\n\nOpinion polls show that climate change has become a major concern for Australian voters.\n\nLabor has pledged to reduce the country's greenhouse gas emissions by 45% below 2005 levels by 2030 and achieve zero emissions by 2050.\n\nMr Morrison's coalition government has committed to reduce emissions by 26% to 28% by 2030. It warned that Labor's ambitious target would wreck the economy.\n\nTax, refugees and Australia's relationship with China have also proven to be contentious issues.", "Scott Morrison will remain as Prime Minister after an extraordinary night saw the Coalition claim an unexpected election win.\n\nIn a result which opinion polls and betting markets failed to predict, the Liberal and the National parties recorded strong swings to them - particularly in Queensland - granting them a possible slim majority or a minority with the support of independents.\n\nThe result was called shortly after 9.30pm AEST - as results began to be called in Western Australia.\n\nLabor struggled to pick up enough seats even in Melbourne, in its strongest state Victoria, and has lost electorates in Brisbane, north Queensland, western Sydney and Tasmania.\n\nABC election analyst Antony Green said Labor had little hope of even forming a minority government, with Labor failing to pick up any marginal seats in Perth.\n\n'At this stage, we think the Morrison Government has been re-elected. We can't see an alternative to a Morrison Government in the numbers we're seeing at the moment,' he said.\n\n'We can't say whether the Government will be in a majority or minority, but we're certainly seeing enough numbers to say that the Coalition will end up with more seats than Labor.'\n\nMr Green said the result was a 'spectacular failure of opinion polls' with the upset representing the first occasion since 2004 that a federal government has enjoyed a swing towards it.\n\nFormer Liberal prime minister John Howard, who won that election, said voters had rejected Labor's 'politics of class division'.\n\n'I did believe very strongly Bill Shorten had overplayed his hand on the class warfare,' he said.\n\nIronically, the Coalition had not won a Newspoll since 2016 and Labor had won 55 consecutive Newspolls going into the election.\n\nThis included a period which saw Malcolm Turnbull replaced in August as prime minister after the Liberal Party's right-faction revolted against his energy policy.\n\nLabor, so far, appears to have only gained the NSW South Coast seat of Gilmore, where the Liberal Party was running former Labor national president Warren Mundine, and possibly Chisholm in Melbourne's south-east where sitting member Julia Banks had quit the Liberal Party to sit as an independent.\n\nIt has an outside chance of winning Boothby, in Adelaide's south, with a swing of 3.2 per cent towards it - in a seat the Liberal Party has held since 1949.\n\nMr Shorten's big-target strategy backfired, with voters rejecting his plans to curb negative gearing tax breaks for investor landlords, deprive share-owning retirees of franking credits and slash carbon emissions by 45 per cent by 2030.\n\nHaving now lost two elections, he will most likely to be replaced as Labor leader, six years after he beat left-faction contender Anthony Albanese, even though his opponent had more support from party members in a postal ballot.\n\n'Tonight is an outcome that is disappointing,' Mr Albanese told his supporters in Sydney's inner-west.\n\nHis Sydney-based deputy Tanya Plibersek is another possible leadership contender and blamed preferences from One Nation and mining magnate Clive Palmer's United Australia Party for the poor result in Queensland.\n\n'It's not the result we'd hoped for in Queensland,' she told the ABC.\n\nMr Howard likened Labor's loss to the 1993 'unloseable' election when Liberal leader John Hewson was defeated, campaigning for a 15 per cent GST.\n\n'There was a whiff of 1993 about the last couple of weeks,' he told the ABC.\n\n'One side had been ahead in the polls but the other had gained ground during the campaign.'\n\nOn the NSW Central Coast, which had a high number of retirees, the Liberal Party recorded a 4.3 per cent swing to it, boosting sitting member Lucy Wicks' margin to 5.5 per cent.\n\nThe Liberal Party, however, has been punished in one of Sydney's wealthiest electorates.\n\nFormer prime minister Tony Abbott became the first major casualty of an surprising general election, losing his blue-ribbon seat of Warringah after 25 years in Parliament.\n\nHis independent challenger Zali Steggall, a Winter Olympic skiing medalist, has romped home on Sydney's northern beaches in a contest fought over climate change action.\n\nSteggall had an impressive 49.2 per cent of first-preference votes compared to just 35.4 per cent for Mr Abbott, in early counting, representing a mammoth 11.4 per cent swing against the Liberal Party.\n\n'I know I'm going to sound croaky but what a day,' she said, claiming victory.\n\nTaking a dig at her socially-conservative opponent Mr Abbott, she this was 'a win for moderates with a heart.'\n\n'I will be a climate leader for you,' she said. 'I will hold the new government to account and make sure they take action on climate change.'\n\nShe paid tribute to the former PM's 'work ethic and contribution to this community'.\n\nConceding defeat, Mr Abbott said: 'I'd rather be a loser than a quitter.'\n\nHe also declared Mr Morrison, who replaced Mr Turnbull as PM in August, would be a Liberal Party legend.\n\n'Scott Morrison will rightly enter the Liberal pantheon forever,' he said.\n\nFormer Nationals deputy prime minister Barnaby Joyce slammed GetUp! and left-wing activists for targeting Mr Abbott, as the Coalition recorded strong swings to it in Brisbane's outer suburbs and regional Queensland.\n\n'You went after Tony you clowns ... and forgot about everyone else,' he told the ABC.\n\nIn Queensland, the Labor Party suffered a 4.4 per cent against it, making it the Opposition's worst state.\n\nLiberal Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton has survived and recorded a 3.8 per cent to him in his marginal northern Brisbane seat of Dickson, despite earlier controversy earlier in the campaign where he questioned the living arrangements of his Labor opponent Ali France, who lost a leg in 2011.\n\nHe described his win as 'the sweetest victory of all ' - quoting former Labor prime minister Paul Keating's victory speech in 1993, when won the 'unloseable' election.\n\nThe Sunshine State was bad for Labor, which was on course to lose neighbouring Longman, in Brisbane's north, with a 4.1 per cent swing to the Liberal National Party.\n\nHerbert, which Labor's Cathy O'Toole won by 37 votes in 2016, was lost, with a seven per cent swing to the LNP.\n\nThe Liberal National Party is also recording strong swings to it in its marginal seats of Capricornia, Dawson, Petrie and Forde.\n\nSenior Labor frontbencher Penny Wong acknowledged the areas of Australia north of the Tweed were historically hard for her party to maintain support.\n\n'Queensland's tough for us,' she told the ABC.\n\nNSW Liberal senator Arthur Sinodinos said Prime Minister Scott Morrison was 'straight forward' and popular in the outer suburbs of Brisbane.\n\n'A personifies a certain daggyness people aspire to,' he told the ABC.\n\nSenator Sinodinos said the anti-Adani protests led by a former Greens leader - 'Bob Brown's caravan' - had also hurt Labor in north Queensland.\n\nTasmania is also punishing the Opposition, with the regional seats of Bass and Braddon going to the Liberal Party with swings of six per cent.\n\nLabor is also suffering double-digit swings against it in in western Sydney, where it looks likely to lose the seat of Lindsay and possibly neighbouring Macquarie.\n\nLiberal Immigration Minister David Coleman has retained the south-west Sydney seat of Banks with a 4.3 per cent swing towards him, boosting his margin to 5.8 per cent in a seat that Labor had held from 1949 to 2013.\n\nThis is in stark contrast to an early Nine Network/Galaxy exit poll which showed Bill Shorten would be Australia's next prime minister, with the Opposition ahead of the Coalition 52 to 48 per cent on a two-party preferred basis nationwide.\n\nThe poll surveyed 33 electorates across six states and found a swing to the ALP in every state, ranging from 1.1 per cent in Queensland, 3.2 per cent in Victoria and 2.5 per cent in New South Wales.\n\nThe exit poll, since proven wrong, had the Coalition's primary vote sinking by three per cent, to 39 per cent, since the 2016 election, which former Liberal prime minister Malcolm Turnbull narrowly won.\n\nLabor's first-preference vote has surged by the same margin to 38 per cent, giving it the edge with preferences from the Greens, who had 10 per cent support.\n\nThe major parties will need 76 seats to win a parliamentary majority in an expanded 151-seat House of Representatives with early counting showing uneven swings in key marginal seats.\n\nThe Nine exit poll of 3000 voters found that health and Medicare were the main issues that influenced their voting, followed by cost of living and climate change.\n\nThe Labor Opposition went into the election notionally holding 72 seats, following redistributions, compared with 73 for the Coalition.\n\nHis Queensland Liberal National Party could lose Forde, in Brisbane's south, along with Capricornia, centred around Rockhampton, and Flynn, which takes in Gladstone.\n\nThe exit poll came as Scott Morrison refused to say whether he will carry on as Liberal Leader should he lose the election.\n\nThe Prime Minister addressed the media after kissing his wife Jenny as they cast their ballots in his electorate of Cook, in southern Sydney.\n\nUnlike his confident opponent Mr Shorten this morning, Mr Morrison shied away from predicting the result.\n\n'I make no assumptions about tonight,' the Prime Minister said.\n\nHe then refused to comment on whether he would continue as Liberal leader as he stares down the barrel of defeat after serving just nine months as PM.\n\n'As I have said when this question has been put to me before, this election is not about my future. It is about your future. It is about the people of Australia's future,' Mr Morrison said.\n\n'It is about their aspirations, their ambitions. It is not about my aspirations or Bill Shorten's ambition, it is about the Australian people's aspiration and that is what I have focused on.'\n\nRevealing that he voted for himself, he joked: 'I think you can guess how I voted today because I hear the local member is pretty good.'\n\nMr Morrison thanked supporters and said he would not like to predict the result, adding: 'I make no assumptions about tonight.\n\n'I respect this process. It is dear to my heart, the democracy of our country. I am making no presumptions. I don't take anyone's support in this country for granted.'\n\nThe election is being held just two days after the death of Labor's longest-serving prime minister Bob Hawke, who won four elections in 1983, 1984, 1987 and 1990.\n\nMr Shorten cancelled last-minute campaigning in Brisbane to focus on remembering Mr Hawke at memorial events in Sydney.\n\nThe former Australian Workers Union leader this morning said he is so confident of winning the election that he is already planning what he would do on his first day in power.\n\nHe gave a short speech outlining his priorities, after casting his vote at Moonee Ponds, in his Melbourne electorate of Maribyrnong and awkwardly eating a democracy sausage.\n\nShould the Opposition Leader prevail tonight, he would become Australia's sixth prime minister since June 2013 - a sharp contrast to an era when Mr Hawke governed for almost nine years through several recessions and implemented far-reaching economic reforms with support from the union movement.\n\nIn less than six years, Australia has gone through Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd from the Labor side, and Tony Abbott, Malcolm Turnbull and now Mr Morrison from the Liberal Party.\n\nSince 2010, four of them have dumped by their own party, with Mr Shorten playing a pivotal role as a factional powerbroker in the dumping of two Labor PMs.\n\nA victory for Mr Shorten tonight would also make him the first sitting Australian prime minister to have divorced and remarried and the 31st person to occupy the nation's highest office.\n\nHis stepchildren Rupert, 17, and Georgette, 16, and his seven-year-old daughter Clementine will be the first blended family to live at The Lodge in Canberra and Kirribilli House on Sydney Harbour.\n\nShould Mr Morrison remain as Liberal Party leader, he would be the first electorally defeated prime minister to take over as Opposition Leader since Gough Whitlam remained as Labor leader in December 1975, following the controversial November 11 Dismissal.\n\nWith less than nine months as PM, he is the shortest serving officeholder since Country Party leader John McEwen briefly served in that role in December 1967 and January 1968, following Harold Holt's drowning.\n\nStanding alongside his popular wife Chloe, he declared that his first move would be to make a law raising pay for shift-workers at nights and weekends.\n\nThe 52-year-old said: 'In the event that the people of Australia voted for action on climate change, we will be ready to hit the ground from tomorrow. We'll be ready to start straight away and we will start straight away.\n\n'My first cabinet meeting, the first order of business, we will put a submission to the independent umpire to get the wages moving again for millions of our fellow Australians.\n\n'My first legislation will be to reverse the cuts to penalty rates.'\n\nMr Shorten also explained that tackling climate change is another priority, saying: 'We will convene the parliament as soon as possible to start action on climate change.\n\nA reporter asked Mr Shorten if he would quit politics if he lost the election.\n\n'Let's hold the horses here,' the leader replied. 'I'm confident that Labor can win. Is Mr Morrison staying around? Have you asked him?'\n\nPolls suggest the opposition leader is on track to become prime minister and lead Labor to government for the first time since 2013.\n\nMr Shorten and his wife Chloe met voters in long queues before casting their ballots on Saturday.\n\nHe chomped a sausage sandwich afterwards, partaking in one Australia's great election day traditions.\n\n'Tastes like a mood for change,' he said.\n\nMr Shorten kicked off his day in trademark fashion, with a morning run around Melbourne wearing a red t-shirt with 'Vote 1 Chloe Shorten's husband'.\n\nHe then switched outfits, donning a suit as he made a final pitch to voters on breakfast television.\n\nThe Labor leader is expected to spend the day on polling stations around the Victorian capital, considered a key battleground in the election.\n\nMeanwhile, Prime Minister Scott Morrison is keeping the faith as he stares down a likely election defeat.\n\nAll signs suggest the coalition will be sent packing after a narrow Labor win on Saturday night.\n\n'I think it will be a long night. I've always said this election will be close,' Mr Morrison told Sunrise on Network Seven.\n\n'Five weeks ago people weren't saying that, but I've always known it to be the case.'\n\nThe final Newspoll of the campaign shows Labor edging ahead of the coalition by 51.5 to 48.5 per cent on a two-party preferred basis.\n\nBut both sides believe battles in 20 key marginal seats across the country will decide the result.\n\nMr Morrison spent his election morning in Tasmania where the Coalition was trying to soak up every vote possible to take the marginal seats of Bass and Braddon from Labor.\n\nHe then flew to Sydney to cast his own vote in the Sutherland Shire, before campaigning with other MPs in marginal electorates across the city.\n\nThe Prime Minister has presented this election as a presidential-style race between himself and Mr Shorten.\n\nVoters will now deliver their verdict on whether his frenetic five-week campaign has been enough to secure the coalition a third term in power.\n\nMr Morrison spent the final full day of his campaign targeting a clutch of key seats throughout Queensland and NSW.\n\nThe Liberals are expecting reasonable results in both of the states, with Victoria and Western Australia firming up as the crucial battlegrounds.", "Scott Morrison has swept to victory in a sensational federal election result that defied the polls and cements the Coalition's power.\n\nThe Coalition is on track to win government, fending off Labor and Bill Shorten's efforts to take over as prime minister.\n\nAs it stands, the Coalition is headed to form a minority government at least, but could still reach the 76 seats needed to form a majority government.\n\nThe bombshell triumph comes after repeated polls placed the ALP ahead of the Morrison government, and the Prime Minister's demise appeared assured.\n\nSwings to the Coalition in Queensland turned the election on its head as early figures suggested the Government could hold on.\n\nElection experts said there would be no clear government tonight.\n\nLabor scrutineers told news.com.au older voters have punished the party for its higher-taxing agenda. States where the economy is not thriving - such as Queensland, WA and country areas - have backed the Liberals' agenda focused on the economy and jobs.\n\n\"A bold agenda is now dead forever in Australia,\" a Labor scrutineer says as it became clear the election was turning against Shorten.\n\nAs the votes came in confidence began to grown among Liberal surpporters. At the official Liberal Party function in Sydney exuberant young Liberal supporters were heard chanting that the Liberals were \"an election winning machine\".\n\n\"Labor used to be party for the workers, now it's a party for people who don't work,\" one said.\n\nAlthough former PM Tony Abbott lost his seat of Warringah to independent Zali Steggall, the Wentworth by-election result was reversed, with Liberal Dave Sharma reclaiming the old seat of Malcolm Turnbull from the woman who defeated him in October, Dr Kerryn Phelps.\n\nBut the swing against Labor in Queensland was devastating.\n\nThe Australian's columnist Troy Bramston says Labor figures are \"stunned and shocked\" at the result currently unfolding, which pretty much nobody expected.\n\n\"It looks like a diabolical night for the party,\" Bramston said.\n\nABC political editor Andrew Probyn says Labor sources are telling him their chances have been \"killed\" by the Coalition's preference deals with Clive Palmer's United Australia Party and Pauline Hanson's One Nation.\n\nResults then began flowing in from the west.\n\nLabor's Anny Aly has held on in the West Australian seat of Cowan while Patrick Gorman has also retained the seat of Perth.\n\nThe Liberal Party was won Swan, with Steve Irons being re-elected.\n\nAnd Attorney-General Christian Porter has won his tough race in Pearce. Fellow minister Ken Wyatt has held on in Hasluck.\n\nLabor gained Chisolm in Victoria. That's the seat former Liberal Julia Banks held, before deciding to contest Flinders instead. Health Minister Greg Hunt defeated her there.\n\nThe Nationals have held Cowper, fending off Rob Oakeshott.\n\nIn the days before the eleciton news.com.au's State of the Nation survey placed the Coalition ahead, however, with about 32 per cent saying the Coalition would get their vote, compared to 26 per cent for Labor.\n\nMr Morrison has also consistently beaten Mr Shorten in the polls as preferred PM, at 58 per cent in the State of the Nation survey compared to 42 per cent for Mr Shorten.\n\nLabor has repeatedly beaten the Coalition in Newspoll surveys, but its leader's approval ratings trailed behind. Last week's poll showed only 38 per cent of respondents thought Mr Shorten would make the better PM to Mr Morrison's 45 per cent, although 51 per cent backed Labor to 49 per cent supporting the Coalition in the two-party preferred vote.\n\nIt was a tight race, but the news is a huge blow for Mr Shorten, who had worked hard to rehabilitate his image and appeared to grow in confidence during the campaign. His second election failure is almost certain to spell the end of his leadership, while Mr Morrison will be relieved he has helped the Coalition edge over the line to return for a third term in government.\n\nMr Morrison's landmark achievement has up-ended almost all commentators' predictions, proving polls and general consensus are not always correct, following a pattern of recent global surprises - including the UK's Brexit vote and the election of Donald Trump as US President.\n\nThe Prime Minister repeatedly emphasised the Coalition's strength on the economy, promising income tax cuts and lower bills while playing down the threat of climate change.\n\nMr Morrison was a controversial Immigration Minister under Tony Abbott after the 2013 election, implementing Operation Sovereign Borders before becoming Social Services Minister in a 2014 reshuffle. The MP for Cook in New South Wales was promoted to Treasurer when Malcolm Turnbull became prime minister in 2015, and stepped in as the compromise candidate after a Peter Dutton challenge in August 2018.\n\nBut it seems he has been underestimated. After nine months in the job, Mr Morrison has been given the seal of approval by Australia.", "\"He made a terrible mistake,\" Mr Howard said. \"This 'big end of town' stuff - [people] are all the big end of town if they make a few bob. We are not driven by class.\" Taking the stage with his wife and daughters at exactly midnight, Mr Morrison declared: \"I have always believed in miracles ... and tonight we've been delivered another one.\" He said it was a victory for the \"quiet Australians\", those he had identified in the campaign as a group who resisted the \"shouty\" rough-and-tumble of politics and simply wanted to get on with their work and family lives. Mr Morrison proceeded through a roll call of new members, as well as the few who lost their seats such as former prime minister Tony Abbott, who was swept out of office by the voters of Warringah. He also named Melissa McIntosh, who won the western Sydney seat of Lindsay off Labor, Phil Thompson in Herbert, Bridget Archer in Bass and \"the big unit\" Gavin Pearce in Braddon.\n\nMr Morrison gave particular thanks to \"pretty much the whole state of Queensland\", to which the raucous crowd began chanting: \"Queensland! Queensland!\" Loading Federal Liberal Party president Nick Greiner, who along with other senior officials designed the Coalition's campaign, said Mr Morrison's victory ranked alongside Paul Keating's 1993 win over John Hewson as an incredible achievement and upset. \"It is really up there with 1993. This is certainly one for the true believers on the Liberal and National parties' side,\" Mr Greiner told The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age. He said the Coalition's electoral strategy was unashamedly focused on a simple economic message compared to Labor's far-ranging and ambitious reform agenda.\n\n\"We were unremittingly about the nature of Australia,\" Mr Greiner said. \"Labor had a very broad vision. They sort of had 20 cents on every number. We believed that our best chance would be to say to people: you don't want more taxes and more government, you want less taxes and less government.\" \"You can see from the nature of the result that in areas other than the inner-city ... that's pretty much what happened.\" Former Liberal MP Bronwyn Bishop at the Liberal Party's post election night celebration. Credit:James Brickwood Asked whether the lesson was that a small-target strategy was the best way to win a poll, Mr Greiner said: \"You go to an election to win.\" He said it showed \"Australians don't believe in a big-spending, throw-money-at-everything kind of approach\". \"When Labor has won, they've won with a sensible, conservative strategy. Bill Shorten was trying to do a Gough Whitlam but it's perfectly obvious Bill Shorten was never going to be either Gough or Bob Hawke,\" Mr Greiner said\n\nLoading Former long-serving Liberal MP Bronwyn Bishop said Mr Morrison had scored a victory over the pundits who had written off the government and over Labor's \"socialist\" agenda. \"Morrison in the campaign really reached out to the Australian people and they saw him in a way they hadn't known before. He won that campaign,\" Ms Bishop said. \"It's an enormous thing for him to do - to repair the damage that was done by the previous prime minister [Malcolm Turnbull] who lost 14 seats.\" In the space of a couple of hours – as the extent of Labor’s shortfall became clear – Mr Morrison went from someone considered likely to be an interim leader and a footnote in history to a giant of Liberal folklore.\n\nEarlier in the day he refused to discuss his plans in the event of a loss, but by 8pm it was evident he would remain Liberal leader either as prime minister or opposition leader. Loading Even early in the night when a Labor victory was expected, Mr Morrison had received cross-factional support to remain in the leadership in the event of a loss, with endorsements from leading moderates Simon Birmingham, Arthur Sinodinos and Trent Zimmerman. Nationals leader Michael McCormack also praised Mr Morrison for executing a \"flawless campaign\" without a mis-step. Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton also singled out Mr Morrison for praise saying he had provided \"amazing leadership\".", "Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison won re-election on Saturday, stunning pollsters who had anticipated his defeat for several months. Morrison championed working-class economic stability during his campaign, and his victory is part of a populist trend, which now stretches across the U.S., Brazil, Hungary and Italy.\n\nAt his victory party in Sydney, Morrison said, \"Tonight is about every single Australian who depends on their government to put them first. And that is exactly what we are going to do.\"\n\nIn his speech, Morrison also paid tribute to \"the quiet Australians\" who voted for his coalition. \"It has been those Australians who have worked hard every day, they have their dreams, they have their aspirations, to get a job, to get an apprenticeship, to start a business, to meet someone amazing,\" he said. \"To start a family, to buy a home, to work hard and provide the best you can for your kids. To save for your retirement. These are the quiet Australians who have won a great victory tonight!\"\n\nTop issues in the Australian election included climate change, immigration, jobs and the economy. Morrison's coalition of Liberal and National Parties maintained seats in contested suburbs, while also picking up support across Australia's countryside. In the northeastern state of Queensland, the site of a controversial proposal to build a coal mine, several Liberal Party candidates also won, signifying that jobs are of more importance to Australian voters there than environmental concerns. If the Adani coal mine is built in Queensland, it will be one of the largest in the world.\n\nIn a suburb of Sydney, however, the Liberal Party did suffer a setback. Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott lost his race there, where voters are demanding action on climate change.\n\nIn his concession speech, Abbott said, \"It's clear that in what might be described as 'working seats,' we are doing so much better. It's also clear that in at least some of what might be described as 'wealthy seats,' we are doing it tough, and the Green left is doing better.\"\n\nMorrison is an evangelical Christian, who has professed admiration for President Trump. During his campaign he promised voters he would lower energy prices, and cut costs for first-time homeowners.\n\nIn 2013, as immigration minister, Morrison advocated denying asylum seekers arriving by sea the right to apply for settlement in Australia.\n\nMorrison's opponent, Bill Shorten, the leader of the Labor Party, promised \"real action\" on climate change and the economy. On Saturday night he conceded defeat. \"I know you're all hurting,\" he told supporters in Melbourne. \"And I am, too.\""], "summary": "Prime Minister Scott Morrison declares victory. It remains unclear whether his Liberal-National Coalition has won a majority of seats, or whether it will form a minority government."}
{"document": ["Scott Morrison’s spectacular win, against all expectations, is attributable to a potent mix of his strengths and Labor’s weaknesses.\n\nMorrison, it turns out, was made in some political heaven where they forge ideal campaigners. This man of faith may well literally believe in miracles, which is an advantage when you’re in a tight corner. Certainly he’s swallowed the book on the power of positive thinking.\n\nHe was determined, focused, and John Howard’s successor in talking to the battlers. He brought marketing and tactical skills to the task.\n\nBut given the shambolic Coalition performance of the last two terms, he couldn’t have won if Labor hadn’t left itself exposed.\n\nThe opposition’s weaknesses are magnified in retrospect. The voters were wary of Bill Shorten. Labor was carrying too much policy weight. And it did not crystallise its messages into one compelling, cut-through theme.\n\nIn contrast, Morrison successfully hammered economic management as the facilitator of everything else people wanted, such as spending on health, education, and the NDIS.\n\nCost of living was a Labor issue but by the campaign’s end, the government had people worried Labor’s tax changes would add to that burden.\n\nWhile climate change took Liberal votes in heartland areas, overall it didn’t deliver for Labor.\n\nMixed messaging over Adani was a drag in parts of Queensland. Labor polled only 22.7% in regional Queensland, and minor party preferences worked against it.\n\nLabor over years tried to persuade itself voters’ unwillingness to embrace Shorten didn’t matter. The government had failed to “kill Bill”, and he had triumphed in the “Super Saturday” byelections. But in the ultimate test, his unpopularity was a drag.\n\nObservers will lament that Saturday’s result shows it is impossible for an opposition to win with a robust change agenda. It might, however, be the case that just too much was piled into it.\n\nTo finance its big spending, Labor needed its crackdowns on both negative gearing and franking credit cash refunds. Each had losers. More modest changes might have survived the scare campaigns.\n\nBut Saturday’s result will reinforce the usual inclination of oppositions to be “small targets” (which can be followed by the voters getting nasty shocks when an opposition goes into government, as we saw with the 2014 budget).\n\nLabor’s regrouping will involve both a new leader and repositioning on policy.\n\nLong-time aspirant Anthony Albanese, from the left, has announced he’ll run for the leadership, which is decided by rank and file and caucus ballots. Deputy leader Tanya Plibersek, another leftwinger, has the support of Shorten for a tilt. Shadow treasurer Chris Bowen, from the right, is considering whether to contest; he carries the burden of being a driving force behind the rejected policy agenda.\n\nThere’d be a lot of sense in Labor jumping to the new generation and finance spokesman Jim Chalmers. Chalmers, from the right, is articulate, economically highly literate - and a Queenslander.\n\nPrecisely how Labor repositions will depend on who’s leader, and will take time to work out, but logic suggests that next election it will be pulled towards the centre with a less risky pitch.\n\nNot least because that election will potentially be very winnable for the ALP. Whatever the Coalition’s final number in the House of Representatives, electorally it will be extremely vulnerable next time, just as it was this time.\n\nAnd a note from History: Paul Keating won the unwinnable election in 1993 and lost in 1996.\n\nMorrison gains immense authority from this victory, but in politics euphoria is a very perishable commodity. New rules protect the stability of the prime ministerial leadership, however Morrison’s standing in two years will be a function of how he handles the job from now, not what happened on Saturday.\n\nHis first challenge will be crafting a new ministry, and he has quite a lot of spots available. The reshuffle has to be substantial.\n\nMorrison made much of having a record seven women in his cabinet; if he wants to keep up that number, it will require the elevation of a woman to replace Kelly O'Dwyer. Sussan Ley, most recently an assistant minister but once in cabinet, would seem an obvious contender.\n\nMorrison has promised Linda Reynolds defence. He’s also said Melissa Price – notoriously in hiding most of the time - would remain environment minister. That would be a bad idea – we’ll see if he can get out of it.\n\nArthur Sinodinos, back from illness, should be in cabinet. Attorney-General Christian Porter is being talked of as leader of the house to replace Christopher Pyne, who retired at the election.\n\nIn policy terms Morrison is locked into little apart from the budget’s tax cuts. Parliament will be brought back quickly to deal with those; the question is whether the government can get the whole package, including tax relief for higher income earners in later years, through the Senate at that time.\n\nBeyond this, we have minimal idea of what Morrison will make of the coming term. He’s said he’ll “burn” every day for Australians. He’s insisted he’ll call the shots within the party. What this means for policy is unclear.\n\nNotably, will the ideological struggles erupt once again in the Liberal party and how will Morrison handle them? The disruptive power of Tony Abbott has been removed. But there remains a forceful right wing presence. And there are looming issues, such as protections for religious freedom and freedom of speech, that are divisive. It is also hard to believe the internal climate debate won’t continue, as the government has to manage the energy transition.\n\nMorrison prides himself on his pragmatism. Sinodinos has pointed to a possible way of channelling that, suggesting the government should look to Robert Menzies’ course after his near-death experience in 1961, when he “pinched some opposition policies”. Sinodinos thinks Labor’s policies on cancer funding and pensioner dental care are worth considering.\n\nMorrison has proved himself excellent at campaigning. We will find out this term how well he can govern.", "Backed by quiet Australians and defying exit polls, the ruling led by staged a \"miraculous\" victory in the on Sunday, devastating the opposition Party, forcing its to resign.\n\nAround 16 million Australians swarmed to the polling booths across the country on Saturday to elect the nation's 31st prime minister, in what was widely referred to as the climate-change election.\n\nThe latest results showed that the has won 74 seats while labour secured 66. A party needs 76 seats for a simple majority in the 151-member It was not clear if 51-year-old Morrison will require the support of independent MPs to govern.\n\nBut an independent, Helen Haines, who won from the seat of Indi, said that she would be working with the Coalition in the scenario of a hung parliament. Haines said she was very determined to work with the government on addressing climate change.\n\nMorrison along his wife visited a church in Sydney's Sutherland Shire on Sunday in his electorate of Cook where he thanked his local voters.\n\n\"I have always believed in miracles... for me and for my government, for all of my team it's all about you...tonight is about every single Australian,\" a beaming Morrison told his supporters.\n\nAt his victory party in Sydney, the said, \"Tonight is about every single Australian who depends on their government to put them first. And that is exactly what we are going to do.\" \n\n\n\nIn his speech, Morrison also paid tribute to \"the quiet Australians\" who voted for his coalition.\n\n\"It has been those Australians who have worked hard every day, they have their dreams, they have their aspirations, to get a job, to get an apprenticeship, to start a business, to meet someone amazing,\" he said.\n\nMorrison had wooed voters by saying if re-elected, the Coalition would deliver a stable economy, more jobs and tax cuts. He also promised funds for women's career initiative and domestic violence and conservative plans to deal with climate change.\n\n\"Our government will get back to work just as got back to work in New South Wales, just a few months ago,\" he told his supporters.\n\nMeanwhile, US congratulated Morrison on his election victory.\n\nTrump congratulated Morrison on his Coalition's victory in Australia's federal election, said.\n\n\"The two leaders reaffirmed the critical importance of the long-standing alliance and friendship between the and Australia, and they pledged to continue their close cooperation on shared priorities,\" Deere said.\n\nCentre-left Party Bill Shorten, who campaigned heavily on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, conceded his defeat and said he would resign as the\n\n\"I called to congratulate him... wished him good fortune and good courage in the service of our great nation. The national interest required no less,\" Shorten said, addressing his supporters in\n\nA Nine-Galaxy poll released shortly before the voting stations closed in the east of the country showed a victory for the party and Liberal Party-led coalition losing its bid for a third three-year term.\n\nThe poll showed the Labor winning as many as 82 seats, beating the ruling Coalition.\n\nOn Friday, also endorsed Labor leader Shorten as the best chance to end a \"cycle of instability\" in Australian\n\nBefore elections, the Coalition held 73 seats, while Labor 72 in the\n\nAccording to media reports, the ruling Liberal supporters started celebrations at the party headquarters after it became clear that it may form the next government.\n\nThe Greens, and other Katter's party has all taken one seat each. The Coalition managed to make significant gains in and and limited its loss in New and\n\nFormer Tony Abbott, who once described climate change as \"crap\", lost his seat of Warringah in northern to independent Zali Steggall, a and Olympic medallist in skiing, after suffering a swing of over 13 per cent votes against him.\n\nAccording to last week's Newspoll survey, even though Labor took the swing in its favour, the leader approval rating favoured Morrison with 45 per cent saying he would make a better prime minister as compared to Shorten.\n\nAnger over the government's inaction on climate change is said to prove the real difference between the two parties. has experienced some of the worst effects of climate change in recent few years, from deadly bush fires to the destruction of natural wonders like the\n\nConcern about climate change is now at a 10-year high among Australians, with 64 per cent believing it should be a top priority for the government, according to an poll released in April.\n\nThe Labor party is promising to cut Australia's carbon emissions by 45 per cent on 2005 levels, compared to the government's minimum pledge of 26 per cent.\n\nhas compulsory voting and a complex system of ballots ranked by voter preference. The political, economic and cultural differences varies from state to state on the vast island-continent.", "news, national\n\nA disappointed Bill Shorten has conceded defeat in Saturday's federal election and announced he will stand down as Labor leader. \"I wish we could have formed a government for these Australians on this evening,\" he told supporters at the Labor function in Melbourne. \"I wish we could have won for the true believers, for our brothers and sisters in the mighty trade union movement. \"I wish we could have done it for Bob,\" he said, referring to former prime minister Bob Hawke who died last Thursday. Mr Shorten, with his wife by his side, said he would remain as the member for Maribyrnong but would not be a candidate in the next Labor leadership ballot. \"Labor's next victory will belong to our next leader and I'm confident that victory will come at the next election,\" he said. He said he had called Scott Morrison to congratulate him on a win for the coalition, conceding Labor did not have the seats to win. Labor had picked up only 65 so far of the 76 needed to form a majority government, while the coalition was sitting on 74. \"Without wanting to hold out any false hope, while there are still million of votes to count, it is obvious Labor will not be able to form the next government,\" he told Labor supporters. He wished Mr Morrison and his family well. \"Above all, I wished Scott Morrison good fortune and good courage in the service of our great nation,\" he said. \"The national interest required no less.\" He urged Labor supporters to continue the fight. \"We cannot change the past but my word we can change the future.\" Australian Associated Press\n\nhttps://nnimgt-a.akamaihd.net/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-feed-data/73609dc0-d4bf-481c-bd6c-c7624eb6ff02.jpg/r0_74_800_526_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg", "Australia has compulsory voting and a complex system of ballots ranked by voter preference. The political, economic and cultural differences varies from state to state on the vast island-continent\n\nMelbourne: Australia's ruling Conservative Coalition led by Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Sunday made a \"miraculous\" comeback in the general election, defying exit polls and devastating the opposition Labor Party, forcing its leader Bill Shorten to step down.\n\nAround 16 million Australians swarmed to the polling booths across the country on Saturday to elect the nation's 31st prime minister, in what was widely referred to as the climate-change election. The latest results showed that the Conservative Coalition has won 74 seats while labour secured 66.\n\nA party needs 76 seats for a simple majority in the 151-member House of Representatives. It was not clear if 51-year-old Morrison will require the support of independent MPs to govern. But an independent, Helen Haines, who won from the seat of Indi, said that she would be working with the Coalition in the scenario of a hung parliament. Haines said she was very determined to work with the government on addressing climate change.\n\nMorrison along his wife Jenny visited a church in Sydney's Sutherland Shire on Sunday in his electorate of Cook where he thanked his local voters. \"I have always believed in miracles... for me and for my government, for all of my team it's all about you...tonight is about every single Australian,\" a beaming Morrison told his supporters.\n\n\"You don't get to be a Prime Minister and serve in that capacity unless you first are a member for your local electorate. I want to thank everybody here in my local electorate and local team,\" said Morrison, who has only led the government since last August, when Liberal Party colleagues lost confidence in his predecessor Malcolm Turnbull. Morrison had wooed voters by saying if re-elected, the Coalition would deliver a stable economy, more jobs and tax cuts. He also promised funds for women's career initiative and domestic violence and conservative plans to deal with climate change. \"Our government will get back to work just as Gladys Berejiklian got back to work in New South Wales, just a few months ago,\" he told his supporters. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump congratulated Morrison on his election victory. President Trump congratulated Prime Minister Morrison on his Coalition's victory in Australia's federal election, White House deputy press secretary Judd Deere said.\n\n\"The two leaders reaffirmed the critical importance of the long-standing alliance and friendship between the United States and Australia, and they pledged to continue their close cooperation on shared priorities,\" Deere said. Center-left Labor Party leader Bill Shorten, who campaigned heavily on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, conceded his defeat and said he would resign as the party leader. \"I called Scott Morrison to congratulate him... wished him good fortune and good courage in the service of our great nation. The national interest required no less,\" Shorten said while addressing his supporters in Melbourne. A Nine-Galaxy poll released shortly before the voting stations closed in the east of the country showed a victory for the Labor party and Liberal Party-led coalition losing its bid for a third three-year term.\n\nThe poll showed the Labor winning as many as 82 seats, beating the ruling Coalition. On Friday, media reports also endorsed Labor leader Shorten as the best chance to end a \"cycle of instability\" in Australian politics. Before elections, the Coalition held 73 seats, while Labor 72 in the House of Representatives. According to media reports, the ruling Liberal supporters started celebrations at the party headquarters after it became clear that it may form the next government. The Greens, Centre Alliance and other Katter's Australia party has all taken one seat each. The Coalition managed to make significant gains in Queensland and Tasmania and limited its loss in New South Wales and Victoria. Former prime minister Tony Abbott, who once described climate change as \"crap\", lost his seat of Warringah in northern Sydney to independent Zali Steggall, a lawyer and Olympic medallist in Alpine skiing, after suffering a swing of over 13 per cent votes against him.\n\n\"This is really extraordinary results, it is a stupendous results, it is a great result for Scott Morrison and the rest of the Liberal team, and Scott Morrisson will quite rightly enter the Liberal Pantheon forever,\" Abbott said, conceding his defeat. According to last week's Newspoll survey, even though Labor took the swing in its favour, the leader approval rating favoured Morrison with 45 per cent saying he would make a better prime minister as compared to Shorten. Anger over the government's inaction on climate change is said to prove the real difference between the two parties. Australia has experienced some of the worst effects of climate change in recent few years, from deadly bush fires to the destruction of natural wonders like the Great Barrier Reef. Concern about climate change is now at a 10-year high among Australians, with 64 per cent believing it should be a top priority for the government, according to an Ipsos poll released in April. The Labor party is promising to cut Australia's carbon emissions by 45 per cent on 2005 levels, compared to the government's minimum pledge of 26 per cent. Australia has compulsory voting and a complex system of ballots ranked by voter preference. The political, economic and cultural differences varies from state to state on the vast island-continent.\n\nCatch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates", "Australian opposition leader Bill Shorten has conceded defeat to Prime Minister Scott Morrison in the country’s general election.\n\nMr Shorten made the announcement to supporters of his opposition Labour Party late on Saturday night in Melbourne.\n\nHe said: “It is obvious that Labour will not be able to form the next government and so, in the national interest, a short while ago, I called Scott Morrison to congratulate him.”\n\nPoll forecasts give 74 seats in the 151-seat lower parliamentary house to Mr Morrison’s conservative Liberal-National party coalition, with 65 seats to Labour and 12 undecided.\n\nThe Channel 9 network gave 73 seats to the coalition, 61 to Labour, with 17 undecided.\n\nA total of 76 seats are needed to form a majority government.", "CANBERRA - Bill Shorten conceded Labor’s defeat in the Australian federal election on Saturday evening. He also stepped down as leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP).\n\nBefore the announcement, chief election analyst of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) Antony Green had predicted that the Liberal-National Party Coalition (LNP), led by Prime Minister Scott Morrison, would win the election. “Without wanting to hold out any false hope, while there are still millions of votes to count and important seats yet to be finalized, it is obvious that Labor will not be able to form the next government,” said Shorten as ABC live report showed that about 68 percent of the votes were counted. “This has been a tough campaign. Toxic at times. But now that the contest is over, all of us have a responsibility to respect the result, respect the wishes of the Australian people and to bring our nation together,” he said.\n\n“I wish we could have formed a government for these Australians on this evening. I wish we could have won for the true believers, for our brothers and sisters in the mighty trade union movement. I wish we could have done it for Bob,” he added.\n\nBob Hawke, Shorten’s political hero and the longest-serving Labor PM in history, passed away only two days before Saturday’s election, aged 89.\n\nFor Shorten himself, however, the road was bumpy. Chosen to lead the ALP after the party lost the 2013 election in a landslide, he was defeated three years later when Malcolm Turnbull claimed victory.\n\n“I leave the stage tonight but I encourage all Australians, particularly young Australians, never lose faith in the power of individuals to make a difference. Never give up. Never give up aiming for better,” he said.\n\nSpeaking in Melbourne, where earlier in the day he said he was “quietly confident” of victory, Shorten said “Labor’s next victory will belong to our next leader and I’m confident that victory will come at the next election.”\n\nFor many, Saturday was considered the “unloseable election” for Labor and party leader Bill Shorten, who built his campaign on promising action on climate change and significant investment in healthcare, education and infrastructure.\n\nMorrison, who became Australia’s 30th PM in August 2018 when he was chosen to replace Malcolm Turnbull as leader of the LNP, campaigned on a message of stability, promising fiscal stability and tax cuts across the board.\n\nEvery opinion poll suggested that Labor was set for victory on the back of strong swings towards the party in electorates in Victoria and Queensland.\n\nHowever, the LNP was able to mitigate its losses in Victoria, considered the most progressive state in Australia, while also winning seats from Labor in Queensland.", "Deputy Labor leader Tanya Plibersek says that while she’s proud of her party’s policies, ‘some people’ may have found them ‘a little overwhelming’. Ms Plibersek says Labor has a big, bold plan for government that if people had more time to look at its policies, the party would have ‘won them over’. The Member for Sydney says she is proud of the campaign her party ran, with a disciplined and united team lead by Opposition leader Bill Shorten. Pundits, including Sky News host Graham Richardson, says Labor's policies on franking credits and negative gearing cost it the election. Image: News Corp Australia\n\nBill Shorten has stepped down as the leader of the Labor Party but that doesn’t mean his time in politics is over.\n\nThe Opposition leader who last night fell short of winning the Prime Ministership for the second election campaign in a row relinquished control of the party in conceding defeat.\n\nHe is now said to be backing his deputy leader Tanya Plibersek for the leadership, The Australian reported on Sunday night, citing senior Labor sources.\n\nLabor members also said Mr Shorten could stay on in politics and serve as a frontbencher in the new look Opposition team.\n\nMs Plibersek is from the left faction of the party and Mr Shorten’s endorsement would likely bring the backing of the Victorian Right with him.\n\nMs Plibersek, who holds the seat of Sydney, has not officially announced a tilt at the leadership but reportedly met with Jim Chalmers from the Queensland right about a potential ticket.\n\nAt this point it remains unclear whether Ms Plibersek will throw her hat in the ring.\n\n“I’m certainly considering it,” she told ABC show Insiders this morning.\n\n“My determination is to ensure we’re in the best place to win in three years’ time.”\n\nIt’s crucial for the Opposition to continue its focus on “discipline and unity”, she said.\n\n“I’ll talk to my colleagues today but of course I’m considering it.”\n\nAccording to ABC political reporter Patricia Karvelas, Ms Plibersek will have the numbers in Victoria.\n\nThis afternoon Anthony Albanese, the Opposition’s spokesman for infrastructure and also from the left of the party, announced his intention to run for the leadership.\n\nMr Albanese became the first to officially announce his run at a pub in Balmain, in Sydney’s inner west.\n\nMr Albanese was full of praise for Mr Shorten, who will remain in an interim role until his successor is chosen.\n\n“He has fought a tough campaign, he has led our great party for six years. He has been an inclusive leader and is someone who has campaigned on a policy agenda in the interests of working people, and is someone who has my respect,” Mr Albanese said.\n\nMr Albanese was the rank-and-file choice over Mr Shorten in 2013 after Kevin Rudd’s defeat however a rule change determining how the Labor leader is picked — 50 per cent from Caucus and 50 per cent from the membership — saw Mr Shorten ultimately chosen.\n\nThe NSW right of the party will have to decide who to back as their new federal leader.\n\nMs Plibersek holds one of the safest Labor seats in the country. The shadow spokeswoman for education is a popular candidate among the electorate and has been shown to have broad appeal.\n\nShadow treasury spokesman Chris Bowen is also expected run for the leadership.\n\nHe was part of Mr Shorten’s inner-circle but will be hampered by the fact that he was the main architect of Labor’s big picture tax reform agenda which was rejected at the ballot box yesterday.\n\nMr Bowen said he would consult with his family before making any decision about his leadership ambitions.", "The Bill Shorten era is over.\n\nLabor will now pick a new leader to take on the returned coalition government.\n\nAfter losing two elections in a row, Mr Shorten revealed he is stepping down as the party's leader.\n\nSenior frontbencher Anthony Albanese will run for the leadership but other potential contenders include deputy leader Tanya Plibersek and shadow treasurer Chris Bowen.\n\n\"While I intend to continue to serve as the member for Maribyrnong, I will not be a candidate in the next Labor leadership ballot,\" Mr Shorten told the Labor crowd in Melbourne on Saturday night.\n\nMr Albanese ran against Mr Shorten for the leadership in 2013 after Tony Abbott defeated Kevin Rudd. He won the grassroots vote at the time but did not succeed in getting enough caucus support.\n\nOn Saturday night, the NSW MP said the whole Labor team had worked hard.\n\n\"As part of that team I must accept, as we must collectively, responsibility for the fact that the many people who rely upon us will be disappointed that the outcome tonight is uncertain,\" Mr Albanese said.\n\n\"But what I am absolutely convinced about, and have been convinced about since I joined our great party when I was still at school, is that this movement is much bigger than any individual.\"\n\nMr Bowen, who is from Labor's NSW Right faction, said he would talk to his family before deciding whether to run for the leadership.\n\nA Nine poll taken on Saturday found 50.4 per cent support for Mr Albanese, with 39.2 per cent backing Ms Plibersek and 10.4 per cent in favour of Mr Bowen.\n\nVictorian Labor MP Richard Marles would not say if he would put his hand up for the top job.\n\nThe shock election result defied every poll in the lead-up to the election, with Mr Shorten expressing confidence on Friday that he could form a majority government.\n\nInstead Labor lost seats in Tasmania, NSW and Queensland, nullifying the gains the party made in Victoria.\n\n\"Labor's next victory will belong to our next leader and I'm confident that victory will come at the next election,\" Mr Shorten said after conceding defeat.", "What happened? Labor supporters gathered at the Hyatt Place hotel at Essendon Fields for a celebration, a victory party. They were nervous, but quietly confident. As the night wore on, it turned into a wake, heads in hands, confused faces.\n\nAt 6.30pm, Andrew Philippou, 62, was clutching a spreadsheet of the lower house seats. He’d worked it out, ticked off Labor wins, and predicted the ALP would win at least 80, a comfortable victory. “Easy,” he said. He wasn’t over-confident, but he was smiling. “Let’s see how we go.”\n\nBy 9pm, Philippou was still clutching his piece of paper. “I am gutted.”\n\n“Greed wins over hope. People didn’t want to lose their franking credits, people didn’t want to lose negative gearing. People didn’t want to share their wealth with anyone else.”\n\nIt was too early for sober analysis, but Bill Shorten, when he finally appeared on stage at 11.35pm, tried to make sense of it. He looked weary, disappointed, but he spoke with grace, his voice often inflecting downwards, almost like a sermon.\n\n“I know that you are all hurting, and I am too,” he said, holding the lectern with both hands, his wife Chloe by his side. Labor could not win majority government – “Shame! Shame!” roared the crowd – and so in the national interest he had conceded to Scott Morrison. He would not be standing to be leader of the Labor party again.\n\n“This has been a tough campaign, toxic at times. But now that the contest is over, all of us have a responsibility to respect the result, respect the wishes of the Australian people and to bring our nation together.”\n\nHe wished Labor had won for Australians who counted on a reforming government. He wished it had won for the trade union movement.\n\n“I wish we could have done it for Bob [Hawke], but it was not to be. Labor’s next victory will belong to our next leader and I am confident that victory will come at the next election.”\n\nFor the hundreds here, this was a bewildering night. Supporters believed Labor would win after six years in opposition. Opinion polls and most political observers consistently predicted a Labor victory, either narrow or comprehensive.\n\nThe “pathway” to victory for the Coalition was supposed to be too narrow. The progressive state of Victoria would be crucial, overcoming possible losses in Queensland. This was the climate change election, wasn’t it? This was about generational change. This was the election which would usher in a new active purpose for government.\n\nNone of that happened, and understanding why will take weeks to work out. For the Labor faithful, the first emotions were raw. “What happened?” said Tiani Rutledge-Wilkes, an interior designer, who said she had no idea what had gone wrong. She thought the ALP would win, and had her nails painted “Labor red” for the occasion. “What have we misread?”\n\n“It’s just not the polls [that got it wrong], but all the experts.”\n\nTim Wilkes, who works in banking, chimed in. In Victoria, “they had their protest vote with the Victorian election, and we have moved on. The instability issue hasn’t come through.”\n\nThis was a crushing loss. Labor believed it had proved itself worthy after the instability of the Rudd-Gillard years. They were united. They had done the policy work, and had been honest with the Australian people about their redistributive agenda. They knew it was risky for an opposition to outline such an ambitious program, but it was bold and the times would suit Labor. The government was hopeless and riven by ideological division, they thought. The people in the room felt good about their party and somehow betrayed by the result.\n\nThere were moments of joy, a big cheer when the ABC announced that Tony Abbott had lost Warringah to the independent Zali Steggall. “You’re gone!” they shouted. They enjoyed booing Peter Dutton, who held his seat of Dickson in Queensland. But the carthartic moments were rare. There was a small swing in Victoria, about 1.7%, but not enough to win the seats expected. By 11pm, Labor had picked up just a single seat, Gilmore in NSW. It won Corangamite and Dunkley in Victoria, but redistributions had already made them notionally Labor.\n\nLabor’s primary vote in Queensland was around 26%. Devastating.\n\nAt 9.02pm, the ABC’s Antony Green was saying on the big screen that it was “very hard for Labor to possibly win government from here”. It would be a Coalition victory or perhaps a minority Coalition government. The people in the room weren’t quite ready to give up, still hoping that perhaps Labor could form a minority government.\n\nNo one wanted to criticise Shorten too harshly, not now. One state MP mused that this was like 1993, when John Hewson lost the “unloseable” election for the Coalition. Others said the country was now hopelessly divided, and wondered whether issues such as climate change had the power they believed it had.\n\nPhilippou said this election was “a win for the Murdoch media, they will be sipping champagne”. But there was little bitterness. He was willing to say that Shorten reminded him of former Victorian leader John Brumby, a competent minister with policy strength, but who did not win an election.\n\nShorten’s personal unpopularity has dogged the leader for his six years in the job. “He didn’t have the x-factor, and Shorten lacks the x-factor. He doesn’t have that warmth. Morrison has the salesman approach, he knows how to work a room.\n\n“The issue now is, who have we got?”\n\nThat will be for another day. As for Shorten, never a great orator, he left the stage without rancour. At the 2016 election, Labor’s election party was joyous, even though they didn’t win. Shorten performed much better than expected, and the party could taste victory next time. In 2019, Shorten was expected to win, and did not. Politics is harsh, and Shorten said he could look himself in the eye and know he did all he could.\n\n“I am not disappointed for me,” he said. “I’m proud we argued for what was right, not what was easy.”", "Bill Shorten is entering election day bullish about claiming a historic election victory for the Labor Party.\n\nThe opposition leader is expected to launch a blitz of seats in the key battleground of Victoria as the clock ticks down on polls closing on Saturday evening.\n\nThe final Newspoll of the campaign has Labor ahead of the coalition 51.5 to 48.5 on a two-party preferred basis.\n\n\"I'm confident Labor will win tomorrow because we've got a positive plan for real change, to stop the chaos,\" Bill Shorten told reporters in Sydney on Thursday.\n\nHe also criticised Scott Morrison for raising the prospect of a minority coalition government.\n\n\"A prime minister who says vote for him and he'll give you a minority government and three more years of chaos - that's not what Australia needs at this time in our history.\"\n\nLabor is on track to record a narrow victory, making Mr Shorten the fourth party leader to win government from opposition since World War II.\n\nMr Shorten spent Friday paying tribute to Labor legend Bob Hawke, who died on Thursday, aged 89.\n\nHe shared a beer with Labor Premier Daniel Andrews and one of his predecessors Steve Bracks.\n\nThe final day of campaigning was tinged with sadness, with electioneering pared back as a mark of respect for Mr Hawke.\n\nMr Shorten said Mr Hawke was an inspiration before he became a friend.\n\n\"It's sad to me that I can't show him that we can win and form a government because I'd feel I'd be fulfilling a contract that I mentally made with him all those years ago,\" he said.\n\nLabor is hopeful of making inroads in Melbourne after thrashing the Liberals at last year's state election.\n\nWith the election on a knife's edge, the size of the swing in Victoria could be crucial in deciding who will be prime minister after Saturday."], "summary": "Despite opinion polls predicting a Labor victory, the Labor Party loses several seats, with support in the key state of Queensland far lower than expected. Opposition Leader Bill Shorten concedes defeat and steps down as party leader."}
{"document": ["Federal election: See how the Coalition defied the polls to retain power\n\nLabor went into the 2019 federal election favourites off the back of almost three years of opinion polls, but within hours it became clear that the polls had failed to capture the mood of the electorate.\n\nThe ALP was expecting to pick up seats off a low base in Queensland, but that was not to be the case.\n\nThe most high-profile scalp Labor was hoping to claim was that of Liberal leadership contender Peter Dutton, who sat on a slim margin in Dickson.\n\nDespite a large Labor war chest and a scathing attack on Mr Dutton from former PM Paul Keating — who urged voters to \"drive a political stake through his dark political heart\" — the Liberal member held on.\n\nMr Dutton quoted Mr Keating in his acceptance speech: \"This was the sweetest victory of all.\"\n\nThe result was emblematic of what occurred across the rest of the state.\n\nLabor had hopes of taking seats like Petrie from the LNP …\n\n… But instead the party found itself fighting for strongholds like Wayne Swan's former seat of Lilley.\n\nIn Queensland, the rise of United Australia Party and One Nation saw a collapse in Labor's primary vote and added up to two extra seats for the LNP in the Sunshine State: Longman and Herbert.\n\nLabor's east coast hopes rested with Victoria, where it might have been expected to do well — given the popularity of the state Labor Government.\n\nAnd it was further helped by two redistributions, which turned two marginal Liberal seats notionally Labor.\n\nThe party was able to hold both Corangamite and Dunkley, but elsewhere in Victoria, it was a different story.\n\nWhile Treasurer Josh Frydenberg faced a tough battle for his west-Melbourne seat of Kooyong, he prevailed.\n\nLabor had been hoping to claim Higgins, in Melbourne's inner south-east, given the retirement of Liberal MP Kelly O'Dwyer.\n\nBut while there was a swing in Labor's favour, it was not enough to stop Katie Allen from retaining the seat for the Government.\n\nThe ALP also had hopes for Chisholm, but late on Saturday night it had swung back to \"in doubt\".\n\nSo for Labor, Victoria was not the bloodbath of the north, but it still wasn't pretty.\n\nOf the five Tasmanian seats, Labor held four going into this election.\n\nBut the Liberal Party knew it could gain ground there.\n\nClearly in their sights was Braddon.\n\nIn the end, it was a boost for minor party candidates — particularly One Nation — and a significant plunge in Labor primary votes that handed the seat to Justine Keay's Liberal challenger Gavin Pearce.\n\nLabor was able to retain the central seat of Lyons — likely benefitting from the disendorsement of the Liberal candidate — and Franklin, which takes in part of Hobart.\n\nBut the national shift was evident in the fight over Bass.\n\nThe Labor MP Ross Hart could not hold onto his seat, making the Apple Isle now equally blue and red, with one independent.\n\nIn NSW, off the back of a strong Coalition state election win, each side of politics took a seat off the other.\n\nThey paid for that in Gilmore, where the Prime Minister had gone over the heads of local officials to install Warren Mundine — an ex-Labor Party national president — as the party's candidate.\n\nLabor's Fiona Phillips was able to take advantage of the discontent to win the seat.\n\nBut in seats like Lindsay, on Sydney's western edge, the results were better for the Liberals.\n\nWith sitting Labor MP Emma Husar not recontesting following a staffing scandal, the Coalition saw an opportunity — and took it.\n\nThe biggest news out of New South Wales on the night — and a result against the grain of the election — was former PM Tony Abbott's loss in Warringah, a seat he held since 1994. Mr Abbott was pushed out by independent Zali Steggall, who campaigned heavily on a platform of climate change action.\n\nAnd he was one of the first to acknowledge his party was on the march: \"The good news is that there's every chance the Liberal National Coalition has won this election,\" he told the crowd in his concession speech.\n\nAs the results unfolded, Labor stalwarts turned their eyes to the west in the hope that it would buck the trend and deliver salvation, but it wasn't to be — essentially returning a status quo.\n\nThe Government's Minister for Aged Care and Indigenous Health, Ken Wyatt, came into this election holding Hasluck for the Liberals by a margin of 2.1 per cent.\n\nHe managed to boost that majority on Saturday.\n\nThe same goes for Pearce, Attorney-General Christian Porter's seat.\n\nMr Porter is considered a rising star in the Coalition ministry.\n\nThe two-party-preferred gap has gotten progressively smaller in Pearce over the past few years, leaving him with a margin of just 3.6 per cent coming into election day.\n\nOn Saturday, he managed to increase that, soundly beating first-time Labor candidate Kim Travers.\n\nSwan, taking in both affluent and working-class areas of eastern Perth, was solidly Labor territory for years when it was held by former party leader Kim Beazley.\n\nMore recently it has gone blue, with Steve Irons holding the seat by a margin of 3.6 per cent going into the 2019 election.\n\nHis chief challenger this time around was someone with a bit of family history in the race: Mr Beazley's daughter, Hannah Beazley.\n\nBut the name recognition for Ms Beazley was not enough to overcome the statewide — and nationwide — mood.\n\nAnd so at the end of the night the Coalition stood on the cusp of electoral victory. With 74 seats it is still short of a majority, and so it may have to turn to independents like Helen Haines and Zali Steggall to secure a working majority in Parliament.\n\nIf it does get over the line and gain a majority in its own right, the Coalition finds itself in much the same position it did after 2016 — with all the risks to unity that a slender majority carries.", "Prime Minister Scott Morrison has slapped down Tony Abbott for his \"partisan\" tribute to their late Labor predecessor Bob Hawke following the 89-year-old's death on Thursday.\n\nMr Abbott shocked the community with a statement that attempted to score political points just hours after Mr Hawke's death, describing the Labor legend as having \"a Labor heart but a Liberal head\", and bemoaning modern Labor's drift from his legacy.\n\nMr Morrison said those were not the words he used in his own statement and that he hoped Liberals paying tribute to Mr Hawke \"would not be seen to be partisan\".\n\nHe praised Mr Hawke as a \"unifier\" and \"a man of enormous intellectual capacity\", as well as Labor's greatest prime minister.", "Independent knocks former PM out of parliament with pro-climate action campaign\n\nThis article is more than 3 months old\n\nThis article is more than 3 months old\n\nOne of the Liberals’ leading conservatives and Australia’s 28th prime minister, Tony Abbott, has lost his blue-ribbon Sydney seat of Warringah after moderate Liberal voters abandoned him in protest at the role he played in opposing climate change action.\n\nAbbott lost to the independent candidate and Olympian Zali Steggall, with thecount showing she was likely to win almost 60% of the vote on a two-party-preferred basis.\n\nBut Abbott’s loss appeared to be the only black spot on a night when it appeared the Coalition would hold on to government.\n\n“I want to say to you: there is good news and bad news. There is every chance that the Liberal-National Coalition has won the election,” Abbott said in his concession speech, to chants of “Tony, Tony!”\n\n“This – this is a really extraordinary result. It is a stupendous result. It is a great result for Scott Morrison and the rest of the wider Liberal team, and Scott Morrison will now, quite rightly, enter the Liberal pantheon forever,” he said.\n\n“So its disappointing for us in Warringah. I can’t say it doesn’t hurt to lose. But I would rather be a loser than a quitter,” he said to wild applause.\n\nFacts go out of the window in the battle for Warringah | The Weekly Beast Read more\n\nHe said the Liberals had become the party who believed that “the most important thing is to raise people up.”\n\n“I think we can see that there is something of a realignment of politics going on right around this country. It’s clear that in what might be described as ‘working seats’, we are doing so much better.\n\n“It’s also clear that in at least some of what might be described as ‘wealthy seats’, we are doing it tough, and the green-left is doing better,” he said.\n\nAbbott said he had feared the worst after the result in the Wentworth byelection last year.\n\nBacked by a number of local community groups, Steggall was drafted as a candidate to advocate for more action on the climate crisis. She had run on a platform that was almost entirely focused on taking meaningful action to counter it, including adopting much tougher targets than the Coalition has embraced – a message that resonated with the middle-class voters of Warringah. Her support was especially strong in Mosman and Manly.\n\nThe loss of one the most outspoken members of the conservative wing would normally send deep shockwaves through the Liberal party, but given the other results on Saturday night it seems less certain that Abbott’s defeat will prompt internal debate about the party’s positioning on the climate crisis.\n\nPlay Video 0:31 'The sweetest victory of all’: Peter Dutton quotes Paul Keating after winning in Dickson – video\n\nThe survival of Peter Dutton in the seat of Dickson will also boost the conservative wing of the party.\n\nAbbott said the result showed that where climate change was a “moral issue, we do it tough. But where it’s an economic issue, we do very, very well.”\n\nSteggall’s campaign was supported by a number of grassroots groups which had formed out of disillusion with the Liberal party’s policy on the climate emergency.\n\nIn her acceptance speech she paid tribute to Abbott as “a dedicated and long-serving local member”.\n\n“Nobody can doubt his community spirit, his work ethic, and his contribution to this community. And I wish him well.”\n\nBut she said Warringah had “voted for the future”.\n\n“This is a win for moderates with a heart,” she said. “I will be a climate leader for you. And I will keep the new government to account, and make sure we take action on climate change.\n\nThe Warringah result is certain to be analysed in terms of what a grassroots campaign can do against a seemingly invulnerable politician.\n\n'And this is Mosman!': genteel Warringah rocked by election rancour Read more\n\nSeveral high-profile former Liberal members from Mosman were behind the push to find a candidate to run against Abbott and the vote shows they were successful in their strategy to get family and friends to persuade other Liberal-leaning voters to lodge a protest vote.\n\nThere is also likely to be a heated discussion, particularly from the News Corp publications, about the role of left-leaning and progressive organisations in the political process, with conservatives warning that progressive groups represent a threat to democracy because of their deep pockets.\n\nThe seat was a hot spot for activism by GetUp, which door-knocked more than 20,000 households in the north shore and northern beaches seat, and Stop Adani, which was also active.\n\nAbbott had held Warringah for 25 years, having won it 1994 in a byelection.\n\nThe former journalist and political adviser to John Howard became a public figure as the director of Australians for a Constitional Monarchy in 1992, a position he held until he ran for the seat.\n\nAs an MP Abbott rose quickly in the Howard government and was appointed minister for employment services in 1998 after Howard won a second term.\n\nHe later became minister for health, where he sought to prosecute a conservative agenda, including seeking to ban the abortion drug RU486, a move Howard ultimately did not embrace.\n\n'Pea for a heart': Tony Abbott refuses to back down on partisan tribute to Bob Hawke Read more\n\nAfter Howard lost in 2007, Abbott served in the shadow cabinets of Brendan Nelson and Malcolm Turnbull but he resigned from the frontbench in November 2009 in protest against Turnbull’s support for the Rudd government’s proposed emissions trading scheme.\n\nThat set the stage for a decade-long battle within the Liberal party over climate . Abbott once branded the science of climate change “crap” and led the opposition internally to wipe out subsidies for renewables and any policy that attempted to put a price on carbon.\n\nAfter forcing a leadership ballot on the subject in 2009, Abbott defeated Turnbull by 42 votes to 41, to become the party’s leader and leader of the opposition.\n\nHe led the Coalition at the 2010 election, which resulted in a hung parliament but Labor, led by Julia Gillard, formed government, with the support of one Greens MP and three independents.\n\nRegarded as fearsome campaigner, Abbott was re-elected as Liberal leader unopposed. He went on to lead the Coalition to victory in the 2013 election.\n\nBut just two years later, on 14 September 2015, Abbott was defeated as Liberal party leader 54 votes to 44 by Malcolm Turnbull, who replaced him as prime minister the following day.\n\nAbbott was widely seen as a driving force behind the destabilisation of Turnbull’s leadership and the thwarting of the national energy guarantee, Turnbull’s policy to tackle global heating.\n\nIn 2018 Turnbull was in turn challenged and replaced by Scott Morrison.\n\nAbbott appeared to leave open the door for a possible comeback, saying his public life was not over.", "Prime Minister Scott Morrison has slapped down Tony Abbott for his \"partisan\" tribute to their late Labor predecessor Bob Hawke following the 89-year-old's death on Thursday.\n\nMr Abbott shocked the community with a statement that attempted to score political points just hours after Mr Hawke's death, describing the Labor legend as having \"a Labor heart but a Liberal head\", and bemoaning modern Labor's drift from his legacy.\n\nMr Morrison said those were not the words he used in his own statement and that he hoped Liberals paying tribute to Mr Hawke \"would not be seen to be partisan\".\n\nHe praised Mr Hawke as a \"unifier\" and \"a man of enormous intellectual capacity\", as well as Labor's greatest prime minister.", "Prime Minister Scott Morrison has slapped down Tony Abbott for his \"partisan\" tribute to their late Labor predecessor Bob Hawke following the 89-year-old's death on Thursday.\n\nMr Abbott shocked the community with a statement that attempted to score political points just hours after Mr Hawke's death, describing the Labor legend as having \"a Labor heart but a Liberal head\", and bemoaning modern Labor's drift from his legacy.\n\nMr Morrison said those were not the words he used in his own statement and that he hoped Liberals paying tribute to Mr Hawke \"would not be seen to be partisan\".\n\nHe praised Mr Hawke as a \"unifier\" and \"a man of enormous intellectual capacity\", as well as Labor's greatest prime minister.", "Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott is set to lose the seat he has held for 25 years as counting begins in the 2019 Federal Election.\n\nThe Liberal MP was up against former Olympian and Independent candidate Zali Steggall, and admitted he was nervous as he cast his vote at Forestville Public School on Saturday morning.\n\nEarly results show Ms Steggall has 46 per cent of the primary vote, with five per cent counted so far.\n\nThe numbers are expected to continue flowing her way, as the majority of preferences in that seat are directed towards her.\n\nThe seat of Warringah has been held by the Liberal Party since 1951, and by Mr Abbott since 1994.\n\nMr Abbott suffered a nine per cent primary vote swing against him at the 2016 election and now holds the seat with an 11 per cent margin.\n\nBut some bookies have ranked independent Zali Steggall the favourite.\n\nWhen asked how he was feeling by a voter as he headed to the booth, Mr Abbott said he was 'not too cocky'.\n\nHe told reporters he has always been a nervous candidate, but went on to say his churning stomach was a burden everyone standing for government faced.\n\n'Sure, I've got a few butterflies doing loop-the-loops in my tummy today as well,' he said.\n\n'But that's the lot of all candidates because the one thing you can never take for granted is the vote of the Australian people.'", "Australians have mocked former Prime Minister Tony Abbott for the political gaffe he never recovered from, after he lost his seat of 25 years.\n\nHundreds took to Twitter to encourage others to 'put your onions out', a reminder of the moment Mr Abbott took a bite out of a raw onion as he campaigned in late 2015.\n\nMr Abbott was touring Woolworths supplier, Charlton Farm Produce near Devonport in Tasmania, when he took the historic bite, shocking voters nationwide.\n\nHe finally explained himself to Andrew Bolt on Sky News earlier this year, claiming he chowed down because the farmer was 'extremely proud of the produce'.\n\n'All of us eat raw onion occasionally... salads are full of raw onion,' the former prime minister said.\n\nHe explained the onion had no outer skin and was effectively peeled when he took a bite.\n\n'I thought the least I could do for someone who is proud of his product as this particular farmer was... was take a chomp, and it was beautiful,' Mr Abbott said.\n\nTwitter users shared photographs of onions laid out at their front doors in tribute, though none of them appeared to be too upset by the result.\n\nAbbott was one of the first casualties of the 2019 election, losing his blue-ribbon Liberal seat to Independent Zali Steggall.\n\nEarly polling saw Ms Steggall soar ahead of her opponent, who admitted he was nervous as he cast his vote at Forestville Public School on Saturday morning.\n\nWith just 11 per cent counted, Ms Steggall had a swing of more than 45 per cent towards her.\n\nThe numbers are expected to continue flowing her way, as the majority of preferences in that seat are directed towards her.\n\nThe seat of Warringah has been held by the Liberal Party since 1951, and by Mr Abbott since 1994.\n\nMr Abbott suffered a nine per cent primary vote swing against him at the 2016 election and now holds the seat with an 11 per cent margin, and ABC's Annabel Crabb says Abbott's disconnect with voters was the reason behind his demise.\n\nObviously he had an incredibly intense campaign run by a very credible Independent candidate,' she said.\n\n'There was the assistance, or negative assistance in Mr Abbott's case, of the group GetUp, which knocked on 25,000 doors and made 150,000 phone calls.\n\nThey did some exit polling today which found that climate change was the number one issue for Warringah voters and the number one issue for lost Liberals who said they'd voted against Tony Abbott.'\n\nWhen asked how he was feeling by a voter as he headed to the booth on Saturday morning, Mr Abbott said he was 'not too cocky'.\n\nHe told reporters he has always been a nervous candidate, but went on to say his churning stomach was a burden everyone standing for government faced.\n\n'Sure, I've got a few butterflies doing loop-the-loops in my tummy today as well,' he said.\n\n'But that's the lot of all candidates because the one thing you can never take for granted is the vote of the Australian people.'", "Even after losing his seat, Tony Abbott refused to acknowledge that he's out of touch with Australia.\n\nAnd he is, in part, right. The former prime minister has been driven out of the seat he's held for 25 years and one of the big factors is the renewed sense of urgency over climate change.\n\nAbbott agreed that his long sneer at climate change told heavily against him, while the victorious independent Zali Steggall declared to her electorate: \"I will be a climate leader for you\".\n\nHe conceded that he was out of step with the people of Warringah.", "Former prime minister Tony Abbott has lost his northern beaches seat of Warringah to independent Zali Steggall.\n\nThe ex-Liberal leader had held Warringah for 24 years but early counting suggests the Liberals could lose the seat with his former chief of staff confirming alarm bells were ringing.\n\nWith almost 20 per cent of the vote counted at 7.30pm, Mr Abbott had just 37 per cent of the primary vote, compared with Ms Steggall who had 45 per cent of first preference votes.\n• LIVE BLOG: All the news as it happens\n\n“I would have thought it would be a little bit tighter than this - it looks like it’s real trouble,” Peta Credlin told Sky News on Saturday night.\n\nLiberal senator Michaelia Cash told Seven News: “The primary vote is clearly an issue.”\n\nABC election analyst said Zali Steggall had 45 per cent of the primary vote compared to Mr Abbott’s 37 per cent.\n\n“Tony Abbott is not going to win if those are the first preferences,” he said.\n\nMedia were locked out of the former prime minister’s election night function and told they’d only be briefly allowed in to record his speech.\n\n“Life goes on,” one Liberal supporter said.\n\nAbbott supporters were subdued as they trickled in to to the Manly Leagues Club’s Encores Room.\n\nBy way of contrast, Ms Steggall arrived to a rockstar reception at the Novotel hotel in Manly.\n\nMs Steggall described the night as “a referendum for Warringah”.\n\n“We’ve worked very hard for the past four months to make this happen - I think it’s democracy,” she told reporters.\n\n“Politics in Australia has not been at its best for the past 10 years and it’s time we changed that. I really take that on board and I take great responsibility for that.”\n\n7NEWS veteran Chris Reason said things were looking “dramatically bad” for the former PM.\n\n“He will be in a state of nervousness, perhaps even panic, by now, watching the numbers as they roll in,” he said.\n\n“Exit polling as well from Fairfax has shown particular results that he is in deep trouble here in Warringah, a seat he has held since that by-election in ’94.\n\n“He has won nine elections here over the last 25 years. He was praying tonight would be number 10 but it is not looking that way.”", "Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott has faced off against newcomer Zali Steggall in Warringah debate.\n\nA man was stabbed in the stomach while he was putting up Tony Abbott posters last night.\n\nThe 32-year-old was not badly injured during the attack and was treated by paramedics at the scene at Balgowlah Heights Public School, on Sydney’s northern beaches, about 8.30pm.\n\nThe man was with others putting up campaign material for Mr Abbott, who is facing a major challenge from independent Zali Steggall for the seat he has held for 25 years in today’s election.\n\nWhile plastering posters they were yelled at by another man who was walking by, The Daily Telegraph reported.\n\nThe two men got into an argument before the 32-year-old was stabbed with what is thought to be a screwdriver.\n\nThe alleged offender then ran off and is being hunted by police from Northern Beaches Police Area Command.\n\nMr Abbott holds Warringah with an 11 per cent margin and many would have thought this was unassailable — that was until independent Kerryn Phelps secured a shock win in the blue-ribbon seat of Wentworth, which retiring Liberal MP Malcolm Turnbull had held with a 17 per cent margin.\n\nNow Mr Abbott is in what he has described as the “fight of my life” to hang on to his seat and political career.\n\nInternal Liberal Party polling done in the electorate ahead of the election being called was reportedly “diabolically bad” for Mr Abbott."], "summary": "Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott loses his seat to independent candidate and former Olympian Zali Steggall."}
{"document": ["Rep. Justin Amash, R-Mich., broke with his Republican colleagues Saturday when he claimed that Special Counsel Robert Mueller's report on Russian election meddling showed President Trump engaging in \"impeachable conduct.\"\n\nAttorney General William Barr, Amash argued, \"deliberately misrepresented\" that report in not emphasizing clear evidence of obstruction on Trump's part.\n\nJAMES COMEY BLASTS AG BARR, ACCUSES HIM OF 'SLIMING HIS OWN DEPARTMENT'\n\n\"In comparing Barr’s principal conclusions, congressional testimony, and other statements to Mueller’s report,\" Amash said, \"it is clear that Barr intended to mislead the public about Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s analysis and findings.\"\n\nBarr has, for weeks, faced criticism for allegedly shielding Trump through congressional testimony and his summary of the Mueller report. Although the report did not conclude that Trump committed obstruction or conspired with the Russians, its findings have fueled Democratic investigations and led some to call for impeachment.\n\nImpeachment, Amash indicated, was appropriate even in the absence of probable cause or a formal indictment.\n\nAG BARR DETAILS HIS HUNT FOR THE TRUTH ON WHAT REALLY WENT ON WITH THE RUSSIA PROBE: LISTEN TO THE FULL INTERVIEW\n\n\"Impeachment, which is a special form of indictment, does not even require probable cause that a crime (e.g., obstruction of justice) has been committed; it simply requires a finding that an official has engaged in careless, abusive, corrupt, or otherwise dishonorable conduct,\" he said.\n\nIn another tweet, he referenced the constitutional language surrounding impeachment -- \"high crimes and misdemeanors\" -- as implying that the president only needs to violate public trust for Congress to consider his removal.\n\nRepublican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel responded to Amash on Saturday, accusing him of parroting Democratic talking points.\n\n“It’s sad to see Congressman Amash parroting the Democrats’ talking points on Russia. The only people still fixated on the Russia collusion hoax are political foes of President Trump hoping to defeat him in 2020 by any desperate means possible,\" she said in a statement provided to Fox News.\n\n\"Voters in Amash’s district strongly support this President, and would rather their Congressman work to support the President's policies that have brought jobs, increased wages and made life better for Americans.\"\n\nAmash concluded his Twitter thread by lamenting both parties' apparent hypocrisy and inaction in responding to the Mueller investigation.\n\n\"Few members of Congress even read Mueller’s report; their minds were made up based on partisan affiliation — and it showed, with representatives and senators from both parties issuing definitive statements on the 448-page report’s conclusions within just hours of its release,\" he said.\n\nTRUMP-RUSSIA PROBE OFFICIALS CAUGHT 'ABUSING' POWER MUST BE 'HELD ACCOUNTABLE': GOP LAWMAKER\n\nSome Democrats have expressed hesitation -- or outright rejected -- toward impeachment but others -- like Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. -- have boldly advanced that as an option.\n\nWhile many have dismissed those calls as an overreaction, Amash indicated that Congress wasn't pursuing impeachment as much as it should.\n\n\"While impeachment should be undertaken only in extraordinary circumstances, the risk we face in an environment of extreme partisanship is not that Congress will employ it as a remedy too often but rather that Congress will employ it so rarely that it cannot deter misconduct,\" he tweeted.\n\nAmash appeared to be the only elected Republican seriously pushing impeachment. He's publicly criticized the president and indicated he was open to challenging Trump on a third-party ticket in 2020.\n\nCLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP\n\nRepublicans and the administration have responded to Mueller's report by questioning the origins of what they suggested was an illegitimate investigation.\n\nDuring an interview with Fox News, Barr vowed to uncover exactly what happened when the Justice Department investigated Russian influence and the Trump campaign.", "On Wednesday, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey signed an anti-abortion bill into law. The law criminalizes abortions performed at any stage of pregnancy; the doctor performing the abortion could be prosecuted as a felon and sentenced to 99 years, or less, in prison. Georgia passed a similar anti-abortion law last week. Missouri has a similar anti-abortion bill nearing passage in the state’s legislature.\n\nAbortion-rights activists will, of course, challenge these statewide abortion bans in the courts; Georgia and Alabama are effectively daring the opponents of their respective laws to sue. The cases will almost certainly ascend to the highest court in the land, so hotly defined by its 5-4 conservative majority. Justice Stephen Breyer has, in a recent dissent, speculated about the court overturning Roe v. Wade on the majority’s whim.\n\nPresident Donald Trump forged the majority. He has rewarded anti-abortion activists like he’s rewarded no other grassroots faction. The conservative Christians who dominate anti-abortion activism have found their man in the playboy president. The Republican Party finds its main success in Trump’s efforts to transform the courts, through his judicial appointments, into a vanguard for political conservatism.\n\nTrump’s appointments may culminate with a climactic relitigation of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that articulated a woman’s right to abortion. Roe v. Wade, decided in 1973, has roiled activists for nearly half a century as legalized abortion has become one of the most vivid (if overstated) distinctions between left and right politics. The right’s anti-abortion activists invest greater faith than anyone in Trump’s presidency. After Trump won the Republican nomination, Fox News host Chris Wallace asked Trump whether he hoped to see the Supreme Court overturn Roe. “If we put another two or perhaps three justices on,” Trump responded, “that will happen automatically, in my opinion, because I am putting pro-life justices on the court.” In January, Mike Pence introduced Trump at the annual March for Life rally in Washington, D.C., as “the most pro-life president in American history.”\n\nOf course, Trump strains credibility as an evangelical crusader. He hardly resembles the Bush family in his convictions, which seem more Machiavellian than Christian. In an October 1999 interview with Tim Russert, Trump described himself as “very pro-choice,” and he hasn’t since accounted for his reversal in persuasive terms; he simply pretends to have always been the man whom Pence now describes. But Trump doesn’t mention personhood and murder, talking points of the religious right. He talks about winning and seems more invested in his political base and the electoral college. Under Trump, there are more conventional Republicans, including evangelicals and Catholics, who sincerely assert the personhood of fetuses. Trump’s own ambivalence, so long as he cooperates with his party’s activists, remains rather beside the point.\n\nWhite evangelicals are the core faction in U.S. anti-abortion activism, and they love Trump more than any other voting bloc. Liberty University president Jerry Falwell Jr.’s generation bolsters Trump as fanatically as Falwell’s father bolstered Reagan 40 years ago. Every few months, Trump’s support among evangelicals bewilders Trump’s critics. The liberals see the obvious contrast between the suburban and rural puritans and the Manhattan playboy. They spot hypocrisy. They hear the cynicism in Falwell Jr.’s propaganda. But there’s nothing so uncanny or unexpected about Trump’s loyalty to anti-abortion activists, “constitutional conservatives,” and Christian fundamentalists. Trump is nothing if not a televangelist: He blends virtue and vice, in spectacular fashion, and he profits massively from the conflation. Trump’s immigration rhetoric appeals to white voters who are destined to lose the demographic war in this century. Likewise, Trump’s anti-abortion commitments reinvigorate voters who lost religious skirmishes, including the one over marriage equality, in the eight years under Barack Obama.\n\nIt’s easy to forget why Trump selected Pence, of all people, as his vice president. Pence is the party’s leading evangelical. Pence, as governor of Indiana, signed the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, drafted to protect religious fundamentalists against discrimination lawsuits from gay and transgender plaintiffs. Unlike Trump, Pence is an old-school, anti-abortion pampleteer. There are sincere religious convictions that animate conservative activism; Trump just doesn’t seem to share those convictions personally. The president does, however, share a constituency with Mike Pence, and so they share hope for a Supreme Court decision affirming Georgia and Alabama’s laws banning abortion nigh entirely. Trump’s presidency depends on such contradictions, which no conservative need resolve so long as the president and the fundamentalists are, together, winning.", "The Michigan congressman Justin Amash has called for Donald Trump to be impeached, adding a first Republican voice to a growing chorus of Democrats demanding Congress move against the president.\n\nAmash is a libertarian and independent-minded politician who has flirted with the idea of a run against Trump in 2020, and has in turn been attacked by the White House. Elected in the Tea Party wave of 2010, he was a founder of the House Freedom Caucus, which has become a hard-right mouthpiece for Trump.\n\nNo other Republican in Congress has said Trump should be impeached.\n\nIn a series of tweets on Saturday, Amash said special counsel Robert Mueller had in his investigation of Russian election interference identified “multiple examples of conduct satisfying all the elements of obstruction of justice, and undoubtedly any person who is not the president of the United States would be indicted based on such evidence”.\n\nMueller did not find evidence of a conspiracy between Trump and Russia but did lay out extensive contacts between aides and Moscow and 11 instances of potential obstruction of justice by the president or his campaign. On the obstruction question, Mueller said Congress should decide what happened next.\n\nIn summarising Mueller’s work before Congress had seen it, however, the attorney general, William Barr, said he had decided Trump had not obstructed justice. The president and his supporters immediately claimed total exoneration, a drumbeat that has not slackened since.\n\nAmash said Barr “has deliberately misrepresented” Mueller’s work in presentations to the public and congressional testimony.\n\n“Contrary to Barr’s portrayal,” Amash said, “Mueller’s report reveals that President Trump engaged in specific actions and a pattern of behavior that meet the threshold for impeachment.”\n\nOf that threshold, he wrote that though the “high crimes and misdemeanors” mentioned in the constitution are “not defined, the context implies conduct that violates the public trust”.\n\nImpeachment, he wrote, “simply requires a finding that an official has engaged in careless, abusive, corrupt or otherwise dishonorable conduct”.\n\nImpeachment would be initiated by the House judiciary committee. But in a political calculation Democratic leaders have held off, unsure of the effect on voters and sure the process would fail in the Republican-controlled Senate, where a two-thirds majority would be required to convict Trump and remove him from office.\n\nAmash lamented the effect of America’s political divide, writing that “while impeachment should be undertaken only in extraordinary circumstances, the risk we face in an environment of extreme partisanship is not that Congress will employ it as a remedy too often but rather that Congress will employ it so rarely that it cannot deter misconduct.\n\n“Our system of checks and balances relies on each branch’s jealously guarding its powers and upholding its duties under our constitution. When loyalty to a political party or to an individual trumps loyalty to the constitution, the rule of law – the foundation of liberty – crumbles.”\n\nThe Trump administration has refused to comply with House requests and subpoenas for records including the un-redacted Mueller report and its underlying evidence and Trump’s tax returns, raising claims on the left that the president is acting against the constitution in a dangerous grab for power.\n\nAmash said that while “few members of Congress even read Mueller’s report” – he said he had, in its entirety, and had consulted with his staff – “their minds were made up based on partisan affiliation and it showed, with representatives and senators from both parties issuing definitive statements on the 448-page report’s conclusions within just hours of its release.”\n\nDemocrats and Republicans had “shift[ed] their views 180 degrees”, he said, “depending on whether they’re discussing Bill Clinton or Donald Trump”.\n\nTwenty years ago, Clinton was impeached by a Republican House but acquitted by the Senate. Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a key Trump supporter now, was a House impeachment manager then. His statements from two decades ago have been played in near-rotation on mainstream cable news.\n\nAmash concluded by saying elected officials should “uphold both the rules and spirit of our constitutional system even when to do so is personally inconvenient or yields a politically unfavorable outcome”.\n\nReaction varied across the political spectrum, Amash’s comments being greeted by Trump opponents and dismissed by Trump supporters. Among Republican opponents of Trump, George Conway, a lawyer who is married to senior White House adviser Kellyanne Conway, said: “And he is … correct.”", "Before Melania became a First Lady, discover the wild and unpredictable paths she took on her journey from Slovenia to Mrs. America.\n\nDonald Trump on Sunday dismissed as “a total lightweight” the Republican politician who a day earlier became the first member of the party to call publicly for the US president’s impeachment.\n\nMichigan Representative Justin Amash — a staunch libertarian on the right of the party — declared that any other person would have been prosecuted over Trump’s multiple attempts to thwart Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report into Russian election interference.\n\n“Never a fan of @justinamash, a total lightweight who opposes me and some of our great Republican ideas and policies just for the sake of getting his name out there,” Trump tweeted.\n\nHe said that if the Michigan politician had “actually read the biased Mueller Report … he would see that it was nevertheless strong on NO COLLUSION and, ultimately, NO OBSTRUCTION …” Trump called Amash “a loser who sadly plays right into our opponents hands!” Amash, who has broken with his party before, had laid out his case in a series of tweets.\n\nHe said Mueller had identified “multiple examples of conduct satisfying all the elements of obstruction of justice.” “Undoubtedly,” Amash added, “any person who is not the president of the United States would be indicted based on such evidence.” Since Mueller issued his voluminous report, Trump has repeatedly attacked its authors as partisans even while insisting it exonerates him of allegations of collusion with Russia or obstruction of justice.\n\nBut Democrats note that the report lists around 140 contacts between Trump’s inner circle and various Russians and that it exhaustively details evidence of at least 10 cases where Trump appeared to be interfering with the probe.\n\nAmash has often been a lone voice in his party, and so his stance carried less impact than if it had come from a party mainstay.\n\nA much higher-profile Republican, Senator Mitt Romney, spoke out on Sunday against impeachment even while praising Amash.\n\n“I respect him,” the Republicans’ 2012 presidential nominee and occasional fierce Trump critic, told “Fox News Sunday” of Amash.\n\n“I think it’s a courageous statement. But I believe to make a case for obstruction of justice, you just don’t have the elements.” Democrats have been divided on impeachment but support appears to be growing with the Trump administration resisting numerous congressional requests for witnesses or information.\n\nHouse Speaker Nancy Pelosi has cautioned against moving too quickly, noting that the Republican-controlled Senate would likely acquit the president should the House of Representatives impeach him.", "MICHIGAN - President Donald Trump fired back at U.S. Rep. Justin Amash, R-Mich., in an attack on social media Sunday morning.\n\nThe Twitter attack came only a day after Amash called for Trump's impeachment.\n\nIn the attack, Trump said he has never been a fan of the western Michigan-based congressmen.\n\nOn Saturday, Amash said Trump committed \"impeachable conduct\" and accused Attorney General William Barr of intentionally misleading the public in regard to the Mueller report.\n\nRead the tweet right here.", "In a series of Twitter messages posted on Sunday, President Donald Trump blasted Republican lawmaker Justin Amash, describing the Michigan representative as a “total lightweight” and a “loser.”\n\nTrump suggested that Amash called for his impeachment simply to stir up controversy and promote himself, suggesting that the lawmaker had not even read Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report. Trump insulted and belittled Amash, stating once again that Mueller failed to prove both collusion and obstruction.\n\n“Never a fan of @justinamash, a total lightweight who opposes me and some of our great Republican ideas and policies just for the sake of getting his name out there through controversy,” the president wrote.\n\n“If he actually read the biased Mueller Report, ‘composed’ by 18 Angry Dems who hated Trump, he would see that it was nevertheless strong on NO COLLUSION and, ultimately, NO OBSTRUCTION,” he added.\n\nTrump punctuated the tweets by claiming that there could not have been obstruction, when there isn’t an underlying crime, accusing “the other side” — the intelligence community, and the Democratic Party — of committing crimes. “Justin is a loser who sadly plays right into our opponents [sic] hands!” the president tweeted.\n\nIt comes as no surprise that Trump is slamming Amash, given that the representative is the first — and, so far, only — Republican to openly call for impeachment.\n\nAs previously reported by The Inquisitr, in a 13-tweet thread posted yesterday, the libertarian-leaning representative broke with the rest of his colleagues, arguing that Trump “has engaged in impeachable conduct.”\n\nAmash explained that his reasoning is based on the Mueller report, which he claims shows that Trump obstructed justice. Amash, he wrote, drew four conclusions from the report, after consulting with members of his staff and reviewing additional materials, as well as related congressional testimonies.\n\nEchoing criticism from House Democrats, Amash said that Attorney General William Barr is guilty of “misleading” the public about Mueller’s findings, going a step further than Democrats and concluding that impeachable offenses are defined in the Constitution as dishonorable and corrupt behavior.\n\nApart from criticizing Barr and Trump, the Republican lawmaker drew a parallel between his party’s behavior during the impeachment trials of Bill Clinton and now, in the aftermath of the Mueller report. Amash suggested that both parties need to remain principled in such instances, and “uphold” the Constitution regardless of party affiliation of the person violating it.\n\nAs HuffPost reported, Amash’s Twitter thread went viral, and resulted in him being praised and applauded by Democratic lawmakers. Notably, Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib — who has, unlike top Democrats, openly called for Trump’s impeachment — commended Amash for “putting country first,” asking whether he wants to sign a resolution meant to begin an investigation into impeachment.", "WASHINGTON (REUTERS) - Donald Trump lashed out on Sunday (May 19) at the first Republican congressman to call the US president's behaviour impeachable, while Democrats warned Trump's stonewalling of congressional probes is strengthening the case for an impeachment inquiry.\n\nTrump called Republican Representative Justin Amash \"a total lightweight\" and \"a loser\" on Twitter, a day after the Michigan conservative said the Mueller report showed that the Republican president \"engaged in specific actions and a pattern of behavior that meet the threshold for impeachment.\"\n\nAmash's criticism made calls in the US Congress for Trump's impeachment bipartisan, though just barely, with most Republicans still standing by the president at a time of economic growth, turbulent markets and global trade tensions.\n\nSaying most lawmakers have not read it, Amash cited Special Counsel Robert Mueller's 448-page report on Russian meddling in Trump's favour in the 2016 US election.\n\nOn Twitter on Saturday, Amash said the report showed Trump had obstructed justice and added, \"President Trump has engaged in impeachable conduct.\"\n\nA frequent Trump critic, Amash is a part of the House Freedom Caucus, a conservative faction. He has also signaled he would consider running as a libertarian against Trump in 2020.\n\nCounter-punching in his usual style, Trump tweeted: \"Never a fan of @justinamash, a total lightweight who opposes me and some of our great Republican ideas and policies just for the sake of getting his name out there through controversy ... Justin is a loser who sadly plays right into our opponents hands!\" Trump will have a chance to make his case to supporters on Monday at a rally planned for Montoursville, Pa.\n\nAmash's comments echoed the conclusions of many Democrats.\n\nHouse of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi has said that Trump was moving closer to impeachment with his stonewalling of numerous congressional investigations of him and his presidency.\n\nStill, Democrats are divided about impeachment. With 2020 election campaigns heating up, Pelosi said impeachment proceedings would be \"divisive\" for the country.\n\nNo US president has ever been removed from office as a direct result of the US Constitution's impeachment process.\n\nThe House of Representatives has impeached two presidents. Both were acquitted by the Senate.\n\nThe Mueller report, now at the center of an escalating oversight battle between Trump and House Democrats, detailed extensive contacts between Trump's 2016 campaign and Russia, but did not find that there was a conspiracy with Moscow. The report also described actions Trump took to try to impede Mueller's investigation, but made no formal finding on the question of obstruction, leaving the matter to Congress.\n\nAmash also said on Twitter that Attorney General William Barr, a Trump appointee, \"deliberately misrepresented\" Mueller's report when he oversaw the roll-out of a redacted version.\n\nThere were no signs on Sunday of other Republicans following Amash's lead. Another Trump critic, Republican Senator Mitt Romney, said on Sunday that Amash made \"a courageous statement,\"yet also told CNN's \"State of the Union\" program that he did not believe Mueller's findings supported impeachment.\n\nBut Pramila Jayapal, a Democratic member of the House Judiciary Committee, which has jurisdiction over impeachment, called Amash's statement \"a watershed moment.\" \"Justin Amash coming on board means there is now bipartisan support for really understanding the seriousness of what is in the Mueller report,\" she said.\n\nHouse Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, one of six committee chairs leading probes of Trump, said the case for impeachment is being strengthened by White House stonewalling.\n\n\"If the only way that we can do our oversight is through an impeachment proceeding, then maybe we have to go down that road,\" Schiff told CBS' \"Face the Nation\" program.\n\n\"But I think it'll be important to show the American people, this was a decision made reluctantly, this was a decision forced upon us, rather than something we were eager to embrace\" Schiff said.", "President Donald Trump on Sunday slammed the first Republican lawmaker who called for his impeachment, saying Rep. Justin Amash is a 'loser' who is 'getting his name out there through controversy.'\n\n'Never a fan of @justinamash , a total lightweight who opposes me and some of our great Republican ideas and policies just for the sake of getting his name out there through controversy,' Trump wrote on Twitter.\n\n'If he actually read the biased Mueller Report, “composed” by 18 Angry Dems who hated Trump, he would see that it was nevertheless strong on NO COLLUSION and, ultimately, NO OBSTRUCTION...Anyway, how do you Obstruct when there is no crime and, in fact, the crimes were committed by the other side? Justin is a loser who sadly plays right into our opponents hands!,' he concluded.\n\nAmash, a Republican congressman from Michigan, become the first Republican to publicly call for President Trump's impeachment on Saturday.\n\nThe congressman accused Trump of engaging in 'impeachable conduct' stemming from special counsel Robert Mueller's lengthy investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election.\n\nAmash's libertarian views often put him conflict with members of his own party.\n\nMueller found no criminal conspiracy between Trump's presidential campaign and Russia, but left open the question of whether Trump acted in ways that were meant to obstruct the investigation.\n\nAmash said he reached four conclusions after carefully reading the redacted version of Mueller's report, including that 'President Trump has engaged in impeachable conduct.'\n\n'Contrary to Barr's portrayal, Mueller's report reveals that President Trump engaged in specific actions and a pattern of behavior that meet the threshold for impeachment,' the congressman tweeted.\n\nHe said the report 'identifies multiple examples of conduct satisfying all the elements of obstruction of justice, and undoubtedly any person who is not the president of the United States would be indicted based on such evidence.'\n\nThe Justice Department, which Barr leads, operates under guidelines that discourage the indictment of a sitting president.\n\nTrump and Republican lawmakers generally view the matter as 'case closed,' as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., recently declared on the floor of the Senate.\n\nOn the other hand, Democrats who control the House are locked in a bitter standoff with the White House as it ignores lawmakers' requests for the more complete version of Mueller's report, the underlying evidence and witness testimony.\n\nSome Democrats wants the House to open impeachment hearings, but Speaker Nancy Pelosi resisted, saying impeachment must be bipartisan.\n\nRep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., a freshman who opened her term by profanely calling for Trump to be impeached, applauded Amash.\n\n'You are putting country first, and that is to be commended,' Tlaib tweeted.\n\nTlaib is seeking support for a resolution she's circulating calling on the House to start impeachment proceedings.", "A Republican congressman has broken ranks with the party and called for Donald Trump's impeachment.\n\nJustin Amash of Michigan, who is reportedly considering running against the President next year, said Mr Trump had engaged in conduct which met the threshold for impeachment.\n\nMr Amash also accused the US attorney general, William Barr, of wilfully misleading Congress over the contents of Robert Mueller's report into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.\n\nHis attack was dismissed by Mr Trump who dismissed Mr Amash as a \"total lightweight.\"", "GOP Rep. Justin Amash has become the first Republican congressman or senator to call for the impeachment of President Donald Trump.\n\nAfter announcing his support for impeachment proceedings against the President on Saturday, Amash also accused Attorney General William Barr of misleading the public about the findings of the Mueller report.\n\nThegatewaypundit.com reports: Last month Amash expressed his openness to running against President Trump in 2020 as the Libertarian Party candidate, Roll Call reported.\n\nAmash made his case in a Twitter thread which is presented below without commentary.\n\nHere are my principal conclusions:\n\n1. Attorney General Barr has deliberately misrepresented Mueller’s report.\n\n2. President Trump has engaged in impeachable conduct.\n\n3. Partisanship has eroded our system of checks and balances.\n\n4. Few members of Congress have read the report.\n\nI offer these conclusions only after having read Mueller’s redacted report carefully and completely, having read or watched pertinent statements and testimony, and having discussed this matter with my staff, who thoroughly reviewed materials and provided me with further analysis.\n\nIn comparing Barr’s principal conclusions, congressional testimony, and other statements to Mueller’s report, it is clear that Barr intended to mislead the public about Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s analysis and findings.\n\nBarr’s misrepresentations are significant but often subtle, frequently taking the form of sleight-of-hand qualifications or logical fallacies, which he hopes people will not notice.\n\nUnder our Constitution, the president “shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.” While “high Crimes and Misdemeanors” is not defined, the context implies conduct that violates the public trust.\n\nContrary to Barr’s portrayal, Mueller’s report reveals that President Trump engaged in specific actions and a pattern of behavior that meet the threshold for impeachment.\n\nIn fact, Mueller’s report identifies multiple examples of conduct satisfying all the elements of obstruction of justice, and undoubtedly any person who is not the president of the United States would be indicted based on such evidence.\n\nImpeachment, which is a special form of indictment, does not even require probable cause that a crime (e.g., obstruction of justice) has been committed; it simply requires a finding that an official has engaged in careless, abusive, corrupt, or otherwise dishonorable conduct.\n\nOur system of checks and balances relies on each branch’s jealously guarding its powers and upholding its duties under our Constitution. When loyalty to a political party or to an individual trumps loyalty to the Constitution, the Rule of Law—the foundation of liberty—crumbles.\n\nWe’ve witnessed members of Congress from both parties shift their views 180 degrees—on the importance of character, on the principles of obstruction of justice—depending on whether they’re discussing Bill Clinton or Donald Trump.\n\nFew members of Congress even read Mueller’s report; their minds were made up based on partisan affiliation—and it showed, with representatives and senators from both parties issuing definitive statements on the 448-page report’s conclusions within just hours of its release.\n\nAmerica’s institutions depend on officials to uphold both the rules and spirit of our constitutional system even when to do so is personally inconvenient or yields a politically unfavorable outcome. Our Constitution is brilliant and awesome; it deserves a government to match it."], "summary": "Justin Amash from Michigan's 3rd congressional district becomes the first Republican U.S. Representative to support the impeachment of President Donald Trump."}
{"document": ["Austria's ruling coalition party is under fire after a leaked video showed the vice chancellor discussing alleged quid pro quo arrangements with a \"Russian oligarch niece\" ... and some pundits quickly had their Russiagate meltdowns.The scandal rocked the Freedom Party of Austria (FPO) on Friday after two German publications, Spiegel and Suddeutscher Zeitung , released exposes of a video leaked to them by an unnamed party.The conversations reportedly lasted for hours.The FPO narrowly came in third place and became a junior partner in the current ruling coalition.On Saturday, Strache confirmed the meeting but insisted the information was taken out of context. He stillnot to damage the ruling coalition.That said, some pundits already had their usual Russiagate meltdowns, alleging the tape proves that the FPO was bought and paid-for by Moscow, which conspired with the right-wing party to destroy Austria's freedom of the press. The pièce de résistance in this claim is thatbesides a relative of a Kremlin-controlled businessman, through whom the Russian government may have wanted to gain influence in Austria.Strache himself said on Saturdaywho told Gudenus that she and her daughter wanted to move to Vienna to secure the meeting.Notably, Der Spiegel article itself says thatAnyway, if the \"niece\" was a Russian government agent, it doesn't seem that she managed to get Strache and Gudenus on board with some plan to subvert the election. At least the reports sayThe Kronen Zeitung tabloid did partially change ownership after the discussion, but it happened in autumn 2018 and the buyer was Austrian entrepreneur Rene Benko, who told Spiegel the deal was purely commercial.", "(Bloomberg) -- Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz is going for broke.\n\nHours after his nationalist deputy resigned over a Russia scandal, Kurz dumped his far-right partner and began campaigning for early elections. Europe’s youngest leader, currently at 34% support in polls, can rule alone if he wins by a landslide, unencumbered by what has always been an uncomfortable alliance.\n\nThat’s a big if. After keeping the country on tenterhooks for eight hours, Kurz went on the offensive, declaring the Freedom Party unfit to govern even as he praised policies he’d put in place with its support over the last 17 months.\n\nAustrians who like the turn the country has taken would have to vote for him, he said in a televised address witnessed by almost quarter of the population on Saturday evening.\n\n“Kurz is effectively betting on a collapse of the Freedom Party,” said Carsten Nickel, an analyst at advisory Teneo. “That is extremely risky in a country where the far-right has systematically established itself for decades.”\n\nThe move builds on Kurz’s conviction, borne out by opinion polls before the video scandal erupted this weekend, that his tough stance on immigration, tax cuts and benefits for Austrian families remain popular with voters even if they are appalled by the scandal-ridden Freedom Party. He also made it clear that he doesn’t see a way to continue this program with the second-biggest party, the Social Democrats that were his People’s Party’s partner in most coalitions since 1945.\n\nIt’s a big gamble for Kurz, who rode to power in 2017 on a hard-line immigration platform that stoked conflict with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and marked him as a rising young conservative despite Austria’s relatively small size.\n\nKurz cited other Freedom Party scandals, including its links to far-right groups as well as racist slogans and poems that he’d “swallowed” to keep the government intact until now.\n\n“I want to work for our beautiful country, with the support of a majority of the people but without incidents, accidents and scandals,” Kurz said. “I don’t think I can do that with anybody else right now.”\n\nStill, before calling the new vote, Kurz did attempt to save the coalition, according the Freedom Party. However, the chancellor made the removal not just of Strache, but also of Interior Minister Herbert Kickl a condition for continuing, according to Kickl’s Facebook page.\n\nA first test of his strategy will come as soon as next week in European elections that now have become unpredictable for Austria. The real proof will be the early election likely to happen in September, as President Alexander Van der Bellen said after meeting Kurz on Sunday.\n\nMeanwhile, Austria is sifting through the ruckus caused by the video that toppled Vice Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache and triggered an election in the space of hours. Questions such as who produced the sophisticated setup, kept it under wraps for two years and leaked it shortly before EU elections set private and social media abuzz.\n\n“Game Over!,” titled Kronen-Zeitung, Austria’s most-read newspaper, summarizing a broad consensus that Saturday’s meltdown had been inevitable.\n\nAustria’s opposition parties -- encouraged by protests in Vienna on Saturday -- are trying to put the blame the situation on Kurz.\n\n“He was responsible for bringing the Freedom Party into government,” said Pamela Rendi-Wagner, head of the Social Democrats. “It’s his project that’s plunged Austria into this political chaos and put stability at risk.”\n\nThe collapse of the Austrian coalition is a massive defeat for one of Europe’s most successful populist parties, a week before European Parliament elections in which nationalists from the U.K. to Poland want to strike a blow against the establishment. It’s also a sign of Europe’s political fragility as the decline of many mainstream parties makes coalition governments more unstable.\n\n“Kurz didn’t tame the populist right, rather they shot themselves in the foot, as they have always done in the past,” said Thomas Hofer, a political analyst and consultant in Vienna. “It’s a setback for his project that this government fails after less than two years.”\n\nIt’s “illusory” for Kurz to think he can win a majority of seats, because the Freedom Party constituency may remain more stable than expected, Hofer said.\n\nStrache himself laid out in his resignation speech the strategy to neutralize the embarrassing video, suggesting there were “foreign intelligence services” behind it and saying “this was a targeted attempt of political assassination, this was hired work.”\n\nKurz wants to continue governing until the election but didn’t say whether he would keep Freedom Party ministers. Also unclear is what happens with the coalition’s unfinished business, including tax cuts and a revamp of banking supervision and the central bank that haven’t passed parliament yet.\n\n--With assistance from Jonathan Tirone and Patrick Donahue.\n\nTo contact the reporter on this story: Boris Groendahl in Vienna at bgroendahl@bloomberg.net\n\nTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Chad Thomas at cthomas16@bloomberg.net, Zoe Schneeweiss, Tony Czuczka", "Vienna, Austria (CNN) Austria's Vice-Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache, from the far right Freedom Party, has resigned over allegations of corruption, just days before key European elections .\n\nGermany's Der Spiegel news magazine and Süddeutsche Zeitung daily newspaper published video on Friday of Strache appearing to offer government contracts to a woman who claimed to be a Russian investor and niece of an oligarch.\n\nDuring a news conference on Saturday morning, Strache denied doing \"anything against the law,\" and labeled the allegations \"a targeted political attack.\"\n\nHowever, Strache said he wanted to \"apologize to everyone I have disappointed with my behavior.\" He said he would also step down as head of the Freedom Party, which is part of Austria's ruling coalition with Sebastian Kurz' conservative People's Party.\n\nThe coalition is now facing its biggest crisis since it was formed in 2017. Outside the Chancellor's office in Vienna, where Kurz was due to make a statement, more than 5,000 anti-government protesters gathered, calling for fresh elections.\n\n\"I'm here's because Strache resigned and the entire FPÖ [Freedom Party] is intolerable,\" Florian Gantner told CNN. \"The Chancellor has to react and the entire government should step down. We need a new election.\"\n\nThe managing director of Austria's Social Democratic Party (SPÖ) blamed Kurz for the scandal.\n\n\"He must confess to the Austrians this failure and take full responsibility for this chaos. He has brought Austria into this disastrous situation and put the stability of the country on the line,\" SPÖ's Thomas Drozda said in a statement.\n\nIt is not known who recorded the video or set up the meeting, which allegedly took place on July 24, 2017, on the Spanish island of Ibiza, three months before the Austrian elections.\n\nDer Spiegel and Süddeutsche Zeitung report that the \"Russian\" woman offered to buy a 50% stake in Austria's Kronen-Zeitung newspaper and ensure it supported the Freedom Party.\n\nStrache admitted to meeting the woman and described it as a \"private conversation\" in Ibiza. He said he was \"drunk\" but \"no donations have been made to the party\" as a result of the meeting.\n\n\"It was a typical alcohol-infused macho behavior.... With this I have hurt the most important person in my life, which is my wife,\" Strache said.\n\nKurz had accepted his resignation, Strache said. Transport Minister Norbert Hofer, who ran for President in 2016, is expected to take over from him as head of the Freedom Party.\n\nFreedom Party politician Johann Gudenus, who was in the video translating Russian into German for Strache, also resigned on Saturday.\n\n\"With this I announce that I will retire from my position as Managing Club Chairman and as member of parliament. I will step back from all my positions within the Freedom Party of Austria,\" Gudenus said in a statement.\n\n\"I want to express my deep regret for the things that happened more than two years ago. I deeply regret having disappointed the trust from voters, party members and co-workers.\"\n\nThe Freedom Party has long been part of Austria's political landscape. Founded by former Nazis in the 1950s, it first entered government 17 years ago, the first far-right party to do so in postwar Europe.\n\nStrache had sought to modernize the party, but accusations of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia continue to linger.\n\nIn April, a Freedom Party member and deputy mayor of Hitler's birthplace resigned after writing a \"deeply racist\" poem comparing migrants to rats.\n\nAccording to Reuters, the Freedom Party has a cooperation agreement with Putin's United Russia party.\n\nIn a 2018 interview with the newspaper Oesterreich, Strache made his position clear.\n\n\"It is high time to put an end to these exasperating sanctions and normalize political and economic relations with Russia,\" he said.\n\nAustria was also one of the few EU countries not to expel Russian diplomats in response to British allegations of Kremlin involvement in the poisoning of a former Russian spy and his daughter in the English city of Salisbury in March 2018.", "Austria's conservative Chancellor Sebastian Kurz has dissolved his coalition with the far-right Freedom Party after the resignation of vice-chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache amid a corruption scandal.\n\n“Enough is enough,” Kurz told the media, listing a string of other minor scandals involving the Freedom Party, adding that he would recommend to President Alexander Van der Bellen that snap elections be held as quickly as possible.\n\nVice-chancellor Strache, a key figure of the European far-right, announced his resignation on Saturday following revelations that he had promised public contracts in return for help from a fake Russian backer during his campaign in the 2017 parliamentary elections.\n\nStrache denounced what he called an illegal \"targeted political attack\", but said he would quit in order to avoid further damage to the government.\n\nGermany's Der Spiegel and Sueddeutsche Zeitung released hidden video footage of a sting operation allegedly filmed at a luxury villa on the Spanish island of Ibiza, months before Austria's 2017's elections.\n\nStrache and his Freedom Party's group leader in parliament, Johann Gudenus, are seen in duscussions with a woman purporting to be the niece of a Russian oligarch, who says she wants control of Austria's largest-circulation tabloid, the Krone Zeitung.\n\nStrache is seen suggesting that new owners could make staff changes at the Krone and use the paper to help his Freedom Party in its election campaign.", "FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — The Latest on Austrian politics (all times local):\n\nAustrian vice chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache says he is resigning after two German newspapers published footage of him apparently offering lucrative government contracts to a potential Russian benefactor.\n\nStrache said Saturday in a statement before assembled journalists that he was illegally set up in a \"political assassination,\" but added his behavior in the video was \"stupid and a mistake.\"\n\nThe scandal has led to speculation about the future of the governing coalition between Strache's anti-immigration Freedom Party and Chancellor Sebastian Kurz's center-right People's Party.\n\nAustria's vice chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache is expected to make a statement about his political future after two German newspapers published footage of him apparently offering lucrative government contracts to a potential Russian benefactor.\n\nThe dpa news agency reported Saturday Strache was expected to address the issue at a news conference at noon local time (1000 GMT) Saturday.\n\nThe scandal has led to speculation about the future of the governing coalition between Strache's anti-immigration Freedom Party and Chancellor Sebastian Kurz's center-right People's Party. Neither Strache nor Kurz have commented publicly.\n\nThe daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung and the weekly Der Spiegel on Friday published extracts of covert video purportedly showing Strache offering government contracts to an unnamed Russian woman if she were to buy an Austrian newspaper and support his party.", "Austria's vice chancellor has resigned after German media published a video that purportedly showed him offering government contracts to a woman posing as the niece of a Russian oligarch, in exchange for media coverage and political funding.\n\nVice Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache, who leads Austria's far-right Freedom Party, announced he would step down on Saturday at a press conference in Vienna. Crowds stood outside the chancellor's office in anticipation of Strache's statement.\n\nHe described the incident as a \"targeted political assassination.\"\n\nOn Friday, German news magazine Der Spiegel and daily newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung published the calamitous video. It shows Strache sitting on a couch in a T-shirt, discussing potential deals with a Russian investor.\n\nShe proposes to buy a 50% stake in Austria's Kronen-Zeitung newspaper and Strache promises her construction contracts if she helps his political party. The group also discusses how to disguise a donation to the party through an association. Their meeting was said to have lasted six hours.\n\nIt's unclear who orchestrated the recording. The publications did not reveal their source but said a forensic video expert had verified the footage.\n\nThe video was reportedly filmed in a villa with hidden cameras on the Spanish island of Ibiza in July 2017 — just months before Austria's national election in October. Strache's party received 26% of the vote and 51 seats.\n\nStrache told the German publications that he had done nothing illegal; that he said to the woman that Austrian laws must be followed. He said he never gave her government contracts or received donations from her.\n\nIn November 2018, Austrian retail and real estate company SIGNA bought 49% of a German media company that holds Kronen-Zeitung — marking its first investment in media.\n\nStrache chalked the exchange up to \"alcohol-induced macho talk\" that was \"probably trying to impress the attractive hostess,\" according to Deutsche Welle.\n\nAustria's 32-year-old chancellor, Sebastian Kurz, now faces mounting calls by the opposition to hold new elections. His conservative Austrian People's Party governs the country in coalition with the Freedom Party.\n\nThe video scandal threatens to collapse the coalition government and comes a week before European Parliament elections.\n\nIn the past, Kurz has distanced himself from the Freedom Party following reports of anti-Semitism and racism. The Freedom Party was founded and first led in the 1950s by Anton Reinthaller, a former Nazi.\n\nIn recent years, the Freedom Party has built a relationship with Russia. According to the New York Times:\n\n\"Mr. Strache first met Mr. Putin in May 2007. In 2014, at least two Freedom Party members took part as election observers during the Russian referendum after the annexation of Crimea. Then in 2016, just seven months before the meeting in Ibiza took place, Mr. Strache traveled to Moscow to sign a formal cooperation agreement between the Freedom Party and Mr. Putin's United Russia party.\"\n\nJohann Gudenus, another prominent Freedom Party member, was secretly filmed in the Ibiza villa meeting with Strache. That prompted calls for his resignation.\n\nStrache said he would step down from his party leadership position, with Transport Minister Norbert Hofer to replace him.\n\nHe also vowed to take legal steps to address the video.", "After hours of chanting and whistling, thousands of demonstrators on Saturday cheered the collapse of Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz's government over a corruption scandal -- and the prospect of fresh elections.\n\n\"Kurz must go\" cried the crowd that had built up in Vienna's historic first district from late morning.\n\nAs the news of fresh elections came through on demonstrators' smartphones later, loud cheers erupted.\n\nExpressing a widespread view that Kurz had too often excused the scandals of his coalition partner, the far-right Freedom Party (FPOe) led by Heinz-Christian Strache, social education worker Andreas Hallas said the vote was \"an absolute necessity\".\n\n\"Anything else would have been an absolute catastrophe, politically,\" said Hallas, adding he hoped for a new government without the FPOe and Kurz's centre-right People's Party (OeVP).\n\nHallas is among those who has been turning up for anti-govermnent demonstrations held -- come rain or shine -- every Thursday for more than six months.\n\nBut as 61-year-old Elvira Raffinger pointed out, \"Today is a spontaneous gathering and that's rare for Austria\", a country where street politics is not the norm.\n\nIn hidden-camera recordings published by German media Friday, Strache was seen promising public contracts in return for campaign help to a fake Russian backer over a boozy dinner in a villa on the resort island of Ibiza.\n\nIsaac Heimbach, a 24-year-old biology student, said he thought the video was \"just the tip of the iceberg, just a look behind the curtain\" of the far-right leadership.\n\n\"I hope that this will open the eyes of Austrians who voted for the right,\" he said as protesters around him waved banners that read \"Now it's over Mr Kurz\", \"You all shame this country\", as well as \"No place for the corrupt and power-hungry in Austria. All resign\".\n\nIsabella Sedlak who works in Berlin said she had come to the chancellery to take part in \"this exceptional moment\".\n\n\"We need fresh elections. We can't just go back to the daily routine as if nothing happened because this is about the whole party structure, not a particular man,\" she said.\n\nThe OeVP will however start the upcoming election campaign in a strong position, with opinion polls before the scandal showing Kurz's popularity on the rise.", "Austria‘s president on Sunday recommended a new election be held in early September, saying he wanted to restore trust in the government after a video scandal led to the resignation of the vice chancellor.\n\nChancellor Sebastian Kurz pulled the plug on the coalition and called for a snap election on Saturday after his deputy, Heinz-Christian Strache, the leader of the far-right Freedom Party, quit over a video showed him discussing fixing state contracts in return for favours.\n\n“It is most important that Austrians are given the chance of a new start to rebuild trust in its government,” President Alexander van der Bellen said in a statement at his Hofburg residence in Vienna.\n\nREAD MORE: Austrian vice chancellor steps down over video as coalition teeters\n\n“This new beginning should take place quickly, as quickly as the provisions of the Federal Constitution permit, so I plead for elections… in September, if possible at the beginning of September,” the president said.\n\nStrache has described the video sting as a “targeted political assassination” and said it never led to any money changing hands. He insisted the only crime that took place was illegally videotaping a private dinner party.\n\nVan der Bellen and Kurz said at their joint news conference that stability was a main priority for them for the coming months.\n\nKurz repeated that he saw the snap elections as the only way to solve the crisis. “The new elections were a necessity, not a wish,” he said.\n\nThe makeup of a caretaker government remained unclear a day after the 18-month-old coalition of conservatives and the far right collapsed.", "Austria's Vice Chancellor, Heinz-Christian Strache, said Saturday that he is resigning after two German newspapers published footage of him apparently discussing state contracts with a potential Russian backer in return for political support.\n\nStrache said Saturday in a statement before assembled journalists that he was illegally set up in a \"political assassination.\"\n\n\"It was dumb, it was irresponsible and it was a mistake,\" Strache said, fighting back tears as he asked his wife and others to forgive him. He maintained, however, that he had done nothing illegal.\n\nThe scandal threatened to bring down the governing coalition between Strache's anti-immigration Freedom Party and Chancellor Sebastian Kurz's center-right People's Party.\n\nThe video was reported on Friday by two of neighboring Germany's leading media outlets — weekly Der Spiegel and newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung — purportedly showing a meeting in Ibiza between Strache, another party official and a woman purporting to be the niece of a Russian oligarch.\n\nThe two papers said the meeting, which took place months before the election that brought the Alpine nation's coalition government to power, was clearly a trap laid to compromise the two politicians, though it's unclear who was behind it.\n\nIn it, Strache appears to tell the woman she can expect lucrative construction contracts if she buys an Austrian newspaper and supports the Freedom Party.\n\nStrache did not reply to a request for comment about the video. NBC News was not able to verify the authenticity of the footage independently, and the German newspapers did not say how they obtained it.\n\nThe Freedom Party (FPO) co-chairman, Christian Hafenecker, said on Friday the party's lawyers were evaluating the material.\n\n\"Since the video was obviously recorded illegally, we are also preparing appropriate legal steps,\" he said.\n\nVienna prosecutors said they would study the reports and decide whether there was sufficient cause to open an investigation, a spokeswoman for the prosecutors said.\n\n\"The FPO is finished,\" ran the headline in the tabloid Kronen Zeitung, which featured in the video since the woman said the oligarch wanted to buy a stake.\n\nKurz is expected to make a statement later on Saturday as speculation swirled about whether the damage would be limited to Strache or if Kurz would call a snap election only a year and a half after the coalition was formed.\n\nKurz has repeatedly distanced himself from the FPO over lesser scandals to protect his popularity.\n\nStrache said he would be replaced by Transport Minister Norbert Hofer, who narrowly lost 2016's presidential election and is more popular than Strache.\n\n\"I do not in any circumstances want my wrong behavior to provide a pretext for the government to collapse,\" Strache said.", "Attila Kisbenedek, AFP | In this file photo taken on May 6, 2019 Austria's Vice-Chancellor and chairman of the Freedom Party FPOe Heinz-Christian Strache gives a press conference in Budapest.\n\nAustria’s coalition government teetered on the brink of collapse after video footage was published apparently showed Vice Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache discussing state contracts with a potential Russian backer in return for political support.\n\nSenior figures in the Austiran government - a coalition of Sebastian Kurz’s conservatives and Strache’s far-right Freedom Party - held a crisis meeting on Friday night.\n\nKurz, who has distanced himself from the far right to protect his image when lesser scandals have emerged, was due to make a statement later on Saturday. The opposition called for Strache to resign.\n\nEven for a party used to controversy, this one appeared too big for it or the government to sit out.\n\n“This is huge. This has to be the end of Heinz-Christian Strache,” political analyst Thomas Hofer said, adding that it was unclear whether Strache’s stepping down or a snap election was more likely.\n\nThe video was reported on Friday evening by two of Germany’s leading newspapers - weekly Der Spiegel and newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung - purportedly showing a meeting in Ibiza between Strache, another party official and a woman purporting to be the niece of a Russian oligarch.\n\nThe newspaper reports also said the video appeared to be a sting operation.\n\nThe footage, recorded in July 2017 - months before the election that brought this government to power - showed Strache talking to the woman.\n\nIn it, he appeared to offer to direct inflated construction contracts to a company in exchange for support for his party, though he also said he wanted everything to be done legally.\n\nStrache did not reply to a request for comment. Reuters was not able to verify the authenticity of the footage independently, and the German newspapers did not say how they obtained it.\n\nStrache has headed the party since 2005, bringing it back to mainstream electoral success not seen since it was led by the charismatic Joerg Haider. It secured 26 percent of the vote in 2017’s parliamentary election.\n\nThe video is also a headache for Kurz, whose party is still leading in opinion polls but far short of a majority. The only other party with enough seats for a majority is the Social Democrats, with which Kurz, an immigration hard-liner, has difficult relations.\n\nThe Freedom Party (FPO) co-chairman, Christian Hafenecker, said the party’s lawyers were evaluating the material.\n\nNeither Strache nor the FPO ever received or granted any benefits from the persons concerned, Hafenecker said in a statement.\n\n“Since the video was obviously recorded illegally, we are also preparing appropriate legal steps.”\n\nVienna prosecutors said they would study the reports and decide whether there was sufficient cause to open an investigation, a spokeswoman for the prosecutors said.\n\n“The FPO is finished,” ran the headline in the tabloid Kronen Zeitung, which featured in the video since the woman said the oligarch wanted to buy a stake.\n\nIt remains unclear who was behind the recording."], "summary": "Vice-Chancellor of Austria, Heinz-Christian Strache, steps down both as Vice-Chancellor and chairman of the Freedom Party of Austria due to an alleged corruption scandal."}
{"document": ["May 18 (UPI) -- Austria's Vice Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache resigned Saturday over corruption allegations after a secret video was leaked, sparking a snap election.\n\nThe far-right minister discussed government contracts with a woman who said she was a Russian investor and niece of a Russian oligarch.\n\nStrache allegedly offered the woman government contracts in exchange for campaign support and suggested a potentially illegal donation system for the Freedom Party he leads in the video.\n\nThe video was posted Friday in German news outlets.\n\nStrache said he would step down as the leader of the Freedom Party that is part of Austria's ruling coalition with Chancellor Sebastian Kurz's conservative People's Party after the leaked video surfaced.\n\nKurz accepted his resignation, Strache said. Furthermore, later on Saturday Kurz called for a snap election as a result.\n\nStrache said that he met the woman in Ibiza, Spain. He was embarrassed by his actions in the video, which he blamed on being \"drunk\" and \"macho-posturing\" to an \"attractive hostess.\"\n\n\"No donations have been made to the party,\" because of the meeting he said, adding that he has not done \"anything against the law.\"\n\nThe allegations were \"a targeted political attack,\" Strache said, but he would still step down, and he owed an apology to those he \"disappointed.\"\n\nStrache said that transport minister Norbert Hofer will step up in his place.\n\nThe video was allegedly filmed on July 24, 2017, months before the election that brought him to power.\n\nIt's unknown who recorded the video, who set up the meeting and who filmed it.", "Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz called for snap elections after his junior coalition partner stumbled over a video showing its leader promising government contracts in return for campaign funding.\n\n“Enough is enough,” Kurz said on Saturday evening in Vienna, adding he wants elections as “soon as possible.”\n\nHeinz-Christian Strache stepped down as vice chancellor and head of the nationalist Freedom Party earlier in the day, calling his actions depicted on the video “dumb” and “embarrassing.”\n\nStrache said he resigned to rescue the coalition with Kurz’s conservative People’s Party, but ultimately this proved to be insufficient. Elections can be held in August at the earliest. Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen, who’s in charge of appointing and dismissing governments, will speak later tonight.\n\nThe result of the ballot could leave Kurz, the European Union’s youngest leader, in an awkward situation: He’s likely to win the ballot, but not by a margin large enough to govern alone. A new coalition with the Freedom Party may not be possible after the video scandal, be it for lack of votes or backing in Kurz’s People’s Party.\n\nAt the same time, the chancellor has burnt bridges to the opposition Social Democrats, with whom his party governed in most previous coalitions since the Second World War. Kurz built his rise to power on breaking with that tradition, so returning to the fold might hurt his credibility.\n\nThe People’s Party first attempt to govern with the Freedom Party failed in 2002 after just two years and snap elections ended with victory for the conservatives and defeat for the nationalists. There may be hopes in the party to repeat that stint.\n\nThe footage from a 2017 meeting in Ibiza with a woman claiming to be the niece of a Russian oligarch was obtained by German publications Der Spiegel and Sueddeutsche Zeitung. Spiegel didn’t disclose how it obtained the video and said it doesn’t know the motives of the people who made it.\n\nStrache, speaking after handing in his resignation to Kurz in Vienna on Saturday, confirmed the Ibiza meeting while saying he did nothing illegal. He said he pointed out to the woman in the video that Austrian laws had to be obeyed, and that he never received donations from her or gave her any business.\n\nThe video was shot illegally and “this was a targeted attempt of political assassination, this was hired work,” Strache told reporters. He already appeared to be in campaign mode in his resignation press conference, praising the government’s achievements. “I want to provide no pretense whatsoever by my misbehavior to bring down this government.”\n\nAustria’s Audit Court said Saturday it would question the Freedom Party’s finances related to the video. Christian Pilnacek of the Justice Ministry told Kurier newspaper that prosecutors will be examining the video. The Freedom Party denies any wrongdoing.\n\nWith assistance from Jonathan Tirone and Patrick Donahue.", "Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz is calling for a new election after his vice chancellor resigned due to scandal\n\nVIENNA (AP) — Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz is calling for a new election after his vice chancellor resigned due to scandal.", "Austria's president has recommended a new election be held in early September, saying he wants to restore trust in the government after a video scandal led to the resignation of the vice chancellor.\n\nChancellor Sebastian Kurz pulled the plug on the coalition and called for a snap election on Saturday after his deputy, Heinz-Christian Strache, the leader of the far-right Freedom Party, quit over a video showed him discussing fixing state contracts in return for favours.\n\nIt is most important that Austrians are given the chance of a new start to rebuild trust in its government, President Alexander van der Bellen said in a statement at his Hofburg residence in Vienna.\n\n\"This new beginning should take place quickly, as quickly as the provisions of the Federal Constitution permit, so I plead for elections ... in September, if possible at the beginning of September,\" the president said.\n\nStrache has described the video sting as a \"targeted political assassination\" and said it never led to any money changing hands. He insisted the only crime that took place was illegally videotaping a private dinner party.\n\nVan der Bellen and Kurz said at their joint news conference that stability was a main priority for them for the coming months.\n\nKurz repeated that he saw the snap elections as the only way to solve the crisis. \"The new elections were a necessity, not a wish,\" he said.\n\nThe make-up of a caretaker government remained unclear a day after the 18-month-old coalition of conservatives and the far right collapsed.", "Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz is calling for a new election after his vice chancellor resigned due to scandal\n\nVIENNA (AP) — Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz is calling for a new election after his vice chancellor resigned due to scandal.", "VIENNA (AP) — Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz is calling for a new election after his vice chancellor resigned due to scandal.", "Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz is calling for a new election after his vice chancellor resigned due to scandal\n\nVIENNA (AP) — Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz is calling for a new election after his vice chancellor resigned due to scandal.", "Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz is calling for a new election after his vice chancellor resigned due to scandal\n\nVIENNA (AP) — Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz is calling for a new election after his vice chancellor resigned due to scandal.", "Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz has ruled out working together with Vice Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache, making Strache's resignation in the wake of a corruption scandal more likely.\n\nThe two men are due to meet later on Saturday morning, with the chancellor expected to make a statement at noon, but several news agencies, citing insider sources, have reported that Kurz has already decided against continuing to work with Strache.\n\nKurz's conservative Austrian People's People's (ÖVP) currently governs Austria in coalition with Strache's far-right FPÖ.\n\nStrache's departure would leave the chancellor with the decision of either dissolving the government and calling new elections, or attempt to maintain his coalition with the FPÖ under a new leader.\n\nStrache was caught on video offering business deals to a woman posing as a Russian oligarch's niece in exchange for her help boosting the FPÖ's news coverage.\n\nThe video, reportedly filmed on the Spanish island of Ibiza in 2017 but only disclosed on Friday evening, has triggered a crisis in the Austrian government, with opposition parties already demanding new elections.\n\nIn the video, parts of which have been released by Der Spiegel and the Süddeutsche Zeitung, a woman calling herself Alyona Makarova can be heard telling Strache and FPÖ parliamentary group leader Johann Gudenus that she is very wealthy and wants to buy a large block of shares at Austria's largest newspaper, the Kronen Zeitung.\n\nShe reportedly claims to be interested in the paper so that she can provide favorable pre-election coverage of the FPÖ. In return, she demands political favors. Strache and Gudenus also describe to her ways in which rich sponsors could donate to the FPÖ via non-profit organizations, so the donations do not become public.\n\nStrache reportedly tells her that the Kronen Zeitung deal could push the FPÖ from 27% up to 34% in the vote, and proposes a number of ways in which he could repay the woman. The video was apparently recorded a few months before the Austrian national election in October 2017, when the FPÖ took 26% of the vote and entered government.\n\nIn a clip of the video that has been released, Strache tells the woman that if his party gains power, state contracts would be given to her supposed companies and no longer be awarded to Austrian construction giant Strabag.", "Alwaght- Austria's Chancellor Sebastian Kurz has called on Saturday for snap elections after his ruling coalition collapsed following a video allegedly showing his far-right deputy's link to Russia.\n\nIn a statement on Saturday, Kurz said he would ask the country's President Alexander Van der Bellen to hold a new vote \"as soon as possible\".\n\nThe call came hours after Heinz-Christian Strache, the vice chancellor and leader of the far-right Freedom Party (FPO) resigned over a covert video that appeared to show him offering government contracts to a Russian woman in exchange for campaign help.\n\nKurz, a conservative who formed a coalition with the FPO a year and a half ago, said the sting was the last straw in the relationship.\n\n\"Enough is enough ... The serious part of this [video] was the attitude towards abuse of power, towards dealing with taxpayers' money, towards the media in this country,\" said the chancellor, who heads the centre-right People's Party.\n\nKurz said he could not reach an agreement with the leadership of Strache's FPO on carrying forward the coalition, adding that a possible coalition with the centre-left Social Democrats would derail the government's programme of limiting debt and taxes.\n\nShortly after Kurz's statement, Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen expressed support for a snap vote and said he would meet with the chancellor again on Sunday to talk over the next steps.\n\nOpposition parties including the Social Democrats, the liberal Neos party and the Greens have also called for fresh elections in the wake of the scandal.\n\nThe downfall of the Austrian coalition comes just a week before elections for the European Parliament and is a blow to one of the most successful anti-immigrant, nationalist parties that have surged across the continent in recent years. The FPO is a major part of a new nationalist grouping that aims to score record gains in the European vote.\n\nStrache quit as vice chancellor and party leader earlier on Saturday after the video was released by two German news organisations. He acknowledged that the video was \"catastrophic\" but denied breaking the law.\n\nIn the footage - aired by the German daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung and weekly Der Spiegel newspapers - Strache was seen meeting a woman posing as the niece of a Russian oligarch in 2017, shortly before the election that brought him to power.\n\nStrache and party colleague Johann Gudenus are heard telling the unnamed woman she could expect lucrative construction work if she bought Austria's Kronen Zeitung newspaper and supported the Freedom Party. He is also seen discussing rules on party financing and how to work around them, although he also insisted on having to act legally.\n\nThe German publications did not reveal the source of the video.\n\nIn his resignation statement, Strache apologised but said he was set up in a \"political assassination\". He conceded his behaviour in the video was \"stupid, irresponsible and a mistake\".\n\nStrache, whose party has a cooperation agreement with Russia's ruling United Russia party, said no money changed hands during the 2017 meeting.\n\nHe insisted the only crime that took place was illegally videotaping a private dinner party.\n\nAl Jazeera's Sonia Gallego, reporting from London, described the timing of the scandal as \"very bad\" for Strache's party because of the upcoming European elections.\n\n\"This has been quite an extraordinary downfall for the leader of the Freedom Party … just only a week to go until the European elections,\" Gallego said, adding the incident had raised \"a lot of questions\" about how the FPO \"finances its own coffers\".\n\nEU parliamentarian Hans-Olaf Henkel said the FPO \"as well as many other right-wing parties in Europe are apparently much-supported by Russia\".\n\n\"For the first time, with the Austrian far-right party, we have found a smoking gun and that's why Strache had to resign,\" Henkel told Al Jazeera from the German capital, Berlin."], "summary": "Sebastian Kurz, Chancellor of Austria, announces the dissolution of his government and calls for a snap election."}
{"document": ["Cairo, Egypt (CNN) At least 17 people were wounded in an explosion that targeted a tourist bus on its way to visit Egypt's Giza pyramids, a doctor at the hospital where they are being treated told CNN.\n\nThe bus was carrying 25 South African citizens, Egypt's state-run Ahram daily reported. A device exploded near the bus, while the windshield of another vehicle was damaged.\n\nTourists arrived in Cairo airport at noon Sunday and were on their way to visit the Great Pyramids of Giza when the blast hit their bus, a tour guide and one of the tourists told CNN outside Al-Haram Hospital where they were taken.\n\n\"As soon as the tour guide said this is the pyramids, the explosion happened,\" a woman wearing a blood-stained white T-shirt told CNN on her way out of the hospital. The interview was interrupted by security before the woman could provide her name.\n\nTen tourists and seven Egyptians were brought to Al-Haram Hospital with minor injuries, Ahmed Bassiouny, a medical doctor, told CNN. Ten patients have left the hospital, while seven were transferred to another hospital.\n\nRead More", "A roadside bomb hit a tourist bus on Sunday near the Giza Pyramids, wounding at least 17 people including tourists, Egyptian officials said. The officials said the bus was traveling on a road close to the under-construction Grand Egyptian Museum, which is located adjacent to the Giza Pyramids but is not yet open to tourists. The bus was carrying at least 25 people mostly from South Africa, officials added. Security forces cordoned off the site of the explosion and the wounded were taken to a nearby hospital, they said.\n\nREAD MORE AT THE NY POST / AP", "CAIRO: An explosion targeting a tourist bus injured at least 12 people near a new museum being built close to the Giza pyramids in Egypt on Sunday, two security sources said. Most of those injured were foreign tourists, the sources said. One security source said they included South African nationals. There were no reports of deaths. A witness, Mohamed el-Mandouh, told media he heard a “very loud explosion” while sitting in traffic near the site of the blast. Pictures posted on social media showed a bus with some of its windows blown out or shattered, and debris in the road next to a low wall with a hole in it. In December, three Vietnamese tourists and an Egyptian guide were killed and at least 10 others injured when a roadside bomb hit their tour bus less than 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) from the Giza pyramids.", "At least 14 people have been injured in an explosion which targeted a tourist bus in front of the Grand Egyptian Museum close to the Giza Pyramids, according to Al Arabiya sources.\n\nMost of those injured were foreign tourists, two sources told Reuters. One security source said they included South African nationals.\n\n \n\n There were no reports of deaths. A witness, Mohamed el-Mandouh, said he heard a “very loud explosion” while sitting in traffic near the site of the blast.\n\n \n\n Pictures posted on social media showed a bus with some of its windows blown out or shattered, and debris in the road next to a low wall with a hole in it.\n\n \n\n In December, three Vietnamese tourists and an Egyptian guide were killed and at least 10 others injured when a roadside bomb hit their tour bus less than four kilometers from the Giza pyramids.", "CAIRO - A roadside bomb hit a tourist bus on Sunday near the Giza Pyramids, wounding at least 17 people including tourists, Egyptian officials said.\n\nThe officials said the bus was travelling on a road close to the under-construction Grand Egyptian Museum, which is located adjacent to the Giza Pyramids but is not yet open to tourists.\n\nThe bus was carrying at least 25 people mostly from South Africa, officials added.\n\nSecurity forces cordoned off the site of the explosion and the wounded were taken to a nearby hospital, they said.\n\nThey said the explosion damaged a windshield of another car. Footage circulated online shows shattered windows of the bus.", "The bus was carrying at least 25 people mostly from South Africa, officials added.\n\nCAIRO — A roadside bomb hit a tourist bus on Sunday near the Giza Pyramids, wounding at least 17 people including tourists, Egyptian officials said.\n\nThe officials said the bus was travelling on a road close to the under-construction Grand Egyptian Museum, which is located adjacent to the Giza Pyramids but is not yet open to tourists.\n\nThe bus was carrying at least 25 people mostly from South Africa, officials added.\n\nThe attack comes as Egypt’s vital tourism industry is showing signs of recovery after years in the doldrums because of the political turmoil and violence that followed a 2011 uprising that toppled former leader Hosni Mubarak.\n\nThe officials said security forces cordoned off the site of the explosion and the wounded were taken to a nearby hospital.\n\nThe explosion damaged a windshield of another car, they said. Footage circulated online shows shattered windows of the bus.\n\nThe officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media.\n\nAtif Moftah, general supervisor of the Grand Egyptian Museum, said the explosion did not cause any damage to the museum, in a statement issued by the antiquities ministry.\n\nNo group has immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. It is the second to target foreign tourists near the famed pyramids in less than six months. In December, a bus carrying 15 Vietnamese tourists was hit by a roadside bomb, killing at least three of them.\n\nEgypt has battled Islamic militants for years in the Sinai Peninsula in an insurgency that has occasionally spilled over to the mainland, hitting minority Christians or tourists. The insurgency gained strength after the 2013 military overthrow of the country’s first freely elected president, an Islamist whose brief rule sparked mass protests.", "CAIRO (Reuters) - An explosion targeting a tourist bus injured at least 12 people on Sunday, mostly South African tourists, near a new museum being built close to the Giza pyramids in Egypt, two security sources said.\n\nA third security source said the bus was carrying 25 South African tourists from the airport to the pyramids area, and that four Egyptians in a nearby car were also injured by broken glass.\n\nSecurity and judicial sources said a rudimentary device containing nails and pieces of metal had been detonated remotely on the perimeter of the Grand Egyptian Museum, not far from the site of a roadside blast that hit another tourist bus in December.\n\nPictures posted on social media showed a bus with some of its windows blown out or shattered, and debris in the road next to a low wall with a hole in it.\n\nOne witness told Reuters he heard a “very loud explosion” while sitting in traffic.\n\nSouth Africa’s foreign ministry said staff from its embassy in Egypt were visiting hospitals to check on the reported injuries.\n\nThe museum is due to open next year as the new home for some of the country’s top antiquities on a site adjoining the world-famous Giza pyramids. It is part of an effort to boost tourism, a key source of foreign revenue for Egypt.\n\nThe sector has been recovering after tourist numbers dropped in the wake of a 2011 uprising and the 2015 bombing of a Russian passenger jet.\n\nThere was no damage to the museum from the blast, which happened 50 meters from its outer fence and more than 400 meters from the museum building, the Antiquities Ministry said in a statement.\n\nThere was no immediate claim of responsibility.\n\nEgyptian security forces are waging a counter insurgency campaign against Islamist militants, some with links to Islamic State, that is focused in the north of the Sinai Peninsula.\n\nAttacks outside Sinai have become relatively rare, though there have been several security incidents in recent months in Giza, across the Nile from central Cairo.\n\nIn December, three Vietnamese tourists and an Egyptian guide were killed and at least 10 others injured when a roadside bomb hit their tour bus less than 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) from the Giza pyramids.", "GIZA CITY, GIZA, Egypt — At least 14 people were injured in an explosion that targeted a tourist bus carrying 25 South African citizens, Egypt’s state-run Ahram daily reported.\n\nA device exploded near the bus, Ahram reported, while the windshield of another vehicle was damaged. The blast took place outside the yet-to-be-opened Grand Egyptian Museum, near the Giza pyramids.\n\nEgypt’s Minister of Tourism Rania A. Al Mashat called it a “minor explosion” in a Twitter post. “Of the 28 passengers on the bus we can confirm some minor injuries with three being treated at the hospital as a precaution,” she wrote.\n\nSouth Africa’s government issued a statement on Sunday, saying the Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Lindiwe Sisulu, had been informed about the incident.\n\n“Initial media reports suggest that South Africans might be among the injured,” the statement said. “The 24-hour operational center has been activated and South Africa’s Ambassador Vusi Mavimbela and his team in Egypt are engaging with authorities including visiting hospitals to verify the information.”\n\n“The bus was hit but it didn’t look like it exploded,” Mona Zeidan, an eyewitness told CNN.\n\n“They were all minor injuries and nothing serious,” Zeidan, who drove by the site of the explosion after the incident, told CNN.\n\n“Security was inspecting the bus,” she added.\n\nAn official at the nearby Al-Haram Hospital told CNN they were receiving the injured tourists.\n\nIn December, three Vietnamese tourists and an Egyptian tour guide were killed when a roadside bomb struck a tourist bus in the Giza region. At least 11 people were injured in the attack.", "A roadside bomb has hit a tourist bus near the Giza Pyramids, Egyptian officials have said.\n\nThe blast on Sunday wounded at least 17 people, including tourists, officials confirmed.\n\nThe officials said the bus was travelling on a road close to the Grand Egyptian Museum, which is under construction and located adjacent to the Giza Pyramids. It is not yet open to tourists.\n\nThe bus was carrying at least 25 people, mostly from South Africa, officials added.\n\nSecurity forces cordoned off the site of the explosion and the wounded were taken to a nearby hospital, they said.\n\nREAD MORE: Egypt warns National Museum of Scotland that pyramid stone exhibit 'could be illegal'\n\nOfficials reported the explosion damaging the windshield of another car. Footage circulated online showed shattered windows on the bus.\n\nIn a statement issued by the antiquities ministry, Atif Moftah, general supervisor of the Grand Egyptian Museum, confirmed the explosion had not caused any damage to the site.\n\nNo group has immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.\n\nREAD MORE: German WWII bomb detonated after being caught in fishing net\n\nEgypt has battled Islamic militants for years in the Sinai Peninsula in an insurgency that has occasionally spilled over to the mainland, hitting minority Christians or tourists.\n\nThe attack comes as Egypt's vital tourism industry is showing signs of recovery after years in the doldrums because of the political turmoil and violence that followed a 2011 uprising that toppled former leader Hosni Mubarak.\n\nIt is the second to target foreign tourists near the famed pyramids in less than six months.\n\nIn December, a bus carrying 15 Vietnamese tourists was hit by a roadside bomb, killing at least three of them.\n\nThe Foreign Office said terrorists are \"very likely\" to carry out attacks in Egypt.\n\nA statement said there have been threats to western nationals, institutions and businesses posted on websites and social media. The main threat to foreigners is from extremists linked to Daesh-Sinai.", "An explosion targeting a tourist bus injured at least 12 people on Sunday, mostly South African tourists, near a new museum being built close to the Giza pyramids in Egypt, two security sources said."], "summary": "An explosion hits a tourist bus carrying South African nationals near the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza, Egypt, injuring at least 14 people."}
{"document": ["As long-simmering tensions heat up between the United States and Iran in the Middle East, a look at the various countries or players involved, and what could happen:\n\nThe U.S. has tens of thousands of troops scattered across military bases in the Middle East. It recently sent the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier and strike group to the region, as well as B-52 bombers. That complements the warships of the 5th Fleet in Bahrain, the soldiers of U.S. Army Central in Kuwait, the drones and fighter jets stationed in the United Arab Emirates and the forward headquarters of the U.S. military’s Central Command in Qatar. President Donald Trump has threatened Iran with attack if it first launches an assault on U.S. interests. However, Trump also has sought at times to soften his tone amid his maximum pressure campaign against Tehran, to go with additional sanctions that Washington has imposed after withdrawing from the 2015 nuclear deal that Iran reached with world powers. Analysts fear the chance of a miscalculation by either Iran or the U.S. amid the tensions. The U.S. also has developed cyberwarfare capabilities.\n\nAlthough Israel has been silent amid the recent tensions, it has played a key role in getting the region to this point. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who considers Iran to be his country’s greatest enemy, welcomed Trump’s withdrawal from the nuclear deal and encouraged renewed economic sanctions. Israeli officials have portrayed the standoff as a matter between Iran and the U.S. But if fighting breaks out, Israel could be targeted by Iran’s regional proxies, such as Hezbollah in Lebanon or Islamic Jihad in Gaza. Israel has the Middle East’s most powerful and advanced military, with F-15 and F-16 warplanes, as well as the next-generation F-35 fighter jet. It also has warships, submarines and long-range missiles. Israel has a missile-defense system capable of intercepting anything from long-range missiles to short-range rockets fired from Gaza or Lebanon. Israel is widely believed to have a nuclear arsenal, which it neither confirms nor denies. Israel has acknowledged carrying out scores of attacks on Iranian targets in neighboring Syria, sometimes drawing retaliation. Israel, which has conducted pre-emptive bombings of nuclear facilities in Iraq and Syria, has vowed to never allow Iran to obtain an atomic weapon. It also has developed cyberwarfare capabilities.\n\nThe Sunni rival to Shiite Iran, Saudi Arabia long has watched Tehran with suspicion since its 1979 Islamic Revolution. Relations have cooled and warmed in the last four decades. The U.S. push for the 2015 nuclear deal drew Saudi anger. Since the rise of King Salman and his assertive, 33-year-old son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom has taken a far-more militant line. It launched the war in Yemen, targeting Iranian-allied Houthi rebels. Prince Mohammed also compared Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to Nazi Germany’s Adolf Hitler. “We won’t wait for the battle to be in Saudi Arabia,” the prince told the Saudi-owned broadcasting company MBC in 2017. “Instead, we will work so that the battle is for them in Iran, not in Saudi Arabia.” A top Saudi diplomat said the kingdom does not want war but won’t hesitate to defend itself against Iran. Saudi Arabia has a fleet of over 250 fighter jets capable of launching a strike on Iran.\n\nThe seven sheikhdoms of the United Arab Emirates have long historical ties to Iran, but diplomatic relations between Abu Dhabi and Tehran have worsened in recent years. Analysts believe Abu Dhabi’s powerful crown prince, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, largely runs day-to-day affairs and military strategy. In U.S. State Department cables released by WikiLeaks, Sheikh Mohammed painted a dire picture of Iran in multiple meetings. He told U.S. diplomats in 2009 he believed “‘all hell will break loose’ if Iran attains the bomb, with Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Turkey developing their own nuclear weapons capability and Iran instigating Sunni-Shia conflict throughout the world.” He also described a “near-term conventional war with Iran as clearly preferable to the long term consequences of a nuclear-armed Iran.” The UAE under Sheikh Mohammed has rapidly modernized and expanded its military, with its special forces getting experience in Afghanistan. It now fights alongside Saudi Arabia against Yemen’s Houthi rebels, has reportedly hired Colombian mercenaries and has over 130 fighter jets.\n\nIran has both a standing military and its paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. Estimates put its troop strength at over 500,000, with hundreds of thousands more in reserve. Its air force has suffered from Western sanctions, now having a fleet of mostly pre-1979 American fighter jets. However, the Guard maintains an arsenal of ballistic missiles capable of reaching across the wider Middle East, as well as increasingly modern drone fleet. Iran mustered human wave attacks during its 1980s war with neighboring Iraq. It also has additional reach through proxy forces throughout the region and has used that to its advantage over the years. It also has developed cyberwarfare capabilities.\n\nHezbollah, the most powerful and effective among Iranian-backed militias in the region, has kept quiet in recent days as tensions have spiked. Its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, however, has said in the past that Iran would not stand alone in any future confrontation with the U.S. The group, formed to combat Israel following its invasion of Lebanon in 1982, has tens of thousands of rockets and missiles that can reach deep into Israel, as well as thousands of disciplined and battle-hardened fighters. Hezbollah has fought alongside government forces in Syria for more than six years, gaining more experience and expanding its reach. Iran could mobilize Hezbollah to strike at Israel, which would dramatically expand the battlefield but likely draw retaliation that would be devastating for Lebanon. Hezbollah says it is not seeking another war with Israel, and it is not likely to join in any regional confrontation - at least not in the early stages - unless provoked. Hezbollah has lost hundreds of fighters in Syria, exacting a heavy toll on the Shiite community from which it draws most of its support. It is also feeling the crippling U.S. sanctions imposed on the group and its sponsor, Iran.\n\nIran can count on the loyalty of tens of thousands of Shiite fighters in Iraq, militias collectively known as the Popular Mobilization forces, or Hashd al-Shaabi in Arabic. Trained, financed, and equipped by Iran, the militias battled U.S. forces in the years after the 2003 invasion and remobilized to battle the Islamic State group a decade later. The groups include Asaib Ahl al-Haq, Kataeb Hezbollah and the Badr Organization, all three led by men with close ties to Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the leader of Iran’s elite Quds Force and the architect of Tehran’s regional strategy. The militias were incorporated into Iraq’s armed forces in 2016. Together they number more than 140,000 fighters, and while they fall under the authority of Iraq’s prime minister, the PMF’s top brass align politically with Iran. U.S. forces and the PMF fought side-by-side against IS militants after Iraq’s parliament invited the U.S. back into the country in 2014. But now that the war is largely concluded, some militia leaders are calling on U.S. troops to leave again, threatening to expel them by force if necessary. On Sunday, a rocket was fired into Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone, landing less than a mile from the U.S. Embassy. No group claimed responsibility, but an Iraqi military spokesman said the rocket was fired from eastern Baghdad, where many Iran-backed groups are based.\n\nYemen’s Houthi rebels seized the country’s capital, Sanaa, in 2014. It later pushed the country’s internationally recognized government nearly into the sea in Aden before a Saudi-led coalition launched a war against them in March 2015. Since then, the Houthis have been effective guerrilla fighters with small arms, but also have launched ballistic missiles into neighboring Saudi Arabia. They’ve flown drones into Patriot missile batteries and exploded bomb-carrying ones over a military parade and a Saudi oil pipeline from a distance. U.N. experts believe their newest drone likely has a range of up to 1,500 kilometers (930 miles). They also have arms seized from Yemeni military barracks, including missiles fired at an Emirati ship, commercial boats and even once against a U.S. warship.\n\nGambrell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Karam reported from Beirut and Federman reported from Jerusalem.", "Top officials from President Donald Trump’s administration will brief the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives about Iran on Tuesday afternoon, congressional aides said, after lawmakers clamored for more information about tension between the two countries.\n\nThe briefers will be Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Joseph Dunford and an unnamed representative of the intelligence community, congressional aides said.\n\nAides had said last week that a Senate briefing was set for Tuesday, but details of the House meeting had not been made final.\n\nPresident Trump threatened Iran in a tweet on Sunday, raising concerns about a potential U.S.-Iran conflict at a time when tensions between Washington and Tehran have risen.\n\nConcern also rose after a rocket was fired on Sunday into the Iraqi capital Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone, which houses government buildings and diplomatic missions, falling near the U.S. Embassy, but causing no casualties.", "Iran is ramping up its uranium output, a provocative step that threatens to further inflame simmering tensions with the United States and deepen regional conflict following a series of dangerous escalations in the Middle East. Iranian production of low-enriched uranium has recently increased fourfold, putting the nation on a path to exceed limits on nuclear materials set out in a 2015 agreement with world powers, a spokesperson for Iran's atomic energy agency told Iranian news outlets on Monday. The supplies in question are not enriched to a level suitable for weapons development. Still, the increased output threatens to further erode the Iran nuclear deal and destabilize a region that provides much of the world's energy supply.\n\nThe stockpiling also raises concerns about the proliferation of nuclear materials, said Helima Croft, global head of commodity strategy at RBC Capital Markets. \"We are woefully underappreciating the seriousness of this crisis,\" she said. President Donald Trump announced he would pull the U.S. out of the nuclear accord and restore wide-ranging economic sanctions against Iran just over a year ago. The other parties to the deal — China, Russia and the European Union — condemned the U.S. withdrawal and have attempted to preserve the agreement, which put limits on Iran's nuclear activity in exchange for sanctions relief. Iran continued to abide by the terms of the deal until Washington sharply escalated tensions last month. In April, the Trump administration designated the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps a terrorist organization and announced it would tighten sanctions in a bid to drive Iran's oil exports to zero. Shortly after the new U.S. sanctions policy took effect this month, Iran said it would stop complying with key parts of the nuclear deal.\n\nLast week, Iran began delivering on that threat by continuing to enrich uranium, even though U.S. sanctions waivers allowing Iran to ship excess uranium to Russia and heavy water to Oman expired. Without the permissions to send those materials out of the country, Iran would have eventually overshot the amount of uranium and heavy water it is allowed to stockpile under the nuclear deal — unless it completely stopped enrichment activity. But the comments from Atomic Energy Organization of Iran spokesperson Behrouz Kamalvandi on Monday suggest Iran is not just on pace to exceed the uranium cap, but is now racing towards it. \"The comparison here is they were already going 55 miles per hour and heading towards a busted bridge. And so what the AEOI is saying is that they threw a brick on the accelerator,\" said Richard Nephew, a lead sanctions expert for the State Department team that negotiated the Iran nuclear deal under President Barack Obama. \"They would have eventually breached the threshold. What they're saying today is they are deliberately and intentionally trying to breach the threshold faster,\" said Nephew, now a senior research scholar at Columbia University's Center on Global Energy Policy.\n\nFor the moment, Iran is not exceeding the enrichment cap of 3.67% uranium, an amount consistent with civilian nuclear power development. However, Iran has threatened to blow past that level if Europe and the remaining parties to the nuclear accord do not take measures to bolster the Iranian economy. Though uranium must be enriched to 90% to make weapons, much of the work to reach that tipping point has already been done once uranium is enriched within a range of 3% to 4%. The latest escalation follows a troubling series of events in recent weeks, including the expedited deployment of U.S. military assets to the Persian Gulf, an attack on four ships off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, and a drone strike by Iran-aligned Houthi rebels on Saudi oil infrastructure. On Sunday, a rocket struck the heavily fortified Green Zone in Baghdad, the seat of Iraqi power and the international community. The same day, Trump tweeted that if Iran wants a fight, it would be \"the official end of Iran.\" \"The market just believes it's like a perpetual game of brinkmanship and we never hit the tripwire,\" said RBC's Croft. \"The question is can we keep playing chicken without having head-on collision?\"", "BAGHDAD — Leading Iraqi Shiite figures warned Monday against attempts to pull their country into a war between the U.S. and Iran, saying it would turn Iraq into a battlefield yet again, just as it is on the path to recovery.\n\nThe warning came hours after a rocket slammed into Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone, landing less than a mile from the sprawling U.S. Embassy. No injuries were reported and no group immediately claimed the Sunday night attack.\n\nShortly after, President Donald Trump tweeted a warning to Iran not to threaten the United States or it will face its “official end.”\n\nLast week, the U.S. ordered the evacuation of nonessential diplomatic staff from Iraq amid unspecified threats from Iran and rising tensions across the region. The White House has also sent warships and bombers to the Persian Gulf to counter the alleged Iranian threats.\n\nOn Monday, two influential Shiite clerics and a leading politician — all with close ties to Iran — warned that Iraq could once again get caught in the middle. The country hosts more than 5,000 U.S. troops, and is home to powerful Iranian-backed militias, some of whom want those U.S. forces to leave.\n\nPopulist Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr said any political party that would drag Iraq in a U.S.-Iran war “would be the enemy of the Iraqi people.”\n\n“This war would mark the end of Iraq,” the black-turbaned al-Sadr warned. “We need peace and reconstruction.”\n\nQais al-Khazali, the leader the Iranian-backed Asaib Ahl al-Haq, or League of the Righteous group, tweeted that he is opposed to operations that “give pretexts for war” and added that they would only “harm Iraq’s political, economic and security conditions.”\n\nFor the Shiite-majority Iraq to be a theater for proxy wars is not new. It lies on the fault line between Shiite Iran and the mostly Sunni Arab world, led by powerhouse Saudi Arabia, and has long been the setting where Saudi-Iran rivalry for regional supremacy played out.\n\nAfter America’s 2003 invasion of Iraq to oust dictator Saddam Hussein, American troops and Iranian-backed militiamen fought pitched battles around the country, and scores of U.S. troops were killed or wounded by sophisticated Iranian-made weapons.\n\nThe office of Hadi al-Amiri, the leader of a coalition of Shiite paramilitary forces backed by both Baghdad and Tehran, released a statement calling on Iraqis to work together “to keep Iraq and the region away from war.”\n\n“If war breaks out ... it will burn everyone,” al-Amiri warned.\n\nCopyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.", "Iran boosts uranium enrichment as tensions with US spiral\n\nTEHRAN — Iran quadrupled its uranium-enrichment production capacity amid tensions with the U.S. over Tehran’s atomic program, nuclear officials said Monday, just after President Trump and Iran’s foreign minister traded threats and taunts on Twitter.\n\nIranian officials made a point to stress that the uranium would be enriched only to the 3.67% limit set under the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, making it usable for a power plant but far below what’s needed for an atomic weapon.\n\nBut by increasing production, Iran soon will go beyond the stockpile limitations set by the accord. Tehran has set a July 7 deadline for Europe to come up with new terms for the deal, or it will enrich closer to weapons-grade levels in the Middle East already on edge. The Trump administration has deployed bombers and an aircraft carrier to the region over still-unspecified threats from Iran.\n\nAlready this month, officials in the United Arab Emirates alleged that four oil tankers were damaged in a sabotage attack; Yemeni rebels allied with Iran launched a drone attack on an oil pipeline in Saudi Arabia; and U.S. diplomats relayed a warning that commercial airlines could be misidentified by Iran and attacked, something dismissed by Tehran.\n\nA rocket landed Sunday near the U.S. Embassy in the Green Zone of Iraq’s capital of Baghdad, days after nonessential U.S. staff were ordered to evacuate from diplomatic posts in the country. No one was reported injured. Iraqi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Rasoul said the rocket was believed to have been fired from eastern Baghdad, an area home to Iran-backed Shiite militias.\n\nThe state-run IRNA news agency quoted Behrouz Kamalvandi, the spokesman of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, as acknowledging that capacity had been quadrupled. Kamalvandi said Iran had informed the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N. nuclear watchdog, of the development. The Vienna-based agency did not respond to a request for comment.\n\nTehran long has insisted it does not seek nuclear weapons, though the West fears its program could allow it to build them.\n\nBefore Iran’s announcement, Trump tweeted: “If Iran wants to fight, that will be the official end of Iran. Never threaten the United States again!”\n\nTrump’s remarks reflect what has been a strategy of alternating tough talk with more conciliatory statements he says is aimed at keeping Iran guessing at the administration’s intentions. He also has said he hopes Iran calls him and engages in negotiations.\n\nBut while Trump’s approach of flattery and threats has become a hallmark of his foreign policy, the risks have only grown in dealing with Iran, where mistrust between Tehran and Washington stretch back four decades. While both Washington and Tehran say they don’t seek war, many worry any miscalculation could spin out of control.\n\nNasser Karimi and Jon Gambrell are Associated Press writers.", "Amid Iran tensions, a look at Mideast's powers and proxies\n\nAs long-simmering tensions heat up between the United States and Iran in the Middle East, a look at the various countries or players involved, and what could happen:\n\nThe U.S. has tens of thousands of troops scattered across military bases in the Middle East. It recently sent the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier and strike group to the region, as well as B-52 bombers. That complements the warships of the 5th Fleet in Bahrain, the soldiers of U.S. Army Central in Kuwait, the drones and fighter jets stationed in the United Arab Emirates and the forward headquarters of the U.S. military's Central Command in Qatar. President Donald Trump has threatened Iran with attack if it first launches an assault on U.S. interests. However, Trump also has sought at times to soften his tone amid his maximum pressure campaign against Tehran, to go with additional sanctions that Washington has imposed after withdrawing from the 2015 nuclear deal that Iran reached with world powers. Analysts fear the chance of a miscalculation by either Iran or the U.S. amid the tensions. The U.S. also has developed cyberwarfare capabilities.\n\nAlthough Israel has been silent amid the recent tensions, it has played a key role in getting the region to this point. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who considers Iran to be his country's greatest enemy, welcomed Trump's withdrawal from the nuclear deal and encouraged renewed economic sanctions. Israeli officials have portrayed the standoff as a matter between Iran and the U.S. But if fighting breaks out, Israel could be targeted by Iran's regional proxies, such as Hezbollah in Lebanon or Islamic Jihad in Gaza. Israel has the Middle East's most powerful and advanced military, with F-15 and F-16 warplanes, as well as the next-generation F-35 fighter jet. It also has warships, submarines and long-range missiles. Israel has a missile-defense system capable of intercepting anything from long-range missiles to short-range rockets fired from Gaza or Lebanon. Israel is widely believed to have a nuclear arsenal, which it neither confirms nor denies. Israel has acknowledged carrying out scores of attacks on Iranian targets in neighboring Syria, sometimes drawing retaliation. Israel, which has conducted pre-emptive bombings of nuclear facilities in Iraq and Syria, has vowed to never allow Iran to obtain an atomic weapon. It also has developed cyberwarfare capabilities.\n\nThe Sunni rival to Shiite Iran, Saudi Arabia long has watched Tehran with suspicion since its 1979 Islamic Revolution. Relations have cooled and warmed in the last four decades. The U.S. push for the 2015 nuclear deal drew Saudi anger. Since the rise of King Salman and his assertive, 33-year-old son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom has taken a far-more militant line. It launched the war in Yemen, targeting Iranian-allied Houthi rebels. Prince Mohammed also compared Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to Nazi Germany's Adolf Hitler. \"We won't wait for the battle to be in Saudi Arabia,\" the prince told the Saudi-owned broadcasting company MBC in 2017. \"Instead, we will work so that the battle is for them in Iran, not in Saudi Arabia.\" A top Saudi diplomat said the kingdom does not want war but won't hesitate to defend itself against Iran. Saudi Arabia has a fleet of over 250 fighter jets capable of launching a strike on Iran.\n\nThe seven sheikhdoms of the United Arab Emirates have long historical ties to Iran, but diplomatic relations between Abu Dhabi and Tehran have worsened in recent years. Analysts believe Abu Dhabi's powerful crown prince, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, largely runs day-to-day affairs and military strategy. In U.S. State Department cables released by WikiLeaks, Sheikh Mohammed painted a dire picture of Iran in multiple meetings. He told U.S. diplomats in 2009 he believed \"'all hell will break loose' if Iran attains the bomb, with Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Turkey developing their own nuclear weapons capability and Iran instigating Sunni-Shia conflict throughout the world.\" He also described a \"near-term conventional war with Iran as clearly preferable to the long term consequences of a nuclear-armed Iran.\" The UAE under Sheikh Mohammed has rapidly modernized and expanded its military, with its special forces getting experience in Afghanistan. It now fights alongside Saudi Arabia against Yemen's Houthi rebels, has reportedly hired Colombian mercenaries and has over 130 fighter jets.\n\nIran has both a standing military and its paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. Estimates put its troop strength at over 500,000, with hundreds of thousands more in reserve. Its air force has suffered from Western sanctions, now having a fleet of mostly pre-1979 American fighter jets. However, the Guard maintains an arsenal of ballistic missiles capable of reaching across the wider Middle East, as well as increasingly modern drone fleet. Iran mustered human wave attacks during its 1980s war with neighboring Iraq. It also has additional reach through proxy forces throughout the region and has used that to its advantage over the years. It also has developed cyberwarfare capabilities.\n\nHezbollah, the most powerful and effective among Iranian-backed militias in the region, has kept quiet in recent days as tensions have spiked. Its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, however, has said in the past that Iran would not stand alone in any future confrontation with the U.S. The group, formed to combat Israel following its invasion of Lebanon in 1982, has tens of thousands of rockets and missiles that can reach deep into Israel, as well as thousands of disciplined and battle-hardened fighters. Hezbollah has fought alongside government forces in Syria for more than six years, gaining more experience and expanding its reach. Iran could mobilize Hezbollah to strike at Israel, which would dramatically expand the battlefield but likely draw retaliation that would be devastating for Lebanon. Hezbollah says it is not seeking another war with Israel, and it is not likely to join in any regional confrontation — at least not in the early stages — unless provoked. Hezbollah has lost hundreds of fighters in Syria, exacting a heavy toll on the Shiite community from which it draws most of its support. It is also feeling the crippling U.S. sanctions imposed on the group and its sponsor, Iran.\n\nIran can count on the loyalty of tens of thousands of Shiite fighters in Iraq, militias collectively known as the Popular Mobilization forces, or Hashd al-Shaabi in Arabic. Trained, financed, and equipped by Iran, the militias battled U.S. forces in the years after the 2003 invasion and remobilized to battle the Islamic State group a decade later. The groups include Asaib Ahl al-Haq, Kataeb Hezbollah and the Badr Organization, all three led by men with close ties to Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the leader of Iran's elite Quds Force and the architect of Tehran's regional strategy. The militias were incorporated into Iraq's armed forces in 2016. Together they number more than 140,000 fighters, and while they fall under the authority of Iraq's prime minister, the PMF's top brass align politically with Iran. U.S. forces and the PMF fought side-by-side against IS militants after Iraq's parliament invited the U.S. back into the country in 2014. But now that the war is largely concluded, some militia leaders are calling on U.S. troops to leave again, threatening to expel them by force if necessary. On Sunday, a rocket was fired into Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone, landing less than a mile from the U.S. Embassy. No group claimed responsibility, but an Iraqi military spokesman said the rocket was fired from eastern Baghdad, where many Iran-backed groups are based.\n\nYemen's Houthi rebels seized the country's capital, Sanaa, in 2014. It later pushed the country's internationally recognized government nearly into the sea in Aden before a Saudi-led coalition launched a war against them in March 2015. Since then, the Houthis have been effective guerrilla fighters with small arms, but also have launched ballistic missiles into neighboring Saudi Arabia. They've flown drones into Patriot missile batteries and exploded bomb-carrying ones over a military parade and a Saudi oil pipeline from a distance. U.N. experts believe their newest drone likely has a range of up to 1,500 kilometers (930 miles). They also have arms seized from Yemeni military barracks, including missiles fired at an Emirati ship, commercial boats and even once against a U.S. warship.\n\nGambrell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Karam reported from Beirut and Federman reported from Jerusalem.", "Saudi Arabia has called for two urgent meetings of its Arab allies later this month to discuss recent attacks on shipping and oil production sites amid rising tensions with bitter regional rival Iran.\n\n \n\n Saudi King Salman on May 18 called for leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council and the Arab League to meet for the emergency summits in Mecca on May 30.\n\n \n\n Saudi and other officials said the discussions would focus on an attack on four commercial vessels off the coast of the United Arab Emirates and a series of armed drone attacks on oil production sites near Riyadh.\n\n \n\n Iran has denied it was involved in the attack on the vessels. Yemen-based Huthi rebels, who are supported by Tehran, have claimed responsibility for the drone attacks on Saudi Arabia.\n\n \n\n Leaders at the summits will \"discuss these aggressions and their repercussions on the region,\" the official Saudi news agency SPA quoted a Foreign Ministry official as saying.\n\n \n\n The U.A.E., a close Saudi ally, welcomed King Salman’s call to convene the Mecca summits and said the “critical circumstances” in the Middle East called for a united stand by Arab nations in the Persian Gulf and elsewhere.\n\n \n\n Sunni Muslim Saudi Arabia and the U.A.E. are strong allies of the United States in the geopolitical battle against Shi’ite-led Iran.\n\n \n\n Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir on May 19 accused Iran of seeking to destabilize the region and urged the international community to take responsibility to stop Tehran from doing so.\n\n \n\n The flurry of activity comes amid increasing tensions between the United States and Iran. Washington has beefed up its military presence in the Middle East after what it said were intelligence reports suggesting Iran was planning an attack.\n\n \n\n Despite the moves, U.S. President Donald Trump has said he is not looking to start a war with Tehran and has urged Iranian leaders to sit down for talks.\n\n \n\n Iranian leaders have also dismissed the possibility of war.\n\n \n\n \"There will be no war because neither do we want a war, nor has anyone the idea or illusion it can confront Iran in the region,\" Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said during a visit to Beijing, Iran's IRNA state news agency reported.\n\n \n\n Jubeir, the Saudi foreign minister, also said his country \"does not want a war in the region nor does it seek that.\"\n\n \n\n \"It will do what it can to prevent this war and, at the same time, it reaffirms that in the event the other side chooses war, the kingdom will respond with all force and determination, and it will defend itself and its interests.\"\n\n \n\n Meanwhile, the small Persian Gulf nation of Bahrain said it is ordering all of its citizens to immediately leave Iraq and Iran amid the rising tensions in the region.\n\n \n\n Bahrain's Foreign Ministry cited the \"unstable situation in the region and the grave developments and threats that threaten security and stability.\"\n\n \n\n Sunni-led Bahrain regularly accuses Iran of stirring dissent among its Shi’ite-majority population.\n\nWith reporting by dpa, Reuters, and AFP", "As long-simmering tensions heat up between the United States and Iran in the Middle East, a look at the various countries or players involved, and what could happen:\n\nThe U.S. has tens of thousands of troops scattered across military bases in the Middle East. It recently sent the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier and strike group to the region, as well as B-52 bombers. That complements the warships of the 5th Fleet in Bahrain, the soldiers of U.S. Army Central in Kuwait, the drones and fighter jets stationed in the United Arab Emirates and the forward headquarters of the U.S. military’s Central Command in Qatar. President Donald Trump has threatened Iran with attack if it first launches an assault on U.S. interests. However, Trump also has sought at times to soften his tone amid his maximum pressure campaign against Tehran, to go with additional sanctions that Washington has imposed after withdrawing from the 2015 nuclear deal that Iran reached with world powers. Analysts fear the chance of a miscalculation by either Iran or the U.S. amid the tensions. The U.S. also has developed cyberwarfare capabilities.\n\nAlthough Israel has been silent amid the recent tensions, it has played a key role in getting the region to this point. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who considers Iran to be his country’s greatest enemy, welcomed Trump’s withdrawal from the nuclear deal and encouraged renewed economic sanctions. Israeli officials have portrayed the standoff as a matter between Iran and the U.S. But if fighting breaks out, Israel could be targeted by Iran’s regional proxies, such as Hezbollah in Lebanon or Islamic Jihad in Gaza. Israel has the Middle East’s most powerful and advanced military, with F-15 and F-16 warplanes, as well as the next-generation F-35 fighter jet. It also has warships, submarines and long-range missiles. Israel has a missile-defense system capable of intercepting anything from long-range missiles to short-range rockets fired from Gaza or Lebanon. Israel is widely believed to have a nuclear arsenal, which it neither confirms nor denies. Israel has acknowledged carrying out scores of attacks on Iranian targets in neighboring Syria, sometimes drawing retaliation. Israel, which has conducted pre-emptive bombings of nuclear facilities in Iraq and Syria, has vowed to never allow Iran to obtain an atomic weapon. It also has developed cyberwarfare capabilities.\n\nThe Sunni rival to Shiite Iran, Saudi Arabia long has watched Tehran with suspicion since its 1979 Islamic Revolution. Relations have cooled and warmed in the last four decades. The U.S. push for the 2015 nuclear deal drew Saudi anger. Since the rise of King Salman and his assertive, 33-year-old son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom has taken a far-more militant line. It launched the war in Yemen, targeting Iranian-allied Houthi rebels. Prince Mohammed also compared Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to Nazi Germany’s Adolf Hitler. “We won’t wait for the battle to be in Saudi Arabia,” the prince told the Saudi-owned broadcasting company MBC in 2017. “Instead, we will work so that the battle is for them in Iran, not in Saudi Arabia.” A top Saudi diplomat said the kingdom does not want war but won’t hesitate to defend itself against Iran. Saudi Arabia has a fleet of over 250 fighter jets capable of launching a strike on Iran.\n\nThe seven sheikhdoms of the United Arab Emirates have long historical ties to Iran, but diplomatic relations between Abu Dhabi and Tehran have worsened in recent years. Analysts believe Abu Dhabi’s powerful crown prince, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, largely runs day-to-day affairs and military strategy. In U.S. State Department cables released by WikiLeaks, Sheikh Mohammed painted a dire picture of Iran in multiple meetings. He told U.S. diplomats in 2009 he believed “’all hell will break loose’ if Iran attains the bomb, with Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Turkey developing their own nuclear weapons capability and Iran instigating Sunni-Shia conflict throughout the world.” He also described a “near-term conventional war with Iran as clearly preferable to the long term consequences of a nuclear-armed Iran.” The UAE under Sheikh Mohammed has rapidly modernized and expanded its military, with its special forces getting experience in Afghanistan. It now fights alongside Saudi Arabia against Yemen’s Houthi rebels, has reportedly hired Colombian mercenaries and has over 130 fighter jets.\n\nIran has both a standing military and its paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. Estimates put its troop strength at over 500,000, with hundreds of thousands more in reserve. Its air force has suffered from Western sanctions, now having a fleet of mostly pre-1979 American fighter jets. However, the Guard maintains an arsenal of ballistic missiles capable of reaching across the wider Middle East, as well as increasingly modern drone fleet. Iran mustered human wave attacks during its 1980s war with neighboring Iraq. It also has additional reach through proxy forces throughout the region and has used that to its advantage over the years. It also has developed cyberwarfare capabilities.\n\nHezbollah, the most powerful and effective among Iranian-backed militias in the region, has kept quiet in recent days as tensions have spiked. Its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, however, has said in the past that Iran would not stand alone in any future confrontation with the U.S. The group, formed to combat Israel following its invasion of Lebanon in 1982, has tens of thousands of rockets and missiles that can reach deep into Israel, as well as thousands of disciplined and battle-hardened fighters. Hezbollah has fought alongside government forces in Syria for more than six years, gaining more experience and expanding its reach. Iran could mobilize Hezbollah to strike at Israel, which would dramatically expand the battlefield but likely draw retaliation that would be devastating for Lebanon. Hezbollah says it is not seeking another war with Israel, and it is not likely to join in any regional confrontation — at least not in the early stages — unless provoked. Hezbollah has lost hundreds of fighters in Syria, exacting a heavy toll on the Shiite community from which it draws most of its support. It is also feeling the crippling U.S. sanctions imposed on the group and its sponsor, Iran.\n\nIran can count on the loyalty of tens of thousands of Shiite fighters in Iraq, militias collectively known as the Popular Mobilization forces, or Hashd al-Shaabi in Arabic. Trained, financed, and equipped by Iran, the militias battled U.S. forces in the years after the 2003 invasion and remobilized to battle the Islamic State group a decade later. The groups include Asaib Ahl al-Haq, Kataeb Hezbollah and the Badr Organization, all three led by men with close ties to Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the leader of Iran’s elite Quds Force and the architect of Tehran’s regional strategy. The militias were incorporated into Iraq’s armed forces in 2016. Together they number more than 140,000 fighters, and while they fall under the authority of Iraq’s prime minister, the PMF’s top brass align politically with Iran. U.S. forces and the PMF fought side-by-side against IS militants after Iraq’s parliament invited the U.S. back into the country in 2014. But now that the war is largely concluded, some militia leaders are calling on U.S. troops to leave again, threatening to expel them by force if necessary. On Sunday, a rocket was fired into Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone, landing less than a mile from the U.S. Embassy. No group claimed responsibility, but an Iraqi military spokesman said the rocket was fired from eastern Baghdad, where many Iran-backed groups are based.\n\nYemen’s Houthi rebels seized the country’s capital, Sanaa, in 2014. It later pushed the country’s internationally recognized government nearly into the sea in Aden before a Saudi-led coalition launched a war against them in March 2015. Since then, the Houthis have been effective guerrilla fighters with small arms, but also have launched ballistic missiles into neighboring Saudi Arabia. They’ve flown drones into Patriot missile batteries and exploded bomb-carrying ones over a military parade and a Saudi oil pipeline from a distance. U.N. experts believe their newest drone likely has a range of up to 1,500 kilometers (930 miles). They also have arms seized from Yemeni military barracks, including missiles fired at an Emirati ship, commercial boats and even once against a U.S. warship.\n\nGambrell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Karam reported from Beirut and Federman reported from Jerusalem.\n\nCopyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.", "As long-simmering tensions heat up between the United States and Iran in the Middle East, a look at the various countries or players involved, and what could happen:\n\nThe U.S. has tens of thousands of troops scattered across military bases in the Middle East. It recently sent the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier and strike group to the region, as well as B-52 bombers. That complements the warships of the 5th Fleet in Bahrain, the soldiers of U.S. Army Central in Kuwait, the drones and fighter jets stationed in the United Arab Emirates and the forward headquarters of the U.S. military’s Central Command in Qatar. President Donald Trump has threatened Iran with attack if it first launches an assault on U.S. interests. However, Trump also has sought at times to soften his tone amid his maximum pressure campaign against Tehran, to go with additional sanctions that Washington has imposed after withdrawing from the 2015 nuclear deal that Iran reached with world powers. Analysts fear the chance of a miscalculation by either Iran or the U.S. amid the tensions. The U.S. also has developed cyberwarfare capabilities.\n\nAlthough Israel has been silent amid the recent tensions, it has played a key role in getting the region to this point. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who considers Iran to be his country’s greatest enemy, welcomed Trump’s withdrawal from the nuclear deal and encouraged renewed economic sanctions. Israeli officials have portrayed the standoff as a matter between Iran and the U.S. But if fighting breaks out, Israel could be targeted by Iran’s regional proxies, such as Hezbollah in Lebanon or Islamic Jihad in Gaza. Israel has the Middle East’s most powerful and advanced military, with F-15 and F-16 warplanes, as well as the next-generation F-35 fighter jet. It also has warships, submarines and long-range missiles. Israel has a missile-defense system capable of intercepting anything from long-range missiles to short-range rockets fired from Gaza or Lebanon. Israel is widely believed to have a nuclear arsenal, which it neither confirms nor denies. Israel has acknowledged carrying out scores of attacks on Iranian targets in neighboring Syria, sometimes drawing retaliation. Israel, which has conducted pre-emptive bombings of nuclear facilities in Iraq and Syria, has vowed to never allow Iran to obtain an atomic weapon. It also has developed cyberwarfare capabilities.\n\nThe Sunni rival to Shiite Iran, Saudi Arabia long has watched Tehran with suspicion since its 1979 Islamic Revolution. Relations have cooled and warmed in the last four decades. The U.S. push for the 2015 nuclear deal drew Saudi anger. Since the rise of King Salman and his assertive, 33-year-old son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom has taken a far-more militant line. It launched the war in Yemen, targeting Iranian-allied Houthi rebels. Prince Mohammed also compared Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to Nazi Germany’s Adolf Hitler. “We won’t wait for the battle to be in Saudi Arabia,” the prince told the Saudi-owned broadcasting company MBC in 2017. “Instead, we will work so that the battle is for them in Iran, not in Saudi Arabia.” A top Saudi diplomat said the kingdom does not want war but won’t hesitate to defend itself against Iran. Saudi Arabia has a fleet of over 250 fighter jets capable of launching a strike on Iran.\n\nThe seven sheikhdoms of the United Arab Emirates have long historical ties to Iran, but diplomatic relations between Abu Dhabi and Tehran have worsened in recent years. Analysts believe Abu Dhabi’s powerful crown prince, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, largely runs day-to-day affairs and military strategy. In U.S. State Department cables released by WikiLeaks, Sheikh Mohammed painted a dire picture of Iran in multiple meetings. He told U.S. diplomats in 2009 he believed “‘all hell will break loose’ if Iran attains the bomb, with Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Turkey developing their own nuclear weapons capability and Iran instigating Sunni-Shia conflict throughout the world.” He also described a “near-term conventional war with Iran as clearly preferable to the long term consequences of a nuclear-armed Iran.” The UAE under Sheikh Mohammed has rapidly modernized and expanded its military, with its special forces getting experience in Afghanistan. It now fights alongside Saudi Arabia against Yemen’s Houthi rebels, has reportedly hired Colombian mercenaries and has over 130 fighter jets.\n\nIran has both a standing military and its paramilitary Revolutionary Guard. Estimates put its troop strength at over 500,000, with hundreds of thousands more in reserve. Its air force has suffered from Western sanctions, now having a fleet of mostly pre-1979 American fighter jets. However, the Guard maintains an arsenal of ballistic missiles capable of reaching across the wider Middle East, as well as increasingly modern drone fleet. Iran mustered human wave attacks during its 1980s war with neighboring Iraq. It also has additional reach through proxy forces throughout the region and has used that to its advantage over the years. It also has developed cyberwarfare capabilities.\n\nHezbollah, the most powerful and effective among Iranian-backed militias in the region, has kept quiet in recent days as tensions have spiked. Its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, however, has said in the past that Iran would not stand alone in any future confrontation with the U.S. The group, formed to combat Israel following its invasion of Lebanon in 1982, has tens of thousands of rockets and missiles that can reach deep into Israel, as well as thousands of disciplined and battle-hardened fighters. Hezbollah has fought alongside government forces in Syria for more than six years, gaining more experience and expanding its reach. Iran could mobilize Hezbollah to strike at Israel, which would dramatically expand the battlefield but likely draw retaliation that would be devastating for Lebanon. Hezbollah says it is not seeking another war with Israel, and it is not likely to join in any regional confrontation — at least not in the early stages — unless provoked. Hezbollah has lost hundreds of fighters in Syria, exacting a heavy toll on the Shiite community from which it draws most of its support. It is also feeling the crippling U.S. sanctions imposed on the group and its sponsor, Iran.\n\nIran can count on the loyalty of tens of thousands of Shiite fighters in Iraq, militias collectively known as the Popular Mobilization forces, or Hashd al-Shaabi in Arabic. Trained, financed, and equipped by Iran, the militias battled U.S. forces in the years after the 2003 invasion and remobilized to battle the Islamic State group a decade later. The groups include Asaib Ahl al-Haq, Kataeb Hezbollah and the Badr Organization, all three led by men with close ties to Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the leader of Iran’s elite Quds Force and the architect of Tehran’s regional strategy. The militias were incorporated into Iraq’s armed forces in 2016. Together they number more than 140,000 fighters, and while they fall under the authority of Iraq’s prime minister, the PMF’s top brass align politically with Iran. U.S. forces and the PMF fought side-by-side against IS militants after Iraq’s parliament invited the U.S. back into the country in 2014. But now that the war is largely concluded, some militia leaders are calling on U.S. troops to leave again, threatening to expel them by force if necessary. On Sunday, a rocket was fired into Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone, landing less than a mile from the U.S. Embassy. No group claimed responsibility, but an Iraqi military spokesman said the rocket was fired from eastern Baghdad, where many Iran-backed groups are based.\n\nYemen’s Houthi rebels seized the country’s capital, Sanaa, in 2014. It later pushed the country’s internationally recognized government nearly into the sea in Aden before a Saudi-led coalition launched a war against them in March 2015. Since then, the Houthis have been effective guerrilla fighters with small arms, but also have launched ballistic missiles into neighboring Saudi Arabia. They’ve flown drones into Patriot missile batteries and exploded bomb-carrying ones over a military parade and a Saudi oil pipeline from a distance. U.N. experts believe their newest drone likely has a range of up to 1,500 kilometers (930 miles). They also have arms seized from Yemeni military barracks, including missiles fired at an Emirati ship, commercial boats and even once against a U.S. warship.\n\nGambrell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates; Karam reported from Beirut and Federman reported from Jerusalem.", "(Hatha al-Youm | Iraq News )- Although the identity of the perpetrators is yet unclear, the launch site is close to areas where various Shia militias are active and hold sway. The model of the launcher, as seen in a picture that is believed to have been used by the attackers on Sunday, is one used by Iranian forces, the American Washington Examiner claimed in a report.Avoiding WarDistancing themselves from the attack, senior leaders among the Shia militias linked with Iran voiced their opposition to it and escalations that could potentially lead to a devastating war.“National, religious, and historical responsibility requires everyone to remove the specter of war from Iraq first of all and the whole region second,” Hadi al-Amiri, head of the Badr Organization militia group and the Fatah political alliance, said in a statement.“If war breaks out, everyone will burn.”Amiri then accused Israel of being the only country that “pushes” for war, a claim that has also been made by Iranian leaders, among them Foreign Minister Javad Zarif.Zarif has said US President Donald Trump was being pushed into war by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed, and US National Security Adviser John Bolton.Qais al-Khazali, head of the Asaib Ahl al-Haq militia – another influential group – echoed Amiri’s statement: “We warn against [actions] intended to find pretexts of war and damage Iraq’s political, economic, and security situation.”The End of IraqA long-time critic of foreign intervention in Iraq’s internal affairs and the leader of a militia group that once fought US troops in Iraq following the fall of the Saddam Hussein-led regime in 2003, firebrand Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr also stated his opposition to actions that could increase tensions and possibly lead to war between arch-foes Iran and the US.“I am not for fueling war between Iran and America,” Sadr said in a Twitter statement.Sadr is an influential Iraqi political and religious figure who headed the Sairoon Alliance in the last Iraqi parliamentary elections which came in first place, winning about one-sixth of the seats in the legislature.“We need a serious stand by the senior [leaders] of the nation to keep Iraq away from the start of a fierce war,” he added. If the country “does not have a united stand,” then a war “would be the end of Iraq.”Editing by Karzan Sulaivany"], "summary": "A rocket explodes inside the heavily fortified Green Zone sector of Iraq's capital, landing less than a mile from the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad amid heightened tensions in the region between the United States and Iran."}
{"document": ["Google has suspended Huawei’s access to updates of its Android operating system and chipmakers have reportedly cut off supplies to the Chinese telecoms company, after the US government added it to a trade blacklist last week.\n\nGoogle said it was complying with an executive order issued by Donald Trump and was reviewing the “implications”, later adding that Google Play – through which Google allows users to download apps – and the security features of its antivirus software Google Play Protect would continue on existing Huawei devices. New versions of its smartphones outside China would lose access to popular applications and services including Google Play, Maps and the Gmail app.\n\nHuawei will continue to have access to the version of the Android operating system available through the open source licence that is free to anyone who wishes to use it. But, according to Reuters who first reported the ban on Sunday, Google will stop providing technical support and collaboration for Android and Google services.\n\nQ&A Why is Huawei controversial? Show Hide Huawei is a Chinese telecoms company founded in 1987. Politicians in the US have alleged that Huawei’s forthcoming 5G mobile phone networks could be hacked by Chinese spies to eavesdrop on sensitive phone calls and gain access to counter-terrorist operations. Allies who allow Huawei technology inside their 5G networks have been told they may be frozen out of US intelligence sharing. Australia, New Zealand and Japan have banned Huawei from their 5G networks. In the UK, BT has excluded Huawei telecoms infrastructure from its own 5G rollout and removed some of its equipment from the 4G network. In January 2019 Vodafone said it had decided to 'pause' the use of Huawei equipment in its core networks across Europe. The UK's defence secretary Gavin Williamson was sacked by prime minister Theresa May after a leak revealed the sensitive decision that the UK would not be totally banning Huawei from 5G projects.\n\nPoland’s internal affairs minister, Joachim Brudziński, has called for the European Union and Nato to work on a joint position over whether to exclude Huawei from their markets, after an Huawei employee was arrested on spying charges. Much of the doubt surrounding Huawei stems from founder Ren Zhengfei’s background in China's People’s Liberation Army between 1974 and 1983, where he was an engineer. His daughter, Huawei’s senior executive Meng Wanzhou, was arrested in Canada in December 2018 over allegations of Iran-sanctions violations, and she awaits extradition to the US. Ren, referring to trade issues between the US and China, says the company is 'like a small sesame seed, stuck in the middle of conflict between two great powers'. Photograph: Mark Schiefelbein/AP\n\nHuawei responded late Monday afternoon, promising to continue providing security updates and after-sale services for its smartphones and tablets. It did not clarify what the ban will mean for new Huawei phones but instead underscored its previous cooperation with Android.\n\n“Huawei has made substantial contributions to the development and growth of Android around the world,” it said. “As one of Android’s key global partners, we have worked closely with their open-source platform to develop an ecosystem that has benefited both users and the industry.”\n\nA spokesman for China’s ministry of foreign affairs, Lu Kang, said Beijing would “support Chinese enterprises in defending their legitimate rights through legal methods”.\n\nObservers say Chinese countermeasures could include encouraging a consumer boycott of US goods, such as Apple products. China is Apple’s third largest market by sales volume. Increased inspections or added regulatory hurdles are other options. In 2014, amid US accusations of Chinese cyber-theft, Microsoft offices in China were subjected to raids by inspectors.\n\nHuawei has previously said it is developing its own backup operating system in case it was blocked from using US software.\n\nIn an interview in March with the German publication Die Welt, Richard Yu, the head of the company’s consumer division, said the company had a “plan B”. He said: “We have prepared our own operating system. Should it ever happen that we can no longer use these systems, we would be prepared.”\n\nChipmakers such as Intel, Qualcomm, Xilinx, and Broadcom have told employees they will not supply chips to Huawei until further notice, Bloomberg reported on Monday, citing people familiar with the matter.\n\nHuawei, which relies on chips from the US, has reportedly been stockpiling the chips and other components in anticipation of the ban. In an interview on Saturday, the Huawei chief executive, Ren Zhengfei, said the company would be “fine” without US chips.\n\nIt will take another crisis for governments to step up to the spending plate | Larry Elliott Read more\n\nThe moves come after the Trump administration officially added the telecoms manufacturer to a trade blacklist on Thursday, declaring a national economic emergency to ban the technology and services of “foreign adversaries”. The blacklist immediately led to restrictions that will make it extremely difficult for the firm to do business with US companies.\n\nIn another development in the growing trade war between the two countries, Trump claimed in an interview on Fox on Sunday night that his policy of imposing tariffs on Chinese goods was already bearing fruit by encouraging companies to move manufacturing to other countries.\n\nThe latest restrictions are likely to hit Huawei’s European business, its second-biggest market, because it licenses many of its mobile phone services from Google in Europe.\n\nGeoff Blaber, the vice-president of research at the market research firm CCS Insight, told Reuters: “Having those apps is critical for smartphone makers to stay competitive in regions like Europe.”\n\nGoogle’s suspension follows a report last week calling for Huawei to be prevented from supplying 5G mobile networks in the UK, because its operations are “subject to influence by the Chinese state”.\n\nThe research, by a Conservative MP and two academics, said a decision announced by Theresa May last month, after a fraught meeting of the national security council (NSC), to allow the company to supply “non-core” equipment should be overturned because using the company’s technology presents “risks”.\n\nIn the report by the Henry Jackson Society thinktank, the authors claimed Huawei “has long been accused of espionage” – a claim repeatedly denied by the firm – and noted that “while there are no definitely proven cases”, a precautionary principle should be adopted.\n\nThe British government has been pressured by partner intelligence agencies in the US and Australia to reconsider letting the Shenzhen-based multinational participate in the UK’s 5G network.\n\nIn April, May provisionally approved the use of Huawei technology for parts of the networks after a meeting of the NSC. A leaked account of the meeting said five cabinet ministers had raised concerns about the company.\n\nHow other countries are responding to Trump's Huawei threat Read more\n\nRobert Strayer, a deputy assistant secretary at the US state department, warned last month that the UK’s proposal to adopt Huawei technology risked affecting intelligence cooperation with the US. He claimed the Chinese firm “was not a trusted vendor” and any use of its technology for 5G was a risk.\n\nAustralia, which also shares intelligence with the UK, has already moved to ban Huawei as a supplier for its future 5G network.\n\nHuawei has always insisted it is a privately held company, independent of the Chinese state, owned largely by its employees, and has worked supplying phone technology in the UK for 15 years without problems.", "Following a blacklist order last week from US President Trump, Google is reportedly ceasing business with Huawei entirely. According to the report, future Huawei devices won’t have access to any Google services, including the Play Store.\n\nReuters cites a source close to the matter which claims that Google will “immediately” cease business with Huawei that requires the transfer of hardware and/or software products. This means that the Google Play Store, Play Services, and collaboration within the Android operating system itself will no longer be available to Huawei.\n\nApparently, specific details are still being discussed by Google internally, but this effective ban would limit Huawei solely to using the Android Open Source Project (AOSP). For future Huawei devices, the Play Store wouldn’t be supported, and Google’s own apps such as Gmail or Chrome won’t be available either.\n\nAlphabet Inc’s Google has suspended business with Huawei that requires the transfer of hardware and software products except those covered by open source licenses… Huawei Technologies Co Ltd will immediately lose access to updates to the Android operating system, and the next version of its smartphones outside of China will also lose access to popular applications and services including the Google Play Store and Gmail app. Huawei will continue to have access to the version of the Android operating system available through the open source license that is freely open to anyone who wishes to use it. But Google will stop providing any technical support and collaboration for Android and Google services to Huawei going forward, the source said.\n\nGoogle apps and the Play Store may end up disappearing from Huawei devices\n\nFrom the looks of it, current Huawei devices won’t be immediately affected by this change. The Play Store and Google’s applications will still work on those devices. However, future releases even sold outside of China won’t include any of Google’s apps or services.\n\nEventually, though, this could affect devices that have already been sold, as future Android updates – such as the promised Q updates – could see trouble with Play Store access. Notably, it would also imply that Huawei won’t end up releasing another Wear OS device.\n\nIn any case, losing Google’s various services as well as its support in Android is going to be a major blow to Huawei’s smartphone business. The company has previously mentioned that it has an operating system in the works that could replace Android on its devices, but even that would be a major drawback for customers. After all, it was called a “worst-case scenario,” and now it looks like it’s come true…\n• The Huawei Mate 20X 5G is an update to the massive gaming phone but with 5G\n\nCheck out 9to5Google on YouTube for more news:", "Alphabet Inc's Google has suspended business with Huawei that requires the transfer of hardware and software products except those covered by open source licenses, a source close to the matter told Reuters on Sunday, in a blow to the Chinese technology company that the U.S. government has sought to blacklist around the world.\n\nHuawei Technologies Co Ltd will immediately lose access to updates to the Android operating system, and the next version of its smartphones outside of China will also lose access to popular applications and services including the Google Play Store and Gmail app.\n\nDetails of the specific services were still being discussed internally at Google, according to the source. Huawei attorneys are also studying the impact of the U.S. Commerce Department's actions, a Huawei spokesman said on Friday. Huawei was not immediately reachable for further comment.\n\nRepresentatives of the u.s. Commerce Department did not immediately have comment.\n\nHuawei will continue to have access to the version of the Android operating system available through the open source license that is freely open to anyone who wishes to use it.\n\nBut Google will stop providing any technical support and collaboration for Android and Google services to Huawei going forward, the source said.\n\nOn Thursday the Trump administration officially added Huawei to a trade blacklist, immediately enacting restrictions that will make it extremely difficult for the technology giant to do business with U.S. companies.\n\nAlso read: Huawei P30 Pro goes on sale in India on Amazon; check price, offers, details\n\nAlso read: Huawei P30 Pro, P30 Lite launch at 12pm today: How to livestream event, price in India, specs", "Alphabet's Google has suspended business with Huawei that requires the transfer of hardware, software and technical services except those publicly available via open source licensing, in a blow to the Chinese technology company that the US government has sought to blacklist around the world.\n\nHolders of current Huawei smartphones with Google apps, however, will continue to be able to use and download app updates.\n\n\"We are complying with the order and reviewing the implications,\" a Google spokesperson said.\n\nThe suspension could hobble Huawei's smartphone business outside China as the tech giant will immediately lose access to updates to Google's Android operating system.\n\nFuture versions of Huawei smartphones that run on Android will also lose access to popular services including the Google Play Store and Gmail and YouTube apps.\n\n\"Huawei will only be able to use the public version of Android and will not be able to get access to proprietary apps and services from Google,\" a source told Reuters.\n\nPopular Google apps such as Gmail, YouTube and the Chrome browser that are available through Google's Play Store will disappear from future Huawei handsets as those services are not covered by the open source license and require a commercial agreement with Google.\n\nBut users of existing Huawei devices who have access to the Google Play Store will still be able to download app updates provided by Google.\n\nApps such as Gmail are updated through the store, unlike operating system updates which are typically handled by phone manufacturers and telecoms carriers, which the blacklist could affect.\n\nThe Trump administration on Thursday added Huawei Technologies to a trade blacklist, immediately enacting restrictions that will make it extremely difficult for the company to do business with US counterparts.\n\nOn Friday the US Commerce Department said it was considering scaling back restrictions on Huawei to \"prevent the interruption of existing network operations and equipment.\" It was not immediately clear on Sunday whether Huawei's access to mobile software would be affected.\n\nThe extent to which Huawei will be hurt by the US government's blacklist is not yet known as its global supply chain assesses the impact. Chip experts have questioned Huawei's ability to continue to operate without US help.\n\nThe impact is expected to be minimal in the Chinese market. Most Google mobile apps are banned in China, where alternatives are offered by domestic competitors such as Tencent and Baidu.\n\nHuawei has said it has spent the last few years preparing a contingency plan by developing its own technology in case it is blocked from using Android. Some of this technology is already being used in products sold in China.\n\nHuawei's European business, its second-biggest market, could be hit as Huawei licenses these services from Google in Europe.", "Google has suspended its business ties with Huawei partially after the United States placed the Chinese firm on a blacklist, even as Google’s apps on Huawei smartphones will continue getting updates.\n\nLast week, the United States had included Huawei to a list of companies that Americans cannot do business with unless they possess a licence.\n\nGoogle suspended business that requires the transfer of hardware, software and technical services, except the ones that are publicly available through open source licensing, Reuters reported on Sunday. A version of the Android operating system is available through an open source license, so Huawei can continue using that.\n\nHowever, a Google spokesperson later told Reuters that current users of Huawei smartphones that have Google apps will be able to continue using and downloading app updates.\n\n“We are complying with the order and reviewing the implications,” the spokesperson said. “For users of our services, Google Play and the security protections from Google Play Protect will continue to function on existing Huawei devices.”\n\nThe suspension could adversely affect the Chinese company’s business outside China as it will immediately lose access to updates to Google’s Android operating system. The newer version of Huawei’s phones, which operate on Android, will also lose out on popular services such as the Google Play Store, Gmail and YouTube apps.\n\nOn May 15, United States President Donald Trump had signed an executive order declaring a national emergency to ban American telecom companies from using foreign-made equipment that are considered to be a threat to national security. Huawei is the biggest supplier of network gear in the world that is used by cellphone and internet companies.\n\nMany other countries, along with the United States, have said that Huawei products may be used by China for surveillance. However, the company has denied these allegations.\n\nThe United States commerce department also added the Chinese company to its “entity list” in order to ban it from availing of technology from American firms without government approval. Reacting to the United State’s decision to put the Chinese company on the list, Huawei’s chief executive Ren Zhengfei said that they had already “been preparing for this”.\n\n“Huawei has been working hard on developing its own App Gallery and other software assets in a similar manner to its work on chipset solutions,” he said, according to BBC. “There is little doubt these efforts are part of its desire to control its own destiny.”\n\nHuawei has said that by restricting the company from doing business, the United States will have to resort to “inferior yet more expensive alternatives”. “...leaving the US lagging behind in 5G deployment, and eventually harming the interests of US companies and consumers,” the company had said in a statement. The company also said that it was willing to work with the United States government to ensure product security.\n\nThis is a direct effect of the trade war between the United States and China as the two countries have not been able to reach an agreement on dealings. On May 10, Trump increased import duty on Chinese products, worth a total of nearly $300 billion. Beijing had also announced plans to hike tariffs on $60 billion worth of imports from the United States beginning on June 1.", "A Google spokesperson said the company is \"complying with the order and reviewing the implications\" without giving details.\n\nThe move could hobble Huawei's smartphone business outside China as the tech giant will immediately lose access to updates to Google's Android operating system. Future versions of Huawei smartphones that run on Android will also lose access to popular services including the Google Play Store and Gmail and YouTube apps.\n\n\"Huawei will only be able to use the public version of Android and will not be able to get access to proprietary apps and services from Google,\" the source said.\n\nThe Trump administration on Thursday added Huawei Technologies Co Ltd to a trade blacklist, immediately enacting restrictions that will make it extremely difficult for the company to do business with US counterparts.\n\nOn Friday the US Commerce Department said it was considering scaling back restrictions on Huawei to \"prevent the interruption of existing network operations and equipment.\" It was not immediately clear on Sunday whether Huawei's access to mobile software would be affected.\n\nThe extent to which Huawei will be hurt by the US government's blacklist is not yet known as its global supply chain assesses the impact. Chip experts have questioned Huawei's ability to continue to operate without US help.\n\nDetails of the specific services affected by the suspension were still being discussed internally at Google, according to the source. Huawei attorneys are also studying the impact of the blacklist, a Huawei spokesman said on Friday. Huawei was not immediately reachable for further comment.\n\nRepresentatives of the US Commerce Department did not immediately comment.\n\nHuawei will continue to have access to the version of the Android operating system available through the open source license, known as Android Open Source Project (AOSP), that is available for free to anyone who wishes to use it. There are about 2.5 billion active Android devices worldwide, according to Google.\n\nBut Google will stop providing Huawei with access, technical support and collaboration involving its proprietary apps and services going forward, the source said.\n\nHuawei has said it has spent the last few years preparing a contingency plan by developing its own technology in case it is blocked from using Android. Some of this technology is already being used in products sold in China, the company has said.\n\nIn an interview with Reuters in March, Eric Xu, rotating chairman of Huawei, struck a defiant note in anticipation of retaliatory actions by US companies. \"No matter what happens, the Android Community does not have any legal right to block any company from accessing its open-source license,\" he said.\n\nPopular Google apps such as Gmail, YouTube and the Chrome browser that are available through Google's Play Store will disappear from future Huawei handsets as those services are not covered by the open source license and require a commercial agreement with Google.\n\nBut users of existing Huawei devices who have access to the Google Play Store will still be able to download app updates provided by Google. Apps such as Gmail are updated through the store, unlike operating system updates which are typically handled by phone manufacturers and telecoms carriers, which the blacklist could affect, the source said.\n\nThe impact is expected to be minimal in the Chinese market. Most Google mobile apps are banned in China, where alternatives are offered by domestic competitors such as Tencent and Baidu.\n\nHuawei's European business, its second-biggest market, could be hit as Huawei licenses these services from Google in Europe.\n\n\"Having those apps is critical for smartphone makers to stay competitive in regions like Europe,\" said Geoff Blaber, vice president of research at CCS Insight.", "Google revoked Chinese tech giant Huawei’s access to some elements of Android operating system and other proprietary services on Monday, threatening the world’s second-largest smartphone maker’s business amid trade tensions between the U.S. and China.\n\nFuture versions of Huawei devices will lose access to Google technical support and software, including apps such as Gmail, YouTube and Google Maps. The company is barred from Android services, except those available through open-source license.\n\nThe decision came days after President Trump issued an order that effectively blocks Huawei from doing business in the United States. Trump administration officials have argued that Huawei’s continued access to U.S. technology poses a national security risk, given concerns about intellectual property theft and cybersecurity that have overshadowed ongoing trade negotiations between the U.S. and China.\n\n“We are complying with the order and reviewing the implications,” a Google spokesperson said in a statement.\n\nHuawei earned more than $100 billion in revenue in 2018 alone. The company manufactures more smartphones than any other company except for Samsung. Huawei was said to be in the process of developing its own operating system as a contingency plan in the event that it lost access to Android.\n\n“As one of Android’s key global partners, we have worked closely with their open-source platform to develop an ecosystem that has benefitted both users and the industry,” a Huawei spokesperson said in a statement obtained by the Wall Street Journal.\n\nReuters was first to report Google’s decision.\n\nOther U.S. companies, including Qualcomm and Intel, have halted shipments of smartphone components to Huawei. Some Google services, including Google Play and security software will still function on existing Huawei smartphones.\n\nCLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX BUSINESS APP\n\nTrump’s executive order aims to block Huawei equipment from accessing U.S. networks or technology. The U.S. government must approve any attempts to sell U.S.-made technology to Huawei.", "Google is restricting future business with Huawei, cutting off access to its Android operating system and its popular apps, after the Trump administration escalated a crackdown on the Chinese tech firm.\n\nGoogle’s suspension, first reported by Reuters, amounts to a major blow to the world’s largest telecommunications equipment maker, which will no longer receive access and support for Google’s proprietary apps like Gmail, YouTube and Chrome.\n\nThe open source version of Android will still be available to Huawei, according to the report, but the Chinese tech giant will immediately lose access to updates to the operating system. And though existing Huawei users can still download popular Google apps through the Google Play store, they won’t be available on future Huawei handsets.\n\nPeople who already own Huawei phones will not see a sudden disappearance of their services.\n\n“We are complying with the order and reviewing the implications,” Google said in a statement Monday. “For users of our services, Google Play and the security protections from Google Play Protect will continue to function on existing Huawei devices.”\n\nGoogle’s suspension is the latest blow against Huawei. Last week, the U.S. government added Huawei to its “Entity List,” forcing the company to obtain a U.S. government license to buy American technology. Known to some as the “death penalty,” the designation makes it virtually impossible for firms to survive once U.S. businesses cut off their dealings.\n\nThe penalty was seen as a dramatic escalation of the economic clash between the Trump administration and China.\n\nThe Commerce Department said it had initiated the crackdown because Huawei “is engaged in activities that are contrary to U.S. national security or foreign policy interest.” The Department of Justice has also accused it of violating Iran sanctions.\n\nThe listing will have an immediate affect on the telecommunications company, which has significant backing from the Chinese government. Huawei said last week that it spends more than $1 out of every $7 of its annual $70 billion procurement budget buying equipment from U.S. companies. The ban could also hinder Huawei’s ability to produce its latest equipment since the company relies on U.S. suppliers for components including wireless chips, antennas and handset operating software.\n\nIn a statement Monday, Huawei said it has made “substantial contributions” to Android’s global ecosystem; 2.5 billion devices around the world run on Android. The company said it will continue to provide security updates and after-sales services to owners of its smartphones and tablets.\n\nAccording to data released before the U.S. government listing, Huawei claimed 19 percent of the global smartphone market, the research firm IDC said, behind only Samsung’s 23.1 percent, which was on the decline.", "Google confirmed today that it has blocked Android updates on Huawei phones , to comply with a US government order blacklisting the Chinese firm.\n\nLast week, US president Donald Trump signed an executive order effectively banning the Chinese firm from using US technology without government permission.\n\nGoogle said it was \"complying with the order and reviewing the implications\", but assured Huawei users that their current phones would continue to work.\n\nHuawei is currently the third most popular smartphone brand in the UK after Apple and Samsung, accounting for 12.4% of shipments in 2018, according to Strategy Analytics.\n\nHere's what you need to know about the ban, and how it will affect you.\n\nWhat does it mean for Android?\n\nGoogle said that \"Google Play and the security protections from Google Play Protect will continue to function on existing Huawei devices\".\n\nIn other words, you will still be able to download apps from the Google Play store and benefit from Google's built-in malware protection for Android.\n\nHowever, the block is likely to prevent future updates to Android reaching Huawei devices.\n\nKey Google apps such as the Google Play Store, Gmail and Google Maps may also not appear on future Huawei devices.\n\nInstead, the Chinese firm will be reliant on the version of Android available through an open source licence, which is vastly more limited in its features.\n\nWhat does it mean for Huawei?\n\nHuawei said it will continue to provide security updates and after sales services to all existing Huawei and Honor smartphone and tablet products.\n\nThis includes those that have been sold or are still in stock globally.\n\n\"Huawei has made substantial contributions to the development and growth of Android around the world,\" the Chinese company said in a statement.\n\n\"As one of Android's key global partners, we have worked closely with their open-source platform to develop an ecosystem that has benefited both users and the industry.\n\n\"We will continue to build a safe and sustainable software ecosystem, in order to provide the best experience for all users globally.\"\n\nHowever, Ben Wood, Chief of Research at CCS Insight, said that any disruption in getting updates to the software or the associated apps could have considerable implications for Huawei's smartphone business.\n\n\"We still don’t have a clear understanding of what Google has told Huawei and what elements of the Android operating system may be restricted, so it remains unclear what the ramifications will be,\" he said.\n\nWhat should you do if you own a Huawei or Honor phone?\n\nPeople who currently own Huawei smartphones do not need to worry, according to Wood.\n\n\"At present any measures would only affect future devices and future updates,\" he said.\n\nHowever, many Huawei phone owners are understandably worried by the news that their devices won't be receiving future Android or Google app updates.\n\nAccording to the consumer watchdog Which?, anyone who bought a phone online in the last 14 days can return it under Consumer Contracts Regulations.\n\nIf you've owned the phone for longer than that, however, you may have difficulty returning it.\n\n\"In this situation, your consumer rights are limited as there's currently nothing faulty with these phones,\" said Kate Bevan, Editor of Which? Computing.\n\n\"However, if you purchased a phone in recent weeks it may be worth checking the retailer's returns policy.\"\n\nAlternatively, you could trade in your Huawei device for another smartphone brand, if you are concerned about not receiving future updates.\n\nAccording to tech site musicMagpie, there has been a 25% increase in the number of Huawei trade-ins this morning, compared with an average Monday morning.\n\n\"This shows that Huawei users are preparing for a potential device change in the event of further restrictions being put in place against the Chinese phone manufacturer,\" said Liam Howley, CMO at musicMagpie.\n\nHe added that the value of flagship Huawei handsets like the P20 and P30 has depreciated significantly in the last year.\n\n\"The P20 has depreciated by a huge 81%, whilst the P30 which was only released last month, has depreciated by 46% already,\" he said.\n\nShould you buy a new Huawei phone?\n\nIf you were planning to buy a new Huawei or Honor phone, it might be worth holding off for now, until it is clear what the company plans to do.\n\nTristan Rayner, senior editor at Android Authority warned that buying future Huawei phones would be a \"real risk\" under the restrictions.\n\n\"Future Huawei devices will be significantly affected,\" he said.\n\n\"We now know that future devices cannot be loaded with the Google Play Store, or those Google apps like Gmail or Google Maps.\n\n\"Play Services will also not be available, which is a core set of features responsible for many underlying operations on modern Android devices.\n\nIf Google continues to withhold Android updates from future Huawei phones, the Chinese company may be forced to develop its own operating system for the devices, according to Wood.\n\n\"Huawei has been working hard on developing its own App Gallery and other software assets in a similar manner to the work it has done on developing its own chipsets for phones,\" he said.\n\n\"There is little doubt these efforts are part of its desire to control its own destiny.\n\n\"Last year, CCS Insight predicted that tensions between the China and the US would present a strong incentive for Chinese companies to create their own operating system for smart devices.\n\n\"Given recent developments that seems more likely than ever.\"", "Google says it will stop offering Android updates for phones made by the Chinese telecom company Huawei. The move follows a U.S. executive order that American companies stop doing business with any foreign company that harms national security interests.\n\nGoogle, owned by Alphabet, \"has suspended business with Huawei that requires the transfer of hardware, software and technical services except those publicly available via open source licensing,\" Reuters first reported. In a statement, Google confirmed the news: \"We are complying with the order and reviewing the implications,\" a spokesperson said, according to CNBC.\n\nIn practice, this means Huawei won't be able to license Google's Android operating system, so Huawei phone users will lose access to updates. Future versions of Huawei smartphones running Android won't be able to access popular Google apps including Gmail, YouTube, and the Google Play store – which lets users easily download third-party apps.\n\nHuawei is one of the world's largest smartphone suppliers, second only to Samsung. In losing access to the latest Google software, Huawei may find it difficult to compete in the global smartphone market, CNN reports.\n\nGoogle isn't the only company cutting ties with Huawei. American chipmakers such as Intel, Qualcomm and Broadcom have told their employees that they will stop supplying Huawei, Bloomberg reported. And the Nikkei Asian Review reported that the German chipmaker Infineon has also stopped shipments to Huawei.\n\nThe Trump administration last week restricted the sale of U.S. technology which seemed aimed at Huawei. An executive order signed by the president declared a \"national emergency\" and blocked U.S. companies from doing business with foreign tech companies that pose \"an unacceptable risk to the national security of the United States.\" The Commerce Department said it would add Huawei and its subsidiaries to a list of companies generally prohibited from buying U.S. technology.\n\nHuawei, which has denied allegations that it spies on its users, says it has been preparing for the possibility that it might lose access to American companies. In March, Richard Yu, CEO of Huawei's consumer products division, told a German newspaper that Huawei had prepared its own operating system in case it lost access to Android. \"That's our plan B,\" Yu said. \"But of course we prefer to work with the ecosystems of Google and Microsoft.\" The company has stockpiled enough chips to keep its phone business running for months, Bloomberg reports.\n\nAccording to Ryan Koontz, an analyst with Rosenblatt Securities Inc., the U.S. ban could have a major impact on China's ability to build 5G networks, as Huawei is dependent on U.S. components like semiconductors.\n\n\"The extreme scenario of Huawei's telecom network unit failing would set China back many years and might even be viewed as an act of war by China,\" Koontz told Bloomberg. \"Such a failure would have massive global telecom market implications.\""], "summary": "Google pulls Android update support for Huawei phones, as well as the Google Play Store and Gmail apps, after the Chinese technology company was blacklisted by the United States Commerce Department."}
{"document": ["Video\n\nIt took just 16 seconds to bring down 16,000 tonnes of steel, as the defunct Bethlehem Steel company's former headquarters was demolished on Sunday.\n\nThe 21-storey structure in Pennsylvania was opened in 1972, but had been vacant for the past 12 years.", "BETHLEHEM, Pa. (WNEP/WPHL) -- The building dubbed the tallest in the Lehigh Valley is now a pile of rubble. The 21 story Martin Tower was demolished early Sunday morning in a controlled explosion. 16,000 tons of steal collapsed changing the landscape in Bethlehem in a matter of about 15 seconds.\n\nFor decades, Martin Tower housed the headquarters for the Bethlehem Steel Company. The company opened in 1972 and in it's heyday was America's second-largest steelmaker. It went out of business in 2003, and sat vacant up until it's demolition on Sunday. Thousands of people flocked to 8th Avenue in Bethlehem see the iconic building one last time before it crashed to the ground.\n\n\"I've been seeing that building everyday since I was born.\" Brian Bond told Newswatch16, our sister station in Scranton. \"I never saw a building get blown up so I wasn't going to miss it,\" he added.\n\nOthers who spoke with Newswatch16 said they were sad to see the tower go, but they are excited to see what the future holds. Martin Tower's current owners looked into redeveloping the building, but decided it made more sense financially to tear it down and start over. There are plans in place to redevelop the site and add medical offices, stores, a hotel and apartments.\n\nMartin Tower was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in June of 2010 because of it's historic significance as the corporate symbol of the Bethlehem Steel Company. Steel manufactured from it's plants were used on in the construction of the Ben Franklin Bridge in Philadelphia and the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.\n\nChase Senior from WNEP contributed to this article.", "BETHLEHEM, Pa. (CBS/AP) — Sixteen thousand tons of Bethlehem Steel collapsed in a matter of seconds Sunday as a demolition crew imploded Martin Tower, the defunct steelmaker’s former world headquarters. Crowds gathered to watch the demolition of the area’s tallest building, a 21-story monolith that opened at the height of Bethlehem Steel’s power and profitability but had stood vacant for a dozen years after America’s second-largest steelmaker went out of business.\n\nExplosives took out Martin Tower’s steel supports and crumpled the 47-year-old building, which had earned a spot on the National Register of Historic Places despite its relatively young age. The implosion, which took 16 seconds, created a thick plume of dust that lingered for several minutes.\n\nMartin Tower was the world headquarters for the former Bethlehem Steel Corporation and is the tallest building in Pennsylvania outside of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.\n\nEyewitness News was granted exclusive access to the 21-story building before Sunday’s implosion.\n\nTyler Kent, whose father worked at Bethlehem Steel for 46 years and raised 11 children, said his “heart stopped” as he watched the building fall. His father and other relatives took pride in working at the industrial behemoth that armed the U.S. military and helped shape skylines across the country.\n\n“To see it come down brought a tear to my eye. I didn’t think it was going to affect me emotionally like it did, but I just can’t imagine it’s gone. It’s so sad,” said Kent, who could see the tower from his house.\n\n‘It Was State-Of-The-Art’: Historic Martin Tower In Bethlehem To Come Crumbling Down Sunday\n\nMartin Tower’s current owners spent years trying to redevelop the 332-foot (101-meter) structure — the tallest in a heavily populated region of Pennsylvania that includes the cities of Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton — but ultimately concluded it made more economic sense to knock it down and start over. Plans call for a $200 million development with medical offices, retail stores, a restaurant, a convenience store, a hotel and 528 apartments.\n\nBethlehem Steel was a major supplier of ships and armaments to the U.S. military during World War II, and its steel is found in the Empire State Building, the Golden Gate Bridge and many other landmarks.\n\nThe company moved into its new corporate headquarters in 1972, shortly before the U.S. steel industry plunged into a severe recession. Bethlehem Steel, which employed more than 120,000 people when Martin Tower opened, declared bankruptcy in 2001 and closed for good two years later.\n\nTo some, the tower — built in a cruciform shape to maximize the number of corner offices — symbolized corporate excess.\n\n“This is where the money went that the workers never got,” said Fran Maiatico, whose father worked at Bethlehem Steel. She was among hundreds of people who gathered several blocks away from the building Sunday to watch it come down.\n\nLeonard Gentilcore, 88, a retired Bethlehem Steel structural draftsman who worked on Martin Tower, said he didn’t care that it was gone. He said he associated the building with out-of-touch company executives who helped drive Bethlehem Steel into the ground.\n\nBut his son, 49-year-old Mike Gentilcore, a former Bethlehem Steel metals researcher, said “it breaks my heart” that an important piece of the company’s history is no more. He recalled looking out the tower’s windows as a child, and later worked there himself.\n\n“It’s the end of an era and I’m going to miss seeing it there,” he said.\n\nThe company’s flagship Bethlehem mill, less than 2 miles (3 kilometers) from Martin Tower, was redeveloped into a casino and entertainment destination 10 years ago.", "May 19 (UPI) -- The 21-story Martin Tower, which was the former world headquarters of Bethlehem Steel, was imploded Sunday morning as bystanders lined the streets of Bethlehem and gathered on rooftops.\n\nIt took 14 seconds for the 332-foot tower -- the tallest in Bethelem -- to become a heap of debris, The Morning Call reported.\n\nThe 500 cubic yards of concrete and nearly 16,000 tons of structural steel collapsed at 7:04 a.m. from explosive charges.\n\nA series of bangs erupted within a half-second of each other and then there was a boom, like a strong thunderstorm.\n\nThough the implosion took a short time, cleanup is expected to take up to a year. The concrete will be processed, crushed and used as fill material, and the structural steel recycled.\n\nSpectators arrived hours earlier to watch the implosion. Customers Serita Dunst and Sean Wundling of Saylorsburg said they left home at 3 a.m. for a good viewing spot.\n\n\"When are you going to see something like this?\" Wundling said.\n\nWithin a 1,000-foot perimeter of Martin Tower, people were advised to stay inside their residences.\n\nBecause a helicopter was flying too close and some people were crowding too near the exclusion zone, the demolition was delayed a few minutes.\n\n\"They weren't on the site but they were inside the established permitted zone,\" Mark Loizeaux, president of Controlled Demolition, Inc., told lehighvalleylive.com. \"A few young people were hiding in the trees.\"\n\nControlled Demolition Inc., a 72-year-old Maryland company, brought down the building at an estimated estimated of $575,000. The company has imploded casinos in Las Vegas and Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh.\n\n\"I'll shed a tear or two,\" said Steve Smith, who worked at Steel from 1966 to 2003 and described himself as \"the last janitor at Martin Tower,\" told the Morning Call.\n\nThe building was on National Register of Historic Places.\n\nMartin Tower opened in 1972 when Bethlehem Steel was the second largest steelmaker in the world. The building was named after Edmund F. Martin, who was chairman when construction began in 1969.\n\nThe company declared bankruptcy in 2001 and sold its assets in 2003.\n\nAfter the company's assets were sold off, two tenants -- D&B Corp. and Receivable Management Services -- remained but they moved elsewhere in the Lehigh Valley in 2007. The tower was vacant ever since.\n\nOwners Lewis Ronca and Norton Herrick plan to replace the tower with a mix of residential and commercial buildings that rise no higher than three stories on 53 acres.", "Sixteen thousand tons of Bethlehem Steel collapsed in a matter of seconds Sunday as a demolition crew imploded Martin Tower, the defunct steelmaker's former world headquarters in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.\n\nCrowds watched the demolition of the area's tallest building, a 21-story monolith that opened at the height of Bethlehem Steel's power and profitability.\n\nAmerica's second-largest steelmaker went out of business in 2003.\n\nExplosives took out Martin Tower's steel supports and crumple the 47-year-old building, which earned a spot on the National Register of Historic Places despite its relatively young age.\n\nMartin Tower had been vacant for a dozen years.\n\nIts owners are redeveloping the site into a mix of medical offices, stores and apartments.\n\nWatch the video to see the dramatic demolition of the building.", "BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- Sixteen thousand tons of Bethlehem Steel collapsed in a matter of seconds as a demolition crew imploded Martin Tower, the defunct steelmaker's former world headquarters.Crowds gathered on Sunday to watch the demolition of the area's tallest building, a 21-story monolith that opened in 1972 at the height of Bethlehem Steel's power and profitability.America's second-largest steelmaker went out of business in 2003.For neighbor Larry Ries it hurt to see it come down.\"It's a shame I grew up with it,\" said Larry Ries of Bethlehem. \"Im sorry but hate to see that they couldn't save it.\"Ries is not alone. Many people in the crowd of hundreds had an emotional connection to former world headquarters of Bethlehem Steel.Just about everyone we spoke with knew someone, family or friend, who at one time worked for the company.\"It's the end of an era,\" said Jim Alexy. \"It's a bit sad and nostalgic. My dad worked there on the 3rd floor when it was built.\"Explosives took out Martin Tower's steel supports and crumpled the 47-year-old building in under 20 seconds.Martin Tower had been vacant for a dozen years. Up until Sunday morning, it stood as the tallest building in the region, even earning a spot on the National Register of Historic Places.Some like Clement Swaby had been using it for years as a guide.\"I used it when I'm driving certain places to pinpoint my way back home,\" said Clement Swaby of Bethlehem.It also signified what once was here. Bethlehem Steel was one of the biggest and most profitable companies in the world.Its owners are redeveloping the site into a mix of medical offices, stores and apartments.----------", "In the blink of an eye Sunday morning, Bethlehem’s skyline will forever be changed with the implosion of the iconic 21-story Martin Tower.\n\nBuilt over three years, the 332-foot building opened in 1972 and it may be the region’s most polarizing. It is both beloved and hated.\n\nSome view it as an architectural gem – it sits on the National Register of Historic Places – and a crucial piece of Bethlehem Steel Corp. history.\n\nYet, many cheered when they learned it had a demolition date. (It’s 7 a.m. on Sunday. May 19, if you’ve been asleep for the last month.)\n\nSome just think it’s ugly. Others see the steel-clad building with some of the Lehigh Valley’s best views as a symbol of the greed that brought down the Steel and destroyed the livelihoods of so many.\n\nLess than a decade after the Steel’s shiny new world headquarters opened on 53-acres in West Bethlehem, the company that built Manhattan’s skyline was foundering. Competition from foreign steel drew the company quickly and sharply into the red leading to mass layoffs.\n\nThe tower’s most unique feature, its cruciform shape – meant to maximize the number of corner offices – ultimately did it in.\n\nThe developers say the unusual shape and its lack of a sprinkler system made reuse of the high-rise financially unfeasible. It has sat empty for more than a decade.\n\nA controversial rezoning of the property in 2015 paved the way for owners Norton Herrick and Lewis Ronca to take down Martin Tower. The owners’ HRP Management LLC want to redevelop the site into a mixed-use $200 million development of 528 garden-style apartments, retail, medical office buildings, a hotel and a gas station.\n\nSince 2017, contractors have been working on the environmental cleanup of the property, including asbestos abatement, and have torn down 400,000-square-feet of ancillary buildings through mechanical demolition.\n\nIt’s expected to take fewer than 17 seconds to implode the concrete and steel shell of the tower that remains on the site. The demolition is scheduled for about 7 a.m. but the exact go-time is contingent on a host of conditions perfectly aligning.\n\n“It is going to sound like a thunderstorm passing directly over your head,” Jim Santoro of Controlled Demolition Inc., the company tasked with tearing down the landmark, has said.\n\nOnlookers will hear a series of bangs about a half second apart -- the initiation system -- and then structural charges going off in a coordinated pattern that takes down a column of the cruciform tower at a time.\n\n“Charges are going to look like they are going off vertically through the structure,” Santoro said. “It is going to look like you are slicing a loaf of bread from the bottom up.”\n\nThose linear-shaped charges will shear through the steel support columns and then gravity will do the rest to bring down the region’s tallest building.\n\n“By removing the columns of the building in a pattern that we determine, we can sort of direct which way the building is going to fall and how it moves,” Santoro said.\n\nTo make sure the tower crumbles, relief lines have been cut in the skin of the building and charges will also be placed on the third, seventh, 13th and 17th floors to control where it breaks apart.\n\nThe majority of the tower is anticipated to fall within the building’s footprint and immediately to the southeast. It will then be reused as clean fill on the site when it is redeveloped.\n\nWhere can’t you go?\n\nBethlehem has set up an exclusion zone for the implosion. It extends from the Route 378 on/off ramps at the south, through the center of the Lowe’s parking lot, up along Ralston Road to Richard Avenue at the north, down Schoenersville Road and into the woods alongside Burnside Plantation.\n\nHere’s where you can’t be when Martin Tower implodes (MAP)\n\nWhere can you watch\n\nCity officials say the best place to watch the implosion is on TV. We plan to stream it live on our Facebook page, as well. But here is where we think the best viewing spots will be.\n\nMartin Tower demolition: 5 great places to watch the Bethlehem landmark implode (and what roads to avoid that morning)\n\nCity officials say if you are worried about air quality following the explosion or you have respiratory issues it is best to stay inside. They are not advising that onlookers wear respirators, but the state Department of Health did suggest them.\n\nHRP Management has hired an independent third-party lab to conduct air quality monitoring before, during and after the implosion. The data will be made public and state health officials have promised to review the testing results.\n\nBreathe easy, Pa. health officials say. They’ll also be monitoring air at Martin Tower implosion\n\nTo keep the dust out of your house, as a precaution, it is recommended that residents keep all doors, windows and intake units closed as well as any openings that might allow dust to come in; painter’s tape is a good way to seal off a gap.\n\nStarting at 5 a.m., city police will shut down Eighth Avenue from Union Boulevard to Bradford Street; Eaton Avenue from Elizabeth Avenue to Ralston Road and Route 378 at the Eighth Avenue exit ramps in both directions.\n\nAround 6:30 a.m. police will shut down Route 378 from Catasauqua Road to the Main Street ramp. A command post and media staging area will be set up at Nitschmann Middle School.\n\nWhat could delay the start?\n\nThe starting time could get bumped back if extremely heavy rain or a low-lying fog restricts visibility. If there is a thunderstorm directly overhead it also must be delayed.\n\nHere’s more of our Martin Tower demolition coverage:\n\nIt took 3 years to build Martin Tower and it’ll take fewer than 17 seconds to bring it down\n\nHold off on the laundry until after the Martin Tower implosion, Bethlehem advises residents\n\n8 towering facts about the PPL Building, the Lehigh Valley’s once and future tallest building\n\nBreathe easy, Pa. health officials say. They’ll also be monitoring air at Martin Tower implosion\n\nHere’s where you can’t be when Martin Tower implodes (MAP)\n\nThis is the closest we’ll come to a sneak peek of Martin Tower coming down. Watch it. (VIDEO)\n\nResidents want to know: Will our air be safe after Martin Tower implodes?\n\n‘It is going to sound like a thunderstorm’: Here’s how Martin Tower will come down\n\nSo there’s gonna be dust? This and 10 other frequently asked questions about Martin Tower’s implosion.\n\nBringing the house down: Local comedians to roast Martin Tower on the eve of its destruction\n\nPhoto exhibit provides one last look inside Bethlehem’s doomed Martin Tower\n\nThe Martin Tower site is going suburban and city planners might be on board\n\n‘Reasonable’ measures to control Martin Tower implosion dust to be reviewed by state (UPDATE)\n\nWhen Martin Tower comes down, here’s what they want to build (MAP)\n\nSara K. Satullo may be reached at ssatullo@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @sarasatullo and Facebook. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.", "There was a thunderous roar, a monumental collapse, then nothing.\n\nMartin Tower is no more. Its long-anticipated demolition went off without a hitch. Hundreds turned out on a calm, overcast morning to watch the tower fall at 7 a.m. Sunday.\n\nOnce the tallest building in the Lehigh Valley, the cross-shaped tower dominated the Bethlehem landscape since 1972. It once provided corner officers to Bethlehem Steel executives. It outlasted the company but has been vacant since 2007.\n\nWith no feasible plans to renovate it, the tower’s owner decided to take it down. Its 53-acre campus is slated to become a mixed-use development of 528 garden-style apartments, retail, medical office buildings, a hotel and a gas station.\n\nFor some, the tower stood for corporate greed. Others loved it so much they started a Facebook group to save it. Now it’s gone but the mark it left on the community endures.\n\nKeep checking lehighvalleylive.com for more coverage of the Martin Tower implosion.\n\nRudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @RudyMillerLV. Find Easton area news on Facebook.", "BETHLEHEM, Pa. (AP) — Sixteen thousand tons of Bethlehem Steel is due to collapse in a matter of seconds as a demolition crew is set to implode Martin Tower, the defunct steelmaker’s former world headquarters.\n\nCrowds are expected on Sunday to watch the demolition of the area’s tallest building, a 21-story monolith that opened at the height of Bethlehem Steel’s power and profitability. America’s second-largest steelmaker went out of business in 2003.\n\nExplosives will take out Martin Tower’s steel supports and crumple the 47-year-old building, which has earned a spot on the National Register of Historic Places despite its relatively young age.\n\nMartin Tower had been vacant for a dozen years. Its owners are redeveloping the site into a mix of medical offices, stores and apartments.", "BETHLEHEM, Pa. (AP) - Sixteen thousand tons of Bethlehem Steel is due to collapse in a matter of seconds as a demolition crew imploded Martin Tower, the defunct steelmaker's former world headquarters.\n\nCrowds are expected on Sunday to watch the demolition of the area's tallest building, a 21-story monolith that opened at the height of Bethlehem Steel's power and profitability. America's second-largest steelmaker went out of business in 2003.\n\nExplosives will take out Martin Tower's steel supports and crumple the 47-year-old building, which has earned a spot on the National Register of Historic Places despite its relatively young age.\n\nMartin Tower had been vacant for a dozen years. Its owners are redeveloping the site into a mix of medical offices, stores and apartments.\n\nThis May 8, 2019, photo shows Martin Tower in Bethlehem, Pa. The 21-story building, the former global headquarters of defunct steelmaker Bethlehem Steel Corp., is set to be imploded on May 19, 2019. (AP Photo/Michael Rubinkam)"], "summary": "Martin Tower, the tallest building in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, is destroyed in a controlled demolition by the Controlled Demolition, Inc. firm. The 21-story building, which was listed on National Register of Historic Places, had been vacant since 2007."}
{"document": ["(CNN) The White House announced Sunday afternoon the first part of its Middle East peace proposal, what officials are calling an economic \"workshop\" to encourage investing capital in the West Bank, Gaza, and the region, a senior administration official tells CNN.\n\nThe workshop will take place in Manama, Bahrain, on June 25 and 26, bringing together finance ministers with global and regional business leaders. The effort is being headed by Jared Kushner, the senior White House adviser and President's son-in-law, and White House Middle East envoy Jason Greenblatt, who have spent years developing the proposal along with the much stickier political component, which officials said would be announced later in the year.\n\nAsked for comment, Kushner told CNN in a statement that \"people are letting their grandfathers' conflict destroy their children's futures. This will present an exciting, realistic and viable pathway forward that does not currently exist.\"\n\nThe plan will discuss four major components the senior administration official said: infrastructure, industry, empowering and investing in people, and governance reforms \"to make the area as investible as possible.\" Kushner is said to have modeled details of the economic proposal on what has worked in Poland, Japan, Singapore, and South Korea.\n\nThe economic plan will include a \"combination of grant money, low interest loans and then also private capital,\" a second senior administration told reporters Sunday.\n\nRead More", "The Trump administration yesterday announced an economic “workshop” in Bahrain in June, as the White House begins to roll out its so-called “peace plan” for Israel and the Palestinians.\n\nAs reported by CNN, the gathering is intended to “encourage investing capital in the West Bank, Gaza, and the region”, citing a senior administration official.\n\nThe workshop will take place in Manama, Bahrain, on 25 and 26 June, “bringing together finance ministers with global and regional business leaders”, the report revealed.\n\nSenior White House adviser and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner told CNN that “people are letting their grandfathers’ conflict destroy their children’s futures. This will present an exciting, realistic and viable pathway forward that does not currently exist.”\n\nThe official who spoke to CNN said that the plan will have four main components: “infrastructure, industry, empowering and investing in people, and governance reforms”.\n\nThe economic plan will include a “combination of grant money, low-interest loans and then also private capital”, a second senior administration told reporters yesterday.\n\nHowever, the workshop will intentionally avoid “political issues”, including Palestinian statehood, the status of Jerusalem, and Palestinian refugees. “Finance ministers, but not foreign ministers, will be invited along with delegations of business leaders,” CNN pointed out.\n\n“We recognize that this needs to go hand in hand with the political plan, but this will be the first chance to roll out details of the economic plan,” the first official said.\n\nAccording to CNN, “the official denied that the rollout was being done this way so as to present a vision of a more prosperous Palestinian territory so as to encourage greater concessions in any political talks down the line.”\n\n“It’s tough to digest both the economic and political proposals at once, since they’re both very detailed proposals,” the official said.\n\nResponding yesterday, Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas’ spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudeineh, told CNN that the plan is “futile”.\n\n“Any economic plan without political horizons will lead nowhere,” he said, adding, “Palestinians will not accept any proposals which do not include a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.”\n\nOther reports suggested that while the PA “is not expected to participate in the workshop”, a senior US official “said the White House invited a group of Palestinian businessmen and is expecting some of them to attend”.\n\nA changing Middle East: Why the deal of the century will fail", "WASHINGTON — The Trump administration on Sunday announced the first stages of its peace plan rollout, confirming that it will host a “workshop” in Bahrain in late June to focus on directing more economic investment to the West Bank and Gaza.\n\nThe gathering — formally dubbed the “Peace to Prosperity” workshop — will take place on June 25-26 in Manama, when the Trump team indicated it will release the first portion of its ambitious and highly anticipated proposal to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.\n\n“This workshop is a pivotal opportunity to convene government, civil society, and business leaders to share ideas, discuss strategies, and galvanize support for potential economic investments and initiatives that could be made possible by a peace agreement,” the White House said in a joint statement with the Kingdom of Bahrain.\n\nGet The Times of Israel's Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Free Sign Up\n\nThe summit, the statement added, will “facilitate discussions on an ambitious, achievable vision and framework for a prosperous future for the Palestinian people and the region, including enhancements to economic governance, development of human capital, and facilitation of rapid private-sector growth.”\n\nThe White House did not indicate which countries would attend the summit in Bahrain. According to CNN, finance ministers, rather than foreign ministers, will be invited to take part.\n\nThere was no immediate comment on the announcement from Israel or the Palestinians.\n\nThe Trump administration suggested the economic framework of the peace proposal would be debated before the resolution of core political issues, such as the question of Palestinian statehood.\n\nWhite House Special Advisor Jared Kushner has already said that the team he is leading has refrained from even using the term “two-state solution.” The reason, he said, is that the term has different meanings to different people.\n\n“Economic progress can only be achieved with a solid economic vision and if the core political issues are resolved,” Kushner said in a statement on Sunday. “We look forward to presenting our vision on ways to bridge the core political issues very soon.”\n\nKushner has said previously that the full contents of the plan will address all final-status issues, i.e., the major disputes to be resolved in negotiations, including borders, the status of Jerusalem, and what to do about Palestinian refugees.\n\nAn unnamed US official told CNN that the political aspects of the plan would be released at a later date.\n\n“We recognize that this needs to go hand in hand with the political plan, but this will be the first chance to roll out details of the economic plan,” the official said.\n\n“We think this will showcase the potential of the entire region,” the official added. “If there’s peace, it will touch on not only the West Bank and Gaza but also Jordan, Lebanon, Israel and Egypt. The economies will become integrated.”\n\n“Think about how much money is spent on bullets right now,” said the official. “If it could be spent on infrastructure and human capital, think about how much better the region could be.”\n\nAddressing all the outstanding issues on the political side, along with the White House’s economic vision for the Palestinians would make it “tough to digest,” said the official.\n\n“It’s tough to digest both the economic and political proposals at once, since they’re both very detailed proposals,” the official said.\n\nUS Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin will attend the June confab, which the Trump administration said will include multiple business and political leaders throughout the region.\n\n“This workshop will engage leaders from across the entire Middle East to promote economic growth and opportunity for the people in this important region,” Mnuchin said.\n\nHis Bahraini counterpart said the summit shows that the Trump administration was working with Arab countries in the Middle East to improve economic conditions.\n\n“The ‘Peace to Prosperity’ workshop underscores the close strategic partnership between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the United States as well as the strong and shared interest in creating thriving economic opportunities that benefit the region,” said Bahrain’s Minister of Finance and National Economy Shaikh Salman bin Khalifa Al Khalifa.\n\nRecent reports have said that the administration is preparing to offer a peace deal that will not include the establishment of a Palestinian state, which would be a non-starter for not only the Palestinian Authority but the rest of the Arab world and international community.\n\nIn March, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was looking into effectively annexing West Bank settlements, but wanted to coordinate the move with Washington.\n\nUS President Donald Trump has been criticized by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas as favoring Israel over the Palestinians. Over the last three years, the president has moved the US Embassy to Jerusalem, cut aid to the Palestinians and United Nations Agencies that support the West Bank and Gaza, and recalled the Palestinian envoy to Washington.\n\nIn response, the Palestinians have refused to engage with Washington on diplomatic issues, and have preemptively dismissed the administration’s plan.\n\nThe rollout of the plan has been repeatedly delayed. Kushner said in March that the proposal would not be made public until after Israel forms a new government and the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which would put it at early June or later.", "The White House has unveiled the first part of its Middle East peace proposal, which is being deemed as an economic \"workshop\" to encourage investing capital in the West Bank, Gaza, and the region, a senior administration official told CNN.\n\n \n\n The White announced on Sunday that the workshop will take place in Manama, Bahrain, on June 25 and 26, bringing together finance ministers with global and regional business leaders. \n\n \n\n The effort is being headed by Jared Kushner, the senior White House adviser and President Donald Trump's son-in-law, and White House Middle East envoy Jason Greenblatt, who have spent years developing the proposal along with the much stickier political component, which officials said would be announced later in the year.\n\n \n\n Kushner told CNN on Sunday that \"people are letting their grandfathers' conflict destroy their children's futures. This will present an exciting, realistic and viable pathway forward that does not currently exist\".\n\n \n\n The senior administration official said that the plan will discuss four major components: infrastructure; industry; empowering and investing in people; and governance reforms \"to make the area as investible as possible\". \n\n \n\n The economic plan will also include a \"combination of grant money, low interest loans and then also private capital\", the official said.\n\n \n\n The workshop however, will avoid political issues such as whether the Palestinians will get their own state; the status of Jerusalem; measures Israel takes in the name of security; and what should happen with Palestinians and their descendants who fled or were expelled from Israel around the time of the state's creation in 1948, he added. \n\n \n\n Finance ministers, but not foreign ministers, will be invited along with delegations of business leaders.\n\n \n\n On Sunday afternoon, however, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' spokesman, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, told CNN that the plan was \"futile\".\n\n \n\n \"Any economic plan without political horizons will lead nowhere... Palestinians will not accept any proposals which do not include a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.\"\n\n \n\n The decision on whether or not Palestinians would attend the workshop would be made by the leadership of Abbas, Abu Rudeineh said, adding that when a similar meeting was held in Washington in March 2018 to discuss ways of improving the economic and humanitarian situation facing Gazans, the Palestinians had chosen to stay away.\n\n\n\n Bank credit up 13.24% , deposits up 10% in FY19: RBI", "The workshop will take place in Manama, Bahrain, on June 25 and 26, bringing together finance ministers with global and regional business leaders. The effort is being headed by Jared Kushner, the senior White House adviser and President's son-in-law, and White House Middle East envoy Jason Greenblatt, who have spent years developing the proposal along with the much stickier political component, which officials said would be announced later in the year.\n\nAsked for comment, Kushner told CNN in a statement that \"people are letting their grandfathers' conflict destroy their children's futures. This will present an exciting, realistic and viable pathway forward that does not currently exist.\"\n\nThe plan will discuss four major components the senior administration official said: infrastructure, industry, empowering and investing in people, and governance reforms \"to make the area as investible as possible.\" Kushner is said to have modeled details of the economic proposal on what has worked in Poland, Japan, Singapore, and South Korea.\n\nThe workshop will attempt to studiously avoid the many political issues that have made peace so elusive for so long: issues such as whether the Palestinians will get their own state, the status of Jerusalem, measures Israel takes in the name of security, and what should happen with Palestinians and their descendants who fled or were expelled from Israel around the time of the state's creation in 1948. Finance ministers, but not foreign ministers, will be invited along with delegations of business leaders.\n\n\"We recognize that this needs to go hand in hand with the political plan, but this will be the first chance to roll out details of the economic plan,\" the official said, adding that this will be an opportunity to show Palestinians, Jordanians, Israelis and the Lebanese that \"CEOs care about them and want to be investing in the area.\" Kushner is calling the event a \"workshop\" rather than a summit, the official said, because he is relying on feedback to the proposal from the many speakers and other participants invited, including from the Palestinian territories. \"We think this will showcase the potential of the entire region,\" the official said. \"If there's peace, it will touch on not only the West Bank and Gaza but also Jordan, Lebanon, Israel and Egypt. The economies will become integrated.\" \"Think about how much money is spent on bullets right now,\" said the official. \"If it could be spent on infrastructure and human capital, think about how much better the region could be.\" The official denied that the rollout was being done this way so as to present a vision of a more prosperous Palestinian territory so as to encourage greater concessions in any political talks down the line. \"It's tough to digest both the economic and political proposals at once, since they're both very detailed proposals,\" the official said. Palestinian and other Arab leaders have previously expressed skepticism about Kushner's plan, given how staunchly the Trump administration has supported Israel and the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, moving the US Embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv and recognizing Israel's claim to the Golan Heights , while suspending funding for the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees", "WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House will unveil the first part of President Donald Trump’s long-awaited Israeli-Palestinian peace plan when it holds an international conference in Bahrain in late June to encourage investment in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, senior U.S. officials said on Sunday.\n\nThe “economic workshop” will bring together government officials and business leaders in an effort to jump-start the economic portion of the peace initiative, which is also expected to include proposals for resolving thorny political issues at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the officials said.\n\nTrump has touted the coming plan as the “deal of the century,” but Palestinian officials have rebuked the U.S. effort, which they believe will be heavily biased in favor of Israel.\n\nTrump’s Middle East team, led by his son-in-law Jared Kushner and regional envoy Jason Greenblatt, appears intent on focusing initially on potential economic benefits, despite deep skepticism among experts that they can succeed where decades of U.S.-backed efforts have failed.\n\n“We think this is an opportunity to take the economic plan that we’ve worked on for a long time now and present it in the region,” a senior Trump administration official said.\n\nThe participants in the June 25-26 conference in Manama, the first phase of the peace plan’s rollout, are expected to include representatives and business executives from Europe, the Middle East and Asia, including some finance ministers, the administration official said.\n\nA second U.S. official declined to say whether Israeli and Palestinian officials were likely to take part.\n\n“Our position is clear: we will neither participate in the economic segment nor in the political segment of this deal,” said PLO senior official Wasel Abu Youssef.\n\nThe Palestinian Authority has boycotted the U.S. peace effort since late 2017 when Trump decided to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, reversing decades of U.S. policy.\n\nBut the senior U.S. official said several Palestinian business leaders “have shown a lot of interest” in the conference.\n\nA spokesman for Israeli Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon said: “We have not yet received an invitation.”\n\nU.S. officials had said earlier the peace plan would be rolled out after the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which ends in early June. But the announcement of the investors workshop appears to set the stage for a sequenced release of the plan, starting with the economic plan, and later, at some time not yet clear, the political proposals.\n\nThe senior U.S. official said the conference would show the people of Gaza, which is controlled by the Palestinian militant group Hamas, that “there are donor countries around the world willing to come in and make investments.”\n\nThe Trump administration has sought to enlist support from Arab governments. The plan is likely to call for billions of dollars in financial backing for the Palestinians, mostly from oil-rich Gulf states, according to people informed about the discussions.\n\nSaudi Arabia has assured Arab allies it would not endorse any U.S. plan that fails to meet key Palestinian concerns.\n\nThough the plan’s authors insist the exact contents are known only to a handful of insiders, Trump’s aides have disclosed it will address the major political issues such as the status of Jerusalem.\n\nThey have said they expect Israelis and Palestinians will both be critical of some of the proposals.\n\nPalestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki told a recent meeting at the United Nations attended by Greenblatt that the United States seemed to be crafting a plan for a Palestinian surrender to Israel and insisted “there’s no amount of money that can make it acceptable.”\n\nChief among the Palestinians’ concerns is whether the plan will meet their core demand of calling for them to have an independent state in the West Bank, east Jerusalem and Gaza Strip — territory Israel captured in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.\n\nKushner has declined to say whether the plan includes a two-state solution, a central goal of other recent peace efforts that is widely endorsed internationally.", "(Bloomberg) -- The U.S. will hold an economic workshop with the Kingdom of Bahrain as part of efforts to seek a Middle East peace agreement, the White House announced Sunday.\n\nThe “Peace to Prosperity” event will be held in Manama June 25-26 “to convene government, civil society, and business leaders to share ideas, discuss strategies, and galvanize support for potential economic investments and initiatives that could be made possible by a peace agreement,” the White House said in a statement.\n\nThe workshop will focus on an economic framework for the Palestinian people and region, including the potential for private-sector growth, the administration said.\n\nTo contact the reporter on this story: Mark Niquette in Columbus at mniquette@bloomberg.net\n\nTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Sara Forden at sforden@bloomberg.net, Ros Krasny", "President Donald Trump’s administration is rolling out a Middle East peace blueprint in June that includes a plan to fix Palestinian economy.\n\nThe Trump administration announced Sunday that it would be leading a conference in Manama, Bahrain in June that would help drum up international investment for the Israeli-occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip, which is controlled by Palestinian Islamist group Hamas.\n\nOn Sunday, Trump and his son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner announced the “economic workshop,” which they said would produce strategies to invest in Palestinians and other Arabs in the region.\n\nA Palestinian cabinet minister said Monday that the Palestinians would not be attending the event focused on making peace with Israel in the region.\n\n\"There will be no Palestinian participation in the Manama workshop,” Social Development Minister Ahhmed Majdalani said. \"Any Palestinian who would take part would be nothing but a collaborator for the Americans and Israel.\"\n\nPalestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh said Monday no Palestinian officials had not been consulted on the June 25-26 gathering.\n\n\"The financial crisis the Palestinian Authority is living through today is a result of the financial war that is being launched against us in order to win political concessions,\" Shtayyeh told his cabinet. \"We do not submit to blackmail and we don't trade our political rights for money.\"\n\nShtayyeh reiterated that the Palestinians demand a two-state solution with Israel, which would ensure the control of the West Bank, Gaza strip and dedicate East Jerusalem as their capital.\n\nHamas has been in a decade-old power struggle with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’s secular Fatah party, and Palestinians have cut back on U.S. aid to Hamas, contributing to economic hardship in the West Bank and Gaza.\n\nA Hamas officials told Reuters it would not be accepting any deal that would “normalize ties with the Israeli.”\n\n\"We reject any economic and political steps that aim to implement the deal of the century or to normalize ties with the Israeli enemy,\" Hamas official Fawzi Barhoum said.\n\nU.S. officials have predicted the conference would include representatives and business executives from Europe, the Middle East and Asia, as well as some finance ministers. The economic component discussed will constitute an unveiling of the first part of the Trump peace plan, U.S. officials have said.\n\nThe Trump administration has said its still-secret peace plan would require compromise by both sides.\n\nIsraeli leaders have not commented on the conference. Israel's finance minister, Moshe Kahlon, said through a spokesman on Sunday that he had yet to receive any invitation.", "U.S. to encourage investment in Palestinian areas as first part of peace plan\n\nThe White House will unveil the first part of President Donald Trump’s long-awaited Israeli-Palestinian peace plan when it holds an international conference in Bahrain in late June to encourage investment in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, senior U.S. officials said on Sunday.", "The United States will hold an international economic \"workshop\" in Bahrain in late June to encourage investment in the Palestinian areas as the first part of President Donald Trump's coming Middle East peace plan, the White House says.\n\nThe conference will bring together government and business leaders to help jump-start the economic portion of the broader US peace initiative, which is also expected to include proposals for resolving thorny political issues at the heart of the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict.\n\nTrump has touted the coming plan as the \"deal of the century\" but Palestinian officials have rebuked the US effort, which they believe will be heavily biased in favour of Israel.\n\nTrump's Middle East team, led by his son-in-law Jared Kushner and regional envoy Jason Greenblatt, appears intent on focusing initially on the potential economic benefits despite deep scepticism among experts that they can succeed where decades of US-backed efforts have failed.\n\n\"This will give hopefully the people in the region the potential to see what the economic opportunities could be if we can work out political issues that have held back the region for a long, long time,\" a senior Trump administration official said on Sunday.\n\nThe participants in the June 25-26 conference in Manama are expected to include representatives and business executives from Europe, the Middle East and Asia, the administration official said.\n\nHowever, a second senior US official declined to say whether Israeli and Palestinian officials would take part.\n\nUS officials had said earlier the peace plan would be rolled out after the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which ends in early June.\n\nBut the announcement of the investors workshop appears to set the stage for a sequenced release of the plan, starting with the economic plan in late June and later, at some time not yet clear, the political proposals."], "summary": "The White House is expected to announce the first part of their Middle East peace proposal in what officials are calling an economic \"workshop\" to encourage investing capital in the West Bank, Gaza, and the region. The workshop is expected to happen on June 25 and 26 in Manama, Bahrain."}
{"document": ["Saudi Arabia wants to avert war in the region but stands ready to respond with \"all strength and determination\" after last week's attacks on Saudi oil assets, a senior official said, adding that the ball was now in Iran's court.\n\nRiyadh has accused Tehran of ordering Tuesday's drone strikes on two oil pumping stations in the kingdom, claimed by Yemen's Houthi group.\n\nThe attack came two days after four vessels, including two Saudi oil tankers, were sabotaged off the coast of the United Arab Emirates (UAE).\n\nIran has denied it was behind the attacks which come as Washington and the Islamic Republic spar over sanctions and the US military presence in the region, raising concerns about a potential US-Iran conflict.\n\n\"The kingdom of Saudi Arabia does not want a war in the region nor does it seek that,\" Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir told a news conference on Sunday.\n\n\"It will do what it can to prevent this war and at the same time it reaffirms that in the event the other side chooses war, the kingdom will respond with all force and determination, and it will defend itself and its interests.\"\n\nSaudi Arabia's King Salman on Sunday invited Gulf and Arab leaders to convene emergency summits in Mecca on May 30 to discuss implications of the attacks.\n\n\"The current critical circumstances entail a unified Arab and Gulf stance toward the besetting challenges and risks,\" the UAE foreign ministry said in a statement.\n\nSaudi Arabia's Sunni Muslim ally the UAE has not blamed anyone for the tanker operation, pending an investigation.\n\nNo-one has claimed responsibility, but two US government sources said last week that US officials believed Iran had encouraged the Houthi group or Iraq-based Shia militias to carry it out.\n\nThe Houthis, who are battling a Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, said they carried out the strike on oil pumping stations in the kingdom, which did not disrupt output or exports in the world's largest crude exporter.\n\nA Norwegian insurers' report seen by Reuters news agency said Iran's Revolutionary Guards were \"highly likely\" to have facilitated the attack on vessels near the UAE's Fujairah emirate, a main bunkering hub lying just outside the Strait of Hormuz.\n\nWashington has tightened economic sanctions against Iran, trying to cut Tehran's oil exports to zero, and beefed up the US military presence in the Gulf in response to what it said were Iranian threats to US troops and interests. It has not offered details of the nature of the threat.\n\nCrown Prince Mohammed bin Salman discussed regional developments, including efforts to strengthen security and stability, in a phone call with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the Saudi Media Ministry tweeted on Sunday.\n\n\"We want peace and stability in the region but we will not sit on our hands in light of the continuing Iranian attack,\" Jubeir said. \"The ball is in Iran's court and it is up to Iran to determine what its fate will be.\"\n\nHe said the crew of an Iranian oil tanker that had been towed to Saudi Arabia early this month after a request for help due to engine trouble were still in the kingdom receiving the \"necessary care\".\n\nThe crew are 24 Iranians and two Bangladeshis.\n\nSaudi Arabia and Shia Iran are arch-adversaries in the Middle East, backing opposite sides in several regional wars.\n\nIranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif has dismissed the possibility of war erupting, saying Tehran did not want conflict and no country had the \"illusion it can confront Iran\".\n\nIn a sign of the heightened tension, Exxon Mobil evacuated foreign staff from an oilfield in neighbouring Iraq.\n\nBahrain on Saturday warned its citizens against travel to Iraq and Iran and asked those already there to return.\n\nThe Federal Aviation Administration has issued an advisory to US commercial airliners flying over the waters of the Gulf and the Gulf of Oman to exercise caution.", "The Saudi Arabian foreign minister said Sunday that his country is not seeking to start a war with Iran but is ready to defend itself from any threat, following recent attacks in the Gulf region.\n\nAdel al-Jubeir said in a news conference that the kingdom’s “hands are always extended to peace and seeks to achieve it, and believes that the peoples of the region, including the Iranian people, have the right to live in security and stability and to move towards development.”", "Saudi Arabia said on Sunday that it wants to avert war in the region but stands ready to respond with “all strength” following last week’s attacks on Saudi oil assets, telling Iran that the ball was now in its court.\n\nRiyadh has accused Tehran of ordering Tuesday’s drone strikes on two oil pumping stations in the kingdom, claimed by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi group. Two days earlier, four vessels, including two Saudi oil tankers, were sabotaged off the coast of the United Arab Emirates.\n\nIran has denied involvement in either operation, which come as Washington and the Islamic Republic spar over sanctions and the US military presence in the region, raising concerns about a potential US-Iran conflict.\n\nRead | Key events leading to escalation of tensions between US-Iran\n\n“The kingdom of Saudi Arabia does not want a war in the region nor does it seek that,” Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir told a news conference.\n\n“It will do what it can to prevent this war and at the same time it reaffirms that in the event the other side chooses war, the kingdom will respond with all force and determination, and it will defend itself and its interests.”\n\nSaudi Arabia’s King Salman on Sunday invited Gulf and Arab leaders to convene emergency summits in Mecca on May 30 to discuss implications of the attacks.\n\n“The current critical circumstances entail a unified Arab and Gulf stance toward the besetting challenges and risks,” the UAE foreign ministry said in a statement.\n\nSaudi Arabia’s Sunni Muslim ally the UAE has not blamed anyone for the tanker sabotage operation, pending an investigation. No-one has claimed responsibility, but two US government sources said last week that US officials believed Iran had encouraged the Houthi group or Iraq-based Shi’ite militias to carry it out.\n\nThe drone strike on oil pumping stations, which Riyadh said did not disrupt output or exports, was claimed by the Houthis, who have been battling a Saudi-led military coalition in a war in Yemen since 2015.\n\nThe head of the Houthis’ Supreme Revolutionary Committee, Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, derided Riyadh’s call to convene Arab summits, saying in a Twitter post that they “only know how to support war and destruction”.\n\nA Norwegian insurers’ report seen by Reuters said Iran’s Revolutionary Guards were “highly likely” to have facilitated the attack on vessels near the UAE’s Fujairah emirate, a main bunkering hub lying just outside the Strait of Hormuz.\n\nIranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif has dismissed the possibility of war erupting, saying Tehran did not want conflict and no country had the “illusion it can confront Iran”. This stance was echoed by the head of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards on Sunday.\n\n“We are not pursuing war but we are also not afraid of war,”\n\nMajor General Hossein Salami was cited as saying by the semi-official news agency Tasnim.\n\nWashington has tightened economic sanctions against Iran, trying to cut Tehran’s oil exports to zero, and beefed up the US military presence in the Gulf in response to what it said were Iranian threats to United States troops and interests.\n\nCrown Prince Mohammed bin Salman discussed regional developments, including efforts to strengthen security and stability, in a phone call with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the Saudi Media Ministry tweeted on Sunday.\n\n“We want peace and stability in the region but we will not sit on our hands in light of the continuing Iranian attack,” Jubeir said. “The ball is in Iran’s court and it is up to Iran to determine what its fate will be.”\n\nHe said the crew of an Iranian oil tanker that had been towed to Saudi Arabia early this month after a request for help due to engine trouble were still in the kingdom receiving the “necessary care”. The crew are 24 Iranians and two Bangladeshis.\n\nSaudi Arabia and Shi’ite Iran are arch-adversaries in the Middle East, backing opposite sides in several regional wars. In a sign of the heightened tension, Exxon Mobil evacuated foreign staff from an oilfield in neighbouring Iraq.\n\nBahrain on Saturday warned its citizens against travel to Iraq and Iran and asked those already there to return. The US Federal Aviation Administration has issued an advisory to US commercial airliners flying over the waters of the Gulf and the Gulf of Oman to exercise caution.", "RIYADH (REUTERS) - Saudi Arabia wants to avert war in the region but stands ready to respond with \"all strength and determination\" following last week's attacks on Saudi oil assets, a senior official said on Sunday (May 18), adding that the ball was now in Iran's court.\n\nRiyadh has accused Teheran of ordering Tuesday's drone strikes on two oil pumping stations in the kingdom, claimed by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi group. The attack came two days after four vessels, including two Saudi oil tankers, were sabotaged off the coast of the United Arab Emirates.\n\nIran has denied it was behind the attacks which come as Washington and the Islamic Republic spar over sanctions and the US military presence in the region, raising concerns about a potential US-Iran conflict.\n\n\"The kingdom of Saudi Arabia does not want a war in the region nor does it seek that,\" Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir told a news conference.\n\n\"It will do what it can to prevent this war and at the same time it reaffirms that in the event the other side chooses war, the kingdom will respond with all force and determination, and it will defend itself and its interests.\"\n\nSaudi Arabia's King Salman on Sunday invited Gulf and Arab leaders to convene emergency summits in Mecca on May 30 to discuss implications of the attacks.\n\n\"The current critical circumstances entail a unified Arab and Gulf stance toward the besetting challenges and risks,\" the UAE foreign ministry said in a statement.\n\nSaudi Arabia's Sunni Muslim ally the UAE has not blamed anyone for the tanker operation, pending an investigation.\n\nNo-one has claimed responsibility, but two US government sources said last week that US officials believed Iran had encouraged the Houthi group or Iraq-based Shi'ite militias to carry it out.\n\nThe Houthis, who are battling a Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, said they carried out the strike on oil pumping stations in the kingdom, which did not disrupt output or exports in the world's largest crude exporter.\n\nA Norwegian insurers' report seen by Reuters said Iran's Revolutionary Guards were \"highly likely\" to have facilitated the attack on vessels near the UAE's Fujairah emirate, a main bunkering hub lying just outside the Strait of Hormuz.\n\nWashington has tightened economic sanctions against Iran, trying to cut Teheran's oil exports to zero, and beefed up the US military presence in the Gulf in response to what it said were Iranian threats to United States troops and interests.\n\nCrown Prince Mohammed bin Salman discussed regional developments, including efforts to strengthen security and stability, in a phone call with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the Saudi Media Ministry tweeted on Sunday.\n\n\"We want peace and stability in the region but we will not sit on our hands in light of the continuing Iranian attack,\" Jubeir said. \"The ball is in Iran's court and it is up to Iran to determine what its fate will be.\"\n\nHe said the crew of an Iranian oil tanker that had been towed to Saudi Arabia early this month after a request for help due to engine trouble were still in the kingdom receiving the\"necessary care\". The crew are 24 Iranians and two Bangladeshis.\n\nSaudi Arabia and Shi'ite Iran are arch-adversaries in the Middle East, backing opposite sides in several regional wars.\n\nIranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif has dismissed the possibility of war erupting, saying Teheran did not want conflict and no country had the \"illusion it can confront Iran\".\n\nIn a sign of the heightened tension, Exxon Mobil evacuated foreign staff from an oilfield in neighbouring Iraq.\n\nBahrain on Saturday warned its citizens against travel to Iraq and Iran and asked those already there to return.\n\nThe Federal Aviation Administration has issued an advisory to US commercial airliners flying over the waters of the Gulf and the Gulf of Oman to exercise caution.", "RIYADH, (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia said today that it wants to avert war in the region but stands ready to respond with “all strength” following last week’s attacks on Saudi oil assets, telling Iran that the ball was now in its court.\n\nRiyadh has accused Tehran of ordering Tuesday’s drone strikes on two oil pumping stations in the kingdom, claimed by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi group. Two days earlier, four vessels, including two Saudi oil tankers, were sabotaged off the coast of the United Arab Emirates.\n\nIran has denied involvement in either operation, which come as Washington and the Islamic Republic spar over sanctions and the U.S. military presence in the region, raising concerns about a potential U.S.-Iran conflict.\n\n“The kingdom of Saudi Arabia does not want a war in the region nor does it seek that,” Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir told a news conference.\n\n“It will do what it can to prevent this war and at the same time it reaffirms that in the event the other side chooses war, the kingdom will respond with all force and determination, and it will defend itself and its interests.”\n\nSaudi Arabia’s King Salman on Sunday invited Gulf and Arab leaders to convene emergency summits in Mecca on May 30 to discuss implications of the attacks.\n\n“The current critical circumstances entail a unified Arab and Gulf stance toward the besetting challenges and risks,” the UAE foreign ministry said in a statement.\n\nSaudi Arabia’s Sunni Muslim ally the UAE has not blamed anyone for the tanker sabotage operation, pending an investigation. No-one has claimed responsibility, but two U.S. government sources said last week that U.S. officials believed Iran had encouraged the Houthi group or Iraq-based Shi’ite militias to carry it out.\n\nThe drone strike on oil pumping stations, which Riyadh said did not disrupt output or exports, was claimed by the Houthis, who have been battling a Saudi-led military coalition in a war in Yemen since 2015.\n\nThe head of the Houthis’ Supreme Revolutionary Committee, Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, derided Riyadh’s call to convene Arab summits, saying in a Twitter post that they “only know how to support war and destruction”.\n\nA Norwegian insurers’ report seen by Reuters said Iran’s Revolutionary Guards were “highly likely” to have facilitated the attack on vessels near the UAE’s Fujairah emirate, a main bunkering hub lying just outside the Strait of Hormuz.\n\nIranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif has dismissed the possibility of war erupting, saying Tehran did not want conflict and no country had the “illusion it can confront Iran”. This stance was echoed by the head of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards on Sunday.\n\n“We are not pursuing war but we are also not afraid of war,”\n\nMajor General Hossein Salami was cited as saying by the semi-official news agency Tasnim.\n\nWashington has tightened economic sanctions against Iran, trying to cut Tehran’s oil exports to zero, and beefed up the U.S. military presence in the Gulf in response to what it said were Iranian threats to United States troops and interests.\n\nCrown Prince Mohammed bin Salman discussed regional developments, including efforts to strengthen security and stability, in a phone call with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the Saudi Media Ministry tweeted on Sunday.\n\n“We want peace and stability in the region but we will not sit on our hands in light of the continuing Iranian attack,” Jubeir said. “The ball is in Iran’s court and it is up to Iran to determine what its fate will be.”\n\nHe said the crew of an Iranian oil tanker that had been towed to Saudi Arabia early this month after a request for help due to engine trouble were still in the kingdom receiving the “necessary care”. The crew are 24 Iranians and two Bangladeshis.\n\nSaudi Arabia and Shi’ite Iran are arch-adversaries in the Middle East, backing opposite sides in several regional wars.\n\nIn a sign of the heightened tension, Exxon Mobil evacuated foreign staff from an oilfield in neighbouring Iraq.\n\nBahrain on Saturday warned its citizens against travel to Iraq and Iran and asked those already there to return.\n\nThe U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has issued an advisory to U.S. commercial airliners flying over the waters of the Gulf and the Gulf of Oman to exercise caution.", "\"The kingdom of Saudi Arabia does not want a war in the region nor does it seek that,\" Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir told a news conference.\n\n[RIYADH] Saudi Arabia said on Sunday it wanted to avert war in the region but stood ready to respond with \"all strength\" following last week's attacks on Saudi oil assets, telling Iran that the ball was now in its court.\n\nRiyadh has accused Tehran of ordering Tuesday's drone strikes on two oil pumping stations in the kingdom, claimed by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi group. Two days earlier, four vessels, including two Saudi oil tankers, were sabotaged off the coast of the United Arab Emirates.\n\nIn response, countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) began \"enhanced security patrols\" in the international waters of the Arabian Gulf area on Saturday, the US Navy's Bahrain-based Fifth Fleet said on Sunday.\n\nIran has denied involvement in either operation, which come as Washington and the Islamic Republic spar over sanctions and the US military presence in the region, raising concerns about a potential US-Iran conflict.\n\n\"The kingdom of Saudi Arabia does not want a war in the region nor does it seek that,\" Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir told a news conference.\n\n\"It will do what it can to prevent this war and at the same time it reaffirms that in the event the other side chooses war, the kingdom will respond with all force and determination, and it will defend itself and its interests.\"\n\nSaudi Arabia's King Salman on Sunday invited Gulf and Arab leaders to convene emergency summits in Mecca on May 30 to discuss implications of the attacks.\n\n\"The current critical circumstances entail a unified Arab and Gulf stance toward the besetting challenges and risks,\" the UAE foreign ministry said in a statement.\n\nThe US Navy's Fifth Fleet said in its statement about increased maritime patrols that GCC countries were \"specifically increasing communication and coordination with each other in support of regional naval cooperation and maritime security operations in the Arabian Gulf,\" with navies and coast guards working with the US Navy.\n\nSaudi Arabia's Sunni Muslim ally the UAE has not blamed anyone for the tanker sabotage operation, pending an investigation. No-one has claimed responsibility, but two US government sources said last week that US officials believed Iran had encouraged the Houthi group or Iraq-based Shi'ite militias to carry it out.\n\nThe drone strike on oil pumping stations, which Riyadh said did not disrupt output or exports, was claimed by the Houthis, who have been battling a Saudi-led military coalition in a war in Yemen since 2015.\n\nThe Houthi-controlled SABA news agency said on Sunday, citing a military source from the group, that targeting Aramco's installations last week was the beginning of coming military operations against 300 vital military targets.\n\nTargets include vital military headquarters and facilities in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, as well as their bases in Yemen, the source told SABA.\n\nThe head of the Houthis' Supreme Revolutionary Committee, Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, derided Riyadh's call to convene Arab summits, saying in a Twitter post that they \"only know how to support war and destruction\".\n\nA Norwegian insurers' report seen by Reuters said Iran's Revolutionary Guards were \"highly likely\" to have facilitated the attack on vessels near the UAE's Fujairah emirate, a main bunkering hub lying just outside the Strait of Hormuz.\n\nIranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif has dismissed the possibility of war erupting, saying Tehran did not want conflict and no country had the \"illusion it can confront Iran\". This stance was echoed by the head of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards on Sunday.\n\n\"We are not pursuing war but we are also not afraid of war,\" Major General Hossein Salami was cited as saying by the semi-official news agency Tasnim.\n\nWashington has tightened economic sanctions against Iran, trying to cut Tehran's oil exports to zero, and beefed up the US military presence in the Gulf in response to what it said were Iranian threats to United States troops and interests.\n\nCrown Prince Mohammed bin Salman discussed regional developments, including efforts to strengthen security and stability, in a phone call with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the Saudi Media Ministry tweeted on Sunday.\n\n\"We want peace and stability in the region but we will not sit on our hands in light of the continuing Iranian attack,\" Mr Jubeir said. \"The ball is in Iran's court and it is up to Iran to determine what its fate will be.\"\n\nHe said the crew of an Iranian oil tanker that had been towed to Saudi Arabia early this month after a request for help due to engine trouble were still in the kingdom receiving the \"necessary care\". The crew are 24 Iranians and two Bangladeshis.\n\nSaudi Arabia and Shi'ite Iran are arch-adversaries in the Middle East, backing opposite sides in several regional wars.\n\nIn a sign of the heightened tension, Exxon Mobil evacuated foreign staff from an oilfield in neighbouring Iraq.\n\nBahrain on Saturday warned its citizens against travel to Iraq and Iran and asked those already there to return.\n\nThe US Federal Aviation Administration has issued an advisory to U.S. commercial airliners flying over the waters of the Gulf and the Gulf of Oman to exercise caution.", "RIYADH (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia wants to avert war in the region but stands ready to respond with “all strength and determination” following last week’s attacks on Saudi oil assets, a senior official said on Sunday, adding that the ball was now in Iran’s court.\n\nRiyadh has accused Tehran of ordering Tuesday’s drone strikes on two oil pumping stations in the kingdom, claimed by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi group. The attack came two days after four vessels, including two Saudi oil tankers, were sabotaged off the coast of the United Arab Emirates.\n\nIran has denied it was behind the attacks which come as Washington and the Islamic Republic spar over sanctions and the U.S. military presence in the region, raising concerns about a potential U.S.-Iran conflict.\n\n“The kingdom of Saudi Arabia does not want a war in the region nor does it seek that,” Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir told a news conference.\n\n“It will do what it can to prevent this war and at the same time it reaffirms that in the event the other side chooses war, the kingdom will respond with all force and determination, and it will defend itself and its interests.”\n\nSaudi Arabia’s King Salman on Sunday invited Gulf and Arab leaders to convene emergency summits in Mecca on May 30 to discuss implications of the attacks.\n\n“The current critical circumstances entail a unified Arab and Gulf stance toward the besetting challenges and risks,” the UAE foreign ministry said in a statement.\n\nSaudi Arabia’s Sunni Muslim ally the UAE has not blamed anyone for the tanker operation, pending an investigation. No-one has claimed responsibility, but two U.S. government sources said last week that U.S. officials believed Iran had encouraged the Houthi group or Iraq-based Shi’ite militias to carry it out.\n\nThe Houthis, who are battling a Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, said they carried out the strike on oil pumping stations in the kingdom, which did not disrupt output or exports in the world’s largest crude exporter.\n\nA Norwegian insurers’ report seen by Reuters said Iran’s Revolutionary Guards were “highly likely” to have facilitated the attack on vessels near the UAE’s Fujairah emirate, a main bunkering hub lying just outside the Strait of Hormuz.\n\nWashington has tightened economic sanctions against Iran, trying to cut Tehran’s oil exports to zero, and beefed up the U.S. military presence in the Gulf in response to what it said were Iranian threats to United States troops and interests.\n\nCrown Prince Mohammed bin Salman discussed regional developments, including efforts to strengthen security and stability, in a phone call with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the Saudi Media Ministry tweeted on Sunday.\n\n“We want peace and stability in the region but we will not sit on our hands in light of the continuing Iranian attack,” Jubeir said. “The ball is in Iran’s court and it is up to Iran to determine what its fate will be.”\n\nHe said the crew of an Iranian oil tanker that had been towed to Saudi Arabia early this month after a request for help due to engine trouble were still in the kingdom receiving the “necessary care”. The crew are 24 Iranians and two Bangladeshis.\n\nSaudi Arabia and Shi’ite Iran are arch-adversaries in the Middle East, backing opposite sides in several regional wars.\n\nIranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif has dismissed the possibility of war erupting, saying Tehran did not want conflict and no country had the “illusion it can confront Iran”.\n\nIn a sign of the heightened tension, Exxon Mobil evacuated foreign staff from an oilfield in neighbouring Iraq.\n\nBahrain on Saturday warned its citizens against travel to Iraq and Iran and asked those already there to return.\n\nThe Federal Aviation Administration has issued an advisory to U.S. commercial airliners flying over the waters of the Gulf and the Gulf of Oman to exercise caution.", "Saudi Arabia said on Sunday that it wants to avert war in the region but stands ready to respond with “all strength” following last week’s attacks on Saudi oil assets, telling Iran that the ball was now in its court.\n\nRiyadh has accused Tehran of ordering Tuesday’s drone strikes on two oil pumping stations in the kingdom, claimed by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi group. Two days earlier, four vessels, including two Saudi oil tankers, were sabotaged off the coast of the United Arab Emirates.\n\nIran has denied involvement in either operation, which come as Washington and the Islamic Republic spar over sanctions and the U.S. military presence in the region, raising concerns about a potential U.S.-Iran conflict.\n\n“The kingdom of Saudi Arabia does not want a war in the region nor does it seek that,” Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir told a news conference.\n\n“It will do what it can to prevent this war and at the same time it reaffirms that in the event the other side chooses war, the kingdom will respond with all force and determination, and it will defend itself and its interests.”\n\nSaudi Arabia’s King Salman on Sunday invited Gulf and Arab leaders to convene emergency summits in Mecca on May 30 to discuss implications of the attacks.[L5N22U0PA]\n\n“The current critical circumstances entail a unified Arab and Gulf stance toward the besetting challenges and risks,” the UAE foreign ministry said in a statement.\n\nSaudi Arabia’s Sunni Muslim ally the UAE has not blamed anyone for the tanker sabotage operation, pending an investigation. No-one has claimed responsibility, but two U.S. government sources said last week that U.S. officials believed Iran had encouraged the Houthi group or Iraq-based Shi’ite militias to carry it out.\n\nThe drone strike on oil pumping stations, which Riyadh said did not disrupt output or exports, was claimed by the Houthis, who have been battling a Saudi-led military coalition in a war in Yemen since 2015.\n\nThe head of the Houthis’ Supreme Revolutionary Committee, Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, derided Riyadh’s call to convene Arab summits, saying in a Twitter post that they “only know how to support war and destruction”.\n\nA Norwegian insurers’ report seen by Reuters said Iran’s Revolutionary Guards were “highly likely” to have facilitated the attack on vessels near the UAE’s Fujairah emirate, a main bunkering hub lying just outside the Strait of Hormuz.\n\nIranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif has dismissed the possibility of war erupting, saying Tehran did not want conflict and no country had the “illusion it can confront Iran”. This stance was echoed by the head of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards on Sunday.\n\n“We are not pursuing war but we are also not afraid of war,” Major General Hossein Salami was cited as saying by the semi-official news agency Tasnim.\n\nWashington has tightened economic sanctions against Iran, trying to cut Tehran’s oil exports to zero, and beefed up the U.S. military presence in the Gulf in response to what it said were Iranian threats to United States troops and interests.\n\nCrown Prince Mohammed bin Salman discussed regional developments, including efforts to strengthen security and stability, in a phone call with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the Saudi Media Ministry tweeted on Sunday.\n\n“We want peace and stability in the region but we will not sit on our hands in light of the continuing Iranian attack,” Jubeir said. “The ball is in Iran’s court and it is up to Iran to determine what its fate will be.”\n\nHe said the crew of an Iranian oil tanker that had been towed to Saudi Arabia early this month after a request for help due to engine trouble were still in the kingdom receiving the “necessary care”. The crew are 24 Iranians and two Bangladeshis.\n\nSaudi Arabia and Shi’ite Iran are arch-adversaries in the Middle East, backing opposite sides in several regional wars. In a sign of the heightened tension, Exxon Mobil evacuated foreign staff from an oilfield in neighboring Iraq.\n\nBahrain on Saturday warned its citizens against travel to Iraq and Iran and asked those already there to return. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has issued an advisory to U.S. commercial airliners flying over the waters of the Gulf and the Gulf of Oman to exercise caution.", "Saudi Arabia wants to avert war in the region but stands ready to respond with \"all strength and determination\" after last week's attacks on Saudi oil assets, a senior official said, adding that the ball was now in Iran's court.\n\nRiyadh has accused Tehran of ordering Tuesday's drone attacks on two oil pumping stations in the kingdom, claimed by Yemen's Houthi group.\n\nThe attack came two days after four vessels, including two Saudi oil tankers, were sabotaged off the coast of the United Arab Emirates.\n\nIran has denied it was behind the attacks which come as Washington and the Islamic republic spar over sanctions and the US military presence in the region, raising concerns about a potential US-Iran conflict.\n\n\"The kingdom of Saudi Arabia does not want a war in the region nor does it seek that,\" Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir told a news conference on Sunday.\n\n190519094217638\n\n\"It will do what it can to prevent this war and at the same time it reaffirms that in the event the other side chooses war, the kingdom will respond with all force and determination, and it will defend itself and its interests.\"\n\nA senior Iranian military commander was similarly quoted as saying his country is not looking for war, in comments published in Iranian media on Sunday.\n\nThe remarks came as Saudi Arabia's King Salman invited Gulf and Arab leaders to convene emergency summits in Mecca on May 30 to discuss implications of the attacks.\n\n\"The current critical circumstances entail a unified Arab and Gulf stance toward the besetting challenges and risks,\" the UAE foreign ministry said.\n\nThe US Navy's Fifth Fleet, in a statement about increased maritime patrols, said Gulf countries were \"specifically increasing communication and coordination with each other in support of regional naval cooperation and maritime security operations in the Arabian Gulf\".\n\nTheir navies and coastguards working with the US Navy, it said.\n\nThe UAE has not blamed anyone for the tanker operation, pending an investigation.\n\nNo one has claimed responsibility, but two US government sources said last week that US officials believed Iran had encouraged the Houthi group or Iraq-based Shia militias to carry it out. The Houthis claimed the attack on the pipelines.\n\n190518065807097\n\n'Not afraid'\n\nIranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif has dismissed the possibility of war erupting, saying Tehran did not want conflict and no country had the \"illusion it can confront Iran\".\n\nThis stance was echoed by the head of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards on Sunday.\n\n\"We are not pursuing war but we are also not afraid of war,\" Major General Hossein Salami was cited as saying by the semi-official news agency Tasnim.\n\nWashington has tightened economic sanctions against Iran, trying to cut Tehran's oil exports to zero, and beefed up the US military presence in the Gulf in response to what it said were Iranian threats to US troops and interests. It has not offered details of the nature of the threat.\n\nCrown Prince Mohammed bin Salman discussed regional developments, including efforts to strengthen security and stability, in a phone call with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the Saudi Media Ministry tweeted on Sunday.\n\n\"We want peace and stability in the region but we will not sit on our hands in light of the continuing Iranian attack,\" al-Jubeir said. \"The ball is in Iran's court and it is up to Iran to determine what its fate will be.\"\n\nHe said the crew of an Iranian oil tanker that had been towed to Saudi Arabia early this month after a request for help due to engine trouble were still in the kingdom receiving the \"necessary care\". The crew are 24 Iranians and two Bangladeshis.\n\nSaudi Arabia and Iran are adversaries in the Middle East, backing opposite sides in several regional wars.\n\nIn a sign of the heightened tension, Exxon Mobil evacuated foreign staff from an oilfield in neighbouring Iraq.\n\nBahrain on Saturday warned its citizens against travel to Iraq and Iran and asked those already there to return.\n\nThe Federal Aviation Administration has issued an advisory to US commercial airliners flying over the waters of the Gulf and the Gulf of Oman to exercise caution.", "Saudi Arabia says it seeks to avert war, ball in Iran's court\n\nSaudi Arabia said on Sunday that it wants to avert war in the region but stands ready to respond with “all strength” following last week’s attacks on Saudi oil assets, telling Iran that the ball was now in its court.Riyadh has accused Tehran of ordering Tuesday’s drone strikes on two oil pumping stations in the kingdom, claimed by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi group. Two days earlier, four vessels, including two Saudi oil tankers, were sabotaged off the coast of the United Arab Emirates. Iran has denied involvement in either operation, which come as Washington and the Islamic Republic spar over sanctions and the US military presence in the region, raising concerns about a potential US-Iran conflict. “The kingdom of Saudi Arabia does not want a war in the region nor does it seek that,” Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir told a news conference.\n\nSEE ALSO :Nigerian woman among four executed for drug trafficking\n\n“It will do what it can to prevent this war and at the same time it reaffirms that in the event the other side chooses war, the kingdom will respond with all force and determination, and it will defend itself and its interests.” Saudi Arabia’s King Salman on Sunday invited Gulf and Arab leaders to convene emergency summits in Mecca on May 30 to discuss implications of the attacks. “The current critical circumstances entail a unified Arab and Gulf stance toward the besetting challenges and risks,” the UAE foreign ministry said in a statement. Saudi Arabia’s Sunni Muslim ally the UAE has not blamed anyone for the tanker sabotage operation, pending an investigation. No-one has claimed responsibility, but two US government sources said last week that US officials believed Iran had encouraged the Houthi group The drone strike on oil pumping stations, which Riyadh said did not disrupt output or exports, was claimed by the Houthis, who have been battling a Saudi-led military coalition in a war in Yemen since 2015.\n\nSEE ALSO :Murdered journalist's children 'given \"blood money\" by Saudis'\n\nThe head of the Houthis’ Supreme Revolutionary Committee, Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, derided Riyadh’s call to convene Arab summits, saying in a Twitter post that they “only know how to support war and destruction”. A Norwegian insurers’ report seen by Reuters said Iran’s Revolutionary Guards were “highly likely” to have facilitated the attack on vessels near the UAE’s Fujairah emirate, a main bunkering hub lying just outside the Strait of Hormuz.Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif has dismissed the possibility of war erupting, saying Tehran did not want conflict and no country had the “illusion it can confront Iran”. This stance was echoed by the head of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards on Sunday. “We are not pursuing war but we are also not afraid of war,” Major General Hossein Salami was cited as saying by the semi-official news agency Tasnim.\n\nSEE ALSO :Saudi Arabia, UAE to send Sh300b in aid to Sudan\n\nWashington has tightened economic sanctions against Iran, trying to cut Tehran’s oil exports to zero, and beefed up the US military presence in the Gulf in response to what it said were Iranian threats to United States troops and interests. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman discussed regional developments, including efforts to strengthen security and stability, in a phone call with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the Saudi Media Ministry tweeted on Sunday. “We want peace and stability in the region but we will not sit on our hands in light of the continuing Iranian attack,” Jubeir said. “The ball is in Iran’s court and it is up to Iran to determine what its fate will be.” He said the crew of an Iranian oil tanker that had been towed to Saudi Arabia early this month after a request for help due to engine trouble were still in the kingdom receiving the “necessary care”. The crew are 24 Iranians and two Bangladeshis. Saudi Arabia and Shi’ite Iran are arch-adversaries in the Middle East, backing opposite sides in several regional wars. In a sign of the heightened tension, Exxon Mobil evacuated foreign staff from an oilfield in neighboring Iraq.\n\nSEE ALSO :Saudi Arabian employer ties Filipino maid to a tree, sparks anger\n\nBahrain on Saturday warned its citizens against travel to Iraq and Iran and asked those already there to return. The US Federal Aviation Administration has issued an advisory to US commercial airliners flying over the waters of the Gulf and the Gulf of Oman to exercise caution.\n\nRegister to advertise your products & services on our classifieds website Digger.co.ke and enjoy one month subscription free of charge and 3 free ads on the Standard newspaper."], "summary": "Saudi Arabian Minister of Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir says his country \"seeks to avert war, ready to respond with force and determination\" to a would-be attack by Iran."}
{"document": ["Why did this happen?\n\nPlease make sure your browser supports JavaScript and cookies and that you are not blocking them from loading. For more information you can review our Terms of Service and Cookie Policy.", "A gang of gunmen reportedly attacked a bar in the capital of Brazil’s northern Pará state Sunday afternoon, and authorities said 11 people were killed.\n\nThe state security agency confirmed that only six women and five men died in the incident in the Guamá neighborhood of the Pará state capital, Belém.\n\nThe G1 news website said police reported that seven gunmen were involved in the attack, which also wounded one person. The news outlet said the attackers arrived at the bar on one motorcycle and in three cars.\n\nIn late March, the federal government sent National Guard troops to Belém to reinforce security in the city for 90 days.", "Eleven people were killed in a massacre at a bar in northern Brazil, according to media reports. Seven hooded gunmen arrived at Wanda’s Bar in Belem in three cars and a motorcycle, and opened fire—killing six women and five men. Police told the O Liberal newspaper that the bar was a drug front and that several victims had drugs on them. Brazil, which had 64,000 murders last year, is wracked by gang violence, and troops were sent to Belem this spring to keep the peace.", "Eleven people have been killed after gunmen reportedly attacked a bar in the capital of Brazil’s northern Para state.\n\nThe state security agency confirmed that six women and five men died in the incident in the Guamá area of Para’s state capital, Belém.\n\nThe G1 news website said police claimed seven gunmen were involved in the attack, which left one other person wounded.\n\nIn late March, the federal government sent National Guard troops to Belém to reinforce security in the city for 90 days.\n\nBrazil hit a record high of 64,000 homicides in 2017, 70 per cent of which were due to firearms, according to official statistics.\n\nMuch of Brazil’s violence is gang-related. In January, gang attacks brought the city of Fortaleza to a standstill with commerce, buses and taxis shut down.\n\nFogo Cruzado, a group that monitors shootings in the Rio de Janeiro metropolitan area, said there were 2,300 shootings in Rio and its suburbs during the first 100 days of this year.\n\nKillings attributed to police gunfire in Rio de Janeiro state have reached a record high, rising 18 per cent in the first three months – a spike partly attributed to a campaign of a zero tolerance for criminals being pushed by state leaders.\n\nOne of new president Jair Bolsonaro’s main campaign promises was that he would loosen Brazil’s strict gun laws, arguing that because criminals are well-armed with illegally obtained guns, “upstanding citizens” should have the right to defend themselves with legally bought weapons.\n\nMr Bolsonaro has made good on that promise with two presidential decrees to make buying guns easier, though federal prosecutors are hoping to block this move through the courts. –AP", "\n• 11 people have died and one other is injured in Brazil’s northern Pará state after gunmen opened fire on a bar, local media reports.\n• State officials referred to the attack as a “massacre” without providing further details.\n• The attack reportedly occurred on Sunday in Belém at around 4 p.m. local time. The motive remains unclear.\n\nA group of gunmen opened fire at a bar in Brazil’s northern Pará state, killing 11 people and injuring one other, local media reported.\n\nState officials confirmed that there had been a “massacre” in the region without providing further details, Associated Press reported. The motive of the crime remains unclear.\n\nBrazilian news site G1 said the attack occurred on Sunday in the Guamá neighborhood of Belém at around 4 p.m. local time. According to the report, a group of seven gunmen arrived at the bar and began shooting, killing 11 people and injuring one.\n\nIn March, authorities sent 200 federal agents to reinforce Belém and other neighborhoods in the state which were subject to high crime rates. The officers were expected to stay for a period of 90 days or longer.", "A group of gunmen opened fire at a bar in Brazil's northern Pará state, killing 11 people and injuring one other, local media reported.\n\nState officials confirmed that there had been a \"massacre\" in the region without providing further details, Associated Press reported. The motive of the crime remains unclear.\n\nBrazilian news site G1 said the attack occurred on Sunday in the Guamá neighborhood of Belém at around 4 p.m. local time. According to the report, a group of seven gunmen arrived at the bar and began shooting, killing 11 people and injuring one.\n\nIn March, authorities sent 200 federal agents to reinforce Belém and other neighborhoods in the state which were subject to high crime rates. The officers were expected to stay for a period of 90 days or longer.", "A group of gunmen have killed 11 people in a bar in Brazil, according to media reports, with state officials confirming only at “a massacre” had occurred.\n\nThe G1 news website reported police reported that seven gunmen were involved in the attack in Belém city in the northern state of Pará, which also wounded one person, who is now in police protection.\n\nThe news outlet said the attackers arrived at the bar in three cars and one motorcycle before killing six women and five men on Sunday afternoon.\n\nAlmost all the victims had been shot in the head, G1 reported the secretary of public security in Pará, Ualame Machado, as saying.\n\n“Of course we have some lines of investigation, which are confidential, but all of them will be analysed very carefully, very strictly,” Machado told a news conference on Sunday. As of Sunday afternoon, a motive remained unclear and no one had been arrested.\n\nA Pará state spokeswoman, Natalia Mello, said only: “A massacre is confirmed.” State communications officials stopped answering phone calls. Military and civil police in Pará state also did not answer phone calls or respond to emails.\n\nIn late March, the federal government sent National Guard troops to Belém to reinforce security in the city for 90 days.\n\nBrazil hit a record high of 64,000 homicides in 2017, 70% of which were due to firearms, according to official statistics.\n\nMuch of Brazil’s violence is gang related. In January, gangs attacked across Fortaleza, bringing that city to a standstill as commerce, buses and taxis shut down. Rio de Janeiro experiences daily shootouts between rival gangs, and also with police, that often kill bystanders.\n\nOne of new President Jair Bolsonaro’s main campaign promises was that he would loosen Brazil’s strict gun laws, arguing that because criminals were well-armed with illegally obtained guns, “upstanding citizens” should have the right to defend themselves. Bolsonaro has made good on that campaign promise with two presidential decrees that make buying guns easier, though federal prosecutors are seeking to get the courts to block that move.", "Brazilian authorities say there has been a “massacre” in the country’s northern Para state without releasing any details, while Brazilian news media say gunmen attacked a bar in Belem City and killed 11 people.\n\nREAD MORE: 40 dead, 300 estimated missing after dam holding back waste bursts in Brazil\n\nThe G1 news website says police reported that seven gunmen opened fire on a bar. G1 says police also report one wounded in the attack.\n\nA Para state spokeswoman, Natalia Mello, says she can only “confirm” there was a massacre in the state.", "Rio de Janeiro, May 20 (IANS) At least 11 people have been killed in a shooting at a bar in Brazil’s Para state, police said.\n\nThe shooting took place on Sunday in the city of Belem when seven gunmen arrived at the bar and began shooting, Xinhua news agency reported.\n\nThey killed six women, among them the bar’s owner, and five men, according to the Military Police.\n\nOne person was injured and taken to the hospital.\n\nAn investigation into the shooting was opened by the Civil Police’s Homicide Division, but the motive behind the shooting is still unknown.", "Gunmen killed at least 11 people in a bar in northern Brazil on Sunday, officials said.\n\nThe shooting took place in the city of Belem, the public safety department of northern Para state said.\n\nThere was no immediate word on the motive of the shooting.\n\nThe attackers fled but the news website G1 quoted police as saying one was wounded and is in police custody.\n\nThe fatalities are six women and five men, G1 said.\n\nSeven men carried out the shooting after arriving on a motorcyle and in three cars, said G1. They fled after the attack.\n\nThe bar where the shooting took place is in a neighborhood which got police reinforcements in March to fight crime.\n\nGet the latest election news, live updates and election schedule for Lok Sabha Elections 2019 on ndtv.com/elections. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagram for updates from each of the 543 parliamentary seats for the 2019 Indian general elections. Election results will be out on May 23."], "summary": "Several gunmen open fire inside a bar in Belém, Brazil, killing at least eleven people."}
{"document": ["At least 32 people, including three prison guards and 29 inmates, have been killed in a high-security prison in Tajikistan after convicted Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIS) fighters started a riot.\n\nThe Central Asian nation's justice ministry said the riot broke out late on Sunday in Vahdat, 10 kilometres east of the capital Dushanbe, as the fighters armed themselves with knives and killed three guards and five fellow prisoners.\n\nOne of the instigators of the riot was Bekhruz Gulmurod, son of Gulmurod Khalimov, a Tajik special forces colonel who defected to ISIL in 2015 and, according to the ministry, has since been killed in Syria.\n\nSecurity forces killed 24 prisoners and restored order in the prison which has 1,500 inmates, the ministry added.\n\nLast November, ISIL claimed responsibility for another Tajik prison riot which followed a deadly attack by its followers on tourists in July 2018.\n\nA Tajik man, who joined ISIL before handing himself over to the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), told Reuters news agency last month that many foreigners who enlisted in its self-declared caliphate were jailed or killed for trying to leave.\n\nTajikistan has offered amnesty to those who quit the armed group and return home, provided they've committed no other crimes.", "Image copyright Reuters\n\nAt least 29 inmates and three guards have been killed during a riot at a high-security prison in Tajikistan, the country's justice ministry said.\n\nA group of Islamic State (IS) members killed the guards before releasing fellow IS convicts and turning on other prisoners, their statement read.\n\nGuards then opened fire, leaving 24 more prisoners dead.\n\nThe facility is home to 1,500 prisoners and lies in the city of Vakhdat east of the capital Dushanbe.\n\nIt is the second deadly prison riot to hit Tajikistan in the last six months.\n\nThe justice ministry statement said rioting started on Sunday. IS inmates killed five fellow prisoners before taking others hostage and starting a fire.\n\nSome of the inmates are political prisoners, and the ministry said two of those killed by the convicts were members of the banned opposition Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan (IRPT), including the senior member Sattor Karimov. The party's leaders are all in exile or in prison.\n\nIt is unclear who else is among the dead.\n\nOne of the instigators was Bekhruz Gulmurod, a son of Gulmurod Khalimov. Mr Khalimov was a Tajik special forces soldier who defected to IS and was killed fighting in Syria.\n\nLast November, 21 prisoners and two guards were killed during a riot at a maximum-security prison in Khujand, in northern Tajikistan. IS has claimed responsibility for the incident.", "Convicted Islamic State militants started a riot at a high-security prison in Tajikistan, in which several guards and dozens of inmates were killed. Local authorities have ramped up security in the vicinity.\n\nThe riot broke out late Sunday at a heavily-guarded prison facility in Vahdat, Tajikistan, just 15km east of the capital, Dushanbe, according to Justice Ministry officials quoted by local and Russian media. Armed with knives, Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) convicts took prison guards hostage, demanding the immediate release of other inmates.\n\nRead more\n\nThe situation became more violent after the militants killed the hostages and tried to assault other guards. Security forces intervened and took “resolute measures” to bring the situation under control, but at least 29 prisoners were killed in the standoff.\n\nMeanwhile in Dushanbe, additional police patrols were dispatched by local authorities in the aftermath of the riot. Heavy military presence is also reported close to a highway connecting Vahdat with the capital.\n\nThe former Soviet republic of Tajikistan has seen a resurgence of Islamist militancy. In 2018, another riot struck a prison in the second-largest city, Khujand. Numerous radicals tried to seize the guards’ weapons and overcome the facility. Riot police killed 24 militants and restored order after the riot, which was claimed by IS.\n\nThe incident has left the city’s security forces on high alert, and all roads to and from the area are under special control. The fact that the riot might have been inspired by an IS militant adds to concerns that the terrorist organization is gaining ground in Tajikistan, a Central Asian country bordering troubled Afghanistan.\n\nThink your friends would be interested? Share this story!", "At least 32 people were killed in a prison riot in Tajikistan, including 19 members of the...", "DUSHANBE, Tajikistan: At least 32 people were killed in a prison riot in Tajikistan, including 24 members of the Islamic State militant group and three guards, authorities said Monday.\n\nFive inmates and the three guards were initially killed by prisoners in the riot that erupted on Sunday evening, and the others died in clashes with security forces trying to restore order, the justice ministry said in a statement.\n\nThe prison in Vakhdat, 17 kilometres east of the capital Dushanbe, holds 1,500 inmates. The ministry said the rioters first stabbed to death three guards, and then five other inmates \"in order to intimidate\" the others. They then took other prisoners hostage before opening fire in the jail´s medical facilities.\n\n\"Following a reprisal operation, 24 members of this group were killed and 35 others arrested. The hostages were freed\" and calm restored, the statement said. Two of the prisoners murdered by the rioters were well-known activists of the banned opposition group Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan, the local prison service said.\n\nAmong the leaders of the riot, authorities identified Bekhruz Gulmurod, the son of the former head of Tajik special forces who became a member of the IS leadership in Syria and was killed there in September 2017. The 20-year-old was sentenced to ten years in prison in July 2017 for attempting to join IS in Syria. He was previously detained at Dushanbe airport before boarding a flight to Istanbul.\n\nAuthorities said the prison was now functioning normally, with the \"situation currently under control.\"\n\nThe prison is a short drive from Dushanbe, with residential neighbourhoods nearby. It houses inmates convicted of various crimes, including terror and extremism charges, and is secured by armed guards. Families of inmates gathered near the prison on Monday to find out if their relatives were safe.\n\nIn November 2018, another riot claimed by IS left 26 people dead in Khujand, a city in the northeast of the country. That riot was initiated by a former IS member seeking to spark a mass escape. Last week a Tajik court sentenced nine of the prison staff, including the head of the prison, to jail terms up to four years of prison for \"negligence.\"\n\nThe jihadist rioters are awaiting sentencing and face new prison terms ranging from ten to twenty years. Tajikistan, a poor mountainous country of nine million people bordering Afghanistan, has suffered from severe conflict since it gained independence after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.", "DUSHANBE: At least 32 people were killed in a prison riot in Tajikistan, including 24 members of the Islamic State jihadist group and three guards, authorities said Monday.\n\nFive inmates and the three guards were initially killed by prisoners in the riot that erupted on Sunday evening, and the others died in clashes with security forces trying to restore order, the justice ministry said in a statement.\n\nThe prison in Vakhdat, 17 kilometres (11 miles) east of the capital Dushanbe, holds 1,500 inmates.\n\nThe ministry said the rioters first stabbed to death three guards, and then five other inmates “in order to intimidate” the others.\n\nThey then took other prisoners hostage before opening fire in the jail’s medical facilities.\n\n“Following a reprisal operation, 24 members of this group were killed and 35 others arrested. The hostages were freed” and calm restored, the statement said.\n\nTwo of the prisoners murdered by the rioters were well-known activists of the banned opposition group Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan, the local prison service said.\n\nAmong the leaders of the riot, authorities identified Bekhruz Gulmurod, the son of the former head of Tajik special forces who became a member of the IS leadership in Syria and was killed there in September 2017.\n\nThe 20-year-old was sentenced to ten years in prison in July 2017 for attempting to join IS in Syria. He was previously detained at Dushanbe airport before boarding a flight to Istanbul.\n\nAuthorities said the prison was now functioning normally, with the “situation currently under control.”\n\nSecond riot in six months\n\nThe prison is a short drive from Dushanbe, with residential neighbourhoods nearby. It houses inmates convicted of various crimes, including terror and extremism charges, and is secured by armed guards.\n\nFamilies of inmates gathered near the prison on Monday to find out if their relatives were safe.\n\nIn November 2018, another riot claimed by IS left 26 people dead in Khujand, a city in the northeast of the country. That riot was initiated by a former IS member seeking to spark a mass escape.\n\nLast week a Tajik court sentenced nine of the prison staff, including the head of the prison, to jail terms up to four years of prison for “negligence.”\n\nThe jihadist rioters are awaiting sentencing and face new prison terms ranging from ten to twenty years.\n\nTajikistan, a poor mountainous country of nine million people bordering Afghanistan, has suffered from severe conflict since it gained independence after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.\n\nTens of thousands of people were killed in Tajikistan during a five-year civil war in the 1990s when rebel groups including Islamists rose up against the government.\n\nAuthorities in the majority-Muslim country have said that more than 1,000 Tajiks, including a high-ranking police officer who defected in 2015, joined IS in Syria and Iraq in recent years.\n\nIn July 2018, an attack on foreign cycling tourists left four dead and two injured. The assault was widely attributed to IS, although the government has refused to acknowledge the link.", "DUSHANBE (Reuters) - Three prison guards and 29 inmates were killed in a prison riot in Tajikistan that the government blamed on Islamic State militants.\n\nTajikistan’s Justice Ministry said the riot broke out late on Sunday in the prison in the city of Vakhdat, 10 km (six miles) east of the capital Dushanbe, as militants armed with knives killed three guards and five fellow prisoners.\n\nThe militants then torched the prison hospital, took several inmates hostage and tried to fight their way out. Security forces killed 24 militants in the battle to restore order in the prison, the ministry said. The prison houses 1,500 inmates.\n\nAmong prisoners who were killed were two senior members of the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan (IRPT), an Islamist party outlawed by the government of President Imomali Rakhmon in 2015. Another was a prominent Tajik cleric convicted on charges of calls to overthrow the government.\n\nThe authorities said one of the instigators of the riot was Bekhruz Gulmurod, a son of Gulmurod Khalimov, a Tajik special forces colonel who defected to Islamic State in 2015 and, according to the government, has since been killed in Syria. The ministry did not specify whether the younger Gulmurod was among those killed in the riot.\n\nHundreds of people from the impoverished former Soviet republic of 9 million are believed to have joined Islamic State, which at one point controlled large swathes of land in Syria and Iraq.\n\nThe group, which has now lost its strongholds but continues underground operations, claimed responsibility for another Tajik prison riot last November, which followed a deadly attack by its followers on Western tourists in Tajikistan in July 2018.\n\nThe government of the Persian-speaking nation which borders Afghanistan fought against Islamists - who were allied with nationalists and liberal democrats - in a civil war in the 1990s which killed tens of thousands of people.\n\nTajikistan’s leader Rakhmon is the longest-serving ruler in the former Soviet Union, having taken power shortly after independence, and tolerates little dissent.", "DUSHANBE, Tajikistan: At least 32 people were killed in a prison riot in Tajikistan, including 24 members of the Islamic State jihadist group and three guards, authorities said Monday.\n\nFive inmates and the three guards were initially killed by prisoners in the riot that erupted on Sunday evening, and the others died in clashes with security forces trying to restore order, the justice ministry said in a statement.\n\nThe prison in Vakhdat, 17 kilometres (11 miles) east of the capital Dushanbe, holds 1,500 inmates. The ministry said the rioters first stabbed to death three guards, and then five other inmates \"in order to intimidate\" the others.\n\nThey then took other prisoners hostage before opening fire in the jail’s medical facilities. \"Following a reprisal operation, 24 members of this group were killed and 35 others arrested. The hostages were freed\" and calm restored, the statement said.\n\nTwo of the prisoners murdered by the rioters were well-known activists of the banned opposition group Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan, the local prison service said.\n\nAmong the leaders of the riot, authorities identified Bekhruz Gulmurod, the son of the former head of Tajik special forces who became a member of the IS leadership in Syria and was killed there in September 2017. The 20-year-old was sentenced to ten years in prison in July 2017 for attempting to join IS in Syria.\n\nHe was previously detained at Dushanbe airport before boarding a flight to Istanbul. Authorities said the prison was now functioning normally, with the \"situation currently under control.\"", "Three prison guards and 29 inmates were killed in a prison riot in Tajikistan that the government blamed on Islamic State militants.\n\nTajikistan’s Justice Ministry said the riot broke out late on Sunday in the prison in the city of Vakhdat, 10 km (six miles) east of the capital Dushanbe, as militants armed with knives killed three guards and five fellow prisoners.\n\nThe militants then torched the prison hospital, took several inmates hostage and tried to fight their way out. Security forces killed 24 militants in the battle to restore order in the prison, the ministry said.\n\nThe prison houses 1,500 inmates, some of whom rights activists describe as political prisoners.\n\nAmong prisoners who were killed by militants were two senior members of the Islamic Renaissance Party of Tajikistan (IRPT), once an influential party represented in parliament and government, which was outlawed by the government of President Imomali Rakhmon in 2015, the ministry said.\n\nAnother victim was a prominent Tajik cleric convicted on charges of calls to overthrow the government.\n\nThe authorities said one of the instigators of the riot was Bekhruz Gulmurod, a son of Gulmurod Khalimov, a Tajik special forces colonel who defected to Islamic State in 2015 and, according to the government, has since been killed in Syria.\n\nThe ministry did not specify whether the 20-year-old younger Gulmurod – who was convicted in 2017 for trying to join his father in Syria – was among those killed in the riot.\n\nThe road to the prison was blocked by security forces on Monday who refused to let in reporters or dozens of inmates’ relatives who had come to check on them.\n\n“We were told to leave and they said they would inform us about our relatives when possible,” said an elderly woman whose son was in the prison.\n\nHundreds of people from the impoverished former Soviet republic of 9 million are believed to have joined Islamic State, which at one point controlled large swathes of land in Syria and Iraq.\n\nThe group, which has now lost its strongholds but continues underground operations, claimed responsibility for another Tajik prison riot last November, which followed a deadly attack by its followers on Western tourists in Tajikistan in July 2018.\n\nThe government of the Persian-speaking nation which borders Afghanistan fought against Islamists – who were allied with nationalists and liberal democrats – in a civil war in the 1990s which killed tens of thousands of people.\n\nTajikistan’s leader Rakhmon is the longest-serving ruler in the former Soviet Union, having taken power shortly after independence, and tolerates little dissent.", "Three guards have been killed during a riot at a high-security prison in Tajikistan, the country’s justice ministry said.\n\nAt least 24 inmates have also reportedly been killed in clashes at the prison in Vakhdat, east of the Tajik capital Dushanbe, BBC reports.\n\nThe facility holds people convicted of religious extremism, including members of Islamic State (IS).\n\nIt’s the second deadly prison riot to hit Tajikistan in the last six months.\n\nIn a statement, the justice ministry said rioting started on 19 May when 30 inmates took three guards hostage, armed with knives and other sharp objects.\n\nOne of the instigators was Bekhruz Gulmurod, a son of Gulmurod Khalimov. Khalimov was a Tajik special forces soldier who defected to IS and was killed fighting in Syria.\n\nNo details of the victims have yet been released, but the ministry said the situation is under control and an investigation has been opened up.\n\nLast November, 21 prisoners and two guards were killed during a riot at a maximum-security prison in Khujand, in northern Tajikistan. IS has claimed responsibility for the incident."], "summary": "Thirty-two people are killed when Islamic State members started a prison riot and a fire in a prison located in Vahdat, Tajikistan."}
{"document": ["ARLINGTON, Va. — Shoppers will have more competition for their grocery dollar with Lidl's announcement Friday of more than two dozen stores opening on the East Coast in the coming year, including six in Washington's Maryland suburbs.\n\nThe discount grocer with stores about a quarter of the size of a typical Giant, Safeway or Wegman's opened its first Maryland store in September in Bowie and its first U.S. stores in June 2017 in Hampton Roads and Virginia Beach, Va. But the private German company with its U.S. headquarters in Arlington, Va., has fewer than 10 stores in the D.C. metro area.\n\n\"We are committed to long-term growth in the United States and always strive to locate in the most convenient locations for our shoppers,\" said Johannes Fieber, chief executive of Lidl US.\n\nThe Maryland stores announced Friday will open in Catonsville, College Park, District Heights, Hagerstown, Lanham and Waldorf plus Nottingham, northeast of Baltimore.\n\n► MAY 16: Walmart shoppers to see prices rise from China tariffs\n\n► JUNE 2017: America's first Lidl stores open in Hampton, Va. Beach\n\nConsumers could benefit from the competition. According to a 2017 price check of 20 items from Jefferies Financial Group researchers, Lidl was 3% less expensive than Aldi and 9% cheaper than Walmart, the nation's largest grocery retailer.\n\nOn Wednesday, Lidl and Boxed.com, an online retailer that specializes in home delivery of bulk items, announced a partnership for Lidl customers in Georgia and New York that includes fresh meat and produce, Forbes magazine reported. The agreement is expected to expand to other states.\n\n► JUNE 2017: Aldi to open another 900 stores in US\n\nLidl's closest competitor is Aldi, also a private German company that has been expanding rapidly in the District of Columbia and its suburbs. Aldi, whose U.S. subsidiary is based in Batavia, Ill., now has 20 stores in the D.C. area.\n\nLidl now has more than 65 stores in nine East Coast states and more than 10,000 stores in 29 countries worldwide, the company said. Aldi has more than 1,800 stores in 35 states and more than 10,000 stores in 19 countries.", "Despite early struggles in the United States, German discount grocery chain Lidl still believes it can grow in this country and replicate its longtime German foe Aldi’s success.\n\nLidl announced Friday that it will open up 25 new stores by next spring on the East Coast in states such as Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania and the Carolinas. Those openings and others will bring Lidl’s US footprint to more than 100 stores by the end of 2020, two years behind Lidl’s original schedule.\n\n“We are committed to long-term growth in the United States,” Johannes Fieber, CEO of Lidl’s US operation, said in a statement. “These new stores are part of the next steps in our US expansion.”\n\nLidl is a global grocery giant with more than 10,500 stores in 29 countries. But unlike its German rival Aldi, which entered the United States in 1976 and has reached nearly 1,900 stores here, Lidl only recently moved to the country.\n\nLidl’s had mixed success since it cut the ribbon on its first US stores in the summer of 2017.\n\nThe company initially had lofty goals and planned to shake up the US market by opening 100 locations within its first year. It relied on tactics similar to Aldi’s to break into the market: slashing prices, offering mostly private-label brands, and emphasizing its organic food and fresh produce selections.\n\nBut Lidl made early mistakes. Its stores were too big and too far from urban hubs, which undercut its attempt to establish itself as a convenient option, according to analysts.\n\n“The biggest mistake they have made is around their real estate strategy,” said Simon Johnstone, an analyst at Kantar. “When it’s bigger, they lose the aura of it being simple and easy to shop.”\n\nLidl has recently adjusted its strategy and slowed down store openings. It replaced its US CEO last year and struck a partnership with Boxed for an online home delivery pilot.\n\nThe company is focusing on opening smaller stores in higher-traffic areas. For example, it recently opened three stores outside of Atlanta. The company also acquired 27 Best Market supermarkets in New York and New Jersey to gain a foothold in that market. It will re-brand those stores to Lidl in the next two to three years.\n\n“I wouldn’t count out them doing a few more small scale, local acquisitions,” Johnstone said.\n\nLidl’s biggest impact in the Untied States so far has been to force other supermarkets to lower prices.\n\nIn six areas in Virginia and North Carolina where Lidl opened stores in 2017, nearby supermarkets lowered prices on a half-gallon of milk by up to 55% compared with places where Lidl stores were not present, according to a study by Katrijn Gielens, a associate professor of marketing at UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business School. Prices for avocados and bread were up to 30% lower at supermarkets near Lidl stores, Gielens found.\n\nWalmart, in particular, has aggressively countered Aldi and Lidl’s expansion.\n\n“The discounters are very worthy competitors and keep us extremely honest in terms in terms of our price position,” Walmart US CEO Greg Foran said last week on a call with reporters. “We track them closely.”", "CLOSE In 2018, the United Kingdom-based McDonald’s branch made a significant commitment to rid its restaurants of plastic straws in 2019. Time\n\nWhole Foods Market is eliminating disposable plastic straws from its stores in the U.S., Canada and the United Kingdom in July, the company announced Monday.\n\nIt's believed to be the first national supermarket chain to do so.\n\nThe straws are used at Allegro coffee bars, juice bars and cafes and instead, customers can get recyclable, compostable paper straws. However, Whole Foods said plastic straws will still be available for customers with disabilities.\n\nThe Austin-based chain, owned by Amazon since 2017, said it also has reduced the size of its plastic produce bags and is replacing rotisserie chicken in bags, rather than hard plastic containers. The bags contain 70% less plastic.\n\nWhole Foods Market was acquired by Amazon in 2017. (Photo: Kelly Tyko, USA TODAY)\n\nThe 50 most valuable brands in the world: Technology, telecom and cars dominate\n\nKa-ching: Borrowing from your 401(k) is easy. But should you really break open that piggy bank?\n\nThe trio of initiatives is expected reduce an estimated 800,000 pounds of plastic per year, according to Whole Foods.\n\n“For almost 40 years, caring for the environment has been central to our mission and how we operate,” Whole Foods president A.C. Gallo said in a statement. “We recognize that single-use plastics are a concern for many of our customers, team members and suppliers. ... We will continue to look for additional opportunities to further reduce plastic across our stores.”\n\nWhole Foods is not among the biggest grocers in the U.S. Walmart is the largest grocery retailer and Kroger, the biggest traditional chain.\n\n“It’s a first strike that will reinforce Whole Foods’ original positioning as the retailer that cares about the planet,” said Phil Lempert, founder of supermarketguru.com, which monitors industry news and trends.\n\nBut the move is unlikely to lure cost-conscious food shoppers from other stores to the chain nicknamed Whole Paycheck due to its high prices, he added.\n\n“But it will get those who have an eco-bent, especially Generation Z and Millennials, to have a better feeling about Whole Foods,” Lempert said.\n\nNumerous other businesses are already axing plastic straws. For example, last year, Starbucks announced plans to eliminate plastic straws at its stores around the globe by 2020 and McDonald's revealed plans to roll out paper straws in the U.K. and Ireland and to test paper straws in select restaurants in the U.S., France, Sweden, Norway and Australia\n\nOther industries taking action include airlines Delta, American and Alaska; cruise lines, such as Royal Caribbean and Hurtigruten; entertainment venues, including SeaWorld, Busch Gardens and Disneyland Paris; the food-service company Bon Appétit Management, whose 1,000-plus clients include museums and college campuses; and hotels, like Marriott, Hilton and Four Seasons.\n\nCLOSE Shortly after Seattle enacted a ban on plastic straws and utensils, Starbucks announced that it is phasing out plastic straws nationwide by 2020 (July 10) AP\n\nFollow USA TODAY reporter Zlati Meyer on Twitter: @ZlatiMeyer\n\nRead or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2019/05/20/whole-foods-drop-plastic-straws-us-stores-july/3739491002/", "Despite early struggles in the United States, German discount grocery chain Lidl still believes it can grow in this country and replicate its longtime German foe Aldi's success.\n\nLidl announced Friday that it will open up 25 new stores by next spring on the East Coast in states such as Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania and the Carolinas. Those openings and others will bring Lidl's US footprint to more than 100 stores by the end of 2020, two years behind Lidl's original schedule.\n\n\"We are committed to long-term growth in the United States,\" Johannes Fieber, CEO of Lidl's US operation, said in a statement. \"These new stores are part of the next steps in our US expansion.\"\n\nLidl is a global grocery giant with more than 10,500 stores in 29 countries. But unlike its German rival Aldi, which entered the United States in 1976 and has reached nearly 1,900 stores here, Lidl only recently moved to the country.\n\nLidl's had mixed success since it cut the ribbon on its first US stores in the summer of 2017.\n\nThe company initially had lofty goals and planned to shake up the US market by opening 100 locations within its first year. It relied on tactics similar to Aldi's to break into the market: slashing prices, offering mostly private-label brands, and emphasizing its organic food and fresh produce selections.\n\nBut Lidl made early mistakes. Its stores were too big and too far from urban hubs, which undercut its attempt to establish itself as a convenient option, according to analysts.\n\n\"The biggest mistake they have made is around their real estate strategy,\" said Simon Johnstone, an analyst at Kantar. \"When it's bigger, they lose the aura of it being simple and easy to shop.\"\n\nLidl has recently adjusted its strategy and slowed down store openings. It replaced its US CEO last year and struck a partnership with Boxed for an online home delivery pilot.\n\nThe company is focusing on opening smaller stores in higher-traffic areas. For example, it recently opened three stores outside of Atlanta. The company also acquired 27 Best Market supermarkets in New York and New Jersey to gain a foothold in that market. It will re-brand those stores to Lidl in the next two to three years.\n\n\"I wouldn't count out them doing a few more small scale, local acquisitions,\" Johnstone said.\n\nLidl's biggest impact in the Untied States so far has been to force other supermarkets to lower prices.\n\nIn six areas in Virginia and North Carolina where Lidl opened stores in 2017, nearby supermarkets lowered prices on a half-gallon of milk by up to 55% compared with places where Lidl stores were not present, according to a study by Katrijn Gielens, a associate professor of marketing at UNC's Kenan-Flagler Business School. Prices for avocados and bread were up to 30% lower at supermarkets near Lidl stores, Gielens found.\n\nWalmart, in particular, has aggressively countered Aldi and Lidl's expansion.\n\n\"The discounters are very worthy competitors and keep us extremely honest in terms in terms of our price position,\" Walmart US CEO Greg Foran said last week on a call with reporters. \"We track them closely.\"", "Whole Foods Market has announced plans to eliminate plastic straws from its stores in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom by July 2019.\n\nWhole Foods Market has one store on Maui and three stores on Oahu.\n\nThe Texas-based grocer acquired by Amazon said by July, single-use, plastic straws will be removed from its Allegro coffee bars, juice bars and cafes. Customers will instead be offered paper straws with frozen drinks or upon request. The paper straws are Forest Stewardship Council-certified, recyclable and compostable.\n\nThe company said, however, it will offer a plastic straw option for customers with disabilities.\n\nIn addition, Whole Foods switched to smaller plastic bags in its produce department this year and is replacing plastic rotisserie chicken containers with new bags that use approximately 70% less plastic.\n\nTogether, these changes are expected to reduce an estimated 800,000 pounds of plastic per year.\n\n“For almost 40 years, caring for the environment has been central to our mission and how we operate,” said A.C. Gallo, Whole Foods President and Chief Merchandising Officer, in a news release. “We recognize that single-use plastics are a concern for many of our customers, Team Members and suppliers, and we’re proud of these packaging changes, which will eliminate an estimated 800,000 pounds of plastics annually. We will continue to look for additional opportunities to further reduce plastic across our stores.”\n\nWhole Foods said these efforts to reduce plastic have been ongoing.\n\nIn 2008, Whole Foods Market became the first U.S. grocer to eliminate disposable plastic grocery bags at checkout. Recently, Whole Foods eliminated all polystyrene foam meat trays in its stores in the U.S. and Canada. The grocer also provides customers with salad boxes made of commercially compostable material.", "Whole Foods Market will remove plastic straws from its nearly 500 stores by July 2019, making it the first national supermarket chain in the United States to do so.\n\nThe plastic straws will be replaced with \"recyclable and compostable\" paper straws at all domestic Whole Foods locations, including its cafes, and coffee and juice bars, the company said in a news release. Stores will still carry plastic straws as an option for persons with disabilities.\n\nAlong with the U.S., the move to paper straws will go into effect at all Whole Foods stores in Canada and the United Kingdom.\n\nThe grocery chain said it will also switch to smaller produce bags and replace its hard plastic rotisserie chicken containers with new packaging they estimate will use 70 percent less plastic.\n\nConcern for the environment is a tenet of Whole Foods' mission, A.C. Gallo, the company's president and chief merchandising officer, said in a statement. The grocery giant predicts the move will eliminate 800,000 pounds of plastic each year.\n\n\"We recognize that single-use plastics are a concern for many of our customers, Team Members and suppliers, and we’re proud of these packaging changes, which will eliminate an estimated 800,000 pounds of plastics annually,\" Gallo said. \"We will continue to look for additional opportunities to further reduce plastic across our stores.\"\n\nThe Plastic Pollution Coalition, a non-profit organization aimed at eliminating this type of pollution, estimates about 500 million plastic straws are used in the U.S. per day.\n\n\"These short-lived tools are usually dropped into a garbage can with no further thought, instantly becoming a source of plastic pollution,\" their website states.\n\nThe decision by Whole Foods — a subsidiary of Amazon — is just the latest in a trend of entities moving away from plastic.\n\nCLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX BUSINESS APP\n\nNew York state's ban on single-use plastic bags was signed into law in April and will go into effect in March 2020. California and Hawaii already have similar legislation in place.\n\nStarbucks, in July 2018, announced plastic straws would be replaced from all of its more than 28,000 global locations with strawless lids and \"alternate-material\" straws.", "Whole Foods Market will eliminate plastic straws by July 2019 and replace its rotisserie chicken containers with plastic bags that use 70 percent less plastic than the hard packaging.\n\nBoth of these changes come after the grocer already reduced the size of its plastic produce bags earlier this year. The company said that these three combined initiatives will reduce about 800,000 pounds of plastic each year.\n\nAt Whole Foods Market-operated venues in the stores, such as cafes and juice bars, customers can request recyclable, compostable and Forest Stewardship Council-certified paper straws.\n\n“For almost 40 years, caring for the environment has been central to our mission and how we operate,” said A.C. Gallo, president and chief merchandising officer at Whole Foods Market. “We recognize that single-use plastics are a concern for many of our customers, team members and suppliers, and we’re proud of these packaging changes ... We will continue to look for additional opportunities to further reduce plastic across our stores.”\n\nWhole Foods has almost 500 stores in the United States, Canada and United Kingdom. Under its parent company, Seattle-based Amazon, the retailer is No. 10 on Progressive Grocer’s 2019 Super 50 list of the top grocers in the United States.", "(WHDH) — Whole Foods announced Monday that it be will be banning plastic straws across all of its 500 stores in the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada.\n\nThe company claims to be the first national grocery chain to take this step, adding to its other initiatives to become environmentally friendly.\n\nIn 2008, they stopped offering disposable plastic bags and now offer paper bags and reusable plastic bags.\n\nWhole Foods also plans to use smaller produce bags to help cut down on waste.\n\nThe straw ban goes into effect in July; however, customers living with disabilities can still request plastic straws.\n\nOther companies, including Starbucks, Disney and McDonald’s, have also made plans to move away from single-use plastic straws.", "NBC – Whole Foods says they are planning to eliminate disposable plastic straws from its stores in the U.S., Canada and United Kingdom this summer. The company, which is owned by Amazon, is believed to be the first national grocery store chain to make the change.\n\nBy July, plastic straws will be removed from The Allegro Coffee Bars, juice bars and cafes inside Whole Foods markets. Customers will be offered paper straws with frozen drinks or upon request, however, plastic straws will still be available to customers with disabilities.\n\nWhole Foods has also switched to smaller plastic produce bags and will soon use bags for rotisserie chicken instead of hard plastic containers. They say these initiatives are expected to reduce an estimated 800,000 thousand pounds of plastic per year.", "PHILADELPHIA (CNN) — Responding to customers’ demands, Whole Foods is ramping up its war on disposable plastic. The Amazon-owned company announced Monday that it will stop offering plastic straws across all of its 500 stores in the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada.\n\nWhole Foods claims it’s the first national grocery chain to make the environmentally friendly move.\n\nThe company currently offers plastic straws to customers at its juice and coffee bars, as well at its cafes. Beginning in July it will start offering paper straws.\n\nHowever, plastic straws will still be available for customers with disabilities, upon request.\n\nWhole Foods will also reduce its plastic usage in other parts of the store. It will also offer smaller plastic bags in the produce department and will start using new bags for its rotisserie chickens that use 70% less plastic than the hard plastic cases they will replace.\n\n“We recognize that single-use plastics are a concern for many of our customers, Team Members and suppliers, and we’re proud of these packaging changes, which will eliminate an estimated 800,000 pounds of plastics annually,” Whole Foods’ chief merchandising officer AC Gallo said in a statement.\n\nThe company stopped offering disposable plastic bags in 2008. It now only offers paper bags, and it sells reusable plastic bags.\n\nTop retailers and companies have been cracking down on using plastic because of the material’s environmental damage.\n\nPlastics are expected to outweigh fish in the ocean by 2050 and massive amounts of it have piled up in landfills, some emitting greenhouse gases and contributing to global warming over the near-eternity they take to degrade.\n\nStarbucks announced in February that it redesigned its cold cup lids so they won’t require a straw at all. By 2020, it will eliminate single-use plastic straws at its more than 29,800 locations around the world.\n\nDisney is in the midst of eliminating single-use plastic straws and plastic stirrers at its parks and McDonald’s announced last year plans to move from plastic to paper straws at its locations in the UK."], "summary": "Whole Foods Market announces it will eliminate disposable plastic straws in July from its stores in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom."}
{"document": ["FAIRMOUNT, N.Y. -- Exactly four months after Dressbarn closed its Destiny USA store in Syracuse, its parent company announced Monday the women’s clothing chain is preparing to close all 650 of its stores.\n\nDressbarn has been around for nearly 60 years, and offers a collection of clothing for women from petites to plus sizes.\n\nAnother Dressbarn store at the Fairmount Fair Mall, 3581 W. Genesee St. in Fairmount, remains open for now. It is not yet known when the Fairmount Dressbarn store or others will close.\n\nDressbarn has not been operating at an “acceptable level of profitability in today’s retail environment,” according to the company’s chief financial officer, Steven Taylor.\n\nIts owner, Ascena Retail Group Inc., says it wants to focus on its more profitable brands. Ascena owns Ann Taylor, Catherines, Lane Bryant, LOFT and Justice, among other clothing stores. It also operates e-commerce websites and approximately 3,500 stores throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico, according to a news release.\n\n“This decision (to close all of the Dressbarn stores) has no impact on the operations of any of Ascena’s other brands and will strengthen the company’s overall financial performance,” according to the release.\n\nAfter the news was announced Monday, shares of Ascena Retail Group Inc. rose 2.6% to $1.17 in extended trading, according to the Associated Press. Shares of the Mahwah, New Jersey-based company are down more than 50% so far this year.", "CLOSE The clothing store Dressbarn announced it was going out of business and will eventually shut down 650 stores. Veuer’s Justin Kircher has the story. Buzz60\n\nDressbarn is closing all of its stores.\n\nThe women’s retailer announced Monday “plans to commence a wind-down of its retail operations, including the eventual closure of its approximately 650 stores.”\n\nStores remain open along with the Dressbarn website, the company said in a statement.\n\n\"For more than 50 years, Dressbarn has served women's fashion needs, and we thank all of our dedicated associates for their commitment to Dressbarn and our valued customers,” said Steven Taylor, Dressbarn chief financial officer, in a statement. “This decision was difficult, but necessary, as the Dressbarn chain has not been operating at an acceptable level of profitability in today's retail environment.”\n\nThis year has been a tough year for retailers with more store closings announced than in all of 2018. With Dressbarn closures, there are more than 7,000 closings announced for 2019.\n\nTariff impact: China tariffs could force 'widespread store closures' and put $40 billion in sales at risk\n\nStore closings 2019: CVS, Payless and Victoria's Secret are just some of the brands closing stores\n\nThe company said the decision to close all Dressbarn stores was \"difficult, but necessary.\" (Photo: Dave Kotinsky / Getty Images for dressbarn)\n\nCoresight Research tracked the 5,864 closings in 2018, which included all Toys R Us stores and hundreds of Kmart and Sears locations. The record year for closings was 2017 with 8,139 shuttered stores.\n\nAll Dressbarn stores are open along with the website, the statement said. There are no current changes to Dressbarn's return, refund, or gift card policies.\n\n“During the wind-down process, we will continue to provide our customers with the same great experience both in-store and online, offering them even better deals and value,” Taylor said. “We will work to assist our associates through the transition and maintain existing relationships with our vendors, suppliers, and other key stakeholders through this process.\"\n\nAccording to the statement, plans for closing individual stores and information about store closing sales “will be shared during the wind-down process.”\n\nFred's store closings: Discount retailer closing 104 more stores in summer, see the list\n\nMore stores closing: Children's Place plans to close up to 45 stores and relaunch Gymboree brand\n\nDressbarn is part of New Jersey-based Ascena Retail Group, whose other brands include Ann Taylor, Lane Bryant, Catherines, Cacique and Justice. The company recently sold its Maurices brand.\n\nIn a separate statement from Ascena, the company said the decision has no impact on the operations of the other brands.\n\n“Dressbarn’s wind down is another significant step taken to advance ascena’s ongoing transformation,” the statement said. “This move is in line with the Company’s commitment to comprehensively assess and optimize its portfolio by focusing resources on its most profitable brands to position the business for long-term growth and enhance shareholder value.”\n\nFollow Kelly Tyko on Twitter: @KellyTyko\n\nRead or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2019/05/20/dressbarn-closing-all-stores/3747205002/", "NEW YORK — Dressbarn, a women's clothing chain that's been around for nearly 60 years, is closing all 650 of its stores.\n\nThe company's chief financial officer, Steven Taylor, said Dressbarn has not been operating at an \"acceptable level of profitability in today's retail environment.\"\n\nIts owner, Ascena Retail Group Inc., said it wants to focus on its more profitable brands. Ascena also owns Ann Taylor, Lane Bryant and other clothing stores.\n\nThe company did not say when Dressbarn will shut all its stores. Dressbarn employs about 6,800 people.\n\nAccording to its website, Dressbarn has 24 stores in Massachusetts, with the only one in MetroWest at Northborough Crossing.\n\nAfter the news was announced Monday afternoon, shares of Ascena Retail Group Inc. rose 2.6 percent to $1.17 in extended trading. Shares of the Mahwah, New Jersey-based company are down more than 50 percent so far this year.", "Mahwah-based Dressbarn, the women's clothing chain that's been around for nearly 60 years, is closing all 650 of its stores.\n\nThere are 29 Dressbarn stores in New Jersey, including Clifton, Hackensack, Kearny, Paramus, Parsippany, Ramsey, Rockaway, Wayne and Westwood.\n\nThe company's chief financial officer, Steven Taylor, said Dressbarn has not been operating at an \"acceptable level of profitability in today's retail environment.\"\n\nIts owner, Ascena Retail Group Inc., says it wants to focus on its more profitable brands. Ascena also owns Ann Taylor, Lane Bryant and other clothing stores.\n\nThe company did not say when Dressbarn will shut all its stores. Dressbarn employs about 6,800 people.\n\n After the news was announced Monday, shares of Ascena Retail Group Inc. rose 2.6% to $1.17 in extended trading. Shares of the company are down more than 50% so far this year.\n\nMore: Chick-fil-A, Taco Bell coming to proposed Stop & Shop renovation in Paramus\n\nMore: Garden State Plaza getting overhaul that would add apartments, give Paramus a 'downtown'", "MAHWAH, N.J. – Dressbarn will be closing all 650 of its stores, Ascena Retail Group announced on Monday.\n\nThe women’s clothing retailer has locations across the country.\n\n“For more than 50 years, Dressbarn has served women’s fashion needs, and we thank all of our dedicated associates for their commitment to Dressbarn and our valued customers. This decision was difficult, but necessary, as the Dressbarn chain has not been operating at an acceptable level of profitability in today’s retail environment,” said Steven Taylor, Dressbarn chief financial officer, in a news release on Monday.\n\nAscena Retail Group did not release a timeline for the closures, and said stores and the website remain operational. There are no current changes to the return, refund or gift card policies.\n\n“During the wind down process, we will continue to provide our customers with the same great experience both in-store and online, offering them even better deals and value. We will work to assist our associates through the transition and maintain existing relationships with our vendors, suppliers, and other key stakeholders through this process,” Taylor said.", "Dressbarn, the women’s clothing chain that’s been around for nearly 60 years, is closing all 650 of its stores, 45 of which are in California.\n\nThe company’s chief financial officer, Steven Taylor, said Dressbarn has not been operating at an “acceptable level of profitability in today’s retail environment.”\n\nIts owner, Ascena Retail Group Inc., says it wants to focus on its more profitable brands. Ascena also owns Ann Taylor, Lane Bryant and other clothing stores.\n\nThe company did not say when Dressbarn will shut all its stores. Dressbarn employs about 6,800 people.\n\nAfter the news was announced Monday, shares of Ascena Retail Group Inc. rose 2.6% to $1.17 in extended trading. Shares of the Mahwah, New Jersey-based company are down more than 50% so far this year.", "NEW YORK (AP) — Dressbarn, the women's clothing chain that's been around for nearly 60 years, is closing all 650 of its stores.\n\nThe company's chief financial officer, Steven Taylor, said Dressbarn has not been operating at an \"acceptable level of profitability in today's retail environment.\"\n\nIts owner, Ascena Retail Group Inc., says it wants to focus on its more profitable brands. Ascena also owns Ann Taylor, Lane Bryant and other clothing stores.\n\nreadFull hearst/ads/medium_rectangle_ad_first.tpl e medium_rectangle_ad_first.tpl The company did not say when Dressbarn will shut all its stores. Dressbarn employs about 6,800 people. San Antonio has one Dressbarn store located at the Ingram Festival Shop Center. hearst/ads/medium_rectangle_ad_third.tpl e medium_rectangle_ad_third.tpl After the news was announced Monday, shares of Ascena Retail Group Inc. rose 2.6% to $1.17 in extended trading. Shares of the Mahwah, New Jersey-based company are down more than 50% so far this year. /assetEnd", "Dressbarn is going out of business and plans to close all of its approximately 650 stores, the women’s retail chain said Monday.\n\n“For more than 50 years, Dressbarn has served women’s fashion needs, and we thank all of our dedicated associates for their commitment to Dressbarn and our valued customers,” the retailer’s Chief Financial Officer Steven Taylor said in a statement. “This decision was difficult, but necessary, as the Dressbarn chain has not been operating at an acceptable level of profitability in today’s retail environment.”\n\nDressbarn has about 6,800 employees, according to the company. An exact closing date for the stores was not immediately announced. For now, the stores would remain open and customers can continue to shop online at Dressbarn.com, according to the announcement.\n\n“We will work to assist our associates through the transition and maintain existing relationships with our vendors, suppliers, and other key stakeholders through this process,” Taylor said.\n\nDressbarn is owned by Mahwah-based Ascena Retail Group, which is the parent of brands including Ann Taylor, Loft and Lane Bryant. Ascena said in 2017 it planned to close hundreds of stores as it contended with a struggling brick and mortar retail market.\n\nAscena Retail Group broke ground on a 195,000 square-foot office on MacArthur Boulevard in Mahwah in 2013 after receiving a $32.4 million Grow New Jersey tax credit to move from Suffern, New York.\n\nA company spokesman did not immediately respond to an email Monday night seeking more information.\n\nNoah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc. Find NJ.com on Facebook.\n\nHave a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips\n\nGet the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.com’s newsletters", "Ascena Retail Group, which has been conducting a “comprehensive portfolio review,” announced it will shutter all of its Dressbarn casual wear stores due to their lack of profitability.\n\nThe closure of the roughly 650 Dressbarn stores follows Ascena’s announcement in March that it would sell its majority stake in the Maurices brand to a private equity company for about $210 million.\n\nThe decision to shutter Dressbarn “was difficult, but necessary, as the Dressbarn chain has not been operating at an acceptable level of profitability,” CFO Steven Taylor said Monday in a news release, repeating language that former Chief Executive David Jaffe used to describe the brand’s performance in a recent earnings call.\n\nAscena, which also owns apparel chains Ann Taylor, Lane Bryant, and Loft, has failed to make a profit since 2014 and has cumulatively lost over $1 billion in GAAP earnings since 2015. At the same time, debt has soared to more than $1 billion to finance acquisitions.\n\nAt the time it announced the Maurices sale, Ascena said it would evaluate selling more assets as part of a “comprehensive portfolio review.” It did not explain Monday why it had decided to wind down Dressbarn rather than sell the brand.\n\nDressbarn “has struggled to grow in apparel retailing as more women steer toward fast-fashion retailers such as H&M and Zara, off-price chains such as TJ Maxx and Ross Stores, and even Target,” CNBC said.\n\nAccording to The Motley Fool, “Ascena’s goal was to become the largest fashion chain dedicated to women across price points and segments of the market,” with Dressbarn being positioned as a discount store for casual wear.\n\nBut “the benefits of running a portfolio of retail brands have failed to materialize in profits,” The Motley Fool said, noting that the Ascena brands selling at lower price points, such as Dressbarn, are significantly underperforming the premium-priced brands such as Ann Taylor.\n\nMore than 7,000 retail store closures have been announced so far this year, already surpassing the total announced in all of 2018 that included all Toys R Us stores.", "DressBarn, the women's clothing chain, is closing all 650 of its stores after being in business for nearly 60 years.\n\nParent company Ascena Retail Group based in Mahwah said it plans to focus on its more profitable brands, such as Ann Taylor and Lane Bryant.\n\nDressBarn CFO Steven Taylor said the chain \"has not been operating at an acceptable level of profitability in today’s retail environment.”\n\nDressbarn has locations in Bloomfield, Edgewater, Hackensack, Kearny, Paramus, Westwood, Clifton, Florham Park, Parsippany, Wayne, Succasunna, Rockaway, Watchung, Union and more.\n\nThe closures won’t take place immediately and the company did not say when the stores are expected to shut down. In the meantime, in-store and online sales will continue, Dressbarn said.\n\nDressBarn said that employees will be updated as decisions are made about when specific stores will close.\n\nClick here to sign up for Daily Voice's free daily emails and news alerts."], "summary": "Ascena Retail Group announces it will close all 650 Dressbarn stores by the end of the year."}
{"document": ["Two people died Monday afternoon when the plane they were in crashed into Metlakatla Harbor, Alaska, a week after another deadly crash nearby involving the same operator.\n\nThe Ketchikan Gateway Borough confirmed on its Facebook page that \"a pilot and a single passenger\" died in the crash of the de Havilland Beaver floatplane operated by Taquan Air, reports CBS Anchorage affiliate KTVA-TV.\n\nThe names of the deceased were being withheld pending notification of their next of kin.\n\n\"Good Samaritans have the aircraft in tow and are bringing the Beaver to the beach until it can be secured,\" borough officials wrote.\n\nLast week, a midair collision of sightseeing planes near Ketchikan left six people dead. The aircraft in that incident were operated by Taquan Air and Mountain Air Service.\n\nA Taquan spokesperson referred all media queries Monday evening to the National Transportation Safety Board.\n\nThe agency told CBS News it \"dispatched investigators from its Anchorage Regional Office to investigate. While owned by the same operator involved in the May 13, 2019, mid-air collision, this plane was not on sightseeing flight, it was a commuter flight. It is unusual for an operator to have two accidents in a short time but that alone does not infer there is a safety issue with the company, their pilots or type of aircraft.\"\n\nClint Johnson, the NTSB's Alaska chief, told KTVA the commuter flight was from Ketchikan to Metlakatla.\n\n\"There were a number of people that actually witnessed the accident, so our investigator is obviously going to be centering in on interviewing those witnesses when she arrives in on scene, hopefully early tomorrow morning,\" Johnson said.\n\nAsked about the proximity of last week's crash and Monday's in both time and space, with Ketchikan and Metlakatla just 8 nautical miles apart, Johnson couldn't immediately recall any similar precedents for two fatal Alaska crashes involving the same carrier.\n\n\"Obviously it's a unique situation, and coming just on the heels of a major accident investigation,\" Johnson said. \"However, I have to stress that each one of these accidents will be investigated to the detail that each one needs, but they are two separate accidents and that's the way that they'll be investigated: as separate accidents. We may draw parallels as we get into the analysis portion, but at this point keep in mind that we are just gathering information — just the factual information.\"\n\nTaquan suspended scheduled flights on May 14 after the Ketchikan crash, according to its Facebook page, but resumed them along with flightseeing tours and chartered flights on May 17.", "Two dead after float plane crashes in Alaska\n\nThe pilot and passenger were the only people on board, the Ketchikan Gateway Borough said.", "A pilot and a passenger are dead after the float plane they were in crashed in a harbor near Ketchikan, Alaska, on Monday, authorities said.\n\nThey were the only people on board the Taquan Beaver Floatplane when it crashed in Metlatkatla Harbor around 4 p.m., Ketchikan Gateway Borough officials said in a statement. Metlakatla is south of Ketchikan.\n\nThe circumstances of the crash and the identities of those killed were not immediately released by the borough.\n\nA week ago, another Taquan Air float plane was involved in a deadly crash. A mid-air collision on May 13 killed six people near Ketchikan, in the far southeastern part of the state.\n\nThe planes were carrying passengers from a cruise ship, officials have said. The Taquan Air plane had 10 passengers and a pilot on board, and one passenger died, the company has said.\n\nThe other plane was a Mountain Air plane with five people aboard, including the pilot, officials have said.\n\nTen people were rescued after that collision.", "KETCHIKAN, Alaska — Authorities say the second Alaska floatplane crash in a week has killed two people in the same region where two floatplanes collided last week in an accident that left six people dead.\n\nKetchikan Gateway Borough spokeswoman Deanna Thomas said in a statement that the passenger and the pilot of a Beaver floatplane operated by Taquan Air crashed in Metlakatla Harbor Monday afternoon.\n\nThe accident followed the May 13 midair collision of a Taquan Air Beaver floatplane with another floatplane.\n\nThomas says the circumstances of the latest crash are not yet being made public.", "KETCHIKAN, Alaska — Authorities say a pilot and a single passenger have died after a small plane crashed Monday near Ketchikan.\n\nKetchikan Gateway Borough spokeswoman Deanna Thomas says in a release that the Taquan Air operated Beaver floatplane crashed in Metlakatla Harbor around 4 p.m. No one besides the deceased was on board the aircraft.\n\nThomas says the names of the deceased won’t be released until their families have been notified.\n\nShe says the circumstances of the crash are not being released at this time.\n\nGood Samaritans are towing the Beaver to the beach until it can be secured.\n\nThe accident comes a week after a Taquan Air Beaver floatplane collided with another floatplane in Ketchikan, which is about 14 miles (23 kilometres) from Metlakatla Harbor, leaving six people dead.", "KETCHIKAN, Alaska — Authorities say the second Alaska floatplane crash in a week has killed two people in the same region where two floatplanes collided last week in an accident that left six people dead.\n\nKetchikan Gateway Borough spokeswoman Deanna Thomas said in a statement that the passenger and the pilot of a Beaver floatplane operated by Taquan Air crashed in Metlakatla Harbor Monday afternoon.\n\nThe accident followed the May 13 midair collision of a Taquan Air Beaver floatplane with another floatplane.\n\nThomas says the circumstances of the latest crash are not yet being made public.\n\nThe victims in the latest crash were not identified because their families were being notified.\n\nThomas says the floatplane was being towed to land.", "The victims were a pilot and passenger on a Taquan Air Beaver floatplane, according to a statement from the Ketchikan Gateway Borough. A floatplane is an aircraft with pontoons or floats that allow it to land on water.\n\nNo one else was on the plane, the statement read. Local \"good Samaritans and local emergency responders\" were able to help with the wreckage before the Coast Guard arrived on scene.\n\nThe circumstances of the crash are not being released at this time, the borough said in a statement, and the names of the deceased will not be released until next of kin have been notified.\n\nTaquan Air directed all inquiries about this incident to the National Transportation Safety Board. CNN has reached out to the NTSB.", "Two people are dead after a float plane crashed in southeastern Alaska Monday afternoon.\n\nThe victims were a pilot and passenger on a Taquan Air Beaver floatplane, according to a statement from the Ketchikan Gateway Borough. A floatplane is an aircraft with pontoons or floats that allow it to land on water.\n\nNo one else was on the plane, the statement read. Local “good Samaritans and local emergency responders” were able to help with the wreckage before the Coast Guard arrived on scene.\n\nThe circumstances of the crash are not being released at this time, the borough said in a statement, and the names of the deceased will not be released until next of kin have been notified.\n\nTaquan Air directed all inquiries about this incident to the National Transportation Safety Board. CNN has reached out to the NTSB.\n\nTaquan Air also operated the Beaver floatplane that collided with another plane last week. A total of six people died in that crash, one on the Taquan plane and five on the other plane. That crash is under investigation by the NTSB.", "Two people were killed in a floatplane crash in Alaska Monday, officials said, the second fatal incident involving the same local airline in a week.\n\n“A pilot and a single passenger are deceased after a Taquan Air Beaver Floatplane crashed in Metlatkatla Harbor” on Monday afternoon, Ketchikan Gateway Borough said in a statement.\n\n“There were no other individuals on board the aircraft.”\n\nThe victims’ bodies have been recovered and taken to a nearby medical facility, while the plane was being towed to shore by volunteers, it added.\n\nLast Tuesday, a Taquan Air floatplane crashed into another aircraft in mid-air killing six people, also near Ketchikan, in southeastern Alaska.\n\nThe Taquan Air plane last week was flying a shore excursion sold through a cruise line.\n\nKetchikan is a popular tourist spot on southern Alaskan cruise routes surrounded by fjords and dense forests.\n\nMultiple tour companies offer rides through the area’s fjords, many of which include a water landing in a floatplane.\n\nNeither the circumstances of the latest crash nor the names of the deceased have been released.", "Two people were killed on Monday after a Taquan Air floatplane crashed off the coast of Ketchikan, Alaska – the regional airline’s second deadly accident within a week.\n\nA pilot and a passenger aboard the single-propeller Beaver floatplane were both killed when it crashed into the Metlakatla Harbor at 4pm yesterday, the Ketchikan Gateway Borough said.\n\nNeither of the two victims have been identified pending family notification, but officials say they were the only people on-board.\n\nThe cause and circumstances surrounding the crash remain under investigation, but the weather was clear and visibility was optimum, according to Jerry Kiffer, Incident Commander for Ketchikan Volunteer Rescue Squad.\n\n‘It was a typical Ketchikan day,’ Kiffer told the Juneau Empire. ‘It’s our understanding that the aircraft was landing in the harbor [before it crashed].’\n\nKiffer added that by the time rescue squad personnel arrived at the scene, the two people aboard the plane had already been removed and good Samaritans have secured the plane in the harbor.\n\nThis is the second Taquan Air Beaver floatplane to be involved in a deadly crash in the last seven days.\n\n‘It’s unusual,’ Kiffer said. ‘We have had multiple fatal accidents before, but not in recent years. I don’t recall there being something within a week.’\n\nOn May 13, six people were killed and 10 others injured when a Taquan Air flight collided in mid-air with a Mountain Air plane 3,300 feet above the skies of Ketchikan.\n\nBoth of the aircrafts had been shepherding tourists from a cruise ship to the shore when the collision occurred.\n\nRetired fisherman Chuck Hanas was out on his boat with his wife Colleen when they saw the violent crash and the planes fall into the water.\n\n'It was just me. I was at the right place at the right time,' Hanas said to the Today show.\n\n'I got in close and saw people bobbing all over the place. I didn’t know how many. And then they had seen me and one lady said \"Help, Help!\"' he added.\n\nThey called the Coast Guard after seeing the plane horrifically crash and fall in the George Inlet in southeast Alaska.\n\n'It was shocking to see an airplane hit the water that hard and rip the floats off and turn upside down at the same time. I’m not sure anybody was even able to get out of there,' he said.\n\n'I was kind of running on autopilot at that point. I didn’t really think anything other than I was just trying to get the people out of the water,' he added.\n\nHe said he saw an injured pilot with bloody lacerations to his face also scramble to get passengers to safety.\n\n'He didn’t speak but he did shake my hand,' Hanas recalled on working together to pull the passengers out of the icy water before hypothermia set in.\n\nSix people died in the collision including four Americans, a Canadian, and an Australian.\n\nAmong those victims was a newly married couple ready to start a family, a pilot who used his family's savings to buy his own plane, a devoted family man from Australia and an office manager at an insurance company.\n\nThere were a total of 14 passengers and two pilots on the two planes. The passengers were from the cruise ship Royal Princess that was on a seven-day trip in Alaska that offered the sea planes trip as an excursion off the port community of Ketchikan.\n\nAlaska State Troopers identified the passengers who died as 46-year-old Louis Botha of San Diego, 56-year-old Simon Bodie from Tempe, New South Wales, Australia, 62-year-old Cassandra Webb from St. Louis, 39-year-old Ryan Wilk from Utah and 37-year-old Elsa Wilk of Richmond, British Columbia, Canada. Also killed was the pilot of one of the planes, 46-year-old Randy Sullivan of Ketchikan.\n\nSimon Bodie was the sole Australian on the sea plane. He was a 56-year-old businessman from Tempe, New South Wales and was described by Australian media as a 'devoted family man' with two kids.\n\nRyan and Elsa Wilk got married last year and they both worked in the tech center. They were planning to move from British Columbia to their new home in a Salt Lake City suburb with the hopes of starting a family.\n\nWilk, 39 and from Salt Lake City Utah, was a cybersecurity expert and a vice president for the Canadian firm NuData Security, a division of MasterCard.\n\n'I can tell you my brother was an amazing man, son, husband, brother and uncle. We are completely devastated,' his sister, Shannon Wilk, told Salt Lake City television station KSL.\n\n'Ryan was a very kind man with a fun personality. I loved how much we laughed together,' Daniela Veliz Llaguno, Wilk's first wife, told The Associated Press.\n\nElsa Wilk, 37 and from British Columbia, was a fierce black belt taekwondo competitor and worked as a marketing director for different tech companies in Vancouver. She traveled around the world to compete in the sport.\n\n'Everyone knew them as a wonderful couple, they were totally in love,' their friend Mark Pashley said.\n\nElsa's brother Louis Botha of San Diego was also on board and died in the crash.\n\nPilot Randy Jason Sullivan, 46, was a father of two and been a pilot with mountain Air since 2012, flying tour groups over the rugged wilderness of Alaska's Inside Passage, a popular cruise ship route.\n\nIn an interview to the Los Angeles Times in 2015 he said he knows the perils of flying.\n\n'The danger it’s on people’s minds. Always,' he said.\n\nHis wife Julie said she kissed him before each flight as a gesture of good luck and love.\n\nThe two accidents come as number of many others involving small planes in the US across recent months.\n\nHowever aviation experts say they’re not surprised at the alarming frequency of which these crashes seem to be occurring, as the level of regulation applied to planes operated by private pilots or small companies can often lack the stringency adopted by large commercial airlines.\n\nAt the beginning of May two people were injured after a small plane crashed off the Gulf Coast of Alabama.\n\nA week earlier, two people were killed when another small aircraft crashed as it set off from La Center, Washington. Their deaths followed two others’ who died in Madera, California, in another small plane crash.\n\n‘Commercial planes are holding themselves out to be operating at the highest levels of safety,’ said National Transportation Safety Board member John Goglia to the New York Times.\n\n‘That’s not required of most others. And part of it has to do with the number of passengers.’\n\nTaquan Air has not yet responded to a DailyMail.com request for comment."], "summary": "Two people are killed, the pilot and the passenger, when a floatplane crashes into Metlakatla harbor near Ketchikan, Alaska. The pilot and passenger were the only people on board."}
{"document": ["SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea vowed Monday to move quickly on plans to provide $8 million worth of medical and nutritional aid for North Korean children through U.N. agencies while it also considers sending broader food aid to the country, which says it is suffering its worst drought in decades.\n\nLee Sang-min, spokesman for Seoul's Unification Ministry, said the government will discuss its plans with the World Food Program and the United Nations Children's Fund, through which the aid would be provided, so it reaches North Korean children and pregnant women quickly. South Korea is also trying to build public and political support for providing wider food aid to North Korea, either directly or through the WFP.\n\nNorth Korea's state media said last week that the country was suffering its worst drought in more than a century amid reported food shortages.\n\n\"The government will first discuss with international organizations over the provision of aid and take measures so that the support arrives (in North Korea) quickly,\" Lee said. \"On the matter of direct aid, we will consider the matter while sufficiently garnering the opinions of our citizens.\"\n\nSouth Korean President Moon Jae-in has expressed hopes that aid will help revive diplomacy and engagement with North Korea, which tapered off after a nuclear summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump in February broke down because of differences over sanctions relief and disarmament steps. Kim has since declared that the Trump administration has until the end of the year to come up with mutually acceptable terms for a deal to salvage the negotiations.\n\nWhile the United States has urged allies to maintain economic pressure on North Korea until it takes material steps toward relinquishing its nuclear weapons, White House spokesman Sarah Sanders recently said Washington has no plan to \"intervene\" if South Korea moves forward with food aid.\n\nBut Moon's government has yet to decide on concrete plans amid growing public frustration over Kim's government, which recently resumed short-range missile tests that were apparently aimed at pressuring Washington and Seoul.\n\nIt is also unclear whether any aid package from South Korea would influence the behavior of North Korea, which has been demanding much bigger concessions from the South, such as resuming inter-Korean economic projects currently held back by the U.S.-led sanctions against the North. A North Korean propaganda website last week described the South Korean proposals for humanitarian aid as disrespectful and said Seoul was trying to sidestep fundamental issues with \"hollow talk and boastful credit-taking.\"\n\nNorth Korea's official Korean Central News Agency said last Wednesday that an average of 54.4 millimeters (2.1 inches) of rain fell in North Korea from January to early May, which it said was the lowest level since 1982. Two days later, the state-run Rodong Sinmun newspaper said the average precipitation of 56.3 millimeters (2.2 inches) from January to May 15 was the country's lowest since 1917.\n\nU.N. food agencies said earlier this month that about 10 million people were facing \"severe food shortages\" after one of North Korea's worst harvests in a decade.\n\nNorth Korean state media are urging farmers to do their best with what they have, to grow as much as possible this year. The Rodong Sinmun urged North Korean farmers on Saturday to meet state goals in food production in the face of \"hostile forces who don't want us to become prosperous and ... are seeking to make our people undergo shortage of food, bring to collapse their faith in socialism.\"\n\n\"At our farm, we got an announcement about the dry weather conditions from our party and our state authorities, so we have taken advance measures to save water, like preparing the fields earlier than before, because we have to save water as much as we can,\" said Kim Chang Jun, vice chairman of a cooperative farm in the village of Sambong, just outside the capital.\n\nThe last time South Korea provided humanitarian aid to North Korea through an international agency was in 2015, when it gave $800,000 to a U.N. Population Fund project to evaluate North Korean public health conditions.\n\nSouth Korea has not provided direct food aid to North Korea since 2010.\n\nMoon's government first proposed providing $8 million to the WFP and UNICEF to help North Korean children and pregnant women in 2017, but the plans were halted amid a series of North Korean weapons tests that year. An abrupt turn toward diplomacy in 2018 saw Kim meet with Trump twice and three times with Moon.", "South Korea vows to send aid to North quickly, may send food\n\nSEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea has vowed to move quickly on its plans to provide $8 million worth of humanitarian aid to North Korea through international organizations and is also considering sending food to the country that says it's suffering its worst drought in decades.\n\nSeoul's Unification Ministry said Monday it will discuss its plans with the World Food Program and the United Nations Children's Fund so the aid reaches North Korean children and pregnant women quickly.\n\nSeoul hopes the aid will help revive diplomacy and engagement with Pyongyang that tapered off amid a stalemate in nuclear talks between the United States and North Korea.\n\nBut Seoul has yet to decide on concrete plans amid public frustration over recent North Korean missile tests.", "South Korea vows to send aid to North quickly, may send food\n\nSEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea vowed Monday to move quickly on its plans to provide $8 million worth of humanitarian aid to North Korea while it also considers sending food to the country that says it's suffering its worst drought in decades.\n\nLee Sang-min, spokesman of Seoul's Unification Ministry, said the government will discuss its plans with the World Food Program and the United Nations Children's Fund, through which the aid would be provided, so it reaches North Korean children and pregnant women quickly. South Korea is also trying to build public and political support for providing food aid to the North, either directly or through an international organization.\n\nNorth Korea's state media said last week that the country was suffering its worst drought in nearly four decades amid reported food shortages.\n\n\"The government will first discuss with international organizations over the provision of aid and take measures so that the support arrives (in the North) quickly,\" Lee said. \"On the matter of direct aid, we will consider the matter while sufficiently garnering the opinions of our citizens.\"\n\nSouth Korean President Moon Jae-in has expressed hopes that aid will help revive diplomacy and engagement with Pyongyang, which tapered off following a high-stakes nuclear summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump in February that broke down over mismatched demands in sanctions relief and disarmament.\n\nBut Moon's government has yet to decide on concrete plans amid growing public frustration over North Korea, which resumed short-range missile tests recently that were apparently aimed at pressuring Washington and Seoul.\n\nNorth Korean state media said last week that 54.4 millimeters (2.1 inches) of rain fell in the first five months of 2019, which it said represented the lowest level since 1982. U.N. food agencies said earlier this month that about 10 million people were facing \"severe food shortages\" after one of the North's worst harvests in a decade.\n\nNorth Korean state media are currently campaigning to urge farmers to do their best with what they have, to grow as much as possible this year.\n\n\"At our farm, we got an announcement about the dry weather conditions from our party and our state authorities, so we have taken advance measures to save water, like preparing the fields earlier than before, because we have to save water as much as we can,\" said Kim Chang Jun, vice chairman of a cooperative farm in the village of Sambong, just outside the capital.\n\nThe last time South Korea provided humanitarian aid to North Korea through an international agency was in 2015, when it gave $800,000 to the U.N. Population Fund project to evaluate North Korean public health conditions.\n\nThe South has not provided direct food aid to the North since 2010.\n\nMoon's government first proposed providing $8 million to the WFP and UNICEF to help North Korean children and pregnant women in 2017, but the plans were halted amid a torrid run in North Korean weapons tests that year. An abrupt turn toward diplomacy in 2018 saw Kim meet with Trump twice and three times with Moon.", "Seoul offers food aid to North Korea in bid to revive diplomatic talks\n\nSEOUL — South Korea vowed Monday to move quickly on plans to provide $8 million worth of medical and nutritional aid for North Korean children through U.N. agencies while it also considers sending broader food aid to the country, which says it is suffering its worst drought in decades.\n\nLee Sang-min, spokesman for Seoul’s Unification Ministry, said the government will discuss its plans with the World Food Program and the United Nations Children’s Fund, through which the aid would be provided, so it reaches North Korean children and pregnant women. South Korea is also trying to build public and political support for providing wider food aid to North Korea, either directly or through the WFP.\n\nNorth Korea’s state media last week reported that the country was suffering its worst drought in more than a century amid reported food shortages.\n\n“The government will first discuss with international organizations over the provision of aid and take measures so that the support arrives (in North Korea) quickly,” Lee said. “On the matter of direct aid, we will consider the matter while sufficiently garnering the opinions of our citizens.”\n\nSouth Korean President Moon Jae-in has expressed hopes that aid will help revive diplomacy and engagement with North Korea, which tapered off after a nuclear summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump in February broke down because of differences over sanctions relief and disarmament steps. Kim has since declared that the Trump administration has until the end of the year to come up with mutually acceptable terms for a deal to salvage the negotiations.\n\nKim’s government recently resumed short-range missile tests that were apparently aimed at pressuring Washington and Seoul.", "Seoul [South Korea], May 21 (ANI): The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Monday granted sanctions exemption to allow the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) to carry out aid programs in North Korea to improve the health and nutrition of people in the impoverished country.\n\nThe exemption, granted on April 11, paves the way for UNICEF to import items to deliver safe water supplies to communities and enable effective treatment at hospitals, especially for malnourished children and mothers, the global humanitarian agency said in its report cited by Yonhap.\n\nThe approved items worth some USD 5.75 million in total include emergency health kits, wheelchairs and electronic devices, a document on the website showed, the report said.\n\nThe most expensive set of materials was vaccine cold chain equipment from Denmark worth USD 3.87 million. UNICEF said the items will be used to store vaccines for around 355,000 children under one year of age and 362,000 pregnant women, it added.\n\nUNICEF further stated that its staff will conduct regular monitoring to ensure the goods are used for their intended purposes.\n\nIncluding the latest approval, the total number of humanitarian exemptions related to North Korea currently in effect stands at 22. The exemptions are valid for six months.\n\nHumanitarian activities are not banned under international sanctions, but related materials are subject to sanctions waivers from the UN.\n\nLast week, Pyongyang said it was experiencing its worst drought in 37 years, raising fears that crops due to be harvested next month, like wheat and barley, will also suffer.\n\nIn addition, the World Food Programme, last month, assessed that the people in North Korea have been hit by the worst harvest in 10 years, due to dry spells, heatwaves and flooding.\n\nThe report also found worryingly low food consumption levels, limited dietary diversity and families being forced to cut meals or eat less. (ANI)", "SEOUL, May 21 (UPI) -- Unification Minister Kim Yeon Chul said Tuesday that South Korea and the United States are considering \"various ways\" to resume the stalled denuclearization negotiations with North Korea.\n\nSpeaking at a press briefing, Kim also stressed the importance of humanitarian aid to the impoverished North regardless of politics, citing a famous quote by former U.S. President Ronald Reagan that \"a hungry child knows no politics.\"\n\n\"The overall situation shows that we are facing a lull, but I think you should know that we are working in various ways to resume negotiations,\" Kim told reporters. \"South Korea and the United States are also sharing the need for keeping the situation under control.\"\n\nKim did not elaborate on the \"various ways\" under consideration to resume talks with Pyongyang.\n\nDenuclearization talks have been stalled since the summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump ended without a deal in February as the two sides failed to find common ground over Pyongyang's denuclearization and Washington's sanctions relief.\n\nSouth Korean President Moon Jae In earlier proposed holding an inter-Korean summit with Kim as part of efforts to break the logjam in cross-border relations and stalemated denuclearization negotiations. The North has been mum on the offer for about a month.\n\n\"Since it is important to resume negotiations from a broader perspective for our government, I would like to emphasize that we are also considering and collecting opinions internally on such issues,\" Kim said.\n\nA high-ranking official suggested that Moon and Kim could meet in a setting similar to their second summit last May at the truce village of Panmunjom, which didn't involve much preparation for courtesy and formality.\n\n\"Given that the purpose of having a summit this time is to coordinate between the two Koreas so as to resume talks between North Korea and the United States, I think it would be more desirable to have a summit focusing more on substance than on formality,\" he said, adding that in that case there will be no need for a special envoy or high-level talks to prepare such a meeting.\n\nWith regard to the plan to provide humanitarian food assistance to North Korea, the unification minister emphasized that politics should not play a part in helping people in need.\n\n\"Humanitarian assistance does not carry a meaning more or less than just that. It is an internationally accepted agreement that [humanitarian assistance] should be approached separately from politics,\" he said.\n\nLast week, South Korea announced a plan to donate US$8 million to international agencies, including the World Food Programme, to help address malnutrition and health problems facing pregnant women and kids in the North.\n\nThe government also said that it will draw up plans to provide humanitarian food assistance to ease food shortages in North Korea, apparently aggravated by global sanctions and unfavorable weather conditions, despite North Korea's recent missile firings.\n\nThe WFP and the Food and Agriculture Organization recently reported that the country's crop output last year hit the lowest level since 2008, adding that an estimated 10 million people, or about 40 percent of its population, are in urgent need of food.\n\nNorth Korea has yet to respond officially to Seoul's food assistance plan.", "South Korea vowed yesterday to move quickly on plans to provide US$8 million worth of humanitarian aid to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea while it also considers sending food to the country that says it’s suffering its worst drought in decades.\n\nLee Sang-min, spokesman of Seoul’s Unification Ministry, said the government will discuss its plans with the World Food Program and the United Nations Children’s Fund, through which the aid would be provided, so it reaches DPRK children and pregnant women quickly.\n\nSouth Korea is also trying to build public and political support for providing food aid to the DPRK, either directly or through an international organization.\n\nDPRK’s state media said last week that the country was suffering its worst drought in more than a century amid reported food shortages.\n\n“The government will first discuss with international organizations over the provision of aid and take measures so that the support arrives (in the DPRK) quickly,” Lee said. “On the matter of direct aid, we will consider the matter.”\n\nSouth Korean President Moon Jae-in has expressed hopes that aid will help revive diplomacy and engagement with Pyongyang, which tapered off following a high-stakes nuclear summit between DPRK leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump in February that broke down over mismatched demands in sanctions relief and disarmament.\n\nBut Moon’s government has yet to decide on concrete plans amid growing public frustration over DPRK, which resumed short-range missile tests recently.\n\nDPRK’s official Korean Central News Agency said last Wednesday that an average of 54.4 millimeters of rain fell from January to early May in 2019, which represented the lowest level since 1982.", "Seoul [South Korea], May 21 (ANI): The United States and South Korea are working in various ways to resume denuclearisation negotiations with North Korea, said South Korean Unification Minister Kim Yeon-chul on Tuesday.\n\n\"The overall situation shows that we are facing a lull, but I think you should know that we are working in various ways to resume negotiations. South Korea and the US are also sharing the need for keeping the situation under control,\" he said during a briefing here.\n\nKim also outlined the importance of providing humanitarian aid to North Korea. \"A hungry child knows no politics,\" he said while quoting former US President Ronald Reagan, according to Yonhap News Agency.\n\nThe South Korean official's comment comes as talks regarding denuclearisation have been stalled between the United States and North Korea following the second summit between the two states, which ended abruptly in Vietnam in February earlier this year.\n\nThe two sides reportedly failed to resolve their differences on sanctions relief, which led to the summit ending earlier than scheduled. In fact, no joint agreement was issued following the talks.\n\nMeanwhile, South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Tuesday highlighted that the \"firmness\" of the US-South Korea relationship showed in their response to North Korea's recent projectiles launches.\n\nThe launches are largely being perceived as a sign of frustration on part of the reclusive state, which has been demanding sanctions relief in exchange for the steps it has taken towards denuclearisation. The United States, meanwhile, has stood firm in its stance of only providing sanctions waivers once complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula is achieved. (ANI)", "WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump will travel to South Korea in June for talks on the North Korean nuclear program, three months after a failed summit with North Korea’s leader in Vietnam. The White…\n\nWASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump will travel to South Korea in June for talks on the North Korean nuclear program, three months after a failed summit with North Korea’s leader in Vietnam.\n\nThe White House says Trump will meet with South Korean President Moon Jae-in in conjunction with his trip to Japan for the G-20 summit.\n\nThe White House says they “will continue their close coordination on efforts to achieve the final, fully verified denuclearization” of North Korea. Trump and Moon will also discuss issues of importance to their two nations.\n\nTrump’s efforts to bring about the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula have stalled since he abruptly pulled out of the February summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The North has since restarted some missile testing.\n\nThis story corrects that the last Trump-Kim summit was in February, not March.\n\nCopyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.", "By 2022, South Korea is expected to be spending more on defense than Japan and will rank as the fifth or sixth highest spender in the world on its defense. Military tensions on the Korean Peninsula are resulting in large sums being spent on defense, even though military experts often question the effectiveness of the Triad System. That system inevitably leads to South Korea purchasing advanced weapons from abroad — mainly from the US — which will profit the US defense industry while not being of much help to the South Korean defense industry and cutting-edge technology.\n\nThis not only drains the country’s wealth, but it also has considerable geopolitical effects due to the country’s resulting technological dependency. South Korea needs a “Plan B” that redefines its concept of military operations to overcome the current situation where weapons purchases harm rather than help national security.\n\nPresident Moon Jae-in, while running for office, pledged that he would increase defense spending, then at 2.6 percent of gross domestic product, to 2.9 percent. As a result, South Korea increased its defense spending the most among OECD member countries in 2017, by 7.6 percent, and in 2018, by 8.2 percent, which were the first two years Moon was in office.\n\nThe Ministry of Defense’s 2019-2023 Mid-term Defense Plan aims at an annual increase of 7.6 percent, meaning South Korea’s defense budget in 2022 will reach W57 trillion (US$48 billion). It took 10 years for South Korea to surpass Japan’s spending, considering Seoul spent half of what Tokyo did in 2012. It is expected to spend more than W60 trillion in 2023. The South Korean military will be a massive national defense system, with a 500,000-man army, navy, air force, and marines, 770 weapons systems, and military supplies amounting to 700,000 items.\n\nAdvanced military equipment leads the increases in defense spending. Among the W46.7 trillion South Korea plans to spend in 2019, W15.37 trillion will be spent on enhancement of defense capacity, meaning development and acquisition of military equipment, an increase of 13.7 percent from the previous year.\n\nWhy is the South Korean military supply market growing so rapidly? During the nine years of the two former presidents’ tenure, Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye, the Korean Peninsula was always a region with heightened military tensions. North Korean leader Kim Jung Un, who came to power in 2011, achieved rapid development in military science technology. North Korea successfully launched an ICBM, the Hwasong-14, equipped with the latest Baekdusan engine, in 2017.\n\nIt also proved that North Korea has developed SLBMs, showing off its solid fuel missile. Its nuclear test in September 2017 was the strongest among its six tests, and showed that it was capable of testing small nuclear warheads with efficient explosions, known as boosted fission weapons. This nuclear warhead means that North Korea possesses the technological potential to build an H-bomb.\n\nThis is what some in the West ignored in the past, declaring it to be impossible. North Korea possesses short-, mid-, and long-range missiles, making it capable of hitting not only South Korea, but also Japan and the US. This has actualized the possibility of nuclear war on the Korean Peninsula. The two former presidents conceptualized military operations that would construct deterrence over the Peninsula with the US nuclear umbrella, while South Korea would deal with North Korea’s missiles and nuclear capabilities on its own.\n\nThe Ministry of Defense called this the “Triad System.” The concept, which was adopted under a new name by the Moon administration, inevitably leads to large increases in national defense spending.\n\nThe Park administration established the Triad System at the height of the North Korean nuclear crisis. It spent W57.48 trillion on 47 weapons systems. A total of 17 trillion had been spent by 2017. For its part, the Moon administration spends W5 trillion annually. The first axis of the Triad System is the Kill-Chain, which is a preemptive strike to detect and neutralize signs of a North Korean nuclear missile launch and confirm the results. The whole process of detection, identification, hit, and results verification should be done in under 25 minutes.\n\nA total of 30 weapons system have been adopted to achieve this. It monitors North Korea and detects its target using reconnaissance satellites, unmanned reconnaissance planes such as HUAV or MUAV, multi-source image fusion systems, and high performance sensors such as MS-EO/IR. It also uses air-to-ground missiles such as TAURUS, mid-range air-to-ground guided bombs, and laser guided bombs to hit its targets.\n\nAdditionally, the system is equipped with strategic surface-to-ground missiles, multimode guidance missiles such as SDB-II, mid-range GPS guided missiles, and strategic ground-to-ground guided weapons. They will be deployed on the newly acquired F-35A fighters as well as current F-15K fighters, the army’s AHX such as Apache, and the navy’s destroyers. The army will acquire more of the already-owned ballistic missiles that can fly 800 kilometers and cruise missiles with a range of 1,000 km.\n\nThe second axis of the Triad is the Korea Air and Missile Defense (KAMD) system. It is aimed at intercepting North Korean missiles in the air when the preemptive strike fails to neutralize any North Korean nuclear missiles. Ten weapons systems are deployed here. The first are reconnaissance planes, ballistic missile early warning radar, and ballistic missile operations controls to alert South Korea about any missiles.\n\nAmerican-made Patriot interception missiles and South Korean-made medium altitude surface-to-air missiles (M-SAM) and low altitude surface-to-air missiles (L-SAM) are deployed to intercept incoming missiles. The South Korean Navy will equip its three Aegis destroyers with SM-3s, the standard US interception missile. The third axis is the Korea Massive Punishment & Retaliation (KMPR) system to ensure the total annihilation of the North Korean regime if the second axis fails and South Korea suffers massive damage. It adds seven weapons systems, in addition to the Kill-Chain forces from the first axis: transportation helicopters to transport special operation forces (CH/HH-47D), grenade launchers for special ops, destroyers to support special ops, a mock special ops exercise system, and reinforcements for special operations forces.\n\nThis Triad System, however, has yet to prove its effectiveness or adequacy. Dr. Chang Young Keun of Korea Aerospace University pointed out in 2017 that even if we assume that North Korea uses one transporter erector launcher (TEL) to launch a nuclear missile, the rate of successful South Korean identification and neutralization of the missile is between 0.12 and 2.64 percent with its five surveillance satellites. The detection range of KAMD’s intercept radar is limited and can only successfully detect when North Korean missiles rise higher than 35 km. This severely limits its practicality, because its total response time, such as preparation time and flight time, is too short. It also omits verification tests such as interception asset integration tests.\n\nYoon Woo, a former Air Force general, has pointed out that it is very hard to confirm that South Korea can accurately locate the North Korean leadership’s secret hideout, crucial information for KMPR to be effective. He assesses that South Korea will need to meticulously bomb all of Pyongyang city, which is 1,700 square kilometers in size, requiring 60,000 missiles worth around W200 trillion. Yet, this might fail to harm the North Korean leadership to any degree, because they will likely be hiding in an unknown bunker.\n\nThis raises doubts about the army’s ground-to-ground missiles. The US Congressional Research Service (CRS) pointed out in its June 2013 report that SM-3, the missile that the Korean Navy wants to adopt, does not have much utility in South Korea, because its interception altitude of 500 km is too high.\n\nThe Triad System plans to adopt the following weapons systems: the E-8 Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (STAR), P-8A Poseidon Maritime Surveillance Aircraft, the naval helicopter MH-60, unmanned aircraft the MQ-1C Gray Eagle and MQ-9 Reaper, unmanned aerial vehicles RQ-170 Sentinel, RQ-7 Shadow, and the RQ-4 Global Hawk, F-35A fighters, and interception missiles SM-3, SM-6, and PAC-3 MSE.\n\nMany military experts are questioning the effectiveness of the Triad System. However, because the security situation on the Korean Peninsula is extremely intense and military preparations are necessary, South Korea continues to spend massive amounts on national defense. Even within the Ministry of Defense, there are concerns that too many imported weapons projects will hinder the military’s united operations.\n\nFor instance, when the army launches missiles, the air force cannot fly combat planes. In this case, it becomes a turf fight over who has the authority to lead the hit on major targets in North Korea. In addition, experts expect that the Triad System will inevitably lead to South Korea purchasing large amounts of high technology weapons from overseas — mainly from the US – which will profit the US defense industry while not being of much help to fostering the South Korea’s defense industry and cutting-edge technology.\n\nFor example, US-based Boeing has already sold South Korea 60 F-15K fighters and 36 Apache attack helicopters, and is expected to sell additional early warning and aerial refueling equipment. Following the sale of F-16 fighter jets, Lockheed Martin sold 40 F-35A fighters to South Korea and hopes to sell 20 more, and supplied the AEGIS Combat System. As a result of the Triad System, the two US companies will earn more than W20 trillion from South Korea. The Northrop Grumman Corporation supplies Global Hawk unmanned aerial vehicles, and Raytheon supplies the Patriot interception missile to South Korea.\n\nThe profits from the sale of these systems to South Korea do not stop simply with selling weapons. The more advanced technology a weapon employs, the larger the cost of operations and maintenance compared to the purchasing cost. During this process, massive amounts of national wealth are drained overseas, and South Korea will be even more subordinate to the US, politically and technologically.\n\nFor example, for the 40 recently purchased F-35A fighters, approximately W7.7 trillion was spent, but for the next 20 years, approximately W10 trillion will be required for operations and maintenance. The Ministry of Defense estimated operations and maintenance costs for expendable supplies over 20 years to be W89 billion won. However, according to the Republic of Korea Joint Chiefs of Staff, for one fighter, W250 billion be required for 20 years.\n\nThis fighter costs US$16,000 for a one-hour flight. During its life cycle, the technology is totally controlled by the US. The South Korean military cannot even open the fighter, which always needs maintenance, without permission. Also, for maintenance, the planes have to be sent to Japan or Australia, where the regional Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) centers for the F-35 are based.\n\nAll records and maintenance needed for this aircraft are done through real-time data in the US Autonomic Logistics Information System (ALIS). Due to this, the South Korean military will not be able to access its own fighter aircraft, because it is illegal, and unauthorized access to warfighters is also blocked.\n\nThe South Korean military, with no capability to overhaul high-tech fighters itself, depends on overseas groups for most of its maintenance. As a result, the external overseas maintenance dependence rate for the F-16 is 76 percent, for the F-15K 94 percent, and for the E-737 100 percent.\n\nIn the case of the F-35, it needs to be shipped overseas just for re-painting stealth camouflage, with the cost for this unable to be calculated. Overseas reliance for maintaining high-tech aircraft and their engines as well as components and spare parts increases maintenance costs exponentially.\n\nAs of 2019, current maintenance costs for military equipment is 3.1 trillion won. However, the “Mid-term Defense Plan 2019-2023” expects this to increase approximately 14 percent each year, reaching 4.07 trillion won by 2023.\n\nBy this time, 26 percent of the W4.7 trillion is expected to flow out to the supplier state. This outward flow of aviation equipment maintenance costs is particularly serious, and in 2023, approximately 900 billion won, more than half of maintenance costs of 1.6 trillion won, will flow overseas. If there is continued upgrade in the maintenance process, outward flows will become even more serious and additional costs will be incurred. When high-tech arms are sold, the buyer country is continuously on the path of subordination to the selling country.\n\nIn this situation, the power relationship shifts and becomes a seller’s market, creating an odd situation when the buyer pays and begs at the same time. Eventually, in the 2020s, the South Korean military will not stop at spending W4-5 trillion each year, but will have the additional burden of having to expend a similar amount in maintenance costs.\n\nIn 2019, the South Korean defense industry’s approximately 80 companies all experienced decreases in sales, exports, and employment. While the country’s military budget is the sixth largest in the world, South Korea’s aviation and defense industry is not even in the top 15. Israel, which has half of South Korea’s defense budget, exports eight times more arms than South Korea, while Sweden, which has one-sixth the budget size of South Korea, exports six times more.\n\nEven though the size of South Korea’s aircraft purchases is much larger, its aviation industry is not as capable as those in Italy, Indonesia, South Africa, and Spain. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), in 2016, the value added for every 1 unit of currency in defense expenditure for Sweden is 2.3 and for the US 1.8, whereas in South Korea it is only 0.7.\n\nIn other words, unlike other countries where jobs and capital are created through investing in defense expenditures, South Korea, which introduces massive amounts of foreign weapons, is losing money for every penny of defense spending.\n\nIt is not simply that national wealth is being lost, but the geopolitical influence that technology subordination causes is serious. South Korea will soon outspend Japan on defense, yet be subordinated by Japan’s accumulated overhaul capability and technology, following the latter’s principle that “all weapons are produced domestically.”\n\nThe massive maintenance abilities that Mitsubishi Heavy Industries developed in Nagoya makes Japan the designated regional F-35 MRO center in the Asia-Pacific. The F-35 contract between the US and South Korea specifies that South Korean fighter planes be maintained in the regional MRO center and not inside South Korea.\n\nIn the future, there might be situations where South Korea will have to request military maintenance from Japan in militarily urgent situations. In this case, there will be geopolitical change in Northeast Asia: an uncomfortable situation for South Korea, where militarily strong Japan assumes the leading role. Currently, South Korean military authorities do not have a specific solution for this. The army, air force and navy are all focused on competition within the South Korean military to adopt more weapons, and they are paying attention to increasing the size of their own arsenals rather than military effectiveness or national interest. Such military bureaucracy is decreasing the rationality of South Korea’s security.\n\nIn September 2017, the White House disclosed details of President Donald Trump’s phone call with President Moon, in which Trump said that “South Korea decided to import weapons.” In November of the same year, Trump said that “South Korea will expand its weapons purchases, and [the US] trade deficit will decrease.”\n\nAlso, on April 11, 2019, at the South Korea-US summit meeting held in Washington, D.C., Trump announced that South Korea had decided to purchase a large quantity of military equipment, saying “South Korea has agreed to purchase a tremendous amount of our military equipment, from jet fighters to missiles, to lots of other things.”\n\nThis suggests that there is a high possibility that South Korea will purchase additional weapons, possibly worth more than W10 trillion, during Trump’s tenure. Amid this, North Korea explicitly expressed complaints about the South Korean military’s large quantity of arms imports, arguing that is it a “violation of the South-North Korean military agreement.”\n\nTo overcome the issue of arms imports weakening rather than strengthening South Korea’s security, a “Plan B” involving a full-fledged review of the current South Korean military strategy is necessary. President Moon ordered, at a Ministry of Defense report on operations this March, a new plan for arms control on the Korean Peninsula and to restrain a massive increase in military capabilities, depending on the development of relations between the two Koreas.\n\nHowever, this order won’t easily pass by the greedy bureaucrats in the Ministry of Defense. A presidential assessment committee for the South Korean military’s Triad System should be convened, and a national level arms control center should be established to examine the efficiency of the South Korean military’s arms imports.\n\nJong Dae Kim is a member of the South Korea National Assembly and serves on the Assembly’s National Defense Committee. Formerly the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Defense 21+, he also served as aide to a National Defense Committee member. This was written for the East Asia Foundation, a Seoul-based think tank. His views expressed here do not reflect any official position of the East Asia Foundation."], "summary": "South Korea vows to send humanitarian aid to North Korea through international organizations as it suffers droughts."}
{"document": ["British Special Forces have flown to the Middle East in the framework of a top secret mission to rebuff possible Iranian attacks on merchant ships, according to The Sun.\n\nMembers of the elite Special Boat Service are reported to have joined UK registered oil tankers heading towards the Persian Gulf, subsequently to be tasked with monitoring Iranian military activity in the vicinity of Qesham Island, home to the country's naval gunboats, the paper reports.\n\nThe UK Ministry of Defence declined to respond when contacted by The Sun Online, with a spokesman stating they never comment about the Special Forces.\n\nThe alleged military move comes shortly after the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group arrived for patrols in the Arabian Sea.\n\nREAD MORE: US Navy Flexes Muscles in Arabian Sea Amid Heightening Tensions With Iran\n\nThe US has already deployed the aircraft carrier and B-52 bombers to the Persian Gulf to counter alleged threats from Tehran, with the US planning to deploy as many as 120,000 troops to the Middle East should Iran attack American forces, a report claimed this week.\n\nTrump had campaigned on avoiding overseas conflicts, but also on taking a tougher line on Iran.\n\nThe Washington Post quoted a senior administration official as saying the US President is growing frustrated with what he sees as warlike planning generated by hawkish advisers.\n\nHardline national security adviser John Bolton is a known foreign policy \"hawk\" and has long been advocating regime change in Iran.\n\nThe paper cited several US officials saying Donald Trump prefers a diplomatic approach to resolving mounting tensions in the Middle East and wants to speak directly with Iran's leaders.\n\n“He is not comfortable with all this “regime change” talk,” which to his ears echoes the discussion of removing Iraqi President Saddam Hussein before the 2003 US invasion,\" the officials were reported as saying.\n\nIn a Fox News interview on Sunday, US President Donald Trump said that the only sphere where he wants to \"invade\" is actually the economy, thereby downplaying fears of a conflict with Iran.\n\nREAD MORE: Ex-CIA Director Warns Iran to Be ‘Very Careful’ Amid Rising Tensions with US\n\nHe reiterated that he did not seek a war with Tehran, noting that the main thing he wanted was \"not to let Iran have nuclear weapons\".\n\n\"I am not somebody who wants to go into war because war kills (the) economy, kills people most importantly,\" he added.\n\nHowever, Trump is willing to respond with force should there be American deaths or a dramatic escalation, added the official.\n\n\"If Iran wants to fight, that will be the official end of Iran. Never threaten the United States again!\" Trump tweeted on Sunday.\n\nSpeaking with the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) at the end of a visit to China on Saturday, he added that Tehran did not want a war, but that no country had the \"idea or illusion that it can confront Iran\".\n\nUS-Iranian tensions flared up last year when Washington unilaterally withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal and reinstated crippling sanctions against the country.\n\nOn 8 May 2019, Iran announced its decision to partially discontinue its obligations under the deal.\n\nThe United States, in turn, stepped up its military presence in the Middle East in what White House National Security Adviser John Bolton has called \"a clear and unmistakable message to the Iranian regime\", sending a carrier strike group, Patriot missiles, B-52 bombers and F-15 fighters to the area, according to the Pentagon.", "RIYADH (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump issued a new threat to Tehran on Sunday, tweeting that a conflict would be the “official end” of Iran, as Saudi Arabia warned it stood ready to respond with “all strength” and said it was up to Iran to avoid war.\n\nThe heightened rhetoric follows last week’s attacks on Saudi oil assets and the firing of a rocket into Baghdad’s heavily fortified “Green Zone” on Sunday, home to government buildings and foreign embassies.\n\n“If Iran wants to fight, that will be the official end of Iran. Never threaten the United States again!” Trump said in a tweet without elaborating.\n\nRiyadh, which emphasized that it does not want a war, has accused Tehran of ordering Tuesday’s drone strikes on two oil pumping stations in the kingdom, claimed by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi group. Two days earlier, four vessels, including two Saudi oil tankers, were sabotaged off the coast of the United Arab Emirates.\n\nIn response, countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) began “enhanced security patrols” in the international waters of the Arabian Gulf area on Saturday, the U.S. Navy’s Bahrain-based Fifth Fleet said on Sunday.\n\nIran has denied involvement in either incident, which come as Washington and the Islamic Republic spar over sanctions and the U.S. military presence in the region, raising concerns about a potential U.S.-Iran conflict.\n\n“The kingdom of Saudi Arabia does not want a war in the region nor does it seek that,” Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir told a news conference on Sunday.\n\n“It will do what it can to prevent this war and at the same time it reaffirms that in the event the other side chooses war, the kingdom will respond with all force and determination, and it will defend itself and its interests.”\n\nSaudi Arabia’s King Salman on Sunday invited Gulf and Arab leaders to convene emergency summits in Mecca on May 30 to discuss implications of the attacks.\n\n“The current critical circumstances entail a unified Arab and Gulf stance toward the besetting challenges and risks,” the UAE foreign ministry said in a statement.\n\nThe U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet said in its statement about increased maritime patrols that GCC countries were “specifically increasing communication and coordination with each other in support of regional naval cooperation and maritime security operations in the Arabian Gulf,” with navies and coast guards working with the U.S. Navy.\n\nSaudi Arabia’s Sunni Muslim ally the UAE has not blamed anyone for the tanker sabotage operation, pending an investigation. No-one has claimed responsibility, but two U.S. government sources said last week that U.S. officials believed Iran had encouraged the Houthi group or Iraq-based Shi’ite militias to carry it out.\n\nThe drone strike on oil pumping stations, which Riyadh said did not disrupt output or exports, was claimed by the Houthis, who have been battling a Saudi-led military coalition in a war in Yemen since 2015.\n\nThe Houthi-controlled SABA news agency said on Sunday, citing a military source from the group, that targeting Aramco’s installations last week was the beginning of coming military operations against 300 vital military targets.\n\nTargets include vital military headquarters and facilities in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, as well as their bases in Yemen, the source told SABA.\n\nThe head of the Houthis’ Supreme Revolutionary Committee, Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, derided Riyadh’s call to convene Arab summits, saying in a Twitter post that they “only know how to support war and destruction”.\n\nA Norwegian insurers’ report seen by Reuters said Iran’s Revolutionary Guards were “highly likely” to have facilitated the attack on vessels near the UAE’s Fujairah emirate, a main bunkering hub lying just outside the Strait of Hormuz.\n\nIn Baghdad, Iraq’s military said a Katyusha rocket fell in the middle of the Green Zone without causing any losses.\n\n“We are aware of an explosion in the International Zone (Green Zone) outside of the U.S. Embassy compound in Baghdad on May 19. There were no U.S. or coalition casualties, and Iraqi Security Forces are investigating the incident”, said Capt. Bill Urban, spokesman for U.S. Central Command, in a statement.\n\nThe Green Zone was regularly targeted by mortars during the U.S. occupation of Iraq that ended in 2011 and rockets have occasionally been fired into it since then.\n\nIranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has dismissed the possibility of war erupting, saying Tehran did not want conflict and no country had the “illusion it can confront Iran”. This stance was echoed by the head of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards on Sunday.\n\n“We are not pursuing war but we are also not afraid of war,” Major General Hossein Salami was cited as saying by the semi-official news agency Tasnim.\n\nWashington has tightened economic sanctions against Iran, trying to cut Tehran’s oil exports to zero, and beefed up the U.S. military presence in the Gulf in response to what it said were Iranian threats to United States troops and interests.\n\nCrown Prince Mohammed bin Salman discussed regional developments, including efforts to strengthen security and stability, in a phone call with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the Saudi Media Ministry tweeted on Sunday.\n\n“We want peace and stability in the region but we will not sit on our hands in light of the continuing Iranian attack,” Jubeir said. “The ball is in Iran’s court and it is up to Iran to determine what its fate will be.”\n\nHe said the crew of an Iranian oil tanker that had been towed to Saudi Arabia early this month after a request for help due to engine trouble were still in the kingdom receiving the “necessary care”. The crew are 24 Iranians and two Bangladeshis.\n\nSaudi Arabia and Shi’ite Iran are arch-adversaries in the Middle East, backing opposite sides in several regional wars. In a sign of the heightened tension, Exxon Mobil evacuated foreign staff from an oilfield in neighboring Iraq.\n\nBahrain on Saturday warned its citizens against travel to Iraq and Iran and asked those already there to return. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has issued an advisory to U.S. commercial airliners flying over the waters of the Gulf and the Gulf of Oman to exercise caution.", "Alex Wong/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump issued a strong warning to Iran Sunday, tweeting that military engagement with the United States would mean “the official end of Iran.”\n\nTrump’s threat comes amid rising tensions between Washington and Tehran.\n\nThe New York Times reported last week that the administration was considering sending as many as 120,000 troops to the Middle East if Iran attacked “American forces or accelerate work on nuclear weapons.” Trump denied the report, but added he would “send a hell of a lot more troops than that” if it happened.\n\nWhen asked by a reporter on Thursday whether or not the U.S. was going to war with Iran, President Trump replied, “I hope not.”\n\nEarlier this month, the United States deployed an aircraft carrier strike group and a bomber task force to the Middle East in response to “clear indications” Iran or its proxies were planning an attack on U.S. forces in the region, U.S. officials told ABC News. The Pentagon announced on May 10 it was sending a Patriot anti-missile battery to the area as well as a further deterrent. On Wednesday, the State Department ordered all non-emergency personnel at the U.S. embassy in Baghdad and the U.S. consulate in Erbil, Iraq, to leave.\n\nIn an interview that aired earlier on Sunday, Gen. David Petraeus, the retired four-star general who led troops into battle during the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, told ABC’s “This Week” Co-Anchor Martha Raddatz that he believes Trump doesn’t want to go to war with Iran.\n\n“It’s pretty clear that [Trump] doesn’t want to go to war with Iran.,” Petraeus said. “He’s not after regime change.”\n\nThis is not the first time the president has issued a public warning to the Islamic Republic.\n\nOn Tuesday, Pentagon officials are expected to brief Congress about the intelligence that generated the deployment of the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and B-52’s to deter Iran.", "Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has dismissed US President Donald Trump’s “genocidal taunts” and warned him not to threaten the country.\n\nWith tensions rising, Mr Trump tweeted on Sunday: “If Iran wants to fight, that will be the official end of Iran.”\n\nMr Zarif said the president should look at history. “Iranians have stood tall for millennia while aggressors all gone… Try respect – it works!”\n\nThe US has deployed additional warships and planes to the Gulf in recent days.\n\nBut Mr Trump’s tweet marked a shift in tone after recent attempts by him to downplay the possibility of a military conflict with Iran. Last week, when asked by reporters if the US was going to war with Iran, he said: “I hope not.”\n\nHis warning to Iran was issued hours after a rocket was fired into the heavily fortified Green Zone in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, and hit a building about 0.5km (0.3 miles) from the US embassy.\n\nThe US recently evacuated non-emergency staff from the mission because of what it called a “serious” threat reportedly linked to Iran-backed forces in Iraq.\n\nWriting on Twitter on Monday, Iran’s foreign minister said the US president was being “goaded” by what he called the “B Team” – a reference to US National Security Adviser John Bolton, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman.\n\nMr Trump “hopes to achieve what Alexander [the Great], Genghis [Khan] & other aggressors failed to do. Iranians have stood tall for millennia while aggressors all gone. #EconomicTerrorism & genocidal taunts won’t ‘end Iran’,” he added.\n\nOn Saturday, Mr Zarif had insisted that Iran did not want a war.", "President Donald Trump warned Iran early on Monday not to threaten the United States again or it'll face its \"official end,\" shortly after a rocket landed near the US Embassy in Baghdad overnight.\n\nTrump's tweet comes after he seemingly sought to soften his tone on Iran following days of heightened tension sparked by Washington's sudden deployment of bombers and an aircraft carrier to the Persian Gulf over still-unspecified threats.\n\nIn the time since, officials in the United Arab Emirates allege four oil tankers sustained damage in a sabotage attack. Houthi rebels launched a drone attack on an oil pipeline in Saudi Arabia. US diplomats relayed a warning that commercial airlines could be misidentified by Iran and attacked.\n\nAll these tensions are the culmination of Trump's decision a year ago to pull America out of Tehran's nuclear deal with world powers. And while both Washington and Tehran say they don't seek war, many worry any miscalculation at this fraught moment could spiral out of control.\n\nRead more: Pakistan blames US for heightening tensions with Iran\n\nThe tweet from Trump early on Monday came just hours after a Katyusha rocket fell in Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone near the statue of the Unknown Soldier, less than a mile from the US Embassy, causing no injuries.\n\nIraqi military spokesman Brig. Gen Yahya Rasoul told The Associated Press that the rocket was believed to have been fired from east Baghdad.\n\n\"If Iran wants to fight, that will be the official end of Iran,\" Trump tweeted. \"Never threaten the United States again!\" Trump did not elaborate, nor did the White House.\n\nTrump campaigned on pulling the US from the 2015 nuclear accord, which saw Iran agree to limit its enrichment of uranium in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. Since the withdrawal, the US has re-imposed previous sanctions and come up with new ones, as well as warned nations around the world they would be subject to sanctions as well if they import Iranian oil.\n\nIran just announced it would begin backing away from terms of the deal, setting a 60-day deadline for Europe to come up with new terms or it would begin enriching uranium closer to weapons-grade levels.\n\nTehran long has insisted it does not seek nuclear weapons, though the West fears its program could allow it to build atomic bombs.\n\nIn an interview aired on Sunday on the Fox News Channel, Trump called the nuclear deal a \"horror show\".\n\n\"I just don't want them to have nuclear weapons and they can't be threatening us,\" Trump said.\n\nHowever, the nuclear deal had kept Iran from being able to acquire enough highly enriched uranium for a bomb. UN inspectors repeatedly certified that Iran was in compliance with the accord.\n\nIn Saudi Arabia, the kingdom's military intercepted two missiles fired by the Houthi rebels in neighbouring Yemen.\n\nThe missiles were intercepted over the city of Taif and the Red Sea port city of Jeddah, the Saudi-owned satellite channel Al-Arabiya reported. The channel cited witnesses for the information.\n\nThe Saudi government has yet to acknowledge the missile fire, which other Saudi media also reported. Hundreds of rockets, mortars and ballistic missiles have been fired into the kingdom since a Saudi-led coalition declared war on the Houthis in March 2015 to support Yemen's internationally recognised government.\n\nBetween the two targeted cities is Makkah. Many pilgrims are now in the city amid the holy month of Ramazan.\n\nMeanwhile, the US Navy's 5th Fleet on Sunday announced it would begin \"enhanced security patrols\" in international waters with members of the Gulf Cooperation Council, which includes Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.\n\nAlready, the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier, the amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge and others are in the Arabian Sea, waters close to the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which a third of all oil traded at sea passes.", "US President Donald Trump has lashed out against Iran, vowing to \"end\" the Middle Eastern country if it continues to threaten the US.\n\nIn true Trump fashion, the warning came in the form of a fiery tweet.\n\n\"If Iran wants to fight, that will be the official end of Iran,\" the tweet read.\n\n\"Never threaten the United States again!\"\n\nIn his post, Mr Trump also blamed former president Barack Obama for allowing Iran to become the \"largest state sponsor of terrorism in the world\".\n\n\"Thank God we have a president that will stand up to them instead of shipping pallets of cash to them,\" he wrote.\n\nTensions between the two nations have risen in recent weeks, with the President's warning coming just days after Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the country did not want conflict.\n\n\"There will be no war because neither do we want a war nor has anyone the idea or illusion it can confront Iran in the region,\" Mr Zarif said.\n\nEarlier this month, the US Government sent an aircraft carrier and B-52 bombers to the Persian Gulf after claiming there were signs Iran could be planning an attack against US forces.\n\nThe Trump administration has ordered non-essential diplomatic staff out of Iraq, citing threats from Iranian-backed Iraqi armed groups.\n\nOn Sunday, a Katyusha rocket was fired into Baghdad's Green Zone housing government offices and embassies, including the US mission.\n\nIt was not immediately clear who was behind the attack.\n\nThe White House has sent mixed signals in recent days, amid multiple US media reports of infighting in Trump's cabinet over how hard to push Washington's arch foe Iran.\n\nAccording to US media reports, Mr Trump's long-hawkish national security adviser John Bolton is pushing a hard line on Iran, but others in the administration are resisting.\n\nMr Trump said recently he had to \"temper\" Mr Bolton.\n\nIran-US relations hit a new low last year as Mr Trump pulled out of a 2015 nuclear deal and reimposed unilateral sanctions that had been lifted in exchange for Tehran scaling back its nuclear program.\n\nSaudi Arabia on Sunday called for emergency regional talks to discuss the mounting Gulf tensions, saying it does not want war with Iran but is ready to defend itself.", "Trump team to brief Congress on Iran; Dems seek counterpoint\n\nWASHINGTON (AP) — As questions mount over President Donald Trump's tough talk on Iran, top national security officials are heading to Capitol Hill to brief Congress. But skeptical Democrats have asked for a second opinion.\n\nThe competing closed-door sessions Tuesday, unusual and potentially polarizing, come after weeks of escalating tensions in the Persian Gulf that have raised alarms over a possible military confrontation with Iran. Lawmakers are warning the Trump administration it cannot take the country into war without approval from Congress, and the back-to-back briefings show the wariness among Democrats, and some Republicans, over the White House's sudden policy shifts in the Middle East.\n\nTrump, veering between bombast and conciliation in his quest to contain Iran, threatened Monday to meet provocations by Iran with \"great force,\" but also said he's willing to negotiate.\n\n\"We'll see what happens,\" Trump told reporters Monday as he left the White House for a campaign rally. He said Iran has been \"very hostile.\"\n\n\"We have no indication that anything's happened or will happened, but if it does, it will be met, obviously, with great force,\" Trump said. \"We'll have no choice.\"\n\nTrump said while there are no talks with Iran he still wants to hear from them, \"if they're ready.\"\n\nOver the past several weeks the U.S. has sent an aircraft carrier and other resources to the Persian Gulf region, and evacuated non-essential personnel from Iraq, amid unspecified threats the administration says are linked to Iran.\n\nThe administration is sending Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan and other top brass, including Gen. Joseph Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of staff, for closed-door briefings Tuesday with both the House and Senate.\n\nBut House Democrats, deeply skeptical of the information from the Trump officials — and mindful of the drumbeat of claims during the run-up to the Iraq War — invited former CIA Director John Brennan and former State Department official Wendy Sherman, who negotiated the Iran nuclear deal.\n\nBrennan, an outspoken Trump critic, does not have a formal briefing planned but is prepared to answer questions on Iran — and is willing to do the same for Republicans, said a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to discuss it publicly. The intent, the person said, is to provide information and not to be partisan.\n\nTop Democrats say Trump escalated problems by abruptly withdrawing the U.S. from the Iran nuclear deal, a complex accord negotiated during the Obama administration to prevent the country from nuclear weapons production.\n\nTrump's allies in Congress, including GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, say the threats from Iran are real. Graham urged Trump to \"stand firm\" and said he received his own briefing over the weekend from John Bolton, Trump's national security adviser.\n\n\"It is clear that over the last several weeks Iran has attacked pipelines and ships of other nations and created threat streams against American interests in Iraq,\" Graham tweeted. \"If the Iranian threats against American personnel and interests are activated we must deliver an overwhelming military response.\"\n\nBut Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego of Arizona, an Iraq War veteran, tweeted that after having received \"the same\" intelligence briefing, that was not his conclusion.\n\n\"That is not what is being said. This is total information bias to draw the conclusion he wants for himself and the media,\" Gallego tweeted.\n\nSen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., said it's important to more fully understand the situation. \"I think Iranians think that our moves are offensive, we think their moves are offensive, that's how you get into wars by mistake,\" he said.\n\nGraham's reference to Iran having attacked ships appeared to be a further indication that the U.S. military has concluded that Iran was behind the reported attack May 12 on four commercial vessels off the coast of the United Arab Emirates.\n\nAt the outset of an investigation into those apparent attacks, which damaged vessels of Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Norway but caused no injuries, U.S. officials had said they appeared to be carried out by Iran.\n\nA U.S. official said Monday the probe was finished and evidence still pointed at Iran, although the official did not provide details. The official was not authorized to publicly discuss the matter and so spoke on condition of anonymity.\n\nOn Sunday, a rocket landed near the U.S. Embassy in the Green Zone of Iraq's capital of Baghdad, days after nonessential U.S. staff were ordered to evacuate from diplomatic posts in the country. No one was reported injured. Iraqi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Rasoul told The Associated Press that the rocket was believed to have been fired from eastern Baghdad, an area home to Iran-backed Shiite militias.\n\nDefense officials said no additional Iranian threats or incidents had emerged in the days since the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier battle group arrived in the Arabian Sea late last week.\n\nIran, meanwhile, announced that it has quadrupled its uranium-enrichment production capacity. Iranian officials made a point to stress that the uranium would be enriched only to the 3.67% limit set under the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, making it usable for a power plant but far below what's needed for an atomic weapon.\n\nThe state-run IRNA news agency quoted Behrouz Kamalvandi, the spokesman of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, as acknowledging that capacity had been quadrupled. He said Iran took this step because the U.S. had ended a program allowing it to exchange enriched uranium to Russia for unprocessed yellowcake uranium, as well as ending the sale of heavy water to Oman. Heavy water helps cool reactors producing plutonium that can be used in nuclear weapons.\n\nTehran long has insisted it does not seek nuclear weapons, though the West fears its program could allow it to build them.\n\nTrump's remarks reflect what has been a strategy of alternating tough talk with more conciliatory statements, which he says is aimed at keeping Iran guessing at the administration's intentions.\n\nHe described his approach in a speech Friday, saying, \"It's probably a good thing because they're saying, 'Man, I don't know where these people are coming from,' right?\"", "TEHRAN, Iran — Iran has quadrupled its production of low-enriched uranium amid tensions with the U.S. over Tehran’s unraveling nuclear accord, two semi-official news agencies reported Monday, an announcement just after President Donald Trump warned Iran it would face its “official end” if it threatened America again.\n\nWhile the reports said the production is of uranium enriched only to the 3.67% limit set by the 2015 nuclear deal that Tehran reached with world powers, it means that Iran soon will go beyond the stockpile limitations established by the accord.\n\nThis follows days of heightened tensions sparked by the Trump administration’s deployment of bombers and an aircraft carrier to the Persian Gulf over still-unspecified threats from Iran. While Trump’s dueling approach of flattery and threats has become a hallmark of his foreign policy, the risks have only grown in dealing with Iran, where mistrust between Tehran and Washington stretch back four decades.\n\nSo far this month, officials in the United Arab Emirates alleged that four oil tankers sustained damage in a sabotage attack; Yemeni rebels allied with Iran launched a drone attack on an oil pipeline in Saudi Arabia; and U.S. diplomats relayed a warning that commercial airlines could be misidentified by Iran and attacked, something dismissed by Tehran.\n\nAll these tensions are the culmination of Trump’s decision a year ago to pull the U.S. out of Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers. While both Washington and Tehran say they don’t seek war, many worry any miscalculation could spiral out of control.\n\nBoth the semi-official Fars and Tasnim news agencies reported on the quadrupled production quoting Behrouz Kamalvandi, the spokesmen of Iran’s nuclear agency. He said the increase in production of 3.67% enriched uranium does not mean Iran increased the number of centrifuges it has in use, another requirement of the deal.\n\nHe said Iran “in weeks” would reach the 300-kilogram limit set by the nuclear deal.\n\nKamalvandi said Iran had informed the International Atomic Energy Agency about its move. The IAEA did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday.\n\nTrump’s tweet early Monday came just hours after a Katyusha rocket fell in Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone near the statue of the Unknown Soldier, less than a mile from the U.S. Embassy, causing no injuries. Iraqi military spokesman Brig. Gen. Yahya Rasoul told The Associated Press that the rocket was believed to have been fired from eastern Baghdad. The area is home to Iran-backed Shiite militias.\n\n“If Iran wants to fight, that will be the official end of Iran,” Trump tweeted. “Never threaten the United States again!”\n\nTrump did not elaborate, nor did the White House.\n\nIranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif responded by tweeting that Trump had been “goaded” into “genocidal taunts.” Zarif referenced both Alexander the Great and Genghis Khan as two historical leaders that Persia outlasted.\n\n“Iranians have stood tall for a millennia while aggressors all gone,” he wrote. He ended his tweet with: “Try respect – it works!”\n\nHe also used the hashtag #NeverThreatenAnIranian, a reference to a comment he made in negotiations for the atomic accord.\n\nTrump campaigned on pulling the U.S. from the 2015 nuclear accord, which saw Iran agree to limit its enrichment of uranium in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. Since the withdrawal, the U.S. has re-imposed previous sanctions and come up with new ones, as well as warning other nations they would be subject to sanctions as well if they import Iranian oil.\n\nIran has said it would begin backing away from terms of the deal, setting a July 7 deadline for Europe to come up with new terms or it would begin enriching uranium closer to weapons-grade levels. Tehran long has insisted it does not seek nuclear weapons, though the West fears its program could allow it to build them.\n\nBritish Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt told journalists in Geneva that Iran should not doubt the U.S. resolve, warning that “if American interests are attacked, they will retaliate.”\n\n“We want the situation to de-escalate because this is a part of the world where things can get triggered accidentally,” Hunt said.\n\nMeanwhile, Oman’s minister of state for foreign affairs made a previously unannounced visit Monday to Tehran, seeing Zarif, the state-run IRNA news agency reported. The visit by Yusuf bin Alawi comes after U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called Oman’s Sultan Qaboos bin Said last week. Oman long has served as a Western backchannel to Tehran and the sultanate hosted the secret talks between the U.S. and Oman that laid the groundwork for the nuclear deal negotiations.\n\nIn Saudi Arabia, the kingdom’s military intercepted two missiles fired by the Iranian-allied Houthi rebels in neighboring Yemen. The missiles were intercepted over the city of Taif and the Red Sea port city of Jiddah, the Saudi-owned satellite channel Al-Arabiya reported, citing witnesses. The Saudi government has yet to acknowledge the missile fire, which other Saudi media also reported.\n\nHundreds of rockets, mortar rounds and ballistic missiles have been fired into the kingdom since a Saudi-led coalition declared war on the Houthis in March 2015 to support Yemen’s internationally recognized government.\n\nThe Houthis’ Al-Masirah satellite news channel denied that the rebels had any involvement with this round of rocket fire.\n\nBetween the two targeted cities is Mecca, home to the cube-shaped Kaaba that Muslims pray toward five times a day. Many religious pilgrims are in the city for the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan.\n\nAssociated Press writers Qassim Abdul-Zahra and Bassem Mroue in Baghdad, Jamey Keaten in Geneva, Samy Magdy in Cairo and Nasser Karimi in Tehran, Iran, contributed.", "A Saudi diplomat says the kingdom does not want war, but will defend itself, amid a recent spike in tensions with Iran.\n\nAdel al-Jubeir, the minister of state for foreign affairs, spoke a week after four oil tankers were targeted in an alleged act of sabotage off the coast of the United Arab Emirates – and days after Iran-allied Yemeni rebels claimed a drone attack on a Saudi oil pipeline.\n\nSaudi Arabia has blamed the pipeline attack on Iran.\n\nGulf officials say an investigation into the tanker incident is under way.\n\nMr al-Jubeir told reporters: “We want peace and stability in the region, but we won’t stand with our hands bound.”\n\nMinisters from major oil-producing countries were to meet in Saudi Arabia later Tuesday.", "U.S. President Donald Trump threatened Iran in a tweet on Sunday, raising concerns about a potential U.S.-Iran conflict at a time when tensions between Washington and Tehran have risen.\n\n\"If Iran wants to fight, that will be the official end of Iran. Never threaten the United States again,\" Trump said in a tweet.\n\nTrump has tightened economic sanctions against Iran, and his administration says it has built up the U.S. military presence in the region. It accuses Iran of threats to U.S. troops and interests.\n\nTehran has described U.S. moves as \"psychological warfare\" and a \"political game.\"\n\nMeanwhile, Saudi Arabia said on Sunday it wanted to avert war in the region but stood ready to respond with \"all strength\" following last week's attacks on Saudi oil assets, telling Iran that the ball was now in its court.\n\nRiyadh has accused Tehran of ordering Tuesday's drone strikes on two oil pumping stations in the kingdom, claimed by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi group. Two days earlier, four vessels, including two Saudi oil tankers, were sabotaged off the coast of the United Arab Emirates.\n\nIn response, countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) began \"enhanced security patrols\" in the international waters of the Arabian Gulf area on Saturday, the U.S. Navy's Bahrain-based Fifth Fleet said on Sunday.\n\nIran has denied involvement in either operation, which come as Washington and the Islamic Republic spar over sanctions and the U.S. military presence in the region, raising concerns about a potential U.S.-Iran conflict.\n\n\"The kingdom of Saudi Arabia does not want a war in the region nor does it seek that,\" Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir told a news conference.\n\n\"It will do what it can to prevent this war and at the same time it reaffirms that in the event the other side chooses war, the kingdom will respond with all force and determination, and it will defend itself and its interests.\"\n\nSaudi Arabia's King Salman on Sunday invited Gulf and Arab leaders to convene emergency summits in Mecca on May 30 to discuss implications of the attacks.\n\n\"The current critical circumstances entail a unified Arab and Gulf stance toward the besetting challenges and risks,\" the UAE foreign ministry said in a statement.\n\nThe U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet said in its statement about increased maritime patrols that GCC countries were \"specifically increasing communication and coordination with each other in support of regional naval cooperation and maritime security operations in the Arabian Gulf,\" with navies and coast guards working with the U.S. Navy.\n\nSaudi Arabia's Sunni Muslim ally the UAE has not blamed anyone for the tanker sabotage operation, pending an investigation. No-one has claimed responsibility, but two U.S. government sources said last week that U.S. officials believed Iran had encouraged the Houthi group or Iraq-based Shi'ite militias to carry it out.\n\nThe drone strike on oil pumping stations, which Riyadh said did not disrupt output or exports, was claimed by the Houthis, who have been battling a Saudi-led military coalition in a war in Yemen since 2015.\n\nThe Houthi-controlled SABA news agency said on Sunday, citing a military source from the group, that targeting Aramco's installations last week was the beginning of coming military operations against 300 vital military targets.\n\nTargets include vital military headquarters and facilities in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, as well as their bases in Yemen, the source told SABA.\n\nThe head of the Houthis' Supreme Revolutionary Committee, Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, derided Riyadh's call to convene Arab summits, saying in a Twitter post that they \"only know how to support war and destruction\".\n\nA Norwegian insurers' report seen by Reuters said Iran's Revolutionary Guards were \"highly likely\" to have facilitated the attack on vessels near the UAE's Fujairah emirate, a main bunkering hub lying just outside the Strait of Hormuz.\n\nIranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has dismissed the possibility of war erupting, saying Tehran did not want conflict and no country had the \"illusion it can confront Iran\". This stance was echoed by the head of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards on Sunday.\n\n\"We are not pursuing war but we are also not afraid of war,\" Major General Hossein Salami was cited as saying by the semi-official news agency Tasnim.\n\nWashington has tightened economic sanctions against Iran, trying to cut Tehran's oil exports to zero, and beefed up the U.S. military presence in the Gulf in response to what it said were Iranian threats to United States troops and interests.\n\nCrown Prince Mohammed bin Salman discussed regional developments, including efforts to strengthen security and stability, in a phone call with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the Saudi Media Ministry tweeted on Sunday.\n\n\"We want peace and stability in the region but we will not sit on our hands in light of the continuing Iranian attack,\" Jubeir said. \"The ball is in Iran's court and it is up to Iran to determine what its fate will be.\"\n\nHe said the crew of an Iranian oil tanker that had been towed to Saudi Arabia early this month after a request for help due to engine trouble were still in the kingdom receiving the\"necessary care\". The crew are 24 Iranians and two Bangladeshis.\n\nSaudi Arabia and Shi'ite Iran are arch-adversaries in the Middle East, backing opposite sides in several regional wars.\n\nIn a sign of the heightened tension, Exxon Mobil evacuated foreign staff from an oilfield in neighbouring Iraq.\n\nBahrain on Saturday warned its citizens against travel to Iraq and Iran and asked those already there to return.\n\nThe U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has issued an advisory to U.S. commercial airliners flying over the waters of the Gulf and the Gulf of Oman to exercise caution."], "summary": "Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammad Javad Zarif states that the \"genocidal taunts\" of U.S. President Donald Trump \"won't end Iran\", in response to President Trump's comments that if Iran attacked U.S. interests, \"that will be the official end of Iran.\" He also blasted Saudi Arabian Minister of Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir for his previous May 19 remarks regarding Iran."}
{"document": ["U.S. military officials say four Russian bombers and two fighter jets were intercepted off Alaska's western coast by U.S. aircraft but had not entered U.S. or Canadian air space.\n\nThe North American Aerospace Defense Command said in a statement that its early warning system identified the four Tupolev Tu-95 bombers and two Su-35 fighters.\n\nTwo pairs of F-22s fighter jets met the Russian aircraft on Monday but further details of the encounter were not provided.\n\nThe Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation said on Twitter that the U.S. planes accompanied the Russian aircraft along part of their route.\n\nThe agency said the Russian planes made scheduled sorties over the neutral waters of the Chukotka, Bering and Okhotsk seas, as well as along the western coast of Alaska and the northern coast of the Aleutian Islands.", "NORAD fighters intercepted Russian bombers+fighters entering Alaskan ADIZ May 20. 2x Tu-95s were intercepted by 2x F-22s; a second group of 2x Tu-95+2x Su-35 was intercepted later by 2 more F-22’s; NORAD E-3 provided overall surveillance. The aircraft remained in int'l airspace pic.twitter.com/VrNuSWFOQm — North American Aerospace Defense Command (@NORADCommand) May 21, 2019\n\nUS F-22 stealth jets intercepted Russian bombers and fighter jets off the coast of Alaska on Monday, according to the North American Aerospace Defense Command.The four Russian bombers and two Russian SU-35 fighter jets flew into the Air Defense Identification Zone, which extends nearly 200 miles off the Alaskan coast.NORAD says once the US fighter jets intercepted the Russian planes they provided surveillance.It says the Russian bombers and jets remained in international airspace the entire time.", "CLOSE ONE: The F-22 fighter came up close with the Russian bombers (Pic: NORAD)\n\nThe Russian long-range bombers and Su-35 fighter jets flew into the Air Defence Identification Zone, according to a statement from North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD).\n\nThe zone extends approximately 200 miles off Alaska's western coast and is design to protect America from deadly strikes.\n\nA pair of Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor jets detected two of the bombers before another pair intercepted the other bombers and fighter jets on Monday.\n\nThe Russian Tu-95 bomber could easily strike key US targets and population centres, with a speed of 441mph and un-fuelled range of 4,970miles.\n\nAnd the Russian Su-35 fighter jets can hit 1,726 miles per hour and are deadly in a dog fight.", "US F-22 stealth jets intercepted four Russian bombers and two Russian Su-35 fighter jets off the coast of Alaska on Monday, according to a statement from North American Aerospace Defense Command.\n\nThe Russian nuclear capable long-range bombers flew into the Air Defense Identification Zone, which extends approximately 200 miles off Alaska's western coast.\n\nThe Russian bomber flights are seen by US military officials as part of Moscow's effort to train its military for a potential crisis while simultaneously sending a message of strength to adversaries.\n\nThis latest intercept comes amid tensions with Russia on a wide range of geopolitical issues and a week after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met Russian Vladimir Putin in the resort town of Sochi where he warned Russia about interfering in US elections, taking a tougher public line than President Donald Trump on the issue.\n\nUS F-22s fighter jets and an E-3 Airborne Early Warning and Control System from North American Aerospace Defense Command \"positively identified and intercepted a total of four Tupolev Tu-95 bombers and two Su-35 fighters entering the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) on May 20,\" NORAD said in a statement.\n\n\"Two of the Russian bombers were intercepted by two F-22s, and a second group of bombers with Su-35 fighters was intercepted later by two additional F-22s, while the E-3 provided overall surveillance,\" NORAD said, adding that \"the Russian bombers and fighters remained in international airspace and at no time did the aircraft enter United States or Canadian sovereign airspace.\"\n\nThe Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed the incident in a tweet Tuesday, saying the Tu-95 bombers \"made scheduled sorties over the neutral waters of the Chukotka, Bering and Okhotsk seas, as well as along the western coast of Alaska and the northern coast of the Aleutian Islands.\"\n\n\"At certain stages of the route, Russian aircraft were escorted by #F22 fighter jets of the #USAF. The total flight time exceeded 12 hours,\" the ministry added.\n\nUS officials say Russian bombers and jets have flown in the area several times a year for the last few years and have similarly been intercepted by US or Canadian jets operating as part of NORAD.\n\n\"NORAD's top priority is defending Canada and the United States. Our ability to deter and defeat threats to our citizens, vital infrastructure, and national institutions starts with successfully detecting, tracking, and positively identifying aircraft of interest approaching U.S. and Canadian airspace,\" Gen. Terrence J. O'Shaughnessy, the commander of NORAD, said in a statement.\n\n\"Patrols by Russian military aircraft off the coasts of the United States and Canada have grown increasingly complex in recent years,\" O'Shaughnessy said in written testimony submitted to Congress earlier this month.\n\nHe wrote that the bomber patrols were a \"highly visible\" message intended \"to underscore Russia's capabilities\" and develop \"a new generation of air crews,\" adding that \"NORAD fighter aircraft routinely intercept Russian military aviation missions inside the US and Canadian Air Defense Identification Zones, and there is no indication that Russian leadership intends to reduce the number of these missions in the near future.\"\n\nIn January, a US E-3 aircraft, two F-22 fighter jets and two Canadian CF-18 fighter jets similarly \"positively identified\" two Russian Tu-160 Blackjack strategic bombers entering the Canadian Air Defense Identification Zone.\n\nNORAD is tasked with patrolling US and Canadian airspace and air defense identification zones.", "US warplanes intercepted six Russian military planes entering a buffer zone off the coast of Alaska, the military said on Tuesday, noting that the Russian planes remained at all times in international airspace.\n\nFirst, two Russian Tu-95s were intercepted by two US F-22 planes on Monday. A second group of Russian planes, comprising two Tupolevs and two SU-35 jets, were then intercepted by a second duo of F-22s, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) announced.\n\nCanada earlier this year identified other incidents of Russian militiary aircraft entering buffer zones. NORAD includes both the US and Canada.\n\nAccording to the US Federal Aviation Authority, any entry into buffer areas, known as Air Defense Identification Zones, must be announced in advance. The ADIZ off Alaska extends more than 300 kilometres from the shore.\n\nDuring the Cold War, such interceptions were regular events, as the combined US and Canadian air defence sought deterrence against Soviet bombers and reconnaissance planes off North American borders.", "US F-22 stealth jets intercepted four Russian bombers and two Russian Su-35 fighter jets off the coast of Alaska on Monday, according to a statement from North American Aerospace Defense Command.\n\nThe Russian long-range bombers flew into the Air Defense Identification Zone, which extends approximately 200 miles off Alaska's western coast.\n\nUS F-22s fighter jets and an E-3 Airborne Early Warning and Control System from North American Aerospace Defense Command \"positively identified and intercepted a total of four Tupolev Tu-95 bombers and two Su-35 fighters entering the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) on May 20,\" NORAD said in a statement.\n\n\"Two of the Russian bombers were intercepted by two F-22s, and a second group of bombers with Su-35 fighters was intercepted later by two additional F-22s, while the E-3 provided overall surveillance,\" NORAD said, adding that \"the Russian bombers and fighters remained in international airspace and at no time did the aircraft enter United States or Canadian sovereign airspace.\"\n\nThe Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed the incident in a tweet Tuesday, saying the Tu-95 bombers \"made scheduled sorties over the neutral waters of the Chukotka, Bering and Okhotsk seas, as well as along the western coast of Alaska and the northern coast of the Aleutian Islands.\"\n\n\"At certain stages of the route, Russian aircraft were escorted by #F22 fighter jets of the #USAF. The total flight time exceeded 12 hours,\" the ministry added.\n\n\"NORAD's top priority is defending Canada and the United States. Our ability to deter and defeat threats to our citizens, vital infrastructure, and national institutions starts with successfully detecting, tracking, and positively identifying aircraft of interest approaching U.S. and Canadian airspace,\" Gen. Terrence J. O'Shaughnessy, the commander of NORAD, said in a statement.", "U.S. fighter jets on Monday intercepted a half-dozen Russian warplanes off the coast of Alaska and kept tabs on the aircraft until they left the region, authorities said Tuesday.\n\nThe F-22 fighters intercepted four Russian bombers and two Russian fighter planes entering an area designated as the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone.\n\n“The Russian bombers and fighters remained in international airspace and at no time did the aircraft enter United States or Canadian sovereign airspace,” the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) said in a statement.\n\nNORAD, headquartered at Peterson Air Force Base near Colorado Springs, Colorado, is a joint U.S. and Canadian effort responsible for protecting North American airspace.\n\n“NORAD’s top priority is defending Canada and the United States. Our ability to deter and defeat threats to our citizens, vital infrastructure and national institutions starts with successfully detecting, tracking and positively identifying aircraft of interest approaching U.S. and Canadian airspace,” said Gen. Terrence J. O’Shaughnessy, the NORAD commander.\n\nRussia’s Ministry of Defense acknowledged its planes were in the region — on scheduled training exercises.\n\n“Four #Tu95MS strategic missile carriers of the Russian #AerospaceForces made scheduled sorties over the neutral waters of the Chukotka, Bering and Okhotsk seas, as well as along the western coast of Alaska and the northern coast of the Aleutian Islands,” the Ministry of Defense tweetedon Tuesday morning.\n\n“At certain stages of the route, Russian aircraft were escorted by #F22 fighter jets of the #USAF. The total flight time exceeded 12 hours,” the ministry said.", "Turkish-American relations often are fraught with drama followed by reconciliation. At the end, the two countries usually manage to save their partnership by focusing on shared strategic interests. But in recent years, they have increasingly different threat perceptions and it is no longer possible to take the relationship for granted. Turkey’s military rapprochement with Russia is particularly troubling for Washington. Turkey’s insistence that it will go ahead with a Russian missile-defense system may very well prove a historic mistake with paradigm-shifting consequences. If Ankara goes ahead and takes delivery of the Russian S-400 system, it will not only have to forego delivery of American F-35 stealth fighter jets, but will also face severe military sanctions under a US law known as Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA).\n\nThe S-400s missile-defense system is due to be installed in October. But the Trump administration still hopes to change Ankara’s mind with the opportunity, instead, to buy a Nato-compatible missile-defense shield. That said, Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government missed a “soft deadline” in mid-February set by the Americans to decide whether to buy the Patriot missile-defense system. The American offer is contingent upon Turkey cancelling its purchase of Russia’s S-400s, and expires with a hard deadline at the end of this month.\n\nWithout publicly rejecting the US proposal, President Erdogan has repeatedly said he will not pull out of the contract with Moscow. “The deal is done and there is no turning back,” he responded recently when questioned about the contract. “Nobody should ask us to lick up what we spat [out].” In defiance of Washington’s thinly veiled threat of sanctions, Erdogan further pointed out that his country may even seek to procure Russia’s next generation S-500 system.\n\nThe main concern of American policymakers is that Turkey’s operation of F-35 aircraft in range of the S-400s will compromise the advanced technology with which Nato’s frontline fighter is equipped. The Russian missile-defense system has a highly advanced radar capable of collecting electronic intelligence. Washington believes the S-400 system can covertly obtain critical information, such as the F-35’s detection range, and relay the data to Moscow. The Turkish response to American concerns is that Russian technicians will not be allowed to service the S-400s, and that the Russian system will not be plugged to Nato networks. Turkish security officials have also apparently assured their American counterparts that they will redesign the missile-defense system’s operating protocol to prevent any Russian intelligence gathering.\n\nNone of these assurances are convincing to Washington. The Pentagon remains highly concerned that sensitive information will eventually end up in Russian hands, no matter what measures Turkish authorities take. Nato’s supreme allied commander, Gen Curtis Scaparrotti, recently warned the US Senate Armed Services Committee about Turkey taking delivery of the S-400 in very blunt terms: “My best military advice would be that we don’t follow through with the F-35, because an ally that is working with Russian systems, particularly air-defense systems, is a problem for our most advanced technological capabilities.”\n\nIf Turkey insists on the Russian missile defense, the blocked transfer of F-35 jets will only be the first phase of Washington’s retaliation. More significant for the future of the military relations will be the imposition of sanctions that will undermine the entirety of US-Turkish defense cooperation. In other words, a myriad of Turkish projects that depend on US equipment and cooperation will be impacted with the sanctioning, under CAATSA, of several Turkish aerospace firms.\n\nThis looming crisis has paradigm-shifting potential because it clearly shows that the Turkish and American militaries no longer see each other as partners. Beyond defense procurement, the Turkish decision to buy Russian missile defense is symptomatic of a much larger geostrategic predicament: Washington and Ankara no longer share the same strategic interests and threat perceptions.\n\nIn the eyes of Ankara, Washington has partnered with Kurdish terrorists in Syria. And for Washington, Ankara is in bed with jihadist groups in the same country. Syria has turned into a nightmare for Turkish-American relations.\n\nWhat’s more, both are actively engaged in working against each other. It is one thing to see things differently, but partnering with each other’s rivals has clearly created a radical mental shift in the way the two militaries contemplate each other.\n\nFor the United States, there is no bigger threat to the stability of Europe and the future of Nato than Russia. Ankara certainly knows this. But for Turkey’s strongman leader, there is no more ominous a threat to his regime’s survival than Fethullah Gulen – the religious leader Erdogan blames for instigating a failed coup against him – and Kurdish nationalism. Given Gulen’s continued presence in the United States and US support for Syrian Kurds, it is an open secret that Ankara now views Washington as an enemy.\n\nWithin this toxic environment, the US and Turkey are walking ever closer to the precipice. The S-400 deal and the cancelation of the F-35s could very well push them over. Instead of parsing the future of the Turkish-American strategic partnership, we may very soon be writing an obituary for their military relations.", "Four Russian bombers and two fighter jets were intercepted near the coast of Alaska on Monday by North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), the organization said in a statement. The Russian planes were entering the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone when they were intercepted, but they remained in international airspace — never entering American or Canadian airspace, according to NORAD.\n\n\"Two of the Russian bombers were intercepted by two F-22s, and a second group of bombers with Su-35 fighters was intercepted later by two additional F-22s,\" NORAD said.\n\nIt said an E-3 \"provided overall surveillance.\"\n\nThe interceptions come amid tensions between Russia and the U.S. As CBS News' Emily Tillett reported last week, a press conference by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and his Russian counterpart, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, revealed a number of areas where the two nations could not reach a consensus following discussions.\n\nLast September, two Alaska-based U.S. fighter jets intercepted two Russian bombers over the Arctic Ocean and last May, a pair of Russian bombers were intercepted near the western coast of Alaska.", "WASHINGTON: US fighters intercepted six Russian military aircraft in international airspace west of Alaska, and shadowed them until they exited the area, the North American Air Defence Command said on Tuesday (May 21).\n\nThe Russian aircraft included two Tu-95 strategic bombers, which were intercepted on Monday by two F-22 fighters, the command said.\n\nA second group of two Tu-95 bombers and two Su-35 fighters were also intercepted by a pair of F-22 fighters, it said.\n\nAn AWACS surveillance plane monitored the operations, NORAD said, adding that the Russian aircraft were in international airspace throughout.\n\nThey were picked up as they entered the Alaska Air Defence Identification Zone, a perimeter line that lies outside national airspace but within which air traffic is kept under constant surveillance to reduce response times in case of a hostile threat.\n\n\"Our ability to deter and defeat threats to our citizens and vital infrastructure starts with detecting, tracking, and positively identifying aircraft in our airspace,\" NORAD's commander, General Terrence O'Shaughnessy, said.\n\n\"We are on alert 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year,\" he said.\n\nThe United States has four Air Defence Identification Zones. The Alaska zone extends about 320 kilometres from the state's coast."], "summary": "U.S. F-22 stealth jets intercept four Russian Tupolev Tu-95 strategic bombers and two Russian Su-35 jets entering the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone off the coast of Alaska. The Russian jets and bombers did not enter the U.S. nor Canadian airspace according to the North American Aerospace Defense Command."}
{"document": ["STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - The Swedish prosecutor heading an investigation into a rape allegation against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange filed a request with a local court on Monday for him to be detained in absentia.\n\nFILE PHOTO: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange leaves Southwark Crown Court after being sentenced in London, Britain, May 1, 2019. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls/File Photo\n\nIf granted, the court order would be the first step in a process to have Assange extradited from Britain, where he is serving a 50-week sentence for skipping bail.\n\nSweden reopened the rape investigation last week. It was begun in 2010 but dropped in 2017 after Assange took refuge in the Ecuadorean embassy in London.\n\nAssange, who denies the accusation, was arrested in London last month after spending seven years inside the embassy.\n\n“I request the District Court to detain Assange in his absence, on probable cause suspected for rape,” Deputy Chief Prosecutor Eva-Marie Persson said in a statement on Monday.\n\nShe said she would issue a European arrest warrant for Assange to be surrendered to Sweden if the court decided to detain him.\n\nSweden’s decision to reopen the rape investigation casts doubt on where Assange may eventually end up, with U.S. authorities already seeking his extradition over conspiracy charges relating to one of the biggest ever leaks of classified information.\n\nA lawyer representing Assange in Sweden said he would tell the District Court it could not investigate the prosecutor’s request until he had conferred with his client and learned whether or not he wished to oppose a detention order.\n\n“Since he is in prison in England, it has so far not been possible even to speak to him by telephone,” Per Samuelson told Reuters.\n\nAssange, an Australian national, took refuge in the embassy after fighting unsuccessfully through the British courts to avoid extradition to Sweden.\n\nThe British courts will have to rule on the Swedish and U.S. extradition requests, with interior minister Sajid Javid having the final say on which one takes precedence.\n\n“The outcome of this process is impossible to predict,” Persson said. Citing information from UK authorities, she said Assange would serve 25 weeks of his UK sentence before he could be released.\n\nA British judge has given the U.S. government a deadline of June 12 to outline its case against Assange.", "The Swedish prosecutor heading an investigation into a rape allegation against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange on Monday filed a request for his arrest, the Prosecution Authority said.The warrant, if granted, would be the first step in a process to have Assange extradited from Britain, where he is serving a 50-week sentence for skipping Sweden reopened an investigation into the rape allegation, first made in 2010, on May 13.\n\nRegister to advertise your products & services on our classifieds website Digger.co.ke and enjoy one month subscription free of charge and 3 free ads on the Standard newspaper.", "Assange is accused of raping a woman in Sweden in 2010\n\nSwedish authorities have filed a request to detain WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange over a rape allegation.\n\nIf granted, it would be the first step in potentially extraditing him from the UK, where he is serving a 50-week sentence for skipping bail in 2012.\n\nThe case was reopened last week after authorities said there was \"probable cause\" of an offence.\n\n\"I request the district court to detain Assange in his absence, on probable cause suspected for rape,\" deputy chief prosecutor Eva-Marie Persson said in a statement on Monday.\n\nShe said a European arrest warrant would be issued if the court agrees.\n\nThe Australian was accused of rape and sexual assault against two women in 2010.\n\nThe statute of limitations on the assault accusation expired in 2015, while Assange sought protection in the Ecuadorian embassy in London, and the prosecutor dropped the investigation in 2017.\n\nHowever, the rape allegation does not expire until August next year.\n\nThe Associated Press said the detention order states Assange is wanted for \"intentionally having carried out an intercourse\" with a woman \"by unduly exploiting that she was in a helpless state because of sleep\".\n\nIt claims there was \"an aggravating circumstance\" because Assange did not use a condom.\n\nSweden and the US could now be set for a battle over his future.\n\nAssange is wanted in America over allegedly conspiring with Chelsea Manning to hack into a Pentagon computer, leading to the release of hundreds of thousands of government documents - most notoriously relating to the Iraq War.\n\nExperts believe the UK is likely to favour an extradition request from Sweden because the claims there are more serious.\n\nThe 47-year-old was hauled out of the Ecuadorian embassy last month after the country revoked his asylum. He had confined himself to the building since 2012.\n\nPer E Samuelsen, Assange's lawyer, said last week it was \"embarrassing for Sweden to reopen the investigation\".\n\n\"He has always wanted to help solve this Swedish issue, his big predicament in life is that he risks being extradited to the United States because of his journalistic work,\" said Mr Samuelsen.\n\nThe WikiLeaks editor-in-chief said Assange had repeatedly offered to answer questions from Swedish authorities.\n\n\"The widespread media assertion that Assange 'evaded' Swedish questioning is false,\" said Kristinn Hrafnsson.\n\n\"This investigation has been dropped before and its reopening will give Julian a chance to clear his name.\"", "Stockholm: The Swedish prosecutor heading an investigation into a rape allegation against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange filed a request with a local court on Monday for him to be detained in absentia.\n\nIf granted, the court order would be the first step in a process to have Assange extradited from Britain, where he is serving a 50-week sentence for skipping bail.\n\nSweden reopened the rape investigation last week. It was begun in 2010 but dropped in 2017 after Assange took refuge in the Ecuadorean embassy in London.\n\nAssange, who denies the accusation, was arrested in London last month after spending seven years inside the embassy.", "The Swedish prosecutor heading an investigation into a rape allegation against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange filed a request with a local court on Monday for him to be detained in absentia.\n\nIf granted, the court order would be the first step in a process to have Mr Assange extradited from Britain, where he is serving a 50-week sentence for skipping bail.\n\nSweden reopened the rape investigation last week. It was begun in 2010 but dropped in 2017 after Mr Assange took refuge in the Ecuadorean embassy in London.\n\nAssange, who denies the accusation, was arrested in London last month after spending seven years inside the embassy.\n\n“I request the District Court to detain Mr Assange in his absence, on probable cause suspected for rape,” Deputy Chief Prosecutor Eva-Marie Persson said in a statement on Monday.\n\nShe said she would issue a European arrest warrant for Mr Assange to be surrendered to Sweden if the court decided to detain him.\n\nSweden’s decision to reopen the rape investigation casts doubt on where Mr Assange may eventually end up, with US authorities already seeking his extradition over conspiracy charges relating to one of the biggest ever leaks of classified information.\n\nA lawyer representing Mr Assange in Sweden said he would tell the District Court it could not investigate the prosecutor’s request until he had conferred with his client and learned whether or not he wished to oppose a detention order.\n\n“Since he is in prison in England, it has so far not been possible even to speak to him by telephone,” Per Samuelson told Reuters.\n\nMr Assange, an Australian national, took refuge in the embassy after fighting unsuccessfully through the British courts to avoid extradition to Sweden.\n\nThe British courts will have to rule on the Swedish and US extradition requests, with interior minister Sajid Javid having the final say on which one takes precedence.\n\n“The outcome of this process is impossible to predict,” Persson said. Citing information from UK authorities, she said Mr Assange would serve 25 weeks of his UK sentence before he could be released.\n\nA British judge has given the US government a deadline of June 12th to outline its case against Mr Assange.\n\nMeanwhile, supporters of Julian Assange have gathered outside the Ecuadorian embassy in London ahead of the handing over of his belongings to United States prosecutors.\n\nWikiLeaks claimed its founder’s possessions left from his time living inside the embassy, including legal papers and electronic equipment, were to be removed on Monday.\n\nProtesters fixed banners to railings outside the embassy with images of Mr Assange, his mouth covered by an American flag.\n\nThe small group held up posters with the messages “Free Assange” and “#FreeSpeech”.\n\nOne woman shouted towards the building: “You are stealing Assange’s belongings.”\n\nOne supporter, who only wanted to be named as Maxine, said she was at the embassy “to witness and to oppose” the removal of Mr Assange’s belongings.\n\nShe said: “I’m protesting about the seizure of Julian Assange’s belongings, yet another piece of the persecution of Julian.\n\n“And it’s not clear to anybody on what legal basis they are doing this or what’s going to happen next.\n\n“It looks like these belongings are going to go straight back to the US.” – Reuters and PA", "May 20 (UPI) -- A Swedish prosecutor filed a request Monday to arrest WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange for a rape case nearly a decade ago that began his several years of living under asylum.\n\nThe request by Swedish Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions Eva-Marie Persson came a week after she said Sweden is reopening the 2010 rape case. Assange is accused of sexually assaulting a woman while she slept in her home.\n\nPersson said she will issue a European arrest warrant to have Assange extradited to Sweden, where he's serving a 50-week jail sentence for jumping bail in 2012 related to the rape case.\n\nThe documents say the assault includes an \"aggravating circumstance\" because Assange did not use a condom, which was the \"plaintiff's express will and prerequisite for sexual intercourse.\"\n\nThe original investigation was dropped when Assange was granted asylum by the Ecuadorian Embassy in London. Swedish authorities began to restart the case last month after the embassy expelled him and he was arrested by British police.\n\nAssange also faces extradition to the United States over a computer hacking charge. He faces up to five years in prison on charges he conspired with former U.S. Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning to break into Department of Defense computers.\n\nOn May 2, Assange told a British court that he would fight extradition.\n\n\"I don't wish to surrender myself for extradition for doing journalism that has won many, many awards and protected man people,\" he said.", "May 20 (UPI) -- A Swedish prosecutor filed a request to arrest WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange Monday for allegedly raping a woman in her sleep.\n\nThe request by Sweden's deputy director of public prosecutions Eva-Marie Persson comes a week after she held a press conference stating that the prosecution would be reopening a 2010 rape case against the Australian national.\n\nAccording to the court documents, the prosecution alleges that Assange had sex with a woman while she was asleep in her home in August 2010, The Local reported.\n\nThe documents state that it is an \"aggravating circumstance\" as he allegedly did not use a condom, which was the \"plaintiff's express will and prerequisite for sexual intercourse.\"\n\nPersson said in a statement if the arrest warrant is granted, she will then issue a European arrest warrant to have Assange extradited to Sweden from England, where he is serving a 50-week jail sentence for breach of bail in 2012.\n\nThe original investigation into the allegations against Assange was shelved after he found refuge in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, but after Ecuadorian authorities turned him over to British police April 11, Persson said last week that \"the circumstances\" in the case had changed.\n\nThe United States has also filed an extradition warrant for Assange where he faces up to five years in prison on charges he conspired with former Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning to hack Department of Defense computers.\n\nOn May 2, Assange told a British court that he would fight extradition.\n\n\"I don't wish to surrender myself for extradition for doing journalism that has won many, many awards and protected man people,\" he said via video from London's Belmarsh Prison.", "The Swedish state prosecutor investigating rape allegations against Julian Assange filed a request for him to be arrested, the Swedish Prosecution Authority said in a statement.\n\n\"I request the District Court to detain Assange in his absence, on probable cause suspected for rape,\" Swedish state prosecutor Eva-Marie Perrson said. \"If the court decides to detain him, I will issue a European Arrest Warrant concerning surrender to Sweden.\"\n\nSwedish state prosecutor Eva-Marie Perrson announced last week that she planned to reopen an investigation into rape allegations against Assange.\n\nEcuador withdrew Assange's asylum in April which made reopening the investigation possible. Assange is currently serving jail time in the United Kingdom.\n\nAssange is also charged in the United States with conspiracy to commit \"computer intrusion\" by helping former intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning with \"cracking a password\" to access classified documents.\n\n“In the event of a conflict between a European Arrest Warrant and a request for extradition from the US, UK authorities will decide on the order of priority,\" Perrson said.", "Swedish prosecutors have filed a request for Julian Assange to be detained in his absence as part of their rape investigation against him.\n\nIt is the first step in issuing a European Arrest Warrant for the Wikileaks founder to be extradited to Sweden to face the allegation.\n\nAssange, 47, denies the claim and previously avoided extradition to Sweden to face the charge in 2012 by seeking refuge at the Ecuadorean embassy in London.\n\nBut he was dragged out of the embassy last month and is serving a 50-week prison sentence at HMP Belmarsh for violating the conditions of his bail during the previous legal proceedings.\n\nDeputy director of public prosecutions in Sweden, Eva-Marie Persson, this morning said: ‘I request the District Court to detain Assange in his absence, on probable cause suspected for rape (less serious crime).\n\n‘If the court decides to detain him, I will issue a European Arrest Warrant concerning surrender to Sweden.’\n\nShe added: ‘In the event of a conflict between a European Arrest Warrant and a request for extradition from the US, UK authorities will decide on the order of priority.\n\n‘The outcome of this process is impossible to predict.\n\n‘However, in my view the Swedish case can proceed concurrently with the proceedings in the UK.’\n\nAssange visited Sweden in August 2010 and during his visit he became the subject of sexual assault allegations from two women.\n\nThe investigation was suspended in May 2017 as Assange remained in the Ecuadorean embassy. An arrest warrant was also revoked.\n\nLast week, Sweden announced it had reopened the investigation in light of Assange’s recent arrest.\n\nBritain must now decide whether to extradite Assange to Sweden or to the United States, where he is wanted for allegedly hacking into a Pentagon computer.\n\nAccording to Wikileaks, all of Assange’s belongings from his time spent living at the embassy will be handed over to US prosecutors today.\n\nEcuadorian officials are travelling to London to allow US prosecutors to ‘help themselves’ to items including legal papers, medical records and electronic equipment, it was claimed.\n\nWikiLeaks said United Nations officials and Assange’s lawyers were not being allowed to be present and called it an illegal seizure of property, which has been requested by the US authorities.\n\nThe material is said to include two of Assange’s manuscripts.\n\nKristinn Hrafnsson, editor in chief of WikiLeaks. said: ‘On Monday Ecuador will perform a puppet show at the Embassy of Ecuador in London for their masters in Washington, just in time to expand their extradition case before the UK deadline on June 14.\n\n‘The Trump administration is inducing its allies to behave like it’s the Wild West.’\n\nBaltasar Garzon, international legal coordinator for the defence of Assange and WikiLeaks, said: ‘It is extremely worrying that Ecuador has proceeded with the search and seizure of property, documents, information and other material belonging to the defence of Julian Assange, which Ecuador arbitrarily confiscated, so that these can be handed over to the the agent of political persecution against him, the United States.\n\n‘It is an unprecedented attack on the rights of the defence, freedom of expression and access to information exposing massive human rights abuses and corruption. We call on international protection institutions to intervene to put a stop to this persecution.’", "Swedish prosecutors have submitted an application for a detention order against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange.\n\nDeputy director of public prosecution Eva-Marie Persson asked Uppsala District Court to detain Assange in his absence.\n\nHe is serving a 50-week sentence in Belmarsh Prison in London for bail violations.\n\nAssange was dragged out of the Ecuadorian embassy last month after living there for almost seven years.\n\nSwedish prosecutors are reopening an investigation into a rape allegation against Assange, which he denies.\n\n“I request the District Court to detain Assange in his absence, on probable cause suspected for rape.\n\n“If the court decides to detain him, I will issue a European Arrest Warrant concerning surrender to Sweden”, said Ms Persson\n\nAssange is also facing extradition proceedings by the United States.\n\nMs Persson added: “In the event of a conflict between a European Arrest Warrant and a request for extradition from the US, UK authorities will decide on the order of priority.\n\n“The outcome of this process is impossible to predict. However, in my view the Swedish case can proceed concurrently with the proceedings in the UK.”\n\nWikiLeaks said Assange’s property from his time living in the embassy, including electronic equipment and legal documents, is being removed on Monday and “handed over” to the US.\n\nWikiLeaks said United Nations officials and Assange’s lawyers were not being allowed to be present.\n\nLawyers said it was an illegal seizure of property, which has been requested by the US authorities.\n\nThe material is said to include two of Assange’s manuscripts."], "summary": "The Swedish prosecutor files an arrest warrant against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange over a rape allegation. Assange is serving a 50-week prison sentence in the United Kingdom for skipping bail."}
{"document": ["FILE PHOTO: A bull elk with velvet still on it's antlers grazes near Madison in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, June 19, 2011. REUTERS/Jim Urquhart/File Photo\n\nWASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Supreme Court on Monday ruled in favor of a Native American elk hunter, citing an 1868 treaty between his tribe and the U.S. government as it revived his legal challenge to a conviction for hunting out of season in Bighorn National Forest in Wyoming.\n\nIn a 5-4 ruling, the high court sided with Crow Tribe member Clayvin Herrera. It found that the treaty, which gave tribe members hunting rights on “unoccupied” lands, is still in force even though it was signed before Wyoming became a U.S. state in 1890.\n\nConservative Justice Neil Gorsuch, who has a record of backing tribal rights, sided with the court’s four liberals, with the other four conservative justices in dissent. The same lineup voted in favor of tribal rights in a previous case this term, ruling that members of the Yakima Nation did not have to pay taxes for importing fuel into Washington state.\n\nMonday’s ruling does not immediately void Herrera’s conviction because the state can still argue that the Bighorn National Forest location where he and others hunted bull elk in 2014 is not “unoccupied,” meaning he would not have been able to legally hunt there.\n\nJustice Sonia Sotomayor, writing for the court, said treaty rights do not automatically disappear when a territory becomes a state. Sotomayor cited historical evidence that the Crow Tribe made a high priority of hunting rights during its treaty negotiations with the government.\n\n“Yet despite the apparent importance of the hunting right to the negotiations, Wyoming points to no evidence that federal negotiators ever proposed that the right would end at statehood,” Sotomayor wrote. “This silence is especially telling.”\n\nHerrera, who is from Montana, was charged with hunting elk off-season or without a state hunting license. He was convicted and received a suspended prison sentence, a fine and a three-year hunting ban. An intermediate Wyoming appeals court upheld the conviction in 2017 and the state’s Supreme Court left that ruling in place.\n\n“We are gratified that the Supreme Court held that the treaty hunting right guaranteed to the Crow Tribe and Mr. Herrera was not abrogated by Wyoming’s admission to the union or the creation of the Bighorn National Forest,” Herrera’s lawyer, George Hicks, said in a statement.\n\nIt marked the court’s second ruling in favor of a hunter in the past two months. The court ruled in March that the federal government could not prevent an Alaskan man from riding his hovercraft on a river through territory overseen by the National Park Service to reach remote moose-hunting grounds in the northernmost U.S. state.", "This term's merits cases Air and Liquid Systems Corp. v. DeVries Apple Inc. v. Pepper Azar v. Allina Health Services Barr v. East Bay Sanctuary Covenant Biestek v. Berryhill BNSF Railway Company v. Loos Box v. Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky Inc. Bucklew v. Precythe City of Escondido, California v. Emmons Cochise Consultancy Inc. v. United States, ex rel. Hunt Culbertson v. Berryhill Dawson v. Steager Department of Commerce v. New York Emulex Corp. v. Varjabedian Flowers v. Mississippi Food Marketing Institute v. Argus Leader Media Fort Bend County, Texas v. Davis Fourth Estate Public Benefit Corp. v. Wall-Street.com Franchise Tax Board of California v. Hyatt Frank v. Gaos Gamble v. United States Garza v. Idaho Gundy v. United States Helsinn Healthcare S.A. v. Teva Pharmaceuticals USA Inc. Henry Schein Inc. v. Archer and White Sales Inc. Herrera v. Wyoming Home Depot U.S.A. Inc. v. Jackson Iancu v. Brunetti Jam v. International Finance Corp. Kisor v. Wilkie Knick v. Township of Scott, Pennsylvania Lamone v. Benisek Lamps Plus Inc. v. Varela Lorenzo v. Securities and Exchange Commission Madison v. Alabama Manhattan Community Access Corp. v. Halleck Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission v. American Humanist Association McDonough v. Smith Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp. v. Albrecht Mission Product Holdings Inc. v. Tempnology, LLC Mitchell v. Wisconsin Mont v. United States Moore v. Texas Mount Lemmon Fire District v. Guido New Prime Inc. v. Oliveira Nielsen v. Preap Nieves v. Bartlett North Carolina Department of Revenue v. The Kimberley Rice Kaestner 1992 Family Trust Nutraceutical Corp. v. Lambert Obduskey v. McCarthy & Holthus LLP Parker Drilling Management Services, Ltd. v. Newton PDR Network, LLC v. Carlton & Harris Chiropractic Inc. Quarles v. United States Rehaif v. United States Republic of Sudan v. Harrison Return Mail Inc. v. United States Postal Service Rimini Street Inc. v. Oracle USA Inc. Rucho v. Common Cause Sharp v. Murphy Shoop v. Hill Smith v. Berryhill Stokeling v. United States Sturgeon v. Frost Taggart v. Lorenzen Tennessee Wine & Spirits Retailers Association v. Thomas Thacker v. Tennessee Valley Authority The American Legion v. American Humanist Association The Dutra Group v. Batterton Timbs v. Indiana United States v. Davis United States v. Haymond United States v. Sims United States v. Stitt Virginia House of Delegates v. Bethune-Hill Virginia Uranium, Inc. v. Warren Washington State Department of Licensing v. Cougar Den Inc. Weyerhaeuser Company v. United States Fish and Wildlife Service Yovino v. Rizo Next term's merits cases Allen v. Cooper Altitude Express Inc. v. Zarda Atlantic Richfield Co. v. Christian Aurelius Investment, LLC v. Puerto Rico Babb v. Wilkie Banister v. Davis Barton v. Barr Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia CITGO Asphalt Refining Co. v. Frescati Shipping Co., Ltd. Comcast Corp. v. National Association of African American-Owned Media County of Maui, Hawaii v. Hawaii Wildlife Fund Department of Homeland Security v. Regents of the University of California Dex Media Inc. v. Click-To-Call Technologies, LP Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico v. Aurelius Investment, LLC GE Energy Power Conversion France SAS v. Outokumpu Stainless USA LLC Georgia v. Public.Resource.Org Inc. Guerrero-Lasprilla v. Barr Hernandez v. Mesa Holguin-Hernandez v. United States Intel Corp. Investment Policy Committee v. Sulyma Kahler v. Kansas Kansas v. Garcia Kansas v. Glover Kelly v. United States Land of Lincoln Mutual Health Insurance Co. v. United States Lucky Brand Dungarees Inc. v. Marcel Fashion Group Inc. Maine Community Health Options v. United States Mathena v. Malvo McAleenan v. Vidal McKinney v. Arizona Moda Health Plan Inc. v. United States Monasky v. Taglieri New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc. v. City of New York, New York Official Committee of Debtors v. Aurelius Investment, LLC Opati v. Republic of Sudan Ovalles v. Barr Peter v. NantKwest Inc. R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes Inc. v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Ramos v. Louisiana Retirement Plans Committee of IBM v. Jander Ritzen Group Inc. v. Jackson Masonry, LLC Rodriguez v. Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Romag Fasteners Inc. v. Fossil Inc. Rotkiske v. Klemm Shular v. United States Thole v. U.S. Bank, N.A. Trump v. NAACP United States v. Aurelius Investment, LLC UTIER v. Financial Oversight and Management Board for Puerto Rico\n\nArchives Month Sept 2019 Aug 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 Apr 2019 Mar 2019 Feb 2019 Jan 2019 Dec 2018 Nov 2018 Oct 2018 Sept 2018 Aug 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 Apr 2018 Mar 2018 Feb 2018 Jan 2018 Dec 2017 Nov 2017 Oct 2017 Sept 2017 Aug 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 Apr 2017 Mar 2017 Feb 2017 Jan 2017 Dec 2016 Nov 2016 Oct 2016 Sept 2016 Aug 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 Apr 2016 Mar 2016 Feb 2016 Jan 2016 Dec 2015 Nov 2015 Oct 2015 Sept 2015 Aug 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 Apr 2015 Mar 2015 Feb 2015 Jan 2015 Dec 2014 Nov 2014 Oct 2014 Sept 2014 Aug 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 Apr 2014 Mar 2014 Feb 2014 Jan 2014 Dec 2013 Nov 2013 Oct 2013 Sept 2013 Aug 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 Apr 2013 Mar 2013 Feb 2013 Jan 2013 Dec 2012 Nov 2012 Oct 2012 Sept 2012 Aug 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 Apr 2012 Mar 2012 Feb 2012 Jan 2012 Dec 2011 Nov 2011 Oct 2011 Sept 2011 Aug 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 Apr 2011 Mar 2011 Feb 2011 Jan 2011 Dec 2010 Nov 2010 Oct 2010 Sept 2010 Aug 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 Apr 2010 Mar 2010 Feb 2010 Jan 2010 Dec 2009 Nov 2009 Oct 2009 Sept 2009 Aug 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 Apr 2009 Mar 2009 Feb 2009 Jan 2009 Dec 2008 Nov 2008 Oct 2008 Sept 2008 Aug 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 Apr 2008 Mar 2008 Feb 2008 Jan 2008 Dec 2007 Nov 2007 Oct 2007 Sept 2007 Aug 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 Apr 2007 Mar 2007 Feb 2007 Jan 2007 Dec 2006 Nov 2006 Oct 2006 Sept 2006 Aug 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 Apr 2006 Mar 2006 Feb 2006 Jan 2006 Dec 2005 Nov 2005 Oct 2005 Sept 2005 Aug 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 Apr 2005 Mar 2005 Feb 2005 Category Featured Round-up Special Features Merits Cases Cases in the Pipeline What’s Happening Now Emergency appeals and applications Academic Round-up Breaking News Book Reviews Capital Cases Cases and Controversies Corrections Editor’s Notes Empirical SCOTUS Event Announcements Live Plain English / Cases Made Simple SCOTUStalk SCOTUS for law students Supreme Court history This Week at the Court Everything Else or", "DNY59/iStock(WASHINGTON) — A Native American hunter from Montana won his case at the Supreme Court on Monday, solidifying treaty rights for the Crow Tribe and overturning a state fine for poaching.\n\nIn a 5-4 decision, the court sided with Clayvin Herrera in his appeal of an $8000 fine from Wyoming in 2014 for hunting elk off-season, without a license in the state’s Bighorn National Forest.\n\nThe decision clarifies court precedent that historical treaty rights between the U.S. government and Native American tribes did not implicitly end when a territory became a state.\n\nHerrera argued that an 1868 treaty between his tribe and the federal government explicitly protected a right to hunt on “unoccupied lands” at any time. Wyoming claimed that the right disappeared when the state entered the union, and when the federal forest land was designated, making it “occupied.”\n\n“We disagree,” Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote of Wyoming’s argument in the majority opinion. “The Crow Tribe’s hunting right survived Wyoming’s statehood, and the lands within Bighorn National Forest did not become categorically ‘occupied’ when set aside as a national reserve.”\n\nSotomayor, who was joined on the opinion by Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, Elena Kagan and Neil Gorsuch, invoked the court’s precedent that “Congress must clearly express any intent to abrogate Indian treaty rights.”\n\n“First, the Wyoming Statehood Act does not show that Congress intended to end the 1868 Treaty hunting right,” Sotomayor writes. “Nor is there any evidence in the treaty itself that Congress intended the hunting right to expire at statehood, or that the Crow Tribe would have understood it to do so.”\n\nAs for whether a national forest constitutes “occupied” land, the majority wrote that the reserve could not be categorically considered such. But they left open the door for Wyoming to argue in lower court that a narrowly defined area in which Herrera was hunting was in fact occupied.\n\nIn a dissent, Justices Samuel Alito, John Roberts, Clarence Thomas and Brett Kavanaugh called the majority’s reasoning “plainly contrary” to two Supreme Court precedents: an 1896 case which suggested that some Indian treaty rights extinguished with statehood, and a 1995 case which said Crow hunting rights had lapsed.\n\n“This interpretation of the treaty is debatable,” Alito wrote of the majority decision. “Even if the court’s interpretation of the treaty is correct, its decision will have no effect if the members of the Crow Tribe are bound under the… holding that the hunting right conferred by that treaty is no longer in force.”\n\nThe majority concluded that a 1999 Native American treaty-rights case “repudiated” and “undercut” the reasoning in the earlier decisions from 1896 and 1995.", "The US Supreme Court ruled in favor of a Native American man on Monday in a case involving hunting rights for the Crow Tribe.\n\nThe nation's highest court, in a 5-4 decision, found that hunting rights extended to the tribe in an 1868 treaty did not expire after Wyoming became a state.\n\nThe case stemmed from the prosecution of Clayvin Herrera, a member of the Crow tribe, for off-season hunting and hunting without a license in the Bighorn National Forest in Wyoming.\n\nDuring a January 2014 hunt, Herrera and several tribe members shot an elk in the forest in Wyoming, across the border from the Crow reservation in the neighboring state of Montana.\n\nProsecutors had argued -- and Wyoming courts had agreed -- that the tribe's Wyoming hunting rights expired with statehood in 1890.\n\nHerrera's lawyers argued that the 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie gave members of the tribe the right to hunt in both Montana and Wyoming.\n\nThe Supreme Court agreed, with conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch providing the decisive vote by joining the four liberal members of the court.\n\nGorsuch is the only member of the top court from the western United States and has been sympathetic to Native American rights in the past.\n\n\"The Crow Tribe's hunting right survived Wyoming's statehood, and the lands within Bighorn National Forest did not become categorically 'occupied' when set aside as a national reserve,\" the court said.\n\nThe American Civil Liberties Union of Montana welcomed the decision.\n\n\"This ruling is a huge win for Clayvin Herrera, the Crow Tribe, and tribes across the country that entered into treaties with the federal government,\" the ACLU's Lillian Alvernaz said in a statement.\n\n\"On a practical level, this means that members of the Crow Tribe can continue to hunt on unoccupied lands like the Bighorn National Forest to provide sustenance for their families and children.\n\n\"This is especially important for the well-being and health of the Tribe because access to healthy food on the reservation is limited,\" Alvernaz said.\n\n\"More broadly, through this decision, the Supreme Court held the federal government accountable to its treaty obligations and affirmed tribal sovereignty.\"", "The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of Native American rights in a 5-4 decision in a case out of Wyoming. Justice Gorsuch provided the decisive vote in this case, showing himself again, as a Coloradan, to be sensitive to Native American rights.\n\nThe court held that hunting rights for the Crow tribe under a 19th Century treaty did not expire when Wyoming became a state. This case centered on a member of the tribe, Clayvin Herrera, who faced charges for off-season hunting in Bighorn National Forest in Wyoming.\n\nThere isn't \"any evidence in the treaty itself that Congress intended the hunting right to expire at statehood, or that the Crow Tribe would have understood it to do so,\" Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote for the majority.\n\nGorsuch also provided the fifth vote in another American Indian treaty case dealing with the \"Yakama Tribe and its right under an 1855 treaty to travel the public roads without being taxed on the goods brought to the reservation,\" as NPR's Nina Totenberg wrote in March.\n\nMore context: \"For those familiar with Gorsuch's record, his vote was not a surprise. He is, after all, the only westerner on the Supreme Court; indeed, prior to his 2017 appointment to the court, he served for 11 years on the federal court of appeals based in Denver — a court that covers six states and encompasses 76 recognized Indian tribes.\"\n\nThere is another major decision coming from the court out of Oklahoma dealing with Native American rights — Carpenter v. Murphy — but Gorsuch is recused from that case, meaning it could result in a deadlock.", "WASHINGTON -- The Supreme Court on Monday sided with a member of the Crow tribe who was fined for hunting elk in Wyoming's Bighorn National Forest, giving him a good chance to get a more than $8,000 fine against him overturned.\n\nThe 5-4 decision from the justices is a win for Clayvin Herrera and his tribe, which had argued they had hunting rights in the forest.\n\nHerrera's case began in 2014 when he went hunting with family. The group began on the Crow tribe's reservation in southern Montana but crossed into the neighboring Bighorn National Forest in Wyoming, where they killed several elk.\n\nSoon after, a game warden saw photos Herrera posted on a bragging website for hunters, including one of him crouched in the snow behind an elk he shot and another with its antlers balanced on his shoulders. The game warden ultimately identified the area where the photos were taken in the Bighorn National Forest, and Herrera was cited for killing an elk there during the winter, when it is prohibited.\n\nBut Herrera, backed by the federal government, argued that when his tribe gave up land in present-day Montana and Wyoming under an 1868 treaty, the tribe retained the right to hunt on the land, including land that became Wyoming's Bighorn National Forest.\n\nThe state of Wyoming had argued that the Crow tribe's hunting rights ceased to exist after Wyoming became a state in 1890 or after Bighorn National Forest was established in 1897. But the Supreme Court disagreed, with Justice Neil Gorsuch joining his four liberal colleagues -- justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan -- in ruling for Herrera.\n\nThe court's four other justices said they would have ruled that a prior case settled that Crow tribe members like Herrera don't have an unrestricted right to hunt and fish in the Bighorn National Forest and are subject to the game laws of Wyoming.\n\nThe ruling does not immediately resolve the issue of Herrera's fine. The Supreme Court said in sending the case back to lower courts that the state can argue that it can regulate hunting by Crow tribe members if it is necessary for wildlife conservation. The state can also try to argue that the tribe's treaty rights didn't extend to the specific area of Bighorn National Forest where he was hunting. But Herrera's lawyers have argued that the location where he was hunting was covered by the treaty and have said data shows that elk are overpopulated in the state.\n\nThe state can pursue the case or drop it. In a statement, Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon noted that there are outstanding issues in the case which Wyoming courts will resolve. He said his administration will \"stand up for a system that preserves the decades of conservation work that has built a strong wildlife population in the Bighorns\" and \"work to find solutions for all those who hunt.\"\n\nGeorge Hicks, an attorney for Herrera, said in a statement that his lawyers are gratified by the court's ruling.\n\nInformation for this article was contributed by Mead Gruver of The Associated Press.", "The Supreme Court is siding with a member of the Crow tribe who was fined for hunting elk in Wyoming's Bighorn National Forest.\n\nThe Supreme Court on Monday sided with Clayvin Herrera. He argued that when his tribe gave up land in present-day Montana and Wyoming to the federal government in 1868, the tribe retained the right to hunt on the land.\n\nThe justices rejected Wyoming's argument that the Crow tribe's hunting rights ceased to exist after Wyoming became a state in 1890 or after Bighorn National Forest was established in 1897.\n\nHerrera wound up with a fine of more than $8,000 after he posted photos online of his kill.", "The US Supreme Court has ruled 5-4 in favor of Clayvin Herrera, a member of the Crow tribe, who shot elk in the Bighorn National Forest in the state of Wyoming in January 2014.\n\n\"The Crow tribe's hunting right survived Wyoming's statehood, and the lands within Bighorn National Forest did not become categorically 'occupied' when set aside as a national reserve,\" the court in Washington ruled on Monday.\n\nHerrera had been prosecuted by courts in Wyoming for off-season hunting, and hunting without a license. He was fined $8,000 (€7,100).\n\nProsecutors had argued that the rights of the Crow tribe to hunt in Wyoming expired when the area became a state in 1890.\n\nBut Herrera's lawyers said that the 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie gave members of the tribe the right to hunt in both Montana and Wyoming, including on the land which became Wyoming's Bighorn National Forest.\n\nThe four liberal members of the Supreme Court were joined by conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch on Monday as they ruled in Herrera's favor.\n\nThe American Civil Liberties Union of Montana (ACLU) said the decision was important not just for tribes in Wyoming and Montana: \"This ruling is a huge win for Clayvin Herrera, the Crow Tribe, and tribes across the country that entered into treaties with the federal government,\" the ACLU's Lillian Alvernaz said in a statement.\n\n\"On a practical level, this means that members of the Crow Tribe can continue to hunt on unoccupied lands like the Bighorn National Forest to provide sustenance for their families and children,\" Alvernaz said. \"More broadly, through this decision, the Supreme Court held the federal government accountable to its treaty obligations and affirmed tribal sovereignty.\"\n\nThe question of the fine imposed remains moot. The court sent that case back to the lower courts allowing the court to argue it could regulate hunting by Crow tribe members, if it was necessary for wildlife conservation.\n\nIt was not immediately clear if Wyoming would pursue the case.\n\nEvery evening, DW sends out a selection of the day's news and features. Sign up here.", "The US Supreme Court sided with a Native American elk hunter on Monday — ruling in favor of tribal rights and the legal hunting of animals on “unoccupied” land.\n\nThe high court cited an 1868 treaty between Crow Tribe members and the US government, which allowed tribe members to hunt in areas where people aren’t living. They ruled 5-4 in favor of the elk hunter, Clayvin Herrera.\n\nDescribed as a Crow Tribe member from Wyoming, Herrera was busted hunting bull elk out of season in the Bighorn National Forest in 2014. He was later convicted of hunting without a state license, fined, and banned from hunting for three years.\n\nThe conviction was upheld in 2017 by an intermediate Wyoming appeals court and left in place by the state’s supreme court.\n\nThe treaty that was cited in Monday’s decision was actually signed before Wyoming became a US state in 1890, but that didn’t stop conservative Justice Neil Gorsuch from siding with the high court’s four liberals. It’s the second ruling to be made in favor of tribal rights in the past two months.\n\n“We are gratified that the Supreme Court held that the treaty hunting right guaranteed to the Crow Tribe,” said Herrera’s lawyer, George Hicks, “and Mr. Herrera was not abrogated by Wyoming’s admission to the union or the creation of the Bighorn National Forest.”\n\nWhile the decision is a big win for Herrera, his conviction will not be immediately voided.\n\nThe state of Wyoming could still come forward with evidence and claim that the land where Herrera hunted is not “unoccupied,” but it has previously failed to do so. The Supreme Court argued in its ruling that treaty rights don’t just go away once a territory becomes a state.\n\n“Despite the apparent importance of the hunting right to the negotiations, Wyoming points to no evidence that federal negotiators ever proposed that the right would end at statehood,” wrote Justice Sonia Sotomayor. “This silence is especially telling.”", "One of President Trump’s nominees sided Monday with the liberal wing of the Supreme Court for the second time in two weeks, as Justice Neil Gorsuch joined a narrow majority in support of a Native American man convicted for hunting in a national forest.\n\nThe case, Herrera v. Wyoming, deals with a treaty from 1868 which allowed members of the tribe to hunt in “unoccupied lands” in the U.S. in exchange for their land, which went on to become part of Wyoming and Montana. At issue was whether the hunting rights in the treaty are still in effect or were nullified when Wyoming became a state in 1890.\n\nKAVANAUGH SIDES WITH LIBERAL JUSTICES AGAINST APPLE, DEALS BLOW TO TECH GIANT IN APP STORE CHALLENGE\n\nThe opinion by Justice Sonia Sotomayor – and joined by Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Elena Kagan, Stephen Breyer, and Gorsuch – ruled that the treaty indeed still applies, and that Crow member Clayvin Herrera was improperly convicted of off-season hunting in Bighorn National Forest in 2014.\n\nThe court’s 5-4 ruling, which vacated the decision from the state appellate court, is based on the 1999 decision in Minnesota v. Mille Lacs Band of Chippewa Indians. In that case, the Supreme Court said that a territory gaining statehood is not enough “to extinguish Indian treaty rights to hunt, fish, and gather on land within state boundaries.” The court went further in that case, stating that Congress “must clearly express” an intention to end a treaty with a Native American tribe in order for the treaty’s rights to expire.\n\nBy siding with the traditionally liberal justices, Gorsuch gave them a 5-4 majority in the case.\n\nThe opinion came exactly one week after Trump’s other nominee, Justice Brett Kavanaugh, sided with liberals in a 5-4 decision that he wrote, ruling that Apple could be sued by iPhone owners over high prices in their App Store.\n\nSotomayor, in the latest opinion, also addressed the argument that the land on which Hererra was hunting became “occupied” under the treaty when it became a national forest in 1897. The court’s decision said that while it is possible that certain areas of the forest could be considered occupied, the forest as a whole is not occupied by default simply because it is a national forest.\n\nHererra’s attorney, George W. Hicks, celebrated his client’s victory. “We are gratified that the Supreme Court held that the treaty hunting right guaranteed to the Crow Tribe and Mr. Herrera was not abrogated by Wyoming’s admission to the Union or the creation of the Bighorn National Forest,” he said in a statement to Fox News.\n\nGorsuch’s conservative colleagues, led by Justice Samuel Alito, argued in a dissenting opinion that the majority has it all wrong. Alito, like the lower court’s decision, relied on an 1896 case involving a similarly worded treaty between Wyoming and the Shoshonee and Bannack tribes, which also was from 1868. That case, Ward v. Race Horse, said that when Wyoming became a state, it ended the treaty. This ruling was based on the idea that states have the authority “to regulate the killing of game within their borders.”\n\nAdditionally, the conservative dissent said that a 1995 10th Circuit opinion in Crow Tribe of Indians v. Repsis dealt with the exact issue in Hererra’s case, relying on the precedent in Race Horse to say that the Crow Tribe’s hunting rights under their treaty expired when Wyoming became a state. Because the issue was already decided in that case, the dissent said, it was improper for it to be heard again here.\n\nThe majority opinion addressed the Race Horse and Repsis cases, stating that the more recent 1999 Mille Lacs case renders them obsolete. Sotomayor also wrote that it did not matter that the same treaty had been addressed in the past, because the Mille Lacs case represented a \"change in [the] applicable legal context.\" The conservatives disagreed."], "summary": "The U.S. Supreme Court in Herrera v. Wyoming rules in favor of a Native American elk hunter from Montana who was convicted for hunting off-season in Bighorn National Forest, deciding that the 1868 federal treaty between the Crow Nation and the U.S. Government is still in force even after Wyoming became a state in 1890. The treaty gave tribe members hunting rights on \"unoccupied\" lands."}
{"document": ["A federal judge ruled against President Donald Trump on Monday in a financial records dispute with Congress and said lawmakers should get the documents they have subpoenaed. Trump called it a \"crazy\" decision that his lawyers would appeal.The ruling by U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta comes amid a widespread effort by the White House and Trump's attorneys to refuse to cooperate with congressional requests for information and records. Earlier Monday, Trump directed former White House counsel Don McGahn to defy a congressional subpoena that had compelled McGahn, a pivotal figure in special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation, to testify before the House Judiciary Committee on Tuesday.In ruling that Trump cannot block the financial records subpoena, Mehta said the Democratic-led House Oversight and Reform Committee had \"valid legislative purposes\" for its request and that it was not for him \"to question whether the Committee's actions are truly motivated by political considerations.\" The committee has said the records will help it consider whether to strengthen ethics and disclosure laws, among other things, said Mehta, who was nominated to the bench by President Barack Obama.Trump pointed to his Democratic predecessor when he told reporters before leaving the White House for a Monday night rally in Pennsylvania that \"we think it's totally the wrong decision by, obviously, an Obama-appointed judge.\"To the committee chairman, Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., the judge's decision was a \"resounding victory for the rule of law and our constitutional system of checks and balances.\"Trump's lawyers, in cases from Washington and New York challenging the Democrats' demands, argued that congressional investigations are legitimate only if there is legislation that might result from them. \"There is no possible legislation at the end of this tunnel,\" his legal team said.The White House made the same argument Friday when Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said he would not comply with a congressional subpoena for six years of Trump's tax returns.In the New York case, Trump, his business and family want to prevent Deutsche Bank and Capital One from complying with House subpoenas for banking and financial records. A Wednesday court hearing is planned.In the Washington case, Trump and his business organization are trying to block the subpoena issued in April to Mazars USA, which has provided accounting services to Trump.Even before the ruling, legal scholars had said Trump's argument had little merit and that Congress has broad powers to investigate.Mehta said in his 41-page opinion that there are limits on Congress's authority to investigate, but those limits \"do not substantially constrain Congress.\" He said that as long as \"Congress investigates on a subject matter on which 'legislation could be had,'\" it is following the Constitution.Mehta said that was true in this case, pointing to the committee's memo outlining four areas of investigation, each of which he said Congress could legislate on.The judge cited the Watergate investigation involving President Richard Nixon and the Whitewater investigation involving President Bill Clinton. He said Congress \"plainly views itself as having sweeping authority to investigate illegal conduct of a President, before and after taking office.\"\"This court is not prepared to roll back the tide of history,\" he said.", "The House Oversight and Reform Committee is one step closer to obtaining President Donald Trump’s financial records—but the end might still be just out of sight.\n\nU.S. District Judge Amit Mehta upheld the Committee’s subpoena on Monday, arguing that it has the authority to examine Trump’s records.\n\nBut what happens next?\n\nBoth sides have agreed to a waiting period for the next seven days. In that period, Mazars, Trump’s accounting firm, cannot release any documents.\n\nThe first step for Trump’s legal team is to appeal the ruling within that time frame. Trump attorney Jay Sekulow said that they “will be filing a timely notice of appeal to the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.”\n\nAn earlier request to issue a stay on the ruling from another Trump attorney, William Consovoy, was denied. Mehta ruled that the the public interest in “maximizing the effectiveness of the investigatory powers of Congress” was greater than possible damages to Trump.\n\nWithout a stay on the ruling, Mazar’s could theoretically comply with any subsequent request from the House Committee to disclose Trump’s financial records before an appeals court intervenes. The appeals court would have to step in first to prevent the firm from complying.\n\nEven if the case were to make it to the appeals court before any records are shared, legal experts widely expect that Trump’s legal reasoning will not hold up in court. If the subpoena is upheld, Trump would be legally obligated to provide these records to Congress, paving the way for deeper investigations into Trump’s finances and the Trump Organization.\n\nMazars did not take a legal position on the case and has said that it “will respect the legal process and fully comply with its legal obligations.”\n\n“We disagree with that ruling, it’s crazy,” he told reporters. “As far as the financials are concerned, it’s totally the wrong decision by obviously an Obama-appointed judge.”\n\n“This has never happened to any other president,” he added, arguing that Democrats were seeking an opportunity to even out the score following the conclusion of Mueller’s investigation. “The Democrats were very upset with the Mueller report, as perhaps they should be,” he said.\n\nMehta’s ruling is the first time a federal court has weighed in on the issue of Congressional subpoena power versus executive privilege. While lengthy litigation on the matter of Trump’s financial records is to be expected, the outcome will have far-reaching implications for similar instances in which the House is seeking other records from Trump and members of his cabinet.\n\nThe House has already flagged the ruling to a judge in New York who is currently considering House subpoenas to Deutsche Bank and Capitol One for other Trump financial records.\n\n—Meet the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates you’ve (probably) never heard of\n\n—How New York could become a factor in the 2020 presidential race", "CHICAGO (CBS/AP/CNN) — President Donald Trump’s lawyers will appeal a federal judge’s ruling that he must comply with a financial records subpoena from Congress, and the next battleground in the fight over those documents will be an appeals court led by Merrick Garland, the federal judge Republicans refused to confirm as President Barack Obama’s nominee to the Supreme Court in 2016.\n\nU.S. District Judge Amit Mehta ruled Monday that Trump cannot block a financial records subpoena, after the White House and Trump’s attorneys had refused to cooperate with congressional requests for his personal, business and charity financial records.\n\nMehta ruled Congress was within its power to subpoena the president’s records, especially if it was investigating possible ethical lapses.\n\n“History has shown that congressionally-exposed criminal conduct by the President or a high-ranking Executive Branch official can lead to legislation,” Mehta wrote.\n\nThe judge said the Democratic-led House Oversight and Reform Committee had “valid legislative purposes” for its request and that it was not for him “to question whether the Committee’s actions are truly motivated by political considerations.” The committee has said the records will help it consider whether to strengthen ethics and disclosure laws, among other things.\n\nMehta’s ruling on the financial records subpoena was a quick and brutal loss for Trump among several efforts he has made in recent weeks to fend off Congress’ pursuit of his financial history.\n\nTrump called it a “crazy” decision, and less than a day later his filed a notice of appeal at the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, where Garland is the chief judge. Garland, a Chicago native, was President Barack Obama’s nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court in 2016, but the Republican-led Senate refused to hold confirmation hearings for him, and instead confirmed Trump’s nomination of Neil Gorsuch in 2017.\n\n“Well we disagree with that ruling, it’s crazy because you look at it – this never happened to any other president, they’re trying to get a redo,” the president told reporters Monday night. “They’re trying to get what we used to call in school a do-over. And if you look, you know we had no collusion, we had no obstruction, we had no nothing. The Democrats were very upset with the Mueller report — as perhaps they should be — but the country is very happy about it because there was never anything like that. And they’re trying to get a redo or a do over and you can’t do that.”\n\nTrump pointed to his Democratic predecessor when he told reporters before leaving the White House for a Monday night rally in Pennsylvania that “we think it’s totally the wrong decision by, obviously, an Obama-appointed judge.”\n\nTo the committee chairman, Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., the judge’s decision was a “resounding victory for the rule of law and our constitutional system of checks and balances.”\n\nTrump’s lawyers, in cases from Washington and New York challenging the Democrats’ demands, argued that congressional investigations are legitimate only if there is legislation that might result from them. “There is no possible legislation at the end of this tunnel,” his legal team said.\n\nThe White House made the same argument Friday when Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said he would not comply with a congressional subpoena for six years of Trump’s tax returns.\n\nIn the New York case, Trump, his business and family want to prevent Deutsche Bank and Capital One from complying with House subpoenas for banking and financial records. A Wednesday court hearing is planned.\n\nIn the Washington case, Trump and his business organization are trying to block the subpoena issued in April to Mazars USA, which has provided accounting services to Trump. The subpoena to Mazars, prompted by Trump personal attorney Michael Cohen’s testimony to Congress about Trump’s financial reporting, asks for the last seven years of records. That includes all annual statements, financial reports, independent audits, memos, notes and communications about Trump, his corporate trust account, the Trump Organization and some of its subsidiaries and the Trump Foundation.\n\nEven before the ruling, legal scholars had said Trump’s argument had little merit and that Congress has broad powers to investigate.\n\nMehta said in his 41-page opinion that there are limits on Congress’s authority to investigate, but those limits “do not substantially constrain Congress.” He said that as long as “Congress investigates on a subject matter on which ‘legislation could be had,'” it is following the Constitution.\n\nMehta said that was true in this case, pointing to the committee’s memo outlining four areas of investigation, each of which he said Congress could legislate on.\n\nThe judge cited the Watergate investigation involving President Richard Nixon and the Whitewater investigation involving President Bill Clinton. He said Congress “plainly views itself as having sweeping authority to investigate illegal conduct of a President, before and after taking office.”\n\n“This court is not prepared to roll back the tide of history,” he said.\n\nCongressional lawyers had called Trump’s legal challenge a delay tactic. Trump’s team could delay the committee further if the appeals court steps in before next Monday. Trump’s team said he is appealing “all aspects” of Mehta’s ruling, including the judge’s decision to combine two stages of the court fight into one, and his refusal to pause the subpoena during appeals.\n\nThe Treasury Department has also vowed to fight a congressional subpoena to the IRS for Trump’s tax returns.\n\nThe fight between Capitol Hill and the White House over subpoenas and testimony is sure to be a long one. On Tuesday, White House counsel Don McGahn failed to show up for a House Judiciary Committee hearing, after the White House and Justice Department claimed he did not have to comply with the subpoena.\n\nSpeaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has called a meeting for Wednesday morning to provide her caucus an update on ongoing oversight efforts and investigations.", "Washington, May 20 (EFE).- A US federal judge on Monday ruled in favor of a request by the House Oversight Committee to secure financial records of President Donald Trump, who had filed suit to block the move.\n\n\n\nJudge Amit Mehta in the District of Columbia ruled that Trump cannot block the request the congressional committee submitted to Mazars USA, the accounting firm used for a decade by the president and his assorted companies.\n\n\n\nTrump’s attorneys asserted in their suit that the request by committee Chairman Elijah Cummings, a Democratic, was “unconstitutional.”\n\n\n\nTrump and the Trump Organization filed suit against the Cummings in April seeking to block his subpoena request for the president’s financial records, and Mehta on Monday also denied their request for a stay pending appeal.\n\n\n\nThe president and his lawyers have said that Democrats’ attempts to obtain Trump’s financial information is “all-out political war” in which “subpoenas are their weapon of choice.”\n\n\n\nUpon learning of their plan to go after his financial records from his former accounting firm, Trump said in March that House Democrats were “obsessed” with finding something they can use to damage him politically rather than working in a bipartisan manner to pass legislation to benefit Americans.\n\n\n\nMehta, however, said in his ruling that “It is not for the court to question whether the Committee’s actions are truly motivated by political considerations. Accordingly, the court will enter judgment in favor of the Oversight Committee.”\n\n\n\n“It is simply not fathomable that a Constitution that grants Congress the power to remove a President for reasons including criminal behavior would deny Congress the power to investigate him for unlawful conduct – past or present – even without formally opening an impeachment inquiry,” Mehta wrote.\n\n\n\nIn remarks to reporters at the White House, Trump called the judge’s ruling “ridiculous” and said that he would appeal.\n\n\n\nOn March 20, the Oversight Committee requested that Mazars USA provide financial records and audits prepared for Trump and some of his companies, including the Trump International Hotel located in downtown Washington.\n\n\n\nThe committee also requested backup documents used to prepare reports and communications between the president and the firm.\n\n\n\nThe Washington Post reported that Mazars and an earlier firm had provided accounting services to Trump for more than a decade, creating records that the mogul used to get loans, records that contained “exaggerations” but which the company accompanied with a statement saying that the firm was not responsible for inaccuracies in the information.\n\n\n\n“Mazars USA will respect the legal process and fully comply with its legal obligations,” Mazars USA told ABC News on Monday.\n\n On April 8, it became known that Democrats in New York could obtain Trump’s tax records and returns via legislation sponsored by Sen. Brad Hoylman.\n\n\n\nThe bill, however, would only involve tax records related to New York state, where Trump has his private residence and where his real estate firm and other companies are based, and it would authorize the state to provide such information if requested by Congress.", "WASHINGTON — President Trump’s accounting firm must turn over his financial records to Congress, a Federal District Court judge ruled on Monday, rejecting his legal team’s argument that lawmakers had no legitimate power to subpoena the files.\n\nBut Mr. Trump vowed that his legal team would appeal rather than permit the firm, Mazars USA, to comply with the subpoena and the ruling, so the legal fight is far from over.\n\nThe ruling by the judge, Amit P. Mehta of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia, was an early judicial test of the president’s vow to systematically stonewall “all” subpoenas by House Democrats, stymieing their ability to perform oversight of Mr. Trump and the executive branch after winning control of the chamber in last year’s midterm elections.\n\n[Read the ruling.]\n\nMr. Trump’s legal team, led by William S. Consovoy, had argued that the House Committee on Oversight and Reform had no legitimate legislative purpose in seeking Mr. Trump’s financial records and was just trying to dig up dirt — like finding out whether the president broke any laws — for political reasons, so the subpoena exceeded its constitutional authority.", "But Trump vowed that his legal team would appeal rather than permit the firm, Mazars USA, to comply with the subpoena and the ruling, so the legal fight is far from over.\n\nThe ruling by Judge Amit P Mehta of US District Court for the District of Columbia was an early judicial test of the president’s vow to systematically stonewall “all” subpoenas by House Democrats, stymieing their ability to perform oversight of Trump and the executive branch after winning control of the chamber in last year’s midterm elections.\n\nTrump’s legal team, led by William S Consovoy, had argued that the House Committee on Oversight and Reform had no legitimate legislative purpose in seeking Trump’s financial records and was just trying to dig up dirt — like finding out whether the president broke any laws — for political reasons, so the subpoena exceeded its constitutional authority.\n\nBut Democrats have said they need the records because they are examining whether foreigners are in a position to use business dealings with the president to exert hidden influence over US policymaking, and whether ethics and disclosure laws need to be strengthened.\n\nMehta — an appointee of former President Barack Obama — said that justification was sufficient to make the subpoena valid.\n\n“These are facially valid legislative purposes, and it is not for the court to question whether the committee’s actions are truly motivated by political considerations,” he wrote. “Accordingly, the court will enter judgment in favor of the Oversight Committee.”\n\nIn a statement, Rep Elijah Cummings, D-Md., who chairs the Oversight Committee, hailed the decision as a “resounding victory” for the rule of law and constitutional checks and balances.\n\n“Congress must have access to the information we need to do our job effectively and efficiently, and we urge the president to stop engaging in this unprecedented cover-up and start complying with the law,” he said.\n\nConsovoy did not respond to an email requesting comment, but Trump told reporters he would appeal the ruling, which he denounced as “totally the wrong decision by obviously an Obama-appointed judge.” He also said was “crazy because if you look at it, this never happened to any other president.”\n\nThe judge also rejected Consovoy’s request that, were he to rule against Trump, he issue a stay of his ruling until the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia completed its review of the case.\n\nThe judge said Trump’s legal arguments were too thin to merit a stay because they did not raise a “serious legal question,” and added that issuing such a stay would amount to interfering with the constitutional powers of Congress.\n\n“The court is well aware that this case involves records concerning the private and business affairs of the president of the United States,” he wrote. “But on the question of whether to grant a stay pending appeal, the president is subject to the same legal standard as any other litigant that does not prevail.”\n\nTrump accused Democrats of trying to get a “redo” of the Mueller investigation. “They’re trying to get what we used to call in school a do-over,” he told reporters on the South Lawn early Monday evening before departing for a campaign rally in Pennsylvania.\n\nMehta had appeared to signal initial scepticism about Consovoy’s arguments during a May 14 hearing, pointing to several past congressional inquiries — like the Watergate inquiry of President Richard M. Nixon and the Whitewater investigation of President Bill Clinton — that would seem to be illegitimate under the Trump legal team’s rationale.\n\nDuring that hearing, the general counsel for the House, Douglas Letter, had urged the judge to not let the Trump team drag out matters and run out the clock on Congress’ oversight powers.\n\n“Any delay undermines the House’s ability to do what the Constitution allows it to do,” Letter said at the hearing.", "WASHINGTON, DC, USA (AP) — A federal judge in Washington ruled yesterday against President Donald Trump in a financial records dispute with Congress.\n\nUS District Judge Amit Mehta, who was appointed by President Barack Obama, said Trump cannot block a House subpoena of financial records. He said the Democratic-led House committee seeking the information has said it believes the documents would help lawmakers consider strengthening ethics and disclosure laws, among other things.\n\nThe committee's reasons were “valid legislative purposes”, Mehta said, and it was not for him “to question whether the committee's actions are truly motivated by political considerations.”\n\nThe decision comes amid a widespread effort by the White House and the president's lawyers to refuse to cooperate with congressional requests for information and records.\n\nIn the case before Mehta, Trump and his business organisation sued to block the subpoena issued in April to Mazars USA, an accountant for the president and Trump Organisation. Trump's lawyers accused Democrats of harassing Trump and said the subpoena “has no legitimate legislative purpose”.\n\nTrump's lawyers, in suing in both Washington and New York in attempt to beat back congressional subpoenas, said congressional investigations are legitimate only if there is legislation that might result from them.\n\nIn the New York case, Trump, his business and family have sued Deutsche Bank and Capital One to prevent the financial companies from complying with subpoenas from the House Financial Services Committee and the House Intelligence Committee for banking and financial records. A Wednesday hearing is planned in that case.\n\nEven before the ruling, scholars had said Trump's legal argument had little merit and that Congress has broad powers to investigate.", "(Reuters) - A U.S. judge on Monday ruled in favour of a U.S. House of Representatives committee seeking President Donald Trump’s financial records from his accounting firm, dealing an early setback to the Trump administration in its legal battle with Congress.\n\nU.S. District Judge Amit Mehta in Washington also denied a request by Trump to stay his decision pending an appeal.\n\nLast Tuesday Mehta heard oral arguments on whether Mazars LLP must comply with a House of Representatives Oversight Committee subpoena.\n\nMehta said in Monday’s ruling that the committee “has shown that it is not engaged in a pure fishing expedition for the President’s financial records” and that the Mazars documents might assist Congress in passing laws and performing other core functions.\n\n“It is simply not fathomable that a Constitution that grants Congress the power to remove a President for reasons including criminal behaviour would deny Congress the power to investigate him for unlawful conduct - past or present - even without formally opening an impeachment inquiry,” Mehta said.\n\nMehta said Mazars has seven days to comply with the subpoena.\n\nIt was the first time a federal court had waded into the tussle about how far Congress can go in probing Trump and his business affairs.\n\nTrump told reporters the decision was “crazy” and that it would be appealed.\n\n“It’s totally the wrong decision by obviously an Obama-appointed judge,” Trump said.\n\nTrump is refusing to cooperate with a series of investigations on issues ranging from his tax returns and policy decisions to his Washington hotel and his children’s security clearances.\n\nThe standoff deepened on Monday when Trump told former White House counsel Don McGahn to defy a subpoena to testify about Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation before a different congressional committee.\n\nTrump’s lawyers have argued that Congress is on a quest to “turn up something that Democrats can use as a political tool against the president now and in the 2020 election.”\n\nThe House Oversight Committee claims sweeping investigative power and says it needs Trump’s financial records to examine whether he has conflicts of interest or broke the law by not disentangling himself from his business holdings, as previous presidents did.\n\nLawyers for Trump and the Trump Organization, his company, last month filed a lawsuit to block the committee’s subpoena, saying it exceeded Congress’ constitutional limits.\n\nMehta was appointed in 2014 by Democratic former President Barack Obama, who was often investigated by Republicans in Congress during his two terms in office.\n\nMazars has avoided taking sides in the dispute and said it will “comply with all legal obligations.”\n\nThe ruling was “a resounding victory for the rule of law,” Elijah Cummings, the House Oversight Committee chairman, said in a statement.\n\n“Congress must have access to the information we need to do our job effectively and efficiently, and we urge the President to stop engaging in this unprecedented cover-up and start complying with the law,” Cummings said.\n\nA judge in Manhattan will hear arguments on May 22 in a similar lawsuit Trump filed to block subpoenas issued to Deutsche Bank AG and Capital One Financial Corp.\n\nMehta’s ruling “will probably have considerable weight in similar factual contexts where the House is seeking other records,” said Carl Tobias, a law professor at the University of Richmond.", "Trump Files Notice of Appeal to Ruling on His Financial Records\n\n(Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump and his businesses filed a notice Tuesday indicating they will appeal a ruling by a federal judge, who said U.S. lawmakers have the power to demand records from his accounting firm, Mazars USA LLP.\n\nOn Monday, U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta ruled that the House Oversight and Reform Committee has authority to examine Trump’s personal and business records going back to 2011. The judge rejected Trump’s claim that Congress wasn’t entitled to the documents because they weren’t sought for a legitimate legislative purpose.\n\nRead More: Democrats Closer to Seeing Trump Finance Records With Ruling\n\nThe Mazars case is Trump v. Committee on Oversight and Reform, 19-cv-1136, U.S. District Court, District of Columbia (Washington).\n\nTo contact the reporter on this story: Steve Stroth in Chicago at sstroth@bloomberg.net\n\nTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Steve Stroth at sstroth@bloomberg.net\n\nFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com", "Washington: A US judge on Monday ruled in favour of a US House of Representatives committee seeking President Donald Trump's financial records from his accounting firm, dealing an early setback to the Trump administration in its legal battle with Congress.\n\nUS district judge Amit Mehta in Washington also denied a request by Trump to stay his decision pending an appeal. Last Tuesday Mehta heard oral arguments on whether Mazars LLP must comply with a House of Representatives Oversight Committee subpoena.\n\nMehta said in Monday's ruling that the committee \"has shown that it is not engaged in a pure fishing expedition for the president's financial records\" and that the Mazars documents might assist Congress in passing laws and performing other core functions.\n\nTrump is refusing to cooperate with a series of investigations on issues ranging from his tax returns and policy decisions to his Washington hotel and his children's security clearances. Trump's lawyers argued that Congress is on a quest to \"turn up something that Democrats can use as a political tool against the president now and in the 2020 election.\"\n\nMehta's ruling will almost certainly be appealed to a higher court.\n\nThe House Oversight Committee claims sweeping investigative power and says it needs Trump's financial records to examine whether he has conflicts of interest or broke the law by not disentangling himself from his business holdings, as previous presidents did.\n\nLawyers for Trump and the Trump Organization, his company, last month filed a lawsuit to block the committee's subpoena, saying it exceeded Congress' constitutional limits.\n\nMehta was appointed in 2014 by Democratic former president Barack Obama, who was often investigated by Republicans in Congress during his two terms in office.\n\nYour guide to the latest election news, analysis, commentary, live updates and schedule for Lok Sabha Elections 2019 on firstpost.com/elections. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram or like our Facebook page for updates from all 543 constituencies for the upcoming general elections."], "summary": "Judge Amit Mehta of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia rules that accounting firm Mazars must comply with a subpoena issued by the United States House Committee on Oversight and Reform to turn over U.S. President Donald Trump's financial records."}
{"document": ["Kiev, Ukraine -- Ukrainian TV star Volodymyr Zelenskiy has sought to capitalize on his huge popularity, dissolving the country's parliament Monday minutes after he was sworn in as president.\n\nZelenskiy, who won 73% of the vote last month in a landslide victory, slammed parliament as a hot-bed of self-enrichment, and promised to stop the war in the east against Russian-backed separatists.\n\nThe president's bold move to dissolve the Supreme Rada followed the failure of a majority of lawmakers to use parliamentary ruses to hamper Zelenskiy's plans.\n\nZelenskiy's victory reflected Ukrainians' exhaustion with widespread corruption and the country's political elite.\n\nEven before he disbanded parliament, which had been one of his campaign promises, the 41-year-old Zelenskiy upended other Ukrainian political traditions on inauguration day.\n\nHe ditched the idea of the usual motorcade to his inauguration, walking to parliament in the capital of Kiev through a park packed with people. Flanked by four bodyguards, the beaming president-elect gave high-fives to some spectators, even stopping to take a selfie with one of them.\n\nAfter he was sworn in but before he moved to dissolve parliament, Zelenskiy asked the Supreme Rada to adopt a bill against illegal enrichment and supporting his motions to fire the country's defense minister, the head of the Ukrainian Security Service and the Prosecutor General. All of them are allies of former President Petro Poroshenko, who lost the election to the comedian with no previous political experience but who played the Ukrainian president on a popular TV show for years.\n\nDefense Ministry Stepan Poltorak promptly published his letter of resignation on Facebook.\n\nIn a feisty speech after his inauguration, Zelenskiy told the Rada his main goal for the presidency is to bring peace to eastern Ukraine, where government troops have been fighting Russia-backed separatists for five years in a conflict that has left at least 13,000 dead.\n\n\"I'm ready to do everything so that our heroes don't die there,\" he said. \"It wasn't us who started that war. But we need to be the one to finish it.\"\n\nKremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russian President Vladimir Putin had no plans to congratulate Zelenskiy until progress is made settling the conflict in eastern Ukraine and healing ties with Moscow, according to the Reuters news agency.\n\nAs ministers and lawmakers listened with dismay, Zelenskiy urged everyone in the cabinet to resign, asking them to \"free the spot for people who will think about the future generations, not about the future elections.\"\n\nMany lawmakers had already viewed Zelenskiy's inauguration with apprehension, and it was not clear if the new president could legally dissolve the sitting parliament. Political factions have been maneuvering for weeks trying to avoid such a situation.\n\nZelenskiy is hoping to ride the wave of his electoral success to get his supporters into parliament. Ukraine's parliamentary election was scheduled for Oct. 27, and the current legislature's authority expires in late November. Ukrainian law allows the president to disband the parliament no later than six months before its power expires.\n\nIn a bid to deprive Zelenskiy of the opportunity to call an early election, a faction in the Rada had announced its departure from the ruling coalition, technically collapsing Poroshenko's government. The parliament's rules envisage that it cannot be disbanded within 30 days following the announcement of a collapse of the ruling coalition.\n\nZelenskiy's supports argued, however, that the motion was legally void because the coalition had long ceased to exist.\n\nThe new president wrapped up his speech at parliament by referring to his career as a comedian.\n\n\"Throughout all of my life, I tried to do everything to make Ukrainians laugh,\" he said with a smile. \"In the next five years I will do everything, Ukrainians, so that you don't cry.\"", "Volodymyr Zelenskiy, a 41-year-old comic with no political experience, announced the dissolution of parliament in his inaugural speech as the president of Ukraine on Monday.\n\nBy disbanding the chamber and calling early elections, the new head of state is hoping to win the support he needs to tackle a raft of challenges, including a struggling economy and the conflict with Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine.\n\nWhat happened during the ceremony:\n\nZelenskiy announced he would disband parliament and call snap polls.\n\nHe said his first task was to end the separatist conflict in the country's east near the border with Russia.\n\n\"I'm ready to do everything so that our heroes don't die there,\" he said. \"I'm ready to lose my popularity and, if necessary, I'm ready to lose my post so that we have peace.\"\n\nHe added that dialogue with Russia could only happen after the return of Ukrainian territory and prisoners of war.\n\nZelenskiy called on lawmakers to adopt bills that would strip them of immunity and ban illegal enrichment.\n\nHe also asked them to support motions to fire the defense minister, the head of the Ukrainian Security Service and the Prosecutor General — all of them allies of former President Petro Poroshenko.\n\nThe president ended his speech by referring to his career in comedy: \"Throughout all of my life, I tried to do everything to make Ukrainians laugh ... In the next five years I will do everything so that Ukrainians don't cry.\"\n\nHe broke with tradition and headed to the swearing-in ceremony on foot, high-fiving and taking selfies with supporters along the way.\n\nRead more: Ukraine votes for fresh start with comedian\n\nUkraine's new president stops to take selfies with fans in the crowd\n\nWho is Zelenskiy? Zelenskiy is best known for playing a fictional president on the popular television show \"Servant of the People.\" Now he's also playing that role in real life, after a landslide victory against incumbent Petro Poroshenko in last month's runoff election. Some critics claimed his run was backed by controversial Ukrainian oligarch Igor Kolomoysky, whose channel broadcasts his shows. But Zelenskiy has denied having any political connection to the businessman.\n\nRead more: Ukraine: Zelenskiy outshined Poroshenko on way to victory\n\nWhat are his policies? During the campaign, Zelenskiy broadly sought to capitalize on voter disillusionment by framing himself as an alternative to the political establishment. He has so far provided few details about his policies, what he plans to do in office, or who he will appoint to key posts. However, he has said he wants to tackle corruption and keep Kyiv on the pro-Western course it has chartered under Poroshenko. He has also pledged to push Russian President Vladimir Putin to end Moscow's occupation of Ukrainian territory.\n\nWatch video 01:58 Share A president without experience Send Facebook google+ Whatsapp Tumblr linkedin stumble Digg reddit Newsvine Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/3IlIl Ukraine: A president without experience\n\nChallenges ahead: The young president is under pressure to rein in the wealthy oligarchs who wield significant influence in Ukraine, tackle widespread corruption and a stagnant economy. Many voters also expect him to stand up to Putin and end a draining five-year conflict against Moscow-backed separatists in Ukraine's east. DW's correspondent in Kyiv, Nick Connolly, said there were \"colossal expectations from ordinary Ukrainians\" that Zelenskiy would be able to \"change Ukraine and allow it, after 20-30 years of independence, to really make good on its potential.\"\n\nProblems in parliament: Zelenskiy begins his term in office without a parliamentary majority, a fact that will make it difficult for him to pass reforms. His party currently has no seats. Dissolving parliament and calling snap elections ahead of the scheduled date in October could boost support in a chamber currently dominated by Poroshenko allies. Lawmakers have attempted to block these plans — last week, the governing coalition collapsed after a group of MPs from the People's Front pulled out.\n\nWatch video 12:35 Share The Long Arm of the Kremlin Send Facebook google+ Whatsapp Tumblr linkedin stumble Digg reddit Newsvine Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/3IgoT The Long Arm of the Kremlin\n\nnm/rt (Reuters, AFP, dpa)\n\nDW sends a daily selection of hard news and quality feature journalism. Sign up here.", "President Volodymyr Zelenskyi has agreed with chairpersons of the Verkhovna Rada factions on scheduling the snap parliamentary election for July 21.\n\nChairperson of the Radical Party faction at the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Oleh Liashko, has said this to the press, the Ukrainian News Agency reports.\n\nThe leader of the Radical Party noted that the Ukrainian Parliament would hold an extraordinary meeting to amend the election legislation.\n\nFirst deputy chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada, Iryna Heraschenko, has warned against a too rapid amendment of the election legislation and told about absence of constitutional reasons for disbandment of the Verkhovna Rada.\n\nShe said that chairperson of the Central Election Commission, Tetiana Slipachuk, was also present at the consultations between President Volodymyr Zelenskyi and heads of the parliamentary factions.\n\nAs Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, on Monday, Zelenskyi said he would disband the Verkhovna Rada.", "President Volodymyr Zelenskyi is calling on the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine to immediately adopt the Election Code of Ukraine, the law on termination of parliamentary immunity and reinstate criminal responsibility for unlawful enrichment.\n\nHe said this in his inauguration speech at the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Ukrainian News Agency reports.\n\nHe also called on the MPs to dismiss Chairperson of the Security Service of Ukraine, Vasyl Hrytsak; Prosecutor General of Ukraine, Yurii Lutsenko; and Minister of Defense, Stepan Poltorak.\n\nZelenskyi said the Verkhovna Rada had two months to do that.\n\nAs Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, on Monday, May 20, Zelenskyi became the sixth President of Ukraine.", "KIEV, May 20 — Volodymyr Zelensky, a 41-year-old comedian who took office as Ukraine’s president today, announced the dissolution of parliament in his inaugural speech in order to hold early elections.\n\n“I dissolve the Verkhovna Rada of the eighth convocation,” the newly sworn-in president said during the ceremony in parliament in Kiev.\n\nThe next parliamentary polls had been scheduled for October.\n\nZelensky does not command majority support in the current parliament and has wrangled with hostile lawmakers whom he accused of deliberately delaying his inauguration and called “petty crooks.”\n\nAhead of his inauguration, Zelensky had already threatened to launch the highly complex process of dissolving parliament and calling new elections in order to benefit from his current popularity.\n\nHis team said in a statement on Friday that the country needs “a parliament that functions.” — AFP", "The Batkivschyna All-Ukrainian Association parliamentary faction has welcomed disbandment of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine by President Volodymyr Zelenskyi.\n\nDeputy Chairperson of the Batkivschyna parliamentary faction, Serhii Sobolev, said this on the sidelines of the Verkhovna Rada, Ukrainian News Agency reports.\n\nAs Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, during his inauguration speech, President Volodymyr Zelenskyi informed he was disbanding the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine of VIII convocation.", "Ukraine elected a president who is a comedian – but he’s much more than that", "KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — The Latest on Ukraine's politics (all times local):\n\nUkraine's new president has signed a decree dissolving the parliament and calling a snap election in two months.\n\nVolodymyr Zelenskiy announced his intention to disband the legislature minutes after being sworn in Monday. His decree dissolving the Verkhovna Rada and setting early elections for July 21 was posted on the presidential website Tuesday.\n\nThe current parliament is dominated by allies of former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, and Zelenskiy hopes to ride the wave of his electoral success to get his supporters into parliament.\n\nAn adviser to the new Ukrainian president says that he will sign a decree formally dissolving the parliament and calling snap elections within days.\n\nAndriy Bohdan, adviser to Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said in televised remarks Tuesday that the president would send the decree in the coming days. He said he hopes that parliament would vote for changes to the electoral law before it is disbanded.\n\nMoments after he was sworn into office, Zelenskiy dropped a bombshell when he said he is dissolving the parliament, dominated by allies of the former Ukrainian president. Zelenskiy sat down with political leaders Tuesday morning to discuss the dissolution.\n\nBohdan said the meeting with the lawmakers showed that they would be willing to adopt the electoral changes Zelenskiy has proposed.", "Ukraine’s new president has ordered the dissolution of the nation’s parliament and called a snap election in two months.\n\nVolodymyr Zelenskiy, a 41-year-old comedian who won 73% of the vote last month, announced his intention to disband parliament in his inauguration speech on Monday, saying that current MPs are focused on self-enrichment and lack public trust.\n\nHe quickly fulfilled the promise in Tuesday’s decree that set the parliamentary election for July 21.\n\nThe election to the Verkhovna Rada was originally scheduled for October 27, a situation that would have put Mr Zelenskiy in a position where he would face a parliament dominated by supporters of former president Petro Poroshenko and would be unable to pursue his agenda for months.\n\nMr Zelenskiy, who has become famous for playing the role of a Ukrainian president in a popular TV sitcom, is gambling that his popularity will allow his party to make a successful showing in the parliamentary vote.\n\n“Zelenskiy is trying to act as quickly as possible, because he realises that voters’ excitement will cool down in half a year,” said Volodymyr Fesenko, head of the Kiev-based independent think-tank Penta.\n\nHis foes in parliament sought to push back his inauguration past the May 27 deadline by which the parliament can be dissolved, but eventually had to submit to public pressure.\n\nMr Zelenskiy’s landslide victory reflected Ukrainians’ exasperation with the country’s economic woes and rampant official corruption and the nation’s political elite.\n\nHe has already asked several top ministers to step down, but he will likely have trouble getting their successors appointed by the current parliament.\n\nIn his inaugural speech, Mr Zelenskiy said that the main goal for the presidency is to bring peace to eastern Ukraine, where government troops have been fighting Russia-backed separatists for five years in a conflict that has left at least 13,000 dead.", "UKRAINE - Comedian Volodymyr Zelensky announced a snap parliamentary election during his swearing-in as Ukraine’s new president. The election was expected to take place in October 2019. But at the ceremony in Kiev Mr Zelensky said “I am dissolving the Verkhovna Rada (parliament)”. He said ending the conflict with Russian-backed rebels in the east would be his top priority.\n\nA political novice, he campaigned strongly against official corruption.\n\n“People must come to power who will serve the public,” he said on Monday.\n\nRussian President Vladimir Putin said he would not congratulate Mr Zelensky on his inauguration, but would wait for “the first successes in settling the internal conflict in south-eastern Ukraine, and in normalising Russian-Ukrainian relations”. Meanwhile, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called on Ukraine’s new leader to implement the Minsk peace accord agreed in 2015, and also suggested an “all for all” prisoner swap between both sides.\n\nMr Zelensky a former television star, acted the part of Ukrainian president in a popular comedy series. He scored a landslide victory in last month’s presidential election. “We must become Icelanders in football, Israelis in defending our native land, Japanese in technology,” he said at the swearing-in.\n\nHe said Ukrainians must also “become Swiss in our ability to live happily with each other, despite any differences”.\n\n“Our first task is to achieve a ceasefire in Donbas,” he said, referring to the eastern region controlled by Russian-backed rebels. In the election Mr Zelensky ousted incumbent Petro Poroshenko, who had been in power since 2014.\n\nMr Zelensky has given few details of his plans since winning by a landslide on 21 April. He has left it to a team of advisers to try and reassure people that he knows what he’s doing. Mr Zelensky made his inaugural address in Ukrainian but at one point, referring to the conflict in the east, he switched to Russian, saying: “I’m convinced that for this dialogue to start, we must see the return of all Ukrainian prisoners” - apparently a message to the Russian government.\n\nFighting in the east has claimed about 13,000 lives since Moscow annexed Ukraine’s Crimea peninsula in 2014.\n\nZelensky starred in the long-running satirical drama Servant of the People in which his character accidentally becomes Ukraine’s president.\n\nHe plays a teacher who is elected after his expletive-laden rant about corruption goes viral on social media.\n\nHe ran under a political party with the same name as his show.\n\nWith no previous political experience, Mr Zelensky’s campaign focused on his difference from the other candidates rather than on any concrete policy ideas.\n\nDespite this, he stormed to victory and won more than 70% of the vote."], "summary": "Former comedian and reality television actor Volodymyr Zelensky is sworn in as the 6th President of Ukraine by the Verkhovna Rada. Zelensky announces the dissolution of parliament and calls a snap parliamentary election."}
{"document": ["Ukrainian television star Volodymyr Zelenskiy has been sworn in as president and immediately disbanded the Ukrainian parliament.\n\nDisbanding the Supreme Rada was one of his campaign promises, for Zelenskiy had branded the body as a group of people only interested in self-enrichment.\n\nBefore he made the announcement, Zelenskiy asked the parliament to adopt a bill against illegal enrichment and support his motion to fire the country's defence minister, the head of the Ukrainian Security Service and the Prosecutor General.\n\nAll of them are allies of former President Petro Poroshenko, who lost the presidential election in a landslide to the comedian who had no previous political experience.\n\nIn a feisty speech after his inauguration, Zelenskiy told the Rada that his main goal for the presidency is to bring peace to eastern Ukraine, where government troops have been fighting Russia-backed separatists for five years.", "Ukraine's prime minister, Volodymyr Groysman, has announced his resignation in a largely symbolic protest against the new president's disbanding of parliament.\n\nGroysman will officially leave office on Wednesday, he said, inviting President Volodymyr Zelensky to take full responsibility for the country.\n\n\"I have made a decision to resign after holding the government's next meeting on Wednesday,\" he said at a reporters' briefing in Kiev on Monday.\n\nHe will continue to serve as acting prime minister until a new government is formed following forthcoming elections.\n\n\"President Zelensky took charge of all future challenges by his call for the government's resignation,\" said Groysman.\n\n190520062559754\n\nZelensky, who won last month's presidential poll with 73 percent of the vote, was inaugurated as president on Monday morning, and promptly disbanded the parliament in a move to spark fresh elections while his movement is riding high.\n\nThe fresh elections are expected within the next two months.", "Ukrainian television star Volodymyr Zelenskiy has been sworn in as president and immediately disbanded the Ukrainian parliament.\n\nDisbanding the Supreme Rada was one of his campaign promises, for Zelenskiy had branded the body as a group of people only interested in self-enrichment.\n\nBefore he made the announcement, Zelenskiy asked the parliament to adopt a bill against illegal enrichment and support his motion to fire the country's defence minister, the head of the Ukrainian Security Service and the Prosecutor General.\n\nAll of them are allies of former President Petro Poroshenko, who lost the presidential election in a landslide to the comedian who had no previous political experience.\n\nIn a feisty speech after his inauguration, Zelenskiy told the Rada that his main goal for the presidency is to bring peace to eastern Ukraine, where government troops have been fighting Russia-backed separatists for five years.", "Volodymyr Zelenskiy is sworn in as Ukrainian president, immediately disbands the Ukrainian parliament\n\nKIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Volodymyr Zelenskiy is sworn in as Ukrainian president, immediately disbands the Ukrainian parliament.", "Volodymyr Fesenko, head of the Kyiv-based think-tank Penta, said Zelenskiy's announcement shows \"political will for radical change.\"\n\n\"The legally dubious decision to disband parliament will certainly be contested in court, but Zelenskiy has shown that it is going to be him who will lay down the agenda and that he will dominate the political landscape,\" he said.\n\nZelenskiy's landslide victory reflected Ukrainians' exhaustion with widespread corruption and the country's political elite. Before disbanding parliament, the 41-year-old Zelenskiy upended other Ukrainian political traditions on inauguration day.\n\nHe ditched the idea of a traditional motorcade to his inauguration, walking to the parliament in Kyiv through a park packed with people. Flanked by four bodyguards, the beaming president-elect gave high-fives to some spectators, even stopping to take a selfie with one of them.\n\nAt the end of his swearing-in ceremony, Zelenskiy asked the Supreme Rada to adopt a bill against illegal enrichment and support his motions to fire the country's defence minister, the head of the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) and the Prosecutor General. All are allies of Zelenskiy's predecessor, Petro Poroshenko.\n\nThat's when he dropped his bombshell about dissolving parliament. Zelenskiy told lawmakers they only have a few weeks to support his motions, as that's as long as the current parliament has.\n\nTwo of the three officials he has asked to leave, Defence Minister Stepan Poltorak and SBU chief Vasyl Grytsak, promptly handed in their resignations.\n\nLater, Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman said he would resign Wednesday. That move would be largely symbolic because it would have to be approved by the parliament. If accepted, he would remain as acting prime minister until after the elections.\n\nZelenskiy also told the Rada that the main goal for the presidency is to bring peace to eastern Ukraine, where government troops have been fighting Russia-backed separatists for five years in a conflict that has left at least 13,000 dead.\n\n\"I'm ready to do everything so that our heroes don't die there,\" he said. \"It wasn't us who started that war. But we need to be the one to finish it.\"\n\nThe new president wrapped up his speech at parliament by referring to his career as a comedian.\n\n\"Throughout all of my life, I tried to do everything to make Ukrainians laugh,\" he said with a smile. \"In the next five years I will do everything, Ukrainians, so that you don't cry.\"", "KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Volodymyr Zelenskiy is sworn in as Ukrainian president, immediately disbands the Ukrainian parliament.", "KIEV (Reuters) - Ukraine’s Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman said he would step down after the next government meeting on Wednesday and that he would take part in the upcoming parliamentary election.\n\nGroysman spoke after the newly-sworn in President Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced earlier that he was dissolving parliament in preparation for a snap election after two months.\n\n“I made a decision for myself to resign on Wednesday after the next government meeting,” he said in a televised statement.", "Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman has decided to resign after the Cabinet of Ministers’ meeting on May 22.\n\nGroysman announced this at a news briefing, the Ukrainian News Agency reports.\n\n\"The president of Ukraine was sworn in today. During his inaugural speech, he said that the government should resign. I think you all understand that the government resigns when a new parliament is elected and not when a new president is elected. That notwithstanding, I have decided for myself to resign immediately after the next government meeting on Wednesday,\" he said.\n\nThe prime minister listed the main achievements of his Cabinet of Ministers and said that he was not ashamed of his work.\n\nGroysman’s government was appointed in April 2016, and it was in office for more than three years.\n\nAccording to the law, the entire Cabinet of Ministers resigns when the prime minister resigns, but the Cabinet of Ministers will continue performing its functions until a new government takes office.\n\nAs Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, Zelenskyi took the oath of office on Monday, becoming the sixth president of Ukraine.\n\nHe called on the Cabinet of Ministers to resign and announced that he would dissolve the parliament.\n\nForeign Affairs Minister Pavlo Klimkin and Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak, who were appointed to the Cabinet of Ministers as part of the presidential quota, have resigned.", "KIEV, Ukraine - The Latest on Ukrainian politics (all times local): A party that was part of a ruling coalition in Ukraine has criticized the newly sworn president’s decision to disband parliament and call snap elections. Ukrainian television star Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he would disband the legislature immediately after being sworn in as president Monday, castigating the current lawmakers as people focused on self-enrichment. The People’s Front party that was part of the ruling coalition and withdrew from it last week in a manoeuvr intended to make it more difficult for Zelenskiy to disband parliament, criticized Zelenskiy’s move as unlawful but said it was ready for early elections.\n\nIt charged that Zelenskiy hopes to ride the wave of his electoral success to control parliament. Once Zelenskiy signs a decree disbanding parliament, a snap election will be held within two months.\n\nUkraine’s prime minister says he will resign in a largely symbolic move that comes hours after the newly-sworn President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s decision to disband the parliament and call snap elections. Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman said he would resign Wednesday, inviting Zelenskiy to take full responsibility for the country. His resignation needs to be approved by parliament. If it accepts Groysman’s resignation, he will still serve as acting prime minister until lawmakers name a new Cabinet after the elections.\n\nZelenskiy, who won 73% of the vote last month, needs a quick vote to replace the old legislature dominated by his predecessor’s supporters. His political party has been leading the field by a broad margin. Once Zelenskiy issues a decree formally disbanding the parliament, the snap election will be held within two months. The Kremlin has voiced hope that the newly sworn Ukrainian president will help normalize ties with Russia.\n\nKremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russian President Vladimir Putin doesn’t plan to send congratulations to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy following his official swearing-in earlier. Peskov said Putin would only congratulate Zelenskiy on the “first successes” in settling the conflict in eastern Ukraine and normalizing relations with Russia. Relations between the two countries have been strained ever since Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimea in 2014 and the subsequent separatist insurgency in eastern Ukraine. Asked if Russia could meet Zelenskiy’s demand to release Ukrainian prisoners, Peskov told reporters that Moscow is willing to continue talks on the issue. Ukrainian television star Volodymyr Zelenskiy has been sworn in as president and immediately disbanded the Ukrainian parliament. Disbanding the Supreme Rada was one of his campaign promises, for Zelenskiy had branded the body as a group of people only interested in self-enrichment. Before he made the announcement, Zelenskiy asked the parliament to adopt a bill against illegal enrichment and support his motion to fire the country’s defence minister, the head of the Ukrainian Security Service and the Prosecutor General. All of them are allies of former President Petro Poroshenko, who lost the presidential election in a landslide to the comedian who had no previous political experience. In a feisty speech after his inauguration, Zelenskiy told the Rada that his main goal for the presidency is to bring peace to eastern Ukraine, where government troops have been fighting Russia-backed separatists for five years. Ukrainian television star Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Monday disbanded the parliament after he was sworn in as new president. Disbanding the Supreme Rada was one of the campaign promises of Zelenskiy who branded it as a group of people only interested in self-enrichment. Before he made the announcement, Zelenskiy asked the parliament to adopt a bill against illegal enrichment and support his motion to fire the country’s defence minister, the head of the Ukrainian Security Service and the Prosecutor General. All of them are allies of Petro Poroshenko who lost the election to the comedian with no previous political experience. In a feisty speech after his inauguration, Zelenskiy told the Rada that his main goal for the presidency is to bring peace to eastern Ukraine where government troops have been fighting Russia-backed separatists for five years. “I’m ready to do everything so that our heroes don’t die there,” he said. “I’m ready to lose my popularly and, if necessary, I’m ready to lose my post so that we have peace.” Zelenskiy ditched the idea of a traditional motorcade and walked to the parliament through a park packed with people. Flanked by four bodyguards, he was giving high-fives to some of the spectators and even stopped to take a selfie with one of them. 41-year-old Zelenskiy garnered 73 per cent of the vote at the presidential election last month in a victory that reflected Ukrainians’ exhaustion with politics-as-usual. Rumours about Zelenskiy’s potential bid first surfaced when he played the Ukrainian president in a television show several years earlier. Zelenskiy wrapped up his speech at parliament by referring to his career as a comedian. “Throughout all of my life I tried to do everything to make Ukrainians laugh,” he said with a smile. “In the next five years I will do everything so that Ukrainians don’t cry.”", "The Latest on Ukrainian politics (all times local):\n\nUkrainian television star Volodymyr Zelenskiy has been sworn in as president and immediately disbanded the Ukrainian parliament.\n\nDisbanding the Supreme Rada was one of his campaign promises, for Zelenskiy had branded the body as a group of people only interested in self-enrichment.\n\nBefore he made the announcement, Zelenskiy asked the parliament to adopt a bill against illegal enrichment and support his motion to fire the country's defense minister, the head of the Ukrainian Security Service and the Prosecutor General. All of them are allies of former President Petro Poroshenko, who lost the presidential election in a landslide to the comedian who had no previous political experience.\n\nIn a feisty speech after his inauguration, Zelenskiy told the Rada that his main goal for the presidency is to bring peace to eastern Ukraine, where government troops have been fighting Russia-backed separatists for five years.\n\nUkrainian television star Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Monday disbanded the parliament after he was sworn in as new president.\n\nDisbanding the Supreme Rada was one of the campaign promises of Zelenskiy who branded it as a group of people only interested in self-enrichment.\n\nBefore he made the announcement, Zelenskiy asked the parliament to adopt a bill against illegal enrichment and support his motion to fire the country's defense minister, the head of the Ukrainian Security Service and the Prosecutor General. All of them are allies of Petro Poroshenko who lost the election to the comedian with no previous political experience.\n\nIn a feisty speech after his inauguration, Zelenskiy told the Rada that his main goal for the presidency is to bring peace to eastern Ukraine where government troops have been fighting Russia-backed separatists for five years.\n\n\"I'm ready to do everything so that our heroes don't die there,\" he said. \"I'm ready to lose my popularly and, if necessary, I'm ready to lose my post so that we have peace.\"\n\nZelenskiy ditched the idea of a traditional motorcade and walked to the parliament through a park packed with people. Flanked by four bodyguards, he was giving high-fives to some of the spectators and even stopped to take a selfie with one of them.\n\n41-year-old Zelenskiy garnered 73 percent of the vote at the presidential election last month in a victory that reflected Ukrainians' exhaustion with politics-as-usual.\n\nRumors about Zelenskiy's potential bid first surfaced when he played the Ukrainian president in a television show several years earlier.\n\nZelenskiy wrapped up his speech at parliament by referring to his career as a comedian.\n\n\"Throughout all of my life I tried to do everything to make Ukrainians laugh,\" he said with a smile. \"In the next five years I will do everything so that Ukrainians don't cry.\""], "summary": "Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman announces he will resign Wednesday in response to the new president's disbanding of parliament."}
{"document": ["VIENNA (Reuters) - Austria’s chancellor and president will discuss a date on Sunday for an early parliamentary election and the makeup of a caretaker government, after a video sting brought down the leader of the far-right junior partners in the ruling coalition.\n\nChancellor Sebastian Kurz pulled the plug on his coalition and called for a snap election after his deputy, the leader of the far-right Freedom Party, quit over a video showing him discussing fixing state contracts in return for favors.\n\nHeinz-Christian Strache, who was filmed speaking to a woman who posed as the niece of a Russian oligarch, accepted that the video was “catastrophic” but denied having broken the law and said no money changed hands.\n\nThe scandal is a blow for one of Europe’s most successful nationalist parties just a week before an election to the European parliament in which far-right groups anticipate record success across the continent.\n\nKurz, a conservative who has ruled with far-right junior partners for a year and a half, said the video was the last straw after a number of lesser scandals, and it was time for a new vote rather than an attempt to keep the coalition in office.\n\n“Enough is enough,” Kurz said in a statement to the media on Saturday. President Alexander Van der Bellen, who has the authority to dismiss the government, also said he favored a snap election and would discuss details on Sunday.\n\nAustria could set an election date as soon as the summer, according to national law, “but that could be difficult due to school holidays,” said Robert Stein, who heads the election desk at the interior ministry.\n\n“The first possible Sunday after the school holidays would be September 15,” he said.\n\nThe makeup of any caretaker government until the snap election was also up for discussion.\n\nStrache said on Saturday that Transport Minister Norbert Hofer, a former presidential candidate, would replace him as party leader. Kurz has not yet said whether he would accept Hofer as his deputy in government.\n\nThe Freedom Party’s leadership will meet on Saturday afternoon to discuss next steps and nominate Hofer as party chief, news wire APA said.", "VIENNA: Austria's chancellor and president will discuss a date on Sunday (May 19) for an early parliamentary election and the makeup of a caretaker government, after a video sting brought down the leader of the far-right junior partners in the ruling coalition.\n\nChancellor Sebastian Kurz pulled the plug on his coalition and called for a snap election after his deputy, the leader of the far-right Freedom Party, quit over a video showing him discussing fixing state contracts in return for favours.\n\nHeinz-Christian Strache, who was filmed speaking to a woman who posed as the niece of a Russian oligarch, accepted that the video was \"catastrophic\" but denied having broken the law and said no money changed hands.\n\nThe scandal is a blow for one of Europe's most successful nationalist parties just a week before an election to the European parliament in which far-right groups anticipate record success across the continent.\n\n\n\nKurz, a conservative who has ruled with far-right junior partners for a year and a half, said the video was the last straw after a number of lesser scandals, and it was time for a new vote rather than an attempt to keep the coalition in office.\n\n\"Enough is enough,\" Kurz said in a statement to the media on Saturday. President Alexander Van der Bellen, who has the authority to dismiss the government, also said he favoured a snap election and would discuss details on Sunday.\n\nAustria could set an election date as soon as the summer, according to national law, \"but that could be difficult due to school holidays,\" said Robert Stein, who heads the election desk at the interior ministry.\n\n\"The first possible Sunday after the school holidays would be September 15,\" he said.\n\nThe makeup of any caretaker government until the snap election was also up for discussion.\n\nStrache said on Saturday that Transport Minister Norbert Hofer, a former presidential candidate, would replace him as party leader. Kurz has not yet said whether he would accept Hofer as his deputy in government.\n\nThe Freedom Party's leadership will meet on Saturday afternoon to discuss next steps and nominate Hofer as party chief, news wire APA said.", "The Austrian far-right leader Heinz-Christian Strache is seen XXX with his aide Johann Gudenus, left and In this video grab made available by SPIEGEL and Sueddeutsche Zeitung on May 18, 2019 shows Heinz-Christian Strache (C), Austrian Vice-Chancellor and Johann Gudenus (L), FPOe party’s group leader in parliament during a secretly filmed meeting in Ibiza in 2017. - Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz announced fresh elections after explosive revelations from a hidden camera sting forced his deputy, far-right leader Heinz-Christian Strache, to resign, bringing an end to his coalition. (Photo by - / SPIEGEL and Sueddeutsche Zeitung / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT “AFP PHOTO / SPIEGEL and Sueddeutsche Zeitung” - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS NO ARCHIVE-/AFP/Getty Images Spiegel/Sueddeutsche Zeitung\n\nA €1,000-a-night villa in Ibiza, a beautiful and flirtatious Russian woman, lashings of premium vodka and an array of hidden cameras: the set-up bore all the hallmarks of an old-school Soviet kompromat operation.\n\nThere are no lack of theories purporting to explain who executed the sting and why they kept its contents secret for the best part of two years. The only thing in short supply was concrete evidence.\n\nThe video, which runs to nearly six hours, was recorded towards the end of July 2017, some ten weeks before the Austrian general election. The dupes were Heinz-Christian Strache, a former dental technician turned leader of the far-right Freedom party (FPÖ), and his protégé Johann Gudenus, a city councillor in Vienna. Their party had been leading…", "VIENNA: After the spectacular corruption scandal which brought down Austria's far-right leader Heinz-Christian Strache, the task of salvaging the fortunes of his Freedom Party (FPOe) will now fall to his unassuming deputy, Norbert Hofer.\n\nHofer, 48, was the FPOe candidate in the 2016 presidential election and had long been touted as a leadership contender within the far-right party.\n\nAt a meeting on Sunday (May 19), senior FPOe officials nominated him as leader, with formal confirmation expected after the European elections on May 26.\n\nHofer turned in a strong performance in the 2016 presidential poll, surprising many - including some in his own party.\n\nIn the end, he lost the race for the largely ceremonial post to Alexander Van der Bellen, a former leader of the Green party.\n\nBut in Hofer's polished campaign, based around the slogan \"Unspoilt, honest, good\", the softly-spoken aircraft engineer with a disarming smile presented himself as the FPOe's friendly and moderate face and proved a hit with voters.\n\nHofer was then named transport and infrastructure minister when Chancellor Sebastian Kurz's conservative People's Party (OeVP) formed a coalition with the FPOe in late 2017, after both parties ran on tough anti-immigration platforms in that year's elections.\n\nHis previous success meant Hofer was well-placed for a more prominent ministerial position should the opportunity have arisen.\n\nBut sceptics say that behind the grin lurks a steely, dyed-in-the-wool ideologue.\n\nHofer wrote the FPOe's party programme and critics doubt that the almost constant series of \"one-off\" scandals dogging the FPOe will end under his leadership.\n\nAn example came only this week, when Hofer's friendship with the controversial painter Odin Wiesinger came under the spotlight.\n\nThe FPOe had nominated Wiesinger to an official culture committee in Upper Austria state, but he turned down the appointment after a storm of criticism.\n\nIn an interview with the Profil magazine published on Saturday, Wiesinger appeared to use threatening language about his critics and give equivocal answers when asked about the topic of Holocaust denial.\n\nAnother close confidante of Hofer is Herwig Goetschober of the FPOe-linked Bruna Sudetia student fraternity, which the Falter magazine weekly last year revealed had published a songbook with violently anti-Semitic lyrics.\n\nGoetschober, who at the time said he had no knowledge of the songbook and \"categorically\" rejected its contents, was given responsibility for social media in Hofer's ministerial press office.\n\nHofer, a father of four who is in his second marriage, is like many prominent FPOe politicians an honourable member of the Marko-Germania of Pinkafeld, a Pan-German nationalist fraternity.\n\nDespite a paragliding accident which left him relying on a cane to walk, he remains a keen amateur flier.", "Austria’s chancellor has called for an early election in the country after his vice chancellor resigned over ‘catastrophic’ hidden camera footage that showed him apparently promising government contracts to a purported Russian investor.\n\nVice Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache, 49, leader of the far-right, antiimmigrant Freedom Party stepped down after the video was published by two German newspapers.\n\nOn Friday, the daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung and the weekly Der Spiegel published extracts of the video that allegedly showed Strache offering lucrative contracts to a woman posing as the niece of a Russian oligarch who said she was interested in investing large amounts of money in Austria.\n\nThe video was allegedly filmed in 2017, shortly before the election that brought Strache to power with the Freedom Party, the smaller partner in Austria’s ruling government coalition.\n\nStrache described the sting as a ‘targeted political assassination’ that never led to any money changing hands, insisting the only crime that took place was illegally videotaping a private dinner party.\n\nAustrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, leader of the coalition government’s People’s Party, has now called for an early election after Syrache’s resignation.\n\nMr Kurz said he would ask President Alexander Van der Bellen to set a date for a new election ‘as soon as possible’.\n\nAt a news conference late on Saturday, Mr Kurz said talks with remaining officials from the Freedom Party showed they were not willing to make the changes he felt necessary to continue the current coalition.\n\nMr Kurz also said a possible coalition with the centre-left Social Democrats would derail the government’s programme of limiting debt and taxes.\n\nMr Strache’s resignation was a black eye for the populist and nationalist forces who favour tighter European immigration policies.\n\nIt came only a few days before the May 23-26 European elections.\n\nIn his resignation statement yesterday, Strache conceded his behaviour in the video was ‘stupid, irresponsible and a mistake’.\n\nIn the video, he and party colleague Johann Gudenus are heard telling the unnamed woman she could expect lucrative construction work if she bought Austria’s Kronen Zeitung newspaper and supported the Freedom Party.\n\nThe video spanned six hours of drink-fuelled conversation in a villa on the Spanish island of Ibiza between the Austrian politicians and the woman.\n\nStrache said he had been in a state of ‘increasing alcohol intoxication’ and had ‘behaved like a teenager’ in an attempt to ‘impress the attractive host’.\n\nHe said he had had no further contact with the woman and she did not donate to his party. He claimed to be a victim of the illegal use of surveillance equipment.\n\nIn the video, Mr Strache also appeared to suggest ways of funnelling money to his party via an unconnected foundation to circumvent Austrian rules on political donations.\n\nThe justice spokesman for the opposition Social Democratic Party, Hannes Jarolim, has asked prosecutors to look into the matter, the APA news agency reported.\n\nMr Jarolim reportedly claimed the statements in the video could constitute offences or attempted offences such as misuse of office, bribery and money laundering.", "VIENNA (Reuters) - Austria's chancellor and president will discuss a date on Sunday for an early parliamentary election and the makeup of a caretaker government, after a video sting brought down the leader of the far-right junior partners in the ruling coalition.\n\nChancellor Sebastian Kurz pulled the plug on his coalition and called for a snap election after his deputy, the leader of the far-right Freedom Party, quit over a video showing him discussing fixing state contracts in return for favours.\n\nHeinz-Christian Strache, who was filmed speaking to a woman who posed as the niece of a Russian oligarch, accepted that the video was \"catastrophic\" but denied having broken the law and said no money changed hands.\n\nThe scandal is a blow for one of Europe's most successful nationalist parties just a week before an election to the European parliament in which far-right groups anticipate record success across the continent.\n\nKurz, a conservative who has ruled with far-right junior partners for a year and a half, said the video was the last straw after a number of lesser scandals, and it was time for a new vote rather than an attempt to keep the coalition in office.\n\n\"Enough is enough,\" Kurz said in a statement to the media on Saturday. President Alexander Van der Bellen, who has the authority to dismiss the government, also said he favoured a snap election and would discuss details on Sunday.\n\nAustria could set an election date as soon as the summer, according to national law, \"but that could be difficult due to school holidays,\" said Robert Stein, who heads the election desk at the interior ministry.\n\n\"The first possible Sunday after the school holidays would be September 15,\" he said.\n\nThe makeup of any caretaker government until the snap election was also up for discussion.\n\nStrache said on Saturday that Transport Minister Norbert Hofer, a former presidential candidate, would replace him as party leader. Kurz has not yet said whether he would accept Hofer as his deputy in government.\n\nThe Freedom Party's leadership will meet on Saturday afternoon to discuss next steps and nominate Hofer as party chief, news wire APA said.\n\nThis story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.\n\nYour guide to the latest election news, analysis, commentary, live updates and schedule for Lok Sabha Elections 2019 on firstpost.com/elections. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram or like our Facebook page for updates from all 543 constituencies for the upcoming general elections.", "Austria is bracing itself for fresh elections in September after a tumultuous weekend saw the country’s conservative-nationalist coalition government collapse over the so-called “Ibizagate” scandal.\n\nThe country’s chancellor, Sebastian Kurz, announced on Saturday that his centre-right Austrian People’s party (ÖVP) would end its 18-month ruling coalition with the far-right Freedom party (FPÖ) following the emergence of a video, filmed in Ibiza, that appeared to show his deputy, Heinz-Christian Strache, offering lucrative public contracts in exchange for campaign support.\n\n“Enough is enough,” Kurz said as protesters gathered outside his chancellory chanted the Vengaboys’ 1999 hit We’re Going to Ibiza!\n\nOn Sunday, Austria’s president, Alexander Van der Bellen, said the country’s parties needed to “rebuild trust” with the electorate and proposed holding the vote in early September.\n\n“This new beginning should take place quickly, as quickly as the provisions of the federal constitution permit, so I plead for elections … in September,” he said, following a meeting with Kurz.\n\nNeither Austria’s chancellor nor its president made clear how the country would be governed in the interim period. Opposition parties argue that a thorough investigation of the scandal could only be guaranteed if the Freedom party were to immediately vacate its posts, which include those at the interior and defence ministries.\n\nOn Friday afternoon, the German publications Der Spiegel and Süddeutsche Zeitung had published a video on their websites that shows FPÖ leader Strache and his parliamentary leader, Johann Gudenus, talking to a unidentified woman purporting to be the niece of a Russian oligarch about how she could invest in Austria.\n\nDuring the six-hour meeting at a luxury resort on Ibiza, the woman says she is interested in gaining control of the country’s largest-circulation tabloid, the Kronen Zeitung, to which Strache replies that after staff changes at the paper, it could help the Freedom party in its election campaign.\n\nA chain-smoking Strache is filmed saying the woman would then be able to gain access to artificially inflated state contracts. The 49-year-old, who has led the FPÖ since 2005, also states his intention to “build a media landscape similar to [Hungarian prime minister Viktor] Orbán’s”.\n\nBoth newspapers said they had no clear information about who had set up the elaborate sting operation, but the video had been authenticated by a number of experts.\n\nThe vice-chancellor’s apparent eagerness to accept Russian help raises further questions about the extent of the FPÖ’s longstanding ties to Russia. The far-right party has signed a formal cooperation agreement with President Vladimir Putin’s United Russia party.\n\nWithin 24 hours of the video’s release, Strache and Gudenus resigned from their posts. Holding back tears at a press conference on Saturday, Strache admitted his behaviour had been “stupid, irresponsible and a mistake”. He publicly apologised to his wife for flirting with the woman, whom he describes as attractive in the recording. “It was typical alcohol-fuelled macho behaviour in which, yes, I also wanted to impress the attractive female host,” he said.\n\nHowever, the former far-right leader also described the video as being part of a “targeted political assassination” aimed at breaking apart the coalition government, and insisted he had done nothing illegal.\n\nCommentators in Austria predict that Kurz’s centre-right ÖVP is most likely to profit from the “Ibiza scandal”. The party’s lead candidate for the European elections, Othmar Karas, on Sunday ruled out another coalition government with the FPÖ.\n\nBut the scandal also raises unanswered questions about Kurz’s own party, and the funding of Austria’s political landscape in general. In the video, Strache claims that there are “a couple of very wealthy people”, including weapons manufacturer Gaston Glock, department store heiress Heidi Goëss-Horten and investor René Benko, who channel between €500,000 and €2m to political parties “through a nonprofit association”, “circumventing the court of audits”.\n\nBillionaire investor Benko, Strache says, donates “both to the FPÖ and the ÖVP”. Benko, Glock and Goëss-Horten have all since denied making donations to the Freedom party.", "Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Heinz-Christian Strache was forced to resign following a video scandal\n\nAll ministers from Austria's far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ) are resigning, throwing the government into chaos.\n\nThe Freedom Party's leader Heinz-Christian Strache, who was also vice-chancellor, was forced to resign at the weekend after a video sting.\n\nMr Strache was filmed proposing to offer government contracts to a supposed Russian oligarch's niece.\n\nThe FPÖ threatened a mass resignation earlier on Monday if Interior Minister Herbert Kickl was also forced out.\n\nChancellor Sebastian Kurz had called over the weekend for Mr Kickl to be sacked, saying that as general secretary of the party he should take responsibility for the scandal.\n\nThe scandal broke on Friday when footage from 2017 was published in German media, showing Mr Strache and another FPÖ official proposing to offer government contracts to a supposed Russian oligarch's niece.\n\nMr Strache resigned the next day and Mr Kurz - the head of the centre-right People's Party (ÖVP) - said new elections would have to be held.\n\nThe resigning FPÖ ministers include the foreign minister and ministers for defence, transport, and social affairs. The FPÖ made up half of the country's cabinet.\n\nThe video scandal comes at a particularly awkward time for the party. Voters across the EU go to the polls on 23-26 May, in European Parliament elections widely expected to boost the numbers of far-right and other Eurosceptic MEPs.\n\nBefore the scandal broke, the FPÖ was expected to score about 20% in the European elections.\n\nHow did the scandal unfold?\n\nIt is not known who recorded the video published on Friday. Neither is it clear who set up the meeting, which allegedly took place at a villa on the Spanish island of Ibiza in July 2017 - before the FPÖ joined the new government.\n\nThe video shows Mr Strache and Johann Gudenus - another FPÖ politician - relaxing on sofas, drinking and talking to a woman who claims to be a wealthy Russian national looking to invest in Austria.\n\nIn the footage, the woman offers to buy a 50% stake in Austria's Kronen Zeitung newspaper and switch its editorial position to support the Freedom Party.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Mr Strache said he resigned because he did not want to provide a pretext for the government's collapse\n\nIn exchange, Mr Strache said he could award her public contracts, explaining that he wanted to \"build a media landscape like [Viktor] Orban\", a reference to Hungary's prime minister, described by critics as an authoritarian leader.\n\n\"If you take over the Kronen Zeitung three weeks before the election and get us into first place, then we can talk about everything,\" Mr Strache said.\n\nMr Strache also named several journalists who would have to be \"pushed\" from the newspaper, and five other \"new people whom we will build up\".\n\nAs part of the deal, he suggested the Russian woman \"set up a company like Strabag\", the Austrian construction firm. \"All the government orders that Strabag gets now, [you] would get,\" he continues.\n\nThe political fallout\n\nAustrian President Alexander van der Bellen called for early elections to be held in September. Chancellor Kurz said his party was \"shocked\" by Mr Strache's behaviour, which he called \"a wrong approach to politics\".\n\nThe scandal had damaged Austria's international reputation, Mr Kurz said, demanding a full investigation, saying the video might have criminal ramifications. \"Anything illegal must be clarified,\" he said.\n\nOn Saturday Mr Kurz said this was not the first time he had had difficulties with the FPÖ.\n\n\"Even if I didn't express myself publicly at the time, there were many situations that I found difficult to swallow,\" he said. \"After yesterday's video, I must say quite honestly: Enough is enough.\"\n\nImage copyright AFP Image caption Chancellor Kurz formed a coalition with the far-right party in October 2017\n\nMr Kurz is now facing a vote of no-confidence is his leadership.\n\nEU Commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas said the EU had \"followed in disbelief as a leader of a political party was seen negotiating access to media and institutions, in exchange for funds from external benefactors who clearly do not have Europeans' best interests at heart\".\n\nRussia has denied any involvement. \"This is an incident that has not, and could not, have anything to do with us,\" said President Vladimir Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov.\n\nIn 2016, the FPÖ signed a long-term co-operation agreement with Mr Putin's United Russia party, including joint efforts to \"instil a patriotic spirit in the younger generation\".", "VIENNA (Reuters) - Austria’s president on Sunday recommended a new election be held in early September, saying he wanted to restore trust in the government after a video scandal led to the resignation of the vice chancellor.\n\nChancellor Sebastian Kurz pulled the plug on the coalition and called for a snap election on Saturday after his deputy, Heinz-Christian Strache, the leader of the far-right Freedom Party, quit over a video showed him discussing fixing state contracts in return for favors.\n\nIt is most important that Austrians are given the chance of a new start to rebuild trust in its government, President Alexander van der Bellen said in a statement at his Hofburg residence in Vienna.\n\n“This new beginning should take place quickly, as quickly as the provisions of the Federal Constitution permit, so I plead for elections... in September, if possible at the beginning of September,” the president said.\n\nStrache has described the video sting as a “targeted political assassination” and said it never led to any money changing hands. He insisted the only crime that took place was illegally videotaping a private dinner party.\n\nVan der Bellen and Kurz said at their joint news conference that stability was a main priority for them for the coming months.\n\nKurz repeated that he saw the snap elections as the only way to solve the crisis. “The new elections were a necessity, not a wish,” he said.\n\nThe make up of a caretaker government remained unclear a day after the 18-month-old coalition of conservatives and the far right collapsed.", "VIENNA (Reuters) - Austria’s president on Sunday recommended a new election be held in early September, saying he wanted to restore trust in the government after a video scandal led to the resignation of the vice chancellor.\n\nChancellor Sebastian Kurz pulled the plug on the coalition and called for a snap election on Saturday after his deputy, Heinz-Christian Strache, the leader of the far-right Freedom Party, quit over a video showed him discussing fixing state contracts in return for favors.\n\nIt is most important that Austrians are given the chance of a new start to rebuild trust in its government, President Alexander van der Bellen said in a statement at his Hofburg residence in Vienna.\n\n“This new beginning should take place quickly, as quickly as the provisions of the Federal Constitution permit, so I plead for elections... in September, if possible at the beginning of September,” the president said.\n\nStrache has described the video sting as a “targeted political assassination” and said it never led to any money changing hands. He insisted the only crime that took place was illegally videotaping a private dinner party.\n\nVan der Bellen and Kurz said at their joint news conference that stability was a main priority for them for the coming months.\n\nKurz repeated that he saw the snap elections as the only way to solve the crisis. “The new elections were a necessity, not a wish,” he said.\n\nThe make up of a caretaker government remained unclear a day after the 18-month-old coalition of conservatives and the far right collapsed."], "summary": "All ministers from the far-right Freedom Party of Austria, who make up close to half of Austria's cabinet, are resigning in response to their party leader, Heinz-Christian Strache being forced to resign as Vice-Chancellor after a video was published Friday showing Strache's participation in a compromising video."}
{"document": ["CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Monday celebrated the anniversary of his disputed re-election amid a growing humanitarian crisis and political upheaval.\n\nMaduro tweeted that the May 20, 2018, election, was a \"victory\" for Venezuelans, though the opposition and many countries have derided it as unfair.\n\nThe government staged a rally on the anniversary, and members of a loyalist assembly delivered speeches.\n\nThe assembly rivals the opposition-controlled congress, headed by Juan Guaidó, that says Maduro has steered Venezuela toward authoritarian rule and ruined the economy.\n\nThe United States has imposed sanctions on Venezuela in a bid to unseat Maduro, compounding the problems of the country's deteriorating oil industry. Maduro says Guaidó is a pawn in a U.S. coup plot.\n\nMaduro's re-election to a second six-year term lies at the heart of Venezuela's political standoff, in which Guaidó has sought unsuccessfully to get the military command to support him. The opposition leader's failed call for a military uprising on April 30 was followed by deadly clashes between police and protesters.\n\nAhead of Maduro's 2018 re-election, the main opposition coalition refused to field a candidate, saying there was no possibility of a fair vote. The government had previously stacked the electoral council and judiciary with its supporters, and the opposition's most combative leaders were banned from participating, imprisoned or in exile.", "CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Monday celebrated the anniversary of his disputed re-election amid a growing humanitarian crisis and political upheaval.\n\nMaduro tweeted that the May 20, 2018, election, was a \"victory\" for Venezuelans, though the opposition and many countries have derided it as unfair.\n\nThe government staged a rally on the anniversary, and members of a loyalist assembly delivered speeches.\n\nThe assembly rivals the opposition-controlled congress, headed by Juan Guaidó, that says Maduro has steered Venezuela toward authoritarian rule and ruined the economy.\n\nThe United States has imposed sanctions on Venezuela in a bid to unseat Maduro, compounding the problems of the country's deteriorating oil industry. Maduro says Guaidó is a pawn in a U.S. coup plot.\n\nMaduro's re-election to a second six-year term lies at the heart of Venezuela's political standoff, in which Guaidó has sought unsuccessfully to get the military command to support him. The opposition leader's failed call for a military uprising on April 30 was followed by deadly clashes between police and protesters.\n\nAhead of Maduro's 2018 re-election, the main opposition coalition refused to field a candidate, saying there was no possibility of a fair vote. The government had previously stacked the electoral council and judiciary with its supporters, and the opposition's most combative leaders were banned from participating, imprisoned or in exile.", "CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Monday celebrated the anniversary of his disputed re-election amid a growing humanitarian crisis and political upheaval.\n\nMaduro tweeted that the May 20, 2018, election, was a \"victory\" for Venezuelans, though the opposition and many countries have derided it as unfair.\n\nIn a speech at a government-organized rally, Maduro said he is prepared to face the opposition in legislative elections, though he has made similar challenges in the past while dismissing allegations that his re-election was fixed.\n\nHe referred to a recent effort by Norway to mediate between Venezuela's opposing factions and said he favored dialogue, though critics accuse him of using past negotiations to play for time.\n\n\"Why don't they respond when I make this proposal?\" Maduro said of his election offer to the opposition, which is demanding that he step down to make way for a transitional government before elections can be held.\n\nMeanwhile, members of a loyalist assembly assigned by Maduro to write a new constitution decided to extend their work until the end of 2020. The assembly rivals the opposition-controlled congress, headed by Juan Guaidó, that says Maduro has steered Venezuela toward authoritarian rule and ruined the economy.\n\nThe United States has imposed sanctions on Venezuela in a bid to unseat Maduro, compounding the problems of the country's deteriorating oil industry. Maduro says Guaidó is a pawn in a U.S. coup plot.\n\nAlso Monday, Carlos Vecchio, a government opponent who the U.S. recognizes as Venezuela's ambassador, met with Pentagon officials at the request of Guaidó. The U.S. has insisted \"all options\" are on the table for dealing with Venezuela's crisis and Guaidó in recent weeks has publicly speculated about the idea of requesting foreign military assistance to help rid Venezuela of Maduro.\n\nEven so, the U.S. says it is focusing on diplomatic and economic pressure on Maduro, and there are no indications of any military buildup.\n\nMaduro's re-election to a second six-year term lies at the heart of Venezuela's political standoff, in which Guaidó has sought unsuccessfully to get the military command to support him. The opposition leader's failed call for a military uprising on April 30 was followed by deadly clashes between police and protesters.\n\nAhead of Maduro's 2018 re-election, the main opposition coalition refused to field a candidate, saying there was no possibility of a fair vote. The government had previously stacked the electoral council and judiciary with its supporters, and the opposition's most combative leaders were banned from participating, imprisoned or exiled.\n\nAssociated Press writer Jorge Rueda in Caracas contributed to this report.", "CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Monday celebrated the anniversary of his disputed re-election amid a growing humanitarian crisis and political upheaval.\n\nMaduro tweeted that the May 20, 2018, election, was a “victory” for Venezuelans, though the opposition and many countries have derided it as unfair.\n\nIn a speech at a government-organized rally, Maduro said he is prepared to face the opposition in legislative elections, though he has made similar challenges in the past while dismissing allegations that his re-election was fixed.\n\nHe referred to a recent effort by Norway to mediate between Venezuela’s opposing factions and said he favored dialogue, though critics accuse him of using past negotiations to play for time.\n\n“Why don’t they respond when I make this proposal?” Maduro said of his election offer to the opposition, which is demanding that he step down to make way for a transitional government before elections can be held.\n\nMeanwhile, members of a loyalist assembly assigned by Maduro to write a new constitution decided to extend their work until the end of 2020. The assembly rivals the opposition-controlled congress, headed by Juan Guaidó, that says Maduro has steered Venezuela toward authoritarian rule and ruined the economy.\n\nThe United States has imposed sanctions on Venezuela in a bid to unseat Maduro, compounding the problems of the country’s deteriorating oil industry. Maduro says Guaidó is a pawn in a U.S. coup plot.\n\nAlso Monday, Carlos Vecchio, a government opponent who the U.S. recognizes as Venezuela’s ambassador, met with Pentagon officials at the request of Guaidó. The U.S. has insisted “all options” are on the table for dealing with Venezuela’s crisis and Guaidó in recent weeks has publicly speculated about the idea of requesting foreign military assistance to help rid Venezuela of Maduro.\n\nEven so, the U.S. says it is focusing on diplomatic and economic pressure on Maduro, and there are no indications of any military buildup.\n\nMaduro’s re-election to a second six-year term lies at the heart of Venezuela’s political standoff, in which Guaidó has sought unsuccessfully to get the military command to support him. The opposition leader’s failed call for a military uprising on April 30 was followed by deadly clashes between police and protesters.\n\nAhead of Maduro’s 2018 re-election, the main opposition coalition refused to field a candidate, saying there was no possibility of a fair vote. The government had previously stacked the electoral council and judiciary with its supporters, and the opposition’s most combative leaders were banned from participating, imprisoned or exiled.\n\nAssociated Press writer Jorge Rueda in Caracas contributed to this report.", "CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Monday celebrated the anniversary of his disputed re-election amid a growing humanitarian crisis and political upheaval.\n\nMaduro tweeted that the May 20, 2018, election, was a \"victory\" for Venezuelans, though the opposition and many countries have derided it as unfair.\n\nThe government staged a rally on the anniversary, and members of a loyalist assembly delivered speeches.\n\nThe assembly rivals the opposition-controlled congress, headed by Juan Guaidó, that says Maduro has steered Venezuela toward authoritarian rule and ruined the economy.\n\nThe United States has imposed sanctions on Venezuela in a bid to unseat Maduro, compounding the problems of the country's deteriorating oil industry. Maduro says Guaidó is a pawn in a U.S. coup plot.\n\nMaduro's re-election to a second six-year term lies at the heart of Venezuela's political standoff, in which Guaidó has sought unsuccessfully to get the military command to support him. The opposition leader's failed call for a military uprising on April 30 was followed by deadly clashes between police and protesters.\n\nAhead of Maduro's 2018 re-election, the main opposition coalition refused to field a candidate, saying there was no possibility of a fair vote. The government had previously stacked the electoral council and judiciary with its supporters, and the opposition's most combative leaders were banned from participating, imprisoned or in exile.", "CARACAS, Venezuela — Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Monday celebrated the anniversary of his disputed re-election amid a growing humanitarian crisis and political upheaval.\n\nMaduro tweeted that the May 20, 2018, election, was a “victory” for Venezuelans, though the opposition and many countries have derided it as unfair.\n\nIn a speech at a government-organized rally, Maduro said he is prepared to face the opposition in legislative elections, though he has made similar challenges in the past while dismissing allegations that his re-election was fixed.\n\nHe referred to a recent effort by Norway to mediate between Venezuela’s opposing factions and said he favored dialogue, though critics accuse him of using past negotiations to play for time.\n\n“Why don’t they respond when I make this proposal?” Maduro said of his election offer to the opposition, which is demanding that he step down to make way for a transitional government before elections can be held.\n\nMeanwhile, members of a loyalist assembly assigned by Maduro to write a new constitution decided to extend their work until the end of 2020. The assembly rivals the opposition-controlled congress, headed by Juan Guaidó, that says Maduro has steered Venezuela toward authoritarian rule and ruined the economy.\n\nThe United States has imposed sanctions on Venezuela in a bid to unseat Maduro, compounding the problems of the country’s deteriorating oil industry. Maduro says Guaidó is a pawn in a U.S. coup plot.\n\nAlso Monday, Carlos Vecchio, a government opponent who the U.S. recognizes as Venezuela’s ambassador, met with Pentagon officials at the request of Guaidó. The U.S. has insisted “all options” are on the table for dealing with Venezuela’s crisis and Guaidó in recent weeks has publicly speculated about the idea of requesting foreign military assistance to help rid Venezuela of Maduro.\n\nEven so, the U.S. says it is focusing on diplomatic and economic pressure on Maduro, and there are no indications of any military buildup.\n\nMaduro’s re-election to a second six-year term lies at the heart of Venezuela’s political standoff, in which Guaidó has sought unsuccessfully to get the military command to support him. The opposition leader’s failed call for a military uprising on April 30 was followed by deadly clashes between police and protesters.\n\nAhead of Maduro’s 2018 re-election, the main opposition coalition refused to field a candidate, saying there was no possibility of a fair vote. The government had previously stacked the electoral council and judiciary with its supporters, and the opposition’s most combative leaders were banned from participating, imprisoned or exiled.", "CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Monday celebrated the anniversary of his disputed re-election amid a growing humanitarian crisis and political upheaval.\n\nMaduro tweeted that the May 20, 2018, election, was a “victory” for Venezuelans, though the opposition and many countries have derided it as unfair.\n\nThe government staged a rally on the anniversary, and members of a loyalist assembly delivered speeches.\n\nThe assembly rivals the opposition-controlled congress, headed by Juan Guaidó, that says Maduro has steered Venezuela toward authoritarian rule and ruined the economy.\n\nThe United States has imposed sanctions on Venezuela in a bid to unseat Maduro, compounding the problems of the country’s deteriorating oil industry. Maduro says Guaidó is a pawn in a U.S. coup plot.\n\nMaduro’s re-election to a second six-year term lies at the heart of Venezuela’s political standoff, in which Guaidó has sought unsuccessfully to get the military command to support him. The opposition leader’s failed call for a military uprising on April 30 was followed by deadly clashes between police and protesters.\n\nAhead of Maduro’s 2018 re-election, the main opposition coalition refused to field a candidate, saying there was no possibility of a fair vote. The government had previously stacked the electoral council and judiciary with its supporters, and the opposition’s most combative leaders were banned from participating, imprisoned or in exile.", "CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Monday celebrated the anniversary of his disputed re-election amid a growing humanitarian crisis and political upheaval.\n\nMaduro tweeted that the May 20, 2018, election, was a \"victory\" for Venezuelans, though the opposition and many countries have derided it as unfair.\n\nThe government staged a rally on the anniversary, and members of a loyalist assembly delivered speeches.\n\nThe assembly rivals the opposition-controlled congress, headed by Juan Guaidó, that says Maduro has steered Venezuela toward authoritarian rule and ruined the economy.\n\nThe United States has imposed sanctions on Venezuela in a bid to unseat Maduro, compounding the problems of the country's deteriorating oil industry. Maduro says Guaidó is a pawn in a U.S. coup plot.\n\nMaduro's re-election to a second six-year term lies at the heart of Venezuela's political standoff, in which Guaidó has sought unsuccessfully to get the military command to support him. The opposition leader's failed call for a military uprising on April 30 was followed by deadly clashes between police and protesters.\n\nAhead of Maduro's 2018 re-election, the main opposition coalition refused to field a candidate, saying there was no possibility of a fair vote. The government had previously stacked the electoral council and judiciary with its supporters, and the opposition's most combative leaders were banned from participating, imprisoned or in exile.", "CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Monday celebrated the anniversary of his disputed re-election amid a growing humanitarian crisis and political upheaval.\n\nMaduro tweeted that the May 20, 2018, election, was a \"victory\" for Venezuelans, though the opposition and many countries have derided it as unfair.\n\nIn a speech at a government-organized rally, Maduro said he is prepared to face the opposition in legislative elections, though he has made similar challenges in the past while dismissing allegations that his re-election was fixed.\n\nHe referred to a recent effort by Norway to mediate between Venezuela's opposing factions and said he favored dialogue, though critics accuse him of using past negotiations to play for time.\n\n\"Why don't they respond when I make this proposal?\" Maduro said of his election offer to the opposition, which is demanding that he step down to make way for a transitional government before elections can be held.\n\nMeanwhile, members of a loyalist assembly assigned by Maduro to write a new constitution decided to extend their work until the end of 2020. The assembly rivals the opposition-controlled congress, headed by Juan Guaidó, that says Maduro has steered Venezuela toward authoritarian rule and ruined the economy.\n\nThe United States has imposed sanctions on Venezuela in a bid to unseat Maduro, compounding the problems of the country's deteriorating oil industry. Maduro says Guaidó is a pawn in a U.S. coup plot.\n\nAlso Monday, Carlos Vecchio, a government opponent who the U.S. recognizes as Venezuela's ambassador, met with Pentagon officials at the request of Guaidó. The U.S. has insisted \"all options\" are on the table for dealing with Venezuela's crisis and Guaidó in recent weeks has publicly speculated about the idea of requesting foreign military assistance to help rid Venezuela of Maduro.\n\nEven so, the U.S. says it is focusing on diplomatic and economic pressure on Maduro, and there are no indications of any military buildup.\n\nMaduro's re-election to a second six-year term lies at the heart of Venezuela's political standoff, in which Guaidó has sought unsuccessfully to get the military command to support him. The opposition leader's failed call for a military uprising on April 30 was followed by deadly clashes between police and protesters.\n\nAhead of Maduro's 2018 re-election, the main opposition coalition refused to field a candidate, saying there was no possibility of a fair vote. The government had previously stacked the electoral council and judiciary with its supporters, and the opposition's most combative leaders were banned from participating, imprisoned or exiled.\n\nAssociated Press writer Jorge Rueda in Caracas contributed to this report.", "Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Monday celebrated the anniversary of his disputed re-election amid a growing humanitarian crisis and political upheaval.\n\nMaduro tweeted that the May 20, 2018, election, was a \"victory\" for Venezuelans, though the opposition and many countries have derided it as unfair.\n\nThe government staged a rally on the anniversary, and members of a loyalist assembly delivered speeches.\n\nThe assembly rivals the opposition-controlled congress, headed by Juan Guaidó, that says Maduro has steered Venezuela toward authoritarian rule and ruined the economy.\n\nThe United States has imposed sanctions on Venezuela in a bid to unseat Maduro, compounding the problems of the country's deteriorating oil industry. Maduro says Guaidó is a pawn in a U.S. coup plot.\n\nMaduro's re-election to a second six-year term lies at the heart of Venezuela's political standoff, in which Guaidó has sought unsuccessfully to get the military command to support him. The opposition leader's failed call for a military uprising on April 30 was followed by deadly clashes between police and protesters.\n\nAhead of Maduro's 2018 re-election, the main opposition coalition refused to field a candidate, saying there was no possibility of a fair vote. The government had previously stacked the electoral council and judiciary with its supporters, and the opposition's most combative leaders were banned from participating, imprisoned or in exile."], "summary": "Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro proposes early elections for Venezuela's National Assembly. Opposition leader and National Assembly President Juan Guaidó has stated a rejection of the proposal."}
{"document": ["Lubumbashi (DR Congo) (AFP) - DR Congo President Felix Tshisekedi on Monday named a government veteran, Sylvestre Ilunga Ilunkamba, as the next prime minister, a move that came nearly four months after his inauguration.\n\nIlunga Ilunkamba was appointed under \"the political agreement\" between Tshisekedi and his predecessor Joseph Kabila \"regarding the creation of a coalition government,\" presidential spokesman Kasongo Mwema Yamba Yamba said.\n\nIllunga Ilunkamba, whose government career spans decades, replaces Bruno Tshibala, who had been appointed by Kabila in 2017. Ilunga Ilunkamba's aides gave his age as 78.\n\nTshisekedi was sworn in on January 24 after elections that marked the Democratic Republic of Congo's first peaceful transition of power since the vast country gained independence from Belgium in 1960.\n\nBut the vote was marred by allegations of rigging, and Tshisekedi is struggling to push through with pledges of reform.\n\nThe country's politics remain overshadowed by Kabila, who amassed extensive clout after 18 years in power.\n\nHis political allies retain the upper hand in parliament, provincial assemblies and governorships across the unstable country. His men also play a major role in security services.\n\nIlunga Ilunkamba, speaking to the press after meeting Tshisikedi, said, \" I would like to thank his excellency, Joseph Kabila Kabange, who proposed me as prime minister and assured me of his trust.\"\n\nHe vowed to throw himself into ensuring the \"harmonious governance of the coalition.\"\n\nTshisekedi told him the priorities would be \"social, meaning education, health, security and establishing peace,\" he said.\n\nA PhD in economics from the University of Kinshasa, Ilunga Ilunkamba began his political career under former dictator Mobutu Sese Seko, who was overthrown in 1997.\n\nHis long record in government includes four spells as vice minister and two as minister for planning and finance. Prior to his new appointment, he was director general of the DRC's railway corporation, the SNCC.\n\n- Katumbi returns -\n\nStory continues\n\nMeanwhile, thousands of people welcomed Moise Katumbi, a prominent foe of Kabila, as he landed at Lubumbashi airport on Monday after three years in self-imposed exile.\n\nKatumbi, 54, a wealthy businessman of mixed Greek and Congolese origin, served as the elected governor of Katanga in southeastern DR Congo before the province was divided up in a territorial revision.\n\nHe was once an ally of Kabila but the pair fell out. Katumbi was given a three-year jail term in absentia for alleged property fraud -- an accusation he denied -- and was barred from standing in last December's elections.\n\nThe conviction was annulled before Katumbi flew back to his homeland three years to the day after he left for Belgium.\n\n\"The truth always triumphs in the end,\" Katumbi, the owner and president of the renowned TP (\"All Powerful\") Mazemba football club, told his fans at the airport.\n\n\"I return for peace and for national reconstruction in our country,\" he said.\n\nKatumbi returned in a private jet to find supporters, many dressed in white, lining the road between the airport and the centre of Lubumbashi, now the capital of mineral-rich Haut-Katanga province.\n\nHe has also been an opponent of Tshisekedi and has yet to make clear what role he plans to play.\n\nIn the December 30 election, Katumbi backed Martin Fayulu, another wealthy businessman, who claims he was denied victory thanks to a back-room deal between Kabila and Tshisekedi.\n\nMonday's developments coincided with a visit by French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, the highest-ranking European official to come to Kinshasa since the election.\n\nThe French minister pledged \"a programme of 300 million euros ($335 million) for the duration of Mr Tshisekedi's mandate\" in sectors including development, training, health, security, agriculture and energy.", "ALEXIS HUGUET / AFP | DR Congo president Felix Tshisekedi (C) greets the crowd upon his arrival at the airport of Goma, North-Kivu Province, on April 14, 2019\n\nDR Congo President Felix Tshisekedi on Monday named the head of the country's railways, Sylvestre Ilunga Ilukamba, as the next prime minister, a move that came nearly four months after his inauguration.\n\nIlunga Ilukumba was appointed under a political agreement between Tshisekedi and his predecessor, Joseph Kabila, presidential spokesman Kasongo Mwema Yamba Yamba said.\n\nIlukamba was previously the head of Congo's national railway company, known as the SNCC. He was also finance minister under former president Mobutu Sese Seko.", "KINSHASA (Reuters) - Sylvestre Ilunga Ilukamba, a career politician and ally of former President Joseph Kabila, was appointed as Democratic Republic of Congo’s prime minister on Monday, the government said in a statement.\n\nIlukamba was previously the head of Congo’s national railway company, known as the SNCC, and has served in various government posts since the 1970s, according to an official biography released on Monday.\n\nFelix Tshisekedi won long-delayed presidential elections in Dec. 30, 2018, defeating a candidate officially backed by Kabila, whose own term limit was up.\n\nOpposition politicians say the result was rigged in a secret deal between Kabila’s and Tshisekedi’s camps under which Kabila would officially step down but maintain control, a charge they both denied.\n\nForming a new government has taken months, in part because of disagreements over the appointment of a Prime Minister. Kabila had wanted Tshisekedi to appoint Albert Yuma, a Kabila ally and chairman of state mining company Gecamines, but Tshisekedi refused because of Yuma’s checkered history, sources familiar with the matter said.\n\nUnder Congo’s constitution, the candidate must come from the ranks of the parliamentary majority, Kabila’s Common Front for Congo (FCC). Ilukamba is also from Katanga, the same mineral-rich part of the country as Kabila.\n\nDespite concerns, the appointment marks at least an official move on from Kabila’s 18-year rule. On Monday, Congolese opposition leader Moise Katumbi returned home from three years in exile, one of a series of indicted politicians cleared under Tshisekedi’s administration.\n\nThousands of supporters came out to welcome Katumbi at the airport in Lubumbashi, the main city in his political heartland in the copper-mining Katanga region.\n\n“I’m happy to be back home, the truth always triumphs,” he said.\n\nTshisekedi has pardoned 700 prisoners including three political opponents of his predecessor Joseph Kabila since coming to power in January.\n\nHis supporters say the moves point to a new era political openness after years of suppression of opposition figures.\n\nKatumbi fled the country in May 2016 in the face of accusations he had hired mercenaries as part of a plot against Kabila’s government.\n\nHe was then sentenced in absentia to three years in prison for real estate fraud - both charges his supporters said were aimed at preventing him from running in an election to replace Kabila.\n\nBut Katumbi’s fraud conviction was overturned by an appeals court last month. And prosecutors said they had also dropped their investigations into the mercenary accusations “given that the president of the republic has made easing political tensions his priority”.", "KINSHASA (Reuters) - Democratic Republic of Congo’s President Felix Tshisekedi has named Sylvestre Ilunga Ilukamba as prime minister, his spokesman said in a statement on national television on Monday.\n\nIlukamba was previously the head of Congo’s national railway company, known as the SNCC. He was also Finance minister under former President Mobutu Sese Seko.", "Ilunga was a key player in President Mobutu Sese Seko’s cabinet, including a stint as finance minister from 1990 to 1991, but had had not been front-and-center in Congolese politics recently until now.\n\nIlunga was named on Congolese state television on Monday. The professor, originally from mine-rich Katanga, had been the head of the beleaguered national rail company since 2014, which for some critics calls into question his ability to do the top ministerial job.\n\nPart of the delay in naming a prime minister came from former president Joseph Kabila’s political party People for Reconstruction and Democracy Party (PPRD), who won a majority in parliament, earning the right to name the prime minister.\n\nThe drawn-out negotiations were the result of a number of rejections by President Felix Tshisekedi from Kabila’s PPRD, including former ministers under Kabila, until Ilunga was agreed upon.\n\nThe Prime Minister wields power under the Congolese constitution, but Ilunga, according to analysts, will need to balance both Tshisekedi and PPRD in order to be an effective prime minister.\n\nIlunga will now form a new cabinet, perhaps with some PPRD ministers, as Congolese are watching Kinshasa.", "Sylvestre Ilunga Ilunkamba, 73, is a native of the former Katanga province. \"He is a technocrat and a professor in Economics with a long experience in government and administration,\" says Israel Mutala, analyst and editor in chief of the Congolese online newspaper 7sur7.\n\nUntil recently, Ilunkamba was executive director of the National Railway Company (SNCC). He was Deputy Minister four times and twice Minister of Planning and Finance, in the 80's, under the regime of President Mobutu Sese Seko. He came out of retirement as the compromise candidate between the new President, Felix Tshisekedi, and his vanquished predecessor Joseph Kabila, who's Common Front for Congo (FCC) holds absolute majority in Parliament.\n\nIt took four long months for the two men to agree on a prime-minister. Other names put forward by Kabila were rejected by Tshisekedi. That was the case for Kabila's favorite, Albert Yuma, chairman of the board of directors of the state-controlled mining corporation Gécamines. Tshisekedi and some international players saw Yuma as too much of Kabila's man to allow for a real change of the system.\n\nFor the new president, Ilunga Ilunkamba has other advantages as well. \"He was chosen because he is not divisive or too politically charged. He has a conciliatory and effacing personality. I think the president opted for someone who is not likely to eclipse him,\" Mutala told DW. The analyst sees this as a good sign. \"We are still a fragile state. We need compromises to function.\" The agreement cements a coalition. This will work better for stability than its alternative, cohabitation, which would be bound to create conflicts, he explained.\n\nIlunga Ilunkamba himself reacted to the nomination in his trademark sober way, promising to spare no efforts to better the lives of ordinary citizens through transparency and good governance. \"I pledge to mobilize all my capacities to make the coalition work harmoniously at the government level,\" he said.\n\nThe new prime-minister has his work cut out for him. He must form a cabinet which will satisfy everyone, including his own FCC alliance of more than 18 political parties. FCC Member of Parliament Pius Muabilu told DW he was happy with the choice of this \"very experienced man,\" for the position, but added: \"We'll have to wait and see how he does.\"\n\nOn the streets of Kinshasa people for the most part seem to have adopted this \"wait-and-see\" strategy too. \"Let's see what Mr. Ilunkamba will do for the country,\" one citizen told DW. Another added: \"It took too long to nominate a prime-minister. You can't just let the president govern the country for four months without anyone controlling his actions.\"\n\nAt least the opposition is bound to step up its control of the government. On Tuesday, May 21, after three years of exile in Belgium, opposition leader Moise Katumbi returned to the DR Congo. This was possible after his conviction for alleged property fraud - an accusation he denied – and ensuing three-year jail term, were annulled. \"Katumbi's return is an eloquent sign for abating political tensions. Tshisekedi promised to promote reconciliation and he made Katumbi's return possible,\" said analyst Mutala, adding that this was a very positive development, which would \"strengthen national cohesion.\"\n\nKept from running himself in the December 30, 2018 election, Katumbi backed a fellow wealthy businessman, Martin Fayulu, who claimed he was denied victory thanks to a back-room deal between Kabila and Tshisekedi. Back home, Katumbi has yet to make clear what political role he plans to play now. \"He said he wants to be constructive and support the president wherever he works for greater democratization. But one thing is clear: Moise Katumbi is already preparing his bid for the presidency in 2023,\" Mutala said.", "The body of the opposition figurehead father of DR Congo's new president is to be repatriated to his home country two years after he died in Belgium, family members said on Tuesday.\n\nEtienne Tshisekedi, whose son Felix was this year sworn in as leader in the country's first peaceful transition of power in decades, is to be returned to DR Congo for burial next week.\n\nHe died in Brussels aged 84 in February 2017 but his body stayed in the Belgian capital due to political tensions with the regime of ex-president Joseph Kabila.\n\n\"The body of Etienne Tshisekedi arrives May 30 and the funeral will happen at Martyrs stadium,\" his brother, Archbishop Gerard Mulumba, told AFP.\n\nHe said the burial was expected to take place on June 1.\n\nRelatives told AFP that Etienne Tshisekedi's body would be repatriated the day before.\n\n\"It's been more than two years since we did everything we could (to repatriate the body),\" said Mulumba.\n\n\"Now that things are going better, we are obviously relieved,\" he said.\n\nA veteran political campaigner, Etienne Tshisekedi spent decades in opposition but never reached the top job.\n\nA critic of former dictator Mobutu Sese Seko, he co-founded the Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS) in 1982 after a stint in prison.\n\nIn 1997, after Mobutu was ousted in a rebellion led by Kabila's father, Laurent, Tshisekedi quickly became an opponent of the new regime -- a stance that continued after Laurent's assassination in 2001 and his son's rise to power.\n\nBeaten in 2011 elections tainted by massive irregularities, Tshisekedi refused to recognise Kabila's legitimacy to the very last.\n\nAlmost two years after his death, on January 24, his son Felix Tshisekedi was sworn in as president after elections that saw Kabila quit following 18 years in power.\n\nThe election however was marred by widespread allegations of rigging and the country's politics remain overshadowed by Kabila, who amassed extensive clout during his time in charge.\n\nOn Monday Tshisekedi named government veteran Sylvestre Ilunga Ilunkamba as the next prime minister."], "summary": "After several months of negotiations, President Félix Tshisekedi names Sylvestre Ilunga Ilukamba as the new Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in an agreement with former president Joseph Kabila. He had not appointed a prime minister since being elected in December 2018."}
{"document": ["The recommended practical system of units of measurement is the International System of Units (Système International d'Unités), with the international abbreviation SI.\n\nThe SI is defined by the SI Brochure, which is published by the BIPM.\n\nIn a landmark decision, the BIPM's Member States voted on 16 November 2018 to revise the SI, changing the world's definition of the kilogram, the ampere, the kelvin and the mole.\n\nThis decision, made at the 26th meeting of the General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM), means that from 20 May 2019 all SI units are defined in terms of constants that describe the natural world. This will assure the future stability of the SI and open the opportunity for the use of new technologies, including quantum technologies, to implement the definitions.\n\nThe seven defining constants of the SI are:\n\nthe caesium hyperfine frequency Cs ;\n\n; the speed of light in vacuum c ;\n\n; the Planck constant h ;\n\n; the elementary charge e ;\n\n; the Boltzmann constant k ;\n\n; the Avogadro constant N A ; and\n\n; and the luminous efficacy of a defined visible radiation K cd .\n\nThe SI was previously defined in terms of seven base units and derived units defined as products of powers of the base units. The seven base units were chosen for historical reasons, and were, by convention, regarded as dimensionally independent: the metre, the kilogram, the second, the ampere, the kelvin, the mole, and the candela. This role for the base units continues in the present SI even though the SI itself is now defined in terms of the defining constants above.", "New Delhi, May 20 (IANS) The new System of Units (SI) to measure weight, temperature, amount of substance, and current came into operation in India from Monday on the occasion of the World Metrology Day, an official release said.\n\nThe resolution to redefine four of the seven base units – the kilogram (SI unit of weight), Kelvin (SI unit of temperature), mole (SI unit of amount of substance), and ampere (SI unit of current) – was adopted at the 26th General Conference on Weights & Measures (GCWM), which is comprised of 60 member countries, in November 2018.\n\n“This decision has now enabled scientists and researchers to base the SI units entirely on fundamental properties of nature, which will ensure their ongoing refinement and improvement for years to come,” the Science and Technology Ministry Ministry said in a release.\n\n“The fundamental constants are invariants of time and space and successfully replaced the artifact-based units, and aptly opened up the new era for quantum world by linking all seven base units to fundamental constants/quantum standards.”\n\nThe existing definition of the kg is over 130 years old. The new SI system, which is defined in terms of Planck’s constant, would be stable in the long term and practically realisable.\n\nThe new SI System will be helpful in bringing in accuracy while dealing with international trade, biotechnology, high-tech manufacturing and human health and safety.\n\nThe new definition of kg involves accurate weighing machines called ‘Kibble balance’, which uses Planck’s Constant to measure the mass of an object using a precisely measured electromagnetic force."], "summary": "The redefinition of the SI system of measurement adopted by the majority of countries in the world takes effect."}
{"document": ["GUWAHATI, India (Reuters) - Eleven people, including a lawmaker and four of his family, were killed in an ambush by tribal separatists in the eastern Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh, a senior police official said on Tuesday.\n\nHeavily armed militants fired automatic weapons at the five-vehicle convoy of Tirong Aboh, a member of the legislative assembly for the state seat of Khonsa, in the Tirap district near the border with Myanmar, the police official said.\n\n“We are yet to ascertain the group responsible for the attack,” the police official, who declined to be named as he is not authorized to talk to the media, told Reuters.\n\nThe area where the ambush took place is very remote, making investigation of the attack difficult, the official said.\n\n\"Extremely shocked by unfortunate incident of killing of Khonsa MLA Tirong Aboh along with several others by insurgents,\" Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu tweeted bit.ly/2WUdAqU.\n\nAttacks on Indian officials by separatist militias have declined in recent years, though dozens of groups still operate in north and eastern areas of the country.\n\nIn April, five people including a lawmaker from India’s ruling party were killed in the eastern state of Chhattisgarh when Maoist militants detonated a bomb as an entourage traveled back from a campaign appearance.", "GUWAHATI — At least 11 persons, including Arunachal Pradesh legislator Tirong Aboh, were killed in an ambush by suspected Naga militants in Tirap district of Arunachal Pradesh May 20, police said.\n\nPolice said that Aboh and his family members were travelling from Dibrugarh in Assam to Khonsa, when their vehicle was ambushed by suspected NSCN (IM) militants at Bogapani in Tirap district, located on Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border.\n\nAboh, a sitting National People's Party MLA from Khonsa West constituency of the hill state, contested the recently held Assembly elections for a second term and received threats from the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Issak and Muivah (NSCN-IM) militants over this.\n\nThe police confirmed that Aboh had died, but refused to divulge details of the other victims.\n\nMinister of state for Home Kiren Rijiju confirmed the number of killed to be 11 and condemned the incident.\n\n\"I'm shocked and saddened by the brutal attack and tragic killing of MLA Shri Tirong Aboh of Arunachal Pradesh, his family including 11 people. Strongest possible action will be taken against those responsible for such dastardly attack,\" Rijiju tweeted.\n\nNPP chief and Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma expressed shock over the tragedy. \"The NPP is extremely shocked and saddened by the news of the death of its MLA Shri Tirong Aboh (Arunachal Pradesh) and his family. We condemn the brutal attack and urge @rajnathsingh and @PMOIndia to take action against those responsible for such attack,\" Sangma tweeted.\n\n\"Extremely shocked by the unfortunate killing of Khonsa MLA Tirong Aboh and several others, by insurgents. Strongly condemn this barbarous act. Action will be initiated to hunt down the perpetrators. My heartfelt condolence & may souls of those departed rest in peace,\" Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu tweeted.", "At least seven persons, including Tirong Aboh, were killed in an attack by suspected Naga militants in district of on Tuesday, police said.\n\nPolice said that Aboh and his family members were travelling from Dibrugarh in to Khonsa, when their veicle was ambushed by suspected NSCN (IM) militants at Bogapani in district.\n\nAboh, a sitting (NPP) MLA from West constituency of the hill state, contested the recently held Assembly elections for a second term and received threats from the (NSCN-IM) militants over this.\n\nThe police confirmed that Aboh had died, but refused to divulge details of the other victims.\n\nNPP expressed shock over the tragedy. \"The NPP is extremely shocked and saddened by the news of the death of its MLA Shri (Arunachal Pradesh) and his family. We condemn the brutal attack and urge @rajnathsingh and @PMOIndia to take action against those responsible for such attack,\" Sangma tweeted.\n\n\"Extremely shocked by the unfortunate killing of MLA and several others, by insurgents. Strongly condemn this barbarous act. Action will be initiated to hunt down the perpetrators. My heartfelt condolence & may souls of those departed rest in peace,\" Chief Minister tweeted."], "summary": "Eleven people were killed in an ambush at 12th mile in Khonsa-Deomali road in Tirap District in Arunachal Pradesh."}
{"document": ["(Reuters) - U.S. drugmaker Merck & Co Inc on Tuesday agreed to buy Peloton Therapeutics Inc for $1.05 billion in cash, gaining access to the privately held company’s lead kidney cancer drug candidate.\n\nFILE PHOTO: The Merck logo is seen at a gate to the Merck & Co campus in Linden, New Jersey, U.S., July 12, 2018. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo\n\nThe acquisition can strengthen Merck’s presence in the field of renal cell carcinoma and bolster its cancer drug portfolio.\n\nMerck’s blockbuster immunotherapy Keytruda was approved last month in the United States for treating renal cell cancer.\n\n“This is a classic bolt-on deal. Peloton has a drug that looks promising in renal cell carcinoma, and there’s actually been a lot of success in the field in recent years,” said Brad Loncar, who runs the Loncar Cancer Immunotherapy ETF.\n\nPeloton expects to start studying its lead drug, a kidney cancer treatment code named as “PT2977”, in a late-stage trial in the second half of this year.\n\nIn an older mid-stage trial testing patients whose cancer had spread even after treatment with at least one therapy, 24% of patients treated with Peloton’s drug showed an at least 30% shrinkage of targeted lesions.\n\nConfident of its pipeline, Peloton was earlier looking to go public and had given a pricing range of $15 to $17 per share for its initial public offering last week.\n\nAt the upper limit of that range, the company would have been valued at $903.6 million, including underwriters’ option and other outstanding shares.\n\nWith the Merck deal now in place, Peloton shareholders would be eligible to receive a further $1.15 billion on achieving certain sales and regulatory milestones.\n\n“The deal announced today should also underscore the opportunity for other small and mid cap biotech names in the cancer biology space,” said Cantor Fitzgerald analyst Louise Chen.\n\nCredit Suisse was financial adviser for Merck and Centerview Partners was to Peloton.\n\n(This refiled story corrects spelling in paragraph 3 to “bolt-on”, from “blot-on”)", "(Reuters) - Merck & Co Inc said on Tuesday it would buy Peloton Therapeutics Inc for $1.05 billion in cash to gain access to the privately held company’s renal cancer drug candidate.\n\nPeloton shareholders will be eligible to receive a further $1.15 billion on achieving certain milestones.", "Merck & Co Inc said on Tuesday it would buy Peloton Therapeutics Inc for US$1.05 billion in cash to gain access to the privately held company's renal cancer drug candidate.\n\nREUTERS: Merck & Co Inc said on Tuesday it would buy Peloton Therapeutics Inc for US$1.05 billion in cash to gain access to the privately held company's renal cancer drug candidate.\n\nThe company's lead drug candidate, PT2977, will be studied in a late-stage study for treating renal cell carcinoma.\n\nPeloton shareholders will be eligible to receive a further US$1.15 billion on achieving certain milestones.\n\nThe company had been looking to go public and gave a pricing range of US$15 to US$17 per share for its initial public offering last week.\n\nCredit Suisse acted as financial adviser for Merck and Covington & Burling LLP as its legal adviser. Centerview Partners was financial adviser to Peloton and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati was its legal adviser.", "The acquisition can strengthen Merck's presence in the field of renal cell carcinoma and bolster its cancer drug portfolio.\n\nMerck's blockbuster immunotherapy Keytruda was approved last month in the United States for treating renal cell cancer.\n\n\"This is a classic bolt-on deal. Peloton has a drug that looks promising in renal cell carcinoma, and there's actually been a lot of success in the field in recent years,\" said Brad Loncar, who runs the Loncar Cancer Immunotherapy ETF.\n\nPeloton expects to start studying its lead drug, a kidney cancer treatment code named as \"PT2977\", in a late-stage trial in the second half of this year.\n\nIn an older mid-stage trial testing patients whose cancer had spread even after treatment with at least one therapy, 24% of patients treated with Peloton's drug showed an at least 30% shrinkage of targeted lesions.\n\nConfident of its pipeline, Peloton was earlier looking to go public and had given a pricing range of $15 to $17 per share for its initial public offering last week.\n\nAt the upper limit of that range, the company would have been valued at $903.6 million, including underwriters' option and other outstanding shares.\n\nWith the Merck deal now in place, Peloton shareholders would be eligible to receive a further $1.15 billion on achieving certain sales and regulatory milestones.\n\n\"The deal announced today should also underscore the opportunity for other small and mid cap biotech names in the cancer biology space,\" said Cantor Fitzgerald analyst Louise Chen.\n\nCredit Suisse was financial adviser for Merck and Centerview Partners was to Peloton.", "American pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co . (ticker: MRK) said it is buying Peloton Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, for $1.05 billion in cash.\n\nThe deal includes a potential $1.15 billion for Peloton shareholders down the road if the company’s drugs hit certain milestones.\n\nPeloton, which focuses on cancer treatments, is currently in clinical trials with a drug targeting forms of kidney cancer. The company had originally planned an initial public offering for later this week. The acquisition helps build the oncology pipeline at Merck, which is currently riding the success of its blockbuster cancer drug Keytruda.\n\nThe back story. Merck stock has surged over the past year, owing largely to Keytruda, as Barron’s reported in February. The shares are up 36% for the past 12 months, far outpacing the S&P 500’s 5% gain over the same period.\n\nInvestors had been pushing Merck to decrease its reliance on Keytruda, Credit Suisse analyst Vamil Divan wrote in a note Tuesday. According to a report at the website BioPharmaDive, sales of the cancer drug counted for nearly a quarter of Merck’s drug sales in the first three months of 2019.\n\nWhat’s new. Tuesday morning, Merck said it has snapped up Peloton just days before the company’s scheduled IPO.\n\n“This acquisition exemplifies Merck’s strategy to pursue novel therapeutic candidates based on exceptionally promising and innovative research,” Roger M. Perlmutter, Merck Research Laboratories president, said in a statement. “We look forward to advancing this late-stage asset as part of our broad oncology R&D program.”\n\nPeloton’s marquee product, which it calls PT2977, targets renal cell carcinoma. It is currently in clinical trials for a number of related indications.\n\nLooking ahead. Merck shares closed 0.8% higher at $79.50 on Tuesday.\n\nDivan, in his note, said that Peloton operates in an area where Merck has already begun to focus.\n\n“While maybe not the size of deal that some have been hoping Merck to pursue, Peloton’s initial focus on [renal cell carcinoma] is complementary to where Merck is already finding success,” Divan wrote.", "May 21 (Reuters) - Merck & Co Inc said on Tuesday it would buy Peloton Therapeutics Inc for $1.05 billion in cash to gain access to the privately held company’s renal cancer drug candidate.\n\nPeloton shareholders will be eligible to receive a further $1.15 billion on achieving certain milestones. (Reporting by Manas Mishra in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli)", "Merck & Co. Inc. MRK, +0.20% said Tuesday it has reached an agreement to acquire Peloton Therapeutics Inc. PLTX, +0.00% for an upfront payment of $1.05 billion in cash. Peloton, a clinical-stage biotech focused on cancer treatments, was expected to price an initial public offering on Wednesday. The biotech's business hinges instead on two drugs that are designed to block a transcription factor called hypoxia-inducible factor-2 alphaαthat - among other things - regulates how the body responds to low oxygen levels. Under the terms of the deal, Peloton shareholders will be entitled to a further $1.15 billion in milestone payments based on the achievement of certain future regulatory and sales goals. \"This acquisition exemplifies Merck's strategy to pursue novel therapeutic candidates based on exceptionally promising and innovative research,\" said Dr. Roger M. Perlmutter, president of Merck Research Laboratories. \"Peloton scientists have applied their unique expertise in HIF-2α biology to develop PT2977, which has already shown intriguing activity in the treatment of renal cell carcinoma. We look forward to advancing this late-stage asset as part of our broad oncology R&D program.\" The deal is expected to close in the third quarter. Merck shares were not active premarket, bu have gained 34.7% in the last 12 months, while the S&P 500 SPX, -0.67% has gained 3.9%.\n\nHave breaking news sent to your inbox. Subscribe to MarketWatch's free Bulletin emails. Sign up here.", "This story is developing and will be updated.\n\nOn the eve of its initial day of public stock trading, Dallas-based cancer drug developer Peloton Therapeutics has been sold to pharmaceuticals giant Merck in a deal that could total $2.2 billion.\n\nMerck will pay $1.05 billion in cash now, plus $1.15 billion in additional payments based on how Peloton's experimental drugs are further developed. Peloton was set to go public Wednesday.\n\nThe New Jersey-based company announced the acquisition Tuesday. It said that the deal will expand its pipeline of cancer-fighting drugs.", "Merck & Co. has reached an agreement to acquire privately held biopharmaceutical company Peloton Therapeutics for an upfront payment of $1.05 billion in cash.\n\nPeloton had been set to price an initial public offering Wednesday with a range of $15 to $17 per share, giving it a valuation of about $904 million at the top of its range, including underwriters’ options and other outstanding shares.\n\nUnder the merger agreement, Peloton shareholders can receive another $1.15 billion if the company reaches certain regulatory and sales milestones.\n\nThe deal strengthens Merck’s cancer drug portfolio and gives it access to Peloton’s kidney cancer drug candidate. Last month, regulators approved Merck’s immunotherapy drug Keytruda for the treatment of renal cell cancer. In a separate statement, Merck said Keytruda failed to meet its stand-alone goal of treating an aggressive type of breast cancer.\n\n“The deal announced today should also underscore the opportunity for other small and mid cap biotech names in the cancer biology space,” Cantor Fitzgerald analyst Louise Chen said.\n\nPeloton expects to begin late-stage trials of its kidney-cancer drug in the second half of the year.\n\n“This is a classic bolt-on deal. Peloton has a drug that looks promising in renal cell carcinoma, and there’s actually been a lot of success in the field in recent years,” said Brad Loncar, manager of the Loncar Cancer Immunotherapy ETF.\n\n“Peloton scientists have applied their unique expertise in HIF-2α biology to develop PT2977, which has already shown intriguing activity in the treatment of renal cell carcinoma,” Merck Research Laboratories President Dr. Roger Perlmutter said in a statement. “We look forward to advancing this late-stage asset as part of our broad oncology R&D program.”\n\nMerck was advised by Credit Suisse. Peloton was advised by Centerview Partners.\n\nThe deal is expected to close in the third quarter of 2019.", "(Reuters) - Merck & Co Inc said on Tuesday it would buy Peloton Therapeutics Inc for $1.05 billion in cash to gain access to the privately held company’s renal cancer drug candidate.\n\nThe company’s lead drug candidate, PT2977, will be studied in a late-stage study for treating renal cell carcinoma.\n\nPeloton shareholders will be eligible to receive a further $1.15 billion on achieving certain milestones.\n\nThe company had been looking to go public and gave a pricing range of $15 to $17 per share for its initial public offering last week.\n\nCredit Suisse acted as financial adviser for Merck and Covington & Burling LLP as its legal adviser. Centerview Partners was financial adviser to Peloton and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati was its legal adviser."], "summary": "Pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co. announces that it will purchase Peloton Therapeutics Inc. for $1.05 billion in cash. The catalyst for the deal is Peloton's recent progress in the development of a kidney cancer treatment."}
{"document": ["Image copyright Jamie Oliver Restaurant Group Image caption Mr Oliver shot to fame 20 years ago\n\nCelebrity chef Jamie Oliver has said he is \"devastated\" after his restaurant group went into administration, with 1,000 jobs being lost.\n\nThe group, which includes the Jamie's Italian chain, Barbecoa and Fifteen, has appointed KPMG as administrators.\n\nTwenty two of the 25 restaurants in Jamie Oliver's restaurant group have now closed.\n\nMr Oliver, who put in £4m cash this year, said: \"I appreciate how difficult this is for everyone affected.\"\n\nTwo Jamie's Italian restaurants and Jamie Oliver's Diner at Gatwick Airport will continue to trade in the short term while the administrators explore options for the outlets.\n\n\"The group had recently undertaken a process to secure additional investment into the business and, since the beginning of this year, Jamie Oliver has made available additional funds of £4m to support the fundraising,\" said the administrators in a statement.\n\n\"However, with no suitable investment forthcoming and in light of the very difficult current trading environment, the directors resolved to appoint administrators.\"\n\nJamie Oliver's Fifteen Cornwall at Watergate Bay, which operates under a franchise, is unaffected. The international restaurants trading as Jamie's Italian, Jamie's Pizzeria and Jamie's Deli will also continue to trade as normal.\n\n'Passion'\n\nMr Oliver tweeted that: \"I'm devastated that our much-loved UK restaurants have gone into administration.\"\n\nAnd in a statement he added: \"I would also like to thank all the customers who have enjoyed and supported us over the last decade, it's been a real pleasure serving you.\n\n\"We launched Jamie's Italian in 2008 with the intention of positively disrupting mid-market dining in the UK High Street, with great value and much higher quality ingredients, best-in-class animal welfare standards and an amazing team who shared my passion for great food and service. And we did exactly that.\"\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Jamie Oliver restaurant worker 'devastated'\n\nNotices have appeared in the windows of the 22 branches which have already closed.\n\nThe Unite union said the development was a \"devastating blow for the chain's hardworking and loyal workforce\".\n\n\"Restaurants are not being helped by the current economic uncertainty, although those businesses like Jamie Oliver's that dashed for expansion in recent years seem particularly precarious. As ever, it is the workers at the restaurant and in the supply chain who bear the heavy cost of boardroom decisions.\"\n\nThe union also asked for assurances that staff will be \"protected and paid all the money they're owed, including wages, holiday and redundancy\".\n\nOne Jamie's Italian worker in Birmingham, Valentine Balbinot, said: \"It was just so devastating, we were not expecting this... it is really brutal.\"\n\nFame\n\nMr Oliver is known for his Naked Chef books and TV shows, broadcast in dozens of countries, after first being shown in the UK 20 years ago.\n\nHe has also campaigned for healthier eating, including in school meals.\n\nImage copyright Getty Images\n\nHis chain is the latest victim of a tough trading environment on the UK High Street.\n\nEarlier this year, cafe chain Patisserie Valerie fell into administration, and 70 outlets closed, with the loss of 920 jobs, although 96 shops were saved.\n\nOther mid-market chains that have struggled in recent years have included Byron Burger, Prezzo and Carluccio's.\n\nMr Oliver's business has faced difficulties over the past two years, with a number of Jamie's Italian and Barbecoa restaurants shutting.\n\nImage caption Closed notices have been posted on a number of outlets, including Jamie's in Glasgow\n\nIn 2017, he closed the last of his Union Jacks restaurants and also shut his magazine Jamie, which had been running for almost 10 years.\n\nIn December of that year the chef also put £3m of his own money into his restaurant businesses.\n\nSimon Mydlowski, a partner at law firm Gordons and an expert in the hospitality industry, said Jamie's had failed to keep up with changing trends.\n\n\"To be successful in this sector you have to be constantly evolving - from the menus and the drinks choice, to the way you engage with customers.\"\n\n\"Faced with higher rent, rising food prices and increased competition, restaurants need a point of difference - it's no coincidence that smaller brands with the freedom and flexibility to keep things fresh are currently the ones performing well.\"", "A picture shows the signage at a closed-down Jamie's Italian restaurant in Glasgow on May 21, 2019.\n\nLONDON - British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver's restaurant chain said it was entering administration yesterday, threatening jobs at the company's 25 sites in the United Kingdom.\n\nOliver, 43, who became a well-known figure in Britain and around the world for his popular TV shows, founded his Jamie's Italian brand of high street restaurants in 2008.\n\nHis restaurant group also includes Barbecoa, a steakhouse, and Jamie Oliver's Diner.\n\n\"I am deeply saddened by this outcome and would like to thank all of the staff and our suppliers who have put their hearts and souls into this business for over a decade,\" he said in a statement.\n\n\"I appreciate how difficult this is for everyone affected.\"\n\nMore than 1,000 jobs will be put at risk by the administration, a form of protection from creditors when a company becomes insolvent.\n\nThe Jamie Oliver Group said it had appointed Mr Will Wright and Mr Mark Orton of KPMG.\n\nOliver's restaurant chain is the latest victim of a brutal trading environment on Britain's high streets.\n\nIn March, Boparan Restaurant Group said it planned to close more than a third of its Giraffe and Ed's Easy Diner outlets, while Carluccio's, Prezzo, Strada and Gourmet Burger Kitchen closed branches last year.", "Hundreds of jobs are at risk after news broke that Jamie Oliver's restaurant group has plunged into administration.\n\nMore than 1,000 jobs are under threat as the celebrity chef's confirmed he was 'deeply saddened' to have to call in KPHMG as administrators.\n\nTwenty-five of Oliver's restaurants are affected, 23 of which are from the Jamie's Italian chain which was launched in 2008 and has branches all over the UK including in Liverpool and Manchester.\n\nHe said: \"I am deeply saddened by this outcome and would like to thank all of the staff and our suppliers who have put their hearts and souls into this business for over a decade.\n\n\"I appreciate how difficult this is for everyone affected.\"\n\nIt was revealed last year that Jamie's restaurant empire which includes Fifteen, Jamie's Italian and Barbecoa owed staff £2.2million and was in £71.5million of debt.\n\nIn February 2018, the company announced the closure of 12 of its 37 restaurants, with 450 job losses in places including Bristol, Reading and Harrogate.\n\nTo receive one WhatsApp message a day with the main headlines from CheshireLive, as well as breaking news alerts, text NEWS to 07500 881875. Then add the number to your phone contacts book as 'CheshireLive'.\n\nYour phone number won't be shared with other members of the group.", "LONDON (AP) — Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver's British restaurant chain filed for bankruptcy protection on Tuesday, partly due to increased competition and escalating rents in local commercial districts.\n\nThe insolvency will leave 1,000 people out of work and reignited worries about local retail and food outlets in Britain, which are struggling to attract customers much like downtowns in the United States.\n\n\"I'm devastated that our much-loved U.K. restaurants have gone into administration,\" Oliver wrote on Twitter. \"I am deeply saddened by this outcome and would like to thank all of the staff and our suppliers who have put their hearts and souls into this business over the years.\"\n\nFinancial firm KPMG, which will oversee the process, said all but three of the group's 25 eateries will close. They include restaurants in the Jamie's Italian chain, as will the more upmarket Fifteen, and steak house Barbecoa.\n\nTwo restaurants and a diner at Gatwick Airport will continue to operate while joint administrators explore options for the site. Overseas branches of Jamie's Italian, Jamie's Pizzeria and Jamie's Deli, are not affected, nor is Fifteen Cornwall, which operates as a franchise.\n\nOliver said Jamie's Italian was launched in 2008 \"with the intention of positively disrupting mid-market dining\" with higher quality ingredients, animal welfare standards, better service and good value.\n\nBut the launch came just as local businesses throughout the U.K. were squeezed by the onset of the 2008 financial crisis. Rising food prices, increasing rents and competition took a toll.\n\nThe company had been in trouble for at least two years, despite Oliver's global fame on the back of his cookbooks and television shows. Last year, it shuttered 12 of its 37 sites in Britain, while five branches of the Australian arm of Jamie's Italian were sold off and another put into administration.\n\nHe has personally pumped 13 million pounds into his Italian chain, but it was not enough.\n\n\"I appreciate how difficult this is for everyone affected,\" he said.\n\nWill Wright, a partner at KPMG and joint administrator, said that the directors at Jamie Oliver Restaurant Group had worked hard to stabilize the business, but costs were rising and consumer confidence was brittle.\n\nHe said the priority now is to support those that have been made redundant.\n\nSimon Mydlowski, a partner at Yorkshire law firm Gordons and an expert on the hospitality industry, said Jamie's is the latest brand that has failed to keep pace in a rapidly changing sector where a business needs to keep evolving.\n\n\"A number of suppliers will have been caught unawares here, perhaps showing a little too much trust in the Jamie Oliver name, but this is not the first big restaurant chain to have suffered and it won't be the last,\" he said in a statement.\n\n\"Faced with higher rent, rising food prices and increased competition, restaurants need a point of difference — it's no coincidence that smaller brands with the freedom and flexibility to keep things fresh are currently the ones performing well.\"", "Jamie Oliver's restaurant group has officially gone under.\n\nThe celebrity chef's chain of 25 eateries across the UK went into administration on Tuesday, with all but three of his Jamie's Italian, Barbecoa and Fifteen outlets shuttered.\n\nIt follows several turbulent years for Oliver: He was forced to sell his Australian restaurants to Hallmark Group, close a number of underperforming establishments and inject $24 million of his own money into the business after it plunged more than $125 million into debt.\n\nNow administrators have been appointed and more than 1000 people will lose their jobs.\n\nOliver, who said in a statement he is \"devastated\" and \"deeply saddened\", at his peak had more than 60 restaurants worldwide. So how did it all go so horribly wrong?\n\n'NOT ABLE TO KEEP UP'\n\nAs his business spiralled further into debt, last year Oliver himself admitted he \"honestly (didn't) know\" why it was failing but speculated a \"perfect storm\" of \"rents, rates, the high street declining, food costs, Brexit, (and) increase in the minimum wage\" was to blame.\n\nWhile those things certainly played a part - Oliver's is one of several restaurant large chains to collapse in the UK in recent years - changing consumer tastes are a major factor.\n\nSeeking unique experiences - and something to brag about on social media - diners are increasingly shunning cut-and-paste eateries for high-end restaurants that offer a bespoke experience. Or at the other end of the spectrum, pop-up and food hall-style venues that offer good value, variety and are seen as more authentic.\n\n\"Experience-based dining is now a massive market - every meal needs to be good enough for Instagram at the very least,\" Simon Quirk, a consumer specialist at data and insight specialist company Kantar told iNews.\n\nOliver rapidly grew but failed to evolve his offering since the launch of Jamie's Italian in 2008, followed by the Recipease cooking school and deli chain in 2009 and barbecue chain Barbecoa in 2011, off the back of his The Naked Chef fame.\n\n\"The high street restaurant sector is changing at an incredible pace, and it seems Jamie's is the latest brand that was not able to keep up,\" Simon Mydlowski, a partner at law firm Gordons and a hospitality industry expert, told the BBC.\n\n\"To be successful in this sector you have to be constantly evolving - from the menus and the drinks choice to the way you engage with customers,\" Mr Mydlowski said.\n\n\"Faced with higher rent, rising food prices and increased competition, restaurants need a point of difference - it's no coincidence that smaller brands with the freedom and flexibility to keep things fresh are currently the ones performing well.\"\n\nIt's not just changing food and dining trends that pushed Oliver's restaurants over the edge.\n\nTough economic conditions post-Brexit, namely shaky consumer confidence and a falling pound have hurt several major British food chains.\n\nByron Burger, Sarda, Prezzo and Carluccio's have all shut significant numbers of their stores, and Patisserie Valerie fell into administration this year, resulting in the loss of 920 jobs.\n\nIn 2017, after making the decision to shutter six Jamie's Italian restaurants, Oliver in part blamed Brexit for his company's financial difficulties.\n\nIn a statement on Tuesday Will Wright, a spokesman from KPMG, the accounting firm appointed as administrator to handle the insolvency, alluded to such financial challenges.\n\n\"The current trading environment for companies across the casual dining sector is as tough as I've ever seen,\" Mr Wright said.\n\n\"The directors at Jamie Oliver Restaurant Group have worked tirelessly to stabilise the business against a backdrop of rising costs and brittle consumer confidence.\"\n\nLast year Oliver admitted his business's plunge into debt had taken him by surprise.\n\n\"We had simply run out of cash,\" he told the Financial Times of bailing out his restaurant group.\n\n\"We hadn't expected it. This is just not normal, in any business,\" he explained.\n\n\"You have quarterly meetings. You do board meetings. People supposed to manage that stuff should manage that stuff.\"\n\nOliver had suffered serious losses long before Brexit though. In 2014, he was forced to close his chain of four traditional British restaurants, Union Jacks, citing a \"challenging climate\".\n\nLast year Jamie's Italian in Sydney earned negative press after a diner saw a chef using frozen gnocchi from a packet - despite the restaurant spruiking its pasta was made fresh in-house daily.\n\nA spokesman claimed the gnocchi was imported because it was \"Italy's finest traditional, regional and organic produce\", and it \"ensured quality and consistency across (all) restaurants\", but it left customers who pay $28 for a plate of the stuff fuming.\n\nBut Oliver's PR problems extend even further than a few unhappy customers.\n\nAccording to Aussie public relations expert Catriona Pollard, Oliver's downfall was caused by a series of classic PR blunders, including overexposure, a disconnect between his actions and his personal brand and a failure to address a number of controversies head-on.\n\nMs Pollard said one possible reason behind those failures was the mismatch between Oliver's \"average Joe\" identity and the up-market feel of his eateries.\n\n\"You can buy one of his books for $20, or watch his TV show for free. But a lot of his restaurants sold expensive meals … which didn't really stack up for people,\" she told news.com.au.\n\nShe said there was also a divide between Oliver's relatable image and his staggering fortune, estimated to be around $441 million.\n\n\"His personal brand is very much the 'everyday lad', but that doesn't convert to a businessman who is so wealthy. There's a disconnect between his everyday persona and his wealth,\" she said.\n\nLast year Oliver was accused of hypocrisy after signing a lucrative $9.1 million deal with oil giant Shell to revamp its service station food offering.\n\nBut as Oliver had long been a supporter of climate change action, many considered a partnership with an oil company to be a serious betrayal.\n\nMs Pollard said Oliver's decision to ignore the growing furore added another blow to his reputation.\n\n\"Jamie Oliver has a very distinct personal brand linked to very distinctive values. He's so outspoken when it comes to things like healthy eating and the environmental impacts of climate change, which is great, but … the deal with Shell was seen as negatively straying from that very distinct brand,\" she said.\n\n\"It gave people fodder, and they started to change their opinions of him. That backlash was caused because people thought he wasn't behaving the way they thought he should.\"\n\nWHAT HAPPENS NOW?\n\nOliver and wife Jools are worth about $260 million and live with their five children in a $17 million property in Hampstead, North London.\n\nDocuments show the couple's personal assets are not put at risk by the bankruptcy of the business.\n\nWhile the failure of his restaurants has no doubt left a bad taste in the chef's mouth, and given him plenty of food for thought, for the media side of his empire it's business as usual.\n\nOliver has written 23 cookbooks, of which he sold more than 40 million copies in total, including his phenomenally popular Jamie's 15-Minute Meals and Jamie's Italy.\n\nHe has also starred in more than 20 cooking shows that air regularly around the world.\n\nAccording to a spokesman, \"Jamie Oliver Holdings, which operates Jamie Oliver Limited and Jamie Oliver Licensing Limited, as well as the international restaurant franchise business, Jamie's Italian International Limited, will continue to trade as normal. Fifteen Cornwall, which operates under a franchise, is also unaffected.\"\n\nOliver is also likely to continue his healthy eating campaigns, including tackling childhood obesity and junk food marketing targeted at kids.", "LONDON (Reuters) - Around 1,000 jobs will be made redundant at Jamie Oliver’s UK restaurant chain, the group’s administrators KPMG said on Tuesday, as all but 3 of its 25 branches are closed with immediate effect.\n\n“All but three of the Group’s 25 eateries have closed. Both Jamie’s Italian restaurants and Jamie Oliver’s Diner at Gatwick Airport will continue to trade in the short term while the joint administrators explore options for the site,” KPMG said in a statement.\n\n“Regrettably, these closures will result in approximately 1,000 redundancies.”", "Jamie Oliver’s restaurant empire has fallen into administration, putting 1,300 jobs at risk.\n\nThe Jamie’s Italian chain, which closed its Bristol branch last year, has appointed KPMG to oversee the insolvency process, according to Sky News.\n\nThe Park Street restaurant was one of 12 UK branches to shut in 2018 in a bid to save the business.\n\nBut now it is being widely reported that Mr Oliver will close the remaining 23 eateries, which include Fifteen London and Barbecoa.\n\nJamie's Italian International Limited will continue to trade as normal and Fifteen Cornwall, which operates under a franchise, is also unaffected.\n\nMr Oliver told the Guardian: “I am deeply saddened by this outcome and would like to thank all of the staff and our suppliers who have put their hearts and souls into this business for over a decade. I appreciate how difficult this is for everyone affected.\n\n“I would also like to thank all the customers who have enjoyed and supported us over the last decade, it’s been a real pleasure serving you.\n\n“We launched Jamie’s Italian in 2008 with the intention of positively disrupting mid-market dining in the UK high street, with great value and much higher quality ingredients, best in class animal welfare standards and an amazing team who shared my passion for great food and service. And we did exactly that.\"\n\nThe television chef invest £13million of his own money into the business after running into financial difficulty last year, but it has not been enough to save the business in the long run.\n\nJamie’s Italian follows in the footsteps of Carluccio’s and Byron Burger, which have also disappeared from Bristol.\n\nA spokesperson for the Jamie Oliver Group said: \"The board of Jamie's Italian Limited has appointed Will Wright and Mark Orton of KPMG to put its UK-based restaurant business into administration.”", "Jamie Oliver’s restaurant chain Jamie’s Italian has appointed administrators, putting more than 1,000 jobs at risk. The business said it had appointed KPMG to oversee the process, with a more detailed announcement expected later on Tuesday.\n\nMr Oliver said: “I am deeply saddened by this outcome and would like to thank all of the staff and our suppliers who have put their hearts and souls into this business for over a decade. I appreciate how difficult this is for everyone affected. “I would also like to thank all the customers who have enjoyed and supported us over the last decade, it’s been a real pleasure serving you.\n\n“We launched Jamie’s Italian in 2008 with the intention of positively disrupting mid-market dining in the UK high street, with great value and much higher quality ingredients, best-in-class animal welfare standards and an amazing team who shared my passion for great food and service. And we did exactly that.”\n\nIt follows a hunt for a new investor in the brand, with a number of private equity firms touted as mulling bids for a stake in the business.\n\nMr Oliver’s restaurant empire has taken a few knocks over the past two years. In 2018 Jamie’s Italian shuttered 12 of its 37 sites, with the latter tranche executed through a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA). The TV chef’s steak house Barbecoa also went into a pre-pack administration, leading to the closure of its Piccadilly branch.\n\nOverseas, five branches of the Australian arm of Jamie’s Italian was sold off last year, while another was put into administration. Despite the troubles, which forced Mr Oliver to pump £13 million of his own money into his Italian chain, he told Press Association earlier this year that casual dining was primed for a comeback.\n\nMr Oliver’s name hangs over the door of one restaurant in the Republic. Jamie’s Italian, in Dundrum Town Centre, is a franchise arrangement operated by Gerard Fitzpatrick. Mr Fitzpatrick told The Irish Times in February last year that he was “nearly there” with negotiations for the site of a second restaurant.\n\n“We’re very confident in its future. It’s a fantastic business,” he said of Jamie Oliver’s international brand. It is not yet clear how the Irish business will be affected, if at all.", "Jamie's Italian restaurant chain has called in the administrators, after failing to stay afloat on its own.\n\nThe move puts 1,300 jobs at risk across 25 restaurants - with KPMG set be announced later today to handle the administration process.\n\nJamie Oliver said: \"I am deeply saddened by this outcome and would like to thank all of the staff and our suppliers who have put their hearts and souls into this business for over a decade.\n\n\"I appreciate how difficult this is for everyone affected.\"\n\nHis international franchises and Fifteen Cornwall, which also operates under a franchise, will not be affected.\n\nSome restaurants have already closed their doors to customers - with signs up in the Manchester and London Victoria branches aleady.\n\nOne staff member told the Manchester Evening News: \"At 10 o'clock we had two accountants from KMPG show up and they handed us a notice to say that the business has ceased trading as of now.\n\n\"We didn't know - nobody was aware of it. There were about 15 of us. It's a bit of a shock to the system to everyone. Some people have been here since day one, so over 10 years.\"\n\nThe celebrity chef's chain opened its first site in Oxford in 2008.\n\nJamie Oliver’s Fifteen Cornwall is still very much open, however.\n\nChief executive Matthew Thomson said: “Fifteen Cornwall operates independently of the Jamie Oliver restaurant group as a charitable social enterprise under licence to Jamie Oliver and therefore is not affected by the changes in the restaurant group.\n\n\"Fifteen Cornwall is very much open for business, continuing the legacy started by Jamie at Fifteen, serving amazing Cornish food, mentoring young people and investing in our team. We are currently recruiting chefs and front of house to join our team, ready for a busy summer.”\n\nLast year it emerged the TV chef's restaurant empire owed staff £2.2million and was in £71.5million of debt.\n\nIn February 2018, the company announced the closure of 12 of its 37 restaurants, seeing 450 job losses in places including Bristol, Reading and Harrogate.\n\nLast year, Jamie Oliver blamed Brexit on the closure of six of his Jamie's Italian branches. He said poor trading conditions, rising food and staffing costs, and a weakening pound.\n\nIt's not the first time the TV chef has been forced to shut restaurants, with 60 staff losing their jobs after Oliver star closed his Barbecoa steak restaurant in London’s Piccadilly last year.\n\nSimon Mydlowski, partner at law firm Gordons and hospitality industry expert, said: “The high street restaurant sector is changing at an incredible pace and it seems Jamie’s is the latest brand that was not able to keep up. To be successful in this sector you have to be constantly evolving – from the menus and the drinks choice, to the way you engage with customers.\n\n“A number of suppliers will have been caught unawares here, perhaps showing a little too much trust in the Jamie Oliver name, but this is not the first big restaurant chain to have suffered and it won’t be the last.\n\n\"Faced with higher rent, rising food prices and increased competition, restaurants need a point of difference - it’s no coincidence that smaller brands with the freedom and flexibility to keep things fresh are currently the ones performing well.”", "LONDON (Reuters) - British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver’s restaurant chain said it was entering administration on Tuesday, threatening jobs at the firm’s 25 sites in the United Kingdom.\n\nOliver, 43, who became a well-known figure in Britain and beyond for his popular TV shows, founded his Jamie’s Italian brand of high street restaurants in 2008.\n\nHis restaurant group also includes Barbecoa, a steakhouse, and Jamie Oliver’s Diner.\n\n“I am deeply saddened by this outcome and would like to thank all of the staff and our suppliers who have put their hearts and souls into this business for over a decade,” he said in a statement. “I appreciate how difficult this is for everyone affected.”\n\nMore than 1,000 jobs will be put at risk by the administration, a form of protection from creditors. The Jamie Oliver Group said it had appointed Will Wright and Mark Orton of KPMG.\n\nOliver, who was discovered by the BBC while working as a chef in London’s River Cafe, gained widespread fame for his “Naked Chef” show, which was broadcast in dozens of countries.\n\nHe used his reputation to put pressure on politicians to combat growing child obesity problems by campaigning for healthier school meals.\n\nOliver’s restaurant chain is the latest victim of a brutal trading environment on Britain’s high streets.\n\nIn March, Boparan Restaurant Group (BRG) said it planned to close more than a third of its Giraffe and Ed’s Easy Diner outlets, while Carluccio’s, Prezzo, Strada and Gourmet Burger Kitchen closed branches in 2018."], "summary": "The Jamie Oliver Restaurant Group, owned by British restaurateur Jamie Oliver, collapses into administration, resulting in 1,000 job losses."}
{"document": ["CARACAS, Venezuela — Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is celebrating the first anniversary of his disputed re-election amid a growing humanitarian crisis and political upheaval.\n\nMaduro on Monday tweeted that the May 20, 2018, election, was a “victory” for Venezuelans, though the opposition and many countries have derided it as unfair,.\n\nThe government staged a rally on the anniversary, and members of a loyalist assembly delivered speeches. The assembly rivals the opposition-controlled congress, headed by Juan Guaido, that says Maduro has steered Venezuela toward authoritarian rule and ruined the economy.\n\nThe United States has imposed sanctions on Venezuela in a bid to unseat Maduro, compounding the problems of the country’s deteriorating oil industry. Maduro says Guaido is a pawn in a U.S. coup plot.", "Isaías Rodríguez says US sanctions against Caracas means he cannot afford to carry out his duties\n\nThe Venezuelan ambassador to Italy has resigned, saying his government’s financial difficulties have made his job impossible.\n\nIn a letter addressed directly to President Nicolás Maduro and posted on Twitter, Ambassador Isaías Rodríguez reiterated his “immense respect for Maduro’s battle” but insisted the sanctions imposed by the US mean he cannot carry out his duties.\n\nLast week, at a press conference in Rome, Rodríguez said that – due to the sanctions adopted against Caracas – he no longer has the money to pay his employees’ salaries and the rent of his office in Rome, whose debt amounted to €9m.\n\nVenezuelan opposition and government to hold crisis talks Read more\n\nThe US government imposed financial sanctions on Venezuela’s president after the election of a new legislative body to redraft the country’s constitution in a vote described by Washington as a “sham”, as the Trump administration put its full backing behind the opposition leader Juan Guaidó.\n\nRodríguez explained that the sanctions had heavy repercussions on the embassy’s financial budget and that they were no longer able to bear the expenses of the diplomatic headquarters in Italy. Rodriguez, 77, explained that he wanted to dedicate himself to “being a grandfather”.\n\n“I leave without rancour and without money,” Rodriguez said, “my wife has just sold the clothes her previous husband gave her in order to survive in the face of the US embargo. I’m trying to sell the car I bought when I arrived at the embassy and as you know I do not have a bank account because the gringos have sanctioned me and the Italian bank has closed its doors to me.\n\n“I want the president to know that I am and will be by his side”, said Rodríguez, who took office in Rome in 2011. “I wanted to be a faithful companion and not a fearful amateur flatterer. I clung to chavismo with absolute faith, but I have come to understand that I cannot turn water into wine, or raise the dead.”\n\nThe Venezuelan crisis has reignited tensions between Washington and Moscow. Two weeks ago, Russia’s foreign minister urged the US to abandon its “irresponsible” plan to depose Maduro. Any US attempt to topple Maduro through force would bring “grave consequences”, Lavrov reportedly warned on 5 May during a visit to Moscow by Venezuela’s foreign minister, Jorge Arreaza.", "Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Monday celebrated the anniversary of his disputed re-election amid a growing humanitarian crisis and political upheaval.\n\nMaduro tweeted that the May 20, 2018, election, was a “victory” for Venezuelans, though the opposition and many countries have derided it as unfair.\n\nIn a speech at a government-organized rally, Maduro said he is prepared to face the opposition in legislative elections, though he has made similar challenges in the past while dismissing allegations that his re-election was fixed.\n\nHe referred to a recent effort by Norway to mediate between Venezuela’s opposing factions and said he favored dialogue, though critics accuse him of using past negotiations to play for time.\n\n“Why don’t they respond when I make this proposal?” Maduro said of his election offer to the opposition, which is demanding that he step down to make way for a transitional government before elections can be held.\n\nMeanwhile, members of a loyalist assembly assigned by Maduro to write a new constitution decided to extend their work until the end of 2020. The assembly rivals the opposition-controlled congress, headed by Juan Guaido, that says Maduro has steered Venezuela toward authoritarian rule and ruined the economy.\n\nThe United States has imposed sanctions on Venezuela in a bid to unseat Maduro, compounding the problems of the country’s deteriorating oil industry. Maduro says Guaido is a pawn in a U.S. coup plot.\n\nAlso Monday, Carlos Vecchio, a government opponent who the U.S. recognizes as Venezuela’s ambassador, met with Pentagon officials at the request of Guaido. The U.S. has insisted “all options” are on the table for dealing with Venezuela’s crisis and Guaido in recent weeks has publicly speculated about the idea of requesting foreign military assistance to help rid Venezuela of Maduro.\n\nEven so, the U.S. says it is focusing on diplomatic and economic pressure on Maduro, and there are no indications of any military buildup.\n\nMaduro’s re-election to a second six-year term lies at the heart of Venezuela’s political standoff, in which Guaido has sought unsuccessfully to get the military command to support him. The opposition leader’s failed call for a military uprising on April 30 was followed by deadly clashes between police and protesters.\n\nAhead of Maduro’s 2018 re-election, the main opposition coalition refused to field a candidate, saying there was no possibility of a fair vote. The government had previously stacked the electoral council and judiciary with its supporters, and the opposition’s most combative leaders were banned from participating, imprisoned or exiled.", "Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Monday celebrated the anniversary of his disputed re-election amid a growing humanitarian crisis and political upheaval.\n\nMaduro tweeted that the May 20, 2018, election, was a \"victory\" for Venezuelans, though the opposition and many countries have derided it as unfair.\n\nThe government staged a rally on the anniversary, and members of a loyalist assembly delivered speeches.\n\nThe assembly rivals the opposition-controlled congress, headed by Juan Guaido, that says Maduro has steered Venezuela toward authoritarian rule and ruined the economy.\n\nThe United States has imposed sanctions on Venezuela in a bid to unseat Maduro, compounding the problems of the country's deteriorating oil industry. Maduro says Guaido is a pawn in a U.S. coup plot.\n\nMaduro's re-election to a second six-year term lies at the heart of Venezuela's political standoff, in which Guaido has sought unsuccessfully to get the military command to support him. The opposition leader's failed call for a military uprising on April 30 was followed by deadly clashes between police and protesters.\n\nAhead of Maduro's 2018 re-election, the main opposition coalition refused to field a candidate, saying there was no possibility of a fair vote. The government had previously stacked the electoral council and judiciary with its supporters, and the opposition's most combative leaders were banned from participating, imprisoned or in exile.", "Venezuela’s ambassador to Italy has resigned his post, saying US sanctions have reduced him to penury and have made it impossible to keep running the diplomatic mission.\n\nIsaías Rodriguez lamented that his financial situation is now so dire that his wife has started selling off the designer clothes that were given to her “by her ex-husband”.\n\nHis bank account in Italy has been frozen and he is trying to sell off his car, he said in a long letter addressed to Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela’s president.\n\nFlogging off their possessions was the couple’s only hope of “surviving the North American embargo”, he said, blaming the situation on the “gringos” in Washington.\n\nMr Rodriguez, who has previously held posts as attorney general and, briefly, vice-president in Venezuela, no longer has the cash to pay the embassy’s staff or the rent on the building, he said in the letter, which was posted on Twitter.", "It’s clear that the sanctions being imposed by the White House on Nicolás Maduro’s tottering regime in Caracas are forcing him into negotiating with his opposite number. Last week the Associated Press reported that talks between Juan Guaidó’s people and Maduro’s were scheduled to take place in Norway.\n\nThose sanctions, which have been applied to dozens of Maduro’s top officials, have extended to countries doing business with the Marxist regime. Consequently, Maduro’s primary source of revenue from his state-owned oil producer PdVSA has been cut drastically. In the past two years, oil exports have dropped from more than three million barrels of crude a day to 500,000 barrels a day. And most of that production is committed to Cuba in exchange for its military and technical support.\n\nIn April, the White House applied sanctions on the Central Bank of Venezuela, sharply limiting its access to American dollars. Those sanctions also severely limit the bank’s ability to conduct the sale of what remains of Maduro’s gold reserves. Maduro has been selling off his country’s reserves to Turkey and other countries in exchange for desperately needed food and medicines.\n\nThose sanctions on Maduro’s central bank were designed not only to hamper its ability to provide resources for his administration but also to give a warning to other central banks. As Ali Moshiri, Chevron’s former top executive in Venezuela, said, “You deal with the Venezuelan Central Bank, we are going to come after you.” The point is “to strangle financially the government of Venezuela,” said Jose Valera, an energy lawyer familiar with the details. The New York Times was candid in its assessment of the success of those sanctions, saying that they are “ravaging Venezuela’s vital oil sector and imports, making it increasingly difficult for Mr. Maduro to govern.”\n\nOn Tuesday the Trump administration ratcheted up those sanctions further, targeting a money-laundering scheme connected to the government’s emergency food program called CLAP. That program supplies the bare necessities for more than 15 percent of Venezuela’s citizens and substantially assists many more.\n\nBut control of that program was assigned to a close friend of Maduro’s, a Colombian drug lord named Alex Saab Moran, already under investigation by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Through a series of false-front corporations, Saab Moran created agreements with suppliers to ship the goods to Venezuela while taking massive kickbacks through overcharges, sometimes three or four times the value of the goods, according to U.S. officials. Those funds have then been transferred to various accounts across the globe owned or controlled by Saab Moran or members of his family.\n\nThe U.S. Treasury alerted numerous financial institutions that sanctions were being applied. Said senior Treasury official Sigal Mandelker, “Corrupt Maduro insiders continue to seek illicit revenue streams, even as the Venezuelan people and economy sink deeper into despair. We are alerting financial institutions [that] the Maduro regime is using sophisticated schemes, including the diversion of humanitarian assistance, to evade sanctions and maintain its grip on power.”\n\nThe U.S. Treasury is also preparing to take action against the currency-trading schemes top military officials in Maduro’s government have been using to enrich themselves.\n\nAlthough the results of the Norway negotiations haven’t been released, Guaidó’s people are taking a hard line. They have made three non-negotiable demands: an end to Maduro’s regime, its replacement by an interim government, followed by the holding of “free and fair” elections.\n\nWhat is clear is that if those negotiations fail, the Trump administration is prepared to continue to ramp up sanctions against Maduro’s regime until compliance has been achieved.\n\nAn Ivy League graduate and former investment advisor, Bob is a regular contributor to The New American, writing primarily on economics and politics. He can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .", "Former governor of Abia State, Orji Uzor Kalu was a guest of embattled President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela on Monday.\n\nOrji, now a senator-elect in his state met Maduro at the Miraflores Palace, Caracas.\n\nGlobovision.com reported that Orji discussed with his host, strengthening relations between Nigeria and Venezuela, both members of Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries(OPEC).\n\nThey also discussed matters of mutual interest in the gas and oil area, as well as the existing alliances through the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries to strengthen the Diplomacy of Peace with the peoples of the world, especially with Africa.\n\nThe executive vice president, Delcy Rodríguez, wife of Maduro, Cilia Flores and the deputy minister for Africa, Yuri Pimentel, were all present at the meeting.\n\nSome reports said Orji sealed some deals for his Slok Holding, a conglomerate with interests in shipping, banking, oil trading.", "Isabella was born with a congenital disease and doctors immediately warned that she required a liver transplant to survive. Her parents, Douglas and Yelibeth, addressed the issue straight away: donor, funding, where, how and when the transplant will be performed.\n\nIt wasn't so difficult. Yelibeth was a match and could be her daughter's donor, and all the treatment was covered by the Simon Bolivar Foundation, a charity funded by the US subsidiary of Venezuela's state-run oil company PDVSA — Citgo.\n\nREAD MORE: Protesters March on White House to Decry US Seizure of Venezuelan Embassy\n\nThe agreement between the Italian Hospital of Argentina and Venezuela has been in force since 2007, and 109 Venezuelan children have undergone organ transplants under this programme during this period. High-skilled specialists of the Italian hospital have been conducting transplantation surgeries for 12 years.\n\nDouglas and Yelibeth left everything behind in Venezuela and in September 2018, without worrying about the political situation in the country, moved to the capital of Argentina. Their eldest son Abraham, who's 12 years old, went to school in Buenos Aires.\n\nEverything went well. On 26 November, a liver transplant was successfully performed. After that, Isabella spent a month and a half in intensive care with minor complications.\n\nOn 9 January, she was finally discharged from hospital, but doctors warned that the postoperative period would be difficult. The new organ had to show that it was functioning well. The little girl had six months to a year of treatment ahead of her.\n\nHowever, on 28 January, the US Treasury announced the introduction of new and tougher sanctions against Venezuela, and this time against Citgo, which financed the foundation helping ill children. The charity's funds had been blocked.\n\nMoney should be deposited into a blocked account and transferred to the new government according to US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. However, 4 months have passed, and there is no \"new government\", and there is no money for Isabella and the seven other families.\n\nThe money is no longer flowing, and the Italian hospital cannot perform anymore transplants. The Embassy of Venezuela in Argentina is providing all possible assistance.\n\n\"The hospital gives us a roof over our heads, and the embassy provides financial assistance, but we don't know how much longer we can last like this,\" Douglas said.\n\nHe is 34 years old, and quit his job as an administrator at a Venezuelan company in order to devote himself to taking care of his daughter.\n\n\"My daughter needs strict control to properly complete the treatment. Currently her body is showing a slight rejection, and this can only be controlled with medication,\" Douglas explained.\n\nThe foundation provided them with all necessary medication up until the United States blocked its funds. Isabella needs 16 types of different pills, each costing more than $1,500 per pack. An ordinary family just can't afford it. For now, there is enough medicine to last another month.\n\n\"If Isabella doesn't follow the postoperative regime, she can lose the new organ and will need another operation. We will have to start from scratch, and it will be much more difficult because my wife can no longer be a donor. We don't have that much time,\" her father said.\n\nThe blockade is used in Venezuela as a military weapon. This is an old tactic. Whoever wins the media battle will determine the reality. A recent report by the Washington-based Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) presented an alarming statistic: US sanctions against Venezuela were responsible for 40,000 deaths in the country in 2017-2018.\n\n\"The sanctions are depriving Venezuelans of lifesaving medicines, medical equipment, food, and other essential imports\" the report titled \"Economic Sanctions as Collective Punishment: The Case of Venezuela\" says.\n\n80,000 people with HIV, 16,000 cancer patients and 4 million with diabetes and hypertension are victims of these sanctions, which the report calls \"illegal under international law.\"\n\n\"From a human rights perspective, the illegal economic and financial blockade imposed by the US government is the main obstacle in ensuring respect for and observance of human rights in Venezuela,\" said Larry Devoe, executive secretary of Venezuela's National Council on Human Rights and representative of Venezuela to the International Human Rights System.\n\nHe closely follows the case of Isabella and other families with similar problems. \"Only in Caracas there are at least 12 people who received a go-ahead for a bone marrow transplant. They were going to fly to Italy for an operation, but couldn't go because of the sanctions,\" he explained.\n\nPeople who criticise the government of Nicholas Maduro are certain that it's not the sanctions that are causing food and medicine shortages in Venezuela, since the problem existed even before the United States imposed them.\n\nIn his turn, Antony Moreno, doctor and spokesman for the Committee of patients and relatives of the victims of the financial blockade, said that this is wrong.\n\n\"We conducted a series of studies, and from 2013 to 2015, when Maduro was already in power, but before the introduction of the first round of sanctions, each Venezuelan was able to take up to 20 different types of drugs in the event of illness. Even the UN confirmed that Venezuela had met its Millennium Development Goals (MDGs),\" he said.\n\n\"But everything changed when the opposition won the National Assembly in 2015 and demanded sanctions against Venezuela,\" Moreno added.\n\n\"That's practically nothing. The damage inflicted is enormous. I work in the field of occupational health and see the difference since 2015,\" Moreno explained.\n\nVenezuela imports all \"vital\" drugs for the treatment of cancer, cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, HIV, and other illnesses. In Venezuela there are no level 1 laboratories, that is, those that work with raw material.\n\nVenezuela has always imported medication from foreign laboratories using foreign currency from oil sales. When that money was blocked, there were no more funds to buy medicine with.\n\nREAD MORE: Venezuela Willing to Begin Dialogue With US on Basis of Mutual Respect, FM Says\n\nPeople are fighting against the situation by organizing protest rallies and distributing the few drugs they receive or produce. Currently, Douglas, Isabella and other families are able to continue their treatment thanks to the Simon Bolivar Foundation and various social funds that support them in Argentina.\n\n\"Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza has asked to hold on. But for how long?\" Douglas wants to know. Douglas doesn't talk about politics, because the situation in which he finds himself in, as well as hundreds of others and their families, has nothing to do with Chavism or anti-Chavism, revolution or political marketing.\n\n\"The blockade is not a political issue. The blockade is directed against us. It hurts us, in this case my daughter, not Nicolas Maduro or government officials. I'm afraid of what could happen. What happens if my daughter loses the organ which was transplanted?\" he asked.\n\nThe views and opinions expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect official position of Sputnik", "The U.S. has lifted sanctions on a top Venezuelan general who broke ranks with President Nicolás Maduro, trying to help the opposition regain momentum in the face of a government crackdown following last week’s failed uprising.\n\nVice President Mike Pence said in a speech Tuesday that the immediate lifting of financial sanctions for Gen. Manuel Figuera, who was Venezuela’s spy chief, is intended to encourage others in the military to abandon their support for Maduro.\n\nThe move was a display of “good faith” designed to elicit “concrete and meaningful actions to restore democratic order” by dozens of other sanctioned Venezuelan insiders, the Treasury Department said in a statement.\n\nFiguera was the sole regime insider to defy Maduro during the uprising, although the White House contends several others, including Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino, had had been in talks for weeks with the opposition to oust Maduro but backed away from the plan at the last minute.\n\nAs the U.S. looked to lure the Venezuelan military, which is the backbone of the embattled socialist administration, Maduro and his allies started going after opponents who supported the uprising.\n\nOn Tuesday, the country’s top court opened a criminal investigation against six opposition lawmakers for allegedly “betraying the homeland” and “instigating an insurrection,” among other charges. The pro-government Supreme Court said those facing accusations include prominent figures in the Venezuelan opposition such as Henry Ramos Allup and Luis Florido.\n\nIn his speech, Pence said the U.S. would extend sanctions to all 25 members of Venezuela’s Supreme Court if they continue to be a “political tool” of Maduro. The U.S. already has sanctions on about 150 officials and businesses in the country.\n\nMore than 3 million Venezuelans have left their homeland in recent years amid skyrocketing inflation and shortages of food and medicine, and Pence and other Trump administration officials have warned that 2 million more are expected to flee by the end of the year if the crisis continues in the oil-rich nation.\n\nThe opposition-controlled congress began discussions on a proposal for Venezuela’s return to a regional defense agreement that dates from the Cold War — a move that could provide political cover for greater international involvement in the nation’s crisis. Years ago, Venezuela and other left-governed nations in the region pulled out of the U.S.-led defense pact known as the Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance.\n\nMilitary police prevented journalists from entering the National Assembly, and some reporters were harassed by government supporters outside. Venezuela’s state-run internet provider restricted access to YouTube, some Google services and other streaming platforms during the assembly session, according to NetBlocks, an online censorship-monitoring group based in Europe.\n\nThe lights in the chamber went out temporarily as a senior assembly member, Edgar Zambrano, was speaking. The cause of the power cut was unclear.\n\nLast week, Venezuela’s top court opened a treason investigation of Zambrano, who had joined congress leader Juan Guaidó outside a military base in Caracas during the failed call on the armed forces to overthrow Maduro. The appeal to the military was followed by deadly clashes between police and protesters.\n\nThe United States and dozens of other nations have recognized Guaidó as Venezuela’s interim president, saying Maduro’s re-election last year was rigged. Russia, China and Cuba, among other countries, support Maduro.\n\nA group of mostly European nations said Tuesday that it is looking to send a high-level delegation to Caracas in the coming days. European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini made the announcement in Costa Rica after a meeting of the countries. The International Contact Group wants to facilitate free presidential elections in Venezuela as soon as possible, a goal that it shares with Guaidó.\n\nMaduro says he is the target of a U.S.-engineered coup plot and has denounced the Guaidó-led congress, instead recognizing a rival assembly packed with government loyalists set up in 2017.\n\nIn early April, the government-backed National Constituent Assembly voted to strip Guaidó of his parliamentary immunity from prosecution, and it did the same Tuesday for the opposition lawmakers placed under criminal investigation by the Supreme Court.\n\nMaduro, however, has not moved to detain Guaidó, possibly reflecting wariness over a likely backlash from the United States and its allies.\n\nU.S. officials have repeatedly said they are considering military “options” in the Venezuelan crisis, in addition to diplomatic and economic pressure that has been intensifying for months against Maduro. On Tuesday, Pence repeated the message that “all options are on the table” as the administration weighs further actions.", "Venezuela’s opposition is engaging in a blitz of diplomacy in the aftermath of last month’s abortive uprising, even as it stokes the prospect of more aggressive tactics taken in conjunction with the United States to achieve their goal: the ouster of President Nicolás Maduro.\n\nThe opposition has been reluctant to engage in direct talks with Maduro’s emissaries, citing failed efforts in 2017 and 2018. Yet in an interview with The Washington Post after the failure of the April 30 uprising, opposition leader Juan Guaidó said he was open to talks with anyone, except Maduro himself.\n\nLast week, the opposition put that to the test, sending its own emissaries to Oslo for talks brokered by the Norwegian government with two senior Maduro loyalists, including Jorge Rodríguez, the government’s communications minister. Three people familiar with the Oslo talks said the two sides did not meet directly — they exchanged points of view and proposals through diplomatic intermediaries.\n\nNo agreements emerged, but further talks between the two sides could take place in the days and weeks ahead, the people said.\n\nPublicly, at least, the two sides remain far apart.\n\nPresident Maduro this week floated a proposal that the opposition sees as a nonstarter: early elections for the National Assembly, now headed by Guaidó, controlled by the opposition and recognized internationally as the nation’s only democratic institution. Maduro’s government stripped the assembly of its power in 2017, and opposition critics say a new election to would serve only to strengthen Maduro’s grip on power.\n\n“Venezuela has a humanitarian crisis with no precedent,” Guaidó said at a National Assembly session on Tuesday. “What is the regime’s response? To make fun of the people by talking about parliamentary elections, while our proposal has been clear: end of usurpation; transitional government; and free elections. Truly free elections. That’s what they fear. . . . Because there is no doubt that a free election would open the doors for change in Venezuela.”\n\nGuaidó streamed the session on social media, because national guards surrounding the legislative palace blocked the press from going in.\n\n[Inside the secret plot to turn senior Venezuelan officials against Maduro]\n\nThe international contact group, which includes Italy, Spain, France, Uruguay and Ecuador, dispatched a delegation to Caracas last week to speak with both sides. There were no specific signs of progress.\n\n“It seems as if Maduro is still stuck on the idea that he is constitutional and legitimate, and that hasn’t changed, and until there is a change of tone, there won’t be a breakthrough,” said one person briefed on the talks.\n\nLuis Vicente León, director of the Datanálisis polling agency in Caracas, called the fact that both sides are agreeing to explore talks a significant step toward a possible negotiated solution to the crisis. He said the first meetings were part of a “longer process.”\n\n“It means both sides are starting to feel exhausted,” he said. The government is isolated, divided and barely able to govern, he said, while the opposition has realized that its strategy to oust Maduro by wooing the military and his loyalists has thus far fallen short.\n\n“For now, the talks haven’t been very successful, but they’re just starting,” León said. “The demands of both sides are still too far apart. If I would have to place the probability of success between 1 and 10, I would still say less than 5.”\n\nThe international mediation efforts come weeks after the failed uprising led by Guaidó and his mentor, Leopoldo López.\n\nLópez, the country’s most popular political prisoner, escaped house arrest with the help of Maduro’s intelligence chief, Maj. Gen. Manuel Ricardo Cristopher Figuera. That was part of a negotiated plot in which a litany of Maduro loyalists, including the head of Venezuela’s supreme court and senior military commanders, were supposed to stand up and press for Maduro’s ouster.\n\nFor reasons that remain unclear, those moves never materialized. The outcome — with a gaggle of military men and Maduro’s spy chief turning against him but well short of the mass defections expected — showed both the opposition and the government to be not quite as strong as either of them thought.\n\nIn the days since, the opposition scrambled to stay united while the startled international community strengthened calls for a negotiated solution. Even the Lima Group, a regional collective of nations that largely backs Guaidó’s agenda, announced its intention to approach both the contact group and Cuba, which backs Maduro.\n\n[Venezuela’s opposition debates new tactics as diplomats race to defuse crisis]\n\nBoth Maduro and the opposition, meanwhile, are sending mixed signals. Maduro has pledged to ease tensions and agreed to talk to the countries hoping to mediate a deal. Yet his government has also imprisoned the National Assembly’s vice president, Edgar Zambrano, and charged 10 lawmakers with treason in connection with the April 30 plot.\n\n“I will focus all my efforts for Venezuela, to sooner rather than later, reach an agreement with the Venezuelan opposition,” Maduro said in a televised speech on Monday.\n\nThe Guaidó side has also become more aggressive in considering the option of a foreign military intervention to oust Maduro. Guaidó told The Washington Post this month that he would take a hypothetical offer of U.S. military assistance to the National Assembly. And on Monday, his representative to the United States, Carlos Vecchio, met with the U.S. State Department and Department of Defense to “evaluate joint mechanisms of cooperation and strategic planning to advance in a solution,” Vecchio said on Twitter. He said he was “satisfied with the progress made.”\n\nMaduro claimed victory last year in elections widely viewed as fraudulent. Guaidó declared himself interim president in January, and has been recognized as Venezuela’s rightful leader by the United States and more than 50 other countries.\n\nAs time passes, both sides have much to lose. Maduro has shown himself unable to halt Venezuela’s economic free fall into the unprecedented humanitarian crisis that has sparked a mass exodus from the oil-rich nation. As conditions deteriorate, he risks more internal divisions, especially in the military. Signs of those rifts have already been made evident.\n\nMost recently, his ambassador to Italy, Julián Isaías Rodríguez, resigned Tuesday, saying he leaves his post “without regrets and without money. My wife just sold jewelry her ex-husband gave her to maintain us in front of the U.S. blockade.” He said the “gringos” sanctioned him and he doesn’t have a bank account.\n\nGuaidó risks losing domestic support as his efforts to push out Maduro have faltered. His approval rating slipped five percentage points from February to April, according to León’s polling firm. The fall is not dramatic, but could worsen if Venezuelans fail to see him achieving tangible results, León said.\n\nDuring last week’s negotiations in Oslo, Guaidó said they were only part of his team’s larger strategy to oust Maduro.\n\n“We repeat it: we are working in all options to end the dictatorship and are advancing in each of them: mediation of countries that approach a solution in Venezuela, international cooperation, and encouraging constitutional backing from our Armed Forces,” he tweeted.\n\nHow a plot filled with intrigue and betrayal failed to oust Venezuela’s president\n\nDespite setbacks, Venezuela’s opposition wary of U.S. intervention\n\nToday’s coverage from Post correspondents around the world\n\nLike Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news"], "summary": "Venezuela's Ambassador to Italy, Isaías Rodríguez, resigns, citing the government's lack of finances amid international sanctions on the Nicolás Maduro government. Rodríguez says, due to the sanctions, he has been unable to pay his staff or the rent for his office in Rome."}
{"document": ["The Muslim-hating white supremacist behind February’s deadly shooting rampage in two New Zealand mosques was formally charged with terrorism early Tuesday.\n\nBrenton Tarrant, who allegedly massacred 51 people in a partially livestreamed rampage, was hit with the terror charge more than two months after the April 15 attack.\n\nTarrant, 28, posted a far-right screed before the killings, which laid out his desire to “create an atmosphere of fear” and to “incite violence” against Muslims.\n\nThe terror charge carries a maximum penalty of life in prison and will serve as a test case for terror laws adopted by New Zealand in 2002.\n\nTarrant was charged with 50 counts of murder and 39 counts of attempted murder following the massacre, but officials on Tuesday tacked on an additional murder charge for a Turkish man who was wounded in the attack and died earlier this month.\n\nWith Post wires", "Wellington: The man accused of shooting dead 51 people in Christchurch mosque attacks, has been charged with terrorism, New Zealand police said on Tuesday. Brenton Tarrant, 28, has been charged with \"engaging in a terrorist act\" under the Terrorism Suppression Act 2002. In addition, he faces 51 charges of murder and 40 of the attempted murder, reported Xinhua.\n\nAFP news agency quoting New Zealand police: Christchurch attacker charged with terrorism. (file pic) pic.twitter.com/GUwONILnDq — ANI (@ANI) May 21, 2019\n\nThe charge will allege that a terrorist act was carried out in Christchurch on March 15. Police said that the decision to lay the terror charge was made after consultation with the Crown Law Office and the Christchurch Crown Solicitors office. Shortly after the development, New Zealand police met with the survivors and families of the victims to inform them of the new charges filed against the gunman and update them on the ongoing investigation and the court process that would follow.\n\nWhite supremacist Brenton Tarrant accused of killing 51 people in the Christchurch mosques attack has been charged with terrorism, New Zealand police have said. https://t.co/U186ME6MY0 — Kevin Shakir (@kevinshakir) May 21, 2019\n\nChristchurch shooter Brenton Tarrant facing new charges | ABC News https://t.co/up4EQeChXJ pic.twitter.com/Q5SBNGXzjP — Matthew Jarvis ðð» (@itsmattjarvis) May 21, 2019\n\n\"New Zealand police are committed to providing all the support necessary for what will be a challenging and emotional court process to come for the victims' families and survivors of the attack,\" said New Zealand Police Commissioner Mike Bush. On March 15, Brenton, a suspected white supremacist from Australia, stormed into two mosques during congregational prayers and indiscriminately opened fire on the assembled. The act of terrorism left the entire Muslim community shaken, with the international community and locals showing their solidarity with the affected.\n\nTop News Stories Of The Day\n\nCatch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates\n\nEdited by mid-day online desk with inputs from Agencies", "New Zealand police file terrorism charge against man accused of killing 51 people at two Christchurch mosques\n\nWELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand police file terrorism charge against man accused of killing 51 people at two Christchurch mosques.", "New Zealand police file terrorism charge against man accused of killing 51 people at two Christchurch mosques.", "WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand police file terrorism charge against man accused of killing 51 people at two Christchurch mosques.", "The man accused of killing 51 people in the Christchurch mosques attack has been charged with terrorism....", "(WELLINGTON, New Zealand) — New Zealand police have filed a terrorism charge against the man accused of killing 51 people at two Christchurch mosques.\n\nPolice say they have charged 28-year-old Australian Brenton Tarrant with engaging in a terrorist act after the March 15 shootings. The charge comes with a maximum penalty of life imprisonment and will be a test case for New Zealand’s terrorism laws, which came onto the books in 2002.\n\nPolice said Tuesday that they also charged Tarrant with an additional count of murder, bringing the total number of murder charges against him to 51. That came after a Turkish man who was wounded in the attack died earlier this month in Christchurch Hospital.\n\nPolice told families and survivors of the new charges at a meeting attended by more than 200 people.", "WELLINGTON - New Zealand police said on Tuesday they were charging the man accused of murder in shootings at two Christchurch mosques in March with engaging in a terrorist act.\n\nThe charge, which came under the country’s terrorism suppression legislation, was filed against Brenton Tarrant, police said in a statement.\n\nThe man, a suspected white supremacist, faces 51 charges of murder and 40 of attempted murder. He is next due to appear in court in June.", "The self-described white supremacist accused of murdering 51 worshippers at two New Zealand mosques two months ago has been charged with engaging in a terrorist act—the first time in the country’s history that such a charge has been brought. A lone gunman armed with semi-automatic weapons burst into two mosques during Friday prayers on March 15 in a terror attack broadcast live on Facebook. The suspect was later named as Australia-born Brenton Tarrant. He already faced a total of 51 charges of murder and 40 of attempted murder, but New Zealand police confirmed Tuesday he would face an additional terror charge. It’s the first under New Zealand’s terrorism suppression legislation, which was introduced in 2002 as a response to the 9/11 attacks. Mohamed Hussein Mostafa, whose father was killed at Al Noor Mosque, said he was relieved by the new charges. “It will cement in people’s minds that terrorism has no race or religion,” he said.", "New Zealand police have charged the man accused of murder in shootings at two Christchurch mosques in March with engaging in a terrorist act, they said on Tuesday.\n\nIn an attack broadcast live on Facebook, a lone gunman armed with semi-automatic weapons targeted Muslims attending Friday prayers, killing 51 worshippers and wounding dozens of people.\n\nPolice said that charge under terrorism suppression legislation was filed against Brenton Tarrant on Tuesday.\n\n“The charge will allege that a terrorist act was carried out in Christchurch on 15 March 2019,” Commissioner of Police Mike Bush said in a statement.\n\nAn additional charge of murder and two more charges of attempted murder have also been filed against Tarrant so that the suspected white supremacist faces a total of 51 charges of murder and 40 of attempted murder.\n\nTarrant’s lawyer did not immediately respond to a request from Reuters for comment.\n\nTarrant is next due to appear in court on June 14, after being remanded in custody in April and ordered to undergo psychiatric assessment to determine if he was fit to stand trial.\n\nPolice notified about the additional charges to roughly 200 family members of attack victims and survivors at a meeting on Tuesday, the statement added."], "summary": "Brenton Tarrant, accused of killing 51 people and wounding 49 others in two New Zealand mosques, is also charged with committing terrorist acts."}
{"document": ["Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Loved ones are given the soil to keep\n\nWashington has become the first state in the US to legalise human composting.\n\nUnder the new law, people there can now choose to have their body turned into soil after their death.\n\nThe process is seen as an alternative to cremations and burials, and as a practical option in cities where land for graveyards is scarce.\n\nAt the end of the composting, loved ones are given the soil, which they can use in planting flowers, vegetables or trees.\n\nThe bill was signed into law by Governor Jay Inslee on Tuesday.\n\nKatrina Spade, who lobbied for the law to be introduced, founded a company that could be the first to provide the service.\n\n\"Recomposition offers an alternative to embalming and burial or cremation that is natural, safe, sustainable, and will result in significant savings in carbon emissions and land usage,\" Ms Spade told Agence France-Presse.\n\nHow does it work?\n\nMs Spade says the process for her company, Recompose, places a body in a hexagonal steel container filled with alfalfa, wood chips and straw.\n\nThe container is then shut, and the body decomposes naturally within 30 days, creating two wheelbarrows' worth of soil.\n\nImage copyright Getty Images Image caption Human composting is seen as an eco-friendly alternative to burials and cremations\n\nEnvironmentally friendly burial alternatives are becoming increasingly popular.\n\nEarlier this month it was revealed that late actor Luke Perry was laid to rest in a \"mushroom suit\" in California.\n\nThe suit's creator, Jae Rhim Lee, says that it reduces the amount of toxic pollutants that are released into the environment during the body's decomposition and cremation.\n\nThe process of human composting is already legal in Sweden, while natural burials - where the body is buried without a casket or with a biodegradable coffin - are legal in the UK.", "(CNN) — Washington has become the first state in the nation to pass a law allowing composting as an alternative to burial or cremation of human remains.\n\nGov. Jay Inslee signed a bill Tuesday legalizing human composting. The bill will go into effect in May next year.\n\nCurrently in Washington, bodies can either be cremated or buried. The process of recomposition provides a third option that speeds up the process of turning dead bodies into soil, a practice colloquially known as “human composting.” The bill describes the process as a “contained, accelerated conversion of human remains to soil.”\n\nThe bill’s sponsor, state Sen. Jamie Pedersen, said it is an environmentally friendly way of disposing of human remains.\n\n“It’s about time we apply some technology, allow some technology to be applied to this universal human experience … because we think that people should have the freedom to determine for themselves how they’d like their body to be disposed of,” he said.\n\nKatrina Spade, CEO of the human composting company, Recompose, explained the process of turning a dead body into soil to CNN affiliate KIRO.\n\n“(The) body is covered in natural materials, like straw or wood chips, and over the course of about three to seven weeks, thanks to microbial activity, it breaks down into soil,” she said.\n\nLuke Perry’s daughter says he was buried in a mushroom suit\n\nWhile the body is being broken down, she said, families of the deceased can visit the facility and will ultimately receive the soil that remains. It’s up to the family to determine how they want to use that soil.\n\nThe process was the focus of a study at Washington State University in which six people donated their bodies for research, KIRO reported.\n\n“We proved recomposition was indeed safe and effective for humans as well,” Spade said.\n\nThe average burial can cost between $8,000 and $25,000. Cremation can top $6,000. Spade told the affiliate she hopes to charge about $5,500 for human composting.\n\nHuman composting supporter Leslie Christian told the affiliate it’s an attractive option from an environmental perspective. She said a lot of people approve of the process, including her brother, who told her he wants his soil to be used to plant tomatoes.", "\n• Washington State is the first in the country to legalize human composting as an alternative to a traditional burial or cremation.\n• The bill, SB 5001 “concerning human remains,” was signed by Gov. Jay Inslee on Tuesday.\n• Proponents of the law say it is an environmentally friendly alternative to conventional means of disposition, like burial or cremation.\n\nWashington State Gov. Jay Inslee, who is running for president in the crowded 2020 Democratic field, signed SB 5001 “concerning human remains,” on Tuesday – making Washington State the first in the country to legalize human composting as an alternative to a traditional burial or cremation.\n\nUnder the law, which is slated to take effect May 1, 2020, human remains can be disposed of through “natural organic reduction” or through alkaline hydrolysis, known as liquid cremation, which uses a chemical process including water, alkaline chemicals, and heat to reduce human remains to bone fragments. That practice is already legal in some states.\n\nInslee is running for president as “the climate candidate,” with a progressive platform focused on environmental issues. Cremation emits carbon dioxide and particulates into the air, while burials take up land and can pollute the air and soil. The law signed Tuesday was touted as an environmentally friendly alternative to conventional means of disposition, which Washington State Sen. Jamie Pedersen, a Democrat from Seattle who sponsored the bill, described as “a serious weight on the earth and the environment as your final farewell,” according to The Associated Press.\n\nThe bill, which passed both legislative chambers with bipartisan majorities, opens the doors for a Seattle-based company called Recompose to become the country’s first funeral home to offer human composting.\n\nPedersen told the AP that the legislation was inspired by Recompose’s founder, Katrina Spade, who first began researching the funeral industry as a architecture graduate student in Massachusetts. She founded Recompose in 2017 and is working to raise around $7 million to create a facility in Seattle and to begin expansion efforts. Recompose plans to charge around $5,500 for the service, according to the Los Angeles Times.\n\nOnce the law takes effect, Recompose plans to place the deceased in vessels, with material like wood chips and straw, as microbes break down bodies over the span of around a month. Those remains will create soil that friends or family have the option to take home and spread as a memory of their loved ones.\n\nThe state’s funeral industry has had mixed reactions to the practice.\n\n“I think some people were fine with it, others were not so fine with it,” Rob Goff, executive director of the Washington State Funeral Directors Association, told the Seattle Times. “It all boils down to personal choice for the families we’re serving.”\n• Some Democrats are already blasting Joe Biden’s reported ‘middle ground’ climate change plan for not going far enough\n• Ice sheets are melting far faster than we thought – in a worst-case climate breakdown, coastal cities like New York and Shanghai would be swamped\n• Scientists found 414 million pieces of trash on these tiny islands in the Indian Ocean – more proof that the plastic problem is out of control", "Democratic presidential candidate and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee signed a bill into law Tuesday that makes the state the first in the U.S. to legalize human composting.\n\nWhy it matters: From 2020, people can choose to have their body turned into soil after their death, as an alternative to cremations and burials. The next step for Washington is to build the United States' first urban \"organic reduction\" funeral home, per the Seattle Times. Inslee has made environmental issues a cornerstone of his 2020 bid.\n\nGo deeper: Jay Inslee on the issues, in under 500 words", "WASHINGTON (REUTERS) - It saves space, cuts emissions and feeds plants - now human composting may go mainstream after Washington became the first US state to legalise the transformation of human remains to nurturing soil.\n\nThe bill passed by wide margins and was signed into law on Tuesday (March 21) by Washington state Governor Jay Inslee, a presidential candidate running on a climate ticket.\n\nIts backers say \"natural organic reduction\" is an eco-friendly alternative to burial or cremation, and has obvious benefits in urban areas with dwindling land availability.\n\n\"Burial is problematic first and foremost because it's land use. Cremation is problematic because of greenhouse gas emissions and energy use. So what's our next option?\" said Katrina Spade, founder of Recompose, a Seattle-based company planning to offer commercial services around organic reduction.\n\nThe Washington city has already passed a moratorium on building cemeteries because officials say they are \"not a good use of land\", Ms Spade told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.\n\nThe process follows a longstanding tradition of farmers composting horses and livestock after they die, said Ms Spade, who along with colleagues has been testing a method that would see a corpse put into an enclosed pod and covered in grasses.\n\nMicrobes already in the body heat the pod to about 65 degrees Celsius, she said, and in about a month, yield 0.65 cubic m of soil, which could be given to family or donated.\n\nThe drive to deal with dead bodies in new ways comes amid dwindling space in urban cemeteries.\n\nOn Wednesday (May 22), a British council said it plans to reclaim unused grave plots - where burial rights had been purchased but never used - and is also considering \"grave reclamation\", which involves reopening graves to intern new bodies.\n\nGreen burials have risen in popularity, with growing demand for caskets that biodegrade and ceremonies that leave no trace.\n\nPost-death traditions are quickly changing across the United States, and environmentally friendly options are \"growing in popularity among consumers,\" the National Funeral Directors Association said in an email.\n\nAccording to a 2018 survey by the association, almost half of respondents expressed interest in exploring green options.\n\nOne is known as a \"natural\" burial, in which a body is simply put into the ground in designated areas, casket-free.\n\nBut there are few designated zones in urban areas, said Ms Spade, who sees organic reduction as the \"urban conceptual equivalent for natural burial\".\n\nExperts said the Washington state law was significant but only one in a long line of ingenious ways humans handle death.\n\n\"Humans are very good at inventing and developing new dead body disposal technologies,\" said John Troyer, director of the Centre for Death and Society at the University of Bath.\n\nOther examples include alkaline hydrolysis - a chemical process that breaks down the body - or the growing popularity of various biodegradable shrouds.\n\nMr Troyer said organic reduction methods \"effectively and respectfully manage the final disposition of human remains\".", "Washington became the first state to legalize “human composting” on Tuesday, when Gov. Jay Inslee signed a law that will allow human bodies to be converted into soil in licensed facilities.\n\nThe state law, which passed with bipartisan support, is aimed at providing a burial alternative that is less costly and more environmentally friendly than cremation or traditional coffin burials. It will take effect on May 1, 2020.\n\nInslee, a Democrat running for president in the 2020 election, has made climate change a focus of his campaign, calling it “the most urgent challenge of our time.”\n\n“We’re the first generation to feel the sting of climate change, and we’re the last that can do something about it,” he said in a video announcing his campaign in March. “I’m running for president because I am the only candidate who will make defeating climate change our nation’s number one priority.”\n\nOne of the strongest supporters of the legislation was Katrina Spade, the founder and CEO of Recompose, a company based in Washington state that developed a process that “gently converts human remains into soil, so that we can nourish new life after we die.” Spade researched human composting at Washington State University and led a study of the process with six people, who volunteered for their bodies to be composted after they died.\n\n“For some, it was a way to return to the natural cycles to, you know, give back whatever nutrients we have in our bodies when we die, even if it’s just a little bit, rather than burn that nutrient up or bury it in the ground,” Spade said in an interview earlier this month with NPR’s Here and Now.\n\nShe said the process for human bodies mirrors the composting process used by many farmers for livestock. Through Recompose, the body is placed in a vessel with a combination of wood chips, alfalfa and straw. A fan system adds oxygen to the mix, and the body is broken down by microbes within a month, turning into about two wheelbarrows of soil. She said the process will cost about $5,000 — less than the cost of the average burial, but more expensive than a simple cremation.\n\nSome critics have raised concerns that the process is not respectful.\n\n“The image they have is that you’re going to toss Uncle Henry out in the backyard and cover him with food scraps,” state Sen. Jamie Pedersen, a Democrat who sponsored the bill, told the Associated Press.\n\nBut Pedersen has said the process is a good way to reduce the environmental impact of disposing of human remains, especially in crowded areas where there might be little space to add to cemeteries: “I think it’s really a lovely way of exiting the earth.”", "Washington on Tuesday became the first US state to legalize human composting after its eco-friendly governor signed a bill to that effect in a bid to cut carbon emissions from burials and cremations.\n\nUnder the new law that will go into effect in May of next year, people who die in the state will have the option to have their bodies transformed into soil suitable for use in gardening in a process called recomposition.\n\n\"Recomposition offers an alternative to embalming and burial or cremation that is natural, safe, sustainable, and will result in significant savings in carbon emissions and land usage,\" said Katrina Spade, who lobbied for the law and is the founder of Recompose, a Seattle-based company set to be the first to offer the service.\n\n\"The idea of returning to nature so directly and being folded back into the cycle of life and death is actually pretty beautiful,\" Ms Spade added in a statement sent to news agency AFP.\n\nShe said she became interested in the process about 10 years ago after turning 30 and thinking more about her own mortality.\n\nSpade then began examining the technical aspects of creating an environmentally friendly \"third option\" that could compete with the $20-billion US funeral industry, which offers conventional burial and cremation.\n\nHer approach - developed with Washington State University, which did clinical trials with donor bodies - calls for a dead person to be placed in an hexagonal steel container filled with wood chips, alfalfa and straw.\n\nThe container is then shut and the body is decomposed by microbes within 30 days. The end product is a dry, fluffy nutrient-rich soil resembling what one would buy at a local nursery and suitable for vegetable gardens.\n\n\"Everything - including bones and teeth - is recomposed,\" Spade said. \"That's because our system creates the perfect environment for thermophilic (i.e. heat-loving) microbes and beneficial bacteria to break everything down quite quickly.\"\n\nThe process used by Recompose is the same as that used for decades with farm animals and the clinical trials carried out by the university in Washington found that it was also safe for use with humans.\n\n\"We have found that the essential methods that we use for livestock mortality composting are also effective for human disposition,\" said Dr Lynne Carpenter-Boggs, a professor of soil science at Washington State University. \"We have substantially changed the materials used, to be socially acceptable, but the basic principles that we have learned from livestock mortality composting are very effective for the human research subjects that we used.\"\n\nAccording to statistics, more than one in two Americans opt for cremation. In Washington state, nearly 75 percent of people choose that option.\n\nSpade expects her company to charge some $5,500 for a \"natural organic reduction,\" an amount a little bit over the price of cremation but less than the price of burial in a casket.\n\nHer innovation comes as so-called \"green\" or earth-friendly burials are gaining traction in the United States, where companies are now offering organic caskets or a burial in which the body is wrapped in a simple shroud in towns that allow it.\n\nThe actor Luke Perry, star of the hit-series \"Beverly Hills 90210\" who died in March, was buried in a biodegradable suit made partly out of mushrooms, as he requested.\n\nThe so-called \"mushroom suit\" was developed by Coeio, a California startup, that said the attire helps the body decompose, neutralizes toxins found in the body and transfers nutrients to plant life.\n\nBut not everyone is enthusiastic about turning bodies into garden-variety soil, notably the Catholic church, which has denounced recomposition as undignified.\n\n\"The Catholic Church believes that disposing human remains in such a manner fails to show enough respect for the body of the deceased,\" Joseph Sprague, executive director of the Washington State Catholic Conference, said in a letter to the legislative committee that examined the bill signed on Tuesday.\n\nElection Results for Lok Sabha Election 2019 will be out on May 23. Get the latest election news and live updates on ndtv.com/elections. Catch all the action on NDTV Live. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagram for news updates from each of the 543 parliamentary seats for the election 2019", "Urban cemeteries are filling up. Cremation releases greenhouse gases. Now, Washington has legalized a third option: human composting.\n\nLegislation allowing the practice of “aboveground decomposition” to begin next May was signed into law on Tuesday by Gov. Jay Inslee of Washington, making the state the first place in the nation — and probably the world, legal experts said — to explicitly allow human remains to become compost.\n\nThe bill will allow bodies to be placed in a receptacle with organic material like wood chips to help speed up the natural transition to soil.\n\nAfter several weeks, families will be allowed to keep the soil to spread, just as they save the cremated ashes of their loved ones.", "Washington state became the first state to legalize human composting on Tuesday when Gov. Jay Inslee signed SB 5001 into law.\n\nThe new law will make it legal to compost human remains, which is called natural organic reduction, as well as a practice called water cremation.\n\nThe bill signing was among many that were signed into law Tuesday. Human composting will be legal by May 1, 2020.\n\nState law previously dictated that remains be disposed of by burial or cremation.\n\nLoved ones are allowed to keep the soil to spread, just as they might spread the ashes of someone who has been cremated — or even use it to plant vegetables or a tree.\n\nSupporters say the method is an environmentally friendly alternative to cremation, which releases carbon dioxide and particulates into the air, and conventional burial, in which people are drained of their blood, pumped full of formaldehyde and other chemicals that can pollute groundwater, and placed in a nearly indestructible coffin, taking up land.\n\n\"That's a serious weight on the earth and the environment as your final farewell,\" said Sen. Jamie Pedersen, the Seattle Democrat who sponsored the measure.\n\nHe said the legislation was inspired by his neighbor: Katrina Spade, who was an architecture graduate student at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, when she began researching the funeral industry. She came up with the idea for human composting, modeling it on a practice farmers have long used to dispose of livestock.\n\nSpade founded Recompose in 2017, a company that wants to give people the choice to become soil when they die. She previously said they worked with Washington State University to test its safety for environmental and human health. Six people donated their bodies for the study.\n\n\"With cremation, you have the burning of fossil fuels and emission of carbon and mercury particulates into the atmosphere. With conventional burial, there is quite a carbon footprint from the manufacturer and transport of caskets, grave liners, and then the upkeep of cemeteries,\" said Spade. \"So, you have those two options, and if people want those options, absolutely they need to remain. But recomposition uses about an eighth of the energy of cremation and also has a significant carbon reduction thanks in part from the sequestration that happens of the materials during the process.\"\n\nRecompose is working on raising nearly $7 million to establish a facility in Seattle and begin to expand elsewhere, Spade said.\n\nCemeteries across the country are allowed to offer natural or \"green\" burials, by which people are buried in biodegradable shrouds or caskets without being embalmed. Composting could be a good option in cities where cemetery land is scarce, Pedersen said. Spade described it as \"the urban equivalent to natural burial.\"\n\nThe state senator said he has received angry emails from people who object to the idea, calling it undignified or disgusting.\n\n\"The image they have is that you're going to toss Uncle Henry out in the backyard and cover him with food scraps,\" Pedersen said.\n\nTo the contrary, he said, the process will be respectful.\n\nRecompose's website envisions an atrium-like space where bodies are composted in compartments stacked in a honeycomb design. Families will be able to visit, providing an emotional connection typically missing at crematoriums, the company says.\n\n\"It's an interesting concept,\" said Edward Bixby, president of the Placerville, California-based Green Burial Council. \"I'm curious to see how well it's received.\"\n\nEditor's Note: The video below aired in February when the bill passed the state Senate.", "The state of Washington is now the first in the nation to allow composting as a viable alternative to burial or cremation.\n\nOn Tuesday, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee signed legislation permitting “natural organic reduction” as an acceptable process that licensed facilities can use to dispose of human bodies.\n\nSuch facilities would be able to turn a body into soil, mixing it with various substances like wood chips, straw and alfalfa, “in a span of several weeks,” according to The Associated Press.\n\n“Loved ones are allowed to keep the soil to spread, just as they might spread the ashes of someone who has been cremated,” the AP noted, “or even use it to plant vegetables or a tree.”\n\nThe process is similar to “livestock composting,” which some farmers and ranchers use to dispose of dead animals.\n\nTRENDING: Beto O’Rourke Owes Thousands of Dollars for Use of El Paso Police Officers\n\n“I think this is great,” Joshua Slocum, director of the public-advocacy group Funeral Consumers Alliance, told The Seattle Times.\n\n“Disposition of the dead, despite our huge emotional associations with it, is not … a matter of public health and public safety.”\n\n“It gives meaning and use to what happens to our bodies after death,” Nora Menkin, executive director of the People’s Memorial Association, which is based in Seattle, told the AP.\n\nComposting is better for the environment than cremation or burial, the bill’s supporters say.\n\nCremation results in the release of carbon dioxide into the air, while traditional burial takes up large amounts of land.\n\nState Sen. Jamie Pedersen, who sponsored the legislation, suggested that composting could be a particularly good option for disposing of loved ones’ remains in cities, where the amount of cemetery land might be limited.\n\n“That’s a serious weight on the earth and the environment as your final farewell,” Pedersen, a Seattle Democrat, told the AP, referring to traditional burial.\n\nThe senator credited his neighbor, Katrina Spade, who became interested in the funeral industry while attending the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.\n\nSpade founded her company, Recompose, as a way to introduce the idea of human composting to the public.\n\nRELATED: Pro-Life Group Steps In After Woman Is Taken Off Life Support Against Family’s Wishes\n\nIn an interview last week on NPR’s “Here & Now,” Spade talked about her plans to open a facility where families could conduct services with their loved ones’ bodies, as well as wash the body before the composting process.\n\n“Recompose is going to have rooms in our facility where families can spend a little extra time with the body itself,” Spade said.\n\n“The idea is really for families to do what feels right for them.”\n\nSuch a facility would include honeycomb-shaped vessels where families could lay their loved ones’ bodies.\n\nBut some who oppose the bill argue that composting human bodies is disrespectful.\n\nPedersen “said he has received angry emails from people who object to the idea, calling it undignified or disgusting,” according to the AP.\n\n“The image they have is that you’re going to toss Uncle Henry out in the backyard and cover him with food scraps,” the state senator said.\n\nRob Goff, executive director of the Washington State Funeral Directors Association, said Spade discussed the concept at the group’s spring meeting.\n\nGoff said Spade faced critical questions from those in the industry.\n\n“I think some people were fine with it, others were not so fine with it, but it all boils down to personal choice for the families we’re serving,” Goff told The Times.\n\n“People, primarily in Eastern Washington, are interested but not necessarily excited to run out, promote this, and get this product in our market,” he added.\n\nThe law officially goes into effect in May 2020.\n\nWe are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards."], "summary": "Washington becomes the first U.S. state to legalize human composting, the right to allow people to have their body turned into soil after death. The process is seen as an alternative to traditional cremations and burials."}
{"document": ["California’s high-speed rail agency announced Tuesday it is suing the U.S. Department of Transportation and its senior officials over the Trump administration’s decision to terminate a $929-million grant for the state’s beleaguered bullet train.\n\nIn a 20-page complaint filed in U.S. District Court, the state effectively accuses the administration of playing politics with a decision that contradicts federal regulations and makes faulty allegations about the project’s lack of progress.\n\nThe decision this month by the Federal Railroad Administration, a part of the Transportation Department, was made “in violation of its own procedures and policies, was arbitrary and capricious, an abuse of discretion, and contrary to law, and threatens to wreak significant economic damage on the Central Valley and the State,” the complaint says.\n\nThe lawsuit further escalates the conflict between California and the Trump administration over a project that aims to make the state a leader in advanced transportation but has been hobbled by lengthy delays and massive cost overruns. The suit names as defendants Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao and FRA Chief Ronald Batory.\n\nAdvertisement\n\nGov. Gavin Newsom’s office said the state will also seek a temporary restraining order that will argue that “the real motive underlying FRA’s action was political: to punish California for opposing President Trump’s proposed border wall.”\n\nThe complaint filed Tuesday details the sequence of events on Feb. 19, a day after California and 15 other states sued to invalidate Trump’s border emergency declaration. The complaint notes that Trump tweeted that the lawsuit was led by California, “the state that has wasted billions of dollars on their out of control Fast Train, with no hope of completion.” The complaint notes, “Later that same day, in a curt, three-page letter, the FRA abruptly notified the authority of its intent to terminate the grant agreement.”\n\nBut the FRA has argued that Newsom, in his State of the State speech in February, substantially curtailed the scope of the project to focus on a Central Valley operating segment, and pushed the original goal of a Los Angeles-to-San Francisco system into the indefinite future. Chao later called Newsom’s plan a “classic bait and switch.”\n\nThe state complaint, however, argues that Newsom “confirmed that he shared the ambitious vision for high-speed rail” of prior governors.” The suit also says that the federal action contradicts the grant terms and federal practice, which requires that both parties work to help correct problems within grants, take modest initial steps to withhold funds and terminate a grant only as a last resort.\n\nAdvertisement\n\nThe lawsuit, filed by California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra on behalf of Gov. Gavin Newsom and the California High-Speed Rail Authority wasn’t completely unexpected, since Newsom vowed last week to commence legal action after the FRA announced it was terminating the $929-million grant.\n\nThe grant has not been paid out and the state had not expected to begin tapping the money until about 2021.\n\nNewsom, after holding a news conference in Oakland on homelessness, blasted Trump on Tuesday as a “petulant president” who is concerned only about ginning up fodder for his political rallies. Newsom noted that the courts have blocked many of the president’s actions, and he expects that to happen again regarding the funding for California’s high-speed rail system.\n\n“The money’s been appropriated. Basically, it puts every large-scale infrastructure project in the United States of America at risk. You would have no trust or confidence in an appropriation,” Newsom said.\n\nThe FRA had justified its termination in a 25-page letter to state officials, outlining what it believed were a wide range of violations of a 2010 agreement with the state. It noted that the agency had rejected the project’s budgets and funding plans since 2016, because they were flawed.\n\nBut California rail officials said the FRA had failed to make the state aware of any problems in its execution of the project or its relationship with federal regulators.\n\nThe suit asks for a decision setting aside the termination of the grant and a permanent injunction against the possibility that the money could go to another project, which the FRA had threatened in its termination letter.\n\nThe Trump administration has vowed to also claw back a $2.5-billion grant for the bullet train, which was fully spent by the state by 2017.\n\nAdvertisement\n\nSeparately, the state Assembly’s Transportation Committee held a three-hour hearing on the Newsom plan Tuesday, taking in testimony from eight witnesses. Rail authority Chairman Lenny Mendonca said the accounting firm KPMG and the German rail firm Deutsche Bahn would further review the ridership and business assumptions of Newsom’s plan to build a high-speed-rail operating segment from Bakersfield to Merced by 2027.\n\nMembers of a state-appointed peer review panel and the Legislative Analyst’s Office said the Newsom plan faces a wide range of risks that could affect its construction cost, funding and future ridership. Lou Thompson, chairman of the peer review panel, noted that the plan would require a large bridge loan to complete construction by 2027, since some of the funds for the work would not arrive until 2030. The loss of the $929-million grant is another unknown.\n\n“We are all making decisions on imperfect information, but the more information we get, the more the project seems imperfect,” said Assemblyman Vince Fong (R-Bakersfield), a critic of the project.\n\nTimes staff writer Phil Willon in Oakland contributed to this report.\n\nralph.vartabedian@latimes.com\n\nFollow me on Twitter @rvartabedian", "Construction continues on the Fresno Trench section of the California High Speed Rail Project on April 16, 2019, in Fresno, Calif. The state’s high-speed rail agency announced Tuesday it’s suing the federal government over the Trump administration’s decision to terminate a $929 million grant for the bullet train. (Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times/TNS)\n\nLOS ANGELES — California’s high-speed rail agency announced Tuesday it is suing the U.S. Department of Transportation and its senior officials over the Trump administration’s decision to terminate a $929 million grant for the state’s beleaguered bullet train.\n\nIn a 20-page complaint filed in U.S. District Court, the state effectively accuses the administration of playing politics with a decision that contradicts federal regulations and makes faulty allegations about the project’s lack of progress.\n\nThe decision this month by the Federal Railroad Administration, a part of the Transportation Department, was made “in violation of its own procedures and policies, was arbitrary and capricious, an abuse of discretion, and contrary to law, and threatens to wreak significant economic damage on the Central Valley and the State,” the complaint says.\n\nThe lawsuit further escalates the conflict between California and the Trump administration over a project that aims to make the state a leader in advanced transportation but has been hobbled by lengthy delays and massive cost overruns. The suit names as defendants Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao and FRA chief Ronald Batory.\n\nGov. Gavin Newsom’s office said the state will also seek a temporary restraining order that will argue that “the real motive underlying FRA’s action was political: to punish California for opposing President Trump’s proposed border wall.”\n\nThe complaint filed Tuesday details the sequence of events on Feb. 19, a day after California and 15 other states sued to invalidate Trump’s border emergency declaration. The complaint notes that Trump tweeted that the lawsuit was led by California, “the state that has wasted billions of dollars on their out of control Fast Train, with no hope of completion.” The complaint notes, “Later that same day, in a curt, three-page letter, the FRA abruptly notified the authority of its intent to terminate the grant agreement.”\n\nThe suit argues that the federal action contradicts the grant terms and federal practice, which requires that both parties work to help correct problems within grants, take modest initial steps to withhold funds and only terminate a grant as a last resort.\n\nThe lawsuit, filed by California Attorney General Xavier Becerra on behalf of Newsom and the California High-Speed Rail Authority wasn’t completely unexpected, since Newsom vowed last week to commence legal action after the FRA announced it was terminating the $929 million grant.\n\nThe grant has not been paid out and the state had not expected to begin tapping the money until about 2021.\n\nNewsom, after holding a news conference in Oakland on homelessness, blasted Trump on Tuesday as a “petulant president” who is only concerned about ginning up fodder for his political rallies. Newsom noted that the courts have blocked many of the president’s actions, and he expects that to happen again regarding the funding for California’s high-speed rail system.\n\n“The money’s been appropriated. Basically, it puts every large-scale infrastructure project in the United States of America at risk. You would have no trust or confidence in an appropriation,” Newsom said.\n\nThe FRA had justified its termination in a 25-page letter to state officials, outlining what it believed were a wide range of violations of a 2010 agreement with the state. It noted that the agency had rejected the projects budgets and funding plans since 2016, because they were flawed.\n\nBut California rail officials said the FRA had failed to make the state aware of any problems in its execution of the project or its relationship with federal regulators.\n\nThe suit asks for a decision setting aside the termination of the grant and a permanent injunction against the possibility that the money could go to another project, which the FRA had threatened in its termination letter.\n\nThe Trump administration has vowed to also claw back a $2.5 billion grant for the bullet train, which was fully spent by the state by 2017. Chao criticized California in a speech earlier this year, calling Newsom’s plan to scale back the project a “classic bait and switch.”", "A billboard sign promoting High Speed Rail prominently displayed along the 99 Golden State Highway in Bakersfield on January 28, 2015. (Photo by Al Seib/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)\n\nLOS ANGELES — California on Tuesday filed a legal challenge to the Trump administration's plans to terminate a grant of nearly $1 billion for the state's high-speed rail project.\n\nThe lawsuit, filed in federal court in San Francisco, follows the Federal Railroad Administration last week pulling a 2010 grant for $1 billion for the high-speed rail project and charging that California's rail authority \"failed to make reasonable progress on the project.\" In addition, the FRA indicated last week that it is continuing to explore \"all options\" concerning another $2.5 billion in funds already awarded to the state's high-speed rail agency.\n\nThe complaint seeks declaratory and injunctive relief and challenges the Trump administration's decision to pull the nearly $1 billion in funding for the California high-speed rail project. In the court filing, the state notes that it has already committed billions of dollars to the program.\n\nIn February, President Donald Trump called for California to return $3.5 billion in federal funds for the high-speed rail line planned between San Francisco and Los Angeles. The Department of Transportation followed by announcing its intention to cancel $929 million in grant funds awarded previously but not yet paid out.\n\nTrump's call for the return of money followed California Gov. Gavin Newsom at his first state of the state address on Feb. 12 announcing a reeling in of the state's high-speed rail project, saying the current plan \"would cost too much and take too long.\" He added, \"There simply isn't a path to get from Sacramento to San Diego, let alone from San Francisco to LA.\"\n\nAccording to the lawsuit, the FRA's action \"to abruptly terminate\" a 2010 agreement rather than work with the California High-Speed Rail Authority is \"a sharp departure from ordinary agency practice.\" In announcing its termination of the agreement last week, the FRA said California's rail authority \"repeatedly failed to comply with the terms of the FY10 agreement.\"\n\nIn addition, the lawsuit charges that the federal government's decision to ax the grant agreement \"was precipitated by President Trump's overt hostility to California, its challenge to his border wall initiatives, and what he called the 'green disaster' high-speed rail project.\"\n\nConstruction is underway on the first leg of the bullet train, a 119-mile section in the state's Central Valley. More than $6 billion has already been spent on the California high-speed rail project.\n\n\"The Trump administration's action is illegal and a direct assault on California, our green infrastructure, and the thousands of Central Valley workers who are building this project,\" Newsom said last Thursday after the FRA terminated the nearly $1 billion grant.\n\nIn 2008, California voters approved Proposition 1A, authorizing nearly $10 billion in bond money for the construction of the high-speed rail system. Since the vote, though, the project been plagued by delays and cost overruns.\n\nThe DOT declined to comment. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.", "California sues to block Trump administration from cancelling nearly $1 billion for high-speed rail project.", "The California state government Tuesday filed a lawsuit against the U.S. federal government for canceling a nearly 1-billion-U.S.-dollar fund contracted to support the state's high-peed rail project.\n\nThe lawsuit, filed with the federal court in San Francisco, attempted to recover money from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), which has announced that it would end its 928-million-U.S.-dollar contract with California because the state \"failed to make reasonable progress on the project.\"\n\nHowever, the California government argued in the lawsuit that the FRA's action \"to abruptly terminate\" the 2010 agreement rather than work with the California High-Speed Rail Authority is \"a sharp departure from ordinary agency practice.\"\n\nThe Golden State charged that the federal government's decision to ax the grant \"was precipitated by President Trump's overt hostility to California, its challenge to his border wall initiatives, and what he called the 'green disaster' high-speed rail project.\"\n\nThe lawsuit noted that California Governor Gavin Newsom on Feb. 18 criticized Trump's effort to build more barriers at the Mexico border as a \"manufactured crisis.\"\n\nThe next day, Trump on Twitter criticized California's high-speed rail plan, the lawsuit said.\n\nThe state also planned to file a request for a temporary restraining order, asking a judge to block the federal government from using the high-speed rail money for other purposes, according to the local Sacramento Bee newspaper.\n\nIn 2008, California voters approved nearly 10 billion dollars in bond money for the construction of the high-speed rail system linking Los Angeles and San Francisco, but the project has been plagued by delays and cost overruns.\n\nConstruction is underway on the first leg of the project, which has been cut down to a 119-mile section connecting Central Valley cities Merced and Bakersfield, and 6 billion U.S. dollars have been spent on it.", "California sues to block Trump administration from cancelling nearly $1 billion for high-speed rail project\n\nSACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California sues to block Trump administration from cancelling nearly $1 billion for high-speed rail project.", "California’s high-speed rail agency remains determined to complete about 119 miles of bullet-train construction in the central San Joaquin Valley, even as a confrontation with the Trump administration over promised federal funds escalates into a lawsuit.\n\n“We are looking for a ramp-up in activity for construction,” said Tom Richards, vice chairman of the California High-Speed Rail Authority, adding that he expects the pace of work to accelerate this summer. Richards, a Fresno businessman, said Tuesday at the agency board’s meeting in Sacramento that the state remains mindful of “the requirement to abide by all of the commitments we have” under a pair of federal grant agreements dating to 2010 and 2011 for about $3.5 billion to support engineering and construction in the Valley.\n\nTuesday’s board meeting came on the heels of California filing suit challenging the Federal Railroad Administration’s termination of the grant agreements. …\n\nClick here to read the full article from the Fresno Bee", "SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California sued Tuesday to block the Trump administration from cancelling nearly $1 billion for the state's high-speed rail project, escalating the state's feud with the federal government.\n\nThe Federal Railroad Administration announced last week it would not give California the money awarded by Congress nearly a decade ago, arguing that the state has not made enough progress on the project.\n\nThe state must complete construction on a segment of track in the Central Valley agricultural heartland by 2022 to keep the money, and the administration has argued the state cannot meet that deadline. That line of track would be the first built on what the state hopes will eventually become a 520-mile (837-kilometer) line between San Francisco and Los Angeles.\n\nBut Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom says the move is retribution for California's criticism of President Donald Trump's immigration policies.\n\n\"The decision was precipitated by President Trump's overt hostility to California, its challenge to his border wall initiatives, and what he called the \"green disaster\" high-speed rail project,\" the state said in the lawsuit.\n\nCalifornia was not expected to tap the $929 million the Trump administration has revoked until 2021. If the lawsuit is not resolved before then, the election could put Democrats in the White House and Congress who may be friendlier to the project.\n\nThe lawsuit faulted the Trump administration for halting cooperation with the state on granting environmental clearances for the project. It said terminating the funding would \"wreak significant economic damage on the Central Valley and the state.\"\n\nNewsom told reporters the administration is \"after us in every way, shape or form.\" But he expressed confidence the state will win in court.\n\n\"Principles and values tend to win out over short-term tweets,\" Newsom said.\n\nThe lawsuit highlighted a series of tweets Trump sent about the project, including one that said California's rail project would be far more expensive than Trump's proposed border wall.\n\nThat tweet came a day after California led 15 states in suing over Trump's plans to fund the border wall, and hours before the administration first threatened to revoke the rail funding.\n\nThe Federal Railroad Administration did not immediately respond to an email message seeking comment about California's lawsuit.\n\nCalifornia has worked for more than a decade on the project to bring high-speed rail service between Los Angeles and San Francisco, but the project has been plagued by delays and cost overruns. It's now projected to cost around $77 billion and be finished by 2033.\n\nThe state has already spent $2.5 billion in federal funding, and the Trump administration is exploring whether it can try to get that money back.\n\nThe lawsuit also asks the court to block the administration from awarding the money to any other project.\n\nThe lawsuit was filed in the Northern District of California.\n\nThe dispute over the funding was partly driven by Newsom's remarks in February that the project faced challenges and needed to shift focus. Rail officials had been planning to connect the line under construction in the Central Valley to Silicon Valley, but Newsom has proposed extending the line further north and south into the valley before heading west.\n\nThe California High-Speed Rail Authority presented a plan in early May that showed it would cost $18.3 billion to get trains up and running between Bakersfield and Merced by 2028.\n\nThe board overseeing the project voted Tuesday to further study whether it makes sense financially and otherwise to run early train service on that line. Tom Richards, the vice chairman, noted the board has not yet formally approved the new approach.\n\n\"The board has not been asked for, nor has the board given, any interim service direction to (the project's) management,\" he said.", "California is suing the Trump administration after the federal government canceled a nearly $1 billion funding contract for the state’s high-speed rail project. The state is arguing the federal government’s action was improper and politically motivated.\n\nGov. Gavin Newsom’s office says his administration filed a lawsuit Tuesday morning challenging the decision in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. The state also plans to file a request for a temporary restraining order, which will ask a judge to block the federal government from using the high-speed rail money for other purposes.\n\nThe Federal Railroad Administration announced Thursday it would end its $928 million contract with California because the state hadn’t kept up its end of the agreement and “has failed to make reasonable progress on the project.” It also said California “abandoned” its initial plan to build the high-speed train from San Francisco to Los Angeles.\n\nNewsom insists he has not abandoned the ultimate goal to connect the two major cities, although he generated widespread confusion during his February State of the State speech when he announced there “simply isn’t a path” for that part of the project. Instead said he would focus in the short-term goal of connecting Central Valley cities Merced and Bakersfield.\n\n“While this project has long been a political football, our determination to get the work done and bring high-speed rail to California is undaunted. This project is the right thing to do from a mobility, environmental and economic standpoint. It’s right for California and the nation,” High-Speed Rail Authority Chairman Larry Mendonca said Tuesday at a board meeting.\n\nIn the temporary restraining order the Newsom administration plans to file, the state argues the Trump administration’s decision to claw back the money was spurred by a desire for political retribution.\n\n“The real motive underlying FRA’s action was political: to punish California for opposing President Trump’s proposed border wall,” the state plans to argue. “There is no reasonable alternative explanation for FRA’s abrupt and unprecedented action or the manner in which it disregarded its own practice and established principles of fairness and due process.”\n\nThe lawsuit links Trump’s decision to restrict California rail funding to Newsom’s criticism of Trump’s immigration plan.\n\nFor instance, the lawsuit notes that Newson on February 18 criticized Trump’s effort to build more barriers at the Mexico border as a “manufactured crisis.” California also filed a lawsuit to block Trump’s plan to pay for the project with money that Congress had allocated for military projects.\n\nThe next day, the lawsuit notes, Trump on Twitter criticized California’s high-speed rail plan.\n\n“As I predicted, 16 states, led mostly by Open Border Democrats and the Radical Left, have filed suit in, of course, the 9th Circuit! California, the state that has wasted billions of dollars on their out of control Fast Train, with no hope of completion, seems in charge,” Trump write.\n\nHe added in another message on Twitter, “The failed Fast Train project in California, where the cost overruns are becoming world record setting, is hundreds of times more expensive than the desperately needed Wall.”", "FILE PHOTO - California Governor Jerry Brown's name and others are pictured on a railroad rail after a ceremony for the California High Speed Rail in Fresno, California January 6, 2015. REUTERS/Robert Galbraith\n\nWASHINGTON (Reuters) - California on Tuesday sued the Trump administration in U.S. District Court after the U.S. Transportation Department confirmed it would withhold $929 million in high-speed rail funding awarded to the state in 2010.\n\nThe state later on Tuesday plans to seek a temporary restraining order request asking a judge to prevent the U.S. Transportation Department from repurposing the money for other transit projects, the governor's office said.\n\nThe state argues that the withholding is aimed at punishing California for opposing President Donald Trump's proposed wall along the southern U.S. border. The suit also names Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, Federal Railroad Administration (FRA)and FRA chief Ron Batory.\n\nThe Trump administration moved to end funding after California Governor Gavin Newsom said in February the state would scale back the planned $77.3 billion high-speed rail project after cost hikes, delays and management concerns, but would finish a smaller section.\n\nThe FRA said last week it was still considering \"all options\" on seeking the return of $2.5 billion in federal funds the state has already received for the project.\n\nTrump has repeatedly criticized the project. In a speech last week, Trump called the project a \"disaster\" and \"totally out of control\" and recounted that he had said \"Elaine, it’s over for them\" to Chao about the California project.\n\nThe move marked the latest in an ongoing battle between the Trump administration and California over a series of issues including immigration, vehicle emissions standards and internet policy.\n\nThe most populous U.S. state has repeatedly sued the Trump administration and federal officials had expected the state would sue over the rail funding.\n\nThe Trump administration first said it planned to withhold the money on Feb. 19, which California noted in its suit was one day after it joined 15 other states in suing Trump over his decision to declare an emergency at the southern border.\n\nThe U.S. Transportation Department declined to comment on the suit Tuesday.\n\nThe FRA, the U.S. railway regulator said last week it had canceled the funding agreement after it said the state failed to make \"reasonable\" progress on the project.\n\nThe state said in its suit the FRA's decision was in \"violation of its own procedures and policies was arbitrary and capricious, an abuse of discretion, and contrary to law, and threatens to wreak significant economic damage on the Central Valley and the state\"\n\nCalifornia high-speed rail authority chairman Lenny Mendonca said on Tuesday that \"while this project has long been a political football, our determination to get the work done and bring high-speed rail to California is undaunted.\"\n\n\"This project is the right thing to do from a mobility, environmental and economic standpoint. It’s right for California and the nation,\" he said.\n\nThe traffic-choked state had planned to build a 520-mile (837-km) system in the first phase that would allow trains to travel at up to 220 miles per hour (354 kph) from Los Angeles to San Francisco and begin full operations by 2033.\n\nNewsom said in February the state would instead complete a 119-mile high-speed link between Merced and Bakersfield in the state's Central Valley, what Trump derided last week as \"from this tiny little town to another tiny little town.\"\n\nThe Obama administration awarded California $3.5 billion in 2010 and California voters in 2008 approved nearly $10 billion in bond proceeds.\n\nIn March 2018, the state forecast project costs had jumped $13 billion to $77 billion and warned costs could be as much as $98.1 billion."], "summary": "The California High-Speed Rail Authority sues the U.S. Transportation Department to block the cancelling of $929 million federal grant for the California High-Speed Rail project. The suit comes after the Trump administration canceled the federal grant for California's bullet train on May 16, 2019."}
{"document": ["Youth Assembly\n\nHave your say on climate action", "A man was shot dead in an apparent gangland attack in north Co Dublin late on Tuesday night.\n\nThe man’s body was found near a burning car at about 11.20pm at Rowans Little, Walshtown, Co Dublin, near the M1 motorrway.\n\nOne line of inquiry being explore is that the man’s fatal shooting is linked to the worsening gangland feud in Drogheda, Co Louth.\n\nIf a link is confirmed it would be the first murder in the feud, which began last July when a man was shot and paralysed.\n\nA series of non-fatal shootings and petrol bombings has continued since then, with almost 80 feud-related incidents recorded by the Garda in the past 10 months.\n\nThere were fears the recent release from prison of a leading player in the feud would exacerbate the violence.\n\nAs well as the Drogheda feud, a gangland feud is also under way in west Dublin involving three gangs from Blanchardstown and Finglas. And as the scene of Tuesday night’s discovery is not far from west Dublin, that feud has also not be ruled out.\n\nShots were fired towards a car in Mulhuddart late on Tuesday night. Though nobody was injured in that attack, it was being linked to the worsening feud in west Dublin.\n\nThe victim of Tuesday night’s fatal shooting in north Co Dublin was found on the road beside the Opel Insignia car that was set on fire on what is a link road to the M1.\n\nThe scene was sealed off. It remained secured overnight, watched over by a number of gardai.\n\nThe body was left in situ overnight pending the arrival of a pathologist on Wednesday morning.\n\nThe man’s remains were expected to be removed for post-mortem early on Wednesday, while the scene was also set to undergo a forensic examination by members of the Garda Technical Bureau.\n\n“Gardaí and emergency services were alerted to a car on fire at the above location and discovered a male with apparent gunshot wounds beside the car,” a Garda statement said.\n\n“The body of the man remains at the scene and the area is currently preserved pending an examination by Garda Crime Scene Examiners. Diversions are in place.”\n\nAnybody who may have witnessed any suspicious activity around the scene or who may have information about the murder was asked to contact Balbriggan Garda station on 01- 802 0510, the Garda Confidential Line 1 800 666 111 or any Garda station.", "The man shot dead in a gangland attack in north Co Dublin late on Tuesday night was a 22-year-old with no criminal convictions.\n\nHis body was found lying near a burning car at about 11.20pm at Rowans Little, Walshtown, Co Dublin, a link road to the M1.\n\nWhile the victim, who is from Coolock in north Dublin, had not been convicted of any crimes, he had been very closely associated with known gangland criminals.\n\nLast week in Donaghmede, north Dublin, an effort was made to shoot a man as part of the Drogheda gangland feud. The victim of Tuesday night’s shooting was close to the suspects of that botched attack.\n\nHe was also close to people centrally involved in the Kinahan-Hutch feud. He had a strong social relationship with a man in his 20s who is close to Liam Byrne (38), the Kinahan cartel’s key leader in Dublin for almost a decade.\n\nSources said the victim had been the subject of a number of stops and searches by gardaí and had been found to be wearing a bulletproof vest.\n\nGardaí are working on the theory he had driven to the spot where he was found to meet somebody he knew and trusted. They believe he was standing outside his car on the roadway when he was shot.\n\nHis killer or killers then set his Opel Insignia alight in a bid to destroy forensic evidence.\n\nThe scene was sealed off and remained secured by gardaí overnight. The body was left in situ pending the arrival of a pathologist.\n\nThe man’s remains were removed in an ambulance early on Wednesday morning to the Mater hospital for a postmortem.\n\nThe scene is undergoing a forensic examination by members of the Garda Technical Bureau.\n\n“Gardaí and emergency services were alerted to a car on fire at the above location and discovered a male with apparent gunshot wounds beside the car,” a Garda statement said early on Tuesday.\n\n“The body of the man remains at the scene and the area is currently preserved pending an examination by Garda Crime Scene Examiners. Diversions are in place.”\n\nAnybody who may have witnessed any suspicious activity around the scene or who may have information about the murder is asked to contact Balbriggan Garda station on 01- 802 0510, the Garda Confidential Line 1 800 666 111, or any Garda station.", "The man shot dead in a gangland attack in north Co Dublin late on Tuesday night has been named as Sean Little.\n\nHe was a 22-year-old with no criminal convictions from Kilbarron Ave, Kilbarrack, north Dublin. He was shot dead on a back road that leads from Walshestown in north Co Dublin to the M1.\n\nHe had driven on Tuesday night to a remote location, between exit five of the M1 and Walshestown, in a black Vauxhall Insignia he had recently imported from the UK and re-registered in the Republic.\n\nGardaí believe he was lured to the location where he was killed on the pretence of meeting somebody he knew and trusted. He was standing on the road beside his car when he was shot in the head and chest.\n\nHis killer then set his car on fire, with a member of the public calling Dublin Fire Brigade when they saw the fire.\n\nWhen the emergency services arrived on the scene, they found the car on fire and Mr Little’s remains on the road. He was pronounced dead at the scene.\n\nWhile the victim, who is from Coolock in north Dublin, had not been convicted of any crimes, he had been very closely associated with known gangland criminals.\n\nLast week in Donaghmede, north Dublin, an effort was made to shoot a man as part of the Drogheda gangland feud. The victim of Tuesday night’s shooting was close to the suspects of that botched attack.\n\nHe was also close to people centrally involved in the Kinahan-Hutch feud. He had a strong social relationship with a man in his 20s who is close to Liam Byrne (38), the Kinahan cartel’s key leader in Dublin for almost a decade.\n\nSources said the victim had been the subject of a number of stops and searches by gardaí and had been found to be wearing a bulletproof vest.\n\nGardaí are working on the theory he had driven to the spot where he was found to meet somebody he knew and trusted. They believe he was standing outside his car on the roadway when he was shot.\n\nHis killer or killers then set his Opel Insignia alight in a bid to destroy forensic evidence.\n\nThe scene was sealed off and remained secured by gardaí overnight. The body was left in situ pending the arrival of a pathologist.\n\nThe man’s remains were removed in an ambulance early on Wednesday morning to the Mater hospital for a postmortem.\n\nThe scene is undergoing a forensic examination by members of the Garda Technical Bureau.\n\nSupt Tony Twomey, who is based in Balbriggan, said the Garda was alerted to the attack when a member of the public contacted Dublin Fire Brigade at about 11pm. When they arrived they found the dead man’s car ablaze and his remains in the road.\n\nHe added the victim had a wound to the head and chest, though he did not confirm those were gunshot wounds.\n\nOther sources said the post mortem was expected to show they were gunshot wounds and that the man may have been beaten before being shot dead.\n\nSupt Twomey said the dead man had been driving a black imported Vauxhall Insignia, registration 181 D 46703.\n\nHe added gardaí wanted to speak to anyone who may have seen the car or recorded it dashcam footage any time between 10pm and midnight.\n\nAnd gardaí were also seeking any dashcam footage from motorists who were on the M1 around the time of the murder and immediately after it.\n\nThe location where the body and burning car were found is close to the top of the off ramp at exit five on the M1 on the road to Walshetown.\n\n“We are in the early stages of the investigation and we can’t quite say what is behind this,” Supt Twomey told the media close to the crime scene.\n\nAnybody who may have witnessed any suspicious activity around the scene or who may have information about the murder is asked to contact Balbriggan Garda station on 01- 802 0510, the Garda Confidential Line 1 800 666 111, or any Garda station.", "A young man shot dead in north Dublin has been named locally as Sean Little (22).\n\nA young man shot dead in north Dublin has been named locally as Sean Little (22).\n\nPictured: Man (22) shot dead in Dublin and found next to burning car is named locally\n\nLittle was found dead next to a burning car after being shot multiple times at a laneway located at Rowan's Little, Walshestown, near Junction 5 on the M1 in Co Dublin.\n\nDetectives are probing if Little - who is from the Coolock area of the city - travelled to the location of the shooting in his own car as part of a deadly set-up.\n\nHe was found dead beside the burning car overnight and is known to gardai through his involvement in organised crime.\n\nDespite being known to gardai the man did not have any serious criminal convictions.\n\nIt's understood the man was a juvenile offender and had one conviction as an adult for a road traffic offence.\n\nLittle had links to the Kinahan crime cartel and the ‘Mr Flashy’ gang who have been involved in a signifciant Finglas feud.\n\nHe is suspected of being a main player in the drug scene on the northside of the capital for the past 18 months.\n\nHe was a close pal of drug dealer Zach Parker (23) who was shot dead in Swords last January in an unsolved case.\n\nGardai in Balbriggan are investigating, but no arrests have been made as of yet.\n\nThe victim is believed to have been shot in the head and the chest.\n\nA forensic examination is still being carried out with the scene sealed off.\n\nGardai were informed of the incident shortly before midnight, and the emergency services rushed to the scene.\n\nThe car was a 161 D Opel Insignia, and it was extinguished by a unit from the Dublin Fire Brigade.\n\n\"Gardaí at Balbriggan Co Dublin are investigating a fatal shooting incident which occurred at Rowans Little, Walshstown, Balbriggan, Co Dublin at approximately 11.20pm last night,\" a spokesman said.\n\n\"Gardaí and emergency services were alerted to a car on fire at the above location and discovered a male (age unknown) with apparent gunshot wounds beside the car.", "A man in his 20s has died following a shooting in Darndale, north Dublin. The attack occurred on Marigold Road at about 4pm on Wednesday.\n\nThere were grave fears for the victim’s life immediately after the attack occurred and he was pronounced dead a short time later.\n\nGardaí say the killing has all the hallmarks of a gangland attack and are exploring links to the drugs trade.\n\nThe scene of the shooting has been sealed off and the Garda has deployed all the resources of a murder investigation to the inquiry.\n\nGardaí in Coolock Garda station are carrying out the investigation into the killing of the man, who was believed to be local and in his early 20s.\n\nThe shooting follows the murder of a 22-year-old Dublin man whose body was found near Walshetown in north Co Dublin late on Tuesday night.", "A man has died after a shooting in Dublin - the second in less than 24 hours.\n\nThe incident is understood to have taken place in the Marigold Road area of Darndale shortly after 4pm.\n\nIt is understood that the victim, who is in his early 20s, was shot multiple times and died at the scene.\n\nThe shooting comes just after the body of Sean Little was found beside a burning car at Rowans Little, Walshestown, Balbriggan.\n\nHis body was removed from the scene of the fatal shooting this afternoon.\n\nIt is understood that Mr Little, who was found beside the car, was shot once in the head and once in the chest.\n\nA garda spokesman said: \"Gardaí are at the scene of shooting incident that occurred at approximately 4pm on 22/5/19, in the Marigold Road area Darndale. Further details will be issued in due course.\"\n\nWe'll be bringing you the very latest updates, pictures and video on this breaking news story.\n\nFor the latest news and breaking news visit irishmirror.ie/news .\n\nGet all the big headlines, pictures, analysis, opinion and video on the stories that matter to you.\n\nFollow us on Twitter @IrishMirror - the official Irish Mirror Twitter account - real news in real time.\n\nWe're also on Facebook/irishmirror - your must-see news, features, videos and pictures throughout the day from the Irish Daily Mirror, Irish Sunday Mirror and irishmirror.ie.", "A murder investigation is under way after the body of a man was found next to a burning car on a quiet country lane just off a motorway.\n\nIt is believed the man had been shot in the head and chest, and police are investigating whether the incident is linked to a criminal feud.\n\nOfficers were called to reports of a car on fire just yards from the Dublin to Belfast M1 motorway, in Balbriggan in Co Dublin in Ireland, at around 11.20pm on Tuesday.\n\nWhen they arrived they discovered the man's body with apparent gunshot wounds and launched a murder investigation, Dublin Live reports.\n\nThe body remained at the scene early on Wednesday morning as forensic officers carried out an investigation.\n\nIt is believed the man had been shot in the head and chest on a quiet country lane, the Irish Independent reported.\n\nGardai have appealed for anyone with information or anyone who may have witnessed the incident to come forward.\n\nA spokesman said: \"Gardai at Balbriggan, Co Dublin are investigating a fatal shooting incident which occurred at Rowans Little, Walshstown, Balbriggan, Co Dublin at approximately 11.20pm last night, Tuesday May 21 May 2019.\n\n\"Gardai and emergency services were alerted to a car on fire at the above location and discovered a male, age unknown, with apparent gunshot wounds beside the car.\n\n\"The body of the man remains at the scene and the area is currently preserved pending an examination by Garda Crime Scene Examiners.", "Update 7.38pm: Gardaí are appealing for witnesses in relation to the fatal shooting in Dublin this afternoon.\n\nOfficers have said the man in his 20s was shot a number of times in a laneway next to Our Lady Immaculate National School in Darndale, Dublin 17, at around 4pm.\n\nHe was later pronounced dead at the scene.\n\nGardaí are appealing for anyone who was in the area shortly before 4pm to contact them in Coolock Garda Station on 01 666 4200, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda Station.\n\nUpdate 5.01pm: A man in his 20s has died after being shot dead in the grounds of a church in North Dublin.\n\nHis body is still at the scene, which is also near a primary school, as forensic officers carry out an examination.\n\nIt is the second fatal shooting to take place in the capital in under 24 hours.\n\nThis afternoon's gun attack took place in the grounds of the Church of Our Lady Immaculate in Darndale.\n\nThe Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan has released a statement condemning the recent Dublin shootings.\n\nHe said: \"I utterly condemn any violent loss of life and I am extremely concerned about the three shooting incidents that took place in Balbriggan, Mulhuddart and Darndale in the past 24 hours.\n\n\"An Garda Síochána are now conducting full enquiries into the circumstances surrounding these incidents and I would appeal to anyone who has information which could help to please come forward to them as soon as possible.\n\n\"Any information, no matter how small, could play a vital part in bringing the perpetrators of these acts to justice. Gardaí can be contacted anonymously by using the Garda Confidential Line on Tel: 1800 666 111.\"\n\nEarlier: Gardaí at scene of shooting in Dublin\n\nGardaí are at the scene of a shooting incident in Dublin.\n\nThe shooting happened at around 4pm on the Marigold Road area of Darndale.\n\nIt is reported that a man is in a critical condition following the shooting.", "Update 5.01pm: A man has died after being shot dead in North Dublin.\n\nIt is the second fatal shooting to take place in the capital in under 24 hours.\n\nThe Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan has released a statement condemning the recent Dublin shootings.\n\nHe said: \"I utterly condemn any violent loss of life and I am extremely concerned about the three shooting incidents that took place in Balbriggan, Mulhuddart and Darndale in the past 24 hours.\n\n\"An Garda Síochána are now conducting full enquiries into the circumstances surrounding these incidents and I would appeal to anyone who has information which could help to please come forward to them as soon as possible.\n\n\"Any information, no matter how small, could play a vital part in bringing the perpetrators of these acts to justice. Gardaí can be contacted anonymously by using the Garda Confidential Line on Tel: 1800 666 111.\"\n\nEarlier: Gardaí at scene of shooting in Dublin\n\nGardaí are at the scene of a shooting incident in Dublin.\n\nThe shooting happened at around 4pm on the Marigold Road area of Darndale.\n\nIt is reported that a man is in a critical condition following the shooting."], "summary": "A man is shot dead and his car set alight in Walshestown near Balbriggan, Dublin. It is believed the shooting is linked to the 2015–19 Irish gangland feud."}
{"document": ["Six people died in civil unrest that gripped parts of Jakarta on Tuesday night after the election commission confirmed that President Joko Widodo won last month's election, the governor of the Indonesian capital said.\n\nProtests on Tuesday by supporters of Widodo's challenger for the presidency, former general Prabowo Subianto, started peacefully but turned violent in the evening, forcing police to fire tear gas to disperse the crowd.\n\n\"As per 9 o'clock this morning, there were 200 people hurt being brought to five hospitals,\" Gov. Anies Baswedan told broadcaster TVOne. \"The number of people dead was six.\"\n\nHe said hospitals were conducting post-mortems to determine the cause of the deaths.\n\nHundreds of protesters were still locked in a tense stand-off with police in central Jakarta on Wednesday after a night of violence. Television footage showed smoke billowing from behind dozens of protesters in streets of the Tanah Abang district, with some throwing firecrackers and tearing down public fences.\n\nNews agency Antara reported that a small number of protesters had attempted to storm a nearby police station and were using tables as barricades.\n\nSeveral office buildings and embassies in downtown Jakarta were closed on Wednesday, as were train stations in the area.\n\nA separate crowd in front of the election supervisory body threw rocks and firecrackers at police around dawn, and dozens of chanting protesters joined them during the morning.\n\nIndonesia's top security minister, meanwhile, said authorities will block access to social media in certain areas amid violent protests in the capital Jakarta by supporters of the losing presidential candidate.\n\nWiranto, who uses a single name, didn't specify which areas would be subject to the restrictions in the televised news conference.\n\nHundreds of police in riot gear blocked the usually busy Sarinah intersection to hold back a crowd they said was expected to swell further in the afternoon.\n\n\"We will keep going with these protests until he (Widodo) falls,\" said Afi Sikumbang, 58, a Prabowo supporter.\n\nThe General Election Commission (KPU) on Tuesday confirmed unofficial counts by private pollsters in the April 17 election, which gave Widodo a 55.5 per cent share of votes against 44.5 per cent for Prabowo.\n\nWidodo won more than 85 million votes of a total of 154 million cast in the world's third-largest democracy, but Prabowo told reporters he believed there had been widespread cheating.\n\nThe retired general pledged he would \"continue to make legal efforts in line with the constitution to defend the mandate of the people,\" with his legal director stating the campaign planned to contest the result in the Constitutional Court.\n\nOn Monday, an election supervisory agency dismissed claims of systematic cheating, citing a lack of evidence. Independent observers have said the poll was free and fair.\n\nWidodo was congratulated for winning the election by former president and Democratic Party chairman Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who is part of the coalition backing Prabowo.\n\nThe National Mandate Party (PAN), which is also part of the Prabowo coalition, has also acknowledged the results of the election, which are being rejected by Prabowo's Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra).\n\nPresidential Chief of Staff Moeldoko told reporters on Wednesday he believed there was \"a systematic effort by a certain group, outside of the terrorist group, that is riding on the situation to muddy the situation,\" adding that authorities have seized two pistols from people involved in riots.\n\n\"We know who is behind this, it is a matter of time,\" he said, adding that security was under control.\n\nPolice spokesperson Dedi Prasetyo told Reuters on Wednesday that Indonesian police had arrested at least 20 people for provoking the riots and were checking on reports of casualties.\n\nHe stressed that security officers on the ground, which include military personnel, were not equipped with live bullets.\n\nNews website Tirto reported a man died of bullet wounds in Tanah Abang, quoting a doctor at a hospital near the site.\n\nIndonesian authorities say 40,000 police and army personnel are on duty across Jakarta to maintain security.\n\nAustralia, the United States, and Britain issued travel advisories warning of an increased risk of violence across Indonesia and advising citizens to stay away from protests. Canadian travellers are advised to \"exercise a high degree of caution\" in the country because of \"political and social tensions and the threat of terrorism throughout the country.\"", "Six people died in civil unrest that gripped parts of Jakarta on Tuesday night after the election commission confirmed that President Joko Widodo won last month’s election, the governor of the Indonesian capital said.\n\nProtests on Tuesday by supporters of Widodo’s challenger for the presidency, former general Prabowo Subianto, started peacefully but turned violent in the evening, forcing police to fire tear gas to disperse the crowd.\n\n“As per 9 o’clock this morning, there were 200 people hurt being brought to five hospitals,” Governor Anies Baswedan told broadcaster TVOne. “The number of people dead was six.”\n\nHe said hospitals were conducting post-mortems to determine the cause of the deaths.\n\nHundreds of protesters were still locked in a tense stand-off with police in central Jakarta on Wednesday after a night of violence. Television footage showed smoke billowing from behind dozens of protesters in streets of the Tanah Abang district, with some throwing firecrackers and tearing down public fences.\n\nNews agency Antara reported that a small number of protesters had attempted to storm a nearby police station and were using tables as barricades.\n\nSeveral office buildings and embassies in downtown Jakarta were closed on Wednesday, as were train stations in the area.\n\nA separate crowd in front of the election supervisory body threw rocks and firecrackers at police around dawn, and dozens of chanting protesters joined them during the morning.\n\nHundreds of police in riot gear blocked the usually busy Sarinah intersection to hold back a crowd they said was expected to swell further in the afternoon.\n\n“We will keep going with these protests until he (Widodo) falls,” said Afi Sikumbang, 58, a Prabowo supporter.\n\nThe General Election Commission (KPU) on Tuesday confirmed unofficial counts by private pollsters in the April 17 election, which gave Widodo a 55.5% share of votes against 44.5% Prabowo.\n\nWidodo won more than 85 million votes of a total of 154 million cast in the world’s third-largest democracy, but Prabowo told reporters he believed there had been widespread cheating.\n\nThe retired general pledged he would “continue to make legal efforts in line with the constitution to defend the mandate of the people”, with his legal director stating the campaign planned to contest the result in the Constitutional Court.\n\nOn Monday, an election supervisory agency dismissed claims of systematic cheating, citing a lack of evidence. Independent observers have said the poll was free and fair.\n\nWidodo was congratulated for winning the election by former president and Democratic Party chairman Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who is part of the coalition backing Prabowo.\n\nThe National Mandate Party (PAN), which is also part of the Prabowo coalition, has also acknowledged the results of the election, which are being rejected by Prabowo’s Great Indonesia Movement (Gerindra).\n\nPresidential Chief of Staff Moeldoko told reporters on Wednesday he believed there was “a systematic effort by a certain group, outside of the terrorist group, that is riding on the situation to muddy the situation”, adding that authorities have seized two pistols from people involved in riots.\n\n“We know who is behind this, it is a matter of time,” he said, adding that security was under control.\n\nPolice spokesman Dedi Prasetyo told Reuters on Wednesday that Indonesian police had arrested at least 20 people for provoking the riots and were checking on reports of casualties.\n\nHe stressed that security officers on the ground, which include military personnel, were not equipped with live bullets.\n\nNews website Tirto reported a man died of bullet wounds in Tanah Abang, quoting a doctor at a hospital near the site.\n\nIndonesian authorities say 40,000 police and army personnel are on duty across Jakarta to maintain security.\n\nAustralia, the United States, and Britain issued travel advisories warning of an increased risk of violence across Indonesia and advising citizens to stay away from protests.\n\nThe Indonesian rupiah fell 0.2% on Wednesday. The main stock index gained as much as 0.3% earlier in the session but gave up its gains to trade 0.2% lower.", "Confirmation of Indonesian President Joko \"Jokowi\" Widodo's reelection win has set off violence in Jakarta, where officials say at least six people died after protests morphed into riots in the capital. Widodo's challenger, former military general Prabowo Subianto, is refusing to concede the race.\n\nWidodo, who has called for unity in the wake of the hotly contested election, said he will not tolerate rioting.\n\n\"There is no other option. The military and the police will carry out stern actions in accordance with the law,\" Jokowi said on Wednesday, according to The Jakarta Post.\n\nThe violence followed official confirmation from Indonesia's General Elections Committee that Widodo had won the April election with 55.5% of the vote, to Subianto's 44.5%. The result largely echoed preliminary vote estimates from last month's election. But now officials say they've tabulated the vote from more than 800,000 polling places in the large and predominantly Muslim country.\n\n\"It is the second time that Joko Widodo has beaten Prabowo Subianto,\" NPR's Julie McCarthy reports for our Newscast unit, \"and the second time that Subianto has rejected the outcome. He claims massive fraud in the April 17 vote, but provides no evidence.\"\n\nSubianto has said he wants to settle the election results in court. But his supporters clashed with police in Jakarta's streets, throwing rocks and setting fire to tires and vehicles. On the other side, police and security officers fired tear gas and what were reported to be rubber bullets.\n\nAs thousands of people protested in Jakarta for a second day, police blocked them from reaching an overpass — prompting protesters to gather beneath the bridge and hurl stones above.\n\nIn at least one case, images from the scene showed a firefighting helicopter being used to dump a huge bucket of water in an attempt to block the protesters' path.\n\nAt the Election Supervisory Agency's headquarters in Jakarta, protesters were met with riot police wearing helmets and full body armor Wednesday.\n\nDemonstrators also congregated at the General Election Commission's office in Palu, where they waved red and white flags and shouted slogans as rows of security officers faced them from behind concertina wire, according to images from the scene.\n\nIn his bid to oust Widodo, Subianto ran a hard-line Muslim campaign, hoping to capitalize on religious conservatism's new momentum in Indonesia. As NPR's Merrit Kennedy has reported, \"Subianto was the son-in-law of Indonesia's longtime dictator Suharto, who was ousted in 1998.\"\n\nTo counter Subianto, Widodo surprised some of his supporters by naming the powerful religious cleric Ma'ruf Amin, 76, to be his running mate. In the past, Amin has been criticized as being intolerant, including speaking out against LGBT rights.", "The Latest on post-election protests in Indonesia (all times local):\n\nIndonesia's top security minister says authorities will block access to social media in certain areas amid violent protests in the capital Jakarta by supporters of the losing presidential candidate.\n\nWiranto, who uses a single name, didn't specify which areas would be subject to the restrictions in the televised news conference.\n\nSupporters of Prabowo Subianto, who was defeated by President Joko Widodo in the April 17 election, clashed with security forces in Jakarta on Wednesday, burning vehicles and throwing rocks at police, who responded with tear gas and rubber bullets.\n\nPolice have said the rioting was planned rather than a spontaneous outburst. The official election results were announced on Tuesday and Subianto, a former general, has refused to concede defeat, instead declaring himself the winner and planning a court challenge.\n\nSupporters of an unsuccessful presidential candidate clashed with security forces and set fire to a police dormitory in the Indonesian capital after the release of official election results.\n\nNational Police spokesman Dedi Prasetyo said protests turned violent late Tuesday and continued during the night. He said Wednesday that dozens of people were detained.\n\nKompasTV showed protesters throwing rocks, a paramilitary police dormitory on fire, and hundreds of riot police in a central neighborhood of the city.\n\nIndonesia's Election Commission on Tuesday said President Joko Widodo had won a second term with 55.5% of the vote in the April 17 election. His opponent, former general Prabowo Subianto, has refused to accept the results and declared himself the winner.", "JAKARTA: Indonesia will partially block social media to prevent the spread of hoaxes after violence in the capital, Jakarta, following the announcement of official election results, the chief security minister said on Wednesday (May 22).\n\n\"To avoid provocations, the spread of fake news through the community, we will limit access to certain features on social media,\" said Wiranto, who uses one name.\n\nSix people were killed in unrest that gripped parts of Jakarta on Tuesday night after the election commission confirmed that President Joko Widodo won last month's election.\n\nREAD: 6 dead in Jakarta riots after announcement of official election results\n\n\n\nProtest by supporters of Widodo's challenger for the presidency, former general Prabowo Subianto, started peacefully but turned violent in the evening, forcing police to fire tear gas to disperse the crowd.\n\n\n\n\"As per 9 o'clock this morning, there were 200 people hurt being brought to five hospitals,\" Governor Anies Baswedan told broadcaster TVOne. \"The number of people dead was six.\"\n\nHe said hospitals were conducting post-mortems to determine the cause of the deaths.\n\nHundreds of protesters were still locked in a tense stand-off with police in central Jakarta on Wednesday after a night of violence. Television footage showed smoke billowing from behind dozens of protesters in streets of the Tanah Abang district, with some throwing firecrackers and tearing down public fences.\n\nNews agency Antara reported that a small number of protesters had attempted to storm a nearby police station and were using tables as barricades.\n\nSeveral office buildings and embassies in downtown Jakarta were closed on Wednesday, as were train stations in the area.\n\nHundreds of police in riot gear blocked the usually busy Sarinah intersection to hold back a crowd they said was expected to swell further in the afternoon.\n\n\"We will keep going with these protests until he (Widodo) falls,\" said Afi Sikumbang, 58, a Prabowo supporter.\n\nThe General Election Commission (KPU) on Tuesday confirmed unofficial counts by private pollsters in the April 17 election, which gave Widodo a 55.5% share of votes against 44.5% Prabowo.\n\nPresident Widodo won more than 85 million votes of a total of 154 million cast in the world's third-largest democracy, but Prabowo told reporters he believed there had been widespread cheating.\n\nThe retired general pledged he would \"continue to make legal efforts in line with the constitution to defend the mandate of the people\", with his legal director stating the campaign planned to contest the result in the Constitutional Court.", "(JAKARTA, Indonesia) — The official count from last month’s Indonesian presidential election shows President Joko Widodo won 55.5% of the vote, the Election Commission said Tuesday, securing him a second term.\n\nThe formal result from the April 17 election was almost the same as the preliminary “quick count” results drawn from a sample of polling stations on election day.\n\nWidodo’s challenger for a second time, former general Prabowo Subianto, has refused to accept defeat and declared himself the winner last month.\n\nThousands of police and soldiers are on high alert in the capital Jakarta, anticipating protests from Subianto’s supporters.\n\nSubianto has alleged massive election fraud in the world’s third-largest democracy but hasn’t provided any credible evidence. Votes are counted publicly and the commission posts the tabulation form from each polling station on its website, allowing for independent verification.\n\nCounting was completed just before midnight and the Election Commission announced the results early Tuesday before official witnesses from both campaigns.\n\n“We reject the results of the presidential election,” said Azis Subekti, one of the witnesses for Subianto. “This refusal is a moral responsibility for us to not give up the fight against injustice, fraud, arbitrariness, lies, and any actions that will harm democracy.”\n\nUnder Indonesia’s election law, Subianto can dispute the results at the Constitutional Court.\n\nHe and members of his campaign team have said they will mobilize “people power” for days of street protests rather than appeal to the court because they don’t believe it will provide justice.\n\nIn a video released after results were announced, Subianto again refused to concede defeat but called on supporters to refrain from violence.\n\nPolice this month have arrested 31 Islamic militants they say planned to set off bombs during expected street protests against the election result.", "The Latest: Police chief says 6 reported dead in Indonesia\n\nJAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — The Latest on post-election protests in Indonesia (all times local):\n\nIndonesian police say based on reports from hospitals six people have died in rioting in Jakarta a day after the presidential election results were announced.\n\nPolice chief Tito Karnavian told a news conference authorities are still investigating the causes of death and are not ruling out the involvement of third parties acting as provocateurs.\n\nHe said the information police obtained showed victims were hit by gunshots or blunt devices. Karnavian said, \"This is what we have to make clear, where and why.\"\n\nSupporters of former special forces general Prabowo Subianto clashed with security forces in Jakarta on Wednesday, burning vehicles and throwing rocks at police, who responded with tear gas and rubber bullets.\n\nPolice have said the rioting was planned rather than spontaneous. Subianto has refused to concede defeat to President Joko Widodo in the April 17 election. He instead declared himself the winner and plans a court challenge.\n\nIndonesia's top security minister says authorities will block access to social media in certain areas amid violent protests in the capital Jakarta by supporters of the losing presidential candidate.\n\nWiranto, who uses a single name, didn't specify which areas would be subject to the restrictions in the televised news conference.\n\nSupporters of Prabowo Subianto, who was defeated by President Joko Widodo in the April 17 election, clashed with security forces in Jakarta on Wednesday, burning vehicles and throwing rocks at police, who responded with tear gas and rubber bullets.\n\nPolice have said the rioting was planned rather than a spontaneous outburst. The official election results were announced on Tuesday and Subianto, a former general, has refused to concede defeat, instead declaring himself the winner and planning a court challenge.\n\nSupporters of an unsuccessful presidential candidate clashed with security forces and set fire to a police dormitory in the Indonesian capital after the release of official election results.\n\nNational Police spokesman Dedi Prasetyo said protests turned violent late Tuesday and continued during the night. He said Wednesday that dozens of people were detained.\n\nKompasTV showed protesters throwing rocks, a paramilitary police dormitory on fire, and hundreds of riot police in a central neighborhood of the city.\n\nIndonesia's Election Commission on Tuesday said President Joko Widodo had won a second term with 55.5% of the vote in the April 17 election. His opponent, former general Prabowo Subianto, has refused to accept the results and declared himself the winner.", "Confirmation of Indonesian President Joko \"Jokowi\" Widodo's reelection win has set off violence in Jakarta, where officials say at least six people died after protests morphed into riots in the capital. Widodo's challenger, former military general Prabowo Subianto, is refusing to concede the race.\n\nWidodo, who has called for unity in the wake of the hotly contested election, said he will not tolerate rioting.\n\n\"There is no other option. The military and the police will carry out stern actions in accordance with the law,\" Widodo said on Wednesday, according to The Jakarta Post.\n\nThe violence followed official confirmation from Indonesia's General Elections Committee that Widodo had won the April election with 55.5% of the vote, to Subianto's 44.5%. The result largely echoed preliminary vote estimates from last month's election. But now officials say they've tabulated the vote from more than 800,000 polling places in the large and predominantly Muslim country.\n\n\"It is the second time that Joko Widodo has beaten Prabowo Subianto,\" NPR's Julie McCarthy reports for our Newscast unit, \"and the second time that Subianto has rejected the outcome. He claims massive fraud in the April 17 vote, but provides no evidence.\"\n\nSubianto has said he wants to settle the election results in court. But his supporters clashed with police in Jakarta's streets, throwing rocks and setting fire to tires and vehicles. On the other side, police and security officers fired tear gas and what were reported to be rubber bullets.\n\nAs thousands of people protested in Jakarta for a second day, police blocked them from reaching an overpass — prompting protesters to gather beneath the bridge and hurl stones above.\n\nIn at least one case, images from the scene showed a firefighting helicopter being used to dump a huge bucket of water in an attempt to block the protesters' path.\n\nAt the Election Supervisory Agency's headquarters in Jakarta, protesters were met with riot police wearing helmets and full body armor Wednesday.\n\nDemonstrators also congregated at the General Election Commission's office in Palu, where they waved red and white flags and shouted slogans as rows of security officers faced them from behind concertina wire, according to images from the scene.\n\nIn his bid to oust Widodo, Subianto ran a hard-line Muslim campaign, hoping to capitalize on religious conservatism's new momentum in Indonesia. As NPR's Merrit Kennedy has reported, \"Subianto was the son-in-law of Indonesia's longtime dictator Suharto, who was ousted in 1998.\"\n\nTo counter Subianto, Widodo surprised some of his supporters by naming the powerful religious cleric Ma'ruf Amin, 76, to be his running mate. In the past, Amin has been criticized as being intolerant, including speaking out against LGBT rights.", "JAKARTA, Indonesia — The Latest on post-election protests in Indonesia (all times local):\n\nIndonesia’s top security minister says authorities will block access to social media in certain areas amid violent protests in the capital Jakarta by supporters of the losing presidential candidate.\n\nWiranto, who uses a single name, didn’t specify which areas would be subject to the restrictions in the televised news conference.\n\nSupporters of Prabowo Subianto, who was defeated by President Joko Widodo in the April 17 election, clashed with security forces in Jakarta on Wednesday, burning vehicles and throwing rocks at police, who responded with tear gas and rubber bullets.\n\nPolice have said the rioting was planned rather than a spontaneous outburst. The official election results were announced on Tuesday and Subianto, a former general, has refused to concede defeat, instead declaring himself the winner and planning a court challenge.\n\nSupporters of an unsuccessful presidential candidate clashed with security forces and set fire to a police dormitory in the Indonesian capital after the release of official election results.\n\nNational Police spokesman Dedi Prasetyo said protests turned violent late Tuesday and continued during the night. He said Wednesday that dozens of people were detained.\n\nKompasTV showed protesters throwing rocks, a paramilitary police dormitory on fire, and hundreds of riot police in a central neighbourhood of the city.\n\nIndonesia’s Election Commission on Tuesday said President Joko Widodo had won a second term with 55.5% of the vote in the April 17 election. His opponent, former general Prabowo Subianto, has refused to accept the results and declared himself the winner.", "JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — The Latest on post-election protests in Indonesia (all times local):\n\nIndonesia's top security minister says authorities will block access to social media in certain areas amid violent protests in the capital Jakarta by supporters of the losing presidential candidate.\n\nWiranto, who uses a single name, didn't specify which areas would be subject to the restrictions in the televised news conference.\n\nSupporters of Prabowo Subianto, who was defeated by President Joko Widodo in the April 17 election, clashed with security forces in Jakarta on Wednesday, burning vehicles and throwing rocks at police, who responded with tear gas and rubber bullets.\n\nPolice have said the rioting was planned rather than a spontaneous outburst. The official election results were announced on Tuesday and Subianto, a former general, has refused to concede defeat, instead declaring himself the winner and planning a court challenge.\n\nSupporters of an unsuccessful presidential candidate clashed with security forces and set fire to a police dormitory in the Indonesian capital after the release of official election results.\n\nNational Police spokesman Dedi Prasetyo said protests turned violent late Tuesday and continued during the night. He said Wednesday that dozens of people were detained.\n\nKompasTV showed protesters throwing rocks, a paramilitary police dormitory on fire, and hundreds of riot police in a central neighborhood of the city.\n\nIndonesia's Election Commission on Tuesday said President Joko Widodo had won a second term with 55.5% of the vote in the April 17 election. His opponent, former general Prabowo Subianto, has refused to accept the results and declared himself the winner."], "summary": "Indonesia's General Elections Commission announces that incumbent President Joko Widodo has won last month's presidential election, with 55.5% of the vote. His rival Prabowo Subianto's team, however, refuses to sign and validate the results."}
{"document": ["Image copyright AFP Image caption Polling stations opened early on Tuesday morning\n\nIn Malawi, election officials have started counting votes in what has been described as one of the country's most unpredictable presidential elections.\n\nThere were no significant reports of violence and the election appeared to be well organised, correspondents say.\n\nThere are seven candidates, but three are seen as having a realistic chance.\n\nPresident Peter Mutharika is running for a second term, but he is being challenged by his own vice-president, Saulos Chilima, and Lazarus Chakwera.\n\nThe southern African country returned to multi-party elections in 1994 after 30 years of authoritarian rule.\n\nThe winning candidate just needs to get the largest share of the votes cast rather than more than 50%. Mr Mutharika won the last election in 2014 with 36.4%.\n\nWho are the main candidates?\n\nImage copyright AFP Image caption President Peter Mutharika (right) is facing a stiff challenge from Lazarus Chakwera (left) and Saulos Chilima (centre)\n\nLazarus Chakwera - Malawi Congress Party - hoping to revive the fortunes of the former ruling party\n\n- Malawi Congress Party - hoping to revive the fortunes of the former ruling party Saulos Chilima - UTM Party - current vice-president running against his boss\n\n- UTM Party - current vice-president running against his boss Peter Mutharika - Democratic Progressive Party - current president running for a second term\n\nThe nearly seven million registered voters were also electing a new parliament and local councillors.\n\n\"I'm very excited to vote since voting is my right,\" one woman in the capital, Lilongwe, told the BBC's Focus on Africa radio programme.\n\n\"We are all here to vote for our nation,\" another man said.\n\nThere were some delays, but at 07:00 local time (05:00 GMT), an hour after polls were supposed to open, voting was taking place in 97% of polling stations, the independent Malawi Electoral Support Network says.\n\nImage copyright AFP Image caption Voters had seven presidential candidates to choose from - all of them men\n\nMore than half of those who have registered are under the age of 34 and the youth vote may emerge as a significant factor.\n\nMr Chilima, who is 46, left the president's Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) last year. He fell out with Mr Mutharika after the president's fitness to run for office, at the age of 78, was questioned.\n\nHe has tried to appeal to young people in the promises he has made about addressing unemployment. Critics have said he will not be able to create one million jobs in his first year in office as he promised.\n\nAt the scene: Emmanuel Igunza, BBC News\n\nImage copyright AFP\n\nThere have been long queues at polling stations across the country.\n\nMany of the voters turned up before dawn, hoping to vote early and go back to work. Voting day is not a public holiday in Malawi.\n\nAt the tax office polling station in the commercial capital, Blantyre, voting started nearly half an hour late, angering hundreds who had come early.\n\nWhen I arrived 20 minutes before polls opened, electoral officials were scrambling to set up the voting stations.\n\nPeople voiced their frustration at the electoral commission chairperson, who was at the centre to oversee the start of voting.\n\nShe managed to calm the crowd, and voting has been going on smoothly, albeit slowly.\n\nImage copyright AFP Image caption Supporters of the leading three parties, the Democratic Progressive Party (left), the UTM Party (centre) and the Malawi Congress Party (right) have been attending rallies ahead of the vote\n\nOn election day, Mr Chilima was initially unable to vote at his polling station in Lilongwe as his name was not on the register.\n\nAccording to the electoral commission, Mr Chilima's name had been transferred to Chizumulu Island in Likoma district. He was eventually able to cast his ballot after contacting officials.\n\nMr Chakwera, 64, is the candidate for the resurgent Malawi Congress Party (MCP) - the official opposition.\n\nThe MCP led Malawi to independence in 1964 and governed the country as the sole legitimate party for three decades. But it has been out of power since multi-party politics returned 25 years ago.\n\nElection in numbers\n\n6.9 million registered voters\n\n54% of them are between the ages of 18 and 34\n\n56% of registered voters are female\n\nAll 7 presidential candidates are male\n\nMore than 5,000 polling stations across the country\n\nPolls opened for 12 hours from 06:00 local time (04:00 GMT)\n\nWith high levels of poverty, the economy, and in particular the state of agriculture, has been a big issue.\n\nThe government has been praised for the farm-input subsidy programme to help poor farmers but opposition parties say it has been fraught with corruption, another major issue on the campaign trail.\n\nThe electoral commission has eight days to announce the result, but correspondents say it could be known as early as Wednesday evening.", "Patrick Meinhardt, AFP | A man casts his vote at Masasa Primary School polling station in Mzuzu on May 21, 2019\n\nMalawi polls opened on Tuesday after a closely fought election campaign, with President Peter Mutharika battling to hold off two serious rivals in a race that has focused on corruption allegations and economic development.\n\nAdvertising Read more\n\nMutharika, who has been in power since 2014, faces opposition from his own deputy Saulos Chilima and former baptist preacher Lazarus Chakwera.\n\n“We have set Malawi on the path of progress,” Mutharika, 78, told several thousand cheering supporters of his ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) at his final campaign rally at the weekend.\n\nHis bid for a second term has highlighted on the economy and his record of improving road and electricity infrastructure across the southeastern African country.\n\nUnder Mutharika, inflation has fallen from 23 percent to below nine percent, but still only 11 percent of the population has access to electricity.\n\nThe election is the first since a new law forced parties to declare large donations and banned the once-common practice by candidates of giving cash handouts.\n\n“I’m hoping for change. We need jobs to change our lives and that is what I hope my candidate does,” voter Madalitso Willie, 25, a motor mechanic in Lilongwe, told AFP, declining to reveal his preference.\n\n“We have been disappointed so many times before but now we want something different,” said Violet Moyo, 30, businesswoman, as she waited to vote after polls opened at 6am (0400 GMT). “I’m super excited for voting,”\n\n'We are winning'\n\nFood shortages, power outages and ballooning external debt have hurt Mutharika’s popularity while in office.\n\nHe faces a strong challenge from Chakwera, leader of the main opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP), who came a narrow second in the 2014 election.\n\nAs campaign ended at the weekend, Chakwera told AFP that he expected “nothing less than victory we are winning.”\n\nMutharika’s other opponent, Chilima, quit the ruling party last year to form the youth-focused United Transformation Movement, while staying on as vice president.\n\nUnder Malawi law, the president cannot fire the vice president.\n\nChilima, 46, emphasised his youth credentials by doing push-ups on stage during the campaign, while his wife releases a popular rap video extolling his credentials to be president.\n\nMore than half of the 6.8-million registered voters are under 35.\n\nNarrow margin?\n\nDan Banik, a politics professor at the University of Malawi, told AFP that the election posed many questions.\n\n“What will happen when a winner is declared by a narrow margin?” he said.\n\n“How will losing presidential candidates take defeat? Will supporters of the incumbent DPP peacefully accept losing?”\n\nBanik said that the election commission and the courts could be severely tested by counting complaints after polling day, when voters also choose lawmakers and local councillors.\n\nIn Malawi’s “winner takes all” system, Mutharika won in 2014 with just 36 percent of the vote.\n\nHe came to power in the aid-dependent country vowing to tackle corruption after the “Cashgate” scandal erupted a year earlier, revealing massive looting from state coffers.\n\nBut his government has been dogged by several high-profile cases of corruption and nepotism.\n\nLast November, Mutharika himself was forced to return a $200,000 donation from a businessman facing a corruption case in a $3-million contract to supply food to the Malawi police.\n\n“It will even be more uncertain and tight than last time. It could undermine the legitimacy of the winning candidate,” said Michael Jana, a Malawi politics specialist at Johannesburg’s University of the Witwatersrand.\n\nMalawi won independence from Britain in 1964, and was then ruled by Hastings Banda as a one-party state until the first multi-party elections in 1994.\n\nThe country, which has a population of 18 million people, has one million adults living with HIV one of the highest HIV prevalence rates in the world.\n\n(AFP)", "Voters in Malawi go to polls to elect president, parliament\n\nBLANTYRE, Malawi (AP) — Voting has started in in Malawi to elect a new president and 193 members of parliament.\n\nBefore dawn, hundreds of voters lined up Tuesday at polling centers to cast their ballots in the election in which 78-year-old President Peter Mutharika is seeking re-election to a second term.\n\nMutharika is in a tight race against his vice-president, 46-year-old Saulos Chilima, and the leader of the main opposition Malawi Congress Party, Lazarus Chakwera, 64.\n\nMalawi's army and police will provide security at polling stations for the 6 million registered voters.", "BLANTYRE, Malawi — Voting has started in in Malawi to elect a new president and 193 members of parliament.\n\nBefore dawn, hundreds of voters lined up Tuesday at polling centers to cast their ballots in the election in which 78-year-old President Peter Mutharika is seeking re-election to a second term.\n\nMutharika is in a tight race against his vice-president, 46-year-old Saulos Chilima, and the leader of the main opposition Malawi Congress Party, Lazarus Chakwera, 64.\n\nMalawi’s army and police will provide security at polling stations for the 6 million registered voters.\n\nCopyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.", "More than 6 million Malawians are voting Tuesday for president, parliament and local councils in the country's sixth election since the 1994 end of dictatorship.\n\nOf a field of seven presidential candidates, incumbent 78-year-old President Peter Mutharika faces stiff competition from his vice-president, Saulos Chilima, 46, and from Lazarus Chakwera, 64, leader of the main opposition, the Malawi Congress Party.\n\nMalawi's winning candidate must get the most votes cast but is not required to receive more than 50% of the votes.\n\nPrevious president Joyce Banda dropped out of the race and is supporting Chakwera.\n\nOf the registered voters, 54% are young people between the ages of 18 and 34. Women make up 56% of the registered voters while all the presidential candidates are male.\n\nMalawi's army and police will provide security at the more than 5,000 polling stations across the country and polls will remain open for 12 hours until 6 p.m. local time.\n\nMost voters interviewed said they are pleased to cast their ballots in the hotly contested presidential poll.\n\n\"We are tired with all these months of bickering and I just want to vote and be done with it,\" said Martha Liunda, 66, in Blantyre.\n\nWilliam Phiri, 32, an inmate at Chichiri prison in Blantyre said he was excited to be able to vote for a candidate of his choice even though he is in jail.\n\n\"I have two years to serve and I am voting for a future that I will find upon my release,\" he said.\n\nMalawi's voting system is secure and \"cannot be penetrated by hackers,\" said electoral commission chairwoman Jane Ansa, speaking to the press Monday evening. No communications networks will be shut down during the elections, she said.\n\nThe presidential contest is very close between the top three contenders, said Boniface Dulani, a senior lecturer in political science at Chancellor College, University of Malawi.\n\nAs in previous elections, he says voting is likely to follow regional lines where Chakwere and the Malawi Congress Party will carry the central region, Chilima the north and Mutharika the south.\n\n\"The decider will most likely be who comes second in all the regions,\" he said.", "COUNCILLORS will not receive an annual pay rise if a recommendation to next week's full council meeting is passed.\n\nAt yesterday's corporate governance and works committee meeting, councillor Jason Kingsley moved against the officer's recommendation to increase councillors' pay by 2.5per cent as of July 1 this year.\n\nThe officer instead moved that the status quo be maintained, which pays all councillors $17,490, the mayor an extra $35,225 and the deputy mayor an extra $2935.\n\nThe deputy mayor's allowance is deducted from the total of the mayor's allowance at four out of 52.\n\nThe council has resolved not to increase the fees paid to councillors beyond what was paid in 2013-14.\n\nThe cost for the officer's recommendation of 2.5per cent would be an extra $4965.", "For new councillors, nothing inspires dread more than getting your head around local government finance.\n\nMany will have started their political careers as local campaigners and will know more than most about council budgets. They know about the trade-offs involved and are familiar with a number of the principles that underpin how councils manage their money.\n\nBut the scope and complexity of local government finances, in a world where councils plan, manage and deliver services in increasingly different ways, can take even the well-prepared by surprise.\n\nNew members are often likely to find themselves on scrutiny committees. It is through involvement in such committees that new councillors will have their first full-on encounter with the inner workings of their authority’s budget. Tomorrow’s cabinet members and leaders will cut their teeth on this work, and it is never too early for new members to begin developing an awareness of the key issues with the support of officers and their fellow members.\n\nThat isn’t to say that we only need to give new members the rundown on financial issues because some of them will one day sit on the cabinet.\n\nThere is an increasingly vital role for scrutiny councillors to play across the piece. Cipfa and the Centre for Public Scrutiny, along with the support of the Local Government Association will, in the coming weeks, be publishing a comprehensive guide for councillors on these issues.\n\nHowever, there are particular steps that the newest councillors can take now that will stand them in good stead for the longer term. Such learning will eventually lead to a mastery of all things local government finance.\n\nWith that in mind, here are our top five tips for those new to the business of local democracy in town and county halls around the country, now that local election fever is over:\n\n1.Don’t be afraid to ask stupid questions. This is perhaps one of the most common things that a new councillor will be afraid of doing. In truth, no question is stupid. But to new members, coming into what can be an unfamiliar and intimidating environment, it may seem so.\n\n2.Get a sense of the current context. How are the council’s finances looking right now? Is there cause for concern? What are the big national and local trends which may influence your financial position in the future? Officers will be able to support this thinking, but councillors, fresh from an intense round of local campaigning, are likely to have immediate insights into the local psyche. How do you make that insight and perspective meaningful? What does it mean for the budget?\n\n3.Don’t get overwhelmed. As your understanding develops, you’ll begin to recognise just how much information is out there. This begs the need to be discriminating. It’s not possible to absorb absolutely everything, so consider what information and data will help you to get to the heart of an issue.\n\n4.Take your time. Demand the time and resources you need to be comfortable in your understanding of these issues. The budget cycle can feel like a steamroller, but the sense shouldn’t be that the process will continue irrespective of the members that may come and go. Councillors need time to understand, to digest, to reflect and consider – in order to play an active role. It’s wholly right to challenge finance officers to reflect on whether the way that they work meets these needs.\n\n5.Don’t underestimate yourself. Don’t underestimate the vital democratic role that you can play in your community. In many councils, the process by which councillors other than the cabinet have an opportunity to review and influence the budget before it is formally agreed, can seem like a limited and perfunctory affair. The budget can appear to emerge, fully formed, from nowhere in the new year. The inscrutability of the process that surrounds this can put members off and give them a sense that there’s nothing constructive they can do. But there is. The period after elections, with the turnover of members and the political resetting of the council’s policy and budget cycle, is the perfect time to think practically about how financial systems and processes can be opened out.\n\nWhile we’ve pitched these tips for new councillors, they also form the fundamentals for councillors returning to their positions after elections. There is always scope to keep learning, which is why, in the coming weeks, Cipfa and the Centre for Public Scrutiny will launch the Councillor Advisor Service. The aim of this service is not only to improve the financial knowledge of councillors, but to strengthen dialogue and mutual understanding between councillors and officers.\n\nSo congratulations to all councillors, both new and returning, following local elections. Take pride in your participation in our democracy and know that we stand ready to support you in the service of your communities.\n• Cipfa is running two workshops to help new members understand councils’ financial reporting requirements in London (30 May) and Leeds (5 June).", "President Peter Mutharika who is seeking a second term and is being challenged by his deputy, Saulos Chilima, the leader of biggest opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP), Lazarus Chakwer were locked in a neck and neck race Tuesday as exit polls showed no clear winner in an election that was branded watershed.\n\nThe nearly seven million registered voters went to the polls on Tuesday, casting their votes to elect a president, members of parliament and local government councillors.\n\nNyasa Times correspondents with help of Malawi Electoral Commission (MEC) stringers, conducted an exit poll covering Lilongwe, Blantyre, Zomba, Mangochi, Mulanje, Chikwawa, Ntcheu, Kasungu, Mzuzu, Mzimba and Karonga.\n\nImmediately after voters exited the polling stations, they shared why they preferred specific candidates.\n\nMost voters considered development agenda, cost of living, education and unemployment while deciding on who to vote for.\n\nVoters feel unemployment and corruption are key issues the President should address immediately after elections.\n\nAn election exit poll is one that is conducted immediately after voters have exited the polling stations with an objective of finding out how the respondents voted but more specifically, understand respondents demographics, voters experience at the polling centre, main reasons why they voted for a particular candidate and understand when they made a decision to vote for their favorite candidates.\n\nPresident Mutharika is seen – in the Nyasa Times exit polls – to be way head of the Chakwera and Chilima and chances are he will most certainly be given a new mandate to govern.\n\nHowever, the exit polls are notoriously imprecise, meaning the final results could still swing in either direction.\n\nMalawi’s electoral commission (MEC) has since pledged to deliver a credible results with its chief, Dr. Jane Ansah asking the 6.9 million registered voters to trust that their will will be respected.", "Polling stations opened at 6:00 hours local time (0400 GMT) in Malawi on Tuesday, and voters will now have the opportunity to decide the fate of incumbent president Peter Mutharika who is battling to hold off two serious rivals in a race that focused on corruption allegations and economic development.\n\nMutharika, who has been in power since 2014, will face opposition from his own deputy Saulos Chilima and former baptist preacher Lazarus Chakwera.\n\n“We have set Malawi on the path of progress,” Mutharika, 78, told several thousand cheering supporters of his ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in Blantyre at his final campaign rally at the weekend.\n\nHis bid for a second term has focused on the economy and his record of improving road and electricity infrastructure across the southeastern African country.\n\nUnder Mutharika, inflation has fallen from 23 percent to below nine percent, but still only 11 percent of the population has access to electricity.\n\nThe election is the first since a new law forced parties to declare large donations and banned the once-common practice by candidates of giving cash handouts.\n\nFood shortages, power outages and ballooning external debt have hurt Mutharika’s popularity ahead of the vote.\n\nHe faces a strong challenge from Chakwera, leader of the main opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP), who came a narrow second in the 2014 election.\n\nAhead of the vote, Chakwera told AFP that he expected “nothing less than victory — we are winning.”\n\nMutharika’s other opponent, Chilima, quit the ruling party last year to form the youth-focused United Transformation Movement, while staying on as vice president.\n\nUnder Malawi law, the president cannot fire the vice president.\n\nChilima, 46, emphasised his youth credentials by doing push-ups on stage during the campaign.\n\nMore than half of the 6.8-million registered voters are under 35.\n\nDan Banik, a politics professor at the University of Malawi, told AFP that the election posed many questions.\n\n“What will happen when a winner is declared by a narrow margin?” he said.\n\n“How will losing presidential candidates take defeat? Will supporters of the incumbent DPP peacefully accept losing?” he asked.\n\nBanik said that the election commission and the courts could be severely tested by counting complaints after polling day on Tuesday, when voters will also choose lawmakers and local councillors.\n\nIn Malawi’s “winner takes all” system, Mutharika won in 2014 with just 36 percent of the vote.\n\nHe came to power in the aid-dependent country vowing to tackle corruption after the “Cashgate” scandal erupted a year earlier, revealing massive looting from state coffers.\n\nBut his government has been dogged by several high-profile cases of corruption and nepotism.\n\nLast November, Mutharika himself was forced to return a $200,000 donation from a businessman facing a corruption case in a $3-million contract to supply food to the Malawi police.\n\n“It will even be more uncertain and tight than last time. It could undermine the legitimacy of the winning candidate,” said Michael Jana, a Malawi politics specialist at Johannesburg’s University of the Witwatersrand.\n\nMalawi won independence from Britain in 1964, and was then ruled by Hastings Banda as a one-party state until the first multi-party elections in 1994.\n\nThe country, which has a population of 18 million people, has one million adults living with HIV, one of the highest HIV prevalence rates in the world.", "Voters go to the polls\n\nChester County voters go to the polls for Primary Election"], "summary": "Voters head to the polls to elect the next President of Malawi, Parliament and local government councillors."}
{"document": ["Pennsylvania State Rep. Fred Keller won the Pennsylvania House 12th district special election, according to the New York Times.\n\nKeller defeated Democrat and professor at Penn State University Marc Friedenberg in a special election Tuesday. The congressional seat became vacant after former Rep. Tom Marino (R-PA), who easily beat Friedenberg in the 2018 midterm elections, resigned less than one month into this term.\n\nThe Pennsylvania Republican’s victory serves President Donald Trump as well. Trump held a rally in Pennsylvania on Monday.\n\nAhead of the election, Trump said he endorsed Keller and contended that the election would serve as a referendum on his presidential administration.\n\n“Go get em, Fred,” Trump told Keller on Monday. “It’s a little bit of a referendum.” President Trump then said that if Keller wins the special election, the media will not widely report the story; however, if Keller loses the election, Trump said that they will play it up as one of the biggest political events in recent memory.\n\nKeller’s victory could also serve as a referendum on Trump’s vs former Vice President Joe Biden’s popularity in Pennsylvania.\n\nDuring the rally on Monday, Trump reminded Pennsylvanians that Biden abandoned them to become a senator in Delaware.\n\n“Don’t forget, Biden deserted you, he’s not from Pennsylvania, I guess he was born here, but he left you, folks, he left you for another state,” Trump said.\n\n“He left you for another state, and he didn’t take care of you because he didn’t take care of your jobs,” Trump added. “He let other countries come in and rip off America.”", "Republican state lawmaker Fred Keller easily won the vacant U.S. House election in a special election in Pennsylvania Tuesday night, the PA Post reports.", "article\n\nA look at the winners in key races in Pennsylvania's primary:\n\nPHILADELPHIA MAYOR\n\nDemocrat Jim Kenney won the three-way Democratic primary in his bid for re-election, virtually guaranteeing him a second term as mayor of the nation's sixth largest city.\n\nKenney, 61, beat two longtime city political figures: Alan Butkovitz, the former city controller, and state Sen. Anthony Williams. Republican Billy Ciancaglini ran unopposed in the GOP primary, but has little chance in November's general election in the heavily Democratic city.\n\n___\n\nU.S. HOUSE SPECIAL ELECTION\n\nRepublican Fred Keller, a state lawmaker from Snyder County, won the special election for Congress in a heavily Republican district that sprawls across central and northern Pennsylvania. Keller, 53, will replace the Republican congressman who resigned in January.\n\nAdvertisement\n\nHe beat Democrat Marc Friedenberg and ran with the support of President Donald Trump. The 12th District also strongly supported Trump in the 2016 election.\n\nThe two-year term runs through 2020. Keller is a fifth-term member of the state House of Representatives, and one of its most conservative members, with a 90% lifetime rating by the American Conservative Union.\n\n___\n\nLEGISLATIVE SPECIAL ELECTION\n\nRepublicans won special elections for three open seats in the state Legislature in heavily GOP districts in southcentral and western Pennsylvania.\n\nFor the 33rd Senate district in southcentral Pennsylvania, Republican Doug Mastriano beat Democrat Sarah Hammond; for the 41st Senate district in western Pennsylvania, Republican Joe Pittman beat Democrat Susan Boser; and for the 11th House district in Butler County, Republican Marci Mustello beat Democrat Sam Doctor.\n\nAll three seats were last held by Republicans, and the special elections have no effect on Republican control in both chambers.\n\n___\n\nSUPERIOR COURT JUDGES\n\nThe endorsed candidates of the Democratic and Republican parties won contested races to run for open seats on a statewide appellate court.\n\nThe winners secured spots on the fall ballot in Tuesday's primary election to fill two open seats on the state Superior Court. Each party had a three-way primary race.\n\nThe winning Democrats were Amanda Green-Hawkins, a longtime steelworkers' union lawyer from Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia Judge Daniel McCaffery.\n\nThe Republican winners were Megan King, a Chester County prosecutor, and Cumberland County Judge Christylee Peck.\n\n___\n\nALLENTOWN MAYOR\n\nRay O'Connell declared himself the winner in Allentown's mayoral race over challengers Michael Daniels, Cheryl Johnson Watt and Patrick Palmer.\n\nThe interim mayor will run against Republican Tim Ramos in November to fill imprisoned former Mayor Ed Pawlowski's term.\n\n___\n\nPHILADELPHIA SHERIFF\n\nA woman who leads a city organization of black police officers beat Philadelphia's incumbent sheriff, who is the target of several sexual harassment lawsuits.\n\nFormer police officer Rochelle Bilal defeated Sheriff Jewell Williams.\n\n___\n\nPITTSBURGH DISTRICT ATTORNEY\n\nPittsburgh's longtime top prosecutor has fended off a challenge in the Democratic primary, his first in 20 years.\n\nAllegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala on Tuesday defeated Turahn Jenkins, a former public defender who criticized his handling of the case of a white police officer charged in the fatal shooting of a black teenager.", "Pennsylvania state Rep. Fred Keller was projected to easily defeat Democrat Marc Friedenberg in Tuesday’s special election to represent the Keystone State’s 12th District in the House of Representatives.\n\nWith 48 percent of precincts reporting, Keller had received 72 percent of the vote, compared to 28 percent for Friedenberg.\n\nKeller would complete the two-year term begun by Republican Tom Marino, who resigned in January, just three weeks into his fifth House term. With Keller’s victory, the House comprises 235 Democrats and 198 Republicans. Two seats in North Carolina are vacant pending the outcome of special elections later this year.\n\nTRUMP WILL WIN PENNSYLVANIA AGAIN IN 2020, AND BY LARGER MARGIN, EX-GOP LAWMAKER SAYS\n\nTuesday’s result is no surprise, as the 12th District is solidly Republican and voters there backed Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election by a margin of better than 2 to 1 over Democrat Hillary Clinton.\n\nTrump himself urged his supporters to back Keller at a Monday night rally in Montoursville, telling the fifth-term state legislator, “We’ve got to win tomorrow, Fred.” He endorsed Keller on Twitter earlier Tuesday, calling the Republican “Strong on Crime, Second Amendment, Military, Vets, and Healthcare,” and saying Keller had “my Complete and Total Endorsement!”\n\nKeller reciprocated Trump’s support Monday night, offering a rousing endorsement of the president and vowing to support his policies in Congress, saying the people of the district “have been behind you since Day One, and, Mr. President, our support for you is as strong today as it ever was.”\n\nCLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP\n\nHe also said, “In 2016, Pennsylvania put Donald Trump over the top, and in 2020, we’re going to do it again.”\n\nFriedenberg, a lawyer and information technology instructor at Penn State University, ran against Marino in last year’s midterm elections and lost by 32 points.\n\nThe Associated Press contributed to this report.", "Pennsylvania State Rep. Fred Keller won the Pennsylvania House 12th district special election, according to the New York Times.\n\nKeller defeated Democrat and professor at Penn State University Marc Friedenberg in a special election Tuesday. The congressional seat became vacant after former Rep. Tom Marino (R-PA), who easily beat Friedenberg in the 2018 midterm elections, resigned less than one month into this term.\n\nThe Pennsylvania Republican’s victory serves President Donald Trump as well. Trump held a rally in Pennsylvania on Monday.\n\nAhead of the election, Trump said he endorsed Keller and contended that the election would serve as a referendum on his presidential administration. – READ MORE", "May 22 (UPI) -- Republican Fred Keller became the newest member of the U.S. House late Tuesday, winning a special election in Pennsylvania to fill a seat that's been vacant for four months.\n\nKeller, running in a solidly Republican district, defeated Democrat Marc Friedenberg with 68 percent of the vote. The seat has been open since Republican Tom Marino left Congress at the end of January. Keller will serve out the remainder of Marino's term, which ends in 2021.\n\nPresident Donald Trump stumped for Keller, having won 66 percent of the district's votes in 2016. Winning Pennsylvania was key for Trump's election and the state is expected to be critical for his re-election bid next year.\n\n\"Great news for Republicans: Fred Keller has just won the hard fought for Pennsylvania Congressional contest in a landslide, over 70 percent of the vote,\" Trump tweeted.\n\nKeller had served in the Pennsylvania legislature for five terms, starting in 2010.\n\nKeller's was one of several races in Pennsylvania Tuesday.\n\nPhiladelphia Mayor Jim Kenney won a three-way Democratic primary in his bid for re-election. As the city is a longtime Democratic stronghold, the win virtually assures Kenney another term. Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala, Pittsburgh's top prosecutor, fended off a primary challenge. Republicans also held onto three state legislative seats.", "Republican Fred Keller has declared victory in the special election to replace Rep. Tom Marino in Pennsylvania's 12th District.\n\nKeller is a Pennsylvania State Representative who just began his fifth term in office.\n\nThe day before the election, President Donald Trump visited Lycoming County to drum up support for Keller.\n\nKeller will serve out the remainder of Rep. Tom Marino’s term in the U.S. House 12th District which doesn’t expire until January 2021.\n\nMarino, a Republican who easily won re-election to a fifth term in the U.S. House 12th District in the fall of 2018, resigned in January.\n\nThe 12th District covers all or parts of 15 counties, stretching from Susquehanna County in the east to Potter County in the west and the New York State line all the way to Perry County in the south.\n\nCLICK HERE for the latest election results and more.", "HARRISBURG — A heavily Republican swath of central and northern Pennsylvania has a new congressman to represent it in Washington.\n\nRepublican state lawmaker Fred Keller, of Snyder County, won Tuesday's special election to replace Republican Tom Marino, who resigned in January.\n\nKeller beat Democrat Marc Friedenberg in the 12th District and ran with the support of President Donald Trump.\n\nThe 53-year-old Keller is a fifth-term state lawmaker. He's one of the state House's most conservative members, with a 90% lifetime rating by the American Conservative Union.\n\nFriedenberg is a lawyer and Penn State information technology instructor. He lost November's election to Marino by 32 percentage points.\n\nThe district covers all or parts of 15 counties.", "Pennsylvania state Rep. Fred Keller was projected to easily defeat Democrat Marc Friedenberg in Tuesday's special election to represent the Keystone State's 12th District in the House of Representatives.\n\nWith 48 percent of precincts reporting, Keller had received 72 percent of the vote, compared to 28 percent for Friedenberg.\n\nKeller would complete the two-year term begun by Republican Tom Marino, who resigned in January, just three weeks into his fifth House term. With Keller's victory, the House comprises 235 Democrats and 198 Republicans. Two seats in North Carolina are vacant pending the outcome of special elections later this year.\n\nTRUMP WILL WIN PENNSYLVANIA AGAIN IN 2020, AND BY LARGER MARGIN, EX-GOP LAWMAKER SAYS\n\nTuesday's result is no surprise, as the 12th District is solidly Republican and voters there backed Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election by a margin of better than 2 to 1 over Democrat Hillary Clinton.\n\nTrump himself urged his supporters to back Keller at a Monday night rally in Montoursville, telling the fifth-term state legislator, \"We've got to win tomorrow, Fred.\" He endorsed Keller on Twitter earlier Tuesday, calling the Republican \"Strong on Crime, Second Amendment, Military, Vets, and Healthcare,\" and saying Keller had \"my Complete and Total Endorsement!\"\n\nKeller reciprocated Trump's support Monday night, offering a rousing endorsement of the president and vowing to support his policies in Congress, saying the people of the district \"have been behind you since Day One, and, Mr. President, our support for you is as strong today as it ever was.\"\n\nCLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP\n\nHe also said, \"In 2016, Pennsylvania put Donald Trump over the top, and in 2020, we're going to do it again.\"\n\nFriedenberg, a lawyer and information technology instructor at Penn State University, ran against Marino in last year's midterm elections and lost by 32 points.\n\nThe Associated Press contributed to this report.", "Voters in Pennsylvania’s 12th District go to the polls Tuesday in a special election to fill the seat vacated by Rep. Tom Marino (R) in January.\n\nRepublican state Rep. Fred Keller is favored to best Penn State professor Marc Friedenberg (D) in the heavily Republican district. Friedenberg was also the Democratic nominee in 2018, when he lost to Marino by 32 percentage points.\n\nPennsylvania redrew its congressional districts in 2018. The current 12th District, which covers a large and deeply conservative swath of the north and central parts of the state, voted 66.1 percent for Donald Trump in the 2016 election.\n\nShortly after beginning his fifth term in Congress, Marino announced in January that he was resigning later that month to take a job in the private sector.\n\nTrump nominated Marino to be the nation’s drug czar in 2017. But Marino withdrew from consideration in the wake of a Washington Post/“60 Minutes” investigation detailing the lawmaker’s role as the chief architect of a law that undermined government efforts to crack down on the opioid industry.\n\nTrump tweeted his support of Keller on Monday and made a campaign stop in the district to rally support for him. At a rally in Montoursville, Trump called Keller a “tough man” who is “tough on crime.”\n\n“He loves our military. He loves our police. He loves our vets. And he will always protect patients. … We will always protect preexisting conditions,” said Trump, despite his administration’s efforts to gut the Affordable Care Act.\n\nHealth care looms as a major issue in 2020, with the Trump administration pushing the courts to declare the ACA unconstitutional. The 2010 law ensures coverage for Americans with preexisting medical conditions. Republicans have failed to craft a health-care plan that provides the same benefits.\n\nKeller, wearing a bright red tie and dark jacket, bore an uncanny resemblance to Trump as he stood next to the president onstage.\n\n“The people of northeastern and north-central Pennsylvania have been behind you since Day One,” he told Trump. “And Mr. President, our support for you is as strong today as it ever was. In 2016, Pennsylvania put Donald Trump over the top. And in 2020, we’re gonna do it again!”\n\nFriedenberg responded to the rally in a tweet Monday night.\n\n“If tonight tells you one thing, let it be this. Our campaign is fueled by every day, working people, while our opponent @VoteFredKeller has vowed to be nothing more than a puppet for corporate interests,” the Democrat said.\n\nFriedenberg has repeatedly sought to tie Keller to Trump’s trade policies, which he has argued are hurting Pennsylvania’s agriculture and manufacturing industries.\n\nAfter Tuesday’s election, there will be two remaining vacancies in the 116th Congress. One is in North Carolina’s scandal-plagued 9th District; the other is for the seat of the late representative Walter B. Jones (R-N.C.). Both vacancies will be filled after special elections in September.\n\nMike DeBonis and Anne Gearan contributed to this report."], "summary": "Voters head to the polls in a special election to elect a new U.S. House Representative to finish the term for Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district after Republican Tom Marino resigned on January 23, 2019."}
{"document": ["Republican state lawmaker Fred Keller wins U.S. House election in Pennsylvania, replacing GOP congressman who resigned\n\nHARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Republican state lawmaker Fred Keller wins U.S. House election in Pennsylvania, replacing GOP congressman who resigned.", "Republican state lawmaker Fred Keller wins U.S. House election in Pennsylvania, replacing GOP congressman who resigned\n\nHARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Republican state lawmaker Fred Keller wins U.S. House election in Pennsylvania, replacing GOP congressman who resigned.", "Republican state lawmaker Fred Keller wins U.S. House election in Pennsylvania, replacing GOP congressman who resigned\n\nHARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Republican state lawmaker Fred Keller wins U.S. House election in Pennsylvania, replacing GOP congressman who resigned.", "Republican state lawmaker Fred Keller wins U.S. House election in Pennsylvania, replacing GOP congressman who resigned\n\nHARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Republican state lawmaker Fred Keller wins U.S. House election in Pennsylvania, replacing GOP congressman who resigned.", "Republican state lawmaker Fred Keller wins U.S. House election in Pennsylvania, replacing GOP congressman who resigned\n\nHARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Republican state lawmaker Fred Keller wins U.S. House election in Pennsylvania, replacing GOP congressman who resigned.", "Republican state lawmaker Fred Keller wins U.S. House election in Pennsylvania, replacing GOP congressman who resigned\n\nHARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Republican state lawmaker Fred Keller wins U.S. House election in Pennsylvania, replacing GOP congressman who resigned.", "Keller, a five-term state lawmaker and lifetime member of the National Rifle Association, was largely expected to best Friedenberg, a lawyer and cybersecurity professor at Penn State. The heavily Republican district represents a wide swath of northern and central Pennsylvania.\n\nTrump publicly backed Keller, tweeting his endorsement several times this month.\n\n\"Pennsylvania - Don't forget to get out and VOTE TODAY for Republican Fred Keller for Congress,\" he tweeted Tuesday morning. \"Fred is Strong on Crime, Second Amendment, Military, Vets, and Healthcare. He has my Complete and Total Endorsement!\"", "Republican state lawmaker Fred Keller wins U.S. House election in Pennsylvania, replacing GOP congressman who resigned\n\nHARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Republican state lawmaker Fred Keller wins U.S. House election in Pennsylvania, replacing GOP congressman who resigned.", "Republican state lawmaker Fred Keller wins U.S. House election in Pennsylvania, replacing GOP congressman who resigned\n\nHARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Republican state lawmaker Fred Keller wins U.S. House election in Pennsylvania, replacing GOP congressman who resigned.", "Republican state lawmaker Fred Keller wins U.S. House election in Pennsylvania, replacing GOP congressman who resigned\n\nHARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Republican state lawmaker Fred Keller wins U.S. House election in Pennsylvania, replacing GOP congressman who resigned."], "summary": "Republican Fred Keller wins the special election against his Democratic opponent Marc Friedenberg."}
{"document": ["A fragmented Spanish Parliament has convened for the first time, including five Catalan politicians released from prison for the occasion and escorted there by police.\n\nFour separatists, on trial for Catalonia's 2017 secession attempt, were elected to the Congress of Deputies and one to the Senate last month.\n\nThe Supreme Court has allowed them to attend the opening sessions in Madrid but they are likely to be barred from future meetings by the chambers' governing bodies, due to be elected later on Tuesday.\n\nFor the first time since dictator Gen. Francisco Franco's death in 1975, 24 far-right lawmakers have also taken seats in the lower house, representing the Vox party.\n\nPrime Minister Pedro Sánchez won the national election but has put off negotiations on governing alliances until after the European ballot on Sunday.", "Five elected Catalan leaders were allowed out of prison for a few hours today, in order to be sworn in at the opening of the Spanish Parliament.\n\nFormer Catalan regional vice president, Oriol Junqueras, as well as separatists Josep Rull, Jordi Turull and Jordi Sànchez won seats during Spain's April 2019 election. Raül Romeva also won a seat in the Senate.\n\nThey are currently being held in prison, awaiting trial on rebellion, sedition and embezzlement charges, after the 2017 Catalan independence referendum, which was later declared illegal.\n\nOn Monday, the five politicians were escorted to Parliament to collect their official credentials.\n\nTheir trial was put on hold, but is expected to resume on Wednesday.\n\nHowever, despite their election success, there is doubt over whether the politicians will be able to take part in debates.\n\nUnder Parliamentary rules, any member placed in temporary detention is automatically suspended.\n\nIf the five Catalan separatist leaders are suspended, the majority in Parliament would go from 176 seats to 174, making Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's attempts to form a coalition much easier.\n\nHe would be able to reach a sufficient majority without the support of the Catalan parties and the separatist Basque party Bildu.", "In an unprecedented move, five Catalan leaders were allowed out of prison on Tuesday to be sworn in at the opening of the Spanish Parliament.\n\nIt is believed to be the first time that elected, imprisoned individuals have been allowed into the assembly.\n\nOriol Junqueras, Catalonia's regional vice president, and fellow separatists Josep Rull, Jordi Turull and Jordi Sànchez won seats during Spain's April 2019 general election. Raül Romeva, meanwhile, won a seat in Spain's senate.\n\nThey are currently being held in prison, awaiting trial on rebellion, sedition and embezzlement charges. It is linked to their role in the 2017 Catalan independence referendum, which Madrid later declared illegal.\n\nOn Monday, they were escorted to parliament to collect credentials. Their trial has been put on hold but is expected to resume on Wednesday.\n\nHowever, despite their election success, there is doubt over whether the politicians will be able to take part in debates.\n\nUnder Parliamentary rules, any member placed in temporary detention is automatically suspended.\n\nJunqueras took to Twitter to thank his supporters and voters as he took his seat: ''A million thank yous'', he wrote.\n\n''We are sitting in parliament because the polls decided so. Catalonia and the Catalan people led us to parliament, despite some not wanting us to be there'', the Catalan separatist MP Josep Rull tweeted.\n\n''The ballot box decides. Be wary of the free will of the Catalan people'', Jordi Sànchez added.\n\nThere decision to sit with the rest of parliament was denounced by Carles Puigdemont, the leader of the Catalan separatist movement which declared Catalonia's independence from Spain after the 2017 vote. He has fled the country and now lives in Belgium.\n\nThe five were nonetheless welcomed to parliament, with some MPs clapping as they entered. Pablo Iglesias, the leader of the left-wing Podemos party, hugged them as they joined the Cortes house.\n\nThe Catalan separatists might be crucial for the Spanish government to form a coalition. The Socialists, led by Pedro Sánchez, won the April elections with 123 seats in the lower house, but they did not achieve a majority.\n\nTo form a coalition, the Socialist party is eyeing an alliance with Podemos' 42 seats and would need yet 11 more seats to have a majority. They could find them with Basque nationalists or the Catalan separatists.\n\nNot everyone is happy that the jailed Catalans are sitting, though: MPs from the right-wing Conservative Popular Party (PP) and the centre-right Ciudadanos party have claimed they will try to get them suspended from parliament, which would ban them from attending parliament sessions.\n\nIf the five Catalan separatist leaders are suspended, the majority in Parliament would go from 176 seats to 174, making Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's attempts to form a coalition much easier.\n\nHe would be able to reach a sufficient majority without the support of the Catalan parties and the separatist Basque party Bildu.\n\nReceive our newsletter on your smartphone", "Five Catalan lawmakers who are in jail for their role in 2017's independence referendum took their seats in the national parliament in Madrid on Tuesday.\n\nThe Spanish Supreme Court last week granted the new MPs permission to leave prison to complete the required paperwork, El País reported, on the condition that they be guarded by police at all times and returned to prison “as soon as possible.”\n\nJordi Sànchez, Jordi Turull and Josep Rull of the Junts per Catalunya party (Together for Catalonia) and Oriol Junqueras, the leader of the Catalan Republican Left (ERC), were elected to the lower house of parliament in April's national election, and Raül Romeva from the ERC won a seat in the upper house. All are in jail while they face trial for their involvement in the independence push. They face charges of rebellion and misuse of public funds, among other offenses.\n\nBoth the opposition Popular Party and Ciudadanos have said they will try to get the separatists suspended from parliament.", "MADRID: Five jailed Catalan separatist leaders elected to the Spanish parliament last month were temporarily released from prison on Tuesday and escorted by police to the assembly to be sworn in as lawmakers.\n\nThe Supreme Court allowed the five men, on trial for their role in Catalonia´s 2017 secession attempt, to leave jail to take up their seats, but they are likely to be quickly suspended because of their legal situation. They won office in an April 28 general election which was won by acting Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez´s Socialists but without a majority. Oriol Junqueras, Jordi Sanchez, Jordi Turull and Josep Rull won seats in the Congress, the lower house of parliament, while Raul Romeva was elected to the Senate, the upper house.\n\nThey were greeted with applause from other members of their parties when they arrived.\n\nLike other lawmakers they swore to respect the Spanish constitution -- the same constitution they are accused of having violated with their independence push. Romeva vowed to respect the constitution \"as a political prisoner, until the proclamation of the Catalan Republic\" as he took his seat in the Senate.", "Bernat Armangue, Pool, Reuters | Jailed Catalan separatists Jordi Sanchez and Oriol Junqueras attend the opening session of parliament in Madrid, Spain, on May 21, 2019\n\nFive Catalan separatist leaders who won election to the Spanish parliament last month were temporarily released from jail on Tuesday to be sworn in as lawmakers.\n\nBut the five men, who are on trial for their role in an October 2017 Catalonian secession attempt, could see their mandates quickly suspended by the assembly because of their legal situation.\n\nOriol Junqueras, Jordi Sanchez, Jordi Turull and Josep Rull won seats in the Congress, the lower house of parliament, while Raul Romeva was elected to the Senate, the upper house.\n\nThey arrived at the two assemblies from a jail near Madrid for the swearing-in ceremony in police vehicles to applause from their supporters. The ceremony marked the first time the Spanish Parliament has convened since the country’s highly polarised legislative election on April 28.\n\nLike other lawmakers, they will swore to respect the Spanish constitution – the same constitution they are accused of having violated with their push for independence.\n\nAlthough the Spanish Supreme Court has allowed the five separatist leaders to attend the opening legislative sessions in Madrid, they are likely to be barred from future meetings by the chambers’ governing bodies, due to be elected later on Tuesday.\n\n“They want to silence and marginalise us, and the ballot box has given our voice back,” Junqueras, a former Catalan vice president and the head of leftist Catalan separatist party ERC, told AFP in a written interview from jail.\n\nHe is the main protagonist in the trial that opened in February of 12 Catalan leaders accused of rebellion and other charges in connection with a banned independence referendum held on October 1, 2017. The vote was followed by a short-lived declaration of independence.\n\nJunqueras is also standing in European Parliament elections on Sunday.\n\nSince 2017, Catalan separatist parties have presented jailed or exiled leaders, such as former regional president Carles Puigdemont, as election candidates to draw attention to their plight and create pressure for their release.\n\nThe sight of the separatist leaders – who sparked Spain’s worst political crisis in decades with their bid to break Catalonia away from Spain – taking their seats in parliament could inflame passions on both sides of a divided country.\n\nThe first job for the presidency councils of both the lower and upper houses of parliament will be to decide whether the Catalan MPs on trial will be suspended from their duties.\n\nThe conservative Popular Party (PP) and centre-right Ciudadanos have said they will try to stop the five men from occupying their posts.\n\n“We can’t deny that the situation and the scenario are exceptional but in any case judicial decisions will be respected,” said Meritxell Batet, outgoing minister for territorial policy who is the Socialists’ candidate for speaker of the lower house of parliament.\n\nActing Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s Socialists won the most seats in the April 28 general election, but the party is more than fifty seats short of a majority in the 350-seat lower house of parliament.\n\nBoosted by its fierce opposition to Catalan separatism, far-right party Vox won 24 seats and will enter parliament. It’s a first not only for the party, but more generally for the Spanish far right, which has not been represented in the country’s legislature since dictator General Francisco Franco’s death in 1975.\n\nTo be sworn in again as prime minister, Sanchez is likely to rely on some parties abstaining from voting.\n\nIf the jailed Catalan lawmakers are not allowed to take part in Sanchez’s investiture vote, the threshold to be approved will be lower and he could be sworn in without relying on Catalan separatist parties abstaining. Sanchez has put off negotiations on governing alliances until after the European ballot on Sunday, which also coincides with municipal elections in Spain.\n\nThe government might not be formed until as late as July, FRANCE 24's Sarah Morris reported from Madrid.\n\nSanchez, who in June 2018 took over from Mariano Rajoy, a conservative, as prime minister, has bet on dialogue with Catalonia to ease tensions sparked by the separatist push.\n\nConservative parties have repeatedly attacked his overtures to the separatists, who still rule Catalonia, and have instead called for the wealthy northeastern region’s autonomy to be suspended.\n\nCatalan separatists, who consider Junqueras and the other 11 leaders on trial in Madrid as “political prisoners”, are sending Sanchez mixed messages.\n\nThe ERC separatist party said it is open to dialogue, but insists on holding an independence referendum in Catalonia, which Sanchez steadfastly refuses.\n\nCatalan separatist parties also blocked last week the nomination of the Socialists’ leader in Catalonia, Miquela Aceta, to be the speaker of the Senate.\n\nIn response Spanish Foreign Minister Josep Borrell, who is a Catalan, blasted the separatists’ for their “totalitarian attitude”.\n\nSanchez then nominated another Catalan to be speaker of the Senate, philosopher Manuel Cruz, as well as a Catalan to be speaker of the lower house, Bate.", "The presence of five imprisoned Catalan politicians dominated the opening of the new legislature in Spain yesterday amid tense scenes in parliament.\n\nFour of the Catalan nationalists who won congressional seats in last month’s general election – Oriol Junqueras, Josep Rull, Jordi Turull and Jordi Sànchez – have been in preventive custody while on trial in the supreme court along with Raül Romeva, who was elected to the Senate.\n\nAll five received permission from the court to attend the inaugural parliamentary session and take their oath of office.\n\nThe four jailed congressmen received applause from their own ranks as they entered the debating chamber, while some unionist politicians shouted “Fuera!” (“Get out!”), setting the tone for a lively and at times raucous morning.\n\nSocialist prime minister Pedro Sánchez greeted Mr Junqueras, the former Catalan vice-president, with a handshake.\n\nHe and the other four prisoners face charges of violent rebellion and sedition along with four others for their alleged roles in Catalonia’s failed bid for independence in 2017, and could face lengthy jail sentences if found guilty.\n\nThe first action of the new Congress was to choose a new speaker, with the Socialist candidate Meritxell Batet narrowly gaining enough votes to be invested with the support of the leftist Unidas Podemos, Basque nationalists and smaller regional groups – but not Catalan nationalists.\n\nMs Batet is seen as a potentially significant choice for the post, which wields substantial influence over parliamentary affairs.\n\nA Catalan who was previously minister of territorial affairs, she has a reputation as a moderate unionist whose profile could help the government as it aims to calm tensions between Madrid and her native region.\n\nIn her first speech to the chamber in her new role, Ms Batet appealed for Spain’s fragmented Congress to seek consensus. “None of our parties represents Spain exclusively,” she said. “Each one of us is of the people, but we are not the people.”\n\nHowever, as the members of parliament took their oaths of office, deep divisions were apparent.\n\nIn Congress, members of the far-right Vox party stamped on the floor and banged their desks when Catalan and Basque nationalist politicians took their oaths.\n\nCatalan separatist members of parliament used variations of the oath of office to qualify the fact that they were swearing to uphold the Spanish constitution.\n\nIn the case of Mr Junqueras, he said he did so “with a republican commitment and due to legal imperative”. In his oath he also referred to himself as a “political prisoner”, drawing protests from the right-wing opposition.\n\nThe congressional presiding council is expected to suspend Mr Junqueras and his jailed colleagues in the coming days, meaning they would be stripped of the duties and privileges conferred on them in yesterday’s opening session.", "The swearing-in ceremony at Spain's parliament got off to a rocky start Tuesday when several Catalan separatist politicians changed the wording of their oaths to declare loyalty to the result of an illegal independence referendum held in the region back in October 2017.\n\nLawmakers were taking their seats for the first time since snap elections on Apr. 28, which were called for and won by acting prime minister Pedro Sánchez's Socialist Party (PSOE).\n\n\"I promise, because the law requires it of me, to be loyal to the democratic mandate of Oct. 1 and the Catalan people,\" several members of the Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC) said when swearing on the Constitution, using a set of words traditionally associated with separatist causes.\n\n\"For the freedom of political prisoners and exiles, for the Catalan republic, yes, I promise,\" Gabriel Rufián, who is likely to be ERC spokesman in parliament, said.\n\nAlbert Rivera, leader of the center-right Ciudadanos, protested and asked the new parliamentary speaker, Meritxell Batet – a member of PSOE's Catalan branch – to issue a call to order. Several other members of Spain's mainstream and unionist parties, mostly on the right, banged their fists on their desks.\n\nBatet said she would not halt proceedings and defended a diversity of politics in Spain's lower chamber.\n\n\"We are all of the people, but none of us are the people,\" she said.\n\nIn what was a novelty in the chamber, five Catalan politicians currently facing charges linked to separatism in a high-profile, Supreme Court trial, briefly left preventative prison in order swear in as members of Spain's parliament and senate following recent snap elections.\n\nThey were ERC leader Oriol Junqueras and Junts per Catalunya (Together for Catalonia, JxCat) MPs Jordi Sánchez, Josep Rull and Jordi Turull.\n\nJxCat, the party of self-exiled former Catalan regional president Carles Puigdemont, also welcomed a new senator, Raül Romeva, who caused a stir when swearing in by saying he would abide by the Constitution \"as a political prisoner.\"\n\nAll are among the 12 Catalan separatists leaders currently on trial for charges ranging from rebellion and sedition to misuse of public funds related to their alleged activities promoting and facilitating an illegal independence referendum in Catalonia and unilaterally declaring independence back in October 2017.\n\nSpanish media attention paid close attention to who greeted who in the chamber.\n\nPolice escorted them out of the chamber once the session concluded.\n\nAlthough PSOE came out of the general elections with most votes, no party secured enough seats to form an absolute majority in the lower chamber. The right-wing, traditionally dominated by the Popular Party, fractured into three.\n\nMeanwhile in the Senate, Spain’s upper chamber, the Socialist Party has an absolute majority for the first time in 30 years, with 140 seats out of a total of 266.\n\nAnother novelty in the lower chamber, known as the Congress of Deputies (lawmakers) in Spanish, came in the form of the far-right party, Vox, led by Santiago Abascal.\n\nVox's 24 MPs, members of the first far-right party to enter Spain's parliament since the transition into democracy after late military dictator Gen. Francisco Franco in 1975, arrived at parliament early and decided to sit in the left-hand portion of the hemicycle, an area usually reserved for the PSOE.EFE-EPA", "Five jailed Catalan politicians were allowed to attend the opening of Spain’s Congress of Deputies opening session in Madrid on May 21. MPs Josep Rull, Oriol Junqueras, Jordi Sànchez, Jordi Turull, and Senator Raül Romeva swore to uphold the constitution of Spain. Junqueras qualified the oath by adding, “as a political prisoner and by legal obligation.” The court’s authorities were due to decide whether the men would be suspended from further participation, \"according to reports. Credit: Canal Parlamento via Storyful", "Five Catalan political leaders who are on trial for rebellion are scheduled to attend the Spanish parliament on Tuesday for the inauguration of the new legislature, amid uncertainty over whether they will be allowed to take part in parliamentary activity.\n\nOriol Junqueras, Josep Rull, Jordi Turull and Jordi Sànchez won seats in Congress in last month’s general election, despite being in jail and on trial in the supreme court. Fellow pro-independence politician Raül Romeva, who is also behind bars and on trial, was elected to the Senate. All five are due to be escorted from the prison where they are being held in Madrid to attend parliament’s opening session.\n\nOn Monday, the trial was suspended as the five men picked up their parliamentary credentials from the upper and lower houses. Their trial is due to resume on Wednesday.\n\n“Today we have been able to leave Soto del Real prison thanks to your votes so that we can collect our credentials,” Mr Junqueras, former vice-president of Catalonia and currently leader of the Catalan Republic Left (ERC), said in a brief video posted on Twitter. “Your votes have freed us.”\n\nMr Romeva also represents ERC, while Messrs Rull, Turull and Sànchez won seats for Together for Catalonia (JxCat). None of them was allowed to address the media or meet privately with colleagues during their visit, which was closely controlled by police.\n\nJxCat spokeswoman Laura Borràs described the restrictions on the jailed parliamentarians as “scandalous”.\n\nAll five are facing charges of violent rebellion and sedition for their alleged roles in Catalonia’s failed bid for independence in 2017, and could face lengthy jail sentences if found guilty. The trial began in February and is expected to end next month, although a verdict is unlikely before the summer.\n\nMacarena Olona, a newly elected member of Congress for the far-right Vox party, which is one of the plaintiffs in the supreme court trial, decried the fact that the jailed Catalan leaders had been allowed to appear in parliament. She described their visit as “a failure of the rule of law that means five criminals have managed to get into public institutions in order to destroy Spain”.\n\nERC made gains in last month’s election, securing 15 seats in Congress and it could potentially be key in allowing the Socialists of prime minister Pedro Sánchez to form a new government after they emerged as winners but fell short of a majority.\n\nHowever, although the jailed politicians are allowed to attend today’s session, the ability of the four members of Congress to take part in parliamentary business appears to be in the hands of the lower house’s presiding council.\n\nBoth the conservative Popular Party (PP) and the Ciudadanos party have called for the presiding council to prevent the four from being able to take up their seats. If that were to happen and the suspended politicians did not delegate their seats, the change in parliamentary arithmetic could make the securing of a majority marginally easier."], "summary": "The Catalan leaders who are imprisoned accused of rebellion, Oriol Junqueras, Jordi Turull, Jordi Sànchez and Josep Rull, are sworn in as members of the Congress of Deputies after being elected in the 28th April general election by an authorization of the Supreme Court."}
{"document": ["Kentucky Democrats on Tuesday nominated the state’s attorney general, Andy Beshear, to run against embattled Gov. Matt Bevin, who fended off a surprisingly strong challenge in a Republican primary that illustrated his general election vulnerability.\n\nMr. Bevin captured only about 52 percent of the vote and lost a wide swath of counties in eastern Kentucky to Robert Goforth, a little-known state lawmaker.\n\nIn Mr. Beshear, the governor will be facing the son of the man he succeeded, in a race that will test whether Kentucky’s turn toward the G.O.P., and President Trump’s appeal in the state, is enough to offset the incumbent’s deep unpopularity. The general election is Nov. 5.\n\n[Here’s our results page for the Kentucky governor primary.]\n\nMr. Beshear survived a scare of his own in Tuesday’s primary. He won with about 38 percent of the ballots after splitting voters with another mainstream Democrat, the former state auditor Adam Edelen, and a conservative Democrat, State Representative Rocky Adkins.", "Kentucky Attorney General Andy Beshear has won the Democratic Party nomination for governor.\n\nBeshear defeated House Minority Leader Rocky Adkins and former State Auditor Adam Edelen to win the race.\n\nThe attorney general was able to win on the backs of voters in urban areas like Louisville and Lexington. Rocky Adkins won much of Kentucky's rural counties, while Adam Edelen won a couple of counties in the Louisville metropolitan area.\n\nBeshear will go on to face political rival Gov. Matt Bevin in the general election.", "May 21 (UPI) -- Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin and Attorney General Andy Beshear are set to face off in the state's gubernatorial election in November after winning their primaries Tuesday.\n\nBoth candidates emerged from tight races on Tuesday night as Bevin won the Republican primary with 52.4 percent of the vote, edging out state Rep. Robert Goferth who won 39 percent, while Beshear earned 37 percent of the vote in the Democratic primary to defeat Rocky Adkins and Adam Edelen, who each received nearly 30 percent of the vote.\n\nBevin, who clashed with Beshear over a lawsuit the attorney general filed over a pension measure that sparked statewide teacher protests, framed the general election as a battle of opposing ideas.\n\n\"It's going to be a remarkably stark contrast between the two tickets -- conservative vs. liberal, black and white, night and day,\" said Bevin.\n\nIn addition to introducing the pension plan and opposing the teacher's strike, Bevin received pushback for attempting to introduce rules for the state's Medicaid program requiring \"able-bodied\" adults to work, go to school or volunteer to receive benefits, which were blocked by a federal judge.\n\nDuring his campaign, Beshear touted victories blocking Bevin's pension reform plan and cuts to the state's colleges and universities.\n\nBeshear, whose father preceded Bevin as the state's governor, noted Bevin struggled to earn a decisive win in the Republican primary, despite receiving backing from President Donald Trump.\n\n\"Tonight we not only won this primary, we did something we're going to do in November, we got more raw votes than Matt Bevin,\" he said.", "Attorney General Andy Beshear has won the Democratic nomination for governor in Kentucky, setting up a showdown with his political nemesis -- Republican incumbent Matt Bevin.\n\nIn Tuesday's primary election, Beshear defeated two other prominent Democrats -- former state auditor Adam Edelen and longtime state Rep. Rocky Adkins.\n\nBeshear will try to restore the governorship for Democrats and carry on a family tradition. His father, Steve Beshear, was a popular governor whose two terms preceded Bevin's tenure.\n\nEven during the primary campaign, Beshear aimed most of his criticism at Bevin. The two have waged a series of legal battles in recent years as Beshear challenged some of Bevin's executive actions and sued him on pension and education issues.", "The Latest on voting in Kentucky's primary election Tuesday (all times local)\n\nKentucky Gov. Matt Bevin, a Trump ally, defeats 3 challengers to win Republican nomination in bid for second term.\n\nHeather French Henry, a former Kentucky veterans affairs commissioner and Miss America, has won the Democratic nomination for Kentucky Secretary of State.\n\nHenry defeated three other Democrats in early vote totals.\n\nHenry won Miss America in 2000 and has been a longtime advocate for veterans. She defeated three other Democrats for the nomination, teacher and business owner Jason Griffith; former Air Force Capt. Jason Belcher; and comic book artist Geoff Sebesta.\n\nHenry was veterans affairs commissioner under former Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear and served as deputy commissioner under Republican Gov. Matt Bevin until she resigned to run for office.\n\nFour Democrats and four Republicans were seeking to succeed Alison Lundergan Grimes, who can't run again due to term limits.\n\nIncumbent Ryan Quarles has easily won the Republican nomination for Kentucky agriculture commissioner.\n\nDuring the campaign, Quarles touted his successes in the office over the past four years including the expansion of industrial hemp production as well as success in connecting famers to new markets and an initiative to feed the hungry.\n\nQuarles will run against the Democratic nominee in the November general election. That race had not yet been decided.\n\nPolls in Kentucky are closed for the primary election.\n\nPolls close at 6 p.m. local time. The western half of the state is in the central time zone. Voters in line at 6 p.m. are allowed to cast ballots.\n\nLight turnout was projected for the election Tuesday.\n\nTwo polling places in Jefferson County were allowed to stay open until 6:30 p.m. after police put them on a brief lockdown while they investigated a crime in the area.\n\nElection officials in Louisville have kept two polling locations at schools open longer after a crime in the area closed the schools for about 30 minutes.\n\nJefferson County Election Center spokesman Nore Ghibaudy (NOR'-ee ghi-BAW'-dee) says police placed Pleasure Ridge Park High School and nearby Greenwood Elementary on a brief lockdown Tuesday afternoon while they investigated a crime in the area.\n\nGhibaudy says a circuit court judge ruled that the two polling locations could remain open until 6:30 p.m. to accommodate voters who were turned away during the lockdown.\n\nPolls have closed in the eastern half of Kentucky in the primary election races for governor, attorney general, secretary of state and other statewide offices.\n\nVoters in line at 6 p.m. local time are allowed to cast ballots, but light turnout was projected in Tuesday's primary.\n\nSecretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes, who wasn't able to run again because of term limits, said last week that absentee voting patterns indicated a turnout consistent with past primary elections, about 12.5% of the state's registered voters. A spokeswoman for Grimes' office said Tuesday turnout might end up even lower.\n\nVoters are deciding on nominees in the governor's race, where Republican Gov. Matt Bevin is running for reelection in the primary against legislator Robert Goforth and two other challengers.", "KENTUCKY, USA — Kentucky Attorney General Andy Beshear has won the Democratic nomination for Kentucky governor.\n\nHe faced Adam Edelen, the former state auditor, and Rocky Adkins, the state House minority floor leader.\n\nBeshear is the son of former Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear, and he has served as Kentucky’s Attorney General since 2016.\n\n►Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the WHAS11 News app now. For Apple or Android users.\n\nHave a news tip? Email assign@whas11.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.", "Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin will face Democratic state Attorney General Andy Beshear in a closely watched general election this November after both men won competitive primaries Tuesday.\n\nBeshear, the son of former Gov. Steve Beshear, prevailed over two main challengers for the Democratic nomination: state House Minority Leader Rocky Adkins and former state Auditor Adam Edelen. When The Associated Press called the race, Andy Beshear had 38 percent of the vote, Adkins was at 32 percent and Edelen had 28 percent.\n\nAdkins, a conservative Democrat who opposes abortion rights, ran up big margins in rural counties in Eastern Kentucky, his political base. But he had little support in the Democratic-leaning cities of Louisville and Lexington, and Beshear ran stronger in rural counties in Western Kentucky, too.\n\nBeshear was the front-runner for much of the primary, but he found himself battling off attacks from a pro-Edelen super PAC about his tenure as attorney general and had to watch both his left and right flanks on topics like contraception.\n\nMeanwhile, on the Republican side, Bevin defeated state Rep. Robert Goforth in a closer-than-expected primary race, winning with 52 percent of the vote. Bevin was weakest in the eastern part of the state, parts of which Goforth, who finished with 39 percent of the vote, represents in the state House.\n\nTuesday’s primaries preview what is likely to be a competitive race in the fall. Despite Kentucky’s Republican lean, public polling shows Bevin with low approval ratings that could hamper his reelection bid.\n\nNoam Lee, executive director of the Democratic Governors Association, said the GOP primary results proved that Bevin was “damaged and deeply unpopular.\"\n\nMeanwhile, Republican Governors Association spokeswoman Amelia Chassé Alcivar called Beshear “a liberal politician and insider who thinks he’s entitled to the state’s highest office just because of his last name.”\n\nThe Kentucky governor’s race is one of three gubernatorial elections in 2019. Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards is facing a challenging reelection campaign in Louisiana, while both parties will hold primaries in Mississippi in August to set up a race for that state’s open governorship.", "LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Attorney General Andy Beshear won the Democratic gubernatorial nomination with 38% of the vote in Tuesday’s primary election.\n\nBeshear was trailed by House Minority Floor Leader Rocky Adkins, who won 32% of the vote, and former state Auditor Adam Edelen, who took 28% of the vote, in the primary, according to unofficial results. Beshear held a 23,468-vote lead over Adkins in the unofficial results.\n\nBeshear’s victory sets up a head-to-head contest with Gov. Matt Bevin in the Nov. 5 general election. The two have been at loggerheads since winning their offices in 2015.\n\nBeshear has made his court battles with the Republican governor a key talking point in his campaign. But Bevin hasn’t been shy about tossing his own jabs at the first-term attorney general, notably for hiring a man as his top lieutenant who was later convicted of accepting bribes during his work in the administration of former Gov. Steve Beshear, Andy Beshear’s father and Bevin’s predecessor in the office.\n\nIn his acceptance speech, Beshear pivoted to his Republican rival and offered sharp criticism of Bevin's four years in office.\n\n\"He has bullied our teachers, our first responders and our social workers,\" Beshear said. \"He's called them names, and he has shut them out of the Capitol that is their house, but we are not going to let him distract us. We are not going to let him pull us away from the issues that matter most to people.\"\n\nBeshear will need to contend with Bevin's support from President Donald Trump, who carried Kentucky by nearly 30 points in 2016.\n\nVice President Mike Pence has campaigned for Bevin twice during the primary, which the Republican won with 52 percent of the vote, and Trump recorded robocalls on the governor's behalf a day before GOP voters hit the polls.\n\nA statement released by Bevin's campaign referenced Trump, saying the pair \"has grown the economy resulting in over 50,000 jobs leading to the lowest unemployment in Kentucky history.\"\n\n\"Andy Beshear brags about voting for Hillary Clinton and will oppose the President at every opportunity,\" Bevin campaign manager Davis Paine said in a statement. \"While Governor Bevin is moving our state forward, Andy Beshear is a failed Frankfort career politician who will bring Kentucky back to the failed liberal policies of yesterday.\"\n\nBoth Adkins and Edelen said they would work to unify Democrats around their party's nominee.\n\nBeshear said that's something he aimed to do as the Democratic standard-bearer in the Nov. 5 election.\n\n\"These next five months and the next four years are about you,\" Beshear said. \"And I'm going to fight for you every day.\"", "LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Andy Beshear rode his record as attorney general and his family name to win the closely watched Democratic primary for Kentucky governor\n\n Tuesday, which sets up what could be a deeply personal contest against Republican incumbent Matt Bevin this fall.\n\nThe Associated Press called the race for Beshear at 8:40 p.m. Tuesday with him leading the race with 38% of the vote with about 90% of precincts reporting.\n\nHouse Minority Rocky Adkins of Sandy Hook came in second by cleaning up in the eastern half of the state. He trailed Beshear with 33% of the vote.\n\nFormer State Auditor Adam Edelen, who ran a fiercely progressive campaign by Kentucky standards, was unable to catch fire in the liberal strongholds of Louisville or Lexington, where he came in second to Beshear.\n\n\"Tonight we not only won this primary, we did something we're going to do in November – we got more raw votes than Matt Bevin,\" Beshear told supporters in Louisville.\n\nBeshear, 41, son of former Gov. Steve Beshear, was able to stiff-arm a surge from Edelen, a former chief of staff in his dad's administration, who along with a super PAC unleashed some stinging attacks in the primary's final weeks.\n\nDuring his victory speech, Beshear noted how Bevin barely received 50% of the vote in the GOP primary. He knocked the governor for name calling and bullying others, saying this race shouldn't be defined by attacks or national partisanship.\n\n\"I will tell you what I see: This race is not about what's going on in Washington, D.C.,\" Beshear said. \"It's not about right versus left. Folks, it's about right versus wrong.\"\n\nEdelen, 44, who received 27% of the vote, said the chance just to run for governor and to talk to people he cared about was a lifetime dream. He indicated he would wholeheartedly support Beshear in the general election.\n\n\"Despite our differences, they are still just family differences,\" Edelen said during his concession speech in Louisville. \"And when you compare them to that which separates us from Matt Bevin, we are easily brought back together by that which bonds us – a commitment to building the future of Kentucky.\"\n\nAdkins, 59, told supporters in Morehead that they ran a competitive contest, and that he will continue to travel the state in support of Beshear.\n\n\"I will tell you this: Being an old athlete, you learn how to win and you learn how to win with respect and dignity,\" he said. \"But in defeat you learn how to turn it into something positive. I'll be traveling Kentucky trying my best to help Andy Beshear over these next months to help him win in November.\"\n\nBeshear had been the presumed front-runner since he entered the race last summer. He had huge name recognition and ran a disciplined campaign that stuck to a script about his record in court defending key Democratic constituencies in court.\n\nBeshear, unlike his opponents, was able to use those legal victories as an indication that he could beat Bevin in the fall.\n\nOn the campaign trail, Beshear noted one of his first major acts as attorney general was blocking Bevin's $18 million in cuts to Kentucky's colleges and universities. He also touted how in 2018 he blocked the governor and the GOP-controlled legislature's pension reform package when it was inserted into a sewer bill at the last minute.\n\nBeshear would regularly describe Bevin as a bully who was beneath the office he occupied, and that the state owes it to teachers to keep its pension promise.\n\nThe best way to salvage the woefully underfunded retirement system is with more money, he said. Beshear, like his father in 2007, believes expanded gaming such as casino gambling and sports betting is the best answer.\n\nThe idea has repeatedly died in the General Assembly, but Beshear believes putting 100% of that revenue toward pensions will persuade state lawmakers to hop on board. He also wants Kentucky to legalize cannabis for medical use, which would be taxed under his plan, to rake in about $50 million annually.\n\nRepublicans seem eager to take on Beshear as the Democratic nominee, however.\n\nChief among their criticisms will be the attorney general hiring Democrat Tim Longmeyer, who was later indicted for bribery, as his deputy attorney general. Other GOP operatives will smear Beshear's victory as a warning to their voters that Democratic cronyism is returning to Frankfort. \"By choosing Andy Beshear as their nominee, Kentucky Democrats have embraced a liberal politician and insider who thinks he’s entitled to the state’s highest office just because of his last name,\" said Amelia Alcivar, spokeswoman for the Republican Association of Kentucky. \"From supporting Hillary Clinton in 2016, despite her campaign promise to put Kentucky coal workers out of business, to his plans to grow the size of government, to his influence peddling pedigree, Andy Beshear is completely out-of-touch with the people of Kentucky and, if elected, would only take the state backwards. Kentucky voters will reject Andy Beshear and his far-left, big government agenda at the ballot box this November.\" Phillip M. Bailey can be reached at pbailey@courierjournal.com. This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Andy Beshear wins Democratic primary for Kentucky governor, to face incumbent Matt Bevin", "Voters have decided on a Democratic candidate for Kentucky’s governor race.\n\nKentucky Attorney General Andy Beshear defeated his opponents in the primary election with 135,500 votes.\n\nThe other candidates on the ballot were State House Minority Floor Leader Rocky Adkins, Former State Auditor Adam Edelen, and state worker Geoff Young.\n\nIn a gubernatorial debate this month, Beshear said he'd propose funding higher education \"in a way you haven't seen\" in a decade. He said he'd demand that public universities lower tuition as part of increased state support.\n\nBeshear has had a tumultuous relationship with Republican Governor Matt Bevin. The attorney general against Bevin and the state Labor Cabinet concerning the teacher sickouts.\n\nWhen he filed to run for governor, Beshear released his 2017 tax returns, urging his opponents to do the same ahead of the primary. Bevin was elected in 2015 without releasing his tax returns. He has filed a financial disclosure with the state showing his interests in various businesses.\n\nClick here to read more about Beshear’s platform on his campaign website."], "summary": "Matt Bevin wins the Republican nomination and Andy Beshear wins the Democratic nomination primaries ahead of the November 5 gubernatorial election."}
{"document": ["Dutch migration minister Mark Harbers resigned, adding to the struggle faced by the centre-right prime minister, who is faced with a surge in anti-immigration populists\n\nAdvertising Read more\n\nThe Hague (AFP)\n\nThe Netherlands' minister for migration, Mark Harbers, resigned Tuesday after a parliamentary outcry over elided data on crimes committed by asylum-seekers, in a bad blow to the government just ahead of European elections.\n\nHis departure adds to the struggle faced by centre-right Prime Minister Mark Rutte as he tries to counter a surge in anti-immigration populists who look poised to win big in the elections Thursday.\n\nHarbers was caught out over a report featuring statistics on crimes perpetrated by asylum-seekers in the Netherlands that he presented to parliament.\n\nIn the report, misdemeanours such as shoplifting had their own separate categories but serious crimes such as sexual assault, murder and manslaughter were lumped together under the category \"other\" with no disaggregation.\n\nThe revelation of that omission by the newspaper De Telegraaf triggered anger among lawmakers, some of whom questioned whether it was a deliberate attempt to skew reception of the report.\n\nLate Tuesday, during a parliamentary debate, Harbers announced he had offered his resignation. He assumed \"total responsibility\" for not correctly informing the chamber but said it was \"not deliberate,\" Dutch media reported.\n\nRutte responded by saying he \"respected\" Harbers's decision to step down, but declared on Twitter that it \"incredibly regrettable that the cabinet must say goodbye to such a talented and committed liberal\".\n\nRutte's governing coalition already suffered a shock two months ago when provincial elections made the Forum for Democracy party -- an anti-immigration populist party that backs a Netherlands exit from the European Union -- the biggest party in the senate.\n\nThe Forum for Democracy is course to possibly beat Rutte's Liberals in the European elections on Thursday.\n\nThe Netherlands will be the first EU country -- along with Brexit Britain -- to vote in the polls, which will be held in other European countries over the subsequent three days.\n\nIf Forum of Democracy does do well, it would be a bellwether of a populist tsunami that could shake the European Union.\n\n? 2019 AFP", "AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Dutch junior Justice Minister Mark Harbers resigned on Tuesday over a report on crime by asylum seekers that was widely condemned as misleading.\n\nHarbers announced his resignation during a debate with parliament, saying he took full responsibility for the report.\n\nThe report published last week on crimes committed by asylum seekers in the Netherlands in 2018 had broken out minor crimes such as shoplifting and bike theft into separate categories but grouped crimes including rape and murder under “other.”", "Dutch authorities are embroiled in a budding scandal as the Ministry of Justice and police are blaming each other for the concealment of serious crimes committed by migrants in a new report, according to local media.\n\nAt the heart of the matter is data released by Dutch State Secretary for Justice and Security Mark Habers, which was purportedly intended to break down various types of offenses committed by 'asylum seekers' in the Netherlands in 2018.\n\nAmong a total 4,600 reported crimes is a category labeled \"other\" where 1,000 miscellaneous illegal acts are lumped together.\n\nUpon further investigation conducted by De Telegraaf, reporters discovered that the worst crimes were hidden under the vague title.\n\n\"Last year, for example, 79 sex crimes committed by asylum seekers were registered,\" De Telegraaf reports. \"These included 47 cases of sexual assault in or around an asylum center, five cases of sexual abuse of children, four cases of rape and eight cases of possession of child pornography. Not only do sex crimes fall under 'other,' but 31 murder/manslaughter cases also fall under that heading.\"\n\nFederal officials are now blaming police for not providing them with detailed information, but law enforcement claims the appropriate government bodies have had comprehensive data for weeks.\n\nInterestingly, police say they are no longer allowed to discuss the issue with the press.\n\nAnti-migration figurehead and prominent MP Geert Wilders has called for Secretary Habers to resign if he is found to have obfuscated the figures.\n\n\"Murder, abuse and manslaughter by asylum seekers were concealed by the ministry,\" Wilders tweeted. \"First the Cabinet allows all the scum to enter our country and then serious crimes by asylum seekers are covered up.\"\n\nThis is not the first time the government has been implicated in hiding migrant crime stats, as De Telegraaf reportedly busted the Ministry of Justice and Security claiming in 2017 that such data wasn't tracked at all, when police were indeed keeping such records.\n\nTommy Robinson was previously imprisoned for his views on globalism and open borders in Europe. Now that he is running for parliament, he's facing even more censorship.", "A Dutch junior justice minister has quit after his department came under fire for appearing to minimize statistics about criminality among asylum seekers.\n\nMigration minister Mark Harbers resigned on Tuesday in a bad blow to the government just ahead of European elections.\n\nHis departure adds to the struggle faced by centre-right Prime Minister Mark Rutte as he tries to counter a surge in anti-immigration populists who look poised to win big in the elections on Thursday.\n\nHarbers was caught out over a report featuring statistics on crimes perpetrated by asylum-seekers in the Netherlands that he presented to parliament.\n\nIn the report, misdemeanours such as shoplifting had their own separate categories but serious crimes such as sexual assault, murder and manslaughter were lumped together under the category 'other' with no disaggregation.\n\nThe revelation of that omission by the newspaper De Telegraaf triggered anger among lawmakers, some of whom questioned whether it was a deliberate attempt to skew reception of the report.\n\nAnti-immigration lawmaker Geert Wilders accused the ministry of 'sweeping under the carpet' allegations of serious crimes among the thousands of asylum seekers in the Netherlands.\n\nWilders said the resignation was 'the only correct conclusion.'\n\nThe accusations of a cover-up led to a swift internal investigation at the justice ministry.\n\nLate Tuesday, during a parliamentary debate, Harbers announced he had offered his resignation. He assumed 'total responsibility' for not correctly informing the chamber but said it was 'not deliberate,' Dutch media reported.\n\nRutte responded by saying he 'respected' Harbers's decision to step down, but declared on Twitter that it 'incredibly regrettable that the cabinet must say goodbye to such a talented and committed liberal'.\n\nRutte's governing coalition already suffered a shock two months ago when provincial elections made the Forum for Democracy party - an anti-immigration populist party that backs a Netherlands exit from the European Union - the biggest party in the senate.\n\nThe Forum for Democracy is course to possibly beat Rutte's Liberals in the European elections on Thursday.\n\nThe Netherlands will be the first EU country - along with Brexit Britain - to vote in the polls, which will be held in other European countries over the subsequent three days.\n\nIf Forum of Democracy does do well, it would be a bellwether of a populist tsunami that could shake the European Union.", "The Netherlands' migration minister, Mark Harbers (pictured), resigned on Tuesday following an outcry over a report which appeared to downplay crime statistics in relation to asylum-seekers.\n\nHarbers presented a report to the Dutch parliament that included information on crimes committed by asylum-seekers. Various misdemeanors, such as shoplifting, had their own separate categories but serious crimes such as sexual assault, murder and manslaughter were placed under the category \"other.\"\n\nRead more: Asylum-seekers left in 'inhumane' conditions in German refugee center\n\nDuring a parliamentary discussion, the politician stated he had offered his resignation. He took \"total responsibility\" for not correctly informing the chamber but said it was \"not deliberate.\"\n\nHarbers' fall comes amid a mini-crisis for the center-right Prime Minister Mark Rutte as he tries to stave off a surge for euroskeptic and anti-immigration parties who look set to make gains across the continent in European elections on Thursday.\n\nRead more: Not your grandparents' Europe\n\nRutte tweeted saying though he \"respected\" Harbers' decision to quit, it was \"incredibly regrettable that the cabinet must say goodbye to such a talented and committed liberal.\"\n\nEvery evening, DW sends out a selection of the day's news and features. Sign up here.", "The Netherlands’ asylum minister Mark Harbers was forced to resign after he hid the number of ‘refugees’ suspected of serious crimes from a crime report.\n\nHarbers failed to include a category called ‘other’ in the report on crimes committed by asylum seekers, which included 79 sexual offenses, 51 aggravated assaults, and 31 suspicions of murder and manslaughter.\n\nHarbers’ excuse for not reporting the figures was that it would lead to “confusion”.\n\n“Last week’s report showed ‘fake’ asylum seekers who come from so-called safe countries, namely Morocco and Algeria, were responsible for almost half the 4,600 incidents requiring police intervention,” according to DutchNews.nl.\n\nOther European countries have massaged stats on migrant crime or refused to release details altogether.\n\nIn 2016, Swedish police were ordered to stop reporting the ethnicity of suspects over fears of being branded “racist”.\n\nThe following year, Sweden’s “most experienced police investigator,” Peter Springare went public with claims that migrants were responsible for most of the crime in Sweden.\n\nMark Zuckerberg hates it when you share this article on Facebook.\n\nThere is a war on free speech. Without your support, my voice will be silenced.\n\nPlease sign up for the free newsletter here. Donate to me on SubscribeStar here.\n\nSupport my sponsor – Turbo Force – a supercharged boost of clean energy without the comedown.", "THE HAGUE, Netherlands - A Dutch junior justice minister has quit after his department came under fire for appearing to minimize statistics about criminality among asylum seekers.\n\nThe ministry was criticized for categorizing hundreds of cases reporting serious offences including attempted murder and sexual assaults under the heading “others.”\n\nThe revelations last week and accusations of a coverup led to a swift internal investigation at the justice ministry.\n\nAnti-immigration lawmaker Geert Wilders accused the ministry of “sweeping under the carpet” allegations of serious crimes among the thousands of asylum seekers in the Netherlands.\n\nJunior minister Mark Harbers resigned Tuesday, saying he was taking political responsibility for an error of judgment by his ministry.", "THE HAGUE, Netherlands — A Dutch junior justice minister has quit after his department came under fire for appearing to minimize statistics about criminality among asylum seekers.\n\nThe ministry was criticized for categorizing hundreds of cases reporting serious offenses including attempted murder and sexual assaults under the heading “others.”\n\nThe revelations last week and accusations of a cover-up led to a swift internal investigation at the justice ministry.\n\nAnti-immigration lawmaker Geert Wilders accused the ministry of “sweeping under the carpet” allegations of serious crimes among the thousands of asylum seekers in the Netherlands.\n\nJunior minister Mark Harbers resigned Tuesday, saying he was taking political responsibility for an error of judgment by his ministry.\n\nWilders said the resignation was “the only correct conclusion.”\n\nCopyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed."], "summary": "Dutch Minister of Justice and Security Mark Harbers resigns amid a scandal over a government report which played down crimes committed by asylum seekers in the country, including rapes and murders, which were placed under a category called \"other\". The omission was first highlighted by Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf."}
{"document": ["CLOSE SportsPulse: The Warriors dynasty has reached its fifth straight Finals. And by the looks of it, they look primed to win the third straight title. USA TODAY\n\nThe Golden State Warriors are heading to the NBA Finals again. Here's a look inside the astounding numbers of their historic achievement:\n\n5. The Warriors are heading to the NBA Finals for the fifth year in a row after Monday's 119-117 overtime win over the Portland Trail Blazers.\n\n2. The Warriors are one of only two teams in NBA history to have played for the championship five consecutive seasons. The Boston Celtics are the other group, having appeared in the Finals 10 straight seasons from 1957-66 – winning the title nine of those years.\n\n6. The Warriors have completed six sweeps in their dynastic five-season run, including Monday night when they closed out the Blazers in the Western Conference finals.\n\n1. Steph Curry and Draymond Green became the first teammates to each record triple-doubles in an NBA postseason game when they accomplished the feat in Game 4 against the Blazers, per ESPN Stats & Info. Curry had 37-13-11 while Green put up 18-14-11. It was Green's fourth triple-double of these playoffs, and second in a row.\n\nStephen Curry and Draymond Green have become the first pair of teammates in Postseason history to both record a triple-double in the same game.\n\n\n\nh/t @EliasSportspic.twitter.com/KkQgGeGQSO — ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) May 21, 2019\n\n34.2. That's the league-high scoring average Kevin Durant was putting up this postseason when he went down in Game 5 against the Houston Rockets with a leg injury.\n\n35.8. That's what Curry has averaged in scoring in the full games since KD was hurt as the Warriors have gone 5-0.\n\nStephen Curry has his fifth-straight 30-point game, a career-long postseason streak. — Warriors PR (@WarriorsPR) May 21, 2019\n\n99. Monday night marked the Warriors' 99th playoff game in the past five seasons.\n\n75. That's how many wins the Warriors have picked up in the NBA's second season in that time.\n\n3. The Warriors are now four wins away from the NBA's first three-peat since the Shaquille O'Neal/Kobe Bryant-led Los Angeles Lakers won consecutive titles from 2000-02.\n\nAssuming he's healthy enough to return for the Finals, Durant will be looking to join another exclusive three-time club. He could become just the sixth player to win at least three Finals MVPs, and he could become just the third man to win three consecutively. Shaq and Michael Jordan are the only players who have gone three in a row; of course, His Airness accomplished the feat twice.\n\n11. The numbers of Finals appearances in the Warriors' history, which trails only the Celtics and Lakers.\n\n10. The Warriors now wait 10 days until the NBA Finals begin on May 30.", "The Golden State Warriors are through to their fifth straight NBA Finals after a 119-117 overtime win over the Portland Trail Blazers.\n\nStephen Curry and Draymond Green combined to claim the game-clinching score in Portland.\n\nThe pair produced triple-double performances as the defending champions ensured they swept the best-of-seven Western Conference Finals series 4-0.\n\nThey will face either the Milwaukee Bucks or Toronto Raptors in the Finals.\n\nGolden State join the Boston Celtics - who made 10 straight NBA Finals between 1957-66, winning nine of them - as the only team ever to reach at least five consecutive NBA Finals after winning their 11th consecutive play-off series.\n\n\"I hope it doesn't go unnoticed,\" said Warriors coach Steve Kerr. \"Five straight Finals hasn't been done since the '60s, hasn't been done for a reason. It's very, very difficult.\"", "LOS ANGELES (AFP) - Two-time defending NBA champions Golden State qualified for their fifth straight NBA Finals on Monday (May 20) with a 119-117 overtime victory over the Trail Blazers in Portland.\n\nThe Warriors swept the best-of-seven Western Conference finals in four games and will battle for the title starting on May 30 against either the Milwaukee Bucks or Toronto Raptors.", "Stephen Curry on his way to a triple-double of 37 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists.\n\nStephen Curry and Draymond Green both posted triple-doubles to power the Golden State Warriors to a 119-117 overtime victory over the Portland Trail Blazers yesterday morning (Singapore time) and into a fifth straight NBA Finals.\n\nThe two-time defending NBA champions swept the Blazers in four games in the best-of-seven Western Conference Finals. The only other team to reach five straight NBA Finals were the Boston Celtics, who went on to a record 10 in a row from 1957 to 1966.\n\n\"I hope it doesn't go unnoticed or underrated - five straight finals hasn't been done since the 60s,\" said Warriors coach Steve Kerr.\n\n\"It hasn't been done for a reason. It's really, really difficult and so I just can't say enough about the competitive desire of the group of guys that we have here.\"\n\nThe Warriors will battle for the title starting on May 30 against either the Milwaukee Bucks or Toronto Raptors, aiming to become the first team since the Los Angeles Lakers of 2000-2002 to three-peat as champions.\n\nCurry and Green became the first teammates in league history to have triple-doubles in the same post-season game, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.\n\nCurry finished with 37 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists, while Green had his second straight triple-double with 18 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists.\n\nFittingly, Curry and Green combined on the game-winning basket in overtime, Curry feeding Green for a three-pointer that pushed Golden State to a 119-115 lead with 39.6 seconds left in overtime.\n\n\"Obviously, in that situation, we want Steph to have the ball, we want Steph or Klay (Thompson) to take the shot,\" Green said.\n\n\"But they were swarming them. So I was just talking to them, 'Watch out, watch out'.\n\n\"When he passed me the ball, I just let it go. When I shot it, it felt good.\"\n\nThe Trail Blazers had led 69-65 at half-time, and built the lead to 17 in the third quarter - the third straight game in which Portland led by as many as 17 only to come up short.\n\nWith veteran Andre Iguodala having joined superstar Kevin Durant and DeMarcus Cousins on the injured list, the Warriors produced a total team effort to rally again.\n\nThompson scored 17 points, while reserve Kevon Looney added 12 points and 14 rebounds and Alfonzo McKinnie chipped in with 12 points.\n\nPortland star Lillard, playing with painful separated ribs, finished with 28 points, while unheralded Meyers Leonard led the Trail Blazers with a career-high 30 points and 12 rebounds.", "PORTLAND, Ore. — Draymond Green had 18 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists, and made a key 3-pointer in overtime as the Golden State Warriors advanced to the NBA Finals for the fifth straight year with a 119-117 victory on Monday night to sweep the Portland Trail Blazers.\n\nStephen Curry added 37 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists. He and Green became the first teammates to have triple-doubles in the same playoff game.\n\nThe Warriors will face the winner of the Eastern Conference finals between Toronto and Milwaukee.\n\nDamian Lillard, playing with separated ribs, had 28 points and 12 assists for Portland. He missed a 3-point attempt as time ran out in the extra period. Meyers Leonard added a career-high 30 points along with 12 rebounds.", "Reigning champions the Golden State Warriors completed a 4-0 sweep of the Portland Trail Blazers to seal their place in the NBA Finals for a fifth successive year.\n\nGolden State, champions in 2015, 2017 and 2018, were pushed all the way in game four on Monday night but eventually saw off battling Portland 119-117 after overtime in Oregon.\n\nThe Warriors will now face either Milwaukee or Toronto in the Finals, with the Bucks currently 2-1 up in their series.\n\nThe Trail Blazers had looked on course to salvage a lifeline in the Western Conference play-off final after establishing a 17-point lead late in the third quarter.\n\nBut the Warriors fought back to send the match to overtime, where they clinched victory after Portland point guard Damian Lillard failed to sink a three-point attempt in the final seconds.\n\nStephen Curry and Draymond Green starred for the visitors at Moda Cente, becoming the first team-mates to each record triple-doubles in the same NBA play-off game.\n\nCurry finished with 37 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists, while Green weighed in with 18 points, 14 boards and 11 assists.\n\nFor Portland, Meyers Leonard poured in 30 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, Lillard contributed 28 points and 12 assists while CJ McCollum added 26 points.", "The Golden State Warriors look to sweep away the Portland Trail Blazers and clinch a fifth straight NBA Finals berth.\n\nThe Golden State Warriors stand on the brink of a fifth consecutive appearance in the NBA Finals, and a chance at winning a third straight championship, and all they have to do is close out the Portland Trail Blazers in Game Four of their Western Conference Final series on Monday night. No NBA team has appeared in more than four consecutive NBA Finals series since since the Boston Celtics ended a streak of 10 in a row with the 1966 Final, as recounted by the San Francisco Chronicle. And only four teams other than the Warriors have accomplished the feat of making the Finals four years in a row since 1966. The Warriors will try to punch that ticket in the game that will live stream from the Rose Garden.\n\nTo find out how to watch a live stream of the Golden State Warriors vs. Portland Trail Blazers fourth and potentially final game of their NBA Western Conference playoff series, use the streaming information at the bottom of this article. The matchup gets underway at 6 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time at the 19,980-seat Moda Center at the Rose Garden in Portland, Oregon, on Monday, May 20.\n\nThat start time is 9 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, 8 p.m. Central. In the United Kingdom, the Blazers-Warriors Game Two tipoff time will be 2 a.m. British Summer Time on Tuesday, May 21.\n\nThe Warriors also made a bit of history in Game Three, rallying from 13 points down to win the game — making them the first team in NBA playoff history to win back-to-back games in which they trailed by at least 13, according to NBA.com.\n\nThe Warriors will be missing three star players for the potentially decisive game, however with Kevin Durant, DeMarcus Cousins, and Andre Iguodala all expected to be in street clothes for the game, according to SB Nation.\n\nAs for Portland, they must win not only to stay alive, but to have a chance at accomplishing something no NBA team has ever done — come back to win a playoff series after falling behind 3-0.\n\n“Obviously it’s frustrating,” Portland star Damian Lillard told NBA.com. “You look at the numbers and there’s a slim chance of you winning the series like that, but we’ve got a lot to play for. Obviously you never know when the first time it’s going to happen. We could be the first team to do it.”\n\nTo watch the Golden State Warriors vs. Portland Trail Blazers NBA conference semifinal Game Four do-or-die matchup live stream online from the Pacific Northwest, log in to WatchESPN, the online streaming service offered by the sports broadcasting giant ESPN. WatchESPN is free of charge to anyone with login credentials from a cable or satellite television provider and is available through the ESPN and WatchESPN apps for mobile devices, as well as on set-top streaming boxes, such as the Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon Fire.\n\nAnother way to watch the Golden State Warriors vs. Portland Trail Blazers game stream live for free and without a cable subscription is for fans to sign up for a free trial of an internet streaming TV package, such as DirecTV Now, Sling TV, or YouTube TV. Those services require credit card information and subscription fees — but each offers a seven-day free trial, and that means during the week-long time frame, fans can stream the Warriors vs. Blazers game — and all other live NBA Playoff games in that period — for free.\n\nTo watch the Golden State Warriors vs. Portland Trail Blazers matchup in the United Kingdom, viewers can tune into Sky Sports Arena. For a complete list of broadcast and live streaming sources in dozens of other countries around the globe, see the listings at NBA.com.", "PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The Golden State Warriors swept their way to a fifth straight NBA Finals, getting triple-doubles from Stephen Curry and Draymond Green in a 119-117 overtime victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday night.\n\nGreen had 18 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists, and made a key 3-pointer in overtime. Curry added 37 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists. He and Green became the first teammates to have triple-doubles in the same playoff game.\n\nThe Warriors will face the winner of the Eastern Conference finals between Toronto and Milwaukee. The Bucks lead that series 2-1 with Game 4 on Tuesday night in Canada.\n\nThe Warriors erased another big deficit, coming back from 17 down after erasing an 18-point deficit in Game 3 and a 17-point hole in Game 2.\n\n\"We've been here before. We've seen everything, every experience you can imagine. So we relied on that,\" Curry said.\n\nPlaying without Kevin Durant, Andre Iguodala and DeMarcus Cousins, the Warriors became the first team to reach five straight finals since the Boston Celtics went to 10 in a row from 1957-66.\n\nDamian Lillard, playing with separated ribs, had 28 points and 12 assists for Portland. He missed a 3-point attempt as time ran out in the extra period. Meyers Leonard added a career-high 30 points along with 12 rebounds.\n\nThe Warriors were up 114-113 in the extra period after Green missed the first of a pair of free throws. CJ McCollum's jumper from out front briefly gave Portland the lead but Alfonzo McKinnie's basket put Golden State back ahead and Green made a 3-pointer to push it to 199-115 with 39 seconds left.\n\nLillard made a layup and Curry missed a jumper to give Portland back the ball. Facing stifling defense from both Green and Klay Thompson, Lillard couldn't get off a shot but the ball went out of bounds in the scramble. The Blazers got it back with 3.3 seconds left but Lillard's final shot didn't fall.\n\nFor the third straight game the Trail Blazers led at the half. They stretched the lead to 17 points in the third quarter, but the Warriors went on a 12-0 run to close within 95-90 early in the final period.\n\nGreen's long baseline jumper gave the Warriors a 108-106 lead with 3:30 left. Lillard's 3-pointer put the Blazers back ahead and Leonard's dunk extended it to 111-108 with just under 2 minutes to go.\n\nAfter Thompson's 3-pointer tied it up again both Curry and Lillard missed 3s. Curry made a 3 from the corner with 10.7 seconds left but he was called for traveling first and it didn't count.\n\nLillard's layup bounced around the rim and out and the game went to overtime.\n\nIguodala was out because of a sore left calf. The veteran swingman, who is averaging 10.1 points in the playoffs, was hurt in the second half of Saturday's Game 3 victory.\n\nIt was not known how long he'd be out, but the Warriors said an MRI Sunday was clear.\n\nGolden State was already missing Durant because of a sore right calf. It's unknown when the two-time NBA Finals MVP will return.\n\nLillard separated his ribs in Game 2 but was playing through the pain. He averaged 33 points in the first-round playoff series against Oklahoma City, hitting a series-clinching 3-pointer in Game 5, but he struggled against Golden State's defensive focus on him.\n\nPortland, playing with urgency in an elimination game, pulled in front 30-28 in the opening quarter on CJ McCollum's layup and free throw, but Curry answered on the other end with a step-back 3-pointer.\n\nPortland went ahead 59-50 after back-to-back 3-pointers from Leonard, who finished with five 3s in the first half.\n\nCurry hit a 3-pointer with 2.6 seconds left in the half to close the Warriors within 69-65 at the break.\n\nPortland pushed the lead to 83-72 on McCollum's 3-pointer. After he made another 3 to push the lead to 91-78, he gestured to the crowd to make noise.\n\nWarriors: Curry has made a 3-pointer in a playoff-record 106 games. ... Quarterback Colin Kaepernick was among the fans at the game, sitting a few seats down from the Warriors bench. ... Per Elias Sports and the Warriors, Curry had a streak of 81 consecutive free throws made in the fourth quarter and overtime in the postseason — before he missed one with 9:25 left in the game against the Blazers.\n\nTrail Blazers: Leonard, who didn't even play in five of Portland's postseason games, had a playoff-high 16 points in Game 3. After scoring 25 in the first half, fans at the Moda Center chanted his name.\n\nFormer Oregon wide receiver Keanon Lowe got a standing ovation when he was introduced to the crowd at the Moda Center in the first quarter. Lowe, a coach at Portland's Parkrose High School, stopped a student who came to the school armed with a shotgun on Friday.\n\n\"I saw the look on his face, the look in his eyes, I looked at the gun, I realized it was a real gun and then my instincts just took over,\" Lowe, 27, said about wrestling the gun away from the teenager. Lowe spoke to reporters before the game.\n\nThe suspect, 19-year-old Angel Granados-Diaz, pleaded not guilty earlier Monday during a brief court hearing.", "And now, they wait.\n\nThe Golden State Warriors have gotten used to going to the NBA Finals, and their win in Portland on Monday night clinched their fifth consecutive trip. They've also gotten used to waiting for those finals to begin, with long layoffs after the Western Conference finals having become their norm.\n\nBy the time Game 1 of the NBA Finals arrives in either Milwaukee or Toronto on May 30, it'll be a 10-day gap between games for the Warriors. It's not the longest in NBA history, but it matches the length of the break that the Warriors handled in 2017, and this marks the third time in this five-year run of finals trips that they've had at least a week off.\n\n\"Happy to get a little rest before we have to play again,\" Warriors coach Steve Kerr said.\n\nIt is much-needed rest, too.\n\nThe Warriors clinched the series in Portland without Kevin Durant, DeMarcus Cousins and Andre Iguodala — all sidelined by injuries. There's no way of knowing yet if Durant and Cousins will be back in time for the finals, either. Plenty of other Warriors are dealing with bumps and bruises as well.\n\nAccruing rust is always a major concern during days without games, but the Warriors surely feel the obvious advantage — rest — outweighs any drawbacks right now — especially after they were stretched to seven games by Houston last year in the West finals and only had two days off before the NBA Finals.\n\n\"We definitely want to get our guys healthy,\" Warriors forward Draymond Green said. \"We need to get Andre back healthy, DeMarcus and Kevin. We need those guys going into the finals. That's our hope, that we can get all three of those guys back moving forward.\"\n\nDown by 17 with less than two minutes to play in the third quarter at Portland, the easiest thing for the Warriors would have been to let off the gas and try to clinch the series at Oracle Arena on Wednesday night.\n\nInstead, they turned a 95-78 deficit into a 119-117 overtime win — outscoring the Blazers 41-22 in the final 19 minutes of the game.\n\n\"We could have said Game 5 was our game,\" Warriors star Stephen Curry said. \"But we saw how long that break was going to be and we wanted to take advantage of it.\"\n\nIt's a long break, for certain. But it's not a record-setting one.\n\nThe longest gap between the conference finals and NBA Finals came in 1982, when the Los Angeles Lakers sat around for 12 days before beginning their series against Philadelphia.\n\n\"The players are bored and just want to play,\" then-Lakers coach Pat Riley said on the eve of that series. \"It's been so long since we played, I just hope we remember how.\"\n\nThey did remember: The Lakers won Game 1, and ultimately prevailed in six games.\n\nThe Warriors' layoff this season marks the 26th time that a team will have at least a week before the end of the conference finals and the start of the NBA Finals — and if Milwaukee wins the next two games of the East title matchup, the Bucks would get added to the list as well. The earliest that the Bucks could oust Toronto and win the East is Thursday; the finals start the following Thursday.\n\nTeams with at least a one-week gap before Game 1 of the NBA Finals are 14-11 in the series.\n\n\"The NBA Finals have an experience with it — it's such an emotional roller-coaster,\" Warriors guard Klay Thompson said. \"It's nice to get away from the game a little bit before it starts, because emotions run high and it takes a lot out of you.\"\n\nThe long break certainly beats the alternative — no days off at all.\n\nIn 1960 and 1961, the St. Louis Hawks earned their trip to the NBA Finals with home wins in Game 7 of what was then called the Western Division finals. The Hawks would play the Boston Celtics in both of those title series — and got zero days rest before the finals. They'd win Game 7 at home, get on a plane and get to Boston to start the NBA Finals the very next day.\n\nBoth times, they got blown out in Game 1.\n\nBoth times, they would lose the series as well.\n\n\"Tiredness was St. Louis' 'out' in this one,\" Celtics coach Red Auerbach said after the Game 1 win in 1961.\n\nFor the Warriors, at least that won't be an issue this year.", "LOS ANGELES, United States, May 21 – Stephen Curry and Draymond Green both posted triple-doubles to power the Golden State Warriors to a 119-117 overtime victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday and into a fifth straight NBA Finals.\n\nThe two-time defending NBA champions swept the Blazers in four games in the best-of-seven Western Conference finals.\n\nThe only other team to reach five straight NBA Finals was the Boston Celtics, when they went to a record 10 in a row from 1957 to 1966.\n\n“I hope it doesn’t go unnoticed or underrated — five straight finals hasn’t been done since the 60s,” said Warriors coach Steve Kerr. “It hasn’t been done for a reason, it’s really, really difficult and so I just can’t say enough about the competitive desire of the group of guys that we have here.”\n\nThe Warriors will battle for the title starting on May 30 against either the Milwaukee Bucks or Toronto Raptors, aiming to become the first team since the Los Angeles Lakers of 2000, 2001 and 2002 to three-peat as champions.\n\nCurry and Green became the first teammates in league history to have triple-doubles in the same post-season game, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.\n\nCurry finished with 37 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists, while Green had his second straight triple-double — posting double digits in three key statistical categories — with 18 points, 14 rebounds and 11 assists.\n\nFittingly, Curry and Green combined on the game-winning basket in overtime, Curry feeding Green for a three-pointer that pushed Golden State to a 119-115 lead with 39.6 seconds left in overtime.\n\n“Obviously in that situation we want Steph to have the ball, we want Steph or Klay (Thompson) to take the shot,” Green said.\n\n“But they were swarming them. So I was just talking to them ‘Watch out, watch out.’\n\n“When he passed me the ball, I just let it go. When I shot it, it felt good.”\n\nThe Trail Blazers had led 69-65 at halftime, and built the lead to 17 in the third quarter — the third straight game in which Portland led by as many as 17 only to come up short.\n\nWith veteran Andre Iguodala having joined superstar Kevin Durant and DeMarcus Cousins on the injured list, the Warriors produced a total team effort to rally again.\n\nThompson scored 17 points while reserve Kevon Looney added 12 points and 14 rebounds and Alfonzo McKinnie chipped in 12 points.\n\n“Being without Kevin these last five games has put us in a really tough spot and our guys stepped up in a big way,” Kerr said. “The group has a fiber to them — when (these) guys go down they find a way to come together and compete and win.”\n\nThe Warriors scored the last nine points of the third period to close within 95-87 and knotted the score at 104-104 on Curry’s layup with 4:34 left in regulation.\n\n“We know we can cover 17 points in a matter of three or four minutes,” Green said. “So we always try to keep that mindset — that we’re never out of the game.”\n\nBoth teams had a chance to win in regulation, but Curry traveled before draining a three-pointer that didn’t count and Lillard was unable to get through in traffic as time expired with the score tied 111-111.\n\nPortland star Lillard, playing with painful separated ribs, finished with 28 points while unheralded Meyers Leonard led the Trail Blazers with a career-high 30 points and 12 rebounds.\n\nCJ McCollum added 26 for the Trail Blazers, but it wasn’t enough for a team that had fended off elimination twice in their second-round series against the Denver Nuggets.\n\n“We couldn’t get over the hump,” Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts said. “I think it was a demonstration of how good they are and how good they have been over the years — they find a way to win.”"], "summary": "The Golden State Warriors qualify for the NBA Finals for the fifth year in a row by defeating the Portland Trail Blazers, 119–117, in overtime in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals."}
{"document": ["Military officials in Ukraine said that eight soldiers were captured in the eastern region of the country occupied by pro-Russian separatists just one day after Ukraine's newly sworn-in president announced he would submit a peace plan for a referendum.\n\nPro-Russian separatists and their Russian backers had occupied the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine ever since a pro-Western movement ousted former President Viktor Yanukovych in 2014. An estimated 13,000 people have since died in the fighting.\n\nDuring his swearing-in ceremony on Monday, newly elected President Volodymyr Zelenskiy promised to bring peace to eastern Ukraine, or lose his job trying. His administration also promised to submit a preliminary peace plan, hashed out with Russia, to the people for a vote. But one day later, Ukrainian soldiers were captured in the occupied territories.\n\n\"According to preliminary information, early in the morning today, eight military personnel of Ukraine's armed forces from the OOS took a wrong turn while moving aboard a truck near the town of Novotroyitske and found themselves in temporarily occupied territory, where they were captured by fighters of the Russian Federation's armed forces,\" Ukraine's Joint Forces Operations said in a statement.\n\nThe Minsk peace process, negotiated by Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany, has led to numerous cease-fires. But violations of the cease-fire agreements were reported regularly.\n\nIt was unclear how Zelenskiy planned to change the situation on the ground. But on Tuesday, the president appointed a new commander of Ukraine's armed forces, marking the first change in leadership since the conflict broke out in 2014. Lieutenant General Ruslan Khomchak was now the new chief of the general staff. He had years of experience fighting the pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine, including near Donetsk city.\n\nAlso on Tuesday, the Kremlin issued a statement warning Zelenskiy against pursuing further sanctions against Russia, saying that it would harm any effort to broker peace in eastern Ukraine. The comments were made shortly after a top Trump administration official visited Ukraine's capital, Kiev, and warned that Washington would soon pass a bill to sanction Moscow if it continued to pursue a controversial pipeline project, the Nord Stream 2, which would bring cheap Russian natural gas to European Union countries, bypassing Ukraine.\n\nZelenskiy had called on Washington to sanction Moscow more harshly. Energy Secretary Rick Perry later said the new bill would likely target companies helping to build the new pipeline.\n\n\"This is the rhetoric that will not help Ukraine to sort out the problem of the southeast,\" Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned, referring to the separatist conflict in eastern Ukraine.\n\nExperts said that the new bill in Washington could effectively deliver an economic blow to Moscow, but was unclear whether the Trump administration would actually move forward with it.\n\n\"By focusing on the companies that supply the vessels that lay deep-sea pipelines, the bill has potential to be very effective. It targets one of the only aspects of the project that Russia needs foreign technology for,\" Brenda Shaffer, an energy expert at Georgetown University, told Newsweek.\n\n\"However, as with most sanctions' legislation, the devil is in the details. Congress frequently passes all sorts of sanctions, but most are discretionary sanctions, where essentially the executive can decide to apply them or not,\" Shaffer continued. \"Accordingly, if the administration wants to improve relations with Moscow, it most likely will not apply the sanctions.\"", "The Joint Forces command is trying to determine their whereabouts.\n\nEight soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have lost their way and have been taken captive by the Russia-led forces in the occupied part of Donbas.\n\nRead alsoThree Ukraine soldiers wounded in Donbas amid five enemy attacks on Tuesday\n\n\"We inform that, according to preliminary information, eight members of Ukraine's Joint Forces, moving by truck near the village of Novotroyitske, mistakenly deviated from their route this morning and entered the temporarily occupied territory, where they were detained by members of the Russian armed forces,\" the press center of Ukraine's Joint Forces Operation wrote on Facebook on May 22.\n\nThe Joint Forces command is taking all possible measures to determine the Ukrainian soldiers' whereabouts and return them.\n\nThe military prosecutor's office included data in the State Register of Pretrial Investigations. The investigation into the incident is underway.", "Ukrainian authorities say eight military personnel have been captured by Russia-backed fighters in the eastern region of Donetsk.\n\n \n\n Ukraine’s Joint Forces Operations (OOS) in the country's east said in a statement that the soldiers were captured on May 22.\n\n \n\n \"According to preliminary information, early in the morning today, eight military personnel of Ukraine's armed forces from the OOS took a wrong turn while moving aboard a truck near the town of Novotroyitske and found themselves in temporarily occupied territory, where they were captured by fighters of the Russian Federation's armed forces,\" the OOS statement said.\n\n \n\n The Ukrainian military frequently refers to Russia-backed separatist forces who hold parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions as \"fighters of the Russian Federation's armed forces.\"\n\nIt also says that many regular Russian soldiers have fought in the conflict there, a claim that Moscow denies despite what Kyiv and NATO say is incontrovertible evidence.\n\n \n\n Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said earlier in the day that three soldiers were wounded in five cease-fire violations by Russia-backed forces over the previous 24 hours.\n\n \n\n The separatists in turn accused government forces of violating the cease-fire twice since May 21.\n\n \n\n Some 13,000 people have been killed in the conflict in eastern Ukraine since April 2014, when Russia encouraged separatism following the downfall of Moscow-friendly Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych.\n\n \n\n Cease-fire deals announced as part of the Minsk accords -- September 2014 and February 2015 pacts aimed at resolving the conflict -- have contributed to a decrease in fighting but have failed to hold.\n\n \n\n A new cease-fire agreement was reached on March 8, but both sides have accused each other of repeated violations since then.\n\n \n\n The conflict in the region known as the Donbas is one of the challenges facing President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who was inaugurated on May 20.", "By The Associated Press\n\nKIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Volodymyr Zelenskiy is sworn in as Ukrainian president, immediately disbands the Ukrainian parliament.\n\nKIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Volodymyr Zelenskiy is sworn in as Ukrainian president, immediately disbands the Ukrainian parliament.\n\nCopyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.", "A total of eight Ukrainian military men have off routed and taken hostage by militants in Donetsk region.\n\nPress-center of the JFO has said this in a statement, Ukrainian News Agency reports.\n\nThe Command of the JFO is taking all possible measures to locate and return them.\n\nAs Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, on May 21, militants fired upon positions of Joint Forces Operation units five times, three Ukrainian military men were wounded."], "summary": "The Ukrainian military reports that eight Ukrainian soldiers have been captured by pro-Russian fighters near the village of Novotroyitske."}
{"document": ["At least nine people have been killed and 13 others wounded after a car exploded near a checkpoint in the Somali capital, Mogadishu.\n\nFormer foreign minister Hussein Elabe Fahiye, who was an advisor to the current president, was among those killed in the blast. Captain Mohamed Hussein told The Associated Press another 13 people were wounded and most of the casualties were soldiers.\n\n\"A car bomb blast struck at a checkpoint near Daljirka, there are some casualties including members of the security forces,\" security official Abdukadir Ahmed said after the attack in the south of the city on Wednesday.\n\nWitness Mohamed Saney he saw the bodies of three people, \"among them a military woman\".\n\n\"Several vehicles were destroyed in the blast and ambulances rushed to the scene to collect wounded people.\"\n\nThe bombing was claimed by the armed group al-Shabab, which said in a statement it had attacked a convoy escorting officials and legislators heading to the presidential palace.\n\nAl-Shabab has been fighting for more than a decade to topple the government. The armed group gave up positions it once held in Mogadishu in 2011 and has since lost many of its strongholds.\n\nBut it retains control of large rural swaths of the country and continues to wage an armed rebellion against the West-backed government.", "At least 12 people were killed when a suicide car bomber detonated explosives at a security checkpoint in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu, police said Wednesday.\n\n“It was a huge blast at a security checkpoint in Boondhere district. So far we have the deaths of 12 people, among them six security [service] members and a senior female military official,” police officer Ahmed Bashane told dpa.\n\nThere were also civilians among the dead, according to Bashane. He said two members of parliament were injured.\n\nThick smoke covered the neighbourhood after the blast, which damaged several nearby buildings.\n\n“There was traffic jam in the area at the time,” Bashane said, indicating that the death toll was likely to rise.\n\nIslamist terrorist group al-Shabaab, which is affiliated with the international al-Qaeda terrorist network, claimed responsibility for the attack on pro-insurgent radio station Andalus.\n\nThe jihadists launch regular attacks within the volatile East African nation.", "Four people were killed while 12 others were wounded after an detonated here on Wednesday.\n\n\"The blast happened in a traffic area at a police checkpoint, so far we can confirm four people died in the explosion. We are establishing more details on the incident,\" a told\n\nThe responsibility for the attack has been claimed by Al-Qaida-allied terrorist group Al-Shabab. The car exploded when the police were checking vehicles in Mogadishu's\n\nA Somali and her bodyguards are amongst those feared dead, the unnamed added.\n\nThis latest attack comes just four days after another car filled with explosives went off at Mogadishu's District. However, no casualties were reported in the incident.\n\nThe terrorist group is responsible for a string of attacks in which have claimed the lives of scores of people. At least 10 people lost their lives and dozens were injured when a car bomb exploded at a crowded mall in the business district of here in February.", "At least four people were killed and 12 others injured in a in Somalia's capital on Wednesday, the police said.\n\nA told that the car filled with explosives went off as the officials were checking vehicles in Mogadishu's district, causing deaths and\n\n\"The blast happened in a traffic area at a police checkpoint. So far, we can confirm four people died in the explosion. We are establishing more details on the incident,\" the said.\n\nA Somali military and her bodyguards were among the dead, while a lawmaker was among those injured in the blast, the report said.\n\nAbdulkadir Abdirahman Adan, of Mogadishu's free ambulance service Aamin Ambulance, said they took 12 injured people from the scene.\n\nThe blast came barely four days after a car laden with explosives went off at El-Gabta junction in Mogadishu's district leaving no casualties.\n\nAl Qaeda-allied group al-Shabab, which is fighting to overthrow the government, claimed responsibility of the latest attack.", "A car bomb exploded near a checkpoint in Somalia capital Mogadishu on Wednesday, killing at least two people and wounding 12 others, officials said.\n\nThe bombing was claimed by Islamist militant group Al-Shabaab, which said in a statement it had targeted a convoy escorting officials and lawmakers heading to the presidential palace.\n\n\"A car bomb blast struck at a checkpoint near Daljirka, there are some casualties including members of the security forces,\" said security official Abdukadir Ahmed after the attack in the south of the city.\n\nAbdikadir Abdirahman, director of Aamin ambulance service told AFP two people were killed and twelve others wounded in the blast.", "Ex-minister among five killed in Mogadishu car bomb\n\nMOGADISHU: A former Somali foreign minister was among five killed Wednesday when a car bomb exploded in the capital Mogadishu, according to the country´s information minister. The bombing was claimed by Islamist militant group Al-Shabaab, which said in a statement it had targeted a convoy escorting officials and lawmakers heading to the presidential palace. “The security forces stopped... a vehicle loaded with explosives which was aiming to target a security forces base. We have confirmed five killed and 11 wounded in the blast,” deputy police chief Zakia Hussein wrote on Twitter. Information Minister Mohamed Abdi Hayr told a press conference that former foreign minister Hussein Elabe Faahiye, who served under former premier Ali Mohamed Gedi in 2007, was among those killed. Witness Mohamed Saney said he had seen a female soldier among the dead.", "MOGADISHU: A former Somali foreign minister was among five killed on Wednesday when a car bomb exploded in the capital Mogadishu, according to the country's information minister.\n\nThe bombing was claimed by Islamist militant group Al-Shabaab, which said in a statement it had targeted a convoy escorting officials and lawmakers heading to the presidential palace.\n\n\"The security forces stopped a vehicle loaded with explosives which was aiming to target a security forces base. We have confirmed five killed and 11 wounded in the blast,\" deputy police chief Zakia Hussein wrote on Twitter. Information Minister Mohamed Abdi Hayr told a press conference that former foreign minister Hussein Elabe Faahiye, who served under former premier Ali Mohamed Gedi in 2007, was among those killed.\n\nWitness Mohamed Saney said that he had seen a female soldier among the dead.\"Several vehicles were destroyed in the blast and ambulances rushed to the scene to collect wounded people,\"he said. Al-Qaeda-linked Shabaab fighters have been fighting for more than a decade to topple the government.\n\nThey fled positions they once held in Mogadishu in 2011, and have since lost many of their strongholds. But they retain control of large rural swathes of the country, and continue to wage a guerrilla war against the authorities.", "NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) - A Somalia police spokesman said a suicide car bomb by Islamic extremists has killed at least six people in the capital Wednesday.\n\nCapt. Mohamed Hussein said most of the casualties are soldiers and more than 13 people were injured.\n\nSomalia's extremist rebel group, al-Shabab, has claimed the responsibility for the blast, saying it targeted vehicles carrying government officials.\n\nThe car bomb exploded at a security checkpoint near the presidential palace in Mogadishu as soldiers were conducting security checks on vehicles on the main road.\n\nAl-Shabab frequently carries out bomb blasts in the capital near the presidential compound and at hotels frequented by government officials and foreigners.\n\nSomalis walk near the wreckage after a suicide car bomb attack in the capital Mogadishu, Somalia Wednesday, May 22, 2019. A police spokesman said the attack killed at least six people and injured more than a dozen, while Islamic extremist group al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the blast, saying it targeted vehicles carrying government officials. (AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh)", "A Somalia police spokesman said a suicide car bomb by Islamic extremists has killed at least six people in the capital Wednesday.\n\nCapt. Mohamed Hussein said most of the casualties are soldiers and more than 13 people were injured.\n\nSomalia's extremist rebel group, al-Shabab, has claimed the responsibility for the blast, saying it targeted vehicles carrying government officials.\n\nThe car bomb exploded at a security checkpoint near the presidential palace in Mogadishu as soldiers were conducting security checks on vehicles on the main road.\n\nAl-Shabab frequently carries out bomb blasts in the capital near the presidential compound and at hotels frequented by government officials and foreigners."], "summary": "At least nine people are killed when a car bomber attacks a police checkpoint in the Bondhere District of Mogadishu (Al Jazeera)"}
{"document": ["A French-Spanish nun has been brutally murdered in a village in the Central African Republic where she taught sewing to young girls, the Vatican said Wednesday.\n\nAdvertising Read more\n\nThe 77-year old was found beheaded early Monday according to the Vatican News website, while a bishop in CAR who hails from the same diocese in Spain as the nun said her throat had been slit.\n\nPope Francis paid tribute to the nun on Wednesday, describing the murder of a woman \"who gave her life for Jesus in the service of the poor\" as \"barbaric\".\n\nHe called for those gathered in Saint Peter's Square for his weekly general audience to pray in silence for her.\n\n\"Her attackers broke into her room on the night between Sunday and Monday and took her to the centre she was running for the young girls, where they beheaded her,\" Vatican News said.\n\n\"According to a local member of parliament, the murder could be linked to trafficking in human organs,\" the site adds.\n\nA spokesman for the diocese of Burgos in Spain told AFP a bishop in the Central African Republic had described the state of the nun's body.\n\n\"They cut her neck to the point of killing her, but they didn't cut off her head completely,\" he said.\n\n(AFP)", "A 77-year-old French-Spanish nun has been killed in Central African Republic, where she taught poor schoolgirls.\n\nThe diocese of Albi in southern France said in a statement that Sister Ines Nieves Sancho was found decapitated near Berberati.\n\nThe reason for the attack is unclear. Local media said it occurred in the village of Nola, in the southwest near the border with Cameroon.\n\nBecause of the heat, the diocese says, she was buried immediately instead of being repatriated to France.\n\nPope Francis led thousands of people in prayer on Wednesday for Nieves Sancho, saying she was \"barbarously killed\" in the place where she taught.\n\nCentral African Republic has seen deadly violence since 2013, often along sectarian lines. Many hoped a peace agreement in February would be a turning point.", "A French-Spanish nun has been brutally murdered in a village in the Central African Republic where she taught sewing to young girls, the Vatican said Wednesday.\n\nThe 77-year old was found beheaded early Monday according to the Vatican News website, while a bishop in CAR who hails from the same diocese in Spain as the nun said her throat had been slit.", "PARIS - A 77-year-old French-Spanish nun has been killed in Central African Republic, where she taught poor schoolgirls.\n\nThe diocese of Albi in southern France said in a statement that Sister Ines Nieves Sancho was found decapitated near Berberati.\n\nThe reason for the attack is unclear. Local media said it occurred in the village of Nola, in the southwest near the border with Cameroon.\n\nBecause of the heat, the diocese says, she was buried immediately instead of being repatriated to France.\n\nPope Francis led thousands of people in prayer on Wednesday for Nieves Sancho, saying she was “barbarously killed” in the place where she taught.", "Vatican City, May 22 - Pope Francis at his weekly general audience Wednesday remembered a nun killed and decapitated in the Central African Republic on Monday. The headless body of Spanish nun Ines Nieves Sancho, 77, was found in the village of Nola near Berberati. \"I'd like to remember with you,\" the pope told his audience, \"Sister Ines Nieves Sancho, 77, an educator of poor girls for decades, barbarically killed in central Africa right in the place where she taught the girls to sew\". He described her as \"one more woman who gave her life for Jesus in the service of the poor. \"Let us pray together,\" the pope told French-speaking faithful. The reasons for the nun's murder are unknown and no one has so far claimed responsibility for it.", "BANGUI, Central African Republic — A 77-year-old French-Spanish nun who taught impoverished women and girls in volatile Central African Republic has been decapitated, local authorities said Wednesday.\n\nSister Ines Nieves Sancho's body was found early Monday in the village of Nola, located in the remote southwest near the borders with Cameroon and the Republic of Congo.\n\nLocal authorities condemned the killing but suggested it may not be linked to the ongoing sectarian bloodshed between militia groups that first engulfed the country in 2013.\n\n\"Elsewhere it's the rebels who kill, but in Nola people kill to get rich,\" said Jean Marc Ndoukou, an official in the village located about 135 kilometers (83 miles) from Berberati, the country's third largest city and traditionally a center of diamond production.\n\nAuthorities also said ritual crimes are not uncommon in and around Nola and perpetrators are rarely punished.\n\nNdoukou vowed that the unknown attackers would be punished, and the country's parliament called for an investigation.\n\nOn Wednesday, Pope Francis led thousands of people in prayer for Nieves Sancho, saying she was \"barbarously killed\" in the place where she taught. The Vatican said she had worked with the poor for decades.\n\nSectarian violence exploded in Central African Republic in late 2013 after mostly Christian and animist militia fighters retaliated against Muslim civilians following a brutal rule by a mostly Muslim rebel government. Violence engulfed the capital and the southwest where an untold number of Muslims were slaughtered as they attempted to flee to Cameroon.\n\nA presidential election was held during a period of relative peace in 2016 though instability later returned to many parts of the country. Despite several peace agreements, including one earlier this year, the country remains plagued by conflict.", "A French-Spanish nun has been brutally murdered in a village in the Central African Republic where she taught sewing to young girls, the Vatican said Wednesday.\n\nThe 77-year old was found beheaded early Monday according to the Vatican News website, while a bishop in CAR said her throat had been slit.\n\nPope Francis paid tribute to the nun on Wednesday, describing the murder of a woman \"who gave her life for Jesus in the service of the poor\" as \"barbaric\".\n\nHe called for those gathered in Saint Peter's Square for his weekly general audience to pray in silence for her.", "VATICAN CITY, May 22 — A French-Spanish nun has been brutally murdered in a village in the Central African Republic where she taught sewing to young girls, the Vatican said today.\n\nThe 77-year old was found beheaded early Monday in the southwestern town of Nola according to the Vatican News website, while a bishop in CAR said her throat had been slit.\n\nPope Francis paid tribute to the nun today, describing the murder of a woman “who gave her life for Jesus in the service of the poor” as “barbaric”.\n\nHe called for those gathered in Saint Peter’s Square for his weekly general audience to pray in silence for her.\n\n“Her attackers broke into her room on the night between Sunday and Monday and took her to the centre she was running for the young girls, where they beheaded her,” Vatican News said.\n\n“According to a local member of parliament, the murder could be linked to trafficking in human organs,” the site adds.\n\nA spokesman for the diocese of Burgos in Spain told AFP a bishop in the Central African Republic had described the state of the nun’s body.\n\n“They cut her neck to the point of killing her, but they didn’t cut off her head completely,” he said.\n\nThe bishop said the motives for her murder were not known and “no terrorist organisation” has claimed responsibility for it, the spokesman added.\n\nThe bishop of the diocese of Berberati led the funeral for Ines Nieves Sancho on Tuesday, he said.\n\nThe vice general of the diocese of Berberati, Isaie Koffia, told AFP that the nun was murdered on Sunday afternoon.\n\n“Strangers entered the back gate and dragged her into the bush behind the house to slaughter her. They did not take anything at all, they just came to kill her,” he added.\n\nThe nun belonged to the small congregation of the “Filles de Jesus”, or “Daughters of Jesus”, which is based in Massac-Seran in southwestern France.\n\nSpanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez took to Twitter to express his “condolences and affection for Ines’ family” as well as for a Spanish missionary, Fernando Hernandez, who was killed on Saturday in Burkina Faso.\n\nHernandez, a 60-year-old member of the Salesian congregation in Bobo-Dioulasso, “was attacked by knives by a former employee who was fired two months ago,” according to the website of the Salesian congregation, salesianos.info.\n\nHe is the second Salesian to have been murdered in Burkina Faso this year. In February Antonio Cesar Fernandez, 72, was the victim of a “jihadist attack”, according to the website.\n\nCAR has been struggling to recover from the bloodletting that erupted when former president Francois Bozize, a Christian, was overthrown in 2013 by mainly-Muslim Seleka rebels.\n\nArmed groups, typically claiming to defend an ethnic or religious group, control about 80 percent of the CAR, often fighting over access to the country’s mineral wealth.\n\nThousands have lost their lives, nearly 650,000 have fled their homes and another 575,000 have left the country, according to UN figures as of December last year. — AFP", "A French-Spanish nun has been brutally murdered in a village in the Central African Republic where she taught sewing to young girls, the Vatican said today.\n\nSister Ines Nieves Sancho, 77, was found beheaded early on Monday according to the Vatican News website, while a bishop in CAR said her throat had been slit.\n\n'According to a local member of parliament, the murder could be linked to trafficking in human organs,' the site adds.\n\nVillage MP, Jean Marque Djokou said that the beheading is likely to be for human organ trafficking because it took place in Nola, a village known for murder recurrences and cases of organ trafficking.\n\nPope Francis paid tribute to the nun on Wednesday, describing the murder of a woman 'who gave her life for Jesus in the service of the poor' as 'barbaric'.\n\nHe called for those gathered in Saint Peter's Square for his weekly general audience to pray in silence for her.\n\n'Her attackers broke into her room on the night between Sunday and Monday and took her to the centre she was running for the young girls, where they beheaded her,' Vatican News said.\n\nA spokesman for the diocese of Burgos in Spain told AFP a bishop in the Central African Republic had described the state of the nun's body.\n\n'They cut her neck to the point of killing her, but they didn't cut off her head completely,' he said.", "At least 26 people have been killed, and many more wounded, in a massacre representing one of the biggest single losses of life in the Central African Republic (CAR) since a February peace deal.\n\nThe UN’s peacekeeping mission in CAR (Minusca) reported on Wednesday that Tuesday’s slaughter took place after an armed group called 3R attacked two villages Koundjili and Djoumjoum, in the north-west of the country.\n\nThe slaughter was the biggest single loss of life since the government and 14 militias signed a deal in February aimed at restoring peace to one of Africa’s most troubled countries, the East African reported.\n\nThere are now unconfirmed reports from the area that anti-balaka militias are mobilising to protect Christians and animists from attacks by Muslim groups.\n\nIn another incident, the Vatican reported simultaneously that a French-Spanish nun had been decapitated in a village in south-western CAR where she taught sewing to young girls.\n\nThe 3R group takes its initials from three words in French meaning “Return, Reclamation and Reconciliation”. It claims to represent the Fulani, one of the CAR’s many ethnic groups.\n\nIn February the militia was one of the 14 groups that signed the February 6 peace accord – the eighth attempt to end violence in CAR – in which the government gave key positions to warlords and agreed to set up mixed units of regular troops and militiamen.\n\nFor more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android."], "summary": "A French nun is found decapitated in a village in the Central African Republic."}
{"document": ["BANGUI (Reuters) - An armed militia killed 34 civilians in an attack on Tuesday in Central African Republic, a government spokesman said, issuing a deadline for the group’s leader to give up the perpetrators to the authorities.\n\nThe attack was the most deadly since 14 armed groups agreed a peace deal in February that was meant to bring stability to a country rocked by violence since 2013, when mainly Muslim Selaka rebels ousted the then president, prompting reprisals from mostly Christian militia.\n\nThe group ‘Return, Reclamation, Rehabilitation,’ or 3R, attacked a number of villages in the northwest region Pahoua, seeking revenge for the killing of an ethnic Peul, government spokesman Ange Kazagui said at a joint briefing on Wednesday with the United Nation’s MINUSCA peacekeeping mission.\n\nThe government calls on 3R leader Sidiki Abass to “arrest and hand over those responsible for this massacre to the authorities in the next 72 hours or risk being held personally responsible”, Kazagui said.\n\nThe bloodshed will further test the peace agreement, which has already come under strain due to disagreements over representation in the cabinet.\n\n“MINUSCA asks 3R in particular and all the armed groups in general to show strict respect for international human rights and the reconciliation and peace agreement,” MINUSCA spokeswoman Uwolowulakana Ikavi-Gbetanou said at the briefing.\n\nThe government and rebels expressed optimism when the accord was signed on Feb. 5. But lasting peace is not guaranteed: similar agreements in 2014, 2015 and 2017 all broke down.\n\nThe 3R group emerged in late 2015 to protect the minority Peul population, who are mostly Muslim cattle herders, from attacks by Christian anti-balaka militias.\n\nThousands of people have died because of the unrest in the diamond and gold-producing country, and a fifth of the 4.5 million population have fled their homes.", "(Hatha al-Youm | Iraq News )- Social Media users have said that eradicating the terrorist militias in Iraq requires an international alliance to fight it as their threats are growing.On Facebook, activists said the US will fight those militias after fighting the Iranian regime, which supports the militias in Iraq.Targeting the Green Zone in Iraq with a missile in the vicinity of the US embassy in Baghdad is a warning against the pro-Iran militias, they said.According to the activists, there are three parties in the Iraqi political scene including Iran supporters, US supporters and the Iraqi government in the middle.Thus, the US will eradicate the militias like the Iran Militia in Iraq and Syria (IMIS), Asai’b Ahl Al-Haq, Badr, Al-Nujabaa movement and others across Iraq.The Iran militias in Iraq have become a threat against Baghdad’s foreign relations, which is against the approach declared by the Iraqi government to be committed to not intervene within other countries’ affairs.Moreover, the activists highlighted necessity to analyze the political discourse of those militias, saying that the government’s silence on behaviour of those militias will push Iraq toward a new military confrontation.The militias, according to the activists, are facing the refusal from Iraqis as well as the international sanctions imposed on it through several measures including dominance with weapons and ending all anti-Iran voices.Baghdad Post observed the Facebook comments on necessity of eradicating the militias in Iraq. An account called “Guevara al-Malek” said “Iraq is in the hands of the gangs,” while another account of Mostafa Mostafa said “the parties and the militias are one case.” Sara Alnimy said “Indeed.. The US is able to end the militias.” Wathiq al-Azzawi said “cut the snake’s head so everything ends.”"], "summary": "Armed militias kill over 30 civilians in one of the deadliest attacks since a peace deal was reached back in February of this year."}
{"document": ["At least six civilians were killed by regime airstrikes in Syria’s northwestern de-escalation zones, according to sources within the White Helmets civil-defense agency.\n\nThe attacks occurred in the towns of Khan Sheykhun, Jisr al-Shughour and Saraqib in Syria’s Idlib province, the sources said. According to the same sources, regime forces and Iran-backed terrorist groups also shelled the towns of Maarat al-Numan and Maarat Herma, along with the villages of Al-Kassabiyya, Abdin, Karasaa, Kafr Sajna and Al-Naqeer.\n\nSome 1.5 million people currently reside in Idlib, half of whom have been displaced from their homes in other parts of the country.\n\nTurkey and Russia agreed last September to turn Idlib into a de-escalation zone in which acts of aggression would be expressly prohibited. The Syrian regime, however, has consistently broken the terms of the truce, staging frequent attacks inside the de-escalation zone.", "Your opinions matter to us times;\n\nFeedback 0 / 5", "Twelve civilians were killed in regime airstrikes in Syria's northwestern de-escalation zones, sources with the White Helmets civil defense agency said yesterday.\n\nThe attacks targeted the towns of Maarat Al-Numan and Maarat Herma in Idlib province, the sources said.\n\nAlso, regime forces and Iran-back terrorist group shelled the town of Khan Sheykhun and the villages of Al-Kassabiyya, Abdin, Karasaa, Kafr Sajna and Al-Naqeer.\n\nThese new deaths brought the figure to more than 455 civilians who have lost their lives in Idlib since April 25.\n\nIdlib is the opposition's last enclave. Its pre-war population of 1.5 million has swelled to around 3 million with new refugee waves after it was designated a \"de-escalation zone\" under the Astana agreement between Turkey, Russia and Iran in May 2017 to pave the way for a permanent political solution in Syria.\n\nThe regime has intensified their attacks on the area since April 26 under the pretext of fighting Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) militants holed up inside Idlib. The intermittent attacks and bombardment have killed, wounded and displaced thousands of people. Residential areas have been destroyed by indiscriminate attacks while numerous educational facilities, health facilities and residential areas have collapsed or have become unusable after being targeted by bombs.", "Twelve civilians were killed in regime airstrikes in Syria’s northwestern de-escalation zones, sources with the White Helmets civil defense agency said on Wednesday.\n\nThe attacks targeted the towns of Maarat Al-Numan and Maarat Herma in Idlib province, the sources said.\n\nAlso, regime forces and Iran-back terrorist group shelled the town of Khan Sheykhun and the villages of Al-Kassabiyya, Abdin, Karasaa, Kafr Sajna and Al-Naqeer.\n\nSome 1.5 million people currently reside in Idlib, half are displaced from other parts of the war-torn country.\n\nTurkey and Russia agreed last September to turn Idlib into a de-escalation zone in which acts of aggression would be expressly prohibited.\n\nThe Syrian regime, however, has consistently broken the terms of the cease-fire, launching frequent attacks inside the de-escalation zone.\n\nSyria has only just begun to emerge from a devastating conflict that began in early 2011 when the Bashar al-Assad regime cracked down on demonstrators with unexpected severity.", "Russia has increased its airstrike campaign on the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib in the past few days, which rights group warn could lead to a new humanitarian crisis in the war-torn country.\n\nMore than 100 Russian airstrikes have targeted Idlib and parts of the neighboring province of Hama in recent days, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told VOA.\n\nThe observatory, which has researchers across Syria, charged that Syrian government helicopters have also dropped barrel bombs on towns and villages across Idlib.\n\n“The Russian escalation has a clear message to al-Nusra Front,” said Rami Abdulrahman, director of the observatory, told VOA.\n\n“This is also a message to everyone else, including the U.S., that when it comes to northwestern Syria, it’s only Russia who calls the shots,” Abdulrahman added.\n\nSince late April, militants have launched several military operations against Syrian regime troops, killing scores of them, which prompted the recent Russian bombardment that has killed dozens of civilians, according to local media reports.\n\nRussia has been backing the Syrian regime since 2015, helping government forces and allied militias recapture rebel-held cities such as Aleppo, Homs, Daraa and Damascus suburbs.\n\nIdlib is under the control of a former al-Qaida affiliate called Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which was formerly known as the al-Nusra Front. The Syrian province is the last stronghold of rebel forces battling the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.\n\nSince the outbreak of Syria’s civil war in 2011, the U.S. has twice carried out airstrikes against Syrian regime targets, punishing Assad for allegedly using chemical weapons against civilians in Damascus and elsewhere.\n\nThe U.S., which has led a coalition to combat the Islamic State (IS) terror group in eastern Syria, does not have any military presence in northwestern Syria, including Idlib. In the past, however, U.S. officials did voice concerns about the presence of tens of thousands of foreign fighters, including al-Qaida-affiliated terrorists, in the province but cautioned against full-scale military operations, maintaining that doing so would lead to a humanitarian crisis, as the province is home to 3 million people.\n\n“Idlib is essentially the largest collection of al-Qaida affiliates in the world right now,” Michael Mulroy, deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East, said this week during remarks at the Center for a New American Security in Washington.\n\n“We have very limited insights as to what’s going on,” he added.\n\nIdlib is one of several de-escalation zones in Syria that were created in 2017 after trilateral talks among Russia, Turkey and Iran to try to prevent further escalation among warring parties.\n\nU.S. officials have urged Russia and the Syrian regime to comply with their commitments in Idlib, which were to ensure that the zones remain free of escalation.\n\n“The violence must end,” Morgan Ortagus, State Department spokeswoman, said in a statement this week. “The United States reiterates that any escalation in violence in northwest Syria will result in the destabilization of the region.”\n\nTurkey and Russia reached an agreement last September that prevented a planned Syrian regime offensive on Idlib and other areas near the Turkish border. Turkey assured Russia that the local rebel and militant groups, some of which are allied with Ankara, would not assault Russian and Syrian government forces.\n\nHowever, HTS’s advances in Idlib earlier this year, which led to the terror group’s consolidation of power over most of the province, has put an already fragile agreement between Russia and Turkey at further risk.\n\nOne point of the Turkey-Russia deal was that Ankara would work to disarm and dislodge the jihadist group and other extremists from Idlib. But Turkey has so far been unable to implement that part of the agreement.\n\n“Turkey has two options. The first one is to give in to Russian demands by entering a war with HTS and its allies,” said Ahmed Rahal, a former Syrian army general who is now a military analyst based in Istanbul.\n\n“But this unlikely because the jihadists are based in a civilian area where more 3 million people live. Turkey cannot enter such a war because it would create a major refugee and humanitarian crisis. That’s why Ankara is pushing for a diplomatic solution.”\n\nThe other option for Turkey, according to Rahal, is to yield the way for its allied Syrian rebel forces to enter an open-ended war with Syrian regime troops.\n\nPro-regime Syrian media outlets on Thursday reported a continued military buildup by regime troops near the southern part of Idlib, in what appears to be a final preparation for a ground offensive against rebel forces.\n\nBut experts say a major offensive carried out by the Syrian regime and its Russian ally is unlikely at this point.\n\n“I don’t think the Syrian regime would launch a large-scale ground offensive in Idlib,” said Fabrice Balanche, a professor at the University of Lyon in France who is an expert on Syria and follows developments in the country.\n\nHe told VOA the ongoing movements of Syrian government forces in south Idlib could be part of the “Syrian regime’s policy of containment” to ensure that jihadists would not be able to expand their operations into Idlib’s neighboring provinces.\n\nThe U.N. has blamed the Russia and Syrian regimes for the damage to a medical center and two hospitals resulting from the airstrikes in northwestern Syria this week.\n\nWhile thousands of civilians have already evacuated from Idlib and its surrounding areas, the U.N. fears that such military activities could result in a massive refugee crisis in the region.\n\n“Since February, over 138,500 women, children and men have been displaced from northern Hama and southern Idlib,” said David Swanson, an official with the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.\n\n“Between 1 and 28 April, it’s estimated more than 32,500 individuals have moved to different communities in Aleppo, Idlib and Hama governorates,” Swanson told AFP.", "Violence has returned to northwestern Syria, as Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government pushes into rebel-controlled Idlib province, home to some 2.5 million civilians*.\n\nAt least 200,000 civilians have now fled the fighting and airstrikes. “The hostilities have escalated intensely, particularly in southern Idlib and northern Hama,” Mari Mørtvedt, a Damascus-based spokesperson for the International Committee of the Red Cross, told The New Humanitarian.\n\nRead more on The New Humanitarian", "Spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights: Marta Hurtado\n\n Location: Geneva\n\n Date: 21 May 2019\n\n Subject: Idlib\n\nGENEVA (21 May 2019) The UN Human Rights Office is extremely worried about the military escalation in northwestern Syria, despite the announcement of a recent 72-hour ceasefire. There has been some reduction in violence, but airstrikes and ground-based attacks continue to take place in various parts of Idlib and Hama governorates. The situation remains volatile and the possibility of renewed clashes is high, worsening the prospects for some 3 million civilians caught in the crossfire.\n\nBoth pro-Government forces and non-State armed groups fighting in northern Syria appear to have failed to respect the principles of distinction and proportionality under international humanitarian law, resulting in a high number of civilian casualties and injuries and significant damage to civilian objects, according to information recorded by the UN Human Rights Office.\n\nMilitary objects have been placed in close proximity to civilians and civilian objects, resulting in civilian deaths and injuries, and causing significant damage to civilian infrastructure such as hospitals, mosques, schools and markets.\n\nNon-State armed groups have launched ground-based attacks on areas under the control of Government forces and hit residential neighbourhoods and refugees settlements in Hama governorate and Aleppo city.\n\nFrom 8 to 16 May, multiple attacks by pro-Government forces were registered, resulting in at least 56 civilians killed - including many women and children - and severe damage to five schools and one hospital. In the same period, attacks by non-State armed groups were reported, causing at least 17 civilian deaths, mainly women and children.\n\nSince this latest military escalation started at the end of April, at least 105 civilians have been killed, and at least 200,000 people have fled the hostilities in southern Idlib and northern Hama.\n\nIn addition, the Office is also worried about the fate of people in al-Hol camp in al-Hassakeh Governorate in the northeast of the country. Currently, the camps hosts more than 70,000 people living in dire conditions.\n\nThe approximately 2,500 children under 12, born to ISIL-affiliated fathers are being kept with their mothers. Meanwhile, children older than 12 have reportedly been taken away from their mothers and are being held in separate unidentified “settlements”. Other reports suggest that Kurdish authorities are detaining those children in secret detention facilities in al-Hassakeh. Reportedly, they are neither allowed to communicate with their families nor have the families been informed about their whereabouts or status.\n\nWhile the temporary restrictions of movement imposed on civilians at al-Hol and in other camps for internally displaced people (IDPs) run by the Kurdish authorities may be part of a screening and vetting process, the Office is concerned about the lack of clarity regarding how long these restrictions will last.\n\nWhile any agreement to halt hostilities and spare civilians is to be welcomed and encouraged, this ceasefire agreement does not exclude that a large-scale offensive by Government forces and their allies aimed at re-taking territories in Idlib Governorate and surrounding areas remains possible in the near future.\n\nParties to the conflict are obliged to do everything feasible not to put civilians in harm’s way.\n\nThe forced removal of civilians for reasons related to the conflict may be done so only in order to guarantee their own security or due to military necessity and for no other reason. The failure of civilians to respond to an order to evacuate an area in no way affects their protected status under international humanitarian law.\n\nFor more information and media requests, please contact: Rupert Colville - + 41 22 917 9767 / rcolville@ohchr.orgor Ravina Shamdasani - + 41 22 917 9169 / rshamdasani@ohchr.org or Marta Hurtado - + 41 22 917 9466 / mhurtado@ohchr.org\n\n Tag and share - Twitter: @UNHumanRights and _Facebook: _unitednationshumanrights", "Beirut: Ten civilians were killed in Syria’s northwest Idlib region Wednesday in air raids by the regime of President Bashar Al Assad and his Russian allies, a monitoring group, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said.\n\nThe deaths took place in an area where extremist rebel groups dominated by Al Qaida’s former Syrian branch, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) are active.\n\nThe regime and Russia have been stepping up bombardments there in the past few days, and hospitals and schools have been hit by air strikes.\n\nThe UN Security Council is to meet Friday to discuss the escalation in the fighting in the Idlib region.\n\nThe EU on Wednesday called the attacks on the hospitals and schools “an unacceptable violation of international law”.\n\nWestern powers are concerned that the Russia-backed Syrian government will launch a full-scale assault despite a deal reached with rebel-backer Turkey to set up a de-escalation zone in Idlib.\n\nThe Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the 10 civilians killed included a young girl.\n\nIt also said that 18 extremist and rebels were killed in the air raids or in fighting with pro-government forces. Those regime forces lost nine fighters, it said.\n\nMore than 150,000 people have fled fighting in northwest Syria in just one week, between the end of April and the first week of May, the UN said on Tuesday. Most of the region’s three million inhabitants live off humanitarian aid.", "MOSCOW (AP) — Syrian government forces have unilaterally ceased fire in the northern Idlib province, the last major rebel stronghold, Russia said Sunday, while opposition activists reported continued shelling and airstrikes. Fighting erupted in Idlib…\n\nMOSCOW (AP) — Syrian government forces have unilaterally ceased fire in the northern Idlib province, the last major rebel stronghold, Russia said Sunday, while opposition activists reported continued shelling and airstrikes.\n\nFighting erupted in Idlib late last month, effectively shattering a cease-fire negotiated by Russia and Turkey that had been in place since September. Russia has firmly backed President Bashar Assad’s government in the eight-year civil war, while Turkey has supported the opposition.\n\nIn a brief statement on Sunday, the Russian Defense Ministry’s Center for Reconciliation of the Warring Sides in Syria said government forces had ceased fire as of midnight. It described the move as unilateral, but did not give details.\n\nThe pro-government Syrian Central Military Media said government forces responded to shelling by militants Sunday on the edge of Idlib. It gave no further details.\n\nThe Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitoring group, reported an airstrike on the town of Khan Sheikhoun, saying it inflicted casualties.\n\nThe opposition’s Syrian Civil Defense also reported shelling near the town of Jisr al-Shughour without reporting any casualties.\n\nSyrian government forces intensified their attacks as of April 30 on Idlib. The area is home to some 3 million people, many of whom are internally displaced. The last round of violence also displaced some 180,000 in rebel-held areas.\n\nCopyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed."], "summary": "Syrian government airstrikes in Syria’s northwestern de-escalation zones target the towns of Maarrat al-Nu'man and Maarat Herma in Idlib Governorate, killing twelve civilians."}
{"document": ["Image copyright Reuters\n\nBritish Steel has been placed in compulsory liquidation, putting 5,000 jobs at risk and endangering 20,000 in the supply chain.\n\nThe move follows a breakdown in rescue talks between the government and the company's owner, Greybull.\n\nThe Government's Official Receiver has taken control of the company as part of the liquidation process.\n\nThe search for a buyer for British Steel has already begun. In the meantime, it will trade normally.\n\nThe Official Receiver said British Steel Ltd had been wound up in the High Court and the immediate priority was to continue safe operation of the site.\n\nThe company was transferred to the Official Receiver because British Steel, its shareholders and the government were not able to, or would not, support the business. That meant the company did not have to funds to pay for an administration.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Jeremy Corbyn and Theresa May clashed over British Steel at PMQs\n\nThe other companies within the British Steel group are continuing to trade as normal and are not in insolvency.\n\nSo what happens now?\n\nThe Official Receiver and EY are looking for a buyer for the business.\n\nIf they fail to find one, the firm would be wound up and redundancies would follow.\n\n\"I appreciate that this is a difficult time for the company's employees and I want to thank them for their ongoing co-operation,\" Receiver David Chapman said.\n\n\"The company in liquidation is continuing to trade and supply its customers while I consider options for the business.\n\nWhat about the staff?\n\nBritish Steel has about 5,000 employees. There are 3,000 at Scunthorpe, with another 800 on Teesside and in north-eastern England.\n\nThe rest are in France, the Netherlands and various sales offices round the world.\n\nTheir wages this week have been paid by Greybull and the government will pick up the bill from now on.\n\nRoy Rickhuss, general secretary of the steelworkers' trade union, Community, said: \"This news will heap more worries on workers and everyone connected with British Steel, but it will also end the uncertainty under Greybull's ownership and must be seized as an opportunity to look for an alternative future.\n\n\"It is vital now that cool heads prevail and all parties focus on saving the jobs.\n\nImage caption Kevin Prior, pictured with his partner Kayleigh Manderson, said rumours about the plant had been \"circulating for weeks\"\n\nStaff in Scunthorpe have also reacted. \"Everyone is terrified,\" said steelworker Kevin Prior. The 32-year-old scrap metal cutter has been at the plant since 2015 and his sister and brother-in-law also work at there.\n\nHe said rumours about the company's future had been circulating for a number of weeks.\n\n\"It's just heartbreaking,\" he said.\n\n\"It's horrible to hear that my sister is crying herself to sleep because she doesn't know what's going to happen with her husband's job and what that means for them.\"\n\nAs well as the plant's workers the North Lincolnshire town's economy relies heavily on the giant steel works, with an estimated 20,000 jobs linked to the site.\n\nIts closure would be a body blow, with some residents claiming it would leave Scunthorpe a \"ghost town\".\n\nHow did it come to this?\n\nIn 2007, India's Tata conglomerate entered the UK steel market after it bought the Anglo Dutch group, Corus. In 2010, the business was renamed Tata Steel Europe.\n\nAfter a difficult few years, during depths of the 2016 steel crisis, Tata sold the Scunthorpe long products division to private equity firm Greybull Capital for a nominal £1.\n\nGreybull rebranded the company as British Steel.\n\nBritish Steel's more recent troubles have been linked to a slump in orders from European customers ‎due to uncertainty over the Brexit process.\n\nIt has has also struggled with the weakness of the pound since the EU referendum in June 2016 and the escalating US-China trade war.\n\nImage copyright Getty Images\n\nIn a statement on Wednesday, Greybull said: \"The turnaround of British Steel was always going to be a challenge, and yet the business overcame many difficulties and until recently, looked set for renewed prosperity.\n\n\"The workforce, the trade unions and the management team have worked closely together in their determination to strengthen the business. However, the additional blows dealt by Brexit-related issues have proven insurmountable.\"\n\nThe High Court appointed accountancy firm EY to the role of Special Manager, assisting the Receiver.\n\nEY said the appointment of the Official Receiver followed \"a number of weeks\" of negotiations by management with the company's various stakeholders, including lenders, shareholders and the government, to secure the necessary funding to avoid an insolvency.\n\n\"Regrettably, these efforts were unable to secure a solution before the company's funding resources were exhausted.\"\n\nHow have customers reacted?\n\nBritish Steel customer Network Rail sources 95% of its rails from British Steel's Scunthorpe plant.\n\nIn a statement, the rail infrastructure operator said it had been working closely with British Steel and the government for \"many weeks\".\n\n\"We have done what we can to help ease the company's financial difficulties. We have improved our order book with the company - increasing rail production volumes, bringing orders forward and committing to a long term schedule - as well as offering immediate payment to ease the pressure on cash flow.\"\n\nIt is understood the company has enough stockpiles to keep it going until other suppliers can increase production.\n\nWhat do the politicians say?\n\nBusiness Secretary Greg Clark said the government had shown its \"willingness to act\", having provided the British Steel with a £120m bridging loan in April to meet EU emission rules and avoid a steep fine.\n\nHowever, he added: \"The government can only act within the law, which requires any financial support to a steel company to be on a commercial basis. I have been advised that it would be unlawful to provide a guarantee or loan on the terms of any proposals that the company or any other party has made.\"\n\nLabour's shadow business secretary, Rebecca Long Bailey, called for the company to be nationalised.\n\nShe said: \"The government must act quickly to save this strategically important industry and the livelihoods and communities of those who work in it, by bringing British Steel into public ownership.''\n\nIs your job affected by the collapse of British Steel? Share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways:", "BRITISH STEEL HAS collapsed after the government said last-ditch talks with its owners failed to secure a financial rescue.\n\nThe High Court in London ordered British Steel Limited into compulsory liquidation, a statement today said.\n\n“British Steel Limited was wound-up in the High Court” today meaning its assets would be sold to help pay debts.\n\n“The government has worked tirelessly with British Steel, its owner Greybull Capital, and lenders to explore all potential options to secure a solution for British Steel,” said Business Secretary Greg Clark.\n\n“We have shown our willingness to act, having already provided the company” recently with funds.\n\nTim Roache, general secretary of the GMB union, described the collapse of Britain’s second-biggest steelmaker as “devastating news for the thousands of workers” in the UK.\n\nSome 5,000 people are employed by British Steel and an estimated 20,000 more have links to the firm’s supply chain.\n\nGreybull has blamed Brexit strains for its financial collapse, while the steel sector faces other uncertainties.\n\n“While Greybull cannot be allowed to walk away scot-free and must be held to account for its stewardship of Britain’s second largest steelmaker, ministers cannot wash their hands of the Brexit farce and ongoing uncertainty that has placed the company in difficulty,” Steve Turner, assistant general secretary of the Unite union, said Wednesday.\n\n“To do so would be a betrayal of a loyal workforce that has made great sacrifices to make British Steel a success and send economic shockwaves throughout the steel industry, UK manufacturing and the households of 20,000 workers in the supply chain who rely on the steelmaker for their livelihoods.”\n\nThere are clouds also over the future of Tata Steel’s main European operations based in the UK after German industrial conglomerate Thyssenkrupp recently scrapped merger plans with the Indian giant.\n\nA deal was seen as positive for Tata’s Port Talbot plant in Wales that employs more than 4,000 staff.\n\nFollowing the merger collapse, Thyssenkrupp said it would slash 6,000 jobs worldwide in a structural shakeup.\n\nBritish Steel is owned by investment firm Greybull Capital, who founded the long steel products maker in 2016 after snapping up assets from Tata Steel.\n\nLong steel products include plates, rails for railways, sections used in construction, and wire rod. The latter can be used as steel rope for infrastructure like suspension bridges or filaments for car tyres to give rigidity.", "British Steel has been placed into liquidation in a move which will affect almost 25,000 staff across the region.\n\nIt follows a frantic week of talks between British Steel, its owners Greybull Capital and Government ministers.\n\nThe business employs around 4,000 people at its plant in Scunthorpe, but a collapse would have even wider consequences on the region’s 20,000-strong supply chain.\n\nConfirmation of the collapse came in a statement issued by The Insolvency Service at 10:45am on the Government website.\n\nThe announcement said: “British Steel Limited in liquidation: information for customers, employees and creditors.\n\n“On 22 May 2019 the High Court ordered British Steel Limited into compulsory liquidation. The Official Receiver was appointed as liquidator.\n\n“The immediate priority following my appointment as liquidator of British Steel is to continue safe operation of the site. I appreciate that this a difficult time for the company’s employees and I want to thank them for their ongoing cooperation.\n\n“The company in liquidation is continuing to trade and supply its customers while I consider options for the business.\n\n“Staff have been paid and will continue to be employed. The court also appointed Special Managers to assist me with my work and they are engaging with staff and their representatives to keep them informed, as well as contacting British Steel’s customers.\"\n\nA week ago today, the future of the firm was up in the air when it was revealed it was trying to borrow £70m from the Government to survive.\n\nBut two days later, the company said it had enough money to continue operating.\n\nThe company is facing significant challenges, blaming Brexit and tough trading conditions.\n\nBusiness Secretary Greg Clark said: “The government has worked tirelessly with British Steel, its owner Greybull Capital, and lenders to explore all potential options to secure a solution for British Steel.\n\n“We have shown our willingness to act, having already provided the company with a £120 million bridging facility to enable it to meet its emissions trading compliance costs.\n\n“The government can only act within the law, which requires any financial support to a steel company to be on a commercial basis. I have been advised that it would be unlawful to provide a guarantee or loan on the terms of any proposals that the company or any other party has made.”\n\nWatch: What to do if you're made redundant\n\nBritish Steel is also currently locked in a dispute with Zurich Insurance and other insurers including Liberty, on a £30 million insurance claim.\n\nThe insurance claim was submitted following an incident in June 2017 which damaged a blast furnace at its Scunthorpe premises, requiring it to be shut down for safety reasons.\n\nIt was several weeks before operations could be restarted. The insurers’ investigation of the incident lasted for nine months and they rejected the claim in May 2018.\n\nOur daily newsletter - To get the latest headlines direct to your email inbox every day, click here .\n\nDownload our app - You can download our free app for iPhone and iPad from Apple's App Store , or get the Android version from Google Play .\n\nFollow Hull Live on Facebook - Like our Facebook page to get the latest news in your feed and join in the lively discussions in the comments. Click here to give it a like!\n\nFollow us on Twitter - For breaking news and the latest stories, click here to follow Hull Live on Twitter.\n\nFollow us on Instagram - On the Hull Live Instagram page we share gorgeous pictures of our stunning city - and if you tag us in your posts, we could repost your picture on our page! We also put the latest news in our Instagram Stories. Click here to follow Hull Live on Instagram .", "British Steel, the country's second largest steel producer, has collapsed and put 25,000 jobs at risk after failing to secure emergency government funding.\n\nThe High Court has ordered the compulsory liquidation of the company, although staff will remain employed for now as the liquidator oversees the operation of the main site in Scunthorpe, northern England.\n\nBusiness Minister Greg Clark said British Steel was open to new buyers, while the opposition Labour Party called on the government to bring it back into public ownership.\n\nOwned by investment firm Greybull Capital, British Steel employs around 5000 people, mostly in Scunthorpe, while 20,000 more depend on its supply chain.\n\nGreybull Capital, which specialises in trying to turn around distressed businesses, said it had tried to keep British Steel alive but the challenges of Britain's looming exit from the EU proved insurmountable.\n\nGreybull paid former owners Tata Steel a nominal one pound for the company three years ago.\n\nAfter being renamed as British Steel, the company made a profit in 2017 but cut around 400 jobs last year, blaming factors such as the weak pound and uncertainties surrounding Brexit, which it said hammered its order book.", "British Steel has been placed into compulsory liquidation, putting up to 25,000 jobs at risk.\n\nThe move follows a failure by owners Greybull Capital to secure additional funding from the government.\n\nSky's business presenter Ian King takes a look at the firm, which bought British Steel for just £1.\n\n:: Who is behind Greybull Capital?\n\nGreybull Capital is a private equity firm that was launched in April 2010 to manage the wealth of French-born brothers Nathaniel and Marc Meyohas and their friend Richard Perlhagen.\n\nAll are now UK residents and all come from wealthy families.\n\nThe brothers were born in Paris and their father, a corporate tax lawyer, sent them to be educated at Clifton College in Bristol.\n\nMr Perlhagen is the son of the millionaire Swedish pharmaceuticals tycoon Lennert Perlhagen.\n\nNathaniel Meyohas and Mr Perlhagen worked together at Lehman brothers, the US investment bank that collapsed in 2008, while Marc Meyohas, a University of Manchester graduate in economics, previously ran a telecoms business.\n\nNathaniel's wife is Michaela Nahmad, daughter of the billionaire Lebanese art dealer Ezra Nahmad.\n\nThe trio were later joined by a fourth partner, Daniel Goldstein.\n\nGreybull specialises in turnarounds and it only invests the money of its partners.\n\nNathaniel Meyohas and Mr Perlhagen are no longer directors - leaving the business run by Marc Meyohas and Mr Goldstein.\n\n:: Why did Greybull revive the British Steel name in 2016?\n\nThe original British Steel Corporation was a much larger business that 20 years ago merged with a Dutch rival to form Corus which, in turn, was bought by Tata Steel of India in 2007.\n\nWhen the UK operations of Tata ran into difficulty in 2015, it sold the European \"long products\" arm of the business, based in Scunthorpe, to Greybull for £1. Greybull subsequently rechristened the business British Steel.\n\nSome would say it was rather a cynical rebranding exercise.\n\nThe British Steel name has certainly guaranteed the company more attention than it would have received otherwise because many people appear to be confusing it with the original - much larger - British Steel.\n\n:: What was in it for Greybull?\n\nThe company spotted an opportunity to revive the fortunes of a business that, at the time it acquired it from Tata Steel, was still enjoying annual revenues of £1.6bn.\n\nIt has also been suggested that the turnaround was at relatively little risk - while some £400m was injected into the rechristened British Steel after the takeover, the Financial Times has reported that, of that sum, Greybull put up only £20m of its own capital.\n\nGreybull also charged management fees of £6m to British Steel in its first two years of ownership while it has made a loan to British Steel on which it is charging an interest rate of 9% - netting it £17m per year in interest.\n\nBritish Steel has also received grants of between £18m and £44m from the UK government since the start of 2017 under a scheme to support large industrial users of energy.\n\nGreybull's timing of the purchase was also astute in that, after a period in which steel prices had been depressed by a glut of foreign steel imports, the business was ripe for a quick return to profits as steel prices began rising.\n\nSure enough, the business returned to profit in its first year under Greybull's ownership, but quickly ran into trouble once steel prices began falling again.\n\n:: Why is Greybull facing criticism over its British Steel ownership?\n\nBecause it had no experience in the steel industry previously and because of the fees it has extracted from the business.\n\nThe suggestion is that the loans Greybull have made to British Steel have also been secured on company assets - meaning that, if the business had gone into administration, Greybull would have been at the front of the queue to be repaid any money left to creditors after administration.\n\nIn other words, Greybull found an opportunity to extract money from a vulnerable business at relatively little risk to itself.\n\nSome would say that, by renaming the business British Steel, it also knew the government would come under pressure to save the business when - as was inevitable - it ran into trouble further along the line.\n\nMany people are now questioning whether Greybull was an appropriate owner of these steel assets.\n\nIts previous stewardship of businesses has in the past sometimes left taxpayers picking up the tab.\n\nMonarch's collapse left taxpayers footing the £60m bill to bring home thousands of stranded passengers in the UK's biggest peacetime repatriation scheme. The collapse of Comet, in which Greybull had been an investor, cost taxpayers £45m.\n\nGreybull's stewardship of British Steel has also been questioned for the way in which the company offloaded what it thought were surplus carbon credits that can change hands under the EU's emissions trading scheme.\n\nBritish Steel thought it had more allowances than it needed but was caught out when the EU, which issues the permits, suspended new credits being issued to UK companies while Brexit uncertainty persisted.\n\nThe Financial Times has reported that the credits sold by British Steel would now be worth £138m.\n\nIt was this situation that forced British Steel to ask the government for a £120m loan last month - it needed to buy new carbon credits and stave off the risk of a hefty EU fine.\n\n:: Will the taxpayer get its £120m loan back if British Steel fails?\n\nIt seems highly unlikely and especially now the business has been tipped into insolvency rather than administration.\n\nThat may be the tip of the iceberg, though, as the taxpayer will now face a bill running into hundreds of millions of pounds for the clean-up of the sites currently occupied by the failed steelmaker.\n\n:: Was the government right to deny British Steel more funding?\n\nAbsolutely. Giving the company more taxpayer money would have been throwing good money after bad.\n\nA government bail-out would, while protecting steelworkers jobs in the short-term, have merely postponed the inevitable and would have looked to many like a bail-out of Greybull itself.\n\nOne of the fundamental rules of capitalism is that businesses must be allowed to fail.\n\nIt is why risk-takers are rewarded when they succeed - but those risk-takers should not be rewarded when their efforts, as on this occasion, end in failure.", "British Steel is to go into official receivership after talks with the Government failed to secure its future.\n\nThe move threatens more uncertainty for thousands of workers at the company's plants, mainly at Scunthorpe where more than 4,000 are employed.\n\nBritish Steel's owners Greybull Capital had been seeking financial support from the Government, saying it faced a number of Brexit-related issues.\n\nREAD MORE: Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver's sadness as restaurant chain goes into administration\n\nRoy Rickhuss, general secretary of the Community trade union, said: \"This news will heap more worries on workers and everyone connected with British Steel, but it will also end the uncertainty under Greybull's ownership and must be seized as an opportunity to look for an alternative future.\n\n\"It is vital now that cool heads prevail and all parties focus on saving the jobs.\n\n\"In these very difficult circumstances we know the workforce will continue to fight for the business as they have done for so many years.\n\n\"We would urge the management, contractors, suppliers and customers to support them in that fight for the future.\"\n\nUnite assistant general secretary Steve Turner said: \"Despite today's announcement to place British Steel into official receivership, Unite will continue to engage all parties in the fight to secure the future of the company.\n\n\"We are clear that the Government must now step up and step in and bring British Steel into public ownership until a buyer can be found to avoid an economic and industrial catastrophe.\n\n\"While Greybull cannot be allowed to walk away scot-free and must be held to account for its stewardship of Britain's second largest steelmaker, ministers cannot wash their hands of the Brexit farce and ongoing uncertainty that has placed the company in difficulty, nor allow a business of such strategic importance to UK plc to disappear like the steelworks of SSI several years ago.\n\n\"To do so would be a betrayal of a loyal workforce that has made great sacrifices to make British Steel a success and send economic shockwaves throughout the steel industry, UK manufacturing and the households of 20,000 workers in the supply chain who rely on the steelmaker for their livelihoods.\"\n\nTim Roache, GMB general secretary, said: \"This is devastating news for the thousands of workers in Scunthorpe and across the UK.\n\n\"Consecutive UK governments have failed to protect our proud steel heritage, and now this Prime Minister is overseeing its demise.\n\n\"Ministers should have been ready to make use of all the options - including nationalisation - in order to save British Steel.\"", "British Steel has gone into liquidation after talks with the Government failed to secure its future, dealing a huge blow to the industry and threatening thousands of job losses.\n\nWorkers at the company’s plants now face weeks of uncertainty as efforts are made to rescue the business.\n\nThe grim news was given to employees after a week of speculation, with the plant at Scunthorpe most affected, employing more than 4,000 workers.\n\nBritish Steel’s owner, Greybull Capital, had been seeking financial support from the Government, saying it faced a number of Brexit related issues.\n\nBusiness Secretary Greg Clark said: “The Government has worked tirelessly with British Steel, its owner Greybull Capital, and lenders to explore all potential options to secure a solution for British Steel.\n\n“We have shown our willingness to act, having already provided the company with a £120 million bridging facility to enable it to meet its emissions trading compliance costs.\n\n“The Government can only act within the law, which requires any financial support to a steel company to be on a commercial basis.\n\n“I have been advised that it would be unlawful to provide a guarantee or loan on the terms of any proposals that the company or any other party has made.\n\n“This will be a deeply worrying time for the thousands of dedicated British Steel workers, those in the supply chain and local communities.\n\n“In the days and weeks ahead, I will be working with the Official Receiver and a British Steel support group of management, trade unions, companies in the supply chain and local communities, to pursue remorselessly every possible step to secure the future of the valuable operations in sites at Scunthorpe, Skinningrove and on Teesside.”\n\nA statement by the Official Receiver said: “The immediate priority following my appointment as liquidator of British Steel is to continue safe operation of the site. I appreciate that this a difficult time for the company’s employees and I want to thank them for their ongoing co-operation.\n\n“The company in liquidation is continuing to trade and supply its customers while I consider options for the business.\n\n“Staff have been paid and will continue to be employed.\n\n“The court also appointed Special Managers to assist me with my work and they are engaging with staff and their representatives to keep them informed, as well as contacting British Steel’s customers.”\n\nRoy Rickhuss, general secretary of the Community trade union, said: “This news will heap more worries on workers and everyone connected with British Steel but it will also end the uncertainty under Greybull’s ownership and must be seized as an opportunity to look for an alternative future.\n\n“It is vital now that cool heads prevail and all parties focus on saving the jobs.”\n\nUnite union assistant general secretary Steve Turner said: “We are clear that the Government must now step up and step in and bring British Steel into public ownership until a buyer can be found to avoid an economic and industrial catastrophe.”\n\nShadow business secretary Rebecca Long Bailey said: “This is absolutely devastating news for the thousands of workers, their families and the communities in Scunthorpe and Teesside and those throughout the supply chain.\n\n“The Tories’ legacy will once again be industrial decline whilst they endlessly squabble over the European Union.”\n\nHannah Essex, of the British Chambers of Commerce, said: “Many Chamber businesses will be concerned about the potential impact of British Steel entering insolvency, particularly those in their supply chain who will be directly and deeply affected.\n\n“The company’s operations are at the centre of many local communities, generating thousands of direct and indirect jobs.\n\n“Failure to find a buyer would be devastating to many areas which rely so strongly on this industry. Small and medium-sized suppliers and contractors must be at the forefront of the Official Receiver’s mind throughout this process.”\n\nA spokesman for Greybull Capital said: “Having rescued the business from closure over three years ago, we have worked hard to bring this important company back on its feet.\n\n“Since 2016 we have arranged a financing package of more than £500 million, appointed a new and talented management team, helped the business open up new markets and reduce costs whilst addressing long-term under-investment.\n\n“The turnaround of British Steel was always going to be a challenge, and yet the business overcame many difficulties, and until recently looked set for renewed prosperity.\n\n“The workforce, the trade unions and the management team have worked closely together in their determination to strengthen the business; however, the additional blows dealt by Brexit-related issues have proven insurmountable.\n\n“We are grateful to all those who supported British Steel on the attempted journey to resurrect this vital part of British industry. We are now focused on assisting all involved as best we can through this process.”", "(Reuters) - The collapse of British Steel has once again put private equity owner Greybull Capital in the spotlight for the wrong reasons.\n\nRun out of London by Frenchman Marc Meyohas using family money, Greybull is well known for buying up companies in distress on the cheap with the aim of turning them around.\n\nBut Greybull’s record since it launched in April 2010 has been patchy, with four of the 10 companies it bought later declared insolvent or placed into administration.\n\nGreybull’s website says it is “passionate about making companies successful”, yet British Steel is the second time in two years an investment has soured at the likely cost of thousands of UK jobs and a hefty bill for the British taxpayer.\n\nIn 2017, another Greybull company, Monarch Airlines, went bust, leaving 860,000 passengers stranded and drawing the ire of consumers and politicians alike.\n\nGreybull will likely find similar anger directed at it in days to come with around 5,000 British Steel workers and up to 25,000 jobs in the supply chain at risk if no buyer can be found for the company.\n\nIn both cases, the private equity company has pointed to several years of successful operations under its ownership and highlighted external pressures over which it had no control.\n\nFor British Steel, a tougher steel market outlook was compounded by the impact of Britain’s vote to leave the European Union, both on sterling and the company’s ability to meet its emissions trading obligations.\n\nOn Wednesday, Greybull said it had worked hard to save the company, but the additional Brexit-related pressures had proved insurmountable.\n\nGreybull remains an investor in the U.S. petroleum company.\n\nRemains an investor in the Plymouth-based company and has financed subsequent acquisitions.\n\nGreybull bought the UK sports bar and snooker hall chain out of administration. After a restructuring, it re-entered administration in 2014. Restructured yet again, it continues under new ownership.\n\nPaid more than 8 million pounds for the baking equipment manufacturer. Metalrax was renamed Arc following the acquisition and the business was successfully turned around and sold and continues trading.\n\nPaid 4.3 million pounds for the plastic bottle maker. Sold to a trade buyer.\n\nPaid 50 million pounds for 90 percent of the airline. Entered administration in 2017.\n\nBacked a 25 million pound buyout of the British retail chain. Entered administration nine months later.\n\nPaid 1 pound to buy Long Products Europe from Tata Steel Europe. Declared insolvent May 23.\n\nTook a majority stake in the mobile phone recycling company for an undisclosed sum.\n\nBought the French steel maker out of administration.", "The owners of British Steel in Scunthorpe have promised to try to help ‘all involved’ in the collapse of the company.\n\nIn its first statement since the British Steel crisis was revealed earlier this month, Greybull Capital, jointly owned by French business tycoon Marc Meyohas, also blamed ‘Brexit-related’ issues for the company being placed into liquidation, placing thousands of jobs at risk.\n\n“Having rescued the business from closure over three years ago, we have worked hard to bring this important company back on its feet. Since 2016 we have arranged a financing package of more than £500 million, appointed a new and talented management team, helped the business open up new markets and reduce costs whilst addressing long-term underinvestment.\n\n“The turnaround of British Steel was always going to be a challenge, and yet the business overcame many difficulties, and until recently looked set for renewed prosperity.\n\n“The Workforce, the Trade Unions and the Management team, have worked closely together in their determination to strengthen the business, however, the additional blows dealt by Brexit-related issues have proven insurmountable.\n\n“We are grateful to all those who supported British Steel on the attempted journey to resurrect this vital part of British industry. We are now focused on assisting all involved as best we can through this process.”\n\nThe company did not indicate what support it would be giving staff, unions or the Government and the Official Receiver who will now be responsible for trying to salvage any future for the Scunthorpe steel works and British Steel’s other business.\n\nGreybull is a private investment firm which had focused on trying to salvage struggling companies.\n\nHowever, British Steel now joins other failed projects which Greybull had invested in including Monarch Airlines, the My Local convenience store chain and the Comet electrical retail giant.\n\nIn the run up to the collapse of British Steel it had secured a £120m loan from the Government to pay for EU carbon bills linked to pollution from the site and then tried to negotiate a loan for £75m to keep the plant running.\n\nHowever, Government talks stalled and a further request for £30m was rejected by the Government.\n\nAfter the company’s liquidation was confirmed, Business Secretary Greg Clark said the Government would continue to work with British Steel and unions to “pursue every possible step” to secure the future of Scunthorpe.\n\nHe said: “The government has worked tirelessly with British Steel, its owner Greybull Capital, and lenders to explore all potential options to secure a solution for British Steel.\n\n“We have shown our willingness to act, having already provided the company with a £120 million bridging facility to enable it to meet its emissions trading compliance costs.\n\n“The government can only act within the law, which requires any financial support to a steel company to be on a commercial basis. I have been advised that it would be unlawful to provide a guarantee or loan on the terms of any proposals that the company or any other party has made.\n\n“This will be a deeply worrying time for the thousands of dedicated British Steel workers, those in the supply chain and local communities. In the days and weeks ahead, I will be working with the Official Receiver and a British Steel support group of management, trade unions, companies in the supply chain and local communities, to pursue remorselessly every possible step to secure the future of the valuable operations in sites at Scunthorpe, Skinningrove and on Teesside.\"\n\nContact us: Email the reporter who wrote this story .\n\nFollow Scunthorpe Live on Facebook - Like our Facebook page to get the latest news in your feed and join in the lively discussions in the comments. Click here to give it or message us with a comment or story\n\nFollow us on Twitter - For breaking news and the latest stories, click here to .", "British Steel has gone into liquidation, threatening thousands of job losses, amid revelations that it would have run out of cash by the end of the week.\n\nThe company, owned by Greybull Capital, will continue to trade while the Government’s Official Receiver searches for a buyer to rescue plants, including the giant steelworks at Scunthorpe.\n\nAt a High Court hearing in London, Mr Justice Snowden said cash-flow forecasts produced by the company and its advisers “indicate that the company will run out of cash by the end of the week, with a shortage of £14.8 million, increasing thereafter to nearly £95 million by early August 2019″.\n\nGreybull had been seeking financial support from the Government, saying it faced a number of Brexit-related issues, but talks failed to reach an agreement.\n\nA winding-up order was sought “in relation to the company on the grounds that it is unable to pay its debts”.\n\nThe judge said that on the basis of the evidence he had seen, he was “entirely satisfied that the company is, or will in the immediate future be, unable to pay its debts as they fall due”.\n\nHe said: “The evidence is that the debts of the company as at 31 March 2019 total £880 million, which includes £151 million due to the asset-based lenders and £206 million due to the company’s parent companies.”\n\nBusiness Secretary Greg Clark said the Government had worked “tirelessly” to explore all potential options, and was willing to consider making a loan, but there was no reasonable prospect that it would have been repaid.\n\nHe said: “This will be a deeply worrying time for the thousands of dedicated British Steel workers, those in the supply chain and local communities.\n\n“In the days and weeks ahead, I will be working with the Official Receiver and a British Steel support group of management, trade unions, companies in the supply chain and local communities, to pursue remorselessly every possible step to secure the future of the valuable operations in sites at Scunthorpe, Skinningrove and on Teesside.”\n\nA statement by the Official Receiver said staff have been paid and will continue to be employed, adding: “The immediate priority following my appointment as liquidator of British Steel is to continue safe operation of the site.\n\n“I appreciate that this a difficult time for the company’s employees and I want to thank them for their ongoing co-operation.\n\n“The company in liquidation is continuing to trade and supply its customers while I consider options for the business.”\n\nRoy Rickhuss, general secretary of the Community trade union, said: “This news will heap more worries on workers and everyone connected with British Steel, but it will also end the uncertainty under Greybull’s ownership and must be seized as an opportunity to look for an alternative future.”\n\nUnite assistant general secretary Steve Turner said: “I have received personal assurances that the Government will underwrite the receivership process, which means that people’s wages and suppliers will continue to be paid and that the business can continue to operate as normal.\n\n“While it does not represent the move into public ownership that Unite was seeking, it does place British Steel on a secure footing until a buyer for this world class business can be found.”\n\nShadow business secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey said: “This is absolutely devastating news for the thousands of workers, their families and the communities in Scunthorpe and Teesside and those throughout the supply chain.\n\n“The Tories’ legacy will once again be industrial decline whilst they endlessly squabble over the European Union.”\n\nHannah Essex, of the British Chambers of Commerce, said: “Many Chamber businesses will be concerned about the potential impact of British Steel entering insolvency, particularly those in their supply chain who will be directly and deeply affected.”\n\nA spokesman for Greybull Capital said: “Having rescued the business from closure over three years ago, we have worked hard to bring this important company back on its feet.\n\n“The turnaround of British Steel was always going to be a challenge, and yet the business overcame many difficulties, and until recently looked set for renewed prosperity.\n\n“The workforce, the trade unions and the management team have worked closely together in their determination to strengthen the business; however, the additional blows dealt by Brexit-related issues have proven insurmountable.”\n\nFor the town of Scunthorpe, the impact of losing the plant would be “immeasurable”, according to one former steelworker.\n\nCharlotte Childs, who is now a regional official for the GMB union, said the news was “absolutely devastating”.\n\nShe said: “I don’t think it can be understated, the impact that this is going to have on the town and community, if we don’t find a solution to this imminently.”\n\nA three-year-old tweet came back to haunt Nigel Farage, as opponents reminded him of his prediction that a Remain referendum win would kill off Britain’s steel industry.\n\nIn the April 2016 tweet, the Brexit Party leader wrote: “If we vote to Remain on June 23rd it is the end of the steel industry in this country. Simple as that. We must Leave EU.”"], "summary": "British Steel Limited goes into compulsory liquidation after rescue talks between the British government and the company's owners, Greybull Capital, fail. Around 5,000 workers are employed by the company, 3,800 of whom are based in the UK."}
{"document": ["JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A tornado caused heavy damage in Missouri's capital city as severe weather swept across the state overnight, causing at least three deaths and injuring nearly two dozen people as homes and businesses were ripped apart.\n\nThe National Weather Service confirmed that the large and destructive tornado moved over Jefferson City shortly before midnight on Wednesday.\n\n\"Across the state, Missouri's first responders once again responded quickly and with strong coordination as much of the state dealt with extremely dangerous conditions that left people injured, trapped in homes, and tragically led to the death of three people,\" Governor Mike Parson said.\n\nMissouri Public Safety said the three were killed in the Golden City area of Barton County, near Missouri's southwest corner, as the severe weather moved in from Oklahoma, where rescuers struggled to pull people from high water. The tornado hit during a week that has seen several days of tornadoes and torrential rains in parts of the Southern Plains and Midwest.\n\nNo deaths were reported in the capital, but Jefferson City Police Lt. David Williams said about 20 people were rescued by emergency personnel.\n\nThe weather service reported that a \"confirmed large and destructive tornado\" was observed over Jefferson City at 11:43 p.m. Wednesday, moving northeast at 40 mph (64 kph). The capital city has a population of about 40,000 and is located about 130 miles (209 kilometers) west of St. Louis.\n\n\"It's a chaotic situation right now,\" Williams said.\n\nWilliams spoke from the Cole County Sheriff's office, where debris including insulation, roofing shingles and metal pieces lay on the ground outside the front doors. Authorities were discouraging people from beginning clean-up efforts until power is safely restored. Area hospitals set up command centers in case the need arises.\n\nMissouri Public Safety tweeted that there was a possibility of more tornadoes and flash flooding.\n\nAustin Thomson, 25, was in the laundry room of his complex of two-story apartment buildings to do his wash and noticed the wind started picking up. He saw sheets of rain coming down and a flagpole bend and then slam to the ground. The windows broke and he dove behind the washers and dryers.\n\nAfter it calmed down, he walked outside to check the damage, and retrieved a stuffed animal for his daughter from his damaged apartment.\n\n\"There's basically one building that's basically one story now,\" he said.\n\nThe weather service said it had received 22 reports of tornadoes by late Wednesday; some could be duplicate reporting of the same twister.\n\nOne tornado skirted just a few miles north of Joplin, Missouri, on the eighth anniversary of a catastrophic tornado that killed 161 people in the city. The tornado caused some damage in the town of Carl Junction, about 4 miles (6.44 kilometers) north of the Joplin airport, where several injuries were reported.\n\nStorms and torrential rains have ravaged the Midwest, from Texas through Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri and Illinois.\n\nTwo barges broke loose and floated swiftly down the swollen Arkansas River in eastern Oklahoma on Wednesday, spreading alarm downstream as they threatened to hit a dam.\n\nAuthorities urged residents of several small towns in Oklahoma and Kansas to leave their homes as rivers and streams rose.\n\nThe Arkansas River town of Webbers Falls, Oklahoma, was one such town. Town officials ordered a mandatory evacuation Wednesday afternoon because of the river's rising level.\n\nBut Wednesday evening, a posting on the town's official Facebook page sounded the alarm about the runaway barges for its 600 residents: \"Evacuate Webbers Falls immediately. The barges are loose and has the potential to hit the lock and dam 16. If the dam breaks, it will be catastrophic!! Leave now!!\"\n\nThere was no word by midnight Wednesday where the barges were on the river, but local television stations showing live video of the river and the lock and dam said they had not yet arrived.\n\nThe Arkansas River was approaching historic highs, while the already high Missouri and Mississippi Rivers were again rising after a multi-day stretch of storms that produced dozens of tornadoes. Forecasters predicted parts of Oklahoma, Missouri and Kansas could see more severe weather on Thursday.\n\nDeaths from this week's storms include a 74-year-old woman found early Wednesday morning in Iowa. Officials there say she was killed by a possible tornado that damaged a farmstead in Adair County. Missouri authorities said heavy rain was a contributing factor in the deaths of two people in a traffic accident Tuesday near Springfield.\n\nA fourth weather-related death may have occurred in Oklahoma, where the Highway Patrol said a woman apparently drowned after driving around a barricade Tuesday near Perkins, about 45 miles (72 kilometers) northeast of Oklahoma City. The unidentified woman's body was sent to the state medical examiner's office to confirm the cause of death. Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management spokeswoman Keli Cain said she isn't yet listed as what would be the state's first storm-related death.", "A \"violent tornado\" touched down in Jefferson City, causing heavy damage in Missouri's capital city as severe weather swept across the state overnight, causing three deaths and leaving many people trapped in the wreckage of their homes.\n\nThe service reported that a \"confirmed large and destructive tornado\" was observed over Jefferson City at 11:43 p.m. Wednesday, moving northeast at 40 mph (64 kph). The capital city has a population of about 40,000 and is located about 130 miles (209 kilometers) west of St. Louis.\n\n\"Across the state, Missouri's first responders once again responded quickly and with strong coordination as much of the state dealt with extremely dangerous conditions that left people injured, trapped in homes, and tragically led to the death of three people,\" Governor Mike Parson said. \"I want our responders and all the neighbors who acted selflessly to help their neighbors to know how much their heroic efforts are appreciated by all Missourians.\"\n\nMissouri Public Safety confirmed in a tweet that three people were killed in the Golden City area of Barton County, and several injured in the Carl Junction area of Jasper County\n\nJefferson City Police Lt. David Williams said around 2:15 a.m. Thursday that there were no reports of fatalities in the capital, but authorities had received multiple calls of people being trapped in homes. The tornado hit during a week that has seen several days of tornadoes and torrential rains in parts of the Southern Plains and Midwest.\n\n\"It's a chaotic situation right now,\" Williams said.\n\nWilliams spoke from the Cole County Sheriff's office, where debris including insulation, roofing shingles and metal pieces lay on the ground outside the front doors.\n\nArea hospitals did not see an immediate influx of patients but set up command centers in case the need arises.\n\n\"We have four patients with minor injuries,\" said Jessica Royston, spokeswoman at St. Mary's Health Center.\n\nPower outages were reported in parts of the city.\n\nMissouri Public Safety tweeted that there was a possibility of more tornadoes and flash flooding.\n\nAustin Thomson, 25, was in the laundry room of his apartment complex to do his wash and noticed the wind started picking up. He saw sheets of rain coming down and a flagpole bend and then slam to the ground. The windows broke and he dove behind the washers and dryers.\n\nAfter it calmed down, he walked outside to check the damage.\n\n\"There's basically one building that's basically one story now. Every building there is two stories.\"\n\nThe National Weather Service said it had received 22 reports of tornadoes by late Wednesday, although some of those could be duplicate reporting of the same twister.\n\nOne tornado skirted just a few miles north of Joplin, Missouri, on the eighth anniversary of a catastrophic tornado that killed 161 people in the city. The tornado caused some damage in the town of Carl Junction, about 4 miles (6.44 kilometers) north of the Joplin airport.\n\nStorms and torrential rains have ravaged the Midwest, from Texas through Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri and Illinois.\n\nTwo barges broke loose and floated swiftly down the swollen Arkansas River in eastern Oklahoma on Wednesday, spreading alarm downstream as they threatened to hit a dam.\n\nAuthorities urged residents of several small towns in Oklahoma and Kansas to leave their homes as rivers and streams rose.\n\nThe Arkansas River town of Webbers Falls, Oklahoma, was one such town. Town officials ordered a mandatory evacuation Wednesday afternoon because of the river's rising level.\n\nBut Wednesday evening, a posting on the town's official Facebook page sounded the alarm about the runaway barges for its 600 residents: \"Evacuate Webbers Falls immediately. The barges are loose and has the potential to hit the lock and dam 16. If the dam breaks, it will be catastrophic!! Leave now!!\"\n\nThere was no word by midnight Wednesday where the barges were on the river, but local television stations showing live video of the river and the lock and dam said they had not yet arrived.\n\nThe Arkansas River was approaching historic highs, while the already high Missouri and Mississippi Rivers were again rising after a multi-day stretch of storms that produced dozens of tornadoes. Forecasters predicted parts of Oklahoma, Missouri and Kansas could see more severe weather on Thursday.\n\nDeaths from this week's storms include a 74-year-old woman found early Wednesday morning in Iowa. Officials there say she was killed by a possible tornado that damaged a farmstead in Adair County. Missouri authorities said heavy rain was a contributing factor in the deaths of two people in a traffic accident Tuesday near Springfield.\n\nA fourth weather-related death may have occurred in Oklahoma, where the Highway Patrol said a woman apparently drowned after driving around a barricade Tuesday near Perkins, about 45 miles (72 kilometers) northeast of Oklahoma City. The unidentified woman's body was sent to the state medical examiner's office to confirm the cause of death. Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management spokeswoman Keli Cain said she isn't yet listed as what would be the state's first storm-related death.", "JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. >> A tornado tore apart buildings in Missouri’s capital city as part of an overnight outbreak of severe weather across the state that left at least three people dead and dozens injured.\n\nThe National Weather Service confirmed that the large and destructive twister moved over Jefferson City shortly before midnight Wednesday.\n\n“Across the state, Missouri’s first responders once again responded quickly and with strong coordination as much of the state dealt with extremely dangerous conditions that left people injured, trapped in homes, and tragically led to the death of three people,” Gov. Mike Parson said.\n\nThe tornado cut a path about 3 miles long and a mile wide from the south end of Jefferson City north toward the Missouri River, said police Lt. David Williams. Emergency workers reported about two dozen injuries, Williams said, and dozens of people were in shelters. Hospitals reported treating injuries such as cuts and bruises.\n\nThere were no immediate reports of any deaths or missing people in the capital city of about 40,000, but door-to-door checks were ongoing as of late morning.\n\nWeather forecasters had been tracking the storm before it arrived in the capital city, and sirens first sounded in Jefferson City at 11:10 p.m. — about 30 minutes before the first property damage. Parson credited the warning system in central Missouri for saving lives.\n\nThe three deaths happened more than 150 miles away near Golden City in Missouri’s southwestern corner.\n\nKenneth Harris, 86, and his 83-year-old wife, Opal, were found dead about 200 yards from their home, and Betty Berg, 56, was killed and her husband, Mark, seriously injured when their mobile home was destroyed, authorities said.\n\nNational Weather Service meteorologist Cory Rothstein said it’s possible that tornado had a 50-mile path and could have been on the ground for 80 minutes. Teams were surveying the path today and trying to determine whether one or multiple tornadoes had touched down.\n\nThe severe weather moved in from Oklahoma, where rescuers struggled to pull people from high water. This week has seen several days of twisters and torrential rains in the Southern Plains and Midwest.\n\nKerry Ann Demetrius locked herself in the bathroom of her Jefferson City apartment as the storm approached.\n\n“It sounded like stuff was being thrown around, everything was just banging together, and then it just went dead silent,” she said. She emerged to find the roof had been blown off her apartment building.\n\nAustin Thomson, 25, was in the laundry room of his complex of two-story apartment buildings in Jefferson City when he saw sheets of rain coming down and a flagpole bend and slam to the ground in the wind. The windows broke, and he dove behind the washers and dryers.\n\nAfter the storm had passed, he went outside to see the damage: “There’s basically one building that’s basically one story now.”\n\nAt the Cole County Sheriff’s office in Jefferson City, insulation, shingles and metal pieces lay on the ground outside the front doors.\n\nJefferson City school district offices were closed because many of its buildings were without power and sustained damage overnight. The state high school track championships scheduled this weekend in the city were moved to different sites in central Missouri, after the Missouri State High School Activities Association issued a release that warned, “Do not travel to Jefferson City.”\n\nThe weather service had received 22 reports of tornadoes by late Wednesday, though some may have been duplicate sightings of the same twister.\n\nA tornado also skipped through the town of Eldon, population 4,900, about 30 miles outside Jefferson City, where it damaged the business district and “tore up several neighborhoods,” Miller County Emergency Management Director Mike Rayhart said.\n\nHe said several people were injured seriously enough to be sent to the hospital, but he did not have specifics.\n\nA twister also caused damage and several injuries in the town of Carl Junction, not far from Joplin, on the eighth anniversary of the catastrophic tornado that killed 161 people in that city.\n\nThe severe weather was expected to push eastward today, with forecasters saying parts of the Ohio Valley and the mid-Atlantic — including Baltimore and Pittsburgh — could see tornadoes, large hail and strong winds.\n\nStorms and torrential rains have ravaged the Midwest, from Texas through Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri and Illinois, in the past few days.\n\nTwo barges carrying a total of about 3,800 pounds of fertilizer broke loose today and floated down the swollen Arkansas River in Oklahoma, spreading alarm downstream as they hit a dam and sank. On Facebook, Webbers Falls, Oklahoma, warned the town’s 600 residents: “If the dam breaks, it will be catastrophic!! Leave now!!”\n\nThe barges had been floating out of control, on and off again, since Wednesday night near the town of 600, which was under a mandatory evacuation order due to flooding concerns. Aerial footage from the Oklahoma City television station KFOR showed the moment of impact shortly before noon today.\n\nThe Interstate 40 bridge and another span over the river were closed as a precaution. Over Memorial Day weekend in 2002, a barge struck the Interstate 40 bridge pier at Webbers Falls, causing part of the bridge to collapse into the Arkansas River. Fourteen people died after their vehicles plunged into the water.\n\nMissouri’s three tornado fatalities bring to seven the number of deaths from storms this week.", "JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A tornado caused heavy damage in Missouri's capital city as severe weather swept across the state overnight, causing at least three deaths and injuring nearly two dozen people as homes and businesses were ripped apart.\n\nThe National Weather Service confirmed that the large and destructive tornado moved over Jefferson City shortly before midnight on Wednesday.\n\n\"Across the state, Missouri's first responders once again responded quickly and with strong coordination as much of the state dealt with extremely dangerous conditions that left people injured, trapped in homes, and tragically led to the death of three people,\" Governor Mike Parson said.\n\nMissouri Public Safety said the three were killed in the Golden City area of Barton County, near Missouri's southwest corner, as the severe weather moved in from Oklahoma, where rescuers struggled to pull people from high water. The tornado hit during a week that has seen several days of tornadoes and torrential rains in parts of the Southern Plains and Midwest.\n\nNo deaths were reported in the capital, but Jefferson City Police Lt. David Williams said about 20 people were rescued by emergency personnel.\n\nThe weather service reported that a \"confirmed large and destructive tornado\" was observed over Jefferson City at 11:43 p.m. Wednesday, moving northeast at 40 mph (64 kph). The capital city has a population of about 40,000 and is located about 130 miles (209 kilometers) west of St. Louis.\n\n\"It's a chaotic situation right now,\" Williams said.\n\nWilliams spoke from the Cole County Sheriff's office, where debris including insulation, roofing shingles and metal pieces lay on the ground outside the front doors. Authorities were discouraging people from beginning clean-up efforts until power is safely restored. Area hospitals set up command centers in case the need arises.\n\nMissouri Public Safety tweeted that there was a possibility of more tornadoes and flash flooding.\n\nAustin Thomson, 25, was in the laundry room of his complex of two-story apartment buildings to do his wash and noticed the wind started picking up. He saw sheets of rain coming down and a flagpole bend and then slam to the ground. The windows broke and he dove behind the washers and dryers.\n\nAfter it calmed down, he walked outside to check the damage, and retrieved a stuffed animal for his daughter from his damaged apartment.\n\n\"There's basically one building that's basically one story now,\" he said.\n\nThe National Weather Service said it had received 22 reports of tornadoes by late Wednesday, although some of those could be duplicate reporting of the same twister.\n\nOne tornado skirted just a few miles north of Joplin, Missouri, on the eighth anniversary of a catastrophic tornado that killed 161 people in the city. The tornado caused some damage in the town of Carl Junction, about 4 miles (6.44 kilometers) north of the Joplin airport, where several injuries were reported.\n\nStorms and torrential rains have ravaged the Midwest, from Texas through Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri and Illinois.\n\nTwo barges broke loose and floated swiftly down the swollen Arkansas River in eastern Oklahoma on Wednesday, spreading alarm downstream as they threatened to hit a dam.\n\nAuthorities urged residents of several small towns in Oklahoma and Kansas to leave their homes as rivers and streams rose.\n\nThe Arkansas River town of Webbers Falls, Oklahoma, was one such town. Town officials ordered a mandatory evacuation Wednesday afternoon because of the river's rising level.\n\nBut Wednesday evening, a posting on the town's official Facebook page sounded the alarm about the runaway barges for its 600 residents: \"Evacuate Webbers Falls immediately. The barges are loose and has the potential to hit the lock and dam 16. If the dam breaks, it will be catastrophic!! Leave now!!\"\n\nThere was no word by midnight Wednesday where the barges were on the river, but local television stations showing live video of the river and the lock and dam said they had not yet arrived.\n\nThe Arkansas River was approaching historic highs, while the already high Missouri and Mississippi Rivers were again rising after a multi-day stretch of storms that produced dozens of tornadoes. Forecasters predicted parts of Oklahoma, Missouri and Kansas could see more severe weather on Thursday.\n\nDeaths from this week's storms include a 74-year-old woman found early Wednesday morning in Iowa. Officials there say she was killed by a possible tornado that damaged a farmstead in Adair County. Missouri authorities said heavy rain was a contributing factor in the deaths of two people in a traffic accident Tuesday near Springfield.\n\nA fourth weather-related death may have occurred in Oklahoma, where the Highway Patrol said a woman apparently drowned after driving around a barricade Tuesday near Perkins, about 45 miles (72 kilometers) northeast of Oklahoma City. The unidentified woman's body was sent to the state medical examiner's office to confirm the cause of death. Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management spokeswoman Keli Cain said she isn't yet listed as what would be the state's first storm-related death.", "A \"violent tornado\" touched down in Jefferson City, causing heavy damage in Missouri's capital city as severe weather swept across the state overnight, causing three deaths and leaving many people trapped in the wreckage of their homes.\n\nThe service reported that a \"confirmed large and destructive tornado\" was observed over Jefferson City at 11:43 p.m. Wednesday, moving northeast at 40 mph. The capital city has a population of about 40,000 and is located about 130 miles west of St. Louis.\n\n\"Across the state, Missouri's first responders once again responded quickly and with strong coordination as much of the state dealt with extremely dangerous conditions that left people injured, trapped in homes, and tragically led to the death of three people,\" Governor Mike Parson said. \"I want our responders and all the neighbors who acted selflessly to help their neighbors to know how much their heroic efforts are appreciated by all Missourians.\"\n\nMissouri Public Safety confirmed in a tweet that three people were killed in the Golden City area of Barton County, and several injured in the Carl Junction area of Jasper County\n\nJefferson City Police Lt. David Williams said around 2:15 a.m. Thursday that there were no reports of fatalities in the capital, but authorities had received multiple calls of people being trapped in homes. The tornado hit during a week that has seen several days of tornadoes and torrential rains in parts of the Southern Plains and Midwest.\n\n\"It's a chaotic situation right now,\" Williams said.\n\nWilliams spoke from the Cole County Sheriff's office, where debris including insulation, roofing shingles and metal pieces lay on the ground outside the front doors.\n\nArea hospitals did not see an immediate influx of patients but set up command centers in case the need arises.\n\n\"We have four patients with minor injuries,\" said Jessica Royston, spokeswoman at St. Mary's Health Center.\n\nPower outages were reported in parts of the city.\n\nMissouri Public Safety tweeted that there was a possibility of more tornadoes and flash flooding.\n\nAustin Thomson, 25, was in the laundry room of his apartment complex to do his wash and noticed the wind started picking up. He saw sheets of rain coming down and a flagpole bend and then slam to the ground. The windows broke and he dove behind the washers and dryers.\n\nAfter it calmed down, he walked outside to check the damage.\n\n\"There's basically one building that's basically one story now. Every building there is two stories.\"\n\nThe National Weather Service said it had received 22 reports of tornadoes by late Wednesday, although some of those could be duplicate reporting of the same twister.\n\nOne tornado skirted just a few miles north of Joplin, Missouri, on the eighth anniversary of a catastrophic tornado that killed 161 people in the city. The tornado caused some damage in the town of Carl Junction, about 4 miles (6.44 kilometers) north of the Joplin airport.\n\nStorms and torrential rains have ravaged the Midwest, from Texas through Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri and Illinois.\n\nTwo barges broke loose and floated swiftly down the swollen Arkansas River in eastern Oklahoma on Wednesday, spreading alarm downstream as they threatened to hit a dam.\n\nAuthorities urged residents of several small towns in Oklahoma and Kansas to leave their homes as rivers and streams rose.\n\nThe Arkansas River town of Webbers Falls, Oklahoma, was one such town. Town officials ordered a mandatory evacuation Wednesday afternoon because of the river's rising level.\n\nBut Wednesday evening, a posting on the town's official Facebook page sounded the alarm about the runaway barges for its 600 residents: \"Evacuate Webbers Falls immediately. The barges are loose and has the potential to hit the lock and dam 16. If the dam breaks, it will be catastrophic!! Leave now!!\"\n\nThere was no word by midnight Wednesday where the barges were on the river, but local television stations showing live video of the river and the lock and dam said they had not yet arrived.\n\nThe Arkansas River was approaching historic highs, while the already high Missouri and Mississippi Rivers were again rising after a multi-day stretch of storms that produced dozens of tornadoes. Forecasters predicted parts of Oklahoma, Missouri and Kansas could see more severe weather on Thursday.\n\nDeaths from this week's storms include a 74-year-old woman found early Wednesday morning in Iowa. Officials there say she was killed by a possible tornado that damaged a farmstead in Adair County. Missouri authorities said heavy rain was a contributing factor in the deaths of two people in a traffic accident Tuesday near Springfield.\n\nA fourth weather-related death may have occurred in Oklahoma, where the Highway Patrol said a woman apparently drowned after driving around a barricade Tuesday near Perkins, about 45 miles (72 kilometers) northeast of Oklahoma City. The unidentified woman's body was sent to the state medical examiner's office to confirm the cause of death. Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management spokeswoman Keli Cain said she isn't yet listed as what would be the state's first storm-related death.", "The violent twister was confirmed to have struck Missouri’s capital at 11:43pm on Wednesday night. Several terrifying but unconfirmed reports claim residents heard “mass casualties” over their scanners. There were already three deaths confirmed across the state, though figures from the capital are yet to emerge.\n\nAn emergency alert described the tornado as “large and destructive” and moving at 40mph. The NWS of Saint Louis said on Facebook that the tornado has 'produced extensive damage'. The Jefferson City Fire Department was sending rescuers house-to-house searching for people in need, officials posted on social media, with reports of people trapped in debris. Missouri Gov. Mike Parson said on Twitter early on Thursday: “We're doing okay but praying for those that were caught in damage, some still trapped.”\n\nJared Maples, a meteorologist with the NWS St. Louis office, said: \"As of this morning, the main parts of the storms have pushed eastward, thank goodness,\" leaving the region to deal with just another expected two inches of rain through Friday. At least three other people have been killed since Monday in Oklahoma and Iowa in a string of at least 30 tornadoes, heavy rains and floods that hit a swath from Texas to Illinois since Monday. Residents in sections of Jefferson were under orders to evacuate Thursday ahead of the expected crest of the Missouri River at least 2 feet above the 30-foot high levees. Rainfall is predicted to be about 2 inches (5 cm) across eastern Kansas, Oklahoma, and into western Missouri, with localised spots getting up to 5 inches (13 cm), forecasters said.\n\nMissouri Public Safety tweeted that there was a possibility of more tornadoes and flash flooding. First responders warned that 'flash flooding hazards will expand as rain continues'. There have also been numerous reports of gas odours. Authorities confirmed that several buildings had collapsed and photos from one structure appeared to be a Sonic restaurant. There were also local reports of a bowling alley with heavy damage and a destroyed bank. One tornado churned just a few miles north of Joplin, Missouri, on the eighth anniversary of a catastrophic tornado that killed 161 people in the city. The Joplin tornado on May 22, 2011, was one of the strongest and most destructive in US history.", "A large tornado tore through the Missouri capital of Jefferson City yesterday, leading the weather service in St Louis to issue a tornado warning. The system passed through the city on Wednesday night at 11.45pm CDT (5.45am BST) not long after an outbreak of severe weather in the region just one week before. Jefferson City Police confirmed at least 20 people were taken to local hospitals, and authorities are searching for those trapped under debris. A separate tornado killed three people as it tracked across Oklahoma and into Golden City, Missouri.\n\nBoth the Missouri State Governor Mike Parson and National Weather Service released a warning for Missouri residents. Mr Parson asked state employees to stay at home while the bad weather continues. Talking via Twitter, he said: “Due to the tornado and severe weather in Jefferson City last night we are asking that all non-essential state employees in the Jefferson City area remain at home on Thursday. “We have damage to state buildings and power is down in some areas. Please be safe!”\n\nThe National Weather Service (NWS) released a hazardous weather outlook for portions of eastern and central Missouri as well as west, central and southwest Illinois. According to the service, weather over the next day will become “severe”. From this afternoon to tonight, the NWS warned: “Thunderstorms are expected tonight over central, northeast and east-central Missouri as well as west-central and southwest Illinois. “A few of these storms will likely become severe, capable of producing isolated tornadoes, large hail and damaging winds.”\n\n“In addition to severe weather, there is a risk for heavy rainfall over central Missouri where a flash flood watch is in effect. “Major river flooding is ongoing along portions of the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers.” A full list of areas where tornado warnings are now in effect can be found here. The effects of the storm recounted by local residents forms a harrowing image of severe weather often common in the southern United States.", "A tornado tore apart buildings in Missouri's capital city as part of an overnight outbreak of severe weather across the state that left at least three people dead and dozens injured. The National Weather Service confirmed that the large and \"violent\" twister moved over Jefferson City shortly before midnight Wednesday.\n\n\"Across the state, Missouri's first responders once again responded quickly and with strong coordination as much of the state dealt with extremely dangerous conditions that left people injured, trapped in homes, and tragically led to the death of three people,\" Gov. Mike Parson said.\n\nThe tornado cut a path about 3 miles long and a mile wide from the south end of Jefferson City north toward the Missouri River, said police Lt. David Williams. Emergency workers reported about two dozen injuries, Williams said, and dozens of people were in shelters. Hospitals reported treating injuries such as cuts and bruises.\n\nThere were no immediate reports of any deaths or missing people in the capital city of about 40,000, but door-to-door checks were being done Thursday.\n\nWeather forecasters had been tracking the storm before it arrived in the capital city, and sirens first sounded in Jefferson City at 11:10 p.m. — about 30 minutes before the first property damage. Parson credited the warning system in central Missouri for saving lives.\n\nThe Jefferson City tornado hit during a week that has seen several days of tornadoes and torrential rains in parts of the Southern Plains and Midwest. CBS News confirmed four deaths related to those earlier storms.\n\nCBS Jefferson City affiliate KRCG-TV obtained images of the large funnel.\n\nPHOTOS: Screen grabs taken from the video of storm spotter Ricky Jarvis heading into Jefferson City. #MoWx #MidMoWx pic.twitter.com/oBY0nqPV0m — KRCG 13 (@KRCG13) May 23, 2019\n\nThe three deaths happened more than 150 miles away near Golden City in Missouri's southwestern corner.\n\nKenneth Harris, 86, and his 83-year-old wife, Opal, were found dead about 200 yards from their home, and Betty Berg, 56, was killed and her husband, Mark, seriously injured when their mobile home was destroyed, authorities said.\n\nThe severe weather moved in from Oklahoma, where rescuers struggled to pull people from high water. This week has seen several days of twisters and torrential rains in the Southern Plains and Midwest.\n\nKerry Ann Demetrius locked herself in the bathroom of her Jefferson City apartment as the storm approached.\n\n\"It sounded like stuff was being thrown around, everything was just banging together, and then it just went dead silent,\" she said. She emerged to find the roof had been blown off her apartment building.\n\nJefferson City school district offices were closed because many of its buildings were without power and sustained damage overnight. The state high school track championships scheduled this weekend in the city were moved to different sites in central Missouri, after the Missouri State High School Activities Association issued a release that warned, \"Do not travel to Jefferson City.\"\n\nChuck Clutts, Jr., helps clean up tornado damage at Capitol Bowl bowling alley on May 23, 2019 in Jefferson City, Missouri. Getty\n\nAnother natural disaster could be imminent in Jefferson City. Most of the city, including the tornado-ravaged section, sits on a bluff overlooking the south side of the Missouri River. But the swollen river is projected to top a levee on the north side of the river by Friday, potentially flooding the city's airport, which already has been evacuated.\n\nThe weather service had received 22 reports of tornadoes by late Wednesday, though some may have been duplicate sightings of the same twister. A tornado also skipped through the town of Eldon, population 4,900, about 30 miles outside Jefferson City, where it damaged the business district and \"tore up several neighborhoods,\" Miller County Emergency Management Director Mike Rayhart said.\n\nHe said several people were injured seriously enough to be sent to the hospital, but he did not have specifics.\n\nA twister also caused damage and several injuries in the town of Carl Junction, not far from Joplin, on the eighth anniversary of the catastrophic tornado that killed 161 people in that city.\n\nThe severe weather was expected to push eastward Thursday, with forecasters saying parts of the Ohio Valley and the mid-Atlantic — including Baltimore and Pittsburgh — could see tornadoes, large hail and strong winds. Storms and torrential rains have ravaged the Midwest, from Texas through Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri and Illinois, in the past few days.", "JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A tornado caused heavy damage in Missouri's capital city as severe weather swept across the state overnight, causing at least three deaths and injuring nearly two dozen people as homes and businesses were ripped apart.\n\nThe National Weather Service confirmed that the large and destructive tornado moved over Jefferson City shortly before midnight on Wednesday.\n\n\"Across the state, Missouri's first responders once again responded quickly and with strong coordination as much of the state dealt with extremely dangerous conditions that left people injured, trapped in homes, and tragically led to the death of three people,\" Gov. Mike Parson said.\n\nMissouri Public Safety said the three were killed in the Golden City area of Barton County, near Missouri's southwest corner, as the severe weather moved in from Oklahoma, where rescuers struggled to pull people from high water. The tornado hit during a week that has seen several days of tornadoes and torrential rains in parts of the Southern Plains and Midwest.\n\nThe damage spanned about a 3-mile area in the state capital, Jefferson City Police Lt. David Williams said. About 20 people were rescued by emergency personnel, and although there were no reports of missing people, authorities planned to make door-to-door checks on Thursday, he said.\n\nThe weather service reported that a \"confirmed large and destructive tornado\" was observed over Jefferson City at 11:43 p.m. Wednesday, moving northeast at 40 mph (64 kph). The capital city has a population of about 40,000 and is located about 130 miles (209 kilometers) west of St. Louis.\n\n\"It's a chaotic situation right now,\" Williams said.\n\nWilliams spoke from the Cole County Sheriff's office, where debris including insulation, roofing shingles and metal pieces lay on the ground outside the front doors. Authorities were discouraging people from beginning clean-up efforts until power is safely restored. Area hospitals set up command centers in case the need arises.\n\nMissouri Public Safety tweeted that there was a possibility of more tornadoes and flash flooding.\n\nAustin Thomson, 25, was in the laundry room of his complex of two-story apartment buildings to do his wash and noticed the wind started picking up. He saw sheets of rain coming down and a flagpole bend and then slam to the ground. The windows broke and he dove behind the washers and dryers.\n\nAfter it calmed down, he walked outside to check the damage, and retrieved a stuffed animal for his daughter from his damaged apartment.\n\n\"There's basically one building that's basically one story now,\" he said.\n\nThe weather service said it had received 22 reports of tornadoes by late Wednesday; some could be duplicate reporting of the same twister.\n\nOne tornado skirted just a few miles north of Joplin, Missouri, on the eighth anniversary of a catastrophic tornado that killed 161 people in the city. The tornado caused some damage in the town of Carl Junction, about 4 miles (6.44 kilometers) north of the Joplin airport, where several injuries were reported.\n\nThe severe weather was expected to continue Thursday as the storms head east. Forecasters at the Storm Prediction Center say parts of the Ohio Valley and the Mid-Atlantic could see tornadoes, large hail and strong winds. Forecasters say the area most at risk for bad weather Thursday includes Baltimore and Pittsburgh.\n\nStorms and torrential rains have ravaged the Midwest, from Texas through Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri and Illinois. Authorities urged residents of several small towns in Oklahoma and Kansas to leave their homes as rivers and streams rose.\n\nTwo barges broke loose and floated swiftly down the swollen Arkansas River in eastern Oklahoma, spreading alarm downstream as they threatened to hit a dam. A posting on the official Facebook page of the river town of Webbers Falls, Oklahoma, said the runaway barges posed a dire threat to its 600 residents: \"Evacuate Webbers Falls immediately. The barges are loose and has the potential to hit the lock and dam 16. If the dam breaks, it will be catastrophic!! Leave now!!\"\n\nAuthorities located the barges Thursday morning, stuck on rocks in the swollen river. The Oklahoma Highway Patrol says the barges were still tied together, and crews were working to secure them.\n\nStill, the Interstate 40 bridge and a state highway bridge remain closed over the Arkansas River at Webbers Falls as a precaution, according to the Oklahoma Department of Transportation. Over Memorial Day weekend in 2002, a barge struck the Interstate 40 bridge pier at Webbers Falls, causing part of the bridge to collapse into the Arkansas River. Fourteen people died after their vehicles plunged into the water.\n\nDeaths from this week's storms include a 74-year-old woman found early Wednesday morning in Iowa. Officials there say she was killed by a possible tornado that damaged a farmstead in Adair County. Missouri authorities said heavy rain was a contributing factor in the deaths of two people in a traffic accident Tuesday near Springfield.\n\nA fourth weather-related death occurred in Oklahoma, where the Highway Patrol said a woman apparently drowned after driving around a barricade Tuesday near Perkins, about 45 miles (72 kilometers) northeast of Oklahoma City. The unidentified woman's body was sent to the state medical examiner's office, which confirmed Wednesday that the death was attributed to the flooding.", "A tornado touched down in Jefferson City as severe weather swept across Missouri overnight, killing three people and leaving others trapped in the wreckage of their homes.\n\nThe U.S. National Weather Service reported a \"confirmed large and destructive tornado\" was observed over Jefferson City at 11:43 p.m. local time Wednesday, moving northeast at 64 km/h. The capital city is 210 kilometres west of St. Louis.\n\n\"Across the state, Missouri's first responders once again responded quickly and with strong co-ordination as much of the state dealt with extremely dangerous conditions that left people injured, trapped in homes, and tragically led to the death of three people,\" Gov. Mike Parson said.\n\n\"I want our responders and all the neighbours who acted selflessly to help their neighbours to know how much their heroic efforts are appreciated by all Missourians.\"\n\nMissouri Public Safety confirmed in a tweet that three people were killed in the Golden City area of Barton County, and several injured in the Carl Junction area of Jasper County.\n\nWatch this video of a tornado in Carl Junction, Mo., that was posted on social media on Wednesday:\n\nThe damage spanned about a five-kilometre area in the state capital, Jefferson City police Lt. David Williams said. About 20 people were rescued by emergency personnel, and although there were no reports of missing people, authorities planned to make door-to-door checks on Thursday, he said.\n\n\"It's a chaotic situation right now,\" Williams said.\n\nHe spoke from the Cole County Sheriff's office, where debris including insulation, roofing shingles and metal pieces lay on the ground outside the front doors. Authorities were discouraging people from beginning cleanup efforts until power is safely restored.\n\nArea hospitals did not see an immediate influx of patients with injuries but set up command centres in case the need arises.\n\n\"We have four patients with minor injuries,\" said Jessica Royston, spokesperson at St. Mary's Health Centre.\n\nPower outages were being reported in parts of the city. Missouri Public Safety tweeted that there was a possibility of more tornadoes and flash flooding.\n\nAustin Thomson, 25, was in the laundry room of his apartment complex to do his wash and noticed that the wind started picking up. He saw sheets of rain coming down and a flagpole bend and then slam to the ground. The windows broke and he dove behind the washers and dryers.\n\nAfter it calmed down, he walked outside to check the damage.\n\n\"There's basically one building that's basically one story now. Every building there is two stories.\"\n\nThe National Weather Service said it had received 22 reports of tornadoes by late Wednesday evening, although some of those could be duplicate reporting of the same twister.\n\nOne tornado skirted just a few kilometres north of Joplin, Mo., on the eighth anniversary of a catastrophic tornado that killed 161 people in the city. That tornado caused some damage in the town of Carl Junction, about six kilometres north of the Joplin airport.\n\nThe severe weather was expected to continue Thursday as the storms head east. Forecasters at the Storm Prediction Centre say parts of the Ohio Valley and the Mid-Atlantic could see tornadoes, large hail and strong winds. Forecasters say the area most at risk for bad weather Thursday includes Baltimore and Pittsburgh.\n\nStorms and torrential rains have ravaged the Midwest, from Texas through Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri and Illinois.\n\nTwo barges broke loose and floated swiftly down the swollen Arkansas River in eastern Oklahoma, spreading alarm downstream as they threatened to hit a dam. A posting on the official Facebook page of the river town of Webbers Falls, Okla., said the runaway barges posed a dire threat to its 600 residents.\n\nAuthorities located the barges Thursday morning, stuck on rocks in the swollen river. The Oklahoma Highway Patrol says the barges were still tied together and crews were working to secure them.\n\nStill, the Interstate 40 bridge and a state highway bridge remain closed over the Arkansas River at Webbers Falls as a precaution, according to the Oklahoma Department of Transportation. Over Memorial Day weekend in 2002, a barge struck the Interstate 40 bridge pier at Webbers Falls, causing part of the bridge to collapse into the Arkansas River. Fourteen people died after their vehicles plunged into the water.\n\nDeaths from this week's storms include a 74-year-old woman found early Wednesday morning in Iowa. Officials there say she was killed by a possible tornado that damaged a farmstead in Adair County.\n\nMissouri authorities said heavy rain was a contributing factor in the deaths of two people in a traffic accident Tuesday near Springfield.\n\nA fourth weather-related death occurred in Oklahoma, where the Highway Patrol said a woman apparently drowned after driving around a barricade Tuesday near Perkins, about 72 kilometres northeast of Oklahoma City. The unidentified woman's body was sent to the state medical examiner's office, which confirmed Wednesday that the death was attributed to the flooding."], "summary": "A powerful tornado hits Jefferson City, Missouri, leaving people trapped or injured and structural damage according to city and state officials. At least three people are killed in southwestern Missouri when a storm system sweeps across the state causing extensive damage."}
{"document": ["The North American Aerospace Defence Command said in a statement that its early warning system identified the four Tupolev Tu-95 bombers and two Su-35 fighters.\n\nANCHORAGE, Alaska - U.S. military officials say four Russian bombers and two fighter jets were intercepted off Alaska’s western coast by U.S. aircraft but had not entered U.S. or Canadian air space.\n\nTwo pairs of F-22s fighter jets met the Russian aircraft on Monday but further details of the encounter were not provided.\n\nThe Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation said on Twitter that the U.S. planes accompanied the Russian aircraft along part of their route.\n\nThe agency said the Russian planes made scheduled sorties over the neutral waters of the Chukotka, Bering and Okhotsk seas, as well as along the western coast of Alaska and the northern coast of the Aleutian Islands.", "6 Russian planes intercepted by US off Alaska coast\n\nANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — U.S. military officials say four Russian bombers and two fighter jets were intercepted off Alaska's western coast by U.S. aircraft but had not entered U.S. or Canadian air space.\n\nThe North American Aerospace Defense Command said in a statement that its early warning system identified the four Tupolev Tu-95 bombers and two Su-35 fighters.\n\nTwo pairs of F-22s fighter jets met the Russian aircraft on Monday but further details of the encounter were not provided.\n\nThe Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation said on Twitter that the U.S. planes accompanied the Russian aircraft along part of their route.\n\nThe agency said the Russian planes made scheduled sorties over the neutral waters of the Chukotka, Bering and Okhotsk seas, as well as along the western coast of Alaska and the northern coast of the Aleutian Islands.", "6 Russian planes intercepted by US off Alaska coast\n\nANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — U.S. military officials say four Russian bombers and two fighter jets were intercepted off Alaska's western coast by U.S. aircraft but had not entered U.S. or Canadian air space.\n\nThe North American Aerospace Defense Command said in a statement that its early warning system identified the four Tupolev Tu-95 bombers and two Su-35 fighters.\n\nTwo pairs of F-22s fighter jets met the Russian aircraft on Monday but further details of the encounter were not provided.\n\nThe Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation said on Twitter that the U.S. planes accompanied the Russian aircraft along part of their route.\n\nThe agency said the Russian planes made scheduled sorties over the neutral waters of the Chukotka, Bering and Okhotsk seas, as well as along the western coast of Alaska and the northern coast of the Aleutian Islands.", "ANCHORAGE, Alaska — U.S. military officials say four Russian bombers and two fighter jets were intercepted off Alaska’s western coast by U.S. aircraft but had not entered U.S. or Canadian air space.\n\nThe North American Aerospace Defence Command said in a statement that its early warning system identified the four Tupolev Tu-95 bombers and two Su-35 fighters.\n\nTwo pairs of F-22s fighter jets met the Russian aircraft on Monday but further details of the encounter were not provided.\n\nThe Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation said on Twitter that the U.S. planes accompanied the Russian aircraft along part of their route.\n\nThe agency said the Russian planes made scheduled sorties over the neutral waters of the Chukotka, Bering and Okhotsk seas, as well as along the western coast of Alaska and the northern coast of the Aleutian Islands.", "6 Russian planes intercepted by US off Alaska coast\n\nANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — U.S. military officials say four Russian bombers and two fighter jets were intercepted off Alaska's western coast by U.S. aircraft but had not entered U.S. or Canadian air space.\n\nThe North American Aerospace Defense Command said in a statement that its early warning system identified the four Tupolev Tu-95 bombers and two Su-35 fighters.\n\nTwo pairs of F-22s fighter jets met the Russian aircraft on Monday but further details of the encounter were not provided.\n\nThe Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation said on Twitter that the U.S. planes accompanied the Russian aircraft along part of their route.\n\nThe agency said the Russian planes made scheduled sorties over the neutral waters of the Chukotka, Bering and Okhotsk seas, as well as along the western coast of Alaska and the northern coast of the Aleutian Islands.", "6 Russian planes intercepted by US off Alaska coast\n\nANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — U.S. military officials say four Russian bombers and two fighter jets were intercepted off Alaska's western coast by U.S. aircraft but had not entered U.S. or Canadian air space.\n\nThe North American Aerospace Defense Command said in a statement that its early warning system identified the four Tupolev Tu-95 bombers and two Su-35 fighters.\n\nTwo pairs of F-22s fighter jets met the Russian aircraft on Monday but further details of the encounter were not provided.\n\nThe Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation said on Twitter that the U.S. planes accompanied the Russian aircraft along part of their route.\n\nThe agency said the Russian planes made scheduled sorties over the neutral waters of the Chukotka, Bering and Okhotsk seas, as well as along the western coast of Alaska and the northern coast of the Aleutian Islands.", "6 Russian planes intercepted by US off Alaska coast\n\nANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — U.S. military officials say four Russian bombers and two fighter jets were intercepted off Alaska's western coast by U.S. aircraft but had not entered U.S. or Canadian air space.\n\nThe North American Aerospace Defense Command said in a statement that its early warning system identified the four Tupolev Tu-95 bombers and two Su-35 fighters.\n\nTwo pairs of F-22s fighter jets met the Russian aircraft on Monday but further details of the encounter were not provided.\n\nThe Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation said on Twitter that the U.S. planes accompanied the Russian aircraft along part of their route.\n\nThe agency said the Russian planes made scheduled sorties over the neutral waters of the Chukotka, Bering and Okhotsk seas, as well as along the western coast of Alaska and the northern coast of the Aleutian Islands.", "ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - U.S. military officials say four Russian bombers and two fighter jets were intercepted off Alaska's western coast by U.S. aircraft but had not entered U.S. or Canadian air space.\n\nThe North American Aerospace Defense Command said in a statement that its early warning system identified the four Tupolev Tu-95 bombers and two Su-35 fighters.\n\nTwo pairs of F-22s fighter jets met the Russian aircraft on Monday but further details of the encounter were not provided.\n\nThe Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation said on Twitter that the U.S. planes accompanied the Russian aircraft along part of their route.\n\nThe agency said the Russian planes made scheduled sorties over the neutral waters of the Chukotka, Bering and Okhotsk seas, as well as along the western coast of Alaska and the northern coast of the Aleutian Islands.", "6 Russian planes intercepted by US off Alaska coast\n\nANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — U.S. military officials say four Russian bombers and two fighter jets were intercepted off Alaska's western coast by U.S. aircraft but had not entered U.S. or Canadian air space.\n\nThe North American Aerospace Defense Command said in a statement that its early warning system identified the four Tupolev Tu-95 bombers and two Su-35 fighters.\n\nTwo pairs of F-22s fighter jets met the Russian aircraft on Monday but further details of the encounter were not provided.\n\nThe Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation said on Twitter that the U.S. planes accompanied the Russian aircraft along part of their route.\n\nThe agency said the Russian planes made scheduled sorties over the neutral waters of the Chukotka, Bering and Okhotsk seas, as well as along the western coast of Alaska and the northern coast of the Aleutian Islands.", "6 Russian planes intercepted by US off Alaska coast\n\nANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — U.S. military officials say four Russian bombers and two fighter jets were intercepted off Alaska's western coast by U.S. aircraft but had not entered U.S. or Canadian air space.\n\nThe North American Aerospace Defense Command said in a statement that its early warning system identified the four Tupolev Tu-95 bombers and two Su-35 fighters.\n\nTwo pairs of F-22s fighter jets met the Russian aircraft on Monday but further details of the encounter were not provided.\n\nThe Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation said on Twitter that the U.S. planes accompanied the Russian aircraft along part of their route.\n\nThe agency said the Russian planes made scheduled sorties over the neutral waters of the Chukotka, Bering and Okhotsk seas, as well as along the western coast of Alaska and the northern coast of the Aleutian Islands."], "summary": "United States F-22 Raptors intercept four Russian Tu-95 bombers and two Su-35 fighter jets off the coast of Alaska on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to a statement from the North American Aerospace Defense Command."}
{"document": ["Image copyright Science Photo Library Image caption One of the Chagos Islands - Diego Garcia - is home to a US military base\n\nThe UN has passed a resolution demanding the UK return control of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.\n\nIn the non-binding vote in the General Assembly in New York, 116 states were in favour and only six against, a major diplomatic blow to the UK.\n\nFifty-six states, including France and Germany, abstained.\n\nMauritius says it was forced to give up the Indian Ocean group - now a British overseas territory - in 1965 in exchange for independence.\n\nIn a statement to the BBC, the UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) said Britain did not recognise Mauritius' claim to sovereignty, but would stand by an earlier commitment to hand over control of the islands to Mauritius when they were no longer needed for defence purposes.\n\nThe US, Hungary, Israel, Australia and the Maldives were the states voting with the UK against the resolution.\n\nIt comes months after the UN's high court advised that the UK should leave the islands \"as rapidly as possible\".\n\nUK warns of setting precedent\n\nAnalysis by Nada Tawfik, BBC News, New York\n\nThe fundamental question before the General Assembly was whether the decades-long dispute was at its heart a matter of decolonisation, or a bilateral sovereignty issue to be worked out between the UK and Mauritius alone.\n\nThe vote was decisive, with 115 countries standing with Mauritius.\n\nFormer colonies were also clear in their position. India said support for decolonisation was one of the most significant contributions that the UN had made towards the promotion of fundamental human rights.\n\nUK ambassador to the UN Karen Pierce, along with the United States, warned that the vote would set a precedent that should be of concern to all member states with their own sovereignty disputes.\n\nBritain purchased the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius in 1965 for £3m, creating a region known as the British Indian Ocean Territory.\n\nBetween 1967 and 1973, it evicted the islands' entire population to make way for a joint military base with the US, which is still in place on Diego Garcia.\n\nUS planes have been sent from the base to bomb Afghanistan and Iraq. The facility was also reportedly used as a \"black site\" by the CIA to interrogate terrorism suspects. In 2016, the lease for the base was extended until 2036.\n\n\"The joint UK-US defence facility on the British Indian Ocean Territory helps to keep people in Britain and around the world safe from terrorism, organised crime and piracy,\" the FCO said.\n\nBefore Wednesday's vote, Mauritian Prime Minister Pravid Kumar Jug-Nauth told the General Assembly the forcible eviction of Chagossians was akin to a crime against humanity.\n\nHowever, he said Mauritius would allow the military base to continue operating \"in accordance with international law\", if it were given control of the islands.\n\nMr Jug-Nauth said this would give the facility a \"higher degree of legal certainty\" for the future.\n\nThe UK has maintained that Mauritius gave up the territory freely in return for a range of benefits.\n\nAmbassador Pierce has insisted that the issue should be resolved only by the countries involved.", "The United Nations has passed a resolution demanding the United Kingdom ends its administration of the Chagos Islands.\n\nThe General Assembly adopted a resolution based on findings by the UN’s International Court of Justice (ICJ) that Britain must hand back control of the archipelago to Mauritius within six months.\n\nBritain forcibly evicted people from the islands, a sovereignty in the Indian Ocean disputed by the UK and Mauritius, in the 1960s and 1970s so the United States could build a military base.\n\nOn Wednesday, the UN Assembly backed by 116 votes to six a verdict by the ICJ that the UK’s detachment of the islands and their incorporation into the British Indian Ocean Territory was “unlawful”.\n\nAs well as the UK, the resolution was opposed by the United States, Australia, Hungary, Israel and the Maldives.\n\nThere were 56 abstentions, including France and Germany, from the vote, which is not legally binding but places huge diplomatic pressure on the UK.\n\nA UN communique said: “Since the decolonisation of Mauritius was not conducted in a manner consistent with the right to self-determination, the Assembly affirmed, the continued administration of the Archipelago constitutes a wrongful act.\n\n“It urged the United Kingdom to co-operate with Mauritius to facilitate the resettlement of Mauritian nationals, including those of Chagossian origin, in the Chagos Archipelago and to pose no impediment to such efforts.”\n\nThe Foreign Office said the joint UK-US defence facility on the British Indian Ocean Territory “helps to keep people in Britain and around the world safe from terrorism, organised crime and piracy”.\n\nA spokesman said: “We have however made a longstanding commitment since 1965 to cede sovereignty of the territory to Mauritius when it is no longer required for defence purposes. We stand by that commitment.”\n\nOn Wednesday, Karen Pierce, the UK’s ambassador to the UN, said the issue had not been for the ICJ as it was currently a “bilateral sovereignty dispute”.\n\nShe also said the resolution would “set an unwelcome precedent” over sovereignty disputes “that should be of concern to member states”.\n\nDame Karen said: “The United Kingdom regrets that the General Assembly has today voted to adopt this resolution.\n\n“The United Kingdom fully recognises the importance of the issue of decolonisation and the UN’s role in that. The United Kingdom … sincerely regrets the manner in which Chagossians were removed from British Indian Ocean territory in the 1960s and the 1970s and we are determined to improve their lives where they have resettled.”\n\nThe UK agreed a package including £3 million with Mauritius for the detachment of the archipelago in 1965.\n\nChagossians were forcibly removed between 1967 and 1973 to make way for a US military facility on Diego Garcia, the largest island in the group.\n\nMauritius, which gained independence in 1968, maintains that the islands are its own and Chagossians have also brought cases in British courts for the right to return.", "UNITED NATIONS: India was among 116 nations to vote in favour of a UN General Assembly resolution that demanded the UK withdraw its \"colonial administration\" from the Chagos Archipelago unconditionally within six months, supporting Mauritius in its quest for the restoration of sovereignty over the island chain in the Indian Ocean.\n\nThe General Assembly adopted the resolution Wednesday 'Advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice on the legal consequences of the separation of the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius in 1965' with 116 votes in favour, 56 abstentions and six nations voting against, including the UK, the United States, Australia, Israel and the Maldives.\n\nThe UK retained sovereignty over the islands after Mauritius gained its independence from Britain in 1968.\n\nThe islands have since been used for defence purposes by the UK and the United States, which established a military base on the island of Diego Garcia.\n\nThe entire Chagossian population was forcibly removed from the territory between 1967 and 1973, and prevented from returning.\n\nThe resolution welcomed the February 25, 2019 advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the legal consequences of the separation of the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius in 1965.\n\nThe principal judicial body of the UN had said in its opinion that the UK Government is \"under an obligation\" to end its administration of the Chagos Archipelago \"as rapidly as possible\".\n\nThe resolution affirmed, in accordance with the advisory opinion of the Court, that the Chagos Archipelago forms an integral part of the territory of Mauritius.\n\nIt demanded that the UK withdraw its colonial administration from the Chagos Archipelago 'unconditionally' within six months, enabling Mauritius to complete the decolonization of its territory as rapidly as possible.\n\nIndia voted in support of the resolution, with its Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin telling the 193-member that as part of New Delhi's \"longstanding support to all peoples striving for decolonisation, India has consistently supported Mauritius in its quest for the restoration of sovereignty\" over the Chagos Archipelago.\n\n\"In accordance with our consistent approach on this important issue of decolonization, India supports the draft resolution, submitted by Senegal on behalf of members of the Group of African States.\n\nIndia, therefore, will vote in favour of the draft Resolution, he said adding that Mauritius is a fellow developing country from Africa, with which India has age-old people-to-people bonds.\n\nAkbaruddin said the ICJ, the highest international legal authority that can consider such issues, has advised that all member states are under an obligation to cooperate with the United Nations in order to complete the decolonisation of Mauritius.\n\n\"India shares, with the international community, security concerns relating to the Indian Ocean.\n\nWe are conscious of the need for collective commitment towards ensuring the security and prosperity of our oceanic space.\n\nHowever, this is a separate matter on which we urge the concerned Governments to reach a mutually agreeable understanding as soon as possible,\" Akbaruddin said.\n\nPrime Minister of Mauritius Pravind Kumar Jugnauth told the UNGA meeting that the ICJ's findings show the \"gravity and extent\" of the wrongful act under international law that the colonial power has committed in carrying out the excision of the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius in 1965 and maintaining the Chagos Archipelago as a colony ever since.\n\nUK Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Karen Pierce told the General Assembly that Britain is not in doubt about its sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean territory.\n\n\"It has been under continuous British sovereignty since 1814. Contrary to what has been said today, it has never been part of the Republic of Mauritius,\" she said.\n\nPierce added that the joint United Kingdom and United States defence facility on the British Indian Ocean Territory plays a vital role in its efforts to keep \"our allies and friends, including Mauritius, in the region, and beyond, safe and secure.\"", "The U.N. General Assembly voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to demand that Britain end its \"colonial administration\" of the Chagos Islands, which include the U.S. air base on Diego Garcia, and return them to Mauritius within six months. The 193-member world body approved a resolution supporting an advisory opinion in February by the International Court of Justice that the Indian Ocean island chain be given back to Mauritius. The vote was 116-6 in favor, with 56 abstentions. The General Assembly resolution, like the court's ruling, is not legally binding but it does carry weight since the ruling came from the U.N.'s highest court and the assembly vote reflects world opinion.\n\nThe court said in its opinion that Britain had unlawfully carved up Mauritius, which the Chagos Archipelago was a part of, in 1965 when Mauritius was a British colony. It said that \"the United Kingdom is under an obligation to bring to an end its administration of the Chagos Archipelago as rapidly as possible.\"\n\nMauritius Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth said the court established the right of the people of Mauritius to self-determination which the U.K. violated \"by excising the Chagos Archipelago\" without their consent. He said all nations, including the United Kingdom, are obligated to comply with international law. Britain evicted about 2,000 people from the Chagos Archipelago in the 1960s and 1970s so the U.S. military could build the air base on Diego Garcia. Many resettled in the U.K. and have fought in British courts to return to the islands.", "UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. General Assembly voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to demand that Britain end its \"colonial administration\" of the Chagos Islands, which include the U.S. air base on Diego Garcia, and return them to Mauritius within six months.\n\nThe 193-member world body approved a resolution supporting an advisory opinion in February by the International Court of Justice that the Indian Ocean island chain be given back to Mauritius. The vote was 116-6 in favor, with 56 abstentions.\n\nThe General Assembly resolution, like the court's ruling, is not legally binding but it does carry weight since the ruling came from the U.N.'s highest court and the assembly vote reflects world opinion.\n\nThe court said in its opinion that Britain had unlawfully carved up Mauritius, which the Chagos Archipelago was a part of, in 1965 when Mauritius was a British colony. It said that \"the United Kingdom is under an obligation to bring to an end its administration of the Chagos Archipelago as rapidly as possible.\"\n\nBritain disputes that the islands, which it calls the British Indian Ocean Territory, were ever a colony.\n\nBritain's U.N. ambassador, Karen Pierce, told the assembly: \"British Indian Ocean Territory has been under continuous British sovereignty since 1814. Mauritius has never held sovereignty over it and we do not recognize their claim.\"\n\nPierce expressed disappointment at the General Assembly vote, which saw only the U.S., Australia, Hungary, Israel and the Maldives support Britain.\n\nBut she said the islands remain under British sovereignty, \"and it is not in our plan to give the islands to Mauritius.\"\n\nPierce said the United Kingdom stands by the 1965 agreement with the Mauritian Council of Ministers to detach the British Indian Ocean Territory in exchange for fishing rights and other benefits and a commitment \"to cede the territory when it is no longer needed for defense purposes.\"\n\nShe stressed the importance of the U.S. and U.K defense facility on Diego Garcia to the safety and security of allies and friends, including Mauritius, in the region and beyond in the current \"dangerous and uncertain\" world.\n\n\"It is vital to efforts to combat conflict, terrorism, drugs, crime and piracy,\" Pierce said.\n\nMauritius Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Juqnauth told the assembly the court's landmark opinion \"confirms the longstanding position of Mauritius and Africa that the decolonization of Mauritius ... will not be completed until Mauritius is able to exercise sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago.\"\n\nHe said Mauritius \"is extremely disappointed\" in the position of the British government, noting that opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn \"has made clear his respect and support for the court's conclusions.\"\n\nJugnauth said the 1965 agreement on the Chagos Archipelago \"was carried out under duress.\"\n\nThe prime minister said Mauritius has made public commitments at the General Assembly and at the International Court of Justice \"that it is prepared to enter into a long-term arrangement with the U.S., or with the U.K. and the U.S., which would permit the unhindered operation of the defense facility in accordance with international law.\"\n\nJugnauth said the court established the right of the people of Mauritius to self-determination which the U.K. violated \"by excising the Chagos Archipelago\" without their consent. He said all nations, including the United Kingdom, are obligated to comply with international law.\n\nBritain evicted about 2,000 people from the Chagos Archipelago in the 1960s and 1970s so the U.S. military could build the air base on Diego Garcia. Many resettled in the U.K. and have fought in British courts to return to the islands.\n\nJugnauth said their forcible eviction \"remains a very dark episode of human history akin to a crime against humanity.\" But he said the court's advisory opinion gave \"these Mauritian nationals who are now mostly in their 70s and 80s \"a glimmer of hope.\"\n\nJugnauth said the court left it to the General Assembly to decide how rapidly Britain should hand over the islands and the African group, which drafted the resolution, decided on six months.\n\n\"This is more than sufficient time to smoothly bring an end to an administration that consists of no more than a handful of personnel,\" he said.", "Britain evicted about 2,000 people so the US military could build the air base on Diego Garcia\n\nBritain should end its \"colonial administration\" of the Chagos Islands and return them to Mauritius within six months, the UN has demanded.\n\nThe 193-member world body approved a resolution supporting a finding by the International Court of Justice that the Indian Ocean island chain be given back to Mauritius.\n\nThe General Assembly resolution, like the court's ruling, is not legally binding but it does carry weight as it came from the UN's highest court, and the vote - 116-6 with 56 abstentions - reflects world opinion.\n\nThe court said in its opinion Britain had unlawfully carved up Mauritius, which the Chagos Archipelago was a part of, in 1965 when Mauritius was a British colony.\n\nIt said: \"The United Kingdom is under an obligation to bring to an end its administration of the Chagos Archipelago as rapidly as possible.\"\n\nBritain evicted about 2,000 people from the Chagos Archipelago in the 1960s and 1970s so the US military could build its air base on Diego Garcia.\n\nMany resettled in the UK and have fought in British courts to return to the islands.\n\nBritain's UN ambassador, Karen Pierce, told the assembly: \"British Indian Ocean Territory has been under continuous British sovereignty since 1814. Mauritius has never held sovereignty over it and we do not recognise their claim.\"\n\nShe added that the government stands by the 1965 agreement with the Mauritian Council of Ministers to detach the British Indian Ocean Territory in exchange for fishing rights and other benefits and a commitment \"to cede the territory when it is no longer needed for defence purposes\".\n\nMauritius Prime Minister Pravind Kumar Jugnauth told the assembly his country \"is extremely disappointed\" in the position of the British government.\n\nMr Jugnauth said the 1965 agreement on the Chagos Archipelago \"was carried out under duress\" and labelled the forcible eviction of islanders as \"a very dark episode of human history akin to a crime against humanity\".", "\n• UN asks Britain to unconditionally withdraw its colonisation of Chagos Islands.\n• The General Assembly affirms that doing so — in accordance with the advisory opinion — would enable Mauritius to complete the decolonisation of its territory as soon as possible.\n• UK government says it will only be handed over the islands to Mauritius when it is no longer needed.\n\nThe United Nations has asked Britain to unconditionally withdraw its colonisation of Chagos Islands and return it to Mauritius as soon as possible.\n\nAt its 73rd session and 84th meeting on Wednesday, the General Assembly of the UN adopted a resolution of the International Court of Justice advisory opinion on the legal consequences of separating the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius in 1965.\n\nBy a recorded vote of 116 in favour to 6 against (Australia, Hungary, Israel, Maldives, United Kingdom, United States), with 56 abstentions, the Assembly affirmed that doing so — in accordance with the advisory opinion — would enable Mauritius to complete the decolonisation of its territory as soon as possible.\n\nALSO READ: Opinion: The UK’s attitude over Mauritius’s Chagos Islands is sickening to the core and it is high time African countries face up to this colonial hangover\n\nThe world body affirmed the decolonisation of Mauritius by the UK was not conducted in a manner consistent with the right of self-determination.\n\nLast February, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), United Nations’ highest court ruled that continued British occupation of the remote Indian Ocean archipelago is illegal and ordered the UK to hand back the Chagos Islands to Mauritius “as rapidly as possible”.\n\nDelivering judgement, the president of the ICJ, Abdulqawi Ahmed Yusuf, said the detachment of the Chagos archipelago in 1965 from Mauritius had not been based on a “free and genuine expression of the people concerned”.\n\n“This continued administration constitutes a wrongful act,” he had said.\n\nThe British government purchased the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius in 1965 for £3 million to create British Indian Ocean Territory but the African nation claimed that it was forcefully ceded in exchange for independence.\n\nBetween 1967 and 1973, Britain evicted the islands' entire population to make way for a joint military base with the US, which is still in place on Diego Garcia.\n\nThe UK government has also said it will only be handed over control of the islands to Mauritius when they were no longer needed for defence purposes.", "Britain Ordered By UN To Return Control Of Chagos Islands To Mauritius", "One of the Chagos Islands - Diego Garcia - is home to a US military base\n\nThe UN has passed a resolution demanding the UK return control of the Chagos Islands to Mauritius.\n\nIn the non-binding vote in the General Assembly in New York, 116 states were in favour and only six against, a major diplomatic blow to the UK.\n\nMauritius says it was forced to give up the Indian Ocean group - now a British overseas territory - in 1965 in exchange for independence.\n\nIn a statement to the BBC, the UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) said Britain did not recognise Mauritius' claim to sovereignty but would stand by an earlier commitment to hand over control of the islands to Mauritius when they were no longer needed for defence purposes.\n\nThe US, Hungary, Israel, Australia and the Maldives were the states voting with the UK against the resolution.\n\nIt comes months after the UN's high court advised that the UK should leave the islands \"as rapidly as possible\".\n\nBritain purchased the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius in 1965 for £3m, creating a region known as the British Indian Ocean Territory.\n\nBetween 1967 and 1973, it evicted the islands' entire population to make way for a joint military base with the US, which is still in place on Diego Garcia.\n\nUS planes have been sent from the base to bomb Afghanistan and Iraq. The facility was also reportedly used as a \"black site\" by the CIA to interrogate terrorism suspects. In 2016, the lease for the base was extended until 2036.\n\n\"The joint UK-US defence facility on the British Indian Ocean Territory helps to keep people in Britain and around the world safe from terrorism, organised crime and piracy,\" the FCO said.\n\nBefore Wednesday's vote, Mauritian Prime Minister Pravid Kumar Jug-Nauth told the General Assembly the forcible eviction of Chagossians was akin to a crime against humanity.\n\nHowever, he said Mauritius would allow the military base to continue operating \"in accordance with international law\", if it were given control of the islands.\n\nMr Jug-Nauth said this would give the facility a \"higher degree of legal certainty\" for the future.\n\nThe UK has maintained that Mauritius gave up the territory freely in return for a range of benefits.\n\nAmbassador Pierce has insisted that the issue should be resolved only by the countries involved.", "(CNN) The United Nations General Assembly has voted overwhelmingly to condemn the UK's continued occupation of the Chagos Islands -- a humiliating defeat for London on its continued colonial legacy.\n\nThe Indian Ocean islands, which are home to US military base Diego Garcia , were separated from the former British territory of Mauritius during decolonization in 1968. On Wednesday, UN member states voted 116-6 for a non-binding resolution endorsing a decision by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) that separation was illegal and calling for the UK to return the islands to Mauritius within six months.\n\nOnly Australia, Hungary, Israel, the Maldives and the US voted in support of the UK.\n\n\"The advisory opinion is clear and unambiguous,\" Mauritius Prime Minister Pravind Jugnauth said. \"It is decisive.\"\n\nJugnauth said that decolonization of the former British Empire had not been completed, nor would it be until the Chagos Islands were returned to their original owners. \"This is a sacrosanct principle of the United Nations,\" he added.\n\nKaren Pierce, the UK's representative to the UN, said London \"is not in doubt about our sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory,\" which includes the Chagos Islands.\n\nShe said Mauritius had recognized British control over the Chagos archipelago in the past, something the current government has acknowledged but argues was done under \"duress.\"\n\nThe entire Chagos Islands population was expelled and prevented from returning as part of the separation process, a situation the UK has since said \"was shameful and wrong.\"\n\nIn the 1980s, the UK paid about $5.2 million to more than 1,300 evicted islanders on the condition they sign or place a thumbprint on a form renouncing their right to return to the archipelago.\n\n\"The detachment (or excision) of the Chagos Archipelago was carried out without any regard to the will of the people of Mauritius, including those who lived in the Chagos Archipelago,\" Mauritius said in a submission to the ICJ.\n\n\"The administering power had already decided that the territory would be excised and turned into a new colony, in order to allow one of its allies to build a military base on the island of Diego Garcia.\"\n\nWhile the UN will not force the UK to give up the Chagos Islands, pressure is on for London to find a way to transition control to Mauritius. That may be compounded if a deal is worked out to maintain the US base under Mauritian rule.\n\nStephen Robert Allen, who specializes in international law relating to the Chagos Islands, told CNN ahead of the UN debate that \"it will be a very significant thing if the UK decided to ignore such a ruling.\"\n\n\"As the UK forges a path post Brexit these political matters are going to be significant. Adhering to the international rule of law is going to be even more important than it would have been otherwise,\" he said.\n\nHome to more than 1,000 US troops and staff, it has been used by the US Navy, US Air Force and even NASA. Diego Garcia has helped to launch two invasions of Iraq, served as a vital landing spot for bombers flying missions across Asia, including over the South China Sea, and has been linked to US rendition efforts.\n\nAccording to the US Navy, Diego Garcia was used to guide tactical aircraft supporting military missions in Afghanistan and Iraq, and featured remote satellite tracking stations, an Air Force Space Command and Pacific Air Force support and logistics teams.\n\nCarl Schuster, a former director of operations at the US Pacific Command's Joint Intelligence Center, said the base was \"very important to US operations in the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean\" and its loss could have a major impact, forcing the US \"to change logistics support\" in the region.\n\n\"It wouldn't weaken (US military strength) necessarily, but logistics are everything,\" he added."], "summary": "The United Nations General Assembly passes a non-binding resolution demanding the United Kingdom return control of the Chagos Archipelago to Mauritius. The Mauritians claim they were forced to give up the islands to the British in 1965 in exchange for independence."}
{"document": ["Washington – Easing some of the escalating tension between Congress and the White House, the House intelligence committee postponed efforts to enforce a subpoena against the Justice Department on Wednesday after officials agreed to hand over a cache of documents related to special counsel Robert Mueller’s Trump-Russia report.\n\nThe agreement came a day after the department said it would be willing to provide documents from Mueller’s investigation but only if the committee didn’t take action against Attorney General William Barr. The panel had been expected to vote at Wednesday’s meeting – now postponed – on an unspecified “enforcement action” against Barr or the department after they refused to hand over an unredacted version of Mueller’s report and other documents related to the Russia probe.\n\nDemocrats have accused President Donald Trump and Barr of trying to stonewall and block their constitutional oversight duties. A separate House panel voted earlier this month to hold Barr in contempt after he failed to comply with a similar subpoena.\n\nThe Justice Department will begin turning over 12 categories of “counterintelligence and foreign intelligence materials as part of an initial rolling production,” and that process should be completed by the end of next week, Rep. Adam Schiff, the intelligence committee’s chairman, said in a statement.\n\nSchiff, a California Democrat, warned that the subpoena would remain in effect and “will be enforced should the Department fail to comply with the full document request.”\n\nAssistant Attorney General Stephen Boyd told Schiff in a letter Tuesday that the Justice Department would be willing to make less-redacted portions of the report available to members of the committee and that officials were reviewing troves of investigative documents that were also requested by the committee.\n\n“We appreciate the continued dialogue with the Committee and look forward to working toward appropriately accommodating their requests,” department spokeswoman Kerri Kupec said Wednesday.", "WASHINGTON — Easing some of the escalating tension between Congress and the White House, the House intelligence committee postponed efforts to enforce a subpoena against the Justice Department on Wednesday after officials agreed to hand over a cache of documents related to special counsel Robert Mueller's Trump-Russia report.\n\nThe agreement came a day after the department said it would be willing to provide documents from Mueller's investigation but only if the committee didn't take action against Attorney General William Barr. The panel had been expected to vote at Wednesday's meeting — now postponed — on an unspecified \"enforcement action\" against Barr or the department after they refused to hand over an unredacted version of Mueller's report and other documents related to the Russia probe.\n\nDemocrats have accused President Donald Trump and Barr of trying to stonewall and block their constitutional oversight duties. A separate House panel voted earlier this month to hold Barr in contempt after he failed to comply with a similar subpoena.\n\nThe Justice Department will begin turning over 12 categories of \"counterintelligence and foreign intelligence materials as part of an initial rolling production,\" and that process should be completed by the end of next week, Rep. Adam Schiff, the intelligence committee's chairman, said in a statement.\n\nSchiff, a California Democrat, warned that the subpoena would remain in effect and \"will be enforced should the Department fail to comply with the full document request.\"\n\nAssistant Attorney General Stephen Boyd told Schiff in a letter Tuesday that the Justice Department would be willing to make less-redacted portions of the report available to members of the committee and that officials were reviewing troves of investigative documents that were also requested by the committee.\n\n\"We appreciate the continued dialogue with the Committee and look forward to working toward appropriately accommodating their requests,\" department spokeswoman Kerri Kupec said Wednesday.", "WASHINGTON — Easing some of the escalating tension between Congress and the White House, the House Intelligence Committee postponed efforts to enforce a subpoena against the Justice Department on Wednesday after officials agreed to hand over a cache of documents related to special counsel Robert Mueller's Trump-Russia report.\n\nThe agreement came a day after the department said it would be willing to provide documents from Mueller's investigation but only if the committee didn't take action against Attorney General William Barr. The panel had been expected to vote at Wednesday's meeting — now postponed — on an unspecified \"enforcement action\" against Barr or the department after they refused to hand over an unredacted version of Mueller's report and other documents related to the Russia probe.\n\nDemocrats have accused President Donald Trump and Barr of trying to stonewall and block their constitutional oversight duties. A separate House panel voted earlier this month to hold Barr in contempt after he failed to comply with a similar subpoena.\n\nThe Justice Department will begin turning over 12 categories of \"counterintelligence and foreign intelligence materials as part of an initial rolling production,\" and that process should be completed by the end of next week, Rep. Adam Schiff, the intelligence committee's chairman, said in a statement.\n\nSchiff, a California Democrat, warned that the subpoena would remain in effect and \"will be enforced should the Department fail to comply with the full document request.\"\n\nAssistant Attorney General Stephen Boyd told Schiff in a letter Tuesday that the Justice Department would be willing to make less-redacted portions of the report available to members of the committee and that officials were reviewing troves of investigative documents that were also requested by the committee.\n\n\"We appreciate the continued dialogue with the Committee and look forward to working toward appropriately accommodating their requests,\" department spokeswoman Kerri Kupec said Wednesday.", "The Justice Department said Tuesday it is willing to provide the House Intelligence Committee with documents from special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation, as long as the panel agrees not to take any action against Attorney General William Barr.\n\nThe unusual request comes after the committee's chairman, Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff of California, warned that the committee would take an unspecified \"enforcement action\" against Barr or the Justice Department after they refused to hand over an unredacted version of Mueller's report and other documents related to the Russia investigation that shadowed Donald Trump's presidency for nearly two years.\n\nThe move is likely to deepen tensions in the already fraught relationship between congressional Democrats and Barr, who they've accused of trying to stonewall and block Congress' oversight power. A separate House panel voted earlier this month to hold Barr in contempt for failing to comply with a similar subpoena.\n\nSo far, the Justice Department missed a subpoena deadline to hand over an unredacted version of Mueller's report and declined to hand over what Schiff described as \"a dozen narrow sets of documents\" that were referred to in the report.\n\nIn a letter to Schiff on Tuesday , Assistant Attorney General Stephen Boyd said that the DOJ would be willing to make less-redacted portions of the report available to members of the committee and that officials were reviewing troves of investigative documents that were also requested by the committee.\n\nThe Justice Department is willing to provide expedited access to the investigative information because of the committee's interest in counterintelligence matters, but only if the committee \"confirms today that it will not pursue any vote on an 'enforcement action,'\" Boyd said.\n\nThe department needs a \"reasonable amount of time\" to review the documents, Boyd said. But, if the committee votes to hold the attorney general in contempt, the Justice Department would stop that process, he added.\n\nSchiff said earlier this month he issued the subpoena to compel the department's compliance and warned that the committee could take legal action if the Justice Department continued to \"ignore or rejects our requests.\"\n\nThe intelligence committee is scheduled to vote Wednesday on the enforcement action, though Schiff has not said whether that would mean a vote to hold Barr in contempt, or some sort of civil action.", "WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Democratic chairman of the House Intelligence Committee said he would hold off enforcing a subpoena against Attorney General William Barr after the Justice Department agreed to turn over materials relating to an investigation into Russian election interference.\n\nThe decision ended a standoff between the committee and the Justice Department for access to counterintelligence reports generated by Special Counsel Robert Mueller during his probe of President Donald Trump and his associates.\n\n\"The Department of Justice has accepted our offer of a first step towards compliance with our subpoena, and this week will begin turning over to the Committee twelve categories of counterintelligence and foreign intelligence materials as part of an initial rolling production,\" committee chairman, Adam Schiff, said in a statement on Wednesday.\n\nSchiff said he was postponing a business meeting where the panel was to discuss enforcing the subpoena, but said it will remain in effect \"and will be enforced should the Department fail to comply with the full document request.\"\n\nMueller's team had produced counterintelligence reports based on evidence about Russia's attempts to interfere in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and passed them to the FBI and the Justice Department.\n\nBarr, the top U.S. law enforcement official and a Trump appointee, on May 2 snubbed the House intelligence committee, which voted to hold him in contempt of Congress for not handing over a full, unredacted Mueller report.\n\nLast week, Schiff told Barr in a letter the Justice Department had failed to comply with a subpoena his committee issued for documents and materials related to Mueller's investigation.\n\nHe said the committee could consider enforcement action against the department at a meeting scheduled for Wednesday if the requested materials are not produced.\n\nIn a letter to Schiff on Tuesday, Justice Department official Stephen Boyd said the department was willing to discuss a possible plan for giving Intelligence Committee members and staff closed-doors access to additional material if Schiff does not move forward with his threats to hold the department in contempt.", "By MARY CLARE JALONICK and MICHAEL BALSAMO Associated Press\n\nWASHINGTON (AP) — Easing some of the escalating tension between Congress and the White House, the House Intelligence Committee postponed efforts to enforce a subpoena against the Justice Department on Wednesday after officials agreed to hand over a cache of documents related to special counsel Robert Mueller’s Trump-Russia report.\n\nThe agreement came a day after the department said it would be willing to provide documents from Mueller’s investigation but only if the committee didn’t take action against Attorney General William Barr. The panel had been expected to vote at Wednesday’s meeting — now postponed — on an unspecified “enforcement action” against Barr or the department after they refused to hand over an unredacted version of Mueller’s report and other documents related to the Russia probe.\n\nDemocrats have accused President Donald Trump and Barr of trying to stonewall and block their constitutional oversight duties. A separate House panel voted earlier this month to hold Barr in contempt after he failed to comply with a similar subpoena.\n\nThe Justice Department will begin turning over 12 categories of “counterintelligence and foreign intelligence materials as part of an initial rolling production,” and that process should be completed by the end of next week, Rep. Adam Schiff, the intelligence committee’s chairman, said in a statement.\n\nSchiff, a California Democrat, warned that the subpoena would remain in effect and “will be enforced should the Department fail to comply with the full document request.”\n\nAssistant Attorney General Stephen Boyd told Schiff in a letter Tuesday that the Justice Department would be willing to make less-redacted portions of the report available to members of the committee and that officials were reviewing troves of investigative documents that were also requested by the committee.\n\n“We appreciate the continued dialogue with the Committee and look forward to working toward appropriately accommodating their requests,” department spokeswoman Kerri Kupec said Wednesday.", "WASHINGTON (AP) — Easing some of the escalating tension between Congress and the White House, the House intelligence committee postponed efforts to enforce a subpoena against the Justice Department on Wednesday after officials agreed to hand over a cache of documents related to special counsel Robert Mueller's Trump-Russia report.\n\nThe agreement came a day after the department said it would be willing to provide documents from Mueller's investigation but only if the committee didn't take action against Attorney General William Barr. The panel had been expected to vote at Wednesday's meeting — now postponed — on an unspecified \"enforcement action\" against Barr or the department after they refused to hand over an unredacted version of Mueller's report and other documents related to the Russia probe.\n\nDemocrats have accused President Donald Trump and Barr of trying to stonewall and block their constitutional oversight duties. A separate House panel voted earlier this month to hold Barr in contempt after he failed to comply with a similar subpoena.\n\nThe Justice Department will begin turning over 12 categories of \"counterintelligence and foreign intelligence materials as part of an initial rolling production,\" and that process should be completed by the end of next week, Rep. Adam Schiff, the intelligence committee's chairman, said in a statement.\n\nSchiff, a California Democrat, warned that the subpoena would remain in effect and \"will be enforced should the Department fail to comply with the full document request.\"\n\nAssistant Attorney General Stephen Boyd told Schiff in a letter Tuesday that the Justice Department would be willing to make less-redacted portions of the report available to members of the committee and that officials were reviewing troves of investigative documents that were also requested by the committee.\n\n\"We appreciate the continued dialogue with the Committee and look forward to working toward appropriately accommodating their requests,\" department spokeswoman Kerri Kupec said Wednesday.", "WASHINGTON — Easing some of the escalating tension between Congress and the White House, the House intelligence committee postponed efforts to enforce a subpoena against the Justice Department on Wednesday after officials agreed to hand over a cache of documents related to special counsel Robert Mueller’s Trump-Russia report.\n\nThe agreement came a day after the department said it would be willing to provide documents from Mueller’s investigation but only if the committee didn’t take action against Attorney General William Barr. The panel had been expected to vote at Wednesday’s meeting — now postponed — on an unspecified “enforcement action” against Barr or the department after they refused to hand over an unredacted version of Mueller’s report and other documents related to the Russia probe.\n\nDemocrats have accused President Donald Trump and Barr of trying to stonewall and block their constitutional oversight duties. A separate House panel voted earlier this month to hold Barr in contempt after he failed to comply with a similar subpoena.\n\nThe Justice Department will begin turning over 12 categories of “counterintelligence and foreign intelligence materials as part of an initial rolling production,” and that process should be completed by the end of next week, Rep. Adam Schiff, the intelligence committee’s chairman, said in a statement.\n\nSchiff, a California Democrat, warned that the subpoena would remain in effect and “will be enforced should the Department fail to comply with the full document request.”\n\nAssistant Attorney General Stephen Boyd told Schiff in a letter Tuesday that the Justice Department would be willing to make less-redacted portions of the report available to members of the committee and that officials were reviewing troves of investigative documents that were also requested by the committee.\n\n“We appreciate the continued dialogue with the Committee and look forward to working toward appropriately accommodating their requests,” department spokeswoman Kerri Kupec said Wednesday.", "Mary Clare Jalonick and Michael Balsamo, The Associated Press \n\n \n\n\n\nWASHINGTON -- Easing some of the escalating tension between Congress and the White House, the House intelligence committee postponed efforts to enforce a subpoena against the Justice Department on Wednesday after officials agreed to hand over a cache of documents related to special counsel Robert Mueller's Trump-Russia report.\n\nThe agreement came a day after the department said it would be willing to provide documents from Mueller's investigation but only if the committee didn't take action against Attorney General William Barr. The panel had been expected to vote at Wednesday's meeting -- now postponed -- on an unspecified \"enforcement action\" against Barr or the department after they refused to hand over an unredacted version of Mueller's report and other documents related to the Russia probe.\n\nDemocrats have accused President Donald Trump and Barr of trying to stonewall and block their constitutional oversight duties. A separate House panel voted earlier this month to hold Barr in contempt after he failed to comply with a similar subpoena.\n\nThe Justice Department will begin turning over 12 categories of \"counterintelligence and foreign intelligence materials as part of an initial rolling production,\" and that process should be completed by the end of next week, Rep. Adam Schiff, the intelligence committee's chairman, said in a statement.\n\nSchiff, a California Democrat, warned that the subpoena would remain in effect and \"will be enforced should the Department fail to comply with the full document request.\"\n\nAssistant Attorney General Stephen Boyd told Schiff in a letter Tuesday that the Justice Department would be willing to make less-redacted portions of the report available to members of the committee and that officials were reviewing troves of investigative documents that were also requested by the committee.\n\n\"We appreciate the continued dialogue with the Committee and look forward to working toward appropriately accommodating their requests,\" department spokeswoman Kerri Kupec said Wednesday.", "WASHINGTON (AP) — Easing some of the escalating tension between Congress and the White House, the House intelligence committee postponed efforts to enforce a subpoena against the Justice Department on Wednesday after officials agreed to hand over a cache of documents related to special counsel Robert Mueller's Trump-Russia report.\n\nThe agreement came a day after the department said it would be willing to provide documents from Mueller's investigation but only if the committee didn't take action against Attorney General William Barr. The panel had been expected to vote at Wednesday's meeting — now postponed — on an unspecified \"enforcement action\" against Barr or the department after they refused to hand over an unredacted version of Mueller's report and other documents related to the Russia probe.\n\nDemocrats have accused President Donald Trump and Barr of trying to stonewall and block their constitutional oversight duties. A separate House panel voted earlier this month to hold Barr in contempt after he failed to comply with a similar subpoena.\n\nThe Justice Department will begin turning over 12 categories of \"counterintelligence and foreign intelligence materials as part of an initial rolling production,\" and that process should be completed by the end of next week, Rep. Adam Schiff, the intelligence committee's chairman, said in a statement.\n\nSchiff, a California Democrat, warned that the subpoena would remain in effect and \"will be enforced should the Department fail to comply with the full document request.\"\n\nAssistant Attorney General Stephen Boyd told Schiff in a letter Tuesday that the Justice Department would be willing to make less-redacted portions of the report available to members of the committee and that officials were reviewing troves of investigative documents that were also requested by the committee.\n\n\"We appreciate the continued dialogue with the Committee and look forward to working toward appropriately accommodating their requests,\" department spokeswoman Kerri Kupec said Wednesday."], "summary": "The U.S. Justice Department agrees to provide the House Intelligence Committee with intelligence files from special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election."}
{"document": ["Adult-film actress Stephanie Clifford, also known as Stormy Daniels speaks US Federal Court with her lawyer Michael Avenatti (R) on April 16, 2018, in Lower Manhattan, New York.\n\nControversial lawyer Michael Avenatti was indicted Wednesday in separate cases charging him with stealing about $300,000 from his former porn star client Stormy Daniels, and with trying to extort athletic shoe giant Nike out of tens of millions of dollars by threatening to go public with claims the company was facilitating payments to the families of high school basketball stars.\n\nWhile the Nike-related indictment was expected because it mirrors allegations in a criminal complaint executed against Avenatti in March, the claims related to Daniels were brand new.\n\nAvenatti, who last year was mulling a run for the White House, is now charged in three separate federal indictments, including one pending in California related to alleged theft of client funds and other crimes, and faces the possibility of many years in prison if convicted.\n\nAccording to one of the new indictments in New York, Avenatti allegedly forged Daniels' signature on a document that gave wire fund transfer information to her literary agent, which helped direct the money paid out for the book sales to a bank account controlled by Avenatt.\n\nThe lawyer had become widely known and notorious last year for his representation of Daniels, who was paid $140,000 on the eve of the 2016 presidential election by President Donald Trump's then-personal lawyer Michael Cohen to keep her quiet about her alleged sexual tryst with Trump a decade earlier. Trump denies having sex with her.\n\nProsecutors claim that Avenatti ripped off Daniels by taking payments for her book sales and paying her just half of what she was owed.\n\nThe indictment, which charges him with wire fraud and aggravated identity theft, accuses him of spending some of the money he allegedly swindled from Daniels on a lease payment for his Ferrari, travel expenses, dry cleaning and $56,000 in payroll at his law firm.\n\n\"Michael Avenatti abused and violated the core duty of an attorney – the duty to his client,\" said Manhattan U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman.\n\n\"As alleged, he used his position of trust to steal an advance on the client's book deal. As alleged, he blatantly lied to and stole from his client to maintain his extravagant lifestyle, including to pay for, among other things, a monthly car payment on a Ferrari. Far from zealously representing his client, Avenatti, as alleged, instead engaged in outright deception and theft, victimizing rather than advocating for his client.\"", "US Lawyer Michael Avenatti, who rose to prominence for representing porn star Stormy Daniels in her lawsuit against President Trump, has himself been indicted on two separate charges of extortion involving the sports clothing brand Nike and defrauding his former client — Daniels. While the first indictment was expected because it mirrors allegations in a criminal complaint executed against the lawyer earlier in March, the charges related to Daniels are brand new.\n\nThese are the latest charges filed against the lawyer, who previously faced other charges in California and New York federal courts, according to The Hill.\n\nThe lawyer himself denies all allegations saying he did not misappropriate funds from Stormy Daniels, saying in his Twitter account that he expects to be totally exonerated once all evidence is present at the court.\n\n\"No monies relating to Ms Daniels were ever misappropriated or mishandled. She received millions of dollars in legal services and we spent huge sums in expenses. She directly paid only $100.00 for all that she received,\" Avenatti tweeted Wednesday.\n\nThe documents say he \"repeatedly lied… including by stating that he was working on getting the fees from [their] publisher, when, in truth and in fact, Avenatti had already received the fees and spent them on his own personal and professional expenses.\"\n\nThe expenses in question included \"payments to individuals with whom Avenatti had personal relationships, a luxury car payment, hotel stays, airfare, meals, car services, and dry cleaning.\" He also used part of the money to make a \"monthly lease payment of approximately $3,900 for a Ferrari automobile,\" the papers say.\n\nIn total, Avenatti allegedly stole some $300,000 of Daniels' publishing money and still hasn't paid it all back. Upon contacting her publisher, to ask about payments, Daniels discovered that the money had already been paid.\n\nDaniels — who is not named in person in the documents — is said to have \"never authorized nor signed the False Wire Instructions and, in fact, was not even aware of any False Wire Instructions.\"\n\nEarlier this year, Avenatti said he might run in 2020 as a Democratic Presidential candidate. However, the end to his cooperation with Daniels and charges in multiple courts have damaged the lawyer's public image in recent months, a report by The Hill says.\n\nEarlier last year, Stormy Daniels used Avenatti's legal services when she sued President Trump, challenging a non-disclosure agreement regarding their affair back in 2006.", "A federal grand jury has indicted celebrity attorney Michael Avenatti in two alleged schemes.\n\nHe is charged with fraud and aggravated identity theft involving former client Stormy Daniels, as well as attempting to extort more than $20 million from Nike.\n\nCourt documents state that Avenatti stole “a significant portion” of Daniels’ advance for her book contract, and used it for his own business purposes. Daniels is referred to as “Victim-1” in the indictment.\n\nAvenatti allegedly took around $300,000 from Daniels. He represented Daniels in the “hush-money” scandal that resulted in President Trump’s former attorney, Michael Cohen, being charged with campaign-finance violations for paying several women to not disclose their alleged affairs with Trump.\n\nCohen, who has since pleaded guilty to those crimes as well as others, is serving a three-year prison sentence.\n\nBefore the indictment became public, Avenatti tweeted: “No monies relating to Ms. Daniels were ever misappropriated or mishandled. She received millions of dollars worth of legal services and we spent huge sums in expenses. She directly paid only $100.00 for all that she received. I look forward to a jury hearing the evidence.”\n\nDaniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, says Avenatti “had dealt with me extremely dishonestly.”\n\nIn response, Avenatti says he will be “fully exonerated.” He adds, “I look forward to a jury hearing all of the evidence and passing judgment on my conduct. At no time was any money misappropriated or mishandled. I will be fully exonerated once the relevant emails, contracts, text messages, and documents are presented.”", "Michael Avenatti, the attorney who rocketed to fame through his representation of the pornographic film star and producer Stormy Daniels in her battles with Donald Trump, was charged on Wednesday with stealing from her to fund his lavish lifestyle.\n\nFederal prosecutors in New York City say Avenatti used a doctored document to divert about $300,000 that Daniels was supposed to get as an advance from a book deal, then used the money for personal and business expenses. Only half of that money was paid back, prosecutors said.\n\n“As alleged, he blatantly lied to and stole from his client to maintain his extravagant lifestyle, including to pay for, among other things, a monthly car payment on a Ferrari. Far from zealously representing his client, Avenatti, as alleged, instead engaged in outright deception and theft, victimizing rather than advocating for his client,” a statement from the United States attorney’s office for the southern district of New York said.\n\nDaniels is not named in the court filing, but the details of the case, including the date her book was released, indicate she is the client involved. \n\nAvenatti denied the allegations in a variety of posts on Twitter.\n\n“No monies relating to Ms. Daniels were ever misappropriated or mishandled. She received millions of dollars worth of legal services and we spent huge sums in expenses. She directly paid only $100.00 for all that she received. I look forward to a jury hearing the evidence,” he wrote.\n\nThe charges pile on top of previous allegations of legal misconduct by Avenatti, who represented Daniels when she sued to be released from a non-disclosure agreement involving an alleged affair with Trump in 2006.\n\nAvenatti was previously charged in New York with trying to extort up to $25m from the sportswear giant Nike by threatening to expose claims that the shoemaker paid off high school basketball players in order to steer them to Nike-sponsored colleges. And in Los Angeles, he is facing a multi-count federal indictment alleging that he stole millions of dollars from clients, did not pay taxes, committed bank fraud and lied during bankruptcy proceedings.\n\nAvenatti has denied the allegations against him on both coasts, saying he expects to be exonerated. The Los Angeles charges alone carry a potential penalty of more than 300 years in prison.\n\nDaniels initially hired Avenatti to handle a lawsuit she filed last year in which she sought to invalidate the non-disclosure agreement she had signed with Trump’s then lawyer Michael Cohen in exchange for $130,000.\n\nThe money was supposed to buy her silence about an alleged affair with Trump, who denies that it took place. In August, Cohen pleaded guilty to violating campaign finance laws in connection with the payment.\n\nAvenatti used to boast about bringing down Trump and even floated the notion that he should run for the Democratic nomination for president. His fortunes have since turned.\n\nDaniels first publicly raised concerns about Avenatti’s conduct in November. In a statement, she said Avenatti had launched a fundraising effort to raise money for her legal case without telling her. She also said he had filed a defamation lawsuit against Trump, on her behalf, against her wishes. \n\n\n\nAt the time, Avenatti responded that he was still Daniels’s “biggest champion”. \n\n\n\nThe defamation case initiated by Avenatti against Trump backfired, with a judge ordering her to pay the president’s legal bills. \n\n\n\nIn March Daniels said she had fired Avenatti a month earlier after “discovering that he had dealt with me extremely dishonestly”. She did not elaborate.", "(CNN) — A federal grand jury in Manhattan indicted celebrity attorney Michael Avenatti on Wednesday in two alleged schemes, charging him with fraud and aggravated identity theft involving his former client, Stormy Daniels, and with attempting to extort more than $20 million from sportswear giant Nike.\n\nAvenatti was charged with having stolen “a significant portion” of Daniels’ advance for her book contract, according to court papers, and used that money to pay employees of his law firm and a coffee business he owned. Daniels isn’t named in the indictment, but she is the individual referred to as “Victim-1,” according to a person familiar with the matter.\n\nIn all, Avenatti stole “approximately $300,000” from Daniels, the indictment states, and has failed to repay her half of that sum.\n\nAvenatti rose to fame during his representation of Daniels, the adult-film actress who was a central figure in the hush-money scandal that resulted in Manhattan federal prosecutors charging Michael Cohen — President Donald Trump’s former personal attorney — with campaign-finance violations for money he paid to silence women, including Daniels, who claimed affairs with Trump.\n\nCohen, who pleaded guilty to those and other crimes, is serving a three-year prison sentence. Trump has denied the alleged affairs.\n\nDaniels, whose legal name is Stephanie Clifford, has since ended her professional relationship with Avenatti, saying that he “had dealt with me extremely dishonestly.”\n\nAvenatti told CNN he will be “fully exonerated.”\n\n“I look forward to a jury hearing all of the evidence and passing judgment on my conduct. At no time was any money misappropriated or mishandled. I will be fully exonerated once the relevant emails, contracts, text messages, and documents are presented,” he said.\n\nBefore the indictment was made public, Avenatti tweeted: “No monies relating to Ms. Daniels were ever misappropriated or mishandled. She received millions of dollars worth of legal services and we spent huge sums in expenses. She directly paid only $100.00 for all that she received. I look forward to a jury hearing the evidence.”\n\nThe indictment of the high-profile lawyer was expected, although not the specific charges concerning his dealings with Daniels. Earlier this year, prosecutors unsealed a complaint charging Avenatti with the attempted extortion scheme, and he was arrested outside the Manhattan offices of the law firm representing Nike, Boies Schiller Flexner LLP. At the time, he was released on a $300,000 bond.\n\nThat day, he was also charged by federal prosecutors in Los Angeles with wire and bank fraud, and he has since been indicted on 36 counts in that case, including embezzlement, wire fraud, tax evasion, bankruptcy fraud and bank fraud connected to his alleged theft of tens of millions of dollars from five clients, one a paraplegic.", "Michael Avenatti's legal troubles escalated on Wednesday as federal prosecutors announced new criminal charges accusing the lawyer and prominent critic of U.S. President Donald Trump of stealing from porn star Stormy Daniels and extorting Nike Inc.\n\nMichael Avenatti's legal troubles escalated on Wednesday as federal prosecutors announced new criminal charges accusing the lawyer and prominent critic of U.S. President Donald Trump of stealing from porn star Stormy Daniels and extorting Nike Inc.\n\nProsecutors accused Avenatti, 48, of stealing about $300,000 from Daniels, about half of which has not been repaid, after helping his former client secure a book contract.\n\nThey also said he has been indicted on previously announced charges that he tried to blackmail Nike out of more than $20 million by threatening to expose what he called the athletic wear company's improper payments to recruits for college basketball teams it sponsored.\n\nThe charges were announced by U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman in Manhattan.\n\nAvenatti also faces dozens of charges in California, where prosecutors on April 11 accused him of stealing millions of dollars from clients to pay for personal and business expenses, and lying to the Internal Revenue Service and a Mississippi bank about his finances.\n\nIf convicted on all charges, Avenatti could face several hundred years in prison.\n\nAvenatti has maintained his innocence, and said the earlier prosecutions were a means to punish him for representing Daniels and being a Trump critic.\n\n\"I look forward to a jury hearing all of the evidence and passing judgment on my conduct,\" he wrote on Twitter after Wednesday's charges were announced.\n\n\"At no time was any money misappropriated or mishandled,\" he added. \"I will be fully exonerated once the relevant emails, contracts, text messages, and documents are presented.\"\n\nLawyers for Avenatti did not immediately respond to requests for comment.\n\nAvenatti represented Daniels in lawsuits arising from what she called her 2006 sexual relationship with Trump, and a $130,000 hush money payment from former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen shortly before the 2016 presidential election.\n\nAccording to court papers, Avenatti diverted a significant portion of Daniels' $800,000 book advance after sending her literary agent an unauthorized letter purporting to contain her signature, and directing that money be sent to his bank account.\n\nProsecutors said Avenatti spent some diverted money on monthly lease payments for a Ferrari, hotels, airfare, restaurant meals, car service and business expenses.\n\nWhen Daniels asked why she had not received a $148,750 installment payment, Avenatti lied by telling her he had yet to receive it from the publisher, according to court papers.\n\nProsecutors said he later paid Daniels with money obtained from another source, so she would not realize it had been diverted.\n\nDaniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, is identified in court papers as \"Victim-1.\" A person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to speak publicly confirmed her identity.\n\nThe charges related to Daniels include one count of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft, and carry a maximum combined penalty of 22 years in prison.\n\nTrump has denied having had sex with Daniels. Cohen is two weeks into his three-year prison term after pleading guilty to campaign finance violations, including the hush money payment.\n\nAvenatti, who flirted last year with a 2020 White House run, became a familiar face on cable news channels as his stature grew, but has had a lower profile since being indicted.", "NEW YORK (Reuters) - Michael Avenatti's legal troubles escalated on Wednesday as federal prosecutors announced new indictments accusing the lawyer and prominent critic of U.S. President Donald Trump of ripping off porn star Stormy Daniels and extorting Nike Inc.\n\nProsecutors in Manhattan accused Avenatti, 48, of stealing about $300,000 from Daniels, the client who made him famous, to fund an extravagant lifestyle including a Ferrari automobile, after helping her secure a book contract.\n\nThe Nike indictment concerns charges announced in March that Avenatti tried to extort more than $20 million from the athletic wear company by threatening to expose what he called its improper payments to recruits for college basketball teams it sponsored.\n\nAvenatti also faces dozens of charges in southern California, where prosecutors on April 11 accused him of stealing millions of dollars from clients to pay for personal and business expenses, and lying to the Internal Revenue Service and a Mississippi bank about his finances.\n\nIf convicted on all charges, Avenatti could face more than 400 years in prison, but would likely face a lesser punishment.\n\nNike has denied wrongdoing, and assisted prosecutors prior to Avenatti's arrest.\n\nAvenatti has maintained his innocence and said the earlier prosecutions were to punish him for representing Daniels and criticizing Trump.\n\nDaniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, received hush money to keep quiet about an affair she claimed to have had with Trump in 2006. The president has denied having had sex with Daniels.\n\n\"I look forward to a jury hearing all of the evidence and passing judgment on my conduct,\" Avenatti wrote on Twitter after the indictments were announced.\n\n\"At no time was any money misappropriated or mishandled. I will be fully exonerated once the relevant emails, contracts, text messages, and documents are presented.\"\n\nHe later said in an email that Daniels had received \"millions of dollars worth of legal services.\"\n\nLawyers for Avenatti did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Daniels could not immediately be reached.\n\nAvenatti represented Daniels in lawsuits arising from a $130,000 hush money payment from former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen shortly before the 2016 presidential election.\n\nProsecutors said Avenatti diverted two $148,750 installment payments from Daniels' $800,000 book advance, after sending her literary agent a letter that forged her signature, and directed that money be sent to his bank account.\n\nDaniels is identified in court papers as \"Victim-1.\" A person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to speak publicly confirmed her identity.\n\nAccording to the papers, Avenatti spent some of the diverted funds on lease payments for the Ferrari, hotels, airfare, restaurant meals, car service and business expenses.\n\nProsecutors said Avenatti eventually paid $148,750 to Daniels after obtaining the money from another source, but lied when she asked where the second payment was by telling her the publisher \"owes me a payment\" and that he was \"on it.\"\n\nDaniels has not received that payment, prosecutors said. She dropped Avenatti as her lawyer earlier this year.\n\n\"Michael Avenatti abused and violated the core duty of an attorney--the duty to his client,\" U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman, who announced Wednesday's indictments, said in a statement.\n\n\"Far from zealously representing his client, Avenatti, as alleged, instead engaged in outright deception and theft, victimizing rather than advocating for his client,\" Berman added.\n\nThe charges related to Daniels include one count of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft, and carry a maximum combined penalty of 22 years in prison.\n\nCohen is two weeks into his three-year prison term after pleading guilty to campaign finance violations, including the hush money payment.\n\nAvenatti became a familiar face on cable news channels as his stature grew, and flirted last year with a 2020 White House run. He has had a lower profile since being charged.", "On Wednesday, a high profile lawyer was accused of stealing from his client. The AP reports that federal charges against Michael Avenatti now include allegations that he defrauded his former client, porn star Stormy Daniels.\n\nIn a press release, the Department of Justice said that Avenatti was indicted \"on fraud and aggravated identity theft charges.\" Prosecutors say that Avenatti took money that one of his clients was supposed to receive has part of a book deal. The AP reports that the client in question was Daniels. He was also indicted on extortion charges related to allegations that he tried \"to extract more than $20 million in payments from Nike, Inc,\" per the Justice Department. Avenatti has denied the allegations against him.\n\n\"I look forward to a jury hearing all of the evidence and passing judgment on my conduct,\" Avenatti says in a statement to Bustle. \"At no time was any money misappropriated or mishandled. I will be fully exonerated once the relevant emails, contracts, text messages, and documents are presented. I was entitled to any monies retained relating to a book per my agreement with the client. It was part of my agreement for representation and compensation.\"\n\nU.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said in a statement that Avenatti \"abused and violated the core duty of an attorney — the duty to his client.\"\n\nProsecutors say that, in total, Avenatti diverted about $300,000 of Daniels' book advance to himself. In doing say, Berman said, \" he blatantly lied to and stole from his client to maintain his extravagant lifestyle, including to pay for, among other things, a monthly car payment on a Ferrari.\"\n\nMore to come...", "Embattled lawyer Michael Avenatti was accused Wednesday of scamming nearly $300,000 from porn star Stormy Daniels by diverting two advance payments for her memoir to an account he controlled.\n\nAvenatti, 48, was charged with wire fraud and aggravated identity theft in the alleged scheme, which prosecutors say he perpetrated last year.\n\nHe spent the money on a lease payment for a Ferrari, as well as “airfare, hotels, car services, restaurants and meal delivery,” according to Manhattan US Attorney Geoffrey Berman.\n\nAvenatti’s indictment doesn’t identify Daniels by name, but the details in it make it clear that she’s the person referred to as “Victim-1.”\n\nAvenatti allegedly forged Daniels’ signature to swipe two installment payments of $148,750 each that she was owed for her book “Full Disclosure,” which was published in October and details her claim of a 2006 affair with President Trump.\n\nMore from the NY Post", "Attorney Michael Avenatti has been charged with ripping off porn star Stormy Daniels, the client who made him famous.\n\nThe allegations against Avenatti were revealed in charges filed Wednesday in New York.\n\nFederal prosecutors say Avenatti took money Daniels was supposed to get from a book deal.\n\nDaniels isn’t named in the court filing, but the details of the case make it clear that she is the client involved in the case.\n\nAvenatti rocketed to fame representing Daniels when she sued to be released from a non-disclosure agreement involving an alleged tryst with President Donald Trump.\n\nAvenatti was previously charged in New York and Los Angeles with trying to extort money from Nike and stealing millions of dollars from clients.\n\nHe has denied all the allegations."], "summary": "Lawyer Michael Avenatti is indicted in separate cases charging him with allegedly stealing about $300,000 from Stormy Daniels and blackmailing Nike."}
{"document": ["ALBANY, N.Y. >> New York lawmakers gave final passage to legislation today that would allow President Donald Trump’s state tax returns to be released to congressional committees that have, so far, been barred from getting the president’s federal filings.\n\nThe Democrat-led Senate and Assembly both approved the measures today, sending them to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat. A spokesman has said the governor supports the principle behind the legislation but will review the bill carefully before deciding whether to sign it.\n\nThe legislation doesn’t target Trump by name, but it would allow the leaders of the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee, the Senate Finance Committee or the Joint Committee on Taxation to get access to any New York state tax returns filed by elected officials and top appointed officials. The legislation would apply to personal income tax returns, as well as business taxes paid in New York.\n\nAn earlier version of the proposal that passed the state Senate two weeks ago would have allowed congressional committees to get any New Yorker’s returns, regardless of whether they held public office. Lawmakers later narrowed the legislation to address concerns that it went too far, prompting the Senate to hold a second vote on the new language today.\n\nNew York Republicans have railed against the bill. John Flanagan, who leads the Senate GOP, called the legislation “troubling” and “bad public policy.”\n\nFellow GOP lawmakers said the new proposal’s narrower focus shows Democrats went too far with their first proposal, which would have required state tax officials to hand over any New Yorker’s state tax returns.\n\n“This bill is nothing more than political showmanship, and we all know it,” said Assembly Andrew Goodell, who represents a mostly rural western New York district.\n\nRepublicans also blasted Democrats for going after the president instead of focusing on challenges closer to home.\n\n“The fact that we’re talking about taxes in this house is ironic because we’re not talking about the taxes that New Yorkers pay, which are the highest in the nation,” said Rob Ortt, a senator from the Buffalo area.\n\nBut the proposals’ Democratic sponsors — Sen. Hoylman, of Manhattan, and Assemblyman David Buchwald, of Westchester County — said the legislation promotes government transparency at a time when Americans need to know whether their elected leaders are putting the public’s interest first.\n\n“We are affirming Congress’ role as a co-equal branch of government and the sacred constitutional principle that nobody is above the law, not even the highest elected official in the land,” Hoylman said.\n\nThe proposed changes to state law were made amid a battle going on in Washington over Trump’s federal returns.\n\nDemocrats are seeking six years of Trump’s personal and business tax returns to aid a committee investigation into whether the IRS is doing its job properly to audit a sitting president and whether the law governing such audits needs to be strengthened.\n\nTreasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has said he wouldn’t comply with a congressional subpoena seeking six years of Trump’s tax returns, in part because the request “lacks a legitimate legislative purpose.” U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass., chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, has threatened to go to court to get the administration to comply.\n\nNew York is Trump’s home state and headquarters of many of his business enterprises. Much of the information on his state returns would mirror the information included on a federal return, giving the Democrats a potential end run around the IRS if they wished to take it.\n\nIf Congress does request and obtain Trump’s state tax returns, that doesn’t mean the public gets to see them. Under federal law, the confidential information in the returns is supposed to be for the committee’s eyes only.\n\nThe New York bills have no time limitation on the tax filings that could be shared with Congress. They require that the returns be requested “for a specified and legitimate legislative purpose,” wording that could ostensibly give state officials the ability to refuse some requests they felt were primarily political in nature.\n\nThe New York bills would become law immediately upon being signed by Cuomo, though it could be delayed by a court challenge.\n\nPassage of the legislation came just a few hours before a federal judge in Manhattan refused to block congressional subpoenas seeking financial records from two banks that did business with Trump.\n\nThe judge said subpoenas from lawyers for the House Financial Services and Intelligence committees have “a legitimate legislative purpose” in their investigation into Trump, his family and his company’s dealings with Deutsche Bank and Capital One.", "New York lawmakers gave final passage to legislation Wednesday that would allow President Donald Trump's state tax returns to be released to congressional committees that have, so far, been barred from getting the president's federal filings.\n\nThe Democrat-led Senate and Assembly both approved the measures Wednesday, sending them to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat. A spokesman has said the governor supports the principle behind the legislation but will review the bill carefully before deciding whether to sign it.\n\nThe legislation doesn't target Trump by name, but it would allow the leaders of the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee, the Senate Finance Committee or the Joint Committee on Taxation to get access to any New York state tax returns filed by elected officials and top appointed officials. The legislation would apply to personal income tax returns, as well as business taxes paid in New York.\n\nAn earlier version of the proposal that passed the state Senate two weeks ago would have allowed congressional committees to get any New Yorker's returns, regardless of whether they held public office. Lawmakers later narrowed the legislation to address concerns that it went too far, prompting the Senate to hold a second vote on the new language Wednesday.\n\nNew York Republicans have railed against the bill. John Flanagan, who leads the Senate GOP, called the legislation \"troubling\" and \"bad public policy.\"\n\nFellow GOP lawmakers said the new proposal's narrower focus shows Democrats went too far with their first proposal, which would have required state tax officials to hand over any New Yorker's state tax returns.\n\n\"This bill is nothing more than political showmanship, and we all know it,\" said Assembly Andrew Goodell, who represents a mostly rural western New York district.\n\nRepublicans also blasted Democrats for going after the president instead of focusing on challenges closer to home.\n\n\"The fact that we're talking about taxes in this house is ironic because we're not talking about the taxes that New Yorkers pay, which are the highest in the nation,\" said Rob Ortt, a senator from the Buffalo area.\n\nBut the proposals' Democratic sponsors — Sen. Hoylman, of Manhattan, and Assemblyman David Buchwald, of Westchester County — said the legislation promotes government transparency at a time when Americans need to know whether their elected leaders are putting the public's interest first.\n\n\"We are affirming Congress' role as a co-equal branch of government and the sacred constitutional principle that nobody is above the law, not even the highest elected official in the land,\" Hoylman said.\n\nThe proposed changes to state law were made amid a battle going on in Washington over Trump's federal returns.\n\nDemocrats are seeking six years of Trump's personal and business tax returns to aid a committee investigation into whether the IRS is doing its job properly to audit a sitting president and whether the law governing such audits needs to be strengthened.\n\nTreasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has said he wouldn't comply with a congressional subpoena seeking six years of Trump's tax returns, in part because the request \"lacks a legitimate legislative purpose.\" U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass., chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, has threatened to go to court to get the administration to comply.\n\nNew York is Trump's home state and headquarters of many of his business enterprises. Much of the information on his state returns would mirror the information included on a federal return, giving the Democrats a potential end run around the IRS if they wished to take it.\n\nIf Congress does request and obtain Trump's state tax returns, that doesn't mean the public gets to see them. Under federal law, the confidential information in the returns is supposed to be for the committee's eyes only.\n\nThe New York bills have no time limitation on the tax filings that could be shared with Congress. They require that the returns be requested \"for a specified and legitimate legislative purpose,\" wording that could ostensibly give state officials the ability to refuse some requests they felt were primarily political in nature.\n\nThe New York bills would become law immediately upon being signed by Cuomo, though it could be delayed by a court challenge.\n\nPassage of the legislation came just a few hours before a federal judge in Manhattan refused to block congressional subpoenas seeking financial records from two banks that did business with Trump.\n\nThe judge said subpoenas from lawyers for the House Financial Services and Intelligence committees have \"a legitimate legislative purpose\" in their investigation into Trump, his family and his company's dealings with Deutsche Bank and Capital One.", "ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York lawmakers gave final passage to legislation Wednesday that would allow President Donald Trump’s state tax returns to be released to congressional committees that have, so far, been barred from getting the president’s federal filings.\n\nThe Democrat-led Senate and Assembly both approved the measures Wednesday, sending them to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat. A spokesman has said the governor supports the principle behind the legislation but will review the bill carefully before deciding whether to sign it.\n\nThe legislation doesn’t target Trump by name, but it would allow the leaders of the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee, the Senate Finance Committee or the Joint Committee on Taxation to get access to any New York state tax returns filed by elected officials and top appointed officials. The legislation would apply to personal income tax returns, as well as business taxes paid in New York.\n\nAn earlier version of the proposal that passed the state Senate two weeks ago would have allowed congressional committees to get any New Yorker’s returns, regardless of whether they held public office. Lawmakers later narrowed the legislation to address concerns that it went too far, prompting the Senate to hold a second vote on the new language Wednesday.\n\nNew York Republicans have railed against the bill. John Flanagan, who leads the Senate GOP, called the legislation “troubling” and “bad public policy.”\n\nFellow GOP lawmakers said the new proposal’s narrower focus shows Democrats went too far with their first proposal, which would have required state tax officials to hand over any New Yorker’s state tax returns.\n\n“This bill is nothing more than political showmanship, and we all know it,” said Assembly Andrew Goodell, who represents a mostly rural western New York district.\n\nRepublicans also blasted Democrats for going after the president instead of focusing on challenges closer to home.\n\n“The fact that we’re talking about taxes in this house is ironic because we’re not talking about the taxes that New Yorkers pay, which are the highest in the nation,” said Rob Ortt, a senator from the Buffalo area.\n\nBut the proposals’ Democratic sponsors — Sen. Hoylman, of Manhattan, and Assemblyman David Buchwald, of Westchester County — said the legislation promotes government transparency at a time when Americans need to know whether their elected leaders are putting the public’s interest first.\n\n“We are affirming Congress’ role as a co-equal branch of government and the sacred constitutional principle that nobody is above the law, not even the highest elected official in the land,” Hoylman said.\n\nThe proposed changes to state law were made amid a battle going on in Washington over Trump’s federal returns.\n\nDemocrats are seeking six years of Trump’s personal and business tax returns to aid a committee investigation into whether the IRS is doing its job properly to audit a sitting president and whether the law governing such audits needs to be strengthened.\n\nTreasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has said he wouldn’t comply with a congressional subpoena seeking six years of Trump’s tax returns, in part because the request “lacks a legitimate legislative purpose.” U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass., chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, has threatened to go to court to get the administration to comply.\n\nNew York is Trump’s home state and headquarters of many of his business enterprises. Much of the information on his state returns would mirror the information included on a federal return, giving the Democrats a potential end run around the IRS if they wished to take it.\n\nIf Congress does request and obtain Trump’s state tax returns, that doesn’t mean the public gets to see them. Under federal law, the confidential information in the returns is supposed to be for the committee’s eyes only.\n\nThe New York bills have no time limitation on the tax filings that could be shared with Congress. They require that the returns be requested “for a specified and legitimate legislative purpose,” wording that could ostensibly give state officials the ability to refuse some requests they felt were primarily political in nature.\n\nThe New York bills would become law immediately upon being signed by Cuomo, though it could be delayed by a court challenge.\n\nPassage of the legislation came just a few hours before a federal judge in Manhattan refused to block congressional subpoenas seeking financial records from two banks that did business with Trump.\n\nThe judge said subpoenas from lawyers for the House Financial Services and Intelligence committees have “a legitimate legislative purpose” in their investigation into Trump, his family and his company’s dealings with Deutsche Bank and Capital One.", "The Trump administration on Friday missed another deadline to produce President Donald Trump's tax returns.\n\nWASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration on Friday missed another deadline to produce President Donald Trump’s tax returns. A top House Democrat said he expects to take the administration to court as early as next week over the matter.\n\nTreasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a letter that he will not comply with a subpoena from House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal for six years of Trump’s tax returns because the request “lacks a legitimate legislative purpose.”\n\nMnuchin’s rejection of the subpoena had been expected. Earlier Friday, Neal had said, “We will likely proceed to court as quickly as next week.”\n\nAsked if he might seek to hold Mnuchin in contempt of Congress for his refusal to supply the tax returns, Neal said, “I don’t see that right now as an option. I think that the better option for us is to proceed with a court case.”\n\nDemocrats are seeking Trump’s tax returns under a 1924 law that directs the IRS to furnish such information when requested to the chairs of Congress’ tax-writing committees.\n\nIn a statement Friday after Mnuchin’s decision was announced, Neal said that the law “does not allow for discretion as to whether to comply with a request for tax returns and return information.”\n\nIn his statement, Neal said he would consult with committee lawyers “on how best to enforce the subpoenas moving forward.”\n\nBesides Trump, every president since Richard Nixon has made his tax returns public.\n\nIn a tweet on May 10, Trump said that he had won the presidency in 2016 “partially based on no Tax Returns while I am under audit (which I still am), and the voters didn’t care. Now the Radical Left Democrats want to again relitigate the matter. Make it part of the 2020 Election!”\n\nWhen he issued the subpoena last week, Neal said he was seeking six years of Trump’s personal and business tax returns to aid a committee investigation into whether the IRS is doing its job properly to audit a sitting president and whether the law governing such audits needs to be strengthened.\n\nIn his letter Friday saying he would not comply with the subpoena, Mnuchin said he had consulted with the Justice Department and had been advised that he was not authorized to turn over the tax returns because Neal’s request did not represent a legitimate congressional purpose.\n\nMnuchin said that while he will not turn over Trump’s tax returns, he has offered to work with the congressional panel “to accommodate its stated interest in understanding how the IRS audits and enforces the federal tax laws against a president” by providing the committee with information on the mandatory audit process for presidential returns.\n\nThe fight with Congress over Trump’s tax returns is one of a number of battles House Democrats are having with the administration over the release of information. The House Judiciary Committee has voted to hold Attorney General William Barr in contempt and is fighting to obtain an unredacted report prepared by special counsel Robert Mueller on Russian interference in the 2016 election.\n\nAP Video journalist Padmananda Rama and AP Business Writer Marcy Gordon contributed to this report.\n\nCopyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.", "ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York lawmakers gave final passage to legislation Wednesday that would allow President Donald Trump's state tax returns to be released to congressional committees that have, so far, been barred from getting the president's federal filings.\n\nThe Democrat-led Senate and Assembly both approved the measures Wednesday, sending them to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat. A spokesman has said the governor supports the principle behind the legislation but will review the bill carefully before deciding whether to sign it.\n\nThe legislation doesn't target Trump by name, but it would allow the leaders of the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee, the Senate Finance Committee or the Joint Committee on Taxation to get access to any New York state tax returns filed by elected officials and top appointed officials. The legislation would apply to personal income tax returns, as well as business taxes paid in New York.\n\nAn earlier version of the proposal that passed the state Senate two weeks ago would have allowed congressional committees to get any New Yorker's returns, regardless of whether they held public office. Lawmakers later narrowed the legislation to address concerns that it went too far, prompting the Senate to hold a second vote on the new language Wednesday.\n\nNew York Republicans have railed against the bill. John Flanagan, who leads the Senate GOP, called the legislation \"troubling\" and \"bad public policy.\"\n\nFellow GOP lawmakers said the new proposal's narrower focus shows Democrats went too far with their first proposal, which would have required state tax officials to hand over any New Yorker's state tax returns.\n\n\"This bill is nothing more than political showmanship, and we all know it,\" said Assembly Andrew Goodell, who represents a mostly rural western New York district.\n\nRepublicans also blasted Democrats for going after the president instead of focusing on challenges closer to home.\n\n\"The fact that we're talking about taxes in this house is ironic because we're not talking about the taxes that New Yorkers pay, which are the highest in the nation,\" said Rob Ortt, a senator from the Buffalo area.\n\nBut the proposals' Democratic sponsors — Sen. Hoylman, of Manhattan, and Assemblyman David Buchwald, of Westchester County — said the legislation promotes government transparency at a time when Americans need to know whether their elected leaders are putting the public's interest first.\n\n\"We are affirming Congress' role as a co-equal branch of government and the sacred constitutional principle that nobody is above the law, not even the highest elected official in the land,\" Hoylman said.\n\nThe proposed changes to state law were made amid a battle going on in Washington over Trump's federal returns.\n\nDemocrats are seeking six years of Trump's personal and business tax returns to aid a committee investigation into whether the IRS is doing its job properly to audit a sitting president and whether the law governing such audits needs to be strengthened.\n\nTreasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has said he wouldn't comply with a congressional subpoena seeking six years of Trump's tax returns, in part because the request \"lacks a legitimate legislative purpose.\" U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass., chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, has threatened to go to court to get the administration to comply.\n\nNew York is Trump's home state and headquarters of many of his business enterprises. Much of the information on his state returns would mirror the information included on a federal return, giving the Democrats a potential end run around the IRS if they wished to take it.\n\nIf Congress does request and obtain Trump's state tax returns, that doesn't mean the public gets to see them. Under federal law, the confidential information in the returns is supposed to be for the committee's eyes only.\n\nThe New York bills have no time limitation on the tax filings that could be shared with Congress. They require that the returns be requested \"for a specified and legitimate legislative purpose,\" wording that could ostensibly give state officials the ability to refuse some requests they felt were primarily political in nature.\n\nThe New York bills would become law immediately upon being signed by Cuomo, though it could be delayed by a court challenge.\n\nPassage of the legislation came just a few hours before a federal judge in Manhattan refused to block congressional subpoenas seeking financial records from two banks that did business with Trump.\n\nThe judge said subpoenas from lawyers for the House Financial Services and Intelligence committees have \"a legitimate legislative purpose\" in their investigation into Trump, his family and his company's dealings with Deutsche Bank and Capital One.", "[What you need to know to start the day: Get New York Today in your inbox.]\n\nALBANY — New York State lawmakers on Wednesday gave their final approval to a bill that would clear a path for Congress to obtain President Trump’s state tax returns, injecting another element into a tortuous battle over the president’s refusal to release his taxes.\n\nThe bill, which is expected to be signed by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, a third-term Democrat and regular critic of Mr. Trump’s policies and behavior, will authorize state tax officials to release the president’s state returns to any one of three congressional committees.\n\nThe returns — filed in New York, the president’s home state and business headquarters — would likely contain much of the same information as the contested federal returns, though it remained unclear whether those congressional committees would use such new power in their investigations.\n\nThe Legislature’s actions put the state in a bit of uncharted legal territory; Mr. Trump has said that he is ready to take the fight over his federal tax returns to the Supreme Court, and it seems likely that he would seek to contest New York’s maneuver.", "ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York lawmakers gave final passage to legislation Wednesday that would allow President Donald Trump's state tax returns to be released to congressional committees that have, so far, been barred from getting the president's federal filings.\n\nThe Democrat-led Senate and Assembly both approved the measures Wednesday, sending them to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat. A spokesman has said the governor supports the principle behind the legislation but will review the bill carefully before deciding whether to sign it.\n\nThe legislation doesn't target Trump by name, but it would allow the leaders of the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee, the Senate Finance Committee or the Joint Committee on Taxation to get access to any New York state tax returns filed by elected officials and top appointed officials. The legislation would apply to personal income tax returns, as well as business taxes paid in New York.\n\nAn earlier version of the proposal that passed the state Senate two weeks ago would have allowed congressional committees to get any New Yorker's returns, regardless of whether they held public office. Lawmakers later narrowed the legislation to address concerns that it went too far, prompting the Senate to hold a second vote on the new language Wednesday.\n\nNew York Republicans have railed against the bill. John Flanagan, who leads the Senate GOP, called the legislation \"troubling\" and \"bad public policy.\"\n\nFellow GOP lawmakers said the new proposal's narrower focus shows Democrats went too far with their first proposal, which would have required state tax officials to hand over any New Yorker's state tax returns.\n\n\"This bill is nothing more than political showmanship, and we all know it,\" said Assembly Andrew Goodell, who represents a mostly rural western New York district.\n\nRepublicans also blasted Democrats for going after the president instead of focusing on challenges closer to home.\n\n\"The fact that we're talking about taxes in this house is ironic because we're not talking about the taxes that New Yorkers pay, which are the highest in the nation,\" said Rob Ortt, a senator from the Buffalo area.\n\nBut the proposals' Democratic sponsors — Sen. Hoylman, of Manhattan, and Assemblyman David Buchwald, of Westchester County — said the legislation promotes government transparency at a time when Americans need to know whether their elected leaders are putting the public's interest first.\n\n\"We are affirming Congress' role as a co-equal branch of government and the sacred constitutional principle that nobody is above the law, not even the highest elected official in the land,\" Hoylman said.\n\nThe proposed changes to state law were made amid a battle going on in Washington over Trump's federal returns.\n\nDemocrats are seeking six years of Trump's personal and business tax returns to aid a committee investigation into whether the IRS is doing its job properly to audit a sitting president and whether the law governing such audits needs to be strengthened.\n\nTreasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has said he wouldn't comply with a congressional subpoena seeking six years of Trump's tax returns, in part because the request \"lacks a legitimate legislative purpose.\" U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass., chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, has threatened to go to court to get the administration to comply.\n\nNew York is Trump's home state and headquarters of many of his business enterprises. Much of the information on his state returns would mirror the information included on a federal return, giving the Democrats a potential end run around the IRS if they wished to take it.\n\nIf Congress does request and obtain Trump's state tax returns, that doesn't mean the public gets to see them. Under federal law, the confidential information in the returns is supposed to be for the committee's eyes only.\n\nThe New York bills have no time limitation on the tax filings that could be shared with Congress. They require that the returns be requested \"for a specified and legitimate legislative purpose,\" wording that could ostensibly give state officials the ability to refuse some requests they felt were primarily political in nature.\n\nThe New York bills would become law immediately upon being signed by Cuomo, though it could be delayed by a court challenge.\n\nPassage of the legislation came just a few hours before a federal judge in Manhattan refused to block congressional subpoenas seeking financial records from two banks that did business with Trump.\n\nThe judge said subpoenas from lawyers for the House Financial Services and Intelligence committees have \"a legitimate legislative purpose\" in their investigation into Trump, his family and his company's dealings with Deutsche Bank and Capital One.", "The New York State Assembly passed a bill Wednesday that would allow Congress to get President Donald Trump’s state tax returns.\n\nThe Assembly voted 84-53 to require New York’s tax commissioner to release any state tax return requested by the Joint Committee on Taxation, the Senate Finance Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee for any “specified and legitimate legislative purpose.”\n\n“Transparency is essential, especially when it comes to the conflicts or potential conflicts of those who craft public policy,” Assemblyman David Buchwald (D), the bill’s sponsor, said during the floor vote, according to Bloomberg.\n\nThe Assembly also voted Wednesday 85-49 on an amendment to the bill directing the New York Tax Department to give Congress state tax returns specifically for elected officials. The original bill would have let Congress request any New York resident’s state tax returns.\n\nThe passage means Congress is one step closer to finally viewing some of Trump’s tax returns. His state returns are expected to contain information similar to the federal returns he’s refused to release.\n\nThe New York State Senate passed a bill earlier this month with the hope of helping Congress obtain some of the president’s tax returns.\n\nThe Treasury Department has broken federal law in continuously refusing House Democrats’ request for six years of Trump’s personal and business federal tax returns.\n\n“Donald Trump has broken forty years of political tradition by not releasing his tax returns. Now, his administration is precipitating a constitutional showdown by shielding the President from Congressional oversight over those returns,” state Sen. Brad Hoylman (D), who sponsored the Senate bill, said in a May 8 statement. “Our system of checks and balances is failing. New York has a special role and responsibility to step into the breach.”\n\nThe legislation now heads to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s desk. Cuomo, a Democrat and frequent Trump critic, said in April that he planned to support the state legislature’s efforts to enable the release of the president’s state tax returns.", "NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York state’s legislature on Wednesday passed a bill that would make it easier for U.S. congressional committees investigating President Donald Trump to get access to his state tax returns.\n\nThe Democratic-controlled state Assembly and Senate voted along party lines on the measure, which would circumvent his refusal to hand over his federal tax returns to Congress.\n\nNew York Republicans who opposed the bill called it an abuse of power that fed into the political designs of Democrats in Washington, the Albany Times-Union reported. It now goes to Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo for final approval.\n\nTrump has refused to release any of his tax returns, breaking a decades-long tradition of U.S. presidents making their personal finances public to demonstrate that they have no conflicts of interest.\n\nAlthough the bill does not name Trump, it allows the state Department of Taxation and Finance to share state tax return information with a congressional committee that requests it. Much of the information submitted in New York state tax returns is similar to that on federal forms.\n\nTrump and Democrats who control the U.S. House of Representatives are locked in a battle over their ability to investigate him.\n\nThe president is stonewalling multiple congressional investigations by ignoring subpoenas, refusing to allow current and former advisers to testify, and not handing over documents.\n\nFor example the U.S. House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee requested Trump’s federal tax returns by subpoena but the request was denied by Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin.\n\nTrump’s personal home and the headquarters for his business are in New York, requiring him to file state tax returns in addition to his federal returns.\n\n“New York has a unique role to help head off the constitutional crisis brewing between Congress and the White House over refusal to comply with the request for Donald Trump’s tax returns,” said the bill’s sponsor, Senator Brad Hoylman, according to the Times-Union. “We are affirming Congress’ role as a co-equal branch of government and the sacred constitutional principle that nobody is above the law, not even the highest elected official in the land.”\n\nIn comments to reporters on Wednesday, Trump criticized Democrats for continuing their wide-ranging follow-up to Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia probe.\n\n“I don’t do cover-ups,” Trump said, responding to a charge made by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi just moments ago.\n\nThe White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the New York legislation.", "New York's state legislature passed a bill on Wednesday permitting tax officials to turn over President Trump's state returns to any one of three congressional committees, the New York Times reports.\n\nWhy it matters: Trump has refused to comply with a congressional subpoena for his federal tax returns, which are likely to contain similar information to his state returns. If Gov. Andrew Cuomo signs the bill as expected, the move could ignite a heated battle between New York state and Trump's legal team."], "summary": "The New York State Legislature passes a bill that will authorize state tax officials to release U.S. President Donald Trump's state returns to Congress."}
{"document": ["Eric Trump, Donald Trump Jr., Donald Trump and Ivanka Trump attend the Trump International Hotel Washington, D.C Groundbreaking Ceremony at Old Post Office on July 23, 2014 in Washington, DC.\n\nRamos, an appointee of President Barack Obama, said in U.S. District Court in Manhattan that the Trump clan's arguments \"are not sufficiently serious as it relates to Supreme Court precedent\" dealing with the question of turning over documents to Congress.\n\nJudge Edgardo Ramos' ruling came after a hearing at which lawyers for Trump, his three older children, Donald Jr ., Eric and Ivanka , and the Trump Organization argued that the subpoenas to the two banks should be quashed. An appeal of the decision is all but certain.\n\nA federal judge in New York City on Wednesday said Deutsche Bank and Capital One can turn over financial documents related to President Donald Trump and his businesses in response to subpoenas from two Democrat-led House committees.\n\nThe judge also disagreed with the argument by the Trump legal team that the demands for the documents from House Financial Services and Intelligence committees lacks a legitimate legislative purpose. Ramos said there is such a purpose in the request by the panels, which are probing alleged foreign influence in U.S. elections.\n\nThe subpoenas, Ramos said, are \"undeniably broad but are clearly pertinent.\"\n\nThe White House and a spokesman for the Trump Organization did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Trump has said he is \"fighting all the subpoenas\" issued by House Democrats, who are conducting a broad inquiry into his financial affairs.\n\nThe ruling in the New York court came two days after another federal judge, in Washington, D.C., said Trump's accountants at the firm Mazars had to comply with a subpoena from the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee for his financial records.\n\nDeutsche Bank for years has been the main lender for Trump, whom other banks have avoided loaning money to because of his repeated bankruptcies. Capital One is in possession of financial records related to the Trump Organization's hotels. Neither bank had opposed the subpoenas.\n\nIn a statement to CNBC after the ruling, Deutsche Bank spokeswoman Kerrie McHugh said, \"We remain committed to providing appropriate information to all authorized investigations and will abide by a court order regarding such investigations.\"\n\nThe Trump family's lawyers, in a lawsuit filed against Deutsche Bank and Capital One in late April, challenged the demands for financial documents from the lenders, saying subpoenas from House Democrats \"were issued to harass President Donald J. Trump, to rummage through every aspect of his personal finances, his businesses, and the private information of the President and his family.\"\n\nNeither Deutsche Bank nor Capital One objected in court to the subpoenas. But House Democrats intervened in the lawsuit to argue against the Trump family's effort to quash the document demands.\n\nRamos' ruling came hours after the New York state Legislature passed two bills aimed at Trump, which would allow Trump's state tax returns to be turned over to Congress if they are requested. Gov. Andrew Cuomo has said he supports that idea, but has yet to say whether he will sign the bills.\n\nThe Treasury Department last week defied a subpoena from the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee for six years of federal tax returns of Trump and his business. But much of the information on those returns would be replicated in state tax returns.\n\nDuring the court hearing Wednesday, Trump's lawyer, Patrick Strawbridge, argued that the subpoenas exceeded Congress' authority by being overbroad. He noted emphasizing that the committees were \"literally looking for records about minors\" related to Trump, as well as his in-laws.\n\nAt another point, Strawbridge argued that courts have made it \"clear\" that Congress \"cannot cross the line into law enforcement activity.\"\n\nDouglas Letter, an attorney for the committees seeking the documents, retorted that there is is \"absolutely no merit to any of these arguments\" made by Strawbridge.\n\n\"This is being totally misportrayed,\" Letter said.\n\nLetter said that the subpoenas are broad, and asked for documents going back a number of years, because the committee are investigating things such as money laundering and engagement with foreign entities — \"including Russian oligarchs\" — over \"a long period of time.\"\n\nRamos then asked why the committee was bothering to ask for \"domestic documents\" if that was the case.\n\n\"You have to look at: 'where's it going? ' \" Letter responded, referring to money. \"It's all tied together.\"\n\nLetter criticized the Trump family's legal effort to thwart the subpoenas, saying that the lawsuit only had been filed \"because of a massive and fundamental misunderstanding\" of Congress' role \"by Mr. Trump.\"\n\n\"He sees us as a nuisance,\" Letter said, referring to the president.\n\nAsked by the judge if the financial records could be made public, Letter said that the committees did have that power.\n\nBut they \"wouldn't do it willy-nilly,\" Letter insisted.\n\n\"We would of course listen\" to the people whose records were subpoenaed, but ultimately \"this is for the Congress\" to decide, Letter said.\n\nLawyers for Deutsche Bank and Capitol One declined an opportunity to speak in court.\n\nThe judge said in his ruling that the attempt to block the subpoenas was \"unlikely to succeed on the merits.\"\n\n\"The court concludes that a preliminary injunction\" being proposed by Trump's lawyers \"is inappropriate,\" Ramos said.\n\nWATCH: The saga of Trump's taxes", "A federal judge in Washington ruled Monday against President Trump in a financial records dispute with Congress.\n\nU.S. District Judge Amit Mehta, who was appointed by President Barack Obama, said Trump cannot block a House subpoena of financial records. He said the Democratic-led House committee seeking the information has said it believes the documents would help lawmakers consider strengthening ethics and disclosure laws, among other things.\n\nThe committee's reasons were \"valid legislative purposes,\" Mehta said, and it was not for him \"to question whether the Committee's actions are truly motivated by political considerations.\"\n\nThe decision comes amid a widespread effort by the White House and the president's lawyers to refuse to cooperate with congressional requests for information and records.\n\nIn the case before Mehta, Trump and his business organization sued to block the subpoena issued in April to Mazars USA, an accountant for the president and Trump Organization. Trump's lawyers accused Democrats of harassing Trump and said the subpoena \"has no legitimate legislative purpose.\"\n\nTrump's lawyers, in suing in both Washington and New York in attempt to beat back congressional subpoenas, said congressional investigations are legitimate only if there is legislation that might result from them.\n\nIn the New York case, Trump, his business and family have sued Deutsche Bank and Capital One to prevent the financial companies from complying with subpoenas from the House Financial Services Committee and the House Intelligence Committee for banking and financial records. A Wednesday hearing is planned in that case.\n\nEven before the ruling, scholars had said Trump's legal argument had little merit and that Congress has broad powers to investigate.", "Deutsche Bank on Monday denied a report by The New York Times that alleged anti-money laundering specialists at Deutsche Bank AG in 2016 and 2017 recommended multiple transactions involving entities controlled by President Donald Trump and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, be reported to a federal financial-crimes watchdog.\n\nThe article, which cited five current and former Deutsche Bank employees, said executives at the German-based bank, which has lent billions of dollars to the Trump and Kushner companies, rejected their employees' advice and the reports were never filed with the government.\n\n\"At no time was an investigator prevented from escalating activity identified as potentially suspicious,\" Deutsche Bank said in a statement on Sunday. \"Furthermore, the suggestion that anyone was reassigned or fired in an effort to quash concerns relating to any client is categorically false.\"\n\nOne woman, Tammy McFadden, a former Deutsche Bank anti-money laundering specialist, had told The New York Times that she was terminated last year after raising concerns about the bank's practices.\n\nIn another statement in response to US Senator Chris Van Hollen's concerns that Deutsche Bank had in 2017 told him it had procedures to insulate them from conflicts of interest with the Trump family, Deutsche Bank said their 2017 statement stood correct.\n\n\"There are numerous inaccuracies and misleading statements in The New York Times story,\" Deutsche Bank said.\n\n\"Legal restrictions on the bank prevent us from refuting publicly, and in detail, the inaccuracies in The New York Times story,\" it added.\n\nFollowing the publication of the article, Deutsche Bank shares fell to 2.9% in a record closing low.\n\nRead more: Deutsche and Commerzbank: A marriage of convenience that could well happen\n\nUS President Donald Trump appeared to deny The New York Times article in a series of tweets on Monday, insisting that he didn't borrow from many banks because he \"didn't need the money,\" not because they wouldn't do business with him.\n\n\"When you don't need or want money, you don't need or want banks. Banks have always been available to me, they want to make money,\" Trump wrote.\n\nThe New York Times article noted that real estate developers such as Trump and Kushner sometimes do large, all-cash deals, including with people outside the US, which can prompt anti-money laundering reviews.\n\n\"The red flags raised by employees do not necessarily mean the transactions were improper,\" the article read. \"Banks sometimes opt not to file suspicious activity reports if they conclude their employees' concerns are unwarranted.\"\n\nBut the former employees The New York Times spoke to \"said the decision not to report the Trump and Kushner transactions reflected the bank's generally lax approach to money laundering laws.\"\n\nEvery evening, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.", "A federal judge in New York on Wednesday ruled Deutsche Bank and Capital One can comply with subpoena requests made by congressional Democrats to turn over President Trump’s financial and business records, despite objections from the Trump family.\n\nLawyers representing Trump, his family and his organization were asking for the subpoenas to be nullified and had sued the financial institutions to block them from handing over the documents, but U.S. District Judge Edgardo Ramos said Congress has the authority to investigate.\n\n\"The power of Congress to conduct investigations is inherent in the legislative process,\" Ramos, who was appointed during President Barack Obama's tenure, said. He added that while the requests are broad,\" they are also \"clearly pertinent.\"\n\nLawyers for President Trump said it is a \"safe bet\" they would appeal.\n\nA spokesperson for Deutsche Bank said the company would \"abide by a court order\" regarding the investigation.\n\nHouse Democrats are looking to obtain more information about Trump’s financial affairs, potential dealings with Russia, and to look into possible connections to interference in U.S. elections.\n\nA couple of congressional committees subpoenaed Deutsche Bank, and other financial institutions, last month as they sought to procure Trump’s financial records. Lawyers representing the president and his family claim that the requests violate the Trump’s privacy and serve no legislative purpose – arguments that were struck down on Wednesday.\n\nEarlier this week, the president was dealt a blow in a D.C. court, after a federal district judge ruled that his former accounting firm – Mazars – will be required to turn over his financial records and documents.\n\nCLICK HERE FOR THE FOX BUSINESS APP\n\nDemocrats are also asking for Trump’s financial records from the IRS. The Treasury Department, under Secretary Steven Mnuchin, has so far failed to comply.\n\nIn a press conference in the Rose Garden earlier on Wednesday, Trump told reporters that it was not possible to work with Democrats on policy while these investigative issues lingered.\n\nFOX Business reached out to Capital One for comment and will post an update if the company replies.", "A federal judge dealt a blow to President Donald Trump on Wednesday, ruling that two banks can hand over his financial documents in response to congressional subpoenas.\n\nThe Trump family and company sued Deutsche Bank and Capital One last month in an effort to block them from turning over financial documents sought by Congress. The House Intelligence and Financial Services committees had issued subpoenas to several banks as part of their investigations of alleged foreign influence on U.S. elections.\n\nIn his ruling, U.S. District Judge Edgardo Ramos said he disagrees with the arguments from the Trump family attorneys that the subpoenas don’t have a legitimate legislative purpose.\n\nRamos described the subpoenas as “undeniably broad” but “clearly pertinent.”\n\nRamos issued his ruling after hearing arguments from lawyers representing the Trump and the Democratic-controlled congressional committees.\n\nThe Trump family lawyers signaled that they will appeal the ruling, but they did not comment after the hearing.\n\nDeutsche Bank has lent Trump’s real estate company millions of dollars over the years. Capitol One is among the banks that houses Trump’s personal accounts.\n\nIn a statement released after the ruling, Deutsche Bank said it won’t fight the judge’s order.\n\n“We remain committed to providing appropriate information to all authorized investigations and will abide by a court order regarding such investigations,” the statement read.\n\nCapital One did not immediately return a request for comment.\n\nTrump wrote a $35,000 check to his former personal attorney Michael Cohen from his Capital One checking account in August 2017. The money was tied to the effort to pay off porn star Stormy Daniels, who alleged that she had an affair with Trump before he took office.\n\nCohen submitted the check to Congress ahead of his testimony in March.\n\nIn the lawsuit, Trump’s attorneys argued that the subpoenas were politically motivated and unwarranted.\n\n“The subpoenas were issued to harass President Donald J. Trump; to rummage through every aspect of his personal finances, his businesses and the private information of the president and his family; and to ferret about for any material that might be used to cause him political damage,” said the suit, filed on behalf of Trump, his company and three eldest children — Donald Jr., Eric and Ivanka.", "US President Donald Trump lost his bid to block Deutsche Bank and Capital One Financial Corp from providing financial records to Democratic lawmakers investigating Trump’s businesses. Photo: Reuters", "A federal judge dealt a blow to President Donald Trump on Wednesday, ruling that two banks can hand over his financial documents in response to congressional subpoenas.\n\nThe Trump family and company sued Deutsche Bank and Capital One last month in an effort to block them from turning over financial documents sought by Congress. The House Intelligence and Financial Services committees had issued subpoenas to several banks as part of their investigations of alleged foreign influence on U.S. elections.\n\nIn his ruling, U.S. District Judge Edgardo Ramos said he disagrees with the arguments from the Trump family attorneys that the subpoenas don't have a legitimate legislative purpose.\n\nRamos described the subpoenas as \"undeniably broad\" but \"clearly pertinent.\"\n\nDeutsche Bank has lent Trump's real estate company millions of dollars over the years. Capitol One is among the banks that houses Trump's personal accounts.\n\nIn a statement released after the ruling, Deutsche Bank said it won't fight the judge's order.\n\n“We remain committed to providing appropriate information to all authorized investigations and will abide by a court order regarding such investigations,\" the statement read.\n\nCapital One did not immediately return a request for comment.\n\nTrump wrote a $35,000 check to his former personal attorney Michael Cohen from his Capital One checking account. The money was tied to the effort to pay off porn star Stormy Daniels, who alleged that she had an affair with Trump before he took office.\n\nCohen submitted the check to Congress ahead of his testimony in March.", "NEW YORK (Reuters) - Lawyers for U.S. President Donald Trump, three of his children and the Trump Organization will demand in court on Wednesday that a judge stop Deutsche Bank AG and Capital One Financial Corp from providing financial records to Democratic lawmakers investigating Trump’s businesses.\n\nRepublican Trump, who is seeking re-election next year, has aggressively sought to defy congressional oversight of his administration since Democrats took control of the U.S. House of Representatives in January.\n\nTrump said last month that the administration was “fighting all the subpoenas” issued by the House, hardening his position after the release of a redacted report from Special Counsel Robert Mueller on how Russia interfered in the 2016 U.S. election to help Trump and the president’s attempts to impede the investigation.\n\nThe contents of the subpoenas have not been made public. Wednesday’s hearing in federal court in Manhattan is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. (1630 GMT).\n\nDeutsche Bank has long been a principal lender for Trump’s real estate business and a 2017 disclosure form showed that Trump had at least $130 million of liabilities to the bank.\n\nIn March, before issuing a subpoena, Democratic lawmakers asked Capital One for documents concerning potential conflicts of interest tied to Trump’s Washington hotel and other business interests since he became president in January 2017.\n\nDeutsche Bank and Capital One said in court filings on May 10 they are not taking a position on whether the subpoenas should be blocked.\n\nTrump, his adult children, Donald Jr., Eric and Ivanka, and the Trump Organization are seeking a preliminary injunction to prevent Deutsche Bank complying with subpoenas from the House Financial Services Committee and the House Intelligence Committee, and Capital One from complying with a subpoena from the Financial Services Committee.\n\nIn a lawsuit filed on April 29, lawyers for Trump, his children and the Trump Organization argued that the subpoenas were too broad, and that Democrats are hoping they will “stumble upon something” that could be used for political attacks on the president.\n\n“The subpoenas were issued to harass President Donald J. Trump, to rummage through every aspect of his personal finances, his businesses, and the private information of the President and his family,” the complaint said.\n\nThe banks are the only defendants in the case, but the House committees have intervened to oppose Trump’s effort to block the subpoenas.\n\n“We remain committed to providing appropriate information to all authorized investigations and will abide by a court order regarding such investigations,” Deutsche Bank said in a statement ahead of the hearing.\n\nRepresentative Maxine Waters, who chairs the House Financial Services Committee, told reporters after the lawsuit was filed that Trump had “cast a gauntlet.” “We will fight him,” she said.\n\nMichael Stern, who served as senior House counsel from 1996 to 2004, said in an interview on Tuesday that Trump and the other plaintiffs faced an uphill battle. He said the judge was unlikely to look into the committee’s motives in issuing a subpoena “as long as it might produce some information that’s relevant to legislation.”\n\nOn Monday, a federal judge in Washington ruled against the president in a similar case, finding that Trump’s accounting firm, Mazars LLP, must comply with a congressional subpoena for Trump’s financial records.\n\nU.S. District Judge Amit Mehta found that Congress was “not engaged in a fishing expedition for the President’s financial records when it subpoenaed Mazars and said that documents obtained might assist Congress in passing laws and performing other core functions.\n\nTrump called Mehta’s decision “crazy” and “totally the wrong decision by obviously an Obama-appointed judge,” referring to Trump’s Democratic predecessor, Barack Obama. U.S. District Judge Edgardo Ramos, who was also appointed by Obama, is overseeing the New York case.", "A federal judge dealt a blow to President Donald Trump on Wednesday, ruling that two banks can hand over his financial documents in response to congressional subpoenas.\n\nThe Trump family and company sued Deutsche Bank and Capital One last month in an effort to block them from handing over financial documents sought by Congress. The House Intelligence and Financial Services committees had issued subpoenas to several banks as part of their investigations of alleged foreign influence on U.S. elections.\n\nIn his ruling, Judge Edgardo Ramos said he disagrees with the arguments from the Trump family attorneys that the subpoenas don't have a legitimate legislative purpose.\n\nDeutsche Bank has lent Trump's real estate company millions of dollars over the years. Capitol One is among the banks that houses Trump's personal accounts.\n\nTrump wrote a $35,000 check to his former personal attorney Michael Cohen from his Capital One account with Capital One. The money was tied to the effort to pay off two women who alleged they had affairs with Trump before he took office.", "NEW YORK — A federal judge on Wednesday rejected a request by President Trump to block congressional subpoenas for his banking records, dealing another blow to the president in his bid to block Democratic investigations into his personal finances.\n\nThe decision by District Court Judge Edgardo Ramos could clear the way for Deutsche Bank, the president’s biggest creditor, and Capital One to hand over years of financial records from Trump, his three eldest children and the president’s company to two House committees. Trump’s attorney told Ramos they were likely to appeal the decision.\n\nThis is the second court defeat for Trump this week in his fight to keep his finances secret. On Monday, a federal judge in Washington rejected Trump’s effort to block the House Oversight Committee’s demands for records from Trump’s accounting firm, Mazars USA. Trump’s attorneys notified the judge on Tuesday that they have appealed “all aspects” of that ruling.\n\n“Two in one week: Mazar Monday, Deutsche Bank today,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said.\n\n“Another Day, another very important ruling,” Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said. Schiff is chair of the House Intelligence Committee, which issued a subpoena to Deutsche Bank.\n\nTrump and congressional Democrats are locked in an escalating fight over the president’s financial records. The Treasury Department has also declined to turn over the president’s tax returns to a congressional committee despite a confidential Internal Revenue Service legal memo that found it should.\n\nTrump and his attorneys have called the subpoenas from the various House committees politically motivated attacks and presidential harassment. The House Intelligence and Financial Services committees are asking for a broad set of financial information that would violate the president’s privacy, Trump’s attorneys argued in federal court Wednesday.\n\n“They are looking for [bank] records about minors, about in-laws,” said Trump attorney Patrick Strawbridge, claiming that even information about Trump’s grandchildren could be swept up in the subpoenas of Deutsche Bank and Capital One.\n\nAn attorney representing the House committees said the subpoenas were part of a larger investigation and that lawmakers were well within their rights to request the information. “This is not an investigation just about Trump and his family,” said attorney Douglas Neal Letter.\n\nAfter hearing more than hour and a half of arguments, Ramos rejected Trump’s motion for a preliminary injunction that would have prevented the banks from turning over any financial records. Trump and his family “are unlikely to succeed on merits of their claims,\" Ramos said, reading from a lengthy decision from the bench. “I will not enjoin enforcement of the subpoenas.\"\n\nThis bring House Democrats one step closer to getting access to a trove of financial information about Trump and his business.\n\nDeutsche Bank has been a major lender to both the Trump Organization and Kushner Companies, which previously was run by Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who now is a presidential adviser. Trump’s relationship with the bank goes back years, including a period when Trump had trouble paying back a loan for a Chicago tower. Trump sued the bank, saying it had played a role in a broader financial crisis that hurt the project. Trump and Deutsche Bank eventually settled the case and the bank continued to lend to him.\n\nKushner also has an extensive relationship with the German bank. Shortly before Election Day in 2016, Deutsche Bank finalized a $285 million loan to Kushner’s real estate company, The Washington Post has previously reported. At the time, the bank was negotiating settlements with federal and New York regulators.\n\nCongressional Democrats have long said they want to examine the bank’s loans to the Trump and Kushner businesses, particularly to see if there is any connection to money-laundering in Russia.\n\nIn a statement, Deutsche Bank said: “We remain committed to providing appropriate information to all authorized investigations and will abide by a court order regarding such investigations.”\n\nCapital One did not return an email seeking comment.\n\nKranish and Sonmez reported from Washington. Reis Thebault and Karoun Demirjian contributed to this report."], "summary": "Judge Edgardo Ramos of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York rules Deutsche Bank and Capital One can release President Trump's financial records to Congress."}
{"document": ["At least six people are dead and more than 200 are injured after protests turned violent following the announcement of Indonesia’s official presidential election results, according to the governor of Jakarta.\n\nSupporters of the main opposition candidate Prabowo Subainto clashed with security forces and set fire to a police dormitory and vehicles in the capital, the reports. Prabowo, a former general, lost the election to incumbent President Joko Widodo, commonly known as Jokowi, but he has refuted the results since quick count results showed that Jokowi won the April election.\n\nPrabowo said Tuesday that he will challenge the election results in the country’s courts.\n\nRead More: Social Media Gets a Bad Rap in Elections, But Activists In Indonesia Are Using It to Boost Transparency\n\nDedi Prasetyo, a National Police spokesman, said protests turned violent late Tuesday and that police arrested 20 “provocateurs,” reports the . He stressed that police did not have live bullets. The city’s police spokesman said tear gas and water cannons were being used against protestors attacking with weapons such as rocks and molotov cocktails, according to the .\n\nThe reports that more than 30,000 troops have been deployed to Jakarta, and several governments offices, schools, shopping centers and businesses have been closed as a precautionary measure.\n\nThe country’s security minister says that social media will be blocked in parts of the country due to the protests, but he did not specify which locations would be affected by the restrictions, according to the Associated Press.\n\nProtestors had started gathering outside the election commission building as of Wednesday morning, according to the .", "At least 20 people in Indonesia were arrested by the police for allegedly provoking riots in Jakarta following official results of the recent election that showed President Joko Widodo had been re-elected.\n\nThe governor of the Indonesian capital, Anies Baswedan confirmed on Tuesday, May 21 that \"As per 9 o'clock this morning, there were 200 people hurt being brought to five hospitals\" and \"The number of people dead was six.\"\n\nTelevision footages showed dozens of protesters dancing in the street in the Tanah Abang district of central Jakarta. As per the Reuters, a separate crowd of the protesters in front of the election supervisory body threw rocks at police.\n\nThe General Election Commission (KPU) on Tuesday confirmed unofficial counts by private pollsters in the April 17 election, which gave Widodo a 55.5% share of votes against 44.5% for his opponent, former general Prabowo Subianto.\n\nWidodo won more than 85 million votes of a total of 154 million casts in the world's third-largest democracy, but Prabowo told reporters he believed there had been widespread cheating and about 1,000 supporters gathered in Jakarta a day earlier.\n\nOn Monday, an election supervisory agency dismissed claims of systematic cheating, citing a lack of evidence. Independent observers have said the poll was free and fair.\n\nProtests that started peacefully on Tuesday turned violent in the evening, forcing police to fire tear gas to disperse the crowd. Cars parked near an apartment housing the police's mobile brigade were set ablaze, media reported.\n\n\"As of now, police have arrested more than 20 people we thought were the provocateurs and who did other crimes,\" said police spokesman Dedi Prasetyo.\n\nPrasetyo said police were checking on reports of casualties but stressed that security officers on the ground, which include military personnel, were not equipped with live bullets.\n\nNews website Tirto reported a man died of bullet wounds in Tanah Abang, quoting a doctor at a hospital near the site.\n\nIndonesian authorities have said 40,000 police and army personnel were on duty across Jakarta in a bid to maintain security.", "Vehicles set alight in Jakarta after supporters of losing candidate take to the streets\n\nThis article is more than 3 months old\n\nThis article is more than 3 months old\n\nSix people died and more than 200 were injured in the Indonesian capital Jakarta after protesters clashed with security forces and set fire to a police dormitory and vehicles, officials have said.\n\nProtests by supporters of an unsuccessful presidential candidate that had ended peacefully on Tuesday afternoon resumed and turned violent late on Tuesday and continued through the night, said the national police spokesman, Dedi Prasetyo. Police said they had arrested 20 “provocateurs”.\n\nSeveral thousand demonstrators gathered to protest the results , in an area that was in a total security lockdown. Central Jakarta, usually bustling and full of traffic was eerily quiet by the evening.\n\nBehind reams of barbed wire that separated protesters from a heavy military and police presence, some demonstrators held flowers and signs highlighting the deaths of rioters earlier today.\n\nThe Jakarta governor, Anies Baswedan, said hospitals were conducting postmortems to determine the causes of the deaths.\n\nAuthorities were still investigating and were not willing to rule out the involvement of “third-party provocateurs”, said another police official.\n\nJakarta has been on edge in recent days amid simmering tensions in the aftermath of April’s presidential election. Official results on Tuesday confirmed the incumbent, President Joko Widodo, had won a second term with 55.5% of the vote.\n\nHis opponent, the fiery ex-special forces commander Prabowo Subianto, has refused to accept the result, alleging the poll was marred by widespread fraud – a claim his team has yet to produce compelling evidence to support.\n\nIndonesian troops on alert as Widodo wins more than half of votes Read more\n\nIndonesia’s security minister, Wiranto, said authorities would restrict access to social media in certain areas to prevent the spread of fake news.\n\nIn a press conference this afternoon, Prabowo Subianto denounced the clashes and urged his supporters to protest peacefully.\n\n“We are peaceful, not treasonous,” said Rusli, a 46-year-old Jakarta resident, and Prabowo supporter who attended the rally, “The voting data has been manipulated and our the rights of our voices has been diminished. We want justice.”\n\nIndonesia’s Kompas TV showed protesters throwing rocks, a paramilitary police dormitory on fire, and hundreds of riot police in a central Jakarta neighbourhood. One man reportedly died after sustaining a gunshot wound in the melee, according to Tirto.id, an Indonesian news website.\n\nPrasetyo said police were checking on reports of casualties, but stressed that security officers on the ground, which include military personnel, were not equipped with live bullets.\n\nA police spokesman said police used teargas and water cannon against protesters who threw rocks, molotov cocktails and burning projectiles.\n\nFacebook Twitter Pinterest Cars burned by protesters in Jakarta. Photograph: Bay Ismoyo/AFP/Getty Images\n\nThe opposition said on Tuesday it would contest the result in court, a repeat move of Prabowo’s unsuccessful bid for president in 2014.\n\nIn recent weeks, key figures in the Prabowo camp have called for “people power” as a response to the electoral outcome, with at least two associated figures facing treason charges as a result.\n\nMore than 30,000 troops have been deployed to secure the Indonesian capital ahead of a planned protest, with some government offices and schools closed as a precaution.\n\nA major commuter train station in the area was shut temporarily, and roads blocked off in parts of the sprawling city. Some shopping malls, businesses and schools were also closed.\n\nTensions have been exacerbated by a string of recent arrests of terrorist suspects, who police say had planned to create chaos by bombing the post-election protests.\n\nPolice on Tuesday arrested a former general for allegedly smuggling weapons to the protest, and authorities confiscated molotov cocktails from one minibus of Prabowo supporters travelling to the capital from Java.\n\nAs of Wednesday morning, protesters had started to gather outside the building of the elections supervisory agency.", "Supporters of an unsuccessful presidential candidate have clashed with security forces in the Indonesian capital, burning vehicles and throwing rocks at police, who responded with tear gas and rubber bullets.\n\nThe protesters tried to force their way into the central offices of the election supervisory agency late on Tuesday and clashes have continued since then.\n\nNational Police spokesman Muhammad Iqbal said the majority of protesters had come from outside Jakarta and nearly 60 people had been arrested.\n\nPolice said based on reports from hospitals that six people have died. Police chief Tito Karnavian told a news conference that authorities are still investigating the causes of death and are not ruling out the involvement of third parties acting as provocateurs.\n\nHe said the information police obtained showed victims were hit by gunshots or blunt devices.\n\nWhite-robed men blocked streets in one central Jakarta neighbourhood and in another, rioters fought running battles with police, throwing rocks and setting fires.\n\nDuring the night, vehicles and a paramilitary police dormitory were set on fire as police using tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannons battled protesters who threw petrol bombs and burning projectiles.\n\nThe Election Commission on Tuesday said President Joko Widodo had won a second term with 55.5% of the vote in the April 17 election.\n\nLosing candidate Prabowo Subianto, an ultra-nationalist former special forces general, has refused to accept the result and declared himself the winner.\n\nHis campaign plans to challenge the election in the Constitutional Court. They allege massive fraud in the world’s third-largest democracy but have provided no credible evidence.\n\nThe government had deployed 50,000 police and soldiers in Jakarta in anticipation of protests, said police spokesman Argo Yuwono. Many residents have left the city and parts of the centre are closed to traffic with the election supervisory agency and Election Commission barricaded with razor wire.\n\nIndonesia’s top security minister said authorities will block access to social media in certain areas amid the protests.\n\nWiranto, who uses a single name, did not specify which areas would be subject to the restrictions.\n\nPolice have said the rioting was planned rather than a spontaneous outburst.\n\nIn the past week, authorities have arrested three pro-Subianto activists on suspicion of treason, said national police spokesman Dedi Prasety.\n\nThey included Sunarko, a retired general and former commander of Indonesia’s special forces who uses a single name. Police allege there was a plot to seize crucial government buildings in Jakarta.\n\nMr Subianto and members of his campaign team had said they would mobilise “people power” during days of street protests. The former general called on supporters to refrain from violence.\n\nMr Subianto, who also lost to Widodo in 2014, ran a fear-based campaign, emphasising what he sees as Indonesia’s weakness and the risk of exploitation by foreign powers or disintegration.\n\nHe aligned himself with hardline Muslim groups and won massive majorities in conservative provinces such as Aceh, which follows Shariah law, but was defeated by Mr Widodo in the president’s populous East Java and Central Java strongholds.\n\nMr Widodo’s campaign highlighted his progress in poverty reduction and improving Indonesia’s inadequate infrastructure with new ports, toll roads, airports and mass rapid transit.", "Protests in the streets of the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, turned violent on Tuesday night, with police reportedly using tear gas and water cannons to disperse demonstrators who had set fire to vehicles and a police dormitory.\n\nAnies Baswedan, the govenor of Jakarta, was quoted by local media as saying that six people had been killed and 200 injured in the unrest. There has not yet been official confirmation from police.\n\nPresident Joko Widodo said on Wednesday that authorities have the volatile situation under control. Flanked by the military chief and other top leaders, Widodo said: \"I will work together with anyone to advance this country, but I will not tolerate anyone who disrupts the security, democratic processes and unity of our beloved nation.\"\n\n\"These protests do not come out of the blue,\" Felix Heiduk, an Indonesia expert at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) told DW. \"They have to be understood in the context of growing polarization in Indonesian society over the past five years,\" he added.\n\nThe protests began Tuesday afternoon, when thousands of supporters of Prabowo Subianto gathered outside the headquarters of the Indonesian election commission in Jakarta after official election results were released confirming the victory of Subianto's rival, Joko Widodo.\n\nIndonesian National Police spokesman Dedi Prasetyo said clashes with police began Tuesday night and continued through into Wednesday morning, adding that at least 20 people had been arrested.\n\nImages broadcast on Indonesian television and social media showed demonstrators throwing flaming objects at riot police as smoke filled the air. As of mid-morning on Wednesday, live broadcasts showed demonstrators still on the streets of Jakarta.\n\nIndonesian police said they had deployed more than 30,000 police across Jakarta in anticipation of violent protests. The country's security minister said the government will also restrict access to social media to prevent the spread of fake news. \"To avoid provocations, the spread of fake news through the community, we will limit access to certain features on social media,\" said Wiranto, who goes by one name.\n\nThe initial protest reportedly ended peacefully, but tensions between police and demonstrators escalated after demonstrators refused to leave the area around the election headquarters and began throwing objects at security forces.\n\nPrabowo Subianto's supporters accuse President Widodo's campaign of electoral fraud. Subianto has refused to accept the election results, and has declared himself the winner of presidential election that was held on April 17.\n\n\"The inconsistency is reflected in the ambiguous step between encouraging people to take to the streets and denying that the rioters were not Prabowo's supporters,\" Arif Susanto, a political expert at Exposit Strategic in Jakarta, told DW. \"It's also evident in Prabowo not trusting the constitutional court but wanting to contest the election results in the court,\" he added. \"This is the political expression of anxiety in his elite circle.\"\n\nAccording to the Indonesian Election Commission, Widodo won the election by a margin of about 10%. Prabowo's campaign has said they will challenge the election results in Indonesia's constitutional court, although they have provided no evidence to back up their claims.\n\nEach evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.", "JAKARTA, Indonesia — Supporters of an unsuccessful presidential candidate clashed with security forces and set fire to a police dormitory and vehicles in the Indonesian capital on Wednesday after the release of official election results.\n\nThe situation turned violent late Tuesday when protesters tried to force their way into the offices of the election supervisory agency and clashes continued through the night, National Police spokesman Dedi Prasetyo said. More than 20 suspected provocateurs were arrested, he said Wednesday.\n\nKompasTV showed protesters throwing rocks, a paramilitary police dormitory on fire, and hundreds of riot police in a central neighborhood.\n\nIndonesia’s Election Commission on Tuesday said President Joko Widodo had won a second term with 55.5% of the vote in the April 17 election.\n\nFormer special forces general Prabowo Subianto has refused to accept the results and declared himself the winner. His campaign plans to challenge the election in the Constitutional Court. They allege massive fraud but have provided no credible evidence.\n\nJakarta police spokesman Argo Yuwono said police used tear gas and water cannon against protesters who threw rocks, molotov cocktails and burning projectiles.\n\nThe government had deployed some 50,000 police and soldiers in Jakarta in anticipation of protests, said Yuwono. Many residents have left the city and parts of the downtown are closed to traffic with the election supervisory agency and election commission barricaded with razor wire.\n\nIn the past week, authorities have arrested three pro-Subianto activists on suspicion of treason, said Prasetyo, including a retired general and former commander of Indonesia’s special forces. Police allege there was a plot to seize crucial government buildings in Jakarta.", "JAKARTA, Indonesia — Supporters of an unsuccessful presidential candidate clashed with security forces and set fire to a police dormitory and vehicles in the Indonesian capital on Wednesday after the release of official election results.\n\nNational Police spokesman Dedi Prasetyo said protests turned violent late Tuesday and continued through the night. He said Wednesday that dozens of people were detained.\n\nKompasTV showed protesters throwing rocks, a paramilitary police dormitory on fire, and hundreds of riot police in a central neighborhood of the city.\n\nIndonesia's Election Commission on Tuesday said President Joko Widodo had won a second term with 55.5% of the vote in the April 17 election.\n\nHis opponent, former general Prabowo Subianto, has refused to accept the results and declared himself the winner. His campaign plans to challenge the election in the Constitutional Court. They allege massive fraud but have provided no credible evidence.\n\nJakarta police spokesman Argo Yuwono said police used tear gas and water cannon against protesters who threw rocks, molotov cocktails and burning projectiles.", "JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Supporters of an unsuccessful presidential candidate clashed with security forces and set fire to a police dormitory and vehicles in the Indonesian capital on Wednesday after the release of official election results.\n\nNational Police spokesman Dedi Prasetyo said protests turned violent late Tuesday and continued through the night. He said Wednesday that dozens of people were detained.\n\nKompasTV showed protesters throwing rocks, a paramilitary police dormitory on fire, and hundreds of riot police in a central neighborhood of the city.\n\nIndonesia’s Election Commission on Tuesday said President Joko Widodo had won a second term with 55.5% of the vote in the April 17 election.\n\nHis opponent, former general Prabowo Subianto, has refused to accept the results and declared himself the winner. His campaign plans to challenge the election in the Constitutional Court. They allege massive fraud but have provided no credible evidence.\n\nJakarta police spokesman Argo Yuwono said police used tear gas and water cannon against protesters who threw rocks, molotov cocktails and burning projectiles.", "Several thousand people rallied in support of Subianto near the election supervisory agency office in the heart of the capital Jakarta on Tuesday.\n\n[JAKARTA] Indonesian police fired tear gas to disperse demonstrators in downtown Jakarta early Wednesday after a rally opposed to President Joko Widodo's re-election, an AFP reporter said.\n\nThe country's election commission on Tuesday released official results that confirmed Mr Joko, 57, had beaten retired military general Prabowo Subianto for the presidency in a poll held on April 17.\n\nMr Prabowo has said he would challenge the results in court, and warned that his claims of widespread cheating could spark street protests.\n\nSeveral thousand people rallied in support of Subianto near the election supervisory agency office in the heart of the capital Jakarta on Tuesday.\n\nThe protest ended peacefully, but police in riot gear later fired tear gas at some demonstrators who refused to leave the area and hurled fireworks and other objects at police.\n\nEarlier, some protesters had set market stalls on fire.\n\nIt was not immediately clear if any demonstrators or police were injured in the clash.\n\nMore than 30,000 troops were deployed across the capital in anticipation of protests after the official election results were published.\n\nTensions have also spiked since police said last week that they had arrested dozens of Islamic State-linked terror suspects who had planned to cause chaos by bombing post-election protests.\n\nLast month, a record 245,000 candidates ran for public office in Indonesia's elections, from the presidency and parliamentary seats to local positions - the first time all were held on the same day.", "Indonesian police fired water cannon and rubber bullets at protesters setting fires and trying to breach barbed wire barricades on Wednesday as demonstrations over the outcome of the presidential election hit the capital for a second night.\n\nThe riots followed an announcement on Tuesday by the General Election Commission (KPU) confirming that President Joko Widodo had beaten his challenger, former general Prabowo Subianto, in the April 17 poll.\n\nWidodo won more than 85 million votes of 154 million cast, but retired general Prabowo has alleged \"massive cheating and irregularities\" and refused to concede defeat.\n\nThe election supervisory agency dismissed claims of systematic cheating, citing a lack of evidence. Independent observers have said the poll was free and fair.\n\nProtesters gathered outside the election supervisory agency in central Jakarta. Some arriving carried wooden poles and some had smeared toothpaste around their eyes, a practice commonly carried out to eliminate the effects of tear gas.\n\nMany left peacefully but as night fell others hurled firecrackers and other objects at officers and set blazes as they tried to breach the barbed wire separating them from police.\n\nPolice responded with rounds of tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannon.\n\nMedics were seen treating dozens of protesters affected by tear gas and using oxygen to revive some who had passed out.\n\nOn Tuesday, the Tanah Abang area had also seen protests turn violent after nightfall. Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan said by Wednesday morning six people had been killed and 200 wounded.\n\nWidodo warned of tough action against those instigating riots.\n\n\"I will not tolerate anyone disrupting the security ... or those who disrupt the democratic process or the unity of the country,\" he told a briefing at the presidential palace.\n\nChief security minister Wiranto said the government would temporarily block certain social media functions to prevent inflammatory hoaxes and fake news.\n\nIndonesian authorities say 40,000 police and army personnel are on duty across Jakarta to maintain security. Many office buildings, businesses and embassies in downtown Jakarta were closed, as were train stations in the area.\n\nPolice said at three locations in the capital 257 suspects had been detained who were suspected of starting riots.\n\n\"I urge all sides, the people who are expressing their aspirations, the police, the military and all sides to refrain from physical abuse,\" he told a briefing.\n\nMany of the protesters appeared to have come from outside Jakarta and police found envelopes containing money on some of the people they searched, national police spokesman Muhamad Iqbal told a news conference.\n\n\"This is not a spontaneous incident, this is something by design. There are indications that the mobs are paid and bent on causing chaos,\" he said.\n\nLater at a news conference, police displayed suspects in orange jumpsuits as well as petrol bombs, makeshift arrows, sickles and cash in envelopes.\n\nThe KPU on Tuesday confirmed unofficial counts by private pollsters that gave Widodo a 55.5% share of votes against 44.5% for Prabowo.\n\nA Prabowo campaign official said they planned to contest the result in the Constitutional Court on Thursday. Prabowo also launched a legal challenge after he was defeated in the 2014 election by Widodo, which was unsuccessful.\n\nAnalysts have said Widodo's double-digit margin of victory means the opposition does not have a strong case to claim rigging, but Islamist supporters of Prabowo could cause considerable disruption.\n\nIslamist groups, many of which support Prabowo, have in the past been able to mobilise mass support.\n\nFrom late 2016, they organised a series of protests against then-Jakarta governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, the first ethnic-Chinese Christian to hold the job, who was subsequently jailed for insulting the Koran.\n\nPresidential Chief of Staff Moeldoko said he believed there was \"a systematic effort by a certain group ... that is riding on the situation to muddy the situation\".\n\n\"We know who is behind this,\" he said.\n\nOf the six reported fatalities, a 30-year-old man was killed due to a blunt force trauma, said Dr. Sumariyono at the Cipto Mangunkusumo hospital in Jakarta. Another man died of bullet wounds, news website Tirto.com reported, quoting a doctor at another hospital.\n\nNational police chief Tito Karnavian said reports of the deaths were being investigated. Police spokesman Dedi Prasetyo said security forces, including military personnel, were not armed with live bullets."], "summary": "Six people die and more than 200 are injured in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, after protesters of the announced results of the presidential election clash with security forces and set fire to a police dormitory and vehicles."}
{"document": ["Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Andrea Leadsom: \"I couldn't support the Brexit bill\"\n\nCommons Leader Andrea Leadsom has quit the cabinet, saying she no longer believes the government's approach will deliver Brexit.\n\nHer resignation comes amid a backlash against Theresa May's Brexit plan from Conservative MPs.\n\nSeveral cabinet ministers have told the BBC that the PM cannot stay, with one saying it is \"the end of the line\".\n\nIn a letter to Mrs Leadsom, the PM wrote she was \"sorry to lose someone of [her] passion, drive and sincerity\".\n\nMrs May also said she disagreed with \"the assessment you now give about our approach\" to Brexit.\n\nMrs Leadsom previously ran for Tory leader but withdrew, clearing the path for Mrs May to become prime minister.\n\nAs Commons leader, she was in charge of organising government business and had been due to announce when the prime minister's Withdrawal Agreement Bill would be introduced to Parliament.\n\nHer resignation is the 36th by a minister under Theresa May - 21 of them over Brexit - and comes a day before the UK votes in the European elections.\n\nThe move came after a day of drama at Westminster in which anger grew at the prime minister's attempt to win backing for the bill - the legislation needed to implement the agreement between the UK and EU on the terms of Brexit.\n\nAs part of it, Mrs May has offered a number of changes, including a chance for MPs to hold a vote on another referendum if they back the bill.\n\nIn a letter to the prime minister, Mrs Leadsom - MP for South Northamptonshire - said she did not believe \"the UK would be a truly sovereign United Kingdom through the deal that is now proposed\".\n\nShe also described holding another referendum as \"dangerously divisive\", and said she was opposed to the government \"willingly facilitating such a concession\".\n\nAnother referendum would \"risk undermining our Union which is something I passionately want to see strengthened\", she said.\n\nShe also attacked the \"breakdown of government processes\", saying that Brexit-related legislation proposals had not been \"properly scrutinised\".\n\nShe concluded her letter by paying tribute to \"the integrity, resolution and determination\" of the prime minister and urging her to \"make the right decisions in the interests of the country, the government and our party\".\n\nBut in her response, Mrs May said her bill would deliver Brexit for the UK, and sought to assure her departing colleague that she continued to be opposed to a second referendum - arguing it would be \"divisive\".\n\n'A step too far'\n\nBBC political correspondent Jonathan Blake said that Mrs Leadsom had made many compromises over Brexit.\n\n\"She clearly feels the new improved bill - as Theresa May has styled it - was a step too far,\" he added.\n\n\"It is an extraordinary sequence of events for a key member of the Cabinet to resign on the eve of elections.\n\n\"It is unlikely that we will see others follow her immediately, but getting into Friday and the weekend, things could move swiftly.\"\n\nBBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg said Home Secretary Sajid Javid \"isn't going anywhere\", but added that his backers said he wasn't happy about the second referendum part of Mrs May's offer.\n\nWho is Andrea Leadsom?\n\nAndrea Leadsom was the MP who stood against Theresa May for leadership of the Conservative Party in 2016, following David Cameron's resignation after the EU referendum.\n\nShe decided to withdraw from the race, leaving Theresa May as PM, following an interview in which she suggested that being a mother made her a better candidate for the job.\n\nMrs Leadsom campaigned for Leave during the Brexit campaign, appearing on the panel at the final TV debate of the campaign at Wembley Arena, alongside Boris Johnson and then Labour MP Gisela Stuart.\n\nShe served as environment secretary between July 2016 and June 2017, and more recently as Leader of the House, a role which means she organises and announces government business in Parliament.\n\nTim Loughton - the Conservative MP who ran Mrs Leadsom's campaign to be party leader - said she had \"great integrity\", and left because she couldn't support the prime minister's bill.\n\nPro-EU Conservative MP Dominic Grieve said he was sorry that Mrs Leadsom had resigned, but added that some of this colleagues are \"living in world of fantasy\".\n\n\"They refuse to accept they can't carry out Brexit in the way that they want,\" he said.\n\nLabour MP Ian Lavery said the resignation showed \"the prime minister's authority is shot and her time is up\".\n\nHis colleague Jess Phillips praised Mrs Leadsom, saying: \"I liked Leadsom. She had our back in the complaints process and she was vital in the proxy voting.\"\n\n'Tough it out'\n\nThe minister's resignation capped a difficult day for the prime minister who continued to resist calls to quit herself.\n\nSeveral cabinet ministers broke cover on Wednesday afternoon to signal their unhappiness with the Withdrawal Agreement Bill, among them Home Secretary Sajid Javid.\n\nForeign Secretary Jeremy Hunt also requested a private meeting with the PM to discuss the situation.\n\nBut BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg said the PM declined to meet the ministers - both of whom are seen as possible contenders to be the next Conservative leader - and instead seemed determined to \"tough it out\".\n\nImage copyright PA Image caption Sir Graham Brady announcing that the PM had survived a no confidence vote in December 2018\n\nThe 1922 Committee of backbench Conservative MPs had been expected to vote on Wednesday evening on whether to change the party's rules to allow an immediate vote of no confidence in the prime minister.\n\nCurrent rules dictate that as the PM survived such a vote in December, she cannot face another one for 12 months.\n\nMrs May is now scheduled to meet the committee's chairman, Sir Graham Brady on Friday.\n\nLaura Kuenssberg said the PM appeared to have bought herself 36 hours.\n\nThe PM had already pledged to set a timetable for a new leader to take over after MPs vote on the Withdrawal Agreement Bill. That, in theory at least, is expected to happen on 7 June.\n\nWhat is in the Withdrawal Agreement Bill?\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Theresa May says failure to back her deal risks \"no Brexit at all\"\n\nMrs May is bringing the Withdrawal Agreement Bill - legislation required to bring her agreement into UK law - to Parliament in early June.\n\nIn an attempt to win over MPs across the House, she announced the following concessions:\n\nA guarantee of a Commons vote on whether to hold another referendum on the government's Brexit deal\n\nA vote on different customs options, including a government proposal for a temporary customs union for goods - what Mrs May called a \"customs compromise\"\n\nA legal obligation for the UK to \"seek to conclude alternative arrangements\" to replace the Northern Ireland backstop by the end of 2020\n\nIf the backstop does come into force, the bill would guarantee Northern Ireland remains aligned with the rest of the UK and remains in same customs territory\n\nLegislation to ensure workers rights are \"every bit as good, if not better\" after Brexit - and guarantees of no dilution in environmental standards\n\nA legal duty to seek changes to the political declaration on future relations with the EU\n\nWhat are the Tory leadership rules?", "The pound continued to hover around 4-month lows Thursday after Prime Minister Theresa May suffered another cabinet resignation and faced intensifying calls by some members of her party to step down.\n\nSterling versus the U.S. dollar has moved toward the $1.25 handle, falling to a low of $1.2603 just as European trading began on Thursday.\n\nAround the same time the euro bought 88.385 pence. The pound is currently on track to suffer 14 consecutive days of losses against the euro zone's common currency.\n\nA fourth attempt by May to secure domestic support for her Brexit withdrawal plan looks doomed to fail and calls for her to step down have amplified.\n\nAdding to May's troubles was the resignation of House of Commons leader Andrea Leadsom on Wednesday evening. Leadsom is the 36th minister to resign in the almost three years of the May premiership.\n\n\"Investors should not be complacent about the threat of a no-deal exit, which we believe would take the pound as low as $1.15 and 0.97 versus the euro,\" UBS analysts said in a note Thursday.\n\nMay is expected to depart in the next few days and her Conservative Party will narrow down candidates to two people before conducting a run-off vote.\n\nA number of Conservative lawmakers are thought to be in the race to be the next U.K. leader, but bookmakers put the former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson as favorite. Johnson confirmed his candidacy last week.\n\nJohnson, a supporter of Brexit, has been hugely critical of May's attempts to agree a deal and has said that Britain has \"nothing to fear\" from leaving the trading bloc.\n\nThe investment bank J.P. Morgan said in a note Tuesday that a leadership victory for Johnson would likely trigger a number of defections from within the Conservative Party, strengthening the case for a general election.\n\nNow watch: Where did Brexit come from?", "British Prime Minister Theresa May departs from 10 Downing Street ahead of Prime Ministers Questions session (PMQs) in Parliament, London on May 22, 2019.\n\nBritish Prime Minister Theresa May could announce her resignation in the next few days, according to U.K. media reports, as she faces pressure from members of her own party to step down.\n\nThe Times newspaper reported on Thursday morning that May will announce that she will quit her post as early as Friday. The paper did not cite a source and Downing Street would not comment on the reports when contacted by CNBC.\n\nMay will remain as prime minister while her successor is elected in a two-stage process under which two final candidates face a ballot of 125,000 Conservative Party members, the newspaper said.\n\nPressure appears to have been mounting on the prime minister to announce her departure in the last 48 hours amid a backlash of her offer of a \"new\" Brexit plan that she wanted to put before Parliament.\n\nLawmakers have already rejected May's Brexit deal three times so the prospect of another vote on the withdrawal agreement, that many opposition and Tory lawmakers have already rejected and said had not changed much, was met with disbelief in many quarters.\n\nOn Wednesday night, the Telegraph's deputy political editor reported that the influential 1922 Committee (a powerful group of pro-Brexit Conservative party lawmakers) wanted May to announce on Friday that she will step down as party leader by June 10.\n\nThe Telegraph newspaper reported Thursday that May \"is under siege\" in Downing Street and had refused to meet key ministers Jeremy Hunt and Sajid Javid.\n\nThe latest turmoil in the British political establishment comes after May said she had made a number of changes to the Brexit plan she had offered members of Parliament (MP) – including the offer of a vote on whether to hold a second referendum – but opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn said he'd oppose the deal, as did other opposition parties, and significant Tory MPs opposed the plans too.\n\nThe prime minister was dealt a blow Wednesday evening when senior minister Andrea Leadsom quit her post saying that May's new Brexit plan contained \"elements I cannot support, that aren't Brexit.\"\n\nAs a backlash to May's plan grew, the influential 1922 Committee reportedly met Wednesday evening and held a secret ballot on whether May's leadership could be challenged in a no-confidence vote.\n\nCurrent rules state that a leader can only face one confidence vote within a 12-month period and May survived a confidence vote last December.\n\nThe results of the 1922 Committee's votes are reportedly in sealed envelopes and these will be opened if May does not agree to stand down by June 10.\n\nThe pound hovered around a 4-month lows as opposition to May's plan emerged Wednesday and slipped to $1.2625 overnight, its lowest since January 4.", "LONDON (Reuters) - Prime Minister Theresa May is under pressure to resign after a backlash to her final Brexit gambit and has agreed to meet the chairman of her Conservative Party’s 1922 Committee on Friday to discuss her future.\n\nBelow are Conservatives who have either said they plan to put themselves forward or are widely expected to run for the leadership:\n\nThe face of the official campaign to leave the European Union, Johnson resigned as foreign minister in July in protest at May’s handling of the exit negotiations.\n\nJohnson set out his pitch to the membership in a speech at the party’s annual conference in October - some members queued for hours to get a seat. He called on the party to return to its traditional values of low tax and strong policing.\n\nLast week the BBC reported he had told The British Insurance Brokers’ Association: “Of course I’m going to go for it.”\n\nHe is the bookmakers’ favourite to succeed May.\n\nThe pro-Brexit former television presenter, who resigned as work and pensions minister in November in protest at May’s exit deal with the EU, has said she plans to run.\n\nMcVey told Talkradio: “I have always said quite clearly that if I got enough support from my colleagues, yes I would (run). Now people have come forward and I have got that support, so I will be going forward.”\n\nA former diplomat who once walked 6,000 miles across Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and Nepal, Stewart was promoted to International Development Secretary this month.\n\nEducated at the exclusive Eton College, Stewart was first elected to parliament in 2010 and backed remaining in the EU in the 2016 referendum. He opposes a ‘no deal’ exit and has been a vocal advocate of May’s deal with Brussels.\n\n“I do want to bring this country together ... I accept Brexit, I am a Brexiteer, but I want to reach out to ‘Remain’ voters as well,” he told the BBC.\n\nGove, one of the highest-profile Brexit campaigners during the 2016 referendum, has had to rebuild his cabinet career after falling early to May in the contest to replace David Cameron, who resigned the day after losing the referendum.\n\nSeen as one of the most effective members of cabinet in bringing forward new policies, the high-energy environment minister has become a surprise ally to May and has backed her Brexit strategy.\n\nGove teamed up with Johnson during the 2016 Brexit campaign only to pull his support for Johnson’s subsequent leadership bid at the last moment and run himself.\n\nHe has not yet said whether he plans to run.\n\nHunt replaced Johnson as foreign minister in July and has urged the Conservative membership to set aside their differences over Brexit and unite against a common foe - the EU.\n\nHunt voted to remain in the EU in the referendum. He served six years as Britain’s health minister, a role that has made him unpopular with many voters who work in or rely on the state-run, financially stretched National Health Service.\n\nAsked at a lunch with journalists in parliament if he planned to run for leader, he said: “Wait and see.”\n\nA pro-Brexit campaigner, Leadsom made it to the last two in the 2016 contest to replace Cameron. She withdrew after a backlash to an interview in which she said being a mother gave her more of a stake in the future of the country than her rival Theresa May.\n\nLeadsom quit as Leader of the House of Commons on Wednesday, saying she did not believe the government’s approach would deliver on the Brexit referendum result. She has previously told broadcaster ITV she was “seriously considering standing” to replace May.\n\nRaab quit as May’s Brexit minister last year in protest at her draft exit agreement saying it did not match the promises the Conservative Party made in the 2017 election. Raab served only five months as head of the Brexit department.\n\nHe had held junior ministerial roles since being elected in 2010. Raab, a black belt in karate, campaigned for Brexit.\n\nAsked if he would like to be prime minister, he said: “Never say never.”\n\nJavid, a former banker and a champion of free markets, has served a number of cabinet roles and scores consistently well in polls of party members. A second-generation immigrant of Pakistani heritage, he has a portrait of late Conservative prime minister Margaret Thatcher on his office wall.\n\nJavid voted ‘Remain’ in the 2016 referendum but was previously considered to be eurosceptic. He has not said whether he plans to run but is considered to have been setting out his stall in speeches and media interviews.\n\nDavis, a leading eurosceptic, was appointed Brexit minister to lead negotiations with the EU in July 2016 but resigned two years later in protest at May’s plans for a long-term relationship with the bloc.\n\nHe ran for the party’s leadership in 2005 but lost to Cameron.\n\nMordaunt is one of the last remaining pro-Brexit members of May’s cabinet. She became Britain’s first female defence secretary this month.\n\nA Royal Navy reservist, Mordaunt was previously international development minister. Many had expected her to join the wave of resignations that followed the publication of May’s draft withdrawal deal.\n\nRudd resigned as interior minister last year after facing outrage over her department’s treatment of some long-term Caribbean residents wrongly labelled illegal immigrants.\n\nShe backed ‘Remain’ in 2016 and has opposed a ‘no deal’ exit, meaning she could win support from pro-EU Conservative lawmakers. But she struggled to retain her seat at the 2017 election and has one of the smallest majorities in parliament.\n\nHealth minister Hancock, a former economist at the Bank of England, supported ‘Remain’ in 2016. First elected to parliament in 2010, he has held several ministerial roles.\n\nThe former education minister told ITV she would consider running. Greening supports a second Brexit referendum. Many thought she might join several of her colleagues in quitting the party to form a pro-EU group in parliament earlier this year.\n\nChief Secretary to the Treasury, Truss has held several roles in government including environment minister and justice minister. She backed ‘Remain’ in 2016 but has said she has since changed her mind on Brexit.\n\nBrady is chair of the 1922 Committee of Conservative lawmakers. “It would take an awful lot of people to persuade me. I’m not sure many people are straining at the leash to take on what is an extraordinarily difficult situation,” he told BBC Radio.\n\nA former deputy mayor of London, Malthouse became a Member of Parliament in 2015. He is a junior housing minister and helped author the so-called Malthouse Compromise plan to replace the unpopular Irish backstop in Britain’s EU exit deal with alternative arrangements to avoid a hard border.\n\nThe Sun newspaper reported he was setting up a campaign team.\n\nCleverly was appointed a junior Brexit minister last month, having previously been deputy chair of the Conservative Party. He had a career in publishing before being elected to parliament in 2015.\n\nThe Sun reported he was planning to run for leader.", "British Prime Minister Theresa May may step down as soon as Friday amid a mutiny among her cabinet members and her inability to get Parliament to sign off on a deal to exit the European Union, according to a report.\n\nHouse of Commons leader Andrea Leadsom resigned on Wednesday over May’s Brexit policy and a number of other cabinet members have said that the prime minister has reached “the end of the line,” the BBC reported on Thursday.\n\nAnd May’s bill for a new Brexit deal now isn’t expected to be published or voted on until next month.\n\nThe prime minister had planned to have the bill published on Friday.\n\nBut Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt shoved aside speculation about May’s resignation, saying she would still be the prime minister when President Trump arrives in Great Britain ​o​n June​ 3​.\n\n“Theresa May will be prime minister to welcome him and rightly so​,” Hunt said. ​\n\nLeadsom said she stepped down because May’s Brexit plan had “elements I cannot support, that aren’t Brexit.”\n\nMay said she was sad to lose someone of Leadsom’s “passion, drive and sincerity.”\n\nMay had promised to step down if lawmakers approve her Brexit deal but the calls for her to set a date have become louder and more persistent.\n\nBritain voted 52 percent to 48 percent in June 2016 to leave the European Union, but Brexit legislation has been rejected three times.\n\n​It now faces a Oct. 31 deadline to leave the European Union.​", "LONDON, May 22 (Reuters) - Prominent Brexit supporter Andrea Leadsom resigned from British Prime Minister Theresa May's cabinet on Wednesday, saying she could no longer support the government's approach after May's latest gambit to pass her Brexit deal backfired.\n\n\"I no longer believe that our approach will deliver on the referendum result,\" Leadsom, who served as Leader of the House of Commons, said in a resignation letter to May.\n\n\"It is therefore with great regret and with a heavy heart that I resign from the government.\" (Reporting by Alistair Smout; Editing by Catherine Evans)", "London: Prominent Brexit supporter Andrea Leadsom resigned from British Prime Minister Theresa May’s cabinet on Wednesday, saying she could no longer support the government’s approach after May’s latest effort to pass her Brexit deal backfired.\n\nMay resisted growing calls to resign on Wednesday, vowing to press on despite mounting opposition from lawmakers and even some of her own ministers to her latest Brexit gambit.\n\nBut Leadsom said she could not announce the new Withdrawal Agreement Bill in parliament on Thursday as she did not believe in it.\n\n“I no longer believe that our approach will deliver on the referendum result,” Leadsom, who served as Leader of the House of Commons, said in a resignation letter to May.\n\n“It is therefore with great regret and with a heavy heart that I resign from the government.”\n\nMay’s new Brexit plan includes a vote on whether to hold a second Brexit referendum — once her legislation passes the first stage — as well as closer trading arrangements with the EU in future as incentives to lawmakers.\n\nBut that met a swift backlash, with several lawmakers who have supported her in previous Brexit votes saying they could not back her new plan.\n\n“I have always maintained that a second referendum would be dangerously divisive, and I do not support the government willingly facilitating such a concession,” Leadsom said.\n\nMay is due to meet the chair of the powerful 1922 committee of Conservative lawmakers on Friday, after campaigning for European Parliament elections on Thursday.\n\n“No one has wanted you to succeed more than I have,” Leadsom wrote to May. “But I do now urge you to make the right decisions in the interests of the country, this government and our party.”", "Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom has resigned from the Government with a “heavy heart”, saying she no longer believes its Brexit approach will deliver on the referendum result.\n\nMrs Leadsom said she was “proud” to have served in Theresa May’s Government since 2016, and had stayed in the Cabinet to “shape and fight for Brexit” despite some “uncomfortable compromises along the way”.\n\nBut she said: “I no longer believe that our approach will deliver on the referendum result.”\n\nMrs Leadsom said she did not believe that the UK will be “truly sovereign” through the deal proposed, and said a second referendum would be “dangerously divisive”.\n\nShe also said there had been “such a breakdown of government processes that recent Brexit-related legislative proposals have not been properly scrutinised or approved by Cabinet members”.\n\nAnd Mrs Leadsom added: “The tolerance to those in Cabinet who have advocated policies contrary to the Government’s position has led to a complete breakdown of collective responsibility.”\n\nA Downing Street spokesman said: “Andrea Leadsom has served with distinction and great ability as a member of the Government, and the Prime Minister is grateful for all of her work.\n\n“We are disappointed that she has chosen to resign, and the Prime Minister remains focused on delivering the Brexit people voted for.”\n\nMrs Leadsom, a leading Brexiteer in the Cabinet, said she resigned ahead of Thursday’s Business Statement to the Commons because she felt she could not announce a Bill with “new elements that I fundamentally oppose”.\n\n“I fully respect the integrity, resolution and determination that you have shown during your time as Prime Minister,” she wrote.\n\n“No one has wanted you to succeed more than I have, but I do now urge you to make the right decisions in the interests of the country, this Government and our party.”\n\nMrs Leadsom was one of a number of Brexit-supporting colleagues in the so-called Pizza Club who were absent for the start of Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday.\n\nHer resignation came as Mrs May faces growing pressure to quit amid a backlash over her last-ditch effort to get a Brexit deal through.\n\nThe Prime Minister will meet Sir Graham Brady, the representative of Tory backbench MPs, on Friday for a meeting which could seal her fate.\n\nShe has previously agreed to set out the timetable for the contest to replace her after a crunch vote on her Brexit deal, widely expected on June 7.\n\nThat deadline appears to have been brought forward with the announcement she will meet Sir Graham, chairman of the backbench 1922 Committee, the day after polling day for the European elections, which are expected to be disastrous for the Conservatives.\n\nSir Graham told reporters: “I will be meeting with the Prime Minister on Friday following her campaigning in the European elections tomorrow and following that meeting I will be consulting with the 1922 executive.”\n\nHe said the executive discussed “all sorts of things” in the meeting. The 1922 Committee’s executive had been expected to consider a rule change to allow another attempt to force Mrs May out.\n\nFollowing the failed bid to oust her in 2018, under the existing rules Mrs May would be safe from another confidence motion until December.\n\nOne Tory MP described the outcome of the 1922 Committee meeting as “the can kicked down (the road) until Friday”.\n\nIn a sign of unrest at the highest levels of the Tory party, a series of Cabinet ministers asked for meetings with Mrs May to raise their concerns about the Withdrawal Agreement Bill (WAB) which would put the Prime Minister’s Brexit plan into law.\n\nDowning Street sources said it was possible that the PM could meet Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt on Thursday, but there was no confirmation that an audience would be granted for other ministers with reservations about the plan.\n\nHome Secretary Sajid Javid has asked for a meeting to discuss his concerns about the prospect of a second referendum, after Mrs May revealed she would grant MPs a vote on whether the Brexit deal should be put to the public.\n\nScottish Secretary David Mundell also has particular concerns because he fears the prospect of another referendum could be “exploited” by the SNP to call for a fresh independence vote.", "Andrea Leadsom resigned from her role of Leader of the House on Wednesday, on the eve of voters heading to the polls for the European elections. It came after the Prime Minister set out her “new Brexit deal” on Tuesday, which angered many Tory MPs, as it opened the door a second referendum and, if voted for, would allow Parliamentarians a say on future customs policy. Speaking on talkRADIO, John Redwood, who has long called for the UK to leave the European Union on WTO terms, delivered a brutal response to the news of the resignation.\n\nHe said: “Andrea Leadsom has resigned. I am not surprised.” He added: “I think it would be very difficult to support the current position of the Prime Minister. “My surprise is more of them having chosen to resign as well.” Mr Redwood added: “I think it is a great pity the cabinet did not take a stronger line with the Prime Minister earlier this week and told her that there is no chance of the Withdrawal Bill going through and therefore it is an agony that should be spared.\n\n“The idea we need a fourth vote on all this with some sort of compromise that Labour like and Conservatives don’t.” Prime Minister Mrs May outlined her “new Brexit deal” on Tuesday afternoon, which sparked fury among many Tory MPs. Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn also responded by suggesting they would not support the deal. On Wednesday evening it was announced the Chairman of the Conservative Party’s influential 1922 Committee, Sir Graham Brady, would meet with the Prime Minister on Friday after Chief Whip Julian Smith met with the 1922 Executive.\n\nBBC’s Laura Kuenssberg wrote on Twitter: “At this stage, the PM seems to have bought another 36 hours, by refusing to quit and refusing to see ministers who want her to go asap”. Later on Wednesday evening, the Prime Minister was dealt another fresh blow with the resignation of the Leader of the House of Commons. In her resignation letter, Ms Leadsom said her decision to quit as Leader of the House comes with \"great regret”. She wrote: \"I do not believe that we will be a truly sovereign United Kingdom through the deal that is now proposed.\n\n\"I have always maintained that a second referendum would be dangerously divisive, and I do not support the Government willingly facilitating such a concession. \"It would also risk undermining our Union, which is something I passionately want to see strengthened.\" A Downing Street spokesman said: \"Andrea Leadsom has served with distinction and great ability as a member of the Government, and the Prime Minister is grateful for all of her work. \"We are disappointed that she has chosen to resign, and the Prime Minister remains focused on delivering the Brexit people voted for.\"", "ANDREA Leadsom has sensationally resigned from her position in Theresa May's cabinet.\n\nThe leader of the House of Commons has tweeted to say she has quit her post in defiance at Theresa May's refusal to stand down. She wrote: \"It is with great regret and a heavy heart that I have decided to resign from the Government.\" According to sources, Leadsom had been preparing to mount a leadership bid to become Prime Minister as soon as the PM announced her departure. But May managed to cling on tonight, refusing to meet a furious cabinet and saying she will even be out campaigning tomorrow.\n\nLeadsom herself ran for the leadership of the Conservative Party in the wake of the referendum to leave the European Union that saw David Cameron resign as Prime Minister. But a gaffe-prone campaign saw her lose the race, with Theresa May eventually becoming PM. However, in a stinging resignation letter, the top Tory said she urged May to \"make the right decisions in the interests of the country [and] this Government\", adding: “I no longer believe that our approach will deliver on the referendum result”. She also said her decision to quit was over Brexit, stating that she no longer thinks the Government can deliver on the result of the referendum and blasting the PM's decision to offer a second vote.\n\nIt seems May's premiership is now all but over tonight as ministers line up to criticise her disastrous handling of Brexit. Explaining the timing of her resignation the night before the UK goes to the polls in the European elections, she said: \"I considered carefully the timing of this decision, but I cannot fulfil my duty as Leader of the House tomorrow, to announce a Bill with new elements that I fundamentally oppose. \"I fully respect the integrity, resolution and determination that you have shown during your time as Prime Minister.\" It now looks as though Theresa May could resign on Friday, with a meeting with the Conservatives' ruling 1922 Committee scheduled.\n\nSources inside Whitehall are now saying she has merely bought herself another 36 hours, but that her departure is still imminent. There is also speculation that she has delayed quitting until after the EU election so that she can take some of the blame if the Conservative Party does disastrously. It is believed she might do that to give the Tories some chance of bouncing back in the polls."], "summary": "Andrea Leadsom resigns as the United Kingdom's Leader of the House of Commons with immediate effect in response to Prime Minister Theresa May's handling of Brexit. Several other cabinet ministers are reportedly threatening to resign."}
{"document": ["Sky's Alex Crawford and her team came under fire in Idlib, despite the fact they were clearly marked as journalists.\n\nSky News has gained exclusive access to the bombardment of Idlib - the last rebel outpost in Syria - and witnessed first-hand the relentless attack on civilians inside the province.\n\nWe saw how the ceasefire brokered by Russia and Turkey last year in Sochi - which declared a nine-mile demilitarised zone between rebel and regime lines - has been spectacularly breached.\n\nTurkey's defence minister has accused the Syrian regime of violating that ceasefire.\n\nBut the opposition has mounted several counter attacks to retake lost ground and pushed ahead with fresh assaults on regime and Russian positions in neighbouring Latakia.\n\nOfficials in Idlib say an estimated 700,000 people have been forced to flee their homes over the past few weeks.\n\nIt is a dramatic escalation in the regime assault on Idlib province - the most densely-populated area of Syria - and we saw whole towns emptied of civilians as they've scrambled to get to safety in the face of an unceasing regime air assault.\n\nThe Sky News crew - clearly identified as journalists - was deliberately targeted and attacked by Syrian regime forces using military drones to pinpoint our location, before launching a series of strikes.\n\nWe were with two civilian political activists when our small group of five was tracked, targeted and fired upon by regime forces helped by Russian airpower as they bombarded Al Habit town in the countryside of Idlib.\n\nAl Habit is slap bang in the middle of the so-called buffer zone meant to be a battle-free area.\n\nIt's also just one of dozens of small towns and communities in the countryside of Idlib province which is now the focus of Bashar al Assad's forces as he fights to regain control of the whole of Syria.\n\nMore and more civilians are being corralled into an increasingly small area of Idlib.\n\nMore than three million are now inside Idlib Governorate, having fled other fighting areas such as Aleppo, swelling the population to more than double its usual size.\n\nOfficials in Idlib are now warning of an increased humanitarian disaster if the Syrian leader is not stopped.\n\nThe Assad regime forces appear to be specifically targeting civilian services and outlets such as hospitals, schools and markets.\n\nThe violence has spiked over the past few weeks with the regime insisting it is fighting terrorists.\n\nThe main rebel group now in control in Idlib is Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a designated terror organisation by the UK and the US.\n\nBashar al Assad is focused on regaining control of the whole of the country - and Idlib and HTS are standing in his way.\n\nBut we saw large-scale indiscriminate bombing and shelling by the regime helped by Russian airpower on vast residential areas.\n\nAnd deliberate attacks on civilian populations with the intention of killing, maiming or just forcing them to flee is viewed as an international war crime.\n\nThe intentional targeting of journalists is also a breach of international standards.\n\nOne of the Sky crew had press markings on his flak jacket. The other was carrying a clearly marked green medical trauma pack.\n\nI was wearing a black abaya (a long, full-length Muslim dress very common in Syria) to observe cultural sensitivities during the religious month of Ramadan and the two political activists with us were both wearing jeans and t-shirts.\n\nThe area we were in was deserted as all the civilians had fled.\n\nWe were spotted by a military drone and then repeatedly shot at with what we believe were 125mm shells probably fired from a T-72 Russian battle tank.\n\nAs we retreated to leave the area, the targeting of us continued.\n\nEven when we withdrew to the nearby town, Khan Shaykhun, some 10km away, the shelling followed us there and continued.\n\nThey were all clear violations of the normal standards of operation in a battle zone.\n\nWe had just been filming a burning armoured vehicle in an area where there had clearly been fresh fighting when a bullet came in, hitting the metal on the vehicle.\n\nWe had suddenly become the new targets.\n\nWe all withdrew and ran for cover, trying to pick our way back through the broken and busted buildings all around us.\n\nThe military drone hovered above us and we could hear the sound of an aircraft homing in.\n\nAs we hid in a partial doorway to try to avoid running straight down an open road exposing ourselves, the first shell came in.\n\nIt was so close and so loud, all we could hear for a few seconds was a deafening ringing.\n\nThere was a huge cloud of smoke which meant we were bathed in a dusty whiteout, unable to see for what seemed like several long lingering seconds.\n\nSky producer Martin Vowles screamed at us to move as we all stood slightly dazed.\n\n\"Go, go, go,\" he shouted, telling us to make use of the cloud cover to move out.\n\nOne of the political activists with us is Bilal Abdul Kareem, a New Yorker who moved to Syria full-time three years ago and has set himself up as a political activist often uploading scenes of rebel battles or regime attacks.\n\nHe took shrapnel to his left side of chest and blood was seeping through his white t-shirt as we tried to reach our vehicle.\n\nEven as we were running away from the scene, another shell came in behind us.\n\nWe jumped in the car and skidded down the road, picking up a puncture as we crashed through the shrapnel all over the place.\n\nMartin hurriedly patched up Bilal who was complaining of numbness in his arm by now.\n\nIt felt like an age before we reached nearby Kahn Shaykun, another ghost town.\n\nWe left quickly after Bilal jumped into another vehicle to head for hospital and we headed to try to find a garage for our rapidly deflating tyre.\n\nJust 15 minutes after we left, another shell hit the town of Khan Shaykhun and it has been under bombardment ever since.\n\nThis is what civilians inside Idlib are having to endure on a daily basis right now.\n\nWe were lucky and we can escape Syria. There are more than three million civilians inside Idlib right now who can't.", "This article is more than 3 months old\n\nThis article is more than 3 months old\n\nThe Sky News journalist Alex Crawford and her camera crew have been deliberately targeted by the Syrian government and repeatedly shot at while reporting on the regime’s assault on the province of Idlib.\n\nCrawford said she and the other four people in her team came under intense bombardment on Thursday when a Syrian military drone spotted them in the town of al-Habit. The area in the Idlib countryside is in a buffer zone between opposition and government forces and is meant to be battle-free.\n\n'Idlib is a bargaining chip': civilians brace as Assad air assault escalates Read more\n\nDramatic video footage showed the journalists under attack. Crawford said they had been filming a burning armoured vehicle when a bullet hit it. “We had suddenly become the new targets,” she wrote.\n\n“We all withdrew and ran for cover, trying to pick our way back through the broken and busted buildings all around us.”\n\nCrawford added: “The military drone hovered above us and we could hear the sound of an aircraft homing in.\n\n“As we hid in a partial doorway to try to avoid running straight down an open road exposing ourselves, the first shell came in.”\n\nPlay Video 0:31 Sky News' Alex Crawford and team attacked by Syrian regime forces - video\n\nCrawford, her Sky producer Martin Vowles, and two Syrian activists then began running through clouds of dust and thick smoke, in an attempt to take cover and to get back to their car. “Go, go, go,” Vowles shouted.\n\n“We were spotted by a military drone and then repeatedly shot at with what we believe were 125mm shells probably fired from a T-72 Russian battle tank,” Crawford said. “As we retreated to leave the area, the targeting of us continued.”\n\nThe attack on the crew was a clear violation of international standards. One of the Sky team had “press” written on his flak jacket. Crawford said she was wearing a black abaya “to observe cultural sensitivities” during Ramadan.\n\nAll civilians had already fled the area, she said.\n\nOne of the civilian activists Bilal Abdul Kareem, a New Yorker who moved to Syria three years ago, was hit by shrapnel in the side of his chest. As the team drove off another shell came in behind them, Crawford said.\n\nThey reached the abandoned town of Kahn Shaykhun, where Kareem went to hospital and the journalists kept moving. Another shell hit the town soon afterwards.\n\nAbout 700,000 people have fled the Idlib region after relentless attacks over recent weeks by regime forces backed by Russian air power.\n\nCrawford said the 9-mile (15km) demilitarised zone between the rebel and regime lines had been repeatedly breached.\n\nEarlier this year the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad was held liable by a US court for the extrajudicial killing of the Sunday Times war correspondent Marie Colvin and ordered to pay $300m (£228m) in punitive damages.\n\nIn the judgment the Syrian government was found to have deliberately targeted journalists during the civil war in order to “intimidate newsgathering” and suppress dissent.\n\nColvin, an American reporter who operated out of London, and Rémi Ochlik, a French photojournalist, were killed in a rocket attack on a makeshift media centre in the rebel-held city of Homs in February 2012.", "Veteran Sky News correspondent Alex Crawford has said her and her production team were “deliberately targeted” by the Syrian government this week while reporting on the frontline.\n\nCrawford had been covering the battle between Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham fighters and regime forces in the town of Habit in Idlib - the rebels’ final stronghold - when the area was hit on Wednesday afternoon.\n\nNone of the team was injured. However, an independent American journalist and activist Bilal Abdul Kareem who had been travellng with them was lightly wounded by shrapnel.\n\nIn a video released by Sky News on Thursday, Crawford and a videographer can be seen running through smoke after a strike.", "Syrian regime forces mounted a tank attack against a group of journalists and civilians in Idlib province, Sky News reported.\n\nDramatic footage captured the moment Sky’s special correspondent Alex Crawford and her colleagues were fired upon by a “T-72 Russian battle tank” in the abandoned countryside town of Al Habit.\n\nThe five-strong group were “tracked, targeted and fired upon by regime forces helped by Russian airpower”, Ms Crawford wrote in a report on the Sky News website.\n\nAs the crew fled the blast, the shelling continued as they were tracked by a drone, she said.\n\nMs Crawford said one of the crew was wearing a flak jacket with clear press markings and the other was carrying a “clearly marked green medical trauma pack”.\n\nThe journalists, who also included Sky producer Martin Vowles, were with two civilian political activists, both wearing jeans and t-shirts.\n\nOne of the activists, Bilal Abdul Kareem, who is from New York but moved to Syria three years ago, was injured by shrapnel during the attack and footage showed blood from the wound soaking through his white t-shirt.\n\nMs Crawford said: “The area we were in was deserted as all the civilians had fled.\n\n“We were spotted by a military drone and then repeatedly shot at with what we believe were 125mm shells probably fired from a T-72 Russian battle tank.\n\n“As we retreated to leave the area, the targeting of us continued.\n\n“Even when we withdrew to the nearby town, Khan Shaykhun, some 10km away, the shelling followed us there and continued.\n\n“They were all clear violations of the normal standards of operation in a battle zone.\n\n“We had just been filming a burning armoured vehicle in an area where there had clearly been fresh fighting when a bullet came in, hitting the metal on the vehicle.\n\n“We had suddenly become the new targets.”\n\nShe added: “The intentional targeting of journalists is also a breach of international standards.”\n\nDuring the assault Ms Crawford was wearing a black abaya, a full-length Muslim dress, to “observe cultural sensitivities” during Ramadan.\n\nAfter the blast Mr Vowles shouts “go, go, go” as the group flee through clouds of dust towards their car.\n\nThe attack continued after the group reached Khan Shaykhun and Mr Kareem travelled separately to a hospital.\n\n“Just 15 minutes after we left, another shell hit the town of Khan Shaykhun and it has been under bombardment ever since,” Ms Crawford said.\n\n“This is what civilians inside Idlib are having to endure on a daily basis right now.”\n\nMs Crawford explained how Idlib is the last rebel outpost in Syria and Al Habit is at the centre of a buffer zone which is supposed to be demilitarised.\n\n“We saw how the ceasefire brokered by Russia and Turkey last year in Sochi – which declared a nine-mile demilitarised zone between rebel and regime lines – has been spectacularly breached,” she said.", "Sky News journalists claim to have been “deliberately targeted” by Syrian regime forces while reporting on the battle for the final rebel outpost, despite being “clearly identified” as press.\n\nSpecial correspondent Alex Crawford said in a report published last night that she and her crew were “tracked, targeted and fired upon by regime forces” while on the ground in Idlib province.\n\nVideo footage taken by Sky News shows Crawford and her team come under fire as a shell bursts near their position, sending up a large cloud of dust. The group then scramble to find their car.\n\nCrawford said in her report: “The Sky News crew – clearly identified as journalists – was deliberately targeted and attacked by Syrian regime forces using military drones to pinpoint our location, before launching a series of strikes.\n\n“We were with two civilian political activists when our small group of five was tracked, targeted and fired upon by regime forces helped by Russian airpower as they bombarded Al Habit town in the countryside of Idlib.”\n\nUS political activist Bilal Abdul Kareem, who was with Crawford, was injured by shrapnel in the attack and later taken to hospital, although his wound was not said to have been too serious.\n\nCrawford is reporting on the final push by Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad’s forces and Russian military to defeat rebel factions in Syria. It follows the defeat of Islamic extremist group ISIS in March.\n\nCrawford said her team was in an area deserted by civilians when they were spotted by a military drone and then “repeatedly shot” at with what they believed to have been shells fired from a Russian tank.\n\n“As we retreated to leave the area, the targeting of us continued,” said Crawford. “One of the Sky crew had press markings on his flak jacket. The other was carrying a clearly marked green medical trauma pack.”\n\nThe targeting of journalists is in violation of international standards for warfare.\n\nNational Union of Journalists general secretary Michelle Stanistreet said the attack was “outrageous”, adding that it was “clearly intended to send a stark message to other journalists, and we must be united in our condemnation of such actions”.\n\nInternational Federation of Journalists general secretary Anthony Bellanger said he was “appalled by this deliberate targeting of our colleagues from Sky News”. He added: “The Syrian president should be providing the media with the necessary safety to carry out their duties, not treat them as terrorists to be attacked.”\n\nDescribing the attack in her report, Crawford said: “We had just been filming a burning armoured vehicle in an area where there had clearly been fresh fighting when a bullet came in, hitting the metal on the vehicle.\n\n“We had suddenly become the new targets.\n\n“We all withdrew and ran for cover, trying to pick our way back through the broken and busted buildings all around us. The military drone hovered above us and we could hear the sound of an aircraft homing in.\n\n“As we hid in a partial doorway to try to avoid running straight down an open road exposing ourselves, the first shell came in. It was so close and so loud, all we could hear for a few seconds was a deafening ringing.\n\n“There was a huge cloud of smoke which meant we were bathed in a dusty whiteout, unable to see for what seemed like several long lingering seconds.”\n\nCrawford added: “Even as we were running away from the scene, another shell came in behind us.\n\n“We jumped in the car and skidded down the road, picking up a puncture as we crashed through the shrapnel all over the place.”\n\nShe said: “We were lucky and we can escape Syria. There are more than 3m civilians inside Idlib right now who can’t.”\n\nSunday Times war correspondent Marie Colvin and French photographer Remi Ochlik were both killed in Syria in 2012 in a rocket attack targeting a makeshift media centre. A US court has ruled Al-Assad’s regime liable for Colvin’s death.", "LONDON (AFP) - A British journalist working for Sky News reported on Thursday (May 23) that her team was deliberately shelled by Syrian forces, while an activist they were travelling with was hit by shrapnel.\n\n\"We were spotted by a military drone and then repeatedly shot at with what we believe were 125mm shells probably fired from a T-72 Russian battle tank,\" special news correspondent Alex Crawford said on the Sky News website.\n\n\"As we retreated to leave the area, the targeting of us continued,\" said the journalist, who was reporting in the jihadist-dominated northwestern province of Idlib.\n\nShe said that one of the Sky crew had press markings on his flak jacket, while the other was carrying a clearly visible green medical trauma pack.\n\n\"They were all clear violations of the normal standards of operation in a battle zone,\" she said, posting a dramatic video of the attack on her Twitter account.\n\n\"Even when we withdrew to the nearby town, Khan Shaykhun, some 10km away, the shelling followed us there and continued.\"\n\nRebel activist Bilal Abdul Kareem was hit in the chest by shrapnel, she said.\n\nSyrian government aircraft bombed several towns in the region on Thursday, killing eight civilians as troops and militia battled jihadists on the ground, a monitor said.\n\nThe new bombardment of the region of Idlib followed strikes on Tuesday night and Wednesday that killed 23 civilians, 12 of them at a busy market.", "Sky News journalist Alex Crawford and her camera crew have been targeted by Syrian forces while covering the conflict in the Idlib province, according to dramatic video of the journalists being shot at.\n\nCrawford wrote in an article for Sky News that she and her team of five journalists had been filming a burning armoured vehicle in the town of al-Habit when a bullet hit the machine.\n\nThe crew said military drones were first used to pinpoint their location.\n\n“We had suddenly become the new targets,” she wrote. She added that the news team was clearly identified as press when the attack took place.\n\nCrawford, her producer Martin Vowles and two Syrian activists began running back to their vehicle to take cover. One of the two civilian activists who were with the news crew at the time of the attack was hit with shrapnel and later taken to hospital.\n\nAccording to Crawford, the attack was a violation of international standards.\n\nREAD MORE: ‘Jihadi Jack’ parents appear in U.K. court over charges of funding terrorism\n\n“We were with two civilian political activists when our small group of five was tracked, targeted and fired upon by regime forces helped by Russian airpower as they bombarded Al Habit town in the countryside of Idlib,” Crawford’s article read.\n\nA ceasefire, brokered by Russia and Turkey last year, is supposed to be in place, meaning Al Habit should be a battle-free area. Crawford said the demilitarized zone had been breached multiple times. Idlib is the last rebel stronghold in Syria.\n\nSky News is reporting that an estimated 700,000 people have been forced to flee their homes in the last few weeks.\n\n— With a file from the Associated Press.", "Dramatic footage has revealed the shocking moment a Sky News crew were targeted in Idlib with huge shells heard in the video. Sky News' Special Correspondent, Alex Crawford, claims her team were attacked with tank shells, from Syrian regime forces. The Sky News reporter also claimed an activist they were travelling with was hit by shrapnel, with the dramatic footage showing the moment they were targeted.\n\nIn the footage, a massive explosion is heard, before Sky producer Martin Vowles shouts \"go, go, go\" as the group flee. The five-strong group rushed through clouds of dust towards their car, and say they were tracked by a military drone. Ms Crawford claimed her colleagues were fired upon by a \"T-72 Russian battle tank\" in the abandoned countryside town of Al Habit. Writing on the Sky News website, she said: \"The area we were in was deserted as all the civilians had fled.\n\n\"We were spotted by a military drone and then repeatedly shot at with what we believe were 125mm shells probably fired from a T-72 Russian battle tank. As we retreated to leave the area, the targeting of us continued. \"Even when we withdrew to the nearby town, Khan Shaykhun, some 10km away, the shelling followed us there and continued. \"They were all clear violations of the normal standards of operation in a battle zone. \"We had just been filming a burning armoured vehicle in an area where there had clearly been fresh fighting when a bullet came in, hitting the metal on the vehicle. We had suddenly become the new targets.\n\n“We all withdrew and ran for cover, trying to pick our way back through the broken and busted buildings all around us. “The military drone hovered above us and we could hear the sound of an aircraft homing in. “As we hid in a partial doorway to try to avoid running straight down an open road exposing ourselves, the first shell came in.” She added: \"The intentional targeting of journalists is also a breach of international standards.\""], "summary": "Sky News journalist Alex Crawford and her media team are fired on by Syrian Army tanks in the Tahrir al-Sham-held village of Hbit, Idlib Governorate, while covering the fighting there. Their guide, Bilal Abdul Kareem, is injured by shrapnel to his chest."}
{"document": ["FILE PHOTO: Workers set up a Panasonic booth at the Las Vegas Convention Center in preparation for 2019 CES in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. January 6, 2019. REUTERS/Steve Marcus/File Photo\n\nTOKYO (Reuters) - Japan’s Panasonic Corp said on Thursday it has stopped shipments of certain components to Huawei Technologies to comply with U.S. restrictions on the Chinese company.\n\n“Panasonic has instructed employees to halt transactions with Huawei and its 68 affiliates covered by the U.S. ban,” the company said in a statement.\n\nThe Osaka-based company does not have a major production site for components in the United States, but it said the ban applies to goods having 25% or more of U.S.-originated technologies or materials.\n\nThe company, which makes a wide range of devices for smartphones, cars and factory automation equipment, declined to comment on which components are subject to the ban and where they are produced.\n\nThe U.S. Commerce Department blocked Huawei from buying U.S. goods last week, saying the firm was involved in activities contrary to national security.\n\nThe United States temporarily eased the restrictions on Huawei on Monday, to minimize disruption for customers.", "WASHINGTON\n• US President Donald Trump has said that China's Huawei Technologies, which was put on a United States blacklist earlier this month, could be part of a trade pact with the country.\n\n\"It is possible that Huawei even would be included in some kind of a trade deal,\" Mr Trump told reporters at the White House on Thursday, without providing details. \"Huawei is something that is very dangerous. You look at what they have done from a security standpoint, from a military standpoint, it is very dangerous.\"\n\nThe Trump administration is seeking to choke off Beijing's access to key technologies by limiting the sale of vital US components to the Chinese telecommunications equipment-maker over security concerns.\n\nThe US had held off on blacklisting Huawei out of concern the move could disrupt trade negotiations with China and took action only after the last round of trade talks hit an impasse, according to people familiar with the matter.\n\nThe decision to curtail the Shenzhen-based company's access to US suppliers unfolded quickly once trade talks broke down.\n\nThe US Commerce Department's action last week requires American suppliers of Huawei, a crown jewel of Chinese manufacturing, to seek US government permission to do business with the company.\n\nThe decision touched off a massive disruption in technology supply chains, hitting some of the biggest component-makers.\n\nIntel, Qualcomm and Broadcom told their employees they will not provide products to Huawei until further notice.\n\nTrade talks between Beijing and Washington deadlocked this month as Mr Trump accused China of backing out of a deal that was taking shape with US officials, saying China reneged on an agreement to enshrine a wide range of reforms in law.\n\nMr Trump increased levies on US$200 billion (S$275 billion) worth of Chinese imports to 25 per cent from 10 per cent, prompting retaliation from Beijing.\n\nThe US has said it is prepared to hit China with new tariffs even as Mr Trump said he will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping at next month's G-20 Summit in Japan, an encounter that could prove pivotal.\n\nThe Trump administration has offered a reprieve before to a Chinese telecoms company, ZTE, in a similar situation as Huawei.\n\nLast year, it announced a seven-year ban on US exports to ZTE after it said the company violated sanction agreements by selling American technology to Iran and North Korea.\n\nThe ban forced ZTE to announce that it was shutting down. Mr Trump then reversed course, saying he was reconsidering penalties on ZTE as a personal favour to Mr Xi.\n\nShortly after, his administration announced it would allow the company to stay in business after paying a fine, changing its management and providing security guarantees.\n\nMeanwhile, Huawei is seeking about US$1 billion from a small group of lenders, its first major funding test after getting hit with the US curbs.\n\nThe world's largest provider of networking gear is seeking an offshore loan in either US or Hong Kong dollars, said people familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified discussing private information. The company is targeting maturities of five and seven years, the people said.\n\nThe company's talks with lenders are still at an early stage, and there is no guarantee a deal will happen.\n\nIf it does, the loan's pricing - as well as the identities of the participating banks - could provide further clues on the mar-ket's perception of Huawei's financial strength.\n\nHuawei's latest fund-raising attempt comes about four months after it obtained a loan of 14 billion yuan (S$2.8 billion) from five Chinese banks.\n\nLast September, the company raised US$1.5 billion offshore from a group of 10 mostly international banks.", "The United States needs to correct its wrong actions if it wants to continue negotiations with China to end a damaging tariff war, China's Commerce Ministry said on Thursday, adding that talks should be based on mutual respect.\n\nWASHINGTON/BEIJING: The United States and China had a heated exchange on Thursday, with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accusing the chief executive of Huawei Technologies of lying about his company's ties to the communist government and Beijing saying Washington must end its \"wrong actions\" if it wants trade talks to continue.\n\nThe United States placed Huawei Technologies Co Ltd on a trade blacklist last week, effectively banning U.S. firms from doing business with the world's largest telecom network gear maker and escalating a trade battle between the world's two biggest economies.\n\nWorld shares fell sharply on Thursday as concerns grew that the China-U.S. trade conflict was fast turning into a technology cold war.\n\nPompeo told CNBC the chief executive of China's Huawei Technologies was lying about his company's lack of ties to the Beijing government, and he believed more U.S. companies would cut ties with the tech giant.\n\n\"The company is deeply tied not only to China but to the Chinese Communist Party. And that connectivity, the existence of those connections puts American information that crosses those networks at risk,\" Pompeo told CNBC in an interview.\n\n\"If you put your information in the hands of the Chinese Communist Party, it's de facto a real risk to you. They may not use it today, they may not use it tomorrow.\"\n\nU.S. lawmakers also moved Wednesday to provide about US$700 million in grants to help U.S. telecoms providers with the cost of removing Huawei equipment from their networks, and to block the use of equipment or services from Chinese telecoms firms Huawei and ZTE in next-generation 5G networks.\n\n\"If the United States wants to continue trade talks, they should show sincerity and correct their wrong actions. Negotiations can only continue on the basis of equality and mutual respect,\" Chinese Commerce Ministry spokesman Gao Feng told a weekly briefing.\n\n\"We will closely monitor relevant developments and prepare necessary responses,\" he said, without elaborating.\n\nNo further trade talks between top Chinese and U.S. negotiators have been scheduled since the last round ended on May 10, when U.S. President Donald Trump sharply hiked tariffs on US$200 billion worth of Chinese goods and took steps to levy duties on all remaining Chinese imports.\n\nWith no resolution in sight, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue announced a US$16 billion aid program to help U.S. farmers hurt by the trade war, with some funds to be used to open markets outside China to U.S. products.\n\nFarmers have been among those hardest hit by the U.S.-China trade war, although retailers are also warning that the latest round of potential tariffs will raise prices for many of their consumers.\n\nU.S. President Donald Trump, who has embraced protectionism as part of an \"America First\" agenda aimed at rebalancing global trade, is due to discuss the aid program in remarks scheduled for 3:15 p.m. EDT (1915 GMT) at the White House.\n\nWashington this month hiked existing tariffs on US$200 billion in Chinese goods to 25per cent from 10per cent, prompting Beijing to retaliate with its own levies on U.S. imports.\n\nTrump has threatened to slap tariffs of up to 25per cent on an additional list of Chinese imports worth about US$300 billion, but his Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Wednesday said he was hopeful the two sides could resume negotiations.\n\nTrump is expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping at a G20 summit in Japan June 28-29.\n\nTwo U.S. Navy ships also sailed through the sensitive Taiwan Strait on Wednesday in a move that prompted Beijing to lodge what Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang called \"stern representations\" with the United States.", "WASHINGTON/BEIJING (Reuters) - The United States and China had a heated exchange on Thursday, with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accusing the chief executive of Huawei Technologies of lying about his company’s ties to the communist government and Beijing saying Washington must end its “wrong actions” if it wants trade talks to continue.\n\nThe United States placed Huawei Technologies Co Ltd on a trade blacklist last week, effectively banning U.S. firms from doing business with the world’s largest telecom network gear maker and escalating a trade battle between the world’s two biggest economies.\n\nWorld shares fell sharply on Thursday as concerns grew that the China-U.S. trade conflict was fast turning into a technology cold war.\n\nPompeo told CNBC the chief executive of China’s Huawei Technologies was lying about his company’s lack of ties to the Beijing government, and he believed more U.S. companies would cut ties with the tech giant.\n\n“The company is deeply tied not only to China but to the Chinese Communist Party. And that connectivity, the existence of those connections puts American information that crosses those networks at risk,” Pompeo told CNBC in an interview.\n\n“If you put your information in the hands of the Chinese Communist Party, it’s de facto a real risk to you. They may not use it today, they may not use it tomorrow.”\n\nU.S. lawmakers also moved Wednesday to provide about $700 million in grants to help U.S. telecoms providers with the cost of removing Huawei equipment from their networks, and to block the use of equipment or services from Chinese telecoms firms Huawei and ZTE in next-generation 5G networks.\n\n“If the United States wants to continue trade talks, they should show sincerity and correct their wrong actions. Negotiations can only continue on the basis of equality and mutual respect,” Chinese Commerce Ministry spokesman Gao Feng told a weekly briefing.\n\n“We will closely monitor relevant developments and prepare necessary responses,” he said, without elaborating.\n\nNo further trade talks between top Chinese and U.S. negotiators have been scheduled since the last round ended on May 10, when U.S. President Donald Trump sharply hiked tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods and took steps to levy duties on all remaining Chinese imports.\n\nWith no resolution in sight, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue announced a $16 billion aid program to help U.S. farmers hurt by the trade war, with some funds to be used to open markets outside China to U.S. products.\n\nFarmers have been among those hardest hit by the U.S.-China trade war, although retailers are also warning that the latest round of potential tariffs will raise prices for many of their consumers.\n\nU.S. President Donald Trump, who has embraced protectionism as part of an “America First” agenda aimed at rebalancing global trade, is due to discuss the aid program in remarks scheduled for 3:15 p.m. EDT (1915 GMT) at the White House.\n\nWashington this month hiked existing tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese goods to 25% from 10%, prompting Beijing to retaliate with its own levies on U.S. imports.\n\nTrump has threatened to slap tariffs of up to 25% on an additional list of Chinese imports worth about $300 billion, but his Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on Wednesday said he was hopeful the two sides could resume negotiations.\n\nTrump is expected to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping at a G20 summit in Japan June 28-29.\n\nTwo U.S. Navy ships also sailed through the sensitive Taiwan Strait on Wednesday in a move that prompted Beijing to lodge what Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang called “stern representations” with the United States.", "Trump Says Huawei Could Become Part of Trade Deal With China\n\n(Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump said Thursday that China’s Huawei Technologies Co., which was put on a U.S. blacklist earlier this month, could be part of a trade pact with the country.\n\n“It’s possible that Huawei even would be included in some kind of a trade deal,” Trump told reporters at the White House, without providing details. “Huawei is something that’s very dangerous. You look at what they’ve done from a security standpoint, from a military standpoint, it’s very dangerous.”\n\nThe Trump administration is seeking to choke off Beijing’s access to key technologies by limiting the sale of vital U.S. components to the Chinese telecommunications equipment maker over security concerns.\n\nThe U.S. had held off on blacklisting Huawei out of concern the move could disrupt trade negotiations with China and only took action after the last round of trade talks hit an impasse, according to people familiar with the matter. The decision to curtail the Shenzhen-based company’s access to American suppliers unfolded quickly once trade talks broke down, the people said.\n\nThe Commerce Department action last week requires American suppliers of Huawei, a crown jewel of Chinese manufacturing, to seek U.S. government permission to do business with the company.\n\nThe decision touched off a massive disruption in technology supply chains, hitting some of the biggest component-makers. Intel Corp., Qualcomm Inc. and Broadcom Inc. told their employees they won’t provide products to Huawei until further notice.\n\nTrade talks between Beijing and Washington deadlocked this month as Trump accused China of backing out of a deal that was taking shape with U.S. officials, saying China reneged on an agreement to enshrine a wide range of reforms in law.\n\nTrump increased levies on $200 billion in Chinese imports to 25% from 10%, prompting retaliation from Beijing. The U.S. has said it’s prepared to hit China with new tariffs even as Trump said he’ll meet his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, at next month’s G-20 summit in Japan, an encounter that could prove pivotal.\n\nThe Trump administration has offered a reprieve before to a Chinese telecommunications company, ZTE Corp., in a similar situation as Huawei.\n\nThe Trump administration last year announced a seven-year ban on U.S. exports to ZTE after it said the company violated sanctions agreements by selling American technology to Iran and North Korea. The ban forced ZTE to announce it was shutting down.\n\nTrump then reversed course, saying he was reconsidering penalties on ZTE as a personal favor to Xi. Shortly after, his administration announced it would allow the company to stay in business after paying a fine, changing its management and providing security guarantees.\n\nTo contact the reporter on this story: Alyza Sebenius in Washington at asebenius@bloomberg.net\n\nTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Alex Wayne at awayne3@bloomberg.net, Sarah McGregor, John Harney\n\nFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com", "Japan's Panasonic said Thursday it would stop supplying some components to Huawei, joining a growing list of firms distancing themselves from the Chinese telecoms giant after a US ban over security concerns.\n\nJapan's Toshiba also announced it was temporarily halting shipments to Huawei to check whether US-made parts were involved, in order to comply with Washington's new restrictions.\n\nThe moves came a day after major Japanese and British mobile carriers said they would delay releasing new Huawei handsets, upping the pressure on the world's second-largest smartphone manufacturer.\n\nIn an official statement emailed to AFP, Panasonic said it had announced in an \"internal notification\" that it would \"suspend transactions with Huawei and its 68 affiliates that were banned by the US government\".\n\nIt declined to comment on \"other transactions that are not banned by the US\".\n\nAsked about its opinion about the news, Huawei pointed to a statement on Panasonic's Chinese website that said the firm was supplying Huawei \"normally\" and doing so \"strictly abiding by the relevant laws and regulations of countries and regions where Panasonic is present\".\n\nWashington's restrictions affect products made fully or partially in the United States, where Panasonic manufactures some of its components.\n\nToshiba meanwhile said it had temporarily halted shipments to Huawei while it checks if they include US-made parts.\n\n\"We will resume shipments if we confirm our products don't use American-made parts,\" spokesman Takashi Ebina told AFP.\n\nEconomic bullying'\n\nLast week, Donald Trump declared a national emergency to bar US companies from using foreign telecoms equipment deemed a security risk.\n\nThe move appeared aimed at Huawei, though the White House said no particular company or country was targeted.\n\nThe Commerce Department has also announced an effective ban on US companies selling or transferring US technology to Huawei.\n\nThe moves have prompted a parade of firms to step back from dealings with Huawei, including Google, whose Android operating system powers most of the world's smartphones.\n\nAnd on Wednesday, mobile carriers in Japan and Britain said they were delaying releases of Huawei handsets.\n\nChina's Foreign Minister Wang Yi denounced the US moves and said Beijing would \"fight to the very end\" in its trade war with Washington.\n\n\"The US use of state power to arbitrarily exert pressure on a private Chinese company like Huawei is typical economic bullying,\" Wang said Wednesday at a meeting in Kyrgyzstan.\n\nTelecoms giant EE, owned by BT, had been due to bring Huawei's first 5G phone, the Huawei Mate 20X, to Britain, but chief executive Marc Allera said Wednesday the company had \"paused\" the launch.\n\nThe delay would last \"until we get the information and confidence and the long-term security that our customers... are going to be supported\", he said.\n\nThe group also said it would phase out the use of Huawei equipment in the most sensitive \"core\" elements of its network infrastructure.\n\nVodafone soon followed suit, announcing a temporary suspension of pre-orders for Huawei handsets.\n\nAnd the BBC reported British firm ARM, which designs processors used in most mobile devices, would also cut ties with Huawei\n\nHuawei said Wednesday that it recognised \"the pressure\" placed on its suppliers, and that it was \"confident this regrettable situation can be resolved\".\n\nIn Japan, KDDI and SoftBank Corp, the country's number-two and number-three carriers respectively, said they were delaying the release of Huawei handsets.\n\nAnd the country's top carrier said it would suspend pre-orders for a new phone from the Chinese firm.\n\nWhile Trump's order effectively bans US companies from selling Huawei and affiliates critical components, US officials offered a brief reprieve this week by delaying the ban for 90 days to avoid major disruption.\n\nAnalysts say the restrictions could be seriously damaging for the Chinese firm, with the pullback by Google and ARM likely to be \"particularly troubling\" for the telecoms giant.\n\n\"How the US ban on business with Huawei will impact the Chinese firm's performance is at this point unclear, but what is clear to me is that its sales will be negatively affected,\" said Hiroyuki Kubota, an independent financial analyst.\n\nWashington has long suspected deep links between Huawei and the Chinese military, and its moves against the company come amid the churning trade dispute between the world's top two economies.", "Japan’s Panasonic said it was halting business with Huawei to comply with US restrictions.\n\nPanasonic said the ban applies to goods having 25% or more of US-originated materials, according to reports.\n\nHowever, there was some confusion about Panasonic’s position when, later in the day, its Chinese website said the firm would continue to supply Huawei.\n\nLast week the US put Huawei on a list of companies that American firms cannot trade with unless they have a licence.\n\nThe restrictions mark an escalation in US efforts to block Huawei, which it says poses a security risk.\n\nTrump declares emergency over IT threatsThe storm over HuaweiThe next US-China battleground\n\n“Panasonic announced in [an] internal notification that it should suspend transactions with Huawei and its 68 affiliates that were banned by the US government,” the firm said in a statement provided to the BBC.\n\nLater on Thursday, Panasonic appeared to contradict that position with a statement posted on its China website that said the Japanese company was continuing to supply Huawei.\n\nPanasonic did not immediately respond to BBC requests for clarity.\n\nIt was also not clear what transactions Panasonic was suspending, or why they were subject to US restrictions.", "BEIJING/WASHINGTON\n• China has said that the United States needs to correct its \"wrong actions\" for trade talks to continue after it blacklisted Huawei, a blow that has rippled through global supply chains and battered shares as investors fear a technology cold war.\n\nJapanese conglomerate Panasonic joined the growing list of global companies which have disengaged from Huawei Technologies, the world's second-largest seller of smartphones and the largest telecoms equipment maker, saying that it has stopped shipments of some components.\n\nIts move came a day after British chip designer ARM said it had halted relations with Huawei to comply with the US supply blockade, potentially crippling the Chinese firm's ability to make new chips for smartphones. Huawei uses ARM blueprints to design the processors that power its smartphones. ARM's chip designs contain technology of US origin and are the backbone of Huawei handsets.\n\n\"If the US wants to continue trade talks, they should show sincerity and correct their wrong actions. Negotiations can only continue on the basis of equality and mutual respect,\" Chinese Commerce Ministry spokesman Gao Feng told a weekly briefing yesterday.\n\n\"We will closely monitor relevant developments and prepare necessary responses.\"\n\nThe US has accused Huawei of working for the Chinese government and of activities contrary to national security, accusations Huawei denies. The Trump administration softened its stance slightly this week by granting the firm a licence to buy US goods until Aug 19 to minimise disruption for customers.\n\nWashington is lobbying Britain not to use Huawei's products, and yesterday, South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo reported that similar pressure was being placed on Seoul. China is South Korea's biggest export market.\n\nUS Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told CNBC yesterday that Huawei was lying about ties to the Beijing government, and he believed more US firms would cut relations with the technology giant.\n\nThe US blacklist has already jeopardised Huawei's ties with Alphabet's Google, which provides the Android operating system and services such as Gmail, as well as hardware partners.\n\nHuawei founder Ren Zhengfei told Chinese financial magazine Caixin yesterday that he did not see ARM's decision to suspend business with Huawei as having an impact on the company.\n\nHe said Huawei had a long-term agreement with ARM, and speculated that the British firm had made such a move because its parent, SoftBank Group, was waiting for US approval for the merger of Sprint, which it owns, and T-Mobile US.\n\nMeanwhile, TSMC, the world's biggest contract chipmaker, said yesterday that its shipments to Huawei were not affected by the US order. Toshiba also said it had resumed some shipments to Huawei after temporarily suspending shipments to check whether they included US-made components.\n\nA spokesman for China's Foreign Ministry reiterated that China's door was always open for talks, but that the situation with Huawei and other Chinese technology firms targeted by the US made this difficult.\n\n\"Relevant US actions obviously do not create a good atmosphere or environment for consultations,\" spokesman Lu Kang said at a separate briefing in Beijing.\n\nNo further trade talks between top Chinese and US negotiators have been scheduled since the last round ended on May 10, the same day US President Donald Trump sharply increased tariffs on US$200 billion (S$276 billion) worth of Chinese goods and took steps to levy duties on all remaining Chinese imports.\n\nChina has retaliated with its own levies on US imports, but it was Washington's subsequent move against Huawei that took the trade war into a new phase, stoking fears about risks to global growth and knocking financial markets. REUTERS\n\nSEE OPINION: Huawei ban - a demonstration of US economic power", "Beijing on Friday accused the United States of spreading \"lies\" about Huawei after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the telecom giant was not being truthful about its ties to the Chinese government.\n\nHuawei has been thrust at the centre of escalating tensions between the world's two top economies, with President Donald Trump saying Thursday the fate of the company could be included in any deal to resolve their trade war.\n\nChinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said he was not aware of the \"specifics\" of Trump's comments and repeated that dialogue must be based on \"mutual respect\".\n\nThe Trump administration has infuriated Beijing by blacklisting the smartphone and telecommunications company over worries that China uses it as a tool for espionage and allegations.\n\nHuawei has repeatedly denied that it works with the Communist-led government.\n\n\"To say that they don't work with the Chinese government is a false statement,\" Pompeo told CNBC.\n\nLu said US politicians have spread rumours about Huawei without providing evidence.\n\n\"These American politicians continue to fabricate various subjective, presumptive lies in an attempt to mislead the American people, and now they are trying to incite ideological opposition,\" he said at a regular press briefing.\n\nThe heated rhetoric comes as trade negotiations have stalled, with neither side announcing a new date to resume talks after they exchanged increases in tariffs earlier this month.\n\nBut Trump said Thursday there was a \"good\" possibility that the two sides will strike a bargain.\n\n\"If we made a deal, I can imagine Huawei being included in some form or some part of a trade deal,\" he said, linking the company to the wider trade dispute.\n\nPanasonic joins firms stepping away from Huawei after US ban\n\nJapan's Panasonic said Thursday it would stop supplying some components to Huawei, joining a growing list of firms distancing themselves from the Chinese telecoms giant after a US ban over security concerns.\n\nJapan's Toshiba also announced it was temporarily halting shipments to Huawei to check whether US-made parts were involved, in order to comply with Washington's new restrictions.\n\nThe moves came a day after major Japanese and British mobile carriers said they would delay releasing new Huawei handsets, upping the pressure on the world's second-largest smartphone manufacturer.\n\nIn an official statement emailed to AFP, Panasonic said it had announced in an \"internal notification\" that it would \"suspend transactions with Huawei and its 68 affiliates that were banned by the US government\".\n\nIt declined to comment on \"other transactions that are not banned by the US\".\n\nAsked about its opinion about the news, Huawei pointed to a statement on Panasonic's Chinese website that said the firm was supplying Huawei \"normally\" and doing so \"strictly abiding by the relevant laws and regulations of countries and regions where Panasonic is present\".\n\nWashington's restrictions affect products made fully or partially in the United States, where Panasonic manufactures some of its components.\n\nToshiba meanwhile said it had temporarily halted shipments to Huawei while it checks if they include US-made parts.\n\n\"We will resume shipments if we confirm our products don't use American-made parts,\" spokesman Takashi Ebina told AFP.\n\nLast week, Donald Trump declared a national emergency to bar US companies from using foreign telecoms equipment deemed a security risk.\n\nThe move appeared aimed at Huawei, though the White House said no particular company or country was targeted.\n\nThe Commerce Department has also announced an effective ban on US companies selling or transferring US technology to Huawei.\n\nThe moves have prompted a parade of firms to step back from dealings with Huawei, including Google, whose Android operating system powers most of the world's smartphones.\n\nAnd on Wednesday, mobile carriers in Japan and Britain said they were delaying releases of Huawei handsets.\n\nChina's Foreign Minister Wang Yi denounced the US moves and said Beijing would \"fight to the very end\" in its trade war with Washington.\n\n\"The US use of state power to arbitrarily exert pressure on a private Chinese company like Huawei is typical economic bullying,\" Wang said Wednesday at a meeting in Kyrgyzstan.\n\nTelecoms giant EE, owned by BT, had been due to bring Huawei's first 5G phone, the Huawei Mate 20X, to Britain, but chief executive Marc Allera said Wednesday the company had \"paused\" the launch.\n\nThe delay would last \"until we get the information and confidence and the long-term security that our customers... are going to be supported\", he said.\n\nThe group also said it would phase out the use of Huawei equipment in the most sensitive \"core\" elements of its network infrastructure.\n\nVodafone soon followed suit, announcing a temporary suspension of pre-orders for Huawei handsets.\n\nAnd the BBC reported British firm ARM, which designs processors used in most mobile devices, would also cut ties with Huawei.\n\nHuawei said Wednesday that it recognised \"the pressure\" placed on its suppliers, and that it was \"confident this regrettable situation can be resolved\".\n\nIn Japan, KDDI and SoftBank Corp, the country's number-two and number-three carriers respectively, said they were delaying the release of Huawei handsets.\n\nAnd the country's top carrier said it would suspend pre-orders for a new phone from the Chinese firm.\n\nWhile Trump's order effectively bans US companies from selling Huawei and affiliates critical components, US officials offered a brief reprieve this week by delaying the ban for 90 days to avoid major disruption.\n\nAnalysts say the restrictions could be seriously damaging for the Chinese firm, with the pullback by Google and ARM likely to be \"particularly troubling\" for the telecoms giant.\n\n\"How the US ban on business with Huawei will impact the Chinese firm's performance is at this point unclear, but what is clear to me is that its sales will be negatively affected,\" said Hiroyuki Kubota, an independent financial analyst.\n\nWashington has long suspected deep links between Huawei and the Chinese military, and its moves against the company come amid the churning trade dispute between the world's top two economies.", "Panasonic said it was halting shipments of some components to Huawei that would fall under the proposed US export restrictions, in the latest setback for the Chinese telecoms equipment maker.\n\nAfter an earlier statement sparked turmoil in China, the company released a second statement late on Thursday saying its business operations with Huawei that did not violate the US ban were “still ongoing”.\n\nA person close to the company said few of its products would actually breach the US ban, adding that the firm had yet to halt any business transactions with Huawei.\n\nThe decision comes as companies across Japan’s tech sector, including SoftBank, Toshiba and Murata Manufacturing, are still scrambling to assess the impact of the US ban issued last week.\n\nStill, investors in Huawei were given some clarity after Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, the world’s largest contract chipmaker, said on Thursday that it would continue to ship to HiSilicon, Huawei’s chip design affiliate.\n\nThe decision averts a worst-case scenario under which Huawei would have been unable to replace at least some semiconductors it can no longer buy from US suppliers with products developed in-house.\n\nMany semiconductor companies in third countries are scrambling to determine whether their use of US-made equipment, software tools or patents will subject further sales to Huawei to a US export licence – which in many cases is likely to be denied.\n\nUnder Washington’s export control guidelines, third-country suppliers to blacklisted entities need to apply for licences if US content exceeds 25 per cent of the value of their products or services. According to industry executives, it remains unclear whether Washington intends to count US-made machinery as part of that calculation in the Huawei case.\n\nIn a statement earlier in the day, Panasonic, which makes car batteries, smartphone components and other devices, said it had sent an “internal notification that it should suspend transactions with Huawei and its 68 affiliates that were banned by the US government”.\n\nThe Chinese group declined to comment on Panasonic’s decision.\n\nOther Japanese suppliers for Huawei include Sony, which makes image sensors, and Japan Display, which makes smartphone screens.\n\nShares in Panasonic fell as much as 1.4 per cent on Thursday. – Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2019"], "summary": "Panasonic suspends shipments of certain hardware components to Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. to comply with U.S. restrictions on the company."}
{"document": ["The Trump administration on Thursday announced a $16 billion trade aid program for American farmers that includes a three-pronged aid package for American farmers who have been hurt by the U.S. trade war with China.\n\nThe centerpiece is cash payments totaling $14.5 billion to producers of a variety of crops as well as dairy and pork producers impacted by retaliatory tariffs. U.S. tariff revenue collected by the Treasury would be used to support the program, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.\n\n\"The package we're announcing today ensures that farmers will not bear the brunt of those trade practices by China or any other nation,\" Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said Thursday on a press call.\n\nIn addition, the government plans bulk purchases of about $1.4 billion of fresh produce and other food products impacted by tariffs. Food would be used to help food banks, pantries and school meal programs.\n\nThe USDA also plans a $100 million trade promotion program for livestock producers and certain crops to help industry sectors develop new markets. A similar program was launched as part of the administration's 2018 trade relief program for agriculture.\n\n\"Frankly, all of this would have been moot if China had acted appropriately and fairly in many of the areas regarding intellectual property theft and non-tariff barriers that they have put up for many years,\" Perdue said.\n\nAccording to USDA chief economist Rob Johansson, the department's $14.5 billion direct payment program to farmers is above the administration's $12 billion plan announced last year. He said the new farm relief program looks at trade damages from last year's tariffs but also goes back to previous actions by China and other trading partners with retaliatory levies against American agriculture.\n\n\"We are looking back a number of years to look at what China has purchased from us in the past, and we're bringing that into our baseline,\" Johansson told reporters.\n\nSoybean farmers have been among the hardest hit in the China trade war in terms of dollar value. Before the trade war, China bought roughly half of the U.S. soybean exports. But the value of soybean exports to China fell 74% to $3.1 billion in 2018 from about $12.2 billion the previous year, according to the USDA.", "Donald Trump has suggested he might be willing to make embattled Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei part of trade talks with China.\n\nDonald Trump has suggested he might be willing to make embattled Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei part of trade talks with China.\n\nTrump: Huawei could be part of trade deal with China\n\nHis administration last week put Huawei, which it has called a threat to national security, on a blacklist that effectively barred US firms from selling the Chinese company computer chips and other components without government approval.\n\nThe move could cripple Huawei, the world’s largest manufacturer of networking gear and second-biggest smartphone maker.\n\n“I can imagine Huawei being included in some form of a trade deal,” Mr Trump told reporters.\n\nHe offered no details but said any arrangement “would look very good for us, I can tell you that”.\n\nIt came as Mr Trump rolled out another 16 billion dollars (£12 billion) in aid for farmers hurt by his trade policies, and financial markets shook on the growing realisation that the US and China are far from settling a bitter, year-long trade dispute.\n\nUS agriculture secretary Sonny Perdue said the first of three payments is likely to be made in July or August and suggested the US and China are unlikely to have settled their differences by then.\n\n“The package we’re announcing today ensures that farmers do not bear the brunt of unfair retaliatory tariffs imposed by China and other trading partners,” Mr Perdue said.\n\nThe latest bailout comes on top of 11 billion dollars (£8 billion) in aid Mr Trump provided farmers last year.\n\n“We will ensure our farmers get the relief they need and very, very quickly,” he said.\n\nSeeking to reduce America’s trade deficit with the rest of the world and with China in particular, he has imposed import taxes on foreign steel, aluminium, solar panels and dishwashers and on thousands of Chinese products.\n\nUStrading partners have lashed back with retaliatory tariffs of their own, focusing on US agricultural products in a direct shot at the American heartland, where support for Mr Trump runs high.", "The Trump administration rolled out a second aid package worth for American farmers on Thursday, worth $16 billion, to help mitigate the effects of a more-than year-long trade war between the U.S. and China.\n\nContinue Reading Below\n\nPresident Trump said that the aid -- a response to China’s latest retaliatory tariffs -- will include $14.5 billion in direct payments to farmers through the market facilitation program. There will be three payments installments, beginning in July. Additional payments will follow in November and January as needed.\n\nAnother $1.4 billion will be allocated to the Food Purchase and Distribution Program to purchase surplus commodities affected by the trade war. Those goods will then be distributed to schools, food banks and other groups, the White House said.\n\nThe remaining $100 million will go to developing new export markets for American producers through the Agricultural Trade Promotion Program.\n\n\"We will make sure the farmers get the relief they need, and very, very quickly,\" Trump said at a White House event on Thursday. \"It's a good time to be a farmer.\"\n\nA group of farmers came to the White House on Thursday to attend an event with the president, during which details of the second aid package were released.\n\nAdvertisement\n\n\"We're giving them that level playing field that's so important,\" Trump said.\n\n“Details on the new trade mitigation program will be forthcoming shortly, but we want to be clear that the program is being designed to avoid skewing planting decisions one way or another,” a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Agriculture said earlier in the week. “Farmers should continue to make their planting and production decisions with the current market signals in mind, rather than some expectation of what a trade mitigation program might or might not look like, based on a media story.”\n\nChina is the biggest buyer of U.S. soybeans, importing more than $12.4 billion worth of the oil seed in 2017, according to the Peterson Institute for International Economics, but retaliatory tariffs by China resulted in U.S. soybean exports to China falling by more than 80 percent with Brazil and Argentina supplying China instead.\n\nLast year, as a result of the tariffs, soybeans in storage totaled about 3.74 billion bushels, up 18 percent from the prior year, according to data from the USDA.\n\nAccording to Bloomberg, the aid plan could include payments of about $2 per bushel to soybean growers, 63 cents per bushel to wheat growers and 4 cents per bushel to corn growers. The administration’s last aid plan included $1.65 per bushel for soybean growers, 14 cents per bushel for wheat and 1 cent per bushel for corn.\n\nCLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX BUSINESS APP\n\nIn July, the Trump administration announced a $12 billion farm aid package -- including $4.7 billion in direct payments to farmers -- to help shield them from the effects of global trade spats with China, Mexico, Canada and the European Union. The bulk of the payments went to soybean farmers.", "Washington: There is a possibility of including Huawei in the ongoing trade deal with China, US President Donald Trump has said, days after signing an executive order that effectively barred the Chinese telecom giant from the American market.\n\nShenzhen-headquartered Huawei, a rapidly expanding leader in 5G technology, buys about USD 67 billion worth of components each year, including about USD 11 billion from the US suppliers, according to estimates.\n\nThe world's two largest economies are locked in a trade war since Trump imposed heavy tariffs on imported steel and aluminium items from China in March last year. In response, China imposed tit-for-tat tariffs on billions of dollars worth of American imports.\n\nEscalating the trade tension, Trump signed an executive order on May 15 barring American companies from installing the foreign-made telecom equipment posing a national security threat, a move apparently aimed at banning Huawei from US networks.\n\n\"There's a possibility (of including Huawei in the trade deal). I think probably a good possibility,\" Trump told reporters at the White House responding to a question on the status of negotiations with China and Huawei.\n\nThe United States is \"very concerned\" about Huawei from a security standpoint, he said.\n\n\"I don't know how China can do this because I'll be honest, we are getting hundreds of millions of dollars brought into our country. We've never gotten USD 0.10. We are getting hundreds of billions of dollars coming into our country,\" he said.\n\nOn Thursday, Trump announced that he has directed his Agriculture Secretary to provide USD 16 billion in assistance to America's farmers and ranchers.\n\n\"It all comes from China,\" he said.\n\n\"We will be taking in, over a period of time, hundreds of billions of dollars in tariffs and charges to China and our farmers will be greatly helped. We want to get them back to the point where they would have had if they had a good year. This support for farmers will be paid for by the billions of dollars our treasury takes in,\" he said.\n\nMonths of negotiations on a trade deal broke recently after China, the US alleged, went back on its commitment.\n\n\"Not so long ago during the time of our negotiation and China broke the deal with us... That's fine but during that time of negotiation if everyone remembers we had periods where China would target our farms, right They would actually target.\n\n\"They took an ad in a newspaper from Iowa, a big ad, said lots of bad things about the administration, about the fact that we are negotiating to tough, we are not going to make a deal. But they steal intellectual property by the billions. Somebody estimated it at USD 300 billion,\" he alleged.\n\nTrump said he cannot let that happen.\n\nThe US economy is booming, the country is prospering and now is the time to insist on fair and reciprocal trade for US workers and farmers, he said.\n\nAt the same time, he remained hopeful that the trade deal with China could happen soon.\n\n\"If it happens, great. If it doesn't happen that's fine. That's absolutely fine. And I look forward -- I will be seeing President Xi at the G20 very shortly,\" he said.\n\n\"In the meantime and may be for a long time I appreciate the incredible bipartisan support that my administration has had on trade and trade policy especially as it pertains to placing very massive tariffs on China,\" he said adding that these tariffs are paid for largely by China.\n\n\"China subsidises a lot of businesses and China came out and in subsidising the business they pay for a big portion of that tax. But right now a lot of companies are moving out of China because of the tax. They are moving to nontariff countries. So it's a bad thing for China. We don't want that but that's just the way it works out,\" Trump said.\n\nTrump has been demanding that China reduce the massive trade deficit which last year climbed to over USD 539 billion. He is also pressing for verifiable measures for protection of intellectual property rights (IPR), technology transfer and more access to American goods to Chinese markets.", "Topline: President Donald Trump announced a $16 billion aid package for farmers suffering from tariffs, the second farm bailout in less than a year. As the U.S.-China trade war continues, American farmers—who were a key demographic in electing Trump—are increasingly losing confidence in the administration as the agriculture industry bears the brunt of the tariffs.\n• $14.5 billion of the $16 billion aid package will go directly into farmers’ pockets, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said in a conference call Thursday.\n• $1.4 billion will go toward food for schools and food banks, according to The Washington Post.\n• $100 million will be used for a program that helps develop new markets for U.S. exports outside of China, according to CNBC.\n\nKey P.O.V: “Farmers themselves will tell you they’d rather have trade than aid,” Perdue said, according to the Wall Street Journal, but in the absence of a deal “they’ll need some support.”\n\nBackground: The aid comes after Trump increased tariffs from 10% to 25% on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods after trade talks with China fell apart earlier this month. China, in turn, responded with its own wave of tariffs.\n\nThis is the second aid package for farmers hit by the trade war. The Trump administration spent $12 billion in aid last year after the original tariffs were levied.\n\nWhile other industries, particularly tech and automobile companies, are being hit hard by tariffs, American farmers who sell their crops in China have been disproportionately affected. Soybean exports, for example, have already dropped 80% since the first round of tariffs last year.\n\nHow is the government paying for this? Trump said in an announcement that tariff revenue collected by the government would be the source of the aid money. But since directly pouring tariff revenue into the aid package isn’t legal, the money will be drawn from the U.S. Treasury through an Agriculture Department program that has the authority to spend $30 billion on programs to help farmers without Congressional approval.\n\nThe aid might help, but … : A recent Fox Business survey found that more than a third of farmers said they were losing confidence in Trump’s ability to secure a trade deal.", "President Donald Trump on Thursday unveiled a new $16 billion aid package to help farmers caught in the crossfire his trade war with China.\n\n\"The farmers have been attacked by China,\" Trump told reporters at the White House. \"We're going to help out our farmers and we're giving them that level playing field that is so important.\"\n\nTrump again claimed that China is paying the 25 percent tariffs he has imposed on $200 billion in imports, which economists agree are paid by businesses and consumers.\n\n\"Some of that money will go to the farmers to help them out during a period where trade has been very unfair to them,\" Trump said.\n\nAgriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said the bulk of the funds will go to direct payments to crop and livestock producers, while a small portion will be used to purchase food to use in US aid programs like food banks and school lunch programs.\n\n\"The plan we are announcing today ensures farmers do not bear the brunt of unfair retaliatory tariffs imposed by China and other trading partners,\" Perdue told reporters in a conference call.\n\n\"Farmers would rather have trade than aid but without the trade they are going to need some support.\"\n\nTrump's aggressive tariff strategy, especially against China, has drawn stiff retaliation from Beijing and others designed to hit the United States where it hurts: farm country.\n\nSoybeans and pork have been primary targets, but many other crops have suffered directly or indirectly. Soybean exports to China fell 75 percent in 2018, according to Commerce Department figures.\n\nThe Trump administration ramped up the aid from the $12 billion provided last year but officials said they increased and redesigned the program this year to make it easier to understand.\n\nThere were high hopes early this month that a resolution with China was within striking distance but that optimism largely evaporated when Trump said Beijing had backed away from commitments considered already settled.\n\n- Not playing by the rules -\n\nHe more than doubled existing punitive tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese goods, and threatened to hit all the goods that had been spared so far.\n\n\"China hasn't played by the rules for a long time and President Trump is standing up to them, sending the clear message that the United States will no longer tolerate their unfair trade practices,\" Perdue said.\n\nThe US Department of Agriculture will calculate damage done by the retaliation, and officials said the first of three payments is expected to go out in July or August.\n\nThe officials did not indicate the expected size of the payments, but Perdue said the aid will be \"heavily skewed\" towards the first payment, while the others will depend on the market and the status of the trade talks.\n\nBut reaching an agreement now \"depends on China.\"\n\nUSDA officials said the amount each farmer receives will be based on the damage calculated to each US county, with equal payments made to all farmers based on the acreage planted, regardless of crop, to prevent distorting planting decisions.\n\nDairy and pork producers, as well as growers of cherries, cranberries and nuts, also will receive support, officials said.", "President Donald Trump says he is “honored” to give U.S. farmers hurt by the trade war with China another $16 billion in aid.\n\nFlanked by potato growers, ranchers and dairymen in the White House, Trump said Thursday the aid “will help keep our cherished farms thriving and make clear that no country has a veto on America’s economic and national security.”\n\nTrump added that trade has been “very unfair” to the farmers who he says support him politically.\n\nThis is the second multibillion-dollar bailout the Trump administration has provided to U.S. farmers who have seen Chinese markets for their products dry up because of tariffs China imposed on U.S. goods to retaliate for U.S. tariffs on Chinese products. The White House gave farmers $12 billion last year.\n\nU.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue says farmers should see the first installment of the new $16 billion in aid in July or August. Perdue said he doubts if the United States and China can reach a trade deal by then.\n\nMost of the money will go to farmers who grow and sell such crops as soybeans, corn, peanuts and wheat. Money will also be set aside to buy excess products from the farmers and send them to schools and food banks.\n\n“I can’t recall a president more concerned about farmer well-being. We are working hard to assess trade damages and this package ensures farmers will not bear the brunt,” Perdue said.\n\nWhile Trump said Thursday that many farmers told him he is “doing the right thing,” some trade experts call the bailout a political ploy and say farmers are more concerned about winning back the lost Chinese market.", "WASHINGTON — President Trump is delivering another $16 billion in aid to farmers hurt by his trade policies, an effort to relieve economic pain among his supporters in rural America and another sign that the U.S.-China trade war likely won’t end anytime soon.\n\nU.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said the first of three payments is likely to be made in July or August. He suggested it was unlikely a trade deal would be done by then, a sign that U.S. negotiators could be months away from settling a bitter trade dispute with China.\n\n“The package we’re announcing today ensures that farmers do not bear the brunt of unfair retaliatory tariffs imposed by China and other trading partners,” Perdue said.\n\nThe latest bailout comes atop $11 billion in aid Trump provided to farmers last year.\n\nTrump, seeking to reduce America’s trade deficit with the rest of the world and with China in particular, has imposed import taxes on foreign steel, aluminum, solar panels and dishwashers and on thousands of Chinese products.\n\nU.S trading partners have lashed back with retaliatory tariffs of their own, focusing on U.S. agricultural products in a direct shot at the American heartland, where support for Trump runs high.\n\nWilliam Reinsch, a trade analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies and a former U.S. trade official, called the administration’s aid package for farmers “a fairly overt political ploy.”\n\n“It’s not economics,” Reinsch said. Trump wants to win the farm states again in the 2020 election, “and he’s got members of Congress beating up on him” to resolve the trade conflicts.\n\nFinancial markets buckled Thursday on heightened tensions between the U.S. and China. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 286 points, or 1 percent, to 25,490. It had been down 448 points earlier in the day.\n\nU.S. crude plunged 6 percent on fears that the trade standoff could knock the global economy out of kilter and kill demand for energy.\n\nTalks between the world’s two biggest economies broke off earlier this month with no resolution to a dispute over Beijing’s aggressive efforts to challenge American technological dominance. The U.S. charges that China is stealing technology, unfairly subsidizing its own companies and forcing U.S. companies to hand over trade secrets if they want access to the Chinese market.\n\nTrump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to discuss the standoff at a meeting of the Group of 20 major economies in Osaka, Japan, next month. There are no current plans for talks to occur before then.\n\nBriefing reporters on the farm aid package, Perdue said he doubted that “a trade deal could be consummated before” the first payments to farmers in July or August.\n\nThe second payment will be made around November and the third likely in early 2020, USDA officials said, unless a trade deal has been reached by then.\n\nThe direct payments will make up $14.5 billion of the $16 billion package and will be handed out on a county-by-county basis. The amounts will be determined by how much each county has suffered from the retaliatory duties imposed by China, as well as previous tariffs put in place by the European Union and Turkey.\n\nThe rest of the package includes $1.4 billion to purchase surplus food commodities from farmers and distribute them to U.S. schools and food banks, and $100 million to help develop new export markets overseas.\n\nThe payments will go to farmers producing roughly two dozen crops, including soybeans, corn, canola, peanuts, cotton and wheat. Dairy and hog farmers are also eligible.\n\nU.S. soybean exports to China have been hit particularly hard, falling from $12.3 billion in 2017 to just $3.2 billion last year.\n\nThe aid offsets some of the losses. But farmers are worried about the future and whether they can win back lost sales in China, a market they’ve spent years breaking into.\n\n“I don’t think any kind of bailout package, even if it was permanent, would substitute” for the lost markets, said Rufus Yerxa, president of the National Foreign Trade Council and a former U.S. trade official.\n\nTrump has said that China is footing the bill for the farm bailout by paying the tariffs. But tariffs are taxes paid by U.S. importers, and studies have shown that American consumers and businesses usually end up absorbing the higher costs.\n\nPerdue acknowledged that the tariffs, regardless of who pays them, are sent to the Treasury Department and not earmarked for the relief program. But he said that China is “indirectly” paying for the aid.\n\n“The president feels that China is paying for this program through the tariffs,” Perdue said.\n\nTrump has imposed 25 percent tariffs on $250 billion in Chinese imports and plans to hit another $300 billion worth, a move that would extend import taxes to just about everything China ships to the United States.\n\nAmong those bracing for higher costs if the new tariffs kick in is Jay Foreman, CEO of Basic Fun!, a Boca Raton, Florida, toy company that imports from China.\n\n“The thought of the government taking my money and giving it to farmers as subsidies to support their loses doesn’t sit well,” Foreman said by email. “It’s not fair to take money from a Florida company to support an Iowa farmer! Farmers don’t want welfare. I’m sure they, like us, just want open free markets to trade in!”", "The Trump Administration will announce a new $16 billion farm aid package to offset losses from the U.S. trade war with China, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue confirmed Thursday.\n\nIn an interview on Fox Business Network, Perdue said: “China is going to pay for this $16 billion through tariffs coming in” and that “the revenue we’re receiving is what the president has intended to fund the farmers who are being hurt by these retaliatory tariffs.”\n\nIt would be the second bailout for farmers connected to Trump’s tariff showdowns with China, Mexico and other countries. The Trump administration announced $12 billion in emergency measures last July.\n\nPerdue acknowledged Thursday that U.S. farmers have been hit hard by the escalating trade fight with Beijing, and accused China of targeting the president in advance of his 2020 re-election bid.\n\n“Farmers have been hurt disproportionately and China knows. They’ve gone right at President Trump’s base politically that makes farmers feel pain, and he’s not letting them bear the brunt of that,” Perdue said.\n\nPerdue did not offer further details before an official announcement expected later Thursday.\n\nPresident Trump was scheduled to meet farm groups at the White House at a 3:15 p.m. event Thursday.", "White House Announces $16 Billion In Aid To Farmers Hurt By China Trade Dispute\n\nThe Trump administration will provide $16 billion in aid to keep farmers afloat as they reel from the yearlong trade war between the U.S. and China, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue told reporters in a briefing on Thursday.\n\nThe bulk of the aid, or about $14.5 billion, is direct aid to farmers, which producers will start to see some time this summer, Perdue said.\n\n\"While farmers themselves will tell you they'd rather than trade than aid, without the trade that has been possible, they're going to need some support,\" he said.\n\nPerdue placed the blame for farmers' economic losses on China, rather than the Trump administration's own hard-line trade tactics.\n\n\"Frankly,\" he said, \"all of this would have been moot if China would have acted appropriately and fairly in many of the areas regarding intellectual property theft and non-tariff barriers that they have put up for many years.\"\n\nWhile the aid comes from a fund known as the Commodity Credit Corporation, a federal entity founded during the Depression devoted to stabilizing farm income and prices, Trump administration officials including Perdue have said China will pay for the aid to the farm sector.\n\nWhen asked to explain that assertion, Perdue explained the president's logic.\n\n\"The president feels very strongly that the tariff revenue is going to be used to support this program, which will come back out and replenish the CCC, as it does every year,\" Perdue said. \"While legally you can't direct tariff payments into agriculture, that's what the president feels like China is paying for this program.\"\n\nThe plan also includes efforts to sell American products in more markets outside of China. Officials said about $100 million will be put toward market diversification.\n\nAgriculture has been among sectors hit hardest by the U.S. trade conflict with China. The announcement of new relief to farmers comes as fears are rising over an economic slump in the agricultural economy.\n\nTrump's hard-line moves on trade with China have reduced U.S. income at a rate of around $1.4 billion a month, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research. Analysis by the New York Fed estimates the new tariffs will cost the average U.S. household $831 annually.\n\nLast year, the Trump administration provided $12 billion in aid to farmers to try to offset their losses from the trade war.\n\nThe economic troubles have had multiplier effects in recent months. Some farmers across the Midwest are struggling with debt, prompting bankruptcy filings among farmers to rise sharply. A further blow for the country's agricultural sector has come in the form of natural disasters. Floods have killed livestock and drowned hundreds of millions of dollars in crops.\n\nTrump is expected address the nation's farmers Thursday afternoon from the White House."], "summary": "U.S. President Donald Trump announces a second aid package worth $16 billion for farmers impacted by the China–United States trade war."}
{"document": ["(CNN) John Walker Lindh, the so-called \"American Taliban\" whose capture in Afghanistan riveted a country in the early days after the September 11 attacks, has been released from prison, authorities said.\n\nAfter serving 17 years of a 20-year sentence, Lindh, the first US-born detainee in the war on terror, on Thursday walked out of a federal prison in Terre Haute, Indiana, the Bureau of Prisons confirmed, and will join the small, but growing, group of Americans convicted of terror-related charges attempting to re-enter into society.\n\nLindh will live in Virginia subject to the direction of his probation officer, his lawyer, Bill Cummings, tells CNN. But some are already calling for an investigation into his time in prison -- where he is said in two US government reports to have made pro-ISIS and other extremist statements -- that could send him back into detention.\n\nReports of Lindh's maintained radicalization, detailed in two 2017 official counterterrorism assessments, are also driving questions about the efforts of the US government to rehabilitate former sympathizers like him, who are expected to complete prison sentences in waves in the coming years.\n\nRaised in the suburbs north of San Francisco, Lindh took an interest in Islam at a young age, converting to the religion at 16 and moving to the Middle East to learn Arabic after finishing high school.\n\nIn 2000, according to documentation of his interrogations, Lindh went to Pakistan and trained with a radical Islamic group there before moving to Afghanistan and joining the Taliban\n\nBecause he was not native to Afghanistan and did not speak the local languages, Lindh told investigators that he joined the \"Arab group,\" or al Qaeda, studying maps and explosives, fighting on a front line, and at one point, meeting with Osama bin Laden.\n\nWhen US troops first encountered Lindh in November 2001, just weeks after the September 11 attacks, he was bedraggled and injured.\n\nA CNN camera filmed as Lindh, a daze cast over his dirty face, told American forces how he had wound up at a detention camp in northern Afghanistan and survived a Taliban uprising there that killed hundreds of prisoners and a CIA officer, Johnny Michael Spann.\n\nLindh admitted to participating in the revolt near Mazar-e Sharif, Afghanistan, but prosecutors did not say that he had a role in Spann's death.\n\nInitially charged with a raft of serious offenses, including conspiracy to kill US nationals, Lindh, in 2002, struck a deal reportedly offered by prosecutors in part to prevent details of the apparent mistreatment of Lindh at the hand of US forces by his defense. Lindh pleaded guilty to fighting alongside the Taliban.\n\nAt a sentencing hearing in Virginia that year, he sniffled and nearly broke down as he addressed the court in a 14-minute speech.\n\n\"Had I realized then what I know now about the Taliban, I would never have joined them,\" Lindh said. \"I never understood jihad to mean anti-Americanism or terrorism.\"\n\nThat contrition has been contested by a pair of official reports, from the National Counterterrorism Center and the federal Bureau of Prisons, that were first published by Foreign Policy in 2017.\n\nAccording to the NCTC report, as of May 2016, Lindh \"continued to advocate for global jihad and to write and translate violent extremist texts.\" In March 2016, the report says, he \"told a television news producer that he would continue to spread violent extremist Islam upon his release.\"\n\nLindh had made \"pro ISIS statements to various reporters,\" the Bureau of Prisons report also stated.\n\nIn an email to his father included in the BOP report, Lindh said that he was \"not interested in renouncing my beliefs or issuing condemnations.\"\n\nThe two assessments do not provide details for the statements, and the BOP and the NCTC declined to comment to CNN on the reports.\n\nOn Wednesday, a local NBC News station in Los Angeles released excerpts from correspondence a producer there had with Lindh from behind bars, where Lindh said in 2015 he thought ISIS was doing a \"spectacular job.\"\n\n\"The Islamic State is clearly very sincere and serious about fulfilling the long-neglected religious obligation of establishing a caliphate through armed struggle, which is the only correct method,\" Lindh told the producer, according to the report.\n\nLindh denied a request by CNN to be interviewed in prison and his lawyers declined to comment on the counterterrorism assessments.\n\nPrison term\n\nIn prison, Lindh was known to be deeply religious -- he recited the entire Quran from memory each week, and regularly gave a call to prayer for the other Muslims in his unit, according to a narrative written by an inmate who served with him.\n\nLindh went by the name Yayha, the inmate wrote in the anonymous essay, which was published by CAGE, a group started by someone released without charges after being detained in Guantanamo that advocates for those arrested or prosecuted in the war on terror. The human rights group Amnesty International cut ties with CAGE because of some of its statements and relationships with terror suspects.\n\n\"His whole life revolves around reading, writing, praying, and working out in his cell. His Muslim brothers know he is busy so they don't hesitate to cook for him in order make sure he eats well,\" the inmate wrote.\n\nLindh discussed his values in his own essay, published by CAGE in 2014 and titled \"Memorising the Qur'an: A Practical Guide for Prisoners.\"\n\n\"Free time is a great gift from Allah and few people enjoy more of it than prisoners,\" Lindh wrote. \"The best way we can express our gratitude to Allah for this gift is through the study, recitation, memorisation, contemplation, and implementation of His Noble Book.\"\n\nOn Monday, Johnny Spann, the father of the CIA officer killed in the Taliban uprising that Lindh participated in, petitioned the Virginia judge overseeing Lindh's case to investigate the extremist comments he allegedly made while in prison.\n\n\"You need to find out for sure, is this guy still the same al Qaeda member we put in jail? If he is still the al Qaeda member we put in jail then we need to throw the plea agreement away and do something else,\" Spann told CNN in an interview.\n\nSpann has protested Lindh's early release to lawmakers, including Sen. Richard Shelby, an Alabama Republican, who said last month that he raised the issue with the White House.\n\nIn a tweet, Shelby wrote that President Donald Trump agreed that Lindh should serve his full sentence. Lindh's early release this week appears to be the result of time taken off of his sentence for good behavior.\n\nThe White House did not respond to a request for comment on this story, and legal experts question what power the President could have to prevent Lindh's release outside of a wider regulation change, which would likely invite a backlash.\n\nFeds not prepared, experts say\n\nAfter he leaves prison, Lindh's actions will be closely watched as part of a sweeping set of conditions imposed on his three years of supervised release by Judge T.S. Ellis , who oversees his case in Virginia.\n\nUnder the conditions, Lindh is not allowed to possess any \"internet capable device\" without permission from the probation office, and any approved device would be \"monitored continuously.\"\n\nLindh is not allowed to have any online communications in any language other than English unless otherwise approved, cannot communicate with a known extremist, and cannot possess or view \"material that reflects extremist or terroristic views.\"\n\nThe strict impositions are likely to be mirrored in dozens of cases like Lindh's. As of last week, there were 421 inmates with a history of, or nexus to, international terrorism, in the federal prison system, according to the Bureau of Prisons.\n\nSome 60 to 100 of those prisoners are expected to be released in the next five years, said Mitch Silber, the former director of Intelligence Analysis at the NYPD, who now runs a nonprofit that works to rehabilitate radicalized individuals.\n\nCounterterrorism experts have said that the federal government has not done enough to prepare for the coming trend of releases.\n\n\"Right now there is no program to rehabilitate and reintegrate them, give them the type of skills that will make it less likely they will recidivise to some type of criminality,\" Silber said.\n\nMary McCord, the former acting assistant attorney general for National Security at the Justice Department, said officials at the Justice Department had only begun to consider the impending releases during her tenure, which ended in 2017.\n\n\"At the time I left not nearly enough had been done and we were nervous about it,\" McCord said in an interview.\n\nThe Justice Department referred CNN to the BOP for comment, which said in a statement that it has policies to monitor communications of inmates with known or suspected ties to domestic and foreign terrorism and that they share information with law enforcement as appropriate.\n\nThe BOP also says it encourages all inmates, including those linked to terrorism, to participate in programs \"that assist offenders in developing the skills necessary for a successful reintegration into society.\"\n\n\"Based on a series of focused interviews conducted by BOP staff, the BOP has found that many inmates have turned away from radicalized ideology in prison based on self-study, or due to participation in programming or sentence length,\" BOP said.\n\nSilber, who founded his non-profit Parallel Networks with a former American al Qaeda sympathizer convicted of conspiring to solicit murder, said that prisons could adapt already existing re-entry programs for gang offenders to fit extremists.\n\nHe also noted that a dialogue about the origins of an extremist's turn to radicalization can be helpful in determining how to move away from an ideology.\n\nIn the absence of that, or in the case of a return to criminal behavior, federal investigators could open a new investigation into a released prisoner.\n\n\"Ultimately the hammer that the federal government has over (Lindh) is that if he does behave in a way that looks like he is turning toward terrorism, they can open up a new investigation on him and essentially we can begin the process again,\" Silber said.\n\nTerms of release\n\nIn emails Lindh wrote from behind bars referenced in the BOP report, he expressed interest in moving post-release to Ireland, where he is a citizen, as well as Puerto Rico.\n\nLindh said that he had gained Irish citizenship in 2013 \"as a result of having an Irish grandparent\" and wanted to petition the country to take him in by explaining the \"unique circumstances that make my survival in the US practically impossible.\"\n\n\"Essentially I am seeking asylum from one country where I am a citizen in another country where I am also a citizen,\" Lindh wrote in an email to CAGE, who he had asked to help him with his attempt to relocate to Ireland. A person familiar with Lindh's status confirmed he is an Irish citizen.\n\nIt appears likely that Lindh's plan to move to Ireland may be prevented at least for now by the terms of his supervised release, which say that he cannot hold a passport and can't leave the United States \"without the express permission of this Court.\"\n\nPrisoners leaving detention under terms of supervised release are required to send a release plan to the probation office of the district in the country where they want to go, who will investigate the case and decide whether or not to allow the residency.\n\nCAGE's Outreach Director Moazzam Begg, who has spoken with Frank Lindh about his son's case, told CNN that it would make sense for Lindh to move back with his father in northern California.\n\n\"His father has always been a great supporter of him and has believed in his son's cause,\" Begg said.\n\nFrank Lindh denied an interview request from CNN.", "FILE - In this Jan. 24, 2002 file photo, John Walker Lindh, far right, leaves the Alexandria Detention Center in Alexandria, Va., before dawn, on the way to his first appearance in a nearby federal court. Lindh, the young Californian who became known as the American Taliban after he was captured by U.S. forces in the invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001, is set to go free Thursday, May 23, 2019, after nearly two decades in prison. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)\n\nFILE - In this Jan. 24, 2002 file photo, John Walker Lindh, far right, leaves the Alexandria Detention Center in Alexandria, Va., before dawn, on the way to his first appearance in a nearby federal court. Lindh, the young Californian who became known as the American Taliban after he was captured by U.S. forces in the invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001, is set to go free Thursday, May 23, 2019, after nearly two decades in prison. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)\n\nJohn Walker Lindh, the Californian who took up arms for the Taliban and was captured by U.S. forces in Afghanistan in 2001, got out of prison Thursday after more than 17 years, released under tight restrictions that reflected government fears he still harbors radical views.\n\nPresident Donald Trump reacted by saying, “I don’t like it at all.”\n\n“Here’s a man who has not given up his proclamation of terror,” he said.\n\nLindh, 38, left a federal penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana, after getting time off for good behavior from the 20-year sentence he received when he pleaded guilty to providing support to the Taliban.\n\nIt was not immediately clear where the man known as the “American Taliban” will live or what he will do. He turned down an interview request last week, and his attorney declined to comment Thursday.\n\nIn a Fox News interview, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo decried Lindh’s early release as “unexplainable and unconscionable” and called for a review of prison system policies.\n\nThe president said he asked lawyers whether there was anything that could be done to block Lindh from getting out but was told no. Trump said the U.S. will closely monitor him.\n\nUnder restrictions imposed by a federal judge in Alexandria, Virginia, Lindh’s internet devices must have monitoring software; his online communications must be conducted in English; he must undergo mental health counseling; he is forbidden to possess or view extremist material; and he cannot hold a passport or leave the U.S.\n\nFBI counterterrorism officials work with federal prison authorities to determine what risk a soon-to-be-released inmate might pose.\n\nProbation officers never explained why they sought the restrictions against Lindh. But in 2017, Foreign Policy magazine cited a National Counterterrorism Center report that said Lindh “continued to advocate for global jihad and to write and translate violent extremist texts.”\n\nOn Wednesday, NBC reported that Lindh, in a letter to a producer from Los Angeles-based affiliate KNBC, wrote in 2015 that the Islamic State group was “doing a spectacular job.”\n\nLindh converted to Islam as a teenager after seeing the movie “Malcolm X” and eventually made his way to Pakistan and Afghanistan and joined the Taliban. He met Osama bin Laden and was with the Taliban on Sept. 11, 2001, when al-Qaida terrorists attacked the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.\n\nLindh was captured on the battlefield after the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan following 9/11 and was initially charged with conspiring to kill Mike Spann, a CIA operative who died during an uprising of Taliban prisoners shortly after interrogating Lindh.\n\nLindh denied any role in Spann’s death. But he admitted carrying an assault rifle and two grenades during his time with the Taliban.\n\nSpann’s daughter Alison Spann, now a journalist in Mississippi, posted a letter on Twitter that she said she had sent to Trump. In it, she called Lindh’s early release “a slap in the face” to everyone killed on 9/11 and in the war on terror since then, along with “the millions of Muslims worldwide who don’t support radical extremists.”\n\nRepublican Alabama Sen. Richard Shelby and Democratic New Hampshire Sen. Maggie Hassan also expressed concern about Lindh’s release in a letter last week to the federal Bureau of Prisons.\n\n“We must consider the security and safety implications for our citizens and communities who will receive individuals like John Walker Lindh who continue to openly call for extremist violence,” they wrote.\n\nThe bureau defended itself Thursday in a statement that said Lindh’s release followed federal laws and guidelines. It said it works closely with outside agencies “to reduce the risk terrorist offenders pose inside and outside of prisons,” and added that no radicalized inmate has returned to federal prison on terrorism-related charges.\n\nMoazzam Begg, a former detainee at Guantanamo, now serves as director of outreach for London-based CAGE, which supports the rights of those accused of terror-related crimes. He said the criticism over Lindh’s early release is misguided. If anything, Begg said, Lindh was imprisoned too long.\n\nHe noted that many of the other Taliban fighters who were sent to Guantanamo as enemy combatants were released much earlier.\n\nAs for Lindh’s letter in support of the Islamic State, Begg noted that it was written four years ago and that Lindh might not have had full knowledge of the group’s atrocities from behind bars.\n\n“Nobody really knows what his views are right now in 2019,” he said.\n\nIn a statement, Begg said: “It is now time for him to be allowed to restart his life in peace and freedom.”\n\n___\n\nThis story has been corrected to show that Alison Spann is a journalist in Mississippi, not Alabama.\n\n___\n\nBarakat reported from Falls Church, Va. Contributors include Associated Press writers Ben Finley in Norfolk, Virginia, Kimberly Chandler in Montgomery, Alabama and Eric Tucker in Washington.", "TARIQ MAHMOOD,—/AFP/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — John Walker Lindh was released from prison Thursday after more than 17 years behind bars on charges of providing support to terrorists, a case that captivated Americans and earned him the nickname of the “American Taliban.”\n\nLindh, 38, was the first prisoner brought into a U.S. courtroom to face charges in the War on Terror, following the Sept. 11 attacks. His release comes 2 1/2 years before the completion of his 20-year sentence, which the Department of Justice’s Bureau of Prisons said in a statement is attributed to Lindh’s “good conduct” during his time in prison.\n\nOn Thursday morning, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo blasted the convicted terrorist’s release after a “relatively short sentence.”\n\n“I understand he is still threatening the United States of America and still committed to the very jihad that he engaged in that killed a great American and there is something deeply troubling about that,” Pompeo said in an interview on Fox and Friends.\n\nLindh is expected to reside in northern Virginia, outside Washington, and is said by multiple sources to still be radicalized with extremist beliefs.\n\nThe conditions of Lindh’s release include a demand that he go through mental health counseling, that he not communicate or espouse extremist views and there are several restrictions related to his internet use — including a stipulation that he can only communicate online in English.\n\nBut Lindh’s release is still not without controversy.\n\nSens. Richard Shelby, R-Ala., and Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., released a joint statement Tuesday expressing concern over his release and demanding more information on steps that will be taken to ensure Lindh is not a threat to public safety.\n\n“Our highest priority is keeping America safe, secure and free,” they said in the statement. “To that end, we must consider the security and safety implications for our citizens and communities who will receive individuals like John Walker Lindh who continue to openly call for extremist violence.”\n\nShelby had previously said in April that President Donald Trump had told him he opposed Lindh not serving his full sentence, but it’s unclear whether Trump plans to weigh in publicly on the matter. The Department of Justice’s public affairs office did not respond to a request for comment.\n\nAccording to court documents filed in 2002, the government said that Lindh crossed the border from Pakistan to Afghanistan to fight with the Taliban.\n\nLindh stayed in Osama bin Laden’s guest house — eventually meeting and “thanking” the leader of the terrorist organization, court documents said.\n\nHe trained with 20 other Taliban fighters at a camp in Afghanistan on “weapons, orienteering, navigation, explosives and battlefield combat, which included the use of shoulder weapons, pistols, and rocket-propelled grenades, and the construction of Molotov cocktails,” court documents said.\n\nAccording to court documents, Lindh “swore allegiance to jihad,” and stayed with the Taliban despite knowing that bin Laden carried out the attacks on Sept. 11.\n\nHe was captured by Northern Alliance fighters after the United States’ invasion of Afghanistan in 2001.\n\nCIA paramilitary officer Johnny “Mike” Spann, 34, was killed in a Taliban prisoner uprising, shortly after questioning the captured Lindh. He was initially charged with conspiracy in Spann’s murder, but those charges were dropped as part of an eventual plea bargain.\n\nSpann’s father, Johnny Spann, told ABC News in an interview on Sunday that he objects to Lindh getting out three years early for good behavior.", "'American Taliban' John Walker Lindh gets early release from prison, Donald Trump 'doesn't like it at all'\n\nJohn Walker Lindh, the Californian who took up arms for the Taliban and was captured by US forces in Afghanistan in 2001, has been released from prison after more than 17 years.\n\nHis release is under tight restrictions that reflect US Government fears he still harbors radical views.\n\nPresident Donald Trump reacted by saying: \"I don't like it at all.\"\n\n\"Here's a man who has not given up his proclamation of terror,\" Mr Trump said.\n\nMr Lindh, 38, left a federal penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana, after getting time off for good behaviour from the 20-year sentence he received when he pleaded guilty to providing support to the Taliban.\n\nIt was not immediately clear where the man known as the \"American Taliban\" will live or what he will do.\n\nHe turned down an interview request last week, and his attorney declined to comment.\n\nIn a Fox News interview, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo decried Mr Lindh's early release as \"unexplainable and unconscionable\" and called for a review of prison system policies.\n\nThe President said he asked lawyers whether there was anything that could be done to block Mr Lindh from getting out but was told no. Mr Trump said the US would closely monitor him.\n\nA federal judge in Alexandria, Virginia, imposed the following restrictions on Mr Lindh:\n• his internet devices must have monitoring software;\n• his online communications must be conducted in English;\n• he is forbidden to possess or view extremist material; and\n• he cannot hold a passport or leave the US.\n\nFBI counterterrorism officials work with federal prison authorities to determine what risk a soon-to-be-released inmate might pose.\n\nProbation officers never explained why they sought the restrictions against Mr Lindh. But in 2017, Foreign Policy magazine cited a National Counterterrorism Centre report that said Mr Lindh \"continued to advocate for global jihad and to write and translate violent extremist texts\".\n\nNBC reported on Wednesday that Mr Lindh, in a letter to a producer from Los Angeles-based affiliate KNBC, wrote in 2015 that the Islamic State group was \"doing a spectacular job\".\n\nMr Lindh converted to Islam as a teenager after seeing the movie \"Malcolm X\" and eventually made his way to Pakistan and Afghanistan and joined the Taliban.\n\nHe met Osama bin Laden and was with the Taliban on September 11, 2001, when Al Qaeda terrorists attacked the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon.\n\nMr Lindh was captured on the battlefield after the US invasion of Afghanistan following the September 11 attacks and was initially charged with conspiring to kill Mike Spann, a CIA operative who died during an uprising of Taliban prisoners shortly after he interrogated Mr Lindh.\n\nMr Lindh denied any role in Mr Spann's death. But he admitted carrying an assault rifle and two grenades.\n\nMr Spann's daughter Alison Spann, now a journalist in Mississippi, posted a letter on Twitter that she said she had sent to Mr Trump.\n\nIn it, she called Mr Lindh's early release \"a slap in the face\" to everyone killed on September 11 and in the war on terror since then, along with \"the millions of Muslims worldwide who don't support radical extremists\".\n\nRepublican Alabama senator Richard Shelby and Democratic New Hampshire senator Maggie Hassan also expressed concern about Mr Lindh's release in a letter last week to the Federal Bureau of Prisons.\n\n\"We must consider the security and safety implications for our citizens and communities who will receive individuals like John Walker Lindh who continue to openly call for extremist violence,\" they wrote.\n\nThe bureau defended itself on Thursday in a statement that said Mr Lindh's release followed federal laws and guidelines.\n\nIt said it worked closely with outside agencies \"to reduce the risk terrorist offenders pose inside and outside of prisons\", and added that no radicalised inmate had returned to federal prison on terrorism-related charges.\n\nCAGE advocate says criticism of early release is misguided\n\nMoazzam Begg, a former detainee at Guantanamo who now serves as director of outreach for London-based CAGE (which supports the rights of those accused of terror-related crimes), said the criticism over Mr Lindh's early release was misguided.\n\nMr Begg said if anything, Mr Lindh was imprisoned too long.\n\nHe noted that many of the other Taliban fighters who were sent to Guantanamo as enemy combatants were released much earlier.\n\nAs for Mr Lindh's letter in support of the Islamic State group, Mr Begg noted that it was written four years ago and that Mr Lindh might not have had full knowledge of the group's atrocities from behind bars.\n\n\"Nobody really knows what his views are right now in 2019,\" he said.\n\nIn a statement, Mr Begg said: \"It is now time for him to be allowed to restart his life in peace and freedom.\"", "(TERRE HAUTE, Ind.) — The California man who became known as the “American Taliban” after his capture on an Afghanistan battlefield in late 2001 has been released from prison.\n\nThirty-eight-year-old John Walker Lindh was released Thursday from the federal prison in Terre Haute, Indiana, a federal Bureau of Prisons spokesman told The Associated Press. Lindh spent more than 17 years in prison after pleading guilty to providing support to the Taliban.\n\nThe plea deal called for a 20-year sentence, but Lindh is getting out a few years early for good behavior.\n\nHis release was opposed by the family of Mike Spann, who was killed during an uprising of Taliban prisoners in Afghanistan shortly after interrogating Lindh.\n\nA judge recently imposed additional restrictions on Lindh’s post-release supervision, including monitoring of his internet use.", "The California man who became known as the \"American Taliban\" after his capture on an Afghanistan battlefield in late 2001 has been released from prison.\n\nJohn Walker Lindh, 38, was released Thursday from the federal prison in Terre Haute, Indiana, according to the federal Bureau of Prisons. Lindh spent more than 17 years in prison after pleading guilty to providing support to the Taliban.\n\nThe plea deal called for a 20-year sentence, but Lindh is getting out a few years early for good behavior.\n\nHis release was opposed by the family of Mike Spann, who was killed during an uprising of Taliban prisoners in Afghanistan shortly after interrogating Lindh.\n\nA judge recently imposed additional restrictions on Lindh's post-release supervision, amid concerns that Lindh still harbors radical ideology. Lindh initially opposed but eventually acquiesced to the restrictions, which include monitoring software on his internet devices; requiring that his online communications be conducted in English and that he undergo mental health counseling; and forbidding him from possessing or viewing extremist material, holding a passport of any kind or leaving the U.S.\n\nProbation officers never explained why they sought the restrictions but it is clear that authorities retain misgivings about Lindh. In 2017, Foreign Policy magazine cited a National Counterterrorism Center report that Lindh \"continued to advocate for global jihad and to write and translate violent extremist texts.\"\n\nOn Wednesday, NBC reported that Lindh, in a letter to a producer from Los Angeles-based affiliate KNBC, wrote in 2015 that the Islamic State is \"doing a spectacular job\" and \"is clearly very sincere and serious about fulfilling the long-neglected religious obligation to establish a caliphate through armed struggle.\"\n\nLindh, now 38, converted to Islam as a teenager after seeing the film \"Malcolm X,\" and went overseas to study Arabic and the Quran. In November 2000, he went to Pakistan and from there made his way to Afghanistan and joined the Taliban. He met Osama bin Laden and was with the Taliban on Sept. 11, 2001, when al-Qaida terrorists attacked the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.\n\nLindh was captured in a battle with U.S.-allied Northern Alliance fighters in late 2001. He was present when a group of Taliban prisoners launched an attack that killed Johnny Micheal \"Mike\" Spann, a CIA officer who had been interrogating Lindh and other Taliban prisoners.\n\nHe was brought to the U.S. to face charges of conspiring to kill Spann and providing support to terrorists. Eventually, he struck a plea bargain in which he admitted illegally providing support to the Taliban but denied a role in Spann's death.\n\nLindh served roughly 17 years and five months of his 20-year sentence, including two months when he was in military detention. Federal inmates who exhibit good behavior typically serve 85 percent of their sentence.\n\nLindh's release has drawn criticism, including from Spann's family. His daughter, Alison Spann, said on Twitter that she asked President Donald Trump to block Lindh's release. She called Lindh a traitor and his early release \"a slap in the face.\"\n\nIn March, the legislature in Alabama, where Spann grew up, adopted a resolution calling Lindh's release \"an insult\" to Spann's \"heroic legacy and his remaining family members.\"\n\nMike Spann's mother, Gail Spann, told reporters at the time that Lindh could have saved her son's life had he warned him about the looming prisoner revolt.\n\n\"He chose not to because he was a Taliban. He's a traitor to our country. He could have had an opportunity to save a great man that actually saved a lot of lives that day,\" she said.\n\nRepublican Alabama Sen. Richard Shelby and Democratic New Hampshire Sen. Maggie Hassan also expressed concern, in a letter last week to the Bureau of Prisons.\n\n\"We must consider the security and safety implications for our citizens and communities who will receive individuals like John Walker Lindh who continue to openly call for extremist violence,\" they wrote.\n\nAssociated Press writer Kimberly Chandler contributed to this report from Montgomery, Alabama.", "John Walker Lindh, the so-called American Taliban who pleaded guilty to fighting for the former militant leaders of Afghanistan after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, was released from a federal prison in Indiana on Thursday.\n\nJohn Walker Lindh in a photo obtained in 2002 from a record of religious schools where he studied for five months in Bannu, Pakistan.AP file\n\nA spokesperson for the Federal Bureau of Prisons confirmed Thursday morning that Lindh was no longer in custody.\n\nLindh, the first U.S.-born detainee in President George W. Bush’s “war on terrorism,” served 17 years of a 20-year sentence for supplying services to the Taliban and carrying an explosive during the commission of a felony.\n\nThe sentence was the result of a plea deal after Lindh, who is now 38, initially pleaded not guilty to 10 counts, including conspiracy to murder U.S. citizens or U.S. nationals, that could have consigned him to three life terms plus 90 years in prison.\n\nThe Justice Department agreed to the arrangement fearing that Lindh’s confession wouldn’t have been admissible in court because it was obtained without his having been read his Miranda rights and under conditions that his attorneys said amounted to torture.\n\nLindh was released early from the federal prison in Terre Haute, Indiana, for good behavior. He will spend three years on probation barred from possessing internet-capable devices and forbidden to view or gain access to extremist or terrorist videos, and he must allow the probation office to monitor his internet use.\n\nThat’s because federal authorities are concerned that Lindh remains a potentially violent Islamic extremist, current and former officials told NBC News this week, pointing to a handwritten letter he sent to NBC Los Angeles in 2015 in which he expressed support for ISIS, saying it was “doing a spectacular job.”\n\nLindh’s correspondence with journalists in prison, which was subject to U.S. inspection, was cited in a U.S. intelligence document produced in 2016 by the National Counterterrorism Center, which concluded that Lindh “continued to advocate for global jihad and to write and translate violent extremist texts.”\n\nLindh, who grew up near San Francisco, converted to Islam as a teenager and studied Arabic and the Quran overseas. He was with the Taliban when al Qaeda terrorists attacked the World Trade Center and the Defense Department on 9/11.\n\nLindh was captured with Taliban forces in the northern Afghan city of Mazar-e Sharif in December 2001 and was part of an uprising by prisoners, during which a CIA officer was killed. He later told reporters that he had fought with the Taliban for months.", "John Walker Lindh, the Californian who took up arms for the Taliban and was captured by invading U.S. forces in Afghanistan in 2001, got out of prison Thursday after more than 17 years, released under tight restrictions that reflected government fears he still harbors radical views.\n\nLindh, 38, left a federal penitentiary in Terre Haute, Indiana, after getting time off for good behavior from the 20-year sentence he received upon pleading guilty to providing support to the Taliban.\n\nIt was not immediately clear where the man known as the \"American Taliban\" will live or what he will do.\n\nIn a Fox interview, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo condemned his early release as \"unexplainable and unconscionable\" and called for a review of prison system policies.\n\nLindh's release was also opposed by the family of CIA officer Mike Spann, who was killed during an uprising of Taliban prisoners shortly after interrogating Lindh in Afghanistan.\n\nUnder restrictions imposed by a federal judge in Alexandria, Virginia, Lindh's internet devices must have monitoring software; his online communications must be conducted in English; he must undergo mental health counseling; he is forbidden to possess or view extremist material; and he cannot hold a passport or leave the U.S.\n\nProbation officers never explained why they sought the restrictions, but it is clear authorities retain misgivings about Lindh. In 2017, Foreign Policy magazine cited a National Counterterrorism Center report that Lindh \"continued to advocate for global jihad and to write and translate violent extremist texts.\"\n\nOn Wednesday, NBC reported that Lindh, in a letter to a producer from Los Angeles-based affiliate KNBC, wrote in 2015 that the Islamic State group is \"doing a spectacular job\" and \"is clearly very sincere and serious about fulfilling the long-neglected religious obligation to establish a caliphate through armed struggle.\"\n\nLindh converted to Islam as a teenager after seeing the movie \"Malcolm X,\" went overseas to study Arabic and the Quran and eventually made his way to Pakistan and Afghanistan and joined the Taliban. He met Osama bin Laden and was with the Taliban on Sept. 11, 2001, when al-Qaida terrorists attacked the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.\n\nLindh was captured in a battle with U.S.-allied Northern Alliance fighters in late 2001. He was present when a group of Taliban prisoners launched an attack that killed Spann.\n\nSpann's daughter Alison Spann, now a journalist in Alabama, posted a letter on her Twitter account that she said she had sent to President Donald Trump. In it, she called Lindh's early release \"a slap in the face\" to everyone killed on 9/11 and in the war on terror since then, along with \"the millions of Muslims worldwide who don't support radical extremists.\"\n\nLindh was initially charged with conspiring to kill Spann. He denied any role in Spann's death but admitted carrying an assault rifle and two grenades.\n\nRepublican Alabama Sen. Richard Shelby and Democratic New Hampshire Sen. Maggie Hassan also expressed concern about Lindh's release in a letter last week to the Bureau of Prisons.\n\n\"We must consider the security and safety implications for our citizens and communities who will receive individuals like John Walker Lindh who continue to openly call for extremist violence,\" they wrote.\n\nThe bureau defended itself Thursday in a statement that said Lindh’s release followed federal laws and guidelines. It said it works closely with outside agencies “to reduce the risk terrorist offenders pose inside and outside of prisons,” and added that no radicalized inmate has returned to federal prison on terrorism-related charges.", "WASHINGTON: John Walker Lindh, the American captured in 2001 fighting for the Taliban, is to be released early from federal prison on Thursday as some US lawmakers fear he remains a security risk.\n\nLindh, photographed as a wild-eyed, bearded 20-year-old at his Afghanistan capture, will leave a federal prison in Terre Haute, Indiana on probation after serving 17 years of a 20-year sentence, according to a prison official.\n\nNow 38, Lindh is among dozens of prisoners set to be released over the next few years after being captured in Iraq and Afghanistan by US forces and convicted of terrorism-related crimes following the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks.\n\nHis release brought objections from elected officials who asked why Lindh was being freed early and what training parole officers had to spot radicalization and recidivism among former militants.\n\nLeaked US government documents published by Foreign Policy magazine show the federal government as recently as 2016 described Lindh as holding “extremist views.”\n\n“What is the current interagency policy, strategy, and process for ensuring that terrorist/extremist offenders successfully reintegrate into society?” asked US Senators Richard Shelby and Margaret Hassan in a letter to the Federal Bureau of Prisons.\n\nLindh’s parents Marilyn Walker and Frank Lindh did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Lindh’s lawyer Bill Cummings declined to comment.\n\nMelissa Kimberley, a spokeswoman for the Terre Haute prison in Indiana, could not confirm details of Lindh’s release other than it would be on Thursday.\n\nUS-born Lindh converted from Catholicism to Islam as a teenager. He said he had no intention “to fight against America”.\n\nLindh told the court he condemned “terrorism on every level”.", "John Walker Lindh, a.k.a. “The American Taliban,” on Thursday was released years early from federal prison, despite the objections of Senator Richard Shelby (R-AL), President Donald Trump, the entirety of the Alabama legislature and the family of Johnny Micheal “Mike” Spann, who was an Alabamian and the first American known to be killed in “The War on Terror” in Afghanistan after 9/11.\n\nAfter being captured in Afghanistan in 2001, Lindh pled guilty to serving as a soldier of the Taliban. He was sentenced to 20 years in a federal penitentiary in 2002 for his role in the death of Spann, a Winfield native and Auburn University alumnus then serving as a CIA officer.\n\nLindh was released prematurely from federal custody in Indiana on Thursday. As of a 2017 Foreign Policy article, Lindh still intended to spread terrorist ideology upon his release from prison.\n\nCNN has reported that Lindh will live in Virginia under set restrictions.\n\nAlison Spann, the late Alabamian’s daughter, recently wrote a letter to the president calling Lindh’s early release “a slap in the face — not only to my father and my family but, but for every person killed on Sept. 11th, their families, the U.S. military, U.S. [intelligence] services, families who have lost loved ones to this war and the millions of Muslims worldwide who don’t support radical extremists.”\n\nIn an interview with Fox News, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo condemned Lindh’s early release as “unexplainable and unconscionable” and followed Shelby in calling for a review of prison system policies.\n\nRestrictions placed on Lindh, according to the Associated Press, include that “Lindh’s internet devices must have monitoring software; his online communications must be conducted in English; he must undergo mental health counseling; he is forbidden to possess or view extremist material; and he cannot hold a passport or leave the U.S.”\n\nHis release came only a day after NBC reported that Lindh, in a letter to a producer from Los Angeles-based affiliate KNBC, wrote in 2015 that the Islamic State group is “doing a spectacular job” and “is clearly very sincere and serious about fulfilling the long-neglected religious obligation to establish a caliphate through armed struggle.”\n\nYellowhammer News on Wednesday learned that Congressman Bradley Byrne (AL-01) imminently will file legislation to ensure convicted terrorists like Lindh are never released early from federal custody in the future.\n\nOn Lindh, Byrne has tweeted, “This man was held responsible for the horrific death of an Alabama CIA officer, and now he is getting out of jail early for good behavior. This is just so wrong!”\n\nSean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn"], "summary": "John Walker Lindh, the first person to be convicted of a crime in the War on Terror, is released on probation from a U.S. federal prison after serving 17 years of a 20-year sentence. Lindh has refused to renounce Islamist extremism and will be on probation for three years. U.S. President Donald Trump condemns the early release."}
{"document": ["Image copyright Alex Wroblewski/Getty Images Image caption Baltimore's government servers have been attacked by ransomware\n\nThe US city of Baltimore's government, long plagued by dysfunction, is now battling a ransomware attack that has crippled its systems for more than two weeks and counting.\n\nHackers breached the Maryland city's servers on 7 May and demanded $100,000 (£79,000) worth of Bitcoin.\n\nThe ransomware has blocked government email accounts and disabled online payments to city departments.\n\nBaltimore city officials have so far refused to pay the ransom.\n\nIt is the second cyber-attack to strike the city in as many years - the last one knocked out its emergency dispatch system for about a day.\n\nThe FBI and Secret Service are investigating the latest breach.\n\nHow long will it last?\n\nBaltimore Mayor Bernard \"Jack\" Young has acknowledged it is unclear when the systems will be back in operation this time.\n\n\"I know the folks in the technology office are working diligently to bring us back on board,\" said his spokesman, Lester Davis.\n\nAviel Rubin, a cybersecurity expert and computer science professor at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, estimates \"conservatively\" that it will be months before the systems are up and running.\n\n\"It's clear the system was vulnerable,\" he adds.\n\nHow damaging is the cyber-attack?\n\nMore than 1,500 homes sales have been delayed because the hackers left the city unable to notify insurers whether the sellers had any unpaid liens.\n\nBaltimore this week rolled out a \"manual workaround\" to allow real estate transactions to proceed during the outage.\n\nBut citizens are unable to access online sites to pay their water bills, property taxes and parking tickets.\n\nAnd 10,000 city government computers are locked, leaving employees with no email.\n\nThe city said there would be no late fees or fines during the technological shutdown.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Technology explained: what is ransomware?\n\nWhat do the hackers want?\n\nIn the ransom note, obtained by the Baltimore Sun, hackers demanded payment of three bitcoins - currently worth around $23,600 - per system, or 13 bitcoins for the release of the entire government network.\n\nIf the city failed to pay within four days, the note said, the price would increase.\n\nAfter 10 days - a deadline that lapsed last week - the city would not be able to get the data back.\n\n\"We've watched you for days and we've worked on your systems to gain full access to your company and bypass all of your protections,\" the hackers wrote.\n\n\"We won't talk more, all we know is MONEY!\"\n\nWhat makes the ransomware so effective?\n\nThe program, called RobbinHood, makes it impossible to access the servers without a specific digital key.\n\nProf Rubin said that the ransomware uses a publicly available algorithm called RSA to encrypt the data.\n\n\"It is believed that no government has the capability to break it,\" Prof Rubin said.\n\nWithout the key - held by the hackers - it's as if Baltimore's government \"just lost everything\", he said.\n\nBaltimore has contracted computer experts to help.\n\nImage copyright Getty Images Image caption The ransomware attack in Baltimore reflects wider cyber-security risks nationwide.\n\nHave any other US cities been targeted?\n\nAtlanta, Georgia, was hit with a similar breach in March 2018. That one was attributed to two Iranians.\n\nLocal media reported the hack cost the city $17m to recover.\n\nFortunately for Atlanta, the city had cyber-insurance, which helped the city foot the bill for its digital recovery. Baltimore had no such policy in place before this month's attack.\n\n\"This is impacting cities throughout the country,\" the Baltimore mayor's spokesman said.\n\n\"It's not a matter of if, it's a matter of when.\"\n\nThe Baltimore breach reflects a wider increase in ransomware attacks, Prof Rubin said, to which many government agencies have been slow to respond.\n\nHasn't Baltimore got enough problems?\n\nYes. Fallout from a sprawling corruption scandal in the city's police department has been playing out since 2017 after eight police officers were found guilty of robbing citizens and stealing overtime pay.\n\nEarlier this month Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh resigned amid uproar over lucrative business deals for her self-published children's books.\n\nMr Young enjoyed no political honeymoon when he stepped in to replace Ms Pugh on 9 May - two days after the cyber-attack.", "The east coast American city of Baltimore is still struggling to restore its crippled computers and IT infrastructure after a devastating ransomware attack.\n\nThe cyber attack struck Baltimore’s computers on 7 May, but nearly a month later, most online city services and 10,000 computers remain crippled.\n\nMatters have not been helped after it was reported that Google had inadvertently thwarted the city’s attempts to restore communications between citizens and staff when it shut down GMail accounts.\n\nThis attack shows the devastating nature of ransomware attacks. Last month US research AppRiver revealed a worrying admission about the actions of American companies after they are struck with a ransomware attack.\n\nIt found that more than half of executives (55 percent) at small-to-medium-sized businesses (SMBs) state they would pay hackers to recover their stolen data in ransomware attacks.\n\nThis directly contradicts the advice of nearly all security professionals, who urge firms not to pay but instead invest money in improving cyber defences and eduction, as well as ensuring that regular backups are carried out.\n\nAnd Baltimore is reportedly heeding this advice, after the hackers demanded a payment of $100,000 (£79,000) in Bitcoins to restore control of official systems to city workers.\n\nBaltimore is so far refusing to pay the ransom.\n\nThe FBI and Secret Service are known to be investigating, the BBC reported.\n\nBut this refusal has also crippled the normal day-to-day workings of the city in the US state of Maryland.\n\nFor example house sales have been delayed, water bills cannot be generated, and people cannot pay parking fines or taxes.\n\nAnd just when it seems that it couldn’t get any worse for Baltimore, Google reportedly did not help matters.\n\nCity officials had apparently set up GMail accounts to restore communications between citizens and staff.\n\nThe BBC reported that the mass creation of the accounts triggered Google’s automated GMail defences which shut them down, believing they were being used by spammers.\n\nBut the good news is that Google reportedly restored access to the GMail accounts once it discovered who had created them and why.\n\n“Our automated security systems disabled the accounts due to the bulk creation of multiple consumer Gmail accounts from the same network,” Google told the BoingBoing website.\n\nDo you know all about security? Try our quiz!", "Thirteen bitcoins are standing between the city of Baltimore and many of the services and processes its citizens rely on after hackers seized thousands of government computers at the start of the month. The ordeal has been going on for two weeks, and there’s no clear end in sight.\n\nHere’s what’s happening: On May 7, hackers digitally seized about 10,000 Baltimore government computers and demanded around $100,000 worth in bitcoins to free them back up. It’s a so-called “ransomware” attack, where hackers deploy malicious software to block access to or take over a computer system until the owner of that system pays a ransom.\n\nBaltimore, like several other cities that have been hit by such attacks over the past two years, is refusing to pay up. As a result, for two weeks, city employees have been locked out of their email accounts and citizens have been unable to access essential services, including websites where they pay their water bills, property taxes, and parking tickets. This is Baltimore’s second ransomware attack in about 15 months: Last year, a separate attack shut down the city’s 911 system for about a day. Baltimore has come under scrutiny for its handling of both attacks.\n\nThe ransomware attacks in Baltimore and other local governments across the US demonstrate that as ransomware attacks spread, and as common targets such as hospitals and schools beef up their online systems’ security, there are still plenty targets vulnerable to this kind of hack. It also exemplifies the conundrum that ransomware victims face: pay up and get your access back, or refuse — potentially costing much more in the long run.\n\nWhat’s going on in Baltimore, briefly explained\n\nHackers targeted the city of Baltimore on May 7 using a ransomware called RobbinHood, which, as NPR explains, makes it impossible to access a server without a digital key that only the hackers have.\n\nThe Baltimore hackers’ ransom note, obtained by the Baltimore Sun, demanded payment of three bitcoins per system to be unlocked, which amounts to 13 bitcoins to unlock all the seized systems. The note threatened to increase the ransom if it wasn’t paid in four days, and said the information would be lost forever if it wasn’t paid in 10 days. Both deadlines have now passed.\n\n“We won’t talk more, all we know is MONEY! Hurry up! Tik Tak, Tik Tak, Tik Tak!” the note said.\n\nThe city government is refusing to pay, meaning that the government email systems and payment platforms the attack took down remain offline. The attack has also harmed Baltimore’s property market, because officials weren’t able to access systems needed to complete real estate sales. (The city said transactions resumed on Monday.)\n\nBaltimore Mayor Jack Young, who’s officially been in his office less than a month, said in a statement on Friday that city officials are “well into the restorative process” and have “engaged leading industry cybersecurity experts who are on-site 24-7 working with us.” The FBI is also involved in the investigation.\n\n“Some of the restoration efforts also require that we rebuild certain systems to make sure that when we restore business functions, we are doing so in a secure manner,” Young said. He did not offer a timeline for when all systems will come back online.\n\nThe Baltimore City Council president also plans to form a special committee to investigate this latest attack and try to ensure it doesn’t happen again.\n\nA similar attack using RobbinHood hit government computers in Greenville, North Carolina, in April. A spokesperson for Greenville told the Wall Street Journal that the city never wound up paying, and that while its systems aren’t entirely restored, “all of our major technology needs are now being met.”\n\nMore than 20 municipalities in the US have been hit by cyberattacks this year alone. And such attacks can be expensive, perhaps especially if targets say they won’t pay. In 2018, hackers demanded that Atlanta pay about $50,000 in bitcoins as part of a ransomware attack. The city refused, and according to a report obtained by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Channel 2 Action News, the attack wound up costing the city $17 million to fix.\n\nRansomware attacks aren’t new — but we’re still figuring out how to deal with them\n\nIn 2017, a ransomware called WannaCry targeted tens of thousands of computers using Microsoft Windows operating systems in more than 100 countries. Officials in the US and the United Kingdom eventually blamed North Korea for the attack. Also in 2017, corporations in the UK, France, Russia, Israel, and Ukraine experienced ransomware attacks. US hospitals were also targeted.\n\nHere’s how Timothy Lee explained for Vox what was going on and how ransomware had become more prolific:\n\nThe basic idea behind ransomware is simple: A criminal hacks into your computer, scrambles your files with unbreakable encryption, and then demands that you pay for the encryption key needed to unscramble the files. If you have important files on your computer, you might be willing to pay a lot to avoid losing them. Ransomware schemes have become a lot more effective since the invention of Bitcoin in 2009. Conventional payment networks like Visa and Mastercard make it difficult to accept payments without revealing your identity. Bitcoin makes that a lot easier. So the past four years have seen a surge in ransomware schemes striking unsuspecting PC users. Some ransomware schemes are so sophisticated that they even invest in customer service, helping victims who want to pay their ransoms navigate the complexities of obtaining bitcoins and making bitcoin payments.\n\nSince then, a number of sectors and organizations have made improvements to their security practices to protect against ransomware. But the latest Baltimore attack exemplifies what a whack-a-mole game this is: One area improves its practices and hackers just go looking for another.\n\nRecode and Vox have joined forces to uncover and explain how our digital world is changing — and changing us. Subscribe to Recode podcasts to hear Kara Swisher and Peter Kafka lead the tough conversations the technology industry needs today.", "Google inadvertently thwarted Baltimore’s attempt to combat a major ransomware attack against the city earlier this week.\n\nThe Baltimore Sun reports that Baltimore set up multiple Gmail accounts after the ransomware attack, which affected the city’s email system, as well as services such as online payments.\n\nOn May 23, Google’s automated systems mistakenly perceived the numerous Gmail accounts as the work of spammers. The tech giant says that it has solved the issue, enabling Baltimore officials to use Gmail.\n\n\"We have restored access to the Gmail accounts for the Baltimore city officials,” it explained in a statement emailed to Fox News. “Our automated security systems disabled the accounts due to the bulk creation of multiple consumer Gmail accounts from the same network.\"\n\nThe computer servers were hit by the cyber attack on May 7 and city officials quickly shut down most servers. The city put a statement on its website saying that it \"is currently unable to send or receive email.” If residents need service from the city, they have been asked to call the city department they need to contact.\n\nOfficials have said hackers using the ransomware variant RobbinHood demanded the city pay the equivalent of $76,000 in bitcoin, which Mayor Bernard Young says won't happen. The deadline for payment was May 17.\n\nFox News has left multiple messages with Baltimore officials with a request for comment on this story.\n\nIn a ransomware attack, hackers typically encrypt a computer network’s data to hold it “hostage,” providing a digital decryption key to unlock it for a price.\n\nLast year, the City of Atlanta was targeted in a ransomware attack that impacted a number of its systems.\n\nAttacks have taken place across the U.S. Hackers, for example, targeted the port of San Diego in a ransomware attack that disrupted the agency’s IT systems. An Alaskan borough also had to dust off its typewriters following a major ransomware attack.\n\nIn 2017, a major ransomware attack forced the shutdown of a host of IT systems at Mecklenburg County, North Carolina.\n\nAlso in 2017, a hacker targeted Sacramento Regional Transit, deleting 30 million files in a ransomware attack. Officials worked to restore the data from backup files.\n\nCLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP\n\nIn 2016, a Los Angeles hospital paid a ransom of nearly $17,000 in bitcoins to hackers who infiltrated and disabled its computer network.\n\nFox News’ Barnini Chakraborty and the Associated Press contributed to this article. Follow James Rogers on Twitter @jamesjrogers", "Approximately 10,000 Baltimore City government computers remain crippled after a cryptocurrency ransomware attack locked officials out of critical servers, basically paralyzing the city for 14 days and counting.\n\nWe were one of the first to report the May 7th attack that brought Baltimore's entire communication network to a standstill. Hackers wanted 13 bitcoins (about $100,000) on day one of the attacks but have since demanded $10,000 per day since city officials refused to pay the ransom late last week.\n\nMayor Bernard C. \"Jack\" Young has warned the attack continues to devastate the city, could take months to recover some servers.\n\nAvi Rubin, a Johns Hopkins computer science professor and cybersecurity expert, told NPR the ransomware used in the attack is \"unbreakable,\" and so powerful that even government specialists cannot crack the code to unlock the city's computer network.\n\n\"I don't even think that the NSA would be able to break this algorithm,\" Rubin said. \"It's believed by the cryptographic community, both the theoreticians as well as the practitioners, to be unbreakable by today's technologies.\"\n\nThis is Baltimore's second cyber attack in a little more than a year. Last March, a ransomware attack on the city's emergency communications network forced dispatchers to relay addresses and other critical information to first responders via phone or text.\n\nAs the city remains paralyzed on Wednesday, numerous services provided by the local government are either offline or workarounds have been developed.\n\nOn the eighth day of the attack (May 15th), we reported the essential systems required for transacting real estate deals went offline, throwing the entire housing industry into chaos, which meant no homes could be bought or sold in the area. But it was only until yesterday, where officials launched a manual workaround for property sales.\n\nDaniel Tobok, CEO of Cytelligence, whose company has advised 500 cities hit by ransomware attacks, told Fox News \"he doesn't necessarily advocate paying off cyber crooks, he believes that in some instances \"you don't have a choice, you have to make a business decision.\"\n\nTobok warned if city officials don't resolve the hack attack immediately, the economic damage to the city could be devastating.\n\n\"Baltimore is playing with time,\" he said. \"They are going to come to a point where they have two choices - A. The (ransom demands) are going to skyrocket or B. The hackers will shut down the account they have been using and move out.\"\n\nThe FBI's cyber team has been working for 10-days straight to help Baltimore resolve their issues.\n\nBaltimore City's Inspector General said the attack came about one week after a city employee was fired for downloading thousands of pictures of porn onto his work computer.\n\nIn the last month, separate cyber attacks have also affected Stuart City, Florida; municipality of Greenville, North Carolina; New York state; Cleveland Airport; Genesee County, Michigan; and Fisher County in Texas.", "The US city of Baltimore has been partially paralyzed since 7 May, when a ransomware attack seized parts of the government’s computer systems.\n\nAs soon as the city discovered that it had been attacked, it informed the FBI and took its systems offline in an effort to keep the infection from spreading.\n\nBut not before the attack took down voicemail, email, a parking fines database, and a system used to pay water bills, property taxes and vehicle citations. Real estate transactions were also shut down.\n\nIt was lousy timing, given that this is one of the real estate industry’s busiest times of the year. The Baltimore Sun reported that hundreds of property sales could have been affected: A real estate agent with access to industry data told the newspaper that at least 1,500 sales were pending in Baltimore.\n\nBut a sliver of good news came on Monday, when Mayor Bernard Young’s office announced that the city had developed a manual workaround that would allow real estate transactions to resume during the outage.\n\nOn Friday, the mayor’s office had said that the city is “well into the restorative process.” The work includes rebuilding some systems in a way that will ensure that when business functions are restored, they’ll be functioning securely.\n\nAccording to Fox News, a recent analysis of the city’s cybersecurity defenses found that the network was “out of date in terms of security, staffing, and infrastructure to prevent attacks.”\n\nUnlike both Greenville and Atlanta – which was hit by a SamSam attack last year – Baltimore doesn’t have an insurance policy to cover cybersecurity incidents. Baltimore’s head of computer security reportedly told City Council members last year at a budget hearing that the city needed one, but it didn’t happen.\n\nExpect that to change: a spokesman for Young told the Baltimore Sun that the mayor has now directed the city’s finance and law departments to get coverage.\n\nIn Friday’s update, Mayor Young’s office said that it could take months to restore all services. From the media release:\n\nThe city has established a web-based incident command, shifted operations into manual mode and established other workarounds to keep delivering services.\n\nThe ransom: 13 Bitcoins for all you can eat\n\nBaltimore has a choice: it can spend months getting its technology back online, or it can give in to the attackers’ demands. 13 Bitcoins – worth about US $100,000 – is now standing between Baltimore and what would purportedly be a full restore of its systems. Mayor Young told local reporters on Monday that the city might pay up at some point, but at this point, that’s a negative:\n\nIn recent months, we’ve covered several severe attacks, including one in which the malware author behind a new type of ransomware called MegaCortex geeked out and distracted victims with Matrix film references.\n\nWe saw another attack at the beginning of the year, against a slew of US newspapers, that delayed their publication. And then in February, a targeted attack against a hospital involved two GandCrab ransomware attacks.\n\nWhat to do?\n\nDefending against a determined, targeted attack demands defense in depth, and, as in many things, prevention is better than cure. That starts with ensuring that access to RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol) is secure and finishes with regular, comprehensive, off-site backups, with much else in between.\n\nTo read more about those things and the preventive steps you can take to protect yourself against targeted ransomware of all stripes, read our article on how to defend against SamSam ransomware.\n\nFortunately, the same advice that we gave to help to protect from SamSam will also help against ransomware – and cybercrime – in general, so please revisit it now.\n\nWe also urge you to read the SophosLabs 2019 Threat Report, in which Sophos researchers analyze the state of play in cybercrime today, including a section on ransomware.\n\nFinally, visit sophos.com to read more about anti-ransomware technologies, including Sophos Intercept X.", "Earlier this month, hackers successfully deployed a piece of ransomware that, for about two weeks now, has effectively shut down a range of key public services in the city of Baltimore. All told, the ransomware in question has locked down approximately 10,000 government computers. The hackers responsible for the attack — who remain unknown at this point — are demanding 13 bitcoins in exchange for returning things back to normal, a figure that comes out to about $102,000.\n\nThe ransomware attack has essentially taken the Baltimore city government hostage. What this means on a practical level is that the city government cannot access email accounts or even process payments to employees. Further, real estate transactions cannot be processed and citizens remain unable to make a range of utility payments.\n\nAs it stands now, city officials have indicated that they have no intention of paying the ransom amount, which is encouraging insofar that paying the 13 bitcoins would undeniably encourage similar attacks in the future. But in the interim, there’s something of a standstill as the city is working furiously to get essential services back up and running.\n\nIn a press release issued a few days ago, Baltimore Mayor Bernard Young said the following:\n\nWe established a web-based incident command, shifted operations into manual mode and established other workarounds to facilitate the continued delivery of services to the public. We continue to adjust and refine the delivery of those services that were only partly interrupted and to pursue ways to reactivate any services that were completely interrupted. We are well into the restorative process, and as I’ve indicated, are cooperating with the FBI on their investigation. Due to that investigation, we are not able to share information about the attack. To the extent that we can, we will continue to keep you informed about our process.\n\nMeanwhile, Young added that the city is working with leading cybersecurity experts as part of an effort to contain the ransomware and implement updated tools to ensure that a similar attack won’t happen again. Further, Young notes that a timeline for when everything will return to normal remains unclear and that some systems may not be fully restored for a period of a few months.\n\n“Like any large enterprise,” Young explained, “we have thousands of systems and applications. Our focus is getting critical services back online, and doing so in a manner that ensures we keep security as one of our top priorities throughout this process. You may see partial services beginning to restore within a matter of weeks, while some of our more intricate systems may take months in the recovery process.”\n\nNow if any of this sounds somewhat familiar, Baltimore’s 911 system was hit by a ransomware attack last year. Fortunately, the 911 system was spared this time around.\n\nAs to the ransomware used in the attack, the Baltimore Sun notes that it’s a new variant of ransomware dubbed RobbinHood. Experts who have taken a close look at it have indicated that it was “written by experienced coders.”\n\nOver the past few years, ransomware has become an increasingly favored tool among hackers looking to generate a boatload of cash with a relatively quick turnaround. While we’re accustomed to seeing ransomware attacks target individual PC owners, hackers seem to be targeting government computers with increasing — and alarming — frequency. Just last month, for example, a ransomware attack caused myriad issues at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport.", "Visitors to Baltimore’s government website this week saw a banner message that might be jarring for a city that’s taken pride in its high-tech “smart city” initiatives.\n\n“The City of Baltimore is currently unable to send or receive email,” the banner read. “If you need assistance, please call the department you wish to contact.”\n\nThat comes after the city’s computer network was struck by a massive ransomware attack that Mayor Bernard “Jack” Young said on May 17 could take months to fully recover from.\n\n“We don’t have any [recovery] date as of now,” says James E. Bentley II, press secretary in the mayor’s office. “They’re just working around the clock to secure the environment, and then once they are certain that they have a secure environment, they’re going to start working incrementally to bring applications and email back online.”\n\nThe hack, first discovered on May 7, also interfered with real estate sales in the city since officials couldn’t verify that sellers didn’t have outstanding liens on their properties. The city has since introduced a new procedure effectively letting sales resume if sellers pledge to pay any outstanding debts on their properties. The attack also shuttered a “bad batch” warning system that lets drug users and healthcare workers know when there are especially deadly drugs being sold in the area, The Baltimore Sun reports, and made it impossible for residents to pay water bills and parking tickets online.\n\nThe city government has so far refused to pay a 13-Bitcoin, or roughly $100,000, ransom demand that the attackers have claimed would let the city unlock files encrypted by the attack, which used a malware variant nicknamed RobinHood to encrypt city data.\n\nIt’s not the first time government computers have been struck by ransomware—Albany, New York, suffered brief digital disruptions in April after a similar attack, and Atlanta reportedly took months and spent millions of dollars to recover from such an attack last year, allegedly the work of Iranian hackers. And experts warn that such hacks on government systems could continue, with municipalities in particular often struggling to keep up with the demands of cybersecurity.", "U.S. Sen. Chris Van Hollen and other Maryland lawmakers have lots of questions for the FBI about the ransomware attack on Baltimore City government computer systems.\n\nThe lawmakers are seeking a briefing on, among other topics, what federal resources were provided to respond to the attack and how the city can enhance its cybersecurity.\n\nIn a letter being sent Thursday to FBI Director Christopher Wray and Secret Service Director James Murray, the legislators also ask for the attackers’ identities and details about similar cases in other states.\n\nThe briefing would not be held until the attack is over “and any subsequent investigations conclude,” the letter said.\n\nIt said the Maryland delegation is “deeply grateful to the FBI and Secret Service for providing much-needed assistance to the City in responding to this attack.”\n\nBaltimore officials said the attack earlier this month knocked email and payment systems offline and halted the city’s real estate market operations. Baltimore’s property market was revived Monday only after officials launched a manual system for processing sales.\n\n\n\nRansomware works by locking up files using encryption so users can’t access them. The hackers then demand payment to provide the cyber keys to unlock the files, typically in the hard-to-trace digital currency bitcoin. Because this strain is new, it can slip past anti-virus tools.\n\n\n\n“As you know, this attack has caused significant disruptions to the daily operation of City services, delaying at least 1,500 pending home sales and affecting how residents pay bills and other obligations,” said the letter, signed by Van Hollen and fellow Democratic senator Ben Cardin.\n\n\n\nReps. Elijah Cummings, C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger and John Sarbanes — all Baltimore-area Democrats — also signed.", "For more than two weeks now, Baltimore has been battling a major ransomware attack on its city government infrastructure. The city government’s email, voicemail, property tax portal, and water bill and parking ticket payment systems have all been affected, and more than 1,000 pending home sales have been delayed. (To add insult to injury, the Baltimore Sun reported Thursday that “Gmail accounts created by Baltimore officials as a workaround while the city recovers from the ransomware attack have been disabled because Google considers them business accounts that should be paid for, the mayor’s office said.”) The cause of these problems is a relatively new strain of malware called RobbinHood, which, like other ransomware programs, encrypts infected systems so that they cannot be used or accessed until a payment is made and the attackers provide the necessary decryption key. It’s a deeply frustrating type of cybersecurity incident because it interrupts operations so completely. Even if a victim is perfectly prepared with full offline data backups, it still requires time and resources to reboot all of the infected computers.\n\nSo far, Baltimore’s response appears to have been admirable, if slow. It’s taking systems offline to prevent the malware from spreading and setting up an offline alternative to the online system for processing home sales, for instance. But in an interview on Monday, Baltimore Mayor Bernard Young hinted that he might be considering the worst possible response: giving in to the attackers’ demands for a payment of 13 bitcoins, or roughly $100,000.\n\nYoung didn’t say he would authorize the payment, but he showed signs of caving to the pressure, telling reporters, “I am thinking. Right now, I say no, but in order to move the city forward? I might think about it. But I have not made a decision yet.”\n\nFrom a financial perspective, it makes perfect sense that Young would consider acquiescing to the ransomers’ demands—after all, it will cost the city far more than $100,000 to restore the systems that have been compromised. But long-term, that cost-benefit analysis looks very different. Every time a victim pays up in a situation like this, it simply allows the perpetrators to continue with this line of cybercrime—and, more than that, encourages others to follow in their footsteps, because it reinforces the idea that this is a viable and lucrative business model.\n\nBaltimore stands to put the rest of us in greater danger by paying the ransom.\n\nEven Young just publicly stating that he is considering making such a payment may be enough to encourage future such attacks on Baltimore, by signaling to would-be attackers that the city has not ruled out the possibility.\n\nWhen the city of Atlanta experienced a similar ransomware attack in 2018, media coverage noted the irony of the city’s spending $2.6 million to recover from the incident rather than paying the demanded $52,000. But while Atlanta’s recovery spending was perhaps excessive (the consultancy fees it paid for “incident response consulting” and “crisis communications services” were ludicrous), they had exactly the right idea in refusing to give in to the ransom demands.\n\nThere are multiple reasons it’s a bad idea—both financially and ethically—to pay a ransom in any circumstances short of life and death. However frustrating the Baltimore situation may be right now, the inability to pay parking tickets or purchase a house does not reach the bar of, for instance, a hospital unable to administer care to patients because of ransomware.\n\nFrom a purely self-interested perspective, there’s a real risk that Baltimore could pay and then find that the attackers do not actually restore their systems—or demand more money before doing so. According to a 2016 study by Kaspersky Lab, roughly one in five ransomware victims who pay their attackers are still not able to retrieve their data. (As a sort of insurance against that risk, the Baltimore hackers have allegedly offered to decrypt three files at no charge to show they are “honest,” according to the New York Times.)\n\nEven if the RobbinHood perpetrators restore Baltimore’s computer systems upon receiving payment, that’s still no guarantee they won’t return to attack the city again in the future. They may even leave traces of malware or backdoors on the city’s systems to ensure their ability to do so. And even if those particular perpetrators move on to other targets, other attackers will know that the Baltimore government is a promising target, liable to give in to demands if the attack is sufficiently severe.\n\nBeyond just opening itself up to more trouble and future ransom demands, Baltimore also stands to put the rest of us in greater danger by paying the ransom. For the most part, cybercriminals only continue to spread ransomware because it is a profitable business—one 2017 study found ransomware payments over a two-year period totaled more than $16 million.\n\nSo, yes, it’s important to make regular, automated backups of all your systems; it’s important to segment your network so that it’s hard for malware in one part to spread to all the others; it’s important to have offline alternatives to online systems; it’s important to be careful about suspicious websites and email attachments. But none of those things, on its own, is going to drive ransomware out of business. The only two things that have the potential to really dramatically drive down the frequency of ransomware attacks are a global crackdown on regulating cryptocurrency exchanges (which does not appear to be imminent) or a widespread refusal to pay ransoms that forces cybercriminals into another line of work to pay their bills.\n\nNo one should be paying ransoms, but public entities, like city governments and police departments, have a particular responsibility to protect the public good by doing the slow, hard, expensive work of restoring and securing their systems rather than taking the easy way out—which will, in the end, only make everything harder.\n\nFuture Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University that examines emerging technologies, public policy, and society."], "summary": "The U.S. city of Baltimore, Maryland, has been battling a ransomware attack that has blocked government email accounts and disabled online payments to city departments. The hackers breached the city's servers on May 7 and demanded $100,000 (£79,000) worth of Bitcoin."}
{"document": ["The alleged primary administrator of a \"dark web\" site at the heart of an international online pedophilia ring, Montri Salangam (center), is seen in police custody in Thailand following his arrest early in 2018. Interpol/Handout\n\nInternational police group Interpol said Thursday that nine people had been arrested in Thailand, Australia and the U.S. and 50 children had been rescued after investigators took down an online pedophilia ring. More arrests were expected as police in nearly 60 countries pursue investigations stemming from an Interpol operation launched two years ago into a hidden \"dark web\" site with 63,000 users worldwide.\n\nFifty children were rescued following the arrests. Police are trying to identify an additional 100 in images that had been shared on the internet's uncharted corners.\n\nInterpol said its Operation Blackwrist began after it found material that was traced back to a subscription-based site on the dark web, where people can use encrypted software to hide behind layers of secrecy.\n\nDark web sites can't be found through search engines, and users need to have the specific URL address to land on a site.\n\nStudy: Large portion of darknet in use by child predators\n\nInterpol enlisted help from national agencies worldwide, with the US Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) department eventually tracking the site's IP address, where new photos and videos were posted weekly.\n\nThe first arrests came in early 2018, when the site's main administrator, Montri Salangam, was detained in Thailand, and another administrator, Ruecha Tokputza, was captured in Australia.\n\nSalangam, whose victims included one of his nephews, was sentenced in June last year to 146 years in prison by Thai courts.\n\nInterpol said children were lured to Salangam's home with the promise of food, internet access and soccer games.\n\nShedding light on the dark web\n\nOne of his associates, a pre-school teacher, got 36 years.\n\nTokputza was handed a 40-year prison term at his trial in Australia last Friday, the longest ever for child sex offences in the country.\n\nThe Australian Associated Press reported that Tokputza, 31, pleaded guilty to 50 counts of abuse of 11 babies and children -- one just 15 months old -- between 2011 and 2018.\n\n\"You are a child's worst nightmare, you are every parent's horror, you are a menace to the community,\" Judge Liesl Chapman said in Adelaide.\n\nForensic investigators gather evidence from the home of Montri Salangam, the accused administrator of a \"dark web\" site at the center of an alleged online pedophilia ring, who was arrested in Thailand in early 2018. Interpol/Handout\n\nInterpol did not identify the others arrested.\n\nThe HSI's regional attache in Bangkok, Eric McLoughlin, said in the statement that \"numerous arrests\" had been made in the US. Some held \"positions of public trust,\" he said, and one individual was abusing his two-year-old stepbrother.\n\n\"Operation Blackwrist sends a clear message to those abusing children, producing child sexual exploitation material and sharing the images online: We see you, and you will be brought to justice,\" Interpol's Secretary General Juergen Stock said.", "BANGKOK: A child sex abuse network operating a website from locations including Thailand and Australia has been busted by Interpol, with 50 victims identified so far, the youngest of which was aged 15 months.\n\nNamed Operation Blackwrist after a bracelet worn by one of the sexual predators, the international investigation began after Interpol’s Crimes Against Children unit discovered photographs and videos showing the abuse of 11 boys on the Dark Web two years ago. All of the boys were under 13 years old.\n\nAdvertisement\n\nAdvertisement\n\nAccording to Interpol, the materials originated from a subscription-based website with nearly 63,000 users worldwide. Each week, the site would publish new abusive material. The victims’ identity would be masked to allow only a few visual and audio clues.\n\nCHILDREN LURED BY MEALS, INTERNET ACCESS\n\nThe abuse was carried out by the site’s main administrator in Thailand's Surin province - Montri Salangam - who lured the children to his home in a remote community with meals, Internet access and football games. One of the victims is his own nephew.\n\n“The investigation took six months before we could identify the victims in Surin. The website sharing abusive images has revealed a link with Australia's Adelaide. Thailand's Department of Special Investigation (DSI), as a result, worked with the Australian police to arrest a suspect in Australia on the same day we arrested the suspect in Thailand, Jan 16, 2018,” said Police Captain Kemachart Prakaihongmanee from DSI.\n\nOfficers collect evidence from Salangam's home. (Photo: Interpol)\n\nThe first victims were identified in November 2017, followed by arrests in Thailand, Australia and the United States.\n\nAdvertisement\n\nAdvertisement\n\nAmong the offenders was a second site administrator based in Australia - a Thai-Australian named Ruecha Tokputza.\n\nHis confiscated devices revealed thousands of images taken in Thailand and Australia, some of which showed him as the main abuser. The victims are mostly Australian children aged between 15 months and 12 years.\n\nBoth the abusers have been sentenced for their crimes.\n\nIn June last year, Thai courts handed Salangam 146 years in prison on charges of child rape, human trafficking, possessing and distributing child sexual abuse materials. His sentence was later reduced to 50 years. He also has to pay five victims 500,000 baht (US$15,600) each as compensation.\n\nOn May 17, Tokputza was sentenced to 40 years and three months in prison - the longest jail sentence ever imposed in Australia for child sex offences. He was described by an Australian judge as “every child’s worst nightmare” and “every parent’s horror”.\n\n“During the investigation, our officers were confronted with 850,000 images and video files. They were then subjected to victim identification analysis. Some of the material depicted the Australian offender abusing multiple children and some are the most egregious offences,” said Mr Stephen Fry, senior liaison officer from the Australian Federal Police.\n\nTIP OF THE ICEBERG\n\nBesides the 50 victims already identified, police believe there are still 100 more who have suffered sexual abuse. Investigators are currently trying to identify them as they continue to comb through devices and chat groups, website users and offenders.\n\nAs for the abusive images and videos seized, they have been uploaded to Interpol’s International Child Sexual Exploitation database.\n\n\"Every image is evidence of a crime. It's important to work on these images and work together to try to identify (the victims). And that is what we do. So, police officers around the world are uploading material to the international child sexual exploitation database,\" said Interpol’s criminal intelligence officer Cecilia Wallin. \"One of the unit's main purposes is to identify the victims through images and videos. We do that through a global network.\"\n\nAccording to Mr Eric McLoughlin from the US Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Bangkok, Operation Blackwrist has also led to four arrests in Virginia, Florida and New York in the United States.\n\nThe cases involve individuals occupying positions of public trust and those who had easy access to children. This includes a school teacher, and another individual who was also abusing his two-year-old stepbrother.\n\n“The investigation is ongoing. This is just the tip of the iceberg,” Ms Wallin said, adding that the website's registered users come from almost every country, including Singapore. Nine offenders have been identified so far.\n\n\"Of the 63,000 registered users around the world, we can say that it contains almost every country. We sent information to 137 countries worldwide. So, definitely, in Singapore and any country, even in Africa,\" she said.\n\n\"The website was hosted in Bulgaria. They copied the server. They took it down with the assistance of Europol, and Interpol and Europol set up referral packages to all these countries.\"\n\nInvestigators at an operational meeting prior to the January 2018 arrests. (Photo: Interpol)\n\nGIVING VICTIMS A VOICE\n\nThe operation is a collaborative effort involving security and intelligence officers from nearly 60 countries worldwide, including those from Thailand’s DSI who took on the case in June 2017.\n\nFollowing Interpol’s discovery of child sexual abuse materials produced in Thailand, US investigators identified the website IP address before Bulgaria’s Cybercrime Department took down the website’s server.\n\nIn New Zealand, the Department of Internal Affairs compiled information on website users for Interpol member countries. Email addresses were then cross-checked by the US National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and additional intelligence was provided.\n\nAn IP address pointed to a location in Adelaide, prompting the Australian police to join the operation.\n\nFollowing Salangam’s arrest, the international collaboration led to two other major operations in Thailand’s Patthalung and Lampang. In the latter case, the offender was sentenced to 36 years and six months in jail. Police have also identified seven victims in a nursery where he was working.\n\n\"Investigations like these show two things,” said acting deputy assistant director of the HIS David Magdycz.\n\n“They show the criminals that wherever you are in the world, you cannot hide, and law enforcement will track you down. Secondly, I think it shows that the victims have a voice. Law enforcement gives those victims a voice. Oftentimes, the victims of these crimes are young children and they don’t have a representative speak for them.”", "A Thursday press release from Interpol announced their \"Operation Blackwrist\" had reached new levels as a total 50 children, the youngest being only 15 months old, were rescued from dark web pedophilia ring. In addition, at least nine sex offenders have been either sentenced or await trial for their alleged child sex and exploitation crimes.\n\nOperation Blackwrist began in 2017 after Interpol's Crimes Against Children unit was alerted to sexual material involving the abuse of 11 boys, all aged under 13, during \"routine darkweb monitoring,\" according to the release. Interpol says the content was made accessible to at least 63,000 users across the globe through a subscription-based darkweb site that had been running for some years.\n\nThe site, which published new images and videos of sexual abuse against young children, is said to have taken precaution in not revealing any audio or visual clues as to where the content originated.\n\nIn order to carry out the operation, named after a wristband consistently worn by an offender, Interpol relied on cooperation from agencies such as Thailand's Department of Special Investigations (DSI), the US' Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Australian Federal Police (AFP).\n\nThe first arrests came about in January 2018 after Interpol successfully identified the first victims two months prior.\n\nMontri Salangam, the darkweb site's main administrator, was arrested in Thailand and identified as the man abusing the 11 boys in the videos which sparked the launch of Operation Blackwrist. Interpol says Salangam lured boys, including his own nephew, to his home with promises of \"meals, internet access and football games.\"\n\nSimultaneously, Ruecha Tokputza, another site admin, was apprehended in Australia.\n\nUpon both arrests, officers also uncovered thousands of images featuring both administrators as primary abusers. South Australian court proceedings would later reveal the duo's youngest victim was only 15 months old.\n\nIn June 2018, Salangam was sentenced to 146 years in prison on charges of child rape, human trafficking and possessing and distributing child sexual abuse materials, according to Channel News Asia. The sentence would later be reduced to 50 years, but Salangam is also required to pay five victims 500,000 baht ($15,600).\n\nAn accomplice, identified as a nursery school teacher with close ties to Tokputza, received 36 years in prison from a Thai court after being convicted of the same charges as Salangam.\n\nThe Interpol release says an Australian court gave Tokputza \"the longest sentence ever imposed in Australia for child sex offences\" on May 17 2019: 40 years and three months.\n\n\"You are a child's worst nightmare, you are every parent's horror, you are a menace to the community,\" Judge Liesl Chapman told Tokputza in Adelaide.\n\nThough the release provides no further details on who was arrested, Interpol has made it clear that several other alleged offenders have been captured in the United States, Thailand and Australia as a result of ongoing investigations.\n\nAdditionally, Interpol says police in \"nearly 60 countries\" are currently examining referrals from New Zealand and expect more offenders and rapists to be brought to justice.\n\n\"Every child abuse image is evidence of a crime and INTERPOL will always provide its full support to officers on the ground to help identify and rescue victims around the world,\" Interpol Secretary General Jürgen Stock noted in the release.", "A child sex abuse site on the Dark Web has been busted in an international operation led by Interpol.\n\nDubbed Operation Blackwrist, named after a bracelet worn by one of the offenders, the two-year operation led to the arrest and prosecution of nine offenders in Australia, Thailand and the US.\n\nIn a media release yesterday, Interpol said the operation was launched in 2017 following the discovery of material depicting the abuse of 11 boys, all under 13 years old.\n\nThe material was from a website with about 63,000 subscribers worldwide.\n\nFor years, the site published new material weekly, with great care taken to avoid detection by masking the children.\n\nInvestigators from Thailand, the United States, Bulgaria, New Zealand and Australia worked on the case together, identifying the victims and offenders. Then in January last year, the authorities swooped in.\n\nThey conducted simultaneous arrests of the site's administrators in Australia and Thailand.\n\nThe main administrator, Montri Salangam, was based in Thailand.\n\nHe was the man seen abusing the 11 boys, including his own nephew.\n\nInterpol said the children were lured to his home with meals, Internet access and football games.\n\nA second administrator, Ruecha Tokputza, was based in Australia.\n\nPolice found thousands of images taken in both Thailand and Australia on his devices.\n\nThe youngest of his victims was just 15 months old.\n\nInvestigations stemming from the arrests of the two led to further arrests in Australia, Thailand and the United States.\n\nThe authorities were able to remove 50 victims from harm, but believe there are at least 100 more unidentified children who were also abused.\n\nLast year, the Thai courts jailed Salangam for 146 years.\n\nAnother offender, an unnamed nursery school teacher who was arrested during the operation, was jailed 36 years.\n\nLast week, Tokputza was jailed 40 years and three months in Australia, making it the longest sentence handed out by the country for child sex offences.\n\nFurther arrests and rescues are expected in the next few years, as the authorities in 60 countries are now examining the evidence which has been shared through the Interpol International Child Sexual Exploitation database.\n\nInterpol secretary General Jürgen Stock said he welcomed the successful prosecutions and lauded the co-operation between the law enforcement agencies of the different countries.\n\n\"Every child abuse image is evidence of a crime and Interpol will always provide its full support to officers on the ground to help identify and rescue victims around the world,\" he said.\n\n\"Operation Blackwrist sends a clear message to those abusing children, producing child sexual exploitation material and sharing the images online: We see you, and you will be brought to justice.\"", "(CNN) — Interpol has saved 50 children and prosecuted nine sex offenders after uncovering an international pedophile ring that was sharing child abuse images on the dark web.\n\nPolice believe there are still 100 children who have not yet been located, Interpol said in a press release Thursday, adding that it expected to make more arrests and rescues.\n\nOffenders have already been prosecuted in Thailand, Australia and the United States, Interpol said, and police in nearly 60 countries are involved in the investigation.\n\nIn the report, Interpol said it launched “Operation Blackwrist” in 2017 after discovering material depicting the abuse of 11 boys all aged under 13 on the dark web, a part of the internet that cannot be found by mainstream search engines. The images were on a subscription-based website that published new images weekly to almost 63,000 users worldwide.\n\nIn June 2017, Thailand’s Department of Special Investigations (DSI) took on the case, working closely with Interpol’s Liaison Bureau in Bangkok and investigators around the world including in the United States, Bulgaria, New Zealand and Australia.\n\nThe first victims were identified in November that same year, leading to arrests in Thailand and Australia two months later.\n\nIn June 2018, the website’s main administrator, Thailand-based Montri Salangam, was sentenced to 146 years in prison on charges of child rape and human trafficking. He had abused 11 boys — including his nephew — and had lured children to his home with meals, internet access and football games.\n\nA nursery school teacher who was close to Tokputza was sentenced to 36 years in prison on the same charges.\n\nIn May 2019, Ruecha Tokputza, an Australia-based website administrator, received 40 years and three months in prison, the longest sentence ever imposed in the country for child sex offenses. Police found thousands of images taken in Thailand and Australia on his devices, some of which featured Tokputza as the main abuser. The youngest victim depicted was only 15 months old.\n\nThe judge in that case referred to Tokputa as “every child’s worst nightmare” and “every parent’s horror.”\n\nInterpol Secretary General Jürgen Stock said the investigation sent a clear message to those abusing children or sharing child sexual exploitation material: “We see you, and you will be brought to justice.”\n\n“Every child abuse image is evidence of a crime,” he said.", "International police group Interpol said Thursday that nine people had been arrested in Thailand, Australia and the U.S. and 50 children had been rescued after investigators took down an online pedophilia ring.\n\nMore arrests were expected as police in nearly 60 countries pursue investigations stemming from an Interpol operation launched two years ago into a hidden \"dark web\" site with 63,000 users worldwide.\n\nFifty children were rescued following the arrests. Police are trying to identify an additional 100 in images that had been shared on the internet's uncharted corners.\n\nInterpol said its Operation Blackwrist began after it found material that was traced back to a subscription-based site on the dark web, where people can use encrypted software to hide behind layers of secrecy.\n\nDark web sites can't be found through search engines, and users need to have the specific URL address to land on a site.\n\nInterpol enlisted help from national agencies worldwide, with the US Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) department eventually tracking the site's IP address, where new photos and videos were posted weekly.\n\nThe first arrests came in early 2018, when the site's main administrator, Montri Salangam, was detained in Thailand, and another administrator, Ruecha Tokputza, was captured in Australia.\n\nSalangam, whose victims included one of his nephews, was sentenced in June last year to 146 years in prison by Thai courts, while an associate, a pre-school teacher, got 36 years.\n\nTokputza was handed a 40-year prison term at his trial in Australia last Friday, the longest ever for child sex offences in the country.\n\nThe Australian Associated Press reported that Tokputza, 31, pleaded guilty to 50 counts of abuse of 11 babies and children -- one just 15 months old -- between 2011 and 2018.\n\n\"You are a child's worst nightmare, you are every parent's horror, you are a menace to the community,\" Judge Liesl Chapman said in Adelaide.\n\nInterpol did not identify the others arrested.\n\nThe HSI's regional attache in Bangkok, Eric McLoughlin, said in the statement that \"numerous arrests\" had been made in the U.S. Some held \"positions of public trust,\" he said, and one individual was abusing his two-year-old stepbrother.\n\n\"Operation Blackwrist sends a clear message to those abusing children, producing child sexual exploitation material and sharing the images online: We see you, and you will be brought to justice,\" Interpol's Secretary General Juergen Stock said.", "BANGKOK: Fifty children abused by sex offenders operating a website from locations including Thailand and Australia have been removed from harm as part of an international operation coordinated by Interpol.\n\nNamed Operation Blackwrist after a bracelet worn by one of the sexual predators, the international investigation began when Interpol’s Crimes Against Children unit discovered photographs and videos showing the abuse of 11 boys on the dark web two years ago. All of them were under 13 years old.\n\nAccording to Interpol, the materials originated from a subscription-based website with nearly 63,000 users worldwide. Each week, the site would publish new abusive materials. The victims’ identity would be masked to allow only a few visual and audio clues.\n\nThe abuse discovered by Interpol was carried out by the site’s main administrator in Thailand's Surin province - Montri Salangam - who lured the children to his home with meals, Internet access and football games. One of the victims is his own nephew.\n\n“The investigation took six months before we could identified the victims in Surin. The website sharing abusive images has revealed a link with Australia's Adelaide. Thailand's Department of Special Investigation (DSI), as a result, worked with the Australian police to arrest a suspect in Australia on the same day we arrested the suspect in Thailand, Jan 16, 2018,” said Police Captain Kemachart Prakaihongmanee from DSI.\n\nThe first victims were identified in November 2017, followed by arrests in Thailand, Australia and the United States. Among the offenders was a second site administrator based in Australia - Ruecha Tokputza. His confiscated devices revealed thousands of images taken in Thailand and Australia, some of which showed him as the main abuser.\n\nBoth the abusers have been sentenced for their crimes. In June last year, Thai courts handed Salangam 146 years in prison on charges of child rape, human trafficking, possessing and distributing child sexual abuse materials.\n\nOn May 17, Tokputza was sentenced to 40 years and three months in prison - the longest jail sentence ever imposed in Australia for child sex offences. He was described by an Australian judge as “every child’s worst nightmare” and “every parent’s horror”.\n\nBesides the 50 victims already identified, police believe there are still 100 more who have suffered sexual abuse. Investigators are currently trying to identify them as they continue to comb through devices and chat groups, website users and offenders. As for the abusive images and videos seized, they have been uploaded to Interpol’s International Child Sexual Exploitation database.\n\n\"Every image is evidence of a crime. It's important to work on these images to identify the crime,\" said Interpol’s criminal intelligence officer Cecilia Wallin. \"One of the unit's main purposes is to identify the victims through images and videos. We do that through a global network.\"\n\nAccording to Eric McLoughlin from the US Homeland Security Investigations in Bangkok, Operation Blackwrist has led to numerous arrests in the US involving individuals occupying “positions of public trust”, and another one who was also abusing his two-year-old stepbrother.\n\nThe operation is a sophisticated and collaborative effort involving security and intelligence officers from nearly 60 countries worldwide, including those from Thailand’s Department of Special Investigations (DSI) who took on the case in June 2017.\n\n\n\nFollowing Interpol’s discovery of child sexual abuse materials produced in Thailand, US investigators identified the website IP address before Bulgaria’s Cybercrime Department took down the website’s server.\n\n\n\nIn New Zealand, the Department of Internal Affairs compiled information on website users for Interpol member countries. Email addresses were then cross-checked by the US National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and additional intelligence was provided.\n\nAn IP address pointed to a location in Adelaide, prompting the Australian police to join the operation.\n\n\"This kind of investigation shows two things,\" said acting deputy assistant director of the HIS David Magdycz.\n\n\"To the criminals, wherever you are in the world, you cannot hide,\" he added. \"And victims have a voice.\"", "International police group Interpol said yesterday that nine people had been arrested in Thailand, Australia and the United States and 50 children had been rescued after investigators took down an online pedophilia ring.\n\nMore arrests were expected as police in nearly 60 countries pursue investigations stemming from an Interpol operation launched two years ago into a hidden dark-web site with 63,000 users worldwide.\n\nFifty children were rescued following the arrests. Police are trying to identify an additional 100 in images that had been shared on the internet.\n\nInterpol said its Operation Blackwrist began after it found material that was traced back to a subscription-based site on the dark web, where people can use encrypted software to hide behind layers of secrecy.\n\nDark-web sites can’t be found through search engines and users need to have the specific URL address to land on a site.\n\nInterpol enlisted help from national agencies worldwide, with the US Homeland Security Investigations department eventually tracking the site’s IP address, where new photos and videos were posted weekly.\n\nThe first arrests came in early 2018, when the site’s main administrator, Montri Salangam, was detained in Thailand and another administrator, Ruecha Tokputza, was captured in Australia. Salangam was sentenced in June last year to 146 years in prison by Thai courts, while an associate, a preschool teacher, got 36 years. Tokputza was handed a 40-year jail term at his trial in Australia last Friday.", "Bulgaria’s Cybercrime Department at the General Directorate Combating Organised Crime, supported by Europol, took down the servers of a website as part of an international operation against a child sex abuse ring, Interpol said on May 23.\n\nThe two-year international operation co-ordinated by Interpol has led to the rescue of 50 children, as well as the arrest and prosecution of child sex offenders in Thailand, Australia and the United States.\n\nOperation Blackwrist, named after a bracelet worn by one of the offenders, was launched by Interpol in 2017 following the discovery of material depicting the abuse of 11 boys, all under 13 years old.\n\nFor years, the site had published new images weekly, with the abuser taking great care to avoid detection, often masking the children and leaving very few visual or audio clues, Interpol said.\n\nOfficers relied on the physical traits of the children to track their ongoing abuse, and reached out to the global police community for help.\n\nIn June 2017, Thailand’s Department of Special Investigations (DSI) took on the case, working in close collaboration with Interpol’s Liaison Bureau in Bangkok.\n\nInvestigators around the world also joined the effort to identify the 11 boys and find site administrators. The US’ Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) identified the website IP address and worked on establishing potential links to the US.\n\nBulgaria’s Cybercrime Department at the General Directorate Combating Organized Crime, supported by Europol, took down the website’s servers.\n\nThe Department of Internal Affairs in New Zealand deconflicted intelligence and compiled information packages on website users for Interpol member countries.\n\nThe US National Center for Missing and Exploited Children cross-checked e-mail addresses and provided additional intelligence.\n\nThe Australian Federal Police (AFP) and South Australian Police came on board when an IP address pointed to a location in Adelaide.\n\nThe website and its administrators sparked a series of investigations around the world, leading to further arrests in Thailand, Australia and the United States.\n\nAs police in nearly 60 countries examine referrals compiled by New Zealand, more arrests and rescues are expected, Interpol said.\n\nAlthough police have removed 50 victims from harm, they believe an additional 100 more children have suffered abuse, and are currently working to identify those victims, the statement said.", "A two-year international operation involving police from Australia, Bulgaria, New Zealand, Thailand and the US and coordinated by Interpol has led to the arrest of nine alleged child sex offenders in Thailand, the US and Australia.\n\nThe investigation — called Operation Blackwrist — was launched in 2017 after police found material showing the abuse of 11 boys, all below the age of 13, by an online international pedophilia ring operating on the dark web on a subscription basis.\n\nDark web sites cannot be found via search engines, and access requires typing in the specific URL address.\n\nPolice said 50 children were rescued, with around 100 more suspected of having suffered abuse. Police are working to identify the victims.\n\n\"Operation Blackwrist sends a clear message to those abusing children, producing child sexual exploitation material and sharing the images online: We see you, and you will be brought to justice,\" Interpol Secretary-General Jürgen Stock said in a statement.\n\nInterpol stressed that international cooperation in fighting child sexual abuse was key as pedophilia networks tended to be \"transnational.\"\n\nIn early 2018, police made the first arrests, capturing the site's main administrator, Montri Salangam in Thailand. He was seen abusing the 11 boys, one of whom was his nephew. Another administrator, Ruecha Tokputza, was detained in Australia.\n\nIn June that year, Salangam was sentenced to 146 years in prison for child rape, human trafficking as well as possession and distribution of child sex abuse material by a Thai court. Tokputza was sentenced to 40 years in prison in Australia."], "summary": "Interpol's Operation Blackwrist arrests nine people in Australia, Thailand and the United States, and rescues 50 children in connection with a 63,000-member online pedophilia ring. More arrests are expected. Investigators from nearly 60 countries participated in this operation."}
{"document": ["U.S. Brings New Charges Against Julian Assange In War Logs, State Cables Case\n\nEnlarge this image toggle caption Matt Dunham/AP Matt Dunham/AP\n\nUpdated at 5:54 p.m. ET\n\nProsecutors are bringing a slate of new charges against Julian Assange, including alleged violations of the Espionage Act, raising the stakes for his prospective extradition from the United Kingdom.\n\nA grand jury in Northern Virginia has returned a superseding indictment with 17 more charges against the WikiLeaks founder. It follows an earlier case brought against Assange in connection with the alleged help he gave to then-Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning to compromise U.S. government computer networks.\n\nAssange is being charged for what officials call his \"alleged complicity in illegal acts\" involving Manning and \"for agreeing and attempting to obtain\" information that compromised national security.\n\nManning provided Assange with war logs, State Department cables, assessments of Guantanamo detainees and other materials.\n\nSaid U.S. Attorney Zach Terwilliger: \"The United States has only charged Assange with publishing a narrow set of classified documents\" that included the names of innocent people, such as dissidents and human rights activists.\n\n\"Assange is not charged simply because he is a publisher,\" Terwilliger said.\n\nThe new charges\n\nThe charges announced on Thursday all relate to chapters in the history of WikiLeaks before its involvement in Russia's interference in the 2016 presidential election.\n\nThey include allegations that Assange violated the Espionage Act provisions that prohibit a conspiracy to obtain, receive and disclose national defense information; charges related to the attempted cracking of computer passwords; and unlawful receipt of sensitive information such as State Department communications and Defense Department logs.\n\nProsecutors also added a charge related to the disclosure of national defense information that included the unredacted names of human sources in places such as China, Syria, Afghanistan and elsewhere.\n\nCourt documents described a series of chats between Assange and Manning in March 2010 in which Assange allegedly encourages Manning more than once to obtain documents.\n\nThe defense\n\nAssange has long argued that he is a journalist no different from any other reporter protected by press freedom rights in the West or the First Amendment in the United States.\n\nThe U.S. criminal case boils down to a reporter — Assange — encouraging a source — Manning — to give him a story, Assange and his attorneys argue. That's not only not against the law, they and supporters say, but also going forward would cause a deep chill in the ability of the press to report on the government.\n\nEnlarge this image toggle caption Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty Images Adrian Dennis/AFP/Getty Images\n\n\"These unprecedented charges demonstrate the gravity of the threat the criminal prosecution of Julian Assange poses to all journalists in their endeavor to inform the public about actions that have [been] taken by the U.S. government,\" said Assange attorney Barry Pollack.\n\n\"This is madness,\" WikiLeaks wrote on its Twitter account.\n\nBruce Brown, executive director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, reiterated the possible risk to journalists.\n\n\"Any government use of the Espionage Act to criminalize the receipt and publication of classified information poses a dire threat to journalists seeking to publish such information in the public interest, irrespective of the Justice Department's assertion that Assange is not a journalist,\" he said.\n\nBen Wizner — director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project — blamed the president.\n\n\"This is an extraordinary escalation of the Trump administration's attacks on journalism, and a direct assault on the First Amendment,\" he said.\n\nManning, meanwhile, is in custody in Northern Virginia after apparently refusing to cooperate with the U.S. Attorney's Office in the grand jury proceeding that yielded the indictment unsealed on Thursday.\n\nA judge ordered Manning to be jailed after she said she would not testify against Assange.\n\nThe defendant\n\nAssange is in British custody following his ejection earlier this year from his long self-imposed confinement in the Embassy of Ecuador in London. A British judge ordered him to be jailed in connection with bail jumping.\n\nSwedish and American authorities both are asking London to extradite Assange to face criminal charges.\n\nSwedish prosecutors reopened a investigation into rape allegations against Assange once he left the embassy. It isn't clear which capital — Stockholm or Washington — will take priority with British authorities in evaluating whether to extradite him.", "It seemed flimsy from the start, but the US Department of Justice is keen to get their man. What has certainly transpired of late is that Mike Pompeo was being unusually faithful to the truth when director of the CIA: every means would be found to prosecute the case against WikiLeaks and Julian Assange. His assessment of the publishing outfit in 2017 as a “non-state hostile intelligence service” finds its way into the latest Justice Department’s indictment, which adds a further 18 counts.\n\nThe prosecution effort was initially focused on a charge of computer intrusion, with a stress on conspiracy. It was feeble but intentionally narrow, fit for extradition purpose. Now, a few more eggs have been added to the basket in a broader effort to capture the entire field of national security publishing. The Espionage Act of 1917, that ghoulish reminder of police state nervousness, has been brought into play. Drafted to combat spies as the United States made its way into the First World War, the act has become a blunt instrument against journalists and whistleblowers. But Assange, being no US citizen, is essentially being sought out for not abiding by the legislation. The counts range from the first, “conspiracy to receive national defense information” (s. 793(g) of the Espionage Act) to “obtaining national defense information,” to the disclosures of such information.\n\nThe first part is problematic, as prosecutors are arguing that Assange does not have to release the said “national defence” information to an unauthorised recipient. In short, as a publisher to the world at large of such material, he can be punished. The second round of charges, drawn from section 793(b) of the Act, makes the prosecution purpose even clearer. The provision, dealing with the copying, taking, making, obtaining, or attempting to do so, material connected with national defence, would suggest the punishment of the source itself. Not so, claim the prosecutors: the publisher or journalist can be caught in its web.\n\nSection 793(c), upon which four counts rest, is intended to capture instances of soliciting the leaks in question or the recipient of that information, one who “agrees or attempts to receive or obtain it, that it has been or will be obtained, taken, made or disposed of by any person contrary to the provisions of this chapter.”\n\nIf there was any doubt about what the indictment does to media organisations who facilitate the means to receive confidential material or leaks, the following should allay it: “WikiLeaks’s website explicitly solicited, otherwise restricted, and until September 2010, ‘classified materials’. As the website then-stated, ‘WikiLeaks accepts classified, censored, or otherwise restricted material of political, diplomatic or ethical significance.” From the perspective of prosecutors, “Assange and WikiLeaks have repeatedly sought, obtained, and disseminated information that the United States classified due to the serious risk that unauthorized disclosure could harm the national security of the United States.”\n\nSeething with venom, the indictment also takes issue with instances where Assange sought to popularise the effort to obtain leaks. Assange “intended the ‘Most Wanted Leaks’ list to encourage and cause individuals to illegally obtain and disclose protected information, including classified information, to WikiLeaks contrary to law.”\n\nThe standout feature of this angle is that Chelsea Manning, the key source for WikiLeaks as former intelligence analyst for the US Army, is less important than Assange the mesmerising Svengali. It was the WikiLeaks’s publisher who convinced Manning to respond to his seductive call, a point the prosecutors insist is proved by search terms plugged into the classified network search engine, Intelink.\n\nThe response from the scribbling fraternity, and anybody who might wish to write about national security matters, has been one of bracing alarm, tinged by characteristic apologias. On the latter point, Assange the principle, and Assange the man, have proven confusing to fence sitters and traditional Fourth Estate sell outs.\n\nSam Vinograd shines in this regard as CNN national security analyst, an important point because such hacks previously served as advisors or agents to political masters. They can be trusted to toe the line. In Vinograd’s case, it was as senior advisor in the Obama administration. Triumphantly, she claims, Assange “knowingly endangered the lives of journalists, religious leaders, human rights advocates, and political dissidents and did incredible harm to our national security.” No evidence is supplied for any of these assertions – the claims in the indictment will do. Obscenely, we are to take at face value that the US Justice Department is doing us, not to mention journalists, a favour. Wither analysis.\n\nThe mistake often made is that such previous experience as a national security advisor or some such will enable in-stable media figures to speak openly about topics when the opposite is true. Their goggles remain permanently blurred to the broader implications of punishing media outlets: they, after all, speak power to truth.\n\nThose like John Pilger, one of Assange’s more tireless defenders, have been unequivocal and, thus far, accurate. “The war on Julian Assange is now a war on all,” he tweeted. “Eighteen absurd charges including espionage send a burning message to every journalist, every publisher.” WikiLeaks’s current publisher-in-chief, Kristinn Hrafnsson expressed “no satisfaction in saying ‘I told you so’ to those who for 9 years scorned us for warning this moment would come.”\n\nThe ACLU has also made the pertinent point that the charges against Assange are easily replicable across the board: do it to Assange and you might give the nod of approval to other states to do the same. They “are equally dangerous for US journalists who uncover the secrets of other nations. If the US can prosecute a foreign publisher for violating our secrecy laws, there’s nothing preventing China, or Russia, from doing the same.” Fairly precise, that.\n\nTrevor Timm, Freedom of the Press Foundation executive director, did not mince his words. “Put simply,” came his statement, “these unprecedented charges against Julian Assange and WikiLeaks are the most significant and terrifying threat to the First Amendment in the 21st century.”\n\nThe silver lining – for even in this charred landscape of desperation, there is one – is the overzealous nature of this effort. For one thing, proving espionage requires the necessary mental state, namely the “intent or reason to believe that the [leaked] information is to be used to the injury of the United States, or to the advantage of any foreign nation.” It was precisely such grounds that failed to convince Colonel Denise Lind in Manning’s trial, who found that the analyst was not “aiding the enemy” in supplying material to WikiLeaks.\n\nBy larding the charge folder against Assange so heavily, the political intention of the prosecutors is clear. It reeks of overreach, an attempt to get ahead of the queue of Sweden. A sensible reading of any extradition effort now must conclude that Assange is as much a target of political interest as anything else. Not a hacker, nor a figure so personalised as to be reviled, but a symbol of publishing itself, persecuted by the only superpower on the planet. The case, surmises Edward Snowden, “will decide the future of media.”\n\n ___________\n\nDr. Binoy Kampmark was a Commonwealth Scholar at Selwyn College, Cambridge. He lectures at RMIT University, Melbourne. Email: bkampmark@gmail.com", "The Department of Justice announced 17 new charges against Wikileaks founder Julian Assange on Thursday, including a virtually unprecedented move to charge him with publishing classified material — a move that could pose challenges to First Amendment protections.\n\nIn a superseding indictment, a grand jury in Alexandria, Virginia, has accused Assange of breaking the law by inducing Army Pvt. Chelsea Manning to send him classified documents — and then publishing material that included the names of confidential sources who provided information to American diplomats.\n\nThe 17 counts were tacked on to a single count accusing Assange of conspiring with Manning to crack a Department of Defense password. Assange, who was taken out of the Equadorian embassy in London in April, is being held in a London jail for jumping bail on a sex charge and awaiting extradition to the United States.\n\nThe government says Manning provided Assange and WikiLeaks with databases containing about 90,000 Afghanistan War-related significant activity reports, 400,000 Iraq War-related reports, 800 Guantanamo Bay detainee assessment briefs, and 250,000 U.S. Department of State cables.\n\nThe material, which began to be published in 2010, made headlines across the world and shed light on U.S. government activities.\n\nThe decision to charge Assange in connection with publishing secrets crosses an important line. The U.S. government has never successfully prosecuted anyone other than a government employee for disseminating unlawfully leaked classified information, according to University of Chicago Law Prof. Geoffrey Stone, even though the Espionage Act has long been on the books.\n\nJournalists publish classified material regularly, yet the government has opted not to prosecute a journalist — even when government officials have been deeply angered by the revelations of classified intelligence information.\n\n\"Today the government charged Julian Assange under the Espionage Act for encouraging sources to provide him truthful information and for publishing that information,\" Assange's attorney Barry J Pollack said in a statement. \"The fig leaf that this is merely about alleged computer hacking has been removed. These unprecedented charges demonstrate the gravity of the threat the criminal prosecution of Julian Assange poses to all journalists in their endeavor to inform the public about actions that have been taken by the U.S. government.\"\n\nIn a briefing for reporters, Justice Department officials said they do not consider Assange a journalist, and they took pains to say they will not target journalists.\n\n“The department takes seriously the role of journalists in our democracy,” Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Demers said.\n\nDemers and other officials said they only charged Assange with publishing a narrow subset of material that included the names of confidential sources, including people who risked their lives talking to the U.S. government.\n\n“Assange thereby is alleged to have created grave and imminent risk to their lives and liberty,” Demers said.\n\nWhile that action by Assange and Wikileaks has long been criticized, press freedom advocates have worried that criminalizing the act of publishing opens the door for the government to charge journalists who make publishing decisions government officials don’t like.\n\nFor example, CIA officials were furious when The New York Times in 2015 published the true name of a longtime CIA counterterrorism official, Mike D’Andrea, who had been in charge of the agency’s targeted killing program. The Times said the move was justified because of his leadership role in one of the government’s most significant paramilitary programs and because his name was known to foreign governments and many others.\n\nWikiLeaks, the anti-secrecy organization Assange founded, tweeted, “This is madness. It is the end of national security journalism and the first amendment.”\n\nEdward Snowden, the former NSA contractor who leaked secrets and is now living in Moscow, tweeted, “The Department of Justice just declared war––not on Wikileaks, but on journalism itself. This is no longer about Julian Assange: This case will decide the future of media.”\n\nZachary Terwilliger, the U.S. attorney who brought the charges, told reporters that the United States “has not charged Assange for passively obtaining or receiving classified information.”\n\nRather, he said, Assange is charged “for his alleged complicity in illegal acts to obtain or receive voluminous databases of classified information.”\n\n“Any government use of the Espionage Act to criminalize the receipt and publication of classified information poses a dire threat to journalists seeking to publish such information in the public interest, irrespective of the Justice Department’s assertion that Assange is not a journalist,” said Bruce Brown, executive director Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.\n\nManning is in jail in Alexandria, having refused to testify before the grand jury in the case.\n\nAfter Assange helped Manning purloin classified documents, the superseding indictment charges, Assange published on WikiLeaks material “that contained the unredacted names of human sources who provided information to United States forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, and to U.S. State Department diplomats around the world. These human sources included local Afghans and Iraqis, journalists, religious leaders, human rights advocates, and political dissidents from repressive regimes.”\n\nThe indictment says that act “put the unredacted named human sources at a grave and imminent risk of serious physical harm and/or arbitrary detention.”\n\nAsked by a reporter whether they could point to an example of a U.S. source who had been harmed by the publication, the Justice Department officials were unable to do so. But they said they were prepared to prove that the sources were at risk.", "Prosecutors are bringing a slate of new charges against Julian Assange, including alleged violations of the Espionage Act, raising the stakes for his prospective extradition from the United Kingdom.\n\nA grand jury in Northern Virginia has returned a superseding indictment with 17 more charges against the WikiLeaks founder. It follows an earlier case brought against Assange in connection with the alleged help he gave to then-Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning to compromise U.S. government computer networks.\n\nAssange is being charged for what officials call his \"alleged complicity in illegal acts\" involving Manning and \"for agreeing and attempting to obtain\" information that compromised national security.\n\nManning provided Assange with war logs, State Department cables, assessments of Guantanamo detainees and other materials.\n\nSaid U.S. Attorney Zach Terwilliger: \"The United States has only charged Assange with publishing a narrow set of classified documents\" that included the names of innocent people, such as dissidents and human rights activists.\n\n\"Assange is not charged simply because he is a publisher,\" Terwilliger said.\n\nThe charges announced on Thursday all relate to chapters in the history of WikiLeaks before its involvement in Russia's interference in the 2016 presidential election.\n\nThey include allegations that Assange violated the Espionage Act provisions that prohibit a conspiracy to obtain, receive and disclose national defense information; charges related to the attempted cracking of computer passwords; and unlawful receipt of sensitive information such as State Department communications and Defense Department logs.\n\nProsecutors also added a charge related to the disclosure of national defense information that included the unredacted names of human sources in places such as China, Syria, Afghanistan and elsewhere.\n\nCourt documents described a series of chats between Assange and Manning in March 2010 in which Assange allegedly encourages Manning more than once to obtain documents.\n\nAssange has long argued that he is a journalist no different from any other reporter protected by press freedom rights in the West or the First Amendment in the United States.\n\nThe U.S. criminal case boils down to a reporter — Assange — encouraging a source — Manning — to give him a story, Assange and his attorneys argue. That's not only not against the law, they and supporters say, but also going forward would cause a deep chill in the ability of the press to report on the government.\n\n\"These unprecedented charges demonstrate the gravity of the threat the criminal prosecution of Julian Assange poses to all journalists in their endeavor to inform the public about actions that have [been] taken by the U.S. government,\" said Assange attorney Barry Pollack.\n\n\"This is madness,\" WikiLeaks wrote on its Twitter account.\n\nBruce Brown, executive director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, reiterated the possible risk to journalists.\n\n\"Any government use of the Espionage Act to criminalize the receipt and publication of classified information poses a dire threat to journalists seeking to publish such information in the public interest, irrespective of the Justice Department's assertion that Assange is not a journalist,\" he said.\n\nBen Wizner — director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project — blamed the president.\n\n\"This is an extraordinary escalation of the Trump administration's attacks on journalism, and a direct assault on the First Amendment,\" he said.\n\nManning, meanwhile, is in custody in Northern Virginia after apparently refusing to cooperate with the U.S. Attorney's Office in the grand jury proceeding that yielded the indictment unsealed on Thursday.\n\nA judge ordered Manning to be jailed after she said she would not testify against Assange.\n\nAssange is in British custody following his ejection earlier this year from his long self-imposed confinement in the Embassy of Ecuador in London. A British judge ordered him to be jailed in connection with bail jumping.\n\nSwedish and American authorities both are asking London to extradite Assange to face criminal charges.\n\nSwedish prosecutors reopened a investigation into rape allegations against Assange once he left the embassy. It isn't clear which capital — Stockholm or Washington — will take priority with British authorities in evaluating whether to extradite him.\n\n\n\nThe Justice Department today unveiled new charges against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. Right now, Assange is in a British prison for jumping bail there. But he's a wanted man in both the U.S. and Sweden. To talk about how these new charges complicate his situation, we're joined by NPR's national justice correspondent Carrie Johnson. She's been following the U.S. investigation for years. Welcome back to the studio, Carrie.\n\nCORNISH: What can you tell us about these new charges against Julian Assange?\n\nJOHNSON: Remember, Julian Assange already faced one charge - conspiracy to engage in computer hacking - for his role in the leak by former Army Private Chelsea Manning. Manning gave WikiLeaks State Department cables, war logs and assessments of detainees at Guantanamo. Today, a grand jury in Virginia slapped Julian Assange with 17 more charges. These are extremely serious, alleging violations of the Espionage Act. That includes conspiracy to obtain, receive and disclose national defense information and attempting to crack a password to help Chelsea Manning get into a database to obtain even more secrets.\n\nCORNISH: These sound way more serious than the first charge related to hacking. So are prosecutors going in a different direction?\n\nJOHNSON: Yeah, in some ways, they are. The new charges describe chats between Manning and Assange in March 2010 where Assange was basically soliciting state secrets, according to the Justice Department. And prosecutors here are also charging Assange with publishing information, something the Obama administration never wanted to do. Normally, prosecutors would charge the leaker of the information, not the person who published it. But authorities at the Justice Department insist Assange is being charged narrowly here. The assistant attorney general for national security, John Demers, told reporters Julian Assange is no journalist. Look at the entirety of his conduct.\n\nCORNISH: Can we go back to that for a second? If he's being charged with publishing material, what are the implications for the First Amendment and for press freedom?\n\nJOHNSON: Yeah. Julian Assange is certain to raise a First Amendment defense. He basically says if he faces prison time, so would The New York Times, The Washington Post and other news outlets. In fact, Bruce Brown, who runs the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, is just out with a statement saying these charges pose a dire threat to all journalists. The fear is this legal theory could be used to criminalize core reporting activity some of us do every day. The Justice Department says there is a difference, that Assange was warned by the State Department at the time not to publish some of these documents. But he persisted, published the names of human sources in Iran, China and Syria. There is no evidence any of those people were killed. But prosecutors say they only have to show there was a potential for harm to those people in order to succeed in court.\n\nCORNISH: In the meantime, Swedish authorities revived a rape case against Assange, suggesting that they want a turn at prosecuting him. What are the odds that he'll ever make it to the U.S. to face trial?\n\nJOHNSON: That's going to be up to British authorities. Assange will have a chance to make his legal arguments before a British judge. He's argued he's a journalist, and also he's being singled out for political reasons because he exposed secrets about U.S. wrongdoing and alleged war crimes. Here's why that matters, Audie. The extradition treaty between the U.K. and the U.S. has an exception for political offenses. And so if they find that there is a political element here, he may never wind up back here in the U.S., and he may wind up in Sweden first, which also wants him.\n\nCORNISH: That's NPR's Carrie Johnson. Carrie, thank you.", "U.S. Brings New Charges Against Julian Assange In War Logs, State Cables Case\n\nProsecutors are bringing a slate of new charges against Julian Assange, including an alleged violation of the Espionage Act, raising the stakes for his prospective extradition from the United Kingdom.\n\nA grand jury in Northern Virginia has returned a superseding indictment with 17 more charges against the WikiLeaks founder that follow an earlier case brought against Assange in connection with the alleged help he gave to Chelsea Manning to compromise U.S. government computer networks.\n\nAssange is being charged for his \"alleged complicity in illegal acts\" involving Manning and \"for agreeing and attempting to obtain\" information that compromised national security, officials say.\n\nManning provided Assange with war logs, State Department cables, assessments of Guantanamo detainees and other materials.\n\nSaid U.S. Attorney Zach Terwilliger: \"The United States has only charged Assange with publishing a narrow set of classified documents\" that included the names of innocent people included dissidents, human rights activists and others.\n\n\"Assange is not charged simply because he is a publisher,\" Terwilliger said.\n\nThe charges announced on Thursday all relate to chapters in the history of WikiLeaks before its involvement in Russia's interference in the 2016 presidential election.\n\nThey include allegations that Assange violated the Espionage Act provisions that prohibit a conspiracy to obtain, receive and disclose national defense information; charges related to the attempted cracking of computer passwords; and unlawful receipt of sensitive information such as State Department communications and Defense Department logs.\n\nProsecutors also added a charge related to the disclosure of national defense information that includes unredacted names of human sources in places such as China, Syria, Afghanistan and elsewhere.\n\nCourt documents described a series of chats between Assange and Manning in March 2010 in which Assange allegedly encourages Manning more than once to obtain documents.\n\nAssange has long argued that he is a journalist no different from any other reporter protected by press freedom rights in the West or the 1st Amendment in the United States.\n\nThe U.S. criminal case boils down to a reporter — Assange — encouraging a source — Manning — to give him a story, as Assange and his attorneys argue. That's not only not against the law, they and supporters say, but going forward would cause a deep chill in the ability of the press to report on the government.\n\nManning is in custody in Northern Virginia for apparently refusing to cooperate with the U.S. Attorney's Office in the grand jury proceeding that yielded the indictment unsealed on Thursday.\n\nA judge ordered Manning to be confined after she said she would not testify against Assange.\n\nAssange, meanwhile, is in British custody following his ejection earlier this year from his long self-imposed confinement in the embassy of Ecuador in London.", "The Justice Department on Thursday charged WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange with violating the US Espionage Act by publishing military and diplomatic files in 2010, rejecting his claim that he is a journalist.\n\nThe department unveiled 17 new charges against Assange, accusing him of directing and abetting intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning in stealing secret US files, and also recklessly exposing confidential sources in the Middle East and China who were named in the files.\n\nThe charges against Assange, now 18 in total, reject his claim that he was simply a publisher receiving leaked material from Manning, an action that is protected under the US Constitution’s First Amendment guaranteeing freedom of the press.\n\nA new indictment alleges that Assange actively conspired with Manning to steal the hundreds of thousands of classified files “with reason to believe that the information was to be used to the injury of the United States or the advantage of a foreign nation,” the Justice Department said.\n\nIt also said that Assange rejected the US State Department’s warning in 2010 to redact the names of its and the US military’s confidential sources in Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, Iran and China, sources it said included journalists, religious leaders, human rights advocates, and political dissidents.\n\n“Assange’s actions risked serious harm to United States national security to the benefit of our adversaries and put the unredacted named human sources at a grave and imminent risk of serious physical harm and/or arbitrary detention,” the department said.\n\n“The department takes seriously the role of journalists in our democracy,” said Assistant Attorney General John Demers.\n\nA native of Australia, Assange, 47, is currently in prison in Britain for jumping bail, and faces a US extradition request when he is released 11 months from now.\n\nBut it is not yet clear whether the British government will honor that request, and the new charges could complicate it.\n\nWikiLeaks blasted the charges, saying the threatened reporters broadly.\n\n“This is madness. It is the end of national security journalism and the first amendment,” the group tweeted.\n\nWikileaks later denounced the charges as “an unprecedented attack on the global free press” and an “extraterritorial application of US law,” saying in a statement that the “Department of Justice wants to imprison Assange for crimes allegedly committed outside of the United States.”\n\n“The charges brought against Julian Assange under the Espionage Act pose a direct threat to press freedom and investigative journalism, both of which are undermined when those who inform the public are prosecuted for sounding the alarm,” said Reporters Without Borders.\n\nThe charges escalate the US government’s effort to crack down on leakers of national security materials.\n\nWhile the previous administration of president Barack Obama pursued leakers, including Manning, it appeared to draw the line on transparency groups like WikiLeaks, not wanting to enter a battle over press freedom.\n\nBut after WikiLeaks played an important role in the Russia meddling operation in the 2016 US election, publishing materials stolen by Russian hackers that were damaging to Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, Washington officials began to paint the group as acting in concert with US enemies.\n\nIn 2017, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, at the time director of the CIA, called WikiLeaks a “non-state hostile intelligence service.”\n\nWikiLeaks put itself on the map as a potent force in 2010 when it began publishing the files extracted from classified US databases by Manning, then a low-level US army intelligence analyst angered by the US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.\n\nThe documents, videos, and communications exposed possible war crimes, torture, and secret military operations, as well as unveiling the often-unseemly behind-the-scenes activities, discussions and analyses of US diplomacy.\n\nThe 40-page indictment paints Assange specifically as a co-conspirator of Manning, who was sentenced in 2013 under the Espionage Act to 35 years in prison for the leaks, her claim of being a “whistleblower” rejected.\n\nHer sentence was commuted by Obama in 2017. But she was sent back to jail earlier this year for refusing to cooperate with the investigation into Assange.\n\nThe Justice Department said that in 2009, before Manning acted, WikiLeaks publicly solicited specific classified materials involving the US wars in Afghanistan and Iraq so that it could publish the materials.\n\n“Assange wanted the ‘Most Wanted Leaks’ list to encourage and cause individuals to illegally obtain and disclose protected information,” the indictment says.\n\nIt says Assange went far beyond the actions of a simple publisher.\n\n“No responsible act of journalism would purposely publish the names of individuals he or she knew to be confidential sources in war zones, exposing them to the gravest of dangers,” said Demers.", "WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange finds himself more legal trouble today as federal prosecutors have charged him with 17 new counts. Among them is an espionage charge for publishing classified information — the first such indictment ever handed down against a non-government employee by the U.S. Justice Department.\n\nThe new charges under the Espionage Act already are rankling some, including the ACLU and Citizenfour subject and Moscow reisdent Edward Snowden, on constitutional grounds. To that end, WikiLeaks responded to the indictments by tweeting: “This is madness. It is the end of national security journalism and the first amendment.”\n\nA Virginia grand jury found that Assange unlawfully got then-Army Pvt. Chelsea Manning to obtain classified documents that included the names of sources who provided information to U.S. officials. Today’s charges are in addition to the single count against Assange that he worked with Manning to learn a password used by the Defense Department.\n\nWikiLeaks Founder Julian Assange Jailed For Nearly A Year By British Court For Breaching Bail\n\n“Today the government charged Julian Assange under the Espionage Act for encouraging sources to provide him truthful information and for publishing that information,” Assange’s attorney Barry J Pollack said in a statement. “The fig leaf that this is merely about alleged computer hacking has been removed. These unprecedented charges demonstrate the gravity of the threat the criminal prosecution of Julian Assange poses to all journalists in their endeavor to inform the public about actions that have been taken by the U.S. government.”\n\nThe DOJ, however, made it clear during a news birefing today that it does not consider what Assange does as journalism. “The department takes seriously the role of journalists in our democracy,” John Demers, Assistant Attorney General for National Security, told reporters today.\n\nAfter forcibly being removed from the Ecuadorian embassy in London last month, Assange is being held by British authorities for jumping bail. U.S. Justice Department officials believe he had a role in “one of the largest compromises of classified information in the history of the United States.”", "WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been charged by the US Justice Department with receiving and publishing classified information.\n\nThe charges are contained in an 18-count indictment announced on Thursday.\n\nThe new charges go far beyond an initial indictment against Assange made public last month that accused him of conspiring with former Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning in a conspiracy to crack a Defence Department computer password.\n\nThe new indictment says Assange conspired with Manning to obtain and disclose classified national defence documents, including State Department cables and reports on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.\n\nIt says his actions \"risked serious harm\" to the United States.\n\nThe 47-year-old is in prison in London after being evicted from the Ecuadorian Embassy in April. The US is seeking his extradition.", "WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – The U.S. Justice Department unveiled 17 new criminal charges against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange yesterday, saying he unlawfully published the names of classified sources and conspired with and assisted ex-Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning in obtaining access to classified information.\n\nThe superseding indictment comes a little more than a month after the Justice Department unsealed a narrower criminal case against Assange.\n\nAssange was initially charged with conspiring with Manning to gain access to a government computer as part of a 2010 leak by WikiLeaks of hundreds of thousands of U.S. military reports about the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.\n\nHe now faces a total of 18 criminal counts, and could face many decades in prison if convicted.\n\n“These unprecedented charges demonstrate the gravity of the threat the criminal prosecution of Julian Assange poses to all journalists in their endeavor to inform the public about actions that have been taken by the U.S. government,” said Barry Pollack, an American attorney for Assange.\n\nThe Justice Department said that not only did Assange aid and encourage Manning with the theft of classified materials, but he jeopardized the lives of human sources that included Afghans, Iraqis, journalists, religious leaders, human rights advocates and political dissidents from repressive regimes by publishing their identities.\n\nLaw enforcement officials said on Thursday that the State Department had pleaded with Assange not to reveal the identities of such sources, but Wikileaks ignored the warning.\n\nManning was arrested in May 2010 and convicted by court martial in 2013 of espionage in connection with the 2010 Wikileaks disclosures.\n\nPresident Barack Obama reduced Manning’s sentence to 7 years from 35 years, but she is now in jail after repeatedly refusing to testify before a grand jury investigating Assange.\n\nWikileaks describes itself as specializing in the publication of “censored or otherwise restricted official materials involving war, spying and corruption.”\n\nAssange is now fighting extradition to the United States, after Ecuador in April revoked his seven-year asylum in the country’s London embassy. He was arrested that day, April 11, by British police as he left the embassy.\n\nHe is now serving a 50-week sentence in a London jail for skipping bail when he fled to the Ecuadorean embassy in 2012.\n\nThe decision to charge Assange with espionage crimes is notable, and unusual. Most cases involving the theft of classified information have targeted government employees, like Manning, and not the people who publish the information itself.\n\nIn the wake of Assange’s arrest, prosecutors in Sweden re-opened a criminal investigation into allegations that Assange sexually assaulted a woman during a visit to Sweden. At one point, before his arrest in Britain, Swedish prosecutors charged him with assaulting two women.\n\nThe decision regarding which country should have its chance to prosecute him first is now in the hands of Home Secretary Sajid Javid, Britain’s interior security minister.\n\nThe Justice Department’s quick turnaround with the filing of a more substantial indictment against Assange is not surprising.\n\nUnder extradition rules, the United States had only a 60-day window from the date of Assange’s arrest in London to add more charges. After that, foreign governments do not generally accept superseding charges.", "WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been charged with 17 new counts under the Espionage Act for “unlawfully obtaining” and disclosing national defense information, including a potentially controversial allegation that his publishing of some secrets was criminal.\n\nSuch a charge under the Espionage Act has never been successfully prosecuted, according to CNN legal analyst Steve Vladeck.\n\nThe indictment alleges that Assange worked with former Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning to obtain thousands of pages of classified material and that Assange published information on WikiLeaks that identified human sources and put them “at a grave and imminent risk” of harm or detention.\n\nJustice Department officials emphasize how different Assange is because he published human source names knowing they could be hurt.\n\n“Julian Assange is no journalist,” said Assistant Attorney General John Demers, who heads the department’s national security division.\n\nHe’s “not charged simply because he’s a publisher,” said US attorney Zach Terwilliger, or for passively retaining national defense information.\n\nVladeck says this will be “major test case” on both sides of the Atlantic.\n\nVladeck explains there’s an exception in the US-UK treaty for political charges. The new charges bolster Assange’s argument that some of them could fall within the exception for political offenses.\n\n“If that fails, he will surely argue in the US courts that the Constitution forbids criminal prosecution for publishing information that someone else leaked,” Vladeck said\n\nVladeck says that the government will likely argue that Assange prompted the leaks, so he isn’t strictly a third-party publisher.\n\nAssange had already been charged with computer intrusion."], "summary": "The United States Department of Justice charges WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange with 17 counts of violating the Espionage Act, including provisions that prohibit a conspiracy to obtain, receive and disclose national defense information, attempting to crack computer passwords, and unlawful receipt of sensitive information such as State Department communications and Defense Department logs."}
{"document": ["President Trump on Thursday night issued a memo giving Attorney General William Barr the authority to declassify any documents related to surveillance of the Trump campaign in 2016.\n\nTrump also ordered the intelligence community to cooperate with Barr. The memo read: \"The heads of elements of the intelligence community... and the heads of each department or agency that includes an element of the intelligence community shall promptly provide such assistance and information as the Attorney General may request in connection with that review.\"\n\n\"Today, at the request and recommendation of the Attorney General of the United States, President Donald J. Trump directed the intelligence community to quickly and fully cooperate with the Attorney General’s investigation into surveillance activities during the 2016 Presidential election,\" White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement.\n\n\"The Attorney General has also been delegated full and complete authority to declassify information pertaining to this investigation, in accordance with the long-established standards for handling classified information. Today’s action will help ensure that all Americans learn the truth about the events that occurred, and the actions that were taken, during the last Presidential election and will restore confidence in our public institutions.\"\n\nIn a Twitter message late Thursday, Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani defended the president's action.\n\n\"The President @realDonaldTrump made a wise decision to let AG Barr on the documents,\" Giuliani wrote. \"I don’t know for sure but I seriously doubt there’s any national security concern but some of it could affect pending investigations. I’m sure AG and DOJ will make a very appropriate decision.\"\n\nU.S. Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, blasted the move as an attempt to \"weaponize law enforcement and classified information.\"\n\nBARR HAMMERED FOR STATING 'SPYING DID OCCUR,' DESPITE CONFIRMATION OF TRUMP TEAM SURVEILLANCE\n\nTrump claims his campaign was the victim of \"spying,\" though the intelligence community has insisted it acted lawfully in following leads in the Russia investigation.\n\nThe president had told Fox News earlier in May that he would allow declassification \"soon.\" He elaborated, \"I didn’t want to do it originally because I wanted to wait, because I know what they -- you know I’ve seen the way they play. They play very dirty.\"\n\nLast month, Barr ran into a buzz saw of criticism from Democratic lawmakers and media figures for testifying that “spying did occur” against the Trump campaign in 2016. But despite the backlash, Barr appeared to be referring to intelligence collection that already has been widely reported and confirmed.\n\nForeign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrants against former Trump campaign aide Carter Page are currently the subject of a Justice Department inspector general investigation looking at potential misconduct in the issuance of those warrants. That review also reportedly is scrutinizing the role of an FBI informant who had contacts with Trump advisers in the early stages of the Russia investigation.\n\nThe use of the term \"spying\" as it applies to the FBI's surveillance in 2016 has been fiercely disputed. The New York Times, even as it reported last year on how the FBI sent an informant to speak to campaign advisers amid concerns about suspicious Russia contacts, stated that this was to \"investigate\" Russia ties and \"not to spy.\"\n\nDEMS RAGE AGAINST BARR FOR BACKING CLAIMS OF TRUMP CAMPAIGN 'SPYING' BY FBI\n\n“I think spying did occur. The question is whether it was adequately predicated,” Barr testified last month, adding that he believed it is his “obligation” to review whether there was misconduct in the original investigation. “Congress is usually very concerned with intelligence agencies and law enforcement agencies staying in their proper lane.”\n\nHe added that “spying on a political campaign is a big deal.”\n\nPresident Trump backed the attorney general's testimony, saying the same day Barr testified last month that he thinks what Barr said \"was absolutely true,\" adding, \"There was absolutely spying into my campaign.”\n\nDemocrats, though, charged that the testimony indicated Barr was a compromised witness.\n\nCLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP\n\nHouse Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., told the Associated Press last month that she doesn’t “trust Barr,” but she trusts Special Counsel Robert Mueller. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., accused Barr of “peddling conspiracy theories.”\n\nFox News' Catherine Herridge, John Roberts, Brooke Singman and the Associated Press contributed to this report.", "WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday ordered the intelligence community to cooperate with Attorney General William Barr’s review of the events that prompted an investigation into links between the Trump campaign and Russia.\n\nThe directive comes as the White House spars with congressional Democrats over the work of Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who led a two-year investigation into whether Russia meddled in the 2016 U.S. election and if there were any ties between the Trump campaign and Russia.\n\n“Today, at the request and recommendation of the attorney general of the United States, President Donald J. Trump directed the intelligence community to quickly and fully cooperate with the attorney general’s investigation into surveillance activities during the 2016 presidential election,” White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said after Trump issued the directive.\n\nThe order also allows Barr to declassify any information he sees fit during his review.\n\nA redacted version of Mueller’s report was released publicly in April. The probe found no evidence that the Trump campaign engaged in a criminal conspiracy with Russia and did not draw a conclusion on whether Trump obstructed justice, but outlined some incidents that Democrats have said may be obstruction.\n\nRepublican House member Mark Meadows tweeted on Thursday that “Americans are going to learn the truth about what occurred at their Justice Department.”\n\nAdam Schiff, a Democrat member and Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, criticized Trump’s directive.\n\n“While Trump stonewalls the public from learning the truth about his obstruction of justice, Trump and Barr conspire to weaponize law enforcement and classified information against their political enemies,” Schiff said on Twitter.\n\n“The coverup has entered a new and dangerous phase. This is un-American,” he added.\n\nIn separate comments late Thursday on MSNBC’s “The Rachel Maddow Show”, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler said Mueller had told him that he is willing to testify to lawmakers in private, but is willing to make a public statement.\n\nNadler, a Democrat, told Maddow that if Mueller did testify behind closed doors then the public would get a written transcript of the testimony.\n\nBut Trump railed on Twitter early Friday against the investigation, and said that the investigation was politically motivated.\n\nHe wrote: “Intelligence Agencies were used against an American President.” @DevinNunes @ShannonBream @FoxNews This should NEVER happen to a President again! Dems are furious at Robert Mueller for his findings - NO COLLUSION, NO OBSTRUCTION. Now they should go back to work and legislate!”\n\n“DRAINING THE SWAMP”\n\nTrump, a Republican, harbors suspicions that the Democratic Obama administration ordered him investigated during the 2016 campaign to try to undermine his candidacy, and he wants payback against those he believes were responsible.\n\n“Comey, Brennan, Clapper, we’re draining the swamp, folks,” Trump told a rally on Monday in Pennsylvania, referring to former FBI Director James Comey, former CIA Director John Brennan, and James Clapper, a former director of national intelligence, all of whom have been critical of Trump.\n\nFILE PHOTO - U.S. Attroney General William Barr passes President Donald Trump as he heads to the podium to speak during the presentation of Public Safety Medals of Valor to officers in the East Room of the White House in Washington, U.S., May 22, 2019. REUTERS/Carlos Barria\n\nOf specific interest to Trump are the warrants that emanated from a secretive court that authorizes surveillance on foreign powers and their agents. Trump supporters believe the warrants will identify those responsible for the Russia probe that is still roiling Washington.\n\nLast month, Barr said at a Senate hearing that “spying” on Trump’s campaign was carried out by U.S. intelligence agencies, though he later referred to his concerns as focused on “unauthorized surveillance.”\n\nBarr has assigned a top federal prosecutor in Connecticut to probe the origins of the Russia investigation in what is the third known inquiry into the opening of the FBI probe.", "WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Thursday (May 23) ordered the intelligence community to cooperate with Attorney General William Barr's review of the events that prompted the FBI to open an investigation into links between the Trump campaign and Russia.\n\n\"Today, at the request and recommendation of the attorney general of the United States, President Donald J Trump directed the intelligence community to quickly and fully cooperate with the attorney general's investigation into surveillance activities during the 2016 presidential election,\" White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said after Trump issued the directive.\n\nThe order also allows Barr to declassify any information he sees fit during his review.\n\nLast month, Barr said at a Senate hearing that \"spying\" on Trump's campaign was carried out by US intelligence agencies, though he later referred to his concerns as focused on \"unauthorized surveillance.\"\n\nBarr has assigned a top federal prosecutor in Connecticut to probe the origins of the Russia investigation in what is the third known inquiry into the opening of the FBI probe.\n\nTrump, a Republican, harbors suspicions that the Democratic Obama administration ordered him investigated during the 2016 campaign to try to undermine his candidacy, and he wants payback against those he believes were responsible.\n\nOf specific interest to Trump are the warrants that emanated from a secretive court that authorizes surveillance on foreign powers and their agents. Trump supporters believe the warrants will identify those responsible for the Russia probe that is still roiling Washington.", "President Donald Trump ordered all intelligence agencies late Thursday evening to assist Attorney General William Barr in his review of surveillance issues surrounding Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, delegating significant authority to Barr to declassify intelligence documents as the attorney general sees fit.\n\nAccording to a memo released by the White House, the “heads of each department or agency that includes an element of the intelligence community shall promptly provide such assistance and information as the Attorney General may request in connection with that review.”\n\nAs CNN has previously reported, Barr is working closely with the heads of the CIA, the FBI and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence to review the origins of the Russia investigation — an effort the President had long demanded.\n\nAt a hearing last month, Barr said, “I think spying did occur” on the Trump campaign but declined to elaborate on his concerns.\n\nUS officials say that while many interpreted Barr’s comments to be directed at the FBI, the core of his concern is the activities of other intelligence agencies at the start of the Russia probe.", "The Latest: Coats says spy agencies to cooperate with Barr\n\nWASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on President Trump and the Russia investigation (all times local):\n\nDirector of National Intelligence Dan Coats says the nation's spy agencies will provide the Justice Department all appropriate information for its review of intelligence activities related to Russian interference in the 2016 election.\n\nPresident Donald Trump claims his campaign was the victim of \"spying\" and has given Attorney General William Barr full authority to publicly disclose still-secret information collected during the investigation.\n\nSome former intelligence officials and Democrats worry that Barr will cherry-pick intelligence to paint a misleading picture about the roots of the probe.\n\nIn a statement released Friday, Coats said he's confident that Barr will work with \"long-established standards to protect highly sensitive, classified information that, if publicly released,\" would put U.S. national security at risk.\n\nPresident Trump says he will declassify documents related to the origins of the investigation into Russia's links to the campaign.\n\nTrump, leaving the White House on Friday for Japan, told reporters that the investigation was \"an attempted coup.\"\n\nThe president said it could run up to \"millions of pages\" and said he wanted to declassify FBI and CIA documents, including those that might pertain to contacts overseas in the United Kingdom.\n\nTrump's comments come a day after he granted Attorney General William Barr new powers to review and potentially release classified information.\n\nThe president ordered the U.S. intelligence community to \"quickly and fully cooperate\" with Barr's investigation into the origins of the Russia probe.\n\nTrump said Barr is \"in charge\" and \"let's see what he finds.\"\n\nPresident Donald Trump is stepping up his effort \"to investigate the investigators.\" He directed the U.S. intelligence community on Thursday to \"quickly and fully cooperate\" with Attorney General William Barr's investigation of the origins of the multi-year probe of whether his 2016 campaign colluded with Russia.\n\nThe move marked another effort in Trump's efforts to undermine the findings of special counsel Robert Mueller's probe amid mounting Democratic calls to bring impeachment proceedings against Trump.\n\nPress secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement that Trump is delegating to Barr the \"full and complete authority\" to declassify documents relating to the probe.", "President Donald Trump directed the U.S. intelligence community on Thursday to \"quickly and fully cooperate\" with Attorney General William Barr's investigation of the origins of the multi-year probe of whether his 2016 campaign colluded with Russia, granting a loyalist sweeping powers to review and potentially release highly classified information.\n\nThe move marked an escalation in Trump's efforts to \"investigate the investigators,\" as he continues to try to undermine the findings of special counsel Robert Mueller's probe amid mounting Democratic calls to bring impeachment proceedings against Trump.\n\nPress secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement that Trump is delegating to Barr the \"full and complete authority\" to declassify documents relating to the probe, which would ease his efforts to review the sensitive intelligence underpinnings of the investigation. Such an action could create fresh tensions within the FBI and other intelligence agencies, which have historically resisted such demands.\n\nBarr has already asked John Durham, the U.S. attorney in Connecticut, to examine the origins of the Russia investigation to determine whether intelligence and surveillance methods used during the probe were lawful and appropriate. Still, Barr has been directly involved, according to a person familiar with the matter who was not authorized to discuss it publicly, and is also working with CIA Director Gina Haspel, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats and FBI Director Christopher Wray.\n\nTrump is giving Barr a new tool in his investigation, empowering his attorney general to unilaterally unseal documents that the Justice Department has historically regarded as among its most highly secret. Warrants obtained from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, for instance, are not made public — not even to the person on whom the surveillance was authorized.\n\nTrump explicitly delegated Barr with declassification power — noting it would not automatically extend to another attorney general — and only for use in the review of the Russia investigation. Before using the new authority, Barr should consult with intelligence officials \"to the extent he deems it practicable,\" Trump wrote in a memo formalizing the matter.\n\nTrump has frequently claimed his campaign was the victim of \"spying,\" though the intelligence community has insisted it acted lawfully in following leads in the Russia investigation and conducted surveillance under court order.\n\nWray vocally opposed the release by Congress last year of details from a secret surveillance warrant obtained by the bureau on a former campaign adviser, Carter Page. The White House had eagerly encouraged Republicans on the House intelligence committee to disclose that classified information, believing it could help undermine the Russia investigation.\n\nWray, though cooperating with Barr in a review of the origins of the Russia probe, would presumably balk at declassifying classified information that could reveal sensitive sources or methods of investigators.\n\nDespite Mueller finding no evidence to support criminal charges against Americans related to Russia's actions, his report documented extensive Russian efforts to interfere in the 2016 campaign and willingness on the part of some in Trump's orbit to accept their aid.\n\nHouse Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff accused Trump and Barr of trying to \"conspire to weaponize law enforcement and classified information against their political enemies.\"\n\n\"The coverup has entered a new and dangerous phase,\" Schiff said in a statement released late Thursday. \"This is un-American.\"\n\nTypically, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence coordinates declassification work by contacting various agencies where classified material originated to get their input on what should be released or not disclosed based on legal exemptions. The president, however, has the authority to declassify anything he wants.\n\nA former senior intelligence official who served in the Obama administration said their principle concern is that the attorney general, hand-picked by Trump, could declassify and release selective bits to make the previous administration and former senior officials look bad. The former official spoke on the condition that the official would not be named in order to describe the concerns of intelligence professionals.\n\nThursday's move further solidifies Barr's position in Trump's eyes as a legal warrior on fighting on his behalf.\n\nAfter Mueller submitted his report to Barr in March, the attorney general released a four-page summary to Congress. Barr's letter framed the debate about the probe over the next few weeks and, White House officials believe, allowed Trump to declare victory before the release of the full report, the contents of which are far more ambiguous.\n\nTrump also appreciated Barr's combative stance with lawmakers and reporters as he defended the Justice Department's handling of the report, and again when he declined to appear before Congress and defied a subpoena, drawing a possible contempt charge. Trump has told close confidants that he \"finally\" had \"my attorney general,\" according to two Republicans close to the White House who were not authorized to speak publicly about private conversations.\n\n\"Today's action will help ensure that all Americans learn the truth about the events that occurred, and the actions that were taken, during the last Presidential election and will restore confidence in our public institutions,\" Sanders said.\n\nTwo of Trump's congressional allies, Reps. Mark Meadows and Jim Jordan, were seen by reporters earlier Thursday at the Justice Department.", "President Donald Trump has granted Attorney General William Barr “full and complete authority” to declassify government secrets, issuing a memorandum late on Thursday that orders US intelligence agencies to co-operate promptly with Barr’s audit of the investigation into Russia’s election interference in 2016.\n\nThe president’s move gives General Barr broad powers to unveil carefully guarded intelligence secrets about the Russia investigation, which the attorney general requested to allow him to quickly carry out his review, according to the memo.\n\n“Today’s action will ensure that all Americans learn the truth about the events that occurred, and the actions that were taken, during the last presidential election and will restore confidence in our public institutions,” the White House said in an accompanying statement, which Mr Trump then tweeted.\n\nThe president has labelled the investigation of his campaign a “political witch hunt”.\n\nHis Republican allies in Congress who have reviewed some of the related files argue that the FBI investigation was opened based on flimsy and questionable evidence of wrongdoing, and that surveillance of campaign advisers to Mr Trump was improper.\n\n“This is candidly part of the president wanting to make sure the American people have the entire story of what went on and what will be construed by most people as improper activity within the FBI.\n\nIt’s also the very first step in rectifying and repairing the damage done by certain people at the FBI,” said Mark Meadows, one of the president’s biggest defenders on Capitol Hill.\n\nMr Meadows said he discussed with the president how granting General Barr this authority would provide answers about whether the investigation was biased.\n\nConservative lawmakers, such as Mr Meadows, have insisted to friends in the administration that declassifying these documents will help Mr Trump protect his presidency and further distance himself from any political fallout from the Russia investigation, according to multiple people involved in those discussions.\n\nThe move is likely to further anger Democrats who have said that Mr Barr is using his position as the nation’s top law enforcement official to aggressively protect the president and attack his critics.\n\nAdam Schiff, who as chairman of the House Intelligence Committee leads one of the ongoing congressional investigations of President Trump, called the action “un-American”.\n\nPresident Trump and Mr Barr, Mr Schiff said in a statement on Thursday night, are conspiring to “weaponise law enforcement and classified information against their political enemies”. ‬\n\nThe president is the government’s highest authority over whether national secrets remain classified.\n\nHis order gives Mr Barr significant authority over agencies that typically hold their secrets close and don’t declassify them easily.\n\nWhile the memo states Mr Barr should consult with the head of an agency before declassifying its secrets, it also demands that he get prompt responses and documents from the intelligence community.\n\nJeremy Bash, a former chief of staff at the CIA during the Obama administration, warned that, with his directive, President Trump was entering “dangerous territory”.\n\n“Stripping the intelligence leaders of their ability to control information about sources and methods, and handing that power to political actors, could cause human agents to question whether their identity will be protected,” Mr Bash said.\n\nGeneral Barr has tapped John Durham, the US attorney for the District of Connecticut, to investigate the origins of the Russia probe.\n\nSeparately, the Justice Department inspector general is examining the handling of various aspects of the case. Mr Barr has said the inspector general’s work is expected to be completed in May or June.\n\nPresident Trump’s memo highlights how much he has grown to trust Mr Barr.\n\nMr Barr has said “spying” was conducted by the government against the Trump campaign – an accusation Trump has levelled repeatedly but that current and former FBI officials have denied.\n\nMr Barr has been criticised by former FBI director James Comey and other former law enforcement officials for using the phrase “spying” to discuss how investigators monitored some Trump campaign advisers who had extensive contacts with Russians.\n\nHis critics argue that General Barr is parroting the president’s loaded wording, when surveillance was a proper part of a counterintelligence investigation looking at whether Russians were trying to influence Mr Trump’s campaign aides.", "FILE - In this May 15, 2019, file photo, President Donald Trump and Attorney General William Barr speak at the 38th Annual National Peace Officers' Memorial Service at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. Trump is directing the U.S. intelligence community to \"quickly and fully cooperate\" with Barr's investigation of the origins of the multi-year probe into whether Trump's 2016 campaign colluded with Russia (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)\n\nWASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on President Trump and the Russia investigation (all times local):\n\nPresident Trump says he will declassify documents related to the origins of the investigation into Russia's links to the campaign.\n\nTrump, leaving the White House on Friday for Japan, told reporters that the investigation was \"an attempted coup.\"\n\nThe president said it could run up to \"millions of pages\" and said he wanted to declassify FBI and CIA documents, including those that might pertain to contacts overseas in the United Kingdom.\n\nTrump's comments come a day after he granted Attorney General William Barr new powers to review and potentially release classified information.\n\nThe president ordered the U.S. intelligence community to \"quickly and fully cooperate\" with Barr's investigation into the origins of the Russia probe.\n\nTrump said Barr is \"in charge\" and \"let's see what he finds.\"\n\nPresident Donald Trump is stepping up his effort \"to investigate the investigators.\" He directed the U.S. intelligence community on Thursday to \"quickly and fully cooperate\" with Attorney General William Barr's investigation of the origins of the multi-year probe of whether his 2016 campaign colluded with Russia.\n\nThe move marked another effort in Trump's efforts to undermine the findings of special counsel Robert Mueller's probe amid mounting Democratic calls to bring impeachment proceedings against Trump.\n\nPress secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement that Trump is delegating to Barr the \"full and complete authority\" to declassify documents relating to the probe.", "Attorney General Bill Barr is not one of those sensible observers. On the contrary, Trump’s handpicked AG has begun a review of how the investigation into the Russia scandal began, as part of a process that treats the White House’s conspiracy theories as if they have merit.\n\nIt’s against this backdrop that Trump made some news fairly late last night, expanding Barr’s power.\n\nPresident Donald Trump has directed the U.S. intelligence community to “quickly and fully cooperate” with Attorney General William Barr’s investigation of the origins of the multi-year probe of whether his 2016 campaign colluded with Russia. The move Thursday marked an escalation in Trump’s efforts to “investigate the investigators,” as he continues to try to undermine the findings of special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe amid mounting Democratic calls to bring impeachment proceedings against Trump.\n\nA White House statement on Trump’s new directive said the president has “delegated full and complete authority” to the attorney general “to declassify information pertaining to this investigation.”\n\nI think it’s fair to say much of the political world is still coming to terms with the practical effects of what, exactly, the White House has done, though House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) was understandably alarmed.\n\n“While Trump stonewalls the public from learning the truth about his obstruction of justice, Trump and Barr conspire to weaponize law enforcement and classified information against their political enemies,” Schiff wrote on Twitter. “The coverup has entered a new and dangerous phase. This is un-American.”\n\nMeanwhile, David Laufman, who was the head of counterintelligence at the Justice Department under President Obama, told us last night that Trump’s move is “a grotesque abuse of the intelligence community to further his goal of political retribution, made worse by the spectacle of the Justice Department as his handmaiden.”\n\nRachel also spoke to Barbara McQuade, a former U.S. attorney, who added that Trump’s directive appears to be “very significant.”\n\n“The idea that [agencies] should cooperate with each other, I have no problem with. But the idea of giving William Barr the power to declassify all of the material within the intelligence community is unprecedented. Ordinarily, each intelligence agency controls its own information because they are best able to assess whether it would compromise a source or method to disclose particular information – with the director of national intelligence over all of it. “Instead, President Trump has given all of that power to William Barr. You know, when I was practicing and handling cases, there were times when I wanted to bring a case but I was prevented from doing so because someone in the intelligence community made a decision that it would irreparably harm some source or method and that equity was worth more than my little case. So I accepted that they were acting in good faith when they made that decision. “If William Barr who I think now has given at least the appearance that he is acting in the best interests of President Trump – as opposed to the best interests of our national security – has that power, I worry that it gives him the power to create a whole lot of mischief within the intelligence community and with the outcome of his investigation.”\n\nRachel raised the related possibility that the attorney general has sought information from the intelligence community, been rebuffed, and then went to Trump for expanded power.", "WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on President Trump and the Russia investigation (all times local):\n\nPresident Trump says he will declassify documents related to the origins of the investigation into Russia's links to the campaign.\n\nTrump, leaving the White House on Friday for Japan, told reporters that the investigation was \"an attempted coup.\"\n\nThe president said it could run up to \"millions of pages\" and said he wanted to declassify FBI and CIA documents, including those that might pertain to contacts overseas in the United Kingdom.\n\nTrump's comments come a day after he granted Attorney General William Barr new powers to review and potentially release classified information.\n\nThe president ordered the U.S. intelligence community to \"quickly and fully cooperate\" with Barr's investigation into the origins of the Russia probe.\n\nTrump said Barr is \"in charge\" and \"let's see what he finds.\"\n\nPresident Donald Trump is stepping up his effort \"to investigate the investigators.\" He directed the U.S. intelligence community on Thursday to \"quickly and fully cooperate\" with Attorney General William Barr's investigation of the origins of the multi-year probe of whether his 2016 campaign colluded with Russia.\n\nThe move marked another effort in Trump's efforts to undermine the findings of special counsel Robert Mueller's probe amid mounting Democratic calls to bring impeachment proceedings against Trump.\n\nPress secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement that Trump is delegating to Barr the \"full and complete authority\" to declassify documents relating to the probe."], "summary": "U.S. President Donald Trump, in a directive, orders the Intelligence Community to cooperate with U.S. Attorney General William Barr's review of the origins of the Special Counsel investigation. The order allows Attorney General Barr to declassify information he sees fit for the review process."}
{"document": ["A serial killer who terrorized Florida with a murderous spree that claimed 10 women in 1984 was put to death Thursday, his execution witnessed by a woman who survived one of his attacks and aided in his capture. Bobby Joe Long, 65, was pronounced dead at 6:55 p.m. Thursday following a lethal injection at Florida State Prison. Long had no last words, simply closing his eyes as the procedure began, witnesses said.\n\nThe killer terrified the Tampa Bay area for eight months in 1984 as women began showing up dead, their bodies often left in gruesome poses. Most were strangled, some had their throats slit, and others were bludgeoned.\n\nLaw enforcement had few clues until the case of Lisa Noland, who survived one of Long's attacks. She witnessed Thursday's execution from the front row.\n\nJust 17 in 1984, Noland was abducted by Long outside a church that year. He raped her but ultimately let her go free. She left evidence of his crimes on the scene and gave police details leading to his capture. Long confessed to the crimes, receiving 28 life sentences and one death sentence for the murder of 22-year-old Michelle Simms.\n\nNoland positioned herself in the witness room where she hoped Long would see her.\n\n\"I wanted to look him in the eye. I wanted to be the first person he saw. Unfortunately, he didn't open his eyes,\" she said. \"It was comforting to know this was actually happening.\"\n\nShe said she began to cry after she left the room once it was over.\n\n\"The peace that came over me is a remarkable feeling,\" she said.\n\nAnother witness wore a polo shirt with a photo of one victim on the front and the words \"Gone But Not Forgotten.\" On the back were photos of all 10 slaying victims and the words, \"The Ones That Matter.\"\n\nFamily members of Long's victims are spoke to the media after the execution, CBS Tampa affliate WTSP reports. Vicki Elliot's brother thanked Gov. Ron DeSantis for signing the warrant for his execution and Chanel Williams' mother said the execution gives her peace of mind knowing justice has been done.\n\nKim Swan's sister said she thinks Long was as shocked as any of the survivors that he was executed. She said she thinks he thought he would sit in prison until he died naturally.\n\nNoland was the victim Long let go. The day before her abduction, she said, she had written a suicide note, planning to end her life after years of sexual abuse by her grandmother's boyfriend.\n\nBut she ended up making heroic use of that history.\n\n\"At the time he put the gun to my head, it was nothing new to me,\" she told The Associated Press earlier this week.\n\nShe said she knew from her past abuse that if she fought Long, it would enrage him.\n\n\"I had to learn who he was, what made him tick. If I did the wrong move, could it end my life? So literally, the night before I wrote a suicide note out, and now I was in a position where I had to save my life,\" she said on Wednesday.\n\nInvestigators were baffled by the trail of bodies Long left around Tampa Bay. Artiss Ann Wick was the first killed, in March 1984. Nine others followed.\n\nLaw enforcement had few clues until Noland told her story.\n\nNoland said beforehand that she knew what she would have said if she could have addressed Long. Said Noland: \"I would say 'Thank you for choosing me and not another 17-year-old girl.'\"\n\n\"Another 17-year-old girl probably wouldn't have been able to handle it the way that I have,\" she said.\n\nLong moved from West Virginia to the Miami area as a child and was raised by his mother, a cocktail waitress. After high school, he married his childhood sweetheart, but later became violent. The ex-wife, Cindy Brown , told AP she recalls fearing for her life as the attacks grew worse, including a day he choked her and knocked her unconscious.\n\nWTSP reported he had no visitors the day he was executed.\n\nIn the AP interview Wednesday, Noland described her attack in excruciating detail: the church where Long abducted her, the gun he pressed to her head, the bright light she could see on the car's dashboard beneath the edge of her blindfold. It said Magnum, as in Dodge Magnum.\n\nShe was menstruating and made sure she left blood evidence on the car's backseat. She could tell when they were on an interstate north of Tampa. When she was brought to the killer's apartment, she counted the steps up to the second floor. When he let her use the bathroom, she made sure she left fingerprints everywhere.\n\nShe knew she couldn't make him angry. She appealed to a glimmer of kindness he showed while he washed her hair after raping her repeatedly. She asked what made him do what he did. He said he had suffered a bad breakup and hated women. She told him he seemed nice and that maybe she could be his girlfriend. She wouldn't tell anyone.\n\nLong later got Noland dressed. He let her loose and told her not to take the blindfold off for five minutes. She got out of the car and tripped on the curb. Long caught her before she fell. She waited for what seemed like an eternity and pulled off the blindfold. She was in front of a tree in another churchyard.\n\nToday, she claims that tree as hers, and included it in the design of a T-shirt she made to mark Long's execution.\n\nAnd she's joined the ranks of the law enforcement officers who captured Long. She's a deputy with the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, the same department she helped lead to Long's arrest.", "Serial killer who terrorized Florida in 1984 with the slayings of 10 women has been executed\n\nSTARKE, Fla. (AP) — Serial killer who terrorized Florida in 1984 with the slayings of 10 women has been executed.", "A serial killer who terrorised Florida with a 1984 spree that claimed the lives of 10 women has been executed.\n\nA serial killer who terrorised Florida with a 1984 spree that claimed the lives of 10 women has been executed.\n\nInmate Bobby Joe Long was pronounced dead on Thursday evening after a lethal injection at Florida State Prison, authorities said.\n\nThe 65-year-old had no last words before his execution, with witnesses saying he simply closed his eyes as the procedure began.\n\nThe killer terrified the Tampa Bay area for eight months in 1984 as women began showing up dead, their bodies often left in gruesome positions.\n\nMost of the victims were strangled, some had their throats slit and others were bludgeoned.\n\nLaw enforcement had few clues until the case of Lisa Noland.\n\nThen 17, Ms Noland was abducted by Long outside a church that year. He raped her but ultimately let her go free.\n\nShe left evidence of his crimes at the scene and gave police details that led to his capture.\n\nLong confessed to the crimes, receiving 28 life sentences and one death sentence for the murder of 22-year-old Michelle Simms.\n\nInvestigators had been baffled by the trail of bodies Long left in the Tampa Bay area. Artiss Ann Wick was the first woman killed, in March 1984, and nine victims followed.\n\nMs Noland said on Wednesday that she planned to sit in the front row in the room where witnesses watched executions. She said she wanted to hear Long’s final words, though she would not be able to address him.\n\nBut if she could, it would be this, she said: “I would say ‘Thank you for choosing me and not another 17-year-old girl.'”\n\n“Another 17-year-old girl probably wouldn’t have been able to handle it the way that I have,” she said.\n\nLong moved from West Virginia to the Miami area as a child and was raised by his mother, a cocktail waitress.\n\nAfter high school, he married his childhood sweetheart, but the relationship became violent.\n\nInvestigators gave the serial killer the moniker The Classified Ad Rapist while trying to solve dozens of rapes. Long would go through classified ads and make appointments to see items for sale. If a woman answered the door and was alone, he would rape her.", "Bobby Joe Long, a serial killer who terrorized Florida with a 1984 spree that claimed the lives of 10 women, was executed Thursday.\n\nLong was pronounced dead at 6:55 Thursday after a lethal injection at Florida State Prison, authorities said.\n\nThe killer terrified the Tampa Bay area for eight months in 1984 as women began showing up dead, their bodies often left in gruesome positions. Most of the victims were strangled. Some had their throats slit. Others were bludgeoned.\n\nLaw enforcement had few clues until the case of Lisa Noland. Then 17, Noland was abducted by Long outside a church that year. He raped her but ultimately let her go free. She left evidence of his crimes on the scene and gave police details that lead to his capture.\n\nLong confessed to the crimes, receiving 28 life sentences and one death sentence for the murder of 22-year-old Michelle Simms.\n\nNoland became the victim Long let go. The day before her abduction, she'd written a suicide note, planning to end her life after years of sexual abuse by her grandmother's boyfriend.\n\nBut she ended up using heroic use of that history.\n\n\"At the time he put the gun to my head, it was nothing new to me,\" she told The Associated Press.\n\nShe said she knew from her past abuse that if she fought Long, it would further enrage him.\n\n\"I had to study this guy,\" she said. \"I had to learn who he was, what made him tick. If I did the wrong move, could it end my life? So literally, the night before I wrote a suicide note out, and now I was in a position where I had to save my life.\"\n\nInvestigators were baffled by the trail of bodies Long left in the Tampa Bay area. Artiss Ann Wick was the first woman killed, in March 1984.\n\nLaw enforcement had few clues until Noland told her story.\n\nNoland said Wednesday that she planned to sit in the front row in the room where witnesses watched executions. She said she wanted to hear Long's final words, though she wouldn't be able to address him.\n\nBut if she could, it would be this, she said: \"I would say 'Thank you for choosing me and not another 17-year-old girl.'\"\n\n\"Another 17-year-old girl probably wouldn't have been able to handle it the way that I have,\" she said.\n\nLong moved from West Virginia to the Miami area as a child and was raised by his mother, a cocktail waitress. After high school, he married his childhood sweetheart, but the relationship became violent. The ex-wife, Cindy Brown, told AP she recalls fearing for her life as the attacks grew worse, including a day he choked her and knocked her unconscious.\n\nInvestigators gave the serial killer the moniker \"The Classified Ad Rapist\" while trying to solve dozens of rapes. Long would go through classified ads and make appointments to see items for sale. If a woman answered the door and was alone, he'd rape her.\n\nIn the AP interview Wednesday, Noland described her attack in excruciating detail: the church where Long abducted her, the gun he pressed against her head, the bright light she could see on the car's dashboard beneath the edge of her blindfold. It said Magnum, as in Dodge Magnum.\n\nShe was menstruating, and she made sure she left blood evidence on the backseat of his car. She could tell the direction they were driving and when they were on Interstate 275 north of Tampa. When she was brought to the killer's apartment, she counted the steps up to the second floor. When he let her use the bathroom, she made sure she left fingerprints everywhere.\n\nShe knew she couldn't make him angry. She appealed to a glimmer of kindness he showed while he washed her hair after raping her repeatedly. She asked what made him do what he did. He said he had suffered a bad breakup and hated women. She told him he seemed nice and that maybe she could be his girlfriend. She wouldn't tell anyone.\n\nLong later got Noland dressed. He let her loose and told her not to take the blindfold off for five minutes. She got out of the car and tripped on the curb. Long caught her before she fell. She waited for what seemed like an eternity and pulled off the blindfold. She was in front of a tree in another churchyard.\n\nToday, she claims that tree as hers, and included it in the design of a T-shirt she made to mark Long's execution.\n\nAnd she's joined the ranks of the law enforcement officers who captured Long. She's a deputy with the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, the same department she helped lead to Long's arrest.\n\nAssociated Press writer Curt Anderson in Miami contributed to this story.", "Serial killer Bobby Joe Long has eaten his last meal ahead of his execution this evening.\n\nThe murderer is being put to death by lethal injection for the slaying of eight women in Tampa in the 1980s.\n\nLong admitted to killing eight women - he was charged with 10 - but has hinted at having more victims, although that has never been confirmed.\n\nAuthorities said he had also admitted to raping about 40 women.\n\nLong, 65, is being held in Florida State Prison and has spent 34 years on death row.\n\nHe ate his final meal at 9.30am local time, according to US media.\n\nHe was first sentenced to death in 1985 and had no guests at the prison today, reports the Tampa Bay Times.\n\nGov. Ron DeSantis signed Long’s death warrant on April 24, making it the first death sentence the governor has authorized since he took office in January.\n\nLong was captured after Lisa McVey, 17, persuaded Long to release her rather than kill her in 1984.\n\nHe was the child of single mum Louella Long who worked late nights in a bar and regularly brought men back to the bedroom she shared with her son in their tiny flat.\n\nHe also suffered from a rare medical condition, because he was born with an extra chromosome, which resulted in him growing breasts at 13.\n\nHe had surgery, but was still bullied.\n\nStarting in 1981, Long answered classified ads for small appliances, and if he found a woman alone at home, he would rape her.\n\nLong moved to the Tampa area in 1983. It was year later he started his brutal killings.\n\nThe bodies were found usually long after the murder in a state of decomposition, dumped near a rural roadside and dragged into the woods.\n\nThe US Supreme Court is reviewing three petitions and applications for stays of execution for Long.\n\nThe last person to be executed in Florida was Jose Jimenez on December 13, 2018.", "The Latest: Serial killer has no visitors before execution\n\nSTARKE, Fla. (AP) — The Latest on Execution-Serial Killer (all times local):\n\nPrison officials say no one visited a serial killer facing execution for a murder spree that claimed the lives of 10 women in Florida in 1984.\n\nBarring a last-minute court reprieve, Bobby Joe Long is scheduled to receive a lethal injection at Florida State Prison on Thursday evening. Long was condemned for the killing of 22-year-old Michelle Simms. He also was serving 28 life sentences for the other crimes committed in the Tampa Bay area.\n\nHe was undone by a 17-year-old snatched off her bicycle while riding home from her work. Long released her a day later and she gave police details that led to his capture.\n\nPrison officials say Long's last meal was a roast beef sandwich, french fries, bacon and a soda.\n\nA serial killer whose murderous spree claimed the lives of 10 women in Florida in 1984 is set to die.\n\nBobby Joe Long is scheduled to die by lethal injection at Florida State Prison on Thursday. Long was condemned for one of the killings, that of 22-year-old Michelle Simms. He also had been serving 28 life sentences for the other crimes committed in the Tampa Bay area over an eight-month period in 1984.\n\nBut he was undone by a 17-year-old snatched off her bicycle while riding home from her work. Long released her a day later and she gave police details that led to his arrest.\n\nNow that victim, Lisa Noland, is preparing to watch the execution. In an interview, she said she would tell long \"Thank you\" for picking her as a victim, because she helped solve the crime.", "STARKE, Fla. — The Latest on the execution of Florida serial killer Bobby Joe Long (all times local):\n\nA woman who survived an assault by convicted Florida serial killer Bobby Joe Long says his execution brought her peace.\n\nLisa Noland sat in the front row at Thursday’s execution of the 65-year-old inmate at Florida State Prison. She says she wanted to look him in the eye but he kept them closed.\n\n“I wanted to be the first person he saw. Unfortunately, he didn’t open his eyes,” Noland said.\n\nShe began to cry after leaving once it was over. Says Noland, “The peace that came over me is a remarkable feeling.”\n\nNoland was 17 in 1984 when she was abducted and raped by Long, but he released her. She eventually led police to the man who later admitted killing 10 women in the Tampa Bay area. He drew the death sentence for one of the killings, of a 22-year-old woman.\n\nConvicted serial killer Bobby Joe Long had no last words before he was executed for a 1984 murder spree that claimed 10 women.\n\nWitnesses say the 65-year-old Long simply closed his eyes as the lethal injection procedure began Thursday at Florida State Prison. In the front row was Lisa Noland, who was abducted and raped by Long before he released her — and she was able to lead police to him.\n\nAnother witness had on a polo shirt with photos of all 10 victims on the back and the words, “The Ones That Matter.”\n\nHe was captured after an eight-month killing spree in the Tampa Bay area. Long confessed to the crimes, receiving 28 life sentences and one death sentence for the murder of 22-year-old Michelle Simms.\n\nA serial killer who terrorized Florida with a 1984 murder spree that claimed 10 women has been put to death.\n\nAuthorities say 65-year-old Bobby Joe Long was pronounced dead at 6:55 p.m. Thursday following a lethal injection at Florida State Prison.\n\nHe was captured after an eight-month killing spree. Long confessed to the crimes, receiving 28 life sentences and one death sentence for the murder of 22-year-old Michelle Simms.\n\nThe killings began in March 1984. Most of the victims were strangled. Some had their throats slit. Others were bludgeoned. Authorities say the killer positioned most of the bodies in gruesome poses.\n\nLong’s undoing was a 17-year-old. Long abducted, raped and then released Lisa Noland . She left evidence and gave police details that led to the man’s capture.\n\nThe U.S. Supreme Court has cleared the way for the execution of a serial killer who killed 10 women in Florida.\n\nThe justices denied the final appeals of 65-year-old Bobby Joe Long, who was set to receive a lethal injection at Florida State Prison. The planned 6 p.m. execution was delayed slightly while the justices considered the case.\n\nLong was condemned for the killing of 22-year-old Michelle Simms. He also was serving 28 life sentences for the other crimes committed in the Tampa Bay area.\n\nLong’s undoing was a 17-year-old. Long abducted, raped and then released Lisa Noland. She left evidence and gave police details that led to his arrest.\n\nThe scheduled execution of a serial killer who killed 10 women in Florida has been delayed temporarily while the U.S. Supreme Court considers his final appeals.\n\nSixty-five-year-old Bobby Joe Long was set to receive a lethal injection at 6 p.m. Thursday at Florida State Prison, but the justices had not yet ruled in his case. Barring a reprieve, the execution would take place later Thursday.\n\nLong was condemned for the killing of 22-year-old Michelle Simms. He also was serving 28 life sentences for the other crimes committed in the Tampa Bay area.\n\nPrison officials say no one visited a serial killer facing execution for a murder spree that claimed the lives of 10 women in Florida in 1984.\n\nBarring a last-minute court reprieve, Bobby Joe Long is scheduled to receive a lethal injection at Florida State Prison on Thursday evening. Long was condemned for the killing of 22-year-old Michelle Simms. He also was serving 28 life sentences for the other crimes committed in the Tampa Bay area.\n\nPrison officials say Long’s last meal was a roast beef sandwich, french fries, bacon and a soda.\n\nA serial killer whose murderous spree claimed the lives of 10 women in Florida in 1984 is set to die.\n\nBobby Joe Long is scheduled to die by lethal injection at Florida State Prison on Thursday. Long was condemned for one of the killings, that of 22-year-old Michelle Simms. He also had been serving 28 life sentences for the other crimes committed in the Tampa Bay area over an eight-month period in 1984.\n\nBut he was undone by a 17-year-old who described being abducted, raped and released a day later. She gave police details that led to his arrest.\n\nNow that victim, Lisa Noland, is preparing to watch the execution. In an interview, she said she would tell long “Thank you” for picking her as a victim, because she helped solve the crime.\n\nCopyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.", "STARKE, Fla. — Nearly 35 years after murdering at least 10 women, Bobby Joe Long is set to be executed this evening.\n\nIN DEPTH: Click here for a thorough history of the Bobby Joe Long case.\n\nBelow are the latest updates from the scene.\n\nConvicted serial killer Bobby Joe Long has been executed after sitting on Florida’s death row for 34 years.\n\nThe U.S. Supreme Court has cleared the way for the execution of a serial killer who killed 10 women in Florida.\n\nThe justices denied the final appeals of 65-year-old Bobby Joe Long, who is set to receive a lethal injection at Florida State Prison. The planned 6 p.m. execution was delayed slightly while the justices considered the case.\n\nAbout a dozen anti-death penalty protesters are outside Florida State Prison in Starke. They are mostly sitting in lawn chairs or milling about.\n\nJournalists board a bus to be taken to the execution scene.\n\n10News reporter Jennifer Titus confirms Long had no visitors on the last day of his life.\n\n10News reporter Jennifer Titus is in Starke, Fla., to witness Long's execution.\n\nThese are her thoughts about witnessing the lethal injection.\n\nA man that has been sitting on death row for 34 years accused of killing at least 10 women in the Bay Area.\n\nIt’s not something I thought I would ever see. But something I feel I have to.\n\nNo matter your thoughts. Your views. I have had people tell me that covering this man’s death is glorifying it.\n\nI am there as a professional journalist doing the job that you expect me to do. I am there to tell you the absolute truth. I am there to tell you the facts.\n\nThe state of Florida allows a dozen members of the media to witness an execution. And because of that, we know when an execution may have been botched. Whether or not a controversial drug may or may not have caused pain to the prisoner. We know this stuff has happened because of journalists’ accounts from inside the room.\n\nAnd today, I will give you my full account as a journalist.\n\nI will also be in there with family members of Bobby Joe Long’s victims.\n\nThis is something they never thought they would see, but they feel they have to.\n\nLong is one of the longest-sitting inmates on Florida’s death row.\n\nFor the families of his victims, today will bring justice. It will bring closure.\n\nOfficials say Bobby Joe Long’s last meal was a roast beef sandwich, bacon, and a soda. He had it this morning.\n\n10News Reporter Emerald Morrow explains what happens ahead of Bobby Joe Long's execution. She says the execution team will undergo an extensive preparation period to ensure the process goes as planned.\n\nThe warden will select a primary and secondary executioner as part of a larger execution team. The primary executioner’s role is to inject the flow of chemicals into the death row inmate. The secondary executioner is there for backup.\n\nClick here to read Emerald's full explanation of the pre-execution process.\n\nA serial killer whose murderous spree claimed the lives of 10 women in Florida in 1984 is set to die.\n\nBobby Joe Long is scheduled to die by lethal injection at Florida State Prison on Thursday. Long was condemned for one of the killings, that of 22-year-old Michelle Simms. He also had been serving 28 life sentences for the other crimes committed in the Tampa Bay area over an eight-month period in 1984.\n\nBut he was undone by a 17-year-old who described being abducted, raped and released a day later. She gave police details that led to his arrest.\n\nNow that victim, Lisa Noland, is preparing to watch the execution. In an interview, she said she would tell long \"Thank you\" for picking her as a victim, because she helped solve the crime.\n\nThe Associated Press contributed to this blog.\n\nRELATED: What happens ahead of Bobby Joe Long’s execution?\n\nWhat other people are reading right now:\n• Video appears to show somebody taking a bath in the kitchen sink at a Florida Wendy's\n• City trying to force RV lot to take down giant US flag\n\n►Have a news tip? Email desk@wtsp.com, or visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.", "TALLAHASSEE — In the first execution since Gov. Ron DeSantis took office, serial killer Bobby Joe Long was put to death by lethal injection Thursday evening at Florida State Prison.\n\nLong, 65, died at 6:55 p.m., becoming the 98th inmate executed since the death penalty was reinstated in Florida in 1976 — and the first since Jose A. Jimenez was executed Dec. 13. Michelle Glady, a Department of Corrections spokeswoman, said the execution “took place without incident.”\n\nThe U.S. Supreme Court issued three orders Thursday denying requests for stays of execution. The one-page orders did not explain the Supreme Court’s reasoning.\n\nLong was sentenced to death in the May 1984 murder of Michelle Simms after picking her up on Kennedy Boulevard in Tampa. In 1985. Long also pleaded guilty to seven additional first-degree murder charges and numerous charges for sexual batteries and kidnappings in the Tampa Bay region.\n\nAs DeSantis signed a death warrant last month for Long, his office released a grisly description of Simms’ death.\n\n“On or about May 27, 1984, Long approached Simms, and she entered his car,” the description said. “Long drove Simms to a remote location, forced her to undress at knife point, and tied her to the car seat. Long then raped Simms and attempted to strangle her. When his attempts failed, he hit her head with a club and pushed her from the car. Long slit her throat and left her on the side of the road to die.”\n\nAfter the death warrant was signed, Long’s attorney filed a series of appeals in state and federal courts to try to halt the execution. A petition filed at the Florida Supreme Court, for example, contended that Long should be spared from execution because of a “significant history of mental illness” and the constitutional ban on cruel and unusual punishment.\n\n“Given his severe mental illness and in light of the evolving standards of decency, Long must be exempt from execution pursuant to the Eighth Amendment to the United States Constitution,” the petition said.\n\nThe Florida Supreme Court, however, rejected the arguments. This week, the Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals also turned down Long’s arguments, including that Florida’s lethal-injection procedure, which involves the use of three drugs, violates the ban on cruel and unusual punishment.\n\n“But Florida has used a three-drug protocol since January 14, 2000, when it added lethal injection as a new method of execution,” the appeals court ruling said. “Long has had 19 years to challenge the use of a three-drug protocol. Nineteen years is too long to wait.”\n\nGlady said Long woke up at 7:30 a.m. Thursday and had his last meal at 9:30 a.m.\n\n“He requested a roast beef sandwich, bacon, French fries and soda,” Glady said. “Mr. Long did not have any visitors.”", "STARKE, Fla. — Nearly 35 years after murdering at least 10 women, Bobby Joe Long was executed this evening.\n\nIN DEPTH: Click here for a thorough history of the Bobby Joe Long case.\n\nBelow are the latest updates from the scene.\n\nLisa McVey was Long's final victim. He grabbed the 17-year-old girl while she was riding home on her bike, held her hostage for 26 hours and raped and tortured her.\n\nIt was her testimony that was pivotal to his conviction.\n\nSpeaking to the media, she remembered the \"Ten Angels,\" the women who were killed.\n\nMcVey, who became a Hillsborough County deputy, said after she escaped from Long, she dedicated her life to being \"the voice of the victims.\"\n\nShe tearfully thanked Long for picking her, not some other 17-year-old girl, as a victim. She said she forgave him, for if she hadn't she would have been in a prison of her own.\n\n\"I chose not to become a victim,\" she said. \"I chose to live.\"\n\n\"May God have mercy on your soul.\"\n\nFamily members of Bobby Joe Long's victims are speaking to the media after his execution.\n\nVicki Elliot's brother thanked Gov. Ron DeSantis for signing the warrant for his execution.\n\nChanel Williams' mother said the execution gives her peace of mind knowing justice has been done.\n\nKim Swan's sister says she thinks Long was as shocked as any of the survivors that he was executed. She said she thinks he thought he would sit in prison until he died naturally.\n\n10News Jennifer Titus described the execution chamber as Bobby Joe Long was executed. She said the room was silent as he took his last breaths.\n\nTitus said Long appeared emotionless and made no statements before the lethal injection began.\n\nShe said the time of death was 6:55 p.m.\n\nAs the victims' survivors left the chamber, they were smiling, she said.\n\nFamily members will be speaking to the media soon.\n\nConvicted serial killer Bobby Joe Long has been executed after sitting on Florida’s death row for 34 years.\n\nThe U.S. Supreme Court has cleared the way for the execution of a serial killer who killed 10 women in Florida.\n\nThe justices denied the final appeals of 65-year-old Bobby Joe Long, who is set to receive a lethal injection at Florida State Prison. The planned 6 p.m. execution was delayed slightly while the justices considered the case.\n\nAbout a dozen anti-death penalty protesters are outside Florida State Prison in Starke. They are mostly sitting in lawn chairs or milling about.\n\nJournalists board a bus to be taken to the execution scene.\n\n10News reporter Jennifer Titus confirms Long had no visitors on the last day of his life.\n\n10News reporter Jennifer Titus is in Starke, Fla., to witness Long's execution.\n\nThese are her thoughts about witnessing the lethal injection.\n\nA man that has been sitting on death row for 34 years accused of killing at least 10 women in the Bay Area.\n\nIt’s not something I thought I would ever see. But something I feel I have to.\n\nNo matter your thoughts. Your views. I have had people tell me that covering this man’s death is glorifying it.\n\nI am there as a professional journalist doing the job that you expect me to do. I am there to tell you the absolute truth. I am there to tell you the facts.\n\nThe state of Florida allows a dozen members of the media to witness an execution. And because of that, we know when an execution may have been botched. Whether or not a controversial drug may or may not have caused pain to the prisoner. We know this stuff has happened because of journalists’ accounts from inside the room.\n\nAnd today, I will give you my full account as a journalist.\n\nI will also be in there with family members of Bobby Joe Long’s victims.\n\nThis is something they never thought they would see, but they feel they have to.\n\nLong is one of the longest-sitting inmates on Florida’s death row.\n\nFor the families of his victims, today will bring justice. It will bring closure.\n\nOfficials say Bobby Joe Long’s last meal was a roast beef sandwich, bacon, and a soda. He had it this morning.\n\n10News Reporter Emerald Morrow explains what happens ahead of Bobby Joe Long's execution. She says the execution team will undergo an extensive preparation period to ensure the process goes as planned.\n\nThe warden will select a primary and secondary executioner as part of a larger execution team. The primary executioner’s role is to inject the flow of chemicals into the death row inmate. The secondary executioner is there for backup.\n\nClick here to read Emerald's full explanation of the pre-execution process.\n\nA serial killer whose murderous spree claimed the lives of 10 women in Florida in 1984 is set to die.\n\nBobby Joe Long is scheduled to die by lethal injection at Florida State Prison on Thursday. Long was condemned for one of the killings, that of 22-year-old Michelle Simms. He also had been serving 28 life sentences for the other crimes committed in the Tampa Bay area over an eight-month period in 1984.\n\nBut he was undone by a 17-year-old who described being abducted, raped and released a day later. She gave police details that led to his arrest.\n\nNow that victim, Lisa Noland, is preparing to watch the execution. In an interview, she said she would tell long \"Thank you\" for picking her as a victim, because she helped solve the crime.\n\nThe Associated Press contributed to this blog.\n\nRELATED: What happens ahead of Bobby Joe Long’s execution?\n\nWhat other people are reading right now:\n• Video appears to show somebody taking a bath in the kitchen sink at a Florida Wendy's\n• City trying to force RV lot to take down giant US flag\n\n►Have a news tip? Email desk@wtsp.com, or visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed."], "summary": "American serial killer Bobby Joe Long who murdered 10 women in the Tampa Bay Area during an eight month period in 1984 is executed by lethal injection."}
{"document": ["The European Parliament elections are not unlike cricket. Both can last for quite a few days and it can be pretty hard to understand the rules. This year’s European elections take place between May 23rd and 26th and different countries vote on different days.\n\nIt’s not surprising that few people bother to vote in these elections, either because they find the whole process too complicated or because they find it boring (some people feel the same about cricket).\n\nREAD ALSO: Falling turnout at European elections: the reasons\n\nBut this year’s vote is shaping up to be more interesting than most. The populist surge across Europe is being felt in Brussels, as eurosceptic parties aim to cause trouble from inside. The UK’s failure to secure a Brexit deal has left it in the bizarre position of needing to stand candidates despite its planned departure from the bloc.\n\nParties across the political spectrum have launched initiatives to encourage 400 million EU citizens to register and vote. The European Parliament (EP) launched the “This time I’m voting” campaign with the same objective, and an app with information about registration and voting in all member states.\n\nHere’s how the vote will work and why these elections are actually very important.\n\nEU citizens will be voting to fill 751 seats in the European Parliament. Although, if the UK pulls out at the last minute in the unlikely event of agreeing a Brexit deal, they will be voting to fill 705 seats.\n\nEU citizens vote for the candidates or parties of their country of origin or residence, provided that they are registered. Those living overseas can use their country’s embassies, consulates or schools to vote for a candidate running in their home country. The minimum age is 18 except in Austria and Malta (where it’s 16) and Greece (where it’s 17). Voting is compulsory in Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece and Luxembourg – although this rule is not always enforced.\n\nREAD ALSO: European elections: How UK vote could help predict outcome of a second Brexit referendum\n\nEach member state is allocated a certain number of seats in the European Parliament, according to the size of its population (economic indicators or size of the territory don’t matter in this case). France, for example, currently has 74 seats, Malta and Luxembourg have six MEPs each and the UK has 73.\n\nVoting processes vary significantly from one country to another, but they all include some element of proportional representation. For example, Ireland has three constituencies (Dublin, Midlands-North-West and South) and voters rank the candidates, as many or as few as they wish, in order of choice.\n\nFrance used to divide its candidates into eight constituencies but these have now been abolished. This year, voters will instead choose from a single electoral list – meaning they vote for a party and not for individual candidates. Bulgaria also has a single constituency, but voters can indicate their candidate preferences within the party list they choose. Estonian citizens and permanent residents can vote online.\n\nHow is the parliament organised after the vote?\n\nOnce elected, MEPs are organised by transnational groups that reflect their political affiliation. The current parliament has eight groups. These include the centre-left Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) and Europe of Nations and Freedom (ENF), which brings together the French National Rally, the Italian League and other far-right parties.\n\n\n\n Marine Le Pen of France's National Rally and Matteo Salvini of Italy's League. Photo: Alberto Pizzoli/AFP\n\nThe largest group is the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP), which has 216 MEPS. This includes Angela Merkel’s CDU and Viktor Orbán’s FIDESZ (although he has been suspended by the group until further notice). There are also 21 MEPs who do not belong to any group.\n\nThe party with the largest number of seats gets to appoint the president of the European Commission, a position currently held by former Jean-Claude Juncker, the former prime minister of Luxembourg. The president is akin to a conductor: he or she sets the tempo and makes sure the orchestra plays in a harmonious way but they cannot choose the repertoire alone. In the European Parliament, no party family has the majority of the seats so they have to reach out to other groups, working together to to approve legislation.\n\nREAD ALSO: Juncker vows to fight 'fake news' before European elections\n\nWhy is there a European parliament?\n\nThe idea that there should be a parliamentary assembly to represent the citizens of the member states dates back to 1952, when the Coal and Steel Community (the precursor of the European Community) was established. At that time, the 142 members were national parliamentarians appointed by their respective governments. They played only a marginal role, while the “real” decisions were made by the member states.\n\nThe first direct elections to the parliament took place in 1979 and the body has, over time, developed political muscle. Together with the European Council (which represents the member states), the parliament is now responsible for preparing and adopting the EU budget – which amounts to €165.8 billion in 2019.\n\nThe parliament legislates on all kinds of important issues, from food standards to LGBT rights. In March, for example, 560 of the 751 MEPs voted in a new law banning single-use plastic items such as plates and cutlery by 2021.\n\nWhy is there such a low turnout?\n\nDespite the important role the parliament plays, voter turnout has dropped from 62 percent in 1979 to 43 percent in 2014. In some countries, participation is incredibly low. Only 13 percent of Slovakian voters went to the polls in the last elections.\n\nIn some of the newer member states, the perception that voting doesn’t make any difference, together with mistrust in politicians and in politics in general, keeps people from participating.\n\nEurope’s media also doesn’t cover the parliament’s work much, so people don’t pay attention to it. It rarely goes viral, and when it does, it’s usually for the wrong reasons.\n\nThis all combines to give the impression that the parliament is not an organisation to be taken seriously. But the European Parliament is, in many ways, the human face of the European Union. It is made up of people from different countries, who all bring different stories and experiences – people like the Polish MEP Marek Plura, an advocate for policies that promote a more inclusive society for people with disabilities (he suffers himself from a degenerative illness).\n\nNevertheless, there is still room for improvement when it comes to gender balance and ethnic diversity in the parliament. Women make up just 37 percent of the 751 MEPs, and less than 20 MEPs identify themselves as non-white (there are no official statistics on this because several states are against collecting data on ethnicity).\n\nDespite the low levels of participation in European elections, it’s worth noting that 50 percent of Europeans say they trust the institution, while only 34 percent feel the same about national governing bodies.\n\nOn average, 68 percent of European citizens believe their country has benefited from EU membership. People like the idea of easily travelling to another country and are attached to the Euro (France’s Marine Le Pen and Italy’s Matteo Salvini changed their discourse about the single currency after they were confronted with that evidence). And in Romania, Spain and Poland, EU membership is often regarded as a sort of antidote to the excesses of national governments.\n\nREAD ALSO: Five reasons why the European elections really do matter\n\nThe European parliament is also often to be found leading the charge on issues that are truly important to European citizens such as environmental protection, transparency and data protection.\n\nRecent protests in France and in other countries have shown that EU institutions have not properly addressed some of their citizens’ most crucial concerns. Many of these concerns have less to do with national issues such as immigration and political parties and more to do with a broader hope for a brighter, fairer and happier future. As a transnational body, the European Parliament has a unique role to play in addressing these big issues, and communicating them to the public.\n\nTatiana Coutto, Teaching Fellow, Department of Politics and International Studies, University of Warwick\n\nThis article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.", "Dutch and U.K. polls opened Thursday in elections for the European Parliament, starting four days of voting across the 28-nation bloc that pits supporters of deeper integration against populist euroskeptics who want more power for their national governments.\n\nA half hour after voting started in the Netherlands, polls opened across the United Kingdom, the only other country voting Thursday, and a nation still wrestling with its plans to leave the European Union altogether and the leadership of embattled Prime Minister Theresa May.\n\nThe elections, which end Sunday night, come as support is surging for populists and nationalists who want to rein in the EU's powers, while traditional powerhouses like France and Germany insist that unity is the best buffer against the shifting economic and security interests of an emerging new world order.\n\nFrench President Emmanuel Macron says the challenge is \"not to cede to a coalition of destruction and disintegration\" that will seek to dismantle EU unity built up over the past six decades.\n\nIn a significant challenge to those centrist forces, populists appear largely united heading into the elections. On Saturday, Italy's anti-migrant Interior Minister Matteo Salvini was joined at a rally by 10 other nationalist leaders, including include far-right leaders Marine Le Pen of France's National Rally party and Joerg Meuthen of the Alternative for Germany party.\n\nOn Thursday morning, U.K. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn released a message with a warning that \"the far-right is on the rise\" and adding that \"the actions we take now will have huge consequences for our future.\"\n\nVoters across Europe elect a total of 751 lawmakers, although that number is set to drop to 705 when the UK leaves the EU. The Dutch make up just 26 currently and 29 after Brexit. The UK has 73 European lawmakers, who would lose their jobs when their country completes its messy divorce from the EU.\n\nResults of the four days of voting will not be officially released until Sunday night, but Dutch national broadcaster NOS will publish an exit poll after ballot boxes close Thursday night.\n\nThe Netherlands could provide a snapshot of what is to come. Polls show the right-wing populist Forum for Democracy led by charismatic intellectual Thierry Baudet running neck-and-neck with the center-right VVD party of Prime Minister Mark Rutte.\n\nWhile the country, an affluent trading nation, profits from the EU's open borders and single market, it also is a major contributor to EU coffers. Skeptical Dutch voters in 2005 rejected a proposed EU constitution in a referendum.\n\nBaudet, whose party emerged as a surprise winner of provincial elections in March, identifies more with hard-line Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban than with the nationalist populist movement led by Salvini, although in a debate Wednesday night he called Salvini a \"hero of Europe\" for his crackdown on migration.\n\n\"The immigration we get here from Africa and the Mideast is completely contrary to our culture, our values, our way of life, tolerance, love of women and so on,\" Baudet said. \"That has to stop and it will not happen at the European level.\"", "The elections for Northern Ireland's three members of the European Parliament are being held on Thursday.", "Voters have been going to the polls today for European elections widely expected to be defined by apathy and anger.\n\nPolls are open for the European Parliamentary elections until 10pm to elect MEPs who will represent the Yorkshire and Humber region.\n\nDespite fears of a low turnout, there was a slow but steady trickle at the Forge polling station on Cottage Beck Road in Scunthorpe this morning.\n\nFor some, frustration about delays over Brexit was what motivated them to go out and vote in today's elections, which if pollsters are correct, is expected to result in large support for The Brexit Party.\n\nBritain was initially due to leave the European Union on March 29 but two extensions have now delayed Brexit until October 31.\n\nThe Government had hoped to pass a Withdrawal Agreement through Parliament to remove the need to hold European Parliamentary elections and leave the EU sooner, but a majority has yet to be reached in the House Of Commons on any deal.\n\nAfter casting his vote in Scunthorpe, Graham Wilkinson said: \"Politics is a shambles at the moment. I wanted to vote for change and get Brexit. I wouldn't vote for any of the other charlatans.\"\n\nOthers said they felt it was their duty to use their right vote, no matter what the election.\n\nDarryl Hewes said: \"I think it's important to vote every time you can, whether it's a meaningless election like this or a general election. There's a lot of people all around the world that don't have the opportunity to vote.\n\n\"It might not mean a lot in the grand scheme, but it's important to do it anyway.\"\n\nNeville Watson said: \"I vote in every election, no matter what it's for. There's no point in having a vote if you don't use it.\"\n\nPollster YouGov has predicted that Nigel Farage's newly-formed Brexit Party will win three seats in the Yorkshire and Humber region following today's election. A recent poll had the Brexit Party on 33 per cent, Labour on 18, the Lib Dems on 16, the Greens on 13, the Conservatives on eight, Change UK on four and Ukip on three.\n\nA full list of candidates standing for election in the Yorkshire and Humber region is available here.\n\nThe MEPs elected will represent the UK until it leaves the European Union, whether that is a matter of months or years.\n\nPolls will be open until 10pm tonight. However, the results will not be announced until late on Sunday evening once all countries in the European Union have voted, with candidates from the Yorkshire and Humber region travelling to Leeds for the announcement.\n\nThe EU voting system uses the unconventional d'Hondt system which tends to let smaller parties perform better electorally - find out more about this and all your other European election questions here.", "Voters in Britain cast their ballots on Thursday for the elections, as the political deadlock over the UK's withdrawal from the bloc continues.\n\nVoting began at 7 a.m. and vote stations were set to close at 10 p.m. (local time). The announcement of results will begin on Sunday night, after the rest of the member states have gone to the polls over the next three days.\n\nBritain is split into 12 regions for the elections, including 9 in England and one each in Scotland, and British voters will elect 73 members to the (MEPs) out of the 751 for a term that starts on July 2, the reported.\n\nThe election was being held in a climate of widespread voter apathy over the uncertainty surrounding Brexit as the has rejected Theresa May's deal three times and there had been calls for a second referendum.\n\nThe results from Britain will show whether the newly launched Brexit Party, founded by veteran eurosceptic Nigel Farage, will win the largest number of the 73 British seats in the as is forecast.\n\nIn Liverpool, England, retired said she would vote for opposition\n\nRoy said she had considered spoiling her ballot paper. \"But upon reflection, I have decided I must vote (for) Labour, mainly because I trust them, more than any other party, to deliver Brexit.\"\n\nRoy, who voted to leave in the 2016 referendum, said, \"More than anything else, I want this issue sorted so that we can address the issues, which are running down our country.\"\n\nInitially, the were not planned as Britain prepared to leave the EU on March 29. But at the European summit in April, the and the agreed to delay Brexit until October 31.\n\nThe UK is obligated to participate in the as it is still a member of the EU. But it's uncertain for how long British MEPs will continue because of the uncertainties over Brexit.\n\nThe are the 9th time Britain has elected MEPs to the European Parliament.\n\nTheresa May's in the European Parliament have 18 seats, the same as Jeremy Corbyn's Labour Party, followed by with 14 seats, which earlier belonged to the\n\nThe rest of the seats are held by others, including two of Nicola Sturgeon's and one of Vince Cable's", "The European Parliament elections are not unlike cricket. Both can last for quite a few days and it can be pretty hard to understand the rules. This year’s European elections take place between May 23rd and 26th and different countries vote on different days.\n\nIt’s not surprising that few people bother to vote in these elections, either because they find the whole process too complicated or because they find it boring (some people feel the same about cricket).\n\nREAD ALSO: Falling turnout at European elections: the reasons\n\nBut this year’s vote is shaping up to be more interesting than most. The populist surge across Europe is being felt in Brussels, as eurosceptic parties aim to cause trouble from inside. The UK’s failure to secure a Brexit deal has left it in the bizarre position of needing to stand candidates despite its planned departure from the bloc.\n\nParties across the political spectrum have launched initiatives to encourage 400 million EU citizens to register and vote. The European Parliament (EP) launched the “This time I’m voting” campaign with the same objective, and an app with information about registration and voting in all member states.\n\nHere’s how the vote will work and why these elections are actually very important.\n\nEU citizens will be voting to fill 751 seats in the European Parliament. Although, if the UK pulls out at the last minute in the unlikely event of agreeing a Brexit deal, they will be voting to fill 705 seats.\n\nEU citizens vote for the candidates or parties of their country of origin or residence, provided that they are registered. Those living overseas can use their country’s embassies, consulates or schools to vote for a candidate running in their home country. The minimum age is 18 except in Austria and Malta (where it’s 16) and Greece (where it’s 17). Voting is compulsory in Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece and Luxembourg – although this rule is not always enforced.\n\nREAD ALSO: European elections: How UK vote could help predict outcome of a second Brexit referendum\n\nEach member state is allocated a certain number of seats in the European Parliament, according to the size of its population (economic indicators or size of the territory don’t matter in this case). France, for example, currently has 74 seats, Malta and Luxembourg have six MEPs each and the UK has 73.\n\nVoting processes vary significantly from one country to another, but they all include some element of proportional representation. For example, Ireland has three constituencies (Dublin, Midlands-North-West and South) and voters rank the candidates, as many or as few as they wish, in order of choice.\n\nFrance used to divide its candidates into eight constituencies but these have now been abolished. This year, voters will instead choose from a single electoral list – meaning they vote for a party and not for individual candidates. Bulgaria also has a single constituency, but voters can indicate their candidate preferences within the party list they choose. Estonian citizens and permanent residents can vote online.\n\nHow is the parliament organised after the vote?\n\nOnce elected, MEPs are organised by transnational groups that reflect their political affiliation. The current parliament has eight groups. These include the centre-left Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) and Europe of Nations and Freedom (ENF), which brings together the French National Rally, the Italian League and other far-right parties.\n\n\n\n Marine Le Pen of France's National Rally and Matteo Salvini of Italy's League. Photo: Alberto Pizzoli/AFP\n\nThe largest group is the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP), which has 216 MEPS. This includes Angela Merkel’s CDU and Viktor Orbán’s FIDESZ (although he has been suspended by the group until further notice). There are also 21 MEPs who do not belong to any group.\n\nThe party with the largest number of seats gets to appoint the president of the European Commission, a position currently held by former Jean-Claude Juncker, the former prime minister of Luxembourg. The president is akin to a conductor: he or she sets the tempo and makes sure the orchestra plays in a harmonious way but they cannot choose the repertoire alone. In the European Parliament, no party family has the majority of the seats so they have to reach out to other groups, working together to to approve legislation.\n\nREAD ALSO: Juncker vows to fight 'fake news' before European elections\n\nWhy is there a European parliament?\n\nThe idea that there should be a parliamentary assembly to represent the citizens of the member states dates back to 1952, when the Coal and Steel Community (the precursor of the European Community) was established. At that time, the 142 members were national parliamentarians appointed by their respective governments. They played only a marginal role, while the “real” decisions were made by the member states.\n\nThe first direct elections to the parliament took place in 1979 and the body has, over time, developed political muscle. Together with the European Council (which represents the member states), the parliament is now responsible for preparing and adopting the EU budget – which amounts to €165.8 billion in 2019.\n\nThe parliament legislates on all kinds of important issues, from food standards to LGBT rights. In March, for example, 560 of the 751 MEPs voted in a new law banning single-use plastic items such as plates and cutlery by 2021.\n\nWhy is there such a low turnout?\n\nDespite the important role the parliament plays, voter turnout has dropped from 62 percent in 1979 to 43 percent in 2014. In some countries, participation is incredibly low. Only 13 percent of Slovakian voters went to the polls in the last elections.\n\nIn some of the newer member states, the perception that voting doesn’t make any difference, together with mistrust in politicians and in politics in general, keeps people from participating.\n\nEurope’s media also doesn’t cover the parliament’s work much, so people don’t pay attention to it. It rarely goes viral, and when it does, it’s usually for the wrong reasons.\n\nThis all combines to give the impression that the parliament is not an organisation to be taken seriously. But the European Parliament is, in many ways, the human face of the European Union. It is made up of people from different countries, who all bring different stories and experiences – people like the Polish MEP Marek Plura, an advocate for policies that promote a more inclusive society for people with disabilities (he suffers himself from a degenerative illness).\n\nNevertheless, there is still room for improvement when it comes to gender balance and ethnic diversity in the parliament. Women make up just 37 percent of the 751 MEPs, and less than 20 MEPs identify themselves as non-white (there are no official statistics on this because several states are against collecting data on ethnicity).\n\nDespite the low levels of participation in European elections, it’s worth noting that 50 percent of Europeans say they trust the institution, while only 34 percent feel the same about national governing bodies.\n\nOn average, 68 percent of European citizens believe their country has benefited from EU membership. People like the idea of easily travelling to another country and are attached to the Euro (France’s Marine Le Pen and Italy’s Matteo Salvini changed their discourse about the single currency after they were confronted with that evidence). And in Romania, Spain and Poland, EU membership is often regarded as a sort of antidote to the excesses of national governments.\n\nREAD ALSO: Five reasons why the European elections really do matter\n\nThe European parliament is also often to be found leading the charge on issues that are truly important to European citizens such as environmental protection, transparency and data protection.\n\nRecent protests in France and in other countries have shown that EU institutions have not properly addressed some of their citizens’ most crucial concerns. Many of these concerns have less to do with national issues such as immigration and political parties and more to do with a broader hope for a brighter, fairer and happier future. As a transnational body, the European Parliament has a unique role to play in addressing these big issues, and communicating them to the public.\n\nTatiana Coutto, Teaching Fellow, Department of Politics and International Studies, University of Warwick\n\nThis article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.", "The UK will take to the polls to vote in the European Parliamentary elections on Thursday, May, 23. As Theresa May has not agreed her withdrawal deal with Parliament, the UK has to participate and elected Members of the European Parliament (MEPs). There are a total of 751 members of European Parliament, who represent more than 512 million people across 28 member states.\n\nOf these 751 MEPs, 73 represent the UK from across 12 regional constituencies. What is a proxy vote? How to get a proxy vote A proxy vote is one which does not take place in person at the polling station, rather someone can cast it for you. If you are unable to vote in person, you can nominate someone you trust to cast your vote for you. Read More: European elections EXPLAINED: What is the d’Hondt system?\n\nIn order to apply for a proxy vote, you must be 18 or over on polling day. You must choose someone who is willing and capable to cast a vote on your behalf. There is a proxy vote application form in which you must give the reason for not being able to vote in person. For example, this can be through illness or being abroad on holiday when voting will take place. Read More: Euro Elections: Nigel Farage predicts disaster for Labour at polls\n\nYou need to complete all seconds of the form and give your birth date and sign the document - information which is needed to prevent fraud. The form must be returned to your electoral registration office, not the Electoral Commission. The deadline for new proxy voting applications is six working days before the election, which makes the deadline for the European elections Wednesday, May 15 at 5 pm. To change or cancel an existing proxy, postal or postal proxy vote this must have been submitted 11 working days before the vote - so cannot be done for the upcoming European elections. Read More: European elections 2019: Can you vote tactically? How?", "BRUSSELS -- At the end of this week, citizens of all 28 EU member states will elect 751 members to the European Parliament (MEPs). Almost all of them will come from various national party lists with the numbers determined both by the size of the country the MEP is running in (the bigger the country, the more MEPs it has) and what share of the vote his/her party get.\n\nThe eyes of the world were fixed on Magdalena Adamowicz on January 14 as she and her two daughters rushed to the hospital in the northern Polish city of Gdansk. She had come to whisper her final goodbyes to her husband, Pawel Adamowicz.\n\nA few minutes later, the mayor of Gdansk for more than two decades died. He had been stabbed in the heart the night before while on stage at the closing of the Great Orchestra of Christmas Charity, the biggest such fundraising event in the country.\n\nHis killer, a man with a long criminal history who just had been released from prison, seized the microphone at the event and claimed false imprisonment and torture at the hands of the previous centrist Civic Platform (PO) government -- a party that Adamowicz had belonged to for most of his career, even if he had been elected as an independent last time around.\n\nFor the European elections, it is the slain mayor's widow who is attempting to pick up his political mantle. Like him, she is a liberal who speaks favorably of LGBT rights and immigration -- issues that put the law professor and top candidate for PO in direct opposition to the ruling conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party that currently dominates the political scene in Poland.\n\nViktor Orban, the Hungarian prime minister and \"bete noire\" of many liberals in Europe, knows exactly how to troll his many detractors. One way is to nominate his justice minister, Laszlo Trocsanyi, to lead the Fidesz list for the European Parliament vote.\n\nFor a country that often is in the EU crosshairs for rule-of-law issues, that is quite a daring move. What is more, it's rumored that the popular support Trocsanyi will get being top of the list (Fidesz is expected to dominate the field) will likely be used as justification for Orban to propose him as Hungary's next European commissioner.\n\nMaking matters more delicate, Trocsanyi's law firm, Nagy & Trocsanyi, represents the Hungarian government in almost all important government cases involving legal disputes with the European Union. He has, however, suspended his activities for the duration of his government service and is likely to do the same in Brussels.\n\nMeanwhile, the beleaguered center-left in Hungary is likely to continue their electoral cold streak. The top candidate for the center-left Democratic Coalition is Klara Dobrev, wife of former Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany. Gyurcsany's time at the helm of the country in 2004-09 was a controversial one, with economic struggles and riots in the streets of Budapest and other cities after he was caught on tape saying that his Socialist Party had lied to win the 2006 election.\n\nWhat's more, Dobrev, who was born in Sofia to a Bulgarian father and Hungarian mother, is linked to the hated communist regime in Hungary via her maternal grandfather, Antal Apro, a Communist Party hard-liner who was the speaker of the rubber-stamp Hungarian national assembly for most of the 1970s and '80s.\n\nIn the United States, some of the kids starring in The Mickey Mouse Club TV series in the 1990s became major artists a few years later. Just think of names like Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Justin Timberlake, and Ryan Gosling. In Sweden, the Disney Club, based on its American cousin, produced a politician. Alice Bah Kuhnke was the Swedish minister of culture until recently and is now the top name for the Swedish Greens going into the European elections.\n\nThe daughter of a Gambian father and a Swedish mother has made a stellar political career, having founded a think tank and been elected to the boards of both Save the Children and WWF in Sweden.\n\nFor cinema fans, her last name might also ring a bell. Her husband, Johannes Bah Kuhnke, played the lead role in the critically acclaimed comedy-drama film Force Majeure that won the jury's prize at the Cannes film festival in 2014.\n\nRarely has someone announcing that they are running for the European Parliament been met with such delight mingled with terror in Brussels as when Silvio Berlusconi did so earlier this year.\n\nIn a parliament filled largely with people unknown to the world outside the EU bubble, this is a bona fide political superstar. Italy's longest-serving postwar prime minister is a billionaire, media tycoon, soccer mogul, convicted tax fraudster, and womanizer. His numerous scandals and links to dubious characters around the world have made him the subject of several films, documentaries, and books.\n\nJournalists are rubbing their hands with joy thinking about what he will bring to Brussels. Civil servants are bracing themselves. There is little doubt that he will get elected even though his Forza Italia party is being outshone by other populists such as Matteo Salvini, who in many ways have picked up the dark arts of Italian politics from Il Cavaliere himself.\n\nThe only thing that in fact might stop the octogenarian from taking his seat in Brussels is his bad health. Undergoing complicated heart surgery back in 2016 and currently recovering from a stomach operation have made people question how much \"bunga bunga\" Brussels will in fact see.\n\nThe Fight Of The French Intellectuals\n\nIn France, most of the focus will be on whether Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally will edge out President Emanuel Macron's Liberal La Republique En Marche for the top spot in the European elections in the country. Behind them, the two traditional political forces in the Fifth Republic, the Republicans and the Socialist Party, have followed the old French penchant of elevating public intellectuals to the top of their respective electoral lists.\n\nFor the center-right, the intellectual of choice is the 33-year old philosopher and mayor of Versailles, Francois-Xavier Bellamy, whose essay Les Desherites (The Disinherited) about the perceived crisis in the French educational system has been awarded by the Academie Francaise. Seen as a conservative -- a description he rejects -- he is nonetheless in favor of stricter external European border controls and voted against establishing a consolidated EU constitution back in 2005.\n\nIn the red corner, you have the 39-year-old essayist and filmmaker Raphael Glucksmann, whose father, Andre Glucksmann, was one of France's most popular philosophers of the 20th century. Glucksmann pere was known for starting out as a firebrand Marxist but later becoming a big communist critic and supporter of Western intervention in places like Serbia and Afghanistan.\n\nHis son has traveled in almost the opposite direction. Glucksmann Jr. first started off as a journalist and made his mark with a TV documentary about the Rwandan genocide before befriending the then-president of Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili, and later becoming his adviser. He was also married to former Georgian Deputy Interior Minister Eka Zguladze, who held the same position in Ukraine in 2014-16. He has however lately denounced his previous support for former right-wing French President Nicolas Sarkozy and in a recent political essay been critical of political liberalism that according to him is leading to both a democratic crisis and an ecological disaster.\n\nIn a crowded field of Macronian liberals, old Gaullists and populists on the right and left, Glucksmann will be in charge of renewing the once-proud French socialists.\n\nUsually there are two types of people running for European Parliament: up-and-coming political stars who want to test their wings in European politics before flying back to the home capital to become ministers, or political veterans who have done it all and are looking for one final (good) paycheck before retiring.\n\nIn the case of Nils Usakovs, one could possibly find a third category: those who appear to be fleeing justice at home.\n\nWhen he became mayor of Riga in 2009, he was the first person in that position of Russian descent since Latvia gained independence in 1991. Reelected twice, he had become perhaps the most visible politician from the country's large Russian minority, but his role as mayor became increasingly vulnerable in January when his office and home were raided by anticorruption officers in connection with an ongoing major graft investigation at the Riga municipal transport company.\n\nA month later he announced his intention to run as an MEP for the center-left Harmony party, making a complete U-turn since just days before he had endorsed another candidate and dismissed talk of going to Brussels.\n\nSuggestions that he was trying to evade justice have refused to go away. In April, he was unceremoniously suspended as mayor by the Latvian minister of environmental protection and regional development, citing at least eight legal and regulatory violations -- a move Usakovs described as \"absolutely illegal\" and he vowed to fight in court. He is now likely to do so in Brussels, a safe distance away from the city he used to run and is on the run from.\n\nToomas Hendrik Ilves is one of the most recognizable Estonians. President of the small Baltic state for a decade, he also served as his country's foreign minister and is one of the sharpest commentators on current affairs on Twitter. The bow-tied polyglot also briefly served as a member of the European Parliament when his country joined the EU back in 2004 before returning back to Tallinn two years later to become head of state.\n\nNow two of his wives hope to follow his European footsteps -- running in two different countries. His second wife, Evelin Ilves, appears on the Green ticket in Estonia. The former first lady and marketing director might be joined in Strasbourg by the current Mrs. Ilves, Ieva, who is running as one of the top candidates for the Latvian liberal alliance Development/For!\n\nA career diplomat who was part of the team that successfully made Latvia a NATO member, she recently worked as the head of the cybersecurity division in her country's Defense Ministry. There are no reports yet whether Ilves's first wife, the American psychologist Merry Bullock, is eyeing a European Parliament seat.\n\nThe canteen in the European Parliament is already considered the best of all the EU institutions (although you hear plenty of grumbling about the offerings there as well...) but if Sarah Wiener is elected and she decides to offer a few tips and tricks, it will for sure be even more popular among the wheeler-dealers of parliamentary politics.\n\nThe German- Austrian chef is already a household name in both her countries, where she owns several restaurants and bakeries. Like many other food celebrities these days, she has become even more famous after several successful TV shows, newspaper columns, and popular cookbooks. Some would even credit her with triggering interest in ecological and healthy food on the German-language market, so it is quite natural that she chose to represent the Austrian Greens when she finally decided to make the jump into politics.\n\nAs Vienna is rocking due to the fall of the coalition government following the emergence over the weekend of secret footage showing and far-right leader and Vice Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache discussing sensitive business issues with an alleged Russian investor, the pro-EU Greens might gain considerable support in the upcoming vote. If that's the case, be sure that Wiener, who was once the Berlin taekwondo champion, will suddenly have bigger fish to fry.\n\nThe battle of Vukovar has a very special place in the history of Croatian nationhood. The 87-day siege of the city by the Yugoslav National Army (JNA), supported by Serbian paramilitaries, which started in August 1991, was at the time the most protracted battle seen in Europe since 1945, with shells and rockets fired into the town at a rate of up to 12,000 a day.\n\nDespite the fact that nearly 40,000 JNA soldiers participated in the siege against some 2,000 soldiers from the Croatian National Guard (ZNG) and civilian volunteers, the final result was a city in ashes and a Pyrrhic victory for the exhausted JNA.\n\nIt was the beginning of the end of Yugoslavia, but it also shaped the life of two Croatian candidates for the European Parliament who ended up on different sides of the political aisle. It made a hero out of volunteer Fred Matic, who was a prisoner of war in three Serbian war camps and later became a Social Democrat defense minister in the young country.\n\nFor Marijana Balic it was a personal tragedy. Over 1,000 civilians were killed in the battle, including both of Balic's parents. Just 10 years old at the time, she became one of the \"Vukovar orphans.\" Having worked as an assistant in the European Parliament, she now wants to return as a lawmaker for the center-right HDZ.\n\nDivided by politics, the lives and fates of the war hero and the orphan are nonetheless still intertwined with what happened in eastern Slavonia 28 years ago.\n\nHe was the face of Brexit, railing against the \"elites\" in Westminster and Brussels, praising his friend U.S. President Donald Trump and admiring Russian President Vladimir Putin. Nigel Farage was first elected to the European Parliament in 1999 and was returned with big numbers every five years, having built up a big following on social media, mainly thanks to his vicious mocking of various EU leaders in the Strasbourg chamber over the years.\n\nAfter achieving his lifetime goal of Britain voting to leave the bloc in the 2016 Brexit referendum, Farage stepped down as leader of the U.K. Independence Party but continued to be engaged via the movement Leave Means Leave.\n\nNow it seems that leave, in fact, means stay. Britain didn't quit the bloc on March 29 as foreseen. The new date is for the moment is October 31, which means that Britain will hold European elections. It also means that Farage will return to the EU politics he claims to loathe. This time he is doing so with the newly formed Brexit Party that is topping the polls ahead of both Labour and the Conservatives, vowing to once again punish the political establishment that he says has betrayed his Brexit dream.\n\nHe was the leather-clad biker turned Greek finance minister from the left-wing Syriza party who drove his European minister colleagues crazy during negotiations on the third bailout package for his country during the summer of 2015.\n\nAs an economics professor specializing in game theory, he loved to lecture both the media and especially northern eurozone member states about the perils he saw in too much austerity. At the height of the summer that year, as the Hellenic Republic was on the brink of crashing out of the common currency, he was replaced and Greece hurriedly agreed to the new stringent economic conditions for Athens.\n\nThe heavy-handedness of Brussels and fiscal hawks in Germany during the Greek crisis ensured that Yanis Varoufakis became something of a poster boy for leftists around Europe with his rebellious attitude and characteristic look -- something he has capitalized on through numerous speaking engagements and books since then.\n\nThree years ago he also created DiEM25 (Democracy in Europe Movement 2025) a pan-European movement launched with the aim of drafting a democratic constitution to replace all the European treaties that are in force today by 2025. Other ideas include live-streaming European summits and meetings of the European Central Bank and \"a new green deal for Europe\" that has won praise from former Baywatch star Pamela Anderson, who appears on their posters in Germany.\n\nAnd it is in Germany, his former sparring partner, that Varoufakis is a candidate for the European elections. Although not a German citizen, he registered as a resident of Berlin some time ago and German law says that a European Parliament candidate must be a citizen of an EU country and have resided in Germany for at least six months.\n\nAnother German quirk is that unlike the Bundestag elections, there is no vote threshold for entry into the European Parliament in Germany, meaning that even Varoufakis's modest outfit has a change.\n\nCarles Puigdemont was the president of the government of Catalonia when he was removed from office by the Spanish government in Madrid in the autumn of 2017 following the unilateral Catalan declaration of independence. He fled Spain and came to Belgium, where he lives in the Brussels suburb of Waterloo, the setting of Napoleon's final defeat.\n\nRather than accepting defeat, Puigdemont is instead plotting a comeback from the historical location. Not in Spain, where he risks arrest if he sets foot, but in European politics.\n\nBut it remains far from clear if he will ever appear in the European Parliament even if he manages to get elected. In April, Spain's Central Election Commission barred him from appearing on the ballot, arguing that he was not residing in Spain. The Spanish Supreme Court, however, overturned that decision a few week later.\n\nBut to be sworn in -- and to get the immunity as an MEP -- Spanish law says he would need to travel to Madrid. Puigdemont has said that if he still faced arrest, he would not return to Spain but would fight to be sworn in remotely.\n\nFor his deputy, Vice President Oriol Junqueras, the situation is even more uncertain. In prison for over a year after having refused bail over accusations of rebellion, sedition, and misuse of public funds in the wake of the referendum, he is more popular than ever after the impassioned speeches he made during his trial, which started earlier this year.\n\nHe was briefly an MEP from 2009 to 2012, but is now somehow aiming to return to the chamber. Whether it is from exile in Waterloo or a Spanish prison cell, the Catalan separatist battle is taking a European turn.\n\nIf it is true that politics is about strategy more than anything else, then Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen might be just perfect in the parliamentary corridors of Strasbourg.\n\nThe Lithuanian became a chess grandmaster in 2010 and a year later she won the gold medal at the European women's championship after several runner-up positions in the previous decade.\n\nFor good measure, she has also been married to two chess grandmasters. Her ex-husband is the Latvian-Spanish player Alexei Shirov, who in the early '90s was ranked No. 2 in the world and was in line to face the then-world champion, Garry Kasparov. Her current partner, Peter Heine Nielsen, is a five-time Danish chess champion and the second (a sort of assistant plotting opening chess moves) of the current world No. 1, Magnus Carlsen.\n\nAfter four years in the Lithuanian parliament, Cmilyte-Nielsen is now trying her luck in European politics as one of the top candidates for the liberal movement.", "Between Thursday and Sunday, millions will choose who represents them at the European Parliament (EP), the European Union's (EU) parliamentary institution directly elected by citizens aged 18 or older.\n\nThe EU is often considered an obscure and technocratic body - somewhere between a nation-state and an international organisation such as the United Nations. Many have lost faith in its ability to improve their lives.\n\nBut with Brexit looming and nationalist populism on the rise, this year's election - a political event held every five years - is seen by many as decisive for its future.\n\nBritain and the Netherlands kick off voting on Thursday.\n\nHere is what you need to know:\n\nWhat is European Parliament and how will elections work?\n\nThe EP is effectively the lower house of the EU's legislative branch. It can't propose legislation - that's the European Commission's prerogative - or decide on a budget like a regular parliament. But all EU laws must be approved by a majority of EP members (MEPs) to then be applied in all 28 member states.\n\nOriginally, the EP's powers were limited. But as the EU grew and its member states shared more responsibilities, the EP became co-legislator with the European Council.\n\nElections are held at the national level and respect each country's electoral tradition. The British and the Dutch will be first to vote on May 23, followed by the Irish on May 24, and the Maltese, Latvians and the Slovaks on May 25. Most countries will vote on May 26, a Sunday. The minimum age to vote is 18, except in Austria and Malta where it's 16.\n\nThere are 751 seats, but this number will go down to 705 after Britain exits the bloc.\n\nEach member state is allocated a certain number of representatives, or MEPs, depending on their total population.\n\nGermany, the most populous EU member, will send 96 MEPs to Brussels, whereas Malta and Luxembourg only get to elect six.\n\nEvery country votes on the principle of proportional representation, meaning that each political party or list of candidates gets a number of seats equivalent to their share of the vote.\n\nA party needs to gather at least 5% of the votes in one country to enter the European Parliament (EP).\n\nThere are eight pan-European political groups that MEPs can choose to join.\n\nIt takes 25 MEPs from seven different countries to form a political group.\n\nThe two largest groups are the centre-right European People Party (EPP) and the centre-left Socialists and Democrats (S&D). The right-wing eurosceptic European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) is the third largest.\n\nCurrent EP President Antonio Tajani, an Italian, is with the EPP.\n\nFor the first time since 1979, the centre-left and the centre-right could lose their majority and wave goodbye to their ruling coalition.\n\n\"The centre-left will recede again, the centre-right should minimise their losses, and the far right will continue to rise. But the big question is: what will happen at the centre?,\" said Amandine Crespy, a professor of European studies at the Universite Libre de Bruxelles.\n\nIn terms of voter turnout, between 1979 and 2014, it fell from 62% to only 42%. This year's projections don't look optimistic.\n\nWhy is the 2019 vote important?\n\nThere are two factors. The first is that the vote takes place amid Brexit, which marks the first time a country will leave the EU.\n\n\"There is now a feeling of urgency, Europe is going through an existential crisis,\" said Crespy.\n\nThe second is that the vote could also be divisive because of an expected rise in anti-EU forces, or Eurosceptics.\n\n\"Those parties oppose the principle of a democratic EU and want to change it from within,\" said Sylvain Kahn, a professor of European studies at Science Po Paris.\n\nAccording to Shahin Vallee, a researcher at the European Institute of LSE, \"They will set the tone of the European debates for the next five years.\n\n\"In May, we will be able to tell what direction the EU will take on a whole number of issues, from the regulation of the GAFAs (giant tech firms) to its attitude towards China, and of course, its migration policy.\"\n\nHow will Brexit affect the vote?\n\nThe UK was due to leave the EU on March 29, 2019. But it didn't. The EU Council decided that if the UK doesn't leave before May 22, it should take part in the European elections like any other member state.\n\n\"It will turn into a second referendum,\" said Crespy, \"creating an impossible situation in the EP and other European institutions\".\n\nUntil the UK leaves, it remains a rightful EU member with its EU commissioner, voting rights in the EU Council, and its 73 MEPs, including far-right Nigel Farage - chair of the populist Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy political group.\n\nVallee fears the UK's participation in the vote would lead to a \"one foot in, one foot out [situation] which would most certainly paralyse the already fragile functioning of the union's institutions\".\n\nWill the elections affect the EU's influence on the world stage?\n\nEurope is often seen as an economic giant but political dwarf. The EU remains a political structure in the making.\n\n\"Europe's weakness is first and foremost political,\" said Vallee.\n\nBetween 2012 and 2014, during the Eurozone crisis, Vallee was an adviser to then-president of the European Council, Herman Van Rompuy.\n\n\"The European Union suffers from two evils,\" he said. \"It doesn't have an identified government, able to make strategic decisions like the United States or China. And it lacks democratic legitimacy because the EP is too weak.\"\n\nSince the creation of the EU in the 1950s, a fierce debate on the notion of sovereignty has agitated the continent.\n\n\"The big question is: Will we be more efficient and resilient to cope with world's challenges by uniting with other countries or not? One for all and all for one like the musketeers or by yourself?\" said Kahn.\n\n\"We need to create European sovereignty. Sovereignty is to be understood as the capacity to act on the world's course; therefore we need a real European government and parliament, independent from the member states.\"\n\nKEEP UPDATED on the latest news by subscribing to our FREE newsletter.", "The European Parliament elections are not unlike cricket. Both can last for quite a few days and it can be pretty hard to understand the rules. This year’s European elections take place between May 23rd and 26th and different countries vote on different days.\n\nIt’s not surprising that few people bother to vote in these elections, either because they find the whole process too complicated or because they find it boring (some people feel the same about cricket).\n\nREAD ALSO: Falling turnout at European elections: the reasons\n\nBut this year’s vote is shaping up to be more interesting than most. The populist surge across Europe is being felt in Brussels, as eurosceptic parties aim to cause trouble from inside. The UK’s failure to secure a Brexit deal has left it in the bizarre position of needing to stand candidates despite its planned departure from the bloc.\n\nParties across the political spectrum have launched initiatives to encourage 400 million EU citizens to register and vote. The European Parliament (EP) launched the “This time I’m voting” campaign with the same objective, and an app with information about registration and voting in all member states.\n\nHere’s how the vote will work and why these elections are actually very important.\n\nEU citizens will be voting to fill 751 seats in the European Parliament. Although, if the UK pulls out at the last minute in the unlikely event of agreeing a Brexit deal, they will be voting to fill 705 seats.\n\nEU citizens vote for the candidates or parties of their country of origin or residence, provided that they are registered. Those living overseas can use their country’s embassies, consulates or schools to vote for a candidate running in their home country. The minimum age is 18 except in Austria and Malta (where it’s 16) and Greece (where it’s 17). Voting is compulsory in Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece and Luxembourg – although this rule is not always enforced.\n\nREAD ALSO: European elections: How UK vote could help predict outcome of a second Brexit referendum\n\nEach member state is allocated a certain number of seats in the European Parliament, according to the size of its population (economic indicators or size of the territory don’t matter in this case). France, for example, currently has 74 seats, Malta and Luxembourg have six MEPs each and the UK has 73.\n\nVoting processes vary significantly from one country to another, but they all include some element of proportional representation. For example, Ireland has three constituencies (Dublin, Midlands-North-West and South) and voters rank the candidates, as many or as few as they wish, in order of choice.\n\nFrance used to divide its candidates into eight constituencies but these have now been abolished. This year, voters will instead choose from a single electoral list – meaning they vote for a party and not for individual candidates. Bulgaria also has a single constituency, but voters can indicate their candidate preferences within the party list they choose. Estonian citizens and permanent residents can vote online.\n\nHow is the parliament organised after the vote?\n\nOnce elected, MEPs are organised by transnational groups that reflect their political affiliation. The current parliament has eight groups. These include the centre-left Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) and Europe of Nations and Freedom (ENF), which brings together the French National Rally, the Italian League and other far-right parties.\n\n\n\n Marine Le Pen of France's National Rally and Matteo Salvini of Italy's League. Photo: Alberto Pizzoli/AFP\n\nThe largest group is the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP), which has 216 MEPS. This includes Angela Merkel’s CDU and Viktor Orbán’s FIDESZ (although he has been suspended by the group until further notice). There are also 21 MEPs who do not belong to any group.\n\nThe party with the largest number of seats gets to appoint the president of the European Commission, a position currently held by former Jean-Claude Juncker, the former prime minister of Luxembourg. The president is akin to a conductor: he or she sets the tempo and makes sure the orchestra plays in a harmonious way but they cannot choose the repertoire alone. In the European Parliament, no party family has the majority of the seats so they have to reach out to other groups, working together to to approve legislation.\n\nREAD ALSO: Juncker vows to fight 'fake news' before European elections\n\nWhy is there a European parliament?\n\nThe idea that there should be a parliamentary assembly to represent the citizens of the member states dates back to 1952, when the Coal and Steel Community (the precursor of the European Community) was established. At that time, the 142 members were national parliamentarians appointed by their respective governments. They played only a marginal role, while the “real” decisions were made by the member states.\n\nThe first direct elections to the parliament took place in 1979 and the body has, over time, developed political muscle. Together with the European Council (which represents the member states), the parliament is now responsible for preparing and adopting the EU budget – which amounts to €165.8 billion in 2019.\n\nThe parliament legislates on all kinds of important issues, from food standards to LGBT rights. In March, for example, 560 of the 751 MEPs voted in a new law banning single-use plastic items such as plates and cutlery by 2021.\n\nWhy is there such a low turnout?\n\nDespite the important role the parliament plays, voter turnout has dropped from 62 percent in 1979 to 43 percent in 2014. In some countries, participation is incredibly low. Only 13 percent of Slovakian voters went to the polls in the last elections.\n\nIn some of the newer member states, the perception that voting doesn’t make any difference, together with mistrust in politicians and in politics in general, keeps people from participating.\n\nEurope’s media also doesn’t cover the parliament’s work much, so people don’t pay attention to it. It rarely goes viral, and when it does, it’s usually for the wrong reasons.\n\nThis all combines to give the impression that the parliament is not an organisation to be taken seriously. But the European Parliament is, in many ways, the human face of the European Union. It is made up of people from different countries, who all bring different stories and experiences – people like the Polish MEP Marek Plura, an advocate for policies that promote a more inclusive society for people with disabilities (he suffers himself from a degenerative illness).\n\nNevertheless, there is still room for improvement when it comes to gender balance and ethnic diversity in the parliament. Women make up just 37 percent of the 751 MEPs, and less than 20 MEPs identify themselves as non-white (there are no official statistics on this because several states are against collecting data on ethnicity).\n\nDespite the low levels of participation in European elections, it’s worth noting that 50 percent of Europeans say they trust the institution, while only 34 percent feel the same about national governing bodies.\n\nOn average, 68 percent of European citizens believe their country has benefited from EU membership. People like the idea of easily travelling to another country and are attached to the Euro (France’s Marine Le Pen and Italy’s Matteo Salvini changed their discourse about the single currency after they were confronted with that evidence). And in Romania, Spain and Poland, EU membership is often regarded as a sort of antidote to the excesses of national governments.\n\nREAD ALSO: Five reasons why the European elections really do matter\n\nThe European parliament is also often to be found leading the charge on issues that are truly important to European citizens such as environmental protection, transparency and data protection.\n\nRecent protests in France and in other countries have shown that EU institutions have not properly addressed some of their citizens’ most crucial concerns. Many of these concerns have less to do with national issues such as immigration and political parties and more to do with a broader hope for a brighter, fairer and happier future. As a transnational body, the European Parliament has a unique role to play in addressing these big issues, and communicating them to the public.\n\nTatiana Coutto, Teaching Fellow, Department of Politics and International Studies, University of Warwick\n\nThis article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license."], "summary": "European citizens in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands vote in the first day of 2019's European Parliament elections."}
{"document": ["NEW DELHI/AYODHYA (Reuters) - Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi scored a dramatic election victory on Thursday, putting his Hindu nationalist party on course to increase its majority on a mandate of business-friendly policies and a tough stand on national security.\n\nHis re-election reinforces a global trend of right-wing populists sweeping to victory, from the United States to Brazil and Italy, often after adopting harsh positions on protectionism, immigration and defense.\n\nOfficial data from the Election Commission showed Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party ahead in 302 of the 542 seats up for grabs, up from the 282 it won in 2014 and more than the 272 seats needed for a majority in the lower house of parliament.\n\nThat would give his party the first back-to-back majority for a single party since 1984. Votes will be fully counted by Friday morning.\n\nModi was showered with rose petals by some of the thousands of cheering supporters who waited for hours in a thunderstorm for his arrival at party headquarters on Thursday evening.\n\n“Whatever happened in these elections is in the past, we have to look ahead. We have to take everyone forward, including our staunchest opponents,” he said in a televised address.\n\nHe was critical of the many people that doubted the BJP could increase its majority.\n\n“The political pundits of India have to leave behind their ideas of the past,” he added.\n\nCHALLENGES AWAIT\n\nModi has slashed red tape in the world’s fifth-largest economy, though some overseas firms, including Amazon, Walmart and Mastercard, have complained about policies they say are designed to benefit domestic rivals.\n\nHe will face demands to provide jobs for the tens of millions of young people coming on to the market in the next few years and to boost depressed farm incomes.\n\n“The immediate challenges are to address employment, the issue of agricultural income and revive the banking sector,” said Madan Sabnavis, chief economist at Care Ratings in Mumbai.\n\nBut making good on his promise of unity will be difficult as the BJP campaign was often divisive, and India’s Muslim minority has expressed fears that policies aimed at pleasing the Hindu majority could imperil their livelihoods.\n\nModi’s pledge of a strong stand against a separatist movement in Muslim-majority Kashmir has fueled tension with nuclear-armed rival Pakistan, although its prime minister, Imran Khan, congratulated Modi on his win.\n\n“Look forward to working with him for peace, progress and prosperity in South Asia,” Khan added on Twitter.\n\nBesides a harder line on national security, BJP members will look to Modi for progress on a project to building a Hindu temple on the site of a mosque demolished by Hindu zealots in the northern holy town of Ayodhya in 1992.\n\n“I want Modi to finish terrorism from Kashmir (and) make Pakistan bite the dust again and again,” said Shekhar Chahal, a BJP worker from the capital, New Delhi.\n\n“I am confident that Modi will also make the temple in Ayodhya.”\n\nThe NDA’s predicted margin of victory, at 351 seats versus 93 for the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance, according to broadcaster NDTV, far exceeds survey forecasts in the run-up to the vote.\n\nAmong the winners for the BJP was a Hindu ascetic accused of plotting a bomb attack on Muslims.\n\nMost polls indicated a victory for Modi’s alliance but expected it to fall short of an overall majority.\n\n(Click HERE reut.rs/2VXBoxz for graphic of live updates of election results)\n\nSECURITY SWING\n\nModi was under pressure when he began campaigning, losing three state elections in December amid rising anger over farm prices and unemployment.\n\nSupporters of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) celebrate after learning of initial poll results in Chandigarh, India, May 23, 2019. REUTERS/Ajay Verma\n\nHowever, campaigning shifted toward India’s relationship with Pakistan after a suicide bomber killed 40 Indian police in February in the Himalayan region of Kashmir claimed by both countries.\n\nModi ordered an air strike on what India said was a militant training camp on the Pakistani side of the border, a tough response that benefited the right-wing BJP, analysts said.\n\nWhile Pakistan has signaled a willingness to open talks with India, it also displayed its military might, with the test of a surface-to-surface ballistic missile with a range of up to 1,500 miles (2,400 km).\n\nThe BJP has also capitalized the star power of Modi, a frenetic campaigner, as well as its superior financial resources.\n\nIt outspent Congress by six times on Facebook and Google advertising, data showed, and by as much as 20 times overall, sources told Reuters this month.\n\nThe main opposition Congress party was ahead in just 52 seats, but its leader Rahul Gandhi, twice defeated in general elections by Modi, refused to rule out resigning as party chief in a brief televised news conference.\n\nGandhi, whose father, grandmother and great-grandfather all served as prime minister, lost to the BJP candidate in the northern constituency of Amethi the family has held almost continuously for the last four decades.\n\nBut he was leading in the southern constituency from which he is also running for parliament.\n\n“The Congress party has not been able to improve at all,” said Rahul Verma, a fellow at the center for Policy Research in New Delhi.\n\n“One big story is the emerging challenge for the Congress to remain a national alternative to the BJP. That now is under question.”\n\nSTRONG LEADER\n\nIn the populous northern state of Uttar Pradesh, which sends the largest number of lawmakers to parliament, the BJP was leading in 60 of the 80 seats in the fray, out in front of a powerful alliance of caste-based parties campaigning to improve rural conditions.\n\n“After the air strike on Pakistan, almost all these important issues started fading and farmers decided to cast their ballot for the BJP,” said Raghubar Das, 55, who grows rice and wheat on the outskirts of Ayodhya, which many devout Hindus believe to be the birthplace of the God-king Rama.\n\nSlideshow (15 Images)\n\n“Mind you, they didn’t vote for the BJP, they voted for Modi. Everyone loves a strong a leader.”\n\nThe party also won seats in several states where it has long struggled, including West Bengal, where it took on the Trinamool Congress, a powerful regional party. Data showed it leading in 19 of 42 seats, surpassing the two it won in 2014, data showed.\n\nInvestors welcomed Modi’s victory, hoping his government will push through reforms.\n\nIndian stocks surged more than 5 percent this week to hit record highs on Thursday, but the euphoria fizzled quickly, with stocks and the rupee ending the day weaker, as the focus returned to a faltering economy.", "Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi claimed victory in the country's general election on Thursday, as early vote counts showed his Bharatiya Janata Party on course for a significant win.\n\nEarly data from the nation's Electoral Commission showed the BJP led in contests for 269 of the 542 seats in Parliament, while its rival party, the Indian National Congress, was winning just 56.\n\n\"Together we grow. Together we prosper. Together we will build a strong and inclusive India. India wins yet again!\" Modi wrote in announcing his victory on .\n\nMore than 900 million people were eligible to vote in the mammoth six-week election, casting their votes on approximately 40 million electronic voting machines, according to the Associated Press.\n\nPakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan congratulated Modi on his election win, saying he was looking forward to \"working with him for peace, progress and prosperity.\"\n\nAlthough tensions between India and Pakistan in the disputed region of Kashmir dominated the build-up to the election, Modi's victory could lead to a new dialogue between the two countries, according to Chatham House senior research fellow Dr. Gareth Price.\n\n\"Despite a large part of the BJP campaign being predicated on projecting strength against Pakistan, ironically over the next few months – terrorist attacks notwithstanding – one of the occasional windows of opportunity for talks with Pakistan has opened up,\" Price told ABC News. \"Political insecurity in one or both countries has undermined previous attempts at rapprochement. For now, at least, both governments have the legitimacy to engage with the other.”\n\nModi's projection of a strong Hindu identity for India, as well as emphasis on economic growth, played a crucial role in his victory, Price said. But Price said this could end up being problematic.\n\n“The BJP’s narrative clearly resonated with voters across northern India,\" he told ABC News. \"That is that India should be strong economically and militarily and proud of its Hindu-ness. This has implications for minorities, in particular Muslims. However, some of the policies mooted by the BJP for electoral purposes may come back to haunt it -- in particular, the National Citizens Register, which, if followed through, could create millions of stateless people.”", "NEW DELHI (AP) — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party claims it has won re-election with commanding lead in vote count.", "India's prime minister Narendra Modi of the Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday was confirmed as the winner of general elections by a landslide.\n\nModi has won 290 seats out of a total 542, 18 more than the 272 seats needed to secure an absolute majority. The BJP is also leading in another 13 constituencies.", "NEW DELHI (AP) — The Latest on India's general elections results (all times local): With nearly all constituencies reporting, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu nationalist party have won a majority in India's general election. The Election Commission of India reports that the Bharatiya Janata Party won 287 out of the 525 constituencies in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of Parliament, as of early Friday. The party's top rival, the Indian National Congress led by Rahul Gandhi, won 50 seats, and the All India Trinamool Congress led by West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee won 19 seats. The final results are not in for the remaining 42 seats.\n\nVote counting of the estimated 600 million ballots cast in the world's largest democratic exercise began early Thursday. Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has congratulated his Indian counterpart for success in a massive general election. With early election results showing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu nationalist party with a commanding lead, Khan tweeted Thursday that he looked forward to working with Modi \"for peace, progress and prosperity in South Asia.\"\n\nPakistan and India have a history of bitter relations. The two nuclear-armed rivals were close to a major conflict in February when Indian aircraft launched a strike in Pakistan in response to a Feb. 14 suicide bombing in the Indian-controlled portion of Kashmir that killed 40 troops. India blamed the bombing on Pakistan-based militants. Pakistan retaliated by shooting down a fighter jet the next day and detaining its pilot, who was later returned to India. Since then tension has eased between them.\n\nIndian National Congress president Rahul Gandhi has conceded his parliamentary seat to his rival from the Bharatiya Janata Party, which has claimed a decisive victory in India's general election. Election Commission results showed BJP textiles minister Smriti Irani was ahead by 38,000 votes in Amethi, a longtime Gandhi family bastion in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Gandhi, the scion of the Nehru-Gandhi family dynasty, also congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP for their win in official counting Thursday.", "Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has won re-election and his party performed well in parliamentary elections. What does his victory signal about the world's most populous democracy?", "Prime Minister Narendra Modi looked on course Thursday for a major victory in India's election, with early trends from the election commission showing a clear lead for his party.\n\n[New Delhi] Prime Minister Narendra Modi looked on course Thursday for a major victory in India's election, with early trends from the election commission showing a clear lead for his party.\n\nMr Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was ahead in 277 out of the 542 constituencies after two hours of counting, more than the 272 seats required for a majority even without its allies.", "NEW DELHI — The Latest on India’s general elections results (all times local):\n\nIndian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his party have a commanding lead in early vote counting from the country’s six-week general election.\n\nElection Commission data show the Bharatiya Janata Party leading in contests for 300 out of 542 seats in Parliament, with the Congress party ahead in 50 contests.\n\nIndia’s marathon elections concluded on Sunday. The count that started Thursday was expected to conclude by the evening.\n\nPrime Minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu nationalist party are building on their lead in the latest results from India’s general elections.\n\nElection Commission data show the Bharatiya Janata Party is leading in contests for 269 out of 542 seats, with its main rival, the Indian National Congress, ahead in 56 contests.\n\nIndia’s marathon elections staggered over six weeks concluded on Sunday. The count that started Thursday was expected to conclude by the evening.\n\nCrowds gathered in New Delhi to watch the results come on big LED screens at Connaught Place.\n\nMechanical engineer Mohammad Shamshad said it was too early to call it for BJP, adding “it’s like a cricket match, anyone can win.”\n\nEarly results are showing Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu nationalist party in the lead in India’s general elections.\n\nElection Commission data showed the Bharatiya Janata Party leading in contests for 229 seats, with its main rival, the Indian National Congress, ahead in 56 contests.\n\nThe count that started Thursday was expected to conclude by the evening. In the world’s largest democratic exercise, some 900 million people were registered to cast ballots for 542 seats in India’s lower house of Parliament in seven phases of voting staggered over six weeks.\n\nA party or coalition needs a simple majority, or 272 seats, to govern.\n\nIndian election officials have begun counting votes that were cast in the country’s mammoth general elections.\n\nThe count began Thursday morning and was expected to conclude by the evening. Voters cast ballots on some 40 million electronic voting machines.\n\nHalf a dozen exit polls showed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party remaining in power for another five years.\n\nIn the world’s largest democratic exercise, some 900 million people were registered to cast ballots for 542 seats in India’s lower house of Parliament in seven phases of polling staggered over six weeks.\n\nThe election has been seen as a referendum on Modi, whose economic reforms broadly haven’t succeeded but whose popularity as a social underdog in India’s highly stratified society has endured.\n\nCopyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.", "सबका साथ + सबका विकास + सबका विश्वास = विजयी भारत Together we grow. Together we prosper. Together we will build a strong and inclusive India. India wins yet again! #VijayiBharat, tweeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi after it became clear that the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance had decimated the opposition in Lok Sabha election 2019 with a bigger mandate than the last general election five years ago.\n\nWithin 10 minutes of Modi’s post, it was retweeted over 20,000 times and liked by over 44,000 people. Modi had on May 16, 2014, tweeted “India has won! भारत की विजय। अच्छे दिन आने वाले हैं।” after the BJP-led NDA had secured a big majority in the Lok Sabha election.\n\nBidding for the second term as the Prime Minister of India, Modi led an aggressive election campaign, focussing on a muscular national security policy, targeting dynastic politics, and seeking mandate for a corruption-free government.\n\nWhen the opposition tried to hit with with the “chowkidar chor hai” barb, the Prime Minister turned it into a potent weapon and changed his twitter handle to Chowkidar Narendra Modi. Within a few minutes, all the BJP leaders and supporters on Twitter had added chowkidar to their Twitter profile.\n\nThe BJP alone is leading in 300 seats while the NDA is ahead in 349 constituencies. The BJP is the first party to return to power at the Centre after completing the full five-year term after the Congress managed the feat in 1967.\n\nIt is also the first time after the 1984 Lok Sabha election that a party has managed to breach the 300-seat mark in a Lok Sabha election. The 1984 Lok Sabha election had seen the Congress winning 414 seats, the maximum a party has won in a general election.", "Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi looked on course Thursday for a major victory in the world’s biggest election, with early trends suggesting his Hindu nationalist party will win an even bigger majority than 2014.\n\nAfter two and a half hours of counting, figures from the Election Commission showed Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the lead in 283 seats out of 542 with the rival Congress on just 51.\n\nIf confirmed — no actual results have been published yet — this would push the Hindu nationalist BJP over the 272 seats needed for a majority on its own, and beat its tally of 282 when Modi swept to power in the world’s biggest democracy in 2014 with the first majority in 30 years.\n\nThe result would give the BJP and its allies, which early trends suggested would win close to 50 seats, a commanding majority of around 330 seats.\n\nHaving risen strongly since exit polls on Sunday had pointed to a Modi victory, Indian stock markets on Thursday hit record new highs shortly after opening, with the Sensex and the Nifty indices both up more than two percent.\n\nAfter an exercise not short of staggering statistics, the 600 million votes cast in purportedly the world’s most expensive democratic exercise — costing more than $7 billion, experts say — were set to be counted in just one day.\n\nRahul Gandhi of the Congress party, hoping to become the fourth member of the Gandhi-Nehru dynasty to lead India, had on Wednesday dismissed the exit polls.\n\n“Don’t get disappointed by the propaganda of fake exit polls,” Gandhi, 48, told the party faithful on Twitter.\n\nEarly trends also suggested that Gandhi was in a tight race in his constituency of Amethi in Uttar Pradesh state, a seat held by his family for generations.\n\nIndian exit polls are notoriously unreliable. In 2004 they pointed to a BJP victory but the results told a different story, bringing a Congress-led government to power.\n\nResults in several regions such as Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state which formed the core of Modi’s support in 2014, and West Bengal in the east, will be key.\n\nThe vast size of India stretching from the Himalayas to the Tropics, taking in polluted megacities, deserts and jungles, meant the election stretched over six weeks.\n\nThe campaign was awash with insults — Modi was likened to Hitler and a “gutter insect” — as well as fake news disseminated on social media in Facebook and WhatsApp’s biggest markets.\n\nGandhi, 48, tried several lines of attack against Modi, in particular over alleged corruption in a French defence deal and over the desperate plight of farmers and the lacklustre economy.\n\nUnemployment is reported to be at a four-decade high with Asia’s third-biggest economy growing too slowly to create jobs for the million Indians entering the labour market every month.\n\nModi’s shock cash ban in 2016 — not even his cabinet were informed before his televised address to the nation — disrupted livelihoods. Foreign investment has however increased.\n\nModi, a former cadre in the militaristic hardline Hindu group Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and chief minister of Gujurat in 2002 when riots killed more than 1,000 people, most of them Muslims, is also seen as divisive.\n\nLynchings of Muslims and low-caste Dalits for eating beef and slaughtering and trading in cattle have risen, adding to anxiousness among the 170-million-strong Muslim population, the world’s second biggest.\n\nUnder Modi several cities with names rooted in India’s Islamic Mughul past have been re-named, while some school textbooks have been changed to downplay Muslims’ contributions to India.\n\nVinod Bansal, a spokesman for the Hindu nationalist Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), told AFP he wants a “complete ban” on the slaughter of cows, sacred to most Hindus.\n\n“If Modi again comes to power we are doomed,” Hassan Khalid Azmi, a retired chemistry professor in the northern city of Azamgarh, told AFP earlier this month.\n\nBut Modi, 68, managed deftly to turn the election into a referendum on his rule while depicting himself, often in the third person, as the only one able to defend India.\n\nIn this he was given a major boost when a suicide bombing, claimed by a Pakistan-based militant group, killed 40 Indian paratroopers in Indian-administered Kashmir on February 14.\n\nDoubts abound about the efficacy of India’s subsequent air strikes on Pakistan, but the action enabled Modi to style himself the “chowkidar” (“watchman”) with the supposed 56-inch (142-centimetre) chest.\n\n“Wherever the terror groups and perpetrators may hide, our security forces will flush them out and punish them,” he thundered. “Every drop of blood of our slain soldiers shall be avenged.”"], "summary": "The Bharatiya Janata Party, led by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is declared the clear victor of the latest Indian general election."}
{"document": ["Voters in Malawi go to polls to elect president, parliament\n\nBLANTYRE, Malawi (AP) — More than 6 million Malawians are voting Tuesday for president, parliament and local councils in the country's sixth election since the 1994 end of dictatorship.\n\nOf a field of seven presidential candidates, incumbent 78-year-old President Peter Mutharika faces stiff competition from his vice-president, Saulos Chilima, 46, and from Lazarus Chakwera, 64, leader of the main opposition, the Malawi Congress Party.\n\nMalawi's winning candidate must get the most votes cast but is not required to receive more than 50% of the votes.\n\nPrevious president Joyce Banda dropped out of the race and is supporting Chakwera.\n\nOf the registered voters, 54% are young people between the ages of 18 and 34. Women make up 56% of the registered voters while all the presidential candidates are male.\n\nMalawi's army and police will provide security at the more than 5,000 polling stations across the country and polls will remain open for 12 hours until 6 p.m. local time.\n\nMost voters interviewed said they are pleased to cast their ballots in the hotly contested presidential poll.\n\n\"We are tired with all these months of bickering and I just want to vote and be done with it,\" said Martha Liunda, 66, in Blantyre.\n\nWilliam Phiri, 32, an inmate at Chichiri prison in Blantyre said he was excited to be able to vote for a candidate of his choice even though he is in jail.\n\n\"I have two years to serve and I am voting for a future that I will find upon my release,\" he said.\n\nMalawi's voting system is secure and \"cannot be penetrated by hackers,\" said electoral commission chairwoman Jane Ansa, speaking to the press Monday evening. No communications networks will be shut down during the elections, she said.\n\nThe presidential contest is very close between the top three contenders, said Boniface Dulani, a senior lecturer in political science at Chancellor College, University of Malawi.\n\nAs in previous elections, he says voting is likely to follow regional lines where Chakwere and the Malawi Congress Party will carry the central region, Chilima the north and Mutharika the south.\n\n\"The decider will most likely be who comes second in all the regions,\" he said.", "Malawians are voting in 5,006 poling centres across the country to elect a president, Members of Parliament and local councillors.\n\nPolling centres have opened at 6am to allow 6.8 million registered voters to choose their leaders.\n\nvice president Saulos Chilima and Lazarus Chakwera are the main challengers to President Peter Mutharika who is seeking reelection in the presidential election which has seven candidates.\n\nThe other four are Atupele Muluzi of United Democratic Front, Peter Kuwani of Mbakuwaku Movement, John Chisi of Umodzi Party and independent candidate Hadwick Kaliya.\n\nThe presidential candidate with the largest share of the votes cast will win Malawi’s sixth election since the return of multiparty democracy in 1994.\n\nThe Malawi Electoral Commission has eight days to announce the result but the winner could be officially announced by the end of the week.\n\nMeanwhile, Chairperson Dr. Jane Ansah says voting has started well and the commission has not reported any challenge so far and all centres have opened across the country.\n\nThe MEC Chair was on the ground in Blantyre as polls opened.", "President Peter Mutharika of Malawi addresses the United Nations General Assembly in the Manhattan borough of New York, U.S., September 20, 2016. REUTERS/Mike Segar/File Photo\n\nBLANTYRE (Reuters) - Malawi’s President Peter Mutharika has so far taken 40.44% of votes cast in the May 21 presidential election, with 75% of the vote counted, the Electoral Commission said on Thursday.\n\nLazarus Chakwera, who heads the opposition Malawi Congress Party, has 35.34%, while Deputy President Saulos Chilima has secured 18.35%, the commission told a news conference.\n\nMalawi also held parliamentary elections on Tuesday.", "BLANTYRE: Malawi’s President Peter Mutharika has so far taken 40.44% of votes cast in the May 21 presidential election, with 75% of the vote counted, the Electoral Commission said on Thursday.\n\nLazarus Chakwera, who heads the opposition Malawi Congress Party, has 35.34%, while Deputy President Saulos Chilima has secured 18.35%, the commission told a news conference.", "BLANTYRE, May 23 (Reuters) - Malawi's President Peter Mutharika has so far taken 40.44% of votes cast in the May 21 presidential election, with 75% of the vote counted, the Electoral Commission said on Thursday.\n\nLazarus Chakwera, who heads the opposition Malawi Congress Party, has 35.34%, while Deputy President Saulos Chilima has secured 18.35%, the commission told a news conference.\n\nMalawi also held parliamentary elections on Tuesday. (Reporting by Mabvuto Banda and Frank Phiri; Writing by Emma Rumney Editing by Gareth Jones)", "Malawi’s electoral commission (MEC) chief, Dr. Jane Ansah has called upon stakeholders including political parties to refrain from announcing premature results, pledging that the commission will start official declaration of results as soon as 20% of votes cast have been tallied.\n\nCitizens went to the polls on Tuesday, casting their votes to elect a president, members of parliament and local government councillors.\n\nPresident Peter Mutharika is seeking a second term, and is being challenged by his deputy, Saulos Chilima, and the leader of the country’s biggest opposition party, Lazarus Chakwera.\n\nIn this article, we provide updates from the time polls opened on Tuesday morning, to the time official results will be announced, which Ansah said will be within 8 days.\n• Main candidates profiles, and where they cast their votes\n• Why this is a high-stakes election\n\nMalawi’s electoral commission (MEC) has told the media that the presidential election is too close to call, and for that reason, results cannot be updated until 147 complaints received by the commission have been resolved.\n\n‘‘The commission will not update the results because the announcing is linked to the complaints received,’‘ Dr. Jane Ansah, MEC chief said.\n\nThe last results update given on Thursday showed president Mutharika leading with 40% of the votes cast, while Lazarus Chakwera of the opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP) was second with 35%.\n\nEarlier, supporters of the opposition MCP gathered outside the national tally center, celebrating what they believe will be a victory declared by the electoral commission, according to local media.\n\nLocal media also reported a heavy deployment of security agencies at the tally center, ahead of the declaration of presidential results.\n\nPRELIMINARY STATEMENT:African Union Election Observation Mission to the 2019 Tripartite Elections in the Republic of Malawi\n\nThe Malawi Electoral Commission, MEC, as at midday Thursday said it had so far received 75.81% of all results from polling stations.\n\nSo far: Incumbent president Peter Mutharika (DPP) had 1,436,877 (40.49%). Lazarus Chakwera (MCP) polled 1,257,853 (35.44%) with vice-president Saulos Chilima (UTM) having 651,124 (19.35%).\n\nCollation restarted 10:00 local time after it was suspended on Wednesday evening. At the time the main opposition candidate Lazarus Chakwera of the Malawi Congress Party, MCP, was in the lead with 30% of vote count.\n\nMalawi’s opposition leader Lazarus Chakwera on Wednesday warned against attempts to rig the country’s election, claiming he was clearly leading in results so far tallied.\n\nEarly official results showed President Peter Mutharika and Chakwera were equal on about 37 percent of the vote with about one-third of polling centres counted after Tuesday’s election.\n\n“So far the message is clear, we know that we have a tremendous lead,” he told a news conference at his house in Blantyre.\n\n“No one is going to rig this election. Justice is going to prevail.”\n\nChakwera said his Malawi Congress Party (MCP) was conducting its own count, even though local observers earlier declared the election largely free and fair.\n\n“Those in power, I know you, you’re trying to tamper with elections,” Chakwera said, who came a narrow second in the 2014 election.\n\n“I warn you, you will soon face the long arm of the law”.\n\nChakwera has campaigned on an anti-graft platform and has been credited with reviving the MCP.\n\nTwo months ago, he secured the high-profile support of former president Joyce Banda.\n\nThe main opposition candidate in Malawi has taken a slight lead as the elections body continues collating and announcing results from Tuesday’s election – specifically with the presidential race.\n\nThe elections body had as at Wednesday morning officially declared 35.67% of results putting Lazarus Chakwera in the lead with 533,217 (37.65%) whiles his closest contender and incumbent Peter Arthur Mutharika came a close second with 524,247 (37.01%).\n\nIn a distant third place is Saulos Chilima, Mutharika’s estranged vice who formed a breakaway party to contest for the top seat. He had garnered 293,978 (20.76%).\n\nGiven that Malawi operates a first past the post system, whoever comes top irrespective of the percentage will be declared winner.\n\nAnalysts hold that its early days yet as results are awaited from other parts of the country, only then can firm projections be made as to a likely winner of the presidential race.\n\nWith results received so far: 1,748 out of 5,002 centres:\n\nMeanwhile elections chief Jane Ansah has stressed the need for parties to desist from announcing unofficial results. “Political leaders shouldn’t overstep commission’s authority.\n\n“The mandate to announce results remains solely with MEC. The commission has managed to deliver peaceful and fair elections & is even capable of delivering credible results,” she is quoted to have said.\n\nMalawi’s electoral commission on Wednesday addressed journalists, election observers and political party agents on Wednesday morning, warning against trusting the authenticity of results published on social media.\n\nCommission chief Dr. Jane Ansah reassured the nation that a backup plan had been put in place to deal with any technical hitches that might be encountered, as the country uses the electronic system of tallying results, for the first time.\n\n‘‘The first result was received at midnight but have received only partial results from polling centers. Results have been slow because we’re experiencing some problem in result transmission.’‘\n\n‘‘Security at all centres is very high. Anyone trying to tamper with results transmission I caution them to refrain. Both the police defense force are on high alert,’‘ Dr. Ansah added.\n\nUnder the electronic tallying system, results are canned and sent to the national tallying centre in Blantyre, using specially designed forms that have several security features. The commission also has auditors who will confirm figures before they are released and displayed on giant screens at the national tally center.\n\n“I have a strong feeling that the choice I made will carry the day,” said Tima Nyirongo, 31, a mother of two who voted at a polling station in Blantyre, the southern African country’s commercial capital.\n\nWhile the voting process has so far been peaceful and relatively smooth, there have been a few anomalies that have been registered and acknowledged by the electoral authorities.\n\nOther than the widely reported incident of vice president Chilima’s delayed voting, there have also been issues of misplaced ballot papers and voter’s registers.\n\nThe electoral commission said Chilima’s name was transferred from his official polling station, while voting is reported to have started late at the Kanyenjele polling station after it was supplied with a wrong voter’s register.\n\nThere have also been reports of misplaced Mangochi ballot papers being found at Naotcha centre in Blantyre, while Blantyre city centre Matope Ward ballot papers were found within Dziwe Balaka south constituency ballots.\n\nPresident Peter Mutharika is seeking a second and final term, but faces a tough challenge from his deputy, Saulos Chilima and other opposition leaders.\n\nMutharika’s term has been dominated by food shortages, power outages and ballooning external debt, which have damaged his popularity, as well as concerns about his health.\n• his elder brother Bingu wa Mutharika was also president and died after having a heart attack while in office.\n• is a constitutional expert and former law professor at Washington University\n• previously served as a minister of justice, for education, science and technology, and as minister of foreign affairs\n\n“I am happy that I have voted,” said Mutharika, 78, leader of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) after leaving a polling station in Thyolo town outside Blantyre.\n\n“There are very long lines but I am encouraging everyone to vote because it is the people who will decide.”\n\nSaulos Chilima was Mutharika’s running mate in 2014 and became vice president — but he then fell out with his boss.\n• quit ruling party last year and set up United Transformation Movement ( )\n• previously worked as senior executive at Unilever, Coca-Cola and Airtel\n\nChilima has run a colourful and energetic youth-targeted campaign on a platform of eradicating poverty, fighting graft and creating employment. But it is uncertain if his new party can make a major impact.\n\nHis wife Mary made waves ahead of the election, releasing a slick and much-admired rap video extolling her husband’s candidacy.\n\nFormer evangelist Lazarus Chakwera, 64, leads Malawi’s oldest party, the Malawi Congress Party, which is the main opposition party and ruled Malawi from 1964 to 1994 under Hastings Banda’s one-party rule.\n\nChakwera led the party into the 2014 elections, coming second to Mutharika at the polls and he now hopes to go one better.\n\nThe Malawi Congress Party has lost all five presidential elections since 1994 but Chakwera has made great efforts to re-energise its base.\n• Chakwera was president of the Malawi Assemblies of God from 1989 to 2013\n• he was endorsed by former president Joyce Banda in March\n\n“We mounted a very formidable campaign unlike any other party and unlike any other year,” Chakwera said after voting in Lilongwe as crowds scrambled to see him.\n\n“We are positive about the result.”\n\n41-year-old Atupele Muluzi, has drawn large crowds to his rallies and is considered the outsider who has a slim chance.\n• son of Bakili Muluzi who governed the country from 1994 until 2004\n• is currently the health minister\n\nAnalysts say Muluzi’s alliance with the government may have cost him votes.\n\nMalawi Electoral Commission (MEC) chairperson, Dr. Jane Ansah has explained that Chilima’s name was transferred during the verification process between January and February 2019 from his St Thomas Polling Centre to Chizumulu Island.\n\nAnsah also urged employers to desist from preventing their employees from voting, saying the commission had received complaints.\n\nLocal media are reporting that the vice president Saulos Chilima waited up to 40 minutes before he could cast his vote at St Thomas Polling Centre in the capital Lilongwe. His name was reportedly missing from the voters’ register.\n\nChilima, who fell out with president Mutharika, and quit the ruling party last year, has previously accused the state of harassment and intimidation.\n\nMeanwhile, the European Union Elections Observer Mission (EUOM) in Malawi has deployed over 80 staff at polling stations across the country, and will be giving regular updates throughout the voting, counting and tallying stages.\n\n‘‘It is pleasing to note that polling appears to be underway in all the areas where we have observers, meaning materials have been delivered and polling staff were ready,” the EUOM Chief Observer, Miroslav Poche said on Monday.\n\n‘‘Many polling stations have lengthy queues, indicating that Malawians are turning out in large numbers to vote.’‘\n\nPolling stations opened at 6:00 hours local time (0400 GMT) in Malawi on Tuesday, and voters will now have the opportunity to decide the fate of incumbent president Peter Mutharika who is battling to hold off two serious rivals in a race that focused on corruption allegations and economic development.\n\nMutharika, who has been in power since 2014, will face opposition from his own deputy Saulos Chilima and former baptist preacher Lazarus Chakwera.\n\n“We have set Malawi on the path of progress,” Mutharika, 78, told several thousand cheering supporters of his ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in Blantyre at his final campaign rally at the weekend.\n\nHis bid for a second term has focused on the economy and his record of improving road and electricity infrastructure across the southeastern African country.\n\nUnder Mutharika, inflation has fallen from 23 percent to below nine percent, but still only 11 percent of the population has access to electricity.\n\nThe election is the first since a new law forced parties to declare large donations and banned the once-common practice by candidates of giving cash handouts.\n\nFood shortages, power outages and ballooning external debt have hurt Mutharika’s popularity ahead of the vote.\n\nHe faces a strong challenge from Chakwera, leader of the main opposition Malawi Congress Party (MCP), who came a narrow second in the 2014 election.\n\nAhead of the vote, Chakwera told AFP that he expected “nothing less than victory — we are winning.”\n\nMutharika’s other opponent, Chilima, quit the ruling party last year to form the youth-focused United Transformation Movement, while staying on as vice president.\n\nUnder Malawi law, the president cannot fire the vice president.\n\nChilima, 46, emphasised his youth credentials by doing push-ups on stage during the campaign.\n\nMore than half of the 6.8-million registered voters are under 35.\n\nDan Banik, a politics professor at the University of Malawi, told AFP that the election posed many questions.\n\n“What will happen when a winner is declared by a narrow margin?” he said.\n\n“How will losing presidential candidates take defeat? Will supporters of the incumbent DPP peacefully accept losing?” he asked.\n\nBanik said that the election commission and the courts could be severely tested by counting complaints after polling day on Tuesday, when voters will also choose lawmakers and local councillors.\n\nIn Malawi’s “winner takes all” system, Mutharika won in 2014 with just 36 percent of the vote.\n\nHe came to power in the aid-dependent country vowing to tackle corruption after the “Cashgate” scandal erupted a year earlier, revealing massive looting from state coffers.\n\nBut his government has been dogged by several high-profile cases of corruption and nepotism.\n\nLast November, Mutharika himself was forced to return a $200,000 donation from a businessman facing a corruption case in a $3-million contract to supply food to the Malawi police.\n\n“It will even be more uncertain and tight than last time. It could undermine the legitimacy of the winning candidate,” said Michael Jana, a Malawi politics specialist at Johannesburg’s University of the Witwatersrand.\n\nMalawi won independence from Britain in 1964, and was then ruled by Hastings Banda as a one-party state until the first multi-party elections in 1994.\n\nThe country, which has a population of 18 million people, has one million adults living with HIV, one of the highest HIV prevalence rates in the world.", "Malawi's president in the lead for re-election\n\nBLANTYRE, Malawi (AP) — Malawi's President Peter Mutharika has taken a lead in the election with more than 75 percent of votes counted from the Tuesday poll.\n\nMutharika has 1.4 million votes while opposition Malawi Congress Party leader Lazarus Chakwera is second with 1.2 million votes and Vice President Saulos Chilima has 651,000 votes.\n\nMore than 3.6 million out the total 6.8 million total registered voters have been counted. This is the second day of vote tabulation which shows results from 3,792 centers out of the 5,002.\n\n\"This means we have received 75.81 percent of the total polling centers,\" said Malawi Electoral Commission Chairwoman Jane Ansah. She clarified that this is not a percentage of the total registered voters but total number of polling centers.\n\nAnsah said two polling staff members have been arrested in the lakeshore town of Mangochi for attempting to manipulate elections results.\n\nMalawi has uses 'first past the post' system where whoever amasses more votes than the other becomes a winner. Mutharika won with 36 percent of the vote in 2014 elections.", "BLANTYRE, Malawi (AP) - Malawi's President Peter Mutharika has taken a lead in the election with more than 75 percent of votes counted from the Tuesday poll.\n\nMutharika has 1.4 million votes while opposition Malawi Congress Party leader Lazarus Chakwera is second with 1.2 million votes and Vice President Saulos Chilima has 651,000 votes.\n\nMore than 3.6 million out the total 6.8 million total registered voters have been counted. This is the second day of vote tabulation which shows results from 3,792 centers out of the 5,002.\n\n\"This means we have received 75.81 percent of the total polling centers,\" said Malawi Electoral Commission Chairwoman Jane Ansah. She clarified that this is not a percentage of the total registered voters but total number of polling centers.\n\nAnsah said two polling staff members have been arrested in the lakeshore town of Mangochi for attempting to manipulate elections results.\n\nMalawi has uses 'first past the post' system where whoever amasses more votes than the other becomes a winner. Mutharika won with 36 percent of the vote in 2014 elections.\n\nIn this Tuesday, May 21, 2019, photo, boxes of ballot papers are held under armed guard before vote counting gets underway in Blantyre, Malawi. The country went to the polls to elect a new president in which 78-year-old President Peter Mutharika is seeking re-election to a second term. (AP Photo/Thoko Chikondi)", "With 75% of votes counted, 78-year-old Malawian President Peter Mutharika had a 40% share. That put him ahead of his main rival, former Christian pastor Lazarus Chakwera with 35%, according to the electoral commission on Thursday.\n\nSaulos Chilima, who was Mutharika's closest ally before the men fell out last year, had taken 18%. The president can not fire his deputy, so the 46-year-old stayed on as vice president as he set up his own youth-focused United Transformation Movement to fight the election.\n\nMalawi has a \"winner takes all\" system. Mutharika won his first term in 2014 with just 36% of the vote.\n\nThe 64-year-old Chakwera said attempts had been made to manipulate the results and that his Malawi Congress Party, had conducted a separate count which showed him to be ahead.\n\nNo data has been published so far to show how many of the registered 6.8 million Malawians turned out to voteon Tuesday to elect a president for a five-year term, a new parliament and local government councillors.\n\nMalawi, together with neighboring Mozambique and Zimbabwe are still recovering from the effects of Cyclone Idai which hit the southeast coastal areas of Africa in March.\n\nMutharika stood on a platform of improving the road and power infrastructure: \"My priorities for this country are development and building skills,\" he said at his final rally before the vote. However, he has also faced accusations of nepotism and corruption.\n\nMalawi won independence from Britain in 1964 and was ruled by Hastings Banda as a one-party state until elections in 1994. With a population of 18 million and one of Africa's poorest economies, Malawi has a million adults living with HIV, one of the highest rates in the world.\n\nDW's newsletter delivers the day's hard news and quality feature journalism by email. You can sign up to receive it directly here.", "Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) leader Peter Mutharika has leapfrogged the Malawi Congress Party (MCP) candidate Lazarus Chakwera on the fresh pattern of results.\n\nMutharika beats Lazarus Chakwera in the 75.81% of votes from the 3792 polling centers out of all 5002 polling centers nationwide.\n\nChakwera had been leading at the stage of 35.% last night.\n\nThe DPP now leads with 40.49% against Chakwera’s 35.44%.\n\nSaulos Chilima of the UTM falls third with 18.35%.\n\nRounding up the seven list of Presidential aspirants are Peter Kuwani of the MMD with 0.43%, John Chisi of the UP with 0.40% and lastly Independent candidate Hadwick Kaliya with 0.33%.\n\nAccording to MEC Chairperson Jean Ansah, all queries are being treated by the commission.\n\nThey span from miscellaneous annomalies that have risen over the last 24 hours.\n\nPresidential Vote tabulation as at around 75.81 % as follows:"], "summary": "The Malawi Electoral Commission reports, with 75% of the vote counted, President Peter Mutharika leads with 40.44% of votes, the opposition Malawi Congress Party's Lazarus Chakwera has 35.34%, and Deputy President Saulos Chilima received 18.35% of the votes cast in Tuesday's presidential election."}
{"document": ["So far almost 4,000 planets have been discovered orbiting stars other than the Sun, and that tally is constantly growing. Now another 18 exoplanets have been added to the haul, but the difference this time is that all of them are roughly Earth-sized – much smaller than the Neptune-sized average found so far. The discovery was made in old data, using a new and more sensitive algorithm.\n\nSince Earth is the only planet known (so far) to harbor life, worlds like our own are of particular interest to exoplanet-hunters. That makes this new haul pretty exciting, especially given that these planets are on the small side of the scale and are usually harder to find than Jupiter-sized gas giants.\n\nThe smallest of the bunch is only about two-thirds the size of Earth, making it the second-smallest exoplanet detected to date. Two others are also smaller than Earth, while the rest of the crop range up to about twice the size of our home world. The most exciting new planet though is one that appears to be cool enough to potentially host liquid water on its surface, meaning it could be habitable.\n\nThe 18 new exoplanets, to scale, as compared to Earth and Neptune. The green one, named EPIC 201238110.02, also appears to be cool enough to host liquid water on its surface NASA/JPL (Neptune), NASA/NOAA/GSFC/Suomi NPP/VIIRS/Norman Kuring (Earth), MPS/René Heller\n\nThese 18 new planets were discovered in old data by a team of German astronomers. Exoplanets are usually found using the transit method, which sounds simple enough in theory – essentially, telescopes like Kepler stare at stars and watch for sudden dips in their brightness. If that occurs on a regular schedule, it indicates that a planet is passing between the star and the telescope, blocking some of the light.\n\nObviously, larger planets make their presence known much more clearly, creating sharp drops in brightness. So it's no surprise that the majority of detected exoplanets are gas giants like Jupiter and Saturn, and ice giants like Uranus and Neptune.\n\n\"Standard search algorithms attempt to identify sudden drops in brightness,\" says René Heller, first author of two new studies. \"In reality, however, a stellar disk appears slightly darker at the edge than in the center. When a planet moves in front of a star, it therefore initially blocks less starlight than at the mid-time of the transit. The maximum dimming of the star occurs in the center of the transit just before the star becomes gradually brighter again.\"\n\nThis graph compares the older algorithm for detecting exoplanets as they transit their host stars, against the new, more sensitive algorithm that can detect smaller worlds ASA/SDO (Sun), MPS/René Heller\n\nSo the team developed a new, more sensitive method. It works on the same basic principle but rather than just looking for the abrupt changes, it takes into account the more gradual dimming and brightening that occurs when smaller planets pass in front of a star. They may not be as immediately obvious, but if they repeat regularly they're still a solid indication of a planet's existence.\n\nTo test out the new method, the researchers applied it to an old batch of data gathered during Kepler's second run, between 2014 and 2018. During that time the telescope identified 517 stars with at least one planet around them, and the team re-analyzed this group to see if they could find any smaller worlds that were missed the first time around. Lo and behold, 18 such planets emerged from the data.\n\nOf course, this is just the beginning. There's plenty more data from Kepler and its planet-hunting successor TESS to trawl through in search of hidden Earth-like worlds.\n\nTwo separate studies were published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics [1], [2].\n\nSource: Max Planck Institute", "Scientists have discovered 18 Earth-sized planets beyond the solar system, including one of the smallest known so far and another that could offer conditions friendly to life.\n\nThe exoplanets are so small that previous surveys had overlooked them, said researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS) in Germany.\n\nThe study, published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics, re-analysed a part of the data from NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope with a new and more sensitive method that they developed.\n\nThe team estimates that the new method has the potential of finding more than 100 additional exoplanets in the Kepler mission’s entire data set.\n\nSomewhat more than 4,000 planets orbiting stars outside our solar system are known so far.\n\nOf these so-called exoplanets, about 96 per cent are significantly larger than our Earth, most of them more comparable with the dimensions of the gas giants Neptune or Jupiter.\n\nThis percentage likely does not reflect the real conditions in space, however, since small planets are much harder to track down than big ones.\n\nMoreover, small worlds are fascinating targets in the search for Earth-like, potentially habitable planets outside the solar system.\n\nThe 18 newly discovered worlds fall into the category of Earth-sized planets.\n\nThe smallest of them is only 69 per cent of the size of the Earth; the largest is barely more than twice the Earth’s radius.\n\nCommon search algorithms were not sensitive enough, researchers said.\n\nIn their search for distant worlds, scientists often use the so-called transit method to look for stars with periodically recurring drops in brightness.\n\nIf a star happens to have a planet whose orbital plane is aligned with the line of sight from Earth, the planet occults a small fraction of the stellar light as it passes in front of the star once per orbit.\n\nTheir effect on the stellar brightness is so small that it is extremely hard to distinguish from the natural brightness fluctuations of the star and from the noise that necessarily comes with any kind of observation.\n\nThe team, including Rene Heller from MPS, has now been able to show that the sensitivity of the transit method can be significantly improved, if a more realistic light curve is assumed in the search algorithm.\n\nThe new algorithm does not search for abrupt drops in brightness like previous standard algorithms, but for the characteristic, gradual dimming and recovery.\n\nThis makes the new transit search algorithm much more sensitive to small planets the size of the Earth.\n\n“Our new algorithm helps to draw a more realistic picture of the exoplanet population in space,” said Michael Hippke of Sonneberg Observatory.\n\n“This method constitutes a significant step forward, especially in the search for Earth-like planets,” Hippke said.\n\n“In most of the planetary systems that we studied, the new planets are the smallest,” said Kai Rodenbeck of the University of Gottingen in Germany.\n\nMost of the new planets orbit their star closer than their previously known planetary companions.\n\nThe surfaces of these new planets therefore likely have temperatures well in excess of 100 degrees Celsius; some even have temperatures of up to 1,000 degrees Celsius.\n\nOnly one of the bodies is an exception: it likely orbits its red dwarf star within the so-called habitable zone.\n\nAlso read: Oldest meteorite collection on Earth discovered in Chile\n\nAt this favourable distance from its star, this planet may offer conditions under which liquid water could occur on its surface — one of the basic prerequisites for life as we know it on Earth.", "Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS), the Georg August University of Göttingen, and the Sonneberg Observatory have discovered 18 Earth-sized planets beyond the solar system. The worlds are so small that previous surveys had overlooked them. One of them is one of the smallest known so far; another one could offer conditions friendly to life. The researchers re-analyzed a part of the data from NASA's Kepler Space Telescope with a new and more sensitive method that they developed. The team estimates that their new method has the potential of finding more than 100 additional exoplanets in the Kepler mission's entire data set. The scientists describe their results in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.\n\nSomewhat more than 4000 planets orbiting stars outside our solar system are known so far. Of these so-called exoplanets, about 96 percent are significantly larger than our Earth, most of them more comparable with the dimensions of the gas giants Neptune or Jupiter. This percentage likely does not reflect the real conditions in space, however, since small planets are much harder to track down than big ones. Moreover, small worlds are fascinating targets in the search for Earth-like, potentially habitable planets outside the solar system.\n\nThe 18 newly discovered worlds fall into the category of Earth-sized planets. The smallest of them is only 69 percent of the size of the Earth; the largest is barely more than twice the Earth's radius. And they have another thing in common: all 18 planets could not be detected in the data from the Kepler Space Telescope so far. Common search algorithms were not sensitive enough.\n\nIn their search for distant worlds, scientists often use the so-called transit method to look for stars with periodically recurring drops in brightness. If a star happens to have a planet whose orbital plane is aligned with the line of sight from Earth, the planet occults a small fraction of the stellar light as it passes in front of the star once per orbit.\n\n\"Standard search algorithms attempt to identify sudden drops in brightness,\" explains Dr. Rene Heller from MPS, first author of the current publications. \"In reality, however, a stellar disk appears slightly darker at the edge than in the center. When a planet moves in front of a star, it therefore initially blocks less starlight than at the mid-time of the transit. The maximum dimming of the star occurs in the center of the transit just before the star becomes gradually brighter again,\" he explains.\n\nLarge planets tend to produce deep and clear brightness variations of their host stars so that the subtle center-to-limb brightness variation on the star hardly plays a role in their discovery. Small planets, however, present scientists with immense challenges. Their effect on the stellar brightness is so small that it is extremely hard to distinguish from the natural brightness fluctuations of the star and from the noise that necessarily comes with any kind of observation. René Heller's team has now been able to show that the sensitivity of the transit method can be significantly improved, if a more realistic light curve is assumed in the search algorithm.\n\n\"Our new algorithm helps to draw a more realistic picture of the exoplanet population in space,\" summarizes Michael Hippke of Sonneberg Observatory. \"This method constitutes a significant step forward, especially in the search for Earth-like planets.\"\n\nThe researchers used data from NASA's Kepler space telescope as a test bed for their new algorithm. In the first mission phase from 2009 to 2013, Kepler recorded the light curves of more than 100,000 stars, resulting in the discovery of over 2300 planets. After a technical defect, the telescope had to be used in an alternative observing mode, called the K2 mission, but it nevertheless monitored more than another 100,000 stars by the end of the mission in 2018. As a first test sample for their new algorithm, the researchers decided to re-analyze all 517 stars from K2 that were already known to host at least one transiting planet.\n\nIn addition to the previously known planets, the researchers discovered 18 new objects that had previously been overlooked. \"In most of the planetary systems that we studied, the new planets are the smallest,\" co-author Kai Rodenbeck of the University of Göttingen and MPS describes the results. What is more, most of the new planets orbit their star closer than their previously known planetary companions. The surfaces of these new planets therefore likely have temperatures well in excess of 100 degrees Celsius; some even have temperatures of up to 1000 degrees Celsius. Only one of the bodies is an exception: it likely orbits its red dwarf star within the so-called habitable zone. At this favorable distance from its star, this planet may offer conditions under which liquid water could occur on its surface—one of the basic prerequisites for life as we know it on Earth.\n\nOf course, the researchers cannot rule out that their method, too, is blind to other planets in the systems they investigated. In particular, small planets at large distances to their host stars are known to be problematic. They require more time to complete a full orbit than planets orbiting their stars closer in. As a consequence, the transits of planets in wide orbits occur less often, which makes their signals even harder to detect.\n\nThe new method developed by Heller and his colleagues opens up fascinating possibilities. In addition to the 517 stars now being investigated, the Kepler mission also offers data sets for hundreds of thousands of other stars. The researchers assume that their method will enable them to find more than 100 other Earth-sized worlds in the data of the Kepler primary mission. \"This new method is also particularly useful to prepare for the upcoming PLATO mission to be launched in 2026 by the European Space Agency,\" says Prof. Dr. Laurent Gizon, Managing Director at the MPS. PLATO will discover and characterize many more multi-planet systems around Sun-like stars, some of which will be capable of harboring life.", "Prickly City: Back to Earth. Or are they?", "The smallest of the bunch is only about two-thirds the size of Earth, making it the second-smallest exoplanet detected to date. Two others are also smaller than Earth, while the rest of the crop range up to about twice the size of our home world. The most exciting new planet though is one that appears to be cool enough to potentially host liquid water on its surface, meaning it could be habitable.", "A Grade 10 student from Regina has won two awards at the Canada-Wide Science Fair in Fredericton after he developed an algorithm to identify exoplanets from data too numerous to sift through manually.\n\nExoplanets are planets which orbit other stars outside of the solar system.\n\n\"They're really hard to find using traditional techniques and telescopes here on Earth,\" the student, Ali Rizvi, told CBC Radio's The Afternoon Edition on Thursday.\n\n\"So, NASA launched a telescope in 2009 called the Kepler telescope. They recorded measurements for millions of stars and observed light values.\"\n\nRizvi came up with the idea after reading about the Kepler telescope reaching the end of its lifecycle. Ali figured there are likely more exoplanets which have not yet been discovered.\n\nHe looked at the methods currently being used and tried to improve upon them by using artificial intelligence. He defined what an exoplanet should look like and what shouldn't be there in his algorithms using existing data and then once the artificial intelligence knew what to look for, the algorithms were applied to new data.\n\nNo new exoplanets have been found yet but the opportunity remains as the algorithms run — but only on weekends. Rizvi said he has had support from his family and teachers, with help coming from his father, who's an engineer.\n\nRizvi took home a gold medal of excellence and an award for excellence in astronomy. The wins are something he didn't expect.\n\n\"It was definitely surreal,\" he said. \"It just felt amazing at the moment and I tried to remain calm as I walked up.\"\n\nHe's plans on refining and improve the project to find more exoplanets. If he finds one, he'll maybe name it after himself.\n\nRizvi plans on pursuing a career in computer science or computer engineering once he goes to university.", "BURNABY, B.C., Canada– Pioneering plant-based beverage company Earth’s Own continues to push the boundaries of the humble but mighty oat, as it expands its plant-based beverage lineup to include a delicious new flavor, Chocolate Oat available in two sizes: 1.75L and 250mL single-serve.\n\nThe newest flavor adds to Earth’s Own’s existing portfolio of Unsweetened Original, Unsweetened Vanilla and the recently launched Oat Barista Edition, which was developed alongside expert baristas. The new products are now on shelves in major Canadian retailers along with brand new single-serve size cartons of the Original, Chocolate and Vanilla Oat beverages, which are school-safe, allergen-friendly and perfect for anyone on the go.\n\nThe newest product has been created as part of the company’s recent rebrand and active rallying call to lead the plant-based revolution. On a mission to change the world through a plant-based movement. Earth’s Own offers consumers an easy path to make sustainable beverage choices at a time when nearly half of Canadians want to incorporate more plant-based foods into their diets.\n\n“We know the plant-based craze isn’t a passing diet trend or fad,” said Rex Sheehy, president of Earth’s Own. “Canadians are becoming increasingly earth conscious and aware that there is no plan B for the future of our planet. In addition to crafting great flavour and nutrient-packed beverages, we’re committed to improving sustainability. Earth’s Own oats are grown using seven times less water, create three times less greenhouse emissions than alternatives and are farmed right here in Canada, which makes it not just a healthy choice but a truly sustainable one.”\n\n“Expanding our range is about inspiring people to make a better choice for themselves and the environment by providing a variety of plant-based beverages for everything – from lattes, to snack breaks, to school lunches and day trips.\n\nMade from oats grown by Canadian farmers using just sunshine and rainwater, Earth’s Own Chocolate Oat has 50% less sugar than regular chocolate milk and packs in 4 g of protein per serving, making it a delicious option for those looking to satisfy their sweet tooth without the guilt.\n\nPrepared with fair trade camino cocoa, the deliciously sweet, allergen-friendly drink can be enjoyed straight out of the fridge, heated up for a decadent and creamy hot chocolate, or blended for a creamy milkshake.\n\nOffering the goodness of a third of a cup of oats in every serving, Earth’s Own Unsweetened Original, Vanilla and Chocolate Oat beverages now come in a 250mL single serve carton, which are also made from plants sourced from sustainable forests. These portable single serve packages are great for allergen-friendly school lunches and are a perfect handbag size for snacking on the go. Each single serve contains more protein (4 g) and fiber (2 g) than almond milk, along with a host of good nutrients including Vitamin A, Vitamin D, Vitamin B12 and Calcium.\n\nEarth’s Own’s range of plant-based beverages are Canadian, vegan friendly, Non-GMO Project verified and include organic product options. Eating more plant-based products means less greenhouse gas is emitted, there is reduced water and air pollution, and valuable land and water resources are protected. To see the full lineup of Earth’s Own products, including Oat, Almond, Cashew, Soy and Organic beverages, visit earthsown.com. Earth’s Own is available for purchase at major Canadian retailers.\n\nBased in Burnaby, B.C., Earth’s Own Food Company is a pioneering food & beverage company with a bold way of thinking about how the world eats. It’s on a relentless pursuit to change the world through a plant-based movement. With a product line-up that includes oat, almond, cashew, soy and organic beverages, Earth’s Own is committed to developing great tasting, wholesome products that are good for consumers, their families, the community and the planet. To learn more, visit earthsown.com."], "summary": "Eighteen Earth-like exoplanets are discovered via a new algorithm."}
{"document": ["President Trump is ordering more troops to the Middle East as tensions between the United States and Iran continue to rise. The U.S. will also send more Patriot missile batteries and other force protection systems, and will be designed for the long-haul confrontation with Iran, CBS News' David Martin reports, citing U.S. officials.\n\nThe move follows Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan's denial of reports Thursday that between 5,000 to 10,000 U.S. troops could be sent to the region to defend against the potential threat by Iran.\n\nShanahan told reporters Thursday, \"There is no 10,000, there's no 5,000, and that's not accurate,\" referring to a Reuters report that the Pentagon was considering sending 5,000 defensive troops to the region, and an Associated Press report that up to 10,000 could be deployed. Shanahan he said his focus right now is determining \"the right force protection.\"\n\nMr. Trump confirmed that the number was \"about 1,500 people\" before departing to Japan. Congressional aides confirm to CBS News that Congress was previously notified the administration's plans to send troops to the Middle East.\n\n\"We want to have protection the Middle East,\" Mr. Trump told reporters at the White House on Friday. He said he was sending a \"relatively small number\" of \"very talented\" people to the region. Martin reports that the move is considered to be a very limited buildup – with about 900 new troops plus 600 who were already in place.\n\nThe move has already faced blowback as House Armed Services Committee Chairman Rep. Adam Smith, D-Washington, who said the move to increase troop presence is \"unsettling\" without first establishing a clear strategy in the region.\n\n\"Without a clearly articulated strategy, adding more personnel and mission systems seems unwise, and appears to be a blatant and heavy-handed move to further escalate tensions with Iran,\" Smith said in a statement after the president's remarks.\n\nHe added, \"I look forward to hearing from Acting Defense Secretary Shanahan how this decision complements a broader strategy in the region, which focuses on de-escalation and diplomacy first.\"\n\nOnly last week, Mr. Trump insisted he wasn't considering sending more troops to the Middle East to counter Iran, after the New York Times reported he might.\n\n\"I think it's fake news, OK?\" Mr. Trump told reporters while leaving the White House Tuesday. \"Now, would I do that? Absolutely. But we have not planned for that. Hopefully we're not going to have to plan for that. If we did that, we would send a hell of a lot more troops than that.\"\n\nTensions between the U.S. and Iran have been running higher since the U.S. earlier this month suddenly deployed U.S. bombers and an aircraft carrier to the Persian Gulf over threats that have not been specifically described by the U.S. In a briefing with reporters on Friday, Vice Admiral Michael Gilday said there is high confidence the leadership in Iran was responsible for all the attacks of the past weeks – the tankers in the Gulf of Oman, the Saudi pipeline and the Green Zone in Baghdad. He presented no evidence, however.\n\nStrife between the two nations has increased over the course of Mr. Trump's tenure in office since his decision a year ago to pull the U.S. out of the internationally-accepted Iran nuclear deal.\n\nThe president has been openly disdainful of the Iranian regime -- after a rocket landed near the U.S. embassy in Baghdad, he warned Iranian leaders not to threaten the U.S. again or risk facing Iran's \"official end.\"\n\nMr. Trump told reporters on Friday, however that he didn't think Iran wanted to pick a fight with the U.S., later predicting that things are going to be \"very good in the Middle East.\"\n\nDavid Martin and Emily Tillett contributed to this report.", "WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump, saying there is a national emergency because of tensions with Iran, swept aside objections from Congress and cleared the sale of $8 billion worth of weapons to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan.\n\nThe Trump administration informed congressional committees on Friday that it will go ahead with 22 military sales to the Saudis, United Arab Emirates and Jordan, infuriating lawmakers by circumventing a long-standing precedent for congressional review of such sales.\n\nIn documents sent to Congress and seen by Reuters, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo listed a wide range of products and services that would be provided to the three countries. They include Raytheon precision-guided munitions (PGMs), support for Boeing Co F-15 aircraft, and Javelin anti-tank missiles, which are made by Raytheon and Lockheed Martin Corp .\n\nSome lawmakers and congressional aides had warned earlier this week that Trump, frustrated with Congress holding up weapons deals like the sale of the Raytheon-made bombs to the Saudis, was considering using a loophole in arms control law to go ahead by declaring a national emergency.\n\nLawmakers had been blocking sales of offensive military equipment to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates for months, concerned about the huge civilian toll of the two countries’ air campaign in Yemen and human rights abuses like the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at a Saudi consulate in Turkey.\n\nCongressional sources said Friday’s order included all the defense equipment that members of Congress had been blocking.\n\n“I am disappointed, but not surprised, that the Trump Administration has failed once again to prioritize our long-term national security interests or stand up for human rights, and instead is granting favors to authoritarian countries like Saudi Arabia,” Senator Bob Menendez said in a statement.\n\nMenendez is one of the members of Congress who reviews such sales because he is the ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.\n\nAnother, the Republican Foreign Relations Committee chairman, Senator Jim Risch, said he had received formal notification of the administration’s intent to move forward with “a number of arms sales.”\n\nIn a statement, Risch said, “I am reviewing and analyzing the legal justification for this action and the associated implications.”\n\nThe White House and State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.\n\nIn his memorandum to Congress justifying the sale, Pompeo listed years of actions by Iran. “Iranian malign activity poses a fundamental threat to the stability of the Middle East and to American security at home and abroad,” he wrote, and cited “a number of troubling and escalatory indications and warnings” from Tehran.\n\nCongressional aides questioned the contention that the weapons had to do with Iran, saying the equipment and services listed by the administration includes large amounts of offensive weapons, like the PGMs and tank ammunition.\n\nThey said lawmakers have not been blocking defensive equipment such as Patriot missile defense systems that have been sold to the Saudis.\n\n“This is all materiel that arguably could be used in the Yemen military operation. The defensive stuff we’ve cleared,” one congressional aide said.", "The answer to America's foreign policy malaise, he said, could be summed up in two words: Donald Trump.\n\n\"We are totally predictable. We tell everything. We’re sending troops, we tell them. We’re sending something else, we have a news conference. We have to be unpredictable.\"\n\nTrump as a presidential candidate addresses the foreign policy establishment at the Mayflower Hotel in 2016. Credit:Bloomberg\n\n\"We must as a nation be more unpredictable,\" he said.\n\nReading from a teleprompter and speaking in unusually subdued tones, Trump vowed to end military adventurism in the Middle East, force America's NATO allies to boost their defence spending and develop closer ties with Russia and China.\n\nSo he appeared before a crowd of Washington elites at the historic Mayflower Hotel to unfurl his \"America First\" vision for US foreign policy.\n\nIn April 2016 Donald Trump was well on his way to securing enough votes to become the Republican Party's presidential nominee. Massive crowds were attending his raucous rallies, but the celebrity businessman wanted to show a different, more cerebral, side to his candidacy.\n\nJust six months later Trump won the presidential election and set about turning his foreign policy rhetoric into reality.\n\nInstead of laughing, they would have been better off listening.\n\n\"Ronald Reagan,\" Graham said, \"must be rolling over in his grave.\"\n\n\"I’m the only one who knows how to fix it\".\n\nIn November Fred Kempe, chief executive of the Atlantic Council think tank, praised Trump for showing \"a refreshing willingness to take on critical issues that his predecessors either avoided altogether or ineffectually kicked down the road\".\n\n\"Trump’s first two years in office have been marked by a surprising degree of stability,\" Eliot Cohen, a former senior official in the State Department, wrote in Foreign Affairs. His shortcomings, Cohen wrote, \"have not yet translated into obvious disaster\".\n\n\"Trump’s foreign policies are better than they seem,\" read the title of a 112-page report released by the Council on Foreign Relations think tank in April.\n\nTrump's election victory mortified the Washington establishment. But at the halfway point of his first term many experts were expressing relief at how it had turned out.\n\nHis approach to global affairs has been unconventional and unpredictable, just as he promised.\n\nTrump pulled the US out of the Trans Pacific Partnership trade agreement and the Paris Climate Accord. He shifted the US embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.\n\n\"America is moving into a more fraught, dangerous period where the margin for error is shrinking,\" Hal Brands, a professor of global affairs at Johns Hopkins University, wrote this week.\n\nThere are now increasing doubts about how long this style of policy-making can be sustained.\n\nRichard Haass, the president of the Council on Foreign Relations, says Trump's approach to foreign relations has five key features: hostility to multilateral institutions and alliances; the use of tariffs and sanctions to achieve ambitious, even unrealistic, goals; increased military spending but decreased military action; a reduced emphasis on promoting democracy and human rights, coupled with a penchant for strongmen; and a faith in Trump's personal diplomacy but not in professional diplomats.\n\n\"The Trump administration is engaged in a global juggling act involving so many strategically significant balls that it would confound the capabilities of the most skilled circus performer,\" Kempe wrote this week.\n\nBut in recent weeks that sense of relief has been morphing into alarm. The US has found itself entangled in a series of foreign policy conflicts that are growing increasingly tense. From the Middle East to Asia to Latin America, everywhere you look the colossal ambitions of Trump's foreign policy are colliding with reality.\n\nThere has not, however, been a full-scale war - and that's what Trump appeared to threaten in a tweet on Sunday night: \"If Iran wants to fight, that will be the official end of Iran. Never threaten the United States again!\"\n\nThere have been many fraught moments since: when Iranian revolutionaries held 52 American diplomats hostage for 444 days; when the US Navy shot down an Iranian airliner carrying 290 passengers; when George W Bush designated the country part of an \"axis of evil\".\n\nAn Iranian woman holds an effigy of US president Donald Trump, during a rally. Credit:AP\n\nThe two countries have been fierce enemies since the 1979 revolution that saw the pro-American Shah overthrown and replaced by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.\n\nThe most serious flashpoint is the relationship between the US and Iran.\n\n\"An administration that drives recklessly is running out of road.\"\n\nThe tweet followed a period of increased tensions between the two rivals, including the US sending warships such as the USS Abraham Lincoln to the Gulf of Oman, and destroyers into the Persian Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz.\n\n\"It’s time for the American people to become fully alert to a dreadful possibility,\" conservative commentator David French wrote in the National Review.\n\n\"The United States, led by an erratic chief executive who is frequently ignored even by his closest advisers, may find itself stumbling into its worst war in more than a generation.\"\n\nColin Kahl, a former national security advisor to Joe Biden, said the US had found itself in \"a very ominous situation - one in which the risk of military confrontation grows by the day\".\n\nThe Trump administration, Kahl wrote, \"is doubling down on a strategy of maximum tension, and there is growing evidence it is on a path toward war - whether Trump realises it or not\".\n\nThe seeds of the current crisis were planted a year ago when Trump withdrew the US from the Iranian nuclear deal. Known officially as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), it was an arrangement between Iran, the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (the US, Russia, China, France and the UK) Germany and the European Union.\n\nIn exchange for sanctions relief, Iran agreed to eliminate its stockpile of medium-enriched uranium and dramatically reduce its number of gas centrifuges.\n\nThe deal was the signature foreign policy achievement of the Obama Administration. But Trump believed it was \"defective at its core\" because it had not stopped Iran from funding radical terrorist groups or forced it to give up its ballistic missile development.\n\nSeveral of Trump's top advisers, including Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Defence Secretary James Mattis, wanted the US to remain in the agreement.\n\n\"If we can confirm that Iran is living by the agreement, if we can determine that this is in our best interest, then clearly, we should stay with it,\" Mattis said.\n\nBut last May Trump officially withdrew from the deal and reinstated sanctions on Iran.\n\nThey have had a devastating effect on Iran's economy, which has contracted by 6 per cent this year after falling by 4 per cent in 2018. Unemployment in Iran sits at 12 per cent.\n\nTillerson and Mattis have since left the Trump administration. Stepping into the void have been two two hardline Iran hawks: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and National Security Adviser John Bolton. Both have played key roles in recent moves to intensify the pressure on Iran.\n\nIn April Pompeo announced that US was designating Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps a terrorist organisation.\n\nAnd earlier this month Bolton announced the US had deployed a battleship-carrier strike group as a warning to Iran because the Islamic Republic had engaged in \"a number of troubling and escalatory indications and warnings\".\n\nThe administration’s goal, he said, was \"to send a clear and unmistakable message to the Iranian regime that any attack on United States interests or on those of our allies will be met with unrelenting force\".\n\nExactly where this is all supposed to lead is unclear.\n\n\"My sense is we are not going to transform them into something we're comfortable with and we are not going to be able to overthrow them,\" Richard Haas, of the Council of Foreign Relations, says. \"I just don't see a serious strategy that's emerged for dealing with Iran.\"\n\nFor leaders in Europe watching the tit-for-tat between the US and Iran, rising tensions or even war in the Middle East is a horrifying prospect. They feel an urgent sense of responsibility not to let it happen.\n\n\"In this new situation it’s become a question again: 'Is there going to be a war in this region which would be extremely detrimental to the countries in the region, but also for the EU which is only a stone’s throw away?'” says Amanda Paul, senior policy analyst at the European Policy Centre in Brussels.\n\n\"It is all right for the United States, they are on the other side of the world … but for their partners and friends in the region it’s actually a nightmare scenario that we find ourselves in.”\n\nThe Age and Sydney Morning Herald spoke to senior Western diplomats in Europe for this story, none of whom wanted to go on the record. Some declined even to be quoted anonymously.\n\n\"All the ingredients are there,” one Western diplomat said. \"Just one unfortunate event could lead to a conflict which could spill over into other countries. We are very concerned.\"\n\nAnother common term used was \"miscalculation\". The worst-case scenario, at least in the short term, is not a deliberate act by one side or another, but a mistake that sparks a war.\n\nThe EU and individual EU nations are embarking on an intense diplomatic effort to try to keep Iran onside – both directly and through back-channels and regional proxies.\n\nAnd they are also talking to the US, but with little success. It comes down to a fundamental difference of opinion: the US seems to believe that maximum pressure is most likely to force Iran to the table to make new concessions on its nuclear program, but the EU believe they are badly mistaken. Their information is that Iran will not buckle.\n\nThere is no question sanctions are having a big effect on Iran’s (rather opaque) economy, with runaway inflation hurting the poor and changing diets. Eggs are much less affordable now, for example.\n\nBut the Iranians defiantly embrace their \"resistance economy\" – a political culture steeped in the idea of self-sacrifice, grounded in a history of survival against opposition and the odds.\n\nThe regime is good at keeping the basic safety net intact, and food on tables. And there is little sign of a co-ordinated internal protest. Indeed, sanctions are working in favour of the regime in this respect.\n\nDiplomats have observed that, over the past year, people now ascribe their economic woes to US sanctions, and not without reason.\n\nSo for the time being the EU and its member countries feel it is up to them to keep Iran onside – and in compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal.\n\nWhen the US pulled out of the deal, Iran continued to comply with it. But a year on the regime is losing patience. Iran's leadership announced last week that it would resume the production of nuclear centrifuges and begin accumulating nuclear material.\n\nThe country's leaders also warned Iran could resume high-level uranium enrichment if the remaining signatories to the deal did not make good on promises to shield its oil and banking sectors from American penalties in the next 60 days.\n\nThe subtext of Iran’s 60-day ultimatum is that it is intended as a \"hurry up\" to Europe, to work harder to show Iran the upside of sticking to the deal.\n\nThe next assessment by international inspectors is due at the end of May and the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age understand it will again – as it did the last 14 times – report that Iran is complying with its obligations.\n\nThough Amanda Paul feels the slow death of the deal is \"inevitable\" with US sanctions in place, several Western diplomats said they did not believe this. Many expect Iran to tread as close as possible to the line, even put a toe over it, but not just walk over it.\n\nIran, they believe, has a history of working in grey territory where there is room for diplomacy. And that is why there is still hope.\n\nNot all experts are critical of Trump's approach to Iran.\n\n\"Under Obama we were fooling ourselves; Trump is dealing with reality,\" says Michael Doran, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and a senior official in the George W. Bush administration.\n\n\"If we want an Iran that doesn't threaten its neighbours and doesn't have a nuclear weapon we have to confront them. A lot of people who would usually agree with this policy direction can't bring themselves to say that because they can't give Trump credit for anything.\"\n\nRather than seeking a confrontation with Iran, he says Trump's aim is to bring them back to the negotiating table.\n\n\"Trump got elected on a peace and prosperity platform,\" Doran says. \"He isn't looking for war.\"\n\nThere are also signs Trump is growing frustrated with the advice from hawkish advice from Bolton, a leading proponent of the 2003 Iraq War.\n\nBolton has played a key role in the administration's tough approach to another global hotspot, Venezuela, which is aimed at driving Nicolas Maduro's socialist government from power. But a failed coup attempt by the US backed opposition leader Juan Guaidó earlier this month convinced Trump that Bolton had underestimated Maduro's staying power.\n\nIf Trump's tweet threatening \"the official end of Iran\" looked familiar, that's because it was. In August 2017, he issued a similar threat to North Korea, warning he would rain down \"fire and fury\" against the nation unless it improved its behaviour.\n\nFor a while it looked like Trump's \"maximum pressure\" approach to North Korea had worked. Kim Jong-un refrained from nuclear testing and the two leaders met at a historic summit in Singapore last June.\n\nThe US and North Korea agreed to work towards the complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula. It was a vague commitment, but it kept hostilities at bay. Trump would later boast at his rallies that he \"fell in love\" with the North Korean dictator.\n\nBut a follow-up summit in Hanoi in February ended in disaster when the talks broke down with no agreement.\n\nSince then there has been no signs of progress and earlier this month, after 522 days without a ballistic missile test, North Korea launched several new short-range ballistic missiles.\n\nIt wasn't a nuclear or a long-range missile test, so it didn't breach the terms of any agreement with the US. But it was a sign of a new assertiveness on behalf of the North Koreans.\n\nThen the US seized a North Korean shipping vessel carrying coal exports that was violating American law and international sanctions\n\nNorth Korea’s ambassador to the United Nations, Kim Song, called the seizure \"an outright denial of the underlying spirit\" of the June 2018 joint statement between Trump and Kim Jong-un.\n\n\"The United States should deliberate and think over the consequences its outrageous acts might have on the future developments,\" the ambassador said.\n\nAnd then there's China\n\nTrade negotiations between the US and China, which seemed to be progressing towards a deal, have hit a brick wall.\n\nTrump's senior economic officials accused China earlier this month of reneging on written promises made during negotiations. The US announced that it would raise tariffs on $US200 billion ($290 billion) worth of Chinese goods from 10 to 25 per cent and started the process to apply to tariffs to virtually all goods that enter the US.\n\nDespite a jittery stockmarket, Trump has indicated he is happy to settle in for a long period before any deal is struck.\n\n\"Tariffs will make our Country MUCH STRONGER, not weaker,\" he tweeted recently. \"Just sit back and watch!\"\n\nThe administration also opened up a new front in its economic battle with China by placing telco giant Huawei on a blacklist that bans American companies from buying its equipment.\n\nAnd in the South China Sea, it's persisting with \"freedom of navigation\" exercises within the 12 nautical mile limits of islands claimed by China prompting claims that the US had \"damaged the peace, security and good order\" of the area.\n\nIn September 2018, a Chinese warship sailed within metres of an American destroyer in the contested waters, forcing it to change course.\n\nIf the President starts racking up some wins - a substantial trade deal with China or staring down Iran and forcing some change in their stance - he will have proven his critics wrong. But we're a long way from that, and the global diplomatic atmosphere is getting worse, not better.\n\nWith 18 months of his presidency left, Trump the disrupter has been on full display. He's been able to use American power to inflict significant economic damage on its geopolitical rivals.\n\nBut Trump the master deal maker – capable of finding solutions to difficult global problems – is yet to be seen.", "File photo: President Donald Trump, flanked by acting Defense Secretary Shanahan and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Dunford, during a meeting with military leaders at the White House, April 3, 2019.\n\nU.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday he will send about 1,500 American troops to the Middle East, mostly as a protective measure, amid heightened tensions with Iran.\n\nHowever, the Republican leader played down the potential for military conflict in the region, saying he believed Iran did not want a confrontation with the United States.\n\n\"We want to have protection in the Middle East. We're going to be sending a relatively small number of troops, mostly protective,\" Trump said as he left the White House for a trip to Japan.\n\nThe Pentagon said only about 900 of the 1,500 troops will be newly deploying and that 600 are already in the region and will be extended, adding none of the additional forces are headed to Iraq or Syria, but all meant for \"defensive purposes\" to counter Iran threat.\n\nIt also said they include Patriot missile battery personnel, manning for surveillance aircraft and engineers.\n\nAlso on Friday Trump, saying there is a national emergency because of tensions with Iran, cleared the sale of billions of dollars worth of weapons to Saudi Arabia and other countries, U.S. senators said, despite strong resistance to the plan from both Republicans and Democrats.\n\nThe administration has informed congressional committees that it will go ahead with 22 arms deals worth some $8 billion, congressional aides said, sweeping aside a long-standing precedent for congressional review of such sales.\n\nThe U.S. military said intelligence suggests a \"campaign\" by Iran that ties together threats across the Middle East, including the assessment that Iran's Revolutionary Guards are \"directly responsible\" for attacks on oil tankers off the coast of the United Arab Emirates last week.\n\n>> The war between the U.S. and Iran has begun, in case you didn’t notice | Opinion\n\n\"Right now, I don't think Iran wants to fight. And I certainly don't think they want to fight with us,\" Trump said.\n\n\"But they cannot have nuclear weapons,\" he continued. \"They can't have nuclear weapons. And they understand that.\"\n\nRussian lawmaker Vladimir Dzhabarov, deputy head of parliament's foreign affairs committee, said on Friday that his country could raise the new U.S. deployment in the at the UN Security Council, RIA news agency reported.\n\nU.S. officials told the Associated Press members of Congress were notified following a White House meeting Thursday to discuss Pentagon proposals to bolster the U.S. force presence in the Middle East.\n\nThe forces would help strengthen U.S. defenses in the region, two sources told Reuters earlier on condition of anonymity. They said the forces included engineers.\n\nEarlier this week, officials had said that Pentagon planners had outlined plans that could have sent up to 10,000 military reinforcements to the region. Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan later said planners hadn't settled on a figure.\n\nThe U.S. began reinforcing its presence in the Persian Gulf region this month in response to what it said was a threat from Iran.\n\nIranian President Hassan Rohani said on Thursday his country will not surrender to U.S. pressure and will not abandon its goals even if it is bombed, stepping up the war of words between the Islamic Republic and the United States.\n\nEarlier on Thursday, Iran's top military chief said the standoff between Tehran and Washington was a \"clash of wills\", warning that any enemy \"adventurism\" would meet a crushing response, the semi-official Fars news agency reported.\n\nTensions have ratcheted up recently in the Mideast as the White House earlier this month sent an aircraft carrier and B-52 bombers to the region over a still-unexplained threat it perceived from Iran. And on Thursday, the Pentagon outlined proposals to the White House to send military reinforcements to the Middle East to beef up defenses against Iran.\n\nAfter pulling out of Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, Trump restored U.S. sanctions on Iran last year and tightened them this month, ordering all countries to halt imports of Iranian oil or face sanctions of their own.\n\n\"More than one year after the imposition of these severe sanctions, our people have not bowed to pressures despite facing difficulties in their lives,\" Rohani was quoted by the state news agency IRNA as saying.\n\n>> As tensions rise between U.S. and Iran, each side is waiting for the other to blink | Analysis\n\nAddressing a ceremony in commemoration of the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war, he added: \"We need resistance, so our enemies know that if they bomb our land, and if our children are martyred, wounded or taken as prisoners, we will not give up on our goals for the independence of our country and our pride.\"\n\nMeanwhile, Iran's foreign minister lashed out at President Trump on Friday during a critically timed visit to Pakistan. The remarks by Mohammad Javad Zarif were the latest in a war of words between him and Trump. The Iranian diplomat on Friday assailed the American president for his tweet earlier this week warning Iran not to threaten the U.S. again or it would face its \"official end.\"\n\n\"Iran will see the end of Trump, but he will never see the end of Iran,\" Zarif was quoted by Iran's semi-official Fars new agency as saying during a visit to Islamabad.\n\nThe purpose of Zarif's visit to Pakistan, where he held talks with his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mehmood Qureshi and also Prime Minister Imran Khan, was not made public.\n\nIran's Mideast proxies pledge it will never fight alone. Here's a look at who they are | Explained\n\nBut there has been speculation that Iran is looking to Islamabad and its close relationship with Riyadh to help de-escalate the situation. Ahead of Zarif's arrival, Pakistan's foreign ministry called on \"all sides to show restraint, as any miscalculated move, can transmute into a large-scale conflict.\"\n\nZarif has been criticized this week by Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who named him and President Rohani as failing to implement the leader's orders over Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.\n\nKhamenei had claimed the deal had \"numerous ambiguities and structural weaknesses\" that could damage Iran.\n\nSeparately, the official Iranian news agency IRNA quoted Zarif in Islamabad as warning of anarchy if world powers don't unite to stop what he called U.S. aggression — Iran's official parlance for Washington's pressure on Tehran.\n\nKhamenei's criticism of Zarif signaled a hard-line tilt in how the Islamic Republic will react going forward amid Trump's maximalist pressure campaign.\n\nIran declared earlier this month that the remaining signatories to the deal — Germany, France, Britain, China and Russia — have two months to develop a plan to shield Iran from American sanctions.\n\nOn Monday, Iran announced it had quadrupled its production capacity of low-enriched uranium, making it likely that Tehran will soon exceed the stockpile limitations set by the nuclear accord, which would escalate the situation further.\n\nSeveral incidents have added to the crisis.\n\nOn Thursday, Saudi Arabia said Yemen's Iran-aligned rebels again targeted an airport near its southern border with a bomb-carrying drone.\n\nThe Saudi military said it intercepted the drone, while the rebel Houthis said it struck a Patriot missile battery at the airport. The Houthis have claimed three times in recent days to have targeted the airport, which also hosts a military base. It comes after the Houthis last week targeted a Saudi oil pipeline in a coordinated drone attack.\n\nPakistan was quick to condemn the attacks and promised Saudi Arabia, a staunch ally, its full support. The kingdom this week announced a $3.2 billion deferred oil and gas payment package for energy-strapped Islamabad.\n\nWith neighboring Iran, Pakistan walks a fine line and their relationship is sometimes prickly. Islamabad has little leverage with Washington, although relations between the two have improved since Pakistan expressed readiness to help move talks between the Afghan Taliban and Washington forward.\n\nIRNA also reported that Zarif came to Pakistan with a proposal to link Iran's port of Chabahar on the Arabian Sea with Pakistan's Gwadar port, mostly being developed by China as part of the multi-billion-dollar One Road project that will connect the Arabian Sea with China.\n\nThe proposal is unexpected because Pakistan's rival India has been Iran's partner in developing Chabahar while Iran's key regional rival, Saudi Arabia, has been in talks to develop an oil refinery facility at Pakistan's Gwadar, though no agreements have been signed.\n\nMeanwhile, Oman's Foreign Ministry said it was working to \"ease the tensions\" between Iran and the U.S.\n\nThe ministry in a series of tweets on Friday morning attributed the comments to Yusuf bin Alawi, the sultanate's minister of state for foreign affairs, and cited an interview in Asharq Al-Wasat, the London-based newspaper owned by a Saudi media group long associated with the Al Saud royal family.\n\nIn the interview, bin Alawi warns war \"could harm the entire world if it breaks out.\" He doesn't confirm any current Omani mediation but says both the U.S. and Iran realize the gravity of the situation.\n\nOman's Sultan Qaboos bin Said spoke last week by telephone with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.\n\nOman, a nation on the eastern edge of the Arabian Peninsula, has long been an interlocutor of the West with Iran. The U.S. held secret talks in Oman with the Iranians that gave birth to the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.\n\nThe Associated Press contributed to this report.", "WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday he will send about 1,500 American troops to the Middle East, mostly as a protective measure, amid heightened tensions with Iran.\n\nHowever, the Republican leader played down the potential for military conflict in the region, saying he believed Iran did not want a confrontation with the United States.\n\n“We want to have protection in the Middle East. We’re going to be sending a relatively small number of troops, mostly protective,” Trump said as he left the White House for a trip to Japan.\n\nThe Pentagon said only about 900 of the 1,500 troops will be newly deploying and that 600 are already in the region and will be extended. It said they include Patriot missile battery personnel, manning for surveillance aircraft and engineers.\n\n“Right now, I don’t think Iran wants to fight. And I certainly don’t think they want to fight with us,” Trump said.\n\n“But they cannot have nuclear weapons,” he continued. “They can’t have nuclear weapons. And they understand that.”\n\nThe U.S. military deployed a carrier strike group, bombers and Patriot missiles to the Middle East earlier this month in response to what Washington said were troubling indications of possible preparations for an attack by Iran.\n\nRhetoric between Tehran and Washington has escalated in recent weeks as the United States tightened sanctions with what it said was the goal of pushing Iran to make concessions beyond the terms of its 2015 nuclear deal.\n\nTrump withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six major powers a year ago and now is seeking to block all Iranian oil exports.\n\nWashington believes a series of recent attacks in the region may have been inspired by Iran, including a rocket attack in Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone and what Saudi Arabia described as armed drone attacks on two oil pumping stations and the sabotage of four vessels including two Saudi oil tankers.\n\nTrump warned on Monday that Iran would be met with “great force” if it attacked U.S. interests in the Middle East.", "Washington: The United States said it was deploying 1,500 additional troops to the Middle East to counter “credible threats” from Iran in a move denounced by Tehran on Saturday as “a threat to international peace”.\n\n “Increased US presence in our region is very dangerous and a threat to international peace and security and must be confronted,” Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told the official IRNA news agency.\n\n The escalation of the US military presence follows a decision in early May to send an aircraft carrier strike force and B-52 bombers in a show of force against what Washington’s leaders believed was an imminent Iranian plan to attack US assets.\n\n And it comes as the Trump administration is planning to bypass congressional restrictions to sell arms to Saudi Arabia, a close US ally and Iran’s arch-enemy in the region.\n\n “This is a prudent response to credible threats from Iran,” acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said Friday.\n\n President Donald Trump, who approved the deployment, called it “protective.” “We want to have protection in the Middle East,” Trump told reporters as he prepared to set off on a trip to Japan.\n\n “We’re going to be sending a relatively small number of troops, mostly protective,” Trump added. “It’ll be about 1,500 people.”\n\n The new deployment includes reconnaissance aircraft, fighter jets and engineers. Six hundred of the personnel belong to a Patriot missile defense battalion that had its deployment in the region extended.\n\n Pentagon officials said the move was necessary after multiple threatening actions and several small-in-scope attacks in May by Iranian forces, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, and “proxy” forces.\n\n Those include a rocket launched into the Green Zone in Baghdad, explosive devices that damaged four tankers in Fujairah near the entrance to the Gulf, and a Houthi drone attack against a Saudi oil installation.\n\n Iran has denied involvement in any of the attacks.\n\n “Americans make such claims to justify their hostile policies and to create tension in the Persian Gulf,” Zarif said.\n\n The initial threat came at the beginning of May, according to Rear Admiral Michael Gilday, director of the Pentagon’s Joint Staff.\n\n The US caught the IRGC attempting to covertly deploy “modified dhows capable of launching cruise missiles,” he said, referring to small traditional boats.\n\n “We view this as a campaign,” Gilday told reporters.\n\n The moves “are all part of a dangerous and escalatory strategy by Iran to threaten global trade and to destabilize the region.”\n\n “We believe with a high degree of confidence that this stems back to the leadership of Iran at the highest levels, and that all of the attacks… have been attributed to Iran through their proxies or their forces,” Gilday said, citing still-secret US intelligence.\n\n US officials said the aim of the deployment was both to extend greater protection to the 70,000 US forces in the Middle East and Afghanistan, and to deliver a message to Iran to refrain from attacks.\n\n “We think that through a combination of a very measured deployment of assets as well as public messaging, we are again trying to underscore that we are not seeking hostilities with Iran,” he said.\n\n Gilday said the US moves have had some impact. When Washington first learned of Tehran’s alleged intent to launch attacks, it delivered a stern warning to Tehran “within hours” through an unnamed third party.\n\n Since then, the threat of the missile-bearing dhows appears to have subsided.\n\n However, the Trump administration continues to draw criticism that it has not clearly shown the need for an escalation.\n\n Members of Congress were also angered that Trump was overriding their block on delivery of lethal weapons to the Saudis.\n\n “More tactics with absolutely no strategy,” tweeted Democratic Senator Chris Murphy.\n\n “All that is happening now is escalatory move after escalatory move. Trump has ZERO plan for how this ends, and that should scare the hell out of everyone.” But Pentagon officials stressed that the US does not seek war with Iran.\n\n “We do not see these additional capabilities as encouraging hostilities. We see them as defensive in nature,” said acting Assistant Secretary of Defense Katie Wheelbarger.\n\n “Our policy remains an economic and diplomatic effort to bring Iran back to the negotiating table to encourage a comprehensive deal that addresses the range of their destabilizing behavior in the region.” Agencies", "Donald Trump has ordered another 1,500 US troops to the Middle East and overruled Congressional objections to sell £6.3 billion in weapons to America’s Arab allies amid ongoing tensions with Iran.\n\nMr Trump approved plans to send more fighter jets and missile defence batteries to the Persian Gulf in what the Pentagon called a “defensive” deployment intended to protect US troops in the region from Iran.\n\nThe US also publicly accused Iran of carrying out a sabotage attack against oil tankers off the coast of the UAE, and said it had evidence Iran planned to load cruise missiles onto small ships and use Shia militias to attack American forces in Iraq.\n\nJavad Zarif, Iran’s foreign minister, said the new US deployment “threatens international peace”.\n\nMeanwhile, Mr Trump used emergency powers to sweep aside objections in Congress and push through £6.3 billion in arms sales to Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Jordan.", "The Pentagon is set to brief the White House on a request for thousands more U.S. troops to be sent to the Middle East, amid rising tensions between Iran and Washington, U.S. officials said Wednesday.\n\nThe officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the plans have not been formally announced.\n\nThe officials said the request for additional troops was coming from U.S. Central Command and would be presented to the White House on Thursday. But it was not clear whether the White House would approve sending all or just some of the requested defensive forces, as well as additional Patriot missile batteries and more ships.\n\nThe Pentagon declined to comment on future plans. “As a matter of long-standing policy, we are not going to discuss or speculate on potential future plans and requests for forces,” said Cmdr. Rebecca Rebarich, a Pentagon spokeswoman.\n\nTensions between Tehran and Washington have been escalating since U.S. President Donald Trump announced his decision to try to cut Iran’s oil exports to zero and beef up the U.S. military presence in the Gulf in response to what he said were Iranian threats.\n\nBut despite the rhetoric, last week Trump told his acting defense secretary, Patrick Shanahan, that he did not want to go to war with Iran.\n\nSending additional U.S. troops to the region would mark a shift in position for Trump, who has repeatedly said in the past he wanted to reduce the number of U.S. troops in the region.\n\nLast December, Trump announced the withdrawal of 2,000 U.S. troops from Syria. In February, however, he decided to keep about 400 troops there.", "Trump says US to send 1,500 more troops to Middle East\n\nWASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. will bolster its military presence in the Middle East with an additional 1,500 troops, President Donald Trump said Friday amid heightened tensions with Iran.\n\nTrump said the troops would have a \"mostly protective\" role. He spoke to reporters on the White House lawn as he headed out on a trip to Japan.\n\nThe administration had notified Congress earlier in the day about the troop plans.\n\nThe forces would number \"roughly\" 1,500 and would deploy in the coming weeks, \"with their primary responsibilities and activities being defensive in nature,\" according to a copy of the notification obtained by The Associated Press.\n\nTheir mission would include protecting U.S. forces already in the region and ensuring freedom of navigation, the notification said.\n\nEarlier this week, officials said Pentagon planners had outlined plans that could have sent up to 10,000 military reinforcements to the region. Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan later said planners hadn't settled on a figure.\n\nThe U.S. began reinforcing its presence in the Persian Gulf region this month in response to what it said was a threat from Iran.\n\nThe U.S. has tens of thousands of troops in the Middle East, including at a major Navy base in Bahrain and an Air Force base and operations center in Qatar. There are about 5,200 troops in Iraq and 2,000 in Syria.\n\nEarlier this month, the U.S. sent thousands more into the region around Iran, including an aircraft carrier strike group, four bomber aircraft and fighter jets.", "Trump says 1,500 more troops to deploy to Middle East\n\nWASHINGTON: President Donald Trump announced Friday that some 1,500 additional US troops would deploy to the Middle East against a backdrop of soaring tensions with Iran. “We want to have protection in the Middle East,” Trump told reporters as he prepared to set off on a trip to Japan.\n\n“We´re going to be sending a relatively small number of troops, mostly protective,” Trump added. “It´ll be about 1,500 people.” The deployment includes reconnaissance aircraft, fighter jets, engineers, and the extension of the presence of a Patriot missile defense battalion that accounts for 600 of the personnel.\n\n“This is a prudent response to credible threats from Iran,” said Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan. Pentagon officials said the 1,500 additional troops were in response to recent incidents in the region that US intelligence had tied to Iran´s leadership. Those have included a rocket attack on the Green Zone in Baghdad, explosive devices that damaged four tankers in Fujairah at the entrance to the Gulf, and a Houthi drone attack against a Saudi oil installation.\n\n“We view this as a campaign,” said Rear Admiral Michael Gilday, director of the Pentagon´s Joint Staff. Gilday stressed that the expanded US military presence in the region, including an aircraft carrier task force, B-52 bombers, and an amphibious attack vessel deployed earlier this month, are defensive and meant to address an alleged ongoing threat from Iran. “We think that through a combination of a very measured deployment of assets as well as public messaging, we are again trying to underscore that we are not seeking hostilities with Iran.”\n\nMeanwhile, acting US Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan plans to meet with his Chinese counterpart next week at a regional security conference in Singapore, a Pentagon official said Friday. Shanahan sets off Tuesday on a tour of Asia that will take him to Indonesia, Singapore, South Korea and Japan, the Pentagon said in a statement. In Singapore, he will give a speech on the US defense strategy for the Indo-Pacific region at the Shangri-La Dialogue, which is held each year in the Southeast Asian city-state."], "summary": "U.S. President Donald Trump orders 1,500 troops and several Patriot missile launchers to the Persian Gulf as tensions rise with Iran."}
{"document": ["Paris (CNN) At least 13 people were hurt Friday in an explosion in the French city of Lyon, prompting a national investigation into possible terrorism.\n\nThe blast occurred in the early evening in the city's central shopping area. Eleven of the 13 injured were taken to hospital, including a 10-year-old child, the Paris Prosecutor's office said Saturday.\n\nFrench police are still looking for the person suspected of carrying out the attack, according to a tweet from the French National Police verified Twitter account. Police also tweeted a photo of the man they believed to be \"the author of the attack\" and asked the public to call with any information.\n\nFrench President Emmanuel Macron characterized the blast as an attack shortly after it happened, telling an interviewer: \"I'm late because there was an attack in Lyon.\"\n\nEmergency workers wheel a woman on a stretcher to a waiting ambulance in Lyon on Friday.\n\nInvestigators believe the explosion may have been caused by a parcel bomb packed with nails, a spokeswoman for the city prosecutor told CNN.\n\nRead More", "At least 13 people are injured in an explosion of a suspected package bomb on May 24, 2019, in the central shopping district in Lyon, France.", "At least eight people were injured in a suspected bomb attack in central Lyon on Friday, French officials said.\n\nAt least eight people were injured in a suspected bomb attack in central Lyon on Friday, French officials said.\n\nAt least eight people injured in suspected bomb attack in France\n\nThe blast occurred around 5:30 pm local time in a pedestrian street in the city in central France. President Emmanuel Macron, who was beginning a broadcast address as news of the explosion broke, described the incident as an \"attack\" with no fatalities.\n\nBFM TV reported the number of injured as 10, including one child.", "At least 12 people have been injured after a bomb exploded in the pedestrian in France's city of Lyon, reported TASS.\n\nThe bomb was hidden in a bag filled with nails and bolts.\n\nThe area around the Hugo and Sala streets intersection hit by the explosion is cordoned by the police.\n\nAn investigation has been initiated.", "At least eight people are said be injured after a ‘parcel bomb’ filled with nails, screws and bolts exploded in Lyon, France.\n\nWitnesses at the scene claim the device was a self-improvised explosive, left on Victor Hugo Street.\n\nTwo people are believed to be in a serious condition.\n\nThe perpetrator is unknown at this stage and emergency services are tending to the scene.\n\nA police cordon has now been erected at the scene.\n\nIf you have a story for our news team, email us at webnews@metro.co.uk. You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter.", "At least eight people were injured in a suspected bomb attack in central Lyon on Friday, French officials said.\n\nThe blast occurred around 5:30pm local time in a pedestrian street in the city in central France.\n\nFrench president Emmanuel Macron, who was beginning a broadcast address as news of the explosion broke, described the incident as an “attack” with no fatalities.\n\nBFM TV reported the number of injured as 10, including one child. Reuters", "The street was blocked off by police in Lyon's second district. The area, the Presqu'ile, is the center of the city between the Rhone and Saone rivers that run through France's third-largest city.", "At least 13 people were injured when a suspected parcel bomb explosion hit Lyon city of France Friday, local media reported.\n\nThe suspected bomb exploded in front of a bakery in Lyon. French President Emmanuel Macron defined the explosion as \"attack\" in a live broadcast, although the country's authorities are yet to confirm the cause of explosion.\n\nThe French police confirmed that 13 were injured, however, none of them sustain life threatening injuries.\n\nA hunt for a suspect is underway, who fled the area on a bike after leaving the bag, local media said.", "At least 13 people were injured after a blast in a pedestrian street in the French city of Lyon on Saturday. Police in France were searching for a suspect following the blast, AFP reported.\n\nA police source told AFP that a package containing “screws or bolts” had been placed in front of a bakery near a busy corner of two popular streets on Friday evening. The explosion occurred at on a narrow strip of land between the Saone and Rhone rivers.\n\nThe area was then evacuated and cordoned off by police.\n\nThose injured included a girl aged ten. None of the injuries are life-threatening.\n\nFrance’s National Police tweeted a grainy photo of the suspect they believed is “the perpetrator of the attack” and asked the public to call with any information.\n\nThe man was caught on security cameras in the area immediately before the explosion. In the photo he is wearing a light-coloured shorts and a long-sleeved dark top and is on a bicycle.\n\nPresident Emmanuel Macron called the explosion an attack and sent his Interior Minister Christophe Castaner to Lyon. “Tonight I think of the wounded in the explosion in Lyon, their families affected by the violence that has befallen their loved ones in the street,” Macron tweeted later in the day. “And all of Lyon. We are by your side.”\n\n“I was working, serving customers, and all of a sudden there was a huge ‘boom’,” Omar Ghezza, a baker who worked near the spot told AFP. “We though it had something to do with renovation work. But in fact it was an abandoned package.”\n\nThe attack came two days ahead of the country’s closely contested European Parliament elections.\n\nFrance has been on high alert following a wave of deadly terror attacks since 2015 that have killed more than 250 people.", "A package blast on a pedestrian street in the heart of France’s city of Lyon wounded several people Friday, officials said, just two days ahead of the country’s hotly contested European Parliament elections.\n\nPresident Emmanuel Macron called the blast an “attack” during a live Facebook interview, adding that no deaths had been reported “for the time being”.\n\nThe area where the explosion occurred, on a narrow strip of land between the Saone and Rhone rivers in the historic centre of the southeast city, was evacuated and cordoned off by police, according to AFP journalists at the scene.\n\nA police source told AFP the package contained “screws or bolts” and had been placed in front of a bakery near a busy corner of two popular streets.\n\nA man apparently in his early 30s who was spotted near the scene shortly before the attack was being sought by police, a source close to the inquiry said.\n\nPolice said eight people were wounded but none of the injuries appeared to be life-threatening.\n\nMacron, in his Facebook interview, said: “It’s not for me to give a toll but it appears there are no fatalities. There have been injuries, so obviously I’m thinking of these injured and their families.”\n\n“An eight-year-old girl was wounded…. We’re fairly relieved because apparently there were no serious injuries but on the other hand, we are certain it was an explosive device,” said Denis Broliquier, mayor of the city’s Second Arrondissement.\n\nHe said the suspect sought by police had been seen on video surveillance cameras.\n\n“There was an explosion and I thought it was a car crash,” said Eva, a 17-year-old student who was about 15 metres (50 feet) from the site of the blast.\n\n“There were bits of electric wire near me, and batteries and bits of cardboard and plastic. The windows were blown out,” he said.\n\nA terrorism probe has been opened by the Paris prosecutor’s office, which has jurisdiction over all terror cases in the country.\n\nFrance has been on high alert following a wave of deadly jihadist terror attacks since 2015 which have killed more than 250 people.\n\n“It’s an area in the very centre of Lyon, a major street,” the city’s deputy mayor in charge of security, Jean-Yves Secheresse, told BFM television.\n\n“These areas are highly secured, the police are continually present,” as were patrols by soldiers deployed in a long-running anti-terror operation, he said.\n\nLyon is the third-biggest city in France. The population of the city plus its extensive suburbs is 2.3 million.\n\nThe most recent package bomb in France dates back to December 2007, when an explosion in front of a law office in Paris killed one person and injured another. Police never found who carried out that attack."], "summary": "Multiple people are injured in Lyon, France, by a bomb filled with bolts."}
{"document": ["QUETTA, Pakistan (Reuters) - A bomb at a mosque in the Pakistani city of Quetta on Friday killed two worshippers and wounded 14, officials said.\n\nThe blast went off at the Sunni Muslim mosque when people were offering Friday prayers.\n\n“There were about 100 people there when a bomb exploded very close to the prayer leader,” said police officer Abdul Qayum.\n\nThere was no claim of responsibility.\n\nQuetta is the capital Baluchistan province which has been plagued for decades by a separatist insurgency. The separatists usually attack energy infrastructure and the security forces.\n\nSunni Muslim militants also operate in the province. They usually attack government targets and members of the Shi’ite Muslim minority.\n\nPolice said they were investigating.", "QUETTA, Pakistan (Reuters) - A bomb at a mosque in the Pakistani city of Quetta on Friday killed two worshippers and wounded 14, officials said.\n\nThe blast went off at the Sunni Muslim mosque when people were offering Friday prayers.\n\n“There were about 100 people there when a bomb exploded very close to the prayer leader,” said police officer Abdul Qayum.\n\nThere was no claim of responsibility.\n\nQuetta is the capital Baluchistan province which has been plagued for decades by a separatist insurgency. The separatists usually attack energy infrastructure and the security forces.\n\nSunni Muslim militants also operate in the province. They usually attack government targets and members of the Shi’ite Muslim minority.\n\nPolice said they were investigating.", "Islamabad, Pakistan - At least three people have been killed and 28 wounded after a bomb exploded at a mosque in the western Pakistani city of Quetta.\n\nThe explosion took place inside a mosque before Friday prayers, city Police Chief Abdul Razzaq Cheema told Al Jazeera by phone, adding that at least three of the wounded were in critical condition.\n\nLocal police official Tauseef Farman told Al Jazeera an explosive device went off next to the prayer leader, who was among those killed.\n\nThe area was cordoned off by security forces shortly after the explosion, and a bomb disposal unit was conducting investigations, Cheema said.\n\nVideo footage from the scene showed debris from the blast strewn within the mosque, with ceiling tiles lying smashed on the floor.\n\nRegular violence\n\nQuetta is the capital of Balochistan, Pakistan's largest and least populated province; it is also rich in mineral and fuel resources.\n\nIt has seen regular violence in recent years, with attacks claimed by Baloch separatists, Pakistan Taliban and local affiliates of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIS) group.\n\nThe province has been at the centre of a series of recent attacks that have killed at least 10 people.\n\nLast week, at least four policemen died when their vehicles were targeted by an explosion as they stood guard outside a mosque during evening prayers.\n\nOn May 12, Baloch separatist attackers stormed a five-star hotel in the southern port city of Gwadar, killing at least five people, including a Navy soldier.\n\nPakistani security forces engaged in an hours-long gun battle with the attackers, with the siege ending after three attackers were killed.\n\nBalochistan is seeing a number of new infrastructure projects erected, including the port at Gwadar, as part of the $60bn China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project, a joint venture between the Pakistani and Chinese governments.", "A bomb at a mosque in the Pakistani city of Quetta on Friday killed two worshippers and wounded 14, officials said.\n\nThe blast went off at the Sunni Muslim mosque when people were offering Friday prayers.\n\n“There were about 100 people there when a bomb exploded very close to the prayer leader,” said police officer Abdul Qayum.\n\nThere was no claim of responsibility.\n\nQuetta is the capital Baluchistan province which has been plagued for decades by a separatist insurgency. The separatists usually attack energy infrastructure and the security forces.\n\nSunni Muslim militants also operate in the province. They usually attack government targets and members of the Shi’ite Muslim minority.\n\nPolice said they were investigating.", "At least two people dead, 15 others injured in bombing at Friday prayers\n\nAt least two people were killed and 15 others injured following an explosion at a mosque in Quetta’s Pashtunabad locality during Friday prayers.\n\nThe exact nature of the attack targeting the Rehmania mosque is still being investigated, police said, with local media reporting that security forces had cordoned off the area. Radio Pakistan has reported that the blast appeared to have been caused by an improvised explosive device planted near the mosque’s pulpit, but there has been no independent verification of this.\n\n“Three of the injured are in a critical condition including the prayer leader as the blast occurred near him,” Quetta’s police chief Abdur Razzaq Cheema told AFP.\n\nNo group has claimed responsibility for the blast yet, which comes nearly two weeks after separatists attacked the Pearl Continental Hotel in Gwadar, killing five people.\n\nBalochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan Alyani has condemned the blast and ordered a probe into the incident.\n\nEditor’s Note: This story is still developing and will be updated as more information becomes available", "QUETTA, Pakistan (Reuters) - A bomb at a mosque in the Pakistani city of Quetta on Friday killed two worshippers and wounded 14, officials said.\n\nThe blast went off at the Sunni Muslim mosque when people were offering Friday prayers.\n\n“There were about 100 people there when a bomb exploded very close to the prayer leader,” said police officer Abdul Qayum.\n\nThere was no claim of responsibility.\n\nQuetta is the capital Baluchistan province which has been plagued for decades by a separatist insurgency. The separatists usually attack energy infrastructure and the security forces.\n\nSunni Muslim militants also operate in the province. They usually attack government targets and members of the Shi’ite Muslim minority.\n\nPolice said they were investigating.", "QUETTA, Pakistan, May 24 (Reuters) - A bomb at a mosque in the Pakistani city of Quetta on Friday killed two worshippers and wounded 14, officials said.\n\nThe blast went off at the Sunni Muslim mosque when people were offering Friday prayers.\n\n\"There were about 100 people there when a bomb exploded very close to the prayer leader,\" said police officer Abdul Qayum.\n\nThere was no claim of responsibility.\n\nQuetta is the capital Baluchistan province which has been plagued for decades by a separatist insurgency. The separatists usually attack energy infrastructure and the security forces.\n\nSunni Muslim militants also operate in the province. They usually attack government targets and members of the Shi'ite Muslim minority.\n\nPolice said they were investigating.", "QUETTA, Pakistan (Reuters) - A bomb at a mosque in the Pakistani city of Quetta on Friday killed two worshippers and wounded 14, officials said.\n\nThe blast went off at the Sunni Muslim mosque when people were offering Friday prayers.\n\n“There were about 100 people there when a bomb exploded very close to the prayer leader,” said police officer Abdul Qayum.\n\nThere was no claim of responsibility.\n\nQuetta is the capital Baluchistan province which has been plagued for decades by a separatist insurgency. The separatists usually attack energy infrastructure and the security forces.\n\nSunni Muslim militants also operate in the province. They usually attack government targets and members of the Shi’ite Muslim minority.\n\nPolice said they were investigating.", "QUETTA, Pakistan (Reuters) - A bomb at a mosque in the Pakistani city of Quetta on Friday killed two worshippers and wounded 14, officials said.\n\nThe blast went off at the Sunni Muslim mosque when people were offering Friday prayers.\n\n\"There were about 100 people there when a bomb exploded very close to the prayer leader,\" said police officer Abdul Qayum.\n\nThere was no claim of responsibility.\n\nQuetta is the capital Baluchistan province which has been plagued for decades by a separatist insurgency. The separatists usually attack energy infrastructure and the security forces.\n\nSunni Muslim militants also operate in the province. They usually attack government targets and members of the Shi'ite Muslim minority.\n\nPolice said they were investigating.", "QUETTA, Pakistan — A bombing Friday at a mosque in the Pakistani city of Quetta, the capital of restive Baluchistan province, killed two people, including the prayer leader, and wounded 28 worshippers, officials said.\n\nThe blast took place at the mosque in the city's Pashtoonabad neighborhood during Friday prayers, according to Abdul Razzak Cheema, deputy inspector of police.\n\nThe bomb was set off remotely, said Cheema, adding that a bomb squad was dispatched to the site and was investigating. The bomb squad said 2.5 kilograms of explosive material was used in the devise that blew out windows in the building and partially destroyed the ceiling.\n\nNo group immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing but it appeared that the prayer leader was the target. Saleem Abro, from Quetta's main civilian hospital, said 28 people were wounded.\n\nSectarian violence, mostly targeting Pakistan's minority Shiite Muslims, has left hundreds dead in recent years in Baluchistan. However, the Pashtoonabad neighborhood in Quetta is a Sunni majority area and the mosque was attended by Sunni Muslims.\n\nMilitant groups belonging to both sects operate in the area. Baluchistan is also plagued by insurgency by secessionist groups seeking more autonomy or independence for the province."], "summary": "A bombing at a mosque in the Pakistani city of Quetta, the capital of the restive province of Balochistan, kills three people, including the prayer leader, and wounds at least 28 worshippers."}
{"document": ["Two people, including a senior muslim preacher, were killed and at least 16 wounded after an explosion in a mosque during Friday prayers in the Afghan capital.\n\nThe explosion took place around 01:20pm (08:50 GMT) and targeted the al-Taqwa mosque at a time when dozens had gathered for afternoon prayers.\n\nJan Agha, a district police official, said the bomb was planted in the microphone used by the prayer leader, Mawlawi Samiullah Raihan, during Friday prayers.\n\n\"Unfortunately in the blast, Mawlawi Raihan has been martyred and 16 other worshippers were wounded,\" said Nasrat Rahimi, spokesperson for the interior ministry.\n\nNo group has claimed responsibility for the attack but the Taliban and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIS) groups regularly stage attacks in the country's capital.\n\nEarlier this month, the Taliban attacked the offices of Counterpart International in Kabul, an NGO headquartered in the United States that has been operating in Afghanistan since 2005.\n\nThe Taliban has stepped up attacks across the country, even as it holds direct negotiations with officials from the US to end the 17-year war in Afghanistan.", "15 injured in explosion at mosque in Pashtunabad\n\nThe blast occurred at the Rehmania Mosque at around 1:15pm. However, prayers are held at the mosque at 2:15pm. The injured include children and the elderly but witnesses say the number could have been much higher had the blast occurred an hour later.They were taken to Civil Hospital, Quetta, which is around 15 to 20 minutes away from the mosque with no traffic. People took the injured to the hospital themselves.An emergency has been declared at Civil Hospital.According to SAMAA TV's Quetta bureau chief Jalal Noorzai, the epicentre of the blast seems to be where the imam stood.The police say that 3,000 personnel are stationed across the city for the security of mosques. However, this mosque is not in the main city and had no security.This is a developing story and will be updated accordingly.", "KABUL (Reuters) - A bomb exploded in a mosque in the Afghan capital, Kabul, during Friday prayers, officials said, killing three people including a senior preacher and wounding at least 20 men who had gathered for worship.\n\nThe preacher, Samiullah Raihan, was a supporter of the Western-backed Afghan government which Taliban militants are trying to bring down. He was also a member of the National Ulema Council, Afghanistan’s top Muslim clerical body.\n\nFirdaws Faramarz, a police spokesman, said explosives were apparently placed near the altar of the Al-Taqwa mosque, a place used by the mosque leader to initiate the prayers.\n\nThe neighborhood where the bombing took place is dominated by Sunni Muslims. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack but the Taliban and Islamic State fighters regularly stage attacks in the capital.\n\nThe explosion hit at a time when dozens of men had gathered for prayers. The death toll could rise, said a second official.", "KABUL (Reuters) - A bomb killed a senior Islamic preacher and wounded at least 16 devotees inside a mosque in the Afghan capital during Friday prayers, interior ministry officials said.\n\nThe preacher, Mawlawi Rayhan, was a supporter of the Western-backed Afghan government which Taliban militants are trying to bring down.\n\nNo militant group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack.\n\nThe explosion hit the Al-Taqwa mosque at a time when dozens of men had gathered for prayers. At least 16 men, all civilians, were injured.\n\nThe death toll could rise, said a second official.\n\n\"We have rushed ambulances to the blast site,\" said a senior official in Kabul.", "(Hatha al-Youm | Iraq News )- Abomb exploded in a mosque in the Afghan capital during Friday prayers, killingat least one person and wounding 16, the interior ministry said.“We have rushed ambulances to the blast site,”said a senior official in Kabul. “The mosque was filled with many men praying.”", "Three people, including a senior cleric, were killed and at least 20 wounded in an explosion during prayers at a mosque in the Afghan capital of Kabul.\n\nAfghan Interior Ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi told RFE/RL’s Afghan Service that among the dead was prayer leader Mawlawi Raihan, a supporter of the Western-backed government, in the May 24 explosion.\n\nJan Agha, a district police official, was quoted by the AP news agency as saying the bomb was apparently planted in the microphone used by the mosque leader during Friday Prayers.\n\nNo militant group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack but both the Taliban and the Islamic State group regularly stage attacks in the country’s capital.\n\n“Our initial information on the incident shows that the Taliban terrorist group was behind the attack,” Rahimi said.\n\nThe Kabul neighborhood where the bombing took place is dominated by ethnic Pashtuns, most of whom are Sunni Muslims.\n\nThe attack rattled the community, which was in the midst of celebrating the 19th day of Ramadan.\n\n“No Muslim is allowed to kill another Muslim, especially during Ramadan. This is a great sin,” said Kabul resident Ghulam Haidar.\n\nRaihan was relatively well-known in Kabul, as he appeared frequently on religious shows broadcast on local TV.\n\nWith reporting by AP and AFP\n\nCopyright (c) 2019. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036.", "Afghan police official says blast at Kabul mosque kills 2\n\nKABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — An Afghan police official says a bomb exploded at a mosque in a western part of Kabul, killing two people, including the prayer leader, and wounding seven.\n\nJan Agha, a district police official, says the bomb was apparently planted in the microphone used by the mosque leader during Friday prayers.\n\nNo militant group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack but both the Taliban and the Islamic State group regularly stage attacks in the country's capital.\n\nThe Kabul neighborhood where the bombing took place is dominated by ethnic Pashtuns, most of whom are Sunni Muslims and who make up the backbone of the Taliban movement.", "A bomb blast inside a mosque in the Afghan capital on Friday killed three people, including a prominent religious scholar who was leading the congregational prayers, officials said.\n\nAt least 16 worshipers, who along with dozens of others had gathered to offer Friday afternoon prayers at the mosque, were also were injured in the blast, the officials said.", "KABUL: A prominent Afghan religious scholar was killed and another 16 people wounded in a blast during Friday prayers at a Kabul mosque, officials said.\n\nIt was not immediately clear what caused the explosion, which took place at the Al-Taqwa mosque in eastern Kabul, where Mawlawi Raihan had been the imam, or prayer leader.\n\nFriday prayers, especially during the holy month of Ramadan, are usually well attended.\n\n\"Unfortunately in the blast, Mawlawi Raihan has been martyred and 16 other worshippers were wounded,\" said Nasrat Rahimi, spokesman for the interior ministry.\n\nThe explosion took place around 1:20 pm (0850 GMT).\n\nALSO READ | Bomb blast in Quetta mosque rocks Pakistan, several injured\n\nJan Agha, a district police official, says the bomb was apparently planted in the microphone used by the mosque leader during Friday prayers.\n\nNo militant group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack but both the Taliban and the Islamic State group regularly stage attacks in the country's capital.\n\nThe Kabul neighborhood where the bombing took place is dominated by ethnic Pashtuns, most of whom are Sunni Muslims and who make up the backbone of the Taliban movement.\n\nPolice spokesman Firdaws Faramarz confirmed to AFP that Raihan was killed and said investigators were probing the nature of the explosion.\n\nLocal television channel Tolo said the explosion was caused by a bomb.\n\nRaihan was relatively well known in Kabul, as he appeared frequently on religious shows broadcast on local TV.\n\nWhile Kabul has seen frequent attacks on Shiite shrines and gatherings, particularly by the Islamic State group's Afghanistan affiliate, Raihan was a Sunni.\n\nRaihan's Facebook page showed him standing alongside members of the Afghan security forces.\n\nNo one immediately claimed responsibility for the blast.", "One person has been killed and 16 wounded in an explosion at a mosque in the Afghan capital of Kabul, the Afghan Interior Ministry says.\n\nInterior Ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi told RFE/RL that the person killed was prayer leader Mawlawi Raihan.\n\nJan Agha, a district police official, was quoted by the AP news agency as saying the bomb was apparently planted in the microphone used by the mosque leader during Friday Prayers.\n\nNo militant group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack but both the Taliban and the Islamic State group regularly stage attacks in the country's capital.\n\nThe Kabul neighborhood where the bombing took place is dominated by ethnic Pashtuns, most of whom are Sunni Muslims.\n\nRaihan was relatively well-known in Kabul, as he appeared frequently on religious shows broadcast on local TV.\n\nWith reporting by AP and AFP"], "summary": "Three people, including a senior Muslim preacher, are killed and at least 20 wounded after an explosion in a mosque during Friday prayers in the Afghan capital, Kabul."}
{"document": ["MUMBAI – Bollywood superstar Salman Khan, in the news for his status as one of India’s most eligible bachelors, has revealed his marital desires. Now 53, Salman has shown no signs of settling down, but has confessed in an exclusive interview with The Dependent that he wants children.\n\n“I want children, but if I have children, they would have me as their father. I don’t want them to have me as a parent, but they would need parents,” Salman said.\n\n“I can take care of a village as myself, but I don’t want to inflict myself as a father on anyone. That would be unforgivable,” he added.\n\nSalman categorically stated that marriage was not on his mind right now, but children were.\n\n“Marriage is not on my mind. Only children. Also, let me clarify that none of the biological means of having children is on my mind. Only children themselves,” he said.\n\n“Of course, I rather enjoy the abovementioned means, it is only the individuals that those means are exercised with that I have a problem with. This is one of the reasons why I am not well-suited to be a father,” he clarified.\n\nSalman expressed a desire to find a solution in the long-run.\n\n“Maybe I can work out a win-win situation for everyone. But as much as I want children, I definitely won’t want my children to have me,” he concluded.", "Orphaned children of an Islamic State fighter who are being held in a Syrian refugee camp could soon be returned to Australia as political pressure continues to build.\n\nThe three children, aged between six and 12, were taken from Australia to Syria when their parents Yasin Rizvic and Fauzia Khamal Bacha joined the terrorist group in 2014.\n\nRizvic, from Bosnia, had been a senior figure at the Al-Furqan Islamic centre in Melbourne – which was often linked to radical extremism before its closure in 2015.\n\nHe died while fighting for the terrorist group in 2016. Bacha later died also, yet circumstances around her death are not known.\n\nThe young children have been stranded in the Kurdish-controlled al-Hawl refugee camp in western Syria since their parents were killed, ABC reported.\n\nHowever, the children could soon be returned to Australia.\n\nThe Australian has reported three children, believed to be of Bosnian background, were likely to be the first children from the war to be returned home.\n\nIt's unclear whether the orphans mentioned are Rizvic's children.\n\nAustralian authorities have reportedly been working to move the children to Lebanon or Iraq, where they would meet with an Aust­ralian consular official before being flown to Melbourne.\n\nAuthorities have also been trying to locate relatives in Australia who could take the children, but it is understood the children do not have much in terms of extended family in the country.\n\nHome Affairs Minister Peter Dutton said the children shouldn’t be made to suffer but stood firm on the government stance that no Australian official would be put in harm’s way to extradite them from a conflict zone.\n\n'When it comes to children, we will deal with each and every case on its merits, but in every single case we will be putting the security of Australians at the top of the list.'\n\nPressure has been mounting from the United States Government and the Syrian Democratic Forces to have citizens returned home as soon as possible.\n\nThere are 40 surviving Australian women and children who were caught up in the bloody battle for Baghouz.\n\nThe three youngest children of notorious terrorist Khaled Sharrouf have also been kept at the refugee camp.\n\nThe children have been pleading for help to return to Australia, however, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said that national security was his number one priority.\n\nZaynab, 17, Hoda, 16, and Humzeh, 8, were taken to Syria by their parents, who have since died.\n\nZaynab now has two toddler daughters and is heavily pregnant with a third child.\n\nMr Morrison said last month the government had been working with international aid workers to repatriate them.", "Orphaned children of an Islamic State fighter who are being held in a Syrian refugee camp could soon be returned to Australia as political pressure continues to build.\n\nThe three children, aged between six and 12, were taken from Australia to Syria when their parents Yasin Rizvic and Fauzia Khamal Bacha joined the terrorist group in 2014.\n\nRizvic, from Bosnia, had been a senior figure at the Al-Furqan Islamic centre in Melbourne – which was often linked to radical extremism before its closure in 2015.\n\nHe died while fighting for the terrorist group in 2016. Bacha later died also, yet circumstances around her death are not known.\n\nThe young children have been stranded in the Kurdish-controlled al-Hawl refugee camp in western Syria since their parents were killed, ABC reported.\n\nHowever, the children could soon be returned to Australia.\n\nThe Australian has reported three children, believed to be of Bosnian background, were likely to be the first children from the war to be returned home.\n\nIt's unclear whether the orphans mentioned are Rizvic's children.\n\nAustralian authorities have reportedly been working to move the children to Lebanon or Iraq, where they would meet with an Aust­ralian consular official before being flown to Melbourne.\n\nAuthorities have also been trying to locate relatives in Australia who could take the children, but it is understood the children do not have much in terms of extended family in the country.\n\nHome Affairs Minister Peter Dutton said the children shouldn’t be made to suffer but stood firm on the government stance that no Australian official would be put in harm’s way to extradite them from a conflict zone.\n\n'When it comes to children, we will deal with each and every case on its merits, but in every single case we will be putting the security of Australians at the top of the list.'\n\nPressure has been mounting from the United States Government and the Syrian Democratic Forces to have citizens returned home as soon as possible.\n\nThere are 40 surviving Australian women and children who were caught up in the bloody battle for Baghouz.\n\nThe three youngest children of notorious terrorist Khaled Sharrouf have also been kept at the refugee camp.\n\nThe children have been pleading for help to return to Australia, however, Prime Minister Scott Morrison has said that national security was his number one priority.\n\nZaynab, 17, Hoda, 16, and Humzeh, 8, were taken to Syria by their parents, who have since died.\n\nZaynab now has two toddler daughters and is heavily pregnant with a third child.\n\nMr Morrison said last month the government had been working with international aid workers to repatriate them.", "Fire engulfed the third and fourth floor of Takshashila Centre in Surat, Gujarat. At least 20 people have been killed in the incident.\n\nAt least 22 students were killed and several others injured in a fire at a coaching centre in Sarthana area of Surat in Gujarat. The coaching centre was located on the third and fourth floors of the Takshashila Complex.\n\nStudents, mostly teenagers, died \"either due to suffocation or jumping off from the complex\", the deputy CM said. \"We have ordered a detailed inquiry into the incident. We will not spare those found guilty,\" Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel said.\n\nHorrifying visuals of the fire showed kids falling off the windows.\n\nWarning: The following visuals are disturbing.\n\nSarthana jakatnaka takshashila apartment maa lagi aag #Surat pic.twitter.com/X6ah57bdC3 RJ VEER (@rjVEERindia) May 24, 2019\n\nCAUSE OF FIRE\n\nAn initial investigation suggests the fire was caused by a short-circuit. According to a fire official, flames started from the ground floor and reached the top floor, forcing some students to take shelter on the terrace which was covered.\n\n\"Lot of smoke accumulated on the top floor where there were AC compressors and tyres which too caught fire. There was no escape route available for the students who got trapped on the top floors. The fire was doused in one hour. There were no safety equipment installed in the building,\" a fire official told the media.\n\nCoaching classes at the centre were run in a shade built on the top floor of the building, Gujarat Deputy CM Nitin Patel said, adding that they \"will check if the construction was illegal\".\n\nRESCUE OPERATIONS\n\nThe fire official said that 19 fire tenders and two hydraulic platforms were pressed into service to douse the fire. It took an hour to contain the blaze.\n\nEye-witnesses claimed that there were around 50 students in the complex when the fire started.\n\n\"Around 10 students on fourth and third floor jumped off to the ground to save themselves from fire and smoke,\" said a fire official.\n\nLocals helped in the rescue operation to save the stranded students and other occupants of the building.\n\nHeartbreaking Video\n\nMassive Fire at ine commercial Complex , Named\n\nin surat's #sarthana Area .\n\nMany Students were stuck.\n\nA Brave man tried to rescue the Girls.\n\nPray &Hope for No big Injuries. #Surat #suratFire pic.twitter.com/h9XBWWVeui Hitesh Pandya (@Hiteshpandya21) May 24, 2019\n\nCM OFFICE ORDERS INVESTIGATION\n\nGujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has ordered an investigation into the incident. The chief minister has also declared financial help of Rs 4 lakh each to the families of children who died in this incident, an official statement from the CM office said.\n\nLater in the day, Vijay Rupani visited the hospital to meet those injured in fire. \"I am told that due to fire in the staircase, several people jumped from the fourth floor of the building to escape. Have ordered enquiry\".\n\nGujarat CM Vijay Rupani visits hospital to meet those injured in fire at coaching centre in Surat; says, \"I'm told that due to fire in the staircase, several people jumped from the 4th floor of the building to escape. Have ordered enquiry\". 20 people have died in the incident pic.twitter.com/h27hRa2Iav ANI (@ANI) May 24, 2019\n\nMeanwhile, municipal authorities in Ahmedabad ordered closure of all coaching classes till further orders to check whether they follow fire safety norms.\n\nPM NARENDRA MODI EXPRESSES ANGUISH\n\nPrime Minister Narendra Modi expressed deep anguish over the incident and directed authorities to provide all possible help.\"Extremely anguished by the fire tragedy in Surat. My thoughts are with bereaved families. May the injured recover quickly. Have asked the Gujarat Government and local authorities to provide all possible assistance to those affected,\" PM Narendra Modi tweeted.\n\nExtremely anguished by the fire tragedy in Surat. My thoughts are with bereaved families. May the injured recover quickly. Have asked the Gujarat Government and local authorities to provide all possible assistance to those affected. Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 24, 2019\n\nHome Minister Rajnath Singh also reacted on the deadly fire. \"Deeply saddened by the loss of precious lives due to fire in Surat. My thoughts are with the families of the deceased. I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured,\" Rajnath Singh said in a tweet.\n\nBJP chief Amit Shah also expressed his grief on the tragedy and asked BJP workers to provide all possible assistance.\n\n\"Deeply anguished by the loss of lives due to a tragic fire accident in Surat, Gujarat. My condolences with the bereaved families. I pray for the speedy recovery of those injured. I urge our karyakartas of BJP Surat unit to assist the people in need,\" Amit Shah said in his tweet.\n\nDeeply anguished by the loss of lives due to a tragic fire accident in Surat, Gujarat. My condolences with the bereaved families. I pray for the speedy recovery of those injured. I urge our karyakartas of BJP Surat unit to assist the people in need. Amit Shah (@AmitShah) May 24, 2019\n\nCongress chief Rahul Gandhi tweeted to express anguish on the incident and prayed for the speedy recovery of those injured.\n\nRead | How a fire in 1803 turned Bombay into Mumbai of today", "With children, there is nothing new", "A total of 15 children of Cypriot origin or with connections to Cyprus reported missing between 2007 and 2017 are listed on Interpol’s ‘yellow notices’ for missing persons, Phileleftheros reported on Saturday.\n\nThe majority are cases of children of divorced or separated parents, where one parent is believed to have left with the child. Also on the list are children from Cyprus with a migrant background, the newspaper added.\n\nThe newspaper article coincides with International Missing Children’s Day that is marked every year on May 25. The issue has become even more poignant in view of the disappearance – in 2016 and 2018 — of two children victims of a self-confessed serial killer who went by the online name of Orestes and is currently in police custody.\n\nThe body of eight year old Elena Natalia was found in a suitcase at Kokkini Limni in Mitsero. The search continues for the body of six year old Sierra at Memi lake near Xyliatou.\n\nOrestes has reportedly confessed to killing the two little girls, their mothers and three other women. Five bodies — of four women and one child — have been recovered so far.\n\nPolice have come under fierce criticism for their handling of the disappearances. The Justice Minister resigned and the police chief was sacked, while an investigation is underway.\n\nThe cases also highlighted the need to update a cooperation protocol signed in 2013 between the Justice Ministry and the Association for the Prevention of Violence in the Family and the Hope for Children – CRC Policy Centre to ensure cooperation in the event of children reported missing.\n\nHope for Children has highlighted the urgent need for more effective implementation of protocols, noting that this can save lives.\n\nIt has also urged police to use the Child Abduction Alert for the mass and coordinated publication of photographs and information of disappeared children that operates within the framework of the European help line for missing children on 116000. These procedures were not used for either Elena Natalia nor for Sierra.\n\nThousands of children are reported missing worldwide every year. According to the International Centre for Missing & Exploited Children, about 800,000 children are reported missing in the US every year, another 100,000 in Germany, 45,000 in Brazil, 20,000 in Australia and 15,000 in Russia.\n\nInternational Missing Children’s Day\n\n In 1983, U.S. President Ronald Reagan proclaimed May 25 “National Missing Children’s Day.” The proclamation followed the 1979 disappearance of a six-year-old boy, Etan Patz, on his way to school in New York City. The case generated widespread indignation, and concern for missing children rose across the nation. Since the United States began remembering missing children in this way, other countries around the world have adopted similar commemorations.\n\nMay 25 is now widely known as Missing Children’s Day, with the forget-me-not flower as its emblem. In 2001, May 25 was first formally recognized as International Missing Children’s Day (IMCD), thanks to a joint effort on the part of ICMEC, Missing Children Europe and the European Commission.", "A Children Rights Advocacy group in Katsina has embarked on “Stop War on Children” (SWOC) campaigns, aimed at drawing attention to the plight of children that are daily exposed to social vices in their respective communities.\n\nSpeaking at the flag up of the campaign in Katsina, the Speaker of Children parliament in the state, Abdulrahman Kakare said children were among the most vulnerable groups and must be protected.\n\nAccording to him, children’s life had become a race for survival, saying that “if you open your eyes, you will see children unarmed but fighting different kind of wars in the street”\n\n“Our society today is littered with hopeless, defenceless, unprotected and uneducated children whose future is bleak, whose vision is dim, whose life is ebbing away before our own eyes due to actions and in actions” of the communities, he said.\n\nOn her part, Murjanatu Kabir, a community engagement and Advocacy Coordinator at Save the children International, who supports the group, said “War against children comes in forms of denial of rights, abuses be it sexually, physically or mentally.\n\n“Our in-action of war happens in the form of lacking laws to protect the children, not prosecuting culprits of abuse, not paying attention to most of their salient needs and few minutes to hear them out.\n\n“War on children does not only happen in war fronts. War on children is as diverse as it gets, it is as complex as you see, it is as widespread as you imagined,” she added.\n\nAs part of our drive to keep improving the content of our newspaper, we are conducting a readership survey to enable us serve you better.\n\nKindly take two minutes of your time to fill in this questionnaire.\n\nThank you for your time. Click here to begin", "Just as things seemed to be taking their course to give closure to Farishta’s family - a minor girl who was raped and murdered in Islamabad – the footage of another much younger girl –Hiba – emerged in which she is being led away into darkness by a monster.\n\nThe footage shows two small children walking on a busy street in Lahore, the provincial capital of Punjab at night. Both children are not more than 4 years, the boy older than Hiba.\n\nThe footage shows the children walking on the road almost bumping into a vehicle that stops for a moment and then moves on, as do the children.\n\nSuddenly a man emerges, who has a blue cloth clad over his shoulder, and casually takes hold of Hiba’s hand. Weirdly she allows him to hold her hand without any reaction – as if she knows him – and they begin walking leaving the boy behind. There is a moment where it seems the boy and the unidentified man are speaking.\n\nNothing seems amiss in the footage.\n\nThe boy then runs to the other side of the busy road as another vehicle passes by – a normal thing on the roads of Pakistan. Children have no sense of road safety in Pakistan and run in and out of moving cars. Nevertheless, traffic was the least of these children’s problems.\n\nThe boy seems to sense some danger and suddenly runs back towards the girl and the man. The way he runs and tries to reclaim Hiba is when you realize the man is kidnapping her.The demeanour of the man is calm and casual throughout; he is in no hurry to get away.He does not attempt to take the boy with him as well.\n\nThe frame freezes as the man keeps walking and the boy runs after them.\n\nShortly after this, another video emerges in which the same man and his blue should cloth can be seen buying something at a shop. His face is visible in the video.\n\nIt should be an easier case to solve as it has more evidence of the criminal than Farishta’s case.\n\nHowever, the police on the other hand proved to be taking their time in acting according to initial media reports. Have the police learned nothing from the Farishta case, which was literally yesterday.\n\nMedia reports reveal the police had refused to register an FIR,wasting precious time again and the local police station had earlier only filed a temporary complaint.\n\nThe media then reported that the police was conducting raids to recover the child and the police’s high-level officials had given their assurance that the police was making efforts to recover Hiba as soon as possible.\n\nHopefully, Hiba’s story will have a good ending and she will return to her family safe and sound. However, the government needs to work on the police reforms it had been talking about since before elections.\n\nThis is the time to put them into play to improve the police performance so that the safety of victims is ensure,especially in cases involving minors.\n\nThere is no doubt that the government and police have a great responsibility towards the people. However, we cannot absolve the parents and families of their responsibility. With frequent news about crimes against children being reported, parents should be more vigilant. However, it seems many parents are not taking the safety of their own children seriously.\n\nAt a time when crimes against children are on the rise, parents need to be more active and keep tabs on their children. There is no denying that the government is responsible for its citizens’ safety but parents and families are also responsible for the safety of their children.\n\nLooking out for the children can be easy in Pakistan as the majority of people live in a joint family or near family members in the same neighbourhood or lane. Delegated adults can keep an eye out for suspicious people in the area and make periodical checks to make sure all the children are safe.\n\nYoung children, who are vulnerable themselves, should not babysit younger children and look after them on streets. They should run errands alone or walk home alone from tuition and religious classes at any time of the day, especially at night. This is the time they are vulnerable to the predators awaiting for an opportunity.\n\nMeanwhile the authorities need to move fast and make sure the existing protection laws are properly enforced. Work on pending bills and amendments to protection laws should passed be expedited, so they can be put into motion immediately.\n\nOnly a concerted effort by parents and authorities can ensure the safety of children and keep the monsters at bay.", "Conflicts in the world’s hot spots, such as Syria and Yemen, have demonstrated that bombs, missiles, land mines, grenades, improvised explosive devices and other explosive devices cause unspeakable damage to the bodies and brains of children.\n\nA new report from Save the Children, a humanitarian non-governmental organization (NGO), documents the horror of war for children. Indeed, the report, entitled “Blast Injuries: The impact of explosive weapons on children in conflict,” is a must-read for anyone concerned about the welfare of children.\n\nIn the foreword of the report, which was released on May 16, Helle Thorning-Schmidt, chief executive of Save the Children International, points out that explosive weapons are traditionally intended for use on open battlefields. But their use in densely populated population centres, sometimes targeting hospitals and schools, causes devastating injuries to children, often resulting in death.\n\nAccording to the Save the Children report, the five deadliest conflicts for children in 2017 were in Afghanistan, Yemen, Syria, Nigeria and Iraq. And most of the conflict-related deaths were caused by exposure to blasts. Citing data collected by the United Nations, the NGO reports that of the 7,364 children killed in conflicts in 2017, at least 5,322, or 72 per cent, were slain by explosive blasts.\n\n“The numbers from these five countries are an indication of what is happening to children in conflicts globally,” the report states. However, data collection in conflict zones remains difficult, and the incidence of children injured or killed in blasts is probably significantly under-reported.\n\nNevertheless, Save the Children analyzed more than 140,000 casualties in Syria between March 2011 and December 2016 and found that in excess of 14,000 children were killed by blasts. And the report concludes that “children killed in the conflict were nearly seven times more likely to have died from blasts than adults involved in fighting.”\n\nWhy is it so important to study and explain how blast injuries affect children differently than adults? “Pediatric blast injury is the most significant cause of direct killing and maiming that children face today and has likely accounted for tens of thousands of child casualties over recent years,” Bill Chambers, president and CEO of Save the Children Canada, explained in an email.\n\n“This is a problem which affects children more than adults, and yet the science, knowledge and medical expertise to tackle blast injuries in children is still underdeveloped,” Chambers said.\n\nThe harsh medical reality of conflict is that little bodies are much more vulnerable to explosive blasts. Children have little legs and torsos, which means they are much lower to the ground than adults, and this leads to devastating wounds and internal injuries.\n\nFor example, the Save the Children report notes that a recent review of the impact of blast injuries on children by the Paediatric Blast Injury Partnership (PBIP) revealed that “80 per cent of pediatric blast patients experienced penetrating injuries to the head.” Conversely, the PBIP review found that only 31 per cent of adult blast patients suffered such injuries.\n\nEven if children under the age of 10 survive an explosive blast, many will suffer traumatic brain injuries that result in potentially “life-limiting and life‑shortening effects.” And the Save the Children report reveals that “injuries to the head are the second-greatest cause of mortality in children from blast injuries — catastrophic bleeding is the greatest single cause.”\n\nChildren fortunate enough to survive explosive blasts can suffer lifelong disabilities resulting from amputations, which often lead to ongoing complications as their bodies grow.\n\nIn addition, child survivors of blasts often suffer from permanent eye and ear problems due to “their relative proximity to the ground.”\n\nBesides physical wounds, children who survive blasts tend to suffer psychological trauma, causing persistent feelings of fear, anxiety, aggression and “toxic” levels of stress.\n\nChildren who have been caught up in war or conflict have a basic human right to receive medical treatment and rehabilitation. Article 3.3 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child declares: “States Parties shall ensure that the institutions, services and facilities responsible for the care or protection of children shall conform with the standards established by competent authorities, particularly in the areas of safety, health, in the number and suitability of their staff, as well as competent supervision.”\n\nThe Save the Children report states that “pediatric care in conflict zones is often delivered by personnel with limited or no experience of dealing with pediatric blast injuries.”\n\nIt is estimated that tens of thousands of wounded kids in Syria have undergone amputations. Clearly, action is needed to address the pressing need for child-centric medical care in conflict zones.\n\nThe PBIP is a collaborative project that is led by the Imperial College London along with Save the Children. The initiative brings together medical specialists, humanitarian actors, as well as scholars.\n\n“In April of 2019, the PBIP piloted the world’s first-ever field manual on pediatric blast injury, co-authored by specialists across the relevant disciplines, with medical partners in the north of Syria,” the report states.\n\nThePaediatric Blast Injury Field Manual is intended to be used in conflict zones by medical staff who have limited or no practical experience or training in treating children suffering from explosive blast injuries. The manual instructs health-care providers “on the entire continuum of care, from point of injury to treatment to rehabilitation and mental health support.”\n\nAlthough the manual started out as a pilot project in war-torn Syria, Save the Children says “there are plans to roll it out both there and in Iraq, Yemen and Afghanistan.”\n\nHowever, the new field manual is not enough to save children from the horrors of war. Much more needs to be done to protect children, the report states.\n\n“The reasons children are affected by blasts are related to bigger issues. Too often, parties to conflict bomb schools, hospitals and children without regard for international law,” Chambers said. “Despite their obligations, they fail to take the precautions necessary to protect children.\n\n“These failures relate to explosive weapons, but also the broader state of play which has seen more verified grave violations against children in 2017 than at any other point since the UN recorded that data.”\n\nSave the Children has issued a number of recommendations that aim to protect children, including calling upon all countries to abide by their obligations under international law.\n\nFor instance, the NGO calls upon all states to adhere to Article 7 of the Arms Trade Treaty, denying or suspending “the export, supply and transfer of arms, weapons and other military assets to parties to conflict where there is an overriding risk that they will be used to undermine peace and security or to commit or to facilitate serious violations of international law, including gender‑based violence and serious violence against children.”\n\nAnother recommendation put forward by the report is that the community of nations adopt a child-centric strategy to help children recover from conflict. For example, Save the Children wants governments to distribute the Paediatric Blast Injury Field Manual.\n\nWhat is Save the Children doing to protect children from blast injuries?\n\nChambers answered by saying that the NGO runs mine awareness programs with its partners in such hot spots as Ukraine and Syria. In addition, Chambers said the NGO is a founding member of the International Network on Explosive Weapons (INEW).\n\n“We continue to make the call for states and other warring parties to avoid the use of explosive weapons with wide area affects in populated areas and to adopt policies that prioritize the effective protection of civilians in conflict,” he added.", "At least 15 students die in India fire\n\nAhmedabad, India: At least 15 students died Friday in a fire in a building in India housing a college, officials said, with images on television and social media showing people jumping to escape the blaze.\n\n\n\n\"The students lost their life both because of the fire and jumping out of the building,\" Deepak Sapthaley, a fire official in the western city of Surat, told AFP.\n\nTen of them died from the jump and five from the fire, with up to 20 being treated in hospital, he said. The images showed blazing orange flames and black smoke billowing out of the building.\n\nSapthaley added that 50 or 60 people were inside the coaching institute on the top floor of the building when the blaze began. The cause was not yet known.\n\nPrime Minister Narendra Modi, who comes from Gujarat state where the fire broke out, said on Twitter: \"Extremely anguished by the fire tragedy in Surat.\n\n\"My thoughts are with bereaved families. May the injured recover quickly. Have asked the Gujarat Government and local authorities to provide all possible assistance to those affected.\"\n\nLocal officials said that the fire had spread quickly because of the material used in the roof."], "summary": "Twenty children die in a fire in Surat, India."}
{"document": ["Bali's Mount Agung volcano erupts, sending thick ash into the air and forcing flight cancellations\n\nUpdated\n\nBali's airport has cancelled flights after the Mount Agung volcano erupted overnight, spreading ash over the south of the Indonesian island.\n\nKey points: One Jetstar and two Virgin flights into Sydney were delayed\n\nFlights departing from Sydney for Bali's Denpasar Airport are still scheduled to leave on time\n\nMt Agung became active again in 2017 after more than a half century of slumber\n\nThe national disaster agency said the eruption lasted four minutes and 30 seconds and spread lava and incandescent rocks about 3 kilometres from the crater.\n\nNine villages experienced thick ash fall, but the agency said it was not raising the alert level for the volcano and its exclusion zone remained a 4-kilometre radius around the crater.\n\nThe Directorate General of Air Transportation said four flights to Bali were diverted and five flights out of the popular tourist destination were cancelled because of volcanic ash.\n\nOne Jetstar and two Virgin flights into Sydney were delayed because of the ash.\n\nThe Virgin flights, due in early this morning, are now expected to arrive at 10:00pm.\n\nFlights departing from Sydney for Bali's Denpasar Airport are scheduled to leave on time at this stage.\n\nMt Agung became active again in 2017 after more than a half century of slumber following a major eruption in 1963.\n\nEruptions last year played havoc with flights, disrupting travel for tens of thousands. In July, one eruption ejected a 2,000-metre column of ash into the air and hurled lava down the volcano's slopes.\n\nABC/AP\n\nTopics: volcanic-eruption, bali\n\nFirst posted", "(Bloomberg) -- Indonesia canceled flights to and from the nation’s main resort island of Bali after the Mt. Agung volcano erupted late on Friday.\n\n“Currently flights to and from I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport have been canceled.” Polana Pramesti, director general of civil aviation, said on the ministry’s Twitter page. “We will continue to update the latest condition on the eruption of Mount Agung.”\n\nThe cancellations include four flights to Bali on Saturday and five that were scheduled to leave the island.\n\nMount Agung erupted on Friday, its latest in a series of blasts in recent months, throwing volcanic ash into the southern part of the island, where the airport is located, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman for Indonesia’s Disaster Mitigation Agency, said in text message. The volcano spewed lava as far as three kilometers.\n\nIndonesia’s 17,000 islands are prone to earthquakes as the Southeast Asian nation straddles the Pacific Ring of Fire -- an arc of fault lines and volcanoes that causes frequent seismic upheavals.\n\nTo contact the reporter on this story: Harry Suhartono in Jakarta at hsuhartono@bloomberg.net\n\nTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Shamim Adam at sadam2@bloomberg.net, John McCluskey, Hari Govind", "Bali's airport has canceled flights following an eruption of the Mount Agung volcano that spread ash over the south of the Indonesian island.\n\nThe national disaster agency said Friday night's eruption lasted four minutes and 30 seconds and spread lava and incandescent rocks about 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) from the crater.\n\nNine villages experienced thick ash fall. But the agency said it wasn't raising the alert level for the volcano and its exclusion zone remains a 4-kilometer (2.5-mile) radius around the crater.\n\nThe Directorate General of Air Transportation said four flights to Bali were diverted and five flights out of the popular tourist destination were canceled because of volcanic ash.\n\nAgung became active again in 2017 after more than a half century of slumber following a major eruption in 1963.\n\n© 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.\n\nCitation: Volcano on Indonesia's Bali erupts, flights canceled (2019, May 24) retrieved 24 May 2019 from https://phys.org/news/2019-05-volcano-indonesia-bali-erupts-flights.html This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.", "Mount Agung, a volcano located in east Bali erupted at 7.22pm local time on Friday, May 24. The massive eruption lasted for four minutes and 30 seconds, and saw hot lava running down three kilometres from the crater. The eruption also threw smoldering lava and pieces of stone into the air, which fell in areas around 2.5-3 kilometres from the summit.\n\nVolcanic Ash Advisory Center (VAAC) Darwin warned about a volcanic ash plume that rose up to estimated 15000ft (4600m) altitude or flight level 150 . Indonesia’s Center of Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation (PVMBG) said: “The ash column could not be observed. “Thundering sounds from the eruption were heard adequately strong from the monitoring post.” READ MORE: Bali volcano eruption: Where is Mount Agung? Is Bali safe to travel?\n\nIs it safe to travel to Bali? PVMBG said alert level on Mount Agung was set at level 3 at the moment. That means people finding themselves around the four kilometres big red zone area should leave immediately. The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has also advised against all travel to areas near Mount Agung.\n\nFCO warns against going close than four kilometres of the Mount Agung crater. These are exclusion zones put in place by the local authorities due to the ongoing volcanic activity. If you’re in either exclusion zone, you should leave immediately. Residents who reside around the downstream of rivers upstreaming in the Mount Agung are advised to remain vigilant on possible stream of hot lava or volcanic materials.\n\nThe local alert level may change at short notice, and FCO urged people in the area to check media reports before travelling close to the volcano. There are many active volcanoes in Indonesia, any of which can erupt with little or no warning. This often results in the evacuation of villages within a three to seven kilometre radius and disruption to air travel in the wider region. In the past, repeated eruptions have caused destruction and fatalities.", "DENPASAR: Mount Agung in Karangasem district, Bali, erupted again on Friday (May 24) at 7.23pm, spewing incandescent lava in all directions for as far as 2.5 to three kilometres.\n\n\"Yes, there has been an eruption. The height of the ash column was not reported; however, there was a roaring noise at the observation post,\" said I Made Rentin, head of the Bali Provincial Disaster Management Agency, on Friday night.\n\nThe eruption was recorded on a seismograph with a maximum amplitude of 30mm and a duration of some four minutes and 30 seconds. Even though Mount Agung erupted again, it is still at Level III (Standby) status.\n\nThe eruption, which occurred at 7.23pm, affected several areas in Karangasem district, which were exposed to thick ash and sand, including Pempatan Village, Besakih Village, Menanga Village, Sebudi Village, Muncan Village, Amerta Bhuana Village, Nongan Village, Rendang Village and several areas in Bangli district.\n\nSeveral flights to and from Bali's international airport were cancelled, while other flights have been diverted.\n\n\"We will continue to monitor the current condition of Mount Agung eruption,\" said Indonesia's director general of air transport Polana Pramesti.\n\n\n\nRentin called on people living around Mount Agung not to move within a radius of four kilometres from the peak crater. The hazard estimation zone is dynamic and continues to be evaluated and can change at any time following the latest observation data on Mount Agung.\n\nIn addition, people have been asked to equip themselves with masks if they leave their houses and always follow directions from officials.\n\n\"Increase preparedness. If there is a larger eruption, people must evacuate in an orderly manner, according to the agreed evacuation plan. Don't panic, keep calm, and let's pray that we are all protected by Hyang Widhi (God),\" said Rentin.", "More than a dozen flights were cancelled on Indonesia's island of Bali on Saturday due to an ash cloud emitted by a fresh eruption of Mount Agung volcano.\n\nThe eruption, which lasted four-and-a-half minutes, was accompanied by a loud rumbling and spread lava and incandescent rocks three km from the crater, national disaster management agency spokesperson Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said in a statement, reported Efe news.\n\nFlights to and from Bali operated by Qantas Airways, Virgin Australia Airlines and Jetstar Airways were cancelled, and a Jetstar flight between Adelaide and Bali's capital Denpasar was diverted to Darwin in northern Australia.\n\nThe mountain's ash cloud dropped from a height of 4,000-5,000 meters to around 1,000 meters, the head of the Bali airport authority, Elfi Amir, said in a statement. He added that passengers should not panic as contingency plans were in place.\n\nA thick rain of ash and dust affected nine villages near the volcano, where a four-km radius exclusion zone remained in place.\n\nAuthorities issued an orange alert for aviation - the second-highest after the red alert - while the eruption warning remained at level 3 on a scale of 4.\n\nMt Agung became active in September 2017 and its eruptions have forced operations at Denpasar airport to be halted many times.\n\nThe last major eruption of the volcano took place in 1963 and lasted for nearly a year, killing more than 1,000 people.\n\nThe Indonesian archipelago is located on the so-called Pacific Ring of Fire, an area of great seismic and volcanic activity that records thousands of mostly small to moderate tremors every year.", "JAKARTA, Indonesia — Bali's airport has cancelled flights following an eruption of the Mount Agung volcano that spread ash over the south of the Indonesian island.\n\nThe national disaster agency said the eruption Friday night lasted about four minutes and 30 seconds and spread lava and incandescent rocks about 3 kilometres from the crater.\n\nNine villages experienced thick ash fall. But the agency said it wasn't raising the alert level for the volcano and its exclusion zone remains a 4 kilometre radius around the crater.\n\nThe Directorate General of Air Transportation said four flights to Bali were diverted and five flights out of the popular tourist destination were cancelled because of volcanic ash.", "Bali’s airport has cancelled flights following an eruption of the Mount Agung volcano, which spread ash over the south of the Indonesian island.\n\nThe national disaster agency said Friday night’s eruption lasted four minutes and 30 seconds, spreading lava and incandescent rocks about 3km from the crater.\n\nNine villages experienced thick ash fall. But the agency said it wasn’t raising the alert level for the volcano and its exclusion zone remains a 4km radius around the crater.\n\nThe directorate general of air transportation said four flights to Bali were diverted and five flights out of the popular tourist destination were cancelled because of volcanic ash.\n\nAgung became active again in 2017 after more than a half century of slumber following a major eruption in 1963.", "Bali’s airport has returned to normal operations after some flights were canceled on Friday night following an eruption of the Mount Agung volcano that spread ash over the south of the Indonesian island. The national disaster agency said the eruption lasted 4 minutes and 30 seconds and spread lava and incandescent rocks about 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) from the crater.\n\nNine villages experienced thick ash fall. But the agency said it wasn’t raising the alert level for the volcano and its exclusion zone remains a 4-kilometer (2.5-mile) radius around the crater. No evacuation was necessary, said spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho.\n\nBali airport spokesman Arie Ahsanurrohim said nine flights between Bali and Australia were canceled on Friday night. Six postponed flights for Qantas and Virgin Australia would operate on Saturday, he said.\n\nAgung became active again in 2017 after more than a half century of slumber following a major eruption in 1963.", "JAKARTA, May 25 (Reuters) - A volcano erupted on the Indonesian holiday island of Bali, causing some overnight flight cancellations to and from Australia as an ash cloud rose into the sky, officials said on Saturday.\n\nMount Agung volcano spewed out lava and showers of rocks over a distance of about 3 km (2 miles), with ash falling over dozens of villages, officials said. There were no reports of casualties.\n\nFlights, run by Qantas Airways, JetStar and Virgin Airlines, were operating normally on Saturday.\n\nAuthorities had 50,000 masks available as a precaution though the alert level on the volcano remained unchanged and there had been no evacuations.\n\nPhotographs of Agung overnight showed an ash column and glowing lava in the crater of the volcano, which rises majestically over eastern Bali at a height of just over 3,000 metres.\n\nIn late 2017, authorities raised the alert level on Agung after a spike in activity, triggering evacuations and travel chaos at the time. The alert level has since been lowered but the rumbling Agung has erupted intermittently since then occasionally disrupting flights.\n\nA major eruption in 1963 killed more than 1,000 people and razed several villages\n\nBali, famous for its surf, beaches and temples, attracts around 5 million visitors a year. (Reporting by Agustinus Beo Da Costa and Bali stringer Writing by Ed Davies; Editing by Nick Macfie)"], "summary": "Mount Agung in Bali, Indonesia, erupts."}
{"document": ["Four children who were hospitalised during a 'serious incident' in which two boys died have now been released.\n\nA 37-year-old man and a 34-year-old woman have both been arrested on suspicion of murder following the deaths of two boys in Sheffield, aged 13 and 14.\n\nFour other children aged 11, 10, three and seven months were treated in hospital yesterday.\n\nIn a statement issued this afternoon, South Yorkshire Police said: \"Four children rescued from a house in Shiregreen yesterday have now been released from hospital.\"\n\nWhat happened at the home in the Shiregreen area of the city remains unclear, but it comes after reports claim that the two boys who died told a friend that they weren't coming to school because they were 'feeling sick'.\n\nSouth Yorkshire Police were called at about 7.30am yesterday to reports of 'concerns for safety' for those inside the semi-detached property on Gregg House Road.\n\nThe deceased children can't be named for legal reasons.\n\nPost-mortem examinations were expected to be carried out yesterday.\n\nOfficers have not disclosed the circumstances of what happened, but they have confirmed that it wasn't a shooting.\n\nIt has left the local area in shock and looking for answers.\n\nAs school children took to the streets to pay their tributes, the school the boys attended said in a statement: \"It is with great sadness that we can confirm that two of our students died in tragic circumstances this morning.\n\n\"We must all look after each other.\"\n\nThe local MP, Gill Furniss, said: \"I'm deeply saddened by the tragedy today in Shiregreen.\n\n\"My sympathies are with the loved ones of the children who have lost their lives.\n\n\"Shiregreen is a strong community - I know the whole area is shaken by what has happened.\n\n\"My thanks to Police and NHS staff for their response.\"\n\nPolice have said the incident poses 'no wider risk to the community' and pledged to issue further updates when they are able to.", "Two boys have died following an incident in Sheffield which has left four other children in hospital.\n\nSouth Yorkshire Police said the teenagers, aged 13 and 14, died after they were taken to hospital on Friday morning.\n\nThis followed officers being called to property in Gregg House Road, in the Shiregreen area of the city, at around 7.30am.\n\nFour other children, aged 11, 10 and three and one other aged seven months remain in hospital receiving treatment, a spokesman said.\n\nPolice have given no indication about the nature of the incident, but have said it was not a shooting.\n\nA 37-year-old man and a 34-year-old woman have been arrested on suspicion of murder in connection with the incident, police said.\n\nThe Yorkshire Air Ambulance landed in the grounds of nearby Hartley Brook Primary Academy, but the incident is not thought to be related to the school.\n\nThe spokesman said that the boys’ family have been informed and are receiving support from specially trained officers.\n\nHe said: “Cause of death has not yet been established and a post-mortem examination will be carried out in due course.”\n\nDetective Chief Inspector Simon Palmer said: “Detectives and specialist officers remain in the Gregg House Road area carrying out inquiries and we are working hard to ascertain the exact circumstances surrounding this incident.\n\n“We will remain in the area this afternoon and into the evening carrying out inquiries and providing reassurance.\n\n“I appreciate the events of this morning have caused concern locally, but I’d like to reassure you that there is no wider risk to the community.\n\n“We will be providing regular updates when we are able to.\n\n“If anyone does have concerns, please do not hesitate to speak to an officer in the area.\n\n“To allow the investigation to progress, I would please ask that people are mindful of what they are posting on social media, and the potential distress this may cause.”\n\nThe street was partially cordoned off as officers and forensics teams examined a semi-detached house.\n\nThe three-bedroom property is similar to many on the north Sheffield estate, but has an unkempt garden with an old, yellow Ford Fiesta parked on the front lawn, apparently abandoned.\n\nLocal resident Aaron Brunskill said neighbours came out into the street at about 8am to find around 15 police cars and four ambulances.\n\nHe said: “The police weren’t telling us anything. I know there’s children there. I’ve just seen them walking back to the shops and that’s all I know.”\n\nMr Brunskill added: “There were four ambulances. Everyone got took away in an ambulance. I don’t know if the air ambulance was used.”", "Police issued an update on Saturday on the welfare of the four children taken to hospital following a tragic incident in Sheffield in which two other youngsters died.\n\nSix children were taken to hospital following an incident in Gregg House Road, Shiregreen, yesterday at 7.30am.\n\n- > Fundraising page launched for children involved in major incident in Shiregreen\n\nTwo boys, aged 14 and 13, sadly died in hospital.\n\nPolice revealed on Saturday afternoon that the four other children, aged 11, 10, three and seven-months-old, have now been released from hospital.\n\nIn a statement, the force said: “Four children rescued from a house in Shiregreen yesterday have now been released from hospital.”\n\nA 37-year-old man and a 34-year-old woman were arrested on Friday on suspicion of murder in connection with the incident.\n\nPost mortem examinations to establish how the boys died were expected to take place on Friday.\n\nPolice are yet to release further details about the circumstances of the incident and officers are expected to remain at the scene over the weekend.\n\nA cordon remains in place but but has been reduced in size.\n\nAnyone with information is asked to call police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111 quoting incident number 122 of 24 May 2019.\n\n*None of the children involved in this awful tragedy can be named for legal reasons. Friday's court ruling also covers social media comments so please do not post photos or anything that could lead to their identification. Thanks, The Yorkshire Post team.", "Two boys have died following an incident in Sheffield which has left four other children in hospital.\n\nSouth Yorkshire Police said the teenagers, aged 13 and 14, died after they were taken to hospital on Friday morning.\n\nThis followed officers being called to property in Gregg House Road, in the Shiregreen area of the city, at around 7.30am.\n\nFour other children, aged 11, 10 and three and one other aged seven months remain in hospital receiving treatment, a spokesman said.\n\nPolice have given no indication about the nature of the incident, but have said it was not a shooting.\n\nA 37-year-old man and a 34-year-old woman have been arrested on suspicion of murder in connection with the incident, police said.\n\nThe Yorkshire Air Ambulance landed in the grounds of nearby Hartley Brook Primary Academy, but the incident is not thought to be related to the school.", "Children in care are lagging behind their classmates in the East Riding of Yorkshire’s schools, new figures show.\n\nThe charity Become, which supports children in care, said the “stark gap” highlighted the impact of childhood adversity on learning and called for teacher training to provide support.\n\nDepartment for Education data reveals that students looked after by the local authority are being left the equivalent of more than a GCSE grade behind their classmates.\n\nThe difference is based on the Progress 8 score, a measure introduced in 2016 to show the progress a student makes from the end of primary school to when they finish secondary education.\n\nIt is done by comparing their GCSE and other exam results at Key Stage 4 to the average scores of other students who performed similarly at Key Stage 2.\n\nA score of 0 means they are in line with the average, while a score of -1 would indicate they are about a grade behind where they are expected to be.\n\nThe score for children in care in the East Riding of Yorkshire was -1.1, compared to 0.1 for all pupils in the 2017-18 academic year. It means children in care progressed more than a grade less on average than the average for all pupils.\n\nBut it is slightly better than the average of -1.2 for children in care across England.\n\nThe figures for all children only include students in state-funded schools, while those for children in care also include pupils from non-maintained special schools and alternative provision.\n\nChildren in care – also referred to as looked-after children – are defined as having been in the care of their local authority continuously for at least 12 months.\n\nThis means they could have been living with foster parents, in a residential children’s home, or a school or secure unit.\n\nSam Turner, from Become, said: “The stark gap in attainment between looked-after children and their peers at school demonstrates the huge impact that childhood adversity has on children’s ability to learn.\n\n“Most children enter care as a result of abuse or neglect, and for too many, their lives do not feature the stability and support they need to heal from this trauma and thrive in school.”\n\nHe said schools should provide all-staff training on what it means to be in care and how to support children who have experienced trauma.\n\nChildren and Families Minister Nadhim Zahawi said: “The Government is committed to ensuring that looked-after and previously looked-after children are supported to succeed in education, with extra funding to meet their needs through the Pupil Premium Plus, worth £2,300 per child, and other measures such as the Virtual School Head to track their progress.\n\n“We are also carrying out a review into children in need to go further in improving outcomes – as part of this we have already published a bank of extensive good practice that teachers and social workers have identified to support children to thrive in education and achieve better outcomes.”", "Two boys have died after police were called to an incident at a house in Sheffield.\n\nSouth Yorkshire Police said the teenagers, aged 13 and 14, died after they were taken to hospital on Friday morning.\n\nOfficers were called to the property in Gregg House Road, in the Shiregreen area of the city, at around 7.30am.\n\nFour other children, aged 11, 10 and three and one other aged seven months remain in hospital receiving treatment, a spokesman said.\n\nPolice have given no indication about the nature of the incident, but have said it was not a shooting.\n\nA 37-year-old man and a 34-year-old woman have been arrested on suspicion of murder in connection with the incident, police said.\n\nThe Yorkshire Air Ambulance landed in the grounds of nearby Hartley Brook Primary Academy, but the incident is not believed to be related to the school.\n\nThe spokesman said that the boys' family have been informed and are receiving support from specially trained officers.", "Six children taken to hospital after 'serious incident' in Sheffield\n\nSix children taken to hospital after 'serious incident' in Sheffield\n\nPolice at the scene in Sheffield. Pic: Twitter/Hallam FM News\n\nSix children have been taken to hospital after a \"serious incident\" at a property in Sheffield, police say.\n\nTwo people have been arrested.\n\nOfficers were called to Gregg House Road in the Shiregreen area of the city at about 7.30am.\n\n\"Yorkshire Ambulance Service and Yorkshire Air Ambulance have attended and transported six children to hospital,\" South Yorkshire Police said.\n\nThe force added that there would be a \"significant police presence at the scene throughout the day as officers continue enquiries\".\n\nA cordon is in place and buses are being diverted from the area.", "Two boys have died following an incident in Sheffield which has left four other children in hospital.\n\nSouth Yorkshire Police said the teenagers, aged 13 and 14, died after they were taken to hospital on Friday morning.\n\nThis followed officers being called to property in Gregg House Road, in the Shiregreen area of the city, at around 7.30am.\n\nFour other children, aged 11, 10 and three and one other aged seven months remain in hospital receiving treatment, a spokesman said.\n\nPolice have given no indication about the nature of the incident, but have said it was not a shooting.\n\nA 37-year-old man and a 34-year-old woman have been arrested on suspicion of murder in connection with the incident, police said.\n\nThe Yorkshire Air Ambulance landed in the grounds of nearby Hartley Brook Primary Academy, but the incident is not thought to be related to the school.\n\nThe spokesman said that the boys’ family have been informed and are receiving support from specially trained officers.\n\nHe said: “Cause of death has not yet been established and a post-mortem examination will be carried out in due course.”\n\nDetective Chief Inspector Simon Palmer said: “Detectives and specialist officers remain in the Gregg House Road area carrying out inquiries and we are working hard to ascertain the exact circumstances surrounding this incident.\n\n“We will remain in the area this afternoon and into the evening carrying out inquiries and providing reassurance.\n\n“I appreciate the events of this morning have caused concern locally, but I’d like to reassure you that there is no wider risk to the community.\n\n“We will be providing regular updates when we are able to.\n\n“If anyone does have concerns, please do not hesitate to speak to an officer in the area.\n\n“To allow the investigation to progress, I would please ask that people are mindful of what they are posting on social media, and the potential distress this may cause.”\n\nThe street was partially cordoned off as officers and forensics teams examined a semi-detached house.\n\nThe three-bedroom property is similar to many on the north Sheffield estate, but has an unkempt garden with an old, yellow Ford Fiesta parked on the front lawn, apparently abandoned.\n\nLocal resident Aaron Brunskill said neighbours came out into the street at about 8am to find around 15 police cars and four ambulances.\n\nHe said: “The police weren’t telling us anything. I know there’s children there. I’ve just seen them walking back to the shops and that’s all I know.”\n\nMr Brunskill added: “There were four ambulances. Everyone got took away in an ambulance. I don’t know if the air ambulance was used.”", "Police have issued a full statement after two boys died in hospital following a serious incident in Sheffield.\n\nThe teenagers, aged 13 and 14, died after they were taken to hospital on Friday morning according to South Yorkshire Police.\n\nThree children, aged 11, 10 and three, and a seven-month-old baby remain in hospital receiving treatment, but they are not in a life-threatening condition.\n\nA 37-year-old man and a 34-year-old woman have been arrested on suspicion of murder in connection with the incident and remain in custody at this time.\n\nThe children cannot be named for legal reasons and the cause of death has not yet been established.\n\nPost-mortem examinations will be carried out on Friday.\n\nPolice have reportedly said it is too early to comment on the relationship of the children to each other or to the two adults who have been arrested.\n\nThe force said officers were called to the semi-detached house in Gregg House Road in the Shiregreen area of Sheffield at around 7.30am.\n\nBut detectives have given no indication about the nature of the incident apart from confirming it was not a shooting and that it was confined to the one property.\n\nA spokesman said detectives are not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident.\n\nSpeaking at the scene, Superintendent Paul McCurry said: “I think it’s really important that I reassure the wider community that there’s no wider risk.”\n\nMr McCurry said: “The investigation is at a very early stage and detectives are working closely with a number of different lines of inquiry.\n\nThe senior officer said: “I’m aware of wider speculation regarding the use of weapons. At the moment there is no wider risk to the community in Sheffield.”\n\nHe said the children in hospital are conscious, and added: “They are being given the necessary care that they need. And they will be in hospital for certainly the next few hours.”\n\nHe said a post-mortem examination would take place later.\n\nMr McCurry said officers were alerted after an “independent call for assistance”.\n\nPeople living nearby said they were shocked to see more than a dozen police cars and four ambulances arrive on the tree-lined road and an air ambulance land in the grounds of Hartley Brook Primary Academy, which is just 100m from the scene.\n\nDetective Chief Inspector Simon Palmer, who is leading the investigation, said: “To allow the investigation to progress, I would please ask that people are mindful of what they are posting on social media, and the potential distress this may cause.”\n\nThe street was partially cordoned off as police officers and forensics teams examined the council-style property where the incident happened.\n\nThe three-bedroom property is similar to many on the north Sheffield estate, but has an unkempt garden with an old, yellow Ford Fiesta parked on the front lawn, apparently abandoned.\n\nPeople brought flowers and balloons to the police cordon and groups of young people were see in tears.\n\nOne woman laying flowers said: “It’s just so sad. I hope the rest of the kids get well.”\n\nOur daily newsletter - To get the latest headlines direct to your email inbox every day, click here .\n\nDownload our app - You can download our free app for iPhone and iPad from Apple's App Store , or get the Android version from Google Play .\n\nFollow Hull Live on Facebook - Like our Facebook page to get the latest news in your feed and join in the lively discussions in the comments. Click here to give it a like!\n\nFollow us on Twitter - For breaking news and the latest stories, click here to follow Hull Live on Twitter.\n\nFollow us on Instagram - On the Hull Live Instagram page we share gorgeous pictures of our stunning city - and if you tag us in your posts, we could repost your picture on our page! We also put the latest news in our Instagram Stories. Click here to follow Hull Live on Instagram .", "Two boys have died following an incident in Sheffield which has left four other children in hospital.\n\nSouth Yorkshire Police said the teenagers, aged 13 and 14, died after they were taken to hospital on Friday morning.\n\nThis followed officers being called to property in Gregg House Road, in the Shiregreen area of the city, at around 7.30am.\n\nFour other children, aged 11, 10 and three and one other aged seven months remain in hospital receiving treatment, a spokesman said.\n\nPolice have given no indication about the nature of the incident, but have said it was not a shooting.\n\nA 37-year-old man and a 34-year-old woman have been arrested on suspicion of murder in connection with the incident, police said.\n\nThe Yorkshire Air Ambulance landed in the grounds of nearby Hartley Brook Primary Academy, but the incident is not thought to be related to the school.\n\nThe spokesman said that the boys’ family have been informed and are receiving support from specially trained officers.\n\nHe said: “Cause of death has not yet been established and a post-mortem examination will be carried out in due course.”\n\nDetective Chief Inspector Simon Palmer said: “Detectives and specialist officers remain in the Gregg House Road area carrying out inquiries and we are working hard to ascertain the exact circumstances surrounding this incident.\n\n“We will remain in the area this afternoon and into the evening carrying out inquiries and providing reassurance.\n\n“I appreciate the events of this morning have caused concern locally, but I’d like to reassure you that there is no wider risk to the community.\n\n“We will be providing regular updates when we are able to.\n\n“If anyone does have concerns, please do not hesitate to speak to an officer in the area.\n\n“To allow the investigation to progress, I would please ask that people are mindful of what they are posting on social media, and the potential distress this may cause.”\n\nThe street was partially cordoned off as officers and forensics teams examined a semi-detached house.\n\nThe three-bedroom property is similar to many on the north Sheffield estate, but has an unkempt garden with an old, yellow Ford Fiesta parked on the front lawn, apparently abandoned.\n\nLocal resident Aaron Brunskill said neighbours came out into the street at about 8am to find around 15 police cars and four ambulances.\n\nHe said: “The police weren’t telling us anything. I know there’s children there. I’ve just seen them walking back to the shops and that’s all I know.”\n\nMr Brunskill added: “There were four ambulances. Everyone got took away in an ambulance. I don’t know if the air ambulance was used.”"], "summary": "During a police raid, six children are found unconscious inside a residential property in the Shiregreen suburb of Sheffield, England. The eldest two children, aged 13 and 14, subsequently died at Sheffield Children's Hospital; the other four children remain hospitalised."}
{"document": ["Police were called to a property in Gregg House Lane, Shiregreen at 7.30am this morning – and a 37 year old man and 34 year old woman are in custody on suscpicion of murder.", "ES News email The latest headlines in your inbox ES News email The latest headlines in your inbox Enter your email address Continue Please enter an email address Email address is invalid Fill out this field Email address is invalid You already have an account. Please log in Register with your social account or click here to log in I would like to receive lunchtime headlines Monday - Friday plus breaking news alerts, by email Update newsletter preferences\n\nTwo boys have died after a \"serious incident\" in Sheffield which also left four other children in hospital.\n\nThe six children were taken to hospital after police were called to reports of concerns for safety at a home in Gregg House Road, in Shiregreen, at 7.30am.\n\nSouth Yorkshire Police later confirmed two boys, aged 13 and 14, died in hospital.\n\nFour other children, aged 11, 10 and three and one other aged seven months remain in hospital receiving treatment and are conscious.\n\nPolice confirmed their conditions are not life-threatening.\n\n​Officers said the incident was not a shooting and is not related to the nearby school but have not revealed the exact nature of it.\n\nSpeaking at the scene, Superintendent Paul McCurry said: \"I think it's really important that I reassure the wider community that there's no wider risk.\n\n\"The investigation is at a very early stage and detectives are working closely with a number of different lines of inquiry.\n\n\"Our detectives are supporting the family.\"\n\nThe senior officer added: \"I'm aware of wider speculation regarding the use of weapons. At the moment there is no wider risk to the community in Sheffield.\"\n\n\"At the moment there is no wider risk to the community in Sheffield.\"\n\nA 37-year-old man and a 34-year-old woman have been arrested on suspicion of murder in connection with the incident, police said.\n\nThey were unable to reveal the relationship of the children to each other or the adults.\n\nPost-mortems on the boys who died will be carried out later this afternoon.\n\nThe scene is understood to be near Hartley Brook Primary Academy, with the air ambulance landing in the school playground.\n\nA cordon was partially lifted in the area by early afternoon, but officers and forensics teams continued to examine a semi-detached council-type house.\n\nPolice said there would be extra patrols in the area across the weekend but they are not looking for anyone else in relation to the incident.\n\nDetective Chief Inspector Simon Palmer, investigating, said: “Detectives and specialist officers remain in the Gregg House Road area carrying out enquiries and we are working hard to ascertain the exact circumstances surrounding this incident.\n\n\"We will remain in the area this afternoon and into the evening carrying out enquiries and providing reassurance.\n\n\"I appreciate the events of this morning have caused concern locally but I’d like to reassure you that there is no wider risk to the community.\"\n\nAt the scene, people brought flowers and balloons to the police cordon.\n\nOne woman laying flowers said: \"It's just so sad. I hope the rest of the kids get well.\"\n\nGregg House Road resident Aaron Brunskill said neighbours came out into the street at about 8am to find around 15 police cars and four ambulances.\n\nHe said: \"The police weren't telling us anything. I know there's children there. I've just seen them walking back to the shops and that's all I know.\"\n\n\"There were four ambulances. Everyone got took away in an ambulance. I don't know if the air ambulance was used.\"\n\nLocal Labour MP Gill Furniss said: \"I'm deeply saddened by the tragedy today in Shiregreen.\n\n\"My sympathies are with the loved ones of the children who have lost their lives. Shiregreen is a strong community - I know the whole area is shaken by what has happened.\n\n\"My thanks to police and NHS staff for their response.\"\n\nAnyone with information is asked to call 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111 quoting incident number 122 of 24 May 2019.", "A man and woman have been arrested on suspicion of murder following the deaths of two children in Sheffield this morning.\n\nThe 37-year-old man and 34-year-old woman are being held over the deaths of two boys, aged 13 and 14, who were found seriously ill in a house in Gregg House Road, Shiregreen, this morning.\n\nCRIME: Police deny that major incident near Hartley Brook Primary School in Sheffield was shooting\n\nThey were taken to hospital, where they later died.\n\nREAD MORE: Eyewitness saw ‘children in bandages' at scene of major incident near Sheffield’s Hartley Brook Primary School\n\nFour other children – aged 11, 10, three and a baby of seven months – were also taken to hospital, where they remain this afternoon.\n\nPOLICE: Boy, 16, set to appear at court accused of bringing knife and screwdriver into Sheffield school\n\nEmergency services were called to the property at 7.30am and there were multiple police cars and ambulances deployed.\n\nAn air ambulance was also scrambled.\n\nThe house where the children were found is cordoned off this afternoon and crime scene investigators in protective white suits are examining the property.\n\nThe cause death for both boys has not yet been established.\n\nDetective Chief Inspector Simon Palmer said: “Detectives and specialist officers remain in the Gregg House Road area carrying out enquiries and we are working hard to ascertain the exact circumstances surrounding this incident.\n\n“We will remain in the area this afternoon and into the evening carrying out enquiries and providing reassurance.\n\n“I appreciate the events of this morning have caused concern locally but I’d like to reassure you that there is no wider risk to the community. We will be providing regular updates when we are able to. If anyone does have concerns, please do not hesitate to speak to an officer in the area.”\n\nAnyone with concerns or information should call South Yorkshire Police on 101 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555111 quoting incident number 122 of May 24.", "Man arrested in murder of woman found in Delano field", "A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after police launched an investigation in Kidderminster.\n\nThe probe followed a report of a man being found dead at a property.\n\nThe man's body was recovered from a property in Broad Street, in Kidderminster, on Thursday.\n\nPolice were called to the premises at around 10.45pm on Thursday, May 23, following an emergency call.\n\nOn arrival they found a man in his 40s dead.\n\nThe death is currently being treated by suspicious by West Mercia Police, who have subsequently issued a statement today (Friday, May 24).\n\nAn investigation is underway and cops are conducting enquiries.\n\nPolice issued a statement on Friday morning as the investigation remains ongoing.\n\nIn the brief statement, West Mercia Police confirmed a scene guard is currently in place.\n\nA 48-year-old man, meanwhile, has been arrested on suspicion of murder.\n\nThe man, who hails from Kidderminster, remains in police custody.\n\nThe statement from West Mercia Police reads: \"Police were called to a premises on Broad Street in Kidderminster at around 10.45pm yesterday evening (Thursday 23 May) following a report of man found deceased at the property.\n\n\"On attendance a man in his 40s has been found deceased.\n\n\"This is currently being treated as suspicious and an investigation is on-going.\n\n\"A scene guard is currently in place while officers conduct enquiries.\n\n\"A 48-year-old man from Kidderminster was arrested on suspicion of murder.\n\n\"He remains in police custody at this time.\"", "Forensics team working at the property on Gregg House Road.\n\nHorrified neighbours saw weeping children escorted from the house, with one on a stretcher, as paramedics tried frantically to resuscitate him. ​\n\nSouth Yorkshire Police said a seven- month-old was receiving treatment alongside an 11-year-old, a 10-year-old and a three-year-old.​\n\nPolice said they were questioning a 37-year-old man and a 34-year-old woman on suspicion of murder.\n\nThey refused to reveal the adults’ relationship to the children and denied rumours that weapons had been fired.", "LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Lafayette police arrested an 18-year-old man on a murder charge after he entered a home and violated a protection order.\n\nAccording to the Lafayette Police Department, an 18-year-old woman called police to report that 18-year-old Talmadge Jasper had entered her residence on Kenosha Court. The woman has a valid protection order barring Jasper from contacting her.\n\nAs police continued their investigation, they determined an adult male who also lives at the home was missing. Police obtained a search warrant and searched Jasper’s apartment on Eagles Way Drive, where they found the missing man dead.\n\nPolice arrested Jasper on charges of murder, residential entry and invasion of privacy.\n\nIdentification of the victim is pending notification of family. An autopsy will determine the cause and manner of death.", "A Creston man has been arrested and charged in connection with the 2015 murder of Katherine McAdam.\n\nThe RCMP’s Southeast District major crime detectives have been searching for a killer ever since McAdam’s body was discovered in Erickson, a small farming community just east of Creston.\n\nThe 58-year-old woman had been the subject of a missing-person investigation.\n\nOn Friday, police arrested 32-year-old Nathaniel Jessup, who has been charged with second-degree murder and offering an indignity to a body.\n\nThe RCMP described Jessup and McAdam as “casual acquaintances.”\n\nJessup has a long criminal history that includes convictions for property crimes, weapons offences and assaulting a peace officer.\n\nThe RCMP say he has been in custody on unrelated matters since shortly after McAdam’s murder.\n\n“We have worked hard to get to this point, but we recognize that the work is not over as we prepare now for the court process,” said Southeast District RCMP Sgt. Steven Rigby. “Our thoughts are with Katherine’s friends and family, as they too prepare themselves for court proceedings.”\n\nJessup is due to appear in provincial court in Creston on June 13.", "OLD BRIDGE, New Jersey (WABC) -- An Old Bridge woman has been charged with the aggravated sexual assault and murder of a 70-year-old woman.Caroline Beckert, 40, of Old Bridge was arrested and charged Thursday with first-degree murder, aggravated sexual assault in the first degree, and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose in the second degree in the murder of Joann Cullinan, 70, of Old Bridge.Cullinan was found dead inside her home at the Glenwood apartments Wednesday night.Beckert is currently being held in the Middlesex County Adult Corrections Center. She's due in court Friday in New Brunswick Superior Court.Anyone with information is asked to call the Old Bridge Police Department at (732) 721-5600.----------", "Thames Valley Police has arrested a 54-year-old man on suspicion of attempted murder after it is thought a firearm was discharged in Aylesbury on Friday night.\n\nAt approximately 10:15pm, officers were called to an incident in Church Square, Aylesbury, during which it is believed a firearm was discharged from one vehicle, believed to contain three occupants, towards a second vehicle containing one occupant.\n\nNo one was injured in this first incident.\n\nFollowing this, both vehicles involved drove away and later collided with one another in nearby Hampden Gardens.\n\nA 26-year-old man was then assaulted. He remains in hospital with critical injuries.\n\nThe firearm is not believed to have been used during the second incident and officers are attempting to locate it.\n\nThe 54-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder in connection with this incident and is in police custody.\n\nPolice are seeking to identify two further people who are believed to have been occupants in one of the vehicles.\n\n“I understand that members of the public would be concerned about this incident, but I would like to reassure people that we believe these incidents to be linked and there is no threat to the wider public.\n\n“There will be an increase in police presence in the area while this investigation takes place. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to speak to officers.”\n\nRoad closures are in place in Church Square, Hampden Gardens, Churchill Avenue, Carrington Road, and Chaloner Road. A scene watch also remains in place while officers carry out enquiries and examine the scene.\n\n“We have been conducting a thorough investigation into this incident and have made an arrest in connection with it. Our officers are carrying out a full comprehensive investigation, which will continue.\n\n“I would like to appeal to anyone that may have information which could help with my investigation to contact police. I would also like to appeal for anyone who may have seen a silver coloured BMW 330i or a silver Nissan Almera in the area at any time prior to this incident.\n\n“Reports can be made by calling 101, and quoting URN 1618 24/5.\n\n“You can also make a report online, or you can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”"], "summary": "Two people – a 37-year-old man and a 34-year-old woman – have been arrested under suspicion of murder at the property in Sheffield where six children were found. They remain in police custody. A murder investigation has been opened."}
{"document": ["Taiwan's parliament legalised same-sex marriage on Friday in a landmark first for Asia as the government survived a last-minute attempt by conservatives to pass watered-down legislation.\n\nLawmakers comfortably passed a bill allowing same-sex couples to form “exclusive permanent unions” and another clause that would let them apply for a “marriage registration” with government agencies.\n\nThe vote - which took place on the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia - is a major victory for the island's LGBT community who have campaigned for years to have equal marriage rights and it places the island at the vanguard of Asia's burgeoning gay rights movement.\n\nIn recent months conservatives had mobilised to rid the law of any reference to marriage, instead putting forward rival bills that offered something closer to limited same-sex unions. But those bills struggled to receive enough votes.\n\nGay rights groups hailed the vote on Friday, saying the ability to apply for a “marriage registration” - known as Clause Four - put their community much closer to parity with heterosexual couples.", "More than 360 same-sex couples tied the knot in emotional scenes in Taiwan on Friday, the first legal marriages in Asia hailed by activists as a social revolution for the region.\n\nThe government data was released after Taiwan's parliament passed a bill last week that endorsed same-sex marriage, although the measure could complicate President Tsai Ing-wen's bid for re-election next year.\n\nTwenty couples queued at a marriage registration office Friday in downtown Taipei, where rainbow flags were on display alongside stacks of government-issued, rainbow-themed registration forms.\n\n\"I feel very lucky that I can say this out loud to everyone: I am gay and I am getting married,\" said Shane Lin, a 31-year-old baker who with his partner were the first couple to register in the Taipei office.\n\n\"I am extremely proud of my country Taiwan,\" said a tearful Lin.\n\nThe euphoria and emotion within the island's gay community was on display as just-wed couples walked down a rainbow-coloured carpet in a nearby park, watched by families and friends as well as diplomats and reporters.\n\nChi Chia-wei, an activist who brought a case to Taiwan's constitutional court that led to a landmark court ruling on same-sex marriage in 2017, congratulated the couples.\n\n\"This is the right that we deserved from a long time ago,\" he said, draped in a giant rainbow flag that symbolizes the colours of the international gay movement.\n\n\"As a beacon in Asia, I hope Taiwan's democracy and human rights could have a ripple effect on other countries in Asia.\"\n\nSupporters also celebrated on social media, sharing posts with rainbow colours.\n\nFriday's celebration followed a years-long tussle over marriage equality that culminated in the 2017 declaration by the constitutional court giving same-sex couples the right to marry, and setting a deadline of May 24 for legislation.\n\nMarriage equality was backed by the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), but the measure could complicate President Tsai's bid for a second term in elections next year.\n\nConservative groups that oppose same-sex marriage said the legislation disrespected the people's will.\n\nAmerica's de facto embassy in Taiwan called the island's quest for equality \"an inspiring journey and an example for the entire world.\"\n\n\"Only in a democracy such as Taiwan's can human rights and civil rights be protected and nurtured,\" the American Institute in Taiwan wrote on its Facebook page.\n\nSame-sex marriage is not recognized by Hong Kong and neighbouring China, which regards Taiwan as a wayward province to be returned to the fold by force, if necessary.\n\nIt marks another milestone in Taiwan's development as one of the region's more liberal societies, in contrast with China's strongly autocratic government.\n\nAcross the strait, many Chinese congratulated Taiwan's newlywed same-sex couples on platforms such as Weibo, China's version of Twitter.\n\n\"For once I thought the legalization of same-sex marriage in Taiwan would impact on the Chinese government, making them heed our appeals,\" one Weibo user said.\n\n\"But then I found the shock actually makes the government more scared, stepping up their crackdown on us.\"", "More than 100 same-sex couples in Taiwan are expected to register their intent to marry from today when the same-sex marriage bill becomes law, and LGBT activists say this has been made possible thanks to the help of Australians.\n\nTaiwan became the first place in Asia to legalise same-sex marriage last Friday after a long-awaited bill passed 66 to 27 in the self-ruling island's constitutional court, granting same-sex couples some of the same rights available to heterosexual married couples.\n\nJennifer Lu, chief coordinator of Marriage Equality Coalition Taiwan, told the ABC that Australian Yes campaigners significantly strengthened the island's fight for marriage equality.\n\nThe coalition's social media campaign \"What Love Has Taught Us\" was modelled on Australia's Yes campaign, which promoted videos of personal life stories from Australia's LGBT community.\n\nThe six videos made for the Taiwan same-sex marriage campaign — ahead of Taiwan's non-compulsory referendum on same-sex marriage last November — clocked more than 3 million views on YouTube and Facebook in just two months.\n\nMs Lu said the social media strategy was key to achieving the coalition's objectives because its budget could not compete with the deep pockets of conservatives, who spent more than $40 million to oppose marriage equality on traditional media outlets.\n\nAmong 27 countries that legally recognise same-sex marriage, Australia is the only country other than Ireland to have won the right after a public vote.\n\nMs Lu said the coalition sought help from Australia because it was geographically closer than Ireland, and Australia also recently conducted a postal survey similar to Taiwan's referendum on same-sex marriage.\n\nAlex Greenwich, co-chair of Australia's Yes campaign, told the ABC that Australian campaigners also helped build online support groups for the local LGBT community in Taiwan.\n\n\"[Taiwan] had legal battles, political battles and a public vote … which is very similar to Australia,\" he said.\n\n'We still need to fight for more equality'\n\nIn 2017, Taiwan's highest court ruled that denying gay and lesbian couples the right to marry violated the island's constitution, and gave politicians two years to legalise same-sex marriage or see it enacted automatically on May 24.\n\nHowever, significant pushback from the conservatives led the Government to hold a non-binding referendum alongside its mid-term election last November that included questions on same-sex marriage.\n\nAbout two-thirds of people who voted rejected marriage equality, a setback not only for the LGBT community but also for President Tsai Ing-wen, who is hoping to run for a second term.\n\nWhile Taiwan's LGBT groups have been advocating for an amendment to the Civil Code's definition of marriage as exclusively between a man and woman, the Government was forced to draft a separate bill for same-sex couples to appease conservatives and voters after the referendum.\n\nSimilar to Australia's marriage law, Taiwan's same-sex marriage law grants the same legal protections for marriage as heterosexuals couples in the areas such as taxation and social security.\n\nBut it is still seen by Taiwan LGBT advocates as compromise because it limits same-sex couples from marrying a foreign citizen and only allows gay couples to adopt the biological children of their partner.\n\nMs Lu said there were also many grey areas such as transnational marriages and artificial reproduction.\n\n\"LGBT people may still face discrimination and prejudice in their daily lives including schools and workplaces.\n\n\"The passing of this bill today is not an end to the marriage equality movement.\"\n\nMr Greenwich said sometimes it took many failed attempts before a successful one, adding that the setback from Taiwan's referendum would only strengthen LGBT activists' resolve.\n\n\"It's not a matter of how you lose, it's what you do on the back of those losses that makes all the difference,\" he said.\n\nMs Lu said she would continue to use the advocacy strategies developed by Australia's Yes campaign to \"help other countries in the future\".\n\n\"Thank you Australia,\" she said.", "It’s official. Taiwan is now the first place in Asia to perform and legally recognize same-sex marriages. The first such marriages were registered Friday, less than a week after May 17, when the self-ruling island’s legislative body overwhelmingly passed a special bill enabling them. The bill includes a prescription that all the rights and duties Taiwan’s civil code grants to married couples will apply to married same-sex couples. This is a historic victory for the LGBT community in Taiwan.\n\nThe path to this new law was not easy — and reveals Taiwanese society’s mixed attitude toward LGBT rights. Here’s what you need to know to understand how these marriages were won and what it means for LGBT rights in Asia.\n\nMembers of Taiwan’s parliament began introducing these bills in 2003 — but strong opposition from other legislators and much civil society meant those went nowhere. But in 2013, LGBT advocates had launched a lawsuit for equal marriage rights, advised in part by Evan Wolfson, who led much of the marriage equality fight in the United States.\n\nAnd so, two years ago, Taiwan’s Constitutional Court ruled that the ban on same-sex marriage violated rights for equality and freedom of marriage under its constitution. The court instructed the legislature to amend the existing marriage law within two years.\n\nIn response, an anti-gay marriage group backed a 2018 referendum in which voters approved a measure defining marriage as specifically between a man and a woman, and banning revision of the existing marriage code. But the Taiwanese parliament rejected the referendum’s result as unconstitutional, and passed a special law allowing same-sex “exclusive permanent unions” that can be registered as marriages — without amending the civil code’s marriage law.\n\nTaiwan’s back-and-forth between legislature, court and voters is far from unusual on LGBT rights around the world. In some countries, marriage reform comes with or because of huge generational shifts in public opinion. That’s what happened in Ireland, where in a 2015 referendum, 62 percent of voters voted in favor of legal same-sex marriage. Similarly, in Australia’s nonbinding 2017 referendum, 61.6 percent of voters supported same-sex marriage; within two months, parliament passed a same-sex marriage law.\n\nElsewhere, courts have implemented same-sex marriage, often despite legislatures and public opinion. That’s what happened in Bermuda, a British overseas territory with local autonomy. Voters rejected both same-sex marriage and an alternative form of recognition, civil unions, in a 2016 referendum. In 2017 the Supreme Court ruled that under the Human Rights Act’s guarantee of nondiscrimination, same-sex marriage must be legal — but within seven months, after about half a dozen couples had wed, the government rolled back that law, replacing marriages with domestic partnerships instead. After another lawsuit, the Bermuda Supreme Court ruled the new law unconstitutional in 2018. Same-sex marriages are again being performed — but the government is appealing.\n\nGiven how rapidly opinion has shifted in favor of LGBT rights in general and same-sex marriage in particular in most developed countries, Bermuda’s courts are likely to prevail. Generally, the more LGBT people and gay rights causes are publicly discussed, the more accepted they are socially — and the more successful at winning equal rights.\n\nWill there be ripple effects in Asia?\n\nAs a result, Taiwan’s new law is likely to influence communities beyond the island — perhaps by motivating activists in other countries in the region to push for similar legislation. Researchers find that pro-LGBT legislation and case law has strong spillover effects in neighboring jurisdictions, helping to motivate activists and influence public opinion and policymakers.\n\nWe can already see that in Asia. Hong Kong’s LGBT community is calling on its government to follow Taiwan. Legislators don’t appear likely to take up the issue, but judges might. In September 2018, after Hong Kong’s Court of Final Appeal ruled that other countries’ same-sex partnerships must be legally recognized, the Hong Kong government began granting dependent visas to same-sex spouses. Advocates might argue for same-sex marriage rights by appealing to Hong Kong’s Basic Law and Bill of Rights, which guarantees the right to equality. Elsewhere, constitutional provisions of equality and privacy, which many countries guarantee, can be used to argue for legal changes.\n\nYet gay sex remains illegal in many Asian countries\n\nAnd yet LGBT rights remain severely limited in Asia, where many countries still criminalize same-sex sexual intimacy. As we show in our book, the British Empire often imposed those laws on its colonies. For example, Bangladesh, Brunei, Malaysia, Myanmar, Pakistan and Singapore all currently have such laws under the same section number, 377, imposed as part of a colonial-era penal code.\n\n[Not all Christian leaders in Africa oppose LGBT inclusion]\n\nBrunei, a British colony until 1984, recently introduced even stricter laws, based on sharia, making gay sex punishable by stoning to death. The international backlash was considerable; celebrities like George Clooney and Elton John called for a boycott of the sultan of Brunei’s hotels. The sultan was apparently disturbed enough by the reaction that he publicly stated the death penalty would not be enforced.\n\nCourts might undo some of this criminalization. At least, that’s what happened in India. After a long legal battle including several rulings with contradictory effects, India’s Supreme Court ruled Section 377 unconstitutional last September. While Singapore has repealed some of its criminal laws on homosexuality, its government has tried to appease conservative social groups by retaining Section 377A, which criminalizes “gross indecency”, while stating that the government will not enforce it. Activists are now challenging that stance in court.\n\nWhile Taiwan has taken a significant step, it may be a long time before the rest of Asia catches up.\n\n[Don't miss anything! Sign up to get TMC's smart analysis in your inbox, three days a week.]\n\nEnze Han is an associate professor at the department of politics and public administration, the University of Hong Kong.\n\nJoseph O’Mahoney is a lecturer in politics and international relations at the University of Reading in the United Kingdom.\n\nTogether they are the authors of “British Colonialism and the Criminalization of Homosexuality: Queens, Crime and Empire” (Routledge, 2018).", "Tens of thousands of celebrators gathered outside Taiwan’s parliament on May 17, waving rainbow flags as the island’s government became the first in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage. The move comes at a moment of change for LGBTQ rights in Asia: even as nations like India–whose Supreme Court decriminalized homosexuality in 2018–have expanded rights, others including Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei have cracked down. Advocates in the region now hope Taiwan’s example can help tip the scales toward inclusion.\n\nWhile strongly supported by President Tsai Ing-wen, marriage equality provoked strong opposition from conservative and religious groups in Taiwan. Conservative lawmakers had tabled two rival bills proposing same-sex unions, but the government’s own legislation–the bill that passed–includes the word marriage and grants same-sex couples many of the same rights as heterosexual couples. About 200 same-sex couples were reportedly planning a mass marriage registration in Taipei on May 24, the day the law comes into effect.\n\nHuman-rights group Amnesty International has said the law “falls short of genuine and full marriage equality,” as it does not provide equal adoption rights. The law also does not recognize marriages to foreigners whose countries do not permit same-sex marriage. Despite such limitations, the legislation gained the backing of LGBTQ groups, which saw it as the best option available for equality.\n\nChinese state media tweeted a congratulatory message in support of the law on May 18, but Taiwan’s lawmakers rebuked the praise, seeing it as an attempt by Beijing to take credit for the new law while diminishing their autonomy. (The mainland views Taiwan, an island of 23 million people that lies 112 miles off the coast, as its sovereign territory.) The social scuffle came amid a wave of censorship of LGBTQ subjects on social media in China, where homosexuality is legal but same-sex marriages are not. Leaders weren’t the only ones talking about the news: posts about Taiwan’s law trended on the Chinese microblogging site Weibo, attracting over 100 million views.\n\nThis appears in the June 03, 2019 issue of TIME.", "Hundreds of couples in Taiwan are rushing to tie the knot on the first day a landmark decision to legalise same-sex marriage takes effect.\n\nA registration office in Taipei was packed on Friday as couples seized the earliest opportunity to marry.\n\nTaiwan became the first place in Asia to allow same-sex marriage last week in a legislative vote on a cause that LGBT rights activists on the island have championed for two decades.\n\nA Taipei resident who did not want to be identified said he and his partner feel lucky they are able to tell everyone they are now married.\n\nTaiwan’s interior ministry said about 300 same-sex couples are expected to register on Friday.", "Taiwan made history on Friday with Asia's first legal gay weddings as same-sex couples tied the knot in jubilant and emotional scenes, the culmination of a three-decade fight for equality.\n\nThe weddings, which came a week after lawmakers took the unprecedented decision to legalise gay marriage despite staunch conservative opposition, places Taiwan at the vanguard of the burgeoning gay rights movement in Asia.\n\nAround a dozen couples were among the first to arrive at a government office in downtown Taipei to legally register their relationships as marriages.\n\nThey embraced and kissed in front of the gathered press before proudly holding aloft their wedding certificates as well as new identity cards listing each other as spouses.\n\nAmong those tying the knot were social worker Huang Mei-yu and her partner You Ya-ting.\n\nThey held a religious blessing conducted by a progressive Buddhist master in 2012 but longed for the same legal rights granted heterosexuals.\n\n'It's belated, but I'm still happy we can officially get married in this lifetime,' Huang told AFP after signing her marriage certificate, clutching a bouquet and beaming.\n\nLegal recognition of their love, she said, was a crucial step and might help others accept their relationship.\n\n'Now that same-sex marriage is legally recognised, I think my parents might finally feel that it's real and stop trying to talk me into getting married (to a man),' she said.\n\nShane Lin and Marc Yuan, a couple who fell in love at college, were the first to register.\n\n'It's not been an easy journey and I'm very lucky to have the support of my other half, my family and friends,' Lin told reporters through tears.\n\n'Today I can say in front of so many people that we are gay and we are getting married. I'm really proud that my country is so progressive,' he added.\n\nTaiwan made history last week when it became the first place to legalise gay marriage in Asia, home to 60 percent of the world's population.\n\nBut the issue has also caused deep divisions on an island that remains staunchly conservative, especially outside of the cities and among the older generation.\n\nSome 300 same-sex couples are expected to register on Friday, according to local authorities, around 150 in the capital Taipei which boasts a thriving and vocal gay community.\n\nThe city hall hosted an outdoor wedding party at the foot of the famous Taipei 101 skyscraper with dignitaries from Canada, Spain and Britain giving speeches welcoming Taiwan into the handful of liberal democracies that have legalised same-sex marriage.\n\nFor veteran gay rights activist Chi Chia-wei - dressed in an eye-catching red suit with a rainbow headband - Friday's registrations were the culmination of a three-decade fight trying to persuade successive governments to change the law.\n\nIt was Chi who eventually petitioned Taiwan's Constitutional Court leading to a 2017 judgement that denying same-sex couples the right to marry was unconstitutional.\n\nFacing an imminent court deadline, parliament finally passed a bill last Friday allowing same-sex couples to form 'exclusive permanent unions' and another clause that would let them apply for a 'marriage registration' with government agencies.\n\n'I feel very happy that same-sex couples can finally register and be listed as each other's spouse. I am honoured to witness Friday's marriage registrations,' he told AFP.\n\nIn the last decade Taiwan has become increasingly progressive on gay rights with Taipei hosting by far Asia's largest pride parade.\n\nBut the issue has polarised society.\n\nConservative and religious groups mobilised after the court ruling and comfortably won a series of referendums last November in which voters comprehensively rejected defining marriage as anything other than a union between a man and a woman.\n\nConservative lawmakers put forward rival bills that offered something closer to limited same-sex unions but those measures failed as parliament comfortably passed the gay marriage law.\n\nHowever, the new law still contains restrictions not faced by heterosexual couples.\n\nSame-sex couples can currently only adopt their partners' biological children and can only wed foreigners from countries where gay marriage is also recognised.\n\nGay rights groups say they are willing to accept partial equality for now in the hopes of winning later legal battles over issues such as adoption, surrogacy and marrying foreigners.\n\nOpponents have vowed to punish President Tsai Ing-wen and the lawmakers who supported the gay marriage law at January's elections when Taiwanese will elect both a new president and a new parliament.", "KUALA LUMPUR, May 23 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - A leading Taiwanese gay activist on Thursday called on the LGBT+ community in other parts of Asia to take their battles to court after his successful legal fight paved the way for the region's first same-sex marriage law.\n\nChi Chia-wei, who was the first person to come out publicly as gay in 1986 on the self-ruled island, has mounted numerous legal challenges for gay unions in a three-decade fight.\n\nBut his latest culminated in a landmark 2017 court ruling which declared same-sex couples had the right to marry, setting the stage for a law passed in Taiwan's parliament last week.\n\nChi called on gay couples to take similar legal action elsewhere in Asia where the push for same-sex marriage remains slow despite global advances in recent years..\n\n\"Taiwan has taken a big step, other countries will not need another 30 years to get there,\" the 60-year-old told the Thomson Reuters Foundation by phone from the capital Taipei.\n\n\"We did not achieve this overnight. If Taiwan can do it, what about all the other Asian giants?\" he said, a day before Taiwan celebrates the new law with mass weddings.\n\nSocially conservative attitudes prevail across Asia, with Myanmar, Malaysia and Singapore banning sexual relationships between men, while Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim-majority country, has seen an increase in raids targeting LGBT+ people in recent years.\n\nThailand has drafted a civil partnership bill while Vietnam allows gay marriage ceremonies but couples do not enjoy the same legal protections as heterosexuals.\n\nOften spotted in pride rallies draped in a rainbow flag, Chi has campaigned relentlessly for same-sex marriage for over 30 years, sending numerous petitions to authorities and courts.\n\nHe was jailed for five months in 1986 for robbery, an accusation he said was trumped up to intimidate his campaign soon after he filed the first petition for gay unions.\n\nHis latest petition led to the 2017 ruling but conservative groups fought back with campaigns, including at a referendum last year in which two-thirds of voters wanted the definition of marriage to stay between a man and a woman.\n\nThe government later proposed same-sex marriage to be allowed under a separate new law, a move it said respected both the court ruling and the referendum results.\n\nOn Friday, Chi will witness the marriage registration for dozens of same-sex couples, the first among those who wed under the new law.\n\nBut personally, he was in no rush to marry his long-time partner, a 52-year-old who works in a securities brokerage.\n\n\"This is never about me or my partner. I did it because I knew many other same-sex couples who needed the legal protections,\" he said. \"Life goes on for me.\" (Reporting by Beh Lih Yi @behlihyi; Editing by Belinda Goldsmith Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, property rights, and climate change. Visit http://news.trust.org)", "TAIPEI: As they celebrated tying the knot at an outdoor party, many of the first same-sex couples to marry in Taiwan on Friday (May 24) urged Asian governments to follow their island's lead.\n\nTaiwan's decision to legalise same-sex marriage was not without controversy and came after three decades of campaigning by activists against staunch conservative opposition.\n\nREAD: Taiwan holds first gay weddings in historic day for Asia\n\n\n\nIt places the island at the forefront of the gay rights movement in Asia, a continent home to 60 per cent of the world's population but where the battle for marriage equality has struggled.\n\n\"I think this will have a ripple effect and influence other Asian countries, they will see that this is feasible, that it can be done in Taiwan,\" Chen Xue, a writer who married her long-term partner on Friday, told AFP in a Taipei park where newlyweds and their supporters had gathered to celebrate.\n\n\"Even though there might be some unease in the short term, in the long term it will have positive influences on society,\" she added. \"We are definitely setting up a positive example for other Asian countries.\"\n\nTaiwan now finds itself among a handful of liberal democracies to have granted equal marriage rights.\n\nUntil last week only 26 nations had legalised same-sex marriage, sixteen in Europe, followed by seven in the Americas as well as South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.\n\nTwelve others have passed some form of civil union laws, while Israel recognises foreign same-sex marriages.\n\nBut in Asia, Taiwan currently stands alone.\n\nReligious and conservative values remain entrenched in countries such as India, Indonesia and Malaysia.\n\nIn East Asia many conservative groups have pushed the idea that same-sex relationships clash with so-called traditional Asian or Chinese \"values\".\n\nIn China, communist authorities only removed homosexuality from a list of mental disorders in 2001 and the LGBT community faces routine discrimination. Gay rights groups have made little progress on marriage in Hong Kong and Singapore.\n\nMany of those getting married in Taipei said Friday's weddings offered a vivid counter to the argument that gay rights had no place in the region.\n\n\"I want to tell people in other parts (of Asia) don't give up and keep on fighting,\" said Huan, a local celebrity YouTuber who goes by one name, and who married her partner on Friday. \"The victory will come in the end.\"\n\n\"I hope that Taiwan is the beginning of gay rights movement in Asia, not the end, and everybody has to keep fighting,\" said Lin.\n\n\"I didn't expect Taiwan would be the first in Asia,\" added Chou. \"I hope this love can gradually expand to drive other marriage equality movements in Asia.\"\n\nTaiwan's breakthrough came in 2017 when the island's top court ruled that denying same-sex couples the same marriage rights as heterosexuals breached the constitution.\n\nThe court gave politicians two years to change the law with parliament only just making the deadline.\n\nIn November conservative and religious lobbies won a series of referendums, with a large majority of voters opposed to granting marriage rights to same-sex couples.\n\nTaiwan's current President Tsai Ing-wen and her ruling party members may find themselves punished at the ballot box next January for supporting the law changes.", "Hundreds of same-sex couples in Taiwan are rushing to get married on the first day a landmark decision to legalise same-sex marriage takes effect.\n\nOne household registration office in Taipei was packed as couples seized the earliest opportunity to tie the knot.\n\nTaiwan became the first place in Asia to allow same-sex marriage last week in a legislative vote on a cause that LGBT rights activists on the island have championed for two decades.\n\nA Taipei resident who identified himself only by a nickname said he and his partner feel lucky that they are able to tell everyone that they have gotten married.\n\nTaiwan's Ministry of the Interior said about 300 same-sex couples are expected to register today."], "summary": "Same-sex marriage becomes legal in Taiwan, making Taiwan the first nation in Asia to recognize same-sex marriage."}
{"document": ["Judges in Nairobi say they had not seen enough evidence of discrimination to change law\n\nThis article is more than 3 months old\n\nThis article is more than 3 months old\n\nLGBT campaigners have reacted with anger and dismay after judges at Kenya’s high court rejected a bid to repeal colonial-era laws criminalising gay sex.\n\nThe ruling has dealt a major setback to campaigners, who hoped that scrapping the laws would inspire other countries in Africa – where discrimination is widespread – to do the same.\n\nA bench of three judges told a packed courtroom in Nairobi they had not seen sufficient evidence of discrimination caused by the laws, which they said were constitutional because they represented the values and views of the country.\n\nJustice Roselyne Aburili rejected last year’s precedent in India, which legalised gay sex between consenting adults, as well as a series of other judgments across the Commonwealth and elsewhere, and said Kenya should make its own laws to reflect its own culture.\n\nAburili said same-sex couples living together would be violating the constitution and that there was no scientific proof LGBT people were “born that way”.\n\n“Courts should be loath to fly in the face of public opinion,” she added, amid chaotic scenes at the high court, where media, supporters and lawyers packed the narrow corridors on Friday. Some activists wept outside the courtroom once news of the ruling had filtered through.\n\nThe judgment stems from a petition filed by gay activists in 2016 that argued that the laws, which punish sexual acts deemed “unnatural” with up to 14 years in prison, contravene Kenya’s 2010 constitution and encourage discrimination.\n\n“These old colonial laws lead to the LGBT community suffering violence, blackmail, harassment and torture,” the Nairobi-based National Gay & Lesbian Human Rights Commission said after the decision was announced. “They devastate people’s lives and have no place in a democratic Kenyan society.” Paul Muite, a lawyer for the commission – the main petitioner in the case – said it would appeal.\n\nStonewall UK called the decision “crushing news”, while Téa Braun, the director of the Human Dignity Trust, a campaign group using litigation to fight anti-LGBT prejudice, said it was a huge setback for human rights in Kenya.\n\n“All Kenyan citizens are guaranteed human dignity, equality before the law and freedom from discrimination under the 2010 constitution,” Braun said. “Yet in handing down this disappointing judgment, the court has ruled that a certain sector of society is undeserving of those rights.”\n\nHomosexuality is illegal in most countries on the African continent. In several countries, gay people face life imprisonment or the death penalty.\n\n“The ruling sends a dangerous signal to the other 72 countries where citizens are made ‘criminals’ simply because of their sexual orientation or gender identity,” Braun added.\n\nFacebook Twitter Pinterest LGBT activists and their supporters await the ruling outside court in Nairobi on Friday morning. Photograph: Khalil Senosi/AP\n\nHate crimes against gay people – including physical and sexual assault, blackmail and extortion – are common in Kenya, but most victims are too fearful to go to the police, rights groups say. Campaigners say the laws are also used daily to discriminate against LGBT people, making it harder for them to get a job or promotion, rent housing or access health and education services.\n\nKenya arrested 534 people for having same-sex relations between 2013 and 2017. According to petitioners against the law, there have been more than 1,500 attacks against LGBT Kenyans since 2014.\n\nThe court heard from expert witnesses who said there have long been established traditions of tolerance of same-sex relationships in Africa. It had been due to deliver its ruling in February, but postponed it until May.\n\nReform of the law was opposed by the Kenya Christian Professionals Forum, a coalition of Catholic, Protestant and Evangelical churches.\n\nGerald Walterfang, from the forum, said it was delighted with the ruling against a “destructive sexual lifestyle” and called the case “an attempt to sanitise what is illicit”.\n\nA 2013 survey found that 90% of the population in Kenya did not think society should accept same-sex relationships. In several other African countries, levels of disapproval were even higher.\n\nLast year President Uhuru Kenyatta told CNN that gay rights were “not of any major importance” in the country and that laws criminalising same-sex relations were supported by “99%” of the Kenyan people.\n\nIn neighbouring Tanzania, authorities in Dar es Salaam, the biggest city, have launched a series of crackdowns on gay people in recent years. In the most recent the city’s governor called on citizens to identify gay people so they could be arrested, forcing hundreds of people into hiding.\n\n\n\nHowever there has been progress elsewhere, including Angola, which decriminalised gay sex in January. In March, the high court in Botswana heard a case brought by campaigners challenging the constitutionality of a law punishing same-sex relations.\n\n“The judgment is very sad but I am genuinely happy the Kenyan LGBTI movement came this far,” said Bahiru Shewaye, founder of the Ethiopian LGBT advocacy and campaigning organisation House of Guramayle, on Friday .\n\n“As I have said to my Kenyan rainbow family, they are visible and their existence is acknowledged. The fight is not over.”", "The High court has declined to repeal section 162 of the penal code.Judges Chacha Mwita, Roselyne Aburili and John Mativo made a unanimous decision to decline.\n\n“None of the petitioners tendered evidence to prove denial of the rights to health on the basis of their orientation. Only general statements which do not meet the burden of proof.\n\n“On right to non-discrimination, the Constitution only prohibits unfair discrimination. In this case, the language of section 162 targets “Any person” and not a particular group with a particular sexual orientation, as claimed by the petitions,” the judges ruled.\n\nRead:Catholic Run Children’s Home Faulted for Covering up Child-Abuse for Over a Decade\n\n“We therefore decline to issue the orders as sought by the petitioners. The phrase in Section 162 (a) and (c) of Kenya’s Constitution] is clear,” said the judges\n\nThe National gay and lesbian rights commission through Eric Gitari had filed a suit to declare section 162 and 165 of the penal code unconstitutional.\n\nThe two sections, Gitari said that contravened the right to privacy for those affected. The gay and Lesbian Coalition of Kenya (GALCK), the National gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (NGLHRC) and the Nyanza Rift Valley and Western Kenya Network (NYARWEK) are enjoined in the suit.\n\nSection 162 prohibits a person who has carnal knowledge against the order of nature; or has carnal knowledge of an animal.\n\nRead Also:KWS “Sex And The City” Post Sends Twitter Into A Frenzy\n\n“Any person who has carnal knowledge … against the order of nature; or has carnal knowledge of an animal; or permits a male to have carnal knowledge of him or her against the order of nature, is guilty of a felony and is liable to imprisonment for 14 years.”\n\nEmail your news TIPS to news@kahawatungu.com or WhatsApp +254708677607. You can also find us on Telegram through www.t.me/kahawatungu", "The High Court of Kenya has declined the repeal ofsection 162 of the penal code which decriminalizes the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community its freedom to enjoy and express their rights as Kenyan Citizens.\n\nAn apparently hot topic that manifested during the visit of former US president Barack Obama, who visited the country a few days after the US legalized gay marriages in the US.\n\nUhuru Kenyatta addressing the delegation in front of the state house downplayed the subject claiming that the topic is “a non issue” to Kenya’s development agenda.\n\nIn February this year, the ruling on a case filed by the LGBT community in Kenya was postponed by the courts. Judge Chacha Mwita in his ruling stated, “My file alone put together is above my height standing. So, we are still working and hopefully we should be able to finish.”\n\nEven as the LGBT community is shutting down the government over claims that their rights are not respected, it is however interesting that the Kenyan community does not seem to support the mover either.\n\nIf social media is anything to go by, a lot of Kenyans online have expressed their disgust at the move claiming that the “wrath of God will be upon Kenyans”.\n\nQuoting several bible verses and science, it may seem that a majority of the population is not ready to accept the change in society from heterosexual marriages to homosexual marriages. Initially thought to be a majorly white culture, many countries in Africa are starting to consider decriminalizing it.\n\nHomosexuality has been heavily criticized openly, with some section of Kenyans having to separate from their loved ones out of rejection, It may take sometime before the LGBT community is accepted in this country.\n\n Bottom line, sexual orientation should not stop the way you interact with your friends, family, sons and daughters. If it is the same God you are quoting to defend the integrity of heterosexual marriages, John 3:16 for GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD…. THE WHOLE WORLD.. that He gave his life to save ALL. If any fire broke out at your house, your Gay neighbor will be the first one at the scene, your lesbian friend could be the one phone call you would need when burglars come knocking at your door. EMBRACE YOUR FELLOW HUMAN BEING.", "UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet on Friday expressed her disappointment at the decision of the High Court of Kenya to uphold a ban on consensual, same-sex relations between adults that dates back to the colonial-era. The Court had been asked to review the constitutionality of Sections 162 and 165 of the Penal […]\n\nUN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet on Friday expressed her disappointment at the decision of the High Court of Kenya to uphold a ban ...\n\n\n\nSource : http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Appa-sourceTheAfric...", "In what is being described as “a blow for human rights”, the Kenya high court on Friday ruled that laws targeting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people do not breach the country’s Constitution.\n\nThe challenge to the constitutionality of section 162 of the Penal Code — which carries a maximum 14-year prison sentence for those convicted of same-sex relations — was brought before the court by Kenyan human rights activists.\n\nThe three-judge bench ruled that the laws do not in any way violate the rights of LGBT Kenyans.\n\nThe judgment follows a postponement of a ruling in February this year.\n\nIn its judgment, the court stated that the petitioners failed to prove how the existence of these sections violated their right to health, dignity and privacy.\n\nNjeri Gateru, the executive director of Kenyan National Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (NGLHRC) — and the main petitioner in the case — said: “NGLHRC has seen time and time again how these old colonial laws lead to the LGBT community suffering violence, blackmail, harassment and torture. \n\n They devastate people’s lives and have no place in a democratic Kenyan society.”\n\nA Human Rights Watch report authored by Alok Gupta, titled This Alien Legacy — The Origins of “Sodomy” Laws in British Colonialism , found that Section 377 was “a model law” introduced by the British in 1861 and then exported to its other colonies.\n\nThe report argued that many of the countries that outlaw same-sex relations do so “because they once were British colonies”.\n\n“They brought in the legislation … because they thought ‘native’ cultures did not punish ‘perverse’ sex enough. Section 377 was … a colonial attempt to set standards of behaviour, both to reform the colonised and to protect the colonisers against moral lapses. It was also the first colonial ‘sodomy law’ integrated into a penal code… Its influence stretched across Asia, the Pacific Islands and Africa - almost everywhere the British imperial flag flew.”\n\nThe list of African countries that inherited versions of this law is expansive: Botswana, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Nigeria, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Swaziland, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.\n\n“Our Constitution, the supreme and homemade law of our land, should be respected and upheld as sacrosanct,” Gateru added. “The Court has missed an opportunity to help ensure a future free from the intrusion of the state in our private lives, and to turn the tide for the LGBT community here at home in Kenya, and on the wider African continent.”\n\nAlong with other activist groups, NGLHRC intends “to continue to pursue redress through the courts” and will be filing an appeal in the Court of Appeal.", "Several gay Kenyans have been prosecuted in the past few years\n\nKenya's High Court has ruled against campaigners seeking to overturn a law banning gay sex.\n\nThe judges rejected claims that the colonial-era law violated the new constitution, which guarantees equality, dignity and privacy.\n\nThe penal code criminalises \"carnal knowledge against the order of nature\" - widely understood to refer to anal intercourse between men.\n\nGay sex is punishable by up to 14 years in prison.\n\nKenya's National Gay And Lesbian Human Rights Commission says it has dealt with 15 prosecutions under the penal codes in 2018, with no convictions.\n\nBut it had argued for the law to be scrapped because it gives rise to a climate of homophobia.\n\nIn 2016, LGBT rights activists filed a case with Kenya's High Court saying that homosexual relations should be decriminalised. They argued that the state has no business regulating matters of intimacy.\n\nThe case wasn't heard until February 2018 and a verdict was initially expected in February 2019 - but delayed until Friday.\n\nWhat did the judges say?\n• \"We find the impugned sections (of the penal code) are not unconstitutional. We hereby decline the relief sought and dismiss the consolidated petition,\" said presiding judge Roselyne Aburili.\n• The constitution still outlaws same-sex marriage but allowing gay sex would \"open the door for same sex unions.\"\n• There was \"no conclusive scientific proof that LGBTQ people are born that way\" she added.\n\nWhat has the reaction been?\n• \"The High Court of Kenya legitimizes homophobia by upholding a colonial culture of exclusion, discrimination and violence against minorities\" - The Kenya Human Rights Commission.\n• \"We will appeal. We expect that the court of appeal will overturn this erroneous decision which in our view is very biased,\" said Eric Gitari, one of the petitioners.\n• Catholic bishop Alfred Rotish welcomed the ruling. \"We cannot be another Sodom and Gomorrah,\" he told Reuters news agency.\n\nWhat's the gay scene like in Nairobi?\n\nThere are unofficial gay clubs and advertised events in Kenya's cities.\n\n\"The LGBT community in Kenya have created an amazing tribe and culture for themselves,\" says Brian Macharia, an activist for the Gay and Lesbian Coalition of Kenya.\n\n\"There is a ballroom scene, a drag scene - vibrant bisexual community, a lesbian scene. Young people are driving the community forward through social media.\"\n\nGay men also use dating apps - although visitors with international roaming do get a warning about the legal status when logging in while in Kenya.\n\nThe judges ruled that while they respected changes to laws banning gay sex in other countries, it was the court's duty to respect prevailing Kenyan values.\n\nMany Christian and Muslim groups support the current law, and the Kenyan attorney-general had argued against decriminalisation.\n\nMany African countries still enforce strict laws governing homosexuality, in most cases a legacy of laws imposed by the colonial rulers.", "Kenyans in Twitter made Netherlands Ambassador to Kenya Frans Makken take down a tweet expressing his disappointment in the refusal by the High Court to repeal Section 162 of the Penal Code decriminalizing gay sex.\n\nIn a tweet, the envoy said: ““Very disappointing: High Court of Kenya declines to repeal the 162 section of the penal code which criminalizes same sex conduct as this section is not deemed unconstitutional.”\n\nTweeps quickly descended on the ambassador with insults forcing him to delete the tweet.\n\nSome noted that gayism was “Unkenyan” and those fighting to decriminalize the act are just going through a phase.\n\n“But gay people are just playing victims. Just blowing a fanfare to demand sympathy.A thread…1. Have you been discriminated in any way based on your orientation? 2. Have you been required to state your sexual preferences anywhere in Kenya?” Apale posed.\n\n“#Repeal162 is Full of foreigners. There are no actual Gays and Lesbians in Kenya because its UNKENYAN. This is a foreign campaign in our country. The few gathering momentum here are a result of peer pressure. I have been there before so I can STATE WITH CONFIDENCE,” Nduta said.\n\n“To the LGBT community, you can appeal the decision to the Court of appeal and up to the Supreme. While at it, please accept the fact that homosexuality is a foreign concept in Kenya that might take eons to become morally acceptable,” Kimberly Sang wrote.\n\nA three judge-bench of Justices Chacha Mwire, Roselyn Aburili and John Mativo while dismissing the case noted that it is important that cultural values are respected.\n\nIn their unanimuos decision that had the LGBTQ community jittery for the better part of Friday, Justice Aburili said, “Acknowledging cohabitation among people of the same sex (where they would ostensibly be able to have same-sex intercourse) would indirectly open the door for unions (marriages) of people of the same sex.”\n\nEmail your news TIPS to news@kahawatungu.com or WhatsApp +254708677607. You can also find us on Telegram through www.t.me/kahawatungu", "Kenya's High Court on Friday declined to decriminalize same-sex relations, which can carry a prison sentence of up to 14 years, a decision that came as a blow to the LGBT+ community in the East African nation.\n\nThree judges unanimously upheld article 162 and 165 of Kenya's penal code.\n\n\"The petitioners have failed to prove that the provisions are discriminatory. There is no evidence to show that the petitioners were discriminated and their rights violated as they sought healthcare,\" judge Chaca Mwita told the press.\n\nThe High Court judges said the two articles in question did not apply exclusively to the LGBT community and that anyone found in breach of the law in that regard could be punished.\n\nThe articles in question are a hangover from British colonial rule in Kenya and deem sodomy and same-sex acts a crime against nature.\n\nThe lawsuit was originally brought before Kenya's judiciary back in 2016 by pro-LGBT+ rights groups who argued the laws were dated, discriminatory, fueled homophobia and contradicted the constitution, which says all people are equal in the eyes of the law.\n\nArticle 162, which pertains to acts \"against nature\" can carry a sentence of up to 14 years in prison.\n\nThe ruling was originally slated to take place on Feb. 22 but was postponed last minute due to the unanticipated workload on the case, according to Mwita.\n\nThe complainants now have the option to bring the case to the Supreme Court, the highest rung of judicial power in Kenya. However, once there, the case could take years to conclude.\n\nIn 2018, Kenyan authorities banned the screening of the film \"Rafiki,\" a lesbian romance film, and the country's president, Uhuru Kenyatta, has previously said gay rights were a \"non-issue\" in the country.\n\nSome 28 of the 49 sub-Saharan nations criminalize homosexual relations. Gay people in countries like Sudan or northern Nigeria can even face the death penalty for their sexuality, although these punishments are rarely enforced.\n\nCountries like Angola, Mozambique and Seychelles do not criminalize homosexuality while countries like Chad and Uganda have recently tried to strengthen laws against it. EFE-EPA", "Content provided by APO Group. CNBC Africa provides content from APO Group as a service to its readers, but does not edit the articles it publishes. CNBC Africa is not responsible for the content provided by APO Group.\n\n Download logo\n\nUN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet on Friday expressed her disappointment at the decision of the High Court of Kenya to uphold a ban on consensual, same-sex relations between adults that dates back to the colonial-era.\n\nThe Court had been asked to review the constitutionality of Sections 162 and 165 of the Penal Code, which provide for criminal sanctions to be imposed on individuals convicted of consensual same-sex sexual conduct.\n\nHuman rights defenders have long argued that these provisions breach Kenya’s human rights obligations, and contribute to violence and discrimination against members of Kenya’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community.\n\n“Criminalizing acts targeting certain individuals based on who they are and whom they love is inherently discriminatory. It also sends a dangerous signal to broader society and encourages hostility and even violence against LGBT individuals,” Bachelet said. “Denial of rights to education, healthcare, housing and employment can all be traced to the criminalization of same sex relationships.”\n\nThe High Commissioner noted that LGBT activists and their allies in Kenya have fought hard to secure greater recognition of the rights of members of the LGBT community. “My message to the people of Kenya is to fight on for greater equality for all, and never give up. The United Nations stands with you and joins you in your demands for dignity, equal rights and fair treatment.”\n\nThe decision of the Kenyan High Court stands in stark contrast to a series of recent decisions by courts and lawmakers in other countries in all regions of the world annulling criminal laws that affect same sex relationships. In the past five years, Angola, Belize, India, Mozambique, Nauru, Palau, the Seychelles, and Trinidad and Tobago have all decriminalized consensual same-sex sexual conduct.\n\nDistributed by APO Group on behalf of Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).", "The Kenyan High Court today ruled that colonial-era laws criminalising same-sex relations are constitutional.\n\nCurrently the laws allow for up to fourteen years jail for anal sex and five years for non-penetrative sex.\n\nThe petitioners asked the court to declare the laws unconstitutional.\n\nIn rejecting the petition, Justice Roselyne Aburili dismissed judgments in favour of law reform in other Commonwealth countries. She said Kenya should make its own laws to reflect its own culture.\n\nJustice Aburili also accused same sex couples living together of violating the constitution. She claimed there was no scientific proof that LGBT people were “born that way”.\n\nTéa Braun, director of the Human Dignity Trust, described the decision as ‘regressive’.\n\n“This is a huge setback for human rights in Kenya. All Kenyan citizens are guaranteed human dignity, equality before the law and freedom from discrimination under the 2010 Constitution,” he said.\n\n“Yet in handing down this disappointing judgment, the court has ruled that a certain sector of society is undeserving of those rights.\n\n“The ruling sends a dangerous signal to the other 72 countries where citizens are made ‘criminals’ simply because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.”\n\nDespite laws against homosexuality, Kenya is a beacon of tolerance compared to other countries in the region.\n\nUganda just a few years ago considered the death penalty for homosexuality.\n\nAfter a previously more tolerant attitude, Tanzania last year announced a crack-down on LGBTIQ communities.\n\nLGBTIQ people from those and other neighbouring countries move to Kenya as the safest regional option.\n\nThe British introduced laws against ‘unnatural offences’ in the 1930s during their time as the colonial power in Kenya. Ironically anti LGBTIQ conservatives now often portray the laws as defending ‘African values’.\n\nSadly, over recent decades, the scope of the law extended to include the penalisation of lesbianism. The original British laws made no mention of lesbianism.\n\nHowever, in recent years, Kenyan courts showed increase tolerance towards LGBTIQ causes.\n\nIn 2014 the High Court allowed a transgender group to register as an NGO, and in 2015 made a similar ruling for the National Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission.\n\nLast year the court ruled to allow a one week screening of Rafiki, a Kenyan made lesbian film, in Nairobi. Without a local screening, producers of the film could not nominate it for an Academy Award.\n\nAlso, in 2018, the Mombasa Court of Appeal outlawed forced anal examination of people accused of same-sex activity.\n\nPresident Uhuru Kenyatta repeatedly states that homosexuality is a ‘non-issue’ in Kenya, but his government takes no active steps against the LGBTIQ communities.\n\nOpposition to reform comes mainly from religious groups and individual politicians.\n\nIncreased media commentary of LGBTIQ issues and visibility of LGBTIQ individuals led to hope for reform in the country.\n\nQN Magazine | For the latest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ) news in Australia, visit qnews.com.au. Check out our latest magazines or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube."], "summary": "The High Court of Kenya rules against a bid to strike down Section 162 and 165 of the Kenyan Penal Code, a sodomy law. The plaintiffs plan to appeal to the Court of Appeal."}
{"document": ["Wisconsin Man Sentenced To 2 Life Terms For Kidnapping Teen, Murdering Her Parents\n\nEnlarge this image toggle caption Renee Jones Schneider/AP Renee Jones Schneider/AP\n\nUpdated at 6:43 p.m. ET\n\nA judge in Wisconsin has ruled that 21-year-old Jake Patterson will spend the rest of his life behind bars by sentencing him to two life terms in prison without the possibility of release for kidnapping a teenager and murdering her parents last year.\n\nPatterson pleaded guilty in March to two counts of intentional homicide in the deaths of James and Denise Closs, who were killed at their home in Barron, a town in northern Wisconsin. He also admitted kidnapping 13-year-old Jayme Closs and keeping her captive for 88 days.\n\nPatterson was also sentenced to 25 years in prison for abducting the girl.\n\nThe case drew national attention as an intense search for the teenager ended with her escaping captivity and leading authorities to her captor in January.\n\nJayme Closs did not appear in court for the sentencing, but her guardian read a statement on her behalf, saying Patterson \"thought that he could own me, but he's wrong. I was smarter.\" She said she wanted to see Patterson \"locked up forever,\" as quoted by the Associated Press.\n\nDescribing Patterson as \"the embodiment of evil,\" Barron County Circuit Court Judge James Babler said the defendant's crime was \"the most heinous and dangerous\" he had seen.\n\nAs NPR reported in January, authorities disclosed the gruesome details of the Closs killings in a criminal complaint covering their murders; the discovery of their bodies; the conditions under which Patterson kept Jayme Closs hidden under his bed; and her eventual escape.\n\nAccording to the complaint, Patterson, a cheese factory worker, told investigators that he had \"put quite a bit of thought into the details of how he was going to abduct\" Closs after seeing her for the first time getting on a school bus. The teenager escaped when Patterson left her alone for several hours, making it possible for her to find help. Authorities took her into custody and launched a search for Patterson. When he was pulled over shortly thereafter by police, he volunteered, \"I did it.\"\n\nAccording to the complaint, Patterson told investigators that, after seeing media reports, he had believed that he had escaped detection for the murders of Closs's parents. It was through those reports that he had learned the names of his victims. \"The defendant stated he never would have been caught if he would have planned everything perfectly,\" it stated.\n\nWisconsin Public Radio reported that:\n\n\"Barron County District Attorney Brian Wright told a judge during Jake Patterson's sentencing hearing Friday that Patterson would never stop trying to find and possibly kill Jayme if he gets out of prison. \"He said Patterson can never get another opportunity to kidnap another girl and kill her or anyone with her. \"Patterson wrote that he had fantasized 'about keeping a young girl, torturing her and controlling her.' \"\n\nProsecutors did not charge Patterson with any other behavior toward Jayme during her captivity as a way of sparing her more pain and scrutiny.", "BARRON, Wis. — The man who pleaded guilty to kidnapping Wisconsin 13-year-old Jayme Closs and murdering her parents has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.\n\nThe judge handed down the sentence after hearing statements from the Closs family, the prosecution, the defense, Jake Patterson, and Jayme Closs herself. There was no question that Patterson would receive life in prison, but the judge had to decide Friday in Barron County court whether he would ever be eligible for parole, after hearing from the people affected by his crimes.\n\n\"There are some things that Jake Patterson can never take from me,\" Jayme said in a statement that was read to the court. \"He can't take my freedom. He thought that he could own me but he was wrong. I was smarter. I watched his routine and I took back my freedom. I will always have my freedom and he will not.\"\n\nPatterson pleaded guilty on March 27 to the murders of James and Denise Closs and the kidnapping of Jayme.\n\nAhead of handing down the sentence, Judge James Babler said to the families, \"I wish that the justice system could make you whole again. I wish we could go back in time to make sure that James and Denise Closs were never murdered nor Ms. Closs kidnapped. But I and the system can't do that for you. At best it is my hope that today's hearing will bring you a bit of closure to this awful nightmare and perhaps some return to a sense of safety and security.\"\n\nHe said the overriding factor in his decision was the safety of the public. \"You are the embodiment of evil,\" he said to Jake Patterson. \"You are one of the most dangerous men to ever walk on this planet.\"\n\nThe judge sentenced Patterson to two life sentences in prison without the possibility of parole for the murders of James and Denise Closs, and the maximum of 40 years for the kidnapping of Jayme Closs, all to be served consecutively.\n\nFive months after escaping from her 88 days in captivity, Jayme had some words for the man who kidnapped her and killed her parents.\n\n\"Last October Jake Patterson took a lot of things that I love away from me,\" the statement read. \"It makes me the most sad that he took away my mom and my dad. I loved my mom and dad very much and they loved me very much. They did all they could to make me happy and protect me.\"\n\nJayme described how she has to have an alarm on the house now, just to go to sleep. She said Patterson took away her love for dance, school, and going out with her friends. But he didn't take everything.\n\n\"Jake Patterson can never take away my courage,\" she said. \"He thought he could control me, but he couldn't. I feel like what he did was what a coward would do. I was brave and he was not. He can never take away my spirit.\"\n\n\"I will go on to do great things in my life, but he will not,\" Jayme's statement continued. \"Jake Patterson will never have power over me.\"\n\nShe said she thinks Patterson needs to stay locked up \"forever.\"\n\nRELATED: From missing to found alive: A timeline of the Jayme Closs case\n\nJayme's family members spoke at the hearing as well.\n\n\"Jayme no longer has her parents, which were her whole world, and she was their whole world. She no longer has her home,\" said Jennifer Smith, Jayme's aunt, addressing Patterson. \"She lives in fear, doesn't have a normal 13-year-old life, and that's all from what you did.\"\n\n\"You took so much from Jayme. You took her parents, her home, her childhood and her happiness,\" said Lindsey Smith, Jayme's cousin.\n\n\"Thank God, after 88 days, we got answers,\" said Kelly Closs Engelhardt, James Closs' sister, after describing the ordeal. She credited Jayme for those answers.\n\n\"She saved our family, she put the pieces together. And now we need to move on,\" she said. \"We have to go to sleep at night knowing that our niece is finally safe and that nobody else can be hurt.\"\n\nMike Closs, James' brother, said that James and Denise died trying to protect Jayme.\n\n\"Because of this monster Jayme won't have her mom and dad at her dance recitals, won't have her mom and dad at her prom,\" he said. \"My brother won't be able to walk down the aisle at her wedding day.\"\n\nAfter the family statements, Barron County District Attorney Brian Wright gave a graphic description of Patterson's crime in court, going step by step through the murders and kidnapping. He painted a picture of Jake Patterson's character, using Patterson's responses to a letter KARE 11's Lou Raguse sent him while he was in prison. In that letter, Patterson called his reasons for doing what he did \"complicated.\" Wright said the letter shows no signs of remorse.\n\n\"Nowhere in the defendant's answers to Mr. Raguse's questions will you find him expressing any remorse for murdering James and Denise,\" he said.\n\n\"Jake Patterson is a cold blooded killer,\" Wright said. Patterson shook his head no.\n\n\"The impact of what he did will never go away for Jayme and for the families of James and Denise, some of whom you have heard from today,\" Wright continued.\n\nWright wrapped up his argument by saying, \"Jayme should not have to spend one second of the rest of her life having to worry about the defendant being free.\"\n\nRELATED: 'I can’t believe I did this' | Accused Jayme Closs kidnapper writes letter from jail\n\nJake Patterson's attorney Charles Glynn spoke to the judge saying, \"Mr. Patterson severely over reacted to his loneliness.\"\n\n\"Mr. Patterson knows and has accepted that he is going to die in prison,\" Glynn continued. \"And hasn’t asked us to argue for anything else.”\n\nGlynn said that Patterson's isolation led to his crimes, and that he has rehabilitative needs. He said Patterson saved the families the \"agony\" of a trial, thanks to his guilty plea.\n\nJake Patterson did speak briefly in court, saying tearfully, \"I would do absolutely anything to take back what I did. I would die. I would do absolutely anything to bring them back. I don't care about me, I just, I'm just so sorry. That's all.\"\n\nRELATED: Complaint: Patterson chose Jayme Closs at random after seeing her get on bus\n\nAhead of his guilty plea, Patterson said in the letter to KARE 11's Lou Raguse that he planned to plead guilty. “I can’t believe I did this,” he wrote at that time.\n\nPatterson took a plea deal in Barron County that included an agreement that additional charges would not be filed in Douglas County, where Jayme was held. An additional charge of armed burglary was also dropped as part of the deal.\n\nThe crimes to which Patterson confessed began early the morning of Oct. 15, 2018, when deputies arrived at the Closs home in Barron, Wisconsin, to find Jayme missing and her parents fatally shot. A nationwide effort to bring Jayme home commenced over the next three months, but after 88 days in captivity, it was Jayme herself who found a way out.\n\nOn the afternoon of Jan. 10, 2019, she escaped from the cabin where Patterson was holding her, found a woman walking her dog, and asked for help. The woman took her to a nearby home and asked the owners to call 911.\n\nPatterson was arrested shortly after, driving around the area. He told deputies at that point, “I did it,” according to the criminal complaint.\n\nHe was charged in Barron County days later. The criminal complaint states that he told investigators he chose Jayme at random after seeing her get on a school bus in Barron. \"He knew that was the girl he was going to take,\" the complaint said.\n\nAccording to the complaint, Jayme told investigators that Patterson held her at a cabin in Gordon, Wisconsin for 88 days. She was kept underneath his bed, blocked in by plastic totes and weights, and threatened that bad things would happen if she tried to get away. She described Patterson striking her with an object once when he became angry.\n\nOne day, though, on Jan. 10, Patterson told Jayme he would be gone for five or six hours. She pushed her way out from under the bed, found a pair of Patterson’s shoes, and left the house to find help.\n\nJayme was recently honored as a “Hometown Hero” by the Wisconsin Assembly. She also received the reward money designated for her “rescuer” from Jennie-O, where her parents had been employed.\n\nAt a news conference after the sentencing, Jayme Closs' aunt, Jennifer Smith, said: \"I can tell you she has made a great deal of progress… Jayme will likely have more to say in the future.\"", "(BARRON, Wis.) — A Wisconsin man was sentenced Friday to life in prison for kidnapping 13-year-old Jayme Closs and killing her parents in a case that mystified authorities for months until the girl made a daring escape from the remote cabin where she was held for 88 days.\n\nJake Patterson, 21, pleaded guilty in March to two counts of intentional homicide and one count of kidnapping. He admitted to abducting Jayme in October after killing her parents, James and Denise Closs, at the family’s home near Barron, about 90 miles (145 kilometers) northeast of Minneapolis. Jayme escaped in January from Patterson’s cabin near the small and isolated town of Gordon, some 60 miles (97 kilometers) from her home.\n\nIn a statement read in court, Jayme said Patterson “thought that he could own me, but he’s wrong. I was smarter.” She said she wanted to see Patterson “locked up forever.”\n\nShe did not appear in court, and her guardian read the statement.\n\nPatterson was sentenced to life in prison without possibility for release on each homicide count and 25 years in prison on the kidnapping count. The sentences will be served consecutively. Those were the maximum sentences the judge could impose. Wisconsin does not have the death penalty.\n\nPatterson told authorities he decided Jayme “was the girl he was going to take” after he saw her getting on a school bus near her home, according to a criminal complaint. He told investigators he plotted carefully, including wearing all-black clothing, putting stolen license plates on his car and taking care to leave no fingerprints on his shotgun.\n\nJayme told police that the night of her abduction, the family dog’s barking awoke her, and she went to wake up her parents as a car came up the driveway. While her father went to the front door, Jayme and her mother hid in the bathroom, clutching each other in the bathtub, the shower curtain pulled shut.\n\nPatterson shot Jayme’s father as he entered the house, then found Jayme and her mother. He told detectives he wrapped tape around Jayme’s mouth and head, taped her hands behind her back and taped her ankles together, then shot her mother in the head. He told police he dragged Jayme outside and threw her in the trunk of his car, the complaint said.\n\nAt his cabin, Patterson forced Jayme to hide under a bed when he had friends over and penned her in with tote boxes and weights, warning that if she moved, “bad things could happen to her,” according to the complaint. He also turned up the radio so visitors couldn’t hear her.\n\nProsecutors in the county where Jayme was held decided not to bring charges related to anything that might have happened in the cabin, a move that was widely seen as aiming to spare Jayme further pain and keep details private.\n\nAuthorities searched for Jayme for months and collected more than 3,500 tips. Jayme escaped on Jan. 10 while Patterson was away and flagged down a woman who was walking a dog. Patterson was arrested minutes later.", "BARRON, Wisconsin -- The Wisconsin man who admitted kidnapping a 13-year-old girl after killing her parent has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.Patterson was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for each count of first-degree murder of James and Denise Closs, and received the maximum sentence of 40-years for the kidnapping of Jayme Closs.Several family member made impact statements in memory of their loved ones, as well as a written statement from Jayme Closs.\"For 88 days he tried to steal me and he didn't care who he hurt or who he killed to do that. he should stay locked up forever,\" Jayme said in her impact statement.Twenty-one-year-old Jake Patterson is facing life in prison when he's sentenced Friday in Barron County Circuit Court for kidnapping Jayme Closs and killing her parents, James and Denise Closs, on Oct. 15 at the family's home near Barron, about 90 miles (145 kilometers) northeast of Minneapolis.\"There's some things that Jake Patterson can never take from me. He can't take my freedom,\" Jayme said \"I was smarter. I watched his routine and i took back my freedom. I will always have my freedom and he will not. Jake Patterson can never take my courage. he thought he could control me but he couldn't.\"Jayme escaped in January, after 88 days in Patterson's cabin near the small, isolated town of Gordon, some 60 miles (97 kilometers) from her home. Patterson told authorities he decided Jayme \"was the girl he was going to take\" after he saw her getting on a school bus near her home.Patterson earlier pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree intentional homicide and kidnapping.\"I would do absolutely anything to bring them back. I don't care about me. I'm so sorry,\" Patterson told the court.", "BARRON, Wis. – The man who kidnapped 13-year-old Jayme Closs and murdered her parents will spend the rest of his days in prison without a chance for parole.\n\nJake Patterson, who turns 22 on June 17, was sentenced in Barron County Circuit Court on Friday for abducting the Barron teenager and gunning down James and Denise Closs. His sentencing hearing comes two months after he pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree intentional homicide and one count of kidnapping.\n\nPatterson didn't know the Closs family, nor did he have a prior criminal record in Wisconsin. But in the early hours of Oct. 15, he fatally shot James Closs, 56, through a glass pane on the front door of their home and murdered Denise Closs, 46, in front of her only child. He then dragged Jayme to his car and drove her to the rural Douglas County town of Gordon, where he held her for 88 days.\n\nIn an emotional hearing Friday, Jayme's relatives spoke through tears as they told Judge James Babler of the fear and heartache Patterson caused them. For months, they didn't sleep as they wondered what happened to Jayme.\n\nMeanwhile, loved ones grieved the unexpected loss of James and Denise.\n\n\"I still think I’m going to wake up someday and this is going to be a bad dream,\" said Kelly Engelhardt, James Closs' sister.\n\nJayme Closs case: As kidnapper awaits prison, a Wisconsin town reflects on the bewildering tragedy\n\nRelatives also recounted how Denise Closs spent her final moments, barricaded in a bathroom to protect her daughter after hearing the gunshot that killed her husband.\n\n“I have terrible nightmares,\" said Jennifer Smith, Jayme's aunt and guardian. \"Jayme was my sister Denise’s whole world. I can’t imagine how scared she was.\"\n\nJayme was not in the courtroom Friday, but an attorney read a statement on her behalf. She told the judge she felt safe in her home until Patterson took that and her parents away from her. Now she can't see her home or belongings without remembering that dark night. She struggles with anxiety when she's out in public.\n\n\"I love my mom and dad very much, and they love me very much,\" she said. \"They did all they could to make me happy and protect me. He took them away from me forever.\"\n\nThroughout the hearing, Patterson occasionally shifted in his chair and hung his head but showed little emotion, even as District Attorney Brian Wright recounted his grisly crimes in detail. His first emphatic reaction to the proceedings was a vigorous head shake \"no\" when Wright said Patterson would find Jayme if he gets out of prison.\n\nBefore the judge brought down his sentence, Patterson spoke briefly, choking up and saying he would do anything to take back what happened.\n\n\"I don’t care about me,\" he said. \"I’m just so sorry.\"\n\nDuring Jayme's captivity, Patterson forced her to hide under a twin bed when he had company or left the house. He threatened and yelled at her. He once hosted a Christmas gathering for his relatives, who were unaware a scared girl was hiding in the other room.\n\nJayme escaped on Jan. 10, pushing away weighted bins around the bed and putting on a pair of Patterson's ill-fitting tennis shoes. She stumbled upon a social worker out walking her dog, who took Jayme to another neighbor's house to call 911.\n\nAccording to Wright, Patterson realized Jayme wasn't under the bed and \"knew he was f---ed.\" He was arrested a short time later.\n\nPatterson told investigators with painstaking detail the lengths he went to abduct Jayme. He decided to kidnap the teen after watching her board a school bus less than two weeks before he'd kill James and Denise Closs to get to her.\n\nUnder a plea agreement, prosecutors agreed to drop his armed-burglary charge, and to not charge Patterson with any crimes related to Jayme's captivity in Douglas County. That means some details of what Jayme endured in those 88 days may never be released.\n\nThe motivation for Patterson's crimes has remained a mystery since his arrest.\n\nJayme is living with her aunt and uncle. She quietly made her first public appearance in Barron earlier this month and visited Madison last week to be honored by the state Assembly as a \"Hometown Hero.\" She did not speak at either event.\n\nFor Jayme's family, Friday's sentencing is an opportunity to move forward, knowing Patterson will be behind bars for the rest of his life.\n\n“We can be happy again,\" Smith said. \"Smile more. Move forward with life.\"\n\nAnd despite what Jayme endured, Patterson can never take away her courage or spirit, she told the judge. She will go on to do great things, she said – and he will not.\n\n\"He thought that he could own me, but he was wrong,\" Jayme said. \"I was smarter. I watched his routine and I took back my freedom.\"", "Wisconsin Man Gets Life for Kidnapping Jayme Closs, Killing Her Parents\n\nBARRON, Wis. (AP) – A Wisconsin man will spend the rest of his life in prison for kidnapping 13-year-old Jayme Closs and killing her parents.\n\nTwenty-one-year-old Jake Patterson was sentenced Friday in Barron County. He pleaded guilty in March to two counts of intentional homicide and one count of kidnapping. He admitted to abducting Jayme in October and killing her parents, James and Denise Closs.\n\nThe teen was held captive in a remote cabin for 88 days before she escaped.\n\nPatterson was sentenced to life in prison without release on each homicide count and 25 years in prison on the kidnapping count. The sentences will be served consecutively.", "Jake Patterson, the man convicted of kidnapping Jayme Closs and killing her parents, has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility for parole.\n\nPatterson received two consecutive life sentences without parole for killing Jayme’s parents and the maximum of 40 years for kidnapping her.\n\n“The rest of the public deserves liberty and justice,” Judge James Babler said during the sentencing.\n\nSentencing began at 1:30 p.m. at the Barron County Government Center and lasted several hours. The state asked that Patterson spend the rest of his life in prison without parole.\n\n“Jayme should not have to spend one second of the rest of her life worrying about the defendant being free,” Barron County District Attorney Brian Wright said.\n\nPatterson’s defense team said they understand he will spend his life behind bars but asked for the possibility of parole.\n\n“Mr. Patterson understands, knows and has accepted … that he is going to die in prison and hasn’t asked us to argue for anything else,” one of his attorneys said.\n\nSeveral family members read victim impact statements to the court and Attorney Chris Gramstrup read a statement on behalf of Jayme.\n\n“I will always have my freedom and he will not. Jake Patterson can never take away my courage. He thought he could control me, but he couldn’t,” Jayme’s statement read. “I felt like what he did is what a coward would do. He can never take away my spirit.”\n\nPatterson also addressed the court during his sentencing.\n\n“I would do absolutely anything to take back what I did, I would die, absolutely anything to bring them back. I don’t care about me. I’m just so sorry,” Patterson said.\n\nIn March, Patterson pleaded guilty to killing Jayme’s parents and kidnapping her in October.", "Judge James Babler called Jake Patterson the \"embodiment of evil\" during his Friday sentencing.\n\nJayme Closs is the courageous 13-year-old girl who shocked the world when she managed to escape her kidnapper, 21-year-old Jake Patterson. On October 15, 2018, Patterson entered the Closs family home in Wisconsin and murdered Jayme’s parents, James and Denise Closs, who died trying to protect their daughter. He then bound the young girl’s wrists and ankles with duct tape, carried her out to his truck, and took her away to a remote cabin owned by his family in Gordon, Wisconsin. It was there she was held captive for 88 days. She was kept under a bed that was barricaded with boxes, often given no food, water or bathroom breaks for hours at a time. On Friday, Patterson finally faced justice for the lives he took and the hell on earth he put Jayme through, according to Fox News.\n\nWhile law enforcement tirelessly looked for her and members of the community formed their own search teams, in the end it was Jayme who rescued herself. After her abductor told her he’d be out of the house for an extended amount of time, she saw her opportunity and took it. She ran out the door of the cabin and was later discovered by a woman walking her dog.\n\nAlthough Jayme is now free, nothing can bring back her parents who were tragically taken from her. During Patterson’s sentencing in court, a family attorney read her official statement aloud. She speaks about her ability to outsmart him and achieve her own freedom. She also said she believes he should remain behind bars.\n\n“He thought that he could own me but he was wrong. I was smarter. I was brave and he was not. He thought he could make me like him, but he was wrong. For 88 days he tried to steal me and he didn’t care who he hurt or who he killed to do that. He should be locked up forever.”\n\nJayme got her wish. Wisconsin judge James Babler, sentenced Patterson to life in prison and didn’t hold back from condemning him for his heartless actions.\n\n“There’s no doubt in my mind you’re one of the most dangerous men to ever walk on this planet,” he told him, also calling him the “embodiment of evil.”\n\nPatterson kept his head down throughout most of the sentencing and when he was given the opportunity to speak, he took it. He told those gathered in court that he would do anything to bring back the lives of Jayme’s parents and undo the harm he caused the young girl.", "BARRON, Wis. (WFRV) - The man convicted of kidnapping Jayme Closs and killing her parents is set to be sentenced in Barron County Court Friday afternoon.\n\nJake Patterson pleaded guilty to two counts of 1st-Degree Intentional Homicide and one count of Kidnapping/Carrying without Consent in March.\n\nHe faces two life sentences for the homicide charges alone, but before a sentence is handed down, anyone who wishes to speak on Patterson's behalf will have the opportunity to do so, including Patterson himself.\n\nJayme Closs' family will also have the opportunity to read victim impact statements in court, but will also have the option of submitting those statements to the prosecutor in writing.\n\nThe sentencing hearing is set to begin at 1:30 p.m.", "The man who pleaded guilty to kidnapping Wisconsin teen Jayme Closs after killing her parents last fall is due to be sentenced at a hearing Friday, May 24.\n\nJake Patterson faces life in prison. Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald said Closs' family is expected to give a statement at the sentencing.\n\nThe sentencing and statements will be streaming here live at 1:35 p.m. courtesy of Minnesota Public Radio."], "summary": "In the U.S. state of Wisconsin, Jake Thomas Patterson is sentenced to life in prison for the kidnapping of Jayme Closs and the murders of her parents."}
{"document": ["Popular\n\nDrinking culture and American kids\n\nOn America's college campuses, there are epidemics we talk about and those we don't. When sexual assaults or fraternity hazing deaths make headlines, court cases follow and new rules are enacted, but less attention is paid to an underlying issue – binge drinking culture. CBSN Originals explores how drinking to excess is not only considered normal, but cool, and how for many young people \"blacking out\" is less a rarity than an every weekend occurrence – with grave consequences.", "Missouri Gov. Mike Parson on Friday signed a bill that bans abortions on or beyond the eighth week of pregnancy without exceptions for cases of rape or incest, making it among the most restrictive abortion policies in the nation.\n\nUnder the law that comes into force Aug. 28, doctors who violate the eight-week cutoff could face five to 15 years in prison. Women who terminate their pregnancies cannot be prosecuted. A legal challenge is expected, although it's unclear when that might occur.\n\nThe measure includes exceptions for medical emergencies, such as when there is a risk of death or permanent physical injuries to \"a major bodily function of the pregnant woman.\" But the lack of exceptions women who find themselves pregnant after being raped or subjected to incest has drawn sharp criticism, including from wealthy GOP donor David Humphreys, a Missouri businessman, who had urged the Republican governor to veto the bill and called it \"bad public policy.\"\n\nParson defended the lack of exceptions as he spoke to a group of abortion opponents gathered Friday for the bill signing in his Capitol office.\n\n\"Is it a terrible thing that happens in those situations? Yes it is. ... But the reality of it is bad things do happen sometimes. But you have two months to decide what you're going to do with that issue, and I believe in two months you can make a decision,\" he said.\n\nThe American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri said it was exploring \"all options, including litigation, to block the law from going into effect.\" The organization's state legislative and policy director, Sara Baker, in a statement said the bill is \"unconstitutional, and it must be stopped.\"\n\nAlabama's governor signed a bill on May 15 making performing an abortion a felony in nearly all cases. Supporters have said they hope to provoke a legal challenge that will eventually force the U.S. Supreme Court to revisit its landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion nationally.\n\nUnlike Alabama's near-total abortion ban, lawmakers who helped draft the Missouri bill say it's meant to withstand court challenges instead of spark them. If the eight-week ban is struck down, the bill includes a ladder of less-restrictive time limits at 14, 18 or 20 weeks.\n\nMissouri's bill also includes an outright ban on abortions except in cases of medical emergencies, but that would kick in only if Roe v. Wade is overturned. Missouri Right to Life called it \"the strongest pro-life bill in Missouri history.\"\n\nMissouri state House Democratic Minority Leader Crystal Quade said in a written statement the new law treats women \"as little more than fetal incubators with no rights or role in the decision, even in cases of rape and incest.\"\n\nKentucky , Mississippi , Ohio and Georgia also have approved bans on abortions once fetal cardiac activity can be detected, which can occur in about the sixth week of pregnancy. Some of those laws already have been challenged in court, and similar restrictions in North Dakota and Iowa have been struck down by judges.\n\nMissouri already has some of the nation's most restrictive abortion regulations, including a requirement that doctors performing abortions have partnerships with nearby hospitals. Missouri is down to one clinic performing abortions, which is in St. Louis.\n\nA total of 3,903 abortions occurred in Missouri in 2017, the last full year for which the state Department of Health and Senior Services has statistics online. Of those, 1,673 occurred at under nine weeks and 119 occurred at 20 weeks or later in a pregnancy.\n\nA total of 2,910 abortions occurred in 2018 in Missouri, according to provisional data provided by the agency. That includes 433 abortions at eight weeks of pregnancy and 267 at six weeks or earlier.\n\nThe bill also bans abortions based solely on race, sex or a diagnosis indicating the potential for Down syndrome.\n\nIt also requires a parent or guardian giving written consent for a minor to get an abortion to first notify the other parent, except if the other parent has been convicted of a violent or sexual crime, is subject to a protection order, is \"habitually in an intoxicated or drugged condition,\" or lacks legal or physical custody.", "Missouri Gov. Mike Parson signed a bill on Friday that criminalizes abortions in the state after eight weeks of pregnancy, the latest in a series of sweeping restrictions passed by Republican-controlled legislatures that now threaten nearly 50 years of federal protections for abortion.\n\nUnder the law, any person who performs an abortion after eight weeks — which is often before many women are aware they are pregnant — could be charged with a Class B felony punishable by five to 15 years in prison.\n\nThe final version of the legislation does not have exceptions for victims of rape or incest. It does have a carve-out for cases of medical emergencies.\n\nParson, a Republican who has said he would like to make Missouri \"the most Pro-Life state in the country,\" is the latest conservative governor to sign a far-reaching abortion restriction into law, presenting yet another possible challenge to Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 ruling establishing a woman's right to have an abortion. The Missouri Senate approved the measure just one day after Alabama's governor, Republican Kay Ivey, signed a bill that bans nearly all abortions and makes no exception for cases of incest or rape.\n\nSupporters of the Missouri legislation say it is distinctive from the Alabama law in one significant way: It was not written to topple Roe v. Wade. Rather, its backers say, it's aimed at curbing abortions within the bounds of the law.\n\n\"We do not want to run through the courts and try to overturn Roe v. Wade like some of the legislators in other states, like Alabama. We just want to save as many lives as we can while withstanding judicial challenges,\" Missouri Rep. Nick Schroer, a Republican sponsor of the bill, told NPR. \"We want to get as close to the line as possible on what previous judges have thrown out.\"\n\nOther states, including Ohio, Kentucky, Georgia and Mississippi, have recently passed bills that forbid abortions when a heartbeat is detected.\n\nThe Missouri law stipulates that if an abortion within the eight-week window is performed, the woman needs to be given the opportunity to view an ultrasound, but it is not mandatory that she view it.\n\nThe bill, HB 126, known as the Missouri Stands for the Unborn Act, passed both chambers of the General Assembly last week. Under the bill, women will be able to terminate a pregnancy after eight weeks only if they meet the law's definition of a medical emergency, which lawmakers defined as something that \"so complicates the medical condition of a pregnant woman as to necessitate the immediate abortion of her pregnancy to avert the death of the pregnant woman or for which a delay will create a serious risk of substantial and irreversible physical impairment.\"\n\nBefore the bill's passage, protesters' shouts of \"When you lie, people die\" filled the chamber before they were escorted out of the building.\n\nOver more than two hours of debate, Republicans and Democrats delivered forceful arguments about the bill, with Democrats — at times yelling and at other moments sobbing — attempting to persuade the body to reject the measure.\n\n\"This gives more rights to the rapists than it does to the mother,\" said Rep. Doug Beck, a Democrat. \"This law is barbaric.\"\n\nRep. Barbara Washington, another Democratic legislator, criticized the law.\n\n\"This bill is not about pro-life; it is about anti-choice,\" Washington said. \"Any time we are so disrespectful and immoral that we would force a woman to bring to life a child that is the result of a rape, an incest or sex trafficking, we are not thinking about life.\"\n\nOne moment of the debate lit up social media when Rep. Barry Hovis, a Republican and former police officer, shared his own experience investigating rape cases.\n\n\"Most of my rapes were not the gentlemen jumping out of the bushes that nobody had ever met. That was one or two times out of a hundred. Most of them were date rapes or consensual rapes, which were all terrible,\" he said.\n\nAfter a public backlash from Democrats and legions on social media, Hovis apologized, saying he misspoke.\n\nAt a press briefing on Friday, reporters asked the governor why he supported an abortion ban that does not create exceptions for rape or incest victims; he deflected the question.\n\n\"Because I'm the governor of the state of Missouri, and that's what I do. If legislators send a bill to me, I'm going to sign it,\" Parson said. \"I believe in the pro-life side of the issue,\" he said. \"Does it meet what I believe to be constitutional in our state? I believe this piece of legislation does.\"\n\nPresident Trump promised in his 2016 campaign to appoint Supreme Court justices who would undo Roe, but whether the slate of state bills striving to do that will be successful is uncertain.\n\nWith the U.S. Supreme Court now composed of five Republican-appointed justices who may be willing to reexamine long-standing precedent, the high court may someday accept a case that could alter the landmark case, though legal experts are doubtful the court will review such a case before the 2020 election.", "Missouri Gov. Mike Parson on Friday signed a bill that bans abortions on or beyond the eighth weeks of pregnancy without exceptions for cases of rape or incest, making it among the most restrictive abortion policies in the nation.\n\nUnder the law that comes into force Aug. 28, doctors who violate the eight-week cutoff could face five to 15 years in prison. A legal challenge is expected, although it's unclear when that might occur.\n\nThe measure includes exceptions for medical emergencies, such as when there is a risk of death or permanent physical injuries to \"a major bodily function of the pregnant woman.\" But women who find themselves pregnant after being raped or subjected to incest will not be allowed to abort after eight weeks. Women who terminate their pregnancies cannot be prosecuted under the law.\n\nWhen pressed last week on the rape and incest issue, Parson, a Republican, told reporters that \"all life has value.\" President Donald Trump has said he supports exceptions in cases of rape and incest in abortion bans.\n\nMissouri businessman David Humphreys, a wealthy Republican donor, had urged Parson to veto the bill.\n\n\"A bill this restrictive, without the opportunity for exceptions for rape and incest, is bad public policy and bad for Missourians,\" Humphreys had said in a statement Thursday.\n\nAlabama's governor signed a bill on May 15 making performing an abortion a felony in nearly all cases. Supporters have said they hope to provoke a legal challenge that will eventually force the U.S. Supreme Court to revisit its landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion nationally.\n\nUnlike Alabama's near-total abortion ban, lawmakers who helped draft the Missouri bill say it's meant to withstand court challenges instead of spark them. If the eight-week ban is struck down, the bill includes a ladder of less-restrictive time limits at 14, 18 or 20 weeks.\n\nMissouri's bill also includes an outright ban on abortions except in cases of medical emergencies, but that would kick in only if Supreme Court's landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion is overturned.\n\nKentucky , Mississippi , Ohio and Georgia also have approved bans on abortions once fetal cardiac activity can be detected, which can occur in about the sixth week of pregnancy. Some of those laws already have been challenged in court, and similar restrictions in North Dakota and Iowa have been struck down by judges.\n\nMissouri already has some of the nation's most restrictive abortion regulations, including a requirement that doctors performing abortions have partnerships with nearby hospitals. Missouri is down to one clinic performing abortions, which is in St. Louis.\n\nA total of 3,903 abortions occurred in Missouri in 2017, the last full year for which the state Department of Health and Senior Services has statistics online. Of those, 1,673 occurred at under nine weeks and 119 occurred at 20 weeks or later in a pregnancy.\n\nA total of 2,910 abortions occurred in 2018 in Missouri, according to the agency.\n\nThe bill also bans abortions based solely on race, sex or a diagnosis indicating the potential for Down syndrome.\n\nIt also requires a parent or guardian giving written consent for a minor to get an abortion to first notify the other parent, except if the other parent has been convicted of a violent or sexual crime, is subject to a protection order, is “habitually in an intoxicated or drugged condition,” or lacks legal or physical custody.", "JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri Gov. Mike Parson on Friday signed a bill that bans abortions on or beyond the eighth week of pregnancy without exceptions for cases of rape or incest, making it among the most restrictive abortion policies in the United States.\n\nUnder the law that comes into force Aug. 28, doctors who violate the eight-week cut-off could face five to 15 years in prison. Women who terminate their pregnancies cannot be prosecuted. A legal challenge is expected, although it's unclear when that might occur.\n\nThe measure includes exceptions for medical emergencies, such as when there is a risk of death or permanent physical injuries to \"a major bodily function of the pregnant woman.\"\n\nBut the lack of exceptions for women who find themselves pregnant after being raped or subjected to incest has drawn sharp criticism, including from wealthy GOP donor David Humphreys, a Missouri businessman, who had urged the Republican governor to veto the bill and called it \"bad public policy.\"\n\nThe American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri said it was exploring \"all options, including litigation, to block the law from going into effect.\" The organization's state legislative and policy director, Sara Baker, in a statement said the bill is \"unconstitutional, and it must be stopped.\"\n\nMissouri Right to Life called it \"the strongest pro-life bill in Missouri history.\"\n\nMissouri state House Democratic Minority Leader Crystal Quade said in a written statement the new law treats women \"as little more than fetal incubators with no rights or role in the decision, even in cases of rape and incest.\"\n\nKentucky, Mississippi , Ohio and Georgia also have approved bans on abortions once fetal cardiac activity can be detected, which can occur in about the sixth week of pregnancy. Some of those laws have already been challenged in court, and similar restrictions in North Dakota and Iowa have been struck down by judges.\n\nMissouri already has some of the country's most restrictive abortion regulations, including a requirement that doctors performing abortions have partnerships with nearby hospitals. Missouri is down to one clinic performing abortions, which is in St. Louis.", "Jefferson City, Mo. – Missouri Gov. Mike Parson has signed one of the nation’s most restrictive abortion bills, banning the procedure on or beyond eight weeks of pregnancy.\n\nThe legislation includes an exception for medical emergencies, but not for cases of rape and incest.\n\nThe ban is set to take effect Aug. 28 unless it’s blocked in court. A legal challenge is expected.\n\nDoctors who violate the eight-week cutoff face five to 15 years in prison. Women won’t be prosecuted for getting abortions.\n\nAlabama’s governor signed a bill May 15 making performing an abortion a felony in nearly all cases. Missouri’s bill would also ban almost all abortions, but only if the Supreme Court’s landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion is overturned.", "Missouri Governor Mike Parson signed a bill Friday banning abortions on or beyond the eighth week of pregnancy without exceptions for cases of rape or incest, making it the latest state to induce broad new restrictions on women seeking the procedure.\n\nThe law, which takes effect August 28, will punish doctors who violate the eight-week cutoff with five to 15 years in prison. Proponents of women's right to access safe, legal abortions are expected to challenge the law in court, though it's unclear when that will happen.\n\nThe measure includes exceptions for medical emergencies, such as when there is a risk of death or permanent physical injuries to 'a major bodily function of the pregnant woman.'\n\nBut women and girls who become pregnant after being raped or as a result of incest will not be allowed to abort after eight weeks. Women who terminate their pregnancies cannot be prosecuted under the law.\n\nWhen pressed last week on the rape and incest issue, Parson, a Republican, told reporters that 'all life has value.' President Donald Trump has said he supports exceptions in cases of rape and incest in abortion bans.\n\nMissouri businessman David Humphreys, a wealthy Republican donor, had urged Parson to veto the bill.\n\n'A bill this restrictive, without the opportunity for exceptions for rape and incest, is bad public policy and bad for Missourians,' Humphreys said in a statement Thursday.\n\nThe bill passed in the state House last week, but not before a Republican lawmaker said that most sexual assaults are either 'date rapes or consensual rapes' as he sought to defend the proposal.\n\nRepresentative Barry Hovis, a former police officer who took office earlier this year, made the comments while discussing his experience in that role handling rape cases, according to The Kansas City Star.\n\nHe said that 'most of the rapes' he encountered in law enforcement didn't involve 'gentlemen jumping out of the bushes.'\n\n'Most of them were date rapes or consensual rapes,' Hovis said. 'Which were all terrible, but I'd sit in court when juries would struggle with those situations, where it was a 'he-said-she-said,' which was unfortunate if it really happened.'\n\nHis comments drew swift criticism from women and Democrats in the chamber.\n\n'There is no such thing – no such thing – as consensual rape,' Representative Raychel Proudie said moments after his remarks.\n\nHovis, who represents the city of Jackson in the Southeastern region of the state, later amended his comments, telling The Kansas City Star that he misspoke and agreeing that 'there is no such thing as consensual rape.'\n\nHis remarks drew comparisons to former Missouri Congressman Todd Akin, a Republican and anti-abortion activist whose career in American politics ended shortly after he used the phrase 'legitimate rape' with a local news reporter.\n\n'If it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down,' Akin said in 2012.\n\nAlabama's governor signed a bill May 15 making performing an abortion a felony in nearly all cases. Supporters have said they hope to provoke a legal challenge that will eventually force the U.S. Supreme Court to revisit its landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion nationally.\n\nThat state's actions have drawn wide-spread protests and raised fear among those seeking to protect abortion rights, with many saying that a Supreme Court challenge to Roe v. Wade - the landmark 1973 court ruling that legalized abortion - is imminent at a time when Trump has place two anti-abortion justices on the bench.\n\nUnlike Alabama's near-total abortion ban, lawmakers who helped draft the Missouri bill say it's meant to withstand court challenges instead of spark them. If the eight-week ban is struck down, the bill includes a ladder of less-restrictive time limits at 14, 18 or 20 weeks.\n\nMissouri's bill also includes an outright ban on abortions except in cases of medical emergencies, but that would kick in only if Supreme Court's landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion is overturned.\n\nKentucky, Mississippi, Ohio and Georgia also have approved bans on abortions once fetal cardiac activity can be detected, which can occur in about the sixth week of pregnancy. Some of those laws already have been challenged in court (Kentucky's was blocked by a judge), and similar restrictions in North Dakota and Iowa have been struck down by judges.\n\nMissouri already has some of the nation's most restrictive abortion regulations, including a requirement that doctors performing abortions have partnerships with nearby hospitals. Missouri is down to one clinic performing abortions, which is in St. Louis.\n\nA total of 3,903 abortions occurred in Missouri in 2017, the last full year for which the state Department of Health and Senior Services has statistics online. Of those, 1,673 occurred at under nine weeks and 119 occurred at 20 weeks or later in a pregnancy.\n\nIn addition, 2,910 abortions occurred in the state in 2018, according to the agency.\n\nThe bill also bans abortions based solely on race, sex or a diagnosis indicating the potential for Down syndrome.\n\nIt also requires a parent or guardian giving written consent for a minor to get an abortion to first notify the other parent, except if the other parent has been convicted of a violent or sexual crime, is subject to a protection order, is 'habitually in an intoxicated or drugged condition,' or lacks legal or physical custody.", "Missouri governor signs bill that ban abortions from the eighth week of pregnancy onward\n\nJEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri governor signs bill that ban abortions from the eighth week of pregnancy onward.", "JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Gov. Mike Parson has signed a bill banning abortions after eight weeks of pregnancy, joining several states in a legislative movement pushing back against Roe v. Wade.\n\nThe bill was sent to the governor’s desk after the Missouri House passed it in a 110-44 vote. The passage of the bill drew thousands in both support and protest in Kansas City.\n\nMissouri is just one of several states who have either passed legislation or have attempted to pass legislation to combat the current federal abortion law set by Roe v. Wade.\n\nPlanned Parenthood Advocates in Missouri tweeted shortly after the signing was announced, chastizing the governor for his action on the bill.\n\n“He has put the health & lives of Missouri women at risk,” the tweet states.", "Missouri Governor Mike Parson has signed a bill which will make abortions illegal after the eighth week of pregnancy, joining five other US states that have recently adopted similar legislation.\n\nDoctors who perform abortions in Missouri after the eight-week cutoff could face up to 15 years in prison under the new law, scheduled to come into effect on August 28. It does not provide for prosecution of expectant mothers who decide to end their own pregnancies.\n\nThe bill includes exemptions for medical emergencies, when there is risk of serious injury or death to the mother, though no exceptions are made for victims of incest or rape.\n\nOut of the five similar bills that recently passed, only Georgia’s included the rape and incest exemption.\n\nAlabama signed its own abortion ban into law last week, the “Human Life Protection Act,” which will criminalize the abortion procedure outright as a felony punishable up to 99 years in prison – applicable only to doctors. Alabama Governor Kay Ivey signed the bill almost immediately after it passed the state Senate.\n\nEarlier this month, within days of one another, Ohio, Georgia and Mississippi passed a trio of “fetal heartbeat” laws, which prohibit abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, about the period of time before doctors can detect a heartbeat in a fetus.\n\nFederal Judge Carlton Reeves blocked the Mississippi legislation on Friday, having previously struck down a proposed 15-week ban.\n\n“Doesn't it boil down to six is less than 15?” Reeves asked at a hearing earlier this week, adding that the new bill “smacks of defiance to this court.”\n\nA hub of the entertainment industry, Georgia’s law struck a particular chord with American celebrities, even prompting actress and #MeToo figurehead Alyssa Milano to call for a “sex strike,” apparently meant to shame pro-life men out of their politics by denying them sex.\n\nA number of film and television production companies announced they would stop doing business in Georgia in response to the law.\n\nLouisiana has yet to fully enact its prohibition, but two bills that have blazed through the state’s Senate, would do just that. In early May, the Louisiana Senate overwhelmingly approved another “heartbeat” bill 31-5, while a constitutional amendment that would remove protections for abortions more recently passed 31-4.\n\nOther states such as Kansas and Vermont have moved to reaffirm legal protections for abortion, while some prosecutors in Georgia as well as Utah, where an 18-week ban passed earlier this year, said they would not enforce the new laws.\n\nLike this story? Share it with a friend!"], "summary": "The Governor of Missouri Mike Parson signs House Bill 126 into law, effective on August 28, 2019, bans all abortions in the state of Missouri at or beyond 8 weeks of pregnancy, except in cases of medical emergencies. Persons who perform abortion in the state after 8 weeks of pregnancy face 5 to 15 years in prison."}
{"document": ["MADRID (Reuters) - Spain’s lower house of parliament on Friday suspended four jailed separatist lawmakers who are on trial over their role in Catalonia’s failed independence bid in 2017.\n\nThe four men were elected on April 28 in a national election that delivered a deeply fragmented parliament.\n\nCatalonia’s independence drive has overshadowed Spanish politics for years and is a major test for Pedro Sanchez’s Socialists after they won an election last month but fell short of a majority.\n\nThe jailed Catalans’ appearance in parliament on Tuesday, along with a 24-strong contingent of far-right lawmakers, led to a rowdy opening session.\n\nCiting Spanish legislation and advice from the house’s legal experts, parliamentary speaker Meritxell Batet, told reporters on Friday: “Based on all these legal elements, we have to automatically declare that their rights as lawmakers are suspended.”\n\nBatet, a Socialist, had over the past days insisted that the decision, which right-wing parties said should have come much faster, would not be political.\n\nOriol Junqueras, Jordi Sánchez, Jordi Turull, Josep Rull\n\nare on trial on charges of rebellion, sedition and misuse of public funds relating to an independence referendum and subsequent unilateral declaration of independence by Catalonia in 2017. The Madrid government had banned the referendum and imposed direct rule on the northeastern region for a period.\n\nThe defendants deny the charges and say the trial is an act of political repression.\n\nIt was not immediately clear what would happen to the four lawmakers’ seats as it is up to them to decide if they want to leave them empty or if they would rather resign and pass the position to a fellow politician.\n\nIf the seats were left empty, this could work in favor of acting Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez as he would not need the backing of the Catalans to secure a second term as premier due to the numerical shift in parliament.\n\nBatet said she had asked parliament’s legal experts to look into the impact of Friday’s decision on the number of seats.\n\nThe Catalan separatists reacted promptly.\n\n“Denying the presumption of innocence... does not solve anything. From jail and as an elected deputy, I’m still betting on dialogue and democracy,” Jordi Sanchez said on Twitter.\n\nCatalonia’s former leader Carles Puigdemont, who is in self-imposed exile in Belgium, said: “On Sunday, we must respond there where it hurts most: in the polls!”\n\nSpain votes in European Union, regional and local elections on Sunday.", "Spain's parliament has suspended four Catalan lawmakers elected while facing trial over their role in the failed 2017 push for independence.\n\nIn a move that could benefit acting Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, the four men – who are being held in custody – will no longer be parliamentarians.\n\nOriol Junqueras, Jordi Turull, Josep Rull and Jordi Sanchez now need to either vacate their seats in parliament, or resign.\n\nSanchez's Socialists came out on top in last month's general elections, but failed to secure a majority in the assembly.\n\nThe suspension could reduce the threshold of an absolute majority that he needs in Congress, or in the lower house, to be sworn in for a second term.\n\nIf the lawmakers cede their seats to replacements, Sanchez would once again need the help of Catalan separatist parties to be sworn in.\n\nAn investiture vote is expected in the first week of July.", "Spain's parliament on Friday suspended four Catalan politicians currently on trial at the Supreme Court for their alleged participation separatist referendum back in 2017 from taking their seats in the national parliament.\n\nThe speaker of the country's lower chamber, the Congress of Deputies, Socialist Party (PSOE) member Meritxell Batet, told reporters the decision had been made by the speaker's committee following consultations with Parliament and the Supreme Court.\n\nBatet acknowledged that parliament was faced with an \"unprecedented\" situation and that the committee had acted to safeguard legislative power and guarantee the rights of parliamentarians.\n\n\"The speaker's committee of the Congress of Deputies has agreed to automatically suspend from their positions and therefore their rights and duties established in the rules of the chamber the right honorable members Mr. Oriol Junqueras i Vies, Mr. Josep Rull i Andreu, Mr. Jordi Sánchez i Picanyol and Mr. Jordi Turull i Negre,\" Batet said.\n\nJunqueras, the former regional vice president of Catalonia, who is facing hefty charges of rebellion and sedition, was in the general elections of Apr. 28 elected to represent the party he leads, the Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC), while Rull, Sánchez and Turull, were voted into the Madrid-based national parliament as MPs for Junts per Catalunya (Together for Catalonia, JxCat).\n\nOn Tuesday, all four were briefly released from preventative prison in Madrid to take their seats in Parliament in what turned out to be a controversial session peppered with protests from mainstream parties opposed to the decision to include the detainees.\n\nJxCat, the party of self-exiled former Catalan regional president Carles Puigdemont, also welcomed a new senator, Raül Romeva.\n\nAs well as handling the suspension of the Catalan lawmakers, the committee had to analyze what effects removing four MPs from the 350-seat chamber would have on the absolute majority threshold.\n\nOf the nine members of the speaker's committee charged with making a decision on the four Catalan separatist MPs, only two members of the left-wing Unidas Podemos (United We Can, in English) asked for more time.\n\n\"We made our disagreement clear, accepting the decision the committee took on a majority basis,\" Irene Montero, the party's parliamentary spokesperson, told the press.\n\nThe conservative Popular Party and Ciudadanos (Citizens, in English) welcomed the decision but lamented the fact the lawmakers had been allowed to take their oaths in the first place.\n\nAna Pastor, a former speaker who is now a member of the committee for the PP, said 48 hours had been wasted.\n\nJxCat said it would petition for the decision to be re-evaluated.\n\nThe lawmakers in question are among the 12 Catalan separatists leaders currently on trial for charges ranging from rebellion and sedition to misuse of public funds related to their alleged activities promoting and facilitating an illegal independence referendum in Catalonia and unilaterally declaring independence back in October 2017.\n\nThe Catalan crisis, which had been simmering for years, exploded in 2017 with the events that led up to the Oct. 1 referendum on the prosperous region's secession from the rest of the country, which was deemed unconstitutional by the judiciary.\n\nAs a consequence of the disputed vote and the regional government's subsequent unilateral declaration of independence, Madrid triggered a constitutional article that stripped the devolved region from its autonomy, deposed then-Catalan President Puigdemont and called new regional elections.EFE-EPA", "Spain's parliament on Friday suspended the mandates of four Catalan lawmakers who were elected while in custody and remain on trial over their role in the region's failed 2017 separatist bid.\n\nIf the four lawmakers refuse to cede their seats then the move could reduce the threshold of an absolute majority that acting Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez needs in the congress, or lower house, to be sworn in for a second term.\n\nHowever, if the four hand over their parliamentary mandates to like-minded replacements, Sanchez would still need the help of Catalan separatist parties to be sworn in during an investiture vote expected in the first week of July.\n\nHis Socialists came top in a general election last month but failed to secure a majority in the assembly.\n\nThe mandates of Oriol Junqueras, Jordi Turull, Josep Rull and Jordi Sanchez were automatically suspended because they are being held in custody while on trial in the Supreme Court, parliament speaker Meritxell Batet told a news conference.\n\nShe said she had asked for a report to clarify what the threshold for an absolute majority will be in this case.\n\nThe four men have been charged with rebellion for organising a banned independence referendum which was followed by a short-lived declaration of independence, sparking Spain's worst political crisis in decades.\n\nThe first three have also been charged with embezzlement of public money to stage the referendum, which was marred by a violent police crackdown.\n\nCatalan senator Raul Romeva, who is also on trial for rebellion and embezzlement, was expected to be suspended later by the Senate, parliament's upper house.\n\nThe Supreme Court allowed the five Catalan leaders to temporarily leave jail on Tuesday to be sworn in along with other newly-elected lawmakers.\n\nThey are among 12 Catalan leaders to go on trial since February, with a ruling in the highly sensitive proceedings expected during the second half of the year.\n\nJunqueras, a former Catalan vice-president who heads the separatist ERC party, is the lead candidate in Sunday's European Parliament election for a European regionalist party that defends the right to self-determination, the European Free Alliance.\n\nHis rival, former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont who fled to Belgium after the failed independence declaration, will also stand in the European elections as the leading candidate for his Junts per Catalunya (JxCat), the other main separatist party.\n\nThe two hope to use their positions in the European Parliament to denounce what they consider to be Madrid's heavy-handed repression.\n\n\"We have been suspended in Spain but they can't do it in Europe!,\" Junqueras tweeted.\n\n\"A political prisoner entering the European Parliament is the best way to denounce the repression of the Spanish State.\"\n\nConservative parties, including upstart far-right party Vox which won seats in parliament for the first time last month, accuse Sanchez and his left-wing allies of preparing to make concessions to the separatists in exchange for support in parliament.\n\nSanchez argues he is only seeking dialogue with the separatists in the hope of defusing the Catalan crisis.\n\nA poll published on May 10 by the Catalan government's CEO survey institute showed that slightly more Catalans were against independence than were in favour -- the first time that has been the case since June 2017.", "Madrid: Spain’s parliament suspended on Friday the mandates of four Catalan lawmakers who were elected while in custody and on trial over their role in the failed 2017 separatist bid.\n\n The expected move could reduce the threshold of an absolute majority that acting Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez needs in the congress, or lower house, to be sworn in for a second term.\n\n His Socialists came top in a general election last month but failed to secure a majority in the assembly.\n\n However, if the four lawmakers cede their seats to replacements, Sanchez would once again need the help of Catalan separatist parties to be sworn in during an investiture vote expected in the first week of July. The mandates of Oriol Junqueras, Jordi Turull, Josep Rull and Jordi Sanchez were automatically suspended because they are being held in custody while on trial in the Supreme Court, parliament speaker Meritxell Batet told a news conference. She said she had asked for a report to clarify what the threshold for an absolute majority will be in this case.\n\n The four men have been charged with rebellion for organising a banned independence referendum which was followed by a short-lived declaration of independence, sparking Spain’s worst political crisis in decades.\n\n The first three have also been charged with embezzlement of public money to stage the referendum, which was marred by a violent police crackdown.\n\n Catalan senator Raul Romeva, who is also on trial for rebellion and embezzlement, was expected to be suspended later by the Senate, parliament’s upper house. — AFP", "The lower chamber of Spain's parliament on Friday suspended Oriol Junqueras and three colleagues from their recently gained seats as national lawmakers because they are currently in jail during an ongoing trial in Spain's Supreme Court.\n\nThey face up to 25 years in prison for rebellion charges that stem from a banned referendum and an independence declaration made by the separatist-controlled Catalan government in late 2017.\n\nBut Junqueras is also running for the European Parliament in elections that take place on Sunday, and polls say that he and his former boss, Carles Puigdemont, who unlike Junqueras fled the country to avoid arrest, have a chance of being elected.\n\nEven so, the Catalan separatists face several legal hurdles to be sworn in as European lawmakers.\n\n\"The sole fact that a European lawmaker and a candidate to the presidency of the European Commission is a political prisoner of one of the European Union's member states is a very powerful message in favour of democracy, fundamental rights and freedoms not only in Catalonia but in all Europe,\" Junqueras told The Associated Press on Friday.\n\nThe Spanish government has repeatedly rejected the term \"political prisoner\" to refer to the prosecuted Catalan separatists, pointing out that they were jailed by independent courts according to legal provisions in the country.\n\nThe government also often reiterates that political parties openly advocating for secession are legal in the country, but the only way to achieve independence for a region like northeastern Catalonia is by reforming the country's 1978 constitution, which currently prohibits the secession of a region unless all Spaniards vote on it.\n\nJunqueras spoke via video conference from a jail on the outskirts of Madrid shortly before the widely expected announcement that he would be suspended as a Spanish lawmaker.\n\nSpeaker Meritxell Batet announced that the governing body of the Congress of Deputies had ruled for the suspension in line with the country's criminal code, which bans those indicted for rebellion or terrorism-related charges and in preventive custody from holding public office.\n\nThe ruling also applies to Josep Rull, Jordi Sanchez and Jordi Turull, with the four belonging to Puigdemont's conservative JxCat party. Spain's Supreme Court granted them permission earlier this week to attend — escorted by police — the opening parliamentary sessions of the new legislative term.\n\nThe four politicians as well as Raul Romeva — who won a seat in the Senate — were elected last month in the vote that saw caretaker Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's Socialist party win the most seats but fall well short of a majority.\n\nJunqueras, the 50-year-old former vice-president of the Catalan regional government, who was previously a European lawmaker between 2009 and 2012, told AP that Friday's suspension in Spain doesn't affect him because he was planning to give up his seat anyway: members of the European Parliament can't hold certain public offices in their home countries.\n\nJunqueras is the lead candidate in the European elections of Ahora Republicans, a coalition of a Catalan and other small regionalist parties in Spain.\n\nJunqueras said he hopes Spain's Supreme Court will allow him to travel to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, for the opening session in July.\n\n\"For me, it will be a pleasure to return to the European Parliament,\" he said, because that would allow him rejoin former colleagues in the bloc's assembly and \"explain to them firsthand the deep injustice that innocent people are in prison.\"\n\nWhile Junqueras said that if his attempt to become a European lawmaker is blocked he will appeal it in court, Puigdemont faces even greater potential challenges to join him in the continental legislature.\n\nAccording to an internal report by the European Parliament's legal services that the AP has had access to, Puigdemont would have to return to Spain to be officially included in the list of its elected European lawmakers and thereby face arrest.\n\nDespite the chaos caused by the Brexit referendum in the U.K., Junqueras is not wavering in his belief that the solution to the Catalan question is a regional vote on independence.\n\nElection results and polls indicate that the 7.5 million residents of the Catalonia region are roughly split down the middle by the secession question.", "The Spanish parliament suspended on Friday the lawmaker rights of the four jailed Catalan members of parliament while they face trial over the region's failed 2017 independence bid.\n\nThe ruling socialist party PSOE, the conservative Popular Party and the centrists of Ciudadanos voted in favour of the decision, while left-wing Podemos voted against.\n\nThe announcement was made by lower House speaker Meritxell Batet on behalf of the parliament's governing body.\n\nCatalonia's regional vice president Oriol Junqueras, who is among the jailed MPs, immediately denounced the move.\n\n\"We have been suspended in Spain but they can not do this in Europe,\" Junqueras wrote on Twitter with reference to ongoing EU elections.\n\n\"A political prisoner entering the European Parliament is the best way to denounce the repression of the Spanish State,\" Junqueras continued.\n\nIt was not immediately clear what would happen to the seats as it's up to the four lawmakers to decide if they want to leave them empty for now or if they would rather resign and pass the position to a fellow politician.\n\nIf the seats are left empty, the total number of lawmakers would drop which, in a deeply fragmented parliament, may work in favour of acting Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez who could then be reelected without the backing of the Catalans.\n\nOriol Junqueras and fellow separatists Josep Rull, Jordi Turull and Jordi Sànchez won seats during Spain's April 2019 general election. Raül Romeva, meanwhile, won a seat in Spain's senate.\n\nThey are currently being held in prison, awaiting trial on rebellion, sedition and embezzlement charges. It is linked to their role in the 2017 Catalan independence referendum, which Madrid later declared illegal.\n\nIn an unprecedented move on Monday, five Catalan leaders were allowed out of prison on Tuesday to be sworn in at the opening of the Spanish Parliament.\n\nBut the Spanish Supreme Court recommended to the parliament's governing body to suspend the jailed MPs during their detention. Under Parliamentary rules, any member placed in temporary detention is automatically suspended.", "suspended Friday the mandates of four Catalan lawmakers who were elected while in custody and on trial over their role in the failed 2017 separatist bid.\n\nThe expected move could reduce the threshold of an absolute majority that needs in the congress, or lower house, for a second term.\n\nHis came top in a last month but failed to secure a majority in the assembly.\n\nHowever, if the four lawmakers cede their seats to replacements, Sanchez would once again need the help of Catalan separatist parties during an investiture vote expected in the first week of July.\n\nThe mandates of Oriol Junqueras, Jordi Turull, and were automatically suspended because they are being held in custody while on trial in the Supreme Court, told a conference.\n\nShe said she had asked for a report to clarify what the threshold for an absolute majority will be in this case.\n\nThe four men have been charged with rebellion for organising a banned independence referendum which was followed by a short-lived declaration of independence, sparking Spain's worst political crisis in decades.\n\nThe first three have also been charged with embezzlement of public money to stage the referendum, which was marred by a violent police crackdown.\n\nCatalan Raul Romeva, who is also on trial for rebellion and embezzlement, was expected to be suspended later by the Senate, parliament's upper house.\n\nThe allowed the five Catalan leaders to temporarily leave jail on Tuesday along with other newly-elected lawmakers.\n\nThey are among 12 Catalan leaders to go on trial since February, with a ruling in the highly sensitive proceedings expected during the second half of the year.\n\nJunqueras, a former Catalan who heads the separatist ERC party, is the lead candidate in Sunday's European for a European regionalist party that defends the right to self-determination, the\n\nHis rival, former Catalan who fled to after the failed independence declaration, will also stand in the European elections as the leading candidate for his Junts per Catalunya (JxCat), the other main separatist party.\n\nThe two hope to use their positions in the to denounce what they consider to be Madrid's heavy-handed repression.\n\nConservative parties, including upstart far-right party Vox which won seats in parliament for the first time last month, accuse Sanchez and his left-wing allies of preparing to make concessions to the separatists in exchange for support in parliament.\n\nSanchez argues he is only seeking dialogue with the separatists in the hope of defusing the Catalan crisis.", "The lower chamber of Spain's Parliament has suspended four Catalan separatist politicians from their recently gained positions as national lawmakers because they are currently in jail during an ongoing trial for rebellion and other charges.\n\nSpeaker Meritxell Batet says that the governing body of the Congress of Deputies ruled on Friday to suspend the former Vice President of the Catalonia region, Oriol Junqueras, and three more pro-independence leaders in line with the country's criminal code.\n\nThe four politicians, and a fifth who won a seat in the Senate, were elected last month. Spain's Supreme Court granted them permission earlier this week to attend the opening parliamentary sessions of the new legislative term, escorted by police.\n\nJunqueras is also a candidate for the European Parliament in elections that take place on Sunday in Spain.", "MADRID (AP) — A fragmented Spanish Parliament convened Tuesday after last month’s inconclusive general election, including for the first time Catalan politicians released from pre-trial detention for the occasion, as well as two dozen lawmakers…\n\nMADRID (AP) — A fragmented Spanish Parliament convened Tuesday after last month’s inconclusive general election, including for the first time Catalan politicians released from pre-trial detention for the occasion, as well as two dozen lawmakers from an upstart far-right party.\n\nSocialist leader Pedro Sánchez won the national election but fell short of enough seats to form a government on his own. He has put off negotiations on governing alliances until after the European ballot concludes on Sunday, which in Spain coincides with votes to elect local councils and a dozen regional governments.\n\nEscorted by police, four separatists on trial for Catalonia’s 2017 secession attempt, including former Catalan regional Vice President Oriol Junqueras, appeared in the Congress of Deputies, while former Catalan regional minister for international relations Raül Romeva was ferried to the Senate from a jail some 40 kilometers outside of Madrid.\n\nThe Supreme Court has allowed them to attend the opening sessions in Madrid but they are likely to be barred from future meetings by the chambers’ governing bodies elected on Tuesday.\n\nDressed in suits and exchanging embraces and greetings with other lawmakers, Junqueras and the three others took seats in the Congress of Deputies among political opponents, including two far-right Vox party deputies who are also prosecutors in their ongoing trial for rebellion and other charges that could land them in prison for decades.\n\nVox is the first parliamentary party that openly espouses Spanish nationalism since dictator Gen. Francisco Franco died in 1975. It wants to use its 24 seats among the 350 lower house lawmakers to propose legal reforms on abortion, violence against women and migration.\n\nThe eruption of Vox in the late April election split the right-wing vote into three groups, which together fell short of the 176 majority. As a result, competition for the leadership of the opposition has intensified between two parties — the once-dominant conservative Popular Party and the center-right Citizens.\n\nThe Socialists were the leading party in the election with 123 seats. But with Citizens ruling out any pacts to support a Socialist administration, Sánchez’s efforts to form a government are centered on the anti-austerity Unidas Podemos, which holds 42 seats, and some other smaller groups.\n\nThose votes were key on Tuesday in the election of Socialist lawmakers from Catalonia was speakers of both houses: Meritxell Batet in the Congress of Deputies and Manuel Cruz in the Senate.\n\nSánchez said they had been proposed because both are “loyal to Spain” and because they have shown “an unwavering vocation for dialogue.”\n\n“They are Catalans at the service of Spain and Spaniards at the service of Catalonia,” the prime minister told his Socialist lawmakers.\n\nThe speakers’ first task will be meeting with their governing bodies and deciding whether to suspend the elected separatist lawmakers because they are in jail while awaiting trial.\n\nTuesday’s unconventional session provided a number of odd situations to satisfy media camera lenses. Vox’s deputies chose to take seats that in past sessions had been occupied by the Socialists, placing the far-right party’s leader, Santiago Abascal, right behind Sánchez and other members of the Socialists’ caretaker government.\n\nSánchez greeted Abascal with a handshake. The Socialist leader also shook hands with Junqueras, who has become a symbol for pro-independence supporters in the northeastern Catalonia region.\n\nTwo Socialist lawmakers also made the rounds on social media when they posed near Abascal in T-shirts bearing an emoji with the rainbow flag. The icon has become popular and has been dubbed “Gaysper” after Vox used it during last month’s general election to target defenders of gay rights in a viral tweet.\n\nCopyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed."], "summary": "The Board of the Congress of Deputies suspends Jordi Turull, Josep Rull, Oriol Junqueras and Jordi Sànchez Catalan leaders elected lawmakers due to they judicial situation."}
{"document": ["The Latest on the four-day voting in the European Union to fill the 751-seat European Parliament (all times local):\n\nPolls have opened for the European Parliament elections in the Czech Republic, with a centrist party led by populist Prime Minister Andrej Babis expected to win despite the fraud charges he faces involving European Union funds.\n\nThe Czechs on Friday opened their two-day ballot for their country's 21 seats in the 751-seat European Parliament. Voters in the Netherlands and Britain on Thursday kicked off four days of voting across the 28-nation bloc.\n\nBabis' ANO (YES) movement is predicted to win up to 25% of the vote, followed by the moderate euroskeptic Civic Democratic Party and the pro-European Pirate party.\n\nBabis wants his country to remain in the bloc but is calling for EU reforms.\n\nThe country's most ardent anti-EU group, the Freedom and Direct Democracy party, is predicted to win around 10% of the vote and capture its first seats in the EU legislature.\n\nProtesters are holding rallies in several European Union countries to demand tougher action against global warming, as the 28-nation bloc votes to fill the European Parliament.\n\nThousands attended a rally Friday in Berlin, where mostly young people waved banners with slogans such as \"There is no planet B\" or \"Plant trees, save the bees, clean the seas.\"\n\nMany protesters will be too young to vote when Germans cast ballots Sunday in the European Parliament election, but are pressing family and older friends to consider the world's long-term future.\n\nClara Kirchhoff said the election for the EU's 751-seat assembly was particularly important for tackling climate change on a continental level.\n\nThe 17-year-old says \"there's no point in Germany doing a lot for the climate and others not pulling their weight\n\nIreland is going to the polls to kick off the second day of European Union elections which have already caused a stir in the Netherlands.\n\nAccording to a surprise Ipsos exit forecast late Thursday, the Dutch Labor Party of European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans will become the country's biggest party in the European Parliament.\n\nBritain also voted on Thursday, and in neighboring Ireland polls opened Friday morning. The Czech Republic was set to open two days of voting in the early afternoon.\n\nBy Sunday night, all 28 nations will have voted and results will start to come in. The vote is seen as a battle between pro-EU parties and those who seek to wrest power from the EU and back to national capitals.\n\nPro-European Dutch parties were predicted to win most of the country's seats in the European Parliament, with right-wing populist opponents of the European Union managing to take only four of the nation's 26 seats.\n\nIn a surprise forecast, the Dutch Labor Party of European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans on Thursday became the country's biggest party in the 751-seat European Parliament, according to an Ipsos exit poll.\n\nThe poll was published by Dutch national broadcaster NOS after polling stations closed Thursday evening in Netherlands. Earlier in the day, Dutch and British voters kicked off the first of four days of voting for the European Parliament in all of the EU's 28 nations.\n\nOfficial results will only be announced after the last polling station in the EU closes late Sunday.\n\nThe Dutch Labor party was forecast to win five seats, while the pro-European center right VVD of Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte gained one seat to win a total of four seats. Populists also won four seats.", "BRUSSELS (AP) - The Latest on the four-day voting in the European Union to fill the 751-seat European Parliament (all times local):\n\nPolls have opened for the European Parliament elections in the Czech Republic, with a centrist party led by populist Prime Minister Andrej Babis expected to win despite the fraud charges he faces involving European Union funds.\n\nThe Czechs on Friday opened their two-day ballot for their country’s 21 seats in the 751-seat European Parliament. Voters in the Netherlands and Britain on Thursday kicked off four days of voting across the 28-nation bloc.\n\nBabis’ ANO (YES) movement is predicted to win up to 25% of the vote, followed by the moderate euroskeptic Civic Democratic Party and the pro-European Pirate party.\n\nBabis wants his country to remain in the bloc but is calling for EU reforms.\n\nThe country’s most ardent anti-EU group, the Freedom and Direct Democracy party, is predicted to win around 10% of the vote and capture its first seats in the EU legislature.\n\nProtesters are holding rallies in several European Union countries to demand tougher action against global warming, as the 28-nation bloc votes to fill the European Parliament.\n\nThousands attended a rally Friday in Berlin, where mostly young people waved banners with slogans such as “There is no planet B” or “Plant trees, save the bees, clean the seas.”\n\nMany protesters will be too young to vote when Germans cast ballots Sunday in the European Parliament election, but are pressing family and older friends to consider the world’s long-term future.\n\nClara Kirchhoff said the election for the EU’s 751-seat assembly was particularly important for tackling climate change on a continental level.\n\nThe 17-year-old says “there’s no point in Germany doing a lot for the climate and others not pulling their weight\n\nIreland is going to the polls to kick off the second day of European Union elections which have already caused a stir in the Netherlands.\n\nAccording to a surprise Ipsos exit forecast late Thursday, the Dutch Labor Party of European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans will become the country’s biggest party in the European Parliament.\n\nBritain also voted on Thursday, and in neighboring Ireland polls opened Friday morning. The Czech Republic was set to open two days of voting in the early afternoon.\n\nBy Sunday night, all 28 nations will have voted and results will start to come in. The vote is seen as a battle between pro-EU parties and those who seek to wrest power from the EU and back to national capitals.\n\nPro-European Dutch parties were predicted to win most of the country’s seats in the European Parliament, with right-wing populist opponents of the European Union managing to take only four of the nation’s 26 seats.\n\nIn a surprise forecast, the Dutch Labor Party of European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans on Thursday became the country’s biggest party in the 751-seat European Parliament, according to an Ipsos exit poll.\n\nThe poll was published by Dutch national broadcaster NOS after polling stations closed Thursday evening in Netherlands. Earlier in the day, Dutch and British voters kicked off the first of four days of voting for the European Parliament in all of the EU’s 28 nations.\n\nOfficial results will only be announced after the last polling station in the EU closes late Sunday.\n\nThe Dutch Labor party was forecast to win five seats, while the pro-European center right VVD of Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte gained one seat to win a total of four seats. Populists also won four seats.", "BRUSSELS (AP) — The Latest on the four-day voting in the European Union to fill the 751-seat European Parliament (all times local):\n\nPolls have opened for the European Parliament elections in the Czech Republic, with a centrist party led by populist Prime Minister Andrej Babis expected to win despite the fraud charges he faces involving European Union funds.\n\nThe Czechs on Friday opened their two-day ballot for their country's 21 seats in the 751-seat European Parliament. Voters in the Netherlands and Britain on Thursday kicked off four days of voting across the 28-nation bloc.\n\nBabis' ANO (YES) movement is predicted to win up to 25% of the vote, followed by the moderate euroskeptic Civic Democratic Party and the pro-European Pirate party.\n\nBabis wants his country to remain in the bloc but is calling for EU reforms.\n\nThe country's most ardent anti-EU group, the Freedom and Direct Democracy party, is predicted to win around 10% of the vote and capture its first seats in the EU legislature.\n\nProtesters are holding rallies in several European Union countries to demand tougher action against global warming, as the 28-nation bloc votes to fill the European Parliament.\n\nThousands attended a rally Friday in Berlin, where mostly young people waved banners with slogans such as \"There is no planet B\" or \"Plant trees, save the bees, clean the seas.\"\n\nMany protesters will be too young to vote when Germans cast ballots Sunday in the European Parliament election, but are pressing family and older friends to consider the world's long-term future.\n\nClara Kirchhoff said the election for the EU's 751-seat assembly was particularly important for tackling climate change on a continental level.\n\nThe 17-year-old says \"there's no point in Germany doing a lot for the climate and others not pulling their weight\n\nIreland is going to the polls to kick off the second day of European Union elections which have already caused a stir in the Netherlands.\n\nAccording to a surprise Ipsos exit forecast late Thursday, the Dutch Labor Party of European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans will become the country's biggest party in the European Parliament.\n\nBritain also voted on Thursday, and in neighboring Ireland polls opened Friday morning. The Czech Republic was set to open two days of voting in the early afternoon.\n\nBy Sunday night, all 28 nations will have voted and results will start to come in. The vote is seen as a battle between pro-EU parties and those who seek to wrest power from the EU and back to national capitals.\n\nPro-European Dutch parties were predicted to win most of the country's seats in the European Parliament, with right-wing populist opponents of the European Union managing to take only four of the nation's 26 seats.\n\nIn a surprise forecast, the Dutch Labor Party of European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans on Thursday became the country's biggest party in the 751-seat European Parliament, according to an Ipsos exit poll.\n\nThe poll was published by Dutch national broadcaster NOS after polling stations closed Thursday evening in Netherlands. Earlier in the day, Dutch and British voters kicked off the first of four days of voting for the European Parliament in all of the EU's 28 nations.\n\nOfficial results will only be announced after the last polling station in the EU closes late Sunday.\n\nThe Dutch Labor party was forecast to win five seats, while the pro-European center right VVD of Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte gained one seat to win a total of four seats. Populists also won four seats.", "(AP) — The Latest on the four-day voting in the European Union to fill the 751-seat European Parliament (all times local):\n\nPolls have opened for the European Parliament elections in the Czech Republic, with a centrist party led by populist Prime Minister Andrej Babis expected to win despite the fraud charges he faces involving European Union funds.\n\nThe Czechs on Friday opened their two-day ballot for their country’s 21 seats in the 751-seat European Parliament. Voters in the Netherlands and Britain on Thursday kicked off four days of voting across the 28-nation bloc.\n\nBabis’ ANO (YES) movement is predicted to win up to 25% of the vote, followed by the moderate euroskeptic Civic Democratic Party and the pro-European Pirate party.\n\nBabis wants his country to remain in the bloc but is calling for EU reforms.\n\nThe country’s most ardent anti-EU group, the Freedom and Direct Democracy party, is predicted to win around 10% of the vote and capture its first seats in the EU legislature.\n\nProtesters are holding rallies in several European Union countries to demand tougher action against global warming, as the 28-nation bloc votes to fill the European Parliament.\n\nThousands attended a rally Friday in Berlin, where mostly young people waved banners with slogans such as “There is no planet B” or “Plant trees, save the bees, clean the seas.”\n\nMany protesters will be too young to vote when Germans cast ballots Sunday in the European Parliament election, but are pressing family and older friends to consider the world’s long-term future.\n\nClara Kirchhoff said the election for the EU’s 751-seat assembly was particularly important for tackling climate change on a continental level.\n\nThe 17-year-old says “there’s no point in Germany doing a lot for the climate and others not pulling their weight\n\nIreland is going to the polls to kick off the second day of European Union elections which have already caused a stir in the Netherlands.\n\nAccording to a surprise Ipsos exit forecast late Thursday, the Dutch Labor Party of European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans will become the country’s biggest party in the European Parliament.\n\nBritain also voted on Thursday, and in neighboring Ireland polls opened Friday morning. The Czech Republic was set to open two days of voting in the early afternoon.\n\nBy Sunday night, all 28 nations will have voted and results will start to come in. The vote is seen as a battle between pro-EU parties and those who seek to wrest power from the EU and back to national capitals.\n\nPro-European Dutch parties were predicted to win most of the country’s seats in the European Parliament, with right-wing populist opponents of the European Union managing to take only four of the nation’s 26 seats.\n\nIn a surprise forecast, the Dutch Labor Party of European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans on Thursday became the country’s biggest party in the 751-seat European Parliament, according to an Ipsos exit poll.\n\nThe poll was published by Dutch national broadcaster NOS after polling stations closed Thursday evening in Netherlands. Earlier in the day, Dutch and British voters kicked off the first of four days of voting for the European Parliament in all of the EU’s 28 nations.\n\nOfficial results will only be announced after the last polling station in the EU closes late Sunday.\n\nThe Dutch Labor party was forecast to win five seats, while the pro-European center right VVD of Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte gained one seat to win a total of four seats. Populists also won four seats.", "BRUSSELS (AP) — Voters in Slovakia, Malta, Latvia and the Czech Republic are casting ballots Saturday in European Parliament elections.\n\nThe stakes for the European Union are especially high in this year's selections, which are taking place over four days and involve all 28 EU nations.\n\nMany predict nationalists and far-right groups will gain ground, and would try to use a larger presence in the legislature to claw back power from the EU for their national governments.\n\nModerate parties, on the other hand, want to cement closer ties among countries in the EU, which was created in the wake of World War II to prevent renewed conflict.\n\nBritain, Ireland and the Netherlands have already voted, and the Czech Republic started voting Friday and continues Saturday.\n\nSlovakia, Malta and Latvia are holding their European Parliament elections Saturday — and all the other nations vote Sunday.\n\nOfficial results will only be released Sunday night, after all countries have voted.\n\nVoting in the Netherlands may have already produced a surprise. An Ipsos exit poll forecast a win for the Dutch Labor Party, and predicted that pro-European parties would win most of the Netherlands' seats in the European Parliament, instead of right-wing populist opponents.\n\nOverall, the European Parliament's traditional political powerhouses are expected to come out with the most votes. But the center-right European People's Party and the center-left Socialists & Democrats look set to lose some clout and face their strongest challenge yet from an array of populist, nationalist and far-right parties skeptical of the EU.\n\nThose parties hope to emulate what President Donald Trump did in the 2016 U.S. election and what Brexiteers achieved in the U.K. referendum to leave the EU: to disrupt what they see as an out-of-touch elite and gain power by warning about migrants massing at Europe's borders ready to rob the continent of its jobs and culture.\n\nThe traditional parties warn that this strategy is worryingly reminiscent of pre-war tensions, and argue that unity is the best buffer against the shifting economic and security challenges posed by a China and U.S.-dominated new world order.\n\nVoters across Europe are electing 751 lawmakers, although that number is set to drop to 705 when Britain eventually leaves the EU. Each EU nation gets a number of seats in the EU parliament based on its population.\n\nThe legislature affects Europeans' daily lives in many ways: cutting smartphone roaming charges, imposing safety and health rules for industries ranging from chemicals and energy to autos and food, supporting farming, and protecting the environment.\n\nFor more news from The Associated Press on the European Parliament elections go to https://www.apnews.com/EuropeanParliament", "BRUSSELS (AP) — The Latest on the four-day voting in the European Union to fill the 751-seat European Parliament (all times local):\n\nPolls have opened for the European Parliament elections in the Czech Republic, with a centrist party led by populist Prime Minister Andrej Babis expected to win despite the fraud charges he faces involving European Union funds.\n\nThe Czechs on Friday opened their two-day ballot for their country's 21 seats in the 751-seat European Parliament. Voters in the Netherlands and Britain on Thursday kicked off four days of voting across the 28-nation bloc.\n\nBabis' ANO (YES) movement is predicted to win up to 25% of the vote, followed by the moderate euroskeptic Civic Democratic Party and the pro-European Pirate party.\n\nBabis wants his country to remain in the bloc but is calling for EU reforms.\n\nThe country's most ardent anti-EU group, the Freedom and Direct Democracy party, is predicted to win around 10% of the vote and capture its first seats in the EU legislature.\n\nProtesters are holding rallies in several European Union countries to demand tougher action against global warming, as the 28-nation bloc votes to fill the European Parliament.\n\nThousands attended a rally Friday in Berlin, where mostly young people waved banners with slogans such as \"There is no planet B\" or \"Plant trees, save the bees, clean the seas.\"\n\nMany protesters will be too young to vote when Germans cast ballots Sunday in the European Parliament election, but are pressing family and older friends to consider the world's long-term future.\n\nClara Kirchhoff said the election for the EU's 751-seat assembly was particularly important for tackling climate change on a continental level.\n\nThe 17-year-old says \"there's no point in Germany doing a lot for the climate and others not pulling their weight\n\nIreland is going to the polls to kick off the second day of European Union elections which have already caused a stir in the Netherlands.\n\nAccording to a surprise Ipsos exit forecast late Thursday, the Dutch Labor Party of European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans will become the country's biggest party in the European Parliament.\n\nBritain also voted on Thursday, and in neighboring Ireland polls opened Friday morning. The Czech Republic was set to open two days of voting in the early afternoon.\n\nBy Sunday night, all 28 nations will have voted and results will start to come in. The vote is seen as a battle between pro-EU parties and those who seek to wrest power from the EU and back to national capitals.\n\nPro-European Dutch parties were predicted to win most of the country's seats in the European Parliament, with right-wing populist opponents of the European Union managing to take only four of the nation's 26 seats.\n\nIn a surprise forecast, the Dutch Labor Party of European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans on Thursday became the country's biggest party in the 751-seat European Parliament, according to an Ipsos exit poll.\n\nThe poll was published by Dutch national broadcaster NOS after polling stations closed Thursday evening in Netherlands. Earlier in the day, Dutch and British voters kicked off the first of four days of voting for the European Parliament in all of the EU's 28 nations.\n\nOfficial results will only be announced after the last polling station in the EU closes late Sunday.\n\nThe Dutch Labor party was forecast to win five seats, while the pro-European center right VVD of Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte gained one seat to win a total of four seats. Populists also won four seats.", "BRUSSELS (AP) — The Latest on the four-day voting in the European Union to fill the 751-seat European Parliament (all times local):\n\nPolls have opened for the European Parliament elections in the Czech Republic, with a centrist party led by populist Prime Minister Andrej Babis expected to win despite the fraud charges he faces involving European Union funds.\n\nThe Czechs on Friday opened their two-day ballot for their country's 21 seats in the 751-seat European Parliament. Voters in the Netherlands and Britain on Thursday kicked off four days of voting across the 28-nation bloc.\n\nBabis' ANO (YES) movement is predicted to win up to 25% of the vote, followed by the moderate euroskeptic Civic Democratic Party and the pro-European Pirate party.\n\nBabis wants his country to remain in the bloc but is calling for EU reforms.\n\nThe country's most ardent anti-EU group, the Freedom and Direct Democracy party, is predicted to win around 10% of the vote and capture its first seats in the EU legislature.\n\nProtesters are holding rallies in several European Union countries to demand tougher action against global warming, as the 28-nation bloc votes to fill the European Parliament.\n\nThousands attended a rally Friday in Berlin, where mostly young people waved banners with slogans such as \"There is no planet B\" or \"Plant trees, save the bees, clean the seas.\"\n\nMany protesters will be too young to vote when Germans cast ballots Sunday in the European Parliament election, but are pressing family and older friends to consider the world's long-term future.\n\nClara Kirchhoff said the election for the EU's 751-seat assembly was particularly important for tackling climate change on a continental level.\n\nThe 17-year-old says \"there's no point in Germany doing a lot for the climate and others not pulling their weight\n\nIreland is going to the polls to kick off the second day of European Union elections which have already caused a stir in the Netherlands.\n\nAccording to a surprise Ipsos exit forecast late Thursday, the Dutch Labor Party of European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans will become the country's biggest party in the European Parliament.\n\nBritain also voted on Thursday, and in neighboring Ireland polls opened Friday morning. The Czech Republic was set to open two days of voting in the early afternoon.\n\nBy Sunday night, all 28 nations will have voted and results will start to come in. The vote is seen as a battle between pro-EU parties and those who seek to wrest power from the EU and back to national capitals.\n\nPro-European Dutch parties were predicted to win most of the country's seats in the European Parliament, with right-wing populist opponents of the European Union managing to take only four of the nation's 26 seats.\n\nIn a surprise forecast, the Dutch Labor Party of European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans on Thursday became the country's biggest party in the 751-seat European Parliament, according to an Ipsos exit poll.\n\nThe poll was published by Dutch national broadcaster NOS after polling stations closed Thursday evening in Netherlands. Earlier in the day, Dutch and British voters kicked off the first of four days of voting for the European Parliament in all of the EU's 28 nations.\n\nOfficial results will only be announced after the last polling station in the EU closes late Sunday.\n\nThe Dutch Labor party was forecast to win five seats, while the pro-European center right VVD of Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte gained one seat to win a total of four seats. Populists also won four seats.", "\"In this election, you vote for the future living conditions of humankind.\" That was Greta Thunberg's message to members of the European Parliament in April. The renowned environmental activist is the leading personality in the wave of school strikes and demonstrations against climate change by Europe's young people. At 16, she is too young to vote herself. But many of her peers will be able to participate. As this analysis by DW shows, the 28 million first-time voters will not only have an impact on the makeup of the next European Parliament, but also on EU politics for years to come.\n\nThe election for the European Union's legislature, takes place from May 23 to 26 in the different member states. With a potential electorate of 400 million voters, it is the second-largest democratic exercise in the world. Only India's general election is larger.\n\nThe 751 representatives in Strasbourg and Brussels have decision-making power in matters ranging from digital rights and the environment to trade and consumer protections. Those powers increased in 2009, when the Lisbon Treaty came into force.\n\nYouth take to the streets ...\n\nIn the lead-up to the election, young Europeans have made their voices heard on several issues. For example, they demonstrated for their digital rights by setting up campaign outside the headquarters of Angela Merkel's party in Germany to protest against an EU \"upload filter” tightening online copyright rules. In Britain, pro-EU youths have marched repeatedly against Brexit. They demand a second referendum on the decision to leave, as many of them weren't old enough to vote the first time in 2016.\n\nWhat impact could young voters have? The European Parliament is elected every five years, so people who were just under 18 in 2014 are now 22. First-time voters are therefore EU citizens between 18 and 22 years old — except in Greece, where the voting age is 17, and Malta and Austria, where it's 16.\n\nAs DW's data analysis shows, the share of first-time voters in the electorates of various EU member states ranges from 5% to 8%. And the overall electorate share of people younger than 30 means a margin that could in fact make the difference. Youth voters make up about 20% of the electorate in some EU member states' electorates, as this chart shows:\n\n\n\n... but will they take to the polls?\n\nThe preconception persists that young people would rather take to the streets than go to the polls. This may be true of the upcoming election: Polls by the European Council on Foreign Relation (ECFR) suggest that young people are less likely to vote than other age groups.\n\nBut what impact might young voters have if they were to turn out? In some cases, a very big one — especially in countries where political attitudes differ greatly from generation to generation. \"The Czech Pirate Party is twice as popular among the young as it is among all Czech voters,\" said Pawel Zerka from the ECFR. In the last election, the Czech Pirate Party won less than 5% of the votes and didn't get any seats in the EP. Given the party's growing popularity, young voters — who constitute 17% of the Czech electorate — could help determine whether it wins seats in this election.\n\nAnother example is Wiosna, \"spring” in Polish, which was founded in February but is steadily tracking at 10% in polls. If that estimate holds, the party could win six of the seats allocated to Poland.\n\nOther youth-oriented parties are doing less well. The pan-European VOLT initiative seems unlikely to gain any seats in the next European Parliament. And the UK polls also indicate that almost half of the first-time voters favor Labour, which is rather indecisive over Brexit, and only roughly one-third support the pro-EU Green Party. Far fewer back the newly founded pro-Remain party Change UK.\n\nTo young people, the EU isn't merely a peace project\n\nFor young voters, the European Union has been a permanent fixture. Few youth who grew up in the eurozone, for example, have ever known another currency. But these young voters also experienced a Europe in turmoil as they came of age. Millennials were especially hard hit by the financial crisis, which saw young people in Greece and across Southern Europe denied a sustainable economic future in their home countries. As youths did not experience military conflicts or the Cold War, the future matters more to them than their parents' past, according to Zerka: \"They do not naturally accept the notion of the EU as a peace project.\"\n\nWhat matters to young voters in the EU election?\n\nThe priorities of young voters are shaped by their worries about job instability and the environment. Parties could improve their poll performance by taking these perspectives into account. \"This is the case for most Green parties, including those in Germany, Austria, France, Sweden, and the Netherlands,” Zerka said. In all of these countries the Greens had already gained more than one seat in the last European Parliament. With the support of young voters, they could gain even more this time.\n\nBut nationalists, too, can appeal to young voters who are concerned about their futures. \"In some countries, a significant number of young people are drawn to far-right or anti-establishment parties,” Zerka wrote in an email to DW. First-time voters, for example, support the euroskeptic Jobbik party at a rate twice that of Hungarians as a whole. Vox in Spain and Kotleba in Slovakia are similarly popular with youth.\n\nYoung voters will shape the EU for decades to come\n\nHaving a say in the EU's future — not only via referenda, but also by helping to determine who will sit in the European Parliament — is crucial to young voters. The average age of an MEP in the 2014-2019 legislature period was 55, with 28 being the youngest and 90 the oldest. The new average age of parliamentarians could be much younger: The French anti-immigrant party National Rally has 23-year-old Jordan Bardella atop its candidate list.\n\nPoliticians who have an eye on the long term would do well to invest in outreach to young voters. This election could be the beginning of a lifelong habit for many. \"Most people's basic outlooks and orientations are set fairly early on in life,” the Pew Research Center reported in a recent study. And the ways in which young voters cast their ballots this May could indeed shape the European Union for decades to come.", "BRUSSELS (AP) — Voters in Slovakia, Malta, Latvia and the Czech Republic are casting ballots Saturday in European Parliament elections.\n\nThe stakes for the European Union are especially high in this year’s selections, which are taking place over four days and involve all 28 EU nations.\n\nMany predict nationalists and far-right groups will gain ground, and would try to use a larger presence in the legislature to claw back power from the EU for their national governments.\n\nModerate parties, on the other hand, want to cement closer ties among countries in the EU, which was created in the wake of World War II to prevent renewed conflict.\n\nBritain, Ireland and the Netherlands have already voted, and the Czech Republic started voting Friday and continues Saturday.\n\nSlovakia, Malta and Latvia are holding their European Parliament elections Saturday — and all the other nations vote Sunday.\n\nOfficial results will only be released Sunday night, after all countries have voted.\n\nVoting in the Netherlands may have already produced a surprise. An Ipsos exit poll forecast a win for the Dutch Labor Party, and predicted that pro-European parties would win most of the Netherlands’ seats in the European Parliament, instead of right-wing populist opponents.\n\nOverall, the European Parliament’s traditional political powerhouses are expected to come out with the most votes. But the center-right European People’s Party and the center-left Socialists & Democrats look set to lose some clout and face their strongest challenge yet from an array of populist, nationalist and far-right parties skeptical of the EU.\n\nThose parties hope to emulate what President Donald Trump did in the 2016 U.S. election and what Brexiteers achieved in the U.K. referendum to leave the EU: to disrupt what they see as an out-of-touch elite and gain power by warning about migrants massing at Europe’s borders ready to rob the continent of its jobs and culture.\n\nThe traditional parties warn that this strategy is worryingly reminiscent of pre-war tensions, and argue that unity is the best buffer against the shifting economic and security challenges posed by a China and U.S.-dominated new world order.\n\nVoters across Europe are electing 751 lawmakers, although that number is set to drop to 705 when Britain eventually leaves the EU. Each EU nation gets a number of seats in the EU parliament based on its population.\n\nThe legislature affects Europeans’ daily lives in many ways: cutting smartphone roaming charges, imposing safety and health rules for industries ranging from chemicals and energy to autos and food, supporting farming, and protecting the environment.\n\nFor more news from The Associated Press on the European Parliament elections go to https://www.apnews.com/EuropeanParliament", "BRUSSELS (AP) — The Latest on the four-day voting in the European Union to fill the 751-seat European Parliament (all times local):\n\nPolls have opened for the European Parliament elections in the Czech Republic, with a centrist party led by populist Prime Minister Andrej Babis expected to win despite the fraud charges he faces involving European Union funds.\n\nThe Czechs on Friday opened their two-day ballot for their country's 21 seats in the 751-seat European Parliament. Voters in the Netherlands and Britain on Thursday kicked off four days of voting across the 28-nation bloc.\n\nBabis' ANO (YES) movement is predicted to win up to 25% of the vote, followed by the moderate euroskeptic Civic Democratic Party and the pro-European Pirate party.\n\nBabis wants his country to remain in the bloc but is calling for EU reforms.\n\nThe country's most ardent anti-EU group, the Freedom and Direct Democracy party, is predicted to win around 10% of the vote and capture its first seats in the EU legislature.\n\nProtesters are holding rallies in several European Union countries to demand tougher action against global warming, as the 28-nation bloc votes to fill the European Parliament.\n\nThousands attended a rally Friday in Berlin, where mostly young people waved banners with slogans such as \"There is no planet B\" or \"Plant trees, save the bees, clean the seas.\"\n\nMany protesters will be too young to vote when Germans cast ballots Sunday in the European Parliament election, but are pressing family and older friends to consider the world's long-term future.\n\nClara Kirchhoff said the election for the EU's 751-seat assembly was particularly important for tackling climate change on a continental level.\n\nThe 17-year-old says \"there's no point in Germany doing a lot for the climate and others not pulling their weight\n\nIreland is going to the polls to kick off the second day of European Union elections which have already caused a stir in the Netherlands.\n\nAccording to a surprise Ipsos exit forecast late Thursday, the Dutch Labor Party of European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans will become the country's biggest party in the European Parliament.\n\nBritain also voted on Thursday, and in neighboring Ireland polls opened Friday morning. The Czech Republic was set to open two days of voting in the early afternoon.\n\nBy Sunday night, all 28 nations will have voted and results will start to come in. The vote is seen as a battle between pro-EU parties and those who seek to wrest power from the EU and back to national capitals.\n\nPro-European Dutch parties were predicted to win most of the country's seats in the European Parliament, with right-wing populist opponents of the European Union managing to take only four of the nation's 26 seats.\n\nIn a surprise forecast, the Dutch Labor Party of European Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans on Thursday became the country's biggest party in the 751-seat European Parliament, according to an Ipsos exit poll.\n\nThe poll was published by Dutch national broadcaster NOS after polling stations closed Thursday evening in Netherlands. Earlier in the day, Dutch and British voters kicked off the first of four days of voting for the European Parliament in all of the EU's 28 nations.\n\nOfficial results will only be announced after the last polling station in the EU closes late Sunday.\n\nThe Dutch Labor party was forecast to win five seats, while the pro-European center right VVD of Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte gained one seat to win a total of four seats. Populists also won four seats."], "summary": "Voters in Ireland and the Czech Republic head to the polls to vote for their country's representatives in the European Parliament."}
{"document": ["This article is more than 3 months old\n\nThis article is more than 3 months old\n\nTheresa May has bowed to intense pressure from her own party and named 7 June as the day she will step aside as Conservative leader, drawing her turbulent three-year premiership to a close.\n\nSpeaking in Downing Street, May said it had been “the honour of my life” to serve as Britain’s second female prime minister. Her voice breaking, she said she would leave “with no ill will, but with enormous and enduring gratitude to have had the opportunity to serve the country I love”.\n\nThe prime minister listed a series of what she said were her government’s achievements, including tackling the deficit, reducing unemployment and boosting funding for mental health.\n\nBut she admitted: “It is and will always remain a matter of deep regret to me that I have not been able to deliver Brexit.”\n\nMay’s announcement came after a meeting with Graham Brady, the chair of the backbench Tory 1922 Committee, which was prepared to trigger a second vote of no confidence in her leadership if she refused to resign.\n\nHer fate was sealed after a 10-point “new Brexit deal”, announced in a speech on Tuesday, infuriated Tory backbenchers and many of her own cabinet – while falling flat with the Labour MPs it was meant to persuade.\n\nThe leader of the House of Commons, Andrea Leadsom, resigned on Wednesday, rather than present the Brexit bill to parliament.\n\nA string of other cabinet ministers had also expressed concerns, including Sajid Javid, Jeremy Hunt, Chris Grayling and David Mundell.\n\nIn particular, they rejected May’s promise to give MPs a vote on a second referendum as the Brexit bill passed through parliament, and implement the result – which they felt came too close to endorsing the idea.\n\nPlay Video 2:01 As Theresa May resigns, how will she be remembered? – video\n\nThe prime minister will remain in Downing Street, to shoulder the blame for what are expected to be dire results for her party from Thursday’s European elections – and to host Donald Trump when he visits.\n\nThe 1922 Committee will set out the terms of a leadership contest, to kick off on 10 June, which is expected to last perhaps six weeks.\n\nQ&A How do the Tories elect a new leader? Show Hide A Conservative leadership contest takes two stages. First, MPs vote for their choice from the nominated candidates. In progressive rounds of voting, candidates are eliminated until there are only two challengers remaining. The second stage is a postal ballot of Conservative party members to chose one of the two candidates. Theresa May's formal resignation as leader on 7 June triggered the contest and the Conservative party set out the following timetable: Nominations closed on 10 June. The first round of voting was held on Thursday 13 June. Subsequent rounds have been pencilled in for the 18th, 19th and 20th. Conservative party HQ says the postal vote element, when the 140,000 or so party members will pick the country's new prime minister, will be completed in the week beginning Monday 22 July.\n\n\n\nThe former foreign secretary Boris Johnson is the frontrunner to be Britain’s next prime minister, but more than a dozen senior Tory figures are considering throwing their hats into the ring.\n\nIn the cabinet, Rory Stewart has already said he will stand, while Jeremy Hunt, Michael Gove, Penny Mordaunt and Sajid Javid are all likely contenders.\n\nMay’s departure came after three years of wrangling with Brexiters on her own backbenches about what future relationship with the European Union they would be prepared to accept.\n\nThat became considerably more difficult when she lost her majority at the 2017 general election, after spearheading what was widely regarded as a disastrous campaign, promising “strong and stable leadership in the national interest”.\n\n'Good riddance': readers react to Theresa May's resignation Read more\n\nBrexit is likely to dominate the race to succeed May, with time increasingly tight for a new team to set out any new direction before the deadline of 31 October for Britain’s departure from the EU.\n\nMay’s longtime friend Damian Green, the former first secretary of state, defended her record on Friday.\n\nHe said: “All prime ministers, in the end, take responsibility for what happens on their watch, but I think that it’s undeniable that suddenly and unexpectedly becoming prime minister after the seismic shock of the Brexit referendum meant that she was dealt an extremely difficult hand to play. And the truth is that having an election a year later, which cut the Conservative party’s majority, then [made it] impossible.”\n\nGreen told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “The fact that parliament has not been able to get a Brexit deal through has led to the impatience, bordering into contempt, for the political class and the amount of hostility and borderline violence is something we have not known for a very very long time.”", "LONDON (AP) - The Latest on Brexit and Britain's political crisis (all times local):\n\nFrench President Emmanuel Macron has praised Theresa May's \"courageous work\" on Brexit after the British prime minister announced her resignation.\n\n\"It's too soon to speculate on the consequences of this decision\", Macron said, according to a statement from the French presidency. \"France is ready to work with the new British prime minister on all European and bilateral issues.\"\n\nMacron sent May a personal message of support and appreciation, the statement said.\n\nAs European parliament elections are being held in the bloc until Sunday, Macron said \"this must also remind us, at a time of important choice, that rejection votes with no alternative project lead to an impasse.\"\n\nThe pound and British stocks are rising after Prime Minister Theresa May announced her resignation, as some investors appear to hope it could unblock the political stalemate over Brexit, though analysts warn it could simply mean another delay to the EU departure.\n\nThe Conservative Party will tap a new prime minister after May leaves on June 7 and it is more likely that the next leader will be more in favor of Brexit. However, experts say a \"no-deal\" Brexit - in which Britain leaves the EU without a deal on new trade relations, causing havoc for business - remains unlikely as lawmakers remain divided over how to proceed.\n\nSamuel Tombs, chief U.K. economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics, notes that \"changing the leader won't alter the maths in parliament.\"\n\nTombs expects Britain will remain stuck in political stalemate for at least another year, requiring an extension to its Oct. 31 Brexit deadline.\n\nThe pound was up to $1.2715 on Friday from $1.2660 before May's announcement. The FTSE 100 stock index was up 0.6%.\n\nEuropean Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker says that he considers British Prime Minister Theresa May as \"a woman of courage for whom he has great respect.\"\n\nEuropean Union spokeswoman Mina Andreeva said that Juncker watched May's announcement that she will step down as Conservative Party leader on June 7 \"with emotion\" and added it was \"without personal joy.\"\n\nShe said Juncker will \"equally respect and establish working relations\" with May's successor. Britain currently faces an Oct. 31 deadline to leave the EU.\n\nGerman Chancellor Angela Merkel has noted \"with respect\" the decision of British Prime Minister Theresa May to step down, and will continue to work closely with her successor for an orderly Brexit.\n\nMerkel's spokeswoman, Martina Fietz, told reporters Friday that the chancellor and May always \"worked together in a good and trusting\" relationship and would continue to do so while May remains in office.\n\nLooking ahead, Fietz says, \"we, and the EU as a whole, are interested in a good solution being found in Britain\" to the Brexit issue, and that means \"an orderly exit.\"\n\nThe German government would not speculate on May's possible successor.\n\nBritish Prime Minister Theresa May's departure speech is drawing praise from fellow Conservative Party members, including some who had criticized her Brexit stance.\n\nAndrea Leadsom, who resigned as House of Commons Leader on Wednesday to protest May's Brexit plan, tweeted that May's speech was \"an illustration of her total commitment to country and duty.\"\n\nLeadsom, a possible leadership contender, said May \"did her utmost\" and praised the dignity of the prime minister's speech.\n\nEnvironment Secretary Michael Gove tweeted his thanks to the prime minister. He called it, \"A moving speech from a Prime Minister who deserves our respect and gratitude.\"\n\nScotland First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, a frequent critic of May, says she is worried May's decision will bring \"an even more hardline\" Brexit-backer to power.\n\nTheresa May says she will step down as U.K. Conservative Party leader on June 7, sparking a contest to become Britain's next prime minister.\n\nShe will stay as caretaker prime minister until the new leader is chosen, a process likely to take several weeks.\n\nMay has bowed to relentless pressure from her party to quit over her failure to take Britain out of the European Union on schedule.\n\nHer departure will trigger a party leadership contest in which any Conservative lawmaker can run. The early front-runner is Boris Johnson, a former foreign secretary and strong champion of Brexit.\n\nBritain is currently due to leave the EU on Oct. 31, but Parliament has yet to approve divorce terms.\n\nBritish Prime Minister Theresa May is meeting a leader of her Conservative lawmakers amid mounting speculation that she is about to announce her departure date.\n\nThe party's key backbench committee has set a showdown meeting Friday for May to agree to leave soon or face a leadership challenge.\n\nPressure on May to quit over her failure to get Parliament's approval for a European Union divorce deal reached critical point this week as a senior minister quit and several Cabinet colleagues expressed doubts about her Brexit bill.\n\nSeveral British media outlets reported that May would agree to give up the prime minister's post June 10, sparking a Conservative leadership contest.\n\nShe could stay in office as a caretaker prime minister for several weeks until party lawmakers and members choose a successor.", "The Latest on Brexit and Britain's political crisis (all times local):\n\nTheresa May says she will step down as U.K. Conservative Party leader on June 7, sparking a contest to become Britain's next prime minister.\n\nShe will stay as caretaker prime minister until the new leader is chosen, a process likely to take several weeks.\n\nMay has bowed to relentless pressure from her party to quit over her failure to take Britain out of the European Union on schedule.\n\nHer departure will trigger a party leadership contest in which any Conservative lawmaker can run. The early front-runner is Boris Johnson, a former foreign secretary and strong champion of Brexit.\n\nBritain is currently due to leave the EU on Oct. 31, but Parliament has yet to approve divorce terms.\n\nBritish Prime Minister Theresa May is meeting a leader of her Conservative lawmakers amid mounting speculation that she is about to announce her departure date.\n\nThe party's key backbench committee has set a showdown meeting Friday for May to agree to leave soon or face a leadership challenge.\n\nPressure on May to quit over her failure to get Parliament's approval for a European Union divorce deal reached critical point this week as a senior minister quit and several Cabinet colleagues expressed doubts about her Brexit bill.\n\nSeveral British media outlets reported that May would agree to give up the prime minister's post June 10, sparking a Conservative leadership contest.\n\nShe could stay in office as a caretaker prime minister for several weeks until party lawmakers and members choose a successor.", "Prime minister Theresa May has announced that she will leave her position next month.\n\nThe Conservative leader has faced growing pressure from the 1922 Committee – a group of backbench MPs – to step down from the role.\n\nTensions have risen this week over the prime minister’s attempts to put forward her Brexit bill, leading to the resignation of Commons leader Andrea Leadsom, as well as public disagreement from MPs such as Boris Johnson and Dominic Raab.\n\nNow, Theresa May has announced that she will stop being prime minister on June 7.\n\nSpeaking outside Downing Street, she said: ‘Ever since I first stepped through the door as prime minister I have strived to make the UK a country that works for everyone.\n\n“I have done everything I can to get MPs to back the [Brexit] deal – sadly I have not been able to do so.\n\n“I will continue to serve until the process has concluded.\n\n“It is, and will always remain, a matter of deep regret to me that I have not been able to deliver Brexit.\n\n“Such a consensus can only be reached if those on all sides of the debate are able to compromise.”\n\nThe prime minister’s voice broke as she concluded her speech, saying that she ‘won’t be the last’ female prime minister and has done her best in office.\n\nThe leadership contest is due to begin the week after Theresa May’s resignation – and she will serve until a new leader is able to take her place.", "U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May To Step Down June 7\n\nUpdated at 5:49 a.m. ET\n\nTheresa May will step down as prime minister of the United Kingdom on June 7, she said Friday at No. 10 Downing St.\n\nShe came to the job in 2016 after U.K. voters backed plans to exit the European Union in a referendum. For the following three years, she attempted to navigate the difficult and complex process of making that happen.\n\n\"I feel as certain today as I did three years ago that in a democracy, if you give people a choice, you have a duty to implement what they decide,\" she said. \"I have done my best to do that.\"\n\nBut she encountered ongoing opposition in the British Parliament, which repeatedly rejected her proposals to withdraw the U.K. from the EU.\n\n\"I believe it was right to persevere, even when the odds against success seemed high,\" May said Friday. \"But it is now clear to me that it is in the best interest of the country for a new prime minister to lead that effort. So I am today announcing that I will resign as leader of the Conservative and Unionist Party on Friday the 7th of June so that a successor can be chosen.\"\n\nMay said the process for electing a new leader \"should begin in the following week.\"\n\nShe said she informed the queen that she will continue to serve as prime minister until the process is completed. Reports from Reuters say that process could take six weeks, with May serving as a so-called caretaker prime minister.\n\n\"It is and will always remain a matter of deep regret to me that I have not been able to deliver Brexit. It will be for my successor to seek a way forward that honors the result of the referendum,\" May said.\n\nLawmakers in her Conservative Party had been pressuring her to resign and let a new leader see through the U.K.'s laborious planned withdrawal from the European Union.\n\nOn Thursday, May delayed plans to publish her latest bill to officially withdraw the U.K. from the EU. Parliament had already rejected May's earlier agreements negotiated with the EU three times this year.\n\nHer latest withdrawal bill \"tried to win over various interest groups by offering something for everyone: strengthened workers' rights to please the Labour left, an option for MPs to vote for a second referendum to entice Remainers,\" according to The Economist, which said the prime minister instead \"ended up alienating them all.\"\n\nThere would have been \"overwhelming pressure\" for a no-confidence vote in May's leadership if she had not agreed on a departure date, Conservative lawmaker Geoffrey Clifton-Brown said earlier.\n\nAdding to the pressure, the U.K. voted in European Parliament elections on Thursday, and the Conservatives are expected to do poorly when results are announced Sunday. A new Brexit Party, led by Brexiteer Nigel Farage, was leading polls.\n\nPresident Trump is set to visit the U.K. from June 3-5. May had not wanted Trump's visit and D-Day anniversary celebrations \"to be undermined by the unseemly spectacle of Tory MPs and ministers scrabbling and scrambling to replace her,\" according to ITV's Robert Peston.\n\nBoris Johnson, a former foreign secretary, is seen as the current front-runner to take May's place. Johnson was a leader of the Brexit campaign in 2016.\n\nIn March, May offered to quit if Parliament were to pass her Brexit plan, but even that wasn't enough.\n\nIn April, the EU agreed to extend the U.K.'s deadline for passing a Brexit deal until Oct. 31.", "Theresa May says she has told the queen she will continue as British prime minister until successor chosen\n\nLONDON (AP) — Theresa May says she has told the queen she will continue as British prime minister until successor chosen.", "Theresa May says she'll quit as UK Conservative leader on June 7, sparking contest for Britain's next prime minister\n\nLONDON (AP) — Theresa May says she'll quit as UK Conservative leader on June 7, sparking contest for Britain's next prime minister.", "Theresa May today announced her resignation as Prime Minister following her battle to push through a number of Brexit deals in the Houses of Parliament.\n\nThe embattled Prime Minister will stand down from her role on June 7.\n\nNorth East Herts Conservative MP, Sir Oliver Heald, told this newspaper: \"I am sorry that Theresa May has had such a difficult time as Prime Minister and hope she will continue to contribute to national politics.\n\n\"She has shown great resilience and I know many constituents admire her strength, as I do.\n\n\"She is a remarkable person. The next Prime Minister will face a big task in trying to resolve Brexit.\"\n\nYou may also want to watch:\n\nSouth Cambridgeshire MP Heidi Allen - who left the Conservatives as a result of the party's policy on Brexit and is now the leader of Change UK - took to Twitter and said: \"Oh Theresa May, why didn't we see that emotion more? Things could have been so different.\"\n\nIn her speech, Mrs May said: \"I negotiated the terms of our exit and a new relationship with our closest neighbours that protects jobs, security and our union.\n\n\"I have done everything I can to convince MPs to back that deal, sadly I have not been able to do so, I tried three times.\n\n\"I believe it was right to persevere, even when the odds against success seemed high.\n\n\"But it is now clear to me that it is in the best interest of the country for a new Prime Minister to lead that effort, so I am today announcing that I will resign as leader of the Conservative and Unionist party on Friday, June 7, so that a successor can be chosen.\n\n\"I will shortly leave the job that has been the honour the honour of my life to hold. The second female Prime Minister, but certainly not the last.\n\n\"I do so with no ill will, but with enormous and enduring gratitude to have had the opportunity to serve the country I love.\"", "Theresa May has announced her resignation, after failing to sell her Brexit plan to Parliament, the nation, or even her own party.\n\nHer resignation will take effect from 7 June, and she will serve as Prime Minister until her successor is chosen.\n\nMay had been trying to hang on to give her Brexit plan one more vote in the House of Commons, where it has been defeated three times already, in early June.\n\nBut it is becoming increasingly clear the plan does not have the support of much of her own party or the opposition.\n\nBoris Johnson is now the favourite to win his party’s leadership, in a process expected to take six weeks.\n\nHowever the Tories have a habit of not giving the job to the favourite.\n\nMore to come", "LOUISVILLE, Ky (WDRB) -- Theresa May says she will step down as U.K. Conservative Party leader on June 7, sparking a contest to become Britain's next prime minister.\n\nThat internal election process will begin in the days immediately following her resignation on June 7.\n\nShe will stay as caretaker prime minister until the new leader is chosen, a process likely to take several weeks.\n\nMay has bowed to relentless pressure from her party to quit over her failure to take Britain out of the European Union on schedule.\n\nHer departure will trigger a party leadership contest in which any Conservative lawmaker can run. The early front-runner is Boris Johnson, a former foreign secretary and strong champion of Brexit.\n\nBritain is currently due to leave the EU on Oct. 31, but Parliament has yet to approve divorce terms."], "summary": "United Kingdom Prime Minister Theresa May announces her resignation as leader of the Conservative Party, effective June 7. She will remain Prime Minister until a successor is elected."}
{"document": ["WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Supreme Court on Friday blocked lower court rulings ordering Republican legislators in Michigan and Ohio to redraw U.S. congressional maps ahead of the 2020 elections, dealing a blow to Democrats who had argued that the electoral districts were intended to unlawfully diminish their political clout.\n\nThe justices granted requests from Republican lawmakers in both states to put those decisions on hold, halting further action in the cases and the need to rework electoral district boundaries. The justices did not provide any explanation for their brief orders.\n\nThe lower courts found that the electoral maps in the two states had been drawn to entrench Republicans in power by manipulating boundaries in a way that reduced the voting clout of Democrats - a practice known as partisan gerrymandering - in violation of the U.S. Constitution.\n\nWhile both disputes involve U.S. House of Representatives districts in the two states, the Michigan case challenges districts in the state legislature as well.\n\nThe decisions in Michigan and Ohio that were put on hold by the justices were the latest rulings by federal courts determining that electoral maps designed by a state’s majority party unconstitutionally undermined the rights of voters who tend to support the other party.\n\nBut the action by the justices was not unexpected as they weigh two other gerrymandering cases - one from North Carolina and the other from Maryland - that could decide definitively whether federal judges have the power to intervene to curb partisan gerrymandering. The rulings in those cases, due by the end of June, are likely to dictate whether the legal challenges against the Ohio and Michigan electoral maps can move forward.\n\nIn the North Carolina case, Republican legislators were accused of rigging congressional maps to boost their party’s chances. In the Maryland, Democratic lawmakers faced similar allegations over one U.S. House district.\n\nThe Ohio and Michigan lawsuits accused Republican-controlled legislatures in the two states of discriminating against Democratic voters for their political views in violation of the U.S. Constitution’s guarantees of equal treatment under the law and freedom of association.\n\nCritics have said that gerrymandering, a feature of U.S. politics for generations, has become increasingly extreme and effective at advancing the interests of a political party as a result of precise voter data and powerful computer technology, illegally shaping the outcome of elections.\n\nThe Supreme Court has previously intervened when legislators impermissibly sought to dilute the voting power of racial minorities, but it has never curbed gerrymandering for purely partisan purposes.\n\nThe Michigan and Ohio lawsuits were filed by voting rights groups and individual Democratic voters. Nine U.S. House and 25 state legislative districts were at issue in Michigan, while Ohio’s case involved 16 U.S. House districts.\n\nA three-judge panel in Detroit on April 25 ruled in the Democratic voters’ favor in the Michigan case, calling gerrymandering a “pernicious practice that undermines our democracy,” and ordered state officials to draw new maps by Aug. 1.\n\nA three-judge panel in Cincinnati on May 3 sided with the Democratic voters in the Ohio case, and ordered the state to create a plan to fix the map by June 14.\n\nElectoral districts are typically redrawn once a decade after the U.S. census to reflect population changes. In many states, the party in power controls the map-making.", "The Supreme Court agreed Friday to put on hold partisan gerrymandering cases from Ohio and Michigan, temporarily sparing Republican lawmakers in those states of the need to redraw congressional districts by the summer.\n\nThe high court’s emergency order came as no surprise. The justices are weighing partisan gerrymandering cases from North Carolina and Maryland, and are expected to hand down rulings by the end of June. At issue is whether state lawmakers violate the Constitution if they drew an electoral map to entrench their party in power.\n\nThat ruling will determine what happens in Ohio and Michigan as well.\n\nFederal judges in Ohio and Michigan had ordered the two states to begin immediate work on redrawing their electoral maps, but the Supreme Court suspended those rulings in a pair of brief orders. There were no dissents from the justices.\n\nAdvertisement\n\nThe court’s conservatives, led by Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., have been skeptical of authorizing judges to decide whether politics played too much of a role in drawing election districts.\n\nBut three-judge panels in Ohio and in Michigan chose to address the issue head on this spring, and they struck down the GOP maps in those states on the grounds they were drawn to ensure Republicans would win a large majority of the seats.\n\nIn Ohio, Republicans regularly won 12 of the state’s 16 congressional seats, even when the voters were evenly divided between the parties.\n\nIn a May 3 ruling, the judges in the Ohio case issued a 301-page opinion and said Republican leaders “manipulated district lines in an attempt to control electoral outcomes.” In doing so, the GOP leaders violated the 1st Amendment by discriminating against voters based on their political views, the ruling said. A separate three-judge panel said the same about Michigan’s election map, which helped the GOP win nine of 14 seats.\n\nAdvertisement\n\nThe skewed maps worked as planned last year in Ohio and North Carolina, despite a Democratic wave in the November elections. None of the congressional seats switched parties in those two states, although one North Carolina race has yet to be resolved.\n\nTo the surprise of the lawyers representing Ohio and Michigan, the judges refused to put their rulings on hold pending the outcome of the case in the high court. Ohio lawmakers were given a deadline of June 14, and Michigan’s were told they must have a new map by August.\n\nThe lawyers for both states filed emergency appeals with the Supreme Court on May 10, urging the justices to put their cases on hold pending the rulings on partisan gerrymandering.\n\nMore stories from David G. Savage »", "WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday blocked lower court rulings that had ordered Republican legislators in Michigan and Ohio to redraw U.S. congressional maps ahead of the 2020 elections after finding that the current districts were designed to illegally diminish the power of Democratic voters.\n\nThe justices granted requests from Republican lawmakers in both states to stay those decisions. The lower courts found that the electoral maps had been drawn to entrench the majority party in power, a practice known as partisan gerrymandering, in violation of the U.S. Constitution.\n\nWhile both disputes involve U.S. House of Representatives districts in the two states, the Michigan case also challenges districts in the state legislature as well.\n\nThe decisions in Michigan and Ohio that were put on hold by the justices were the latest rulings by federal courts determining that electoral maps designed by a state’s majority party unconstitutionally undermined the rights of voters who tend to support the other party.\n\nTwo other gerrymandering challenges are already pending at the Supreme Court, with rulings due by the end of June. In one case, Republican legislators in North Carolina are accused of rigging congressional maps to boost their party’s chances in that state. In the other case, Democratic lawmakers in Maryland face similar allegations over one U.S. House district.", "WASHINGTON, May 24 (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday blocked lower court rulings that had ordered Republican legislators in Michigan and Ohio to redraw U.S. congressional maps ahead of the 2020 elections after finding that the current districts were designed to illegally diminish the power of Democratic voters.\n\nThe justices granted requests from Republican lawmakers in both states to stay those decisions. The lower courts found that the electoral maps had been drawn to entrench the majority party in power, a practice known as partisan gerrymandering, in violation of the U.S. Constitution.", "The Supreme Court on Friday put on hold lower-court decisions that said Ohio and Michigan had to come up with new electoral maps because of unconstitutional partisan gerrymandering.\n\nThe decision was not surprising, because the justices are currently considering whether judges should even have a role in policing partisan gerrymandering. There were no noted dissents in the orders for either state.\n\nThe Supreme Court in March heard arguments in similar cases from North Carolina, where judges found that Republicans had manipulated congressional maps to their advantage, and from Maryland, where Democratic lawmakers redrew a district that resulted in a loss for a longtime Republican congressman.\n\nWhile the Supreme Court regularly examines redistricting plans for signs of racial gerrymandering, it has never found a state’s plan so infected with partisan politics that it violates the rights of voters. The decision in the North Carolina and Maryland cases are expected before the end of June.\n\n[Supreme Court again considers partisan gerrymandering, but voters are not waiting]\n\nWith the decisions from Ohio and Michigan, federal courts in five states have struck down maps as partisan gerrymanders. The courts in the Ohio and Michigan decisions ordered the states to come up with new maps that could be used in the 2020 elections.\n\nBut lawyers for the states argued that would be foolhardy until the Supreme Court has ruled. Lawyers for Ohio told the court that the legislature there should not have to “waste its time on a difficult legislative activity likely to prove entirely unnecessary.”\n\nEven if the court’s decision is that federal courts have a role in monitoring partisan gerrymandering, Ohio argued in its request to the court, that “will require the district court to return to the drawing board on the question of liability, make new findings as necessary, and apply what this court declares to be the law to this case in the first instance.”\n\nMichigan sounded a similar theme. “Time and again, this court has granted stays when other district courts have invoked partisan gerrymandering to force legislatures to enact new maps,” wrote lawyers for the Michigan Senate. “Michigan, no less than Wisconsin or North Carolina, deserves to avoid judicially inflicted political upheaval based on a theory this court has repeatedly declined to adopt.”\n\nOften, lower courts will hesitate while the Supreme Court is considering an issue. But the unanimous panel that found that some of Michigan’s legislative and congressional maps were unconstitutional seemed anxious to send a message to the high court.\n\n“Judges — and justices — must act in accordance with their obligation to vindicate the ­constitutional rights of those harmed by partisan gerrymandering,” Judge Eric L. Clay of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 6th Circuit wrote in the Michigan case.\n\nThe Ohio court took a similar approach in its decision.\n\n“We join the other federal courts that have held partisan gerrymandering unconstitutional and developed substantially similar standards for adjudicating such claims,” the panel said in its unanimous ruling.", "The Supreme Court blocked on Friday lower court rulings ordering Republican legislators in Michigan and Ohio to redraw congressional maps ahead of the 2020 elections, in a blow dealt to Democrats that had argued that the electoral districts were intended to unlawfully diminish their political clout.\n\nReuters reports that the justices granted requests from Republican lawmakers to put those decisions on hold, but the justices did not provide explanations for their orders.\n\nThe lower courts had found that the electoral maps in both states had been drawn to entrench Republicans in power by manipulating boundaries in a way that reduced the voting clout of Democrats, what is called gerrymandering, in violation of the Constitution.\n\nThere are two other cases currently under review by the Supreme Court concerning gerrymandering, one from North Carolina and the other from Maryland.", "The U.S. Supreme Court has blocked lower court rulings that invalidated, as partisan gerrymanders, Ohio’s map for congressional districts and Michigan’s maps for congressional and state legislative districts.\n\nThe high court's orders put on hold efforts in both states to redraw their electoral maps ahead of the 2020 elections, a remedy ordered by the lower courts.\n\nIn the Ohio case, a three-judge panel ruled unanimously earlier this month that the district map draw up by the Republican-controlled legislature unconstitutionally discriminated against Democrats. \"We are convinced by the evidence that this partisan gerrymander was intentional,\" the ruling said.", "The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday blocked lower court rulings that invalidated, as partisan gerrymanders, Ohio’s map for congressional districts and Michigan’s maps for congressional and state legislative districts.\n\nThe high court's orders put on hold efforts in both states to redraw their electoral maps ahead of the 2020 elections, a remedy ordered by the lower courts.\n\nIn the Ohio case, a three-judge panel ruled unanimously earlier this month that the district map drawn up by the Republican-controlled legislature unconstitutionally discriminated against Democrats. \"We are convinced by the evidence that this partisan gerrymander was intentional,\" the ruling said.\n\nThe Michigan ruling in April had found that the votes of Democrats were unconstitutionally diluted.\n\nOhio lawmakers had been ordered to draw new districts by June 14, and Michigan lawmakers had been ordered to do so by August 1.\n\nThe justices did not rule on the merits of the cases in its Friday order. The Supreme Court is currently considering two other gerrymandering cases in North Carolina and Maryland. In March, the justices heard challenges to congressional redistricting plans that locked in an advantage for Republicans in North Carolina and that gave an extra seat to Democrats in Maryland.\n\nDecisions in those cases are expected by late June.", "WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Friday blocked rulings from federal courts in Ohio and Michigan that had struck down voting maps in those states as unconstitutional partisan gerrymanders. Both courts had found that Republican legislators had violated the Constitution by drawing voting districts to hurt the electoral chances of Democratic candidates.\n\nThe Supreme Court’s move was expected. The justices will soon decide, in a second pair of cases, whether voting maps can ever be so warped by politics as to cross a constitutional line. The answer to that question, in pending cases from Maryland and North Carolina, will very likely affect the cases from Ohio and Michigan.\n\nFriday’s orders were brief, gave no reasons and did not indicate that any justice had dissented.\n\nIn the Ohio case, a three-judge panel of a Federal District Court found that Republican state legislators had drawn maps that allowed their party’s candidates to gain an outsize partisan advantage in elections. Ohio is a swing state in which presidential and statewide elections can be close. But the state’s congressional maps, in effect since 2012, have consistently yielded delegations of 12 Republicans and four Democrats.\n\nThe panel ordered new maps to be drawn for the 2020 election, a ruling that the Supreme Court has now put on hold.", "The Supreme Court on Friday set aside two lower court rulings tossing out congressional maps in Michigan and Ohio, putting the process of redrawing district lines on hold while it prepares to rule on whether or not partisan gerrymandering is constitutional.\n\nRepublicans in both Midwestern states had appealed lower-court rulings that their congressional maps had been drawn so egregiously to favor the GOP that they violated the constitutional rights of voters. The Supreme Court already heard arguments in partisan gerrymandering cases from Maryland and North Carolina — and the high court is expected to render a decision next month that could decide what happens in Michigan and Ohio as well.\n\nIn both Michigan and Ohio, Republicans drew voting maps after the 2010 census and largely achieved their goal of locking in the gains they had made in the 2010 elections. But the lower courts had ruled that they had violated the 1st and 14th Amendment rights of voters by drawing districts to achieve certain political outcomes.\n\nDespite its history as a swing state, Republicans currently hold 13 of the 18 congressional seats in Ohio. In Michigan, Democrats now hold seven of the state’s 14 seats, after flipping two Republican-held seats in the 2018 midterm elections.\n\nThe twin orders on Friday afternoon included no dissents, though a majority is required for the justices to grant a stay of a lower-court ruling. GOP-led legislatures in both states had anticipated the Supreme Court action and had made few moves toward redrawing their congressional maps thus far.\n\nThe high court heard partisan gerrymandering cases in its previous term as well, in 2017 and 2018. But a year ago, the court issued a limited ruling that largely left the issue undecided and opened the door for lower courts to enforce limits on partisan gerrymandering. Since then, however, Justice Anthony Kennedy retired and was replaced by Brett Kavanaugh, a conservative who doesn’t have a record on the issue thus far."], "summary": "The U.S. Supreme Court temporarily blocks the redrawing of Ohio and Michigan electoral maps while it prepares to rule on whether or not partisan gerrymandering is constitutional. Lower federal courts ordered Michigan and Ohio electoral maps to be redrawn before the 2020 United States presidential election."}
{"document": ["WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump, declaring a national emergency because of tensions with Iran, swept aside objections from Congress on Friday to complete the sale of over $8 billion (£6.3 billion) worth of weapons to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan.\n\nThe Trump administration informed congressional committees that it will go ahead with 22 military sales to the Saudis, United Arab Emirates and Jordan, infuriating lawmakers by circumventing a long-standing precedent for congressional review of major weapons sales.\n\nMembers of Congress had been blocking sales of offensive military equipment to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates for months, angry about the huge civilian toll from their air campaign in Yemen, as well as human rights abuses such as the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at a Saudi consulate in Turkey.\n\nLawmakers and congressional aides warned earlier this week that Trump, frustrated with Congress holding up weapons deals including the sale of bombs to Saudi Arabia, was considering using a loophole in arms control law to go ahead by declaring a national emergency.\n\n\"President Trump is only using this loophole because he knows Congress would disapprove ... There is no new 'emergency' reason to sell bombs to the Saudis to drop in Yemen, and doing so only perpetuates the humanitarian crisis there,\" said Senator Chris Murphy.\n\nMurphy, a Democrat, made public on Twitter on Wednesday that Trump was considering the loophole in the Arms Control Export Act to clear the sales.\n\nSeveral of Trump's fellow Republicans, as well as Democrats, said they would object to such a plan, fearing that blowing through the \"holds\" process would eliminate Congress' ability to check not just Trump but future presidents from selling weapons where they liked.\n\nRepresentative Mike McCaul, the top Republican on the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, said the administration’s action was \"unfortunate\" and likely to damage future White House interactions with Congress.\n\n\"I would have strongly preferred for the administration to utilise the long-established and codified arms sale review process,\" McCaul said in a statement.\n\nU.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement that U.S. partners in the Middle East needed the contracts to be completed to help deter Iran, and that the decision to circumvent Congress was meant to be a \"one-time event.\"\n\nIt is not the first time Congress and Trump have clashed over policy in the region, or the division of powers between the White House and Capitol Hill. The House and Senate voted to end U.S. military support for the campaign in Yemen earlier this year, but Trump vetoed the resolution.\n\nBOON TO DEFENCE INDUSTRYIn documents sent to Congress, Pompeo listed a wide range of products and services that would be provided to the countries.\n\nThey include Raytheon precision-guided munitions (PGMs), support for Boeing Co F-15 aircraft, and Javelin anti-tank missiles, which are made by Raytheon and Lockheed Martin Corp.\n\nOther companies that will benefit include General Electric, now cleared to sell engines for use in F-16 fighter jets operated by the UAE and the U.S. unit of French firm Thales, which was cleared to sell a fuzing system for Paveway IV precision guided bombs to Britain and the UAE.\n\nIt will also likely be welcome news for Britain’s BAE Systems Plc and Europe’s Airbus, clearing the way for installation of Paveway laser-guided bombs on European-built Eurofighter and Tornado fighter jets sold to Saudi Arabia, as well F-15 fighters built by Boeing.\n\n\"I am disappointed, but not surprised, that the Trump Administration has failed once again to prioritise our long-term national security interests or stand up for human rights, and instead is granting favours to authoritarian countries like Saudi Arabia,\" Senator Bob Menendez said in a statement.\n\nMenendez, ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, vowed to fight the action, and said he was in talks with both Democrats and some of Trump's fellow Republicans on ways to preserve congressional review of arms sales.\n\nThe Foreign Relations Committee chairman, Republican Senator Jim Risch, said he had received formal notification of the administration's intent to move forward.\n\nIn a statement, Risch said, \"I am reviewing and analysing the legal justification for this action and the associated implications.\"\n\nIn his memorandum justifying the emergency declaration, Pompeo listed years of actions by Iran. \"Iranian malign activity poses a fundamental threat to the stability of the Middle East and to American security at home and abroad,\" he wrote, and cited \"a number of troubling and escalatory indications and warnings\" from Tehran.\n\nTrump's administration also announced that it was sending 1,500 additional troops to the Middle East, which it described as an effort to bolster defences against Iran against what it sees as a threat of potential attack.\n\nMembers of Congress from both parties have worried that Trump is pushing toward war with Iran. Clarke Cooper, assistant secretary of state for political-military affairs, said the administration was responding to important needs from partners.\n\n\"This is about deterrence and it's not about war,\" he told Reuters in a telephone interview.", "Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said \"Iranian malign activity\" required the \"immediate sale\" of weapons\n\nUS President Donald Trump is approving the sale of billions of dollars' worth of weapons to Saudi Arabia, citing Iranian threats to its arch rival.\n\nMr Trump invoked a rarely used aspect of federal law to push through the $8bn (£6bn) deal - bypassing Congress.\n\nHe did so by declaring that ongoing tensions with Iran amounted to a national emergency.\n\nThe move has angered those who fear the weapons may be used against civilians in Yemen by Saudi-led forces.\n\nSome Democrats accused the president of bypassing Congress because the sale of weapons - including precision-guided bombs - would have been strongly opposed on Capitol Hill.\n\nWeapons will also reportedly be sold to the United Arab Emirates and Jordan.\n\nMembers of Congress have heavily criticised Saudi Arabia's human rights record over its role in the Yemen conflict and for the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Istanbul last October.\n\nOn Friday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo notified Congress of the administration's decision to make the sale. In a letter, widely reported in US media, he said that \"Iranian malign activity\" required the \"immediate sale\" of weapons.\n\n\"[Iran's] activity poses a fundamental threat to the stability of the Middle East and to American security at home and abroad,\" he wrote.\n\nHe said the transfers \"must occur as quickly as possible in order to deter further Iranian adventurism in the Gulf and throughout the Middle East\".\n\nWhat has the reaction been?\n\nThe move quickly garnered opposition. Democratic Senator Robert Menendez, who sits on the Foreign Relations Committee, accused Mr Trump of \"granting favours to authoritarian countries\".\n\n\"[He] has failed once again to prioritise our long term national security interests or stand up for human rights,\" he said in a statement.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The BBC’s Paul Adams looks at the recent developments behind the US-Iran tensions\n\nRepublican Foreign Relations Committee chairman, Senator Jim Risch, said he had been informed by the Trump administration that it planned to confirm \"a number of arms sales\".\n\n\"I am reviewing and analysing the legal justification for this action,\" he said.\n\nSenior Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein said the US needed to rein in Saudi Arabia rather than hand it more weapons.\n\n\"My whole view of Saudi Arabia changed with the murder of Jamal Khashoggi,\" she said.\n\nKhashoggi, who was a strong critic of the Saudi government, was killed after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. His body was reportedly dismembered and his remains have still not been found.\n\nIran also reacted angrily to the US move, with Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif calling it \"extremely dangerous\" for international peace.\n\nNews of the Trump administration's decision came shortly after it announced it would bolster the US military presence in the Middle East. An additional 1,500 troops, as well as fighter jets and drones, will be deployed to the region in the near future.\n\nPatrick Shanahan, the acting Defence Secretary, says the move was intended to counter \"ongoing threats posed by Iranian forces, including the IRGC [Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps] and its proxies\".\n\nWhy are there tensions with Iran?\n\nTensions between the US and Iran began rising this month when Washington put pressure on countries still buying from Iran by ending exemptions from sanctions. The decision was intended to bring Iran's oil exports to zero, denying the government its main source of revenue.\n\nMr Trump reinstated the sanctions last year after abandoning the landmark nuclear deal that Iran has signed with six nations - the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany.\n\nIran has now announced it it will suspend several commitments under the deal.\n\nThere has also been a spike in tensions in the Gulf more widely.\n\nFour oil tankers were damaged in what the United Arab Emirates (UAE) said were sabotage attacks while drone attacks on two oil pumping stations in Saudi Arabia by Yemen's Houthi rebels - who are supported by Iran - forced the temporary closure of a pipeline.\n\nIran denied it was behind the incidents but Rear Admiral Michael Gilday, director of the US Joint Staff, has accused the IRGC of being directly responsible.", "The Trump administration on Friday cited a national security \"emergency\" allegedly caused by Iran to bypass Congress and rush through arms sales worth billions of dollars to Saudi Arabia and other Middle East allies, in a move that drew condemnation from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.\n\nCiting a rarely used provision of arms control law, the administration informed lawmakers it was declaring a national security emergency, allowing it to go ahead with the sale of weapons to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan without congressional approval, according to administration letters sent to senators and obtained by NBC News.\n\n\"I have determined that an emergency exists which requires the proposed sale in the national security interest of the United States, and, thus, waives the congressional review requirements,\" Secretary of State Mike Pompeo wrote in a letter to Sen. James Risch, the Republican chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.\n\nThe decision affected various arms packages worth roughly $8 billion, including deals for precision-guided bombs and related gear for Saudi Arabia and the UAE, according to the documents and congressional aides.\n\nThe two countries are staunch U.S. allies that support President Donald Trump's policies on Iran and have been waging a war since 2015 in support of the Yemeni government against Houthi rebels backed by Tehran.\n\nThe move came despite growing bipartisan opposition to any arms sales to Saudi Arabia amid outrage over the killing of Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last year, as well as over Riyadh's air war in Yemen that has caused high numbers of civilian casualties.\n\nA bipartisan majority in Congress has voted to halt U.S. support for the Saudi-led war in Yemen but President Donald Trump vetoed the legislation last month.\n\nA memo accompanied Pompeo's letters justifying the declaration of the emergency due to Iran's actions, including its support for Houthi rebels in Yemen fighting the Saudi-led coalition.\n\n\"Iranian malign activity poses a fundamental threat to the stability of the Middle East and to American security at home and abroad,\" the memo states. \"Current threat reporting indicates Iran engages in preparations for further malign activities throughout the Middle East region, including potential targeting of U.S. and allied military forces in the region.\"\n\nIran has accused the U.S. of trying to provoke a war and denied any role in recent attacks on ships near the coast of the UAE or on a pipeline in Saudi Arabia.\n\nPompeo said in a statement that delaying the arms shipments, which included bombs, parts for fighter jets and other hardware, could cause problems for allied aircraft and call into question U.S. reliability in providing equipment.\n\n\"The United States is, and must remain, a reliable security partner to our allies and partners around the world,\" Pompeo said.\n\nBut the secretary of state said the decision to bypass Congress was a “a one-time event” and that the administration would uphold the long-established process for congressional review of proposed arms sales.\n\nDemocrats in Congress said the Trump administration expedited the arms packages because it could not secure a majority of lawmakers to support any proposed sales to the Saudis.\n\n\"President Trump is only using this loophole because he knows Congress would disapprove of this sale. There is no new 'emergency' reason to sell bombs to the Saudis to drop in Yemen, and doing so only perpetuates the humanitarian crisis there,\" Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut said in a statement.\n\nSome Republicans also denounced the White House for circumventing Congress to complete the sale.\n\n“I understand the administration’s frustration that key members of Congress held these arms sales for an extended period of time, in some cases for over a year,\" said Rep. Mike McCaul of Texas, the top Republican on the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee.\n\n\"However, the President’s decision to use an emergency waiver on these sales is unfortunate and will damage certain future congressional interactions.\"\n\nRepublican Sen. Todd Young of Indiana called on the administration to reconsider the decision.\n\n\"I strongly urge the administration to reverse course from bypassing congressional oversight on arms sales to Saudi Arabia,\" Young said.\n\n\"Iran remains the world's largest state sponsor of terror but the current threats that have been briefed to members of Congress do not justify taking this dramatic step. \"\n\nSen. Bob Menendez, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, questioned whether the decision was legal and accused the Trump administration of flouting congressional authority while granting favors to Gulf governments accused of human rights abuses and alleged indiscriminate bombing in Yemen.\n\n\"I am disappointed, but not surprised, that the Trump Administration has failed once again to prioritize our long term national security interests or stand up for human rights, and instead is granting favors to authoritarian countries like Saudi Arabia,\" Menendez said in a statement.\n\nHe said \"the Trump administration decided to do an end run around the Congress and possibly the law.\"\n\nMenendez had held up the sale of tens of thousands of precision-guided bombs to Saudi Arabia and the UAE for a year, due to concerns about civilian deaths from Saudi-led airstrikes, the killing of Khashoggi and alleged rights abuses linked to the UAE in the war in Yemen.\n\nRights advocates and humanitarian groups also condemned the decision.\n\n\"The Trump Administration is manufacturing an emergency to push through the sale of deadly weapons to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates,\" Scott Paul of Oxfam America said. \"The real emergency is the 12 million people at risk of famine in Yemen and the largest-ever recorded cholera outbreak continues to spread because of the conflict, but this administration shows little concern for the millions who suffer.\"\n\nApart from precision-guided munitions or so-called \"smart bombs,\" the arms sales for Saudi Arabia include mortar bombs, engines and maintenance support for F-15 fighter jets and logistical services for the Saudi air force, according to documents sent to Congress from the administration.\n\nThe arms packages for the United Arab Emirates cover precision-guided bombs, equipment for AH-64 helicopters, laser-guided rockets, javelin anti-tank missiles, .50 caliber semi-automatic rifles, Patriot missiles, F-16 fighter jet engine parts and U.S. Marine Corps training of the country’s presidential guard. The weapons sale for Jordan involved a transfer of Paveway precision-guided bombs from the Emirates.\n\nSaudi Arabia's embassy in Washington did not respond to a request for comment.\n\nThe Trump administration has refrained from public criticism of the Saudi-led coalition's campaign in Yemen and has focused on Iran's support of Houthi rebels in the conflict, accusing Tehran of fueling the war.\n\nBut some experts and former officials say the war in Yemen benefits Iran and Al Qaeda-linked militants and that the U.S. needs to use its influence with the Saudis to bring an end to the fighting.\n\n\"The longer the civil war in Yemen continues, the more opportunity Tehran will have to undermine the interests of the U.S. and our security partners,\" said Bradley Bowman of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, a Washington think tank.\n\n\"It is in U.S. national security interests to end the civil war in Yemen and address the horrible humanitarian crisis there — both of which are pushing the Houthis deeper into the welcoming arms of Tehran.\"\n\nMenendez and other lawmakers said they would look at a possible legislative response to the Trump administration's decision. Two Democratic congressional aides said senators were discussing legislation that would possibly bar future arms sales to Saudi Arabia without congressional approval.\n\nThe White House move could trigger a backlash in Congress that would jeopardize future arms sales, Bowman said.\n\n\"An administration end-run around Congress to complete arms sales to Riyadh risks inciting a congressional reaction that will undermine the administration's broader goals related to its conventional arms transfer policy,\" he said.\n\nUnder U.S. arms control law, Congress must be given 30 days to approve U.S. arms sales to foreign countries. However, in a rarely used provision of that law, the president can declare an \"emergency,\" sidestepping Congress and sending the sale through immediately.\n\nIn 1984, President Ronald Reagan used the same provision to sell 400 Stinger missiles and 200 launchers to Saudi Arabia in response to its urgent request for help in defending the kingdom against Iran.\n\nSaudi Arabia remains the United States' largest foreign military sales customer with more than $129 billion in approved purchases.", "WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump, declaring a national emergency because of tensions with Iran, swept aside objections from Congress on Friday to complete the sale of over $8 billion worth of weapons to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan.\n\nThe Trump administration informed congressional committees that it will go ahead with 22 military sales to the Saudis, United Arab Emirates and Jordan, infuriating lawmakers by circumventing a long-standing precedent for congressional review of major weapons sales.\n\nMembers of Congress had been blocking sales of offensive military equipment to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates for months, angry about the huge civilian toll from their air campaign in Yemen, as well as human rights abuses such as the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at a Saudi consulate in Turkey.\n\nLawmakers and congressional aides warned earlier this week that Trump, frustrated with Congress holding up weapons deals including the sale of bombs to Saudi Arabia, was considering using a loophole in arms control law to go ahead by declaring a national emergency.\n\n“President Trump is only using this loophole because he knows Congress would disapprove ... There is no new ‘emergency’ reason to sell bombs to the Saudis to drop in Yemen, and doing so only perpetuates the humanitarian crisis there,” said Senator Chris Murphy.\n\nMurphy, a Democrat, made public on Twitter on Wednesday that Trump was considering the loophole in the Arms Control Export Act to clear the sales.\n\nSeveral of Trump’s fellow Republicans, as well as Democrats, said they would object to such a plan, fearing that blowing through the “holds” process would eliminate Congress’ ability to check not just Trump but future presidents from selling weapons where they liked.\n\nRepresentative Mike McCaul, the top Republican on the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, said the administration’s action was “unfortunate” and likely to damage future White House interactions with Congress.\n\n“I would have strongly preferred for the administration to utilize the long-established and codified arms sale review process,” McCaul said in a statement.\n\nU.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement that U.S. partners in the Middle East needed the contracts to be completed to help deter Iran, and that the decision to circumvent Congress was meant to be a “one-time event.”\n\nIt is not the first time Congress and Trump have clashed over policy in the region, or the division of powers between the White House and Capitol Hill. The House and Senate voted to end U.S. military support for the campaign in Yemen earlier this year, but Trump vetoed the resolution.\n\nBOON TO DEFENSE INDUSTRYIn documents sent to Congress, Pompeo listed a wide range of products and services that would be provided to the countries.\n\nThey include Raytheon precision-guided munitions (PGMs), support for Boeing Co F-15 aircraft, and Javelin anti-tank missiles, which are made by Raytheon and Lockheed Martin Corp.\n\nOther companies that will benefit include General Electric, now cleared to sell engines for use in F-16 fighter jets operated by the UAE and the U.S. unit of French firm Thales, which was cleared to sell a fuzing system for Paveway IV precision guided bombs to Britain and the UAE.\n\nIt will also likely be welcome news for Britain’s BAE Systems Plc and Europe’s Airbus, clearing the way for installation of Paveway laser-guided bombs on European-built Eurofighter and Tornado fighter jets sold to Saudi Arabia, as well F-15 fighters built by Boeing.\n\n“I am disappointed, but not surprised, that the Trump Administration has failed once again to prioritize our long-term national security interests or stand up for human rights, and instead is granting favors to authoritarian countries like Saudi Arabia,” Senator Bob Menendez said in a statement.\n\nMenendez, ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, vowed to fight the action, and said he was in talks with both Democrats and some of Trump’s fellow Republicans on ways to preserve congressional review of arms sales.\n\nThe Foreign Relations Committee chairman, Republican Senator Jim Risch, said he had received formal notification of the administration’s intent to move forward.\n\nIn a statement, Risch said, “I am reviewing and analyzing the legal justification for this action and the associated implications.”\n\nIn his memorandum justifying the emergency declaration, Pompeo listed years of actions by Iran. “Iranian malign activity poses a fundamental threat to the stability of the Middle East and to American security at home and abroad,” he wrote, and cited “a number of troubling and escalatory indications and warnings” from Tehran.\n\nTrump’s administration also announced that it was sending 1,500 additional troops to the Middle East, which it described as an effort to bolster defenses against Iran against what it sees as a threat of potential attack.\n\nMembers of Congress from both parties have worried that Trump is pushing toward war with Iran. Clarke Cooper, assistant secretary of state for political-military affairs, said the administration was responding to important needs from partners.\n\n“This is about deterrence and it’s not about war,” he told Reuters in a telephone interview.", "U.S. President Donald Trump, declaring a national emergency because of tensions with Iran, swept aside objections from Congress on Friday to complete the sale of over $8 billion worth of weapons to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan.\n\nThe Trump administration informed congressional committees that it will go ahead with 22 military sales to the Saudis, United Arab Emirates and Jordan, infuriating lawmakers by circumventing a long-standing precedent for congressional review of major weapons sales.\n\nMembers of Congress had been blocking sales of offensive military equipment to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates for months, angry about the huge civilian toll from their air campaign in Yemen, as well as human rights abuses such as the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at a Saudi consulate in Turkey.\n\nLawmakers and congressional aides warned earlier this week that Trump, frustrated with Congress holding up weapons deals including the sale of bombs to Saudi Arabia, was considering using a loophole in arms control law to go ahead by declaring a national emergency.\n\n“President Trump is only using this loophole because he knows Congress would disapprove … There is no new ‘emergency’ reason to sell bombs to the Saudis to drop in Yemen, and doing so only perpetuates the humanitarian crisis there,” said Senator Chris Murphy.\n\nMurphy, a Democrat, made public on Twitter on Wednesday that Trump was considering the loophole in the Arms Control Export Act to clear the sales.\n\nSeveral of Trump’s fellow Republicans, as well as Democrats, said they would object to such a plan, fearing that blowing through the “holds” process would eliminate Congress’ ability to check not just Trump but future presidents from selling weapons where they liked.\n\nRepresentative Mike McCaul, the top Republican on the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, said the administration’s action was “unfortunate” and likely to damage future White House interactions with Congress.\n\n“I would have strongly preferred for the administration to utilize the long-established and codified arms sale review process,” McCaul said in a statement.\n\nU.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement that U.S. partners in the Middle East needed the contracts to be completed to help deter Iran, and that the decision to circumvent Congress was meant to be a “one-time event.”\n\nIt is not the first time Congress and Trump have clashed over policy in the region, or the division of powers between the White House and Capitol Hill. The House and Senate voted to end U.S. military support for the campaign in Yemen earlier this year, but Trump vetoed the resolution.\n\nBOON TO DEFENSE INDUSTRYIn documents sent to Congress, Pompeo listed a wide range of products and services that would be provided to the countries.\n\nThey include Raytheon precision-guided munitions (PGMs), support for Boeing Co F-15 aircraft, and Javelin anti-tank missiles, which are made by Raytheon and Lockheed Martin Corp.\n\nOther companies that will benefit include General Electric, now cleared to sell engines for use in F-16 fighter jets operated by the UAE and the U.S. unit of French firm Thales, which was cleared to sell a fuzing system for Paveway IV precision guided bombs to Britain and the UAE.\n\nIt will also likely be welcome news for Britain’s BAE Systems Plc and Europe’s Airbus, clearing the way for installation of Paveway laser-guided bombs on European-built Eurofighter and Tornado fighter jets sold to Saudi Arabia, as well F-15 fighters built by Boeing.\n\n“I am disappointed, but not surprised, that the Trump Administration has failed once again to prioritize our long-term national security interests or stand up for human rights, and instead is granting favors to authoritarian countries like Saudi Arabia,” Senator Bob Menendez said in a statement.\n\nMenendez, ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, vowed to fight the action, and said he was in talks with both Democrats and some of Trump’s fellow Republicans on ways to preserve congressional review of arms sales.\n\nThe Foreign Relations Committee chairman, Republican Senator Jim Risch, said he had received formal notification of the administration’s intent to move forward.\n\nIn a statement, Risch said, “I am reviewing and analyzing the legal justification for this action and the associated implications.”\n\nIn his memorandum justifying the emergency declaration, Pompeo listed years of actions by Iran. “Iranian malign activity poses a fundamental threat to the stability of the Middle East and to American security at home and abroad,” he wrote, and cited “a number of troubling and escalatory indications and warnings” from Tehran.\n\nTrump’s administration also announced that it was sending 1,500 additional troops to the Middle East, which it described as an effort to bolster defenses against Iran against what it sees as a threat of potential attack.\n\nMembers of Congress from both parties have worried that Trump is pushing toward war with Iran. Clarke Cooper, assistant secretary of state for political-military affairs, said the administration was responding to important needs from partners.\n\n“This is about deterrence and it’s not about war,” he told Reuters in a telephone interview. (REUTERS)", "File photo: U.S. President Donald Trump and Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud take part in a signing ceremony at the Saudi Royal Court in Riyadh, May 20, 2017.\n\nThe Trump administration on Friday invoked a rarely used provision in federal law to bypass congressional review of arms sales to Saudi Arabia, citing threats the kingdom faces from Iran.\n\nSecretary of State Mike Pompeo notified Congress of the decision to use an emergency loophole in the Arms Export Control Act to move ahead with sales of $7 billion in precision guided munitions, other bombs and ammunition and aircraft maintenance support to Saudi Arabia, along with the United Arab Emirates and Jordan, without lawmakers' approval.\n\n>> Read more: Trump may expect Riyadh to invest in peace deal, but Saudi dollars come at a high price | Analysis ■ America should tread carefully to avoid pushing Iraq further into Iran’s orbit | Analysis ■ Netanyahu's Iran dilemma: Getting Trump to act without putting Israel on the front line | Analysis\n\nIn his notification, Pompeo said he had made the determination \"that an emergency exists which requires the immediate sale\" of the weapons \"in order to deter further the malign influence of the government of Iran throughout the Middle East region.\" He said the transfers \"must occur as quickly as possible in order to deter further Iranian adventurism in the Gulf and throughout the Middle East.\"\n\nPompeo said the sale would \"deter Iranian aggression and build partner self-defence capacity,\" adding such a determination was intended to be a \"one-time event.\" \n\n \n\nHe tweeted that some of the sales were presented to Congress almost 18 months ago but lawmakers \"failed to act.\"\n\nPompeo's move follows President Donald Trump's announcement that the U.S. plans to send 1,500 additional U.S. troops to the Middle East as part of a build-up in response to an unspecified threat from Iran.\n\nIt also comes as the administration has actively courted close ties with Saudi Arabia over congressional objections, notably following the killing of Jamal Khashoggi, a U.S.-based columnist for The Washington Post, by Saudi agents in October.\n\nKhashoggi's slaying, coupled with increasing concerns about civilian casualties resulting from a Saudi-led coalition's military operation against Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, prompted lawmakers to block about $2 billion in arms sales to the kingdom for more than a year. Last month, Trump vetoed legislation that would have ended U.S. military assistance for the Saudi-led war in Yemen.\n\nCritics of the Saudi campaign quickly denounced Friday's step.\n\nSen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the administration did not cite a specific legal or practical reason for using the loophole other than Iran.\n\n\"I am disappointed, but not surprised, that the Trump administration has failed once again to prioritize our long term national security interests or stand up for human rights, and instead is granting favors to authoritarian countries like Saudi Arabia,\" Menendez said in a statement.\n\nSen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., who earlier this week warned against bypassing Congress, said the administration was only declaring an emergency because lawmakers would have blocked the transfers.\n\n\"President Trump is only using this loophole because he knows Congress would disapprove of this sale,\" Murphy said. \"There is no new 'emergency' reason to sell bombs to the Saudis.\"\n\nThe law requires Congress to be notified of potential arms sales, giving the body the opportunity to block the sale. But the law also allows the president to waive that review process by declaring an emergency that requires the sale be made \"in the national security interests of the United States.\"\n\nMenendez and Murphy said they would challenge the decision but it was not immediately clear how they might do that.\n\n\"With this move, the president is destroying the productive and decades-long working relationship on arms sales between the Congress and the executive branch,\" Menendez said. \"The possible consequences of this decision will ultimately threaten the ability of the U.S. defense industry to export arms in a manner that is both expeditious and responsible.\"\n\nThe chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, Republican Sen. Jim Risch of Idaho, said he was \"reviewing and analyzing the legal justification for this action and the associated implications.\"\n\nThere is precedent for using the emergency exemption for arms sales to Saudi Arabia. President Ronald Reagan invoked it in the 1980s and both Presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush used it for sales before the 1991 Gulf War and the 2003 Iraq war.", "Washington [US], May 25 (ANI): The United States on Friday verified authorization of USD8.1 billion in arms transfers to Saudi Arabia, Jordan and also the United Arab Emirates in the middle of hostilities with Iran.\n\nThe tools consists of airplane assistance upkeep; monitoring, knowledge, and also reconnaissance; artilleries; and also various other products, reported Sputnik.\n\n“Today, acting in accordance with the authority granted to us by Congress, I made a determination under the Arms Export Control Act to formally notify Congress of 22 arms sales to Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. These directly protect U.S. citizens and our partners,”tweeted United States Secretary of State Pompeo.\n\n“We presented some of these sales almost 18 months ago to Congress, but it has failed to act. The U.S. is and must remain, a reliable security partner in the Gulf and to our allies around the world. It’s fundamental to our national security,”he included.\n\nThis comes hrs after a United States Senator Bob Menendez claimed that United States President Donald Trump management has actually conjured up a stipulation in United States Sales arms regulation that would certainly enable the White House to market arms to Suadi Arabia by bypassing Congress.\n\nDefying the Congress need, Trump had actually openly specified that he would certainly not finish assistance for the Saudi-led battle in Yemen.\n\nUnited States President Donald Trump last month banned Congress resolution to finish United States participation in the Yemen War.\n\nThis advancement holds relevance as Washington is associated with the hazardous standoff. Its demand to have solid local allies in the area to discourage Iranian “threat”.\n\nUnited States armed forces is boosting its existence between East. The United States has actually gotten service provider strike battleships and also B-52bombing planes off the coastline of Fujairah in the UAE to respond to a inexplicable and also supposed risk from Iran.\n\nMore soldiers have actually additionally been released in the Persian Gulf, among the globe’s most critical rivers, in what the United States authorities declared was a response to photos revealing Iran filling rockets onto tiny typical watercrafts, The Times of Israel reported. (ANI)", "WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump, declaring a national emergency because of tensions with Iran, swept aside objections from Congress yesterday to complete the sale of over $8 billion worth of weapons to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan.\n\nThe Trump administration informed congressional committees that it will go ahead with 22 military sales to the Saudis, United Arab Emirates and Jordan, infuriating lawmakers by circumventing a long-standing precedent for congressional review of major weapons sales.\n\nMembers of Congress had been blocking sales of offensive military equipment to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates for months, angry about the huge civilian toll from their air campaign in Yemen, as well as human rights abuses such as the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at a Saudi consulate in Turkey.\n\nLawmakers and congressional aides warned earlier this week that Trump, frustrated with Congress holding up weapons deals including the sale of bombs to Saudi Arabia, was considering using a loophole in arms control law to go ahead by declaring a national emergency.\n\n“President Trump is only using this loophole because he knows Congress would disapprove … There is no new ‘emergency’ reason to sell bombs to the Saudis to drop in Yemen, and doing so only perpetuates the humanitarian crisis there,” said Senator Chris Murphy.\n\nMurphy, a Democrat, made public on Twitter on Wednesday that Trump was considering the loophole in the Arms Control Export Act to clear the sales.\n\nSeveral of Trump’s fellow Republicans, as well as Democrats, said they would object to such a plan, fearing that blowing through the “holds” process would eliminate Congress’ ability to check not just Trump but future presidents from selling weapons where they liked.\n\nRepresentative Mike McCaul, the top Republican on the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, said the administration’s action was “unfortunate” and likely to damage future White House interactions with Congress.\n\n“I would have strongly preferred for the administration to utilize the long-established and codified arms sale review process,” McCaul said in a statement.\n\nU.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement that U.S. partners in the Middle East needed the contracts to be completed to help deter Iran, and that the decision to circumvent Congress was meant to be a “one-time event.”\n\nIt is not the first time Congress and Trump have clashed over policy in the region, or the division of powers between the White House and Capitol Hill. The House and Senate voted to end U.S. military support for the campaign in Yemen earlier this year, but Trump vetoed the resolution.\n\nIn documents sent to Congress, Pompeo listed a wide range of products and services that would be provided to the countries.\n\nThey include Raytheon precision-guided munitions (PGMs), support for Boeing Co F-15 aircraft, and Javelin anti-tank missiles, which are made by Raytheon and Lockheed Martin Corp.\n\nOther companies that will benefit include General Electric , now cleared to sell engines for use in F-16 fighter jets operated by the UAE and the U.S. unit of French firm Thales , which was cleared to sell a fuzing system for Paveway IV precision guided bombs to Britain and the UAE.\n\nIt will also likely be welcome news for Britain’s BAE Systems Plc and Europe’s Airbus, clearing the way for installation of Paveway laser-guided bombs on European-built Eurofighter and Tornado fighter jets sold to Saudi Arabia, as well F-15 fighters built by Boeing.\n\n“I am disappointed, but not surprised, that the Trump Administration has failed once again to prioritize our long-term national security interests or stand up for human rights, and instead is granting favors to authoritarian countries like Saudi Arabia,” Senator Bob Menendez said in a statement.\n\nMenendez, ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, vowed to fight the action, and said he was in talks with both Democrats and some of Trump’s fellow Republicans on ways to preserve congressional review of arms sales.\n\nThe Foreign Relations Committee chairman, Republican Senator Jim Risch, said he had received formal notification of the administration’s intent to move forward.\n\nIn a statement, Risch said, “I am reviewing and analyzing the legal justification for this action and the associated implications.”\n\nIn his memorandum justifying the emergency declaration, Pompeo listed years of actions by Iran. “Iranian malign activity poses a fundamental threat to the stability of the Middle East and to American security at home and abroad,” he wrote, and cited “a number of troubling and escalatory indications and warnings” from Tehran.\n\nTrump’s administration also announced that it was sending 1,500 additional troops to the Middle East, which it described as an effort to bolster defenses against Iran against what it sees as a threat of potential attack.\n\nMembers of Congress from both parties have worried that Trump is pushing toward war with Iran. Clarke Cooper, assistant secretary of state for political-military affairs, said the administration was responding to important needs from partners.\n\n“This is about deterrence and it’s not about war,” he told Reuters in a telephone interview.", "U.S. President Donald Trump, declaring a national emergency because of tensions with Iran, swept aside objections from Congress on Friday to complete the sale of over $8 billion worth of weapons to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan.\n\nThe Trump administration informed congressional committees that it will go ahead with 22 military sales to the Saudis, United Arab Emirates and Jordan, infuriating lawmakers by circumventing a long-standing precedent for congressional review of major weapons sales.\n\nMembers of Congress had been blocking sales of offensive military equipment to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates for months, angry about the huge civilian toll from their air campaign in Yemen, as well as human rights abuses such as the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at a Saudi consulate in Turkey.\n\nLawmakers and congressional aides warned earlier in the week that Trump, frustrated with Congress holding up weapons deals including the sale of bombs to Saudi Arabia, was considering using a loophole in arms control law to go ahead by declaring a national emergency.\n\n“President Trump is only using this loophole because he knows Congress would disapprove. … There is no new ’emergency’ reason to sell bombs to the Saudis to drop in Yemen, and doing so only perpetuates the humanitarian crisis there,” said Sen. Chris Murphy.\n\nMurphy, a Democrat, made public on Twitter on Wednesday that Trump was considering the loophole in the Arms Control Export Act to clear the sales.\n\nSeveral of Trump’s fellow Republicans, as well as Democrats, said they would object to such a plan, fearing that blowing through the “holds” process would eliminate Congress’ ability to check not just Trump but future presidents from selling weapons where they liked.\n\nU.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement that U.S. partners in the Middle East needed the contracts to be completed to help deter Iran, and that the decision to circumvent Congress was meant to be a “one-time event.”\n\nIt is not the first time Congress and Trump have clashed over policy in the region, or the division of powers between the White House and Capitol Hill. The House and Senate voted to end U.S. military support for the campaign in Yemen earlier this year, but Trump vetoed the resolution.\n\nIn documents sent to Congress, Pompeo listed a wide range of products and services that would be provided to the countries.\n\nThey include Raytheon precision-guided munitions (PGMs), support for Boeing Co. F-15 aircraft, and Javelin anti-tank missiles, which are made by Raytheon and Lockheed Martin Corp.\n\nOther companies that will benefit include General Electric, now cleared to sell engines for use in F-16 fighter jets operated by the UAE and the U.S. unit of French firm Thales, which was cleared to sell a fuzing system for Paveway IV precision guided bombs to Britain and the UAE.\n\nIt will also likely be welcome news for Britain’s BAE Systems PLC and Europe’s Airbus, clearing the way for installation of Paveway laser-guided bombs on European-built Eurofighter and Tornado fighter jets sold to Saudi Arabia, as well F-15 fighters built by Boeing.\n\n“I am disappointed, but not surprised, that the Trump Administration has failed once again to prioritize our long-term national security interests or stand up for human rights, and instead is granting favors to authoritarian countries like Saudi Arabia,” Sen. Bob Menendez said in a statement.\n\nMenendez, ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, vowed to fight the action, and said he was in talks with both Democrats and some of Trump’s fellow Republicans on ways to preserve congressional review of arms sales.\n\nThe Foreign Relations Committee chairman, Republican Sen. Jim Risch, said he had received formal notification of the administration’s intent to move forward.\n\nIn a statement, Risch said, “I am reviewing and analyzing the legal justification for this action and the associated implications.”\n\nIn his memorandum justifying the emergency declaration, Pompeo listed years of actions by Iran. “Iranian malign activity poses a fundamental threat to the stability of the Middle East and to American security at home and abroad,” he wrote, and cited “a number of troubling and escalatory indications and warnings” from Tehran.\n\nTrump’s administration also announced that it was sending 1,500 additional troops to the Middle East, which it described as an effort to bolster defenses against Iran against what it sees as a threat of potential attack.\n\nMembers of Congress from both parties have worried that Trump is pushing toward war with Iran. Clarke Cooper, assistant secretary of state for political-military affairs, said the administration was responding to important needs from partners.\n\n“This is about deterrence and it’s not about war,” he said in a telephone interview.", "U.S. President Donald Trump, declaring a national emergency because of tensions with Iran, swept aside objections from Congress on Friday to complete the sale of over $8 billion worth of weapons to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan.\n\nThe Trump administration informed congressional committees that it will go ahead with 22 military sales to the Saudis, United Arab Emirates and Jordan, infuriating lawmakers by circumventing a long-standing precedent for congressional review of major weapons sales.\n\nMembers of Congress had been blocking sales of offensive military equipment to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates for months, angry about the huge civilian toll from their air campaign in Yemen, as well as human rights abuses such as the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at a Saudi consulate in Turkey.\n\nLawmakers and congressional aides warned earlier this week that Trump, frustrated with Congress holding up weapons deals including the sale of bombs to Saudi Arabia, was considering using a loophole in arms control law to go ahead by declaring a national emergency.\n\n\"President Trump is only using this loophole because he knows Congress would disapprove ... There is no new 'emergency' reason to sell bombs to the Saudis to drop in Yemen, and doing so only perpetuates the humanitarian crisis there,\" said Senator Chris Murphy.\n\nMurphy, a Democrat, made public on Twitter on Wednesday that Trump was considering the loophole in the Arms Control Export Act to clear the sales.\n\nSeveral of Trump's fellow Republicans, as well as Democrats, said they would object to such a plan, fearing that blowing through the \"holds\" process would eliminate Congress' ability to check not just Trump but future presidents from selling weapons where they liked.\n\nRepresentative Mike McCaul, the top Republican on the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, said the administration's action was \"unfortunate\" and likely to damage future White House interactions with Congress.\n\n\"I would have strongly preferred for the administration to utilize the long-established and codified arms sale review process,\" McCaul said in a statement.\n\nU.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement that U.S. partners in the Middle East needed the contracts to be completed to help deter Iran, and that the decision to circumvent Congress was meant to be a \"one-time event.\"\n\nIt is not the first time Congress and Trump have clashed over policy in the region, or the division of powers between the White House and Capitol Hill. The House and Senate voted to end U.S. military support for the campaign in Yemen earlier this year, but Trump vetoed the resolution.\n\nBOON TO DEFENSE INDUSTRYIn documents sent to Congress, Pompeo listed a wide range of products and services that would be provided to the countries.\n\nThey include Raytheon precision-guided munitions (PGMs), support for Boeing Co F-15 aircraft, and Javelin anti-tank missiles, which are made by Raytheon and Lockheed Martin Corp.\n\nOther companies that will benefit include General Electric, now cleared to sell engines for use in F-16 fighter jets operated by the UAE and the U.S. unit of French firm Thales, which was cleared to sell a fuzing system for Paveway IV precision guided bombs to Britain and the UAE.\n\nIt will also likely be welcome news for Britain's BAE Systems Plc and Europe's Airbus, clearing the way for installation of Paveway laser-guided bombs on European-built Eurofighter and Tornado fighter jets sold to Saudi Arabia, as well F-15 fighters built by Boeing.\n\n\"I am disappointed, but not surprised, that the Trump Administration has failed once again to prioritize our long-term national security interests or stand up for human rights, and instead is granting favors to authoritarian countries like Saudi Arabia,\" Senator Bob Menendez said in a statement.\n\nMenendez, ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, vowed to fight the action, and said he was in talks with both Democrats and some of Trump's fellow Republicans on ways to preserve congressional review of arms sales.\n\nThe Foreign Relations Committee chairman, Republican Senator Jim Risch, said he had received formal notification of the administration's intent to move forward.\n\nIn a statement, Risch said, \"I am reviewing and analyzing the legal justification for this action and the associated implications.\"\n\nIn his memorandum justifying the emergency declaration, Pompeo listed years of actions by Iran. \"Iranian malign activity poses a fundamental threat to the stability of the Middle East and to American security at home and abroad,\" he wrote, and cited \"a number of troubling and escalatory indications and warnings\" from Tehran.\n\nTrump's administration also announced that it was sending 1,500 additional troops to the Middle East, which it described as an effort to bolster defenses against Iran against what it sees as a threat of potential attack.\n\nMembers of Congress from both parties have worried that Trump is pushing toward war with Iran. Clarke Cooper, assistant secretary of state for political-military affairs, said the administration was responding to important needs from partners.\n\n\"This is about deterrence and it's not about war,\" he told Reuters in a telephone interview."], "summary": "U.S. President Donald Trump bypasses Congress to approve the sale of billions of dollars' worth of weapons to Saudi Arabia, citing Iranian threats against the latter."}
{"document": ["Three productions that used the Oklahoma Film Enhancement Rebate Program have been announced as selections for next month's deadCenter Film Festival: “The Bygone,” “Hosea” and “Trolls: Stop Motion.”\n\nAs previously reported, a record-breaking 1,500 films were submitted to the deadCenter Film Festival for consideration at this year’s event, and 140 were chosen as official selections. The 19th annual festival is scheduled for June 6-9 at five locations in downtown Oklahoma City.\n\nWritten and directed by brothers Graham and Parker Phillips, who have Oklahoma family ties, “The Bygone” tells the story of a young rancher who falls in love with a Lakota Sioux girl from a nearby reservation. Her sudden disappearance sparks a search that uncovers a harrowing past that hints at a dire future. Graham Phillips (“The Good Girl,” “Riverdale”) also stars in the film, which features a robust cast, including Shawn Hatosy (“Animal Kingdom,” “Southland”), Jamie McShane (“Bloodline,” “Fear the Walking Dead”) and Irene Bedard (“Into the West,” “Pocahantas”). As previously reported, the film was produced in Oklahoma in November 2017 and filmed throughout the state at a number of locations, including Alabaster Caverns State Park.\n\nA graduate of Southern Nazarene University, Ryan Daniel Dobson’s debut feature film “Hosea” is a modern re-imaging of the ancient Hebrew tale in a dramatic story of love that follows one woman’s journey toward self-acceptance. Starring Camille Rowe (“Our Day Will Come”) and Avi Nash (“The Walking Dead”), this film was produced in Oklahoma City earlier last year, according to a news release.", "Thomas Page , CNN Written by\n\nBong Joon-ho of South Korea won the Palme d'Or, the Cannes Film Festival's top prize, on Saturday for his seventh feature film, \"Parasite.\" It's the first time the director has won what is considered by many the highest honor in world cinema.\n\nFrench-Senegalese director Mati Diop , in her first time at Cannes and as the first black woman in competition in the festival's 72-year history, won the Grand Prix award for her first narrative feature \"Atlantics,\" a magical-realist take on migration in Senegal.\n\n\"Les Miserables\" by Ladj Ly and \"Bacurau\" by Brazilian duo Kleber Mendonca Filho and Juliano Dornelles shared the Jury Prize, the festival's approximate of third place.\n\n\"Parasite\" by South Korean Bong Joon-ho has won the director his film Palme d'Or. Credit: CJ/ENM Corporation/Barunson/E&A\n\nAll four prize-winning films addressed hot-button issues: migration in West Africa, contemporary working class struggles in France and South Korea and a satirical riposte to right-wing politics in Brazil.\n\nMeanwhile, the prize for best director went to the Dardenne brothers for \"Young Ahmed\" and the screenwriting prize was awarded to Celine Sciamma for \"Portrait of a Lady on Fire.\"\n\nEmily Beecham was named best actress for her performance in Jennifer Hausner's \"Little Joe\" while Antonio Banderas won the best actor prize for Pedro Almodovar's \"Pain and Glory,\" in which he played a version of the director in Almodovar's fictionalized autobiography.\n\nCamera d'Or, the award for best first feature, went to Cesar Diaz for \"Our Mothers,\" screening in the Critics Week strand of the festival.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n1 / 30 – 'Oh Mercy! (Roubaix, Une Lumiere)' Winnie Harlow wears a Ralph & Russo to the premiere of \"Oh Mercy! (Roubaix, Une Lumiere).\" Credit: Andreas Rentz/Getty Images\n\nSpeculation abounded as to whom the Alejandro Inarritu-led jury would bestow honors, particularly given this year's director-heavy ranks including Yorgos Lanthimos (\"The Favourite\"), Alice Rohrwacher (\"Happy As Lazzaro\"), Kelly Reichardt (\"Certain Women\") and Pawel Pawlikowski (\"Cold War\"). Predicting the Palme d'Or has long been considered a fool's errand, and this jury contained many strong, distinctive voices.\n\nThe decision to award Bong the Palme was not wholly unexpected and was a welcome choice among critics, many of whom had lobbied hard for the film as it competed against films by other Cannes heavyweights including Almodovar, Quentin Tarantino and Ken Loach.\n\nFor more festival highlights, read on.\n\n12 days of cinephilia\n\nCannes in festival fever is a curious beast: a place where you can walk past \" Avengers: Endgame \" co-director Joe Russo wandering the street unmolested, but where Argentine provocateur Gaspar Noe is mobbed after subjecting an audience to 10 straight minutes of strobe lighting.\n\nThat's not to say multibillion-dollar franchises hold no currency here -- the busy film market keeps the lights on for everyone, after all -- but the festival knows what it likes and isn't about to change its stripes any time soon.\n\nAfter much Netflix-related hand-wringing it ended up being a classic year. The Cannes old boys' club was out in force, with new films from Jim Jarmusch, Almodovar, Loach, Terrence Malick, Tarantino and Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne. Some were well received, others considered lesser works, but most showed seasoned directors sticking to their respective lanes.\n\nLeonardo DiCaprio plays an over the hill movie star questioning his place in the industry in Quentin Tarantino's \"Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood.\" Credit: Sony Pictures International\n\nTarantino's \"Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood\" and Malick's \"A Hidden Life\" were described as a return to form. The former was a typically garrulous eulogy to Hollywood's golden era co-opting the murder of Sharon Tate, the latter an ode to personal faith via the story of conscientious objector Franz Jaegerstaetter. Both directors played fast and loose with history and had critics wondering whether some cuts -- particularly in Tarantino's third act -- might have helped their causes here.\n\nThe Dardenne brothers' \"Young Ahmed,\" about the radicalization of a young Muslim in Belgium, was less provocative than it looked on paper. The same couldn't be said for Abdellatif Kechiche's \"Mektoub, My Love: Intermezzo,\" a \" three-and-a-half-hour testament to twerking \" and male gaze bonanza.\n\nAdele Haenel and Noemie Merlant in \"Portrait of a Lady on Fire,\" an 18th century love story by French director Celine Sciamma. Credit: Lilies Films/Hold-Up Films/Arte France Cinéma\n\nOffering a tonic were first-timers Sciamma and Diop , who respectively lit up the competition with \"Portrait of a Lady on Fire,\" a lesbian romance set in 18th-century France, and \"Atlantics,\" a magical-realist take on Senegalese migration.\n\nDiop became the first black woman in competition in the festival's 72-year history, while Leyna Bloom became the first transgender lead in the official selection in \"Port Authority,\" a New York-set love story revolving around the kiki ballroom scene.\n\nLeyna Bloom attends the photocall for \"Port Authority.\" Credit: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images Europe/Getty Images\n\nBurnishing her film's credentials, Sciamma, one of the founders of the \" 5050x2020 \" gender equality moment, proved it wasn't hard to make amazing cinema with women on both sides of the camera and for the film's news conference brought out an all-female panel.\n\nBut for all the buzz at the Palais, the festival's undisputed breakout hit was to be found over at the Directors' Fortnight sidebar.\n\nRobert Egger's riotous \"The Lighthouse\" placed Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson's salty seadogs on a rocky crag and let them fight like the last two rats in a barrel. Among Cannes' most avant-garde titles, Egger's hallucinogenic shanty watched like sniffing glue then passing out to \"Moby Dick\" on TCM. Festival staff had to contend with umbrella-totting crowds queuing around the block to catch a glimpse.\n\nWillem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson became the hot ticket away from the Palais with Directors Fortnight hit \"The Lighthouse.\" Credit: Eric Chakeen/A24\n\nRed carpet drama\n\nAvoiding the rain, \"Rocketman\" and \"Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood\" vied for the title of busiest gala.\n\nElton John arrived sequined and ready to rock for his biopic and by the time the credits rolled, he and star Taron Egerton were both in tears. There were tears of frustration, meanwhile, at the Tarantino premiere as many guests were turned away from the gala despite holding much-prized invitations ( the festival later apologized ).\n\nElle Fanning attends the screening of \"Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood\" at the festival Tuesday. Credit: Andreas Rentz/Getty Images Europe/Getty Images\n\nThe undisputed queen of the red carpet this year was Elle Fanning. Still riding a wave of Met Gala praise, the 21-year-old juror cycled through Gucci and Valentino before peaking with a '40s-inspired Dior couture confection at the Tarantino premiere. Not receiving the positive PR was Prada: Fanning said she fainted in a 1950s Prada prom dress at a party the night before, later claiming on Instagram that it was too tight.\n\nThe red carpet welcomed pro-choice activists at the premiere of \"Let It Be Law,\" a documentary by Juan Solanas that examined women's rights and illegal abortions in Argentina. Credit: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images Europe/Getty Images\n\nProtests returned to the steps of the Palais again this year when pro-choice activists made their voices heard at a special screening of Juan Solanas' Argentine abortion documentary \"Let It Be Law.\"\n\nFestival report card\n\nAs the press leave the French Riviera, exhausted and afraid to look another bottle of rosé in the eye, what are the main takeaways?\n\nWell, cinema and its spiritual home is still alive.\n\nCannes has manned the barricades against the streaming giants, mandated in part by French law stipulating a three-year gap between theatrical and streaming release. The festival's policy has no doubt offered pause for thought to some directors tempted by Netflix's juicy deals, but how long that will hold, given the illustrious lineup at Venice last year, remains to be seen. But no one really believes the impasse between Cannes and Netflix can last forever.\n\nElton John and British actor Taron Egerton, who plays the singer in \"Rocketman,\" appear on the red carpet for the film's hot-ticket premiere May 16. Credit: ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP/AFP/Getty Images\n\nPerhaps instead a bigger programming battle the festival faces is between a clique of venerable filmmakers on a downward curve occupying competition slots that a fresh generation are more than capable of filling with radical new visions.\n\nWe're seven months out from the Academy Awards, but some offerings here already have Oscar buzz. \"Parasites\" could well become South Korea's first Best International Feature Film nominee, and Antonio Banderas is being chalked up as an outside bet for the best actor race. And in the wake of \"Call Me By Your Name,\" could \"Portrait of a Lady on Fire\" -- a more elegant take on a similar story -- enter the fray?\n\nThat's all a long way off, but for now one thing is certain: it hasn't been dull.", "The Cannes Film Festival's Palme d'Or prize goes to South Korean director Bong Joon-ho's social satire \"Parasite\"\n\nCANNES, France (AP) — The Cannes Film Festival's Palme d'Or prize goes to South Korean director Bong Joon-ho's social satire \"Parasite\"", "CANNES, France — The Cannes Film Festival’s Palme d’Or prize goes to South Korean director Bong Joon-ho’s social satire “Parasite”", "[This year's winner of the Palme d'Or prize at the Cannes Film festival has been awarded to South Korean director Bong Joon-ho for his film 'Parasite'.\n\nThe black comedy, based on class struggle, had been one for the pre-competition favourites.\n\n\"The film was made possible because of the great actors involved,\" said Bong. \"All the others actors are here in Seoul right now, and I really want to share this honour and enjoy it with them as well.\"\n\nFrench-Senagalese filmmaker Mati Diop was awarded the Grand Prix of the Jury for 'Atlantique', a tale of desperate young Africans emigrating to Europe in search of a better life. Diop is the first black, female director to be honoured at Cannes in it's 72-year history.\n\n[\n\n\"I found myself at a very special time when so many young people were leaving the Senegalese coast to go to Spain, leaving unemployment, very difficult living conditions, and I was there, a close witness to that moment.\"\n\nAntonio Banderas received the Best Actor Award for his performance in Spanish director Pedro Almadovar's 'Dolor y Gloria' (Pain and Glory). Banderas' role has been described as that of a kind of alter-ego to Almodovar.\n\n](https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/)\n\n\n\n\"Probably, if you think about, he is more Pedro Almodovar than Pedro Almodovar, said Banderas .\"We all hide somebody inside..........when I read this script, I was very surprised, I've been friends with Pedro for such a long time. We always have our friendship moving in the same kind of universe, and that universe has limits, because Pedro is very private person. So when I read the script I just saw something that was close to the movie confessional.\"\n\nA full list of winners at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival can be found here", "South Korean director Bong Joon-ho’s social satire Parasite, about a poor family of hustlers who find jobs with a wealthy family, has won the Cannes Film Festival’s top award, the Palme d’Or.\n\nThe win for Parasite on Saturday marks the first Korean film to ever win the Palme.\n\nIn the festival’s closing ceremony, jury president Alejandro Inarritu said the choice had been “unanimous” for the nine-person jury.\n\nThe genre-mixing film had arguably been celebrated more than others at Cannes this year, hailed by critics as the best yet from the 49-year-old director of Snowpiercer and Okja.\n\nIt was the second straight Palme victory for an Asian director.\n\nLast year, the award went to Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Shoplifters, a film also about an impoverished family.\n\n“We shared the mystery of the unexpected way this film took us through different genres, speaking in a funny, humorous and tender way of no judgement of something so relevant and urgent and so global,” Mr Inarritu told reporters after the ceremony.\n\nMany of the awards at Cannes were given to social and political tales that depicted geopolitical dramas in localised stories, from African shores to Paris suburbs.\n\nThe festival’s second place award, the Grand Prize, went to French-Senegalese director Mati Diop’s feature-film debut, Atlantics.\n\nThe film by Diop, the first black female director ever in competition in Cannes, views the migrant crisis from the perspective of Senegalese women left behind after many young men flee by sea to Spain.\n\nAlthough few quibbled with the choice of Bong, some had expected Cannes to make history by giving the Palme to a female filmmaker for just the second time.\n\nCeline Sciamma’s period romance Portrait Of A Lady On Fire was the Palme pick for many critics this year.\n\nInstead, Sciamma ended up with best screenplay.\n\nIn the festival’s 72-year history, only Jane Champion has won the prize in 1993 for The Piano, tying with Chen Kaige’s Farewell My Concubine.\n\nBest actor went to Antonio Banderas for Pedro Almodovar’s reflective drama Pain And Glory.\n\nIn the film, one of the most broadly acclaimed of the festival, Banderas plays a fictionalised version of Almodovar looking back on his life and career.\n\n“The best is still to come,” said Banderas, accepting the award.\n\nThe Belgian brothers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, who have already twice won the Palme d’Or, took the best director prize for Young Ahmed, their portrait of Muslim teenager who becomes radicalised by a fundamentalist imam.\n\nThe jury prize, or third place, was split between two socially conscious thrillers: The French director Ladj Ly’s feature-film debut Les Miserables and Brazilian director Kleber Mendonça Filho’s Bacurau.\n\nLy called his film an alarm bell about youths living in the housing projects of Paris’ suburbs.\n\nFilho viewed his feverish, violent Western about a rural Brazilian community defending itself from a hard-to-comprehend invasion as a reflection of President Jair Bolsonaro’s Brazil.\n\nBritish actress Emily Beecham won best actress for her performance in Jessica Hausner’s science-fiction drama Little Joe.\n\nThe jury also gave a special mention to Palestinian director Elia Suleiman’s It Must Be Heaven.\n\nThe Camera d’Or, an award given for best first feature from across all of Cannes’ sections, went to Cesar Diaz’s Our Mothers, a drama about the Guatemalan civil war in the 1980s.\n\nThe ceremony Saturday brought to a close a Cannes Film Festival that was riven with concerns for its own relevancy.\n\nIt had to contend, most formidably, with the cultural television force of Game Of Thrones.\n\nThe continuing rise of streaming was also a constant subject around the festival.\n\nTwo years ago, Bong was in Cannes’ competition with Okja, a movie distributed in North America by Netflix.\n\nAfter it and Noah Baumbach’s The Meyerowitz Stories, another Netflix release — premiered at Cannes, the festival ruled that all future films in competition needed French theatrical distribution.\n\nNetflix has since withdrawn from the festival on the French Riviera.\n\nThis year, bowing to pressure from 5050×2020, the French version of Time’s Up, the festival released gender breakdowns of its submissions and selections.\n\nCannes said about 27% of its official selections were directed by women.\n\nThe 21-film main slate included four films directed by women, which tied the festival’s previous high.\n\nThe 72nd Cannes had its share of red-carpet dazzle, too.\n\nSir Elton John brought his biopic Rocketman to the festival, joining star Taron Egerton for a beachside duet after the premiere.\n\nAnd Quentin Tarantino unveiled his 1960s Los Angeles tale Once Upon A Time … In Hollywood, with Brad Pitt and Leonardo DiCaprio, 25 years after the director’s Pulp Fiction won the Palme d’Or.\n\nTarantino, who attended the closing ceremony, did not go home empty handed.\n\nOn Friday, a prominent player in his film won the annual Palme Dog, an award given by critics to Cannes’ best canine.", "CANNES, France, May 25 (Reuters) - “Parasite”, a dark comedy by South Korean director Bong Joon-Ho, won the top Palme d’Or prize at the Cannes Film Festival on Saturday.\n\nThe Cannes film festival also shone a light on newcomers.\n\n“Atlantics”, a haunting ghost story about migrants directed by Franco-Senegalese filmmaker Mati Diop, won the runner-up Grand Prix award.\n\nThe movie, based on her 2009 short documentary, was Diop’s first ever feature length film. (Reporting by Sarah White, Editing by Inti Landauro)", "Filmmaker Bong Joon-ho on Saturday became the first South Korean to win Cannes Film Festival's prestigious top prize, the Palme d'Or, with his film \"Parasite.\"\n\nThe tragicomic film explores the growing gap between rich and poor by telling the story of two families at opposite ends of the economic spectrum in South Korea.\n\n\"The film is laugh-out-loud funny, an astute blend of humanity and absurdity, thrilling until its final depraved moments, a pristinely shot modern architectural feast for the eyes, a razor-sharp socioeconomic critique, and a cryptic operatic drama,\" wrote film-making news site Film School Rejects in a review.\n\nRead more: Cannes film fest 2019: The tops and the flops\n• Best director — Belgian brothers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne for \"Young Ahmed\"\n• Best actress — British actress Emily Beecham for \"Little Joe\"\n• Best screenplay — French screenwriter Celine Sciamma for \"Portrait of a Lady on Fire\"\n• Special mention — Palestinian director Elia Suleiman for \"It Must Be Heaven\"\n\nFor many critics, the choice for the top prize among the 21 contenders was especially difficult at the world's most influential international film festival.\n\nSome believed Sciamma would win it to make her only the second female to do so in the prize's history. Others thought Spanish heavyweight Pedro Almodovar would pick it up with his most personal film to date, \"Dolor Y Gloria.\"\n\nInstead, Bong became the first South Korean to do so. He is best known for his dramatic films \"Snowpiercer\" and \"Okja.\"\n\nRead more: Cannes: 10 things to know about the world's most important film festival", "Alejandro González Iñárritu and his jury will announce the festival's best performances and films.\n\nThe 2019 Cannes Film Festival officially comes to an end with the awards ceremony in which this year’s competition jury will name the best films and performances of the festival. The 2019 jury was headed by “Birdman” and “The Revenant” Oscar winner Alejandro González Iñárritu, who won Cannes’ Best Director prize for “Babel.” Other jury members included Elle Fanning, Maimouna N’Diaye, Kelly Reichardt, Enki Bilal, Alice Rohrwacher, Robin Campillo, Yorgos Lanthimos, and last year’s Cannes Best Director winner Paweł Pawlikowski\n\nThis year’s Palme d’Or race consisted of 20 movies, several of which were from previous Palme d’Or winners such as Terrence Malick (“A Hidden Life”), Quentin Tarantino (“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”), Ken Loach (“Sorry We Missed You”), and the Dardenne Brothers (“The Young Ahmed”). Whichever film wins the Palme d’Or will follow last year’s pick “Shoplifters,” the acclaimed Hirokazu Kore-eda drama that went on to earn an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film at the 2019 Oscars.\n\nIn addition to the Palme d’Or, awards will be given out to the best actor and actress in competition, as well as screenplay honors. The third pick for best film gets awarded the Jury Prize (last year it was Nadine Labaki’s “Capernaum”), while the second place movie gets the Grand Prix honor (Spike Lee’s “BlacKkKlansman” took home the honor last year).\n\nOne winner that has already been announced prior to the awards ceremony is Céline Sciamma’s “Portrait of a Lady on Fire.” The drama was named the winner of the 2019 Queer Palm, and it’s the first time a woman director has received the honor since Cannes started awarding the prize in 2010. Greek filmmaker Vasilis Kekatos won the short film Queer Palme with “The Distance Between Heaven and Us.”\n\nThe full list of winners for the 2019 Cannes Film Festival is below. IndieWire will update the list as the winners are revealed live.\n\nBest Screenplay: “Portrait of a Lady on Fire,” Céline Sciamma\n\nSpecial Mention of the Jury: “It Must Be Heaven,” Elia Suleiman\n\nShort Film Palme d’Or: “The Distance Between Us And The Sky,” Vasilis Kekatos\n\nQueer Palm (Short): “The Distance Between Us And The Sky,” Vasilis Kekatos\n\nSign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.", "PARIS\n• The Cannes jury were \"bitten\" by South Korean film Parasite, awarding it the top Palme d'Or prize on Saturday.\n\nThe ferocious satire and critical favourite is directed by Bong Joon-ho who said \"I never imagined this\" when he accepted the honour.\n\nThis is the first time a South Korean movie has won the Palme d'Or.\n\nSylvester Stallone, who was honoured at the festival, presented the Grand Prix, or second prize, to French-Senegalese film-maker Mati Diop for her feature debut, Atlantics.\n\nFrench director Celine Sciamma won best screenplay for Portrait Of A Lady On Fire. Another critical favourite, this love story set in the 18th century centres on a female painter and a young woman whose portrait she is doing.\n\nThe best actress prize was presented to Emily Beecham, star of Little Joe, a mordant, amusing movie from Austrian director Jessica Hausner.\n\nAntonio Banderas, star of Pedro Almodovar's widely loved Pain And Glory, got the best actor nod.\n\n\"This is my night of glory,\" he said, as the audience burst into applause.\n\nOne of the biggest surprises came in the best director race, won by Belgian brothers Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne for Young Ahmed.\n\nThey have won the Palme d'Or twice but their new movie was seen by many critics as a disappointment.\n\nThe most hotly anticipated film in the festival, Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, left without any prizes."], "summary": "The South Korean film Parasite wins the 2019 Palme d'Or, the Cannes Film Festival's top prize."}
{"document": ["At least two people were killed and 29 injured, some critically, when a tornado ripped through an Oklahoma City suburb in the middle of the night, wiping out a hotel, a mobile-home park and several other buildings in just four minutes.\n\nInterested in Weather? Add Weather as an interest to stay up to date on the latest Weather news, video, and analysis from ABC News. Add Interest\n\nThe National Weather Service confirmed Sunday that a tornado hit El Reno, a town with a population of nearly 20,000, on Saturday and left a swath of damage that will take weeks to clean up and pain loved ones of the dead will likely never get over.\n\n\"This community is brokenhearted, we're hurt, we're absolutely devastated,\" El Reno Mayor Matt White said at a news conference Sunday morning.\n\nWhite said the two deaths occurred in the area of the Sky View mobile-home park where the twister touched down at 10:28 p.m. While sirens signaled the approaching funnel cloud, residents said there was little time to seek shelter.\n\nJ Pat Carter/Getty Images\n\nSearch-and-rescue teams, according to White, were conducting grid searches through the devastated area, \"picking up walls of debris to make sure nobody is under there.\"\n\nHe said an unknown number of people are unaccounted for.\n\nSixteen people were taken by ambulance to hospitals from the epicenter of the calamity and another 13 were raced to emergency rooms in private vehicles, according to White. He said injuries ranged from minor to critical, and that several people were undergoing surgery at the Oklahoma University Medical Center in Oklahoma City.\n\nA woman who survived the tornado told ABC station KOCO in Oklahoma City that she and her two grandchildren escaped their mobile home only to find themselves in the middle of a \"disaster zone.\"\n\n\"We heard screaming and stuff, children and adults both,\" she said. \"A lot of destruction, a lot of chaos and .... death.\"\n\nThe National Weather Service meteorologists in Norman, Oklahoma, rated the tornado an EF3 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, meaning it generated wind speeds in the range of 136 to 165 mph. The highest rating on the scale, an EF5, packs winds topping 200 mph.\n\nThe weather service reported that the twister cut a 2.2-mile long path of destruction, and was about 75 yards at its widest point.\n\nThe tornado carried debris more than 4 miles northeast of El Reno, officials said.\n\nVideo showed the devastation. The tornado slammed a two-story American Budget Value Inn off Interstate 40, ripping off most of its second floor, and reducing much the structure to splintered pieces of wood and shattered glass.\n\n“ ” A lot of destruction, a lot of chaos and .... death.\n\n\"As far as we know right now, there is no one in the rubble,\" the hotel's owner, Ramesh Patel, told KOCO.\n\nA woman who was working in the office when the tornado hit suffered a broken leg, Patel said.\n\nKOCO\n\nWhite confirmed that everyone at the hotel when the tornado struck has been accounted for.\n\nAt sunrise Sunday, video showed a mobile home park next to the hotel strewn with shattered glass, wood and other debris that just hours earlier were residences of a thriving community. Aerial footage showed the twister slammed residences in a corner of the mobile home park while leaving other homes virtually unscathed.\n\nSeveral vehicles were overturned and others were smashed by debris.\n\nSue Ogrocki/AP\n\nAfter striking the Sky View mobile home park, the tornado hit the hotel and a nearby Dodge dealership, tearing the roof off the business, aerial footage showed.\n\nSue Ogrocki/AP\n\n\"We have absolutely experienced a traumatic event here in El Reno,\" White said.\n\nHe asked people to stay away from the area until search-and-rescue teams finish combing through the rubble.\n\n\"I think El Reno, Oklahoma, needs a lot of prayers,\" White said. \"None of this is easy. We're all shook up.\"\n\nPolice in the neighboring town of Union City put out an all points bulletin -- for prayer.\n\n\"Please pray for those affected by these storms as well as the emergency services workers assisting in this ongoing rescue,\" Union City police said in a statement posted to Facebook. \"This is an unfortunate example of just how quickly these types of storms can develop from a simple thunderstorm into a deadly supercell tornado.\"\n\nSue Ogrocki/AP\n\nA National Weather Service meteorologist confirmed the catastrophic weather event was a tornado by analyzing radar images, seeing a \"debris ball\" in the area, and by detecting telltale evidence of a twister by examining pictures of the damage and eyeballing the devastation in person, officials said.\n\nEl Reno damage pic.twitter.com/XLf2T3YhM0 — Dillon Richards (@KOCODillon) May 26, 2019\n\nThe tornado that hit El Reno comes on the heels of a severe weather week in the Southern Plains. There were 104 tornadoes reported across eight states -- Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, and Maryland -- from Monday to Thursday.\n\nThree people were killed in Golden City, Missouri, on Thursday as a tornado moved through the region. The state's capital, Jefferson City, about 170 miles northeast of Golden City, also suffered severe damage the same night from a tornado, but no one was killed.\n\nAt least four other people were killed from storms, including flash flooding, in the central U.S. this week.\n\nABC News' Nick Cirone, Alex Faul, Josh Hoyos, and Jennifer Harrison contributed to this report.", "JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A \"violent tornado\" touched down in Jefferson City, causing heavy damage in Missouri's capital city as severe weather swept across the state overnight, causing three deaths and leaving many people trapped in the wreckage of their homes.\n\nThe service reported that a \"confirmed large and destructive tornado\" was observed over Jefferson City at 11:43 p.m. Wednesday, moving northeast at 40 mph (64 kph). The capital city has a population of about 40,000 and is located about 130 miles (209 kilometers) west of St. Louis.\n\n\"Across the state, Missouri's first responders once again responded quickly and with strong coordination as much of the state dealt with extremely dangerous conditions that left people injured, trapped in homes, and tragically led to the death of three people,\" Governor Mike Parson said. \"I want our responders and all the neighbors who acted selflessly to help their neighbors to know how much their heroic efforts are appreciated by all Missourians.\"\n\nMissouri Public Safety confirmed in a tweet that three people were killed in the Golden City area of Barton County, and several injured in the Carl Junction area of Jasper County\n\nJefferson City Police Lt. David Williams said around 2:15 a.m. Thursday that there were no reports of fatalities in the capital, but authorities had received multiple calls of people being trapped in homes. The tornado hit during a week that has seen several days of tornadoes and torrential rains in parts of the Southern Plains and Midwest.\n\n\"It's a chaotic situation right now,\" Williams said.\n\nWilliams spoke from the Cole County Sheriff's office, where debris including insulation, roofing shingles and metal pieces lay on the ground outside the front doors.\n\nArea hospitals did not see an immediate influx of patients but set up command centers in case the need arises.\n\n\"We have four patients with minor injuries,\" said Jessica Royston, spokeswoman at St. Mary's Health Center.\n\nPower outages were reported in parts of the city.\n\nMissouri Public Safety tweeted that there was a possibility of more tornadoes and flash flooding.\n\nAustin Thomson, 25, was in the laundry room of his apartment complex to do his wash and noticed the wind started picking up. He saw sheets of rain coming down and a flagpole bend and then slam to the ground. The windows broke and he dove behind the washers and dryers.\n\nAfter it calmed down, he walked outside to check the damage.\n\n\"There's basically one building that's basically one story now. Every building there is two stories.\"\n\nThe National Weather Service said it had received 22 reports of tornadoes by late Wednesday, although some of those could be duplicate reporting of the same twister.\n\nOne tornado skirted just a few miles north of Joplin, Missouri, on the eighth anniversary of a catastrophic tornado that killed 161 people in the city. The tornado caused some damage in the town of Carl Junction, about 4 miles (6.44 kilometers) north of the Joplin airport.\n\nStorms and torrential rains have ravaged the Midwest, from Texas through Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri and Illinois.\n\nTwo barges broke loose and floated swiftly down the swollen Arkansas River in eastern Oklahoma on Wednesday, spreading alarm downstream as they threatened to hit a dam.\n\nAuthorities urged residents of several small towns in Oklahoma and Kansas to leave their homes as rivers and streams rose.\n\nThe Arkansas River town of Webbers Falls, Oklahoma, was one such town. Town officials ordered a mandatory evacuation Wednesday afternoon because of the river's rising level.\n\nBut Wednesday evening, a posting on the town's official Facebook page sounded the alarm about the runaway barges for its 600 residents: \"Evacuate Webbers Falls immediately. The barges are loose and has the potential to hit the lock and dam 16. If the dam breaks, it will be catastrophic!! Leave now!!\"\n\nThere was no word by midnight Wednesday where the barges were on the river, but local television stations showing live video of the river and the lock and dam said they had not yet arrived.\n\nThe Arkansas River was approaching historic highs, while the already high Missouri and Mississippi Rivers were again rising after a multi-day stretch of storms that produced dozens of tornadoes. Forecasters predicted parts of Oklahoma, Missouri and Kansas could see more severe weather on Thursday.\n\nDeaths from this week's storms include a 74-year-old woman found early Wednesday morning in Iowa. Officials there say she was killed by a possible tornado that damaged a farmstead in Adair County. Missouri authorities said heavy rain was a contributing factor in the deaths of two people in a traffic accident Tuesday near Springfield.\n\nA fourth weather-related death may have occurred in Oklahoma, where the Highway Patrol said a woman apparently drowned after driving around a barricade Tuesday near Perkins, about 45 miles (72 kilometers) northeast of Oklahoma City. The unidentified woman's body was sent to the state medical examiner's office to confirm the cause of death. Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management spokeswoman Keli Cain said she isn't yet listed as what would be the state's first storm-related death.", "Likely Tornado Kills At Least 2 In Oklahoma\n\nA possible tornado struck the Oklahoma city of El Reno Saturday night and killed at least two people.\n\nIn a news conference early Sunday morning, El Reno mayor Matt White said the storm hit at about 10:30 p.m., and warning sirens sounded at 10:27 p.m.\n\nThe storm destroyed an American Budget Value Inn, damaged the nearby Skyview Estates mobile home park and also affected nearby businesses, including a car dealership. White said several individuals have also been hospitalized.\n\n\"It is very traumatic — I think you'll see in the daylight,\" White said. \"You'll see how dramatic it is when the daylight shines on it.\"\n\nWhite said the mobile home park had 88 homes and rescue efforts were mainly focused on about 15 of them. When asked about how many guests were staying in the motel, White said his team was \"trying to run those numbers down.\"\n\nWhite described the scene as \"horrific; decimated.\"\n\nEl Reno sits 30 miles west of Oklahoma City. According to the 2010 census, its population is about 17,000.\n\n\"El Reno has suffered in the last couple of weeks some significant flooding,\" White said.\n\nThis also would not be the first destructive tornado to hit the city in recent years: In 2013, eight people in the El Reno area were killed by a tornado that swept across a broad area of Oklahoma.\n\n\"Our first responders are experienced,\" White said. \"They're qualified and our community is very resilient to this.\"\n\nThe El Reno storm is the latest in a spate of deadly weather in the Midwest. Several tornadoes struck Missouri this week, and both Missouri and Oklahoma have been experiencing severe flooding.", "A possible tornado struck the Oklahoma city of El Reno Saturday night and killed at least two people.\n\nIn a news conference early Sunday morning, El Reno mayor Matt White said the storm hit at about 10:30 p.m., and warning sirens sounded at 10:27 p.m.\n\nThe storm destroyed an American Budget Value Inn, damaged the nearby Skyview Estates mobile home park and also affected nearby businesses, including a car dealership.\n\n\"People have absolutely lost everything,\" White said in a second press conference Sunday morning. \"You're not going to believe some of the devastation when you see some of the pictures.\"\n\nAccording to White, 29 people had been transported to local hospitals with injuries ranging from minor to critical. He said several hundred people have been affected or displaced.\n\nThe mobile home park, according to White, had 88 homes. Rescue efforts, which are still ongoing, are mainly focused on about 15 of them. White said all of the guests at the American Budget Value Inn had been accounted for as of Sunday morning.\n\nEl Reno sits 30 miles west of Oklahoma City. According to the 2010 census, its population is about 17,000.\n\nThe region has also experienced severe flooding this week. White got choked up as he spoke about local first responders.\n\n\"We've gone through situation after situation after situation, and they have gone nonstop,\" White said. \"During the flooding, they had 40-something boat rescues ... and then this tornado happens.\"\n\nThis is not be the first destructive tornado to hit the city in recent years: In 2013, eight people in the El Reno area were killed by a tornado that swept across a broad area of Oklahoma.\n\nThe El Reno storm is the latest in a spate of deadly weather in the Midwest. Several tornadoes struck Missouri this past week, and both Missouri and Oklahoma have been experiencing severe flooding.\n\nOn Saturday, officials told some Tulsa residents they should consider leaving their homes. According to the Associated Press, the levees that help contain the Arkansas River are growing stressed.", "EL RENO, Okla. -- A powerful EF-3 tornado tore through a city in Oklahoma, killing at least two people and injuring at least 29, authorities said. Some of the injured are in critical condition.\n\nA mobile home park in El Reno was \"devastated,\" Mayor Matt White said.\n\n\"It's a lot of devastation here, it's leveled, it's just devastated, White said in a phone interview with CNN. \"It's tore all to pieces, it was terrible.\"\n\nOfficials were going door to door to find victims and assess the damage after it touched down in the city late Saturday night. A search and rescue operation is still underway, White said at a press conference Sunday morning.\n\nEl Reno, with a population of about 19,000, is about 29 miles west of Oklahoma City.\n\nRachel Garrison was in a mobile home when the storm hit, according to CNN affiliate KOCO.\n\n\"I heard it coming,\" she told the station.\n\nThe next thing she felt, Garrison said, was another trailer flipping over onto the one her family was in.\n\n\"After everything was over with and all the shaking and jarring, the sirens went off,\" Garrison told the station.\n\nThe park had 88 mobile homes, White said, and \"We're looking at basically under 15, under 16 trailers were the ones involved in the tornado.\"\n\nThe mayor said the sirens went off at 10:27 p.m., and according to the information he had, the storm touched down four minutes later.\n\nIn addition to the mobile home park, a hotel was damaged, Fire Chief Kent Lagaly said.\n\nAll guests have been accounted for, the hotel's owner Ramesh Patel said. One employee broke a leg and is being treated at a hospital, he said.\n\nThe tornado was rated EF-3 on the Enhanced Fujita scale, the National Weather Service in Norman, Oklahoma, said on Twitter after completing its survey of the damage in El Reno. The twister lasted only 4 minutes, the service said.\n\nOnly about 5% of all tornadoes are rated EF-3 or higher, according to CNN meteorologist Brandon Miller. An EF-3 rating indicates maximum wind speeds of 160 mph.\n\nThe tornado hit as Oklahoma and other parts of the Midwest were still reeling from a deadly spring storm system that has resulted in more than 170 reported tornadoes plus strong winds, flash flooding and hail.\n\nIn Oklahoma, two people died in the flooding and storms, and 87 others were injured, the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management said in a press release. Across the central US, 10 people were killed and a 4-year-old boy is missing.\n\nOn Friday, a state official said floods were believed to have impacted at least 1,000 homes, especially in northeastern Oklahoma around the swollen Arkansas River.\n\nGov. Kevin Stitt on Friday amended an earlier executive order to declare a state of emergency in all 77 counties across the state due to the severe weather.", "EL RENO, Okla. — A tornado destroyed a motel and killed at least two people and in the Oklahoma City suburb of El Reno overnight Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.\n\nMeteorologist Rick Smith in Norman told The Associated Press that the suspected twister hit El Reno on Saturday night as a powerful storm system rolled through the state. Crews will arrive on the scene Sunday to determine with severity of the damage to the town just west of Oklahoma City.\n\nThe American Budget Value Inn was destroyed by the storm. Images at the scene showed emergency crews sifting through the rubble after part of the motel's second story collapsed into a pile of debris strewn about the first floor and parking lot.\n\nEl Reno Mayor Matt White confirmed at least two fatalities from the storm and an unknown number of persons missing. The identities of the victims has not been revealed.\n\nTrailers at a mobile home park adjacent to the motel were also damaged, as was part of a nearby car dealership.\n\nThe mayor described the scene at the mobile home park as \"horrific,\" and \"decimated,\" during a news conference.\n\nElsewhere, overturned cars and twisted metal could be seen briefly as intermittent lightning flashed across the sky and the wailing sirens of approaching emergency vehicles could be heard in the distance.\n\nThe deadly storm comes just days after the area was hit by widespread flooding.\n\n\"We have absolutely experienced a traumatic event,\" White said during a news conference early Sunday. \"We've had an incident where a tornado has basically hit a mobile home park and a hotel, and some other local businesses.\"\n\nWhite said several people were transported to hospitals in Oklahoma City, but did not give an exact number.\n\n\"We're doing a search and rescue right now... we have all hands on deck,\" he said.\n\nThe Associated Press contributed to this report.", "(Reuters) - A tornado devastated a small community near Oklahoma City late on Saturday, killing at least two people and injuring several more, officials said, as a succession of violent storms kept pounding the Central Plain states.\n\nThe twister struck El Reno, Oklahoma, at about 10:30 p.m. local time (0330 GMT), turning a hotel and mobile home park into a debris field and sending first responders on a desperate search for survivors, the city’s mayor said.\n\n“It’s a pretty devastating sight,” El Reno Mayor Matt White said on Sunday in a news briefing. “We can tell you right now that we’re assessing everything and we are all hands on deck.”\n\nCalling the damage to his community about 25 miles (40 km) west of Oklahoma City “horrific,” White said an unknown number of people suffered serious injuries and that rescuers had hand-sifted through the rubble during the night in search of others.\n\nThe two people killed by the storm were not immediately identified because their next of kin had yet to be notified, the mayor said.\n\nThe National Weather Service in Norman, Oklahoma, identified the tornado on its radar late on Saturday in one of several warnings it issued.\n\nIt was the latest in a string of violent storms that have raked Central Plains states from the Texas Panhandle north to Iowa, since last week. At least seven people were killed by those storms.\n\nIn addition, heavy rainfall over the past week has swollen several rivers, causing flooding and evacuations in Oklahoma and Missouri.", "A pickup truck evacuates from an area in north Jefferson City Missouri as floodwaters from the Missouri River rise over the road on Friday, May 24, 2019. The flooding come as residents are still cleaning up from a powerful tornado that hit the state’s capital city on May 22. (AP Photo/David A. Lieb)\n\nA tornado levelled a motel and tore through a mobile home park near Oklahoma City overnight, killing two people and injuring at least 29 others, authorities said Sunday.\n\nThe twister touched down in El Reno, about 25 miles west of Oklahoma City, late Saturday night. It crossed an interstate and walloped the American Budget Value Inn before ripping through the Skyview Estates trailer park, flipping and levelling homes, Mayor Matt White said at a news conference.\n\n“It’s a tragic scene out there,” White said, adding later that, “People have absolutely lost everything.” He said the city established a gofundme site, the City of El Reno Tornado Relief Fund, to raise money to help affected families. Several other businesses were also damaged, though not to the same extent as the motel.\n\nThe two people who were killed were in the mobile home park, White said. Everyone at the motel was accounted for, but searchers were still going through the mobile home park. Many of the people living there are Hispanic and don’t speak English, which has complicated the rescue efforts, he said.\n\nThe 29 people who were injured were taken to hospitals, where some were undergoing surgery, the mayor said. Some of the injuries were deemed critical, he said.\n\n“The thing about El Reno is we are more than a community, we are a family. … We’re going to overcome this. It’s so devastating to see the loss out there,” he said.\n\nApril Sandefer, a spokeswoman for the University of Oklahoma Medical Center, said the hospital has treated 13 patients who were injured during the tornado. She declined to disclose the severity of the injuries or to say how many of the patients, if any, were admitted.\n\nALSO READ: Meteorologist weighs in on chances of a tornado hitting Vancouver Island\n\nNational Weather Service personnel were assessing the damage, but the agency gave the twister a preliminary EF-2 rating, which would mean it had wind speeds of 111-135 mph (179-217 kph).\n\nWhite didn’t give details about the two people who were killed.\n\nThe tornado was spawned by a powerful storm system that rolled through the state — the latest in a week of violent storms to hit the flood-weary Plains and Midwest that have been blamed for at least 11 deaths, including the two killed in El Reno.\n\nEmergency crews on Sunday could be seen sifting through the rubble at the trailer park and motel, where the second story collapsed into a pile of debris strewn about the first floor and parking lot.\n\nTweety Garrison, 63, told the AP that she was in her mobile home with her husband, two young grandchildren and a family friend when the storm hit. She said when she heard the storm coming she immediately hit the ground. Moments later, she heard her next-door neighbour’s mobile home slam into hers before it flipped over and landed on her roof.\n\nGarrison said the incident lasted five to 10 minutes and that she received a tornado warning on her phone but the sirens didn’t go off until after the twister hit.\n\nHer 32-year-old son, Elton Garrison, said he heard the wailing tornado sirens and had just laid down at home about a half-mile (1 kilometre) away when his phone rang. He recognized his mother’s number, but there was no voice on the other end when he answered. “I thought, ‘That’s weird,’” he said.\n\nThen his mother called back, and delivered a chilling message: “We’re trapped.”\n\nHe said when he arrived at his parent’s home, he found it blocked by debris and sitting with another trailer on top of it. He immediately began clearing a path to the home so that he could eventually lift a portion of an outside wall just enough so that all five occupants could slip beneath it and escape.\n\n“My parents were in there and two of my kids, one 9 and the other 12 … my main emotion was fear,” said Elton Garrison, who has lived in El Reno for about 26 years. “I couldn’t get them out of there quick enough.”\n\nHe said he wasn’t alarmed by the warning sirens when he first heard them at home.\n\n“We hear them all the time here, so it didn’t seem like a big deal. … I heard a lot of rain with the wind. But when it kind of got calm all of a sudden, that’s when it didn’t feel right.”\n\nHe said his parents had only recently recovered after losing their previous home to a fire a few years ago.\n\n“Now this,” he said, before expressing gratitude that everyone inside his parents’ home had emerged without serious injury.\n\nIn the next breath, he added: “Items can be replaced. Lives can’t.”\n\nThe storm is the latest to hit the flood-weary central U.S. and dumped yet more rain in the region’s already bloated waterways. In Tulsa, Oklahoma’s second-largest city, authorities advised residents of some neighbourhoods on Sunday to consider leaving for higher ground because the Arkansas River is stressing the city’s old levee system.\n\nDownriver and about 100 miles southeast of Tulsa in Arkansas’ second-largest city, Fort Smith, authorities said Saturday that 100 to 200 people had already evacuated their homes due to flooding, which was expected to get worse in the coming days.\n\nTim Talley And Sue Ogrocki, The Associated Press\n\nLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.", "× Multiple people injured after a possible tornado touched down in Oklahoma\n\n( ) — Officials are going door to door to assess damage after a possible tornado ripped through Oklahoma late Saturday night.\n\nMultiple people have been injured after the possible tornado touched down in El Reno and tore through a mobile home park, Fire Chief Kent Lagaly told CNN.\n\nNo fatalities have been reported, and the number of injured is still unknown.\n\nLagaly said that authorities are going door to door to find any victims.\n\nA hotel next to the mobile home park also suffered serious damage, Lagaly said.\n\nThirty-four people were in the American Budget Value Inn, according to CNN affiliate KFOR. First responders are working to get people out.\n\nThere are confirmed injuries in the hotel, the station said, but it is not yet clear how many.\n\nSevere weather is not expected through the rest of Sunday morning, the National Weather Service in Norman, Oklahoma said on Twitter.", "Mayor says 2 people confirmed dead after likely tornado roars through Oklahoma town and destroys hotel, causes damage\n\nEL RENO, Okla. (AP) — Mayor says 2 people confirmed dead after likely tornado roars through Oklahoma town and destroys hotel, causes damage."], "summary": "Two people are killed and several are missing due to a tornado in the U.S. state of Oklahoma."}
{"document": ["KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — Authorities in western Congo say at least 30 people are dead and another 200 are missing after a boat sank on a lake.\n\nSimon Mboo Wemba, the mayor of Inongo, told The Associated Press on Sunday night that many of those aboard the boat that sank on Lake Mai-Ndombe were teachers.\n\nThe mayor says they had traveled to collect their salaries by boat because roads in the region are so poor.\n\nIt was not immediately known how many people were aboard the boat when it hit bad weather late Saturday.\n\nBut officials estimate several hundred were on board. More than 80 people survived.\n\nBoats in the vast nation of Congo are usually overloaded with passengers and cargo, and official manifests don’t include all those aboard.", "KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — Authorities in western Congo say at least 30 people are dead and another 200 are missing after a boat sank on a lake.\n\nSimon Mboo Wemba, the mayor of Inongo, told The Associated Press on Sunday night that many of those aboard the boat that sank on Lake Mai-Ndombe were teachers.\n\nThe mayor says they had traveled to collect their salaries by boat because roads in the region are so poor.\n\nIt was not immediately known how many people were aboard the boat when it hit bad weather late Saturday.\n\nBut officials estimate several hundred were on board. More than 80 people survived.\n\nBoats in the vast nation of Congo are usually overloaded with passengers and cargo, and official manifests don't include all those aboard.", "KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — Authorities in western Congo say at least 30 people are dead and another 200 are missing after a boat sank on a lake.\n\nSimon Mboo Wemba, the mayor of Inongo, told The Associated Press on Sunday night that many of those aboard the boat that sank on Lake Mai-Ndombe were teachers.\n\nThe mayor says they had traveled to collect their salaries by boat because roads in the region are so poor.\n\nIt was not immediately known how many people were aboard the boat when it hit bad weather late Saturday.\n\nBut officials estimate several hundred were on board. More than 80 people survived.\n\nBoats in the vast nation of Congo are usually overloaded with passengers and cargo, and official manifests don't include all those aboard.", "KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — Authorities in western Congo say at least 30 people are dead and another 200 are missing after a boat sank on a lake.\n\nSimon Mboo Wemba, the mayor of Inongo, told The Associated Press on Sunday night that many of those aboard the boat that sank on Lake Mai-Ndombe were teachers.\n\nThe mayor says they had traveled to collect their salaries by boat because roads in the region are so poor.\n\nIt was not immediately known how many people were aboard the boat when it hit bad weather late Saturday.\n\nBut officials estimate several hundred were on board. More than 80 people survived.\n\nBoats in the vast nation of Congo are usually overloaded with passengers and cargo, and official manifests don't include all those aboard.", "KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — Authorities in western Congo say at least 30 people are dead and another 200 are missing after a boat sank on a lake.\n\nSimon Mboo Wemba, the mayor of Inongo, told The Associated Press on Sunday night that many of those aboard the boat that sank on Lake Mai-Ndombe were teachers.\n\nThe mayor says they had traveled to collect their salaries by boat because roads in the region are so poor.\n\nIt was not immediately known how many people were aboard the boat when it hit bad weather late Saturday.\n\nBut officials estimate several hundred were on board. More than 80 people survived.\n\nBoats in the vast nation of Congo are usually overloaded with passengers and cargo, and official manifests don't include all those aboard.", "KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — Authorities in western Congo say at least 30 people are dead and another 200 are missing after a boat sank on a lake.\n\nSimon Mboo Wemba, the mayor of Inongo, told The Associated Press on Sunday night that many of those aboard the boat that sank on Lake Mai-Ndombe were teachers.\n\nThe mayor says they had traveled to collect their salaries by boat because roads in the region are so poor.\n\nIt was not immediately known how many people were aboard the boat when it hit bad weather late Saturday.\n\nBut officials estimate several hundred were on board. More than 80 people survived.\n\nBoats in the vast nation of Congo are usually overloaded with passengers and cargo, and official manifests don't include all those aboard.", "KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — Authorities in western Congo say at least 30 people are dead and another 200 are missing after a boat sank on a lake.\n\nSimon Mboo Wemba, the mayor of Inongo, told The Associated Press on Sunday night that many of those aboard the boat that sank on Lake Mai-Ndombe were teachers.\n\nThe mayor says they had traveled to collect their salaries by boat because roads in the region are so poor.\n\nIt was not immediately known how many people were aboard the boat when it hit bad weather late Saturday.\n\nBut officials estimate several hundred were on board. More than 80 people survived.\n\nBoats in the vast nation of Congo are usually overloaded with passengers and cargo, and official manifests don’t include all those aboard.", "(AP) — Authorities in western Congo say at least 30 people are dead and another 200 are missing after a boat sank on a lake.\n\nSimon Mboo Wemba, the mayor of Inongo, told The Associated Press on Sunday night that many of those aboard the boat that sank on Lake Mai-Ndombe were teachers.\n\nThe mayor says they had traveled to collect their salaries by boat because roads in the region are so poor.\n\nIt was not immediately known how many people were aboard the boat when it hit bad weather late Saturday.\n\nBut officials estimate several hundred were on board. More than 80 people survived.\n\nBoats in the vast nation of Congo are usually overloaded with passengers and cargo, and official manifests don’t include all those aboard.", "Authorities in western Congo say at least 30 people are dead and another 200 are missing after a boat sank on a lake.\n\nSimon Mboo Wemba, the mayor of Inongo, told The Associated Press on Sunday night that many of those aboard the boat that sank on Lake Mai-Ndombe were teachers.\n\nThe mayor says they had traveled to collect their salaries by boat because roads in the region are so poor.\n\nIt was not immediately known how many people were aboard the boat when it hit bad weather late Saturday.\n\nBut officials estimate several hundred were on board. More than 80 people survived.\n\nBoats in the vast nation of Congo are usually overloaded with passengers and cargo, and official manifests don't include all those aboard.", "KINSHASA, Congo — Authorities in western Congo say at least 30 people are dead and another 200 are missing after a boat sank on a lake.\n\nSimon Mboo Wemba, the mayor of Inongo, told The Associated Press on Sunday night that many of those aboard the boat that sank on Lake Mai-Ndombe were teachers.\n\nThe mayor says they had traveled to collect their salaries by boat because roads in the region are so poor.\n\nIt was not immediately known how many people were aboard the boat when it hit bad weather late Saturday.\n\nBut officials estimate several hundred were on board. More than 80 people survived.\n\nBoats in the vast nation of Congo are usually overloaded with passengers and cargo, and official manifests don’t include all those aboard.\n\nCopyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed."], "summary": "A boat sinking on Lake Mai-Ndombe in western Democratic Republic of the Congo kills at least 45 people with 200 passengers still missing. The vessel was carrying more than 400 people, the majority of whom were teachers going to collect their salaries."}
{"document": ["\n• Europeans from 21 countries have started voting on the fourth and final day of the EU parliamentary elections.\n• The results should be clear late on Sunday, with exit polls in Germany expected at 1600 UTC.\n• The Netherlands, the UK, Ireland, the Czech Republic, Latvia, Malta and Slovakia have already voted.\n\n07:45 The election will hopefully strengthen anti-immigration political forces across Europe, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said after casting his vote in Budapest. \"I hope that there will be a shift in the European public arena in favour of those political parties who would like to stop migration.\"\n\n07:15 Support for the Green Party surged in Ireland — where the vote was held on Friday — putting the Greens on course to win as many as three European seats, according to an exit poll for broadcasters RTE/TG4. European Greens co-lead candidate Bas Eickhout spoke of a \"green wave\" rolling on to Irish shores from the Netherlands, where an exit poll put GroenLinks' (GreenLeft's) share of the vote up to 10.5%.\n\n06:40 The European Parliament forms the democratic basis of the European Union. It plays a key role in electing the president of the European Commission and ensures EU institutions are working democratically. The Parliament shares power over the bloc's budget and legislation with the Council of the European Union, which represents the governments of member states. Elections to the Parliament take place every five years and voter turnout has been steadily declining. In 2014 it was the lowest ever — just 42.5%.\n\n06:25 Around 400 million people are eligible to vote for 751 MEPs who will serve for the next five years and help shape Europe’s future. There's a lot at stake. The issues of Brexit, immigration and the rise of right-wing parties across the bloc could bring some surprises and make these polls the most important since the first direct elections 40 years ago.\n\n06:00 Polling stations in 21 EU countries, including major EU states of Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Poland, have opened.\n\nRead more: EU election: Europeans head to the polls across the continent\n\nVoting is also taking place in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia and Sweden.\n\nThe Netherlands and the UK headed to the EU polls on Thursday — the first day of election — followed by Ireland and the Czech Republic on Friday and Latvia, Malta and Slovakia on Saturday.\n\nA total of 420 million EU citizens are eligible to cast their ballot in these elections.\n\nAccording to exit polls, the Netherlands' center-left party of EU Vice President Frans Timmermans won the most votes and added two seats to the Socialists and Democrats (S&D) bloc in the EU Parliament.\n\nIn Britain, hundreds of non-British EU citizens were turned away from polling stations on Thursday after being told they were not registered to vote in the UK for the election. The British government is now facing a potential legal challenge over the denial of votes to EU citizens.\n\nAs Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Poland send almost half of all MEPs to the European Parliament – 348 out of a total 751 – the Sunday vote is dubbed the most crucial of all rounds. Opinion polls suggest that far-right groups and Euroskeptics could gain more strength in the European Parliament, with populist parties such as Marine Le Pen's National Rally in France and Matteo Salvini's Northern League in Italy are expected to perform well in the polls.\n\nRead more: Opinion: The EU's future and the European Parliament vote", "BRUSSELS (AP) — Voters in Slovakia, Malta, Latvia and the Czech Republic are casting ballots in European Parliament elections.\n\nThe stakes for the European Union are especially high in this year's elections, which are taking place over four days and involve all 28 EU nations.\n\nMany predict nationalists and far-right groups will gain ground. They would try to use a larger presence in the legislature to claw back power from the EU for their national governments.\n\nMore moderate parties want to cement closer ties among countries in the EU.\n\nBritain, Ireland and the Netherlands have already voted. The Czech Republic started voting Friday and continues Saturday. Slovakia, Malta and Latvia are holding their European Parliament elections Saturday — and all the other nations vote Sunday.", "A far-right party in Slovakia that openly admires the country’s wartime Nazi puppet state could win seats in the European Parliament for the first time. Slovaks are among four countries voting Saturday in the Europe-wide vote, which finishes Sunday. Polls favour the leftist Smer-Social Democracy party, the senior member of Slovakia’s current coalition government to win the most votes.\n\nPolls suggest People’s Party Our Slovakia, a far-right party that has 14 seats in Slovakia’s parliament, will win seats in the European legislature for the first time. Party members use Nazi salutes, blame Roma for crime, consider NATO a terror group and want the country out of the alliance and the European Union. The election reflects a continental struggle between nationalists who want to wrest power back from the EU and moderates who want to make the EU stronger.\n\nVoters in Slovakia, Malta, Latvia and the Czech Republic are casting ballots in European Parliament elections. The stakes for the European Union are especially high in this year’s elections, which are taking place over four days and involve all 28 EU nations.\n\nMany predict nationalists and far-right groups will gain ground. They would try to use a larger presence in the legislature to claw back power from the EU for their national governments. More moderate parties want to cement closer ties among countries in the EU. Britain, Ireland and the Netherlands have already voted. The Czech Republic started voting Friday and continues Saturday. Slovakia, Malta and Latvia are holding their European Parliament elections Saturday — and all the other nations vote Sunday.", "BRUSSELS (AP) — Voters in Slovakia, Malta, Latvia and the Czech Republic are casting ballots in European Parliament elections.\n\nThe stakes for the European Union are especially high in this year's elections, which are taking place over four days and involve all 28 EU nations.\n\nMany predict nationalists and far-right groups will gain ground. They would try to use a larger presence in the legislature to claw back power from the EU for their national governments.\n\nMore moderate parties want to cement closer ties among countries in the EU.\n\nBritain, Ireland and the Netherlands have already voted. The Czech Republic started voting Friday and continues Saturday. Slovakia, Malta and Latvia are holding their European Parliament elections Saturday — and all the other nations vote Sunday.", "BRUSSELS (AP) — The Latest on the European Parliament elections taking place Saturday (all times local):\n\nA far-right party in Slovakia that openly admires the country's wartime Nazi puppet state could win seats in the European Parliament for the first time.\n\nSlovaks are among four countries voting Saturday in the Europe-wide vote, which finishes Sunday.\n\nPolls favor the leftist Smer-Social Democracy party, the senior member of Slovakia's current coalition government to win the most votes.\n\nPolls suggest People's Party Our Slovakia, a far-right party that has 14 seats in Slovakia's parliament, will win seats in the European legislature for the first time.\n\nParty members use Nazi salutes, blame Roma for crime, consider NATO a terror group and want the country out of the alliance and the European Union.\n\nThe election reflects a continental struggle between nationalists who want to wrest power back from the EU and moderates who want to make the EU stronger.\n\nVoters in Slovakia, Malta, Latvia and the Czech Republic are casting ballots in European Parliament elections.\n\nThe stakes for the European Union are especially high in this year's elections, which are taking place over four days and involve all 28 EU nations.\n\nMany predict nationalists and far-right groups will gain ground. They would try to use a larger presence in the legislature to claw back power from the EU for their national governments.\n\nMore moderate parties want to cement closer ties among countries in the EU.\n\nBritain, Ireland and the Netherlands have already voted. The Czech Republic started voting Friday and continues Saturday. Slovakia, Malta and Latvia are holding their European Parliament elections Saturday — and all the other nations vote Sunday.", "The Latest on the European Parliament elections taking place Saturday (all times local):\n\nA far-right party in Slovakia that openly admires the country's wartime Nazi puppet state could win seats in the European Parliament for the first time.\n\nSlovaks are among four countries voting Saturday in the Europe-wide vote, which finishes Sunday.\n\nPolls favor the leftist Smer-Social Democracy party, the senior member of Slovakia's current coalition government to win the most votes.\n\nPolls suggest People's Party Our Slovakia, a far-right party that has 14 seats in Slovakia's parliament, will win seats in the European legislature for the first time.\n\nParty members use Nazi salutes, blame Roma for crime, consider NATO a terror group and want the country out of the alliance and the European Union.\n\nThe election reflects a continental struggle between nationalists who want to wrest power back from the EU and moderates who want to make the EU stronger.\n\nVoters in Slovakia, Malta, Latvia and the Czech Republic are casting ballots in European Parliament elections.\n\nThe stakes for the European Union are especially high in this year's elections, which are taking place over four days and involve all 28 EU nations.\n\nMany predict nationalists and far-right groups will gain ground. They would try to use a larger presence in the legislature to claw back power from the EU for their national governments.\n\nMore moderate parties want to cement closer ties among countries in the EU.\n\nBritain, Ireland and the Netherlands have already voted. The Czech Republic started voting Friday and continues Saturday. Slovakia, Malta and Latvia are holding their European Parliament elections Saturday — and all the other nations vote Sunday.", "BRUSSELS (AP) — Voters in Slovakia, Malta, Latvia and the Czech Republic are casting ballots in European Parliament elections.\n\nThe stakes for the European Union are especially high in this year's elections, which are taking place over four days and involve all 28 EU nations.\n\nMany predict nationalists and far-right groups will gain ground. They would try to use a larger presence in the legislature to claw back power from the EU for their national governments.\n\nMore moderate parties want to cement closer ties among countries in the EU.\n\nBritain, Ireland and the Netherlands have already voted. The Czech Republic started voting Friday and continues Saturday. Slovakia, Malta and Latvia are holding their European Parliament elections Saturday — and all the other nations vote Sunday.", "BRUSSELS — The Latest on the European Parliament elections taking place Saturday (all times local):\n\nA far-right party in Slovakia that openly admires the country's wartime Nazi puppet state could win seats in the European Parliament for the first time.\n\nSlovaks are among four countries voting Saturday in the Europe-wide vote, which finishes Sunday.\n\nPolls favor the leftist Smer-Social Democracy party, the senior member of Slovakia's current coalition government to win the most votes.\n\nPolls suggest People's Party Our Slovakia, a far-right party that has 14 seats in Slovakia's parliament, will win seats in the European legislature for the first time.\n\nParty members use Nazi salutes, blame Roma for crime, consider NATO a terror group and want the country out of the alliance and the European Union.\n\nThe election reflects a continental struggle between nationalists who want to wrest power back from the EU and moderates who want to make the EU stronger.\n\nVoters in Slovakia, Malta, Latvia and the Czech Republic are casting ballots in European Parliament elections.\n\nThe stakes for the European Union are especially high in this year's elections, which are taking place over four days and involve all 28 EU nations.\n\nMany predict nationalists and far-right groups will gain ground. They would try to use a larger presence in the legislature to claw back power from the EU for their national governments.\n\nMore moderate parties want to cement closer ties among countries in the EU.\n\nBritain, Ireland and the Netherlands have already voted. The Czech Republic started voting Friday and continues Saturday. Slovakia, Malta and Latvia are holding their European Parliament elections Saturday — and all the other nations vote Sunday.", "BRUSSELS — The Latest on the European Parliament elections taking place Saturday (all times local):\n\nA far-right party in Slovakia that openly admires the country’s wartime Nazi puppet state could win seats in the European Parliament for the first time.\n\nSlovaks are among four countries voting Saturday in the Europe-wide vote, which finishes Sunday.\n\nPolls favor the leftist Smer-Social Democracy party, the senior member of Slovakia’s current coalition government to win the most votes.\n\nPolls suggest People’s Party Our Slovakia, a far-right party that has 14 seats in Slovakia’s parliament, will win seats in the European legislature for the first time.\n\nParty members use Nazi salutes, blame Roma for crime, consider NATO a terror group and want the country out of the alliance and the European Union.\n\nThe election reflects a continental struggle between nationalists who want to wrest power back from the EU and moderates who want to make the EU stronger.\n\nVoters in Slovakia, Malta, Latvia and the Czech Republic are casting ballots in European Parliament elections.\n\nThe stakes for the European Union are especially high in this year’s elections, which are taking place over four days and involve all 28 EU nations.\n\nMany predict nationalists and far-right groups will gain ground. They would try to use a larger presence in the legislature to claw back power from the EU for their national governments.\n\nMore moderate parties want to cement closer ties among countries in the EU.\n\nBritain, Ireland and the Netherlands have already voted. The Czech Republic started voting Friday and continues Saturday. Slovakia, Malta and Latvia are holding their European Parliament elections Saturday — and all the other nations vote Sunday.\n\nCopyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.", "BRUSSELS (AP) — Voters in Slovakia, Malta, Latvia and the Czech Republic are casting ballots in European Parliament elections.\n\nThe stakes for the European Union are especially high in this year's elections, which are taking place over four days and involve all 28 EU nations.\n\nMany predict nationalists and far-right groups will gain ground. They would try to use a larger presence in the legislature to claw back power from the EU for their national governments.\n\nMore moderate parties want to cement closer ties among countries in the EU.\n\nBritain, Ireland and the Netherlands have already voted. The Czech Republic started voting Friday and continues Saturday. Slovakia, Malta and Latvia are holding their European Parliament elections Saturday — and all the other nations vote Sunday."], "summary": "Citizens in Latvia, Malta, Slovakia and the French overseas territories head to the polls to vote in the latest European Parliament election. Additionally, voting in the Czech Republic continues for the second day."}
{"document": ["\n• A nine-person Ku Klux Klan rally in Dayton, Ohio Saturday was protested by an estimated 600 people.\n• No one was injured or arrested. Security for the event cost the city $650,000.\n• \"This is probably Dayton at its best,\" Dayton City Commissioner Darryl Fairchild said.\n\nNine Ku Klux Klan members showed up at a rally in Dayton, Ohio on Saturday.\n\nTheir voices were drowned out by an estimated 600 counter-protestors, who drummed so they couldn't be heard and carried signs with messages like \"Make racists afraid again,\" according to the Dayton Daily News.\n\n\"There is a great crowd of people down here on Main Street,\" Dayton City Commissioner Darryl Fairchild told the Daily News. \"This is probably Dayton at its best.\"\n\nThe Klan protest was meant to be small in scale, with only 20 people expected to show up. They waved American, KKK, and Confederate flags, and wore masks to disguise themselves.\n\nA shirtless protester is covered in a message reading, \"This Jew Will Replace you.\" Hundreds of counter protesters, including the Nation of Islam, New Black Panthers, and Huey Newton Gun Club, American Indian Movement, and ANTIFA gathered in downtown Dayton, Ohio to protest members of the KKK. Jeremy Hogan/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images\n\nThe scale of the counter-protest was more unexpected. After the Klan obtained a permit to protest months ago, city officials organized Dayton United Against Hate to rival them. A city official told Time that more than 350 police officers were brought in to keep the peace. No one was arrested or injured, a city official told Cleveland.com.\n\nRead more: A high school student in Missouri is being investigated after posting a racist Snapchat threatening to lynch black athletes\n\nThe city spent $650,000 on police protection, police said. The KKK members were given a police escort for the day.\n\n\"This ugly chapter is over, but it means we have to get back to the real work - making sure that no matter what you look like, where you come from, or who you love, that you can have a great life here in Dayton,\" Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley said on Twitter after the protest.\n• An Alabama newspaper editor who called for the KKK to 'ride again' has been replaced by a black woman\n• An Alabama newspaper editor called for mass lynchings and for the KKK to return and 'clean out DC'\n• A Boston museum publicly apologized after a group of black students on a field trip said they were told, 'No food, no drink, no watermelon'", "After Dayton, Ohio became the site of a peaceful protest against a very small Ku Klux Klan rally on Saturday, Mayor Nan Whaley is proud of the way her community came together. There’s only one problem: paying the massive bill required to keep protestors, and KKK demonstrators, safe.\n\n“I’m proud of the city,” Whaley tells TIME. “I think it is frustrating on how expensive it is today to keep people safe.”\n\nLocal officials estimate that the city incurred $650,000 in expenses due to the KKK rally. That cost included assembling more than 350 police officers in order to keep the peace, as well as barriers and other materials used to keep the nine KKK-affiliated demonstrators separated from the protestors.\n\nWhaley adds that cost of securing the rally was compounded by the fact that Ohio allows the open-carry of weapons, which exacerbated safety concerns for police and local officials.\n\n“The number of assault rifles was troubling to me,” Whaley says. “This place we live in now [is] where we have to really prepare for really bad scenarios, and that’s really expensive.”\n\nCommunity members expressed similar sentiments — proud of how their community united against racism and hated on Saturday, but frustrated over the cost that their city incurred in managing the protest.\n\n“The way that the city did it was really awesome, but as a taxpayer of the city I’m extremely aggravated and irritated [at] the fact that our city spent $650,000 on this,” says Dayton resident Jesse Seiber, 25, who put a sign up outside his restaurant that read, “Yo, KKK you’re in the wrong hood.”\n\n“All around on the tallest buildings you had cops with binoculars watching the crowd,” says Seiber. “But as for the crowd itself, it was extremely peaceful.”\n\nOnly nine people actually showed up for the KKK rally Saturday, and their chants were drowned out by between 500 and 600 protesters, many from the community, who assembled in Dayton to show their opposition to the hate group’s message. Those protests remained peaceful and progressed without incident, with Dayton police reporting no arrests, no use of force, and no citations.\n\nWhaley says that Dayton is in talks with Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown’s office to help recoup some of Saturday’s costs.\n\nIn March, Dayton filed a lawsuit against an Indiana-based KKK-affiliated group that was planning a rally in their city, citing a danger to the community if the group held a paramilitary-style event, according to WCMH Columbus. In May, the two sides reached a settlement that prevented the group from wearing military-style gear or carrying assault rifles, shields, bats, knives or flame throwers. They were, however, permitted to cover their faces and carry certain firearms if they had permits.\n\nThose precautions, along with a minuscule turnout from the group, strong police presence and a unified sentiment in the community may have all contributed to keeping Saturday’s events peaceful.\n\nAnd because the KKK-affiliated group stuck to the terms of the consent agreement for holding their rally, Whaley says she has been advised the city had no avenue to try to recoup the security costs from the hate group itself.\n\nFor some Dayton residents, that the price may have been worth it. “I’d much rather spend money than human lives,” says Dayton bar owner Gus Stathes. “It could have gotten real ugly real fast.”", "Nine Ku Klux Klan members showed up at a rally in Dayton, Ohio on Saturday.\n\nTheir voices were drowned out by an estimated 600 counter-protestors, who drummed so they couldn't be heard and carried signs with messages like \"Make racists afraid again,\" according to the Dayton Daily News.\n\n\"There is a great crowd of people down here on Main Street,\" Dayton City Commissioner Darryl Fairchild told the Daily News. \"This is probably Dayton at its best.\"\n\nThe Klan protest was meant to be small in scale, with only 20 people expected to show up. They waved American, KKK, and Confederate flags, and wore masks to disguise themselves.\n\nA shirtless protester is covered in a message reading, \"This Jew Will Replace you.\" Hundreds of counter protesters, including the Nation of Islam, New Black Panthers, and Huey Newton Gun Club, American Indian Movement, and ANTIFA gathered in downtown Dayton, Ohio to protest members of the KKK. Jeremy Hogan/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images\n\nThe scale of the counter-protest was more unexpected. After the Klan obtained a permit to protest months ago, city officials organized Dayton United Against Hate to rival them. A city official told Time that more than 350 police officers were brought in to keep the peace. No one was arrested or injured, a city official told Cleveland.com.\n\nRead more: A high school student in Missouri is being investigated after posting a racist Snapchat threatening to lynch black athletes\n\nThe city spent $650,000 on police protection, police said. The KKK members were given a police escort for the day.\n\n\"This ugly chapter is over, but it means we have to get back to the real work - making sure that no matter what you look like, where you come from, or who you love, that you can have a great life here in Dayton,\" Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley said on Twitter after the protest.\n• An Alabama newspaper editor who called for the KKK to 'ride again' has been replaced by a black woman\n• An Alabama newspaper editor called for mass lynchings and for the KKK to return and 'clean out DC'\n• A Boston museum publicly apologized after a group of black students on a field trip said they were told, 'No food, no drink, no watermelon'", "A branch of the Ku Klux Klan—the Honorable Sacred Knights of Madison, Indiana—planned a rally in Dayton, Ohio, on Saturday. But when the time came to march, only nine supporters of the group showed up downtown, and they were met by 500 to 600 counterprotesters rallying against racism.\n\nCity leaders feared a rerun of the tragic events in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017. But this time the anti-racists massively outnumbered the racists in the city of 140,000 in western Ohio. Opponents of the Klan held signs that read: “You Are Not Welcome Here” and “Injustice Anywhere Is a Threat to Justice Everywhere.”\n\nAccording to Time, one popular sign among local businesses read, “Get your hatin’ out of Dayton”\n\n“This ugly chapter is over, but it means we have to get back to the real work – making sure that no matter what you look like, where you come from, or who you love, that you can have a great life here in Dayton,” Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley tweeted afterwards.", "After Dayton, Ohio became the site of a peaceful protest against a very small Ku Klux Klan rally on Saturday, Mayor Nan Whaley is proud of the way her community came together. There’s only one problem: paying the massive bill required to keep protestors, and KKK demonstrators, safe.\n\n“I’m proud of the city,” Whaley tells TIME. “I think it is frustrating on how expensive it is today to keep people safe.”\n\nLocal officials estimate that the city incurred $650,000 in expenses due to the KKK rally. That cost included assembling more than 350 police officers in order to keep the peace, as well as barriers and other materials used to keep the nine KKK-affiliated demonstrators separated from the protestors.\n\nWhaley adds that cost of securing the rally was compounded by the fact that Ohio allows the open-carry of weapons, which exacerbated safety concerns for police and local officials.\n\n“The number of assault rifles was troubling to me,” Whaley says. “This place we live in now [is] where we have to really prepare for really bad scenarios, and that’s really expensive.”\n\nCommunity members expressed similar sentiments — proud of how their community united against racism and hated on Saturday, but frustrated over the cost that their city incurred in managing the protest.\n\n“The way that the city did it was really awesome, but as a taxpayer of the city I’m extremely aggravated and irritated [at] the fact that our city spent $650,000 on this,” says Dayton resident Jesse Seiber, 25, who put a sign up outside his restaurant that read, “Yo, KKK you’re in the wrong hood.”\n\n“All around on the tallest buildings you had cops with binoculars watching the crowd,” says Seiber. “But as for the crowd itself, it was extremely peaceful.”\n\nOnly nine people actually showed up for the KKK rally Saturday, and their chants were drowned out by between 500 and 600 protesters, many from the community, who assembled in Dayton to show their opposition to the hate group’s message. Those protests remained peaceful and progressed without incident, with Dayton police reporting no arrests, no use of force, and no citations.\n\nWhaley says that Dayton is in talks with Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown’s office to help recoup some of Saturday’s costs.\n\nIn March, Dayton filed a lawsuit against an Indiana-based KKK-affiliated group that was planning a rally in their city, citing a danger to the community if the group held a paramilitary-style event, according to WCMH Columbus. In May, the two sides reached a settlement that prevented the group from wearing military-style gear or carrying assault rifles, shields, bats, knives or flame throwers. They were, however, permitted to cover their faces and carry certain firearms if they had permits.\n\nThose precautions, along with a minuscule turnout from the group, strong police presence and a unified sentiment in the community may have all contributed to keeping Saturday’s events peaceful.\n\nAnd because the KKK-affiliated group stuck to the terms of the consent agreement for holding their rally, Whaley says she has been advised the city had no avenue to try to recoup the security costs from the hate group itself.\n\nFor some Dayton residents, that the price may have been worth it. “I’d much rather spend money than human lives,” says Dayton bar owner Gus Stathes. “It could have gotten real ugly real fast.”", "A much-publicized Ku Klux Klan rally planned for Dayton, Ohio, on Saturday only drew nine members of the notoriously racist group — and they were met with a total of 600 counter-protesters ready to drown them out.\n\nThe plans for the KKK rally had put the Ohio city on edge and fearful of some of the violent clashes that have taken place in recent months between racist groups and counter-protesters. As Time magazine noted, those fears appeared to be unfounded, as the KKK apparently decided to stay away, with just nine members showing up to take part in the planned rally.\n\nThe small group attempted to chant racist slogans, but were drowned out by the hundreds of people who came to meet them. A report from WHIO TV7 noted that the counter-protesters managed to shout down the KKK members every time they tried to speak, essentially thwarting the protest. A Church of God group from Greenville also traveled to Dayton to take part in the counter-protest, singing “Amazing Grace” loudly to drown out the racist group.\n\nOther religious groups also took part in the counter-protest, including a number of Quakers. Some of the counter-protesters wore traditional Black Panther garb, while some had scarves over their faces in adopting the clothing associated with the anti-racist group Antifa.\n\nAll but one of the KKK members had their faces covered.\n\nThose who showed up to oppose the KKK had signs telling them that hatred was not welcome in the city. Many local businesses joined in as well, placing signs outside bars and restaurants saying that the racist group was not welcome and that they would not serve members of the KKK.\n\nIn all, the counter-protesters were outnumbered by a ratio of roughly 100 to 1. There were roughly 350 police officers called into duty as well, though the group of white supremacists was so small that there were no violent clashes like what was seen in Charlottesville, Virginia, or Portland, Oregon, in recent months.\n\nThe large and organized response to the racist group earned praise from some local leaders.\n\n“There is a great crowd of people down here on Main Street,” City Commissioner Darryl Fairchild told WHIO TV7. “This is probably Dayton at its best.”\n\nThe KKK rally was not without impact on the city of Dayton, however. City Manager Shelley Dickstein told the Daily News that the rally cost the city roughly $650,000 in increased personnel and security costs.", "Hundreds of counter-protesters demonstrated against an estimated nine attendees of a planned rally by a Ku Klu Klan-affiliated group in Dayton, Ohio on Saturday, CBS affiliate WHIO reported. Dayton Police Chief Richard Biehl told the station he was \"very pleased\" with security, noting that no one was arrested or injured.\n\n\"This clearly was a safety challenge for our city and our community,\" Biehl said. City officials estimated that the cost of security measures for the event with nine KKK members was $650,000, according to TIME.\n\nThe nine members of the Honorable Sacred Knights of Indiana did little talking and when they did try to communicate, counter-protesters made sure they couldn't be heard, WHIO reports. All but one of the Klan members wore masks.\n\nCity officials estimated that around 500 to 600 people gathered in the area of Courthouse Square during the rally. News spread nationally earlier this week about the planned KKK rally after the group received a permit last month for the event.\n\nCounter protesters gather en masse to protest against a rally held by the KKK affiliated group Honorable Sacred Knights of Indiana at Courthouse Square on May 25, 2019 in Dayton, Ohio. Matthew Hatcher / Getty Images\n\nMore than 200 people attended an NAACP-sponsored \"Love\" event in downtown Dayton, city officials told WHIO.\n\nMayor Nan Whaley praised those who attended the counter-event \"to celebrate what Dayton is all about.\"\n\n\"We are united against hate,\" Whaley said. \"We are a community that no matter who you love, where you come from or what you believe, you are welcome in Dayton.\"", "Jewish groups are bracing for a KKK rally in Dayton, Ohio, on Saturday that they fear will create a potential \"powder keg.\"\n\nAccording to , about 20 members of an Indiana-based KKK affiliate, the Honorable Sacred Knights, are expected to rally in downtown Dayton and, in an agreement with the city, will be allowed to mask their faces and carry legal sidearms.\n\nAs many as 1,000 counter-protesters are also expected, the news outlet reported — including the New Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, which has been listed as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, members of the Antifa movement, a militant conglomeration of left-wing anti-fascist groups.\n\nRabbi Ari Ballaban, local head of the Jewish Community Relations Council, told The Jerusalem Post there’s been \"a wide-range of emotional responses\" to the upcoming rally.\n\n\"We worked with the Anti-Defamation League, who helped to organize us with higher-level law enforcement organizations,\" Ballaban said.\n\n\"But none of us are fortune tellers. Do we know what is going to happen? Certainly not. That is why we are urging people: There is no reason to put yourself in a dangerous position and show up to something that is a powder keg.\"\n\nThe Dayton Jewish community numbers around 5,000 people, the Jerusalem Post reported, citing the Jewish Virtual Library. It has several congregations.\n\nThe city itself is on alert too, Jared Grandy, Dayton's Community-police relations coordinator, told the .\n\n\"The elephant in the room is Charlottesville,\" he said. \"That's what we don’t want to happen again.\"", "A small group from the KKK-affiliated Honorable Sacred Knights out of Indiana gather for a rally in Dayton, Ohio, May 25, 2019\n\nA small group of Ku Klux Klan members penned in by fencing, surrounded by police and drowned out by hundreds of protesters, held a rally in Ohio with no reported clashes or problems.\n\nThe city of Dayton blocked streets with large trucks Saturday and brought in officers from other jurisdictions to keep protesters separated from members of an obscure Klan group called the Honorable Sacred Knights.\n\nThe group obtained a permit for the rally months ago. City officials and community leaders organized an effort called Dayton United Against Hate.\n\nThe NAACP and other groups gathered in a public park about a mile from Dayton's downtown square where the Klan rally was held.\n\nDayton police says no one was arrested or injured.\n\nThe city urged people to stay away from downtown Saturday.", "DAYTON, Ohio — A small group of Ku Klux Klan members penned in by fencing, surrounded by police and drowned out by protesters, held a rally in Ohio with no reported clashes or problems.\n\nThe city of Dayton blocked streets with large trucks Saturday and brought in officers from other jurisdictions to keep protesters separated from members of an obscure Klan group called the Honorable Sacred Knights.\n\nThe group obtained a permit for the rally months ago. City officials and community leaders organized an effort called Dayton United Against Hate.\n\nThe NAACP and other groups gathered in a public park about a mile from Dayton’s downtown square where the Klan rally was held.\n\nThe city urged people to stay away from downtown Saturday."], "summary": "Hundreds of counter-protesters show up and protest against an estimated nine attendees of a planned rally by a Ku Klux Klan-affiliated group in Dayton, Ohio."}
{"document": ["The Christmas comet which flew past Earth in December last year contained 'a vast reservoir of Earth-like water' similar to that which is in our oceans today.\n\nNASA scientists claim this backs up the theory that distant space rocks delivered the first water to Earth which went on to form oceans and seas.\n\nWater on earth exists in two forms, as regular water and a 'heavier' version called HDO.\n\nHydrogen with an extra particle, a neutron, is known an isotope and called deuterium and the ratio of normal water to deuterium varies.\n\nThe ratio on the Christmas Comet is the same as on Earth, indicating they share the same origin.\n\nNASA's flying Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, known as SOFIA, is the world's largest telescope and took measurements of the comet.\n\nIt collected data from comet 46P/Wirtanen which made a close approach to the Earth's surface in December, and was dubbed the Christmas comet.\n\n'We have identified a vast reservoir of Earth-like water in the outer reaches of the solar system,' said Darek Lis, lead author of the study, in a statement.\n\nThe observations have made scientists think that comets could have first delivered water to earth because the ratio of two types of water molecules on the comet matches that in the Earth's oceans.\n\nBoth forms of water exists on earth, but in different ratios, so the fact that this ratio is similar in both the ocean and on comets could suggest the comets delivered some water to Earth.\n\nPreviously, this ratio had been hard to measure, until more powerful machines like SOFIA.\n\n'Measuring this ratio is difficult,' said NASA in a statement.\n\n'Ground and space telescopes can study this level of detail in comets only when they pass near Earth, and missions to visit comets, like Rosetta, are rare.'\n\nUsing data from SOFIA, scientists then studied a number of comets and saw that a similar water ratio to that on earth existed in other comets, irrespective of where they came from.\n\n'This could imply that all comets could have a heavy-to-regular water ratio similar to Earth's oceans, and that they could have delivered a large fraction of water to Earth,' said NASA scientists.\n\nDominique Bockelée-Morvan, scientist at the Paris Observatory and the French National Center for Scientific Research and second author of the study, said: 'This is the first time we could relate the heavy-to-regular water ratio of all comets to a single factor.'\n\nPlanets form from matter that orbits a star, which look like the disks around a star.\n\nSmall pieces of this debris can stick together and grow larger over time, with leftover matter not used in the the formation remaining in our solar system, existing large structures such as the Kuiper Belt or Oort cloud.\n\nScientists have only been able to study this ratio in about a dozen comets since the 1980s.", "The Christmas comet which flew past Earth in December last year contained 'a vast reservoir of Earth-like water' similar to that which is in our oceans today.\n\nNASA scientists claim this backs up the theory that distant space rocks delivered the first water to Earth which went on to form oceans and seas.\n\nWater on earth exists in two forms, as regular water and a 'heavier' version called HDO.\n\nHydrogen with an extra particle, a neutron, is known an isotope and called deuterium and the ratio of normal water to deuterium varies.\n\nThe ratio on the Christmas Comet is the same as on Earth, indicating they share the same origin.\n\nNASA's flying Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, known as SOFIA, is the world's largest telescope and took measurements of the comet.\n\nIt collected data from comet 46P/Wirtanen which made a close approach to the Earth's surface in December, and was dubbed the Christmas comet.\n\n'We have identified a vast reservoir of Earth-like water in the outer reaches of the solar system,' said Darek Lis, lead author of the study, in a statement.\n\nThe observations have made scientists think that comets could have first delivered water to earth because the ratio of two types of water molecules on the comet matches that in the Earth's oceans.\n\nBoth forms of water exists on earth, but in different ratios, so the fact that this ratio is similar in both the ocean and on comets could suggest the comets delivered some water to Earth.\n\nPreviously, this ratio had been hard to measure, until more powerful machines like SOFIA.\n\n'Measuring this ratio is difficult,' said NASA in a statement.\n\n'Ground and space telescopes can study this level of detail in comets only when they pass near Earth, and missions to visit comets, like Rosetta, are rare.'\n\nUsing data from SOFIA, scientists then studied a number of comets and saw that a similar water ratio to that on earth existed in other comets, irrespective of where they came from.\n\n'This could imply that all comets could have a heavy-to-regular water ratio similar to Earth's oceans, and that they could have delivered a large fraction of water to Earth,' said NASA scientists.\n\nDominique Bockelée-Morvan, scientist at the Paris Observatory and the French National Center for Scientific Research and second author of the study, said: 'This is the first time we could relate the heavy-to-regular water ratio of all comets to a single factor.'\n\nPlanets form from matter that orbits a star, which look like the disks around a star.\n\nSmall pieces of this debris can stick together and grow larger over time, with leftover matter not used in the the formation remaining in our solar system, existing large structures such as the Kuiper Belt or Oort cloud.\n\nScientists have only been able to study this ratio in about a dozen comets since the 1980s.", "Our search for E.T. in the great, dark forest of the universe has us searching for signs of water. We know how important the stuff is for life to thrive. But closer to home there's a more pressing question: Where did Earth's water come from?\n\nA team of international astronomers have taken a few small steps to answering that question by studying the water found within a near-Earth comet, 46P/Wirtanen.\n\n\"We have identified a vast reservoir of Earth-like water in the outer reaches of the solar system,\" said Darek Lis, lead author of the study, in a statement.\n\nThe study, published in Astronomy and Astrophysics Letters on May 20, used NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) to investigate the so-called Christmas comet, as it made a close approach to Earth in December 2018. The instrument operates out of a specially-designed Boeing 747 up above the clouds, enabling it to see cosmic phenomena with a pair of clearer eyes than some of our ground-based methods.\n\nA long-standing theory posits the Earth's water was delivered by icy comets originating from the outer reaches of the solar system. Comets zip through space full of dust, ice and other chemicals and occasionally, collide with planets. The formation of the Earth likely occurred when small rocky bodies collided with each other -- but these were very water-poor. Thus, the theory suggests that comets may have delivered some of the water that makes up 70% of the planet when they collided with the early Earth.\n\nHowever, evidence that comets contained the same kind of water found on Earth, good ol' H2O, has been limited. To determine the comet was carrying \"Earth-like\" water, SOFIA eyed 46P/Wirtanen and examined the ratio between two different types of water.\n\nThe water we know and love, H2O, is made of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. Those hydrogen atoms contain one proton and zero neutrons. That form of water makes up most of the water found on Earth. A less common form of water, \"heavy water\", is made up of the same atomic structure, but the hydrogen atom contains one proton and one neutron. This form of water is known as deuterium. Studying the ratio of deuterium to hydrogen (D/H ratio) can teach us a little more about its origin.\n\nThe D/H ratio in comets usually varies between 1 to 3 times more than the ratio of Earth's oceans, but the astronomers found the ratio in 46P/Wirtanen was basically the same as we see down here on Earth.\n\nTwo previous comets have exhibited similar ratios: 103P/Hartley 2 and 45P/H-M-P. Notably, all three are classified as \"hyperactive comets\", which release water from ice on their surface and in their atmosphere as they heat up on approach to the sun. The team discovered the D/H ratios in all three were related to the water present in their atmosphere. As a result, they believe that all comets might contain Earth-like water locked within their rocky bodies.\n\nSuch a finding again opens up the debate regarding the origins of Earth's water. Other comets, originating in the Oort cloud at the edges of the solar system, don't exhibit similar D/H ratios.\n\nAsteroids, which differ to comets in that they are more metallic and rocky, have also been suggested as a source. Of note is the number of asteroids found with Earth-like water in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.", "DUBLIN, May 24, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The \"Research Report on China's Rare Earth Industry, 2019-2023\" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.\n\nRare earth elements and metals are widely used in the industry. Rare earth elements are essential to aircraft engines, mobile phones and drill bits for oil and natural gas mining. As new energy vehicles are expected to replace traditional fuel vehicles, both military and civilian industries have robust demand for rare earth. \n\n\n\nIn 2017, China produced more than 80% of rare earth metals and compounds in the world. China's rare earth exports to the United States accounted for 78% of U.S. rare earth imports while the rare earth from Estonia, France, and Japan only accounted for 14% in total. In 2017, the United States imported more than 17,000 tons of rare earth compounds, of which 10,000 tons of lanthanum compounds and 3,600 tons of cerium compounds were from China. \n\n\n\nDriven by low mining costs (including low labor costs) and low environmental protection costs, in the 1990s, Chinese enterprises started mining and exporting rare earth on a large scale. Consequently, most other countries stopped mining rare earth. In the past decade, China's rare earth reserves fell sharply. Its proportion in the global rare earth reserves once exceeded 70% while at the end of 2016, the proportion was only 37%. \n\n\n\nTo regulate rare earth mining, in the second half of 2018, the Chinese government began to shut down illegal mining enterprises and cut rare earth production quota to 45,000 tons, down 36% from 70,000 tons in the first half of the year. To upgrade its rare earth industry, China shifts from exporting crude ores to exporting oxide products, which greatly impacts the global rare earth market. \n\nAfter China Minmetals Rare Earth (Ganzhou) Co., Ltd. and CHALCO Guangxi Branch stopped producing rare earth ores because they failed to meet environmental protection standards, ionic rare earth ores fell short of demand in southern China. \n\n\n\nSubsequently, Chinese mining investors mined ionic rare earth ores in Myanmar and Vietnam and exported the mined crude ores to China for refining. However, in early Nov. 2018, all levels of government in Myanmar prohibited the rare earth mining activities of Chinese enterprises because of the uneven distribution of benefits. In response, China's Yunnan Customs announced that it would ban all mineral imports from Myanmar. If the policy is strictly implemented, the prices of heavy rare earth such as dysprosium and terbium will increase on the global market. But it is uncertain how long the import restriction will last and how it will affect the volume of China's heavy rare earth imports. \n\n\n\nChina has been the world's largest exporter of rare earth for years\n\n\n\nIn 2018, China's rare earth oxide imports reached about 41,400 tons, increasing by over 100% YOY. Meanwhile, the domestic production of rare earth oxides shrank as China combated illegal rare earth production. China's rare earth imports are mainly minerals and chemical concentrates from Myanmar and the United States. In 2018, China imported about 26,000 tons of rare earth carbonates from Myanmar, which accounted for about 25% domestic demand. The heavy rare earth from Myanmar accounted for nearly one-third of domestic consumption. \n\n\n\nU.S. enterprises ship lanthanum-rich ores to China and then buy oxides and chemical products from China. The United States is the major buyer of China's rare earth, and lanthanum is used to refine oil. Last year, Myanmar became a key supplier of the dysprosium, terbium, and gadolinium to Chinese producers of magnets and alloys. In 2018, the United States announced import tariffs on China's rare earth in its trade frictions with China but later it withdrew this decision. In the long term, China's rare earth imports will continue to grow. In addition to the United States and Myanmar, Australia is also exporting rare-earth to China. \n\n\n\nIn 2018, the production volume of neodymium-iron-boron permanent magnets in China increased by 5% and the consumption increased by about 6%. The supply and demand in the domestic market were close to balance. The export volume and export value increased by 11% and 14% respectively. \n\n\n\nIn 2018, China only approved 115,000 tons of rare earth production quota, giving priority to meeting domestic demand. As a result, the global production of primary rare earth oxides grew by 20.80%. The growth was mainly attributable to the United States and Myanmar. On the other hand, since China started combating illegal rare earth mining in Sept. 2018, illegal rare earth production decreased by 50%. The consequent market gap is filled by other countries. The concentrate imports from Myanmar have become an important source of the dysprosium, terbium, and gadolinium for China's magnet and alloy manufacturing industries. \n\n\n\nThe mining and refining of rare earth in China is monopolized by six major state-owned enterprises (SOEs). Non-SOEs only have access to downstream industries such as the production and application of rare earth materials, namely, permanent magnet materials, catalytic materials, luminescent materials, polishing materials, and hydrogen storage materials. With the rapid development of global high-tech industries, rare earth are being applied to more high-tech fields and the consumption of rare earth new materials is growing rapidly. The new energy vehicle industry, the wind power industry and other consumers of rare earth all have a promising future, which promotes the development of the rare earth industry. \n\n\n\nFor example, in 2018, the global production of new energy vehicles exceeded 2 million units, among which 1.27 million units were produced in China, up by about 60% YOY. Rare earth hydrogen storage alloys are mainly used in NiMH power batteries. A hybrid electric vehicle needs about 10 kg of hydrogen storage alloy. In general, a hydrogen storage alloy contains 30% mischmetal, which means that a hybrid electric vehicle consumes about 3 kg of rare earth. The drive motor of a hybrid electric vehicle consumes about 1 kg to 3 kg of neodymium-iron-boron magnetic materials; the drive motor of a battery electric vehicle consumes about 5 kg to 10 kg. \n\n\n\nAccording to the plan of the Chinese government, the annual production of new energy vehicles in China will reach 6 million units in 2023. If this goal can be achieved, new energy vehicles will consume 30,000 tons of rare earth or more, which will boost the development of China's rare earth industry. \n\n\n\nThe Sino-U.S. trade war has little impact on China's rare earth industry. For example, in May 2019, the United States again decided not to impose import tariffs on China's rare earth and other key minerals. It shows that the United States still relies heavily on China's minerals to produce consumer electronics, military equipment, and many other products.\n\n\n\nTopics Covered:\n• Global supply of and demand for rare earth\n• Price trends of rare earth and rare earth materials in\n• Driving forces and market opportunities for rare earth industry from 2019 to 2023\n• Forecast on the supply of and demand for rare earth in from 2019 to 2023\n• Impact of the Sino-U.S. Trade War on rare earth industry\n• Baotou New Century Rare Earth Co, Ltd.\n• Baotou Xinyuan Rare Earth Hi-tech & New Materials Co, Ltd.\n• Gansu Debao New Materials Co, Ltd.\n• Gansu Rare Earth New Materials Co, Ltd.\n• Ganzhou Huajing Rare Earth New Materials Co, Ltd.\n• Inner Mongolia Weineng Metal Chemical Co, Ltd.\n• Inner Mongolia Xi'aoke Hydrogen Storage Alloy Co, Ltd.\n• Shanghai Huaming Gona Rare Earth New Materials Co, Ltd.\n• Whole Win ( ) Materials Sci. & Tech. Co, Ltd.\n\nFor more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/xo54kz\n\nResearch and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research.\n\nResearch and Markets \n\nLaura Wood, Senior Manager \n\npress@researchandmarkets.com \n\n\n\nFor E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 \n\nFor U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 \n\nFor GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 \n\n\n\nU.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 \n\nFax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716", "DUBLIN, May 24, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The \"Research Report on China's Rare Earth Industry, 2019-2023\" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.\n\nRare earth elements and metals are widely used in the industry. Rare earth elements are essential to aircraft engines, mobile phones and drill bits for oil and natural gas mining. As new energy vehicles are expected to replace traditional fuel vehicles, both military and civilian industries have robust demand for rare earth. \n\n\n\nIn 2017, China produced more than 80% of rare earth metals and compounds in the world. China's rare earth exports to the United States accounted for 78% of U.S. rare earth imports while the rare earth from Estonia, France, and Japan only accounted for 14% in total. In 2017, the United States imported more than 17,000 tons of rare earth compounds, of which 10,000 tons of lanthanum compounds and 3,600 tons of cerium compounds were from China. \n\n\n\nDriven by low mining costs (including low labor costs) and low environmental protection costs, in the 1990s, Chinese enterprises started mining and exporting rare earth on a large scale. Consequently, most other countries stopped mining rare earth. In the past decade, China's rare earth reserves fell sharply. Its proportion in the global rare earth reserves once exceeded 70% while at the end of 2016, the proportion was only 37%. \n\n\n\nTo regulate rare earth mining, in the second half of 2018, the Chinese government began to shut down illegal mining enterprises and cut rare earth production quota to 45,000 tons, down 36% from 70,000 tons in the first half of the year. To upgrade its rare earth industry, China shifts from exporting crude ores to exporting oxide products, which greatly impacts the global rare earth market. \n\nAfter China Minmetals Rare Earth (Ganzhou) Co., Ltd. and CHALCO Guangxi Branch stopped producing rare earth ores because they failed to meet environmental protection standards, ionic rare earth ores fell short of demand in southern China. \n\n\n\nSubsequently, Chinese mining investors mined ionic rare earth ores in Myanmar and Vietnam and exported the mined crude ores to China for refining. However, in early Nov. 2018, all levels of government in Myanmar prohibited the rare earth mining activities of Chinese enterprises because of the uneven distribution of benefits. In response, China's Yunnan Customs announced that it would ban all mineral imports from Myanmar. If the policy is strictly implemented, the prices of heavy rare earth such as dysprosium and terbium will increase on the global market. But it is uncertain how long the import restriction will last and how it will affect the volume of China's heavy rare earth imports. \n\n\n\nChina has been the world's largest exporter of rare earth for years\n\n\n\nIn 2018, China's rare earth oxide imports reached about 41,400 tons, increasing by over 100% YOY. Meanwhile, the domestic production of rare earth oxides shrank as China combated illegal rare earth production. China's rare earth imports are mainly minerals and chemical concentrates from Myanmar and the United States. In 2018, China imported about 26,000 tons of rare earth carbonates from Myanmar, which accounted for about 25% domestic demand. The heavy rare earth from Myanmar accounted for nearly one-third of domestic consumption. \n\n\n\nU.S. enterprises ship lanthanum-rich ores to China and then buy oxides and chemical products from China. The United States is the major buyer of China's rare earth, and lanthanum is used to refine oil. Last year, Myanmar became a key supplier of the dysprosium, terbium, and gadolinium to Chinese producers of magnets and alloys. In 2018, the United States announced import tariffs on China's rare earth in its trade frictions with China but later it withdrew this decision. In the long term, China's rare earth imports will continue to grow. In addition to the United States and Myanmar, Australia is also exporting rare-earth to China. \n\n\n\nIn 2018, the production volume of neodymium-iron-boron permanent magnets in China increased by 5% and the consumption increased by about 6%. The supply and demand in the domestic market were close to balance. The export volume and export value increased by 11% and 14% respectively. \n\n\n\nIn 2018, China only approved 115,000 tons of rare earth production quota, giving priority to meeting domestic demand. As a result, the global production of primary rare earth oxides grew by 20.80%. The growth was mainly attributable to the United States and Myanmar. On the other hand, since China started combating illegal rare earth mining in Sept. 2018, illegal rare earth production decreased by 50%. The consequent market gap is filled by other countries. The concentrate imports from Myanmar have become an important source of the dysprosium, terbium, and gadolinium for China's magnet and alloy manufacturing industries. \n\n\n\nThe mining and refining of rare earth in China is monopolized by six major state-owned enterprises (SOEs). Non-SOEs only have access to downstream industries such as the production and application of rare earth materials, namely, permanent magnet materials, catalytic materials, luminescent materials, polishing materials, and hydrogen storage materials. With the rapid development of global high-tech industries, rare earth are being applied to more high-tech fields and the consumption of rare earth new materials is growing rapidly. The new energy vehicle industry, the wind power industry and other consumers of rare earth all have a promising future, which promotes the development of the rare earth industry. \n\n\n\nFor example, in 2018, the global production of new energy vehicles exceeded 2 million units, among which 1.27 million units were produced in China, up by about 60% YOY. Rare earth hydrogen storage alloys are mainly used in NiMH power batteries. A hybrid electric vehicle needs about 10 kg of hydrogen storage alloy. In general, a hydrogen storage alloy contains 30% mischmetal, which means that a hybrid electric vehicle consumes about 3 kg of rare earth. The drive motor of a hybrid electric vehicle consumes about 1 kg to 3 kg of neodymium-iron-boron magnetic materials; the drive motor of a battery electric vehicle consumes about 5 kg to 10 kg. \n\n\n\nAccording to the plan of the Chinese government, the annual production of new energy vehicles in China will reach 6 million units in 2023. If this goal can be achieved, new energy vehicles will consume 30,000 tons of rare earth or more, which will boost the development of China's rare earth industry. \n\n\n\nThe Sino-U.S. trade war has little impact on China's rare earth industry. For example, in May 2019, the United States again decided not to impose import tariffs on China's rare earth and other key minerals. It shows that the United States still relies heavily on China's minerals to produce consumer electronics, military equipment, and many other products.\n\n\n\nTopics Covered:\n• Global supply of and demand for rare earth\n• Price trends of rare earth and rare earth materials in\n• Driving forces and market opportunities for rare earth industry from 2019 to 2023\n• Forecast on the supply of and demand for rare earth in from 2019 to 2023\n• Impact of the Sino-U.S. Trade War on rare earth industry\n• Baotou New Century Rare Earth Co, Ltd.\n• Baotou Xinyuan Rare Earth Hi-tech & New Materials Co, Ltd.\n• Gansu Debao New Materials Co, Ltd.\n• Gansu Rare Earth New Materials Co, Ltd.\n• Ganzhou Huajing Rare Earth New Materials Co, Ltd.\n• Inner Mongolia Weineng Metal Chemical Co, Ltd.\n• Inner Mongolia Xi'aoke Hydrogen Storage Alloy Co, Ltd.\n• Shanghai Huaming Gona Rare Earth New Materials Co, Ltd.\n• Whole Win ( ) Materials Sci. & Tech. Co, Ltd.\n\nFor more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/xo54kz\n\nResearch and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research.\n\nResearch and Markets \n\nLaura Wood, Senior Manager \n\npress@researchandmarkets.com \n\n\n\nFor E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470 \n\nFor U.S./CAN Toll Free Call +1-800-526-8630 \n\nFor GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900 \n\n\n\nU.S. Fax: 646-607-1907 \n\nFax (outside U.S.): +353-1-481-1716", "A large asteroid that has its own tiny companion moon is set to whiz past Earth this weekend.\n\nThe so-called binary asteroid, known as 1999 KW4, will make its closest approach at 7:05 p.m. ET on May 25, when it will be roughly 3.2 million miles from Earth—a safe distance but relatively paltry in space terms, NBC News reported. For context, this figure is about 13.5 times the distance between the Earth and the moon.\n\nAccording to NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies, 1999 KW4 will speed past Earth at around 48,000 miles per hour. The main object, shaped like a spinning top with a pronounced ridge around its equator, is estimated to measure around 0.8 miles in diameter. The small moon, which orbits at a distance of 1.6 miles every 16 hours, is thought to be around the third of that size, EarthSky reported.\n\n1999 KW4 was first discovered in 1999 by the Lincoln Near-Earth Asteroid Research program in New Mexico. Since then, it has been extensively tracked and studied by astronomers. In fact, the object will be closely watched during its latest close approach by scientists at various observatories as part of an international effort to protect Earth from future catastrophic asteroid strikes.\n\n\"It's one of the closest binary flybys probably in recent history,\" Vishnu Reddy, a planetary scientist at the University of Arizona in Tucson, told NBC News. \"That's what makes it a very interesting target.\"\n\n1999 KW4 has been classified as a Near Earth Object (NEO), a term that refers to any asteroid or comet whose orbit takes it within 121 million miles of the sun, as well as within approximately 30 million miles of Earth.\n\nIt has also been defined as a \"potentially hazardous object,\" meaning any NEO that has a (typically small) chance of colliding with Earth—i.e., the predicted minimum approach distance is less than 4.6 million miles—and is greater than 460 feet in diameter.\n\nAccording to EarthSky, 1999 KW4 is the largest space rock that will come this close to our planet until June 2027, when asteroid 4953 (1990 MU), which is estimated to measure at least 2.5 miles in diameter, will sail past the Earth.\n\nCurrently, researchers know of more than 18,000 NEOs, of which over 1,800 are considered potentially hazardous. While there are a handful of potentially hazardous objects that are predicted to have a small chance of colliding with Earth in tens to hundreds of years, the odds will likely fall as monitoring stations make more observations, enabling more accurate predictions of their trajectories.", "UPDATE: A mistake about an exoplanet's exact position has been corrected\n\nAstronomers have found over 4,000 planets in other star systems, but almost all of these \"exoplanets\" are massive compared to Earth. In fact, 96% of them are larger than Earth. Mostly, astronomers have found gas giants like Neptune or Jupiter, but very few small planets. So the announcement this week that 18 exoplanets have been discovered that fall into the broad category of Earth-sized planets is big news.\n\nThe even bigger news is that one of them is slightly smaller than our planet. Have we just found Earth 2.0?\n\nWhat do we know about this planet?\n\nThe candidate for an \"Earth twin\" is called EPIC 201497682.03. It resides around a red dwarf star called EPIC 201497682 that’s 831 light years from our solar system between the constellations Leo and Virgo. It’s 69% of the size of the Earth, the closest fit in the 18 exoplanets found by scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS), the Georg August University of Göttingen, and the Sonneberg Observatory, whose results have been published in Astronomy & Astrophysics.\n\nWhat about its host star?\n\n\"EPIC” stands for “Ecliptic Planet Input Catalog”, which was a list of targets that the Kepler Space Telescope's K2 mission was supposed to observe. However, EPIC 201497682 is also known in other star catalogs as UCAC4 453-051784, 2MASS J11154478+0029171, and Gaia DR2 3810098271767907840. \"When we look at the star now we see the light that emerged from this system about 300 years before Christopher Columbus reached The Americas,\" said Dr. Rene Heller from MPS, first author of the paper. \"It’s quite compelling that we were able to find a rock just slightly larger than Mars around this remote star.\"\n\nWhy are small exoplanets hard to find?\n\nSmall planets are harder to track down than big ones. Exoplanet-hunters find their targets by detecting a drop in brightness as a planet travels (transits) in front of its host star. However, while large planets cause sudden drops in brightness that is easy to detect, small planets cause such a tiny change in brightness that it's hard to separate it from the natural brightness fluctuations of the star. \"Standard search algorithms attempt to identify sudden drops in brightness,\" said Heller. \"In reality, however, a stellar disk appears slightly darker at the edge than in the center. When a planet moves in front of a star, it therefore initially blocks less starlight than at the mid-time of the transit. The maximum dimming of the star occurs in the center of the transit just before the star becomes gradually brighter again,\" he said.\n\nHow were these new exoplanets found?\n\nAs well as the \"sub-Earth\" planet EPIC 201497682.03, the scientists found 17 planets slightly larger than Earth, all of them found in data from the Kepler Space Telescope using a new search algorithm called transit least-squares (TLS). \"Our new algorithm helps to draw a more realistic picture of the exoplanet population in space,\" summarises Michael Hippke of Sonneberg Observatory. The new algorithm looks for gradual darkening, not the abrupt brightness drops that algorithms usually look for. This makes the new transit search algorithm significantly more sensitive to very small planets the size of the Earth. \"This method constitutes a significant step forward, especially in the search for Earth-like planets,” said Hippke.\n\nWhat is the Kepler Space Telescope?\n\nThe researchers used data from NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope as a test bed for their new algorithm. In its first mission phase from 2009 to 2013, Kepler recorded the light curves of more than 100,000 stars, resulting in the discovery of over 2,300 planets. After a technical defect, the telescope had to be used in an alternative observing mode, called the K2 mission, but it still managed to monitor more than 100,000 more stars by the end of the mission in 2018. The researchers decided to re-analyze all 517 stars from K2 that were already known to host at least one transiting planet.\n\nCould these exoplanets be habitable?\n\nMost of them are probably too hot. Most of the new planets detected in the old data orbit their star closer than other known planets. The surfaces of these new planets therefore likely have temperatures well in excess of 100ºC/212ºF, while some have temperatures of up to 1,000ºC/1,832ºF. Only one, a planet called EPIC 201238110.02, resides in the \"habitable zone\". \"It's 1.87 Earth diameter in size, so it’s rather a super-Earth than an Earth twin,\" says Heller. The host star EPIC 201238110 is 522 light years from us, also between the constellations Leo and Virgo.\n\nCan the new algorithm be used to find another Earth 2.0?\n\nGiven their discovery rate of 3.5% new planets in old data, the researchers think that their method will help them to find more than 100 other Earth-sized worlds in the Kepler data. “This new method is also particularly useful to prepare for the upcoming PLATO mission to be launched in 2026 by the European Space Agency,” says Professor Dr. Laurent Gizon, managing director at the MPS.\n\nWhat is the PLATO mission?\n\nPlanned for launch by 2026, the PLATO (PLAnetary Transits and Oscillations of stars) mission will assemble the first-ever catalog of confirmed planets, including planets in the habitable zone of their host stars. It will study hundreds of rocky, icy and giant planets and accurately measure their radii, masses, and ages. It’s expected to revolutionize astronomers’ understanding of planet formation and the evolution of planetary systems. \"Does a second Earth exist in the Universe? is one of the exciting questions in astrophysics today,\" says Johann-Dietrich Wörner, director general of ESA. \"With our PLATO satellite, we are focusing on Earth-like planets orbiting up to the habitable zone around other stars which are similar to our Sun. This will be a major step towards finding another Earth.\"", "The Christmas comet which flew past Earth in December last year contained 'a vast reservoir of Earth-like water' similar to that which is in our oceans today.\n\nNASA scientists claim this backs up the theory that distant space rocks delivered the first water to Earth which went on to form oceans and seas.\n\nWater on earth exists in two forms, as regular water and a 'heavier' version called HDO.\n\nHydrogen with an extra particle, a neutron, is known an isotope and called deuterium and the ratio of normal water to deuterium varies.\n\nThe ratio on the Christmas Comet is the same as on Earth, indicating they share the same origin.\n\nNASA's flying Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, known as SOFIA, is the world's largest telescope and took measurements of the comet.\n\nIt collected data from comet 46P/Wirtanen which made a close approach to the Earth's surface in December, and was dubbed the Christmas comet.\n\n'We have identified a vast reservoir of Earth-like water in the outer reaches of the solar system,' said Darek Lis, lead author of the study, in a statement.\n\nThe observations have made scientists think that comets could have first delivered water to earth because the ratio of two types of water molecules on the comet matches that in the Earth's oceans.\n\nBoth forms of water exists on earth, but in different ratios, so the fact that this ratio is similar in both the ocean and on comets could suggest the comets delivered some water to Earth.\n\nPreviously, this ratio had been hard to measure, until more powerful machines like SOFIA.\n\n'Measuring this ratio is difficult,' said NASA in a statement.\n\n'Ground and space telescopes can study this level of detail in comets only when they pass near Earth, and missions to visit comets, like Rosetta, are rare.'\n\nUsing data from SOFIA, scientists then studied a number of comets and saw that a similar water ratio to that on earth existed in other comets, irrespective of where they came from.\n\n'This could imply that all comets could have a heavy-to-regular water ratio similar to Earth's oceans, and that they could have delivered a large fraction of water to Earth,' said NASA scientists.\n\nDominique Bockelée-Morvan, scientist at the Paris Observatory and the French National Center for Scientific Research and second author of the study, said: 'This is the first time we could relate the heavy-to-regular water ratio of all comets to a single factor.'\n\nPlanets form from matter that orbits a star, which look like the disks around a star.\n\nSmall pieces of this debris can stick together and grow larger over time, with leftover matter not used in the the formation remaining in our solar system, existing large structures such as the Kuiper Belt or Oort cloud.\n\nScientists have only been able to study this ratio in about a dozen comets since the 1980s.", "NASA astronomers expect that an asteroid will flyby our planet this weekend. The space rock called the 1999 KW4 will swing by the Earth around 7:05 p.m. ET on Saturday and when it does it'll bring along its own moon as well.\n\n\"It's one of the closest binary flybys probably in recent history,\" planetary scientist Vishnu Reddy told NBC News. \"That's what makes it a very interesting target.\"\n\nThe space rock is around 1.5 km wide which is around three times the size of its moon, which is around 0.5 km. At its closest, the asteroid will be more than 3 million miles away from our planet, so there's no point of worrying. The next approach that the 1999 KW4 will make with the Earth will be in 2036, so keep your stargazing equipment ready for the weekend.\n\nLast week, a space rock hurtling at high speed of 21,500mph skimmed Earth at a fraction of the distance between our planet and the Moon, revealed NASA's asteroid trackers. The asteroid known as the Asteroid 2019 JH7, shot past our planet on May 16.\n\nAccording to NASA, the asteroid shot extremely close to the Earth. The flyby happened just two days after NASA observed the asteroid heading towards our planet. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California, said the asteroid's trajectory falls under the \"Earth Close Approach\" category.", "The NASA-tracked asteroid, dubbed Asteroid 2011 HP, is flying towards our planet on a so-called Earth Close Approach trajectory. NASA predicts the imposing space rock will shoot past Earth on the morning of Thursday, May 30. According to NASA’ Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), the asteroid will approach the planet around 11.48am BST or 6.48am Eastern Time. When this happens, NASA said the asteroid will break speeds of around 8.43km per second or 18,857.4mph (30,348kmh).\n\nAsteroid HP is an Apollo-type Near-Earth Asteroid (NEA) or Near-Earth Object (NEO). NASA’s JPL estimates the space rock measures somewhere in the range of 328ft to 754.6ft (100m to 230m) in diameter. At the upper end of that scale, the asteroid is as tall as the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, US, and the Space Needle in Seattle. However, even at the lower end of the estimate, the space rock is still almost as tall as Big Ben’s clock tower in London, UK.\n\nThe space rock orbits the inner circles of the solar system on a trajectory similar to that of asteroid 1862 Apollo. The asteroid’s trajectory takes it beyond the orbit of Mars but it does not fly past the Asteroid Belt in-between Mars and the gas giant Jupiter. All NEOs are comets and asteroids on paths, which orbit the Sun from distances smaller than 1.3 astronomical units or 120.8 million miles (194.5 million km). One astronomical unit measures approximately 93 million miles (149.6 million km) – the distance from the Earth to the Sun. READ MORE: How often do asteroids hit Earth?\n\nThis means the asteroid will near-miss the Earth from a distance of just 2.92 million miles (4.7 million km). In other words, the space rock will approach our home-world 12.26 times as far as the Moon is. NASA said: “As they orbit the Sun, Near-Earth Objects can occasionally approach close to Earth."], "summary": "Binary Aten asteroid (66391) 1999 KW4 and its minor-planet moon make their closest-ever recorded flyby of Earth at 3.2 million miles away. The asteroid will approach even closer at 0.0155 AU (2,320,000 km) from Earth in 2036, and is the largest asteroid to approach Earth until (4953) 1990 MU in June 2027."}
{"document": ["The Kawhi Leonard trade was worth it. After years of slamming their heads into a LeBron James-enforced glass ceiling, the Raptors are headed to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history, securing a come-from-behind, 100–94 win over the Bucks in Game 6 of the East Finals. The Raptors overcame a 15-point deficit in a dramatic second half Saturday, and now they’ll face the Warriors in the championship round beginning May 30.\n\nSimply put: Leonard cemented himself as the best player in the NBA against the Bucks. With Kevin Durant injured out West, and Kawhi facing an athletic marvel in Giannis Antetokounmpo, Leonard delivered with aplomb on both sides of the floor in the conference finals. He scored 27 points in the decisive Game 6, while collecting seven assists and a whopping 17 rebounds, including four massive ones off the offensive glass. Kawhi scored 19 points in the second half, continuing the trend of him outplaying Antetokounmpo in the game’s most crucial moments.\n\nKawhi’s play over the last four games was exactly why Masai Ujiri parted with longtime franchise favorite DeMar DeRozan last summer. Leonard is able to exert control over a game in a way reserved for the elitist of the elite. His imprint was all over Game 6, from timely buckets to his lockdown defense on Antetokounmpo, to his impressive passing after commanding double teams. Leonard carried a Herculean burden offensively, while forcing Giannis into easily his worst series of the playoffs on the other end of the floor. And he’s the biggest reason the Raptors will be headed to the Finals.\n\nOver the last four games of the series, Toronto forced Milwaukee to play in mud, and the Bucks faltered when the games slowed to a snail’s pace. The Raptors thrived in the half court, and Saturday received timely contributions from the likes of Kyle Lowry and Fred VanVleet. After shooting 7-of-9 from three in Game 5, VanVleet followed up with a 4-of-5 performance from beyond the arc in Game 6. Toronto connected at a higher rate than Milwaukee from deep, while also outscoring the Bucks from midrange and in the paint. Milwaukee was simply not built to play these type of half-court contests, and its offense looked bogged down for the fourth straight game.\n\nAntetokounmpo will undoubtedly use this series as a learning experience. Leonard shut him down defensively when the two were matched up. Giannis was inconsistent at best in the half court, and at times he looked hesitant to shoot, all while also struggling from the free throw line. The Bucks’ supporting cast couldn’t bail out Antetokounmpo despite all the attention he drew in the paint, a concerning thought as the team heads toward a pivotal offseason. The stats from Games 3–6 paint a grim picture for the Bucks. Their offensive rating, a sterling 113.5 during the regular season, plummeted to 102.3 during the four-game losing streak. The pace of the final four games was a deliberate 94.6, which undoubtedly exacerbated Milwaukee’s struggles.\n\nBut Saturday, and this series, will ultimately be about Leonard. He's playing better now than he did when he won Finals MVP in 2014. Leonard’s last playoff run saw him take a massive leap, and he’s again taken his game to another level. He’s become an equalizer for the Raptors. If, and when, everyone else on the floor is struggling, Nick Nurse can call an iso for Kawhi and expect a bucket. When an opponent presents an until-this-moment unstoppable offensive force, Nurse can ask Kawhi to check him defensively and slow him down considerably. It’s unclear what Leonard’s presence will mean in a series against the Warriors, but the fact that he can credibly be the best player on the floor at times during that matchup speaks to not only why Toronto acquired him, but also how well Kawhi has played throughout this postseason.\n\nFor the Raptors, the work is not done. Golden State is the favorite, but particularly with Durant’s injury, the Warriors are probably in their most vulnerable state of the last three years. Toronto will have a legitimate belief at the start of the Finals, which is probably much more than whatever the Cavaliers had at the start of last year’s championship. But this Raptors season is already a success. Last summer’s makeover—and the continuing tinkering at the trade deadline—worked exactly as intended. And now, Toronto is headed to its first-ever Finals, with an unquestioned superstar at the height of his power—another franchise first—leading the charge.", "NBA GAME 6\n\nResilient Raptors rally past Bucks to reach 1st NBA Finals in franchise history\n\nShare on Facebook Share on Twitter Share by Email\n\nToronto closes out series with comeback win on home court\n\nToronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard hoists the trophy after the Raptors won the Eastern Conference Final in Game 6 against the Milwaukee Bucks in Toronto on Saturday. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press)\n\nThe Toronto Raptors are headed to the NBA Finals, a Canadian basketball success story 24 years in the making.\n\nKawhi Leonard poured in 27 points and hauled down a game-high 17 rebounds to lead the Raptors to a thrilling 100-94 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks that clinched the Eastern Conference finals series 4-2.\n\nKyle Lowry, playing through the relentless pain of a sprained thumb, had 17 points and eight assists, and grabbed the game ball after the final buzzer sounded on a spectacular comeback.\n\nADVERTISEMENT\n\nThe Raptors became just the sixth team in NBA history to win a conference final after losing the first two games.\n\n\"Beating this [Bucks] team four times in a row is almost mind boggling,\" Raptors coach Nick Nurse said.\n\nPascal Siakam chipped in with 18 points, while Fred VanVleet finished with 14.\n\nWATCH | Raptors defeat Bucks in Game 6 to reach NBA Finals:\n\nShow more Kawhi Leonard was magical in Game 6, finishing with 27 points and 17 boards as the Raptors beat the Bucks 100-94 to reach the NBA Finals for the 1st time in franchise history. 2:56\n\nThe road doesn't get any easier for Toronto. The defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors await after dispatching the Portland Trail Blazers in four games in the west final almost a week ago. The Finals tip off in Toronto on Thursday.\n\nADVERTISEMENT\n\nBut the Raptors paused for a moment to soak it all in Saturday.\n\nAsked what it means to finally break through after seven seasons of playoff frustration, Lowry say \"it means a lot.\"\n\n\"It's taken a long time to get here in my career, 13 years, seven years here,\" he said, his baseball cap reading \"NBA Finals\" pulled down over his forehead. \"I'm going to savour the moment, but I'm not satisfied. Our goal is to win the NBA championship.\"\n\nGiannis Antetokounmpo, favoured to win the league MVP after leading the Bucks to a league-best 60-win season — two better than Toronto — had 21 points and 11 boards, while Brook Lopez had 18.\n\nThe Raptors got off to a shaky start reminiscent of Game 5, giving up a 17-2 Bucks run that straddled the first and second quarters to trail by 15 points early in the first half.\n\nToronto closed the third quarter with a 10-0 run capped by three Leonard free throws that sliced the Bucks' advantage to 76-71 with one quarter left to play.\n\n\"We all felt like we were still in the game,\" Leonard said. \"We had a little bit of momentum left. We just talked amongst each other once again and said 'Let's go out here and enjoy it, and we can play better offence and defence. We ended up doing that, and we ended up winning the game.\"\n\nWATCH | Kawhi Leonard discusses his journey with Raptors:\n\nShow more After advancing to the NBA finals, Leonard touched on the importance of the Raptors system and how Kyle Lowry helped push him forward. 0:51\n\nThe Raptors continued to ride a massive wave of momentum — a 26-3 run punctuated by a massive Leonard dunk from a steal and hand-off from Lowry with 6:46 to play that prompted a roar from the crowd that rocked Scotiabank Arena. The fans didn't sit down again until the game's final buzzer blew.\n\n\"We were on a run, and the building exploded after that dunk,\" said Leonard, the gleaming Eastern Conference trophy sitting between him and Lowry in the post-game press conference. \"Kind of got us a little bit more adrenalin to get another stop. I've been playing with [Lowry] for awhile now, and it's just chemistry right there.\"\n\nThe Bucks pulled to within a point with just over five minutes to play, but three-pointers by Marc Gasol and Leonard — Leonard's bouncing up off the rim before falling, in similar fashion to his conference semifinal Game 7 buzzer-beater against Philadelphia — had Toronto up by five with 3:04 to play.\n\nLeonard, who missed all but nine games last season with San Antonio because of a serious quadriceps injury, was breathing heavily, hands on knees, after missing a dunk that Siakam tipped in with 2:06 to play.\n\nA pair of free throws from Lopez made it a three-point game with 29.6 seconds to play, then Siakam was fouled with seven seconds left. The Cameroon big man sank one. Then Leonard was fouled with 3.9 seconds left, and with the crowd chanting \"M-V-P!\" Toronto's superstar sank both. Game over. Lowry could barely contain his emotions as the final seconds ticked down.\n\nMasai Ujiri, who acquired Leonard in the off-season for much-loved DeMar DeRozan with a lofty goal of an NBA championship in mind, addressed the delirious, confetti-covered crowd after the game, saying \"We came all this way to win in Toronto. And we will win in Toronto!\"\n\nThe Raptors president called Leonard the league's best player.\n\n\"I don't care about being the best player, I want to be the best team,\" Leonard said in response. \"Just before the season when we made the trade Masai felt that way about me. He told me how he felt. It's turning out well now. We're in the Finals and we're not done yet.\"\n\nThe Raptors were making just their second Eastern Conference finals appearance in franchise history, and first since they stole two games off LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers before being ousted in six games in 2016.\n\nUjiri's rebuild included firing coach Dwane Casey and promoting Nurse, then swapping Jonas Valanciunas for Gasol at February's trade deadline.\n\nIf fans complained then, they aren't now.\n\n\"We've got great fans,\" Lowry said. \"They support us through the good times and the bad times. Right now is a great time, and we're glad that they're our fans.\"", "TORONTO — The Toronto Raptors have advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time ever.\n\nKawhi Leonard scored 27 points and pulled down 17 rebounds to lead Toronto past the Milwaukee Bucks 100-94 in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference final.", "The Toronto Raptors have a chance to make history.\n\nThey host the Milwaukee Bucks at Scotiabank Arena for Game 6, one win away from reaching the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history.\n\nThe Bucks will look to steal this one to force a Game 7 back in Milwaukee to keep their season alive.\n\nFor live updates, highlights and more from Game 6, we have you covered below.\n\nThe Bucks came out firing from long range and it's paid off - Milwaukee is 6-for-9 (66.7%) from beyond the arc to give them a 13-point lead after one frame. The Raptors are missing open shots on the offensive end, shooting 31.6% from the field and 20.0% from 3-point land. Something also worth noting: the Bucks outscored the Raptors 10-2 in the minutes that Giannis Antetokounmpo was on the floor and Kawhi Leonard was on the bench.\n\nThe Bucks went on an 11-0 run to build a lead but the Raptors cut into that lead quickly. Milwaukee leads 21-16 with three minutes remaining in the first quarter. The Bucks switched to a zone defence that stifled the Raptors on a handful of possessions but Toronto has done a better job of finding the soft spots and getting open looks.\n\nScotiabank Arena is rocking early on. The Bucks hold a 9-6 lead on three 3-pointers - Khris Middleton is 2-for-2 from long range to get things going for Milwaukee.\n\nNo changes for the Bucks either, who will go with their same starting lineup from Game 5 - Eric Bledsoe, Malcolm Brogdon, Khris Middleton, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez.\n\nNo changes to the starting five for the Raptors - Kyle Lowry, Danny Green, Kawhi Leonard, Pascal Siakam, Marc Gasol.\n\nThe Raptors fans aren't messing around for Game 6. They've been lined up to get into \"Jurassic Park\" for hours now.", "Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard (2) is called for a defensive foul against Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) during second half action in Game 5 of the NBA Eastern Conference final in Milwaukee on Thursday, May 23, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn\n\nMILWAUKEE — The Toronto Raptors are in uncharted territory. One win from the NBA Finals.\n\nKawhi Leonard scored 35 points to lead the Toronto Raptors to a thrilling 105-99 victory over Milwaukee on Thursday in the most important game in franchise history.\n\nThe Raptors can book their ticket to the finals with a win Saturday in Toronto.\n\nIt was Leonard’s 11th 30-plus performance for the Raptors, who took a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference finals with their historic win. Never before has Toronto won three games in a conference final.\n\nThree days after his girlfriend gave birth to their son, Fred VanVleet had seven three-pointers as part of a playoff career-high 21 points. Kyle Lowry, playing through what he called “pretty bad” pain with a sprained thumb, had 17 points, seven rebounds, and six assists. Pascal Siakam had 14 points and a game-high 13 rebounds.\n\nGiannis Antetokounmpo had 24 points to lead Bucks, who with 60 wins (two more than Toronto) had the best record in the league in the regular season. The Bucks hadn’t lost three straight games all season.\n\nRELATED: Raptors beat Bucks 120-102 to even series at 2-2\n\nThe Raptors stumbled out at the start, digging themselves an early 14-point hole with horrible shooting. But, thanks to their stifling defence, they clawed their way back to take their first lead late in the second quarter. The Bucks led 75-72 with one quarter to play.\n\nLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter", "Kawhi Leonard had 27 points and 17 rebounds to lead the Toronto Raptors into the NBA finals for the first time with a 100-94 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night.\n\nThe Raptors overcame a 15-point deficit to win the series in six games and will host the Golden State Warriors in Game 1 of the NBA finals on Thursday night.\n\nPascal Siakam scored 18 points, Kyle Lowry had 17 and Fred VanVleet 14 for the Raptors, who used a 26-3 run late in the third quarter and early in the fourth to turn the game in their favor.\n\nGiannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 21 points and 11 rebounds, but the NBA’s top team in the regular season saw its bid for a first finals berth in 45 years come to a disappointing end with a fourth consecutive defeat.\n\nDown 76-71 to start the fourth, the Raptors tied it with an 8-2 run while Leonard and Antetokounmpo were both on the bench. Ibaka’s dunk with 10:32 to go tied it at 78.\n\nAntetokounmpo returned after a timeout, but Leonard kept sitting. That didn’t matter to Toronto, with Siakam’s basket giving the Raptors an 80-78 lead, their first lead since it was 6-3.\n\nLeonard’s one-handed slam after Lowry’s steal gave Toronto an 87-79 lead with 6:46 to go before the Bucks responded. George Hill answered with a layup, Brook Lopez converted a three-point play and Antetokounmpo scored to cut it to 87-86 with 5:19 to go.\n\nLowry and Lopez swapped baskets before Gasol’s three put the Raptors up 92-88 with 3:50 left. After another basket by Lopez, Leonard made a three to push Toronto’s lead to 95-90 with 3:04 to play. It was Leonard’s first three after missing his first seven attempts of the game.\n\nToronto made 12 of 27 three-point attempts, including four of eight in the fourth quarter.\n\nSiakam, who missed a pair of free throws late in the fourth quarter of Toronto’s double-overtime win in Game 3, hit one to make it 98-94. Leonard grabbed the rebound on the second and was fouled. He made both, putting the Raptors up 100-94 with 3.9 seconds to go.\n\nBrogdon and Middleton each made a pair from long range as the Bucks shot 6 for 9 from three-point range in the first and closed the quarter with 10 unanswered points to lead 31-18. Toronto shot 6 for 19 in the opening quarter, missing six straight twice in the first 12 minutes.\n\nThe Bucks extended their lead to 38-23 on a three by Ersan Ilyasova with 7:46 left until half. Toronto cut the gap to 46-43 on a three by VanVleet with 1:07 left in the second, but Eric Bledsoe answered with a three and Antetokounmpo split a pair at the line, giving the Bucks a 50-43 advantage at the intermission.\n\nThe lead went back to 15 in the third before Leonard finished the period with a flourish. He had eight points in the final 2:01 and Toronto closed with a 10-0 run, cutting a 15-point deficit to 76-71.", "Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard (2) keeps hold of the ball after being fouled during second half NBA Eastern Conference finals action against the Milwaukee Bucks, in Toronto on Saturday, May 25, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette\n\nTORONTO — The Toronto Raptors will play in the NBA Finals, a Canadian basketball success story 24 years in the making.\n\nKawhi Leonard poured in 27 points and hauled down a game-high 17 rebounds to lead the Raptors to a thrilling 100-94 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks that clinched the Eastern Conference finals series 4-2.\n\nKyle Lowry, playing through the constant pain of a sprained thumb, had 17 points and eight assists, and grabbed the game ball after the final buzzer sounded on what was Toronto’s biggest comeback of this post-season.\n\nPascal Siakam had 18 points, while Fred VanVleet finished with 14.\n\nThe road doesn’t get any easier for Toronto. The defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors await after dispatching the Portland Trail Blazers in four games in the west final almost a week ago. The Finals tip off in Toronto on Thursday.\n\nGiannis Antetokounmpo, favoured to win the league MVP after leading the Bucks to a league-best 60-win season — two better than Toronto — had 21 points and 11 boards, while Brook Lopez had 18.\n\nThe Raptors got off to a shaky start reminiscent of Game 5, giving up a 17-2 Bucks run that straddled the first and second quarters to trail by 15 points early in the first half.\n\nToronto closed the third quarter with a 10-0 run capped by three Leonard free throws that sliced the Bucks’ advantage to 76-71 with one quarter left to play.\n\nThe Raptors continued to ride a massive wave of momentum — a 26-3 run punctuated by a massive Leonard dunk from a hand-off from Lowry with 6:46 to play prompting a roar from the crowd that rocked Scotiabank Arena. The fans didn’t sit down again until the game’s final buzzer blew.\n\nThe Bucks pulled to within a point with just over five minutes to play, but three-pointers by Marc Gasol and Leonard — Leonard’s bouncing up off the rim before falling, in similar fashion to his conference semifinal Game 7 buzzer-beater against Philadelphia — had Toronto up by five with 3:04 to play.\n\nLeonard, who missed all but nine games last season with San Antonio because of a serious quadriceps injury, was breathing heavily, hands on knees, after missing a dunk that Siakam tipped in with 2:06 to play.\n\nA pair of free throws from Lopez made it a three-point game with 29.6 seconds to play, then Siakam was fouled with seven seconds left. The Cameroon big man sank one. Then Leonard was fouled with 3.9 seconds left, and with the crowd chanting “M-V-P!” Toronto’s superstar sank both. Game over. Lowry could barely contain his emotions as the final seconds ticked down.\n\nThe Raptors were making their second Eastern Conference finals appearance in franchise history, and first since they stole two games off LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers before being ousted in six games in 2016.\n\nRaptors president Masai Ujiri rebuilt this team with the lofty goal of an NBA championship, trading much-loved DeMar DeRozan for Leonard in the off-season and then swapping Jonas Valanciunas for Gasol at February’s trade deadline.\n\nIf fans complained then, they aren’t now.\n\nScotiabank Arena on Saturday night was a raucous sea of red. The capacity crowd, No. 233 in a row, included Blue Jays Marcus Stroman and Aaron Sanchez, former Raptor Bismack Biyombo, former TFC striker Sebastian Giovinco, Canadian actor Mena Massoud, singer Dallas Green, comedian Gerry Dee, and former CFL star Pinball Clemons, among others.\n\nDrake, who’s been a lightning rod in the series since his impromptu shoulder squeeze of coach Nick Nurse in Game 4, wore a black hoodie that read on the back: “Kawhi Me a River.”\n\nA thunderstorm that rolled through the city had threatened the celebrations in Jurassic Park outside the arena, but the area was opened about an hour before tipoff, and quickly filled by the thousands of fans who had stood in the massive line that snaked around the arena, past Union Station and up Yonge Street.\n\nIn his pre-game availability, Nurse was asked: how much does a close-out game come down to pure heart and desire?\n\n“Eighty-six per cent of it,” the coach said. “We end up showing all these clips and all these coverages and all these matchups and all these things and blah, blah, blah. At the end of it every time, I say, ‘This is about 15 per cent of the game.’\n\n“The rest of it is are we going to sprint back and are we going to communicate great and are we going to get physical, are we going to get into bodies, are we going to block out with some toughness. I can keep going on and on, but that’s where the 85 per cent comes from.”\n\nREAD MORE: Drake passions heat up with Raptors’ run as crucial game approaches\n\nToronto was all heart down the stretch on Saturday.\n\nThe Raptors dropped the first two games in Milwaukee, but rebounded to win three in a row, including a thrilling 105-99 victory on Thursday at Milwaukee’s Fiserv Forum that saw Toronto climb out of an 18-4 hole.\n\nOnly five teams in NBA history have come back from a 0-2 series deficit to win a conference final. The last time was in 2012, when an Oklahoma City squad that included Serge Ibaka battled back to beat San Antonio.\n\nIt was another horrible start for the Raptors, who went four minutes 41 seconds without a basket in the first quarter to trail by eight points. They tied it up with 3:50 to play, but the Bucks closed the quarter with a 15-2 run to lead 31-18 heading into the second.\n\nThe Bucks stretched their lead to 15 twice in the second quarter, but a VanVleet three capped a 21-8 Raptors run that pulled them to wihin two points. Milwaukee took a 50-44 lead into the dressing room at halftime.\n\nLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter", "Kyle Lowry stole the ball and pushed it ahead, then waited for Kawhi Leonard to arrive before feeding his All-Star teammate for a thunderous one-handed slam over Giannis Antetokounmpo.\n\n\"The building exploded after that dunk,\" Leonard said.\n\nIt sure did. Now imagine how it will sound when the NBA Finals come to Toronto for the first time next week.\n\nLeonard had 27 points and 17 rebounds to lead the Raptors into the finals for the first time with a 100-94 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night. His big dunk with 6:46 to go in the fourth quarter was the final basket in a game-changing 26-3 run that began late in the third.\n\n\"It was kind of a momentum capper,\" Lowry said. \"We were on a run, and why not feed the big dog? Let the big dog eat.\"\n\nThe Raptors overcame a 15-point deficit to win the series in six games and will host the Golden State Warriors in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night.\n\nIt will be the two-time defending champions against a Raptors team that will finally bring the NBA Finals outside the U.S. after entering the league in 1995.\n\n\"They're one of the greatest teams in history,\" Raptors coach Nick Nurse said of the Warriors. \"It will be a tall task, but we'll try to figure it out.\"\n\nPascal Siakam scored 18 points, Lowry had 17 and Fred VanVleet 14 for the Raptors.\n\nLowry held the game ball and picked up his children after the game, finally getting to the championship round after the Raptors kept falling short against Cleveland.\n\n\"It's taken a long time to get here in my career,\" Lowry said. \"I've run into one guy for a while.\"\n\nToronto was eliminated by LeBron James and the Cavaliers in three straight postseasons before shaking things up last summer with the acquisition of Leonard, the 2014 NBA Finals MVP who was acquired from San Antonio and has carried the Raptors in this postseason.\n\n\"He's the best player in the league and we're happy he's in Toronto,\" Raptors President Masai Ujiri said.\n\nAsked about Ujiri's compliment, Leonard said he's focused on different goals.\n\n\"I just want to win,\" he said. \"I don't care about being the best player. I want to be the best team.\"\n\nAntetokounmpo had 21 points and 11 rebounds for the Bucks, but the NBA's top team in the regular season saw its bid for a first finals berth in 45 years come to a disappointing end with a fourth consecutive defeat.\n\n\"Man, obviously when you're up 2-0, that doesn't mean nothing,\" Antetokounmpo said. \"You've got to learn how to come out and close out games, especially after Game 3. We've got to get better as a team, and we've got to get better individually.\"\n\nEven Nurse found his team's turnaround hard to believe.\n\n\"Beating this team four times in a row is almost mind boggling,\" Nurse said.\n\nBucks coach Mike Budenholzer said it hurt to see a great season end.\n\n\"The roster that was put together for this season, as the season started going, you started feeling like it was special and could do special things, including advancing past tonight, but it didn't happen,\" Budenholzer said.\n\nDown 76-71 to start the fourth, the Raptors tied it with an 8-2 run while Leonard and Antetokounmpo were both on the bench. Serge Ibaka's dunk with 10:32 to go tied it at 78.\n\nAntetokounmpo returned after a timeout, but Leonard kept sitting. That didn't matter to Toronto, with Siakam's basket giving the Raptors an 80-78 lead, their first lead since it was 6-3.\n\nToronto made 12 of 27 3-point attempts, including four of eight in the fourth quarter.\n\nSiakam, who missed a pair of free throws late in the fourth quarter of Toronto's double-overtime win in Game 3, hit one to make it 98-94. Leonard grabbed the rebound on the second and was fouled. He made both, putting the Raptors up 100-94 with 3.9 seconds to go.\n\nMalcolm Brogdon and Khris Middleton each made a pair from long range as the Bucks shot 6 for 9 from 3-point range in the first and closed the quarter with 10 unanswered points to lead 31-18. Toronto shot 6 for 19 in the opening quarter, missing six straight twice in the first 12 minutes.\n\nThe Bucks extended their lead to 38-23 on a 3 by Ersan Ilyasova with 7:46 left until half. Toronto cut the gap to 46-43 on a 3 by VanVleet with 1:07 left in the second, but Eric Bledsoe answered with a 3 and Antetokounmpo split a pair at the line, giving the Bucks a 50-43 advantage at the intermission.\n\nThe lead went back to 15 in the third before Leonard finished the period with a flourish. He had eight points in the final 2:01 and Toronto closed with a 10-0 run, cutting a 15-point deficit to 76-71.\n\nBucks: Milwaukee shot 4 for 16 in the second but three of its made baskets were 3-pointers. ... The Bucks had six points in the paint in the first half. They finished with 28. ... Budenholzer was called for a technical foul on Milwaukee's first possession of the second half. Leonard missed the free throw. ... Antetokounmpo shot 5 for 10 at the free throw line.\n\nRaptors: Danny Green, who missed all three of his field goal attempts in 16 minutes in Game 5, had another rough night. Green shot 0 for 4 in 14 minutes. ... Leonard's 17 rebounds were his most in any game this postseason. ... Lowry had eight assists.\n\nRaptors fan and 'global ambassador' Drake sat in his regular seat adjacent to the Toronto bench. The rapper wore a black hoodie with 'KAWHI ME A RIVER' printed on the back.\n\nOutside the downtown arena, fans flooded streets, bringing traffic to a standstill. One video posted on social media showed a group of fans partying on the roof of a Toronto city bus. Fans surrounded Marc Gasol's car as he was driven out of the arena , and the center rolled down his window to trade high fives with the crowd.\n\nToronto' reserve Norman Powell scored nine points on his 26th birthday. Standing at the back of the room, Powell's mother wished him a happy birthday at the end of her son's press conference.\n\nThe last team to overcome an 0-2 deficit and win a conference finals was Oklahoma City, which beat San Antonio in six games in 2012 after losing the first two on the road. Ibaka played for that Thunder team, while Leonard was a Spurs rookie.\n\nThe NBA Finals comes to Canada for the first time when the Raptors host the Warriors on Thursday night. Toronto swept Golden State in the regular season.", "TORONTO (AP) — Kawhi Leonard had 27 points and 17 rebounds to lead the Toronto Raptors into the NBA Finals for the first time with a 100-94 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night.\n\nThe Raptors overcame a 15-point deficit to win the series in six games and will host the Golden State Warriors in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night.\n\nPascal Siakam scored 18 points, Kyle Lowry had 17 and Fred VanVleet 14 for the Raptors, who used a 26-3 run late in the third quarter and early in the fourth to turn the game in their favor.\n\nGiannis Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 21 points and 11 rebounds, but the NBA’s top team in the regular season saw its bid for a first finals berth in 45 years come to a disappointing end with a fourth consecutive defeat.", "The Toronto Raptors are heading into the NBA Finals. They beat the Bucks in a six-game series to take the series 4-2. After being down in the series, they overcame the obstacles and reached their goal. Finally, the Raptors have reached the Finals.\n\nThe Raptors' playoff journey has been an interesting one. It involved a five-game series in the first round, a seven-game series in the second round and finally this series. Now, the Raptors are on the verge of making history. Game 6 was an exciting one that NBA fans could enjoy. It was a game that kept fans on the edge of their seats and gave them something to talk about. Here are three talking points from Game 6.\n\n#3 The Raptors advance to the NBA Finals\n\nWith their Game 6 win, the Raptors won the series 4-2. They are the Eastern Conference champions and will advance to the NBA Finals. This is the first time in franchise history this has happened.\n\nIn Game 6, the Raptors had four players in double figures. Kawhi Leonard led the team with 27 points and 17 rebounds. He helped the Raptors overcome a 15-point deficit to win Game 6. He played well and helped Toronto win.\n\nPascal Siakam scored 18 points and Kyle Lowry scored 17. Fred VanVleet scored 14 points off the bench on 5-of-6 shooting. VanVleet struggled throughout the playoffs but picked up his game in the middle of this series.\n\nIn Game 4, he finished the game with 13 points. He was 5-of-6 in this game and provided a spark off the bench. He credited his sudden spark to the birth of his son. In Game 5, he scored 21 points and in Game 6 he scored 14. This is a complete turnaround from his 2-point game in Game 1. VanVleet is back to his normal self and will be a key bench player in the Finals. He stepped up at the right time.\n\nAfter several disappointing years, the Raptors are in the Finals. Last year, they were swept by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round. LeBron James averaged 34 points against them including a 43-point game in Game 2. After the sweep, the Raptors fired their head coach (Dwane Casey). It was the second straight year they were swept by the Cavs and the third straight year they lost to the Cavs. The Raptors needed a change and took action.\n\nThe Raptors are in the Finals for the first time ever. Since the franchise's origin, they've waited for this moment. Throughout the years, they had stars such as Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady, Chris Bosh, and DeMar DeRozan. Now, they have Kawhi Leonard, who is a gifted player on both ends of the floor and he's helped them get to this point. He (and teammates such as long-time Raptor Kyle Lowry) can make history. It is up to them to achieve their goal."], "summary": "The Toronto Raptors defeat the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 6 and advance to the NBA Finals for the first time in the team's history."}
{"document": ["KATHMANDU (Reuters) - Four people were killed and seven others injured on Sunday in three separate explosions in the Nepali capital, Kathmandu, and police said they suspected a Maoist splinter group may have been responsible.\n\nPolice numbering is seen on an explosion site in Kathmandu, Nepal May 26, 2019. REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar\n\n“Three people were killed on the spot and the fourth one died while undergoing treatment at a hospital,” police official Shyam Lal Gyawali said, adding that the nature of the blasts was under investigation.\n\nOne person was killed in an explosion inside a house in the Ghattekulo residential area in the heart of the city.\n\n“I heard a big noise and rushed to the spot to find the walls of a house had developed cracks due to the impact of the blast,” 17-year-old student Govinda Bhandari told Reuters at the site of the first blast.\n\nThe second blast took place near a hairdresser’s in the Sukedhara area on the outskirts of the city, where three people were killed.\n\nThe third blast, a crude device, went off near a brick kiln in the Thankot area of Kathmandu, injuring two people, police said.\n\nAll of the seven injured people were taken to hospital.\n\nA Reuters photographer at the site of the second blast said it had shattered the door and window panes of the shop and the area had been sealed off by the army.\n\nGyawali, the police official, said they suspect the blasts may have been the work of a splinter group of former Maoist rebels who are opposed to the government for arresting its supporters.\n\n“A pamphlet from the group has been found at the site of the first blast,” Gyawali said.\n\nThe house was used to make improvised or crude explosive devices by activists from the group, he said, adding that one of the injured people was a supporter.\n\nNepal emerged from a decade-long Maoist civil war in 2006 and the main group of the former rebels has joined the party that runs the government now.\n\nThe breakaway group of former rebels carried out a similar blast in Kathmandu in February, in which one person was killed and two others were injured.\n\nNo one has claimed responsibility for Sunday’s blasts.", "Image copyright Reuters Image caption One of the blasts struck a shop\n\nAt least four people died and seven others were injured in three explosions in the Nepali capital, Kathmandu, officials say.\n\nThe three blasts - one in the centre and two on the outskirts - took place on Sunday afternoon local time.\n\nImprovised or crude explosive devices are believed to have been used to set off the blasts, police said.\n\nOne official told reporters a Maoist splinter group was under suspicion after pamphlets were found nearby.\n\nThe same group is alleged to have carried out an explosion in February which killed one person in Kathmandu.\n\nHowever, no one has claimed responsibilities for the attacks.\n\nPolice official Shyam Lal Gyawali said three of those killed died \"on the spot\", while the fourth died in hospital.\n\nThe pamphlets were found at a home on the outskirts of the city, where the first blast took place, he added.\n\nStudent Govinda Bhandari, 17, told Reuters news agency: \"I heard a big noise and rushed to the spot to find the walls of a house had developed cracks due to the impact of the blast.\"\n\nJust one person died in the initial explosion, while three died in a second incident near a hairdressers in the city centre.\n\nThe third blast happened several hours later and is reported to have injured two members of the group transporting an explosive device.\n\nSecurity forces have sealed off the locations of the blasts and say investigations are under way.\n\nSince a decade-long civil war ended in 2006, Nepal has been relatively peaceful, with the main group of the former rebels joining the ruling government party the next year.\n\nHowever, some have now broken away, saying their leaders are betraying their original revolutionary ideals.", "At least three people have died in two explosions in the Nepali capital, Kathmandu, officials say.\n\nFive other people were injured in the blasts - one in the city centre and the other in the outskirts, KTV reported.\n\nThe causes of the blasts are not yet clear but the Himalayan Times, quoting police, said they were \"improvised explosive devices\".\n\nSecurity forces have sealed off both locations and say investigations are under way.\n\nA police chief said pamphlets belonging to a Maoist splinter group had been found at the scene of one of the blasts.\n\nThe same group was suspected to have carried out an explosion in February that killed one person in Kathmandu.", "Three dead, six injured in Nepal blasts\n\nThree men died and six were injured Sunday in two separate explosions in Kathmandu, Nepali police said.\n\n\n\nThere was no immediate claim of responsibility but police said they suspect involvement of a Maoist splinter group whose pamphlets were found in a house where one of the explosions took place.\n\nA powerful blast inside a shop killed two people and injured five, while the explosion at the house about four kilometres away left one dead and another injured.\n\n\"We are investigating both incidents,\" Police spokesman Bishwa Raj Pokharel told AFP.\n\nNepal has enjoyed a relatively peaceful environment since the end of a decade-long civil war which concluded with a peace deal struck in 2006.\n\nBut some former guerrillas, have broken away, accusing its leaders of betraying their original revolutionary ideals.\n\nIn February, the same Maoist splinter group was implicated in an explosion that killed one person outside the office of a telecom company Ncell, part of Malaysia-based Axiata Group Berhad.\n\nThe government outlawed the group following the incident, banning their activities.", "KATHMANDU, May 27 — Four men died and seven were injured yesterday in three separate explosions in Kathmandu, Nepali police said.\n\nThere was no immediate claim of responsibility but police said they suspect involvement of a Maoist splinter group whose pamphlets were found in a house where one of the explosions took place.\n\nA powerful blast inside a shop killed three people and injured four, while the explosion at a home about four kilometres away left one dead and another injured.\n\nTwo more were injured when an explosive they were carrying on a motorcycle in the outskirts of Kathmandu exploded.\n\nSecurity personnel also defused explosives in other areas.\n\n“We are investigating all incidents and have stepped up the security,” police spokesman Bishwa Raj Pokharel told AFP.\n\nPokharel said that seven people have been arrested so far.\n\nThe incidents come on the eve of a nationwide strike called the same Maoist splinter group, protesting death of their cadre in a police encounter over a week ago.\n\nNepal has enjoyed a relatively peaceful environment since the end of a decade-long civil war which concluded with a peace deal struck in 2006.\n\nBut some former guerrillas, have broken away, accusing its leaders of betraying their original revolutionary ideals.\n\nIn February, the group was implicated in an explosion that killed one person outside the office of a telecom company Ncell, part of Malaysia-based Axiata Group Berhad.\n\nThe government outlawed the group following the incident, banning their activities. — AFP", "KATHMANDU: Four men died and seven were injured Sunday in three separate explosions in Kathmandu, Nepali police said.\n\nThere was no immediate claim of responsibility but police said they suspect involvement of a Maoist splinter group whose pamphlets were found in a house where one of the explosions took place.\n\nA powerful blast inside a shop killed three people and injured four, while the explosion at a home about four kilometres away left one dead and another injured. Two more were injured when an explosive they were carrying on a motorcycle in the outskirts of Kathmandu exploded. Security personnel also defused explosives in other areas.\n\n\"We are investigating all incidents and have stepped up the security,\" police spokesman Bishwa Raj Pokharel said. Pokharel said that seven people have been arrested so far.\n\nThe incidents come on the eve of a nationwide strike called the same Maoist splinter group, protesting death of their cadre in a police encounter over a week ago.\n\nNepal has enjoyed a relatively peaceful environment since the end of a decade-long civil war which concluded with a peace deal struck in 2006.\n\nBut some former guerrillas, have broken away, accusing its leaders of betraying their original revolutionary ideals.", "KATHMANDU, May 27 — Nepalese police arrested suspected Maoist activists after three deadly bomb blasts in Kathmandu as a general strike disrupted daily life in much of the South Asian nation today, police said.\n\nAmid a high alert after yesterday’s attacks, which were blamed on an outlawed Maoist group, police blew up several suspicious packages.\n\nThe group broke away from the country’s main communist party, which is now in power, and called the general strike to protest against the death of one of its leaders in police custody.\n\nPolice said at least 13 officials from the Maoist group had been arrested yesterday night and early today in different parts of the country.\n\n“Security agencies dealt with suspicious objects found in different areas, mostly outside the capital,” said police spokesman Bishwa Raj Pokharel.\n\nWhile some schools and offices remained closed in Kathmandu, “the effect of the general strike is nominal in the Kathmandu valley but very few vehicles are working outside the capital,” the spokesman added.\n\nFour men were killed and seven people injured in three explosions in Kathmandu yesterday.\n\nA blast inside a shop killed three people, one died in an explosion at a nearby house, whilst two men carrying explosives on a motorbike were amongs those injured.\n\nThere was no immediate claim of responsibility but police said they suspected the Maoist group whose pamphlets were found in a house where one of the explosions took place.\n\nNepal has enjoyed relative calm since the end of a decade-long civil war in 2006. But some former guerrillas have formed a new group accusing their former leaders of betraying their revolutionary cause.\n\nThe group was banned after it was implicated in an explosion that killed one person outside a telecom company office in February. — AFP", "The blasts took place in the Nepali capital of Kathmandu. Police has confirmed an investigation is underway but the cause of the explosion remains unclear. Police official Shyam Lal Gyawali said: \"We have three fatalities in two incidents of explosions but the nature of blasts is under investigation.\"\n\nOne person was killed in an explosion inside a house in the Ghattekulo residential area in the heart of the city. The second blast claimed the lives of two other people and occurred near a hairdresser's in the Sukedhara area on the outskirts of the city. A further five injured people have been rushed to a local hospital.\n\nOne witness said: “I heard a big noise and rushed to the spot to find the walls of a house had developed cracks due to the impact of the blast.” Another citizen, who saw the blast in the Sukedhara region said it had shattered the door and window panes of the shop. The area has since been sealed off by the army.\n\nNo one has claimed responsibility for either of the explosions. However Mr Gyawali, the Nepali police official, said he suspects the attack could be the work of a splinter group of former Maoist rebels. The group are opposed to the government for arresting its supporters. Nepal emerged from a decade-long Maoist civil war in 2006 and the main group of the former rebels has joined the party that runs the government. The breakaway group of former rebels carried out a similar blast in Kathmandu in February in which one person was killed and two others were injured.", "KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) - Three explosions killed three people and wounded at least eight in different parts of Nepal’s capital on Sunday, with police suspecting that an outlawed communist group was responsible.\n\nPolice official Shyam Lal Gyawali said authorities were investigating the blasts.\n\nThe first two explosions occurred within minutes apart in two Kathmandu neighborhoods, while the third one was a few hours later.\n\nPolice said they suspect that a group that once split from the ruling Communist party was responsible for the blasts because its members have been protesting the arrests of their supporters by the authorities.\n\nThe first explosion occurred in northern Kathmandu, killing two people and injuring five, police said. The second blast was in a house in the central part of the city, killing one and injuring one.\n\nPolice believe the men in the house are linked to the outlawed group, which is known for violence. They said they found pamphlets from the group at the second explosion site.\n\nThe areas around the two blast sites were quickly closed by police and the injured were taken to hospitals.\n\nPolice said a third explosion injured two people who they believe were members of the group transporting the explosive device.\n\nSecurity forces were put on high alert and officers were patrolling key areas of Kathmandu.\n\nThe group has called for a nationwide general strike on Monday to pressure the government in releasing their detained members.\n\nThe splinter communist group split from the Maoist party, which fought government troops from 1996 to 2006, when its members gave up their armed revolt to join a peace process and mainstream politics.", "KATHMANDU, Nepal — Two explosions killed three people and wounded at least five more in different parts of Nepal’s capital on Sunday, with police suspecting that an outlawed communist group was responsible.\n\nPolice official Shyam Lal Gyawali said authorities were investigating the two blasts, which occurred about an hour apart in two Kathmandu neighbourhoods.\n\nPolice said they suspect that a group that once split from the ruling Communist party was responsible for the explosions because its members have been protesting the arrests of their supporters by the authorities.\n\nThe first explosion occurred in northern Kathmandu, killing two people and injuring four, police said. The second blast was in a house in the central part of the city, killing one and injuring one.\n\nPolice believe the men in the house are linked to the outlawed group, which is known for violence. They said they found pamphlets from the group at the second explosion site.\n\nThe areas around the two blast sites were quickly closed by police and the injured were taken to hospitals.\n\nSecurity forces were put on high alert and officers were patrolling key areas of Kathmandu.\n\nThe splinter communist group split from the Maoist party, which fought government troops from 1996 to 2006, when its members gave up their armed revolt to join a peace process and mainstream politics."], "summary": "Four people are killed and seven others are injured in three blasts in the city of Kathmandu, Nepal. Police believe a Maoist splinter group may have been responsible."}
{"document": ["Image copyright Reuters Image caption The men were found guilty of joining Islamic State (file image)\n\nFour French men have been sentenced to death by an Iraqi court after being found guilty of joining the Islamic State (IS) militant group.\n\nKévin Gonot, Léonard Lopez and Salim Machou were sentenced on Sunday and a fourth man, Mustapha Merzoughi, on Monday, the AFP news agency reported.\n\nThey were among 12 French citizens captured in Syria by US-backed fighters and transferred to Iraq for trial.\n\nThese are the first IS suspects from France to be sentenced to death.\n\nWhat do we know about the four?\n\nGonot, 32, is from south-eastern France. He is believed to have entered Syria through Turkey to join the al-Nusra Front, which was once affiliated with al-Qaeda, before pledging allegiance to IS.\n\nHe was arrested in Syria with his mother, his wife, and his half-brother in December 2017.\n\nMachou, 41, belonged to an IS cell composed of European fighters that has carried out attacks in Iraq and Syria and planned others in Paris and Brussels, according to the Centre d'Analyse du Terrorisme (CAT), a French think tank.\n\nLopez, a 32-year-old from Paris, also travelled with his wife and two children to IS-held Mosul in northern Iraq before entering Syria, CAT quotes French investigators as saying.\n\nHis lawyer, Nabil Boudi, condemned the trial as \"summary justice\".\n\nMerzoughi, 37, from Toulouse and of Tunisian roots, reportedly passed through Belgium and Morocco and had religious and military training in Aleppo in northern Syria.\n\nHe said he was \"not guilty of crimes and killings\" and had simply travelled to Syria.\n\nHow has France reacted?\n\nFrance has said its adult citizens should be tried locally and has refused to take them back.\n\nWhen pressed on the issue in February, French President Emmanuel Macron declined to comment, saying it was a sovereign matter for Iraq.\n\nBut on Monday, the foreign ministry said France was \"opposed in principle to the death penalty at all times\" and would take \"necessary steps\" to prevent Iraq from carrying it out.\n\nHuman rights groups have heavily criticised the trials of suspected IS fighters in Iraq. Activists say the courts often rely on circumstantial evidence or confessions made under duress.\n\nWhy were the men transferred to Iraq?\n\nIS once controlled vast swathes of territory stretching across Syria and Iraq. After years of fighting, Iraq declared victory on its side of the border in late 2017.\n\nOn the Syrian side, the main offensive was led by a US-backed alliance of Arab and Kurdish fighters, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The group captured the last stronghold held by the jihadists in March.\n\nAn estimated 1,000 foreign fighters - as well as many women and children - are estimated to be in SDF custody.\n\nIraq has offered to try all foreign fighters held by the SDF. Several hundreds have been transferred for trial by Iraqi courts but none have so far been executed.\n\nWhat has happened to foreigners who joined IS?\n\nMore than 41,000 people from dozens of countries are estimated to have joined IS in Syria and Iraq - about a quarter of them women and children.\n\nAlmost 6,000 came from Western Europe.\n\nApproximately 850 people from the UK were among them, including 145 women and 50 children.\n\nThe vast majority of IS militants are believed to have been either killed or captured. It is unclear how many foreigners have died.\n\nResearchers suggest at least 7,000 have travelled back to their countries of origin.\n\nThose countries have raised concerns about bringing hardened jihadists back and the challenges of gathering evidence to support prosecutions.", "Three French men have been sentenced to death by an Iraqi court after being found guilty of joining ISIS .\n\nKevin Gonot, Leonard Lopez and Salim Machou are the first French nationals to receive death sentences in Iraq.\n\nThey were among 12 other French citizens being prosecuted by the court over their alleged allegiance to the terrorist organisation.\n\n\"They were sentenced to execution after it was proven that they were members of the terrorist Islamic State organisation,\" said one court official, who declined to be named as he was not authorised to speak to the media.\n\nThe trio were captured in Syria by the Syrian Democratic Forces and have 30 days to appeal.\n\nIraq has taken in thousands of jihadists repatriated from Syria after they were captured by the US-backed force during the battle to capture ISIS' so-called \"caliphate\".\n\nHundreds were put on trial, with many of those convicted either sentenced to life in prison or death.\n\nBut it is the first time Iraq - among the five top 'executioner' nations in the world - convicts a French citizen to death.\n\nIt is understood it is only the second time the court sentences a foreigner to death.\n\nIraq’s Central Criminal Court in May revealed details of how it sentenced Tarek Jadaoun, 30, also known as Abu Hamza al-Beljiki, for being a senior fighter for the terrorist group.\n\nHe joined the organisation in 2014 before being arrested in Mosul, once ISIS' Iraqi stronghold, last summer.\n\n“Al-Beljiki, who is of Moroccan origin, is one of the most wanted foreign fighters who fought on behalf of the terrorist organisation in Syria and Iraq,” Judge Abdul-Sattar al-Birqdar, the spokesman for the Supreme Judicial Council, said in a statement.\n\nHuman Rights Watch has criticised the Middle Eastern country's anti-terror trials, which it claims are usually only based on circumstantial evidence or confessions obtained through torture.\n\nTens of thousands of foreigners have travelled to Syria and Iraq to fight for ISIS or its precursor, al Qaeda, since 2003.\n\nWhile the UN said 40,000 foreigners are believed to have joined the terrorist groups abroad, a King's College study in July found just short of 41,500 from 80 countries were affiliated with ISIS.\n\nSome 5,904 of these were from Western Europe, while the biggest amount, 18,852, came from the Middle East and North Africa.", "An Iraqi court sentenced three French citizens to death on Sunday after they were found guilty of joining Islamic State (Isis), a court official said.\n\nCaptured in Syria by a US-backed force fighting the jihadists, they are the first French Isis members to receive death sentences in Iraq, where they were transferred for trial.\n\nNamed as Kevin Gonot, Leonard Lopez and Salim Machou, they have 30 days to appeal.\n\nIraq has taken custody of thousands of jihadists repatriated in recent months from neighbouring Syria, where they were caught by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces during the battle against Isis.\n\nIraqi courts have placed hundreds of foreigners on trial, condemning many to life in prison and others to death, although no foreign Isis members have yet been executed.\n\nThose sentenced on Sunday were among 12 French citizens who were caught in Syria and transferred to Iraqi custody in February.\n\nRights groups including Human Rights Watch have criticised Iraq’s anti-terror trials, which they say often rely on circumstantial evidence or confessions obtained under torture.\n\nThe country remains in the top five “executioner” nations in the world, according to an Amnesty International report in April.\n\nAnalysts have also warned that prisons in Iraq have in the past acted as “academies” for future jihadists, including Isis leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.", "An Iraqi court on Monday condemned a fourth French citizen to death for joining ISIS, a day after handing capital punishments to three other Frenchmen.\n\nMustapha Merzoughi, 37, was sentenced to death by hanging, according to an AFP journalist at the court.\n\n“The evidence and the confession show that you joined ISIS, that you worked in its military branch,” the judge told Merzoughi before handing down his sentence.\n\nIn recent months Iraq has taken custody of thousands of extremists including foreigners captured in neighboring Syria by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) during the battle to destroy the ISIS “caliphate”.\n\nThe Iraqi judiciary said earlier in May that it had tried and sentenced more than 500 suspected foreign members of ISIS since the start of 2018.\n\n“I’m not guilty of crimes and killings. I’m guilty of going (to Syria),” Merzoughi, wearing a yellow prison uniform, told the judge.\n\n“I ask for forgiveness from the people of Iraq, Syria, France and the families of the victims.”\n\n Merzoughi told investigators he had served in the French army from 2000 to 2010, including a tour in Afghanistan in 2009.\n\nIn France, he lived in the southwestern city of Toulouse, the hometown of extremist brothers Fabien and Jean-Michel Clain who claimed the deadly 2015 attacks in Paris and were killed fighting in Syria.\n\nPassing through Belgium and then Morocco, the French citizen of Tunisian origin underwent “religious and military training in Aleppo”, in northern Syria.\n\nFellow French extremist Fodhil Tahar Aouidate also appeared before the court on Monday, but his trial was postponed until June 2 to allow for a medical examination after he alleged he had been beaten in custody.\n\nAouidate, 32, made a first trip to Syria in 2013 and returned in 2014 to join ISIS, according to the French judiciary.\n\nAfter 130 people were killed in ISIS’s 2015 Paris attacks, Aouidate appeared in a video saying it was his “great pleasure and joy to see these unbelievers suffer as we suffer here.”\n\nTheir trial came a day after an Iraqi court sentenced three French citizens to death for joining ISIS, making them the first French jihadists to be handed capital punishment.\n\nCaptured in Syria by the SDF, Kevin Gonot, Leonard Lopez and Salim Machou were transferred to Iraq for trial. They have 30 days to appeal.", "A court in Iraq has sentenced three men to death after finding them guilty of joining Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS), officials confirmed on Sunday.A court official, who spoke to the press on condition of anonymity, said the trio were sentenced \"after it was proven that they were members of the terrorist Islamic State organization.\"The men have 30 days to appeal their conviction.The three were reportedly captured in Syria by US-backed forces before being brought to Iraq for trial.While hundreds of foreign fighters have been tried in Iraq for IS membership and activities, none have yet been executed. These are the first French members to be sentenced to death by an Iraqi court.According to French government figures, up to 1,700 in the four years up to 2018 to fight with IS. It's not clear how many of the survivors would be repatriated to France,and instead will consider the return of children on a case-by-case basis.Earlier this year French Secretary of State Laurent Nunez said that any jihadists returning to France will face prosecution, telling BFMTV \"they will all be put on trial and incarcerated.\"", "The French foreign ministry said on Monday it was opposed in principle to the death penalty, but also said it accepted Iraqi sovereignty as Iraq’s justice ministry sentenced three French citizens to death for their membership of ISIS.\n\n \n\n“The French embassy in Iraq, in its role as provider of consular protection, is taking the necessary steps to convey its position (against the death penalty) to the Iraq authorities,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.\n\n“France is opposed in principle to the death penalty at all times and in all places,” the foreign ministry said in a statement after the three ISIS members were sentenced on Sunday. They have 30 days to appeal the ruling.\n\n\n\n The ministry added that it respected the sovereignty of the Iraq authorities and that ISIS members “had to answer for their crimes”, which carry the death penalty in Iraq.", "Iraqi court sentences 3 French members of IS to death\n\nBAGHDAD (AP) — A Baghdad court on Sunday sentenced three French citizens to death for being members of the Islamic State group, an Iraqi judicial official said. They were the first French IS members to receive death sentences in Iraq, where they were transferred for trial from neighboring Syria.\n\nThe verdict raised new questions about the legal treatment of thousands of foreign nationals formerly with the extremist group. Many now languish in prisons in Iraq or detention camps in northern Syria. Their home countries hesitate to take back citizens they see as having gone willingly to join the militant group.\n\nThe official said the three were among 12 French citizens whom the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces handed over to Iraq in January. The Kurdish-led group spearheads the fight against IS in Syria and has handed over to Iraq hundreds of suspected IS members in recent months.\n\nThe convicted French militants can appeal the sentences within a month, according to the official, who official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak to the media.\n\nIraqi President Barham Saleh had said during a February visit to Paris that the 12 will be prosecuted in accordance with Iraqi laws. In March, Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi asserted Iraq's authority to try foreign IS suspects detained in Syria because \"the battlefields were one.\"\n\nThe trials of the French nationals in Baghdad raise the difficult question of whether foreign IS suspects should be tried and punished in the country of their alleged crimes, even when there are serious doubts about the impartiality of the courts in Iraq and Syria.\n\nHuman rights groups including Human Rights Watch have criticized Iraq's handling of IS trials, accusing authorities of relying on circumstantial evidence and often extracting confessions under torture.\n\nThe thousands of men and women who came from around the world to join the self-styled Islamic caliphate have been left in limbo following the group's territorial defeat earlier this year in Syria.\n\nThe three men are the first French IS members to receive death sentences in Iraq. It wasn't immediately clear how France, which abolished the death penalty nearly four decades ago, will react to the sentence.\n\nThe trials are a test for how the international community handles the thousands of foreign nationals who stayed, or were trapped, with the Islamic State group through its dying days.\n\nIraqi prosecutors say the 12 French nationals are accused of belonging to IS, were parties or accomplices to its crimes, and threatened the national security of Iraq. Simply belonging to the extremist group is punishable by life in prison or execution under Iraq's counter-terrorism laws.\n\nJudge Ali Hassan Jaafar, who presided over a closed-door court hearing, on May 2, to review the evidence that will be admitted to the trials, said the evidence showed all twelve men had crossed illegally into Iraq, when IS controlled part of the border between Syria and Iraq, and all twelve had committed crimes in the country.\n\nBut even if they were never present in the country, they could still be tried in Iraq under the country's wide-reaching counter-terrorism laws, he said.\n\nIn an interview with The Associated Press earlier this month, Judge Jaafar said the evidence against the 12 men included their personal testimonies, the fact that they were caught with IS in Syria, three propaganda videos or audio clippings published by the group, and IS documents recovered in Iraq by Iraq's security forces.\n\n\"The first piece of evidence against them is that they were found with IS, in Syria, in the last days of the organization's existence,\" said the judge. \"What else could they have been doing there?\"\n\nA French diplomatic official, speaking to the AP earlier this month on condition of anonymity to speak freely about policy, said France recognizes the right of Iraq to try people for crimes committed in Iraq.\n\nBut human rights groups and advocates of the men in France say it is not certain that the men committed crimes in Iraq, or if they were even ever in the country. They also doubt the impartiality of the courts, which have handed down hundreds of death sentences to Iraqi suspects in trials that run for just a few minutes.\n\n\"There's zero presumption of innocence when they walk into the courtroom,\" said Belkis Wille, the senior Iraq researcher at Human Rights Watch.\n\nThe U.N. envoy for Iraq, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, said member states bear primary responsibility for their own nationals, including the treatment of their citizens in accordance with international law.\n\n\"Normatively, one would expect and hope that individual states take back their nationals to process, prosecute, and deradicalize them,\" she said, in response to a query from AP. She said the U.N.'s human rights office regularly attends trials as part of its broader trial monitoring program but does not comment publicly on individual cases.\n\nIraq has detained or imprisoned at least 19,000 people accused of connections to IS or other terror-related offenses, and sentenced more than 3,000 of them to death, according to an analysis by the AP last year.", "France has confirmed it would take “the necessary steps” to try to prevent Iraq carrying out the death penalty against three French citizens convicted of fighting with Islamic State.\n\nThe French foreign ministry said on Monday: “France is opposed in principle to the death penalty at all times and in all places.”\n\nIt said the detained men were receiving consular assistance to ensure they had legal representation ahead of an expected appeal, which they have 30 days to lodge. The three men were sentenced on Sunday.\n\nIt added, however, that France “respects the sovereignty of Iraq’s institutions”.\n\nThe French government has long insisted its adult citizens captured in Iraq or Syria should face trial locally, refusing to repatriate them despite the fact they are at risk of capital punishment.\n\nThe three French Isis members – Kevin Gonot, Leonard Lopez and Salim Machou – were transferred to Iraq for trial after being caught by US-backed forces in Syria.\n\nThey were among 13 French nationals caught in eastern Syria and handed to Iraqi authorities in February on suspicion of being members of the group’s feared contingent of foreign fighters.\n\nIraq has taken custody of thousands of jihadists, and the Iraqi judiciary said recently that it had tried and sentenced more than 500 suspected foreign members of Isis since the start of 2018.\n\nIts courts have condemned many to life in prison and others to death, though none have yet been executed.", "Iraqi court sentences 3 French members of IS to death\n\nBAGHDAD (AP) — A Baghdad court Sunday sentenced to death three French citizens for being members of the Islamic State group, an Iraqi judicial official said. The verdict raised fresh questions about the legal treatment of thousands of foreign nationals formerly with the extremist group.\n\nThe official said the three were among 12 French citizens whom the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces handed over to Iraq in January.\n\nThey can appeal the sentences within a month, according to the official.\n\nThe official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak to the media. Iraqi President Barham Saleh had said during a February visit to Paris that the 12 will be prosecuted in accordance with Iraqi laws.\n\nThe SDF has handed over to Iraq hundreds of suspected IS members in recent months.\n\nThe trials of the French nationals in Baghdad raise the difficult question of whether foreign IS suspects should be tried and punished in the country of their alleged crimes, even when there are serious doubts about the impartiality of the courts in Iraq and Syria. The thousands of men and women who came from around the world to join the self-styled Islamic caliphate have been left in limbo following the group's territorial defeat earlier this year in Syria. Many of their home countries hesitate to take back citizens they see as having gone willingly to join the extremist group.\n\nIn March, Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi asserted Iraq's authority to try foreign IS suspects detained in Syria because \"the battlefields were one.\"\n\nThe three men are the first French IS members to receive death sentences in Iraq. It wasn't immediately clear how France, which abolished the death penalty nearly four decades ago, will react to the sentence. It could be a test for how the international community handles the thousands of foreign nationals who stayed, or were trapped, with the Islamic State group through its dying days.\n\nThe women and children are languishing in camps run by the Kurdish forces that led the fight against IS in northeast Syria, where the militants made their last stand. Thousands more men are detained by the Kurdish-led SDF, held in jails in northeast Syria on the suspicion that they fought for IS.\n\nIraqi prosecutors say the 12 French nationals are accused of belonging to IS, were parties or accomplices to its crimes, and threatened the national security of Iraq. Simply belonging to the extremist group is punishable by life in prison or execution under Iraq's counter-terrorism laws.\n\nA French diplomatic official, speaking on condition of anonymity to speak freely about policy, said France recognizes the right of Iraq to try people for crimes committed in Iraq.\n\nBut human rights groups and advocates of the men in France say it is not certain that the men committed crimes in Iraq, or if they were even ever in the country. They also doubt the impartiality of the courts, which have handed down hundreds of death sentences to Iraqi suspects in trials that run for just a few minutes.\n\nIraq has detained or imprisoned at least 19,000 people accused of connections to IS or other terror-related offenses, and sentenced more than 3,000 of them to death, according to an analysis by The Associated Press last year.", "Three Frenchmen have been sentenced to death by an Iraqi court after being found guilty of joining the Islamic State (IS) militant group.\n\nThe men - named as Kévin Gonot, Léonard Lopez and Salim Machou by AFP news agency - have 30 days to appeal.\n\nThey were among 12 French citizens captured in Syria by US-backed fighters. In February they were transferred to Iraq for trial.\n\nThe three are the first IS suspects from France to be sentenced to death.\n\nFrance has yet to react to Sunday's court ruling in Baghdad. But when pressed on the issue in February, French President Emmanuel Macron declined to comment, saying it was a sovereign matter for Iraq.\n\nHuman rights groups have heavily criticised the trials of suspected IS fighters in Iraq. Activists they say the courts often rely on circumstantial evidence or confessions made under duress.\n\nWhat do we know about the three?\n\nGonot, 32, is from south-eastern France. He is believed to have entered Syria through Turkey to join the al-Nusra Front, a branch of al-Qaeda, before pledging allegiance to IS.\n\nHe was arrested in Syria with his mother, his wife, and his half-brother in December 2017. A French court has also sentenced him in absentia to nine years in prison.\n\nMachou, 41, belonged to an IS cell composed of European fighters that has carried out attacks in Iraq and Syria and planned others in Paris and Brussels, according to the Centre d'Analyse du Terrorisme (CAT), a French think tank.\n\nLopez, a 32-year-old from Paris, also travelled with his wife and two children to IS-held Mosul in northern Iraq before entering Syria, CAT quotes French investigators as saying.\n\nHis lawyer, Nabil Boudi, condemned the trial as \"summary justice\". He told AFP news agency that the death sentence had been \"based solely on a series of interrogations in Baghdad jails\".\n\nWhy were they transferred to Iraq?\n\nIS once controlled vast swathes of territory stretching across Syria and Iraq. After years of fighting, Iraq declared victory on its side of the border in late 2017.\n\nOn the Syrian side, the main offensive was led by a US-backed alliance of Arab and Kurdish fighters, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The group captured the last stronghold held by the jihadists in March.\n\nAn estimated 1,000 foreign fighters - as well as many women and children - are estimated to be in SDF custody.\n\nIraq has offered to try all foreign fighters held by the SDF. Several hundreds have been transferred for trial by Iraqi courts but none have so far been executed.\n\nWhat has happened to foreigners who joined IS?\n\nMore than 41,000 people from dozens of countries are estimated to have joined IS in Syria and Iraq - about a quarter of them women and children.\n\nAlmost 6,000 came from Western Europe.\n\nApproximately 850 people from the UK were among them, including 145 women and 50 children.\n\nThe vast majority of IS militants are believed to have been either killed or captured. It is unclear how many foreigners have died.\n\nResearchers suggest at least 7,000 have travelled back to their countries of origin.\n\nThose countries have raised concerns about bringing hardened jihadists back and the challenges of gathering evidence to support prosecutions."], "summary": "Iraq sentences three French militants to death for their involvement in ISIS."}
{"document": ["Source: Xinhua| 2019-05-26 22:21:12|Editor: xuxin\n\nVideo Player Close\n\nBAGHDAD, May 26 (Xinhua) -- At least five people were killed and eight others wounded on Sunday when a truck bomb ripped through a popular market at a village in Iraq's northern province of Nineveh, the Iraqi military said.\n\nThe attack took place in the afternoon when a booby-trapped truck was detonated at a crowded marketplace in the village of al-Uwaynat near the town of Rabiaa near the border with Syria, the media office of the Iraqi Joint Operations Command said in a statement.\n\nNo group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack, but IS militants, in most cases, have been responsible for such attacks targeting security forces and areas where crowds of civilians gather, including markets, cafes and mosques.\n\nThe security situation in Iraq was dramatically improved after Iraqi security forces fully defeated the extremist IS militants across the country late in 2017.\n\nIS remnants, however, have since melted in urban areas or resorted to deserts and rugged areas as safe havens, carrying out frequent guerilla attacks against security forces and civilians.", "Iraq's military says a car bomb has killed five people and wounded eight in a northwestern village near the Syrian border.\n\nA military statement said the car was parked near a market in the village of Oweinat in Nineveh province.\n\nThe area was once held by the Islamic State group that controlled large parts of Iraq and Syria.\n\nDespite its defeat in Iraq in 2017, IS sleeper cells have been blamed for attacks across the country that have killed and wounded scores of people over the past two years.", "(Hatha al-Youm | Iraq News )- ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – A lawmaker from Nineveh province on Monday called on Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi to increase security through local forces in areas once under the control of the self-proclaimed Islamic State a day following a blast in the large town of Rabia, on the Syrian border.Five people were killed and eight others injured in the explosion, which was carried out by a small car parked near a vegetable market, security sources said. No one has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, but security forces have laid the blame on the Islamic State.This attack came a day after fires swept through vast areas of wheat fields, like many other parts of the country, from the outskirts of the Kurdish city of Khanaqin in Diyala province to the east of Iraq to Anbar province in the west. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for many of the fires.Read More: Thousands of acres of agricultural crops destroyed in fires over past two weeks in IraqIn a statement, Kurdish MP Sherwan al-Dupardani called on Abdul-Mahdi and the Nineveh’s security chief to “strengthen the presence of security forces in liberated areas, especially [with] local police and empower the people of these areas to contribute to” security.He described the incident in Rabia as a “cowardly terrorist attack,” demanding concerted “intelligence efforts to pursue [ISIS] sleeper cells that are trying to create instability, especially in the border areas of Nineveh province and prevent the infiltration of terrorists across the border.”Read More: ISIS bombing kills 5, injures 10 who were extinguishing fire in disputed KirkukAlthough Iraq announced the military defeat of the Islamic State in December 2017, the terrorist group continues to carry out insurgency-style attacks in formerly liberated areas, like Mosul, as well as places it never controlled, like the nation’s capital of Baghdad.In March, the terrorist group’s territorial collapse came at the hands of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in Syria. However, their sleeper agents continue to operate similarly and cause instability, crossing between Iraq and Syria due to weak border security.Editing by Karzan Sulaivany", "BAGHDAD (AP) — An Iraqi security official says a car bomb has exploded in a western village near the Syrian border, killing two people and wounding two others. The official said the blast occurred Thursday…\n\nBAGHDAD (AP) — An Iraqi security official says a car bomb has exploded in a western village near the Syrian border, killing two people and wounding two others.\n\nThe official said the blast occurred Thursday afternoon in the village of Karabila, which until two years ago was controlled by the Islamic State group. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.\n\nDespite its defeat in Iraq in 2017, IS sleeper cells have been blamed for attacks across the country that have killed and wounded scores of people over the past two years.\n\nThe Iraqi military said in a statement that the car had exploded while parked in the village but did not give a death toll. The statement said more details would be released.\n\nCopyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed."], "summary": "A truck bomb explodes at a popular market in the village of Nineveh, Iraq, killing 5 and injuring 8."}
{"document": ["Four soldiers and a cameraman died on Saturday night from an attack by Boko Haram on the northern shore of Lake Chad.\n\nMembers of the terrorist group attacked Chadian army base around one o’clock in the morning killing a soldier. Meanwhile a delegation of the army general staff on the ground, had one of the convoy’s vehicles reportedly hit a mine killing two soldiers on the spot, while a third one died a few hours later as a result of his injuries.\n\nObed Nangbatna, a national television cameraman who was part of the mission also die from a hemorrhage.\n\nA Boko Haram attack on the northern shore of Lake Chad leaves four soldiers and a Chadian cameraman dead.\n\nFor several weeks, Boko Haram has been increasing incursions into northern Chad, and seems to have adopted a new modus operandi: the laying of mines on the enemy’s path.", "Four Chadian soldiers and a television reporter were killed when their vehicle hit a mine on a road in eastern Chad, security sources said Sunday.\n\nThe victims were headed towards an army position that had been attacked by elements of the Boko Haram Islamist group overnight Friday, the sources said.\n\n“This delegation of the Chadian army was headed to Ngounboua (on Lake Chad), where elements of Boko Haram had attacked an army position overnight, killing at least one on our side,” a security source told AFP.\n\nChad fire chief of staff after Boko Haram attack kills 23(Opens in a new browser tab)\n\nThe source said 23 Boko Haram fighters were killed, confirming a toll given by Chadian army spokesman Azem Bermandoa on national television.\n\nDimouya Soiapebe, the head of Lake Chad Province, said soldiers and a journalist for the national broadcaster had gone to the scene to “raise the morale of the troops” when the bomb went off.\n\n“Terrorists often lay explosive devices on the roads leading to positions they have attacked,” Soiapebe said.\n\nIn March, 23 soldiers were killed in the Lake Chad region in the deadliest attack yet on the Chadian army by Boko Haram, which launched an insurgency in Nigeria a decade ago.\n\nThe revolt has claimed more than 27,000 lives and uprooted some 1.8 million people.", "Four soldiers and a cameraman died on Saturday night from an attack by Boko Haram on the northern shore of Lake Chad. Members of the terrorist group attacked the Chadian army base around....Read more via Plus TV Africa – http://bit.ly/2JIJnIu Get More Nigeria Metro News", "-At least 25 soldiers and several civilians were killed in an ambush organized by the Boko Haram militant group in northeast Nigeria, Reuters said, citing two security sources.\n\n“They ambushed and surrounded the vehicles of both the soldiers and the civilians and opened fire on them”, the sources said.\n\nAccording to the sources, cited by Reuters, the Boko Haram militants opened fire on the soldiers while they were escorting a group of evacuees from a village in Borno state, a hotbed of the militant group's activity.\n\nNigeria has been plagued by suicide attacks and kidnappings by Boko Haram, which has reportedly pledged allegiance to the Daesh terrorist group, in the northern part of the country since 2009. It began in Nigeria and expanded into the neighbouring countries. Nigeria along with Niger, Cameroon, and Chad are engaged in military operations combating the militants.\n\nin February, 66 people were killed in several settlements of northern Nigeria's Kaduna state as a result of attacks by criminal elements, according to the state’s Governor Samuel Aruwan.\n\nAccording to figures from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), more than 20,000 people have been killed in Nigeria over the past nine years as a result of the Boko Haram insurgency.", "“They ambushed and surrounded the vehicles of both the soldiers and the civilians and opened fire on them”, the sources said.\n\nAccording to the sources, cited by Reuters, the Boko Haram militants opened fire on the soldiers while they were escorting a group of evacuees from a village in Borno state, a hotbed of the militant group's activity.\n\nREAD MORE: Indian Minister Vows to Take Action to Rescue 5 Indians Abducted in Nigeria\n\nNigeria has been plagued by suicide attacks and kidnappings by Boko Haram, which has reportedly pledged allegiance to the Daesh terrorist group, in the northern part of the country since 2009. It began in Nigeria and expanded into the neighbouring countries. Nigeria along with Niger, Cameroon, and Chad are engaged in military operations combating the militants.\n\nREAD MORE: Nigeria Halts Mining in Gold-Rich Zamfara to Flush Out Bandits\n\nAccording to figures from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), more than 20,000 people have been killed in Nigeria over the past nine years as a result of the Boko Haram insurgency.\n\n* Daesh (ISIS/IS/ISIL), Boko Haram — are terrorist groups banned in Russia and a number of other countries.", "The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) says its Air Task Force (ATF) of Operation LAFIYA DOLE has inflicted heavy casualties on Islamic State of West Africa (ISWAP) elements in devastating air strikes conducted at Tumbun Hamma on the fringes of Lake Chad in Borno.\n\nIbikunle Daramola, NAF Director of Public Relations and Information, who announced this in a statement on Saturday in Abuja, said the operation was conducted on Friday.\n\n“The attack was conducted following credible intelligence reports indicating that the terrorists, who had fled the series of air strikes conducted by Nigerian, Nigerien and Chadian Air Forces, around the Malkanori-Tumbun Rego general axis of northern Borno State, had converged in Tumbun Hamma,” he said.\n\nHe explained that the attack was preceded by series of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions which confirmed heavy presence of terrorists in several structures, along with their logistics items, spread across the small settlement.\n\n”Accordingly, the ATF scrambled an Alpha Jet aircraft to attack the location, recording a successful direct hit in the centre of the target area leading to the neutralisation of several terrorists as well as the destruction of their structures and logistics,” he said.\n\nMr Daramola said the NAF, operating in concert with surface forces, would sustain its operations to completely degrade the terrorists in the North-east.(NAN)", "The Minister of Interior, Lt.-Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau (retd), on Monday said Lake Chad was shrinking and had put sources of livelihood of 40 million persons under threat.\n\nHe said that the lake had shrank by more than 80 per cent.\n\nDambazau made this known in Abuja while declaring open “Policy Roundtable on Transition from an Environment Dominated by Military Operations to Post-Conflict Civilian-Led Governance in North-East and Lake-Chad Basin Region’’.\n\nThe roundtable, organised by Ministry of Interior in collaboration with United States Institute of Peace (USIP) and Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) was aimed at deliberating key recommendations for establishing sustainable peace in North-East and Lake Chad.\n\n“The North-East and the entire Lake Chad Basin has been ravaged by environmental degradation resulting in desertification due to climate change, which sees the advancement of the desert at the rate of 600m annually.\n\n“A major consequence of this impact of climate change is the shrinking of the Lake Chad by more than 80 per cent.\n\n“What this means is that the over 40 million people that depend on it for fishing, irrigation and other economic activities, are denied their main source of livelihood.\n\n“It is now universal that climate change fuels conflicts, and this is evident in the whole of the Sahel region of Africa,’’ he said.\n\nAccording to the minister, President Muhammadu Buhari is now leading the campaign for the recharge of the Lake Chad using the Congo River estimated to cost about 50 billion dollars.\n\nHe added that the discourse should make the issue prominent on the agenda for discussion, and commended Buhari for his leadership toward ensuring that Boko Haram insurgency was completely wiped out.\n\n“Our security forces, especially the military, have made lots of sacrifice in this regard, including paying the supreme price.\n\n“The frontline states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa have without doubt, put tremendous efforts to fight the menace of Bokon Haram,‘’ he said.\n\nDambazau also thanked the respective governors of the frontline states.\n\nHe urge stakeholders to deliberate on the research findings and come up with recommendations and implementation strategies that would assist government in formulating policies on durable peace in the North-East.\n\nEarlier, Amb. Zango Abdul, Country Manager USIP, noted that the Roundtable was the second among events USIP organised to discuss the outcome of a research it conducted on the prospects of military-to-civilian transition in the North-East.\n\nAbdul said that the main objective of the discourse was to share the research findings with relevant stakeholders with a view to articulating policy options for sustainable peace in the region.\n\n‘’In organising this roundtable with our partners, the Ministry of Interior and CDD, USIP is indeed reinforcing its vision of a world without violent conflict,’’ he said.\n\nHe said the USIP had a duty to join hands with government and stakeholders to reflect on how best to design an agenda for the North-East after years of severe devastation as a result of insurgency.\n\nThe News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that stakeholders from the security and law enforcement agencies, the military and other stakeholders attended the session. (NAN)", "Suspected Daesh-linked militants have killed more than two dozen soldiers and a number of civilians in an ambush in northeast Nigeria, in the second deadly attack on the army this week.\n\nThe militants, suspected to be members of the Boko Haram terrorist organization, killed at least 25 soldiers and an unspecified number of civilians in the ambush in Borno state on Saturday.\n\nSources said the militants opened fire as the soldiers were escorting a group of evacuees from a village in the state.\n\n“They ambushed and surrounded the vehicles of both the soldiers and the civilians and opened fire on them,” one source told Reuters news agency.\n\n“They exchanged fire for some minutes before the Boko Haram militants overpowered the soldiers.”\n\nThe soldiers were reportedly evacuating villages in the region to carry out operations against Boko Haram.\n\nEarlier this week, Daesh terrorists stormed the town of Gajiganna, also in Borno state, killing about a dozen soldiers.\n\nThe group which calls itself the West Africa province (ISWAP) branch of Daesh has launched repeated attacks in Nigeria in recent months after sustaining heavy losses in its Iraq and Syria strongholds.\n\nISWAP and Boko Haram made an alliance in 2015 before separating in 2016. However, there are reports the two groups were making efforts to get back together.\n\nLast month, Nigeria’s army chief warned that the two groups aimed to carve out a Takfiri enclave stretching from Nigeria’s northeast into the wider Lake Chad region.\n\nBoko Haram militants have been fighting government forces for about a decade.\n\nSince 2009, attacks by Boko Haram terrorists have left at least 27,000 dead and made over 2.6 million others homeless.\n\nBoko Haram’s sphere of activities spreads to neighboring Niger, Chad and Cameroon.\n\nThese countries have created a joint military force to stop the terrorists’ from further spreading, but sustained efforts to eradicate the militants have failed and the military continues to suffer heavy losses.", "President Muhammadu Buharis Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, says Boko Haram has faded away and on the way out under his command.\n\nWhile speaking during an interview on Channels TV's Sunrise Daily on Monday, May 27, 2019, Shehu said the president has done well to incapacitate the group since he was sworn in.\n\nEven though Buhari declared in December 2015 that Boko Haram had been technically defeated, the group has carried out several deadly attacks since then, with an increase in the number of attacks on troops happening last year.\n\nWhile speaking on Monday, Shehu said the eradication of the terrorist group cannot be promised by the government because terrorism is a global problem.\n\nHe said, \"I can't promise you that Boko Haram will or will not be eradicated, but it's an ongoing challenge, globally. Even in the more advanced countries, more weaponised nations, it's still a challenge.\n\n\"The point we are making is that the attacks are still a far cry from the enormity of those attacks we had seen in the past. They have been greatly minimised and they are being pushed farther away from the national population.\"\n\nShehu also faulted the cheap availability of weapons in the country and across borders as a persistent problem fueling terrorism and other crimes in the country.\n\n\"Our security services are coming to terms with the fact that this is one area they have to tackle,\" he said.\n\nSince Boko Haram's insurgency escalated in 2009, it has killed around 30,000 people and displaced millions in the northeast region, with its operations also extending to border countries like Cameroon, Chad and Niger.\n\nEven though the powers of the Abubakar Shekau-led main faction of Boko Haram has been on the wane in the past couple of years, another faction, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), has grown in influence and carried out several savage attacks on military bases last year.", "Five Nigerian soldiers have been killed and a number are missing after an ambush by Boko Haram’s Islamic State-backed faction, security sources said Sunday.\n\nFighters from Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) on Friday opened fire on a column of civilian vehicles under military escort in the northeastern Borno State, according to the sources who requested anonymity.\n\nThe troops were escorting residents from the village of Sabon Garin Kimba in dozens of trucks to a camp in the town of Damboa about 50 kilometres (30 miles) away, according to a militia fighting against the jihadists alongside the army.\n\nThey were being evacuated from the village, which lies 130 kilometres from the state capital Maiduguri, ahead of a major military offensive against ISWAP, which has recently increased its activities in the area.\n\nShocker! Gunmen stop Marian procession, kill four Catholics, burn Virgin Mary’s statue(Opens in a new browser tab)\n\n“We lost five soldiers in the ambush, two were wounded and several are missing, their fate still unknown,” said one military officer.\n\nIS-backed Boko Haram faction publishes ‘execution’ video of 5 Nigerian soldiers(Opens in a new browser tab)\n\nHe said the attackers seized two military trucks and tried to immobilise an armoured vehicle by destroying its tyres but the driver managed to drive it to safety.\n\n“As they approached Bungiri village ISWAP laid an ambush on the convoy. The troops engaged the terrorists in a gun battle and all civilians were able to escape but five soldiers were killed,” a second military source said.\n\nA search and rescue operation was under way, the officer said.\n\nLast month the jihadists raided a nearby military base in Mararrabar Kimba, killing five troops and stealing weapons, while some 30 troops are still listed as missing.\n\nISWAP has since July last year targeted dozens of military bases in attacks that that have killed scores of soldiers.\n\nOn Monday, its fighters ransacked a base in the town of Gubio, 80 kilometres from Maiduguri, killing three soldiers, although the group claimed it killed 20 soldiers.\n\nBoko Haram’s decade-long campaign of violence has killed 27,000 people and displaced around two million in Nigeria.\n\nThe violence has also spilled over into neighbouring Niger, Chad and Cameroon, prompting a regional military coalition to defeat the jihadist group."], "summary": "Four soldiers of the Chadian Army and a journalist are killed following a Boko Haram attack near the northern shore of Lake Chad. Boko Haram have reportedly continued their incursion into northern Chad."}
{"document": ["Four people were killed in an attack on a Catholic church in northern Burkina Faso, the latest in a string of assaults on Christian places of worship in the region.\n\n\"The Christian community of Toulfe was the target of a terrorist attack gathered for Sunday prayers,\" the bishop of Ouahigouya, Justin Kientega, said in a statement on Sunday. \"The attack left four of the faithful dead.\"\n\nA security source told AFP news agency \"heavily armed individuals attacked the church … as the faithful were celebrating Sunday mass\" in the town of Toulfe, 240km northwest of the capital Ouagadougou.\n\n190519101729848\n\n\"[The attack] caused panic in the village and many residents sought cover in their homes or in the bush,\" a local resident said.\n\nLast week, gunmen killed four Catholics in a religious procession, days after a priest and five others were murdered at mass.\n\nNo one has claimed responsibility for the attacks that threaten to upend traditionally peaceful relations between majority Muslims and Christians who make up one-quarter of the country.\n\nThe government has blamed unnamed armed groups operating in the country and Africa's surrounding Sahel region.\n\nRaids began in 2015 in the north before singling out Ouagadougou and other regions, notably in the east.\n\nNearly 400 people have been killed since 2015 - mainly in hit-and-run raids, according to an AFP tally.\n\nArmed groups target Christian clergy as well as Muslim scholar they do not consider sufficiently conservative in a country where traditionally both religions have co-existed peaceably.\n\nFrance has deployed 4,500 troops in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad in a mission code named Barkhane to help local forces flush out fighters.\n\nFrench special forces this month freed four foreign hostages in the former French colony during an overnight raid that killed two soldiers.", "\"The Christian community of Toulfe was the target of a terrorist attack gathered for Sunday prayers,\" Al Jazeera quoted the bishop of Ouahigouya, Justin Kientega, as saying in a statement\n\nOuagadougou (Burkina Faso): At least four people lost their lives after a group of heavily armed individuals attacked a Catholic church in northern Burkina Faso on Sunday morning.\n\n\"The Christian community of Toulfe was the target of a terrorist attack gathered for Sunday prayers,\" Al Jazeera quoted the bishop of Ouahigouya, Justin Kientega, as saying in a statement.\n\n\"The attack left four of the faithful dead,\" the bishop added. The attack, which took place in the town of Toulfe located 240 kilometres northwest of Ouagadougou, marked the latest in a string of assaults on Christian places of worship in the region.\n\n\"The attack caused panic in the village and many residents sought cover in their homes or in the bush,\" a local resident told Al Jazeera. Last week, gunmen killed four Catholics in a religious procession, days after a priest and five others were murdered at mass.\n\nHowever, no group has claimed responsibility for the attacks that threatened the existence of peaceful relations between majority Muslims and Christians, who make up one-quarter of the country.\n\nThe government of Burkina Faso blamed unnamed armed groups operating in the country and Africa's surrounding Sahel region.\n\nFrance has deployed nearly 4,500 troops in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad in a mission codenamed Barkhane to help the local forces combat armed groups operating in the region.\n\nFrench Special Forces, this month, also freed four foreign hostages in the former French colony during an overnight raid that killed two soldiers.\n• None Super volatile all this while\n• None Mumbai: Civic body to find out if parking under open spaces is possible\n• None Mumbai crime: Two fake cops trying to loot senior citizen arrested\n• None Mumbai: Western Railway's third AC local will roll out in December\n\nCatch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates", "Three people were killed Sunday at a Catholic church in northern Burkina Faso in the latest in a series of attacks on Christian targets in the region, a security source said.\n\n\"Heavily armed individuals attacked the church... as the faithful were celebrating Sunday mass\" in the town of Toulfe, the source said, adding that three people were killed.\n\nLast week gunmen killed four Catholics in a religious procession, the day after a priest and five parishioners were murdered at mass.\n\nAlso last week, French special forces freed four foreign hostages in the former French colony during an overnight raid that cost the lives of two soldiers.\n\nBurkina Faso's population is around two-thirds Muslim and one-third Christian.\n\nThe semi-desert country has suffered from increasingly frequent and deadly attacks attributed to a number of terrorist groups, including Daesh terror group's Greater Sahara branch.\n\nThe raids began in 2015 in the north before targeting the capital Ouagadougou and other regions, notably in the east.\n\nNearly 400 people have been killed since 2015 -- mainly in hit-and-run raids -- according to an AFP tally.\n\nTerrorist groups have targeted both Christian and Muslim clerics in a country where traditionally both religions have co-existed peaceably.\n\nFrance has deployed 4,500 troops in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad in a mission codenamed Barkhane to help local forces flush out terrorists.", "The killing came as a result of a fresh attack on a Catholic church in Toulfe, northern Burkina Faso.\n\n\"The attack, which took place around 09:00 (local and GMT), killed at least three and injured several people,\" the AFP reported.\n\nThe latest attack comes after media reported that six people, including a priest, were killed on 12 May in an assault on a Catholic church in Dablo, northern Burkina Faso.\n\nThe attacks comes as the authorities of Burkina Faso have launched a massive anti-terrorist operation in the eastern and central-eastern regions of the country, Sputnik news reports.", "In the latest attack on Christians in Burkina Faso, four people have died after gunmen attacked a Catholic church in the north of the country.\n\nThe targeting of Toulfe’s Christian community, 240km north-west of the capital Ouagadougou, as they gathered for Sunday prayers was just the latest in a string of attacks on their places of worship in the region, Al Jazeera reported.\n\nFour Catholics taking part in a religious procession last week were killed by gunmen only days after a priest and five others were murdered at mass.\n\nNo one has claimed responsibility for the attack, but the government asserts that unarmed groups operating in the country and the surrounding Sahel region are to blame.\n\nThe Sahel has been plagued by militant groups that have not only attacked Christians but also Muslim scholars considered insufficiently conservative.\n\nTo help local forces fight the extremists, France has deployed 4,500 troops to Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, and Chad.\n\nEarlier this month, French special forces freed four foreign hostages who had been kidnapped by extremists, resulting in the death of the two of the soldiers.\n\nIn February the G5 Sahel nations – Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger – gathered in the Burkinabe capital Ouagadougou and implored the UN to provide more funding and other aid to help their G5 Sahel Joint Force battle the cross-border insurgency, which has resulted in the deaths of hundreds of civilians and security personnel while inflicting crippling economic damage.\n\nSince 2015 alone at least 400 people have been killed in the Sahel by the militants.\n\nFor more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.", "Four people were killed at a Catholic church in Burkina Faso on Sunday, the latest in a series of attacks on Christians in the African country.\n\n“The Christian community of Toulfe was the target of a terrorist attack which gathered for Sunday prayers. The attack left four of the faithful dead,” Bishop Justin Kientega of Ouahigouya in a statement.\n\nAt least 10 Catholics, including a priest, Father Simeon Yampa, were killed in two extremist attacks on Catholic parishes earlier this month in the country. Gunmen also killed a Protestant pastor and members of his congregation in late April.\n\nRELATED: Pope saddened by church attack in Burkina Faso, Vatican spokesman says\n\nMuslims make up just over 60 percent of the population of Burkina Faso, with Christians accounting for nearly a quarter. The rest adhere to indigenous religions.\n\nGovernment officials have blamed the attacks on Islamist militants based in neighboring Mali.\n\nLast week, bishops from the Regional Episcopal Conference of Francophone West Africa met in the Burkinabé capital, Ouagadougou.\n\n“Religious leaders must rise together to denounce any instrumentalization of religion, particularly killings perpetrated in the name of God,” the bishops from Burkina Faso, Niger, Senegal, Mauritania, Cape Verde, Guinea Bissau, Benin, Mali, Togo, Ivory Coast and Guinea said in the May 22 statement.\n\nThe bishops said “bad governance, insecurity, education system disfunctions and lack of employment opportunities” had all contributed to local misfortunes, adding that the Catholic Church was promoting education and entrepreneurship, while helping combat “poverty, criminality, despair and unemployment.”\n\nCrux is dedicated to smart, wired and independent reporting on the Vatican and worldwide Catholic Church. That kind of reporting doesn’t come cheap, and we need your support. You can help Crux by giving a small amount monthly, or with a onetime gift. Please remember, Crux is a for-profit organization, so contributions are not tax-deductible.", "3 dead in new attack on Burkina Faso church\n\nOUAGADOUGOU; Three people were killed Sunday at a Catholic church in northern Burkina Faso in the latest in a series of attacks on Christian targets in the region, a security source said.\n\n“Heavily armed individuals attacked the church... as the faithful were celebrating Sunday mass” in the town of Toulfe, the source said, adding that three people were killed. Last week gunmen killed four Catholics in a religious procession, the day after a priest and five parishioners were murdered at mass. Also last week, French special forces freed four foreign hostages in the former French colony during an overnight raid that cost the lives of two soldiers.\n\nBurkina Faso’s population is around two-thirds Muslim and one-third Christian. The semi-desert country has suffered from increasingly frequent and deadly attacks attributed to a number of jihadist groups.", "Authorities say gunmen have attacked a Catholic church in Burkina Faso, killing a priest and five worshippers.\n\nThe attack on Sunday took place in Dablo, about 200 kilometers (124 miles) from the capital, Ouagadougou.\n\nUrbain Kabore, a government spokesman for the West African country's Sahel region, said the gunmen also set fire to a health center and destroyed all places serving alcohol.\n\nThere was no immediate claim of responsibility but the attacks bore the hallmarks of Islamic extremists who are known to be active in the area. An attack on a Protestant church about two weeks ago left six people dead.\n\nBurkina Faso has been increasingly destabilized by jihadists from across the border in Mali. Attacks have included the kidnapping of foreigners.", "OUAGADOUGOU: Three people were killed Sunday at a Catholic church in northern Burkina Faso in the latest in a series of attacks on Christian targets in the region, a security source said.\n\n\"Heavily armed individuals attacked the church... as the faithful were celebrating Sunday mass\" in the town of Toulfe, the source said, adding that three people were killed. Last week gunmen killed four Catholics in a religious procession, the day after a priest and five parishioners were murdered at mass.\n\nAlso last week, French special forces freed four foreign hostages in the former French colony during an overnight raid that cost the lives of two soldiers. Burkina Faso's population is around two-thirds Muslim and one-third Christian. The raids began in 2015 in the north before targeting the capital Ouagadougou and other regions, notably in the east.", "Four people were killed Sunday at a Catholic church in northern Burkina Faso in the latest in a series of attacks on Christian targets in the region, according to a bishop in the region and a security source. \"The Christian community of Toulfe was the target of a terrorist attack which gathered for Sunday prayers. The attack left four of the faithful dead,\" the Bishop of Ouahigouya, Justin Kientega, said in a statement.\n\nEarlier a security source has said three people were killed in the attack.\n\n\"Heavily armed individuals attacked the church... as the faithful were celebrating Sunday mass\" in the town of Toulfe, the source had said.\n\nA local resident contacted by phone by AFP said the attack \"caused panic in the village and many residents sought to seek cover in their homes or in the bush.\"\n\nLast week gunmen killed four Catholics in a religious procession, the day after a priest and five parishioners were murdered at mass.\n\nAlso this month, French special forces freed four foreign hostages in the former French colony during an overnight raid that cost the lives of two soldiers.\n\nBurkina Faso's population is around two-thirds Muslim and one-third Christian.\n\nThe semi-desert country has suffered increasingly frequent and deadly attacks attributed to a number of jihadist groups, including the Ansarul Islam group, the Group to Support Islam and Muslims (GSIM) and Islamic State in the Greater Sahara.\n\nThe raids began in 2015 in the north before targeting the capital Ouagadougou and other regions, notably in the east.\n\nNearly 400 people have been killed since 2015 - mainly in hit-and-run raids - according to an AFP tally.\n\nJihadist groups target Christian clerics as well as Muslim ones they do not consider sufficiently radical in a country where traditionally both religions have co-existed peaceably.\n\nFrance has deployed 4 500 troops in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad in a mission codenamed Barkhane to help local forces flush out jihadists."], "summary": "Four people are killed in an attack on a Catholic church in northern Burkina Faso, the latest in a string of assaults on Christian places of worship in the region."}
{"document": ["Forty years after a ribbon was cut on Sydney's last major railway, thousands of passengers will flood through station gates today to ride on a new rail line set to change travel habits dramatically for people long starved of public transport options in the city's north-west.\n\nWhile double-deck trains began running on the Eastern Suburbs line on June 23, 1979, single-deck trains controlled by a giant computer, instead of people, will speed at up to 100km/h along the Metro North West line from Rouse Hill to Chatswood.\n\nMetro trains operations manager Cory Roeton at the nerve centre of the Metro North West line at Rouse Hill. Credit:Wolter Peeters\n\nThe most striking feature of the trains is that they are driverless, allowing passengers to peer out of windows at the front and back onto the tracks. At stations, glass screen doors on platforms help prevent injury, while help points allow commuters to talk to staff via video screens.\n\nIn all, a journey from one end of the 36 kilometre line to the other takes about 37 minutes. Most of the stations are about two kilometres apart, except for the six kilometres between North Ryde and Chatswood.", "Marubeni Corporation (hereinafter, \"Marubeni\") is an investor in NRT Pty Ltd. (hereinafter, \"NRT\"), which in September 2014 was awarded the operations contract of the Public Private Partnership (hereinafter, \"PPP\") for Sydney Metro Northwest - the largest PPP ever awarded in New South Wales. Sydney Metro Northwest opened to customers on May 26 2019.\n\nSydney Metro Northwest is the first stage of Australia's biggest public transport project, Sydney Metro. The project is the first fully-automated metro in Australia.\n\nSydney Metro Northwest includes the delivery of 22 fully automated metro trains, eight new metro stations, five upgraded stations and 4,000 commuter car-parking spaces. NRT will undertake operations and maintenance of the 36 kilometre metro system for 15 years. During peak hours, trains will arrive every four minutes; Sydney Metro Northwest will help to alleviate traffic congestion in the North West of Sydney, an area of Australia which is experiencing rapid population growth. For the first time in Australia, Sydney Metro Northwest also includes platform screen doors at all 13 stations, making train operations safer.\n\nSince 2011, Marubeni has continued to develop its portfolio of PPP assets in Australia, which includes participation in Stages 1 and 2 of a Light Rail PPP Project on the Gold Coast, Australia. Growth in sustainable mass transit and urban rail projects is expected to continue in Australia, and Marubeni will strive to expand its commitment to transportation and social infrastructure in Australia as a trusted and long-term partner.", "26 May 2019 - Alstom congratulatesSydney Metro, Australia's biggest public transport project, on opening the North West Metro and the start of revenue service, delivering Australia's first fully automated, turn-up and go rail service.\n\nThe Metro North West Line is Stage 1 of Sydney Metro and includes 36km of track, 13 stations and a depot. The new network will provide a level of service never before seen in Australia with a train every four minutes in the peak in each direction. The project has been completed on time.\n\nUnder the contract awarded by Northwest Rapid Transit (NRT) in September 2014, Alstom has been responsible for the project management, design, supply, manufacturing, testing and commissioning of 22 x 6 car Metropolis trains and Urbalis 400 CBTC signalling systems. Alstom has also been awarded a 15 year maintenance contract for the trains, signalling, depot operations and equipment. The maintenance contract also includes the application of Alstom's HealthHub state-of-the-art predictive maintenance tools. The HealthHub tools for the Northwest Metro include Catenary Tracer, Track Tracer, Train Tracer, broken rail detection and point machine detection.\n\n'Alstom is very proud to have partnered with the NRT consortium and Transport for New South Wales (TfNSW) to deliver our world leading metro solutions for Sydney's North West Metro. Sydney has now joined other great cities of the world (incl. Paris, Amsterdam, Barcelona and Singapore) that benefit every day from Alstom's metro solutions. The fully automated driverless metro is a first for Australia and will provide a step-change for the commuters of Sydney' said Ling Fang, Senior Vice-President for Alstom in Asia-Pacific.\n\nDesigned uniquely for Sydney by Alstom in France and assembled at its centre of excellence in Sri City India, with contributions from Alstom's operations in Australia, Brazil, China and Belgium, the Metropolis trains demonstrate Alstom's leadership in urban mobility. Passengers have been placed at the heart of the development of this new train with the emphasis on on-board mobility and comfort.\n\nThe trains include 3 double-doors per car for improved access and passenger flows, large windows and ambient LED lighting. They will also have the highest levels of customer safety including constant CCTV monitoring, emergency intercoms and the latest way-finding aids for customer information and real time travel information. The system, equipped with Alstom's world leading computer based train control system, Urbalis 400, minimises the time stopping at stations and the times between each service - ensuring a comfortable and reliable journey for all passengers.\n\nThe Metro line is currently being extended from Chatswood to Bankstown via the City and by 2024 Sydney will have 31 metro stations and a 66 kilometre standalone metro railway in addition to its extensive suburban rail network.", "Sydney's driverless Metro train opens, but delays come as doors fail to open\n\nThe doors failed to open at one stop and the driverless train overshot the platform a couple of times, causing delays.\n\nBut on the opening day of a new $7 billion train line — with no drivers — a few teething problems can probably be expected.\n\nNSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian was beaming on Sunday morning at Tallawong station in Sydney's north-west as the country's first driverless train took off.\n\nThere were cheers as the train started, and cheers again when Ms Berejiklian and 300 special guests arrived at Chatswood station, in Sydney's lower north shore.\n\nThe North West Metro is the first stage of the Sydney Metro — Australia's biggest public transport project, which has taken almost five years to build.\n\nBut the celebration soon turned to stress for workers on the line at about 1:00pm today when one of the trains overshot the platform at Macquarie Park station.\n\nIt was realigned and then the automatic doors failed to open, forcing workers to manually open them.\n\nThe offending train was taken off the service — and commuters were taken off the train — causing delays and massive crowds at some of the stations around Sydney.\n\nThere were lines around the block at Castle Hill station and reports of a \"crowd crush\" at Chatswood.\n\nA Sydney Metro spokesperson said it was putting on extra services to clear the backlog, but at 3:00pm on Sunday there were reports of \"15- to 20-minute\" delays.\n\nThe trains were operating normally at 3:00pm but there were still large queues at most of the stations.\n\nSpeaking earlier in the day, Ms Berejikilian said the Government had \"defied all the cynics\" who said the project would never happen.\n\n\"In the early days, when I spoke to local residents, the parents used to say it'd be fantastic if our kids could catch the train to university or high school,\" Ms Berejiklian said.\n\n\"And some of the ones who'd been here for a long time said 'I don't think I'll ever see it in my lifetime'.\n\n\"Well I'm glad to prove them wrong … it's here, and it's the start of something really special for New South Wales.\"\n\nTo celebrate the opening, the New South Wales Government offered free travel for all commuters on the line on Sunday, with huge crowds coming out to ride on the new trains.\n\nThe system has Australian-first technology, like screen doors attached to the platforms of all of the network's 13 stations, which open automatically after the train has stopped.\n\nAt full operation, trains will run every four minutes in each direction at peak times, with the ability to run up to every two minutes in the future.\n\nThe Metro line is currently being extended from Chatswood to Bankstown, and by 2024 Sydney will have 31 Metro stations and 66 kilometres of standalone Metro railway.\n\nBut the real test of the new system will come on Monday, when commuters use it for the first time during peak-hour operations.\n\nThe trains will also stop running at 9:00pm from Wednesday to Sunday over the first few months to allow an ongoing review of the operations and early maintenance.", "Two teens charged over brawl death, all eyes on Sydney Metro\n\nThis is what you need to know this morning:\n\nTwo teenagers have been charged with the murder of an 18-year-old at a party in Sydney's south-west on Friday night.\n\nAlex Loane, 18, was found with serious head injuries and later died in Liverpool Hospital after a brawl involving baseball bats broke out on the street.\n\nPolice arrested a 17-year-old and 18-year-old yesterday at a home in Eagle Vale, and later charged them with murder.\n\nThey will face court in Campbelltown today.\n\nAll eyes on the Metro\n\nSydney's new Metro train line is in the middle of its first morning peak-hour test after it opening to the public yesterday.\n\nMore than 100,000 people queued to ride on the 36-kilometre Metro Northwest line from Chatswood to Rouse Hill — but there were some teething problems.\n\nMajor delays and huge queues were reported on the network after a train overshot a platform at Macquarie Park station.\n\nAt full operation, trains will run every four minutes in each direction at peak times, with the ability to run up to every two minutes in the future.\n\nThe result of the north-western Sydney seat of Macquarie might not be known until next month, with the Australian Electoral Commission waiting to receive all postal and overseas votes.\n\nFormer radio journalist turned Labor MP Susan Templeman has held the seat since 2016 by a margin of 2.2 per cent.\n\nShe is fighting a challenge from former lawyer and councillor Liberal Party candidate Sarah Richards.\n\nThe Liberal Party has a narrow lead, with the vote margin being as small as 57 votes at 6:00pm on Sunday.\n\nThe AEC said it had a May 31 cut-off for postal and overseas votes and a recount will automatically be called if the final count shows a gap of fewer than 100 votes.\n\nSydney is bracing for damaging winds this afternoon as a cold front passes over the south of the state.\n\nThe Bureau of Meteorology issued the warning this morning, with gusts of up to 90 kilometres per her predicted.\n\nElevated areas in the Blue Mountains could be hit with gusts of 125kph, it said.\n\nThe NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service has recommended travellers postpone any non-essential travel in the warning area.\n\nNSW State of Origin coach Brad Fittler has named five debutants to defend the Blues' title.\n\nCody Walker, Payne Haas, Cameron Murray, Jack Wighton and Nick Cotric will wear the Blues' jersey for the first time in Brisbane on June 5.\n\nPenrith Panthers player Nathan Cleary will team up with Rabbitoh Cody Walker in the halves and Sydney Roosters Boyd Cordner will captain the side.\n\nCronulla Sharks Centre Josh Morris was another surprise addition to the line-up, with the 32-year-old coming out of retirement from representative football to join the squad.\n\nFor the first time, the ABC has been given exclusive access inside the Forensic Medicine Unit (FMU) in Australia's biggest, and newest, morgue in western Sydney.\n\nThe Lidcombe complex, which opened in January, can hold up to 500 bodies. About 300 come in on a typical month.\n\nIt is a 24-hour operation: a high-tech monitoring system tracks corpses every step of the way through the coronial process.", "A Columbus transit advocacy organization wants voters to decide whether to pump millions of dollars into high-capacity mass transit such as passenger-rail or bus rapid-transit service with dedicated lanes.\n\nTransitColumbus calls for a 2020 ballot measure to pay for construction and operations of high-capacity transit while also creating “a more fast, frequent and reliable service network.” The independent advocacy group lists the tax proposal among its most pressing ideas in a new policy agenda released last week.\n\n“We understand there is a real demand for high-capacity transit in Columbus, and we have to find a way to pay for it. We believe the public support is there to fund that,” said Josh Lapp, chairman of TransitColumbus.\n\nGet the news delivered to your inbox: Sign up for our politics newsletter\n\nLapp said the group envisions the ballot measure taking the form of an increase in the sales tax, which is how the Central Ohio Transit Authority is funded. The authority has two 0.25% sales tax levies — one permanent, and one that voters must regularly reauthorize — that generated $131 million in 2018.\n\nThe authority can put those levies before voters without the consent of other agencies.\n\n“We don’t have any immediate plans to go to the ballot at this time. That sentiment could change, should the community want to have that discussion,” said Patrick Harris, COTA’s director of government affairs. “We would never move forward on a taxing proposal without the support of our community as a whole.”\n\nIf COTA is unwilling to put the issue before voters, Lapp said, TransitColumbus could explore other options for getting it on the ballot.\n\nTransitColumbus is trying to capitalize on renewed energy around mass transit that stems in part from an Insight2050 study that examined five corridors for high-capacity transit and denser development. The group has zeroed in on the West Broad Street and East Main Street corridors as priorities for light rail and bus rapid transit.\n\n“I believe we will need to go to the people with a bold plan for COTA and mass transit; the Insight 2050 data can’t be read any other way,\" council President Shannon G. Hardin said in an email. \"Winning at the ballot takes heavy lifting and planning, and it is too early to say when that work will be done.\"\n\nFor decades, Columbus largely has had a bus-only public transportation network. In 2018, it opened its first bus rapid-transit line, the CMax, that runs from Downtown north to Polaris Parkway, mostly via Cleveland Avenue. The line has limited stops and uses wireless technology to alert traffic lights about oncoming buses to give them signal priority, helping the buses to run faster than those on local routes.\n\nCMax differs from true bus rapid-transit lines in one significant way, though: Buses mingle with other vehicles; they do not have dedicated lanes.\n\nIn other parts of the world, most bus rapid-transit lines have dedicated rights of way that allow buses to travel much faster, and they have larger stations that resemble rail stops, said Robert Puentes, president of the Washington, D.C.-based Eno Center for Transportation.\n\nTransit operators in the United States have been slower to adopt those measures, which Puentes said signal to developers a “permanence” that helps drive confidence in building around them.\n\nBus rapid transit is attractive because it is cheaper than building the infrastructure for new passenger rail lines, which can cost billions of dollars.\n\n“There is a political problem in that some places may be gun-shy about it. These are extremely expensive endeavors. But when they’re done right, they can have a positive rate of return,” Puentes said. “The BRT is still kind of viewed as plan B. Everyone wants a large investment, but we can’t get that, so we go to plan B.”\n\nHarris acknowledged that bus rapid-transit lines are more affordable, but he said, “I’ll never take any mode option out of the discussion. It all depends on what is the best fit for that corridor.”\n\nVoters in Marion County, Indiana, approved a referendum in 2016 to raise the income tax and dedicate revenue for IndyGo, the transit organization serving Indianapolis. That will generate about $55 million a year for IndyGo to make a transition similar to the one that COTA has undergone, moving from a “hub and spoke” system where buses converge Downtown to a grid structure.\n\nIt also will help IndyGo pay for three new bus rapid-transit lines, all of which will run at least partially in dedicated rights of way, said Bryan Luellen, an IndyGo spokesman. The first is to open later this year.\n\nPuentes said transit agencies increasingly are looking to sales tax increases to pay for major upgrades. In 2018, voters across the country approved sales taxes for transportation, including road projects, that totaled about $31.6 billion, according to an Eno Center report. It also found that 34 out of 39 transit measures on ballots in 2018 passed.\n\nHarris said COTA could tap into other revenue sources, including federal grants and the transportation improvement district that Franklin County recently established.\n\nDeveloper and former COTA board member Robert Weiler said he would rather see COTA generate additional revenue to make the system free for riders. He’s been pushing that idea for years. COTA generated about $19.2 million from passenger revenue last year.\n\n“I’m all with TransitColumbus on anything that improves mobility,” he said. “I don’t think it makes sense for us to compete. We’re really all interested in improving mobility.”\n\nThe TransitColumbus agenda calls for several other transportation improvements, including a second circulator route that services the Arena District and Discovery District, increasing the frequency of service on COTA’s busiest lines, adopting a mobile payment system for buses, and building better pedestrian and bike accommodations.\n\n“I don’t think that we want to be the one city that decided, 'Oh, well, we shouldn’t invest in these things because something else might come along.' The time is now,” Lapp said.", "Sydney's new driverless northwest Metro will face its first peak-hour test after being officially opened over the weekend.\n\nThe first people boarded trains at Tallawong Station in Rouse Hill following the opening by Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Transport Minister Andrew Constance on Sunday morning.\n\nMr Constance said he was looking forward to Monday \"with the first commute in the morning peak\".\n\nWhen the newly-opened northwest line reaches full operation, trains will run every four minutes each way during peak hour between Tallawong and Chatswood.\n\nBut they will first run once every five minutes at peak for about six weeks, which Mr Constance previously described as a \"ramp-up period\".\n\nThe premier said she couldn't wait for people to try the service and give their verdict.\n\nThe fully-automated trains are required to operate with a 98 per cent on-time running reliability, a government fact sheet says.\n\nSydney Metro asked for patience on Twitter while announcing the service had seen 42,000 customers in the first three hours of operation on Sunday.\n\nCommuters took to Twitter to report large crowds at Chatswood Station, trains stuck at Macquarie University and Macquarie Park stations, as well as service gaps at numerous stations.\n\nThe network experienced a hiccup when a technical problem with doors on one train caused a service gap of between 15 and 20 minutes. The train was taken out of service to be looked at, Sydney Metro tweeted.\n\nMore than 20,000 people worked on the $7.3 billion northwest project over eight years and work is now underway to extend the line from Chatswood to Bankstown.\n\nLater, another metro project will link greater Parramatta with the CBD.", "I respond to the recent policy agenda released by the advocacy group Transit Columbus. It's no secret that Columbus is growing, and we need to address some major gaps in transportation. I support bus rapid transit or rail here in Columbus.\n\nColumbus already has a substantial fleet of buses, but they need their own dedicated lanes, dedicated stations and pay-at-station capabilities. Without those they are no better than cars clogging up the roadways. With that infrastructure, however, they are as good as rail.\n\nThe Cbus circulator was a step in the right direction toward rapid mass transit. I support Transit Columbus' push for an additional circulator to cover other areas of Downtown.\n\nThe website tyznik.com/columbustransit/ used a graphic designer to plan the entire city's rail system (as a hobby) using existing freight lines. I know that rail is expensive and permanent, but if rail can be used in conjunction with existing freight lines I wonder if it could be even more viable than bus rapid transit. If not, an extensive system of BRT lanes and stations needs to be built, and quickly.", "Sydney Metro train slower than the drive — but this commuter is still happy\n\nSydney's new Metro Northwest has made Nathan Burke's daily commute longer by three minutes, but he doesn't mind.\n\nThe ABC followed Mr Burke, a father-of-two from Kellyville Ridge, on two separate journeys to his North Sydney office.\n\nBefore today Mr Burke had only one option — the road.\n\nBut that all changed on Sunday, when Sydney's new driverless Metro Northwest opened.\n\nOn Friday, the trip to North Sydney on some of Sydney's busiest arteries — the M7, M2 and Lane Cove Tunnel — took one hour and seven minutes.\n\nHe said that was a pretty good run.\n\n\"It's usually about 10 minutes worse than that,\" Mr Burke said.\n\nHe hoped the Metro service would allow him to leave later.\n\n\"I'm just hoping to spend more time with the kids, and not rush out the door,\" he said.\n\n\"Get a little bit more sleep [and] obviously get home a little bit earlier as well.\"\n\nMetro Northwest, Australia's first driverless passenger train, went through its first peak-hour test this morning.\n\nMr Burke drove from his home to Kellyville Station and parked in one of the 4,000 new car parks scattered along the line.\n\nAfter waiting at the platform for three minutes, he got on to a largely empty carriage, which filled up when it arrived at Epping.\n\nMetro Northwest terminates at Chatswood, and the platform was crowded, but no more so than what it usually would be during Sydney's morning rush.\n\nAfter changing to an over-ground train at Chatswood, Mr Burke began the final leg of his journey to North Sydney.\n\nIt took three minutes longer than the drive, but he's not complaining.\n\n\"It's pretty good considering how long it [driving] can normally take,\" he said.\n\nThere were no delays during Mr Burke's commute.\n\n\"It's marginally slower than the car, but in terms of how much the cost is when you consider tolls, and fuel, it's probably about $100 a week better off,\" he said.4xsw2\n\n\"It come a very comfortable ride, and everyone knows how stressful traffic can be, so I'll take that any day.\"", "Sydney’s new driverless Northwest Metro has been officially opened to the public on Sunday. The current train line runs between Tallawong and Chatswood. It is the first stage of the $7.3 billion northwest project, which includes the extension of the train line from Chatswood to Bankstown.\n\nSydney Metro's driverless trains opens to the public for first time 1:05\n\nSydney’s North West Metro will be put to its first real test today as thousands of commuters are likely to use the multi-billion dollar network.\n\nAbout 42,000 people rode the driverless metro in its first three hours of operation after it was officially opened yesterday morning and the public were offered free rides between Tallawong and Chatswood.\n\nBy the end of the day, more than 140,000 Sydneysiders had taken advantage of the 36km service.\n\nAnd while yesterday the service suffered a number of teething problems, today will be the real test as thousands of commuters use the metro during peak hour.\n\nRELATED: First look at the driverless trains\n\nNSW Transport Minister Andrew Constance has promised trains every five to six minutes in its first six weeks of opening.\n\nThe state’s premier Gladys Berejiklian previously said the trains could run every two minutes if there was enough demand.\n\nYesterday, the first people boarded trains at Tallawong Station in Rouse Hill following the opening by Ms Berejiklian and Mr Constance.\n\n“This is the start of something very special for our state,” Mr Constance told reporters. “Life’s about to change … for so many people who work hard every day and deserve the right to be able to get around the city as easily as they can.”\n\nMr Constance said he was looking forward to Monday “with the first commute in the morning peak”.\n\nThe fully-automated trains are required to operate with a 98 per cent on-time running reliability, a government fact sheet says.\n\nSydney Metro asked for patience on Twitter while announcing the service had seen 42,000 customers in the first three hours of operation.\n\nCommuters took to Twitter to report large crowds at Chatswood Station, trains stuck at Macquarie University and Macquarie Park stations, as well as service gaps at numerous stations.\n\nThe network experienced a hiccup when a technical problem with doors on one train caused a service gap of between 15 and 20 minutes.\n\nThe train was taken out of service to be looked at, Sydney Metro tweeted.\n\nMore than 20,000 people worked on the $7.3 billion northwest project over eight years and work is now underway to extend the line from Chatswood to Bankstown.\n\n“We’re now into the complexities of building under the Harbour, under the sea, and out to Sydenham and on to Bankstown,” Mr Constance said.\n\nLater, another metro project will link greater Parramatta with the CBD.\n\nWhen the newly opened northwest line reaches full operation, trains will run every four minutes each way during peak hour between Tallawong and Chatswood.\n\nBut they will first run once every five minutes at peak for about six weeks, which Mr Constance previously described as a “ramp-up period”.\n\nMs Berejiklian said she couldn’t wait for people to try the service and give their verdict."], "summary": "The initial stage of Sydney Metro, Australia's first automated rapid transit system, opens to the public."}
{"document": ["Teva settles with Oklahoma for $85 million in opioid case\n\nNORMAN, Okla. (AP) — One of the drugmakers named in Oklahoma's lawsuit over the opioid crisis has agreed to a settlement in which it will pay the state $85 million.\n\nIsraeli-owned Teva Pharmaceuticals and Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter both announced the settlement Sunday in separate statements. Teva, its related affiliates and Johnson & Johnson and several of its subsidiaries were set to go to trial Tuesday in Norman.\n\nHunter said the case against Johnson & Johnson will proceed on schedule.\n\nHe also said the funds from the settlement with Teva will be used to fight the opioid crisis in Oklahoma.\n\nTeva did not admit any wrongdoing under the settlement.\n\nEarlier this year, Oklahoma settled with OxyContin-maker Purdue Pharma for $270 million.", "Teva settles with Oklahoma for $85 million in opioid case\n\nNORMAN, Okla. (AP) — One of the drugmakers named in Oklahoma's lawsuit over the opioid crisis has agreed to a settlement in which it will pay the state $85 million.\n\nIsraeli-owned Teva Pharmaceuticals and Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter both announced the settlement Sunday in separate statements. Teva, its related affiliates and Johnson & Johnson and several of its subsidiaries were set to go to trial Tuesday in Norman.\n\nHunter said the case against Johnson & Johnson will proceed on schedule.\n\nHe also said the funds from the settlement with Teva will be used to fight the opioid crisis in Oklahoma.\n\nTeva did not admit any wrongdoing under the settlement.\n\nEarlier this year, Oklahoma settled with OxyContin-maker Purdue Pharma for $270 million.", "BOSTON/JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Teva Pharmaceutical Industries said on Sunday it had agreed an $85 million settlement with the state of Oklahoma days before the company was set to face trial over allegations that it and other drugmakers helped to fuel the U.S. opioid epidemic.\n\nTeva, the world’s largest generic drugmaker, said the settlement “does not establish any wrongdoing on the part of the company” and denied contributing to opioid abuse in Oklahoma.\n\nClaims against Teva focused on the branded opioid products Actiq and Fentora as well as generic painkillers it produced.\n\nThe trial against Israel-based Teva, along with Johnson & Johnson, was set to begin on Tuesday. The lawsuit alleged the companies’ marketing of the painkiller was to blame for the opioid epidemic.\n\nJohnson & Johnson had no immediate comment.\n\nOklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter has alleged that J&J and Teva, along with OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma LP, carried out deceptive marking campaigns that downplayed opioids’ addictive risks while overstating their benefits.\n\nThe state also alleges the companies’ actions created an oversupply of painkillers and a public nuisance that will cost $12.7 billion to $17.5 billion to remedy.\n\nOklahoma resolved its claims against Purdue Pharma LP in March for $270 million.\n\nThe Oklahoma case is being closely watched by plaintiffs in other opioid cases, particularly some 1,850 mostly municipal and state governments that have sued the same drugmakers in the federal court in Ohio.\n\n“Teva is pleased to put the Oklahoma case behind it and remains prepared to vigorously defend claims against the company, including the upcoming federal court trial in Cleveland where the majority of the cases are pending,” the company said.\n\nAttorney General Hunter’s office said in a statement the money would be used to address the opioid crisis in Oklahoma and that the J&J case is still scheduled to go to trial on Tuesday before Cleveland County District Judge Thad Balkman.\n\n“Nearly all Oklahomans have been negatively impacted by this deadly crisis and we look forward to Tuesday, where we will prove our case against Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiaries,” Hunter said in a statement.", "One of the drugmakers named in Oklahoma's lawsuit over the opioid crisis has agreed to a settlement in which it will pay the state $85 million.\n\nIsraeli-owned Teva Pharmaceuticals and Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter both announced the settlement Sunday in separate statements. Teva, its related affiliates and Johnson & Johnson and several of its subsidiaries were set to go to trial Tuesday in Norman.\n\nHunter said the case against Johnson & Johnson will proceed on schedule.\n\nHe also said the funds from the settlement with Teva will be used to fight the opioid crisis in Oklahoma.\n\nTeva did not admit any wrongdoing under the settlement.\n\nEarlier this year, Oklahoma settled with OxyContin-maker Purdue Pharma for $270 million.", "Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. agreed to pay $85 million to settle an Oklahoma lawsuit claiming that illegal marketing of its opioid painkillers contributed to a public health crisis in the state.\n\nThe deal, announced Sunday, was reached just as the case was about to go to trial next week. The state had alleged Teva and co-defendant Johnson & Johnson persuaded doctors to boost prescriptions of the powerful medications to treat ailments for which they weren’t approved, causing overdose deaths and drug addiction.\n\nThe trial against remaining defendant J&J, which the state has called the “kingpin” of the U.S. opioid crisis, is expected to start on Tuesday.\n\nThe terms of the settlement may take up to two weeks to finalize, and the money will be used to “abate the opioid crisis in Oklahoma,” Attorney General Mike Hunter said in a statement.\n\nOklahoma had been seeking at least $10 billion in damages and penalties. The trial will be the first test of public-nuisance laws against opioid manufacturers and distributors. At least 42 states and more than 1,600 municipalities have sued companies in the industry, demanding billions of dollars in damages.\n\nThe last-minute deal in Oklahoma means some of the focus on opioid litigation shifts to Cleveland, where a federal judge has set two test trials for October to allow juries to consider public-nuisance claims over drug-marketing campaigns.\n\nThe accord comes about two months after Purdue Pharma LP agreed to pay $270 million to resolve Oklahoma’s claims over sales pitches for its opioid-based painkiller, OxyContin. Purdue sought a deal to ease mounting liabilities that have threatened to push the company into bankruptcy. The money was earmarked for research and treatment.\n\nOklahoma said J&J and Teva helped create a public-health crisis from opioid abuse that killed thousands of its residents. The state, in its lawsuit, accused the companies of overstating the painkillers’ benefits and understating their risks, which created a “devastating cycle of over-prescription” that was “built on addiction, dependence and a market saturated with misinformation regarding the benefits and safety of those drugs.”\n\nTeva’s settlement doesn’t establish any wrongdoing on the part of the company.\n\nThe case is State of Oklahoma v. Purdue Pharma LP, CJ-2017-816, Cleveland County, Oklahoma, District Court (Norman).", "Teva settles with Oklahoma for $85 million in opioid case\n\nNORMAN, Okla. (AP) — One of the drugmakers named in Oklahoma's lawsuit over the opioid crisis has agreed to a settlement in which it will pay the state $85 million.\n\nIsraeli-owned Teva Pharmaceuticals and Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter both announced the settlement Sunday in separate statements. Teva, its related affiliates and Johnson & Johnson and several of its subsidiaries were set to go to trial Tuesday in Norman.\n\nHunter said the case against Johnson & Johnson will proceed on schedule.\n\nHe also said the funds from the settlement with Teva will be used to fight the opioid crisis in Oklahoma.\n\nTeva did not admit any wrongdoing under the settlement.\n\nEarlier this year, Oklahoma settled with OxyContin-maker Purdue Pharma for $270 million.", "Teva settles with Oklahoma for $85 million in opioid case\n\nNORMAN, Okla. (AP) — One of the drugmakers named in Oklahoma's lawsuit over the opioid crisis has agreed to a settlement in which it will pay the state $85 million.\n\nIsraeli-owned Teva Pharmaceuticals and Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter both announced the settlement Sunday in separate statements. Teva, its related affiliates and Johnson & Johnson and several of its subsidiaries were set to go to trial Tuesday in Norman.\n\nHunter said the case against Johnson & Johnson will proceed on schedule.\n\nHe also said the funds from the settlement with Teva will be used to fight the opioid crisis in Oklahoma.\n\nTeva did not admit any wrongdoing under the settlement.\n\nEarlier this year, Oklahoma settled with OxyContin-maker Purdue Pharma for $270 million.", "Teva settles with Oklahoma for $85 million in opioid case\n\nNORMAN, Okla. (AP) — One of the drugmakers named in Oklahoma's lawsuit over the opioid crisis has agreed to a settlement in which it will pay the state $85 million.\n\nIsraeli-owned Teva Pharmaceuticals and Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter both announced the settlement Sunday in separate statements. Teva, its related affiliates and Johnson & Johnson and several of its subsidiaries were set to go to trial Tuesday in Norman.\n\nHunter said the case against Johnson & Johnson will proceed on schedule.\n\nHe also said the funds from the settlement with Teva will be used to fight the opioid crisis in Oklahoma.\n\nTeva did not admit any wrongdoing under the settlement.\n\nEarlier this year, Oklahoma settled with OxyContin-maker Purdue Pharma for $270 million.", "Teva settles with Oklahoma for $85 million in opioid case\n\nNORMAN, Okla. (AP) — One of the drugmakers named in Oklahoma's lawsuit over the opioid crisis has agreed to a settlement in which it will pay the state $85 million.\n\nIsraeli-owned Teva Pharmaceuticals and Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter both announced the settlement Sunday in separate statements. Teva, its related affiliates and Johnson & Johnson and several of its subsidiaries were set to go to trial Tuesday in Norman.\n\nHunter said the case against Johnson & Johnson will proceed on schedule.\n\nHe also said the funds from the settlement with Teva will be used to fight the opioid crisis in Oklahoma.\n\nTeva did not admit any wrongdoing under the settlement.\n\nEarlier this year, Oklahoma settled with OxyContin-maker Purdue Pharma for $270 million.", "Oklahoma says it has reached an $85 million settlement with an Israel-based company over its alleged role in the state’s opioid epidemic.\n\nOklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter announced a settlement with Teva Pharmaceuticals in a news release Sunday. It came just days before the company was to appear in court alongside health care conglomerate Johnson & Johnson, which the state has accused of providing the narcotic ingredients for much of the U.S. prescription opioid supply.\n\n“Nearly all Oklahomans have been negatively impacted by this deadly crisis and we look forward to Tuesday, where we will prove our case against Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiaries,” Hunter said in the statement.\n\nTeva Pharmaceuticals is the second company to have settled with Oklahoma in its efforts to fight the opioid crisis. Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin and a central figure in the opioid crisis, settled out of court with Oklahoma on March 26, removing the state’s prime target in the lawsuit.\n\nTeva Pharmaceuticals, which primarily sells generic drugs, issued a statement saying the settlement does not establish any wrongdoing on the part of the company, and that Teva “has not contributed to the abuse of opioids in Oklahoma in any way.”\n\nTerms of the settlement agreement may take up to two weeks to finalize. Hunter said the money will be used by the state to abate the opioid crisis in Oklahoma.\n• Utah judge suspended for bashing Trump online and in court\n• Five reputed Bay Area gang members face more court proceedings in three murders\n• Disabled California man’s lawyers try to block his separation from husband who exhibited ‘abusive behavior’ After Purdue Pharma settled, Hunter, a Republican, has refocused on Teva Pharmaceutical and Johnson & Johnson, utilizing Oklahoma’s “public nuisance” law. Some of the more than 1,500 other jurisdictions around the country that have filed lawsuits against drug companies have made the same claim, alleging that the marketing, sales and distribution of opioids hurt people."], "summary": "Teva Pharmaceutical Industries announces, two days before their scheduled trial, it has agreed to pay $85 million to the U.S. state of Oklahoma in connection with allegations that it helped fuel the U.S. opioid epidemic."}
{"document": ["(CNN) One person was killed and at least 11 people have been injured in Peru, with a further seven injuries in neighboring Ecuador, after an 8.0 magnitude earthquake struck northern Peru on Sunday morning.\n\nPeru's National Emergency Operations Center reported the death of a 48-year-old man from the Cajamarca region in northwestern Peru following an earthquake in the country's Amazon region.\n\nThe earthquake's epicenter was at an approximate depth of 115 km, according to preliminary readings from the United States Geological Survey, and it was felt as far afield as Lima, Peru; Caracas, Venezuela; and Quito, Ecuador.\n\nRicardo Seijas, head of the emergency operations center, said the number of injured had risen to at least 11 people.\n\nThe emergency operations center reported numerous damages to buildings including five schools; two religious temples; and four health centers. Two additional health centers collapsed, said Seijas.\n\nRead More", "LIMA, Peru (AFP) – A strong 8.0-earthquake struck northern Peru in the early hours of Sunday, sending residents fleeing from their homes but there were no immediate reports of injuries.\n\nThe US Geological Survey said the epicenter was at a depth of 110 kilometers (68 miles).\n\nThe quake hit at 0741 GMT about 75 kilometers southeast of the town of Lagunas, along the Amazon basin near the border with Brazil.\n\n“Some casualties and damage are possible and the impact should be relatively localized,” USGS said in a preliminary assessment.\n\nQuakes of similar depth “typically cause less damage on the ground surface (but)… may be felt at great distance from their epicenters,” it later added.\n\nThe tremors were felt in northern and central Peru, including the capital Lima.\n\nSeismologists at the Geophysics Institute of Peru said the quake, which lasted just over two minutes, measured 7.5 magnitude, revising an earlier assessment of 7.2 magnitude.\n\nPeruvian President Martin Vizcarra urged citizens “to remain calm” in a message on his official Twitter account. “We’re evaluating the affected areas,” he said.\n\nInitial reports on Peruvian television said some damage to buildings occurred in the city of Yurimaguas, close to the epicenter, but no injuries had been recorded.\n\n“Based on all available data… there is no tsunami threat because the earthquake is located too deep inside the Earth,” the US-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said.\n\nIn February, a quake measuring 7.5 with its epicenter in neighboring Ecuador rattled the coast and Amazon region of northern Peru. It left nine people injured and caused damage in Ecuador, but Peru was unscathed.\n\nPeru is located in a seismically active region, and on Jan. 14 last year a quake measuring 7.3 killed two people and toppled buildings near the southern city of Arequipa.", "Peru: A powerful 8.0-earthquake struck northern Peru in the early hours of Sunday, sending frightened residents rushing into the street. Some injuries but no deaths have been reported.\n\nThe force of the quake, however, brought down many old houses in Yurimaguas, a town near the epicenter in a lightly populated area of Peru’s Amazon basin, the town’s mayor Hugo Araujo said.\n\n Some injuries were reported, roads were blocked and a bridge was damaged, according to a preliminary assessment cited by Peru’s President Martin Vizcarra. “It is an earthquake affecting the entire Peruvian jungle,” he said, describing it as the most powerful quake to hit Peru in 12 years.\n\n“We are coordinating to establish an air bridge to transport people who have an emergency,” he said. The quake hit at 0741 GMT about 75 kilometers (45 miles) southeast of the town of Lagunas and toward the border with Brazil, at a depth of at least 110 kilometers.\n\nThe US Geological Survey said the quake registered 8.0 in magnitude. The Institute of Geophysics of Peru, which uses a different scale, measured it at 7.5 on the Richter scale and said it lasted just over two minutes. The tremors were felt in northern and central Peru, including the capital Lima, where terrified residents ran out of their homes. The mayor of Lagunas, Arri Pezo, said many residents were too scared to venture back indoors for fear of aftershocks.\n\n“You could not walk at the time of the earthquake, things were falling,” Pezo told the RPP radio network, adding that it was difficult to determine the extent of damage because the electricity supply had been knocked out. The Interior Ministry said on its official Twitter page that no injuries or deaths had been reported, but some houses had collapsed. Araujo, the mayor of Yurimaguas, said, “there are many old houses that have collapsed after this strong earthquake.” The USGS said the impact “should be relatively localized.”\n\nQuakes of similar depth “typically cause less damage on the ground surface (but)… may be felt at great distance from their epicenters,” it later added. The USGS put the depth at 110 kilometers, while the Institute of Geophysics of Peru said it was 141 kilometers deep. Experts at the US-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said there was “no tsunami threat because the earthquake is located too deep inside the earth.”\n\nThe shockwave of Sunday’s tremor also extended to neighboring Ecuador, where power cuts were reported in parts of the Amazon region. “We have carried out the respective monitoring in each city to collect information and report damage after the earthquake; so far we have no news,” wrote Ecuadoran Vice President Otto Sonnenholzner on his Twitter account.\n\nThe president of Ecuador, Lenin Moreno, who is in Lima to attend a regional summit later on Sunday, tweeted that the town of Yantzaza had experienced power cuts, adding that officials would provide more information about the quake’s impact as it became available.\n\nPeruvian media said the tremor was also felt in parts of Colombia and Venezuela. Peru lies on the so-called Ring of Fire — an arc of fault lines that circles the Pacific Basin and is prone to frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. The South American country records about 200 earthquakes a year, most of them going unnoticed by the public.\n\nIn February a quake measuring 7.5 with its epicenter in Ecuador rattled the coast and Amazon region of northern Peru. It left nine people injured and caused damage in Ecuador, but Peru was unscathed. –AFP", "A powerful 8.0-earthquake toppled houses, blocked roads and knocked out power in parts of Peru on Sunday, killing one person and injuring at least 26 others as the shockwave extended into neighbouring Ecuador.\n\nThe quake hit in a sparsely populated region of Peru's Amazon basin region but was felt over a wide area. In Lima and other cities, frightened residents rushed into the streets.\n\n\"There are many old houses that have collapsed after this strong earthquake,\" said Hugo Araujo, the mayor of Yurimaguas, a town near the epicentre.\n\nThe quake blocked roads, damaged a bridge and knocked down houses, said Peru's President Martin Vizcarra, adding that it was the most powerful quake to hit the country in 12 years.\n\n\"We are working on establishing an air bridge to transport people who have an emergency,\" he said.\n\nThe quake struck about 75 kilometres (45 miles) southeast of the town of Lagunas at a depth of at least 110 kilometres.\n\nThe US Geological Survey and Peruvian geophysicists said the quake registered 8.0 in magnitude. They said it lasted just over two minutes.\n\nThe mayor of Lagunas, Arri Pezo, said many residents who fled from their homes later stayed in the streets for fear of aftershocks.\n\n\"You could not walk at the time of the earthquake, things were falling,\" Pezo told RPP. Power was knocked out, making it difficult to assess the damage, he said.\n\nOne of the most dramatic moments captured on social media happened in Yurimaguas. Video from the police station shows the police chief shouting at his subordinates to quickly open the jail cells and get inmates outside.\n\n\"The earthquake is strong!\" he is heard yelling. \"Open the cells! Help with the detainees, get one each!\"\n\nThe shockwave of Sunday's tremor also extended to neighbouring Ecuador, where power cuts were reported in parts of its Amazon basin region.\n\nPeru lies on the so-called Ring of Fire -- an arc of fault lines that circles the Pacific Basin and is prone to frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.\n\nThe South American country records about 200 earthquakes a year, most of them going unnoticed by the public.", "A powerful 8.0-earthquake toppled houses, blocked roads and knocked out power in parts of Peru, killing one person and injuring at least 26 others as the shockwave extended into neighboring Ecuador.\n\nThe quake hit in a sparsely populated region of Peru's Amazon basin region but was felt over a wide area. In Lima and other cities, frightened residents rushed into the streets.\n\n\"There are many old houses that have collapsed after this strong earthquake,\" said Hugo Araujo, the mayor of Yurimaguas, a town near the epicenter.\n\nPeru's civil defense coordinator Ricardo Seijas told RPP radio that a man was killed by falling debris in his house in Cajamarca.\n\nDanilo Munoz, the 48-year-old victim, was asleep when the quake struck at 2:41 am (0741 GMT).\n\nSeijas said 11 people were injured in Peru, and more than 50 houses were left uninhabitable.\n\nReports said 15 people had been hurt in Ecuador.\n\nThe quake blocked roads, damaged a bridge and knocked down houses, said Peru's President Martin Vizcarra, adding that it was the most powerful quake to hit the country in 12 years.\n\n\"It is an earthquake affecting the entire Peruvian jungle,\" he said.\n\n\"We are working on establishing an air bridge to transport people who have an emergency,\" he said.\n\nThe quake struck about 75 kilometers (45 miles) southeast of the town of Lagunas at a depth of at least 110 kilometers.\n\nThe US Geological Survey and Peruvian geophysicists said the quake registered 8.0 in magnitude. They said it lasted just over two minutes.\n\nThe mayor of Lagunas, Arri Pezo, said many residents who fled from their homes later stayed in the streets for fear of aftershocks.\n\n\"You could not walk at the time of the earthquake, things were falling,\" Pezo told RPP. Power was knocked out, making it difficult to assess the damage, he said.\n\nOne of the most dramatic moments captured on social media happened in Yurimaguas. Video from the police station shows the police chief shouting at his subordinates to quickly open the jail cells and get inmates outside.\n\n\"The earthquake is strong!\" he is heard yelling. \"Open the cells! Help with the detainees, get one each!\"\n\nThe shockwave of Sunday's tremor also extended to neighboring Ecuador, where power cuts were reported in parts of its Amazon basin region.\n\nPeruvian media said the tremor was also felt in parts of Colombia and Venezuela.\n\nPeru lies on the so-called Ring of Fire -- an arc of fault lines that circles the Pacific Basin and is prone to frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.\n\nThe South American country records about 200 earthquakes a year, most of them going unnoticed by the public.\n\nIn February, a quake measuring 7.5 with its epicenter in Ecuador rattled the coast and Amazon region of northern Peru.\n\nIt left nine people injured and caused damage in Ecuador, but Peru was unscathed.", "CAJAMARCA, Peru — One person was killed and at least 11 people have been injured in Peru, with a further seven injuries in neighboring Ecuador, after an 8.0 magnitude earthquake struck northern Peru on Sunday morning.\n\nPeru’s National Emergency Operations Center reported the death of a 48-year-old man from the Cajamarca region in northwestern Peru following an earthquake in the country’s Amazon region.\n\nThe earthquake’s epicenter was at an approximate depth of 115 km, according to preliminary readings from the United States Geological Survey, and it was felt as far afield as Lima, Peru; Caracas, Venezuela; and Quito, Ecuador.\n\nRicardo Seijas, head of the emergency operations center, said the number of injured had risen to at least 11 people.\n\nThe emergency operations center reported numerous damages to buildings including five schools; two religious temples; and four health centers. Two additional health centers collapsed, said Seijas.\n\nPeruvian President Martin Vizcarra has traveled to Yurimaguas, a city in the Peruvian Amazon that was among the hardest hit by the earthquake.\n\nVizcarra arrived with other top government officials, and said they are coordinating with local leaders to evaluate the damage.\n\nThe president said he himself, along with his transportation minister, will evaluate damage to roadways.\n\nOther officials will evaluate damages to structures and any effect on a nearby reservoir, Vizcarra said.\n\nEarlier in the day Vizcarra reported injuries as well as damages to homes and roadways, in a statement on state TV.\n\n“We already have reports of injuries, of affected homes, collapsed highways and a bridge that connects Yurimaguas with Tarapoto has also collapsed,” Vizcarra said.\n\nThe country’s civil protection agency is sending teams to the affected areas, he added.\n\nFive injuries were confirmed by the country’s health ministry on Twitter.\n\nTwo of the injured are from the city of Yurimaguas, and the other injuries were from other provinces in the Amazon region, the ministry said.\n\nEcuador’s Vice President Otto Sonnenholzner confirmed at least 7 injuries in the country as a result of the earthquake.\n\nThere are no immediate reports of infrastructure damage, he added.\n\nLandslides have been reported in various parts of the country, according to Ecuador’s emergency management agency.\n\n“The strong earthquake that occurred early this morning was felt in several regions of the country,” Peru’s Vizcarra tweeted earlier Sunday.\n\n“We are evaluating the affected areas. I ask all of our citizens to remain calm.”\n\nThe earthquake was the strongest in Peru in 12 years, Vizcarra said.\n\nPeru’s National Emergency Operations Center tweeted that the earthquake was felt in several regions of the country, and monitoring continues.\n\nThe country’s interior ministry tweeted photos of damaged houses in the northern Amazonas region, adding that police were on site to protect affected areas.\n\nEcuador’s President Lenín Moreno also tweeted: “I am awaiting of the information about the strong earthquake recorded this morning.”\n\nAt least 65 people were injured in the cities of Arequipa, Ica and Ayacucho in southern Peru, the National Civil Defense Institute reported.\n\nOn August 15, 2007 a magnitude 8.0 earthquake struck about 100 miles south of the Peruvian capital of Lima, killing approximately 514 people.", "An 8.0 Earthquake in Peru Early This Morning, Collapsing Buildings & Knocking Out Power to Most Areas & Reports of Injuries. 🙏\n\n\n\nNo Tsunami Threat.#Peru#Earthquake#RingofFire pic.twitter.com/METFysbuz5", "LIMA (Reuters) - An earthquake with a magnitude as high as 8.0 stuck northern Peru in the early hours of Sunday morning, the United States Geological Survey reported.\n\nThe quake, at an \"intermediate depth\" of around 110 kilometres, was felt around the country and even hundreds of miles away in the capital city of Lima, local authorities reported.\n\nThere were no initial reports of casualties or of significant damage.\n\nIntermediate depth quakes typically cause less surface damage than shallower tremors. Peru sits on the so-called Pacific \"Ring of Fire\" where the majority of the world’s seismic activity occurs.\n\n\"There are no reports of casualties nor of major material damage at this point,\" Hernán Talavera, head of the Geophysical Institute of Peru (IGP), told local radio station RPP.\n\nThe earthquake was around 75km SSE of Lagunas and 180 km east of the town of Moyobamba the USGS said.\n\nThere were local reports of electric power cuts in the cities of Iquitos and Tarapoto, Amazonian towns in the Loreto region of the country. Pictures and videos online also showed some cracked and damaged walls.\n\nPeruvian President Martin Vizcarra said on Twitter that authorities were \"evaluating the affected areas\" and urged people to remain calm.", "An 8.0-earthquake struck northern Peru in the early hours of Sunday but there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.\n\nThe US Geological Survey said the epicenter was at a depth of 110 kilometers (68 miles). The agency has previously said that most big quakes in South America occur at a maximum depth of 70 kilometers.\n\nThe quake hit at 0741 GMT about 75 kilometers southeast of the town of Lagunas, along the Amazon basin near the border with Brazil.\n\n“Some casualties and damage are possible and the impact should be relatively localized,” USGS said in a preliminary assessment.\n\nThe Geophysics Institute of Peru said the quake measured 7.2 magnitude while Peruvian authorities said the tremor caused alarm among locals but no damage was reported.\n\nThe earthquake was felt in northern and central Peru, including the capital Lima.\n\n“Based on all available data... there is no tsunami threat because the earthquake is located too deep inside the earth,” the US-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said.\n\nIn February a quake measuring 7.5 with its epicenter in neighboring Ecuador rattled the coast and Amazon region of northern Peru.\n\nIt left nine people injured and caused damage in Ecuador, but Peru was unscathed.\n\nPeru is located in a seismically active region, and on January 14 last year a quake measuring 7.3 killed two people and toppled buildings near the southern city of Arequipa.", "LIMA: A powerful 8.0-earthquake struck northern Peru in the early hours of Sunday (May 26), toppling houses, blocking roads and knocking out power to some localities.\n\nOne person was killed and 18 others injured as the shockwave extended into neighbouring Ecuador, authorities said.\n\n\n\n\"There are many old houses that have collapsed after this strong earthquake,\" said Hugo Araujo, the mayor of Yurimaguas, a town near the epicentre.\n\nThe quake hit in a lightly populated area of Peru's Amazon basin but was felt over a wide area. In Lima and other cities frightened residents rushed into the streets.\n\nPeru's civil defence coordinator Ricardo Seijas told RPP radio that a man was killed when a rock fell on his house in the region of Cajamarca.\n\nDanilo Munoz, the 48-year-old victim, was asleep when the quake struck at 2.41am (3.41pm Singapore time).\n\nSeijas said 11 people were injured in Peru. Ecuador's Vice President Otto Sonnenholzner said an additional seven people were injured in his country.\n\nMore than 50 houses in Peru were left uninhabitable, Seijas said.\n\n\n\nThe quake blocked roads, damaged a bridge and knocked down houses, said Peru's President Martin Vizcarra, adding that it was the most powerful quake to hit the country in 12 years.\n\n\"It is an earthquake affecting the entire Peruvian jungle,\" he said.\n\n\"We are coordinating to establish an air bridge to transport people who have an emergency,\" he said.\n\nThe quake struck about 75 kilometres southeast of the town of Lagunas and toward the border with Brazil, at a depth of at least 110 kilometres.\n\nThe US Geological Survey and Peruvian geophysicists said the quake registered 8.0 in magnitude. They said it lasted just over two minutes.\n\n\n\nThe mayor of Lagunas, Arri Pezo, said many residents who fled from their homes later stayed in the streets for fear of aftershocks.\n\n\"You could not walk at the time of the earthquake, things were falling,\" Pezo told the RPP radio. Power was knocked out, making it difficult to assess the damage, he said.\n\nOne of the most dramatic moments captured on social media happened in Yurimaguas. Video from the police station shows the police chief shouting at his subordinates to quickly open the jail cells and get inmates outside.\n\n\"The earthquake is strong!\" he is heard yelling. \"Open the cells! Help with the detainees, get one each!\"\n\nThe USGS put the depth of the quake at 110 kilometres, while the Institute of Geophysics of Peru said it was 141 kilometres deep.\n\nQuakes of similar depth \"typically cause less damage on the ground surface (but) ... may be felt at great distance from their epicentres,\" it later added.\n\nExperts at the US-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said there was \"no tsunami threat because the earthquake is located too deep inside the earth.\"\n\nThe shockwave of Sunday's tremor also extended to neighbouring Ecuador, where power cuts were reported in parts of the Amazon region.\n\nPeruvian media said the tremor was also felt in parts of Colombia and Venezuela.\n\nPeru lies on the so-called Ring of Fire - an arc of fault lines that circles the Pacific Basin and is prone to frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.\n\nThe South American country records about 200 earthquakes a year, most of them going unnoticed by the public.\n\nIn February a quake measuring 7.5 with its epicentre in Ecuador rattled the coast and Amazon region of northern Peru.\n\nIt left nine people injured and caused damage in Ecuador, but Peru was unscathed."], "summary": "A strong earthquake measuring Mw 8.0 strikes northeastern Peru, causing one death and several injuries."}
{"document": ["A total of 21 countries of the European Union hit the ballot boxes to vote for the European Parliament (EP) elections on Sunday.\n\nThe voting process is between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. The unofficial results are expected to be made public by tonight.\n\nThe citizens of Germany, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Croatia, Spain, Sweden, Italy, Greek Cypriot administration, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Hungary, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia and Greece will vote in the final phase of the elections.\n\nBetween May 23 and 25, the people of the UK, the Netherlands, Czechia, Ireland, Slovakia, Malta, and Latvia went to ballot boxes to cast their votes.\n\nThe election regulations are organized in line with the domestic laws of the member countries.\n\nAbout 400 million votes are eligible to cast ballots in the EP elections, making it the second largest democratic election after India. This year’s competition will be between eight different groups within the parliament. The EP is composed of a total of 751 seats. The EP elections are held every five years, 2014 elections drew merely 42% of the voters.\n\nOperating as the legislative body of the union, EP, along with the European Union Council, confirms and approves the union's laws and budget respectively.", "Athens, May 27 (IANS) Greek main opposition conservative New Democracy (ND) party leads European Parliament elections, garnering 32.7 per cent of the vote against 24 per cent for the ruling Radical Left SYRIZA party, according to estimates based on the first official results announced on national broadcaster ERT.\n\nGreeks went to the polls on Sunday to choose their 21 representatives in the next European parliament for the next five years, as well as in regional authorities, municipalities and communities throughout Greece, Xinhua reported on Sunday.\n\nWith about 10 per cent of the vote counted nationwide, according to the early projections issued by the Interior Ministry, six parties will most probably send representatives to the European parliament, clearing the three percent threshold needed under Greece’s electoral law.\n\nThe centrist Movement for Change (KINAL) wins 7.8 per cent of the vote, the Greek Communist Party (KKE) ranks fourth with 5.6 per cent and the ultra-Right Chryssi Avghi (Golden Dawn) garners 4.8 per cent of the vote.\n\nA new right-wing party, the Greek Solution, wins 4.2 per cent of the vote.\n\nDIEM25, a party founded by former Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis, wins 2.9 per cent of the vote, according to the projections.\n\nLocal media commentators noted in first reactions that the outcome may lead to national elections soon, earlier than October this year, when the government’s term in office ends.\n\nSo far Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and ND leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis have not commented on the results.\n\nSeveral ND deputies participating in talks shows in many TV channels on Sunday evening said that Greece is undergoing a major political change and that after the 2014 European elections when SYRIZA had won ND by 26.6-22.7 per cent of the vote, Tsipras had asked for snap polls.\n\nA party statement reminded that during this pre-election campaign the Prime Minister had asked for a vote of confidence in his government’s policies.\n\nOn the other hand, many cabinet ministers, including government spokesman Dimitris Tzanakopoulos, based on the earlier exit polls, said that it seems that SYRIZA has not suffered a strategic defeat that would justify “political developments”.\n\nThe final official results are expected on Monday.", "The Latest: Slovakia pro-EU party comes in 1st in EU vote\n\nBRUSSELS (AP) — The Latest on elections for the European Parliament (all times local):\n\nA new pro-EU coalition linked to President-elect Zuzana Caputova has won the European Parliament election in Slovakia while a far-right party gained seats in the EU legislature for the first time.\n\nAccording to the final results released by the Slovak Statistics Office, the coalition Progressive Slovakia/Together received 20.1 % of the vote, gaining four seats in the European legislature.\n\nCaputova was Progressive Slovakia deputy chairman before winning the March presidential election.\n\nPeople's Party Our Slovakia, a far-right party, finished third with 12.1 %, winning two seats.\n\nBut Slovakia's local ally of France's far-right National Rally party led by Marine Le Pen didn't win a seat.\n\nA centrist party in the Czech Republic led by populist Prime Minister Andrej Babis won the most votes in the European Parliament election despite the fact that Babis is facing fraud charges involving the use of EU funds.\n\nThe Czech Statistics office says his ANO (YES) group has won 21.2% percent of the Sunday vote or six seats — two more than in 2014 —of the 21 seats at stake in the Czech ballot.\n\nBabis wants his country to remain in the bloc but is calling for EU reforms.\n\nThe Czech Republic's most ardent anti-EU group, the Freedom and Direct Democracy party, captured its first seats — two of them — in the EU legislature after finishing fifth with 9.1%. The party is the Czech ally of France's far-right National Rally party led Marine Le Pen.\n\nThe moderate euroskeptic Civic Democratic Party was second in the vote, winning four seats, while two pro-European parties, Pirate party and conservative TOP 09, won three seats each.\n\nThe first official British results in the European Parliament election bear out predictions of victory for the Brexit Party led by anti-EU campaigner Nigel Farage.\n\nThe tally from northeast England, the first of the U.K.'s 12 regions to report, gives the single-issue party, launched just weeks ago, 39% of the vote.\n\nThe left-of-center Labour Party, which has traditionally dominated the region, got 19% of the vote, down sharply from 2014.\n\nThe pro-EU Liberal Democrats, campaigning to stop Brexit, more than doubled their share to 17% of the vote, while and the governing Conservatives got just 7%, one point behind the Greens.\n\nMany U.K. voters are apparently using the election to protest at Britain's Brexit deadlock.\n\nHungary's National Election Office says Prime Minister Viktor Orban's ruling Fidesz party has won 13 of Hungary's 21 seats in the EU parliament, one seat more than in the 2014 vote.\n\nWith 99.9% of the votes counted Sunday evening, former Socialist Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany's Democratic Coalition has won four seats and the liberal Momentum Movement has captured two seats.\n\nBoth the left-wing/green coalition of the Socialist and Dialogue parties, and the right-wing Jobbik party got one seat each, worse than expected.\n\nVoter turnout was above 43%, the highest for an EU parliament election in Hungary, which first took part in the balloting in 2004.\n\nSpain's Socialists have won the European elections ahead of the conservative Popular Party, according to provisional results released by Spain's Interior Ministry.\n\nWith 85% of the votes counted, the Socialists will win 32.9% of the vote and 20 seats of the 54 that Spain is allocated in the European Parliament. The conservative Popular Party, which suffered major losses in the April 28 national election, has won 12 seats, down from 16 seats in 2014.\n\nThe upstart far-right Vox party is the fifth most popular in Spain, earning three seats, its first time in the European Parliament.\n\nThe poor showing for the Popular Party comes after it was crushed in last month's national election. The party has been hurt by corruption allegations and convictions.\n\nThe victory will strengthen Sánchez as he tries to form a coalition government.\n\nThe Socialists are also hoping to do well in local and regional elections in Spain on Sunday.\n\nExit polls indicate the right-wing populist League party led by Italy's hard-line interior minister, Matteo Salvini, posted huge gains in this year's European parliamentary election to become Italy's largest party.\n\nThe League won between 27% and 31% of the vote, up from 6.2% five years ago. Salvini has been working to expand an alliance of right-wing populist parties in a bid to upend European politics and slow down, if not turn around, the drive toward greater European integration.\n\nIn another significant result, the League's government coalition partner, the populist 5-Star Movement, is Italy's third party, behind the Democratic Party, which lost badly in last year's national election.\n\nIf the 5-Star Movement's finish behind the Democratic Party is confirmed in the final result, it could have implications for Italy's governing coalition.\n\nProjected results from the European Parliament in Portugal predict a victory for the Socialists of Prime Minister António Costa.\n\nThe Socialists are projected to win with nearly 32.5% of the vote, slightly down from 2014 when it took 34%.\n\nThe center-right opposition is set to take 22.9%, while the leftist Bloco de Esquerda is projected to get nearly 10.3% of the vote.\n\nCosta will face a national election in Portugal in October.\n\nVoters in ethnically divided Cyprus have elected a Turkish Cypriot to the European Parliament for the first time since the island nation joined the 28-member bloc in 2004.\n\nNiyazi Kizilyurek, who teaches at the University of Cyprus' Turkish and Middle Eastern Studies Department, ran for the communist-rooted AKEL party that was the runner-up in Sunday's European parliament election behind the conservative Democratic Rally party.\n\nKizilyurek told private TV station Sigma that he'll represent Cyprus and its European citizens, irrespective of ethnic origin.\n\nAKEL leader Andros Kyprianou said the election of Kizilyurek, 60, sends a strong message to other EU nations that Cypriots want an end to their country's division and want more EU help in peace efforts.\n\nDespite earlier opinion polls, far-right party ELAM didn't manage to gain one of Cyprus' six allotted seats at the European Parliament, even though it doubled its support.\n\nThe pro-business ALDE group said Sunday's voting projections make it clear that the European Parliament will have a \"new balance of power\" and the long-dominant European People's Party and Socialists groups will have to share much more power.\n\nGuy Verhofstadt said his group, boosted by the addition of French President Macron's LREM party, will be an essential powerbroker in the negotiations to get a working majority in the legislature and back a candidate to succeed Jean-Claude Juncker as Commission President.\n\nVerhofstadt says the two mainstream parties \"will no longer have a majority and it means no solid pro-EU majority is possible\" without his ALDE group and others pro-EU parties like the Greens.\n\nLatest projections show the EPP getting 173 seats, down from 217, and the Socialist S&D with 147, down from 186. Together they hold 320 seats in the 751-seat legislature.\n\nVerhofstadt's group is projected to get 102 seats and the Greens 71.\n\nAn exit poll shows a huge setback in the European Parliament election for Romania's ruling coalition, led by the Social Democratic Party.\n\nData released Sunday by pollsters Avangarde and CURS show the Social Democrats, or PSD, getting a 25.8% of the votes, enough only to tie the opposition National Liberal Party, or PNL.\n\nThe PSD's junior coalition partner, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, may get less than the mandatory 5% of votes needed to win a seat in the EU legislature.\n\nRomanian President Klaus Iohannis says the Social Democrats have \"failed,\" adding that the only possible option was that their government \"has to go.\" Critics say the government tolerates corruption.\n\nPrime Minister Viorica Dancila said she wouldn't step down, declaring that \"Romanians trust the current government. These were EU, not national, elections.\"\n\nFrench President Emmanuel Macron's party is pledging to combat nationalists at the European Parliament and block them from weakening France.\n\nThe lead candidate of Macron's centrist party, Nathalie Loiseau, urged all pro-European forces \"to unite to defend the interests of the Europeans\" and not let the European Union fall into the hands of \"those who want to unbuild it.\"\n\nIn France, polling agency estimates show that Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally party is expected to beat Macron's centrist party in the European election.\n\nLoiseau said her party, associated with the pro-market ALDE alliance in a new centrist group, will have a key role as they will represent the third strongest force at the European Parliament.\n\nFrench Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said he will continue to implement Macron's policies and planned reforms.\n\nIn Greece, New Democracy leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the protected winner of Sunday's European election, has just called on Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras to resign.\n\nTsipras, who is not obliged to call an early election until his term expires in October, is at the Syriza party headquarters. Top Syriza officials say an early election is not on the cards.\n\nThe Interior Ministry's pollster estimates that conservative opposition New Democracy will get 32.8%, while the ruling left-wing Syriza party will get 24%.\n\nIn other estimates, the Socialists got 7.8%, the Communist Party saw 5.6%, the far-right Golden Dawn saw 4.8% and the nationalist Greek Solution was projected at 4.1%. The estimate is based on results from 10% of polling stations.\n\nGreen leaders in the European Parliament are hailing a \"green wave\" that has spread throughout Europe after early projections showed the environmentalist movement is likely to make significant gains.\n\nEarly projections Sunday suggest the Greens will secure 71 seats in the 751-seat parliament, up from 52 seats five years ago. The Greens appear to have done well in France, Germany and Ireland.\n\nThe Greens co-leader in the assembly, Ska Keller, says \"the green wave has really spread all over Europe and for us that is a fantastic result.\"\n\nFellow Greens leader Philippe Lamberts says the party cannot be avoided as groups begin negotiations in coming days to form alliances in the parliament to counter the likely rise of anti-EU parties.\n\nLamberts says \"to forge a stable European Union, the Greens are indispensable.\"\n\nAn exit poll in Poland shows the nationalist conservative ruling Law and Justice party as the biggest vote-getter in the European Parliament election, with 42.6% of the vote.\n\nIf the projection is confirmed by the official results, it would put the party in a strong position ahead of Poland's national parliamentary election in the fall.\n\nThe exit poll by the Ipsos agency shows the ruling party's main rival, the European Coalition, running in second place with 39.1%. The coalition is led by the centrist Civic Platform party and includes several other parties.\n\nThe exit poll gave Spring, a new center-left party that backs fighting climate change, 6.6% support.\n\nA far-right alliance formed to stand in the European election, Confederation, had 6.6% of the vote according to the exit poll.\n\nThe ruling, pro-EU conservatives are projected to win the most votes in the European election in Croatia, the European Union's newest member.\n\nAn exit poll carried by the public broadcaster HRT said Sunday that the Croatian Democratic Union will win some 23% of the ballot, followed by the center-left Social Democratic Party with around 17%.\n\nHRT says the exit polls have been conducted by the Ipsos polling agency. Partial official results are expected later in the evening.\n\nThe exit polls also indicated that a far-right coalition could win 6.6% of the ballot, or one of the 12 EU seats for Croatia. Local media say the biggest surprise is the third position for an independent list with some 8% of the votes.\n\nFirst European Parliament projections suggest that mainstream parties have lost ground in the EU elections, with the Greens and far-right and populist parties set to pick up seats.\n\nThe projections, based on estimates in 11 EU member countries and voting intentions in 17 others, show that the center-right European People's Party would remain the biggest group with 173 seats, down from 217 in 2014.\n\nThe center-left Socialists would lose 40 seats, dropping to 147.\n\nThe left-wing Greens seem set to win 71 seats, up from 52 in 2014.\n\nThe European of Nations and Freedom group, which combines populist and far-right parties in countries like France and Italy, looks like it will secure 57 seats, up 20 from five years ago.\n\nDespite the losses for mainstream parties, staunchly pro-EU parties are slated to win 493 of the 751 seats in Parliament.\n\nFrench far-right, nationalist leader Marine Le Pen is declaring victory in the European Parliament election over pro-EU French President Emmanuel Macron.\n\nFrench polling agencies are projecting that Le Pen's National Rally will come first in France's voting Sunday, followed by Macron's centrist Republic on the Move party.\n\nLe Pen said the expected result \"confirms the new nationalist-globalist division\" in France and beyond.\n\nShe immediately expressed hope the election could foreshadow her party's victory in France's 2022 presidential election. Le Pen was beaten handily by Macron in France's 2017 presidential vote.\n\nShe called on Macron to dissolve the French parliament.\n\nMacron says the National Rally represents the \"leprosy\" of nationalism that is eating the EU from within. For Le Pen, the race is a battle to preserve European civilization from immigration and globalization.\n\nAustrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz says he is \"invigorated\" by a projection showing a big win for his center-right party after a week in which his governing coalition collapsed.\n\nThe projection for ORF public television, the Austria Press Agency and private broadcaster ATV pointed to Kurz's center-right People's Party finishing well ahead of the center-left Social Democrats in the European Parliament vote. It also shows Kurz's former coalition partner, the far-right Freedom Party, a distant third.\n\nA scandal surrounding the Freedom Party's now-departed leader brought down the coalition and prompted Kurz to call for an early national election in September.\n\nKurz still may be unseated by an opposition no-confidence vote in parliament on Monday. But he told supporters on Sunday: \"Whatever is going to happen tomorrow and in the following days we are defying the rain, we are defying everything else that is going to come our way. We emerge invigorated.\"\n\nFrench polling agency estimates show that Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally party is expected to beat French President Emmanuel Macron's party in the European elections.\n\nThe populist, anti-immigrant National Rally is estimated to win 23% to 24% of the vote, compared to 21.9% to 22.5% for Macron's centrist, pro-European party. That's according to estimates by the Ifop and Ipsos polling agencies.\n\nThe green party EELV is estimated at 12.8% to 13%, a sharp rise compared to previous European elections.\n\nThe French conservative party, The Republicans, is expected to be in fourth position with about 8% support while far-left France Insoumise (\"Rebel France\") and the Socialist party are both estimated to capture between 6% and 7% support.\n\nIn France, polling agencies including Ifop and Ipsos are forecasting the nationwide vote result based on projections from the actual vote count in select constituencies.\n\nThe European Parliament spokesman says turnout for this year's pivotal election is nearing 51% for 27 nations, according to preliminary figures.\n\nJaume Duch Guillot says the figure, which excludes Britain, is the highest in at least 20 years and reverses years of steady decline. U.K. figures are expected later Sunday evening, as final tallies roll in for an election that both centrist parties and the far-right have portrayed as a referendum on sovereignty and the European Union.\n\nFour days of voting will end Sunday, and 426 million people across 28 nations were eligible to vote for the makeup of the European Parliament. In the case of Britain, voters are electing legislators who will lose their jobs when Brexit is finalized.\n\nIt is, Guillot said, \"very significant increase in turnout for the very first time since the first European elections took place in 1979.\"\n\nIn Greece, an updated exit poll shows the conservative opposition New Democracy party winning between 32.5% to 34.5% of Sunday's vote for the European Parliament.\n\nGreece's governing left-wing Syriza is projected to get between 24% and 26%. The socialists of Movement for Change are expected to see between 7.2% to 8.2% support; the Communists between 5% to 6%; while the extreme-right Golden Dawn and the nationalist Greek Solution both are projected to get 4% to 5% support.\n\nThe threshold to elect one of Greece's 21 European lawmakers is 3%. The exit poll was conducted jointly by five polling firms.\n\nGreece is also voting for regional and local councils Sunday.\n\nVoters from 21 EU nations went to the polls Sunday in the final day of a crucial European Parliament election.\n\nThe Greens are celebrating projected strong gains in Germany in the European Parliament elections and a good showing in Ireland.\n\nAn exit poll published by the European Parliament says that in Germany, the Greens finished second with 22% support, double their result five years ago. The poll shows that in Ireland the Green Party was in a three-way tie for second place behind the governing Fine Gael party.\n\nSka Keller of the European Greens hailed the results Sunday evening. She says, \"it is a great celebration but it's also a great responsibility. It is a great task to now put into action those things that people asked us to do: Climate protection, social justice in Europe and fighting for civil liberties all over.\"\n\nThe strong showings for the Greens follow protests by students and activists across Europe calling for faster action to tackle climate change.\n\nIn Bulgaria, the ruling center-right GERB party is projected to come in first in the European election in that nation, according to an exit poll jointly conducted by two Bulgarian polling firms.\n\nThe poll by Alpha Research and Gallup International says GERB is projected to win 30% to 33% of the vote, compared to 23% to 25% for the opposition Socialist party.\n\nThe liberal Movement for Rights and Freedoms party is projected to win 13%, while a nationalist formation, the VMRO, and the right-wing Democratic Bulgaria party are projected to get between 6% and 8% each.\n\nBulgarian President Rumen Radev says \"we need a united and strong Europe\" based on solidarity.\n\nVoters from 21 EU nations went to the polls Sunday in the final day of a crucial European Parliament election that could see gains by nationalists and far-right movements. The EU's other seven nations voted earlier this week but results on all the voting will not be released until after all polls close Sunday night.\n\nThe center-right candidate to lead the European Union Executive's Commission is promising to bring \"stability\" to the European Union over the next few years and predicts pro-EU forces will lead the next parliament.\n\nManfred Weber, the candidate of the European People's Party, said in Berlin that Sunday's European Parliament elections appear to have weakened the political center. He says it's \"most necessary for the forces that believe in this Europe, that want to lead this Europe to a good future, that have ambitions for this Europe, ... (to) work together.\"\n\nHe said those forces have to have a \"clear division\" from other political groups who oppose Europe on both the right and the left.\n\nWeber said the EPP will be \"hopefully the strongest group\" in the new European parliament. He said \"we promised stability, and (we) will guarantee this stability in the coming years.\"\n\nSpain's Interior Ministry says turnout for the European elections at 6 p.m. (1600 GMT) is up to 49.3% from nearly 34.1% in 2014.\n\nSpain is also holding local and some regional elections Sunday, including the highly watched races for the mayor of Madrid and Barcelona. The 2014 European elections were held alone.\n\nStill, turnout was down from Spain's April 28 national election, when it was nearly 60.8% at 1600 GMT.\n\nIn Barcelona, a Catalan separatist candidate is trying to oust its incumbent far-left mayor, who says she does not support secession but believes that Catalans should vote on the question.\n\nIn Greece, the conservative opposition New Democracy party is projected to win the European election, according to an exit poll jointly conducted by five Greek polling firms.\n\nNew Democracy is projected to win 32% to 36% of the vote, compared to 25% to 29% for the ruling left-wing Syriza.\n\nThe socialist Movement for Change is projected to win 7% to 9%, while the extreme right Golden Dawn and the Communist party are expected to get between 5% and 7% each.\n\nTwo more parties, far-right nationalist Greek Solution and Diem25, the Greek section of former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis' European movement, have a chance to exceed the 3% threshold required for sending a representative to the European Parliament.\n\nThe poll, with 7,000 respondents, was conducted until 5 p.m. (1400 GMT), two hours before voting ended, and will be updated.\n\nAn exit poll shows Germany's governing parties losing significant ground in the European Parliament election, with big gains for the Greens party and a much smaller increase for the far-right.\n\nThe ARD television exit poll put support for Chancellor Angela Merkel's center-right Union bloc at 28% and showed their coalition partners in Berlin, the center-left Social Democrats, dropping to a dismal 15.5%. Five years ago, those parties took 35.4% and 27.3% respectively of the vote.\n\nIt showed the Greens easily taking second place with 22% — double their result five years ago. The far-right Alternative for Germany was seen with 10.5% support, better than its showing in 2014 but less than it scored in Germany's last national election in 2017.\n\nFrance's Interior Ministry says turnout for the European Parliament election was up in the country compared to previous vote.\n\nIn France, turnout was over 43% at 5 p.m. (1500GMT), compared with 35% at the same time in 2014. Polls remain open until 8 p.m. in the country's big cities.\n\nSeveral French poll institutes estimate that the final turnout may be over 50% at the end of the day, which would be a first in the country since 1994.\n\nA similar rise in turnout has been observed in neighboring Spain and Germany.\n\nIn the whole European Union, turnout for this pan-European vote has trended downward since the first election in 1979. Turnout stood at less than 43% in the 2014 vote.\n\nA projection for Austrian public television and the country's national news agency points to a big win for Chancellor Sebastian Kurz's center-right party in the European Parliament election, with the far-right Freedom Party finishing far behind in third place.\n\nThe projection was released after polls closed Sunday in Austria. It put support for Kurz's center-right People's Party at 34.5%, with the center-left Social Democrats at 23.5%, the Freedom Party at 17.5% and the Greens at 13.5% support.\n\nIt was based on 5,200 interviews conducted from Tuesday to Sunday.\n\nThe vote for the joint European Parliament is a the first test in Austria ahead of a national election in September that Kurz called a week ago after a scandal erupted surrounding the Freedom Party's leader. Heinz-Christian Strache quit as party leader and vice chancellor, and the governing coalition between the People's Party and the Freedom Party then collapsed.\n\nItaly's anti-migrant hard-line Interior Minister Matteo Salvini says he feels a \"change in the air\" and that a win by his right-wing League party would \"change everything in Europe.\"\n\nSalvini's League is seeking to form an alliance of nationalist, populist parties to exert more power in the European Parliament over the affairs of the European Union. He's campaigned relentlessly throughout Italy and has become the face of Europe's far-right by speaking out against migrants and the influence of Muslims in Europe.\n\nThe League party, once just a regional power in northern Italy, is gaining strength throughout the country. It's the junior partner in a coalition government with the populist 5-Star Movement, but the coalition is on rocky ground. Salvini may be tempted to end the partnership to seek a new election in Italy if his electoral gains on the European front are significant.\n\nBut on Sunday, he voted in the European election and dismissed speculation about seeking new elections.\n\nHe told reporters \"I'm interested in winning in Italy to change Europe,\" according to the Italian news agency ANSA.\n\nTurnout appears to be up in several of the European Union's largest countries for the continentwide battle for influence at the European Parliament.\n\nTurnout was up slightly in Spain, France and Germany by mid-afternoon.\n\nIn Spain, turnout was up to 35% compared to 24% at the same time in the last European elections in 2014. Spain is also holding municipal and some regional elections —including for mayor of Madrid and Barcelona— while in 2014 the European elections were separate.\n\nIn Germany, the federal election authority said that 29% of registered voters had cast ballots by 2 p.m., four hours before polls closed. That's up from 26% at the same time in 2014. The figure doesn't include postal votes.\n\nAnd in France, turnout was at 19% at noon, compared with 16% at the same time in 2014.\n\nThe leader of Spain's upstart far-right Vox party, Santiago Abascal, asked Spaniards to make \"their voice heard\" after he cast his ballot in Madrid.\n\n\"We come to these elections calling for participation from all Spaniards in accordance to their convictions and principles,\" Abascal said. \"We want to tell them that it is important that each Spaniard has their voice in the municipal and regional institutions, also in the European institutions as, often, this is not seen with much interest by citizens.\"\n\nVox erupted into the Spanish political scene in December when it won its first seats in the regional legislature for the Andalusia region. It then won 10% of the vote in national elections on April 28 to enter the Spanish Parliament.\n\nFounded in 2013, Vox failed to win a seat in 2014 European elections, its first electoral test.\n\nUnlike other European far-right parties, Vox is not anti-European Union despite its ultranationalist ideology.\n\nAnti-EU and pro-EU parties are both hoping to make gains in a Brexit-dominated election for British seats in the European Parliament, while the governing Conservative Party is bracing for one of its worst-ever performances.\n\nDaniel Hannan, a Conservative Member of the European Parliament, said he feared the party was facing \"total wipeout\" and would fail to gain any of Britain's 73 seats.\n\nThe Conservatives look likely to be punished for failing to take the country out of the EU as promised. Opinion polls suggest the newly founded Brexit Party led by Nigel Farage is set to take the biggest share of votes. There could also be a surge for the centrist Liberal Democrats, who want to stop Brexit.\n\nIn the last EU election in 2014, Farage's former UKIP party won 27% of the vote, helping to build momentum in the push to get Britain out of the EU.\n\nSpaniards in the restive northeastern region of Catalonia are voting in European elections that include two high-profile separatist leaders who are running from jail and self-imposed exile.\n\nFormer Catalan regional president Carles Puigdemont and his ex-No. 2 Oriol Junqueras are both running on competing tickets of separatist parties for the European Parliament.\n\nJunqueras is in jail in Madrid while on trial on charges that include rebellion for his part in Catalonia's attempt to secede from the rest of Spain in 2017. Puigdemont is wanted in Spain and fled to Belgium.\n\nBoth have been allowed to run as candidates, but would face legal hurdles to actually become European Parliament members if elected.\n\nPolls and recent election results show that the 7.5 million residents of the wealthy Catalonia region are roughly split by the secession issue. It is highly unpopular in the rest of Spain.\n\n\"I think a lot is at stake for Catalonia in the European elections,\" Manuel Guajardo, a 57-year-old businessman, said after voting in Barcelona. \"It will be the definition of a people, to take a path or another path, and these elections will mark this.\"\n\nBarcelona is also holding municipal elections, where a separatist candidate is trying to oust its incumbent far-left mayor, who says she does not support secession but believes that Catalans should vote on the question.\n\nIn Castelbuono, a Medieval mountain town in Sicily's province of Palermo, a steady but sluggish stream of voters is showing up to cast ballots.\n\nMany of the town's residents are backing the 5-Star Movement, a populist party now in a coalition government with the anti-migrant League party.\n\nOne of these is Vincenzo Messineo, a 32-year-old laborer who's concerned about youth unemployment and the influx of migrants.\n\n\"We don't want them all here,\" he said. \"Europe is united so why can't they be divided among other countries too?\"\n\nFor Anna Maria Ippolito, a 62-year-old 5-Star Movement supporter, financial inequality is a top concern.\n\n\"Six percent of the Italian population has all the wealth,\" she said. \"It's not at all right. Paying the taxes that we do now just lets the rich get richer and the poor poorer.\"\n\nOn Europe, she thinks it's time to rein in the big guns. \"Up to now, it's all been about Germany and France,\" she said. \"They're the ones dragging us into this European disaster.\"\n\nMigrants are on the mind of Silvia Bonomo, too, but she feels Europe needs to \"open itself up\" and do more to welcome people fleeing war and hardships. The 62-year-old middle-school teacher voted for the center-left Democratic Party.\n\n\"They wouldn't be coming if they didn't have a reason to,\" she said. \"Migrants are seen as stealing jobs, which they are not. They're seen as criminals, which they are not. They are just like us.\"\n\nPeople's Party Our Slovakia, a far right party that has 14 seats in Slovakia's parliament is expected to win seats in the European legislature for the first time.\n\nThe party openly admires the Nazi puppet state that the country was during World War II. Party members use Nazi salutes, blame Roma for crime, consider NATO a terror group and want the country out of the alliance and of the European Union.\n\nThe party received a boost in April after Slovakia's Supreme Court dismissed a request by the country's prosecutor general to ban it as an extremist group whose activities violate the Constitution.\n\nTurnout in Slovakia at the previous vote in 2014 was 13%, the lowest in all EU countries.\n\nThe polls favor the leftist Smer-Social Democracy party, the senior member of the current coalition government, to top the voting with about 20%. Slovakia has 14 seats in the European Parliament.\n\nThe center-right German candidate to head the European Commission says he hopes voters will back a \"Europe of stability\" and a united and ambitious continent.\n\nManfred Weber, whose European People's Party group hopes to retain its status as the biggest in the European Parliament, said after voting in his native Bavaria Sunday: \"I don't want to see a right-populist Europe (that) wants to destroy the idea of togetherness ... and I'm also against a Europe which is in the hands of the left.\"\n\nSka Keller, a German Green who heads her group's European election slate, said in Berlin that \"the European Union should lead the way in climate protection. We need social cohesion, we need to strengthen democracy in Europe and I hope that this will meet with much support.\"\n\nAustrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz says he hopes the European Parliament elections will strengthen the center rather than parties on the far right and left.\n\nKurz told reporters in Vienna Sunday that he hopes his center-right People's Party will keep first place in the race for seats in the EU legislature.\n\nThe vote has turned into a first test of support ahead of a national election in September following the collapse of Kurz's governing coalition a week ago in a scandal surrounding the now-departed leader of the far-right Freedom Party, which was his junior coalition partner.\n\nRegardless of the result, Kurz faces a no-confidence vote brought by the opposition in parliament Monday. He said he expects the Freedom Party and the Social Democrats to back it, which would bring him down.\n\nSpanish caretaker Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez says that he hopes the outcome of Sunday's European and local elections will lead to more \"political stability\" for Spain as he starts his attempt to form a government.\n\nSánchez called on \"all the political forces to open a horizon of political stability\" after he voted early Sunday morning with his wife in Madrid.\n\nHe added that the elections are \"to decide the future of progress and wellbeing for the entirety of our country and Europe.\"\n\nVoter opinion polls point to a victory for Sánchez's Socialist Party in the European elections. Elections are also taking place for administrations in all Spain's cities, including deciding on a second term for the female mayors of Madrid and Barcelona, and 14 of its 19 regions.\n\nSánchez's Socialists won April 28 national elections in Spain, but fell short of winning an outright majority and will need to earn the support from rivals in Parliament to stay in power.\n\nHungary's prime minister says he hopes the European Parliament election will bring a shift toward political parties that want to stop migration.\n\nViktor Orban said Sunday after casting his vote at a school near his Budapest home that the issue of migration, which he believes is stoppable, \"will reorganize the political spectrum in the European Union.\"\n\nOrban, whose Fidesz party had its membership suspended in the center-right European People's Party, the largest political bloc in the EU parliament, because of concerns about Hungary's democracy, said Fidesz would want to stay in the EPP only if it can influence the group's future strategy.\n\nOrban met recently with Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini, but has not committed to joining the more radically nationalist alliance that Salvini has been forming.\n\nFidesz is expected to win up to 14 of Hungary's 21 seats in the EU parliament.\n\nBelgians are heading to the polls in European Union, national and regional elections Sunday.\n\nPolls opened at 8 a.m. (0700GMT) and the first estimates and exit polls were expected by 6 p.m. (1700GMT). In the national elections Belgians are looking to end months of political limbo after the biggest party in the governing coalition quit over Prime Minister Charles Michel's support for the U.N. migration pact.\n\nMichel has steered a caretaker government doing only day-to-day business since December, but with the country's 8 million voters choosing from more than a dozen parties, chances are that it will prove difficult to quickly form a stable coalition.\n\nBulgarians are voting in the European Parliament elections after a series of scandals overshadowed the debate on key issues of the EU's future.\n\nVoters on Sunday are casting ballots for their country's 17 seats in the 751-member European Parliament. The vote is seen as a test for the center-right party of Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, which suffered a setback after senior officials were involved in corruption scandals.\n\nLatest surveys show only three parties, belonging to mainstream European political groups, passing the election threshold — the ruling GERB party, the Socialist party, and the liberal MRF.\n\nProjections suggest the nationalist and far-right vote will be split between several smaller parties, which could prevent them from capturing seats in the EU legislature.", "Polling stations opened at 7am local time for the European Parliament elections. Voting will continue until 6pm with a one-hour break from 12pm until 1pm. The final results will be given by the Chief Returning Officer at midnight.\n\nA total of 72 candidates from Cyprus are competing for six seats in the European Parliament. Of the 72 candidates, 69 are backed by political parties or coalitions, and three are independent. Candidates also include nine Turkish Cypriots who are citizens of the Republic of Cyprus.\n\nA total of 641,181 people are eligible to vote.\n\nFifty polling stations have been set up for the 80,862 Turkish Cypriots eligible to vote, who live in then north of the island.\n\nFor Cypriots living abroad, a total of 21 polling stations will operate for 6,135 voters. There will be 12 in Greece, seven in England, one in Brussels, and one in Scotland.\n\nMeanwhile, a total of 10,559 EU citizens are registered to vote in Cyprus.\n\nSpecial arrangements have been made for disabled persons.", "The European Parliament elections are not unlike cricket. Both can last for quite a few days and it can be pretty hard to understand the rules. This year’s European elections take place between May 23rd and 26th and different countries vote on different days.\n\nIt’s not surprising that few people bother to vote in these elections, either because they find the whole process too complicated or because they find it boring (some people feel the same about cricket).\n\nREAD ALSO: Falling turnout at European elections: the reasons\n\nBut this year’s vote is shaping up to be more interesting than most. The populist surge across Europe is being felt in Brussels, as eurosceptic parties aim to cause trouble from inside. The UK’s failure to secure a Brexit deal has left it in the bizarre position of needing to stand candidates despite its planned departure from the bloc.\n\nParties across the political spectrum have launched initiatives to encourage 400 million EU citizens to register and vote. The European Parliament (EP) launched the “This time I’m voting” campaign with the same objective, and an app with information about registration and voting in all member states.\n\nHere’s how the vote will work and why these elections are actually very important.\n\nEU citizens will be voting to fill 751 seats in the European Parliament. Although, if the UK pulls out at the last minute in the unlikely event of agreeing a Brexit deal, they will be voting to fill 705 seats.\n\nEU citizens vote for the candidates or parties of their country of origin or residence, provided that they are registered. Those living overseas can use their country’s embassies, consulates or schools to vote for a candidate running in their home country. The minimum age is 18 except in Austria and Malta (where it’s 16) and Greece (where it’s 17). Voting is compulsory in Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece and Luxembourg – although this rule is not always enforced.\n\nREAD ALSO: European elections: How UK vote could help predict outcome of a second Brexit referendum\n\nEach member state is allocated a certain number of seats in the European Parliament, according to the size of its population (economic indicators or size of the territory don’t matter in this case). France, for example, currently has 74 seats, Malta and Luxembourg have six MEPs each and the UK has 73.\n\nVoting processes vary significantly from one country to another, but they all include some element of proportional representation. For example, Ireland has three constituencies (Dublin, Midlands-North-West and South) and voters rank the candidates, as many or as few as they wish, in order of choice.\n\nFrance used to divide its candidates into eight constituencies but these have now been abolished. This year, voters will instead choose from a single electoral list – meaning they vote for a party and not for individual candidates. Bulgaria also has a single constituency, but voters can indicate their candidate preferences within the party list they choose. Estonian citizens and permanent residents can vote online.\n\nHow is the parliament organised after the vote?\n\nOnce elected, MEPs are organised by transnational groups that reflect their political affiliation. The current parliament has eight groups. These include the centre-left Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) and Europe of Nations and Freedom (ENF), which brings together the French National Rally, the Italian League and other far-right parties.\n\n\n\n Marine Le Pen of France's National Rally and Matteo Salvini of Italy's League. Photo: Alberto Pizzoli/AFP\n\nThe largest group is the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP), which has 216 MEPS. This includes Angela Merkel’s CDU and Viktor Orbán’s FIDESZ (although he has been suspended by the group until further notice). There are also 21 MEPs who do not belong to any group.\n\nThe party with the largest number of seats gets to appoint the president of the European Commission, a position currently held by former Jean-Claude Juncker, the former prime minister of Luxembourg. The president is akin to a conductor: he or she sets the tempo and makes sure the orchestra plays in a harmonious way but they cannot choose the repertoire alone. In the European Parliament, no party family has the majority of the seats so they have to reach out to other groups, working together to to approve legislation.\n\nREAD ALSO: Juncker vows to fight 'fake news' before European elections\n\nWhy is there a European parliament?\n\nThe idea that there should be a parliamentary assembly to represent the citizens of the member states dates back to 1952, when the Coal and Steel Community (the precursor of the European Community) was established. At that time, the 142 members were national parliamentarians appointed by their respective governments. They played only a marginal role, while the “real” decisions were made by the member states.\n\nThe first direct elections to the parliament took place in 1979 and the body has, over time, developed political muscle. Together with the European Council (which represents the member states), the parliament is now responsible for preparing and adopting the EU budget – which amounts to €165.8 billion in 2019.\n\nThe parliament legislates on all kinds of important issues, from food standards to LGBT rights. In March, for example, 560 of the 751 MEPs voted in a new law banning single-use plastic items such as plates and cutlery by 2021.\n\nWhy is there such a low turnout?\n\nDespite the important role the parliament plays, voter turnout has dropped from 62 percent in 1979 to 43 percent in 2014. In some countries, participation is incredibly low. Only 13 percent of Slovakian voters went to the polls in the last elections.\n\nIn some of the newer member states, the perception that voting doesn’t make any difference, together with mistrust in politicians and in politics in general, keeps people from participating.\n\nEurope’s media also doesn’t cover the parliament’s work much, so people don’t pay attention to it. It rarely goes viral, and when it does, it’s usually for the wrong reasons.\n\nThis all combines to give the impression that the parliament is not an organisation to be taken seriously. But the European Parliament is, in many ways, the human face of the European Union. It is made up of people from different countries, who all bring different stories and experiences – people like the Polish MEP Marek Plura, an advocate for policies that promote a more inclusive society for people with disabilities (he suffers himself from a degenerative illness).\n\nNevertheless, there is still room for improvement when it comes to gender balance and ethnic diversity in the parliament. Women make up just 37 percent of the 751 MEPs, and less than 20 MEPs identify themselves as non-white (there are no official statistics on this because several states are against collecting data on ethnicity).\n\nDespite the low levels of participation in European elections, it’s worth noting that 50 percent of Europeans say they trust the institution, while only 34 percent feel the same about national governing bodies.\n\nOn average, 68 percent of European citizens believe their country has benefited from EU membership. People like the idea of easily travelling to another country and are attached to the Euro (France’s Marine Le Pen and Italy’s Matteo Salvini changed their discourse about the single currency after they were confronted with that evidence). And in Romania, Spain and Poland, EU membership is often regarded as a sort of antidote to the excesses of national governments.\n\nREAD ALSO: Five reasons why the European elections really do matter\n\nThe European parliament is also often to be found leading the charge on issues that are truly important to European citizens such as environmental protection, transparency and data protection.\n\nRecent protests in France and in other countries have shown that EU institutions have not properly addressed some of their citizens’ most crucial concerns. Many of these concerns have less to do with national issues such as immigration and political parties and more to do with a broader hope for a brighter, fairer and happier future. As a transnational body, the European Parliament has a unique role to play in addressing these big issues, and communicating them to the public.\n\nTatiana Coutto, Teaching Fellow, Department of Politics and International Studies, University of Warwick\n\nThis article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.", "The Latest: Slovakia pro-EU party comes in 1st in EU vote\n\nBRUSSELS (AP) — The Latest on elections for the European Parliament (all times local):\n\nA new pro-EU coalition linked to President-elect Zuzana Caputova has won the European Parliament election in Slovakia while a far-right party gained seats in the EU legislature for the first time.\n\nAccording to the final results released by the Slovak Statistics Office, the coalition Progressive Slovakia/Together received 20.1 % of the vote, gaining four seats in the European legislature.\n\nCaputova was Progressive Slovakia deputy chairman before winning the March presidential election.\n\nPeople's Party Our Slovakia, a far-right party, finished third with 12.1 %, winning two seats.\n\nBut Slovakia's local ally of France's far-right National Rally party led by Marine Le Pen didn't win a seat.\n\nA centrist party in the Czech Republic led by populist Prime Minister Andrej Babis won the most votes in the European Parliament election despite the fact that Babis is facing fraud charges involving the use of EU funds.\n\nThe Czech Statistics office says his ANO (YES) group has won 21.2% percent of the Sunday vote or six seats — two more than in 2014 —of the 21 seats at stake in the Czech ballot.\n\nBabis wants his country to remain in the bloc but is calling for EU reforms.\n\nThe Czech Republic's most ardent anti-EU group, the Freedom and Direct Democracy party, captured its first seats — two of them — in the EU legislature after finishing fifth with 9.1%. The party is the Czech ally of France's far-right National Rally party led Marine Le Pen.\n\nThe moderate euroskeptic Civic Democratic Party was second in the vote, winning four seats, while two pro-European parties, Pirate party and conservative TOP 09, won three seats each.\n\nThe first official British results in the European Parliament election bear out predictions of victory for the Brexit Party led by anti-EU campaigner Nigel Farage.\n\nThe tally from northeast England, the first of the U.K.'s 12 regions to report, gives the single-issue party, launched just weeks ago, 39% of the vote.\n\nThe left-of-center Labour Party, which has traditionally dominated the region, got 19% of the vote, down sharply from 2014.\n\nThe pro-EU Liberal Democrats, campaigning to stop Brexit, more than doubled their share to 17% of the vote, while and the governing Conservatives got just 7%, one point behind the Greens.\n\nMany U.K. voters are apparently using the election to protest at Britain's Brexit deadlock.\n\nHungary's National Election Office says Prime Minister Viktor Orban's ruling Fidesz party has won 13 of Hungary's 21 seats in the EU parliament, one seat more than in the 2014 vote.\n\nWith 99.9% of the votes counted Sunday evening, former Socialist Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany's Democratic Coalition has won four seats and the liberal Momentum Movement has captured two seats.\n\nBoth the left-wing/green coalition of the Socialist and Dialogue parties, and the right-wing Jobbik party got one seat each, worse than expected.\n\nVoter turnout was above 43%, the highest for an EU parliament election in Hungary, which first took part in the balloting in 2004.\n\nSpain's Socialists have won the European elections ahead of the conservative Popular Party, according to provisional results released by Spain's Interior Ministry.\n\nWith 85% of the votes counted, the Socialists will win 32.9% of the vote and 20 seats of the 54 that Spain is allocated in the European Parliament. The conservative Popular Party, which suffered major losses in the April 28 national election, has won 12 seats, down from 16 seats in 2014.\n\nThe upstart far-right Vox party is the fifth most popular in Spain, earning three seats, its first time in the European Parliament.\n\nThe poor showing for the Popular Party comes after it was crushed in last month's national election. The party has been hurt by corruption allegations and convictions.\n\nThe victory will strengthen Sánchez as he tries to form a coalition government.\n\nThe Socialists are also hoping to do well in local and regional elections in Spain on Sunday.\n\nExit polls indicate the right-wing populist League party led by Italy's hard-line interior minister, Matteo Salvini, posted huge gains in this year's European parliamentary election to become Italy's largest party.\n\nThe League won between 27% and 31% of the vote, up from 6.2% five years ago. Salvini has been working to expand an alliance of right-wing populist parties in a bid to upend European politics and slow down, if not turn around, the drive toward greater European integration.\n\nIn another significant result, the League's government coalition partner, the populist 5-Star Movement, is Italy's third party, behind the Democratic Party, which lost badly in last year's national election.\n\nIf the 5-Star Movement's finish behind the Democratic Party is confirmed in the final result, it could have implications for Italy's governing coalition.\n\nProjected results from the European Parliament in Portugal predict a victory for the Socialists of Prime Minister António Costa.\n\nThe Socialists are projected to win with nearly 32.5% of the vote, slightly down from 2014 when it took 34%.\n\nThe center-right opposition is set to take 22.9%, while the leftist Bloco de Esquerda is projected to get nearly 10.3% of the vote.\n\nCosta will face a national election in Portugal in October.\n\nVoters in ethnically divided Cyprus have elected a Turkish Cypriot to the European Parliament for the first time since the island nation joined the 28-member bloc in 2004.\n\nNiyazi Kizilyurek, who teaches at the University of Cyprus' Turkish and Middle Eastern Studies Department, ran for the communist-rooted AKEL party that was the runner-up in Sunday's European parliament election behind the conservative Democratic Rally party.\n\nKizilyurek told private TV station Sigma that he'll represent Cyprus and its European citizens, irrespective of ethnic origin.\n\nAKEL leader Andros Kyprianou said the election of Kizilyurek, 60, sends a strong message to other EU nations that Cypriots want an end to their country's division and want more EU help in peace efforts.\n\nDespite earlier opinion polls, far-right party ELAM didn't manage to gain one of Cyprus' six allotted seats at the European Parliament, even though it doubled its support.\n\nThe pro-business ALDE group said Sunday's voting projections make it clear that the European Parliament will have a \"new balance of power\" and the long-dominant European People's Party and Socialists groups will have to share much more power.\n\nGuy Verhofstadt said his group, boosted by the addition of French President Macron's LREM party, will be an essential powerbroker in the negotiations to get a working majority in the legislature and back a candidate to succeed Jean-Claude Juncker as Commission President.\n\nVerhofstadt says the two mainstream parties \"will no longer have a majority and it means no solid pro-EU majority is possible\" without his ALDE group and others pro-EU parties like the Greens.\n\nLatest projections show the EPP getting 173 seats, down from 217, and the Socialist S&D with 147, down from 186. Together they hold 320 seats in the 751-seat legislature.\n\nVerhofstadt's group is projected to get 102 seats and the Greens 71.\n\nAn exit poll shows a huge setback in the European Parliament election for Romania's ruling coalition, led by the Social Democratic Party.\n\nData released Sunday by pollsters Avangarde and CURS show the Social Democrats, or PSD, getting a 25.8% of the votes, enough only to tie the opposition National Liberal Party, or PNL.\n\nThe PSD's junior coalition partner, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, may get less than the mandatory 5% of votes needed to win a seat in the EU legislature.\n\nRomanian President Klaus Iohannis says the Social Democrats have \"failed,\" adding that the only possible option was that their government \"has to go.\" Critics say the government tolerates corruption.\n\nPrime Minister Viorica Dancila said she wouldn't step down, declaring that \"Romanians trust the current government. These were EU, not national, elections.\"\n\nFrench President Emmanuel Macron's party is pledging to combat nationalists at the European Parliament and block them from weakening France.\n\nThe lead candidate of Macron's centrist party, Nathalie Loiseau, urged all pro-European forces \"to unite to defend the interests of the Europeans\" and not let the European Union fall into the hands of \"those who want to unbuild it.\"\n\nIn France, polling agency estimates show that Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally party is expected to beat Macron's centrist party in the European election.\n\nLoiseau said her party, associated with the pro-market ALDE alliance in a new centrist group, will have a key role as they will represent the third strongest force at the European Parliament.\n\nFrench Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said he will continue to implement Macron's policies and planned reforms.\n\nIn Greece, New Democracy leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the protected winner of Sunday's European election, has just called on Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras to resign.\n\nTsipras, who is not obliged to call an early election until his term expires in October, is at the Syriza party headquarters. Top Syriza officials say an early election is not on the cards.\n\nThe Interior Ministry's pollster estimates that conservative opposition New Democracy will get 32.8%, while the ruling left-wing Syriza party will get 24%.\n\nIn other estimates, the Socialists got 7.8%, the Communist Party saw 5.6%, the far-right Golden Dawn saw 4.8% and the nationalist Greek Solution was projected at 4.1%. The estimate is based on results from 10% of polling stations.\n\nGreen leaders in the European Parliament are hailing a \"green wave\" that has spread throughout Europe after early projections showed the environmentalist movement is likely to make significant gains.\n\nEarly projections Sunday suggest the Greens will secure 71 seats in the 751-seat parliament, up from 52 seats five years ago. The Greens appear to have done well in France, Germany and Ireland.\n\nThe Greens co-leader in the assembly, Ska Keller, says \"the green wave has really spread all over Europe and for us that is a fantastic result.\"\n\nFellow Greens leader Philippe Lamberts says the party cannot be avoided as groups begin negotiations in coming days to form alliances in the parliament to counter the likely rise of anti-EU parties.\n\nLamberts says \"to forge a stable European Union, the Greens are indispensable.\"\n\nAn exit poll in Poland shows the nationalist conservative ruling Law and Justice party as the biggest vote-getter in the European Parliament election, with 42.6% of the vote.\n\nIf the projection is confirmed by the official results, it would put the party in a strong position ahead of Poland's national parliamentary election in the fall.\n\nThe exit poll by the Ipsos agency shows the ruling party's main rival, the European Coalition, running in second place with 39.1%. The coalition is led by the centrist Civic Platform party and includes several other parties.\n\nThe exit poll gave Spring, a new center-left party that backs fighting climate change, 6.6% support.\n\nA far-right alliance formed to stand in the European election, Confederation, had 6.6% of the vote according to the exit poll.\n\nThe ruling, pro-EU conservatives are projected to win the most votes in the European election in Croatia, the European Union's newest member.\n\nAn exit poll carried by the public broadcaster HRT said Sunday that the Croatian Democratic Union will win some 23% of the ballot, followed by the center-left Social Democratic Party with around 17%.\n\nHRT says the exit polls have been conducted by the Ipsos polling agency. Partial official results are expected later in the evening.\n\nThe exit polls also indicated that a far-right coalition could win 6.6% of the ballot, or one of the 12 EU seats for Croatia. Local media say the biggest surprise is the third position for an independent list with some 8% of the votes.\n\nFirst European Parliament projections suggest that mainstream parties have lost ground in the EU elections, with the Greens and far-right and populist parties set to pick up seats.\n\nThe projections, based on estimates in 11 EU member countries and voting intentions in 17 others, show that the center-right European People's Party would remain the biggest group with 173 seats, down from 217 in 2014.\n\nThe center-left Socialists would lose 40 seats, dropping to 147.\n\nThe left-wing Greens seem set to win 71 seats, up from 52 in 2014.\n\nThe European of Nations and Freedom group, which combines populist and far-right parties in countries like France and Italy, looks like it will secure 57 seats, up 20 from five years ago.\n\nDespite the losses for mainstream parties, staunchly pro-EU parties are slated to win 493 of the 751 seats in Parliament.\n\nFrench far-right, nationalist leader Marine Le Pen is declaring victory in the European Parliament election over pro-EU French President Emmanuel Macron.\n\nFrench polling agencies are projecting that Le Pen's National Rally will come first in France's voting Sunday, followed by Macron's centrist Republic on the Move party.\n\nLe Pen said the expected result \"confirms the new nationalist-globalist division\" in France and beyond.\n\nShe immediately expressed hope the election could foreshadow her party's victory in France's 2022 presidential election. Le Pen was beaten handily by Macron in France's 2017 presidential vote.\n\nShe called on Macron to dissolve the French parliament.\n\nMacron says the National Rally represents the \"leprosy\" of nationalism that is eating the EU from within. For Le Pen, the race is a battle to preserve European civilization from immigration and globalization.\n\nAustrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz says he is \"invigorated\" by a projection showing a big win for his center-right party after a week in which his governing coalition collapsed.\n\nThe projection for ORF public television, the Austria Press Agency and private broadcaster ATV pointed to Kurz's center-right People's Party finishing well ahead of the center-left Social Democrats in the European Parliament vote. It also shows Kurz's former coalition partner, the far-right Freedom Party, a distant third.\n\nA scandal surrounding the Freedom Party's now-departed leader brought down the coalition and prompted Kurz to call for an early national election in September.\n\nKurz still may be unseated by an opposition no-confidence vote in parliament on Monday. But he told supporters on Sunday: \"Whatever is going to happen tomorrow and in the following days we are defying the rain, we are defying everything else that is going to come our way. We emerge invigorated.\"\n\nFrench polling agency estimates show that Marine Le Pen's far-right National Rally party is expected to beat French President Emmanuel Macron's party in the European elections.\n\nThe populist, anti-immigrant National Rally is estimated to win 23% to 24% of the vote, compared to 21.9% to 22.5% for Macron's centrist, pro-European party. That's according to estimates by the Ifop and Ipsos polling agencies.\n\nThe green party EELV is estimated at 12.8% to 13%, a sharp rise compared to previous European elections.\n\nThe French conservative party, The Republicans, is expected to be in fourth position with about 8% support while far-left France Insoumise (\"Rebel France\") and the Socialist party are both estimated to capture between 6% and 7% support.\n\nIn France, polling agencies including Ifop and Ipsos are forecasting the nationwide vote result based on projections from the actual vote count in select constituencies.\n\nThe European Parliament spokesman says turnout for this year's pivotal election is nearing 51% for 27 nations, according to preliminary figures.\n\nJaume Duch Guillot says the figure, which excludes Britain, is the highest in at least 20 years and reverses years of steady decline. U.K. figures are expected later Sunday evening, as final tallies roll in for an election that both centrist parties and the far-right have portrayed as a referendum on sovereignty and the European Union.\n\nFour days of voting will end Sunday, and 426 million people across 28 nations were eligible to vote for the makeup of the European Parliament. In the case of Britain, voters are electing legislators who will lose their jobs when Brexit is finalized.\n\nIt is, Guillot said, \"very significant increase in turnout for the very first time since the first European elections took place in 1979.\"\n\nIn Greece, an updated exit poll shows the conservative opposition New Democracy party winning between 32.5% to 34.5% of Sunday's vote for the European Parliament.\n\nGreece's governing left-wing Syriza is projected to get between 24% and 26%. The socialists of Movement for Change are expected to see between 7.2% to 8.2% support; the Communists between 5% to 6%; while the extreme-right Golden Dawn and the nationalist Greek Solution both are projected to get 4% to 5% support.\n\nThe threshold to elect one of Greece's 21 European lawmakers is 3%. The exit poll was conducted jointly by five polling firms.\n\nGreece is also voting for regional and local councils Sunday.\n\nVoters from 21 EU nations went to the polls Sunday in the final day of a crucial European Parliament election.\n\nThe Greens are celebrating projected strong gains in Germany in the European Parliament elections and a good showing in Ireland.\n\nAn exit poll published by the European Parliament says that in Germany, the Greens finished second with 22% support, double their result five years ago. The poll shows that in Ireland the Green Party was in a three-way tie for second place behind the governing Fine Gael party.\n\nSka Keller of the European Greens hailed the results Sunday evening. She says, \"it is a great celebration but it's also a great responsibility. It is a great task to now put into action those things that people asked us to do: Climate protection, social justice in Europe and fighting for civil liberties all over.\"\n\nThe strong showings for the Greens follow protests by students and activists across Europe calling for faster action to tackle climate change.\n\nIn Bulgaria, the ruling center-right GERB party is projected to come in first in the European election in that nation, according to an exit poll jointly conducted by two Bulgarian polling firms.\n\nThe poll by Alpha Research and Gallup International says GERB is projected to win 30% to 33% of the vote, compared to 23% to 25% for the opposition Socialist party.\n\nThe liberal Movement for Rights and Freedoms party is projected to win 13%, while a nationalist formation, the VMRO, and the right-wing Democratic Bulgaria party are projected to get between 6% and 8% each.\n\nBulgarian President Rumen Radev says \"we need a united and strong Europe\" based on solidarity.\n\nVoters from 21 EU nations went to the polls Sunday in the final day of a crucial European Parliament election that could see gains by nationalists and far-right movements. The EU's other seven nations voted earlier this week but results on all the voting will not be released until after all polls close Sunday night.\n\nThe center-right candidate to lead the European Union Executive's Commission is promising to bring \"stability\" to the European Union over the next few years and predicts pro-EU forces will lead the next parliament.\n\nManfred Weber, the candidate of the European People's Party, said in Berlin that Sunday's European Parliament elections appear to have weakened the political center. He says it's \"most necessary for the forces that believe in this Europe, that want to lead this Europe to a good future, that have ambitions for this Europe, ... (to) work together.\"\n\nHe said those forces have to have a \"clear division\" from other political groups who oppose Europe on both the right and the left.\n\nWeber said the EPP will be \"hopefully the strongest group\" in the new European parliament. He said \"we promised stability, and (we) will guarantee this stability in the coming years.\"\n\nSpain's Interior Ministry says turnout for the European elections at 6 p.m. (1600 GMT) is up to 49.3% from nearly 34.1% in 2014.\n\nSpain is also holding local and some regional elections Sunday, including the highly watched races for the mayor of Madrid and Barcelona. The 2014 European elections were held alone.\n\nStill, turnout was down from Spain's April 28 national election, when it was nearly 60.8% at 1600 GMT.\n\nIn Barcelona, a Catalan separatist candidate is trying to oust its incumbent far-left mayor, who says she does not support secession but believes that Catalans should vote on the question.\n\nIn Greece, the conservative opposition New Democracy party is projected to win the European election, according to an exit poll jointly conducted by five Greek polling firms.\n\nNew Democracy is projected to win 32% to 36% of the vote, compared to 25% to 29% for the ruling left-wing Syriza.\n\nThe socialist Movement for Change is projected to win 7% to 9%, while the extreme right Golden Dawn and the Communist party are expected to get between 5% and 7% each.\n\nTwo more parties, far-right nationalist Greek Solution and Diem25, the Greek section of former Greek finance minister Yanis Varoufakis' European movement, have a chance to exceed the 3% threshold required for sending a representative to the European Parliament.\n\nThe poll, with 7,000 respondents, was conducted until 5 p.m. (1400 GMT), two hours before voting ended, and will be updated.\n\nAn exit poll shows Germany's governing parties losing significant ground in the European Parliament election, with big gains for the Greens party and a much smaller increase for the far-right.\n\nThe ARD television exit poll put support for Chancellor Angela Merkel's center-right Union bloc at 28% and showed their coalition partners in Berlin, the center-left Social Democrats, dropping to a dismal 15.5%. Five years ago, those parties took 35.4% and 27.3% respectively of the vote.\n\nIt showed the Greens easily taking second place with 22% — double their result five years ago. The far-right Alternative for Germany was seen with 10.5% support, better than its showing in 2014 but less than it scored in Germany's last national election in 2017.\n\nFrance's Interior Ministry says turnout for the European Parliament election was up in the country compared to previous vote.\n\nIn France, turnout was over 43% at 5 p.m. (1500GMT), compared with 35% at the same time in 2014. Polls remain open until 8 p.m. in the country's big cities.\n\nSeveral French poll institutes estimate that the final turnout may be over 50% at the end of the day, which would be a first in the country since 1994.\n\nA similar rise in turnout has been observed in neighboring Spain and Germany.\n\nIn the whole European Union, turnout for this pan-European vote has trended downward since the first election in 1979. Turnout stood at less than 43% in the 2014 vote.\n\nA projection for Austrian public television and the country's national news agency points to a big win for Chancellor Sebastian Kurz's center-right party in the European Parliament election, with the far-right Freedom Party finishing far behind in third place.\n\nThe projection was released after polls closed Sunday in Austria. It put support for Kurz's center-right People's Party at 34.5%, with the center-left Social Democrats at 23.5%, the Freedom Party at 17.5% and the Greens at 13.5% support.\n\nIt was based on 5,200 interviews conducted from Tuesday to Sunday.\n\nThe vote for the joint European Parliament is a the first test in Austria ahead of a national election in September that Kurz called a week ago after a scandal erupted surrounding the Freedom Party's leader. Heinz-Christian Strache quit as party leader and vice chancellor, and the governing coalition between the People's Party and the Freedom Party then collapsed.\n\nItaly's anti-migrant hard-line Interior Minister Matteo Salvini says he feels a \"change in the air\" and that a win by his right-wing League party would \"change everything in Europe.\"\n\nSalvini's League is seeking to form an alliance of nationalist, populist parties to exert more power in the European Parliament over the affairs of the European Union. He's campaigned relentlessly throughout Italy and has become the face of Europe's far-right by speaking out against migrants and the influence of Muslims in Europe.\n\nThe League party, once just a regional power in northern Italy, is gaining strength throughout the country. It's the junior partner in a coalition government with the populist 5-Star Movement, but the coalition is on rocky ground. Salvini may be tempted to end the partnership to seek a new election in Italy if his electoral gains on the European front are significant.\n\nBut on Sunday, he voted in the European election and dismissed speculation about seeking new elections.\n\nHe told reporters \"I'm interested in winning in Italy to change Europe,\" according to the Italian news agency ANSA.\n\nTurnout appears to be up in several of the European Union's largest countries for the continentwide battle for influence at the European Parliament.\n\nTurnout was up slightly in Spain, France and Germany by mid-afternoon.\n\nIn Spain, turnout was up to 35% compared to 24% at the same time in the last European elections in 2014. Spain is also holding municipal and some regional elections —including for mayor of Madrid and Barcelona— while in 2014 the European elections were separate.\n\nIn Germany, the federal election authority said that 29% of registered voters had cast ballots by 2 p.m., four hours before polls closed. That's up from 26% at the same time in 2014. The figure doesn't include postal votes.\n\nAnd in France, turnout was at 19% at noon, compared with 16% at the same time in 2014.\n\nThe leader of Spain's upstart far-right Vox party, Santiago Abascal, asked Spaniards to make \"their voice heard\" after he cast his ballot in Madrid.\n\n\"We come to these elections calling for participation from all Spaniards in accordance to their convictions and principles,\" Abascal said. \"We want to tell them that it is important that each Spaniard has their voice in the municipal and regional institutions, also in the European institutions as, often, this is not seen with much interest by citizens.\"\n\nVox erupted into the Spanish political scene in December when it won its first seats in the regional legislature for the Andalusia region. It then won 10% of the vote in national elections on April 28 to enter the Spanish Parliament.\n\nFounded in 2013, Vox failed to win a seat in 2014 European elections, its first electoral test.\n\nUnlike other European far-right parties, Vox is not anti-European Union despite its ultranationalist ideology.\n\nAnti-EU and pro-EU parties are both hoping to make gains in a Brexit-dominated election for British seats in the European Parliament, while the governing Conservative Party is bracing for one of its worst-ever performances.\n\nDaniel Hannan, a Conservative Member of the European Parliament, said he feared the party was facing \"total wipeout\" and would fail to gain any of Britain's 73 seats.\n\nThe Conservatives look likely to be punished for failing to take the country out of the EU as promised. Opinion polls suggest the newly founded Brexit Party led by Nigel Farage is set to take the biggest share of votes. There could also be a surge for the centrist Liberal Democrats, who want to stop Brexit.\n\nIn the last EU election in 2014, Farage's former UKIP party won 27% of the vote, helping to build momentum in the push to get Britain out of the EU.\n\nSpaniards in the restive northeastern region of Catalonia are voting in European elections that include two high-profile separatist leaders who are running from jail and self-imposed exile.\n\nFormer Catalan regional president Carles Puigdemont and his ex-No. 2 Oriol Junqueras are both running on competing tickets of separatist parties for the European Parliament.\n\nJunqueras is in jail in Madrid while on trial on charges that include rebellion for his part in Catalonia's attempt to secede from the rest of Spain in 2017. Puigdemont is wanted in Spain and fled to Belgium.\n\nBoth have been allowed to run as candidates, but would face legal hurdles to actually become European Parliament members if elected.\n\nPolls and recent election results show that the 7.5 million residents of the wealthy Catalonia region are roughly split by the secession issue. It is highly unpopular in the rest of Spain.\n\n\"I think a lot is at stake for Catalonia in the European elections,\" Manuel Guajardo, a 57-year-old businessman, said after voting in Barcelona. \"It will be the definition of a people, to take a path or another path, and these elections will mark this.\"\n\nBarcelona is also holding municipal elections, where a separatist candidate is trying to oust its incumbent far-left mayor, who says she does not support secession but believes that Catalans should vote on the question.\n\nIn Castelbuono, a Medieval mountain town in Sicily's province of Palermo, a steady but sluggish stream of voters is showing up to cast ballots.\n\nMany of the town's residents are backing the 5-Star Movement, a populist party now in a coalition government with the anti-migrant League party.\n\nOne of these is Vincenzo Messineo, a 32-year-old laborer who's concerned about youth unemployment and the influx of migrants.\n\n\"We don't want them all here,\" he said. \"Europe is united so why can't they be divided among other countries too?\"\n\nFor Anna Maria Ippolito, a 62-year-old 5-Star Movement supporter, financial inequality is a top concern.\n\n\"Six percent of the Italian population has all the wealth,\" she said. \"It's not at all right. Paying the taxes that we do now just lets the rich get richer and the poor poorer.\"\n\nOn Europe, she thinks it's time to rein in the big guns. \"Up to now, it's all been about Germany and France,\" she said. \"They're the ones dragging us into this European disaster.\"\n\nMigrants are on the mind of Silvia Bonomo, too, but she feels Europe needs to \"open itself up\" and do more to welcome people fleeing war and hardships. The 62-year-old middle-school teacher voted for the center-left Democratic Party.\n\n\"They wouldn't be coming if they didn't have a reason to,\" she said. \"Migrants are seen as stealing jobs, which they are not. They're seen as criminals, which they are not. They are just like us.\"\n\nPeople's Party Our Slovakia, a far right party that has 14 seats in Slovakia's parliament is expected to win seats in the European legislature for the first time.\n\nThe party openly admires the Nazi puppet state that the country was during World War II. Party members use Nazi salutes, blame Roma for crime, consider NATO a terror group and want the country out of the alliance and of the European Union.\n\nThe party received a boost in April after Slovakia's Supreme Court dismissed a request by the country's prosecutor general to ban it as an extremist group whose activities violate the Constitution.\n\nTurnout in Slovakia at the previous vote in 2014 was 13%, the lowest in all EU countries.\n\nThe polls favor the leftist Smer-Social Democracy party, the senior member of the current coalition government, to top the voting with about 20%. Slovakia has 14 seats in the European Parliament.\n\nThe center-right German candidate to head the European Commission says he hopes voters will back a \"Europe of stability\" and a united and ambitious continent.\n\nManfred Weber, whose European People's Party group hopes to retain its status as the biggest in the European Parliament, said after voting in his native Bavaria Sunday: \"I don't want to see a right-populist Europe (that) wants to destroy the idea of togetherness ... and I'm also against a Europe which is in the hands of the left.\"\n\nSka Keller, a German Green who heads her group's European election slate, said in Berlin that \"the European Union should lead the way in climate protection. We need social cohesion, we need to strengthen democracy in Europe and I hope that this will meet with much support.\"\n\nAustrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz says he hopes the European Parliament elections will strengthen the center rather than parties on the far right and left.\n\nKurz told reporters in Vienna Sunday that he hopes his center-right People's Party will keep first place in the race for seats in the EU legislature.\n\nThe vote has turned into a first test of support ahead of a national election in September following the collapse of Kurz's governing coalition a week ago in a scandal surrounding the now-departed leader of the far-right Freedom Party, which was his junior coalition partner.\n\nRegardless of the result, Kurz faces a no-confidence vote brought by the opposition in parliament Monday. He said he expects the Freedom Party and the Social Democrats to back it, which would bring him down.\n\nSpanish caretaker Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez says that he hopes the outcome of Sunday's European and local elections will lead to more \"political stability\" for Spain as he starts his attempt to form a government.\n\nSánchez called on \"all the political forces to open a horizon of political stability\" after he voted early Sunday morning with his wife in Madrid.\n\nHe added that the elections are \"to decide the future of progress and wellbeing for the entirety of our country and Europe.\"\n\nVoter opinion polls point to a victory for Sánchez's Socialist Party in the European elections. Elections are also taking place for administrations in all Spain's cities, including deciding on a second term for the female mayors of Madrid and Barcelona, and 14 of its 19 regions.\n\nSánchez's Socialists won April 28 national elections in Spain, but fell short of winning an outright majority and will need to earn the support from rivals in Parliament to stay in power.\n\nHungary's prime minister says he hopes the European Parliament election will bring a shift toward political parties that want to stop migration.\n\nViktor Orban said Sunday after casting his vote at a school near his Budapest home that the issue of migration, which he believes is stoppable, \"will reorganize the political spectrum in the European Union.\"\n\nOrban, whose Fidesz party had its membership suspended in the center-right European People's Party, the largest political bloc in the EU parliament, because of concerns about Hungary's democracy, said Fidesz would want to stay in the EPP only if it can influence the group's future strategy.\n\nOrban met recently with Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini, but has not committed to joining the more radically nationalist alliance that Salvini has been forming.\n\nFidesz is expected to win up to 14 of Hungary's 21 seats in the EU parliament.\n\nBelgians are heading to the polls in European Union, national and regional elections Sunday.\n\nPolls opened at 8 a.m. (0700GMT) and the first estimates and exit polls were expected by 6 p.m. (1700GMT). In the national elections Belgians are looking to end months of political limbo after the biggest party in the governing coalition quit over Prime Minister Charles Michel's support for the U.N. migration pact.\n\nMichel has steered a caretaker government doing only day-to-day business since December, but with the country's 8 million voters choosing from more than a dozen parties, chances are that it will prove difficult to quickly form a stable coalition.\n\nBulgarians are voting in the European Parliament elections after a series of scandals overshadowed the debate on key issues of the EU's future.\n\nVoters on Sunday are casting ballots for their country's 17 seats in the 751-member European Parliament. The vote is seen as a test for the center-right party of Prime Minister Boyko Borissov, which suffered a setback after senior officials were involved in corruption scandals.\n\nLatest surveys show only three parties, belonging to mainstream European political groups, passing the election threshold — the ruling GERB party, the Socialist party, and the liberal MRF.\n\nProjections suggest the nationalist and far-right vote will be split between several smaller parties, which could prevent them from capturing seats in the EU legislature.", "The first results and projections suggested France's eurosceptic far-right National Rally party led by Marine Le Pen was set to finish top in France, 1.2-1.5 percent ahead of the ruling faction of President Emmanuel Macron.\n\nIn Italy Matteo Salvini's far-right League is also expected to poll well, and exit polls have indicated the Flemish far-right is set for a strong showing in Belgium.\n\nGermany's far-right AfD was set to improve on their 2014 score of 7.1 percent, with exit polls seeing it coming in at 10.5 percent.\n• Analysis: Cut the hysteria Le Pen is not on her way to French presidency\n• Sweden's far right gains ground in European election\n\nBefore the vote, EU officials feared the far-right could win 200 of the 751 seats and Le Pen's National Rally called Sunday for the formation of a \"powerful group\" in the European Parliament.\n\nBut observers doubt the populists' ability to form an effective coalition, and the mainstream centrist blocs could welcome liberal and Green members into a broader alliance to contain the threat.\n\nEnvironmentalist political parties performed strongly across Europe, reflecting how the issue of climate change has leapt up the agenda as young activists take up the cause.\n\nIn Germany, the Greens were on course to knock the centre-left SPD, the coalition partner of Chancellor Angela Merkel, from second place.\n\nThe exit polls also showed the French green party EEVL led by a former top figure at Greenpeace France making strong gains with a score of 12-12.7 percent compared with 8.9 percent in the last EU elections in 2014.\n\nThrough school strikes, civil disobedience and large-scale marches, the movements have succeeded in highlighting how human behaviour threatens the future of the planet.\n\nMacron had made no secret of the significance he attached to the results and his party's performance is likely to be seen as a major setback for the president two years into his five year mandate.\n\nBut the Elysee sought to put a brave face on the indications, saying that the performance was \"respectable\" after reports indicated that a bad showing could lead to a cabinet reshuffle.\n\nThe night was no better for Merkel, as exit polls showed the list of her centre-right bloc was due to only garner around 28 percent.\n\nElsewhere, Greek voters relegated Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras' Syriza party to second place behind the opposition conservative New Democracy party.\n\nHowever, one EU leader sitting happily was Hungary's nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban, whose Fidesz party exit polls showed was on course for a big victory.\n\nAfter fears ahead of the election that voters would stay away, turnout across the European Union excluding Britain was estimated at 51 percent, the highest in 20 years, the EU parliament said.\n\nIn the first election to the European Parliament in 1979, 62 percent of eligible voters cast a ballot in what were then nine member states.\n\nSince then the number of members has swollen to 28, but turnout has fallen every five years, to just over 42 percent in 2014.\n\nSince the last European elections, British voters have decided to quit the EU altogether, and this week's polls might be the last for UK parties.\n\nBrexit day itself has been postponed, triggering a crisis for Prime Minister Theresa May's government, and Nigel Farage's Brexit Party is expected to do well.\n\nThe announcement of the results for Britain will come as the ruling Conservative Party braces for a leadership contest to replace May after she announced she was stepping down on Friday.\n\nAmong the frontrunners are figures like former foreign secretary Boris Johnson who are passionate supporters of Brexit.\n\nThis in turn, along with the performance of pro-EU parties, will influence the debate in the other EU capitals about whether to accord Britain another Brexit extension.", "Those who travel across Germany these days will get the impression that the country has two faces: There are some regions that seem like they always do, the odd election campaign poster on display, but nothing more. In other regions, however, every lamppost is decorated with portraits of at least two smiling candidates. In addition, giant billboards have been installed on every village square and you won't be able to do your weekend shopping in the local supermarket without being cornered by a zealous election campaigner.\n\nNine of Germany's 16 states will see regional elections on Sunday, and the residents of Bremen will elect the new state parliament. In those regions, the campaigns are running in full force, with lavish use of posters and other materials, with candidates fighting for every single vote and every single mandate.\n\nRead more: Juncker says history will prove Merkel right on refugees\n\nDespite all of the punditry about the importance of the European Parliament elections for the EU's future, Germany's political parties attach more importance to local councils in Saarland and Saxony than to the blocwide legistlature. Above all, the current lackluster European election campaign is no match for all the extravagance which is traditionally evident in the run-up to federal elections in this country.\n\nRead more: Who is Boris Johnson, Brexit champion and wannabe British PM?\n\nThose are not really the best of prerequisites to improve the voter turnout of just under 48% during the 2014 elections for the European Parliament. By German standards, this turnout was embarrassingly low, but it was still 5% higher than the EU average. At a mere 13%, Slovakia and its voters marked a record low turnout at the time.\n\nRead more: Don't vote CDU or SPD or AfD, German YouTubers say\n\nPollsters believe that things will be different this time. They have noted a distinctively higher mobilization of voters across the European Union and determined a fairly obvious reason for this: Members of the public are increasingly flocking to polling stations because they want to stop a massive swing toward nationalism.\n\nAlmost every election in Germany during the past four years saw increased voter turnout, and nonetheless the far-right Alternative for Germany party usually achieved excellent results. In the old days, there was a rule of thumb: the higher the turnout, the lower the success at the fringes of the political spectrum. Today, however, it has to be acknowledged that the right-wing populists in particular win over many voters who had preferred to stay at home during previous elections.\n\nIn any case, the results achieved by the nationalists will be the main topic on Sunday night. Will the incriminating Ibiza video that brought down Austria's governing coalition have an effect on the performance of kindred parties that goes beyond the country's borders? Or will nationalist parties win the 20%-25% EU-wide predicted by some pollsters? And what would that mean? Would it really spell the beginning of the end of the success story called European Union?\n\nRead more: German political parties go green for EU 'climate election'\n\nNo. It wouldn't be as simple as that, despite all the shock waves such a result would certainly send through the European Union. The main prerequisite, after all, would be that Europe's right-wing populists and nationalists sing from the same hymn sheet and establish a united parliamentary party in the European Parliament. At the moment, just three of their factions make up such a parliamentary party, the ENF. Nationalists everywhere, unite? The contradiction is evident here, and so the threat for the European Union to emanate from its parliament is comparatively low. Every nationalist or right-wing populist government of a member state can cause considerably more damage via blockade tactics at any Council of Ministers or summit.\n\nWith respect to the legitimacy and future power of the European Parliament, the message must be: The biggest haters of democracy and of a united Europe are those who care about neither democracy nor Europe and show that by not even bothering to vote.\n\nDW's newsletter delivers the day's news and features by email. You can sign up to receive it here.", "Those who travel across Germany these days will get the impression that the country has two faces: There are some regions that seem like they always do, the odd election campaign poster on display, but nothing more. In other regions, however, every lamppost is decorated with portraits of at least two smiling candidates. In addition, giant billboards have been installed on every village square and you won't be able to do your weekend shopping in the local supermarket without being cornered by a zealous election campaigner.\n\nNine of Germany's 16 states will see regional elections on Sunday, and the residents of Bremen will elect the new state parliament. In those regions, the campaigns are running in full force, with lavish use of posters and other materials, with candidates fighting for every single vote and every single mandate.\n\nRead more: Juncker says history will prove Merkel right on refugees\n\nDespite all of the punditry about the importance of the European Parliament elections for the EU's future, Germany's political parties attach more importance to local councils in Saarland and Saxony than to the blocwide legistlature. Above all, the current lackluster European election campaign is no match for all the extravagance which is traditionally evident in the run-up to federal elections in this country.\n\nRead more: Who is Boris Johnson, Brexit champion and wannabe British PM?\n\nThose are not really the best of prerequisites to improve the voter turnout of just under 48% during the 2014 elections for the European Parliament. By German standards, this turnout was embarrassingly low, but it was still 5% higher than the EU average. At a mere 13%, Slovakia and its voters marked a record low turnout at the time.\n\nRead more: Don't vote CDU or SPD or AfD, German YouTubers say\n\nPollsters believe that things will be different this time. They have noted a distinctively higher mobilization of voters across the European Union and determined a fairly obvious reason for this: Members of the public are increasingly flocking to polling stations because they want to stop a massive swing toward nationalism.\n\nAlmost every election in Germany during the past four years saw increased voter turnout, and nonetheless the far-right Alternative for Germany party usually achieved excellent results. In the old days, there was a rule of thumb: the higher the turnout, the lower the success at the fringes of the political spectrum. Today, however, it has to be acknowledged that the right-wing populists in particular win over many voters who had preferred to stay at home during previous elections.\n\nIn any case, the results achieved by the nationalists will be the main topic on Sunday night. Will the incriminating Ibiza video that brought down Austria's governing coalition have an effect on the performance of kindred parties that goes beyond the country's borders? Or will nationalist parties win the 20%-25% EU-wide predicted by some pollsters? And what would that mean? Would it really spell the beginning of the end of the success story called European Union?\n\nRead more: German political parties go green for EU 'climate election'\n\nNo. It wouldn't be as simple as that, despite all the shock waves such a result would certainly send through the European Union. The main prerequisite, after all, would be that Europe's right-wing populists and nationalists sing from the same hymn sheet and establish a united parliamentary party in the European Parliament. At the moment, just three of their factions make up such a parliamentary party, the ENF. Nationalists everywhere, unite? The contradiction is evident here, and so the threat for the European Union to emanate from its parliament is comparatively low. Every nationalist or right-wing populist government of a member state can cause considerably more damage via blockade tactics at any Council of Ministers or summit.\n\nWith respect to the legitimacy and future power of the European Parliament, the message must be: The biggest haters of democracy and of a united Europe are those who care about neither democracy nor Europe and show that by not even bothering to vote.\n\nDW's newsletter delivers the day's news and features by email. You can sign up to receive it here.", "The first results and projections suggested France's eurosceptic far-right National Rally party led by Marine Le Pen was set to finish top in France, 1.2-1.5 percent ahead of the ruling faction of President Emmanuel Macron.\n\nIn Italy Matteo Salvini's far-right League is also expected to poll well, and exit polls have indicated the Flemish far-right is set for a strong showing in Belgium.\n\nGermany's far-right AfD was set to improve on their 2014 score of 7.1 percent, with exit polls seeing it coming in at 10.5 percent.\n• Analysis: Cut the hysteria Le Pen is not on her way to French presidency\n• Sweden's far right gains ground in European election\n\nBefore the vote, EU officials feared the far-right could win 200 of the 751 seats and Le Pen's National Rally called Sunday for the formation of a \"powerful group\" in the European Parliament.\n\nBut observers doubt the populists' ability to form an effective coalition, and the mainstream centrist blocs could welcome liberal and Green members into a broader alliance to contain the threat.\n\nEnvironmentalist political parties performed strongly across Europe, reflecting how the issue of climate change has leapt up the agenda as young activists take up the cause.\n\nIn Germany, the Greens were on course to knock the centre-left SPD, the coalition partner of Chancellor Angela Merkel, from second place.\n\nThe exit polls also showed the French green party EEVL led by a former top figure at Greenpeace France making strong gains with a score of 12-12.7 percent compared with 8.9 percent in the last EU elections in 2014.\n\nThrough school strikes, civil disobedience and large-scale marches, the movements have succeeded in highlighting how human behaviour threatens the future of the planet.\n\nMacron had made no secret of the significance he attached to the results and his party's performance is likely to be seen as a major setback for the president two years into his five year mandate.\n\nBut the Elysee sought to put a brave face on the indications, saying that the performance was \"respectable\" after reports indicated that a bad showing could lead to a cabinet reshuffle.\n\nThe night was no better for Merkel, as exit polls showed the list of her centre-right bloc was due to only garner around 28 percent.\n\nElsewhere, Greek voters relegated Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras' Syriza party to second place behind the opposition conservative New Democracy party.\n\nHowever, one EU leader sitting happily was Hungary's nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban, whose Fidesz party exit polls showed was on course for a big victory.\n\nAfter fears ahead of the election that voters would stay away, turnout across the European Union excluding Britain was estimated at 51 percent, the highest in 20 years, the EU parliament said.\n\nIn the first election to the European Parliament in 1979, 62 percent of eligible voters cast a ballot in what were then nine member states.\n\nSince then the number of members has swollen to 28, but turnout has fallen every five years, to just over 42 percent in 2014.\n\nSince the last European elections, British voters have decided to quit the EU altogether, and this week's polls might be the last for UK parties.\n\nBrexit day itself has been postponed, triggering a crisis for Prime Minister Theresa May's government, and Nigel Farage's Brexit Party is expected to do well.\n\nThe announcement of the results for Britain will come as the ruling Conservative Party braces for a leadership contest to replace May after she announced she was stepping down on Friday.\n\nAmong the frontrunners are figures like former foreign secretary Boris Johnson who are passionate supporters of Brexit.\n\nThis in turn, along with the performance of pro-EU parties, will influence the debate in the other EU capitals about whether to accord Britain another Brexit extension."], "summary": "In addition to the European Parliament and regional elections, voters in Belgium head to the polls to vote for the members of the Chamber of Representatives."}
{"document": ["A man votes during presidental elections in Vilnius, Lithuania, 12 May 2019 | Valda Kalnina/EPA-EFE Close race ahead in Lithuania’s presidential election The two contenders in the run-off are both economists with center-right views.\n\nThe two candidates to become Lithuania's next president are locked in a tight race ahead of Sunday's election.\n\nFormer Finance Minister Ingrida Šimonytė and economist Gitanas Nausėda are competing to replace President Dalia Grybauskaitė, who cannot run again after two consecutive terms in office. Both are running as independents.\n\nThey were neck-and-neck in the first round on March 12, which saw Šimonytė win 31.31 percent of the vote, narrowly beating Nausėda to the top spot by 0.37 percentage points. The Lithuanian electoral commission said that 3,935 votes were all that stood between them — in a country of 2.5 million eligible voters.\n\nBut as neither candidate received 50 percent in the first vote, a second round will be held this Sunday, coinciding with the final day of voting in the European Parliament election. No opinion polls are expected to be published ahead of the vote.\n\nŠimonytė, 44, a former MP, was finance minister during the global financial crisis when Lithuania’s GDP dropped by almost 15 percent.\n\nIn Lithuania's semi-presidential system, the main duties of the president are foreign and security policy, but domestic issues were the major campaign talking points.\n\nDespite having the backing of the conservative Homeland Union-Christian Democrat party, she has drawn support from young, liberal voters for her progressive social policies, which include support for same-sex civil partnerships and working toward greater representation of women and ethnic minorities in politics and public life.\n\nHomeland Union MP Rasa Juknevičienė, who served as defense minister when Šimonytė was finance minister, praised her as a straight-talking leader and said she would be \"more clear and open\" than other politicians.\n\nNausėda, 54, a former chief economist at SEB Bankas and lecturer, has no affiliation with any party. With little experience in politics, his campaign is focused on emphasizing his independence, suggesting he can cooperate with all parties in government.\n\n“Being an independent candidate allows me to represent the whole of society,” he told POLITICO. “And Lithuania needs a president who can act as a unifier.” He added that he wanted to create a sense of “social solidarity.\"\n\nBoth candidates are economists with center-right views who want to unite a society they see as divided. They also emphasize the importance of long-term policy making and constructive political debate.\n\nMargarita Šešelgytė, associate professor at Vilnius University’s department of international relations and political science, said the first round's results had been “quite surprising,” with two very similar candidates making it to the run-off.\n\n“They are representing the same part of the electorate with very small ideological differences,” she said, while noting that Nausėda is considered the more conservative of the two candidates.\n\nShe added: “It might be a positive trend when people get tired of populists and choose those who rationalize their statements.”\n\nSpeaking after the first round, outgoing President Grybauskaitė said: “The election showed the maturity of Lithuanian society. People have values that cannot be affected by populism or blackmail.\"\n\nIn Lithuania's semi-presidential system, the main duties of the president are foreign and security policy, but domestic issues such as the economy and social welfare were the major campaign issues ahead of the vote.\n\n“Neither [candidate] seems to have a flagship policy for foreign and security policy,” said Egle Murauskaite, a Lithuania-based senior researcher at the University of Maryland’s ICONS project, adding that neither was as well-connected in Brussels as Grybauskaitė had been when she started her first term as president.\n\nGrybauskaitė served as European commissioner for budget before becoming Lithuania's first female president in 2009.", "Lithuanians are voting today in a close presidential runoff between two centre-right rivals.\n\nFormer Finance Minister Ingrida Simonyte from the Homeland Union-Lithuanian Christian Democrats came first in the first round with 31.31 percent of the vote.\n\nPolitical newcomer and economist Gitanas Nauseda gathered 30.94 percent in second place.\n\nNauseda had been an advisor to the president of SEB bank in Lithuania. He left his job to run for office as an independent candidate. He was endorsed in the last week by the ruling Lithuanian Farmers and Greens Union.\n\nBoth candidates have an economic background and say they want to unite the country.\n\nDalia Grybauskaite, the popular outgoing President of Lithuania who will finish her ten years in office in July, said that the pair deserve to be in this second round run-off.\n\nSomething else Simonyte and Nauseda have in common is that they have said they won't go to Moscow to meet President Vladimir Putin unless Russia withdraws from Crimea, which it annexed from Ukraine in 2014.\n\nMeanwhile, candidates from 16 political parties, coalition and public election committees have been competing for Lithuana’s 11 seats in the European Parliament.\n\nUppermost in voters minds has been anger over economic inequality - which is at one of the highest levels in the European Union - and corruption.", "The President of Georgia Salome Zurabishvili has congratulated Gitanas Nauseda on his victory in the second round of the presidential elections in Lithuania. She published a complementary text on Twitter.\n\nAs the President notes, Georgia and Lithuania are strong partners and she expects to work together with the new president in order to “further develop the already strong ties between the two countries”\n\nThe second round of the Lieutenant presidential election was held between 55-year-old economist Gitanas Nauseda and former deputy chairman of the supervisory board of the National Bank of the country and former finance minister, Ingrida Simonyte.\n\nGitanas Nauseda gained 65.86% of the votes and will substitute Dalia Grybauskaite, one of the European Union’s most outspoken critics of Kremlin.", "VILNIUS (Reuters) - Former central banker Gitanas Nauseda won Lithuania’s presidential election on Sunday after opponent Ingrida Simonyte conceded.\n\nNauseda, 55, had 72 percent of the vote, according to election authority results after 42 percent of the ballots were counted. Simonyte, 44, a former finance minister in a center-right government, stood at 28 percent.\n\n“I was the independent candidate and my task in this election campaign was to unify Lithuanian people, no matter where they live, in small regions, villages, small cities or big cities,” Gitanas Nauseda told Reuters after declaring victory.\n\nNauseda, a household name from his role as chief economist at a top bank, has pledged to follow the tough stance set out by current President Dalia Grybauskaite, the Baltic nation’s “Iron Lady” and of the European Union’s most outspoken critics of the Kremlin.\n\nThe political outsider’s first challenge will be to resolve a government crisis. Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis pledged to quit on the presidential inauguration day after failing to advance from the first round of the presidential election.\n\nThe Lithuanian president has a wide semi-executive mandate and can veto laws passed by the parliament.\n\nHe also will have decisive role in shaping the country’s foreign and security policies as well as in appointing key officials such as the prime minister, judges, the chief prosecutor, and the central bank governor.\n\nFive years after Moscow’s annexation of Crimea from Ukraine that sparked fears of further Russian aggression across Eastern Europe, the election campaign in Lithuania was dominated by voter anger over economic inequality and corruption.\n\nIncome inequality is among the highest in the European Union, second only to Bulgaria.\n\nIn an earlier interview with Reuters, Nauseda said he would use his presidential powers to help businesses expand in emerging markets, especially China, and request that the government increase revenues and better fund social services such as pensions.\n\nStill very popular, Grybauskaite, 63, was not eligible to run again after serving two terms.\n\nNauseda’s election pledges include supporting Poland in its quest to have a permanent U.S. military base, dubbed “Fort Trump.”"], "summary": "Lithuanian citizens also are heading to the polls to elect their future president in the second round of the latest presidential election."}
{"document": ["Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O'Neill has announced that he will step down from the role, after weeks of defections from his coalition government.\n\nPhoto: AFP\n\nMr O'Neill held a press conference today in Port Moresby, indicating that he would resign \"in the coming days\".\n\nAfter almost eight years in the position, he said he would hand over the leadership to Sir Julius Chan, a 79-year-old who has had two previous stints as prime minister.\n\nThe prime minister's resignation is not final until after it is received in writing by the governor general. Mr O'Neill said he would visit the Queen's representative this week, to \"clear the way for the parliament to vote for the next prime minister\".\n\nHowever, the prime minister this afternoon conceded that recent political movements had indicated to him there was a need for change in leadership.\n\nPressure has been building for weeks on Mr O'Neill's coalition government with an exodus of MPs, including senior ministers, from his People's National Congress party, joining the opposition.\n\nAs of Friday, with the defection of William Duma's United Resources Party, the opposition was claiming to have 62 MPs in the 111-seat parliament, as it sought to oust the prime minister by a parliamentary motion.\n\nToday, Mr O'Neill appeared alongside Sir Julius and other leaders of coalition parties.\n\n\"We have agreed to a change of direction, that the leadership of our government will be now handed over to Sir Julius Chan, who is a veteran leader and one of the founding fathers of our great nation,\" Mr O'Neill said at the press conference.\n\n\"In consultation with coalition government partners, we have decided to ask Sir Julius Chan to lead the team in government for the remainder of this term of parliament,\" Mr O'Neill said in a statement issued later on Sunday.\n\nUsually, under provisions of PNG's constitution, the deputy prime minister takes up the vacancy when a prime minister steps down. In this case, Deputy Prime Minister Charles Abel has been overlooked by Mr O'Neill in favour of the leader of a coalition partner, the People's Progress Party.\n\nThe plan to pass the reins to Sir Julius comes after Mr O'Neill recently lost the large majority support he'd enjoyed in parliament since 2011, as a flood of grievances over PNG's ailing economy, deteriorating basic services and festering corruption allegations finally turned the tide against him.\n\n'Government in waiting'\n\nFollowing Mr O'Neill's announcement, the opposition held a press conference at its Laguna Hotel base. Leading figures in the group said they would not believe Mr O'Neill's announcement until he formally resigned.\n\nOpposition power broker James Marape, whose resignation as Finance Minister last month sparked the exodus, cautioned over \"mixed signals\" from the government.\n\n\"There is no such thing as the prime minister resigning and handing over leadership to someone who is not even a minister of state. That is legally not correct.\"\n\nLeading opposition MPs described their group as a government in waiting. Over recent weeks, lobbying between MPs has been intense, with at least two more government MPs joining the opposition today.\n\nEnvironment Minister John Pundari made it to the Laguna just before the opposition decided to lock the gates of the complex at midday today, while another pair of government MPs looking to join the fray this afternoon were turned away.\n\nBut Mr O'Neill, speaking from his base at the Crown Hotel, argued that maintaining a government based around his People's National Congress and the remnants of his coalition would be best for the interests of political stability.\n\n\"There is no way that I could stand by and allow the opposition to come into government with their dangerous mix of wild ideas,\" Mr O'Neill said.\n\nA political, and potentially constitutional, crisis is brewing, because Mr O'Neill's move to hand over the role of prime minister to Sir Julius will not be readily accepted by opposition MPs.\n\nMr Marape warned that attempts could be made by the O'Neill regime to sabotage processes of parliament at this important juncture. Yet with the opposition appearing to have a majority, a vote for a new prime minister is likely in the coming days once parliament resumes on Tuesday.", "PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea (AP) - Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O'Neill has resigned after seven years on the job.\n\nHis announcement Sunday follows weeks of high profile defections from his government to the opposition.\n\nO'Neill said in a news conference in the capital of Port Moresby that recent movements in parliament have shown a \"need for change.\"\n\nHe handed over his leadership to a former prime minister and current member of parliament, Sir Julius Chan.\n\nOn Friday, one of O Neill's key coalition allies abandoned him. The opposition bloc has since been saying it has 62 lawmakers in its camp, which would give it a majority in parliament.\n\nThe resignation will be formalized when O'Neill visits the governor-general, the official representative of Queen Elizabeth II.\n\nFILE - In this Nov. 14, 2018, file photo, Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O'Neill gestures after inspecting the APEC 2018 International Media Center at Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. O'Neill has resigned Sunday after seven years on the job. His announcement follows weeks of high profile defections from his government to the opposition. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila, File)\n\nFILE - In this Sept. 23, 2017, file photo, Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea Peter O'Neill addresses the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York. O'Neill has resigned Sunday after seven years on the job. His announcement follows weeks of high profile defections from his government to the opposition. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle, File)", "PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea — Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O’Neill has resigned after seven years on the job.\n\nHis announcement follows weeks of high profile defections from his government to the opposition.\n\nO’Neill said in a news conference in the capital of Port Moresby that recent movements in parliament have shown a “need for change.”\n\nHe handed over his leadership to a former prime minister and current member of parliament, Sir Julius Chan.\n\nOn Friday, one of O Neill’s key coalition allies abandoned him. The opposition bloc has since been saying it has 62 lawmakers in its camp, which would give it a majority in parliament.\n\nThe resignation will be formalized when O’Neill visits the governor-general, the official representative of Queen Elizabeth II.", "Papua New Guinea prime minister Peter O'Neill has resigned, citing a need for change, after weeks of unrest in the government..\n\nHe announced his resignation after seven years at a press conference in Port Moresby on Sunday, and has handed over the leadership to Sir Julius Chan, the ABC reported.\n\nThe news follows weeks of turmoil in his People's National Congress party, with several minister and coalition quitting.", "Peter O’Neill, the prime minister of Papua New Guinea, has resigned after weeks of high-level defections from his ruling party.\n\nMr O’Neill told a news conference in Port Moresby that recent changes to political allegiances in parliament had shown a “need for change”.\n\nOn Friday, Mr O’Neill’s opponents said they had mustered enough support in parliament to oust him over a range of grievances including dissatisfaction with Mr O’Neill’s leadership and in particular his unilateral handling of a multibillion-dollar gas deal that opponents said was a poor outcome for PNG [Papua New Guinea] .\n\nMr O’Neill, who has been prime minister for seven years, has handed the leadership to Sir Julius Chan.\n\nMr Chan (79) is a former prime minister of Papua New Guinea, having served in the top job from 1980 to 1982, as the country’s second ever prime minister, and then again from 1994 to 1997.\n\nHis second term as prime minister was controversial for his handling of the Bougainville civil war. Mr Chan’s government took out a contract with a mercenary organisation to crush separatist fighting in Bougainville, which led to widespread public protests.\n\nBryan Kramer, an opposition MP and one of Mr O’Neill’s most outspoken critics, said he considered the announcement a “ploy” from the prime minister to try and win back MPs who had defected from the government camp, and that he would not believe Mr O’Neill was really leaving the top job until due process had been observed.\n\n“He’s announced he has stepped down, but we haven’t seen a resignation letter,” said Mr Kramer. The resignation will only come into effect once Mr O’Neill has visited the governor general, something Mr O’Neill said he would do in the coming days.\n\nWriter and activist Martyn Namorong said: “Only proof of resignation of a PM is presentation of a letter of resignation to the governor general and not a media announcement.”\n\nMr Kramer said Mr O’Neill’s announcement was an attempt to pre-empt a vote of no confidence in the prime minister that opposition MPs would have called for when parliament resumes on Tuesday, which they say they had the numbers to win.\n\nAfter Mr O’Neill visits the governor general, the vacancy for the position is announced in parliament, and there will be a vote by MPs for a replacement leader.\n\nMr Kramer said he was confident the opposition bloc, known as the Laguna Camp, had the numbers to elect a member of their group to the top job.\n\n“Assuming the resignation goes through, we will have 63 [MPs on their side, compared with the government’s 48 MPs], whoever we decide on as our nominee, which is a decision that hasn’t been made yet, will be the next prime minister,” said Kramer. “It will definitely not be Julius Chan.”\n\n“This is PNG politics, it’s not over yet,” he added.\n\nResponding to Sunday’s events, Australian prime minister Scott Morrison thanked Mr O’Neill for his friendship. “I have worked with Peter on three different portfolios, as the minister of immigration, as the treasurer, as prime minister. Peter has been a passionate servant of his country.”\n\nHe praised Papua New Guinea as Australia’s closest ally. “We have a special relationship, and always will. And I will look forward to working with the prime minister of Papua New Guinea in the same way I have enjoyed such a strong friendship and relationship with Peter O’Neill. My simple message to Peter O’Neill, and I look forward to passing this on soon personally, is thank you. Thank you on behalf of Australia for your friendship.”\n\nMr Kramer said that among the opposition’s priorities if one of their MPs were elected to the top job were the country’s crumbling health and education systems and improving the economy by stamping out corruption.\n\nPolitical instability is something of a fixture in the resource-rich but poor South Pacific nation and Mr O’Neill has seen off previous attempts to topple him.\n\nThe political crisis came to a head earlier this month after a spate of high-profile resignations by government ministers led to MPs calling a vote of no confidence in the PM.\n\nMr O’Neill secured a three-week adjournment designed to stall the no-confidence vote and defended his record, labelling talk of a declining economy and living standards as “fake news”.\n\nLast week, Papua New Guinea politics was again thrown into crisis when the attorney general announced an investigation into the citizenship status of all 111 of the country’s MPs to determine if any hold dual citizenship, which would disqualify them from holding public office, after an accusation from Mr Kramer that Mr O’Neill held both Papua New Guinean and Australian citizenship, though he offered no direct evidence of this.\n\nMr O’Neill denied these allegations and presented his Papua New Guinea passport, with Australian visas inside, to the courts as evidence. – Guardian", "SYDNEY (REUTERS) - Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O'Neill announced his resignation on Sunday (May 26) after seven years in the top job following weeks of high-level defections from the ruling party.\n\nMr O'Neill told media in Port Moresby that he had handed over leadership of the Pacific nation to Sir Julius Chan.\n\nMr O'Neill had resisted calls to resign for weeks but stepped down on Sunday, saying that recent movements in Parliament showed a \"need for change\", ABC News reported.\n\nOpponents of Mr O'Neill said last Friday that they had mustered enough support in parliament to oust him over a range of grievances including a gas deal with France's Total, which critics have questioned.\n\nPolitical instability is something of a fixture in the resource-rich but poverty-stricken South Pacific nation and Mr O'Neill, who has been leader since 2011, has seen off previous attempts to topple him.\n\nDefections from the ruling coalition have been going on for weeks, and last Friday at least nine members switched sides, according to two ministers who were among them.\n\nMr O'Neill's opponents needed to rally 62 members of Papua New Guinea's 111-seat parliament to vote him out.\n\nOpposition politicians said last Friday that they would push for investigations in Australia and Switzerland into a A$1.2 billion (S$1.1 billion) loan arranged by finance group UBS if there was a change of government, the Australian Financial Review reported.\n\nA report by the Ombudsman Commission of Papua New Guinea into the 2014 deal that allowed the South Pacific nation to borrow from UBS to buy a 10 per cent stake in Australian Stock Exchange-listed energy firm Oil Search is scheduled to be tabled in Papua New Guinea's parliament next week.\n\nOil Search in turn used the money to buy into the Elk Antelope gas field being developed by France's Total.\n\nPapua New Guinea is estimated to have lost 1 billion kina (S$407 million) on the deal after being forced to sell the shares when the price fell in 2017.\n\n“I will look forward to working with the new prime minister of PNG in the same way I have enjoyed such a strong friendship and relationship with Peter O’Neill,” Mr Morrison told reporters in Canberra.", "Scott Morrison's focus on Pacific diplomacy is facing an immediate test, with Papua New Guinea engulfed in political uncertainty.\n\nThe country's Prime Minister, Peter O'Neill, has announced he plans to resign after seven years in office following weeks of high-profile defections from his government to the opposition.\n\nAustralia's Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne says the Morrison Government will work with whoever takes over the reigns.", "FILE PHOTO: Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O'Neill speaks during the APEC CEO Summit 2018 at Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, 16 November 2018. Fazry Ismail/Pool via REUTERS\n\nSYDNEY (Reuters) - Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O'Neill announced his resignation on Sunday after seven years in the top job following weeks of high-level defections from the ruling party.\n\nO’Neill had resisted calls to resign for weeks but said recent movements in parliament showed a \"need for change\", ABC News reported, handing over the reins of power to former prime minister Sir Julius Chan.\n\nOpponents of O'Neill said on Friday they had mustered enough support in parliament to oust him over a range of grievances including a gas deal with France's Total, which critics have questioned.\n\nPolitical instability is something of a fixture in the resource-rich but poverty-stricken South Pacific nation and O'Neill, who has been leader since 2011, has seen off previous attempts to topple him.\n\nDefections from the ruling coalition have been going on for weeks and on Friday at least nine members switched sides, according to two ministers who were among them.\n\nO'Neill's opponents needed to rally 62 members of PNG's 111-seat parliament to vote him out.\n\nOpposition politicians said on Friday they would push for investigations in Australia and Switzerland into a A$1.2 billion ($830.76 million) loan arranged by finance group UBS if there was a change of government, the Australian Financial Review reported.\n\nA report by the Ombudsman Commission of PNG into the 2014 deal that allowed the country to borrow from UBS to buy a 10 per cent stake in Australian Stock Exchange-listed energy firm Oil Search is scheduled to be tabled in parliament next week.\n\nOil Search in turn used the money to buy into the Elk Antelope gas field being developed by France's Total.\n\nPNG is estimated to have lost 1 billion kina ($287 million) on the deal after being forced to sell the shares when the price fell in 2017.\n\nAustralian Prime Minister Scott Morrison thanked Peter O'Neill for his friendship. \"I will look forward to working with the new prime minister of PNG in the same way I have enjoyed such a strong friendship and relationship with Peter O'Neill,\" he told reporters in Canberra.", "Peter O’Neill, the prime minister of Papua New Guinea, has resigned.\n\nO’Neill told a news conference in Port Moresby that recent changes to political allegiances in parliament had shown a “need for change”.\n\nO’Neill, who has been prime minister for seven years, has handed the leadership to Sir Julius Chan.\n\nThis is a breaking news story, please check back for updates", "Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O'Neill resigned on Sunday, media reports said, following a string of high-profile political defections that threatened his leadership.\n\nO'Neill -- who had been in power since 2011 -- handed over the reins to Julius Chan, who has twice been prime minister, PNG broadcaster EMTV reported.\n\n\"It is important that we maintain a certain amount of stability. We have heard the calls and we have agreed for a change of government,\" O'Neill told reporters, according to EMTV.\n\nChan said the transition was to ensure stability in the Pacific nation.\n\n\"I want to thank the Prime Minister, Peter O'Neill, for all that he has done to bring this country (to where it is) today,\" he told reporters.\n\n\"Men and women of Papua New Guinea... we have very short memories. Tomorrow you will look back and see all the things that he has done. But like life itself, you just got to move on.\"\n\nO'Neill, 54, survived a vote of no confidence earlier this month, but had been under pressure following the signing of a multi-billion-dollar deal for a liquefied natural gas (LNG) project with France's Total and US firm ExxonMobil earlier this year.\n\nThe LNG project would almost double Papua New Guinea's gas exports, but local communities have complained bitterly about not benefiting from similar deals in the past."], "summary": "Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister Peter O'Neill announces his resignation over disputes of him holding dual citizenship and after weeks of defections from his coalition government."}
{"document": ["ATHENS (Reuters) - Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras called snap national elections after suffering a heavy defeat by the opposition conservatives in European Parliament elections on Sunday.\n\nA woman exits the polling booth before casting her vote for the European and local elections at a polling station in Athens, Greece, May 26, 2019. REUTERS/Constantina Peppa\n\nWith an unexpectedly severe pounding at the ballot box for his leftist Syriza party, Tsipras decided not to push through to a full term which expires in October.\n\n“I will request immediate declaration of national elections from the President of the Republic,” Tsipras said in a speech. A party source said the earliest a vote could take place would be June 30, to allow for preparations.\n\nResults for the European Parliament vote showed Syriza trailing the opposition New Democracy party by about nine points.\n\nSyriza stormed the Greek political scene on an anti-austerity platform six years ago, then suffered a backlash after having to impose cut-backs as part of a third bailout in 2015. More damagingly, there was a deeply unpopular agreement that resolved a long-running name dispute with North Macedonia.\n\nNew Democracy leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis demanded Tsipras resign, saying he had lost the popular mandate.\n\n“The Prime Minister must assume his responsibilities. For the good of the country he must resign and the country should hold national elections, the soonest possible,” Mitsotakis said.\n\nOnce a leftist firebrand, Tsipras, 44, mellowed after sweeping to power and telling the country’s creditors to back off in 2015.\n\nBut he was forced into a painful new bailout months later, when faced with a choice of that or being turfed out of the euro zone and into the financial wilderness. The capitulation went down badly with many voters.\n\nGreece emerged from close financial supervision by its lenders in August 2018. The government this month introduced tax cuts and pension payouts, going some way toward unwinding some of the austerity measures.\n\nThe handouts may have averted a steeper defeat in the European election, political analyst Thanos Veremis said.\n\nTsipras’ decision to broker a deal ending a name dispute with North Macedonia earned kudos from his European partners, but proved deeply unpopular with many Greeks.\n\nHis coalition partner, Panos Kammenos, pulled out of the government in January, triggering a confidence vote in parliament that Tsipras nonetheless won comfortably.\n\nFor most, use of the Macedonia name is an appropriation of Greek heritage by the country’s small neighbor. Regardless, Tsipras signed the name-change deal in June, on the banks of the Prespes Lake bordering Albania, Greece and North Macedonia.\n\n“Syriza committed suicide in Prespes,” Kammenos, his former coalition partner, tweeted on Sunday evening.", "The political scene changed utterly Sunday, as New Democracy swept to a convincing victory over the ruling SYRIZA party in European Parliament elections. Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras had framed the poll as a vote of confidence in his government, his policies and himself. The vote, however, turned out to be not only a defeat for Tsipras but also an earthquake in Greece’s politics. With center-right New Democracy winning by a wide margin, with SYRIZA dropping despite having invested heavily in polarizing rhetoric and in handouts to voters, and with PASOK taking third place ahead of the Communist Party and neo-Nazi Golden Dawn, it appears that the division between pro-bailout and anti-bailout forces has run its course. The early parliamentary elections that Tsipras will call for in a week’s time will probably reflect this.\n\n \n\n Alexis Tsipras and SYRIZA swept to power in January 2015 with 36.34 percent of the vote, riding a wave of public anger at austerity and reform that creditors and European Union partners imposed on the Greeks in the 2010 bailout agreement. Governing with the extreme right-wing Independent Greeks, SYRIZA presented itself as the voice of the common people against the elites. Although he failed to force creditors to bend to his will, and in mid-2015 he was forced to accept a new bailout with onerous conditions, Tsipras kept up his attacks on rivals at home. In recent weeks, as the European Parliament elections approached, he invested heavily in a campaign that was politically divisive and which also threatened to derail the sacrifices of years of austerity. He warned pensioners that the handouts his government had provided in recent week depended on their vote Sunday. The tactic did not work. The reasons that people abandoned SYRIZA will be clearer in the next few days, but it appeared that many of the centrist voters who had pushed from the fringes of politics to center stage were no longer satisfied with Tsipras’ polarizing language, his policies and, perhaps, his government’s tolerance of anti-establishment activism.\n\n \n\n In his post-election statement shortly before midnight last night, Tsipras said that he would visit President Prokopis Pavlopoulos immediately after the second round of local elections, which will be held on Sunday, and ask him to call parliamentary elections. The prime minister chose to present the political choice as one between light and darkness, with his party promising release from austerity while its rivals were ostensibly in favor of austerity, the elites and the International Monetary Fund. This was a seamless continuation of the election campaign that had brought defeat in Sunday’s elections for the European Parliament and local authorities. This suggests that SYRIZA may not only maintain polarizing language but may also increase the tension in an effort to keep votes.\n\n \n\n New Democracy leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis, on the other hand, had appeared conciliatory in his statement earlier Sunday. He called on the prime minister to call elections as soon as possible but also called on ND supporters to act “with responsibility and, above all, with modesty.” It will be a tough task to achieve this, if the government and its supporters maintain the tension of the past weeks. But Mitsotakis is in a position to put his stamp on his party now. He is credited with its remarkable revival, leading it to victory for the first time since June 2012, when it gained 29.66 percent. This means that Mitsotakis may be able to push the reform agenda that he proposed when he was elected party leader in a vote by party supporters in January 2016. Mitsotakis, although the son of a former prime minister, had been considered an outsider because of his reformist bent in a party with strong statist transition. Tsipras has continually focused his attacks on Mitsotakis, providing his rival with a new level of credibility now that Mitsotakis is credited with Sunday’s victory.\n\n \n\n The next few weeks and months will be crucial to domestic politics and to Greece’s relations with its partners in the European Union, its allies and its creditors. Tsipras and Mitsotakis bear a heavy burden of responsibility as they lead the nation to elections. If division reigns, many of the sacrifices of the past 10 years will have been in vain and Greece will be in a worse position than it was before the crisis.", "Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras has called for an early national election following the defeat of his party at the European Parliament elections.\n\n \n\n Tsipras said from the SYRIZA party offices that “the result does not rise to our expectations ... I will not ignore it or quit.”\n\n \n\n The government's term expires in October and before Sunday night's announcement, government officials insisted that elections would be held at the end of the term.\n\n \n\n Tsipras said he will visit the Greek president to request the early dissolution of parliament after the second round of local and regional elections on June 2.\n\n \n\n This puts the election date at June 30 at the earliest. [AP]", "Athens: Greece is headed to a snap elections after Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras suffered a crushing defeat in European Parliament elections.\n\nThe vote could come as early as June 30, after the 44-year-old leftist leader admitted the outcome left him little choice. His main opposition, New Democracy, scored about 10 percentage points more than the premier's Syriza party.\n\nTsipras has shown himself to be the ultimate political survivor but he will have a hard time staying in the game after such a stinging electoral defeat.\n\nThe firebrand leader saw himself catapulted into power in 2015 as he led Europe's most indebted state to a clash with its creditors only to back down after flirting with the country's expulsion from the euro area.", "ATHENS, May 26 (Reuters) - Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said he would call snap elections following the defeat of his Syriza party in European Parliament elections.\n\nResults showed his party trailing by up to nine points behind the opposition New Democracy party. Under normal circumstances, Tsipras's mandate ends in October.\n\nIn a speech Tsipras said he would meet with the Greek President to discuss calling elections immediately after the conclusion of a second round of local Greek elections scheduled for next week.", "Greek Prime Minister and Syriza leader Alexis Tsipras has reportedly said that after the second round of the elections for the local administration on Sunday 2, he will meet with President Prokopios Pavlopoulos and ask for the dissolution of parliament and national elections, probably on June 30, according to Tornos News.\n\nSyriza, in power since 2015, suffered a heavy defeat on Sunday in the European Parliamentary elections, falling behind the main opposition New Democracy party by about nine points.", "ATHENS (Reuters) - Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Monday urged his Syriza party to regroup and heed the message of voters ahead of snap national elections he called after a resounding defeat from opposition conservatives in European Parliament elections.\n\nIn a speech designed to rally Syriza party faithful, Tsipras said the result of Sunday’s vote, which saw opposition New Democracy ahead by about ten points, fell below his expectations.\n\n“The crucial thing in life is not if you will fall, but if you will get up,” Tsipras said.\n\n“I want to ask you all, today, to get up, and regroup, and fight. We very well know we can do it. Because our main strength is that we are defending what is just, our values, the values of the democratic faction and of the left.”\n\nTsipras has said he plans early elections after Sunday’s defeat. It is widely speculated they could take place as early as June 30.", "ATHENS (Reuters) - Greek opposition leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis called for the resignation of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras on Sunday after a European Parliament election result which Mitsotakis’s party won.\n\n“It is obvious that the Greek people have withdrawn their confidence in this government .. The Prime Minister must assume his responsibilities. He must resign and the country should hold national elections the soonest possible.”\n\nEarly election results showed Mitsotakis’s New Democracy party leading Tsipras’s Syriza party by up to nine points. At present, elections are scheduled to be held in October.", "Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is likely to call snap elections in June, a source in his SYRIZA party said on Sunday on condition of anonymity.\n\n \n\n SYRIZA, in power since 2015, suffered a heavy defeat on Sunday in elections for new delegates to the European Parliament, trailing behind the main opposition New Democracy party by about nine points.\n\n \n\n Tsipras was due to issue a statement on Sunday evening. [Reuters]", "Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras called for an early national election following the defeat of his party in the European Parliament polls.\n\nGreek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras called for an early national election following the defeat of his party in the European Parliament polls.\n\nMr Tsipras said from the Syriza party offices that “the result does not rise to our expectations … I will not ignore it or quit”.\n\nMr Tsipras credited his government for pulling the country out of the austerity imposed by Greece’s creditors and said that voting for Sunday’s winner, the conservative New Democracy, would be turning back to “the darkness of austerity, the darkness off crisis, the oligarchs, the International Monetary Fund”.\n\nThe government’s term expires in October and before Sunday night’s announcement, government officials insisted that elections would be held at the end of the term.\n\nBut a long and contentious meeting of government ministers and party officials ended with the announcement of the early election.\n\nMr Tsipras said he will visit the Greek president to request the early dissolution of parliament after the second round of local and regional elections on June 2.\n\nThis puts the election date at June 30 at the earliest.\n\nIn the run-up to the election, Mr Tsipras brought to Parliament a series of measures that amounted to handouts and defied the conservatives to vote against them.\n\nThey did not, but accused Mr Tsipras of a desperate gambit for votes.\n\nWith just over a third of voting precincts reporting, New Democracy is leading with 33.62% to Syriza’s 23.86%.\n\nThe socialists of the Movement for Change follow with 7.16%, ahead of the Communist Party (5.75, the far-right Golden Dawn (4.86%), the hard-line nationalist Greek Solution (4.04%) and Diem25, the pan-European movement of Syriza’s first finance minister Yanis Varoufakis (3.15%).\n\nIf the results hold, New Democracy will win seven European Parliament seats; Syriza will get six; the socialists, the communists and Golden Dawn two each; and Greek Solution and Diem25 one each.\n\nNew Democracy also stands to make important gains in the second round of the local and regional elections next Sunday."], "summary": "Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, whose term expires in October, calls for snap elections following his leftist Syriza party's heavy defeat by the opposition conservatives in the European Parliament elections."}
{"document": ["Simon Pagenaud won the 103rd Indianapolis 500 on Sunday afternoon by 0.2086 seconds over Alexander Rossi to become the 21st pole-sitter to win the race and the first since 2009. Pagenaud beat out Rossi, the 2016 winner, and third-place finisher Takuma Sato, the 2017 winner, in a close race that featured multiple lead changes but only two crashes.\n\nPagenaud held off Rossi during a thrilling final lap of the contest, where the French racing veteran moved back and forth in front of Rossi at speeds exceeding 200 mph, refusing to allow his American rival to pass despite multiple attempts on his part to take the inside. Their final lap was a photo finish between two of the top drivers in all of the 2019 IndyCar Series.\n\nComing into the race, Pagenaud won the pole position on the inside where he started out in front of last year's winner and heavy favorite, Will Power, who began in the sixth position on the outside and finished fifth. Pagenaud shared the first row with Ed Carpenter and Spencer Pigot, while Power shared the second row with Ed Jones and Colton Herta, the first driver in Indy 500 history to be born in the 2000s.\n\nA crash occurred during lap 180 when Graham Rahal and Sébastien Bourdais touched wheels and both spun out of place. Kyle Kaiser also spun out of control during the race.\n\nThis year, there were 33 entrants in the race and an expected attendance of at least 250,000 people. There were seven former Indy-500 winners in the 2019 race, among those Scott Dixon, Tony Kanaan and Ryan Hunter-Reay, and six rookies, including 19-year-old Colton Herta. Every single engine in the race was manufactured by either Chevrolet or Honda.\n\nKnown as \"The Greatest Spectacle in Racing,\" the Indianapolis 500 takes place each year at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, also known as the Brickyard. On Sunday, over 200 laps and 500 miles, some of the IndyCar's best drivers battled one another while hitting speeds of up to 230 mph.\n\nThe race was carried live on NBC where coverage began at 12:45 p.m. Sunday. Kelly Clarkson performed the national anthem, while Matt Damon and Christian Bale were the honorary starters, ahead of their new film, \"Ford v. Ferrari.\"", "Simon Pagenaud wins the 103rd running of the Indianapolis 500\n\nINDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Simon Pagenaud wins the 103rd running of the Indianapolis 500.", "Simon Pagenaud won the 103rd running of the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, narrowly holding off 2016 winner Alexander Rossi in a thrilling finish.via FOX NEWS https://fxn.ws/2YLVNmr", "INDIANAPOLIS (CNN) — Simon Pagenaud is the first French driver to win the Indianapolis 500 in more than a century.\n\nPagenaud was triumphant Sunday afternoon after driving 200 laps around the 2.5-mile track, equaling 500 miles at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.\n\n“We did it, yes!” he exulted after the race.\n\nHe had earned the top qualifying spot with a speed of 229.992 mph and led for 116 laps. Pagenaud became the first pole-winner to capture the Indy 500 since his Team Penske teammate Helio Castroneves did so in 2009, according to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.\n\nAlexander Rossi finished in second place after he and Pagenaud swapped the lead several times in the race’s final laps. Takuma Sato finished third.\n\nRene Thomas was the last Frenchman to win the race, pulling off a victory in 1914.\n\nAfter his win Pagenaud chugged a bottle of milk — a tradition that dates to driver Louis Meyer, who drank buttermilk after winning the race twice in the 1930s.\n\nPagenaud drives for the team of Roger Penske, who won his 18th Indy 500 as a team owner.\n\nPresident Trump tweeted congratulations to Pagenaud and Penske, and said he would see them and the team at the White House.\n\nSeveral other drivers had sought to cement their names in history during the 103rd running of IndyCar’s flagship’s race.\n\nCastroneves has three Indy wins to his name. A fourth win at the Brickyard would have put him among elite company alongside A.J. Foyt, Al Unser Sr. and Rick Mears as the only drivers to win the coveted Borg-Warner Trophy four times.\n\nWill Power, the 2018 Indy 500 winner had hoped to become one of only six drivers, including Castroneves and Unser, to win back-to-back races.\n\nFor the first time, NBC aired “the greatest spectacle in racing” with Mike Tirico, former NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. and eight-time Indy 500 starter Danica Patrick calling the race.", "Check out photos from the 103rd Running of the Indianapolis 500.", "Simon Pagenaud, of France, celebrates after winning the Indianapolis 500 IndyCar auto race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Sunday, May 26, 2019, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)\n\nINDIANAPOLIS -- Simon Pagenaud arrived at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this month with his job on the line and rumors swirling around Gasoline Alley that Alexander Rossi could soon replace him at Team Penske.\n\nThe Frenchman is leaving with a pair of wins, his face soon to be engraved on the Borg-Warner trophy as the Indianapolis 500 champion and an assurance from Roger Penske himself that he isn't going anywhere.\n\n\"Do I even have to answer that?\" Penske asked. \"Absolutely.\"\n\nIn a head-to-head duel for the ages, Pagenaud defeated none other than Rossi with a dramatic pass on the penultimate lap, then holding on the rest of the way to hand Penske his 18th win in \"The Greatest Spectacle in Racing.\" Even sweeter, it came the 50th anniversary of Penske's arrival at the Brickyard.\n\nPagenaud and Rossi swapped the lead five times over the final 13 laps, and the margin of victory was a mere 0.2086 seconds -- the seventh-closest finish in the 103 years of the race.\n\n\n\n\"It's a dream come true. A lifetime trying to achieve this,\" said Pagenaud, who dismissed the thought over job security as he celebrated his first Indy 500 win. \"The milk motivated me. I was just focused on the job, man.\"\n\nPagenaud was dominant all day, leading 116 of the 200 laps, and the win was cathartic. He stopped his car at the start-finish line and hopped out to share the moment with his fans. And once he finally made his way to victory lane, Pagenaud climbed from his car and let out a primal scream, then dumped the entire bottle of milk over his head.\n\n\"I never expected to be in this position,\" Pagenaud said, \"and I certainly am grateful.\"\n\nPresident Donald Trump phoned Penske in victory lane from Japan, where he was meeting with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe over trade. Penske passed the phone to Pagenaud, and Trump later tweeted an invite to the White House for the winning team.\n\nPenske, who was there earlier with Joey Logano last month to celebrate last year's NASCAR Cup Series championship, said Trump told him: \"I must have been your good-luck charm.\"\n\nPenske now has two consecutive Indy 500 victories -- Will Power won last year -- for the first time since 2002-03. It was his third win in the crown jewel race in the past five years and fifth in the past 14.\n\nIt was a banner day, too, with Josef Newgarden finishing fourth and Power in fifth.\n\nRossi lost his cool several times in the race, but the Californian had better fuel mileage than Pagenaud and the Penske cars. The 2016 race winner twice charged to the front in the closing laps.\n\n\"Horsepower. That's unfortunately the way it is,\" said Rossi, who was in a Honda for Andretti Autosport. \"I think we had the superior car. We just didn't have enough there at the end.\"\n\nPagenaud was in a Chevrolet, and the bowtie brand was the dominant engine all May. It swept the top four spots in qualifying, won the race and took four of the top six spots.\n\nPagenaud is the first Frenchman to win the Indy 500 since Rene Thomas in 1914. Indianapolis records count five French winners, but Gil de Ferran in 2003 and Gaston Chevrolet in 1920, while born in France, list other nationalities. Pagenaud was the 21st winner form the pole and first since Helio Castroneves a decade ago.\n\nAs he began the traditional victory lap in the back of a convertible, Rossi was one of many drivers to walk onto the track to congratulate him. The American leaned in for a genuine embrace.\n\n\"Nothing else matters but winning,\" Rossi said. \"This one will be hard to get over.\"\n\nRossi, who drove from the back to finish fourth a year ago, had been patient through the first half of the race and set himself up to take control after the halfway point. But a troublesome fuel hose on a pit stop caused a lengthy delay, and Rossi was angrily pounding his steering wheel while imploring the Andretti crew to get him back on track.\n\nHe really lost his cool when he couldn't get past the lapped car of Oriol Servia. As Rossi finally raced by, he angrily raised his fist at the Spaniard. A late wreck then caused an 18-minute stoppage with Rossi set to restart the final sprint as the leader, and he conveyed his mood over his team radio.\n\n\"A bunch of hungry, angry cars behind me,\" Rossi said. \"Little do they know I'm angrier.\"\n\nPagenaud got him on the restart, though, and the two went back and forth four more times before Pagenaud locked down the win. Former champion Takuma Sato finished third as he and Rossi gave Honda two spots on the podium. Santino Ferrucci in seventh was the highest finishing rookie.\n\nAttention had been heavy on rookie Colton Herta, but the 19-year-old driver for team owners Mike Harding and George Steinbrenner IV was the first driver out of the race when his gearbox broke.\n\nIndianapolis Motor Speedway officials had prepared for rain, and perhaps even a postponement, in NBC's debut as broadcaster. But it was a bright, sunny day -- a picture-perfect showcase for Pagenaud to triumph on Memorial Day weekend.", "Simon Pagenaud won the 2019 Indianapolis 500 on Sunday, edging out Alexander Rossi and Takuma Sato at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.\n\nPagenaud, who started from the pole place, earns his second win of the 2019 IndyCar Series season. This is the first time he entered Victory Lane in the Indianapolis 500.\n\nThis article will be updated to provide more information soon.\n\nGet the best sports content from the web and social in the new B/R app. Get the app and get the game.", "NBC Sports’ exclusive coverage of the 103rd Indianapolis 500 culminated this afternoon in historic fashion on NBC at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, as Simon Pagenaud edged out Alexander Rossi for his first career Indy 500. Pagenaud’s victory marks the 18th Indianapolis 500 win for Team Penske, who came in first, fourth, and fifth in this year’s Indy 500.\n\nNBC Sports’ Indianapolis 500 commentary team of Leigh Diffey (play-by-play) and analysts Townsend Bell and Paul Tracy called NBC Sports’ inaugural broadcast of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” on NBC, alongside pit reporters Marty Snider, Kelli Stavast, Kevin Lee, Jon Beekhuis, and Robin Miller.\n\nMike Tirico – in his first INDYCAR assignment – anchored coverage alongside NBC Sports motorsports analyst Dale Earnhardt Jr., who was at his first Indy 500, and analyst and former INDYCAR driver Danica Patrick. NBC Sports motorsports host Krista Voda and reporter Rutledge Wood also contributed to the network’s Indy 500 presentation.\n\nTirico: “On the way to our set on the track before, one of the members on Team Penske handed me a coin and it’s Roger [Penske’s] favorite saying: ‘Effort equals results.’ First, fourth, and fifth – Team Penske. One more time.”\n\nEarnhardt Jr. on back-and-forth finish: “This was just so emotional. To watch this whole race play out, what a break for Pagenaud. Incredible driving from Rossi, but when it counted at the end, incredible driving from Pagenaud.”\n\nPatrick on finish: “Wow. I got pretty animated. I feel very fortunate that was my first race I could watch as a retired driver here at the track. So exciting. Their driving was amazing. The ending was storybook. You couldn’t write it any better.”\n\nSimon Pagenaud on his victory: “It’s a dream come true. It’s been a life of trying to achieve this. I’m just speechless. It’s just incredible. I never expected to be in this position.”\n\nBell on Pagenaud’s final lap: “That guy was swerving like a cobra snake.”\n\nAlexander Rossi on runner-up finish: “Unfortunately, nothing else matters here except winning. This one will be a hard one to get over.”\n\nTeam owner Roger Penske on Pagenaud’s victory: “What a job Simon did this month. What a guy. Can you believe it? And he won that thing…I just cannot believe it.”\n\nDiffey on Pagenaud’s victory: “Simon Pagenaud sweeps the month of May and wins his maiden Indy 500…Two-tenths of a second is all that separated Simon Pagenaud and Alexander Rossi.”\n\nTracy on Pagenaud-Rossi battle for the finish: “Pagenaud can’t get away, Rossi says he wants it. He’s angrier than anyone else in the field.”\n\nPatrick on final laps during red flag: “As drivers, this is always a very confusing time because this isn’t a sport where you can plan a play. It’s almost impossible. So, in my opinion, this is where experience, maturity, confidence and just the pure handling of your car is going to come in handy in every aspect.”\n\nTracy on final laps during red flag: “This is now a knife fight until the end.”\n\nDiffey on final laps during red flag: “Make no mistake about it, this is the calm before the storm.”\n\nEarnhardt Jr. on today’s Indy 500: “Rossi is sort of on a mission all his own, doing things I’ve never seen racecar drivers do. This is some of the greatest driving I’ve ever seen. You watch this race on TV, it’s up in the cockpit. When you’re here in person, you can see that, you can see the danger that he’s putting himself in. It’s incredible. Incredible bravery.”\n\nGraham Rahal on contact with Sebastien Bourdais: “I respect Sebastien a lot, I don’t respect that move, but I do respect him as a driver tremendously and I’m sure he feels the same right now… I’m just not a fan of squeezing people and putting people in those positions. It’s not necessary.”\n\nPatrick on Bourdais’ spotter during crash: “You have a spotter in your ear calling inside. I love Bourdais, he was having a fantastic day, but his spotter should have – if he wasn’t, but probably was – calling inside. You’ve got to make a decision as a driver to go “I’ve got to give room””.\n\nPatrick on hitting the next level in driving: “As drivers we’re in a mentally different space the entire time, it’s a very focused space. But there is a next level, there is a next elite level that I believe that as an athlete if you can tap into that more often, that’s what makes you great. Rossi’s in that. You can see that with all of his passes.”\n\nDiffey on Rossi fueling issues on lap 139: “I don’t think I’ve ever seen Rossi flip out like that… This is a cool guy, very understated. You don’t see Rossi flip out like this.”\n\nPatrick on her experience and the beginning of the race: “For my first time here on pit lane watching it, it’s exciting, number one, and number two, I’m right so far. Simon is still leading. Of course it’s early, but it looks tough to pass. Look, conditions are different today than they were on Carb Day. Heard a lot of issues on Carb Day come up that they hadn’t had yet this month. So here we are now in another day and it’s a different condition than Friday.”\n\nPre-Race on NBC (11 a.m. ET)\n\nBell: “I’ve done this race many times… Whether I finished in the top five or finished at the back, you always have a life-changing, ultimate life moment here at Indy and today feels no different.”\n\nTirico on Mario Andretti on 50th Anniversary of his 1969 Indy 500 win: “He might be 79, but he has the spirit of a 30-year-old.”\n\nTirico: “They call it the Greatest Spectacle in Racing. It’s everything they say it is, and more.”\n\nBell: “As I look out at the biggest crowd in all of sports, I realize that in the 10 Indy 500s that I did here, I never actually took it in like I am today because I would come out here in a laser-like focus. I’m in a tunnel, almost like a white-out focus, as I think about the mission ahead. Not only was I chasing the biggest prize in racing, I was taking the biggest risk each year. This is the most dangerous race on the schedule. And as these guys start to strap in, and look down to turn one, there’s only one question in their mind: who’s going to get their first?”\n\nPre-Race on NBCSN (9-11 a.m. ET)\n\nBell: “This place will focus your attention more than anywhere else in the world. The biggest prize is at the end of those 500 miles. It’s the biggest prize in racing, it’s also the greatest risk these drivers will take all year.”\n\nBell on Roger Penske: “The intensity is insane… He’s 82 years old, he’s a billionaire. He can be anywhere in the world on this Sunday doing anything he wants. He’s here in Indianapolis competing with every bit of intensity that he had back in 1969 and the record is unbelievable.”\n\nTracy: “This race is the biggest race in the world. This is a race that when you win, it lifts the weight of the world off your shoulders.”\n\nTracy on Penske: “I know first-hand, I was signed to Roger Penske as a young driver, and any time that you get signed to his team you are expected to win Roger a championship and/or an Indy 500 for him. This is what it’s all about for him.”\n\nTirico: “300,000 people all taking in everything there is about Indy and the race itself, a day where hearts are broken and dreams are made.”\n\nPatrick: “As a kid, I remember watching this race every year… every single year it was a ceremony, it was a routine. I just have such a love for it.”\n\nEarnhardt Jr. on the Snake Pit: “This is crazy. I’ve always wanted to come to the Indy 500… The one thing everybody says that you’ve got to go to is the Snake Pit. I mean this is crazy… It’s 9 a.m. and this place is packed.”\n• James Hinchcliffe and Robert Wickens – NBC Sports examined the relationship between Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports teammates James Hinchcliffe and Robert Wickens, whose friendship dates back to their high school years – and how their bond has sustained through the ups and downs of their careers. Hinchcliffe suffered a life-threatening crash at IMS in 2015 and missed qualifying for the Indy 500 in 2018. Towards the latter part of an impressive rookie season in 2018, Wickens suffered a crash at Pocono that left him paralyzed from the waist down and is in the midst of his road to recovery;\n• Will Power – NBC Sports profiled defending Indy 500 champion Will Power and what it meant for one of INDYCAR’s most accomplished drivers to win the 500 for the first time in 2018;\n• Patrick on Indianapolis 500 traditions – Patrick, who recorded six Top-10 finishes in eight Indy 500 starts, took fans through some traditions at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, including a look at the iconic Borg Warner Trophy and a walk down Gasoline Alley;\n• Earnhardt Jr. on track with Mario Andretti at Indianapolis Motor Speedway – In addition to his role as official pace car driver for the Indianapolis 500 before the green flag was waved, Dale Earnhardt Jr. took a ride around the track in a two-seat INDYCAR with Mario Andretti;\n• If These Bricks Could Talk – Mario Andretti narrated a segment about Indianapolis Motor Speedway and famed INDYCAR drivers who have crossed the Yard of Bricks as Indy 500 winners;\n• Wood visits Kuehnert Dairy Farm – Rutledge Wood visited the fifth generation Indiana dairy farm and spoke with Andrew Kuehnert, who delivers the traditional bottle of milk to the winning Indy 500 driver;\n• Bell and Conor Daly Fly in F-16 Fighter Jet – NBC Sports’ Indy 500 analyst Townsend Bell took a trip in an F-16 with INDYCAR driver Conor Daly to see the comparison between Air Force pilots and INDYCAR drivers. Daly qualified in 11th position for this year’s race and his car is sponsored by the U.S. Air Force;\n• “How Far, How Fast” – Fifty years after Apollo 11 landed on the moon, Ice-T narrated “How Far, How Fast,” which also featured Apollo 10 astronaut Gen. Thomas P. Stafford and showcased what astronauts and racers have in common – a passion for speed and pushing themselves to the limit.\n\nThe Voice star Kelly Clarkson performed the National Anthem ahead of the race, Chevel Shepherd (Season 15 winner of The Voice, on Clarkson’s team) sang “God Bless America”, and Matt Iseman and Akbar Gbaja-Biamila (American Ninja Warrior) served as the Indy 500 Grand Marshals. Academy Award winners Matt Damon and Christian Bale waved green flag at approximately 12:45 p.m. ET, signaling the beginning of the race.", "INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis 500 was once considered one of the top sporting events of the year, an iconic, milk-drenched staple of Memorial Day weekend filled with patriotism and nostalgia, triumph and disappointment.\n\nIt is nearly impossible to maintain reverential status for 103 years, and the Indy 500, like almost everything in sports, has had its declines. Huge crowds no longer jam the grandstands to watch qualifying or Carb Day, and the economics of racing and sponsorship has pared down the entry list.\n\nBut IndyCar is experiencing a renaissance of sorts, and interest in a series largely supported by “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” is slowly returning. The hype has certainly been high at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this year, where a strong infield crowd attended practice days and large groups of teens roamed the grounds as part of school field trips.\n\nThe race itself, which will broadcast for the first time by NBC, could be a good one. Qualifying for Sunday’s race produced the tightest Indy 500 field in history with only 1.8 mph separating pole sitter Simon Pagenaud at 229.992 mph from Pippa Mann, the slowest qualifier at 227.224.\n\nThere were 36 entrants, which meant three drivers would not make the field, and once-proud McLaren was humiliated to miss the race with superstar Fernando Alonso. The two-time Formula One champion nearly salvaged McLaren’s mortifying return to Indianapolis when he gallantly held it wide open for four desperate laps in an overhauled car worked on until the very last moment. The car did not have the right gear ratio on a run that should have gotten Alonso into the 33-car field, and mighty McLaren was bumped by tiny Juncos Racing and young Americandriver Kyle Kaiser.\n\nThe result is Kaiser, winner of nothing of national note, and Mann, driving for the Clauson-Marshall team that races sprint cars the rest of the year, are in the race. Alonso, needing the Indy 500 to complete his quest of the Triple Crown, and an actual Formula One team went back to Europe.\n\n“It’s a big missed opportunity. It clearly says, ‘This isn’t something you show up and can easily do,’” said Mark Miles, CEO of Hulman & Co., which owns IndyCar, the Indy 500 and the speedway. “So it says: This is complicated, this is hard.”\n\nThe Indy 500 will still draw at least 250,000 people — more if Sunday’s forecast didn’t call for rain — and those who show will be treated to a true spectacle in the push to drink the victory lane milk. IndyCar, slow in rebuilding, is on the up, and drivers argue the on-track product is better than anything else out there.\n\n“It’s the most competitive racing series in the world. It’s the tightest,” said Alexander Rossi, the 2016 Indy 500 champion as a rookie after he flamed out in Formula One. “On any weekend, you have no idea who is going to win the race.”\n\nIndyCar has had five different winners through its first five races this year, but Pagenaud might be the first repeat winner. He’s the favorite to repeat his win from two weeks ago on Indy’s road course. His job with Roger Penske is on the line — Pagenaud knows it — but he is on the pole Sunday and Penske could not be more pleased.\n\nThe venerable owner, celebrating the 50th anniversary of his first Indy 500, is going for his 18th win in the showcase race. He is Pageanud’s biggest fan, even as Team Penske goes into the race with a quartet of cars capable of winning. Along with Pagenaud the team has defending winner Will Power, three-time winner Helio Castroneves and former series champion Josef Newgarden.\n\nPenske is bullish on everything right now, especially IndyCar.\n\n“I think the good thing that’s happening in IndyCar, the races are shorter (than NASCAR), we have diversity across the field, people are racing (from) different countries, and to me, I think we’re on a good ride,” he said.\n\nThe 103rd running of the 500 is especially rich on story lines.\n\nChevrolet has had more speed than Honda and swept the top four spots in qualifying with Pagenaud followed by the trio from Ed Carpenter Racing. The highest-starting Honda driver is rookie Colton Herta, who became IndyCar’s youngest winner earlier this year just days before his 19th birthday.\n\nThe son of former IndyCar driver Bryan Herta has been spectacular around Indianapolis — he drives for Harding Steinbrenner Racing, a team partially owned by the grandson of late New York Yankees owner George S teinbrenner — and is a legitimate contender.\n\n“He’s tremendously talented and not fazed by a lot, and that definitely shows he’s Bryan Herta’s kid,” said Marco Andretti, who is starting 10th on Sunday. “He’s very even-keeled and doesn’t get excited a lot. He’s just a natural and fast, you know? He’s a fast rookie and not afraid of anything.”\n\nThe Herta entry has an alliance with Andretti Autosport, which has been a bit under the radar during the month of May.\n\nRossi is probably the strongest of the Andretti group, but Conor Daly, in a fifth entry, has been fast in the best car of his life. Daly doesn’t have a single race planned after Sunday, and he needs a huge payday to get back in a car this season.\n\nChip Ganassi Racing has also been quiet. Five-time series champ Scott Dixon starts 18th but rookie Felix Rosenqvist struggled to qualify after the Swede was rattled by a crash in practice.\n\nHonda has a few other promising candidates in Sebastien Bourdais, driving a new car purchased specifically for this race by Jimmy Vasser and James Sullivan, as well as Oriol Servia, the oldest driver in the field at 44 and the final entrant announced the night before opening day.\n\nThe time it took to put the deal together has not been evident as Servia has been the strongest of the trio from Arrow Schmidt Peterson Motorsports. James Hinchcliffe crashed the first day of qualifying and had to bump his way into the race — an improvement on last year, when he missed out entirely.\n\nCastroneves will again go for a record-tying fourth victory, a mark he’s desperately chasing in the final years of his career. Penske moved him to sports cars but keeps bringing him back to Indy, where he is trying to join A.J. Foyt, Rick Mears and Al Unser Sr. as four-time winners.\n\n“Only a few guys have done that. I dream big,” Castroneves said. “I definitely want to make it happen and I won’t give up that easy. Someone can say ‘Nah, it’s never going to happen.’ As long as I have an opportunity, I’m going to keep trying.”", "The 2019 Indianapolis 500 will be held on Sunday, May 26, 2019 (5/26/19) at the Indianapolis Speedway in Indianapolis, Indiana.\n\nThe 200-lap, 500-mile race on asphalt began in 1911. This will be the 103rd running of the race. Will Power won the race in 2018.\n\nWhat you need to know:\n\nSimon Pagenaud keeps finding new ways to impress his team owner.\n\nLast weekend, he rallied in the rain to end a 21-race drought. On Sunday, he put Roger Penske back on the pole for the Indianapolis 500. And he may not be finished.\n\nPagenaud traded high-fives and pumped his fist along pit row after earning the first Indy pole by a French driver in a century. He had a four-lap qualifying average of 229.992 mph to edge Ed Carpenter and Spencer Pigot and give Chevrolet a clean sweep of the front row for next Sunday's race.\n\n\"Watching him run in that road race, in the water, I've never seen a run like that in my life,\" Penske said after the team captured its 266th IndyCar pole. \"And then to come out here and win the pole? We've got great momentum.\"\n\nThe timing couldn't be better for Pagenaud, either.\n\nWith his contract expiring at the end of this season and questions lingering about his future, the 2016 series champ has thrived this month on IndyCar's biggest stage.\n\nHe won the IndyCar Grand Prix for his first trip to victory lane since the 2017 season finale at Sonoma. He earned his first pole since July 2017 at Toronto.\n\nOn Sunday, Pagenaud was the only driver in the nine-car pole shootout to top 230 on three of the four laps. He knocked a three-time Indy pole winner out of the top spot."], "summary": "2016 IndyCar Series champion Simon Pagenaud of France wins the 103rd running of the Indianapolis 500."}
{"document": ["Image: Lehtikuva / Jussi Nukari\n\nFinland won the ice hockey world championship in Slovakia on Sunday evening, making it the third world title for the Lions (or Leijonat), following previous championship wins in 1995 and 2011.\n\nCaptain Marko Anttila, who scored the only goal of the team’s semi-final win over Russia, delivered once again with two goals. Harri Pesonen secured the conquest with a third goal late in the final period.\n\nStrong start from Canada\n\nCanada had a very strong start to the game and aimed a number of early attempts on Kevin Laskinen's goal. Finland looked to be in real danger of conceding the first goal when Anttila was sent to the sin bin for a heavy tackle.\n\nDespite the numerical disadvantage, Finland defended resolutely and it was the Lions who created the game's first big goal-scoring opportunity. Jere Sallinen broke away on a counterattack but before he was able to get a shot away, he was tripped by a retreating Canadian defender and Finland were awarded a penalty shot. However, Oliwer Kaski's effort went wide of the Canadian goal.\n\nFive minutes later, Canada punished Finland’s defence for their inattention as Shea Theodore cut through the back line and dispatched a rising shot past Lankinen to give Canada the lead. Finland were fortunate not to fall even further behind when Philipe Myers' shot came back off the post, and were just one goal down at the end of the first period.\n\nLions roar back\n\nFinland began the second period much stronger, and were immediately rewarded. Anttila latched onto a pass from Sakari Manninen to drill a shot through the legs of Canadian goaltender Matt Murray and into the net. The Lions capitalised on the momentum and dominated the second period, peppering the Canadian goal with a total of 22 shots, but without adding a second goal. The game was finely balanced at 1-1 at the end of the second period.\n\nImage: Markku Ulander / Lehtikuva\n\nThe third period began exactly as the second had, with an Anttila goal. The captain was once again in the right place at the right time, arriving to meet Veli-Matti Savinaien's pull back from behind the Canadian goal to give Finland the lead for the first time in the final.\n\nCanada exerted huge pressure on the Finnish goal for the remainder of the third period, but were unable to find a way past the well-organised Finnish defence or the tenacious Lankinen.\n\nWith just four minutes left on the clock, Finland broke out of defence and Harri Pesonen secured the championship with a third definitive goal. As the buzzer sounded to end the game, the Finnish players swarmed goaltender Lankinen to celebrate their hard-won victory.", "BRATISLAVA, Slovakia (AP) — Finland has won the gold medal at the hockey world championship by beating Canada 3-1 Sunday in the final.\n\nMarko Anttila’s second goal of the game broke a 1-all tie early in the third period as the Finns defeated Canada for a second time at the tournament. Harri Pesonen added an insurance goal with five minutes to play.\n\nShea Theodore scored for Canada in the first period.", "BRATISLAVA, Slovakia — Canada had to settle for silver at the world hockey championship after a 3-1 loss to Finland in Sunday’s final.\n\nFinnish Captain Marko Anttila’s second goal of the game broke a 1-1 tie early in the third period as the Finns defeated Canada for a second time at the tournament. Harri Pesonen added an insurance goal with four minutes to play and goaltender Kevin Lankinen made 42 saves.\n\nShea Theodore had Canada’s only goal and Matt Murray made 19 saves.\n\nThe gold is Finland’s first at the tournament since 2011. Canada’s silver pushes its medal tally to four in the last five years.\n\nTheodore gave Canada a 1-0 lead with 9:58 left to play in the first. The 23-year-old defenceman from Langley, B.C., picked up a feed from forward Anthony Mantha near the Finnish blue line, then jetted down the slot before depositing the puck high over the glove of Kevin Lankinen. Canada outshot Finland 15-9 in the first period.\n\nAnttila tied the game early in the second period on a power play. Theodore was called for tripping at the 2:15 mark and Anttila’s sharp shot got through Murray’s legs 20 seconds into the man advantage. It was Anttila’s second goal in as many days. He also scored in Finland’s 1-0 upset win over Russia in Saturday’s semifinal.\n\nAnttila came through again with his second of the game 2:35 into the third, igniting the pro-Finland crowd in sold-out Ondrej Nepela Arena with a shot that beat Murray high. Harri Pesonen added an insurance goal with 4:06 left to play in the third.\n\nCanada came from behind with late goals to win games against Slovakia and Switzerland earlier in the tournament, and kept the pressure on during the dying minutes. But Lankinen was there to stop them.\n\nFinland iced an unheralded roster that featured only two players who spent any time in the NHL this season. Finland opened its tournament by handing the Canadians their only loss of the preliminary round and ultimately finished second in the Group A standings behind Canada.\n\nThe Finns then knocked off the two-time defending champions from Sweden in the quarterfinal before eliminating the undefeated, star-studded Russian team in the semis. Draft-eligible Kaapo Kakko led the scoring for Finland with six goals, while Lankinen came into Sunday’s game with a 6-1 record, .933 save percentage and 1.57 goals-against average.\n\nCanada is the only team to have reached the semifinal at the world championship for the last five straight years. The Canadians won gold in 2015 and 2016 and silver in 2017 before finishing fourth in 2018.\n\nSunday’s final appearance marked an impressive return to the bench for Canada’s coach Alain Vigneault. The veteran NHL coach was dismissed by the New York Rangers at the end of the 2017-18 season. After a year away from the game, he’ll take over the coaching duties for the Philadelphia Flyers in 2019-20.\n\nEarlier Sunday, Russia beat the Czech Republic 3-2 in a shootout for bronze. Russia was outshot 50-30 through 70 minutes of play, including 10 minutes of sudden-death 3-on-3 overtime, but outscored the Czech Republic 2-0 in the shootout on goals from Ilya Kovalchuk and Nikita Gusev.", "Finland came from behind to beat favourites Canada 3-1 and win the Ice Hockey World Championship in Slovakia.\n\nFinland's Oliwer Kaski missed a penalty in Sunday's final before Canada, aiming for a 27th world title, went ahead through Shea Theodor.\n\nCanada then hit the crossbar twice before Finland captain Marko Antilla struck in the second and third periods.\n\nHarri Pesonen sealed victory to give the Finns their third world title - and their first since 2011.\n\nFinland also beat Canada 3-1 in their opening group match and were the underdogs in all three knockout games, previously beating two-time defending champions Sweden and Russia.\n\nRussia won the bronze medal with a penalty shootout win over the Czech Republic after the match finished 2-2 after regulation and overtime.\n\nEarlier in the competition, Great Britain claimed a dramatic 4-3 overtime win against France to retain their top-flight status.\n• Ice Hockey World Championship 2019: When two Big Bens struck for GB", "BRATISLAVA, Slovakia — Finland has won the gold medal at the hockey world championship by beating Canada 3-1 Sunday in the final.\n\nMarko Anttila’s second goal of the game broke a 1-all tie early in the third period as the Finns defeated Canada for a second time at the tournament. Harri Pesonen added an insurance goal with five minutes to play.\n\nShea Theodore scored for Canada in the first period.\n\nCopyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.", "BRATISLAVA, Slovakia -- The effort was better. The end result was the same. Canada settled for silver on Sunday at the world hockey championship after a 3-1 loss to Finland.\n\nThe outcome was the same as the two teams' first game of the preliminary round, back on May 10. Finland was the only team to beat Canada in the tournament.\n\n\"I thought we played today's game a lot better than we did the first one,\" said defenceman Shea Theodore, who scored to give Canada a 1-0 lead in the first period. \"The game-winning goal on that first game was a lucky bounce off the end wall. I thought we played a lot better tonight.\"\n\n\"I'm very pleased with how we played,\" said Canadian coach Alain Vigneault. \"We gave it our best shot. At the end of the day, we weren't able to capitalize on some of our plays and they were.\"\n\nFinnish captain Marko Anttila's second goal of the game broke a 1-1 tie early in the third period. Harri Pesonen added an insurance goal with four minutes to play and goaltender Kevin Lankinen made 43 saves.\n\nThe gold is Finland's first at the tournament since 2011, a win that also came in Bratislava, Slovakia. Canada's silver pushes its medal tally to four in the last five years.\n\nTheodore gave Canada a 1-0 lead with 9:58 left to play in the first. The 23-year-old defenceman from Langley, B.C., picked up a feed from forward Anthony Mantha near the Finnish blue line, then jetted down the slot before depositing the puck high over the glove of Kevin Lankinen.\n\n\"I kind of just jumped through and put it on net,\" he said.\n\nCanada outshot Finland 15-9 in the first period.\n\n\"Our guys were definitely nervous prior to the game,\" said Vigneault. \"They were focused on their task at hand. They went out and they played extremely well.\"\n\nAnttila tied the game early in the second period on a power play. Theodore was called for tripping at the 2:15 mark and Anttila's sharp shot got through Murray's legs 20 seconds into the man advantage. It was Anttila's second goal in as many days. He also scored in Finland's 1-0 upset win over Russia in Saturday's semifinal.\n\nAnttila came through again with his second of the game 2:35 into the third, igniting the pro-Finland crowd in sold-out Ondrej Nepela Arena with a shot that beat Murray high. Pesonen added an insurance goal with 4:06 left to play in the third, when Canada outshot Finland 21-3.\n\n\"I feel like, looking back at it now, we needed to get that second goal,\" said Vigneault. \"In the third, when we had ample good looks, just couldn't find a way.\"\n\n\"That third goal really hurt, I think,\" said Jonathan Marchessault, who finished with a team-high seven shots on goal and had 10 points in the tournament. \"It was a lucky bounce for them. They put on a lot of pressure. They cash in at the right time, they sit back and play well defensively, and the goalie was good.\"\n\nCanada came from behind with late goals to win games against Slovakia and Switzerland earlier in the tournament, and kept the pressure on during the dying minutes. But Lankinen was there to stop them.\n\nFinland iced an unheralded roster that featured only two players who spent any time in the NHL this season. Finland opened its tournament by handing the Canadians their only loss of the preliminary round and ultimately finished second in the Group A standings behind Canada.\n\nThe Finns then knocked off the two-time defending champions from Sweden in the quarterfinal before eliminating the undefeated, star-studded Russian team in the semis. Draft-eligible Kaapo Kakko led the scoring for Finland with six goals, while Lankinen came into Sunday's game with a 6-1 record, .933 save percentage and 1.57 goals-against average.\n\nCanada is the only team to have reached the semifinal at the world championship for the last five straight years. The Canadians won gold in 2015 and 2016 and silver in 2017 before finishing fourth in 2018.\n\nSunday's final appearance marked an impressive return to the bench for Vigneault. The veteran NHL coach was dismissed by the New York Rangers at the end of the 2017-18 season. After a year away from the game, he'll take over the coaching duties for the Philadelphia Flyers in 2019-20.\n\n\"At the end of the day, we're very proud of how we competed as a team,\" said Vigneault. \"We're obviously very disappointed but I'm very happy with how hard the players played.\"\n\nEarlier Sunday, Russia beat the Czech Republic 3-2 in a shootout for bronze. Russia was outshot 50-30 through 70 minutes of play, including 10 minutes of sudden-death 3-on-3 overtime, but outscored the Czech Republic 2-0 in the shootout on goals from Ilya Kovalchuk and Nikita Gusev.", "BRATISLAVA: Finland pulled off a 3-1 upset of ice hockey giants Canada on Sunday (May 26) to claim gold for just the third time at the men's world championships in Slovakia.\n\nCanada, who were bidding for a record-equalling 27th title to draw level with Russia, grabbed the lead in the final through Vegas Golden Knights defenceman Shea Theodore.\n\nBut Marko Anttila, who scored the winner in a 1-0 semi-final victory over favourites Russia, netted twice to put Finland ahead before Harri Pesonen sealed victory late in the third period.\n\nFinland also won the competition the last time it was held in Slovakia, in 2011. They lifted their other title in 1995.\n\nRussia took the consolation prize of bronze after beating the Czech Republic 3-2 following a shootout.", "\"Our guys were definitely nervous prior to the game,\" said Vigneault. \"They were focused on their task at hand. They went out and they played extremely well.\"\n\nAnttila tied the game early in the second period on a power play. Theodore was called for tripping at the 2:15 mark and Anttila's sharp shot got through Murray's legs 20 seconds into the man advantage. It was Anttila's second goal in as many days. He also scored in Finland's 1-0 upset win over Russia in Saturday's semifinal.\n\nAnttila came through again with his second of the game 2:35 into the third, igniting the pro-Finland crowd in sold-out Ondrej Nepela Arena with a shot that beat Murray high. Pesonen added an insurance goal with 4:06 left to play in the third, when Canada outshot Finland 21-3.\n\n\"I feel like, looking back at it now, we needed to get that second goal,\" said Vigneault. \"In the third, when we had ample good looks, just couldn't find a way.\"\n\n\"That third goal really hurt, I think,\" said Jonathan Marchessault, who finished with a team-high seven shots on goal and had 10 points in the tournament. \"It was a lucky bounce for them. They put on a lot of pressure. They cash in at the right time, they sit back and play well defensively, and the goalie was good.\"\n\nCanada came from behind with late goals to win games against Slovakia and Switzerland earlier in the tournament, and kept the pressure on during the dying minutes. But Lankinen was there to stop them.\n\nFinland iced an unheralded roster that featured only two players who spent any time in the NHL this season. Finland opened its tournament by handing the Canadians their only loss of the preliminary round and ultimately finished second in the Group A standings behind Canada.\n\nThe Finns then knocked off the two-time defending champions from Sweden in the quarterfinal before eliminating the undefeated, star-studded Russian team in the semis. Draft-eligible Kaapo Kakko led the scoring for Finland with six goals, while Lankinen came into Sunday's game with a 6-1 record, .933 save percentage and 1.57 goals-against average.\n\nCanada is the only team to have reached the semifinal at the world championship for the last five straight years. The Canadians won gold in 2015 and 2016 and silver in 2017 before finishing fourth in 2018.\n\nSunday's final appearance marked an impressive return to the bench for Vigneault. The veteran NHL coach was dismissed by the New York Rangers at the end of the 2017-18 season. After a year away from the game, he'll take over the coaching duties for the Philadelphia Flyers in 2019-20.\n\n\"At the end of the day, we're very proud of how we competed as a team,\" said Vigneault. \"We're obviously very disappointed but I'm very happy with how hard the players played.\"\n\nEarlier Sunday, Russia beat the Czech Republic 3-2 in a shootout for bronze. Russia was outshot 50-30 through 70 minutes of play, including 10 minutes of sudden-death 3-on-3 overtime, but outscored the Czech Republic 2-0 in the shootout on goals from Ilya Kovalchuk and Nikita Gusev.", "Finland capped a remarkable run through the 2019 IIHF Hockey World Championship knockout rounds with a 3-1 victory over Canada in Sunday's gold-medal game at Ondrej Nepela Arena in Bratislava, Slovakia.\n\nMarko Anttila scored the game-winning goal early in the third period after the teams were deadlocked through 40 minutes.\n\nAs expected, it was a hard-fought game between two of international hockey's superpowers.\n\nCanada's effort to capture another title was nearly derailed by Switzerland in the quarterfinals. A tying goal by New Jersey Devils defenseman Damon Severson with 0.4 seconds left in regulation kept its hope alive. The Canadians won that game in overtime before crushing the Czech Republic in the semifinals.\n\nVegas Golden Knights blueliner Shea Theodore opened the scoring in the final with a terrific effort to evade three Finnish defenders before wiring home a wrister midway through the first period.\n\nFinland couldn't have faced a much tougher road to a championship. It defeated Nordic rival and two-time defending tournament champion Sweden in overtime during the quarterfinals and then edged previously undefeated Russia 1-0 in the semifinals before meeting Canada for the gold medal.\n\nAnttila lit the lamp less than three minutes into the second period to level the score for the Finns.\n\nThe Finnish captain, who also tallied a goal in the quarters and the semis, found the net again 2:35 into the third period—the exact amount of time he scored into the second—to give Finland its first lead of the contest.\n\nHarri Pesonen added an insurance marker with just over four minutes left to seal the win.\n\nGoalie Kevin Lankinen made 43 saves to pick up the win for the Finns, who registered just 22 shots of their own.\n\nFinland's tremendous journey through the knockout gauntlet lands the country its third world championship and first since 2011. Only the Swedes (three titles), Canadians (two) and Russians (two) had taken home the gold medals over the previous seven years.", "Canada and Finland will face off for the gold medal in the 2019 IIHF Hockey World Championship after scoring semifinal wins Saturday at Ondrej Nepela Arena in Bratislava, Slovakia.\n\nVegas Golden Knights winger Mark Stone continued to build a strong case for tournament MVP with a goal and an assist to pace the Canadians in a 5-1 victory over the Czech Republic. Darnell Nurse (Edmonton Oilers), Pierre-Luc Dubois (Columbus Blue Jackets), Kyle Turris (Nashville Predators) and Thomas Chabot (Ottawa Senators) also lit the lamp for the 26-time champions.\n\nMeanwhile, Finland ended the title hopes of previously undefeated Russia with a dramatic 1-0 triumph. Captain Marko Anttila scored the game's only goal with just under 10 minutes left in regulation, while goalie Kevin Lankinen stonewalled the numerous Red Machine snipers to earn a 32-save shutout.\n\nBronze Medal: Russia vs. Czech Republic (9:45 a.m. ET)\n\nCanada played the semifinal with the freedom of a team given a second lease on life, and it's easy to understand why.\n\nAlain Vigneault's squad was less than a second from elimination in the quarterfinals before a Damon Severson (New Jersey Devils) slap shot beat Switzerland netminder Leonardo Genoni and trickled across the goal line with 0.4 seconds left in the third period to tie the game.\n\nStone scored in overtime to punch the Canadians' ticket to the semifinals, and now the they are one win away from their first world title since 2016. They failed to reach the final the last two years.\n\nFinland, which last captured World Championship gold in 2011, poses a difficult final challenge for Canada, though. The Lions scored a 3-1 victory over the Canadians in the first game of pool play and put their defensive prowess on display once again Saturday to upset Russia.\n\nThe Finns also showcased their ability to win a high-scoring shootout in a 5-4 overtime triumph against rival and defending champion Sweden in the quarterfinals.\n\nKaapo Kakko could be the X-factor in the final.\n\nThe 18-year-old sensation is a candidate to become the first overall pick in the 2019 NHL draft on June 21, and he shined with six goals in Finland's first four games of the event.\n\nHe's failed to find the net in the team's last five contests, however, and figures to see a heavy dose of Canada's defensively strong second line—Anthony Cirelli (Tampa Bay Lightning), Sean Couturier (Philadelphia Flyers) and Sam Reinhart (Buffalo Sabres)—in the gold-medal game.\n\nAll told, it's hard to say whether Finland edging a Russian side that looked poised to win gold or Canada's destruction of the Czechs was the more impressive performance in the semis.\n\nBut now the stage is set for what should be a closely contested fight for the championship in Slovakia."], "summary": "Finland defeats Canada to win gold medal at Ice Hockey World Championship in Slovakia."}
{"document": ["Image copyright AFP Image caption The device, full of screws, nuts and bolts, went off in Lyon city centre last week\n\nFrench police have arrested four people after a suspected parcel bomb exploded in Lyon last week, injuring 13 people.\n\nThe device, packed with screws and ball bearings, detonated outside a bakery on Friday afternoon.\n\nOne of those arrested, a 24-year-old man, is the suspected bomber, prosecutors say. Another man and a woman were also reportedly detained.\n\nPolice had been hunting for a man seen cycling near the scene of the blast wearing a balaclava and rucksack.\n\nAnti-terrorist prosecutors are leading the investigation, co-ordinating with Lyon police and France's internal security service, the DGSI.\n\nWhat do we know about the suspects?\n\nFrench media report that one suspect is an IT student of Algerian nationality. A source told news agency Reuters that police arrested him in Lyon after tailing him in the street. It reportedly decided not to arrest him in his apartment in case there were explosives in the building.\n\nThe second suspect, according to local press, is a minor who attends a school in the city.\n\nTwo other people, a man and a woman, have also been arrested. They are reportedly the parents of one of the suspects.\n\nLast week, police released a picture from CCTV footage of a person they believe carried out the bombing.\n\nImage copyright AFP Image caption Police called for information on this man after the blast\n\nWhat do we know about the attack?\n\nThe explosion struck near the corner of two crowded pedestrian streets in Lyon's historic city centre.\n\nInvestigators have recovered screws, ball bearings, along with a printed circuit, batteries and a remote-controlled trigger device.\n\nDenis Broliquier, the city's district mayor, told press that \"the charge was too small to kill,\" and a government source told AFP news agency it had been a \"relatively weak explosive charge\".\n\nThose hurt, including a girl aged eight, appear to have suffered superficial injuries.\n\nFrench Interior Minister Christophe Castaner confirmed one of the arrests in a Tweet on Monday, saying joint action by several agencies had been \"decisive\".\n\nNo-one has claimed responsibility for the attack.\n\nThe last time a parcel bomb had exploded in France was in 2007 when a device killed one person and injured another in front of a law office in Paris. Police never found the bomber.\n\nJihadist gun and bomb attacks have killed more than 250 people in France since 2015 and the country remains on high alert, with military patrols a regular feature of security in cities including Lyon.", "French police have arrested two men after a suspected parcel bomb exploded in Lyon last week, injuring 13 people.\n\nThe device, packed with screws and ball bearings, detonated outside a bakery on Friday afternoon.\n\nOne of the men arrested, a 24-year-old, is the suspected bomber, prosecutors say. No details have been given on the other.\n\nPolice had been hunting for a man seen cycling near the scene of the blast wearing a balaclava and rucksack.\n\nAnti-terrorist prosecutors are leading the investigation, co-ordinating with Lyon police and France's internal security service, the DGSI.\n\nThe explosion struck near the corner of two crowded pedestrian streets in Lyon's historic city centre.\n\nInvestigators have reportedly recovered screws, ball bearings, along with a printed circuit, batteries and a remote-controlled trigger device.\n\nDenis Broliquier, the city's district mayor, told press that \"the charge was too small to kill,\" and a government source told AFP news agency it had been a \"relatively weak explosive charge\".\n\nThose hurt, including a girl aged eight, appear to have suffered superficial injuries.\n\nFrench Interior Minister Christophe Castaner confirmed one of the arrests in a Tweet on Monday, saying joint action by several agencies had been \"decisive\".\n\nGérard Collomb, Mayor of Lyon, told local media that a second man was also arrested without giving further detail.\n\nNo-one has claimed responsibility for the attack.\n\nThe last time a parcel bomb had exploded in France was in 2007 when a device killed one person and injured another in front of a law office in Paris. Police never found the bomber.\n\nJihadist gun and bomb attacks have killed more than 250 people in France since 2015 and the country remains on high alert, with military patrols a regular feature of security in cities including Lyon.", "LYON\n• French police have arrested three people over an explosion in the south-eastern city of Lyon last week which injured 13 people, the authorities said.\n\nThe suspected bomber, a 24-year-old Algerian citizen, was arrested along with his mother and another Algerian student who is a family friend, Paris prosecutors said in a statement yesterday.\n\nThe suspect is an IT student previously unknown to police, Lyon's Mayor Gerard Collomb said.\n\nPolice have also questioned his sister but she has not been arrested, the Paris prosecutors added.\n\nProsecutors last Friday opened an investigation over \"attempted murders linked to a terrorist organisation\".\n\nPolice had been hunting for a man seen cycling near the scene of the blast who was wearing a green top and bermuda shorts, and carrying a dark rucksack.\n\nHe had been the target of an extensive manhunt since late Friday when an explosive device filled with screws and ball bearings was placed in front of a bakery near the corner of two crowded pedestrian streets in the historic centre of Lyon.\n\nPolice circulated photos of the suspect on Twitter, leading to \"several dozen\" calls from people with information.\n\nSources close to the investigation suspected the explosive was acetone peroxide, or Apex, a volatile compound used in the deadly Paris attacks of Nov 13, 2015.\n\nInvestigators of the Lyon incident recovered small screws, ball bearings and batteries along with a printed circuit and a remote-controlled trigger device. Officials later said the charge was relatively weak.\n\nThirteen people were wounded in the explosion - eight women, four men and a 10-year-old girl - of whom 11 needed hospital treatment. The authorities said some of those hurt needed surgery to remove shrapnel but the injuries were not life-threatening.\n\nFrance has been on high alert following a wave of deadly militant terror attacks since 2015, which have killed more than 250 people.\n\nThe Islamic State in Iraq and Syria group has been behind many of the attacks. No one has claimed responsibility for the Lyon blast.", "French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner announced Monday that a suspect has been arrested in connection with a package bomb that wounded 13 people Friday in Lyon. Lyon's mayor said later that a second suspect had been arrested.\n\nSecurity camera footage of the incident showed the main suspect wheeling a bicycle to the scene before leaving a bag outside a branch of a popular bakery chain.The man was caught on CCTV cameras but police were unable to get a clear image as he was wearing sunglasses and a cap.\n\nAuthorities pulled out all the stops to locate the suspect following the blast in the heart of Lyon, France’s third-largest city. His photo was circulated on Twitter, with two new images late Saturday showing a man wearing a green T-shirt, Bermuda shorts and carrying a dark rucksack. Authorities urged witnesses to call the emergency services if they have any information.\n\nSources close to the investigation suspected the explosive was acetone peroxide, or APEX, a volatile compound used in the deadly Paris attacks on November 13, 2015.\n\nParis Prosecutor Rémy Heitz said over the weekend that 90 investigators and 30 police technical experts were working on the case. No one has yet claimed responsibility.\n\nHeitz took charge of the investigation, which he said involved “attempted murder in connection with a terrorist enterprise or association with terrorist criminals”. The Paris prosecutor's office has jurisdiction over all terror cases in France.\n\nFrench Justice Minister Nicole Belloubet said, however, that it was too soon to say whether the blast could be termed a “terrorist act”\n\nTraces of DNA were recovered from the rucksack that held the explosive but authorities cautioned that it did not necessarily belong to the suspect. The DNA sample did not match any listed in France’s national DNA index (Fichier national des empreintes génétiques), said a source close to the investigation, confirming information published in the Lyon-based newspaper, Le Progrès.\n\nPresident Emmanuel Macron initially called the Friday evening explosion an “attack” but later took a more cautious tone with a tweet that condemned “the violence that has struck” the city’s residents.\n\nEight women, four men and a 10-year-old girl were among the 13 people wounded, 11 of whom needed hospital treatment. None of their injuries were life-threatening, although Heitz said some would have to undergo surgical intervention to remove shrapnel.\n\nHe said investigators had recovered small screws, ball bearings and batteries along with a printed circuit and a remote-controlled trigger device, as well as pieces of white plastic that might have been part of the explosive device.\n\nIt was placed in front of a bakery near the corner of two crowded pedestrian streets in the historic centre of the city at around 17:30 (1530 GMT) on Friday.\n\n\"It's an area in the very centre of Lyon, a major street,\" the city's deputy mayor in charge of security, Jean-Yves Secheresse, told BFM television.\n\n\"These areas are highly secured, the police are continually present\", as were patrols by soldiers deployed in the country’s long-running anti-terror operation, he said.\n\nLyon and its extensive suburbs are home to some 2.3 million people.\n\nDistrict Mayor Denis Broliquier said “the charge was too small to kill” and an administrative source told AFP it was a “relatively weak explosive charge”.\n\n“There was an explosion and I thought it was a car crash,” said Eva, a 17-year-old student who was about 15 metres (50 feet) from the blast site.\n\n“There were bits of electric wire near me, and batteries and bits of cardboard and plastic. The windows were blown out.\"\n\n“I was working, serving customers, and all of a sudden there was a huge ‘boom’,” said Omar Ghezza, a baker who works nearby.\n\n“We thought it had something to do with renovation work,” he said.\n\nFrance has been on high alert owing to a wave of deadly jihadist terror attacks since the country's worst such attack in November 2015 in Paris. In total over 250 people have been killed in the terror attacks in France.\n\nThe last was in December, when five people were killed and 11 wounded at an attack on a Christmas market in Strasbourg in eastern France.\n\nThe last package bomb in France dates back to December 2007, when a blast in front of a Paris law office killed one person and injured another. Police never determined who carried out that attack.", "PARIS (AP) - French Interior minister Christophe Castaner says a suspect has been arrested following a blast in the city of Lyon that wounded 13 people last week.\n\nCastaner announced the arrest on Twitter but did not say where the suspect was arrested.\n\nPolice had launched a large manhunt after a device exploded Friday on a busy pedestrian street in the central city. An investigation has been opened for \"attempted murder in relation with a terrorist undertaking\" and \"criminal terrorist association.\"\n\nNo group has claimed responsibility for the explosion yet.\n\nSoldiers of French anti terrorist plan \"Vigipirate Mission\", secure the area, near the site of a suspected bomb attack in central Lyon, Friday May, 24, 2019. A small explosion Friday on a busy street in the French city of Lyon lightly injured several people, local officials said. (AP Photo/Sebastien Erome)\n\nSoldiers of French antiterrorist plan \"Vigipirate Mission\", secure the access near the site of a suspected bomb attack in central Lyon, Friday May, 24, 2019. A small explosion Friday on a busy street in the French city of Lyon lightly injured several people, local officials said. (AP Photo/Sebastien Erome)\n\nA vehicle of French anti terrorist plan \"Vigipirate Mission\", is seen near the site of a suspected bomb attack in central Lyon, Friday May, 24, 2019. A small explosion Friday on a busy street in the French city of Lyon lightly injured several people, local officials said. (AP Photo/Sebastien Erome)", "French police scour the area in Lyon after the package bomb blast that wounded more than a dozen people. (AFP / PHILIPPE DESMAZES)\n\nFrench police arrested four people Monday over a package bomb explosion in the heart of the southeastern city of Lyon last week which injured 13 people, authorities said. A police raid was under way in a building in the Oullins suburb just south of the city, a few hours after the arrest of the suspected bomber, a 24-year-old Algerian IT student.\n\nThe man’s parents were later arrested and taken in for questioning, as was a second student of Algerian nationality who is a family relation, according the Paris prosecutor’s office, which has jurisdiction over terrorism cases in France.\n\nThe suspect was previously unknown to police, Lyon’s Mayor Gerard Collomb said.\n\nHe was arrested as he got off a bus, calmly putting his hands in the air when he spotted officers approaching, Collomb said.\n\nThe man’s sister has also been questioned but she has not been arrested, prosecutors added.\n\nPolice had been searching for a man seen cycling near the scene of the blast wearing a green top and Bermuda shorts and carrying a dark-coloured rucksack.\n\nHe has been the target of an extensive manhunt since late Friday when an explosive device filled with screws and ball bearings was placed in front of a bakery near the corner of two crowded pedestrian streets in the historic centre of Lyon.\n\nPolice circulated photos of the suspect on Twitter, which they said led to “several dozen” calls from people with information.\n\nSources close to the investigation said the explosive was most likely acetone peroxide, or APEX, a volatile compound used in the deadly Paris terror attacks of November 13, 2015.\n\nInvestigators recovered small screws, ball bearings and batteries along with a printed circuit board and a remote-controlled trigger device. Officials later said the charge was relatively weak.\n\nThirteen people were wounded in the blast — eight women, four men and a 10-year-old girl — of whom 11 needed hospital treatment.\n\nFRENCH POLICE/AFP / Handout French police had circulated photos of the suspect on Twitter, leading to “several dozen” calls from people with information\n\n None of their injuries are believed to be life-threatening, though authorities said some needed surgery to remove shrapnel. France has been on high alert following a wave of deadly jihadist terror attacks since 2015 which have killed more than 250 people.\n\nThe Islamic State group has been behind many of the attacks. No one has claimed responsibility for the Lyon blast.", "PARIS: French police have arrested four suspects following a blast in Lyon that injured 13 people.TV footage showed a police operation under way on Monday in a small town outside Lyon involving officers wearing ski masks. Police had launched a large manhunt after a device exploded on Friday on a busy pedestrian street in France’s third-largest city.\n\nInterior Minister Christophe Castaner announced the first arrest on Twitter, a development later confirmed by Paris prosecutors, who handle terrorism-related cases. The prosecutors’ office later said three other suspects, including a woman, were detained. According to French media, they included the mother and the brother of the main suspect.\n\nLyon mayor Gerard Collomb, a former interior minister, said one of the suspects is an IT student who was arrested as he stepped off a bus. “It’s a relief for all Lyon inhabitants. I believe the case has been resolved,” Collomb told BFM TV. “If there was a network, it has been identified and will certainly be dismantled.”\n\nFrench President Emmanuel Macron has called the explosion an “attack” but no group has claimed responsibility. An investigation has been opened for “attempted murder in relation with a terrorist undertaking”.\n\nLast week, France’s counter-terrorism prosecutor, Remy Heitz, described video surveillance that showed a suspect heading towards the centre of Lyon on a bicycle on Friday afternoon. The man was seen arriving on foot, pushing his bike along a pedestrian-only street, then leaving a paper bag on a concrete block in the middle of the street near a bakery.\n\nThe suspect immediately returned to his bike and left the same way. One minute later, the explosion shattered the glass of a refrigerator in the bakery, Heitz said. Regional authorities said the 13 wounded suffered mostly minor injuries.\n\nIt was unclear whether the suspect first arrested on Monday was the same person, although Collomb said the detained student was identified thanks to video surveillance. Investigators at the scene have found screws, ball bearings, batteries, a triggering device that can be used remotely and plastic pieces that may have come from the explosive device.\n\nFrance has been hit by a spate of attacks in recent years, some of them deadly, carried out by people ranging from extremist attackers to mentally unstable individuals.", "Lyon: French police arrested four people on Monday over a package bomb explosion in the heart of the southeastern city of Lyon last week which injured 13 people, authorities said.\n\n A police raid was under way in a building in the Oullins suburb just south of the city, a few hours after the arrest of the suspected bomber, a 24-year-old Algerian IT student.\n\n The man’s parents were later arrested and taken in for questioning, as was a second student of Algerian nationality who is a family relation, according the Paris prosecutor’s office, which has jurisdiction over terrorism cases in France.\n\n The suspect was previously unknown to police, Lyon’s Mayor Gerard Collomb said.\n\n He was arrested as he got off a bus, calmly putting his hands in the air when he spotted officers approaching, Collomb said.\n\n The man’s sister has also been questioned but she has not been arrested, prosecutors added.\n\n Police had been searching for a man seen cycling near the scene of the blast wearing a green top and Bermuda shorts and carrying a dark-coloured rucksack.\n\n He has been the target of an extensive manhunt since late Friday when an explosive device filled with screws and ball bearings was placed in front of a bakery near the corner of two crowded pedestrian streets in the historic centre of Lyon.\n\n Police circulated photos of the suspect on Twitter, which they said led to “several dozen” calls from people with information.\n\n Sources close to the investigation said the explosive was most likely acetone peroxide, or APEX, a volatile compound used in the deadly Paris terror attacks of November 13, 2015.\n\n Investigators recovered small screws, ball bearings and batteries along with a printed circuit board and a remote-controlled trigger device. Officials later said the charge was relatively weak.\n\n Thirteen people were wounded in the blast — eight women, four men and a 10-year-old girl — of whom 11 needed hospital treatment.\n\n None of their injuries are believed to be life-threatening, though authorities said some needed surgery to remove shrapnel. — AFP", "Lyon: French police have arrested a suspect over an explosion in the heart of the southeastern city of Lyon last week that injured 13 people, Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said on Monday.\n\nPolice had been hunting for a man seen cycling near the scene of the blast who was wearing a green T-shirt and Bermuda shorts, and a carrying a dark rucksack.\n\nThe Paris prosecutor's office, which has jurisdiction over terrorist investigations in France, confirmed that the man, a 24-year-old arrested in Lyon, is the suspected bomber.\n\nHe had been the target of an extensive manhunt since Friday night when an explosive device filled with screws and ball bearings was placed in front of a bakery near the corner of two crowded pedestrian streets in the historic centre of Lyon.\n\nPolice circulated photos of the suspect on Twitter, leading to \"several dozen\" calls from people with information.\n\nSources close to the investigation suspected the explosive was acetone peroxide, or APEX, a volatile compound used in the deadly Paris attacks on November 13, 2015.\n\nInvestigators recovered small screws, ball bearings and batteries along with a printed circuit and a remote-controlled trigger device. Officials later said the charge was relatively weak.\n\nThirteen people were wounded in the blast - eight women, four men and a 10-year-old girl - of whom 11 needed hospital treatment.\n\nNone of their injuries are believed to be life-threatening, but authorities said some needed surgery to remove shrapnel.\n\nFrance has been on high alert following a wave of deadly jihadist terror attacks since 2015 which have killed more than 250 people.\n\nDaesh has been behind many of the attacks, though no one has claimed responsibility for the Lyon blast.", "French police have arrested a 24-year old man suspected of being behind last week’s bomb blast in the central city of Lyon that injured 13 people.\n\nFrench Interior Minister Christophe Castaner announced the arrest on Twitter, but did not provide further details on the suspect or where he was arrested.\n\nREAD MORE: Number of injured rises to 13 as police search for suspect\n\nSecurity camera footage of the incident showed the partially masked suspect wheeling a bicycle to the scene, before leaving a bag outside a branch of a popular bakery chain.\n\nThe case is being handled as a terrorism investigation given the circumstances of the attack, committed in broad daylight, and the use of an explosive device capable of hitting a large number of people with screws and metal balls packed into a bag.\n\nThe anti-terrorism unit of the Paris prosecutors’ office, which is handling the investigation, added that a 24-year-old man was arrested Monday morning in Lyon and placed in custody.\n\nDNA traces were found on the remains of the parcel, according to a source close to the investigation.\n\nAnother source said the judicial police arrested the suspect on the street after having after tailed him.\n\nThey decided not to arrest him at his apartment, the source said, for fear that there could still be some triacetone triperoxide or TATP, the powerful but unstable homemade explosive that was used in the attack."], "summary": "French police arrest four people in connection with last Friday's bombing in Lyon's historic city center that injured 13 people. Anti-terrorist prosecutors are leading the investigation. District mayor Denis Broliquier said the bomb was a relatively weak explosive that was too small to kill. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack."}
{"document": ["RIO DE JANEIRO: At least 42 inmates were killed in clashes in four prisons in northern Brazil on Monday (May 27), authorities said, a day after violence in one of the jails left 15 people dead.\n\nAt least 27 of the victims were in the Antonio Trindade Penal Institute near Manaus, the capital of Amazonas state, where all four prisons are located.\n\nThe federal government said it was sending reinforcements to boost security in the state's prisons.\n\nBrazil has the world's third largest prison population, with 726,712 inmates as of June 2016, according to official statistics.\n\nThe population is double the capacity of the nation's prisons, which in the same year was estimated to be 368,049 inmates.\n\nAlong with severe overcrowding, Brazil's prisons are plagued by gang violence, while riots and breakout attempts are not uncommon.", "Image copyright Reuters Image caption Relatives of inmates gather in front of a jail awaiting news after the deadly fights\n\nForty inmates have been found dead at four separate prisons in Manaus, the capital of Amazonas state in northern Brazil.\n\nAll the bodies, which were found during routine inspections, showed signs of asphyxiation, officials said.\n\nMonday's violence came a day after 15 prisoners were killed in jail clashes in Manaus.\n\nThe state governor said a task force had been sent to Amazonas to help control the disturbances.\n\nWhat happened where on Monday?\n\nAntonio Trindade penal institute: 25 killed\n\nPuraquequara jail: 6 killed\n\nProvisional Detention Centre for Men: 5 killed\n\nAnísio Jobim jail: 4 killed\n\nWhat's behind the deaths?\n\nImage copyright AFP Image caption Riot police entered the Puraquequara jail in Manaus, where six bodies were found\n\nPrison officials said that the victims belonged to the same drug trafficking group and that they had been killed due to an internal gang rift.\n\nRobert Muggah, who is research director at the Igarape Institute think tank in Rio de Janeiro, told Agence France-Presse news agency that he thought a \"settling of scores\" was behind the killings.\n\nWhat happened on Sunday?\n\nFifteen inmates died in clashes in Anísio Jobim jail when prisoners turned on each other. Some were stabbed with sharpened toothbrushes while others were strangled.\n\nThe violence broke out during visiting hours and the mother of one inmate described it as \"total chaos\".\n\n\"Everyone started to run, and everyone was pounding on the cell gates, at the doors, and running down the corridors.\"\n\nYou may also be interested in:\n\n\"It was not a rebellion, it was a fight among inmates,\" Col Marcus Vinicius, who is in charge of prisons in Amazonas state, said.\n\nHe said the fact that the killings had happened during visiting hours broke an unwritten prison rule of \"never to kill during a family visit\".\n\nCol Vinicius said murders inside jails were inevitable: \"We have to have the maturity to understand that in any prison in the world, when someone wants to kill, they will kill.\"\n\nWhat are Brazilian jails like?\n\nBrazil has the world's third-largest prison population with more than 700,000 people in jail, not counting the more than 35,000 held in police facilities, according to data from the World Prison Brief.\n\nPrisons suffer from serious overcrowding, with the number of prisoners almost double that of the official capacity.\n\nMany prisons are run by the inmates and there are frequent clashes between rival gangs. Riots to demand better conditions and prison escapes are also common.\n\nAttempts to reform the prison system and to introduce tighter controls have met with resistance from powerful criminal gangs which operate both inside and outside of jails.\n\nWhat has the reaction been?\n\nThe crisis in the Amazonas jail system is not new. In January 2017, in the worst jail violence in Amazonas state, 56 inmates were killed in Anísio Jobim prison.\n\nFollowing those killing, officials launched an investigation which concluded that there had been a number of failings at the jail.\n\nThey included a lack of communication between prison authorities and the police, which meant that the latter had not been alerted when officials found out about plans to launch a riot.\n\nIn the following days there were also uprisings and riots in other jails in Manaus.\n\nNational security forces were deployed to Anísio Jobim jail and others in the wake of the 2017 killings and, according to local media, the forces were still there when the latest killings happened.\n\nAmazonas State Governor Wilson Lima said that the justice ministry would send a \"prison intervention team\" to Manaus.\n\nIn the past, rival gangs have been separated within prisons by placing them in different wings and using shipping containers to divide the prison yard.", "At least 40 inmates were killed in four jails in northern Brazil on Monday, authorities said, in the latest wave of violence to rock the country’s severely overpopulated and dangerous prison system.\n\nThe victims appeared to have been killed by “asphyxiation,” the Amazonas state government said in a statement, a day after 15 people were killed in one of the prisons.\n\nOfficials had initially put the number of dead at 42, but later revised the number to 40 without explanation.\n\nAt least 25 of the victims were found in the Antonio Trindade Penal Institute near Manaus, the capital of Amazonas, where all four prisons are located.\n\nThe federal government has dispatched reinforcements to boost security in the jails.\n\n“I just spoke with (Justice) Minister Sergio Moro, who is sending a prison intervention team to Amazonas so that he can help us in this moment of crisis,” state Governor Wilson Lima said.\n\nAn investigation launched into Sunday’s mass killing at the Anisio Jobim Penal Complex has been widened to include Monday’s deaths.\n\nFour of those killed in the latest violence were found at the Anisio Jobim jail, which was also the scene of a prison rebellion that lasted almost 20 hours and left 56 people dead in January 2017.\n\nAnother five were killed at the Provisional Detention Center for Men and six died at the Puraquequara Prison Unit.\n\nOutbreaks of deadly violence continue to happen in Brazil’s jails due to the lack of “structural changes,” according to experts.\n\n“Prisons continue to be places of serious violations of human rights,” Juliana Melo, a professor at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte and expert on Brazil’s prisons, told AFP.\n\n“The conditions are appalling, with a majority of prisoners poor, black, badly schooled and marginalized.”\n\n“Intense disputes” between criminal factions for control inside and outside the prisons fuel the violence, she added.\n\nBrazil has the world’s third largest prison population after the United States and China, with 726,712 inmates as of June 2016, according to official statistics.\n\nThe population is double the capacity of the nation’s jails, which in the same year was estimated to be 368,049 inmates.\n\nThe federal government had been expected to add another 115,000 inmates by the end of 2018, Human Rights Watch said in a recent report.\n\n“Overcrowding and understaffing make it impossible for prison authorities to maintain control within many prisons, leaving detainees vulnerable to violence and recruitment into gangs,” it said.\n\nAlong with severe overcrowding and gang violence, riots and breakout attempts in Brazil’s prisons are not uncommon.\n\n“Deaths in Brazil’s prison system are shamefully recurrent,” said Julita Lemgruber, a former director of Rio de Janeiro’s penitentiary system and professor at Candido Mendes University.\n\n“They are recurrent because those who die are originally from the poorest sections of the population and are people who are not clear about their rights and who do not pressure the state to be compensated for those deaths.”\n\nSunday’s clashes at the Anisio Jobim Penal Complex broke out around 11:00 am (1500 GMT) during visiting hours at the facility.\n\n“It was a fight between the inmates. There had never been deaths during the visits,” Colonel Marcos Vinicius Almeida told reporters.\n\nSome of the inmates were stabbed with sharpened toothbrushes, Almeida said.\n\nHe emphasized that authorities had reacted within minutes to the violence, preventing a potentially worse result.\n\nBut urgent measures were needed to stop the never-ending cycle of violence, said Lemgruber.\n\n“A short-term strategy is to hold the federal government and state governments accountable,” she said.\n\n“The lives of those inside are the responsibility of the state and the state must pay for it.”", "LISBON (Reuters) - Brazilian Justice Minister Sergio Moro said on Tuesday that the prison gang leaders responsible for killing 55 inmates in prisons across the northern city of Manaus will be moved to maximum-security federal jails.\n\nSpeaking at an event in Portugal, Moro said the grisly spate of murders earlier this week were a result of a struggle between prison gangs, a major public security issue in Brazil, the country with the world’s highest number of murders.\n\n“The information we have is that there was a conflict between criminal gangs inside the prisons, which can happen anywhere in the world - but shouldn’t,” he told reporters. “We have an obligation to try to control these cases. We will transfer the leaders responsible for these acts in Manaus to prisons of maximum security.”\n\nAt least 40 prisoners in Brazil were found strangled to death on Monday in four jails in the Amazon city, where a fight between rival gangs resulted in 15 dead the day before, authorities said.\n\nThere are no signs that the violence will spread to other parts of the country, a spokesman for Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said on Tuesday. Otávio Rêgo Barros told reporters that Bolsonaro was concerned by the violence. The right-wing president has vowed to regain control of the prisons along with building many more.\n\nBut the vast majority of Brazil’s prisons are administered at the state level. For decades they have been badly overcrowded and a headache for underfunded state government. Many lockups essentially serve as recruiting centres for drug gangs. Prison clashes often spread rapidly in Brazil, where drug gangs have de facto control over nearly all jails.\n\nA federal task force is being sent to Manaus in an effort to halt the violence.", "At least 40 inmates were killed in four jails in northern Brazil on Monday, authorities said, in the latest wave of violence to rock the country's severely overpopulated and dangerous prison system.\n\nThe victims appeared to have been killed by \"asphyxiation,\" the Amazonas state government said in a statement, a day after 15 people were killed in one of the prisons.\n\nAt least 25 of the victims were found in the Antonio Trindade Penal Institute near Manaus, the capital of Amazonas, where all four prisons are located.\n\n\"I just spoke with (Justice) Minister Sergio Moro, who is sending a prison intervention team to Amazonas so that he can help us in this moment of crisis,\" state Governor Wilson Lima said.\n\nFour of those killed in the latest violence were found at the Anisio Jobim jail, which was also the scene of a prison rebellion that lasted almost 20 hours and left 56 people dead in January 2017.\n\n\"Prisons continue to be places of serious violations of human rights,\" Juliana Melo, a professor at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte and expert on Brazil's prisons, told AFP.\n\nBrazil has the world's third largest prison population after the United States and China, with 726,712 inmates as of June 2016, according to official statistics.\n\nThe population is double the capacity of the nation's jails, which in the same year was estimated to be 368,049 inmates.\n\nRECURRENT\n\n\"Overcrowding and understaffing make it impossible for prison authorities to maintain control within many prisons, leaving detainees vulnerable to violence and recruitment into gangs,\" it said.\n\n\"They are recurrent because those who die are originally from the poorest sections of the population and are people who are not clear about their rights and who do not pressure the state to be compensated for those deaths.\"\n\n\"The lives of those inside are the responsibility of the state and the state must pay for it.\"", "At least 40 inmates were killed in four jails in northern Brazil on Monday, authorities said, in the latest wave of violence to rock the country's severely overpopulated and dangerous prison system.\n\nThe victims appeared to have been killed by \"asphyxiation,\" the Amazonas state government said in a statement, a day after 15 people were killed in one of the prisons.\n\nOfficials had initially put the number of dead at 42, but later revised the number to 40 without explanation.\n\nAt least 25 of the victims were found in the Antonio Trindade Penal Institute near Manaus, the capital of Amazonas, where all four prisons are located.\n\nThe federal government has dispatched reinforcements to boost security in the jails.\n\n\"I just spoke with (Justice) Minister Sergio Moro, who is sending a prison intervention team to Amazonas so that he can help us in this moment of crisis,\" state Governor Wilson Lima said.\n\nAn investigation launched into Sunday's mass killing at the Anisio Jobim Penal Complex has been widened to include Monday's deaths.\n\nFour of those killed in the latest violence were found at the Anisio Jobim jail, which was also the scene of a prison rebellion that lasted almost 20 hours and left 56 people dead in January 2017.\n\nAnother five were killed at the Provisional Detention Center for Men and six died at the Puraquequara Prison Unit.\n\nOutbreaks of deadly violence continue to happen in Brazil's jails due to the lack of \"structural changes,\" according to experts.\n\n\"Prisons continue to be places of serious violations of human rights,\" Juliana Melo, a professor at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte and expert on Brazil's prisons, told AFP.\n\n\"The conditions are appalling, with a majority of prisoners poor, black, badly schooled and marginalized.\"\n\n\"Intense disputes\" between criminal factions for control inside and outside the prisons fuel the violence, she added.\n\nBrazil has the world's third largest prison population after the United States and China, with 726,712 inmates as of June 2016, according to official statistics.\n\nThe population is double the capacity of the nation's jails, which in the same year was estimated to be 368,049 inmates.\n\nThe federal government had been expected to add another 115,000 inmates by the end of 2018, Human Rights Watch said in a recent report.\n\n\"Overcrowding and understaffing make it impossible for prison authorities to maintain control within many prisons, leaving detainees vulnerable to violence and recruitment into gangs,\" it said.\n\nAlong with severe overcrowding and gang violence, riots and breakout attempts in Brazil's prisons are not uncommon.\n\n\"Deaths in Brazil's prison system are shamefully recurrent,\" said Julita Lemgruber, a former director of Rio de Janeiro's penitentiary system and professor at Candido Mendes University.\n\n\"They are recurrent because those who die are originally from the poorest sections of the population and are people who are not clear about their rights and who do not pressure the state to be compensated for those deaths.\"\n\nSunday's clashes at the Anisio Jobim Penal Complex broke out around 11:00 am (1500 GMT) during visiting hours at the facility.\n\n\"It was a fight between the inmates. There had never been deaths during the visits,\" Colonel Marcos Vinicius Almeida told reporters.\n\nSome of the inmates were stabbed with sharpened toothbrushes, Almeida said.\n\nHe emphasized that authorities had reacted within minutes to the violence, preventing a potentially worse result.\n\nBut urgent measures were needed to stop the never-ending cycle of violence, said Lemgruber.\n\n\"A short-term strategy is to hold the federal government and state governments accountable,\" she said.\n\n\"The lives of those inside are the responsibility of the state and the state must pay for it.\"", "A dispute between inmates at a prison in Feira de Santana, Brazil, sparked a violent 18-hour riot that left eight people dead on May 24.\n\nDozens of inmates were found dead at three different prisons in the capital of Brazil’s northern Amazonas state on Monday.\n\nThe deaths come a day after 15 inmates died during fighting between prisoners at a fourth prison in the same city.\n\nThe Amazonas state prison agency said the 40 prisoners, all found dead in Manaus on Monday, showed signs of asphyxiation or choking.\n\nPrison staff had only discovered the victims while making routine checks of the four different facilities, according to the BBC.\n\nSince the grisly discoveries, a task force has been sent to “control the disturbances”.\n\nMore inmates suffered injuries during fighting on Monday.\n\nOn Sunday, 15 inmates were killed during a riot at Manaus’ Anisio Jobim Prison Complex, where 56 prisoners died two years earlier.\n\nAt least 25 of the victims were found in the Antonio Trindade Penal Institute near Manaus, the capital of Amazonas, where all four prisons are located, according to AFP.\n\nAnother five were killed at the Provisional Detention Centre for Men, and six died at the Puraquequara Prison Unit. Authorities had initially put the official number of dead at 42 but later revised the number to 40 without explanation.\n\nLocal authorities said prisoners began fighting among themselves before noon on Sunday, and security reinforcements were rushed in and managed to regain control of the prison within 45 minutes.\n\nOfficials said the prisoners had used sharpened toothbrushes as shanks, and others had been strangled to death.\n\nPrison visitors witnessed the violence, describing it as chaotic.\n\n“It was total chaos,” said the mother of one inmate. Speaking to The Rio Times, she asked not to be named.\n\n“Everyone started to run, and everyone was pounding on the cell gates, at the doors and running down the corridors.”\n\nLittle information has been released by Brazilian officials about Monday’s killings.\n\nBrazil’s justice and public security ministry said it was sending a federal task force to help local officials handle the situation.\n\n“I just spoke with (Justice) Minister Sergio Moro who is already sending a prison intervention team to the state of Amazonas so that he can help us in this moment of crisis and a problem that is national: the problem of prisons,” Amazonas state Governor Wilson Lima said.\n\nSeveral drug-trafficking and other criminal gangs in Brazil run much of their day-to-day business from prisons, where they often have wide sway.\n\nBrazil has the world’s third largest prison population. In April this year the number was at 712,305 inmates. The number of inmates is nearly double the capacity of the prisons, which is estimated to be about 368,049 inmates.\n\nOvercrowding in the prisons has fuelled riots and violence within prison walls.\n\nAttempts at prison reform have been met with strong resistance from inside and outside the prisons.\n\nThe recent violence echoes a similar bloody outbreak in early 2017 when more than 120 inmates were gruesomely slain by other prisoners. The attacks, in which many victims had their heads cut off or their hearts and intestines ripped out, were carried out between rival crime gangs in prisons in Brazil’s northern states.\n\nThe 2017 slayings were largely gang-related, prompting authorities to increase efforts to separate factions and frequently transfer prisoners.\n\nAuthorities have not yet been able to determine whether a gang war is behind the latest spate of killings.\n\nMr Moro was forced to send a federal task force to help tame violence in Ceara state in January that local officials said was ordered by gang leaders angered by plans to impose tighter controls in the state’s prisons.", "At least 42 inmates were killed in clashes in four prisons in northern Brazil on Monday, authorities said, a day after violence in one of the jails left 15 people dead.\n\nAt least 27 of the victims were in the Antonio Trindade Penal Institute near Manaus, the capital of Amazonas state, where all four prisons are located.\n\nThe federal government said it was sending reinforcements to boost security in the state's prisons.\n\nBrazil has the world's third largest prison population, with 726,712 inmates as of June 2016, according to official statistics.\n\nThe population is double the capacity of the nation's prisons, which in the same year was estimated to be 368,049 inmates.\n\nAlong with severe overcrowding, Brazil's prisons are plagued by gang violence, while riots and breakout attempts are not uncommon.", "LISBON, May 28 (Reuters) - Brazilian Justice Minister Sergio Moro said on Tuesday that the prison gang leaders responsible for killing 55 inmates in prisons across the northern city of Manaus will be moved to maximum-security federal jails.\n\nSpeaking at an event in Portugal, Moro said the grisly spate of murders earlier this week were a result of a struggle between prison gangs, a major public security issue in Brazil, the country with the world's highest number of murders.\n\n\"The information we have is that there was a conflict between criminal gangs inside the prisons, which can happen anywhere in the world - but shouldn't,\" he told reporters. \"We have an obligation to try to control these cases. We will transfer the leaders responsible for these acts in Manaus to prisons of maximum security.\"\n\nAt least 40 prisoners in Brazil were found strangled to death on Monday in four jails in the Amazon city, where a fight between rival gangs resulted in 15 dead the day before, authorities said.\n\nThere are no signs that the violence will spread to other parts of the country, a spokesman for Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said on Tuesday. Otávio Rêgo Barros told reporters that Bolsonaro was concerned by the violence. The right-wing president has vowed to regain control of the prisons along with building many more.\n\nBut the vast majority of Brazil's prisons are administered at the state level. For decades they have been badly overcrowded and a headache for underfunded state government. Many lockups essentially serve as recruiting centers for drug gangs. Prison clashes often spread rapidly in Brazil, where drug gangs have de facto control over nearly all jails.\n\nA federal task force is being sent to Manaus in an effort to halt the violence. (Reporting by Catarina Demony in Lisbon Additional reporting by Gabriel Stargardter in Rio de Janeiro Editing by Grant McCool and Matthew Lewis)", "At least 42 inmates were killed in clashes in four prisons in northern on Monday, authorities said, a day after violence in one of the jails left 15 people dead.\n\nAt least 27 of the victims were in the near Manaus, the capital of Amazonas state, where all four prisons are located.\n\nThe said it was sending reinforcements to boost security in the state's prisons.\n\nhas the world's third largest population, with 7,26,712 inmates as of June 2016, according to official statistics.\n\nThe population is double the capacity of the nation's prisons, which in the same year was estimated to be 3,68,049 inmates.\n\nAlong with severe overcrowding, Brazil's prisons are plagued by gang violence, while riots and breakout attempts are not uncommon."], "summary": "Over Sunday and Monday, 55 people die of asphyxiation in various prisons across the Brazilian city of Manaus."}
{"document": ["Image copyright Reuters\n\nFiat Chrysler has made a \"transformative\" merger proposal for French carmaker Renault, the Italian firm said on Monday.\n\nThe combined business would be 50% owned by Fiat shareholders and 50% by Renault stockholders.\n\nThe carmaker said the merger would create a global automotive leader, with 8.7 million vehicle sales.\n\nCarmakers have faced pressure to consolidate amid major industry shifts, including towards electric vehicles.\n\nShares in both companies rose strongly following the announcement.\n\nIn a statement, Fiat Chrysler (FCA) said the planned merger would create a \"world leader in the rapidly changing automotive industry with a strong position in transforming technologies, including electrification and autonomous driving\".\n\nFiat said that if the firms' 2018 financial results were totted up, the combined company's annual revenues would be nearly €170bn (£149.6bn; $190.5bn), with operating profit of more than €10bn and net profit of more than €8bn.\n\nNo plant closures would be caused as a result of the tie-up, the carmaker said.\n\nRobotics sale\n\nIt will aim to save €5bn a year by sharing development costs on technology such as electric vehicles and self-driving cars.\n\nIt is thought some managerial positions may be lost, but the companies will be keen to show that production-line jobs are being preserved.\n\nImage copyright Getty Images\n\nThe new company will be based in the Netherlands and will be listed on the Milan, Paris and New York stock exchanges.\n\nTo make the merger one of equals, the slightly-wealthier FCA will pay a special dividend of €2.5bn and sell its Comau robotics business.\n\nThe proposal will be considered by the Renault board. Who will lead the new entity and what it might be called are not yet decided.\n\nNew competitors\n\nIf the plan goes ahead, Nissan and the French government will own about 7.5% apiece of the new, merged company.\n\nThe French government favours the merger but wants more details before giving its final approval, a spokeswoman said.\n\nThe Italian government may want to acquire a share of the new firm to balance France's stake, said a politician from the Northern League, the country's largest party, according to Reuters.\n\nBy sales, the new company will be number four in North America, number two in the region which covers Europe, the Middle East and Africa and the biggest in Latin America.\n\nImage copyright Getty Images Image caption Carlos Ghosn is awaiting trial following his fourth arrest\n\nIndustry shifts toward electric models, along with stricter emissions standards and the development of new technologies for autonomous vehicles, have put increasing pressure on carmakers to consolidate.\n\nRenault already has an alliance with Japan's Nissan, in which research costs and parts are shared. The companies own shares in each other, too. Renault owns 43.4% of Nissan's shares and Nissan owns 15% of Renault.\n\nThe former chief executive of both Nissan and Renault, Carlos Ghosn, is awaiting trial following his fourth arrest amid allegations of financial misconduct.\n\nThe allegations have put a strain on the 20-year-old alliance, which also includes Japan's Mitsubishi Motors.\n\nNew entrants in the motoring sector such as Tesla, as well as cash-rich companies developing driverless technology such as Amazon and Google-owned Waymo, are putting pressure on older and often heavily indebted carmakers to keep up.", "PARIS (AP) — Fiat Chrysler is proposing a merger with French carmaker Renault aimed at saving billions of dollars for both companies.\n\nFiat Chrysler Automobiles said in a statement Monday that the merged company would be 50 percent owned by FCA shareholders and 50 percent by Renault shareholders.\n\nRenault's board is meeting outside Paris on Monday morning about the possible merger.\n\nThe companies have been in discussions for weeks, as major world carmakers seek ways to save money amid the huge costs of pivoting the industry to electric and autonomous cars.\n\nRenault is already in an alliance with Japan's Nissan and Mitsubishi, but the partnership has been troubled since the November arrest of joint chief Carlos Ghosn.\n\nThe French government, which owns 15 percent of Renault, is cautious about the new merger idea.", "PARIS (AP) — Fiat Chrysler on Monday proposed a merger with French carmaker Renault aimed at saving billions of dollars for both companies as the industry pivots to electric and autonomous vehicles.\n\nThe merged company would be the world's No. 3 automaker and be 50 percent owned by FCA shareholders and 50 percent by Renault shareholders, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles said in a statement Monday.\n\nThe companies have been in discussions for weeks.\n\nRenault's board is holding a special meeting outside Paris on Monday morning about the merger idea. The company wouldn't comment on the proposal until after the meeting, and it's unclear what the merger would mean for Renault's existing alliance with Japan's Nissan and Mitsubishi.\n\nThe statement says the merged company would produce 8.7 million vehicles annually and save 5 billion euros for the companies each year by sharing research, purchasing and other activities. It said the deal would involve no plant closures, but didn't address potential job cuts.\n\nThe Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance has been troubled since the November arrest of its boss and biggest champion, Carlos Ghosn, on financial misconduct charges in Japan. Together, the three companies are the biggest maker of passenger cars in the world.\n\nThe French government, which owns 15% of Renault, is cautious about the new FCA merger idea.\n\nA French official said Sunday that the state will only agree to a merger if it makes sense for jobs and France's national interests. The official told The Associated Press that Japanese authorities have also been informed, and that France would prefer a tie-up within the existing Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance. The official wasn't authorized to be named.\n\nNissan Motor Co. Chief Executive Hiroto Saikawa wouldn't comment directly on the idea of a Renault-FCA merger but said, \"I am always open to exchanging constructive views on strengthening the alliance.\" He was shown speaking to reporters on Japan's Fuji TV news.\n\nCollaboration between automakers has taken on importance in recent years as they seek to build their technological capabilities in pursuit of electrical vehicles, net connectivity and artificial intelligence for vehicles. Automakers are also under pressure from regulators, particularly in Europe and China, to come up with electric vehicles so they can meet tougher pollution limits.\n\nDuring an earnings conference call earlier this month, FCA CEO Mike Manley told shareholders that he believed that there would be \"significant opportunities\" in terms of strategic partnerships or alliances in the next two or three years.\n\nManley also told analysts that Fiat was taking action to address weaknesses in Europe.\n\nAP Business Writer Yuri Kageyama in Tokyo contributed to this report.", "MILAN — Fiat Chrysler's proposal to merge with French rival Renault has industry executives, analysts and union leaders rushing to figure out how it would reshape the sector worldwide.\n\nA deal would create the third-largest automaker with annual sales of 8.7 million vehicles, behind Volkswagen and Toyota. It would be a bold step in the industry consolidation that many see as necessary in the capital-hungry sector, which Fiat Chrysler Automobiles says would create 5 billion euros ($5.6 billion) in savings.\n\nYet, while Renault has indicated it is open to talks, the plan faces hurdles and questions, including where savings - and perhaps even job cuts - will come from.\n\nHere's a look at the proposed deal.\n\nFiat Chrysler made public its plan on Monday, and is awaiting a response from Renault. The Renault board met Monday to discuss what they termed \"a friendly offer.\" The French government holds a 15% stake in Renault, and will have a say in the outcome.\n\nRenault's board will hold a new meeting early next week to decide on whether to say yes or no to the proposal. A \"yes\" would open the way for a non-binding memorandum of understanding to open exclusive merger negotiations with Fiat Chrysler. The ensuing process would involve consultations with unions, the government, antitrust authorities in all relevant jurisdictions, as well as other regulators. It would take about a year.\n\nOne particular impact a deal could have is on Renault's existing alliance with Japanese partners Nissan and Mitsubishi.\n\nQuestions over the future of that alliance have grown since the criminal investigation into the former head of Renault and Nissan, Carlos Ghosn, who denies wrongdoing. Ghosn intended to merge the two, but industry analyst Ferdinand Dudenhoeffer says the deal had little appeal for the Japanese. He noted that Renault's sales represented just 36% of alliance sales - and the Japanese didn't want to see the French carmaker drive a merger with those numbers.\n\nIt is unclear whether they would be amenable to a bigger tie-up, adding Fiat Chrysler to the mix.\n\nRenault Chairman Jean-Dominique Senard is in Tokyo on Wednesday for a monthly meeting of Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi management, where he will discuss the merger proposal with his Japanese partners. The French Union CGT union has warned that the biggest risk of the proposed merger between Renault and Fiat Chrysler is \"to declare war on Nissan-Mitsubishi,\" due to their apparent resistance to full mergers.\n\nThe deal makes a lot of sense strategically: Renault is strong in Europe, Fiat Chrysler in North America; Renault's focus is passenger cars and Fiat Chrysler's is in SUVs and big trucks, while it works to boost its Italian luxury marquees Maserati and Alfa Romeo.\n\nRenault, critically, has electric and hybrid technology that Fiat Chrysler lacks. Through Nissan-Mitsubishi, a foothold in Asia, where Fiat has struggled, would give an expanded alliance even stronger appeal for Fiat.\n\nAnd both automakers need to make serious investments to develop new driving technologies, like autonomous driving.\n\nFiat Chrysler can flaunt the fact that it has done well merging its Italian and American sides over the past decade.\n\nFiat's late CEO Sergio Marchionne, a master dealmaker, sealed an agreement with U.S. officials in 2009 to take over bankrupt Chrysler in exchange for small-car technology and managerial expertise. The deal secured Fiat's survival, with Chrysler now the carmaker's big cash machine on the strength of Jeeps SUVs and Ram trucks. Marchionne died unexpectedly last July, and his successor, CEO Mike Manley, who long worked alongside Marchionne for years, has taken up the deal-making mantle along with Chairman John Elkann, heir to the Fiat-founding Agnelli family.\n\nThis could be one of the biggest hurdles.\n\nThe French government says that any deal needs to protect all French jobs and factories, and preserve Renault's existing alliance with Nissan and Mitsubishi. Italy does not hold the same sway over Fiat Chrysler, but Deputy Premier Matteo Salvini likewise says any deal must preserve Italian jobs.\n\nFiat Chrysler says 90% of savings would come from reducing spending on purchasing parts, and combining research and development, manufacturing and tooling. It estimates the savings would be achieved in six years.\n\nOn the one hand, Fiat Chrysler has already slimmed down since the financial crisis, combining many administrative functions following the merger. U.S. plants are running at capacity and Fiat Chrysler is looking to build a new assembly plant and retool another, regardless of the proposed merger. In Italy, it is planning investments of 5 billion euros.\n\nBut the French union CGT noted that it took 18 years for the Renault-Nissan alliance to achieve a pace of 5 billion euros per year in savings.\n\nCharlton reported from Paris. Tom Krisher in Detroit contributed to this report.", "Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV proposed a roughly $40 billion merger with French rival Renault SA, a deal that if completed would create the third-largest auto maker by production and scramble an industry that has been seeking scale to cope with fast-globalizing markets and rapidly changing technology.\n\nAfter years of steady growth, auto sales in the U.S., Europe and China are slowing, denting earnings across the sector and prompting more car manufacturers to find partners to share the costs of developing new models and investing in new technologies. Former Fiat Chrysler Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne, who died unexpectedly last year, had long pushed for a merger between Fiat Chrysler and another car company, including an unsuccessful appeal to General Motors Co.\n\nIf Renault and Fiat Chrysler consummate a deal, it would create a car company with annual vehicle production of almost nine million passenger cars and light trucks. Such a combination would rank behind just Volkswagen AG and Toyota Motor Co. but ahead of GM. Including Renault's alliance partners, Nissan Motor Co. and Mitsubishi Motors Corp., group output would swell to around 15 million, far ahead of the pack.\n\nIn the U.S., Fiat Chrysler is best known as the maker of Jeeps and Rams. In Europe, its namesake Fiat is an Italian icon; Fiat SpA, one of Italy's best-known companies, acquired a stake in Chrysler in 2009 following a U.S. bankruptcy reorganization and a merger in 2014 created the company in its current form.\n\nAuto makers are also under pressure amid a shift towards car-sharing rather than car-owning among younger drivers, steadily more stringent emissions standards, and the need to invest hundreds of billions of dollars on developing the technology needed for electric cars and autonomous driving. The incursions by tech giants such as Google parent Alphabet Inc. in those efforts have heightened that pressure.\n\nFiat Chrysler said its proposal came after an initial period of discussions with Renault to identify products and markets where they could collaborate to better meet the expensive challenges of electric vehicles, self-driving cars and in-car connectivity.\n\nThe costs of necessary investments in the industry are becoming so onerous that companies which have fought each other for market share for decades are now joining forces to share the burden. BMW AG and Daimler AG, long-time German rivals in the luxury car market, have merged their efforts to create car-sharing and other new mobility services.\n\nVolkswagen, Daimler, Ford Motor Co., and BMW have all teamed up to build a Europe-wide supercharger network for electric cars. Volkswagen and Ford are in talks to share technology for new light commercial vehicles, which in the future will be among the first self-driving vehicles on the road.\n\nCombining forces in a full-blown merger has sometimes worked despite headwinds. France's PSA Group, maker of Peugeot, has successfully turned around Opel after buying the perennially money-losing German car maker from GM.\n\nOther mergers between rival car makers, though, have a mixed record. Some stumble over clashing corporate cultures or national pride. Failures include Daimler Benz's ill-fated spell as owner of Chrysler.\n\nA Renault-Fiat Chrysler merger would likely have an impact on other players. In Europe, Ford would suddenly be a bit player, dwarfed by a new trans-Atlantic rival as well as by Volkswagen and PSA. The deal could put pressure on Ford and Volkswagen to complete their talks on cooperation. PSA, Honda Motor Co. and Mazda Motor Corp. could all come under pressure to find a partner or fall behind.\n\nFiat Chrysler said early Monday the combined business would be 50% owned by its shareholders and 50% by Renault shareholders with a \"balanced governance structure.\" The Italian-American car giant said the majority of the board would be independent. Renault said it had agreed to study the proposal, but gave no timetable for a decision.\n\nThe deal envisions Renault Chairman Jean-Dominique Senard as chief executive of the combined company, according to a person familiar with the matter. John Elkann, the scion of the Agnelli family that controls Fiat Chrysler, would take the chairmanship, according to this person. Shares in Renault rose 12% in European trading on Monday, while Fiat shares ended up about 8%.\n\nFiat Chrysler said the two companies could take advantage of complementary market-segment and geographic strengths. Fiat Chrysler has a strong U.S. presence, where Renault is largely absent, and would bring its SUV and truck brands into a larger global group. It also owns luxury brand Maserati. Renault's lower-cost and mass market brands have a strong presence across Europe, Russia, Africa and the Middle East.\n\nBefore a deal closes, Fiat Chrysler is proposing that its shareholders receive a dividend of EUR2.5 billion ($2.8 billion) to mitigate the disparity between the market value of the two companies. That ensures any deal doesn't end up being a takeover of Renault by Fiat Chrysler and the Agnelli family, its controlling shareholder. Fiat Chrysler has a market value of about $22 billion, while Renault is valued at about $19 billion, based on Monday's closing share prices.\n\nFiat Chrysler said the deal would eventually deliver more than EUR5 billion in annual combined cost savings, mainly from sharing vehicle platforms and engineering resources and cooperating in areas such as R&D. It said these cost cuts weren't based on plant closures -- a politically charged issue in both France and Italy where governments have a history of intervention.\n\nA French official said the government will evaluate the final proposal with an open mind, but will be \"particularly vigilant\" on how such a deal affects jobs at the auto makers. After Fiat Chrysler said early Monday that its proposal wouldn't trigger plant closures, Matteo Salvini, an Italian deputy prime minister, called a tie up a \"brilliant and future-oriented operation.\"\n\nThe proposed deal would align the voting rights of the Agnelli family and the French government with their respective economic shareholdings -- solving a potential stumbling block in negotiations. For instance, the Agnellis own 29% of Fiat Chrysler, but control 44% of its voting rights. In a combined company, the family's stake and voting rights would both drop to 14.5%. Similarly, the French government currently has disproportionate voting power under French law, but that would change under the proposal, and its stake in the combined entity would be 7.5%, down from 15% now.\n\nThe deal proposes a combination through a Dutch-based holding company. Fiat Chrysler didn't disclose where the new company's operational headquarters would sit. Renault is based in Paris. Fiat Chrysler has long been run out of both Turin, Italy, and Detroit.\n\nComplicating any deal is a 20-year-old partnership between Renault and Nissan, in which they share technology and vehicle parts. Renault owns 43.4% of Nissan, while Nissan owns 15% of Renault. The Renault-Nissan relationship has come under strain as the two sides debate whether to overhaul the cross-shareholding arrangement and how to make joint decisions on future models and technologies.\n\nThose differences have been exacerbated by the arrest last year of auto titan Carlos Ghosn, who forged the alliance. Mr. Ghosn has been indicted by Tokyo prosecutors on charges including diverting Nissan money for personal gain. He says he is innocent and was released on bail last month.\n\nNissan CEO Hiroto Saikawa told Japanese media Monday that he is \"open to any forward-looking discussions to strengthen the alliance.\" Mr. Saikawa is expected to attend a previously scheduled meeting with top executives from Renault on Wednesday in Japan.\n\nRenault approached Nissan last month to propose a full-blown merger between the two, but was rebuffed. A merger between Fiat and Renault would shelve those plans, said a person familiar with the Fiat-Renault deal.\n\nWrite to Nick Kostov at Nick.Kostov@wsj.com, Eric Sylvers at eric.sylvers@wsj.com and William Boston at william.boston@wsj.com", "French automaker Renault said Monday that it would study \"with interest\" a 50-50 merger proposal from Fiat Chrysler, a deal that could reshape the industry as Renault reviews its options following the arrest in Japan of its chief executive.\n\nRenault had for years tied its strategy to a partnership with Japanese automaker Nissan but this has come into question after the arrest and subsequent ouster of Carlos Ghosn at both companies.\n\nAfter a board meeting over what it termed a \"friendly\" offer, Renault said it would enter talks on a merger that would create additional value while bolstering its manufacturing footprint.\n\nInvestors cheered the prospect, with Renault's shares soaring 15 percent in midday trading in Paris, and Fiat Chrysler stock up more than 10 percent in Milan.\n\nThe tie-up would forge the world's third-largest automaker, giving Fiat access in particular to Renault's electric car technologies.\n\nRenault, for its part, could get access to Fiat Chrysler's extensive US operations, and its expertise in trucks and SUVs.\n\nThe idea has the backing of the French government, which owns a 15 percent stake in Renault, after Fiat said the merger would not result in the closure of any production sites.\n\n\"The government is in favour... but the terms of this merger must be supportive of Renault's economic development, and obviously of Renault's employees,\" government spokeswoman Sibeth Ndiaye said Monday.\n\n\"We have very large companies, giants, that are being created outside of Europe, and today we needs giants to be created in Europe,\" she told BFM television, adding that Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire had been informed of the talks by Renault board chairman Jean-Dominique Senard last week.\n\nFrance's CGT labour union, the second-largest at Renault, called on the government to maintain a blocking minority after any deal, which could see the state's stake diluted in a merger.\n\nRenault was plunged into disarray last November with the arrest in Tokyo of Ghosn, who was also chairman of its Japanese partner Nissan.\n\nThat alliance, which also includes Mitsubishi, sells around 10.8 million automobiles per year in total, compared with Germany's Volkswagen and Japan's Toyota, both with around 10.6 million.\n\nBut its future is in doubt following Ghosn's ouster at both Renault and Nissan, with Tokyo in particular bristling over a push by the French side for deeper integration.\n\nRenault holds 43 percent in Nissan, which in turn owns 15 percent of its French partner. Despite pledges on both sides to pursue the alliance, analysts say the tensions might be pushing Renault to explore alternatives.\n\nFiat Chrysler said its proposal for Renault would create \"a pre-eminent global automotive group\" with annual sales of 8.7 million vehicles.\n\nThe brand portfolio of the two groups would be \"broad and complementary... and would provide full market coverage, from luxury to mainstream\", it said.\n\nThe combination would be carried out as a merger transaction under a Dutch parent company, with shares in the new group listed in Paris, Milan and New York.\n\nFiat Chrysler has been under pressure in Europe, stoking speculation it was looking for a partner as the industry is pushed to consolidate in the face of declining demand and a costly switch into electric cars.\n\nFiat Chrysler is widely seen as a latecomer to the electric vehicle market but does well in the US SUV and pick-up sectors.\n\nRenault meanwhile has pushed ahead in electric cars but is relatively weak in North America, so the two companies would seem a good fit.\n\nFiat Chrysler said the merger would put the group in \"a strong position in transforming technologies, including electrification and autonomous driving.\"\n\nEarly this year, rumours circulated that Renault was interested in Fiat-Chrysler after its hopes for a full merger with Nissan or even French competitor PSA were dashed.\n\nFiat Chrysler predicted that the merger would generate more than five billion euros ($5.6 billion) of cost-savings and other synergies, on top of the benefits from the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance.\n\nAll counted, including Nissan and Mitsubishi, a combination with Fiat Chrysler would mean the production of close to 16 million vehicles, besting Volkswagen and Toyota.", "Fiat Chrysler Automobiles on Monday submitted a shock proposal to French automaker Renault for a 50/50 merger.\n\nBoth automakers would have equal representation on the board of directors of the merged entity and half the shares would be split among FCA's current shareholders and the other half among the shareholders of Renault. The shares would be listed on stock exhanges in Paris, Milan and New York City.\n\nIn a statement, Renault said it is examining the proposal and will provide an update later.\n\nThough naturally there will be plenty to digest given the scale of the automakers, the benefits are obvious as the two will be able to share costs on developing electrified cars and self-driving technologies. Renault also will be given exposure to the U.S., which it currently lacks, while the same would be true for FCA in Europe, whose Euro-centric brands like Fiat and Alfa Romeo have failed to take-off on the continent.\n\nFCA in a statement said a merger won't close any plants. The automaker also sees the potential of approximately $5.6 billion in cost savings, in addition to those existing savings realized by Renault through its alliance with Nissan and Mitsubishi.\n\nAny deal with FCA would largely finish what the automaker's former CEO, Sergio Marchionne, started in 2014 when he openly explored the idea of a merger with General Motors to help share the load on capital expenditure. Since then, rumors about an FCA merger with Renault compatriot PSA Group, as well as Volkswagen Group, Hyundai, and Chinese automaker Great Wall have also come and gone.\n\nShould any merger between FCA and Renault take place, we'd be looking at an automaker with 8.7 million annual sales, which is behind only Toyota and VW Group which both have around 10 million sales. Of course, there's also the potential for further integration with Renault's current alliance partners, Nissan and Mitsubishi, to create a real behemoth in the industry. Renault is still keen on a merger with Nissan despite the relationship between the two becoming strained following the arrest of the former chairman of both, Carlos Ghosn, late last year on financial misconduct charges. A merger with FCA may provide Renault with more weight in pushing ahead with a merger with Nissan. Renault currently owns 43.4 percent of Nissan, while Nissan owns just 15 percent of Renault.\n\nThe proposed deal wouldn't be the first time Renault has partnered with an automaker in the U.S. There was the deal back in the 1970s between Renault and AMC, which controlled Jeep at the time. The deal saw AMC selling some Renault products in the U.S., but due to pressure back in France it came to an end in the late '80s when Renault ended up selling its stake in AMC to Chrysler.", "The synergies could multiply if they invite Japanese automaker Nissan Motor Co, currently Renault's alliance partner, to join the merger, according to a former Renault and Nissan executive.\n\nRenault and Italian-American rival Fiat Chrysler Automobiles are in talks to tackle the costs of far-reaching technological and regulatory changes by creating the world's third-biggest automaker.\n\nA Renault-Fiat Chrysler combination \"would mean a greater sharing of parts (which) could really boost the profitability of Fiat Chrysler's smaller vehicles,\" said Sam Fiorani, vice president, AutoForecast Solutions.\n\nBuilding similar models on a common vehicle architecture, Fiorani said, \"would give both companies a lot more freedom in manufacturing. They could mix brands and vehicle sizes on the same assembly line, switch vehicles between plants to balance production, and even shift production from one country to another, depending on changes in demand, tariffs or other considerations.\"\n\nFiorani said Fiat Chrysler could benefit from sharing the French automaker's expertise in electric vehicles and powertrains, where Renault and Nissan have jointly invested more than $5 billion (4 billion pounds). These are areas in which Fiat Chrysler has little in the way of components or intellectual property.\n\nAnother sector that is ripe for consolidation is light commercial vehicles, where Renault and Fiat Chrysler could build a variety of vans in several sizes on common platforms that could be assembled and sold in global markets.\n\nFord Motor Co and Volkswagen AG began their alliance discussions a year ago by focusing on potential collaboration in light commercial vehicles.\n\nFiorani said Renault's CMF architecture, which was jointly developed with Nissan and underpins many of Renault's passenger cars and crossovers, could be used by Fiat Chrysler on a wide variety of vehicles. As an example, he said the CMF could provide a new foundation for at least five Jeep models, including the Renegade, Compass and Cherokee, which now are based on four different platforms.\n\nA hurdle to implementing the merger is all the intellectual property - including the CMF vehicle architecture - that is shared between Renault and Nissan, said Patrick Pelata, a veteran of the two automakers' alliance who was formerly Renault's chief operating officer.\n\n\"They will need Nissan’s agreement for it to be used by Fiat Chrysler,” Pelata told BFM radio on Tuesday. “Nobody’s talking about that right now, but it’s an important subject.”\n\nRenault would not likely be interested in sharing Fiat Chrysler's body-on-frame platforms, which underpin the automaker's big pickups and SUVs in North America, Fiorani said.\n\n\"But if Nissan is invited to join the merger, that could open up new possibilities,\" he said. \"Nissan could use Fiat Chrysler's full-size truck platform for its next-generation Titan and Armada, while Fiat Chrysler could use Nissan's mid-size truck platform for the next-generation Dakota and Durango.\"\n\nFiorani said it likely would take at least two years after a Renault-Fiat Chrysler merger is approved before the arrival of the first new vehicles built on shared architectures.", "French carmaker Renault is in talks with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles with the long-term prize a world-leading alliance including Japan's Nissan and Mitsubishi, reports say.\n\nThe Financial Times posted Saturday night that the discussions were at an \"advanced\" stage and could lead to \"extensive cooperation\".\n\nThe Wall Street Journal said the talks were \"wide-ranging\" and could include Renault and Fiat Chrysler \"joining large portions of their businesses\".\n\nHowever, The New York Times said the discussions were in early stages, the specifics unclear and \"could still collapse\".\n\nContacted by AFP, neither Renault nor Fiat would comment.\n\nThe Financial Times, quoting multiple people informed on the talks, said: \"The agreement may ultimately lead the carmaker (Fiat-Chrysler) to join the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance in the future,\" if Nissan could be won over.\n\nSuch an automaker alliance would become the world's biggest, a title Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi currently vies for with Germany's Volkswagen.\n\nRenault holds 43 percent of Nissan which in turn owns 15 percent of its French partner Renault.\n\nThe imbalance causes frictions in a relationship that has been tested by the arrest of former Renault and Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn in Tokyo.\n\nHe was bailed for a second time on April 25 and is now preparing for trial on four charges of financial misconduct ranging from concealing part of his salary, to using Nissan funds for personal expenses.\n\nThe reports did not spell out the level of any involvement by Nissan in the current discussions, although one FT source said it was absent.\n\nEarly this year rumours circulated that Renault was interested in Fiat-Chrysler after its hopes for a merger with Nissan or even French competitor PSA faded.\n\nCitation: Renault in team-up talks with Fiat Chrysler: reports (2019, May 26) retrieved 26 May 2019 from https://phys.org/news/2019-05-renault-team-up-fiat-chrysler.html This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.", "*Renault and Fiat Chrysler Have Discussed A Merger Of Equals -- Sources\n\n*Renault And Fiat Chrysler Are Also Considering Share Swap -- Sources"], "summary": "Italian firm Fiat Chrysler proposes a merger with French carmaker Renault. The new company will be based in the Netherlands and will be listed on the Milan, Paris and New York stock exchanges."}
{"document": ["Authorities in western Democratic Republic of Congo say at least 30 people are dead and another 200 are missing after a boat sank on a lake.\n\nSimon Mboo Wemba, the mayor of Inongo, told The Associated Press on Sunday night that many of those aboard the boat that sank on Lake Mai-Ndombe were teachers.\n\nThe mayor says they had traveled to collect their salaries by boat because roads in the region are so poor.\n\nIt was not immediately known how many people were aboard the boat when it hit bad weather late Saturday.\n\nBut officials estimate several hundred were on board. More than 80 people survived.\n\nBoats in the vast nation of Congo are usually overloaded with passengers and cargo, and official manifests don't include all those aboard.", "Authorities in western Congo say at least 30 dead, another 200 missing after boat sinks on a lake\n\nKINSHASHA, Congo (AP) — Authorities in western Congo say at least 30 dead, another 200 missing after boat sinks on a lake.", "Authorities in western Congo say at least 30 dead, another 200 missing after boat sinks on a lake\n\nKINSHASHA, Congo (AP) — Authorities in western Congo say at least 30 dead, another 200 missing after boat sinks on a lake.", "Authorities in western Congo say at least 30 people are dead and another 200 are missing after a boat sank on a lake.\n\nSimon Mboo Wemba, the mayor of Inongo, told The Associated Press on Sunday night that many of those aboard the boat that sank on Lake Mai-Ndombe were teachers.\n\nThe mayor says they had traveled to collect their salaries by boat because roads in the region are so poor.\n\nIt was not immediately known how many people were aboard the boat when it hit bad weather late Saturday.\n\nBut officials estimate several hundred were on board. More than 80 people survived.\n\nBoats in the vast nation of Congo are usually overloaded with passengers and cargo, and official manifests don't include all those aboard.", "KINSHASHA, Congo (AP) — Authorities in western Congo say at least 30 dead, another 200 missing after boat sinks on a lake.", "Authorities in western Congo say at least 30 dead, another 200 missing after boat sinks on a lake\n\nKINSHASHA, Congo (AP) — Authorities in western Congo say at least 30 dead, another 200 missing after boat sinks on a lake.", "KINSHASHA, Congo — Authorities in western Congo say at least 30 dead, another 200 missing after boat sinks on a lake.", "Authorities in western Congo say at least 30 dead, another 200 missing after boat sinks on a lake\n\nKINSHASHA, Congo (AP) — Authorities in western Congo say at least 30 dead, another 200 missing after boat sinks on a lake.", "Authorities in western Congo say at least 30 dead, another 200 missing after boat sinks on a lake\n\nKINSHASHA, Congo (AP) — Authorities in western Congo say at least 30 dead, another 200 missing after boat sinks on a lake.", "Authorities in western Congo say at least 30 people are dead and another 200 are missing after a boat sank on a lake.\n\nSimon Mboo Wemba, the mayor of Inongo, told The Associated Press on Sunday night that many of those aboard the boat that sank on Lake Mai-Ndombe were teachers.\n\nThe mayor says they had traveled to collect their salaries by boat because roads in the region are so poor.\n\nIt was not immediately known how many people were aboard the boat when it hit bad weather late Saturday.\n\nBut officials estimate several hundred were on board. More than 80 people survived.\n\nBoats in the vast nation of Congo are usually overloaded with passengers and cargo, and official manifests don't include all those aboard.\n\n© Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed."], "summary": "At least 45 people die when a boat sinks on Lake Mai-Ndombe in western Democratic Republic of Congo."}
{"document": ["Opposition supporters and the police have clashed in Sierra Leone's capital Freetown.\n\nOur reporter Umaru Fofana is at the scene at the headquarters of the All People's Congress (APC) and told the BBC's Focus on Africa radio programme that armed riot police formed a ring around the building and fired tear gas canisters.\n\nHundreds of APC members and supporters were trapped at the headquarters where they had assembled following a high court verdict which found nine of the APC MPs elected last year were to lose their seats due to procedural irregularities.\n\nThe APC had previously declared 30 May and 31 May as \"red days\" and had called its supporters to dress in red - the official colour of the party - to protest against the political situation in the country.\n\nOur reporter spoke to the APC secretary-general Osman Foday Yansaneh, who expressed disgust \"at the reign of terror\" being unleashed on his party, with police firing tear gas inside the building. Mr Yansaneh said some of their party leaders had been arrested.\n\nPolice told the BBC that they were provoked by APC supporters but declined to comment further.\n\nSome Twitter users published videos of police using tear gas:", "At least nine miners died in Zimbabwe following blasts in a shaft north of the capital Harare where they were illegally digging for gold, police said on Tuesday.\n\n“We confirm eight people died on Sunday night at Jumbo Mine in Mazowe while another person died later after another explosive went off while they were underground,” police spokesman Paul Nyathi told AFP.\n\n“Their bodies were retrieved and investigations are being undertaken to establish how they got into the mine which was guarded at the entrance.\n\n“One person sustained fractures and was admitted to hospital and we are told there could be more.”\n\nThe owners of the mine, Metallon Corporation, confirmed the incident and said none of the victims were company employees.\n\n“Illegal panners invaded the mine and took part in illegal explosive blasting,” the company said in a statement.\n\nIn February, at least 24 illegal miners died and eight were rescued after water flooded two disused shafts in the mining town of Kadoma.\n\nAccidents involving illegal or informal miners are common in Zimbabwe where many use makeshift equipment to earn a living.\n\nThe country has valuable platinum, diamond, gold, coal and copper deposits.", "Eight illegal miners have been killed in an accident at a previously abandoned mine in Zimbabwe's Mazowe region north of the capital, officials say.\n\n\"So far indications are that one of the miners may have used an explosive to blast underground\" on Sunday night causing the shaft to collapse, Mines Minister Winston Chitando told dpa on Monday.\n\nIllegal mining is a common problem in mineral-rich Zimbabwe. In February, more than 20 miners died after an open mine flooded overnight.", "AT LEAST nine illegal gold panners have died while several more are believed to be still trapped underground at a Jumbo Mine in Mazowe, Mashonaland Central province.\n\nAccording to government, the tragic incident happened Sunday evening when a dynamite exploded in the area they were mining at the Metallon Gold Corporation owned mine.\n\nIn a statement Monday, the company said none of its employees died in the explosion.\n\nMetallon said it regretted the deaths of 9 illegal gold miners.\n\n“Illegal gold miners invaded the mine and took part in unlawfully explosive blasting, tragically nine miners lost their lives.\n\n“None of all these miners were employees of Metallon and all those involved with keeping the mine on care and maintenance have been accounted for,” Klara Kaczmarek said.\n\nThe company stopped operations last year, something that has seen illegal gold panners invade the place in search of the precious mineral.\n\n“Government received tragic news of a mining incident at Jumbo Mine in Mazoe,” the country’s Information Ministry said through its twitter page Monday.\n\n“Information at hand indicates that some people engaged in unauthorised mining exploded dynamite in one shaft causing a collapse in an adjacent shaft.\n\n“8 bodies have been recovered so far, investigations are underway.”\n\nPolice officer commanding Bindura district, Chief Superintendent David Tizwe said investigations of the exact cause of the explosion are still going on.\n\n“I can confirm that there is an incident where 8 illegal gold miners have died. We are yet to investigate,” he told NewZimbabwe.com Monday.\n\nJumbo Mine halted operations last year owing to operational challenges which left many of its former employees jobless with some reportedly having resorted to illegal mining.\n\nInformation says the mine has a total of 247 claims over 2 939 hectares of land holding.\n\nThe Jumbo Mine disaster comes months after 23 illegal Kadoma miners died after they were trapped inside two mine shafts by floods.", "At least nine illegal gold miners have died in Zimbabwe after they detonated explosives underground and were trapped at a mine owned by unlisted London-headquartered Metallon Corporation north of the capital Harare, the company said on Monday.\n\nMetallon put its Mazowe Mine on care and maintenance last September, citing viability problems. One of Zimbabwe's biggest gold producers, it still operates three other mines.\n\nMetallon said in a statement the mine collapse happened on Sunday when illegal miners gained access to underground shafts and blasted explosives.", "Eight illegal gold miners died while one sustained serious injuries and two escaped unhurt on Sunday evening when an explosive suspected to be a dynamite went off underground at Metallon Gold’s Jumbo Mine in Mazowe.\n\nMashonaland Central police spokesperson Assistant Inspector Petros Masikati confirmed the incident, saying four bodies have been identified but the names are being withheld until their next of kin have been advised.\n\n“The incident occurred on May 26 at around 10pm at Metallon Gold Mine in Mazowe. A team of 11 illegal miners entered Jumbo Mine on May 25 at around 6pm,” said Ass Insp Masikati.\n\n“The group entered through the connaught main shaft which is inside the mine complex, a place guarded by security guards. The following day on May 26 while the group was passing through level two intending to go to level nine an explosive believed to be a dynamite went off.\n\n“The explosive is believed to have been set by another team of illegal gold miners whose identify is yet to be ascertained. The blast claimed the lives of the eight, one of them was blown to pieces while the others succumbed to head injuries\n\n“Two escaped unhurt and another, who sustained a fractured hand and bruises is admitted at Concession Hospital. A report was made at Jumbo police base and they attended the scene.\n\n“The bodies of the miners were retrieved by the mine’s rescue team and sent to Concession Mortuary,”\n\n“We regret the loss of life and we encourage people to regularise their mining activities. When people get proper documentation for their mining activities they will be able to practise safe mining and know the requirements to safeguard their lives,” said Asst Insp Masikati. The Chronicle", "HARARE - At least nine illegal gold miners have died in Zimbabwe after they detonated explosives underground and were trapped at a mine owned by unlisted London-headquartered Metallon Corporation north of the capital Harare, the company said on Monday.\n\nMetallon put its Mazowe Mine on care and maintenance last September, citing viability problems. One of Zimbabwe’s biggest gold producers, it still operates three other mines.\n\nMetallon said in a statement the mine collapse happened on Sunday when illegal miners gained access to underground shafts and blasted explosives.\n\n“Tragically nine panners lost their lives. None of these miners were employees of Metallon and all those involved with keeping the mine on care and maintenance have been accounted for,” Metallon said.\n\nAt least 24 people died in February when underground shafts were flooded at two abandoned mines in Battlefield, which is to the west of Harare.\n\nWith formal unemployment above 80%, thousands of young men risk their lives daily working in dangerous underground tunnels in search of gold, Zimbabwe’s largest mineral export earner.\n\nThe southern African nation has been working to regulate thousands of people who illegally dig for gold everywhere, including on farms and abandoned mines, mostly under the cover of darkness.", "HARARE (Reuters) - At least nine illegal gold miners have died in Zimbabwe after they detonated explosives underground and were trapped at a mine owned by unlisted London-headquartered Metallon Corporation north of the capital Harare, the company said on Monday.\n\nMetallon put its Mazowe Mine on care and maintenance last September, citing viability problems. One of Zimbabwe's biggest gold producers, it still operates three other mines.\n\nMetallon said in a statement the mine collapse happened on Sunday when illegal miners gained access to underground shafts and blasted explosives.\n\n\"Tragically nine panners lost their lives. None of these miners were employees of Metallon and all those involved with keeping the mine on care and maintenance have been accounted for,\" Metallon said.\n\nAt least 24 people died in February when underground shafts were flooded at two abandoned mines in Battlefield, which is to the west of Harare.\n\nWith formal unemployment above 80 percent, thousands of young men risk their lives daily working in dangerous underground tunnels in search of gold, Zimbabwe's largest mineral export earner.\n\nThe southern African nation has been working to regulate thousands of people who illegally dig for gold everywhere, including on farms and abandoned mines, mostly under the cover of darkness.\n\nThis story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.\n\nYour guide to the latest seat tally, live updates, analysis and list of winners for Lok Sabha Elections 2019 on firstpost.com/elections. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram or like our Instagram or like our Facebook page for updates from all 542 constituencies on counting day of the general elections.", "HARARE, Zimbabwe — Former Springboks coach Peter de Villiers has been fired by the Zimbabwe Rugby Union for unauthorized absence from work.\n\nDe Villiers was fired last month, according to internal ZRU documents, but has indicated he will appeal his dismissal in a labour court.\n\nThe documents spell out how De Villiers, who was South Africa’s coach from 2008-11, failed to return to work in Zimbabwe after a vacation last year. He was suspended and later fired following a disciplinary hearing.\n\nDe Villiers was hired by Zimbabwe on a two-year contract in February 2018 with the aim of getting the southern African country back to the Rugby World Cup for the first time since 1991.\n\nNot only did Zimbabwe fail to make the World Cup, it was nearly relegated from Africa’s top-tier competition.", "SANCTIONS imposed on Zimbabwe are not just illegal but unjust and should be removed as they are causing underdevelopment and suffering of innocent Zimbabweans.\n\nAddressing delegates during the official commissioning of the US$10 million brick and tile manufacturing plant at Sino Zimbabwe Cement Company (SZCC) on the outskirts of Gweru today- the Chinese ambassador to Zimbabwe Mr Guo Shaochun said China as an all-weather friend of Zimbabwe will continue supporting the country so that it transforms into an upper middle income economy by 2030.\n\n“We hope that through our joint efforts we will be able to provide more support for Zimbabwe to rebuild and restore its industry, achieve economic independence and alleviate the suffering of its people caused by illegal and unjust sanctions.\n\nIn any case, it’s unfair to impose unilateral illegal sanctions against another country and its people. This is a typical practice of power politics,” he said."], "summary": "Eight miners die in a goldmine explosion in central Zimbabwe."}
{"document": ["Amigos de Gabriel Diniz confirmam que o cantor está entre as vítimas do acidente aéreo\n\nO cantor Gabriel Diniz , conhecido pelo hit \"Jenifer\" , morreu nesta segunda-feira (27), aos 28 anos, na queda de um avião de pequeno porte no povoado Porto do Mato, em Estância, na região sul de Sergipe.\n\nDe acordo com a Polícia Militar, há três mortos: além de Gabriel Diniz, foram identificados Linaldo Xavier e Abraão Farias, pilotos e diretores do Aeroclube de Alagoas. Inicialmente, o Grupamento Tático Aéreo (GTA) havia informado que eram quatro ocupantes na aeronave, que decolou de Salvador e tinha como destino Maceió.\n\nOs corpos chegaram ao Instituto Médico Legal (IML) às 18h15. O diretor do IML, José Aparecido Cardoso, informou que as três vítimas sofreram politraumatismo. \"Todos estavam bem machucados. Trauma torácico, trauma abdominal e várias fraturas\", disse. Gabriel Diniz e um dos pilotos, Linaldo Xavier, foram oficialmente identificados.\n\nO velório do cantor deve acontecer no complexo esportivo Almeidão, em João Pessoa (PB), cidade onde morava.\n\nAmigos do cantor reconheceram o corpo dele entre as vítimas. A assessoria de imprensa da produtora do artista confirmou que ele estava no avião. Também foi encontrado o passaporte de Gabriel Diniz perto do local do acidente.\n\nFamosos lamentam morte do cantor\n\nNa noite deste domingo (26), Gabriel Diniz havia feito um show em Feira de Santana (BA). O cantor estava indo encontrar a família para comemorar o aniversário da namorada, Caroline Calheiros, que completa 25 anos nesta segunda. Por esse motivo, ele pegou o avião para Maceió.\n\nO Centro Integrado de Operações de Segurança Pública (Ciosp) foi acionado por volta das 12h32 desta segunda. Equipes da PM e do Corpo de Bombeiros chegaram ao local do acidente numa embarcação dos bombeiros, já que a área é de difícil acesso, de mangue e mata fechada.\n\n\"Por volta das 12h30 recebemos o primeiro contato da Secretaria de Defesa Social de Estância dando conta que populares perceberam a queda de uma aeronave nas proximidades do Povoado Porto do Mato. De imediato acionamos o GTA e foi confirmado por nosso controle que a aeronate tinha desaparecido do radar. Encaminhamos a equipe do Corpo de Bombeiros de Estância, do GTA, da Defesa Civil de Estância com o apoio de órgãos locais de segurança. Ao chegar no local foi constatada a queda da aeronave. A equipe de Estância fez o resgate das três vitimas entre elas o cantor Gabriel Diniz. Houve dificuldade porque a aeronave caiu em uma área de mangue ainda com um pouco de água porque a maré não estava vazia. Os corpos estavam dentro da aeronave e estavam com muitas escoriações.\", disse o comandante do Corpo de Bombeiros, coronel Gilfran Mateus.\n\nEm nota, a produtora de Gabriel Diniz afirmou:\n\n\"A Luan Promoções, familiares, fãs, amigos e equipe estão todos muito abalados com está triste notícia que pegou todos de surpresa nessa manhã, 27. Com muito pesar confirmamos a morte do Gabriel Diniz. O cantor estava em um bimotor que caiu no sul do estado de Sergipe no começo dessa tarde. Sua alegria estará para sempre em nossos corações! Não deixaremos perder a sua irreverência jamais, você conquistou uma nação com o seu trabalho e carisma!\".\n\nO cantor tinha apresentações agendadas para esta quarta-feira (29) e esta quinta-feira (30) em São Paulo. Depois, estavam previstas datas em Afrânio (PE), Areia Branca (SE), Salvador e Belém.\n\nGabriel Diniz fala em vídeo gravado em avião\n\nDocumento de Gabriel Diniz encontrado em local de queda de avião — Foto: Reprodução/ Jornal Hoje\n\nDocumentos do avião encontrados no local do acidente em Sergipe — Foto: Reprodução/Jornal Hoje\n\nAeronáutica vai investigar o acidente\n\nVídeo mostra resgate de uma das vítimas de avião que caiu com cantor Gabriel Diniz\n\nA Aeronáutica irá investigar as causas do acidente com o avião em que estava Gabriel Diniz.\n\nEm nota, o órgão informou que \"investigadores do Segundo Serviço Regional de Investigação e Prevenção de Acidentes Aeronáuticos (SERIPA II), órgão regional do Centro de Investigação e Prevenção de Acidentes Aeronáuticos (Cenipa), realizarão a ação inicial da ocorrência envolvendo a aeronave de matrícula PT-KLO, ocorrido nesta segunda-feira (27/5), em Estância (SE)\".\n\nA ação inicial é \"o começo do processo de investigação e possui o objetivo de coletar dados: fotografar cenas, retirar partes da aeronave para análise, reunir documentos e ouvir relatos de pessoas que possam ter observado a sequência de eventos\", diz o comunicado.\n\nA investigação do Cenipa tem o objetivo de prevenir que novos acidentes com as mesmas características ocorram.Não há prazo para as investigações terminarem.\n\nAcidente com avião mata cantor Gabriel Diniz em Estância, SE — Foto: Reprodução/ Redes Sociais\n\nMapa mostra local da queda de avião — Foto: Arte G1/Roberta Jaworski\n\nAvião estava regular na Anac mas não tinha autorização para táxi aéreo\n\nDados do Registro Aeronáutico Brasileiro que mostram que o avião onde estava Gabriel Diniz não poderia fazer táxi aéreo — Foto: Reprodução\n\nDocumentos achados no local do acidente ao lado do passaporte de Gabriel Diniz mostram que a aeronave é um monomotor Piper Cherokee prefixo PT-KLO, fabricado em 1974, com capacidade para quatro lugares e registrado em nome do Aeroclube de Alagoas.\n\nA assessoria de imprensa do aeroclube informou que o avião estava com a manutenção em dia e em perfeito estado de conservação.\n\nEm nota, a Agência Nacional de Aviação Civil (Anac) disse que o avião estava em situação regular.\n\n\"A Agência Nacional de Aviação Civil (ANAC) informa que, segundo dados do Registro Aeronáutico Brasileiro (RAB), o avião acidentado nesta segunda-feira (27), em Sergipe (SE), estava em situação regular, com o Certificado de Aeronavegabilidade (CA) válido até fevereiro de 2023 e a Inspeção Anual de Manutenção (IAM) em dia até março de 2020\", diz o comunicado.\n\n\"O avião, de matrícula PT-KLO, da fabricante Piper Aircraft, era de propriedade do Aeroclube de Alagoas. Esse modelo é um monomotor com capacidade máxima de 3 passageiros mais a tripulação, totalizando 4 assentos.\"\n\nA aeronave, segundo o Registro Aeronáutico Brasileiro (RAB), da Anac, só pode ser usada para voos de instrução.\n\nAeronaves da categoria \"Privada – Instrução\" só podem ser usadas para instrução, adestramento de voo por aeroclubes, clubes ou escolas de aviação civil, segundo o Regulamento Brasileiro de Aviação Civil. Isso significa que não podem ser utilizadas para táxi aéreo, por exemplo.\n\nSegundo um dos diretores do Aeroclube de Alagoas, conhecido como Bebeu, a aeronave não era utilizada para táxi aéreo ou frete, apenas para instruções. Abraão Farias, um dos pilotos que morreu no acidente, seria amigo de Gabriel Diniz e teria ido passar o fim de semana com o cantor em Salvador. Na volta, ofereceu uma carona ao artista.\n\nBebeu disse que os diretores do aeroclube têm autonomia para pagar combustível do próprio bolso e fazer o uso pessoal do avião.\n\nLinaldo Xavier, que também morreu no acidente, tinha três anos de experiência como piloto. Já Farias era piloto desde 2012.\n\nAbraão Farias e Linaldo Xavier, diretores do Aeroclube de Alagoas, pilotavam o avião onde estava o cantor Gabriel Diniz, e que caiu no interior de Sergipe — Foto: Reprodução/Facebook\n\nAvião que caiu com Gabriel Diniz — Foto: Reprodução\n\nAvião que caiu com Gabriel Diniz — Foto: Arquivo pessoal\n\nPerfil de Gabriel Diniz\n\nGabriel Diniz canta em gravação do programa 'SóTocaTop', da TV Globo, no Rio de Janeiro, em julho de 2018 — Foto: Fábio Rocha/TV Globo\n\nGabriel Diniz tinha 28 anos e nasceu em Campo Grande (MS). Ele foi criado em João Pessoa (PB), onde morava, e teve uma banda com amigos da escola. GD, como era conhecido, era um astro do forró, mas transitava bem no sertanejo.\n\nO estouro veio no segundo semestre do ano passado, com \"Jenifer\", o grande hit do último verão. A música divertida sobre uma mulher encontrada no Tinder foi a primeira de Diniz a chegar ao topos das paradas de todo o Brasil.\n\nOs maiores sucessos anteriores dele eram \"Paraquedas\", com Jorge e Mateus (18 milhões de visualizações no YouTube) e \"Acabou, acabou\", com Wesley Safadão (62 milhões). Ele tinha empresários em comum com Safadão.\n\n\"Jenifer\" foi escrita pelo grupo de compositores Big Jhows, originalmente para Gusttavo Lima. A interpretação de GD deu um tom mais leve e quase humorístico à letra.\n\nGabriel conseguiu comprar de Gusttavo a exclusividade de \"Jenifer\", pelo mesmo valor que ele tinha pago aos compositores (eles não revelam a quantia). Tudo de forma amigável.\n\n\"Desde 2015 eu vou para Goiânia atrás de compositores. Fui o primeiro cara que saiu do Nordeste nessa busca. Depois foi o pessoal todo pra Goiânia: Wesley, Xand, até Simone e Simaria. Abrimos esse espaço para músicos e compositores\", explicou o cantor ao G1, no começo deste ano.\n\n\"Ninguém achou que ia ser esse sucesso. Nem o pessoal do meu escritório, nem meu empresário. O Wesley [Safadão] não acreditou, ninguém acreditou. Foi uma aposta minha, sozinho mesmo.\"\n\nMariana Xavier e Gabriel Diniz nos bastidores do hit \"Jenifer\" — Foto: (Foto: Divulgação)\n\nGabriel Diniz — Foto: Reprodução/Instagram\n\nComo nasceu 'Jenifer'", "Brazilian singer Gabriel Diniz tragically passed away on Monday (May 27) at the young age of 28.\n\nThe 28-year-old singer was involved in a plane crash when the airplane he was riding in went down on the southern coast of Sergipe, Brazil. The plane was en route to his girlfriend Karoline Calheiros‘ birthday party.\n\n“It is with great pain that we can confirm the death of Gabriel Diniz and the plane’s crew,” Gabriel‘s team told Us Weekly.\n\nIf you aren’t familiar with Gabriel‘s work, he is well known for his 2016 song “Paraquedas.” He also recently released a new single, “Jenifer.”\n\nGabriel had over four million followers on his Instagram account and over two million subscribers on his YouTube channel.\n\nOur thoughts are with Gabriel‘s loved ones during this time.", "Latin singer Gabriel Diniz reportedly died on Monday, May 27, when his plane crashed in the town of Porto do Mato in Estância, on the southern coast of Sergipe.\n\nLatin pop star Gabriel Diniz, who is best known for his 2016 hit song “Paraquedas,” died on Monday, May 27, while en route to his girlfriend Karoline Calheiros‘ birthday party in Maceió, his management confirmed to Us Weekly. The singer, 28, passed away when his plane crashed in the town of Porto do Mato in Estância, shortly after taking off. Gabriel had just performed in Feira de Santana, northwest of Salvador. He even took to social media and posted photos from his performance on May 26, while sharing the following message with his fans: “Always a joy to return to Feira de Santana and be greeted with such joy and with so much positive energy thank you for the kindness guys A real crowd enjoying our show. Until next time God willing.” Want to know more about Gabriel? See what we discovered, below.\n\n1. Gabriel was close friends with soccer player Roberto Firmino. In fact, Roberto took to social media to pay tribute to Gabriel, following his passing. “There are things that are hard to believe, the chip does not fall,” Roberto wrote on Instagram alongside a video of Gabriel performing. “The message of love and joy that you left here on earth was incredible. Glad to have met you. Rest in peace.”\n\n2. Gabriel did — and still does — have a big social media following. At the time of publishing this article, he had more than 2 million subscribers on YouTube and 4.5 million followers on Instagram.\n\n3. Gabriel Diniz was best known for his 2016 song “Paraquedas”. However, “Jenifer”, was his most recently released single.\n\n4. Gabriel Diniz performed at Roberto Firmino’s wedding, when Roberto tied the knot with Larissa Pereira in 2017. That performance can be seen in the video tribute above.\n\n5. Gabriel and Karoline had been dating for two years before his death, according to the Daily Mail.", "Latin singer Gabriel Diniz has passed away at the age of 28, multiple outlets report.\n\nThe pop star, beloved in his native Brazil and known for his hit song \"Jenifer,\" died on Monday, May 27, when his plane crashed in the town of Porto do Mato in Estância, on the southern coast of Sergipe. Sergipe, Brazil's smallest state, is located northeast of Salvador, where Gabriel's small plane reportedly took off from.\n\nAccording to Gabriel's social media, he had just performed in Feira de Santana, located northwest of Salvador. On May 26, Gabriel posted photos from his performance, sharing a message with his fans.\n\n\"Always a joy to return to Feira de Santana and be greeted with such joy and with so much positive energy thank you for the kindness guys,\" his message, translated to English, reads.", "Latin pop star Gabriel Diniz has tragically passed away in a plane crash on Monday at the age of 28.\n\nHe departed from Luís Eduardo Magalhães International Airport and was scheduled to land at Maceió-Zumbi dos Palmares International Airport.\n\nThe plane went down in the town of Porto do Mato, Estância, the southern coast of Sergipe, Brazil.\n\nGabriel was reportedly on his way to his girlfriend, Karoline Calheiro's, birthday party at the time.\n\n'It is with great pain that we can confirm the death of Gabriel Diniz and the plane's crew,' Gabriel's representatives confirmed to Us on Tuesday.\n\nThe singing sensation was in a small plane that saw both pilots pass away at the scene as well.\n\nAccording to reports, local fire department officials responded to the scene immediately and the freak accident is still under investigation.\n\nGabriel last took to his Instagram page with 4.6 million followers on Monday, thanking all the fans who had come out to his concert in Feira de Santa, Brazil.\n\n'Sempre uma alegria voltar a Feira de Santana e ser recebido com tanta alegria e com tanta energia positiva [sic]obrigado pelo carinho galera. Uma verdadeira multidão curtindo o nosso show [sic] até a próxima se Deus quiser simmmmmm,' he captioned.\n\nTranslated from Portuguese, the caption read: 'Always a joy to return to Feira de Santana and be greeted with such joy and with so much positive energy [sic].'\n\n'thank you for the kindness guys. A real crowd enjoying our show [sic] until next time God willing simmmmmm.'\n\nGabriel was best known for his single, Jennifer, which was only recently released this year.\n\nThe video has already racked up 236 million views, broke Spotify records and was dubbed 'the song of the summer' in Brazil.\n\nMonday was also the 25th birthday of his girlfriend of-two-years, Karoline Calheiros, a psychologist.", "Latin pop star Gabriel Diniz has tragically died in a plane crash at the age of 28, it has been confirmed.\n\nLocal media reports that Gabriel and two other people were killed on Monday afternoon when the plane they were on went down.\n\nGabriel was flying from Sergpie, Brazil to celebrate the birthday of his girlfriend, Karoline Calheiros.\n\nHe was best known for his hit single Jenifer, which racked up a whopping 235million views on YouTube — and made him the most played artist on Brazilian streaming services.\n\nGabriel’s management team confirmed the tragic news in a statement, saying: “It is with a lot of pain that we confirm the death of Gabriel Diniz and the plane’s crew.”\n\nFans of the heartthrob took to Instagram to pay tribute, commenting under his last upload to his 4.5million followers.\n\nOne comment translates to: “I love you, brother. Thanks for everything!!!…We’ll meet again.”\n\nA second translation reads: “May our Lord receive you! Your joy will always be remembered! Rest in peace.”\n\nA third added: “Rest in peace, boy of light! May God comfort all the family. You are a unique star!”\n\nGabriel was close friends with Liverpool football player Roberto Firmino, who has also paid tribute.\n\nSharing a video of Gabriel performing at his wedding in 2017, Roberto wrote a touching comment to his 9.4million followers.\n\nHe wrote: “The message of love and joy that you left here on earth was incredible. Glad to have met you. Rest in peace.”", "Latin pop star Gabriel Diniz has died in a plane crash at the age of 28.\n\nAccording to local media, Diniz had jetted off from Sergipe, Brazil to celebrate his girlfriend Karoline Calheiros's birthday when the plane went down on Monday afternoon.\n\nDiniz was killed in the crash along with two other people.\n\nThe singer had made three studio albums and was nationally known for his hit song 'Jenifer' which topped the charts and has reached over 235 million YouTube views.\n\nConfirming the tragic news, Diniz's management team said in a statement: “It is with a lot of pain that we confirm the death of Gabriel Diniz and the plane’s crew.”\n\nDiniz was a close friend of Liverpool forward Roberto Firmino, who paid tribute following the shock news.\n\nFirmino shared a message of condolence on his Instagram page alongside a video of Diniz singing at his wedding in 2017.\n\nThe Reds' forward wrote: \"There are things that are hard to believe, the sheet doesn't fall.\n\n\"The message of love and joy you left here on earth was amazing. Thankful I could have met you rest in peace.\"\n\nFirmino's wife, Larissa, also shared a touching tribute, writing: \"Earlier today I searched for a photo to post and gave up only I wouldn't imagine later this photo was left for me to post.\"\n\nLarissa continued: \"He participated in the happiest day of my life, he was there giving the best of you, everyone knows that of my words he was praised the most.\n\n\"You know that energy that infects, that light that comes from inside? There are few words to try to explain.\"\n\nBrazilian footballer Lucas Levia also shared: \"What a tragedy man!! May God have him. Rest in peace!!!\"\n\nDiniz’s producer said: \"Luan Promotions, family members, fans, friends and team are all very upset with this sad news that caught everyone by surprise. With great regret we confirmed the death of Gabriel Diniz.The singer was in a twin engine that fell in the south of Sergipe state in the beginning of this afternoon. Your joy will be forever in our hearts! We will never let you lose your irreverence, you have conquered a nation with your work and charisma!\"", "Another plane crash has claimed a young and rising musician.\n\nLatin Pop Star Gabriel Diniz, had just finished performing at a concert when he was on his way to celebrate his girlfriend’s birthday in Brazil. Soon after taking off, his plane went down killing him and two other crew members.\n\nGabriel Diniz was only 28-years-old and had already recorded three studio albums, had one chart-topping hit ‘Jenifer’, and had over 230 million views on YouTube.\n\nDiniz's management team confirmed the terrible news in a statement, “It is with a lot of pain that we confirm the death of Gabriel Diniz and the plane’s crew.”\n\nAn investigation into the plane crash is ongoing.", "Latin pop star Gabriel Diniz was traveling to his girlfriend Karoline Calheiros’ birthday party, when his plane crashed in Brazil. The military police confirmed to Grupo Globo’s G1.com that Diniz, as well as the plane’s pilots Linaldo Xavier and Abraão Farias, died in the accident. Diniz was 28 years old.\n\nThe singer, who has over 4 million followers on Instagram, was enroute to Maceio, where Karoline’s birthday party was taking place, but the small plane went down Porto Do Mato, Estancia, near the southern coast of Sergipe, Brazil. Diniz’s posted on Instagram just before his death, a series of photos oh him performing before a huge crowd in Fiera de Santana. The caption translates in English to read ““Always a joy to return to Feira de Santana and be greeted with such joy and with so much positive energy, thank you for the kindness guys. A real crowd enjoying our show. Until next time, God willing.”\n\nDiniz was best friends with Brazilian soccer superstar player Roberto “Bobby” Firmino, married to wife Larissa Pereira in 2017, posted a tribute to his lost friend on Instagram. Firmino shared a video of Diniz performing at his wedding with caption, “There are things that are hard to believe, the chip does not fall. The message of love and joy that you left here on earth was incredible. Glad to have met you. Rest in peace.”\n\nDiniz became popular after releasing the song “Paraquedas” in 2016. His most recent single, “Jenifer,” was also a popular hit the Latin performer.\n\nREAD NEXT: Chris Farley’s Death Date & Cause: How did the Comedian Die?", "Latin pop star Gabriel Diniz died on Monday, May 27, in a plane crash en route to his girlfriend Karoline Calheiros’ birthday party, Us Weekly confirms. He was 28.\n\n“It is with great pain that we can confirm the death of Gabriel Diniz and the plane’s crew,” Diniz’s management team tells Us.\n\nAccording to local news reports, Diniz and two pilots died when their small plane crashed in the town of Porto do Mato, Estância, on the southern coast of Sergipe, Brazil. Officials from the local fire department responded to the scene. The cause of the accident is still under investigation.\n\nThe aircraft had departed from Salvador-Deputado Luís Eduardo Magalhães International Airport and was supposed to land at Maceió-Zumbi dos Palmares International Airport.\n\nDiniz was best known for his 2016 song “Paraquedas” and his recently released single “Jenifer.” He had more than 2 million subscribers on YouTube and 4.5 million followers on Instagram. His final post on the latter platform was a photo of him performing at a recent concert in Feira de Santana, Brazil.\n\nThe singer was close friends with Liverpool soccer player Roberto Firmino, who took to Instagram after Diniz’s death to share a video of him performing at the athlete’s 2017 wedding to Larissa Pereira.\n\n“There are things that are hard to believe,” Firmino, 27, wrote. “The message of love and joy that you left here on earth was incredible. Glad to have met you. Rest in peace.”\n\nPereira, 26, also shared a tribute on her Instagram page. “He participated in the happiest day of my life, he was there doing his best,” she wrote, referencing her wedding.\n\nPereira ended her post with a message for the late star’s girlfriend, Calheiros: “I really do not know what to tell you, I wanted to be here just wishing you Happy birthday, but I also say that I’m praying a lot for you,” she wrote. “Asking God to comfort your heart and understanding you to understand that His plans are sometimes not ours, but what matters is that one day we will all find ourselves in a much better place.”\n\nSign up now for the Us Weekly newsletter to get breaking celebrity news, hot pics and more delivered straight to your inbox!\n\nWant stories like these delivered straight to your phone? Download the Us Weekly iPhone app now!"], "summary": "An airplane crashes in Sergipe, Brazil, killing Brazilian singer Gabriel Diniz."}
{"document": ["", "Here's what we know about a strong line of storms that crossed central Ohio Monday night into Tuesday morning.\n\nOne fatality has been confirmed in Celina. Mayor Jeff Hazel say seven people were injured and one 81-year-old man was killed in the storms. He said about 40 houses were heavily damaged.\n\nWhere did the tornadoes hit?\n\nCentral Ohio was pounded by a strong line of storms Monday evening into Tuesday morning that resulted in widespread damage as it passed.\n\nThe National Weather Service issued a tornado watch at around 8 p.m. Monday for a large area of eastern Indiana and central Ohio. Not long after, the first tornado warning was issued in eastern Indiana. A hailstorm of tornado warnings – more than 30 – followed, marching inexorably east, mainly tracking along Interstate 70.\n\nThe rapid-fire line of apparent tornadoes tore across Indiana and Ohio overnight, packed so closely together that one crossed the path carved by another.\n\nThe storms dropped debris and highway crews had to used snowplows to clear Interstate 75.\n\nWhat is the damage?\n\nDayton officials said the city was \"hit by a series of devastating tornadoes\" overnight and rescue workers are getting their first daylight look at the damage. Dayton Fire Chief Jeffrey Payne said so far there are no fatalities in Dayton and a small number of minor injuries, which he said was \"miraculous.\"\n\nCelina, Ohio officials said in a statement that the northwest section of the city \"sustained significant damage from a tornado\" that passed through the community Monday night at about 10 p.m. City officials said there would be updates once damage was assessed.\n\nUrban Search and Rescue teams from Columbus and Cincinnati are among those that will help in today's search efforts.\n\nDayton Power and Light reports on its website that more than 50,000 customers are without power following the storms; 41,438 in Montgomery County and 9,354 in Greene County. American Electric Power has reported about 2,400 without power between central and southeastern Ohio. Dayton Power and Light called damage to the Miami Valley “catastrophic,” adding that there are many downed power lines across the region.\n\nThat company expects restoring power will take several days.\n\nDayton's water system is affected, as well. Both of the city's water plants and the system's pumping stations are without power. City Manager Shelley Dickstein said generators were on the way but said there will be a boil advisory for communities served by Dayton Water System.\n\nThe power outages have caused a Red Cross shelter at Trotwood High School, where 60 residents were located, to close due to lack of power. The Red Cross said there were more than 135 people in shelters in Dayton, Brookville, Vandalia and Miami County.\n\nThe National Weather Service office at Wilmington said it would be conducting surveys in Celina, New Madison, Laura, Dayton, and Laurelville.\n\nMore: 'Catastrophic' damage from tornadoes in Ohio causes thousands of people to be without power\n\nMore: Weatherman slams 'Bachelorette' fans mad about Dayton tornado interruption: 'Done with you people'\n\nMore: Dayton tornadoes: One confirmed death as workers continue building searches and assess damage\n\nMore: Forecasters put Cincinnati region on notice after tornado", "Updated at 9:53 a.m. ET\n\nSeveral tornadoes touched down in highly populated areas around Dayton, Ohio, and surrounding communities late Monday night, causing catastrophic damage. The city is currently under a boil-water advisory. And while the storms devastated dozens of buildings and trees, only minor injuries have been reported, officials said Tuesday morning.\n\n\"Last night about 11:30, tornadoes struck the Dayton area,\" Dayton Fire Chief Jeffrey Payne said. \"However, we have yet to find one fatality, and we have had three minor injuries. I find that pretty miraculous.\"\n\nOfficials in Dayton, Celina and nearby communities are still searching for potential victims, after intense storms wreaked havoc. Suspected tornadoes also left behind destruction in the Indiana town of Pendleton, about 100 miles west of Dayton.\n\n\"The first tornado warning went out one minute before 9 p.m. in Wayne County, West of Richmond. The last warning was issued a few minutes before 2 a.m. in Hocking County,\" member station WYSO reports. \"In all, officials issued 36 tornado warnings, one flash flood warning, and recorded multiple instances of golf ball-sized hail in the Dayton area Monday night.\"\n\nThe list of injured people includes some who had to be pulled out of severely damaged buildings, Payne said. He credited the early warning system that informed the public of an impending dangerous tornado system — and he praised residents for following instructions to seek shelter.\n\nImages from the scene show residential neighborhoods that have seemingly been turned into disaster areas. Officials say they're still tallying the number of damaged buildings.\n\n\"The sun just came up,\" Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley said at a news conference Tuesday.\n\nThe National Weather Service sent out urgent bulletins overnight, warning that dangerous twisters were causing considerable damage and urging people to stay out of harm's way.\n\nTornadoes were reported in Mercer, Darke, Miami and Montgomery counties. Search and rescue crews are now combing through the area, including \"live find\" crews and dogs that can help find victims of the powerful storm, officials said.\n\nMany areas of Dayton were hit hard, fire officials said, along with nearby areas of Troy and Stanley. In addition to trees and power lines, the tornadoes peeled roofs off of houses, brought down businesses' walls and collapsed ceilings.\n\n\"Debris being lofted into the air by a tornado south of Circlevile, Ohio,\" the NWS tweeted just after 1 a.m. ET.\n\nMultiple buildings have collapsed and at least one house has been cut in half, KOCO Meteorologist Michael Armstrong relayed on Twitter. He added that a \"¼ mile stretch of power poles broken ... Medics having difficulty accessing areas.\"\n\nReports of gas leaks came in all night long, fire officials said Tuesday, adding that with a new day starting, new risks could arise as people turn on their home appliances.\n\nDue to widespread power outages, the city of Dayton is asking residents throughout Montgomery County to conserve water. \"We have lost power to both water plants and pump stations,\" officials said on Twitter. Those plants will rely on generator power until electricity can be restored.\n\nThe last large storm to hit Dayton came in 2008, when Hurricane Ike knocked the city into a blackout for about a week. But in that case, its water supply was not affected, officials said Tuesday.\n\nEven before the tornadoes hit, an earlier storm had already raged through the Miami Valley, knocking out power to tens of thousands of residents. Dayton Power and Light reported more than 64,000 customers were without power as of 2:00 a.m. By 7:30 a.m., that figure had dropped to 55,000 of the utility's 520,000 customers.\n\n\"We expect this will be a multi-day restoration,\" DP&L said on Tuesday.\n\nThe NWS office in Wilmington, Ohio, estimated that at the worst point, the storms and tornadoes left about 5 million people without power.\n\nFrom around 11:30 p.m. to 7:30 a.m., Dayton's emergency crews responded to 41 fire reports, Payne said. Police Chief Richard S. Biehl said his department received around 244 calls for service in a slightly shorter time frame, ranging from reports of downed traffic lights to trees blocking roadways.\n\nIn some hard-hit neighborhoods, people were trapped in collapsed buildings, the NWS reported. And to reach those storm victims, firefighters and EMTs had to navigate streets that were littered with debris and downed wires.\n\nPhotos taken by the Dayton Daily News show cars with the roof caved in by fallen trees or under piles of wood from a destroyed house nearby. Another shows a two story house with one of its walls ripped out. Remnants of commercial buildings, whose brick or cinder block walls have collapsed are also depicted.\n\nThe city of Celina, northwest of Dayton, was particularly hard hit. Police are asking people to avoid driving into the city due to live wires and severe damage.\n\nLocal school districts have canceled classes after sustaining damage to school buildings.\n\nEmergency crews are still working through a backlog of calls, Payne said. He added that regional task force teams had been activated to help with the effort, bringing crews from Cincinnati and other cities.\n\nMontgomery County Sheriff Rob Streck said \"that due to an overwhelming number of calls, the public should not call 911 unless something is sparking or someone is injured or in immediate danger,\" WDTN 2 News reported.\n\nDebris from the storms blocked parts of I-75, forcing the Ohio Department of Transportation to ask motorists to avoid the interstate. The agency posted photos to Twitter showing snow plows being used to push fallen trees off I-75 north of Dayton.\n\nNWS forecaster David Roth told NPR the violent weather is part of an unusual pattern that has also brought flood worries to Arkansas and Oklahoma where a tornado in El Reno left two people dead on Saturday. Roth said it may take up to a week for the weather pattern to change and return to calmer conditions.\n\nThe storms hit Dayton just two days after the city's police were called on to maintain peace during a Ku Klux Klan rally on Saturday.\n\nThis is a developing story. Some facts reported by the media may later turn out to be wrong. We will focus on reports from police officials and other authorities, credible news outlets and reporters who are at the scene. We will update as the situation develops.", "(Reuters) - A tornado pulverized buildings around Dayton, Ohio, early onTuesday, injuring at least 35 people and requiring emergency officials to send out snowplows to clear debris from a major highway, officials and media reports said.\n\nAt least two other tornadoes touched down near the city, including one near Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, just east of the city, media reports said.\n\nAt least 35 people in and around Dayton went to hospitals with injuries, most of them minor, according to Elizabeth Long, a spokeswoman for the Kettering Health Network.\n\n“We’ve had injuries ranging form lacerations to bumps and bruises from folks being thrown around in their houses due to the storms,” she said.\n\nThere have been no reports of fatalities.\n\n“We had a great warning system in the area,” Long said.\n\nThe latest storm follows tornadoes and floods killed at least six people in Oklahoma during the previous week, including two people in El Reno on Saturday.\n\nMore than 60,000 homes and businesses in Ohio were left without power on Monday morning, according to the PowerOutage.US tracking service, and officials advised people to boil water after water plants and pumps went out of service.\n\nThe extent damage in Ohio was not clear yet.\n\n“We’re right in the middle of it right now. It’s a mess,” said a phone operator with the Office of Emergency Management in Montgomery County.\n\nSome media outlets reported that rescue workers were going door-to-door in parts of Dayton.\n\nTwitter users posted images of debris flying in the air and damaged mobile homes and cars.\n\nMedia images online showed snowplows from the Ohio Department of Transportation clearing debris from U.S. Interstate 75 just north of the city.\n\nThe National Weather Service said multiple tornadoes were reported in the Dayton area between 11 p.m. Monday and 1 a.m. Tuesday.\n\n“The storm system is weakening as it pushes into West Virginia and Virginia, but along with the winds, it has dropped about two or three inches 3 inches (5-8 cm)of rain in just two hours,” said Zack Taylor, a meteorologist with the NWS Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland.\n\nSeven people were reported injured in the storm in Pendleton, Indiana, on Monday, about 100 miles (160 km) west of Dayton, according to media reports. More damage was reported in Celina, Ohio, about 78 miles (125 km) north of Dayton.\n\nFlooded areas of Arkansas and Oklahoma were bracing for more rain that will feed the already swollen Arkansas River, forecasters said on Monday. Arkansas, Oklahoma and Missouri have all activated National Guard units to respond to the storms.\n\nEarly on Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump expressed his support for Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt, a Republican. Trump promised support from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.\n\nMillions of Americans were under flood warnings on the Memorial Day holiday. Deluges hit Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa and Illinois.\n\nIn Tulsa, officials were monitoring the Arkansas River after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers raised the flow at the upriver Keystone Dam by 65% since last week to 275,000 cubic feet per second. The heavier flow is testing two aging levees in Tulsa, the city said.\n\nIn Missouri, tornadoes and severe storms killed three people and destroyed or damaged hundreds of homes last week.", "Multiple destructive tornadoes touched down in a highly populated area near Dayton, Ohio, and surrounding communities, causing catastrophic damage and leaving many trapped by debris.\n\nThe National Weather Service reports the dangerous twisters, which began late Monday night, are causing considerable damage and are urging people to take cover immediately.\n\nTornadoes have been reported in Mercer, Darke, Miami and Montgomery counties. Injuries have been reported.\n\n\"Debris being lofted into the air by a tornado south of Circlevile, Ohio,\" the NWS tweeted just after 1 a.m. ET.\n\nMultiple buildings have collapsed and at least one house has been cut in half, KOCO Meteorologist Michael Armstrong relayed on Twitter. He added that a \"¼ mile stretch of power poles broken ... Medics having difficulty accessing areas.\"\n\nPhotos taken by the Dayton Daily News show cars with the roof caved in by fallen trees or under piles of wood from a destroyed house nearby. Another shows a two story house with one of its walls ripped out. Remnants of commercial buildings, whose brick or cinder block walls have collapsed are also depicted.\n\nThe NWS is reporting that some people remain trapped in collapsed buildings in several locations in areas where tornadoes have passed. Firefighters and EMTs are having a difficult time reaching emergency locations due to debris in the streets and wires down. And, some emergency calls are going unanswered because crews have not been able to get to them.\n\nThe city of Celina, northwest of Dayton, was particularly hard hit. Police are asking people to avoid driving into the city due to live wires and severe damage.\n\nLocal school districts have canceled classes after sustaining damage to school buildings.\n\nMontgomery County Sheriff Rob Streck said \"that due to an overwhelming number of calls, the public should not call 911 unless something is sparking or someone is injured or in immediate danger,\" WDTN 2 News reported.\n\nThe Ohio Department of transportation is asking locals to avoid I-75 which is blocked by debris. Photos posted to Twitter by ODOT show snow plows trying to clear fallen trees from Interstate 75 north of Dayton. \"Please avoid this area while we work to clear the interstate following the storm,\" the department wrote.\n\nAn earlier storm that moved through the Miami Valley knocked out power to tens of thousands of residents. Dayton Power and Light reported more than 64,000 customers were without power as of 2:00 a.m.\n\nSuspected tornadoes also left behind destruction in the Indiana town of Pendleton, about 100 miles west of Dayton.\n\nNWS forecaster David Roth told NPR the violent weather is part of an unusual pattern that has also brought flood worries to Arkansas and Oklahoma where a tornado in El Reno left two people dead on Saturday. Roth said it may take up to a week for the weather pattern to change and return to calmer conditions.\n\nThis is a developing story. Some facts reported by the media may later turn out to be wrong. We will focus on reports from police officials and other authorities, credible news outlets and reporters who are at the scene. We will update as the situation develops.", "The National Weather Service confirmed that multiple tornadoes, including one described as “large and destructive,” touched down near Dayton, Ohio, late Monday, reportedly injuring at least several people, leaving around 5 million people without power across the state and causing extensive damage to homes, businesses and roads at the end of Memorial Day.\n\nMayor Mary McDonald of Trotwood, Ohio, located about eight miles northwest of Dayton, told local outlets that there are several injuries in the area, with some people being hospitalized as a result of the tornado’s devastation. She added that there were no fatalities as of early Tuesday and that the extent of those reported injuries was unclear. WHIO reported that Trotwood ordered those in need of shelter to be bused to nearby Red Cross shelters. She said on Facebook that power lines and trees were down throughout Trotwood, a city of 25,000 residents.\n\nAt 11 p.m. Monday, the National Weather Service of Wilmington, Ohio, confirmed the tornadoes were on the ground near Trotwood, describing the natural disaster as an “EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATION” and “A LIFE THREATENING SITUATION!” The National Weather Service said the tornadoes took place about 30 minutes apart and affected at least a half-dozen communities in Ohio and eastern Indiana. Authorities announced early Tuesday that the National Guard was being deployed to the area. The Ohio Department of Transportation said that crews were using snowplows to help clean up debris that was covering Interstate-75 north of downtown Dayton. While there are no remaining tornado warnings, there are active flood warnings until early Tuesday.\n\nEarly Tuesday, the National Weather Service said the tornado caused more than 70,000 power outages, affecting about 5 million people throughout Ohio. In Dayton, the city’s utility said that almost 60,000 customers were without power, accounting for more than 88 percent of the area. The utility said it expects a multiday restoration effort, with the National Weather Service adding that it “will be conducting damage surveys for the next few days.” Dayton city officials asked residents to conserve water, as the area had lost power to both water plants and pump stations.\n\n“First Responders are performing search and rescue operations and debris clearing,” the city tweeted.\n\nAmong the most affected areas most affected the most were Miami, Montgomery and Greene Counties, which includes Dayton, the sixth-most populous city in the state. In Mercer County, about 80 miles from Dayton, officials told NBC News that at least seven people had been hospitalized. Montgomery County Sheriff Rob Streck said that his office has received “an overwhelming number of calls” and that “the public should not call 911 unless something is sparking or someone is injured or in immediate danger,” WDTN reported. In Beavercreek, a Dayton suburb, there was a mandatory evacuation within the subdivisions, according to WHIO. In the town of Celina, Mayor Jeffrey Hazel told WDTN that some of the areas looked “like a war zone.”\n\n“Some of the houses were completely moved off their foundations and gone,” he said.\n\nLocal outlets highlighted how homes, apartment complexes, schools and businesses had become debris following the tornado. Trees had been uprooted. The roof of a high school in Brookville, Ohio, was ripped off. The town’s firehouse, home to first responders in the area, had its garage completely ripped off the building. The Action Sports Center, a 30,000-square-foot indoor complex in Dayton housing two full-sized soccer fields, was left in ruins.\n\n“It’s a complete loss, no way around it,” one of the owners told WHIO. “It’s unsalvageable.”\n\nOn social media, residents shared photos and videos of the destruction throughout southwestern Ohio. Tenley Taghi was in tears as she filmed what was left of her family’s home. Taghi, who said there were no sirens before the tornado hit, told WDTN that a light pole fell through her home and injured her father, who was pulled out by firefighters. Taghi was left in tears and disbelief seeing what had happened to her home, saying repeatedly in her video, “Our house is gone. Oh my God.”\n\n“I saw the clouds spin backwards and the trees began to sway uncontrollably and we took shelter,” she told WDTN. “I was standing on the porch that is no longer standing. We took shelter right as the storm hit.”\n\nIn a message to The Washington Post, Taghi said she was all right but remained understandably shook up.\n\nResidents in the Dayton area, as well as their family and friends, shared videos and photos of the storm as it was unfolding. Others were still trying to wrap their heads around the catastrophic damage caused to their communities.\n\nAs residents began to come outside to assess the damage, they began recounting their experiences.\n\n“It was shaking and we covered for shelter,” Dwayne Chastain Jr. tweeted. “Pray for my city. It’s pitch black out here.”\n\nNathan Mann of Trotwood told WDTN that he took cover once he heard the sirens in his area, proceeding to his basement. He compared the scene Monday night to something “out of a movie.” He said he pretty much tied himself to a pole, “and hoped to God that nothing would hurt me.” He texted his wife, thinking that he was going to die.\n\n“It felt like someone picked my house up and set it back down,” he said. “When it was over, I couldn’t believe what I saw.”", "A swarm of tornadoes tore through parts of Ohio and Indiana Monday night, with significant damage done just outside Dayton, Ohio. Power is still out for many and water must be boiled.", "Brookville chief Doug Jerome said Tuesday that at least half the homes in a single subdivision sustained serious damage. But Jerome says no fatalities were reported in the city, which is about 20 miles (32 kilometres) northwest of Dayton, and only three minor injuries.\n\nJerome said the storm took off part of the roof at Brookville High School, tossed some cars into houses and ripped up numerous large trees.\n\nA series of apparent tornadoes caused extensive damage in Dayton and communities north and northwest of the city, and also destroyed homes in Indiana.\n\nActor Rob Lowe, a Dayton native, tweeted \"Praying for my hometown\" on Tuesday.\n\nAuthorities in Dayton, Ohio, say a series of apparent tornadoes caused a few minor injuries but no reported fatalities within the city.\n\nDayton Fire Chief Jeffrey Payne called that \"pretty miraculous\" during a Tuesday morning briefing. Payne attributed the good news to people heeding early warnings about the storm.\n\nResidents say sirens started going off around 10:30 p.m. Monday ahead of the storm.\n\nDayton Mayor Nan Whaley urged residents to check on neighbours, especially those who are housebound.\n\nDayton City Manager Shelley Dickstein says a boil advisory has been issued for residents after the storms cut power to Dayton's pump stations. She says generators are being rushed in.\n\nThe storms caused severe damage in communities northwest of Dayton, where officials were still assessing damage, and also damaged at least 75 homes in Indiana.\n\nThe president has tweeted his support for tornado survivors in Oklahoma, where two people were killed and 29 were injured by a twister that struck a motel and mobile home park over the weekend.\n\nDonald Trump tweeted Tuesday morning that he spoke with Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt from Japan and told him that the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the \"federal government are fully behind him and the great people of Oklahoma.\"\n\nEmergency crews are going door-to-door checking homes in Indiana after damaging storms spawned apparent tornadoes in the state and in Ohio.\n\nMadison County Emergency Management spokesman Todd Harmeson says least 75 homes were damaged in Pendleton and the nearby community of Huntsville. No serious injuries were reported in the area or other parts of the state where possible tornadoes hit Monday night.\n\nMadison County authorities say roads in Pendleton, about 35 miles (56 kilometres) northeast of Indianapolis, are blocked with trees, downed power lines and utility poles. Pendleton High School is open as a shelter.\n\nThe National Weather Service says a survey team will investigate damage in Madison County and possibly in Henry County. Another team may survey damage in Tippecanoe County.\n\nThe energy company serving the Dayton, Ohio, area says at least 64,000 customers are without power following a series of apparent tornadoes.\n\nDayton Power & Light said in a tweet early Tuesday it was undertaking a \"multi-day restoration effort\" and urged customers to make emergency backup plans.\n\nThe National Weather Service reported earlier more than 70,000 outages across Ohio, affecting more than 5 million people.\n\nThe service confirmed Monday night that a \"large and dangerous tornado\" hit near Trotwood, Ohio, outside of Dayton.\n\nThe storm tore roofs off several apartment buildings in Trotwood.\n\nMultiple schools are closed or starting late around Dayton following the storm damage.\n\nThe National Weather Service says there are more 70,000 power outages across the state of Ohio, affecting over 5 million people.\n\nThe service tweeted Tuesday morning that to send reports of outages via social media or email if possible.\n\nIt also says the tornado threat has \"exited our area of responsibility.\"\n\nThe service confirmed Monday night that a \"large and dangerous tornado\" hit near Trotwood, Ohio, outside of Dayton. ___\n\nAn Indiana town was heavily damaged by storms, including reports of two tornados.\n\nWRTV-TV reports that Madison County Emergency Management spokesman Todd Harmeson said Tuesday morning that, \"We do not know at this time if this was a tornado, straight-line winds or what the cause was\" of damage in Pendleton. He says there are several videos floating around that show funnel clouds but that the National Weather Service will make that determination.\n\nHarmeson says residents should stay indoors due to energized downed powerlines on the ground. \"We just believe at this time it is not safe,\" he said. He says an estimated 4,000 people are without power.\n\nPendleton residents being evacuated can go to the Pendleton High School cafeteria for shelter.\n\nThe Ohio Department of Transportation is using snow plows to remove debris off an Ohio highway after a \"large and dangerous\" tornado hit the area late Monday.\n\nTransportation spokesman Matt Bruning said its crews are using several plows to scrape debris off to the side of southbound Interstate 75, trying to get the highway reopened as soon as possible. \"We'll do a more thorough cleaning after we get lanes opened,\" he told the Associated Press via text early Tuesday. He said tow trucks eventually will have to deal with damaged vehicles along the roadway, too. He said other crews are also clearing debris northwest of Dayton in Mercer and Darke counties. Trying to clear the debris in the middle of the night is a difficult task, complicated by darkness and downed power lines, Bruning said.\n\nThe National Weather Service confirmed Monday night that a \"large and dangerous tornado\" hit near Trotwood, Ohio, outside of Dayton.\n\nThis story has been corrected to show the tornado struck Ohio on Monday night, not Sunday.\n\nBy The Associated Press", "(Reuters) - A tornado slammed into the U.S. city of Dayton, Ohio, on Monday and severe storms were forecast to pound the area overnight, officials and media reports said.\n\nAt least two other tornadoes touched down near the city, including one near Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, just east of Dayton, media reports said.\n\nThe latest storm comes after tornadoes and floods killed at least six people in Oklahoma over the weekend, including two people in El Reno, near the state capital, on Saturday.\n\nThe extent of injuries and damage in Ohio wasn't clear yet.\n\n\"We're right in the middle of it right now. It's a mess,\" said a phone operator with the Office of Emergency Management in Montgomery County.\n\nAnother Emergency Management official said that they were working with the American Red Cross early on Tuesday to set up at least four shelters in the area for any displaced residents.\n\nSome media outlets reported that rescue workers were going door-to-door in parts of Dayton. Police and sheriff's departments were not immediately available for comment.\n\nTwitter users posted images of debris flying in the air and damaged mobile homes and cars.\n\nMedia images online showed snowplows from the Ohio Department of Transportation clearing debris from U.S. Interstate 75 just north of the city.\n\nMore than 75,000 homes and businesses were without power early on Tuesday, according to the tracking site PowerOutage.US.\n\nThe National Weather Service said multiple tornadoes were reported in the Dayton area between 11 p.m. Monday and 1 a.m. Tuesday.\n\n\"We'll have to get survey crews on the ground in the morning to confirm the severity of the storms, but yes, there is at least one tornado touch-down in the city,\" said Zack Taylor, a meteorologist with the NWS Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland.\n\n\"The storm system is weakening as it pushes into West Virginia and Virginia, but along with the winds, it has dropped about two or three inches of rain in just two hours,\" he said.\n\nSeven people were reported injured in the storm in Pendleton, Indiana, on Monday, about 100 miles west of Dayton, according to media reports, including CNN. More damage was reported in Celina, Ohio, about 78 miles north of Dayton.\n\nFlooded areas of Arkansas and Oklahoma were bracing for more rain that will feed the already swollen Arkansas River, forecasters said on Monday. Arkansas, Oklahoma and Missouri have all activated National Guard units to respond to the storms.\n\nEarly on Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted his support for Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt, a Republican, and for those who suffered from storm damage in Oklahoma. Trump promised support from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).\n\n\"Told him that @fema and the federal government are fully behind him and the great people of Oklahoma,\" Trump said on Twitter.\n\nMillions of Americans were under flood warnings on the Memorial Day holiday. Deluges hit Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa and Illinois.\n\nIn Tulsa, officials were monitoring the Arkansas River after the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers raised the flow at the upriver Keystone Dam by 65% since last week to 275,000 cubic feet per second. The heavier flow is testing two aging levees in Tulsa, the city said.\n\nIn Missouri, tornadoes and severe storms killed three people and destroyed or damaged hundreds of homes last week.", "A swarm of apparent tornadoes so tightly packed that one crossed the path carved by another tore across Indiana and Ohio overnight, smashing homes and blowing out windows. One person was killed and dozens were injured.\n\nThe storms were among 52 twisters that forecasters said may have touched down Monday across eight states stretching eastward from Idaho and Colorado.\n\nThe winds knocked homes off their foundations, toppled trees and hurled so much debris that it could be seen on radar, and highway crews had to use snowplows to clear an interstate.\n\nSome of the heaviest damage was reported just outside Dayton, Ohio.\n\n\"I just got down on all fours and covered my head with my hands,\" said Francis Dutmers, who with his wife headed for the basement of their home in Vandalia, about 10 miles (16 kilometers) outside Dayton, when the storm hit with a \"very loud roar\" Monday night. The winds blew out windows around his house, filled rooms with debris and took down most of his trees.\n\nIn Celina, Ohio, 81-year-old Melvin Dale Hannah was killed when winds blew a parked car into his house, Mayor Jeffrey Hazel said Tuesday.\n\n\"There's areas that truly look like a war zone,\" Hazel said.\n\nStorm reports posted online by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Storm Prediction Center showed that 14 suspected tornadoes touched down in Indiana, 10 in Colorado and nine in Ohio. Six suspected tornadoes were reported in Iowa, five in Nebraska, four in Illinois, three in Minnesota and one in Idaho.\n\nThunderstorms that spun off the Colorado tornadoes dropped hail as large as tennis balls, with pea-size hail reported in the Denver area.\n\nA large tornado struck near Trotwood, Ohio, eight miles (12 kilometers) from Dayton, and Mayor Mary McDonald reported \"catastrophic damage\" in the community of 24,500 people. Several apartment buildings were damaged or destroyed, including one complex where the entire roof was torn away, and at least three dozen people were treated at emergency rooms for cuts, bumps and bruises.\n\nThe mayor said five busloads of displaced residents were taken to a church that opened as a shelter.\n\nJust before midnight, about 40 minutes after that tornado cut through, the weather service tweeted that another one was crossing its path, churning up enough debris to be visible on radar.\n\nIn Brookville, west of Dayton, the storm tore roofs off schools, destroyed a barn and heavily damaged houses.\n\nIn Dayton, only a few minor injuries were reported. Dayton Fire Chief Jeffrey Payne called that \"pretty miraculous,\" attributing the good news to people heeding early warnings about the storm. Residents said sirens started going off around 10:30 p.m. ahead of the storm.\n\nMayor Nan Whaley urged people to check on their neighbors, especially those who are housebound. A boil-water advisory was issued after the storms knocked out power to Dayton's pump stations, and Dayton Power & Light said 64,000 customers were without electricity.\n\nMany roads in the Dayton area were impassable. A high school gymnasium in Dayton was designated an emergency shelter until authorities realized it was unusable.\n\nIn Indiana, at least 75 homes were damaged in Pendleton and nearby Huntsville, said Madison County Emergency Management spokesman Todd Harmeson. No serious injuries were reported.\n\nResidents in Pendleton, about 35 miles (56 kilometers) northeast of Indianapolis, were urged to stay in their homes Tuesday morning because of downed trees, power lines and utility poles.\n\n\"People are getting antsy. I know they want to get outdoors, and I know they want to see what's going on in the neighborhood, but we still have power lines down, we still have hazards out there,\" Harmeson said.\n\nAssociated Press writers Dan Sewell and Amanda Seitz in Cincinnati, David Runk in Detroit and Andrew Welsh-Huggins in Columbus, Ohio, contributed. Franko reported from Columbus."], "summary": "Multiple destructive tornadoes strike Dayton, Ohio, and surrounding communities. There was at least one known fatality in Celina. Multiple homes and businesses were destroyed, with reports of numerous power outages and a boil and water conservation advisory issued for Dayton."}
{"document": ["Image copyright EPA\n\nThe head of Romania's ruling Social Democratic Party (PSD), Liviu Dragnea, has been jailed for corruption after his attempts to appeal an earlier conviction failed.\n\nRomania's Supreme Court upheld on Monday a three-and-a-half year prison sentence against Dragnea.\n\nThe politician, 56, was found guilty last year of having two party members paid by a state agency for fake jobs.\n\nThe ruling came as his PSD suffered huge losses at the European elections.\n\nProsecutors said that by using his influence as a government official, Dragnea procured fake jobs at a child protection agency for two women working for his party.\n\nThe women admitted to working for the party while receiving salaries from the agency.\n\nDragnea, who denies any wrongdoing, appealed the initial verdict and was allowed to remain free.\n\nIn live footage on Romanian television on Monday, the powerful politician was seen being driven in a police car into the Rahova prison on the outskirts of Bucharest.\n\nDragnea is widely viewed as the most powerful figure in Romanian politics.\n\nHe was barred from becoming prime minister because of a 2016 conviction for vote-rigging.\n\nBut observers say he has still wielded power from behind the scenes, directing his PSD and the government they lead.\n\nThe politician was a key figure in the PSD's push for controversial judicial reforms, which have chipped away at the independence of the courts, sparking mass protests in Romania and clashes with the European Union.\n\nThe ruling on Monday came as Dragnea's PSD suffered major losses in the European election.\n\nThe party fell to second place, behind the opposition National Liberal party, gaining less than 23% of the vote.\n\nDragnea is also under investigation in a separate case for allegedly forming a criminal group to siphon off cash from state projects.\n\nHe has maintained his innocence in the cases against him, saying the charges are politically motivated.", "BUCHAREST (Reuters) - Romania's Supreme Court on Monday upheld a conviction and a three and a half year prison sentence against ruling Social Democrat Party leader Liviu Dragnea for inciting others to commit abuse of office.\n\nDragnea, who is also speaker of the lower house of parliament, appealed the initial verdict last year. Monday's conviction is final. He also has a previous conviction in a vote-rigging case.", "May 27 (UPI) -- Romania's Supreme Court on Monday upheld a corruption conviction for the leader of the country's ruling political party, sending him to prison for 3.5 years.\n\nLiviu Dragnea, 56, was found guilty in June for paying two party members using government money for fake jobs at a child protection agency. He appealed the ruling, but the top court upheld the conviction.\n\nDragnea was speaker of the lower house of Parliament and head of the ruling Social Democratic Party.\n\nThe ruling came after the party experienced losses in both the European Parliament elections and an anti-corruption referendum over the weekend. The party came in second to the National Liberal Party in the European elections.\n\n\"With this decision, the Liviu Dragnea era ends. Romania is getting better,\" opposition leader Dan Barna said.\n\nDragnea is also being investigated in a separate case for allegedly heading a scheme to take money from state projects.", "FILE PHOTO: Social Democratic Party leader Liviu Dragnea reacts during an interview with Reuters, in Bucharest, Romania, May 23, 2018. Inquam Photos/Octav Ganea/File Photo via REUTERS\n\nBUCHAREST (Reuters) - Romania's Supreme Court upheld a three-and-a-half year prison sentence for graft against ruling Social Democrat Party leader Liviu Dragnea on Monday, one day after his party lost a European election to centrist groupings.\n\nSince coming to power in late 2016, the Social Democrats have steadily chipped away at the independence of the judiciary, raising sharp criticism from the European Union and triggering Romania's largest street protests in decades.\n\nOn Sunday, voters overwhelmingly backed a referendum called by centrist President Klaus Iohannis to prevent Dragnea's party from further weakening the courts.\n\nThe Supreme Court found 56-year-old Dragnea, who is also speaker of the lower house of parliament, guilty of keeping two women on the payroll of a child protection state agency for years even though they were working for his party.\n\nHe appealed against the initial verdict last year and was free pending the appeal, but Monday's ruling was final and he was expected to go to prison later in the day.\n\nDragnea, who was the first PSD leader to come from outside the capital and has kept a tight grip on the party, was already barred from being prime minister by a previous conviction in a vote rigging case.\n\nGraft issues spurred Romanians to sanction the PSD in the European Parliament election, where the party's support halved to 22.6 percent from the last national ballot in 2016.\n\nTens of thousands of Romanians working abroad were unable to vote on Sunday after queuing for hours outside consulates and polling stations because of bureaucracy and staffing problems.\n\nAnalysts said video footage from voting stations across Europe of Romanians chanting \"We want to vote\" and \"Thieves\" amplified the ruling party's loss.\n\nDragnea, who is also under investigation in a separate case on suspicion of forming a criminal group to siphon off cash from state projects, has denied all charges and repeatedly said he was the victim of a \"parallel state\" of politically-motivated prosecutors and secret services.\n\n\"For sure this news is affecting all of us, our party,\" Social Democrat vice-president Rodica Nassar told Reuters.\n\n\"We will have a party congress in June to assess our position and discuss a new leadership.\"\n\nWith Dragnea jailed, the party will be led in the interim by his protege Prime Minister Viorica Dancila. The party and a junior coalition ally retain a fragile majority in parliament.\n\nDragnea spent years as county council president of southern Teleorman county - one of Romania's poorest areas - where he started amassing power.\n\nLater, as regional development minister, he created a fund doling out cash with little oversight to county councils and mayors, helping shore up his support.\n\nAs party leader and viewed as Romania's most powerful politician, he presided over the judicial changes as well as a slew of tax cuts and wage and pension hikes that look set to send the budget deficit above EU limits.\n\n\"On the back of yesterday's voter mobilization and results, today's ruling seems to be the lowest point for the party,\" said Sergiu Miscoiu, a political science professor at Babes-Bolyai University. \"But this is still a party which has a quarter of the electorate and there is room for it to rebuild.\n\n\"For Romania, it sends a strong signal, it shows the justice system and institutions are working despite all the pressures.\"", "BUCHAREST, Romania — Romania’s most powerful politician was sentenced Monday to 3 1/2 years in prison for official misconduct in a graft case.\n\nThe jail time for Liviu Dragnea, party leader of the ruling Social Democrats, came after a conviction last year for having two party members paid by a public agency for fake jobs.\n\nAccording to prosecutors, Dragnea intervened from 2008 to 2010, when he was a government official, to keep two women employed by his party on the payroll of the family welfare agency. The women admitted working for the party while they received salaries from the public agency.\n\nDragnea, already blocked from being Romania’s prime minister because of a 2016 conviction for vote-rigging, was expected to be imprisoned within 24 hours.\n\nDan Barna, chairman of the opposition Save Romania Union party, welcomed the court ruling, which had been delayed for months after Dragnea appealed the June 2018 conviction.\n\n“Today’s ruling ends the Dragnea era, one of the darkest over the last 30 years,” Barna said in a Facebook post. “Romania is getting healthier, we are coming back to Europe.”\n\nDragnea’s party suffered huge losses in European Parliament election on Sunday, falling to second place behind the opposition National Liberal Party.\n\nAdditionally, a non-binding referendum called by President Klaus Iohannis, a government opponent, seeking to pressure the government into stopping its efforts to water down anti-corruption measures won support from 80 per cent of voters on Sunday.", "Romania's Supreme Court on Monday upheld a corruption conviction and a three-and-half-year prison sentence against ruling Social Democrat Party (PSD) leader Liviu Dragnea.\n\nDragnea, 56, had appealed the 2018 guilty verdict handed down for using his influence to procure fake public jobs for two women, who were actually working for the PSD at the time. He was expected to be imprisoned within 24 hours of the Supreme Court ruling.\n\nAccording to prosecutors, Dragnea intervened from 2008 to 2010, when he was a government official, to keep the women emplyed by his party on the payroll of the family welfare agency. The women admitted working for the party while they received wages from the public agency.\n\nHe has already been blocked from serving as prime minster because of a prior conviction for vote-rigging, he is considered the country's de facto leader and the true power behind Prime Minister Viorica Dancila.\n\nThe verdict came on the heels of a huge defeat for Dragnea's party in the European Parliament elections. The PSD party finished second to its opposition rivals, the National Liberal Party (PNL), after collecting just 23.4% of the vote, a 14.2% drop from the 2014 vote.\n\nAdditionally, a referendum on the government's controversial judicial reforms — held alongside the EU election — won support from 80% of voters on Sunday. The referendum, an attempt by President Klaus Iohannis to block the reforms, is not legally binding, but the overwhelming support for the initiative dealt a blow to Dancila.\n\nThe Romanian Prime Minister's justice reforms are widely seen as watering down anti-corruption measures and tailored to keep Dragnea and other corrupt politicians out of prison.\n\n\n\nEach evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.", "Liviu Dragnea, the head of Romania’s ruling social-democrat party, turned himself in on May 27 after a high court upheld a three and a half year sentence against him on corruption charges.\n\nDragnea, who is speaker of Romania’s lower house of parliament, has been party leader since 2015, when he replaced Victor Ponta, who resigned following large protests against the authorities’ response in the aftermath of the fatal fire in a Bucharest nightclub.\n\nDespite his social-democrat party winning the parliamentary election in December 2016, he was unable to become prime minister due to a previous suspended sentence for election fraud.\n\nTo circumvent that ban, Dragnea has spearheaded his party’s efforts to roll back judiciary reforms passed by previous governments, which caused several large-scale protests in Romania – most notably in February 2017, when his party put forward a plan that decriminalised low-level government corruption by exonerating embezzlement of up to 45 000 euro.\n\nThat plan was later withdrawn, but Dragnea did not give up on the idea, which caused frequent clashes with president Klaus Iohannis, elected on an anti-corruption platform in December 2014.\n\nDragnea’s plans to push for an amnesty law appeared to be dashed by a two-question referendum initiated by Iohannis, held simultaneously with European Parliament elections on May 26.\n\nThe referendum, which cleared the validity thresholds, showed more than 80 per cent of respondents in favour of banning pardons for convicts jailed on corruption charges and also preventing the government from passing any future measures in that sense.\n\nThe social-democrats also lost the European Parliament election amid high turnout, placing second with 23.6 per cent, behind Iohannis’ national-liberal party, which received 27.1 per cent, according to partial results. Another anti-corruption opposition party was third with 20 per cent.\n\nDragnea was defiant on election night, urging prime minister Viorica Dancila, seen as his protege, not to resign as head of government. With Dragnea losing his party position, Dancila said that the party’s executive leadership would meet on May 28 to discuss the next steps, but she would not resign as prime minister.\n\nBut the future of the ruling coalition was not immediately clear, with its junior coalition partner also weakened by a poor result at the polls, failing to clear the threshold to win any MEP seats.\n\nDragnea is also under investigation in another case, where he is accused of spearheading an organised crime group that allegedly aimed to carry out EU funds fraud. The case is expected to head to court later this year.", "If Liviu Dragnea's appeal fails he will have to begin his jail sentence on Tuesday (AFP Photo/Daniel MIHAILESCU)\n\nBucharest (AFP) - A Romanian court on Monday upheld a jail sentence for the powerful head of Romania's ruling Social Democrats, Liviu Dragnea, meaning he now has 24 hours to report to police to begin his sentence.\n\nThe verdict will almost certainly remove from public life a man who is widely seen as the puppet master behind the government.\n\nDragnea was also a key figure in his party's push for controversial judicial reforms which have led to clashes with Brussels and have overshadowed Romania's first-ever EU presidency.\n\nDragnea was unsuccessful in his bid to overturn a conviction he received last year for using his influence to procure fake public jobs for two women who were actually working for the Social Democrats (PSD) at the time.\n\nThe High Court of Cassation and Justice on Monday confirmed his original three-and-a-half-year jail sentence.\n\nDragnea was not present in court to hear the verdict.\n\nDespite the PSD's election victory in 2016, Dragnea's deep-seated ambition to become prime minister was thwarted because of a previous suspended jail sentence for electoral fraud.\n\nThe verdict also comes on the heels of a stinging defeat for the PSD in Sunday's European parliament elections.\n\nA grim-faced Dragnea appeared in front of the cameras on Sunday night to say the PSD had faced a \"storm of hatred\" in the election results, with the party falling 12 points from its score in 2014 to 25.8 percent.\n\nCentre-right and liberal opponents, by contrast, racked up almost 50 percent between them.\n\nYoung people and city-dwellers turned out in force to express their frustration with the government, with turnout nudging 50 percent.\n\nFlorentin Negrutiu, editorial writer for the Digi24 site, said of Monday's court verdict: \"This is a victory for the judicial system after two and a half years in which Dragnea has tried to employ all means to stop it working.\"\n\nOn the eve of Monday's court appearance, Dragnea was his normal defiant self, alluding to conspiracies against him and \"unimaginable pressure\" being exerted on judges to find him guilty.\n\nHe also surprised many by saying that he would not challenge incumbent President Klaus Iohannis in elections expected late this year.\n\nOver the past three years, Dragnea and the PSD -- the successor party to the communists -- had courted voters in poorer and more rural areas of the country with generous promises.\n\nDespite not becoming prime minister, the moustachioed leader wielded considerable influence behind the scenes and toppled two prime ministers in just seven months before nominating Viorica Dancila to the post in January 2018.\n\nAnalysts say his focus on curtailing the activities of the country's anti-corruption agency has lost the PSD many voters.\n\nHis argument was that he wants to put an end to abuses of power by prosecutors \"suffered by millions of Romanians\".\n\nDragnea had begun to mimic attacks on the EU of the kind made by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, accusing Brussels of \"interfering\" in Romania's affairs and its sovereignty.\n\nA second headache for the PSD is likely to come in the results from a referendum also held on Sunday on the government's controversial judicial reforms.\n\nTurnout for the vote, called by Iohannis, was well in excess of the 30-percent threshold needed to make the referendum valid and analysts expect voters to have rejected the PSD's plans.\n\nThe European Commission on Monday called on the government to listen to the \"clear message\" from voters and ensure \"an independent judicial system which offers no impunity for criminals and no tolerance for corruption\".\n\nThe Commission has warned sanctions may follow if the government does not change course.", "BUCHAREST, Romania >> Romania’s most powerful politician was sentenced today to 3½ years in prison for official misconduct in a graft case.\n\nThe jail time for Liviu Dragnea, party leader of the ruling Social Democrats, came after a conviction last year for having two party members paid by a public agency for fake jobs.\n\nAccording to prosecutors, Dragnea intervened from 2008 to 2010, when he was a government official, to keep two women employed by his party on the payroll of the family welfare agency. The women admitted working for the party while they received salaries from the public agency.\n\nDragnea, already blocked from being Romania’s prime minister because of a 2016 conviction for vote-rigging, was expected to be imprisoned shortly 24 hours.\n\nHundreds of Romanians took to the streets of Bucharest, the capital, today to celebrate Dragnea’s sentence, some of them posing for pictures with cutouts of Dragnea in prison garb. The ruling party has been widely criticized for failing to fight corruption by officials.\n\nPrime Minister Viorica Dancila refused to comment on the court decision, but acknowledged its impact.\n\n“Regardless of what one feels about Dragnea, his conviction is a difficult moment” for the Social Democratic Party, Dancila said. “It’s a drama for him and his family. We stand by him.”\n\nVictor Ponta, a former prime minister with the Social Democrats and now chairman of Pro Romania Party, was more critical.\n\n“I’m sorry that this man, blinded by pride and viciousness, pulled Romania, the government, parliament, an entire party and the honor of millions of people into a hole with him,” Ponta said in a Facebook post\n\nDan Barna, chairman of the opposition Save Romania Union party, welcomed the court ruling, which had been delayed for months after Dragnea appealed the June 2018 conviction.\n\n“Today’s ruling ends the Dragnea era, one of the darkest over the last 30 years,” Barna said in a Facebook post. “Romania is getting healthier, we are coming back to Europe.”\n\nDragnea’s party suffered huge losses in European Parliament election on Sunday, falling to second place behind the opposition National Liberal Party.\n\nAdditionally, a non-binding referendum called by President Klaus Iohannis, a government opponent, seeking to pressure the government into stopping efforts to water down anti-corruption measures won support from 80% of voters on Sunday.", "BUCHAREST, Romania — Romania’s most powerful politician, Liviu Dragnea, was ordered on Monday to begin serving a three-and-a-half-year prison sentence for abuse of power, upending the political order in the East European country and handing a victory to those who view corruption as the chief threat to the health of the nation.\n\nThe ruling by the Romanian Supreme Court, which declined to revisit a sentence handed down by a lower court in June 2018, is not subject to appeal. It came one day after Mr. Dragnea’s party, the Social Democrats, were handed a stunning rebuke in elections for the European Parliament.\n\nThe Social Democrats received just 23 percent of the vote, down significantly from the 46 percent they received in the last national parliamentary elections, in December 2016. The two main opposition parties combined to secure about 50 percent of the vote.\n\nAt the same time, in a nonbinding referendum, an overwhelming majority of voters — more than 80 percent — expressed deep dissatisfaction with attempts by the governing party to change corruption-related laws via emergency decree, and potentially offering amnesty to officials convicted of abusing their power."], "summary": "Romania's Supreme Court denies Social Democratic Party leader Liviu Dragnea's appeal of his conviction and three-and-a-half year prison sentence for corruption."}
{"document": ["RIO DE JANEIRO — The latest on deadly violence at prisons in northern Brazil (all times local):\n\nBrazilian authorities say 42 inmates have been found dead at three different prisons in the capital of the northern state of Amazonas, a day after 15 prisoners died in a riot at a fourth prison in the city.\n\nThe Amazonas state prison agency says the 42 prisoners found dead Monday at prisons in Manaus all showed signs of asphyxia.\n\nOn Sunday, state officials reported that 15 inmates were killed during a prison riot at a fourth jail in Manaus. That was the scene of a riot in January 2017 left 56 dead.\n\nBrazilian authorities say several inmates have been found dead at three different prisons in the northern state of Amazonas.\n\nMonday’s report came a day after officials in Amazonas said 15 inmates had died during a prison riot at a fourth jail. That prison in the state capital of Manaus was the scene of a riot in January 2017 left 56 dead.\n\nThe Amazonas state prison agency said Monday that several prisoners were “found dead by hanging inside their cells” during the day, but it could not yet give a precise number. Officials said they were still counting prisoners at the three jails.\n\nThe prison agency said that the situation was “under control” and that prisoners were under lockdowns.", "At least 40 prisoners were killed in four jails in northern Brazil on Monday over an apparent gang dispute, in the latest wave of violence to rock the country’s severely overpopulated and deadly prison system.\n\nThe latest incidents brought back memories of the mass butchery in January 2017 in Brazil north and northeastern prisons, resulting in 150 deaths. Then prison gangs backed by Brazil’s two largest drug factions – the First Capital Command and the Red Command – butchered one another.\n\nThe latest victims in Amazonas prisons appeared to have been killed by “asphyxiation,” the state government said in a statement. And it happened a day after 15 people were killed in one of the prisons.\n\nOfficials had initially put the number of dead at 42, but later revised the number to 40.\n\nAt least 25 of the victims were found in the Antonio Trindade Penal Institute near Manaus, the capital of Amazonas, where all four prisons are located.\n\nNo guns or knives were used in the killings, which prison officials said appeared to have been sparked by a “rift between prisoners who belonged to the same criminal group and were involved in drug trafficking in the state.”\n\nThe federal government has dispatched reinforcements to boost security in the jails.\n\n“I just spoke with (Justice) Minister Sergio Moro, who is sending a prison intervention team to Amazonas so that he can help us in this moment of crisis,” state Governor Wilson Lima said.\n\nAn investigation launched into Sunday’s mass killing at the Anisio Jobim Penal Complex, in which some of the prisoners were stabbed with sharpened toothbrushes during visiting hours, has been widened to include Monday’s deaths.\n\nFour of those killed in the latest violence were found at the Anisio Jobim jail, which was also the scene of a prison rebellion that lasted almost 20 hours and left 56 people dead in January 2017.\n\nAnother five were killed at the Provisional Detention Center for Men and six died at the Puraquequara Prison Unit.\n\n“The fact that the killings were coordinated across four separate prisons… suggests that this was a settling of scores,” Robert Muggah, research director at the Igarape Institute think tank in Rio de Janeiro, told AFP.\n\nThe latest violence in Amazonas, one of Brazil’s most violent states, was “almost guaranteed to inspire retribution inside and outside the prison walls.”\n\nOutbreaks of deadly violence are a recurring problem in Brazil’s jails due to the lack of structural changes, experts said.\n\n“Prisons continue to be places of serious violations of human rights,” said Juliana Melo, a professor at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte.\n\n“The conditions are appalling, with a majority of prisoners poor, black, badly schooled and marginalized.”\n\nBrazil has the world’s third largest prison population after the United States and China, with 726,712 inmates as of June 2016, according to official statistics.\n\nThe population is double the capacity of the nation’s jails, which in the same year was estimated to be 368,049 inmates.\n\nThe federal government had been expected to add another 115,000 inmates by the end of 2018, Human Rights Watch said in a recent report.", "Forty-two inmates were killed at three different prisons in the capital of Brazil’s northern Amazonas state on Monday, authorities reported.\n\nThe deaths came a day after 15 died during fighting among prisoners at a fourth prison in the same city.\n\nThe Amazonas state prison agency said all 42 prisoners found dead in Manaus on Monday showed signs of asphyxia.\n\nThe killings across the city’s prisons recalled early 2017 when more than 120 inmates died at the hands of other prisoners during several weeks of fighting among rival crime gang members at prisons in northern states.\n\nMany of those victims had their heads cut off or their hearts and intestines ripped out.", "The Latest: 42 reported killed at 3 prisons in north Brazil\n\nRIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — The latest on deadly violence at prisons in northern Brazil (all times local):\n\nBrazilian authorities say 42 inmates have been found dead at three different prisons in the capital of the northern state of Amazonas, a day after 15 prisoners died in a riot at a fourth prison in the city.\n\nThe Amazonas state prison agency says the 42 prisoners found dead Monday at prisons in Manaus all showed signs of asphyxia.\n\nOn Sunday, state officials reported that 15 inmates were killed during a prison riot at a fourth jail in Manaus. That was the scene of a riot in January 2017 left 56 dead.\n\nBrazilian authorities say several inmates have been found dead at three different prisons in the northern state of Amazonas.\n\nMonday's report came a day after officials in Amazonas said 15 inmates had died during a prison riot at a fourth jail. That prison in the state capital of Manaus was the scene of a riot in January 2017 left 56 dead.\n\nThe Amazonas state prison agency said Monday that several prisoners were \"found dead by hanging inside their cells\" during the day, but it could not yet give a precise number. Officials said they were still counting prisoners at the three jails.\n\nThe prison agency said that the situation was \"under control\" and that prisoners were under lockdowns.", "RIO DE JANEIRO — The latest on deadly violence at prisons in northern Brazil (all times local):\n\nBrazilian authorities say 42 inmates have been found dead at three different prisons in the capital of the northern state of Amazonas, a day after 15 prisoners died in a riot at a fourth prison in the city.\n\nThe Amazonas state prison agency says the 42 prisoners found dead Monday at prisons in Manaus all showed signs of asphyxia.\n\nOn Sunday, state officials reported that 15 inmates were killed during a prison riot at a fourth jail in Manaus. That was the scene of a riot in January 2017 left 56 dead.\n\nBrazilian authorities say several inmates have been found dead at three different prisons in the northern state of Amazonas.\n\nMonday's report came a day after officials in Amazonas said 15 inmates had died during a prison riot at a fourth jail. That prison in the state capital of Manaus was the scene of a riot in January 2017 left 56 dead.\n\nThe Amazonas state prison agency said Monday that several prisoners were \"found dead by hanging inside their cells\" during the day, but it could not yet give a precise number. Officials said they were still counting prisoners at the three jails.\n\nThe prison agency said that the situation was \"under control\" and that prisoners were under lockdowns.", "MANAUS, Brazil (AP) — Brazilian security officials said Tuesday nine inmates blamed for killing sprees in several prisons will be transferred to stricter federal facilities, after two days of unrest left 55 prisoners dead and authorities rushing to prevent the violence from spreading.\n\nFighting between inmates began around noon on Sunday in a prison complex in Manaus, the capital of the northern Amazonas state. The state prison secretary said the deaths were the result of infighting in one of the prison’s criminal groups.\n\n“The dead individuals are members of this group, involved with drug trafficking,” he said in a statement, without specifying which fraction.\n\nIn the Manaus complex, an emergency security protocol was activated and within 45 minutes the situation was under control, local authorities said. Still, 15 inmates were killed, either asphyxiated or murdered with hand-crafted arms such as sharpened toothbrushes.\n\nThe following day, more fights erupted in three other facilities, all in the same city of Manaus, leaving another 40 inmates dead and pushing federal authorities to send a special taskforce to avoid a scenario similar to that of January 2017, when weeks of gruesome prison killings left over 120 victims.\n\nThe nine inmates who will be transferred to federal facilities on Tuesday are believed to have ordered the killings, authorities said. As a precautionary measure, another 200 prisoners have also been moved to different cells.\n\nWhile police forces were intervening to separate inmates considered at-risk, two detainees were shot as they tried to take prison staff hostage.\n\n“As the troop advanced, they (inmates) were killing people choking them inside their cells,” said Col. Vinicius Almeida, who leads the state prison office.\n\nIn the meantime, family members of inmates gathered outside the prisons, waiting for information on their loved ones. Some outside the Puraquequara Prison Unit (UPP) on Tuesday told The Associated Press they had heard people screaming and calling for help from within the facility Monday night.\n\n“I’m going to stand here until they give me some news,” said Ediane Costa Soares, 38, whose 19-year-old son Anderson Soares de Souza, is an inmate at UPP.\n\nHer son does not appear on the list of victims, but Costa Soares wants reassurance about her son’s well-being after the riots. “They have not told us anything.”\n\nThe Anisio Jobim Prison Complex, where 15 inmates died Sunday, was the scene of gruesome infighting two years ago that left 56 prisoners dead. Many of those victims had their heads cut off or their hearts and intestines ripped out.\n\nDrug-trafficking and other criminal gangs run much of their day-to-day business from Brazil’s prisons, where they often have wide sway. The 2017 slayings were largely gang-related, prompting authorities to increase efforts to separate factions and frequently transfer prisoners.", "Sao Paulo: Clashes between inmates have killed 15 people at a jail in Amazonas state in northern Brazil, the regional prison authority said.\n\nThe clashes broke out around 11.00 am (local time) on Sunday during visiting hours at the facility, located some 28 kilometres from state capital Manaus. \"It was a fight between the inmates. There had never been deaths during the visits,\" Colonel Marcos Vinicius Almeida told a news conference.\n\nSome of the inmates were stabbed with sharpened toothbrushes, while others had been strangled, Almeida said, adding that an investigation has been opened to determine the cause of the fight.\n\nHe emphasised that authorities had reacted within minutes to the Sunday violence, preventing a potentially worse result.\n\nThe same facility was the scene of a prison rebellion that lasted almost 20 hours and left 56 people dead in January 2017.\n\nBrazil has the world's third-largest prison population, with 726,712 inmates as of June 2016, according to official statistics. The population is double the capacity of the nation's prisons, which in the same year was estimated to be 368,049 inmates.\n\nAlong with severe overcrowding, Brazil's prisons are plagued by gang violence, while riots and breakout attempts are not uncommon.\n\nIn September, heavily armed men detonated explosives outside the gate of a prison in northeastern Brazil and then shot their way inside, killing a policeman and releasing 92 inmates, about half of whom were later recaptured.\n\nIn April 2018, a military-style battle erupted between guards and prisoners aided by outside associates, leaving 21 people dead at a prison in Belem, near the Amazon rainforest.\n\nThe attackers, in that case, tried to blow up a wall to help the would-be escapees. One policeman was killed alongside 20 prisoners and their associates.\n\nIn January 2017, Brazilian police had to launch a massive manhunt after 184 inmates escaped from two prisons in Amazonas state following a gruesome 17-hour bloodbath between rival gangs that left 56 prisoners dead, many beheaded.\n\nBrazil's prisons are home to the leaders of several drug trafficking organizations, and the crisis in the country's penitentiaries has had a ripple effect.\n\nEarlier this year, a wave of about 80 attacks on public buildings, banks, buses and gas stations was blamed on newly announced measures to tighten control of prisons.", "The Latest: 42 reported killed at 3 prisons in north Brazil\n\nRIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — The latest on deadly violence at prisons in northern Brazil (all times local):\n\nBrazilian authorities say 42 inmates have been found dead at three different prisons in the capital of the northern state of Amazonas, a day after 15 prisoners died in a riot at a fourth prison in the city.\n\nThe Amazonas state prison agency says the 42 prisoners found dead Monday at prisons in Manaus all showed signs of asphyxia.\n\nOn Sunday, state officials reported that 15 inmates were killed during a prison riot at a fourth jail in Manaus. That was the scene of a riot in January 2017 left 56 dead.\n\nBrazilian authorities say several inmates have been found dead at three different prisons in the northern state of Amazonas.\n\nMonday's report came a day after officials in Amazonas said 15 inmates had died during a prison riot at a fourth jail. That prison in the state capital of Manaus was the scene of a riot in January 2017 left 56 dead.\n\nThe Amazonas state prison agency said Monday that several prisoners were \"found dead by hanging inside their cells\" during the day, but it could not yet give a precise number. Officials said they were still counting prisoners at the three jails.\n\nThe prison agency said that the situation was \"under control\" and that prisoners were under lockdowns.", "At least 42 prisoners have been found dead at four prisons in the northern Amazon jungle city of Manaus on Monday, authorities said.\n\nThe deaths came one day after 15 inmates were killed in clashes between rival prison gangs in the same city.\n\nThe Amazonas state government said in a statement that the victims appeared to have been killed by \"asphyxiation.\" It added that federal authorities had dispatched reinforcements to the state to boost security.\n\nOn Sunday, 15 inmates were killed when fighting broke out at the Anisio Jobim Prison Complex in Manaus. Some of the 42 prisoners killed on Monday were also discovered at the facility, while the rest were found at three other jails.\n\nSevere overcrowding is a huge problem in Brazil's prison system, which is plagued by drug violence and riots. In 2017, more than 120 prisoners died during three weeks of clashes between rival prison factions in northern Brazil.\n\nBrazil has one of the world's largest prison populations. According to official statistics, there were more than 700,000 inmates as of 2016 — double the capacity of the nation's jails.\n\n\"Overcrowding and understaffing make it impossible for prison authorities to maintain control within many prisons, leaving detainees vulnerable to violence and recruitment into gangs,\" Human Rights Watch said in a recent report.\n\n\n\nEvery evening, DW sends out a selection of the day's news and features. Sign up here.", "RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — The latest on deadly violence at prisons in northern Brazil (all times local):\n\nBrazilian authorities say 42 inmates have been found dead at three different prisons in the capital of the northern state of Amazonas, a day after 15 prisoners died in a riot at a fourth prison in the city.\n\nThe Amazonas state prison agency says the 42 prisoners found dead Monday at prisons in Manaus all showed signs of asphyxia.\n\nOn Sunday, state officials reported that 15 inmates were killed during a prison riot at a fourth jail in Manaus. That was the scene of a riot in January 2017 left 56 dead.\n\nBrazilian authorities say several inmates have been found dead at three different prisons in the northern state of Amazonas.\n\nMonday's report came a day after officials in Amazonas said 15 inmates had died during a prison riot at a fourth jail. That prison in the state capital of Manaus was the scene of a riot in January 2017 left 56 dead.\n\nThe Amazonas state prison agency said Monday that several prisoners were \"found dead by hanging inside their cells\" during the day, but it could not yet give a precise number. Officials said they were still counting prisoners at the three jails.\n\nThe prison agency said that the situation was \"under control\" and that prisoners were under lockdowns."], "summary": "Brazil prison officials report at least 42 prisoners are found strangled to death in four separate jails in the state of Amazonas. Yesterday, 15 prisoners were killed in a fight between rival prison gangs at a facility near the Amazonas capital Manaus."}
{"document": ["Video caption The video, from, 2017, was recorded in a villa in Ibiza\n\nAustria's parliament has removed Chancellor Sebastian Kurz from office in a special parliamentary session.\n\nHis previous coalition ally, the far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ), and the opposition Social Democrats (SPÖ) on Monday backed the no-confidence motion.\n\nThe FPÖ had become embroiled in a political scandal caused by a secret video, which ended the coalition.\n\nOn Tuesday, Austria's president appointed an interim government led by Vice-Chancellor Hartwig Löger.\n\nPresident Alexander Van der Bellen earlier said the constitution mandated all offices must be filled \"even in a transitional period\" and asked for some ministers to stay in office. General elections are expected in September.\n\nMr Löger is a member of Mr Kurz's centre-right People's Party (ÖVP) and the country's finance minister.\n\nHe was appointed vice-chancellor days ago after the previous holder of the office, FPÖ leader Heinz-Christian Strache, was sacked over the video sting.\n\nMr Kurz is the first chancellor in post-war Austrian history to lose a confidence vote.\n\nWhen he was elected in 2017, he was at 31 the world's youngest state leader.\n\nWhat happened in parliament?\n\nOpposition parties brought forward two no-confidence votes - one against Mr Kurz and the other against the government.\n\nWhile the SPÖ control only 52 of the 183-seat lower house, the FPÖ - which holds 51 seats - also backed the motions, which needed only a simple majority to pass.\n\nThe left-wing environmentalist JETZT party voted to oust the chancellor and his government, although the liberal NEOS party reportedly backed Mr Kurz in a bid to avoid instability.\n\nImage copyright Reuters Image caption Mr Kurz did well in Sunday's EU elections but it was not enough to save him\n\nMr Kurz's surprise strong showing in Sunday's European Union elections - winning a record 35% of the vote - was not enough to save him.\n\nSpeaking after the confidence vote, Mr Kurz pledged to support an interim government and insisted he and the ÖVP had \"guaranteed stability\" in Austria.\n\nThe parties ranged against Mr Kurz appeared to believe he should shoulder some of the blame for the fall of the coalition.\n\nThe Social Democrats said he should never have allied himself with the FPÖ in the first place. The FPÖ was still smarting from having had Mr Kurz replace all of its ministers with technocrats.\n\nWhat's the video scandal about?\n\nThe video sting has widely been labelled \"Ibiza-gate\", after the Spanish island where the footage was recorded.\n\nIt was secretly filmed in July 2017 - just weeks before the election which saw both the FPÖ and Chancellor Kurz's party perform well.\n\nLast week, a Vienna lawyer said he had been involved in the sting, describing it as a \"civil society-driven project in which investigative-journalistic approaches were taken\".\n\nHowever, the lawyer did not reveal who was ultimately behind the operation, or who paid for it.\n\nIn the footage, released by German media this month, Mr Strache can be seen relaxing and drinking for hours at a villa with FPÖ parliament group leader Johann Gudenus, while they meet a woman, who says she is Alyona Makarova, the niece of Russian oligarch Igor Makarov.\n\nMr Strache appears to propose offering her public contracts if she buys a large stake in the Austrian newspaper Kronen Zeitung - and compels it to support the FPÖ.\n\nHe is heard suggesting that a number of journalists would have to be \"pushed\" from the newspaper, and that he wants to \"build a media landscape like [Viktor] Orban\" - referring to Hungary's nationalist prime minister.\n\nIt later emerged that Mr Makarov does not have a niece, and the whole evening back in 2017 was an elaborate trap.\n\nMr Strache stood down hours after the video emerged.\n\nImage copyright EPA Image caption Heinz-Christian Strache resigned after the footage emerged\n\nPresident Van der Bellen then fired FPÖ Interior Minister Herbert Kickl at the request of Mr Kurz.\n\nThe move prompted the FPÖ's other ministers to resign in solidarity.\n\nDespite the scandal, Austrian news agency APA reports that Mr Strache could possibly take a seat in the European parliament.\n\nThe former vice-chancellor had remained at the bottom of his party's election list for the European elections after his resignation. But under Austrian law he could take one of FPÖ's predicted three seats if enough people supported him as a candidate.\n\nIt is unclear whether Mr Strache will take a seat.", "Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz is ousted by parliament in no-confidence vote\n\nBERLIN (AP) — Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz is ousted by parliament in no-confidence vote.", "The Austrian government has lost a no-confidence vote in a special parliamentary session on Monday over the Ibiza corruption scandal.\n\nChancellor Sebastian Kurz, leader of the conservative People's Party (ÖVP), was the first Austrian chancellor to lose a confidence vote in post-war history.", "Austria’s parliament has voted to remove Chancellor Sebastian Kurz and his government from office in a special parliamentary session.\n\nHis previous coalition ally, the far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ), backed the motions brought by the opposition Social Democrats (SPÖ).\n\nThe FPÖ had become embroiled in a political scandal caused by a secret video, which ended the coalition. Austria’s president must now decide who will be chancellor.\n\nThis leader will head a caretaker government ahead of elections expected in September. Kurz, head of the conservative Austrian People’s Party, is the first chancellor in post-war Austrian history to lose a confidence vote. At 32, he is the world’s youngest state leader.\n\nThe SPÖ brought forward the two no-confidence votes – one against Kurz and the other against the government.\n\nWhile they control only 52 of the 183-seat lower house, the FPÖ – who hold 51 seats – agreed to back the motions, which needed only a simple majority to pass.\n\nKurz’s surprise strong showing in Sunday’s European Union elections – with a projected 35% of the vote – was not enough to save him. On Facebook he accused the parties of a “game of revenge” ahead of the confidence votes.\n\nThe parties ranged against Kurz appeared to believe he should shoulder some of the blame for the fall of the coalition. (BBC)", "Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz ousted by the Austrian Parliament. He was ousted as he lost the no confidence in a special Parliamentary session.\n\nHis previous coalition ally, the far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ) and the opposition Social Democrats (SPÖ) backed the no-confidence motions. The FPÖ had become embroiled in a political scandal caused by a secret video, which ended the coalition.\n\nOpposition parties brought forward the two no-confidence votes – one against Kurz and the other against his government. Austria’s President Alexander Van der Bellen named Vice Chancellor Hartwig Löger as the interim leader. Löger will serve until a new transitional government can be appointed ahead of elections expected in September.\n\nKurz, head of the conservative Austrian People’s Party, is the first Chancellor in post-war Austrian history to lose a confidence vote. He was the world’s youngest state leader when elected in 2017, at 31.\n\nKurz’s surprisingly strong showing in recent European Union elections – with a projected 35% of the vote – was not enough to save him.", "Austrian lawmakers from the Social Democrats and the right-wing Freedom Party have passed a motion of no confidence in the government of Chancellor Sebastian Kurz. The Freedom Party was in coalition with Kurz until last week, when the party found itself in a centre of a political scandal involving it's then-leader Strache.\n\nGerman media outlets reported that back in 2017, Strache discussed with a woman a deal that would see her acquire the Kronen Zeitung newspaper and gaining access to several government projects in exchange for favorable media coverage for the politician ahead of the 2017 general election. While media claimed that the woman was Russian, the official, who has described the video as an attempted \"political assassination\", said that she was from Latvia.", "VIENNA: Austria´s Chancellor Sebastian Kurz on Monday lost a no-confidence vote in parliament, removing him and his cabinet from office over a corruption scandal that brought has down his coalition government.\n\n\"An application (by the opposition Social Democrats) has been accepted, so he has lost the confidence\" of parliament, deputy speaker Doris Bures said. The move comes just after Kurz celebrated a big win for his conservative People´s Party (OeVP) in Sunday´s European elections, which is projected to gain 34.9 percent of the vote and two extra European parliament seats.\n\nIt comes in the wake of the so-called \"Ibiza-gate\" scandal, which saw FPOe leader and Vice-Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache resign from both posts after he was caught appearing to offer public contracts in return for campaign help from a fake Russian backer.\n\nThat led to Kurz ending his coalition with the FPOe and calling early elections for the autumn, but the opposition say the 32-year-old leader must also take responsibility for the scandal. The no-confidence vote against Kurz and his government took place in a special sitting of parliament with more than half of MPs withdrawing their support, making him the shortest-serving chancellor, as well as the first in post-war Austrian history to be removed in this fashion.\n\nSocial Democrats (SPOe) leader Pamela Rendi-Wagner accused Kurz of an unprecedented \"uncurbed and shameless power grab\" when bringing forward the motion against him. Kurz´s former partner, the FPOe, also supported the motion. It is now up to President Alexander Van der Bellen to appoint experts to lead the government and all the ministries until the elections.\n\nSpeaking in parliament before the vote, Kurz accused the opposition of causing instability with the motion against his government, but said if the vote succeeded, he would ensure an orderly transition to whoever is appointed next.\n\nThe far-right, meanwhile, seemed to have suffered a setback in Sunday´s vote over \"Ibiza-gate\", falling from 19.7 percent to 17.2 percent and losing one of their four MEPs. The scandal erupted following the publication on May 17 of hidden-camera recordings filmed in a luxury villa on the holiday island of Ibiza a few months before Austria´s last parliamentary elections in 2017.\n\nAmid a welter of embarrassing comments, Strache appeared to allude to a scheme channelling political donations through FPOe-linked foundations in order to avoid legal scrutiny. After Strache´s resignation, Kurz also sacked FPOe interior minister Herbert Kickl, arguing he could not oversee any possible investigation into his own party´s wrongdoing. FPOe ministers responded by walking out of the government en masse, leading to Kurz appointing experts to take their place in an interim government.\n\nWhen he first became chancellor in late 2017, Kurz was widely hailed on the European right as someone who could successfully tap into surging anti-immigration sentiment while projecting a polished demeanour. Since the crisis broke, he has projected himself as a paragon of stability in a turbulent political climate, and analysts say this will be a key message for him to use.\n\nBut even before the current crisis, Kurz found himself constantly having to bat away criticism for alleged extremist sympathies among FPOe members.\n\nThe opposition has placed the blame for the current debacle squarely at the feet of Kurz himself for having invited the far-right into government in the first place, saying he had ample warning of the unsuitability of the FPOe for government. Kurz has trod a fine line in his statements since the crisis broke, admitting he found the FPOe´s antics \"hard to swallow\" but insisting he had no other choice. \"There was no other party which was ready to form a coalition with us,\" he told journalists on Thursday, when asked whether he regretted the coalition.", "SYDNEY - Austria’s parliament has voted to remove Chancellor Sebastian Kurz and his government from office in a special parliamentary session. His previous coalition ally, the far-right Freedom Party (FPÖ), backed the motions brought by the opposition Social Democrats (SPÖ).The FPÖ had become embroiled in a political scandal caused by a secret video, which ended the coalition.\n\nAustria’s president must now decide who will be chancellor.This leader will head a caretaker government ahead of elections expected in September.\n\nMr Kurz, head of the conservative Austrian People’s Party, is the first chancellor in post-war Austrian history to lose a confidence vote. At 32, he is the world’s youngest state leader.\n\nThe SPÖ brought forward the two no-confidence votes - one against Mr Kurz and the other against the government. While they control only 52 of the 183-seat lower house, the FPÖ - who hold 51 seats - agreed to back the motions, which needed only a simple majority to pass.\n\nThe left-wing environmentalist JETZT party also voted to oust the chancellor and his government, although the liberal NEOS party reportedly backed Mr Kurz in a bid to avoid instability.\n\nMr Kurz did well in Sunday’s EU elections but it was not enough to save him\n\nMr Kurz’s surprise strong showing in Sunday’s European Union elections - with a projected 35% of the vote - was not enough to save him. On Facebook he accused the parties of a “game of revenge” ahead of the confidence votes, adding: “But at the end of the day the people will decide, namely in September.” The parties ranged against Mr Kurz appeared to believe he should shoulder some of the blame for the fall of the coalition.\n\nThe Social Democrats say he should never have allied himself with the FPÖ in the first place. The FPÖ is still smarting from having had Mr Kurz replace all of its ministers with technocrats. The new face of the far right in Europe. Mr Kurz meanwhile has promoted himself as a bastion of stability amid the turmoil.\n\nIt has widely been labelled “Ibiza-gate”, after the Spanish island where the video was recorded. It was secretly filmed in 2017 just weeks before the election which saw both the FPÖ and Chancellor Kurz’s party perform well. In the footage, released by German media, Freedom Party leader and vice-chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache can be seen relaxing and drinking for hours at a villa with FPÖ parliament group leader Johann Gudenus, while they meet a woman, purported to be the niece of a Russian oligarch. Mr Strache appears to propose offering her public contracts if she buys a large stake in the Austrian newspaper Kronen Zeitung - and makes it support the Freedom Party.\n\nHe is heard suggesting that a number of journalists would have to be “pushed” from the newspaper, and that he wants to “build a media landscape like [Viktor] Orban” - referring to Hungary’s nationalist leader.\n\nPresident Alexander Van der Bellen then fired FPÖ Interior Minister Herbert Kickl at the request of Mr Kurz. The move prompted the FPÖ’s other ministers to resign in solidarity. Despite the scandal, Austrian news agency APA reports that Mr Strache could possibly take a seat in the European parliament.\n\nThe former vice chancellor had remained at the bottom of his party’s election list for the European elections after his resignation. But under Austrian law he could take one of FPÖ’s predicted three seats if enough people supported him as a candidate.", "BERLIN — Chancellor Sebastian Kurz of Austria and his caretaker government were ousted from power on Monday with a no-confidence vote in Parliament as the ramifications of a secretly filmed video plunged the once-stable central European country further into political chaos.\n\nMr. Kurz, 32, became the first Austrian leader in more than seven decades to be removed from power by his fellow lawmakers. The action came despite a gain of eight percentage points of popular support for Mr. Kurz’s conservative People’s Party in the European Parliament elections.\n\nIt has been a turbulent week for Austrian politics. Mr. Kurz’s coalition government with the far-right Freedom Party collapsed after the party’s leader, Heinz-Christian Strache, resigned as vice chancellor when a video emerged that showed him promising government contracts to a woman claiming to be a wealthy Russian in exchange for financial support.\n\nThe meeting, which was filmed in 2017 without Mr. Strache’s knowledge, appears to have been a setup. But it nonetheless raised questions about the Freedom Party’s ethics, given their leader’s apparent willingness to trade political favors for Russian black money. Prosecutors in Vienna said on Monday that they had opened an investigation into who was behind the video.", "Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz has been ousted after losing a no-confidence vote in the Austrian parliament on Monday, a day after consolidating power for his centre-right Austrian People’s party.\n\nKurz and his cabinet were unable to weather a corruption scandal that had already brought down his coalition government earlier this month that involved now-former Vice-Chancellor Heinz-Christian Strache.\n\nStrache was caught appearing to offer public contracts in return for campaign help and media access through Russian connections.\n\nKurz had previously celebrated a big win for his conservative People’s Party (ÖVP) in Sunday’s European elections, which is projected to gain 34.9% of the vote and two extra European parliament seats, but the opposition claims that the 32-year-old leader must take responsibility for the scandal along with the disgraced Strache.\n\nThe no-confidence vote against Kurz took place in a special sitting of parliament with more than half of the MPs withdrawing their support. Kurz is now the shortest-serving chancellor as well as the first in post-war Austrian history to be removed by parliament.\n\nThe Social Democrats leader Pamela Rendi-Wagner accused Kurz of a “shameless power grab” while tabling the no-confidence motion.\n\nIt is now up to President Alexander Van der Bellen to appoint experts to lead the government ahead of the elections."], "summary": "Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz loses a no-confidence vote following a corruption scandal over a secret video."}
{"document": ["Image copyright Reuters Image caption Jody Wilson-Raybould (L) and Health Minister Jane Philpott (R)\n\nTwo Canadian politicians who were expelled from the Liberal party over the SNC-Lavalin affair are running again as independents.\n\nJody Wilson-Raybould and Jane Philpott have both announced their intention to seek re-election later this year.\n\nThe two former cabinet ministers had cried foul over how the Trudeau government was handling the prosecution of the Quebec firm.\n\nThe next Canadian general election is scheduled for this October.\n\n\"I am confident running as an independent is the best way to transform our political culture,\" Ms Wilson-Raybould told reporters in Vancouver on Monday.\n\nIn a separate announcement in a Toronto suburb, Ms Philpott also announced her intention to run again without any party affiliation.\n\nMs Philpott and Ms Wilson-Raybould both said that Canadians need to elect more politicians empowered to represent their constituents in the House of Commons.\n\nEarlier this year, Ms Wilson-Raybould resigned from her cabinet post and accused Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and members of his inner circle of attempting to meddle in a criminal case involving SNC-Lavalin.\n\nNot long after, Ms Philpott - one of Mr Trudeau's top ministers - quit, saying she has lost confidence in the government's handling of the affair.\n\nWhat is the background?\n\nBoth former ministers were central actors in a political controversy that dogged Mr Trudeau for weeks and hammered at his popularity.\n\nThe affair began in early February, when the Globe and Mail newspaper reported allegations of political interference in the case against SNC-Lavalin.\n\nThe newspaper reported that Mr Trudeau's office had pressured Ms Wilson-Raybould - at the time serving as federal justice minister and attorney general - to push the public prosecution service to consider a deferred prosecution agreement for the firm.\n\nAn attorney general is supposed to act independently with respect of his or her prosecutorial function.\n\nOn 12 February, Ms Wilson-Raybould resigned suddenly from cabinet.\n\nShe later testified before a parliamentary committee that, as attorney general, she and her staff had faced four months of a \"sustained\" and \"inappropriate effort\" to push for a possible agreement for SNC-Lavalin.\n\nThe agreement - similar to regimes in the US and the UK - essentially suspends prosecution while allowing a firm to agree instead to alternative terms or conditions.\n\nMs Philpott resigned shortly after.\n\nIn April, Mr Trudeau expelled both women from the Liberal party caucus, saying that trust had been broken between the two and other Liberal MPs.\n\nSNC-Lavalin is one of the world's largest engineering and construction companies.\n\nThe company and two of its subsidiaries face fraud and corruption charges in relation to approximately C$48m ($36m; £28m) in bribes it is alleged to have offered to Libyan officials between 2001 and 2011.\n\nIt has openly lobbied to be allowed to enter into a remediation agreement instead of going to trial, saying it has cleaned house and changed its ways.", "OTTAWA -- Former Liberal cabinet ministers Jody Wilson-Raybould and Jane Philpott say they will run as independents in the next federal election.\n\nThey made separate but co-ordinated announcements in their ridings -- Wilson-Raybould in Vancouver and Philpott outside Toronto.\n\nBoth were ousted from the Liberal caucus in early April and sit as independent MPs in the House of Commons.\n\nWilson Raybould told supporters she has heard an \"overwhelming\" message on the need to do politics differently, adding she believes running under no political banner is the best way for her to achieve that.\n\n\"I know that it will not be easy to run a campaign as an independent,\" she said.\n\n\"There will be challenges, but with your support, I am confident that running as an independent is the best way to ... go about it at this time and the best way to transform our political culture.\"\n\nWilson-Raybould served as justice minister in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's cabinet before she was shuffled to the portfolio of veterans affairs in January.\n\nShe later revealed she thought the decision to move her out of the justice role was motivated by her decision not to intervene in the criminal prosecution of the Quebec engineering giant, SNC-Lavalin.\n\nPhilpott was health minister and then minister of Indigenous services and president of the Treasury Board before resigning over Trudeau's handling of the SNC-Lavalin affair.\n\n\"I didn't lose my voice,\" said Philpott of sitting as an independent. \"I found my voice.\"\n\nBoth she and Wilson-Raybould spoke highly of the Green party and its leader Elizabeth May, and acknowledged having repeated conversations about running for that party, but decided that Canadian politics needs more people beholden to no central authority.", "MARKHAM, Ont. — Jody Wilson-Raybould and Jane Philpott are set to reveal their next moves today.\n\nThe former Liberal cabinet ministers, both of whom resigned over the SNC-Lavalin controversy, have scheduled announcements in their respective ridings.\n\nWilson-Raybould is the independent MP for the B.C. riding of Vancouver Granville and Philpott is the independent MP for the Ontario riding of Markham-Stouffville.\n\nNeither has said what they have in mind, other than that constituents have been invited to meet with them as they share announcements about their political futures.\n• Jody Wilson-Raybould’s last act as justice minister described as ‘inconsistent with democratic values’\n• House speaker rules that Jane Philpott and Jody Wilson-Raybould’s privileges were not breached in caucus ouster\n\nWilson-Raybould served as justice minister in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s cabinet before she was shuffled to the portfolio of veterans affairs in January.\n\nShe later revealed she thought the decision to move her out of the justice role was motivated by her handling of a request to intervene in the criminal prosecution of the Quebec engineering giant, SNC-Lavalin.\n\nPhilpott, a former health minister, Indigenous-services minister and president of the Treasury Board, resigned from cabinet in early March over Trudeau’s handling of the affair.\n\nIn early April, both were ousted from the Liberal caucus.", "Jody Wilson-Raybould and Jane Philpott are running as independent candidates in this fall's federal election.\n\nThey made separate but co-ordinated announcements in their ridings — Wilson-Raybould in Vancouver and Philpott outside Toronto.\n\nWilson-Raybould, who resigned over the SNC-Lavalin controversy, says she is committed to the betterment of Vancouver and the country.\n\n\"The message is clear,\" she said. \"There is too much power in the centre.\"\n\n\"I know that it will not be easy to run a campaign as an independent. There will be challenges,\" said Wilson-Raybould. \"It's the best way to transform the political culture.\"\n\nWilson-Raybould said she received 15,000 emails, letters, cards messages of encouragement.\n\nShe and Philpott, both of whom were removed from the Liberal caucus in the wake of the controversy, had scheduled announcements Monday about their political futures in their respective ridings.\n\nWilson-Raybould, the former attorney general, is now an independent MP for the B.C. riding of Vancouver-Granville. She's been at the heart of the SNC-Lavalin affair, alleging she was subjected late last year to sustained \"inappropriate\" political pressure by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his officials to coax her to intervene in the criminal prosecution of the Quebec engineering giant.\n\n\"We sometimes hear that politics is a team sport, that politics is also a bloodsport. Well I do believe in the importance of a strong team, but I'm not sure there has to be any blood involved,\" Wilson-Raybould said.\n\nShe was shuffled to the portfolio of veterans affairs in January and later revealed she thought the decision to move her out of the justice role was motivated by her handling of a request to intervene in the case.", "Jody Wilson-Raybould and Jane Philpott will put the questions to rest and announce their next steps on Monday morning.\n\nSimultaneous press conferences are scheduled for around noon eastern time in which both former cabinet ministers will unveil their plans for what comes next. That comes after their ejections from the Liberal caucus in April for raising concerns about the allegations of attempted political interference at the heart of the SNC-Lavalin scandal.\n\nBoth have sat as Independent MPs ever since.\n\nREAD MORE: Jody Wilson-Raybould and Jane Philpott kicked out of Liberal Party caucus\n\nWilson-Raybould, who as the former attorney general, named both Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and 10 of his senior advisers in the scandal, resigned from cabinet in February after the allegations were first reported by the Globe and Mail.\n\nPhilpott followed suit and quit her post as president of the Treasury Board, saying the government wasn’t taking the allegations seriously enough.\n\nWATCH BELOW: Philpott says SNC-Lavalin critics don’t realize Canadians expect more\n\nIn his decision to eject them both from the caucus, Trudeau also revoked both of their candidacies to run for the Liberal Party again this fall.\n\nThere has been speculation as to whether either will join another political party, run as independents, or leave political life altogether.\n\nWilson-Raybould, in particular, has been the subject of questions over whether she will run for the Greens.\n\nShe was spotted attending Green Party Leader Elizabeth May’s wedding this spring and retweeted a Green Party Twitter post congratulating Paul Manly, their newest MP, for his win in the Nanaimo-Ladysmith byelection earlier in May.\n\n— More to come …", "Jody Wilson-Raybould and Jane Philpott will both be running as independents in the federal election this October.\n\nBoth made the announcement in their home ridings on Monday afternoon, Wilson Raybould in Vancouver Granville and Philpott in Markham-Stoufville\n\nWilson-Raybould said she was inspired to run as an independent by the people who supported her, and voters who told her she inspired them to speak truth.\n\nThe former Liberal cabinet ministers, both of whom resigned over the SNC-Lavalin controversy.\n\nWilson-Raybould served as justice minister in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s cabinet before she was shuffled to the portfolio of veterans affairs in January.\n\nShe later revealed she thought the decision to move her out of the justice role was motivated by her handling of a request to intervene in the criminal prosecution of the Quebec engineering giant, SNC-Lavalin.\n\nPhilpott, a former health minister, Indigenous-services minister and president of the Treasury Board, resigned from cabinet in early March over Trudeau’s handling of the affair.\n\nIn early April, both were ousted from the Liberal caucus.", "In announcements as carefully choreographed as a Busby Berkeley musical, former Liberal cabinet ministers Jody Wilson-Raybould and Jane Philpott cleaved to the “doing politics differently” mantra that initially drew them to the partisan arena. Wilson-Raybould spoke at Marpole Neighbourhood House in the Vancouver Granville riding at 12 EST on Monday, Philpott at Reesor’s Farm Market in Markham-Stouffville at 12:30 EST. Bringing an end to rabid speculation about which party they’d run for if any in the 2019 election, both said “None.” Instead they announced their plans to run as Independents and an ambitious, idealistic “real change” agenda that took a few subtle knocks at the Liberal’s “Real Change” promise that lured them years ago.\n\nThe friends and colleagues were coordinated down to the the hue of their clothing—Philpott in a white suit, Wilson-Raybould in a white shawl. The sartorial detail shouldn’t be ignored. White is the hue of new beginnings, and also famously worn by suffragettes. It matched perfectly with the two MPs’ urgent call for bi-partisan cooperation. “White goes with everything,” Philpott noted, meaning the blue, orange, red, green of the major Canadian political parties. She acknowledged her decision would not be greeted with joy universally: “I know some wanted a different outcome.”\n\nAs they spoke, one could imagine the mass Google search for “how many Independents are re-elected federally historically?” The answer: less than one-third of the time, though it’s key to note many of these candidates were expelled from a political caucus for scandal or misbehaviour, not for acting on principle, as was the unprecedented case with Wilson-Raybould and Philpott last April after they vocally opposed Trudeau’s handling of the SNC-Lavalin file. Notably, no Independent candidate has won election federally since 2008, when Nova Scotia’s Bill Casey and Quebec radio host Andre Arthur won.\n\nBut we’re in new territory here. Never have such high-profile candidates, key players in a scandal that rocked the government, chosen to run as Independents. Media coverage is assured. Nor have Independent candidates issued a tandem rallying cry for a collaborate, non-partisan approach to politics, one destined to resonate amid frustration over the toxicity and divisiveness of political discourse.\n\nThe pair share a unique history as former political outsiders drawn to a Justin Trudeau-led Liberal Party by the promise of a new approach to governance—more transparency, electoral reform, letting cabinet ministers run their own portfolios free from prime ministerial interference. They literally fronted promised change: Philpott, a medical doctor with a history of community engagement, was appointed Minister of Health; Wilson-Raybould, a former Crown attorney and Regional Chief of the B.C. Assembly of First Nations, was the first Indigenous woman named Minister of Justice and Attorney General.\n\nWilson-Raybould highlighted her own “unconventional political background”—having never been a member of a political party, as well as her history of work within Indigenous communities using a consensus-based approach. As an Independent candidate, she is “truly free to take the guidance of citizens of Vancouver Granville and truly guide you,” she told the crowd to cheers. She also spoke with urgency of economic, environment and security challenges at a moment of evolving democracy that called for greater transparency. “Canada is one of the best if not the best countries to live but we can not take it for granted,” she said.\n\nBoth uttered similar supportive shout-outs to Elizabeth May, the Green Party of Canada leader who had extended invitations to both to join the party. Wilson-Raybould seriously considered the offer, she said, noting she’d also talked with NDP leader Jagmeet Singh before calling May and the Greens “necessary allies.” Philpott declared climate change the “existential crisis of our time” and highlighted the Greens’ “outstanding ideas.”\n\nAs uplifting and non-partisan as today’s announcements were structured, it was difficult not to see the subtly directed barbs at the governing party. “I regret that it has come to this,” Wilson-Raybould said. “I do not believe that being a member of a political party means you have to set your principles aside.” She took pride in her accomplishments in cabinet with a caveat, saying: “I wonder what more could have been accomplished if it was a less partisan environment.” Philpott also made a generic comment that seemed aimed at Trudeau: “People want politicians who are authentic,” she said, “and who are accountable, who own up to their mistakes.” She spoke of the need to improve Indigenous rights and for democratic reform, two Liberal promises in 2015. “The system is dysfunctional,” she said. Philpott also exercised her feminist bona fides, noting that her leaving politics after what she experienced would set a terrible example to young girls. Being an Independent MP was liberating, Philpott said; “I didn’t lose my voice. I found my voice.”\n\nBoth Wilson-Raybould and Philpott alluded to the Liberal government as if it were autocratic command central. Wilson-Raybould spoke of the “need to make sure voices of elected representatives are the ones making the policy” and the desire not to be “dictated to vote by non-elected officials.” Philpott spoke with frustration of the influence of “corporate lobbyists.” The comment could shed light on her tweet from last week calling out Health Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor for attending an event convened by think tank Canada 2020 on pharmacare heavily attended by industry; it was “problematic & makes me nervous about government version of pharmacare,” Philpott wrote.\n\nBoth women also spoke of conducting intensive consultations with constituents (they didn’t mention whether they’d engaged in polling and media didn’t ask). They also acknowledged the daunting obstacles Independents face. In her plea for financial donations for her campaign, Philpott said the system is “rigged” against Independents; for one, they can’t issue tax receipts for donations until after the writ is dropped in September. In addition to momentous financial challenges, Independents also don’t get other party perks such as automatic questions in the House of Commons or seats on committees.\n\nStill, both implored others to run as Independents. “It doesn’t mean working on your own, it means being committed to working with everyone,” Wilson-Raybould said. Philpott said she heard a number of people say: “None of the parties is exactly me. But I feel I can represent my community’,” and offered an instruction: “Go for it!”\n\nAs for future prospects, anyone doing the math using familiar calculus will see Wilson-Raybould’s chance of re-election is far greater than Philpott’s. She was elected in 2015 with almost 44 percent of the popular vote in Vancouver Granville, a redrawn riding; the NDP candidate came in second with 27 per cent of the vote. Philpott prevailed by a far narrower margin in the newly drawn Markham-Stouffville over Conservative Paul Calandra, the incumbent MP in Oak Ridges-Markham district—49 per cent to 43 per cent. Yet she also won respect as one of the Trudeau government’s most competent and trusted ministers. Her expulsion from caucus saw the dismantling of the Liberal riding association in Markham-Stouffville, with its members stepping down in solidarity.\n\nPhilpott ended Monday’s announcement with more imagery: “We are going to paint outside the party lines,” she said, referring to her campaign signs, but making a bigger point. She emphasized the power of one person to effect change, quoting the lyrics of “Fight Song,” after asking the Mennonites present to forgive her for the “fight” reference: “Like a small boat in the ocean sending big waves into motion.”\n\nTellingly, neither Philpott nor Wilson-Raybould ruled out running for a political party again when fielding reporters’ questions. For now, being Independent, free from politics as usual, delivers the most potent, timely one-two political punch.", "OTTAWA -- Former Liberal cabinet ministers Jody Wilson-Raybould and Jane Philpott say they will run as independents during this fall's federal election.\n\nMore to come...", "OTTAWA — Former Liberal cabinet ministers Jody Wilson-Raybould and Jane Philpott say they will run as independents in the next federal election.\n\nThey made separate but co-ordinated announcements in their ridings — Wilson-Raybould in Vancouver and Philpott outside Toronto.\n\nWilson-Raybould served as justice minister in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s cabinet before she was shuffled to the portfolio of veterans affairs in January.\n\nShe later revealed she thought the decision to move her out of the justice role was motivated by her decision not to intervene in the criminal prosecution of the Quebec engineering giant, SNC-Lavalin.\n\nPhilpott was health minister and then minister of Indigenous services and president of the Treasury Board before resigning over Trudeau’s handling of the SNC-Lavalin affair.\n\nBoth were ousted from the Liberal caucus in early April and sit as independent MPs in the House of Commons.\n\nWilson Raybould told supporters in Vancouver today that she has heard an “overwhelming” message on the need to do politics differently, adding she believes running under no political banner is the best way for her to achieve that.\n\n“I know that it will not be easy to run a campaign as an independent,” she said.\n\n“There will be challenges, but with your support, I am confident that running as an indepedent is the best way to … go about it at this time and the best way to transform our political culture.”\n• Jody Wilson-Raybould’s last act as justice minister described as ‘inconsistent with democratic values’\n• House speaker rules that Jane Philpott and Jody Wilson-Raybould’s privileges were not breached in caucus ouster", "Jody Wilson-Raybould and Jane Philpott say they want to make Canada's political system less partisan. The two were once star members of Justin Trudeau's cabinet. In the aftermath of the SNC-Lavalin scandal, they resigned from cabinet and were later kicked out of the Liberal caucus. On Monday, Wilson-Raybould and Philpott announced that they'll run as Independent candidates in the fall election campaign. But how realistic is their vision of a politics with less partisanship? Co-host of CBC's The National, Rosemary Barton, breaks it down."], "summary": "In separate press conferences, former Liberal cabinet members Jody Wilson-Raybould and Jane Philpott, who both resigned over the government's handling of the SNC-Lavalin criminal case, announce they are running as independents in the October 2019 elections."}
{"document": ["Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Japan knife attack: \"I saw children screaming and crying\"\n\nA knife-wielding man has attacked a group of schoolchildren waiting for a bus in the Japanese city of Kawasaki near Tokyo.\n\nAt least 18 people were injured in a residential area. Two of them, an 11-year-old girl and a 39-year-old man, have died.\n\nThe suspect, a man in his 50s, stabbed himself in the neck after his rampage and later died in hospital.\n\nPolice have named him as Ryuichi Iwasaki.\n\nViolent crime is rare in Japan and the motive for the attack is unknown.\n\nThe suspect was holding knives in both hands as he attacked the victims - 16 of whom were schoolgirls.\n\nPolice later named the victims of the fatal attack as Hanako Kuribayashi, who was in the sixth grade, and foreign ministry official Satoshi Oyama, who is believed to be the parent of another child.\n\nJapanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe condemned the attack, saying he felt \"strong anger\" against it.\n\n\"It is a very harrowing case. I offer my heartfelt condolences to the victims and hope the injured recover quickly,\" Mr Abe said.\n\nImage copyright Reuters Image caption Paramedics set up tents at the scene to treat the injured\n\nHow did the incident unfold?\n\nThe incident took place just before 08:00 local time on Tuesday (23:00 GMT Monday) near a local park and a train station.\n\nA number of students were waiting to board their bus to the nearby Caritas elementary school, a private Catholic school.\n\nThe driver of the Caritas bus told NHK that he saw a man approach the queue of students.\n\nHe began stabbing the children and then boarded the bus and stabbed children inside as well, according to the BBC's Japan correspondent, Rupert Wingfield-Hayes.\n\nNews agency Kyodo said the man was heard shouting \"I'm going to kill you\" during the attack.\n\nHe was apprehended by police and later died in hospital from injuries.\n\nEmergency services arrived at the scene and set up medical tents to treat the wounded.\n\nLocals have now begun placing flowers outside the site of the attack in a tribute to the victims.\n\nImage copyright AFP Image caption People have begun laying down flowers at the site of the mass stabbing\n\nUS President Donald Trump, who was in Japan on the last day of a state visit, also offered his \"prayers and sympathy\" to the victims.\n\nHow common are such incidents in Japan?\n\nThey are extremely rare and Japan has one of the world's lowest rates of violent crime.\n\nOur correspondent says that in his neighbourhood it is very common to see children as young as four walking to school by themselves - a normal practice in Japan because it is so safe.\n\nHowever, there have been in recent years a handful of attacks involving knives.\n\nIn 2016, 19 people at a care centre for people with mental disabilities were stabbed to death by a former worker. He reportedly said he wanted those with disabilities to \"disappear\".\n\nEight students were killed in a 2001 attack after a man entered an elementary school in Osaka.", "Kawasaki, Japan (CNN) Two people, including a 11-year-old girl, were killed and 17 other children hurt in a stabbing spree in Japan on Tuesday -- a rare act of public violence in a country considered one of the safest in the world.\n\nThe attack took place near a park in the city of Kawasaki, about 13 miles (21 kilometers) from Tokyo, authorities said. The children were waiting for the bus to the nearby Caritas Elementary School, according to the school's director Tetsuro Saito.\n\nSaito said that the students were standing in two lines when the school's vice principal, Satoru Shitori, who was helping students get on the bus, witnessed a man holding two knives stabbing children one after another while running.\n\nKawasaki Police said a total of 19 people were injured, including the two victims who died. Police have named the girl who was killed as Hanako Kuribayashi. Her age was previously given as 12 by a spokesperson at Nippon Medical School Musashi Kosugi Hospital.\n\nThe adult male victim, 39-year-old Satoshi Oyama, was a father of a 1st grade student at Caritas Elementary School and a government employee. It is not clear if Oyama's child was hurt in the incident.\n\nRead More", "TOKYO (AP) — A man carrying a knife in each hand and screaming “I will kill you” attacked a group of schoolchildren waiting at a bus stop just outside Tokyo on Tuesday, wounding at least 19 people, including 13 children, Japanese authorities and media said.\n\nThe victims were lined up at a bus stop near Noborito Park in Kawasaki City when a man in his 40s or 50s attacked. NHK national television, quoting police, said that the suspect died after slashing himself in the neck. Police wouldn’t immediately confirm the report or provide or other specific details.\n\nIt wasn’t immediately clear how many others had died.\n\nAn official with the Kawasaki fire department told The Associated Press that one person had been killed. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to speak to the media. Some Japanese media outlets were reporting at least three deaths, while some were saying two, including the attacker.\n\nKyodo news agency reported that all 13 children who were stabbed were girls at a nearby private school in Kawasaki City.\n\nA witness told the Mainichi newspaper that he heard children shrieking after walking past a bus, and when he turned around, he saw a man wielding a knife in each hand, screaming “I will kill you” and that several children were on the ground.\n\nNHK, citing police, said that a bus driver told officials that a man holding a knife in each hand walked toward the bus and started slashing children. NHK also interviewed a witness who said he saw the suspect trying to force his way onto a bus.\n\nThe attacker’s identity and motives weren’t immediately known.\n\nTelevision footage showed emergency workers giving first aid to people inside an orange tent set up on the street, and police and other officials carrying the injured to ambulances.\n\nAlthough Japan has one of the lowest crime rates in the world, it has had a series of high-profile killings, including in 2016 when a former employee at a home for the disabled allegedly killed 19 and injured more than 20 others.\n\nIn 2008, seven people were killed by a man who slammed a truck into a crowd of people in central Tokyo’s Akihabara electronics district and then stabbed passers-by.\n\nAlso in 2016, a man stabbed four people at a library in northeastern Japan, allegedly over their mishandling of his questions. No one was killed.\n\nCopyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.", "By Mari Yamaguchi | The Associated Press\n\nTOKYO — A man swinging a knife attacked commuters waiting at a crowded bus stop just outside Tokyo during Tuesday morning’s rush hour, wounding at least 19 people, including 13 children, Japanese authorities said. Media reports said that two people were killed, though the local fire department reported one death.\n\nThe victims were lined up at a bus stop near Noborito Park in Kawasaki City when the man attacked. NHK national television, quoting police, said the wounded were rushed to nearby hospitals, but one child and one adult were believed to have died. The station revised its earlier report of three deaths.\n\nThe station, citing police, said that a bus driver told officials that a man holding a knife in each hand walked toward the bus and started slashing children.\n\nNHK said a suspect was captured and two knives were found at the spot. The report said the suspect slashed his own neck and was in serious condition, but police wouldn’t confirm those details.\n\nAn official with the Kawasaki fire department said one person was believed killed. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to speak to the media.\n\nNo other details, including the man’s identity and motives, were immediately known.\n\nNHK interviewed a witness who said he saw the suspect trying to force his way onto a bus.\n\nTelevision footage showed emergency workers giving first aid to people inside an orange tent set up on the street, and police and other officials carrying the wounded to ambulances.\n\nAlthough Japan has one of the lowest crime rates in the world, it has had a series of high-profile killings, including in 2016 when a former employee at a home for the disabled was accused of going on a stabbing spree that killed 19 and wounded more than 20 others.\n\nIn 2008, seven people were killed by a man who slammed a truck into a crowd of people in central Tokyo’s Akihabara electronics district and then stabbed passers-by.\n\nIn 2001, a man killed eight children and wounded 13 others in a knife attack at an elementary school in the city of Osaka. The incident shocked Japan and led to increased security at schools.", "A knife-wielding man has attacked a group of schoolchildren waiting for a bus in the Japanese city of Kawasaki near Tokyo.\n\nAt least 18 people were injured in a residential area. Two of them, an 11-year-old girl and a 39-year-old man, have died.\n\nA suspect, a man in his 50s, stabbed himself in the neck after his rampage and later died in hospital.\n\nViolent crime is rare in Japan and the motive for the attack is unknown.\n\nThe suspect was holding knives in both hands as he attacked the victims - 16 of whom were schoolgirls.\n\nPolice later named the victims of the fatal attack as Hanako Kuribayashi, who was in the sixth grade, and foreign ministry official Satoshi Oyama, who is believed to be the parent of another child.\n\nThe suspect has not been named.\n\nJapanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe condemned the attack, saying he felt \"strong anger\" against it.\n\n\"It is a very harrowing case. I offer my heartfelt condolences to the victims and hope the injured recover quickly,\" Mr Abe said.\n\nHow did the incident unfold?\n\nThe incident took place just before 08:00 local time on Tuesday (23:00 GMT Monday) near a local park and a train station.\n\nA number of students were waiting to board their bus to the nearby Caritas elementary school, a private Catholic school.\n\nThe driver of the Caritas bus told NHK that he saw a man approach the queue of students.\n\nHe began stabbing the children and then boarded the bus and stabbed children inside as well, according to the BBC's Japan correspondent, Rupert Wingfield-Hayes.\n\nNews agency Kyodo said the man was heard shouting \"I'm going to kill you\" during the attack.\n\nHe was apprehended by police and later died in hospital from injuries.\n\nEmergency services arrived at the scene and set up medical tents to treat the wounded.\n\nLocals have now begun placing flowers outside the site of the attack in a tribute to the victims.", "KAWASAKI, Japan (AP) — A man carrying a knife in each hand and screaming “I will kill you!” attacked a group of schoolgirls and adults as he walked toward a school bus parked at a bus stop just outside Tokyo on Tuesday, killing two and injuring 16 before killing himself, officials said.\n\nMost of the victims were elementary schoolgirls who were lined up at a bus stop near Noborito Park in the city of Kawasaki when a man in his 50s began slashing them with knives. City officials, quoting police, said the suspect was captured but died from a self-inflicted cut to the neck.\n\nWitnesses described a hellish scene: children and adults falling to the ground, some with their shirts soaked with blood; dozens of children running and screaming for help, with their school bags and books scattered on the ground.\n\n“I heard a scream so I stopped and turned around to see what happened. It was not a normal tone of voice,” said Yasuko Atsukata, adding that she saw one person collapse, and then another one. “The color of their white shirts turned red after they collapsed, then I understood they got stabbed.”\n\nIn a nearby parking lot, a boy looking frightened and in shock had scratches on his face, hands and legs, apparently from falling to the ground as he ran for his life.\n\nMasami Arai, an official at the Kawasaki city office, said 16 people, most of them schoolgirls at a Catholic school, were injured and three others, including the attacker, were believed to have been killed. Arai said three of the injuries were serious and 13 others were not life-threatening.\n\nPolice wouldn’t confirm specifics about the attacker. His identity and motive were not immediately known. Witnesses said that as the attack unfolded, a bus driver shouted at the man with the knives, and as he was running away he cut his own neck, collapsing in a pool of blood as police seized him.\n\nTelevision footage showed emergency workers giving first aid to people inside an orange tent set up on the street, and police and other officials carrying the injured to ambulances.\n\nKanagawa prefectural police confirmed the death of sixth-grade schoolgirl Hanako Kuribayashi, 11, from Tokyo. Hospital officials at a televised news conference confirmed her death as well as that of a man in his 30s, saying both had been slashed in the head, chest and face.\n\nSeparately, doctors at St. Marianna University School of Medicine said a man in his 50s died at the hospital after being brought in from the crime scene with neck injuries. City officials and the media said the man was the suspect.\n\nMost of the victims attended Caritas Gakuen, a well-known private school founded by Soeurs de la Charite de Quebec, an organization of Catholic nuns in Quebec City in Canada.\n\nAll of the victims except for two adults are in elementary school, according to city and hospital officials, and their ages are believed to be from 6 to 12. Caritas Gakuen runs from elementary through high school.\n\nPrime Minister Shinzo Abe said he was outraged by the attack.\n\n“It was an extremely harrowing incident in which many small children were victimized, and I feel strong resentment,” Abe said as he was hosting President Trump’s four-day state visit, which ended Tuesday. “I will take all possible measures to protect the safety of children.”\n\nAlthough Japan has one of the lowest crime rates in the world, it has had a series of high-profile killings, including in 2016 when a former employee at a home for the disabled allegedly killed 19 people and injured more than 20 others.\n\nAlso in 2016, a man stabbed four people at a library in northeastern Japan, allegedly over their mishandling of his questions. No one was killed. In 2008, seven people were killed by a man who slammed a truck into a crowd of people in central Tokyo’s Akihabara electronics district and then stabbed passersby.", "KAWASAKI, Japan (AP) — A man carrying a knife in each hand and screaming “I will kill you!” attacked a group of schoolgirls near a school bus parked at a bus stop just outside Tokyo on Tuesday, killing two and injuring 16 before killing himself, officials said.\n\nMost of the victims were students at a Catholic elementary school who were lined up at the bus stop near Noborito Park in the city of Kawasaki when a man in his 50s began slashing them with knives. City officials, quoting police, said the suspect was captured but died from a self-inflicted slash in his neck.\n\nWitnesses described a hellish scene: children and adults falling to the ground, some with their shirts soaked with blood, dozens of children running and screaming for help, and school bags and books scattered on the ground.\n\n“I heard a scream so I stopped and turned around to see what happened. It was not a normal tone of voice,” said Yasuko Atsukata. She said she saw one person collapse, and then another. “The color of their white shirts turned red after they collapsed, then I understood they got stabbed.”\n\nIn a nearby parking lot, a frightened-looking boy was in shock with scratches on his face, hands and legs, apparently from falling to the ground as he ran for his life.\n\nPolice wouldn’t confirm specifics about the attacker except that he died. His identity and motive weren’t immediately known.\n\nKawasaki city official Masami Arai said most of the injured were students at Caritas Gakuen, a local Catholic school founded by Soeurs de la Charite de Quebec, an organization of Catholic nuns in Quebec City in Canada. Arai said three of the injuries were serious.\n\n“We have sad news that one of our students was killed in the attack,” school director Hiroaki Takamatsu said at a news conference, choked with emotion. “I don’t know what to say to our students and their parents.”\n\nKanagawa prefectural police confirmed 16 people were injured and three others had died, including a man “who is not a victim but linked to the case.” Police identified two of the dead as 11-year-old Hanako Kuribayashi and Satoshi Oyama, a 39-year-old government employee who was taking his child to the bus stop.\n\nHospital officials said both had been slashed in the head, chest and face.\n\nWitnesses said that as the attack unfolded, the bus driver shouted at the attacker, and as he was running away he cut his own neck, collapsing in a pool of blood as police seized him.\n\nJapanese media including public broadcaster NHK said he was a 51-year-old resident of the city and that police found two more knives in his knapsack in addition to the two he was holding.\n\nTelevision footage showed emergency workers giving first aid to people inside an orange tent set up on the street, and police and other officials carrying the injured to ambulances.\n\nPrime Minister Shinzo Abe said he was outraged by the attack.\n\n“Many small children were victimized, and I feel strong resentment,” Abe said as he was hosting President Donald Trump on a four-day state visit, which ended Tuesday. “I will take all possible measures to protect the safety of children.”\n\nAlthough Japan has one of the lowest crime rates in the world, it has had a series of high-profile killings, including in 2016 when a former employee at a home for the disabled allegedly killed 19 people and injured more than 20 others.\n\nAlso in 2016, a man stabbed four people at a library in northeastern Japan, allegedly for mishandling his questions. No one was killed. In 2008, seven people were killed by a man who slammed a truck into a crowd of people in central Tokyo’s Akihabara electronics district and then stabbed passers-by.\n\nYamaguchi reported from Tokyo. Associated Press journalist Haruka Nuga contributed to this report.", "16 hurt and two killed as man stabs young girls waiting for bus in Japan\n\n16 hurt and two killed as man stabs young girls waiting for bus in Japan\n\nRescue workers and police officers at the scene of the attack in Kawasaki, Japan\n\nTwo people have been killed in a mass stabbing by a knife-wielding man at a bus stop near Tokyo, Japanese authorities have said.\n\nAt least 16 people were wounded - most of them schoolgirls, a city official said.\n\nThe suspect, believed to be in his 40s to 50s, allegedly carried a knife in each hand and screamed \"I will kill you\" before attacking the group of children waiting at a bus stop in in Kawasaki city, south of the capital, on Tuesday.\n\nHe was unconscious when he was detained and died at the scene after reportedly stabbing himself in the neck, NHK TV in Japan said.\n\nThe schoolgirls, who were aged six and seven years old, were students at a private Catholic school and were waiting with their parents at a bus stop at around 7.45am.\n\nThree of those injured were said to be in a serious condition, while the injuries of the other 13 pupils were not thought to be life-threatening.\n\nPolice recovered two knives at the scene. The suspect's identify and motive for the attack are still unknown.\n\nOne witness told NHK: \"I heard screaming, then I saw a man standing with a knife in each hand. Then he crumbled to the ground.\"\n\nCiting the police, NHK reported that a bus driver told officials that a man holding a knife in each hand walked toward the bus and started attacking the children.\n\nTelevision footage showed emergency workers giving first aid to people inside an orange tent set up near the scene, and police and other officials carrying the injured to ambulances.\n\nSome Japanese media outlets were reporting at least three deaths, while some said two people had died, it was not immediately clear how many people had been killed.\n\nUS President Donald Trump, who is on an official visit to Japan with first lady Melania, offered his condolences to the victims.\n\nHe said: \"On behalf of the first lady and myself I want to take a moment to send our prayers and sympathy to the victims of the stabbing attack this morning in Tokyo.\n\n\"All Americans stand with the people of Japan and grieve for the victims and their families.\"\n\nMr Trump made the comments whilst on a tour of a Japanese navy ship at the Yokosuka naval base located south of Tokyo.\n\nViolent crime is extremely rare in Japan and the country has one of the lowest rates of crime in the developed world.\n\nOccasional high-profile incidents have shocked the nation, with more than a dozen people injured in a 2010 stabbing spree on a school bus and a commuter bus in a Tokyo suburb.\n\nTwo years earlier, a 28-year-old man drove a truck into a crowded pedestrian crossing in Tokyo, killing three people, before before stabbing four others to death.", "At least 16 people, including 13 elementary school children, were stabbed on Tuesday morning while waiting at a bus stop in a suburb southwest of Tokyo, according to the police.\n\nNHK, the public broadcaster, reported that all the children were girls between the ages of 6 and 7.\n\nAt least three of the victims, including one of the young students, had life-threatening wounds. The attack took place in Noborito in Kanagawa prefecture.\n\nThe suspect, described as a man in his 50s by NHK, was in custody and unconscious after apparently stabling himself in the neck.\n\nViolent crimes, particularly mass killings, are rare in Japan. Three years ago, a former employee of a center for people with disabilities rampaged through the facility in Sagamihara, leaving 19 people dead in the worst mass killing in Japan since World War II.", "A man wielding a knife attacked commuters waiting at a bus stop just outside Tokyo during Tuesday morning’s rush hour, killing as many as three people and wounding at least 19, including 13 children, Japanese authorities and media said.\n\nNHK national television, citing officials, said that a man with a knife attacked people lined up at the bus stop in Kawasaki City. The report, quoting police, said the wounded were rushed to nearby hospitals, but one child and two adults were believed to have died.\n\nAn official with the Kawasaki fire department said one person was believed killed. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to speak to the media.\n\nNHK said the attacker was captured, and two knives were found at the spot.\n\nNo other details, including the man’s identity and motives, were immediately known."], "summary": "A man stabs two people to death and wounds 17 others, including sixteen children, in Kawasaki, Japan, before slitting his own throat; he later dies of his wounds. Three people are in critical condition."}
{"document": ["Najafi’s wife, Mitra Ostad, was murdered at her home in Tehran on Tuesday. Police found her body with several gunshots in her chest.\n\nNajafi has reportedly gone to the Criminal Police headquarters in person and confessed to the murder.\n\nNajafi had resigned from the post of Tehran’s mayor in April 2018, citing failing health for leaving the office.\n\nA graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), 67-year-old Najafi was elected mayor of Tehran in August 2017.\n\nAffiliated with the reformist political faction, he used to serve as the minister of education and the minister of culture in various administrations.\n\nHe also took the helm at Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization (ICHTO) during President Hassan Rouhani’s first term, but resigned after six months.", "Tehran, Iran -- Police on Tuesday arrested a former Iranian vice president and mayor of Tehran after he confessed to shooting one of his wives dead in her home, Iran's state news agency reported. Police detained Mohammad Ali Najafi after he went to authorities and confessed to killing wife Mitra Najafi, IRNA quoted prosecutor Mohammad Shahriari as saying. Shahriari said Najafi and his wife were having domestic problems.\n\nEarlier on Tuesday, Iranian media reported that Mitra Najafi, who is one of Najafi's two wives, had been killed in northern Tehran.\n\nGun violence is very rare in Iran, especially among the country's political and economic elite.\n\nNajafi resigned as mayor in 2018 after hard-liners criticized him for attending a dance performance by young girls.\n\nIn 2013, Najafi, an MIT educated mathematician, worked as vice president in charge of cultural heritage and tourism in President Hassan Rouhani's administration for nearly seven months. Najafi has held many ministerial positions in his career.\n\nGen. Ali Reza Lotfi, head of Tehran police's criminal investigation department, told state TV that Najafi handed the weapon over to police voluntarily and admitted committing the crime.\n\nLotfi said Najafi fired five times and two bullets hit the victim. He said the case is under investigation by the police and judiciary simultaneously.\n\nSemi-official news agency Tasnim quoted Shahriari as saying Mitra Najafi was shot several times, including once in the heart. Her body was found in a bedroom on the seventh floor of a residential high-rise in northern Tehran.\n\nPolygamy is legal in Iran, though many criticized Najafi, 67, on social media after he married Mitra, 35.", "Iranian TV showed officials bowing and serving tea to the former mayor of Tehran, Mohammad Ali Najafi, after he confessed to killing his second wife. In a report on state TV, a correspondent held up the gun for the camera and counted the bullets inside it.", "A former mayor of Tehran who once served as one of Iran’s vice presidents has been arrested on suspicion of murdering his wife, after she was found dead in her bathtub Tuesday afternoon, shot several times.\n\nThe former mayor, Mohammad Ali Najafi, 67, was arrested on Tuesday and handed over to prosecutors Wednesday morning, according to the state-run news outlet IRNA.\n\nCiting an Iranian prosecutor, the news outlet reported that Mr. Najafi had turned himself over to the police and had confessed to shooting his second wife, Mitra Ostad, 35.\n\nGun crime is rare in Iran, and Mr. Najafi’s prominent political status has made the crime all the more shocking, raising questions about how the country’s news media covers domestic violence.", "A wife of reformist former Tehran Mayor Mohammad Ali Najafi has been killed, Iranian media reports say.\n\n \n\n Mitra Ostad was found dead at her home in the Saadat Abad neighborhood in northwestern Tehran on May 28, the official government news agency IRNA reported. It cited a police official as saying she had been shot several times.\n\n \n\n Such gun violence is extremely rare in Iran.\n\n \n\n Iranian media said Ostad was the second wife of Najafi. Polygamy is legal under Islamic laws enforced in Iran.\n\n \n\n Najafi resigned last year after coming under criticism by hard-liners for attending a ceremony at which young girls were dancing. He cited health reasons for his resignation.\n\n \n\n A reporter with the website Ensaf News said Ostad had called the news outlet on May 27 and said that she wanted to give an interview.\n\n \n\n The reporter, Parisa Salehi, added that Ostad was due to visit Ensaf on May 28.\n\n \n\n There was no immediate confirmation from Ensaf news.\n\nWith reporting by IRNA, Fars, and AP", "The former vice president of Iran and mayor of Tehran, as well as a confidant of President Hassan Rouhani, turned himself into authorities Tuesday, telling them that he killed one of his two wives.\n\nMohammad Ali Najafi allegedly murdered Mitra Najafi seven hours before walking into the police station, Iranian news outlet Radio Farda reported. The outlet reported that he appeared calm after confessing, and was filmed shaking hands with the police chief.\n\nIRAN 'ALMOST CERTAINLY' SABOTAGED SHIPS OFF UAE, BOLTON SAYS\n\nProsecutor Mohammad Shahriari was quoted by the Iranian Students’ News Agency, or ISNA, as saying that the former official, who is 68, told police he and the victim, 35, had been having marital problems.\n\nNajafi resigned as mayor in 2018 after hard-liners criticized him for attending a dance performance by young girls. He had also been criticized for marrying his much younger second wife, with the controversy helping doom his political career. Polygamy is legal in Iran.\n\nIRAN SEEKING TO EXPAND MILITARY PROGRAM TO WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION, GERMAN INTELLIGENCE\n\nNajafi told police in his confession that Mitra had constantly threatened to reveal his secrets -- which were not described -- and ruin him, Radio Farda reported.\n\nGun violence is very rare in Iran, especially among the country's political and economic elite.\n\nGen. Ali Reza Lotfi, head of Tehran police's criminal investigation department, told state TV that Najafi handed the weapon over to police voluntarily and admitted committing the crime.\n\nLotfi said Najafi fired five times, hitting the victim twice. He said the case is under investigation by the police and judiciary simultaneously.\n\nCLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP\n\nMitra's body was found in a bedroom on the 7th floor of a residential high-rise in northern Tehran, according to the semi-official news agency Tasnim.\n\nThe Associated Press contributed to this report.", "Tehran - A former mayor of Tehran who once served as one of Iran’s vice presidents has been arrested on suspicion of murdering his wife after she was found dead in her bathtub Tuesday afternoon, shot several times.\n\nThe former mayor, Mohammad Ali Najafi, 67, was arrested Tuesday and handed over to prosecutors Wednesday morning, according to the state-run news outlet IRNA.\n\nCiting an Iranian prosecutor, the news outlet reported that Najafi had turned himself over to the police and had confessed to shooting his second wife, Mitra Ostad, 35.\n\nGun crime is rare in Iran, and Najafi’s prominent political status has made the crime all the more shocking, raising questions about how the country’s news media covers domestic violence.\n\nThe state broadcaster IRIB news aired footage of Najafi on Tuesday, taken at a police station in Tehran, in which he sips tea with officials apparently unhandcuffed. Later in the video, while answering a reporter’s questions, Najafi smiles and talks casually about the circumstances of the shooting, which he appears to imply had been an accident during a marital dispute.\n\nNajafi told the news outlet that he had suggested divorce to his wife several times, but that she would not allow it. He also described increasing fights with his wife that had led the pair to live separately.\n\nAnother clip, also posted by IRIB and widely shared on social media, shows the same reporter who interviewed Najafi handling the gun that was said to have been used in the attack, removing the magazine and handling the bullets one by one.\n\nThe video clips outraged some observers on social media, who said the images showed a comfortable relationship between Najafi and police officials, who treated him with deference, and neglect on the part of reporters who handled potential evidence.\n\nNajafi resigned as mayor last year, citing illness, but many believe he was forced out by hard-line opponents. He was criticised for attending a dance performance by young girls at an event to celebrate International Women’s Day.\n\nHis resignation came months after he married Ostad, who is the second of his two wives, according to The Associated Press. Polygamy is legal in Iran, but many hard-liners criticized Najafi for marrying Ostad, three decades his junior.\n\nNajafi has held several prominent ministerial positions in the Iranian government and served as vice president for cultural heritage and tourism under President Hassan Rouhani from 2013 to 2014.", "Iranian papers on Wednesday widely covered the shocking case of Mohammad Ali Najafi, the ex-mayor of Tehran and former vice-president who confessed on Tuesday to the murder of his wife Mitra Ostad at her apartment.\n\nAlso a top story was the Iranian foreign ministry’s reaction to US President Donald Trump’s softened rhetoric. The foreign ministry’s spokesman said Tehran sees no prospect for talks with the US for now, and that it expects Trump to act rather than talk.\n\nThe above issues, as well as many more, are highlighted in the following headlines and top stories:\n\n1- We Haven’t Exchanged Any Message with US: Iran\n\n2- Najafi Confesses to Murdering His Second Wife\n\n3- Iran First VP: Damaging Unity to Serve US Interests\n\n2- Ryabkov to Visit Iran for Talks on JCPOA\n\n3- Iran Says Not after Negotiation with Any US Official\n\n2- Culture Minister: No One Should Speak to Iranians with Coercion\n\n1- Tehran in Shock: A Review of Murder of Ex-Mayor’s Wife\n\n3- Bloody End of Mitra Ostad: Ex-Mayor of Tehran Confesses to Murder\n\n2- Tragic Report of a Murder: Najafi Confesses to Murdering His Wife\n\n3- No Prospect for Talks with US: Iran", "IFP has taken a look at the front pages of Iranian newspapers on Wednesday, May 29, 2019, and picked headlines from 11 of them. IFP has simply translated the headlines and does not vouch for their accuracy.\n\nIranian papers on Wednesday widely covered the shocking case of Mohammad Ali Najafi, the ex-mayor of Tehran and former vice-president who confessed on Tuesday to the murder of his wife Mitra Ostad at her apartment.\n\nAlso a top story was the Iranian foreign ministry's reaction to US President Donald Trump's softened rhetoric. The foreign ministry's spokesman said Tehran sees no prospect for talks with the US for now, and that it expects Trump to act rather than talk.\n\nThe above issues, as well as many more, are highlighted in the following headlines and top stories:\n\n1- We Haven't Exchanged Any Message with US: Iran\n\n2- Najafi Confesses to Murdering His Second Wife\n\n3- Iran First VP: Damaging Unity to Serve US Interests\n\n2- Ryabkov to Visit Iran for Talks on JCPOA\n\n3- Iran Says Not after Negotiation with Any US Official\n\n4- US' Goal Not Negotiation with MP\n\n2- Imam Khomeini's Grandson: We Can't Deny the Truths\n\n2- Culture Minister: No One Should Speak to Iranians with Coercion\n\n1- Tehran in Shock: A Review of Murder of Ex-Mayor's Wife\n\n3- Bloody End of Mitra Ostad: Ex-Mayor of Tehran Confesses to Murder\n\n2- Tragic Report of a Murder: Najafi Confesses to Murdering His Wife\n\n3- No Prospect for Talks with US: Iran", "A wife of an adviser to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani was shot and killed at her home, the semi-official ISNA news agency reported Tuesday.\n\n The report said Mitra Najafi — the second wife of Mohammad Ali Najafi, a former reformist mayor of Tehran and a Rouhani confidant — was killed in northern Tehran. The report did not elaborate.\n\n Such gun violence is incredibly rare in Iran, especially in the tony neighborhoods of northern Tehran, home to the country’s political and economic elite.\n\n Another Iranian semi-official news agency, Tasnim, quoted Tehran prosecutor Mohammad Shahriari as saying she was killed by several gunshots, one of which hit her heart. Her body was found in a bedroom on the seventh floor of a residential high-rise in northern Tehran.\n\n Najafi resigned as mayor in 2018, after hard-liners criticized him over a video showing he attended a dance performance by young girls at a school show.\n\n Polygamy is legal in Iran, though some criticized Najafi on social media after he married Mitra Najafi."], "summary": "Former Tehran Mayor Mohammad-Ali Najafi is arrested after confessing to the murder of his wife."}
{"document": ["SHENZHEN, China (AP) — Chinese tech giant Huawei filed a motion in U.S. court Wednesday challenging the constitutionality of a law that limits its sales of telecom equipment, the latest action in an ongoing clash with the U.S. government.\n\nHuawei's chief legal officer Song Liuping said at press briefing that Huawei had filed a motion for summary judgment asking the court to rule on whether it is constitutional for the U.S. to implement a military spending provision that bars the government and its contractors from using Huawei equipment.\n\nHuawei is the biggest global maker of network equipment, but it is now fighting to maintain access to major markets for next-generation communications as the U.S. claims the company threatens international cybersecurity.\n\nIn March, Huawei launched its suit against the U.S. law in Plano, Texas, the headquarters of its U.S. operations. The summary judgment motion seeks to accelerate the legal process to give U.S. customers access to Huawei equipment sooner, according to a Wednesday statement from Huawei.\n\nSong said the \"state-sanctioned campaign\" against the company will not improve cybersecurity.\n\n\"Politicians in the U.S. are using the strength of an entire nation to come after a private company,\" he said. \"This is not normal.\"\n\nAssociated Press video producer Olivia Zhang contributed to this report.", "Huawei is asking a federal judge in Texas to strike down federal legislation passed last year that banned Huawei—by name—from selling telecommunications equipment to the federal government. Huawei argues that the legislation violates the Constitution's rule against bills of attainder, laws that single out particular people for punishment.\n\nCongress passed the most recent National Defense Authorization Act last August; Huawei launched its legal challenge against the law in March. The company filed a motion for summary judgment in the case on Tuesday. This is a motion that asks the judge to rule on the legal merits in the case prior to the discovery phase, when the two parties get to demand documents from one another to help them build their cases. Huawei hopes to avoid discovery because it could drag on for many months while Huawei is frozen out of competing for federal telecommunications business.\n\nThe ban passed last year empowers the Secretary of Defense to ban companies from supplying equipment to the federal government—or contractors using federal funds—if he determines they have ties to the Chinese government. Companies put on this list have an opportunity to appeal the decision to the courts.\n\nBut the law singles two companies out by name for special treatment—Huawei and ZTE. These two companies are subject to a perpetual ban on competing for federal business with no provision for judicial review. And that, Huawei argues, violates the US Constitution.\n\nHuawei's legal brief points to a number of past examples when the courts have struck down legislation that singled out particular individuals or groups. For example, in 1946 the Supreme Court struck down wartime legislation zeroing out the salaries of three specific, named government employees with communist sympathies. While Congress has the power to decide how to spend taxpayer money, the high court ruled, that couldn't justify legislation that was clearly designed to punish the men for their past associations or conduct.\n\nHuawei argues that exactly the same reasoning applies in its own case. During last year's debate over the NDAA, sponsors of the legislation made it clear that their goal was to punish Huawei for allegedly stealing American technology and conspiring with the Chinese government.\n\nHuawei and ZTE \"have proven themselves to be untrustworthy, and at this point I think the only fitting punishment would be to give them the death penalty-that is, to put them out of business in the United States,\" said Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) last June.\n\nBut Huawei argues that the Constitution doesn't allow Congress to unilaterally single out individuals or companies for punishment. To exclude Huawei or ZTE from federal contracts, Congress must pass a law providing general criteria for excluding companies from competing for federal business—and then let the executive and judicial branches sort out which companies meet the criteria. Indeed, that's how the law treats every company other than ZTE and Huawei, and Huawei argues that it is entitled to the same due process.\n\nThe 2018 legislation challenged by this Huawei lawsuit is separate from a recent decision by the Trump administration to ban US companies from supplying Huawei with American-made technology. The Trump administration's move may pose a more serious threat to Huawei because Huawei depends on a number of US-made technologies, especially software.", "SHENZHEN, China -- Huawei today filed a motion for summary judgment as part of the process to challenge the constitutionality of Section 889 of the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act (2019 NDAA). It also called on the U.S. government to halt its state-sanctioned campaign against Huawei because it will not deliver cybersecurity.\n\nBanning Huawei using cybersecurity as an excuse \"will do nothing to make networks more secure. They provide a false sense of security, and distract attention from the real challenges we face,\" said Song Liuping, Huawei's chief legal officer. \"Politicians in the U.S. are using the strength of an entire nation to come after a private company,\" Song noted. \"This is not normal. Almost never seen in history.\"\n\n\"The U.S. government has provided no evidence to show that Huawei is a security threat. There is no gun, no smoke. Only speculation,\" Song added.\n\nIn the complaint, Huawei argues that Section 889 of the 2019 NDAA singles out Huawei by name and not only bars U.S. government agencies from buying Huawei equipment and services, but also bars them from contracting with or awarding grants or loans to third parties who buy Huawei equipment or services  even if there is no impact or connection to the U.S. government.\n\nSong also addressed the addition of Huawei to the \"Entity List\" by the U.S. Commerce Department two weeks ago. \"This sets a dangerous precedent. Today it's telecoms and Huawei. Tomorrow it could be your industry, your company, your consumers,\" he said.\n\n\"The judicial system is the last line of defense for justice. Huawei has confidence in the independence and integrity of the U.S. judicial system. We hope that mistakes in the NDAA can be corrected by the court,\" Song added.\n\nGlen Nager, Huawei's lead counsel for the case, said Section 889 of the 2019 NDAA violates the Bill of Attainder, Due Process, and Vesting Clauses of the United States Constitution. Thus the case is purely \"a matter of law\" as there are no facts at issue, thereby justifying the motion for a summary judgement to speed up the process.\n\nHuawei believes that U.S. suppression of Huawei will not help make networks more secure. Huawei expects the U.S. to take the right approach and adopt honest and effective measures to enhance cybersecurity for everyone, if the U.S. government's real goal is security.\n\nIn line with a court scheduling order, a hearing on the motion is set for Sept. 19.", "The U.S. is no fan of Huawei.\n\nIts officials have spent months warning that the Chinese giant's smartphones and networking gear could be Trojan horses for Chinese spies (something Huawei has denied). They have threatened to withhold intelligence from any ally that allows the firm in.\n\nOn May 15, they raised the stakes. President Donald Trump barred U.S. firms from using telecoms equipment made by firms posing a \"risk to national security.\" His order named no names. But its target was plain.\n\nFor all the drama, the import ban hardly matters. Huawei has long been barred from the U.S., in practice if not on paper. More significant was the announcement by the Commerce Department, on the same day, that it was adding Huawei to a list of firms with which U.S. companies cannot do business without official permission. That amounts to a prohibition on exports of U.S. technology to Huawei.\n\nIt is a seismic decision. Supply chains are specialized and globally connected. Cutting them off — \"weaponizing interdependence,\" in the jargon — can cause serious disruption.\n\nWhen ZTE, another Chinese technology company, received the same treatment in 2018 for violating U.S. sanctions on Iran, it was brought to the brink of ruin. It survived only because Trump intervened, claiming it was a favor to Xi Jinping, China's president.\n\nHuawei matters more than ZTE. It is China's biggest high tech company, and is seen as a national champion. Its name translates roughly as \"Chinese achievement.\" Revenues of $105 billion put it in the same league as Microsoft. Only Samsung, a South Korean firm, sells more smartphones.\n\nHuawei holds many crucial patents on superfast 5G mobile networks, and is the largest manufacturer of telecoms equipment. Were it to go under, the shock waves would rattle the entire tech world.\n\nThe impact of the ban is becoming clear. Google said it had stopped supplying the proprietary components of its Android mobile operating system to Huawei. A string of U.S. chipmakers, including Intel, Qualcomm and Micron, have also ceased sales.\n\nOn May 20, the Commerce Department softened slightly, saying that firms could continue to supply Huawei for 90 days, but for existing products — for instance, with software updates for Huawei phones already in use. New sales, on which Huawei's future revenue depends, remain banned.\n\nBut interdependence cuts both ways. Shares in U.S. technology firms fell after the announcement, because Huawei is a big customer. Qorvo, which employs 8,600 people and makes wireless communication chips, derives 15% of its revenue from Huawei. Micron is in the memory business, of which Huawei is a big consumer.\n\nA report last week from the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation, a think tank, estimated that export controls could cost U.S. firms as much as $56 billion in lost sales over five years.\n\nUnlike Intel, Qualcomm or ZTE, Huawei is privately owned. It lacks listed shares whose price swing would hint at the extent of its distress, though the price of its listed bonds has dropped to 94 cents on the dollar.\n\nIn public, the firm is staying calm. Ren Zhengfei, Huawei's founder, said it would be \"fine\" without access to U.S. technology. Huawei has spoken of activating a \"Plan B.\" It has been stockpiling crucial components for months, and has made a push to become less reliant on U.S. technology over the past few years. Its phones in particular make extensive use of chips designed by HiSilicon, its in-house chipdesign unit.\n\nYet few analysts are as sanguine as Ren. Three business areas in particular look vulnerable. Without Google's cooperation, new Huawei phones will lack the latest versions of Android, and popular apps such as Gmail or Maps. That may not matter in China, where Google's apps are forbidden. But it could be crippling in Europe, Huawei's second-biggest market.\n\nIts telecoms business needs beefy server chips from Intel. The supply of software to manage those networks could dry up too. Huawei is developing replacements for all three, but they are far from ready.\n\nTwo questions will determine whether Huawei can weather the storm, said Dieter Ernst, a chip expert at the East-West Center, a think tank in Honolulu. The first concerns U.S. motives. The timing of the ban, a few days after broader trade talks between China and the U.S. had broken down, was suggestive. On one reading, it is a tactical move designed to wring concessions from China. If so, it might prove short-lived, and Huawei's stockpiles may tide it over.\n\nPaul Triolo of Eurasia Group, a political-risk consultancy, is doubtful. Rather than a negotiating tactic, he sees the ban as \"the logical endgame of the U.S. campaign to take down Huawei.\" A long-lasting ban would force the firm to look for alternative chips and software that Chinese suppliers would struggle to provide.\n\nThe second question concerns the reach of U.S. power. The tangled nature of chip-industry supply chains means that many non-U. S. companies make use of American parts or intellectual property, Ernst said. They may therefore consider themselves covered, wholly or partly, by the ban. Take Arm, a Britain-based firm whose technology powers chips in virtually every phone. Arm dsof it will comply with the Commerce Department's rules. That suggests that Arm will not grant Huawei new licenses. It is unclear whether Arm will offer support for existing licenses, however. As Arm's technology advances, Huawei risks being left behind.\n\nOther non-U. S. companies are as important. One industry insider said U.S. officials are pressing Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), a cutting-edge chipmaker, to drop Huawei, which is its third-biggest customer. That would be a crushing blow because Chinese chip factories are not up to the task of manufacturing HiSilicon's sophisticated designs. TSMC's only peer is Samsung — and South Korea is another U.S. ally. TSMC said it would continue supplying Huawei for now.\n\nEven if the optimists are right, and the ban is lifted in exchange for trade concessions, a return to business as usual seems unlikely. The U.S. has twice demonstrated a willingness to throttle big Chinese companies. Trust in U.S. technology firms has been eroded, Triolo said.\n\nChina has committed billions of dollars to efforts to boost its domestic capabilities in chipmaking and technology. For its rulers, the U.S. bans highlight the urgency of that policy.", "SHENZHEN, China >> Fighting to maintain its access to major markets for next-generation communications, Chinese tech giant Huawei is challenging the constitutionality of a U.S. law that limits its sales of telecom equipment.\n\nHuawei’s chief legal officer, Song Liuping, said Wednesday that Huawei filed a motion asking a court in Plano, Texas, for a summary judgment on whether a U.S. military spending provision that bars the government and its contractors from using Huawei equipment is constitutional.\n\nThe lawsuit comes as the U.S. and China are embroiled in a broader trade war in which both sides have imposed billions of dollars of punitive tariffs against each other’s products. Chinese state media suggested Wednesday that the country’s rich supply of rare earths — key elements for high-tech manufacturing — could be used as leverage against the U.S. in the dispute.\n\nHuawei is the biggest global maker of network equipment and enjoys a lead in 5G, or fifth-generation, technology. It also is the No. 2 maker of smartphones. The Trump administration says the company could use its equipment to spy on behalf of the Chinese government and is thus a threat to international cybersecurity.\n\n“This decision threatens to harm our customers in over 170 countries, including more than 3 billion customers who use Huawei products and services around the world,” Song said at a news briefing.\n\nHuawei, whose U.S. headquarters is in Plano, launched a lawsuit in March against the U.S. national defense law, calling the provision a “bill of attainder” that selectively punishes Huawei and violates its due process by presuming its guilt without a fair trial. The summary judgment motion seeks to accelerate the legal process to give U.S. customers access to Huawei equipment sooner, Huawei said in a statement.\n\nSong said the “state-sanctioned campaign” against the company will not improve cybersecurity.\n\n“Politicians in the U.S. are using the strength of an entire nation to come after a private company,” he said. “This is not normal.”\n\nApart from the defense law provision, the U.S. Commerce Department recently placed Huawei on its “Entity List,” effectively barring U.S. companies from selling their technology to it and other Chinese firms without government approval. Huawei relies heavily on U.S. components, including computer chips, and about one-third of its suppliers are American.\n\nThe dispute centers on China’s longstanding huge trade surplus with the U.S. and complaints that Beijing and Chinese companies use unfair tactics to acquire advanced foreign technologies.\n\nThe most recent round of negotiations between Beijing and Washington ended earlier this month without an agreement after Trump more than doubled duties on $200 billion in Chinese products. China responded by raising tariffs of 5% to 25% on $60 billion worth of American goods.\n\nAt least three Chinese state media outlets on Wednesday suggested the country’s supply of rare earths could be used as a weapon.\n\nPeople’s Daily, the official newspaper of the ruling Communist Party, said in an editorial that the U.S. is a major buyer of China’s rare earth materials and “highly dependent” on such resources. The editorial was titled “The U.S. should not underestimate China’s ability to enact countermeasures.”\n\nRare earths are chemical elements that are crucial to many modern technologies, such as consumer electronics.\n\nChinese President Xi Jinping visited rare earth-related businesses in southeastern Jiangxi province earlier this month. He called rare earths “an important strategic resource” while stressing the importance of owning independent core technologies, the state-run China Daily reported.\n\nAs a weapon, the nationalistic Global Times said, rare earths “convey that China will not succumb to U.S. pressure.” If the U.S. does not exercise restraint, it will see that “China is far from running out of cards, and we have the will and determination to fight the U.S. to the end,” the editorial said.\n\nAn official of China’s top economic planning agency did not rule out using rare earths as a countermeasure against “the U.S.’s unwarranted suppression.”\n\nThe actions against Huawei have already affected the company’s U.S. partnerships. Google said it would continue to support existing Huawei smartphones, but future devices won’t include its flagship apps and services, including maps, Gmail and search — a change that will likely make Huawei phones less appealing.\n\nSong said the U.S. has not provided any evidence to show that Huawei is a security threat.\n\n“There is no gun, no smoke, only speculation,” he said, accusing the U.S. of setting a “dangerous precedent.”\n\n“Today it’s telecoms and Huawei,” he said. “Tomorrow it could be your industry, your company, your consumers.”\n\nSong said Huawei was asking FedEx about four packages containing paperwork that were found to have been diverted to FedEx headquarters in the U.S. instead of being delivered to Huawei offices in Asia.\n\nFedEx apologized and said the packages were misrouted accidentally. It said the company wasn’t told by anyone to divert the packages.\n\nSong said Huawei was aware of FedEx’s apology over the incident. But the company has questioned if the diversions were purely accidental.\n\n“I don’t think it is right for any company to intercept or detain individual documents or information. If our rights were truly infringed upon, we have the legal rights to defend ourselves,” he said.", "The US has blacklisted Huawei, a Chinese manufacturer of network equipment and smartphones, for doing exactly what it demands of its own companies: Feed data to the government surveillance machine. Surveillance and authoritarianism are breaking up the internet and technology markets along Cold War lines.\n\nThe US has placed Chinese telecoms manufacturer Huawei on a blacklist of companies that supposedly threaten national security. Huawei is the largest telecommunications equipment manufacturer in the world, and the second-largest maker of smartphones, after Samsung. With 180,000 employees and $7-billion in profit on revenue of almost $90-billion, it was ranked 72nd on the 2017 Fortune 500 list.\n\nThe US decision effectively prohibits American companies from installing Huawei networking gear, or to export components to Huawei. This follows an executive order that didn’t name China or Huawei, but laid the groundwork for making such a trade ban possible. American officials have also told allies that it would stop sharing intelligence with them if they use Huawei or other Chinese technology to build out their next-generation networks.\n\nThe blacklisting could have significant consequences for Huawei. It will cost the company major customers, and cuts its ties with tech giants such as Google and Microsoft. It won’t be able to install the Android operating system or Google app ecosystem on its smartphones, for example (although there are pretty simple ways to get around such restrictions).\n\nThe move comes only days after the US and China failed to reach a truce in their trade war. US President Donald Trump, true to form, gave China an ultimatum: make a deal within a month, or face worse tariffs on all goods. Then, since trouble had been brewing over Chinese telecommunications equipment manufacturers for several years, he added the Huawei punch for good measure.\n\nThis is the latest salvo in a long-running trade war between the US and China, in which the US is both the aggressor and the biggest loser. It was sparked because Trump appears to believe mercantilism, which fell out of fashion in the late 18th century, is a great idea.\n\nMercantilism was based on the notion that trade is a zero-sum game, so that if your trading partner gains, that means you lose. It aimed to restrict imports, boost exports, and protect powerful domestic interests against foreign competition. It used to be implemented by establishing colonial empires and keeping standing armies and navies at constant war with other great economic powers. Since these methods are nowadays frowned upon, today’s protectionist measures are largely limited to export subsidies, import tariffs, and occasionally outright trade bans.\n\nThese policies play well to electorates who lap up economic populism and nationalist rhetoric, but it actually harms consumers in the country that protects its industry. Tax experts expect Trump’s tariffs to reduce GDP, raise prices, lower wages, and decrease employment in the US. By strengthening the US dollar against other currencies, imports become cheaper and exports more expensive, which directly counteracts the hoped-for reduction in imports and increase in exports. Tariffs mainly hurt your own people.\n\nI say Trump appears to like mercantilism, because he is hard to pin down on the subject. On the one hand, he keeps saying pin-headed protectionist nonsense like “trade wars are good”. On the other, he told G7 leaders – right after imposing tariffs against Europe, Canada and Mexico – that the world should drop all trade barriers, tariffs and subsidies and adopt free trade. Perhaps his trade wars are a gambit designed to prove how damaging tariffs really are, in the hope of convincing the world to agree to his radical laissez-faire plan, but that seems a lot like wishful thinking.\n\nHuawei equipment probably does pose security risks. In March, a British oversight board released an annual report that identified ongoing security issues in Huawei products, and no progress made on issues identified in earlier reports. It concluded that it would be difficult to manage the risk associated with using Huawei products in UK networks.\n\nIn April, Bloomberg reported that Vodafone had found potential back doors in devices on its networks in several European countries almost a decade ago, but that it believes the issues to have been resolved. The company publicly opposes any action against Huawei, citing prices and delays as major concerns.\n\nDutch intelligence services also claim to have found a backdoor in a major national telecoms network which it attributed to Huawei, and said it could allow the company to access customer data and potentially pass it along to the Chinese government. According to a Reuters report, the agency said it is “undesirable for the Netherlands … to depend on the hardware or software of companies from countries running active cyber programs against Dutch interests,” naming China and Russia.\n\nHuawei denies that the vulnerabilities amounted to back doors, and in any case were removed once the company had been alerted. Vodafone also denied significant elements of the Bloomberg story. It is unlikely that all the vulnerabilities have been resolved, however, and although there is no firm evidence that any equipment sent data back to the Chinese government, as alleged, it would be safe to assume so. It is also far from clear that the problems are not simply software bugs that one might find in the products of any other vendor. A journalist writing for Wired magazine seems to think Huawei’s troubles are merely due to software bugs that one might find in the products of any other vendor, but that view seems a little naïve.\n\nThe US, however, is supremely hypocritical about the possibility that the Chinese government is spying on communications. Of course it is. Who isn’t? The US and its allies certainly are.\n\nThe world is flooded with devices and software with backdoors that send private data to the intelligence services of the US and its allies. It is impractical, if not impossible, for an ordinary consumer to avoid having their data mined by those countries, unless you isolate yourself entirely, as the heroic whistle-blower Edward Snowden, who revealed the existence of US and British surveillance programmes, has done.\n\nIn 2013, long before Trump became president, Snowden’s disclosures proved that the US government has deals to pipe data directly from major technology firms, including Microsoft, Yahoo, Google, Facebook and Apple. Its spooks can peruse your emails, see your search queries, view your browsing history, trawl through your photos and read the documents you share. It can track your mobile devices anywhere, at any time, even when location services are switched off. It knows who you call and can read your SMS messages. It has agreements with financial firms like Visa and SWIFT to track your buying habits. It vacuums up vast quantities of data from around the world.\n\nThey exploit security vulnerabilities to hack into networks and computer systems and host fake websites to steal login credentials. They work with manufacturers to install backdoors in routers, and have bribed major security companies to build backdoors into their encryption software. They deploy malware to hijack your devices. They can use the cameras and microphones on your devices without you knowing they were ever there. Some companies – notably Microsoft – provide information on newly discovered vulnerabilities to intelligence agencies before disclosing them to the public, so the spies have a ready supply of zero-day exploits available to them.\n\nThe US National Security Agency (NSA) is limited by law from spying on American citizens. So is the British equivalent, the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), which operates similar surveillance programmes, partly funded by the NSA itself. There is a simple way around silly laws, however. The GCHQ legally spies on Americans, and the NSA legally spies on Britons. Then they “share intelligence”, under the agreement they have as part of the “Five Eyes”. The other members of this club are Australia, New Zealand and Canada. So laws designed to protect citizens in those countries from being spied upon by their own governments mean absolutely nothing.\n\nOf course, outside the Five Eyes, everyone is fair game. Use an Android phone? The NSA has your number. Use an iPhone instead? The NSA owns you. Have a computer running Windows? The NSA is all over it like a virus. Have a computer running anything else? Don’t assume anything is beyond the NSA’s capabilities.\n\nIf you don’t think you’re worth spying on, you’d be wrong. Anyone in any position of responsibility has company information, or access to information, that should be confidential. If you’re a healthcare professional or attorney, or you’ve ever dealt with any of them, your information ought to remain confidential. If you’re a journalist, you need to be able to protect your sources. You can’t do that if every major government in the world reads your email. If your information can be compromised by government spies, it can be compromised by organised criminals. Sometimes, the line between the two is blurry. If you have money in the bank, or don’t want criminals to steal your identity to obtain loans in your name, this is a problem.\n\nGovernment databases can be used to conduct warrantless searches to find people who, deliberately or accidentally, broke laws or regulations. Everyone does, sooner or later, so nobody is safe.\n\nPrivate information can be abused to blackmail anyone into doing anything. Won’t inform on your business partner or family? How would you like your boss or spouse to know your porn preferences? Won’t stop agitating against the ruling party? How would you like your co-workers to know that you have just been diagnosed with an embarrassing disease? Speaking out about corruption? How would you like the knowledge you’re in arrears on your debts or municipal accounts, or you haven’t paid your traffic fines, to be made public?\n\nIf you’re blasé about government surveillance, consider China’s own social credit system. It is a dystopian model of totalitarian government control over everything people say and do. Offend anyone in any position of authority, and you might find yourself banned from public transport, jobs or even living quarters. And there’s nothing so uniquely Chinese about it that similar systems cannot be rolled out anywhere else in the world.\n\nThe US and its allies don’t have a problem with surveillance. They do it all the time, against foreigners and their own citizens, on a scale that is too big for most people to even comprehend. What they worry about is Chinese and Russian surveillance.\n\nThat is not unreasonable, of course, just like other countries would be uncomfortable with the surveillance networks of the Five Eyes.\n\nChinese and Russian surveillance equipment, software and techniques are being exported to countries around the world, including South Africa, along with those countries’ authoritarian vision of a sovereign, controlled and ring-fenced internet. We already see significant moves towards authoritarianism in this country, from requirements to host sensitive data within the country’s borders, to outright censorship of online content.\n\nEurope is developing its own vision of the internet, which is causing significant friction with the US-based internet. Some US sites simply will not display content to European visitors, for fear of violating some EU copyright or privacy directive or another. China has long developed its internet independently, even creating domestic versions of popular social media, chat and microblogging platforms. It doesn’t care about privacy or copyright, but it does care about censorship and social control.\n\nThe fear of spying by foreign governments will increasingly fracture the internet and the technology market. Whether we’re consumers, network operators or government, the choice of which technology to use will depend on who we would rather have spying on us.\n\nCountries with less developed technology industries will increasingly align themselves along the old Cold War lines, with either the liberal democracies of the West, or the authoritarian regimes of Russia, China and the Global South. Judging by its record of siding with the worst despots and dictators against the free world, I don’t trust the South African government to choose the lesser of these evils.\n\nIt is also not hard to conceive of a future in which the South African government mandates that equipment used in domestic telecommunications be locally produced. It ticks a lot of boxes: fear of foreign spies, the ability to insert domestic surveillance and censorship, stimulating a local technology industry, and political patronage deals for favoured suppliers.\n\nAs we saw during the isolation years of Apartheid South Africa, and as we’ve since seen with locally manufactured set-top boxes for digital terrestrial television or national broadband network projects, such plans will produce poor-quality products, high prices and broken deadlines. National security is a powerful excuse, but it doesn’t make mercantilism, or authoritarian government, any less harmful to ordinary citizens.\n\nWant to watch Richard Poplak’s audition for SA’s Got Talent?\n\nWho doesn’t? Alas, it was removed by the host site for prolific swearing*... Now that we’ve got your attention, we thought we’d take the opportunity to talk to you about the small matter of book burning and freedom of speech.\n\nSince its release, Pieter-Louis Myburgh’s book Gangster State, has sparked numerous fascist-like behavior from certain members of the public (and the State). There have been planned book burnings, disrupted launches and Ace Magashule has openly called him a liar. And just to say thanks, a R10m defamation suit has been lodged against the author.\n\nPieter-Louis Myburgh is our latest Scorpio Investigative journalist recruit and we’re not going to let him and his crucial book be silenced. When the Cape Town launch was postponed, Maverick Insider stepped in and relocated it to a secure location so that Pieter-Louis’ revelations could be heard by the public. If we’ve learnt one thing over the past ten years it is this: when anyone tries to infringe on our constitutional rights, we have to fight back. Every day, our journalists are uncovering more details and evidence of State Capture and its various reincarnations. The rot is deep and the threats, like this recent one to freedom of speech, are real. You can support the cause by becoming an Insider and help free the speech that can make a difference.\n\n*No video of Richard Poplak auditioning for SA’s Got Talent actually exists. Unless it does and we don’t know about it please send it through.", "(SHENZHEN, China) — Chinese tech giant Huawei filed a motion in U.S. court Wednesday challenging the constitutionality of a law that limits its sales of telecom equipment, the latest action in an ongoing clash with the U.S. government.\n\nHuawei’s chief legal officer Song Liuping said at press briefing that Huawei had filed a motion for summary judgment asking the court to rule on whether it is constitutional for the U.S. to implement a military spending provision that bars the government and its contractors from using Huawei equipment.\n\nHuawei is the biggest global maker of network equipment, but it is now fighting to maintain access to major markets for next-generation communications as the U.S. claims the company threatens international cybersecurity.\n\nIn March, Huawei launched its suit against the U.S. law in Plano, Texas, the headquarters of its U.S. operations. The summary judgment motion seeks to accelerate the legal process to give U.S. customers access to Huawei equipment sooner, according to a Wednesday statement from Huawei.\n\nSong said the “state-sanctioned campaign” against the company will not improve cybersecurity.\n\n“Politicians in the U.S. are using the strength of an entire nation to come after a private company,” he said. “This is not normal.”", "SHENZHEN, China (AP) — Chinese tech giant Huawei has filed a motion in U.S. court challenging the constitutionality of a law that limits its sales of telecom equipment.\n\nThe action Wednesday is the latest in an ongoing clash between Huawei and the U.S. government, which claims the Chinese telecom company poses a threat to international cybersecurity.\n\nHuawei's chief legal officer Song Liuping announced Wednesday that Huawei has filed a motion for summary judgment asking the court to rule on whether it is constitutional for the U.S. to implement a military spending provision that bars the government and its contractors from using Huawei equipment.\n\nHuawei launched its suit in Plano, Texas, its U.S. headquarters, in March.\n\nThe biggest global maker of network equipment is fighting a U.S. campaign to persuade allies to shun the company.", "HONG KONG (Reuters) - China’s Huawei Technologies Co Ltd has filed a legal motion seeking to declare a U.S. defense law unconstitutional, in the telecom equipment maker’s latest bid to fight sanctions from Washington that threaten to push it out of global markets.\n\nThe motion for summary judgment in its lawsuit against the U.S. government, filed late on Tuesday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, asks a judge to declare the 2019 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) unconstitutional. Huawei filed its lawsuit in March.\n\nThe NDAA bill, passed by the U.S. Congress last summer, places a broad ban on federal agencies and their contractors from using Huawei equipment on national security grounds, citing the company’s ties with the Chinese government.\n\nHuawei, the world’s largest telecoms network gear maker, has repeatedly denied it is controlled by the Chinese government, military or intelligence services.\n\nU.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo kept up the pressure on Huawei on Wednesday.\n\n“Huawei is an instrument of the Chinese government,” Pompeo said in an interview with Fox Business Network. “They’re deeply connected. It’s something that’s hard for Americans to understand.”\n\nGlen Nager, a partner at law firm Jones Day and lead counsel for Huawei, told Reuters the U.S. court had agreed on a schedule to hold hearings in September on motions by opposing sides.\n\nSome legal experts said Huawei’s lawsuit was likely to be dismissed because U.S. courts are reluctant to second-guess national security determinations by other branches of government.\n\nThe lawsuit “will be an uphill battle because Congress has broad authority to protect us from perceived national security threats,” said Franklin Turner, a government contracts lawyer at McCarter & English.\n\nIn November 2018, a federal appeals court rejected a similar lawsuit filed by Russian cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Lab, which was challenging a ban on the use of the company’s software in U.S. government networks.\n\nEarlier this month, the U.S. Commerce Department put Huawei on a trade blacklist that bans companies from doing business with the Chinese firm, a move which immediately disrupted the global tech sector.\n\nHuawei’s chief legal officer, Song Liuping, on Wednesday said the company was reviewing ways to fight the U.S. ban, which he said was affecting its more than 1,200 suppliers and threatened to affect its 3 billion customers in 170 countries.\n\nSong said Washington’s use of administrative orders and laws to punish a single company “sets a very dangerous precedent.”\n\n“Today it is telecom and Huawei, tomorrow it could be your company, your industry, your customers,” he told reporters at Huawei’s headquarters in Shenzhen.\n\nThe ban, along with separate accusations of bank fraud and corporate theft that the United States has made against Huawei and its chief financial officer, has exacerbated the trade war between Beijing and Washington.\n\nHuawei, which has been given a 90-day reprieve from the ban, has denied its products pose a security threat and protested Washington’s attempts to limit its business.\n\nVincent Pang, Huawei’s senior vice president and head of corporate communications, said the executive order and blacklist had transcended the boundaries of normal market competition.\n\n“This could lead to the start of the fragmentation of the global tech ecosystem and standards,” Pang said on Wednesday at Huawei’s headquarters.\n\nPang also said he did not expect the “political” situation to delay the introduction in China of fifth-generation (5G) network technology.", "HONG KONG, May 29 (Reuters) - China’s Huawei Technologies Co Ltd has filed a motion for summary judgment in its lawsuit against the U.S. government, according to a court filing in the United States, in the telecoms equipment maker’s latest attempt to fight sanctions from Washington that threaten to push it out of global markets.\n\nThe world’s largest telecom network gear maker has since faced even greater sanctions as the U.S. commerce department on May 16 put the firm on a trade blacklist that bans companies from doing business with Huawei, in a move which immediately disrupted the global tech sector.\n\nHuawei, which has been given a 90-day reprieve from the ban, has denied that its products pose a security threat and protested Washington’s attempts to limit its business."], "summary": "Huawei files for a summary judgment, seeking to expedite its March lawsuit against the U.S. Government, challenging the constitutionality of Section 889 of the National Defense Authorization Act that bans U.S. executive government agencies from procuring Huawei and ZTE telecommunications equipment based on national security."}
{"document": ["KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudan’s alliance of opposition and protest groups held a general strike on Tuesday as tensions mounted with the country’s military rulers over the transition to democracy.\n\nMembers of Sudanese alliance of opposition and protest groups chant slogans outside an office block during the first day of a strike, as tensions mounted with the country's military rulers over the transition to democracy, in Khartoum, Sudan May 28, 2019. REUTERS/Mohamed Nureldin Abdallah\n\nDozens of Sudanese crowded outside their workplaces, including banks and hospitals, in the capital Khartoum while holding signs and chanting.\n\n“As companies, we provide services to citizens. We have announced our apologies for not providing these services today and tomorrow, in support of the revolution, in support of freedom, and in support of justice,” said Mohamed El-Tayeb, a private-sector worker.\n\nMost staff in the medical sector, electricity offices and at the central bank as well as commercial banks observed the strike but other sectors were only partially affected.\n\n“We study the developments that have taken place in (other countries). That is why we have demands, that is why our martyr brothers have given so much,” said Abdallah Othman, a worker at an aviation company. “That is why we have been subjected to arrests, some of whom are our colleagues here at the company. We have to fulfill our demands and achieve civilian rule.”\n\nTalks between the ruling Transitional Military Council (TMC) and the Declaration of Freedom and Change Forces (DFCF) alliance are at a standstill despite weeks of negotiations over whether civilians or the military will have the upper hand in a sovereign body to lead the country during a three-year transition to democracy.\n\nDiscussions are continuing at a lower level to try to work toward an agreement and there will be no backing down from what has already been agreed, TMC spokesman General Shams El Din Kabbashi told Al Hadath TV on Tuesday.\n\nThe DFCF had said an initial two-day strike would encompass public and private enterprise, including the civil aviation, railway, petroleum, banking, communications and health sectors.\n\nIf an agreement was not reached with the TMC, the DFCF said it would escalate by calling for an open strike and indefinite civil disobedience until power is handed to civilians.\n\nThe TMC’s deputy head, Lieutenant General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, who is known by his nickname Hemedti, repeated on Tuesday that the council was ready to hand over power swiftly.\n\n“If we find trust, we would hand over power tonight before tomorrow,” he said.\n\nMany shops remained open while buses were still transporting residents, a Reuters witness said. The airport in Khartoum was operating normally, a civil aviation authority source and state news agency SUNA said.", "Ethiopia’s prime minister, Abiy Ahemd on Tuesday pledged not to interfere in the ongoing Sudan political impasse, saying his country will only contribute ideas to their Southern neighbour.\n\nAbiy was hosting the leader of Sudan’s transitional military council, General Abdul Fattah Burhan, who has also met leaders of Egypt and the United Arab Emirates in the past week.\n\n“On the request for advise, he shared the importance of being inclusive in the transition process,’‘ reported the office of the Ethiopian prime minister.\n\nSudan’s military is currently negotiating with leaders of protesters that overthrew president Omar al Bashir, to form a transitional authority that can run the country until the next election is held.\n\nMeanwhile, the alliance of opposition and protest groups held a general strike on Tuesday as tensions mounted with the country’s military rulers over the transition to democracy.\n\nDozens of Sudanese crowded outside their workplaces, including banks and hospitals, in the capital Khartoum while holding signs and chanting.\n\nTalks between the ruling Transitional Military Council (TMC) and the Declaration of Freedom and Change Forces (DFCF) alliance are at a standstill despite weeks of negotiations over whether civilians or the military will have the upper hand in a sovereign body to lead the country during a three-year transition to democracy.\n\nThe DFCF had said an initial two-day strike would encompass public and private enterprise, including the civil aviation, railway, petroleum, banking, communications and health sectors.", "Sudan’s alliance of opposition and protest groups held the first day of a strike on Tuesday as tensions mounted with the country’s military rulers over the transition to democracy.\n\nTalks between the ruling Transitional Military Council (TMC) and the Declaration of Freedom and Change Forces (DFCF) alliance are at a standstill despite weeks of negotiations over whether civilians or the military will have the upper hand after the ousting of long-time president Omar al-Bashir last month.\n\nMost staff in the medical sector, electricity offices and employees at the central bank as well as commercial banks observed the strike but other sectors were only partially affected.\n\nMany shops remained open while buses were still transporting residents, a Reuters witness said. The airport in Khartoum was operating normally, a civil aviation authority source and state news agency SUNA said.\n\nThe DFCF had said the two-day strike would encompass public and private enterprise, including the civil aviation, railway, petroleum, banking, communications and health sectors.\n\nIf an agreement was not reached with the TMC, the DFCF would escalate by calling for an open strike and indefinite civil disobedience until power is handed to civilians, Wagdy Saleh, a representative of a coalition within the DFCF, told a news conference.\n\nSaleh also said the TMC had demanded a two-thirds majority of eight to three on the sovereign council that will lead the country. The DFCF alliance wants civilians to dominate the council.\n\nThe deputy head of the TMC, Lieutenant General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, said on Monday that the council was ready to hand over power swiftly, but that the opposition was not being serious about sharing power and wanted to confine the military to a ceremonial role.\n\nThe TMC has suggested that elections should be held if an agreement cannot be reached between the sides.\n\nThe military ousted and detained Bashir on April 11, ending his 30-year rule after 16 weeks of street protests against him.", "KHARTOUM, Sudan — A leading Sudanese opposition party said it has refused a call by protest leaders for a two-day general strike, in a sign of divisions within the pro-democracy movement that is challenging military rule in Sudan.\n\nThe opposition Umma Party said Sunday it opposes the “preparations and timing” of the strike. However, it said authorities do not have the right to fire those who take part in the planned strike.\n\nThe party’s chief Sadek al-Mahdi led the country’s last democratically elected government, which the military autocrat Omar al-Bashir ousted with Islamist support in 1989.\n\nThe party is a member of the Forces for the Declaration of Freedom and Change, an umbrella group representing protesters and opposition parties in the negotiations with the ruling military council.\n\nThe FDFC said the nationwide strike would begin Tuesday. Protest leaders are hoping to force the military, which removed al-Bashir from power in April, to transfer power to a civilian-led authority.\n\nShams al-Deen al-Kabashi, a spokesman for the military council, meanwhile said negotiations with the protest leaders are slow. He warned that “lots of choices” are on the table as military and protest leaders argue over the details of a transition plan.\n\nHe was talking to troops in Khartoum’s twin city of Omdurman on Sunday.\n\nTalks between protesters and the army stalled earlier this week after both sides had agreed to a three-year transitional period, a cabinet and a legislative body.\n\nThey remain split over the makeup and leadership of the sovereign council that would run the country during the transition.\n\nProtest leaders say they want a civilian leader and “limited military representation,” but say the ruling generals have refused to relinquish power over the proposed council.\n\nAlso on Sunday Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, head of Sudan’s military council, arrived in the United Arab Emirates for talks with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, believed to be the Emirates’ day-to-day ruler.\n\nBin Zayed tweeted that he “affirmed the UAE’s support in preserving Sudan’s security and stability.”\n\nBurhan’s visit to the UAE came a day after his meeting in Cairo with Egypt’s President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi on Saturday. Also his deputy Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, better known as Hemedti , visited Saudi Arabia and met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman on Thursday.\n\nEgypt has voiced its support for the military council, pressing the African Union not to suspend Sudan’s activities in the regional block. Saudi Arabia and the UAE have pledged $3 billion in aid to shore up Sudan’s economy.\n\nCopyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.", "Sudan’s alliance of opposition and protest groups said on Monday that it would push ahead with a general two-day strike starting on Tuesday, in an escalation of tensions with the ruling transitional military council over the move to democracy, Reuters reports.\n\nTalks between the Transitional Military Council (TMC) and the Declaration of Freedom and Change Forces (DFCF) alliance are at a standstill after weeks of negotiations over who will have the upper hand after the ouster of long-time president Omar al-Bashir last month, civilians or the military.\n\nWagdy Saleh, a representative of a coalition within the DFCF, told a news conference called by the alliance that the TMC had demanded a two-thirds majority, of eight to three, on the sovereign council that will lead the country.\n\nThe deputy head of the TMC, Lieutenant General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, said earlier on Monday that the council was ready to hand over power swiftly, but said the opposition was not being serious about sharing power and wanted to confine the military to a ceremonial role.\n\n“By God, their slogans cheated us. I swear we were honest with them 100%,” Hemedti said at a dinner with police. “That’s why, by God Almighty, we will not hand this country except to safe hands.”\n\nHemedti said the military council respects many members of the opposition movement, including Sadiq al-Mahdi, Sudan’s last democratically elected prime minister, who was overthrown by Bashir.\n\nMahdi, who heads the Umma Party that is part of the alliance, rejected the strike on Sunday.\n\nHowever, his son, Al-Sadeeq Sadiq al-Mahdi, told Al Arabiya TV after Hemedti’s remarks: “Our stated position is not a rejection of the principle of the strike, but our logic is that there is no need to escalate now.”\n\nThe TMC has suggested that if an agreement cannot be reached between the two sides, elections should be held.\n\n“We are not saying we will not negotiate,” Hemedti said. “But we have to guarantee that all the Sudanese people are participating in the matter.”\n\n“We do not cheat, nor do we want power,” Hemedti said, adding that elections could be held in as little as three months in order to “…choose a government from the Sudanese people.”\n\nMubarak Ardol, who represents the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North, said at the news conference that it was essential to have an accurate and transparent census before elections can be held because millions of Sudanese remain displaced or refugees and would, therefore, be excluded.\n\n“Elections cannot be held in the current situation,” Ardol said.\n\nThe DFCF said Tuesday’s strike would encompass public and private enterprise, including the civil aviation, railway, petroleum, banking, communications and health sectors.\n\nIf an agreement is not reached with the TMC, the DFCF will escalate by calling for an open strike and indefinite civil disobedience until power is handed to civilians, Saleh said.\n\nThe military ousted and detained Bashir on April 11, ending his 30-year rule after 16 weeks of street protests against him spearheaded by the Sudanese Professionals’ Association, part of the DFCF.\n\nHemedti said on Monday: “These people’s goal is for us to hand over to them and return to our barracks.”", "CAIRO (Reuters) - Sudan’s transitional military council TMC said communication with the main opposition alliance had not been suspended and that a joint committee was working towards an agreement, Al Hadath TV reported on Tuesday, citing the council’s spokesman.\n\nGeneral Shams El Din Kabbashi told the channel that the council would not back down from what it had agreed with the opposition.", "The head of Sudan’s Transitional Military Council arrived in Juba this afternoon for talks with President Salva Kiir over relations between the two countries.\n\nThis is the first visit by Lieutenant-General Abdul Fattah al-Burhan, who took over from former Sudanese Defense Minister, Awad Ibn Auf after the overthrow of President Omar al Bashir in April.\n\nMost recently, President Salva Kiir expressed support for the Sudanese Military Council since taking over the interim leadership of Sudan.\n\nThe council on its part guaranteed smooth relations, and an uninterrupted flow of South Sudan oil through its territory to the international market at the Port of Sudan.\n\nDetails on the essence of the close-door meeting between the two leaders have not been made public.\n\nBut Sudan remains the main guarantor for the South Sudan peace agreement that was signed in September last year. The agreement was mediated by former President, Omar al Bashir.\n\nSudan also still host the First Vice President-designate, Dr. Riek Machar and a few other members of the opposition groups.\n\nMeanwhile, the political situation in Sudan continues to remain unstable due to a deadlocked between the generals and protest leaders over who should lead a new governing body to oversee the formation of a civilian administration.\n\nOn Sunday the main opposition group rejected a call by protesters to stage a two-day general strike because of a stalemate in talks with the ruling military -a soldier or a civilian.\n\nThe umbrella protest movement, the Alliance for Freedom and Change, the National Umma Party said in a statement that a general strike should be used after it is agreed upon by a council of leaders of the protest movement.", "KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) - Sudan's protest leaders have launched a two-day general strike to press the ruling military to hand over power to a civilian-led authority.\n\nWajdi Saleh, a negotiator for the protesters, says they resorted to holding the strike after negotiations with the military council became deadlocked over the makeup and leadership of a sovereign council that would run the country in a three-year transition period.\n\nThe Sudanese Professionals' Association, which spearheaded the protests that led the army to oust President Omar al-Bashir last month, urged people to show up at work on Tuesday and Wednesday but abstain from any activity.\n\nAfter the military ousted al-Bashir, who ruled for 30 years, army generals took over the country. But the protesters remained in the streets, demanding the military hand over power.\n\nFILE - In this April 30, 2019 file photo, Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the deputy head of the military council, second right, speaks at a press conference in Khartoum, Sudan. Sudan's ruling military council is meeting with protesters on Sunday, May19, 2019, to discuss the country's political transition after talks were halted for three days while roads were cleared outside the main sit-in in the capital, Khartoum. (AP Photo)", "A leading Sudanese opposition party says it is refusing a call by protest leaders for a two-day general strike, in a sign of divisions within the pro-democracy movement that is challenging military rule in Sudan.\n\nThe opposition Umma Party said Sunday it opposes the \"preparations and timing\" of the strike.\n\nThe party is a member of the Forces for the Declaration of Freedom and Change, an umbrella group representing protesters and opposition parties in the negotiations with the ruling military council.\n\nThe FDFC said the nationwide strike would begin Tuesday. Protest leaders are hoping to force the military, which ousted the autocrat Omar al-Bashir from power in April, to transfer power to a civilian-led authority.", "Sudan’s alliance of opposition and protest groups said on Monday that it will push ahead with a general two-day strike starting on Tuesday after talks with the ruling military council collapsed.\n\nWagdy Saleh, speaking for the Declaration of Freedom and Change Forces (DFCF) alliance, said the Transitional Military Council (TMC) demanded a two-thirds majority, of eight to three, on a sovereign council that would lead the country after the ouster of long-time president Omar al-Bashir last month.\n\nThe deputy head of the TMC, Lieutenant General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, said earlier on Monday that the council was ready to hand over power swiftly, but said the opposition was not serious about sharing power.\n\n“These people do not want to partner with us,” said Dagalo, who is known as Hemedti and heads the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, adding they wanted to confine the military to a ceremonial role.\n\n“By God, their slogans cheated us. I swear we were honest with them 100 percent,” Hemedti said at a dinner with police and diplomats. “That’s why, by God Almighty, we will not hand this country except to safe hands.”"], "summary": "Opposition leaders lead a two-day protest in Sudan over stalemate in negotiations between the military and opposition alliance groups over the transition of government following the 2019 Sudanese coup d'état."}
{"document": ["KELT-9b is exoplanet 650 light years from Earth, orbiting its host star at a distance of just 6 million kilometres or so (3 million miles) and completing one trip around its sun in just 1.5 days. Atmospheric temperatures soar to more than 4,000 degrees C (7,200 degrees F), making it the hottest exoplanet yet discovered.\n\nAt those temperatures, elements are almost completely vaporised. The atmosphere is cloudless and free of aerosols, giving the planet a clear sky that is flooded by light from the star.\n\nA team of scientists with the Universities of Bern and Geneva used the HARPS-North spectrograph on the Italian National Telescope at La Palma to study the spectra of elements in KELT-9b’s atmosphere, finding iron and titanium atoms. Follow-up observations confirmed the initial detections and found signs of vaporised sodium, magnesium, chromium and the rare-Earth metals scandium and yttrium.\n\n“Our team predicted that the spectrum of this planet could well be a treasure trove where a multitude of species can be detected that have not been observed in the atmosphere of any other planet before,” said Jens Hoeijmakers, lead author of the study published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.\n\n“With further observations, many more elements may well be discovered by using the same technique in the atmosphere of this planet in the future, and perhaps also on other planets that are heated to similarly high temperatures.”\n\nKevin Heng, director of the Center for Space and Habitability at the University of Bern, said the spectrographic techniques used to identify constituents in KELT-9b’s atmosphere may one day lead to even more profound results.\n\n“The chances are good that one day we will find so-called biosignatures, i.e. signs of life, on an exoplanet, using the same techniques that we are applying today,” he said. “Ultimately, we want to use our research to fathom the origin and development of the solar system as well as the origin of life.”", "VanEck Vectors Rare Earth/Strategic Metals ETF Up 3.2% As China Has Warned Of A Restriction On Rare Earth Exports To US\n\n\n\n Benzinga Newsdesk 5/29/2019 8:40:41 AM", "Rare earth metals are becoming increasingly important in the escalating U.S.-China trade dispute, leading to some speculation that China could restrict access to these obscure materials, which are sold in small qualities for big prices.\n\nChina is the global leader in rare earth minerals, such as Yttrium. The country mines and processes about 80% of the world’s annual output. Rare earths are used in many magnets and electronics found in a range of products, so their supply matters for the technology and industrial sectors.\n\nAs a result, analysts are revisiting company exposures to rising input costs in both the technology and the industrial sectors. But evidence from the past shows Chinese restriction of these materials might not upend U.S. tech or industrial stocks.\n\nRead more: China Has a Trade Weapon in Rare Earth Metals. Here’s What You Need to Know.\n\nRaymond James and Nomura analysts both wrote in recent research reports that the Chinese government could use rare earth export restrictions as a weapon while negotiating a new trade deal with the U.S. Nomura economics analyst Lewis Alexander also noted a recent trip by Chinese President Xi Jinping to visit a rare earth plant in Jiangxi province on May 20.\n\nThat trip might have been a signal to U.S. officials. Or perhaps it aimed to send a message to Xi’s constituents inside China, demonstrating he is serious about battling the U.S. on trade.\n\n“We have received a number of questions in recent days from investors regarding the impact of high rare earth prices on the [industrial] sector,” writes Barclays analyst Julian Mitchell. “During the prior occasion when rare earth prices spiked [in 2011], several [industrial] companies did complain about its impact.”\n\nStill, the impact on profit-and-loss statements and operations were minimal, and Mitchell calls the rare earth issue a “minor headwind.”\n\nWhat’s more, HSBC analyst Erwan Rambourg noted in a December research report that Apple (ticker: AAPL) was already investing in technology to recover and recycle rare earth materials.\n\nThat report was published before the current trade spat escalated, and shows that Apple has likely been working on rare earth supply for years. Rare earth prices have spiked in the past, most recently in 2011 after China reduced export quotas.\n\nAlternative sourcing and better supply chain management are often positive outcomes of tariffs or quotas. Apple wasn’t immediately available for comment.\n\nBarron’s wrote earlier this week the rare-earth weapon was only a pea shooter. Other weapons in the Chinese arsenal—such as currency devaluation or technology manufacturing restrictions—would be far more effective than restrictions on rare earth exports.\n\nStill, the heightened awareness of rare earth metals also has some stocks on the move. The VanEck Vectors Rare Earth ETF (ticker: REMX) was up 2.8% in Wednesday morning trading, far better than the 0.8% decline of the Dow Jones Industrial Average.\n\nThe VanEck ETF can serve as a proxy for what the market thinks China will do to leverage its rare-earth dominance. Just don’t expect China’s upper hand in this area to derail U.S. stocks.", "What are rare-earth metals?\n\nRare earths refer to a group of 17 elements that are prized for their unique magnetic and electrochemical properties.\n\nThey include elements like gadolinium, lanthanum, cerium and promethium, and are vital in the production of cancer treatment drugs, smartphones and renewable energy technologies.\n\nThe elements have been designated as “critical” by the US Geological Survey for sectors including national defence.\n\nWhere do they come from?\n\nRare earths are not actually very rare. They can be found across the Earth’s crust. However, they are often in low concentrations and are difficult and expensive to mine.\n\nThe process can also damage the environment, with ecosystems put at risk by pit mining, the release of metal byproducts from refineries, and water contamination from particles being dumped during waste disposal.\n\nChina is by far the world’s largest producer of rare earths, and accounts for around 70% of global production. The country has some 37% of global reserves.\n\nHow did rare earths get caught up in the US-China trade war?\n\nBeijing has been looking for further leverage in its trade war with the US, which escalated earlier this month when Donald Trump announced he was hiking tariffs on $200bn of Chinese goods from 10% to 25%.\n\nWhile China retaliated with tariffs on $60bn of goods it imports from the US – including spinach, batteries and coffee – Chinese newspapers have signalled that its next move could be the restriction of rare earths.\n\nIt would be a blow to the White House, as the US relied on China for about 80% of its rare-earth imports between 2014 and 2017.\n\nThe editor of the state-controlled Global Times, Hu Xijin, tweeted: “Based on what I know, China is seriously considering restricting rare-earth exports to the US. China may also take other countermeasures in the future.”\n\nWhat are they used for?\n\nThe use of rare earths is vast and varied, spanning national defence to consumer goods.\n\nThey are used in healthcare including for surgical supplies, pacemakers, cancer treatment drugs and rheumatoid arthritis medication. They are also found in telescope lenses, aircraft engines and are used as catalysts in auto exhaust systems to help reduce emissions.\n\nNeodymium is often used to produce high powered, infrared lasers for national defence, while military suppliers such as BAE systems use rare earths to produce sensors for missile systems.\n\nWhich consumer products are at risk?\n\nRare earth elements have helped make consumer electronics such as computers and smartphones lighter, smaller and more efficient.\n\nConsumer goods giant Apple, for example, is dependent on rare earths for component parts including cameras and speakers, and says the elements are hard to recover in the recycling process because they appear in such small quantities in the original products.\n\nThey are also required for rechargeable batteries used in electric cars, and are used in the manufacture of televisions.\n\nAre there other countries that can step in to cover China’s supply?\n\nCountries last tried to cut their dependence back in 2010 during a dispute between China the Japan. Tokyo accused Beijing of halting supplies for political reasons. While rare-earths mines are also found in Malaysia, Brazil, Estonia, Australia, India, South Africa and Canada, few alternative suppliers were able to fill the gap.\n\nThe US has a single rare-earth mine in operation, based in California. The Mountain Pass mine exports about 50,000 tonnes of rare-earth extract to China for processing.\n\nHowever, Australian company Lynas signed an agreement earlier this month with the Texas-based chemicals manufacturer Blue Lineto build a processing plant in the US.\n\nSome companies, such as Nebraska’s Rare Earth Salts, are reportedly recycling florescent light tubes for rare-earth elements that make up about 20% of the bulb.\n\nWhich companies are benefiting from the threats?\n\nA number of rare-earths companies have seen their share prices soar, as markets anticipate a surge in demand and higher prices, as a result of restricted Chinese supply.\n\nShares in Rainbow Rare Earths, which is listed on London’s alternative investment market, jumped nearly 15% on Wednesday amid fresh trade threats, while China Rare Earth Holdings ended the day up 24% in Hong Kong.", "WASHINGTON/BEIJING -- Chinese officials are dangling the possibility of banning exports of rare-earth metals to the U.S. as trade tensions mount, exploiting American dependence on China for materials that play a crucial role in modern technology.\n\n\"If anyone wants to use the products made from our rare earth exports to try to counter China’s development... the people of China will not be happy,\" a representative of the powerful National Development and Reform Commission, the country's planning agency, said in a statement Tuesday, alluding to the possibility of cutting off rare-earth supplies.\n\nAsked about this the following day, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said only that \"remarks made by NDRC officials certainly are a voice of authority.\"\n\nA commentary dated Wednesday in the People's Daily newspaper, a Communist Party mouthpiece, underscored the point. \"If anyone wants to use imported rare earths against China, the Chinese people will not agree,\" it echoed.\n\nSpeculation that Beijing could use rare-earth metals as a bargaining chip in retaliation for American pressure on its tech industry has swirled since Washington this month essentially banned American companies from selling to Huawei Technologies. Rare earths are used in applications ranging from magnets, lasers and superconductors to camera lenses and cancer treatments, but are difficult to produce and process into a useful form.\n\nOn May 20, shortly after news of the Huawei blacklisting emerged, Chinese President Xi Jinping visited a magnet maker in Ganzhou, Jiangxi Province, an area rich in rare-earth deposits. He was accompanied by Vice Premier Liu He, China's chief negotiator in trade talks with the U.S.\n\nRare-earth metals are an \"important strategic resource,\" Xi said. \"We must work ceaselessly to raise our technology level.\"\n\nChina accounted for about 70% of the 170,000 tons of rare earths mined last year, with Australia and the U.S. in distant second and third, according to data from the U.S. Geological Survey.\n\nChina supplies 80% of the rare-earth metals and compounds imported by the U.S. The share is even higher for certain materials, climbing as high as 96% for cerium, which is used as a glass polish and in automotive exhaust catalysts. The U.S. has spared rare earths from its punitive tariffs on Chinese imports, including a proposed fourth round that would cover nearly all goods not yet affected.\n\nDeng Xiaoping, the former Chinese leader who was a driving force behind the country's economic growth and reform, recognized the minerals' strategic importance early on, likening their significance to oil in the Middle East. China has built processing and production facilities to turn the raw ore into useful intermediate and final products.\n\nThe country throttled shipments of rare earths to Japan in 2010 amid rising tensions over the Senkaku Islands, which are administered by Tokyo and claimed by Beijing as the Diaoyu. This precedent has made market watchers sensitive to the possibility of a ban. The price of dysprosium, used to improve the heat resistance of magnets for electric-vehicle motors, has jumped 60% this year to about $280 per kilogram amid speculative buying.\n\nThe prospect of higher prices has bolstered the shares of rare-earth miners both within and outside China. China Rare Earth Holdings closed up 24% on Wednesday, and JL Mag Rare-Earth, operator of the plant Xi visited last week, climbed 10%. Australian miner Lynas, one of the few non-Chinese suppliers of rare earths, advanced 15%.\n\nIn Japan, Asaka Riken, which recovers valuable metals from waste, ended the day limit-up with a 22% gain, as the benchmark Nikkei Stock Average sank more than 250 points.\n\nBut a return of export quotas could prove costly to China. Yuji Tanamachi, head of Tokyo-based metals market research company IRuniverse, considers it unlikely that Beijing will go that far, arguing that \"the damage to China itself over the medium to long term would be significant.\"\n\nThe 2010 restrictions raised questions about the reliability of Japan's rare-earth supply and spurred the country to find other sources and develop technologies that made the minerals unnecessary. Losing access to the U.S. market would deal a heavy blow to Chinese manufacturers further down the supply chain.\n\nQuotas could also undermine China's argument that the U.S. tariffs violate World Trade Organization rules. The WTO ruled against Beijing in 2014 in a case brought by the U.S., Europe and Japan over Chinese rare-earth export restrictions.\n\nIssaku Harada in Beijing and Hiroki Masuda in Tokyo contributed to this report.", "China has a stranglehold on rare earth supplies. It could use that to throttle the U.S.\n\nThat was the thinly-veiled threat President Xi Jinping sent during his first domestic trip since trade negotiations imploded this month. Flanked by his chief negotiator, Vice Premier Liu He, Xi took a tour of a factory in Jiangxi province that spins rare earth elements into permanent magnets—the type used in electric cars, wind turbines, and even guided missiles.\n\nRare earths—there are 17 in all—are vital to much of today’s tech with uses in every segment from consumer electronics to national defense. Despite their name, however, rare earths are not rare. According to the United States Geological Survey, the ores are roughly as common as those of copper or lead. But, because rare earth ores oxidize quickly, extracting the vital metals is both difficult and extremely polluting.\n\nChina, aided by its low labor costs and lax environmental regulations, became the dominant force in the rare earth market during the 1980s, surpassing the U.S. China, which sits on close to 40% of global rare earth deposits, produces 120,000 metric tons of rare earth a year, or roughly 80% of the global supply. For comparison, Australia, the world’s second largest supplier, produced just 20,000 metric tons last year.\n\nFollowing Xi’s visit to Jiangxi, the nationalistic called rare earths “an ace in Beijing’s hand,” and on Tuesday the National Development and Reform Commission, China’s economic planner, raised the prospect of weaponizing rare earths. On Wednesday, the Party’s mouthpiece paper, the thundered in an article about rare earths: “Don’t say you haven’t been warned.”\n\nBeijing has weaponized its dominance in the rare earth market before. In 2010, when China and Japan clashed over ownership of islands in the East China Sea, Beijing halted shipments of rare earths to its rival, disrupting supply lines for major manufacturers like Toyota and Panasonic. But Beijing emerged weaker for it.\n\nThe blockade was enough to alert the rest of the world to China’s unchecked power over the precious minerals. A coalition of countries led by the U.S. appealed to the WTO which, in 2014, ruled that China can’t put limits on rare earth exports. That year, an article published by the Council on Foreign Relations, a U.S. think tank, said “even in the apparently most-dangerous case of rare earth elements, the problem rapidly faded.”\n\nWhat China can do\n\nBeijing sets a quota for rare earth production twice a year. In the first half 2019, the cap was placed at 60,000 tons—up from 45,000 the preceding half. “If China wanted to reduce exports of rare earths, the logical step would be to lower the mining quota,” says Helen Lau, a metals and mining analyst at Argonaut Securities. Quotas for the remainder of the year are due in June and will be the first indicator of whether authorities are making good on their threats.\n\nBeijing could claim to be lowering the quota for environmental reasons, Lau says, and a lower quota would naturally reduce the amount of rare earth available, which would limit supplies and increase costs for the U.S. But even this approach carries risk: a reduced quota limits supplies for China’s more significant customers too.\n\nThe U.S. imports 80% of its rare earth needs from China, but overall demand for rare earths in the U.S. is low. American demand accounted for just 4% of China’s rare earth shipments, totaling around $160 million in 2018.\n\nPartly, that’s because most U.S. manufacturers that require rare earth metals have already moved to China. America’s remaining industries tend to import finished rare earth products, such as magnets, which are a trickier target for China to hit.\n\nIf China limits the export of finished components, the impact would affect China’s domestic industry first. That might be a sacrifice Beijing is willing to make, but it would be a peculiarly forward approach. Beijing prefers indirect measures that afford the government deniability— the recent halt of Canadian canola imports due to a phantom pest infestation is proof. However, the fiery rhetoric of China’s state media suggests Beijing might be desperate enough to forego pretenses.\n\nMeanwhile, the U.S. is seeking alternative supplies. At a site called Mountain Pass in California’s San Bernardino county, the only rare earth mine in the U.S. is back in operation. Once the world’s leading supplier of rare earths, today the mine simply ships unrefined ore to China for final processing. A conglomerate called MP Materials bought the mine in 2017 after the site’s previous owner, Molycorp, filed for bankruptcy, beaten on prices by China’s competitiveness.\n\nThe consortium, which includes a Chinese shareholder, says it will re-open the mothballed processing facilities at Mountain Pass next year so that the mine can extract rare earth metals at home. It’s a move expedited by the trade war. Beijing slapped 10% tariffs on ore imports last year and is set to increase them to 25% on June 1.\n\nThe mine’s CEO, Michael Rosenthal, has said MP Materials will focus on extracting higher-value ores to avoid following its predecessor, Molycorp, into bankruptcy. MP Materials will still need to contend with competition from China and strict environmental regulation from California. However, if China blocks rare earth exports, MP’s main competition disappears.\n\nDown south, Texas chemical manufacturer Blue Line Corp and Australian miner Lynas are also in talks to open a rare earth processing plant and, earlier in May, a bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced legislation to safeguard U.S. mineral supplies. Meanwhile Japan discovered a treasure trove of rare earths that could supply the earth on a “semi-infinite basis.”\n\nLoosening China’s grip on the industry will take time and money, but there’s a compelling incentive to do so, especially as China threatens to be an unreliable supplier. Blocking rare earth exports—again—might well be a ‘nuclear option’ for China, but Beijing could suffer the fallout.\n\n—Where Google’s ban on Huawei will hurt the most\n\n—Europe’s vacation hot spots have a message for tourists: Sorry, we’re full\n\n—Listen to our new audio briefing, Fortune 500 Daily\n\nCatch up with Data Sheet, Fortune‘s daily digest on the business of tech.", "WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Rare earth elements are used in a wide range of consumer products, from iPhones to electric car motors, as well as military jet engines, satellites and lasers.\n\nRising tensions between the United States and China have sparked concerns that Beijing could use its dominant position as a supplier of rare earths for leverage in the trade war between the two global economic powers.\n\nWHAT ARE RARE EARTHS USED IN?\n\nRare earths are used in rechargeable batteries for electric and hybrid cars, advanced ceramics, computers, DVD players, wind turbines, catalysts in cars and oil refineries, monitors, televisions, lighting, lasers, fiber optics, superconductors and glass polishing.\n\nSeveral rare earth elements, such as neodymium and dysprosium, are critical to the motors used in electric vehicles.\n\nSome rare earth minerals are essential in military equipment such as jet engines, missile guidance systems, antimissile defense systems, satellites, as well as in lasers.\n\nLanthanum, for example, is needed to manufacture night vision devices.\n\nThe U.S. Defense Department accounts for about 1% of U.S. demand, which in turn accounts for about 9% of global demand for rare earths, according to a 2016 report from the congressional U.S. Government Accountability Office.\n\nWHICH COMPANIES ARE MOST DEPENDENT ON CHINESE SUPPLIES?\n\nCompanies such as Raytheon Co, Lockheed Martin Corp and BAE Systems Plc all make sophisticated missiles that use rare earths metals in their guidance systems, and sensors. Lockheed and BAE declined to comment. Raytheon did not respond to a request for comment.\n\nApple Inc uses rare earth elements in speakers, cameras and the so-called “haptic” engines that make its phones vibrate. The company says the elements are not available from traditional recyclers because they are used in such small amounts they cannot be recovered.\n\nSince 2010, the government and private industry have built up stockpiles of rare earths and components that use them, according to Eugene Gholz, a former senior Pentagon supply chain expert, who teaches at the University of Notre Dame.\n\nSome suppliers have scaled back their use of such elements, he said.\n\nWHAT ARE RARE EARTHS AND WHERE DO THEY OCCUR?\n\nRare earth metals are a group of 17 elements - lanthanum, cerium, praseodymium, neodymium, promethium, samarium, europium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, holmium, erbium, thulium, ytterbium, lutetium, scandium, yttrium - that appear in low concentrations in the ground.\n\nAlthough they are more abundant than their name implies, they are difficult and costly to mine and process cleanly. China hosts most of the world’s processing capacity and supplied 80% of the rare earths imported by the United States from 2014 to 2017. In 2017, China accounted for 81% of the world’s rare earth production, data from the U.S. Geological Survey showed.\n\nImporters made limited efforts to reduce rare earth consumption and dependence on China after a diplomatic dispute between China and Japan in 2010. Japan accused China of halting rare earth supplies for political reasons, sparking recognition worldwide of the risks of dependence on one supplier. China denied it had halted supplies.\n\nFew alternative suppliers were able to compete with China, which is home to 37% of global rare earths reserves.\n\nCalifornia’s Mountain Pass mine is the only operating U.S. rare earths facility. But MP Materials, owner of Mountain Pass, ships the roughly 50,000 tonnes of rare earth concentrate it extracts each year from California to China for processing. China has imposed a tariff of 25% on those imports during the trade war.\n\nAustralia’s Lynas Corporation Ltd this week said it signed a memorandum of understanding with Texas-based Blue Line Corp to build a rare earth processing facility in the United States.\n\nRare earths are also mined in India, South Africa, Canada, Australia, Estonia, Malaysia and Brazil.\n\nHOW ARE RARE EARTHS AFFECTED BY U.S. TARIFFS?\n\nSo far, the U.S. government has exempted rare earths from tariffs on Chinese goods.\n\nU.S. senators introduced legislation in May to encourage development of domestic supplies.\n\nRecycling has also emerged as a potential source for rare earth minerals.\n\nNebraska-based Rare Earth Salts is taking old fluorescent light tubes and recycling them for their rare earth elements, which comprise about 20 percent of the bulb, according to the Association of Lamp and Mercury Recyclers.", "In the Chinese science fiction film The Wandering Earth, recently released on Netflix, humanity attempts to change the Earth’s orbit using enormous thrusters in order to escape the expanding sun – and prevent a collision with Jupiter.\n\nThe scenario may one day come true. In five billion years, the sun will run out of fuel and expand, most likely engulfing the Earth.\n\nA more immediate threat is a global warming apocalypse.\n\nMoving the Earth to a wider orbit could be a solution – and it is possible in theory.\n\nBut how could we go about it and what are the engineering challenges? For the sake of argument, let us assume that we aim to move the Earth from its current orbit to an orbit 50% further from the sun, similar to Mars’.\n\nWe have been devising techniques to move small bodies – asteroids – from their orbit for many years, mainly to protect our planet from impacts.\n\nSome are based on an impulsive, and often destructive, action: a nuclear blast near or on the surface of the asteroid, or a “kinetic impactor”, for example a spacecraft colliding with the asteroid at high velocity.\n\nThese are clearly not applicable to Earth due to their destructive nature.\n\nOther techniques instead involve a very gentle, continuous push over a long time, provided by a tugboat docked on the surface of the asteroid, or a spacecraft hovering near it (pushing through gravity or other methods).\n\nBut this would be impossible for the Earth as its mass is enormous compared to even the largest asteroids.\n\nWe have actually already been moving the Earth from its orbit.\n\nEvery time a probe leaves the Earth for another planet, it imparts a small impulse to the Earth in the opposite direction, similar to the recoil of a gun. Luckily for us – but unfortunately for the purpose of moving the Earth – this effect is incredibly small.\n\nSpaceX’s Falcon Heavy is the most capable launch vehicle today.\n\nWe would need 300 billion billion launches at full capacity in order to achieve the orbit change to Mars.\n\nThe material making up all these rockets would be equivalent to 85% of the Earth, leaving only 15% of Earth in Mars orbit.\n\nAn electric thruster is a much more efficient way to accelerate mass – in particular ion drives, which work by firing out a stream of charged particles that propel the vessel forward.\n\nWe could point and fire an electric thruster in the trailing direction of Earth’s orbit.\n\nThe oversized thruster should be 1,000 kilometres above sea level, beyond Earth’s atmosphere, but still solidly attached to the Earth with a rigid beam, to transmit the pushing force.\n\nWith an ion beam fired at 40 kilometres per second in the right direction, we would still need to eject the equivalent of 13% of the mass of the Earth in ions to move the remaining 87%.\n\nAs light carries momentum, but no mass, we may also be able to continuously power a focused light beam, such as a laser.\n\nThe required power would be collected from the sun, and no Earth mass would be consumed.\n\nEven using the enormous 100GW laser plant envisaged by the Breakthrough Starshot project, which aims to propel spacecraft out of the solar system to explore neighbouring stars, it would still take three billion billion years of continuous use to achieve the orbital change.\n\nBut light can also be reflected directly from the sun to the Earth using a solar sail stationed next to the Earth. Researchers have shown that it would need a reflective disc 19 times bigger than the Earth’s diameter to achieve the orbital change over a timescale of one billion years.\n\nA well-known technique for two orbiting bodies to exchange momentum and change their velocity is with a close passage, or gravitational slingshot.\n\nThis type of manoeuvre has been extensively used by interplanetary probes. For example, the Rosetta spacecraft that visited comet 67P in 2014-2016, during its ten-year journey to the comet passed in the vicinity of the Earth twice, in 2005 and 2007.\n\nAs a result, the gravity field of the Earth imparted a substantial acceleration to Rosetta, which would have been unachievable solely using thrusters.\n\nConsequently, the Earth received an opposite and equal impulse – although this did not have any measurable effect due to Earth’s mass.\n\nBut what if we could perform a slingshot, using something much more massive than a spacecraft? Asteroids can certainly be redirected by the Earth, and while the mutual effect on Earth’s orbit will be tiny, this action can be repeated numerous times to ultimately achieve a considerable Earth orbit change.\n\nSome regions of the solar system are dense with small bodies such as asteroids and comets, the mass of many of which is small enough to be moved with realistic technology, but still orders of magnitude larger than what can be realistically launched from Earth.\n\nWith accurate trajectory design, it is possible to exploit so-called “Δv leveraging” – a small body can be nudged out of its orbit and as a result swing past the Earth, providing a much larger impulse to our planet.\n\nThis may seem exciting, but it has been estimated that we would need a million such asteroid close passes, each spaced about a few thousand years apart, to keep up with the sun’s expansion.\n\nOf all the options available, using multiple asteroid slingshots seems the most achievable right now.\n\nBut in the future, exploiting light might be the key – if we learn how to build giant space structures or super-powerful laser arrays. These could also be used for space exploration.\n\nBut while it is theoretically possible, and may one day be technically feasible, it might actually be easier to move our species to our planetary next-door neighbour, Mars, which may survive the sun’s destruction.\n\nWe have, after all, already landed on and roved its surface several times.\n\nAfter considering how challenging it would be to move the Earth, colonising Mars, making it habitable and moving Earth’s population there over time, might not sound as difficult after all.\n\nThis article was written by Matteo Ceriotti, lecturer in space systems engineering at the University of Glasgow for The Conversation.\n\nA Nasa simulation recently revealed how an asteroid would flatten New York if planetary defence systems failed.\n\nHere is the full list of enormous \"doomsday\" asteroids Nasa thinks might crash into Earth.\n\nAnd watch a 3D animation of what a 500km asteroid hitting Earth would look like.\n\nDo you worry about the impending apocalypse? Let us know in the comments!\n\nWe pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368 . We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.", "The trade war is quickly becoming a rare earth war–at least in the rhetoric of Chinese state media.\n\nThe often belligerently nationalist Global Times, controlled by the Chinese Communist Party, called on China to cut-back on rare-earth licenses and “tighten management’ of foreign-invested companies as first steps to “weapons the minerals.”\n\nThe paper also called on the Chinese government to intensify a “crackdown on the smuggling of rare earths to the US.”\n\nThe crackdown on rare-earth smuggling makes it possible for China to weaponize the minerals in an escalation of the trade war. Now China needs to tighten management of rare-earth enterprises, especially foreign-invested companies, to make smuggling absolutely impossible. Rare-earth minerals are important strategic resources but China had never thought of using the minerals as leverage to hit the US. The trade war is prompting China to rethink its rare-earth strategy and make quick adjustments. Once merely an economic sector, rare earths have become a counter weapon for China to hit back at the US. There is a lot of work to be done, and cracking down on smuggling is only the first step in weaponizing the sector. Now may be the time for China to cut the number of rare-earth mining licenses, increase rare-earth imports, and build strategic reserves of the minerals China is busy upgrading its rare-earth sector. If there is a rare-earth war against the US, we have absolute confidence that China will win and deal a knockout blow to the US economy.\n\nRare earth elements are required to make a vast variety of tech and defense products, including smartphones, guided missiles, nuclear rods, and smart cars. China controls the vast majority of rare earth production and the U.S. imports nearly all of the rare earths used in U.S. manufacturing from China.\n\nChina’s control of rare earth mining has implications for the U.S. military. According to a 2016 Government Accountability Office study, certain rare earth materials are “essential to the production, sustainment, and operation of U.S. military equipment.” Critical military uses include rare earths employed in antimissile defense systems, precision-guided weapons, lasers, communications systems, night vision equipment, satellites, and military aircraft.\n\n“Reliable access to the necessary material…is a bedrock requirement for the [Department of Defense],” the GAO wrote.\n\nChina has a near-global monopoly of rare earth production and exports but the elements are actually abundant around the global. The U.S. was, in fact, once the largest supplier of rare earths. But the extraction of rare earths is cumbersome, costly, and poses risks to the environment. China vast capacity for production means it can flood the market with supply to depress global prices, the threat of which has depressed investor willingness to invest in production outside of China.\n\nThe Trump administration has been urged to support domestic production, including by creating a national rare earth laboratory akin to the Department of Energy’s famous Los Alamos National Laboratory. The goal would be to guarantee that manufacturers wouldn’t lose access to the rare-earth minerals if China decided to restrict their import.", "Stocks of rare earth miners surged during morning trade on Wednesday after Chinese state-linked media said that Beijing may weaponize the exports of the vital materials amid an escalating trade war with the US.\n\nHong Kong-listed shares of China Rare Earth Holdings Ltd skyrocketed around 40 percent after the opening bell before slightly falling back later in the day. At the same time JL Mag Rare-Earth Co, the plant Chinese President Xi Jinping visited last week, jumped more than 10 percent. The miner's stock has been rising for several consecutive trading sessions and hit a record high on Wednesday.\n\nOther rare earth-related companies also enjoyed gains, with China Northern Rare Earth Group High-Tech Co. soaring around 9 percent Xiamen Tungsten Co. climbing nearly 5 percent.\n\nNot only Chinese miners enjoyed gains on Wednesday, as shares of Australian rare earths producer Lynas reached a historic peak after they gained more than 15 percent in one day. Australia is one of the top global rare-earths producing countries, with annual output of 20,000 tons, but it is far behind Chinese yearly production of 120,000 tons.\n\nThe rally comes shortly after Chinese government-funded media, such as the Global Times and People’s Daily, reported that China may use the elements to hit back against US pressure. On Tuesday, Global Times editor in chief said that Beijing is “seriously considering” an embargo on rare earths. Beijing has not officially commented on the issue so far.\n\nRare earth elements, also called rare earth metals, is the group of 17 elements with special characteristics such as dysprosium, praseodymium, lanthanum. The materials are actually not rare, despite their name, but they are difficult to find in the desirable concentrations and they are difficult to process as the ores often contain naturally occurring radioactive materials such as uranium and thorium. Still, the materials are vital for a wide range of industries, especially high tech.\n\nChina's reserves account for roughly 30 percent of the world's total, and the country dominates global supply chain as it produces more than 80 percent of them. Today there is hardly any alternative source that can fulfil the market demand.\n\nFor more stories on economy & finance visit RT's business section"], "summary": "Rare-earth metals are discovered in KELT-9b, an exoplanet located 650 light-years away from Earth."}
{"document": ["T-Series beats PewDiePie to become first YouTube channel with 100 million subscribers\n\nIt might be far from reaching a conclusion but for now, the online battle between PewDiePie and T-Series has arrived at an interesting point. The YouTube channel of T-Series, that has managed to stay ahead of PewDiePie’s in the last few weeks, has now become the first in the world to touch a subscriber base of 100 million. The Swedish YouTuber, known for his cheeky sense of humour, is currently lagging behind with over 96 million subscribers.\n\nSocial Blade, a social media analytics page, had earlier predicted that T-Series will achieve the big feat on May 21. Although the Indian music label got late by eight days, there is no doubt that it has created history. PewDiePie, it has been forecast, will reach the 100 million-mark on June 2.\n\nT-Series, on its official Instagram account, announced the big victory. Their post read, “World’s biggest YouTube Channel T-Series has achieved another YouTube milestone by being the first one to cross an astonishing 100 million subscribers Thank You Fans for being part of our journey. TSeries - Making India Proud”\n\nNetizens have witnessed cut-throat competition between T-Series and PewDiePie in the last couple of weeks. The fight between the YouTube biggies was so close that during one phase, tables were turning every other day. While T-Series dethroned PewDiePie in February only for a few minutes, it maintained its top position for much longer in March.\n\nThe fight between the two giants began in October last year. PewDiePie, who had been on numero uno spot for almost half a decade, then, for the first time, felt threatened by the ever-growing subscriber base of T-Series.\n\nT-Series and PewDiePie have benefitted immensely from this battle of subscribers. Back in October, both channels had a subscriber base of nearly 67 million subscribers. Not a year has passed and one of them has hit a century and the other is close to hitting one.", "New Delhi: Music company T-Series on Wednesday said that it has become biggest YouTube channel with 100 million subscribers.\n\nThe company has already surpassed its major online rival PewDiePie which has a subscriber base of 96 million. PewDiePie is the channel of Swedish Youtuber Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg. He is an actor, comedian and gamer–commentator and best known for his YouTube video content.\n\n\"World’s biggest YouTube Channel, T-Series has achieved another YouTube milestone by being the first one to cross an astonishing #100MillionSubscribers. Thank you for being part of our journey. T-Series - Making India Proud,\" the company tweeted. It also changed it cover picture on Twitter.\n\nPewDiePie had maintained his lead on YouTube for five years. Since October 2018, PewDiePie and T-Series have been fighting for the YouTube crown but things began to change in favour of the Indian music label and film production company after it started gaining more than 100,000 subscribers everyday in 2018. Started in early 1980s, the Indian music label is owned by Gulshan Kumar and Bhusan Kumar.\n\nThe T-Series channel primarily contains Indian music videos (Bollywood music and Indi-pop) as well as Bollywood film trailers, and uploads several videos every day. It has updated 13.3 thousand videos as of 21 April 2019.\n\nAlthough not widely known in the United States, T-Series is one of the most watched YouTube channel in the world. T-Series started posting trailers and music videos from its catalog on YouTube in earnest in late 2010.", "Indian music label, T-Series, has made a new Guinness World Record after becoming the first YouTube channel to surpass 100 million subscribers. It officially became the first YouTube channel to reach 100 million subscribers on the video platform on Wednesday. Guinness World Records, in a tweet, stated that T-Series' has reached a remarkable online video milestone and congratulated the Indian music label for surpassing the 100 million subscribers on YouTube.\n\nT-Series surpassed the record of Swedish YouTuber Felix Kjellberg's PewDiePie channel, which has around 96 million subscribers on YouTube. PewDiePie is known for his comedy sketches on the video sharing platform. His YouTube channel was the first one to reach 50 million subscribers milestone.\n\nEarlier, T-Series tweeted that the world's biggest YouTube channel has achieved another milestone by being the first one to cross 100 million subscribers.\n\nT-Series, which has a team of 13 people that handles its YouTube portfolio, has continued its online success with more than 20 million albums, reported guinnessworldrecords.com. The channel gained its last 50 million subscribers in less than a year. Singers like Guru Randhawa and soundtrack from Bollywood movie Simmba helped the company boost its overall number, suggest reports.\n\nThe Delhi-based company has achieved the milestone of 100 million YouTube subscribers after a public internet war with PewDiePie. They were also involved in several sub wars, diss videos, and memes in the past.\n\nFelix Kjellberg had earlier shared a music video titled 'Congratulations', acknowledging his YouTube channel's defeat. Two of PewDiePie's videos, including 'Congratulations', were removed from the platform after an order by the Delhi high court.\n\nAccording to a social media analytics page, Social Blade, T-Series was expected to cross the 100 million mark on May 21, 2019. However, Social Blade stated PewDiePie could cross the coveted 100 million mark by June 2.\n\nT-Series had previously surpassed PewDiePie several times. The music label, in February, crossed PewDiePie for just a few minutes and maintained the lead for a longer period in March.\n\nT-Series and PewDiePie have been in battle for the YouTube crown since October 2018. PewDiePie was leading in terms of subscribers for the last five years.\n\nT-Series was founded by Gulshan Kumar in 1983. Kumar was originally a fruit juice seller in Dehli, and worked until the company's first big break when Aamir Khan and Juhi Chawla's Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak became one of the best-selling music albums.", "The T-Series/PewDiePie battle has been raging for months, but it looks like T-Series has won the war.\n\nThe Indian record label and film production company has become the first YouTube channel to reach 100 million subscribers.\n\nThe record was confirmed this week, with the channel – which specialises in sharing movie trailers and Bollywood songs primarily in Hindi – celebrating the huge milestone.\n\nT-Series, who uploaded their first video on 23 December 2010, tweeted: ‘World’s biggest YouTube Channel, T-Series has achieved another YouTube milestone by being the first one to cross an astonishing #100MillionSubscribers.\n\n‘Thank you for being part of our journey. T-Series – Making India Proud.’\n\nThey also changed their YouTube channel banner to read: ‘Thank you fans – T-Series is globally the first YouTube channel to cross 100 million subscribers.’\n\nYouTube congratulated the Indian channel, tweeting: ‘Congratulations to @TSeries for reaching 100M subscribers!’, while YouTube India wrote: ‘We have a century! Congratulations on 100 million subscribers, @TSeries.’\n\nPewDiePie has yet to comment on losing out on the record.\n\nThe Swedish gamer, who started up his channel eight months before T-Series did, is currently on 96,213,784 subscribers – which is in no way shabby.\n\nThe 29-year-old, real name Felix Kjellberg, last month called for an end to the ‘Subscribe to PewDiePie’ movement, saying it had gone too far.\n\nIn an effort to retain PewDiePie’s number one most subscribed YouTube channel spot over T-Series, the YouTuber’s fans held a series of stunts under the ‘Subscribe To PewDiePie’ campaign – including fans hacking GTA V, Justin Roberts buying a $1 million billboard, and Mr Beast pulling out all the stops.\n\nHowever, after the suspected Christchurch shooter said ‘Subscribe To PewDiePie’ in the live stream of the massacre, Pewds has enough.\n\nHe said: ‘I think it’s time to end the Subscribe To PewDiePie movement, or meme. It’s something that started off as a way to keep me as the number one most subscribed channel on YouTube, and seeing so many people come to my support, other creators as well, it’s been incredibly humbling to me. It really, really meant a lot.\n\n‘At first, its started off with people doing really positive and fun things to get attention, through Subscribe to PewDiePie. But when you have 90 million people riled up about something, you’re bound to get a few degenerates.’\n\nPewDiePie singled out the ‘Sub to PewDiePie’ graffiti scrawled on a WWII memorial, saying: ‘So disgusting, so disappointing to have my name and community dragged into that. I didn’t want hateful acts to overpower all these amazing things people were doing, cool and positive things.’\n\nHe then turned his attention to his name being mentioned by the Christchurch shooter who said ‘remember lads, subscribe to PewDiePie’ before a massacre that killed 50 people.\n\nThe gamer said: ‘Out of the respect for the families and victims involved, I chose not to address it further than on Twitter, where I disavowed the actions taken that day and gave my sincerest condolences to everyone affected.\n\n‘To have my name associated with something so unspeakably vile has affected me in more ways that I might have shown. I didn’t want to address it right away, I didn’t want to give the terrorist more attention, I didn’t want to make it about me, because I don’t think it has anything to do with me. To put it plainly, I didn’t want hate to win. But it’s clear to me know, the Subscribe to PewDiePie movement should have ended then.’\n\nMORE: EXO star D.O. confirms he will enlist in military as active duty soldier in one month\n\nMORE: My Label and Me: I served my time but people still me as a criminal", "The online battle between PewDiePie and T-Series has now reached a major milestone. T-Series is officially the first YouTube channel to reach 100 million subscribers. The Indian music label’s competitor, PewDiePie is behind with his subscriber base touching 96 million.\n\nT-Series’ achievement was earlier predicted by social media analytics page, Social Blade. T-Series was expected to reach the 100 million mark on May 21. T-Series has created history on YouTube, although a few days late. As for PewDiePie, the Swedish YouTuber was predicted to get 100 million subscribers latest by June 2.\n\nThe achievement for T-Series seems unsurprising too since the YouTube channel started beating PewDiePie numerous times. Starting in February, T-Series crossed PewDiePie but only for a few minutes. It soon managed to maintain the lead for longer later in March.\n\nPewDiePie and T-Series have been battling it out since October 2018 for the YouTube crown. PewDiePie who maintained his lead for five years was threatened with the increasingly fast subscriber growth of T-Series. What began as a fun campaign for PewDiePie to get subscribers turned out to instead boost T-Series’ channel.\n\nThis online battle has also helped increase subscriber growth of both YouTube channels. T-Series and PewDiePie were hovering around 67 million subscribers. There were some ugly sides of this online battle as well leading to a court order for PewDiePie in India. Complaints against the Swedish YouTuber’s diss videos led to the Delhi High Court blocking them in India.", "T-Series is the first YouTube channel to reach more than 100 million subscribers after months of racing to the top.\n\nYouTube congratulated T-Series on Twitter, telling the Bollywood channel to make room on its shelf for a new trophy — similar to the Play Buttons the company hands out to channels that reach 1 or 10 million subscribers. T-Series also thanked fans for helping the company reach the milestone. Hitting 100 million subscribers doesn’t necessarily help the channel, but it is a point of pride.\n\nThe milestone comes after a months-long battle with Felix “PewDiePie” Kjellberg to become the largest channel on YouTube. In the process, both channels grew by tens of millions of subscribers, and the widespread attention gave T-Series global recognition.\n\nKjellberg called for the battle to end last month in a video addressing how hateful the race had become. Kjellberg asked for fans to stop antagonizing T-Series with the “Subscribe to PewDiePie” meme on his behalf. The message came just one month after a mass shooting in Christchurch, New Zealand, left 51 people dead. The shooter used the phrase, “Subscribe to PewDiePie” before entering the first Mosque. Kjellberg condemned the act on Twitter, disavowing the shooter’s use of the popular phrase many PewDiePie fans use. Still, he continued to poke fun at the phrase and released a diss track music video that contained harmful language. Although Kjellberg previously defended the video by calling the jokes ironic, he later apologized for his insensitive comments.\n\nTheir race to the top started around September 2018 and ran for more than six months on YouTube. It became one of the most talked-about cultural events on the platform, with dozens of channels running constant live stream trackers of each channel’s subscriber growth and loss.\n\nKjellberg believed at the time that his channel may reach 100 million subscribers first, and he requested that his fans not celebrate another channel’s defeat. Kjellberg told fans that the “Subscribe to PewDiePie” movement “started out of love and support, so let’s end it with that.”\n\nStill, some PewDiePie fans immediately began attacking YouTube’s tweet congratulating T-Series, claiming the company would never do the same for him. Kjellberg has yet to comment on T-Series’ record-breaking moment.", "T-Series on Wednesday shattered all its previous records to become the first YouTube channel with 100 million subscribers. The music label’s YouTube channel immediately put out a banner announcing the feat that not only makes it significantly ahead of its cut-throat opponent PewDiePie but also marks what many of its subscribers call ‘India’s victory’.\n\nRacing past PewDiePie, T-Series is now ratcheting beyond the 100 million mark, leaving the Swedish YouTuber fall short by nearly four million subscribers. The YouTube channel, owned by one of India’s biggest music labels, dethroned PewDiePie to become the most subscribed channel earlier this year, after a neck and neck rally since last year. The hype around this contest gained momentum eventually, dividing the Internet into two groups – those who favour T-Series and the otherwise.\n\n<\n\nPewDiePie has, on multiple occasions, spoken up on the presence of corporate entities on YouTube and how they are cannibalising the business of independent creators such as he. After T-Series won the race for the first time, PewDiePie released a diss video, one of the many, to call out T-Series but he made some objectionable remarks about India. The online scuffle reached India’s courts for the part where the integrity of the country was questioned, resulting in the song’s ban for the Swedish artist.\n\nBut this is one of the few episodes that brought upon PewDiePie’s downfall. The unfortunate mass killing in New Zealand’s Christchurch Mosque involved PewDiePie inadvertently. The shooter streamed the shooting online, urging viewers to subscribe to PewDiePie’s YouTube channel. This was a wake-up call for the Swedish artist and he pulled the plug on his YouTube campaign to overtake T-Series.\n\nT-Series, on the other hand, gained support from the Bollywood fraternity, in addition to its followers in India and elsewhere. T-Series MD Bhushan Kumar, earlier this year, posted a short video on Twitter asking for support to make the company’s YouTube channel cross PewDiePie. It seems his requests have been answered in bounties.", "T-Series is officially the first YouTube channel to reach 100 million subscribers on the video platform. PewDiePie, T-Series' competitor, has fallen behind with his subscriber base at 96 million. The Indian music label achieved the milestone of 100 million YouTube subscribers after a public internet war with PewDiePie, involving sub wars, memes and more.\n\nT-Series, in a tweet, said that the world's biggest YouTube channel has achieved another milestone by being the first one to cross 100 million subscribers.\n\nThe Swedish YouTube star, whose real name is Felix Kjellberg, had earlier shared a music video titled 'Congratulations', acknowledging his YouTube channel, PewDiePie's defeat. Two of PewDiePie's videos, including 'Congratulations', were removed from the platform after an order by the Delhi High Court.\n\nAccording to Social Blade, a social media analytics page, T-Series was expected to cross the 100 million mark on 21st May 2019. As for the Swedish YouTuber, PewDiePie was predicted to cross 100 million mark by June 2.\n\nT-Series had previously surpassed PewDiePie numerous times. The music label, in February, crossed PewDiePie for just a few minutes and maintained the lead for a longer period in March.\n\nT-Series and PewDiePie have been in battle for the YouTube crown since October 2018. PewDiePie was leading in terms of subscribers for the last five years.\n\nAlso read: M&M net profit dips 29% to Rs 5,315 crore in FY19, board recommends dividend of Rs 8.50 per share\n\nAlso read: Havells posts net profit of Rs 792 crore in FY19, board recommends dividend", "The feud between PewDiePie and T-Series has been ongoing since October last year when the Indian music label started to close the gap on the YouTuber’s reign as the most-subscribed channel.\n\nSince then there has been a back-and-forth battle that has seen them swithc positions mulitple times.\n\nT-Series has finally secured it’s position at the top and has become the first YouTube channel tor reach 100 million subscribers.\n\nWhat is PewDiePie’s sub count?\n\nPewDiePie currently has 96,221,306 subscribers, putting him around four million behind T-Series which is currently the most subscribed channel on YouTube.\n\nT-Series currently boasts 100,124,966 subscribers after passing the 100 million mark earlier today.\n\nhe upload count between the two is quite different, with T-Series uploading 13,443 videos, while PewDiePie currently has 3,847 videos uploaded to his channel.\n\nThis has also had an impact on the number of video views, with T-Series having over 71 billion, while PewDiePie trails behind with 21 billion.\n\nThe two channels have gone on to overtake many of YouTube’s own channels when it comes to subscriber count, including Movies and Gaming, and they are now closing in on the overall most subscribed channel.\n\nYouTube Music is the only channel left on the website that the two rivals can still overtake, as it currently has 106,378,448 subscribers.\n\nIt is more of a way to promote music videos, and the channel doesn’t upload any content of it’s own, but it’s ability to feature top music has made it popular with users.\n\nWhat is the PewDiePie and T-Series fued?\n\nThe battle for subscribers between the two channels started last year after T-Series became the most-viewed channel on YouTube.\n\nIt then started to rapidly gain subscribers and close the gap on PewDiePie, who was the most subscribed YouTuber for a long time.\n\nHe then started asking fans to help him keep the top spot on YouTube and this was followed by support from a number of other big YouTubers.\n\nThis led to support from people like Mr Beast, Alfie Deyes and Logan Paul.\n\nT-Series chairman Bhushan Kumar then released a video addressing citizens in India to support the channel.\n\nIn the video, he said: ‘There is an Indian YouTube channel on the brink of becoming the world’s number one. It’s taken us a lot of effort to come this far.’\n\nPewDiePie eventually gave up in his battle against T-Series in March and in a video on his channel he said: ‘ T-Series has been in the lead for the past couple of days.\n\n‘Who cares about sub count anyway? Honestly, so lame,’ he joked. ‘This was all just a troll. It was a big troll. I said it, I don’t care about numbers.’\n\nMORE: James Charles hangs out with Kylie Jenner and Stormi at YouTube baby’s birthday party\n\nMORE: YouTuber Jake Paul sparks backlash as he advertises for intern that will be paid with ‘fun’ not money", "The Bollywood music scene makes a major global moment as one of its leading content providers hits a humongous milestone.\n\nLate on May 29, 2019, YouTube congratulated T-Series for hitting 100 million subscribers making it the first channel on the platform to earn as many subscribers. T-Series is a record label and film production agency in India founded in 1983 by the late Bollywood movie producer Gulshan Kumar. The company only began embracing YouTube in 2010 with 100 million fans speaking to India's quickly growing online population, content viewers as well as the dominance a company like T-Series has on its entertainment market. T-Series operates a slew of channels, primarily hosting music videos and film trailers in Hindi, but also includes some content in English, Spanish and Portuguese.\n\nThe rapid growth of T-Series—including hitting 50 million subscribers less than a year ago on June 27, 2018—is also thought to speak to Bollywood's growing audience outside of India. In late 2018, the New York Times shared that \"just less than half of T-Series' traffic comes from India, with 12% coming from the United States.\"\n\nWhile the Bollywood scene has yet to have a big crossover moment like some other international music genres, T-Series acts as a go-to space to for those looking to tap into the scene. Some of India's biggest international names like Priyanka Chopra and A. R. Rahman have worked with the company, while artists like Pitbull, M.I.A. and Akon have also collaborated with the label.\n\nNotably, T-Series also beats out controversial YouTuber Felix \"PewDiePie\" Kjellberg as the first to channel to hit 100 million subscribers and solidifies its place as the largest channel on the platform.\n\nCheck out the Top 10 most popular videos on T-Series channel, which tends to see high views from both its lyric and official performance music videos. Singer-songwriter Guru Randhawa, who collaborated with Pitbull in April 2019 on the track \"Slowly Slowly,\" leads the list with the two most-watched individual videos. Meanwhile, the song \"Dilbar\" is considered the most popular song on the channel with a video starring Nora Fatehi boasting more than a half-billion views as additional versions of the song's video have collected another half-billion views for a total of nearly 1.1 billion views of the song across YouTube."], "summary": "Indian record label and film production company T-Series' most-subscribed YouTube channel reaches 100 million subscribers."}
{"document": ["South Korea’s president, Moon Jae-in, ordered his government Thursday to mobilize “all diplomatic resources” to help assist the search and rescue operations on the Danube. He also instructed the government to dispatch navy and coast guard divers from South Korea.\n\n“Our government will have a thorough investigation of the cause of the accident in cooperation with the Hungarian government,” Mr. Moon said during a government meeting on Thursday, offering his “deep condolences” for the families of the victims.\n\nBoat traffic on the Danube was halted in the area of the capsizing, the Budapest Police Department said in a statement, after the authorities were notified about 9:15 p.m. that a boat had overturned.\n\nThe boat was struck by another vessel in the Danube near the Hungarian Parliament, and then tipped over and capsized, M1 reported. Near the site, boats shone spotlights on the river, but after several days of rain, conditions were working against the search teams: The Danube was flowing fast and high, and winds hampered the search.\n\nThe teams were searching along the entire stretch of the Hungarian Danube south of Budapest, M1 said, and Interior Minister Sandor Pinter had arrived at the scene. The news website Index reported that one person was rescued near the Petofi Bridge, about two miles south of Parliament.\n\nA diving instructor, Zsolt Szamari, told Hungarian state television that several factors were impeding the rescue, including the weather, water temperature and the fast current of the Danube.\n\nThe boat was identified by The Associated Press as the Hableany, or Mermaid. It was described on the website of its sightseeing company, The A.P. said, as “one of the smallest members of the fleet” and “an excellent venue for cruises and smaller family events.”\n\nIt has two decks and capacity for 60 people, or 45 for sightseeing cruises.", "BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Captain of cruise ship which collided with tour boat that sank on Danube River taken into custody by Hungarian police.", "BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Hungarian police late on Thursday said it had taken into custody the captain of a cruise ship involved in an accident on the Danube River in central Budapest that killed at least seven South Korean tourists on Wednesday.\n\nThe captain is a 64-year-old Ukrainian citizen identified as C. Yury, from Odessa, whose arrest was initiated for reckless misconduct in waterborne traffic leading to mass casualties, police said on its website.", "Budapest: The captain of a cruise ship that collided with a tour boat that sank on the Danube River in the heart of the Hungarian capital Budapest has been taken into custody.\n\nThe 64-year-old Ukrainian man, known only as C Yuriy, is suspected of endangering water transport leading to the deaths of at least seven people on board the tour boat.\n\nHungarian rescue officials said there was little chance of finding survivors after the boat with South Korean tourists on board sank, with 21 still missing.\n\nThe boat, the Mermaid, was cruising when it collided with a larger luxury passenger boat during a rainstorm on Wednesday evening, Budapest time, causing it to capsize and sink with 33 South Korean tourists and tour guides, and two Hungarian crew aboard.", "3 reported dead, 16 missing after sightseeing boat capsizes and sinks on Danube River in Budapest\n\nBUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — 3 reported dead, 16 missing after sightseeing boat capsizes and sinks on Danube River in Budapest.", "Report: Boat capsizes in Danube in Budapest, 34 on board\n\nBUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Hungarian media say a boat has capsized in the Danube River in Budapest, with 34 people on board, including passengers and personnel.\n\nState news wire MTI says rescuers are at the scene near Hungary's parliament, including a fire boat.\n\nSome people have been rescued and a search is underway for others.", "Rescue workers are scouring the Danube River in Budapest for 21 people missing after a sightseeing boat carrying South Korean tourists sank in a matter of seconds after colliding with a larger cruise ship during an evening downpour.\n\nRescue workers are scouring the Danube River in Budapest for 21 people missing after a sightseeing boat carrying South Korean tourists sank in a matter of seconds after colliding with a larger cruise ship during an evening downpour.\n\nSeven dead after tourist boat sinks ‘in seven seconds’ in Budapest\n\nSeven people are confirmed dead and seven were rescued, Hungarian officials said.\n\nThe South Korea-based Very Good Tour agency, which organised the trip, said the boat had been on its way back after an hour-long night tour on Wednesday evening when the accident happened.\n\nNineteen South Koreans and two Hungarian crew members are missing.\n\nThe tour party had consisted of 30 tourists, two guides and a photographer on a package tour of Europe.\n\nPal Gyorfi, spokesman for the National Ambulance Service, said those rescued were in hospital in a stable condition.\n\nThe sunken boat was located early on Thursday near the Margit Bridge, not far from the neo-Gothic parliament building on the riverbank.\n\nPolice Colonel Adrian Pal said the boat turned on its side and sank in about seven seconds.\n\nHe said that rescue operations were hampered by the rain and the fast flow of the rising Danube.\n\nThe search for the 21 missing extended far downstream, even into Serbia, where the Danube goes after leaving Hungary.\n\nThe river, which is 450 metres wide at the point of the accident, was fast-flowing and rising as heavy rain continued in the city.\n\nWater temperatures were about 10C to 12C (50F-53F).\n\nEarlier, news website Index.hu said one of those rescued was found near the Petofi Bridge, which is about three kilometres (two miles) south of parliament.\n\nDozens of rescue personnel, including from the military and divers, were involved in the search.\n\nEmployees from the South Korean embassy in Budapest were assisting Hungarian officials in identifying those rescued and the deceased.\n\nSouth Korean President Moon Jae-in instructed officials to employ “all available resources” to support the rescue efforts in Hungary.\n\nMr Moon’s spokeswoman Ko Min-jung said in Seoul that Mr Moon also ordered the launch of a government task force led by foreign minister Kang Kyung-wha and for officials to maintain close communication with the family members of the South Korean passengers.\n\nA team of South Korean officials left for Hungary on Thursday to assist with the rescue operations and support passengers and their families. Ms Kang was also to travel to Hungary.\n\nThe ministry said the Seoul government will closely co-operate with Hungarian officials so that the rescue efforts can proceed swiftly and effectively.\n\nIt said the tourists were not wearing life jackets.\n\nThe Very Good Tour agency said the tourists left South Korea on May 25 and were supposed to return on June 1.\n\nMost of them were family groups and they included a six-year-old girl.\n\nSenior agency official Lee Sang-moo disclosed the identities of the seven rescued South Koreans – six women and one man, aged between 31 and 66.\n\nThe company is arranging for family members of the tourists to travel to Hungary as soon as possible.\n\nThe boat that sank was identified as the Hableany (Mermaid), which is described on the sightseeing company’s website as “one of the smallest members of the fleet”.\n\nIt has two decks and a capacity for 60 people, or 45 for sightseeing cruises.\n\nMihaly Toth, a spokesman for the Panorama Deck boating company, said the Hableany was on a “routine city sightseeing trip” when the accident happened.\n\nHe told state television that he had no information about any technical problems with the boat, which he said was serviced regularly.\n\nHajoregiszter.hu, a local ship-tracking website, lists the Hableany as having been built in 1949 in what was then the Soviet Union.\n\nCruise line operator Viking said one of its ships was involved in the collision.\n\nViking said in a statement that its ship Sigyn was near a Hungarian tourist boat “when it was involved in an incident” on the river at 9pm local time.\n\nIt said no-one aboard the Viking ship was injured and that it is co-operating with the authorities.\n\nThe company, which has offices in Switzerland and California, provided no further details.\n\nThe Margit Bridge connects the two halves of the city, Buda and Pest, with a large recreational island in the middle of the Danube.\n\nIt is the bridge just north of the famous Chain Bridge, a suspension bridge originally built in the 19th century that, like the parliament, is a major tourist draw in the heart of the city.\n\nThe river flows south, meaning that survivors were likely to be swept through the well-populated, historic part of the city.\n\nIndex.hu reported that other riverboats shone spotlights into the water to aid with the search, and that a film crew operating on the Liberty Bridge farther down the river directed its lighting equipment towards the Danube to assist.\n\nIn recent years, Budapest has emerged as a popular destination for film, television and other commercial video production.\n\nBudapest has enjoyed a boom in overseas tourism in recent years.\n\nLong-haul flights from as far away as Dubai and Beijing increasingly fly visitors from Asia and the Middle East to the Hungarian capital, a relatively affordable but history-rich European destination.\n\nBudapest’s airport said it handled a record number of travellers in 2018, with passenger numbers surging more than 13% to 14.9 million.", "Dozens of rescue workers are searching the Danube River in central Budapest for 21 people missing after a sightseeing boat with 33 South Koreans on board sank following a collision with a larger cruise ship.\n\nSeven people were confirmed dead, officials said. None of the tourists were wearing life jackets.\n\nSeven other people have been rescued, said Pal Gyorfi, spokesman for the National Ambulance Service. They are in a stable condition in hospital after the accident during an downpour on Wednesday evening.\n\nTwo Hungarian crew members are also missing.\n\nSouth Korean President Moon Jae-in instructed officials to employ “all available resources” to support the rescue effort in Hungary.\n\nHis spokeswoman Ko Min-jung said Mr Moon also ordered the launch of a government taskforce led by foreign minister Kang Kyung-wha and for officials to maintain close communication with family members of the South Korean passengers.\n\nA team of South Korean officials left for Hungary on Thursday to assist with the rescue operation and support passengers and their families. Ms Kang was also travelling to Hungary.\n\nThe 33 South Koreans included 30 tourists on a package tour of Europe, two guides and one photographer, according to the South Korea-based Very Good Tour agency, which organised the trip.\n\nAgency officials said the tourists left South Korea on May 25 and were supposed to return on June 1.\n\nMost of them were travelling with families, including a six-year-old girl, who did not appear on a list of survivors provided by the tour agency.\n\nThe agency said the boat was on its way back after an hour-long night tour when it collided with a larger cruise ship.\n\nSenior agency official Lee Sang-moo disclosed the identities of the seven rescued South Koreans — six women and one man aged between 31 and 66.\n\nThe sunken boat was located early on Thursday near the Margit Bridge, not far from the neo-Gothic parliament building on the riverbank.\n\nEmployees from the South Korean embassy in Budapest were assisting Hungarian officials in identifying those rescued and the deceased.\n\nOfficials said searchers were checking the Danube for miles downriver from Budapest. The river was fast-flowing and rising as heavy rain continued in the city. Water temperatures were about 10C to 12C.\n\nThe news website Index.hu said one of those rescued was found near the Petofi Bridge, about two miles south of parliament.\n\nDozens of rescue personnel, including from the military and divers, were involved in the search.\n\nThe boat that sank was identified as the Hableany (Mermaid), which is described on the sightseeing company’s website as “one of the smallest members of the fleet”. It has two decks and capacity for 60 people, or 45 for sightseeing cruises.\n\nHajoregiszter.hu, a local ship-tracking website, lists the Hableany as having been built in 1949 in what was then the Soviet Union.\n\nMihaly Toth, a spokesman for the Panorama Deck boating company, said the Hableany was on a “routine city sightseeing trip” when the accident happened. He told state television he had no information about any technical problems with the boat, which he said was serviced regularly.", "A boat capsized and sank in the Danube River in Budapest with 34 people on board, Hungarian media has reported.\n\nA boat capsized and sank in the Danube River in Budapest with 34 people on board, Hungarian media has reported.\n\nBoat sinks in Danube in Hungary with 34 people on board\n\nRescuers were at the scene near Hungary’s parliament, including a fire boat.\n\nSome people have been rescued and a search is under way for others.\n\nThe onwer of the “Hableany” (Mermaid) told news website Index.hu that the vessel had sunk.\n\nOther boats docked on the river banks, including large tourist boats, were shining their lights onto the river, in search of survivors.\n\nThe search and rescue efforts were being carried out under heavy rainfall.\n\nIndex.hu reported that one person was rescued near the Petofi Bridge, which is about two miles south of parliament.\n\nHableany is described on the company’s website as “one of the smallest members of the fleet … an excellent venue for cruises and smaller family events”.\n\nIt has two decks and capacity for 60 people, or 45 for sightseeing cruises.", "BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Hungarian rescue officials said there was little chance of finding survivors after a boat carrying South Korean tourists sank on the Danube in Budapest, killing at least seven people and leaving 21 people missing.\n\nThe boat collided with a much larger luxury passenger boat during a rainstorm late on Wednesday near the parliament building, capsized and sank with some 30 tourists on board. The cause of the collision was under investigation.\n\n“I am not inclined to say there is no hope, so I would rather say there is a minimal chance (of finding survivors),” Pal Gyorfi, a spokesman of the Hungarian national ambulance service, told the m1 state television station.\n\n“This is not just because of the water temperature, but the strong currents in the river, the vapor above the water surface, as well as the clothes worn by the people who fell in,” he said when asked about the search for the missing.\n\nPolice said the smaller boat turned on its side and sank within seconds after the collision underneath a bridge.\n\nThey said a criminal investigation was under way against “an unknown perpetrator”, involving experts, to determine the cause of the accident. They said the first calls for help came in 10 minutes after the accident happened.\n\nThey declined to say if the bigger vessel, the 135-metre Viking Sigyn, sent any signals for help.\n\nHeavy recent rains have left the Danube in spate, and local flooding and the strong currents hampered rescuers, one diver told the state broadcaster m1. Water temperatures ranged from 10 to 12 degrees Celsius (50-54 degrees F), he said.\n\nOfficials said the hull of the ill-fated Mermaid, a 27-meter (89-ft) double-decker river cruise boat, had been found on the riverbed just a few hundred meters from its usual mooring point.\n\nA crane ship docked near the wreck early on Thursday in preparation for recovery operations.\n\nHungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and President Janos Ader send their condolences to Seoul. “We are with the victims and their families in our thoughts and prayers in these most difficult times,” Orban said, according to his spokesman.\n\nSouth Korean President Moon Jae-in said the authorities would work with the Hungarian government to investigate the cause of the accident.\n\n“What’s most important is speed,” Moon said in Seoul.\n\nThe foreign ministry said 30 South Korean tourists, including children, three tour guides and two Hungarian crew were on board when the tragedy happened, around 9 p.m. (1900 GMT).\n\nSeven South Koreans were rescued, seven died, and 19 were among the missing, said Kang Hyung-shik, a foreign ministry official. The seven people rescued were suffering from hypothermia but stable, a Hungarian ambulance spokesman said.\n\nThe Hungarian authorities confirmed the death toll. The two Hungarian crew members were both missing. Police said the seven people who died had no life vests on.\n\n“We have found the wreckage with a sonar,” police Col. Adrian Pal told a press briefing. “We are looking at ways to extract (the Mermaid) from the river.”\n\n“At this point we cannot confirm or deny whether there are any bodies trapped inside the hull.”\n\nThe crash happened extremely fast, according to video footage of a security camera shown by police at the press conference. The bigger boat, catching up from behind at a higher speed, caught the Mermaid’s left side.\n\nRescue officials deployed boats, divers, floodlights and radar following the accident, scouring the river for several kilometers (miles) downstream from the site of the accident.\n\nThe National Ambulance Service extended its search for survivors and victims downstream from the capital Budapest and was on alert along a section further south.\n\nFor a while traffic on the river, an important commercial waterway, was suspended on the entire Hungarian stretch of the Danube south of Budapest. However, the ban is now limited to the immediate area around the accident, Hungarian police said.\n\nOfficials have yet to determine what led to the collision between the Mermaid and the Viking Sigyn, a 95-room floating hotel of the kind that has multiplied as Danube river cruises gained popularity in recent years.\n\n“We are mobilizing every resource we have to protect human lives,” the Mermaid’s owner, Panorama Deck Ltd., told state media through a spokesman.\n\nThe boat - a Soviet model manufactured in 1949 and refurbished in the 1980s - had been in its fleet since 2003, with regular maintenance, it said.\n\nThe Sigyn’s operator, Swiss-based Viking Cruises Ltd., acknowledged its vessel had been involved in an incident.\n\n“There were no injuries to Viking crew or Viking guests. We are cooperating with the authorities as required,” a Viking spokesperson said."], "summary": "The Hableány, a sightseeing river cruise ship on the Danube in Budapest, capsizes and sinks with 34 South Korean tourists on board. At least seven people are killed and 19 remain missing."}
{"document": ["A pediatrician at a prestigious children's hospital in Argentina has been detained by authorities in Buenos Aires after being accused of producing and distributing child pornography.\n\nThey said that the doctor, identified in Argentine media as Ricardo Russo, 55, drew the attention of law enforcement agencies from various countries, including U.S. Homeland Security, who were conducting an investigation into a child pornography ring.\n\nInvestigators at Homeland Security and Brazilian police contacted Argentine officials to inform them that images and videos of children seemed to be coming from their country.\n\nThe Security Ministry said in a statement that police detained the doctor Tuesday at the Juan P. Garrahan children's hospital in Buenos Aires.\n\nARGENTINA LAWMAKER FIGHTS FOR LIFE AFTER SHOOTING\n\nThe doctor is accused of producing and distributing child pornography, including images of 6-month-old babies taken at the hospital.\n\nAuthorities said he works as head of the Garrahan hospital's immunology and rheumatology department. He could not be reached for comment despite calls to the hospital, the security ministry and other officials.\n\nHis LinkedIn page lists past places of employment as the University of Texas Southwestern/Dallas Children´s Hospital and at the University of Toronto/Hospital for Sick Kids from 1990 to 1992.\n\nThe Argentine hospital said he had been removed from his post.\n\nA specialized prosecutor's unit in charge of the investigation said they found \"photos and videos of minors between six months and 14 years of age engaged in explicit sexual activities\" on two computers owned by the doctor.\n\nHEALTH AND BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS CAN LINGER AFTER CHILD ABUSE\n\nAuthorities said they seized computers and other equipment when they raided dozens of homes, including the doctor's. So far, he is the only one who has been detained although officials said they expected to detain others in the case.\n\nCLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP\n\n\"We got a report and carried out raids where we seized computers and flash drives,\" said the Buenos Aires city justice secretary, Marcelo D'Alessandro. \"And we found convincing evidence that the children were being abused.\"\n\n\"We have no doubt about his guilt,\" D'Alessandro asserted, according to La Nacion. \"At the city police department we feel satisfaction over having this monster off the street.\"\n\nThe Associated Press contributed to this report.", "Un médico pediatra del Hospital Garrahan fue detenido acusado de tenencia, producción y distribución de pornografía infantil. Algunas de las imágenes halladas en su poder habían sido sacadas en el interior del centro de la salud, confirmaron desde el Ministerio Público Fiscal.\n\nRicardo Russo, jefe del servicio de inmunología del Hospital Garrahan. Tiene 55 años\n\nEl detenido es Ricardo Alberto Russo, tiene 55 años y trabaja como Jefe del Servicio de Inmunología y Reumatología. Fue detenido este martes, en el estacionamiento del hospital.\n\nNewsletters Clarín Qué pasó hoy | Te contamos las noticias más importantes del día, y que pasará mañana cuando te levantes De lunes a viernes por la tarde. Recibir newsletter\n\nLos investigadores determinaron que en dos de las computadoras del pediatra había archivos de imagen y video en los que se ve abusos a menores de entre 6 meses y 14 años. Los equipos fueron secuestrados para la investigación y están siendo peritados.\n\nFuentes del caso explicaron a Clarín que en total se encontraron 800 fotos y 70 videos en poder del médico. Algunas de las imágenes habían sido captadas dentro del consultorio del acusado. Según trascendió, afirmó que las habían tomado \"con fines médicos\".\n\nLa detención se produjo en el hospital de Parque Patricios. Fue solicitada por la Fiscalía Especializada en Delitos Informáticos de la Ciudad, a cargo de Daniela Dupuy, y ordenada por la jueza en lo Penal, Contravencional y de Faltas 24, María Alejandra Doti.\n\nLos trabajos que derivaron en la detención comenzaron con un aviso internacional. Las autoridades de Homeland Security de los Estados Unidos y del Ministerio Público de la Acusación de Brasil pusieron en conocimiento al Ministerio Público Fiscal de la Ciudad sobre la existencia de varios hechos de distribución de contenido pornográfico infantil llevados a cabo por usuarios radicados en Argentina. La transferencia de datos se había a través de la plataforma P2P \"E-mule\".\n\nA raíz de ese reporte, enmarcado en la operación \"Luz de Infancia III”, los investigadores argentinos lograron establecer que desde al menos 40 domicilios de distintos puntos de la Argentina se distribuía material pornográfico de menores. Luego de identificar los domicilios, se realizaron allanamientos simultáneos en todo el país.\n\nUna de las viviendas a la que llegaron los investigadores fue la del médico, ahora detenido, ubicada en Belgrano, a pocas cuadras de la cancha de River.\n\nEn los allanamientos se secuestró una gran cantidad de dispositivos de almacenamiento de datos. Entre ellos, un pen drive y el celular del médico. Todo el material que se encuentra en su interior está siendo analizado.", "BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Authorities in Argentina say they have detained one of the chief pediatricians at a respected children's hospital for allegedly producing and distributing child pornography.\n\nThe Security Ministry said in a statement Wednesday that police detained the 55-year-old doctor Tuesday at the Garrahan children's hospital in Buenos Aires.\n\nThe man's name has not been disclosed. He is accused of producing and distributing child pornography, including images of 6-month-old babies taken at the hospital.\n\nOfficials say the doctor was detained with help from the FBI and authorities in Brazil as part of a joint operation to break up a child pornography ring.", "BUENOS AIRES, Argentina - One of the chief pediatricians at a respected children’s hospital has been detained for allegedly producing and distributing child pornography, Argentine authorities said Wednesday.\n\nThe Security Ministry said in a statement that police detained the 55-year-old doctor Tuesday at the Juan P. Garrahan children’s hospital in Buenos Aires. Officials said he was detained with help from the FBI and authorities in Brazil as part of a joint operation to break up a child pornography ring.\n\nThe doctor is accused of producing and distributing child pornography, including images of 6-month-old babies taken at the hospital.\n\nThe man’s name was not disclosed, but authorities said he works as head of the Garrahan hospital’s immunology and rheumatology department. He could not be reached for comment despite calls to the hospital, the security ministry and other officials.\n\nThe hospital said the doctor had been removed from his post. “The hospital community is mobilized and dismayed waiting for information to clear up what happened,” a statement said.", "BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — One of the chief pediatricians at a respected children's hospital has been detained for allegedly producing and distributing child pornography, Argentine authorities said Wednesday.\n\nThe Security Ministry said in a statement that police detained the 55-year-old doctor Tuesday at the Juan P. Garrahan children's hospital in Buenos Aires. Officials said he was detained with help from the FBI and authorities in Brazil as part of a joint operation to break up a child pornography ring.\n\nThe doctor is accused of producing and distributing child pornography, including images of 6-month-old babies taken at the hospital.\n\nThe man's name was not disclosed, but authorities said he works as head of the Garrahan hospital's immunology and rheumatology department. He could not be reached for comment despite calls to the hospital, the security ministry and other officials.\n\nThe hospital said the doctor had been removed from his post. \"The hospital community is mobilized and dismayed waiting for information to clear up what happened,\" a statement said.\n\nA specialized prosecutor's unit in charge of the investigation said they found \"photos and videos of minors between six months and 14 years of age engaged in explicit sexual activities\" on two computers owned by the doctor.\n\nAuthorities said they seized computers and other equipment when they raided dozens of homes, including the doctor's. So far, he is the only one who has been detained although officials said they expected to detain others in the case.\n\n\"We got a report and carried out raids where we seized computers and flash drives,\" said the Buenos Aires city justice secretary, Marcelo D'Alessandro. \"And we found convincing evidence that the children were being abused.\"", "ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) - An Abilene man accused of sexually abusing a child has been arrested.\n\nPaul Wesley Killam II, 36, was taken into custody Wednesday and charged wtih Indecency with a Child - Sexual Contact.\n\nCourt documents state Abilene police began investigating Killam in January after a father came forward and said Killam has sexually abused his daughter.\n\nThe daughter told detectives Kilam touched her \"no-no area\" while she was at his house playing with some other children in the Summer of 2018, according to the documents.\n\nKillam remains held in the Taylor County Jail on a $20,000 bond.", "SAGINAW, MI – An Albee Township man is accused of possessing child pornography.\n\nOn Sept. 5, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received a tip from Google that Joseph D. Gross had uploaded child pornography onto his Google Drive. That agency in turn notified Michigan State Police.\n\nThe MSP Computer Crimes Unit subsequently executed several search warrants on Gross’ home and allege they discovered numerous images and videos of suspected child pornography.\n\nPolice lodged Gross in the Saginaw County Jail on Tuesday, May 22. The next day, he appeared in Saginaw County District Court for arraignment on two counts of using a computer to commit a crime and single counts of possessing child porn and child sexually abusive activity. The last charge is a 20-year felony.\n\nProsecutors said there is no indication the 40-year-old Gross had himself manufactured the child pornography or physically abused children.\n\nThe arraigning judge freed Gross on a $25,000 personal recognizance bond. A condition of his bond is that he have no contact with anyone younger than 18, not possess pornography, and not access the internet.\n\nGross it to appear for a preliminary examination June 10.", "BUENOS AIRES, Argentina, May 29, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Buenos Aires never fails to surprise, combining its Italian and Spanish heritage with a touch of Latin American passion. This unique mix makes visiting Buenos Aires one of the most interesting travel summer adventures.\n\nArgentina's capital city offers a very wide variety of culinary and beverage offers. From traditional taverns, known as bodegones, to the trendiest restaurants in the southern cone, from exquisite wines to innovative cocktails to casual Fernet.\n\nBuenos Aires has over 7000 bars and restaurants and a very strong culinary scene, including 10 of Latin America's 50 best restaurants. Despite being the 'meat capital of the world', the city also has an expanding vegetarian scene and a wide range of international cuisine offers as a cosmopolitan city.\n\nTogether with steak, tango is considered a form of art in Argentina. This sensual and nostalgic musical rhythm, combines African sounds with local culture elements as well as European influences. But beyond tango, the Argentinian capital rivals Berlin in terms of its cutting-edge electronic scene, with internationally renowned house and techno DJs performing weekly.\n\n\"Porteños\"—a person of the port—residents of the Buenos Aires, are night owls with parties starting at clubs well past midnight and ending after dawn. When it comes to beverages, Argentina is famous for Malbec, a wine varietal perfectly well with any \"asado\" or barbecue.\n\nOn the other hand, for those who want to experience the city's more refined side, Buenos Aires, has become a top destination for cutting-edge mixology. Bars such as Tato Giovanni's Florería Atlántico have led the capital's long tradition of hidden bars.\n\nWhile this one is tucked below an unsuspecting flower shop, many more can be found around the neighborhoods of Palermo and Recoleta in the most unexpected settings that stand out for their architecture, antiquity and historic relevance.\n\nEnjoying a classic \"cortado\" or macchiato in the city's notable coffees, such as the Café Tortoni, it is a mandatory ritual for both domestic and international visitors.\n\nFor more information please visit www.argentina.travel"], "summary": "A 55-year-old pediatrician, Ricardo Russo, is arrested at the Hospital Garrahan in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where he was Chief of the Immunology Department. He is accused of sexually abusing minors, distributing and possessing child pornography, including handicapped children and babies. He was wanted by the U.S. FBI and public prosecutors in Brazil."}
{"document": ["Maine Gov. Janet Mills (D) has signed legislation to ban the practice of gay conversion therapy on minors.\n\n“Today I signed into law a bill banning conversion therapy, a widely-discredited practice that has no place in Maine,” Mills announced on Twitter on Wednesday.\n\n“Today, we send an unequivocal message to young LGBTQ people: we stand with you, we support you, and we will always defend your right to be who you are,” she continued.\n\nToday I signed into law a bill banning conversion therapy, a widely-discredited practice that has no place in Maine. Today, we send an unequivocal message to young LGBTQ people: we stand with you, we support you, and we will always defend your right to be who you are. pic.twitter.com/heInzibvFJ — Governor Janet Mills (@GovJanetMills) May 29, 2019\n\nThe bill prohibits the “advertising, offering and administering of therapy designed to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity, also known as conversion therapy, to individuals under 18 years of age” in the state.\n\nThe practice of conversion therapy has long been condemned by medical and mental health professionals as ineffective. It is believed to be capable of causing severe psychological harm to individuals.\n\nThe legislation also states in its findings that the practice “is based on the false premise that being lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender is a mental illness or disorder and is caused by a developmental deficiency, trauma, abuse or unmet emotional needs and that conversion therapy can alter a person's sexual orientation or gender identity.”\n\nAccording to a local NBC station, Mills’s signature makes Maine the 17th state in the country to outlaw conversion therapy. A number of states have passed similar bans in recent months, including Delaware and California.", "AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) - Maine banned gay conversion therapy for minors on Wednesday, joining more than a dozen other states that have outlawed the controversial practice.\n\nDemocratic Gov. Janet Mills signed the bill Wednesday, and it will take effect 90 days after the Legislature adjourns next month.\n\nConversion therapy aims to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity. Under the new law, professionals, including school psychologists, pharmacy technicians and social workers, who have advertised, offered or administered conversion therapy to a child could face discipline from licensing boards.\n\nMaine joins 16 other states and the District of Columbia that have banned the practice. Supporters decry it as a harmful and note the American Psychological Association opposes the therapy.\n\n\"Conversion therapy is a harmful, widely discredited practice that has no place in Maine,\" Mills said. \"By signing this bill into law today, we send an unequivocal message to young LGBTQ people in Maine and across the country: We stand with you, we support you, and we will always defend your right to be who you are.\"\n\nA law against conversion therapy was signed recently in Massachusetts, while states including North Carolina are considering such legislation this year.\n\n\"With this law, Maine is taking seriously its responsibility to ensure youth and parents who seek support are not subjected to fraudulent and dangerous practices under the guise of therapy,\" said Mary Bonauto, the Civil Rights Project director for GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders.\n\nMaine's former Republican governor vetoed a similar measure last year, but the bill has gained momentum this year under a Democratic-led Legislature. Republicans argued that the bill was unnecessary, while also contending that it would prevent parents from seeking religious counselors for their children.\n\n\"There have not been any recorded cases of this happening in Maine,\" said state House Republicans spokesman John Bott.\n\nRepublicans failed to pass an amendment to exclude talk therapy and counseling from counting as conversion therapy.\n\nMaine's law exempts treatment that offers acceptance, support and understanding while being neutral on sexual orientation and gender identity.", "Conversion therapy will be banned in Maine.\n\nGovernor Mills will sign the bill into law today.\n\nConversion therapy is the practice used to convert gay people to heterosexuality through psychological or spiritual intervention.\n\nThe legislation prohibits licensed medical and mental health practitioners from trying to change a minor's sexual orientation or gender identity.", "Governor Mills this morning signed a bill into law that bans conversion therapy for minors.\n\nIt would prevent most licensed medical professionals from performing all forms of conversion therapy and only applies to minors.\n\nMaine becomes the 17th state and the last New England state to ban conversion therapy.\n\nAdvocates say this is needed to protect LGBTQ young people from the practice.\n\nToday at the State House Rep. Ryan Fecteau, (D) Biddeford, said, \"We send a clear message to LGBTQ youth, here and across the country, that your legislators and your governor are on your side as well, and you can count on us.\"\n\nThe new law goes into effect 90 days after the legislature adjourns.", "With her action on Wednesday, Maine joins 16 states that have banned the practice, which aims to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity.\n\nMills said that the law sends \"an unequivocal message\" to the LGBTQ community that \"we stand with you, we support you and we will always defend your right to be who you are.\"\n\nShe called conversion therapy \"a harmful, widely discredited practice that has no place in Maine.\"\n\nMaine's former Republican governor vetoed a similar measure last year, but the bill has gained momentum this year under a Democratic-led Legislature.", "AUGUSTA — Gov. Janet Mills signed a bill Wednesday making Maine the 17th state to ban so-called “conversion therapy” that attempts to change the sexual orientation or gender identity of minors.\n\nMills, a Democrat, signed the bill while surrounded by legislators, young people and advocates for Maine’s LGBTQ community who were involved in the multi-year effort to enact a ban on conversion therapy.\n\nThe bill, which was sponsored by Assistant Majority Leader Rep. Ryan Fecteau, D-Biddeford, would prohibit state-licensed counselors, psychologists, social workers, health professionals, guidance counselors as well as pastoral and family therapists from engaging in conversion therapy.\n\nThe new law defines conversion therapy as “any practice or treatment that seeks or claims to change an individual’s sexual orientation or gender identity, including, but not limited to, any effort to change gender expression or to eliminate or reduce sexual or romantic attractions, feelings or behavior toward others based on the individual’s gender.”\n\nIt would not prohibit treatment for individuals undergoing gender transition, counseling that seeks to prevent unsafe sexual practices or any “neutral” talk therapy intended to help a minor cope with issues.\n\nA similar bill passed the Legislature last year only to be vetoed by former Republican Gov. Paul LePage.\n\n“Conversion therapy is a harmful, widely-discredited practice that has no place in Maine,” Mills said in a statement. “By signing this bill into law today, we send an unequivocal message to young LGBTQ people in Maine and across the country: we stand with you, we support you, and we will always defend your right to be who you are.”\n\nThe practice is now banned in every New England state plus 11 other states and the District of Columbia.", "Columnist George Smith wrote a very good column with the headline, “Central Maine Power project wrong for Maine” (April 17). He wrote of his love for Maine’s wilderness, and I couldn’t agree with him more. He said, “What do we love about Maine? For me, it’s the woods, brooks, streams, ponds and lakes. It’s hill and mountains, and rural Maine towns. It’s fish and wildlife from native brook trout to deer, moose and bears.\n\n“Please note, it’s the undeveloped land and woods and wildlife that I think is out most valuable asset.”\n\nCentral Maine Power will make millions of dollars off this operation, and maybe more if they sell the trees. If they can do that, I would be angry because they would be taking jobs from smaller logging companies. CMP already makes a lot of money. They don’t need to take away jobs from other people.\n\nThey already have a lot of power lines. If they need more, they should be able to do it in an area where they don’t need to cut so many trees.\n\nI would like to thank all of you, from the bottom of my heart, who have written letters who don’t want this CMP corridor going through our special, unique, beautiful state of Maine.", "Good morning. Temperatures will be in the 60s, with sunny skies throughout the state.\n\nHere’s what we’re talking about in Maine today.\n\nOld Town senior uses gymnastics skills to become record-setting thrower on track team\n\n–Emma Hargreaves, an Old Town High School senior, is the reigning Class B indoor state champion in the shot put. She also is gymnastics champion.\n\n–Sean Kuraly scored to break a third-period tie and assisted on another goal to help the Boston Bruins rally from a two-goal deficit and beat the St. Louis Blues 4-2 on Monday night in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final.\n\nHow a new district attorney is shaking up the justice system in midcoast Maine\n\n–Following through on a campaign promise, Natasha Irving said she would seek restorative justice solutions in all but the most violent cases.\n\nLawyer to sail from Kittery to Lubec to raise money for cancer care\n\n–Bangor lawyer Jeffrey Silverstein will sail a 16-foot kayak more than 250 miles from Kittery to Lubec to raise money for cancer research and treatment in memory of his late friend Julio DeSanctis.\n\nUMaine conference to highlight Maine’s history over the past 200 years\n\n–Though March 15, 2020 — the 200th anniversary of Maine’s statehood — is still more than nine months away, the University of Maine will this weekend host a conference exploring many of the topics surrounding how Maine became a state, and where the state is now headed.\n\nHundreds gather on Memorial Day to remember those from Houlton lost in the line of duty\n\nTrump at odds with Japan’s prime minister over North Korean missile tests\n\nSports betting likely to advance in Maine after legislative panel strikes deal\n\nClimate and energy solutions are more important than ever for Maine\n\nLegislature can move solar, renewable power forward with these two bills\n\nYour Morning Update is published every weekday. To receive this in your inbox weekday mornings, or to check out our range of free newsletters, click here.\n\nTo subscribe to the Bangor Daily News, click here.", "AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) — Maine's Democratic governor has tapped the former chairman of the Maine Democratic Party to lead the state Public Utilities Commission.\n\nGov. Janet Mills announced Tuesday that she nominated Phil Bartlett, a former senate majority leader who stepped down as chairman of the Maine Democratic Party in January.\n\nMills says Bartlett is the right choice to lead the regulatory panel because of his history with guiding energy initiatives into law in Maine. Bartlett was chairman of the Legislature's Energy, Utilities and Technology Committee during his time in the State House.\n\nBartlett says he will prioritize \"working to protect the rights of consumers and ratepayers\" in his new role. He served in the Maine Senate 2004 to 2012.", "AUGUSTA, Maine — A statewide ban on single-use plastic shopping bags negotiated by environmentalists and grocers cleared the Maine House of Representatives on Thursday in an initial step toward likely passage in the Democratic-led Legislature.\n\nThe amended bill from Rep. Holly Stover, D-Boothbay, passed 91-52 in a party-line vote on Thursday, with all Republicans present voting against it. The bill faces further action in both chambers and is expected to pass with support from the administration of Gov. Janet Mills.\n\nIt would make Maine the fourth state to ban plastic shopping bags effective in 2020 after California, New York and Hawaii and would override local ordinances in more than 20 Maine cities and towns that either ban plastic bags or charge a fee to people who take bags.\n\nThat patchwork of local laws and the Democratic legislative majorities created the environment for the compromise bill, which was negotiated by the Natural Resources Council of Maine, the Retail Association of Maine and the Maine Grocers and Food Producers Association.\n\nIn floor speeches, Democrats touted the municipal actions and said a statewide ban would send an important message to future generations. In a floor speech, Stover referred to reports saying that 60 percent to 80 percent of ocean pollution can be traced to discarded plastic.\n\n“We have a climate change crisis on our hands and Maine needs to be a leader,” Stover said.\n\nRepublicans objected to the bill, saying it could harm Maine businesses and stating opposition to sweeping mandates and a concern that the proposal would be more symbolic than impactful.\n\n“Plastic doesn’t get to the side of the road on its own,” said Rep. Dennis Keschl, R-Belgrade. “How is this bill going to address how it gets there?”\n\nThe bill would prohibit single-use plastic bags by April 2020. After that, retailers would have to charge at least 5 cents for recycled paper bags or reusable plastic bags, though small stores and restaurants will be exempted. Earlier this month, Mills signed a bill to make Maine the first state to ban single-use foam food and beverage containers.\n\nFor a roundup of Maine political news, click here to receive Daily Brief, Maine’s only newsletter on state politics via email on weekday mornings."], "summary": "Maine becomes the 17th U.S. state to ban conversion therapy for minors."}
{"document": ["Latvian newly elected President Egils Levits speaks at front of the Parliament in Riga, Latvia May 29, 2019. REUTERS/Ints Kalnins\n\nRIGA (Reuters) - Latvia’s parliament elected former European Court of Justice judge Egils Levits as the Baltic country’s next president on Wednesday, a largely ceremonial role that also brings with it limited political powers.\n\nLevits won the support of 61 lawmakers in the 100-seated parliament. He will serve four years starting on July 8, when incumbent president Raimonds Vejonis’ term comes to an end.\n\nThe president of Latvia has mostly ceremonial functions but can propose new bills and nominate candidates for prime minister. The president is appointed through the parliament votes rather than popular elections.", "HELSINKI (AP) - Latvian lawmakers have elected Egils Levits, a judge with the European Court of Justice, to become the Baltic nation's head of state. Incumbent Raimonds Vejonis declined to seek another four-year term in office.\n\nLatvia's 100-seat legislature, the Saeima, elected Levits, a 63-year-old lawyer and political scientist educated in Germany, on Wednesday.\n\nThe clear favorite, Levits received 61 votes already in the first round of voting, well above the 51 needed to win the election.\n\nTwo other candidates, lawmaker Didzis Smits and human rights ombudsman Juris Jansons, were also in the running.\n\nThe president is Latvia's formal figurehead, representing the European Union country of 1.9 million abroad and acting as the supreme commander of the armed forces in this small NATO nation neighboring Russia.", "HELSINKI — Latvian lawmakers on Wednesday elected former dissident Egils Levits, a judge with the European Court of Justice, as the Baltic nation’s new president.\n\nLevits, a 63-year-old lawyer and political scientist educated at the University of Hamburg, received 61 votes in the Saeima, Latvia’s 100-seat legislature, well above the 51 votes needed to win the election.\n\nIncumbent Raimonds Vejonis declined to seek another four-year term in office.\n\nTwo other candidates, lawmaker Didzis Smits and human rights ombudsman Juris Jansons, were also in the running.\n\nThe president is Latvia’s formal figurehead, representing the European Union country of 1.9 million abroad and acting as the supreme commander of the armed forces in this small NATO nation neighbouring Russia. The head of state also signs bills into laws, ratifies treaties, appoints the prime minister and has the right to dissolve the parliament.\n\nLevits, a member of the Luxembourg-based European Court of Justice since 2004, is a former Soviet-era dissident who was a key figure in Latvia’s independence movement in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He was also a judge at the European Court of Human Rights.\n\nAddressing the Parliament in Riga, the Latvian capital, Levits pledged to be “the president of all people — those living in Latvia, those living abroad, the poor, the rich, the marginalized, as well as those living good lives.”\n\nTens of thousands of mostly young Latvians have left since the country’s 2004 EU membership, leading to a continuously shrinking population and a shortage of skilled workers, among other issues.\n\nLevits, who will assume office in July, said Latvia should actively try to attract people to return.", "Latvia’s parliament has elected former European Court of Justice judge Egils Levits as the next president on Wednesday, a role that brings with it limited political powers.\n\nLevits won the support of 61 lawmakers in the 100-seat parliament of the Baltic country, Reuters said. He will serve four years starting on July 8, when incumbent president Raimonds Vejonis’ term comes to an end.\n\nThe president of Latvia performs mostly ceremonial functions but can propose new bills and can nominate candidates for prime minister.\n\nThe president is appointed through a parliamentary vote rather than by popular election.", "RIGA, May 29 (Reuters) - Latvia's parliament elected former European Court of Justice judge Egils Levits as the Baltic country's next president on Wednesday, a largely ceremonial role that also brings with it limited political powers.\n\nLevits won the support of 61 lawmakers in the 100-seated parliament. He will serve four years starting on July 8, when incumbent president Raimonds Vejonis' term comes to an end.\n\nThe president of Latvia has mostly ceremonial functions but can propose new bills and nominate candidates for prime minister. The president is appointed through the parliament votes rather than popular elections. (Reporting by Gederts Gelzis, writing by Johan Ahlander; editing by Niklas Pollard)", "Latvian members of parliament were meeting on Wednesday to elect a new president for the Baltic country.\n\nThree politicians are in the running to succeed outgoing President Raimonds Vejonis. The candidate with the best odds is Egils Levits, a 63-year-old judge at the European Court of Justice who was nominated by the coalition government.\n\nAn absolute majority of 51 votes out of 100 lawmakers in the Saeima parliament is required for the largely ceremonial job as head of state.\n\nIf no candidates meet that threshold, the vote will go to a second round.\n\nFollowing a recent change to the constitution, the president will be elected in an open vote, instead of a secret ballot.", "SINGAPORE: A district judge \"substantially copied\" arguments by the prosecution in his grounds of decision, rendering it unreliable to support the conviction of a Chinese medium who had taken drugs.\n\nThis finding was delivered by High Court judge Aedit Abdullah in his written judgment on Friday (May 24). He had heard an appeal by the Chinese medium, Lim Chee Huat, against his conviction and sentence of 11 months' jail, imposed by District Judge Mathew Joseph.\n\n\"In the present case, the district judge must have either extensively typed out the prosecution’s closing submissions or had someone else do so, which would have been an utter waste of time and effort; or he must have cut and pasted the submissions into his judgment,\" said the High Court judge.\n\n\"Either raises the questions of whether any consideration was given to the defence’s arguments and if the district judge properly weighed the strength of the parties’ submissions.\"\n\n\n\nDespite ruling that \"the record did not sufficiently disclose that the district judge had exercised his mind about the case at hand\", Justice Aedit upheld the conviction after reviewing the case, along with the evidence, and dismissed both of Lim's appeals.\n\n\"I find that as substantial copying had occurred, the grounds of the\n\ndecision below could not be said to contain any determination of issues or a making of a decision by the district judge,\" said Justice Aedit. \"It therefore could not be relied upon to support the appellant’s conviction.\"\n\nLim's lawyer Zero Geraldo Mario Nalpon had argued that the district judge had plagiarised the prosecution's closing submissions, alleging that his grounds of decision were \"worthless\".\n\nHe added that although the judge had a duty to give regard to both sides' arguments, he had not mentioned the defence's arguments and made a \"mockery of the judiciary\", with \"clear bias\" in favour of the prosecution.\n\nThe defence lawyer had compared the judge's grounds with the prosecution's submissions and found that the judge had replicated the latter, rearranging the sequence of paragraphs and making minor paraphrasing, even repeating a typographical error in the words \"once against\".\n\nDeputy Public Prosecutors Isaac Tan and Chin Jincheng had accepted that the judge's grounds were \"strikingly similar\" to the prosecution's submissions, but argued that the arguments pertaining to the form of the grounds \"were irrelevant\".\n\nThey added that the defence's assertion of the district judge's bias in favour of the prosecution was not supported.\n\nSaid Justice Aedit: \"I find that the district judge had copied the prosecution’s submissions to such a degree that I can only give minimal weight to his decision on conviction and sentence. However, I agree with the prosecution that this court is still capable of weighing the evidence on record to determine if the appellant’s conviction should be upheld.\"\n\nROLE OF JUDGMENT IS TO CONVEY REASONS FOR CASE OUTCOME\n\nHe explained that the primary role of a judgment or grounds of decision is to convey the reasons for the outcome or result in a particular case. The court is required to address arguments raised by parties, although it is not necessary for a judge to address all points.\n\nHowever, one of the roles of a judgment is to give assurance to parties and the public that justice has been done, said Justice Aedit, and \"practices that undermine confidence in the judicial process are thus to be avoided\".\n\nHe noted that while plagiarism would not be a reason in itself for overturning a decision, it undermines the confidence in the judicial process and discloses \"no act of judgment or discernment by the judge\".\n\n\"The reasons for the district judge, who is neither a new nor a junior judge, copying so substantially are not before me,\" said Justice Aedit. \"Pressures of work are not a sufficient reason. While judging is certainly not the sinecure that some may think it is, all jobs these days are stressful and demanding.\"\n\nCNA has contacted the State Courts for more information.", "Dean Blair, Barrister of Tauranga, has been appointed as a District Court Judge with a Family Court warrant to be based in Hamilton, Attorney-General David Parker announced today.\n\nDean Blair was admitted to the bar in Nelson 1989 and worked there in firms and as a barrister and solicitor on his own account. Since 2003, he has practiced in Tauranga.\n\nHis work has historically encompassed a range of civil and criminal matters in both the District Court and High Court, and employment law hearings and representation. Since 2005, he has had extensive involvement in Family Court cases, having elected to specialise in this.\n\nDean Blair became a barrister sole in 2007 and has received appointments as lawyer for the child since then, in both the Family Court and High Court jurisdictions, and has regularly received other appointments as counsel to assist in cases spanning various areas of legislation dealt with by the Family Court, and as counsel for subject person in PPPR cases.\n\nHe has received several appointments as lawyer for children in relation to return proceedings filed pursuant to the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of Child Abduction, including appellate proceedings. He has privately represented clients over a variety of matters.\n\nJudge Blair will be sworn in on 23 August 2019 in Tauranga.\n\nThe Attorney-General also announced the appointment of Retired Associate High Court Judge John Gordon Matthews as an Acting Associate Judge.\n\nActing Associate Judge Matthews retired in January 2019, and has been appointed for a two month term. He will sit in Christchurch.", "The e-courts system launched the other day by the honorable Supreme Court of Pakistan is undoubtedly an excellent initiative taken by the apex court under the guidance of Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khosa. This is the second milestone measure taken by him, the first one being the setting up of model courts or evening courts. Court proceedings through video link – with judges mainly sitting in Islamabad and the petitioner in Karachi – are almost revolutionary for our judicial system. This will help save time and the heavy cost borne by both the court and the petitioners.\n\nThe people appreciate these achievements towards providing speedy, accessible and economical justice system. More comprehensive reforms at the level of the lower judiciary are also awaited so that justice at all levels is conveniently available to the common citizen in our country. These and other such measures will greatly help clear and settle the heavy pendency of litigation before the learned courts that are severely overburdened at present.", "Justice A K was sworn in as the of the High Court on Tuesday, officials said.\n\nadministered the oath of office to Justice at the Raj Bhavan here in the presence of Conrad K Sangma, his cabinet colleagues and senior government officers, they said.\n\nJustice is the most and and has been functioning in that high court since his elevation."], "summary": "Egils Levits, a Judge of the European Court of Justice, is elected President by the Saeima."}
{"document": ["Exactly one month after the 21st Knesset was sworn in, a majority of the Knesset voted late Wednesday night to disperse and initiate an unprecedented repeat election on September 17.\n\n\n\nIt was the first time in Israeli history that a candidate for prime minister failed to form a coalition after being given the task by the president after an election.\n\nPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the Likud faction ahead of the vote that he had not succeeded in reaching a compromise with Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman on the controversial haredi (ultra-Orthodox) conscription bill, and that he had also tried unsuccessfully to woo MKs from the opposition to join his government.“The State of Israel is going to elections because of the Likud’s refusal to accept our proposal,” Liberman said as he entered the Knesset plenum. “This is a complete surrender of the Likud to the ultra-Orthodox. We will not be partners in a government of Jewish law.”Tourism Minister Yariv Levin, head of the Likud’s negotiating team, told reporters “it’s over,” as he arrived at the Likud meeting after his last negotiation had failed.Environmental Protection Minister Ze’ev Elkin said that there was no choice but to hold new elections, due to Liberman’s intransigence and refusal to accept “1,000 compromises” that had been offered throughout the last week.The vote – taken just after the midnight deadline by which Netanyahu needed to tell President Reuven Rivlin whether he had been able to form a governing coalition – was 74 to 45 in favor of dispersing.Opposition MKs shouted “shame, shame, shame” in unison ahead of the vote.The Likud initiated the bill to dissolve the Knesset rather than give Rivlin a chance to appoint someone other than Netanyahu to form a government.In presenting the bill to the Knesset, Likud MK Miki Zohar said that he is “disappointed by the situation, but we were forced into it.” He admitted that the decision “would not be remembered positively in our history.”“The Left asks us why we didn’t give [Blue and White leader] Benny Gantz a chance to form the coalition,” Zohar said. “Two and a half million people voted as if they had two votes, for their party and for [Netanyahu]... despite knowing about the [pre-indictment] hearing [for the prime minister on corruption charges]. They didn’t want Gantz.”According to Zohar, those calling to let Gantz form the government are “saying to give the opportunity to the minority to form the government at the expense of the majority. The majority rules, while the minority has rights. That is the meaning of democracy.”The bill called the election for September 17, but there were several other options the coalition was set to vote on in the second reading. Netanyahu asked the other parties to back September 17, because that is what Yisrael Beytenu preferred, and he needed them to have a majority in favor of dissolving the Knesset.In the unsuccessful coalition talks, the Likud had proposed that as soon as the government would be formed, Liberman’s original conscription law would be presented, as written and in his language, for the approval of the Knesset plenum. After its approval, there would be more negotiations when the law would be prepared for its final readings.If that agreement is not reached by the end of July, the party said, and in accordance with the decision of the High Court of Justice, the current arrangement that has exempted haredim from being drafted would expire, and the compulsory service law would apply to all. The ultra-Orthodox parties would therefore have to choose between Liberman’s version of the law or a return to the original law, which means full mobilization for haredim, the Likud said.“The proposal has now been submitted to the parties, and we await their positive response in order to form a right-wing government tonight and prevent unnecessary elections,” the party wrote.In response, United Torah Judaism said that it would back another party to lead the coalition.“We won’t retreat beyond what we have agreed to,” UTJ leader Deputy Health Minister Ya’acov Litzman said in his initial response to the Likud statement. “I still believe that a government can be formed. I’m on my way to sign on the coalition agreement.”Liberman also initially rejected the proposal, saying it was not exactly what he had said all along about the conscription bill needing to be passed into law as is.The proposal was made after the Likud reported that it had secured agreements with 60 MKs from the Likud, Kulanu, UTJ, Shas and the Union of Right-Wing Parties, leaving it only one MK short of a majority coalition.After Kulanu denied that it had signed any documents and insisted it won’t sign unless the coalition would include 61 MKs, the Likud said the deal with Kulanu was complete and ready to be signed, pending Liberman joining the government.Hours ahead of the deadline, Liberman stood his ground on the matter of haredi conscription.“We repeatedly said we want the original [haredi] conscription bill, nothing else,” Liberman said. “People claiming that there’s a compromise, when it was just 10 millimeters of movement, are not familiar with the bill.”Liberman said that proposed compromises “empty the bill of all content,” and he will not agree to them.The bill, which the Defense Ministry drafted under Liberman’s leadership, sets rising annual targets for haredi conscription in the IDF.“The bill is good for the IDF, for the haredim and for Israel,” Liberman stated. “We have to be reasonable. I am appealing to the haredi MKs’ reason.... There is no better bill than this. Let it pass with you abstaining.”The Likud attacked Liberman fiercely throughout the day.“Liberman continues to mislead,” the Likud said in an official statement. “He says ‘I will consider’ to every offer and stalls for a few days. His goal is to end Netanyahu’s career and replace him.”The Likud mocked Liberman for portraying himself as the defender of secular people, after he prevented there being a secular mayor of Jerusalem.“For a few seats and his hunger for power, he is dragging an entire country to elections,” the Likud concluded.Yisrael Beytenu responded by condemning the Likud’s tone and reiterating that Liberman’s views on the conscription bill have been consistent.Earlier, a Likud spokesman confirmed that offers were made to the Labor Party and the Blue and White Party. In talks with Labor head Avi Gabbay, Netanyahu offered him the Defense or Finance ministries and three other ministerial positions, in an effort to convince him to join his government.A Labor spokesman confirmed that the party received an offer from the Likud that included stopping bills that the party believes would harm democracy, including the Immunity Law. But the spokesman said the offer was considered and rejected.Labor MKs expressed outrage that Gabbay mulled the offer for a full day before telling them. By contrast, Blue and White said no immediately.Opposition MKs took advantage of the nearly 12-hour debate to bring up their grievances against the government that was never formed.Many lamented the estimated NIS 475 million that the election will cost, according to the Finance Ministry, saying that taxpayer money would be better spent elsewhere. In addition, industry experts estimated that the day off for Election Day will cost the economy NIS 2 billion.“Likud MKs, you also have the option of showing some courage and saying no to Netanyahu,” Blue and White MK Miki Haimovich said.Another MK from Blue and White, Yoaz Hendel, said: “Have an opinion. If you’re on the Right, then Right; Left, then Left. But say something other than ‘Bibi!’ Is that Right? When it comes to Hamas, you turn into Peace Now. When there are [corruption] allegations, you become defense attorneys. You turned into dishrags.”Blue and White MK Ram Shefa hosted a trivia game from the Knesset stage, asking who said various quotes from politicians, and offering champagne, cigars and trays of take-out meals – references to Netanyahu’s corruption investigations.Alon Einhorn and Tzvi Joffre contributed to this report.\n\nvar cont = `Join Jerusalem Post Premium Plus now for just $5 and upgrade your experience with an ads-free website and exclusive content. Click here>>\n\n\n\n`; document.getElementById(\"linkPremium\").innerHTML = cont; (function (v, i){ });", "JERUSALEM — Israel’s parliament voted to dissolve itself early Thursday, sending the country to an unprecedented second snap election this year as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu failed to form a governing coalition before a midnight deadline.\n\nThe dramatic vote, less than two months after parliamentary elections, marked a dramatic downturn for Netanyahu and sent the longtime leader’s future into turmoil.\n\nNetanyahu, who has led Israel for the past decade, had appeared to capture a fourth consecutive term in April’s election. But infighting among his allies, and disagreements over proposed bills that would protect Netanyahu from prosecution stymied his efforts to put together a majority coalition.\n\nRather than concede that task to one of his rivals, Netanyahu’s Likud party advanced a bill to dissolve parliament and send the country to the polls for a second time this year.\n\nHad the deadline passed, Israel’s president would have given another lawmaker, most likely opposition leader Benny Gantz, an opportunity to put together a coalition. After the vote, Gantz angrily accused Netanyahu of choosing self-preservation over allowing the country’s political process to run its course.\n\nGantz said that instead of following procedure, Netanyahu opted for “three crazy months” of a new campaign and millions of wasted dollars over new elections because he is “legally incapacitated” by looming indictments.\n\n“There is no other reason,” Gantz said.\n\nNetanyahu’s Likud party won 35 seats in the April 9 election, and his religious and nationalist allies won another 30, appearing to give him a solid majority in the 120-seat parliament.\n\nBut discord between his ultra-Orthodox allies and former Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman’s secular nationalist Yisrael Beitenu party resulted in a deadlock.\n\nAfter the vote, Netanyahu angrily accused Lieberman of making unrealistic demands and forcing an unnecessary election.\n\n“He is dragging the entire country for another half a year of elections,” he said.\n\nWednesday’s vote sends the country into uncharted political waters, no less because Netanyahu, the interim prime minister, still faces a likely indictment for a battery of corruption charges just around the time of the election.", "Israeli lawmakers on Thursday voted to dissolve the Parliament after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu failed to form a coalition government following elections held in April, reported Reuters. Netanyahu will now remain in power until fresh elections are held on September 17.\n\nThe lawmakers voted 74-45 in favour of dissolving the parliament. It is the first time in Israel’s history that a prime minister-designate has failed to form a coalition, according to BBC.\n\n“We’ll run a sharp, clear election campaign which will bring us victory,” Netanyahu told reporters after the vote. “We’ll win, we’ll win and the public will win.”\n\nIn the elections in held in April, Netanyahu’s Likud Party won 35 out of 120 seats. His party then tried to join hands with Avigdor Lieberman’s Yisrael Beitenu party. But talks failed after former Defence Minister Lieberman demanded that the military draft exemptions for ultra-Orthodox Jewish seminary students be changed.\n\nIsrael has always had coalition governments. No party has ever won majority in the country’s 120-seat parliament.\n\nNetanyahu, who faces charges of corruption, had promised to annex the West Bank if he is reelected. On March 1, Israeli Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit recommended the prime minister be indicted on breach of trust and bribery charges in three separate cases.", "Israel is heading for an unprecedented second election in less than six months after Benjamin Netanyahu failed to form a coalition before a Wednesday night deadline and instead forced through a bill to dissolve parliament.\n\nMr Netanyahu won the most votes in April’s election but has spent the last six weeks struggling to convince smaller Right-wing parties to join his coalition and help him form a majority government.\n\nAfter a series of frantic last-ditch negotiations broke down, a stony-faced Mr Netanyahu returned to parliament shortly before midnight on Wednesday and voted in favour of a bill to hold new elections on September 17.\n\nThe bill passed 74-45. Moments after the vote, Mr Netanyahu condemned the new elections as “superfluous, wasteful elections that nobody needs and nobody wants because the people already spoke”.\n\nIsrael has never before been forced to hold two elections in a single year and the political chaos is a potentially seriously blow to Mr Netanyahu, who managed to win the April elections despite facing criminal corruption charges.", "With the failure to deliver any results, coalition talks between the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party, the right-wing and religious allies halted and forced Israel to mark history with an announcement of a new election after Mr. Netanyahu recently avoided defeat on a small margin.\n\nThe fresh vote will force Mr. Netanyahu back to the campaign trail just weeks after he narrowly won a presidential mandate following a bruising contest with an upstart party, the Wall Street Journal reported.\n\nThe new election date is locked at September 17, 2019, with the present PM being as an interim leader to maintain government affairs.", "Jerusalem: In an unprecedented development, Israeli lawmakers have voted to dissolve Parliament after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu failed to form a coalition government before a midnight deadline, triggering a fresh general election to be held on September 17.\n\nIn little more than six weeks since they were elected, Israeli lawmakers voted 74-45 in favour of dissolving the 21st Knesset (Israeli Parliament) and hold a second general election in the same calendar year.\n\nIt is the first time in Israel’s history that a prime minister-designate has failed to form a coalition.\n\nNetanyahu’s remarkable victory in the April 9 polls securing him a record fifth term proved temporary in the face of a logjam between potential coalition partners over a military conscription bill governing exemptions for ultra-Orthodox Jewish seminary students.\n\nFormer Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman of the nationalist Yisrael Beitenu party conditioned allying with ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties in the Netanyahu-led government subject to changes to their military draft exemptions.\n\nLieberman told reporters just before the vote that Israel was going to the polls because of the “complete surrender of the Likud (ruling party) to the haredim (ultra-orthodox)”.\n\nWithout Yisrael Beitenu, Netanyahu could muster support of only 60 lawmakers in the 120 member house, falling short of a majority by just one.\n\nNetanyahu launched a diatribe against Lieberman whom he blamed for “dragging the country to unnecessary elections”.\n\n“Avigdor Liberman is now part of the left. He brings down right-wing governments. Don’t believe him again. I will tell you about it tomorrow. Maybe I will tell you some things you don’t know,” the Prime Minister told reporters immediately after the Knesset voted to dissolve itself.\n\n“We’ll run a sharp, clear election campaign which will bring us victory. We’ll win, we’ll win and the public will win,” he said.\n\n“The public in Israel made a clear decision. It decided that I will be Prime Minister, that the Likud will lead the government, a right-wing government,” Netanyahu said.\n\nAccording to several political analysts, the impasse leading to the political crisis was borne out of personal ego clash between the two leaders and does not really have a sound ideological ground.\n\nNetanyahu and Lieberman’s association in politics goes back some 31 years when the latter assisted the former during his tenure as the deputy foreign minister in an unofficial capacity.\n\nThe move by Netanyahu’s ruling Likud party to dissolve the Knesset ensured that President Reuven Rivlin would not be able to call some other lawmaker to try to form a new government.\n\nRivlin had asked Netanyahu to form the next government after 65 lawmakers, including five of Lieberman’s Yisrael Beitenu party, submitted letters of support for him.\n\nNetanyahu asked for an additional two weeks time to form the government after failing to cobble up one together during the mandated 28 days period. The extended time period was to expire at midnight on Wednesday.\n\nLikud party had won 35 seats in the April 9 elections and the right-wing parties had together won 65 seats in the 120 member Knesset, making everyone believe that a right wing government was inevitable and easy to form.\n\nNetanyahu declared victory and started coalition negotiations immediately after the results came out, but contrary to expectations, the jubilation in the right-wing bloc proved momentary with no resolution on the draft exemption bill.\n\nThe Israeli Prime Minister had lamented the difficulties faced by him in the process of forging a coalition during a telephonic conversation with Narendra Modi on May 23 when he called up the Indian Prime Minister to congratulate the him on his resounding victory in the general elections.\n\n“Well, thank you for your congratulations on my victory, but there’s one difference: You don’t need a coalition, I do, and there’s a big difference,” Netanyahu told Modi after the Indian Prime Minister also congratulated him on his electoral success during the conversation.", "Israel is to hold its second election this year after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu failed to form a coalition government before a midnight deadline.\n\nIsrael's parliament voted to dissolve itself - less than two months after the last general election.\n\nThe new vote is expected to be held in September.\n\n\"We will run a sharp, clear election campaign which will bring us victory,\" said Mr Netanyahu. \"We will win, we will win and the public will win.\"\n\nThe vote to dissolve the Knesset dealt a blow to Mr Netanyahu, who appeared to capture a fourth consecutive term in April's election.\n\nBut infighting among his ultra-orthodox and secular ultra-nationalist allies, and disagreement about proposals to protect Mr Netanyahu from prosecution sank his efforts to form a coalition.\n\nHis party then brought forward a bill to dissolve parliament, rather than concede the task of forming a government to a rival.\n\nIn April, Mr Netanyahu's Likud Party won 35 of the 120 seats on offer in the Knesset, despite facing possible indictment in three cases of corruption.\n\nHe denies the corruption charges, and accused his opponents of mounting a witch hunt against him.", "Israel’s parliament voted to dissolve itself early Thursday, sending the country to an unprecedented second snap election this year as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu failed to form a governing coalition before a midnight deadline.\n\nThe dramatic vote, less than two months after parliamentary elections, marked a setback for Netanyahu and sent the longtime leader’s future into turmoil.\n\nNetanyahu, who has led Israel for the past decade, had appeared to capture a fourth consecutive term in the April 9 election. \n\n\n\nBut infighting among his allies, and disagreements over proposed bills to protect Netanyahu from prosecution stymied his efforts to put together a majority coalition.\n\nRather than concede that task to one of his rivals, Netanyahu’s Likud party advanced a bill to dissolve parliament and send the country to the polls for a second time this year.\n\n“I didn’t spare any effort to avoid unnecessary elections,” Netanyahu said after the vote, lashing out at an ally-turned-rival, Avigdor Lieberman, who refused the prime minister’s offers to join the government.\n\nHe said the country was being forced to hold “unnecessary, wasteful elections because the people had their say. They didn’t have their say enough for what Mr. Lieberman wants.”\n\nHad the deadline passed without the vote, Israel’s president would have given another lawmaker, most likely opposition leader Benny Gantz, an opportunity to put together a coalition.\n\nAfter the vote, Gantz angrily accused Netanyahu of choosing self-preservation over allowing the country’s political process to run its course.\n\nGantz said that Netanyahu opted for “three crazy months” of a new campaign and millions of wasted dollars over new elections because he is “legally incapacitated” by looming indictments. “There is no other reason,” Gantz said.\n\nThe country now plunges into a new election campaign that will last at least three months under Israeli law. With much of the country on vacation in late August, a tentative date of Sept. 17 was set.\n\nThe campaign looks to complicate Netanyahu’s precarious legal standing. Israel’s attorney general has recommended pressing criminal charges against him in three separate corruption cases, pending a hearing scheduled for October.\n\nEven if Netanyahu wins the election, it is unlikely he will be able to form a government and lock down the required political support for an immunity deal before an expected indictment. That would force him to stand trial and put heavy pressure on him to step aside.\n\nThe political uncertainty could also spell trouble for the White House’s Mideast peace efforts. The U.S. has scheduled a conference next month in Bahrain to unveil what it says is the first phase of its peace plan, an initiative aimed at drawing investment into the Palestinian territories.\n\nWith the Palestinians, who accuse the US of being unfairly biased toward Israel, opposed to the plan, and Netanyahu preoccupied with re-election, it remains unclear how the Americans will be able to proceed. President Donald Trump’s top Mideast adviser, son-in-law Jared Kushner, was in Israel and scheduled to meet with Netanyahu on Thursday.\n\nThat Netanyahu struggled to secure a majority coalition in the 120-seat parliament was a shocking turn of events for the country’s dominating political figure.\n\nIn the April 9 vote, Likud and its hardline nationalist and religious parties captured a majority of 65 seats.\n\nThe immediate cause of the crisis was his dispute with Lieberman, a former aide who leads the small Yisrael Beitenu faction.\n\nThe men had clashed over Lieberman’s demand to subject ultra-Orthodox religious males to the military draft, which is compulsory for most Jewish males. Without Lieberman’s five Knesset seats, Netanyahu had no parliamentary majority.\n\nBut the deeper issue is connected to Netanyahu’s legal troubles. Facing a likely indictment, he had pushed his coalition partners to pass legislation that would grant him immunity and curb the powers of the country’s Supreme Court.\n\nOpposition parties strongly oppose granting Netanyahu immunity, robbing him of any alternatives to Lieberman as he tried to form a coalition", "Israel is heading for an unprecedented second election in less than six months after Benjamin Netanyahu failed to form a coalition before a Wednesday night deadline and instead forced through a bill to dissolve parliament.\n\nMr Netanyahu won the most votes in April’s election but has spent the last six weeks struggling to convince smaller Right-wing parties to join his coalition and help him form a majority government.\n\nAfter a series of frantic last-ditch negotiations broke down, a stony-faced Mr Netanyahu returned to parliament shortly before midnight on Wednesday and voted in favour of a bill to hold new elections on September 17.\n\nThe bill passed 74-45. Moments after the vote, Mr Netanyahu condemned the new elections as “superfluous, wasteful elections that nobody needs and nobody wants because the people already spoke”.\n\nIsrael has never before been forced to hold two elections in a single year and the political chaos is a potentially seriously blow to Mr Netanyahu, who managed to win the April elections despite facing criminal corruption charges.\n\nThe prime minister, who has held power for 13 years, had hoped to use his new government to change the law and shield himself from prosecution. Instead, he finds himself fighting an unwanted second election.\n\nThe turmoil in Israel is likely to have repercussions on the White House’s Israeli-Palestinian peace plan.\n\nThe economic half of the plan is due to be unveiled at a summit in Bahrain next month, while the more controversial political half was expected to be rolled out at a later date. It seems likely the political component will now be delayed or potentially shelved completely.\n\nJared Kushner, Donald Trump’s son-in-law and point man on the peace process, is due to meet with Mr Netanyahu on Thursday.\n\nThe Israeli prime minister’s woes centred around Avigdor Lieberman, his mercurial former defence minister who leads the small Yisrael Beiteinu Right-wing party.\n\nMr Lieberman, an avowed secularist, said he would only join Mr Netanyahu’s government if the prime minister pledged to move ahead with a law that would increase the numbers of ultra-Orthodox Jewish men conscripted into the Israeli military.\n\nUltra-Orthodox Jews are currently exempted from military service as long as they can show they are involved in full-time religious studies.\n\nMr Lieberman’s demands were flatly rejected by the ultra-Orthodox political parties, whom Mr Netanyahu also needed to form a majority government.\n\nThe prime minister spent weeks trying to broker a compromise between the two sides but was ultimately unsuccessful, despite an intervention from Donald Trump who said he was hoping for a deal.\n\nMr Lieberman accused the prime minister’s Likud party of caving before the ultra-Orthodox, also known as the haredi.\n\n“The Likud surrendered completely to the haredi,” he said, shortly before the parliamentary vote.\n\nMr Netanyahu blasted Mr Lieberman, saying he was dragging the country to elections “because of his own whims”.", "JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli lawmakers voted to dissolve parliament on Thursday, paving the way for a new election after veteran Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu failed to form a coalition government before a midnight deadline.\n\nNetanyahu preferred a new ballot, set for Sept. 17, to the alternative, under which President Reuven Rivlin could have asked another politician to try and form a ruling coalition.\n\nBut the need to go the polls again so soon after a closely contested April 9 election in which Netanyahu had claimed victory, showed a new weakness in a leader who has been in power for the past decade and who has become the face of Israel for many.\n\nPotential indictments in three corruption cases have only deepened questions about his political survival.\n\n\"We will win,\" Netanyahu, 69, head of the right-wing Likud party, vowed after parliament voted when the deadline expired for him to assemble his fifth government.\n\nHowever, he was looking over his shoulder at the Likud benches during the vote in what some commentators interpreted as concern about any last-minute revolt. Not a single Likud lawmaker wavered in voting for an election.\n\nWith coalition-building potentially stretching into November once that election is over, the uncertainty seems likely to delay further U.S. President Donald Trump's forthcoming plan to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.\n\nAt the White House, Trump voiced regret at the political turmoil in Israel and praised Netanyahu, with whom he has been in lockstep in tough policy towards the Palestinians and Iran.\n\n\"It's too bad what happened in Israel. It looked like a total win for Netanyahu - who's a great guy. He's a great guy. And now they're back in the debate stage and they're back in the election stage,\" Trump told reporters.\n\nThe crisis arose - officially, at least - from a feud over military conscription between Netanyahu's presumed allies: ex-defence minister and far-right secularist Avigdor Lieberman, and ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties.\n\nThose parties want young religious scholars exempted en masse from mandatory national service. But Lieberman and many other Israelis say they should share the burden.\n\nFaced with the prospect of having to step aside at the end of a 42-day post-election period allowed for putting together a government, Netanyahu instead drummed up support to dissolve the Knesset.\n\nHe cast Lieberman, a settler in the occupied West Bank, as a leftist for effectively blocking the creation of a right-wing administration and said his erstwhile ally had been out to topple him.\n\nIn a dig that may foreshadow election campaign attack lines, Lieberman retorted that he lives in a settlement, whereas Netanyahu has a home in a Mediterranean beachfront suburb.\n\n\"The man from Caesarea is accusing the man from Nokdim of being left-wing?\" said Lieberman, head of the Yisrael Beitenu party.\n\n'DEAL OF THE NEXT CENTURY?'\n\nIn Jerusalem, the White House team behind the Trump peace proposal, including the president's son-in-law Jared Kushner, held talks with Netanyahu but made no public comment about any timeframe for release of the plan.\n\n\"Even though we had a little event last night,\" Netanyahu said, referring to the vote in parliament, \"that's not going to stop us - we're going to keep working together.\"\n\nThe group is in the Middle East to drum up support for what Kushner styles as an economic workshop in Bahrain next month to encourage investment in the occupied West Bank and Gaza.\n\nEven before it has been announced, Palestinians have spurned the plan - described by Trump as \"the deal of the century\" - as a blow to their statehood hopes.\n\n\"Now it is the deal of the next century,\" Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat told Israel Radio.\n\nAs the coalition deadline neared, public attention had been focused on pledges by Netanyahu loyalists to push for a vote in the Knesset granting him immunity from criminal prosecution as a member of parliament and to pass a law ensuring such protection cannot be stripped by the Supreme Court.\n\nMany opponents and political commentators saw Netanyahu's push for a new election, before the poll in April and now, as being largely motivated by his legal woes.\n\n\"It's astounding how easily one man is taking the entire State of Israel hostage for his own personal gains. We are heading to another election just so that he can escape prosecution,\" Gabi Ashkenazi, a member of the centrist Blue and White party and former armed forces head, told Army Radio.\n\nDubbed \"crime minister\" by foes, Netanyahu denies any wrongdoing in the graft investigations he faces, and has said he aims only to ensure the Supreme Court does not overstep in judging decisions by popularly elected lawmakers.\n\nIsrael's attorney general has said he intends to charge Netanyahu with bribery and fraud, pending a pre-trial hearing, which is scheduled for October.\n\nFirst elected in the late 1990s, Netanyahu will overtake Israel's founding father, David Ben-Gurion, in July as Israel's longest-serving premier.\n\nThe last election, in which Netanyahu showcased his warm relations with Trump and frequent contacts with Russian President Vladimir Putin, ended with him neck-and-neck with Benny Gantz, a politically untested ex-armed forces chief and head of Blue and White.\n\nBut Netanyahu was given the nod to form a government after ultranationalist, right-wing and religious party leaders voiced their support."], "summary": "Israel is expected to hold a new election on September 17 as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fails to form a government."}
{"document": ["Huawei told Reuters on Friday that FedEx diverted two packages sent from Japan and addressed to Huawei in China to the United States, and attempted to divert two more packages sent from Vietnam to Huawei offices elsewhere in Asia, all without authorization, providing images of FedEx tracking records.\n\nReuters could not verify the authenticity of the records. Shown the images of the tracking records, FedEx declined to make any comment, saying company policy prevented it from disclosing customer information.\n\nHuawei said the four packages only contained documents and \"no technology,\" which Reuters was unable to independently confirm.\n\nHuawei declined to elaborate on why it thought the packages were diverted. Reuters was given no evidence the incident was related to the U.S. government's move to place Huawei and its affiliates on a trade blacklist in mid-May, effectively banning U.S. firms from doing business with them on security grounds.\n\n\"The recent experiences where important commercial documents sent via FedEx were not delivered to their destination, and instead were either diverted to, or were requested to be diverted to, FedEx in the United States, undermines our confidence,\" Joe Kelly, a spokesman for Huawei, told Reuters. \"We will now have to review our logistics and document delivery support requirements as a direct result of these incidents,\" the spokesman said.\n\nHuawei acknowledged to Reuters that one package originating in Vietnam was received by Friday, and the other was on its way, according to FedEx tracking records provided by Huawei.\n\nFedEx spokeswoman Maury Donahue told Reuters the packages were \"misrouted in error\" and that FedEx was not requested to divert them by any other party.\n\n\"This is an isolated issue limited to a very small number of packages,\" said FedEx, referring to the four parcels affected. \"We are aware of all shipments at issue and are working directly with our customers to return the packages to their possession.\"\n\nThe U.S. Department of Commerce did not reply to a request for comment on whether the incident might be related to its move on May 16 to add Huawei to the so-called \"Entity List,\" preventing it buying certain items from U.S. companies without U.S. government approval.\n\nThe United States believes Huawei, the world's largest telecom network gear maker leading the way in creating the next generation of wireless networks known as 5G, is a potential espionage threat because of its close ties with the Chinese government.\n\nHuawei has repeatedly denied it is controlled by the Chinese government, military or intelligence services.\n\nThe issue has become a flashpoint in an escalating trade battle between the world's two biggest economies.\n\nThe two packages sent on May 19 and May 20 from Tokyo, intended for Huawei in China, ended up in Memphis, Tennessee, the headquarters of the U.S. company, by May 23, according to images of FedEx tracking records shown to Reuters by Huawei.\n\nThe two packages originating from Hanoi on May 17, destined for Huawei's Hong Kong and Singapore offices, were held up after arriving in local FedEx stations in Hong Kong and Singapore on May 21 for \"delivery exception,\" according to other images Huawei showed Reuters.\n\nAccording to FedEx's website, the status \"exception\" means an unexpected event is preventing delivery of a package, for example a customs delay, a holiday, or no one being available to accept delivery. FedEx declined to give details on what the exception was in this case.\n\nAccording to Huawei, a FedEx customer service representative in Vietnam replied to their inquiry on May 22 when two expected packages did not arrive on time, saying: \"Please be informed that FDX SG received notification from FDX US to hold and return the package to US. Hence, the shipment is not deliver to consignee and now being hold at FDX station and under process to RTS it (return to sender),\" the representative wrote in broken English, according to an email Huawei showed to Reuters.\n\nHuawei told Reuters that both Vietnam packages were sent by its shipping agent, a contractor to Huawei whom it did not identify, and contained urgent documents. It said the shipping agent refused permission for FedEx to send the packages to the United States and instructed they be returned, Huawei told Reuters. Reuters could not confirm that.\n\nHuawei told Reuters it only learned that the Japan-originated packages, which were sent by suppliers that it did not identify, had been diverted to the United States after checking FedEx's tracking record.\n\nThe company said it has lodged a formal complaint with China's postal regulator, which it said is investigating the incident. China's State Postal Bureau did not return a request for comment.", "Less than a week after Huawei Technologies was blacklisted by the United States, more than a hundred South Korean politicians and business leaders toured the Chinese tech giant’s headquarters and its lavish new campus outside Shenzhen.\n\nExecutives from firms such as Samsung Electronics watched demonstrations of high-speed robotics and smart city simulations powered by Huawei’s next-generation 5G network equipment. The event was part of a Seoul-backed forum aimed at building tighter tech links between China and Asia’s fourth-largest economy.\n\nBut the gathering was overshadowed by the US decision early this month to ban American tech and telecom firms from doing business with Huawei, and a push to get companies around the world to follow suit.\n\nThe campaign against Huawei, and the broader US-China trade war have landed export-driven South Korea in a familiar bind, caught between its crucial security ally and biggest trading partner.\n\nKey global tech companies are suspending sales of parts and software to the Chinese firm and several mobile carriers are delaying the launch of new Huawei handsets. But in South Korea, business executives and politicians said they see few alternatives to conducting business with China as normal.\n\nFor Samsung, South Korea’s national tech champion, any advantages it could gain from Washington’s move against Huawei would be outweighed by the pain of lost business, experts said.\n\nSamsung could increase share at Huawei’s expense in smartphones and telecom network equipment, and its stock has ticked up modestly since the US ban was announced. The broader trade war could also blunt the rise of new Chinese rivals in chips and smartphone screens.\n\nBut Huawei is also one of the biggest customers for Samsung’s memory chips, and the South Korean firm has multiple factories in China serving a plethora of customers. Samsung Vice Chairman Yoon Boo-keun was among those who took part in the Huawei tour.\n\n“They compete, but they are important partners too,” said Min Byung-doo, a South Korean ruling Democratic Party member of parliament who was part of the tour, referring to Huawei and Samsung. He told Reuters that South Korean companies had “no simple alternative” to maintaining business relationships with Huawei.\n\nSouth Korean government officials and tech company executives say there is plenty to worry about in the long run. China is South Korea’s largest trading partner, accounting for 26.8% of the country’s exports in 2018, compared with 12 percent for the United States.\n\nHuawei alone bought $10.7 billion worth of South Korean products last year, accounting for about 17% of the country’s electronics parts exports to China, according to data from the South Korean government and Huawei.\n\nSouth Korea’s SK Hynix, the world’s No.2 memory chip maker, counts Huawei as its top customer.\n\nSome experts believe South Korea will not be able to walk the line between the two powers amid an intensifying tech trade war.\n\n“South Korea has to face the moment of truth-choosing the United States or China,” said Han Suk-hee, a professor of Chinese studies at Yonsei University and a former South Korean consul general in Shanghai.\n\n“What if the US is not only asking not to use Huawei products but also not to export South Korean semiconductors to China? The government needs to prepare for that worst-case scenario.”\n\nWashington has warned allies that adopting Huawei technology in 5G networks could lead the US to curtail intelligence sharing.\n\nSouth Korea’s presidential office said it cannot comment on discussions with Washington.\n\nA South Korean government source close to the situation said there are no easy answers.\n\n“Sorry, we are not the United States, and can’t just do the same as what the US is doing to China,” he said when asked whether the country will join the U.S. campaign against Huawei. “We can’t jump to a simple conclusion.”\n\nLG Uplus Corp, the only South Korean telecom firm to use Huawei equipment for its 5G network, declined to comment.\n\nFor its part, Huawei said it plans to open a 5G lab in South Korea on Thursday as a sign of its commitment to partnership.\n\n“Huawei has an ‘In Korea, for Korea’s advancement’ philosophy,” Huawei’s head of Asia-Pacific, Tian Feng, was quoted as saying by South Korean officials who took part in the tour.\n\nMemories are still fresh in South Korea of how damaging retaliation by Beijing can be.\n\nAngry over Seoul’s decision to deploy a US THAAD anti-missile defense system in 2016 to counter North Korea, China informally banned group tours to South Korea and suspended construction projects by retail giant Lotte.\n\nSamsung’s smartphone market share in China halved in 2017 from a year earlier, according to Strategy Analytics. Hyundai Motor’s sales plummeted by one-third as a result of the missile dispute.\n\nAt some South Korean companies, officials grumble that their government is powerless to counter China and has not done enough in the face of what they see as unfair subsidies and other trade practices.\n\n“We feel as if we are left alone to fight to survive, not being able to get any government support when the Chinese government is all out there to advance their high-tech industries,” an official at a major South Korean display maker said, asking for anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.\n\n“Our government was in disarray without any pre-emptive plans in the THAAD situation, while our companies kept bleeding in China,” said the chief executive of a South Korean firm that supplies parts for Huawei smartphones, who also declined to be named. “This time around, I hope our government can provide a clear vision and protect our companies.”\n\nTech2 is now on WhatsApp. For all the buzz on the latest tech and science, sign up for our WhatsApp services. Just go to Tech2.com/Whatsapp and hit the Subscribe button.", "Apple’s biggest cash cow, the iPhone, continued to suffer weaker sales around the world in first quarter of the year as Chinese tech giant Huawei flexed its muscles and claimed more market share from Apple and its longtime rival, Samsung.\n\nThat’s according to new data from tech research firm Gartner, which on Tuesday released its latest report on the state of the smartphone market. According to Gartner, worldwide smartphone sales during the first quarter of the year dropped to 373 million units — a 2.7% decline from the same period a year ago. The main reasons cited for the drop were rising prices and slower rates of improvements in phone features that have caused consumers to extend the amount of time they are taking between phone upgrades.\n\nGartner said that Apple saw its iPhone sales fall to 44.6 million devices from 54.1 million in the first quarter of 2018, while its share of the worldwide market dropped to 11.9% from 14.1% a year ago. Gartner analyst Anshul Gupta said that even though Apple cut iPhone prices in several markets during the quarter, the move wasn’t enough to stoke demand and raise sales.\n\n“Apple is facing longer replacement cycles as users struggle to see enough value benefits to justify replacing existing iPhones,” Gupta said.\n\nThe U.S., Apple’s largest smartphone market, saw total smartphone sales fall by 15.8% during the first quarter.\n\nSamsung managed to hold on to the top spot in the smartphone market with sales of 71.5 million phones, or almost 7 million fewer than in the first quarter of 2018, as its market share fell to 19.2% from 20.5%.\n• How the Apple store lost its luster Huawei strengthened its position as the world’s No. 2 smartphone company, as Gartner said the Chinese tech giant sold 58.4 million units, which was good enough for a 15.7% market share. During the same period a year ago, Huawei sold 40.4 million smartphones. Gupta said Huawei saw particular strength in its two biggest business regions, China and Europe.\n\nHuawei’s gains came before the escalation of trade war between the United States and China. President Donald Trump recently issued an executive order that almost completely bans U.S. tech companies from doing business with Chinese-owned businesses. That order doesn’t officially go into effect until Aug. 19, but it could have an effect on Huawei’s business operations.", "Chinese telecoms equipment maker Huawei is reviewing its relationship with FedEx Corp after it claimed the US package delivery company, without detailed explanation, diverted two parcels destined for Huawei addresses in Asia to the United States and attempted to reroute two others.\n\nHuawei told Reuters on Friday that FedEx diverted two packages sent from Japan and addressed to Huawei in China to the United States, and attempted to divert two more packages sent from Vietnam to Huawei offices elsewhere in Asia, all without authorisation, providing images of FedEx tracking records.\n\nReuters could not verify the authenticity of the records. Shown the images of the tracking records, FedEx declined to make any comment, saying company policy prevented it from disclosing customer information.\n\nHuawei said the four packages only contained documents and “no technology,” which Reuters was unable to independently confirm.\n\nHuawei declined to elaborate on why it thought the packages were diverted.\n\n“The recent experiences where important commercial documents sent via FedEx were not delivered to their destination, and instead were either diverted to, or were requested to be diverted to, FedEx in the United States, undermines our confidence,” Joe Kelly, a spokesman for Huawei, told Reuters.\n\n“We will now have to review our logistics and document delivery support requirements as a direct result of these incidents,” the spokesman said.\n\nHuawei acknowledged to Reuters that one package originating in Vietnam was received by Friday, and the other was on its way, according to FedEx tracking records provided by Huawei.\n\nFedEx spokeswoman Maury Donahue told Reuters the packages were “misrouted in error”. She acknowledged in an earlier statement that the US Department of Commerce had recently added Chinese companies and affiliates to its “Entity List”, but did not elaborate.\n\nFedEx was not requested to divert the packages by any other party, she added.\n\n“This is an isolated issue limited to a very small number of packages,” said FedEx, referring to the four parcels affected. “We are aware of all shipments at issue and are working directly with our customers to return the packages to their possession.”\n\nFedEx China on Tuesday apologised on its Chinese social media account for the “mishandling” of Huawei packages and confirmed there was no “external pressure” to divert packages.\n\nThe US Department of Commerce did not reply to a request for comment on whether the incident might be related to its move on May 16 to add Huawei to the so-called “Entity List,” preventing it buying certain items from U.S. companies without U.S. government approval.\n\nThe United States believes Huawei, the world’s largest telecom network gear maker leading the way in creating the next generation of wireless networks known as 5G, is a potential espionage threat because of its close ties with the Chinese government.\n\nHuawei has repeatedly denied it is controlled by the Chinese government, military or intelligence services.\n\nThe issue has become a flashpoint in an escalating trade battle between the world’s two biggest economies.\n\nThe two packages sent on May 19 and May 20 from Tokyo, intended for Huawei in China, ended up in Memphis, Tennessee, the headquarters of the U.S. company, by May 23, according to images of FedEx tracking records shown to Reuters by Huawei.\n\nThe two packages originating from Hanoi on May 17, destined for Huawei’s Hong Kong and Singapore offices, were held up after arriving in local FedEx stations in Hong Kong and Singapore on May 21 for “delivery exception,” according to other images Huawei showed Reuters.\n\nAccording to FedEx’s website, the status “exception” means an unexpected event is preventing delivery of a package, for example a customs delay, a holiday, or no one being available to accept delivery. FedEx declined to give details on what the exception was in this case.\n\nAccording to Huawei, a FedEx customer service representative in Vietnam replied to their inquiry on May 22 when two expected packages did not arrive on time, saying: “Please be informed that FDX SG received notification from FDX US to hold and return the package to US. Hence, the shipment is not deliver to consignee and now being hold at FDX station and under process to RTS it (return to sender),” the representative wrote in broken English, according to an email Huawei showed to Reuters.\n\nHuawei told Reuters that both Vietnam packages were sent by its shipping agent, a contractor to Huawei whom it did not identify, and contained urgent documents. It said the shipping agent refused permission for FedEx to send the packages to the United States and instructed they be returned, Huawei told Reuters. Reuters could not confirm that.\n\nHuawei told Reuters it only learned that the Japan-originated packages, which were sent by suppliers that it did not identify, had been diverted to the United States after checking FedEx’s tracking record.\n\nThe company said it has lodged a formal complaint with China’s postal regulator, which it said is investigating the incident. China’s State Postal Bureau did not return a request for comment.\n\nTech2 is now on WhatsApp. For all the buzz on the latest tech and science, sign up for our WhatsApp services. Just go to Tech2.com/Whatsapp and hit the Subscribe button.", "Huawei is reviewing its relationship with FedEx after it claimed two of its packages were \"diverted to America\", amid rising tensions between the Chinese technology company and the US government.\n\nDonald Trump's administration has repeatedly warned that Huawei's equipment could be used for spying by China, and earlier this month the US president signed an executive order which effectively banned the company from America's 5G network.\n\nHuawei has maintained it is independent of the Chinese state and has now accused American courier FedEx of diverting its packages to the US, despite the fact they were travelling between Asian addresses.\n\nThe company said that FedEx diverted two parcels sent from Japan and addressed to its offices in China, instead sending them to the US, and attempted to divert two more packages sent from Vietnam to offices elsewhere in Asia.\n\nHuawei provided images of FedEx tracking records to Reuters, but the news agency said it has not yet verified their authenticity. Huawei said one package originating in Vietnam was received by Friday, and the other was on its way.", "U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will discuss their joint dispute with China over Huawei Technologies Co Ltd during a meeting in Ottawa on Thursday, a senior U.S. administration official said.\n\nWASHINGTON: U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will discuss their countries' joint dispute with China over Huawei during a meeting in Ottawa on Thursday, a senior U.S. administration official said.\n\nPence, known for taking a hard line against China, will travel to the Canadian capital to discuss trade issues, including Huawei Technologies Co Ltd, the world's largest telecoms network gear maker, which Washington has moved to isolate.\n\n\"Canada has been a close ally in the way that they've approached their relationship with China - and there could be some conversation about Huawei,\" the official told reporters, speaking on condition of anonymity.\n\nWashington has accused Huawei of being tied to China's government, and has effectively banned U.S. firms from doing business with the company for national security reasons.\n\nThe dispute spilled into Canada last year, and Ottawa has expressed frustration at what it sees as a lackluster U.S. response to harsh Chinese measures.\n\nIn December, Canada arrested Huawei's Chief Financial Officer Meng Wangzhou on a U.S. warrant. She faces extradition to the United States on charges she conspired to defraud global banks about Huawei's relationship with a company operating in Iran. She and the company have denied the charges.\n\nShortly after her arrest, Canadian businessman Michael Spavor and former diplomat Michael Kovrig were detained in China, and were formally arrested for espionage earlier this month. Canada has called the Canadians' detentions arbitrary.\n\nChina has also cut off imports of key Canadian commodities, hurting farmers.\n\n\"Expect some very tangible outcomes from their discussion with regard to China that we'll share with you tomorrow,\" a second U.S. official told reporters. The officials declined to say whether Pence would offer Canada assistance on the detentions and the trade stoppages.\n\nPence also plans to make a separate address in the coming days about the \"current state of affairs\" in China, the officials said.\n\nThe speech is seen as a sequel to one Pence gave in October, when he accused China of reckless military actions, cyber attacks and human rights abuses, as well as \"malign\" efforts to undermine Trump's reelection campaign in 2020.\n\nThe Huawei issue is the latest trade-related snafu to rock the relationship between the United States and Canada - normally two of the world's closest allies - since President Donald Trump took office.\n\nOne of Trump's first actions was to overhaul the 25-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico, which he commonly refers to as one of the worst trade deals ever made.\n\nBut now that the three countries have agreed to a replacement, Pence has been traveling around trade-dependent U.S. states to urge its passage through the Congress. He will put the new deal - the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement or USMCA - front and center during his first trip to Canada as vice president.\n\nThe two leaders are also expected to discuss the political crisis in Venezuela. Pence has played a major role in the Trump administration's diplomatic and economic efforts to force out President Nicolas Maduro.\n\nBoth Washington and Ottawa have backed opposition leader Juan Guaido, who invoked Venezuela's constitution in January to declare himself interim president, arguing that Maduro's 2018 re-election was illegitimate.\n\nThe Trump administration has threatened a harder line against Cuba for its support of Maduro, but Trudeau has reached out to Havana to seek its help in settling the political conflict in Venezuela.", "HONG KONG (Reuters) - Chinese telecoms equipment maker Huawei [HWT.UL] is reviewing its relationship with FedEx Corp (FDX.N) after it claimed the U.S. package delivery company, without detailed explanation, diverted two parcels destined for Huawei addresses in Asia to the United States and attempted to reroute two others.\n\nHuawei told Reuters on Friday that FedEx diverted two packages sent from Japan and addressed to Huawei in China to the United States, and attempted to divert two more packages sent from Vietnam to Huawei offices elsewhere in Asia, all without authorisation, providing images of FedEx tracking records.\n\nReuters could not verify the authenticity of the records. Shown the images of the tracking records, FedEx declined to make any comment, saying company policy prevented it from disclosing customer information.\n\nHuawei said the four packages only contained documents and “no technology,” which Reuters was unable to independently confirm.\n\nHuawei declined to elaborate on why it thought the packages were diverted. Reuters was given no evidence the incident was related to the U.S. government’s move to place Huawei and its affiliates on a trade blacklist in mid-May, effectively banning U.S. firms from doing business with them on security grounds.\n\n“The recent experiences where important commercial documents sent via FedEx were not delivered to their destination, and instead were either diverted to, or were requested to be diverted to, FedEx in the United States, undermines our confidence,” Joe Kelly, a spokesman for Huawei, told Reuters. “We will now have to review our logistics and document delivery support requirements as a direct result of these incidents,” the spokesman said.\n\nHuawei acknowledged to Reuters that one package originating in Vietnam was received by Friday, and the other was on its way, according to FedEx tracking records provided by Huawei.\n\nFedEx spokeswoman Maury Donahue told Reuters the packages were “misrouted in error” and that FedEx was not requested to divert them by any other party.\n\n“This is an isolated issue limited to a very small number of packages,” said FedEx, referring to the four parcels affected. “We are aware of all shipments at issue and are working directly with our customers to return the packages to their possession.”\n\nThe U.S. Department of Commerce did not reply to a request for comment on whether the incident might be related to its move on May 16 to add Huawei to the so-called “Entity List,” preventing it buying certain items from U.S. companies without U.S. government approval.\n\nThe United States believes Huawei, the world’s largest telecom network gear maker leading the way in creating the next generation of wireless networks known as 5G, is a potential espionage threat because of its close ties with the Chinese government.\n\nHuawei has repeatedly denied it is controlled by the Chinese government, military or intelligence services.\n\nThe issue has become a flashpoint in an escalating trade battle between the world’s two biggest economies.\n\nThe two packages sent on May 19 and May 20 from Tokyo, intended for Huawei in China, ended up in Memphis, Tennessee, the headquarters of the U.S. company, by May 23, according to images of FedEx tracking records shown to Reuters by Huawei.\n\nThe two packages originating from Hanoi on May 17, destined for Huawei’s Hong Kong and Singapore offices, were held up after arriving in local FedEx stations in Hong Kong and Singapore on May 21 for “delivery exception,” according to other images Huawei showed Reuters.\n\nAccording to FedEx’s website, the status “exception” means an unexpected event is preventing delivery of a package, for example a customs delay, a holiday, or no one being available to accept delivery. FedEx declined to give details on what the exception was in this case.\n\nAccording to Huawei, a FedEx customer service representative in Vietnam replied to their inquiry on May 22 when two expected packages did not arrive on time, saying: “Please be informed that FDX SG received notification from FDX US to hold and return the package to US. Hence, the shipment is not deliver to consignee and now being hold at FDX station and under process to RTS it (return to sender),” the representative wrote in broken English, according to an email Huawei showed to Reuters.\n\nHuawei told Reuters that both Vietnam packages were sent by its shipping agent, a contractor to Huawei whom it did not identify, and contained urgent documents. It said the shipping agent refused permission for FedEx to send the packages to the United States and instructed they be returned, Huawei told Reuters. Reuters could not confirm that.\n\nHuawei told Reuters it only learned that the Japan-originated packages, which were sent by suppliers that it did not identify, had been diverted to the United States after checking FedEx’s tracking record.\n\nThe company said it has lodged a formal complaint with China’s postal regulator, which it said is investigating the incident. China’s State Postal Bureau did not return a request for comment.", "HONG KONG (Reuters) - Chinese telecoms equipment maker Huawei is reviewing its relationship with FedEx Corp after it claimed the U.S. package delivery company, without detailed explanation, diverted two parcels destined for Huawei addresses in Asia to the United States and attempted to reroute two others.\n\nHuawei told Reuters on Friday that FedEx diverted two packages sent from Japan and addressed to Huawei in China to the United States, and attempted to divert two more packages sent from Vietnam to Huawei offices elsewhere in Asia, all without authorization, providing images of FedEx tracking records.\n\nReuters could not verify the authenticity of the records. Shown the images of the tracking records, FedEx declined to make any comment, saying company policy prevented it from disclosing customer information.\n\nHuawei said the four packages only contained documents and \"no technology,\" which Reuters was unable to independently confirm.\n\nHuawei declined to elaborate on why it thought the packages were diverted.\n\n\"The recent experiences where important commercial documents sent via FedEx were not delivered to their destination, and instead were either diverted to, or were requested to be diverted to, FedEx in the United States, undermines our confidence,\" Joe Kelly, a spokesman for Huawei, told Reuters.\n\n\"We will now have to review our logistics and document delivery support requirements as a direct result of these incidents,\" the spokesman said.\n\nHuawei acknowledged to Reuters that one package originating in Vietnam was received by Friday, and the other was on its way, according to FedEx tracking records provided by Huawei.\n\nFedEx spokeswoman Maury Donahue told Reuters the packages were \"misrouted in error\". She acknowledged in an earlier statement that the U.S. Department of Commerce had recently added Chinese companies and affiliates to its \"Entity List\", but did not elaborate.\n\nFedEx was not requested to divert the packages by any other party, she added.\n\n\"This is an isolated issue limited to a very small number of packages,\" said FedEx, referring to the four parcels affected. \"We are aware of all shipments at issue and are working directly with our customers to return the packages to their possession.\"\n\nFedEx China on Tuesday apologized on its Chinese social media account for the \"mishandling\" of Huawei packages and confirmed there was no \"external pressure\" to divert packages.\n\nThe U.S. Department of Commerce did not reply to a request for comment on whether the incident might be related to its move on May 16 to add Huawei to the so-called \"Entity List,\" preventing it buying certain items from U.S. companies without U.S. government approval.\n\nThe United States believes Huawei, the world's largest telecom network gear maker leading the way in creating the next generation of wireless networks known as 5G, is a potential espionage threat because of its close ties with the Chinese government.\n\nHuawei has repeatedly denied it is controlled by the Chinese government, military or intelligence services.\n\nThe issue has become a flashpoint in an escalating trade battle between the world's two biggest economies.\n\nThe two packages sent on May 19 and May 20 from Tokyo, intended for Huawei in China, ended up in Memphis, Tennessee, the headquarters of the U.S. company, by May 23, according to images of FedEx tracking records shown to Reuters by Huawei.\n\nThe two packages originating from Hanoi on May 17, destined for Huawei's Hong Kong and Singapore offices, were held up after arriving in local FedEx stations in Hong Kong and Singapore on May 21 for \"delivery exception,\" according to other images Huawei showed Reuters.\n\nAccording to FedEx's website, the status \"exception\" means an unexpected event is preventing delivery of a package, for example a customs delay, a holiday, or no one being available to accept delivery. FedEx declined to give details on what the exception was in this case.\n\nAccording to Huawei, a FedEx customer service representative in Vietnam replied to their inquiry on May 22 when two expected packages did not arrive on time, saying: \"Please be informed that FDX SG received notification from FDX US to hold and return the package to US. Hence, the shipment is not deliver to consignee and now being hold at FDX station and under process to RTS it (return to sender),\" the representative wrote in broken English, according to an email Huawei showed to Reuters.\n\nHuawei told Reuters that both Vietnam packages were sent by its shipping agent, a contractor to Huawei whom it did not identify, and contained urgent documents. It said the shipping agent refused permission for FedEx to send the packages to the United States and instructed they be returned, Huawei told Reuters. Reuters could not confirm that. Huawei told Reuters it only learned that the Japan-originated packages, which were sent by suppliers that it did not identify, had been diverted to the United States after checking FedEx's tracking record. The company said it has lodged a formal complaint with China's postal regulator, which it said is investigating the incident. China's State Postal Bureau did not return a request for comment.", "May 28 (Reuters) - Chinese telecom company Huawei held on to its spot as the world's second biggest smartphone vendor in the first quarter, despite being blacklisted by the United States, research and advisory firm Gartner said.\n\nGartner also said Huawei continued to reduce the gap with Samsung, but warned that growth could be limited in the near term.\n\nThe United States on May 15 blocked Huawei from buying U.S. goods saying the company was involved in activities contrary to national security. The Trump administration softened its stance last week by granting Huawei a licence to buy U.S. goods until Aug. 19.\n\nGartner said Samsung retained its top spot in worldwide smartphone sales, achieving a 19.2% market share in the first quarter of 2019. Huawei achieved the highest year-over-year growth among the world's top five - Samsung, Huawei, Apple and Chinese smartphone makers OPPO and Vivo.\n\nHuawei sold 58.4 million smartphone units in the quarter, with growth across all regions, the report showed.\n\nTotal global sales of smartphones to end users fell 2.7% in the quarter, with 373 million units sold\n\nHuawei did particularly well in two of its biggest markets, Europe and Greater China, where its smartphone sales grew by 69% and 33%, respectively. Huawei has a 29.5% market share of Greater China's smartphone market.\n\nBut the impact of the U.S. action against Huawei is likely to spook buyers. PriceSpy, a product comparison site that attracts an average of 14 million visitors per month, said last week that Huawei handsets were drawing fewer clicks from online shoppers.\n\n\"Unavailability of Google apps and services on Huawei smartphones, if implemented, will upset Huawei's international smartphone business which is almost half of its worldwide phone business,\" Anshul Gupta, senior research director at Gartner, said.\n\n\"Not the least it brings apprehension among buyers, limiting Huawei's growth in the near term,\" he added.\n\nCompanies that have either shunned Huawei completely or restricted buying from the company include Google, Softbank's ARM, Analog Devices, U.S. chipmakers Intel Corp, Qualcomm Inc, Xilinx Inc, Broadcom Inc, Japanese electronics maker Panasonic Corp and BT Group's EE. (Reporting by Noor Zainab Hussain in Bengaluru. Editing by Jane Merriman)", "Fears Huawei could be used by China for spying has harmed its international relations - REUTERS\n\nHuawei is reviewing its relationship with FedEx after it claimed two of its packages were \"diverted to America\", amid rising tensions between the Chinese technology company and the US government.\n\nDonald Trump's administration has repeatedly warned that Huawei's equipment could be used for spying by China, and earlier this month the US president signed an executive order which effectively banned the company from America's 5G network.\n\nHuawei has maintained it is independent of the Chinese state and has now accused American courier FedEx of diverting its packages to the US, despite the fact they were travelling between Asian addresses.\n\nThe company said that FedEx diverted two parcels sent from Japan and addressed to its offices in China, instead sending them to the US, and attempted to divert two more packages sent from Vietnam to offices elsewhere in Asia.\n\nHuawei provided images of FedEx tracking records to Reuters, but the news agency said it has not yet verified their authenticity. Huawei said one package originating in Vietnam was received by Friday, and the other was on its way.\n\nThe four packages did not contain any technology, but important commercial documents, according to Huawei.\n\nJoe Kelly, a spokesman for the technology giant, said: “The recent experiences where important commercial documents sent via FedEx were not delivered to their destination, and instead were either diverted to, or were requested to be diverted to, FedEx in the United States, undermines our confidence”.\n\n“We will now have to review our logistics and document delivery support requirements as a direct result of these incidents,” he added.\n\nMaury Donahue, a spokeswoman for FedEx, said that the packages were “misrouted in error” and insisted that it was not at the request of any other party.\n\n“This is an isolated issue limited to a very small number of packages,” said FedEx. “We are aware of all shipments at issue and are working directly with our customers to return the packages to their possession.”\n\nFedEx's China office on Tuesday issued an apology on its Chinese social media account for the “mishandling” of Huawei's packages and insisted there was no “external pressure” to divert them."], "summary": "The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) bans Huawei scientists from reviewing submissions to its peer-reviewed journals, due to the \"severe legal implications\" of U.S. sanctions against the Chinese company."}
{"document": ["", "Cúcuta.- Al menos doce personas heridas, entre ellas ocho venezolanas, y dos capturados dejó este jueves la detonación de un artefacto explosivo en el municipio de Villa del Rosario, en la zona metropolitana de la ciudad colombiana de Cúcuta, fronteriza con Venezuela, informó la Policía.\n\nEl explosivo, que aún no ha sido identificado, fue arrojado por desconocidos a un establecimiento comercial del sector de La Parada, a pocos metros del puente internacional Simón Bolívar, principal frontera entre Colombia y Venezuela, hacia las 16:30, hora local.\n\nDos hombres que habrían robado una motocicleta minutos antes serían los responsables del hecho, y ya fueron capturados, según informó la Policía Metropolitana de Cúcuta en un comunicado.\n\nLos heridos, entre los que hay ocho venezolanos y un menor de edad, fueron trasladados a los hospitales de Villa del Rosario y al Universitario Erasmo Meoz en Cúcuta.\n\nLa frontera con Venezuela está cerrada desde el pasado 23 de febrero cuando el Gobierno del presidente venezolano, Nicolás Maduro, rompió relaciones con Colombia y bloqueó los pasos fronterizos tras el frustrado intento del jefe del parlamento de ese país, Juan Guaidó, de llevar ayuda humanitaria, iniciativa que acabó en un brote de violencia.\n\nDesde entonces, miles de venezolanos cruzan a diario la frontera con Colombia por los pasos ilegales conocidos como trochas, que se han convertido en la única vía de acceso al alimento, medicinas y servicios públicos que no tienen en su país.\n\nDe ahí que La Parada se haya convertido en un importante centro de abasto y punto de comercio para estos millares de personas que atraviesan el río Táchira hacía Cúcuta, buscando una solución a la escasez.\n\nHistóricamente, esta zona ha sido azotada por la violencia en repetidas ocasiones, puesto que allí las bandas criminales se disputan el control de las rutas utilizadas para el contrabando de mercancía entre ambos países.\n\nSegún información de Migración Colombia, el año 2018 cerró con más de 1 millón 174 mil venezolanos en el país.\n\nagv", "CARACAS, Venezuela — Venezuela's widespread gasoline shortages are starting to affect some cities in neighboring Colombia, where drivers have long depended on cheap fuel from the socialist-run nation.\n\nPeople in the Colombian border city of Cucuta lined up for hours outside local gas stations on Wednesday to fill their tanks, fearing that shortages could become worse in the following days.\n\nDrivers in Cucuta and other cities along the border often buy gasoline from street vendors who smuggle fuel in from Venezuela, and sell it below official prices.\n\nBut Venezuela's gasoline shortages have left street vendors and smugglers with almost no fuel to sell in the black market. That has sent thousands of drivers back to legal gas stations that are now struggling to meet demand.", "CARACAS, Venezuela — Venezuela’s widespread gasoline shortages are starting to affect some cities in Colombia, where drivers depend on cheap fuel smuggled in from their socialist-governed neighbor.\n\nResidents of the Colombian border city of Cucuta lined up for several hours outside local gas stations on Wednesday to fill their tanks fearing that shortages will get worse.\n\n“This is going to make everything more expensive” said Teofilo Fernandez, a retired journalist who queued for four and a half hours at a Cucuta gas station to fill up his white Mazda sedan. “We have become accustomed to subsidized gas, and these changes are going to have a negative impact.”\n\nDrivers in Cucuta and other cities along the border often buy gasoline from street vendors who have the fuel smuggled from Venezuela, where government subsidies keep prices at almost zero, allowing the smugglers to profit even when they sell it in Colombia below official prices.\n\nBut Venezuela’s gasoline shortages have left street vendors and smugglers with almost no fuel to sell in the black market, and have sent thousands of drivers and motorcycle owners to legal gas stations that are now struggling to meet demand.\n\nMaria Eugenia Martinez, director of the association of gas stations for the border state of North Santander, said her organization is asking Colombia’s government to increase the amount of gas that is sold each month to the region at subsidized prices.\n\nMartinez said Cucuta and North Santander are allotted 10.5 million gallons of subsidized fuel a month by Colombia’s Ministry of Energy, but she said they now need at least 14 million gallons each month to make up for the shortages of illegally imported Venezuelan fuel.\n\nWhile gasoline in Cucuta costs around $2.25 a gallon, in Venezuela fuel is so cheap that the tank of a large sedan can be filled up for less than a penny. But U.S. sanctions on Venezuela’s state-run oil company, combined with years of economic mismanagement and decaying refineries, have made fuel increasingly hard to come by.\n\nAcross the border from Cucuta, in the Venezuelan state of Tachira, lines outside gas stations stretch for miles, and drivers report waiting up to four days to fill their tanks.\n\nThe situation has created ample opportunities for corruption, with gas station personnel reportedly taking bribes in U.S. dollars and Colombian pesos from desperate drivers who want to skip queues.\n\nLines in Cucuta are shorter than those on the Venezuelan side of the border. But residents of the border city say the shortages are already affecting the local economy, by raising the prices of taxi rides and decreasing the frequency of some bus routes.\n\nCopyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.", "When 19-year-old Emily Semplu was about to give birth to her first child, she knew it was time to leave Venezuela.\n\nThe day before she went into labor, she fled to neighboring Colombia by night through trochas, illegal dirt pathways along the border run by dangerous armed groups. The next morning, she was alone, writhing and drenched in sweat at Hospital San José, the only public hospital in the northern border city of Maicao, Colombia.\n\n“I’m here because there [in Venezuela], you can’t get anything,” she said. “If you give birth there, you have to buy everything for them to take care of you.”\n\nAs her doctor implored her to push, Semplu’s hands locked around the side of her bed and she bit down on the faded blue rag crammed in her mouth.\n\nWithout an epidural available and sparse medical supplies, it was all Semplu could do to stop herself from biting her tongue or screaming.\n\nSemplu is one of a growing mass of Venezuelans streaming into Colombia for health services as Venezuela’s health system collapses from the economic crisis and devastating blackouts. Over 3.4 million migrants have fled to neighboring countries since 2015.\n\nColombia — a country that has received more Venezuelan migrants than any other — remains startlingly unprepared to take on that mass migration.\n\nRelated: Venezuela used to be Latin America's most stable democracy\n\nThe city of Maicao, once a trade hub, lies in the La Guajira desert of northern Colombia and is home to the Wayuu people. The area, which already suffers from poverty, is also one of the hardest hit by Venezuela’s migrant crisis. Today, entire migrant families live on the streets under the blazing sun. The number of Venezuelans who appear at Hospital San José suffering from infectious diseases, malnutrition and violent injuries has surged in the last year alone.\n\nOverall mortality rates in Maicao are on course to more than double, possibly triple, in 2019 from the previous year, according to Maicao’s Secretary of Health office. If the crisis continues to deepen, health officials say they’re headed for a “collapse of the general health system,” which could happen as early as October.\n\n“The hospitals are turning into cemeteries of the migrant population,” said Carlos Sánchez, assistant director of Hospital San José. “More complex cases that we aren't prepared to attend to arrive every day.”\n\nWhen Venezuela began its free fall in 2015 and 2016, migrants arriving to Maicao were young and healthy, seeking basic care like vaccines. But that changed in the coming years, especially in 2019, with country-wide blackouts all but devastated Venezuela’s failing health system.\n\n“This most recent group of immigrants right now don't arrive with the flu, with pain, with diarrhea,” Sánchez said. “They arrive with cancer, with chronic kidney disease, with HIV, and always with high-risk pregnancies.”\n\nLeonardo Pérez, a Venezuelan obstetric gynecologist working both in his country and on the Colombian border, said he’s watched Venezuela’s medical system crumble, often having to deliver babies without light or life-saving medical equipment.\n\n“The situation there [in Venezuela] is very critical,” he said. “They lack supplies, they lack personnel, who have immigrated because of the same crisis. … In hospitals, the operating rooms aren't working, intensive units aren't working.”\n\nNow, instead of seeking care in Venezuela’s medical institutions, patients in increasingly dire situations cross to Colombia, hoping to receive free care from aid organizations and public hospitals.\n\nCrises have emerged across Venezuela’s borders. Brazil suffers from outbreaks in measles and diphtheria and other parts of the Colombian border have seen similar surges in maternal mortalities and infectious diseases.\n\nBut in Maicao, the situation has grown even more dire.\n\nBetween 2016 and 2018, cases of primary and urgent care provided to Venezuelans jumped from 632 to 34,570 — a more than 5,350% increase — according to the Maicao’s Secretary of Health Hernando Salom Brito. By the end of 2019, the city is slated to care for around 60,000 Venezuelans.\n\nThat is if the health system hasn’t collapsed by then.\n\nSince the crisis began, the municipality has reported spikes in cases of congenital and gestational syphilis, measles, cancer, malaria, deaths from malnutrition, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, dengue, acute malnutrition in children under the age of five, maternal mortalities and more. In the public hospital, about half the cases they care for involve children and pregnant women.\n\nWhile syphilis has been a longstanding problem, the measles outbreak is only just emerging and worsening, Salom said. In 2019, they’ve had 18 confirmed cases of measles and seven suspected cases.\n\nThat situation worsens month-to-month. With ongoing power struggles between Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó and President Nicolás Maduro deepening the conflict in Venezuela, Salom and Sánchez said they are seeing patients with more violent injuries arriving at their facilities.\n\n“They arrive with all kinds of situations,” Salom said. “From a birth emergency to an emergency from violence or bullets.”\n\n‘All I can do is pray’\n\nThe small cluster of aid organizations — like the Red Cross, United Nations Children Fund, Americares and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, which recently set up a small migrant camp near Maicao — only offer basic health services like first aid and vaccines and can’t tend to the growing mass of serious cases arriving at their doorstep.\n\nInstead, patients from the UNHCR camp get sent to the Hospital San José, an often-dangerous three-hour walk from the border in the scorching desert sun.\n\nWhen those patients arrive, doctors often don’t have the resources to address the more extreme cases because of the unprecedented number of patients.\n\nThe camp can hold up to 350 migrants, but due to limited resources, they only accept the most vulnerable including women, children, the elderly and disabled people. Residents also face a 30-day limit, so many end up back on the streets.\n\n“Apart from this small group of NGOs present in Maicao,” said Marco Rotunno, spokesperson for the UN refugee agency, “there is a medical services gap here in Maicao. So, we don't have third-level medical services,” or higher-complexity treatments that require more money and resources.\n\nThat was the case for 10-year-old Isabel González, a migrant from Venezuela who, in early May, laid in her hospital bed with a makeshift tourniquet and cast wrapped around her shattered knee.\n\nIn April, Isabel fell from a taxiciclo, an auto rickshaw commonly used along the border, on her way to school. Her mother rushed her to San José. When she and her mother arrived, they learned doctors had the ability to operate, but the hospital couldn’t afford the resources for the surgery that could cost up to $6,000.\n\nFor more than a month, they waited in the hospital as administrators fruitlessly called NGOs for help. For them, it’s still unclear if Isabel will get the surgery she needs or ever walk again.\n\n“I'm scared that something will happen to [her], and all I can do is pray,” said her mother, Celia Ipunna, crying at the foot of her bed. “Someone has to help her. ... If I could, I would ask God if I could take her place.”\n\nIn the maternity ward, sobs echoed through the hallways as one woman clutched a phone with a picture of a baby on the screen. Her pregnant niece had crossed into Colombia to give birth, but she died during the labor. The baby, however, survived. Months prior, the woman's niece had received an operation in Venezuela that, without antibiotics, had caused a deadly infection in her stomach.\n\n“She waited five days for an intensive care unit,” said Sánchez, the assistant director. “But we couldn't offer one because we didn't have an available bed in La Guajira or other departments [in other hospitals].”\n\nDeath rates in Maicao have shot up in since January. For the entirety of 2018, the Secretary of Health’s office documented 86 deaths, while in just the first four months of 2019 they documented 65 deaths, the vast majority a result of basic public health issues.\n\nAid providers anticipate the crisis will worsen; they say their only hope is more aid from international or Colombian leaders, which thus far has been “insufficient.” If they don’t, more complex medical care for Venezuelan migrants streaming across the northern border could be all but eradicated.\n\n“It's going to get worse because we're going to arrive at a moment where the public hospitals aren't going to have resources to take care of migrants or Colombians,” Sánchez said.", "HANGU: The police on Tuesday claimed foiling a terror bid by defusing an explosive device, official sources said. The Bomb Disposal Unit Hangu In-charge Jaffar Hussain said the staff rushed to the Kotaki area after receiving report that some miscreants had planted an explosive device on the Hangu-Tall main road. It had been fitted with a time device. The official said the device weighed 1,500 kg and was defused successfully. He thought the possible target was a convoy of the security or law-enforcement forces.", "US emergency aid for Venezuela to be distributed in Colombia\n\nBOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — U.S.-supplied humanitarian aid that was earmarked for Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó will now be distributed in Colombia, officials said Thursday.\n\nColombia's government said it had reached the decision with the U.S. and representatives of Guaidó because of Nicolás Maduro's continued \"blocking\" of the aid.\n\nIn a statement, the national disaster agency said some of the aid would now be redistributed to some of the 1.2 million Venezuelan migrants who've crossed into Colombia fleeing hyperinflation and shortages of food, fuel and medicine.\n\nPoor Colombians will also benefit, it said.\n\nThe U.S. in February airlifted several hundreds of tons of food and hygiene kits to Venezuela's borders with Colombia, Brazil and the Dutch Caribbean in support of Guaidó's campaign to weaken Maduro's grip on power.\n\nThe so-called \"humanitarian avalanche\" ended in chaos as violent clashes broke out on a bridge connecting Venezuela with Colombia, where the bulk of aid is warehoused, as troops loyal to Maduro fired tear gas on opposition activists shielding the aid caravan.\n\nMaduro and his allies Russia and Cuba always saw the opposition's plan to ram the aid across the border as a reckless pretext for ordering a U.S. military intervention.\n\n\"We aren't beggars,\" Maduro said at the time.\n\nShortly afterward he granted access to the Red Cross, which has mounted a major relief effort in the country comparable to its response to the crisis in Syria.\n\nColombia's disaster relief agency said it would distribute the aid in undisclosed locations where the need is greatest. It said whatever remaining amounts of aid not distributed inside Colombia or directly controlled by USAID would continue to be stored on behalf of Guaidó, who Colombia, the U.S. and 50 other nations recognize as Venezuela's rightful leader.\n\n\"This is the right thing to do,\" said David Smilde, a Tulane University professor who has spent decades studying Venezuela. \"The aid was never all that relevant given the scope of need in Venezuela, and it can help migrants in Colombia.\""], "summary": "An explosive device is detonated in a commercial center in the Colombian city of Cúcuta, on the border with Venezuela, with at least 12 injured."}
{"document": ["KIRKUK, Iraq (Reuters) - At least five people were killed and 18 injured in a series of explosions in the Iraqi oil city of Kirkuk, medical sources in the city’s general hospital told Reuters on Thursday.\n\nAt least six improvised explosive devices went off in the northern city and two more were defused by security forces, the Iraqi military said in a statement. It gave a lower death toll of three and said 16 were injured.\n\nThe explosion sites included two malls, an ice cream shop and a butcher’s shop, local media reported.\n\nThere was no immediate claim of responsibility but Islamic State militants are active in the area. Iraq declared victory over the group, which once held large swathes of the country, in December 2017.\n\nBut Islamic State has switched to hit-and-run attacks aimed at undermining the Baghdad government.\n\nIts fighters have regrouped in the Hamrin mountain range in the northeast, which extends from Diyala province, on the border with Iran, crossing northern Salahuddin province and southern Kirkuk.", "KIRKUK, Iraq (Reuters) - At least five people were killed and 18 injured in a series of explosions in the Iraqi oil city of Kirkuk, medical sources in the city’s general hospital told Reuters on Thursday.\n\nAt least six improvised explosive devices went off in the northern city and two more were defused by security forces, the Iraqi military said in a statement. It gave a lower death toll of three and said 16 were injured.", "(Hatha al-Youm | Iraq News )- TEHRAN (FNA)- Several people have been killed and more than a dozen others wounded in a series of blasts that struck the city of Kirkuk, the Iraqi military announced.At least six improvised explosive devices went off on Thursday in the Northern city and two more were defused by security forces, the military said in a statement, Al-Jazeera reported.It gave a death toll of three people, while 16 others were wounded.Unidentified security officials told The Associated Press news agency that the blasts killed at least four people and wounded 23, while medical sources in Kirkuk's general hospital told Reuters news agency that at least five people were killed and 18 wounded.There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but Saad Harbya, the head of Kirkuk security operations, blamed the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIS) armed group.The explosions reportedly struck in the centre of Kirkuk, in a commercial area that has several shopping centres, cafes and restaurants, sending people fleeing in panic.The blasts went off in quick succession after iftar, the meal that breaks daylong fasting during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, when streets are typically crowded with shoppers and people out having dinner.Police blocked off all roads leading to the blast sites and were allowing only ambulances to transfer the wounded to nearby hospitals.Iraq declared victory over the Islamic State, which once held large swaths of the country, in December 2017.But militants have switched to hit-and-run attacks aimed at undermining the central government in Iraq's capital, Baghdad.Its fighters have regrouped in the Hamrin mountain range in the Northeast, which extends from Diyala province, on the border with Iran, crossing Northern Salahuddin province and Southern Kirkuk.", "A series of explosions have shaken the centre of the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk, killing at least four people and wounding 23, security officials say.\n\nThe six blasts went off in quick succession after iftar, the meal that breaks daylong fasting during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, when streets are typically crowded with shoppers and diners.\n\nThey struck in the centre of the city in a commercial area that has several malls, cafes and restaurants, sending people fleeing in panic.\n\nThe nature of the blasts was not immediately clear, but the officials said they appeared to be improvised explosive devices.\n\nIraq declared victory against the Islamic State group in 2017 but the group continues to carry out attacks through sleeper cells, particularly in the north.\n\nThere was no immediate responsibility claim, but the head of Kirkuk security operations Saad Harbya, speaking on the Kurdish Rudaw TV, blamed IS. The group has claimed several attacks recently around the city.\n\nKirkuk is an oil city disputed by the Kurdish regional government and Baghdad.", "Iraqi city of Kirkuk rocked by 6 blasts; at least 4 killed\n\nBAGHDAD (AP) — A series of explosions shook the center of the northern city of Kirkuk Thursday, killing at least four people and wounding 23, Iraqi security officials said.\n\nThe six blasts went off in quick succession after iftar, the meal that breaks daylong fasting during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, when streets are typically crowded with shoppers and people out having dinner. They struck in the center of the city in a commercial area that has several malls, cafes and restaurants, sending people fleeing in panic.\n\nThe nature of the blasts was not immediately clear, but the officials said they appeared to be improvised explosive devices. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.\n\nIraq declared victory against the Islamic State group in 2017, but the group continues to carry out attacks through sleeper cells, particularly in the country's north.\n\nThere was no immediate responsibility claim, but the head of Kirkuk security operations Saad Harbya, speaking on the Kurdish Rudaw TV, blamed IS. The group has claimed several attacks recently around the city, some of them targeting security forces.\n\nKirkuk is an oil city disputed by Irbil-based Kurdish regional government and Baghdad.", "Iraqi city of Kirkuk rocked by 6 blasts; at least 4 killed\n\nBAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqi security officials say a series of explosions in the northern city of Kirkuk has killed at least four people and wounded 23.\n\nThe officials said the six blasts went off in quick succession Thursday night after iftar, the meal that breaks daylong fasting during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. They struck center of the city when streets are typically crowded.\n\nThe nature of the blasts was not immediately clear, but the officials said they appeared to be improvised explosive devices. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.\n\nIraq declared victory against the Islamic State group in 2017, but the group continues to carry out attacks through sleeper cells, particularly in the country's north.", "(Hatha al-Youm | Iraq News )- Smoke rises from Crop field belonging to Kurdish farmers in a village in Prde sub-district north of Kirkuk, May 31, 2019. Photo: HawlatiKIRKUK,— Crop fields belonging to the Kurdish villagers were torched in Prde town in north of Kirkuk on Friday as Iraqi federal security forces were not permitting the farmers to extinguish the fire.Kurdish farmers said over 1,000 dunams of farmland was set ablaze on Friday.The crop fields belonging to the Kurdish farmers were set ablaze in Kalhur, Guldara, Bibani and Zardak villages in Prde (Altun Kupri) sub-district, NRT reported.“The [federal] security forces are opening fire at those people who want to put out the fire and they have arrested seven Kurdish farmers so far,” Ahmad said.Also crops belonging to Kurdish farmers were set on fire again in Kirkuk’s village of Palkana on Friday, a villager said.The Kurdish villager accused the Arab families, who were brought to the village, of torching their crop fields.“The Arabs residing in Palkana village set on fire the cropland of Kurdish farmers,” Badradin Shamsadin, a Sargaran Town Council member, told Rudaw.Kurds and Arabs in Kirkuk have been locked in disputes over land ownership since Arabization policies were set in place by Iraq’s former dictator Saddam Hussein.“Those Arabs, after becoming certain that they have lost the case, have started burning the crops of the Kurdish farmers,” Shamsadin said, referring to lawsuits brought by Kurds to Iraqi courts, claiming they are the rightful landowners.In and around Kirkuk, farmers have claimed other ethnic groups and even remnants of the Islamic State (ISIS) are setting their crops on fire.Authorities in Kirkuk, however, blamed Islamic State (ISIS) militants.Over the last several weeks, suspected ISIS militants have burned hundreds of hectares of agricultural land belonging to ethnic Kurds in Kirkuk province, causing millions of dinars in damage.Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi downplayed the arson claims on Tuesday, saying that there are “fires every year.” Although he admitted they are sometimes due to internal feuds between landowners and not necessarily ISIS.Acting Kirkuk Governor Rekan Saeed al-Jabouri, a Sunni Arab, decreed that all agricultural land disputes should be frozen this season so that Kurdish and Arab farmers can find solutions through legal means, KirkukNow reported on May 22.Recent ISIS propaganda by al-Naba claimed this week that the burning of crops is revenge and retaliation for years of bombardment during its war with Iraqi and Peshmerga forces.However, the extremists claimed they aren’t targeting Muslims. They did admit to attacking members of the Iraq Security Forces including the Sunni Tribal Hashd.Daesh says it is a revenge for the five years of bombardment that saw cities under its control destroyed and “everything inside of it burnt”.To the southeast near Khanaqin, a member of the Kakai Kurdish ethno-religious minority was killed on Sunday.Farhad Kakai, a community and religious leader, told Rudaw English that Hawkar Jalil Kakai was killed by improvised explosive devices while trying to put out fires in Daquq.In an interview, Kakai explained that farmers deemed “un-Islamic” are being targeted by the extremists.“They don’t enter formally. They come especially during the nights. What else they do is say, ‘If you want to pay the tax, call this number,’ ” he said.Since October 2017, Iraqi Security Forces have held the security portfolio of the disputed or Kurdistani areas which include the locations of many crop fires in Kirkuk, Saladin, Diyala, and Nineveh provinces.The Federal Police and Hashd al-Shaabi have some presence in the areas, but they are not conducting investigations, according to Kakai.“They don’t send people to write reports. It’s not just that they aren’t stopping the bad people, even they aren’t reporting it. Three bombs exploded targeting the Kakais, but not one report was written by them. They aren’t going to see what happened,” he said.Article 140 of the Iraqi constitution was supposed to have resolved the issue of the disputed provinces by 2007, but successive governments have failed to implement the steps outlined in the provision.The Kurds are seeking to integrate Kirkuk province into the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region claiming it to be historically a Kurdish city, but Iraq’s central government opposes this. The population is a mix of Kurds, Arabs, Christians and Turkmen.The Arabs and Turkmen do not want to see the province under permanent Kurdish control.Kurdish forces take full control of Kirkuk after the Islamic State insurgency in Iraq in 2014 and the withdrawal of Iraqi army form the province and some other northern region of the state, including second-biggest city of Mosul.In October 2017 following the Barzani’s controversial referendum the Iraqi federal forces take over most of the disputed areas claimed by Baghdad and Erbil.Copyright © 2019, respective author or news agency, Ekurd.net | rudaw.net | nrttv.comComments Comments", "Iraqi security officials say 6 explosions have gone off in the northern city of Kirkuk, killing at least 3 people.", "(Hatha al-Youm | Iraq News )- Iraq’s Security Media Cell also stated they had defused two other improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in the area.Read More: Multiple explosions rock Kirkuk, leave many casualtiesMasoud Barzani, the President of the leading Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the former President of the autonomous Kurdistan Region, in a statement, strongly condemned the bombings.“My thoughts and prayers are with the people of Kirkuk following the series of terrorist attacks. It is crucial for there to be a joint effort by both Kurdistan and the Iraqi govt. to manage the affairs of the city of Kirkuk so that its culture of peaceful coexistence continues,” Barzani said on his Twitter account Friday early morning.The bombings occurred on busy streets as people were shopping and preparing for the Eid al-Fitr holiday.My thoughts and prayers are with the people of Kirkuk following the series of terrorist attacks. It is crucial for there to be a joint effort by both Kurdistan and the Iraqi govt. to manage the affairs of the city of Kirkuk so that its culture of peaceful coexistence continues— Masoud Barzani (@masoud_barzani) May 30, 2019Kirkuk is one of the disputed areas claimed by both the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and the federal government of Iraq.Security in the province has considerably deteriorated after Iraqi forces and Shia militias, in a military operation on Oct. 16, 2017, drove the Kurdish Peshmerga and security forces out of Kirkuk in the wake of the Kurdistan Region’s referendum on independence in which Kirkuk was also included.Nechirvan Barzani, the President-elect of the Kurdistan Region, also released a statement condemning the bombings.“The continuation and increasing number of terrorist activities in Kirkuk and surrounding areas are dangerous signs of a resurgence of terror and destabilizing the region,” Barzani continued.“Combating these terrorist acts requires more help and cooperation between the concerned authorities of the federal government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Region. Both sides should address it seriously.”It was the deadliest terrorist attack in the province since the beginning of this year.Oil-rich and ethnically diverse Kirkuk is home for Arabs, Turkmen, and Christians with a Kurdish majority.Kosrat Rasul, the deputy and acting head of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), the second-largest party in the Kurdistan Region, also condemned the terrorist act in Kirkuk and said it is the duty of the Iraqi government and local security forces to bring the perpetrators to justice.He asserted terrorist attacks are “the main obstacles” to the peaceful coexistence between the different components of Kirkuk and the normalization of situation in the province.“I ask all the political parties to work together to protect the lives of people and stabilize the situation in Kirkuk and other Kurdistani areas in a way that allows for the Peshmerga and security forces of the Kurdistan Region and the Iraqi army to fully cooperate,” Rasul said.So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the bombings, but the attacks are similar to those previously carried out in the country by Islamic State militants.Following the formation of the new Iraqi federal government in October of last year, the Kurdish Ministry of Peshmerga and Iraqi military commanders have held two high-level meetings to increase cooperation and coordination between the two agencies, but little progress has been seen in this regard.Editing by Nadia Riva", "Baghdad: A series of explosions shook the centre of the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk on Thursday, killing at least four people and wounding 23.\n\nThe six blasts went off in quick succession after iftar, the meal that breaks day-long fasting during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, when streets are typically crowded with shoppers and people out having dinner.\n\nThey struck in the centre of Kirkuk in a commercial area that has several malls, cafes and restaurants, sending people fleeing in panic.\n\nThe nature of the blasts was not immediately clear, but security officials said they appeared to be improvised explosive devices. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations."], "summary": "Six explosive devices detonated in several locations in Kirkuk, Iraq kill 5 people and injure 20 others."}
{"document": ["KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Afghan authorities say a suicide bomber targeting a military academy in the capital of Kabul has killed at least six people.\n\nThe Interior Ministry says six others were wounded in the bombing on Thursday. A ministry statement says a soldier noticed a suspicious person and approached him, causing the attacker to detonate his explosives near the Mashal Fahim academy.\n\nFerdus Faramarz, spokesman for the Kabul police chief, says police are trying to get more details about the bombing in western Kabul.\n\nNo group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack but insurgents have targeted this academy in the past. Both the Taliban and the Islamic State group are active in Kabul and have staged large-scale attacks in the Afghan capital.", "Afghan officials say a suicide bomb blast near a military academy in Kabul has killed at least six people and injured six others.\n\nThe Interior Ministry confirmed Thursday’s bombing occurred at the entrance gate of Marshal Fahim National Defense University in the capital. It gave no further details.\n\nNo one immediately took responsibility for Thursday’s attack, which comes amid intensified deadly clashes between government forces and Taliban insurgents elsewhere in Afghanistan.\n\nA string of bombings in recent weeks in the city have killed dozens of people, including two prominent Islamic scholars.\n\nSeparately, the Afghan Defense Ministry announced Thursday its forces raided a Taliban-run detention facility in the volatile southern Zabul province and freed 28 prisoners, including 12 security personnel.", "KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Afghan authorities say a suicide bomber targeting a military academy in the capital of Kabul has killed at least six people.\n\nThe Interior Ministry says six others were wounded in the bombing on Thursday. A ministry statement says a soldier noticed a suspicious person and approached him, causing the attacker to detonate his explosives near the Mashal Fahim academy.\n\nFerdus Faramarz, spokesman for the Kabul police chief, says police are trying to get more details about the bombing in western Kabul.\n\nNo group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack but insurgents have targeted this academy in the past. Both the Taliban and the Islamic State group are active in Kabul and have staged large-scale attacks in the Afghan capital.", "KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Afghan authorities say a suicide bomber targeting a military academy in the capital of Kabul has killed at least six people.\n\nThe Interior Ministry says six others were wounded in the bombing on Thursday. A ministry statement says a soldier noticed a suspicious person and approached him, causing the attacker to detonate his explosives near the Mashal Fahim academy.\n\nFerdus Faramarz, spokesman for the Kabul police chief, says police are trying to get more details about the bombing in western Kabul.\n\nNo group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack but insurgents have targeted this academy in the past. Both the Taliban and the Islamic State group are active in Kabul and have staged large-scale attacks in the Afghan capital.", "KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A suicide bomber targeting a military academy in Kabul killed at least six people and wounded six others on Thursday, the Interior Ministry said.\n\nNo militant group immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing but both the Taliban and Islamic State militants regularly target Afghan forces. The Mashal Fahim academy, located in a western Kabul neighborhood, has been attacked in the past.\n\nThe Interior Ministry said a soldier had noticed a suspicious person and as he approached him, the attacker detonated his explosives near the academy.\n\nIf the bomber had come closer, the number of casualties could have been much higher, a security official said, adding that the academy cadets were getting ready to leave for their weekend. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.\n\nPolice quickly sealed off the attack site. Ferdus Faramarz, spokesman for the Kabul police chief, said an investigation was underway.\n\nLast year, IS militants attacked the academy — sometimes called \"Sandhurst in the Sand\" in reference to the famous British school — and killed at least 11 troops. It's named for Mohammed Fahim, the country's late vice president and a military commander of the Northern Alliance that fought the Taliban. It was inaugurated in 2013 and British troops in Afghanistan oversaw the establishing of the academy's officer school and training program.\n\nThe academy was also the site where Army Maj Gen. Harold J. Greene lost his life — the highest-ranking U.S. military officer to be killed in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Greene, then deputy commander of NATO's transition force in the country, was shot and killed by an Afghan soldier in a so-called \"insider attack\" that was later claimed by the Taliban in August 2014.\n\nSeparately, the Interior Ministry said Thursday that Afghan special forces rescued at least 28 people from a Taliban-run prison in Nawbahar district in southern Zabul province in the morning hours. It said 16 civilians and 12 members of the security forces were freed in the operation, which involved a gunbattle with the Taliban that also left two insurgents dead.", "KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Afghan authorities say a suicide bomber targeting a military academy in the capital of Kabul has killed at least six people.\n\nThe Interior Ministry says six others were wounded in the bombing on Thursday. A ministry statement says a soldier noticed a suspicious person and approached him, causing the attacker to detonate his explosives near the Mashal Fahim academy.\n\nFerdus Faramarz, spokesman for the Kabul police chief, says police are trying to get more details about the bombing in western Kabul.\n\nNo group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack but insurgents have targeted this academy in the past. Both the Taliban and the Islamic State group are active in Kabul and have staged large-scale attacks in the Afghan capital.", "KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Afghan authorities say a suicide bomber targeting a military academy in the capital of Kabul has killed at least six people.\n\nThe Interior Ministry says six others were wounded in the bombing on Thursday. A ministry statement says a soldier noticed a suspicious person and approached him, causing the attacker to detonate his explosives near the Mashal Fahim academy.\n\nFerdus Faramarz, spokesman for the Kabul police chief, says police are trying to get more details about the bombing in western Kabul.\n\nNo group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack but insurgents have targeted this academy in the past. Both the Taliban and the Islamic State group are active in Kabul and have staged large-scale attacks in the Afghan capital.", "A burned out vehicle sits at the site of a suicide attack in Kabul, Afghanistan, Friday, May 31, 2019 (AP)\n\nKABUL: A suicide car bomb exploded early Friday morning in an eastern neighborhood of the capital Kabul, leaving seven casualties, police said.Firdous Faramaz, Kabul police chief spokesman, could not immediately say how many were dead or wounded.\"It's too early to say what was the target or to say how many of the seven casualties in the bombing have died and how many are wounded,\" he told The Associated Press in a telephone interview.The attacker struck in the eastern Yakatot neighborhood, where US and NATO forces maintain complexes as well as facilities operated by the Afghan National Security Forces.On Thursday, six people were killed when a suicide bomber blew himself up outside an Afghan army academy and training center, also in the same area but several kilometers (miles) away from Friday's explosion.The Interior Ministry on Thursday said a soldier had noticed a suspicious person and as he approached him, the attacker detonated his explosives near the academy. The soldier's action likely saved lives.No one has taken responsibility for either attack but both the Taliban and an Islamic State affiliate have infiltrated the capital in the past.", "KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A suicide bomber targeting a military academy in Kabul killed at least six people and wounded six others on Thursday, the Interior Ministry said.\n\nNo militant group immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing but both the Taliban and Islamic State militants regularly target Afghan forces. The Mashal Fahim academy, located in a western Kabul neighborhood, has been attacked in the past.\n\nThe Interior Ministry said a soldier had noticed a suspicious person and as he approached him, the attacker detonated his explosives near the academy.\n\nIf the bomber had come closer, the number of casualties could have been much higher, a security official said, adding that the academy cadets were getting ready to leave for their weekend. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.\n\nPolice quickly sealed off the attack site. Ferdus Faramarz, spokesman for the Kabul police chief, said an investigation was underway.\n\nLast year, IS militants attacked the academy — sometimes called \"Sandhurst in the Sand\" in reference to the famous British school — and killed at least 11 troops. It's named for Mohammed Fahim, the country's late vice president and a military commander of the Northern Alliance that fought the Taliban. It was inaugurated in 2013 and British troops in Afghanistan oversaw the establishing of the academy's officer school and training program.\n\nThe academy was also the site where Army Maj Gen. Harold J. Greene lost his life — the highest-ranking U.S. military officer to be killed in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Greene, then deputy commander of NATO's transition force in the country, was shot and killed by an Afghan soldier in a so-called \"insider attack\" that was later claimed by the Taliban in August 2014.\n\nSeparately, the Interior Ministry said Thursday that Afghan special forces rescued at least 28 people from a Taliban-run prison in Nawbahar district in southern Zabul province in the morning hours. It said 16 civilians and 12 members of the security forces were freed in the operation, which involved a gunbattle with the Taliban that also left two insurgents dead.", "KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Afghan authorities say a suicide bomber targeting a military academy in the capital of Kabul has killed at least six people.\n\nThe Interior Ministry says six others were wounded in the bombing on Thursday. A ministry statement says a soldier noticed a suspicious person and approached him, causing the attacker to detonate his explosives near the Mashal Fahim academy.\n\nFerdus Faramarz, spokesman for the Kabul police chief, says police are trying to get more details about the bombing in western Kabul.\n\nNo group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack but insurgents have targeted this academy in the past. Both the Taliban and the Islamic State group are active in Kabul and have staged large-scale attacks in the Afghan capital."], "summary": "A suicide bombing near a military training center in the Afghan capital city of Kabul kills 6 people and leaves 6 others injured. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant – Khorasan Province claims responsibility (Press TV)"}
{"document": ["Image copyright Science Photo Library\n\nA fungus - genetically enhanced to produce spider toxin - can rapidly kill huge numbers of the mosquitoes that spread malaria, a study suggests.\n\nTrials, which took place in Burkina Faso, showed mosquito populations collapsed by 99% within 45 days.\n\nThe researchers say their aim is not to make the insects extinct but to help stop the spread of malaria.\n\nThe disease, which is spread when female mosquitoes drink blood, kills more than 400,000 people per year.\n\nWorldwide, there are about 219 million cases of malaria each year.\n\nConducting the study, researchers at the University of Maryland in the US - and the IRSS research institute in Burkina Faso - first identified a fungus called Metarhizium pingshaense, which naturally infects the Anopheles mosquitoes that spread malaria.\n\nThe next stage was to enhance the fungus. \"They're very malleable, you can genetically engineer them very easily,\" Prof Raymond St Leger, from the University of Maryland, told BBC News.\n\nImage copyright Getty Images Image caption Instructions for making the funnel-web spider toxin were added to the fungus's genetic code\n\nThey turned to a toxin found in the venom of a species of funnel-web spider in Australia.\n\nThe genetic instructions for making the toxin were added to the fungus's own genetic code so it would start making the toxin once it was inside a mosquito.\n\n\"A spider uses its fangs to pierce the skin of insects and inject toxins, we replaced the fangs of spider with Metarhizium,\" Prof St Leger explained.\n\nLaboratory tests showed the genetically modified fungus could kill quicker, and that it took fewer fungal spores to do the job. The next step was to test the fungus in as close to real-world conditions as possible.\n\nA 6,500-sq-ft fake village - complete with plants, huts, water sources and food for the mosquitoes - was set up in Burkina Faso. It was surrounded by a double layer of mosquito netting to prevent anything escaping.\n\nImage copyright Etienne Bilgo Image caption A so-called \"mosquitosphere\" tests the fungus in real-world conditions, without releasing it into the wild\n\nThe fungal spores were mixed with sesame oil and wiped on to black cotton sheets. The mosquitoes had to land on the sheets to be exposed to the deadly fungus. The researchers started the experiments with 1,500 mosquitoes.\n\nThe results, published in the journal Science, showed numbers soared when the insects were left alone. But when the spider-toxin fungus was used, there were just 13 mosquitoes left after 45 days.\n\nImage copyright Oliver Zida Image caption A mosquito breeding pool inside the test area\n\n\"The transgenic fungus quickly collapsed the mosquito population in just two generations,\" said Dr Brian Lovett, from the University of Maryland.\n\nTests also showed the fungus was specific to these mosquitoes and did not affect other insects such as bees.\n\nHe added: \"Our technology is not aiming to drive the extinction of mosquitoes, what we're aiming to do is break malaria transmission in an area.\"\n\nNew tools are needed to tackle malaria as mosquitoes are becoming resistant to insecticides. The World Health Organization has warned that cases are now increasing in the 10 worst affected countries in Africa.\n\nImage copyright Brian Lovett Image caption A mosquito infected with fungus marked in green\n\nCommenting on the findings, Prof Michael Bonsall, from the University of Oxford, said: \"Neat - this is a super-exciting study.\n\n\"The prospects for controlling mosquitoes using this modified fungus are high.\n\n\"Proportionate bio-safety regulations are needed to ensure that the viability of this and other approaches for vector [mosquito] control using genetic methods are not lost through overly zealous restrictions.\"\n\nDr Tony Nolan, from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, added: \"These results are encouraging.\n\n\"We need new and complementary tools to augment existing control methods, which are being affected by the development of insecticide-resistance.\"\n\nFollow James on Twitter.", "Thank you for your interest in spreading the word about Science.\n\nNOTE: We only request your email address so that the person you are recommending the page to knows that you wanted them to see it, and that it is not junk mail. We do not capture any email address.", "A fungus – genetically enhanced to produce spider toxin – can rapidly kill huge numbers of the mosquitoes that spread malaria, a study suggests.Trials, which took place in Burkina Faso, showed mosquito populations collapsed by 99% within 45 days. The researchers say …Read more via BBC News – https://bbc.in/2WyP3e3 Get more World News", "A genetically modified fungus that kills mosquitoes spreading malaria could provide a breakthrough in the fight against the disease, according to scientists.\n\nTrials in Burkina Faso found that a fungus, modified so that it produces spider toxin, quickly killed large numbers of mosquitos that carry malaria.\n\nIt also revealed that the mosquito populations collapsed by 99% within 45 days, according to the study published in the journal Science.\n\nThe researchers have said their aim is not to make the insects extinct but to help stop the spread of malaria.", "Researchers at the University of Maryland collaborated with the IRSS research institute in Burkina Faso to develop a genetically-modified fungus that produces a toxin to kill off populations of malaria-carrying mosquitoes, reported the BBC.\n\nTrials of the new fungus have already been carried out in Burkina Faso and have found that the genetically-enhanced spider toxin produced by the fungi have wiped out 99 percent of mosquito populations in just 45 days.\n\nThe fungus, which naturally invades mosquitoes, was joined with the venom of a species of Australian funnel-web spider. The genetic instructions for the production of the venom in the spider were added to the fungi’s own DNA to prompt the production of the toxin by the fungi itself once a spore encountered a mosquito.\n\nTesting showed that the fungus modified with the spider venom could kill more efficiently and without needing to emit as many spores.\n\nOnce laboratory tests were found to be successful, researchers took the fungal spores out into the real world to test conditions closer to those of the natural environment. The tests took place in a 6,500-square-foot fake village set up with food for mosquitoes and surrounded by mosquito netting to prevent their escape.\n\nBefore releasing 1,500 mosquitoes into the fake village, researchers laid out black cotton sheets of fungal spores mixed with sesame oil to encourage mosquitoes to land and properly be exposed to the fungus.\n\nIn addition to the trial with the fungal spores, scientists carried out a control trial in which mosquitoes were left alone and not exposed to the fungus.\n\nThe shocking results showed that without the presence of the fungi, mosquito populations increased exponentially. However, with the presence of the deadly spores, just 13 mosquitoes were left in the village after the 45-day trial ended.\n\nDr. Brain Lovett, from the University of Maryland, commented on the results of the study.\n\nThe researcher made sure to add, “Our technology is not aiming to drive the extinction of mosquitoes, what we’re aiming to do is break malaria transmission in an area.”\n\nMalaria, spread through female mosquitoes when they drink a person’s blood, takes more than 400,000 lives per year. Around the world, there are around 219 million reported cases of malaria each year.\n\nThe World Health Organization warned that as mosquitoes are becoming more resistant to insecticides, malaria cases are increasing in the 10 worst-affected countries in Africa.", "In the hope of finding a new way to fight malaria, scientists have used a spider gene to genetically engineer a fungus to produce a venom that can quickly kill mosquitoes.\n\nThe modified fungus was a highly effective mosquito killer in the first tests mimicking conditions in sub-Saharan Africa, where malaria remains a major public health problem, researchers reported Thursday in the journal Science.\n\n\"We're very excited,\" says Raymond St. Leger, a professor of entomology at the University of Maryland who led the research. \"The results are very good. This could save many lives.\"\n\nOther researchers who are not involved in the research praised the advance.\n\n\"I think it's an important step forward,\" says Marcelo Jacobs-Lorena, a professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. \"We need something new to combat malaria.\"\n\nBut others worry the approach may be unsafe.\n\n\"Fighting malaria is something that everybody should do. But fighting malaria through genetic engineering is dangerous,\" says Nnimmo Bassey of the Health of Mother Earth Foundation, an advocacy group based in Nigeria.\n\nBassey worries the fungus would inadvertently kill other organisms, such as other insects, upsetting fragile ecosystems.\n\n\"I'm heavily worried that Africans are the preferred guinea pigs for experimentation, and Africa is going to become a large laboratory for risky experimentation,\" Bassey says. \"We don't want this to happen.\"\n\nSt. Leger stressed that much more research is needed to further evaluate the fungus before anyone considers releasing the organisms in the wild.\n\n\"Nothing is going to happen without the acceptance of the local people who would be exposed to the fungus, its benefits and any potential risks,\" St. Leger says.\n\nBut based on laboratory experiments, the fungus seems harmless to other insects, such as bees, St. Leger says.\n\n\"From our scientific understanding, so far it's safe,\" he says.\n\nSt. Leger's team genetically modified the fungus using a gene from the Blue Mountains funnel-web spider.\n\n\"We put into the fungus this specific gene from a spider which produces a toxin. But it only makes it when the fungus is swimming in insect blood,\" St. Leger says.\n\nMalaria sickens more than 200 million people every year and kills more than 400,000, mostly children in sub-Saharan African.\n\n\"If you look at poverty through the world, where you get the worst poverty that's also where you get the highest incidence of malaria,\" St. Leger says. \"The two are related. It's a huge problem.\"\n\nGlobal efforts to control the disease appear to have stalled, in part because the mosquitoes that spread the parasite have become increasingly resistant to insecticides. So scientists have been struggling to find new ways to kill mosquitoes.\n\nSome scientists are testing a controversial approach that involves using the powerful gene-editing tool CRISPR and sequence of DNA known as a \"gene drive.\" Those researchers created mosquitoes that can quickly spread a sterilizing mutation to destroy mosquito populations.\n\nSt. Leger's approach involves Metarhizium pingshaense, a fungus that infects mosquitoes. The fungus can kill mosquitoes but not quickly.\n\n\"So that doesn't suit our purposes. We want the fungus to kill ... the mosquito quickly before it can transmit disease,\" St. Leger says.\n\nThe modified fungus appeared to be highly effective in laboratory tests. So the scientists decided to test the organisms in a setting that more closely resembled the natural environment in sub Saharan Africa. But they needed to keep the organisms contained until further safety testing could be conducted.\n\nSo the scientists built a \"MosquitoSphere\" in Burkina Faso. The structure resembles a large greenhouse. Instead of glass, the walls are made of mosquito netting. Inside are six compartments, including four designed to resemble typical huts.\n\nThe scientists spread sesame oil containing the fungus on black sheets inside the huts. Next, the researchers released into each hut about 1,500 Anopheles coluzzi mosquitoes, the species that spreads malaria in Burkina Faso. The idea was that the mosquitoes would pick up the fungi when they rested on the black sheets after feeding on live calves. Mosquitoes are attracted to black objects.\n\nThe researchers then compared what happened to the mosquitoes inside the huts with the modified fungi compared with the mosquitoes inside huts with unmodified fungi or no fungi.\n\nThe populations of mosquitoes in the huts with the modified fungi crashed within about 45 days, the researchers reported.\n\n\"Within two generations, the mosquitoes were basically gone,\" St. Leger says. \"They're finished.\"\n\nSt. Leger says the toxic fungus could provide a powerful new weapon to fight malaria.\n\n\"If it just reduced the transmission of malaria by 5% that would still be hundreds of thousands of lives that benefited. And we think it could do quite a bit better than that,\" he says.\n\nOther scientists say the fungi could provide another weapon in the fight against malaria.\n\n\"These results are encouraging,\" says Tony Nolan, a senior lecturer at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine in Britain. Nolan is helping develop the CRISPR gene-drive mosquitoes.\n\n\"The temptation is to think of any one method as a silver bullet, and I don't think that's necessarily realistic,\" Nolan says. \"I envisage both of them being in an armory of weapons.\"\n\n\"This study raises several urgent concerns,\" says Dana Perls of the Friends of the Earth, an environmental group, echoing the objections of the Health of Mother Earth Foundation. \"Genetic engineering of fungus could have problematic negative public health impacts and unpredictable ripple effects on ecosystems, affecting pollinators, bats and bees. Like with all genetic engineering, this needs to be addressed with great caution.\"", "Worldwide, there are about 219 million cases of malaria each year.\n\nA fungus - genetically enhanced to produce spider toxin - can rapidly kill huge numbers of the mosquitoes that spread malaria, a study suggests.\n\nTrials, which took place in Burkina Faso, showed mosquito populations collapsed by 99% within 45 days.\n\nThe researchers say their aim is not to make the insects extinct but to help stop the spread of malaria.\n\nThe disease, which is spread when female mosquitoes drink blood, kills more than 400,000 people per year.\n\nWorldwide, there are about 219 million cases of malaria each year.\n\nConducting the study, researchers at the University of Maryland in the US - and the IRSS research institute in Burkina Faso - first identified a fungus called Metarhizium pingshaense,which naturally infects the Anopheles mosquitoes that spread malaria.\n\nThe next stage was to enhance the fungus. \"They're very malleable, you can genetically engineer them very easily,\" Prof Raymond St Leger, from the University of Maryland, told BBC News.", "Researchers have developed a new weapon in the fight against malaria — a fungus genetically engineered using a gene found in the venom of an Australian spider.\n\nTrials in Burkina Faso — a country with a high prevalence of malaria — found that a fungus, enhanced by the gene of the Australian Blue Mountains funnel web spider, killed large numbers of malaria-carrying mosquitoes.\n\nDuring the trials, researchers reported a 99% collapse in mosquito populations.\n\nResearchers from the University of Maryland and the Research Institute of Health Sciences in Burkina Faso genetically modified Metarhizium pingshaense, a fungus that is naturally fatal to mosquitoes, to increase its lethality.\n\nThe trials, which took place in a purpose-built habitat surrounded by mosquito netting, found that mosquitoes exposed to the toxin died faster than both unexposed insects and those exposed to the naturally occurring fungus.\n\nBrian Lovett, an author of the study, published in the journal Science, told CNN: “Using this technology and applying it in the way that we are proposing, which is to target the mosquitoes that come into peoples houses, we would expect it to have a really large impact on mosquito populations, and to impact on disease transmission as a result.”\n\nMalaria is a parasitic disease transmitted through the bite of female Anopheles mosquitoes. An estimated 435,000 people die of malaria each year, but it is both preventable and treatable.\n\nData from the World Health Organization suggests malaria is making a comeback, with 219 million cases in 2017, compared with 217 million in 2016.\n\nNumerous technologies and products have been developed to kill and stop the spread of mosquitoes, including chemical insecticides, but scientists are constantly competing with insecticide resistance in mosquitoes.\n\n“A very big problem is that mosquito populations are huge and very widespread, and tend to be very strongly connected. Most of the control methods for many years have relied on chemical insecticides, and mosquitoes are very good at evolving resistance to insecticide. Resistance tends to spread very quickly, and problematic levels of resistance are occurring right throughout Africa,” said David Weetman, a senior lecturer at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine told CNN who was not involved in the research.\n\nThe method suggested by researchers at the University of Maryland is designed to be cheap and easy to implement, using only the fungus, cloth and locally produced sesame oil.\n\n“We were looking for a way of very cheaply and easily providing the fungus, a way which citizens can do for themselves,” said Raymond St. Leger from the University of Maryland, one of the study’s authors.\n\nThe World Health Organization warned that cases of the disease are on the increase in the 10 worst-affected countries in Africa, with Nigeria, Madagascar and the Democratic Republic of Congo reporting the highest estimated increases.\n\nMost malaria cases and deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa, but those living in Southeast Asia, the Eastern Mediterranean, Western Pacific and the Americas are also at risk.\n\nChildren under 5 years of age are particularly vulnerable to the disease — the WHO reported that in 2017, they accounted for 61% (266,000) of all malaria deaths worldwide.\n\nAttempts are being made to tackle the disease around the world. In April, the WHO announced that the world’s first malaria vaccine would be given to children in Malawi, Kenya and Ghana as part of a large-scale pilot project.\n\nScientists are developing technology to both kill and stop the spread of mosquitoes, such as bed nets, wall spraying, mosquito traps and genetic engineering.\n\n“The toolbox is looking quite full at the moment, but the thing with many of these new tools is how to move them from the really exciting breakthrough phase to the implementation,” Weetman adds.", "Researchers have used a fake village in Burkina Faso to test a genetically-modified fungus which kills malaria-carrying mosquitoes.\n\nScientists from the University of Maryland Baltimore and the Research Institute of Health Sciences in Burkina Faso set up a fake 6,500 square feet village or “mosquito sphere”. It was complete with plants, huts, water sources and food for the mosquitoes while special nets were used to prevent the insects from escaping.\n\nInside the sphere was a fungus known as Metarhizium pingshaense which had been genetically modified so it produces venom originally from a spider.\n\nThe fungus naturally infects the Anopheles mosquito, which is the only mosquito genus which carries the disease, and its genetic code was edited so it would start making the spider toxin once it comes into contact with hemolymph, which is the insect equivalent of blood.\n\nA previous study conducted on the Metarhizium fungus in Tanzania in 2005 found it did kill mosquitoes but did it so slowly the mosquito was able to transmit malaria.\n\nThe experiment was tested on 1,000 female and 2,000 male insecticide-resistant mosquitoes in two separate spheres — one with the fungus and one without — and the results were published in the journal Science.\n\nThe study found approximately 75% of the mosquitoes in the sphere were infected with the toxin and this lead to population collapse in just 45 days with just 13 mosquitoes remaining.\n\nWhen wild mosquitoes were allowed to live freely in the dome without the presence of the fungus the population increased over the same period.\n\nMalaria is spread when female Anopheles mosquitoes drink blood and spread the parasite from human to human.\n\nAccording to the World Health Organization, there are around 219 million cases of malaria every year and around 435,000 people die from it annually.", "Malaria still kills 435,000 people a year and new control tools are desperately needed - Ridley Scott Associates/Malaria Must Die\n\nScientists have genetically modified a fungus so that it can kill mosquitoes as part of a new drive to fight malaria.\n\nThe trial in Burkina Faso – which was conducted in a sealed model village – killed more than 99 per cent of 1,500 mosquitoes and is being hailed as a “big step” forward by the study's authors.\n\nHowever, critics are concerned that the genetically modified fungus could impact other insects and even animals.\n\n“Fighting malaria through genetic engineering is dangerous” Nnimmo Bassey of the Health of Mother Earth Foundation, an advocacy group based in Nigeria, told NPR.\n\n“I'm heavily worried that Africans are the preferred guinea pigs for experimentation, and Africa is going to become a large laboratory for risky experimentation.”\n\nThe experiment was conducted by scientists from the University of Maryland (UMD) in the US and the IRSS research institute in Burkina Faso and its findings published this week in the journal Science.\n\nThey took a naturally occurring fungus, Metarhizium pingshaense, and combined it with the DNA of a venomous Australian Blue Mountains funnel-web spider. While the fungus does kill mosquitoes in its unaltered state, when combined with the new spider genes it becomes far more deadly and fast-acting.\n\nExperts say the fungus could “destroy” mosquito populations.\n\n“It’s a really exciting study and it looks like this has great potential to become another tool in the interventions toolbox,” Dr David Weetman, senior lecturer at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, told The Telegraph.\n\n“It’s a big step forward in that they have studied the fungus in a realistic environment and shown that it can effectively destroy a mosquito population, by killing them but also depressing the ability of female mosquito to reproduce.”\n\nRoughly 435,000 people die from malaria each year and the battle against the disease is stalling. According to the World Health Organization, the number of cases reported worldwide rose by three million in 2017, to a total of 219 million.\n\nPart of the problem is that mosquitoes are becoming resistant to the most common insecticides, prompting a race among scientists to find alternatives.\n\nThe fightback is taking a number of routes. New bednets impregnated with multiple insecticides, or even antimalarials drugs, are being developed to kill the mosquitoes already immune and prevent the further spread of resistance. And last month the first malaria vaccine was launched in a pilot in Malawi after 30 years of development.\n\nBut genetic engineering is also being explored, of which this modified fungus is just one example.\n\nResearchers have developed GM mosquitoes that could kill off its entire species by spreading a faulty gene. If it works in the wild, the controversial technology – called gene drive – could help eliminate malaria.\n\nHowever the scientists behind the modified transgenic fungus say that their aim is not to wipe out all mosquitoes, but to combat insecticide resistance.\n\nThe fungus would be used inside houses, much like an insecticide, and has not been designed to spread naturally.\n\nIn the trial in the “mosquito sphere” in Burkina Faso – an enclosed model village complete with huts and plants – the scientists used an oil emulsion to attach the fungus spores to a black cotton sheet, which they hung in a chamber.\n\nOf the 1,500 adult mosquitoes released into the space, just 13 were still alive 45 days later. “Simply applying the transgenic fungus to a sheet that we hung on a wall in our study area caused the mosquito populations to crash within 45 days,” Dr Lovett said. “And it is as effective at killing insecticide-resistant mosquitoes as non-resistant ones.” The scientists also said that the fungus only infects and attacks mosquitoes, so should not be a threat to other insect populations – though critics remain concerned that the deadly fungus could inadvertently kill other organisms and damage the balance of fragile ecosystems. “These fungi are very selective,” said Raymond St. Leger, a professor of entomology at UMD and co-author of the study. “They know where they are from chemical signals and the shapes of features on an insect's body. The strain we are working with likes mosquitoes. “It won't go to that trouble for other insects, so it's quite safe for beneficial species such as honeybees,” he added. The report added that as the fungus spores are large, sticky and sensitive to ultra-violet light, they would not naturally become airborne and spread. But Dr Wheetman said that the team also needed to confirm the safety of the modified fungus for livestock and humans in future trials. “It does seem that this is only effective in mosquito populations,” he said. “But it is warranted to suggest the safety of modified fungus needs to be confirmed for people and livestock.” Protect yourself and your family by learning more about Global Health Security"], "summary": "A study, published in the journal Science, finds a genetically enhanced fungus that produces spider toxin can rapidly kill huge numbers of the mosquitoes that spread malaria. Trials held in Burkina Faso showed mosquito populations collapsed by 99% within 45 days. The fungus did not affect other insects, such as bees."}
{"document": ["Image copyright Science Photo Library Image caption Stock picture of a child with measles\n\nThe number of US measles patients has reached a record high and may cause the nation to lose its \"measles elimination status\", US health officials say.\n\nSixty new cases were reported in the past week, bringing this year's total to 971 cases in 26 US states - the highest since 1994.\n\nThe disease was declared effectively eliminated from the US in 2000.\n\nRecent outbreaks have been attributed to foreign travellers spreading it to those lacking vaccinations in the US.\n\nThe US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a statement on Thursday: \"If these outbreaks continue through summer and fall, the United States may lose its measles elimination status.\n\n\"That loss would be a huge blow for the nation and erase the hard work done by all levels of public health.\n\n\"The measles elimination goal, first announced in 1963 and accomplished in 2000, was a monumental task.\"\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption What exactly is behind the US measles outbreak?\n\nThe statement added that previously between three and four million Americans were diagnosed with the sometimes-fatal illness each year, leading to an estimated 400-500 deaths and 48,000 hospitalisations.\n\nEarlier this year, Anthony Fauci of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases testified to lawmakers that more must be done to prevent the spread of the disease.\n\n\"I consider it an irony that you have one of the most contagious viruses known to man juxtaposed against one of the most effective vaccines they have,\" he said.\n\n\"Yet we don't do and have not done what could be done - namely eliminate, eradicate the virus.\"\n\nThis year's tally of 971 means the US has already broken the 1994 record - 963 infections - in only the first five months of 2019.\n\nBut it is still not as bad as 1992 when about 2,200 cases of measles were reported.", "The number of measles cases in the United States have reached levels that threaten the measles elimination status it gained nearly two decades ago, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday.\n\nThere have been 971 reported measles cases so far – and the year is not even halfway complete. That's the highest mark since 2,237 cases were reported in 1992. The newest figures surpassed the 963 cases reported in 1994.\n\nMeasles cases have been reported in 26 states, including Pennsylvania and New Jersey. The vast majority of measles cases have stemmed from New York, where outbreaks in Brooklyn and Rockland County have spread primarily among Orthodox Jewish communities with low vaccination rates. If they measles outbreaks persist through the summer and fall, the United States could lose its measles elimination status, which it gained in 2000. \"That loss would be a huge blow for the nation and erase the hard work done by all levels of public health,\" the CDC said in a statement. \"The measles elimination goal, first announced in 1963 and accomplished in 2000, was a monumental task.\" Prior to the widespread use of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, there were about 3 million to 4 million measles cases every year in the United States, the CDC said. That resulted in about 48,000 hospitalizations and 400 to 500 deaths each year.", "- NEW YORK - This year's U.S. measles epidemic just surpassed a 25-year-old record, and experts say it's not clear when the wave of illnesses will stop.\n\nU.S. health officials on Thursday reported 971 cases so far this year. That eclipses the 963 measles illnesses reported for all of 1994.\n\nIt's been 27 years since the nation saw this many measles cases - 2,237 cases were reported in 1992.\n\nThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated the numbers Thursday.\n\nMeasles was once common in the U.S. but gradually became rare after vaccination campaigns that started in the 1960s.\n\nThe vast majority of this year's cases have been in New York City. But illnesses have been reported in at least 26 states.\n\nOutbreaks in New York City and Rockland County, New York have continued for nearly 7 months. If these outbreaks continue through summer and fall, the United States may lose its measles elimination status. That loss would be a huge blow for the nation and erase the hard work done by all levels of public health, according to the CDC.\n\nThe measles elimination goal, first announced in 1963 and accomplished in 2000, was a monumental task. Before widespread use of the measles vaccine, an estimated 3 to 4 million people got measles each year in the United States, along with an estimated 400 to 500 deaths and 48,000 hospitalizations.\n\nThe Associated Press contributed to this report.", "The number of measles cases in the U.S. this year has broken a record, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Thursday, warning that the virus may no longer be considered to have been eliminated in this country if the large outbreaks continue through the fall.\n\nThe CDC said 971 cases have been reported so far in 2019, including 91 cases in the past week and a half. The tally means in just five months the outbreaks have surpassed the previous high of 963 cases set 25 years ago, in 1994.\n\nMost of the cases this year, and in the past several weeks are part of two outbreaks, in New York City and Rockland County, N.Y., where the virus has been spreading mostly among unvaccinated children in ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities. Several other states have reported either individual cases or small outbreaks.\n\n“If these outbreaks continue through summer and fall, the United States may lose its measles elimination status,” the CDC warned in a statement. “That loss would be a huge blow for the nation and erase the hard work done by all levels of public health.”\n\nMore from The Wall Street Journal", "May 30 (UPI) -- Measles cases in the United States have hit a high of 971, shattering the 943 cases in 1994 to be the highest number of cases in 25 years -- and it comes barely halfway into the year.\n\nThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the number on Thursday afternoon, the agency's second measles count released this week. Monday's report, of 940 cases reported through May 24, already was the second highest since 1994.\n\nAreas with reported outbreaks include Butte, Los Angeles and Sacramento Counties in California, Georgia, Maryland, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Washington, and Rockland County and New York City in New York State.\n\nThe CDC is working closely with state and local health departments to contain ongoing outbreaks.\n\n\"Measles is preventable and the way to end this outbreak is to ensure that all children and adults who can get vaccinated, do get vaccinated,\" CDC Director Robert Redfield said in a statement. \"Again, I want to reassure parents that vaccines are safe, they do not cause autism.\"\n\nThe outbreaks in New York City and Rockland County, N.Y., have lasted for close to seven months, and if they persist through the fall, could jeopardize measles elimination status in the United States, the CDC says.\n\nStates with confirmed measles cases include Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Mexico, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Tennessee, and Washington.\n\nAccording to the agency, the United States eliminated the measles in 2000. Prior to the widespread use of the vaccine, measles cases regularly topped 4 million, leading to 48,000 hospitalizations and 500 deaths each year.\n\nThe CDC says that the virus was eliminated due to \"availability and widespread use of a safe and highly effective measles vaccine\" and \"strong public health infrastructure to detect and contain measles.\"\n\nTo combat the virus today, the agency suggests parents who think the measles vaccine can cause autism should talk with a pediatrician to get a better understanding of the drug's safety.\n\n\"The greater danger is the disease that vaccination prevents,\" Redfield said. \"Your decision to vaccinate will protect your family's health and your community's well-being. CDC will continue working with public health responders across our nation to bring this outbreak to an end.\"", "This year’s measles outbreak is reaching levels not seen in 25 years.\n\nThe U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reporting 940 confirmed cases of measles in the U.S. so far this year.\n\nThat’s 60 more reported cases than last week.\n\nOfficials say we are very close to surpassing 1994’s outbreak. Back then, the country was hit with 963 confirmed cases of the measles.\n\nAs it stands now, 26 states have confirmed cases. New York is seeing it the worst, with more new cases reported weekly than any other state.", "The number of US measles cases has reached a 25-year high and the country risks losing its measles \"elimination status\" if current outbreaks continue, US health authorities said Thursday.\n\nThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said Thursday there have been 971 cases of measles reported in the US so far this year, which means more people have caught the disease in the last five months than in any entire calendar year since 1994, which saw 963 reported cases.\n\nAuthorities declared measles eliminated in the US in 2000, a goal set in 1963 with the introduction of the vaccine.\n\nMeasles is considered eliminated when there is an absence of continuous disease transmission for 12 months or more in a specific geographic area, according to the CDC.\n\nAn ongoing outbreak in and around New York City that started last fall is threatening the US's \"elimination status\" -- if it continues for four more months, the country will no longer be able to say it has eliminated measles.\n\nEven though the New York mayor began requiring city residents in heavily affected areas, many with large Orthodox Jewish communities, to be vaccinated starting in April, the city still had 173 cases that month and 60 in May.\n\nThe US has never counted zero measles cases. Since 2000, the number has fluctuated between a few dozen and a few hundred cases per year, with 667 cases recorded during a 2014 outbreak in Ohio, especially in Amish communities.\n\nThe disease's resurgence can mostly be traced back to un- or under-vaccinated travelers who brought the infection back with them from abroad -- that's what happened last year when cases were reported throughout the country, originating from the Philippines, Israel and Ukraine.\n\n\"Measles is preventable and the way to end this outbreak is to ensure that all children and adults who can get vaccinated, do get vaccinated,\" said CDC director Robert Redfield.\n\n\"Again, I want to reassure parents that vaccines are safe, they do not cause autism. The greater danger is the disease that vaccination prevents.\"", "Measles cases in the U.S. break more than 25-year record, CDC says\n\nMeasles cases in the U.S. have surged to a new high, eclipsing the total number of cases from all of 1992, the , the CDC said Thursday. The tally is so high that measles could lose its status as an officially eliminated disease.\n\nThere have been 971 cases confirmed in 2019 so far, according to the CDC. That's the greatest number since 1992, which had 963 cases in the entire year, and it's a dramatic spike from the 372 cases in 2018. Measles has been reported in 26 states, with New York having the most cases.\n\n\"If these outbreaks continue through summer and fall, the United States may lose its elimination status,\" the CDC said in a statement. \"That loss would be a huge blow for the nation and erase the hard work done by all levels of public health.\" (CBS News)", "The United States recorded 971 cases of measles in the first five months of 2019, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday.\n\nThe tally is the highest in the US since 1994, when the total number of cases for the year hit 963.\n\nThe disease was once common in the US but became rare after vaccination campaigns that started in the 1960s. A decade ago, there were fewer than 100 cases a year.\n\nIf the outbreaks continue, the US may lose its measles elimination status. The measles elimination goal was first announced in 1963 and accomplished in 2000.\n\nRead more: Anti-vaxxer mentality is better tackled through empathy, not facts\n\nPublic health officials have blamed the resurgence on the spread of misinformation about vaccines.\n\nOverall vaccination rates have remained fairly high, but outbreaks have been happening in communities where parents have refused recommended vaccinations, US health officials said.\n\n\"Measles is preventable and the way to end this outbreak is to ensure that all children and adults who can get vaccinated, do get vaccinated,\" CDC Director Robert Redfield said in a statement.\n\n\"I want to reassure parents that vaccines are safe, they do not cause autism. The greater danger is the disease that vaccination prevents,\" he added.\n\nRead more: Why measles is so deadly and vaccination so important\n\nCases have been reported in 26 states, but the majority are located in New York City.\n\nThe outbreak started after some unvaccinated children visited Israel, where a measles outbreak is occurring, and came back to New York.\n\nMore than 500 cases have been diagnosed in two Brooklyn neighborhoods — Williamsburg and Borough Park — and mainly among unvaccinated children in Orthodox Jewish communities.\n\nAmong those affected, 42 have been hospitalized, including 12 treated in intensive care units.\n\nMore than 25,000 doses of vaccine have been given to children and teenagers in Williamsburg and Borough Park since October.\n\nSome have been motivated by a city order issued in April that stated all children and adults who live in four Brooklyn ZIP codes be vaccinated or face fines up to $1,000.\n\nCity officials said 123 people have received summonses for not complying with the order.\n\nEach evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.", "There have been 971 cases of measles reported in the United States this year, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday.\n\nThis means 2019, which is not quite half over, now has the greatest number of cases in a single year in 25 years.\n\nThe number of cases in 1994 was 963, which was lower than in 1992 when there were 2,237 cases.\n\n“Measles is preventable and the way to end this outbreak is to ensure that all children and adults who can get vaccinated, do get vaccinated. Again, I want to reassure parents that vaccines are safe, they do not cause autism. The greater danger is the disease that vaccination prevents,” said CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield.\n\nMeasles was eliminated in the United States in 2000, meaning it was no longer continuously transmitted in the country.\n\nCases have been reported in 26 states this year so far.\n\nNew York has been the largest contributor to this year’s unfortunate milestone with nearly 700 cases of measles reported this year in the state. Most of those cases have been in Orthodox Jewish communities with low vaccination rates.\n\nClark County in Washington state had the second-largest outbreak in the US this year with more than 70 cases reported. The county has low vaccination rates.\n\n“If these outbreaks continue through summer and fall, the United States may lose its measles elimination status. That loss would be a huge blow for the nation and erase the hard work done by all levels of public health. The measles elimination goal, first announced in 1963 and accomplished in 2000, was a monumental task,” the agency said in statement. “Before widespread use of the measles vaccine, an estimated 3 to 4 million people got measles each year in the United States, along with an estimated 400 to 500 deaths and 48,000 hospitalizations.”\n\nThe elimination of the virus in the United States is attributed to widespread measles, mumps and rubella vaccination and a “strong public health infrastructure to detect and contain measles,” according to the CDC.\n\n“Your decision to vaccinate will protect your family’s health and your community’s well-being,” Redfield said. “CDC will continue working with public health responders across our nation to bring this outbreak to an end.”\n\nThe cases in the Unites States are imported from international travel and then local outbreaks begin when the highly contagious illness spreads to those who are not immune to the virus from vaccination or having recovered from measles. With the busy summer travel season just about to get underway there’s concern about continued importation of measles among vacationers.\n\nIn communities with 95% or more of residents who are vaccinated against the virus, herd immunity works. That’s when unvaccinated people are protected because so many of those around them are.\n\nDr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases told lawmakers earlier this year that more needs to be done.\n\n“I consider it an irony that you have one of the most contagious viruses known to man juxtaposed against one of the most effective vaccines they have,” Fauci said. “Yet we don’t do and have not done what could be done – namely eliminate eradicate the virus.”\n\n**More on measles, here**"], "summary": "Sixty new cases in the past week are reported, bringing this year's total to 971 cases in 26 U.S. states – the highest since 1994. The CDC warns, \"If these outbreaks continue through summer and fall, the United States may lose its measles elimination status.\""}
{"document": ["Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Five numbers that explain US border crisis\n\nUS President Donald Trump has announced tariffs on all goods coming from Mexico, demanding the country curb illegal immigration into the US.\n\nIn a tweet, Mr Trump said that from 10 June a 5% tariff would be imposed and would slowly rise \"until the illegal immigration problem is remedied\".\n\nJesús Seade, Mexico's top diplomat for North America, said the proposed tariffs would be \"disastrous\".\n\nMr Trump declared a national emergency at the US-Mexico border in February.\n\nHe said it was necessary in order to tackle what he claimed was a crisis at the US southern border.\n\nBorder agents say they are overwhelmed, but critics say they are mishandling and mistreating migrants.\n\nOn Thursday, US border authorities in El Paso, Texas, said a group of more than 1,000 migrants were detained on Wednesday - the largest single group agents had encountered.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption CCTV captures the moment hundreds of migrants cross into the US\n\nRobert Perez, customs and border protection deputy commissioner, said the apprehension \"demonstrates the severity of the border security and humanitarian crisis at our south-west border\".\n\nThe US president has long accused Mexico of not doing enough to stem the flow of people, and this is his latest attempt to put pressure on the neighbouring state.\n\nImage copyright AFP Image caption The migrants caught on Wednesday came from Guatemala, Honduras or El Salvador and included entire families, agents said\n\nMr Seade said Mexico \"must respond vigorously\" if the tariffs - a tax on products made abroad - were brought in.\n\nHowever, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador responded by saying he did not want \"confrontation\".\n\n\"I propose deepening our dialogue, to look for other alternatives to the migration problem,\" he wrote in a letter on Thursday.\n\nDuring his election campaign and throughout his time in office, President Trump has sought funds to build a wall on the US-Mexico border.\n\nHe declared the national emergency at the border in an attempt to divert federal funds for a barrier wall, but a judge blocked his efforts in May.\n\nThe White House said on Thursday that the president would use the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to implement the new tariffs on Mexico.\n\nThe announcement came the same day that the White House told Congress it planned to pursue a new trade deal with Mexico and Canada.\n\nWhat did Donald Trump announce?\n\nIn a White House statement, Mr Trump said the tariffs would rise by five percentage points each month until 1 October, when the rate would reach 25%.\n\nThe tariffs would stay at that level \"unless and until Mexico substantially stops the illegal inflow of aliens coming through its territory\", he said.\n\n\"For years, Mexico has not treated us fairly - but we are now asserting our rights as a sovereign nation,\" the statement said.\n\nThe president also took aim at his Democratic opponents, accusing them of a \"total dereliction of duty\" over border security.\n\nThe Democratic-controlled House of Representatives is taking legal action to halt the Trump administration's efforts to build a border wall, saying it would be a waste of funds and would not stop illegal immigration.\n\nAmid record numbers of migrants crossing the border, the deaths of six sick children in US custody since September have raised questions about the level of care provided by US authorities.\n\nThe ramifications of Trump's latest trade war\n\nAndrew Walker, BBC economics correspondent\n\nPresident Trump's latest tariff proposal is driven by a political issue - which is not to say that previous tariff moves did not have any politics behind them. But it is sure to have financial and economic consequences.\n\nStock markets in many countries have already registered significant falls. Japanese car makers were among those hit - they have operations in Mexico which will be affected if President Trump does go ahead.\n\nPerhaps he hoped that a welcome side effect would be improved competitiveness for American industry.\n\nWell, half the potential impact for the first stage in the proposed tariffs hikes was wiped immediately by a decline in the value of the Mexican peso, which has the effect of making Mexico a little more competitive, at least until the tariffs come into effect.\n\nThere could also be ramifications for the new trade deal between the US, Mexico and Canada. It will probably make the Mexican Congress a lot more wary about approving the accord.\n\nWhat has Mexico done to tackle migration?\n\nMigrants, most of whom say they are fleeing violence in Central American countries, travel through Mexico on their way to the US, where they hope to claim asylum.\n\nMr Trump believes they should be stopped long before they reach the border, however.\n\nPolice do appear to have been cracking down, with 400 migrants detained in the southern state of Chiapas in April.\n\nPresident López Obrador used the arrests to emphasise the country was not giving migrants \"free passage\".\n\nHowever, he added that it was out of concern for the migrants' safety over anything else.\n\nWhat will the tariffs affect?\n\nMexico was the second largest supplier of goods to the US last year, with imports totalling $352bn (£275bn), according to Goldman Sachs.\n\nIt is known for agricultural products like avocados and tequila, but the country is also a major manufacturing hub and home to many US companies.\n\nThe country produces hundreds of thousands of cars every month, and is also home to technology and aerospace companies. It is one of the G20 economies.\n\nUS firms Ford, General Motors, John Deere, IBM and Coca-Cola all operate in Mexico, as well as thousands of other multinationals.\n\nThe president's statement comes amid a trade war with China.\n\nAfter complaining for years about the US trade deficit with China, Mr Trump imposed tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars worth of goods coming from the country.", "Mr Trump says the tariff will continue to rise until Mexico does more to curb illegal immigration\n\nDonald Trump has said he will place a tariff on all imported goods from Mexico until the neighbouring nation to the US does more to combat illegal immigration.\n\nIn a tweet, the US president said a 5% tariff on Mexican imports to the US would come into effect on 10 June, and would \"gradually increase\" until \"the illegal immigration problem is remedied\".\n\nA White House statement explained the tariffs would rise to 10% on 1 July if Mexico did not take \"effective actions\" to curb illegal immigration, and would reach a height of 25% by October.\n\nThe statement added: \"Tariffs will permanently remain at the 25% level unless and until Mexico substantially stops the illegal inflow of aliens coming through its territory.\"\n\nMr Trump said he would enact the Emergency Economic Powers Act in order to put the tariffs in place.\n\nBut many experts have noted that the president's sudden move against Mexico - one of America's biggest trading partners - could derail approval of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), a revision of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).\n\nSenate finance committee chairman Chuck Grassley said the tariffs were a \"misuse\" of presidential authority, stressing that \"trade policy and border security are separate issues\".\n\nHe added: \"I support nearly every one of President Trump's immigration policies, but this is not one of them.\"\n\nThe markets also responded to Mr Trump's threat, with US stock index futures dropping around 0.7% on Thursday evening, and the Mexican peso weakening by more than 2%.\n\nMexico responded to the announcement by calling for dialogue on the issues, and expressed a need to avoid confrontation.\n\nIn a letter posted to Twitter, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said: \"Social problems are not solved with duties or coercive measures.\"\n\nHe maintained that his country was doing what it could to curb illegal immigration \"without violating human rights\".\n\nPointing towards the US being a nation of immigrants, he added: \"The Statue of Liberty is not an empty symbol.\"\n\nMr Trump's tariffs are just the latest in a long line of moves in his bid to halt illegal immigration from Central and South American nations.\n\nIn March, the US president announced he would be halting aid to El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, and threatened to close the entirety of the US-Mexico border.\n\nHis long-held plans to build a wall along the same border were blocked by a judge earlier this month, but Mr Trump has since launched an appeal against the decision.", "In a surprise announcement that could derail a trade deal, President Donald Trump announced Thursday that he is slapping a 5% tariff on all Mexican imports, effective June 10, to pressure the country to do more to crack down on the surge of migrants trying to cross the U.S. border.\n\nHe said the percentage will gradually increase — up to 25% — “until the Illegal Immigration problem is remedied.”\n\nThe decision showed the administration going to new lengths, and looking for new levers, to pressure Mexico to take action — even if those risk upending other policy priorities, such as the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, a trade deal that is the cornerstone of Trump’s legislative agenda. It also risks further damaging the already strained relationship between the U.S. and Mexico, two countries whose economics are deeply intertwined.\n\nTrump made the announcement via tweet after telling reporters earlier Thursday that he was planning “a major statement” that would be his “biggest” on the border.\n\n“On June 10th, the United States will impose a 5% Tariff on all goods coming into our Country from Mexico, until such time as illegal migrants coming through Mexico, and into our Country, STOP,” he wrote. “The Tariff will gradually increase until the Illegal Immigration problem is remedied.”\n\nMexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador responded in a public letter Thursday, telling Trump that “social problems are not solved with duties or coercive measures” and alluded to the United States’ history as a nation of immigrants. “The Statue of Liberty is not an empty symbol,” he wrote. He said he was dispatching his foreign relations secretary to Washington, D.C., on Friday to try to negotiate a solution.\n\nIn his growing fury over an increase in border crossings that he has likened to an “invasion,” Trump has blamed Mexico for failing to stop the flow of asylum seekers from countries such as El Salvador and Honduras who pass through its territory.\n\nHe has been itching to take headline-grabbing action on the issue, which he sees as critical to his 2020 campaign because it energizes his base.\n\nBut the sudden tariff threat comes at a peculiar time, given how hard the administration has been pushing for passage of the USMCA, which would update the North American Free Trade Agreement.\n\nIt comes less than two weeks after Trump lifted import taxes on Mexican and Canadian steel and aluminum, a move that seemed to clear an obstacle to its passage, and the same day that both Trump and López Obrador began the process of seeking ratification. The deal needs approval from lawmakers in all three countries before it takes effect.\n\n“The tariffs certainly put the USMCA on ice,” said Gary Hufbauer, an expert in trade law at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, who panned the move but said Trump does have the legal authority to impose tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act by citing a national emergency.\n\n“The drama is legal, but it’s preposterous,” he said.\n\nDaniel Ujczo, a U.S.-based international trade lawyer, said the threat would likely slow the deal’s progress in Mexico and put U.S. lawmakers who want to vote “yes” in a difficult position because companies in their districts will end up paying the tariffs.\n\nIt wouldn’t be the first time Trump has punted on an immigration threat. In late March, Trump threatened to shut the entire southern border if Mexico didn’t immediately halt illegal immigration.\n\nRELATED: Mexican President Attacks Trump After Tariffs: ‘America First Is a Fallacy’\n\nJust a few days later, he backed off the threat, saying he was pleased with steps Mexico had taken in recent days.\n\nIndeed, on a briefing call with reporters Thursday night, administration officials said Mexico could prevent the tariffs from kicking in by securing their southern border with Guatemala and entering into a “safe third country agreement” that would make it difficult for those who enter Mexico from other countries to claim asylum in the U.S.\n\n“We’re going to judge success here by the number of people crossing the border and that number needs to start coming down immediately, in a significant and substantial number,” said acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney.\n\nHe also insisted that tariffs were “completely” separate from the USMCA because one pertained to immigration and the other trade.\n\nThe threat drew a withering response from Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley, a usual Trump ally, who slammed it as “a misuse of presidential tariff authority” that would burden American consumers and “seriously jeopardize passage of USMCA.”\n\nMulvaney said the White House had briefed a number of Republicans on the plan and acknowledged that some — particularly in the Senate — had raised concerns about the president invoking such powers.\n\nThe threat comes at a time when Mexico has been stepping up its efforts to crack down on migrants, carrying out raids and detaining thousands of people traveling through the country en route to the U.S.\n\nThe crumbling city of Tapachula, near the Guatemalan border, has become the epicenter of the crackdowns, with thousands of migrants stranded because the Mexican government isn’t providing them visas to travel. In addition, the Mexican government has allowed the U.S. to send back hundreds of asylum seekers from Central America and other countries, forcing the people to wait out their cases in Mexico.\n\nBut that hasn’t satisfied Trump, whose administration laid out an escalating schedule of tariff increases if his demands are not met: 10% on July 1, 15% on Aug. 1, 20% on Sept. 1 and 25% on Oct. 1.\n\nAfter that, the White House said, “tariffs will permanently remain at the 25% level unless and until Mexico substantially stops the illegal inflow of aliens coming through its territory.”\n\nThe Associated Press contributed to this report.\n\nWe are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.", "WASHINGTON, May 30 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump said on Thursday the United States will impose a 5% tariff on all goods coming from Mexico starting on June 10 until illegal immigration is stopped.\n\n“The Tariff will gradually increase until the Illegal Immigration problem is remedied, at which time the Tariffs will be removed,” Trump said on Twitter. (Reporting by Eric Beech; Editing by Mohammad Zargham)", "WASHINGTON, May 30 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump said on Thursday the United States will impose a 5% tariff on all goods coming from Mexico starting on June 10 until illegal immigration across the southern border is stopped.\n\n“The Tariff will gradually increase until the Illegal Immigration problem is remedied, at which time the Tariffs will be removed,” Trump said on Twitter.\n\nOn June 10th, the United States will impose a 5% Tariff on all goods coming into our Country from Mexico, until such time as illegal migrants coming through Mexico, and into our Country, STOP. The Tariff will gradually increase until the Illegal Immigration problem is remedied,.. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 30, 2019\n\n....at which time the Tariffs will be removed. Details from the White House to follow. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 30, 2019\n\nIn a statement issued by the White House, Trump said the tariff would increase to 10% on July 1, 15% on Aug. 1, 20% on Sept. 1 and to 25% on Oct. 1.\n\n“Mexico’s passive cooperation in allowing this mass incursion constitutes an emergency and extraordinary threat to the national security and economy of the United States,” Trump said in the statement.\n\n“Mexico has very strong immigration laws and could easily halt the illegal flow of migrants, including by returning them to their home countries,” he said.", "WASHINGTON, May 30 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump said on Thursday the United States will impose a 5% tariff on all goods coming from Mexico starting on June 10 until illegal immigration across the southern border is stopped.\n\n\"The Tariff will gradually increase until the Illegal Immigration problem is remedied, at which time the Tariffs will be removed,\" Trump said on Twitter.\n\nIn a statement issued by the White House, Trump said the tariff would increase to 10% on July 1, 15% on Aug. 1, 20% on Sept. 1 and to 25% on Oct. 1.\n\n\"Mexico´s passive cooperation in allowing this mass incursion constitutes an emergency and extraordinary threat to the national security and economy of the United States,\" Trump said in the statement.\n\n\"Mexico has very strong immigration laws and could easily halt the illegal flow of migrants, including by returning them to their home countries,\" he said.", "US president Donald Trump has announced he is slapping a 5 per cent tariff on all Mexican imports to pressure the country to do more to crack down on the surge of Central American migrants trying to cross the US border.\n\nHe said the percentage will gradually increase – up to 25 per cent – “until the illegal immigration problem is remedied”.\n\nThe decision showed the US administration going to new lengths to pressure Mexico to take action – even if those risk upending other policy priorities, such as the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), a trade deal that is the cornerstone of Mr Trump’s legislative agenda and beneficial to his re-election effort.\n\nMr Trump made the announcement by tweet after telling reporters earlier on Thursday that he was planning “a major statement” that would be his “biggest” so far on the border.\n\n“On June 10th, the United States will impose a 5% Tariff on all goods coming into our Country from Mexico, until such time as illegal migrants coming through Mexico, and into our Country, STOP. The Tariff will gradually increase until the Illegal Immigration problem is remedied,” he wrote.\n\nMr Trump has accused the Mexican government of failing to do enough to halt the flow of asylum-seekers from countries including El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala.\n\nBut the sudden tariff threat comes at a peculiar time, given how hard the administration has been pushing for passage of the USMCA, which would update the North American Free Trade Agreement.\n\nIt comes less than two weeks after Mr Trump lifted import taxes on Mexican and Canadian steel and aluminium, a move that seemed to clear an obstacle to passage of his North American trade deal, and the same day that both the Mexican government and the Trump administration began the process of seeking ratification.\n\nThe deal needs approval from politicians in all three countries for it to be ratified.\n\nMexican president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said his foreign relations secretary will lead a delegation to seek a peaceful and negotiated solution.\n\nMr Lopez Obrador said late on Thursday in a public letter addressed to Mr Trump that “social problems are not solved with duties or coercive measures,” and alluded to the United States’ history as a nation of immigrants: “The Statue of Liberty is not an empty symbol.”\n\nMr Lopez Obrador wrote that Mexico is doing its part to avoid migration through its territory as much as possible, without violating human rights.\n\nThe Mexican leader also urged Mr Trump to “please, remember that I do not lack valour, that I am not a coward nor timorous but rather act according to principles”.\n\nIn late March, Mr Trump threatened to shut the entire US-Mexico border if Mexico did not immediately halt illegal immigration.\n\nJust a few days later, however, he backed off the threat, saying he was pleased with steps Mexico had taken in recent days. It was unclear, however, what Mexico had changed.\n\nIndeed, on a briefing call with reporters on Thursday evening, administration officials said there were several things Mexico could do immediately to prevent the tariffs from kicking in, including securing their southern border with Guatemala and entering into a “safe third country agreement” that would make it difficult for those who enter Mexico from other countries to claim asylum in the US.\n\n“We’re going to judge success here by the number of people crossing the border and that number needs to start coming down immediately, in a significant and substantial number,” said acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney.\n\nHe also insisted that tariffs were “completely” separate “and apart from the USMCA” because one pertained to trade and the other immigration.\n\n“The two are absolutely not linked,” he said.\n\nThe White House laid out an escalating schedule of tariff increases if Mr Trump’s demands are not met.\n\n“If the illegal migration crisis is alleviated through effective actions taken by Mexico, to be determined in our sole discretion and judgment, the Tariffs will be removed,” the White House said in a statement.\n\nOtherwise, the 5 per cent figure will increase to 10 per cent on July 1st, to 15 per cent on August 1st, to 20 per cent on September 1st and to 25per cent on October 1st, the White House said.\n\n“Tariffs will permanently remain at the 25 per cent level unless and until Mexico substantially stops the illegal inflow of aliens coming through its territory,” the statement read. –AP", "WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to impose new tariff on Mexico if the country does not take action 'reduce or eliminate the number of illegal aliens' crossing into the U.S.\n\n\n\nTrump said that from 10 June a 5% tariff would be imposed on all goods imported from Mexico and would slowly rise 'until the Illegal Immigration problem is remedied'.\n\n\n\n'On June 10th, the United States will impose a 5% Tariff on all goods coming into our Country from Mexico, until such time as illegal migrants coming through Mexico, and into our Country, STOP. The Tariff will gradually increase until the Illegal Immigration problem is remedied,' Trump tweeted.\n\n\n\nThe White House said in a statement that Trump would carry out his threat under authority from the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and that he would lift tariffs only 'if the illegal migration crisis is alleviated through effective actions taken by Mexico.'\n\n\n\nThe statement warned that if Mexico did not act as Trump demanded, tariffs would rise by 5% each month until October 1, when the rate would reach 25%.\n\n\n\nWhite House also warned that Tariffs will permanently remain at the 25 percent level unless and until Mexico substantially stops the illegal inflow of aliens coming through its territory.\n\n\n\nTrump said in the White House statement, 'If Mexico fails to act, Tariffs will remain at the high level, and companies located in Mexico may start moving back to the United States to make their products and goods. Companies that relocate to the United States will not pay the Tariffs or be affected in any way.'\n\n\n\nCopyright RTT News/dpa-AFX", "President Donald Trump on Thursday said he would impose a 5 percent tariff on all goods from Mexico until its leaders took unspecified steps to curb illegal immigration to the United States.\n\n“On June 10th, the United States will impose a 5% Tariff on all goods coming into our Country from Mexico, until such time as illegal migrants coming through Mexico, and into our Country, STOP,” Trump . “The Tariff will gradually increase until the Illegal Immigration problem is remedied … at which time the Tariffs will be removed. Details from the White House to follow.”\n\nThe president is also considering sweeping restrictions on asylum that would effectively block Central American migrants from entering the U.S., several administration officials and advocates briefed on the plan said earlier Thursday. A draft proposal circulating among Trump’s Homeland Security advisers would prohibit migrants from seeking asylum if they have resided in a country other than their own before coming to the U.S.\n\nTrump’s idea to use tariffs as leverage on immigration is not new. He said last month that a recent deal with Mexico on auto exports wouldn’t count if the country failed to stop Central American migrants from illegally crossing the border. The president said he would give Mexico one year to curb illegal border crossings before pulling the trigger on new tariffs — a softening of his earlier threat to close the border entirely, but one that could still inflict economic damage on both countries.\n\nTrump did not describe what changes his administration would demand from Mexico, or whether it would withdraw from the renegotiated NAFTA deal.", "President Donald Trump has said he is slapping a 5% tariff on all Mexican imports to pressure the country to do more to crack down on the surge of Central American migrants trying to cross the US border.\n\nThe tariff is effective from June 10.\n\nThe president said the percentage will gradually increase “until the Illegal Immigration problem is remedied”.\n\nMr Trump made the announcement by tweet after telling reporters earlier on Thursday that he was planning “a major statement” that would be his “biggest” so far on the border.\n\nMr Trump has accused the Mexican government of failing to do enough to crack down on the surge of Central American migrants who have been flowing to the US in search of asylum from countries including El Salvador, Honduras and Gautama.\n\nIt is unclear how this will impact the new United States-Mexico-Canada trade deal."], "summary": "U.S. President Donald Trump announces a 5% import tariff on all products from Mexico, effective June 10 and rising in steps to 25% by October, \"until the illegal immigration problem is remedied\"."}
{"document": ["Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador hit back at President Trump in a public letter, decrying his plan to impose a 5 percent tariff on Mexican imports because of the administration’s border migrant crisis. “With all due respect, although you have the right to express it, ‘America First’ is a fallacy because until the end of times, even beyond national borders, justice and universal fraternity will prevail,” López Obrador wrote in a letter released late Thursday. The Mexican president said his foreign minister would be in Washington, D.C., on Friday to negotiate with U.S. officials. On Thursday, Trump tweeted that on June 10 the U.S. “will impose a 5% Tariff on all goods coming into our Country from Mexico, until such time as illegal migrants coming through Mexico, and into our Country, STOP.” “The Tariff will gradually increase until the Illegal Immigration problem is remedied,” the president added. White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney told reporters that the tariffs would be raised to 10 percent in July, 15 percent in August, 20 percent in September, and 25 percent in October.", "Mexico's President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador speaks to the media during a news conference, at the National Palace in Mexico City, Mexico, May 21, 2019. REUTERS/Henry Romero\n\nMEXICO CITY (Reuters) - “America First is a fallacy,” Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador told U.S. President Donald Trump in a letter on Thursday, responding to a White House announcement it was imposing a blanket 5% tariff on all goods from Mexico from June 10.\n\nLopez Obrador said he wanted to avoid confrontation with the United States, and that ideals such as justice and universal brotherhood were more important than borders.\n\nThe Mexican president also ordered his foreign minister to travel to Washington on Friday.", "Lopez Obrador said he wanted to avoid confrontation with the United States, and that ideals such as justice and universal brotherhood were more important than borders.\n\nThe Mexican president also ordered his foreign minister to travel to Washington on Friday.", "MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - “America First is a fallacy,” Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador told U.S. President Donald Trump in a letter on Thursday, responding to a White House announcement it was imposing a blanket 5% tariff on all goods from Mexico from June 10.\n\nLopez Obrador said he wanted to avoid confrontation with the United States, and that ideals such as justice and universal brotherhood were more important than borders.\n\nThe Mexican president also ordered his foreign minister to travel to Washington on Friday.", "President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said Friday that he would defend the interests of Mexicans but wanted to avoid a clash with Washington, after the Trump administration announced it would slap punitive tariffs on its southern neighbor unless it did more to stop irregular migration.\n\n“There is no need for confrontation,” the leftist president said at his daily morning news conference.\n\nMexico is heavily dependent on trade and this year has surged to become the No. 1 trading partner of the United States, eclipsing Canada and China. The Mexican peso slid nearly 3 percent overnight on the news, to almost 20 pesos to the dollar.\n\nLópez Obrador said he has received broad support from the Mexican public after Trump announced late Thursday that he would impose a 5 percent tariff on all goods coming from Mexico unless it stopped the migration flow.\n\n[Trump and Mexico’s new president got off to a good start]\n\n“I want to insist that we will not fall into any provocation; we are going to act prudently,” said the president. “With respect to U.S. authorities, and President Donald Trump, we think that all these conflicts in the bilateral relationship must be confronted and resolved with dialogue.”\n\nLópez Obrador dispatched his foreign minister, Marcelo Ebrard, to Washington on Friday for urgent talks.\n\nThe White House plans to launch the penalties on June 10 and increase them if Central American and other migrants continue to cross Mexico to the United States.\n\nLópez Obrador has maintained a cordial relationship with Trump despite significant policy differences on immigration and other issues.\n\nMexico has responded to concerns about the growing surge of migrants at the U.S. border by stepping up deportations of undocumented immigrants and intensifying its scrutiny of people crossing its southern border.\n\n“We haven’t just been sitting around with our arms crossed,” said López Obrador.\n\nHe said that Mexico would enforce its immigration laws but would not take actions that violate human rights. He noted that people were flowing out of Central America “not by choice, but necessity” because of violence and a lack of jobs.\n\nLópez Obrador has sought to enlist the United States and other countries in supporting a “Marshall Plan” for Central America, aimed at improving infrastructure and job opportunities in a way that would discourage migration. But while Washington has offered loan guarantees, so far it has not committed substantial funding to the plan.\n\nTrump says U.S. to impose 5 percent tariff on all Mexican imports beginning June 10\n\nTrump’s tariff threat to Mexico may upend trade deal, undermine the economy\n\nToday’s coverage from Post correspondents around the world\n\nLike Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news", "As Trump announced he would raise tariffs on Mexican goods, the president of Mexico published an open letter to Trump.\n\nOn Friday—the same day that President Donald Trump announced plans to impose new tariffs on Mexican goods to try to strong-arm the Mexican government to \"halt the illegal flow of migrants\" to the United States—Mexico's president published an open letter to Trump.\n\n\"Remember that I do not lack bravery, that I am not a coward nor timid, but rather I act on my principles,\" writes President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, known in his country as AMLO.\n\nThis is not the first time López Obrador has addressed Trump directly. In addition to the open letter he sent Trump when he first took office, AMLO published an entire book called Oye, Trump—\"listen up, Trump\"—in 2017. The book collects portions of López Obrador's speeches in which he spoke about the U.S. president, including one in which López Obrador declares that Trump and his advisers \"speak of Mexicans the way Hitler spoke of the Jews\" just before the Holocaust.\n\nCompared to Oye, Trump, López Obrador's letter on Friday remained congenial but firm. Here are some key takeaways.\n\nContrary to Trump's rhetoric, under López Obrador, the Mexican government has continued a massive crackdown on immigration from Central America through the country. But López Obrador has shown a public willingness to frame the problem more as a refugee issue than an illegal immigration crisis.\n\n\"Human beings do not abandon their homes because they want to, but rather by necessity,\" AMLO writes. He also maintains that his government has complied with its responsibility to prevent migrants' passage through Mexico, but only to the degree that such methods are \"possible without violating human rights.\"\n\nLessons From the Decrease in Mexican Migrants to the U.S.\n\nIn the last decade, the number of Mexicans migrating to the U.S. has plummeted. As the Mexican economy improved and the U.S. experienced a recession in the late 2000s, Mexican border crossings dropped by over a million per year, to just a few hundred thousand today.\n\nAMLO points to this trend to propose a solution to the migration crisis. \"Soon, Mexicans will not face the necessity of coming to the United States, and migration will be optional, not forced,\" he writes. He says that the diminishing number of Mexican migrants comes from Mexico's efforts to combat corruption and poverty and to improve the social sphere.\n\nAs Mexican migration has fallen, rates of Central American migration have risen rapidly. To solve the problem, AMLO proposes multi-national cooperation efforts to develop and aid Central American countries.\n\n'Social Problems Can't Be Resolved With Tariffs or Coercive Methods'\n\nHalfway through his letter, López Obrador addresses Trump directly and asserts that tariffs aren't the way to solve the migration issue. He decries efforts to keep migrants in a \"ghetto,\" and to turn away people fleeing persecution. \"The Statue of Liberty is not just an empty symbol,\" López Obrador writes.\n\nIn his letter, López Obrador shows an appreciation of U.S. history: He mentions the cooperation between Benito Juárez (Mexico's first indigenous president) and Abraham Lincoln, and he heaps praise on Franklin Delano Roosevelt, calling him \"a titan of liberty.\"\n\nBut the Mexican president goes on to assert that Trump's \"American First\" policy is misguided. \"With all due respect, although you have the right to express it, 'America First' is a fallacy because until the end of time, beyond national borders, justice and universal fraternity will prevail,\" he writes.", "Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador responded in a public letter he posted on Twitter Thursday in which he alluded to the U.S. as a nation of immigrants. \"The Statue of Liberty is not an empty symbol,\" he wrote.\n\nLópez Obrador added that he will send his foreign relations secretary to Washington on Friday."], "summary": "Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador responds with a letter to the U.S. president stating he wants to avoid a confrontation, saying that ideals such as justice and universal brotherhood are more important than borders. He also ordered his foreign minister to travel to Washington on Friday."}
{"document": ["CLOSE\n\nThe Cook County State's Attorney's Office has charged singer R. Kelly with 11 new counts of criminal sexual abuse, The Chicago Tribune and The Chicago Sun-Times reported Thursday, bringing the total number of charges against him in Illinois up to 21.\n\nThe new charges, which come months after Kelly was arrested three months ago and charged with 10 counts of aggravated assault, resulted from offenses that allegedly took place in 2010.\n\nAttorney Michael Avenatti told the Associated Press that the new charges pertain to a woman who was one of the three minors in the group of four women alleging abuse in February. Her initials are listed as J.P.\n\nAvenatti represents three Kelly victims, two parents and two whistleblowers, and says he has provided \"significant evidence\" against Kelly to federal prosecutors in multiple U.S. attorneys' offices.\n\nKelly's lawyer, Chicago-based criminal defense attorney Steve Greenberg, told USA TODAY the case in question was not new. Later, he expanded on his point, issuing a statement from an unverified Twitter account: \"#RKelly was NOT charged with a new case. He was recharged in an existing case, same alleged victim and time (a decade ago) It changes nothing.\"\n\nAccording to The Sun-Times, which published the new court documents, the counts are as follows: four counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault, two counts of criminal sexual assault by force, two counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse and three counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse against a victim who was between the ages of 13 and 17 at the time of her assault. Three of the four women from the original indictment were minors at the time.\n\nProsecutors allege that Kelly used force or threatened to do so in order coerce the accuser into sex or to perform oral sex on him. Because she was underage at the time, they say the statute of limitations is extended to 20 years from her 18th birthday.\n\nAccording to the filing, the first eight counts are from encounters that allegedly occurred between Jan. 1 and Jan. 31, 2010. Three others pertain to alleged encounters between May 1, 2009, and Jan. 31, 2010.\n\nThe four aggravated criminal sexual assault counts could land Kelly in prison for up to 30 years if he's convicted on any of them.\n\nKelly has been free on $1 million bond since his February arrest. It's unclear whether the new charges will affect his status.\n\nOver the past two decades, Robert Sylvester Kelly, 52, has faced multiple allegations of sexual abuse of women and girls, including sex with underage girls and accusations that he trapped female fans in a \"sex cult\" that cut them off from their families and subjected them to degrading abuse.\n\nHe has been tried for a sex crime only once, in Chicago, and was acquitted in 2008.\n\nThen, in January of this year, \"Surviving R. Kelly,\" a series began airing on Lifetime. Over the course of six episodes, scores of women came forward on camera to accuse Kelly of shocking abuse.\n\nTimeline:R. Kelly's history of sex-abuse arrests, indictments and lawsuits\n\nState's Attorney Kim Foxx, who said she was \"sickened\" by the allegations laid out in \"Surviving R. Kelly,\" called a press conference in January to solicit accusers and witnesses to come forward. In February, she announced the first 10 state indictments against Kelly.\n\nCLOSE R. Kelly has been charged with 10 counts of aggravated sexual abuse, after decades of lurid rumors and allegations that the R&B star was sexually abusing women and underage girls. (Feb. 22) AP\n\nKelly's defense team has recently swelled from one attorney, Steve Greenberg, to six, including Nicole Blank Becker of Detroit, a former federal prosecutor of sex crimes who represents defendants accused of sex crimes.\n\nHowever, it's not clear how Kelly, who was briefly jailed in March for failure to pay more than $161,000 in overdue child support and told CBS' Gayle King that he had $350,000 in the bank, is paying for his defense team.'\n\nContributing: Maria Puente, USA TODAY; Associated Press\n\nRead or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/people/2019/05/30/r-kelly-charged-11-new-counts-sex-abuse/1289868001/", "UPDATED: Singer R. Kelly, who has already been charged with 10 counts of aggravated sexual abuse, has been hit with 11 new counts of sexual assault and sexual abuse, according to Cook County, Illinois, court records cited by the Chicago Tribune.\n\nWhile details were incomplete, the paper says four of the new counts charge Kelly with aggravated criminal sexual assault — a Class X felony, the most serious in Illinois, that carries six to 30 years in prison if the accused is convicted. Kelly is due in court on June 6 to face the charges.\n\nThree of the new counts accuse him of sexually abusing a victim between the ages of 13 and 16, the paper says. It was unclear whether the victim in question is one of the four victims — three of whom were underage — that Kelly was charged in February with sexually abusing, although Tribune reporter Megan Crepeau reported that the new counts appear to be additional charges from a woman identified as “J.P.” who was at the center of one of the February indictments.\n\n“We’ll see what it is, and we’ll deal with it accordingly,” Kelly’s attorney, Steven Greenberg, told the paper. The singer has pleaded not guilty to the counts from February.\n\nWhile accusations of sexual misconduct against underage girls have swirled around the singer for decades, he has become increasingly embattled in recent months, particularly in the wake of the Lifetime docuseries “Surviving R. Kelly.” He was dropped by his longtime record label, RCA, and has faced challenges booking concerts, cutting off much of his sources of income.\n\nGreenberg recently said Kelly has been struggling financially and spent several days in jail after his arrest earlier this year on the abuse charges before he was able to raise the $100,000 required to secure his release on $1 million bail. A female fan ultimately put up the money. He was jailed again just weeks later for failure to pay child support for his three children with ex-wife Drea Kelly, who is among those speaking out against him.", "CHICAGO (AP) — Prosecutors charged R&B singer R. Kelly on Thursday with 11 new sex-related counts involving one of the women who accused him of sexually abusing her when she was underage, including counts that carry a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison, making them the most serious he faces.\n\nCook County prosecutors charged the Grammy award-winning singer with four counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault, two counts of criminal sexual assault by force, two counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse and three counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse against a victim who was at least age 13 and under 17 at the time.\n\nThe four aggravated criminal sexual assault counts carry maximum terms of 30 years in prison. Kelly is due in court to hear the new charges next Thursday.\n\nKelly was already facing 10 counts of aggravated sexual abuse involving four women over roughly a 10-year period that started in the late 1990s. Three of the women were minors when the alleged abuse occurred.\n\nThe new charges pertain to a single victim, identified in the court filing by the initials \"J.P.\" Prosecutors didn't specify in the filing if she is the same person as one of the original four accusers who was also identified as \"J.P.,\" but Kelly's defense attorney, Steve Greenberg, seemed to suggest as much in a tweet Thursday.\n\nGreenberg didn't immediately reply to requests for comment left by The Associated Press. The AP also couldn't immediately reach Kelly for comment about the new charges. He pleaded not guilty to the original chargesand denied any wrongdoing after his February arrest. He has been free since Feb. 25, when a suburban Chicago woman posted $100,000 bond, or 10% of the $1 million bond the judge set in his case.\n\nAccording to the new court filing, the first eight counts are from encounters that allegedly occurred between Jan. 1 and Jan. 31, 2010. Three others pertain to alleged encounters between May 1, 2009, and Jan. 31, 2010.\n\nAmong other things, prosecutors allege that Kelly used force or threatened to do so to pressure the accuser into sex or to perform oral sex on him. She was underage at the time, extending the statute of limitations for bringing charges to 20 years from her 18th birthday, they wrote.\n\nKelly doesn't face federal charges, but attorney Michael Avenatti told the AP on Thursday that he expects the singer to face \"serious federal charges\" in the coming weeks.\n\nAvenatti, who says he represents three Kelly victims, two parents and two whistleblowers, said he has provided \"significant evidence\" against Kelly to federal prosecutors in multiple U.S. attorneys' offices. He declined to say which federal districts would pursue the charges, but he said he and his clients have been cooperating with prosecutors \"for the better part of four months.\"\n\nAvenatti, who said after Kelly’s arrest that he had turned over video to prosecutors showing Kelly having sex with an underage girl, faces his own serious federal charges, including ones accusing him of trying to shake down Nike and cheating his most famous client, porn star Stormy Daniels, out of $300,000.", "The R&B star R. Kelly has been charged with 11 new felony counts of sexual assault and abuse-related charges, The Chicago Sun-Times reported Thursday.\n\nFour of the counts are for aggravated criminal sexual assault, two are for criminal sexual assault by force, two are for aggravated criminal sexual abuse, and three are for aggravated criminal sexual abuse against a victim between the ages of 13 and 16, according to Chicago Tribune reporter Megan Crepeau‏.\n\nKelly is already facing 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse in Chicago, and has pleaded not guilty and denied all allegations of wrongdoing.\n\nRead more: R. Kelly breaks down in explosive interview denying sexual abuse allegations: 'You're killing me with this s---!'\n\nKelly was also the subject of a recent Lifetime documentary series, \"Surviving R. Kelly,\" in which multiple women alleged that the singer held them in an abusive, cult-like environment and controlled where they went, to whom they spoke, and even when they used the restroom.\n\nThese new charges reportedly stem from an incident in January 2010 and carry a potential maximum sentence of up to 30 years in prison — the most severe sentence facing Kelly yet, according to The Sun-Times.\n\nKelly is currently free on bond and is set to appear in court to face the new charges on June 6.\n\nKelly's attorney, Steve Greenberg, told The Sun-Times that he has not yet heard from prosecutors about the new charges.\n\n\"We'll see what the charges are, and we'll proceed accordingly,\" he told the newspaper. \"I know this much: it's old. They're allegations from years ago.\"", "CHICAGO (AP) — Prosecutors in Chicago have charged R&B singer R. Kelly with 11 new sex-related counts, including some that carry a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison.\n\nThe Chicago Sun-Times reports that Cook County prosecutors filed the new charges against Kelly on Thursday. Among the new charges are four counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault, two counts of criminal sexual assault by force, two counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse and three counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse against a victim between the ages of 13 to 16. The charges apparently pertain to a single victim.\n\nThe four aggravated criminal sexual assault counts carry maximum terms of 30 years in prison.\n\nKelly was already facing 10 counts of aggravated sexual abuse involving four women years ago, three of whom were minors when the alleged abuse occurred.\n\nKelly’s defense attorney, Steve Greenberg, didn’t immediately respond to an email from the AP seeking comment. He told the Sun-Times that he had received word of new charges from prosecutors but hadn’t seen any filings in the case. He did say he understood that the allegations are “from years ago.”", "Embattled R&B singer R. Kelly has been charged with 11 new counts of sexual assault and sexual abuse, Cook County court records show.\n\nScarce details were made public Thursday, but four of the new counts charge Kelly with aggravated criminal sexual assault — a Class X felony that carries six to 30 years in prison on conviction.\n\nThree of the new counts accuse him of sexually abusing a victim between the ages of 13 and 16. It was unclear if this is a new victim or one of the four victims — three of them underage at the time — whom Kelly was charged in February with sexually abusing.\n\nKelly was charged at that time with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse involving those four victims.\n\nKelly is due back in court next week to face the new charges.\n\n“We’ll see what it is, and we’ll deal with it accordingly,” Kelly’s attorney, Steven Greenberg, said Thursday when reached for comment.", "R. Kelly has been charged with 11 additional counts of sexual abuse.\n\nAccording to court records obtained by ET, the 52-year-old singer was charged with 11 felony counts of sexual assault and sexual abuse related charges on Thursday. The charges filed by the Cook County State's Attorney's Office consist of five counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, four counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault and two counts of criminal sexual assault. The alleged incidents occurred between January 1, 2010 and January 31, 2010.\n\nThe singer is due in court on June 6 to face the new charges.\n\nKelly's crisis manager, Darrell Johnson, tells ET in a statement, \"These 'new' charges are not really new -- they are the same conduct, just charged differently, same alleged victim, same time frame, same facts. There are still four cases, not five. And we still expect the same results.\"\n\n\"Mr. Kelly is in good spirits. As he's always stated, he's innocent. He looks forward to a speedy trial and making it to court,\" Johnson exclusively told ET via satellite interview, adding that he doesn't anticipate Kelly serving any time. \"He believes it's an effort to destroy his career.\"\n\n\"It's a travesty. It's horrible that these people are coming out with this foolishness. I'm not going to call anyone a liar, but what I will tell you is my client is innocent and we're going to stick by that. We're going to fight this thing all the way to the end, and I'm here with him. I believe in him, I trust what Mr. Kelly has told me,\" he added.\n\nKelly has denied all allegations against him. The singer has been accused of multiple sexual abuse allegations and inappropriate encounters with girls and young women over the years, but a renewed attention to the allegations came with the release of Lifetime's Surviving R. Kelly docuseries in January, in which more women came forward with allegations of abuse against Kelly.\n\nKelly was charged with 10 counts of aggravated sexual abuse involving four alleged victims, three of whom were minors, in February, and pled not guilty. In an intense interview with Gayle King for CBS This Morning in March, Kelly spoke out on the allegations against him. The singer continuously claimed that everyone featured in Surviving R. Kelly is \"lying\" and maintained that he has \"absolutely not\" broken any laws.\n\n\"If you really look at that documentary… everybody says something bad about me. Nobody said nothing good,\" he said. \"They was describing Lucifer. I'm not Lucifer. I'm a man. I make mistakes, but I'm not a devil, and by no means am I a monster.\"\n\n\"... People are going back to my past, OK? That's exactly what they're doing,\" he added. \"They're going back to the past, and they're trying to add all of this stuff now to that. To make all of this stuff that's going on now feels real to people.\"\n\nMeanwhile, earlier this month, the singer paid $62,000 in back child support amid an ongoing dispute with his ex-wife, Andrea \"Drea\" Kelly, Johnson told ET. Kelly was jailed in March for failing to pay more than $161,000 in overdue child support, and was released three days later after someone covered the debt on his behalf.\n\n\"After reviewing the case judgment brought several weeks ago against Mr. Kelly, [he] was vacated,\" Johnson said. \"Mr. Kelly paid $62,000, bringing child support current to date. My client now looks forward to clearing his name and being cleared of all charges in the near future. Mr. Kelly also placed a check for child support in escrow for June, July and August in advance.\"\n\nIn March, one of Kelly's accusers, Lanita Carter, spoke out for the first time publicly in an interview with CBS News. Watch the video below for more:", "R. Kelly has been charged with 11 new counts of sexual assault, E! News can confirm.\n\nA spokesperson for the Illinois Cook County Criminal Court said in a statement, \"11 new charges related [to] sexual assault and sex abuse were filed against R. Kelly.\"\n\nAccording to court records obtained be E! News, prosecutors filed new counts on the 52-year-old star, including charges related to criminal sex assault, aggravated criminal sex assault and aggravated criminal sex abuse. Of the aggravated criminal sex abuse charges, three of the alleged victims are between the ages of 13 and 16.\n\nFurthermore, four of the aggravated criminal sex assault charges are class X felonies. In Illinois, this means Kelly's charges carry a potential prison sentence of 30 years or more, which many are pointing out is the most he's faced.\n\nHowever, Kelly's Crisis Manager, Darryl Johnson, claims the charges are \"old.\" He said in a statement to E! News, \"We knew they were coming and this was happening. He's not going to jail. We don't have the full details yet.\"", "R&B singer Robert Kelly has been hit with 11 new counts of sexual assault and sexual abuse charges on Thursday.\n\nThe new charges include aggravated criminal sex assault, criminal sex assault and aggravated criminal sex abuse of a victim between the ages of 13 and 16, according to court records.\n\nBack in February, R. Kelly was charged with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse. He was accused of abusing four women, three of whom were underage at the time of the alleged events.\n\nKelly is scheduled to appear in court on June 6th.", "CHICAGO (Reuters) - Grammy-winning singer R. Kelly was charged on Thursday with 11 new felony counts of sexual assault and abuse that could, if he is convicted, send the R & B singer to prison for 30 years, the Chicago Sun Times reported.\n\nKelly was indicted by a Cook County Grand Jury on four counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault, two counts of criminal sexual assault by force and two counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, documents posted on the newspaper’s website showed.\n\nHe was also indicted on three counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse against a victim between the ages of 13 to 16, according to the documents. The allegations center on someone identified only as J.P. in January 2010, with no other details provided.\n\nR. Kelly “was NOT charged with a new case. He was recharged in an existing case, same alleged victim and time (a decade ago) It changes nothing,” the performer’s attorney, Steve Greenberg, wrote on Twitter.\n\n“These are the same conduct, just charged differently, same alleged victim, same time frame, same facts. We expect the same results,” he wrote.\n\nKelly has denied abuse allegations for decades. In 2008, the singer was tried on child pornography charges and found not guilty.\n\nKelly, 52, pleaded not guilty in February to charges that he sexually assaulted three teenage girls and a fourth woman. The charges were brought after seven women including his ex-wife, appeared on a Lifetime television documentary and accused him of emotional and sexual abuse.\n\nHe spent a weekend in jail on the sex charges before being released on $100,000 bail on Feb. 25.\n\nThe new charges carry a sentence of 30 years for Kelly if he is convicted, the Sun Times reported."], "summary": "American songwriter R. Kelly is charged by Cook County prosecutors with 11 counts of sexual assault and abuse."}
{"document": ["Captain of cruise ship which collided with tour boat that sank on Danube River taken into custody by Hungarian police\n\nBUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Captain of cruise ship which collided with tour boat that sank on Danube River taken into custody by Hungarian police.", "Captain of cruise ship which collided with tour boat that sank on Danube River taken into custody by Hungarian police\n\nBUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Captain of cruise ship which collided with tour boat that sank on Danube River taken into custody by Hungarian police.", "Captain of cruise ship which collided with tour boat that sank on Danube River taken into custody by Hungarian police.", "Captain of cruise ship which collided with tour boat that sank on Danube River taken into custody by Hungarian police\n\nBUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Captain of cruise ship which collided with tour boat that sank on Danube River taken into custody by Hungarian police.", "Captain of cruise ship which collided with tour boat that sank on Danube River taken into custody by Hungarian police\n\nBUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Captain of cruise ship which collided with tour boat that sank on Danube River taken into custody by Hungarian police.", "Captain of cruise ship which collided with tour boat that sank on Danube River taken into custody by Hungarian police\n\nBUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Captain of cruise ship which collided with tour boat that sank on Danube River taken into custody by Hungarian police.", "BUDAPEST, May 29 (Reuters) - A river boat used for tourism capsized in the Hungarian capital on Wednesday with dozens of people on board, and a rescue effort was underway, the state news agency MTI and other media reported.\n\nThe boat was moored near the Hungarian parliament building and reportedly was hit by a another tourist vessel, then turned over on the river, which has been flooding with strong currents following a rainstorm in Budapest.\n\nReuters could not immediately obtain verifiable information about possible victims, although Hungarian media speculated there might be several fatalities in the accident. (Reporting by Marton Dunai; editing by Grant McCool)", "Captain of cruise ship which collided with tour boat that sank on Danube River taken into custody by Hungarian police\n\nBUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Captain of cruise ship which collided with tour boat that sank on Danube River taken into custody by Hungarian police.", "Captain of cruise ship which collided with tour boat that sank on Danube River taken into custody by Hungarian police\n\nBUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Captain of cruise ship which collided with tour boat that sank on Danube River taken into custody by Hungarian police.", "Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The tour boat sank seconds after a collision with another vessel\n\nThe captain of a vessel that collided with a small tour boat on the Danube in Budapest, resulting in at least seven deaths, has been arrested, police say.\n\nThe 64-year-old Ukrainian national was held as a suspect over reckless misconduct in waterborne traffic leading to mass casualties.\n\nThe boat carrying South Korean tourists sank seven seconds after the collision during a rainstorm on Wednesday.\n\nHopes have faded that any of the 21 people missing will be found alive.\n\nA criminal investigation has been launched into the collision, a rare incident on the Danube where navigation is busy but generally safe.\n\nSeven people rescued alive were suffering from hypothermia but stable, an ambulance spokesman said.\n\nSouth Korea's foreign minister, Kang Kyung-wha, is due to arrive in Budapest on Friday for a joint press conference with her Hungarian counterpart Péter Szijjártó.\n\nWitness saw people 'screaming in the water'\n\nCCTV footage showed the boat that sank - Hableany, or Mermaid - being hit from behind by a larger tour boat - Viking Sigyn - near the Margit (Margaret) Bridge in central Budapest after 21:00 local time (19:00 GMT).\n\n\"The whole thing happened very quickly\" said Clay Findley, a US tourist who was on the Viking Sigyn.\n\n\"I thought at first we were going to miss it, but the front of the Viking hit the back of that little boat... and then the hull popped up on the opposite side of the ship, just a few seconds later, and then it was down.\"\n\nImage copyright IDOKEP.HU/via REUTERS Image caption This still from CCTV footage shows the two vessels (encircled) just minutes before the collision\n\nAnother passenger, 66-year-old Ginger Brinton from the US, told the AFP news agency that he was on the boat's balcony when he \"saw people in the water, screaming for help\".\n\nHe added: \"We never felt any bump. We didn't realise. We just saw people in the water. It was just terrible.\"\n\nNo-one on the Swiss-registered Viking Sigyn was injured.\n\nHungarian police said the investigation yielded evidence that raised questions of personal responsibility so it questioned the captain - identified as Yuriy C., from Odessa - as a suspect and later decided to take him into custody.\n\nEmergency crews found the wreckage of the Hableany, a double-decker river cruise boat built in 1949 in the former Soviet Union, on the riverbed near the Margaret Bridge and were preparing to lift it.\n\nWhat is known about the rescue operation?\n\nThirty South Korean tourists and three tour guides, as well as two Hungarian crew, were on board the Hableany.\n\nMost of the tourists were aged between 40 and 50 but the group also included a six-year-old child and a man in his 70s, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported.\n\nImage copyright EPA Image caption Hope was fading that any of the missing would be found alive\n\nImage copyright Reuters Image caption Candles were lit on the Danube bank in Budapest\n\nThe seven rescued alive included a 31-year-old passenger identified only by her surname Jung, who told Yonhap: \"The current was so fast and people were floating away.\"\n\nAnother survivor, a 32-year-old woman named as Yoon, said: \"The boat flipped instantly and capsized.\"\n\nImage copyright Reuters Image caption The Hableany boat - seen in this archive photo - has a capacity of 45 people for sightseeing trips\n\nThe rescue operation continued with boats, divers, spotlights, and radar scanning along the river, where the temperature of the water was between 10C and 12C (50F-54F).\n\nBut teams warned that, as more time passed, the strong currents caused by heavy rainfall would carry people further downstream, lessening the chances of finding survivors.\n\nThe seven confirmed victims were not wearing life jackets and three of them were found several kilometres from the site of the collision, police said.\n\n'An accident waiting to happen'\n\nBy Nick Thorpe, BBC News, Budapest\n\nThere has been a dramatic increase in river traffic in recent years as tourism increases in Budapest.\n\nAndras Kurbely, a crew member of another large cruise ship with 27 years of experience on the Danube, told the BBC that this was an accident he and others have long worried about.\n\n\"It's just not healthy to have so many large ships, which are much more powerful and harder to manoeuvre, carving a route between so many smaller boats.\"\n\nIn his view, the practice of the river cruisers, which sail up and down the river between the five main bridges as an after-dinner excursion for their passengers, should be stopped.\n\nWhat has the reaction been?\n\nRelatives of the passengers were travelling from South Korea to Hungary.\n\nMeanwhile, flowers were laid outside the country's embassy in Budapest and candles were lit on the Danube bank.\n\nEarlier, South Korean President Moon Jae-in said his government planned \"to co-operate with the Hungarian government to thoroughly investigate the cause of the accident\".\n\nFor South Koreans, the sinking is a painful reminder of the Sewol disaster in 2014, the BBC's Laura Bicker in Seoul reports.\n\nThe ferry of that name sank off South Korea's Jindo island, killing 304 people, almost all of them schoolchildren on a trip. The ship's captain was later convicted of murder."], "summary": "The captain of the M/V Viking Sigyn that was involved in the deadly sinking of the Hableány is questioned and arrested by the Hungarian police."}
{"document": ["CLOSE Two brothers who said they helped Jussie Smollett stage a racist and homophobic attack against himself are suing the \"Empire\" actor's attorneys for defamation. (April 23) AP, AP\n\nNew documents released by Chicago police Thursday show Jussie Smollett discussing drugs with the two brothers who accused the \"Empire\" actor of paying them to stage an attack on him.\n\nThe texts were among the 460 pages released by the Cook County State's Attorney's Office and Chicago Police Department Thursday after a judge ordered Smollett's case file unsealed last week.\n\nThe documents show that Smollett initially communicated with Abimbola 'Abel' and Olabinjo “Ola Osundairo about buying marijuana, cocaine and ecstasy before enlisting them to stage his alleged attack on Jan. 29. The brothers later told Chicago police that Smollett paid them to stage the attack on him.\n\n\"It was found during the review of these text records that on various occasions Smollett would request that (redacted) procure items for Smollett which Smollett described as weed, molly, or Whitney, which the (case report) was familiar with being slang for cannabis and controlled substances,\" the documents read. \"In particular, weed is slang for cannabis, molly is slang for ecstasy and whitney is slang for cocaine.\"\n\nMore: Chicago detectives knew a Jussie Smollett deal was in the works, new documents show\n\nThe report notes that Smollett used the electronic payment methods PayPal and Venmo to pay for the transactions, and that on multiple occasions, Smollett appeared to describe his payment to the brothers for the drugs as payment for \"legitimate expenses\" like personal training.\n\n“(Expletive), you still got a molly connect?” Smollett texted one of the brothers on Sept. 27, 2018. “Hahahaha… Imma need a good fo pills Haha.”\n\nAfter completing multiple drug transactions with the brothers, Smollett texted one of them in January, “Might need your help on the low. You around to meet up and talk face to face?”\n\nFollowing this exchange, the case file alleges that Smollett gave the brothers a check for $3,500, labeled as payment for a “5-week nutrition/workout program,\" and asked the brothers to pretend to beat him up while calling him homophobic and racial slurs.\n\nAfter the brothers told detectives about the alleged conspiracy, Smollett was indicted on 16 counts of disorderly conduct and lying to police, one charge for each time the actor \"knowingly\" told police that he was the victim of a \"battery, a hate crime and an aggravated battery.\"\n\nAfter prosecutors suddenly dropped all the charges against him on March 26, Cook County Judge Steve Watkins assented to Smollett's request that his case file be sealed, citing his right to privacy. But media companies, including USA TODAY parent company Gannett, argued that that the actor invalidated those concerns by discussing the case on national television. Watkins agreed two months after putting the case file off limits, he ordered its contents be released.\n\nThe unsealed documents, which also included case reports, arrest reports and supplementary files from the investigation revealed that the detectives investigating Smollett were aware there was a potential deal in the works between Smollett and the Cook County State's Attorney's Office to drop the charges a month before it was announced.\n\nAt the time, then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson blasted the deal, saying the alleged hoax had unnecessarily tied up police personnel and harmed the city’s reputation.\n\nOn Thursday, Chicago police spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said the detectives did not pass that information to superiors because they assumed – incorrectly, as it turned out – that any deal would include Smollett admitting to wrongdoing.\n\nInstead, after the charges were dropped, Smollett insisted that he had been \"truthful and consistent on every single level since Day 1.\"\n\nJussie Smollett case timeline:Charges dropped against actor who went from victim to suspect\n\nContributing: Jorge Ortiz\n\nCLOSE 'Empire' actor Jussie Smollett, who was accused of staging a hate-crime attack, was dropped of all charges by prosecutors. How does the FBI define a hate-crime attack? We explain. USA TODAY\n\nRead or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/people/2019/05/31/jussie-smollett-bought-drugs-brothers-who-attacked-him/1296878001/", "When Jussie Smollett was told his Nigerian trainer and his brother had been arrested for the 'homophobic, racist' attack he said he was the victim of, he reacted with: 'It can't be them, they'e black as sin.'\n\nHis reaction was revealed for the first time on Thursday, buried in 470 pages of previously sealed Chicago PD files that have finally been made public.\n\nThe files, which DailyMail.com is still reviewing, also reveal how Smollett changed his story throughout the police investigation, first telling police one of his attackers was white, then 'pale' and admitting that he had 'presumed' they were white because of what he claimed they said to him - 'This MAGA country'.\n\nSmollett, 36, also changed his phone number immediately after the attack but used it to speak with Abel and Ola Osundairo, the Nigerian brothers, in the hours and days after the January 29 incident.\n\nIn early interviews, he told police he had spoken only to his creative director and to his manager on the night of the attack after landing back in Chicago from New York.\n\nHe then added into his story that he had spoken to his 'trainer', Abel, about a diet and nutrition plan.\n\nHarvested text messages between him and the brothers also show how they discussed drugs, calling cocaine 'Whitney'.\n\nHe asked them for good 'pills', said: 'N***a you still got a Molly connect? Imma need a good fo pills hahahaha (sic)' on September 27, 2018.\n\nSmollett also sent them money on Venmo.\n\nWhen police told him that the brothers, whose mugshots were also released for the first time on Thursday, had been arrested, Smollett allegedly feigned surprise.\n\n'We don't have any problems. They are straight so we don't have any problems with women or men. They did not owe me any money, I don't owe them any money. We have a good relationship,' he said.\n\nHe then signed documents to have police press charges but his attorney stopped him.\n\nIn the September texts about 'molly' and 'whitney, Smollett asked Abel where he was and asks if the wanted to come over.\n\n'You wanna come through? If not I can get it tomorrow,' he writes.\n\n'I'm falling asleep,'he responded. 'You can get it tomorrow.'\n\nDocuments state that Smollett and one of the Nigerian brothers began texting on February 24, 2018.\n\nThe brothers were picked up from Chicago O'Hare airport after arriving back from Nigeria on February 13.\n\nIn March, the charges against him were sensationally dropped and the case was sealed, a decision which outraged the public and the media.\n\nIt was unsealed earlier this month by a judge who said the Empire actor - who has been called guilty by the very prosecutors who let him off with a $10,000 bond forfeiture and 16 hours of community service - has no right to privacy.\n\nRather than retreat from the limelight since he had the charges dropped, Smollett spoke at the courthouse and his attorneys have given multiple interviews condemning the police department and maintaining he is innocent.", "Newly released documents regarding Jussie Smollett's case have revealed text messages in which the Empire star texted the Nigerian brothers asking for drugs.\n\nThe messages show Smollett asking either Abel and Ola Osundairo for help to acquire 'good pills' with nicknames revealed to be for cocaine, ecstasy, and marijuana.\n\n'N***a you still got a molly connect?' one of his messages from September 27, 2018 reads. 'Imma need a good fo pills hahaha (sic)'.\n\nHe then sends a verification code from Venmo, an online payment app.\n\nOne of the Nigerian brothers, although it remains unclear which, then replies: 'Got it'.\n\nSmollett asks one of the brothers where they are and asks if they want to bring it to his house.\n\n'You wanna come through? If not I can get it tomorrow,' he writes.\n\n'I'm falling asleep,' one of the brothers responsed. 'You can get it tomorrow.'\n\nDocuments state that Smollett and one of the Nigerian brothers began texting on February 24, 2018 and continued through March 15, 2019.\n\nA week later, the Cook County State’s Attorney's Office dropped all charges against Smollett.\n\nThe Empire star has found himself in headlines for all the wrong reasons after he was accused of staging a hate crime attack on himself in January.\n\nText records revealed that there were 'various occasions' in which Smollett would request the Nigerian brother to procure items for him 'described as weed, molly, or Whitney', known slang for marijuana, ecstasy, and cocaine.\n\nIn July 2018, Smollett and the Nigerian brother exchanged texts regarding him obtaining 'Whitney' and how to pay for it, the documents state.\n\nPayment was arranged via Venmo and Smollett later sent a text stating that he just sent $200.\n\nOn August 27, 2018, Smollett requested that the brother obtain weed for him. The price was discussed and Smollett once again paid him through Venmo.\n\nThe Chicago Police Department released nearly 500 pages of case reports, arrest files and supplementary files related to Smollett's case on Thursday.\n\nA Cook County judge ordered that the documents in the case be unsealed.\n\nInvestigators alleged that Smollett had recruited the Osundairo brothers to stage the hoax attack, hoping it would help him get a salary raise on Empire.\n\nChicago police said the Osundairo brothers confessed to helping Smollett stage the attack.\n\nSmollett had told cops that he had an untreated drug problem after his arrest.\n\nSmollett responded 'no' when asked about alcohol or mental health problems, according to booking documents. But he may have dropped hints about a drug issue to lay groundwork for a possible defense strategy.", "Newly released documents regarding Jussie Smollett's case have revealed text messages in which the Empire star texted the Nigerian brothers asking for drugs.\n\nThe messages show Smollett asking either Abel and Ola Osundairo for help to acquire 'good pills' with nicknames revealed to be for cocaine, ecstasy, and marijuana.\n\n'N***a you still got a molly connect?' one of his messages from September 27, 2018 reads. 'Imma need a good fo pills hahaha (sic)'.\n\nHe then sends a verification code from Venmo, an online payment app.\n\nOne of the Nigerian brothers, although it remains unclear which, then replies: 'Got it'.\n\nSmollett asks one of the brothers where they are and asks if they want to bring it to his house.\n\n'You wanna come through? If not I can get it tomorrow,' he writes.\n\n'I'm falling asleep,' one of the brothers respons. 'You can get it tomorrow.'\n\nDocuments state that Smollett and one of the Nigerian brothers began texting on February 24, 2018 and continued through March 15, 2019.\n\nA week later, the Cook County State’s Attorney's Office dropped all charges against Smollett.\n\nThe Empire star has found himself in headlines for all the wrong reasons after he was accused of staging a hate crime attack on himself in January.\n\nText records revealed that there were 'various occasions' in which Smollett would request the Nigerian brother to procure items for him 'described as weed, molly, or Whitney', known slang for marijuana, ecstasy, and cocaine.\n\nIn July 2018, Smollett and the Nigerian brother exchanged texts regarding him obtaining 'Whitney' and how to pay for it, the documents state.\n\nPayment was arranged via Venmo and Smollett later sent a text stating that he just sent $200.\n\nOn August 27, 2018, Smollett requested that the brother obtain weed for him. The price was discussed and Smollett once again paid him through Venmo.", "CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago's top prosecutor has released more than 2,000 pages of documents in Jussie Smollett's case and explained she recused herself from an investigation into the \"Empire\" actor's claim he'd been the target of a racist, anti-gay attack solely because of false rumors she was related to him.\n\nFriday's statement from Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx comes two months after her office suddenly dropped all charges against Smollett accusing him of staging the January attack on himself. The move was widely criticized.\n\nFoxx says rumors circulated as suspicions grew about Smollett's account of an attack that she was related to Smollett's family, so she recused herself to avoid \"even the perception of a conflict.\"\n\nMore: Jussie Smollett bought drugs from the brothers who staged alleged attack, documents show\n\nEarlier explanations focused on communications between Foxx and a family member of Smollett's.\n\nMore: Chicago prosecutor Kim Foxx suggests race is involved in Smollett dismissal backlash\n\nThe release of documents Friday evening came as offices closed for the weekend. A court last week lifted an order barring their release."], "summary": "New documents reveal that Jussie Smollett bought drugs from Abimbola 'Abel' and Olabinjo “Ola Osundairo, the two people who accused him of staging an attack on January 29."}
{"document": ["James Marape is PNG's new Prime Minister after Peter O'Neill's resignation\n\nUpdated\n\nPapua New Guinea's former finance minister James Marape has been elected as the Pacific nation's new Prime Minister after weeks of political unrest.\n\nKey points: Mr Marape said he will review several major resource projects\n\nHe also used his maiden speech to talk up plans to carry out major reforms with the public sector\n\nHis appointment as the eighth Prime Minister of PNG comes a day after Mr O'Neill resigned\n\nMr Marape, a former ally of outgoing prime minister Peter O'Neill, received an overwhelming majority of 101 votes to eight in the Parliament in Port Moresby.\n\nIn his maiden speech, he declared he wanted PNG to be \"the richest black Christian nation\" in the world and committed to reviewing resource laws.\n\nMr Marape had led a series of high-profile defections from the former government, and had raised concerns about key projects, including the recently negotiated $US13 billion ($18.8 billion) Papua LNG project, which is set to double exports.\n\nHe told the ABC that he would review several major resource projects.\n\n\"We're not here to break legally binding project agreements but those project agreements must be sanctioned by law, if they have every tick ticked off, as prescribed by laws governing our nation, then they will stand the test of scrutiny,\" he said.\n\n\"But if we find that any project agreement, whether it's PNG LNG project, or any project for that matter that has not fully prescribed provisions of law, then we are open to review and scrutinising it.\"\n\nWhile sitting with the opposition, Mr Marape also called for a leaked ombudsman's report into a controversial $1.2 billion loan through the Australian branch of Swiss bank UBS to be immediately tabled in Parliament.\n\nThe report made findings against Mr O'Neill and several other senior figures, including Mr Marape.\n\nMr O'Neill has denied any wrongdoing and Mr Marape said he had only played a small part, if any at all.\n\nHe told the ABC the process would continue when Parliament resumed.\n\n\"The UBS report is part of a process that ombudsman commission has started. We've asked for it, ombudsman has tabled it, and Parliament will be privy to the reports when our Parliament convenes next, and we will take it on from there.\"\n\n'We will do a diagnostic into our economy'\n\nIn his speech, Mr Marape briefly outlined plans to review PNG's resource laws.\n\n\"At the moment our resource laws our outdated, we do not intend to chase our investors, they are here to stay, we encourage them,\" he said.\n\n\"But we will look into maximising gain into what God has given this country, from our natural resources.\n\n\"Today I stand before this nation, and this honourable house, humbled but also burdened knowing the challenge before us as a nation is not easy.\n\n\"I know that our economy is bleeding and struggling. We will do a diagnostic into how our economy is right now.\n\n\"Eighty per cent of this country still locked in the enclaves of rural entrapment. Those of us in cities are enjoying and yet they are stuck up there. They deserve to be lifted.\"\n\nHe also used his maiden speech to talk up plans to carry out major reforms with the public sector.\n\nMr Marape's appointment as the eighth Prime Minister of PNG, comes a day after Mr O'Neill resigned, having lost the support of the house after seven years in power.\n\nMr Marape, the member for Tari-Pori in Hela province, led a defection from the government to the opposition camp in April which forced Mr O'Neill's resignation from office.\n\nAfter Mr O'Neill resigned on Wednesday, Mr Marape and his supporters turned to the ruling coalition.\n\nIn a surprise turn of events during the election for Mr O'Neill's replacement, opposition leader Patrick Praitch nominated Mr O'Neill as a candidate for the job that he had resigned from the day earlier.\n\nMr O'Neill initially accepted the nomination but then later withdrew from the race when a second nominee was put forward by the Opposition — a former prime minister, Sir Mekere Morauta.\n\nSpeaker Job Pomat declared Mr Marape as Prime Minister-elect and then suspended parliament so Mr Marape could be sworn in by the Governor-General Bob Dadae.\n\n\n\nTopics: world-politics, government-and-politics, politics-and-government, governance, leadership, papua-new-guinea, pacific\n\nFirst posted", "James Marape to become PNG's new Prime Minister after Peter O'Neill's resignation\n\nAfter weeks of political unrest, Papua New Guinea will swear in a new Prime Minister in former finance minister James Marape.\n\nMr Marape's resignation six weeks ago, over differences in economic policy, fuelled the mass defection from former prime minister Peter O'Neill's government.\n\nMr O'Neill was forced to resign after losing the support of a majority of MPs, ahead of an opposition vote of no confidence.\n\nOver the past month, Mr Marape led the defections from the Government to the opposition side, but after Mr O'Neill's formal resignation yesterday, he brought his supporters back to the ruling coalition.\n\nMr Marape beat fellow prime ministerial nominee Sir Mereke Mourata 101-8 in Parliament, when a vast majority of the opposition crossed the floor in his support.\n\nHe is the Member for Tari-Pori in New Hela Province and served as finance minister until April 29.\n\nMore to come.", "James Marape announced as PNG's new Prime Minister after Peter O'Neill's resignation\n\nAfter weeks of political unrest, Papua New Guinea has a new Prime Minister, with James Marape voted into the country's top job.\n\nFormer prime minister Peter O'Neill was forced to resign after losing the support of a majority of MPs.\n\nOver the past month, Mr Marape has led the defections from the Government to the opposition side, but after Mr O'Neill's formal resignation he brought his supporters back to the ruling coalition.\n\nMr Marape beat fellow prime ministerial nominee Sir Mereke Mourata 101-8 in Parliament, as a vast majority of the opposition crossed the floor in his support.\n\nMr Marape is the Member for Tari-Pori in New Hela Province and served as finance minister until April 29.\n\nHis resignation helped fuel the political turmoil that forced Mr O'Neill to resign from office.\n\nMore to come.", "James Marape sworn in as Papua New Guinea's prime minister\n\nPORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea (AP) — Former Papua New Guinea Finance Minister James Marape has been sworn in as the country's new prime minister, following the resignation of Peter O'Neill last week.\n\nLocal media reported that the PNG parliament voted overwhelmingly for Marape on Thursday.\n\nMarape told reporters that he doesn't have all the answers for the country, but would do his best to mobilize the talents of members of government, the opposition, and \"more importantly, talents from the greater Papua New Guineans out there.\"\n\nO'Neill resigned last Sunday after seven years on the job. His announcement followed weeks of high-profile defections from his government to the opposition.", "Papua New Guinea has appointed James Marape as its new prime minister, after a tumultuous few months in the country’s political life.\n\nMarape, a former finance minister and sometime ally of the outgoing prime minister Peter O’Neill, was elected by MPs who voted overwhelmingly, 101 to eight, to make him the next leader.\n\nMarape, the member for Tari-Pori in New Hela province was a key minister in O’Neill’s government and his defection from the government to the opposition camp in April accelerated O’Neill’s resignation from office.\n\nFor a time he was the opposition bloc’s candidate to replace O’Neill as prime minister, before he was beaten in a secret ballot to become opposition leader by Patrick Pruaitch earlier this week.\n\nIn a sign of the fluid nature of PNG politics, after O’Neill resigned officially on Wednesday, Marape and his supporters returned to the government camp.\n\nThe vote came after months of turmoil in the Pacific nation, which has seen opposing MPs camped out at different hotels in the country’s capital of Port Moresby, high-level defections between opposing groups, shouting matches on the floor of parliament, and finally, the resignation of former prime minister Peter O’Neill on the floor of parliament on Wednesday.\n\nO’Neill, who has led PNG since 2011, is only the second prime minister in the young country’s history to have served out a full term.\n\nThe election for O’Neill’s replacement was held in PNG’s parliament on Wednesday. Marape beat former prime minister and opposition figure Sir Mekere Morauta.\n\nIn a surprising moment in the day’s proceedings, opposition leader Patrick Pruaitch nominated O’Neill as a candidate for the job that O’Neill had resigned just a day earlier. O’Neill initially accepted the nomination and then later withdrew his name from the contest.\n\nO’Neill initially announced he would resign at a media conference on Sunday, but opponents doubted the sincerity of this announcement after O’Neill then sought legal action to block the the opposition from holding a vote of no confidence in him, however, in a speech to parliament on Wednesday, O’Neill said he had visited the governor general that morning to tender his resignation, prompting a vote among MPs for his replacement on Thursday morning.\n\nGoing into Wednesday’s parliamentary session, the opposition claimed it had the support of 68 out of the country’s 111 MPs, which would have allowed it to ensure their leader, Patrick Pruatich, a former treasurer, would become the next prime minister.\n\nHowever after O’Neill officially resigned on Wednesday at least 30 of the country’s MPs returned to the government bloc, including high-profile opponents such as James Marape and William Duma.\n\nBryan Kramer, an opposition MP who has been one of the O’Neill’s most vocal critics, said that among the opposition’s priorities if it came to power, would be to launch an investigation into O’Neill’s business practices, which have come under severe criticism, including his handling of a multibillion-dollar gas deal that opponents said was a poor outcome for PNG. The election of Marape makes it unlikely that such an investigation will take place.\n\nKramer was not present in the chamber during the vote for a new prime minister.\n\nO’Neill came to power in 2011 in circumstances that were later ruled unconstitutional by the supreme court. Despite this contentious start, there was a wave of optimism when O’Neill came to power after he initiated an anti-corruption investigation called Task Force Sweep.\n\nHowever, optimism in O’Neill’s leadership faded after O’Neill became a target of investigations over allegations he authorised payments of $30m for fraudulent legal bills. O’Neill denied the allegations and the government disbanded the task force.\n\nScandals surrounding the prime minister’s business dealings have continued to dog O’Neill throughout his prime ministership, and he was forced to step down after after high-profile MPs left his government for the opposition over the last month.\n\n“It is important that I vacate this seat, so that we can be able to move on,” he told parliament on Wednesday.\n\nO’Neill listed his achievements as prime ministers included the country’s hosting of the Apec summit last year and the expansion of the education sectors and the delivery of infrastructure projects. He also said his government was able to improve PNG’s global image.", "SYDNEY--Papua New Guinea has elected influential lawmaker James Marape to succeed Peter O'Neill as prime minister.\n\nMr. O'Neill, who led the resource-rich but tumultuous Pacific nation for seven years, said Sunday that he was stepping down following weeks of political turmoil and government defections over his handling of various budget and health crises.\n\nMr. Marape was among those who defected to political opponents over a contentious multibillion-dollar gas project signed in April with France's Total and America's Exxon Mobil. He returned to the ruling coalition after Mr. O'Neill's resignation.", "Papua New Guinea's Parliament has elected James Marape as new prime minister after outgoing leader Peter O'Neill resigned following weeks of political turmoil..\n\nMarape, who quit as finance minister in April over a gas deal with France's Total he called too generous to the oil major, was the front-runner sources said ahead of the vote. He was elected by an overwhelming majority.\n\nPolitical instability is not unusual in the poverty-stricken but resource-rich country, but Marape's defection from the government earlier tapped into growing concern over governance and resource benefits not reaching the poor.\n\nThose concerns ultimately led to O'Neill's official resignation on Wednesday.", "Papua New Guinea Prime Minister Peter O'Neill has formally tendered his resignation after losing the support of Parliament during weeks of political turmoil in the South Pacific island nation.\n\n\"At 9.35am this morning I delivered to his excellency ... the Governor-General, my letter of resignation,\" O'Neill told Parliament in Port Moresby on Wednesday to MPs' applause.\n\nHe said it was likely he would be replaced on Thursday, drawing a line under a period of political chaos. Parliament adjourned until 10am on Thursday soon after O'Neill finished speaking.\n\nOn Tuesday, an opposition bloc working to unseat O'Neill's government elected National Alliance Party leader Patrick Pruaitch as \"alternate prime minister\".", "PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea — Former Papua New Guinea Finance Minister James Marape has been sworn in as the country’s new prime minister, following the resignation of Peter O’Neill last week.\n\nLocal media reported that the PNG parliament voted overwhelmingly for Marape on Thursday.\n\nMarape told reporters that he doesn’t have all the answers for the country, but would do his best to mobilize the talents of members of government, the opposition, and “more importantly, talents from the greater Papua New Guineans out there.”\n\nO’Neill resigned last Sunday after seven years on the job. His announcement followed weeks of high-profile defections from his government to the opposition.\n\nCopyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.", "Mr O'Neill, who has been in the role since 2011, avoided facing a likely confidence vote by making good on his recent announcement that he would step down.\n\nThe prime minister has been under intense pressure after mass defections from his government in the past month left him without a majority in parliament.\n\n\n\nMr O'Neill told parliament this morning that before coming to the chamber, he had tendered his resignation to the Governor-General.\n\n\"Mr Speaker, I want to inform this honourable house that at 9.45am this morning, I delivered to His Excellency the Grand Chief Sir Robert Dadae, the Governor-General of Papua New Guinea, my letter of resignation so we can deal with this matter once and for all. Once and for all,\" Mr O'Neill said.\n\nMr O'Neill's formal resignation today came after he had appeared to backtrack on his earlier commitment to step down this week, prompting the opposition to file a motion against him this morning.\n\nLeading opposition MPs promptly praised the prime minister for listening to the people by stepping down to allow new leadership.\n\n\"By your resignation today, you beat me and beat many of us and outclassing many of us to the view some of us have of you that you are power hungry. Today you showed that you still have the heart to listen to the call and cry of our people,\" said opposition MP James Marape.\n\nParliament Speaker Job Pomat confirmed a parliamentary vote for a new prime minister will take place Thursday morning.\n\nIt's unclear which MPs will be nominated to be new prime minister, with intensive political horse-trading expected in Port Moresby through until tomorow's vote.\n\nHowever one senior MP who defected to the opposition in recent weeks, Sir Puka Temu, has already crossed back to the ruling People's National Congress party, and more could follow.\n\nThis means Mr O'Neill's party could yet remain in power under a new leader.\n\nNew Zealand's government says it's watching the unfolding political developments in Papua New Guinea closely.\n\nA spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the situation in PNG is still developing, and as such New Zealand will continue to monitor it.\n\nHowever she said it would be inappropriate to comment further at this time.\n\nMeanwhile, Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison earlier praised his PNG counterpart as a great friend and partner.\n\nHowever the former PNG prime minister Sir Mekere Morauta said the praise was inappropriate, unhelpful and discourteous.\n\nSir Mekere claims it echoes how the Australian government interfered in PNG's 2017 election by supporting Mr O'Neill."], "summary": "James Marape is elected Prime Minister by the National Parliament following the resignation of Peter O'Neill."}
{"document": ["Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The abortion battle explained in three minutes\n\nLouisiana's Democratic governor has signed a highly restrictive new abortion law that bans the procedure after a foetal heartbeat is detected.\n\nThe law could prohibit abortions as early as six weeks into pregnancy.\n\nState legislators overwhelmingly backed the bill on Wednesday, by 79 votes to 23 and Governor John Bel Edwards signed the bill into law on Thursday.\n\nIt is the latest in a raft of anti-abortion measures which are expected to face legal challenges.\n\nFour other states have passed similar limits to abortion this year.\n\nIn a statement, Governor Edwards said: \"I call on the overwhelming bipartisan majority of legislators who voted for [the law] to join me in continuing to build a better Louisiana that cares for the least among us and provides more opportunity for everyone.\"\n\nHe did not hold a signing ceremony.\n\nGovernor Edwards has long opposed abortion. Support for abortion restrictions has put some state Democrats at odds with the national party, which views access to the procedure as a core plank of its platform.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Dina had to give birth to her rapist's child - under Alabama's abortion ban women would have no choice.\n\nWomen throughout the US have staged protests against the Lousiana legislation, and major Hollywood stars and production companies have vowed to boycott states that implement such bans.\n\nDisney, Netflix and WarnerMedia have all publicly threatened to rethink production in these states if the laws take effect.\n\nWhat are heartbeat laws?\n\nSo-called heartbeat laws seek to make abortion illegal as soon as a foetal heartbeat is detectable. In most cases, this is at the six-week mark of a pregnancy - before many women even know they are pregnant.\n\nAlthough Louisiana's stringent law does allow abortions in cases where the pregnant woman's life is in danger, it does not include exemptions for pregnancies resulting from incest or rape.\n\nImage copyright AFP/Getty Image caption The new push to limit or ban abortion has sparked outrage\n\nBut the law will only come into force if a federal court upholds a similar ban passed in neighbouring Mississippi. A judge temporarily blocked the Mississippi law when it was passed.\n\nUS President Donald Trump has appointed two conservative judges to the Supreme Court since taking office, and analysts say conservatives across the US see this as the moment to challenge the 1973 Roe vs Wade ruling - which granted women the right to choose whether or not to have an abortion.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Explaining Roe v Wade and abortion in US\n\nWhich states have passed restrictions?\n\nLouisiana is the fifth state to pass a heartbeat law, after Georgia, Kentucky, Ohio and Mississippi.\n\nThe US Supreme Court earlier this year narrowly blocked new abortion restrictions in Louisiana, which would have required doctors who provide abortion services to be certified to practise at a nearby hospital - which critics say would have limited the right to abortion and would cause two of the state's abortion clinics to close.\n\nMeanwhile, Alabama has passed an outright ban on the procedure in nearly all cases. None of these laws are yet to take effect, however.\n\nUS President Donald Trump has said he is against abortion except where the pregnancy endangers the mother's life, or results from rape or incest.", "Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards says he plans to sign a fetal-heartbeat bill passed by the state legislature, breaking with the Democratic Party on the pivotal abortion issue.\n\nShortly after legislators gave final passage to Senate Bill 184, the Democratic governor reminded voters that he has never made any secret of his abortion views, running in 2015 “as a pro-life candidate after serving as a pro-life legislator for eight years.”\n\n“I know there are many who feel just as strongly as I do on abortion and disagree with me — and I respect their opinions,” said Mr. Bel Edwards in a Wednesday statement.\n\nWith his signature, Louisiana would join a dozen red states in passing tough new restrictions this year on abortion access, many of them aimed at challenging the Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade decision as the court grows more conservative.\n\nRepublican governors in four states have signed into law fetal heartbeat bills, which prohibit most abortions after about six weeks’ gestation, or after the time in which a fetal heartbeat can be detected. Such laws in Kentucky and Mississippi have already been blocked by judges pending court battles.\n\nOther states expanding abortion restrictions include Missouri, which approved a ban on most abortions after eight weeks’ pregnancy, and Alabama, which passed a two-week ban, the most restrictive in the nation.\n\nMr. Bel Edwards would apparently become the first Democrat to sign a fetal-heartbeat bill. In 2013, such legislation became law in Arkansas after the Republican legislature overrode the veto of Democratic Gov. Mike Beebe.\n\nThe Arkansas law was overturned the following year in federal court.\n\nRed-state Louisiana has a history of bipartisan support for pro-life legislation. In 2006, Democratic Gov. Kathleen Blanco signed a “trigger” bill, which would outlaw most abortions if Roe is overturned.\n\nThe Louisiana bill, which won House approval Wednesday on a bipartisan 79-23 vote, calls for doctors who violate the law to face criminal penalties and risk losing their medical license.\n\nThe bill includes no exceptions for rape or incest, but does allow abortions to “prevent the death of a pregnant woman or to prevent a serious risk of the substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function.”\n\nThe Louisiana bill would only become law if Roe is overturned or if the Mississippi fetal-heartbeat measure is deemed constitutional.\n\nAlanah Odoms Hebert, ACLU of Louisiana executive director, condemned the “abortion ban,” calling it “part of a concerted national effort to criminalize abortion.”\n\n“After years of attacks on abortion access, Louisiana politicians have now sunk to a new low with an extreme ban that would outlaw abortion before many women know they are pregnant,” she said.\n\nLouisiana Right to Life Executive Director Benjamin Clapper commended the state legislature after passage of the House bill.\n\n“Abortion stops the beating heart of a precious unborn child, and our nation must bring an end to this injustice,” he said in a statement. “We look forward to Governor John Bel Edwards signing this bill into law.”", "BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - Louisiana's Democratic governor has signed a ban on abortion as early as six weeks of pregnancy, a move that has provoked anger from members of his own party.\n\nGov. John Bel Edwards signed the measure Thursday, making Louisiana the fifth state to enact such a law, joining Mississippi, Kentucky, Ohio and Georgia. Alabama's gone further, outlawing virtually all abortions.\n\nThe new law will outlaw abortion when a fetal heartbeat is detected, which can come before a woman knows she's pregnant. The law doesn't contain exceptions for pregnancies from rape or incest.\n\nLouisiana's law won't limit the state's three abortion clinics anytime soon. It takes effect only if Mississippi's law is upheld by a federal appeals court.\n\nEdwards didn't hold a public bill signing, instead announcing his action through his office.", "Louisiana's Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards has signed a fetal heartbeat abortion ban, breaking with his own party\n\nBATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana's Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards has signed a fetal heartbeat abortion ban, breaking with his own party.", "Louisiana’s Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards has signed a fetal heartbeat abortion ban, breaking with his own party\n\n(AP) — Louisiana’s Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards has signed a fetal heartbeat abortion ban, breaking with his own party.\n\nCopyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.", "Louisiana’s Democratic governor signed a ban on abortion as early as six weeks of pregnancy Thursday, a move that puts him squarely in line with the leaders of other conservative Southern states while provoking anger from members of his own party.\n\nWith his signature, Gov. John Bel Edwards made Louisiana the fifth state to enact a law prohibiting abortion when a fetal heartbeat is detected, joining Mississippi, Kentucky, Ohio and Georgia. Alabama’s gone further, outlawing virtually all abortions.\n\nLouisiana’s law doesn’t contain exceptions for pregnancies from rape or incest.\n\nThe bill’s signing, however, won’t limit the state’s three abortion clinics anytime soon. Louisiana’s law takes effect only if the law in neighboring Mississippi, which was recently blocked by a judge is upheld by a federal appeals court.\n\nEdwards, a Catholic running for reelection this year, didn’t hold a public bill signing or issue a statement about it, instead announcing his action through his office. He had repeatedly said he intended to sign the measure, citing his faith and saying his views match those of the people in his conservative, religious state.\n\n“This is an issue I’ve been consistent on forever. I am pro-life,” he said earlier this month on his radio show, when asked about the bill.\n\nLouisiana legislators overwhelmingly supported the ban, with a 79-23 House vote and 31-5 Senate vote.\n\nLawmakers in conservative states across the nation are striking at the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion nationally. Abortion opponents are pushing new restrictions on the procedure in hopes that a case will make its way to the high court and two new conservative justices appointed by President Donald Trump could help overturn Roe.\n\nNone of the abortion bans enacted this year has taken effect, and all are expected to face legal challenges that will delay any enforcement of the prohibitions against the procedure.\n\nOpponents of the so-called heartbeat bills said they would effectively eliminate abortion as an option before many women realize they are pregnant and would violate constitutional privacy protections. Several hundred pink-clad Planned Parenthood supporters filled the Louisiana Capitol to protest the ban ahead of Thursday’s bill signing.\n\n“The unprecedented and extreme attacks on abortion we’re seeing across the country, including here in Louisiana, are dangerous to patient health and wellbeing,” Petrice Sams-Abiodun, with Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast, said in a statement.\n\nLouisiana’s law includes an exception from the abortion ban to prevent the pregnant woman’s death or “a serious risk of the substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function” — or if the pregnancy is deemed “medically futile.” But it does not include an exception for a pregnancy caused by rape or incest, drawing criticism that the law forces continued trauma on women who have been victimized.\n\nUnder the bill, a doctor who violates the prohibition could face a prison sentence of up to two years, along with medical license revocation.\n\nThe abortion-rights debates that divide state Capitols across the nation cause fewer ripples in the Louisiana Legislature. It is one of the country’s most staunchly anti-abortion states, with a law on the books that immediately outlaws abortion if Roe v. Wade is ever overturned.\n\nLouisiana’s latest abortion ban won support from many Democrats and was sponsored by Democratic Sen. John Milkovich. And the governor won some GOP praise for his position.\n\n“While Gov. Edwards and I disagree on a lot of things, I’m proud that he stands for life,” Republican Rep. Julie Emerson said.\n\nAlthough Edwards is a rarity in the national Democratic Party, he ran as an anti-abortion candidate. In his 2015 campaign, Edwards had a prominent TV ad that showed his wife, Donna, describing being advised to have an abortion because of their daughter’s spinal birth defect. The Edwardses refused, and the ad showed a grown-up Samantha.\n\nThe bill signing by Edwards, who faces two Republicans on the ballot this fall, is expected to help shore up his position with some voters at home, even if it puts him at odds with national Democratic Party leaders and donors.\n\nStill, the governor faced an outcry of anger on social media from Democrats who objected to his support for the abortion ban.\n\nThe chair of Louisiana’s Democratic Party, Sen. Karen Carter Peterson, has been regularly slamming the bill. She’s posted opposition messages on Twitter, including after the bill signing: “Embarrassing! Apologies to LA women, particularly for the disrespect to women victimized by rape or incest.” But she hasn’t directly criticized Edwards by name, and the party is supporting him for reelection.", "Louisiana’s Democratic governor has signed a ban on abortion as early as six weeks of pregnancy, a move that puts him squarely in line with the leaders of other conservative Southern US states while provoking anger from members of his own party.\n\nWith his signature, Governor John Bel Edwards made Louisiana the fifth state to enact a law prohibiting abortion when a fetal heartbeat is detected, joining Mississippi, Kentucky, Ohio and Georgia.\n\nAlabama’s gone further, outlawing virtually all abortions.\n\nLouisiana’s law does not contain exceptions for pregnancies from rape or incest.\n\nThe bill’s signing, however, will limit the state’s three abortion clinics anytime soon.\n\nLouisiana’s law takes effect only if the law in neighbouring Mississippi, which was recently blocked by a judge, is upheld by a federal appeals court.\n\nMr Edwards, a Catholic running for reelection this year, did not hold a public bill signing, instead announcing his action through his office.\n\nHe had repeatedly said he intended to sign the measure, citing his faith and saying his views match those of people in his conservative, religious state, who he described as “overwhelmingly pro-life”.\n\nLouisiana legislators overwhelmingly supported the ban, with a 79-23 House vote and 31-5 Senate vote.\n\nAbortion opponents are pushing new restrictions on the procedure in hopes that a case will make its way to the high court and two new conservative justices appointed by President Donald Trump could help overturn the US Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v Wade decision that legalised abortion nationally.\n\nNone of the abortion bans enacted this year has taken effect, and all are expected to face legal challenges that will delay any enforcement of the prohibitions against the procedure.\n\nOpponents of the so-called heartbeat bills said they would effectively eliminate abortion as an option before many women realise they are pregnant and would violate constitutional privacy protections.\n\nSeveral hundred pink-clad Planned Parenthood supporters filled the Louisiana Capitol to protest against the ban ahead of the bill signing.\n\n“The unprecedented and extreme attacks on abortion we’re seeing across the country, including here in Louisiana, are dangerous to patient health and wellbeing,” Petrice Sams-Abiodun, with Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast, said in a statement.\n\nLouisiana’s law includes an exception from the abortion ban to prevent the pregnant woman’s death or “a serious risk of the substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function” — or if the pregnancy is deemed “medically futile”.\n\nBut it does not include an exception for a pregnancy caused by rape or incest, drawing criticism that the law forces continued trauma on women who have been victimised.\n\nUnder the bill, a doctor who violates the prohibition could face a prison sentence of up to two years, along with medical license revocation.", "Louisiana's Democratic governor signed a ban on abortion as early as six weeks of pregnancy Thursday. The move puts him squarely in line with the leaders of other conservative Southern states while provoking anger from members of his own party.\n\nWith his signature, Gov. John Bel Edwards made Louisiana the fifth state to enact a law prohibiting abortion when a fetal heartbeat is detected, joining Mississippi, Kentucky, Ohio and Georgia. Alabama's gone further, outlawing virtually all abortions.\n\nLouisiana's law doesn't contain exceptions for pregnancies from rape or incest.\n\nThe bill's signing, however, won't limit the state's three abortion clinics anytime soon. Louisiana's law takes effect only if the law in neighboring Mississippi, which was recently blocked by a judge, is upheld by a federal appeals court.\n\nEdwards, a Catholic running for reelection this year, didn't hold a public bill signing, instead announcing his action through his office. He had repeatedly said he intended to sign the measure, citing his faith and saying his views match those of people in his conservative, religious state, who he described as \"overwhelmingly pro-life.\"\n\nLouisiana legislators overwhelmingly supported the ban, with a 79-23 House vote and 31-5 Senate vote.\n\nLawmakers in conservative states across the nation are striking at the U.S. Supreme Court's 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion nationally. Abortion opponents are pushing new restrictions on the procedure in hopes that a case will make its way to the high court and two new conservative justices appointed by President Donald Trump could help overturn Roe.\n\nNone of the abortion bans enacted this year has taken effect, and all are expected to face legal challenges that will delay any enforcement of the prohibitions against the procedure.\n\nOpponents of the so-called heartbeat bills said they would effectively eliminate abortion as an option before many women realize they are pregnant and would violate constitutional privacy protections.\n\nLouisiana's law includes an exception from the abortion ban to prevent the pregnant woman's death or \"a serious risk of the substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function\" — or if the pregnancy is deemed \"medically futile.\" But it does not include an exception for a pregnancy caused by rape or incest, drawing criticism that the law forces continued trauma on women who have been victimized.\n\nUnder the bill, a doctor who violates the prohibition could face a prison sentence of up to two years, along with medical license revocation.\n\nLouisiana is one of the country's most staunchly anti-abortion states, with a law on the books that immediately outlaws abortion if Roe v. Wade is ever overturned. State lawmakers annually enact new regulations seeking to curb access with bipartisan support.\n\nLouisiana's latest abortion ban won support from many Democrats and was sponsored by Democratic Sen. John Milkovich, from northwest Louisiana.\n\nAlthough Edwards is rarity in the national Democratic Party, he's consistently run as an anti-abortion candidate. When he ran for governor in 2015, his campaign had a prominent TV ad that showed his wife, Donna, describing being advised to have an abortion because of their daughter's spinal birth defect. The Edwardses refused, and the ad showed a grown-up Samantha.\n\nThe bill signing from Edwards, who faces two Republicans on the ballot this fall, is expected to help shore up his position with some voters at home, even if it puts him at odds with national Democratic Party leaders and donors.\n\nStill, the governor faced an outcry of anger on social media from Democrats who objected to his support for the abortion ban.\n\nThe chair of Louisiana's Democratic Party, Sen. Karen Carter Peterson, has been regularly slamming the bill. She's posted opposition messages on Twitter, such as: \"Roe vs. Wade should be respected not undermined! Right to privacy!\" But she hasn't directly criticized Edwards by name, and the party is supporting him for reelection.", "Louisiana’s Democratic governor, John Bel Edwards, will be signing the state’s fetal heartbeat bill into law, marking a significant break from the Democratic Party on the subject of abortion.\n\nThe heartbeat bill is similar to others that have recently passed throughout the country. It ultimately bans abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected, typically around six weeks. This bill does not include exceptions for cases of rape and incest.\n\n“Even though I know there are horrible crimes that are committed with rape and incest.… The child should not be killed and terminated because of the crime of the father,” said state Representative Valarie Hodges, who carried Senate Bill 184 in the House.\n\nGovernor Edwards has been a vocal supporter of pro-life legislation, ABC News reports. Following the state’s passage of the heartbeat bill on Wednesday, Edwards released a statement defending his decision to sign the bill.\n\n\"As I prepare to sign this bill, I call on the overwhelming bipartisan majority of legislators who voted for it to join me in continuing to build a better Louisiana that cares for the least among us and provides more opportunity for everyone,\" Edwards said in a statement Wednesday.\n\nEdwards reminded his constituents of his progressive record but reiterated that he ran as a pro-life candidate in 2015. Edwards defended his pro-life position by noting that his more liberal stances on Medicaid expansion, criminal justice reforms, and LGBTQ discrimination protections stem from his pro-life position.\n\nThe bill’s sponsor, State Senator John Milkovich, a Shreveport Democrat, defended the bill against accusations that it is unconstitutional.\n\n“God values human life, and so do the people of Louisiana,” Milkovich said this month. “We believe this is an important step in dismantling the attack of the abortion cartel on our next generation.”\n\nThe New York Times notes that it is extremely rare for Democrats to take such strong pro-life positions. The Times writes,\n\nIn the 1990s, the party agreed that abortion should be “safe, legal and rare,” a slogan that has long since fallen from use. Today, Democrats rarely take public positions against any kind of abortion access and Republicans rarely take them in support. Louisiana has been an anomaly.\n\nBut as observed by Governor Edwards, Louisianans are “overwhelmingly pro-life.”\n\n“I am so proud of Louisiana and the Democrats there and John Bel Edwards,” said Kristen Day, executive director of Democrats for Life of America. “He’s the only governor like this.”\n\nIt is likely that the law will be challenged immediately, as has been the case in Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, and Ohio. It’s unclear whether these laws will have a chance of surviving legal challenges, as Mississippi’s heartbeat bill was temporarily blocked from going into effect on July 1 by a federal court last week.\n\n“Here we go again,\" U.S. District Judge Carlton W. Reeves wrote in his opinion. “Mississippi has passed another law banning abortions prior to viability.” Reeves claimed that the law “prevents a woman’s free choice, which is central to personal dignity and autonomy.”\n\nAs noted by the Times, Louisiana’s heartbeat law is not enforceable until a federal appellate court rules on Mississippi’s law.\n\nStates have been taking a stand against abortion laws recently, seemingly in response to New York’s pro-abortion law passed in January that virtually allows abortions at any time during gestation, up to birth. In addition to the heartbeat laws passed in the aforementioned states, Alabama has passed a bill that criminalizes abortions, and Utah and Arkansas have both passed laws that would ban the most common form of second-trimester abortions.\n\nLouisiana’s legislature is also working on a constitutional amendment that will ask the state’s voters to vote on whether the state should ban abortion outright in the event that the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade. According to The Advocate, Louisiana’s House has sent the bill, sponsored by Democratic Representative Katrina Jackson, to a conference committee where the language will be finalized before an expected vote to place it on the October 12 ballots.\n\nPro-life champions are hopeful that Roe v. Wade may be overturned now that Justice Brett Kavanaugh has joined the Supreme Court. There seems to be a race to see which measure may make it to the Supreme Court and provide the opportunity to achieve lasting change against an institution that has claimed the lives of 61 million babies since Roe v. Wade.", "Louisiana’s state legislature on Wednesday overwhelmingly passed a so-called “heartbeat” pro-life bill, becoming the latest in a slew of states to enact strict new restrictions on abortion that many conservatives have hoped will end with the Supreme Court revisiting its landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision.\n\nThe bill, which cleared the Louisiana House by a 79-23 vote, requires an ultrasound to be conducted prior to any abortion procedure being performed. If a heartbeat is detected, the bill bans abortion unless, under penalty of perjury, the abortion provider declares the procedure necessary “to prevent the death of the pregnant woman or to prevent a serious risk of the substantial and irreversible impairment of a major bodily function of the pregnant woman.”\n\nThe bill also includes an exemption in the case that a physician certifies that the “unborn child has a profound and irremediable congenital or chromosomal anomaly that is incompatible with sustaining life after birth.” The text does not include an exception for rape or incest, but includes penalties only for abortion providers — not women seeking abortions.\n\nGov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat, has said he will buck the national party establishment and sign the measure into law. Another Democrat, state Sen. John Milkovich, sponsored the bill — underscoring the deep pro-life culture in Louisiana, even among liberal politicians.\n\nIn a statement posted on Twitter shortly after the vote, Edwards emphasized that “being pro-life means more than just being pro-birth,” touted his criminal justice reform and foster care initiatives, and vowed to sign the bill into law.\n\nGeorgia, Kentucky, Mississippi and Ohio have enacted similar heartbeat bills, while Missouri lawmakers approved an eight-week ban on abortion. Alabama has gone further, outlawing virtually all abortions.\n\nNone of the bans has taken effect, and all are expected to face legal challenges.\n\nNETFLIX THREATENS TO PULL OUT OF GEORGIA OVER HEARTBEAT BILL — HERE’S WHY IT WON’T\n\nLouisiana’s prohibition would take hold only if neighboring Mississippi’s law is upheld by a federal appeals court. A federal judge temporarily blocked the Mississippi law Friday.\n\nIn that respect, the new law is somewhat similar to a 2006 “trigger law,” signed into law by then-Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco, a Democrat. That law effectively would ban all abortions, except where the mother’s health is in jeopardy, immediately if the Supreme Court ever reversed Roe, the seminal case that established a constitutional right to privacy and prescribed a limited right to an abortion that the high court has later refined.\n\nOn Tuesday, in a 20-page concurring opinion in an abortion-related case on fetal remains, Justice Clarence Thomas previewed what is likely to become an all-out legislative and judicial brawl over the topic in the coming years.\n\nThomas openly likened abortion to birth control and eugenics, citing the statistics of minorities affected by abortion, and argued that the dissenting opinion by liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg “makes little sense.”\n\nCLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP\n\n“Given the potential for abortion to become a tool of eugenic manipulation,” Thomas wrote, “the court will soon need to confront the constitutionality of laws like Indiana’s.”\n\nGinsburg shot back that one of Thomas’ footnotes “displays more heat than light.”"], "summary": "Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards signs a heartbeat bill that bans abortion as early as six weeks into pregnancy. The law’s effective date is tied to a similar Mississippi law which has already been temporarily blocked by a federal court."}
{"document": ["Show caption Thousands protest in Brazil against education cuts<br> Photograph: Fabio Motta/EPA Brazil Students protest across Brazil over Jair Bolsonaro’s sweeping cuts to education From Amazon cities to small towns in the deep south, demonstrators turned out to condemn funding cuts Tom Phillips , Latin America correspondent Thu 30 May 2019 18.45 EDT Share on Facebook\n\nShare on Twitter\n\nShare via Email 3 months old\n\nTens of thousands of students, academics and teachers have taken to the streets of Brazil for their latest mass protest against what they call far-right president Jair Bolsonaro’s assault on education.\n\nUp and down the country – from Amazon cities to small towns in Brazil’s deep south – demonstrators turned out to condemn Bolsonaro’s highly controversial moves to slash funding for public education and science.\n\nIn the capital, Brasília, student protesters were filmed burning an effigy of the Brazilian president while chanting the increasingly common refrain of his opponents: “Hey, Bolsonaro go and get fucked”.\n\nIn the northeastern city of Salvador, where a reported 70,000 people marched, one dissenter carried a diabolic caricature of Bolsonaro stamped with the phrase: “Not today Satan”.\n\nThousands of students marched through downtown Rio with placards reading: “Education isn’t an expense, it is an investment”.\n\n“This isn’t just an attack on universities. It is going to affect all levels of education,” said Rodrigo Iacovini, an urban planner who joined a march in Brazil’s economic capital, São Paulo.\n\n“We knew it would be bad – but not this bad,” Iacovini, 33, said of Bolsonaro’s six-month-old administration. “Unfortunately, they have shown themselves to be not just a conservative government, but a completely incompetent conservative government that is utterly detached from the Brazilian reality.”\n\nTanisia Maria Almeida, a masters student who demonstrated in the northeastern state of Sergipe, said she was horrified by spending cuts she feared would make it harder for students from poor backgrounds to gain an education.\n\nThanks to education programs created by the leftist governments of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Dilma Rousseff – University For All and Science without Borders – Almeida said she had secured a degree in bio-medicine and study in the United States.\n\n“It makes me so sad that if these cuts happen people who – like me – also aren’t from wealthy families, won’t have the same opportunities I had. This really, really upsets me. I see young people … who want to grow but who will be prevented from doing so by these cuts – or they will have to leave the country.”\n\nBolsonaro swept to a landslide election victory last October, capitalising on widespread anger at the left-wing politicians who presided over Brazil’s worst ever recession and greatest ever corruption scandal.\n\nBut six months into the radical populist’s four-year term, opposition is growing with polls showing that about 36% of voters now consider his administration bad or awful, compared to 17% in February.\n\nMoves to dramatically reduce funding for federal universities – unveiled last month by education minister, Abraham Weintraub – have caused particular outrage, prompting what observers call the largest protests against a newly installed Brazilian president in decades.\n\nOn 15 May tens of thousands of demonstrators staged nationwide protests against the cuts only to be belittled by Bolsonaro as “useful idiots” and “imbeciles”.\n\nBrazil’s firebrand leader attempted to row back from those characteristically incendiary remarks this week in an interview with Record, a sympathetic Brazilian broadcaster that has emerged as his answer to Trump’s Fox News.\n\nBolsonaro admitted he had gone too far but again disparaged the protesting students as naive “kids” who were being manipulated by their teachers and “didn’t even know what they were doing”.\n\nBolsonaro’s critics credit such comments, and the president’s broader offensive against public education, with helping to unify his opponents.\n\n“Today’s demonstrations are part of a growing process of social mobilizations against the Bolsonaro government,” said Juliano Medeiros, the president of Brazil’s leftist Socialism and Liberty party (PSOL).\n\n“Our main message is that Bolsonaro cannot govern with his back turned to Brazilian society.”\n\nIacovini, who studied at two of Brazil’s top federal universities, said that while education cuts had left him feeling “profoundly demoralized” his spirits had been lifted by the scale of recent anti-Bolsonaro protests.\n\n“It gives me hope that it is possible to resist this government’s regressions … Brazilian people are starting to see that the threat this administration poses is a threat to all of us, not just to others.”\n\nAlmeida said she was battling not just the government, but her Bolsonarista relatives too.\n\n“A large part of my family voted for Bolsonaro and they defend what he is doing,” she said. “I just cannot understand how a country that wants to develop starts by cutting something as basic as education.”\n\nAlmeida rejected attempts to characterise the protests as a purely left-wing initiative.", "Miguel Schincariol, AFP | Demonstrators protesting education budget cuts take to the streets of Sao Paulo, Brazil, May 30, 2019.\n\nThousands of protesters took to the streets in dozens of cities in Brazil Thursday for a second nationwide demonstration in as many weeks over the government's plan to slash education spending.\n\nFar-right President Jair Bolsonaro's government has provoked outrage among students and teachers over its proposal to freeze 30 percent of discretionary spending for public universities in the second half of this year.\n\nA suspension of post-graduate scholarships for students in science and the humanities has also fueled anger.\n\nProtests began in the capital Brasilia in the morning and have since spread across the country to more than 80 cities, local media reported.\n\n\"The main message is that a 30 percent cut to education is absurd and makes it impossible for higher education in this country,\" said Lina Vilela, a teacher at the Brasilia rally where protesters held posters with messages such as \"Our books and pencils are our weapons.\"\n\nKarina Afonseca said she was protesting against \"the intellectual setback\" Bolsonaro's actions would cause in Brazil.\n\n\"I'm here for those who are poor and deserve the right to quality public education,\" social services student Kaio Duarte said.\n\n\"I'm worried that the next generation won't have all of the rights to education that I have had.\"\n\nIn Rio de Janeiro, protesters carried signs describing Bolsonaro as \"the enemy of education.\"\n\n\"We can't simply pretend everything is OK -- it is not OK,\" said university student Isadora Duarte, 24.\n\nTens of thousands protested across Brazil on May 15 -- the first nationwide demonstration since Bolsonaro took power in January, which underscored growing opposition to the embattled president.\n\nBolsonaro, who has railed against socialism as he seeks to promote his ultraconservative ideas, described the May 15 protesters as \"useful idiots\" and accused leftist militants of stoking the rallies.\n\nBut Thursday's turnout could be lower after the government said it would free up 1.59 billion reais in funding (about $400 million) for the sector.\n\nThursday's demonstrations come after thousands of pro-Bolsonaro protesters marched in cities across Brazil on Sunday in a show of support for the leader, who has seen his popularity plummet in his first five months in office.\n\nAmong their demands was for Congress to speed up approval of the government's stalled pension overhaul, seen as key to unlocking other much-needed reforms that are crucial to kick-starting economic growth.", "Brazil’s education ministry has set off a political storm by calling for the public to denounce parents, students and teachers who “stimulate” protests against budget cuts during school hours.\n\nThe ministry published its call, which contained a link to where people could inform on its website, just as a second round of demonstrations against the slashing of education funding took place in more than 100 cities across the country on Thursday.\n\nThe note, which claimed “teachers, suppliers, staff, students, parents and responsibles are not authorised to disclose and stimulate protests during school hours”, drew an immediate storm of criticism down on controversial education minister Abraham Weintraub.\n\nAmid accusations of incipient totalitarianism, opposition politicians are mobilising to charge the minister with abuse of authority, while in comments to the local media one of the country’s leading federal prosecutors said his ministry’s note could violate the constitution and the country’s statute of the child and adolescent.\n\nMr Weintraub started the current round of student unrest by saying he was cutting funding to three universities because of what he said was their promotion of “messing about” rather than focusing on academic standards.\n\nAfter his initial plan was met with outrage, he dropped the idea of punishing individual institutions to unveil instead a funding freeze across the entire public university sector.\n\nAn acolyte of the former astrologer turned conspiracy theorist who is the guru for several ministers of far-right president Jair Bolsonaro, Mr Weintraub has vowed to combat what he sees as “cultural Marxism” in the country’s education sector.\n\nThursday’s note also warned that educational institutions are banned by law from promoting actions organised by political parties. The Bolsonaro government has sought to portray the recent student protests as being organised by its left-wing opponents.\n\nThe minister has already been charged by federal prosecutors for moral damages after they accused him of “hateful discrimination directed at representatives of the student movement” since he took over the ministry in April.\n\nThe charge includes as evidence a conversation the minister had with politicians in the northeastern state of Rio Grande do Norte who questioned him about the lack of funding for basic cleaning services in local universities. Mr Weintraub responded that student union bodies should be called in to clean the institutions instead.\n\nProsecutors are seeking a fine of five million reais (€1.14 million).\n\nHe is also facing questions about allegations his ministry has blocked funds for the rebuilding of the national museum, which burned down in a fire in 2017.\n\nThis week’s protests and the administration’s combative reaction to them highlight the increasing political polarisation in Brazil.\n\nThe education cuts come against a background of a worsening economy with confirmation this week that during the first three months of the year it suffered its first quarterly contraction since 2016.", "Thousands of Brazilians have taken to the streets to protest a decision by the government of President Jair Bolsonaro to slash education funds.\n\nStudents and teachers marched Thursday in the cities of Brasilia, Salvador, Recife and Teresina and were planning additional rallies in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo later.\n\nEducation Minister Abraham Weintraub said in a video posted on Twitter that the government received complaints that some professors had pressured students to participate in demonstrations.\n\nHe said that's \"illegal, it can't happen. The school environment can't be harmed by an ideological war that affects students' learning,\" he said.\n\nUniversity officials have said cuts would likely affect scholarships, utility services and maintenance.", "Brasília: Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets in dozens of cities in Brazil on Thursday for a second nationwide demonstration in as many weeks over the government’s plan to slash education spending.\n\n Far-right President Jair Bolsonaro’s government has provoked outrage among students and teachers over its proposal to freeze 30 per cent of discretionary spending for public universities in the second half of this year.\n\n A suspension of post-graduate scholarships for students in science and the humanities has also fuelled anger.\n\n Protests began in the capital Brasilia in the morning and spread across the country to about 100 cities and in some cases occupied entire city blocks, according to AFP reporters and local media.\n\n “The main message is that a 30-per cent cut to education is absurd and makes it impossible for higher education in this country,” said Lina Vilela, a teacher at the Brasilia rally, where protesters held posters with messages such as “Our books and pencils are our weapons.”\n\n Karina Afonseca said she was protesting against “the intellectual setback” Bolsonaro’s actions would cause in Brazil. “I’m here for those who are poor and deserve the right to quality public education,” social services student Kaio Duarte said.\n\n “I’m worried that the next generation won’t have all of the rights to education that I have had.”\n\n In Rio de Janeiro, protesters carried signs describing Bolsonaro as “the enemy of education.” — AFP", "Thousands of students and professors for the second time this month took to the streets in Brazil's main cities to defend public education and call for a freeze on almost 30 percent of university spending.\n\nThe demonstrations, called by the National Students Union (UNE) and backed by assorted other unions, took place in at least 100 cities in 22 of the country's 27 states.", "Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets in dozens of cities in Brazil on Thursday for a second nationwide demonstration in as many weeks over the government's plan to slash education spending.\n\nFar-right President Jair Bolsonaro's government has provoked outrage among students and teachers over its proposal to freeze 30 percent of discretionary spending for public universities in the second half of this year.\n\nA suspension of post-graduate scholarships for students in science and the humanities has also fueled anger.\n\nProtests began in the capital Brasilia in the morning and spread across the country to about 100 cities and in some cases occupied entire city blocks, according to AFP reporters and local media.\n\n\"The main message is that a 30 percent cut to education is absurd and makes it impossible for higher education in this country,\" said Lina Vilela, a teacher at the Brasilia rally, where protesters held posters with messages such as \"Our books and pencils are our weapons.\"\n\nKarina Afonseca said she was protesting against \"the intellectual setback\" Bolsonaro's actions would cause in Brazil.\n\n\"I'm here for those who are poor and deserve the right to quality public education,\" social services student Kaio Duarte said.\n\n\"I'm worried that the next generation won't have all of the rights to education that I have had.\"\n\nIn Rio de Janeiro, protesters carried signs describing Bolsonaro as \"the enemy of education.\"\n\n\"We can't simply pretend everything is OK -- it is not OK,\" said university student Isadora Duarte, 24.\n\nThe Ministry of Education had warned in a statement Thursday that teachers, students and even parents were not permitted to participate in protests during school hours.\n\nSome students and school officials at the demonstration in Rio declined to speak to AFP, hoping to avoid any potential penalties.\n\n\"Protesting is the only way we can show that we don't agree with the government. We're in a democracy, we have the right to disagree,\" she said.\n\nArchitect and researcher 42-year-old Guilherme Adamo, who marched in Sao Paulo among protesters holding signs that read \"Brazil united for education,\" said he wants the government to listen and to \"invest in the future.\"\n\n\"This government lacks dialogue with society,\" he said.\n\nTens of thousands protested across Brazil on May 15 -- the first nationwide demonstration since Bolsonaro took power in January, which underscored growing opposition to the embattled president.\n\nBolsonaro, who has railed against socialism as he seeks to promote his ultraconservative ideas, described the May 15 protesters as \"useful idiots\" and accused leftist militants of stoking the rallies.\n\n\"Not for me,\" said Joao Vitor Menezes, 21, who is studying fashion design and looking for a job.\n\n\"I came here of my own accord,\" he said. \"I just came from a job interview and I came to say this: unemployment is very high, we have no way to go out and fight for our dreams. Cutting education isn't going to fix the situation.\"\n\nThe government had said it would free up 1.59 billion reais in funding (about $400 million) for the sector.\n\nThursday's demonstrations come after thousands of pro-Bolsonaro protesters marched in cities across Brazil on Sunday in a show of support for the leader, who has seen his popularity plummet in his first five months in office.\n\nAmong their demands was for Congress to speed up approval of the government's stalled pension overhaul, seen as key to unlocking other much-needed reforms that are crucial to kick-starting economic growth.", "Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Brazil’s capital Thursday following calls for a second nationwide demonstration in as many weeks over the government’s plan to slash education spending.\n\nFar-right President Jair Bolsonaro’s government has provoked outrage among students and teachers over its proposal to freeze 30 percent of discretionary spending for public universities in the second half of this year.\n\nA suspension of post-graduate scholarships for students in science and the humanities has also fueled anger.\n\nTens of thousands protested across Brazil on May 15, but Thursday’s turnout could be lower after the government said it would free up 1.59 billion reais in funding (about $400 million) for the sector.\n\nProtests began in Brasilia ahead of demonstrations in Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and other cities later in the day.\n\n“I’m here for those who are poor and deserve the right to quality public education,” social services student Kaio Duarte told AFP in the capital.\n\n“I’m worried that the next generation won’t have all of the rights to education that I have had.\n\n“This protest makes clear that students will never be silenced.”\n\nThursday’s protests come after thousands of pro-Bolsonaro protesters marched in cities across Brazil on Sunday in a show of support for the embattled leader.\n\nAmong their demands was for Congress to speed up approval of the government’s stalled pension overhaul, seen as key to unlocking other much-needed economic reforms.", "Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Brazil’s capital Thursday following calls for a second nationwide demonstration in as many weeks over the government’s plan to slash education spending.\n\nFar-right President Jair Bolsonaro’s government has provoked outrage among students and teachers over its proposal to freeze 30 percent of discretionary spending for public universities in the second half of this year.\n\nA suspension of post-graduate scholarships for students in science and the humanities has also fueled anger.\n\nTens of thousands protested across Brazil on May 15, but Thursday’s turnout could be lower after the government said it would free up 1.59 billion reais in funding (about $400 million) for the sector.\n\nProtests began in Brasilia ahead of demonstrations in Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and other cities later in the day. “I’m here for those who are poor and deserve the right to quality public education,” social services student Kaio Duarte told AFP in the capital.", "BRASÃ­LIA: Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Brazil’s capital on Thursday following calls for a second nationwide demonstration in as many weeks over the government’s plan to slash education spending.\n\nFar-right President Jair Bolsonaro’s government has provoked outrage among students and teachers over its proposal to freeze 30 percent of discretionary spending for public universities in the second half of this year. A suspension of post-graduate scholarships for students in science and the humanities has also fuelled anger.\n\nTens of thousands protested across Brazil on May 15, but Thursday’s turnout could be lower after the government said it would free up 1.59 billion reais in funding for the sector. Protests began in Brasilia ahead of demonstrations in Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and other cities later in the day."], "summary": "Fifteen days after the first wave of protests, millions of students, schoolteachers and university professors hold demonstrations in over a hundred Brazilian cities against massive cuts in the education budget. Brazilian Education Minister Abraham Weintraub accuses teachers of \"coercing\" students into participating in the protests."}
{"document": ["NBA Finals Head To Canada As Raptors Take On Golden State Warriors\n\nFor the first time, the NBA Finals will be played in Canada. The Toronto Raptors host the Golden State Warriors on Thursday. NPR's Audie Cornish talks with Toronto Star sports columnist Bruce Arthur.\n\nAUDIE CORNISH, HOST:\n\nTonight, for the first time ever, the NBA finals are in Canada. The Toronto Raptors host the Golden State Warriors for Game 1. The Warriors are the two-time defending champions, but we're going to focus on the Raptors because while, yeah, lots of Raptors fans are just happy to have made it this far, Toronto has arguably the best player in the world in Kawhi Leonard. So can Leonard carry them all the way to the title? Even if he doesn't, has basketball in Canada already won? For that, we turn to Bruce Arthur, sports columnist for the Toronto Star. Welcome to the program.\n\nBRUCE ARTHUR: Thank you, Audie.\n\nCORNISH: So we'll get to Kawhi Leonard in a moment, but first, we know that Toronto has had, like, several years of good but not great teams. Can you talk about how people are talking about this? I don't know what the energy is like in the city.\n\nARTHUR: The level of interest and excitement has never been higher than this - never. And this is a franchise with two and a half decades, almost, of failure. And even when the team was good, the seasons tended to end in humiliation. LeBron James was a big part of that. This is something that I don't think we've ever seen in the city before. You walk around the city now, and you hear people talking about the Raptors. You can hear the sound of the celebration if you're in one of the condo towers downtown, if you stand out on your balcony. They've finally captured the city, and I don't think this team has ever truly done that before.\n\nCORNISH: Now, Kawhi Leonard was traded to Toronto before the season, right? And it was seen as a big gamble because Leonard, you know, is a free agent next year. He might be eyeing a team in Southern California, where he's from. Is there a sense that this is kind of now or never, in terms of winning a title?\n\nARTHUR: There probably should be because the funny thing is, for most players, for most people, you might be able to look at this and say, all this success, the way that the city has embraced him and the team, all of these good things would naturally lead to Kawhi Leonard being more inclined to re-sign in Toronto. And we just don't know that that's the case because he's a famously kind of opaque individual. Nobody knows what Kawhi Leonard is thinking, except Kawhi Leonard, about what he really wants in life and in basketball. The team's really good; that might not be enough.\n\nCORNISH: People are talking about him as being one of the greats, right? You're hearing, like, a Michael Jordan comparison being thrown around. Can he really carry the team to a title against the Warriors, though?\n\nARTHUR: Not alone, I don't think so. The one thing about this Raptors team that people do underrate is that, defensively, this Raptors team is as good as anybody in basketball right now. It's a team with versatility, intelligence, a ferocity, defensively. But to beat the Golden State Warriors, they're going to need more guys to make shots offensively. Kawhi Leonard is great. You need more than one great player to win in any playoff series, much less against a championship outfit like the Warriors.\n\nCORNISH: The NBA has pushed for expansion north for decades. But is the rest of Canada at all interested in this? I mean, is this Canada's team?\n\nARTHUR: Well, you say this as someone who is from Vancouver, who was a Vancouver Grizzlies partial season ticket holder and then watched them leave. As a Toronto...\n\nCORNISH: So biased (laughter).\n\nARTHUR: Yeah. Toronto and Canada are two separate things. We've got, I think, about 7 million within the general area of Toronto out of about 35 or 36 million people in the country. It's the mega city, and it's different ethnically, culturally, financially, than the rest of Canada, and basketball is a part of that. The fault line does run along those lines in that it is very much a Toronto team. But this is the first time I feel like - and it's still anecdotal. You can tell a little bit from television ratings. But the team seems to be crossing into the bloodstream of the rest of the country, and this is, I think, what happens when you win, when you make it into a cultural curiosity in addition to being a sporting curiosity.\n\nCORNISH: And does it help to have someone like Drake courtside (laughter)?\n\nARTHUR: I think for some people it does. I think the power of celebrity is something that is immensely powerful. And he's someone that just adds to the level of attention that's happening here. This is going to be the first championship series for a major sport in Canada in the Internet era, and every bit of notoriety helps, and Drake is a part of that.\n\nCORNISH: Bruce Arthur, sports columnist for the Toronto Star. Thank you for talking about the Raptors with us, and best of luck.\n\nARTHUR: Absolutely. My pleasure. Thank you.\n\nCopyright © 2019 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.\n\nNPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by Verb8tm, Inc., an NPR contractor, and produced using a proprietary transcription process developed with NPR. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.", "TORONTO (AP) — Pascal Siakam scored a playoff career-high 32 points and the Toronto Raptors won the first NBA Finals game played outside the U.S., beating the Golden State Warriors 118-109 on Thursday night.\n\nThe Raptors hardly looked like newcomers to the NBA's biggest stage, controlling the action most of the way against a Golden State team beginning its fifth straight NBA Finals appearance.\n\nKawhi Leonard added 23 points and Marc Gasol had 20 for the Raptors, fueled by a crowd that couldn't wait for a party 24 years in the making.\n\n\"I think they were into it and that's the way it should be, man,\" Raptors coach Nick Nurse said. \"That's what home court is, and our fans deserve a bunch of credit for being a big part of that.\"\n\nTORONTO, ONTARIO - MAY 30: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors reacts against the Toronto Raptors in the first quarter during Game One of the 2019 NBA Finals at Scotiabank Arena on May 30, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)\n\nStephen Curry scored 34 points and Klay Thompson had 21 for the Warriors, who had won all four Game 1s in the last four years. All those had come at home, but this time Golden State doesn't have home-court — or home country — advantage.\n\nGame 2 is Sunday night in Toronto, which is hosting an NBA Finals game for the first time after the Raptors entered the league as an expansion team in 1995.\n\nThe Raptors were perhaps a little jittery at the start, with Kyle Lowry firing a pass well out of bounds on their first possession.\n\nBut they quickly settled in afterward, building a 10-point lead by halftime.\n\nSiakam then went 6 for 6 in the third quarter to keep Golden State from gaining much ground, and the Raptors kept their lead around double digits for much of the final quarter, countering every attempt the Warriors made to catch up.\n\n\"I thought we made a good effort in the second half, got back in the game. Our guys did some good things, but made too many mistakes to actually go ahead and win the game,\" Warriors coach Steve Kerr said.\n\nAll four of the Warriors' previous finals were against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, and they struggled to figure out a new opponent. Toronto shot 50.6 percent from the field and the Warriors never found an answer for Siakam, the finalist for Most Improved Player who has a nice start for an NBA Finals MVP resume.\n\nThe player nicknamed Spicy P was red hot, shooting 14 for 17 from the field — and he tipped in his own shot on the last of those misses with 54 seconds to play.\n\nFans began arriving at Jurassic Park outside the arena in the morning. There were lengthy lines at the arena entrances hours before the game, with some of the few fans who weren't wearing Raptors red sticking to their original purple uniform with the dinosaur logo.\n\nRapper and Raptors global ambassador Drake sat in his courtside seat wearing a Curry No. 30 jersey. That's Dell Curry, Stephen's father who finished his career with the Raptors.\n\nThe Raptors introduced Dell Curry and some of their other former players after the first quarter, a group that included perennial All-Stars such as Tracy McGrady and Chris Bosh.\n\nBut it wasn't until they went out and got Leonard in a trade with San Antonio that Toronto was finally good enough to get to the NBA Finals.\n\nHe wasn't the dominant force he was in the first three rounds, when he averaged 31.2 points. But he had eight rebounds and five assists in his first NBA Finals game since winning MVP of the 2014 championship with the Spurs.\n\nDeMarcus Cousins made it back from a torn left quadriceps to come off the bench in his first NBA Finals game, but the Warriors remained without Kevin Durant, the MVP of the last two NBA Finals. He traveled to Toronto but it's unclear if he'll play before the series returns to the Bay Area, with Kerr saying he would have to go through a practice first.\n\nThe Warriors had won every game since he got hurt in the second round but sure missed him against the Raptors, who are on a roll after falling behind 2-0 to Milwaukee in the Eastern Conference finals.\n\nWarriors: Cousins finished with three points in eight minutes. ... Draymond Green had his fifth triple-double of the postseason with 10 points, 10 rebounds and assists, but shot just 2 for 9. ... Golden State had a 12-game winning streak in Game 1s snapped. ... Curry's four 3-pointers gave him a record 102 in the NBA Finals and he was also 14 for 14 from the free throw line.\n\nRaptors: Danny Green went 3 for 7 from 2-point range after he was just 4 for 23 in the conference finals. ... The Raptors improved to just 4-15 in Game 1s.\n\n>>Click here for more stories on the Warriors & the NBA Finals\n\nFor live, local news, download the KRONon app. It lets you watch commercial-free news from the Bay Area's Local News Station on multiple streaming devices.\n\nClick here to subscribe for a free 7-day trial\n\nWHAT OTHERS ARE CLICKING ON:\n• WOMAN SENTENCED TO 17 YEARS FOR RAPE OF 5-MONTH-OLD GIRL\n• SMALL TREMORS ALONG WEST COAST COULD LEAD TO 'BIG ONE'\n• VICTIM KILLED IN HAWAII SHARK ATTACK WAS FROM GRANITE BAY", "TORONTO — Pascal Siakam scored a playoff career-high 32 points and the Toronto Raptors won the first NBA Finals game played outside the U.S., beating the Golden State Warriors 118-109 on Thursday night.\n\nThe Raptors hardly looked like newcomers to the NBA's biggest stage, controlling the action most of the way against a Golden State team beginning its fifth straight NBA Finals appearance.\n\nKawhi Leonard added 23 points and Marc Gasol had 20 for the Raptors, fueled by a crowd that couldn't wait for a party 24 years in the making.\n\n\"I think they were into it and that's the way it should be, man,\" Raptors coach Nick Nurse said. \"That's what home court is, and our fans deserve a bunch of credit for being a big part of that.\"\n\nStephen Curry scored 34 points and Klay Thompson had 21 for the Warriors, who had won all four Game 1s in the last four years. All those had come at home, but this time Golden State doesn't have home-court — or home country — advantage.\n\nGame 2 is Sunday night in Toronto, which is hosting an NBA Finals game for the first time after the Raptors entered the league as an expansion team in 1995.\n\nThe Raptors were perhaps a little jittery at the start, with Kyle Lowry firing a pass well out of bounds on their first possession.\n\nBut they quickly settled in afterward, building a 10-point lead by halftime.\n\nSiakam then went 6 for 6 in the third quarter to keep Golden State from gaining much ground, and the Raptors kept their lead around double digits for much of the final quarter, countering every attempt the Warriors made to catch up.\n\n\"I thought we made a good effort in the second half, got back in the game. Our guys did some good things, but made too many mistakes to actually go ahead and win the game,\" Warriors coach Steve Kerr said.\n\nAll four of the Warriors' previous finals were against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, and they struggled to figure out a new opponent. Toronto shot 50.6 percent from the field and the Warriors never found an answer for Siakam, the finalist for Most Improved Player who has a nice start for an NBA Finals MVP resume.\n\nThe player nicknamed Spicy P was red hot, shooting 14 for 17 from the field — and he tipped in his own shot on the last of those misses with 54 seconds to play.\n\nFans began arriving at Jurassic Park outside the arena in the morning. There were lengthy lines at the arena entrances hours before the game, with some of the few fans who weren't wearing Raptors red sticking to their original purple uniform with the dinosaur logo.\n\nRapper and Raptors global ambassador Drake sat in his courtside seat wearing a Curry No. 30 jersey. That's Dell Curry, Stephen's father who finished his career with the Raptors.\n\nThe Raptors introduced Dell Curry and some of their other former players after the first quarter, a group that included perennial All-Stars such as Tracy McGrady and Chris Bosh.\n\nBut it wasn't until they went out and got Leonard in a trade with San Antonio that Toronto was finally good enough to get to the NBA Finals.\n\nHe wasn't the dominant force he was in the first three rounds, when he averaged 31.2 points. But he had eight rebounds and five assists in his first NBA Finals game since winning MVP of the 2014 championship with the Spurs.\n\nDeMarcus Cousins made it back from a torn left quadriceps to come off the bench in his first NBA Finals game, but the Warriors remained without Kevin Durant, the MVP of the last two NBA Finals. He traveled to Toronto but it's unclear if he'll play before the series returns to the Bay Area, with Kerr saying he would have to go through a practice first.\n\nThe Warriors had won every game since he got hurt in the second round but sure missed him against the Raptors, who are on a roll after falling behind 2-0 to Milwaukee in the Eastern Conference finals.", "TORONTO — Pascal Siakam scored a playoff career-high 32 points and the Toronto Raptors won the first NBA Finals game played outside the U.S., beating the Golden State Warriors 118-109 on Thursday night.\n\nThe Raptors hardly looked like newcomers to the NBA’s biggest stage, controlling the action most of the way against a Golden State team beginning its fifth straight NBA Finals appearance.\n\nKawhi Leonard added 23 points and Marc Gasol had 20 for the Raptors.\n\nStephen Curry scored 34 points and Klay Thompson had 21 for the Warriors, who had won all four Game 1s in the last four years. All those had come at home, but this time Golden State doesn’t have home-court — or home country — advantage.\n\nGame 2 is Sunday night in Toronto, which is hosting an NBA Finals game for the first time after the Raptors entered the league as an expansion team in 1995.\n\nThe Raptors were perhaps a little jittery at the start, with Kyle Lowry firing a pass well out of bounds on their first possession.\n\nBut they quickly settled in afterward, building a 10-point lead by halftime. surging to an 18-11 lead before the Warriors came right back with eight in a row. Siakam then went 6 for 6 in the third quarter to keep Golden State from gaining much ground, and the Raptors kept their lead around double digits for much of the final quarter, countering every attempt the Warriors made to catch up.\n\nAll four of the Warriors’ previous finals were against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, and they struggled to figure out a new opponent. Toronto shot 50.6 percent from the field and the Warriors never found an answer for Siakam, the finalist for Most Improved Player who has a nice start for an NBA Finals MVP resume.\n\nThe player nicknamed Spicy P was red hot, shooting 14 for 17 from the field — and he tipped in his own shot on the last of those misses with 54 seconds to play.\n\nThe party 24 years in the making started early, with fans arriving at Jurassic Park outside the arena in the morning. There were lengthy lines at the arena entrances hours before the game, with some of the few fans who weren’t wearing Raptors red sticking to their original purple uniform with the dinosaur logo.\n\nThe Raptors introduced some of their former players after the first quarter, a group that included perennial All-Stars such as Tracy McGrady and Chris Bosh.\n\nBut it wasn’t until they went out and got Leonard in a trade with San Antonio that Toronto was finally good enough to get to the NBA Finals.\n\nHe wasn’t the dominant force he was in the first three rounds, when he averaged 31.2 points. But he had eight rebounds and five assists in his first NBA Finals game since winning MVP of the 2014 championship with the Spurs.\n\nDeMarcus Cousins made it back from a torn left quadriceps to come off the bench in his first NBA Finals game, but the Warriors remained without Kevin Durant, the MVP of the last two NBA Finals. He traveled to Toronto but it’s unclear if he’ll play before the series returns to the Bay Area, with coach Steve Kerr saying he would have to go through a practice first.\n\nThe Warriors had won every game since he got hurt in the second round but sure missed him against the Raptors, who are on a roll after falling behind 2-0 to Milwaukee in the Eastern Conference finals.\n\nCopyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.", "TORONTO — Pascal Siakam scored a playoff career-high 32 points and the Toronto Raptors won the first NBA Finals game played outside the U.S., beating the Golden State Warriors 118-109 on Thursday night.\n\nThe Raptors hardly looked like newcomers to the NBA's biggest stage, controlling the action most of the way against a Golden State team beginning its fifth straight NBA Finals appearance.\n\nKawhi Leonard added 23 points and Marc Gasol had 20 for the Raptors.\n\nStephen Curry scored 34 points and Klay Thompson had 21 for the Warriors, who had won all four Game 1s in the last four years. All those had come at home, but this time Golden State doesn't have home-court advantage.", "Maybe it’s because no Canadian team has won a title in any of the big four North American professional sports (hockey, baseball, NFL football or basketball) in a very long time.\n\nThose last winners–the Toronto Blue Jays and the Montreal Canadiens–were in 1993.\n\nSo that might explain why things things are getting just a little bit crazy in Toronto.\n\nIn a good way, of course.\n\nIt is Toronto, after all.\n\nAnd over what, exactly?\n\nThe Toronto Raptors host the Golden State Warriors tonight in Game One the National Basketball Association championship series,\n\nThe leadup has seen some fans jump atop a police car following an early-round victory and the NBA warning the Raptors’ most famous fan, the rap star Drake, to put a lid on it.\n\nActually, nobody should really be all that surprised that the game has struck a nerve.\n\nA closer look reveals that some of the best basketball players in the world are playing in scholastic and amateur leagues in Toronto.\n\nMany will tell you basketball is the fastest growing sport in Canada.\n\nAnd it is apparently is paying off for a lot of kids with dreams of glory.\n\nCanada now has the most players not born in the United States in the NBA (13 at the start of the season).\n\nAnd there is no shortage of star power and brilliance to stir the emotions in this series.\n\nThe Raptors are led by a brilliant Zen master of a player from California named Kawhi Leonard, possessor of an uncanny ability to bide is time until he is really needed to secure victory and then provide it (at least so far).\n\nThe Warriors are led by brilliant guard Steph Curry (who played briefly as a kid in Toronto), who has led the team to three titles in the last four years.\n\nShould the Warriors win this series, there are few who would disagree that will have to be included in any future conversations about the greatest teams of all time.\n\nBut get this: the Raptors are slightly favoured. Very slighty–mainly, some would say, because they hold the homecourt advantage over the next seven games, an advantage, of course, that disappears should they lose tonight.\n\nWith any luck at all, this could get really, really good.\n\nEnough to make people forget the last 26 years?\n\nLooking for an omen?\n\nThe game of basketball was invented by a Canadian.", "This is the first time Canada has made it to the NBA finals\n\nTicket resellers’ are cashing in on the Toronto Raptors making history.\n\nThe Raptors will make their first NBA Finals appearance tonight. On Monday, tickets sold out on Ticketmaster in 30 minutes. Many fans are opting to buy from a reseller.\n\nAs of Wednesday afternoon, the cheapest Game 1 standing room ticket on StubHub is going for $540. Nosebleed seats are up to $1,200, and some courtside seats are as high as $60,487.\n\nSome fans have taken extreme measures to make sure they witness the event. Others are showing their support by getting free Raptors ink from a local tattoo shop. Tip-off against the Golden State Warriors is 9 p.m. EST.\n\nREAD MORE: Catch Toronto Raptors NBA playoff action on movie screens across Canada\n\nREAD MORE: Raptors beat Bucks 100-94 to advance to franchise’s first-ever NBA finals\n\nLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.", "The NBA Finals have arrived as the Toronto Raptors will look to defend home court against the two-time defending champion Golden State Warriors in Game 1 Thursday night.\n\nWith so much on the line, let's take a look at some of the betting odds going into the NBA Finals, courtesy of BetOnline.\n\nNo surprise here as the Warriors are major favourites to win their third straight title and fourth in five years despite the Raptors having home court advantage. Toronto has approximately a 29.9 per cent of winning the series, according to BetOnline.\n\nWhat about the Most Valuable Player?\n\nStephen Curry is a three-time NBA champion and two-time regular season MVP, but has never won the Finals MVP award. With the Warriors on a roll (currently on a six-game winning streak) and the possibility of Kevin Durant (winner of the last two NBA Finals MVPs) missing a good portion of the series with an injury, Curry has a real good shot of capturing the award.\n\nOn the other side of the ball, Raptors superstar Kawhi Leonard has been the best player in these playoffs and will need to play at an MVP level to force the upset.\n\nAt the bottom of the list, Kevon Looney, Marc Gasol and Norman Powell all sit at 50/1 odds, having a 2 per cent chance at shocking the world.\n\nHere are some interesting prop bets for specific players.\n\nAverage points per game by Curry - 30.5 (Over/Under)\n\n Total three-pointers made by Curry - 25.5 (Over/Under)\n\n Average rebounds per game by Green - 10.5 (Over/Under)\n\n Total steals and blocks by Green - 16.5 (Over/Under)\n\nAverage points per game by Leonard - 30.5 (Over/Under)\n\n Total steals and blocks by Leonard - 20.5 (Over/Under)\n\n Total three-pointers made by Lowry - 14.5 (Over/Under)\n\n Total points per game by Siakam - 18.5 (Over/Under)\n\nWhen will the series finish?\n\nWill either team sweep the Finals?\n\nWill there be a game-winning buzzer beater?\n\nWhether you're a fan of the Toronto-based rapper or not, Drake will be seen and heard from in the NBA Finals. There is no doubt. Here are some interesting prop bets you can place on Drake.\n\nWill Drake watch any Finals games at Jurassic Park?\n\nYes: -140 (5/7) \n\n No: EVEN (1/1)\n\nHow many times will ABC say Drake during Game 1?", "While growing up in Douala, Cameroon, Pascal Siakam barely watched the NBA. But he took up basketball, he wrote back in 2016 for The Players’ Tribune, because his father dreamed for one of his sons to reach the NBA.\n\nBut Tchamo Siakam never got to see his son reach the top level of the sport, dying from injuries he sustained in a car accident in 2014. The younger Siakam, then living in the United States, missed his father’s funeral at the urging of his mother, Victoire. Her reasoning: His father would have wanted him to keep playing.\n\nSiakam, 25, has done that ever since, and he has taken to writing “RIP Dad” on his shoes during playoff games for the Toronto Raptors.\n\nOn Thursday, Siakam made history by leading the Raptors to their first win in the NBA Finals, 118-109, over the Golden State Warriors in Game 1 in the best-of-seven series. He did it all, finishing with a team-high 32 points on 14-of-17 shooting, with eight rebounds, five assists, a steal and two blocks.\n\n“I’m just doing it for my dad,” Siakam said to ESPN’s Doris Burke on the court at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.\n\nBack when he was 18, Siakam said, he would have thought someone was crazy to suggest he could do this.\n\n“At that time I didn’t even know if I really dreamed of being at this level,” he said. “I couldn’t even think about this moment because it wasn’t reachable for me.\n\n“But I think once I got to the point where I felt like I had a chance, I put everything forward and I just worked really hard. … I think that when I was 18 years old I didn’t think of it, but once I got to believing that it was possible, I put everything that I had to be at this level.”\n\nWhile living in Cameroon, Siakam won notice playing at Luc Mbah a Moute’s camp in 2012, and he was invited to attend Basketball Without Borders. With his performance, he had the opportunity to play at an American prep school, and Siakam moved to Lewisville, Texas, attending God’s Academy and living with a host family.\n\nBy this point, all three of Siakam’s older brothers were either playing or had finished playing college basketball in the United States: Boris at Western Kentucky University from 2004-2008, James (Vanderbilt University from 2011-15) and Christian (Indiana University-Purdue University, Indianapolis from 2008-12).\n\nSiakam became the fourth, enrolling at New Mexico State University in 2013. But the following year, tragedy struck when his dad died. Starting then, Siakam was playing for him — and to keep the NBA dream alive.\n\nThe Raptors drafted Siakam in the first round as the 27th overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft. His third season has been a breakout year, with him averaging 16.9 points per game in the regular season and 19.4 points per game in the playoffs.\n\nAfter Thursday’s game, speaking with reporters, he was asked what his dad would think about how far he has come.\n\n“I think it’s a question that I ask myself every single day, and I know I wish I had the answer,” Siakam said. “I know people always usually tell me that I know he’s proud of you, and I kind of want to hear it from his mouth, and I think it would be really cool.\n\n“But for me, like I always say, man, it’s bigger than basketball, and every night that I go out there, I have a bigger purpose, and I play for something bigger than just basketball. And I think that’s what makes it special, that every night I’m out there, no matter the result, no matter how many points I score, I’m playing for something bigger than myself.”", "The 2019 NBA Finals between the Toronto Raptors and Golden State Warriors will be historic in several ways.\n\nToronto is making its NBA Finals debut, and it will be the first time the league’s championship series will feature games played outside of the United States. Golden State has reached the Finals for the fifth consecutive season, a feat accomplished only by the Boston Celtics, who went to 10 Finals in a row from 1957-66.\n\nGame 1 is tonight at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto (9 p.m., ABC).\n\nThe Warriors, the top seed in the Western Conference, can become only the third franchise to win three consecutive titles in the past 50 years (the others are the Bulls from 1991-93 and 1996-98 and the Lakers from 2000-02). Golden State has won the title in three of the past four seasons.\n\nThe Warriors have won six NBA Championships, tied with the Bulls for third place all-time, behind the Celtics (17) and Lakers (16).\n\nThe Raptors, who finished second in the Eastern Conference but defeated top-seeded Milwaukee in six games in the conference finals, have won at least 50 games in each of the past four seasons and swept the two-game season series from the Warriors for the first time in 17 years.\n\nWarriors star Kevin Durant will miss Game 1 due to the calf injury that has idled him the past five games (Golden State is 5-0 without him). DeMarcus Cousins (torn quad) is listed as questionable.\n\nKawhi Leonard is averaging 31.2 points per game in the playoffs for Toronto. Stephen Curry is averaging 27.3 points for Golden State.\n\nJoin the conversation in the comments"], "summary": "The Toronto Raptors host the first National Basketball Association (NBA) finals game in their franchise history, against the Golden State Warriors, and the first outside the United States in NBA history at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto. The Raptors win 118–109."}
{"document": ["A car bomb targeting a U.S. convoy exploded early Friday in an eastern neighbourhood, leaving four Afghan civilians dead and three wounded and lightly wounding four American forces, authorities said.\n\nIt was the second suicide attack in as many days to rattle the Afghan capital.\n\nThe suicide bomber struck as the convoy passed through Kabul's eastern Yakatot neighborhood, where US and NATO forces maintain complexes. Facilities operated by the located nearby.\n\nFirdous Faramaz, police chief spokesman, said four Afghan civilians were killed and three wounded in the attack.\n\nBob Purtiman, with the U.S. military in Kabul, said four U.S. service members received The one-line statement did not elaborate.\n\nIn a telephone interview, took responsibility for Friday's attack on the US convoy in Kabul, claiming 10 U.S. soldiers were killed. claims are often exaggerated.\n\nWitnesses said the explosion was powerful, blowing out windows in neighboring buildings. Traffic on the streets was light because the bombing occurred on a Friday, the weekly day off.\n\nOn Thursday, six people were killed when a suicide bomber blew himself up outside an academy and training center, also in the same area but several kilometers (miles) away from Friday's explosion.\n\nThe on Thursday said a soldier had noticed a suspicious person, and as he approached him the attacker detonated his explosives near the academy. The soldier's action likely saved lives.\n\nBoth the and an Islamic State affiliate have infiltrated the capital in the past.\n\nIn a series of coordinated attacks by Taliban fighters late Thursday in district in southern province, 11 soldiers and five police were killed, said Mohammad Karim Karimi, Karimi said he had repeatedly requested the government in to send additional security forces to the district, which has a strong Taliban presence.\n\nAttacks by the Taliban have continued unabated despite peace talks with the as well as a fresh round of talks with Afghan notables this week in the Russian capital Following the talks, Suhail Shaheen, for the Taliban's political office in Doha, said \"spectacular progress\" was made on some issues, without elaborating.", "At least four Afghans were killed when a car bomber attacked a foreign military convoy in Kabul on Friday, an official said.\n\nThe blast occurred around 8:40 am (0410 GMT) when an explosives-laden vehicle drove into the convoy that was travelling in eastern Kabul, according to interior ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi.\n\n\"Unfortunately in the attack, four of our countrymen were martyred and three others wounded -- they were passers-by\", Rahimi said.\n\n\"This is our initial information and the figures will likely change.\"\n\nThere was no immediate word on foreign casualties.\n\nResolute Support, the US-led NATO mission in Afghanistan, did not immediately comment.\n\nThe attack came one day after an Islamic State suicide bomber blew himself up outside an Afghan army military academy, killing at least six people.\n\nIt also followed a meeting between the Taliban and Afghan opposition figures in Moscow this week that yielded no tangible results.\n\nAfghan President Ashraf Ghani had proposed a nationwide ceasefire at the start of the holy month of Ramadan, but the Taliban rejected the offer and violence continues apace across the country.", "KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A car bomb targeting a U.S. convoy exploded early Friday in an eastern Kabul neighborhood, leaving four Afghan civilians dead and three wounded and lightly wounding four American forces, authorities said. It was the second suicide attack in as many days to rattle the Afghan capital.\n\nThe suicide bomber struck as the convoy passed through Kabul's eastern Yakatot neighborhood, where U.S. and NATO forces maintain complexes. Facilities operated by the Afghan National Security Forces located nearby.\n\nBob Purtiman, public affairs officer with the U.S. military in Kabul, said four U.S. service members received minor injuries. The one-line statement did not elaborate.\n\nIn a telephone interview, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid took responsibility for Friday's attack on the U.S. convoy in Kabul, claiming 10 U.S. soldiers were killed. Taliban claims are often exaggerated.\n\nWitnesses said the explosion was powerful, blowing out windows in neighboring buildings. Traffic on the streets was light because the bombing occurred on a Friday, the weekly day off.\n\nOn Thursday, six people were killed when a suicide bomber blew himself up outside an Afghan army academy and training center, also in the same area but several kilometers (miles) away from Friday's explosion.\n\nThe Interior Ministry on Thursday said a soldier had noticed a suspicious person, and as he approached him the attacker detonated his explosives near the academy. The soldier's action likely saved lives.\n\nBoth the Taliban and an Islamic State affiliate have infiltrated the capital in the past.\n\nIn a series of coordinated attacks by Taliban fighters late Thursday in Charchino district in southern Uruzgan province, 11 soldiers and five police were killed, said Mohammad Karim Karimi, deputy provincial council chief. Karimi said he had repeatedly requested the government in Kabul to send additional security forces to the district, which has a strong Taliban presence.\n\nAttacks by the Taliban have continued unabated despite peace talks with the United States as well as a fresh round of talks with Afghan notables this week in the Russian capital Moscow. Following the Moscow talks, Suhail Shaheen, spokesman for the Taliban's political office in Doha, said \"spectacular progress\" was made on some issues, without elaborating.\n\nThe Taliban have rejected repeated demands for a cease fire, saying the fighting will continue until U.S. and NATO troops withdraw from Afghanistan. They also continue to refuse to hold direct talks with the Afghan government, calling them U.S. puppets, yet several senior government personalities, including members of a Kabul peace council attended the Moscow meeting. The Taliban have said they will meet with members of the government, but as ordinary Afghans, rather than as government representatives.", "ISLAMABAD - Officials in Afghanistan say a suicide bomb attack Friday targeted a foreign military convoy in Kabul, killing at least four Afghan civilians and wounding four American soldiers.\n\nThe U.S. military confirmed the attack in the Afghan capital and said the service members received “minor injuries”. It did not give further details.\n\nThe Taliban took responsibility for the bombing on a busy road linking Kabul to the eastern city of Jalalabad, saying a suicide bomber detonated his explosives-packed car near the foreign military convoy.\n\nAfghan Interior Ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi said several passerby were also among those injured.\n\nTaliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid citing initial information claimed the powerful explosion destroyed two military vehicles and killed ten “invaders”, a term insurgents use for U.S.-led NATO forces in the country. The insurgent group’s claims are often inflated.\n\nKabul, Afghanistan\n\nThis was the second bomb attack in as many days in the Afghan capital.\n\nOn Thursday, an Islamic State suicide bomber blew himself up at the entrance gate of an Afghan military academy and training center in Kabul. That blast killed six security forces and wounded 12 others. Afghan officials said four civilians were also among those injured.\n\nMeanwhile, fierce clashes were continuing in the northwestern province of Badghis where the Taliban fighters have taken control of the embattled strategic Bala Murghab district during overnight fighting with Afghan forces.\n\nAzai Akazai, who represents the province in the Afghan parliament, confirmed the insurgent advances while talking to VOA and said overnight clashes killed around a dozen government forces.\n\nThe Taliban assault forced around 250 Afghan forces to retreat to a nearby Afghan military base, the lawmaker added.\n\nThe insurgent violence comes amid peace negations between U.S. and Taliban officials.\n\nThe dialogue has lately slowed down over Taliban’s insistence it will not cease hostilities and engage in peace talks with the Afghan government until all foreign forces withdraw from Afghanistan.\n\nThe insurgent group dismisses the Kabul administration as a puppet installed by “American invaders”.\n\nThe Taliban, however, has engaged in informal discussions with Afghan opposition politicians and civil society groups. The latest round of such talks took place in Moscow this week.\n\nA joint statement issued after the meeting on Thursday, however, offered no substantial outcome on issues such as a Taliban cease-fire during upcoming Muslim festival of Eid.", "At least four bystanders were killed and four U.S. troops injured on Friday when a suicide car bomb targeted a passing U.S. convoy in the Afghan capital, said U.S. and Afghan officials.\n\nIt was the second suicide attack in Kabul in the past two days, following a blast Thursday at a military academy that killed six.\n\nPolice spokesman Ferdous Faramarz said three other bystanders were also wounded in Friday’s attack. Col. David Butler, a spokesman for the U.S. military, said the U.S. injuries were very minor.\n\nAfter the attack, photos circulating on social media showed tall plumes of smoke rising over eastern Kabul, which is also home to a number of U.S., NATO and Afghan security complexes.\n\nThe Taliban claimed responsibility for Friday’s attack, which came after days of peace talks with its leaders in Moscow. Many Afghans hoped those talks would result in cease-fire announcement for the end of the holy month of Ramadan early next week.\n\nLast year, a cease-fire that coincided with the end of Ramadan was met with jubilation in Afghanistan.\n\nBut at the conclusion of meetings on Thursday, Taliban spokesman Muhammad Sohail Shahee told journalists that a cease-fire was discussed “and we will continue this discussion,” but no agreement was made.\n\nElected Afghan government representatives did not attend the talks in Moscow, although a number of notable Afghan figures, including former president Hamid Karzai and members of a government-appointed peace council, were present.\n\nThursday’s attack on the Marshal Fahim National Defense University caught cadets as they were heading home for the weekend and was claimed by the extremist Islamic State group.\n\nSuicide bomber kills six at Afghan defense university while Moscow talks fail to deliver cease-fire\n\nU.S.-Taliban peace talks reopen, but U.S. watchdog warns deal could bring more insecurity to Afghanistan\n\nToday’s coverage from Post correspondents around the world\n\nLike Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news", "KABUL: A car bomb targeting a US convoy in eastern Kabul has left four Afghan civilians dead and three wounded and lightly injured four American troops, authorities said on Friday.\n\nThe second suicide attack in as many days in the Afghan capital targeted the convoy as it passed through the Yakatot neighbourhood, where US and Nato forces maintain complexes. Facilities operated by the Afghan National Security Forces are located nearby.\n\nFirdous Faramaz, Kabul police chief spokesman, said four Afghan civilians were killed and three wounded. Bob Purtiman, public affairs officer with the US military in Kabul, said four US service members suffered minor injuries.\n\nIn a telephone interview, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid took responsibility for the attack, claiming 10 US soldiers were killed. Witnesses said the explosion was powerful, blowing out windows in neighbouring buildings. Traffic on the streets was light because the bombing occurred on a Friday, the weekly day off.On Thursday, six people were killed when a suicide bomber blew himself up outside an Afghan army academy and training centre.", "KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A car bomb targeting a U.S. convoy exploded early Friday in an eastern Kabul neighborhood, leaving four Afghan civilians dead and three wounded and lightly wounding four American forces, authorities said. It was the second suicide attack in as many days to rattle the Afghan capital.\n\nThe suicide bomber struck as the convoy passed through Kabul's eastern Yakatot neighborhood, where U.S. and NATO forces maintain complexes. Facilities operated by the Afghan National Security Forces located nearby.\n\nBob Purtiman, public affairs officer with the U.S. military in Kabul, said four U.S. service members received minor injuries. The one-line statement did not elaborate.\n\nIn a telephone interview, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid took responsibility for Friday's attack on the U.S. convoy in Kabul, claiming 10 U.S. soldiers were killed. Taliban claims are often exaggerated.\n\nWitnesses said the explosion was powerful, blowing out windows in neighboring buildings. Traffic on the streets was light because the bombing occurred on a Friday, the weekly day off.\n\nOn Thursday, six people were killed when a suicide bomber blew himself up outside an Afghan army academy and training center, also in the same area but several kilometers (miles) away from Friday's explosion.\n\nThe Interior Ministry on Thursday said a soldier had noticed a suspicious person, and as he approached him the attacker detonated his explosives near the academy. The soldier's action likely saved lives.\n\nBoth the Taliban and an Islamic State affiliate have infiltrated the capital in the past.\n\nIn a series of coordinated attacks by Taliban fighters late Thursday in Charchino district in southern Uruzgan province, 11 soldiers and five police were killed, said Mohammad Karim Karimi, deputy provincial council chief. Karimi said he had repeatedly requested the government in Kabul to send additional security forces to the district, which has a strong Taliban presence.\n\nAttacks by the Taliban have continued unabated despite peace talks with the United States as well as a fresh round of talks with Afghan notables this week in the Russian capital Moscow. Following the Moscow talks, Suhail Shaheen, spokesman for the Taliban's political office in Doha, said \"spectacular progress\" was made on some issues, without elaborating.\n\nThe Taliban have rejected repeated demands for a cease fire, saying the fighting will continue until U.S. and NATO troops withdraw from Afghanistan. They also continue to refuse to hold direct talks with the Afghan government, calling them U.S. puppets, yet several senior government personalities, including members of a Kabul peace council attended the Moscow meeting. The Taliban have said they will meet with members of the government, but as ordinary Afghans, rather than as government representatives.", "KABUL (AA): A suicide car bombing aimed at a U.S. military convoy killed at least four civilians in the Afghan capital Kabul, an official confirmed on Friday.\n\nThe attack took place in the Wazeer Qala area on a highway to the city of Jalalabad to the east of Kabul during the morning rush-hour, Interior Ministry Spokesman Nusrat Rahimi told Anadolu Agency.\n\nA suicide car packed with explosives rammed into an armored U.S. military convoy, killing four civilians in the vicinity and injuring three others, he said.\n\nThe NATO-led Resolute Support mission has yet to comment on the attack, though the local BBC Pashto reported at least four American soldiers were also injured in the bombing claimed by the Taliban.\n\nIn a statement posted on the social media, the insurgents claimed that 10 foreign soldiers have been killed and two armored vehicles destroyed.\n\nThe attack comes a day after an identical assault by Daesh militants on the Marshal Fahim National Defense University in Kabul that killed six people.", "At least four Afghans were killed and four US troops lightly wounded when a car bomber attacked a US military convoy in Kabul on Friday, officials said.\n\nThe blast, which was claimed by the Taliban, occurred around 8:40 am (0410 GMT) when an explosives-laden vehicle drove into the convoy that was travelling in eastern Kabul, according to interior ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi.\n\n\"Unfortunately in the attack, four of our countrymen were martyred and three others wounded - they were passers-by,\" Rahimi said.\n\nA spokesman for Resolute Support, the US-led NATO mission in Afghanistan, said four US service members had suffered minor injuries.\n\nWhen US forces move about in Kabul, they typically travel in tall, heavily reinforced tactical vehicles that can provide good protection against bombs.\n\nKnown as MRAPs, for Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected, the vehicles are sturdy but present a very visible target.\n\nTaliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said the insurgent group was behind the attack, which he claimed to have killed \"10 officers and soldiers of invading forces\".\n\nThe blast came one day after an Islamic State suicide bomber blew himself up outside an Afghan army military academy, killing at least six people.\n\nIt also followed a meeting between the Taliban and Afghan opposition figures in Moscow this week that yielded no tangible results.\n\nAfghan President Ashraf Ghani had proposed a nationwide ceasefire at the start of the holy month of Ramadan, but the Taliban rejected the offer and violence continues apace across the country.", "Officials in Afghanistan say a suicide bomb attack Friday targeted a foreign military convoy in Kabul, killing at least four Afghan civilians and wounding four American soldiers.\n\nThe U.S. military confirmed the attack in the Afghan capital and said the service members received “minor injuries”. It did not give further details.\n\nThe Taliban took responsibility for the bombing on a busy road linking Kabul to the eastern city of Jalalabad, saying a suicide bomber detonated his explosives-packed car near the foreign military convoy.\n\nAfghan Interior Ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi said several passerby were also among those injured.\n\nTaliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid citing initial information claimed the powerful explosion destroyed two military vehicles and killed ten “invaders”, a term insurgents use for U.S.-led NATO forces in the country. The insurgent group’s claims are often inflated.\n\nThis was the second bomb attack in as many days in the Afghan capital.\n\nOn Thursday, an Islamic State suicide bomber blew himself up at the entrance gate of an Afghan military academy and training center in Kabul. That blast killed six security forces and wounded 12 others. Afghan officials said four civilians were also among those injured.\n\nMeanwhile, fierce clashes were continuing in the northwestern province of Badghis where the Taliban fighters have taken control of the embattled strategic Bala Murghab district during overnight fighting with Afghan forces.\n\nAzai Akazai, who represents the province in the Afghan parliament, confirmed the insurgent advances while talking to VOA and said overnight clashes killed around a dozen government forces.\n\nThe Taliban assault forced around 250 Afghan forces to retreat to a nearby Afghan military base, the lawmaker added.\n\nThe insurgent violence comes amid peace negations between U.S. and Taliban officials.\n\nThe dialogue has lately slowed down over Taliban’s insistence it will not cease hostilities and engage in peace talks with the Afghan government until all foreign forces withdraw from Afghanistan.\n\nThe insurgent group dismisses the Kabul administration as a puppet installed by “American invaders”.\n\nThe Taliban, however, has engaged in informal discussions with Afghan opposition politicians and civil society groups. The latest round of such talks took place in Moscow this week.\n\nA joint statement issued after the meeting on Thursday, however, offered no substantial outcome on issues such as a Taliban cease-fire during upcoming Muslim festival of Eid."], "summary": "Taliban suicide car bomber kills four Afghan civilians and wounds over 20 including four American soldiers."}
{"document": ["Satellite pictures show how Alberta’s wildfires stretch across the country as the fires continue to burn, threatening the homes of thousands of people.\n\nAt least 10,000 people have been evacuated from regions across Northern Alberta as the blazes continue to burn. Across the province, there were 28 active fires and nine were considered out of control.\n\nREAD MORE: 10,000 people forced out, 15 homes destroyed by Alberta wildfires\n\nThere are three major fires threatening communities, including the far northwestern Chuckegg Creek wildfire near High Level, the Battle Complex wildfire further south near Manning in the Peace River region, and the Mcmillan Complex wildfire affecting several communities north of Slave Lake.\n\nOver May long weekend, the High Level fire grew in size, and all three were clearly visible from space — and remained contained to their own regions.\n\nAs the week continued, the smoke spread across the country, drifting across Saskatchewan, Manitoba and into parts of western Ontario.\n\nGlobal News’ Chief Meteorologist Anthony Farnell explained that while the brighter white is clouds, the darker grey haze comes from the wildfires and can be seen extending around the country.\n\nNASA Worldview of Central Canada on May 30, 2019.\n\nIn Edmonton and Calgary, the sky remains hazy as of Friday afternoon. Residents in Winnipeg, Manitoba said they could smell smoke as of Thursday.\n\nAccording to FireSmoke Canada, northern U.S. cities such as Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Chicago, Detroit and Kansas City are also obscured by smoke.\n\nDramatic aerial footage, meanwhile, shows smoke billowing up over a long range in Alberta.\n\nThe smoke can cause health problems when inhaled, affecting your lungs, your heart and possibly even your mental health.\n\nWith wildfire season raging, those affected by smoke can take several steps to protect themselves.\n\nOptions include regularly checking air quality reports, exercising indoors, and keeping the air in homes clean by running an air conditioner — so long as you close the fresh-air intake and clean the filter to keep smoke from penetrating where you live, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).\n\nREAD MORE: Wildfire smoke can harm your lungs, your heart, and maybe even your mental health: research", "Smoke from Canadian wildfires drifts into 5 US states\n\nHELENA, Mont. (AP) — Smoke from large wildfires in Canada's Alberta province has drifted into five U.S. states and is causing haze and air quality issues.\n\nMore than two dozen fires are burning in Alberta and 10,000 people have been forced from their homes.\n\nThe smoke has drifted into Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Washington state and Wyoming.\n\nThe government agency Alberta Wildfire reports the largest blaze is out of control about 450 miles (733 kilometers) north of Edmonton and has burned 887 square miles (2,300 square kilometers) of land.\n\nThe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rated Helena's air quality as unhealthy Friday morning while the air quality in the Montana cities of Great Falls and Lewistown was rated as unhealthy for sensitive groups such as people with asthma or heart disease.", "Smoke from Canadian wildfires drifts into 5 US states\n\nHELENA, Mont. (AP) — Smoke from large wildfires in Canada's Alberta province has drifted into five U.S. states and is causing haze and air quality issues.\n\nMore than two dozen fires are burning in Alberta and 10,000 people have been forced from their homes.\n\nThe smoke has drifted into Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Washington state and Wyoming.\n\nThe government agency Alberta Wildfire reports the largest blaze is out of control about 450 miles (733 kilometers) north of Edmonton and has burned 887 square miles (2,300 square kilometers) of land.\n\nThe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rated Helena's air quality as unhealthy Friday morning while the air quality in the Montana cities of Great Falls and Lewistown was rated as unhealthy for sensitive groups such as people with asthma or heart disease.", "Smoke from Alberta’s wildfires has drifted to a number of American cites once again this year, and it may be cloudier than usual as a result.\n\nAccording to the Twin Cities Branch of the National Weather Service, the lack of sunlight in America’s Upper Midwest can be credited to Alberta’s wildfire season.\n\nREAD MORE: Alberta wildfires: Evacuation alerts and orders in place across the province\n\nAccording to FireSmoke Canada, a informational portal about smoke from wildfires, other Canadian regions — including some parts of western Ontario and southwestern B.C. — are also experiencing cloudy skies and air quality warnings due to the smoke.\n\nThe live smoke tracker on the website also shows northern U.S. cities such as Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Chicago, Detroit and Kansas City largely obscured by smoke. At the time of this writing, the smoke reaches as far south as Denver.\n\nThe smoke from Alberta’s spring wildfires often drifts into northern American cities at this time of year.\n\nAs of Thursday, there are 29 fires burning across Alberta and nearly 5,000 people have been evacuated from their homes, with a number of cities now on evacuation alert. Slave Lake is the most recent city to be placed on alert.\n\nREAD MORE: Alberta wildfire haze reaches Metro Vancouver as smoke season comes early\n\nThe Alberta government has also issued an emergency alert for Chipewyan Lake Village, about 450 km north of Edmonton. People were asked to leave immediately because of a rapidly-moving wildfire that threatens to cut off access to the area.\n\nDifferent fires have also forced evacuations from the hamlet of High Level, Wabasca, the Bigstone Cree Nation and Northern Lights County.\n\nHigh Level Mayor Crystal McAteer, Reeve Josh Knelsen of Mackenzie County and Dene Tha’ First Nation Chief James Ahnassay issued a joint statement late Wednesday on Facebook.\n\n“We know that many of you are very anxious to hear about what is happening with the wildfire and the situation in our communities. Many of you have been out of your homes and away from your work for a long time,” they wrote.\n\nWATCH: Coverage of the 2019 Alberta wildfires on Global News\n\nHowever, despite the fires’ colossal impact to the province’s communities, a representative from Alberta Wildfire previously told Global News that there are actually fewer wildfires burning this season than there were during the 2018 wildfire season.\n\n“Currently, the 2019 wildfire season, which started March 1, we’ve seen more than 500 wildfires so far,” Gagnon previously told Global News.\n\n“That number is actually a little bit less than we saw in the 2018 wildfire season. But the number of hectares burned is far greater, as well as some of the wildfires that are burning are closer to communities.”\n\n— With a file from the Associated Press and from Simon Little.", "Smoke from Canadian wildfires drifts into 5 US states\n\nHELENA, Mont. (AP) — Smoke from large wildfires in Canada's Alberta province has drifted into five U.S. states and is causing haze and air quality issues.\n\nMore than two dozen fires are burning in Alberta and 10,000 people have been forced from their homes.\n\nThe smoke has drifted into Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Washington state and Wyoming.\n\nThe government agency Alberta Wildfire reports the largest blaze is out of control about 450 miles (733 kilometers) north of Edmonton and has burned 887 square miles (2,300 square kilometers) of land.\n\nThe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rated Helena's air quality as unhealthy Friday morning while the air quality in the Montana cities of Great Falls and Lewistown was rated as unhealthy for sensitive groups such as people with asthma or heart disease.", "HELENA, Mont. — Smoke from large wildfires in Canada’s Alberta province has drifted into five U.S. states and is causing haze and air quality issues.\n\nMore than two dozen fires are burning in Alberta and 10,000 people have been forced from their homes.\n\nThe smoke has drifted into Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Washington state and Wyoming.\n\nThe government agency Alberta Wildfire reports the largest blaze is out of control about 450 miles (733 kilometers) north of Edmonton and has burned 887 square miles (2,300 square kilometers) of land.\n\nThe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rated Helena’s air quality as unhealthy Friday morning while the air quality in the Montana cities of Great Falls and Lewistown was rated as unhealthy for sensitive groups such as people with asthma or heart disease.\n\nCopyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.", "The Alberta government said hot, dry and windy conditions fueling the northern wildfires aren’t going away soon and will make fighting them difficult, so people need to prepare themselves.\n\n“This fight is going to be a tough one,” said Devin Dreeshen, Alberta’s minister of agriculture and forestry. “The weather is not co-operating for the long-distance forecast for the next two weeks. It’s more of the same.”\n\n“Albertans need to prepare themselves for this situation for the foreseeable future.”\n\nREAD MORE: Wildfire evacuation alerts and orders in place across the province\n\nFederal Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale says Alberta has asked for Canadian Forces assistance and the federal government has accepted the request.\n\nGoodale says the military will be ready to help airlift evacuees as needed, as well as transport supplies and provide medical assistance.\n\nWATCH: Wildfires continue to ravage parts of northern Alberta and one of the blazes is burning near the town of Manning. Julia Wong has the latest.\n\nHe says federal officials are working with counterparts in Alberta to co-ordinate the response.\n\nThe province is slightly under the five-year average for number of fires. But the amount of land burned is more than 3.5 times higher.\n\nWATCH: Residents in Trout Lake were forced from their homes Friday as a wildfire burned close to the area. Kent Morrison has more from the Red Creek Earth evacuation centre.\n\nEvacuation orders\n\nThe wildfires raging across the northern part of the province have forced about 10,000 people from their homes — double the number from the beginning of the week.\n\n“We began the day [Wednesday] with approximately 5,500 evacuees and we currently have over 10,000,” Dreeshen said in an update Thursday afternoon, after a day of hot temperatures and gusty winds led to the explosive growth of several blazes burning out-of-control.\n\nAbout 5,000 people have been out of their homes in and around High Level in northwestern Alberta for more than a week. This week even more people from that region, as well as from near a separate wildfire by Manning about 250 kilometres to the south, were told they had to leave.\n\nWatch below: Julia Wong has an update on the wildfire situation near Manning, Alta.\n\nThe wildfire threatening Manning is called the Battle Complex Fire. As of Friday, it was about 52,000 hectares and still several kilometres to the northwest of Manning. Shifting winds and thick smoke remain big challenges for firefighers, who have come from as far away as Kenora and Timmins to help.\n\nMany of the evacuees from those two large wildfires travelled south to Peace River. After an influx of evacuees on Wednesday, the town said hotel rooms were at capacity and was recommending new evacuees head to a reception centre in High Prairie.\n\nA series of smaller communities, including Wabasca, the Bigstone Cree Nation and Chipewyan Lake Village, have fallen under evacuation orders since Wednesday as a two out-of-control fires – Maria Lake and McMillan Complex – merge together.\n\nREAD MORE: Northern Alberta MD of Opportunity communities ordered to evacuate overnight due to wildfires\n\nWhere are all the wildfires?\n\nHundreds of structural and forest firefighters are in Alberta from across Canada doing their best to corral the flames. Across the province, there were 28 active fires and nine were considered out-of-control.\n\nOf the wildfires, there are three main ones affecting communities:\n\nThe far northwestern Chuckegg Creek wildfire near High Level\n\nThe Battle Complex wildfire near Manning in the Peace River region\n\nThe McMillan Complex wildfire north of Slave Lake\n\nBELOW: Map of the wildfires burning in Alberta as of noon on Friday, May 31, 2019\n\nThe biggest blaze is the Chuckegg Creek fire raging near High Level, which covered 2,600 square kilometres Friday.\n\nREAD MORE: Alberta wildfires grow ‘significantly’; blaze near High Level surges in size to 2,300 square kilometres\n\nHomes destroyed in Paddle Prairie\n\nAn official with the Metis Settlements General Council says 15 homes and two community buildings in the Paddle Prairie Métis Settlement have been destroyed by that fire and 80 more are at risk.\n\nPaddle Prairie is located about 70 kilometres south of High Level and 30 kilometres north of the County of Northern Lights. About 800 people live in the settlement.\n\nBlake Desjarlais, the council’s director of public and national affairs, says fire authorities confirmed the number late Thursday after surveying the evacuated Paddle Prairie Métis Settlement.\n\nThe homes are widely scattered in the settlement’s northeast, but Desjarlais says Paddle Prairie’s hamlet about five kilometres away is also at risk and the total number of properties destroyed could rise depending on fire conditions.\n\nHe says none of the homes were insured and it’s hoped the Alberta government will bring in modular housing to accommodate displaced owners.\n\n“It’s like a burnt piece of toast up there,” said Desjarlais as he described the path of destruction in Paddle Prairie. “The whole land has been scorched.”\n\nBison and cattle ranchers have also had to turn their animals loose.\n\n“They had to release them and they don’t know the status of their animals,” Desjarlais said. “That fire would have chased them really, really far away or they wouldn’t have made it out of the fire at all.”\n\nREAD MORE: Northern Alberta Métis settlement frustrated with level of government support for wildfire threat\n\nDesjarlais said local residents are upset they didn’t get more notice to prepare to leave.\n\n“They honestly feel that if they had been given more evacuation notice they would have been able to get pets, they would have been able to get valuables.”\n\nBELOW: Photos from Paddle Prairie\n\nPremier Jason Kenney said Friday he was very sorry to hear homes had been lost in the Paddle Prairie Métis Settlement and that the province would work community leaders to “address their issues urgently.\n\n“I hope to speak with the settlement leader myself,” he said.\n\nFire destroys home in Mackenzie County\n\nOn Friday afternoon, the Town of High Level shared a Facebook post on behalf of the Mackenzie County Incident Command Centre in which it acknowledged a home there had been consumed by fire.\n\n“We were saddened to hear one of the homes in the Blue Hills area of Mackenzie County has been lost to the fire,” reads the post, which was attributed to Joshua Knelsen.\n\n“The deepest sympathy of our entire county goes out to the members of our community who lost their home,” the post goes on to say. “I spoke with them last night and we will do our best to support them as much as we can.”\n\nKnelsen also expressed sympathy of those who lost homes in the Métis settlement of Paddle Prairie.\n\nSlave Lake on evacuation standby\n\nPeople in Slave Lake, a town that was partially destroyed in a 2011 blaze, have been told to be prepared to leave with eight hours notice because of a fire that the mayor says is burning about 30 kilometres away.\n\nWhile an evacuation order was issued Thursday afternoon for the hamlet of Marten Beach, about 20 kilometres north of Slave Lake, Slave Lake Mayor Tyler Warman said the 1,800-square-kilometre fire was not an immediate threat to his community.\n\nHowever, Alberta Wildfire said heavy smoke Thursday over the wildfires in the Slave Lake forest area reduced the “fire behaviour intensity.” As of 1 p.m. Friday, “overall fire behaviour of these wildfires was low to moderate, and they were not spreading significantly.”\n\nOn Friday morning, Slave Lake said it was at capacity and would not be accepting any more evacuees.\n\n“We recommend new evacuees follow the directions issued under the evacuation order for your community or proceed to Edmonton,” the town said. “High Level Evacuees should stay in Slave Lake.”\n\nLISTEN BELOW: Global News reporter Kent Morrison joins Ryan Jespersen on 630 CHED from Slave Lake\n\nView link »\n\n“The MD has declared a local state of emergency because of that, but we’re not panicked at this point,” said Warman, who was a town councillor and firefighter during the 2011 wildfire that raced through part of Slave Lake, destroying more that 400 homes and buildings.\n\nLISTEN BELOW: Mayor Tyler Warman joins Ryan Jespersen on 630 CHED\n\nView link »\n\nHe said the fires are bringing back memories.\n\n“We are more prepared than we have ever been. We’re more cautious than we have been in the past.”\n\nWATCH: Kent Morrison reports live from Slave Lake with the latest on Friday morning.\n\nPoor air quality due to smoke\n\nSmoke from the fires enveloped points south, including Edmonton, in a acrid haze that limited visibility and made it difficult to breathe. The thick smoke turned otherwise blue skies an eerie grey-orange across Alberta.\n\nA special air-quality statement issued by Environment Canada for the Edmonton region and later expanded to most of the province remained largely in place Friday morning.\n\nREAD MORE: Wildfire smoke can harm your lungs, your heart, and maybe even your mental health\n\n“Shifting winds are causing the smoke to drift and most of Alberta will be impacted by this smoke in the coming days,” Dreeshen said.\n\n“Smoke is a huge factor in this challenge for not only for health reasons but for the wildland firefighters on the ground. The loss of visibility makes it extremely difficult to use air supports.”\n\nSmoke has also drifted into five U.S. states — Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Washington state and Wyoming. Air quality in three Montana cities was rated unhealthy Friday morning.\n\nWATCH: The wildfires in northern Alberta impacted Edmontonians on Thursday as smoke created air quality concerns. Kendra Slugoski reports.\n\n— With files from Heide Pearson and Karen Bartko, Global News", "Smoke from Canadian wildfires drifts into 5 US states\n\nHELENA, Mont. (AP) — Smoke from large wildfires in Canada's Alberta province has drifted into five U.S. states and is causing haze and air quality issues.\n\nMore than two dozen fires are burning in Alberta and 10,000 people have been forced from their homes.\n\nThe smoke has drifted into Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Washington state and Wyoming.\n\nThe government agency Alberta Wildfire reports the largest blaze is out of control about 450 miles (733 kilometers) north of Edmonton and has burned 887 square miles (2,300 square kilometers) of land.\n\nThe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rated Helena's air quality as unhealthy Friday morning while the air quality in the Montana cities of Great Falls and Lewistown was rated as unhealthy for sensitive groups such as people with asthma or heart disease.", "HELENA, Mont. - Smoke from large wildfires in Alberta has drifted into five U.S. states and is causing haze and air quality issues.\n\nMore than two dozen fires are burning in Alberta and 10,000 people have been forced from their homes.", "Smoke from Canadian wildfires drifts into 5 US states\n\nHELENA, Mont. (AP) — Smoke from large wildfires in Canada's Alberta province has drifted into five U.S. states and is causing haze and air quality issues.\n\nMore than two dozen fires are burning in Alberta and 10,000 people have been forced from their homes.\n\nThe smoke has drifted into Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Washington state and Wyoming.\n\nThe government agency Alberta Wildfire reports the largest blaze is out of control about 450 miles (733 kilometers) north of Edmonton and has burned 887 square miles (2,300 square kilometers) of land.\n\nThe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rated Helena's air quality as unhealthy Friday morning while the air quality in the Montana cities of Great Falls and Lewistown was rated as unhealthy for sensitive groups such as people with asthma or heart disease."], "summary": "In northern Alberta, Canada, an estimated 10,000 people have been evacuated due to fast spreading wildfires."}
{"document": ["HELENA, Mont. -- Smoke from large wildfires in Canada's Alberta province has drifted into five U.S. states and is causing haze and air quality issues.\n\nMore than two dozen fires are burning in Alberta and 10,000 people have been forced from their homes.\n\nThe smoke has drifted into Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Washington state and Wyoming.\n\nAir quality in Seattle was listed as moderate Friday morning. Eastern and north-central Washington also registered moderate.\n\nThe government agency Alberta Wildfire reports the largest blaze is out of control about 450 miles north of Edmonton and has burned 887 square miles of land.\n\nThe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rated Helena's air quality as unhealthy Friday morning while the air quality in the Montana cities of Great Falls and Lewistown was rated as unhealthy for sensitive groups such as people with asthma or heart disease.\n• Click here to check air quality near you", "HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Smoke from large wildfires in Canada's Alberta province has drifted into five U.S. states and is causing haze and air quality issues.\n\nMore than two dozen fires are burning in Alberta and 10,000 people have been forced from their homes.\n\nThe smoke has drifted into Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Washington state and Wyoming.\n\nThe government agency Alberta Wildfire reports the largest blaze is out of control about 450 miles north of Edmonton and has burned 887 square miles of land.\n\nThe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rated Helena's air quality as unhealthy Friday morning while the air quality in the Montana cities of Great Falls and Lewistown was rated as unhealthy for sensitive groups such as people with asthma or heart disease.", "Air quality has been a concern in Alberta this week as several wildfires burn in the northern parts of the province.\n\nOn Saturday, special air quality statements remained in place for much of Alberta, including Edmonton, Red Deer and most of northern Alberta. However, the air quality statement for the Calgary, Airdrie and Rocky Mountain House areas had been lifted.\n\nREAD MORE: Why does the sky look yellow during a wildfire?\n\nThe thickest smoke on Saturday morning extended from northeastern British Columbia through eastern portions of Whitecourt, Drayton Valley, Red Deer and much of southern Alberta. The foothills were expected to see improvement throughout the day Saturday, with the rest of southern Alberta improving later in the afternoon and evening.\n\nAir quality was more of a concern in eastern portions of Alberta, with conditions expected to worsen Saturday afternoon and into the evening hours.\n\nNorthern Alberta was expected to remain enveloped by wildfire smoke through the weekend, according to Environment Canada.\n\nREAD MORE: Wildfire smoke can harm your lungs, your heart, and maybe even your mental health, research says\n\nAlberta’s Air Quality Health Index is measured on a scale ranging from 1 to 10+. Anything from 1-3 is considered a low risk, 4-6 is a moderate risk, 7-10 is a high risk and 10+ is very high risk.\n\nEdmonton’s air quality health index sat at a 6 late Saturday morning, a moderate risk. Conditions were expected to get worse throughout the day and reach a 10+ on the scale — a very high risk.\n\nThe air quality is expected to remain poor through the night Saturday.\n\nDuring special air quality statements, people may find themselves coughing more or experience throat irritation, headaches or shortness of breath.\n\nREAD MORE: What to look for in a mask for wildfire smoke\n\nChildren, seniors and people with cardiovascular or lung disease such as asthma and COPD are especially at risk.\n\nPeople experiencing difficulty breathing should stay inside where it’s cool and ventilated. Using an air conditioner may help. For more information, visit the Alberta Health Services website.", "Thick smoke settled into southern Alberta Thursday, and continued to stifle air quality on Friday.\n\nThursday evening, the air quality health index in Calgary jumped from a 4 to 10 in a matter of three hours.\n\nREAD MORE: Wildfire smoke can harm your lungs, your heart, and maybe even your mental health: research\n\nBy Friday morning at 11 a.m., the AQHI had launched off the charts and to a score of 18.\n\nAccording to Environment Canada’s Health Index, physical exertion and strenuous activities outdoors should be limited or avoided, especially for children, elderly and anyone with respiratory illnesses while the numbers are so high.\n\nLarge sections of northern Alberta are being consumed by wildfires and almost every day has brought new advisories and orders.\n\nThe fires are burning in multiple areas hundreds of kilometres apart, triggering evacuations of several communities in northwestern and north-central Alberta.\n\nHere is a summary of the existing alerts and orders across Alberta.\n\nTraffic issues such a road closures are posted to the Alberta 511 government website.\n\nThe smoke travelled farther south, prompting Environment Canada to expand special air quality statements to include the entire southern portion of Alberta.\n\nREAD MORE: Alberta wildfires: Evacuation alerts and orders in place across the province\n\nWinds will continue blowing from the south over the weekend, which should help improve conditions in southern Alberta.\n\nTo stay updated with weather alerts in your area, download the Global News Skytracker weather app for iPhone, iPad or Android.\n\nIN PICTURES: Smoke as seen from viewers around southern Alberta\n\nREAD MORE: Smoke from the Alberta wildfires is obscuring the sun in several U.S. cities\n\nRefer to the Government of Alberta Air Quality Health Index website for the most current AQHI rating in your area.", "HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Smoke from large wildfires in Canada's Alberta province has drifted into five U.S. states and is causing haze and air quality issues.\n\nMore than two dozen fires are burning in Alberta and 10,000 people have been forced from their homes.\n\nThe smoke has drifted into Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Washington state and Wyoming.\n\nThe government agency Alberta Wildfire reports the largest blaze is out of control about 450 miles (733 kilometers) north of Edmonton and has burned 887 square miles (2,300 square kilometers) of land.\n\nThe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rated Helena's air quality as unhealthy Friday morning while the air quality in the Montana cities of Great Falls and Lewistown was rated as unhealthy for sensitive groups such as people with asthma or heart disease.", "People across much of Alberta woke up to grey skies and a strong burning smell in the air as smoke from northern wildfires drifted south overnight.\n\nEnvironment Canada issued special air quality statements from the Edmonton region to the northern tip of the province.\n\nAreas of central Alberta were also included, including Drayton Valley, Rimbey, Pigeon Lake, Lloydminster, and Wainwright.\n\nA prediction map from FireSmoke.ca indicates the smoke will continue to flow south throughout Thursday.\n\nREAD MORE: Smoke fills Calgary skyline from wildfires burning in northern Alberta\n\nEnvironment Canada said in central parts of the province, smoke is expected to move back north by Friday morning as the flow shifts to southeasterly.\n\nThe air quality across northern Alberta is expected to remain high on the Alberta Environment air quality health index (AQHI) all day.\n\nAlberta Health measures the AQHI on a scale of one to 10, with higher numbers meaning a greater health risk.\n\nMost of Alberta, including the Edmonton region, is expected to be at a six, or “moderate risk,” on Wednesday. Some areas to the northwest, including Grande Prairie, are forecasted to be higher on the scale.\n\nEnvironment Canada said some people may experience increased coughing, throat irritation, headaches or shortness of breath due to the smoke. Children, seniors, and those with cardiovascular or lung disease, such as asthma, are especially at risk.\n\nREAD MORE: Climate change report warns of more extreme weather events in Alberta\n\nPeople with lung diseases, such as asthma and COPD, can be particularly sensitive to air pollution and will generally experience more serious health effects at lower levels. Pollution can aggravate their diseases, leading to increased medication use, doctor and emergency room visits, and hospital visits.\n\nThose with difficulty breathing are advised to stay indoors. Using an air conditioner that cools and filters air may help. The weather agency suggests if your home isn’t air-conditioned, consider going to a public place (library, shopping mall, recreation centre) that is air-conditioned.\n\nAccording to Alberta Wildfire, there were 25 active wildfires across the province as of 10 a.m. on Wednesday.\n\nOf those, six had been sparked in the last 24 hours and seven were considered to be out of control. Updated numbers are expected Thursday morning.\n\nThe fires are burning in multiple areas hundreds of kilometres apart, triggering evacuations of several communities in northwestern and north-central Alberta.\n\nMandatory evacuation orders are in effect for:\n• Town of High Level and Mackenzie Country areas south/southeast of town\n• Dene Tha’ First Nation communities of Bushe River, Meander River and Chateh\n• Keg River, Carcajou, and all residents from the northern border of the County of Northern Lights to Township Road 922 (Notikewin Road)\n• Wabasca and the Bigstone Cree Nation in the MD of Opportunity\n• Chipewyan Lake Village in in the MD of Opportunity\n\nREAD MORE: Northern Alberta MD of Opportunity communities ordered to evacuate overnight due to wildfires\n\nExperts have forecast a summer of high wildfire danger across Western Canada and have warned that climate change will continue to worsen fire seasons in the future.", "HELENA, Mont. — Smoke from large wildfires in Canada's Alberta province has drifted into five U.S. states and is causing haze and air quality issues.\n\nMore than two dozen fires are burning in Alberta and 10,000 people have been forced from their homes.\n\nThe smoke has drifted into Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Washington state and Wyoming.\n\nThe government agency Alberta Wildfire reports the largest blaze is out of control about 450 miles (733 kilometers) north of Edmonton and has burned 887 square miles (2,300 square kilometers) of land.\n\nThe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rated Helena's air quality as unhealthy Friday morning while the air quality in the Montana cities of Great Falls and Lewistown was rated as unhealthy for sensitive groups such as people with asthma or heart disease.", "Smoke from large wildfires in Canada's Alberta province has drifted into five U.S. states and is causing haze and air quality issues.\n\nMore than two dozen fires are burning in Alberta and 10,000 people have been forced from their homes.\n\nThe smoke has drifted into Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Washington state and Wyoming.\n\nThe government agency Alberta Wildfire reports the largest blaze is out of control about 450 miles (733 kilometers) north of Edmonton and has burned 887 square miles (2,300 square kilometers) of land.\n\nThe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rated Helena's air quality as unhealthy Friday morning while the air quality in the Montana cities of Great Falls and Lewistown was rated as unhealthy for sensitive groups such as people with asthma or heart disease.", "HELENA, Mont. - Smoke from large wildfires in Canada's Alberta province has drifted into five U.S. states and is causing haze and air quality issues.\n\nMore than two dozen fires are burning in Alberta and 10,000 people have been forced from their homes.\n\nThe smoke has drifted into Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Washington state and Wyoming.\n\nThe government agency Alberta Wildfire reports the largest blaze is out of control about 450 miles (733 kilometres) north of Edmonton and has burned 887 square miles (2,300 square kilometres) of land.\n\nThe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rated Helena's air quality as unhealthy Friday morning while the air quality in the Montana cities of Great Falls and Lewistown was rated as unhealthy for sensitive groups such as people with asthma or heart disease.", "HELENA, Mont. (AP) - Smoke from large wildfires in Canada's Alberta province has drifted into five U.S. states and is causing haze and air quality issues.\n\nMore than two dozen fires are burning in Alberta and 10,000 people have been forced from their homes.\n\nThe smoke has drifted into Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Washington state and Wyoming.\n\nThe government agency Alberta Wildfire reports the largest blaze is out of control about 450 miles (733 kilometers) north of Edmonton and has burned 887 square miles (2,300 square kilometers) of land.\n\nThe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency rated Helena's air quality as unhealthy Friday morning while the air quality in the Montana cities of Great Falls and Lewistown was rated as unhealthy for sensitive groups such as people with asthma or heart disease."], "summary": "Air quality warnings are issued for most of Alberta as a result of the thick smoke moving across the province. Places as far south as Calgary have reached 10+ on the Air Quality Health Index, and rated worse than some of the most polluted cities in the world."}
{"document": ["North Korea has executed five officials for their part in the failed second summit between President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, according to a South Korean newspaper.\n\nKim Hyok Chol, North Korea's special envoy to the U.S., was executed by firing squad in March for being \"won over by the American imperialists to betray the supreme leader\", according to the Chosun Ilbo.\n\nThe paper also claimed that four other North Korean Foreign Ministry officials were executed that same month because of the breakdown of the February summit in Hanoi, Vietnam, but did not provide details.\n\nJAMES CARAFANO: TRUMP AND KIM - WHAT'S REALLY GOING ON? LET'S HANDICAP NEXT STEPS WITH NORTH KOREA\n\nSeoul's spy service said it could not confirm the report, while the presidential Blue House said that \"it's inappropriate to make hasty judgments or comments.\"\n\nMike Pompeo, the U.S. Secretary of State, told reporters in Berlin that he had seen the reports and the U.S. was \"doing our best to check it out.\"\n\nJOY BEHAR LIKENS TRUMP TO A 'MOBSTER' AFTER 'DISGRACEFUL' COMMENTS ABOUT BIDEN AND NORTH KOREA\n\nTrump’s much-anticipated summit with Kim ended abruptly and without the two leaders signing any agreements over nuclear disarmament.\n\nTop Kim aide Kim Yong Chol is reportedly undergoing hard labor for his role in the breakdown.\n\nHe had been Kim’s most trusted policy adviser and was removed from one of his posts.\n\nHe even was seen in photos with President Trump at the White House over the past year, delivering letters from the North Korean dictator.\n\nCLICK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP\n\nKim Yong Chol has been North Korea’s top nuclear negotiator and the counterpart of U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo since Kim entered nuclear talks with the U.S. early last year.\n\nSince the Hanoi nuclear summit between Trump and Kim ended in failure, North Korea has again tested weapons and boosted its belligerent rhetoric toward American and South Korean officials.\n\nFox News' Bradford Betz and the Associated Press contributed to this story.", "North Korea has reportedly executed its special envoy to the U.S. and four other Foreign Ministry officials after the February U.S.-North Korea summit in Hanoi didn’t work out.According to Reuters, South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo reports that Kim Hyok Chol—who had served as U.S. …Read more via The Daily Beast Latest Articles – http://bit.ly/2I7R87J", "SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea executed its nuclear envoy to the United States as part of a purge of officials who steered negotiations for a failed summit between leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump, a South Korean newspaper said on Friday.\n\nKim Hyok Chol was executed in March at Mirim Airport in Pyongyang, along with four foreign ministry officials after they were charged with spying for the United States, the Chosun Ilbo reported, citing an unidentified source with knowledge of the situation.\n\n“He was accused of spying for the United States for poorly reporting on the negotiations without properly grasping U.S. intentions,” the source was quoted as saying.\n\nThe February summit in Vietnam’s capital Hanoi, the second between Kim and Trump, failed to reach a deal because of conflicts over U.S. calls for complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula and North Korean demands for sanctions relief.\n\nReuters was unable to independently confirm the report. Previously, some North Korean officials who were reported to have been executed or purged reappeared later with new titles.\n\nA spokeswoman at South Korea’s Unification Ministry declined to comment. An official at the presidential Blue House in Seoul said it was inappropriate to comment on an unverified report.\n\nWhite House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders declined to comment on the reports, saying, “I am not going to comment on intelligence one way or another.”\n\n“I can tell you we are monitoring the situation and continuing to stay focused on our ultimate goal, which is denuclearization,” she told reporters in Washington.\n\nThe United States is attempting to check on the reports of the envoy’s execution, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said during his visit to Berlin on Friday\n\nWhen asked about reports of a “shakeup” of Kim Jong Un’s negotiating team in a May 5 interview with ABC News, Pompeo said it did appear that his future counterpart would be somebody else “but we don’t know that for sure.”\n\nA diplomatic source told Reuters there were signs Kim Hyok Chol and other officials were punished, but there was no evidence they were executed and they may have been sent to a labor camp for re-education.\n\nThe newspaper reported that other officials had been punished, but not executed.\n\nKim Yong Chol, Kim Jong Un’s right-hand man and the counterpart to Pompeo before the Hanoi summit, had been sent to a labor and reeducation camp in Jagang Province near the Chinese border, the Chosun Ilbo reported.\n\nOfficials who worked with Kim Yong Chol have been out of the public eye since the summit, while seasoned diplomats who appeared to have been sidelined, including vice foreign minister Choe Son Hui, were seen returning to the spotlight.\n\nA South Korean lawmaker told Reuters in April that Kim Yong Chol had been removed from a key party post.\n\nRISE AND FALL\n\nKim Hyok Chol was seen as a rising star when he was appointed to spearhead working-level talks with U.S. nuclear envoy Stephen Biegun weeks before the Hanoi summit.\n\nHowever, little was known about his expertise or his role in the talks. The four executed alongside him included diplomats working on relations with Vietnam, the Chosun report said.\n\nFILE PHOTO - Kim Hyok Chol, North Korea's special representative for U.S. affairs, leaves the Government Guesthouse in Hanoi, Vietnam, February 23, 2019. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha\n\n“This is a man who might provide some tactical advice to the leader but is otherwise a message bearer with little negotiating or policymaking latitude,” said Michael Madden, a North Korea leadership expert at the Washington-based Stimson Centre.\n\n“Instead, they put in someone like Kim Hyok Chol to insulate Choe Son Hui and more substantive diplomatic personnel, to a certain degree he is expendable and his superiors are not.”\n\nThe penalized members of Kim Yong Chol’s team included Kim Song Hye, who led the preparations, and Sin Hye Yong, a newly elevated interpreter for the Hanoi summit. They were said to have been detained in a camp for political prisoners, the newspaper said.\n\nThe diplomatic source said Kim Song Hye’s punishment seemed inevitable because she was a “prime author” of the North’s plan to secure sanctions relief in return for dismantling the Yongbyon main nuclear complex.\n\nThe idea was rejected by the United States which demanded a comprehensive roadmap for denuclearization.\n\nKim Song Hye had also worked closely with Kim Yo Jong, the North Korean leader’s younger sister and a senior party official whom Kim Song Hye accompanied to South Korea for the Winter Olympics last year.\n\nKim Yo Jong was also lying low, the paper reported, citing an unidentified South Korean government official.\n\nMadden, however, said Kim Yo Jong’s status was unchanged as Kim Jong Un’s top aide, citing her attendance at key party meetings in April and appearance in state media reports.\n\nSin Hye Yong was charged with making critical interpretation mistakes that included missing an unspecified “last-minute offer” the North Korean leader supposedly made as Trump was about to walk out, Chosun reported.\n\n‘TWO-FACED’\n\nSlideshow (3 Images)\n\nNorth Korea’s official party mouthpiece Rodong Sinmun warned on Thursday that “two-faced” officials would face the “stern judgment of the revolution”.\n\n“It is an anti-Party, anti-revolutionary act to pretend to be revering the leader in front of him when you actually dream of something else,” it said in a commentary.\n\nHong Min, a senior fellow at the Korea Institute for National Unification in Seoul, said it was possible Kim Hyok Chol and other officials faced some penalty but further verification was needed.\n\n“Executing or completely removing people like him would send a very bad signal to the United States because he was the public face of the talks and it could indicate they are negating all they have discussed,” Hong said.", "North Korea carried out a purge of its top officials, holding them responsible for the collapse of the second United States-North Korea summit, reported South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo, according to Reuters.\n\nThe summit, held in Hanoi, Vietnam, was cut short and failed to produce a joint agreement.\n\nU.S. President Donald Trump had rejected Kim’s offer to shut down Yongbyon — a key nuclear facility — in return for sanctions to be “lifted in their entirety”.\n\nHowever, Trump also blamed the collapse of the talks on the fact that his former lawyer Michael Cohen was questioned during an open hearing on the same day as the summit.\n\nDespite it being hyped by North Korean state media, with possible sanctions relief to help alleviate North Korea’s economic woes, Kim ultimately returned home with nothing to show for the trip.\n\nSince the breakdown of the summit, nuclear talks have also stalled.\n\nThe officials who were reportedly executed include North Korea’s special envoy to the U.S., Kim Hyok-chol.\n\nKim, who acted as a negotiations counterpart to the U.S. special representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun, was charged with spying for the U.S.\n\nChosun Ilbo, quoting an unnamed North Korean source, said he was investigated and executed at Mirim Airport in March, along with four foreign ministry officials who carried out working-level negotiations for the Hanoi summit in February.\n\nLee Seong-hyon, a researcher at the South Korea-based think tank Sejong Instite, told the Financial Times that ‘bloodshed’ of this sort is very normal under Kim’s rule.\n\nThe purging was also said to be carried out by Kim Jong-un to divert attention from growing discontent in the totalitarian state.\n\nKim Yong-chol, Kim Jong-un’s right-hand man and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s counterpart in the lead-up to the Hanoi summit, was sentenced to forced labour in Jagang Province, a remote northern province, Chosun Ilbo reported.\n\nHe was also subjected to ideological education.\n\nKim Song-hye, a senior female nuclear negotiator who worked with Kim Hyok-chol, was also reportedly sent to a political prison camp.\n\nAnd Shin Hye-yong, the translator at the Hanoi summit was also reportedly sent to a prison camp for undermining Kim Jong-un’s authority by making a critical translation mistake.\n\nKim Jong-un’s sister, Kim Yo-jong, who assisted him in Hanoi, was also told to lie low, according to an unnamed South Korean official quoted in Chosun Ilbo.\n\nSouth Korean analysts have speculated in recent weeks that Kim may be planning a reshuffle or a purge of his negotiating team following the Hanoi summit.\n\nRodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of North Korea’s ruling Workers’ Party, published a commentary on Thursday that warned against “traitors” who only “memorise words of loyalty towards the Leader”, but change according to “the trend of time”.\n\nChosun Ilbo said this is the first time since the 2013 execution of Kim Jong-un’s uncle, Jang Song-thaek, that terms such as “anti-party” and “stern judgment” appeared in Rodong Sinmun.", "North Korea executed its former top nuclear envoy with the U.S. along with four other foreign ministry officials in March after a failed summit between Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump in Vietnam, South Korea’s Chosun Ilbo newspaper reported.\n\nKim Hyok Chol, who led working-level negotiations for the February summit in Hanoi, was executed by firing squad after being charged with espionage for allegedly being co-opted by the U.S., the newspaper said, citing an unidentified source. The move was part of an internal purge Kim undertook after the summit broke down without any deal, it said.\n\nPrevious reports in South Korea media about senior North Korean officials being executed have proven false. Speculation has swirled for months about the fate of Kim Hyok Chol, who hasn’t received any mentions in state media reports.\n\nTalks between the U.S. and North Korea have stalled since the Vietnam summit, with no plans for them to get underway. Stephen Biegun, the Trump administration’s nuclear envoy to North Korea and Kim Hyok Chol’s counterpart, plans to meet with Japanese and South Korean negotiators this weekend in Singapore.\n\nThe February summit in Hanoi abruptly collapsed, with Trump calling off the talks. Analysts said Kim may have overplayed his hand by seeking too much sanctions relief and offering too few nuclear disarmament steps in return.\n\nA career diplomat known for his expertise in nuclear deterrence against the U.S., Kim Hyok Chol’s appointment earlier this year as Biegun’s counterpart surprised North Korea watchers. One South Korean TV outlet drew a circle around him in a video from a White House meeting between Trump and North Korean officials, asking who he was.\n\nKim Jong Un’s top aide Kim Yong Chol is reportedly undergoing hard labor, according to the South Korean newspaper report.", "North Korea has reportedly executed several Foreign Ministry officials, including its special envoy to the U.S., over the collapse of dictator Kim Jong-un’s Vietnam summit with President Trump.\n\n“Kim Hyok-chol was investigated and executed at Mirim Airport with four foreign ministry officials in March,” an unnamed North Korean officials told a South Korean newspaper for Friday’s editions.\n\nAnother official, Kim Yong-chol, was punished with forced labor and “ideological education,” according to the Chosun Ilbo paper.\n\nOther purge victims, according to a Reuters news agency translation of the Korean newspaper’s report are Kim Song-hye, who helped oversee working-level negotiations, and Shin Hye-yong, Kim Jong-un’s interpreter, who was blamed for a translation error.\n\nThose two individuals have been sent to political prison camps, Chosun Ilbo reported.", "North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un executed his top negotiator and other officials, after charging them with spying for the United States as part of a “brutal” purge after the failed summit with the U.S. earlier this year, South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo reported on Friday, citing a source.\n\nThe U.S. and North Korea failed to make any progress in the summit in Hanoi in February, with the U.S. demanding denuclearization while Pyongyang wanting sanctions relief first.\n\nShortly after the failed summit, North Korea’s top nuclear envoy in the talks before the summit, Kim Hyok-chol, was shot dead at the Mirim Airport in March, alongside four other senior officials, on charges that they had spied for the United States, Chosun Ilbo reports today.\n\nKim Jong Un’s former right-hand man, Kim Yong-chol, was sent to a labor and re-education camp, while other officials and the interpreter for North Korea’s leader at the summit were sent to political prison camps, according to Chosun Ilbo’s source.\n\nAccording to a diplomatic source who spoke to Reuters, there have been signs that some of the above-mentioned officials have been sent to camps, but no evidence was available showing that some had been executed.\n\nThe U.S. is trying to check the information of the report, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said at a news conference while in Berlin on Friday.\n\nAt the February summit, North Korea was demanding some relief from the sanctions before committing to steps to denuclearization, as UN sanctions are choking off its energy supply.\n\nNorth Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile program remains intact while the country continues to defy UN resolutions with significantly increased illegal ship-to-ship oil and coal transfers, a UN Panel of Experts wrote in an annual report in March. North Korea is using increasingly advanced and inventive techniques to evade the oil sanctions, including manipulation of vessel AIS transmission systems, physical disguise of tankers, illegal name-changing and other forms of identity fraud, night transfers, and the use of additional vessels for transshipment, the panel of experts said.\n\nNorth Korea is also reportedly looking to renewable and other alternative energy sources as it is unable to procure enough oil, coal, fuel, and diesel under the UN sanctions.", "North Korea executed its special envoy to the United States following the collapse of the second summit between leader Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump, a South Korean newspaper reported Friday.\n\n[SEOUL] North Korea executed its special envoy to the United States following the collapse of the second summit between leader Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump, a South Korean newspaper reported Friday.\n\nThe Chosun Ilbo said Kim Hyok Chol, who laid the groundwork for the Hanoi meeting and accompanied Kim on his private train, was executed by firing squad for \"betraying the supreme leader\" after he was turned by the US.\n\n\"Kim Hyok Chol was executed in March at Mirim Airport along with four senior foreign ministry officials following an investigation,\" the newspaper quoted an unidentified source as saying.\n\nThe other officials were not named.\n\nKim Hyok Chol was the North's counterpart of US special representative Stephen Biegun in the run-up to the Hanoi summit in February.\n\nSouth Korea's Unification Ministry, which handles inter-Korean relations, declined to comment on the report.\n\nThe paper also said Kim Jong Un's interpreter Shin Hye Yong was sent to a prison camp for a mistake at the summit.\n\nShe failed to translate Kim's new proposal when Trump declared \"no deal\" and walked away from the table, Chosun reported, citing another unnamed diplomatic source.\n\nKim Jong Un and Mr Trump left the Vietnamese capital without a deal after they failed to reach agreement on rolling back Pyongyang's nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief.\n\nThe North has since sought to raise the pressure and carried out two short-range missile tests in May.\n\nSenior party official Kim Yong Chol, the North's counterpart to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in nuclear talks, was also sent to a labour camp, the paper said.\n\nIn April, South Korea's parliamentary intelligence committee said Kim Yong Chol had been censured over his handling of the Hanoi summit, despite the fact he had recently been named a member of the State Affairs Commission, a supreme governing body chaired by Kim Jong Un.\n\nNews of the reported purge came as North Korea's official Rodong Sinmun newspaper, mouthpiece of the ruling party, on Thursday warned that officials who committed anti-party or anti-revolutionary acts would face the \"stern judgement of the revolution\".\n\nPrevious South Korean reports of North Korean purges and executions have later proved inaccurate.\n\nThe Chosun Ilbo itself incorrectly reported in 2013 that Hyon Song Wol, head of the North's Samjiyon Orchestra, was executed by firing squad for distributing and watching pornographic content.\n\nAnd the Unification Ministry also mistakenly announced in February 2016 that Ri Yong Gil, chief of the general staff of the North Korean People's Army, had been executed.", "SEOUL: North Korea executed its special envoy to the United States following the collapse of the second summit between leader Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump, a South Korean newspaper reported on Friday.\n\nThe Chosun Ilbo said Kim Hyok Chol, who laid the groundwork for the Hanoi meeting and accompanied Kim on his private train, was executed by firing squad for \"betraying the supreme leader\" after he was \"won over to the US\" during pre-summit negotiations.\n\n\"Kim Hyok Chol was executed in March at Mirim Airport along with four senior foreign ministry officials following an investigation,\" the newspaper quoted an unidentified source as saying. The other officials were not named.\n\nAsked about the account, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Washington was trying to verify it. \"We’ve seen the reporting to which you’re referring. We’re doing our best to check it out,\" he told reporters on a visit to Berlin.\n\n\"I don’t have anything else to add to that today.\" Kim Hyok Chol was the North’s counterpart of US special representative Stephen Biegun in the run-up to the Hanoi summit in February. South Korea’s Unification Ministry, which handles inter-Korean relations, declined to comment on the report.\n\nSome previous South Korean reports of North Korean purges and executions have later proved inaccurate. The paper also said Kim Jong Un’s interpreter Shin Hye Yong was sent to a prison camp for a mistake at the summit.\n\nShe failed to translate Kim’s new proposal when Trump declared \"no deal\" and walked away from the table, Chosun reported, citing another unnamed diplomatic source. Kim Jong Un and Trump left the Vietnamese capital without a deal after they failed to reach agreement on rolling back Pyongyang’s nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief.\n\nThe North has since sought to raise the pressure and carried out two short-range missile tests in May. Senior party official Kim Yong Chol, the North’s counterpart to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in nuclear talks, was also sent to a labour camp, the paper said.", "North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has reportedly executed his special envoy on nuclear talks with the United States in the wake of a failed summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in Hanoi in February.\n\n \n\n Envoy Kim Hyok Chol and four unidentified Foreign Ministry employees were executed in March at Pyongyang's Mirim Airport after being accused of spying for the United States, according to the South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo.\n\n \n\n The paper cited an unidentified North Korean source.\n\n \n\n \"[Kim Hyok Chol] was accused of spying for the United States for poorly reporting on the negotiations without properly grasping U.S. intentions,\" the source was quoted as saying.\n\n \n\n In addition, Kim Yong Chol, the counterpart to U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in the nuclear talks, has been sent to a labor and \"reeducation\" camp in the northern part of the country, the daily reported.\n\n \n\n The moves were apparently part of a sweeping purge of officials involved in the negotiations, several of whom have not been heard from since the summit.\n\n \n\n Trump has made the negotiations with North Korea a centerpiece of his foreign policy and has repeatedly made approving statements about Kim Jong Un.\n\n \n\n During a visit to Japan on May 26, Trump posted on Twitter that \"North Korea fired off some small weapons, which disturbed some of my people, and others, but not me.\"\n\nThe post came shortly after the State Department said the May 4 and May 9 short-range missile tests violated UN Security Council resolutions.\n\n \n\n Trump also expressed a willingness to hold a third summit with Kim in an effort to restrain North Korea's nuclear and missile programs in exchange for sanctions relief.\n\nBased on reporting by Reuters, AP, and AFP"], "summary": "According to South Korean media, North Korea executed five officials back in March, including Kim Hyok-chol, its nuclear envoy to the United States, for their part in the failed second summit in Hanoi. In addition, three other officials involved in the summit have reportedly been sent to a camp for political prisoners."}
{"document": ["San Diego -- Attorneys for a decorated Navy SEAL facing a murder trial in the death of an Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) prisoner will try again Friday to have the case dismissed, after their client was unexpectedly freed from custody.\n\nA military judge released Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher from custody Thursday, drawing gasps in a San Diego courtroom.\n\nThe judge, Capt. Aaron Rugh, said releasing the platoon leader was a remedy for prosecutors interfering with his Sixth Amendment right to counsel.\n\nGallagher's lawyers have condemned the prosecution for launching an unusual effort to find the source of news leaks in the politically charged case by embedding tracking code in emails sent to defense attorneys and a Navy Times journalist.\n\nDefense attorney Tim Parlatore had accused prosecutors of a \"rogue, relentless, and unlawful cyber campaign\" that may have violated attorney-client privilege and hurt his client's ability to get a fair trial.\n\nGallagher's wife, Andrea, who has led a campaign to free her husband, put her hands to her face and burst into tears.\n\nNavy Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher hugs his wife, Andrea Gallagher, after leaving a military courtroom on Naval Base San Diego on May 30, 2019; the decorated Navy SEAL is facing a murder trial in the death of an ISIS prisoner was freed from custody after a military judge cited interference by prosecutors Julie Watson / AP\n\n\"I feel like it's a small victory on the way to the larger victory,\" Andrea Gallagher said outside court while her husband stood quietly by her side in his Navy whites.\n\n\"We have been utterly terrorized by this entire farce of a case,\" Andrea Gallagher said.\n\nHe didn't comment, on the advice of his attorneys.\n\nA spokesman for the Navy prosecutors also wouldn't comment on Gallagher's freedom or developments at the hearing, which continues Friday.\n\nGallagher has pleaded not guilty to murder in the death of an injured teenage militant in Iraq in 2017 and attempted murder for allegedly picking off civilians from a sniper's perch.\n\nHis platoon supervisor, Lt. Jacob Portier, is fighting charges of conduct unbecoming an officer for allegedly conducting Gallagher's re-enlistment ceremony next to the militant's corpse.\n\nEfforts to get the case thrown out come as President Trump considers pardoning several service members accused of war crimes, including Gallagher, who faces trial June 10.\n\nOne of Gallagher's civilian defense attorneys, Marc Mukasey, is also a personal lawyer for the president, the Reuters news service notes.\n\nGallagher could face life in prison if he's convicted of all the charges, including murder, attempted\n\nmurder and obstructing justice, Reuters points out.\n\nGallagher says fellow SEALS testifying against him -- several after being granted immunity -- are disgruntled subordinates who made up allegations in an effort to get him stripped of his command, Reuters adds.\n\nEvidence at the hearing showed prosecutors enlisted a Naval Criminal Investigative Service intelligence specialist to conduct criminal background checks on three civilian lawyers, including Parlatore, and a journalist with the Navy Times who has broken several stories based on leaked documents.\n\nOn Thursday, Rugh said investigators told him privately that they planned to embed code in what he believed to be a court document to help them find the source of leaks but the judge said he didn't have the power to authorize it and wasn't told they planned to target emails sent to the defense lawyers or a journalist.\n\nThe lead prosecutor downplayed the move at a related hearing earlier in the day. Cmdr. Christopher Czaplak said the code embedded in the email recorded nothing more than where and when messages were opened by recipients.\n\nCzaplak said the tracking ended May 10 after he was confronted by defense lawyers who discovered the code in an unusual logo of an American flag with a bald eagle perched on the scales of justice beneath Czaplak's signature.\n\nOn Thursday, Czaplak said the code was similar to what marketers use to see when an email is opened and on what device.\n\n\"It's still a web bug and it's still unethical,\" countered defense lawyer Jeremiah J. Sullivan III, who represents Portier.\n\nThe judge in Portier's case, Capt. Jonathan Stephens, said from what he had seen the tracking effort wasn't able to view the contents of any emails.\n\nSeveral experts testified that the code couldn't generally be used to identify a specific person or capture content.", "Military judge frees Navy SEAL from custody in advance of murder trial in death of Islamic State prisoner.", "Military judge frees Navy SEAL from custody in advance of murder trial in death of Islamic State prisoner\n\nSAN DIEGO (AP) — Military judge frees Navy SEAL from custody in advance of murder trial in death of Islamic State prisoner.", "Military judge frees Navy SEAL from custody in advance of murder trial in death of Islamic State prisoner\n\n(AP) — Military judge frees Navy SEAL from custody in advance of murder trial in death of Islamic State prisoner.\n\nCopyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.", "SAN DIEGO — The Latest on the court case of a Navy SEAL accused of murder (all times local):\n\nA military judge has released a Navy SEAL from custody in advance of his murder trial in the death of an Islamic State prisoner.\n\nCapt. Aaron Rugh said Thursday that he was freeing Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher as a remedy for interference by prosecutors.\n\nDefense lawyers accuse the prosecutors of misconduct for an effort to track defense lawyers’ emails that they say violated attorney-client privilege.\n\nGallagher will be freed as his lawyers continue to argue that the case be dismissed. He is scheduled to face trial June 10.\n\n\n\n This undated selfie photo provided by Andrea Gallagher shows her husband, Navy SEAL Edward Gallagher, who has been charged with murder in the 2017 death of an Iraqi war prisoner. Lawyers for Gallagher are seeking to have the charges dismissed for alleged prosecutorial misconduct. Attorneys for Special Operations Chief Gallagher are scheduled to argue in military court Wednesday, May 29, 2019, that the case against him has been tainted by lies, withholding evidence and conducting surveillance on the defense. (Edward Gallagher via AP) (Associated Press)\n\nThere were gasps in the courtroom as Rugh made the announcement. Gallagher’s wife put her head in her hands and burst into tears.\n\nA military judge overseeing the case of a Navy SEAL charged with murder says he never approved an effort by prosecutors to track defense lawyers’ emails.\n\nCapt. Aaron Rugh said Thursday he knew Navy investigators were trying to find the source of leaked court documents, but did not know of or approve any email tracking.\n\nDefense lawyers say the move amounted to prosecutorial misconduct and they want charges against Gallagher dismissed or prosecutors removed from the case.\n\nA military prosecutor downplayed the tracking effort, saying it did nothing more than record information on where and when emails were opened by recipients.\n\nDefense lawyer Tim Parlatore withdrew his motion to have the judge removed from the case after learning Rugh was kept in the dark about what prosecutors did.\n\nA military prosecutor has downplayed an effort to track emails of lawyers defending a Navy SEAL charged with murder.\n\nCmdr. Christopher Czaplak (CHAP-lak) said Thursday that the investigation to find the source of news leaks in the case of Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher did nothing more than record information on where and when email messages were opened by recipients.\n\nDefense lawyers say prosecutors engaged in misconduct and want charges against Gallagher dismissed or prosecutors removed from the case.\n\nCzaplak says the emails contained code similar to what marketers use to see the internet protocol address where an email was opened and when.\n\nDefense lawyers have called the device a web bug and have said the tracking was unethical.\n\nLawyers for a Navy SEAL accused of killing an Islamic State prisoner say prosecutors lied, withheld evidence and illegally conducted surveillance of the defense team.\n\nAttorneys for Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher are scheduled to ask a military judge Thursday in San Diego to dismiss the charges or kick prosecutors off the case for misconduct.\n\nDefense lawyer Tim Parlatore says the government’s conduct irreparably tainted the politically charged case.\n\nAttorneys are also seeking more information on efforts by prosecutors to plant tracking software in emails sent to the defense and a journalist.\n\nThe Navy has said the software was used as part of an investigation to find the source of news leaks and that it did nothing wrong and has no plans to remove the prosecutor.\n\nCopyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.", "A Navy SEAL accused of killing an injured teenage ISIS prisoner of war in Iraq was freed from custody on Thursday by a military judge as a move to rectify unsanctioned tracking of the defense team’s emails.\n\nThe judge, Capt. Aaron Rugh, has not ruled yet on whether to throw out the case against Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher or remove the prosecutors who allegedly attached tracking software to emails they sent to Gallagher’s lawyers in a bid to find the source of leaks to the media about the case.\n\nWIFE OF NAVY SEAL EDDIE GALLAGHER SAYS MILITARY PROSECUTORS SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED OVER ‘CRIMINAL WRONGDOING’\n\nGallagher’s attorneys accused the prosecutors of misconduct and initially demanded that Rugh be removed from the case. The motion against the judge was withdrawn after it was revealed that Rugh did not know of the email tracking methods despite condoning finding out who leaked court memos.\n\nAttorney Tim Parlatore accused prosecutors of a “rogue, relentless, and unlawful cyber campaign” that may have violated attorney-client privilege and hurt Gallagher’s ability to get a fair trial. Marc Mukasey, another member of Gallagher’s legal team, is an attorney for President Trump, who has reportedly considered pardoning the Navy SEAL along with several other military personnel accused or convicted of war crimes, according to The New York Times.\n\nTrump previously got Gallagher removed from the brig and transferred to better custody conditions at a Navy hospital.\n\nCLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS APP\n\nGallagher is set to face trial on June 10. He is accused of fatally stabbing a 15-year old ISIS fighter to death in Iraq in 2017, shooting two civilians in the same year, and opening fire on crowds, all charges which he has pleaded not guilty to.\n\nHis platoon supervisor, Lt. Jacob Portier, is fighting charges of conduct unbecoming an officer for allegedly conducting Gallagher’s re-enlistment ceremony next to the militant’s corpse.\n\nThe Associated Press contributed to this report.", "May 31 (UPI) -- A Navy SEAL accused of war crimes was released from pretrial custody after a military judge cited prosecutors interfered with the case, according to officials.\n\nNavy SEAL Chief Eddie Gallagher, 39, was being held at Naval Medical Center San Diego ahead of his court-martial for allegedly committing war crimes, including the killing of a wounded 15-year-old Islamic State militant.\n\nMilitary Judge Capt. Aaron Rugh released Gallagher following the five-hour hearing Thursday due to prosecutors interfering with the case by placing trackers on emails, Navy Region Southwest spokesman Brian O'Rouke said.\n\n\"That means he is free from restriction,\" O'Rouke said following the hearing, adding that his release is because of \"all the interference with the email tracking,\" The Orange County Register reported.\n\nHis release follows earlier hearings where attorney Tim Parloatore, Gallagher's defense, argued for charges against his client to be dropped due to the prosecutor having placed trackers on emails sent to members of the defense and to an editor of Navy Times.\n\n\"It is illegal for the government to use [email] in the way they did without a warrant,\" Parlatore told Military Times. \"What this constitutes is a warrantless surveillance of private citizens, including media, by the military -- We should be terrified.\"\n\nThe defense has argued the case should be dismissed due to the alleged misconduct by the prosecution team and that Gallagher's team intends to again request for the charges to be dismissed Friday, The Orange Country Register reported.\n\nGallagher was arrested Sept. 11 at Camp Pendleton's Intrepid Spirit Center and faces four counts of violating military law, including the most serious for the alleged killing of a 15-year-old IS militant.\n\nHe has pleaded not guilty to all charges.\n\nIn March following months of campaigning from the SEAL's family, President Donald Trump tweeted that he would have Gallagher moved from a military brig to be held to a less restrictive location.\n\n\"In honor of his past service to our country, Navy SEAL Eddie Gallagher will soon be moved to less restrictive confinement while he awaits his day in court,\" Trump tweeted March 30. \"Process should move quickly.\"", "Eddie Gallagher accused of murder in the death of an Islamic State prisoner and two civilian Islamists was freed by a judge Thursday who cited interference by the prosecutors.\n\nHis wife cried and the courtroom gasped. He is one of the men under consideration for a pardon by President Trump. Trump previously got Gallagher removed from the brig and transferred to better custody conditions at a Navy hospital.\n\nLawyers for Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher presented evidence to get the case dismissed because of prosecutorial misconduct.\n\nThe judge has not ruled yet on whether to throw out the case or remove prosecutors for launching an unusual effort to track emails sent to defense lawyers and a journalist to find the source of news leaks in the politically charged case. That hearing continues Friday.\n\nJudge, Capt. Aaron Rugh, also said Gallagher’s 6th Amendment rights have been violated and prosecutors interfered with his right to counsel.\n\nDefense attorney Tim Parlatore had accused prosecutors of a “rogue, relentless, and unlawful cyber campaign” and prosecutors hired a Navy intelligence expert to do a criminal background check on the civilian lawyers.\n\nGallagher, a highly decorated Navy SEAL has pleaded not guilty to murder in the death of an injured teenage militant in Iraq in 2017 and not guilty to attempted murder for allegedly picking off civilians from a sniper’s perch. He had his picture taken near one of the dead.\n\nBut the central question in Gallagher’s case is whether he and other SEALs rendered first aid to the wounded Islamic State fighter or if they executed him.\n\nGallagher served for twenty years and eight combat tours. He suffers from multiple head injuries.\n\nBecause the military judge has sealed most evidence in the case and has placed a gag order on all parties, Stackhouse said he can’t address specific allegations or delve into most details of the NCIS probe.\n\n“But what we’ve learned in our independent investigation into these allegations is that a crime simply didn’t happen,” he said.\n\nStackhouse traces the beginning of the NCIS investigation to April, while Gallagher was preparing to retire from the Navy and leave California for Florida.\n\nOpened on April 4, the base facility aids service members recovering from traumatic brain injury. Stackhouse said that Gallagher suffers from multiple head injuries incurred during his combat duty overseas. Gallagher, 39, grew up in Indiana and first enlisted in the Navy in 1999. He first served as a corpsman attached to the Marines; 14 years ago, he became a SEAL. He was promoted to chief in 2015. He has been awarded two Bronze stars with V device, Meritorious Unit commendation, Presidential Unit citation two Navy Commendation medals, three Navy and Marine Corps Achievement medals- one with V device, and four good conduct awards. We don’t know the details of the event but many soldiers languish in U.S. military prisons undeservedly for years.", "SAN DIEGO (AP) - The Latest on the court case of a Navy SEAL charged with murder (all times local):\n\nA military judge has chided investigators in a Navy SEAL's war crimes case for not testifying about who authorized a scheme to snoop on defense lawyer emails.\n\nCapt. Aaron Rugh (ROO) said Friday that refusal to testify could be a sign of culpability.\n\nRugh is considering whether to dismiss murder and other charges against Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher.\n\nDefense lawyers accuse prosecutors of misconduct and want them removed if the judge doesn't throw the case out.\n\nProsecutors have downplayed the effort to embed code in emails sent to the defense and a journalist in an effort to find the source of news leaks.\n\nRugh unexpectedly released Gallagher from custody Thursday as a remedy for interference by prosecutors.\n\nGallagher has pleaded not guilty to crimes in Iraq.\n\nAttorneys for a decorated Navy SEAL facing a murder trial in the death of an Islamic State prisoner will try again to have the case dismissed after their client was unexpectedly freed from custody.\n\nA military judge in San Diego released Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher on Thursday, saying it was a remedy after prosecutors interfered with his Sixth Amendment right to counsel.\n\nGallagher's lawyers have condemned the prosecution for launching an unusual effort to find the source of news leaks in the politically charged case by embedding tracking code in emails sent to defense attorneys and a reporter.\n\nThe hearing on their request to dismiss the case continues Friday.\n\nFILE - This 2018 file photo provided by Andrea Gallagher shows her husband, Navy SEAL Edward Gallagher, who has been charged with murder in the 2017 death of an Iraqi war prisoner. Lawyers for Gallagher are seeking to have the charges dismissed for alleged prosecutorial misconduct. Attorneys for Special Operations Chief Gallagher are scheduled to argue in military court Wednesday, May 29, 2019, that the case against him has been tainted by lies, withholding evidence and conducting surveillance on the defense. (Andrea Gallagher via AP, File)", "SAN DIEGO — A decorated Navy SEAL facing a murder trial in the death of an Islamic State prisoner was freed Thursday from custody after a military judge cited interference by prosecutors.\n\nThe unexpected move drew gasps from those at a hearing in a San Diego courtroom in which lawyers for Special Operations Chief Edward Gallagher sought to get the case dismissed for prosecutorial misconduct.\n\nGallagher’s wife, Andrea, who has led a campaign to free her husband, put her head in her hands and burst into tears.\n\nThe judge, Capt. Aaron Rugh, has not ruled yet on whether to throw out the case or remove prosecutors over tracking emails sent to defense lawyers and a journalist in an effort to find the source of news leaks in the politically charged case. He said freeing Gallagher at this point would be a remedy for interference by prosecutors.\n\nAttorney Tim Parlatore accused prosecutors of a “rogue, relentless, and unlawful cyber campaign” that may have violated attorney-client privilege and hurt Gallagher’s ability to get a fair trial.\n\nEfforts to get the case thrown out come as President Donald Trump considers pardoning several service members accused of war crimes, including Gallagher. Gallagher faces trial June 10.\n\nTrump previously got Gallagher removed from the brig and transferred to better custody conditions at a Navy hospital.\n\nDuring the hearing Thursday, Rugh indicated he was kept in the dark by prosecutors about the email monitoring.\n\nRugh said prosecutors had told him privately they planned to embed code in what he believed to be a court document to help them find the source of leaks. But he said he didn’t have the power to authorize such an investigative tool, and wasn’t told they planned to plant the code in emails to defense lawyers or a journalist.\n\nRugh said he thought prosecutors were coordinating the investigation with the U.S. attorney’s office in San Diego. Rugh said he wasn’t aware that a federal prosecutor told the military prosecutor to make sure they had the judge’s approval before launching the tracking effort.\n\nParlatore withdrew his motion to have the judge removed from the case after learning he had not authorized the scheme.\n\nThe lead prosecutor downplayed the move at a related hearing earlier in the day. Cmdr. Christopher Czaplak said the code recorded nothing more than where and when email messages were opened by recipients that included a journalist for the Navy Times.\n\nGallagher has pleaded not guilty to murder in the death of an injured teenage militant in Iraq in 2017 and attempted murder for allegedly picking off civilians from a sniper’s perch.\n\nHis platoon supervisor, Lt. Jacob Portier, is fighting charges of conduct unbecoming an officer for allegedly conducting Gallagher’s re-enlistment ceremony next to the militant’s corpse.\n\nDefense lawyer Jeremiah J. Sullivan III, who represents Portier, said there was no probable cause for the tracking effort, which was discovered in an unusual logo of an American flag with a bald eagle perched on the scales of justice beneath Czaplak’s signature.\n\nCzaplak said the tracking ended May 10 after he was confronted by defense lawyers and acknowledged the effort in a closed-door hearing. He disclosed no other details at the time.\n\nOn Thursday Czaplak said the emails contained code similar to what marketers use to see when an email is opened and what device was used to open it.\n\n“It’s still a web bug and it’s still unethical,” Sullivan said.\n\nThe judge in Portier’s case, Capt. Jonathan Stephens, said from what he had seen the tracking effort wasn’t able to view the contents of any emails.\n\nSeveral experts testified that the code embedded in a signature line in the emails collected information on internet protocol addresses and could tell what web browser was being used, the duration it was open and could see if the message had been forwarded. But the information couldn’t generally be used to identify a specific person or capture content.\n\nJosiah Roloff, a data forensics examiner from Spokane, Washington, said the code is typically used by marketing companies and he’s seen it used in undercover investigations. But he said he’s never seen it used to target defense lawyers."], "summary": "Eddie Gallagher, a U.S. Navy Seal charged with the murder of an ISIL prisoner, attempted murder of civilians, and obstruction of justice, is temporarily released from custody amidst allegations of misconduct by Navy prosecutors."}
{"document": ["SATURDAY:\n\n8 a.m: Virginia Beach officials have been released the names of the victims in the mass shooting.\n\n11 p.m. The suspect lived in a condominium off Witchduck Road, which police raided Friday night. He was known as a quiet person who kept to himself. A neighbor of the suspect, Cassetty Howerin, who spoke with WAVY’s Andy Fox and said she never imagined he would do something like that.\n\n10:38 p.m. — DeWayne Craddock, 40, has been identified as the suspect in the Municipal Center. Police Chief Jim Cervera says Craddock was a longtime employee with the city.\n\n10:08 p.m. — Sentara officials say four injured victims from today’s shooting are still in the hospital. Three patients are at Sentara Virginia Beach General, with two in critical condition and one in fair condition. Another victim who was taken to Norfolk General is still in critical condition. They say another patient checked themselves into Sentara Princess Anne, but was released from the emergency department Friday night.\n\n9:50 p.m. — Police Chief Jim Cervera says another victim has been pronounced dead. 12 people, as well as the gunman, have been confirmed deceased in total following today’s mass shooting at the Virginia Beach Municipal Center. Multiple people are still injured and at local hospitals.\n\nThe suspect, who was a Virginia Beach city employee with access to the building, was reloading his weapon, a .45 caliber handgun with a suppressor and an extended magazine, when he shot following a gun battle with police. Cervera said authorities are in the process of identifying victims so they can make notifications to their families. He said police received the initial call for the shooting shortly after 4 p.m.\n\nCervera says city emergency officials had trained extensively and are “highly qualified” in the event of an active shooter.\n\n9:20 p.m. The mayors of fellow Hampton Roads cities are sending their condolences to their neighbors in Virginia Beach. Norfolk Mayor Kenny Alexander and Chesapeake Mayor Rick West both released statements after the shooting.\n\nToday’s heartbreaking tragedy has spread grief throughout the region.\n\n\n\nOn behalf of #NorfolkVA City Council, city workers and residents we offer @CityofVaBeach condolences and unwavering support. pic.twitter.com/sfsWLCmbvd — Kenneth Alexander (@KennyAlexander) June 1, 2019\n\nA message from Chesapeake Mayor Rick West: On behalf of the City of Chesapeake, I want to offer my sincere condolences to the victims of today's horrific event in Virginia Beach, as well as their families. (1/3) — City of Chesapeake (@AboutChesapeake) June 1, 2019\n\nThe latest as of 8:46 p.m. — Congresswoman Elaine Luria, who represents Virginia Beach, was being briefed on the shooting before a 9:30 p.m. press conference and released a statement:\n\n“This is a day that will change Virginia Beach forever. I grieve for those who lost their lives, their families, and everyone who loved them. I wish a speedy recovery to all who are injured, and I thank the first responders, medical personnel, and law enforcement for their invaluable bravery and service. Now is the time for healing, coming together, and determining ways to prevent this kind of tragedy from happening again.”\n\n8:40 p.m. First responders are using Princess Anne Middle School as a way to reunite survivors with their families and loved ones following Friday’s shooting.\n\n8:33 p.m. — The Municipal Center shooting happened just about a month after the Pharrell Williams-led Something in the Water festival, which was seen as a major success for the region, bringing people from all backgrounds together for a weekend of music and culture at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront.\n\nWilliams, a Virginia Beach native, tweeted about the tragedy on Friday night, saying, “We are resilient. We will not only get through this, but we’ll come out of this stronger than before we always do.”\n\nWe are praying for our city, the lives that were lost, their families and everyone affected.\n\nWe are resilient.\n\nWe will not only get through this but we’ll come out of this stronger than before we always do.#VIRGINIABEACH 🌍 — Pharrell Williams (@Pharrell) May 31, 2019\n\n\"This makes a little trash on the beach seem so little now,\" -said one @CityofVaBeach employee. Gosh…isn't that the truth. @WAVY_News — Brett Hall (@BrettHNews) June 1, 2019\n\n7:15 p.m. Governor Ralph Northam arrives at the Municipal Center, telling WAVY’s Andy Fox it was “a horrific day for Virginia.”\n\n6:46 p.m. 11 victims have been pronounced dead, as well as the gunman, and another six are injured following Friday’s shooting at the Virginia Beach Municipal Center, Virginia Beach Police Chief Jim Cervera confirmed in a press conference.\n\nA Virginia Beach police officer was shot in the incident, but was protected by a bulletproof vest. He’s expected to be OK.\n\nThe gunman was a longtime public works city employee.\n\nVirginia Beach Mayor Bobby Dyer said this goes down as the most devastating day in the city’s history.\n\n6:34 p.m. — WAVY’s Andy Fox reports that multiple city sources say the suspect, who is now deceased, is a disgruntled former city employee who was fired on Thursday, and multiple people are feared to be dead following the shooting. The latest died at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, Andy Fox reports. However official number of causalities has not been confirmed at this time, and the situation remains active.\n\n6:29 p.m. Six shooting victims have been taken to area hospitals after an active shooting incident at the Virginia Beach Municipal Center, including one to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital. One suspect was taken into custody, and city sources tell WAVY’s Jason Marks the suspect was pronounced dead.\n\nA press conference on the situation was set for 6:15 p.m. but has been delayed.\n\nWoman tells @AndyFoxWAVY she is a public utilities employee @CityofVaBeach and supervisor ran in and shouted \"this is not a drill.\" @WAVY_News pic.twitter.com/2IlAKWXsRk — Brett Hall (@BrettHNews) May 31, 2019\n\nI have been in communication with @CityofVaBeach Mayor Bobby Dyer and @VBPD Chief Jim Cervera. My administration stands ready to assist law enforcement and first responders in any way. — Ralph Northam (@GovernorVA) May 31, 2019\n\nUPDATE: there is still a very heavy police presence surrounding building 2 at the municipal center. Police have blocked off much of the parking lot. @WAVY_News pic.twitter.com/nugA9CJQPE — Tamara Scott (@TamaraScottWAVY) May 31, 2019\n\n6:13 p.m. — A Nightingale helicopter arrived at Norfolk General Hospital, a Level 1 trauma center, with a patient from the shooting.\n\n6:06 p.m. — The shooting suspect is dead, a Virginia Beach police source tells WAVY’s Jason Marks. Multiple victims are also feared dead after the shooting. Police are set to hold a press conference at 6:15 p.m. to provide updates.\n\nThank you to our law enforcement & other first responders in Virginia Beach for your heroic actions regarding today’s Active Shooter Incident. We are closely monitoring the situation and will provide any support you need. We are also praying for the victims and their families. https://t.co/bKpK9ECJQd — Justin Fairfax (@LGJustinFairfax) May 31, 2019\n\n5:56 p.m. — Sentara has updated the number of patients in connection to the shooting to six. Five are at Sentara Virginia Beach and one patient at Sentara Princess Anne is being picked up by Nightingale for transfer to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital.\n\n5:49 p.m. — WAVY’s Andy Fox reports several people are feared dead, according to a City Hall source. There’s been no official word on fatalities from police at this time.\n\n5:46 p.m. — Virginia Beach sources tell WAVY’s Jason Marks that a police officer was shot, but is expected to be OK. The public works building (building 2) has been cleared, authorities say.\n\nUPDATE: VB sources say police officer was shot but is okay. Building is now clear. I’m hearing several people dead and working to confirm number. @WAVY_News — Jason Marks (@jasonmarkswavy) May 31, 2019\n\n5:38 p.m. — Police are searching the complex building by building, though one suspect has already been taken into custody. Four victims have been confirmed injured and have been taken to the hospital.\n\nMy heart is with all those injured & affected by today’s shooting at the Virginia Beach Municipal Center. I’m so thankful for first responders & law enforcement for risking their lives to bring a suspect into custody. This is more proof Congress must act to prevent gun violence. — Representative Elaine Luria (@RepElaineLuria) May 31, 2019\n\nPlease keep all of our city employees, their families, and citizens who were at the municipal center this afternoon in your thoughts and prayers as the reports of an active shooter situation there are starting to be released.https://t.co/51stfhTsJB — Glenn R. Davis (@DelGlennDavis) May 31, 2019\n\nhttps://twitter.com/BillDeSteph/status/1134576810182750208\n\n5:25 p.m. — Sentara now says three patients have been taken to Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital and one person was taken to Sentara Princess Anne.\n\nPolice gather at the scene.\n\nWAVY’s Jason Marks says city sources told him at least one person is dead and at least six injured in the shooting. Police have yet to officially confirm those numbers.\n\nMayor Bobby Dyer is heading to the area and Virginia Beach Police Chief Jim Cervera is expected to give live updates soon.\n\n5:24 p.m. — Governor Ralph Northam says his team is actively monitoring the situation.\n\n5:14 p.m. — Sentara officials confirm one patient is at Sentara Princess Anne and another was taken to Virginia Beach General. Nightingale air ambulance is also at the scene. The FBI has joined Virginia Beach authorities to secure the scene.\n\n4:51 p.m. Virginia Beach police say they believe there’s only one shooter, and that person has been taken into custody. They say multiple people have been injured. There’s no word on the extent of the victims’ injuries at this time, but WAVY’s Tamara Scott says crews were treating at least four victims. A Nightingale helicopter was landing at the scene at 5:05 p.m.\n\nPublic works @CityofVaBeach employee tells they were sitting at their desk on the 3rd floor when all of a sudden gunshots sounded. Said they saw woman in stairwell injured badly. @WAVY_News #757Alert pic.twitter.com/YUFCwf9pHh — Brett Hall (@BrettHNews) May 31, 2019\n\nStill securing the building floor by floor and office by office. That from city manager Dave Hansen. @WAVY_News — Andy Fox (@AndyFoxWAVY) May 31, 2019\n\nNearby Sentara Princess Anne Hospital has been placed on lockdown in the meantime. Police are asking the public to avoid the area. Stay with WAVY for updates.\n\nEmployees coming out of the area of building 2 in droves. Many crying and holding each other @WAVY_News #757Alert pic.twitter.com/Z9bblHvBxc — Brett Hall (@BrettHNews) May 31, 2019\n\nThe latest as of 4:42 P.M. — City Manager Dave Hansen confirmed there is an active shooter situation at the Virginia Beach Municipal Center. He says the suspect hasn’t been apprehended, and he’s seen people coming out of the city’s public utilities department in need of medical treatment.\n\nAs WAVY’s Tamara Scott was reporting live, an injured person was being carried in the back of a car surrounding by police, heading toward an ambulance. Moments later, two other victims were being carried in the back of a pickup truck.\n\nThe shooting took place at the Municipal Center’s building 2.\n\nI just got off the phone with Virginia beach city manager Dave Hansen. Confirms active shooter. “Not apprehended at this point. We’ve seen some people coming out of the public utilities department with medical treatment.” Hanson does not know how many are injured.”@AndyFoxWAVY — Andy Fox (@AndyFoxWAVY) May 31, 2019\n\nVIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — Authorities are responding to a possible active shooter situation at the Virginia Beach Municipal Center on Friday afternoon.\n\nTonya Pierce with Virginia Beach police says there’s is an active scene at building 2 at the center off of Nimmo Parkway.\n\nAn employee who works in the building told WAVY’s Tamara Scott that he and several other people were able to safely leave the building after reports of an active shooter. He says he found a woman inside a stairwell covered in blood.\n\nMultiple police units have responded. The center is next to both the Virginia Police Department headquarters and the Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office, as well as several other government buildings.\n\nThere no other details at the moment, but WAVY’s Tamara Scott is at the scene. Stay with WAVY.com for updates on this breaking news.", "VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (AP) — Police: 11 people killed in shooting at Virginia Beach municipal center; suspect is dead.", "VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (AP) -- The Latest on a shooting at a municipal center in Virginia Beach (all times local):\n\n 6:55 p.m.\n\n Police say 11 people have been killed and six others injured in a mass shooting at a municipal building in Virginia Beach.\n\n Police Chief James Cervera said Friday that a shooter opened fire and shot \"indiscriminately\" at workers inside an operations building in the Virginia Beach Municipal Building Friday afternoon.\n\n Cervera said police returned fire, killing the suspect. He said the suspect was a longtime employee of the city's Public Works Department. One of the people shot is a police officer.\n\n ------\n\n 6:40 p.m.\n\n Hospital officials say six people have been wounded in a shooting at a municipal center in Virginia Beach.\n\n Sentara Healthcare said on its Twitter account that five people were taken to Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital and a sixth patient was taken to Sentara Princess Anne Hospital after the shooting just after 4 p.m. Friday. The company said the sixth patient was being transferred to the Level 1 Trauma Center at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital.\n\n Virginia Beach police said a suspect was taken into custody after the shooting. They said they believe there was only one shooter.\n\n ------\n\n 5:11 p.m.\n\n Police in Virginia Beach say a shooting at a municipal center has left multiple people wounded. They say a suspect has been taken into custody after Friday afternoon's shooting and they believe there was only one shooter.\n\n There was no immediate word on the extent of injuries.", "Gov. Ralph Northam attended and spoke at a prayer vigil in Virginia Beach on Saturday morning.\n\n\"We all experienced a horrific tragedy yesterday afternoon. Twelve precious lives they came to work yesterday morning to serve this great city of Virginia Beach, thinking they would go home and start their weekend and be with their families,\" Northam said.\n\n\"And that didn't happen for them. And we must remember they all had families they all had loved ones, they were parents, they were daughters, sisters, brothers — and now there's a void in their families.\"\n\nAll but one of the 12 victims were employees for the city of Virginia Beach, according to Virginia Beach City Manager Dave Hansen at a Saturday morning press conference.\n\nABC News said two law enforcement officials who'd been briefed on the investigation said DeWayne Craddock recently was fired from his position as a city employee.\n\nVirginia Beach Police say 12 people are dead following a shooting at the Virginia Beach Municipal Center. The suspected shooter is also dead following a shootout with police.\n\nVirginia Beach Police Chief Jim Cervera said the suspect was a current, longtime employee of Virginia Beach Public Utilities who opened fire and shot \"indiscriminately\" at workers inside an operations building in the Virginia Beach Municipal Center on Friday afternoon.\n\nChief Cervera initially said there were 11 victims killed total, in addition to the suspected gunman who was killed by police in a shootout. In a later update, Cervera confirmed a 12th victim had died while being taken to the hospital.\n\nRELATED: Officer saved by bulletproof vest after being shot by Virginia Beach gunman\n\nThe police chief did not identify the suspect, but two law enforcement sources confirmed to ABC News that DeWayne Craddock, 40, is the alleged suspect in the shooting.\n\nCervera said the gunman used .45-caliber handgun with a suppressor.\n\nCervera added that a long gun battle erupted between the shooter and four police officers.\n\nAccording to Dale Gauding, a spokesman for Sentara Healthcare, three patients are in Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital, two being in critical condition and one in fair condition.\n\nGauding said Sentara Virginia Beach General first received five patients, but two have died.\n\nOne patient at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital in critical condition. That patient first went to Sentara Princess Anne Hospital near the city complex, but was later picked up by Sentara Nightingale Regional Air Ambulance and flown to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, the regional Level I trauma center.\n\nOne other patient arrived at Sentara Princess Anne Hospital on their own and has since been released.\n\nAt a news conference, Virginia Beach Mayor Bobby Dyer described it as \"the most devastating day in the history of Virginia Beach.\"\n\nMunicipal Center, Building 2 holds several city governmental operations, including public works, public utilities, and planning departments. It is adjacent to City Hall.\n\nThe victims were found across three floors of the building, with one victim shot in a car outside the building.\n\nIn a statement, Governor Ralph Northam called it \"a horrific day for the Commonwealth of Virginia. We are devastated by the tragic shooting in Virginia Beach. I am in Virginia Beach with law enforcement authorities and Mayor Dyer, where I am monitoring the situation and offer the state’s full support.\"\n\nNortham also said, “My deepest condolences and prayers go to the families of those who left home this morning, and will not return tonight, as well as those who have been injured in this tragedy.\n\n\"This is unspeakable, senseless violence. I commend local and state law enforcement, first responders, medical teams, and all others who acted swiftly to respond to this situation. My thoughts continue to be with the victims and their families.\"\n\nFamilies and loved ones of employees at the Virginia Beach Municipal Center who are not hearing anything can go to Princess Anne Middle School at 2323 Holland Road.\n\nRELATED: #LoveForVB: The community reacts and mourns following Virginia Beach shooting\n\nMegan Banton, an administrative assistant who works in the building where the shooting happened, said she heard gunshots, called 911 and barricaded a door.\n\n\"We tried to do everything we could to keep everybody safe,\" she said. \"We were all just terrified. It felt like it wasn't real, like we were in a dream. You are just terrified because all you can hear is the gunshots.\"\n\nShe said she texted her mom, telling her that there was an active shooter in the building and she and others were waiting for police. Banton works in an office of about 20 people that is part of the public works department.\n\n\"Thank God my baby is OK,\" Banton's mother, Dana Showers, said.\n\nA spokesperson for the FBI confirms the bureau is assisting Virginia Beach Police.\n\nThe Associated Press contributed to this report.", "Virginia Beach police and other emergency services responded to an active shooter at the Municipal Center on Friday afternoon.\n\nMultiple people were injured and the suspected shooter is in custody, according to the Virginia Beach Police Department.\n\nAuthorities are asking people to avoid the Municipal Center area.\n\nA spokesperson with the FBI field office in Norfolk says they are aware of the situation, in touch with the Virginia Beach Police Department and are sending agents to the scene.\n\nThis is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.", "The Latest on a shooting at a municipal center in Virginia Beach (all times local):\n\nHospital officials say six people have been wounded in a shooting at a municipal center in Virginia Beach.\n\nSentara Healthcare said on its Twitter account that five people were taken to Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital and a sixth patient was taken to Sentara Princess Anne Hospital after the shooting just after 4 p.m. Friday. The company said the sixth patient was being transferred to the Level 1 Trauma Center at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital.\n\nVirginia Beach police said a suspect was taken into custody after the shooting. They said they believe there was only one shooter.\n\nPolice in Virginia Beach say a shooting at a municipal center has left multiple people wounded. They say a suspect has been taken into custody after Friday afternoon's shooting and they believe there was only one shooter.\n\nThere was no immediate word on the extent of injuries.", "Virginia Beach Police tweeted Friday they think an active shooter situation at the Virginia Beach Municipal Center involves only one shooter, who has been taken into custody.\n\nPolice said there are multiple injuries but didn't describe the severity of those injuries.\n\nThe FBI is also responding to the incident to provide assistance to local authorities, an FBI spokeswoman told CNN.\n\nThis is developing story, more to come", "VIRGINIA BEACH, V.A. -- Authorities are responding to an active shooter situation at a city municipal building in Virginia Beach, Virginia.Officials confirmed that the shooter is in custody and there are multiple injuries.They only believe one shooter was involved.Authorities said that three patients were taken to Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital and one additional patient was taken to Sentara Princess Anne Hospital.A news conference is expected to take place Friday evening.This is a developing story, check back for details.", "A disgruntled city employee opened fire at the municipal centre in Virginia Beach, Virginia, on Friday afternoon, killing 11 people and wounding at least six others before he was killed himself, the city's police chief said.\n\nVirginia Beach Police Chief James Cervera gave few details of what was known about the mass shooting in the coastal resort city, but said the gunman \"immediately and indiscriminately fired upon all the victims\" after he entered the municipal building shortly after 4 p.m.\n\n\"The suspect did shoot a police officer. The officers returned fire. The suspect is deceased,\" Cervera said. He did not make clear whether the gunman took his own life or was killed in an exchange of gunfire with police.\n\nThe officer hit was among six people who were injured but survived, but he was saved by his bullet-proof vest, Cervera said.\n\nThe shooting was believed to be the deadliest act of workplace gun violence in the United States since February, when a factory worker shot five colleagues to death in Aurora, Illinois, just after he was let go from his job.\n\nThe precise circumstances of Friday's shooting remained under investigation, with FBI agents and Homeland Security Department forensic technicians assisting local police due to the \"size and scope and intensity\" of the crime scene, Cervera said.\n\nThe police chief said the suspect was a longtime public utilities employee, and described him as \"disgruntled,\" but declined to say more about what may have precipitated the attack.\n\nThe shooting unfolded, according to Cervera, at Building Two of the municipal center complex, a facility which houses the city's public works and utilities next door to City Hall.\n\nVirginia Beach, which sits on the Atlantic coast at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, is the state's most populous city with roughly 450,000 year-round residents.\n\n\"This is the most devastating day in the history of Virginia Beach,\" Mayor Bobby Dyer said at a news conference with the police chief. \"The people involved are our friends, co-workers, neighbours, colleagues.\"", "VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (AP) - Police in Virginia Beach say a shooting at a municipal center has left multiple people wounded. They say a suspect has been taken into custody after Friday afternoon's shooting and they believe there was only one shooter.\n\nThere was no immediate word on the extent of injuries.\n\nA spokeswoman for the FBI in Norfolk said the bureau is responding to assist Virginia Beach police. She did not have specifics on how many people have been hurt.\n\nA spokesman for Sentara Princess Anne Hospital told The Virginian-Pilot that one patient had been sent to the hospital and another person was brought to Virginia Beach General Hospital.\n\nA police spokesman told the newspaper the shooter opened fire in Building 2 of the municipal center, which is next door to City Hall."], "summary": "Thirteen people are killed, including the shooter, and five are injured in a shooting at a municipal center in Virginia Beach, Virginia."}
{"document": ["Wyded players protested to the referee, insisting VAR be used\n\nThe African Champions League final was abandoned due to a row over the Video Assisted Referee (VAR) system.\n\nPlay was halted for over an hour after Wydad Casablanca refused to play when VAR was unavailable to judge a disallowed equaliser.\n\nVAR had been set up on the side of the pitch, but the players had not been told it was not working, although officials were aware.\n\nThe referee then awarded the victory to three-time former champions Esperance.\n\nThe Tunisian side were leading 1-0 (2-1 on aggregate) in Saturday's final, which was played over two legs. VAR had been used in last week's first leg.\n\nBut in the second leg, Walid El Karti's header for Wydad was disallowed for an infringement.\n\nWydad players protested to the Gambian referee, demanding VAR be used, and Confederation of African Football (Caf) president Ahmad Ahmad spent almost 30 minutes in discussions with officials in a bid to get the game restarted.\n\nThe 60,000 spectators inside the stadium waited for an update for 95 minutes, before the referee awarded the victory to the home team, who retained the title.\n\nIn a statement, Caf confirmed it will hold a meeting of their executive committee on Tuesday to discuss the incident.\n\nIt is the first time in the 55-year history of the elite African club competition that a match in the home-and-away final series has not been completed.\n\nLast week's first leg in Morocco saw Caf hand Egyptian referee Gehad Grisha a six-month ban after complaints from the Moroccans.\n\nEsperance were unbeaten all season, equalling the achievement of the 1994 squad, becoming the first club to win the competition twice without losing a match.\n\nWydad could now face a two-year ban from competing in continental club competition.\n\nThe players were reportedly not informed that the video assistant referee system (VAR) was not working\n\nWydad players refused to play after the controversial ruling to not award them an equaliser\n\nPlastic bottles containing liquid were also flung toward the Wydad players and coaches as tempers flared", "Esperance won the CAF Champions League in Tunisia Saturday after Wydad Casablanca refused to continue playing on 60 minutes because VAR was unavailable to judge a disallowed equaliser.\n\nThe Tunisian side were leading 1-0 in the second leg of the final and 2-1 overall when play was halted, and after a 90-minute delay the referee awarded the match to the home side.\n\nTunisian media reported that officials were aware before the match that the VAR (video assistant referee) system was not working, but the players seemingly did not know.\n\nIt is the first time in the 55-year history of the elite African club competition that a match in the home-and-away final series has not been completed.\n\nWydad believed they had levelled on 59 minutes when Walid el Karti headed a cross into the net. TV replays confirmed he was onside, but might have fouled an opponent with his shoulder.\n\nThe Moroccan team insisted that the Gambian referee check with VAR, apparently unaware that the often controversial system was unavailable.\n\nWydad substitutes and 69-year-old coach Faouzi Benzarti joined in the protests and police foiled an attempted assault by a spectator wearing the red and gold of Esperance.\n\nPlastic bottles containing liquid were also flung toward the Wydad players and coaches as tempers flared.\n\nAt one stage, CAF president Ahmad Ahmad and the bosses of Esperance and Wydad spoke on the side of the pitch without succeeding in getting the match restarted.\n\nThe Wydad players and coaches eventually went to the changing room and, after a long delay, the referee indicated that Esperance had been awarded the match.\n\n– Debacle –\n\n There was widespread criticism of the debacle on social media with many tweets saying that calling off the club showpiece brought shame to African football.\n\nThe abandonment occurred just 20 days before an expanded 24-team Africa Cup of Nations kicks off in Egypt, with VAR scheduled to be used during the knockout phase.\n\nVAR had played a major role in the first leg of the final in Morocco last weekend, with referrals ruling out a goal by Wydad and later appeals for a penalty by the Moroccans.\n\nThe Egyptian referee of that match was subsequently banned for six months with CAF saying his performance was “poor”.\n\nThree-time former champions Esperance took the lead on 41 minutes when Youcef Belaili curled a shot into the net from the edge of the box at the Stade Olympique.\n\nThe Tunisian outfit dominated the opening half and fully deserved to lead at half-time in the 60,000-seat stadium.\n\nBut the way Esperance ultimately won the competition for a second successive time took much of the gloss off the achievement.\n\nThey are only the fourth club after Al Ahly of Egypt, TP Mazembe of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Enyimba of Nigeria to achieve back-to-back Champions League triumphs.\n\nAnd by going through their 2019 CAF campaign unbeaten — equalling the achievement of the 1994 squad — Esperance became the first club to win the competition twice without losing a match.\n\nIt was also a special night for 37-year-old coach Moine Chaabani, who became the first from north Africa to win two Champions League finals in a row.\n\nTunis citizens reacted to the triumph by pouring into the streets and screaming joyfully while cars and motorbikes crisscrossed the capital, honking horns.\n\nMany Esperance supporters flocked to the district where the club was formed 100 years ago in a cafe of the same name.\n\nFor more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.\n\nWould you like to place a soccer bet? Click here to get started in 3 easy steps.", "The second leg of the final between Tunisian club Esperance and Wydad Casablanca descended into farce when the Moroccan side refused to play on as the VAR was unavailable to rule on their disallowed goal.\n\nPlay was delayed for 90 minutes before Gambian referee Bakary Gassama awarded the match and the Champions League title to Esperance.\n\nTunisian media reported the VAR system was unavailable but the players were not informed.\n\nWydad Casablanca were trailing 1-0 on the night and 2-1 on aggregate when the incident occurred.\n\nWalid El Karti's header appeared to have brought the Moroccan team level before it was ruled out, prompting furious protests from the Wydad Casablanca players, who demanded the referee use VAR.\n\nThe game was halted while CAF President Ahmad discussed the situation with the officials for almost 30 minutes in an effort to get the match restarted.\n\nIt came amid chaotic scenes, where fans of the Tunisian hosts were seen throwing objects towards the Wydad Casablanca bench.\n\nThe players returned to their dressing rooms and, after a long delay, the referee abandoned the match and awarded the victory to Esperance, who retained their title.\n\nThe CAF Executive Committee will meet on Tuesday (June 4) to discuss the controversial incident, which has plunged African football into crisis.\n\nIt is the first time in the tournament's 55-year history that the final has not been completed.\n\nWydad Casablanca could face sanctions from the CAF, including a ban from competing in the Champions League.\n\nThe first leg of the final had also been mired in controversy after Egyptian referee Gehad Grisha, who officiated the match, was banned for six months by CAF for \"poor performance\" following several complaints from the Moroccan team.", "Esperance have clinched their fourth Caf Champions League title, overcoming Wydad Casablanca who withdrew from the game following VAR controversy.\n\nThe first leg had ended 1-1 at Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium, Rabat with the Moroccans needing an away win to emerge as champions.\n\nFueled by a deafening noise inside Stade Olympique de Rades, Esperance took the lead in the 41st minute through Mohamed Belaili.\n\nHowever, the game came to an abrupt end after the Moroccans walked off the pitch following referee Bakary Gassama's refusal to review Walid El Karti's disallowed strike for Wydad in the 58th minute.\n\nWith Wydad Casablanca failing to continue the game after more than two hours despite the intervention of Caf president Ahmad Ahmad, the Tunisians were crowned as champions.", "The Tunisian side were leading 1-0 in the second leg of the final and 2-1 overall when play was halted, and after a 90-minute delay the referee awarded the match to the home side.\n\nTunisian media reported that officials were aware before the match that the VAR (video assistant referee) system was not working, but the players seemingly did not know.\n\nIt is the first time in the 55-year history of the elite African club competition that a match in the home-and-away final series has not been completed.\n\nWydad believed they had levelled on 59 minutes when Walid el Karti headed a cross into the net. TV replays confirmed he was onside, but might have fouled an opponent with his shoulder.\n\nAt one stage, Caf president Ahmad Ahmad and the bosses of Esperance and Wydad spoke on the side of the pitch without succeeding in getting the match restarted.\n\nThe Wydad players and coaches eventually went to the changing room and, after a long delay, the referee indicated that Esperance had been awarded the match.\n\nThere was widespread criticism of the debacle on social media with many tweets saying that calling off the club showpiece brought shame to African football.\n\nThe abandonment occurred just 20 days before an expanded 24-team Africa Cup of Nations kicks off in Egypt, with VAR scheduled to be used during the knockout phase.\n\nVAR had played a major role in the first leg of the final in Morocco last weekend, with referrals ruling out a goal by Wydad and later appeals for a penalty by the Moroccans.\n\nThe Egyptian referee of that match was subsequently banned for six months with CAF saying his performance was \"poor\".\n\nThree-time former champions Esperance took the lead on 41 minutes when Youcef Belaili curled a shot into the net from the edge of the box at the Stade Olympique.\n\nBut the way Esperance ultimately won the competition for a second successive time took much of the gloss off the achievement.\n\nThey are only the fourth club after Al Ahly of Egypt, TP Mazembe of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Enyimba of Nigeria to achieve back-to-back Champions League triumphs.\n\nAnd by going through their 2019 Caf campaign unbeaten -- equalling the achievement of the 1994 squad -- Esperance became the first club to win the competition twice without losing a match.\n\nIt was also a special night for 37-year-old coach Moine Chaabani, who became the first from north Africa to win two Champions League finals in a row.\n\nMany Esperance supporters flocked to the district where the club was formed 100 years ago in a cafe of the same name.", "Esperance won the CAF Champions League in Tunisia Saturday after Wydad Casablanca refused to continue playing on 60 minutes because VAR was unavailable to judge a disputed equaliser.\n\nThe Tunisian were leading 1-0 in the final second leg and 2-1 overall when play was halted, and after a 90-minute delay the referee awarded the match to the home side.\n\nTunisian media reported that officials were aware before the match that the VAR (video assistant referee) was not working.\n\nIt is the first time in the 55-year history of the elite African club competition that a match in the home-and-away final has not been completed.\n\nWydad believed they had levelled on 59 minutes when Walid el Karti headed a cross into the net. TV replays confirmed he was onside, but might have fouled an opponent.\n\nThe Moroccan team insisted that the Gambian referee check with VAR, seemingly unaware that the often controversial system was not available.\n\nAt one stage, CAF president Ahmad Ahmad and the bosses of Esperance and Wydad spoke on the side of the pitch without being able to get the match restarted.\n\nThe Wydad players and coaches eventually went to the changing room and, after a long delay, the referee indicated that Esperance had been awarded the match.\n\nEsperance, seeking back-to-back titles, took the lead on 41 minutes when Youcef Belaili curled a shot into the net from the edge of the box at the Stade Olympique.\n\nThe Tunisian outfit dominated the opening half and fully deserved to lead at half-time in the 60,000-seat stadium.\n\nVAR had played a major role in the first leg in Morocco last weekend, with referrals ruling out a goal by Wydad and later appeals for a penalty.\n\nThe Egyptian referee of that match was subsequently banned for six months with CAF saying he gave a “poor performance”.", "The Tunisians were handed the title after their Moroccan opponents abandoned the game following Walid El Karti’s goal\n\nEsperance were crowned winners of the 2019 Caf Champions League with VAR controversy making the headline.", "Esperance de Tunis have been crowned CAF Champions League winners after their opponents, Wydad Casablanca, refused to return to the field in protest of VAR not being implemented on a goal that was ruled out.\n\nThe moment of controversy happened in the 58th minute of the Champions League final second-leg clash, when Wydad midfielder Walid El Karti’s effort was ruled out.\n\nGambian referee Bakari Gassama chose not to use video assistance to review the goal, which led to Wydad walking off the pitch and refusing to return.\n\nAfter the game was halted for over an hour, Gassama declared Esperance the champions due to Wydad's refusal to re-enter the pitch.\n\nIn what have been described as shameful scenes for the tournament’s organisers, reports later suggested VAR was not used due to technical issues with the system.\n\nAmid chaotic scenes, CAF president Ahmed Ahmed entered the pitch in an attempt to reason with the players and explain why VAR was not used.\n\nBeIN Sport later claimed that the match was stopped because the VAR system was not working due to “technical problems”.\n\nIn the end, Esperance won 2-1 on aggregate to claim their fourth continental championship in club history.\n\nThe first leg of the final, which ended 1-1, was also riddled with controversy.\n\nThe game at the Stade Moulay Abdallah in Rabat, Morocco resulted in referee Gehad Grisha being suspended by African football’s governing body after he disallowed a goal and failed to award a penalty – both after consulting VAR.\n\nThe Egyptian official was removed from his duties for six months after a complaint was made about the decisions.", "Esperance and Wydad Casablanca will face off on Friday night in the second leg of the Caf Champions League final at the Stade Olympique de Rades.\n\nThe sides shared the spoils in last week’s 1-1 draw at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium in Rabat, after a feisty game which saw eight yellow cards dished out, one red card brandished and VAR controversy which generated lots of column inches.\n\nFousseny Coulibaly opened the scoring for the Tunisians just before half-time, before the goal was cancelled out by a Cheick Comara header in the 80th minute.\n\nEsperance have remained unbeaten throughout the competition and are looking to win the tournament in consecutive seasons.\n\nMoine Chaabani’s team have played 11 games in this year’s competition, winning seven and drawing four, as they seek to maintain their unblemished record and become the first club to repeat the feat of going unbeaten throughout the competition.\n\nIn 1994, the Tunisians didn’t lose a game on the road to an African crown, and while four other clubs - Oryx Douala (1965), Ismaily (1969), JET (now JS Kabylie) in 1981 and Al Ahly (2005) – have accomplished this feat once, none have ever repeated the achievement.\n\nThe Beast of Africa’s strength in Rades is evidenced by the fact they’ve won five games on the spin on home turf, scoring 10 times and conceding just once, against CS Constantine, in the quarter-finals.\n\nHowever, Chabaani was disappointed after his side couldn’t press home their advantage in Morocco after Wydad captain Brahim Nakach was sent off in the 49th minute.\n\n“We could have achieved a better result today. We were successful in the first half, but we failed in the second as we couldn't defend our 1-0 advantage,” Chaabani began.\n\n“The winner is not yet decided. We are facing off a great team, having enough experience and a great coach. There is still another game for which we have to prepare well.”\n\nEsperance are aspiring to be the fourth club to retain the continental competition in its entire history, a success only attained by Enyimba, Al Ahly and Tout Puissant Mazembe.\n\nIn an interview with Caf, Saad Bguir, the Tunisians’ hero with a brace when they roared back from a 3-1 loss against Al Ahly in Alexandria to win 3-0 in Rades, is relishing the prospect of winning the competition yet again.\n\n“It will be an incredible feeling to win the Caf Champions League two years in a row,” Bguir affirmed.\n\n“It would be an honour for me as a player and a great joy especially this year, which marks the club’s centenary of existence. In addition, it would be the ultimate gift to our fans who always had our backs and who, I’m certain, will fill the stadium Friday and make the night memorable.”\n\nFor Wydad, last week’s 1-1 draw was a relief in the end, given they were a goal down at half-time, reduced to ten men after Nakach saw red five minutes after the restart, and battled through questionable calls by the referee – Gehad Grisha, who has since been suspended – before finding an equaliser.\n\nThe 2017 champions are searching for their second title in three years, but will have to find ways to breach an Esperance defence which let in only one goal at the Stade Olympique de Rades.\n\nFaouzi Benzarti’s charges, however, have had an atrocious time on their travels throughout the competition, winning on one occasion 1-0 against Lobi Stars, before failing to win in five other away trips.\n\nOf the five games, three have been defeats while the other games have been goalless draws. The Moroccans have failed to score in their last three games on the road, and against a side with a watertight defence, as well as an away goal, Benzarti’s crew know they must score in Tunisia.\n\nIn the history of the Africa’s premier club competition, Wydad are the seventh side to play out to a stalemate at home in the first-leg of the final, so this isn’t a new experience for a finalist going away from home.\n\nOn the seven occasions, the away side managed to get a result in the reverse fixture thrice, while it’s gone the home side’s way four times.\n\nIronically, the last away side to secure the continental crown after drawing the first-leg at home was Wydad in 2017, when they drew 1-1 in Morocco against Al Ahly, before picking up a colossal 1-0 success in Egypt.\n\nAnother good omen for the Casablanca-based club is the fact Esperance, in 2012, failed to take advantage of a 1-1 draw against Al Ahly in Egypt, before going on to lose 2-1 in front of their fans.\n\nBenzarti lauded Wydad’s spirit after last week’s draw, which helped them retain their good home record and also give them a realistic chance in the final.\n\n\"We had to make a huge effort to come back and score in the game. I would like to thank my players for the level they have shown despite having a player sent off,” Benzarti said.\n\nThe experienced manager will need another superhuman effort by his side if they’re to claim a second Caf CL title in three seasons.", "Coach Moine Chaabani and his Esperance Tunis team will create records Friday if they retain the CAF Champions League trophy after the second leg of the final against Wydad Casablanca.\n\nThe Tunisian club may not even need a victory to achieve their goals -- a 0-0 draw will suffice to win the elite African club competition on away goals after the first leg finished 1-1 in Morocco.\n\nShould Esperance be crowned African champions a fourth time, Chaabani will become the first north African coach to secure back-to-back Champions League titles.\n\nThat would be a massive achievement for a 37-year-old catapulted last year into one of the hottest seats in African club football after Esperance lost a semi-final first leg.\n\nThey overturned the deficit at home to Angolans Primeiro Agosto and staged another dramatic second-leg recovery in the final to defeat famed Egyptian club Al Ahly.\n\nHolding Wydad in Rabat last weekend extended to 11 matches the unbeaten run of Esperance since the 2019 CAF season kicked off, and pushed the Tunis outfit closer to another record.\n\nIf they overcome Wydad, the Tunisian club named after a cafe where it was formed 100 years will be the first to complete two Champions League-winning campaigns undefeated.\n\nEven the 2005-2008 Al Ahly squad -- the most successful African club in the modern era with a bevy of stars led by Mohamed Abou Trika -- managed that feat just once.\n\nWhile Chaabani and his multi-national squad cannot avoid the burden of being favourites, the coach has urged caution ahead of the second leg at the 60,000-seat Stade Olympique near Tunis.\n\n\"I wish we had returned from Morocco with a victory,\" he said, recalling a first leg in which Wydad had captain Brahim Nakach red-carded just after half-time for a reckless tackle.\n\n\"Ironically, we were more successful in the first half when facing 11 opponents than in the second half when Wydad were a man short.\n\n\"We dare not assume the second leg is a foregone conclusion. I accept that we are the media favourites, but Champions League finals are littered with unexpected results.\n\n\"Wydad are a great team and they have a great coach in Faouzi Benzarti. There is all to play for in the return match and I hope Esperance succeed.\"\n\nChaabani was not born when Benzarti, the 69-year-old elder figure among African coaches, began his illustrious coaching career in 1979.\n\nBenzarti is the most successful African coach in CAF competitions with his five titles including the one that made Esperance champions 25 years ago.\n\n\"I repeat what I said ahead of the first leg -- small details are going to decide which club becomes champions,\" said Benzarti.\n\n\"The first leg was very tight -- even when we were a man down -- with both goals coming after free-kicks.\n\n\"This Esperance team is composed of outstanding footballers who have been playing together for several seasons. They know my style, and I know theirs.\n\n\"I believe we are in for another tight match and my players are physically and mentally prepared for whatever comes.\"\n\nWhat probably lies ahead for Wydad is a battle for survival as they have not beaten Esperance in three previous CAF visits to Tunis, drawing once and losing twice.\n\nExperienced Gambian referee Bakary Gassama will need to stamp out any hints of ill discipline with Nakach the most serious offender in Rabat, but not the only one.\n\nApart from the red card, first-leg referee Gehad Grisha from Egypt cautioned seven players and had to make two tough VAR calls, one of which cancelled a Wydad goal before half-time.\n\nMoroccan officials were so angry with the refereeing that they lodged a protest and CAF said this week that Grisha had been suspended for six months because of a \"poor performance\".\n\nThe Champions League winners will pocket $2.5 million (2.25 mn euros) and qualify for a Super Cup match at home to Zamalek of Egypt, winners of the second-tier Confederation Cup."], "summary": "In African football, the 2019 CAF Champions League Final between Morocco's Wydad Casablanca, and Tunisia's Espérance Sportive de Tunis, is abandoned after Wydad Casablanca players refused to play following a row over a goal ruled out by the video assistant referee (VAR). The referee subsequently awarded the victory to Espérance Sportive de Tunis for their fourth CAF title."}
{"document": ["(Last Updated On: June 3, 2019)\n\nA suicide bomber detonated his explosives-laden Humvee inside an Afghan security forces base in central Ghazni province on Saturday night, local officials confirmed.\n\nAbdul Karim Abed, deputy administrative for Ghazni police chief told Ariana News that the incident has taken place in the police reserve unit center in the provincial capital of Ghazni city at around 9:30 pm on Saturday.\n\nAccording to Abed, at least five security forces were killed and seven others wounded in the suicide attack.\n\nMeanwhile, Arif Noori a spokesman for the provincial governor said four civilians were also injured in the incident.\n\nHowever, the provincial council members say that eight Afghan soldiers have been killed and seven others wounded in the attack.\n\nThe Taliban militants group in a statement has claimed responsibility for the attack adding that at least 40 Afghan soldiers have been killed in the incident.\n\nGhazni is among the insecure provinces in central Afghanistan where the Taliban militants are actively operating in a number of its districts including the capital city of the province.", "GHAZNI, Afghanistan: A suicide car bombing killed eight Afghan police officers and wounded seven others after targeting a police station in the country’s eastern Ghazni province, an official confirmed Sunday.\n\nThe blast happened at about 2150 hrs Saturday, when a hijacked military vehicle packed with explosives struck to provincial Reserve Police Force station in Esfandi area, some 6 km to the provincial capital Ghazni city, killing eight police personnel and wounding seven others, Adam Khan Sirat, provincial police spokesman, told Xinhua.\n\n“Unfortunately, eight personnel of Police Reserve Force unit were martyred and seven others suffered injuries, when a Taliban hijacked Humvee vehicle full of explosives slammed the police military unit building, in the provincial capital Ghazni,” the spokesman confirmed.\n\nFew weeks ago, an explosive-packed Humvee also went off near a police checkpoint on outskirts of the city, killing two police officers and wounding 15 people. (AGENCIES)", "GHAZNI, Afghanistan, June 2: A suicide car bombing killed eight Afghan police officers and wounded seven others after targeting a police station in the country’s eastern Ghazni province, an official confirmed Sunday.\n\nThe blast happened at about 2150 hrs Saturday, when a hijacked military vehicle packed with explosives struck to provincial Reserve Police Force station in Esfandi area, some 6 km to the provincial capital Ghazni city, killing eight police personnel and wounding seven others, Adam Khan Sirat, provincial police spokesman, told Xinhua.\n\n“Unfortunately, eight personnel of Police Reserve Force unit were martyred and seven others suffered injuries, when a Taliban hijacked Humvee vehicle full of explosives slammed the police military unit building, in the provincial capital Ghazni,” the spokesman confirmed.\n\nFew weeks ago, an explosive-packed Humvee also went off near a police checkpoint on outskirts of the city, killing two police officers and wounding 15 people.\n\n (AGENCIES)", "MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) - Two Memphis Police officers were struck by a vehicle in the 3100 block of S. Third Street, near McDonald’s.", "The blast took place some 4 miles away from the provincial capital on Saturday evening.\n\n\"Unfortunately, eight personnel of Police Reserve Force unit were martyred and seven others suffered injuries, when a Taliban hijacked Humvee [High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle] vehicle full of explosives slammed the police military unit building, in the provincial capital Ghazni\", Adam Khan Sirat, a provincial police spokesman, told the Xinhua news agency.\n\nREAD MORE: Over 20 Taliban Fighters Killed by Afghan Security Forces in Ghazni — Reports\n\nThe media outlet recalled that a similar attack rocked the outskirts of the provincial capital last week, when a bomb-laden military vehicle exploded at a police checkpoint, killing two policemen and injuring 15 other people.\n\nAfghanistan has long been suffering from political, social and security instability due to simmering insurgency, including that of the Taliban movement and the Islamic State terror organisation (banned in Russia)."], "summary": "A suicide bomber driving a Humvee detonated the vehicle loaded with explosives near a security building in Afghanistan, killing 8 officers."}
{"document": ["MIERCUREA-CIUC, Romania (Reuters) - Pope Francis urged ethnic Hungarians and Romanians to put their troubled past behind them on Saturday as bad weather disrupted his visit to Transylvania, forcing him to be driven for hours on winding mountain roads.\n\nMore than 80,000 people gathered on muddy slopes around one of Romania’s most popular Catholic shrines to see the pope on the second day of his trip to the country.\n\nTransylvania, which was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire until the end of the First World War, has a large ethnic Hungarian population and there have been tensions sometimes between ethnic Hungarians and Romanians.\n\nEthnic Hungarians, many of whom are Catholic in a predominantly Orthodox Christian nation, are the largest minority in Romania, around six percent of the population.\n\nThis has often caused friction between the two European Union neighbors with tensions flaring occasionally over the public use of ethnic minority flags.\n\nIn his homily to the rain-soaked crowd, which included Hungarian President Janos Ader, the pope suggested past troubles should not be a barrier to co-existence.\n\n“Complicated and sorrow-filled situations from the past must not be forgotten or denied, yet neither must they be an obstacle\n\nor an excuse standing in the way of our desire to live together as brothers and sisters,” he said.\n\nFrancis was to have flown by plane from Bucharest to the city of Bacau and then by helicopter to the Sumuleu-Ciuc shrine in this town nestled in the mountains.\n\nBut thunderstorms, low clouds and rain forced him to fly to the city of Targu Mures, on the other side of the Carpathian mountains, and be driven for to the site.\n\nHungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has visited Transylvania many times privately to meet local Hungarian leaders and outline his policy views.\n\nIn 2015, Romania rebuked him for posting on his Facebook page symbols it said suggested Budapest favors autonomy for Romanian territory populated mainly by ethnic Hungarians, calling such “revisionism” unacceptable.\n\nSlideshow (12 Images)\n\nAfter the weather improved somewhat, Francis flew by helicopter and plane to the city of Iasi to visit Catholics in the remote region of Moldova, close to the border with the former Soviet Union’s satellite Republic of Moldova.\n\nThere he addressed tens of thousands of young people, telling them to remain united and look for fresh bonds that can unite people.\n\nHe returns to Rome on Sunday night.", "Pope Francis urged ethnic Hungarians and Romanians to put their troubled past behind them on Saturday as bad weather disrupted his visit to Transylvania, forcing him to be driven for hours on winding mountain roads.\n\nMore than 80,000 people gathered on muddy slopes around one of Romania’s most popular Catholic shrines to see the pope on the second day of his trip to the country.\n\nTransylvania, which was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire until the end of the First World War, has a large ethnic Hungarian population and there have been tensions sometimes between ethnic Hungarians and Romanians.\n\nEthnic Hungarians, many of whom are Catholic in a predominantly Orthodox Christian nation, are the largest minority in Romania, around six per cent of the population.\n\nThis has often caused friction between the two European Union neighbours with tensions flaring occasionally over the public use of ethnic minority flags.\n\nIn his homily to the rain-soaked crowd, which included Hungarian President Janos Ader, the pope suggested past troubles should not be a barrier to co-existence.\n\n“Complicated and sorrow-filled situations from the past must not be forgotten or denied, yet neither must they be an obstacle or an excuse standing in the way of our desire to live together as brothers and sisters,” he said.\n\nIn his homily, Francis said God wanted “that we not let ourselves be robbed of our fraternal love by those voices and hurts that provoke division and\n\n fragmentation.”\n\nFrancis was to have flown by plane from Bucharest to the city of Bacau and then by helicopter to the Sumuleu-Ciuc shrine in this town nestled in the mountains.\n\nBut thunderstorms, low clouds and rain forced him to fly to the city of Targu Mures, on the other side of the Carpathian mountains, and be driven for to the site.\n\nFrom there, Francis was due to continue by helicopter to the city of Iasi to visit Catholics in the remote region of Moldova, close to the border with the former Soviet Union’s satellite Republic of Moldova.\n\nBut Vatican officials said he would drive back to Targu Mures and fly by plane to Iasi before returning to Bucharest.\n\nHungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has visited Transylvania many times privately to meet local Hungarian leaders and outline his policy views.\n\nIn 2015, Romania rebuked him for posting on his Facebook page symbols it said suggested Budapest favours autonomy for Romanian territory populated mainly by ethnic Hungarians, calling such “revisionism” unacceptable.", "Pope Francis urged ethnic Hungarians and Romanians to put their troubled past behind them on Saturday as bad weather disrupted his visit to Transylvania, forcing him to be driven for hours on winding mountain roads.", "Pope Francis made an impassioned plea for Europe to stick together and revive the ideals of its founders on Sunday, saying ideologies and fear-mongering politicians were threatening its very existence as a bloc."], "summary": "Pope Francis urges ethnic Hungarians and Romanians to mend their differences toward a peaceful existence in one country."}
{"document": ["Chinese authorities have filed a case to investigate U.S. parcel delivery service FedEx for allegedly undermining the rights of Chinese clients, state-run Xinhua news agency reported on Saturday.\n\n\n\nAccording to Xinhua, FedEx failed to deliver express packages to designated addresses in China, \"seriously damaging the lawful rights and interests of its clients and violating laws and regulations governing the express industry in China.\"\n\n\n\nThe Chinese government's move against FedEx comes after Chinese tech company Huawei said it was re-assessing its relationship with the U.S. parcel delivery service after several packages were diverted.\n\n\n\nHuawei accused FedEx of diverting two packages postmarked from Japan and destined for company addresses in China to the United States without providing detailed explanation, according to Reuters news agency. FedEx also allegedly attempted to re-route two other packages sent from Vietnam to Huawei addresses elsewhere in Asia without authorization.", "Chinese authorities have filed a case to investigate U.S. parcel delivery service FedEx for allegedly undermining the rights of Chinese clients, state-run Xinhua news agency reported on Saturday.\n\n\n\nAccording to Xinhua, FedEx failed to deliver express packages to designated addresses in China, \"seriously damaging the lawful rights and interests of its clients and violating laws and regulations governing the express industry in China.\"\n\n\n\nThe Chinese government's move against FedEX comes after Chinese tech company Huawei said it was re-assessing its relationship with the U.S. parcel delivery service after several packages were diverted.\n\n\n\nHuawei accused FedEx of diverting two packages postmarked from Japan and destined for company addresses in China to the United States without providing detailed explanation, according to Reuters news agency. FedEx also allegedly attempted to re-route two other packages sent from Vietnam to Huawei addresses elsewhere in Asia without authorization. \n\n\n\nHuawei said all four packages contained documents and no technology. \n\n\n\nThe Trump administration blacklisted Huawei from purchasing U.S. components after declaring a national emergency over threats to U.S. technology last month. The administration has subsequently eased those restrictions, allowing Huawei to buy U.S. components for 90 days to maintain existing networks. \n\n\n\nWashington and Beijing are locked in escalating trade war after the collapse of trade negotiations. The U.S. has more than doubled tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese goods and has threatened to tax all Chinese imports. China has increased tariffs on $60 billion of U.S. goods.", "June 1 (UPI) -- Bejing authorities have moved to file a case to probe Fedex over allegedly violating Chinese clients rights, the state-run news agency Xinhua reported Saturday.\n\nXinhua reported that authorities are calling for the investigation based on Fedex allegedly \"undermining the legitimate rights,\" of clients in China.\n\nThe U.S. parcel service has failed to deliver express packages to these clients, in violation of \"laws and regulations governing the express industry in China,\" Xinhua said.\n\nFedex clients involved and the penalties the company could face have not yet been identified.\n\nStill, last week, Chinese multinational technology company Huawei said FedEx had diverted packages to the United States, which should have gone from Japan to its Chinese offices. FedEx reportedly apologized for the error and said it would cooperate fully with regulatory investigation.", "BEIJING (Reuters) - China will investigate whether FedEx Corp damaged the legal rights and interests of its clients, the official Xinhua news agency said on Saturday, after Chinese telecoms giant Huawei said parcels intended for it were diverted.\n\nAmid rising tensions between China and the United States, the Chinese commerce ministry said on Friday it would draft a list of \"unreliable\" foreign firms and individuals that harm the interests of Chinese companies. It gave no names.\n\nWashington last month put Huawei on a blacklist that effectively blocks U.S. firms from doing business with the Shenzhen-based company.\n\nHuawei, the world's largest telecoms equipment maker, told Reuters on Friday it was reviewing its relationship with FedEx, which it alleged had diverted two parcels destined for Huawei addresses in Asia to the United States and had attempted to reroute two others.\n\nFedEx said the packages were \"misrouted in error.\"\n\nXinhua, without elaborating, said FedEx recently did not deliver to the right addressees and addresses in China.\n\nFedEx said in a statement it values its relationships with customers in China, and that it would \"fully cooperate with any regulatory investigation into how we serve our customers.\"\n\nOn Tuesday, FedEx China apologized on its Chinese social media account for the \"mishandling\" of Huawei packages and confirmed there was no \"external pressure\" to divert packages.\n\nThe U.S. government says Huawei is a potential espionage threat because of its close ties with the Chinese government.\n\nHuawei has repeatedly denied it is controlled by the Chinese government, military or intelligence services.\n\nThe issue has become a flashpoint in the escalating trade war between the world's two biggest economies.\n\nLast month, Washington slapped additional tariffs of up to 25% on $200 billion of Chinese goods, accusing Beijing of reneging on its previous promises to make structural changes to its economic practices.\n\nThat prompted Beijing to hit back with additional levies on the majority of U.S. imports on a $60 billion target list.\n\nThe Chinese tariffs took effect on Saturday.", "BEIJING (REUTERS) - China will investigate whether FedEx Corp damaged the legal rights and interests of its clients, the official Xinhua news agency said on Saturday (June 1), after Chinese telecoms giant Huawei said parcels intended for it were diverted.\n\nAmid worsening tensions between China and the United States, the Chinese Commerce Ministry said on Friday that it would draft a hit-list of \"unreliable\" foreign firms and individuals that harm the interests of Chinese companies. It gave no names.\n\nIt issued the threat after Washington last month put Huawei on a blacklist that effectively blocks US firms from doing business with the Shenzhen-based telecoms equipment maker.\n\nHuawei told Reuters on Friday that it was reviewing its relationship with FedEx, which it alleged had diverted two parcels destined for Huawei addresses in Asia to the United States and had attempted to reroute two others. FedEx said the packages were \"misrouted in error\".\n\nXinhua, without elaborating, said FedEx recently did not deliver to the right addressees and addresses in China.\n\nFedEx China did not immediately respond to an e-mailed request for comment.\n\nOn Tuesday, FedEx China apologised on its Chinese social media account for the \"mishandling\" of Huawei packages and confirmed there was no \"external pressure\" to divert packages.\n\nWashington believes Huawei, the world's largest telecom network gear-maker, is a potential espionage threat because of its close ties with the Chinese government.\n\nHuawei has repeatedly denied it is controlled by the Chinese government, military or intelligence services.\n\nThe issue has become a flashpoint in an escalating trade battle between the world's two biggest economies.\n\nLast month, Washington slapped additional tariffs of up to 25 per cent on US$200 billion (S$274.80 billion) of Chinese goods, accusing Beijing of reneging on its previous promises to make structural changes to its economic practices.\n\nThat prompted Beijing to hit back with additional levies on the majority of US imports on a US$60 billion target list.\n\nThe Chinese tariffs took effect on Saturday.", "Amid worsening tensions between China and the United States, the commerce ministry said on Friday that it would draft a hit-list of “unreliable” foreign firms and individuals that harm the interests of Chinese companies. It gave no names.\n\nIt issued the threat after Washington last month put Huawei on a blacklist that effectively blocks US firms from doing business with the Shenzhen-based telecoms equipment maker.\n\nHuawei told Reuters on Friday that it was reviewing its relationship with FedEx which it alleged had diverted two parcels destined for Huawei addresses in Asia to the United States and had attempted to reroute two others. FedEx said the packages were “misrouted in error”.\n\nXinhua, without elaborating, said FedEx recently did not deliver to the right addressees and addresses in China.\n\nIn a statement on its website, FedEx said it would “fully cooperate with any regulatory investigation into how we serve our customers.”\n\nOn Tuesday, FedEx China apologized on its Chinese social media account for the “mishandling” of Huawei packages and confirmed there was no “external pressure” to divert packages.\n\nWashington believes Huawei, the world’s largest telecom network gear maker, is a potential espionage threat because of its close ties with the Chinese government.\n\nHuawei has repeatedly denied it is controlled by the Chinese government, military or intelligence services.\n\nThe issue has become a flashpoint in an escalating trade battle between the world’s two biggest economies.\n\nLast month, Washington slapped additional tariffs of up to 25% on $200 billion of Chinese goods, accusing Beijing of reneging on its previous promises to make structural changes to its economic practices.\n\nThat prompted Beijing to hit back with additional levies on the majority of US imports on a $60 billion target list.\n\nThe Chinese tariffs took effect on Saturday.", "As the U.S.-China trade war continues to escalate, Beijing has signaled its newest target: FedEx.\n\nAhead of Chinese officials’ planned announcement on Sunday about their position on trade talks with the U.S., China opened a probe into FedEx’s “wrongful delivery of packages,” according to Bloomberg. The investigation follows a decision by the Trump administration several weeks ago to impose a ban on business with Chinese telecom firm Huawei.\n\nOn Saturday, Chinese retaliatory tariffs on the U.S. goods kicked in, after the Trump administration raised tariffs on Chinese goods worth $200 billion to 25 percent, from 10 percent.\n\n“China's relevant government department has decided to file a case for investigation of FedEx on suspicion of undermining the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese clients,” Xinhua, the official state-run press agency of China, said on Saturday.\n\nAccording to Reuters, FedEx apologized this week for delivery errors on Huawei packages following reports that packages were returned to senders. Huawei accused FedEx of shipping two packages containing documents destined for Huawei in China to the U.S. without authorization, Reuters reported. Now, China's biggest tech company said it’s reviewing its relationship with the U.S. delivery service.\n\n“The U.S. company has recently failed to deliver express packages to designated addresses in China, seriously damaging the lawful rights and interests of its clients and violating laws and regulations governing the express industry in China,” Xinhua added.\n\nIn a statement, the company said it values its business in China and its relationship with Chinese clients, including Huawei.\n\nCLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX BUSINESS APP\n\n“FedEx will fully cooperate with any regulatory investigation into how we serve our customers,” the company said on Saturday.", "BEIJING (WASHINGTON POST) - A top Chinese trade negotiator defended a new Chinese investigation into FedEx, the Memphis-based courier, as \"understandable\" as he reiterated vague warnings that China would punish those who hurt Chinese companies for political reasons.\n\nFedEx became the latest firm to be entangled in the sharply escalating US-China trade war this week after Huawei accused it of diverting packages to the United States that were intended for Chinese recipients.\n\nFedEx said there was no \"external pressure\" to misroute the packages amid speculation it was related to new US sanctions against the beleaguered Chinese tech giant. The courier said in a statement the incident was a mistake and agreed to cooperate with the Chinese probe.\n\nThe FedEx investigation, disclosed by state media on Saturday (June 1) shortly after the Chinese government unveiled a new blacklist of \"unreliable\" foreign companies and individuals, raised fears that American companies and executives in China would come under increasing regulatory scrutiny or face punishment as the trade standoff turns acrimonious.\n\nWang Shouwen, a vice minister of commerce, declined to name names on the new blacklist on Sunday (June 2). He said \"everybody doesn't need to worry\" about facing retaliatory Chinese action \"if they respect Chinese laws\". \"The entities list targets those who violate market principles and cut off business for noncommercial reasons to hurt Chinese companies and Chinese national security,\" said Wang.\n\nHe told reporters specific punishments for companies on the \"unreliable\" list would be announced at a later time.\n\nWang, a member of the Chinese team shuttling between Beijing and Washington until trade talks collapsed last month, declined to say whether President Donald Trump and his counterpart Xi Jinping would meet later this month on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Japan.\n\nOfficials on both sides see a face-to-face meeting at the Osaka summit as the best chance to halt or reverse the alarming slide in relations between the two powers.\n\nBut the chances of a productive meeting - or of a meeting at all - appear slim after Trump signed an executive order that prohibited US firms from doing business or selling components and software to Huawei, a move that could cripple and humiliate an iconic Chinese company.\n\nIn retaliation, China has also threatened to cut off exports of rare earths used in electronics manufacturing to the United States.\n\nIt's not clear now what would bring the two sides back to the negotiating table.\n\nThe Chinese have dug in to their position that the Americans were wholly responsible for the breakdown in talks in May. US officials say Chinese negotiators stunned them when they backtracked on practically all the significant commitments they had already made in earlier rounds of talks.\n\nThe backtracking convinced Trump to proceed with raising tariffs on US$200 billion (S$276 billion) worth of Chinese goods, administration officials said.\n\nWang, the Chinese negotiator, dismissed the Washington's claims on Sunday as he unveiled a new position paper from his ministry that declared: \"The US government should bear the sole and entire responsibility for this severe setback\" to the trade talks.\n\nBack-and-forth revisions and adjustments until the last minute are part of any normal negotiating process, Wang said, so allegations of \"backsliding\" were groundless.\n\n\"Nothing is agreed until everything is agreed,\" he told reporters, switching to English to make his point.", "China will investigate whether FedEx Corp damaged the legal rights and interests of its clients, Xinhua news agency reported Saturday after Chinese telecom titan Huawei complained that parcels sent via the American global delivery service were diverted.\n\nHuawei pointed out Friday that it was reviewing its relationship with FedEx, assuming it had diverted two parcels meant for Huawei addresses in Asia to the US and had tried to send back two others. FedEx responded by arguing that the packages were “misrouted in error”.\n\nAmid an ongoing US-China trade spat, which has worsened since the US took action against Huawei, the Chinese commerce ministry said on Friday that it would compile a list of “unreliable” foreign firms and individuals that harm Chinese interests, while not specifying any names.\n\nSeparately, the world's second-largest economy voiced plans to increase tariffs on $60 billion in US goods, which are expected to come into force on Saturday, in retaliation to US President Trump's decision to punish China with levies on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods earlier this month.\n\nTensions have further worsened between the US and China recently after Washington barred Huawei equipment from its domestic market and tried to push its European allies to follow suit. The US attempted to justify its actions by claiming that Huawei was working in collaboration with the Chinese government and spying on users of Huawei devices at Beijing's behest, although both the company and the Chinese government vehemently denied the allegations on several occasions.\n\nHuawei representatives addressed the claims, noting their codes are absolutely secure and they have never been given directives by the government, inviting independent checks into the matter.\n\nREAD MORE: Huawei Executive Says Company Preparing to Mitigate US Ban Effect on 5G Rollout\n\nHowever, many US companies acted in line with the recent US blacklist. Google announced it would suspend offering Huawei devices updates to its software amid the suspension of other business ties to the company.\n\nIt was followed by other companies, including Panasonic and NTT Docomo of Japan. The development prompted the Chinese telecom giant to be pick up pace in making up for the loss of business partners by developing its own operating systems. It is reported to have applied for its own OS and other software trademarks in Europe, with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO).", "BEIJING (AP) — China’s state media says the country is investigating FedEx after it diverted packages sent by Chinese tech giant Huawei.\n\nThe official Xinhua news agency reported Saturday that China has opened an investigation into FedEx’s actions.\n\nXinhua says FedEx “severely harmed clients’ legitimate rights and interests and violated China’s delivery industry regulations.”\n\nFour packages containing paperwork sent out by Huawei were found to have been diverted to FedEx headquarters in Memphis, Tennessee, instead of being delivered to Huawei offices in Asia.\n\nFedEx apologized and said the packages were misrouted accidentally. It added the company wasn’t told by anyone to divert the packages.\n\nThe missed deliveries drew unusual attention because of speculation that they’re related to rising U.S.-China trade tensions and U.S. sanctions on Huawei."], "summary": "Chinese authorities begin an investigation into American multinational courier delivery services company FedEx for allegedly undermining the rights of Chinese clients. The investigation stems from allegations by Chinese telecommunications company Huawei that FedEx attempted to divert the shipping route of its packages without the company's prior authorization which in turn has been denied by FedEx."}
{"document": ["VELIKA KLADUSA, Bosnia (Reuters) - Twenty-nine migrants were injured in a fire that broke out early on Saturday at a center in the northwestern Bosnian town of Velika Kladusa, police said.\n\nA burned migrant camp is seen in Velika Kladusa, Bosnia and Herzegovina June 1, 2019. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic\n\nRegional police spokesman Ale Siljdedic said the injured were taken to hospitals in Velika Kladusa and neighboring Bihac following the fire at the Miral center, which is used as temporary accommodation for about 500 migrants.\n\nThe fire was put down during the course of the day but more than a hundred migrants were forced to stay outdoors braving rain and cold weather because the building’s upper floor was destroyed, a Reuters photographer said.\n\nAn investigation into the cause of the fire was underway, police said. Police spokesman Siljdedic told Reuters the fire was most likely caused by a heater as temperatures had fallen overnight.\n\nThe International Organisation for Migration (IOM), which manages the camp, said in a statement that eight people remained in hospital, two of them with serious but not life threatening injuries.\n\nVideos posted on social media showed several people jumping in panic out of the center’s windows.\n\nLocal doctors said that many of the injured suffered from limb fractures and only few of them from burns. IOM said its was ready to engage additional staff to put the building back into full use.\n\nAbout 25,000 people from Asia and North Africa entered Bosnia from Serbia and Montenegro last year, and about 6,000 have arrived in the impoverished Balkan country this year, according to Bosnia’s security agencies.\n\nOnly around 3,500 have been accommodated in transit centers, leaving thousands sleeping rough.\n\nMost of the migrants are concentrated in Bihac and Velika Kladusa, where authorities say resources are overstretched. They have requested that the three transit centers there, including Miral, be closed and residents moved elsewhere.\n\nEthnically-divided Bosnia has not formed a government seven months after a general election. State institutions in charge of migration and asylum issues are operating in a caretaking capacity.", "At least 32 people were injured in a fire at a migrant center in northwestern Bosnia, police said.\n\n \n\n The blaze erupted early on June 1 at the center in Velika Kladusa, which accommodates some 500 migrants stuck in the Balkan country while trying to move toward Western Europe.\n\n \n\n The blaze likely started accidentally from a cooking device, said local police spokesman Ale Siljdedic.\n\n \n\n It spread swiftly, sending the migrants fleeing the building, with some jumping through the windows, Siljdedic told the Associated Press.\n\n \n\n Thirteen migrants remain hospitalized with injuries such as burns or fractures, he said.\n\n \n\n It took several hours to extinguish the blaze.\n\n \n\n Several thousand migrants fleeing war and poverty in their countries have been passing through Bosnia toward the West.\n\nBased on reporting by AP and dpa", "Bosnian police say a fire has engulfed a migrant center in the northwest of the country, leaving 29 people hurt either from burns or injuries after they jumped from windows to escape the flames.\n\nPolice say the fire erupted early Saturday in the center located in Velika Kladusa, which hosts hundreds of migrants stuck in the Balkan country while trying to move toward Western Europe.\n\nThe cause of the fire was not immediately known. Local media aired video footages showing people jumping out through the windows amid thick gray smoke surging from the building.\n\nPolice say 29 migrants have been taken to nearby hospitals for checkup and treatment.\n\n\"We know at this time that there are 29 wounded, but we don't know the extent of the injuries,\" ​said Ale Siljdedic, spokesman for the regional interior ministry.\n\nAround 500 migrants were in the shelter at the time, he said. The fire may have been an accident as those sleeping tried to warm themselves against an unusually cold period, he said.\n\nIt was the second blaze in recent weeks to hit a place where migrants were staying in Bosnia.\n\nThree weeks ago, three migrants died when a candle they were using set fire to the abandoned building they were in, according to Indira Kulenovic, a manager for Bosnia operations of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent.\n\nSince early 2018 Bosnia has found itself on the \"Balkans route\" used by migrants seeking to enter EU countries. Around 3,500 migrants are housed in eight shelters, mostly in the northwest, close to the border with EU member Croatia.", "A fire in a shelter for migrants in on Saturday left 32 people hurt either from or after they jumped from windows to escape the flames, authorities said.\n\nThe blaze broke out after dawn in the privately-run facility in the town of Velika Kladusa, said Ale Siljdedic,\n\n\"The fire has been put out, 32 migrants have been injured,\" some of them after jumping from the second floor, Siljdedic told AFP, adding the blaze was \"doubtless\" due to an electrical fault.\n\nOne person was taken to hospital, regional told FTV television.\n\nAround 500 migrants were in the shelter at the time, Siljdedic said.\n\nIt was the second blaze in recent weeks to hit a place where migrants were staying in Bosnia.\n\nThree weeks ago, three migrants died when a candle they were using set fire to the abandoned building they were in, according to Indira Kulenovic, a for Bosnia operations of the of and\n\nSince early 2018 Bosnia has found itself on the \" route\" used by migrants seeking to enter EU\n\nAround 3,500 migrants are housed in eight shelters, mostly in the northwest, close to the border with EU member", "A fire on Saturday engulfed a migrant center in northwestern Bosnia, injuring 32 people, police said.\n\nThe blaze erupted early in the morning in the center in Velika Kladusa, which hosts some 500 migrants stuck in the Balkan country while trying to move toward Western\n\nThe blaze likely started accidently from a cooking device, said\n\nIt spread swiftly, sending the migrants fleeing the building, with some jumping through the windows, Siljdedic told\n\nThirteen migrants remain hospitalized with such as or fractures, he said. The fire was put out after several hours.\n\nSeveral thousand migrants fleeing war and poverty in their have been passing through Bosnia toward the West. They mostly flock to the northwest that borders member", "SARAJEVO: A fire in a shelter for migrants in northwest Bosnia on Saturday left 29 people hurt either from burns or injuries after they jumped from windows to escape the flames, authorities said.\n\nThe blaze, whose cause was not yet known, broke out after dawn in the privately-run facility in the town of Velika Kladusa, said Ale Siljdedic, spokesman for the regional interior ministry.\n\n\"We know at this time that there are 29 wounded, but we don't know the extent of the injuries,\" he said.\n\nAround 500 migrants were in the shelter at the time, he said. The fire may have been an accident as those sleeping tried to warm themselves against an unusually cold period, he said.\n\nIt was the second blaze in recent weeks to hit a place where migrants were staying in Bosnia.\n\nThree weeks ago, three migrants died when a candle they were using set fire to the abandoned building they were in, according to Indira Kulenovic, a manager for Bosnia operations of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent.\n\nSince early 2018 Bosnia has found itself on the \"Balkans route\" used by migrants seeking to enter EU countries. Around 3,500 migrants are housed in eight shelters, mostly in the northwest, close to the border with EU member Croatia.", "Twenty-nine migrants were injured in a fire that broke out early on Saturday at a migrant camp in the northwestern Bosnian town of Velika Kladusa.\n\nRegional police spokesman Ale Siljdedic said the injured were taken to hospitals in Velika Kladusa and neighbouring Bihac following the fire at the Miral camp, which is used as temporary accommodation for about 500 migrants.\n\n“Fire brigades are on the site and will soon put down the fire, when the investigation into the incident could start,” he told Reuters.\n\nVideos posted on social media showed several people jumping in panic out of the former factory's windows.\n\nAbout 25,000 people from Asia and North Africa entered Bosnia from Serbia and Montenegro last year, and about 6,000 have arrived in the impoverished Balkan country this year, according to Bosnia’s security agencies.\n\nOnly around 3,500 have been accommodated in transit centres, leaving thousands sleeping rough.\n\nMost of the migrants are concentrated in Bihac and Velika Kladusa, where authorities say resources are overstretched. They have requested that the three transit centres there be closed and residents moved elsewhere.\n\nEthnically-divided Bosnia has not formed a government seven months after a general election. State institutions in charge of migration and asylum issues are operating in a care-taking capacity.", "Zagreb, 1 June 2019 (Hina/MIA) – About 30 people have been injured in a fire which broke out on Saturday morning in the reception centre for illegal migrants in Velika Kladusa, northwestern Bosnia and Herzegovina, Una-Sana Canton police spokesman Ale Siljdedic said.\n\nThe fire broke out in a former factory which was repurposed last year for the temporary accommodation of migrants.\n\n“It’s too early to say what caused the fire,” Siljdedic said, adding that at least 29 people who were in the centre were taken to hospitals in Velika Kladusa and Bihac.\n\nWitnesses said they saw migrants jumping out of windows in a panic. Local media released video footage of the former factory encircled by thick smoke.\n\nMore than 6,000 illegal migrants have entered BiH this year and most of those who arrive in the country in an attempt to reach Croatia seek temporary accommodation in Velika Kladusa and Bihac. Local authorities have been warning for months that they can no longer handle the migrant flow and seek greater assistance from the state authorities and the international community.", "(AP) — A fire engulfed a migrant center in northwestern Bosnia on Saturday, injuring 32 people and forcing some to jump out the windows to escape the blaze, police said.\n\nThe blaze erupted early in the morning in the center in Velika Kladusa, which hosts some 500 migrants who have become stuck in the impoverished Balkan country while trying to move toward wealthier nations in Western Europe.\n\nThe blaze likely started accidently from a cooking device, said local police spokesman Ale Siljdedic.\n\nIt spread swiftly, sending the migrants fleeing the building, with some jumping to safety out the windows, Siljdedic told The Associated Press.\n\nThirteen migrants remain hospitalized with injuries such as burns or fractures, he said. The fire was put out after several hours.\n\nSeveral thousand migrants fleeing war and poverty in their countries have been passing through Bosnia toward the West. They mostly flock to the northwest, which borders European Union member Croatia.", "Bosnian police say a fire has engulfed a migrant center in the northwest of the country, injuring at least 29 people.\n\nPolice say the fire erupted early Saturday in the center located in Velika Kladusa, which hosts hundreds of migrants stuck in the Balkan country while trying to move toward Western Europe.\n\nThe cause of the fire was not immediately known. Local media aired video footages showing people jumping out through the windows amid thick gray smoke surging from the building.\n\nPolice say 29 migrants have been taken to nearby hospitals for checkup and treatment.\n\nSeveral thousand migrants fleeing war and poverty in their countries have been passing through Bosnia toward the West. They mostly flock to the northwest that borders European Union member Croatia."], "summary": "Twenty-nine people are injured in a fire at a center used as temporary accommodation for about 500 migrants in the northwestern Bosnian town of Velika Kladusa."}
{"document": ["Image copyright Reuters Image caption The explosion sent a mushroom cloud into the sky above Dzerzhinsk\n\nA factory explosion in the Russian city of Dzerzhinsk has injured 79 people and damaged 180 homes nearby.\n\nCity officials say that the factory was used to produce and store high-explosive bombs for the military.\n\nThey add that the processing facility at the JSC Kristall Research Institute plant has been completely destroyed by the blast.\n\nA factory official says five people were inside at the time, but they were safely evacuated.\n\nMost of the people who were hurt were cut by flying glass from the explosion, which also caused a shockwave that smashed windows in homes and other factories in the city.\n\nImage copyright Reuters Image caption The shockwave smashed windows in buildings near the factory\n\nDzerzhinsk city officials have declared an emergency in the surrounding areas, while the Investigative Committee of Russia says it has launched a criminal investigation into potential safety violations at the plant.\n\nA local health ministry statement says: \"According to the latest information, 79 people asked for medical help after the explosion at Kristall: 38 factory workers and 41 residents of the city. There are no children among the injured.\"\n\nIt adds that 15 people were hospitalised, but no one had died.\n\nEarlier, a local health official said that most victims were suffering from \"shrapnel wounds of mild and moderate severity\".\n\nMeanwhile residents have posted photos on social media showing a huge mushroom cloud billowing out over the blast area.\n\nOfficials said it was a \"technical explosion\" in one of the workshops, which caused a fire of around 100 sq m.\n\nLast August three people died in another factory blast in Dzerzhinsk, in central Russia, which is believed to be one of the world's most polluted cities.", "A massive explosion at a bomb-making plant in Russia has injured 79 people and damaged 180 homes in the city of Dzerzhinsk.\n\nOfficials said the factory was used to make and store bombs and other explosive devices for the Russian military. The facility, JSC Kristall Research Institute, was completely demolished by the blast.\n\nFive people were working there at the time, but all got out safely, according to the BBC.\n\nThe injured were hurt by glass shards from windows smashed by the explosion’s shock waves.", "An explosion at a Russian TNT plant has injured 79 people, including dozens of local residents who don’t work at the facility, in Dzerzhinsk, about 250 miles east of Moscow. Fifteen of the people who were injured were hospitalized, and one remained in serious condition on Saturday. More than 180 residential buildings near the plant had blasted windows after the explosion. Further information was not immediately available.", "A blast at a major explosives plant in central Russia Saturday injured 79 people and damaged nearly 200 buildings nearby, local officials told Russian news agencies.\n\nThe explosion happened at the \"Kristall\" factory in Dzerzhinsk about 400 kilometres (250 miles) east of Moscow, in the Nizhny Novgorod region.\n\nA local health ministry official quoted by the TASS news agency said 79 people had suffered light or moderate injuries, a huge increase on the initial figure of 19.\n\n\"According to the latest information, 79 people asked for medical help after the explosion at Kristall: 38 factory workers and 41 residents of the city. There are no children among the injured,\" a health ministry statement said.\n\nFifteen people were hospitalised but none had life-threatening injuries, it said.\n\nOf the injured, 14 had to be hospitalised, but no one had been killed, said the spokesman.\n\nEarlier, health ministry officials told news agencies that the wounded had \"shrapnel wounds of mild and moderate severity\" and that they were receiving medical assistance.\n\nThe force of the blast damaged five factory buildings and 180 houses nearby.\n\nThe deputy governor of the Nizhny Novgorod region, Dmitry Krasnov, told Russian state television that two people were missing.\n\nRussia's Investigative Committee said it had opened an investigation into potential violations of industrial safety at the plant.\n\nLocal emergency services told news agencies that more than 300 people and 50 technical vehicles were taking part in cleaning the plant following the explosion.\n\nRepresentatives of Kristall told Interfax that five people were working in the area where the explosion occurred and were safely evacuated.\n\nThere was no information yet on where the injured were at the time of the blast.\n\nLocal fire fighters told agencies they had no information about any more people still inside the plant, which was set up in 1953.\n\n\"There was a explosion in one of the workshops, followed by a fire of around 100 square meters,\" a spokesman of the local emergency ministry told news agencies.\n\nImages on social media showed a large cloud of smoke billowing from the building after the explosion.", "First quarter 2019 production up from a year ago.\n\nOhio’s horizontal shale wells produced 609 billion cubic feet of natural gas and 5 million barrels of oil during the first three months of the year.\n\nThe state Department of Natural Resources released its quarterly report on shale production Friday.\n\nThe report noted production from 2,228 of 2,277 horizontal shale wells, most of them tapping the Utica Shale.\n\n2,277 barrels of oil.273 million cubic feet of natural gas.3,422 barrels of brine.86 days of production.\n\nCompared with the first quarter of 2018, oil production was up 29 percent and natural gas production was up almost 15 percent."], "summary": "An explosion at a Russian Military high-explosive production and storage facility in the city of Dzerzhinsk injures 79 people."}
{"document": ["A man walks outside a damaged building after an earthquake stroked the area in Floq, Albania, June 1, 2019. REUTERS/Florion Goga\n\nFLOQ, Albania (Reuters) - Six earthquakes in the space of two hours, the first with a magnitude of 5.3, shook south-eastern Albania on Saturday, injuring four people and causing damage to 100 houses, authorities and eyewitnesses said.\n\nFour people were hurt from the collapse of the walls, roofs and plaster of their houses, and were taken to hospital in the region’s main town of Korce in eastern Albania, the Defence Ministry said.\n\n“It was 06:30 when I went out to milk the cows when the earthquake struck. I woke up the children and the adults and we ran outside, all of us,” Petrit, 60, told Reuters in the village of Floq, the epicenter of the earthquakes.\n\nThe roof of Petrit’s house had collapsed over two rooms. Some 70 houses were damaged in Floq and the nearby village of Dvoran, the Defence Ministry said.\n\nHalf of the 100 damaged house were abandoned old structures, the Defence Ministry said. Soldiers were pitching military tents in Floq and firefighters were also there.\n\nFifty families in the mostly-damaged neighborhood of Floq had abandoned their houses for fear of other quakes, finding shelter either in the military tents or with relatives, the villagers said.\n\nThe first earthquake had its epicenter 15 km southeast of the town of Korce at a depth of 14 km and was followed by another seven minutes later at a depth of 18 km in an area bordering Greece and North Macedonia.\n\nLower intensity tremors continued in Korce and the southern area of Gjirokaster, on the border with northern Greece.", "Four people were hurt from the collapse of the walls, roofs and plaster of their houses, and were taken to hospital in the region's main town of Korce in eastern Albania, the Defence Ministry said.\n\n\"It was 06:30 when I went out to milk the cows when the earthquake struck. I woke up the children and the adults and we ran outside, all of us,\" Petrit, 60, told Reuters in the village of Floq, the epicentre of the earthquakes.\n\nThe roof of Petrit's house had collapsed over two rooms. Some 70 houses were damaged in Floq and the nearby village of Dvoran, the Defence Ministry said.\n\nHalf of the 100 damaged house were abandoned old structures, the Defence Ministry said. Soldiers were pitching military tents in Floq and firefighters were also there.\n\nFifty families in the mostly-damaged neighbourhood of Floq had abandoned their houses for fear of other quakes, finding shelter either in the military tents or with relatives, the villagers said.\n\nThe first earthquake had its epicentre 15 km southeast of the town of Korce at a depth of 14 km and was followed by another seven minutes later at a depth of 18 km in an area bordering Greece and North Macedonia.\n\nLower intensity tremors continued in Korce and the southern area of Gjirokaster, on the border with northern Greece.", "TIRANA (REUTERS) - Six earthquakes in the space of two hours, the first with a magnitude of 5.3, shook south-eastern Albania on Saturday (June 1), injuring five people and causing damage to five houses, the Defence Ministry and local media reported.\n\nFive people were hurt when a house collapsed, one local media outlet reported, while Albanian authorities said they were monitoring the situation after the quake and aftershocks.\n\n\"No extraordinary situation has been reported in any district of the country,\" Albania's Defence Ministry said.\n\nThe first earthquake had its epicentre 15km south-east of the town of Korce at a depth of 14km and was followed by another seven minutes later at a depth of 18km in an area bordering Greece and North Macedonia.\n\nLower intensity tremors continued in Korce and the southern area of Gjirokaster, on the border with northern Greece.", "A 5.3-magnitude quake in Saturday injured four people and damaged houses, local officials said.\n\nsaid four people were hurt in Floq, 15 kilometres southeast of the city of Korca, which lies 180 kilometres southeast of the capital Tirana.\n\nOfficials in said the quake had damaged around 60 houses.\n\nAccording to Albania's Institute of Geosciences, it struck at 6:26 am (0426 GMT) and was followed by seven weaker aftershocks.", "TIRANA, Albania (AP) — An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.3 struck rural areas in Albania early Saturday southeast of Tirana, the capital, injuring four people and damaging about 100 houses, authorities said.\n\nThe Defense Ministry reported that four people were injured from falling walls at their homes and about 100 houses, many uninhabited, were damaged. The injured were sent to a local hospital.\n\nAlbania’s Institute of GeoSciences, Energy, Water and Environment says the quake occurred at 6:26 a.m. Saturday and affected the Korca district, 180 kilometers (110 miles) southeast of Tirana.\n\nEmergency authorities have set up tents for residents whose homes have been damaged and have sent food and drinking water.\n\nLocated mostly along the Adriatic Sea, Albania is part of an earthquake-prone area, registering quakes every few days, though most are not felt.", "TIRANA, Albania — Albanian authorities say an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.3 has struck rural areas southeast of the capital, damaging some houses.\n\nLocal media reported that two people were injured. The Defence Ministry reported preliminary evidence of at least five damaged houses but did not confirm the injuries.\n\nThe Institute of GeoSciences, Energy, Water and Environment says the quake occurred at 4:26 GMT (0626 local time) Saturday and affected the Korca district, 180 kilometres (110 miles) southeast of Tirana.\n\nAlbania is part of an earthquake-prone area, registering quakes every few days, though most are not felt.", "TIRANA, Albania - An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.3 struck rural areas in Albania southeast of the capital, injuring four people and damaging about 100 houses, authorities said Saturday.\n\nThe Defence Ministry reported preliminary evidence of four people injured from falling walls at their houses. It added that about 100 houses, more than half of them long uninhabited, were damaged.\n\nA statement said those hurt were sent to the local hospital to be treated for slight injuries.\n\nThe Institute of GeoSciences, Energy, Water and Environment says the quake occurred at 4:26 GMT (0626 local time) Saturday and affected the Korca district, 180 kilometres (110 miles) southeast of Tirana.\n\nEmergency authorities have set up tents for locals and have send food and drinking water."], "summary": "Six earthquakes, the first 5.3 Mw, in a two-hour period near Korçë in southeastern Albania injure four people and damage around 100 houses."}
{"document": ["Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The MSC Opera, its horns blaring, crashes into a boat moored at a wharf in San Basilio-Zattere.\n\nA cruise ship crash in Venice has reignited calls for large vessels to be banned from the city's Giudecca canal.\n\nFour people were injured on Sunday when the MSC Opera - a 275m long (900ft) ship - collided with a dock and a small tourist boat after losing control.\n\nCritics say such ships pose a conservation risk to the lagoon city, pollute its waters and mar its beauty.\n\nMinisters said the crash proved the need for a ban on liners, and that they were working to resolve the problem.\n\n\"What happened in the port of Venice is confirmation of what we have been saying for some time,\" Environment Minister Sergio Costa wrote on Twitter (in Italian).\n\n\"Cruise ships must not sail down the Giudecca. We have been working on moving them for months now... and are nearing a solution.\"\n\nInfrastructure Minister Danilo Toninelli agreed, writing on Twitter (in Italian) that the incident was proof that big ships should not travel on the Giudecca.\n\n\"After many years of inertia, we are finally close to a definitive solution to protect both the lagoon and tourism,\" he said.\n\nThe Giudecca, which leads to the popular St Mark's Square, is one of Venice's major waterways.\n\nCritics say waves created by cruise ships on the canal erode the foundations of the city, which regularly suffers from flooding.\n\nSome have also complained that they detract from the beauty of Venice's historic sites and bring too many tourists.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Venetians are trying to find solutions to stop the exodus from their city\n\nVenice's port authority called for action to resolve the issue of high cruise ship traffic.\n\n\"Now is the time to handle the situation... to work to understand what happened and to find solution, once and for all,\" Pino Musolino, president of the North Adriatic Sea Port Authority wrote on Twitter (in Italian).\n\nThe government has previously tried to resolve the cruise ship debate. In 2013, it banned ships weighing more than 96,000 tonnes from the Giudecca canal but the legislation was later overturned.\n\nIn 2017, the government announced that it would divert larger ships away from the historic centre.\n\nHowever, the plans were expected to take four years to come into force.\n\nVenice Mayor Luigi Brugnaro on Sunday urged immediate action to open the alternative channel, known as the Vittorio Emanuele.", "A cruise ship has crashed into a dock and river boat in Venice.\n\nThe MSC Opera smashed into the busy Giudecca Canal, a major thoroughfare that leads to Saint Mark’s Square, at around 8.30am in Italy today, police confirmed.\n\nAt least five people are believed to have been injured in the incident.\n\nVideo of the crash shows the cruise ship, apparently unable to halt its momentum, plowing into the much smaller river boat and the dock as dozens of people run away in panic.\n\nVenice is a tremendously popular site for both tourists and cruise ships, especially during the summer tourist season.\n\nThe cruise ship’s owner, MSC Cruises, said the ship, the MSC Opera, was about to dock at a passenger terminal in Venice when it had a mechanical problem.\n\nTwo towboats guiding the cruise ship into Venice tried to stop the massive cruise ship, but they were unable to prevent it from ramming into the river boat.\n\nDavide Calderan, president of a towboat association in Venice, said: ‘The two towboats tried to stop the giant and then a tow cable broke, cut by the collision with the river boat’.\n\nCalderan said the cruise ship’s engine was locked when the captain called for help.\n\nFollowing the accident, calls for banning cruise ships in Venice, long a source of contention in the over-extended tourist city, were renewed.", "VENICE, Italy — A towering, out-of-control cruise ship rammed into a dock and a tourist riverboat on a busy Venice canal on Sunday morning, injuring five people, officials said. The collision sparked new calls for placing restrictions on cruise ships in the famed city.\n\nVENICE, Italy — A towering, out-of-control cruise ship rammed into a dock and a tourist riverboat on a busy Venice canal on Sunday morning, injuring five people, officials said. The collision sparked new calls for placing restrictions on cruise ships in the famed city.\n\nThe crash happened about 8:30 a.m. on the Giudecca Canal, a major thoroughfare that leads to St. Mark’s Square in the northeastern Italian city.\n\nThe MSC Opera cruise ship, apparently unable to stop, blared its horn as it slammed into the much smaller River Countess boat and the dock as dozens of people run away in panic. In videos of the crash, people were seen rushing to disembark from the moored riverboat over a short gangplank, and at least two people were left caught on the walkway as the vessel was dislodged from the pier.\n\nElisabetta Pasqualin was watering plants on her terrace when she heard warning sirens and stepped out to see the crash.\n\n“There was this huge ship in a diagonal position in the Giudecca Canal, with a tugboat near which seemed like it couldn’t do anything,” she said.\n\nShe described the ship “advancing slowly but inevitably towards the dock.” She said “the bow of the ship crashed hard into the bank with its massive weight crushing a big piece of it. Sirens were wailing loudly; it was a very dramatic scene.”\n\nWhen the cruise ship rammed the riverboat, she said the smaller vessel looked like it was “made of plastic or paper” rather than steel.\n\nLocal officials said five women aboard the riverboat were injured. They said one was released immediately from a hospital, while four others were advised to remain under medical care for a few days.\n\nEarlier, medical authorities said four of the women — an American, a New Zealander and two Australians between the ages of 67 and 72 — were injured falling or trying to run away when the cruise ship rammed into the River Countess.\n\nVenice is a tremendously popular site for both tourists and cruise ships, especially during the summer tourist season.\n\nThe cruise ship’s owner, MSC Cruises, said the vessel was about to dock at a passenger terminal in Venice when it had a mechanical problem. Two tugboats guiding the cruise ship into Venice tried to stop the MSC Opera, but they were unable to prevent it from ramming into the riverboat.\n\n“The two tugboats tried to stop the giant and then a tow cable broke, cut by the collision with the riverboat,” Davide Calderan, president of a tugboat association in Venice, told the Italian news agency ANSA.\n\nCalderan said the cruise ship’s engine was locked when the captain called for help.\n\nItalian media posted an audio clip of the MSC Opera’s pilot telling emergency officials that the ship experienced a loss of controls and “activated all the procedures to avoid what in the end happened, which was an impact.”\n\nOn an audio clip, the pilot said anchors were dropped and that tugboats connected to the ship’s bow and stern took maneuvers to stop the ship. “Here on the bridge, we don’t understand what happened,” the pilot is heard saying. An investigation was launched.\n\nThe collision froze boat traffic in the busy canal, and forced another MSC cruise ship to drop anchors in front of the historic city as it waited for the damaged vessels to be removed. Coincidentally, this famous maritime city on Sunday was celebrating an ancient tradition called the “Marriage of the Sea,” which features processions of boats. But the crash forced parts of the celebration to be canceled, Italian media reported.\n\nFollowing the collision, calls for banning cruise ships in Venice, long a source of contention in the over-extended tourist city, were renewed.\n\nFor many, the crash served as a wake-up call. Opponents say cruise ships are out-of-scale for Venice, cause pollution, endanger the lagoon’s ecosystem and a danger.\n\n“Obviously, we’ve seen today that our worst fears have come true,” said Jane Da Mosto, an environmental scientist and executive director of We Are Here Venice. Her group backs efforts to ban cruise ships from Venice.\n\n“There were 111 people on the river cruise boat that the big ship crashed into. They could have all died,” she said. She said the cruise ship could have plowed through the concrete embankment and “hit houses, monuments and crowds of people.”\n\n“The port authority, the government ministers, the other institutions have often tried to ridicule the resistance movement against the cruise ships, saying that an accident like this could never occur,” she added. “The government shouldn’t be so weak in giving in to the pressure of the lobby groups, like the cruise ship companies.”\n\nThe collision came four days after a river cruise ship collided with a sightseeing boat carrying South Korean tourists in Hungary’s capital, killing seven and leaving 21 others missing.\n\nNot everyone in Venice is opposed to the cruise ships. Pasqualin, the woman who witnessed the collision, counted herself among those prior to Sunday’s crash.\n\n“I’ve always been positive about the ships, but I have to admit I’ve started to change my mind now, because this was a tragic, terrible and dramatic scene,” she said.\n\nItalian officials said the collision underscored the need to ban cruise ships from using the busy Giudecca Canal, but they stopped short of calling for a ban on cruise ships.\n\n“Today’s accident in the port of Venice proves that cruise ships shouldn’t be allowed to pass down the Giudecca anymore,” said Danilo Toninelli, Italy’s transport minister. “After many years of inertia, we are finally close to a solution to protect both the lagoon and tourism.”\n\nThe MSC Opera was built in 2004. It can carry over 2,675 passengers in 1,071 cabins. According to its sailing schedule, it left Venice on May 26 and traveled to Kotor, Montenegro, and Mykonos, Santorini and Corfu in Greece before returning Sunday to Venice.", "TOURISTS have been filmed running along a wharf seconds before an out-of-control cruise ship crashes into it.\n\nFour female tourists - an American, a New Zealander and two Australians between the ages of 67 and 72 - were injured falling or trying to run away when the cruise ship rammed into tourist boat the River Countess in Venice's Giudecca Canal, medical authorities told the Associated Press.\n\nThe footage, from the San Basilio cruise terminal in Venice, was captured about 8.30am Sunday local time, Italian media reported.\n\nIt showed the MSC Opera's air horn sounding as it careened into the wharf, collecting a local tourist boat in the process.\n\nThe MSC Opera scraped along the dockside, its engine blaring, before knocking into the Michelangelo tourist boat.\n\nMSC Cruises, an international cruise ship line with its headquarters in Geneva, says its ship, the MSC Opera, experienced a mechanical problem Sunday as it was docking at a passenger terminal in Venice.\n\nThe company says it is cooperating with authorities to figure out what happened.\n\nEnglish tourist Duncan Ogle-Skan was filming from his accommodation as the ship crashed into the dock. His footage shows hundreds of passengers watching the ship crash from several decks.\n\nMr Ogle-Skan told news.com.au he was packing to leave after a visit to the popular Italian city when the chaos began.\n\n\"The ship caught the eye of my friend Hannah as it was much closer to the apartment than the other cruise ships,\" he said.\n\n\"I grabbed my phone because it was obviously going to hit the quay. I couldn't believe people weren't running sooner.\"\n\nHe told news.com.au the air horn was sounding for \"about a minute we think\" and \"it looked like it was going to hit before it did, but seemed to straighten a little and caught the dock and boat a bit further down.\"\n\nHe said he could see people running from the ship's path gathering outside his apartment.\n\nLoud scraping noises can be heard in Mr Ogle-Skan's video as the ship comes into contact with the dock. At the end of one video, his friend can be heard asking: \"How the hell does that happen?!\"\n\nSpeculation about the cause of the crash suggests it may have happened after a cable used to link cruise ships to the tug boats that pull them into the city's canals broke, the Corriere della Sera daily said.\n\n\"The two tugboats tried to stop the giant and then a tow cable broke, cut by the collision with the river boat,\" Davide Calderan, president of a tugboat association in Venice, told the Italian news agency ANSA.\n\nCalderan said the cruise ship's engine was locked when the captain called for help.\n\nElisabetta Pasqualin was watering plants on her terrace when she heard warning sirens and stepped out to see the crash.\n\n\"There was this huge ship in a diagonal position in the Giudecca Canal, with a tugboat near which seemed like it couldn't do anything,\" she said.\n\nShe described the ship \"advancing slowly but inevitably towards the dock.\" She said \"the bow of the ship crashed hard into the bank with its massive weight crushing a big piece of it. Sirens were wailing loudly; it was a very dramatic scene.\"\n\nWhen the cruise ship rammed the river boat, she said the smaller vessel looked like it was \"made of plastic or paper\" rather than steel.\n\nThe Opera was then unable to stop because of the strong currents pulling it towards the dock, it said.\n\nThe MSC Opera was built in 2004. It can carry over 2,675 passengers in 1,071 cabins. According to its sailing schedule, it left Venice on May 26 and travelled to Kotor, Montenegro, and Mykonos, Santorini and Corfu in Greece before returning Sunday to Venice.\n\nMSC Cruises, founded in Italy in 1960, is a global line registered in Switzerland and based in Geneva.\n\nThe crash comes seven years after the Costa Concordia cruise liner hit a reef and sank off the Italian island Giglio, killing 32 people.\n\nAn investigation found the ship's captain, Francesco Schettino, left the ship prematurely. He was found guilty of manslaughter and jailed for 16 years.\n\nFollowing the collision, calls for banning cruise ships in Venice, long a source of contention in the over-extended tourist city, were renewed.\n\nFor many, the crash served as a wake-up call. Opponents say cruise ships are out-of-scale for Venice, cause pollution, endanger the lagoon's ecosystem and a danger.\n\n\"Obviously, we've seen today that our worst fears have come true,\" said Jane Da Mosto, an environmental scientist and executive director of We Are Here Venice. Her group backs efforts to ban cruise ships from Venice.\n\n\"There were 111 people on the river cruise boat that the big ship crashed into. They could have all died,\" she said. She said the cruise ship could have plowed through the concrete embankment and \"hit houses, monuments and crowds of people.\"\n\n\"The port authority, the government ministers, the other institutions have often tried to ridicule the resistance movement against the cruise ships, saying that an accident like this could never occur,\" she added. \"The government shouldn't be so weak in giving in to the pressure of the lobby groups, like the cruise ship companies.\"\n\nThe collision came four days after a river cruise ship collided with a sightseeing boat carrying South Korean tourists in Hungary's capital, killing seven and leaving 21 others missing.\n\nNot everyone in Venice is opposed to the cruise ships. Pasqualin, the woman who witnessed the collision, counted herself among those prior to Sunday's crash.\n\n\"I've always been positive about the ships, but I have to admit I've started to change my mind now, because this was a tragic, terrible and dramatic scene,\" she said.\n\nItalian officials said the collision underscored the need to ban cruise ships from using the busy Giudecca Canal, but they stopped short of calling for a ban on cruise ships.\n\n\"Today's accident in the port of Venice proves that cruise ships shouldn't be allowed to pass down the Giudecca anymore,\" said Danilo Toninelli, Italy's transport minister. \"After many years of inertia, we are finally close to a solution to protect both the lagoon and tourism.\"\n\nThe MSC Opera was built in 2004. It can carry over 2,675 passengers in 1,071 cabins. According to its sailing schedule, it left Venice on May 26 and traveled to Kotor, Montenegro, and Mykonos, Santorini and Corfu in Greece before returning Sunday to Venice.", "The cruise ship's owner, MSC Cruises, said the vessel was about to dock at a passenger terminal in Venice when it had a mechanical problem. Two tugboats guiding the cruise ship into Venice tried to stop the MSC Opera, but they were unable to prevent it from ramming into the riverboat.\n\n\"The two tugboats tried to stop the giant and then a tow cable broke, cut by the collision with the riverboat,\" Davide Calderan, president of a tugboat association in Venice, told the Italian news agency ANSA.\n\nCalderan said the cruise ship's engine was locked when the captain called for help.\n\nItalian media posted an audio clip of the MSC Opera's pilot telling emergency officials that the ship experienced a loss of controls and \"activated all the procedures to avoid what in the end happened, which was an impact.\"\n\nOn an audio clip, the pilot said anchors were dropped and that tugboats connected to the ship's bow and stern took manoeuvrs to stop the ship. \"Here on the bridge, we don't understand what happened,\" the pilot is heard saying. An investigation was launched.\n\nThe collision froze boat traffic in the busy canal, and forced another MSC cruise ship to drop anchors in front of the historic city as it waited for the damaged vessels to be removed. Coincidentally, this famous maritime city on Sunday was celebrating an ancient tradition called the \"Marriage of the Sea,\" which features processions of boats. But the crash forced parts of the celebration to be cancelled, Italian media reported.\n\nFollowing the collision, calls for banning cruise ships in Venice, long a source of contention in the over-extended tourist city, were renewed.\n\nFor many, the crash served as a wake-up call. Opponents say cruise ships are out-of-scale for Venice, cause pollution, endanger the lagoon's ecosystem and a danger.\n\n\"Obviously, we've seen today that our worst fears have come true,\" said Jane Da Mosto, an environmental scientist and executive director of We Are Here Venice. Her group backs efforts to ban cruise ships from Venice.\n\n\"There were 111 people on the river cruise boat that the big ship crashed into. They could have all died,\" she said. She said the cruise ship could have plowed through the concrete embankment and \"hit houses, monuments and crowds of people.\"\n\n\"The port authority, the government ministers, the other institutions have often tried to ridicule the resistance movement against the cruise ships, saying that an accident like this could never occur,\" she added. \"The government shouldn't be so weak in giving in to the pressure of the lobby groups, like the cruise ship companies.\"\n\nThe collision came four days after a river cruise ship collided with a sightseeing boat carrying South Korean tourists in Hungary's capital, killing seven and leaving 21 others missing.\n\nNot everyone in Venice is opposed to the cruise ships. Pasqualin, the woman who witnessed the collision, counted herself among those prior to Sunday's crash.\n\n\"I've always been positive about the ships, but I have to admit I've started to change my mind now, because this was a tragic, terrible and dramatic scene,\" she said.\n\nItalian officials said the collision underscored the need to ban cruise ships from using the busy Giudecca Canal, but they stopped short of calling for a ban on cruise ships.\n\n\"Today's accident in the port of Venice proves that cruise ships shouldn't be allowed to pass down the Giudecca anymore,\" said Danilo Toninelli, Italy's transport minister. \"After many years of inertia, we are finally close to a solution to protect both the lagoon and tourism.\"\n\nThe MSC Opera was built in 2004. It can carry over 2,675 passengers in 1,071 cabins. According to its sailing schedule, it left Venice on May 26 and travelled to Kotor, Montenegro, and Mykonos, Santorini and Corfu in Greece before returning Sunday to Venice.\n\nBy Cain Burdeau And Luca Bruno, The Associated Press", "VENICE, Italy – A towering, out-of-control cruise ship rammed into a dock and a tourist river boat on a busy Venice canal on Sunday morning. Italian media reported that at least five people were injured in the crash.\n\nThe collision happened about 8:30 a.m. on the Giudecca Canal, a major thoroughfare that leads to Saint Mark’s Square in the northeastern Italian city.\n\nVideos of the crash show the cruise ship, apparently unable to halt its momentum, blaring its horn as it plows into the much smaller river boat and the dock as dozens of people run away in panic.\n\nVenice is a tremendously popular site for both tourists and cruise ships, especially during the summer tourist season.\n\nThe cruise ship’s owner, MSC Cruises, said the ship, the MSC Opera, was about to dock at a passenger terminal in Venice when it had a mechanical problem. Two towboats guiding the cruise ship into Venice tried to stop the massive cruise ship, but they were unable to prevent it from ramming into the river boat.\n\n“The two towboats tried to stop the giant and then a tow cable broke, cut by the collision with the river boat,” Davide Calderan, president of a towboat association in Venice, told the Italian news agency ANSA.\n\nCalderan said the cruise ship’s engine was locked when the captain called for help.\n\nFollowing the accident, calls for banning cruise ships in Venice, long a source of contention in the over-extended tourist city, were renewed.\n\nThe MSC Opera was built in 2004. It can carry over 2,675 passengers in 1,071 cabins. According to its sailing schedule, the cruise ship left Venice on May 26 and traveled to Kotor, Montenegro, and Mykonos, Santorini and Corfu in Greece before returning Sunday to Venice.", "VENICE, Italy (AP) — A towering, out-of-control cruise ship rammed into a dock and a tourist river boat on a busy Venice canal on Sunday morning, injuring four tourists and sparking new calls for placing restrictions on cruise ships in the famed but strained tourist city.\n\nThe collision happened about 8:30 a.m. (0630 GMT) on the Giudecca Canal, a major thoroughfare that leads to St. Mark’s Square in the northeastern Italian city.\n\nThe cruise ship, apparently unable to stop, blared its horn as it slammed into the much smaller river boat and the dock as dozens of people run away in panic.\n\nElisabetta Pasqualin was watering plants on her terrace when she heard warning sirens and stepped out to see the crash.\n\n“There was this huge ship in a diagonal position in the Giudecca Canal, with a tugboat near which seemed like it couldn’t do anything,” she said.\n\nShe described the ship “advancing slowly but inevitably towards the dock.” She said “the bow of the ship crashed hard into the bank with its massive weight crushing a big piece of it. Sirens were wailing loudly; it was a very dramatic scene.”\n\nWhen the cruise ship rammed the river boat, she said the smaller vessel looked like it was “made of plastic or paper” rather than steel.\n\nMedical authorities say four female tourists — an American, a New Zealander and two Australians between the ages of 67 and 72 — were injured falling or trying to run away when the cruise ship rammed into the tourist boat, the River Countess.\n\nVenice is a tremendously popular site for both tourists and cruise ships, especially during the summer tourist season.\n\nThe cruise ship’s owner, MSC Cruises, said the ship, the MSC Opera, was about to dock at a passenger terminal in Venice when it had a mechanical problem. Two tugboats guiding the cruise ship into Venice tried to stop the massive cruise ship, but they were unable to prevent it from ramming into the river boat.\n\n“The two tugboats tried to stop the giant and then a tow cable broke, cut by the collision with the river boat,” Davide Calderan, president of a tugboat association in Venice, told the Italian news agency ANSA.\n\nCalderan said the cruise ship’s engine was locked when the captain called for help.\n\nFollowing the collision, calls for banning cruise ships in Venice, long a source of contention in the over-extended tourist city, were renewed.\n\nFor many, the crash served as a wake-up call. Opponents say cruise ships are out-of-scale for Venice, cause pollution, endanger the lagoon’s ecosystem and a danger.\n\n“Obviously, we’ve seen today that our worst fears have come true,” said Jane Da Mosto, an environmental scientist and executive director of We Are Here Venice. Her group backs efforts to ban cruise ships from Venice.\n\n“There were 111 people on the river cruise boat that the big ship crashed into. They could have all died,” she said. She said the cruise ship could have plowed through the concrete embankment and “hit houses, monuments and crowds of people.”\n\n“The port authority, the government ministers, the other institutions have often tried to ridicule the resistance movement against the cruise ships, saying that an accident like this could never occur,” she added. “The government shouldn’t be so weak in giving in to the pressure of the lobby groups, like the cruise ship companies.”\n\nThe collision came four days after a river cruise ship collided with a sightseeing boat carrying South Korean tourists in Hungary’s capital, killing seven and leaving 21 others missing.\n\nNot everyone in Venice is opposed to the cruise ships. Pasqualin, the woman who witnessed the collision, counted herself among those prior to Sunday’s crash.\n\n“I’ve always been positive about the ships, but I have to admit I’ve started to change my mind now, because this was a tragic, terrible and dramatic scene,” she said.\n\nItalian officials said the collision underscored the need to ban cruise ships from using the busy Giudecca Canal, but they stopped short of calling for a ban on cruise ships.\n\n“Today’s accident in the port of Venice proves that cruise ships shouldn’t be allowed to pass down the Giudecca anymore,” said Danilo Toninelli, Italy’s transport minister. “After many years of inertia, we are finally close to a solution to protect both the lagoon and tourism.”\n\nThe MSC Opera was built in 2004. It can carry over 2,675 passengers in 1,071 cabins. According to its sailing schedule, it left Venice on May 26 and traveled to Kotor, Montenegro, and Mykonos, Santorini and Corfu in Greece before returning Sunday to Venice.", "VENICE, Italy (AP) — The Latest on the cruise ship crashing into a dock and another river boat in a Venice canal (all times local):\n\nTop Italian officials have immediately called for cruise ships to be banned from using the Giudecca Canal in Venice after an out-of-control cruise ship rammed both a dock and a river tourist boat in the Italian city.\n\nVideos of the crash show the MSC Opera cruise ship, apparently unable to halt its momentum, blaring its horn as it plows into a much smaller river boat and the dock Sunday as people on the dock run away in panic.\n\nDanilo Toninelli, Italy's transport minister, says \"today's accident in the port of Venice proves that cruise ships shouldn't be allowed to pass down the Giudecca anymore.\"\n\nToninelli says \"After many years of inertia, we are finally close to a solution to protect both the lagoon and tourism.\"\n\nFour older female tourists were injured as they tried to run away as the cruise ship rammed the tourist boat.\n\nMSC Cruises, an international cruise ship line with its headquarters in Geneva, says its ship, the MSC Opera, experienced a mechanical problem Sunday as it was docking at a passenger terminal in Venice. The company says it is cooperating with authorities to figure out what happened.\n\nVideos of the crash show the cruise ship, apparently unable to halt its momentum, blaring its horn as it plows into a much smaller river boat and the dock as people on the dock run away in panic.\n\nThe company says the MSC Opera is waiting to be allowed to dock at a terminal where large ships moor at Venice's waterfront.\n\nThe MSC Opera was built in 2004. It can carry over 2,675 passengers in 1,071 cabins. According to its sailing schedule, it left Venice on May 26 and traveled to Kotor, Montenegro, and Mykonos, Santorini and Corfu in Greece before returning Sunday to Venice.\n\nA towering cruise ship has struck a dock and a tourist river boat on a busy canal in Venice. Italian media report that at least five people have been injured in the crash.\n\nThe collision happened about 8:30 a.m. Sunday on the Giudecca Canal, a major thoroughfare that leads to Saint Mark's Square in the northeastern Italian city. Video of the crash shows the cruise ship, apparently unable to halt its momentum, plowing into the much smaller river boat and the dock as dozens of people run away in panic.\n\nVenice is a tremendously popular site for both tourists and cruise ships, especially during the summer tourist season.", "A cruise ship crashed into a tourist boat and then into a dock in Venice, Italy on Sunday after suffering an engine failure.\n\nVideo posted to social media showed passengers escaping from the tourist boat and running down the dock as the cruise ship rapidly approached.\n\nThe 13-deck MSC Opera rammed into the dock with its horns blaring, injuring five tourists, according to the AP. Two tugboats tried to guide the cruise ship, but were unable to prevent it from crashing.\n\n“Earlier this morning, at around 8.30 AM CET, MSC Opera – while maneuvering towards Venice’s VTP cruise terminals for mooring – experienced a technical issue. Albeit the ship was accompanied by two tugs, she grazed the dock at San Basilio. This also caused a collision with a river boat that was moored there. “The investigations to understand the exact causes of the events are currently in progress. Regarding these, the company is working closely with the local maritime and other authorities. “The ship has in the meantime received authorization to move to be moored at the Marittima terminal, as planned. She is now moored there and has begun passenger operations.”\n\n“When we saw the ship bearing down on us, everyone began shouting and running,” said a sailor who was on the tourist boat, according to AFP. “I didn’t know what to do. I got away quickly, jumping to get on shore.”\n\n“The MSC ship had an engine failure, which was immediately reported by the captain,” said Davide Calderan, the head of one of the tugboats accompanying the cruise ship, according to AFP and Italian media.\n\n“The engine was blocked, but with its thrust on, because the speed was increasing,” he continued.\n\nThe MSC Opera can carry more than 2,675 passengers, and according to its sailing schedule, the ship left Venice on May 26 and traveled to Kotor, Montenegro, and Mykonos, Santorini and Corfu in Greece before returning on Sunday to Venice.\n\nSunday’s collision adds to growing criticism of cruise ships in Venice, where the large vessels crowd waterways, block views and create waves that risk damage to the city’s buildings and infrastructure.\n\n“What happened in the port of Venice is confirmation of what we have been saying for some time,” Italy’s environment minister Sergio Costa wrote on Twitter. “Cruise ships must not sail down the Giudecca. We have been working on moving them for months now… and are nearing a solution.”\n\nNicola Fratoianni, an MP with the Italian Left party, tweeted that Italy’s allowance of massive cruise ships contrasted with its efforts to stop rescue boats carrying migrants.\n\n“It is truly curious that a country that tries to stop ships that have saved people at sea from entering its ports allows giant steel monsters to risk carnage in Venice,” he said.", "Italy’s transport minister has called for cruise ships to be banned from using the Giudecca Canal in Venice, after an out-of-control liner rammed a river tourist boat in the Italian city.\n\nVideos of the crash show the MSC Opera cruise ship, apparently unable to halt its momentum, blaring its horn as it ploughs into a much smaller river boat and the dock, as people on the dock run away.\n\nTransport minister Danilo Toninelli said: “Today’s accident in the port of Venice proves that cruise ships shouldn’t be allowed to pass down the Giudecca any more.\n\n“After many years of inertia, we are finally close to a solution to protect both the lagoon and tourism.”\n\nFour older female tourists were injured as they tried to run away when the cruise ship rammed the tourist boat.\n\nThe collision happened at about 8.30am on Sunday on the Giudecca Canal, a major thoroughfare that leads to St Mark’s Square.\n\nVenice is a tremendously popular site for both tourists and cruise ships, especially during the summer tourist season.\n\nThe cruise ship’s owner, MSC Cruises, said the ship was about to dock at a passenger terminal in Venice when it had a mechanical problem.\n\nTwo towboats guiding the cruise ship into Venice tried to stop the liner, but they were unable to prevent it from ramming into the river boat.\n\n“The two towboats tried to stop the giant and then a tow cable broke, cut by the collision with the river boat,” Davide Calderan, president of a towboat association in Venice, told the Italian news agency Ansa.\n\nMr Calderan said the cruise ship’s engine was locked when the captain called for help."], "summary": "Cruise ship MSC Opera collides with a riverboat and the quayside at Venice, Italy: four people are injured, none seriously. The incident leads to renewed demands to ban large cruise ships from the Lagoon of Venice."}
{"document": ["An employee dressed in protective clothing walks through the Sheung Shui facility. Photo: Winson Wong", "Hong Kong will cull 4,700 pigs after African swine fever was detected in an animal at a slaughterhouse close to the border with China, the second such case in a month in the crowded financial hub.\n\n[HONG KONG] Hong Kong will cull 4,700 pigs after African swine fever was detected in an animal at a slaughterhouse close to the border with China, the second such case in a month in the crowded financial hub.\n\nThe animal came from a farm in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong and importation from mainland China has been suspended until further notification, Sophia Chan, Secretary of the city's Food and Health Department said Friday night.\n\nThe government-run slaughterhouse in Sheung Shui will be closed for cleansing and disinfection, she added.\n\nLast month around 6,000 pigs were culled after the virus was detected in a pig imported from a farm in the same province. Supply from across the border was temporarily suspended for a week during the disinfection of slaughterhouse.\n\nPork is a staple of Chinese cuisine, with space-starved Hong Kong importing the majority of what it consumes from the mainland.\n\nAfter African swine fever spread across more than half of China's provinces last year, Hong Kong banned imports from any Chinese farm where the virus had been detected.\n\nChinese officials have said hundreds of thousands of pigs were culled in a bid to stop its spread - an effort that has also seen restrictions on transporting pigs from affected areas.\n\nWith some of the world's most densely populated streets, Hong Kong remains on high alert to diseases. In 2003, some 300 people died during an outbreak of severe acute respiratory disease (SARS).\n\nThe virus is not dangerous to humans but is fatal to pigs and wild boar.", "HONG KONG: Hong Kong has confirmed its second case of African swine fever, in a further sign that the virus is continuing to spread beyond mainland China, with the government ordering a cull of 4,700 animals.\n\nThe case of the disease, fatal to pigs but harmless in humans, was found in a slaughterhouse in the New Territories, bordering China's southern province of Guangdong, health chief Sophia Chan said late on Friday.\n\nThe slaughter house was closed from Friday night for disinfection. Hong Kong's first case was confirmed three weeks ago, prompting the government to order the cull of 6,500 pigs to prevent the spread of the virus.\n\nThe disease has spread to every province on the Chinese mainland since its initial detection in August 2018. On Friday, China said it had detected the virus in pigs being illegally transported to its southwestern province of Guizhou.", "Second case of African swine fever found in pig in Hong Kong, sparking cull of 4,700 animals and closure of slaughterhouse", "A specialist in medical microbiology, Tore Midtvedt believes that the African swine fever virus can develop to infect humans, writes the Nationen\n\nAfrican swine fever is a dreaded disease that spreads between pigs. The virus has recently spread to Europe. The highly contagious disease is fatal to pigs, and there is no treatment or vaccine.\n\nA specialist in medical microbiology and professor emeritus at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Tore Midtvedt, tells Nationen that he believes the virus behind the swine fever is so unstable that it can develop to infect humans.\n\n“The swine fever virus seems to be more unstable. Viruses cannot multiply by themselves, it must multiply in the animal it infects. Then there is a mindset that the pig and man are so alike,” he says.\n\nCurrently wild boar are among the largest spreaders of swine fever. But the disease can also be spread by insects and birds. Feeding from infected food waste is the main cause of contamination and spreading of infection to new countries and continents.", "BEIJING (Reuters) - China said on Friday it had detected the African swine fever virus in pigs being illegally transported to southwestern Guizhou province.\n\nA truck carrying 32 pigs from another province was stopped near the city of Duyun in Guizhou. One pig was already dead and another was sick, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said on its website.\n\nThe report comes as African swine fever, usually fatal to pigs but not harmful to people, spreads through China’s southern provinces after ravaging herds in the north last year.", "Stringent quarantine is needed to prevent African swine fever. June. 01, 2019 10:12. . \n\nAfrican swine fever (ASF), which has rapidly spread across China since last August, has even entered North Korea. North Korea reported the outbreak of the swine fever to the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) Thursday, and cautioned residents against the disease through the state-run Rodong Sinmun on Friday.\n\n\n\nASF is a highly infectious disease for pigs and wild pigs, with its fatality rate of 100 percent. There is no vaccine or cure for the disease currently available, so affected animals must be culled. African swine fever cases were reported in regions of Africa and Europe in the 20th Century, but since it broke out in China last year, it has quickly spread to neighboring countries including Mongolia, Vietnam, and Cambodia. The disease is known to be spread through the movement of infected animals or the imports of affected pork products.\n\n\n\nSouth Korea has been wary about the possible spread of the disease from North Korea through wild pigs that may traverse the inter-Korean border. The government convened an emergency meeting Friday to discuss countermeasures, and designated 10 cities and counties near the border including Ganghwa, Ongjin, and Paju as special management zones. Checkpoints and disinfection facilities will be installed in these areas, and enhanced measures will be put in place to prevent wild pigs from entering the regions.\n\n\n\nThe government should also keep an eye on the smuggling of livestock products, which is another way that the animal disease spreads. The swine fever virus does not affect people, but is strong enough to survive for years in chilled meat and frozen meat, and for months even after heated and dried. As of now, Chinese livestock products are not being imported into the country at all since they fail to meet the domestic quarantine standards, but it is still possible that processed foods made of infected ingredients can be carried in by individuals. Last year, 15 ASF virus genes were found in the food brought by a South Korean traveler who visited China.\n\n\n\nNorth Korea’s help is needed for Seoul to monitor the situation in the North and share the moving paths of wild pigs. The government should closely cooperate with North Korea and international organizations to prevent the disease from crossing the border. Experts predict that one third of all pigs in China (around 130 million) will have to be culled in the future. With China being the largest producer and consumer of pork in the world, this would have a huge impact on the world’s meat market and the price of products. The government should meticulously examine whether the outbreak of the fever would deal a blow to ordinary people, and devise countermeasures.", "– African swine fever has been reported in two new provinces - the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak and the southern province of Ca Mau, raising the total number of localities affected by the virus to 46.So far, the virus has resulted in some 1.85 million pigs being culled.On May 30, Thuy Le Vu, Vice Director of the Da Lak Sub-Department of Livestock and Animal Health, said the area’s first African swine fever outbreak was discovered at a farm in Hoa Phu commune of Buon Ma Thuot city.All 33 affected pigs were culled, he said, adding that 36 litres of chemicals were used to clean the farm. The city has strengthened inspection of transportation, slaughtering and trading of pigs in Hoa Phu commune, while applying measures to stop the disease spreading.After Gia Lai and Dak Nong, Dak Lak is the third Central Highlands locality affected by the disease.Meanwhile, Ca Mau reported the disease in two farms in Tan An Tay commune of Ngoc Hien district and Phu My commune in Phu Tran district.Measures have been rolled out to control the outbreak.Nguyen Thanh Huy, Director of the Sub-Department of Livestock and Animal Health of Ca Mau, said the province has set up 32 control stations to supervise the transport of pigs and pork into and out of the province.Huy said Ca Mau is home to about 75,000 pigs.-VNA", "TAIPEI -- In late 2002, when the SARS virus began spreading in southern China, health authorities there waited until February 2003 to report the then-unknown contagion to the World Health Organization. China's inadequate and less-than-transparent initial response provided ideal conditions for the respiratory virus to spread globally, ultimately infecting more than 8,000 people and killing more than 700 people in 37 countries.\n\nThe current rapid spread of African swine fever throughout China and to its neighbors appears to be following a similar narrative. And just as China bore the brunt of its mishandling of SARS -- recording the most infections and deaths -- it is poised to incur serious economic consequences from African swine fever that could last well into the next year or two, according to experts.\n\n\"There will be macroeconomic impacts from the disease, first and foremost,\" said Even Pay, an agricultural analyst at China Policy, a strategic advisory firm in Beijing. \"It will make food prices -- not just pork but also chicken and eggs and anything that consumers might choose as an alternative protein -- more expensive for the next one to two years. The impacts of this will be felt disproportionately by the poor and middle class.\"\n\nASF, as the disease is known, was first reported in China last August and is now present in all of its administrative regions. The current crisis will also drive inflation, Pay said, creating a drag on the country's economy at a time when growth was already slowing.\n\nAnalysts at Nomura International said in a May note that China's consumer price index for April rose 2.5% year-over-year largely due to rising pork prices, and that they are expecting the CPI to rise by more than 3% in some of the coming months. China's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs is projecting a 70% rise in the price of pork by the end of this year, which could be a conservative estimate.\n\nGiven China's outsized role in the global economy, the consequences of ASF are likely to ripple into international markets, as demand for pig feed, and thus commodity grain and oilseed imports, falls in China and as demand for meat rises, Pay said. Chinese consumers are already feeling the pinch, and will continue to do so.\n\n\"Though officially only produce and vegetable inflation is hitting the consumer, unofficially pork prices are being hit hard by the large decline in pig stocks,\" Christopher Balding, an associate professor at Fulbright University Vietnam, told the Nikkei Asian Review. \"With pig stocks down more than 20% officially due to ASF and more than 40% unofficially, the lack of supply is pushing up pork prices, which is a major component of the CPI inflation basket, as it is the primary protein of Chinese consumers.\"\n\nThe scale of losses expected to hit China's $128 billion pork industry is staggering. Researchers at Rabobank are estimating that this year China will suffer a 30% loss in pork production as a result of ASF. To put that into perspective, that 30% loss in production is equivalent to Europe's entire annual pork supply, and almost 30% larger than U.S. annual pork production.\n\nChina slaughters 700 million pigs annually, and an estimated 150 million to 200 million pigs have been affected in the country since the outbreak was first reported. Rabobank's researchers are predicting that a combination of switching to other protein sources as well as increased pork imports from markets such as the U.S., Europe and Brazil will be insufficient to offset the loss, predicting a net supply gap of nearly 10 million metric tons this year.\n\nChina's pork difficulties have come at a particularly inopportune time for its Communist government, currently locked in a trade war with the U.S. that shows no sign of a quick resolution. Prior to the spread of ASF nationwide, China had slapped retaliatory tariffs of 62% on U.S. pork exports. Beijing is unlikely to remove those tariffs, as such a move would be perceived as a sign of weakness.\n\nThe U.S. pork industry has seen both opportunity and cause for worry as China grapples with the outbreak. U.S. hog futures rallied last autumn when news of the outbreak in China first broke, topping out in November and then bottoming in late February, before rebounding in March when China made large purchases of pork from the U.S.\n\nChina's tariffs on U.S. pork have been more or less mitigated by a drop in pork prices stateside. Dennis Smith, a broker analyst with Archer Financial Services in Chicago, told Nikkei that pork prices for many of the key primal cuts -- hams, loins and butts -- were trading at 10-year lows last autumn. In late February, ham prices were back to 10-year lows, with loin prices trading at historical all-time lows, he said.\n\n\"U.S. pork prices are still inexpensive from a historical standpoint,\" Smith said, noting that current pork production is at a record high.\n\nIn mid-May, Chinese buyers canceled an order for 3,247 metric tons of U.S. pork, the biggest cancellation in a year, with American news media framing it as another hit on the American farmer due to the trade war. The cancellation came shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to hit China with a new wave of tariffs in response to China's major last-minute revision of terms of a deal that could have de-escalated the conflict between the world's two largest economies.\n\nSmith said the cancellation was likely just a \"statement\" by China. \"They still need to import very large amounts of pork from Europe, as well as the U.S.,\" he said.\n\nAs SARS -- or severe acute respiratory syndrome -- demonstrated before, viruses know no borders, and African swine fever appears to have spread from China to many neighboring countries after likely entering from Russia, which has been dealing with the virus since 2007.\n\nChina's first ASF outbreak was reported in August of last year in the north eastern province of Liaoning, with fewer than 1,000 pigs culled and local officials declaring the outbreak contained. Two weeks later a second confirmed case was reported 2,000 km away, in the central province of Henan. Given cross-border trade, tourism and the potential for wild boars to spread the virus, it may have been inevitable that ASF would affect countries on China's borders.\n\nOutbreaks have been confirmed in Vietnam, Cambodia and Mongolia, as well as the Chinese territory of Hong Kong, which administers its own economy. On Friday, North Korea confirmed an outbreak of ASF in a province bordering China, according to a report from South Korea's Yonhap News Agency.\n\nThe arrival of ASF has been especially painful in Vietnam, which has the highest per capita consumption of pork in the world followed by China.\n\nIronically, the virus was first reported in February, when Vietnam was celebrating the arrival of the year of the pig. By mid-March, outbreaks had been reported in the country's biggest pork-producing provinces and two million pigs had been culled by the end of May, at which point China had only officially reported culling one million, amid suspicions the actual number was much higher.\n\nRabobank is projecting that Vietnam, which in May mobilized its military in the fight against the disease, will lose 10% of its pork production.\n\nVietnam has not blamed China for its outbreaks, but it appears likely that its giant northern neighbor was the source of the virus. Speaking with the press in March, officials in Hanoi said that despite there having been outbreaks in Yunnan and Guangxi, the two Chinese regions that border Vietnam, \"it is very difficult to identify the source of infection happening in Vietnam.\" Despite the cautious language, Vietnamese scientists have determined that virus samples from Vietnam and China were identical.\n\nBoth Japan and Taiwan have discovered cases of the ASF virus within their borders, while successfully preventing outbreaks, at least so far.\n\nIn April, Japan's Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries reported that tourists had brought infected sausages into the country from China. Prior to that, Taiwanese authorities reported the discovery of three infected pig carcasses that had washed up on the shores of the Taiwan-controlled island of Kinmen, which lies 5 km off of China's south eastern coast. Visitors flying into mainland Taiwan are subject to luggage searches and hefty fines if they are found to be bringing in pork products.\n\nElsewhere in Asia, South Korea, Thailand, Myanmar and Laos are on high alert for possible outbreaks.\n\nChina faces a major challenge in containing and eradicating the disease. Management of ASF requires extremely strict control of pig feed to exclude any infected material, eradication of wild boar as a route of transmission, and rapid diagnosis, slaughter and disposal of all animals where an outbreak is reported, as well as complete disinfection and deinsectization of a farm.\n\nOnce under control, one of the biggest outcomes of China's ASF epidemic will be a restructuring of its pig farming sector, Pay said. \"Just about the only way for farmers and companies to guarantee they can eradicate the disease on their farms is going to be vertical integration,\" she said.\n\nPay explained that companies will need to breed their own piglets and likely produce their own feed, and staff may be required to live on-site to ensure their livestock are not coming into contact with outside pigs at home. Transportation will need to be strictly controlled.\n\n\"China's pig farms have already scaled up a lot in the past five years due to environmental regulatory pressure pushing smaller and less professionalized players out,\" she said. \"Efforts to control this disease will do the rest.\"\n\nThat could lead to changes at the dinner table as well. Chinese consumers have long placed a premium on fresh pork that has not been frozen, Pay said. As a result, live pigs are often shipped long distances to slaughterhouses nearer to demand centers -- sometimes thousands of kilometers from the farm.\n\n\"This practice will be incredibly costly or maybe even impossible, in the context of ASF prevention and control,\" she said. \"Controlling the disease might even shift this practice, and in the longer term, the preference for never-frozen meat may change.\"", "South Korea's agriculture ministry on Friday said it will go all-out on efforts as an outbreak of African swine fever in is \"highly likely\" to hit the South.\n\nreported the outbreak of the swine fever at a farm in its northern Jagang Province, which borders China, to the World Organization for Animal (OIE) on Thursday, reported.\n\nOf the farm's 99 pigs, 77 died from the fever, and the rest were culled by the North Korean authorities, according to Seoul's agriculture ministry.\n\nAlthough African swine fever is not harmful to people, it is fatal and highly infectious for pigs, with no cure currently available.\n\nSince its outbreak in in August, the disease has spread to neighbouring countries like and\n\nremains wary about the possible spread of the disease from through wild pigs that may cross the border.\n\n\"We have been already working closely with related organisations to cope with a possible outbreak of the swine fever in North Korea and enhanced efforts in the border areas,\" the agriculture ministry said.\n\nAround 350 South Korean farms located near the border have been under close observation, according to the ministry.\n\nFollowing the outbreak in the North, the ministry plans to conduct blood tests on pigs at the farms, with the results expected to come by June 7.\n\nFences are being installed at the farms to prevent potential contact between domestic and wild pigs as well.\n\nmeasures will also be carried out at major roads in 10 cities and towns near the border, according to the ministry.\n\nSouth Korea's unification ministry said it will seek ways to cooperate to stem the spread of African swine fever.\n\nIn November, the two Koreas held working-level talks on and agreed to share information on contagious diseases to combat and block the spread of contagious diseases across their border.\n\nThe Rodong Sinmun, the North's official newspaper, on Friday reported that is suffering from African swine fever which is \"highly epidemic and very dangerous.\" It did not, however, mention the outbreak in the country."], "summary": "Hong Kong confirms its second case of African swine fever, indicating the virus continues to spread beyond mainland China. Sheung Shui slaughterhouse is temporarily closed while 4,100 animals are culled from the facility."}
{"document": ["A demonstrator throws back tear gas canister fired by riot police during a protest against President Juan Orlando Hernandez government's plans to privatize healthcare and education, in Tegucigalpa, Honduras May 31, 2019. REUTERS/Jorge Cabrera\n\nTEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) - Protesters torched the access gate to the U.S. Embassy in the Honduran capital on Friday during a second day of major protests against President Juan Orlando Hernandez.\n\nThe protesters set fire to the entrance of the building in downtown ​​Tegucigalpa with about a dozen tires after dousing them with fuel, Reuters witnesses and fire services officials said. A fire department official said there were no damage to the embassy apart from the access gate.\n\nThe attack came on the second day of protests over decrees by Hernandez that his critics argue will lead to the privatization of public services.\n\nThe demonstrators were pushed toward the embassy after being dispersed from a nearby commercial zone by police nearby, though it was not immediately clear why they attacked the building.\n\nThe protesters chanted “American trash, American trash” outside the embassy, which was not being guarded at the time.\n\nA court filing earlier this week showed that Hernandez had been investigated by U.S. authorities as part of a drug trafficking and money laundering probe linked to his brother. The president has not been charged with any crime.\n\nHernandez has faced stiff opposition in Honduras since he claimed a second term in a highly divisive election at the end of 2017 which was heavily criticized by international observers and which his opponents say he stole.\n\nHernandez, a conservative ally of the U.S. government, rode out protests against his re-election after he was recognized as the victor by countries including the United States.", "Protesters have torched the access gate to the US Embassy in the Honduran capital during a second day of major protests against President Juan Orlando Hernandez.\n\nThe protesters set fire to the entrance of the building in downtown Tegucigalpa with about a dozen tires after dousing them with fuel, fire services officials said.\n\nA fire department official said there were no damage to the embassy apart from the access gate.\n\nThe attack came on the second day of protests over decrees by Hernandez that his critics argue will lead to the privatisation of public services.\n\nThe demonstrators were pushed toward the embassy after being dispersed from a nearby commercial zone by police nearby, though it was not immediately clear why they attacked the building.\n\nThe protesters chanted \"American trash, American trash\" outside the embassy, which was not being guarded at the time.\n\nA court filing earlier this week showed that Hernandez had been investigated by US authorities as part of a drug trafficking and money laundering probe linked to his brother. The president has not been charged with any crime.\n\nHernandez has faced stiff opposition in Honduras since he claimed a second term in a highly divisive election at the end of 2017 which was heavily criticised by international observers and which his opponents say he stole.\n\nHernandez, a conservative ally of the US government, rode out protests against his re-election after he was recognised as the victor by countries including the United States.", "Tegucigalpa: Masked protesters set fire to the gate of the US embassy in Honduras on Friday during massive demonstrations against public sector reforms in the country.\n\nThousands of doctors, teachers and students had taken to the streets to demand the government abandon plans to privatize the health and education sectors.\n\nFirefighters came to extinguish the blaze, which destroyed the diplomatic mission's gate without damaging the main embassy building.\n\nThe US embassy issued a statement after the attack urging Hondurans to refrain from \"acts of violence\".\n\nPolice spokesman Jair Meza told local media that one of the suspects, a 23-year-old man, had been arrested.\n\nRelatives of the suspect later went with a crowd to the police headquarters where they shouted demands for his freedom.\n\nDemonstrators blamed \"government infiltrators\" for the damage to the embassy.", "\n• The US Embassy in Honduras on Friday was reportedly set on fire by demostrators amid nationwide protests led by doctors and teachers.\n• The day before, US Ambassador to Honduras Chargé Heide Fulton issued a statement urging Hondurans against acts of violence.\n• The US Embassy had urged family members of US government employees to stay home on Friday due to the demonstrations.\n• Images and video of what appeared to be a fire at the US embassy in the Honduran capital began to appear on social media on Friday afternoon.\n\nDemonstrators reportedly set fire to the main entrance of the US Embassy in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, on Friday.\n\nThis came amid nationwide protests from teachers and doctors.\n\nThe day before, US Ambassador to Honduras Chargé Heide Fulton issued a statement urging Hondurans against acts of violence.\n\nIn a security alert on the embassy’s website, family members of US government employees in the country were instructed to stay home on Friday.\n\nRead more: Trump’s tough border policies are actually helping the human smuggling business, experts say\n\n“Doctors, teachers and other health professionals intend to continue their nationwide 48-hour general strike, accompanied by protests in the major cities in Honduras, to demand the repeal of two decrees related to education and health,” the alert stated. “Students, other activists, and workers from other economic sectors, e.g., bus and taxi drivers, intend to participate in support of these protests.”\n\nImages and video of what appeared to be a fire at the US embassy in the Honduran capital began to appear on social media on Friday afternoon.\n\nIt’s not entirely clear why the US Embassy was targeted on Friday and the embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment from INSIDER.", "Demonstrators reportedly set fire to the main entrance of the US Embassy in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, on Friday.\n\nThis came amid nationwide protests from teachers and doctors.\n\nThe day before, US Ambassador to Honduras Chargé Heide Fulton issued a statement urging Hondurans against acts of violence.\n\nIn a security alert on the embassy's website, family members of US government employees in the country were instructed to stay home on Friday.\n\nRead more: Trump's tough border policies are actually helping the human smuggling business, experts say\n\n\"Doctors, teachers and other health professionals intend to continue their nationwide 48-hour general strike, accompanied by protests in the major cities in Honduras, to demand the repeal of two decrees related to education and health,\" the alert stated. \"Students, other activists, and workers from other economic sectors, e.g., bus and taxi drivers, intend to participate in support of these protests.\"\n\nImages and video of what appeared to be a fire at the US embassy in the Honduran capital began to appear on social media on Friday afternoon.\n\nIt's not entirely clear why the US Embassy was targeted on Friday and the embassy did not immediately respond to a request for comment from INSIDER.", "Several hooded demonstrators have set fire to the US Embassy in the capital of Honduras, as massive protests against education and healthcare privatization grip the Central American country.\n\nFootage from the scene in Tegucigalpa showed pillars of thick black smoke rising above the American diplomatic mission, after several tires were set ablaze right in front of the embassy’s doors. The protesters chanted \"American trash, American trash\" as the entrance burned.\n\nFirefighters were immediately dispatched to the scene. Riots against government reforms seeking to privatize health and education services continued in the vicinity. The blaze has practically destroyed the entrance, without causing much damage to the solid concrete structure of the building.\n\nOrganizers of Friday’s protests blamed “infiltrators of the government” for the damage to the embassy, AFP reports. No casualties have been reported in the incident at the embassy. Police were also reportedly absent from the vandalism scene and made no arrests.\n\nAhead of Friday’s protests against the privatization of public services by the government of President Juan Orlando Hernandez, the US embassy issued a security alert instructing the family of American government employees to remain at home and monitor media updates.\n\nWhile it is not immediately clear why the protesters, led by health and education professionals, decided to target the American embassy, bilateral relation between the US and Honduras has been on the decline recently. After approximately 96,000 Honduran asylum seekers were caught at the US-Mexico border in just four months this year, the US government cut aid to Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala as a punishment for their failure to stop the so-called migrant caravans.\n\nThe torching of the US embassy came just after Hernandez, an ally of the US government, became the target of the US Drug Enforcement Administration's (DEA) probe which is examining the president's alleged “large-scale drug-trafficking and money laundering activities” related to cocaine smuggling operations into the United States.\n\nIf you like this story, share it with a friend!", "TEHRAN, Jun. 01 (MNA) – Protesters set fire to the US embassy Honduras on Friday, a day after tens of thousands of Hondurans marched to demand the resignation of President Juan Orlando Hernandez.", "The main entrance of the US Embassy in the Honduran capital Tegucigalpa was left charred after demonstrators set fire to tires and objects in front of the building.\n\nThe fire was extinguished by Friday afternoon, and a State Department spokesperson later said no embassy personnel were injured in the incident, reports CNN.\n\nThe fire came amid days of protests by education and medical professionals, who are urging the government not to privatize their sectors.\n\nThe US Embassy had previously instructed the families of US government employees to remain home during the protests.\n\nIt was not immediately clear whether the embassy was the intended target of the demonstrators.\n\nA senior State Department official told CNN the incident did not appear to be serious and that staffers were seeking more information from the scene.\n\nThe State Department spokesperson for Western Hemisphere Affairs later called the fire an \"unacceptable\" act of \"violence\", and said the embassy was working \"closely\" with Honduran authorities.", "No big deal, just protesters setting fire to the U.S. embassy in Tegucigalpa, Honduras earlier today:\n\nLuckily, the tire fire just scorched the outside of the building:\n\nAn arrest has been made over the attack:\n\nIn other Honduras news, it just came out via a court filing that the DEA had the president of Honduras under investigation since 2013:\n\nHis brother, Tony, was arrested and “offered immediate cooperation”:\n\nSo, Joe Biden and Barack Obama gave Honduras millions while the DEA was investigating him? From the Washington Post:\n\nFollowing intensive negotiations between the Obama administration and the Northern Triangle presidents, Congress provided $750 million in 2016 to fund a whole-of-government effort to effect deep and lasting change in Central America. Because Central American governments had long been perceived — with good reason — as corrupt, inept and incapable of delivering basic services to their citizens, I supported Congress in tying the aid package to concrete commitments by regional governments to clean up their police, increase tax collection, fight corruption and create the opportunities necessary to convince would-be migrants to remain in their countries.", "Protesters torched the access gate to the U.S. Embassy in the Honduran capital on Friday during a second day of major protests against President Juan Orlando Hernandez.\n\nThe protesters set fire to the entrance of the building in downtown ​​Tegucigalpa with about a dozen tires after dousing them with fuel, Reuters witnesses and fire services officials said. A fire department official said there were no damage to the embassy apart from the access gate.\n\nThe attack came on the second day of protests over decrees by Hernandez that his critics argue will lead to the privatization of public services.\n\nThe demonstrators were pushed toward the embassy after being dispersed from a nearby commercial zone by police nearby, though it was not immediately clear why they attacked the building.\n\nThe protesters chanted “American trash, American trash” outside the embassy, which was not being guarded at the time.\n\nA court filing earlier this week showed that Hernandez had been investigated by U.S. authorities as part of a drug trafficking and money laundering probe linked to his brother. The president has not been charged with any crime."], "summary": "Dozens of masked protesters set fire to the U.S. Embassy in downtown Tegucigalpa, amid a second day of mass anti-government protests in Honduras."}
{"document": ["CAIRO (Reuters) - The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) said it condemns any position adopted by an international body that supports prolonging occupation of Palestinian territories, including a U.S. decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.\n\nThe OIC summit in Mecca said in its final statement on Saturday that it opposes all illegal Israeli measures aimed at changing facts in occupied Palestinian territories including Jerusalem, and undermining the two-state solution.\n\nIt urged member countries to take “appropriate measures” against countries that move their embassies to Jerusalem.\n\nThe OIC also refused to accept any proposal for peaceful settlement that did not accord with Palestinians’ legitimate inalienable rights, the final statement said.\n\nThe OIC stressed the importance of amassing support for the budget of the Palestinian government to continue its work.\n\nThe OIC summit also urged the United Sates to remove Sudan from its list of state sponsors of terrorism.", "CAIRO (Reuters) - The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit condemned the inhumane situation of Rohingya Muslims, urging a halt to violence, it said in a statement on Saturday.\n\nThe summit in Mecca also stressed that Myanmar’s government has the responsibility to protect its citizens, the statement added.", "CAIRO (Reuters) - The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit in Mecca refused to accept any decision to change legal and demographic status of Syria’s Golan Heights, especially the U.S. decision to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the territory, the summit’s final statement said.\n\nReporting by Nayera Abdallah; Editing by Himani Sarkar", "ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan returned home Saturday after concluding his visit to Saudi Arabia where he represented the country at the 14th summit of Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), held in Makkah.\n\nDuring his stay, the Prime Minister addressed the OIC forum and called for joint efforts by Muslim leaders against challenges including Islamophobia and to counter the narrative of ‘Islamic terrorism’.\n\nThe Organisation of Islamic Cooperation has renewed its commitment to the Palestinian cause saying that it opposes all illegal Israeli measures aimed at changing facts in occupied Palestinian territories including Jerusalem, and undermining the two-state solution.\n\nThe OIC Summit in Makkah in its final statement in Makkah today condemned any position adopted by an international body that supports prolonging occupation of Palestinian territories, including a U.S. decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.\n\nIt urged member countries to take appropriate measures against countries that move their embassies to Jerusalem.\n\nThe OIC also refused to accept any proposal for peaceful settlement that did not accord with Palestinians’ legitimate inalienable rights.\n\nThe summit also condemned the inhumane situation of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar and asked it to halt the violence.\n\nIt urged the United Sates to remove Sudan from its list of state sponsors of terrorism.\n\nThe OIC emphasized that the subversive terrorist acts in the Gulf region pose a serious threat to security of navigation and world energy supplies.", "CAIRO (Reuters) - A summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) condemned any position adopted by an international body that supports prolonging occupation, including a U.S. decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, it said on Saturday.\n\nThe Mecca summit also refused all illegal Israeli measures aimed at changing facts in occupied Palestinian territories including Jerusalem, and undermining the two-state solution, it said in a statement.\n\nThe summit urged member countries to take “appropriate measures” against countries that move their embassies to Jerusalem, it added.\n\nThe summit refused any proposal for peaceful settlement that did not accord with Palestinians’ legitimate inalienable rights, the statement said.", "The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit condemned the inhumane situation of Rohingya Muslims, urging a halt to violence, it said in a statement on Saturday.\n\nAny unauthorised use or reproduction of bdnews24.com content for commercial purposes is strictly prohibited and constitutes copyright infringement liable to legal action.", "OIC talks also come out in favor of Saudi Arabia amid Iran tensions\n\nA Saudi-hosted Islamic summit on Saturday threw its support behind Palestinians ahead of a U.S.-led peace plan suspected to be skewed in favor of Israel, as Muslim nations rallied around Saudi Arabia over tensions with Iran.\n\nThe Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) talks, the third and final Iran-focused summit in the holy city of Mecca this week, denounced the controversial U.S. move to transfer its embassy to Jerusalem and recognize Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights.\n\nThe summit of the 57-member state body, marked by the notable absence of Iran and Turkey’s leaders, also called for a “boycott” of countries that have opened diplomatic missions in the city.\n\nTrump broke with decades of bipartisan policy to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel in December 2017.\n\nThe OIC’s statement comes as Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner prepares to roll out economic aspects of his long-awaited Middle East peace plan at a conference in Bahrain later this month. The plan, dubbed by Trump as the “deal of the century,” has already been rejected by the Palestinians, who say Trump’s policies have shown him to be blatantly biased in favor of Israel.\n\nThe Palestinians see the eastern part of the disputed city as the capital of their future state.\n\nKushner, who was in Jerusalem on Friday on the latest leg of a regional tour to sell the plan, had looked to an alliance with Saudi Arabia against Iran as a way to gain Arab support. But Saudi King Salman told leaders of the IOC countries gathered at the summit: “The Palestinian cause is the cornerstone of the works of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and is the focus of our attention until the brotherly Palestinian people get all their legitimate rights. We reaffirm our unequivocal rejection of any measures that would prejudice the historical and legal status of Quds [Jerusalem].”\n\nThe OIC also backed Saudi Arabia over escalating tensions with Iran, as King Salman warned that “terrorist” attacks in the Gulf region could imperil global energy supplies.\n\nThe remark came after sabotage attacks damaged four vessels, two of them Saudi oil tankers, off the U.A.E. and twin Yemeni rebel drone attacks shut down a key Saudi oil pipeline. “We confirm that terrorist actions not only target the kingdom and the Gulf region, but also target the safety of navigation and world oil supplies,” the king told OIC member states.\n\nTehran has strongly denied involvement in any of the incidents. In a tweet just before the start of the summit, the king vowed to confront “aggressive threats and subversive activities.”\n\n“Undermining the security of the kingdom effectively undermines the security of the Arab and Islamic world,” said OIC Secretary-General Yousef bin Ahmed al-Othaimeen, voicing solidarity that was shared by other members.\n\nIn two previous back-to-back summits on Friday, Gulf and Arab allies similarly threw their support behind Saudi Arabia, which drew accusations from Iran of “sowing division.”\n\nThe summits came after Trump’s hawkish National Security Adviser John Bolton said Wednesday that Iranian naval mines were “almost certainly” responsible for the damage to the four ships off the United Arab Emirates on May 12.\n\nThe findings of a five-nation inquiry into what happened have yet to be released.\n\nTehran dismissed Bolton’s accusation as “laughable” and accused him of pursuing “evil desires for chaos in the region.”\n\nRegional tensions have grown since U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration re-imposed sanctions against Iran, after Washington pulled out of a multilateral 2015 nuclear accord signed with the Islamic republic. But Trump has appeared to soften his tone towards Tehran, saying that his government does not seek “regime change.”\n\nTurkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was notably absent from the key OIC summit, an AFP photographer said. A regional heavyweight, Turkey—which maintains close ties with Iran—was instead represented by its Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.\n\nIran’s President Hassan Rouhani was also not present but sent a representative to the talks, an AFP reporter said.\n\nErdogan’s visit would have been his first to the kingdom since the brutal murder last October of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, which tarnished the international reputation of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.", "Mecca – The 14th Islamic Summit hosted by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation has commenced in the al-Safa Palace in Mecca, with the attendance of Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz and several heads of state from the Arab and Islamic world.\n\nThe summit this year is titled “Mecca Summit: Together for the Future,” and aims at developing a unified stance on events in the Islamic world.\n\nThe main topics of discussions for the summit will focus on the question of Palestine, Islamophobia, countering extremism and terrorism, and the situation of Muslims around the world.\n\nAmong the speakers expected to address the summit are Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz, Bahraini King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa, OIC Secretary-General Yousef bin al-Othaimeen and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.\n\nSpeaking to Al Arabiya earlier in the day, the OIC’s Secretary-General said that the Summit will complement the two previous Gulf and Arab summits held in Mecca on Thursday in its discussions regarding Iran’s disruptive activities both in the Arab and Islamic regions.\n\n“The stance of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation is clear and direct, that we are with the legitimate government of Yemen. We condemn all the actions perpetrated by the Houthis. We also condemn the countries which support the Houthis either financially, by supplying them with weapons, or those who provide them with a political cover. We support the stance taken by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Arab Coalition against the Houthis. At one point, even the Houthis attempted to launch a missile targeting Mecca,” OIC Secretary-General Yousef bin Al-Othaimeen told Al Arabiya.\n\nAnalysts also weighed in during the day, saying they expect the Islamic summit to support the policies in place regarding Iran.\n\n“It was clear that both the Gulf and Arab emergency meetings were direct and unified in their stance regarding the Iranian file and we expect that the Islamic Summit’s agenda and final communique will not only complement the previous two summits but also take practical steps in how to implement future policies in order to tackle the issues at hand,” Hamoud Abutaleb, said a Saudi political writer.\n\nFor his part, Radwan Buhaidel, an Algerian political researcher, told Al Arabiya that three summits come at a pivotal time in the region, especially after the exceptional circumstances in recent weeks.\n\n“These summits primarily address Iranian aggression, especially after the attacks on oil pipelines in Saudi Arabia and the maritime attack on the ships off the coast of the UAE. While the two Gulf and Arab summits were unified among Arab brethren regarding the issue, the Islamic Summit will focus on dealing with Iran on a wider scale as it affects other Islamic countries near the region,” Buhaidel said.\n\n“While Iran is still one of the main topics of discussions during the last day of the Mecca Summits, the Islamic Summit hosted by the OIC will probably give a priority to the Palestinian cause as well,” he added.", "A Saudi-hosted Islamic summit yesterday threw its support behind Palestinians ahead of a US-led peace plan suspected to be skewed in favour of Israel, as Muslim states rallied around Saudi Arabia over tensions with Iran.\n\nThe Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meeting, the third and final Iran-focused summit in the holy city of Makkah this week, denounced controversial US moves to transfer its embassy to Jerusalem and recognise Israel’s sovereignty over the Golan Heights.\n\nThe summit of the 57-member bloc, marked by the notable absence of Iranian and Turkish leaders, called for a “boycott” of countries that have opened diplomatic missions in the city.\n\nTrump broke with decades of bipartisan policy to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel in December 2017.\n\nThe OIC’s statement comes as Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner prepares to roll out economic aspects of his long-awaited Middle East peace plan at a conference in Bahrain later this month.\n\nThe plan, which has been heavily talked up by Trump and dubbed his “deal of the century”, has already been rejected by the Palestinians, who say the president’s policies have shown him to be overwhelmingly biased in favour of Israel. The Palestinians see the eastern part of the disputed city as the capital of their future state.\n\nSaudi King Salman told leaders of the OIC countries gathered at the summit: “The Palestinian cause is the cornerstone of the works of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, and is the focus of our attention until the brotherly Palestinian people get all their legitimate rights.\n\n“We reaffirm our unequivocal rejection of any measures that would prejudice the historical and legal status of Quds (Jerusalem).”\n\nOIC summit condemned the inhumane situation of Rohingya Muslims, urging a halt to violence. The summit in Mecca also stressed that Myanmar’s government has the responsibility to protect its citizens, the statement added.\n\nThe OIC also backed Saudi Arabia in escalating tensions with Iran, as King Salman warned that “terrorist” attacks in the Gulf region could imperil global energy supplies.\n\nMeanwhile, the head of the Lebanese Shia movement Hezbollah warned on that if there was a war against Iran the whole Middle East region would “erupt”, amid escalating US-Iranian tensions.", "Syria denounced Sunday the Organization of Islamic Cooperation's endorsement of a longstanding U.N.-backed proposal for a transitional governing body integrating opposition elements in the conflict hit country, state media said.\n\nThe 57-member OIC met in the holy Saudi city of Mecca this week and in its closing statement on Saturday threw its support behind a 2012 Geneva communique calling for the establishment of a transitional governing body in Syria with full executive powers.\n\n\"The closing communique of the summit only expresses the obvious and continuous dependence of these countries on their masters in the West,\" a source at the Syrian foreign ministry told state news agency SANA.\n\nHarking back to the Geneva proposals \"and the idea of a government transitional body (...) confirms the chronic blindness of participating states to developments\" in Syria in recent years, the source added.\n\nU.N.-sponsored negotiations have been gradually eclipsed by parallel Moscow-backed negotiations known as the Astana process.\n\nThe Astana process was launched in January 2017 by Russia and Iran -- allies of the Damascus regime -- and by Turkey, which backs rebels in Syria's eight year civil war.\n\nThe OIC on Saturday also denounced Washington's decision on March 25 to recognize Israel's claim of sovereignty over the part of the Golan Heights it seized from Syria in the 1967 Six-Day War.\n\nBut Syria's government said \"it was not waiting for support or a statement from this summit or others like it to assert its right over the Golan,\" SANA said.\n\nRegionally, the United Arab Emirates has begun a rapprochement with Damascus, by opening an embassy after years of closure, while relations have also improved with Bahrain and Jordan.\n\nBut regional power -- and former Syrian opposition backer -- Saudi Arabia remains hostile to President Bashar al-Assad, who has made a military comeback with Russian military support since 2015, clawing back almost two-thirds of the country's territory.\n\nSyria's multi-fronted war has killed more than 370,000 people and displaced millions since it began with the repression of anti-government protests in 2011."], "summary": "At the close of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation summit in Mecca, the OIC says it will not accept any decision to change the legal and demographic status of Syria's Golan Heights, that it condemns any position adopted by an international body that supports prolonging occupation of Palestinian territories, and it condemns the inhumane situation of Rohingya Muslims."}
{"document": ["WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States began collecting higher, 25% tariffs on many Chinese goods arriving in U.S. seaports on Saturday morning in an intensification of the trade war between the world’s two largest economies and drawing retaliation from Beijing.\n\nContainers are seen at a port in Huaian, Jiangsu province, China May 5, 2019. Picture taken May 5, 2019. REUTERS/Stringer\n\nU.S. President Donald Trump imposed the tariff increase on a$200 billion list of Chinese goods on May 10, but had allowed a grace period for sea-borne cargoes that departed China before that date, keeping them at the prior, 10% duty rate.\n\nThe U.S. Trade Representative’s office in a May 15 Federal Register notice set a June 1 deadline for those goods to arrive in the United States, after which U.S. Customs and Border protection would begin collecting the 25% duty rate at U.S. ports. The deadline expired at 12:01 a.m. EDT on Saturday\n\nThe tariff increase affects a broad range of consumer goods, and intermediate components from China including internet modems and routers, printed circuit boards, furniture, vacuum cleaners and lighting products.\n\nEarlier on Saturday, China began collecting higher retaliatory tariffs on much of a $60 billion target list of U.S. goods. The tariffs, announced on May 13 and taking effect as of midnight in Beijing (1600 GMT), apply additional 20% or 25% tariffs on more than half of the 5,140 U.S. products targeted. Beijing had previously imposed additional rates of 5% or 10% on the targeted goods.\n\nNo further trade talks between top Chinese and U.S. negotiators have been scheduled since the last round ended in a stalemate on May 10, the same day when Trump announced higher tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese goods and then took steps to levy duties on all remaining Chinese imports.\n\nChina ordered the latest tariff increases in response to Trump’s move.\n\nRelated Coverage China to issue white paper on trade talks with U.S. on Sunday\n\nTrump has accused China of breaking a deal to settle their trade dispute by reneging on earlier commitments made during months of negotiations. China has denied the allegations.\n\nBeijing has grown more strident in recent weeks, accusing Washington of lacking sincerity and vowing that it will not cave to the Trump administration’s demands.\n\nIts rhetoric has hardened particularly since Washington put Chinese company Huawei Technologies Co Ltd on a blacklist that effectively bans the firm from doing business with U.S. companies.", "President Donald Trump late Thursday evening said in a tweet that his administration is hitting Mexico with new tariffs over migrants traveling through the country and entering the United States illegally.\n\nTariffs have become the White House’s preferred method of doing business, and the new duties are aside from the new trade deal, the USMCA, the president struck with Mexico and Canada as a replacement for NAFTA.\n\nThe new tariffs will take effect on June 10, and Trump warned that the new levies will gradually increase to as high as 25% by Oct. 1, Trump said in a statement released by the White House.\n\n“On June 10th, the United States will impose a 5% Tariff on all goods coming into our Country from Mexico, until such time as illegal migrants coming through Mexico, and into our Country, STOP,” Trump said via Twitter. “The Tariff will gradually increase until the Illegal Immigration problem is remedied, at which time the Tariffs will be removed. Details from the White House to follow.”\n\nThe new tariffs would have major implications for the U.S. auto industry and all companies who do business south of the border as Trump continues to ramp up trade wars across the globe, the latest news coming just days after his administration removed tariffs on steel coming from Mexico.\n\nThe move will come at a cost to both countries. The U.S. accounts for about four-fifths of all of Mexico’s exports, and about 28% of its total GDP, according to Bloomberg.\n\nTo the U.S., 5% tariffs on $346 billion worth of goods amounts to about $17 billion, rising to $87 billion if the tariffs hit 25%. U.S. consumers will end up footing the bill and the impact will be felt more directly than say with the tariffs against China, considering the amount of food that comes into the United States from Mexico.\n\nWall Street did not react well on the news, with the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial both sinking 1.1% in pre-market trading Friday morning, and the Nasdaq down 1.3%. The news also sent the Mexican peso down 3%.\n\nMexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador posted a letter on Twitter, saying “President Donald Trump in peace” in a tweet accompanying the letter, which is in Spanish.\n\nThe letter tells Trump that “social problems are not solved with duties or coercive measures” and alluded to the United States’ history as a nation of immigrants.\n\n“The Statue of Liberty is not an empty symbol,” he wrote. He also said he was dispatching his foreign relations secretary to Washington on Friday to try to negotiate a solution, according to the Associated Press.\n\nThe timing is particularly peculiar, with the administration pushing hard to get the new USMCA trade pact finalized in Congress.\n\n“The tariffs certainly put the USMCA on ice,” said Gary Hufbauer, an expert in trade law at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, who panned the move but said Trump does have the legal authority to impose the tariffs under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act by citing a national emergency.\n\n“The drama is legal, but it’s preposterous,” he said.\n\nDaniel Ujczo, a U.S.-based international trade lawyer, said the threat would likely slow the deal’s progress in Mexico and put U.S. lawmakers who want to vote “yes” in a difficult position because companies in their districts — and then ultimately U.S. consumers — will end up paying the tariffs.\n\nStill, Ujczo and others wondered whether Trump would go through with the threat.\n\n“This seems more theater and tactics than a strategy to solve the migration crisis and rebalance North American trade,” Ujczo said.\n\nIt wouldn’t be the first time Trump has backed off an immigration threat if that ends up being the case. Trump previously threatened to shut down the entire southern border if Mexico didn’t halt the migrants moving toward the U.S. border. A couple of days later he backed off, saying he was pleased Mexico was taking steps toward stopping the flow of migrants.\n\nLater in the morning, Trump tweeted again on the issue, putting the onus on Democrats because “they want Open Borders.”\n\nThe Associated Press contributed to this report.\n\nEditor’s note: Is this the right move or an empty threat? Are things getting out of control with the tariffs, driving up costs for U.S. consumers, or do the ends justify the means to stop the flow of illegal immigrants? Perhaps a … border wall? Share your thoughts below.", "The United States began collecting higher, 25 per cent tariffs on many Chinese goods arriving in US seaports on Saturday morning in an intensification of the trade war between the world's two largest economies and drawing retaliation from Beijing.\n\n[WASHINGTON] The United States began collecting higher, 25 per cent tariffs on many Chinese goods arriving in US seaports on Saturday morning in an intensification of the trade war between the world's two largest economies and drawing retaliation from Beijing.\n\nUS President Donald Trump imposed the tariff increase on a US$200 billion list of Chinese goods on May 10, but had allowed a grace period for sea-borne cargoes that departed China before that date, keeping them at the prior, 10 per cent duty rate.\n\nThe US Trade Representative's office in a May 15 Federal Register notice set a June 1 deadline for those goods to arrive in the United States, after which US Customs and Border protection would begin collecting the 25 per cent duty rate at US ports.\n\nThe deadline expired at 12.01am EDT (12.01pm Singapore time) on Saturday.\n\nThe tariff increase affects a broad range of consumer goods, and intermediate components from China including internet modems and routers, printed circuit boards, furniture, vacuum cleaners and lighting products.\n\nEarlier on Saturday, China began collecting higher retaliatory tariffs on much of a US$60 billion target list of US goods. The tariffs, announced on May 13 and taking effect as of midnight in Beijing, apply additional 20 per cent or 25 per cent tariffs on more than half of the 5,140 US products targeted.\n\nBeijing had previously imposed additional rates of 5 per cent or 10 per cent on the targeted goods.\n\nNo further trade talks between top Chinese and US negotiators have been scheduled since the last round ended in a stalemate on May 10, the same day when Mr Trump announced higher tariffs on US$200 billion of Chinese goods and then took steps to levy duties on all remaining Chinese imports.\n\nChina ordered the latest tariff increases in response to Mr Trump's move.\n\nMr Trump has accused China of breaking a deal to settle their trade dispute by reneging on earlier commitments made during months of negotiations. China has denied the allegations.\n\nBeijing has grown more strident in recent weeks, accusing Washington of lacking sincerity and vowing that it will not cave to the Trump administration's demands.\n\nIts rhetoric has hardened particularly since Washington put Chinese company Huawei Technologies Co on a blacklist that effectively bans the firm from doing business with US companies.", "Trump's tariffs: What are they? How do they work?\n\nWASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump has once again turned to tariffs to try to get his way with a U.S. trading partner.\n\nThis time, the target is Mexico: Trump plans to impose 5% tariffs on Mexican imports starting June 10 and to ratchet them up to 25% by Oct. 1 if the Mexicans don't do more to stop the surge of Central American migrants across the southern U.S. border.\n\nTariffs have become one of Trump's favorite policy tools. The president, who calls himself \"a Tariff Man,\" has slapped the levies on imported steel, aluminum, dishwashers and solar panels. He's also imposed them on $250 billion worth of Chinese goods in a dispute over China's aggressive campaign to challenge American technological dominance. And he's planning to extend tariffs to the $300 billion worth of Chinese imports that he hasn't already targeted.\n\nBefore Trump, tariffs had long been fading into history, a relic of the 19th and early 20th centuries when nations tended to focus on keeping imports out and exporting as much as they could.\n\nMore than any other modern president, Trump has embraced tariffs as a punitive tool — against Europe, Canada and other key trading partners but especially against China , the second-largest economy after the U.S.\n\nHere's a look at what tariffs are and how they work.\n\nQ: ARE WE IN A TRADE WAR?\n\nEconomists have no set definition of a trade war. But with the world's two largest economies now slapping potentially punishing tariffs on each other, it looks as if a trade war has arrived. All told, Trump has threatened to hit as much as $550 billion worth of China's exports to the U.S. with punitive tariffs. That's more than the $506 billion in goods that China shipped to the United States last year.\n\nIt's not uncommon for countries — even close allies — to fight over trade in specific products. The United States and Canada, for example, have squabbled for decades over softwood lumber.\n\nBut the U.S. and China are fighting over much broader issues, like China's requirements that American companies share advanced technology to access China's market, and the overall U.S. trade deficit with China. So far, neither side has shown any sign of bending.\n\nQ: SO WHAT ARE TARIFFS?\n\nTariffs are a tax on imports. They're typically charged as a percentage of the transaction price that a buyer pays a foreign seller.\n\nIn the United States, tariffs — also called duties or levies — are collected by Customs and Border Protection agents at 328 ports of entry across the country. Proceeds go to the Treasury. The tariff rates are published by the U.S. International Trade Commission in the Harmonized Tariff Schedule, which lists U.S. tariffs on everything from dried plantains (1.4 percent) to parachutes (3 percent).\n\nSometimes, the U.S. will impose additional duties on foreign imports that it determines are being sold at unfairly low prices or are being supported by foreign government subsidies.\n\nQ: DO OTHER COUNTRIES HAVE HIGHER TARIFFS THAN THE UNITED STATES?\n\nMost key U.S. trading partners do not have significantly higher average tariffs. According to an analysis by Greg Daco at Oxford Economics, U.S. tariffs on imported goods, adjusted for trade volumes, average 2.4 percent, above Japan's 2 percent and just below the 3 percent for the European Union and 3.1 percent for Canada.\n\nThe comparable figures for Mexico and China are higher: Both have higher duties that top 4 percent.\n\nTrump has complained about the 270 percent duty that Canada imposes on dairy products. But the United States has its own ultra-high tariffs — 168 percent on peanuts and 350 percent on tobacco.\n\nQ: WHAT ARE TARIFFS SUPPOSED TO ACCOMPLISH?\n\nTwo things: Raise government revenue and protect domestic industries from foreign competition. Before the establishment of the federal income tax in 1913, tariffs were a big money raiser for the U.S. government. From 1790 to 1860, for example, they produced 90 percent of federal revenue, according to \"Clashing Over Commerce: A History of US Trade Policy\" by Douglas Irwin, an economist at Dartmouth College. By contrast, last year tariffs accounted for only about 1 percent of federal revenue.\n\nIn the fiscal year that ended last Sept. 30, the U.S. government collected $34.6 billion in customs duties and fees. The White House Office of Management and Budget expects tariffs to fetch $40.4 billion this year.\n\nTariffs also are meant to increase the price of imports or to punish foreign countries for committing unfair trade practices, like subsidizing their exporters and dumping their products at unfairly low prices. Tariffs discourage imports by making them more expensive. They also reduce competitive pressure on domestic competitors and can allow them to raise prices.\n\nTariffs fell out of favor as global trade expanded after World War II.\n\nThe formation of the World Trade Organization and the advent of trade deals like the North American Free Trade Agreement among the U.S., Mexico and Canada reduced tariffs or eliminated them altogether.\n\nAfter years of trade agreements that bound the countries of the world more closely and erased restrictions on trade, a populist backlash has grown against globalization. This was evident in Trump's 2016 election and the British vote that year to leave the European Union — both surprise setbacks for the free-trade establishment.\n\nCritics note that big corporations in rich countries exploited looser rules to move factories to China and other low-wage countries, then shipped goods back to their wealthy home countries while paying low tariffs or none at all. Since China joined the WTO in 2001, the United States has shed 3.1 million factory jobs, though many economists attribute much of that loss not just to trade but to robots and other technologies that replace human workers.\n\nTrump campaigned on a pledge to rewrite trade agreements and crack down on China, Mexico and other countries. He blames what he calls their abusive trade policies for America's persistent trade deficits — $566 billion last year. Most economists, by contrast, say the deficit simply reflects the reality that the United States spends more than it saves. By imposing tariffs, he is beginning to turn his hard-line campaign rhetoric into action.\n\nMost economists — Trump's trade adviser Peter Navarro is a notable exception — say no. The tariffs drive up the cost of imports. And by reducing competitive pressure, they give U.S. producers leeway to raise their prices, too. That's good for those producers — but bad for almost everyone else.\n\nRising costs especially hurt consumers and companies that rely on imported components. Some U.S. companies that buy steel are complaining that Trump's tariffs put them at a competitive disadvantage. Their foreign rivals can buy steel more cheaply and offer their products at lower prices.\n\nMore broadly, economists say trade restrictions make the economy less efficient. Facing less competition from abroad, domestic companies lose the incentive to increase efficiency or to focus on what they do best.", "", "", "The announcement, which Trump hinted at Thursday morning and announced on his Twitter feed, said the tariffs would be in place “until such time as illegal migrants coming through Mexico, and into our Country, STOP.”\n\nIn a presidential statement that followed Trump’s tweet, he said tariffs would be raised to 10 percent on July 1 “if the crisis persists,” and then by another 5 percent each month for three months.\n\n“Tariffs will permanently remain at the 25 percent level unless and until Mexico substantially stops the illegal inflow of aliens coming through its territory,” the statement said.\n\nTrump’s announcement came the same day his administration told Congress it planned to seek congressional approval of the new trade pact with Mexico and Canada, known as the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.\n\nThe president has used the threat of tariffs to try to pressure foreign leaders into taking a wide array of actions, from renegotiating trade deals to limiting the amount of metal or cars they ship to the United States.\n\nIn April, he threatened to place a 25 percent tariff on Mexican cars if the country would not take action to stem the flow of migrants through the southern border, walking back a promise he had made in the revised North American trade agreement to exempt Mexico from such a measure.\n\nThe president has told his advisers that he likes tariffs because they can be done immediately and unilaterally. But tariffs are typically used to counter trade-related violations.\n\nIt is not clear what legal authority the president would use to issue levies on Mexican immigration. If the administration followed through on such an action, it would likely face serious legal challenges.", "President Trump will impose tariffs of up to 25 percent on Mexican imports if the kleptocracy south of the border doesn’t stop the flow of illegal immigrants traversing its territory to get to the United States.\n\nTrump announced the trade penalties in a tweet late Thursday afternoon just after he posted video of more than 1,000 illegals surging across the border in the El Paso sector in the wee hours Wednesday. It was the largest group ever apprehended.\n\nAnd Trump also announced that the administration will rewrite asylum rules as another means to discourage the invasion.\n\nThe Tariff\n\n“On June 10th, the United States will impose a 5% Tariff on all goods coming into our Country from Mexico, until such time as illegal migrants coming through Mexico, and into our Country, STOP,” the president tweeted.\n\n“The Tariff will gradually increase until the Illegal Immigration problem is remedied ... at which time the Tariffs will be removed. Details from the White House to follow.”\n\nThose details are in a statement at the White House website, which opened with a candid assessment of the border crisis and Mexico’s role in helping foment it.\n\n“For decades,” the president said, “the United States has suffered the severe and dangerous consequences of illegal immigration. Sadly, Mexico has allowed this situation to go on for many years, growing only worse with the passage of time.”\n\nThe situation is “from a safety, national security, military, economic, and humanitarian standpoint” a “grave disaster.” And American taxpayer, the president said, “bears the extraordinary financial cost imposed by large-scale illegal migration.”\n\nNow he said, “Mexico must step up and help solve this problem.”\n\nIf the illegal migration crisis is alleviated through effective actions taken by Mexico, to be determined in our sole discretion and judgment, the Tariffs will be removed. If the crisis persists, however, the Tariffs will be raised to 10 percent on July 1, 2019. Similarly, if Mexico still has not taken action to dramatically reduce or eliminate the number of illegal aliens crossing its territory into the United States, Tariffs will be increased to 15 percent on August 1, 2019, to 20 percent on September 1, 2019, and to 25 percent on October 1, 2019. Tariffs will permanently remain at the 25 percent level unless and until Mexico substantially stops the illegal inflow of aliens coming through its territory. Workers who come to our country through the legal admissions process, including those working on farms, ranches, and in other businesses, will be allowed easy passage.\n\nIf Mexico fails to act, Tariffs will remain at the high level, and companies located in Mexico may start moving back to the United States to make their products and goods. Companies that relocate to the United States will not pay the Tariffs or be affected in any way.\n\nTrump said Mexico has enriched itself in its dealing with the United States, not least with jobs moving south across the border, and so if Mexico doesn’t cooperate, “the sustained imposition of Tariffs will produce a massive return of jobs back to American cities and towns. Remember, our great country has been the ‘piggy bank’ from which everybody wants only to TAKE.”\n\nAsylum Rules\n\nPolitico reported yesterday that Trump will also adjust the rules that govern applications for asylum. The new rules would block applications from illegals who live in another country other than their own before they arrive here.\n\nThus, migrants traveling through Mexico would not be permitted to apply. “U.S. law allows refugees to request asylum when they arrive on U.S. soil, but has long included an exemption for those who have already emigrated to a safe country,” Politico noted.\n\nFree-traders and open-borders advocates are aghast, of course, and will most likely immediately file suit to stop the asylum change if not the tariff. Leftist subversives persuaded the federal courts, backed by the U.S. Supreme Court, to block Trump’s last effort to adjust asylum policy.\n\nThe policy is “extreme,” one told Politico, because it would block all Central Americans from applying for asylum.\n\nWrote Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador, “How did a country of fraternity for all the migrants in the world become, from night to dawn, a ghetto, a closed space.” After all, he added, “the statue of liberty is not an empty symbol.”\n\nAMLO, as he is known, did offer to help pay for the care, feeding, and other costs of the more than half-million illegals, almost all Central Americans, he permitted to cross Mexico to get to the United States.", "China on Saturday increased tariffs on billions worth of US goods as it prepares to unveil a blacklist of \"unreliable\" foreign companies that analysts say aims to punish US and foreign firms cutting off supplies to telecoms giant Huawei.\n\nBeijing's move hits $60 billion worth of US goods with new punitive tariffs ranging from five to 25 percent, and comes in retaliation for Washington raising punitive tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese goods to 25 per cent.\n\nWashington and Beijing resumed their trade battle last month when trade talks in the US ended without a deal, with American negotiators accusing Chinese negotiators of reneging on previous commitments.\n\nThe countries have exchanged tariffs on $360 billion in two-way trade so far.\n\nThe tit-for-tat tariff war has been upstaged in recent weeks by Washington's move to blacklist Chinese tech giant Huawei over national security concerns, threatening the firm's global ambitions.\n\nThe US Commerce Department placed Huawei on an \"entity list\" on grounds of national security on May 16, a move that curbs its access to US-made components it needs for its equipment. A 90-day reprieve was later issued.\n\nHitting back, China's commerce ministry said Friday it would release its own list of \"unreliable entities\" that break their commercial contracts and stop supplying Chinese firms.\n\n\"For China's countermeasures, what we say, we do,\" said anchor Kang Hui on Chinese state-broadcaster CCTV's primetime news show that aired across multiple Chinese stations Friday.\n\n\"Talk and our door is open. Fight, and we'll fight to the end,\" said Kang.\n\nChina's commerce ministry said it would roll out the detailed measures against companies on the list shortly, noting foreign firms that break contracts, cut off supplies or take other discriminatory measures against Chinese firms would be included.\n\n\"Obviously it's mostly aimed at Huawei suppliers, Intel, Qualcomm, ARM ... if anything it's probably aimed at non-US companies, so European, South Korean and Japanese companies that may be trying to decide how strictly to apply the US ruling,\" said Andrew Polk, an economist at Trivium China.\n\nChina wants to make it a much more difficult choice to cut off supplies to Huawei, he added.\n\n\"It's potentially putting companies in a situation where they are forced to choose between the US and China and that could definitely backfire on them,\" said Polk.\n\nChina's state-owned tabloid the Global Times said the new list would \"work as deterrent forming a protective barrier around Chinese companies\".\n\n\"China is ready to wage a protracted economic and trade war with the United States,\" the nationalist paper said in an editorial.\n\nFormer Chinese officials warned Friday that the trade war could last decades.\n\n\"It is quite clear now that this is no longer a trade dispute and will extend much more broadly to punitive economic measures that each side can inflict upon each other,\" said Christopher Balding, a China expert at the Fulbright University Vietnam, adding it was reasonable to expect further escalation by each side.\n\n\"It is quite possible there will be significant collateral damage here,\" Balding said.\n\nSpeaking at a defence and security conference in Singapore on Saturday, the acting US defense secretary said Huawei was \"too close\" to Beijing, creating \"too much risk\".\n\n\"The integration of civilian businesses with the military is too close. China has national policies and laws where data is required to be shared,\" Patrick Shanahan told the forum.\n\nTariff hike\n\nUS President Donald Trump more than doubled punitive tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese goods to 25 percent last month, and launched the process to hit nearly all remaining imports from the Asian giant.\n\nChina responded by increasing tariffs five percent to 25 percent on 5,410 American products Saturday, worth $60 billion in trade.\n\nWashington's tariffs appear to have already had an impact on Chinese manufacturing activity, which contracted more than expected last month.\n\nWhile Trump insists China will pay billions in duties, experts note that US consumers and importers bear the brunt of tariffs on products coming into the United States.\n\n\"The United States remains an important export market for China, but its importance is declining,\" said Wang Shouwen, who was on China's negotiating team, according to official news agency Xinhua.\n\nHe emphasised the trade war's effect on China's economy would be \"controllable\".\n\n\"If the US wants to force the Chinese to make concessions by engaging in unilateralism and putting on extreme pressure, this is impossible,\" said Wang, according to Xinhua.", "BEIJING -- China will raise tariffs on $60 billion worth of U.S. goods to as high as 25% on Saturday as it retaliates against U.S. tariffs that were raised in May.\n\nThe trade war between the world's two largest economies will further intensify, with the U.S. planning to slap additional tariffs on $300 billion worth of Chinese imports.\n\nChina's additional tariffs will cover 5,140 U.S. items, including liquefied natural gas, lumber and wine, and consist of four rates -- 5%, 10%, 20% and 25%.\n\nChina imposed additional 5% and 10% tariffs on 5,207 U.S. items in September. The additional tariffs will apply to all of the same items except 67. The exceptions include automobile parts. The 25% rate will be slapped on agricultural products, energy and other goods that can be procured outside of the U.S.\n\nIn addition, China will introduce a system to exempt some products from the new tariff schedule to prevent damage to domestic supply chains. The exemptions are meant to kick in if alternative supplies are unavailable.\n\nChina's punitive tariffs are a response to the U.S. raising tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports, including furniture and home appliances, from 10% to 25%, on May 10.\n\nThe U.S. has deferred applying the 25% rate to some Chinese goods already at sea by May 9. But the rate will apply to all Chinese goods arriving in the U.S. on and after Saturday."], "summary": "The United States begins collecting the higher, 25 percent tariffs on many Chinese goods arriving in U.S. seaports."}
{"document": ["On Thursday, Mr. Assange was to appear by video link from Belmarsh Prison in East London at a court hearing on the United States’ application for his extradition. But his British lawyer, Gareth Peirce, said her client was not well enough to participate. The presiding magistrate set June 12 for the next hearing and suggested it could be held in Belmarsh.\n\nWikiLeaks said on Thursday that Belmarsh Prison authorities had moved Mr. Assange to its hospital wing after he experienced drastic weight loss and other health problems. It also said that when Mr. Assange’s Swedish lawyer, Per Samuelson, visited him in Belmarsh on Friday, he found “that it was not possible to hold a normal conversation with him.”\n\nMr. Melzer is not the first United Nations expert to criticize the conditions of Mr. Assange’s detention. The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention condemned the 50-week sentence for jumping bail as excessive and said that sending him to a high-security prison was akin to a conviction for a more serious crime.\n\nMr. Melzer said he had initially been skeptical about Mr. Assange’s case and had turned down a request from Mr. Assange’s lawyers in December to investigate. But he said that what he found after having accepted a second request from the lawyers in March, changed his mind.\n\n“Wherever I delved into the case, I found a lot of dirty stuff,” he said in a phone interview.\n\nIn 20 years of working with victims of war, violence and political persecution, Mr. Melzer added in his statement, he had “never seen a group of democratic states ganging up to deliberately isolate, demonize and abuse a single individual for such a long time and with so little regard for human dignity and the rule of law.”\n\nMr. Melzer said that Britain should not extradite Mr. Assange to the United States or to any other country that did not provide reliable guarantees that it would not transfer him to the United States. He cited the treatment experienced by Chelsea Manning, the former Army intelligence analyst who sent WikiLeaks classified cables on events in Iraq and Afghanistan, as grounds for concern about the conditions in which Mr. Assange would be held.", "In a blistering statement against democratic countries collaborating to prosecute and enable the extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture condemned the “collective persecution” against him.\n\n“In 20 years of work with victims of war, violence, and political persecution, I have never seen a group of democratic states ganging up to deliberately isolate, demonize, and abuse a single individual for such a long time and with so little regard for human dignity and the rule of law,” Nils Melzer declared.\n\nOn May 9, Melzer visited the Belmarsh prison, where Assange is confined. Two medical experts, who specialize in examining potential victims of torture and abuse, accompanied Melzer and conducted a medical assessment.\n\n“Mr. Assange showed all symptoms typical for prolonged exposure to psychological torture, including extreme stress, chronic anxiety, and intense psychological trauma,” one expert concluded.\n\nThe expert added, “[He] has been deliberately exposed, for a period of several years, to progressively severe forms of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, the cumulative effects of which can only be described as psychological torture.”\n\nThe abusive treatment of Assange by the United States, United Kingdom, Sweden, and Ecuador was condemned by the expert, who mentioned that they “seriously deplore the consistent failure of all involved governments to take measures for the protection of his most fundamental human rights and dignity.”\n\n“By displaying an attitude of complacency at best, and of complicity at worst, these governments have created an atmosphere of impunity encouraging Mr. Assange’s uninhibited vilification and abuse.”\n\nMelzer sent letters to each of the four involved governments this past week that urged them to quit “disseminating, instigating, and tolerating statements or other activities prejudicial to Assange’s human rights and dignity.”\n\nThe U.N. Special Rapporteur on Torture also pressed the British government to not allow the extradition of Assange to the U.S. and expressed alarm over the 17 new charges of violating the Espionage Act that were issued against him by the U.S. Justice Department, which carry up to 175 years in prison if he is found guilty of all offenses.\n\nAccording to Melzer, Assange is not in solitary confinement conditions, however, the prison does limit the length and frequency of lawyer visits to an extent that may prevent him from being able to prepare a defense in his “complex” case.\n\n“Since 2010, when Wikileaks started publishing evidence of war crimes and torture committed by U.S. forces, we have seen a sustained and concerted effort by several states towards getting Mr. Assange extradited to the United States for prosecution, raising serious concern over the criminalization of investigative journalism in violation of both the U.S. Constitution and international human rights law,” Melzer stated.\n\nOn May 30, Assange was unable to attend a hearing at the Westminster Magistrates Court via video link because of his deteriorating health. He was moved to the hospital ward of Belmarsh.\n\nThere is a hearing scheduled in Sweden on June 3. A Swedish prosecutor re-opened the case into sexual allegations and requested that Assange be detained in absentia.\n\nAssange’s attorneys requested the hearing be postponed due to his poor health, but a Swedish court rejected this request on May 28, mere days before it was widely reported that he was moved to the hospital ward.\n\n“One of the reasons is that Assange’s health situation on [May 24] was such that it was not possible to conduct a normal conversation with him,” said Per Samuelson, Assange’s Swedish defense attorney.\n\nJudge Emma Arbuthnot indicated on May 30 that a substantive extradition hearing scheduled on June 12 may be moved to a court near Belmarsh to accommodate Assange while he is in poor health.\n\nIn February 2018, Arbuthnot presided over a complaint against the bail charge against Assange, which was issued after he sought political asylum from Ecuador.\n\nShe wrote, “I accept that Mr. Assange had expressed fears of being returned to the United States from a very early stage in the Swedish extradition proceedings, but absent any evidence from Mr. Assange on oath, I do not find that Mr. Assange’s fears were reasonable. I do not accept that Sweden would have rendered Mr. Assange to the United States. If that had happened, there would have been a diplomatic crisis between the United Kingdom, Sweden, and the United States, which would have affected international relationships and extradition proceedings between the states.”\n\nAfter Assange was expelled and arrested from their embassy in the U.K., Ecuador seized his possessions. They handed over his “legal papers, medical records, and electronics equipment” to U.S. officials earlier in May.\n\n“It is extremely worrying that Ecuador has proceeded with the search and seizure of property, documents, information, and other material belonging to the defense of Julian Assange, which Ecuador arbitrarily confiscated, so that these can be handed over to the the agent of political persecution against him, the United States,” Baltasar Garzón, the international legal coordinator for the defense of Assange and WikiLeaks. “It is an unprecedented attack on the rights of the defence, freedom of expression and access to information exposing massive human rights abuses and corruption.”\n\nMelzer appeared on “Democracy Now!” on May 31 and said, “I believe that Mr. Assange has a credible case and a credible fear that he would not get a fair trial in the United States, that he would not be safe and protected from the types of detention and treatment that would violate the Convention Against Torture.”\n\n“When the new government was elected in Ecuador in 2017, the last government that had actually provided him with refuge and protection turned against him and started to deliberately harass him in order to get him to leave the embassy and/or to trigger a health crisis that would justify his expulsion to a British hospital, and therefore to British jurisdiction,” Melzer added.\n\n“All these elements have resulted in a medical picture and symptoms that are tantamount to what psychological torture would produce over a prolonged period.”", "Wikileaks Founder Julian Assange shows the symptoms of psychological torture and could have his human rights violated if he is extradited to the US, a United Nations torture expert said in a scathing statement that accused countries of ganging up to demonize Assange.\n\nNils Melzer, the UN's special rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, said that he examined Assange alongside two medical experts in early May and found that Assange was displaying \"extreme stress, chronic anxiety and intense psychological trauma\" after being subjected to several years' worth of \"progressively severe forms of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.\"\n\nAssange is currently on his seventh week of a 50-week sentence in the UK's Belmarsh prison after he was expelled from Ecuador's London embassy.\n\nJulian Assange is arrested at London's Ecuadorian Embassy in April. Screenshot/Sky News\n\nHe lived there for seven years and was arrested by British police for breaching bail conditions once Ecuador revoked his asylum in April.\n\nRead more: Julian Assange has 'dramatically lost weight' since being imprisoned, and is so ill he can barely speak, WikiLeaks claims\n\nMelzer said that Assange had been \"deliberately exposed, for a period of several years, to progressively severe forms of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, the cumulative effects of which can only be described as psychological torture.\"\n\nAssange also faces potential extradition to the US, where he has been accused of spying, and Sweden has reopened an investigation into rape allegations made against Assange, which he denies.\n\nMelzer appealed to the British Government not to extradite Assange to the US \"or to any other State failing to provide reliable guarantees against his onward transfer to the United States.\"\n\nRead more:Julian Assange is being held in the UK's most notorious prison that was once known as 'Britain's Guantanamo Bay'\n\nHe said that his \"urgent concern\" is that \"in the United States, Mr. Assange would be exposed to a real risk of serious violations of his human rights, including of his freedom of expression, his right to a fair trial, and the prohibition of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.\"\n\nA police van outside the Ecuadorian embassy in London after Assange was arrested by British police. Peter Nicholls/Reuters\n\nWikiLeaks said that Assange will get 175 years in jail if he is extradited to the US.\n\nMelzer criticized the US, the UK, Sweden, and Ecuador for what he described as \"ganging up\" on Assange.\n\n\"In 20 years of work with victims of war, violence and political persecution I have never seen a group of democratic States ganging up to deliberately isolate, demonize and abuse a single individual for such a long time and with so little regard for human dignity and the rule of law.\"\n\n\"The collective persecution of Julian Assange must end here and now!\"\n\nMelzer said there had been a \"relentless and unrestrained campaign of public mobbing, intimidation, and defamation against Mr. Assange, not only in the United States, but also in the United Kingdom, Sweden and, more recently, Ecuador.\"\n\nUN special rapporteur on torture Nils Melzer in Turkey in 2016. ADEM ALTAN/AFP/Getty Images\n\nHe urged these governments to \"take measures for the protection of his most fundamental human rights and dignity\" and said they \"have created an atmosphere of impunity encouraging Mr. Assange's uninhibited vilification and abuse.\"\n\nA spokesman for the British government told The New York Times that the government nation supported Melzer's work and mandate, but did not agree with some of his observations and would issue a response. The Justice Department declined to comment to The Times, while Ecuadorean and Swedish officials could not be reached on Friday.\n\nMelzer said that Assange has currently limited access to his legal representation and documents that would allow him to prepare his defense for these cases.\n\nHe also warned that Assange's extradition raises \"serious concern over the criminalization of investigative journalism in violation of both the US Constitution and international human rights law.\"\n\nJulian Assange after he was arrested by British police outside Westminster Magistrates Court in London. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls\n\nWikiLeaks said this week that Assange already was in poor health from his seven-year stay in the Ecuadorian embassy and that seven weeks in prison had caused his condition to worsen.\n\nIt said Assange has \"dramatically lost weight\" and that his current mental state meant that it is \"not possible to conduct a normal conversation with him.\"\n\nRead more: Wikileaks says Julian Assange could face 175 years in prison after US files 17 new charges against him\n\nReuters reported that Assange was too ill to appear via video link at a hearing over whether or not he would be extradited.\n\nThe United Nations previously criticized Assange's 50-week sentence as \"concerning\" and disproportionate.\"\n\nAssange's time in the Ecuadorian embassy was marked with Ecuador accusing him of spying and mistreating staff, as well as being deeply unhygienic.\n\nMelzer said that over the last nine years \"Assange has been exposed to persistent, progressively severe abuse ranging from systematic judicial persecution and arbitrary confinement in the Ecuadorian embassy, to his oppressive isolation, harassment and surveillance inside the embassy, and from deliberate collective ridicule, insults and humiliation, to open instigation of violence and even repeated calls for his assassination.\"", "Julian Assange has been subjected to drawn-out “psychological torture”, a UN rights expert said Friday, accusing the United States, Britain, Ecuador and Sweden of “collective persecution” of the WikiLeaks founder.\n\nThe United Nations special rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, Nils Melzer, also warned that if London agrees to an extradition request from Washington, Assange risked the death penalty.\n\nMelzer visited the Australian whistleblower in a London prison on May 9, nearly a month after his arrest at Ecuador’s embassy where he had been holed up for seven years.\n\n“It was obvious that Mr Assange’s health has been seriously affected by the extremely hostile and arbitrary environment he has been exposed to for many years,” Melzer said in a statement.\n\n“Most importantly, in addition to physical ailments, Mr Assange showed all symptoms typical for prolonged exposure to psychological torture, including extreme stress, chronic anxiety and intense psychological trauma,” he said.\n\nMelzer, who was accompanied on the visit by two medical experts specialised in examining potential torture victims, said there was “overwhelming” evidence that Assange had been “deliberately exposed, for a period of several years, to progressively severe forms of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.\n\n“The cumulative effects,” he said, “can only be described as psychological torture.”\n\nAssange, 47, sought refuge at Ecuador’s embassy in 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he faces accusations of sexual assault.\n\nHe is currently serving a separate 50-week sentence at London’s Belmarsh prison for skipping bail.\n\nAssange now also has an extradition request against him from the US, which has charged him with violating the US Espionage Act by publishing a huge cache of military and diplomatic files in 2010, rejecting his claim that he is a journalist.\n\nMelzer warned that extraditing Assange to the US would expose him “to a real risk of serious violations of his human rights, including his freedom of expression, his right to a fair trial and the prohibition of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.”\n\n“I am particularly alarmed at the recent announcement by the US Department of Justice of 17 new charges against Mr. Assange under the Espionage Act, which currently carry up to 175 years in prison,” he said.\n\n“This may well result in a life sentence without parole, or possibly even the death penalty, if further charges were to be added in the future,” he warned.\n\nMelzer voiced outrage at the “sustained and concerted effort by several states” over the past nine years to secure Assange’s extradition to the US.\n\nSince 2010, “there has been a relentless and unrestrained campaign of public mobbing, intimidation and defamation against Mr. Assange, not only in the United States, but also in the United Kingdom, Sweden and, more recently, Ecuador,” he said.\n\n“In 20 years of work with victims of war, violence and political persecution I have never seen a group of democratic states ganging up to deliberately isolate, demonise and abuse a single individual for such a long time and with so little regard for human dignity and the rule of law,” he said.\n\n“The collective persecution of Julian Assange must end here and now!”", "Another crude and sad chapter, yet more evidence of a system’s vengeance against its challengers. Julian Assange, like they dying Roman emperor Vespasian, may be transforming into a god of sorts, but the suffering of his mortal physical is finding its mark. While some in the cynical, narcissistic press corps still find little to commend his case, the movement to highlight his fate, and the extra-territorial vengeance of the United States, grows.\n\nOften reviled and dismissed as ineffectual if not irrelevant, the United Nations has offered Assange some measure of protection through its articulations and findings. Ironically enough, powers happy to regard the UN as a mere bauble of international relations in not protecting human rights have dismissed it when action does take place.\n\nThe UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, for instance, found in 2016 that the publisher’s conditions of confinement in the Ecuadorean embassy amounted to arbitrary detention. “The Working Group considered that Mr Assange has been subjected to different forms of deprivation of liberty: initial detention in Wandsworth prison which was followed by house arrest and his confinement at the Ecuadorean embassy.”\n\nThe Working Group took the long view: to suggest that he had a choice in leaving the embassy at any point was farfetched and myopic. Specific reference to the shoddy Swedish prosecution effort against Assange (“lack of diligence… in its investigations”) was also made, as it compounded the element of arbitrariness. Any request to question him in Sweden could hardly be seen as “benign”. How right they were.\n\nNotwithstanding that, a resounding sneer from the British authorities, a bevy of black letter lawyers, and newspapers followed. “He is not being detained arbitrarily,” The Guardian editorialised with its usual fair-friend weathered disposition. The Working Group’s finding, according to international law authority Philippe Sands, was “poorly reasoned and unpersuasive”. Assange best give up the ghost and face the music.\n\nThis week, Professor Nils Melzer, the UN Special Rapporteur on torture, came to a conclusion as unsurprising as it was necessary. After visiting Assange at the maximum security facility at Belmarsh on May 9, the UN official found that the publisher had been subjected to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. This was all part of him becoming the cause célèbre of “a relentless campaign of public mobbing, intimidation and defamation […] not only in the United States, but also in the United Kingdom, Sweden and, more recently, Ecuador.” These governments had, be it through “an attitude of complacency at best, and of complicity at worst […] created an atmosphere of impunity encouraging Mr Assange’s uninhibited vilification and abuse.”\n\nThe fresh list of charges from US prosecutors – 17 additions to spice those centred on computer intrusion and conspiracy – alarmed Melzer. “My most urgent concern is that, in the United States, Mr Assange would be exposed to a real risk of serious violations of his human rights, including his freedom of expression, his right to a fair trial and the prohibition of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.”\n\nThe cumulative and crushing effect of the charges – potentially 175 years imprisonment – astonished Melzer. “This may well result in a life sentence without parole, or possibly even the death penalty, if further charges are added in the future.” To this can be added a nine-year period of systematic judicial abuse, arbitrary confinement, oppressive isolation, harassment, embassy surveillance by Ecuador and the “deliberative collective ridicule, insults and humiliation, to open instigation of violence and even repeated calls for his assassination.”\n\nWhile the conditions in Belmarsh do not currently make the grade of solitary confinement, they have been severe and inhospitable enough to cause concern. Visits by Assange’s legal team are limited and sporadic; access to necessary case files and documents has been curbed, impairing chances of adequately preparing his legal defence.\n\nMelzer also has a dig against the broader effort to attack journalism, with Assange as figurehead. “Since 2010, when WikiLeaks started publishing evidence of war crimes and torture committed by US forces, we have seen a sustained and concerted effort by several States towards getting Mr Assange extradited to the United States by prosecution, raising serious concern over the criminalisation of investigative journalism in violation of both the US constitution and international human rights law.”\n\nMedical experts who accompanied Melzer on his visit also expressed opinions on Assange’s health, finding that his health had been “seriously affected by the extremely hostile and arbitrary environment he has been exposed to for many years.” Physical ailments were found alongside the “symptoms typical for prolonged exposure to psychological torture, including extreme stress, chronic anxiety and intense psychological trauma.”\n\nUK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, taking a dog-eared leaf out of the book of excuses used against the Working Group, dismissed Melzer’s findings. Assange always had an unimpaired, free choice (that word again). “Assange chose to hide in the embassy and was always free to leave and face justice. The UN Special Rapporteur should allow British courts to make their judgments without his interference or inflammatory accusations.”\n\nThe BBC also noted the views of a justice ministry spokesperson, keen to disabuse sceptics that the British justice system might be suffering from judicial wear and tear. The UK did not, it was asserted, participate in torture; its judges were independent and rights to appeal could be exercised.\n\nThe response to Hunt from the good professor was sharp: Assange “was about as ‘free to leave’ as a [sic] someone sitting on a rubberboat in a sharkpool.” In his view, “UK courts have not shown the impartiality and objectivity required by the rule of law.”\n\nMelzer’s words suffice as a damningly grim biography on the treatment levelled at Assange and the broader enterprise of publishing. For two decades, having worked with “victims of war, violence and political persecution,” the rapporteur had “never seen a group of democratic States gang up to deliberately isolate, demonise and abuse a single individual for such a long time and with so little regard for human dignity and the rule of law.”\n\n _______________\n\nDr. Binoy Kampmark was a Commonwealth Scholar at Selwyn College, Cambridge. He lectures at RMIT University, Melbourne. Email: bkampmark@gmail.com", "* U.N. torture expert visited Assange in London prison on May 9\n\n* Calls for him not to be extradited to U.S., fears abuse\n\nGENEVA, May 31 (Reuters) - WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has suffered “psychological torture” from a defamation campaign against him by the media, judges and senior political figures, a United Nations human rights investigator said on Friday.\n\nNils Melzer, the U.N. special rapporteur on torture who visited Assange in a high-security London prison on May 9, voiced concern at fresh U.S. criminal charges laid against Assange and reiterated a call for him not to be extradited.\n\nAssange was too ill on Thursday to appear via video link from a British prison in a hearing on an extradition request from the United States, his lawyer Gareth Peirce told Reuters. He is in a health ward.\n\n“Mr. Assange has been deliberately exposed, for a period of several years, to progressively severe forms of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, the cumulative effects of which can only be described as psychological torture,” Melzer said in a statement.\n\nThe Swiss law professor, an independent expert, was accompanied on the prison visit by two medical experts specialised in examining potential victims of torture and other ill-treatment, the statement said. They spoke with Assange in private and conducted a “thorough medical assessment”.\n\n“It was obvious that Mr. Assange’s health has been seriously affected by the extremely hostile and arbitrary environment he has been exposed to for many years,” Melzer said.\n\n“In addition to physical ailments, Mr. Assange showed all symptoms typical for prolonged exposure to psychological torture, including extreme stress, chronic anxiety and intense psychological trauma.”\n\nThe United States is seeking the extradition of Assange, who was dragged from the Ecuadorean embassy in London on April 11 after his seven-year asylum was revoked, for one of the biggest ever leaks of classified information.\n\nThe Australian, now 47, had skipped bail and taken refuge there in 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden over a sexual assault investigation that was later dropped. Sweden reopened the investigation in early May. Assange denies the rape allegation.\n\nThe United States has charged Assange with espionage, saying he unlawfully published the names of classified sources and conspired with and assisted ex-Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning in obtaining access to classified information. He faces 18 U.S. criminal counts and decades in prison if convicted.\n\n“My most urgent concern is that, in the United States, Mr. Assange would be exposed to a real risk of serious violations of his human rights, including his freedom of expression, his right to a fair trial and the prohibition of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment,” Melzer said.\n\nAssange made international headlines in 2010 when WikiLeaks published a classified U.S. military video showing a 2007 attack by Apache helicopters in Baghdad that killed a dozen people, including two Reuters news staff.\n\n“Since (2010), there has been a relentless and unrestrained campaign of public mobbing, intimidation and defamation against Mr. Assange, not only in the United States, but also in the United Kingdom, Sweden and, more recently, Ecuador,” Melzer said, pointing to the press and social media, and unnamed senior political figures and judicial magistrates involved in the case. (Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay Editing by Ros Russell)", "LONDON — Julian Assange has been left in a state of \"extreme stress, chronic anxiety\" and \"constant panic\" after spending seven years holed up in London's Ecuadorian Embassy, a leading United Nations expert who visited the WikiLeaks co-founder in prison said Thursday.\n\nNils Melzer, the U.N. special rapporteur on torture, told NBC News he blames the United States, United Kingdom and Sweden for \"ganging up\" on Assange and subjecting him to \"psychological torture\" and \"collective persecution\" while he was inside the embassy.\n\n\"You talk with him and he is extremely agitated. He had all these questions: What's going on there? What is in this [legal] proceeding? And what's going to happen here?\" the U.N. official, who has been working informally with Assange's legal team, said.\n\n\"He's so preoccupied that he will bombard you with questions without waiting for answers,\" Melzer said.\n\nAssange fled to the embassy in 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden to face allegations of rape and sexual assault. Critics pointed out he was free to walk outside and face justice whenever he wanted.\n\nBut Assange and his supporters claim he was forced into exile to avoid extradition to the U.S., a belief supported by Melzer.\n\nAssange is currently being held at London's high-security Belmarsh prison, having been hauled out of the embassy in April and sentenced to 50 weeks for skipping bail.\n\nThe U.S. has since announced it is charging Assange with 17 counts under the Espionage Act of 1917, which critics say has potential free speech implications.\n\nIn a telephone interview, Melzer said that if Assange is extradited to the U.S., he faces what amounts to \"ill treatment or torture,\" such as prolonged isolation, sensory deprivation and solitary confinement.\n\nHe faces up to 175 years in prison if convicted of all charges.\n\n\"There is this intelligence cooperation between Sweden and the U.S., which is very important for Sweden and their own defense strategy since they evolved away from neutrality in the '90s,\" Melzer said. \"Sweden has been very forthcoming in cooperating with the U.S. in those years.\"\n\nAsked by NBC News to respond to the allegation that its investigation of Assange was disproportionate, the Swedish prosecutor's office declined to comment.\n\nThe investigation of sexual assault against Assange expired in 2015 because it exceeded the statute of limitations. The investigation of rape was dropped in 2017 because officials said it was impossible to pursue Assange while in exile. They reopened that case after his arrest last month.\n\nOn Thursday, Assange missed a court hearing because his lawyer said he was too ill to appear by video link. Melzer visited him on May 9, accompanied by two medical professionals specializing in the impact of torture on detainees.\n\nHe \"shows all the signs that are typical for person who has prolonged exposure to psychological torture, including extreme stress, chronic anxiety and intense psychological trauma,\" Melzer said. \"You can see that that's someone who lives in constant panic. Basically, it's a bit like imagine being in a nightmare and never waking up.\"\n\nThe U.N. rapporteur is also a professor of international law at the University of Glasgow, human rights chair of the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, and previously worked as an adviser to the International Committee of the Red Cross.\n\nIn a U.N. statement released Friday, Melzer said he believes there has been a \"unrestrained campaign of public mobbing, intimidation and defamation\" by the U.S., Ecuador and Sweden to get Assange extradited to the U.S. Other experts say that Sweden's reopening of the rape case complicates this supposed aim.\n\nMelzer has written to all four governments asking them to \"refrain from further disseminating, instigating or tolerating statements or other activities prejudicial to Assange's human rights and dignity.\"\n\n“In 20 years of work with victims of war, violence and political persecution, I have never seen a group of democratic states ganging up to deliberately isolate, demonize and abuse a single individual for such a long time,\" he wrote.", "A United Nations official has urged the Government not to extradite Julian Assange to the United States, warning that the WikiLeaks founder would not receive a fair trial after years of being subjected to \"psychological torture\".\n\nA United Nations official has urged the Government not to extradite Julian Assange to the United States, warning that the WikiLeaks founder would not receive a fair trial after years of being subjected to \"psychological torture\".\n\nJulian Assange will not get fair trial in US after years of torture, warns UN official\n\nProfessor Nils Melzer, the UN Special Rapporteur on torture, said after visiting Mr Assange in prison, that he had been deliberately exposed to severe forms of \"cruel, inhuman or degrading\" treatment or punishment.\n\nMr Assange lived inside the Ecuadorian embassy in London for almost seven years before being dragged out last month and sentenced to 50 weeks in jail for a bail violation.\n\nHe now faces an extradition request from the US to face claims of violating the US Espionage Act by publishing classified military and diplomatic documents in 2010.\n\nMr Assange was too ill to appear at a court hearing in London on Thursday.\n\nProf Melzer, who visited Mr Assange in Belmarsh Prison in south London earlier this month, issued a strongly worded statement expressing \"alarm\" that the US Department of Justice had laid 17 new charges, which carry up to 175 years in prison.\n\n\"This may well result in a life sentence without parole, or possibly even the death penalty, if further charges were added in the future,\" he said.\n\nProf Melzer said he was \"gravely concerned\" about the limited frequency of visits by Mr Assange's lawyers and his lack of access to documents, making it impossible for him to prepare his defence in the complex legal proceedings \"piling up\" against him.\n\nThe Swedish authorities recently announced that they were reopening an investigation into a rape allegation, which Mr Assange has always denied.\n\nProf Melzer said Mr Assange had been transferred to the healthcare unit at Belmarsh because his psychological state had deteriorated.\n\n\"Since 2010, when Wikileaks started publishing evidence of war crimes and torture committed by US forces, we have seen a sustained and concerted effort by several states towards getting Mr Assange extradited to the United States for prosecution, raising serious concern over the criminalisation of investigative journalism in violation of both the US Constitution and international human rights law,\" he said.\n\n\"Since then, there has been a relentless and unrestrained campaign of public mobbing, intimidation and defamation against Mr Assange, not only in the United States, but also in the United Kingdom, Sweden and, more recently, Ecuador.\"\n\nAccording to the UN official, this included an \"endless stream\" of humiliating, debasing and threatening statements in the press and on social media, and by senior political figures, and magistrates involved in proceedings against Mr Assange.\n\n\"In the course of the past nine years, Mr Assange has been exposed to persistent, progressively severe abuse ranging from systematic judicial persecution and arbitrary confinement in the Ecuadorian embassy, to his oppressive isolation, harassment and surveillance inside the embassy, and from deliberate collective ridicule, insults and humiliation, to open instigation of violence and even repeated calls for his assassination.\n\n\"It was obvious that Mr Assange's health has been seriously affected by the extremely hostile and arbitrary environment he has been exposed to for many years.\n\n\"Most importantly, in addition to physical ailments, Mr Assange showed all symptoms typical for prolonged exposure to psychological torture, including extreme stress, chronic anxiety and intense psychological trauma.\n\n\"The evidence is overwhelming and clear.\n\n\"Mr Assange has been deliberately exposed, for a period of several years, to progressively severe forms of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, the cumulative effects of which can only be described as psychological torture.\n\n\"I condemn, in the strongest terms, the deliberate, concerted and sustained nature of the abuse inflicted on Mr Assange and seriously deplore the consistent failure of all involved governments to take measures for the protection of his most fundamental human rights and dignity.\n\n\"By displaying an attitude of complacency at best, and of complicity at worst, these governments have created an atmosphere of impunity encouraging Mr Assange's uninhibited vilification and abuse.\"\n\nProf Melzer appealed to the British Government not to extradite Mr Assange to America or to any other state failing to provide reliable guarantees against his onward transfer to the US.\n\nHe told the Press Association that extraditing Mr Assange to the US would be a \"grave violation\" of his human rights because there was \"no chance\" of him receiving a fair trial.\n\nHe added: \"In 20 years of work with victims of war, violence and political persecution, I have never seen a group of democratic states ganging up to deliberately isolate, demonise and abuse a single individual for such a long time, and with so little regard for human dignity and the rule of law.\"\n\nSwedish prosecutors announced that a detention hearing will be held at Uppsala District Court on Monday.\n\nDeputy Director of Public Prosecution Eva-Marie Persson has submitted an application for a detention order, in which she requests the court to detain Mr Assange in his absence.\n\n\"I am requesting the district court to detain Assange in his absence, on probable cause suspected of rape (less serious crime). If the court decides to detain him, I will issue a European Arrest Warrant concerning his surrender to Sweden,\" she said.", "Julian Assange has been subjected to drawn-out \"psychological torture\", a UN rights expert said on Friday, accusing the United States, Britain, Ecuador and Sweden of \"collective persecution\" of the WikiLeaks founder.\n\nThe United Nations special rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, Nils Melzer, also warned that if London agrees to an extradition request from Washington, Assange risked the death penalty.\n\nMelzer visited the Australian whistleblower in a London prison on May 9, nearly a month after his arrest at Ecuador's embassy where he had been holed up for seven years.\n\n\"It was obvious that Mr Assange's health has been seriously affected by the extremely hostile and arbitrary environment he has been exposed to for many years,\" Melzer said in a statement.\n\n\"Most importantly, in addition to physical ailments, Mr Assange showed all symptoms typical for prolonged exposure to psychological torture, including extreme stress, chronic anxiety and intense psychological trauma,\" he said.", "Another crude and sad chapter, yet more evidence of a system’s vengeance against its challengers. Julian Assange, like they dying Roman emperor Vespasian, may be transforming into a god of sorts, but the suffering of his mortal physical is finding its mark. While some in the cynical, narcissistic press corps still find little to commend his case, the movement to highlight his fate, and the extra-territorial vengeance of the United States, grows.\n\nOften reviled and dismissed as ineffectual if not irrelevant, the United Nations has offered Assange some measure of protection through its articulations and findings. Ironically enough, powers happy to regard the UN as a mere bauble of international relations in not protecting human rights have dismissed it when action does take place.\n\nThe UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, for instance, found in 2016 that the publisher’s conditions of confinement in the Ecuadorean embassy amounted to arbitrary detention.\n\nThe Working Group took the long view: to suggest that he had a choice in leaving the embassy at any point was farfetched and myopic. Specific reference to the shoddy Swedish prosecution effort against Assange (“lack of diligence… in its investigations”) was also made, as it compounded the element of arbitrariness. Any request to question him in Sweden could hardly be seen as “benign”. How right they were.\n\nNotwithstanding that, a resounding sneer from the British authorities, a bevy of black letter lawyers, and newspapers followed. “He is not being detained arbitrarily,” The Guardian editorialised with its usual fair-friend weathered disposition. The Working Group’s finding, according to international law authority Philippe Sands, was “poorly reasoned and unpersuasive”. Assange best give up the ghost and face the music.\n\nThis week, Professor Nils Melzer, the UN Special Rapporteur on torture, came to a conclusion as unsurprising as it was necessary. After visiting Assange at the maximum security facility at Belmarsh on May 9, the UN official found that the publisher had been subjected to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. This was all part of him becoming the cause célèbre of “a relentless campaign of public mobbing, intimidation and defamation […] not only in the United States, but also in the United Kingdom, Sweden and, more recently, Ecuador.” These governments had, be it through “an attitude of complacency at best, and of complicity at worst […] created an atmosphere of impunity encouraging Mr Assange’s uninhibited vilification and abuse.”\n\nThe fresh list of charges from US prosecutors – 17 additions to spice those centred on computer intrusion and conspiracy – alarmed Melzer.\n\nThe cumulative and crushing effect of the charges – potentially 175 years imprisonment – astonished Melzer.\n\nTo this can be added a nine-year period of systematic judicial abuse, arbitrary confinement, oppressive isolation, harassment, embassy surveillance by Ecuador and the “deliberative collective ridicule, insults and humiliation, to open instigation of violence and even repeated calls for his assassination.”\n\nWhile the conditions in Belmarsh do not currently make the grade of solitary confinement, they have been severe and inhospitable enough to cause concern. Visits by Assange’s legal team are limited and sporadic; access to necessary case files and documents has been curbed, impairing chances of adequately preparing his legal defence.\n\nMelzer also has a dig against the broader effort to attack journalism, with Assange as figurehead.\n\nMedical experts who accompanied Melzer on his visit also expressed opinions on Assange’s health, finding that his health had been “seriously affected by the extremely hostile and arbitrary environment he has been exposed to for many years.” Physical ailments were found alongside the “symptoms typical for prolonged exposure to psychological torture, including extreme stress, chronic anxiety and intense psychological trauma.”\n\nUK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, taking a dog-eared leaf out of the book of excuses used against the Working Group, dismissed Melzer’s findings. Assange always had an unimpaired, free choice (that word again).\n\nThe BBC also noted the views of a justice ministry spokesperson, keen to disabuse sceptics that the British justice system might be suffering from judicial wear and tear. The UK did not, it was asserted, participate in torture; its judges were independent and rights to appeal could be exercised.\n\nThe response to Hunt from the good professor was sharp: Assange “was about as ‘free to leave’ as a [sic] someone sitting on a rubberboat in a sharkpool.” In his view, “UK courts have not shown the impartiality and objectivity required by the rule of law.”\n\nMelzer’s words suffice as a damningly grim biography on the treatment levelled at Assange and the broader enterprise of publishing. For two decades, having worked with “victims of war, violence and political persecution,” the rapporteur had “never seen a group of democratic States gang up to deliberately isolate, demonise and abuse a single individual for such a long time and with so little regard for human dignity and the rule of law.”\n\nNote to readers: please click the share buttons above or below. Forward this article to your email lists. Crosspost on your blog site, internet forums. etc.\n\nDr. Binoy Kampmark was a Commonwealth Scholar at Selwyn College, Cambridge. He lectures at RMIT University, Melbourne. He is a frequent contributor to Global Research and Asia-Pacific Research. Email: bkampmark@gmail.com"], "summary": "The United Nations special rapporteur on torture, Nils Melzer, accuses the United States, the United Kingdom and Sweden of \"ganging up\" on Julian Assange and subjecting him to \"psychological torture\" and \"collective persecution\" after spending seven years living inside London's Ecuadorian Embassy."}
{"document": ["KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) — A Sudanese medical union says at least one person has been shot dead by security forces near a sit-in outside the military's headquarters in the capital, Khartoum.\n\nThe Sudan Doctors Committee says the shooting took place late Saturday on Nile Street and that at least 11 people were wounded.\n\nTwo people were killed in the area last week.\n\nThe doctors committee is part of the Sudanese Professionals Association, which has been spearheading the protests that led to the military overthrow of longtime ruler Omar al-Bashir in April.\n\nTens of thousands have staged a sit-in outside the military headquarters since April 6, following nearly four months of protests against al-Bashir.\n\nTensions have risen as negotiations remain deadlocked between protesters and the generals, who took over the country after al-Bashir's ouster.", "KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) — A Sudanese medical union says at least one person has been shot dead by security forces near a sit-in outside the military’s headquarters in the capital, Khartoum.\n\nThe Sudan Doctors Committee says the shooting took place late Saturday on Nile Street and that at least 11 people were wounded.\n\nTwo people were killed in the area last week.\n\nThe doctors committee is part of the Sudanese Professionals Association, which has been spearheading the protests that led to the military overthrow of longtime ruler Omar al-Bashir in April.\n\nTens of thousands have staged a sit-in outside the military headquarters since April 6, following nearly four months of protests against al-Bashir.\n\nTensions have risen as negotiations remain deadlocked between protesters and the generals, who took over the country after al-Bashir’s ouster.", "KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) — A Sudanese medical union says at least one person has been shot dead by security forces near a sit-in outside the military's headquarters in the capital, Khartoum.\n\nThe Sudan Doctors Committee says the shooting took place late Saturday on Nile Street and that at least 11 people were wounded.\n\nTwo people were killed in the area last week.\n\nThe doctors committee is part of the Sudanese Professionals Association, which has been spearheading the protests that led to the military overthrow of longtime ruler Omar al-Bashir in April.\n\nTens of thousands have staged a sit-in outside the military headquarters since April 6, following nearly four months of protests against al-Bashir.\n\nTensions have risen as negotiations remain deadlocked between protesters and the generals, who took over the country after al-Bashir's ouster.", "(Reuters) - At least 11 people were wounded by gunfire near a protest sit-in in the Sudanese capital Khartoum on Saturday, an opposition doctors’ committee said.\n\nSudan’s main protest group blamed the violence on the Transitional Military Council (TMC), saying that it is part of a plan to violently clear the protests.\n\n“The killing and intimidation on Nile Street is just a prelude to committing a massacre to end the sit-in by force,” Sudanese Professionals’ Association (SPA) said in a statement late on Saturday.\n\nTensions are mounting between the TMC and an alliance of protest and opposition groups who want a quick handover of power to civilians.\n\nTMC officials could not immediately be reached for a comment.\n\nThe head of the central Khartoum military region said on Thursday the protest site “has become unsafe and represents a danger to the revolution and the revolutionaries and threatens the coherence of the state and its national security.”", "KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) — A Sudanese medical union says at least one person has been shot dead by security forces near a sit-in outside the military's headquarters in the capital, Khartoum.\n\nThe Sudan Doctors Committee says the shooting took place late Saturday on Nile Street and that at least 11 people were wounded.\n\nTwo people were killed in the area last week.\n\nThe doctors committee is part of the Sudanese Professionals Association, which has been spearheading the protests that led to the military overthrow of longtime ruler Omar al-Bashir in April.\n\nTens of thousands have staged a sit-in outside the military headquarters since April 6, following nearly four months of protests against al-Bashir.\n\nTensions have risen as negotiations remain deadlocked between protesters and the generals, who took over the country after al-Bashir's ouster.", "KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) - Sudanese military officials said Sunday that troops were attempting to remove “drug dealers and other criminals” from an area located near a protest sit-in in the capital, Khartoum. This comes a day after a Sudanese medical union said one person was shot dead by security forces in the same area, located along the banks of the Nile river.\n\nThe man, in his 20s, was the third killed in less than a week in the area around Nile street, which the military officials described as “lawless.”\n\nOn Thursday, security forces killed a 20-year-old man, while the previous day, a gunfight between security forces had erupted near the sit-in, killing a female street vendor by mistake.\n\nThe area is not far from where tens of thousands of protesters have been camped outside the military’s headquarters, the epicenter of Sudan’s uprising that led to the military overthrow of longtime ruler Omar al-Bashir in April.\n\nThe protesters are now calling for “limited military representation” in a sovereign council that would lead the country as it transitions to civilian rule over a three-year period.\n\nThe military officials said the Nile street area was being “cleared” by forces mainly from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, led by Gen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo - better known as Hemedti - who serves as deputy head of the ruling military council. The officials said security agencies have been attempting to carry out a “security plan to clear the area and put an end to such criminal acts.” Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to reporters.\n\nThe Sudan Doctors Committee said in a statement Saturday that at least 11 people were wounded when “regular forces opened fire on Nile Street near the sit-in area.” The statement did not identify which forces were implicated in the fire.\n\nThe doctors committee is part of the Sudanese Professionals Association, which has been spearheading the protests.\n\nAmid these increased tensions and deadlocked transition talks, the leading opposition Umma Party warned on Sunday of an attempt to break up the sit-in and called for the military council to resume negotiations with the protesters.\n\n“There is no choice except to negotiate… to overcome the conflicts at these critical times that threaten the state and the county’s integrity,” the party said in a statement.\n\nBoth sides are split over the make-up and leadership of the sovereign council, with the ruling generals refusing to relinquish power.\n\nThe protesters are represented by the Forces for Declaration of Freedom and Change, an alliance of opposition groups and activists.", "KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) — A Sudanese medical union says at least one person has been shot dead by security forces near a sit-in outside the military's headquarters in the capital, Khartoum.\n\nThe Sudan Doctors Committee says the shooting took place late Saturday on Nile Street and that at least 11 people were wounded.\n\nTwo people were killed in the area last week.\n\nThe doctors committee is part of the Sudanese Professionals Association, which has been spearheading the protests that led to the military overthrow of longtime ruler Omar al-Bashir in April.\n\nTens of thousands have staged a sit-in outside the military headquarters since April 6, following nearly four months of protests against al-Bashir.\n\nTensions have risen as negotiations remain deadlocked between protesters and the generals, who took over the country after al-Bashir's ouster.", "KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) — A Sudanese medical union says at least one person has been shot dead by security forces near a sit-in outside the military's headquarters in the capital, Khartoum.\n\nThe Sudan Doctors Committee says the shooting took place late Saturday on Nile Street and that at least 11 people were wounded.\n\nTwo people were killed in the area last week.\n\nThe doctors committee is part of the Sudanese Professionals Association, which has been spearheading the protests that led to the military overthrow of longtime ruler Omar al-Bashir in April.\n\nTens of thousands have staged a sit-in outside the military headquarters since April 6, following nearly four months of protests against al-Bashir.\n\nTensions have risen as negotiations remain deadlocked between protesters and the generals, who took over the country after al-Bashir's ouster.", "Forces belong to the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support have surrounded the Nile Street in the capital Khartoum for reportedly implementing a \"security plan\" around the weeks-long sit-in.\n\nSpeaking to Anadolu Agency, eyewitnesses said the security forces surrounded the street from the eastern and western directions. On Thursday, a civilian was shot dead in the same area, \"as a result of fire opened by the regular forces,\" according to the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA).\n\nOn the same day, the country’s Transitional Military Council (TMC) announced that the sit-in, which has been staged in front of the army headquarters in Khartoum, became a \"security threat and a threat to the cohesion of the country.\"\n\nThe deadly incident occurred on the second day of a nationwide general strike organized by opposition groups with a view to pressuring Sudan’s TMC to relinquish power to a civilian authority. Early in April, Sudan’s military establishment deposed President Omar al-Bashir following months of popular protests against his 30-year rule.", "KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) — A Sudanese medical union says at least one person has been shot dead by security forces near a sit-in outside the military's headquarters in the capital, Khartoum.\n\nThe Sudan Doctors Committee says the shooting took place late Saturday on Nile Street and that at least 11 people were wounded.\n\nTwo people were killed in the area last week.\n\nThe doctors committee is part of the Sudanese Professionals Association, which has been spearheading the protests that led to the military overthrow of longtime ruler Omar al-Bashir in April.\n\nTens of thousands have staged a sit-in outside the military headquarters since April 6, following nearly four months of protests against al-Bashir.\n\nTensions have risen as negotiations remain deadlocked between protesters and the generals, who took over the country after al-Bashir's ouster."], "summary": "Shots fired by \"regular forces\" near the site of a sit-in protest in Khartoum kill one person and wound 10 others, according to the Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors. The gunfire lasted about four hours. This week at least three protesters have been shot dead and eight others injured during protests calling for the generals who replaced deposed President Omar al-Bashir to hand power to a civilian-led administration."}
{"document": ["SAN SALVADOR (Reuters) - El Salvador’s new president, Nayib Bukele, took office on Saturday pledging to cure the Central American country that he described as a “sick child” following years of violence and migration that has strained relations with the United States.\n\nNew Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele speaks after receiving the presidential sash during a swearing-in ceremony in San Salvador, El Salvador June 1, 2019. REUTERS/Jose Cabezas\n\nThe 37-year-old former mayor of San Salvador, who won more votes than all other candidates in the February presidential election, brought an end to a two-party system that has held sway over the country for three decades.\n\n“Our country is like a sick child, now it’s up to all of us to take care of it,” Bukele told the crowd. “We have to suffer a little now, we have to have a little pain, assume our responsibility and all as brothers to bring forward that child.”\n\nAccompanied by his pregnant wife Gabriela Rodriguez, Bukele vowed to make bitter decisions for the impoverished and violence-plagued Central American country during his five year term. He did not give details.\n\nHis presidency breaks three decades of bipartisanship between the conservative Nationalist Republican Alliance (ARENA) and the outgoing Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN).\n\nBukele, who has been critical of Beijing in the past, must now balance the interests of China and the United States.\n\nThe Chinese embassy in El Salvador said in a statement on Twitter that Bukele had told a special envoy he considered China a friend and that there was “great potential” to work together.\n\nEl Salvador broke ties with Taiwan in August last year to establish relations with China, following the Dominican Republic and Panama in the region.\n\nU.S. President Donald Trump congratulated Bukele on Saturday on Twitter, saying the United States was ready to work with him “to advance prosperity in El Salvador and the hemisphere.”\n\nTrump has frequently threatened to cut aid to El Salvador - as well as neighboring Guatemala and Honduras - if they do not do more to curb migration to the United States.\n\nThe U.S. Department of Commerce said in a statement that the United States sent a delegation led by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross to attend the ceremony.\n\nWhile in El Salvador, the statement said, Ross met with Bukele and his Foreign Minister, Alexandra Hill, as well as with business leaders to discuss improving the investment climate and potential for economic growth.\n\nTensions over migration have been running high between the United States and its southern neighbor Mexico, with Trump threatening earlier this week to impose punitive tariffs on Mexican goods exported to the United States on June 10.\n\nMexican Economy Minister Graciela Marquez, who also attended the event in San Salvador, tweeted a picture of herself and Ross, saying they had spoken and would continue their dialogue next week in Washington.\n\nVenezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega and Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez were not invited to the ceremony, since Bukele considers them “undemocratic” governments.", "Bukele took the oath with his hand on a bible held by his wife Gabriela. The new president and his wife are expecting their first child, a girl, later this month.In his address to the Salvadoran people this morning, Bukele began by departing from standard protocol in formal presentations in El Salvador. Instead of the normal welcome and acknowledgment of all the dignitaries in attendance, including presidents of other countries, Bukele said he was greeting the important guests who were filling the plaza, the people of El Salvador.His address was a call to the people to come together, to be proud of their country, to assume individual and collective responsibility to build \"the country that we deserve.\" They would have five years to make El Salvador \"an example for the world.\" His speech was frequently interrupted by chants and applause from the crowd.He concluded his address by asking all of the gathered Salvadorans to raise their hands and swear to work together for a better El Salvador and to defend the victory they had won on February 3.It has been a rapid rise to the presidency for Bukele. The political career of the young businessman turned politician includes only three years as mayor of the small city of Nuevo Cuscatlán, followed by three years as mayor of the capital San Salvador. His campaign for the presidency was launched when the FMLN expelled him from the left wing party in 2017. His social media-fueled campaign against \"the corrupt ones of the past\" struck a responsive chord with the public who gave him a decisive first round victory in February.What type of president will El Salvador’s youngest leader be? In an interview with AJ+ Español published last night, Bukele described some of his plans as the Millennial President Looking at the interim period between his election and inauguration day, Bukele has taken some positive steps. Some of those steps include:", "‘Our country is like a sick child, we all have to take care of it’: Nayib Bukele sworn in as president of El Salvador", "Conservative businessman Nayib Bukele took the oath of office Saturday as president of El Salvador.\n\nBukele was sworn in by the speaker of the National Assembly in a square in downtown San Salvador, as a large, boisterous crowd applauded and shouted “We did it!”\n\nBukele, 37, was elected in February to succeed Salvador Sanchez Ceren, a leftist former guerrilla who maintained close relations with his Nicaraguan and Venezuelan counterparts.\n\nBukele has said he will seek closer ties with the United States, home to 2.5 million Salvadorans.\n\n“I will be the president of all Salvadorans,” said Bukele, who takes over a country saddled with poverty and rampant gang violence. Both problems are prompting many to flee north in hopes of reaching the US.\n\nThe United States was represented by Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross.", "Conservative businessman Nayib Bukele took the oath of office Saturday as president of El Salvador.\n\nBukele was sworn in by the speaker of the National Assembly in a square in downtown San Salvador, as a large, boisterous crowd applauded and shouted “We did it!”\n\nBukele, 37, was elected in February to succeed Salvador Sanchez Ceren, a leftist former guerrilla who maintained close relations with his Nicaraguan and Venezuelan counterparts.\n\nBukele has said he will seek closer ties with the United States, home to 2.5 million Salvadorans.\n\n“I will be the president of all Salvadorans,” said Bukele, who takes over a country saddled with poverty and rampant gang violence. Both problems are prompting many to flee north in hopes of reaching the US.\n\nThe United States was represented by Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross.\n\nNayib Armando Bukele Ortez who was born in San Salvador is the son of Olga Ortez de Bukele and Armando Bukele Kattán, a renowned businessman of Palestinian descent. At a very young age, Nayib was recognized for his skills and spirit of entrepreneurship. At just 18, he already ran a company.", "In the Central American country of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele has been sworn-in as the nation’s President.\n\nBukele was sworn-in by the Speaker of the National Assembly in downtown San Salvador. Delegations from 83 countries attended the ceremony.\n\nBukele said, he will seek closer ties with the United States, which is home to some 2.5 million Salvadorans. Bukele was elected in February to succeed Salvador Sanchez Ceren, a leftist former guerrilla.", "The new president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, asked this Saturday during his inauguration speech for citizens to unite and assume their responsibilities in order to help cure the nation's ills.\n\nAfter taking office as president of El Salvador for the 2019-2024 term in a ceremony at Capitan General Gerardo Barrios Plaza in the historic downtown area of San Salvador, the businessman gave his first speech as the new president of this Central American country before thousands of people gradually arriving at the site, including seven heads of state and at least 32 delegations from other countries.", "San Salvador: El Salvador’s new president, Nayib Bukele, took office on Saturday pledging to cure the Central American country that he described as a “sick child” following years of violence and migration that has strained relations with the United States.\n\nThe 37-year-old former mayor of San Salvador, who won more votes than all other candidates in the February presidential election, brought an end to a two-party system that has held sway over the country for three decades.\n\n“Our country is like a sick child, now it’s up to all of us to take care of it,” Bukele told the crowd. “We have to suffer a little now, we have to have a little pain, assume our responsibility and all as brothers to bring forward that child.”\n\nAccompanied by his pregnant wife Gabriela Rodriguez, Bukele vowed to make bitter decisions for the impoverished and violence-plagued Central American country during his five year term. He did not give details.\n\nBukele was born on July 24, 1981, in San Salvador. He is the son of Olga Ortez de Bukele and Armando Bukele Kattán, a prominent businessman and local imam of Palestinian descent.\n\nBukele, who has been critical of Beijing in the past, must now balance the interests of China and the United States.\n\nThe Chinese embassy in El Salvador said in a statement on Twitter that Bukele had told a special envoy he considered China a friend and that there was “great potential” to work together.\n\nEl Salvador broke ties with Taiwan in August last year to establish relations with China, following the Dominican Republic and Panama in the region.\n\nUS President Donald Trump congratulated Bukele on Saturday on Twitter, saying the United States was ready to work with him “to advance prosperity in El Salvador and the hemisphere.” Trump has frequently threatened to cut aid to El Salvador — as well as neighbouring Guatemala and Honduras — if they do not do more to curb migration to the United States.\n\nThe US Department of Commerce said in a statement that the United States sent a delegation led by US Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross to attend the ceremony.\n\nWhile in El Salvador, the statement said, Ross met with Bukele and his Foreign Minister, Alexandra Hill, as well as with business leaders to discuss improving the investment climate and potential for economic growth.\n\nTensions over migration have been running high between the United States and its southern neighbour Mexico, with Trump threatening earlier this week to impose punitive tariffs on Mexican goods exported to the United States on June 10.\n\nMexican Economy Minister Graciela Marquez, who also attended the event in San Salvador, tweeted a picture of herself and Ross, saying they had spoken and would continue their dialogue next week in Washington.\n\nHas been described as “anti-system” and “opportunist” by analysts, having changed parties three times ahead of the election", "SAN SALVADOR (Reuters) - El Salvador’s maverick new president takes office on Saturday pledging to battle violence, poverty, corruption and mass migration to the United States - but will have to do all that without a congressional majority.\n\nNayib Bukele, a 37-year-old former mayor of San Salvador, ended 30 years of bipartisan rule by the leftist Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN) and the right-wing Nationalist Republican Alliance (ARENA) with his election victory in February.\n\nBut the electoral coalition the former FMLN politician forged with right-wing allies for the five-year term won just 11 of 84 seats in Congress, forcing Bukele to promise to work with “all the political forces.”\n\n“His strength is that he has awakened a lot of popular enthusiasm and that’s what he’s counting on,” said Jose Maria Tojeira, a political analyst and director of the Human Rights Institute of the Central American University in San Salvador.\n\n“The traditional parties risk being swept away in the next elections if they fight the president or hinder government.”\n\nRampant crime is the main headache for most of El Salvador’s 6.6 million population. Bukele will inherit one of the most violent countries in the world, although under the outgoing FMLN government murders fell 15 percent in 2018.\n\nAt around 51 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants, the murder rate is still about ten times higher than the United States.\n\nMuch of the blame is pinned on El Salvador’s “maras” - international criminal gangs involved in drug trafficking and extortion that have some 70,000 members. Previous governments have tried, but failed, to broker lasting truces between them.\n\nRecently the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), the largest gang, floated the possibility of stopping violence through dialogue.\n\n“We trust in God and in the new president Nayib,” a MS-13 spokesman told the Central American magazine Factum.\n\nGang violence has helped fuel mass migration from Central America and created tensions with U.S. President Donald Trump.\n\nBukele said he will push ambitious public works to help contain migration, including plans for a Pacific railway, though he has given little indication of how he hopes to fund them.\n\nEl Salvador’s dollarized economy has not grown by more than 3% annually in the past decade and the government faces a steep challenge to shoulder external debts of over $9.5 billion without paring back welfare spending, analysts say.\n\nThe incoming president has used social media to burnish his profile, scoring a hit on Twitter earlier this year by ironically describing El Salvador as a “Mexican country” after Fox News in the United States had earlier made reference in an on-screen caption to “3 Mexican countries.”\n\nOf Palestinian descent, the bearded Bukele capitalized on discontent towards the two established parties with his motto: “There’s enough money when no one steals.”\n\nPromising to end widespread graft, he wants to create an international commission against corruption, similar to schemes once adopted by neighboring Guatemala and Honduras.", "Nayib Bukele, a businessman and former mayor of Palestinian descent, took office Saturday as president of El Salvador, tasked with turning around grinding poverty and rampant gang violence that are sending thousands fleeing to the United States.\n\nBukele was sworn in by the speaker of the National Assembly in a square in downtown San Salvador, as a large, boisterous crowd applauded and shouted “We did it!”\n\nThe son of a Muslim imam and a Christian, Bukele describes himself as believing in God rather than an adherent to a religion, an apparent effort to steer clear of any anti-Muslim sentiment.\n\nThe telegenic Bukele, 37, was elected in February to succeed Salvador Sanchez Ceren, a leftist former guerrilla who maintained close relations with his Nicaraguan and Venezuelan counterparts.\n\nBukele has said he will seek closer ties with the United States, home to 2.5 million Salvadorans.\n\nWith only 6.6 million people living in the small Central American country, its fortunes are closely linked to the United States which nearly a third of its citizens call home.\n\n“I will be the president of all Salvadorans,” Bukele pledged.\n\n“Our country is like a sick child, we all have to take care of it.”\n\nUS President Donald Trump, who has railed against the waves of migrants flooding into his country from El Salvador as well as Honduras and Guatemala, wished Bukele well on Twitter.\n\n“Congratulations President Bukele on your inauguration! The United States stands ready to work with @NayibBukele to advance prosperity in El Salvador and the hemisphere,” Trump said.\n\nOfficial estimates indicate an average of 200 Salvadorans leave the country per day to enter the United States without documents.\n\nSome analysts have called Bukele a millennial president: above all because he is at ease on social media, but also because he often adopts a casual appearance, ditching a tie and wearing his hair in a ponytail.\n\nCritics say Bukele, former mayor of the capital San Salvador, is light on policy and substance.\n\nHe has said a priority of his five-year term is cracking down on gangs that recruit young people into their ranks, while profiting off drug trafficking and extortion.\n\nEl Salvador last year tallied 3,340 homicides. That was 15 percent less than in 2017, but still amounted to a rate of 51 killings per 100,000 inhabitants, making it one of the world’s most violent countries not at war.\n\nThe fearsome gangs, with an estimated 70,000 members, are blamed for much of the violence.\n\nThe United States was represented by Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross."], "summary": "El Salvador's new President Nayib Bukele takes office."}
{"document": ["On May 22, a Donald Trump superfan and occasional sports blogger from the Bronx named Shawn Brooks posted a video clip of Nancy Pelosi on his personal Facebook page. The clip showed Pelosi at her most excitable, stammering during a press conference as she voiced frustration over an abortive infrastructure meeting with the president. Brooks’ commentary on the video was succinct: “Is Pelosi drunk?”\n\nThirteen minutes later, a Facebook official told The Daily Beast, Brooks posted a very different Pelosi video to a Facebook page called Politics WatchDog—one of a series of hyperpartisan news operations Brooks runs (with help, he claims). This clip had been altered to slow Pelosi down without lowering the pitch of her voice. The effect was to make it sound as though the Speaker of the House was slurring her words drunkenly while criticizing Donald Trump.\n\nFifteen minutes after that, the same doctored video appeared on a second Facebook page Brooks manages, AllNews 24/7. This clip was identical to the Politics WatchDog video on every way, except that it didn’t carry the Politics WatchDog branding that was superimposed over the earlier video. Whoever posted it had access to the director’s cut. On both pages the clip was accompanied by the exact same dispassionate, newsy prose: “ House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on President Trump walking out infrastructure meeting: ‘It was very, very, very strange.’”\n\nThe video was an instant social media smash, surging through the internet’s well-worn ley lines of credulity and venom. It was shared more than 60,000 times on Facebook and accumulated 4 million page views from links. “Drunk as a skunk,” mused actor turned alt-right curmudgeon James Woods, whose tweet of the video scored 17,000 retweets and 55,000 likes. “What is wrong with Nancy Pelosi?”, wrote Rudy Giuliani, the president’s personal lawyer, in a tweet linking to the AllNews 24/7 post. “Her speech pattern is bizarre.”\n\nBrooks, a 34-year-old day laborer currently on probation after pleading guilty to domestic battery, claims that his “drunk” commentary on an unaltered Pelosi video had no connection to the now-infamous fake clip that premiered less than 15 minutes later. “I wasn't the individual who created that Pelosi video,” he insisted in a telephone interview.\n\nIt’s conceivable that someone else actually edited the clip. But a Facebook official, confirming a Daily Beast investigation, said the video was first posted on Politics WatchDog directly from Brooks’ personal Facebook account.\n\n“ I couldn't believe it... The president’s lawyer, what the hell? If he believed that [Pelosi] was really drunk, and he shared it, that's kind of bad. Somebody that high up. ” — Shawn Brooks\n\nBrooks acknowledged that he’s involved in the management of both Politics WatchDog and AllNews 24/7, the Facebook pages that sent the bogus video on it’s viral tear. To the outside observer, the two pages are unconnected, but after a tell-tale link on one of the pages led The Daily Beast to Brooks, he admitted that the ad revenue for both outlets goes directly into his personal PayPal account.\n\nIn the first hint at a possible motive for the Pelosi smear, Brooks volunteered that the video brought in nearly $1,000 in shared ad revenue.\n\nThat number would have been higher, he said, except that Facebook cut off any future earnings when the company’s fact-check partners ruled the clip a hoax about 36 hours after its Politics WatchDog debut. “It makes money for Facebook too,” he groused. “I'm sure that's their motive for not taking it down.\"\n\nIn a statement, Facebook disputed that, saying, “We have zero interest in making money from fake news and our policy is to not allow people to make money from content that has been rated false by a fact-checker.”\n\nOver the course of an hour-and-a-half interview, Brooks insisted repeatedly that he wasn’t the one who posted the Pelosi clip on Politics WatchDog. He claimed he’s just one of half-a-dozen administrators who jointly control the page and its content. It was one of the others, he said, who debuted the doctored video. “It was a female admin who posted it.”\n\nHe declined to identify the “female admin” or any of his other supposed colleagues. And a Facebook official told The Daily Beast that they simply don’t exist.\n\nAccording to the official, there were indeed six other accounts registered alongside Brooks as page administrators, but the company determined last week that all six of them were controlled by Brooks. Facebook deleted those accounts under its real-name policy, the Facebook official said.\n\nPolitics WatchDog ran an online poll as the furor crested, asking if the page should keep the video up. (58 percent of respondents said yes.) Now, Brooks professes concern over how easily prominent figures like Rudy Giuliani were fooled by a little audio trickery. “I couldn't believe it,” he said “I was reading an article and it said, the president’s lawyer, and I was like, what the hell? If he believed that she was really drunk, and he shared it, that's kind of bad. Somebody that high up.”\n\nThe Daily Beast started looking for Brooks last week after noticing a donation link at the bottom of AllNews 24/7’s “about” page that had “ShawnBrooks32” plainly coded in the URL. Brooks personally outed his connection to Politics Watchdog in a May 24 tweet first noticed by Manic News. In it, Brooks responds to PolitFact’s pants-on-fire debunking of the video hoax, which singled out Politics WatchDog. “I'm one of the admins for the page,” he wrote. “I did not post the video. I deal with the inbox and emails. I notice you said you tried to reach the page but didn't get a response. Why did you lie about reaching out?”\n\nA review of Brooks’ personal fan page reveals him as an avowed conservative and a proud member of Trump’s razor-thin African-American support base. A couple of Brooks’ Instagram posts feature misogyny. The strongest example is a post last year featuring a photo he evidently snapped of a woman sitting next to him on the subway. “This dumb bitch sitting in front of me on the E-train continues to kick me without saying excuse me,” he wrote.\n\nHe runs other pages as well. An ardent New England Patriots fan, Brooks has a long history of online ventures around athletics, including a Facebook page called Out Kick the Sports. Brooks’ sparse LinkedIn profile lists him as an “Analyst at Sports Blogger,” a long-shuttered blog platform where Brooks once blogged under his current Twitter screen name, “SportsGurufsr.”\n\nAt first Brooks didn’t respond to emails, phone calls, text messages, Facebook messages and a direct message over Instagram, and he blocked this reporter on Twitter. On Friday he called back, explaining that he was worried over the prospect of being publicly linked to the video fakery.\n\n“I’m in New York City,” he said. “Very liberal. People make judgments. I just don't want to be linked to a conservative right-winger and be potentially denied services and stuff… People are nasty. You should see some of the messages that are coming in.”\n\nAs he tells it, Brooks’ gravitated to conservatism after seeing first hand the failure of liberal policies during the Obama era. \"I've traveled around and seen too many things, and I don’t like the way things have been run,” he said. A key personal turning point came years ago when he was working in a warehouse in Queens doing “forklift work, loading, unloading, labeling,” he said “Basic stuff.” He’d started the job off-the-books, but eventually became an official hire. Then the managers began supplementing their workforce with undocumented immigrants willing to do the same work for less, he claimed.\n\n“ He’s deeply into politics... He has this thing with being a secret agent and working for the government. ” — Brooks’ former girlfriend\n\n“I was working there four or five years and I was being paid pretty well,” he said. “And then they \"starting bringing these guys in vans through the side door. This was going on for months. Then all of a sudden they told me, ‘We can't pay you anymore.\"\n\nSince then he’s struggled to find steady employment, taking temporary jobs in light construction or janitorial work. In 2017 he uprooted from his apartment in the Bronx and relocated to Greenville, North Carolina where he found work cleaning hotel rooms. When that didn’t work out, he headed west to California and turned up on the doorstep of an ex-girlfriend. He crashed at her Riverside apartment for about a month, the woman told The Daily Beast. “We got into arguments and fights all the time,” she said. “He has a lot of issues going on. He has a lot of anger issues.”\n\nThat October one of those fights ended with Brooks being arrested on a misdemeanor domestic battery charge. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 20 days in jail, 20 hours community service and three years of probation, and ordered to enroll in a 52-week domestic violence program. His ex-girlfriend took out a restraining order, and she said she hasn’t seen or heard from him since.\n\nThe woman, who asked not be named in this story, said she never had much interest in Brooks’ Facebook activities, but knew he was passionate about politics. “He’s deeply into politics,” she said. “That drew me into him more because he's smart on politics.” His other obsession, she added, was spycraft. “He has this thing with being a secret agent and working for the government,” she said. “He always said, ‘Oh I want to be a secret agent.’”\n\nWhen he got out of jail Brooks promptly moved back to New York, where he’s been ever since. He said he had permission to move, but failed to complete the court-ordered domestic violence program. “I did probably 10 weeks of it and I couldn't afford doing more classes,” he said. Court records show that In February 2018 he was written up for a probation violation, and a California judge issued a warrant for his arrest. A spokesperson for the Riverside County Sheriff's Department confirmed the warrant is still outstanding.\n\nThroughout all of this, Brooks was leading a second life on Facebook.\n\n“ As the 2020 election draws closer there’s an urgent lesson in the Pelosi video hoax: Fake news is the most egalitarian of fields, where even a hastily produced, low-budget fraud can fool millions if it lands just right. ”\n\nAn early version of AllNews 24/7 appeared as a Wordpress blog and Facebook page in 2015. It launched in its current form in November 2016 shortly before the election. The page purports to be a straightforward news aggregation feed, describing itself as “the only News Page on the planet that never sleeps…. Unbiased and Unfiltered.” It has around 18,000 followers on Facebook. Its presence on other platforms has been touch-and-go. Prior to the Pelosi controversy, AllNews 24/7 had already been suspended from Twitter at least once, and was banned altogether from YouTube for “multiple or severe violations” of the site’s content policies. Both times it quickly returned under a slightly different account name.\n\nPolitics WatchDog is newer and more successful, boasting 35,000 followers. It was set up in February 2017 and depicts itself as non-partisan political news and commentary by a select group of anonymous co-administrators, though most of its content is on the far right.\n\nThe phoney video plunged op-ed pages and cable news talk shows into a fierce discussion of social media’s vulnerability to even half-hearted fakery. Hillary Clinton called the doctored clip “sexist trash.” Facebook responded by demoting the video’s ranking so severely it became all but unfindable on the platform, and surrounded the clip with conspicuous links to fact-checks debunking its authenticity. But the plattform refuses to remove the video, despite harsh words from critics, including Pelosi. “I think they have proven —by not taking down something they know is false—that they were willing enablers of the Russian interference in our election,” Pelosi said in a radio interview Wednesday.\n\nBut as the 2020 election draws closer there’s a more urgent lesson in the Pelosi video hoax: Russia doesn’t have a monopoly on disinformation. Fake news is the most egalitarian of fields, where even a hastily produced, low-budget fraud can fool millions if it lands just right. In the end the Speaker of the House didn’t have to look so far to find the people behind her viral hoax. One of them was just a few hours north, in the Bronx.", "According to a new CNN poll conducted by analytics and research company SSRS, President Donald Trump has a higher approval rating than House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.\n\nUnlike many of her colleagues, the top Democrat has refrained from calling for the impeachment of President Donald Trump, continually suggesting that Congress should continue legislating and investigating before taking aim at the commander-in-chief. This appears to have influenced her approval rating — 40 percent of Americans view Pelosi favorably.\n\nForty-three percent of Americans approve of President Trump, according to the poll.\n\nThe House speaker’s approval rating has climbed among certain demographic groups, however. Those who consider themselves conservative or moderate Democrats strongly approve of the job Pelosi is doing — seventy-three percent of such Democrats view Pelosi favorably.\n\nAs previously reported by The Inquisitr, in wake of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s impromptu press briefing — during which he implicitly suggested that Congress should start impeachment proceedings against President Trump — Pelosi argued against impeachment, despite the fact that over 50 House Democrats have publicly supported an inquiry.\n\nDuring a speech at the California Democratic Party’s annual convention on Saturday, Pelosi once again refrained from calling for impeachment, while accusing President Trump of collaborating with the Kremlin and “covering up” his crimes.\n\n“Why won’t the president defend us from this attack? What is the president covering up? We must investigate the president’s welcoming of the assault on our democracy,” Pelosi remarked, prompting the crowd to chant “impeach!”\n\nIn 2018, when the Democratic Party took back control of the House of Representatives, some questioned Pelosi’s chances of becoming House speaker. As The Washington Post reported, even President Trump endorsed Pelosi, offering Republican votes.\n\n“I can get Nancy Pelosi as many votes as she wants in order for her to be Speaker of the House. She deserves this victory, she has earned it – but there are those in her party who are trying to take it away. She will win!” the president said in November.\n\nSince then, Trump and Pelosi have both argued with each other and attempted to work together. Most recently, the House speaker and the president have been trying to strike a bipartisan infrastructure deal. As The Hill reported, the two have gone back and forth, alternating between insulting each other and vowing to work together.\n\nThe tensions culminated when Trump protested the fact that Pelosi wants to work with him while launching investigations. The top Democrat criticized Trump for abruptly leaving a meeting with Democrats, only to later state that she is “optimistic” that a bipartisan infrastructure deal can be made.", "The Daily Beast on Sunday was ecstatic after contributing editor and ex-con hacker Kevin Poulsen doxxed 34-year-old Shawn Brooks, a black Trump-supporter who posted a viral video on Facebook of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) which was slowed down so she appears drunk.\n\nOn May 22, Brooks - a blue collar day laborer from New York - posted an initial, unedited clip to his personal Facebook page of Pelosi stammering her way through a news conference, with the caption \"Is Nancy Pelosi drunk?\" 13 minutes later, he posted a different video of Pelosi to a political Facebook page he operates, Politics WatchDog, which had been deliberately slowed down to make her appear as though drunk.\n\nAnd how did Daily Beast come to know this? Facebook told them it was Brooks (who The Beast was sure to note is currently on probation for domestic battery, future employers.)\n\nThirteen minutes later, a Facebook official told The Daily Beast, Brooks posted a very different Pelosi video to a Facebook page called Politics WatchDog—one of a series of hyperpartisan news operations Brooks runs (with help, he claims). This clip had been altered to slow Pelosi down without lowering the pitch of her voice. The effect was to make it sound as though the Speaker of the House was slurring her words drunkenly while criticizing Donald Trump. -Daily Beast\n\nNeither video violate Facebook's TOS, and they remain up. Brooks, meanwhile told the Beast that he \"wasn't the individual who created that Pelosi video\" - however Facebook told the Beast's Kevin Poulsen that \"the video was first posted on Politics WatchDog directly from Brooks’ personal Facebook account.\"\n\nMoreover, Brooks said over Twitter that the Beast lied when they quoted him as saying he made \"nearly $1,000 in shared ad revenue,\" and that Poulsen had just \"made up a bunch of shit and added my past history (which isn't all true)...\"\n\nOn Wednesday, Pelosi claimed that Facebook's refusal to remove the 'drunk' clip proves that company was actively contributing to Kremlin interference in the 2016 US election.\n\nOf note - more two weeks prior, President Trump tweeted a video of Pelosi - completely different than the ones Brooks posted - in which the 79-year-old House Speaker's stammerings are spliced together.\n\nThe Facebook / Daily Beast doxxing of a private citizen has not gone over well, with both companies receiving heavy criticism for blowing up a regular guy who simply mocked a politician.\n\nSome have pointed out that the leftist media didn't similarly track down and expose the person who posted a 'doctored' (out of context) video of Covington Catholic high school student Nick Sandmann who was slammed by the MSM for mocking a Native American elder, only for a full version of the encounter to vindicate the 16-year-old after it was clear that the Native American - a known political provocateur - had been confrontational with the Trump-supporting students.\n\nBrooks has launched a GoFundMe and is looking to sue.", "The evil Daily Beast doxxed a black [possibly conservative] man who allegedly lives in the Bronx and works as a forklift operator — possibly. The story is so full of lies, it’s hard to know what is true.\n\nThe victim allegedly put up the original video of Nancy Pelosi stammering all over the place and then he put up one slowed to 75% and asked if she was ‘drunk’. It was a joke and for that, the Beast doxxed him and he now has to live in fear.\n\nHe wasn’t a Russian troll. There have always been very few Russian trolls. That was another invented Democrat crisis but that is what is giving the Beast writer cover. The jerk is pretending he was looking for Russian trolls.\n\nThe sports blogger victim said he didn’t even create the video. He simply shared it like everyone else. He told the writer, Kevin Poulsen, that it wasn’t his creation, but Poulsen let every reader know he thought his prey was a liar.\n\nPoulsen claimed the poor blogger was on probation for a domestic battery to damage and humiliate him since he is conservative. What does that have to do with the story? The man explained the details of the battery charge to the author but that didn’t show up in the story.\n\nPoulsen did everything he could to destroy the man’s reputation. The article is despicable, trashing a common man just because he leans right. He’s not even a Super trump fan as the article claims.\n\nIt now appears the Beast writer made up a lot of the story.\n\nThe Beast victim is named Shawn Brooks and his handle is @sportsgurufsr. The article claims he made $1,000 off the clip and Brooks says that’s not true.\n\nTHE VICTIM RESPONDED TO THE BEAST\n\nHe says he’s not the man he’s been made out to be and has made mistakes in his life.\n\nSicko Brian Stelter is now helping the evil Daily Beast destroy this man for simply sharing a joke video.\n\nTHE BEAST AND THIS AUTHOR ARE OVER THE LINE", "The Daily Beast faced a heavy backlash on social media Sunday after one of its reporters was accused of doxxing a private citizen who allegedly created a manipulated video that falsely portrays House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif. as if she were intoxicated and posted it on Facebook.\n\nDaily Beast reporter Kevin Poulsen tweeted Saturday night that he had been \"looking for the Russian troll behind the 'Drunk Pelosi' viral video hoax. Turns out he's an itinerant forklift operator from the Bronx who's been secretly running hard-right ‘news’ outlets across social media for years. Also, not Russian.\" The tweet included a link to a story that identified the man by name and detailed his employment history, past relationships and social media footprint. The subheadline of the story described the man as \"a sports blogger from the Bronx [who is] currently on probation for domestic battery.\"\n\nThe article initially included a picture of the man, but that had been removed from the story as of Sunday night.\n\nThe three-minute clip of a May 22 Pelosi speaking event at the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank, was uploaded on Facebook by a group called \"Politics WatchDog.\" The video shows her frequently slurring her words and her voice sounding garbled. Copies of the clip had also been found on Twitter and YouTube, which the latter had removed.\n\nThe man admitted to the Daily Beast that he was an administrator of the \"Politics WatchDog\" group, but denied posting the Pelosi video, blaming a \"female admin.\"\n\nThe Daily Beast report was met with strong criticism from reporters for outlets with varying editorial slants. Huffington Post and New York magazine contributor Yashar Ali tweeted: \"[I]t sets a really bad precedent when a private citizen, particularly someone who is working a blue collar job, has their identity publicly revealed simply because they made a video of a politician appearing to be drunk. His identity offers nothing to this story.\"\n\nThe Wrap media editor Jon Levine described the story as \"[a] hit job on a completely private citizen ... over a joke video of Pelosi that happened to go viral.\"\n\nFox Business Network's Charlie Gasparino tweeted: \"The @thedailybeast spends a lot of time telling us everything we don't need to know about the guy behind the dopey Pelosi video, which is so far from the real story of our shoot-first, facts later social media culture (see covington boys and a lot more).\"\n\nFormer FoxNews.com opinion contributor Stephen Miller mocked Poulsen's tweet about \"looking for the Russian troll\" behind the Pelosi video.\n\n\"[L]iterally no one thought that [Russians created the Pelosi video],\" Miller tweeted. \"Media using their bylines to go after and intimidate private citizens for internet videos they don’t like is literally enemy of the people s--t.\"\n\nThe Washington Examiner reported the man is now considering a lawsuit.\n\n“I'm looking at my options for possible legal action against anyone who was associated in publishing that inaccurate trash article about me, misquoting me and accusing me of being the creator of the Speaker Pelosi video that went viral,” the man said in a description of a \"legal action fund\" he set up on GoFundMe.\n\nFacebook's refusal to take down the video sparked an outcry among prominent Democrats, with Hillary Clinton describing it as \"sexist trash\" during a commencement address at Hunter College in New York City last week. Pelosi said in San Francisco that she is no longer giving Facebook the benefit of doubt that it is “unwittingly” spreading false information. She said Facebook is serving an accomplice and enabler of false information and Russian elections interference.\n\nFacebook’s Head of Product Policy and Counterterrorism Monika Bickert said that users are being told that the video is false when they view or share it.\n\nCLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP\n\nFacebook does not prohibit false information from being shared on its service. Instead, the company says it “downranks” such material to make it less prominent in people’s news feeds and more difficult to find. It also employs outside fact-checkers to determine the veracity of questionable material. It includes such fact checks around the disputed articles and videos but does not directly label them as false.", "Kevin Poulsen of The Daily Beast took it upon himself to dox the person behind the Nancy Pelosi video because you know, that’s journalism and stuff. And we thought CNN was disgusting for going after the ‘young adult’ who made the famous Trump/CNN gif.\n\nAnd the Leftist media wonders why nobody likes them.\n\nThat’ll teach ’em! WE’LL EXPOSE YOU if you’re mean to Democrats!\n\nWe wish we could say this is unreal but sadly, from what we’ve seen over the past two years, this is all too real.\n\nFor too many ‘journalists’ the story has turned into revenge.\n\nEven some folks on the Left were not ok with how this story came to be.\n\nEh, and she was SO close.\n\n‘Sandwich. Make one.’ AOC breaks out her ‘Misogynist Dictionary’ to pretend the word nasty is ‘sexist’ and YEAAAH … no\n\nGo home, bro, you’re DRUNK: Gavin Newsom’s brag about California to dunk on Trump goes horribly and hilariously WRONG\n\n‘He was and IS the KING of Straw Men’! Dan Crenshaw calls Obama OUT for lying about gun laws in Brazil and oh HELL YEAH", "Yesterday, The Daily Beast revealed that the slow-motion “Is Pelosi Drunk?” video — which shows Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi appearing to the drunk — was created by Donald Trump supporter Shawn Brooks.\n\nAs The Inquisitr reported, the undoctored video was initially posted to Brooks’ personal account before it was posted in its doctored form to Politics WatchDog, a page he manages, and finally, on AllNews 24/7 — which he also manages. The clip went viral and made the rounds with the president, actor and Trump supporter James Woods, and Trump’s lawyer Rudy Giuliani, and reportedly earned Brooks $1,000.\n\nIt appears that Brooks — a sports blogger from the Bronx — is now seeking to take legal action against those involved with his doxxing, including The Daily Beast and Facebook. He started a GoFundMe page which outlines his plans for “possible legal action,” and as of now, he has raised about $1,200 from 32 people toward his $10,000 goal.\n\nBrooks said in a phone interview that he wasn’t the one to post the undoctored video to Facebook, and claims that a female administrator — who he refused to name — was responsible. He also added that about six administrators have access to post videos to the two Facebook groups.\n\nThe 34-year-old day laborer also claims that his “drunk” comment on the original undoctored video is not connected to the viral video that was posted 15 minutes later.\n\nWhen speaking about the money he made from the video, Brooks suggests that Facebook is profiting off the video as well.\n\n“I’m sure that’s their motive for not taking it down,” he said.\n\nBut a Facebook spokesperson denies this motive and claims that it wants to distance itself from fake news.\n\n“We have zero interest in making money from fake news and our policy is to not allow people to make money from content that has been rated false by a fact-checker,” they said.\n\nBrooks claims that he has made more than $1000 from the viral Pelosi video if it weren’t for Facebook cutting off earnings after it determined that the clip was a hoax 36 hours after it hit Politics WatchDog.", "The Daily Beast recently doxed a black forklift driver and reported Trump supporter for the alleged high crime of creating a parody video of Democrat speaker of the house Nancy Pelosi. But there’s more to the story — it appears Facebook may have helped the left-wing journalists identify him.\n\nThe Daily Beast identified the video creator as Shawn Brooks, whom they described as a forklift driver and Trump supporter from the Bronx.\n\nA Twitter account claiming to be Brooks disputed key details of the story, claiming he is not a Trump supporter, did not create the parody video, and does not live in the Bronx.\n\nBy doxing Brooks, The Daily Beast followed the example of CNN, which threatened to unmask an anonymous Trump supporter over a parody video, forcing to him apologize in exchange for not revealing his identity. The scandal caused “CNNBlackmail” to trend on Twitter.\n\nBut there’s another aspect to the Daily Beast story which has major implications for the privacy of Facebook users — according to the Daily Beast reporter himself, Facebook gave him information on Brooks’ activity on the platform.\n\nIf the Daily Beast’s description of Facebook’s actions is accurate, Facebook compromised the privacy of one of its users, handing over information on his activity to a journalist who was clearly engaged in a politically motivated hatchet-job.\n\nFacebook has been rocked by repeated privacy scandals over the past two years, including giving major corporations access to user data without permission. CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently unveiled a re-branding effort emphasizing the company’s commitment to protecting the privacy of its users.\n\n“I believe that the future is private,” Zuckerberg said at a recent Facebook conference.\n\nEven left-wing feminist Caroline Orr, who described the Pelosi parody as “disgusting” (it’s simply a video of Pelosi slowed down to make her words appear slurred), expressed shock at the idea of Facebook handing over private information about its users.\n\n“It appears that Facebook helped the reporter who wrote this story identify the person behind the doctored video of Nancy Pelosi — i.e., Facebook used its own internal data to help publicly identify a private citizen” wrote Orr.\n\n“Facebook confirmed to the reporter that the video was first posted “directly from Brooks’ personal Facebook account.”\n\n“So… Facebook is handing over information to reporters regarding what people are doing on their personal Facebook accounts?”\n\n“The guy didn’t break any laws. He didn’t even violate any of Facebook’s policies, according to the company. The doctored video is still up! In Facebook’s eyes, this guy did nothing wrong — yet they just handed over his private data to a reporter. How is that justifiable?”\n\nBreitbart News has reached out to Facebook for its side of the story.\n\nAllum Bokhari is the senior technology correspondent at Breitbart News. You can follow him on Twitter, Gab.ai and add him on Facebook. Email tips and suggestions to allumbokhari@protonmail.com.", "While digging for the source of the slow-motion Nancy Pelosi video which alleged that the Speaker of the House was drunk, The Daily Beast discovered that the creator and original poster of the video is a Donald Trump superfan who is currently on probation.\n\nShawn Brooks, who posted the video called “Is Pelosi Drunk?” is a sometimes sports blogger from the Bronx. Brooks posted the video initially on his personal Facebook page. Soon after, the video was doctored even more, and posted on another page that Brooks manages on Facebook called AllNews 24/7, which then turned up in an identical format (a director’s cut) to the viral video from Politics Watchdog.\n\nThe Daily Beast says that the prose attached to the video was identical to the one created by Brooks.\n\n“House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on President Donald Trump walking out infrastructure meeting: ‘It was very, very, very strange,'” the post said.\n\nThe video then took the term viral to a new level, being passed on by Donald Trump, James Woods, and Rudy Giuliani, suggesting that Pelosi was either drunk or had lost a step.\n\nBut in a phone interview, Brooks, 34, a day laborer on probation after taking a guilty plea to a domestic violence charge, says that it’s just a coincidence and that his video is not the one which went viral.\n\nBut a Facebook official says that the video uploaded to the Politics Watchdog group is the same as the Brooks Facebook video.\n\nBrooks admitted that he is involved in the management of both Politics Watchdog and AllNews 24/7 Facebook pages, and ad revenue from both go to his PayPal account. He also said that the viral video made him $1,000, and likely made the social media platform much more.\n\n“It makes money for Facebook too. I’m sure that’s their motive for not taking it down,” Brooks said.\n\nBut a Facebook spokesperson says this is untrue, and that the company wants nothing to do with fake news.\n\nBut Brooks still insists that while he has knowledge of the video, he wasn’t the one who posted the video, and instead it was a female administrator who he would not name, adding that there are around six administrators who have the access to post a video, but he’s not naming his associates.", "“How’s it going in Washington? Anything interesting happening?” cracked Jimmy Kimmel. “I’m really happy to be here,” Nancy Pelosi replied with a wink and a smile.\n\nThe Democratic Speaker of the House joined the comedian on his late-night program Thursday night just one day after Robert Mueller delivered an impromptu press conference where he asserted, “If we had had confidence the president clearly did not commit a crime we would have said so”—once again punting to Congress.\n\nAfter asserting her Golden State Warriors’ fandom, and the fact that she has a signed Draymond Green jersey that she won at auction (“because every team needs somebody like that”), the House Speaker got into the whole Mueller mess, with Kimmel questioning why Pelosi hasn’t pushed for Trump to be impeached like many of her Democratic colleagues, including presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren.\n\n“We’ve been on that path for a while, and when we do get to where we’re going, we’re going to be ready,” said Pelosi. “You have to remember, we’ve only had the [congressional] majority…since this year, and the first month government was shutdown.”\n\n“We have to be ready,” she added. “Our Founders, in the darkest days of the Revolution, they said, ‘The times have found us.’ Well, I think right now the times have found us. We have a defiance of the Constitution of the United States, and so when we go down this path, we have to be ready, and it has to be clear to the American people, and we have to hope that it’ll be clear to the Republicans in the United States Senate.”\n\nWhen Kimmel joked that we’ve “been on this path” since the ‘70s, Pelosi held her ground. “We’re on a path to getting information. The public deserves to know the truth—the facts—and so, when you go down a path like impeachment, which is very divisive—it could divide the country—let me put it this way: we understand our oaths of office, to defend the Constitution of the United States. Apparently, the president does not understand his oath of office. He doesn’t honor the oath to protect and defend. We know our responsibility, but again, because it is divisive, we have to try to bring people together.”\n\nJimmy Kimmel Doesn’t Want to ‘Appeal’ to Trump Fans: ‘I Don’t Think That World Exists Anymore’\n\n“I probably have a better idea as to what the president has to be held accountable for than anyone,” Pelosi asserted. “The only person who knows better than I do…is the president of the United States. He knows. He knows what his violations have been.”\n\nAfter some more back-and-forth, Pelosi laid out why she believes that Trump wants the Democratically-controlled House of Representatives to file articles of impeachment: so that it’ll be shot down by the Republican-controlled Senate.\n\n“[Here’s] why I think the president wants us to impeach him,” Pelosi explained. “He knows it’s not a good idea to be impeached, but the silver lining for him is, then he believes that he would be exonerated by the United States Senate, and there’s a school of thought that says, if the Senate acquits you, why bring up charges against him in the private sector when he’s no longer president? So when we go through with our case, it’s got to be ironclad.”\n\nRead more at The Daily Beast.\n\nGot a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here\n\nGet our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!\n\nDaily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more."], "summary": "The website The Daily Beast identifies the man who posted a video of U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in order to create the misleading impression of drunkenly slurred speech. It was \"an occasional sports blogger from the Bronx.\""}
{"document": ["The Champions League trophy once again resides at Anfield. On Saturday in the Champions League final, the Reds beat Tottenham 2-0 to lift the trophy for the sixth time, the first since 2005. Mohamed Salah scored the winner just two minutes in thanks to a controversial penalty kick, while Divock Origi replaced Roberto Firmino in the second half and scored in the dying minutes to put it away.\n\nThe loss sees Tottenham's Cinderella run fall just a game short of the ultimate European club glory, but it put Spurs on the map as a contender in all competitions for years to come.\n\nHere are three takeaways from the match:\n\nReds benefit from early call but are worthy winners\n\nIt took just 23 seconds for this one to get heated thanks to a handball from Moussa Sissoko, who saw the ball hit him near the armpit before touching his hand. The referee called the penalty kick.\n\nHere's the handball:\n\nA PENALTY CALL 23 SECONDS IN 😱 pic.twitter.com/4gAaYBhPFG — Bleacher Report Live (@brlive) June 1, 2019\n\nAnd here's the goal:\n\nLiverpool 1-0. Minute 2. Mo Salah 🔥 pic.twitter.com/G45zZCFWvR — Bleacher Report Live (@brlive) June 1, 2019\n\nIt doesn't get much more controversial than that in the early going, as any penalty would be. Sure, it hits his hand, but that is after it hits the core of his body. I don't think that is a handball, as it didn't hit his hand first and was far from intentional or him trying to make himself bigger. The Reds took advantage, and the rest is history, but it feels harsh.\n\nHarry Kane played, but it was hardly noticeable\n\nKane returned from injury in what was expected to be a big boost for this team, but Mauricio Pochettino will be questioned as to if he should have played him. He wasn't his sharpest and didn't have a whole lot of chances, but he did had some solid build-up play. Tottenham actually outshot Liverpool on the night.\n\nIt's easy to say that they could have done better without him, but they needed Kane in this game to have a realistic shot. Spurs gave it their all, and there was little more they could do against a Liverpool defense that played cautiously and took care of business.\n\nJurgen Klopp completes promise\n\nWhen Jurgen Klopp signed with Liverpool four years ago, he said he expected this team to have a title by his fourth season. But after losses in the Champions League final last year and both the Europa League and League Cup in years prior, the pressure was on here to deliver, and the Reds did just that. It wasn't an attacking outburst but it was a showing for the Reds that has characterized their season -- strong defensively and taking chances in the final third. They did it against Barcelona in the semifinals, they did it all year long in the Premier League and then on the biggest stage, they take two chances to win the title and produce the most memorable day in their careers.\n\nKlopp saw the potential to revive Liverpool, and he did just that by lifting them to the summit.\n\nRelive Liverpool vs. Tottenham\n\n\n\nMiss any of the action? You can find our live coverage of the Champions League final below. If you are unable to view the live updates below, please click here.\n\n\n\n", "Liverpool F.C. beat Tottenham 2-0 to become the champions of the 2019 UEFA Champions League on Saturday, June 1, 2019, in Madrid, Spain. To celebrate, the soccer team held a parade in Liverpool, England on June 2, 2019, with their new trophy in hand.", "Liverpool players, staff and management rode three open-top buses around town. They arrived only hours earlier from Madrid, after beating Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 in the final Saturday.\n\nBeginning with club captain Jordan Henderson, the players passed around the large European Champion Clubs' Cup, as it paid its sixth visit to the city.\n\nIt was the first Champions League celebratory parade in Liverpool since 2005. The club also took home European honors for the tournament's predecessor, the European Cup, in 1977, 1978, 1981 and 1984. Divock Origi of Liverpool -- who came on to score the second goal -- celebrates with his medal after the match. The Champions League trophy is seen on display inside the stadium prior to the start of the final between Liverpool and Tottenham on Saturday. Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur players and their fans observe a minutes silence in memory of Jose Antonio Reyes prior to the start of the final at Estadio Wanda Metropolitano in Madrid. Moussa Sissoko of Tottenham Hotspur pleads with referee Damir Skomina after a hand ball call early in the final. Liverpool's Egyptian forward Mohamed Salah celebrates after scoring the opening goal on a penalty in the second minute of the match. Liverpool supporters in the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool react to Salah's goal. MADRID, SPAIN - JUNE 01: Liverpool fans show their support prior to the UEFA Champions League Final between Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool at Estadio Wanda Metropolitano on June 01, 2019 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Matthias Hangst/Getty Images) Liverpool defender Joel Matip (L) and Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane battled for the ball. Kane made his first appearance in 55 days, after an injury sustained in the Champions League quarterfinal. Tottenham supporters in Flat Iron Square in London react as they watch the final. Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp earned his first Champions League final win and broke his spell of six consecutive defeats in major finals. The parade began at Allerton Maze and will culminate in the city's waterfront area. Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson estimated in a tweet that 250,000 people were in attendance, along with 250 members of the global media.", "May 31 (UPI) -- The UEFA Champions League final between Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur is set for Saturday in Madrid. UPI has you covered with the full rosters and game time information.\n\nLiverpool manager Jurgen Klopp named his 23-man traveling squad on Friday. The Reds are bringing Trent Alexander-Arnold, Alisson, Rhian Brewster, Fabinho, Roberto Firmino, Joe Gomez, Jordan Henderson, Caoimhin Kelleher, Adam Lallana, Dejan Lovren, Sadio Mane, Joel Matip, Simon Mignolet, James Milner, Alberto Moreno, Divock Origi, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Andy Robertson, Mohamed Salah, Xherdan Shaqiri, Daniel Sturridge, Virgil Van Dijk and Georginio Wijnaldum.\n\nKlopp and Pochettino are permitted to name up to 12 substitutes for the clash.\n\nSpurs reached the final after beating Ajax 3-2 in the second leg of a semifinal match. Liverpool made the final in dramatic fashion, beating Barcelona 4-3 in aggregate scoring, capped off with a 4-0 blowout on May 7 at Anfield in Liverpool, England.\n\nLiverpool will be a different team in the final, playing with formerly injured stars Salah and Firmino. Spurs also managed to get to the final without Kane, their superstar striker.\n\nReal Madrid defeated Liverpool in the 2017-2018 Champions League final. Liverpool is a five-time champion of the tournament, with its last title in 2007.\n\n\"We learned a lot in that time since we are together,\" Klopp told reporters Friday. \"A lot of players have been together for three years, some players have been together for a year. This year we learned a lot again, we are a completely different side to last year. So the final was not too important for our improvement, the final was like a starting point again for the next steps. That's how we saw it, that's how we wanted to use it and that's what we did. But from the game we couldn't learn a lot, to be honest.\n\nTottenham has never won the Champions League. Liverpool and Tottenham each have two wins and a tie in their last five meetings.\n\n\"I think now, we're living the dream and I hope the dream finishes in the best way and we win the final,\" Pochettino said. \"That could be the most beautiful history in football. We are going to give our best to win the trophy. We have an amazing opportunity but the journey was also amazing.\"", "European glory is on the line for two English clubs on Saturday as the Estadio Wanda Metropolitano hosts the Champions League final. Liverpool takes on Tottenham in an all-Premier League affair, with the European crown guaranteed to go back to England in either London or Liverpool. The Reds, under the guidance of Jurgen Klopp, are aiming to take home their sixth Champions League crown in club history. Meanwhile, Mauricio Pochettino's Tottenham is on a wild ride like the club has never experienced before, playing in the final for the first time in club history.\n\nLiverpool eliminated Bayern Munich, Porto and Barcelona to get to the final, while Tottenham beat Dortmund, Manchester City and Ajax. Here's a look at the injury report as Harry Kane is set to return from a long injury stint.\n\nHere's how you can watch the match and what to know:\n\nIf you're not in the United States and want to find out what channel the match is on, well, you're in luck. We have outlined international TV listings for the match here.\n\nLiverpool: The Reds have Roberto Firmino back healthy for this one but it remains to be seen if he starts, according to Jurgen Klopp on Friday. As for Naby Keita, he's out, as expected. Liverpool is near full strength and has a ton of momentum after that comeback against Barcelona. After losing the final last year against Real Madrid, the Reds can redeem themselves here in the biggest of ways. The Reds have beaten Tottenham twice this season by the same 2-1 score line. This Reds team looked set to win the Premier League and fall out of the Champions League, but now it's quite the opposite. Finishing second in the league to Manchester City puts the pressure on the Reds even more so here. It's Year 4 of the Klopp experience, and after a handful of final losses, this could be the moment that changes his career and that of his players.\n\nTottenham: All eyes are on Harry Kane. Will he start, will he play? Spurs made it through the quarterfinals and semifinals without him, and now it's all about Mauricio Pochettino deciding if he should reinsert him into the lineup and perhaps impact the team dynamic.There's also the chance to bring him off the bench if things aren't working early on. It's a tricky situation, but it's better to have him than to not. Tottenham knows how valuable he is to this team, but is the recent form good enough to justify keeping him on the bench? He has been training, he appears fit to play. Only time will tell.\n\nThe Reds get going with an early goal and put Spurs away in the second half to win by two goals.", "MADRID — No tears of pain this time, just redemption for Mohamed Salah.\n\nOnly 108 seconds were needed to banish the Champions League final heartbreak of a year ago.\n\nOnce Salah dispatched his early penalty against Tottenham, Liverpool was on the path to a sixth European title with a 2-0 victory on Saturday.\n\nAnd a year after defeat in the final to Real Madrid, Juergen Klopp has his first title after four years as Liverpool manager.\n\nA shoulder injury forced Salah out of the Kiev showpiece last year.\n\nThis time it was Tottenham midfielder Moussa Sissoko’s arm that gifted Liverpool the early penalty opening — blocking Sadio Mane’s shot after 21 seconds — and Salah converted from the spot after a video review check.\n\n“I have sacrificed a lot for my career,” Salah said. “To come from a village, to go to Cairo, and to be an Egyptian at this level is unbelievable for me.”\n\nOn a hot and humid night in Madrid, Tottenham came to life only in the final 20 minutes of its first European Cup final.\n\nBut Liverpool completed the job in the 87th minute thanks to one of its semifinal saviors.\n\nDivock Origi had to accept a place back on the bench despite producing two goals while deputizing for the injured Salah last month. But the substitute had the final big say in the Spanish capital, rifling a left-footed shot inside the far post.\n\nAfter two losing finals since triumphing in 2005, Liverpool finally rose to third in the all-time list of European champions behind 13-time winner Real Madrid and AC Milan on seven titles.\n\nFew fans — even from Liverpool — will want to watch just how it was achieved.\n\nBoth sides had gone three weeks without playing. It showed.\n\nThe sharpness was deficient, as was the ability to string passes together.\n\n“When we look back on tonight we aren’t going to think it was a sluggish game,” Liverpool-born defender Trent Alexander-Arnold said. “We are going to think we have just won the European Cup.”\n\nTottenham will have only regrets as its luck run out after a season of comebacks and great escapes in the competition with a squad that had no additions.\n\nLucas Moura’s goal in Barcelona in December carried Tottenham into the round of 16. The Brazilian’s hat trick last month then completed a turnaround against Ajax. The reward in Madrid was a watching brief from the bench for two thirds of the game.\n\nInstead, Harry Kane was thrust into the starting lineup despite 53 days without a game since limping off with an ankle injury in the quarterfinal first leg against Manchester City.\n\nThe striker was largely anonymous as Tottenham, which finished 26 points behind Premier League runner-up Liverpool in fourth place, couldn’t even get a shot on target until the 73rd minute.\n\nAlisson Becker scooped up a spinning shot from Dele Alli and made a double-save from Son Heung-min and Moura with 10 minutes to go.\n\nIt was goalkeeping that made the difference, showing $85 million was well spent by American owner John Henry after Loris Karius was banished for making costly mistakes in last year’s final.\n\n“You have a goalkeeper who makes difficult things look easy,” Klopp said. “Thank you very much.”\n\nNo wonder Klopp was relieved after six losing finals, stretching back to his spell at Borussia Dortmund.\n\n“Did you ever see a team like this? Fighting with no fuel in the tank,” the German said.\n\nVictory against Tottenham came six years after Dortmund was beaten by Bayern Munich in the Champions League final.\n\nKlopp is now European champion for the first time.\n\n“I am so happy for my family,” he said. “They suffer every year when we go to a final, the last game of the season.”\n\nThe penultimate game saw Klopp miss out on ending Liverpool’s 29-year English title drought by a point to Manchester City in the Premier League title race.\n\n“We are doing good stuff,” Klopp said on the field amid the celebrations in Madrid. “People are always saying, ‘Why didn’t you win anything?’”", "Former Liverpool forward El Hadji Diouf believes his old club has the edge going into the Champions League final against Tottenham Hotspur.\n\nThe two English clubs will go head-to-head in a battle to claim Europe's elite club competition in Madrid on Saturday.\n\nThe Reds failed in their bid to lift Europe’s most prestigious club trophy last season, having stuttered to a 3-1 defeat to Real Madrid at the NSC Olimpiyskiy Stadium, Kiev.\n\nLiverpool have impressively managed to beat former champions Barcelona and Bayern Munich en route to the showpiece event, whereas Spur have made their way past the likes of Manchester City and Ajax to meet them.\n\nDiouf, who was contracted to the Anfield giants from 2002 to 2005, reckons Jurgen Klopp’s men are in a great position to get the better of their fierce rivals in the final.\n\n“I want Liverpool to win because I’m a Red boy,” Diouf told Goal.\n\n“Also, winning the title will be an icing on the cake for what they did in the semi-final against Barcelona.\n\n“Tottenham are a fantastic side because no one expected them to get this far, so Liverpool must be focused against them because most times the best team end up losing.\n\n“Everyone is optimistic about the Reds winning because they are playing back to back in the Champions League final, but I think they are a really powerful team with a great manager in Jurgen Klopp.”\n\nThe teams will contest the first all-English final since Manchester United defeated Chelsea on penalties in Moscow in 2008.\n\nTottenham are expected to parade their full squad for this match at Wanda Metropolitano, with an adductor injury ruling out Naby Keita for Liverpool.", "When referee Damir Skomina pointed to the spot to give Liverpool a penalty after just 21 seconds, another thrilling night of Champions League football looked to be on the cards.\n\nAfter a season of truly jaw-dropping comebacks, it seemed the only logical conclusion. Both Liverpool and Tottenham were involved in two of the most extraordinary semi-finals the game has ever seen, both recovering from three-goals down to secure victories against Barcelona and Ajax respectively.\n\nWith that early penalty, it appeared certain that the Champions League final would deliver too and treat us all to another festival of football.\n\nBut in the end, both sides played out a thoroughly forgettable finale in the pressing heat of Madrid.\n\nThe early goal was a cruel red herring. Jurgen Klopp's rock'n'roll, pulse-smashing football was replaced by a pacemaker protection service, while Tottenham, whose coach Mauricio Pochettino had boasted about the fitness of his side before the game, laboured like a team who had taken to the field after a night-cap.\n\nIt was a point not lost on supporters and pundits alike.\n\n'I've never seen two Premier League sides make so many unforced errors,' bemoaned BT Sport's Glenn Hoddle.\n\n'It wasn't the most entertaining game,' added Rio Ferdinand. 'We've all played in finals, it's about getting over the line and getting the trophy.\n\n'The fans won't care how they played today, they got the job done. This season (Liverpool) have been fantastic. If they'd finished the season without a trophy it would've been devastating for this football club.'\n\nThe Reds did manage to get the job done thanks to goals from Mohamed Salah and Divock Origi, but they played without the exuberance and flair that has characterised their campaign.\n\nThe Madrid heat certainly played its part, with temperatures pitch-side in excess of 30 degrees at kick off.\n\nConcern was also raised beforehand about the match sharpness of both sides, with neither team having played a competitive fixture for three weeks.\n\nKlopp and Pochettino were expected to organise behind-closed-doors fixtures to alleviate this potential problem, but on Saturday's showing, it made little impact.\n\nIt followed the sluggishness of the Europa League final on Wednesday. Again an all-English affair, the Baku-based final saw Chelsea and Arsenal sleepwalk through the first half before the Blues took control.\n\nThe first half of the Champions League final was similarly worse than the second as neither side committed to seizing the game.\n\nAny early momentum - hinted at by Liverpool's extremely intense pre-match warm-up - was quickly nipped in the bud by the early penalty, which certainly altered the Reds' approach to the match.\n\nThe second half was a slight improvement as Tottenham increased the pressure on the Premier League's runners-up.\n\nKlopp, noticing the lethargic nature of his side's performance, uncharacteristically made two changes before the hour mark.\n\nOne of them ultimately paid off. As Spurs edged ever closer to Alisson's goal, Origi delivered a sucker punch to ensure Liverpool would win their sixth Champions League title - albeit in underwhelming circumstances.", "Liverpool beat Tottenham 2-0 at the Wanda Metropolitano with Mohamed Salah and Divock Origi scoring the only goal of the game in the 2nd minute.\n\nThe Egypt international converted from 12 yards after Moussa Sissoko was adjudged to have handled inside the area.\n\nLiverpool were not at their blockbuster best against Tottenham but got the job done, ensuring they win the Champions League for the sixth time in their history.\n\nFor Spurs, though, it means that their sparkling European campaign ends with nothing to show for it.", "Harry Kane’s return didn’t give Tottenham the spark it needed in the Champions League final.\n\nKane was back in the squad for the first time since April when he was injured in the first leg of the quarterfinals, but the striker was not a factor in the decider at Wanda Metropolitano Stadium.\n\nKane was not a threat, ending with only one attempt and unable to create a significant scoring opportunity for teammates.\n\nAs Tottenham struggled to control the game, the ball rarely got to Kane at the top of the attack, and when it did he was easily contained by the Liverpool defense.\n\nHe called for a penalty on him late in the game, with the team already losing 2-0, but the referee let play continue.\n\nHis only shot came in stoppage time, a left-footed strike that went straight to Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker.\n\nKane was doubtful for the final because of an ankle injury in the 1-0 win over Manchester City in the first leg of the quarterfinals.\n\n“It was a decision (I made),” Tottenham coach Mauricio Pochettino said. “After a month and a half, I think he finished the game fresh, (but) he didn’t score.”\n\nKane missed nine matches after getting injured, and Pochettino waited until the last minute before deciding whether to put him in the lineup on Saturday.\n\n“I expected him to start,” said Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk, who was named the man of the match. “When he said he was fit, it put the manager in a difficult position not to put him in the team.”\n\nKane declared himself available for the final last week, saying he felt good and was ready to go. Pochettino had remained cautious, though, not guaranteeing the striker in the lineup until on Saturday.\n\nKane’s replacement had been Lucas Moura, who proved decisive for the team in its run to the final.\n\nThe Brazilian forward scored the hat trick that allowed Tottenham to come from behind and beat Ajax 3-2 in the second leg of the semifinals. He completed the hat trick with a stoppage-time goal that sealed the comeback and the team’s first-ever final appearance.\n\nMoura entered the final in the 66th minute, replacing Harry Winks, but also couldn’t do much to help Tottenham overcome an early deficit after Mohamed Salah converted a second-minute penalty kick."], "summary": "Liverpool F.C. defeats Tottenham Hotspur F.C. by a score of 2–0 to win the 2019 UEFA Champions League Final."}
{"document": ["Andy Ruiz Jr knocks down Anthony Joshua in the first round of their heavyweight title fight\n\nAnthony Joshua has been beaten by unfancied Mexican fighter Andy Ruiz Jr in one of the biggest shocks in heavyweight boxing history.\n\nThe Briton, 29, lost all three of his IBF, WBA and WBO heavyweight titles after being stopped in the seventh round in front of a disbelieving 20,000-strong crowd at Madison Square Garden in New York.\n\nHe had spent much of rounds four to six recovering from what was possibly the most damaging round of his career in the third, during which he was knocked down twice.\n\nImage: The referee brought the fight to an end in the seventh round\n\nRuiz sent him to the deck twice more in the seventh round, and - despite returning to his feet - referee Mike Griffin stepped in to bring the clash to an end.\n\nIt is the first time Joshua has tasted defeat, leaving his underdog opponent to become the first ever Mexican-American heavyweight world champion.\n\nAdvertisement\n\nRuiz was only drafted in to fight Joshua after the Briton's original opponent, Jarrell Miller, failed a drugs test.\n\n\"This is what I have been dreaming about and I cannot believe I made my dreams come true,\" said Ruiz, who Joshua managed to knock down once in the third round.\n\n\"That was my first time getting dropped on the floor but it made me want it even more - and I just thank God. I have got that Mexican blood in me and that just proved it. Right now, I just want to celebrate. I made history for Mexico.\"\n\nImage: Joshua lost all three of his heavyweight titles in the shock win for Ruiz\n\nJoshua was not in the mood to offer excuses for his performance and paid tribute to his opponent.\n\nHe told Sky Sports Box Office: \"Boxing is a tough sport, but I train hard and I got beaten by a good fighter, it will be interesting to see how far he goes, but this is all part of the journey.\n\n\"This is the risk we take, every fighter deserves respect so congratulations to him. I respect every fighter, this is all part of the legacy, it's how strong I came back. He's a champion for now, I shall return.\"\n\nImage: Ruiz jumps for joy after securing his win\n\nJoshua had beaten 22 opponents without defeat before his Saturday night fight against Ruiz, and apologised to his fans who had bought tickets for the match.\n\n\"Sorry I let my fans down,\" he said.\n\nImage: Joshua went down four times as Ruiz dominated the fight\n\nPromoter Eddie Hearn said a rematch between the pair would likely be arranged for later in the year.\n\nHe said: \"He will come back. It's now down to the rematch and winning that fight. He must win that fight and he will do anything he can to regain his title. To get back to the heights he has been, he must win that rematch.\"\n\nImage: The referee brought the fight to an end in the seventh round\n\nTwo of the other top heavyweights in the world, Tyson Fury and Deontay Wilder, reacted to Joshua's defeat on Twitter.\n\nFury tweeted: \"We have our back and forths but @anthonyfjoshua changed his stars through life. heavyweight boxing, these things happen, rest up, recover, regroup and come again.\"\n\nHowever, Wilder was critical of Joshua, saying that \"he wasn't a true champion\".", "In the seventh round of Saturday night’s heavyweight title fight, one of boxing’s biggest stars fell to one knee and then staggered to the corner. Referee Michael Griffin walked over to Anthony Joshua, watched him as he made an attempt to recover and then called the fight with 1:26 remaining in the round.\n\nWith that, Andy Ruiz Jr. shocked the sport.\n\nRuiz’s knockout of the heavyweight champion Joshua (22-1, 21 KOs), making his U.S. debut in Madison Square Garden, was predicted by few. Ruiz (33-1, 22 KOs), a 14-1 underdog coming into the night according to the FanDuel sportsbook, scored four knockdowns of the British star, including his TKO victory in the seventh.\n\nJoshua lost his International Boxing Federation (IBF), International Boxing Organization (IBO), World Boxing Association (WBA) and World Boxing Organization (WBO) titles with the upset.\n\nRuiz, a native of Southern California, is the first fighter of Mexican descent to win a heavyweight title. He was chosen as a late replacement for Jarell Miller in this fight after Miller failed a drug test. The 270-pound Ruiz had little time to prepare, having just fought Alexander Dimitrenko on April 20.\n\nIn what was widely expected to be an easy test for Joshua, the sellout crowd of 20,201 at the Garden ended up with an action-packed battle. Both fighters were knocked down in a dramatic third round, with Ruiz going first and then Joshua falling on an overhand right. Ruiz knocked the defending champ down again just before the round ended.\n\nRuiz knocked down Joshua again in the seventh before his fourth and final fall.\n\nBoxing fans had plenty to say online after the shocking upset. Deontay Wilder, who many believed would one day match up with Joshua, wasted no time in coming after the heavyweight.\n\nSome fans pointed to the “Drake Curse” as being responsible for the outcome. The rapper has become something of a bad luck charm for athletes, as more than a few surprising results have been preceded by a picture with the Canadian star. It happened to Conor McGregor, Serena Williams and Manchester City.\n\nAnd now, despite an Instagram post from March claiming that he was going to buck the trend, Joshua seems to have been hit by the Drake Curse as well.\n\nElsewhere online, some of boxing’s biggest names marveled at the upset.", "Andy Ruiz Jr has caused one of the biggest shocks in the history of heavyweight boxing by stopping Anthony Joshua in seven rounds to inflict his first defeat and win the IBF, WBA and WBO titles.\n\nAndy Ruiz Jr has caused one of the biggest shocks in the history of heavyweight boxing by stopping Anthony Joshua in seven rounds to inflict his first defeat and win the IBF, WBA and WBO titles.\n\nOn the occasion of the defending champion's US debut, at New York's revered Madison Square Garden, he was dethroned as the world's leading heavyweight by a significant underdog who took advantage of becoming a late-notice opponent to secure a life-changing win.\n\nBrooklyn's Jarrell Miller had been chosen as Joshua's opponent until a six-month suspension ruled him out and gave Ruiz Jr an unexpected opportunity with little over a month's notice.\n\nWhen he was knocked down in the third round, he appeared on the verge of losing as routinely as Joshua's previous 22 opponents, but he immediately responded with two knockdowns that left Joshua fortunate to survive.\n\nIf Joshua appeared to recover throughout the fourth and fifth, in the sixth he again became hesitant even if there was little sign that he was about to be stopped.\n\nTwo further knockdowns in the seventh again left him fighting for survival, and though he returned to his feet after each, he was no longer able to defend himself, forcing referee Mike Griffin's intervention while he was on his still on his feet after one minute and 27 seconds.\n\nIt was a straight right followed by a left hook that sent Ruiz Jr, who had been criticised for being fleshy and over 20lbs heavier than the champion at Friday's weigh-in, to the canvas in the third round.\n\nJoshua had previously struggled with punching down against smaller opponents - his challenger had repeatedly fallen short with the jab because of the size disadvantage he faced - but there was no suggestion that he was about to suffer the most damaging round of his career.\n\nWhen Ruiz Jr returned to his feet, Joshua immediately pursued the stoppage but Ruiz Jr fought to survive, landing a right flush on Joshua's chin, forcing the first heavy knockdown before another with two left hooks after Joshua had beat the count.\n\nThat dramatic round's end came with Joshua on the verge of a shock stoppage, but after spending much of the fourth and the fifth - in which he landed a powerful left hand - recovering, he struggled to build any momentum in the sixth.\n\nJoshua became cautious in a way he never previously had against Dillian Whyte, who also once hurt him, and Wladimir Klitschko, who knocked him down, and Ruiz Jr capitalised by landing to the body.\n\nA right hook then hurt Joshua again in the seventh before further lefts and rights forced him down, and as he returned to his feet, a further assault knocked him over as he again beat the count.\n\nBut he remained sufficiently unsteady that Griffin rightly rescued him from further punishment.\n\nJoshua-Ruiz Jr had been intended to showcase the defending champion to the only territory in boxing he had yet to convince, yet if he again proved how entertaining he can be he suffered his first defeat, lost his three world titles and suffered significant damage to his reputation.\n\nAn immediate rematch may be inevitable, but at the venue where heavyweight greats Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield enjoyed some of their finest nights, he suffered perhaps his worst as Mexico's first world heavyweight champion was instead crowned.\n\n\"I can't believe I just made my dream come true, the sky is the limit,\" said Ruiz Jr, like Joshua aged 29.\n\n\"That was the first time I've been down on the floor and it just made me stronger.\n\n\"I'm a Mexican warrior, I have that blood in me. I just made history for Mexico.\"\n\nJoshua was booed by many of the spectators who cheered him to the ring, and he said: \"Respect to Andy Ruiz Jr. Sorry I let my fans down.\"\n\n\"This will devastate him,\" said his promoter, Eddie Hearn.\n\n\"He will come back. It's now down to the rematch and winning that fight.\n\n\"He must win that fight and he will do anything he can to regain his title.\n\n\"To get back to the heights he has been, he must win that rematch.\"", "NEW YORK — Andy Ruiz Jr. had six weeks to prepare for the fight of his life.\n\nHe’ll have a lifetime to celebrate one of boxing’s biggest heavyweight stunners.\n\nA massive underdog just like Buster Douglas, Ruiz knocked down British champion Anthony Joshua four times, and the final two in the seventh round proved the decisive blows.\n\nRuiz, the first heavyweight of Mexican descent to win a heavyweight title, capped one of boxing’s epic upsets to win Joshua’s shares of the heavyweight championship Saturday night at Madison Square Garden.\n\n“I just feel so good, man,” Ruiz said. “This is what I’ve been dreaming about, this is what I’ve been working hard for. I can’t believe I just made my dreams come true.”\n\nRuiz etched his name in heavyweight lore by TKO at 1:27 in the seventh round to become the surprise champ in a bout that had shades of Douglas’ upset over Mike Tyson for the heavyweight title in 1990. Ruiz barely was on anyone’s heavyweight radar when he was summoned as a replacement to fight the undefeated Joshua in front of a packed Garden.\n\nConsidered a joke by fans, all Ruiz did was dominate the British champion and used a TKO to turn his life and the heavyweight division upside down. Ruiz racked up 32 wins without beating many boxers of note and walked into the ring with a waistline that will need a supersized championship belt.\n\nRuiz, a flabby fighter out of Southern California, came up short in his only other shot at a world title, having lost on points to then-WBO champion Joseph Parker in December 2016.\n\nRuiz even warned Joshua before the fight: “Don’t underestimate this little fat boy.”\n\nThe 270-pound heavyset heavyweight knocked down Joshua twice in the third round and did it two more times in the seventh before referee Mike Griffin ended the fight. Joshua was woozy and seemed to stumble toward the wrong corner after the final blow.\n\nRuiz stepped in after fighting on April 20, when he stopped Alexander Dimitrenko. Jarrell Miller’s failed drug tests sent the challenger to the sideline and paved the way for Ruiz’s unexpected title shot. Ruiz (33-1, 21 KO’s) seized the opportunity and made boxing history to win the WBA/IBF/WBO/IBO championships. He raised his arms in celebration and jumped around the ring as his corner quickly mobbed him and a wild celebration kicked off.\n\n“I’ve got that Mexican blood in me,” he said. “Talking about the Mexican style? I just proved it.”\n\nThe true shock might have been that the Garden was packed on a Saturday night for a fight few expected to be competitive. Yes, Ruiz is up there with Douglas and Hasim Rahman for who-can-believe-it wins, but casual sports fans don’t even know the names of most boxing champions — consider, instead of pay-per-view parties, this card was streamed by DAZN.\n\nWhen ring announcer Michael Buffer announced the name of the judges “should this fight go the distance,” fans laughed at the ridiculous possibility as Ruiz was an ultimate underdog.\n\nJoshua (22-1, 22 KO’s) and Ruiz were both knocked down in an electrifying third round that had the sellout crowd of 20,201 howling with each heavy hit. Joshua knocked down Ruiz early in the round and the promise of an early finish seemed horizon.\n\nRuiz, his trunks a bit too low for his portly frame, came right back and used an overhand right that rocked the champ and sent him to the canvas. Joshua recovered only to get pummeled in the corner. Ruiz knocked him down again in the final ticks of the round as fans in a disbelieving Garden crowd screamed “Oh my God!” Again, Joshua beat the count but the bell saved the Brit from a going a second longer in his weakened state. Had it not been a championship fight, perhaps Griffin would have stopped the bout.\n\nAlas, for Joshua, it went on.\n\nRuiz, whose father, a native of Mexico, got him into the gym when he was 6 and had his son in bouts a year later, shook up the boxing world. Johsua was the fan favorite and had all the hype for his first fight in the United States.\n\n“If it wasn’t for my dad, I wouldn’t be here,” Ruiz said.\n\nNBA star Kyrie Irving and rapper Meek Mill were among the celebrities in the house expecting Joshua to roll to a win and set up more ambitious, lucrative bouts against the likes of Tyson Fury, Deontay Wilder and a few other potential opponents.\n\n“Sorry I let my fans down, sorry I let my supporters down,” Joshua said.\n\nRuiz made some new ones.\n\n“It is never over until it’s over with the Mexicans. God bless them. Congrats Andy Ruiz,” former UFC champion Conor McGregor tweeted.\n\nWilder, owner of the WBC crown, decided to give Luis Ortiz a rematch. Ortiz battered Wilder for parts of their fight in early 2018 before running out of gas and getting knocked out.\n\nWilder tried to steal the headlines this week when he announced his rematch with Fury was set for 2020. Wilder and Fury fought to a split draw in December in Los Angeles, with Wilder retaining his WBC heavyweight title after knocking down his British challenger twice.\n\nJoshua instead heads toward a likely rematch against Ruiz later this year.\n\nFans booed when Ruiz was shown on the big screen holding a personalized Knicks jersey. He walked out to his press conference wearing the jersey — his coronation complete, a table full of championship belts all for him.\n\n“My life is going to change,” he said. “I don’t have to show them no more.”", "Andy Ruiz Jr. entered Saturday night’s heavyweight championship bout against Anthony Joshua as a 17-1 underdog to the IBF, IBO, WBA, and WBO heavyweight world champion.\n\nThe physical difference between the husky Ruiz and the chiseled physique of Joshua only helped to offer what most thought to be an obvious visual of the gap between the two fighters, but when they stepped into the ring at Madison Square Garden, none of that mattered. Ruiz Jr. started slow as Joshua pelted him with jabs, but came alive in the third round, sending the champ to the canvas after being knocked down himself.\n\nFrom there, he only gained confidence, and in the seventh, Joshua tasted the mat two more times, ultimately leading to the referee to call a stop to the fight after he turned to his corner and was without his mouthpiece, looking fairly disinterested. Ruiz leapt around the ring in celebration, suddenly the new heavyweight champion of the world.", "Andy Ruiz Jr.'s shocking, seventh-round TKO of Anthony Joshua to become the new unified world heavyweight champion on Saturday night instantly went down as one of boxing's biggest upsets.\n\nIt also made Sporting News recall some of the other massive upsets in boxing history.\n\nBelow are the 15 biggest upsets in boxing history, including Ruiz's stunner, listed in reverse chronological order.\n\nJoin DAZN and watch Gennadiy Golovkin vs. Steve Rolls on June 8\n\nThe bout was supposed to bring fight fans one step closer to seeing Joshua battle Deontay Wilder for the undisputed heavyweight crown. Instead, it crowned a new unified world heavyweight champ.\n\nRuiz knocked Joshua down four times en route to a seventh-round TKO that not only ruined the British boxer's U.S. debut, but flipped the state of the heavyweight division upside down.\n\nAt this time, Jones was regarded as the pound-for-pound best fighter on the planet with a record of 46-1 and his only loss coming on a questionable disqualification to Montell Griffin in March 1997. (Jones won the rematch almost five months later.) Jones was coming off becoming the first middleweight champion to win a heavyweight title when he defeated John Ruiz to win the WBA title in March 2003.\n\nIn his next time out in November 2003, Jones went back down to light heavyweight and won the WBC belt from Tarver by majority decision. Tarver felt he got robbed and demanded they fight again. The rematch took place six months later.\n\nTarver left no doubt who won this time around, as he connected on a flush counter left hook to end Jones' amazing run.\n\nKlitschko was regaining his strength, getting two wins under his belt following his shocking loss to Corrie Sanders more than a year prior when he stepped into the ring with Brewster. Klitschko was the favorite entering the fight and looked to be on his way to victory, dropping the American in the fourth round.\n\nBut Brewster began sitting on his punches in the fifth and wobbled Klitschko up against the ropes, prompting the ref to register a standing-eight count to the Ukrainian. Klitschko's legs were completely gone, and the ref stopped the fight seconds later, allowing Brewster to claim the then-vacant WBA heavyweight title.\n\nKlitschko wouldn't taste defeat for another 11 years, further proving how big Brewster's upset was.\n\nKlitschko was 40-1 and looking to make his sixth defense of his WBO heavyweight title. Meanwhile, Sanders was a solid 39-2 but had only fought twice in the past two years entering the fight. That, and the fashion that Sanders disposed of Klitschko, made the upset all the more mind-boggling.\n\nSanders knocked Klitschko down four times en route to the jaw-dropping, second-round TKO.\n\nRahman chased Lewis across the ring with four jabs before he unleashed a thunderous overhand right that dropped the unified heavyweight champion of the world flat on his back with a thud, unable to beat the count.\n\nJust like that, a new champ was crowned in South Africa via a stirring fifth-round KO.\n\nHolyfield and Tyson were supposed to face each other in 1991, but Tyson had to pull out due to injury and then went to prison in 1992. Five years later, they met for Tyson's WBA and WBC heavyweight titles.\n\nHolyfield was a 25-1 underdog after losing by knockout for the first time in his career in the trilogy fight against Riddick Bowe and a lackluster win over Bobby Czyz. But Holyfield defied the odds and bullied the \"bully\" throughout to stop Tyson in the 11th round and become a three-time heavyweight champion.\n\nMoorer was coming off winning the IBF and WBA heavyweight titles from Holyfield. He wanted a big name for his first title defense. Look no further than the 45-year-old Foreman.\n\nFor nine rounds, Moorer was running laps around Foreman. But in the heavyweight division, all a fighter needs to do is land one punch, and Foreman did just that in the 10th round when he landed a short right hand straight to the jaw to drop Moorer.\n\nReferee Joe Cortez waved the fight off, and Foreman became the oldest heavyweight champion in boxing history.\n\nChavez had come into the tilt on a 90-fight unbeaten streak (89-0-1). Randall was no slouch, as he was 49-2-1. But Chavez was expected to run through Randall and continue his record streak.\n\nRandall had other plans. He dropped Chavez in the 11th round, and Chavez got two points deducted for low blows that allowed Randall to pull off the upset.\n\nMorrison was the reigning WBO heavyweight champion, a title he claimed after beating Foreman in June of 1993, and was riding a 10-fight winning streak when he faced Bentt, a heavyweight who was relatively unknown at the time. But the underdog Bentt shocked Morrison and dropped him three times in the first round before a nationally televised audience on HBO for the improbable first-round TKO.\n\nThe stunning upset derailed Morrison's immediate plans for a fight with Lennox Lewis, although the scrap would happen about two years later.\n\nDouglas was a staggering 42-to-1 underdog against Tyson back in February 1990 at the Tokyo Dome in Japan for their heavyweight title fight. But having lost his mother 23 days before the fight lit a raging fire inside Douglas, who took it to Tyson en route to pulling off a shocking 10th-round KO of \"The Baddest Man on The Planet\" and becoming the new undisputed heavyweight champion of the world.\n\nWhat started as a foregone conclusion that Douglas would lose wound up being the biggest upset in the history of boxing and, perhaps, all of sports.\n\nForeman came into \"The Rumble in the Jungle\" 37-0 and had just ran through Joe Frazier and Ken Norton in two rounds. Ali's own battles with Frazier and Norton had taken their toll, and Ali at this point was starting to lose his patented speed and reflexes.\n\nInstead of trying to outgun Foreman, Ali used the \"rope-a-dope\" strategy that ended up tiring his opponent. Ali took advantage of a weakened Foreman to knock him out in the eighth round and put an end to the vaunted winning streak.\n\nListon had tasted defeat only once before in his career and had built himself up to being one of the most feared heavyweight champions in boxing history when he faced a 7-to-1 underdog in a brash, 22-year-old Clay.\n\nWhile Liston went for the knockout early, Clay avoided the early damage and blinded Liston with speed, pummeling the champ to the point that he couldn't continue following the sixth round. He then dismissed any notion that the upset was a fluke by scoring a first-round KO of Liston in their rematch in May of 1965.\n\nMORE: Join DAZN and watch more than 100 fight nights a year\n\nRobinson was a ridiculous 128-1-2 when Turpin handed him his second pro loss and took his middleweight title in a grand upset.\n\nRobinson exacting revenge with a 10th-round TKO a couple months later didn't negate the magnitude of what Turpin was able to do in their first meeting.\n\nLouis defeating Schmeling was considered to be all but a formality back in 1936. So imagine the shock when the underdog controlled the fight at Yankee Stadium before emphatically ending it with a 12th-round KO.\n\nThe 2005 biopic \"Cinderella Man\" told the life story of Braddock, who had a staggering 25 losses on his record when he went up against Baer as a 10-to-1 underdog in June of 1935 in New York.\n\nNot only did Braddock prove critics wrong, but he smothered Baer en route to a unanimous decision after 15 rounds, cementing one of the biggest upsets in boxing history.", "Deontay Wilder didn't waste time in offering remarks after formerly undefeated heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua lost to 11-1 underdog Andy Ruiz Jr. via seventh-round TKO on Saturday:\n\nWilder, the owner of a 41-0-1 professional record and the WBC heavyweight championship, has been connected with Joshua as part of a potential superfight over the past few years. Of note, Joshua told Steven Muehlhausen of Sporting News on Wednesday that there's \"no reason at all that we shouldn't have this fight.\"\n\nThat matchup seems like a remote possibility now after the Ruiz upset. Plus, Wilder announced second bouts with Luis Ortiz and Tyson Fury, which should keep him booked well into 2020.\n\nAs for Joshua, another fight with Ruiz is inevitable. The 29-year-old told Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated and DAZN USA (h/t Ariel Helwani of ESPN) in the ring that he'll invoke the rematch clause in his contract.", "NEW YORK — Andy Ruiz flattened Anthony Joshua twice in the seventh round and capped one of boxing's biggest upsets to win his share of the heavyweight championship Saturday night at Madison Square Garden.\n\nRuiz won it at 1:27 by TKO in the seventh round to become the surprise champ in a bout that had shades of Buster Douglas' upset over Mike Tyson in 1990. Ruiz barely was on anyone's heavyweight radar when he was summoned as a replacement to fight champion Joshua in front of a packed Garden.\n\nAll he did was dominate the British champion.\n\nRuiz knocked down Joshua twice in the third round and did it two more times in the seventh before referee Mike Griffin ended the fight.\n\nHe's stepped in after fighting on April 20, when he stopped Alexander Dimitrenko. Jarrell Miller's failed drug tests sent the challenger to the sideline.\n\nRuiz (33-1, 21 KO's) seized the opportunity and made boxing history to win the WBA/IBF/WBO/IBO championships.", "Anthony Joshua has suffered a shock defeat in his heavyweight bout against unfancied Mexican fighter Andy Ruiz Jr in New York.\n\nThe Briton, 29, has lost all three of his IBF, WBA and WBO heavyweight titles after being stopped in the seventh round in front of a disbelieving crowd at Madison Square Garden.\n\nHe had spent much of rounds four to six recovering from what was possibly the most damaging round of his career in the third, during which he was knocked down twice.\n\nRuiz sent him to the deck two more times in the seventh round, and – despite returning to his feet – referee Mike Griffin stepped in to bring the clash to an end.\n\nIt was the first time Joshua had tasted defeat, leaving his underdog opponent to become the first ever Mexican-American heavyweight world champion. Sky Sports News", "Andy Ruiz flattened Anthony Joshua twice in the seventh round and capped one of boxing's biggest upsets to win his share of the heavyweight championship on Saturday night at Madison Square Garden.\n\nNEW YORK — Andy Ruiz had six weeks to prepare for the fight of his life.\n\nHe'll have a lifetime to celebrate one of boxing's biggest stunners in heavyweight history.\n\nRuiz flattened Anthony Joshua twice in the seventh round and capped one of boxing's biggest upsets to win his share of the heavyweight championship Saturday night at Madison Square Garden.\n\nRuiz won it at 1:27 by TKO in the seventh round to become the surprise champ in a bout that had shades of Buster Douglas' upset over Mike Tyson in 1990. Ruiz barely was on anyone's heavyweight radar when he was summoned as a replacement to fight champion Joshua in front of a packed Garden.\n\nAll he did was dominate the British champion.\n\nThe 270-pound Ruiz knocked down Joshua twice in the third round and did it two more times in the seventh before referee Mike Griffin ended the fight.\n\nHe's stepped in after fighting on April 20, when he stopped Alexander Dimitrenko. Jarrell Miller's failed drug tests sent the challenger to the sideline.\n\nRuiz (33-1, 21 KOs) seized the opportunity and made boxing history to win the WBA/IBF/WBO/IBO championships.\n\nRuiz, the first heavyweight of Mexican descent to win a heavyweight title, raised his arms in celebration and jumped around the ring as his corner quickly mobbed him and a wild celebration kicked off.\n\nWhen ring announcer Michael Buffer announced the name of the judges \"should this fight go the distance,\" fans laughed at the ridiculous possibility as Ruiz was nearly a 30-1 underdog.\n\nJoshua and Ruiz were both knocked down in an electrifying third round that had the sellout crowd of 20,201 howling with each heavy hit. Joshua knocked down Ruiz early in the round and the promise of an early finish seemed horizon.\n\nRuiz, his trunks a bit too low for his portly frame, came right back and used an overhand right that stunned the champ and sent him to the canvas. Joshua recovered only to get pummeled in the corner and loose his legs. Ruiz knocked him down again in the final ticks of the round as fans in a stunned Garden crowd screamed \"Oh my God!\" Again, Joshua beat the count but the bell saved the Brit from a going a second longer in his weakened state. Had it not been a championship fight, perhaps Griffin would have stopped the bout.\n\nAlas, for Joshua, it went on.\n\nRuiz, whose father, a native of Mexico, got him into the gym when he was 6 and had his son in bouts a year later, stunned the boxing world. Johsua was the fan favorite and had all the hype for his first fight in the United States.\n\nNBA star Kyrie Irving and rapper Meek Mill were among the celebrities in the house expecting Joshua to roll to a win and set up more ambitious, lucrative bouts against the likes of Tyson Fury, Deontay Wilder and a few other potential opponents.\n\nWilder, owner of the WBC crown, decided to give Luis Ortiz a rematch. Ortiz battered Wilder for parts of their fight in early 2018 before running out of gas and getting knocked out.\n\nWilder tried to steal the headlines this week when he announced his rematch with Fury was set for 2020. Wilder and Fury fought to a split draw in December in Los Angeles, with Wilder retaining his WBC heavyweight title after knocking down his British challenger twice.\n\nJoshua instead heads toward a likely rematch against Ruiz later this year."], "summary": "Andy Ruiz Jr. defeats Anthony Joshua by knockout in the seventh round to become IBF, WBA and WBO heavyweight champion of the world in what has been described as one of the biggest upsets in heavyweight boxing history."}
{"document": ["At least 13 people were killed on Sunday after a car bomb detonated in the town of Azaz in Syria, AP reported. One report said the toll was 17.\n\nThe Syrian Observatory for Human Rights in Britain said the blast occurred when people were leaving a mosque in Azaz after the iftar meal that breaks a day-long fast during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The observatory said 14 people, including four children, were killed in the blast.\n\nThe Azaz Media Center, a local activist collective, reported 13 deaths and several others wounded.\n\nAzaz, which is now held by Turkey-backed fighters, was once controlled by Kurdish fighters opposed to Turkey.\n\nThe blast in Azaz comes a day after 10 people were killed in a suicide car bomb attack in Raqqa, a former stronghold of the Islamic State group in north Syria. The explosion killed five civilians and five soldiers of the Syrian Democratic Forces, a Kurdish-Arab alliance backed by the United States that wrested the city from the Islamic State in October 2017, AFP had reported.", "A suicide car bomb in a northwestern Syrian city held by Turkey-backed armed groups killed at least 14 people on Sunday, a war monitor said.\n\nFour children were among those killed in the explosion in Azaz, a city at the heart of a Turkish zone of influence in northern Aleppo province, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.\n\nThe attack also wounded more than 20 people, according to the Britain-based monitor.\n\n“Many people were leaving evening prayers when the explosion happened,” Observatory head Rami Abdul Rahman told AFP.\n\nIt was not clear who was behind the attack.\n\nThe bombing comes one day after a similar explosion killed 10 people and wounded 20 in the northeastern city of Raqqa.\n\nTurkey launched Operation Euphrates Shield in 2016 and seized more than 2,000 square km in northern Syria including Azaz, clearing the area of ISIS fighters, while preventing any Kurdish advance in the region.\n\nAnkara keeps Turkish troops and intelligence forces in the area, and still backs the local police forces.", "At least 13 people were killed on Sunday after a car bomb detonated in the town of Azaz in Syria, AP reported. One report said the toll was 17.\n\nThe Syrian Observatory for Human Rights in Britain said the blast occurred when people were leaving a mosque in Azaz after the iftar meal that breaks a day-long fast during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The observatory said 14 people, including four children, were killed in the blast.\n\nThe Azaz Media Center, a local activist collective, reported 13 deaths and several others wounded.\n\nAzaz, which is now held by Turkey-backed fighters, was once controlled by Kurdish fighters opposed to Turkey.\n\nThe blast in Azaz comes a day after 10 people were killed in a suicide car bomb attack in Raqqa, a former stronghold of the Islamic State group in north Syria. The explosion killed five civilians and five soldiers of the Syrian Democratic Forces, a Kurdish-Arab alliance backed by the United States that wrested the city from the Islamic State in October 2017, AFP had reported.", "Two explosions in Syria's northern city of Raqqa on Saturday claimed the lives of 10 people, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said. Twenty people were wounded in the attacks, which occurred in two different locations in the city, it added.\n\nRaqqa once served as the de facto capital of the \"Islamic State\" (IS) terror group. The blasts occurred after iftar, the meal after sunset that breaks daylong fasting during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.\n\nRead more: Iraqis wonder what will follow 'Islamic State' in Mosul\n\nSOHR said the first blast was a roadside bomb in the city center. The second one was carried out by a suicide attacker driving a vehicle at a checkpoint of US-backed fighters in the central Naim Square, killing five fighters and five civilians.\n\nWatch video 03:56 Share Are Syria sanctions working? Send Facebook google+ Whatsapp Tumblr linkedin stumble Digg reddit Newsvine Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/3JVKJ Who has been most hurt by sanctions against Syria?\n\n\"The car bomb attack was targeting an SDF position,\" SOHR Director Rami Abdel Rahmane told AFP, referring to the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a Kurdish-Arab alliance backed by Washington which took control of the city from IS in October 2017.\n\nNo one has so far claimed responsibility for the blasts. Similar suicide attacks have been carried out in the past by IS members.\n\nIS jihadis seized large swathes of Iraq and Syria in 2014, declaring a \"caliphate\" in areas it controlled.\n\nSeveral offensives with US-led coalition backing chipped away at the \"caliphate\" until it was declared eliminated on March 23. Blasts and hit-and-run attacks have continued in both countries, with IS jihadists still scattered in the region.\n\nDeadly trail of 'Islamic State' in Raqqa Field of the unknown dead The deadly trail of the Islamic Caliphate has left behind several mass graves in Raqqa. So far only 750 out of 4,360 bodies have been identified. Thousands of dead men, women, children — IS soldiers as well as their victims — are unlikely ever to be identified.\n\nDeadly trail of 'Islamic State' in Raqqa Digging in the dirt By 10 a.m., a team of 12-15 workers have already brought the first bodies up from the ground. On site the Rapid Response Unit led by Doctor Assad Mohammad examines the bodies for injuries, clothes, personal belongings or specific marks and gender in an attempt to identify them.\n\nDeadly trail of 'Islamic State' in Raqqa A heavy lift Men from the team lift what they team believe to be the remains of an IS fighter of African origin. He was buried in a proper grave but the corpse was so big that it was impossible to close the tarpaulin body bag. Severe burns on the man’s bag suggest he was killed in an airstrike.\n\nDeadly trail of 'Islamic State' in Raqqa Baby graves Half a meter into the ground the workers find two identical holes serving as a last resting spot for either unborn children or the infants of IS wives. Several of the graves reveal nothing but a tiny pile of bones neatly wrapped in white cloth. As some of the infants never even got a name, they most likely will never be identified.\n\nDeadly trail of 'Islamic State' in Raqqa Helping to bring Raqqa back from the dead It’s a macabre job, but for 30-year-old Hamdu el-Hamid, here on his knees excavating an infant, and his colleagues, the hours spent digging for piles of bones or decaying bodies have not become just another daily routine. They also believe their work is a means to bring Raqqa back to life and regain a form of normality.\n\nDeadly trail of 'Islamic State' in Raqqa Unborn IS generation Several of the graves and tombs hold tiny remains of infants or fetuses from miscarriages from what are believed to be IS women. In the northern part of the area some graves contain between 10-15 bodies, including civilians killed in airstrikes or executed by IS forces.\n\nDeadly trail of 'Islamic State' in Raqqa A last resting place To date al-Fukheikha is the largest mass grave revealed in Raqqa. Not in size but in numbers, with an estimated 3,000 bodies. It's expected it will take the Rapid Response Unit 6-7 months to finish their job. Thirteen mass graves have been discovered in Raqqa, and since January 2018 more than 4,360 bodies have been exhumed.\n\nDeadly trail of 'Islamic State' in Raqqa Raqqa’s open wound On the surface, the al-Fukheikha suburb is quiet and peaceful. But each grave is another wound opened; The southern part of the field of primarily holds individual graves with an estimated 900 bodies whereas the northern part — consisting of mass graves — is estimated to contain more than 1,600 bodies.\n\nDeadly trail of 'Islamic State' in Raqqa A heavy burden \"I would need a calculator to figure out the number of bodies I have helped to exhume, examine and document,\" Doctor Assad Mohammed told DW. He's been working as a forensic expert at several of the mass graves in Raqqa.\n\nDeadly trail of 'Islamic State' in Raqqa Changing history More than 80 bodies were exhumed within the first three weeks of discovering the tombs and graves of al-Fukheikha. Now the numbers have exceeded 550. \"This used to be a land for farmers. Not a cemetery. Not a training camp or burial site for IS. Our job is to change this place back to being agricultural land. This is not a graveyard,\" says Assad Mohammed.\n\nDeadly trail of 'Islamic State' in Raqqa Praying for the dead The physical and mental toils mean the men regularly need breaks to smoke, drink tea or most importantly to hold midday prayers in an effort to forget the brutal working conditions — at least for a few minutes. Author: Thea Pedersen (Raqqa)\n\n\n\nsri/amp (AFP, AP)\n\nEvery evening, DW sends out a selection of the day's news and features. Sign up here.", "At least 13 people were killed on Sunday after a car bomb detonated in the town of Azaz in Syria, AP reported. One report said the toll was 17.\n\nThe Syrian Observatory for Human Rights in Britain said the blast occurred when people were leaving a mosque in Azaz after the iftar meal that breaks a day-long fast during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The observatory said 14 people, including four children, were killed in the blast.\n\nThe Azaz Media Center, a local activist collective, reported 13 deaths and several others wounded.\n\nAzaz, which is now held by Turkey-backed fighters, was once controlled by Kurdish fighters opposed to Turkey.\n\nThe blast in Azaz comes a day after 10 people were killed in a suicide car bomb attack in Raqqa, a former stronghold of the Islamic State group in north Syria. The explosion killed five civilians and five soldiers of the Syrian Democratic Forces, a Kurdish-Arab alliance backed by the United States that wrested the city from the Islamic State in October 2017, AFP had reported.", "At least 14 people were killed when a car bomb exploded Sunday evening in the northwestern Syrian city of Azaz, near the Turkish border, a war monitor said.\n\nFour children were among those killed in the explosion near a mosque in Azaz, a city in northern Aleppo province, said Rami Abdul Rahman, head of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.\n\nThe attack also wounded more than 20 people, according to the Britain-based monitor.\n\n\"Many people were leaving evening prayers when the explosion happened,\" Observatory head Rami Abdul Rahman told AFP.\n\nThe Azaz Media Center, a local activist collective, said the blast killed at least 13 people and wounded many others.\n\nThe blast occurred after the iftar meal that breaks a daylong fast during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.\n\nIt was not clear who was behind the attack.\n\nResident Abu Youssef said the explosion struck near the entrance of a market in the center of the city.\n\n\"The damage is severe: at least six stores were burned, the storefronts of dozens of other stores were blown out,\" he told AFP.\n\nThe bombing comes one day after a similar explosion killed 10 people and wounded 20 in the northeastern city of Raqqa.\n\nAzaz was one of the towns liberated from terrorists by Turkish Armed Forces in Operation Euphrates Shield in 2016.\n\nIn the last two years, Turkey's Euphrates Shield and Olive Branch operations liberated the northern Syrian region from the PKK-affiliated People's Protection Units (YPG) and Daesh terrorists, allowing hundreds of thousands of displaced civilians to return to their homes.\n\nHowever, a number of liberated cities -- including Al-Bab, Jarablus, Azaz and Afrin -- remain subject to sporadic terrorist attacks from the nearby city of Tel Rifaat, which the YPG has occupied for over three years.", "Raqqa [Syria], Jun 2 (ANI): At least 10 people were killed and 20 others sustained injuries after an explosion-laden car detonated in Syria's northern city of Raqqa on Saturday.\n\nThe incident occurred at a command centre of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).\n\nThe blast claimed lives of five SDF commanders, reports Xinhua.\n\nThe incident was preceded by an explosion in a landmine located in Basel Street in the central part of the city.\n\nFurther details into both the developments are awaited.\n\nRaqqa used to be a stronghold of Islamic State (IS) until 2017. According to a report by Sputnik, the city fell into the hands of the Syrian opposition forces in 2013 and was then captured by the IS group, that proclaimed the city as its de facto capital.\n\nIn 2016, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) backed by the US-led coalition launched a campaign to win the city back from the terrorists.\n\nThe operation culminated in the 2017 Battle of Raqqa, which eventually allowed the SDF to gain control over the city.\n\nA recent 18-month long investigation conducted by Amnesty International, in partnership with Airwars, revealed that more than 1600 civilians lost their lives as a direct result of air strikes and artillery strikes under the operation. (ANI)", "Alwaght- At least 10 people were killed and 20 others wounded in Syria's Raqqa after ISIS terrorist group launched two car bombings in the northern city.\n\nThe so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a London-based group reporting on anti-government operations in Syria, said late on Saturday that half of those killed in the city of Raqqa were members of the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) who were caught in a major car bombing at the city’s al-Naim square.\n\nIt said several people had been wounded in a separate car bombing in another part of Raqqa where ISIS has been launching recurrent attacks over the past months.\n\nRaqqa, the former de facto capital of ISIS in Syria, has been controlled by SDF forces since October 2017.\n\nThe SDF, which also includes many Arab militants on its ranks, has been backed by the United States in an alleged mission to purge ISIS and other militant groups from areas in north and northeastern Syria.\n\nThe group is also busy fighting Turkish military and its associated militants as Ankara sees Kurdish militants in Syria as an extension of militancy inside its own territories.\n\nISIS has been almost purged from entire territories it used to control in Syria and neighboring Iraq. However, sporadic attacks by the group are still reported in the two countries.\n\nThe terrorist group launched a double car bombing in April in Raqqa, killing a total of 13 people.\n\nSyria, gripped by a militant war since 2011 that has left hundreds of thousands killed, has managed to take back control of many territories from ISIS and other terrorist groups. The devastating war has also displaced millions of people inside the Arab country and into other places.", "Syrian opposition activists are reporting that two explosions killed 10 people in the northern city of Raqqa.\n\nThe Saturday night blasts occurred in two different locations in the city that was once the de facto capital of the Islamic State group.\n\nThe Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the first blast was a roadside bomb in the city center. It said the second blast was carried out by a suicide attacker driving a vehicle at a checkpoint of U.S.-backed fighters in the central Naim Square, killing five fighters and five civilians.\n\nThe Sound and Pictures activist collective that covers IS atrocities said 10 people were killed in Naim square.\n\nBlasts have occurred since U.S.-baked fighters of the Syrian Democratic Forces captured Raqqa in October 2017.", "Ten people were killed and 20 wounded Saturday in a suicide car bomb attack in Ragqa, a former stronghold of the Islamic State group in north Syria, a rights watchdog said.\n\nThe explosion killed five civilians and five soldiers of the Syrian Democratic Forces, a Kurdish-Arab alliance backed by Washington that wrested the city from IS in October 2017, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.\n\nThe attack, for which no one immediately claimed responsibility, was preceded by a bomb explosion that left several people wounded in another part of the city frequently targeted by IS, the observatory said.\n\n\"The car bomb attack was targeting an SDF position,\" observatory director Rami Abdel Rahmane told AFP. The explosion took place at the al-Naim square where IS had carried out beheadings when it was in control of the city.\n\nOn April 9, a double bombing claimed by IS killed 13 people, mostly civilians, in the jihadist group's former bastion.\n\nIS jihadists seized large swaths of Iraq and Syria in 2014, declaring a \"caliphate\" in areas it controlled.\n\nSeveral offensives with U.S.-led coalition backing chipped away at the \"caliphate\" until it was declared eliminated on March 23.\n\nAmbushes and hit-and-run attacks have continued in both countries, with IS jihadists still scattered in the Syrian desert."], "summary": "A suicide car bomber kills five soldiers of the Syrian Democratic Forces and five civilians at a checkpoint in central Raqqa, Syria. This and a nearby roadside bomb wound 20 people."}
{"document": ["BEIRUT (AP) — Israel attacked Syrian military positions in the country's south early Sunday, killing three soldiers and wounding seven others, Syria's state-run media reported.\n\nState news agency SANA quoted an unnamed military official as saying the attacks struck military positions in the southern region of Quneitra, near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. They also caused material damage, it said.\n\nAn Israeli military spokesman confirmed on Twitter that Israel targeted several military positions in Syria. He said the targets included two artillery batteries, several observation and intelligence posts and an SA2 air defense unit.\n\nThe Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition's war monitor, said Israeli warplanes struck positions and an arms depot of Iranian troops and Lebanon's Hezbollah fighters.\n\nThe attacks came hours after the Israeli military said two projectiles were fired from Syria toward the Golan Heights.\n\nThe Israeli military said Saturday there were no reports of casualties or damage. Israeli media said that sirens warning of incoming rockets were not activated.\n\nIsrael has acknowledged carrying out dozens of airstrikes in Syria on Iranian targets and Tehran's allies.\n\nLast week, Israeli aircraft hit a Syrian military post after the army said an anti-aircraft missile was fired at one of its fighter jets. Syrian media said a soldier was killed in that airstrike.\n\nIsrael says it will not allow Iran, which has sent forces to help President Bashar Assad in Syria's civil war, to establish a permanent military presence in Syria.\n\nFor years, Israel has remained largely silent about its attacks against Iran and its Shiite proxies operating in neighboring Syria. But in recent months, military and political leaders have become increasingly outspoken about these activities.", "BEIRUT (AP) — Israel attacked Syrian military positions in the country's south early Sunday, killing three soldiers and wounding seven others, Syria's state-run media reported.\n\nState news agency SANA quoted an unnamed military official as saying the attacks struck military positions in the southern region of Quneitra, near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. They also caused material damage, it said.\n\nAn Israeli military spokesman confirmed on Twitter that Israel targeted several military positions in Syria. He said the targets included two artillery batteries, several observation and intelligence posts and an SA2 air defense unit.\n\nThe Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition's war monitor, said Israeli warplanes struck positions and an arms depot of Iranian troops and Lebanon's Hezbollah fighters.\n\nThe attacks came hours after the Israeli military said two projectiles were fired from Syria toward the Golan Heights.\n\nThe Israeli military said Saturday there were no reports of casualties or damage. Israeli media said that sirens warning of incoming rockets were not activated.\n\nIsrael has acknowledged carrying out dozens of airstrikes in Syria on Iranian targets and Tehran's allies.\n\nLast week, Israeli aircraft hit a Syrian military post after the army said an anti-aircraft missile was fired at one of its fighter jets. Syrian media said a soldier was killed in that airstrike.\n\nIsrael says it will not allow Iran, which has sent forces to help President Bashar Assad in Syria's civil war, to establish a permanent military presence in Syria.\n\nFor years, Israel has remained largely silent about its attacks against Iran and its Shiite proxies operating in neighboring Syria. But in recent months, military and political leaders have become increasingly outspoken about these activities.\n\nCopyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.", "BEIRUT — Israel attacked Syrian military positions in the country’s south early Sunday, killing three soldiers and wounding seven others, Syria’s state-run media reported.\n\nState news agency SANA quoted an unnamed military official as saying the attacks struck military positions in the southern region of Quneitra, near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. They also caused material damage, it said.\n\nAn Israeli military spokesman confirmed on Twitter that Israel targeted several military positions in Syria. He said the targets included two artillery batteries, several observation and intelligence posts and an SA2 air defense unit.\n\nThe Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition’s war monitor, said Israeli warplanes struck positions and an arms depot of Iranian troops and Lebanon’s Hezbollah fighters.\n\nThe attacks came hours after the Israeli military said two projectiles were fired from Syria toward the Golan Heights.\n\nThe Israeli military said Saturday there were no reports of casualties or damage. Israeli media said that sirens warning of incoming rockets were not activated.\n\nIsrael has acknowledged carrying out dozens of airstrikes in Syria on Iranian targets and Tehran’s allies.\n\nLast week, Israeli aircraft hit a Syrian military post after the army said an anti-aircraft missile was fired at one of its fighter jets. Syrian media said a soldier was killed in that airstrike.\n\nIsrael says it will not allow Iran, which has sent forces to help President Bashar Assad in Syria’s civil war, to establish a permanent military presence in Syria.\n\nFor years, Israel has remained largely silent about its attacks against Iran and its Shiite proxies operating in neighboring Syria. But in recent months, military and political leaders have become increasingly outspoken about these activities.\n\nCopyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.", "This article is more than 3 months old\n\nThis article is more than 3 months old\n\nIsrael has carried out airstrikes in Syria in response to rare rocket fire from the neighbouring country. A war monitor reported that 10 people were killed, including Syrian soldiers and foreign fighters.\n\nIsrael’s army said two rockets were fired from Syria at Mount Hermon, in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, late on Saturday and one was “located within Israeli territory”.\n\nIn response, the army attacked two Syrian artillery batteries, a number of observation and intelligence posts on the Golan Heights and an SA-2 aerial defence battery, it said.\n\nThe Israeli attack left three Syrian soldiers and seven foreign fighters dead, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.\n\nAccording to the UK-based monitor, they died in missile strikes close the capital, Damascus, where Syrian troops, Iranian forces and Hezbollah fighters are stationed. The observatory did not specify the nationality of the foreign fighters killed.\n\nSyria’s official news agency Sana quoted a military source as saying anti-aircraft defences fired against “enemy missiles” from Israel targeting positions in south-west Damascus.\n\nThe Israeli army said its own aerial defence systems were activated due to the Syrian anti-aircraft fire, but none of the Syrian fire hit Israel.\n\nIsrael plans to name settlement on occupied land after Trump Read more\n\nThe Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said he had ordered the strike. “We won’t tolerate fire at our territory and will respond forcefully to any aggression against us,” he said.\n\nIsrael has carried out hundreds of airstrikes in Syria, most of them against what it says are Iranian and Hezbollah targets. Israel says it is determined to prevent its arch-foe Iran from entrenching itself militarily in Syria, where Tehran backs President Bashar al-Assad in the country’s eight-year war, which has killed more than 370,000 people.\n\nIsrael insists it has the right to continue to target positions in Syria held by Iran and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah out of self-defence.\n\nOn 27 May, Syria said Israel carried out a missile attack in Quneitra. The Israeli army said it was retaliation for anti-aircraft fire targeting one of its fighter jets.\n\nSyrian air defence batteries intercepted projectiles from Israel and downed a number of them on 17 May, according to Sana.\n\nThe Syrian province of Quneitra includes the Golan Heights, most of which is occupied and annexed by Israel.\n\nIn January, Israel hit Iranian positions in Syria in response to missile fire. According to the observatory, 21 people, mainly Iranians, were killed in those raids.\n\nThe latest reported strike comes at a time of rising tensions between Iran and the US. The standoff has been simmering since the US withdrew from the 2015 nuclear treaty between Iran and world powers. In recent weeks the US has accused Iran of alleged threats and deployed an aircraft carrier group and B-52 bombers to the Gulf.", "BEIRUT (AP) — Israel attacked Syrian military positions in the country’s south early Sunday, killing three soldiers and wounding seven others, Syria’s state-run media reported.\n\nState news agency SANA quoted an unnamed military official as saying the attacks struck military positions in the southern region of Quneitra, near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. They also caused material damage, it said.\n\nAn Israeli military spokesman confirmed on Twitter that Israel targeted several military positions in Syria. He said the targets included two artillery batteries, several observation and intelligence posts and an SA2 air defense unit.\n\nThe Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition’s war monitor, said Israeli warplanes struck positions and an arms depot of Iranian troops and Lebanon’s Hezbollah fighters.\n\nThe attacks came hours after the Israeli military said two projectiles were fired from Syria toward the Golan Heights.\n\nThe Israeli military said Saturday there were no reports of casualties or damage. Israeli media said that sirens warning of incoming rockets were not activated.\n\nIsrael has acknowledged carrying out dozens of airstrikes in Syria on Iranian targets and Tehran’s allies.\n\nLast week, Israeli aircraft hit a Syrian military post after the army said an anti-aircraft missile was fired at one of its fighter jets. Syrian media said a soldier was killed in that airstrike.\n\nIsrael says it will not allow Iran, which has sent forces to help President Bashar Assad in Syria’s civil war, to establish a permanent military presence in Syria.\n\nFor years, Israel has remained largely silent about its attacks against Iran and its Shiite proxies operating in neighboring Syria. But in recent months, military and political leaders have become increasingly outspoken about these activities.", "BEIRUT (AP) — Israel attacked Syrian military positions in the country’s south early Sunday, killing three soldiers and wounding seven others, Syria’s state-run media reported.\n\nState news agency SANA quoted an unnamed military official as saying the attacks struck military positions in the southern region of Quneitra, near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. They also caused material damage, it said.\n\nAn Israeli military spokesman confirmed on Twitter that Israel targeted several military positions in Syria. He said the targets included two artillery batteries, several observation and intelligence posts and an SA2 air defense unit.\n\nThe Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition’s war monitor, said Israeli warplanes struck positions and an arms depot of Iranian troops and Lebanon’s Hezbollah fighters.\n\nThe attacks came hours after the Israeli military said two projectiles were fired from Syria toward the Golan Heights.\n\nThe Israeli military said Saturday there were no reports of casualties or damage. Israeli media said that sirens warning of incoming rockets were not activated.\n\nIsrael has acknowledged carrying out dozens of airstrikes in Syria on Iranian targets and Tehran’s allies.\n\nLast week, Israeli aircraft hit a Syrian military post after the army said an anti-aircraft missile was fired at one of its fighter jets. Syrian media said a soldier was killed in that airstrike.\n\nIsrael says it will not allow Iran, which has sent forces to help President Bashar Assad in Syria’s civil war, to establish a permanent military presence in Syria.\n\nFor years, Israel has remained largely silent about its attacks against Iran and its Shiite proxies operating in neighboring Syria. But in recent months, military and political leaders have become increasingly outspoken about these activities.", "- Israel attacked Syrian military positions in the country's south early Sunday, killing three soldiers and wounding seven others, Syria's state-run media reported.\n\nIsrael's military confirmed it targeted several military positions in Syria, including two artillery batteries, several observation and intelligence posts and an SA2 air defense unit. It said it was responding to two rockets launched from Syria late Saturday, which caused no casualties. The army says one rocket fell within Israeli-controlled territory but didn't explode.\n\nThe Syrian state news agency SANA, quoting an unnamed military official, said the attacks struck military positions in the southern region of Quneitra, near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. They also caused material damage, it said.\n\nThis is the latest such exchange amid heightened tension in the region over Iran's role in Syria and other parts of the Middle East.\n\nSoon after the attack, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he'd ordered the strikes. \"We will not tolerate firing into our territory and will respond fiercely against any aggression against us,\" he said in a statement.\n\nIt was a rare public acknowledgement of Israeli strikes in Syria soon after they happened but is the second in a little over a week, both sparked by claims that fire was directed at Israel from inside Syria. On May 26, Israel said its aircraft had hit a Syrian military post in response to anti-aircraft fire against one of its combat planes. One Syrian soldier was killed, according to state-run media.\n\nThe Israeli military said that during Sunday's strikes, an Israeli aerial defense system was activated due to Syrian anti-aircraft shooting. Israeli media said that sirens warning of incoming rockets were not activated.\n\nThe Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said Israeli aircraft struck positions and an arms depot belonging to Iranian troops and Lebanon's Hezbollah fighters.\n\nThe attacks came hours after the Israeli military said two projectiles were fired from Syria toward the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, which Israel annexed in a move that has not been recognized by most of the international community. The U.S. recently said it recognizes Israeli sovereignty over the Golan.\n\nIsrael has acknowledged carrying out dozens of airstrikes in Syria against Iranian targets and Tehran's allies over recent months.\n\nFor years, Israel has remained largely silent about its attacks against Iran and its Shiite proxies operating in neighboring Syria. But in recent months, military and political leaders have become increasingly outspoken about these activities. Israel says it will not allow Iran, which has sent forces to help President Bashar Assad in Syria's civil war, to establish a permanent military presence in Syria.\n\nCopyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.", "Israel attacked Syrian military positions in the country’s south early Sunday, killing three soldiers and wounding seven others, Syria’s state-run media reported.\n\nState news agency SANA quoted an unnamed military official as saying the attacks struck military positions in the southern region of Quneitra, near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. They also caused material damage, it said.\n\nAn Israeli military spokesman confirmed on Twitter that Israel targeted several military positions in Syria. He said the targets included two artillery batteries, several observation and intelligence posts and an SA2 air defense unit.\n\nThe Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition’s war monitor, said Israeli warplanes struck positions and an arms depot of Iranian troops and Lebanon’s Hezbollah fighters.\n\nThe attacks came hours after the Israeli military said two projectiles were fired from Syria toward the Golan Heights.\n\nThe Israeli military said Saturday there were no reports of casualties or damage. Israeli media said that sirens warning of incoming rockets were not activated.\n\nIsrael has acknowledged carrying out dozens of airstrikes in Syria on Iranian targets and Tehran’s allies.\n\nLast week, Israeli aircraft hit a Syrian military post after the army said an anti-aircraft missile was fired at one of its fighter jets. Syrian media said a soldier was killed in that airstrike.\n\nIsrael says it will not allow Iran, which has sent forces to help President Bashar Assad in Syria’s civil war, to establish a permanent military presence in Syria.\n\nFor years, Israel has remained largely silent about its attacks against Iran and its Shiite proxies operating in neighboring Syria. But in recent months, military and political leaders have become increasingly outspoken about these activities. @PTI", "BEIRUT (AP) — Israel attacked Syrian military positions in the country's south early Sunday, killing three soldiers and wounding seven others, Syria's state-run media reported.\n\nState news agency SANA quoted an unnamed military official as saying the attacks struck military positions in the southern region of Quneitra, near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. They also caused material damage, it said.\n\nAn Israeli military spokesman confirmed on Twitter that Israel targeted several military positions in Syria. He said the targets included two artillery batteries, several observation and intelligence posts and an SA2 air defense unit.\n\nThe Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition's war monitor, said Israeli warplanes struck positions and an arms depot of Iranian troops and Lebanon's Hezbollah fighters.\n\nThe attacks came hours after the Israeli military said two projectiles were fired from Syria toward the Golan Heights.\n\nThe Israeli military said Saturday there were no reports of casualties or damage. Israeli media said that sirens warning of incoming rockets were not activated.\n\nIsrael has acknowledged carrying out dozens of airstrikes in Syria on Iranian targets and Tehran's allies.\n\nLast week, Israeli aircraft hit a Syrian military post after the army said an anti-aircraft missile was fired at one of its fighter jets. Syrian media said a soldier was killed in that airstrike.\n\nIsrael says it will not allow Iran, which has sent forces to help President Bashar Assad in Syria's civil war, to establish a permanent military presence in Syria.\n\nFor years, Israel has remained largely silent about its attacks against Iran and its Shiite proxies operating in neighboring Syria. But in recent months, military and political leaders have become increasingly outspoken about these activities.", "JERUSALEM — The Israeli military said its aircraft struck Syrian army targets on Sunday after rockets were fired at the Golan Heights, and Syria's state media said three soldiers were killed in the second such flare-up in a week.\n\nSyrian television reported big explosions near Damascus before dawn and said air defenses had \"confronted the enemy.\"\n\nThe Israeli military said it struck Syrian artillery and aerial defense batteries in retaliation for Saturday's firing of two rockets at the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.\n\nAn Israeli military spokeswoman said it was still unclear who had fired the rockets, but the Syrian army was held responsible for any attack launched from Syrian territory.\n\n\"We will not tolerate any firing into our territory and we will respond with great force to any aggression against us,\" Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement.\n\nOn Monday, Israel’s military said it attacked a Syrian anti-aircraft position that had fired on one of its warplanes, and Syrian state media said a soldier had been killed in the incident.\n\nIn recent years, Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes in Syria against its regional arch foe Iran and the Lebanese Hezbollah group, which it calls the biggest threat to its borders.\n\nIran and Hezbollah are fighting on the side of President Bashar al-Assad in the Syrian war, and Israel says they are trying to turn Syria into a new front against Israelis.\n\nSyria lost the Golan Heights to Israel in the 1967 Middle East war. Israel later annexed the captured territory in a move unrecognized by most of the international community, except for the United States. President Donald Trump announced U.S.-recognition for Israeli sovereignty over the Golan in March.\n\nThe White House said on Wednesday that national security adviser John Bolton and his Israeli and Russian counterparts will meet in Jerusalem this month to discuss regional security issues. Russia intervened militarily in the Syrian war on Assad’s behalf in 2015, turning the tide of the war."], "summary": "Israel kills ten people in airstrikes conducted against Syrian military targets in the Golan Heights in response to two rockets fired at Mount Hermon late Saturday."}
{"document": ["A car bomb in Syria's rebel-held northwest killed at least seven people on Sunday, a war monitor said.\n\nThe explosion in Azaz, a city at the heart of a Turkish zone of influence in northern province, also wounded more than 20 people, said Rahman, of the Britain-based for Human Rights.", "A car bomb blast in Syria's pro-Turkish rebel-held city of Azaz killed at least 14 people Sunday and wounded more than 20, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says.\n\nWitnesses tell the monitor the bomb went off as people were leaving a mosque after evening prayers and meal breaking the daily Ramadan fast.\n\nNo one has claimed responsibility for the blast, which also burned or blew out the windows of more than a dozen nearby stores.\n\nThe area has been the target of several other recent terrorist bombings.\n\nAzaz is the main city in the part of Aleppo controlled by pro-Turkish rebels, who drove out Islamic State militants while keeping Kurdish forces out of the area as well.\n\nRebels still control Idlib province and part of Aleppo as they cling to slim hopes of toppling President Bashar al-Assad.", "Beirut: A suicide car bomb in a northwestern Syrian city held by Turkey-backed rebels killed at least 14 people on Sunday, a war monitor said.\n\nFour children were among those killed in the explosion in Azaz, a city at the heart of a Turkish zone of influence in northern Aleppo province, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.\n\nThe attack also wounded more than 20 people, according to the Britain-based monitor.\n\n“Many people were leaving evening prayers when the explosion happened,” Observatory head Rami Abdul Rahman said.\n\nIt was not clear who was behind the attack.\n\nThe bombing comes one day after a similar explosion killed 10 people and wounded 20 in the northeastern city of Raqa.\n\nTurkey launched Operation Euphrates Shield in 2016 and seized more than 2,000 square kilometres in northern Syria including Azaz, clearing the area of the Islamic State jihadists, while preventing any Kurdish advance in the region.\n\nAnkara keeps Turkish troops and intelligence forces in the area, and still backs the local police forces.", "Beirut: At least 17 people were killed Sunday in a car bomb near a bustling market and mosque in a rebel-held city in northwestern Syria, a war monitor said.\n\nFour children were among those killed in the explosion in Azaz, at the heart of a Turkish zone of influence in Aleppo province, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.\n\nThe attack also wounded more than 20 people, according to the Britain-based monitor.\n\n “Many people were leaving evening prayers when the explosion happened,” Observatory head Rami Abdul Rahman told AFP.\n\nIn a nearby market, shoppers purchasing clothes and gifts ahead of the upcoming Eid al-Fitr holiday, which marks the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, were also among the victims, said Jihad Berro, a coroner at a local hospital.\n\nHe said the medical facility was crammed with victims and their relatives.\n\n“The emergency rooms were full, we placed corpses on the floor,” he said.\n\n“It is a real catastrophe before the Eid al-Fitr holiday.” Resident Abu Youssef said the explosion torched the neighbourhood.\n\n“The damage is severe: at least six stores were burned, the storefronts of dozens of other stores were blown out,” he told AFP.\n\nIt was not clear who was behind the attack.\n\nThe bombing comes one day after a similar explosion killed 10 people and wounded 20 in the northeastern city of Raqa.\n\nTurkey launched Operation Euphrates Shield in 2016 and seized more than 2,000 square kilometres in northern Syria including Azaz, clearing the area of Islamic State jihadists, while preventing any Kurdish advance in the region.\n\nAnkara keeps Turkish troops and intelligence forces in the area, and still backs the local police forces.", "A car bomb rocked the Syrian town of Azaz on Sunday night, killing at least 14 people and injuring dozens, said the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).\n\nFour children were also among those killed in the explosion, which took place near a mosque. \"Many people were leaving evening prayers when the explosion happened,\" SOHR head Rami Abdul Rahman told the AFP news agency.\n\nRead more: Hunting Bashar Assad's henchmen in Syria\n\nThe blast occurred after the \"iftar\" meal that breaks a daylong fast during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The attack came a few days before Muslims celebrate the end of the holy month with Eid el-Fitr, one of Islam's most important feasts.\n\nIt was not clear who was behind the attack. Azaz has been hit by similar attacks in the past. The town is held by Turkish-backed Syrian rebels, who control a strip of territory along the frontier between the countries.\n\nAzaz adjoins the enclave in northwest Syria that is the only major territory still held by groups fighting Syrian President Bashar Assad. The area has been the target of a government offensive since late April.\n\nThe rebels' enclave is dominated by the jihadi group Tahrir al-Sham, the latest iteration of the Nusra Front, a former al-Qaida affiliate.\n\nUnrelenting attacks\n\nTurkey launched Operation Euphrates Shield in 2016 and seized more than 2,000 square kilometers (772 square miles) in northern Syria, including Azaz, clearing the area of jihadis affiliated with the \"Islamic State,\" (IS) while preventing any Kurdish advance in the region.\n\nAnkara still keeps Turkish troops and intelligence forces in the area.\n\nThe bombing in Azaz came a day after a similar explosion killed 10 people and wounded 20 in the northeastern city of Raqqa, which previously served as IS's de facto capital.\n\nIS fighters have repeatedly carried out attacks across northern Syria in areas held by insurgents and by Kurdish-led forces.\n\nWatch video 01:34 Share Fighting surges in Idlib Send Facebook google+ Whatsapp Tumblr linkedin stumble Digg reddit Newsvine Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/3JbSK Fighting surges in rebel-held Idlib\n\nsri/ng (AFP, AP, Reuters)\n\nEvery evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.", "BEIRUT — Syrian opposition activists are reporting that a car bomb in a northern town held by Turkey-backed fighters has killed at least 13, and wounded dozens of people.\n\nThe Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 14 people were killed, and dozens wounded in the Sunday night blast in the centre of the town, Azaz.\n\nThe Azaz Media Center, a local activist collective, said the blast killed at least 13 people and wounded many others.\n\nThe blast occurred after the “iftar” meal that breaks a daylong fast during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.\n\nThe town, which was once controlled by rival Kurdish fighters opposed to Turkey, has been hit by similar attacks in the past.", "People gather at the site of a car bomb blast in Azaz. Photo: Reuters", "A car bomb killed at least 13 people Sunday night near a mosque in a northern town held by Turkey-backed fighters, and wounded dozens of people, Syrian opposition activists said.\n\nThe blast in the town of Azaz occurred Sunday as scores of people were leaving the mosque of Maytam, wounding dozens including children, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.\n\nThe Observatory said the blast killed at least 14 people. It said the dead included four children.\n\nThe Azaz Media Center, a local activist collective, reported at least 13 deaths, along with many others wounded.\n\nThe blast occurred after the “iftar” meal that breaks a daylong fast during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The attack came a few days before Muslims celebrate the end of the holy moth with Eid el-Fitr, one of Islam’s most important feasts.\n\nThe town, which was once controlled by rival Kurdish fighters opposed to Turkey, has been hit by similar attacks in the past.", "Azaz, Syria - At least 19 people were killed Sunday in a car bomb near a bustling market and mosque in a rebel-held city in northwestern Syria, a war monitor said.\n\nFour children were among those killed in the explosion in Azaz, in the heart of a Turkish zone of influence in Aleppo province, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.\n\nThe attack also wounded more than 20 people, according to the Britain-based monitor.\n\n“Many people were leaving evening prayers when the explosion happened,” Observatory head Rami Abdul Rahman told AFP.\n\nShoppers buying clothes and gifts ahead of Eid Al Fitr holiday were among those killed, said Jihad Berro, a coroner at a local hospital.\n\nHe said the medical facility was crammed with victims and their relatives.\n\n“The emergency rooms were full, we placed corpses on the floor,” he said.\n\n“It is a real catastrophe before the Eid Al Fitr holiday,” said Berro.", "BEIRUT — A suicide car bomb in a northwestern Syrian city held by Turkey-backed rebels killed at least 14 people on Sunday, a war monitor said.\n\nFour children were among those killed in the explosion near a mosque in Azaz, a city at the heart of a Turkish zone of influence in northern Aleppo province, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.\n\nThe attack also wounded more than 20 people, according to the Britain-based monitor.\n\n\"Many people were leaving evening prayers when the explosion happened,\" Observatory head Rami Abdul Rahman told AFP. It was not clear who was behind the attack.\n\nResident Abu Youssef said the explosion struck near the entrance of a market in the center of the city.\n\n\"The damage is severe: at least six stores were burned, the storefronts of dozens of other stores were blown out,\" he told AFP.\n\nThe bombing comes one day after a similar explosion killed 10 people and wounded 20 in the northeastern city of Raqa.\n\nTurkey launched Operation Euphrates Shield in 2016 and seized more than 2,000 square kilometres in northern Syria including Azaz, clearing the area of the Islamic State jihadists, while preventing any Kurdish advance in the region.\n\nAnkara keeps Turkish troops and intelligence forces in the area, and still backs the local police forces. — AFP"], "summary": "A car bomb in Azaz kills at least 21 people and leaves many wounded."}
{"document": ["(Reuters) - At least 18 people were wounded in two car bomb explosions that targeted a military unit in Libya's eastern coastal city of Derna, sending plumes of black smoke into the sky, a medical source and residents told Reuters early on Sunday.\n\nResidents said the car bombs targeted a military unit called Bulahati belonging to the eastern forces of the Libyan National Army (LNA) in the city center.\n\n\"We heard the first explosion, but we thought it was fireworks, then we heard the second,\" one resident told Reuters by telephone.\n\nADVERTISEMENT\n\n\"We found people around the Bulahati military unit and there was huge black smoke in the sky,\" another added. \"We then discovered it was car bombs.\"\n\nDerna, once a jihadist bastion, is about 292 km (182 miles) distant from Libya's second city, Benghazi, and was declared to be under the complete control of Khalifa Haftar's LNA in June 2018.\n\nAfter the ouster of longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi in a NATO-backed uprising in 2011, militant groups Al Qaeda and Islamic State have used the oil-rich country as a base for attacks, exploiting its chaos and lack of security.", "Residents said the car bombs targeted a military unit called Bulahati belonging to the eastern forces of the Libyan National Army (LNA) in the city centre.", "Residents said the car bombs targeted a military unit called Bulahati belonging to the eastern forces of the Libyan National Army (LNA) in the city center.\n\n“We heard the first explosion, but we thought it was fireworks, then we heard the second,” one resident told Reuters by telephone.\n\n“We found people around the Bulahati military unit and there was huge black smoke in the sky,” another added. “We then discovered it was car bombs.”\n\nDerna, once a jihadist bastion, is about 292 km (182 miles) distant from Libya’s second city, Benghazi, and was declared to be under the complete control of Khalifa Haftar’s LNA in June 2018.\n\nAfter the ouster of longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi in a NATO-backed uprising in 2011, militant groups Al Qaeda and Islamic State have used the oil-rich country as a base for attacks, exploiting its chaos and lack of security.", "(Reuters) - At least 18 were wounded by two car bombs at an Eastern forces camp in Derna in eastern Libya, a medical source and residents told Reuters early on Sunday.", "Derna [Libya], Jun 2 (ANI): Around 18 people were injured after two bomb-laden cars exploded near the headquarters of the Libyan National Army (LNA) here, according to local media reports on Sunday.\n\nThis comes as more than 90,000 people have been displaced ever since the armed conflict between Khalifa Haftar-led army and UN-backed government broke out in Tripoli on April 12.\n\nFighting broke out after the Khalifa Haftar-led LNA launched their offensive to retake Tripoli, which is controlled by forces backed by the UN-backed interim government known as the Government of National Accord (GNA), according to Sputnik.\n\nLibya has been largely divided into two factions ever since the death of its dictator Muammar Gaddafi.\n\nThe LNA-backed parliament controls the east of Libya, while the UN-backed GNA governs Libya's western region from Tripoli.\n\nWhile the US government has primarily backed the GNA which is led by Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, American diplomats and military officers have maintained contacts with Russia backed Haftar.\n\nMost of the international community has urged for a peaceful resolution to the intense fighting which has ensued in the African nation.\n\nOver 450 people have lost their lives, while 2,100 others have been injured ever since the in-fighting began, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). (ANI)", "The Libyan National Army (LNA) repelled the offensive of the forces of the Government of National Accord (GNA) on Tripoli airport, the LNA General Command press service director Khalifa Obeidi said on Monday.\n\n\"LNA repelled an armed attack by [GNA armed] groups… on Tripoli airport on Sunday morning,\" he said.\n\nObeidi noted that 15 GNA militants, including six mercenaries from Chad, were killed in the clash.\n\nIn April, Khalifa Haftar, the head of the LNA, launched an offensive to retake Tripoli from control of the internationally-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA). The LNA has already recaptured a number of settlements near the capital and the Tripoli International Airport, located around 20 miles away from the city. The forces loyal to the GNA announced a counteroffensive, dubbed Volcano of Rage.\n\nSince the overthrow and killing of Libya's long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, the country has been gripped by conflict. Libya is now divided between two governments, with the eastern part controlled by the LNA, and the western part governed by the UN-backed GNA."], "summary": "Two car bombs targeting a unit of the Libyan National Army injure 18 people in the city center of Derna, Libya."}
{"document": ["Canada is temporarily shutting down its embassy in Venezuela, according to Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland.\n\nIn a press release Sunday, Global Affairs confirmed all operations would be suspended effective immediately.\n\nCanada will also be \"evaluating the status\" of Venezuelan diplomats to Canada appointed by President Nicolas Maduro.\n\nCanada is part of a group of countries who believe Maduro's re-election last year was fraudulent. Canadian officials have called for him to step down so opposition leader Juan Guaido, who several dozen countries now recognize as Venezuela's legitimate interim leader, can take over.\n\n\"As Venezuela slides deeper into dictatorship, and as Venezuelans continue to suffer at the hands of the illegitimate Maduro regime, the regime has taken steps to limit the ability of foreign embassies to function in Venezuela,\" Freeland's statement said.\n\n\"Unfortunately, at the end of this month, Canadian diplomats in Venezuela will no longer be in a position to obtain diplomatic accreditation under the Maduro regime, and their visas will expire. Therefore, we are left with no choice but to temporarily suspend our operations at the Embassy of Canada to Venezuela.\"\n\nThe U.S. withdrew its remaining embassy staff from Venezuela in March, citing a deteriorating situation.\n\nVenezuela is in the throes of a historic political and social crisis marked by shortages of food and medicine that has driven three million people to flee the country in recent years.\n\nFor several months, Canada has advised Canadians to avoid all travel to Venezuela.\n\nFreeland said Canada will still provide consular services through its embassy in neighbouring Colombia.", "June 2, 2019 - Ottawa, Ontario - Global Affairs Canada\n\nThe Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today issued the following statement:\n\n“As Venezuela slides deeper into dictatorship, and as Venezuelans continue to suffer at the hands of the illegitimate Maduro regime, the regime has taken steps to limit the ability of foreign embassies to function in Venezuela, particularly those advocating for the restoration of democracy in Venezuela.\n\n“Unfortunately, at the end of this month, Canadian diplomats in Venezuela will no longer be in a position to obtain diplomatic accreditation under the Maduro regime, and their visas will expire. Therefore, we are left with no choice but to temporarily suspend our operations at the Embassy of Canada to Venezuela, effective immediately.\n\n“We are also evaluating the status of Venezuelan diplomats appointed by the Maduro regime to Canada.\n\n“Notwithstanding this temporary suspension, Canada, together with its partners in the Lima Group and the international community, will continue to stand up for the rights of the Venezuelan people and for a full return to democracy in Venezuela.\n\n“Canada continues to provide consular assistance to Canadians in Venezuela through the Embassy of Canada to Colombia, in Bogotá. For several months, we have advised Canadians to avoid all travel to Venezuela.\n\n“Canadians in need of consular assistance in Venezuela should send an email to sos@international.gc.ca or contact the Embassy of Canada to Colombia, in Bogotá, at +57 (1) 657-9800. Canadians can also contact Global Affairs Canada’s 24/7 Emergency Watch and Response Centre in Ottawa by calling collect +1 613 996 8885. For Travel Advice and Advisories for Venezuela, visit travel.gc.ca.”", "Canada has suspended operations at its embassy in Venezuela because its diplomats will no longer be able to obtain visas.\n\nCanadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said in a statement on Sunday that Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro's \"regime has taken steps to limit the ability of foreign embassies to function in Venezuela\".\n\nCanada is one of a dozen countries in the Lima Group regional bloc that recognises opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuela's legitimate president and is demanding that Maduro resign.\n\n\"Unfortunately, at the end of this month, Canadian diplomats in Venezuela will no longer be in a position to obtain diplomatic accreditation under the Maduro regime and their visas will expire,\" Freeland said in the statement.\n\n\"Therefore, we are left with no choice but to temporarily suspend our operations at the embassy of Canada to Venezuela, effective immediately,\" she said.\n\nFreeland said Canada was \"also evaluating the status of Venezuelan diplomats appointed by the Maduro regime to Canada.\"\n\nThe Venezuelan foreign ministry has made no comment on the events.\n\nCanada has been one of the countries at the forefront of international efforts to pressure Maduro to resign since he was reelected in a ballot widely criticised as a sham.\n\nUnder Maduro, Venezuela has slipped into an economic, political and humanitarian crises with inflation estimated to reach 10m percent this year, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).\n\nUntied Nations figures say more than three million people have fled the country since the economic crisis began in 2014, amid food and medicine shortages and a sharp spike in crime.\n\nMore than 50 countries now recognise Guaido as oil-rich Venezuela's leader, however, Maduro's administration continues to control state institutions and enjoys the support of the country's powerful military.\n\nCanada's suspension of embassy operations comes as Freeland and other Lima Group representatives are set to meet the International Contact Group on Venezuela (ICG) in New York on Monday to discuss the crises.\n\nIt is the first time the two groups - which were both formed to exert international pressure on Maduro - have met over Venezuela.\n\nEuropean Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and the foreign ministers of Portugal and Uruguay will represent the ICG, while Peruvian Foreign Minister Nestor Popolizio and Chilean Foreign Minister Roberto Ampuero, along with Freeland will represent the Lima Group.\n\nFreeland said on Sunday that through the Lima Group, Canada will continue to advocate for democracy in Venezuela.\n\nMonday's meeting follows the breakdown of talks between Venezuela's government and the country's opposition in Norway, which collapsed without an agreement on Thursday.", "Ottawa [Canada], Jun 3 (ANI): Canada temporarily suspended operations at its embassy in Venezuela on Sunday, as per the Canadian foreign minister Chrystia Freeland.\n\n\"At the end of this month, Canadian diplomats in Venezuela will no longer be in a position to obtain diplomatic accreditation under the Maduro regime, and their visas will expire. Therefore, we are left with no choice but to temporarily suspend our operations at the Embassy of Canada to Venezuela, effective immediately,\" Sputnik quoted Freeland as stating.\n\nHowever, Freeland added that consular assistance would be provided to its citizens in Venezuela through Canada's embassy in Colombia.\n\nVenezuela has witnessed large-scale protests ever since its President Nicolas Maduro took oath in January. National Assembly President Juan Guaido proclaimed himself to be the President of Venezuela amidst a crowd of cheering protesters, demanding Maduro's immediate exit.\n\nThe United States immediately backed his claim, followed by other countries like UK, Spain, Japan, who all viewed the elections which propelled Maduro to power as rigged. They also called for Maduro to either hold fresh elections or step down from his post.\n\nRejecting the idea of holding fresh elections, Maduro has continued to hold on to his post, accusing the United States of backing coup attempts against him. He had also blamed the US for the major blackouts which gripped the country recently. Furthermore, he has also claimed to have military support on various occasions. (ANI)", "Ottawa: Canada announced on Sunday it was temporarily shutting its embassy in Venezuela, blaming President Nicolas Maduro for refusing to accredit diplomats critical of his regime.\n\nAt the same time, Ottawa is reviewing the status of Maduro envoys to Canada.\n\nForeign Minister Chrystia Freeland said in a statement that \"the regime has taken steps to limit the ability of foreign embassies to function in Venezuela, particularly those advocating for the restoration of democracy\" there.\n\nIn January, Canada, along with the United States and major Latin American powers, was among the first to recognise Venezuelan Opposition leader Juan Guaido's claim to be acting president, beginning a months-long power struggle between him and Maduro.\n\nSoon, Canadian diplomats in Venezuela \"will no longer be in a position to obtain diplomatic accreditation under the Maduro regime, and their visas will expire\", Freeland said.\n\n\"Therefore, we are left with no choice but to temporarily suspend our operations at the Embassy of Canada to Venezuela, effective immediately.\"\n\nMore than 50 countries now recognise Guaido rather than leftist firebrand Maduro, who has presided over a crumbling economy and was re-elected in a ballot widely regarded as a sham.\n\nFreeland also said Canada is \"evaluating the status of Venezuelan diplomats appointed by the Maduro regime to Canada\".", "TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada will suspend operations at its embassy in Venezuela immediately because its diplomats will no longer be able to obtain visas, the Canadian foreign minister said on Sunday.\n\nChrystia Freeland said in a statement that President Nicolas Maduro’s “regime has taken steps to limit the ability of foreign embassies to function in Venezuela.”\n\nCanada is one of a dozen countries in the Lima Group regional bloc, along with Brazil, Argentina and Chile, which recognizes opposition leader Juan Guaido as the legitimate Venezuelan leader and is demanding that Maduro resign.\n\n“Unfortunately, at the end of this month, Canadian diplomats in Venezuela will no longer be in a position to obtain diplomatic accreditation under the Maduro regime, and their visas will expire,” Freeland said in the statement. “Therefore, we are left with no choice but to temporarily suspend our operations at the embassy of Canada to Venezuela, effective immediately.\n\nFreeland said Canada was “also evaluating the status of Venezuelan diplomats appointed by the Maduro regime to Canada.”\n\nVenezuela’s information ministry did not immediately reply to a request for comment.", "Canada decided to temporarily suspend operations at the country’s Embassy in Venezuela, Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said in a statement.\n\nThe minister said that the administration of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro limited the possibility for some foreign missions to function in the country.\n\n\"At the end of this month, Canadian diplomats in Venezuela will no longer be in a position to obtain diplomatic accreditation under the Maduro regime, and their visas will expire. Therefore, we are left with no choice but to temporarily suspend our operations at the Embassy of Canada to Venezuela, effective immediately,\" the statement published on Sunday reads.\n\nCanada will continue to provide consular assistance to Canadians in Venezuela through the embassy in Colombia, according to Freeland.\n\nLarge-scale protests against Maduro began in Venezuela on January 21 soon after he was sworn in for a new term. Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido proclaimed himself an interim leader of the country. A number of Western countries, including the United States, backed his claim. Maduro, in turn, has accused the United States of trying to orchestrate a coup in order to install Guaido as its puppet. Russia, China, and a number of other countries have voiced their support for Maduro as the only legitimate president of Venezuela.", "Toronto: Canada suspended operations at its embassy in Venezuela on Sunday, saying the regime of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro regime would not renew visas for its diplomats.\n\nForeign Minister Chrystia Freeland said in a statement that Canada had no choice.\n\n\"The regime has taken steps to limit the ability of foreign embassies to function in Venezuela, particularly those advocating for the restoration of democracy in Venezuela,\" Freeland said. \"Unfortunately, at the end of this month, Canadian diplomats in Venezuela will no longer be in a position to obtain diplomatic accreditation under the Maduro regime, and their visas will expire. Therefore, we are left with no choice but to temporarily suspend our operations at the Embassy of Canada to Venezuela, effective immediately.\"\n\nFreeland said Canada was evaluating the status of Venezuelan diplomats appointed by the Maduro regime to Canada.", "Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland, seen here on May 31, 2019, in Ottawa, says the Maduro regime \"has taken steps to limit the ability of foreign embassies to function in Venezuela.\"\n\nOTTAWA — Canada suspended operations at its embassy in Venezuela on Sunday, saying President Nicolas Maduro’s regime is increasingly clamping down on diplomats who oppose his rule.\n\nThe diplomats’ visas are set to expire at the end of June, Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland said in a statement, and Maduro’s regime — which Canada has denounced as illegitimate and characterized as a dictatorship — has made it so they cannot be renewed.\n\n“As Venezuela slides deeper into dictatorship, and as Venezuelans continue to suffer at the hands of the illegitimate Maduro regime, the regime has taken steps to limit the ability of foreign embassies to function in Venezuela, particularly those advocating for the restoration of democracy in Venezuela,” she said.\n\nFreeland acknowledged the operations are being suspended temporarily, effective immediately.\n\n“We are also evaluating the status of Venezuelan diplomats appointed by the Maduro regime to Canada,” she said in the statement.\n\nWatch: See how things are unfolding in Venezuela. Story continues below.", "OTTAWA — Canada suspended operations at its embassy in Venezuela on Sunday, saying President Nicolas Maduro's regime has made it impossible for diplomats to continue working.\n\nIn a statement, Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland says Canadian diplomats' visas are set to expire at the end of June and cannot be renewed.\n\nFreeland says Ottawa is now evaluating the status of Venezuelan diplomats in Canada.\n\nThe Canadian government has been a vocal critic of Maduro, calling him a dictator who stole an election."], "summary": "Canada temporarily closes its embassy in Venezuela after Canadian diplomats were no longer able to get diplomatic accreditation under Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro's government according to a statement released by the Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chrystia Freeland."}
{"document": ["Image copyright EPA Image caption Andrea Nahles's SPD suffered heavy losses in last week's European elections\n\nAndrea Nahles has announced she will resign as leader of Germany's Social Democratic Party (SPD).\n\nIt comes after the centre-left party came third, behind the Greens and Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU), in the European elections.\n\nMs Nahles had been heavily criticised by the SPD's left for remaining in coalition with Ms Merkel's party.\n\nCDU leader Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer warned the SPD not to endanger the coalition government.\n\n\"I assume the SPD will undergo a succession in short order without hindrance to the functioning of the grand coalition,\" she said.\n\n\"In the CDU we believe that this is not the time to play politics. We want to serve our country with good governing policies.\"\n\nMs Nahles said she would quit as party leader on Monday, and as head of its parliamentary group on Tuesday.\n\nIn a statement released by the SPD on Sunday she said: \"The discussions within the parliamentary faction and feedback from within the party have shown me that I no longer have the necessary support to carry out my duties.\"\n\nShe had earlier announced that the leadership contest would take place on Tuesday.\n\nHer resignation comes as a surprise. She became party leader in April last year, and was expected to run for the position again.\n\nIn last week's European Union parliamentary elections, her party hit an all-time low, getting less than 16% of the vote.\n\nAnd on Saturday, an opinion poll showed that support for the SPD was the lowest it had ever been, at just 12%. At the same time, the Greens were shown to have overtaken the conservative CDU as Germany's most popular party for the first time.\n\nWhat does this mean for the ruling coalition?\n\nMs Nahles' resignation could threaten the current government.\n\nIf the SPD were to quit the coalition, the fall of the government would be likely to trigger fresh elections.\n\nImage copyright AFP Image caption Vice Chancellor Olaf Scholz, of the SPD, speaks with Chancellor Angela Merkel\n\nBut the left wing of the SPD has been urging the party to leave the coalition since it entered into government with Ms Merkel last year. They say that compromising with conservatives has been costing them support.\n\nThe SPD's Olaf Scholz, who is also Germany's vice-chancellor, told the Tagesspiegel newspaper that he has ruled out entering another such coalition.\n\n\"Three grand coalitions in a row would not do democracy in Germany any good,\" he said in the interview published on Sunday, before Ms Nahles announced her resignation.", "Andrea Nahles on Sunday announced her resignation from her post as leader of the Social Democratic Party and its parliamentary group, saying she wanted to give the party the chance to organize her successor in an orderly procedure.", "Andrea Nahles to Step Down as Leader of German Social Democrats\n\n(Bloomberg) -- Andrea Nahles, the leader of Germany’s Social Democratic Party, the junior coalition partner in Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government, said she will resign as party chief and also step down as the party’s caucus leader in the national parliament.\n\n“The necessary support for exercising my duties is no longer there,” Nahles said in a statement e-mailed by her party. Nahles said that she’ll resign as party chairwoman on Monday and as caucus leader on Tuesday.\n\nTo contact the reporter on this story: Rainer Buergin in Berlin at rbuergin1@bloomberg.net\n\nTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Erhard Krasny at ekrasny@bloomberg.net, James Amott", "\"The discussions within the parliamentary faction and feedback from within the party have shown me that I no longer have the necessary support to carry out my duties,\" Nahles said in a statement.\n\n\"I sincerely hope that you will be able to rebuild trust and mutual respect, and thus find people who can support you with all their might. Our country needs a strong SPD!\" she added.\n\nAndrea Nahles' decision follows the SPD's poor results in the European parliamentary elections, which reduced the SPD to Germany's third-biggest party after its coalition partner, the CDU, and the Greens.\n\nNahles became leader of the SPD in April 2018, having led the party in the national bundestag since September 2017. She was also the first woman to head the party.\n\nThe European Parliament elections to the 751-seat parliamentary institution were held across EU member states from May 23-26.", "BERLIN -- The leader of Germany's centre-left Social Democrats, a junior member of Chancellor Angela Merkel's governing coalition, announced her resignation Sunday following days of speculation over the fallout from the party's debacle in the European Parliament election.\n\nAndrea Nahles said she wanted \"clarity\" after questions were raised about her ability to lead the party.\n\n\"The necessary support for me to carry out my duties isn't there anymore,\" she said in a statement Sunday.\n\nNahles said she will be stepping down from her post as chairwoman of the Social Democrats and leader of its parliamentary faction in the coming days, to ensure that her successors are found \"in an orderly fashion.\"\n\nThe Social Democrats fell to third place behind Merkel's centre-right Union bloc and the Greens in the May 26 European Parliament election in Germany.\n\nNahles took over as party leader in February 2018, as the Social Democrats reluctantly extended their \"grand coalition\" with Merkel's conservatives following a poor showing in the previous year's German election.\n\nWhile the Social Democrats have managed to push through their agenda of improving social welfare and working conditions for millions of Germans, voters haven't rewarded the party for it in the polls.\n\nInstead, many have turned to the environmentalist Greens, the far-right anti-migrant Alternative for Germany, the socialist Left party or Merkel's increasingly centrist Union bloc in recent years.\n\nAn election loss last week in the Social Democrats' longtime bastion , the tiny northwestern state of Bremen, and the prospect of further defeats in upcoming regional votes in eastern Germany this fall has alarmed many in the party.\n\nParty colleague Olaf Scholz, who is Germany's finance minister and vice-chancellor, said he regretted Nahles' decision but that she deserved respect for it.\n\n\"The Social Democratic Party hasn't just been in a difficult position since the European elections,\" he said. \"That's why it's important we stick together and jointly take the next step.\"\n\nFormer party leader Sigmar Gabriel told the daily Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung that the Social Democrats needed a \"detox\" to prevent internal power struggles from further harming the party.\n\nThe Social Democrats had planned to hold a midterm review of the coalition with Merkel's bloc later this year, raising the prospect of an early end to the coalition.\n\nMerkel, who handed the leadership of her Christian Democratic Union party to Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer in December, has said she wants to stay on as chancellor until her fourth term ends when Germany holds its next national election in late 2021.\n\nThe Christian Democrats were meeting late Sunday to review their own election result but that is likely to be overshadowed by discussions about the future of the governing coalition.\n\nBoth Merkel and Kramp-Karrenbauer planned to comment on Nahles' resignation on the sidelines of the meeting.", "The leader of Germany's center-left Social Democrats, a junior member of Chancellor Angela Merkel's governing coalition, announced her resignation Sunday following days of speculation over the fallout from the party's debacle in the European Parliament election.\n\nAndrea Nahles said she wanted \"clarity\" after questions were raised about her ability to lead the party.\n\n\"The necessary support for me to carry out my duties isn't there anymore,\" she said in a statement Sunday.\n\nNahles said she will be stepping down from her post as chairwoman of the Social Democrats and leader of its parliamentary faction in the coming days, to ensure that her successors are found \"in an orderly fashion.\"\n\nThe Social Democrats fell to third place behind Merkel's center-right Union bloc and the Greens in last month's European Parliament election in Germany.\n\nNahles took over as party leader in February 2018, as the Social Democrats reluctantly extended their \"grand coalition\" with Merkel's conservatives following a poor showing in the previous year's German election.\n\nWhile the Social Democrats have managed to push through their agenda of improving social welfare and working conditions for millions of Germans, voters haven't rewarded the party for it in the polls.\n\nInstead, many have turned to the environmentalist Greens, the far-right anti-migrant Alternative for Germany, the socialist Left party or Merkel's increasingly centrist Union bloc in recent years.\n\nAn election loss last week in the Social Democrats' longtime bastion , the tiny northwestern state of Bremen, and the prospect of further defeats in upcoming regional votes in eastern Germany this fall has alarmed many in the party.\n\nThe Social Democrats plan to hold a midterm review of the coalition with Merkel's bloc later this year, raising the prospect of an early end to the coalition.\n\nMerkel, who handed the leadership of her Christian Democratic Union party to Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer in December, has said she wants to stay on as chancellor until her fourth term ends when Germany holds its next national election in late 2021.", "Following the resignation of the leader of the German Social Democratic Party, Andrea Nahles, after barely 13 months in office, a trio formed by two heads of government and a president of the regional party will take on the interim presidency of the party.\n\nThe resignation was a setback for the Christian Democrats, led by Chancellor Angela Merkel, who governs in coalition with the SPD as a junior partner.", "FRANKFURT, June 2 (Reuters) - Germany's Social Democratic Party (SPD) head Andrea Nahles said on Sunday she would resign as its chief as well giving up her position as leader of its German parliamentary group, saying she did not have the support she needed to continue.\n\nThe SPD leadership upheaval comes as the Greens have overtaken Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives to become the most popular party in Germany, an opinion poll on Saturday showed, with the SPD support at an all-time low.\n\n\"The discussions within the parliamentary faction and feedback from within the party have shown me that I no longer have the necessary support to carry out my duties,\" Nahles said in a statement released by the SPD on Sunday.\n\nNahles said she would resign her position as head of the SPD on Monday and quit her position as leader of the party in parliament on Tuesday. (Reporting by Edward Taylor Editing by Alexander Smith)", "Andrea Nahles on Sunday announced her resignation as leader of the Social Democratic Party and its parliamentary group, saying she wanted to give the party the chance to organize her successor in an orderly procedure.\n\n\"The discussions within the parliamentary group and the large amount of feedback from the party have shown me that there is no longer support for me in holding these offices,\" she wrote in a statement to SPD members.\n\nShe said she would step down as party leader on Monday and as parliamentary leader on Tuesday.\n\nThe announcement follows her party's poor showing at European parliamentary elections in May, which reduced the SPD to Germany's third-biggest party behind its senior coalition partner the CDU and the environmental Greens.\n\nNahles' announcement is a surprise, coming as it does before a vote on her leadership she had called for Tuesday.\n\nShe became leader of the SPD in April 2018 having led the parliamentary party since September 2017. Nahles is the first woman to have headed the party, which has roots going back to 1863, making it the oldest extant party in the German Parliament, the Bundestag.\n\nSince 2013, the SPD has governed in \"grand coalitions\" with the conservative bloc formed by Merkel's CDU and the Bavarian Christian Social Union.\n\nEvery evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.", "Germany’s Social Democratic Party (SPD) head and the junior partner in Chancellor Angela Merkel's coalition government, Andrea Nahles, on Sunday announced that she would resign from her position, citing a lack of support she needed to continue.\n\n“The discussions within the parliamentary faction and feedback from within the party have shown me that I no longer have the necessary support to carry out my duties,” Nahles said in an official statement.\n\nThe fact that this developments is likely to create a short-term political uncertainty in the euro area's biggest economy suggests that the shared currency could start the week on the back foot."], "summary": "Andrea Nahles announces her resignation as leader of Germany's Social Democratic Party, effective at the beginning of next week."}
{"document": ["Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has fired his education and justice ministers, days after parliament voted to hold new elections.\n\nAn official in Netanyahu's office confirmed that Naftali Bennett and Ayelet Shaked, two hawkish former allies, were dismissed from the interim government. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.\n\nThere was no explanation for Sunday's firings.\n\nLast week Israel's parliament voted to hold early elections, less than two months after April's polls, as Netanyahu failed to muster a governing coalition.\n\nShaked, the justice minister, and Bennett, the education minister, have not said if they are running in September's election. Their New Right party failed to enter parliament in April, but they remained on the job pending formation of a new government.", "Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has fired Education Minister Naftali Bennett and Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked from the government, his spokeswoman says.\n\nBennett and Shaked’s New Right party failed to clear the minimum vote threshold in elections on April 9 for Knesset, but the two continued to serve on an interim basis until the formation of a new government. That will now not be until after fresh elections in September, which were called after Netanyahu failed to form a government by Wednesday night’s deadline.\n\nThere is no word in the announcement on who will succeed Bennett and Shaked, but Channel 13 news reported Saturday that Netanyahu was expected to tap members of his Likud party for the posts.", "Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has fired the education minister and justice minister, an official at the Prime Minister's Office said Sunday.\n\nThe official declined to give any details about the circumstances under which Education Minister Naftali Bennett and Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked were fired.\n\nThe Jerusalem Post cited sources close to Netanyahu saying he fired Bennett and Shaked because they had lost public support in the April 9 election.\n\nBennett and Shaked's the New Right party did not pass the electoral threshold in the general election. Bennett is a member of the security cabinet.\n\nIn a joint statement, Bennett and Shaked thanked the public for the privilege of serving in their roles and said: \"Everything we did was for the good of the State of Israel and its citizens.\"\n\n\"We will transfer the ministries we headed to the ministers who will replace us in an orderly manner in order to maintain the continuous and good functioning of the Ministries of Education and Justice, and in order for the next school year to begin as planned. \"\n\nNetanyahu's decision comes days after parliament voted to dissolve itself after the premier failed to form a government following his April victory.\n\nThe next election is set to be held on Sept. 17.", "JERUSALEM (AP) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has fired his education and justice ministers, days after parliament voted to hold new elections.\n\nAn official in Netanyahu's office confirmed that Naftali Bennett and Ayelet Shaked, two hawkish former allies, were dismissed from the interim government. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.\n\nThere was no explanation for Sunday's firings.\n\nLast week Israel's parliament voted to hold early elections, less than two months after April's polls, as Netanyahu failed to muster a governing coalition.\n\nShaked, the justice minister, and Bennett, the education minister, have not said if they are running in September's election. Their New Right party failed to enter parliament in April, but they remained on the job pending formation of a new government.\n\nIsraeli Education Minister Naftali Bennett arrives to attend the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem Sunday, June 2, 2019. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has fired his education and justice ministers, days after parliament voted to hold new elections. An official in Netanyahu's office confirmed that Naftali Bennett and Ayelet Shaked, two hawkish former allies, were dismissed from the interim government. (Ronen Zvulun, Pool via AP)", "Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will not appoint new justice and education ministers until next week, a spokesperson said Monday, a day after the premier fired Ayelet Shaked and Naftali Bennett from their posts and said he would select their successors this week.\n\nCiting Netanyahu’s desire to discuss the matter with people “in the coalition and within Likud in the coming days,” spokesperson Yonatan Urich told reporters the ministerial portfolios would not be given out before the beginning of next week.\n\nOn Sunday, Netanyahu fired Justice Minister Shaked and Education Minister Bennett, from the rival New Right party, in a move that takes 48 hours to go into effect.\n\nGet The Times of Israel's Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Free Sign Up\n\nAt the time, a spokeswoman said the new appointments will be decided on within two days, stressing that Netanyahu “has no intention of holding one of the vacated portfolios himself.”\n\nBut, starting Tuesday morning, Netanyahu will be acting education and justice minister during his consultation period. For the prime minister to hold the latter portfolio could be controversial as he faces corruption indictments, pending a hearing, in three cases against him.\n\nNetanyahu is also defense, foreign, and health minister.\n\nMKs Rafi Peretz and Bezalel Smotrich from the Union of Right-Wing Parties have urged Netanyahu to appoint them as education and justice ministers, respectively, in place of Bennett and Shaked. The URWP was one of the parties that sought to form a coalition with Netanyahu after his Likud party won the most votes in the April elections.\n\nOn Sunday, Smotrich said Israel should adhere to religious Jewish law and asserted that the country should aspire to govern as “in the days of King David.” He doubled down on his position on Monday morning, telling Kan public radio that “the Jewish people is a special people that needs to live according to the Torah.”\n\nThe Knesset last Wednesday night voted to disband and called new elections for September 17, after Netanyahu failed to build a coalition due to an impasse between the secular Yisrael Beytenu party and ultra-Orthodox parties.", "Israeli Education Minister Naftali Bennett, left, speaking as he and Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked give a statement at the Knesset in Jerusalem on November 19, 2018.\n\nPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday informed Education Minister Naftali Bennett and Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked he was transferring them from their capacity as government and cabinet ministers.\n\nFollowing Israel's election on April 9, the two remained in the government despite their Hayamin Hehadash party failing to pass the electoral threshold. They were supposed to remain in their ministries until a new government would form.\n\n>> Read more: Because of Netanyahu, the new election could result in the same nightmare | Analysis ■ The flip side of madness | Opinion One April morning, this man woke up and decided Netanyahu will not be prime minister | Analysis\n\nHowever, last week Netanyahu failed to form a new coalition, and passed a bill to dissolve the Knesset and head for new elections. Israel will go to the polls on September 17th.\n\nAs soon as their transfer goes into effect (48 hours afer the announcemnet) Netanyahu will assume the roles of acting justice minister and education minister.\n\nSunday marked Bennett's first cabinet meeting since the election. Netanyahu's decision comes two days before the diplomatic-security cabinet convenes.\n\nAnother possibility is for Netanyahu is to appoint ministers in their place, which has not yet been ruled out. Israeli law does not prohibit an outgoing prime minister from appointing or dismissing ministers before an election nor does it require Knesset approval if the appointee is already a Knesset member.\n\nThe leaders of the Union of Right-Wing Parties, MKs Rafi Peretz and Bezalel Smotrich, were trying to unify the parties to the right of Likud ahead of the upcoming election, but were against allowing Shaked to head a unified Knesset roster.\n\nIn an interview Sunday morning on Army Radio, Smotrich, chairman of the National Union, one of the parties which ran jointly under the Union of Right-Wing Parties, addressed Shaked: “You abandoned [it], smashed it, divided, made a mistake. As a result the whole right wing is now in a big tailspin, the whole State of Israel is in a tailspin.” Smotrich said such a step could be considered, but he could think of “no reason in the world” why she should head the Knesset roster.\n\nA source in the Union of Right-Wing Parties said that the chances that Bennett and Shaked would run on that party’s ticket were low, among other things because Rafi Peretz did not want to vacate the number one slot he now holds. Peretz, the source said, had come to Habayit Hayehudi as a star, “not to be number five.”\n\nIn response to the firing of Bennett and Shaked, Habayit Hayehudi denied that they sought to have Bennet and Shaked replaced. However a party member said: \"Of course, Rabbi Peretz would happily accept the education portfolio and be a member of the cabinet as he was supposed to be.\"\n\nFollowing Netanyahu's announcement, Bennet and Shaked said: \"We sincerely thank the Israeli public for the rare privilege we have had to serve in our roles as ministers of education and justice, in order to ensure the well-being of the State of Israel and its citizens and the good of the education and justice ministries, so that the next school year will commence as planned.\"", "Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has fired Education Minister Naftali Bennett and Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked as part of a cabinet reshuffle which will remain in place until fresh elections are held in September.\n\nNetanyahu yesterday informed the pair of their dismissal on the grounds that they “cannot continue in their sensitive roles in the cabinet for another six months as they were not elected by the public,” Ynet reported, citing unnamed Israeli government sources.\n\nBennett and Shaked’s New Right (Hayemin Hehadash) party – which the pair formed in December after breaking away from the Jewish Home party – failed to cross the 3.25 per cent minimum threshold needed to gain seats in the Knesset during the 9 April election.\n\nBennett and Shaked had thus far maintained their portfolios due to the deadlock in post-election coalition talks, which would have seen new ministers appointed to the 21st Knesset. However, after these negotiations ended in failure last week, no such appointments were made. Israel will now head to the polls again on 17 September, the first time in its history that two elections will be held in the same year.\n\nHowever, despite not being re-elected in April, on Sunday both Bennett and Shaked attended the cabinet’s weekly meeting, the first to be held since the political impasse of the past two months. Netanyahu was reportedly “outraged” by their attendance, shortly afterwards giving the two ministers 48 hours’ notice that their positions would be terminated. The Jerusalem Post added that “the next cabinet meeting was pushed off by Netanyahu until Tuesday to ensure they would not be able to attend”.\n\nREAD: Polls: Israel’s Netanyahu will win more seats in September election\n\nNetanyahu’s decision will be seen as yet another blow to Bennett and Shaked, whose dramatic fall from grace in April has left them struggling to preserve their former prominence and popularity.\n\nBennett yesterday told reporters outside his home in Ra’anana, north of Tel Aviv, that “this morning I was education minister, tonight I am Naftali,” lamenting that “everyone is replaceable”. Bennett also announced that he will contest September’s election as head of the New Right party, saying the return to the polls has provided “an opportunity for all of us to approach things more wisely, more seriously, more modestly. That goes for me, too”.\n\nThere was, however, no mention of Shaked joining Bennett at the New Right party’s helm. Sources close to Shaked reported that she was “surprised” by Netanyahu’s decision, but she has not thus far issued a statement on her dismissal, saying only that she will take a few days to “consider her next move”.\n\nShaked had been hoping to join Netanyahu’s Likud party, with rumours circulating last week that the prime minister was considering reserving for her a prominent place on the party’s slate. However, Netanyahu yesterday appeared to backtrack on this position, telling Likud party members that she would not be allowed to join the party.\n\nAlthough the exact reasons for Netanyahu’s about-turn are unclear, reports emerged yesterday that the prime minister’s wife, Sara, has vetoed the prospect of Shaked joining Likud.\n\nAccording to the Times of Israel – which cited a report yesterday by Israel’s Channel 13 – during the final day of coalition talks the prospect of Shaked joining Likud was discussed. Several witnesses to these talks told Channel 13 that, at this point, Sara took Netanyahu aside and “castigated him for even considering such a move”, saying “Ayelet Shaked won’t be in Likud. Period”.\n\nThough Sara holds no official sway over such matters in her position as the prime minister’s wife, the Israeli daily added that she “has long been rumored to have outsize influence over political appointments and policy”. Her reasons for vetoing Shaked are unknown.\n\nThe Netanyahus and the Likud party are not the only ones to have seemingly cast Shaked aside.\n\nThe Union of Right Wing Parties (URWP) – an alliance of the Jewish Home, National Union and Otzma Yehudit parties – has made it clear following her dismissal as justice minister that Shaked should not entertain ideas of returning to her former party as leader.\n\nSpeaking to Israel’s Army Radio yesterday, URWP number two Bezalel Smotrich slammed Shaked, saying she had “abandoned, divided, crushed and made a mistake that sent the whole country into a whirlwind”. He continued: “You want to come back? We can certainly consider, but I don’t think there’s a reason in the world why you should be number 1.”\n\nHowever, the controversial Knesset Member (MK)’s comments must also be seen in light of the fact that he and URWP number one, Rafi Peretz, are pushing to be given Bennett and Shaked’s former portfolios. URWP has long conditioned its support of a Netanyahu government on control over the justice and education ministries, two portfolios which will form an integral part of their ambitions to curtail the power of the Supreme Court and “restore the Torah justice system”.\n\nNetanyahu this weekend seemed to have other plans, yesterday offering the justice ministry to Yariv Levin, a Likud MK who currently serves as Israel’s tourism minister. Levin, however, refused the appointment, saying he did not want to serve as justice minister only for the interim period until a new cabinet is chosen.\n\nNetanyahu could be forced to cede to URWP’s demands in order to preserve its support ahead of September’s election, should he have any hope of avoiding a recurrence of April’s coalition deadlock and, ultimately, preserving his position as prime minister.", "Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired Education and Diaspora Affairs Minister Naftali Bennett and Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked on Sunday in a reshuffle of his interim government as he gears up for the September elections.\n\nThe Prime Minister’s Office confirmed the two acting ministers were ousted from their posts, without elaborating. Explaining the sudden termination, officials told Hebrew media the pair could not hold such “sensitive” positions for six months after they failed to be reelected by the public.\n\nThe move, however, was widely seen as designed to prevent the once-popular right-wing ministers from using their positions to bolster their campaigns for the fall vote.\n\nGet The Times of Israel's Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Free Sign Up\n\nBennett and Shaked’s New Right party failed to clear the electoral threshold in the April 9 election, and they are no longer members of the Knesset, but remained part of the cabinet for the time being. The two are expected to run again in September, though it remains unclear whether they will run together, and if so whether they will do so independently as the New Right or in a merger with other right-wing parties.\n\nBennett showed up at the cabinet meeting on Sunday afternoon, after skipping the gathering for weeks after the election. He and Shaked were fired hours after reports emerged that Netanyahu had rejected a call to reserve a slot for Shaked on the Likud party slate.\n\nThough Bennett and Netanyahu have a long history of political cooperation — and the prime minister, should he again come out ahead in the next vote and be tasked with forming the government, could find himself dependent on Bennett’s support — the two politicians have also frequently clashed publicly and bitterly.\n\nIn a joint statement, Bennett and Shaked said they would cooperate with their replacements to ensure a smooth transition.\n\n“From the bottom of our hearts, we thank the people of Israel for the rare privilege to serve them as ministers of education and justice,” they said.\n\n“Everything we have done was for the good of the State of Israel and its citizens. We will hand over the offices we chaired in an organized fashion, to the ministers who will replace us, to ensure a smooth transition and so that the next school year will open in order.”\n\nAccording to a television report on Saturday, Netanyahu plans to fill the vacated cabinet seats with members of his own Likud party.\n\nAccording to Channel 13, Netanyahu and his advisers have discussed appointing Environmental Protection Minister Ze’ev Elkin as immigration and absorption minister to help Likud in its outreach efforts to Russian-speaking Israelis during the September election campaign.\n\nAs a native Russian speaker and immigrant from the former Soviet Union, Elkin, Likud believes, can help draw votes away from Avigdor Liberman’s Yisrael Beytenu party, the traditional home of Russian-speaking immigrants.\n\nNetanyahu is reportedly hoping to punish Liberman and even deprive him of the necessary number of votes to enter parliament in retribution for the latter’s refusal to join a coalition under the terms on offer, causing Netanyahu to fail to build a government last week.\n\nThe current immigration minister, Yoav Gallant, would be appointed to a different ministerial portfolio, the report said. Gallant, who was appointed minister after defecting to Likud from Kulanu ahead of April’s elections, would likely be given a promotion to a more senior cabinet post.\n\nThe Knesset on Wednesday night voted to disband itself and called new elections for September 17, after Netanyahu failed to broker a compromise between Yisrael Beytenu and ultra-Orthodox parties.\n\nInitial polls have suggested Liberman may emerge from the coalition standoff in a stronger position, and increase his party’s five Knesset seats to eight or nine in the September election. The polls published on Thursday night also predicted Netanyahu’s Likud staying in the lead with 35 or 36 seats in the Knesset.\n\nIsrael’s political map is likely to change in the weeks ahead of the September election, with media reports suggesting that Bennett could lead a new right-wing alliance, Labor mulling a new leader and possibly merging with Meretz or Blue and White, and the Arab parties running on a joint list.\n\nTimes of Israel staff contributed to this report.", "JERUSALEM - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has fired his education and justice ministers, days after parliament voted to hold new elections.\n\nAn official in Netanyahu’s office confirmed that Naftali Bennett and Ayelet Shaked, two hawkish former allies, were dismissed from the interim government. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.", "Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu fired ministers Naftali Bennett and Ayelet Shaked on Sunday, removing the two from his cabinet.\n\nThe Prime Minister’s Office informed Bennett and Shaked that they would no longer be serving as Education Minister and Justice Minister respectively, following the failure of their party to cross the electoral threshold in the April election. According to Netanyahu, the two can not continue to serve in a sensitive role in the cabinet for six months, especially as they have not been elected by the public.\n\nThey both attended Sunday’s Cabinet meeting for the first time since the election.\n\nFormer ministers Bennett and Shaked issued a statement saying that they “thank the Israeli public for the rare privilege we have had to serve in our roles as education and justice ministers. All we did was for the good of the State of Israel and its citizens.”\n\nThey added that they “will transfer the ministries we headed in an orderly manner to the ministers who will replace us in order to maintain the continuous and good functioning of the ministries of Education and Justice, so that the next school year will open as usual.”\n\nAccording to a report on Kan news, Netanyahu asked Union of Right-Wing Parties heads Rabbi Rafi Peretz and Betzalel Smotrich to demand the dismissal of Shaked and Bennett as minister, and the two refused. The URP has asked Netanyahu to assume these portfolios."], "summary": "Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismisses Minister of Justice Ayelet Shaked and Minister of Education Naftali Bennett from the interim government."}
{"document": ["Image zoom King Felipe and King Juan Carlos; Prince Charles and Queen Elizabeth Carlos Alvarez/Getty; Arthur Edwards -Pool/Getty\n\nFive years after his abdication, King Juan Carlos I of Spain is retiring from public life.\n\nThe 81-year-old royal shared his plans to withdraw from public duties in a letter to his son, King Felipe VI, according to El Pais.\n\nIn Juan Carlos’ letter to Felipe IV, which was shared by La Zarzuela, reveals that the former king has been considering his retirement since his 80th birthday in Jan. 2018. The recent celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Spanish Constitution in Congress in December confirmed his decision.\n\n“[It was] a solemn act, full of emotion for me, that evoked, with pride and admiration, the memory of the many people who made the political transition [to democracy] possible and renewed my feeling of permanent gratitude toward the Spanish people, the true architect and leading protagonist of that transcendental stage of our recent history,” King Juan Carlos said in the letter.\n\nImage zoom King Juan Carlos and King Felipe of Spain Carlos Alvarez/Getty\n\nRELATED: Happy 15th Anniversary, Queen Letizia and King Felipe! The Best Photos from Their Extravagant Royal Wedding\n\nKing Juan Carlos’ final official act was the presentation of the Spanish Order Awards 2019 in the San Lorenzo de El Escorial Royal Monastery on May 17, when he handed the prestigious prize to historian Miguel Ángel Ladero. His final royal trip was to Chile in March 2018, accompanied by his wife, Queen Sofia.\n\nImage zoom Queen Letizia, King Felipe VI, King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia of Spain A. Ware/NurPhoto via Getty\n\nJuan Carlos’ retirement will officially begin on June 2, exactly five years after his abdication. The former Spanish king reportedly wanted to pass the job onto his son before Felipe, 51, grew old – comparing the situation to Prince Charles‘ nearly lifelong wait to be king.\n\nHe reportedly spoke to Rafael Spottorno, chief of the royal household, and said: “I do not want my son to wither waiting like Prince Charles,” according to El Mundo newspaper in 2014.\n\nCan’t get enough of PEOPLE’s Royals coverage? Sign up for our newsletter to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!\n\nImage zoom Prince Charles and Queen Elizabeth Tim Rooke/REX/Shutterstock\n\nIn a rare move, Queen Elizabeth publicly backed Charles as the next Commonwealth leader in April 2018.\n\nThe monarch, now 93, formally asked the Commonwealth Heads of Government to appoint her eldest son as her successor of the association of Britain and its former colonies.\n\nQueen Elizabeth has been the group’s symbolic figurehead since 1952. Leaders were expected to discuss who should follow her in the role. The position is not hereditary, but Prince Charles is expected to get the nod. (As the Queen’s firstborn, Charles is the hereditary heir to the British throne, which he will automatically inherit upon his mother’s death.)\n\n“It is my sincere wish that the Commonwealth will continue to offer stability and continuity for future generations and will decide that one day the Prince of Wales should carry on the important work started by my father in 1949,” the Queen said at the formal opening of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting at Buckingham Palace.\n\nCharles’ father, Prince Philip, also publicly retired from public life in August 2017.\n\n“The Duke of Edinburgh will no longer undertake his own program of public engagements,” a statement from Buckingham Palace read. “The Captain General’s Parade will bring His Royal Highness’s individual program to a conclusion, although he may choose to attend certain events, alongside The Queen, from time to time.”", "Spain’s former king will spend the first day of his retirement from public life on Sunday lapping up the sunshine at a bullfight south of Madrid – exactly five years after his reign ended in abdication and scandal.\n\nAs emeritus king since his son, Felipe, took up the throne, 81-year-old Juan Carlos de Borbón has endured a series of humiliations as ill health and revelations about his private life have seen him shunted in and out of the spotlight.\n\nAccording to reports, Juan Carlos was piqued after planning to accompany King Felipe VI at Saturday’s annual Armed Forces Day in Seville, only for his son and Queen Letizia to decide this was not a good idea.\n\nQuite unexpectedly, last Monday Juan Carlos wrote in a letter to Felipe VI, posted on the Royal Household's website, that it was time to “start a new chapter in my life and complete my retirement from public life”.\n\nAs king, Juan Carlos kicked off the changes that created modern Spain by swearing allegiance to the fascist regime of dictator Francisco Franco before launching a democratic transition after the latter’s death in 1975.", "As he steps back, a look at the dramatic life of Spain’s Juan Carlos I\n\nMadrid, Spain | AFP | He only discovered Spain when he was 10, was picked by dictator Francisco Franco to succeed him but instead steered his country to democracy. On Sunday, former king Juan Carlos I retires from public life.\n\n“Such a long, full story, as if it were designed by an architect,” Spanish novelist Eduardo Mendoza said last year.\n\nBorn 81 years ago in Italy, the grandson of exiled Spanish king Alfonso XIII will go down in history as the one who gave both the throne back to the House of Bourbon and democracy back to Spain.\n\nBut the end of his 38-year reign (1975-2014) was clouded by several scandals until he abdicated in favour of his son Felipe VI.\n\nOn a winter day in 1948, a 10-year-old boy, escorted by a duke and viscount, arrives at Lisbon station.\n\nThis little prince “with his blond curls, fighting back tears,” boards a train bound for Spain, a country he doesn’t know, writes Jose Luis de Vilallonga in his biography “The King.”\n\nDictator Francisco Franco, who rules Spain with an iron fist since 1939 when he won a civil war, has decided to bring him over.\n\nHis father Juan de Bourbon might be wary of Franco but has accepted to entrust Juan Carlos to the dictator with the hope that one day, the throne will be returned to the Bourbons after Alfonso XIII fled the new republic in 1931.\n\nFar from his family, Juan Carlos’ childhood is marked by church services and speeches vaunting the victory of Franco’s forces over the republican “reds.”\n\nHe also plays a lot of sport with friends who call him “Juanito” or else “your highness.”\n\nWhen he is 18, tragedy hits when he accidentally kills his 14-year-old brother with a shot to the forehead while visiting his parents in Portugal, according to the biography “Juan Carlos” written by British historian Paul Preston.\n\nFranco will make sure the accident is kept under wraps.\n\nTrained in military schools, Juan Carlos will spend 27 years of his life in the shadow of the dictator who may have considered him as the son he never had but still “devoured police reports” about him, says Preston.\n\nIn 1962, Juan Carlos marries then Princess Sofia of Greece whom he met on a cruise\n\nSeven years later, Franco names him as his successor. Two days after the death of the dictator, on November 22, 1975, he finally recovers his grandfather’s throne and becomes Juan Carlos I.\n\n“Years of appearing with Franco, dejected and mute, has prompted the widespread idea that he lacked both intelligence and courage,” writes Preston.\n\nBut it wasn’t so. Going against his mission to preserve the Franco regime, the king choses to carry his country to democracy.\n\nThe Communist Party is legalised, political offences are amnestied and, after free elections in 1977, he is applauded as “the king of all Spaniards.”\n\nThen he became the “national hero who saved democracy,” according to Mendoza.\n\nWhen a military coup takes place on February 23, 1981 in his name, the king manages to put a stop to it and reassures the country in the middle of the night with a speech vaunting the “democratic process.”\n\nBut his life tips over in 2012 when aged 74, he falls over and breaks his hip during an elephant hunting trip in Botswana.\n\nIn deep financial crisis at the time, Spain discovers he was on a luxury safari paid for by a Saudi entrepreneur and that a German woman accompanying him is his lover.\n\nHe is forced to abdicate in 2014, “when he realises that the media has started reporting many irregularities in his life” like the numerous covert relationships of “this Casanova” or doubts about where his fortune came from, says author Pilar Urbano.\n\nAs such, the end of his reign is “arduous”, quite “sad” and far from exemplary, says the author of two biographies of former queen Sofia.\n\nNow though, she says, by retiring from public life and no longer representing the Crown, he recovers his freedom, having always liked “doing what appeals to him, in secret.”", "With palaces and gardens to rival Versailles, Aranjuez has long been part of Spanish royal life. For Juan Carlos de Borbon there could be no more fitting venue from which to say his adioses.\n\nThe former king has announced he will retire from official duties today after presiding, as guest of honour, over a bullfight in the city that inspired Joaquin Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez.\n\nFrom a royal box in the arena, Juan Carlos, 81, for decades a prominent fixture of Spain’s public rituals, will observe the bloody pageant — he is a great fan of the corrida — while wondering, perhaps, how much longer such traditions can survive.\n\nJust as bullfighting is under threat from a younger generation of Spaniards — many regard it as…"], "summary": "King Juan Carlos I of Spain retires from public life five years after his abdication."}
{"document": ["Image copyright Reuters Image caption The pope asked for forgiveness from the Roma people\n\nPope Francis has apologised to the Roma people on behalf of the Catholic Church during his visit to Romania.\n\nAt a meeting with Roma people on the last day of his visit to the country, the pontiff asked forgiveness for \"all those times in history when we have discriminated, mistreated or looked askance at you\".\n\nRoma people have faced persecution in Europe for centuries.\n\nHundreds of thousands are thought to have been killed during the Holocaust.\n\nNowadays Roma live mainly in southern and central Europe, and make up an estimated 8% of Romania's total population. They complain they struggle to get work because of discrimination, and many live in poverty.\n\nImage copyright EPA Image caption The pope made the comments when he met with Roma people in central Romania\n\n\"I ask forgiveness - in the name of the Church and of the Lord - and I ask forgiveness of you,\" Pope Francis said in the central town of Blaj.\n\n\"Indifference breeds prejudices and fosters anger and resentment,\" the pontiff said. \"How many times do we judge rashly, with words that sting, with attitudes that sow hatred and division!\"\n\n\"This is a historic moment for me and my people,\" Damian Draghici, a Roma MEP for Romania, told the BBC. \"I hope this message will change people's attitude and stereotypes against our people.\"\n\nWho are the Roma?\n\nThe meeting with the Roma came after a ceremony in Blaj at which Pope Francis beatified seven bishops who were jailed and tortured during Communist rule in Romania.\n\nAuthorities detained the men in 1948 for treason after they refused to convert to Orthodox Christianity.\n\nAll seven died in confinement and were buried in secret.\n\n\"With great courage and interior fortitude, they accepted harsh imprisonment and every kind of mistreatment, in order not to deny their fidelity to their beloved Church,\" Pope Francis told tens of thousands of worshippers at the open-air Mass on Sunday.\n\nBeatification - a papal \"blessing\" on a dead person\" - is a crucial step on the way to sainthood.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Thousands see Pope Francis arrive in Romania\n\nThe seven bishops were part of the Eastern Catholic church - a religious group that practises Orthodox Christian rituals but recognise the Pope's authority.\n\nWhen a Communist regime took power in Romania following the end of World War II, the authorities outlawed Eastern Catholicism and demanded worshippers convert to Orthodoxy.\n\nAccording to 2011 census data, only about 150,000 Eastern Catholics remain in Romania - roughly one 10th of the number that followed the church in 1948.\n\nHistorians believe thousands of Romanians were executed by Communist authorities, with many more imprisoned or tortured for opposing the regime.\n\nThe totalitarian government collapsed in December 1989. President Nicolae Ceausescu and his wife were executed on Christmas Day.\n\nImage copyright EPA Image caption An icon showing the seven bishops appeared during the mass\n\nImage copyright Reuters Image caption Tens of thousands of people attended the open air ceremony in Blaj", "BUCHAREST, Romania — Pope Francis, on the last day of his trip to Romania, on Sunday asked for forgiveness on behalf of his church for the suffering endured by the Roma people, saying his heart was “weighed down by the many experiences of discrimination, segregation and mistreatment” they have experienced.\n\nThe pope offered the apology at a newly consecrated church in a poor neighborhood of Blaj, a city in Transylvania, where a priest of Roma ethnicity welcomed him “to the periphery of the peripheries.”\n\n“History tells us that Christians too, including Catholics, are not strangers to such evil,” Francis said. “I would like to ask your forgiveness for this. I ask forgiveness — in the name of the church and of the Lord — and I ask forgiveness of you, for all those times in history when we have discriminated, mistreated or looked askance at you.”\n\nThis was his first trip to Romania — and the first by a pontiff since John Paul II visited 20 years ago — and Francis sought to mend relations between the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. He also took the opportunity to advocate for millions of Romanian emigrants, to hearten the country’s small Catholic population and to again position himself as a counterbalance to the tip toward nationalism around the world.", "BLAJ, Romania (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Sunday asked forgiveness in the name of the Catholic Church for the mistreatment of the Roma people, a move likely to increase tensions with Italy’s anti-immigrant Interior Minister Matteo Salvini.\n\nFrancis made the comment during a meeting with Roma people at the last event of his three day trip to Romania, saying his heart was made “heavy” by the meeting.\n\n“It is weighed down by the many experiences of discrimination, segregation and mistreatment experienced by your communities. History tells us that Christians too, including Catholics, are not strangers to such evil,” he said.\n\nWith an estimated population of 10-12 million, approximately six million of whom live in the European Union, Roma people are the biggest ethnic minority in Europe and rights groups say they are often the victims of prejudice and social exclusion.\n\nSalvini, who has clashed with the pope repeatedly on migration issues, reacted angrily last month when Francis received a group of Roma at the Vatican last month.\n\nSalvini, head of the far-right Lega party and a deputy prime minister, responded by repeating his promise to close all Roma camps in Italy.\n\n“I would like to ask your forgiveness for this,” the pope told the Roma. “I ask forgiveness – in the name of the Church and of the Lord – and I ask forgiveness of you. For all those times in history when we have discriminated, mistreated or looked askance at you ...”.\n\nA Roma youth, Razaila Vasile Dorin, told reporters: “It’s an honor that a person like the pope comes to our community. We are proud.”\n\n“It’s important that the pope is asking forgiveness. There is racism in every country. When we go out everyone looks at us and we don’t like that. I am proud to be a gypsy.”\n\nEarlier on Sunday, the pope said a Mass for some 100,000 people during which he beatified seven Communist-era bishops of the Eastern Rite Catholic Church who died in prison or as a result of their harsh treatment during Romania’s communist era.\n\n“(The bishops) endured suffering and gave their lives to oppose an illiberal ideological system that oppressed the fundamental rights of the human person,” Francis said.\n\nSlideshow (20 Images)\n\nAfter World War Two, Romania’s Communist authorities confiscated properties of the Eastern Rite Catholic Church and ordered its members to join the majority Orthodox Church, which was easier for the party to control.\n\nHistorians say about half a million Romanians including politicians, priests, doctors, officers, land owners and merchants were sentenced and jailed in the 1950s and early 1960s and a fifth of them perished in prisons and labor camps.\n\nMany Catholic properties taken by the Communist dictatorship or given by the government to the Orthodox have yet to be returned 30 years after the fall of dictator Nicolae Ceausescu.", "Pope apologizes to Roma on behalf of the Catholic Church\n\nPope Francis has apologised to the Roma people on behalf of the Catholic Church during a visit to Romania.\n\nAt a meeting with Roma people on the last day of his visit to the country, the pontiff asked forgiveness for “all those times in history when we have discriminated, mistreated or looked askance at you”.\n\nRoma people have faced persecution in Europe for centuries in Europe and during the last war. Thousands suffered the atrocities of the Holocaust and were killed. Nowadays Roma live in southern and central Europe and make up 10% of Romania’s total population. To date people still face discrimination and most live in poverty.", "Pope Francis asks forgiveness for historical mistreatment of Roma people by Catholic Church", "The pope asked for forgiveness from the Roma people\n\nPope Francis has apologised to the Roma people on behalf of the Catholic Church during his visit to Romania.\n\nAt a meeting with Roma people on the last day of his visit to the country, the pontiff asked forgiveness for \"all those times in history when we have discriminated, mistreated or looked askance at you\".\n\nRoma people have faced persecution in Europe for centuries.\n\nHundreds of thousands are thought to have been killed during the Holocaust.\n\nNowadays Roma live mainly in southern and central Europe, and make up about 10% of Romania's total population. They complain they struggle to get work because of discrimination, and many live in poverty.\n\nThe pope made the comments when he met with Roma people in central Romania\n\n\"I ask forgiveness - in the name of the Church and of the Lord - and I ask forgiveness of you,\" Pope Francis said in the central town of Blaj.\n\n\"Indifference breeds prejudices and fosters anger and resentment,\" the pontiff said. \"How many times do we judge rashly, with words that sting, with attitudes that sow hatred and division!\"\n\nWho are the Roma?\n• An ethnic group thought to have come to Europe from northern India about 1,500 years ago\n• Most live in southern and central Europe, although some have also emigrated to the US and Brazil - the EU lists them as the largest ethnic minority in Europe\n• Roma were enslaved in Romania into the 19th century\n• Nazi Germany targeted Roma people during the Holocaust, and historians estimate hundreds of thousands were murdered\n• Roma complain of housing and employment discrimination throughout Europe\n\nThe meeting with the Roma came after a ceremony in Blaj at which Pope Francis beatified seven bishops who were jailed and tortured during Communist rule in Romania.\n\nAuthorities detained the men in 1948 for treason after they refused to convert to Orthodox Christianity.\n\nAll seven died in confinement and were buried in secret.\n\n\"With great courage and interior fortitude, they accepted harsh imprisonment and every kind of mistreatment, in order not to deny their fidelity to their beloved Church,\" Pope Francis told tens of thousands of worshippers at the open-air Mass on Sunday.\n\nBeatification - a papal \"blessing\" on a dead person\" - is a crucial step on the way to sainthood.\n\nAn icon showing the seven bishops appeared during the mass\n\nTens of thousands of people attended the open air ceremony in Blaj\n\nThe seven bishops were part of the Eastern Catholic church - a religious group that practises Orthodox Christian rituals but recognise the Pope's authority.\n\nWhen a Communist regime took power in Romania following the end of World War II, the authorities outlawed Eastern Catholicism and demanded worshippers convert to Orthodoxy.\n\nAccording to 2011 census data, only about 150,000 Eastern Catholics remain in Romania - roughly one 10th of the number that followed the church in 1948.\n\nHistorians believe thousands of Romanians were executed by Communist authorities, with many more imprisoned or tortured for opposing the regime.\n\nThe totalitarian government collapsed in December 1989. President Nicolae Ceausescu and his wife were executed on Christmas Day.\n\nMedia captionNicolae and Elena Ceausescu home was opened to the public in 2016, 27 years after they were executed", "Pope Francis apologised to the Roma people on Sunday for the Roman Catholic Church’s \"discrimination\" against them as he wrapped up a visit to Romania.\n\nMaking up around 10 percent of Romania’s 20 million people, many Roma are marginalised and live in poverty and have suffered centuries of discrimination and insults. \"I ask forgiveness - in the name of the Church and of the Lord - and I ask forgiveness of you. For all those times in history when we have discriminated, mistreated or looked askance at you,\" the pope said in a speech to the Roma community in the central town of Blaj.\n\n\"My heart, however, is heavy. It is weighed down by the many experiences of discrimination, segregation and mistreatment experienced by your communities. History tells us that Christians too, including Catholics, are not strangers to such evil,\" he said.\n\n\"Indifference breeds prejudices and fosters anger and resentment. How many times do we judge rashly, with words that sting, with attitudes that sow hatred and division!\" Earlier, the pontiff beatified seven Greco-Catholic bishops jailed and tortured during the Communist era.\n\n\"The new blessed ones suffered and sacrificed their lives, opposing a system of totalitarian and coercive ideology,\" he told some 60,000 worshippers attending mass on a \"Field of Liberty\" in Blaj.\n\n\"These shepherds, martyrs of faith, garnered for and left the Romanian people a precious heritage which we can sum up in two words: freedom and mercy,\" added Francis, while praising the \"diversity of religious expression\" in mainly Orthodox Romania.\n\nRegime officials detained the beatified bishops overnight on October 28, 1948, accusing them of \"high treason\" after they refused to convert to Orthodoxy. The Greek-Catholic Church was outlawed under 1948-89 Communist rule.\n\nThe bishops died of maltreatment, some still in jail, others in confinement in an Orthodox monastery. They were then buried in secret -- to this day the whereabouts of four of their graves is unknown.\n\nThe bars of the cells where they were held were symbolically incorporated into the throne built specially for the papal visit. The bishops followed the Eastern Rite Catholic Church which emerged from an Orthodox schism at the end of the 17th century when the central region of Transylvania was part of the Austro-Hungarian empire.\n\nWhile retaining Orthodox practices they recognised Roman Catholic papal authority -- unacceptable for the Communist regime which took power following World War II. Under a 1948 decree formally abolishing the Eastern Catholic churches, Greco-Catholics were forcibly obliged to return to the Orthodox fold.\n\nUnder such stark political repression, most Romanian Catholics -- who numbered more than 1.5 million in 1948, abandoned their faith and their community has shrunk to around 200,000 today in a country of 20 million, almost nine in 10 of whom profess Orthodoxy.\n\nThe politics which has seeped through Romania’s modern religious history has poisoned inter-faith relations -- even if the papal visit has softened feelings to a degree. \"No matter where we go, to the town hall, to the police or to school, doors get closed,\" a 72-year-old Roma, who gave his name as Ion, told AFP.\n\nRoma, originating from northern India, suffered around five centuries of slavery before the practice was formally abolished in 1856. But they remain a mainly poor and marginalised community -- even if recent years have seen roads paved and homes getting running water and electricity.\n\nFrancis’s arrival in Blaj to wind up his visit was part of his attempt at inclusiveness on his three-day visit to one of what remains Europe’s poorest states. Although Romania has developed apace since obtaining EU membership in 2007 there remain some \"urban or rural ghettos where nothing has changed,\" according to sociologist Gelu Duminica, who heads the anti-discrimination Impreuna (Together) association.\n\nDuminica and others in Blaj saw it as no coincidence that Francis, often seen as a defender of the rights of the most marginalised, chose the Barbu Lautaru district of Blaj, whose inhabitants are mainly Roma, to launch his appeal for tolerance and social inclusion.\n\n\"The pope’s visit is a message for those who are marginalised, disregarded or not accepted by others,\" said Mihai Gherghel, an eastern Catholic priest, who supervised the construction of the Blaj church where Francis celebrated Sunday mass.", "Pope Francis on Sunday asked the Roma people for \"forgiveness\" for discrimination committed by the Roman Catholic Church against them after meeting with members of the community in Romania.\n\n\"I ask forgiveness in the name of the Church... for the times when in the course of history we have discriminated against, mistreated or mistrusted\" the Roma people, the pope said in a speech to the Roma community in the central Romanian town of Blaj.", "related media assets (image or videos) available. Click to see the gallery.\n\n4 related media assets (image or videos) available. Click to see the gallery.\n\nBLAJ, Romania: Pope Francis on Sunday (Jun 2) beatified seven Greco-Catholic bishops jailed and tortured during the Communist era on the final day of his visit to Romania.\n\n\"The new blessed ones suffered and sacrificed their lives, opposing a system of totalitarian and coercive ideology,\" the pontiff told some 60,000 worshippers attending mass on a \"Field of Liberty\" in the small central town of Blaj.\n\n\"These shepherds, martyrs of faith, garnered for and left the Romanian people a precious heritage which we can sum up in two words: freedom and mercy,\" added Francis, while praising the \"diversity of religious expression\" in mainly Orthodox Romania.\n\nRegime officials detained the beatified bishops overnight on Oct 28, 1948, accusing them of \"high treason\" after they refused to convert to Orthodoxy.\n\nThe Greek-Catholic Church was outlawed under 1948-89 Communist rule.\n\nThe bishops died of maltreatment, some still in jail, others in confinement in an Orthodox monastery. They were then buried in secret - to this day the whereabouts of four of their graves is unknown.\n\nThe bars of the cells where they were held were symbolically incorporated into the throne built specially for the papal visit.\n\nThe bishops followed the Eastern Rite Catholic Church which emerged from an Orthodox schism at the end of the 17th century when the central region of Transylvania was part of the Austro-Hungarian empire.\n\nWhile retaining Orthodox practices they recognised Roman Catholic papal authority - unacceptable for the Communist regime which took power following World War II. Under a 1948 decree formally abolishing the Eastern Catholic churches, Greco-Catholics were forcibly obliged to return to the Orthodox fold.\n\n\"This anti-faith hatred came from (Soviet leader) Joseph Stalin, who had in the same way liquidated the Ukrainian Greco-Catholic church,\" researcher Emanuel Cosmovici told AFP. Complicit in 1948, Romania's Orthodox Church would itself face repression under the Communists - albeit some senior prelates did collaborate with the party.\n\nUnder such stark political repression, most Romanian Catholics - who numbered more than 1.5 million in 1948, abandoned their faith and their community has shrunk to around 200,000 today in a country of 20 million, almost nine in 10 of whom profess Orthodoxy.\n\nThe politics which has seeped through Romania's modern religious history has poisoned inter-faith relations - even if the papal visit has softened feelings to a degree.\n\nBeyond religious discrimination, Romania has also known the racial variant, with the country's Roma, making up as much as 10 per cent of the population, not hesitating to mention the fact during Francis' visit.\n\n\"He will definitely speak about discrimination because we have no rights at all,\" said Ion, a pensioner from central Romania, ahead of Sunday's mass.\n\n\"No matter where we go, to the town hall, to the police or to school, doors get closed,\" the former construction site worker told AFP ahead of Francis's arrival in Blaj, where several thousand Roma live.\n\nRoma, originating from northern India, suffered around five centuries of slavery before the practice was formally abolished in 1856.\n\nBut they remain a mainly poor and marginalised community - even if recent years have seen roads paved and homes getting running water and electricity.\n\nFrancis's arrival in Blaj to wind up his visit was part of his attempt at inclusiveness on his three-day visit to one of what remains Europe's poorest states.\n\nAlthough Romania has developed apace since obtaining EU membership in 2007 there remain some \"urban or rural ghettos where nothing has changed,\" according to sociologist Gelu Duminica, who heads the anti-discrimination Impreuna (Together) association.\n\nDuminica and others in Blaj saw it as no coincidence that Francis, often seen as a defender of the rights of the most marginalised, chose the Barbu Lautaru district of Blaj, whose inhabitants are mainly Roma, to launch his appeal for tolerance and social inclusion.\n\n\"The pope's visit is a message for those who are marginalised, disregarded or not accepted by others,\" said Mihai Gherghel, an eastern Catholic priest, who supervised the construction of the Blaj church where Francis celebrated Sunday mass.", "BLAJ, Romania: Pope Francis apologised to the Roma people on Sunday for the Roman Catholic Church’s “discrimination” against them as he wrapped up a visit to Romania.\n\nMaking up around 10 percent of Romania´s 20 million people, many Roma are marginalised and live in poverty and have suffered centuries of discrimination and insults. “I ask forgiveness - in the name of the Church and of the Lord - and I ask forgiveness of you. For all those times in history when we have discriminated, mistreated or looked askance at you,” the pope said in a speech to the Roma community in the central town of Blaj. “My heart, however, is heavy. It is weighed down by the many experiences of discrimination, segregation and mistreatment experienced by your communities. History tells us that Christians too, including Catholics, are not strangers to such evil,” he said.\n\n“Indifference breeds prejudices and fosters anger and resentment. How many times do we judge rashly, with words that sting, with attitudes that sow hatred and division!”\n\nEarlier, the pontiff beatified seven Greco-Catholic bishops jailed and tortured during the Communist era. “The new blessed ones suffered and sacrificed their lives, opposing a system of totalitarian and coercive ideology,” he told some 60,000 worshippers attending mass on a “Field of Liberty” in Blaj. “These shepherds, martyrs of faith, garnered for and left the Romanian people a precious heritage which we can sum up in two words: freedom and mercy,” added Francis, while praising the “diversity of religious expression” in mainly Orthodox Romania. Regime officials detained the beatified bishops overnight on October 28, 1948, accusing them of “high treason” after they refused to convert to Orthodoxy. The Greek-Catholic Church was outlawed under 1948-89 Communist rule. The bishops died of maltreatment, some still in jail, others in confinement in an Orthodox monastery. They were then buried in secret — to this day the whereabouts of four of their graves is unknown. The bars of the cells where they were held were symbolically incorporated into the throne built specially for the papal visit. The bishops followed the Eastern Rite Catholic Church which emerged from an Orthodox schism at the end of the 17th century when the central region of Transylvania was part of the Austro-Hungarian empire. While retaining Orthodox practices they recognised Roman Catholic papal authority — unacceptable for the Communist regime which took power following World War II."], "summary": "During his visit to Romania, Pope Francis apologizes to the Roma people on behalf of the Catholic Church and asks forgiveness for \"all those times in history when we have discriminated, mistreated or looked askance at you.\" He also beatifies seven Eastern Catholic church bishops who were jailed for treason and tortured under Communist rule. All died in confinement and were buried in secret."}
{"document": ["Citizens of San Marino, one of Europe's smallest countries, have chosen to ban discrimination based on sexual discrimination by constitution. The motion passed with 71.46% of votes in a referendum on Sunday.\n\nThe enclave state, home to around 33,500 people and independent since 301 AD (CE), has become the eleventh country in the world to include LGBT rights directly into its constitution, joining the UK, Sweden, Portugal, Malta, Bolivia, Ecuador, New Zealand, Mexico, South African and the Fiji Islands.\n\nThe result of the referendum means that article 4 of the San Marino constitution, listing all the specifications on which the principle of equality applies before the law, will now include the clause \"without any discrimination on the base of sexual orientation\".\n\nThe measure is the latest step in San Marino's evolving attitude towards LGBT rights. Until 2004, homosexuality in the country was punishable with 3 to 12 months of jail time. In 2018, the parliament passed a law legalising civil unions for same-sex couples.\n\nRepubblica di San Marino e diritti LGBT: Referendum costituzionale introduce il divieto di discriminazione per... Publiée par Marco Tonti sur Lundi 3 juin 2019\n\n\"It's a huge success, backed by a popular and conscious vote\", wrote Italian LGBT activist Marco Tonti, who has been working in collaboration with advocates in San Marino since the law on civil unions, on Facebook. \"I hope this exceptional success acts as a sign and a warning outside of the borders of San Marino, especially for Italy\".\n\n\"We hope that this success is only the first step of a popular season full of recognition of new rights on all fronts, animated by a profound and fruitful debate, starting with the law proposal on voluntary interruption of pregnancy that will soon be discussed, up to equally fundamental issues such as end of life treatment\", commented the committee that pushed for the law on civil unions in 2018 in a press release.\n\nThe Christian Democrats, San Marino's main conservative party, did not take a stand on the referendum.\n\nDo you want more news?", "I read Les Francis’ article in the Mercury News and pretty much agree with his conclusions regarding the Electoral College.\n\nIt does need reform, not abolishment. However, his solution seems to be complicated and hard to accomplish.\n\nI have much simpler solution, which will be difficult to achieve due to vested political interests. Eliminate “winner-take-all” electoral votes and apportion them in each state according to the percent of the popular vote.\n• Letter: ‘Family values’ of those who are LGBTQ are no different\n• Letter: California’s voters are ‘less equal’ than other voters\n• Letter: Trans woman deserved more, from onlookers and police The Electoral College votes would more closely resemble the popular vote than it does now. Examples: Hillary got 62% of the popular vote in California and 100% of the Electoral College votes. I recall reading that Trump got 52.5% of the Texas popular vote and 100% of the Electoral College votes. Neither adequately represents the “will” of the people.\n\nSubmit your letter to the editor via this formRead more Letters to the Editor"], "summary": "Sanmmarinese voters vote to end discrimination based on sexual orientation and initiate a popular legislative initiative for the reform of the electoral system."}
{"document": ["The economic numbers are continuing to defy the recession hype\n\nThe labor market and the broader economy are both better than they look on the surface, and in fact have been mostly defying the continual patter of recession expectations.\n\nEconomy\n\nread more", "\n• On Sunday, sites that use Google Cloud services experienced interruptions during what the company says was a larger network issue.\n• Google services like Gmail, Google Drive, and YouTube were impacted as well as Snapchat, Nest, and Discord, all of which use Google Cloud.\n• Google’s cloud monitoring site indicated the issue began around 12:25 p.m. PST on Sunday and is impacting large portions of the United States and parts of Europe. At 12:59 p.m. PST, Google reported the outage was related to a larger network issue.\n\nYouTube, Snapchat, Gmail, Nest, Discord, and several other web sites were experiencing service interruptions on Sunday due to a larger network issue with Google Cloud services.\n\nAccording to Google’s cloud monitoring dashboard, the issues began around 12:25 p.m. PST Sunday and were found to be related to a larger network issue by 12:59 p.m. PST.\n\nThe outage is widespread across the United States and parts of Europe. Much of Google’s suite of services is affected, including Gmail, Google Drive, Nest, and YouTube. Other websites like Snapchat and Discord were experiencing interruptions, likely because they also use Google Cloud services.\n\nGoogle did not respond to Business Insider’s request for comment.\n\nUpdate: Google had identified the issue as of 1:36 p.m. PST and was working to restore service, according to a statement posted on the Cloud monitoring dashboard.\n\n“We are experiencing high levels of network congestion in the eastern USA, affecting multiple services in Google Cloud, GSuite and YouTube. Users may see slow performance or intermittent errors. We believe we have identified the root cause of the congestion and expect to a return to normal service shortly.”", "A Google outage is affecting many services Sunday afternoon, including YouTube, Gmail, Snapchat and many others.\n\nAccording to the Google Cloud Platform dashboard , there is an issue with the Google Compute Engine, affecting social media apps and websites. The issues started around 3:25 EST.\n\nUsers primarily on the east coast of the United States were reporting issues with Google and apps that use Google Cloud, such as Snapchat and Discord, according to downdetector.com . But people in other regions of the U.S. and Europe are experiencing issues as well.\n\nGoogle nor any of the affected sites and apps have said when services will be back to normal.\n\nThis story is breaking and will be updated.", "A mysterious outage has hit Google Cloud, one of the biggest cloud service providers on the internet, and thousands of sites have gone down as a result, including both Google and non-Google services.\n\nAffected companies include some of the biggest names around, such as Snapchat, Vimeo, Shopify, Discord, Pokemon GO; but also most of Google's own services, like YouTube, Gmail, Google Search, G Suite, Hangouts, Google Drive, Google Docs, Google Nest, and others.\n\nIn an extreme case of irony, according to a Google employee, the outage was so severe that it also took down internal tools Google engineers were using to communicate among each other about the outage, making recovery efforts even more difficult.\n\n\"We're having what appears to be a serious networking outage,\" the Google employee said in a HackerNews post.\n\n\"It's disrupting everything, including unfortunately the tooling we usually use to communicate across the company about outages.\"\n\nThe networking issue appears to be related to an outage at Level 3, an US-based ISP that provides connectivity and various other services to Google data centers.\n\nIn January, a similar Level 3 outage caused authentication services to go down for all Microsoft cloud services, with the most impacted being Office 365, Dynamics 365, and Azure Government Cloud.\n\nGoogle Cloud Platform services have been down for at least two hours, at the time of writing. Users in North America are being impacted the most, although some European users also reported scarce problems.\n\nThis is a developing story. More updates will follow.", "Google is dealing with outages among the services that use its Cloud platform.\n\nThose services include YouTube, Gmail, Discord, Snapchat, Nest and others.\n\nIt is mostly affecting users on the east coast, but DownDetector shows outages Los Angeles, San Francisco and in parts of Europe as well.\n\n“We continue to experience high levels of network congestion in the eastern USA, affecting multiple services in Google Cloud, G Suite and YouTube. Users may see slow performance or intermittent errors. Our engineering teams have completed the first phase of their mitigation work and are currently implementing the second phase, after which we expect to return to normal service,\" Google said in a statement.\n\nGoogle said it will provide an update at 4 p.m. PT.", "A widespread Google Cloud outage hit Sunday, rendering popular sites and apps like YouTube and Gmail unusable for many users, CNET reports. Google's Cloud Computing Engine and Cloud Networking services began experiencing issues as of 4 p.m. ET, according to the status page on company's website.\n\nAccording to Down Detector, which logs outages and service interruptions, the outages appear to be primarily clustered along the East Coast of the United States as well as in parts of South America and Europe.\n\nIn addition to popular social media sites, Google Cloud is relied on by a variety of large-scale companies, including Weight Watchers, PayPal and Target. Even Apple admitted it uses Google Cloud for its iCloud storage services, The Verge reports.\n\nSocial media users have been quick to voice their frustrations. The hashtag #YouTubeDOWN is now among Twitter's trending topics in the U.S.\n\nIt was not immediately clear what caused Sunday's issue or when services might be restored, according to CNET. They have reached out to Google for comment.", "Google products such as YouTube, Gmail, Gsuite and more in the US had suffered a temporary outage but services have now been restored. As per Google, the main reason for the problem happened to be Google’s Cloud service that powers these apps.\n\nThe most affected were on the east coast of the US but as per a report by The Verge, YouTube was down in some parts of Europe as well. Indian users, to the best of our knowledge, did not suffer from this Google shutdown. The issues started cropping up by 12.00 pm PT (12.30 am IST, next day) and Google resolved it in four hours.\n\nApart from just Google services, Snapchat, Discord, Nest and more products were also affected as they run on Google Cloud on the backend. A Google spokesperson told The Verge that “high levels of network congestion in the eastern USA” is to be blamed for the issue.\n\nThis outage comes in the backdrop of an ongoing feud of the company with US antitrust regulators who have reportedly evinced a new interest in pursuing competition charges against Google.\n\nGovernments around the world are becoming increasingly unnerved by the power amassed by major technology companies — with the dominance of Google in search, Facebook in social networking and Amazon in e-commerce raising the sharpest concerns. In the most dramatic scenario, a case might be made for breaking the companies into smaller pieces.\n\nTech2 is now on WhatsApp. For all the buzz on the latest tech and science, sign up for our WhatsApp services. Just go to Tech2.com/Whatsapp and hit the Subscribe button.", "An outage of Google Cloud took down a whole chunk of services — both Google and third-party — Sunday afternoon in parts of the US and Europe, and while Google believes it has found the cause , full service has not been restored yet.\n\n\"We are experiencing high levels of network congestion in the eastern USA, affecting multiple service in Google Cloud, G Suite and YouTube. Users may see slow performance or intermittent errors. We believe we have identified the root cause of the congestion and expect to return to normal service shortly.\"\n\nThe outage of G Suite services and YouTube is bad enough, but this outage took down Google Cloud, too, which in turn caused outages and failures for numerous websites and services that rely upon Google Cloud, including apps like Snapchat, Discord, Shopify web stores and even Pokemon Go. (Hope you weren't planning to go retake that gym this weekend!)\n\nGoogle is working on a fix and we will let you know once we see things clearing up. In the meantime... maybe go cool off by the pool?", "Google services like YouTube, Nest and Gmail, as well as Cloud customers like Snapchat, Shopify, Vimeo and Discord were impacted by the problem, which began around 12:15 Pacific time.\n\n\"We are experiencing high levels of network congestion in the eastern USA, affecting multiple services in Google Cloud, G Suite and YouTube. Users may see slow performance or intermittent errors,\" the company said on its status page at the time.\n\nWhile the congestion occurred in the US, its impact was felt globally, and was described by network monitoring company ThousandEyes as a \"large scale\" outage\n\nThe problem was resolved as of 4:00pm Pacific time, with Google promising to \"conduct an internal investigation of this issue and make appropriate improvements to our systems to help prevent or minimize future recurrence. We will provide a detailed report of this incident once we have completed our internal investigation. This detailed report will contain information regarding SLA credits.\"\n\nIn a statement, the company apologized for the inconvenience and thanked customers for their \"patience and continued support.\" It added: \"Please rest assured that system reliability is a top priority at Google, and we are making continuous improvements to make our systems better.\"\n\nThe outage which, among other things, meant that Nest users could not control their thermostats, comes after several major disruptions have impacted the largest cloud companies in recent years, highlighting the difficulty of building a resilient service, even with enormous resources.\n\nJust last year saw Google Cloud go down due to a BGP error, Microsoft Azure be knocked out by a lightning strike, and Amazon Web Services be disrupted by a “power event.”", "Google server issues have affected tech services across the United States with outages reported in the UK, Europe and other parts of the globe. Google users have reported long loading times on apps like Google Photos or crashes on the popular video service YouTube. On Sunday evening (June 2) more than 4,370 user-submitted reports to DownDetector.com complained of issues with Google and Snapchat. According to the website, Google has been having “issues since 12.57am EDT”.\n\nOne Google user, Zachary Salman, said: “Google Maps is still having trouble. The site itself loads but different function within it freeze up and sit there for two or three minutes before anything happens.” Eva Friedberg said: “Can’t use Gmail through a third-party application (Quickbooks). Trying to send out May invoices!” Another person complained of a “state-wide” outage in Idaho, US, and another report complained of slow Google Maps speeds in Aals Belgium. Google Home also appears to have been affected by the server issues alongside Google Nest and people have claimed to have been locked out of their Gmail accounts. READ MORE: How to add another email account to your Gmail\n\nAccording to a Google spokesperson, an issue with the tech giant’s Google Compute Engine has triggered a “larger network issue.” The spokesperson said: “We are experiencing high levels of network congestion in the eastern USA, affecting multiple services in Google Cloud, GSuite and YouTube. “Users may see slow performance or intermittent errors. “We believe we have identified the root cause of the congestion and expect to a return to normal service shortly.” As of Monday, June 3, most of Google’s services appear to be back and running as normal, although individual issues are still being reported. READ MORE: Can you get WhatsApp on Apple Watch 4?\n\nAt 8.20pm on Sunday, Snapchat’s support team tweeted: “We’re aware of an issue preventing some Snapchatters from using the app. Hang tight.” User reports on DownDetector.com complained of people being unable to log in to their accounts. Others reported not being able to upload photos to their Snapchat stories. READ MORE: How to turn on dark mode in WhatsApp chat\n\nOne person wrote: “Won’t let me upload photos to my story? Anyone else? Was down last night but came back and is now doing this.” Another Twitter user said: “My Snapchat is sending my stories on a two hour delay. Fix your app.” Mackenzie Papa said: “Snap still isn’t letting me post and it’s really p****** me off.” And Victoria Smiley said: “My Snapchat will not upload any stories. But I can snap people.” Despite these user reports, Snapchat’s support team announced on Monday morning the problem has been dealt with."], "summary": "Google has a cloud services outage that affects Gmail, Snapchat, YouTube and other services in parts of the United States."}
{"document": ["Three explosions struck the Afghan capital on Sunday, including a sticky bomb attached to a bus carrying university students that killed at least one person, Afghan officials said. The bus explosion wounded ten people, including an Afghan reporter, said Nasrat Rahimi, spokesman for the interior ministry. Two roadside bombs were detonated about 20 minutes later, wounding seven more people, including five security forces in the same residential area of western Kabul.\n\nSeveral houses and shops around the blast sites were damaged, and security forces blocked all roads leading to the site.\n\nWahidullah Mayar, spokesman for the public health ministry, said at least four women were wounded in the bus bombing an had been taken to hospitals. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attacks, but both Taliban and Islamic State militants are active in the capital and have staged attacks in Kabul.\n\nIn a separate attack late Saturday in eastern Ghazni province, a Taliban suicide bomber detonated a stolen Humvee packed with explosives inside a police reserve unit compound, killing at least seven police personnel, said Nasr Ahmad Faqeri, head of Ghazni’s provincial council. He added that eight other police were wounded in the attack on the outskirts of the provincial capital, Ghazni city.The suicide bomber was able to enter the compound using a stolen Humvee,\n\nTaliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid took responsibility for the attack in Ghazni. In recent days, Kabul has witnessed a wave of attacks. A Taliban suicide car bomber targeted a U.S. convoy on Friday in an eastern neighborhood, killing four Afghan civilians wounding three others, as well as lightly wounding four American forces. On Thursday, six people were killed when a suicide bomber blew himself up outside an Afghan army academy and training center.\n\nAttacks by the Taliban have continued unabated despite peace talks with the United States as well as a fresh round of talks with Afghan notables last week in the Russian capital, Moscow. The Taliban have rejected repeated demands for a cease fire, saying the fighting will continue until U.S. and NATO troops withdraw from Afghanistan.", "ADVERTISEMENT\n\nNo fewer than five persons were killed after a bomb planted on a government vehicle went off in a western Kabul neighbourhood on Monday, an official has said.\n\nSpokesman of the Police in Kabul, Ferdous Faramarz, who made this known, said 10 other persons were injured in the incident.\n\nADVERTISEMENT\n\nNo group has claimed responsibility for the attack so far.\n\nADVERTISEMENT NOMINATE AFRICAN OF THE YEAR 2019\n\nTen attacks in the Afghan capital since January this year have left no fewer than 53 persons dead and over 352 injured.\n\nIslamic State militants claimed responsibility for an attack in Kabul on Sunday that killed two and injured 24 others.\n\nJust days before, the militants carried out a suicide bombing at the entrance to a military university in the city that left six dead and 16 injured. (dpa/NAN)\n\nRelated\n\nOVER 5,000 NIGERIAN MEN HAVE OVERCOME POOR BEDROOM PERFORMANCE SYNDROME DUE TO THIS BRILLIANT DISCOVERY\n\nDownload Daily Trust News App", "Baghlan [Afghanistan], Jun 4 (ANI): At least two people were killed while 14 others were wounded after an Improvised explosive device (IED) exploded here on Tuesday morning.\n\nThe news was confirmed by the provincial police, according to TOLOnews.\n\nThe incident comes after another magnetic IED blast killed five people in Kabul on Monday. The blast targeted a bus carrying employees of the Independent Administrative Reform and Civil Service Commission. (ANI)", "Gondia police have recovered 10 kilogram improvised explosive device (IED) from a culvert in Salekasa tehsil on Saturday.\n\n“We had intelligence input about the IED having been put somewhere in Salekasa, so we had launched a search operation and found 10 kg IED from under a culvert on Ekatola-Murkutdoh Road on Saturday. Our bomb disposal squad managed to defuse it,” Superintendent of Police Vinita Sahu told The Indian Express.\n\nThe SP said police “rarely used” the road where the IED was placed.\n\nGondia is a Naxal-affected district but is rarely in the news unlike neighboring Gadchiroli district. Last year, Gondia had witnessed exchanges of fire between police and Naxal.", "Kabul [Afghanistan], June 02 (ANI): At least one person was killed and 17 others wounded in a series of blasts in Kabul on Sunday.\n\nThree IED bombs detonated amid the Eid al-Fitr celebration in the capital, reported Tolo News\n\n\"The first blast targeted a bus carrying students of the education university and killed one shopkeeper and wounded at least 17 others,\" Nusrat Rahimi, a spokesman for Ministry of Interior Affairs said. Two other blasts also occurred in the same area. \n\nSo far, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack. (ANI)", "A bus carrying government employees in the Afghan capital Kabul was attacked with an improvised explosive device (IED), on Monday killing at least five people, officials said.\n\nNusrat Rahimi, spokesman for the Ministry of Interior, said the bus carrying government employees from the Independent Administration Reform and Civil Services Commission was targeted on the main Darul Aman road in the south of the city.\n\nThe Ministry of Public Health said in a social media post that at least five people were killed and more than 10 others got injured in the attack.\n\nNo group has claimed responsibility for the attack.\n\nThis is the fourth terrorist attack in Kabul in two weeks with the Taliban and Daesh claiming one each while one attack was not claimed by either of them.\n\nSecurity is on high alert across the country for the Muslim holy festival of Eid al-Fitr later this week as the Taliban declined to announce ceasefire on this occasion.\n\nThis article has been adapted from its original source.", "Police recovered an improvised explosive device (IED) weighing 10-kg from a culvert in Salekasa tehsil in the Deori subdivision of Gondia district on Saturday.\n\n“We had an intelligence input about the IED having been put somewhere in Salekasa, so we launched a search operation and found a 10-kg IED under a culvert on Ekatola-Murkutdoh road on Saturday. Our bomb disposal squad managed to defuse it,” superintendent of police Vinita Sahu told The Indian Express.\n\nWhen asked if police often use the road where the IED was placed, the SP said, “No, it’s rarely used.”\n\nThe district witnessed a fire exchange between police and Naxals last year.", "At least five people were killed and 10 injured on Monday in an explosion in that targeted an bus, officials said.\n\nThe explosion occurred at 1.30 p.m. on Darul Aman road near the American University of Afghanistan, reports Tolo News.\n\nconfirmed that a magnetic IED targeted the bus which was carrying employees of the\n\nMonday's blast comes a day after four serial explosions took place in on Sunday, that killed two people and injured over 24 others.\n\nhas been rocked by explosions in the last one week.\n\nOn May 31, five people were killed when a car bomb targeting a convoy of foreign troops exploded.\n\nOn May 30, six people were killed in a suicide attack on the", "Kabul, June 2 (IANS) Two persons were killed and 24 others injured as serial bomb blasts rocked Kabul on Sunday, an official said.\n\nThe first explosion occurred at 7.50 a.m. when a bomb attached to a minibus was detonated on a street in western Kabul, a spokesman of the Interior Affairs Ministry told Efe news.\n\nThe second and third blasts followed in the same area.\n\nTwo reporters and five members of the security forces who had come to the area following the first explosion were among the wounded.\n\nNo group has claimed responsibility for the incident.", "Kabul, June 2 (IANS) One person was killed and 11 others were injured after serial bomb blasts rocked Kabul on Sunday, an Afghan official said.\n\nThe first blast occurred at 7.50 a.m. after a bomb struck a running bus in Police District 5, spokesman of Ministry of Interior Affairs told Xinhua news agency.\n\n“The targeted bus was carrying Burhanuddin Rabbani Education University lecturers and staff members. One person was killed and 10 injured in the incident,” the spokesman said.\n\nThe second and third blasts came after police, rescue team, people and reporters arrived at the site of the first explosion. One local journalist was among the injured, he said.\n\nNo group has claimed responsibility for the incident yet."], "summary": "Five people are killed and over 10 injured in an IED bomb explosion in Kabul, Afghanistan."}
{"document": ["KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Security forces stormed a protest camp in the Sudanese capital Khartoum on Monday and opposition-linked medics said more than 35 people were killed in the worst violence since the overthrow of President Omar al-Bashir in April.\n\nFootage shared on social media from Monday morning and verified by Reuters showed chaotic scenes of people fleeing through streets as sustained bursts of gunfire crackled in the air during violence that drew rapid Western and African censure.\n\nSporadic rounds of gunfire could still be heard in several neighbourhoods until the early hours of Tuesday morning, Reuters witnesses said.\n\nThe violence dashed hopes for a restart to stalled talks between the main opposition coalition and the ruling military council over who should govern in a transitional period after Bashir’s overthrow.\n\nThe witnesses said protesters set up barricades made of blocks, scrap metal and light poles pulled down from the sidewalks throughout the streets of Khartoum and its twin city of Omdurman across the Nile.\n\nA sit-in next to the Defence Ministry, the focal point of anti-government protests that started in December, had been cleared, witnesses said.\n\nA group of doctors linked to the opposition said at least 35 people had been “martyred” in Monday’s violence, with the toll expected to rise. The group had earlier said at least 116 people were wounded.\n\nThe main protest group accused the ruling military council of perpetrating “a massacre” as it broke up the camp.\n\nThe Transitional Military Council (TMC) denied that, with a spokesman, Lieutenant General Shams El Din Kabbashi, telling Reuters security forces were pursuing “unruly elements” who had fled to the protest site and caused chaos.\n\n“The Transitional Military Council regrets the way the situation unfolded, reaffirming its full commitment to the ... safety of the citizens and renews its call for negotiations as soon as possible,” the council later said in a statement.\n\nSudan’s public prosecutor on Monday ordered an investigation into the violence, state news agency SUNA said.\n\nAn alliance of protest and opposition groups that had been negotiating with the military for weeks said it was halting all contact with the council.\n\nThe TMC had offered to let protesters form a government but insisted on maintaining overall authority during an interim period. Demonstrators want civilians to run the transitional period and lead Sudan’s 40 million people to democracy.\n\nThe protest-linked doctors group said security forces surrounded one Khartoum hospital and opened fire at another where they were pursuing protesters.\n\n“The protesters holding a sit-in in front of the army general command are facing a massacre in a treacherous attempt to disperse the protest,” said the main protest organiser, the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA).\n\nThe SPA said it would declare Tuesday to be the first day of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr, another attempt to contradict the TMC which said the holiday would start on Wednesday. The move is highly symbolic in Sudan, where people strictly observe the holy month of Ramadan and subsequent festivities.\n\nThe United Nations, African Union and European Union expressed deep concern, some explicitly blaming the military.\n\n“What is clear to us is that there was use of excessive force by the security forces on civilians,” U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.\n\nBritain’s ambassador Irfan Siddiq said he heard gunfire for more than an hour from his residence. “No excuse for any such attack. This. Must. Stop. Now,” he wrote on Twitter.\n\n“Responsibility falls on the TMC. The TMC cannot responsibly lead the people of Sudan,” added the U.S. embassy.\n\nThe European Union urged a speedy transfer of power to civilians. Neighbouring Egypt called for “calm and restraint”, while the United Arab Emirates (UAE) said it hoped that dialogue would prevail in Sudan.\n\n“The regional experience has taught us that the orderly and conservative transition of the state and its institutions is the only way to avoid years of chaos and loss,” Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash said on Twitter.\n\nAs the protests unfurled in Khartoum, demonstrators hurled stones at security forces, who charged amid sounds of intense gunfire.\n\nA Reuters witness saw troops wielding batons, including riot police and members of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), deploy in central Khartoum and close roads, apparently to try to block people from reaching the protest site.\n\nThe RSF is commanded by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the military council’s deputy head. Dagalo, known as Hemedti, is a close ally of the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia and sent Sudanese troops to join the coalition they lead in Yemen’s civil war.\n\nThe UAE and Saudi Arabia are eager to root out Islamists who dominated in Sudan under Bashir’s three-decade rule.\n\nThe military’s role in ousting Bashir has raised fears among many Sudanese that their country could follow a similar path to neighbouring Egypt after its 2011 uprising.\n\nThere, a military council oversaw a turbulent and sometimes violent transition before army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi led the overthrow of Egypt’s first freely elected president, Mohamed Mursi. Sisi was elected president in 2014 and again in 2018 with 97 percent of the vote.", "At least 13 people have been killed after security forces stormed a protest camp in the Sudanese capital Khartoum and fired live ammunition to break up a weeks-long sit-in.\n\nThe Central Committee of Sudan Doctors, a medical group linked to protesters, said at least 13 people were killed and several wounded in the Monday morning raid, which was still in progress. The committee also said security forces used live ammunition inside East Nile Hospital in Khartoum where some of the wounded were being treated.\n\nIn a post on Twitter, the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA) said the country's ruling Transitional Military Council (TMC) had assigned a large number of troops to disperse the protest camp.\n\nThe sound of heavy gunfire was heard in footage broadcast from the scene, while plumes of smoke were seen rising into the sky.\n\nMohammed Alamin, a journalist in Khartoum, told Al Jazeera troops from the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) first used tear gas then sound grenades to disperse protesters. Soldiers then fired live rounds at the remaining protesters.\n\n\"They are now in control of most of the sit-in area and have burnt down the makeshift clinics. Most of the protesters have been dispersed. Soldiers are blocking all entrances to the area with military vehicles to stop protesters from returning,\" Alamin said.\n\nMadani Abbas Madani, one of the protest leaders, was injured as troops dispersed the protesters, Alamin added.\n\nHigh tension at the sit-in at army hq in Khartoum. #Sudan’s Central Doctors’ Committee is calling for doctors to mobilize and prepare for emergencies amidst concerns that an attempt will be made to break the sit-in nearly 2 months after it started. https://t.co/NU2GFsIZ45 — Hiba Morgan (@hiba_morgan) June 3, 2019\n\nSpeaking to Al Jazeera, witnesses spoke of soldiers being heavily armed and of using live ammunition against protesters who were peaceful and did nothing to provoke the troops.\n\n\"We are being attacked by the Rapid Support Forces and the police,\" Mamadou Abozeid, a protester in Khartoum, told Al Jazeera over the phone.\n\n'Shooting at everyone'\n\nMohammed Elmunir, another protester in the Sudanese capital, said security forces blocked the exits of the sit-in site before opening fire on protesters.\n\n\"They were shooting at everyone randomly and people were running for their lives. They blocked all roads and most tents at the sit-in have been set on fire,\" Elmunir told Al Jazeera.\n\n\"People are very angry right now. They don't know what could happen next. Protesters have dispersed to other parts of the city. They are now on the streets protesting. Most people have blocked the roads in their neighbourhoods,\" he added.\n\nIn a statement, the SPA said the TMC would be held accountable for any bloodshed and called for a campaign of civil disobedience.\n\n\"It is imperative to go out to the streets to protect the revolution and the remaining dignity. Our weapons are peace courage,\" it said in a statement.\n\n\"We call on the revolutionaries in all neighbourhoods, villages, towns and cities of Sudan to go out to the streets and start marching, closing all streets and bridges and ports. We call for a comprehensive civil disobedience to bring down the deadly military junta and complete our revolution.\"\n\nNawal Osman, a protester in Khartoum, said she and her husband were getting ready to leave their house and join the protesters.\n\n\"I am going there now, I live near the protest area,\" she told Al Jazeera over the phone. \"This revolution is staying,\" she added. \"We are all ready to be there, to protect the country and to get rid of those criminals.\"\n\nSudanese human rights activist Azaz Elshami said it was not surprising the military had resorted to using deadly force to deal with protesters.\n\n\"What is happening is the mask is finally falling. The military is not different from the government before it. They are not what they said they are. They don't want change and they want power for themselves. Now, everyone knows what they are up against. This is a new phase. It might take much longer, but I don't think Sudanese people will back down,\" Elshami told Al Jazeera.\n\n'Barbaric act'\n\nThe sit-in has become the focal point of Sudan's protest movement, which saw longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir overthrown in April and has since been calling for the generals who replaced him to hand over power to a civilian-led administration.\n\nThe operation came days after Sudan's military rulers called the sit-in outside the defence ministry \"a danger\" to the country's national security and warned that action would be taken against what they called \"unruly elements\".\n\n190527072135511\n\nThe military also ordered the office of the Al Jazeera Media Network in Khartoum to be shut down, without giving any reason.\n\nIt withdrew the work permits for the correspondents and staff of the Qatar-based news organisation.\n\n\"People have started putting up barricades in many areas and it seems that the situation is aggravating,\" Hamid Eldood, a professor at Al-Neelain University, told Al Jazeera from Khartoum.\n\nHe added that the latest developments indicated a \"tone change\" by the members of the TMC following the visit by its head, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and his deputy, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo - also known as Hemeti - \"to Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates\".\n\n\"It is really a barbaric act and it seems Sudan is heading towards civil war and a [bleak] future,\" Eldood said.\n\nAdditional reporting by Mohammed Alamin in Khartoum.", "At least 35 demonstrators were killed and hundreds injured Monday as Sudanese security forces moved in to clear the main protest camp near the army headquarters in the capital, Khartoum.\n\nThe latest figures were announced by protest organizers the Central Committee of Sudan Doctors. Eyewitnesses said security forces used live ammunition and teargas to disperse the protesters, who have been camping out near the military headquarters since the ouster of long-serving President Omar al-Bashir in April.\n\n\"Militias belonging to the government have aggressively attacked thousands of civilians in the sit-in,\" the Sudanese Professional Association (SPA) said in an earlier statement.\n\nThe Declaration of Freedom and Change alliance earlier said that 13 protesters had been killed and hundreds injured when security forces moved in to disperse the camp.\n\nOpposition negotiator Abbas Medani was reportedly injured during the dispersal, according to eyewitnesses. “We are holding the Transitional Military Council (TMC) responsible for what happened this morning,” the SPA said, calling on protesters “to join the sit-in to resist this attempt”.\n\n“We did not break up the sit-in by force,” spokesman Lieutenant General Shamseddine Kabbashi told Dubai-based Sky News Arabia. “Youth are moving freely and there is no soldier in the protest camp area,” he said. Kabbashi, however, said security forces only raided the “Colombia” area located below the iron bridge of Al-Nil Street in Khartoum, which he described as “dangerous”. He expects talks between protest leaders and the TMC on the transition to civilian rule to resume Monday or Tuesday.\n\nThe sit-in near the army headquarters has been the epicenter of protests demanding the TMC hand over power to a civilian government.\n\nIn early April, Sudan’s military establishment deposed al-Bashir following months of popular demonstrations against his 30-year rule. The TMC is now overseeing a two-year transitional period during which it has pledged to hold presidential elections. Demonstrators, however, have remained on the streets to demand that the TMC relinquish power at the earliest possible date to a civilian authority.", "KHARTOUM: Security forces stormed a protest camp in the Sudanese capital Khartoum on Monday morning and at least 13 people were reported killed in the worst violence since the overthrow of President Omar al Bashir in April.\n\n Footage shared on social media and verified by Reuters showed chaotic scenes of people fleeing through streets as sustained bursts of gunfire crackled in the air. People rushed to carry away those who had been hit.\n\n Witnesses said a sit-in next to the Defence Ministry, the focal point of anti-government protests that started in December, had been cleared, but protesters poured onto the streets elsewhere in Khartoum and beyond in response to the crackdown.\n\n The main protest group accused the ruling military council of breaking up the camp, calling the action “a massacre”. The military council denied trying to break up the camp and said security forces had targeted “unruly” groups nearby.\n\n An alliance of protest and opposition groups said it was halting all contact with the military council. The two sides had been negotiating for weeks over who should govern in a transitional period after Bashir’s overthrow, though the talks had stalled.\n\n The Transitional Military Council (TMC) had offered to let protesters form a government but insisted on maintaining overall authority during an interim period. Demonstrators want civilians to run the transitional period and lead Sudan’s 40 million people to democracy.\n\n A group of doctors linked to the opposition said 13 “martyrs” had been killed in Monday’s violence, and that at least 116 people had been wounded. It said security forces had surrounded one Khartoum hospital and had opened fire at another where they were pursuing protesters.\n\n “The protesters holding a sit-in in front of the army general command are facing a massacre in a treacherous attempt to disperse the protest,” said the Sudanese Professionals Association, the group that has spearheaded protests.\n\n It urged the Sudanese people to come to their aid.\n\n The military council’s spokesman, Lieutenant General Shams El Din Kabbashi, said the raid targeted criminals and that the protesters were safe.\n\n “The protest camp has not been dispersed,” Kabbashi said. “The security forces were trying to disperse unruly (elements) in the Colombia area, near the protest site, and some of these elements fled to the protest site and caused this chaos.”\n\n The council was still committed to a political settlement and was ready to resume talks, Kabbashi added, speaking before the alliance called off the negotiations.\n\n The British Ambassador in Khartoum said he had heard heavy gunfire for more than an hour from his residence and he was extremely concerned.\n\n “No excuse for any such attack. This. Must. Stop. Now,” Ambassador Irfan Siddiq wrote on Twitter.\n\n Alyson King, the British government spokeswoman for the Middle East and North Africa, said the international community would hold the military council responsible for the violence.\n\n The US Embassy in Khartoum also described the attack on the protest camp as “wrong” and said it must stop.\n\n “Responsibility falls on the TMC. The TMC cannot responsibly lead the people of Sudan,” the embassy said on its Twitter account.\n\n The European Union called on the military leaders to allow people to protest peacefully and urged a speedy transfer of power to civilians. The African Union, which has given the military council until the end to June to hand over power to civilians, condemned the violence and called for an immediate investigation.\n\n Television footage showed black smoke rising from tents, apparently torched by the raiding force.\n\n Protesters poured into the streets in Khartoum and its twin city of Omdurman and blocked roads with rocks and burning tyres after news of the raid spread, witnesses said.\n\n One protester in the northern city of Atbara said that protesters had also blocked off roads there. There were reports on social media of confrontations followed by new protests in other towns and cities and on inter-city roads. Reuters could not confirm those accounts independently.\n\n Internet users said connections were down.\n\n In Khartoum, demonstrators hurled stones at security forces, who charged amid sounds of intense gunfire.\n\n One video posted on social media showed one protester collapse to the ground, crying in pain after being hit by what appeared to be live fire.\n\n A Reuters witness saw troops wielding batons, including riot police and members of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), deploy in central Khartoum and close roads, apparently to try to block people from reaching the protest site.\n\n The military’s role in ousting Bashir has raised fears among many Sudanese that their country could follow a similar path to neighbouring Egypt after its 2011 uprising. — Reuters", "Security forces stormed a protest camp in the Sudanese capital Khartoum on Monday morning and at least 13 people were reported killed in the worst violence since the overthrow of President Omar al-Bashir in April.\n\nFootage shared on social media and verified by Reuters showed chaotic scenes of people fleeing through streets as sustained bursts of gunfire crackled in the air. People rushed to carry away those who had been hit.\n\nWitnesses said a sit-in next to the Defense Ministry, the focal point of anti-government protests that started in December, had been cleared, but protesters poured onto the streets elsewhere in Khartoum and beyond in response to the crackdown.\n\nThe main protest group accused the ruling military council of breaking up the camp, calling the action “a massacre”. The military council denied trying to break up the camp and said security forces had targeted “unruly” groups nearby.\n\nAn alliance of protest and opposition groups said it was halting all contact with the military council. The two sides had been negotiating for weeks over who should govern in a transitional period after Bashir’s overthrow, though the talks had stalled.\n\nThe Transitional Military Council (TMC) had offered to let protesters form a government but insisted on maintaining overall authority during an interim period. Demonstrators want civilians to run the transitional period and lead Sudan’s 40 million people to democracy.\n\nA group of doctors linked to the opposition said 13 “martyrs” had been killed in Monday’s violence, and that at least 116 people had been wounded. It said security forces had surrounded one Khartoum hospital and had opened fire at another where they were pursuing protesters.\n\n“The protesters holding a sit-in in front of the army general command are facing a massacre in a treacherous attempt to disperse the protest,” said the Sudanese Professionals Association, the group that has spearheaded protests.\n\nIt urged the Sudanese people to come to their aid.\n\nThe military council’s spokesman, Lieutenant General Shams El Din Kabbashi, said the raid targeted criminals and that the protesters were safe.\n\n“The protest camp has not been dispersed,” Kabbashi said. “The security forces were trying to disperse unruly (elements) in the Colombia area, near the protest site, and some of these elements fled to the protest site and caused this chaos.”\n\nThe council was still committed to a political settlement and was ready to resume talks, Kabbashi added, speaking before the alliance called off the negotiations.", "Ashraf Shazly, AFP | A Sudanese man holds a national flag as protesters chant slogans during a demonstration outside the army headquarters in Khartoum on May 30, 2019.\n\nAt least two people were killed Monday as Sudan’s military council tried to break up a sit-in outside Khartoum’s army headquarters, a doctors’ committee said as gunfire was heard from the protest site.\n\n“Two peaceful protesters were killed by live bullets fired at the orders of the Transitional Military Council,” the Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors said on Twitter without giving further details.\n\nGunfire was heard from the protest site by an AFP journalist, who reported a heavy deployment of security forces around the streets of the capital.\n\nThere were multiple reports of the military using force to disperse the sit-in in front of army headquarters, where protesters have been camped out for weeks.\n\n“Now an attempt is taking place to disperse the sit-in at the headquarters of the people’s armed forces by force by the military council,” said the Sudanese Professionals Association, the group which spearheaded nationwide protests that started in December.\n\nRallies against the authoritarian rule of Omar al-Bashir led to his ouster in April, but demonstrators have remained to call on the generals to cede power to a transitional authority.\n\nNear the demonstration site, a witness living in the Burri neighbourhood said he could “hear the sound of gunfire and I see a plume of smoke rising from the area of the sit-in.”\n\nAnother resident of the area, in east Khartoum, said he had seen forces in “police uniform” trying to expel the demonstrators.\n\nBritain’s ambassador to Khartoum, Irfan Siddiq, said he had heard “heavy gunfire” from his residence.\n\n“Extremely concerned by... reports that Sudanese security forces are attacking the protest sit-in site resulting in casualties. No excuse for any such attack. This. Must. Stop. Now,” he wrote on Twitter.\n\nThe SPA said it amounted to a “bloody massacre”, and called on Sudanese to take part in “total civil disobedience” to topple the military council and for people for take to the streets to protest.\n\nDemonstrators had closed off Street 60, one of the main streets in the capital with stone barricades and burning tree trunks and tires, an AFP journalist said.\n\nThe SPA had said on Saturday that it had reason to believe the military council was “planning and working to end the peaceful sit-in at the headquarters with excessive force and violence” after three people were killed in incidents on the fringes of the sit-in last week.\n\nNegotiations between protest leaders and the ruling military council have broken down, as the two sides have failed to agree on whether a planned transitional body would be headed by a civilian or a military figure.", "Sudanese protesters have been holding daily demonstrations against the ongoing military rule in Khartoum since early April as tensions continue to rise between both parties.\n\nThe Sudanese security forces have begun to use force to crack down on the long-running sit-in protests outside of the army's headquarters in the capital city of Khartoum, protesters told the BBC.\n\nAccording to the BBC, the Sudanese security forces opened fire on the protesters, killing at least one person and wounding several others.\n\n\"Now an attempt is taking place to disperse the sit-in,\" said a short statement from the Sudanese Professionals Association, the group which is spearheading nationwide protests.\n\nLocal activists reported on Monday that protesters have begun burning barricades and tires in an attempt to fend off the security forces.\n\nThe Sudanese military has yet to issue any statement regarding Monday's violence.\n\nSince the resignation of long-time President Omar Al-Bashir, Sudan has been governed by the army-led Transitional Military Council (TMC). However, their rule over the country has further fueled the demonstrations, with protesters taking to the streets to demand they transfer power to the people.\n\nThe TMC has maintained that they would maintain control over the country until elections were held, but the demonstrators are demanding the immediate transfer of power.", "At least five protesters were killed and scores injured as Sudanese security forces moved in to clear the main protest camp near the army headquarters in the capital Khartoum, according to protest organizers.\n\n“Militias belong to the government have aggressively attacked thousands of civilians in the sit-in,” The Sudanese Professional Association (SPA) said in a statement.\n\nThe Central Committee of Sudan Doctors (CCSD) said five protesters were killed and many others injured as security forces cleared the camp. Opposition negotiator Abbas Medani was reportedly injured during the dispersal, according to eyewitnesses.\n\nThe sit-in near the army headquarters has been a magnet point for protesters to demand the Transitional Military Council (TMC) hand over power to a civilian government.\n\n“We are holding the TMC responsible of what happened this morning,” SPA said, going on to call on protesters “to join the sit-in to resist this attempt”.\n\nIn early April, Sudan’s military establishment deposed long-serving President Omar al-Bashir following months of popular demonstrations against his 30-year rule. The TMC is now overseeing a two-year transitional period during which it has pledged to hold presidential elections. Demonstrators, however, have remained on the streets to demand that the TMC relinquish power at the earliest possible date to a civilian authority.", "At least nine people were killed when Sudanese security forces stormed a protest camp in central Khartoum early on Monday, a medical association affiliated to the protesters said, Reuters reports.\n\nTalks between protesters and Sudan’s military rulers over who should govern during a transitional period following the ousting of President Omar al-Bashir earlier this year are in deadlock.\n\n“The protesters holding a sit-in in front of the army general command are facing a massacre in a treacherous attempt to disperse the protest,” the main protest group said in a statement, urging the Sudanese people to come to their aid.\n\nThe Transitional Military Council (TMC), which assumed power in April when the military toppled Bashir after three decades in office, has offered to let protesters form a government to run the country but insists on maintaining overall authority during an interim period.\n\nDemonstrators want civilians to run the transitional period and lead the North African country of 40 million people to democracy.\n\nThousands of young men and women have been taking turns to camp outside the Defence Ministry since April. The site had became the focal point of anti-government protests that started in December, sparked by a severe financial crisis that caused cash shortages and bread price hikes.\n\nNo statement about the violence has yet been issued by the TMC and a spokesman could not immediately be reached for a comment.\n\nThe British Ambassador in Khartoum said in a message on his Twitter account he was “extremely concerned by the heavy gunfire I’ve been hearing over the last hour from my Residence and reports that Sudanese security forces are attacking the protest sit-in site resulting in casualties”.\n\n“No excuse for any such attack. This. Must. Stop. Now,” he wrote.\n\nLive television footage on showed chaotic scenes, with protesters running away as black smoke rose from tents apparently torched by the raiding forcse.\n\nDemonstrators, some waving Sudanese flags, hurled stones at security forces, who charged amid sounds of intense gunfire. A video posted on social media showed one protester collapse to the ground, crying in pain after being hit by what appears as live fire.\n\nA Reuters witness saw troops wielding batons, including riot police and members of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, deploy in central Khartoum and close roads, apparently to try to block people from reaching the protest site.\n\nNile bridges that connect various parts of the Sudanese capital have also been blocked.\n\nIn Khartoum’s twin city of Omdurman, across the Nile, thousands of people took to the streets, blocking roads with stones and burning tyres, a Reuters witness said.\n\nThere were no signs of any security forces in the area.\n\nSudan, one of the largest countries in Africa, has long been on a US list of countries that support terrorism, which has hampered foreign investments.", "Security forces stormed a protest camp in the Sudanese capital Khartoum on Monday morning and at least nine people were reported to have been killed in the worst violence since the overthrow of President Omar al-Bashir in April.\n\nFootage broadcast by al-Hadath and Jazeera television showed chaotic scenes of people fleeing through streets as sustained bursts of gunfire crackled in the air. People rushed to carry away those who had been hit, the footage showed.\n\nThe main protest group accused the ruling military council of trying to break up the camp, calling the action “a massacre”. But the council said the security forces had targeted criminals in an adjacent area.\n\nThe protesters and Sudan’s military rulers had been negotiating over who should govern in a transitional period following the overthrow of Bashir after months of generally peaceful demonstrations, but the talks have become deadlocked.\n\nThe Transitional Military Council (TMC) has offered to let protesters form a government but insists on maintaining overall authority during an interim period. The demonstrators want civilians to run the transitional period and lead Sudan’s 40 million people to democracy.\n\nThousands of young men and women have been taking turns to camp outside the Defence Ministry, the focal point of anti-government protests that started in December.\n\nThe opposition’s doctors committee said nine people had been killed in Monday’s violence.\n\n“The protesters holding a sit-in in front of the army general command are facing a massacre in a treacherous attempt to disperse the protest,” the protest group said in a statement.\n\nIt urged the Sudanese people to come to their aid.\n\nThe military council’s spokesman, Lieutenant General Shams El Din Kabbashi, said the raid targeted criminals and that the protesters were safe.\n\n“The protest camp has not been dispersed,” Kabbashi said. “The security forces were trying to disperse unruly (elements) in the Colombia area, near the protest site, and some of these elements fled to the protest site and caused this chaos.”\n\nThe council was still committed to a political settlement and was ready to resume talks on a civilian transition soon, Kabbashi added.\n\nThe British Ambassador in Khartoum said he had heard heavy gunfire for more than an hour from his residence and he was extremely concerned.\n\n“No excuse for any such attack. This. Must. Stop. Now,” Ambassador Irfan Siddiq wrote on Twitter.\n\nThe U.S. Embassy in Khartoum also described the attack on the protest camp as “wrong” and said it must stop.\n\n“Responsibility falls on the TMC. The TMC cannot responsibly lead the people of Sudan,” the embassy said on its Twitter account.\n\nThe television footage showed black smoke rising from tents apparently torched by the raiding force.\n\nProtesters poured into the streets in Khartoum and its twin city of Omdurman, on the opposite side of the River Nile, after news of the raid spread. Demonstrators blocked roads with rocks and burning tyres, witnesses said.\n\nDemonstrators, some waving Sudanese flags, hurled stones at security forces, who charged amid sounds of intense gunfire.\n\nA video posted on social media showed one protester collapse to the ground, crying in pain after being hit by what appeared as live fire.\n\nA Reuters witness saw troops wielding batons, including riot police and members of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, deploy in central Khartoum and close roads, apparently to try to block people from reaching the protest site.\n\nBridges over the Nile have also been blocked.\n\nThere were no signs of any security forces in Omurdam.\n\nUnder Bashir, an Islamist former general who ruled for three decades and is wanted by international prosecutors for alleged war crimes in the Darfur region, Sudan was on a U.S. list of sponsors of terrorism.\n\nVarious powers, including wealthy Gulf Arab states, and now trying to influence its path. Stability is crucial for the security of a volatile region struggling against Islamist insurgencies, from the Horn of Africa through Egypt and Libya."], "summary": "Over 13 people have been killed when Sudanese forces use live ammunition to break up a protester camp in Khartoum."}
{"document": ["Boko Haram jihadists have carried out multiple attacks on military bases in northeast Nigeria’s Borno state, overrunning three of them and stealing weapons, security sources said Monday.\n\nFighters believed to be from the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), the IS-linked faction of Boko Haram, stormed four bases from Friday through Sunday in the latest spate of attacks targeting the army, sources from the military and militia said.\n\nThere were no immediate details on casualties.\n\nIn the latest incident, on Sunday, the insurgents made a failed attempt to seize a base in the town of Dikwa following a predawn attack.\n\n“The terrorists attacked troops in Dikwa around 4:00 am (0300 GMT) but the attack was repelled without casualty on our side,” a military officer, who did not want to be identified, told AFP.\n\nThe fighters came in 13 trucks fitted with heavy machine guns, said a second officer, who gave a similar account.\n\nDikwa which lies 90 kilometres (56 miles) from the state capital Maiduguri, is home to more than 70,000 displaced people who live in several camps where they rely on food and humanitarian assistance from aid agencies.\n\nLate on Saturday, the jihadists blasted into a base in the town of Marte, 40 kilometres away, pushing troops out after a prolonged gunfight, the two military sources said.\n\nThe militants ransacked the base, carting away weapons abandoned by fleeing soldiers and setting fire to it. The soldiers withdrew to Dikwa.\n\nAs they retreated towards Lake Chad, the Islamist fighters sacked another base in Kirenowa village, 30 kilometres from Marte.\n\nSoldiers evacuated\n\n“The soldiers in Kirenowa have been evacuated to Dikwa after the attack by the terrorists”, the first officer said.\n\nThe jihadists were believed to have launched the attacks from their Lake Chad enclave where the Nigerian military has intensified aerial attacks on ISWAP camps.\n\nTroops in a base in Dalwa village, 16 kilometres outside Maiduguri, were dislodged after a six-hour battle with ISWAP fighters which continued into Sunday, said the military sources and an anti-jihadist militia.\n\nThe fighting forced Marte residents to flee into Maiduguri, arriving in trucks on Sunday, according to residents of the city.\n\nHowever, troops returned to the town late Sunday with reinforcement from Maiduguri, the sources said.\n\nISWAP has since July last year targeted dozens of military bases in attacks that have left scores of soldiers dead.\n\nBoko Haram’s decade-long insurgency has killed 27,000 people and displaced about two million in Nigeria.\n\nThe violence has spilled over into neighbouring Niger, Chad and Cameroon, prompting a regional military coalition to defeat the Islamist group.", "An Army commander and six soldiers are missing after two bases of the Nigerian military in Borno State came under Boko Haram attack on Saturday, with one soldier feared dead.There was also a loss of “unquantifiable” combat equipment in the wake of the terrorists’ offensive. Nigerian …Read more via Vanguard News – http://bit.ly/2Wcsjwb Get More Nigeria Metro News", "An army commander and six soldiers are currently missing after two bases of the Nigerian military in Borno State came under Boko Haram attack on Saturday, with one soldier feared dead.\n\nThere was also a loss of “unquantifiable” combat equipment in the wake of the terrorists’ offensive, PREMIUM TIMES has been told.\n\nThe terrorists attacked troops of 192 Battalion deployed to Delwa Village, along Maiduguri-Damboa Road in Konduga Local Government Area, and their colleagues attached to 242 Battalion in Marte LGA towards Lake Chad, according to army sources.\n\nThe two attacks appeared coordinated as they were unleashed about the same, 6 p.m. on Saturday.\n\nSaturday’s incidents followed an earlier attack, on May 22, on an army base in Gubio LGA of Borno State. The Gubio attack was on the camp housing the Nigerian Army 5 Brigade and the 159 Task Force Battalion, and it left at least one soldier killed and three others injured.\n\nBut despite the attack suffered on May 22, the army chief, Tukur Buratai, insisted that Boko Haram had been defeated in a statement last Thursday – just two days before the latest attacks.\n\nThe terrorists, who attacked the 192 Battalion reportedly launched from Alagarno forest in Damboa LGA in four Armoured Personnel Carriers and 12-gun trucks.\n\nAlthough the troops were initially dislodged, reinforcement from Maiduguri, about 30km away, helped them retake the base after the terrorists had withdrawn.\n\nHowever, despite retaking the base, one yet-to-be-named soldier was killed, while six others, also not named yet, became missing.\n\nAlso, the terrorists burnt a T55 armoured tank, made away with two gun trucks, a canter truck, one armoured personnel carrier, mortal gun and unquantifiable ammunition, sources said.\n\n“Reorganisation of the camp is currently ongoing,” said a military source with knowledge of the development.\n\nHe added that a commanding officer and many soldiers were missing in action.\n\nThe other attack suffered on Saturday left the troops of 242 battalion in Marte “completely dislodged” with no reinforcement unlike the Delwa incident, our source said.\n\nIt was said to be a much easier operation for the Boko Haram as they “had enough time to cart away arms and ammunition.”\n\nFollowing the dislodgement on Saturday, 15 soldiers later appeared in Dikwa, the brigade headquarters on Sunday.\n\nThe commanding officer and many soldiers were still missing on Sunday.\n\nArmy spokesperson, Sagir Musa, did not confirm the incidents when reached on Monday.\n\nArmy authorities are usually known to downplay losses on their part during confrontations.\n\nThe North-east has been rocked by an unending insurgency that has claimed thousands of lives and displaced many over the years.", "Members of the Takfiri Boko Haram terrorist group have carried out multiple attacks on military bases in northeast Nigeria, seizing three of them and stealing weapons.\n\nMilitants of the terror group have invaded four bases in the volatile Borno State from Friday through Sunday in the recent series of attacks targeting the army, military sources said on Monday.\n\nThere were no immediate reports about possible casualties.\n\nIn the latest assault on Sunday, the militants failed to seize a base in the town of Dikwa, located in Borno State, following a predawn attack.\n\n\"The terrorists attacked troops in Dikwa around 4:00 a.m. (0300 GMT) but the attack was repelled without casualty on our side,\" said a military officer, who did not want to be identified.\n\nThe assailants were driving 13 trucks fitted with heavy machine guns, said a second officer.\n\nOn Saturday, the militants stormed a base in the town of Marte, which lies 40 kilometers away from Dikwa, forcing soldiers to withdraw after a long gunfight, the two military sources said.\n\nAs the soldiers retreated to Dikwa, the militants invaded another base in Kirenowa village, located 30 kilometers from Marte.\n\nTroops in a base in Dalwa village, 16 kilometers outside Borno State’s capital of Maiduguri, were pushed out after a six-hour battle with the militants which continued into Sunday, said the military sources.\n\nThe fighting forced Marte residents to flee into Maiduguri, arriving in trucks on Sunday, according to residents of the city.\n\nHowever, troops returned to the town late Sunday with reinforcement from Maiduguri, the sources said.\n\nThe Boko Haram terror group has since July last year targeted dozens of military bases in attacks that have left scores of troopers dead.\n\nBoko Haram’s nine-year militancy is estimated to have killed more than 27,000 people and forced 1.8 million others to flee their homes.\n\nBoko Haram’s sphere of activities spreads as far as neighboring Niger, Chad and Cameroon.\n\nThese countries have created a joint military force to stop the terrorists from further spreading, but sustained efforts to eradicate the militants have failed and the military continues to suffer heavy losses.", "An Army commander and six soldiers are missing after two bases of the Nigerian military in Borno State came under Boko Haram attack on Saturday, with one soldier feared dead.\n\nThere was also a loss of “unquantifiable” combat equipment in the wake of the terrorists’ offensive.\n\nThe terrorists attacked troops of 192 Battalion deployed to Delwa village, along Maiduguri-Damboa Road in Konduga Local Government Area, and their colleagues attached to 242 Battalion in Marte Local Government Area towards Lake Chad, according to Army sources.\n\nThe two attacks appeared coordinated, as they were unleashed about the same time—6p.m. on Saturday.\n\nSaturday’s incidents followed an earlier attack on May 22, on an Army base in Gubio Local Government Area of Borno State.\n\nThe Gubio attack was on the camp housing the Nigerian Army 5 Brigade and the 159 Task Force Battalion, and it left at least one soldier killed and three others injured.\n\nWe targeted secondary school girls for marathon sex —Suspected cultist/rapist(Opens in a new browser tab)\n\nHowever, despite the attack suffered on May 22, the Army Chief, Tukur Buratai, insisted that Boko Haram had been defeated in a statement last Thursday, just two days before the latest attacks.\n\nThe terrorists, who attacked the 192 Battalion reportedly launched from Alagarno Forest in Damboa Local Government Area in four Armoured Personnel Carriers, APC, and 12 gun trucks.\n\nAlthough the troops were initially dislodged, reinforcement from Maiduguri, about 30 kilometres away, helped them retake the base after the terrorists had withdrawn.\n\nDespite retaking the base, one yet-to-be-named soldier was killed, while six others, also not named yet, became missing.\n\nThe terrorists burnt a T55 armoured tank, made away with two gun trucks, a canter truck, one APC, mortal gun and unquantifiable ammunition.\n\n“Re-organisation of the camp is currently ongoing,” said a military source with knowledge of the development.", "Kano — Boko Haram jihadists have attacked military bases in northeast Nigeria’s Borno state, overrunning three and stealing weapons, security sources said on Monday.\n\nFighters thought to be from the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), the IS-linked faction of Boko Haram, stormed four bases from Friday to Sunday in the latest spate of attacks on the army, said military and militia sources.\n\nThere were no immediate details on casualties.\n\nIn the latest incident on Sunday, insurgents launched a predawn attack in an unsuccessful bid to seize a base in the town of Dikwa.\n\n“The terrorists attacked troops in Dikwa around 4am but the attack was repelled without casualty on our side,” said an army officer, who did not want to be identified.\n\nThe fighters arrived in 13 trucks fitted with heavy machine guns, said a second officer, who gave a similar account.\n\nDikwa, 90km from the state capital Maiduguri, is home to more than 70,000 displaced people in several camps where they rely on food and humanitarian assistance from aid agencies.\n\nLate on Saturday, the jihadists blasted into a base in the town of Marte, 40km away, pushing troops out after a long gunfight, the two military sources said. The militants ransacked the base, carting away weapons abandoned by fleeing soldiers and torched the base. The soldiers withdrew to Dikwa.\n\nAs they retreated towards Lake Chad, the Islamist fighters ransacked another base in Kirenowa village, 30km from Marte.\n\n“The soldiers in Kirenowa have been evacuated to Dikwa after the attack by the terrorists,” the first officer said.\n\nThe jihadists were thought to have launched the attacks from their Lake Chad enclave where the Nigerian military has intensified aerial attacks on ISWAP camps.\n\nTroops in a base in Dalwa village, 16km from Maiduguri, were dislodged after a six-hour battle with ISWAP fighters, which continued into Sunday, said military and anti-jihadist militia sources.\n\nThe fighting forced Marte residents to flee into Maiduguri, arriving in trucks on Sunday, according to residents. Troops returned to the town late on Sunday with reinforcements from Maiduguri, the sources said.\n\nISWAP has since July 2018 targeted dozens of military bases in attacks that killed scores of soldiers. Boko Haram’s decade-long insurgency has killed 27,000 people and displaced about 2-million in Nigeria.\n\nThe violence has spilled into neighbouring Niger, Chad and Cameroon, prompting a regional military coalition to fight the Islamist group.", "The Nigerian Air Force yesterday said scores of Boko Haram Terrorists have been degraded in northern Borno following air strikes at their hideouts.\n\nIts spokesman, Air Commodore Ibikunle Daramola said in a statement that the strikes were conducted after intelligence information had established their presence in the area.\n\n“In continuation of its sustained air strikes against remnants of Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP) elements on the fringes of Lake Chad, the Air Task Force (ATF) of Operation LAFIYA DOLE has severely degraded a terrorists’ hideout at Abaganaram in Northern Borno State.\n\n“The attack, which took place yesterday, 31 May 2019, was executed following the discovery of the active terrorists’ settlement by a Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) platform on a routine mission.\n\nAccordingly, the ATF scrambled 2 Alpha Jet aircraft to attack the location, scoring accurate hits on 3 target compounds, which resulted in the destruction of the structures as well as the neutralization of some of their fighters.\n\nThe NAF, operating in concert with surface forces, will sustain the effort to completely degrade the terrorists in the Northeast.”", "…I’m ready now to fight terrorism, says Buhari\n\nSeveral persons sustained injuries on Saturday when insurgents attacked a mosque in Sajeri village, at the outskirts of Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.\n\nAccording to eyewitnesses, the insurgents suspected to be Boko Haram members were said to have opened fire on the congregation who were observing their prayers.\n\nGovernor, Babagana Umara visited the community to condole with the victims.\n\nMeanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari has said that he was battle-ready to fight terrorism in the country with full force.\n\nBuhari also said that he would host leaders of Lake Chad Basin Commission in an informal summit on the sidelines of Democracy Day and Second Term inauguration celebrations on June 12, 2019, in Abuja.\n\nA statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu in Abuja on Saturday stated that the meeting would focus on bringing up new strategies to end the menace of Boko Haram in the Lake Chad region.\n\nSpeaking at a bilateral meeting with President Idris Deby Itno of Chad Republic in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, where both leaders are attending the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, OIC, summit, President Buhari said it was time for “a new way forward that completely removes the threat of terrorism from Lake Chad sub-region.”\n\nThe President said since elections were over, he would have more time to pursue the threat of terrorism with “full force’’.\n\nThe Nigerian and Chadian leader agreed on the need for sub-regional leaders to sit down and agree on changing the strategy “for a more sustained operation, which will continue until the threat is brought to a permanent end.’’\n\nPresident Buhari and President Deby Itno also discussed the challenge posed by rainy season to military operations against terrorism, agreeing to urgently review strategies that will bolster onslaught against insurgents.\n\nThe two leaders talked about how the meeting in Abuja will respond to infiltration of displaced elements of the Daesh, an acronym for ISIL’s Arabic name, al-Dawlah al-Islamīyah fī l-ʻIrāq wa-sh-Shām, through Libya into the Lake Chad area.", "KANO: Boko Haram jihadists have carried out multiple attacks on military bases in northeast Nigeria’s Borno state, overrunning three of them and stealing weapons, security sources said Monday.\n\nFighters believed to be from the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), the IS-linked faction of Boko Haram, stormed four bases from Friday through Sunday in the latest spate of attacks targeting the army, sources from the military and militia said.\n\nThere were no immediate details on casualties. In the latest incident, on Sunday, the insurgents made a failed attempt to seize a base in the town of Dikwa following a predawn attack. “The terrorists attacked troops in Dikwa around 4:00 am (0300 GMT) but the attack was repelled without casualty on our side,” a military officer, who did not want to be identified, told AFP.\n\nThe fighters came in 13 trucks fitted with heavy machine guns, said a second officer, who gave a similar account. Dikwa which lies 90 kilometres (56 miles) from the state capital Maiduguri, is home to more than 70,000 displaced people who live in several camps where they rely on food and humanitarian assistance from aid agencies.\n\nLate on Saturday, the jihadists blasted into a base in the town of Marte, 40 kilometres away, pushing troops out after a prolonged gunfight, the two military sources said. The militants ransacked the base, carting away weapons abandoned by fleeing soldiers and setting fire to it. The soldiers withdrew to Dikwa. As they retreated towards Lake Chad, the Islamist fighters sacked another base in Kirenowa village, 30 kilometres from Marte.", "Boko Haram, on Sunday, captured Marte, headquarters of Marte Local Government Area of Borno State, dependable sources confirmed to newsmen today in Maiduguri.\n\nOne of the sources said the insurgents stormed the Marte military base, 153 Task Force Battalion, shooting sporadically and, in the process, razing down “everything.”\n\n“The insurgents seem not to have intended harming any civilian, but only to capture the town; so they stormed the military base, taking troops there unawares at about 6pm, much less than an hour to break fast time,” the source confirmed.\n\n“We engaged them in a fierce encounter for about an hour,” a source who fled the base unscathed to Maiduguri, narrated to newsmen today, saying, “initially, we were about getting victorious over them, but they overpowered us, and all troops in the burning base were set asunder, with all of us fleeing in all directions in the bush.”\n\nHe stressed: “I can tell you that we were about defeating them; but God knows the tactics they later deployed and the defeat turned against us; we all fled; they are in control of the town now.”\n\nAccording to another fleeing source, “casualty figures cannot be confirmed on both sides, with all of us fleeing in all directions into the bush, and many of us finding their way to Maiduguri, and majority still roaming in the bush.\n\n“Many of us who are lucky to find our way to Maiduguri or any safe community will elope to their home states across the country to relieve themselves of the trauma for a few weeks before returning to Maiduguri for the convergence of the troops,” the source, who was on his way to his home state in the Northwest region, said.\n\nThough security agencies in Maiduguri have not yet issued any statement on the incident, we have made efforts to reach the military authorities and will update the story as soon as we get their reactions."], "summary": "Boko Haram storms multiple military bases in the Nigerian state of Borno. Casualties are unknown."}
{"document": ["Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Two soldiers and two police officers were killed by a gunman in the Lebanese city of Tripoli\n\nA lone gunman killed four members of Lebanon's security forces in the city of Tripoli on Monday night before blowing himself up, state media report.\n\nTwo police officers and two soldiers died after the man fired at a bank, a police station and an army vehicle.\n\nHe detonated an explosive vest after being surrounded in a flat by troops.\n\nNo group has said it was behind the attack, but the gunman is reported to have been a member of the jihadist group Islamic State (IS).\n\nThe army identified him as Abdul Rahman Mabsout, who LBC television said was detained when he returned from Syria in 2016 and was freed the following year.\n\nSecurity had earlier been increased across the country in preparation for Eid al-Fitr, the festival marking the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan.\n\nInterior Minister Raya Haffar al-Hassan tweeted her condolences to the victims' families, saying: \"The first night of Eid in Tripoli was very painful, but it's over now. The security forces and the army paid a heavy price to maintain security of the city... May God have mercy on our martyrs.\"\n\nMore from Lebanon:\n\nAt a news conference on Tuesday, Ms Hassan described the shootings as a \"lone wolf attack\" and a \"new form of terrorism\", Reuters news agency reported.\n\n\"Can I tell you we can curb it 100%? We can't curb it. Countries that are perhaps more advanced than us have not been able to,\" she added.\n\nTripoli has in the past been affected by deadly violence linked to the eight-year civil war in Syria, with clashes erupting between groups who support or oppose President Bashar al-Assad.\n\nThe city has also seen fighting between the army and Islamist militants.", "Lebanese military personnel secures the scene where a militant attacked a security forces patrol on Monday night, in Lebanon's northern city of Tripoli, Lebanon, on Tuesday (Reuters photo)\n\nBEIRUT — A militant attacked a security patrol in Lebanon's northern city of Tripoli on Monday night, killing two police officers and two soldiers before blowing himself up, officials said.\n\nInterior Minister Raya Al Hassan described it as a \"lone wolf attack\", though authorities cancelled Eid Al Fitr celebrations in the coastal city on Tuesday and promised to secure it.\n\nMajor attacks had dropped off in Lebanon since a wave of militant bombings — many of them linked to the war in neighbouring Syria — struck parts of the country from 2013 to 2016.\n\nThe gunman threw a bomb at security forces in a government building and opened fire on a patrol, two security sources told Reuters. The attacker had earlier been in jail on charges of belonging to Daesh, one of the sources said.\n\nThe militant then detonated an explosive belt after soldiers raided a residential building where he was holed up, the army said.\n\nLebanese Prime Minister Saad Al Hariri gave his condolences to the families of the dead and said all measures must be taken to protect Tripoli and \"weed out any remnants of terrorism\".\n\nInterior Minister Raya Al Hassan, described the attack as \"a new form of terrorism\".\n\n“Can I tell you we can curb it 100 per cent? We can’t curb it. Countries that are perhaps more advanced than us have not been able to,” she told a press conference.\n\nThe head of Lebanon’s internal security forces, accompanying her, said the agency constantly keeps tabs on suspects and sleeper cells.\n\n“But when someone reaches a level of desperation in some cases, and carries out a crazy action, this leads us to not know about him [ahead of time],” Gen. Imad Othman told reporters.\n\nOthman said the man had been in prison for a year and a month before being released, without giving further details.", "A gunman has killed four members of Lebanon's security forces in an overnight attack in the northern city of Tripoli. He later blew himself up after being surrounded by troops.\n\nInterior Minister Raya al-Hassan described the attacker as a \"lone wolf\".\n\nHe has been identified as Abdul Rahman Mabsout, who is reported to have been a member of the jihadist group Islamic State (IS) detained in Lebanon after returning from neighbouring Syria in 2016.", "A lone gunman killed four members of the security forces in Lebanon's northern city of Tripoli overnight before blowing himself up, officials said Tuesday.\n\n\"The shooting spree resulted in the deaths of two members of the Lebanese army and two members of the internal security forces,\" a security official told AFP.\n\nThe army confirmed it had lost two of its men and the national news agency confirmed the overall toll of four.\n\nThere was no immediate claim for the shooting and the gunman's motives were unclear but two security officials at one of the scenes of the attack told AFP that he was a militant recently released from prison.\n\nThe gunman sowed panic in the streets late Monday, as Lebanon's second city prepared for the first day of Eid al-Fitr, the feast marking the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.\n\nHe first opened fire on a branch of the central bank, a security official said.\n\nA large number of security force personnel were deployed and the gunman also opened fire on a police station and on a military vehicle in the ensuing manhunt.\n\nThe attacker was eventually cornered in a residential building and killed himself by detonating an explosives vest he was wearing.\n\nLebanon, including Tripoli and areas around it, was affected by a spillover of violence from the conflict in neighbouring Syria but the security situation has been quiet in recent years.", "A militant attacked a security forces patrol in Lebanon’s northern city of Tripoli on Monday night, killing two police officers and two army soldiers, state news agency NNA and Reuters reported.\n\nTwo security sources told Reuters the police and army had encircled the gunman in a building after he threw a bomb at security forces in a government building and fired at a patrol.\n\nOne of the sources said that the attacker then blew himself up and that he had been in jail before on charges of belonging to Daesh.\n\nThe Lebanese military confirmed the attack and the death of a soldier and said the attacker had also fired at the security forces’ centre.\n\nLebanese authorities say they have foiled numerous attacks in recent years, including some tied to the conflict across the border in Syria. From 2013 to 2016, militants struck parts of Lebanon repeatedly with bomb attacks, but officials have since said that security has improved.", "Dear Reader, As you can imagine, more people are reading The Jerusalem Post than ever before. Nevertheless, traditional business models are no longer sustainable and high-quality publications, like ours, are being forced to look for new ways to keep going. Unlike many other news organizations, we have not put up a paywall. We want to keep our journalism open and accessible and be able to keep providing you with news and analysis from the frontlines of Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World.\n\nA militant attacked a security patrol in Lebanon's northern city of Tripoli on Monday night, killing two police officers and two soldiers before blowing himself up, officials said.\n\n\n\nInterior Minister Raya al-Hassan described it as a \"lone wolf attack,\" though authorities canceled Eid al-Fitr celebrations in the coastal city on Tuesday and promised to secure it.\n\nMajor attacks had dropped off in Lebanon since a wave of militant bombings - many of them linked to the war in neighboring Syria - struck parts of the country from 2013 to 2016.The gunman threw a bomb at security forces in a government building and opened fire on a patrol, two security sources told Reuters. The attacker had earlier been in jail on charges of belonging to Islamic State, one of the sources said.The militant then detonated an explosive belt after soldiers raided a residential building where he was holed up, the army said.Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri gave his condolences to the families of the dead and said all measures must be taken to protect Tripoli and \"weed out any remnants of terrorism.\"Interior Minister Raya al-Hassan, described the attack as \"a new form of terrorism.\"\"Can I tell you we can curb it 100%? We can't curb it. Countries that are perhaps more advanced than us have not been able to,\" she told a press conference.The head of Lebanon's Internal Security Forces, accompanying her, said the agency constantly keeps tabs on suspects and sleeper cells.\"But when someone reaches a level of desperation in some cases, and carries out a crazy action, this leads us to not know about him (ahead of time),\" General Imad Othman told reporters.Othman said the man had been in prison for a year and a month before being released, without giving further details.\n\nNow is the time to join the news event of the year - The Jerusalem Post Annual Conference! \n\nFor more information and to sign up, click here>>", "Military police and forensics in white overalls deployed in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli on Tuesday after a lone gunman killed four security personnel before blowing himself up in an apartment in a residential building overnight.\n\nThe rare shooting, in which the gunman used a motorcycle to move around, opening fire on police and army vehicles, shook the predominantly Sunni Muslim coastal city on the eve of the Eid al-Fitr holiday, which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan.\n\nInterior Minister Raya El Hassan told reporters the gunman, identified as Abdul-Rahman Mabsout, is a former member of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and now a \"lone wolf.\" She said the situation was under control.\n\nThe shooting began late Monday with the gunman firing at a branch of the Lebanese Central Bank, then driving around, shooting at police and later at an army vehicle, killing four.\n\nWith police opening fire and using tear gas, he then drove to a residential building, where he shot his way up the stairs and into an empty apartment on the fourth floor and barricaded himself inside.\n\nAn hours-long standoff ensued, culminating with security forces storming the apartment. Cornered, the gunman detonated his explosives vest, killing himself instantly.\n\nOn Tuesday, there were multiple signs of battle. At least four civilian cars and one police car were heavily damaged, their windshields smashed and pocked by bullet holes.\n\nMilitary police and forensics removed bullets from the street. Tear gas canisters were still on the ground.\n\nThe nine-floor apartment building where Mabsout died was shell pocked and the apartment was partially destroyed.\n\nThe owner of the apartment said he and his family were not in the house when the gunman stormed the building, but his flat was left largely destroyed by the explosion. He said the attacker entered his building after shooting one person in the street.\n\n\"Thank God there was nobody in the house, and my door is not made of steel, it is a wooden door so I think he broke the door and he walked in,\" Kamal Ferri told The Associated Press.\n\nMabsout was described as a former member of ISIS who fought with the extremist movement in Syria. He had been detained when he returned to Lebanon in 2016 and was released a year later.\n\nThe Lebanese army announced earlier it had increased security around the country because of Eid el-Fitr, when people go out to celebrate.\n\nTripoli, Lebanon's second largest city, has in the past seen clashes between rival groups that support or oppose the Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad. The city is also home to some extremists who had fought against the Lebanese army.\n\nMilitants linked to ISIS and al-Qaeda militants have claimed responsibility over th years for attacks in different parts of Lebanon that killed dozens of people. Such attacks have been rare recently.", "AMMAN — Jordan on Tuesday condemned the terrorist attack that caused a number of fatalities and injuries among security forces in Tripoli, Lebanon.\n\nForeign Ministry Spokesperson Sufian Qudah reiterated the Kingdom’s solidarity with Lebanon in the face of terrorism, which threatens its security and stability.\n\nIn a Foreign Ministry statement, Qudah expressed his condolences over the fatalities and wished the injured a speedy recovery, reaffirming Jordan’s rejection of all forms of violence that target everyone, without consideration to religion or race.\n\nA militant attacked a security patrol in Lebanon's northern city of Tripoli on Monday night, killing two police officers and two soldiers before blowing himself up, officials said.\n\nInterior Minister Raya Al Hassan described it as a \"lone wolf attack\", though authorities cancelled Eid Al Fitr celebrations in the coastal city on Tuesday and promised to secure it, according to Reuters.", "BEIRUT (Reuters) - Armed men fired at a patrol of Lebanon’s Internal Security Forces (ISF) in the northern city of Tripoli on Monday night, killing two ISF members, state news agency NNA said.\n\nThe security forces and the army chased down the attackers and encircled them, it said.\n\nA security source also said two ISF members were killed.", "BEIRUT (Reuters) - Armed men fired at a patrol of Lebanon's Internal Security Forces (ISF) in the northern city of Tripoli on Monday night, killing two ISF members, state news agency NNA said.\n\nThe security forces and the army chased down the attackers and encircled them, it said.\n\nA security source also said two ISF members were killed.\n\nThis story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed."], "summary": "A gunman kills four security officers and injures two before blowing himself up in Tripoli, Lebanon (BBC)"}
{"document": ["An Indian Air Force transport aircraft has gone missing after taking off from an airbase in Assam. The last contact with the aircraft -- an Antonov An-32 military transport aircraft -- was at around 1pm today. 13 people were onboard the plane, including eight crew members and five passengers.\n\nThe Indian Air Force has deployed all available resources, including Sukhoi Su-30 combat fighter jets and C-130 Hercules special operations aircraft, to locate the aircraft.\n\nTroops in the ground too have fanned out to hunt for the missing An-32.\n\nIn a tweet posted a few hours after the An-32 went missing, the Indian Air Force said that search operations for the missing plane will continue into the night.\n\nThe Air Force said some reports were recieved of the sighting of a possible crash site. However, those reports did not turn out to be true.\n\nIAF is coordinating with Indian Army, various government and civil agencies to locate the missing aircraft. Search operations will continue from air and by ground parties of Indian Army through the night. 4/4 Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) June 3, 2019\n\nThe Antonov An-32 had taken off from Jorhat in Assam and was heading to the Mechuka Advanced Landing Ground, located in Mechuka Valley in Arunachal Pradesh.\n\nThe plane lost contact around 35 minutes after taking off.\n\nThe Mechuka Advanced Landing Ground is located near the China border.\n\nThe Mechuka Advanced Landing Ground in Arunachal Pradesh (click to zoom)\n\nIn July 2016, Indian Air Force An-32 transport aircraft disappeared over the Bay of Bengal with 29 people onboard. The plane had taken off from an airbase in Chennai and was headed to Andaman and Nicobar Islands.\n\nRadar contact with the plane was lost around an hour after the An-32 took off from the Tambaram Air Force Station, Chennai.\n\nFollowing the disappearance, the Indian Air Force launched what later became India's largest search operation for a missing plane over the sea. However, the aircraft was never found and search operations were called off on September 2016.\n\nThe plane was presumed to have crashed and all the people onboard were presumed dead.", "An Indian Air Force transport aircraft has gone missing after taking off from an airbase in Assam. The last contact with the aircraft -- an Antonov An-32 military transport aircraft -- was at around 1pm today. 13 people were onboard the plane, including eight crew members and five passengers.\n\nThe Indian Air Force has deployed all available resources to locate the aircraft.\n\nThe Antonov An-32 had taken off from Jorhat in Assam and was heading to the Mechuka Advanced Landing Ground, located in Mechuka Valley in Arunachal Pradesh.\n\nThe plane lost contact around 35 minutes after taking off.\n\nThe Mechuka Advanced Landing Ground is located near the China border.\n\nIn July 2016, Indian Air Force An-32 transport aircraft disappeared over the Bay of Bengal with 29 people onboard. The plane had taken off from an airbase in Chennai and was headed to Andaman and Nicobar Islands.\n\nRadar contact with the plane was lost around an hour after the An-32 took off from the Tambaram Air Force Station, Chennai.\n\nFollowing the disappearance, the Indian Air Force launched what later became India's largest search operation for a missing plane over the sea. However, the aircraft was never found and search operations were called off on September 2016.\n\nThe plane was presumed to have crashed and all the people onboard were presumed dead.", "New Delhi: An Indian Air Force transport aircraft that took off from Assam’s Jorhat earlier today with eight crew members and five passengers onboard has gone missing.\n\nThe Antonov An-32 took off at 12:25 pm for a military landing strip in Mechuka in Arunachal Pradesh. The Air Force has launched a search operation to track down the plane.\n\nThe terrain under the flight’s route is mountainous and heavily-forested. The landing and take-off approaches to Mechuka are extremely difficult. The An-32 is a Russian-designed twin engine turboprop transport aircraft used extensively by the Indian Air Force for over four decades.\n\nIn 2016, an Indian Air Force An-32 disappeared while flying over the Bay of Bengal after taking off from Chennai for the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.", "An Indian Air Force transport aircraft has gone missing after taking off from an airbase in Assam. The last contact with the aircraft — an Antonov An-32 military transport aircraft — was at around 1pm today. 13 people were onboard the plane, including eight crew members and five passengers, India Today reported.\n\nThe Indian Air Force has deployed all available resources to locate the aircraft.\n\nThe Antonov An-32 had taken off from Jorhat in Assam and was heading to the Mechuka Advanced Landing Ground, located in Mechuka Valley in Arunachal Pradesh.\n\nThe Mechuka Advanced Landing Ground is located near the China border.", "An Indian Air Force transport aircraft carrying eight crew members and five passengers that took off from Assam's Jorhat earlier today has gone missing, sources have told NDTV.\n\nThe Antonov An-32 took off at 12:25 pm for a landing strip in Mechuka in Arunachal Pradesh.\n\nThe aircraft last had contact with ground forces at 1 pm, sources said.\n\nThe Air Force has launched a search operation to track down the plane.\n\nThe An-32 is a Russian-designed twin engine turboprop transport aircraft used extensively by the Indian Air Force for over four decades.", "The Indian Air Force plane was flying to a landing strip in Mechuka Valley near the international border with China.\n\nGuwahati/New Delhi: An Indian Air Force transport aircraft that took off from Assam’s Jorhat airbase earlier on Monday with eight crew members and five passengers on board has gone missing, and is feared to have crashed.\n\nAir Force sources in Shillong said they had launched a massive search operation and pressed in to two aircraft as well to locate the Antonov AN-32, which lost contact with the ground at about 1 pm. The IAF plane was flying to a landing strip in Mechuka Valley near the international border with China.\n\nThe sources said the AN-32 military transport aircraft had 13 people on board, including eight crew members and five passengers.\n\nThe plane lost contact around 35 minutes after taking off. The Mechuka Advanced Landing Ground is one of the many rudimentary landing strips operated by the Air Force near the Line of Actual Control with China.\n\nIt is significant that the terrain along the flight path to Mechuka is mountainous and heavily forested. In fact, the landing and takeoff approaches to Mechuka are also extremely difficult. The erratic weather condition makes the region one of the most challenging destinations for air transport.\n\nThe AN-32 is a Soviet-designed twin-engine turboprop transport aircraft used extensively by the Indian Air Force for over four decades.\n\nIn New Delhi, the IAF deployed all available resources to locate the aircraft. A C-130, another AN-32 aircraft, two Mi-17s of the IAF and the Army’s ALH helicopters were deployed to locate the aircraft.\n\n“The IAF is coordinating with the Army and various government and civil agencies to locate the missing aircraft. The search operations from the air and by ground parties of the Indian Army are planned to continue through the night,” the IAF said.\n\nDefence minister Rajnath Singh was in touch with IAF officials. “Spoke to Vice Chief of @IAF_MCC, Air Marshal Rakesh Singh Bhadauria regarding the missing IAF AN-32 Aircraft which is overdue for some hours. He has apprised me of the steps taken by the IAF to find the missing aircraft,” Mr Singh sai.", "[India], June 3 (ANI): An Indian Air Force transport aircraft with 13 personnel on board has gone missing in Arunachal Pradesh after it took-off from Assam's Jorhat on Monday afternoon.\n\nThe aircraft took off from Jorhat at 12.25 pm and was headed for Menchuka Advance Landing Ground (ALG) in Arunachal Pradesh. The last contact between the aircraft and ground agencies took place at 1 pm.\n\nSeven Air Force officers and six air warriors were on board the Antonov An-32.\n\nIndian Air Force has deployed all available resources, including Sukhoi-30 combat aircraft and C-130 Special Operations aircraft, on a search mission for locating the missing aircraft.\n\nThe IAF has also launched ground troops for search operations. The Soviet-era aircraft was inducted into the Air Force in the 1980s and has been undergoing upgrades. The missing plane is not part of the upgraded An-32 fleet of the Air Force. Three years ago, on July 22, 2016, an An-32 aircraft of the IAF had gone missing in the air with 29 people on board. The aircraft was traveling from Chennai to Port-Blair in Andaman and Nicobar when it went missing over the Bay of Bengal. (ANI)", "An Indian Air Force AN-32 transport aircraft with 13 people on board went missing on Monday afternoon around 33 minutes after taking off from Jorhat in Assam for Arunachal's Menchuka near the border with China.\n\nThirteen people, including eight crew members, were onboard the aircraft. The Antonov An-32, which was headed to the Mechuka Advanced Landing Ground, located in Mechuka Valley in Arunachal Pradesh, lost contact around 35 minutes after taking off from Jorhat in Assam.\n\nThe Indian Air Force has deployed Sukhoi Su-30 combat fighter jets, a C-130 Hercules special operations aircraft to locate the aircraft but the An-32 is yet to be traced.\n\nAs search operations continue, here are developments in 10 points.\n\n1. The Indian Air Force aircraft took off from Jorhat at 12.27 pm for the Menchuka advance landing ground in Shi-Yomi district in Arunachal Pradesh and made last contact with the ground control at 1pm.\n\n2. A total of eight aircrew and five passengers were onboard the Air Force aircraft.\n\n3. The IAF has deployed C-130J and AN-32 aircraft besides two Mi-17 choppers while the Indian Army has pressed into service advance light helicopters to locate the missing Antonov AN-32 aircraft. The search operations from air and by ground parties of the Indian Army continued through the night.\n\n4. The district administration of Shi Yomi district in Arunachal Pradesh also launched a search operation along with the villagers.\n\n5. Ground reports were received on the possible location of a crash site on Monday but when helicopters were routed to the location, no wreckage was found.\n\n6. Search operations continue on Tuesday. \"Search and rescue (SAR) operation resumes as the weather clears up on Tuesday. Two MI 17s and one ALH already deployed with the ground party of Army and ITBP,\" Wing Commander Ratnakar Singh said, adding that more assets may be deployed if required.\n\n7. On the missing An-32, defence minister Rajnath Singh said he had spoken to the vice chief of the force on steps to find the missing aircraft and was praying for the safety of all those on board.\n\n8. Defence Ministry spokesperson said all efforts were being made to locate the missing Air Force plane. The spokesperson said Rajnath Singh was keeping an eye on the situation.\n\n9. IAF officials said the Mechuka Advanced Landing Ground is around 35km from the China border. The Mechuka ALG, where the aircraft was supposed to land, was re-activated last year. It was non-functional since 2013.\n\n10. The AN-32 is a Russian origin aircraft and the IAF currently operates a sizeable number of it. It is a twin-engine turboprop transport aircraft.\n\nREAD | Air Force An-32 transport plane missing after taking off from Assam", "The plane went missing with 13 people on board.\n\nThe Indian plane with 13 people on board went missing on Monday in the country’s remote north-east, prompting authorities to launch search operations.\n\nTop militant linked to Al-Qaeda killed in Indian Kashmir(Opens in a new browser tab)\n\nThe Antonov An-32, took off from the Jorhat airbase in the Assam state for the Mechuka military landing strip, in Arunachal Pradesh state.\n\nIt was carrying eight crew members and five passengers, official sources told broadcaster NDTV.\n\n“I Spoke to vice chief of Indian Airforce (IAF) Air Marshal Rakesh Singh Bhadauria, regarding the missing aircraft which is overdue for some hours,’’ Defence Minister, Rajnath Singh said on Twitter.\n\n“He has apprised me of steps taken by the IAF to find the missing aircraft. I pray for the safety of all passengers on board,’’ Singh added.\n\nThe flight had been scheduled to land at Mechuka in an hour, but the aircraft lost contact with ground forces 30 minutes after take-off, the report said.\n\nThe IAF had launched search operations to track the plane.\n\nThe plane is likely to have gone missing over the eastern Himalayan range, where the terrain is mountainous with a thick forest.\n\nThe landing and take-off approaches to Mechuka are extremely difficult.\n\nIn 2016, an Indian air force, An-32, disappeared while flying over the Bay of Bengal.\n\nA search-and-rescue operation was launched, but the aircraft was never found.", "CHANDIGARH (AA): An Indian Air Force (IAF) plane carrying 13 personnel has gone missing after it took off from a town in the country’s northeastern state of Assam on Monday afternoon, officials said.\n\nThe authorities have launched a search operation to trace the missing aircraft.\n\nRoshni Aparanji Korati, deputy commissioner of Jorhat district in Assam, told Anadolu Agency that the aircraft of Indian Air Force took off from Jorhat in the afternoon and didn’t reach the destination.\n\nMeanwhile, Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh prayed for the safety of all the passengers on board.\n\n“Spoke to Vice Chief of @IAF_MCC, Air Marshal Rakesh Singh Bhadauria regarding the missing IAF AN-32 Aircraft which is overdue for some hours. He has apprised me of the steps taken by the IAF to find the missing aircraft. I pray for the safety of all passengers on board,” Singh said in a Twitter post.\n\nLocal media reported that the aircraft was a transport plane.\n\n“The Antonov AN-32 took off at 12:25 pm [0655 GMT] for a remote military landing strip in Mechuka in Arunachal Pradesh,” local broadcaster NDTV reported.\n\n“The terrain under the flight’s route is mountainous and heavily-forested. The landing and take-off approaches to Mechuka are extremely difficult,” the broadcaster said."], "summary": "An Indian Air Force Antonov An-32 goes missing shortly after takeoff from an airbase in Assam. All 13 people aboard are presumed dead as search operations continue."}
{"document": ["Tribes are urging U.S. officials to ban oil and gas exploration around a sacred tribal site with massive stone structures and other remnants of an...", "GROVE CITY, Ohio — Authorities say a patient has died amid an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in a recently opened central Ohio hospital.\n\nMount Carmel Health System says the patient who died Sunday was among the seven who had been diagnosed with the disease after being hospitalized at Mount Carmel Grove City. However, Dr. Richard Streck, chief clinical operations officer for the system, says it’s too early to determine the final cause of death.\n\nStreck says the hospital is working with state and county health officials to identify the source of the bacteria. He says it is running tests, implementing water restrictions and doing supplemental disinfection of the water supply.\n\nStreck advises patients who develop a cough, muscle aches, headaches, fever or shortness of breath after being hospitalized to contact their primary care physician.", "GROVE CITY, Ohio (AP) — Authorities say a patient has died amid an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease in a central Ohio hospital.\n\nThe Columbus Dispatch reports that the Ohio Department of Health announced the death Sunday. Seven patients who were in Mount Carmel Grove City hospital in late April and May have been diagnosed with the disease.\n\nDr. Richard Streck, chief clinical operations officer for Mount Carmel Health System, says in a statement the recently opened hospital is working with state and county health officials to identify the source of the bacteria. He says it is running tests, implementing water restrictions and doing supplemental disinfection of the hospital's water supply.\n\nStreck advises that anyone who developed a cough, muscle aches, headaches, fever or shortness of breath after being hospitalized should contact their primary care physician.", "GROVE CITY, Ohio — A patient has died amid an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease in a recently opened hospital, authorities said.\n\nThe patient who died Sunday was among the seven who had been diagnosed with the disease after being hospitalized at Mount Carmel Grove City, Mount Carmel Health System said. It's too early, however, to determine the final cause of death, said Dr. Richard Streck, chief clinical operations officer for the system.\n\nThe hospital is working with state and county health officials to identify the source of the bacteria, Streck said. It is running tests, implementing water restrictions and doing supplemental disinfection of the water supply, he said.\n\nPatients who develop a cough, muscle aches, headaches, fever or shortness of breath after being hospitalized should contact their primary doctor, Streck said.\n\nThe first Mount Carmel Grove City patient diagnosed with Legionnaires', a severe form of pneumonia, was admitted to the 200-bed hospital April 29, the day after it opened, the Ohio Department of Health said in a statement Friday. The department ordered the hospital to test and clean its ice machines, clean and service its on-site cooling towers, and provide all test results and a water management plan to the Health Department.\n\nPeople are infected with Legionnaires' by inhaling airborne water droplets containing the Legionella bacterium, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Cooling towers containing water and a fan as part of a centralized cooling system are a potential source for Legionella, the CDC says.\n\nWhile most healthy people are unaffected, those over 50, smokers and others with weakened immune systems and chronic lung disease are most at risk of being infected, the CDC says.\n\nThe Mount Carmel system has been under intense scrutiny after discovering that a doctor had prescribed excessive doses of painkillers to 29 patients who died at its other hospitals.", "MONDAY, June 3, 2019 (HealthDay News) A patient died Sunday during an outbreak of Legionnaires disease, a severe type of pneumonia, at Grove City, Mount Carmel Health System, the Associated Press reported.\n\nDr. Richard Streck, the hospital's chief clinical operations officer told the AP that it's too soon to know exactly what the patient died from.\n\nThe first patient to come down with Legionnaires had been admitted to the hospital April 29, the day after the facility opened.\n\nLegionnaires is caused by the Legionella bacteria, which can grow in water in building cooling systems. It's spread as people inhale contaminated water droplets, according to the CDC.\n\nThose most at risk are people with weakened immune systems or chronic lung disease, the agency says.\n\nThe hospital is working with county health personnel to determine the cause of the Legionnaires outbreak.\n\nThe Ohio Department of Health ordered the hospital to test its ice making machines and clean them. It's also been ordered to test and clean the building's cooling towers and give the test results to the department.\n\nMount Carmel has been under investigation since a doctor was caught overprescribing pain medicine to 29 patients who died in their other hospitals, the AP notes.", "GROVE CITY, Ohio (AP) — Health officials in Ohio say 10 people now have been diagnosed with Legionnaires' disease amid an outbreak at a recently opened hospital near Columbus.\n\nFranklin County's health department says that's up from seven who have been hospitalized, including one patient who died Sunday.\n\nMount Carmel Health System says the hospital is working with state and county health officials to identify the source of the bacteria at Mount Carmel Grove City.\n\nState health officials say the first patient diagnosed with Legionnaires' was admitted to the hospital on April 29, the day after it opened.\n\nPeople are infected with the severe form of pneumonia by inhaling airborne water droplets containing the Legionella bacterium.", "Grove City, Ohio – Ohio’s health authority has ordered a newly opened hospital where seven patients have been diagnosed with potentially fatal Legionnaires’ disease to immediately flush and disinfect its water lines and take other steps to protect the public’s health.\n\nDepartment of Health Director Amy Acton in a statement said the cluster of cases at Mount Carmel Grove City outside Columbus was identified Friday. The first patient diagnosed with Legionnaires’, a severe form of pneumonia, was admitted April 29, a day after the hospital opened.\n\nA Mount Carmel spokeswoman says hospital officials are confident that full services can be maintained “while we study this situation.”\n\nThe Mount Carmel system has been under scrutiny after discovering that a doctor had prescribed excessive doses of painkillers to 29 patients who died at its other hospitals.", "GROVE CITY, Ohio — Health officials in Ohio say 10 people have now been diagnosed with Legionnaires' disease amid an outbreak at a recently opened hospital near Columbus.\n\nFranklin County's health department said Tuesday that's up from seven. One of those patients died Sunday.\n\nMount Carmel Health System says the hospital is working with health officials to identify the source of the bacteria at Mount Carmel Grove City.\n\nState health officials say the first patient diagnosed with Legionnaires' was admitted to the hospital on April 29, the day after it opened.\n\nPeople are infected with the severe form of pneumonia by inhaling airborne water droplets containing the Legionella bacterium.\n\nThe Mount Carmel system has been under scrutiny after discovering that a doctor had prescribed excessive doses of painkillers to patients who died at its other hospitals.", "- Ohio's health authority on Friday ordered a newly opened hospital outside Columbus to immediately flush and disinfect its water lines and take other steps to protect the public's health after seven patients were diagnosed with potentially fatal Legionnaires' disease.\n\nOne of those patients has since died. Officials said it's too soon to confirm the final cause of death. The identity of the victim has not been released, due to privacy laws.\n\nThe Ohio Department of Health said in a statement that the first Mount Carmel Grove City patient diagnosed with Legionnaires', a severe form of pneumonia, was admitted to the 200-bed hospital April 29, the day after it opened. The statement described state Health Director Amy Acton's adjudication order as a rare event.\n\nThe hospital also has been ordered to test and clean its ice machines, clean and service its on-site cooling towers, and provide all test results and a water management plan to the Health Department.\n\n\"They've stopped all water flow, It's being chlorinated as we speak, there is no ice in the hospital, there's bottled water everywhere, and there are detailed interventions going on to protect people,\" said Acton.\n\nIf Mount Carmel fails to follow Acton's directives, she will order the hospital to stop accepting patients, the statement said.\n\nState and Franklin County health officials were conducting an environmental assessment at Mount Carmel on Saturday morning.\n\nMount Carmel spokeswoman Samantha Irons said in a statement late Friday that the hospital is running additional tests on its water sources and that its water supply is receiving \"supplemental\" disinfection. She said hospital officials are confident Mount Carmel can maintain full services \"while we study this situation.\"\n\nThe Mount Carmel statement said anyone who has been hospitalized at the facility and develops a cough, muscle aches, headaches or shortness of breath should contact their primary care physician.\n\nThe Centers for Disease Control and Infection website says people are infected with Legionnaires' by inhaling airborne water droplets containing the Legionella bacteria. Cooling towers containing water and a fan as part of a centralized cooling system are a potential source for Legionella, the CDC says.\n\nWhile most healthy people are unaffected, those over 50, smokers and others with weakened immune systems and chronic lung disease are most at risk of being infected, the CDC says.\n\nThe Mount Carmel system has been under intense scrutiny after discovering that a doctor had prescribed excessive doses of painkillers to 29 patients who died at its other hospitals.\n\nCopyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.", "A patient died Sunday after an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease at the new Mount Carmel Grove City hospital.\n\n“My entire team and I are deeply saddened by the death announced tonight by Mount Carmel Grove City, and our thoughts and prayers go out to the family,\" Ohio Department of Health Director Amy Acton said in a news release.\n\n\"We share concern for all impacted by this outbreak. The Ohio Department of Health continues to work closely with Franklin County Public Health and the Mount Carmel Health System as we work to ensure patient safety.\"\n\nSeven patients have been diagnosed with the disease. The patient in the first case stayed at the new $361 million hospital from April 29 through May 7, and five other patients who contracted the disease stayed during the period from May 8 through May 20. The seventh case was identified late Friday.\n\nThe hospital has not identified the patient who died.\n\n\"Out of respect for the family's privacy and in keeping with patient privacy laws, we are not discussing the specifics and complexities of patient information,\" said Dr. Richard Streck, chief clinical operations officer for the Mount Carmel Health System, in a news release. \"We can say that it's too early to determine the final cause of death. For most people, the risk of developing Legionnaires' disease is low; however, individuals with chronic, underlying medical conditions are at increased risk.\"\n\nStreck said the hospital is \"working with county and state health officials to identify the source of the bacteria. We’ve taken several steps to protect our patients, staff and visitors, including implementing extensive water restrictions. We are running additional tests on water sources throughout Mount Carmel Grove City, and our entire water supply is undergoing supplemental disinfection. We're confident that we can safely maintain full services of the hospital.\"\n\nStreck advised anyone who has been hospitalized and developed cough, muscle aches, headaches, fever or shortness of breath,to contact their primary care physician.\n\nLegionnaires’ disease kills about 10% of those diagnosed in the general population, but that rate can rise to 1 in 4 people when the outbreak is at a nursing home or hospital.\n\nLegionella bacteria can be found naturally in water but can become a health concern when they spread into building water systems and places such as shower stalls, faucets and drinking fountains.\n\nOutbreaks most commonly occur in buildings with “complex water systems,” including hotels, hospitals and cruise ships, where bacteria can spread in cooling towers, hot water tanks and plumbing systems, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."], "summary": "Authorities say that a patient has died amid an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease in a recently opened hospital in Grove City, Ohio."}
{"document": ["FILE PHOTO: Former SAC Capital Advisors portfolio manager Mathew Martoma exits the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, following sentencing for insider trading, in Lower Manhattan September 8, 2014. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid\n\nWASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected an appeal by Mathew Martoma, a former portfolio manager for billionaire Steven A. Cohen, challenging a conviction for insider trading.\n\nThe Supreme Court left in place a June 2018 ruling by the New York-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which found there was enough evidence to establish Martoma’s guilt despite defective jury instructions in the trial. Martoma had worked at the CR Intrinsic Investors unit of Cohen’s SAC Capital Advisors LP.\n\nAt issue in the appeal was whether the prosecution must prove insider trading by showing that the individual who supplied a tip sought personal gain or intended to confer a benefit to someone else.\n\nThe 2nd Circuit had upheld Martoma’s conviction and nine-year prison term in August 2017, but in a modified ruling almost a year later withdrew its prior finding that the jury instructions were “not obviously erroneous.”\n\nThe appeals court decided that the instructions wrongly allowed a conviction solely on evidence that a Michigan doctor had tipped Martoma about a Alzheimer’s drug trial to maintain a friendship, rather than to offer a benefit or further a “quid pro quo” relationship - something done in exchange for something else.\n\nMartoma was convicted in February 2014 for making $275 million of illegal gains in Elan Corp and Wyeth. Now called Point72 Asset Management LP, SAC pleaded guilty to fraud and paid $1.8 billion in U.S. criminal and civil settlements. Cohen was not criminally charged.", "An appeal from Mathew Martoma, a former portfolio manager at Steven A. Cohen’s SAC Capital who was convicted of insider trading, was denied by the Supreme Court on Monday.\n\nThe hedge fund manager was hoping to have his insider trading conviction overturned, but the High Court upheld a prior ruling that there was enough evidence to establish his guilt, despite claims that the jury was improperly instructed, as reported by Reuters.\n\nAt the heart of the appeal was what needs to be proven in order to find someone guilty of insider trading. Martoma, who allegedly received insider tips from a doctor who was also a friend, and his lawyers attempted to argue based on prior precedent that the tip needed to come from someone with whom he had a “meaningfully close personal relationship.” They also claimed there was not enough evidence to prove that the tips were given in exchange for a tangible reward.\n\nHe is said to have paid one doctor $1,000 a meeting.\n\nHe is serving a nine year prison sentence.\n\nCLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX BUSINESS APP\n\nMartoma allegedly made $275 million in illegal profits by using confidential information about an Alzheimer’s drug. It is considered one of the most lucrative insider trading schemes.\n\nSAC Capital, which has since been renamed Point72 Asset Management, pleaded guilty to insider trading-related violations in 2013 and paid a penalty worth $1.2 billion.", "The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected an appeal by Mathew Martoma, a former portfolio manager for billionaire Steven A. Cohen, challenging a conviction for insider trading.\n\nWASHINGTON: The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected an appeal by Mathew Martoma, a former portfolio manager for billionaire Steven A. Cohen, challenging a conviction for insider trading.\n\nThe Supreme Court left in place a June 2018 ruling by the New York-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which found there was enough evidence to establish Martoma's guilt despite defective jury instructions in the trial.", "Law360 (June 3, 2019, 6:14 PM EDT) -- The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear an appeal from former SAC Capital Advisors LP portfolio manager Mathew Martoma, dealing him yet another defeat in his bid to reverse his insider trading conviction. Martoma had asked the high court in January to take a look at the Second Circuit’s decision to uphold his 2014 conviction for trading on insider clinical trial information, arguing that it broke from the Supreme Court’s holding that what an insider gets from tipping someone, not just his intentions toward that person, are key to proving the crime. According to Martoma, the Second Circuit has used...\n\nIn the legal profession, information is the key to success. You have to know what’s happening with clients, competitors, practice areas, and industries. Law360 provides the intelligence you need to remain an expert and beat the competition.\n• Access to case data within articles (numbers, filings, courts, nature of suit, and more.)\n• Access to attached documents such as briefs, petitions, complaints, decisions, motions, etc.\n• Create custom alerts for specific article and case topics and so much more!\n\nTRY LAW360 FREE FOR SEVEN DAYS", "WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected an appeal by Mathew Martoma, a former portfolio manager for billionaire Steven A. Cohen, challenging a conviction for insider trading.\n\nThe Supreme Court left in place a June 2018 ruling by the New York-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which found there was enough evidence to establish Martoma’s guilt despite defective jury instructions in the trial.", "InsiderInsights' Daily Round-Up articles rate the \"significance\" of the top 10 dollar value insider purchases and sales filed at the SEC on the Title date. Dollar value is only the most basic metric to assess the significance of an insider transaction, however, and there are many more \"Significant\" insider trades with lower dollar values every day in our comprehensive Daily Insider Ratings Reports, which also reach clients before the market opens each morning. In contrast, these free Round-Up articles are delayed.\n\nWe employ over a million lines of code programming our decades of experience analyzing insider transactions to harvest, analyze, and profitably rate insider transactions in real time. When a new insider transaction occurs, our programs mathematically score the significance of the company's 3-month insider profile based on numerous criteria.\n\nStocks that achieve an InsiderInsights Company Rating of \"Significant\" and \"Nearly Significant\" have been independently validated to generate alpha as a group.\n\nThe intention of our Round-Up articles is to both separate real insider investment intelligence from time-wasting noise, and to educate investors that - though insider transactions are indeed an excellent source of investment intelligence - it takes much more analysis than screening by dollar values to make money from insider data.\n\nSeasonal Note: Insider trading volumes are now in a seasonally high period, and will stay strong through May.\n\nInsider trades were rated Nearly Significant at:\n\nThere is a Conflicted Insider Signal (both purchases and sales) at:\n\nThere is an IPO or Known Corporate Action at:\n\nIt's difficult to argue significance for most transactions made during IPOs, or when insiders make trades during a known corporate action.\n\nDon't agree with our Rating? Click the Company Name links in the tables below to analyze a company's or insider's full insider history yourself and reach your own conclusions!\n\nSource: InsiderInsights.com | Key to Insider Title and Trans Type Codes: B = Open-market Buy; AB = 10b5-1 (automatic) Buy; JB* = Buy indicated as being open-market, but not confirmed by trading price range and volume for the session. S = Open-market Sale; AS = 10b5-1 (automatic) Sale; JS* = Sale indicated as being open-market, but not confirmed by trading price range and volume for the session.\n\nDid you miss our Previous Daily Round-Up?\n\nDisclosure: I am/we are long CERC. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.", "(Bloomberg) -- The U.S. Supreme Court left intact the insider-trading conviction of former SAC Capital Advisors LP portfolio manager Mathew Martoma, rejecting an appeal that could have undercut efforts to clean up Wall Street.\n\nThe justices, without comment Monday, let stand a federal appeals court decision that upheld Martoma’s 2014 conviction for using tips to make $275 million for SAC on trades in two pharmaceutical stocks. Martoma is serving a nine-year sentence in a Miami prison following the largest insider-trading case ever brought against an individual.\n\nWhite-collar crime experts said the ruling by the New York-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals widened the category of people who can be prosecuted, covering traders who get an inside tip as a gift from an acquaintance or business associate.\n\nMartoma told the Supreme Court the ruling eviscerated the decades-old requirement for proof that the person providing the tip received some sort of personal benefit in return.\n\n“It now suffices for the government to prove that the insider intended to benefit the tippee/outsider,” Martoma argued in his appeal. “That test focuses on the wrong question and radically dilutes the government’s burden.”\n\nMartoma had spurned government requests that he cooperate in its investigation of SAC and its billionaire founder, Steven A. Cohen.\n\nSAC pleaded guilty in 2013 and paid a record $1.8 billion fine to resolve U.S. claims over insider trading. It changed its name to Point72 Asset Management LP and agreed to manage only Cohen’s money.\n\nThe Supreme Court unanimously ruled in 2016 that people can be sent to prison even when the insider who provided the tip wasn’t trying to make money. That case involved an investment banker who gave information to his brother.\n\nIn Martoma’s case, the 2nd Circuit said it didn’t matter how close the relationship was between the two people, as long as the tipper had an “intent to benefit” the recipient.\n\nThe Trump administration urged the Supreme Court to reject the appeal without a hearing, saying Martoma’s conviction didn’t depend on the “intent to benefit” standard.\n\nThe government said Martoma got confidential information about a clinical trial on an experimental Alzheimer’s drug from a doctor to whom the trader had previously paid more than $70,000 in consulting fees.\n\nMartoma’s “corrupt quid pro quo arrangement fell within the heartland” of prohibitions in the federal securities laws, the administration argued.\n\nTo contact the reporter on this story: Greg Stohr in Washington at gstohr@bloomberg.net\n\nTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Joe Sobczyk at jsobczyk@bloomberg.net, Laurie Asséo, Ros Krasny", "FILE PHOTO: Former SAC Capital Advisors portfolio manager Mathew Martoma exits the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, following sentencing for insider trading, in Lower Manhattan September 8, 2014. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid FILE PHOTO: Former SAC Capital Advisors portfolio manager Mathew Martoma exits the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, following sentencing for insider trading, in Lower Manhattan September 8, 2014. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid\n\nWASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected an appeal by Mathew Martoma, a former portfolio manager for billionaire Steven A. Cohen, challenging a conviction for insider trading.\n\nThe Supreme Court left in place a June 2018 ruling by the New York-based 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which found there was enough evidence to establish Martoma’s guilt despite defective jury instructions in the trial.", "This article continues my monthly analysis of the live testing of the CFO Insider trading anomaly study that began at the start of April 2019. The purpose is to retest highly profitable aspects of peer-reviewed research in the financial literature for the next 12 months. This new anomaly study is replacing my prior Russell 2000 Reconstitution Anomaly study that concludes a two-year evaluation today and is summarized in a separate final performance results article.\n\nInstinctively, we know that corporate insiders have the best information to conduct potentially profitable purchases and sales of their company stock. The basis of the CFO insider trading anomaly stems from a number of different conclusions in the financial literature to harness the best performance results:\n• \"Insiders have far superior knowledge about the company and the industry than the market\" (Singal, 2004, p. 134)\n• \"CFOs derive statistically and economically higher abnormal returns from their purchases of company shares than do CEOs. Furthermore, CFOs' excess return is robust to controlling for risk factors. (Wang, Shin, & Francis, 2012, p. 758).\n• \"Our results are consistent with CFOs utilizing more (superior) information in their purchase transactions compared to CEOs. The excess returns by CFOs persist even after the trading information is made public, suggesting that the market is slow in incorporating the information in CFOs' trades\" (Wang, Shin, & Francis, 2012, p. 758).\n• \"A firm is likely to perform better following an insider buying month than an insider selling month. Overall, it can be seen that stocks of firms where insiders have been actively buying outperform stocks where insiders have been actively selling. The difference in returns over the subsequent twelve-month period varies from 4.8 percent to 18.7%.\" (Singal, 2004, p. 139).\n\nIf we want additional trading advantages, it makes sense to look to insiders' trading behaviors. If we want to harness the best possible results, it makes sense to look at the most successful group of insiders, namely CFOs, according to published research. If we want to find the best results from the CFOs, we begin to analyze their purchases in the research that follows.\n\nMy current CFO Insider Trading research study consists of 146 purchasing transactions filed on Form 4s with the SEC from the start of April 2019 through the end of May 2019. The longer-term insider reporting Form 5 is not included in my study due to the lack of immediacy that the Form 4 filings provide us. Form 4 purchasing transactions are being accumulated as part of a longitudinal study to live test the findings in published financial literature to see if abnormal returns result in active market trading.\n\nThese transactions through the end of May are analyzed according to purchasing size and monthly performance relative to the S&P 500 over the same time frame.\n\nThe 146 transactions were then segmented by stocks into nearly equal quartile counts based on the dollar amounts of the CFO purchases. The 146 transactions reduced through repeated stock transactions (especially in the Under $10k segment) to 123 unique stocks across quartiles as follows:\n\nComparisons were then made between each of the quartiles and in relation to the benchmark S&P 500 performance for this time period. A further step was taken to Winsorize the data samples by removing the two highest and two lowest outliers from each quartile to help reduce skewing from outliers. Results of the study through the end of May are shown below with both the raw returns and Winsorized performance results.\n\nThe results of the CFO Insider Trading research over the first two months of the study are already supporting key findings from the published financial literature on this anomaly. While it has only been two months of data with 146 transactions, prior studies support the strong early performance results by CFO purchase transactions.\n\nBecause prior financial research has shown that CFOs and CEOs outperform all other insiders based on their purchase histories, this live trading study is focused on the CFOs in particular. CFOs have been well documented to outperform CEOs and all other qualified insiders who are required to submit Form 4 to the SEC, and we are most likely to see the best results among this data sample.\n\nAccording to Jeng, et al (2003) is not too soon to consider these two months of CFO purchase data for abnormal returns. In fact we are well within the period where as much as 50% of the abnormal returns are realized.\n\nApril was a very positive month with an S&P 500 gain of +3.93%. The best performance of the CFO insider anomaly was clearly among the 28 stocks in the quartile where CFOs purchased more than $100k of shares in their own firm and gained +8.39%. The month of May had an average S&P 500 loss of -6.58%. There was no strong discernable difference by quartile, and every segment beat the S&P 500 return for May. In total the average CFO insider trades beat the S&P 500 for May by 3.95% with an average loss of only -2.63% compared to the Index loss of -6.58%.\n\nMembers have full access to the V&M Dashboard Spreadsheet with the active CFO Insider Trading page and can monitor the June CFO purchases as they are reported. The results above tell us some specific areas to focus on in for June. Look for the largest purchases by CFOs above $30k and especially those above $100k as they are reported to the SEC on Form 4. It is also likely that the larger the purchase relative to the market cap of the stock, the more significant the future performance outcome. I will examine this documented phenomenon in future articles.\n\nAdditionally, consider these top stocks from April and May for continued excess returns based on prior research findings from the financial literature:\n\nA sample of five stocks from the full list of strong potential stocks from April and May are organized below into two tables based on the size of the CFO purchase and the total return since that purchase was transacted.\n\nAnother sample of five stocks from the full list of the best stocks by performance for April and May based on CFO purchase amounts between $30k and $100k. The anomaly literature suggests these stocks are all still within the time period for predicting significant excess returns and should predict earnings surprises according to Ke et al. (2003) and Wang et al. (2012).\n\nThis study is exclusively focused on live forward results and will retest key findings from multiple studies in a live trading format verifiable by readers over the coming year. Research experts may appreciate that this study avoids back-testing that is prone to errors, to data-mining tricks that may harness favorable historical peaks/valley timing of market pricing, and to other such arbitrary adjustments that tend to achieve seemingly significant results.\n\nPrior articles on this active anomaly research study can be found here and in my article and blog history:\n\nTop 10 CFO Insider Stocks Ranked By 6 Quantitative Models For May\n\nI will continue to closely monitor the behavior of this anomaly for excess returns through the year with different analysis and insights as it progresses. The first two months of this research are already producing favorable results that support many findings in prior research studies. Further analysis is likely to yield more insights into leveraging the best trading advantages of the CFO insider purchases that are among the most profitable trades of all insiders. I trust these articles examining the unique financial anomaly greatly benefit your trading results in the years to come!\n\nAll the very best to you in your investment decisions!\n\nJeng, L. A.; A. Metrick; and R. Zeckhauser. \"Estimating the Returns to Insider Trading: A Performance Evaluation Perspective.\" Review of Economics and Statistics, 85 (2003), 453-471.\n\nKe, B.; S. Huddart; and K. Petroni. \"What Insiders Know about Future Earnings and How They Use It: Evidence from Insider Trades.\" Journal of Accounting and Economics, 35 (2003), 315-346.\n\nLakonishok, J., and I. Lee. \"Are Insider Trades Informative?\" Review of Financial Studies, 14 (2001),79-111.\n\nWang, W., Shin, Y. C., & Francis, B. B. (2012). Are CFOs' trades more informative than CEOs' trades?. Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, 47(4), 743-762. Doi: 0.1017/S0022109012000257.\n\nDisclosure: I/we have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans to initiate any positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.", "The corporate regulator is ramping up its oversight of brokers after a recent review found a surge in suspicious trading before unexpected news from listed companies.\n\nThe Australian Securities and Investments Commission says, in particular, it is keeping an eye on companies in the materials sector after finding a spike in suspicious trading ahead of significant announcements.\n\nASIC commissioner Cathie Armour used a speech at the Australian Regulatory Summit on Tuesday to sound the alarm over some unusual market activity detected by ASIC between 2016-2019.\n\nShe said a recent, and as yet unpublished review, of Australian market cleanliness found 5.1 per cent of the volume of traded shares before a material market announcement was suspicious."], "summary": "Insider trading. The US Supreme Court refused to take an appeal from the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit decision. The 'denial of cert' leaves standing the conviction of Mathew Martomo on charges of insider trading. on information leaked to him from representatives of two major pharmaceutical companies."}
{"document": ["Donald Trump has arrived in the UK ahead of his three-day state visit.\n\nThe US president and his family touched down at Stansted Airport around 9am this morning and they will now head to London to meet the Queen.\n\nWithin minutes of landing, Mr Trump took to Twitter to reignite his feud with London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who branded the president a \"fascist\" in the days leading up to the state visit.\n\nMr Trump wrote: \"@SadiqKhan, who by all accounts has done a terrible job as Mayor of London, has been foolishly \"nasty\" to the visiting President of the United States, by far the most important ally of the United Kingdom. He is a stone cold loser who should focus on crime in London, not me......\n\n\"...Kahn reminds me very much of our very dumb and incompetent Mayor of NYC, de Blasio, who has also done a terrible job - only half his height.\n\n\"In any event, I look forward to being a great friend to the United Kingdom, and am looking very much forward to my visit. Landing now.\"\n\nThe Trumps will head to Buckingham Palace for a reception with the Queen, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall.\n\nThe Duke of Sussex will also attend a private lunch at the palace - although his wife, who is on maternity leave, will be at home with their four-week-old son, Archie.\n\nIn a potentially awkward start to the trip, Mr Trump has already had to deny making \"bad\" comments about Meghan.\n\nHe tweeted to say that he did not brand the American former actress \"nasty\" when he was recently confronted with comments she made before the 2016 US elections saying she would leave the country if he won.\n\nHe blamed the \"Fake News Media\" for the reports and, asked at the White House on Sunday evening if he was willing to apologise to the royal family, or to clarify the comments made to the Sun's political editor, Mr Trump replied: \"No, I made no bad comment. Thank you.\"\n\nA string of events have been prepared to honour the couple, including a ceremonial welcome in the Buckingham Palace garden before Mr Trump has the opportunity to inspect the Guard of Honour.\n\nElsewhere, royal gun salutes will fire in Green Park and at the Tower of London to mark the Trumps' arrival.\n\nThey will then visit Westminster Abbey where the president is due to lay a wreath at the Grave of the Unknown Warrior.\n\nMr Trump and wife Melania are also due to have tea with Charles and Camilla at Clarence House.\n\nThe day is due to conclude with a state banquet at Buckingham Palace at which both the Queen and Mr Trump will give speeches.\n\nMr Trump's arrival in the capital is due to be followed by a protest through central London against the visit on Tuesday, with the Trump Baby blimp made for his visit last year due to put in an appearance.", "DONALD Trump has today paid tribute to Britain's fallen Tommies at the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior during his historic state visit.\n\nThe US President laid a wreath in memory of millions of brave soldiers who lost their lives as part of of his three-day tour ahead of the 75th anniversary of D-Day.\n\nThe President and First Lady attended a brief service with officials from the Abbey, before they were shown around by the Dean.\n\nThe couple had a short tour that included seeing the graves of Charles Darwin and Professor Stephen Hawking.\n\nAnd they were set to view Henry VII's Lady Chapel and the tomb of Mary Queen of Scots.\n\nBefore departing the Abbey the President and First Lady were invited to sign the guestbook, which also features signatures from President Barack Obama in 2011, and President George W.Bush in 2003.\n\nMr Trump wrote: \"Thank you so much. This has been a great honor. Special place.\"\n\nThe Queen's son Prince Andrew accompanied him to Westminster Abbey this afternoon for the memorial.\n\nThe Royal church in the centre of Westminster was the setting of Prince William and Kate's marriage back in 2011.\n\nOn the first day of Mr Trump's visit to Britain:\n• The President launched a furious rant at London Mayor Sadiq Khan - who hit back calling Mr Trump \"far right\"\n• He also hit out at US network CNN after arriving at the ambassador's house\n• Mr Trump had a long chat with Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt on the tarmac at Stansted, just days after he said he \"liked\" the Tory leadership hopeful\n• Melania wore a beautiful £650 red, white and blue blouse printed with war medals in a touching tribute ahead of D-Day\n• It emerged Mr Trump WON'T have a one-on-one meeting with lame duck PM Theresa May\n\nWhat is the grave of the Unknown Warrior? BURIED deep inside Westminster Abbey is the grave of the Unknown Warrior, whose body was brought back from France to the UK after World War One. The grave, which contains soil from the battlefields in France, features a body which was never identified from the war, and signifies all those who never returned home. The idea was thought to have first come from a British reverand who spotted a grave with a cross saying 'Unknown British Soldier' in a garden in France. The body chosen was from unknown British servicemen exhumed from four battle areas - the Aisne, the Somme, Arras and Ypres. One was chosen from several by the General Officer in charge of troops in France and Flanders - Brigadir General L. J. Wyatt, which was then taken back to England for an official burial. On 11 November the coffin was drawn with 6 black horses from the Royal Horse Atrillery through the streets of London. King George V placed a wreath on it outside the centaph, before it made its way into Westminster Abbey in an official service. The grave was filled in using 100 sandbags of earth from the battlefields. It's covered with a slab of Belgian marble, adorned with red poppies around the outside, which was placed on it a year after the official burial. On it is the following inscription, composed by Herbert Ryle, Dean of Westminster: Brought from France to lie among The most illustrious of the land And buried here on Armistice Day 11 Nov 1920, in the presence of And a vast concourse of the nation Thus are commemorated the many Multitudes who during the Great War of 1914-1918 gave the most that For loved ones home and empire For the sacred cause of justice and They buried him among the kings because he Had done good toward God and toward Around the main inscription are four texts: (top) The Lord knowrth them that are his (sides) Greater love hath no man than this Unknown and yet well known, dying and behold we live (base) In Christ shall all be made alive\n\nEarlier he was today met with an 82-gun salute as he touched down at Buckingham Palace to meet the Queen.\n\nThe President and his family were greeted with full pomp and ceremony when his helicopter landed on the lawn this afternoon.\n\nThey then went on to view items in a display at the Royal Collection after a private lunch with his wife, Melania.\n\nMeanwhile Prince Harry was spotted in the background showing the junior Royals around too.\n\nBut Meghan Markle will stay at home with baby Archie in Windsor rather than joining other royals.\n\nPrince Charles and Camilla greeted Mr Trump and his wife Melania at Her Majesty's official residence in London.\n\nThey then led the First Couple across the lawn of the palace garden to where the Queen was waiting for them.\n\nA full military escort met the President on the Buckingham Palace lawn, before soldiers fired off 82 rounds - 41 in honour of Mr Trump, and another 41 to mark the anniversary of the Queen's coronation.\n\nSoldiers from the King's Troop Royal Horse Artillery led 71 horses, pulling six WW1-era 13-pounder field guns, into place, to fire 82 blank artillery rounds at ten-second intervals.\n\nThe two leaders then inspected a line-up of the Grenadier Guards as the band played The Star-Spangled Spanner and God Save The Queen.\n\nThe President and Mrs Trump were walked from the Buckingham Palace balcony by his daughter Ivanka, a key White House adviser, and her husband Jared Kushner.\n\nHe landed at Stansted airport this morning at around 9am for a three-day trip, having already humiliated outgoing PM Theresa May over Brexit.\n\nAhead of his landing he began tweeting insults at Sadiq Khan, calling him a \"stone cold loser\" and urging him to \"focus on crime in London, not me\".\n\nHe added: \"Kahn (sic) reminds me very much of our very dumb and incompetent Mayor of NYC, de Blasio, who has also done a terrible job - only half his height.\n\n\"In any event, I look forward to being a great friend to the United Kingdom, and am looking very much forward to my visit. Landing now!\"\n\nPresident Trump was greeted at the airport with a military welcome from the Royal Air Force - giving them a salute as he walked past.\n\nHe then reached out for wife Melania's hand as he guided her away from Air Force One.\n\nMr Hunt said after the pair talked: \"I said to him that we're going to put on a great show for him, because America is our greatest ally.\"\n\nAnd he added: \"He didn't exactly say he was going to be inviting Sadiq Khan for the Royal treatment at the White House anytime soon.\"\n\nAlso waiting for him as he got off the plane were US ambassador Woody Johnson, the Lord-Lieutenant of Essex Jennifer Tolhurst, representing the Queen, and senior police officers.\n\nA body language expert said the President and the Queen showed \"undeniable warmth\" when they met while Prince Charles tried to position himself as boss in the relationship.\n\nJudi James told The Sun: \"There were undeniable signals of warmth between Trump and the Queen and she was even seen chuckling happily as she waited on the steps of the palace.\n\n\"Prince Charles looked less assured as he walked out to host Trump, fiddling, patting and using self-comfort checking rituals that implied quite high levels of anxiety.\"\n\nTomorrow is earmarked for political activities as Mr Trump visits 10 Downing Street for talks and a joint press conference with Mrs May - despite the fact she's leaving office within weeks.\n\nThe PM will give the President a tour of the famous Churchill War Rooms, buried beneath Westminster, with leading historians who will explain the significance of the space.\n\nBut today it emerged the two leaders won't have any one-on-one meetings without aides present, unlike on most official trips.\n\nNo10 insisted the pair will engage in serious political discussions.\n\nDonald Trump gave a wave as he got off Air Force One with wife Melania this morning\n\nBefore even boarding Air Force One back in the US, Trump praised Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage and suggested he may meet them both.\n\nBut when asked whether he would be meeting Mr Khan, Trump couldn’t resist hitting out again at his long-time critic.\n\n“No, I don’t think much of him,\" Trump replied. \"I think he’s, he’s the twin of [Bill] de Blasio, except shorter.”\n\nLike 5ft 6in Khan, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has a hate-hate relationship with the president.\n\nA spokesperson for the Mayor said this morning: \"This is much more serious than childish insults which should be beneath the President of the United States.\"\n\nThey also said he was an example of a \"growing far-right threat around the globe\".\n\nIt comes after Trump made an unprecedented intervention by backing Boris Johnson as the next PM.\n\nWhile stopping short of offering his full endorsement, Trump told The Sun: “It’s something that I find very interesting.\n\n“I actually have studied it very hard. I know the different players.\n\n“But I think Boris would do a very good job. I think he would be excellent.”\n\nHe said he expected to meet with Johnson in London as he left the White House on Sunday evening.\n\nWe pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368 . We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours", "Donald Trump has arrived in the UK ahead of his three-day state visit.\n\nThe US president and his family touched down at Stansted Airport around 9am this morning and they will now head to London to meet the Queen.\n\nWithin minutes of landing, Mr Trump took to Twitter to reignite his feud with London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who branded the president a \"fascist\" in the days leading up to the state visit.\n\nMr Trump wrote: \"@SadiqKhan, who by all accounts has done a terrible job as Mayor of London, has been foolishly \"nasty\" to the visiting President of the United States, by far the most important ally of the United Kingdom. He is a stone cold loser who should focus on crime in London, not me......\n\n\"...Kahn reminds me very much of our very dumb and incompetent Mayor of NYC, de Blasio, who has also done a terrible job - only half his height.\n\n\"In any event, I look forward to being a great friend to the United Kingdom, and am looking very much forward to my visit. Landing now.\"\n\nThe Trumps will head to Buckingham Palace for a reception with the Queen, the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall.\n\nThe Duke of Sussex will also attend a private lunch at the palace - although his wife, who is on maternity leave, will be at home with their four-week-old son, Archie.\n\nIn a potentially awkward start to the trip, Mr Trump has already had to deny making \"bad\" comments about Meghan.\n\nHe tweeted to say that he did not brand the American former actress \"nasty\" when he was recently confronted with comments she made before the 2016 US elections saying she would leave the country if he won.\n\nHe blamed the \"Fake News Media\" for the reports and, asked at the White House on Sunday evening if he was willing to apologise to the royal family, or to clarify the comments made to the Sun's political editor, Mr Trump replied: \"No, I made no bad comment. Thank you.\"\n\nA string of events have been prepared to honour the couple, including a ceremonial welcome in the Buckingham Palace garden before Mr Trump has the opportunity to inspect the Guard of Honour.\n\nElsewhere, royal gun salutes will fire in Green Park and at the Tower of London to mark the Trumps' arrival.\n\nThey will then visit Westminster Abbey where the president is due to lay a wreath at the Grave of the Unknown Warrior.\n\nMr Trump and wife Melania are also due to have tea with Charles and Camilla at Clarence House.\n\nThe day is due to conclude with a state banquet at Buckingham Palace at which both the Queen and Mr Trump will give speeches.\n\nMr Trump's arrival in the capital is due to be followed by a protest through central London against the visit on Tuesday, with the Trump Baby blimp made for his visit last year due to put in an appearance.", "President Donald Trump on Monday called for a boycott of AT&T to force \"big changes\" at subsidiary CNN, which Trump often accuses of biased and negative coverage of his administration.\n\n\"I believe that if people stoped using or subscribing to @ATT, they would be forced to make big changes at @CNN, which is dying in the ratings anyway. It is so unfair with such bad, Fake News!\" the president tweeted from the U.K., just as he began a state visit, misspelling \"stopped.\"\n\nRepresentatives for AT&T did not immediately respond to a request for comment. CNN has previously pushed back on Trump's criticism. In a November 2017 tweet to the president, the network said: \"It's not CNN's job to represent the U.S to the world. That's yours.\"\n\nTrump has frequently attacked CNN's coverage of him, dating to his time as a presidential candidate. On the campaign trail in 2016, he vowed to block AT&T's acquisition of Time Warner, which included CNN among its most prominent assets.\n\nIndeed, the Trump Justice Department did challenge the blockbuster $85.4 billion deal. A federal judge had ruled last June that the merger was legal, but the DOJ appealed the next month, after the deal officially closed. Then, in February, a federal judge again ruled in AT&T's favor and the Justice Department let the matter go.\n\nHowever, House Democrats are looking into whether Trump told his one-time top economic advisor Gary Cohn to use the Justice Department to block the AT&T-Time Warner deal. The White House in April denied lawmakers' request for documents that might show whether Trump sought to intervene in the acquisition.\n\nThe Justice Department's antitrust head said in 2018 that he never received orders, instructions or directions regarding the AT&T-Time Warner deal from Trump, White House officials or other DOJ officials.\n\nRelated video: President is entitled to say what he wants about the New York Times", "U.S. President Donald Trump arrived in Britain on Monday for a largely ceremonial visit meant to strengthen ties between the two nations, but the trip was immediately at risk of being overshadowed by Brexit turmoil and a political feud with London’s mayor.\n\nEven before Air Force One touched down north of London, Trump unleashed a Twitter tirade against London Mayor Sadiq Khan, leader of the world city where Trump will stay for two nights while partaking in a state visit full of pomp and circumstance.\n\nREAD MORE: Trump denies calling Meghan Markle ‘nasty’. Here are his exact words\n\nThe move came after a newspaper column in which Khan said Trump did not deserve red-carpet treatment in Britain and was “one of the most egregious examples of a growing global threat” from the far-right to liberal democracy.\n\n“@SadiqKhan, who by all accounts has done a terrible job as Mayor of London, has been foolishly “nasty” to the visiting President of the United States, by far the most important ally of the United Kingdom,” Trump wrote just before landing. “He is a stone cold loser who should focus on crime in London, not me.\n\nThe president added that Kahn reminded of the “terrible” mayor of his hometown, New York City Mayor Bill de Blaiso though “only half his height.” De Blaiso, a Democrat, is a longshot candidate in the 2020 presidential race. Khan supporters have previously accused Trump of being racist against London’s first Muslim mayor.\n\nThe president then added a few warm words for his hosts, tweeting that he was looking forward “to being a great friend to the United Kingdom, and am looking very much forward to my visit.”\n\nThe Trumps then boarded Marine One, the presidential helicopter, for the trip from Stansted Airport to the centre of Britain’s capital.\n\nWATCH: Trump ruffles feathers ahead of UK visit with comments on Meghan Markle and PM race\n\nThe agenda for Trump’s weeklong journey is mostly ceremonial: a state visit and an audience with Queen Elizabeth II in London, D-Day commemoration ceremonies on both sides of the English Channel and his first presidential visit to Ireland, which will include a stay at his coastal golf club.\n\nBut the U.S. president will arrive at a precarious moment, as he faces a fresh round of impeachment fervour back home and uncertainty on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. British Prime Minister Theresa May has faced months of political turmoil over Brexit and French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to use the 75th anniversary of the World War II battle that turned the tide on the Western Front to call for strengthening the multinational ties the U.S. president has frayed.\n\nA sense of deja vu quickly spread around London as Trump blasted British leaders.\n\nA year ago, Trump also took aim at his hosts before landing on English soil, blasting May in an interview just hours she hosted him for dinner. Though he has spared May so far this time, he has praised her rival, prime ministerial hopeful Boris Johnson, just days before May steps down as Conservative leader on Friday for failing to secure a Brexit deal.\n\nREAD MORE: Trump says angry baby blimp flying over London makes him feel ‘unwelcome’\n\n“I think Boris would do a very good job. I think he would be excellent,” Trump told The Sun. “I like him. I have always liked him. I don’t know that he is going to be chosen, but I think he is a very good guy, a very talented person.”\n\nIt was not clear if the Trump endorsement would hurt or help Johnson’s chances of becoming Britain’s next leader.\n\nHe also told the Sunday Times that Britain should “walk away” from Brexit talks and refuse to pay a 39 billion pound ($49 billion) divorce bill if it doesn’t get better terms from the European Union. He said he might meet with another pro-Brexit politician, Nigel Farage, and claimed Farage should be given a role in the Brexit negotiations.\n\nAfter lunch with Queen Elizabeth II, Trump will be honoured at extravagant state dinner at Buckingham Palace. Demonstrators are expected, including the possible return of an inflatable balloon depicting the president as a baby.\n\nWATCH: London mayor says city should not ‘be rolling out the red carpet’ for Trump on state visit\n\nAnd even some of the pageantry could have awkward moments. The formal tea hosted by Prince Charles brings together a future king who has warned repeatedly about the perils of climate change with a president who is actively dismantling U.S. policies designed to slow global warming.\n\nIn an interview with The Sun, Trump weighed in on the American-born Duchess of Sussex. The former Meghan Markle, who gave birth to a son in May and will not attend the week’s events, was critical of Trump in the past, prompting the president to tell the tabloid, “I didn’t know that she was nasty.”\n\nTrump said later that he thought Markle would be “very good” as a royal and claimed that he only meant her comments were “nasty.”\n\nTrump will also make his first presidential visit to Ireland on Wednesday. Trump will spend two nights at his golf club in Doonbeg, which sits above the Atlantic. After Dublin balked at holding a meeting there, a deal was struck for Trump to meet Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar at Shannon Airport.\n\nWATCH: London, UK prepares for arrival of Trump for state visit\n\nThe centerpiece of the president’s visit will be two days to mark the 75th anniversary of the June 6, 1944, D-Day anniversary, likely the last significant commemoration most veterans of the battle will see. The anniversary events will begin in Portsmouth, England, where the invasion was launched, and then move to Normandy, France, where Allied forces began to recapture Western Europe from the Nazis.\n\nThe day is normally a heartfelt tribute to unity and sacrifice, outweighing any national or political skirmish. But some on both sides of the Atlantic are nervous about Trump, who has shown a willingness to inject partisanship into such moments.\n\n“My greatest hope is this: the president and all the leaders stay focused on the extraordinary heroism of that of D-Day and focusing on what brought allies to that position,” said Heather Conley, senior vice-president of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. “Dark clouds are forming once again in Europe, and rather than encourage those forces, we need to find much better tools to defeat them.”\n\nOn his most recent European visit, last November in France, Trump was heavily criticized for skipping a ceremony at an American military cemetery to mark the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I when rain grounded his helicopter. European leaders, meanwhile, stood in the rain to honour the dead.", "Have your say\n\nDONALD Trump is coming to Portsmouth in just a few days.\n\nThe US President and the First Lady have been invited for a formal State Visit by the Queen.\n\nBuckingham Palace confirmed that they had invited Trump to visit the UK in June, while the White House confirmed that he would be coming to Portsmouth as part of the trip.\n\nHere's what you need to know:\n\nThe President has been invited to the UK in June.\n\nIn a statement, Buckingham Palace said: ‘The President of the United States of America, President Donald J Trump, accompanied by Mrs Melania Trump, has accepted an invitation from Her Majesty The Queen to pay a State Visit to the United Kingdom from Monday 3rd June to Wednesday 5th June 2019.’\n\nPresident Trump will come to Portsmouth on June 5, the White House announced.\n\nWhen does he arrive in UK?\n\nPresident Trump will arrive tomorrow – June 3. And will visit Portsmouth two days later on Wednesday.\n\nWhere will he arrive?\n\nThe President will be bringing Air Force One with him when he visits UK this week.\n\nAlthough it hasn’t been confirmed, it is expected that he will land at London Stansted Airport.\n\nREAD MORE: White House confirms Donald Trump will visit Portsmouth for D-Day 75th anniversary\n\nWhy is he coming to Portsmouth?\n\nThe leader of the free world will be in our great city on June 5 for the D-Day anniversary ceremony - to make the 75th anniversary of the Normandy landings.\n\nA White House spokesman said: ‘This state visit will reaffirm the steadfast and special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom.\n\n‘In addition to meeting the Queen, the President will participate in a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Theresa May.\n\n‘While in the United Kingdom, the President and First Lady will attend a ceremony in Portsmouth to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of D-Day, at one of the primary embarkation sites for the Allied operation that led to the liberation of Europe during World War II.’\n\nWhat preparations are being made?\n\nHuge solid fencing has been set up on Southsea Common as part of the visit on June 5.\n\nThe fencing will stretch around the entirety of the common from Pier Road to the Pyramids Centre.\n\nAnyone entering will be subjected to security checks before being able to watch the ceremony on large TV screens inside.\n\nRoad closures are also in place for the ceremony – you can see the full list here.\n\nWhat has the reaction been like?\n\nPortsmouth City Council leader Gerald Vernon-Jackson has some very strong words after it was announced that Trump would be coming to the city on June 5.\n\nThe outraged leader said: ‘We don’t want to see Trump in Portsmouth.\n\n‘His visit has changed things dramatically for D-Day 75 and has ruined things for the people of Portsmouth.’\n\nREAD MORE: Donald Trump ‘not welcome in Portsmouth’ says outraged leader of Portsmouth City Council\n\nHowever Portsmouth’s Tory leader, Councillor Donna Jones had more positive words to say about the presidential visit.\n\nShe said: ‘For many of the veterans, having the President of America attend the event will bring international focus to this global commemoration and present a once in a lifetime opportunity for the veterans.’\n\nPortsmouth South MP Stephen Morgan has also weighed in on the upcoming visit from President Trump.\n\nHe said: ‘Our city should rightly be proud to be the national focal point for the D-Day 75 commemorations this June. The world’s attention will be on Portsmouth.\n\n‘I have been lobbying the government and writing to the Prime Minister urging her to support Portsmouth in making the best of the commemorations for our veterans.\n\n‘I find it deeply saddening that the Government can’t find money for our brave veterans, but it can find money to give Mr. Trump a state ceremony.'\n\nWill there be any protests?\n\nThere are likely to be protests during Donald Trumps’s state visit.\n\nEarlier this month Stand up to Racism Portsmouth hosted a meeting in Fratton to discuss protests for the US president’s visit.\n\nWhat do you think of President Trump’s visit to Portsmouth? Are you for or against it?", "President Donald Trump arrived in Britain on Monday for a largely ceremonial visit meant to strengthen ties between the two nations, but the trip was immediately at risk of being overshadowed by Brexit turmoil and a political feud with London's mayor.Even before Air Force One touched down north of London, Trump unleashed a Twitter tirade against London Mayor Sadiq Khan, leader of the world city where Trump will stay for two nights while partaking in a state visit full of pomp and circumstance.The move came after a newspaper column in which Khan said Trump did not deserve red-carpet treatment in Britain and was \"one of the most egregious examples of a growing global threat\" from the far-right to liberal democracy.\"@SadiqKhan, who by all accounts has done a terrible job as Mayor of London, has been foolishly \"nasty\" to the visiting President of the United States, by far the most important ally of the United Kingdom,\" Trump wrote just before landing. \"He is a stone cold loser who should focus on crime in London, not me.\"The president added that Kahn reminded of the \"terrible\" mayor of his hometown, New York City Mayor Bill de Blaiso though \"only half his height.\" De Blaiso, a Democrat, is a longshot candidate in the 2020 presidential race. Khan supporters have previously accused Trump of being racist against London's first Muslim mayor.The president then added a few warm words for his hosts, tweeting that he was looking forward \"to being a great friend to the United Kingdom, and am looking very much forward to my visit.\"The Trumps then boarded Marine One, the presidential helicopter, for the trip from Stansted Airport to the center of Britain's capital.The agenda for Trump's weeklong journey is mostly ceremonial: a state visit and an audience with Queen Elizabeth II in London, D-Day commemoration ceremonies on both sides of the English Channel and his first presidential visit to Ireland, which will include a stay at his coastal golf club.But the U.S. president will arrive at a precarious moment, as he faces a fresh round of impeachment fervor back home and uncertainty on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. British Prime Minister Theresa May has faced months of political turmoil over Brexit and French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to use the 75th anniversary of the World War II battle that turned the tide on the Western Front to call for strengthening the multinational ties the U.S. president has frayed.A sense of deja vu quickly spread around London as Trump blasted British leaders.A year ago, Trump also took aim at his hosts before landing on English soil, blasting May in an interview just hours she hosted him for dinner. Though he has spared May so far this time, he has praised her rival, prime ministerial hopeful Boris Johnson, just days before May steps down as Conservative leader on Friday for failing to secure a Brexit deal.\"I think Boris would do a very good job. I think he would be excellent,\" Trump told The Sun. \"I like him. I have always liked him. I don't know that he is going to be chosen, but I think he is a very good guy, a very talented person.\"It was not clear if the Trump endorsement would hurt or help Johnson's chances of becoming Britain's next leader.He also told the Sunday Times that Britain should \"walk away\" from Brexit talks and refuse to pay a 39 billion pound ($49 billion) divorce bill if it doesn't get better terms from the European Union. He said he might meet with another pro-Brexit politician, Nigel Farage, and claimed Farage should be given a role in the Brexit negotiations.After lunch with Queen Elizabeth II, Trump will be honored at extravagant state dinner at Buckingham Palace. Demonstrators are expected, including the possible return of an inflatable balloon depicting the president as a baby.And even some of the pageantry could have awkward moments. The formal tea hosted by Prince Charles brings together a future king who has warned repeatedly about the perils of climate change with a president who is actively dismantling U.S. policies designed to slow global warming.In an interview with The Sun, Trump weighed in on the American-born Duchess of Sussex. The former Meghan Markle, who gave birth to a son in May and will not attend the week's events, was critical of Trump in the past, prompting the president to tell the tabloid, \"I didn't know that she was nasty.\"Trump said later that he thought Markle would be \"very good\" as a royal and claimed that he only meant her comments were \"nasty.\"Trump will also make his first presidential visit to Ireland on Wednesday. Trump will spend two nights at his golf club in Doonbeg, which sits above the Atlantic. After Dublin balked at holding a meeting there, a deal was struck for Trump to meet Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar at Shannon Airport.The centerpiece of the president's visit will be two days to mark the 75th anniversary of the June 6, 1944, D-Day anniversary, likely the last significant commemoration most veterans of the battle will see. The anniversary events will begin in Portsmouth, England, where the invasion was launched, and then move to Normandy, France, where Allied forces began to recapture Western Europe from the Nazis.The day is normally a heartfelt tribute to unity and sacrifice, outweighing any national or political skirmish. But some on both sides of the Atlantic are nervous about Trump, who has shown a willingness to inject partisanship into such moments.\"My greatest hope is this: the president and all the leaders stay focused on the extraordinary heroism of that of D-Day and focusing on what brought allies to that position,\" said Heather Conley, senior vice president of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. \"Dark clouds are forming once again in Europe, and rather than encourage those forces, we need to find much better tools to defeat them.\"On his most recent European visit, last November in France, Trump was heavily criticized for skipping a ceremony at an American military cemetery to mark the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I when rain grounded his helicopter. European leaders, meanwhile, stood in the rain to honor the dead.", "Upon arriving for his state visit in the United Kingdom, U.S. President Donald Trump took to Twitter to criticize CNN for unfavorable coverage of his administration.\n\nAfter belittling London Mayor Sadiq Khan as “nasty” and a “loser,”in his first tweets of the day, President Trump set his sights on the American news organization, complaining about its negative coverage of his administration and urged parent company AT&T to “do something” about CNN’s unfair reporting, tweeting: “Just arrived in the United Kingdom. The only problem is that @CNN is the primary source of news available from the U.S. After watching it for a short while, I turned it off. All negative & so much Fake News, very bad for U.S. Big ratings drop. Why doesn’t owner @ATT do something?”\n\nJust minutes later, Trump called for AT&T customers to boycott the telecommunications company, plainly as a means of affecting the way CNN covers his administration, tweeting the following:\n\nI believe that if people stoped [sic] using or subscribing to @ATT, they would be forced to make big changes at @CNN, which is dying in the ratings anyway. It is so unfair with such bad, Fake News! Why wouldn’t they act. When the World watches @CNN, it gets a false picture of USA. Sad!\n\nTrump’s early morning tweets elicited a number of reactions back in the U.S., calling the president’s attempts to influence a news organization’s coverage of his administration as an abuse of power or even a violation of the First Amendment’s protection of the free press. Others have noted the effects such a boycott would have on Americans who are not employed by CNN.\n\nHowever, given the President’s penchant for exaggerated rhetoric and overstatements, it’s unlikely that U.S. federal courts would view his tweets as anything other than “political hyperbole.”\n\nIn Oct. 2018, for example, U.S. District Court Judge James Otero found that Trump’s tweets calling Stormy Daniels a “con job” were an example of “political hyperbole.”\n\nNational Security attorney Bradley P. Moss reiterated that Trump likely would not face any repercussions for such tweets.\n\n“Per the courts, nothing about President Trump’s ongoing rants should be construed, in and of themselves, as anything more than political commentary untethered to any actual government position or action,” Moss told Law&Crime. “Put simply, the courts have accepted that the president is a modern day carnival barker and they are not biting.”\n\nIn March, Trump reportedly pressured then-director of the National Economic Council Gary Cohn to ask the DOJ to block AT&T’s acquisition of Time Warner.\n\nAdditionally, the Washington Post reported in January that one day following the announcement of their $26 billion merger with Sprint, executives of T-Mobile stayed at the Trump Hotel in the nation’s capital. It was later reported that T-Mobile executives had spent 52 nights at the hotel after the announcement and spent a total of $195,000 at the hotel over the previous 10 months.", "\"I believe that if people stoped using or subscribing to @ATT, they would be forced to make big changes at @CNN,\" he wrote on Twitter.\n\nDonald Trump's hatred of CNN and animosity toward his former friend Jeff Zucker is well-established, but the president took it one step further on Monday, suggesting a boycott of the network's parent company to foment management changes.\n\n\"I believe that if people stoped using or subscribing to @ATT, they would be forced to make big changes at @CNN, which is dying in the ratings anyway,\" he wrote on Twitter. \"It is so unfair with such bad, Fake News! Why wouldn’t they act.\"\n\nThe tweet was seemingly inspired by an experience watching the network while traveling abroad.\n\n\"Just arrived in the United Kingdom,\" he wrote in an earlier tweet. \"The only problem is that @CNN is the primary source of news available from the U.S. After watching it for a short while, I turned it off. All negative & so much Fake News, very bad for U.S. Big ratings drop. Why doesn’t owner @ATT do something?\"\n\nTrump has previously called for AT&T to fire Zucker, who had his contract renewed through the 2020 election. \"Little Jeff Z has done a terrible job, his ratings suck, & AT&T should fire him to save credibility!\" he wrote back in August 2018.\n\nA CNN spokesperson has not yet responded to a request for comment on the president's call for a boycott.\n\nThe watchdog organization Citizens For Ethics responded to Trump's tweet. \"How have we gotten to the point where the President of the United States is openly trying to get American businesses to fail to prevent a news network from accurately reporting what he says and does?\" the organization wrote.", "WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump on Monday suggested a boycott of Dallas-based AT&T, taking to Twitter to say that the telecommunications and media giant needs to \"make big changes\" at its recently acquired cable network CNN.\n\n\"All negative & so much Fake News, very bad for U.S. Big ratings drop,\" he said of CNN. \"Why doesn't owner @ATT do something?\n\nA successful boycott of AT&T, one of America's most prominent companies, would have severe implications for North Texas. AT&T, as of late 2018, had about 5,400 employees working in downtown Dallas and about 16,000 in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.\n\nTrump floated the idea upon arriving in the United Kingdom, where he's participating this week in an official state visit.\n\nThe president has long criticized CNN, which AT&T acquired last year in its mega-merger with Time Warner. Trump, as a White House candidate, vowed to oppose the AT&T-Time Warner joining, and his Justice Department unsuccessfully sought to block the union."], "summary": "U.S. President Donald Trump tweets a call to boycott AT&T in order to bring \"big changes\" at CNN. AT&T has not given an official comment or statement back regarding the tweet."}
{"document": ["The day started with news of a meeting between Carlton's president Mark LoGiudice and football boss Brad Lloyd, and ended with Brendon Bolton's sacking confirmed at a press conference at Ikon Park.\n\nIn summary, the Blues said a poor win-loss record meant they had to act to remove Bolton, though they thanked him for his time at the helm and said he was not solely to blame.\n\nBolton was in his fourth year as senior coach, having start in 2016, after Mick Malthouse was sacked in 2015.\n\nAssistant coach David Teague will take over as interim coach. Teague, a former Carlton best and fairest winner, has been forward line coach until now.\n\nThat wraps up our live coverage for today, but you can get all the best news and analysis with our continuing coverage at realfooty.com.au, via @agerealfooty on Twitter or on our Facebook page.\n\nAnd keep an eye out wherever you get your podcasts for the lastest episode of the Real Footy podcast, where we will have analysis from Jake Niall and Michael Gleeson.", "Carlton's AFL season from hell has just gone from bad to worse with the sacking coach Brendon Bolton.\n\nBolton was given the boot on Monday after another dismal performance on Sunday from the Blues, who have won just one game from 11 rounds this season.\n\nHe has the second-worst winning percentage of any AFL coach in history - with 21 wins in 82 games.\n\n'I'm disappointed, but I accept the board's decision,' Bolton said at a press conference at Ikon Park on Monday.\n\n'The win-loss threshold just became too much,' he added.\n\nThe Blues are currently bottom of the AFL ladder, having won just one of their 11 games so far this season.\n\nBolton arrived at club headquarters several hours earlier for crunch talks with the board, where he was told a change in coach was in Carlton's best interests.\n\n'Poor on-field performances over a sustained period of time have reached the point where the Club was left with no choice but to make the difficult decision it has today,' Carlton president Mark LoGiudice said in a statement.\n\n'Quite simply the lack of wins has fallen short of what our football club expects at this stage of its development. There was an expectation this season that we would start to see the benefits of that development however to this point that has not occurred to the level we expected and Carlton cannot afford to sit back and wait any longer.\n\n'While winning does not solely rely on one individual, the ultimate accountability sits with the senior coach.'\n\nAssistant coach David Teague will be the Blues' caretaker coach for the rest of the 2019 season.", "Carlton have confirmed that David Teague will step up as caretaker coach following the sacking of Brendon Bolton.\n\nThe Blues cut ties with Bolton, 40, on Monday following a 1-10 start to the season, with a 41-point loss to Essendon the final nail in the coffin.\n\nDespite backing the coach in just a fortnight ago, the board met on Monday to confirm that Bolton would be let go.\n\nMORE: How the drama at Carlton unfolded\n\n\"Poor on-field performances over a sustained period of time have reached the point where the Club was left with no choice but to make the difficult decision it has today,\" Mark LoGiudice said following the decision.\n\n\"Quite simply the lack of wins has fallen short of what our football club expects at this stage of its development.\n\n\"There was an expectation this season that we would start to see the benefits of that development however to this point that has not occurred to the level we expected and Carlton cannot afford to sit back and wait any longer.\n\n\"While winning does not solely rely on one individual, the ultimate accountability sits with the senior coach.\"\n\nTeague, a first-time head coach, will now take over for the rest of the season.\n\nThe 38-year-old takes over after stints as an assistant at West Coast, St Kilda, Adelaide and the Blues.\n\nTeague turned out 33 time for the Kangaroos and 50 for Carlton over a six-year playing career.\n\nBolton leaves the club after 77 games in three-and-a-half seasons, with a record of 16-61.\n\nAt Monday's press conference, Bolton said he was disappointed but understood the reality of the industry.\n\n\"The win-loss threshold just got too much,\" he said, before fighting back tears and telling reporters: \"I love coaching.\"", "The Brendon Bolton era at Carlton has come to end, with the Blues sacking their senior coach following the club's poor start to the AFL season.\n\nThe Blues made the decision to terminate Bolton's contract midway through his fourth season in charge and the players were informed this afternoon.\n\nThe club is a distant last on the ladder with just one win from 11 matches this season, with their most recent defeat being an embarrassing 41-point loss to Essendon at the MCG on Sunday.\n\nIt was the Blues' 39th loss from their past 43 matches.\n\nBolton won just 16 of his 77 matches in charge for a win-loss record of just above 20 per cent.\n\nHe took over as Blues coach in 2016 amid great promise, but he failed to deliver the former AFL giant the on-field results it was chasing.\n\nThey won seven of their 22 matches to finish 14th on the ladder in his first season in charge but did not improve from this point.\n\nThey placed 16th in 2017 (six wins, 16 losses) before claiming the wooden spoon last year after posting just two wins.\n\nSpeculation about Bolton's future had been growing throughout the season and it built further when Blues president Mark LoGiudice met with chief executive Cain Liddle and head of football Brad Lloyd this morning.\n\nFormer Blues coach David Parkin, who led the club to three premierships including their most recent in 1995, had foreshadowed that Bolton's time was up yesterday.\n\nHe said it was the nature of the business that coaches face the sack during their careers.\n\n\"He's a fine young bloke and he can coach, there's no doubt about it,\" Parkin told ABC Grandstand on Sunday.\n\n\"I've been sacked four times and it ain't much fun, I can tell you that. But that's the reality of the business he happens to be a part of.\"\n\nIt is expected one of Bolton's assistants, such as John Barker or David Teague, will take over as caretaker coach for the remainder of the season.\n\nBrad Scott, who departed as North Melbourne coach late last month, could be a possible long-term appointment.", "“We need to focus on continuing the progression of the club’s overall strategy,” LoGiudice said. “We’ve had four years of elite draft talent; development of that talent must now translate into significant on-field performance. Our strategy does not change.” Former Brisbane coach Michael Voss is expected to be considered. Hawthorn assistant coach Sam Mitchell is taking a long-term approach to his coaching apprenticeship and is unlikely to throw his hat in the ring. Carlton's dismal tally of just four goals in losing to Essendon sealed Bolton's fate, with the Blues caretaker coach David Teague expected to direct the team to be more attacking and play with daring. The decision to sack Bolton was effectively made after the match on Sunday night when the Carlton board spoke. Bolton was warned by Liddle last week that he was under intense pressure to hold his job due to the mounting losses on field. Liddle called him to a meeting on Monday morning where he was sacked.\n\nMichael Voss is a possible candidate to replace Bolton LoGiudice was adamant on Monday the club’s strategy had not changed, despite terminating Bolton’s position as coach 11 rounds into the season. Bolton is the fifth successive Carlton coach, excluding previous caretaker coach John Barker, to be sacked by Carlton before the end of their contract. The move came as Liddle admitted that “all parts of the football club” were under review as the club searches to find a way through a disastrous period. Best and fairest winner and former Adelaide assistant Teague - who was in charge of the Crows forwards when they played in the 2017 grand final - was announced as caretaker coach, starting with Saturday’s clash with Brisbane at Marvel Stadium.\n\nFootball head Brad Lloyd recomended Teague to take over as caretaker while Barker, who was caretaker after Mick Malthouse was sacked, is understood not to have wanted the interim role. LoGiudice and Liddle admitted the “threshold” of wins and losses had taken its toll and the decision had to be made for the betterment of the club. Bolton’s career at Ikon Park finishes with just 16 wins from 77 games, the latest of which was a 41 point loss to arch rivals Essendon, a game in which they kicked just four goals. “Poor on field performances and results over a sustained period of time have reached the point where the club was left with no choice to make the difficult decision,” LoGiudice said. “Lack of wins means the club has fallen short of what the club expects at this stage of its development.\n\n“Carlton cannot afford to wait any longer. The ultimate accountability sits with the senior coach.” An emotional and well-spoken Bolton conceded he understood the reality of the job and the pressure that mounted without winning games. “The win-loss threshold got too much. I’m disappointed but I understand it,\" Bolton said. “This list will be able to grow up together. The great thing about this group is that they’re very tight-knit.\" Bolton held back tears as he reflected on his time as coach and began to address the fans directly.\n\n“To all the Bluebaggers, thanks for your patience but keep cheering these young guys because they are inspired by the noise you make on the ground. “I’ll probably finish by saying, like I did back in the Hawthorn days, I love coaching.” LoGiudice defended his position as president and said he would not consider stepping down. “We’re not starting again. We’re continuing on with the strategy,” LoGiudice said Meantime, Liddle has put the rest of the club on notice, after admitting he was devastated by the decision to terminate Bolton.\n\n“All parts of this football club when you’ve won 4 of your last 35-odd games, are under review, absolutely,” Liddle said. “We’ve brought Brad Lloyd in who’s developed a long-term plan and within that there’s aspirations for all areas of the football department. “It’s our job now to make sure we have the right people and the right processes to be able to achieve them. “Whilst I wasn’t here last time, I feel like the landscape for an incoming coach is quite different this time round. And the expectations are going to be higher quicker.” Co captains Patrick Cripps and Sam Docherty briefly addressed the media and spoke of their admiration for Bolton.", "Brendon Bolton has been sacked by Carlton.\n\nStaff were told of Bolton's sacking by chief executive Cain Liddle, who explained the decision was based on Bolton's poor win-loss record, and the fact that the Blues were not performing well enough with the list that they had.\n\nThe players were informed with Bolton present.\n\nBolton's interim successor is expected to be one of assistant coaches David Teague, John Barker - who's had a previous start as caretaker coach after the sacking of Mick Malthouse - and Dale Amos.", "Brendon Bolton has been sacked by Carlton, with the club to hold a press conference at 2.15pm to announce his departure.\n\nPresident Mark LoGiudice, chief executive Cain Liddle and Brendon Bolton will face the media.\n\nThe players and staff were told of Bolton's sacking at a meeting on Monday, which was held at 1pm at Ikon Park.\n\nBolton's interim successor is expected to be one of assistant coaches David Teague, John Barker - who's had a previous start as caretaker coach after the sacking of Mick Malthouse - and Dale Amos.", "WATCH: Brendon Bolton has been let go by Carlton as their senior coach, following yesterday's 41-point loss to Essendon.", "Brendon Bolton has been sacked by Carlton, with the club to hold a press conference on Monday afternoon to announce his departure.\n\nHis interim successor is expected to be one of assistant coaches David Teague, John Barker - who's had a previous start as caretaker coach after the sacking of Mick Malthouse - and Dale Amos.\n\nBolton, 40, was in his fourth year as a senior coach.\n\nHe has a winning record of just 20.78 per cent, the third-lowest of any senior VFL/AFL coach to have led for at least 60 games.\n\nBolton has led the Blues to just 16 wins from 77 games.\n\nMore to come", "Brendon Bolton has been sacked as the coach of Carlton.\n\nAfter three-and-a-half seasons at the helm, the 40-year-old was cut loose on Monday, a heavy loss to arch-rivals Essendon the final nail in the coffin.\n\nPatience has finally run out at the Blues following their dismal 1-10 start to the year, with the interim coach to be confirmed at a press conference on Monday afternoon.\n\nMORE: Jimmy Bartel slams AFL after another score review disaster\n\nBolton took charge of Carlton ahead of the 2016 season, guiding them to seven wins for the year.\n\nThat number dropped to six in 2017 and a woeful two in 2018, as the young Blues failed to kick on, not helped by some recruiting mishaps and injuries to key players.\n\nCarlton's only win of this season so far came in round five against Bulldogs, temporarily relieving some of the pressure on the struggling club.\n\nA fortnight later they lost to North Melbourne by 10 goals, and two weeks after that they were thumped to the tune of 93 points by the Giants.\n\nFollowing that result, Blues president Mark LoGiudice and football directer Chris Judd publicly backed Bolton, though two losses later, they have changed their tune.\n\nSunday's limp defeat to the Bombers, in which Carlton managed four goals for the match, ended Bolton's tenure with a 16-61 record.\n\nWho might replace Bolton long term remains to be seen.\n\nRecently departed Kangaroos coach Brad Scott is now on the market, while Brett Ratten, the man who was sacked by the Blues in an ill-fated move for Mick Malthouse, has also been linked.\n\nMore to come."], "summary": "In Australian rules football, Brendon Bolton is sacked as the head coach of the Carlton Football Club, following a prolonged period of poor on-field performances."}
{"document": ["Carnival Cruise Lines Hit With $20 Million Penalty For Environmental Crimes\n\nEnlarge this image toggle caption Casey Rodgers/AP Casey Rodgers/AP\n\nThe cruise line giant Carnival Corporation and its Princess subsidiary have agreed to pay a criminal penalty of $20 million for environmental violations such as dumping plastic waste into the ocean. Princess Cruise Lines has already paid $40 million over other deliberate acts of pollution.\n\nU.S. District Judge Patricia Seitz approved the terms of the deal during a hearing Monday in Miami. She had appeared to grow increasingly frustrated as the company continued to flout environmental laws during the course of the years-long case.\n\n\"You not only work for employees and shareholders. You are a steward of the environment,\" she told Carnival CEO Arnold Donald, who attended the hearing with other senior executives. \"The environment needs to be a core value, and I hope and pray it becomes your daily anthem.\"\n\nMiami-based Carnival pleaded guilty Monday to six probation violations, including the dumping of plastic mixed with food waste in Bahamian waters. The company also admitted sending teams to visit ships before the inspections to fix any environmental compliance violations, falsifying training records and contacting the U.S. Coast Guard to try to redefine what would be a \"major non-conformity\" of their environmental compliance plan.\n\n\"I sincerely regret these mistakes. I do take responsibility for the problems we had,\" Arnold told the judge. \"I'm extremely personally disappointed we have them. I am personally committed to achieve best in class for compliance.\"\n\nCarnival has had a long history of dumping plastic trash and oily discharge from its ships, with violations dating back to 1993.\n\nEnvironmental groups such as Stand.earth say they are tired of seeing the company hit with penalties \"that cannot even be characterized as a slap on the wrist.\"\n\n\"Today's ruling was a betrayal of the public trust and a continuation of the weak enforcement that has allowed Carnival Corporation to continue to profit by selling the environment to its passengers while its cruise ships contribute to the destruction of the fragile ecosystems they visit,\" Kendra Ulrich, a senior shipping campaigner at Stand.earth, said in a statement.\n\nWhen Princess was fined the $40 million in 2016, the Department of Justice called it \"the largest-ever criminal penalty involving deliberate vessel pollution.\" The company also agreed to plead guilty to seven felony charges for violations on five ships starting as early as 2005.\n\nIn 2013, a whistleblowing engineer exposed the illegal dumping of contaminated waste and oil from the company's Caribbean Princess ship. He told authorities that engineers were using a special device called the \"magic pipe\" to bypass the ship's water treatment system and dump oil waste straight into the ocean. The company also tried to cover up this practice from investigators, according to the Justice Department.\n\nAt the time, Princess told NPR that it chalked up the violations to \"the inexcusable actions of our employees.\"\n\nPart of the 2016 plea agreement required ships from eight of Carnival's companies to submit to court-supervised monitoring, which is how the most recent violations were discovered.\n\nJudge Seitz had recently threatened to block Carnival from docking at U.S. ports. She also had requested that the company's senior executives attend Monday's hearing because she said she was convinced they weren't serious about complying with environmental laws.\n\nIn addition to the $20 million criminal penalty, Carnival has agreed to pay for 15 annual audits — on top of about three dozen ship and shore-side audits it's already on the hook for — and says it will restructure its corporate compliance efforts. If the company does not meet court-imposed deadlines for that restructuring, it will be fined up to $10 million per day.", "Carnival Cruise is being fined millions (again) for massive pollution cover-up\n\nTurns out, the Love Boat is actually the “Let’s secretly dump our trash in the middle of the ocean” Boat.\n\nCarnival Corporation, the world’s largest cruise line and owner of ten cruise subbrands, was slapped with a $20 million fine earlier this week after it was caught dumping pollutants into the ocean, again.\n\n“You not only work for employees and shareholders. You are a steward of the environment,” U.S. District Judge Patricia Seitz told Carnival CEO Arnold Donald. “The environment needs to be a core value, and I hope and pray it becomes your daily anthem.”\n\nThe Miami-based cruise line giant has been on probation since 2016, when subsidiary Princess Cruise line was found to have been discharging oily waste into the ocean for eight years and then lying about the scheme. The Department of Justice called the $40 million fine leveraged against the company at the time the “largest-ever criminal penalty involving deliberate vessel pollution.”\n\nBut as it turns out, Carnival’s ships have continued to commit a plethora of environmental crimes, such as dumping “gray water” (meaning, wastewater from showers, sinks and kitchens) in Alaska’s Glacier Bay National Park and food waste mixed with plastic (a severe threat to marine life) in Bahamian waters. According to the court filing, the company, which was valued at over $40 billion in 2018, also tried to hide ongoing violations by sending teams to ships ahead of third-party inspections to create false training records and fix environmental-compliance issues.\n\n“I sincerely regret these mistakes. I do take responsibility for the problems we had,” Arnold told Judge Seitz. “I’m extremely personally disappointed we have them. I am personally committed to achieve best in class for compliance.”\n\nGrist has reached out to Carnival for comment.\n\nDespite the new multimillion-dollar fine, environmental groups were none too pleased by the latest ruling, calling for greater consequences and saying Carnival’s ongoing violations make it clear executives are simply treating their pollution problem as a pesky gnat. “Today’s ruling was a betrayal of the public trust and a continuation of the weak enforcement that has allowed Carnival Corporation to continue to profit by selling the environment to its passengers while its cruise ships contribute to the destruction of the fragile ecosystems they visit,” Kendra Ulrich, a senior shipping campaigner at Stand.earth, said in a statement\n\nWhile Carnival’s environmental violations are egregious, it’s far from the only cruise company causing environmental harm. According to the International Council on Clean Transportation, cruise lines are bigger contributors to carbon emissions than airplane jets, emitting 3 to 4 times the CO2 per passenger-mile. Cruise ship exhaust can also be a health problem. According to a 2019 report released by the Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health, on-deck air quality can be as bad or worse than some of the world’s most polluted cities. And while some ships have scrubbers to remove harmful chemicals from their exhaust, the New York Times reports that the compounds are then discharged into the ocean — not exactly a win for the environment.\n\nSo if you feel the need this summer to sip on a refreshing beverage while overlooking the water, maybe consider doing it poolside?", "(CNS): The Carnival Corporation has struck a settlement deal with US federal prosecutors over pollution and environmental law violations. The cruise company, which has made an agreement to part finance the Cayman Islands Government’s proposed controversial cruise berthing facility, has agreed to pay $20 million in a settlement for serious pollution charges. The company’s executives appeared in court Monday and came clean, but environmentalists believe Carnival got off lightly as the world’s biggest cruise line continues to pollute the air and oceans.\n\nUnited States District Court Judge Patricia Seitz ordered top Carnival Corporation executives, including board chairman Micky Arison and CEO Arnold Donald, to appear in court on Monday, 3 June, for the probation revocation hearing. Donald made admissions in open court to the company’s responsibility for the violations.\n\n“The company pleads guilty,” Arnold said. “We acknowledge the shortcomings. I am here today to formulate a plan to fix them.”\n\nHowever, Judge Seitz noted pointedly, “The proof will be in the pudding, won’t it? If you all did not have the environment, you would have nothing to sell.”\n\nCarnival has agreed to allow more stringent oversight by the court appointed monitor, create a compliance plan and compliance oversight position in the company. If the company misses agreed deadlines, it will be fined up to $1 million per day and up to $10 million per day if it misses deadlines by ten days.\n\nCarnival has also agreed to reduce its use of single-use plastics by 50% by 2020 and has committed $20 million to improve its food waste management.\n\nThe deal comes after one of Carnival’s ship brands, Princess Cruise Lines, pleaded guilty in 2017 to more than a dozen charges relating to vessel pollution, as well as attempts and conspiracy to cover up what it was doing, obstructing justice and failing to maintain accurate records.\n\nA confidential monitor’s report that was published by the judge in April revealed that the cruise line, which docks ships in Cayman waters every week and will be closely involved in the government’s cruise project if it goes ahead, was involved in hundreds of incidents of pollution between April 2017 to April 2018, including illegally dumping sewage, food waste and oil and burning heavy fuel oil in protected areas.\n\nThe Caribbean Princess, one of the ships dumping into the ocean, is due here in George Town Harbour on Monday and almost two dozen Carnival ships are expected to call on Cayman this month.\n\nStand.earth, an environmental activist organisation, said the agreement was “a backroom deal” showing no regard for those impacted by cruise ship pollution.\n\n“Today’s ruling was a betrayal of the public trust and a continuation of the weak enforcement that has allowed Carnival Corporation to continue to profit by selling the environment to its passengers while its cruise ships contribute to the destruction of the fragile ecosystems they visit,” said Kendra Ulrich, senior shipping campaigner from Stand.earth.", "MIAMI – Carnival Corp. reached a settlement Monday with federal prosecutors in which the world’s largest cruise line agreed to pay a $20 million penalty because its ships continued to pollute the oceans despite a previous criminal conviction aimed at curbing similar conduct.\n\nSenior U.S. District Judge Patricia Seitz approved the agreement after Carnival CEO Arnold Donald stood up in open court and admitted the company’s responsibility for probation violations stemming from the previous environmental case.\n\n“The company pleads guilty,” Arnold said six times in a packed courtroom that include other senior Carnival executives, including company chairman and Miami Heat owner Micky Arison.\n\n“We acknowledge the shortcomings. I am here today to formulate a plan to fix them,” Arnold added.\n\n“The proof will be in the pudding, won’t it?” the judge replied. “If you all did not have the environment, you would have nothing to sell.”\n\nCarnival admitted violating terms of probation from a 2016 criminal conviction for discharging oily waste from its Princess Cruise Lines ships and covering it up. Carnival paid a $40 million fine and was put on five years’ probation in that case, which affected all nine of its cruise brands that boast more than 100 ships.\n\nNow Carnival has acknowledged that in the years since its ships have committed environmental crimes such as dumping “gray water” in prohibited places such Alaska’s Glacier Bay National Park and knowingly allowing plastic to be discharged along with food waste in the Bahamas, which poses a severe threat to marine life.\n\nStudy: Air pollution on cruise ship decks rivals China and it's worst in these areas\n\nThe company also admitted falsifying compliance documents and other administrative violations such as having cleanup teams visit its ships just before scheduled inspections.\n\nSeitz at an earlier hearing threatened to bar Carnival from docking at U.S. ports because of the violations and said she might hold executives individually liable for the probation violations.\n\n“The concern I have is that senior management has no skin in the game,” Seitz said, adding that future violations might be met with prison time and criminal fines for individuals. “My goal is to have the defendant change its behavior.”\n\nUnder the settlement, Carnival promised there will be additional audits to check for violations, a restructuring of the company’s compliance and training programs, a better system for reporting environmental violations to state and federal agencies and improved waste management practices.\n\nThe agreement also would set Sept. 13 and Oct. 9 deadlines to create an improved compliance plan and make other changes, subject to fines of $1 million per day if those deadlines are not met. If a second round of deadlines are not met, the fines could go up to $10 million a day.\n\nOther proposed changes include a reduction by Carnival in the use of single-use plastic items across its entire fleet and creation of “tiger teams” meant to make improvements in the ships’ food and beverage systems and how waste is handled at sea.\n\nSeitz is retiring later this year and is turning over the case to U.S. District Judge Ursula Ungaro, who jointly presided over Monday’s hearing.\n\nThree people who claimed they were victims of Carnival’s environmental violations attended the hearing. Their attorney, Knoll Lowney, expressed skepticism that Carnival will keep its word this time.\n\n“Time and time again, Carnival has shown its contempt of environmental laws and the rule of law,” he said. “Here we are again.”", "Santa Clarita-based Princess Cruise Lines and its parent company Carnival Corporation has once again been levied a significant fine, after pleading guilty Monday to six charges of environmental probation violations, such as continuing to pollute the oceans. \n\n\n\nThe world’s largest cruise line, which acquired Princess Cruises in 2003, reached a settlement in Miami with the U.S. Department of Justice to pay a $20 million penalty and face enhanced oversight for the remaining three years of its probation, according to a news release by the Department. \n\n\n\nProbation violations stem from a previous criminal conviction in 2016 when Princess Cruises pleaded guilty to dumping oil-contaminated waste from one of its vessels and intentionally covering up the act by some employees, federal prosecutors said. As a result, the cruise line paid a whopping $40 million fine, considered to be the largest penalty for environmental crimes in the nation, according to U.S. Attorney Wifredo Ferrer.\n\n\n\nThe 2016 case marked the company’s third conviction for ocean pollution since 1998. \n\n\n\nA supervised environmental compliance plan, or ECP, revealed “numerous violations” during the first two of five years of probation, which the company started serving in April 2017, including “major non-conformities,” Justice Department officials stated in the news release. \n\n\n\nSeveral violations cited Monday included falsifying environmental training records, discharging plastic in Bahamian waters, failing to implement new environmental measures required during probation and contacting the U.S. Coast Guard without the required process.\n\n\n\n“This case demonstrates the importance of identifying and correcting compliance problems at their source,” said Assistant Attorney General Jeffrey Bossert Clark for the Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division in a prepared statement. “Carnival sought to avoid the discovery of problems during the audits rather than learn from them. Carnival’s deliberate deception undermined the court’s supervision of probation.”\n\n\n\nIn addition to a $20 million fine, Carnival also has to restructure its corporate-compliance efforts, comply with new reporting requirements, pay for 15 additional independent audits per year and make major changes in how it uses and disposes of plastic and non-food waste. \n\n\n\nDuring the hearing, Carnival head officials were asked to personally pledge to comply under the terms of the settlement, according to the Department. \n\n\n\nOn Tuesday, Princess Cruises’ Santa Clarita office, which serves as its headquarters on Town Center Drive, referred questions to an overall prepared statement: \n\n\n\n“Today the U.S. District Court of Southern Florida approved our agreement with the Department of Justice — setting forth new initiatives, improved procedures, additional training and significant investments to ensure we have the strongest and most sustainable environmental compliance program possible.\n\n\n\n“Carnival Corporation remains committed to environmental excellence and protecting the environment in which we live, work and travel. Our aspiration is to leave the places we touch even better than when we first arrived.”\n\n\n\n“A corporation is responsible to its shareholders and board of directors to be profitable, but not by breaking the law and destroying the very environment in which it navigates for profit,” said U.S. Attorney Ariana Fajardo Orshan for the Southern District of Florida. \n\n\n\nIf the company fails to meet specific deadlines to create improved compliance efforts, Carnival will face fines up to $1 million per day and up to $10 million per day if deadlines are missed by 10 days.", "Carnival Corporation has made a $20 million deal with federal prosecutors as settlement for charges that it violated its probation.\n\nUnited States District Court Judge Patricia Seitz ordered top Carnival Corporation executives, including board chairman Micky Arison and CEO Arnold Donald, to appear in court on Monday, June 3 for a probation revocation hearing. The U.S. Office of Probation filed a motion for probation violations after the Court Appointed Monitor found cases of Carnival ships continuing to violate environmental laws.\n\nAs part of the plan announced on Monday, Carnival will allow more stringent oversight by the Court Appointed Monitor, create an action plan for compliance and create a Chief Compliance Officer position. If the company misses agreed deadlines, it will be fined up to $1 million a day and up to $10 million a day if it misses deadlines by 10 days.\n\nCarnival has also agreed to reduce its use of single-use plastics by 50 percent by 2020 and has committed $20 million to improve its food waste management.\n\nCarnival is on probation as a result of Princess Cruise Lines pleading guilty in 2017 to seven felony counts arising out of vessel pollution from Caribbean Princess and efforts to conceal that pollution, one count of conspiracy, four counts of failure to maintain accurate records and two counts of obstruction of justice.\n\n \n\n Seitz published the previously confidential monitor's report in April. In the 205-page report, the monitor records hundreds of incidents from April 2017 to April 2018. The Miami Herald reviewed each incident and found that 24 were for illegally dumping sewage, food waste or oil; 19 were for illegally burning heavy fuel oil in protected areas; and more than 150 were the result of items like furniture accidentally going overboard. Carnival reported the violations to authorities directly or noted them in its internal records.\n\nStand.earth called the ruling a backroom deal with little regard for the communities and individuals who are impacted by cruise ship pollution. Ahead of the hearing, the organization had supported the filing of on behalf of alleged victims to intervene in the proceeding. The judge presiding over the case allowed the victims’ legal counsel to speak at the hearing but ultimately decided the victims did not have standing under the Crime Victims’ Rights Act.\n\n“Today’s ruling was a betrayal of the public trust and a continuation of the weak enforcement that has allowed Carnival Corporation to continue to profit by selling the environment to its passengers while its cruise ships contribute to the destruction of the fragile ecosystems they visit,” said Kendra Ulrich, Senior Shipping Campaigner at Stand.earth.", "DP World Limassol hosted leading cruise sector executives at the 2nd Limassol Cruise Executive Summit. The aim of this event was to promote Cyprus and Limassol as an attractive cruise destination and elevating cruise tourism.\n\nEleven large cruise operating companies based in Europe and the United States took part in the cruise executive Summit that was held between May 29 and 31. The initiative was carried out by DP World Limassol as the operator of the New Cruise Terminal in cooperation with the Deputy Ministry of Tourism, Limassol Municipality and Haifa port.\n\nRepresentatives of international cruise companies, included Royal Caribbean, Crystal Cruises, and Holland America, had the opportunity to visit historic monuments such as the Ancient Kourion Theatre in Limassol, the Tombs of the Kings in Paphos and Famagusta Gate in Nicosia. They met with the Mayor of Limassol, as well as other tourism industry stakeholders exchanging view to improve the touristic product.\n\nThe guests visited the traditional Cypriot villages and enjoyed traditional local cuisine, in an effort to better understand Cyprus’ cultural heritage. Executives also, visited the modern facilities of DP World Limassol’s New Cruise Terminal and held meetings with tourism officials gaining a positive impression of both the Cruise terminal and the level of service.\n\nDP World Limassol’s General Manager, Charles Meaby said “the Limassol Cruise Executive Summit is a unique opportunity for the executives of international cruise operators to get to know what Cyprus has to offer”.\n\nAnd he added: “The cruise sector is a priority for DP World Limassol, while cruises are a major opportunity for Cyprus to interact with tourists from markets that traditionally don’t visit Cyprus in large numbers; like the United States and Germany.\n\nMeaby continued “Our goal is to turn Limassol port into a base port and an attractive option for companies operating in the cruise sector. A thriving cruise market could bring numerous benefits to the local economy, such as create new jobs and upgraded services. The potential of the tourism industry and especially the cruise sector is especially promising; however, in order to make the most out of the opportunities that are opening up, all the stakeholders must be willing to cooperate”.", "A LOCAL environmentalist is working to be identified as a victim in ongoing pollution proceedings against Carnival Corporation in a US court.\n\nSam Duncombe, co-founder of reEarth, is one of three people behind an emergency motion filed in the US last week and will likely learn the fate of her efforts today.\n\nCarnival Corporation’s Princess Cruises pled guilty in 2016 to several charges related to pollution and falsifying records. The corporation paid a $40 million fine and was placed on probation. The corporation is now facing charges that it violated its probation.\n\nAccording to the Miami Herald, the charges include falsifying records, communicating with the US Coast Guard through a back channel, failing to give enough authority to the company’s environmental compliance officer, rushing to clean up ships ahead of visits by a court-appointed monitor and dumping plastic into Bahamian waters.\n\nCarnival and federal prosecutors have reached a settlement agreement on the charges and Senior US District Judge Patricia Seitz is expected today to decide whether to accept the settlement or reject it and set a probation revocation hearing.\n\nMs Duncombe and two American environmentalists are hoping to intervene before the judge makes that decision.\n\nTheir emergency motion they filed last week says: “The criminal behaviour of Princess Cruise Lines LTD and its parent Carnival Corporation has caused significant harm to the environment and the individuals and communities that depend upon a clean environment for their livelihood and recreation. These victims encircle the United States, as Carnival’s activities span from Florida to Alaska, and from California to Maine.\n\n“Victims of Carnival’s environmental crimes were not present or heard in proceedings resulting in the original plea agreement between the US government and Carnival, which may have contributed to the compromise being weaker than victims believe was necessary to bring about meaningful change in the corporate culture. The potential failure of the original plea agreement is aptly demonstrated by Carnival’s ongoing criminal violations of environmental laws, reflected in the reports of the court appointed monitor, the government’s efforts to revoke Carnival’s probation and ultimately the present proceedings. This court should not consider another compromise between the government and Carnival without meaningful participation by the victims of Carnival’s environmental crimes.”\n\nMs Duncombe said in the motion: “Carnival Corporation makes me feel like a second-class citizen in my own country: someone whose health, livelihood and community are an easily ignored inconvenience for the multi-billion-dollar international corporation.”\n\nThe applicants are not seeking financial compensation but want more transparency in the case and for their views and perspectives to be considered.\n\nYesterday, Ms Duncombe told The Tribune the government has taken a far too hands-off approach to the issue.\n\n“This company got caught,” she said. “My worry is what measures are the government considering? They talk about an Environmental Protection Act. You know how long one has been sitting around gathering dust? But if this was something that was necessary for the WTO or OECD, they’d be all over it. ‘Spy Bill’, the NIA, all these things being pushed through but not environmental protection. This is not acceptable. They need to do something concrete about the situation.”\n\nShe was referring to the National Crime Intelligence Agency Bill, passed in the House of Assembly last week, and the Interception of Communications Act, passed in both Houses of Parliament last year.\n\nMs Duncombe pointed to a 1993 report in which Immigration Minister Brent Symonette, then a senator, called for a $1 million fine on cruise ship operations caught dumping waste in Bahamian waters.\n\n“I’m calling on the now minister of immigration to say, ‘let’s do something about it,’” she said. “In 1993 he talked about fining cruise ships $1m for dumping so I’m saying, let’s do it, put proper procedures on board. How do we quantify the cost of the damage to the ocean when we don’t know what’s happening?”\n\nAttorney General Carl Bethel has said an environmental protection law will come by the end of summer.\n\nAhead of a US judge’s decision about whether to reject Carnival’s settlement agreement with US federal prosecutors, the corporation filed letters of support from politicians, business associations and non-profit organisations. According to the Miami Herald, the letters touted Carnival’s economic impact and charitable donations ahead of today’s hearing.", "MIAMI, June 3, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- On April 18, 2019, Carnival Corporation & plc (NYSE/LSE: CCL;NYSE: CUK) announced a quarterly cash dividend of $0.50 (U.S.) per share. The dividend is payable on June 14, 2019, to shareholders of record on May 24, 2019.\n\nHolders of Carnival Corporation common stock or Carnival plc ADSs will receive a dividend payable in U.S. dollars. The dividend for Carnival plc ordinary shares will be payable in sterling unless shareholders elected to receive the dividend in U.S. dollars by May 24, 2019.\n\nDividends payable in sterling will be converted from U.S. dollars at the exchange rate quoted by Bloomberg (BFIX) at 12 noon London time on June 3, 2019 (US$1 = 79.06076 pence). Accordingly, the dividend payable in sterling on June 14, 2019, will be 39.53038 pence per share.\n\nCarnival Corporation & plc is the world's largest leisure travel company and among the most profitable and financially strong in the cruise and vacation industries, with a portfolio of nine of the world's leading cruise lines. With operations in North America, Australia, Europe and Asia, its portfolio features Carnival Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Holland America Line, Seabourn, P&O Cruises (Australia), Costa Cruises, AIDA Cruises, P&O Cruises (UK) and Cunard.\n\nTogether, the corporation's cruise lines operate 104 ships with 243,000 lower berths visiting over 700 ports around the world, with 19 new ships scheduled to be delivered through 2025. Carnival Corporation & plc also operates Holland America Princess Alaska Tours, the leading tour company in Alaska and the Canadian Yukon. Traded on both the New York and London Stock Exchanges, Carnival Corporation & plc is the only group in the world to be included in both the S&P 500 and the FTSE 100 indices.\n\nWith a long history of innovation and providing guests with extraordinary vacation experiences, Carnival Corporation has received thousands of industry awards – including recognition by the Consumer Technology Association™ as a CES® 2019 Innovation Awards Honoree for OceanMedallion™. A revolutionary wearable device that contains a proprietary blend of communication technologies, OceanMedallion enables the world's first interactive guest experience platform transforming vacation travel on a large scale into a highly personalized level of customized service. The prestigious CES Innovation Awards honor outstanding design and engineering in consumer technology products.\n\nAdditional information can be found on www.carnival.com, www.princess.com, www.hollandamerica.com, www.seabourn.com, www.pocruises.com.au, www.costacruise.com, www.aida.de, www.pocruises.com and www.cunard.com.", "Miami-based Carnival Cruise Lines was ordered by a Federal judge in Miami to pay a $20 million fine after getting caught dumping sewage into the ocean – again.\n\nThe company was fined $40 million in 2016 for dumping ‘oily waste’ into the ocean, then covering it up. Now the cruise line has been fined again for dumping plastic and food waste near the Bahamas violating the terms of its probation.\n\nCarnival CEO Arnold Donald said the company is guilty and plans to fix its “shortcomings”. The company could face additional fines of up to $1 million a day if changes are not made by September."], "summary": "British-American cruise operator Carnival Corporation & PLC is fined $20 million for environmental violations."}
{"document": ["The Trump administration on Tuesday ended the most popular forms of U.S. travel to Cuba, banning cruise ships and a heavily used category of educational travel in an attempt to cut off cash to the island's communist government.\n\nCruise travel from the U.S. to Cuba began in May 2016 during President Barack Obama's opening with the island. It has become the most popular form of U.S. leisure travel to the island, bringing 142,721 people in the first four months of the year, a more than 300% increase over the same period last year. For travelers confused about the thicket of federal regulations governing travel to Cuba, cruises offered a simple, one-stop, guaranteed-legal way to travel.\n\nThat now appears to be over.\n\n\"Cruise ships as well as recreational and pleasure vessels are prohibited from departing the U.S. on temporary sojourn to Cuba effective tomorrow,\" the Commerce Department said in a statement to The Associated Press.\n\nThe new restrictions are part of a broader effort by the administration of President Donald Trump to roll back the Obama-era efforts to restore normal relations between the United States and Cuba, which drew sharp criticism from the more hardline elements of the Cuban-American community and their allies in Congress.\n\nU.S. national security adviser John Bolton, who declared Cuba part of a \"troika of tyranny\" along with Nicaragua and Venezuela as he outlined new sanctions in November, said the new policy is intended to deny the Cuban government a vital source of revenue.\n\n\"The Administration has advanced the President's Cuba policy by ending 'veiled tourism' to Cuba and imposing restrictions on vessels,\" Bolton said on Twitter. \"We will continue to take actions to restrict the Cuban regime's access to U.S. dollars.\"\n\nCruise lines carrying passengers booked before Tuesday had been hoping that they could request specific federal permits to complete their trips to Cuba, said Pedro Freyre, a Miami-based attorney who represents Carnival and three other major cruise lines.\n\n\"For now, it's prohibited unless the cruise lines requests a specific license,\" Freyre said. He said cruise lines had been trying to determine \"if there's any opening there to at least complete trips that have been booked and passengers that have made travel plans.\"\n\nNorwegian Cruise Line said in a statement that it was scrutinizing the new rules and consulting with lawyers and trade experts.\n\n\"We are closely monitoring these recent developments and any resulting impact to cruise travel to Cuba,\" Norwegian Cruise Line said in a statement. \"We will communicate to our guests and travel partners as additional information becomes available.\"\n\nShore excursions from cruise ships tend to be organized by the cruise lines in cooperation with Cuban government tour agency Havanatur. A smaller number hire private tour guides or drivers of restored classic cars who wait outside Havana's cruise docks.\n\n\"This affects all of us,\" said William Mártinez, 58, a Cuban-born American who lived in Florida for 46 years but returned five years ago to drive a classic car for tourists. \"It's inhuman, the sanctions that they're putting on Cuba.\"\n\nTreasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the measures are a response to what it calls Cuba's \"destabilizing role\" in the Western Hemisphere, including support for the government of President Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela.\n\n\"This administration has made a strategic decision to reverse the loosening of sanctions and other restrictions on the Cuban regime,\" Mnuchin said. \"These actions will help to keep U.S. dollars out of the hands of Cuban military, intelligence, and security services.\"\n\nCruise ships have brought thousands of Americans to Cuba since the U.S. began restoring full diplomatic relations with the communist government in December 2014 and have provided an important economic lifeline to the island.\n\nAlong with the cruise ships, the U.S. will also now ban most private planes and boats from stopping in the island.\n\n\"Consequently, private and corporate aircraft, cruise ships, sailboats, fishing boats, and other similar aircraft and vessels generally will be prohibited from going to Cuba,\" according to the new rules published by the Commerce Department.\n\nThe new restrictions take effect Wednesday, but the government will allow anyone who has already paid for the trip to go ahead with it.\n\nCruises have become more popular than flights for leisure travelers to Cuba — nearly 30,000 more came by cruise ship than flights this year. The figures exclude Cuban-born Americans visiting family on the island.\n\nCommercial airline flights appear to be unaffected by the new measures and travel for university groups, academic research, journalism and professional meetings will continue to be allowed.\n\n\"It kills the people-to-people category, which is the most common way for the average American to travel to Cuba,\" said Collin Laverty, head of Cuba Educational Travel, one of the largest Cuba travel companies in the U.S.\n\nThe new restrictions had been previewed by national security adviser John Bolton in an April speech in Miami to veterans of the failed 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion but details of the changed were public until Tuesday. Treasury said the sanctions would take effect on Wednesday after they are published in the Federal Register.\n\n___\n\nWeissenstein reported from Havana, Cuba. Associated Press writers Andrea Rodriguez in Havana; Adriana Gomez-Licon in Miami and Ben Fox in Washington also contributed to this report.\n\nCopyright 2019 Associated Press. All rights reserved.", "Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption US Cuba cruise ban: Tourists and locals react\n\nThe US has announced a new ban on travel to Cuba for American group tours as well as cruise ships journeying to the island.\n\nThe move, which was announced by Trump administration officials, intends to roll back a US-Cuba thaw that began under President Barack Obama.\n\nIt is unclear exactly how the rules, which take effect on Wednesday, will impact travel to the island nation.\n\nUS officials say the new rules seek to punish the country's communist regime.\n\nUS Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement on Tuesday the measures come in response to Cuban efforts \"to play a destabilising role in the Western Hemisphere, providing a communist foothold in the region and propping up US adversaries in places like Venezuela and Nicaragua by fomenting instability, undermining the rule of law, and suppressing democratic processes\".\n\n\"This administration has made a strategic decision to reverse the loosening of sanctions and other restrictions on the Cuban regime,\" Mr Mnuchin said.\n\n\"These actions will help to keep US dollars out of the hands of Cuban military, intelligence, and security services.\"\n\nUS tourism to Cuba is not permitted, but certain forms of organised group travel, known as \"people-to-people\" travel, had been allowed until Tuesday's announcement.\n\nCommercial travel can continue, as long as the trips \"broadly support family travel and other lawful forms of travel\", a US State Department spokesperson added, but other vessels such as private yachts or planes are banned.\n\nCruise ship companies have not yet reacted to the news, but Norwegian Cruise Lines tweeted to one concerned customer: \"We are closely monitoring these recent developments and any resulting impact to cruise travel to Cuba.\n\n\"We will communicate to our guests and travel partners as additional information becomes available.\"\n\nCuban government statistics show that Americans have become the second largest group of visitors to the island, after Canadians - with more arriving by ship than plane.\n\nAmericans who have already booked \"at least one travel related transaction\" - such as purchasing a flight - will still be allowed to continue their travel, US officials say.\n\nWhite House national security adviser John Bolton outlined plans for sanctions earlier this year, referring to Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua as a \"troika of tyranny\".\n\nIn a tweet on Tuesday, he said the new rule means \"ending 'veiled tourism' to Cuba\".\n\nIn a statement, US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross added: \"Cuba remains communist, and the United States, under the previous administration, made too many concessions to one of our historically most aggressive adversaries.\"\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Life after Castro - 'We have to continue the revolution'\n\nCuban Minister of Foreign Affairs Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, who travelled to Washington in 2015 to re-open the Cuban embassy, criticised the latest move as \"an attack on international law\", adding that it was \"aimed at suffocating\" the country's economy.\n\nThe White House announced in April that Cuban-Americans and US businesses could sue companies who use or own property that was seized from Americans during the 1959 Cuban Revolution.", "Just a few weeks ago, Caribbean travel expert Jennifer Carr decided to book her first-ever cruise on the adults-only Virgin Voyages to Havana, Cuba to celebrate her 40th birthday next year on the once-forbidden island.\n\nThose plans were essentially canceled Tuesday morning when President Donald J. Trump announced that cruise lines will eventually be fully banned from visiting the island that President Barack Obama made a lot easier to travel to in March of 2016, the year the \"people-to-people\" program was put into effect.\n\nAlthough Carr was set to be a client and not make money as an agent on this trip, the news hurts nonetheless.\n\n\"This is very disappointing because I have had the opportunity to visit Cuba myself in 2013 through the people-to-people program,” she said. “The local Cuban people were so excited at the thought of more Americans being able to visit, and now we have taken a huge step backwards. Very disappointing for the travel industry as a whole, and the lovely people in Cuba.”\n\nThe new regulations effectively wipe out the \"people-to-people\" program, which gave U.S. visitors, particularly group tours, a pass to travel to Cuba so long as they were taking part in an educational program aimed at teaching Americans about Cuban culture.\n\nHowever, many in the industry believe there is still hope through the “support for the Cuban people” category of current exemptions for travel from the U.S. to Cuba.\n\nAccording to the New York Times, that category permits individuals to travel to Cuba only if they have an itinerary \"filled with meetings and visits with local business owners, artists or others. They must plan on participating in local activities and staying in a private home, instead of a hotel.\"\n\nCarr put down a 20 percent deposit on the trip and, in doing so, gave herself a little hope since a grandfathering provision was announced for those who have already paid for at least part of their trip to Cuba. However, it was confirmed on Wednesday by a representative of the Cruising Lines International Association (CLIA) that cruises will not be included in the provision.\n\nThe Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) guidelines “provides that certain group people-to-people educational travel that previously was authorized will continue to be authorized where the traveler had already completed at least one travel-related transaction (such as purchasing a flight or reserving accommodation) prior to June 5, 2019.”\n\nIn an email forwarded to TravelPulse by travel expert Stephen Scott, owner of Travel Hub 365 and an advisor with Protravel International in Chicago, Virgin Voyages wrote to agents who had clients booked on its cruises that, “We‘re disappointed to hear of the administration’s decision to significantly restrict travel activity to Cuba.\"\n\n“If you have a sailor booked on any of our sailings with a stop in Havana, we wanted to let you know we’ll be reaching out to them by email tomorrow. We’ll also send you a copy to keep you informed,” according to the email. “The entire Virgin Voyages crew is working hard on changes to our voyages, and we’ll be back in touch next week with full details of Havana’s replacement.”\n\nAnd that was enough to put Scott at ease for the moment.\n\n\"Virgin Voyages has been proactive in communicating with every travel advisor it works with, and that's a huge help to us because we have people asking us for updates all day,\" said Scott. \"They were the first to communicate with me to tell me they would be on top of it. And they said they will email me when they hear something new. That is so valuable to me.\"\n\nOther agents like Caitlyn Gambino, owner of Aum Journeys in Detroit, Michigan, think the news is sad because of the unique travel opportunities that will no longer be available for Americans waiting to visit a country that was off limits for so long.\n\n“It is a disappointment,” she told TravelPulse. “A lot of my clients are interested in Cuba and have been waiting eagerly for things to clear up so they can go. There was a time there when it looked like that time would be soon, but that is now definitely not the case. It's a shame when the rest of the world has been traveling there for years and people from the United States feel like they're missing out on seeing something really beautiful.”\n\nBut while Tuesday’s announcement was disappointing for a lot of agents and consumers who planned on seeing the island, it wasn't quite unexpected.\n\nAdministration officials noted that these actions “mark a continued commitment toward implementing the National Security Presidential Memorandum signed by the President on June 16, 2017, titled “Strengthening the Policy of the United States Toward Cuba.”\n\nJennifer Doncsecz, president of VIP Vacations, Inc. in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, in fact, told TravelPulse she has been telling clients since then to \"sit tight\" and not book any Cuba travel this summer.\n\n“Frankly, anyone who has been following Trump's policies should have seen this coming,” said Doncsecz. “For our clients, the cruise option was always ideal as the hotel choices to travel to Cuba required our clients to be aware of subpar hotels and, because of how things were run, there was always the threat being moved to a different hotel at the drop of a hat.\n\n\"That was definitely a drawback, so the cruise option was perfect. I’m sure the cruise lines are now going to shift things, which means a lot of their itineraries are up in the air.”\n\nBut there are also agents like Carr, who expected tighter restrictions, but none that would influence the cruise lines.\n\n“At first, I thought cruise ships wouldn’t be affected and then when the news broke that cruises would have to change their itineraries, I was really disappointed,” said Carr, a travel advisor with The Tropical Travelers in Malvern, Pennslyvania. “This was my first cruise ever and I was so excited to get a big group to join me for my 40th birthday, especially since we would have been docked in Havana for 24 hours. I’ll still be sticking to my plan and hoping the new stop on the itinerary is somewhere just as exciting.”\n\nAnd she wasn’t the only travel agent whose plans of sipping Havana Club rum in Cuba took a serious hit Tuesday.\n\nPaul Stroncek, a cruise travel specialist with Dreamlines in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, was all set to board the Norwegian Sky in July and now is looking for a backup plan before agents receive what most think is inevitable at this point, an official announcement essentially canceling all calls to Cuba.\n\nMany of the cruises to Cuba are expected to be re-routed and not canceled entirely, according to the agents TravelPulse spoke to.\n\n\"We are scrambling. I'm beyond upset. I'm mad,\" said Stroncek. \"I had my Cuba continued-education trip planned later this year. The good news is there are other beautiful islands in the Caribbean: British Virgin Islands, Barbados, Cayman Islands, Aruba, St. Lucia and Bahamas. I'll have to make other accommodations, but am still beyond upset at this administration.”\n\nAlthough Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings couldn’t confirm if his trip would be canceled or re-routed, the company did issue the following statement:\n\n“Today, the U.S. government announced new travel restrictions to Cuba,” according to the written statement. “We are closely monitoring these recent developments and any resulting impact to cruise travel to Cuba. We will communicate to our guests and travel partners as additional information becomes available.”\n\nThe new regulations will go into place on June 5, 2019, when they are published in the Federal Register. In a statement obtained by TravelPulse, the American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) said Tuesday’s news will prompt the organization to “issue guidance to all members soon.”\n\n“Given the recent growth in legal U.S. travel to Cuba, ASTA is concerned about the potential for disruption from these policy changes, especially as they relate to the operations of our cruise line, airline and hotel partners on the island,\" according to the statement. “ASTA continues to believe that the American people are the best ambassadors of U.S. values abroad, and should be allowed to freely travel to any destination they wish without restriction from their own government.\n\n\"Rather than shutting the door to this market 90 miles off our shores, we call on policymakers to enact legislation to do away with the statutory Cuba travel ban once and for all. While today is a setback, we will continue to advocate toward Cuba travel freedom and look forward to the day it becomes reality.”\n\nBut not every agent is bothered by the news.\n\nIn fact, George Andritsakis, an advisor with Snelgrove Travel Center in Layton, Utah, welcomed the new tightening of restrictions and told TravelPulse it won’t cost him a dime since he doesn’t send anyone there.\n\n“Honestly, I’m all for tightening the sanctions,” he said. “I don’t book Cuba at all and haven’t really had very many people asking for it. I can see how other agents would be upset, as they made money there. But the safety factors just aren’t there for me to be comfortable selling it, or even recommending it.”\n\nAnd while any Trump news tends to get people’s political juices flowing, many agents like Amanda Bisack, founder of Travelista Travels, an affiliate of the Tzell Travel Group, in Port Jefferson, New York, are putting politics aside and instead focusing on what this means for their job.\n\n“I’ve been selling travel for five years and have had one client ever ask me about travel to Cuba,\" she said. \"I don’t care which administration puts restrictions on travel to certain countries. If they’re doing it, then it's to protect us and I’m OK with that. I would love to travel to Cuba someday when our administration feels it's safe for us to do so.”\n\nAs for what it means for the future of U.S. travel to Cuba?\n\nTime will tell, but it definitely doesn't look as good as it did in March of 2016.", "The US announced major new restrictions on US citizens traveling to Cuba on Tuesday, blocking the most common way Americans are able to visit the island — through organized tour groups that license US citizens to travel automatically — and banning US cruise ships from stopping in the country.\n\nAmerican tourism is not explicitly permitted in Cuba. However, Americans can travel to Cuba if it is covered under specific categories, which included organized group travel, known as group people-to-people travel, until Tuesday.\n\nTreasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in the statement that the restrictions are a result of Cuba continuing “to play a destabilizing role in the Western Hemisphere, providing a communist foothold in the region and propping up US adversaries in places like Venezuela and Nicaragua by fomenting instability, undermining the rule of law, and suppressing democratic processes.”\n\nThe State Department announced that “going forward, the United States will prohibit US travelers from going to Cuba under the previous ‘group people-to-people educational’ travel authorization. In addition, the United States will no longer permit visits to Cuba via passenger and recreational vessels, including cruise ships and yachts, and private and corporate aircraft.”\n\nA State Department spokesperson for Western Hemisphere affairs said the new restrictions “on US passenger and recreational vessels, including cruise ships and yachts, and corporate and private aircraft, steers American dollars away from the Cuban regime, and its military and security services, who control the tourism industry in Cuba.”\n\nCommercial flights from the US will continue to be permitted as they “broadly support family travel and other lawful forms of travel,” according to the spokesperson.\n\nThe Trump administration announced plans to further restrict travel to Cuba in April, when White House national security adviser John Bolton said the Treasury Department would “implement further regulatory changes to restrict non-family travel to Cuba.”\n\nGarrett Marquis, a spokesman for the White House National Security Council, said the new restrictions are part of President Donald Trump’s commitment to holding “the Cuban regime accountable for its direct destabilizing role in the hemisphere and contribution to the repression of the people of Venezuela.”\n\nCommerce Secretary Wilbur Ross maintained that “Cuba remains communist, and the United States, under the previous administration, made too many concessions to one of our historically most aggressive adversaries.”\n\nUnder President Barack Obama, the US eased several restrictions with Cuba, permitting, among other things, educational tours, commercial air travel and cruises of the island for American citizens. The US also reopened its embassy in Havana and Cuba reopened its embassy in Washington.\n\nCuban Minister of Foreign Affairs Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, who reopened the Cuban embassy in Washington in 2015, called the new restrictions “an attack on international law.”\n\n“The tightening of the US blockade against Cuba and its extraterritorial implementation is and the sovereignty of all States. It is the main obstacle to our development and a flagrant violation of the human rights of all Cubans,” Rodríguez Parilla said in a tweet.\n\nEngage Cuba, a group which works to foster business between the US and Cuba, called the restrictions “an attack on our fundamental right as citizens.”\n\n“The federal government should not be policing where Americans go on vacation. Our core freedoms should not be held hostage by politicians for naked partisanship,” said James Williams, president of Engage Cuba. “Today’s news is especially damaging for the Cuban people, particularly the burgeoning Cuban private sector, who rely on American travelers to support their businesses and families.”\n\nCuban government statistics say US citizens have quickly grown to become the second largest foreign group visiting the island after Canadians.\n\nThe Treasury Department in a statement clarified that “certain group people-to-people educational travel that previously was authorized will continue to be authorized where the traveler had already completed at least one travel-related transaction (such as purchasing a flight or reserving accommodation) prior to June 5, 2019.”\n\nThe Trump administration recently allowed US companies and Cuban-Americans to sue companies using property that was seized after the 1959 Cuban revolution, including cruise ship terminals and airports.\n\nCarnival Cruise Line was the first company to be sued under the law, Title III of the Helms-Burton Act, which previous administrations had waived.", "Alexandre Meneghini, REUTERS | Tourists walk next to the Majesty of the Seas cruise ship, owned by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd, in Havana, Cuba, May 6, 2019\n\nThe Trump administration banned cruises to Cuba under new restrictions on U.S. travel to the Caribbean island imposed on Tuesday to pressure its Communist government to reform and stop supporting Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.\n\nThe tightening of the decades-old U.S. embargo on Cuba will further wound its crippled economy, as well as hurt U.S. travel companies that had built up Cuban business during the brief 2014-2016 detente between the old Cold War foes.\n\nThe State Department said the United States will no longer permit visits to Cuba via passenger and recreational vessels, including cruise ships and yachts, as well as private and corporate aircraft.\n\nThe U.S. Commerce Department told Reuters the ban would be effective from Wednesday, giving cruise lines no grace period to change destinations and creating confusion among cruise passengers.\n\n“Please tell me that my cruise to Cuba (in 18 days) is still going to be a cruise to Cuba,” beseeched Matthew Watkins on Twitter.\n\nRoyal Caribbean Cruises announced that ships sailing Wednesday and Thursday would no longer stop in Cuba and it would provide updates on future cruise destinations.\n\nCarnival Corp said it would have additional information in “the very near future”. Norwegian Cruise Line likewise said it was monitoring the situation.\n\nThe United States will also no longer allow so-called group people-to-people educational travel, one of the most popular exemptions to the overall ban on U.S. tourism to Cuba. Travel experts said some groups may get around that by instead using one of the 11 other categories still allowed.\n\nThe administration of U.S. President Donald Trump had announced the new restrictions in April as part of its rollback of the U.S.-Cuban detente under former President Barack Obama and its broader battle against socialism in Latin America.\n\nCuba experts say the Trump administration appears to be partly eyeing the presidential elections next year, with the key swing state of Florida home to many Cuban-American exiles who welcome the harder line on Havana.\n\n“The Administration has advanced the President’s Cuba policy by ending ‘veiled tourism’ to Cuba and imposing restrictions on vessels,” said a tweet from Trump’s national security adviser John Bolton, who has led the U.S. campaign against what he has called the “troika of tyranny” of Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua.\n\n“We will continue to take actions to restrict the Cuban regime’s access to U.S. dollars.”\n\nCuba’s President Miguel Diaz-Canel said the island would not be intimidated.\n\n“They have not been able to asphyxiate us, they will not be able to stop us, we will continue to live and we will conquer,” he wrote on Twitter.\n\nMany analysts have said the Trump administration is pursuing a failed policy of trying to overthrow Cuba’s government through sanctions, which has served only to give Havana an excuse for its own economic failings over the past 60 years and a pretext to clamp down on domestic opposition.\n\nThis is the second time the Trump administration has tightened U.S. travel restrictions on Cuba. While the measures are designed to hit government coffers, they are also hurting Cuba’s fledgling private sector, which the United States has said it wants to support.\n\n“This is another hard blow,” said Miguel Ángel Morales, owner of La Moneda Cubana, a restaurant in Old Havana. “Around 50% of our business comes from the cruise ships.”\n\nThe Trump administration is hitting the two areas of the economy, tourism and investment, that have helped Cuba keep the economy afloat even as it has faced declining Venezuelan aid and exports in recent years.\n\nLast month, the administration allowed U.S. lawsuits against foreign companies for the use of property confiscated after Cuba’s 1959 revolution, a move that will likely dampen future foreign investment.\n\nMeanwhile, U.S. travel to Cuba had boomed in recent years after Obama loosened restrictions, allowing the re-establishment of regular commercial flights and cruise services.\n\nThe United States became the second-largest source of travelers to the island after Canada, with a majority arriving on cruises ships.\n\nAccording to the Cuban government, 257,500 U.S. citizens, not including those of Cuban origin, visited Cuba from January through March, with 55% arriving on cruise ships.\n\nBut critics of the Cuban government said much of this travel was not for educational but rather for recreational purposes, which contradicted the ban on tourism.\n\n“He thinks we are just coming here as a tourist but you are learning so much. It’s ridiculous we won’t be able to come anymore,” said Cheryl Kolar, 68, a retired nurse who had traveled to Havana by cruise ship.\n\n“Cuba is the only country we are not allowed to go to. We can go to Russia, but for some reason Trump has something against Cuba.”", "An update by Global News just informed us that Donald Trump has tightened up the regulations surrounding travel to Cuba. During Barack Obama's presidency, the former government official re-established travels to Cuba via cruise ships. The latter served as America's first effort to initiate a relationship with Cuba after years of conflict. The travel option quickly went onto becoming the most popular form of U.S. travel to the island with approximately 142K people travelling this way within the first four months of the year. Such a number inflated to a 300% increase last year. The cruises offered a simple, one-way travel option to Cuba that was legal. Though, that is no more.\n\n\"Cruise ships as well as recreational and pleasure vessels are prohibited from departing the U.S. on temporary sojourn to Cuba effective tomorrow,” shared the Commerce Department with the press. The sanctions are scheduled to take place Wednesday and serve as an effort by Trump administration to halt the communist government's profit from the increased tourism. Moreover, the new restrictions only hamper Obama's prior efforts to restore normal relations between the United States and Cuba. The regulations' introduction is lead to criticism from Cuban-American communities and Congress allies.", "The Treasury Department on Tuesday imposed harsh new travel restrictions on visits to Cuba by U.S. citizens, including a ban on the educational and recreational trips categorized as “people-to-people” travel, which has been used by thousands of Americans even before the Obama administration loosened rules. Treasury officials also said travel permissions would be denied for private and corporate aircraft and boats, though commercial flights would continue. “Cuba continues to play a destabilizing role in the Western Hemisphere, providing a communist foothold in the region and propping up U.S. adversaries in places like Venezuela and Nicaragua by fomenting instability, undermining the rule of law, and suppressing democratic processes,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said. “It kills the people-to-people category, which is the most common way for the average American to travel to Cuba,” Collin Laverty, head of Cuba Educational Travel, one of the largest Cuba travel companies in the U.S., told the AP.", "HAVANA (Reuters) - The Trump administration on Tuesday imposed heavy new restrictions on U.S. travel to Cuba, including a ban on cruises, in a further bid to pressure the island's Communist government to reform and end its support for Venezuela's embattled President Nicolas Maduro.\n\nThe tightening of the decades-old U.S. embargo on the Caribbean's largest island will further wound its crippled economy, as well as hurt U.S. travel companies that had built up business with Cuba during the brief 2014-2016 detente between the old Cold War foes.\n\nThe State Department said the United States will no longer permit visits to Cuba via passenger and recreational vessels, including cruise ships and yachts, as well as private and corporate aircraft.\n\nThe country will also no longer allow so-called group people-to-people educational travel, one of the most popular exemptions to the overall ban on U.S. tourism to Cuba. Travel experts said some groups may get around that by instead using one of the 11 other categories still allowed.\n\nThe administration of U.S. President Donald Trump had announced the new restrictions in April as part of its rollback of the U.S.-Cuban detente of former President Barack Obama and its broader battle against socialism in Latin America.\n\nCuba experts say the Trump administration appears to be partly eyeing the presidential elections next year, with the key swing state of Florida home to many Cuban-American exiles who welcome the harder line on Havana.\n\n\"The Administration has advanced the President’s Cuba policy by ending ‘veiled tourism’ to Cuba and imposing restrictions on vessels,\" said a tweet from Trump's national security adviser John Bolton, who has led the U.S. campaign against what he has called the \"troika of tyranny\" of Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua.\n\n\"We will continue to take actions to restrict the Cuban regime’s access to U.S. dollars.”\n\nCuba's President Miguel Diaz-Canel said the island would not be intimidated.\n\n\"They have not been able to asphyxiate us, they will not be able to stop us, we will continue to live and we will conquer,\" he wrote on Twitter.\n\nMany analysts have said the Trump administration is pursuing a failed policy of trying to overthrow Cuba's government through sanctions, which has served only to give Havana an excuse for its own economic failings and a pretext to clamp down on domestic opposition.\n\nThis is the second time the Trump administration has tightened U.S. travel restrictions on Cuba. While the measures are designed to hit government coffers, they are also hurting Cuba's fledgling private sector, which the United States has said it wants to support.\n\n\"This is another hard blow,\" said Miguel Ángel Morales, owner of La Moneda Cubana, a restaurant in Old Havana. \"Around 50 percent of our business comes from the cruise ships.\"\n\nThe Trump administration is hitting the two areas of the economy, tourism and investment, that have helped Cuba keep the economy afloat even as it has faced declining Venezuelan aid and exports in recent years.\n\nLast month, the administration allowed U.S. lawsuits against foreign companies for the use of property confiscated after Cuba's 1959 revolution, a move that will likely dampen future foreign investment.\n\nMeanwhile, U.S. travel to Cuba had boomed in recent years after Obama loosened restrictions, allowing the re-establishment of regular commercial flights and cruise services.\n\nThe United States became the second-largest source of travelers to the island after Canada, with a majority arriving on cruises ships.\n\nAccording to the Cuban government, 257,500 U.S. citizens, not including those of Cuban origin, visited Cuba from January through March, with 55% arriving on cruise ships.\n\nBut critics of the Cuban government said much of this travel was not for educational but rather for recreational purposes, which contradicted the ban on tourism.\n\n\"He thinks we are just coming here as a tourist but you are learning so much. It's ridiculous we won't be able to come anymore,\" said Cheryl Kolar, 68, a retired nurse who had traveled to Havana by cruise ship.\n\n\"Cuba is the only country we are not allowed to go to. We can go to Russia, but for some reason Trump has something against Cuba.\"\n\nCarnival and Royal Caribbean which both offer cruises to Cuba did not immediately reply to requests for comment. Norwegian Cruise Line said it was \"closely monitoring these recent developments and any resulting impact to cruise travel to Cuba.\"\n\nCuba travel experts say U.S. travel to Cuba will still be possible, even if not via cruises.\n\n“There are still a number of ways to legally visit Cuba, commercial flights were left intact and any previously made reservations can go forward,” said Collin Laverty, president of Cuban Educational Travel, which brings hundreds of groups to Cuba every year.", "The Trump administration on Tuesday imposed major new travel restrictions on visits to Cuba by U.S. citizens, including a ban on many forms of educational and recreational travel.\n\nThe Treasury Department said in a statement that the U.S. will no longer allow the group educational and cultural trips known as “people to people” travel to the island. Those trips have been used by thousands of American citizens to visit the island even before the U.S. restored full diplomatic relations with the communist government in December 2014.\n\nTreasury said it would also deny permission for private and corporate aircraft and boats. However, commercial airline flights appear to be unaffected and travel for university groups, academic research, journalism and professional meetings will continue to be allowed.\n\n“It kills the people-to-people category, which is the most common way for the average American to travel to Cuba,” said Collin Laverty, head of Cuba Educational Travel, one of the largest Cuba travel companies in the U.S.\n\nTreasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the measures are a response to what it calls Cuba’s “destabilizing role” in the Western Hemisphere, including support for the government of President Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela.\n\n“Cuba continues to play a destabilizing role in the Western Hemisphere, providing a communist foothold in the region and propping up U.S. adversaries in places like Venezuela and Nicaragua by fomenting instability, undermining the rule of law, and suppressing democratic processes,” he said. “This administration has made a strategic decision to reverse the loosening of sanctions and other restrictions on the Cuban regime. These actions will help to keep U.S. dollars out of the hands of Cuban military, intelligence, and security services.”\n\nThe new restrictions had been previewed by national security adviser John Bolton in an April speech in Miami to veterans of the failed 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion but details of the changes weren’t public until Tuesday. Treasury said the sanctions would take effect on Wednesday after they are published in the Federal Register.", "Carnival Corp said on Wednesday its cruises will no longer sail to Cuba following the Trump administration’s ban on U.S. travel to the Caribbean island.\n\nThe new restrictions are aimed at pressuring Cuba’s Communist government to reform and stop supporting Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.\n\n“Due to changes in U.S. policy, the company will no longer be permitted to sail to Cuba effective immediately,” Carnival said.\n\nThe U.S. State Department said on Tuesday the United States will no longer permit visits to Cuba via passenger and recreational vessels, including cruise ships and yachts, as well as private and corporate aircraft.\n\nRoyal Caribbean Cruises said on Tuesday its ships sailing Wednesday and Thursday would no longer stop in Cuba, while Norwegian Cruise Line said it was monitoring the situation.\n\nThe U.S. Commerce Department has told Reuters the ban would be effective Wednesday, giving cruise lines no grace period to change destinations and creating confusion among cruise passengers.\n\nCarnival said the guests currently aboard its Carnival Sensation cruise that set sail on June 3, would now stop in Mexican island Cozumel on Thursday instead of Havana, adding that the guests would receive a $100 onboard credit for the inconvenience.\n\nCarnival has three cruise lines that sail to Cuba.\n\n“We are working as quickly as possible to secure alternative itineraries for the remainder of our Cuba voyages and expect to have information for sailings further out in the next 2-3 days,” Carnival said."], "summary": "The United States announces new restrictions on American travel to Cuba. Effective Wednesday, travel via cruise ships or other conveyances, including private yachts or airplanes, is prohibited. Group travel under the previous \"people-to-people educational\" provision is also not allowed."}
{"document": ["BEIJING/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - China warned its companies operating in the United States on Tuesday they could face harassment from U.S. law enforcement agencies, as it also rebuffed U.S. criticism of a trade white paper as “singing the same old tune”.\n\nRelations between the world’s two largest economies have nosedived in recent months due to a bitter trade war, U.S. sanctions against Chinese telecoms giant Huawei Technologies Co Ltd and U.S. support for Chinese-claimed Taiwan.\n\nTensions rose sharply in May after U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration accused China of having “reneged” on its previous promises to make structural changes to its economic practices.\n\nWashington later slapped additional tariffs of up to 25% on $200 billion of Chinese goods, prompting Beijing to retaliate.\n\nAfter having warned Chinese students and academics on Monday about risks involved in studying in the United States, the government on Tuesday widened its warning to include Chinese companies and tourists.\n\n“In recent days, there have been incidents of gun violence, robberies and thefts in the United States,” China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism said.\n\n“The department reminds Chinese tourists to fully evaluate the risks of going to the United States, to understand the maintenance of public order of their destination, the laws and regulations, and to conscientiously raise their awareness of safety measures to ensure their safety.”\n\nChinese companies and citizens in the United States should also be aware of harassment from law enforcement agencies, China’s Foreign Ministry added.\n\nTrump’s administration said on Monday that China was pursuing a “blame game” in recent public statements and a weekend white paper that misrepresented the trade negotiations.\n\nIn a joint statement, the U.S. Trade Representative’s (USTR) office and the U.S. Treasury reiterated their view that China’s negotiators had “back-pedalled” on important elements of a deal that had been largely agreed, including on an enforcement provision.\n\n“Our insistence on detailed and enforceable commitments from the Chinese in no way constitutes a threat to Chinese sovereignty,” USTR and the Treasury said. “Rather, the issues discussed are common to trade agreements and are necessary to address the systemic issues that have contributed to persistent and unsustainable trade deficits.”\n\nRISING ACRIMONY\n\nChina on Sunday issued a government policy paper on the U.S.-China trade dispute in which it asserted that the United States bore responsibility for setbacks in the talks, citing three instances in which Washington had backtracked on commitments made during the negotiations.\n\nChinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told reporters that the United States was “singing the same old tune”, and urged Washington to read China’s white papers and stop telling itself it is infallible.\n\nChinese Vice Commerce Minister Wang Shouwen, a prominent member of Beijing’s negotiating team, said in presenting the paper to the media that it would be impossible for the United States to use “extreme pressure” to force concessions from China.\n\nAcrimonious rhetoric between Beijing and Washington has steadily increased since talks broke down in early May over U.S. accusations that Beijing had backtracked on commitments to codify in law changes to its intellectual property and technology transfer practices to address U.S. demands.\n\nFlags of U.S. and China are displayed at American International Chamber of Commerce (AICC)'s booth during China International Fair for Trade in Services in Beijing, China, May 28, 2019. REUTERS/Jason Lee\n\n“The United States is disappointed that the Chinese have chosen in the ‘White Paper’ issued (on Sunday) and recent public statements to pursue a blame game misrepresenting the nature and history of trade negotiations between the two countries,” USTR and Treasury said in the statement.\n\nThe agencies, which have taken the lead in negotiations for the U.S. side, said that the impetus for the negotiations was China’s “long history of unfair trade practices” and U.S. negotiating positions have been consistent throughout the talks.\n\nThere have been no talks scheduled since the last round ended in May, and it remains unclear whether Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet when they both attend the G20 leaders summit this month in Japan.", "Image copyright Getty Images\n\nChina has warned its citizens to \"fully assess the risks\" of travelling to the US given recent \"shootings\", as tensions between the superpowers rise.\n\nThe Ministry of Culture and Tourism warned of threats such as robbery and gun violence, state media said.\n\nChina's foreign ministry also said US law enforcement agencies have been \"harassing\" its citizens with interrogation.\n\nIt comes amid a power struggle between China and the US over trade.\n\nThe US reignited the trade war with tariff hikes in May, and broadened the conflict by blacklisting Chinese tech giant Huawei.\n\nBoth sides have imposed tariffs on billions of dollars of each other's goods over the past year, disrupting trade and hurting the global economy.\n\nWhat exactly did China say?\n\n\"Recently there have been shootings, robberies and thefts happening frequently in the US. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism reminds Chinese tourists to fully assess the risks of going to the US for travel,\" said an anchor on Chinese broadcaster CCTV, according to a Reuters translation.\n\nForeign Ministry Spokesperson Geng Shuang told a press conference the warning was \"necessary in light of current circumstances\".\n\n\"For some time, US law enforcement agencies have been harassing Chinese citizens with interrogation upon entry or exit, and on-site interviews, among other forms,\" he said, according to China's foreign ministry website.\n\n\"Therefore the Ministry of Culture and Tourism issued the tourism reminder, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Chinese Embassy and consulates in the US decided to issue the safety reminder to raise safety awareness. That, I believe, is what a responsible government should do.\"\n\nWhat's behind the US-China tensions?\n\nThe US accuses China of playing unfairly in trade for years and says tech company Huawei poses a risk to its national security.\n\nThe Chinese refute this and increasingly see US moves as an attempt to curb China's growing global influence.\n\nOnly recently, the world's two largest economies seemed to be nearing a deal. But while negotiations were still ongoing, the Trump administration accused China of reneging on its promises and more than doubled tariffs on $200bn of Chinese goods.\n\nIt also added Huawei to a list of companies that American firms cannot trade with unless they have a licence.\n\nChina has retaliated with some tariff hikes of its own.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Why the US-China trade war will hit most of our pockets\n\nEven though there are no known talks scheduled for now, Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump are expected to meet at the G20 meeting of leaders in late June.\n\nAnalysts are not optimistic about the prospect of a breakthrough, particularly after both sides recently pointed fingers at one another for the trade impasse.", "China warned students and academics on Monday about risks involved in studying in the United States, pointing...", "China has issued a pair of travel warnings for the United States, warning its citizens that they could be subjected to police harassment and fall victim to criminals.\n\nThe Foreign Ministry warned citizens Tuesday that Chinese nationals traveling to the U.S. are \"repeatedly harassed\" by law enforcement agencies through \"border interrogations, \"drop-in visits and various other means.\" The ministry urged Chinese citizens to step up the safety awareness and respond “actively and appropriately.\"\n\nThe Ministry of Culture and Tourism issued a separate travel warning citing a high frequency of shootings, robberies and thefts in the U.S.\n\nTuesday's alerts were issued a day after the education ministry warned that Chinese students and academics are facing strict visa restrictions imposed by the U.S. government, including delays or even rejections in receiving a visa.\n\nThe warnings come amid a sharp erosion of bilateral ties between Beijing and Washington amid a months-long trade war that has led to a series of retaliatory tit-for-tat tariff increases.\n\nThe two global economic superpowers have held numerous talks aimed at resolving their differences, but U.S. President Donald Trump recently boosted taxes on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods after accusing Beijing of reneging on promises to make structural changes to its economic practices.\n\nThe Trump administration has also banned American companies from doing business with Chinese technology giant Huawei, alleging the company's technology could be used to spy on Americans for the Chinese government - allegations which Huawei has repeatedly denied."], "summary": "China expands its warnings about travel to the U.S. issued for students and academics yesterday, to now cover tourists and businesses because, \"in recent days, there have been incidents of gun violence, robberies and thefts in the United States\"."}
{"document": ["WASHINGTON/STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - The United States has rejected separate requests from General Motors Co and Chinese-owned Volvo Cars for an exemption to a 25% U.S. tariff on their Chinese-made sport utility vehicle models.\n\nFILE PHOTO: The GM logo is seen at the General Motors plant in Sao Jose dos Campos, Brazil, January 22, 2019. REUTERS/Roosevelt Cassio\n\nGM, the largest U.S. automaker, and Sweden’s Volvo both said they were aware of the respective denials of their nearly year-old petitions. Both companies had not raised the sticker price to account for tariffs, which came into play last July.\n\nThe denial of GM’s petition for its Buick Envision came in a May 29 letter from the U.S. Trade Representative’s office saying the request concerned “a product strategically important or related to ‘Made in China 2025’ or other Chinese industrial programs.”\n\nThe midsize SUV, with a starting price of about $35,000, has become a target for U.S. critics of Chinese-made goods, including leaders of the United Auto Workers union and members in key political swing states such as Michigan and Ohio.\n\nBuick Envision sales fell in the United States by nearly 27% to 30,000 last year and fell another 21% in the first three months of 2019.\n\nOnly a small number of vehicles are built in China and sold in the United States.\n\nLast month, the U.S. Trade Representative’s Office also rejected a request by Volvo Cars for its mid-size XC60 SUVs, its top selling U.S. vehicle.\n\nVolvo, which is owned by China’s Geely, had already last year begun switching production of U.S.-bound XC60s from China to Europe as part of a global shake up of production plans for most of its lineup in an effort to dodge tariffs.\n\nA spokeswoman said the XC60 shift, Volvo’s biggest move to mitigate the impact of tariffs, was completed in the Spring, meaning Volvo was no longer paying tariffs on XC60 imports and would not see any fresh cost impact due to the rejection.\n\nVolvo had argued in its exemption request that it could “anticipate” the XC60 would be eventually produced in its recently opened South Carolina plant, where it is building S60 sedans, but the spokeswoman said no decision had been taken.\n\n“(New production setup) is a cost so that would of course depend on the permanence of tariffs and what the situation looks like going forward. It’s a continuous evaluation that we always do with the flexible manufacturing footprint,” she said.\n\nBesides the shift, Volvo has also split production of its S60 luxury sport sedan between the two countries; altered some European production plans; and reduced shipments of its S90 sedan, which is only produced in China, to the United States.\n\nU.S. retail sales for the S90 sedan this year to May were down 63.7 percent year on year, company data showed.\n\nGM had argued in its request that Envision sales in China and the United States would generate funds “to invest in our U.S. manufacturing facilities and to develop the next generation of automotive technology in the United States.”\n\nFILE PHOTO: General Motors Co. displays its U.S. version of the Buick Envision crossover, the first China-built car imported to the U.S. by a Detroit automaker, during a media event before the start of the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan, January 10, 2016. REUTERS/Rebecca Cook\n\nGM said last year the “vast majority” of Envisions, about 200,000 a year, are sold in China.\n\nBecause of the lower U.S. sales volume, “assembly in our home market is not an option” for the Envision, which competes with such mid-size crossover vehicles as the Jeep Grand Cherokee and the Cadillac XT5.\n\nAhead of the July 2018 start for higher import tariffs, GM shipped in a six-month supply of Envisions at the much lower 2.5 percent tariff rate, Reuters reported in August 2018.", "The U.S. Trade Representative has denied a request by Volvo Cars for an exemption to 25 percent tariffs imposed on Chinese-made vehicles that are imported to the United States.\n\nThe denial came in a May 29 letter, according to news reports. Volvo had been seeking an exemption for its XC60 SUV.\n\nThe ruling is a moot point for Volvo because the automaker has already moved XC60 production for the U.S. market to its plant in Torslanda, Sweden.\n\nThe tariffs are on hold while China and the U.S. continue talks over trade disagreements.\n\nVolvo had piggybacked on a similar request by General Motors for its Buick Envision sport-utility vehicle. U.S. officials also denied an exemption in that case.\n\nThe mid-size XC60 is one of Volvo's top sellers in the United States, with 11,758 units sold through the first five months of this year — a 4.6% increase over 2018. The vehicle is second only to the larger XC90 in terms of U.S. sales.\n\nVolvo builds its S60 sedan at a $1.1 million manufacturing campus off Interstate 26 near Ridgeville. The automaker, based in Sweden and owned by China's Geely Holding Group, plans to add production of the XC90 at the Charleston-area plant by 2021, when employment at the site is expected to top 4,000 people.", "Washington/Stockholm — The US has rejected separate requests from General Motors (GM) and Chinese-owned Volvo Cars for an exemption to a 25% US tariff on their Chinese-made SUV models.\n\nGM, the largest US vehicle maker, and Sweden’s Volvo both said they were aware of the respective denials of their nearly year-old petitions. Both companies have not raised the sticker price to account for tariffs, which came into play last July.\n\nThe denial of GM’s petition for its Buick Envision came in a May 29 letter from the US trade representative’s office saying the request concerned “a product strategically important or related to ‘Made in China 2025’ or other Chinese industrial programmes”.\n\nThe mid-size SUV, with a starting price of about $35,000, has become a target for US critics of Chinese-made goods, including leaders of the United Automobile Workers union and members in key political swing states, such as Michigan and Ohio.\n\nBuick Envision sales fell in the US by nearly 27% to 30,000 in 2018 and fell another 21% in the first three months of 2019. Only a small number of vehicles are built in China and sold in the US.\n\nIn May, the US trade representative’s office also rejected a request by Volvo Cars for its mid-size XC60 SUVs, its top selling US vehicle.\n\nVolvo, which is owned by China’s Geely, already began switching production of US-bound XC60s from China to Europe in 2018 as part of a global shake up of production plans for most of its line-up in an effort to dodge tariffs.", "related media assets (image or videos) available. Click to see the gallery.\n\n2 related media assets (image or videos) available. Click to see the gallery.\n\nThe Trump administration has denied a General Motors Co request for an exemption to a 25 percent U.S. tariff on its Chinese-made Buick Envision sport utility vehicle.\n\nWASHINGTON: The Trump administration has denied a General Motors Co request for an exemption to a 25 percent U.S. tariff on its Chinese-made Buick Envision sport utility vehicle.\n\nThe denial of the nearly year-old petition came in a May 29 letter from the U.S. Trade Representative's office saying the request concerns \"a product strategically important or related to 'Made in China 2025' or other Chinese industrial programs.\"\n\nThe midsize SUV, priced starting at about US$35,000, has become a target for critics of Chinese-made goods, including leaders of the United Auto Workers union and members in key political swing states such as Michigan and Ohio.\n\nGM said it was aware of the denial and has been paying the tariff since July. GM has not raised the sticker price to account for the tariff.", "The GM logo is seen at the General Motors plant in Sao Jose dos Campos\n\nWASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Trump administration has denied a General Motors Co request for an exemption to a 25 percent U.S. tariff on its Chinese-made Buick Envision sport utility vehicle.\n\nThe denial of the nearly year-old petition came in a May 29 letter from the U.S. Trade Representative's office saying the request concerns \"a product strategically important or related to 'Made in China 2025' or other Chinese industrial programs.\"\n\nThe midsize SUV, priced starting at about $35,000, has become a target for critics of Chinese-made goods, including leaders of the United Auto Workers union and members in key political swing states such as Michigan and Ohio.\n\nGM said on Tuesday it was aware of the denial and has been paying the tariff since July. GM has not raised the sticker price to account for the tariff.\n\nBuick Envision sales fell in the United States by nearly 27% to 30,000 last year and fell another 21% in the first three months of 2019.\n\nOnly a small number of vehicles are built in China and sold in the United States.\n\nLast month, the U.S. Trade Representative's Office also denied a request by Chinese-owned Volvo Cars for tariff exemptions for mid-size SUVs assembled in China after the automaker sought an exemption for the XC60, its top selling U.S. vehicle.\n\nGM, the largest U.S. automaker, argued in its request that Envision sales in China and the United States would generate funds “to invest in our U.S. manufacturing facilities and to develop the next generation of automotive technology in the United States.”\n\nGM said last year the “vast majority” of Envisions, about 200,000 a year, are sold in China.\n\nBecause of the lower U.S. sales volume, \"assembly in our home market is not an option\" for the Envision, which competes with such mid-size crossover vehicles as the Jeep Grand Cherokee and the Cadillac XT5.\n\nAhead of the July 2018 start for higher import tariffs, GM shipped in a six-month supply of Envisions at the much lower 2.5 percent tariff rate, Reuters reported in August 2018.", "WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Trump administration has denied a General Motors Co request for an exemption to a 25 percent U.S. tariff on its Chinese-made Buick Envision sport utility vehicle.\n\nThe denial of the nearly year-old petition came in a May 29 letter from the U.S. Trade Representative’s office saying the request concerns “a product strategically important or related to ‘Made in China 2025’ or other Chinese industrial programs.”\n\nThe midsize SUV, priced starting at about $35,000, has become a target for critics of Chinese-made goods, including leaders of the United Auto Workers union and members in key political swing states such as Michigan and Ohio.\n\nGM said it was aware of the denial and has been paying the tariff since July. GM has not raised the sticker price to account for the tariff.", "Bit disappointed by the somewhat down on power CT4-V and CT5-V models Cadillac unveiled last week? Don't sweat it as the automaker is preparing proper fire-breathing successors to the 464-horsepower ATS-V and 640-hp CTS-V, and it just teased both of them on Saturday at IndyCar's Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix.\n\nPrototypes for new CT4-V and CT5-V “plus” models were taken out on the racetrack lining Detroit's Belle Isle Park, with General Motors President Mark Reuss and the automaker's vice president of product, Ken Morris, taking turns behind the wheel.\n\nCadillac spokesman Michael Albano told Motor Authority at last week's reveal of the CT4-V and CT5-V that details on the more extreme plus models will be coming soon. The CT4-V-based model will rival the Audi RS 3 and future Mercedes-AMG A45 S and CLA45 S sedans, while the CT5-based model will go up against the BMW M3 Competition and AMG's C63 S.\n\nExpect the CT4-based model to be powered by a 3.0-liter twin-turbo V-6 with more than 400 hp while the CT5-based model will likely use either Cadillac's new twin-turbo DOHC 4.2-liter V-8 with 500-plus horsepower or the same supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 that makes 640 horses in the CTS-V. A 10-speed automatic will likely be standard on both.\n\nJudging by the prototypes, the cars will also benefit from more aggressive aero and upgraded wheels, tires and brakes. Larger vents are visible at the front of each of the prototypes, along with new fender-mounted vents behind the front wheel arches, and unique rear diffuser designs. And further out, electrification will be thrown into the mix, Reuss also told Motor Authority at last week's reveal event.\n\nThe new 2-tier strategy for Cadillac's V-series is more than just a rebranding of the previous V-Sport and V models, as the automaker appears to be sharing the aggressive looks across both tiers, and likely some technology too. Cadillac will also sharpen pricing. Previously, buyers needed to shell out around $15,000 to upgrade from a standard CT5 to the CT5 V-Sport. However, the new CT4-V and CT5-V are expected to cost only about $6,000 to $7,000 more than their respective standard models. Stay tuned."], "summary": "The United States rejects separate requests from General Motors and Chinese-owned Volvo Cars for an exemption to the new 25 percent tariffs on their Chinese-made sport utility vehicle models."}
{"document": ["Brazil retreats from its South-South cooperation policy by closing five of its embassies in the Caribbean.\n\nBrazil confirmed the closure Wednesday of five Caribbean embassies to include those in Dominica, Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The Brazilian Foreign Ministry is also considering more embassy closures in two African countries.\n\nBrazil’s Foreign Minister Ernesto Araujo made the official confirmation Wednesday through a press release to the media. His stated justification for the closures was based on “adjusting foreign policy needs to the realities of our resources, both human and financial.”\n\nAccording to the Itamaraty, the name for the headquarters of the foreign ministry, the closures “will not diminish bilateral relations,” assuring that Brazil’s interests “will be covered by other diplomatic missions in the region that are already prepared or can be optimized to take over new duties.”\n\nThese closures represent a departure from the policies backed by former President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva and his Workers Party, which opened at least 67 embassies in countries throughout the Global South in a bid to enhance political and economic ties with Brazil and as part of a larger strategy of South-South cooperation.\n\nDespite the insistence that the move is related to costs and available personnel, Brazil's former Foreign Minister, Celso Amorim, told a local media outlet that “the costs of those embassies is minimal. This just shows a lack of interest.”\n\nAraujo was appointed as head of Brazil’s Foreign Ministry by President Jair Bolsonaro in November 2018. His appointment came as a surprise since the relatively young top diplomat was low on the foreign service hierarchy.\n\nSome media reports have speculated that Araujo’s appointment was made in part thanks to a pro-Trump essay he wrote back in 2017 which praised U.S. President Donald Trump, lambasted the United Nations and globalism, and advocated for a Trump-Brazil alliance.\n\nTwo other embassies are being assessed for possible closure, both in Africa. Brazil’s Liberian embassy in the capital of Monrovia and Sierra Leone’s embassy in Freetown. Another embassy in Africa, that of Libya, is technically active, but has no staff appointed to it.", "India vs South Africa cricket match, India's first in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, is being played at Southampton on Wednesday. South Africa will be under pressure in today's match, having lost their opening two World Cup games, while India will want to make a good start at the tournament. Neutrals, though, will be hoping for a close contest, with many one-sided encounters already in the tournament so far. India will have a full squad to choose from, while South Africa have some selection issues to deal with after star bowler Dale Steyn was ruled out of the Cricket World Cup 2019. While it's still early in the tournament, it's safe to say the India vs South Africa match is must-win for the Porteas. We've also shared how you can get 2019 Cricket World Cup live score updates, in another article.\n\nThe ICC Cricket World Cup will go on for a month-and-a-half as all 10 teams — Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, India, New Zealand, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and West Indies being the other eight — playing each other to determine the winners.\n\nWell, not exactly. The top four will proceed to the semi-finals and you know how it goes then. If you aren't lucky enough to be in England, you'll be likely be tuning in to the Pakistan vs West Indies game and the rest of the Cricket World Cup 2019 from the living room couch — or at the office. We aren't here to judge. In fact, we are just trying to make it easier for you.\n\nDepending on which part of the world you live in, here's how you can catch a live stream New Zealand vs Sri Lanka game and the rest of ICC Cricket World Cup 2019.\n\nHow to watch live cricket World Cup 2019 in India\n\nHotstar has digital rights for the Cricket World Cup 2019 in several parts of the world, including India, Bhutan, Canada, Maldives, Nepal, and the US. In India, Hotstar costs Rs. 299 per month or Rs. 999 per year. Those are currently the only two plans available.\n\nHow to watch live cricket World Cup 2019 in Pakistan\n\nBoth PTV Sports and SonyLIV will offer live streaming of the World Cup to those living in Pakistan.\n\nHow to watch live cricket World Cup 2019 in Bangladesh\n\nIf you live in Bangladesh and want to catch the ICC World Cup online, you'll need Rabbithole Prime.\n\nHow to watch live cricket World Cup 2019 in Sri Lanka\n\nThe Cricket World Cup 2019 will be streamed live on Rupavahini in Sri Lanka.\n\nHow to watch live cricket World Cup 2019 in USA and Canada\n\nIn the US, you can get a subscription to either Hotstar or Willow TV to watch the World Cup action online. This also applies to US territories such as Puerto Rico, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and American Samoa.\n\nIn Canada, Hotstar is the sole online provider, as we said in the beginning.\n\nUse These Apps for ICC Cricket World Cup Live Scores\n\nHow to watch live streaming of World Cup 2019 in England\n\nSky Go is the exclusive online broadcaster for the Cricket World Cup 2019 in England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.\n\nHow to watch live streaming of World Cup 2019 in South Africa\n\nIn South Africa and several African nations, you can catch a live stream of the Cricket World Cup 2019 on SuperSport.\n\nYou can watch the Cricket World Cup 2019 live online in Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros Islands, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti , Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mayotte, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Reunion, Rwanda, St Helena, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia, Zaire, and Zimbabwe via SuperSport.\n\nHow to watch live streaming of World Cup 2019 in Australia\n\nAustralians will need a subscription to Foxtel GO, Foxtel Now, or Kayo Sports to watch the World Cup action online.\n\nHow to watch live streaming of World Cup 2019 in New Zealand\n\nIf you're in New Zealand during the World Cup of cricket, you'll need to Sky Sports' Fan Pass to catch the cricketing action.\n\nIndia will be hoping to win ICC Cricket World Cup for the third time\n\nPhoto Credit: Reuters\n\nHow to watch live telecast of World Cup 2019 in West Indies\n\nESPNPlay Caribbean (Android, iPhone) is the World Cup live stream provider for those living in the Caribbean. That includes the islands of Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Bonaire, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Curaçao, Dominica, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, Montserrat, Saba, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sint Eustatius, Sint Maarten, Tortola (British Virgin Islands), Trinidad and Tobago, and Turks and Caicos.\n\nHow to watch live telecast of World Cup 2019 in Afghanistan\n\nUnfortunately, there doesn't seem to be an online provider for the Cricket World Cup 2019 in Afghanistan. At least not yet. It will be aired on Radio Television Afghanistan on TV, for what it's worth.\n\nHow to watch live telecast of World Cup 2019 in rest of the world\n\nIn Middle East and northern Africa, the live stream rights for the Cricket World Cup 2019 are with OSN Play and Wavo. This includes Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, South Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, West Bank, Gaza Strip, Palestine and Western Sahara.\n\nIn much of South America, ESPN Play North, ESPN Play South, and Watch ESPN Brazil will offer live stream of the Cricket World Cup 2019, depending on where you live in the continent. This includes Argentina, Aruba, Ascension Island, Belize, Bolivia, Bonaire, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Curacao, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Falkland Islands, French Guiana, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, and Venezuela.\n\nMeanwhile in continental Europe, you'll need a subscription to Yupp TV to watch World Cup action. This includes Denmark, France, Hungary, Italy, Norway, Netherlands, Romania, Russia, Spain, Belarus, Bulgaria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Poland, Republic of Macedonia, Slovakia, Ukraine, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Sweden, Albania, Andorra, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Gibraltar, Greece, Malta, Montenegro, Portugal, San Marino, Serbia, Slovenia, Luxembourg, Monaco, Cyprus, Vatican City, Georgia, Austria, Germany, and Switzerland.\n\nFox+ is the sole online broadcaster of the Cricket World Cup 2019 in China, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, and Thailand.", "Patterson emphasized that a divided stance on Venezuela will be “suicidal” for the bloc, reiterating that the Caribbean is a powerful entity but only as a united voice.\n\nFormer Prime Minister of Jamaica, Percival James Patterson called on Monday for Caribbean nations to support a united stance on the situation in Venezuela, reminding regional leaders that they had reached a common position repudiating external intervention in the country’s internal affairs.\n\n“We expect all our leaders to act in accordance with that decision and not to veer off in support [of those] who have a contrary view, whether in the halls of the OAS (Organisation of American States) or the corridors at Mar-a-Lago,” Patterson said during the launch of his book, “My Political Journey” at the University of the West Indies (UWI).\n\nJamaica’s sixth prime minister (1992 - 2006) was referring to a questionable meeting held on March 22 between U.S. President Donald Trump and the presidents of Bahamas, Haiti, Jamaica, and Saint Lucia, held without true representation of the Caribbean Community (Caricom) as their representatives were not invited.\n\nPJ Patterson, as he is widely known, also emphasized that a divided stance on Venezuela will be “suicidal” for the bloc, reiterating that the Caribbean is a powerful entity but only as a united voice. “The Caribbean, we at the OAS are 14 nations strong; we have the voting power,” he added.\n\nIf not, the former PM warns that the region will be “reverting to a time we thought we had passed long ago to the days of subservience and being subject to the dictates of others based on their interest.”\n\nOn May 1, Caricom called to recommit to a peaceful solution in Venezuela. Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis and Chairman of the group, Timothy Harris said the bloc “has been working earnestly to promote meaningful dialogue and diplomacy, as well as a four-phased process called the Montevideo Mechanism, whose aim is an inclusive and lasting solution.”\n\nWhile the Caribbean nations of Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, all members of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America-Peoples Trade Treaty (ALBA-TCP) rejected U.S. imperialism and intervention on Venezuela during the group’s 18th Political Council.", "Mobile phones in Dominica will no longer be required to change their phone number when moving from one mobile service provider to another.\n\nDominica, along with other Caribbean islands, on Monday June 3, 2019 joined the rest of the world in launching mobile number portability.\n\nExecutive Director of The National Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (NTRC), Craig Nesty said at the official press launch on Monday that it was a transformative day in all of Eastern Caribbean Telecommunications Authority (ECTEL) states.\n\n“Today Dominica, St. Vincent, St. Kitts, St. Lucia, Grenada, we all join countries such as the United States, United Kingdom and countries more locally aligned like Jamaica and Trinidad in launching mobile portability,” he stated.“The benefits we hope to derive from mobile portability includes choice, so you no longer will be burdened with the consequence of moving from ‘network A’ to ‘Network B’ if you are not able to keep your number”.\n\nHe added that while mobile portability does not address rates, the development will hopefully, also impact the rates of on-net and off-net calling.\n\n“….With the anticipated migration in the market and the caller not knowing on who’s network the call party is or how much the particular call will cost, will invariability cause the rates for on-net and off-net pricing to be affected.”\n\nMeantime, Acting Permanent secretary in the ministry responsible for telecommunications, Reginald Severin said this launch is another milestone in Dominica’s telecommunications sector.\n\n“Today’s launching is another milestone in Dominica’s telecommunication sector and by extension, the member states of ECTEL to continue to advocate for advanced services on behalf of customers, promotes customers’ choice and promotion of competition as service providers compete to offer services and best practices which they believe will attract customers.” Severin said.\n\nHe said number potability offers a special enhancement to customer choice in markets where there are more than one telecommunication services providers.\n\n“Number potability…enables users to keep their current telephone number when switching from one telecommunications service provider to another, removing the hassle, the inconvenience of having to inform all of your contacts, families, friends…and so on that your number has been changed, out of the equation, means that customers can focus their decision on the important issue such as service quality and price”, Severin explained.\n\nHe said mobile number portability can encourage entrepreneurship as business oriented and innovative individuals may see the benefit of opening new businesses within certain sectors of the economy with specialized prices and plans for the category of business."], "summary": "Brazil's Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirms the closure of five of its embassies, the ones in Antigua and Barbuda, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis and Dominica. Former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva had opened more than 65 embassies in countries throughout the Global South in a bid to enhance political and economic ties with Brazil."}
{"document": ["Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, Nigeria’s current UN Permanent Representative, was elected to head the world body by acclamation on Tuesday in the General Assembly Hall in New York and will succeed Ecuador’s Maria Fernanda Espinosa.\n\nThe newly-elected @UN General Assembly President @UN_PGA, Tijjani Muhammad-Bande of Nigeria, was elected Tuesday. Here's our news video of the day. pic.twitter.com/goG8e4N6Wf — UN News (@UN_News_Centre) June 4, 2019\n\n“Peace and security, poverty eradication, zero hunger, quality education, climate action and inclusion will constitute a major priority of my presidency”, said the Nigerian ambassador.\n\nWhen he takes the reins at opening of the 74th session in September, he committed “to promoting partnerships that are needed from all stakeholders to achieve our objectives, and ultimately ensure that we do our best to ensure peace and prosperity, particularly, for the most vulnerable”.\n\nMr. Muhammad-Bande spoke about a number of September’s high-level events that will be convened at UN Headquarters in New York to support the Sustainable Development Agenda, including a High-Level Political Forum, the Climate Change Summit, the High-Level Dialogue on Financing for Development, the High-level meeting on Universal Health Coverage, as well as the high-level meeting to review progress made in addressing the priorities of Small Island Developing States (SIDS).\n\n“The promotion of human rights and the empowerment of women and youth deserve special attention, and I will be devoted to the promotion of gender parity throughout the whole UN system, starting from my own Office”, said the president-elect.\n\nNoting that the 75th anniversary of the UN’s founding would be commemorated during his tenure, he called it “a unique opportunity for us to reduce the trust deficit between nations”.\n\nTo “achieve the visions of our founding fathers, we must ensure that indifference and cynicism does not creep into our Organization”, he asserted, saying that the 193-nation Assembly “must play its role in bridging the gaps and promoting collective action”.", "Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, Nigeria’s permanent ambassador to the United Nations, UN, has been elected president of the United Nations General Assembly, UNGA.\n\nHe was elected in an unopposed vote on Tuesday (June 4) to serve the one-year role. The election of the President of the 74th session of the General Assembly took place in the General Assembly Hall at the United Nations Headquarters, in New York.\n\nHe becomes the 74th holder of the position taking over from Ecuardorian María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés whose tenure ended with Muhammad-Bande’s election.\n\nGoing by established principle of geographical rotation and relevant UN resolutions, the Presidency of the 74th session had reached the trun of Africa, hence Mohammad-Bande’s election was widely expected.\n\nThe immediate past president – the fourth woman to be elected to the post in the history of the world body – took office on 5 June 2018. She was also the first since woman 2006.\n\nHaving been formally nominated by the Nigerian government for the position, the then nominee went through informal interactive dialogues with the view to increasing the transparency and inclusivity of the process. The dialogue took place on 13 May 2019, at UNHQ, New York.\n\nThe last time Africa held the presidency was in 2014/2015 when Uganda’s Sam Kahamba Kutesa led the 69th session. Aside the normal sessions, the UNGA also calls for special and emergency special sessions that usually have different presidents.\n\nAbout the Ordinary Sessions and its president\n\nThe General Assembly meets annually in regular session, intensively from September to December, and resumes in January until all issues on the agenda are addressed – which often is just before the next session starts.\n\nSince the 60th session in 2005, the President-elect of the General Assembly suggests a theme of global concern for the upcoming general debate, based on informal discussions with Member States, the President of the current session of the General Assembly, and the Secretary-General.\n\nShortly after his/her election, the President-elect sends a letter to all Member States announcing the theme for the upcoming general debate and inviting them to focus their speeches on the proposed theme.\n\nREAD MORE: Past Sessions of the UNGA\n\nThe General Assembly is one of the six main organs of the United Nations, the only one in which all Member States have equal representation: one nation, one vote.\n\nAll 193 Member States of the United Nations are represented in this unique forum to discuss and work together on a wide array of international issues covered by the UN Charter, such as development, peace and security, international law, etc.\n\nIn September, all the Members meet in the General Assembly Hall in New York for the annual General Assembly session.", "Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Amb. Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, has emerged President of the 74th UN General Assembly.\n\nMuhammad-Bande, the sole candidate for the position, was elected through acclamation at the 87th plenary meeting of the Assembly in New York on Tuesday.\n\nHe is the second Nigerian to hold the office after Joseph Garba, a retired military officer and diplomat, who led the organ between 1989 and 1990.\n\nHe will be inaugurated in September.\n\nOn her verified Twitter handle, María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés, the President of the 73rd Session promised support for the incoming president.\n\nShe tweeted, “My sincere congratulations to HE Mr. Tijjani Muhammad-Bande #Nigeria, for his election as 74th #UNGA President. Amb. Tijjani brings with him an outstanding career both as scholar & diplomat. My team & I will be at your disposal to ensure the smoothest transition possible.”", "The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Tuesday picked Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, permanent representative of Nigeria to the UN, as its next president.\n\nThe 193-member General Assembly, one of UN’s highest policy-making bodies, will have Muhammad-Bande presiding over its 74th session, which is scheduled to kick off in September.\n\n“The implementation of the existing mandates and the 2030 Agenda with particular focus on peace and security, poverty and education, zero hunger, quality education, climate action, and inclusion will constitute the major priorities of my presidency,” said Muhammad-Bande after he was elected by acclamation to the top UNGA post.\n\n“I am committed to promoting partnerships that are needed from all stakeholders to achieve our objectives and ultimately ensure that we do our best to ensure peace and prosperity, particularly for the most vulnerable,” he added.\n\nThe office of the UNGA changes every year between the five geographic groups: African, Asian, Eastern European, Latin American and Caribbean, and Western European.\n\nIn full respect of the established principle of geographical rotation and General Assembly resolution 33/138 of Dec. 19, 1978, the president of the 74th session of the UNGA was to be elected from the African states.\n\nIn line with the new process, the president of the 73rd session of the UNGA convened an informal interactive dialogue with the candidate nominated by the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on May 13.\n\nNigerian President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday dispatched a delegation to New York to drum up support for the country’s candidate in the election.\n\nMuhammad-Bande will be the second Nigerian UNGA president after Joseph Nanven Garba, who held the position between 1989 and 1990.", "Antigua and Barbuda is ready to throw its support behind U.N. General Assembly President Maria Fernanda Espinosa if she decides to run for OAS Secretary General.\n\nUnited Nations General Assembly (PGA) president, Maria Fernanda Espinosa, would provide better leadership to the Organization of American States than current OAS Secretary General, Luis Almagro, Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne said Tuesday.\n\nDuring the dedication of the U.N. Office for Project Services Science and Innovation Park, Browne took to the stage to praise Espinosa on her accomplishments and support to the Caribbean and Latin American countries.\n\n“Presently we have a problem within the OAS. We have a Secretary-General who is an authority unto himself. He’s destroying all the rules of the OAS, undermining all of the values of the OAS and I want to signal to all the countries in this hemisphere that perhaps the best person to hold that office at this time is none other than Maria Espinosa,” he said, praising the Ecuadorean diplomat sitting in the audience.\n\n“So, Madam President, I know that your tenure as the PGA will come to an end and I hope you will consider the offer of Antigua and Barbuda to nominate you jointly with the government of Ecuador to serve as the next Secretary-General of the OAS,” the Prime Minister said.\n\nAntigua and Barbuda is ready to throw its support behind Espinosa in order to “get somebody sensible with the skills, with the emotional intelligence and someone who is obviously uniting in her discourse to bring the entire hemisphere together rather than having the present divisive situation that exists at the OAS,” Browne added.\n\nLast month, Almagro sided with the United States, once again, condemning the first attempts of Venezuela’s government to dialogue with its opposition to resolve their domestic issues, calling Norway’s efforts to mediate the meeting “wrong.”\n\nOpting instead to throw his support behind violent militarized interventions in countries like Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Panama.\n\nOn Tuesday, Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Tijjani Muhammad-Bande was elected President of the 74th UN General Assembly, to replace Espinosa. Muhammad-Bande, the sole candidate for the position, was elected through acclamation at the 87th plenary meeting of the Assembly in New York.\n\nStill, the likelihood of Ecuadorean politician and former foreign minister, Espinosa, winning her country’s support to run for OAS president is slim. Currently, the U.N. General Assembly President is battling political persecution, with mounting allegations of “irregularities” surrounding the manner in which she obtained citizenship for WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange.", "Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Amb. Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, has emerged President of the 74th UN General Assembly.\n\nMuhammad-Bande, the sole candidate for the position, was elected through acclamation at the 87th plenary meeting of the Assembly in New York on Tuesday.\n\nHe is the second Nigerian to hold the office after Joseph Garba, a retired military officer and diplomat, who led the organ between 1989 and 1990.\n\n”Maj.- Gen. Joseph Garba (Rtd) was the President of the 44th session of the United Nations General Assembly between 1989 and 1990.\n\nMuhammad-Bande will officially takes over from the current President, María Garcés in September.\n\nMeanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has applauded the emergence of Prof. Muhammad–Bande, as the President of the 74th Session of the UN General Assembly.\n\nThe ministry’s Acting Spokesperson, Mr Friday Akpan, in a statement in Abuja said the election is a positive development and demonstrates the confidence in Nigeria’s ability to pilot the affairs of the revered global institution.", "The United Nations (UN) General Assembly on Tuesday in New York elected Nigerian Professor, Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, as the President of the 74th Session of the Assembly.\n\nMuhammad-Bande, who has had an outstanding career as a scholar and diplomat, has a B.Sc (Political Science) from the Ahmadu Bello University, MA (Political Science), Boston University and Ph.D (Political Science), University of Toronto, Canada.\n\nA press statement from the UN said Muhammad-Bande started at Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, rising from Graduate Assistant in 1980 to full Professor in 1998, and ultimately to Vice-Chancellor, in 2004, a position he held for five years.\n\nThe statement added that he served as the Director-General of Le Centre Africain de Formation et de Recherche Administratives pour le Dèveloppement (CAFRAD), in Tangier, Morocco between 2000-2004.\n\nHe held the position of Director-General of Nigeria’s National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, the Nigeria’s most reputable policy institution for training leaders from the public and private sectors, including high echelon officials of Nigeria’s Armed Forces from 2010 to 2016.\n\nThe statement reads in part: “As Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, he worked with colleagues from all regions of the World to achieve common objectives and served as the Vice-President of the General Assembly during the 71st session.\n\n“Muhammad-Bande who is to assume duties in September has remain active in several fora, including as Chair of the United Nations Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations (C34), Member, Advisory Board of the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Centre and Chair of the ECOWAS Group (2018-2019).”\n\nThe United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres while congratulating Mr Muhammad-Bande, noted that as Nigerian and an African, “you have invaluable insights into the continent’s challenges”.\n\n“It is my pleasure to congratulate Professor Tijjani Muhammad-Bande as President of the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly. From your years as Permanent Representative of Nigeria, you know the United Nations well.\n\n“As a Nigerian and an African, you have invaluable insights into the continent’s challenges – such as the Sahel and Lake Chad basin – and more broadly into the challenges our world faces across the three pillars of our work, peace, sustainable development and human rights.”\n\nThe Secretary General noted that Muhammad-Bande would be in office as the United Nations geared up to commemorate her 75th anniversary – an occasion that he hoped could be used to reaffirm the value of international cooperation and the vision of the Charter.", "UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Members of the United Nations General Assembly have chosen the Nigerian ambassador to the world body as its next president.\n\nThey elected Tijjani Muhammad-Bande (teeh-JAH'-neeh moo-HAH'-mahd BAN-deeh) by acclamation on Tuesday to preside over the 74th U.N. session for one year, starting in September.\n\nHe's the second Nigerian president of the 193-member policy-making General Assembly. Joseph Nanven Garba was president during the 1989-1990 session.\n\nThe incoming president told General Assembly members that when the United Nations convenes in September, its highest priorities will include climate change, universal health coverage, gender equality and the eradication of poverty and hunger.\n\nThe 61-year-old career diplomat is a native of Zagga in northwest Nigeria and has a master's degree in political science from Boston University.", "Members of the United Nations General Assembly have chosen the Nigerian ambassador to the world body as its next president.\n\nMembers of the United Nations General Assembly have chosen the Nigerian ambassador to the world body as its next president.\n\nThey elected Tijjani Muhammad-Bande on Tuesday to preside over the 74th UN session for one year, starting in September.\n\nHe is the second Nigerian president of the 193-member policy-making General Assembly.\n\nJoseph Nanven Garba was president during the 1989-1990 session.\n\nThe incoming president told General Assembly members that when the United Nations convenes in September, its highest priorities will include climate change, universal health coverage, gender equality and the eradication of poverty and hunger.\n\nThe 61-year-old career diplomat is a native of Zagga in north-west Nigeria and has a master’s degree in political science from Boston University.", "Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Amb. Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, has emerged President of the 74th UN General Assembly.Muhammad-Bande, the sole candidate for the position, was elected through acclamation at the 87th plenary meeting of the Assembly in New York on Tuesday.He is the second Nigerian to hold the office after Joseph Garba, a retired military officer and diplomat, who led the organ between 1989 and 1990.He will be inaugurated in September."], "summary": "Nigerian diplomat Tijjani Muhammad-Bande is elected President of the United Nations General Assembly, assuming the office on September and succeeding Peruvian María Fernanda Espinosa."}
{"document": ["MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) - A gunman was arrested after killing at least four people and wounding several others Tuesday in the tropical Australian city of Darwin, officials and media said.\n\nPrime Minister Scott Morrison said the incident was not terrorism related. \"This is a terrible act of violence that has already, I'm advised, taken the lives of four people,\" Morrison told reporters in London.\n\nA 45-year-old man was in custody following the shooting, Northern Territory Police Duty Superintendent Lee Morgan told Guardian Australia.\n\n\"At this stage, we've got reports of four deceased and a number of other people who have been shot,\" Morgan said.\n\nPolice contacted by The Associated Press declined to comment.\n\nA man fired a pump action shotgun at the Palms Hotel in the Darwin suburb of Woolner in the late afternoon, Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported. Police attended three crime scenes in the city of 100,000 related to the gunman, ABC said.\n\nIn this image made from video, police proceed to apprehend a suspect on the ground next to a white truck, Tuesday, June 4, 2019, in Darwin Australia. Media reports say a gunman has killed at least four people in the Australian city of Darwin. Northern Territory Police Duty Superintendent Lee Morgan says a 45-year-old man was in custody following Tuesday's shooting. (Australian Broadcasting Corporation via AP)\n\nPolice earlier said the suspect was described as wearing a high-visibility shirt and driving a white dual-cab pickup truck, Australian Associated Press reported.", "Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Suspect detained after Darwin shooting\n\nA gunman shot dead four people and injured another at five different locations in the northern Australian city of Darwin, officials said.\n\nThe 45-year-old suspect, who was known to the police, was arrested an hour after the first shots were reported at about 18:00 local time (08:30 GMT).\n\nPolice said they believed the man had acted alone. The crime scenes reportedly included a motel and a bar.\n\nPrime Minister Scott Morrison said the shooting was not terror-related.\n\nMass shootings in Australia have been a rare occurrence since the country overhauled its gun laws in 1996, in the wake of a shooting in Tasmania that left 35 dead.\n\nWhat do we know about the shooting?\n\nThe alleged gunman, who had been on parole since January, was wearing an electronic tag, Northern Territory Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw said.\n\n\"We're still trying to establish the intent and motivation behind this,\" he told journalists.\n\nThe gunman was reportedly carrying a pump action shotgun, and up to 20 gunshots were heard.\n\nImage copyright EPA Image caption The city centre was on lockdown before police arrested the gunman\n\nEyewitnesses said the gunman entered the Palms Hotel in the suburb of Woolner and opened fire in a number of rooms before fleeing. One person was reportedly killed there while a woman was wounded.\n\n\"A man came running with a woman in his arms from next door which is the Palms Motel, which is the motel next to my motel, and he just dropped her on the footpath right in front of us,\" a witness, Leah Potter, told ABC News\n\n\"I ran and got some towels and wrapped up her legs, she had little holes all in her skin on both her legs and she was bleeding everywhere.\"\n\nAnother witness, John Rose, told ABC that he saw the gunman walk into the motel with a sawn-off shotgun.\n\n\"He shot up all the rooms and he went to every room looking for somebody and he shot them all up, then we saw him rush out, jump into his Toyota pick-up, and rush off,\" Mr Rose said.\n\nThe suspect then travelled to four other locations, according to the Sydney Morning Herald, including the Peter Macauley Center - a police operations base.\n\nAnother person was killed at Buff Club, another at Gardens Hill Crescent and another at Jolly Street, according to the newspaper.\n\nWhat has the reaction been?\n\nAustralia's Deputy Prime Minister Michael McCormack said the authorities were waiting to hear more about the \"circumstances surrounding this dreadful and tragic event\".\n\nNorthern Territory Chief Minister Michael Gunner said: \"[Today] has been a devastating day in the Northern Territory. Five crime scenes, four people deceased, one injured. This is not the Darwin we know.\"\n\nOn Twitter, Prime Minister Morrison described it as a \"terrible act of violence\".\n\nAustralia saw its worst mass shooting incident in more than 20 years last year when seven members of the same family died in a murder-suicide.\n\nMore recently, a man was killed and three others wounded in a shooting outside a popular nightclub in Melbourne in April.\n\nAre you in the area? If it is safe to do, get in touch by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways:", "Darwin shooting: Four people killed and another injured, 45yo alleged gunman arrested by police\n\nUpdated\n\nFour men are dead and a woman is injured after a gunman went on a rampage across Darwin's CBD before being arrested by Northern Territory police.\n\nKey points: The 45-year-old alleged shooter was recently released from jail\n\nNT Police say they do not believe the incident to be terror-related\n\nThe alleged gunman went to five locations across the CBD\n\nThe 45-year-old suspect, who witnesses said was armed with a pump-action shotgun, started his shooting spree at a motel in the CBD about 5:45pm before travelling in a ute to four other locations, including to the outskirts of the city and back again.\n\nHe was arrested after calling NT Police and trying to enter police headquarters in what Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw said may have been an attempt to hand himself in.\n\nThe man was known to police, having been released on parole in January, and was wearing an electronic monitoring bracelet.\n\nNT Chief Minister Michael Gunner told a media conference the incident was not believed to be terror-related.\n\n\"This is not the Darwin we know,\" he said.\n\n\"On behalf of Territorians, our thoughts are with the families and friends of the victims and everybody else who has been impacted.\n\n\"I understand when an event like this occurs, especially considering recent global events, people's fears turn to terrorism. We can confirm this is not a terrorism event.\"\n\nThe alleged gunman is being held at Royal Darwin Hospital.\n\n\"I believe he may have some sort of injury,\" Commissioner Kershaw said.\n\nNT Health confirmed two people were at the Royal Darwin Hospital in a stable condition.\n\nMultiple witnesses said the man walked into the Palms Motel on McMinn Street at about 5:45pm while holding a pump-action shotgun, and fired at multiple doors.\n\nThey said he was looking for someone called \"Alex\".\n\n\"He shot up every room in that place,\" one man said.\n\n\"He got what he wanted and then he left in his pick-up. We watched him walk from room to room, shooting every room.\"\n\nHe said the victims said \"they had no idea why he was there, why he was shooting at them, it appeared to be a random attack\".\n\nAnother witness said he saw the shooter walking calmly though the motel.\n\n\"Cops went straight past him, didn't know who he was, he was that calm,\" he said.\n\nThe gunman then fled the scene and remained at large for approximately an hour, with road blocks in place around the city.\n\nMore than 100 police were involved in the operation.\n\nPolice listed four other crime scenes including the Buffalo Club at Stuart Park and Gardens Crescent Road at The Gardens.\n\nWitnesses described a fight breaking out at the Buffalo Club carpark, where a man was believed to have died after a fight involving a knife and gun.\n\nOther witnesses said a man was shot in the head at Gardens Crescent Road, however this has not yet been confirmed by authorities.\n\nA man was also believed to have been killed at an industrial block on Jolly Street in Woolner.\n\nAnother crime scene is the Peter Macauley Centre, which is NT Police headquarters in the outer Darwin suburb of Berrimah.\n\nPrime Minister Scott Morrison, who is in London ahead of D-Day commemorations, condemned the \"terrible act of violence\" and said he had spoken on the phone with Mr Gunner.\n\n\"I want to extend my deep condolences and sympathy to all the people in the Territory, particularly in Darwin,\" Mr Morrison said.\n\n\"This is a very tight community and I know they will be rocked by these events.\"\n\nCommissioner Kershaw said police were investigating whether the man was under the influence of drugs and alcohol and whether the attack was premeditated.\n\n\"The safety of our community comes first for our officers, we're here to serve and protect and that's what they did this evening,\" he said.\n\n'I kind of just thought that was it'\n\nJasmine Kielly and her partner Brendon Ozanne moved to Darwin a week ago from Brisbane and were staying at the Palms Motel.\n\n\"I heard some loud banging, silly me went out the front to check,\" she told the ABC.\n\n\"As I've gone down towards the stairs, I saw a man in a high-vis shirt walk out with a rifle.\n\n\"He's turned to look at me and I've run to the bedroom and locked the door and we hid in the bathroom and we called the police and just heard shot after shot after shot.\"\n\nShe and her partner hid in the shower for about 40 minutes.\n\n\"We heard him walk up the stairs at one point and I kind of just thought that was it,\" Ms Kielly said.\n\n\"He had a pretty good shot if he wanted to hit me and he didn't even aim the gun at me; he was there for a reason.\"\n\nShe said the gunman had apparently been staying at the motel but had recently been kicked out by the owners.\n\n'She was bleeding everywhere'\n\nWitness Leah Potter said a woman was shot in the legs at the Palms Motel before being taken away by an ambulance.\n\n\"I was in the carpark [of a neighbouring hotel] when I heard what I thought were fireworks going off, really loud cracking, banging fireworks,\" she said.\n\n\"And then a man came running with a woman in his arms from next door, which is the Palms Motel, and he just dropped her on the footpath right in front of us.\n\n\"I ran and got some towels and wrapped up her legs, she had little holes all in her skin on both her legs and she was bleeding everywhere.\"\n\nMs Potter said police were across the road at a Coles Express service station for another matter, \"so the boyfriend dropped the bleeding woman in front of us and he ran over to the Coles Express to get the police\".\n\nShe said the gunman had a pump-action shotgun and ran off down Finniss St towards The Gardens.\n\nWitness Matt James said the woman's boyfriend \"told me he opened his door and there was this random gunman standing there who proceeded to unload his rounds on her\".\n\n'He shot up all the rooms'\n\nAnother witness said he spoke to a resident of the motel who was \"pretty shaken up\".\n\n\"He was asleep, heard all the banging and opened the door and the guy was there with his gun, and he just said 'where's Alex?' and he said 'I don't know where he is',\" the man said.\n\n\"And he [the gunman] said, 'no worries,' and turned around and started shooting the place up again.\"\n\nAnother witness, John Rose, said he saw the gunman walk into the Palms Motel with \"a sawn-off shotgun\".\n\n\"He shot up all the rooms and he went to every room looking for somebody and he shot them all up, then we saw him rush out, jump into his Toyota pick-up, and rush off,\" he said.\n\nHe said the gunman was calm as he shot up the motel.\n\n\"Once he left we went in and found one gentleman, he's over there, we pulled him out,\" Mr Rose said.\n\n\"This lady turned up and started screaming, and we didn't realise there was another person in there… apparently he's dead, he's been shot.\"\n\nTopics: law-crime-and-justice, crime, police, woolner-0820, nt, australia\n\nFirst posted", "At least four people died in a shooting in the northern Australian city of Darwin on Tuesday, national broadcaster ABC reported.\n\n\"Northern Territory Police can confirm that a male has been taken into custody following a shooting incident in the inner suburbs of Darwin earlier this evening,\" the police said in a statement at around 8.30pm local time.", "A gunman who killed four people and injured another in the Australian city of Darwin used an illegal pump-action shotgun, police say.\n\nThe 45-year-old suspect, who was known to police, was arrested about an hour after the first shots were fired on Tuesday.\n\nPolice said the gunman carried out attacks at several locations and may have been searching for a \"specific individual\".\n\nIt was not terror-related, they added.\n\nAuthorities have not identified the victims or the suspect.\n\nMass shootings in Australia have been a rare occurrence since the country overhauled its gun laws in 1996, in the wake of a shooting in Tasmania that left 35 people dead.\n\nThose reforms included restrictions on gun ownership and the banning of all semi-automatic and automatic firearms.\n\nThe weapon used on Tuesday was a prohibited 12-gauge pump-action shotgun, said Northern Territory Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw.\n\nThe alleged gunman, who had been on parole since January, was wearing an electronic tag at the time.\n\nPolice said he travelled to several places across the city, including the Palms Hotel in the suburb of Woolner. There he allegedly opened fire in a number of rooms before fleeing.\n\nOne person was reportedly killed at the motel while another person was wounded.\n\nAnother person was killed at Buff Club, another at Gardens Hill Crescent and another at Jolly Street. Police said the suspect also went to the Peter McAulay Centre - a police operations base.\n\nWitnesses said the suspect appeared to have been searching for a specific person called \"Alex\".\n\n\"We know he was looking for one individual,\" Commissioner Kershaw told reporters on Wednesday.\n\nThe suspect remains in police custody at the Royal Darwin Hospital and is due to be charged with murder, he added.\n\nNorthern Territory Chief Minister Michael Gunner said officials would conduct an urgent review of all prisoners on parole in the wake of the shootings.\n\n\"The Northern Territory Government will do everything in its power to determine what led to these tragic events and how this violence occurred,\" Mr Gunner said.\n\nAustralian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Tuesday the shootings were a \"terrible act of violence\".\n\nAustralia saw its worst mass shooting incident in more than 20 years last year when seven members of the same family died in a murder-suicide.\n\nMore recently, a man was killed and three others wounded in a shooting outside a popular nightclub in Melbourne in April.", "MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) - A gunman was arrested after killing at least four people and wounding several others Tuesday in the northern Australian city of Darwin, officials and media said.\n\nPrime Minister Scott Morrison said a suspect was in custody and the incident was not terrorism related.\n\n\"This is a terrible act of violence that has already, I'm advised, taken the lives of four people,\" Morrison told reporters in London, where he was on a visit to take part in D-Day commemorations. \"Our advice is that this is not a terrorist act. There is nothing to suggest that that is the case whatsoever.\"\n\nA 45-year-old man was in custody following the shooting, Northern Territory Police Duty Superintendent Lee Morgan told Guardian Australia.\n\nTwo people were taken to the Royal Darwin Hospital with gunshot wounds and both were in stable condition, a Health Department statement said.\n\nPolice contacted by The Associated Press declined to comment. Northern Territory Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw was expected to hold a news conference later Tuesday.\n\nIn this image made from video, police proceed to apprehend a suspect on the ground next to a white truck, Tuesday, June 4, 2019, in Darwin Australia. Media reports say a gunman has killed at least four people in the Australian city of Darwin. Northern Territory Police Duty Superintendent Lee Morgan says a 45-year-old man was in custody following Tuesday's shooting. (Australian Broadcasting Corporation via AP)\n\nA man fired a pump action shotgun at the Palms Hotel in the Darwin suburb of Woolner in the late afternoon, Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported. Police attended three crime scenes in the tropical city of 100,000 related to the gunman, ABC said.\n\nAn ABC reporter said she saw police tackle and taser the gunman at a busy intersection.", "At least 4 dead in shooting in Australian city of Darwin\n\nMELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — A gunman was arrested after killing at least four people and wounding several others Tuesday in the northern Australian city of Darwin, officials and media said.\n\nPrime Minister Scott Morrison said a suspect was in custody and the incident was not terrorism related.\n\n\"This is a terrible act of violence that has already, I'm advised, taken the lives of four people,\" Morrison told reporters in London, where he was on a visit to take part in D-Day commemorations. \"Our advice is that this is not a terrorist act. There is nothing to suggest that that is the case whatsoever.\"\n\nA 45-year-old man was in custody following the shooting, Northern Territory Police Duty Superintendent Lee Morgan told Guardian Australia.\n\nTwo people were taken to the Royal Darwin Hospital with gunshot wounds and both were in stable condition, a Health Department statement said.\n\nPolice contacted by The Associated Press declined to comment. Northern Territory Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw was expected to hold a news conference later Tuesday.\n\nA man fired a pump action shotgun at the Palms Hotel in the Darwin suburb of Woolner in the late afternoon, Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported. Police attended three crime scenes in the tropical city of 100,000 related to the gunman, ABC said.\n\nAn ABC reporter said she saw police tackle and taser the gunman at a busy intersection.", "MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — A man who was out on parole was arrested after fatally shooting four men and wounding a woman in an hour-long downtown rampage Tuesday in the northern Australian city of Darwin, police said.\n\nPolice did not reveal a motive for the shotgun attack, but ruled out terrorism.\n\nIt was Australia’s third mass shooting since the country introduced tough gun laws in response to a 1996 massacre in which a lone gunman armed with two semi-automatic assault rifles killed 35 people in Tasmania state. Mass shootings are usually defined as those resulting in at least four deaths excluding the shooter.\n\nIn Tuesday’s rampage, four men were killed and a woman was wounded at five places around Darwin, said Northern Territory Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw.\n\nThe 45-year-old suspect was released from prison on parole in January and was wearing an electronic monitoring bracelet, Kershaw said. Police did not say why he had been in prison or whether the bracelet helped police arrest him.\n\n“He is an individual who’s well known to police and has a number of interactions adverse with the police,” Kershaw said.\n\nThe woman who was wounded did not have serious injuries, he said.\n\nThe Health Department had earlier said two people were taken to a hospital with gunshot wounds and both were in stable condition. It was not immediately clear if the second victim had been injured in an unrelated shooting.\n\nKershaw said the man was arrested after he contacted a senior police officer. An Australian Broadcasting Corp. reporter said she saw police tackle and taser the gunman at a busy intersection.\n\nKershaw did not explain why the suspect was being held under police guard in a hospital. The suspect had yet to be charged.\n\nNorthern Territory Chief Minister Michael Gunner described the incident as an “incredibly difficult night.”\n\n“This is not the Darwin we know,” Gunner said. “This may be an event you prepare for, but this is never an event you want to respond to.”\n\nWitnesses described the shooter using a pump action shotgun to fire multiple blasts at the Palms Hotel and Buffalo Club. A victim was killed at each. Kershaw confirmed that the suspect was armed with a shotgun, but could not confirm what type.\n\nPump action shotguns have been virtually banned from private ownership in Australia along with other rapid-fire weapons under the country’s tough gun laws designed to prevent mass shootings.", "At least four people were killed and several others injured in a shooting spree in the Australian city of Darwin on Tuesday, police and government officials said.\n\n“Five crime scenes, four people deceased… This is not the Darwin we know,” Northern Territory Chief Minister, Michael Gunner, said.\n\n“This has been an incredibly difficult night tonight.\n\n“I understand when an event like this occurs, especially considering recent global events, people’s fears turn to terrorism.\n\n“We can confirm this is not a terrorism event,” Gunner told reporters at a press conference in Darwin, the capital of the Northern Territory.\n\nThe alleged attacker, a 45-year-old man, has been arrested and taken into custody, he said.\n\nNorthern Territory Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw said the gunman went on a shooting spree in five different locations.\n\nThe suspect was “well known to the police” and had been released on parole in January after serving at least a year, he told reporters.\n\nKershaw said he (suspect) acted alone.\n\n“We are still trying to establish intent and motivation,” he added.\n\nThe suspect is being held at Royal Darwin Hospital for a check-up.\n\nAccording to Kershaw, the incident started with reports of a man firing shots at Finnis Avenue near the Darwin Central Business District, after which he apparently went to four other locations.\n\nHe also allegedly tried to enter a local police station.\n\nKershaw said that the suspect moved around using a vehicle, and he was at large for about an hour before being apprehended by the police.\n\nHe said that Police had mounted road blocks around the city, which has a population of about 136,000, to arrest the gunman.\n\nHis arrest, in which officers used a taser, was caught on camera by journalists.\n\nWitnesses told local media that the suspect, a white male, was seen with a sawn-off pump-action shotgun, but police did not confirm the make of the gun.\n\nAt the Palms Motel, he shot at multiple doors. It is believed that he killed three people there and one other person at the Gardens Hill Crescent.\n\nPrime Minister Scott Morrison, who was in London for a visit, said the incident was a “terrible act of violence.”\n\n“This is a very tight community and I know they will be rocked by these events,” he told reporters.\n\nTwo people taken to the Royal Darwin Hospital with gunshot wounds are in a stable condition, a health department spokeswoman said.", "At least four people were killed and a woman injured during a mass shooting in Darwin, Australia, Tuesday evening.\n\nThe Guardian reports that the shooting occurred in Darwin’s city center. The gunman was reportedly a 45-year-old Caucasian who was paroled in January and was “well known to police.”\n\nThe Washington Post reported that the gunman used a shotgun, which he fired “at the Palms Hotel in the Darwin suburb of Woolner in the late afternoon.” Witnesses claim the gunman “opened fire in a number of rooms” in the hotel.\n\nThe gunman was arrested approximately one hour after the shooting.\n\nCNN reported that “a security guard was killed and five others were wounded in an apparent drive-by shooting incident outside a Melbourne nightclub” last month. On March 11, 2018, the New York Times reported seven were killed in a mass shooting “in the town of Osmington in Western Australia.” The seven victims were three adults and four children.\n\nFollowing the Osmington shooting, Vox ran a story crafted to defend Australian-style gun control from those who pointed out its failure to prevent mass shootings. The story had a subheading that said: “The research is clear: gun control works.”\n\nAWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. Sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange."], "summary": "A mass shooting in Darwin, the capital of Australia's Northern Territory, leaves four people dead and another injured at five different locations. The 45-year-old suspect, who had been on parole since January, is arrested. Authorities say the shooting was not terrorism-related."}
{"document": ["Donald Trump has landed in London for his long-awaited state visit and his first act on British soil was to launch a Twitter assault on Sadiq Khan calling the London Mayor: 'A stone cold loser'.\n\nThe President eviscerated Mr Khan on social media as Air Force One landed at Stansted Airport this morning saying he has 'done a terrible job as Mayor of London' and 'should focus on crime in London, not me'.\n\nMr Trump had already weighed in on Brexit and his security concerns over Huawei as he took off from America last night and used his arrival in the UK to vent his fury over Mr Khan's description of him as a '21st century fascist'.\n\nAs his jumbo jet came into Stansted, Mr Trump took to social media and said: 'Sadiq Khan, who by all accounts has done a terrible job as Mayor of London, has been foolishly 'nasty' to the visiting President of the United States, by far the most important ally of the United Kingdom. He is a stone cold loser who should focus on crime in London, not me'.\n\nHe added: 'Khan reminds me very much of our very dumb and incompetent Mayor of NYC, de Blasio, who has also done a terrible job - only half his height. In any event, I look forward to being a great friend to the United Kingdom, and am looking very much forward to my visit. Landing now'.\n\nJeremy Hunt was waiting for the President at Stansted and revealed Mr Trump talked to him about Sadiq Khan as he got off the plane. The Foreign Secretary said: 'Let’s just say he [Mr Khan] won’t be getting an invite to the White House any time soon'.\n\nThe US President is in the UK for three days where the Queen will throw a state banquet at Buckingham Palace in his honour tonight after he meets Her Majesty for lunch and Prince Charles and his wife Camilla for tea.\n\nPrince Harry will also attend the private lunch at the palace - although his wife Meghan Markle, who is on maternity leave, will be at home with their four-week-old son, Archie.\n\nHis visit will be met by large protests with hundreds of thousands of people set to hit the streets and Mayor Khan agreeing to let agitators fly two blimps lampooning Mr Trump: One showing his as a 20ft baby and the other as a robot in a gold toilet.\n\nThe President had already wasted no time in spelling out his views on the special relationship, backing a No Deal Brexit while praising Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage and calling for the Brexit Party leader to be sent to Brussels to re-negotiate the deal that cost Theresa May her job.\n\nJacob Rees-Mogg was the first to react to Trump calling Khan a 'stone cold loser' and said: 'I think it's perfectly reasonable of the President of the United States. I think that Mr Khan demeans the office and demeans the nation. I am backing Mr Trump in this row'.\n\nThe US President and First Lady Melania will first head to Buckingham Palace for lunch with the Queen - and will return this evening for the state banquet, which is being boycotted by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. In between they will visit Westminster Abbey and also go for tea with Prince Charles at Clarence House.\n\nA spokesman for Sadiq Khan said that Mr Trump's comments were 'beneath' a world leader.\n\nHe said: 'This is much more serious than childish insults which should be beneath the President of the United States.\n\n'Sadiq is representing the progressive values of London and our country, warning that Donald Trump is the most egregious example of a growing far-right threat around the globe, which is putting at risk the basic values that have defined our liberal democracies for more than 70 years.'\n\nMr Trump departed from Joint Base Andrews near Washington DC aboard Air Force One last night and landed at Stansted at 9am before heading to the US Ambassador's residence in Regent's Park - Winfield House - his base for the next three days.\n\nOn the streets of London hundreds of thousands of anti-Trump protesters have promised to bring the capital to a halt and will fly controversial blimps depicting him as a baby and a robot on a gold toilet.\n\n20,000 police officers are being deployed to dozens of sites and central London is on lockdown in the largest security operation seen in the UK for years - costing the taxpayer £18million.\n\nMr Trump's has hundreds of his own aides, secret service agents and a plethora of helicopters and military aircraft in the UK to protect him on the trip, also being attended by his children Donald Jr, Eric, Ivanka and Tiffany - but 13-year-old Barron is staying at home.\n\nThe First Lady showed off a $4,400 Gucci shirt dress inspired by the UK capital as she boarded Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland on Sunday. Printed in bright pinks, greens and oranges are beloved London landmarks including Big Ben, Tower Bridge, double-decker buses and the Houses of Parliament.\n\nAs he took off he mocked the height of Sadiq Khan as he took off for London from Washington last night after the city's mayor called him 'a 20th century fascist'.\n\n'I don't think much of him. He's the twin of de Blasio except shorter,' he told DailyMail.com on the South Lawn of the White House, in response to a question about whether he would be willing to meet with Khan during his UK State Visit.\n\nLike Khan, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has a hate-hate relationship with the president. De Blasio, a towering hulk of a newly minted presidential candidate, stands at 6'5'. Khan is reportedly 5'6' tall.\n\nTrump strode to Marine One for his departure on Sunday night, ignoring a follow-up question about whether he would be willing to meet with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.\n\nMr Trump's arrival will coincide with mass protests in central London against the visit on Tuesday, with the 'Trump baby' blimp made for his visit last year due to put in an appearance.\n\nGood Morning Britain host Piers Morgan said that Mr Trump's welcome from protesters is 'disrespectful and pathetic' - especially as he is here to mark the 75th anniversary of D-Day.\n\nHe said: 'There's something a bit warped about our values – is Trump really worse than Putin and King Salman? The Americans fought and died alongside us on D Day.'\n\nThe protesters are planning to fly an offensive 20ft blimp depicting the President as an angry baby.\n\nA 16ft talking robot of Mr Trump sitting on a gold toilet is also expected to make an appearance. It depicts the American leader with his trousers round his ankles while tweeting.\n\nMr Trump has praised Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage, talked up the prospect of a Brexit trade deal and denied making 'bad' comments about the Duchess of Sussex as he set off for Britain.\n\nThe US president said he expected his three-day state visit to be 'very important' and 'very interesting' as he left the White House on Sunday evening.\n\nSpeaking to reporters over the din of his waiting Marine One helicopter, Mr Trump was asked if he planned to meet Mr Johnson during the trip.\n\n'Well, I think I may meet with him. He's been a friend of mine. He's been very nice. I have a very good relationship with him,' the president said of the Tory leadership hopeful.\n\nHe went on: 'I have a very good relationship with Nigel Farage, with many people over there (in the UK) and we'll see what happens. I may meet with him. They want to meet. We'll see what happens.'\n\nAccompanied by first lady Melania Trump, the president will arrive aboard Air Force One on Monday morning having already created a considerable degree of political turbulence with comments on the Tory leadership race, Brexit and the Duchess of Sussex.\n\nAhead of the visit, he called on Britain to leave the European Union without a deal if Brussels refuses to meet its demands and urged the Government to send Mr Farage into the negotiations.\n\nThe controversy was further exacerbated on Sunday when the US ambassador to the UK, Woody Johnson, suggested the NHS would be on the table in post-Brexit trade talks.\n\nAddressing the prospect of a transatlantic trade deal, Mr Trump said: '(We're) going to the UK. I think it'll be very important. It certainly will be very interesting. There's a lot going on in the UK. And I'm sure it's going to work out very well for them.\n\n'As you know, they want to do trade with the United States, and I think there's an opportunity for a very big trade deal at some point in the near future. And we'll see how that works out.'\n\nAccompanied by first lady Melania Trump, the president departed from Joint Base Andrews near Washington DC aboard Air Force One at around 8.45pm local time (1.45am BST).\n\nThe Trumps arrive at Stansted Airport on Monday morning before heading to Buckingham Palace for a reception with the Queen, Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall.\n\nThe Duke of Sussex will also attend a private lunch at the palace - although his wife, who is on maternity leave, will be at home with their four-week-old son, Archie.\n\nMr Trump has already denied calling the Duchess of Sussex 'nasty' when he was recently confronted with comments she made before the 2016 US elections saying she would leave the country if he won.\n\nAsked at the White House on Sunday evening if he was willing to apologise to the Royal Family, or to clarify the comments made to The Sun, Mr Trump replied: 'No, I made no bad comment. Thank you.'\n\nMr Trump's arrival in the capital is due to be followed by a protest through central London against the visit on Tuesday, with the 'Trump baby' blimp made for his visit last year due to put in an appearance.\n\nOn Sunday, Mr Khan described the president as 'just one of the most egregious examples of a growing global threat' and compared the language he has used to that of the 'fascists of the 20th century'.\n\nAsked if he would be willing to meet the London mayor, Mr Trump replied: 'No, I don't think much of him. I think that he's a - he's the twin of (New York City mayor Bill) de Blasio, except shorter.'\n\nMr Trump warned Theresa May not to let Chinese mobile giant Huawei have any role in Britain's 5G network in an interview published hours before arriving in the UK.\n\nMr Trump said: 'We work very closely with your country and so you have to be very careful.'\n\nThe President will ban Huawei from America's next mobile network and is urging allies to do the same, The Sun reported last night.\n\nThe US ambassador to Britain, Woody Johnson, emphasised Mr Trump's message and said giving Huawei access to 5G would mean 'the Chinese are completely in'.\n\nHe added: 'There's no such thing as the centre, the core or the outlying areas. It's all one big thing. You can't have antennas all over and think that they're not part of it.\n\n'The government can call up and say 'I want this information and I want it now' and the company has to respond.'\n\nMore than 20,000 police officers will be deployed at 20 separate demonstrations across the country in a security operation expected to cost around £18million.\n\nThe main protest will be held in central London on Tuesday with organisers claiming a quarter of a million people will march from Trafalgar Square to Parliament Square.\n\nScotland Yard has given them permission to protest just yards from Downing Street when US President has lunch with Theresa May at Number 10.\n\nThe protesters are planning to fly an offensive 20ft blimp depicting the President as an angry baby. The blimp was flown at a demonstration during Mr Trump's previous visit after London's Labour mayor Sadiq Khan licensed its use.\n\nA 16ft talking robot of Mr Trump sitting on a gold toilet is also expected to make an appearance. It depicts the American leader with his trousers round his ankles while tweeting.\n\nThe robot, which has been shipped to the UK from China, emits farting noises and recordings of some of Trump's provocative sound bites including: 'no collusion', 'a witch-hunt', 'you are fake news' and 'I'm a very stable genius'.\n\nThe biggest protest in British history saw up to two million take to the streets in February 2002 over the impending Iraq War.\n\nThe Met said officers have met organisers of the main anti-Trump protest and have banned the demonstrators from walking the entire length of Whitehall to allow his motorcade to enter Downing Street without hassle.\n\nA spokesman said: 'A very experienced command team is preparing the multi-faceted policing and security operation for the president's visit and whilst the Met has a responsibility to ensure the right to lawful protest this needs to be balanced with the complex requirements of this policing plan.\n\nTwo Tory leadership candidates signalled a potential Government U-turn on Huawei last night.\n\nJeremy Hunt and Sajid Javid questioned Theresa May's plan to allow the firm to help build Britain's new 5G network – suggesting it could put national security at risk.\n\nAnd the US President made clear he intends to press the Government to tear up the plan when he jets into Britain today for a three-day state visit.\n\nHe warned ministers to 'be very careful' and to seek 'alternatives' to Huawei – and is expected to confront Mrs May over the issue in a meeting tomorrow.\n\nThe US ambassador to Britain also warned that there would be consequences for trans-Atlantic intelligence sharing if ministers did not reverse the outgoing Prime Minister's controversial decision.\n\nHundreds of thousands of activists are planning to paralyse London during Donald Trump's state visit next week.\n\nLast night, Home Secretary Mr Javid suggested he would scrap the Huawei deal if he becomes prime minister, while Foreign Secretary Mr Hunt warned of buying telecom products 'from a specific country' that may be a 'backdoor to espionage'.\n\nIn an interview on the eve of his visit, Mr Trump called on Britain to seek 'alternatives' to Huawei.\n\nUS officials believe the Chinese government is using the technology giant to spy on Western countries.\n\nAsked what the consequences would be if the UK presses ahead with the deal, US ambassador Woody Johnson said: 'I think, to be determined.' Mr Javid told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show he would scrap the Huawei deal if he becomes prime minister. He said: 'I would not want any company, whichever country it's from, that has a high degree of control by a foreign government, to have access to our very sensitive tech communications.' And Mr Hunt said: 'We have to look at the technical issues which are around whether buying products from a specific country could be a backdoor to espionage.\n\n'And we have to ask as Western countries whether it's wise to allow one country to have such a commanding monopoly in the technologies that we're - all of us - going to be depending on.'\n\nDefence Secretary Penny Mordaunt - seen by many as a potential leadership candidate - also expressed her concerns, saying: 'There are vulnerabilities with just having one supplier, so all nations facing these decisions have to look at the detail, and they have to weigh that up.'\n\nLast week the Mail revealed the close relationship between Mrs May's Government and Huawei. Since she became Prime Minister, no fewer than 14 ministers have held meetings with officials from the firm.\n\nLast night, in advance of her meeting with Mr Trump, Mrs May spoke of the importance of the intelligence-sharing relationship between the two countries.\n\n'Our security relationship is deeper, broader and more advanced than with anyone else,' she said. 'Through joint military operations, unrivalled intelligence-sharing and our commitment to Nato, our global leadership remains at the heart of international peace and stability.' Mr Johnson told the BBC that he would 'caution' the British Government to move 'much more slowly' on the Huawei decision.\n\n'I think what you've heard from the President and other members of his staff is concern about the risk of allowing your infra-structure to be built by a country that has a totally different setup than we do,' he said.' Asked if he wants to see the next prime minister take a different stance, Mr Trump told The Sunday Times: 'You have other alternatives and we have to be very careful from the standpoint of national security. You see that maybe now more than ever before.\n\n'National security is so important, so we all have to be very careful together. And the UK understands that very well.' Tory MP Bob Seely said: 'Donald Trump will read the riot act to our Government over the Chinese tech giant Huawei. We - and especially the main Conservative leadership contenders - would be well advised to listen.\n\nLet's remember who our real friends are; the US, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and others. We need to hold off on this decision, think about it, and then say no to Chinese hi-tech in our 5G infrastructure.\n\n'Trade matters, but so do our allies. We don't have to choose between the two.' A Number 10 source said the Huawei issue was being reviewed and an announcement would be made 'in due course'.\n\n'We all have to be very careful together'.\n\nThe feud between Sadiq Khan and Trump began in 2016 when the president, then a candidate, challenged him to an IQ test after the mayor said his views on Islam were 'ignorant.'\n\nTrump had at the time called for a 'complete and total ban' on Muslims entering the U.S. as a short-term strategy to lower the threat of terrorist attacks.\n\nSpeaking to the BBC shortly afterwards, the mayor said: 'Look, it was Donald Trump that began this by saying his blanket ban on Muslims would make an exception for me as Mayor of London.'\n\nMelania's collared frock with three-quarter-length sleeves and a mid-calf-length skirt was cinched at the waist with a forest-green belt. She topped the look off with a pair of nude pointed-toe pumps.\n\nThe dress danced as Melania strutted across White House lawn to join her husband before they took off for London.\n\nThe Trumps will arrive in the UK capital on Monday for a two-day whirlwind of pomp, circumstance and protests, including meetings with the royal family and an extravagant state dinner at Buckingham Palace.\n\nMelania is sure to show off other politically-savvy ensembles during the visit, just as she has throughout her tenure as first lady.\n\nEarlier on Sunday evening, the Trumps were busy with events and appearances that required frequent changes of clothing and even hairstyles.\n\nThe president was seen earlier on Sunday playing golf at his club in Virginia. Afterward, he traveled straight from the golf course to a church in Vienna, Virginia.\n\nIt was at the church where he showed off his 'hat hair,' a combed back style that made some on Twitter observe that he looked like a 'normal' person.\n\nAfterward, he was able to return to the White House where he got ready for a gala at Ford Theater in Washington, DC.\n\nAt that appearance, the president was able to sport his conventional hairstyle.\n\nPresident Trump's eldest daughter has already arrived in London ahead of her father's state and shared a photograph of herself playing tourist at a museum.\n\nIvanka Trump, 37, posted a photograph of herself outside the Victoria and Albert Museum this afternoon wearing a yellow floral dress from New York sister designers duo Ai Ly and Wayne Lee - aka Les Reveries.\n\nShe paired the pure silk-crepe frock that falls to a flattering midi length with blue high heels as she stepped out to see the Mary Quant exhibit of over 200 pieces of clothing and accessories from the British designer.\n\nIvanka's dress was listed at $655 but is now available for a bargain $458 on Net-a-Porter.\n\nThe Donald's dynasty: From the 'Melaniabot' and Ice Queen First Daughter to the rabble-rousing son, TOM LEONARD takes a look at the US President's family as they prepare to accompany him to UK for his state visit\n\nLove me, love my kids. That's a guiding principle of the Donald Trump presidency, one of the most nepotistic in U.S. political history.\n\nTrump values loyalty above all and who better than his offspring to show how it's done. His three older children work for him, as do their partners.\n\nGiven The Donald's fond memories of his Scottish-born mother — a big fan of royalty, apparently — it's inevitable that his state visit would be a family outing that even includes young Tiffany, the so-called 'invisible Trump'.\n\nSo who's who in the President's very personal entourage?\n\nFamily ranking: Donald Trump's third wife had a hesitant start as First Lady. It's been reported that she never encouraged her husband to run for office and burst into tears on election night 2016 when he won, a claim she has fiercely denied.\n\nShe then remained in New York for six months, insisting their son Barron finished his school year. Even now, she's rarely seen at her husband's side while insiders say she barely sees him.\n\nImage: Glamorous and mysterious. Nobody knows what she thinks of her husband and his presidency, his hard line on immigration (she's one herself) and his alleged philandering. Interestingly, she has chosen to campaign against child cyber-bullying — though her husband is arguably one of the biggest Twitter tormentors of them all.\n\nMonosyllabic in public, the Slovenian-born ex-model hopefully hasn't seen Tracey Ullman's BBC comedy series, which portrays her as the robotic 'Melaniabot'.\n\nMother figure: Hugely protective of Barron, her only child,who is 13. He's expected to stay in Washington DC.\n\nQueen of protocol: Aides say her great White House interest is interior decoration and the placement at state dinners. She's taken a special interest in protocol on this visit, especially over what presents to give, and the flowers, menu and seating plan when the Trumps entertain Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall at Winfield House, the U.S. ambassador's Regent's Park residence.\n\nWardrobe: A renowned clothes horse, Mrs Trump will have planned her wardrobe with just as much precision as her place settings, so watch out for at least one British-designed frock.\n\nBe prepared for surprises, too, as the First Lady is also famous for the odd fashion faux-pas, such as the Manolo Blahnik stilettos she wore en route to visit hurricane victims in Texas in 2017.\n\nIt'll be a bad news for the 'special relationship' if she wears her notorious Parka coat with 'I really don't care. Do U?' scrawled on it which she donned to visit illegal immigrants on the Mexican border.\n\nPosition: America's unofficial 'First Daughter' by Trump's first wife Ivana, the unflappable 'Ice Princess' is the absolute apple of her father's eye. She has 'the best figure' in his opinion and he once said he'd consider dating her — if, erm, she wasn't his daughter. She'd also be 'very, very hard to beat' if she ran for President. He'd like to have made her head of the World Bank or U.S. ambassador to the UN were it not for the public rows.\n\nFamily ranking: Stratospheric. She and her husband Jared Kushner (both pictured left), 38, are senior White House advisers, with the President's ear.\n\nImage: 'Javanka', as the couple are known, were once seen by Left-wingers as the acceptable face of Project Trump, glamorous, sophisticated and liberal-minded New Yorkers counselling moderation. The gloss has since come off. An insider described them as a 'toxic mix of arrogance and ignorance', with an insatiable lust for power and the source of some of the President's most controversial policies.\n\nWork life: White House colleages reportedly can't stand them, allegedly dubbing Jared the 'Secretary of Everything' thanks to his insistence on having a finger in each pie, and Ivanka 'Habi', meaning 'Home of All Bad Ideas'.\n\nHome life: The couple live in a Washington DC mansion with their three photogenic children — Arabella, Joseph and Theodore. Despite occasional whispers the couple want to return to New York, they've stuck it out.\n\nMoney: Lots of it. She's a successful ex-fashion entrepreneur and he's a multi-millionaire property developer.\n\nThe couple earned at least £61 million in outside income during their first year as unpaid advisers to the President. She sold her fashion firm last year, and he has stepped back from the day-to-day running of his business.\n\nThey've been accused by some critics of being utterly brazen in their determination to use the Presidency to advance themselves.\n\nAmbitions: Enormous. Ivanka believes she may one day be President, too, and has told people that her father's administration is 'the beginning of a great American dynasty'.\n\nPosition: The President's oldest son and the first of his three children with Ivana. A former boardroom judge on his father's reality TV series The Apprentice, he and brother Eric took over the reins of the multi-billion-dollar Trump Organisation when their dad became President.\n\nFather's footsteps: A chip off the old block in private and public. He isn't exactly regarded as an intellectual heavyweight, but seems determined to try to live up to his father.\n\nRabble rouser: Inherited his father's flair for causing trouble on Twitter, once posting a message comparing Syrian refugees with a bowl of the multi-coloured sweets Skittles, sprinkled with a few that 'would kill you'.\n\nRussian Ties: Donald Jr has been issued with a congressional subpoena over his dealings with Russia in the 2016 election, in particular his arranging for a Kremlin-linked Russian lawyer to meet senior campaign figures to discuss getting dirt on Hillary Clinton.\n\nFamily man: Last year, his wife Vanessa (with whom he has five children) filed for divorce after 12 years of marriage. Insiders blamed his long absences from the family home. Donald Jr was asked, just before his first child was born, what he was going to be like as a father. 'Trumps don't do diapers,' he replied. It's claimed their marriage failed as long ago as 2011 when Mrs Trump discovered he was allegedly having an affair with Aubrey O'Day, a contestant on Celebrity Apprentice.\n\nCheap date: Don Jr is alleged to have treated his ex-wife like a 'second-class citizen', giving her so little money she had to ask her mother for help. He proposed with an engagement ring he got free from a jeweller after agreeing to publicise the business.\n\nHis new girlfriend is a former Fox News presenter, Kimberly Guilfoyle, 50, who has become a senior advisor on the Trump 2020 re-election campaign.\n\nFuture leader: He lacks his sister's finesse but some say that if any Trump child is going to take up their father's political baton, it might be Donald Jr. Rank-and-file Trump supporters adore him. He rants about what they rant about — he's one of them, they say. 'He's accessible, he's in the trenches . . . he's the one you want to have a beer with,' one activist told a magazine recently.\n\nPosition: Executive vice president of the Trump Organisation, where he manages all the residential and commercial properties in the family's portfolio, plus the golf clubs, restaurants, retail outfits and a Virginia winery.\n\nImage: Generally portrayed by comics as the dunce of the bunch, and as lacking the aggressive political instincts of Donald Jr and Ivanka.\n\nBusiness savvy: Washington ethics campaigners are demanding to know how much public money was spent when Eric flew dozens of U.S. Trump golf club members over for a tour of his Scottish courses. In 2017, The Eric Trump Foundation was accused of shifting money meant for cancer patients to family businesses, notably its golf clubs. Eric denies wrongdoing and promises to co-operate.\n\nHobbies: Same as Donald Jr — game hunting. In 2010, an animal rights group attacked them for going on a safari killing spree.\n\nSpousal support: Wed TV producer Lara Yunaska in 2013. She is pregnant with their second child. Lara's a rising star in Team Trump.\n\nPosition: Donald Trump's only child from his marriage to his second wife, model Marla Maples.\n\nNickname: 'The Invisible Trump'. Tiffany, named after the jewellers, acquired this moniker because she's barely seen. She didn't even get a mention in a documentary about her dad's life that was shown at the Republican National Convention. And she was the only adult Trump not invited to join his team after his election. Her inclusion on the London trip is unusual.\n\nFamily ranking: While Trump was able to mould his other children, Tiffany was raised by her mother in California after her divorce from Donald. He once admitted he was proud of her to 'a lesser extent' than his other children.\n\nCareer: Difficult to identify. Though she's studying law in Washington DC, she's done little to budge perceptions of her as a spoilt rich kid.\n\nHobbies: Posting vacuous pictures of all the glamorous places she goes.\n\nOther half: She's split up with Ross Mechanic, a boyfriend at university who had Democrat sympathies. New beau Michael Boulos is from a Franco-Lebanese billionaire business family and is studying finance at London's City University. They recently holidayed on a yacht in the South of France, and she's been introducing him to the Trump family.\n\nAmbitions: After a failed attempt to be a pop star, sources say she would settle for becoming closer to her father and half-siblings. And getting married.\n\nA VERY fashionable arrival! Ivanka is the first of the Trump clan to land in London\n\nPresident Donald Trump's eldest daughter has arrived in London ahead of her father's state and shared a photograph of herself playing tourist at a museum.\n\nIvanka Trump, 37, posted a photograph of herself outside the Victoria and Albert Museum this afternoon wearing a yellow floral dress from New York sister designers duo Ai Ly and Wayne Lee - aka Les Reveries.\n\nShe paired the pure silk-crepe frock that falls to a flattering midi length with blue high heels as she stepped out to see the Mary Quant exhibit of over 200 pieces of clothing and accessories from the British designer.\n\nIvanka's dress was listed at $655 but is now available for a bargain $458 on Net-a-Porter.\n\nGuests to the V&A exhibit can see miniskirts and hot pants, vibrant tights and makeup from the designer.\n\nThe V&A, founded in 1852, holds the world's largest collection of applied and decorative arts and design.\n\nHer visit to the museum came after Ivanka was spotted walking through the airport on Saturday pulling her hand luggage while dressed in all-black.\n\nThe President, who is known for his love of extravagant decor, has booked an entire floor of the Corinthia Hotel - which has 225 rooms, 51 suites and seven penthouses - in Whitehall Place Westminster. His family and extended entourage will stay there for this week's state visit to Britain.\n\nThe US President will be accompanied by wife Melania and four of his five children for the visit, which begins on Monday.\n\nThe President and his wife are expected to stay at Winfield House, the US Ambassador's official residence in Regent's Park, but sources say other members of his family will stay at the five-star Corinthia.\n\nTrump's visit begins on Monday morning when he will be received by the Queen before three days of meetings and ceremonial pomp which will include a state banquet at Buckingham Palace.\n\nMr Trump and his wife Melania are being given the full red carpet treatment, with the Queen hosting no fewer than four events in tribute to them.\n\nRoyal gun salutes will fire in Trump's honor at the Tower of London and in Green Park, while Prince Charles, Prince William, Prince Harry and the Duke of York will be heavily involved too.\n\nThe Duchess of Sussex, previously a vocal critic of Donald Trump, will stay at home with baby Archie rather than meet the US President during his state visit to the UK.\n\nThe President is due to receive a ceremonial welcome in the garden, inspecting the Guard of Honour, formed of Nijmegen Company Grenadier Guards.\n\nIt was arranged for Royal Gun salutes to be fired in Green Park too.\n\nThe Queen is also scheduled to host a private lunch at the palace, after which the President and Mrs Ivanka Trump were to view a special exhibition in the Picture Gallery, showcasing items of historical significance to the United States from the Royal Collection.\n\nThe President and Mrs Trump, accompanied by the Duke of York, were also set to visit Westminster Abbey where the President would lay a wreath at the Grave of the Unknown Warrior and then have a short tour of the Abbey.\n\nPrince Andrew will accompany Mr Trump for two of the three days of his trip, with officials hoping the Duke can defuse any political problems with conversations about golf, the Sunday Telegraph reported.\n\nMr Trump is believed to have so far spent over 100 days of his 862-day presidency playing golf while Prince Andrew is qualified to a professional level.\n\nThe men met 20 years ago at the president's Mar-a-Lago estate and golf course in Palm Springs, Florida, and are already well-acquainted sharing a mutual friend in disgraced millionaire Jeffrey Epstein, who was was jailed on child prostitution charges in 2008.\n\nWhile the men make polite conversation, hundreds of thousands of activists are preparing to paralyze London with mass demonstrations.\n\nFears for Mr Trump's safety have meant he will not be involved in a carriage procession down the Mall or the official welcome on Horse Guards Parade - which will instead take place in Buckingham Palace's garden.\n\nMore than 20,000 police officers will be deployed at 20 separate protest events planned across the country in a security operation expected to cost about £18million ($22,744,800).\n\nOn the itinerary were plans for the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall to host afternoon tea for Trump at Clarence House.\n\nThe president's refusal to accept claims of climate change is likely to bring about some debate with Prince of Charles who has championed environmental causes for decades.\n\nEarlier this month Prince Charles said he was prepared for a frank exchange of views with Trump regarding climate change during the US President's State visit to Britain next month, The Mail on Sunday revealed.\n\nAccording to a source close to the Prince, Charles will be 'very happy' to talk about climate change if the subject is raised by the President.\n\nThe source told The Mail on Sunday: 'Climate change is a subject that the Prince has talked about for 40 years and he will look forward to discussing it with the President should it come up. He would be very happy to have the opportunity to talk about it.\n\nIn the evening on Monday the Queen will give a state banquet at Buckingham Palace. The Queen and Mr Trump will both make speeches at the start of the banquet.\n\nOn Tuesday, the President and Prime Minister Theresa May will co-host a business breakfast meeting, attended by The Duke of York, at St James's Palace, with senior UK and US business leaders.\n\nMrs May will then host President Trump and Mrs Trump at 10 Downing Street to hold talks and they will all have lunch together.\n\nPresident Trump and Mrs May will hold a press conference at 10 Downing Street.\n\nIn the evening, The President and Mrs Trump will host a dinner at Winfield House, the residence of the American Ambassador to the UK. The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall will attend the dinner on behalf of the Queen.\n\nOn Wednesday, the Trumps will spend the day with the Queen and the Prince of Wales at the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings commemorations in Portsmouth, which will include a fly-past of 25 modern and historical aircraft.\n\nThe Queen will formally bid farewell to President Trump and Mrs Trump in Portsmouth in the afternoon.\n\nThe President and Mrs Trump will depart on Air Force One later in the day.\n\n'Is it for the Queen's benefit?': Twitter goes wild over Trump's 'normal' hair as he makes surprise visit to church straight from the golf course and still wearing his GOLF SHOES, hours before heading to London for state visit\n\nPresident Donald Trump sported a new hairdo on Sunday which left Twitter users comparing him to Gordon Gekko.\n\nThe president was photographed during a visit to an evangelical church in McLean, Virginia, arriving directly from his golf outing at Trump National Golf Club in Potomac Falls still wearing his golf shoes.\n\nBut the president appeared visibly uncomfortable as he had to remove a baseball cap that he was wearing during his golf game earlier in the day.\n\nWhile standing on stage with Pastor David Platt, he was seen with his hair combed back.\n\nOn Twitter, social media users wondered what was up with the president's new 'do.\n\n'Wow he looks like a real person and not an orange cheeto with fly away hair,' tweeted one Twitter user.\n\nAnother Twitter user noted: 'He went to pray for the victims of the Virginia shooting only AFTER his golf game. That's his GOLF HAIR!'\n\n'So Trump has just gone full Gordon Gekko with his hair,' tweeted another social media user.\n\nGordon Gekko is the villainous character from the 1987 film Wall Street. He is played in the movie by Michael Douglas, who slicks his hair back.\n\nA Twitter user who goes by the handle Cozy Coder wrote: 'Wtf? Is that Trump on the right? He's not orange anymore? And what's wrong with his hair?'\n\n'Trumps new hair...cut? What is happening here in Virginia?' tweeted another dumbfounded Twitter user.\n\nLater on Sunday evening, Trump appeared at a gala at Ford's Theater in Washington, DC. Having had time to prepare, the president returned to his conventional appearance.\n\nThe president, not known for engaging in regular Sunday worship, spent 11 minutes at McLean Bible Church near Washington, D.C.\n\nThe White House said he was there to 'pray for the victims and community of Virginia Beach,' where a gunman killed 11 people on Sunday.\n\nEvangelical leader Franklin Graham and more than 250 other Christian luminaries had asked America's Bible-believers pray for President Trump on Sunday in the hope that God would take his side in political battles that have roiled Washington.\n\nTrump took off his white 'USA' baseball cap as he joined Platt on the stage that serves as the focus of services at the 58-year-old church.\n\n'We pray that he would look to you,' Platt said, addressing the almighty, 'that he would trust in you, that he would lean on you, that he would govern and make decisions in the ways that are good for justice and good for righteousness, and good for equity.'\n\nPlatt didn't mention the deadly Virginia violence, but prayed aloud with his Bible held aloft for Trump, judges, members of Congress and government officials at the national and state level.\n\n'Lord we pray, we pray that you would give him all the grace he needs to govern,' he said of Trump.\n\nPlatt also prayed for the president's family, asking God to 'give them strength. We pray that you'd give them clarity, wisdom.'\n\nThe president didn't speak to the applauding worshipers or a string orchestra seated near him onstage, but told Platt: 'Thank you, reverend. I appreciate it very much.'\n\nPlatt is formerly president of the Southern Baptist Convention's International Mission Board.\n\nMclean Bible Church boasts a weekly attendance of 5,700 at its flagship Vienna, Virginia house of worship, plus another 4,600 at four satellite campuses and online.\n\nFranklin Graham wrote last Sunday on Facebook that pastors should lead their congregations in the 'Special Day of Prayer' to ask the almighty to 'protect, strengthen, encourage, and guide' the president.\n\n'President Trump's enemies continue to try everything to destroy him, his family, and the presidency. In the history of our country, no president has been attacked as he has. I believe the only hope for him, and this nation, is God,' Graham wrote.\n\n'This is a critical time for America. We're on the edge of a precipice. Time is short. We need to pray for God to intervene. We need to ask God to protect, strengthen, encourage, and guide the President,' he continued.\n\n'He's our president,' Graham added in a Twitter video clip, 'and if he succeeds we all benefit. But if his enemies are allowed to destroy him and pull down the presidency it will hurt our entire nation.'\n\nGraham said 'many thousands of churches' would take part in the targeted prayer sessions.\n\nThe Texas preacher's father was the late evangelist Billy Graham. He now leads the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and the Samaritan's Purse charity.\n\nHe's also a reliable Trump booster, along with other co-signers of the call to prayer who cautiously backed the president and quietly chuckled when the sometimes-Presbyterian clumsily cited 'Two Corinthians' instead of 'Second Corinthians.'\n\nBut they have found in him a president eager to defend religious liberties, influence millions of evangelicals to vote, and autograph Bibles along the way.\n\nGraham risks drawing culture-war pressure to Trump with his unapologetic positions against gay rights. He said last week that Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg should 'repent' his homosexual 'sin.'\n\n'Buttigieg is right – God doesn't have a political party,' he tweeted. 'But God does have commandments, laws & standards He gives us to live by.'\n\n'As a Christian I believe the Bible,' he added, 'which defines homosexuality as sin, something to be repentant of, not something to be flaunted, praised or politicized.'\n\n'The Bible says marriage is between a man & a woman – not two men, not two women,' he wrote.\n\nGraham has become a controversial figure both inside and outside Christian cultural circles because of his support for President Trump.\n\nWhen asked about allegations that Trump had an affair with porn star Stormy Daniels and then paid her hush money to keep quiet about it, he said last year: 'President Trump I don't think has admitted to having an affair with this person. And so this is just a news story, and I don't even know if it's accurate.'\n\nGraham told NBC News at the time: 'We certainly don't hold him up as the pastor of this nation and he is not.'\n\nOther Christian leaders joining Graham in his call to prayer included former Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, preacher Kenneth Copeland, Liberty University president Jerry Falwell Jr., civil rights activist Alveda King, Family Research Council president Tony Perkins, Faith and Freedom coalition leader Ralph Reed, Christian recording artist Michael W. Smith and preacher Paula White-Cain.", "On the off-chance you haven’t heard, Donald Trump is currently on a state visit to the UK.\n\nThe American President is on UK soil and will be talking with the Prime Minister Theresa May and attending the 75th anniversary commemoration of the D-Day landings in Portsmouth, after already having met with the Royal Family.\n\nFights have broken out between pro and anti-Trump activists close to Buckingham Palace in the wake of Trump’s arrival, with the President maintaining his incendiary reputation.\n\nWhile the Trump anxiety may or may not be taking hold, his visit might have some of you wondering when the next US presidential elections are and whether or not Trump will be running…\n\nWhen are the US presidential elections?\n\nThe Presidential elections in the United States are currently due to occur on Tuesday, 3 November 2020.\n\nThese presidential elections happen in America every four years, and Presidents are only allowed to be re-elected once\n\nWill Donald Trump be running for President again in the 2020 elections?\n\nTrump announced his intention to run for re-election back in 2017.\n\nSince Trump has already been elected President once, if he were to win in 2020, he would be limited to holding the office for another four years maximum.\n\nAs The New York Times has it, there are currently 25 politicians running for President of the United States, of which this number includes – for the time being – 23 Democrats and two Republicans.\n\nDemocrats currently in the running include Joe Biden, who served as Barack Obama’s Vice President, Bernie Sanders, who was in the running back in 2016, and Elizabeth Warren, who is well-known for clashing with Donald Trump.\n\nMeanwhile the other Republican in the running is former federal prosecutor William F. Weld, who ran for Vice President as a member of the Libertarian Party in 2016, has criticised Trump in the past for his stance on immigration and has previously come out in favour of steps to legalise marijuana.\n\nMORE: Donald Trump state visit: President didn’t recognise his gift to the Queen\n\nMORE: Donald Trump state visit protests turn nasty as fights break out near Buckingham Palace", "'Donald Trump is a wally' and other very British protest signs\n\nPresident Donald Trump's visit to the United Kingdom is obviously not without controversy — he has already called the mayor of London a \"stone cold loser\" — and protesters lined up early outside Buckingham Palace prior to a state banquet.\n\nWhile not dissimilar from protests in the United States, there is an English understatement to some of the protest signs outside the palace. From \"Donald Trump is a wally\" (a fool) to \"I'm awfully British, you're are just awful,\" some protesters have taken a muted tack.\n\nThe president, for his part, has tweeted that he has not seen any protesters:\n\nTrump says it's going \"really well.\"\n\nThe president didn't mention his feud with London's mayor or his \"nasty\" comment about Prince Harry's wife to a British tabloid. But on Twitter on Monday, Trump said the royal family has been \"fantastic\" and relations with the United Kingdom are \"very strong.\"\n\nTrump again mentioned the prospect of a trade deal with Britain once it exits the European Union.\n\nSaid Trump: \"Great love all around.\"\n\nThe Associated Press contributed to this report.", "A windswept Donald Trump showed off a slick new hairstyle as he stepped off the plane at Stansted this morning (June 3).\n\nThe US president, first debuted his new do, at a church service yesterday, where he paid tribute to the victims of the Virgina Beach mass shooting.\n\nThe President arrived at church directly from his golf outing at Trump National Golf Club in Potomac Falls, it is reported, he was still wearing his golf shoes.\n\nA change from his usual comb-over style, Twitter users were sent into a frenzy by the President's new locks. One Twitter user even compared the President to the GodFather.\n\nOther comparisons included Gordon Gekko a character from 1987 film Wall Street and Biff from Back To The Future 2.\n\nBut not everyone was hater of The Donald's dressed down look. Some people even took to Twitter to say he never looked better.\n\nAhead of his state visit the President has hit headlines for his controversial tweets about Sadiq Khan.\n\nPresident Trump, criticised the mayor of London for his \"nasty\" reception to the state visit, in a tweet posted this morning Trump branded Khan a \"stone cold loser\".\n\nPresident Trump and First Lady Melania Trump landed at Stansted Airport, at 9.15am.\n\nThe pair will then catch one of his helicopters Marine One or Marine Two to London.\n\nIt is thought the state visit could cost more than £18m as a huge police and security operation is scheduled ahead of the many protests planned across the UK.\n\nThe president will attend a state banquet at Buckingham Palace and a commemoration to mark the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings during the visit.\n\nAlthough Prime Minister Theresa May plans to step down on June 7, she will still host official talks with the president at Downing Street.\n\nUS news reports say that all of President Trump's adult children and their spouses will join him in the UK.\n\nTiffany Trump, the president's younger daughter with his second wife Marla Maples, is said to have arrived last week.\n\nCambridge is set to protest the president's arrival from 5pm, outside Great St Mary's church on King's Parade.\n\nThe event has been organised by campaign group Cambridge Stand Up To Racism .\n\nLast July people also marched through the city to oppose President Trump's first official visit to the UK.", "Former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort departs from U.S. District Court in Washington, U.S., February 28, 2018.\n\nManafort, now serving a federal sentence of 7½ years in prison in connection with charges lodged by special counsel Robert Mueller , faces pending felony charges of mortgage fraud, conspiracy and falsifying business records in New York state.\n\nThose charges contained in an indictment were unveiled by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. in March, just minutes after Manafort, 70, was sentenced for the second time on federal charges.\n\nVance's spokesman declined to comment Tuesday.\n\nBut a process currently is underway to arrange for the transfer of Manafort from his current home in a minimum security federal correctional facility in Loretto, Pennsylvania, to New York to be arraigned in the state case.\n\nTodd Blanche, Manafort's criminal defense lawyer in New York, told CNBC on Tuesday that he expects Manafort to be sent to the Big Apple in coming weeks.\n\n\"I don't believe it's this week,\" Blanche said. \"But I do believe it's soon.\"\n\nBlanche said that contrary to earlier reports about Manafort's imminent transfer, \"I don't know that there's a decision that's been made on\" whether to keep Manafort in the jail complex at Rikers Island, where violence among inmates and between guards and inmates is a chronic problem.\n\nFox News first reported Monday night that Manafort would be sent to Rikers Island, a sprawling jail complex located between the boroughs of the Bronx and Queens, and that he is expected to arrive there by Thursday. A source quoted by Fox said that Manafort will be held in solitary confinement for his own protection.\n\nThe New York Times published a story Tuesday saying Manafort would be sent to Rikers and likely would be held in isolation.\n\nPrisoners awaiting trial on state charges in Manhattan are routinely held on Rikers.\n\nHowever, some such prisoners at held at another jail, the Manhattan Detention Center, while some others with medical needs are held in a jail facility at Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan.\n\nBlanche said he does not believe that Manafort should be kept in any jail in New York pending his trial there.\n\n\"I believe that he should be returned to his designated facility [Loretto] until trial, and when there's a trial he comes back,\" Blanche said.\n\nThe lawyer said Loretto is a more appropriate place for Manafort because \"he can participate in programs\" and can have his medical needs addressed.\n\n\"It's a much better environment for a 70-year-old man,\" Blanche said.\n\n\"I'm not sure why the state needs to keep him [in New York] for six months or more months,\" Blanche said.\n\nA spokesman for the New York court system told CNBC there is no date currently scheduled for Manafort to be arraigned on the state charges.", "Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort could be headed to Rikers Island, the notorious jail complex in New York City, if prosecutors get their way.\n\nNew York prosecutors are seeking to move Manafort from the western Pennsylvania prison where he is serving his federal sentence to Rikers Island for the duration of a state case brought by the Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance, according to a source familiar with the discussions.\n\nBut Manafort’s legal team hopes that won’t be where he stays as he faces the New York charges. Manafort hasn’t been told where he’ll be held yet, according to his defense attorney, Todd Blanche. Blanche acknowledged that Rikers was a possible place Manafort could go—and that it’s even likely.\n\nIt’s not yet clear when Manafort will make the move, but it won’t be this week, according to a source.\n\nThe move would mean he almost certainly would be back in solitary confinement for months, similar to the conditions that Manafort’s lawyers said led to a deterioration of his health ahead of his federal trial in Virginia and around his guilty plea on federal charges in Washington DC. He was held for months at the Alexandria Detention Center in Northern Virginia in protective custody, but not solitary confinement, kept away from others except for a few hours a day for his own safety.\n\nRikers Island has a notorious reputation for both its violence and its poor conditions. The US attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York reached a settlement with the city in 2015 after a multi-year investigation found adolescent inmates were not protected from “the rampant use of unnecessary and excessive force by New York City Department of Correction staff and violence inflicted by other inmates.”\n\nManafort is currently serving his sentence at the penitentiary in Loretto, Pennsylvania, in the rural western part of the state.\n\n“I’m hopeful he’ll be returned to Loretto after he’s arraigned” as he awaits the New York City trial, Blanche said. Manafort will likely be arraigned soon after he’s taken to New York, even as quickly as on the same day.\n\nHe was sentenced in March to seven and a half years in prison for federal tax fraud, bank fraud and foreign lobbying violation stemming from two cases from special counsel Robert Mueller’s office.\n\nLess than an hour later, Vance announced a 16-count criminal indictment charging Manafort with state crimes, including residential mortgage fraud and falsifying business records.\n\nPresident Donald Trump said late last year that he hadn’t discussed a possible pardon for Manafort, but he has expressed sympathy for his former campaign chairman. While Trump could pardon Manafort for federal crimes, his authority doesn’t extend to state charges.\n\nVance’s office waited until after Manafort was sentenced to announce the indictment, which was handed up a week earlier. At the time, Vance said, “No one is beyond the law in New York.”\n\nThe state charges are likely to be challenged under the notion of double jeopardy, which prohibits the prosecution of someone twice for the same offense. New York’s state legislature passed a bill last month that would allow state charges against an individual pardoned by a president, but the law is not retroactive and would not apply to Manafort.\n\nAfter Manafort is transferred to New York, he will soon after be arraigned before a judge on the state charges.\n\nManafort follows a line of other celebrities accused of crimes who have been in Rikers, including Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the former director of the International Monetary Fund, who was accused of sexual assault, as well as rappers Lil’ Wayne and Tupac Shakur.", "Paul Manafort, President Trump’s former campaign manager who was sentenced earlier this year to four years in prison for financial crimes, will be moved to New York City’s infamous Rikers Island prison, it has been reported.\n\nManafort, 70, whose crimes stemmed from work he did advising politicians in Ukraine, has until now been incarcerated at a minimum security facility in Pennsylvania.\n\nBut sources close to Manafort told Fox News that a New York State judge ordered his relocation to Rikers Island.\n\nManafort, who was sentenced in March to more than seven years in federal prison, is expected to be transferred to Rikers Island on Thursday.\n\nThe request to move Manafort to Rikers Island was made by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr.\n\nPresumably, Vance made the request as Manafort has been indicted in New York State on 16 felony charges.\n\nVance announced the charges against Manafort back in March. They include residential mortgage fraud and falsifying business records to commit fraud.\n\nManafort is alleged to have lied on mortgage applications in order to obtain loans.\n\n'No one is beyond the law in New York,' Vance said in a statement at the time.\n\n'Following an investigation commenced by our office in March 2017, a Manhattan grand jury has charged Mr. Manafort with state criminal violations which strike at the heart of New York’s sovereign interests, including the integrity of our residential mortgage market.'\n\nIf convicted, Manafort would not be eligible for a pardon from President Trump since the president’s pardon powers do not apply to state crimes.\n\nManafort will be held in solitary confinement for his own protection at Rikers Island.\n\nThe jail on Rikers Island, the 413-acre island to the north of LaGuardia Airport, is known as one of America’s most troubled correctional facilities.\n\nLast year, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio presented a plan to shut down the jail in a process that is expected to play out over a period of up to 10 years.\n\nBut a New York state agency is recommending a speedier timeline for the jail’s closure due to a rise in ‘violence incidents and degrading conditions.’\n\nCalls for the jail to be shut down intensified in recent years as the public learned more about the tragic case of Kalief Browder.\n\nIn 2010, Browder, an African American teen from The Bronx, was arrested and sent to Rikers Island jail at age 16 for allegedly stealing a backpack.\n\nHe was held for three years in jail without trial - two of those years in solitary confinement.\n\nShortly after his release, he killed himself after numerous suicide attempts.\n\nBrowder maintained his innocence. He was never tried or found guilty of any crime.\n\nThe Browder case has been cited by advocates of criminal justice reform since the boy was never able to afford the $3,000 bail, thus resulting in his extended stay at Rikers before he stood trial.\n\nAt Rikers Island about 85 per cent of the inmates have not been convicted of a crime and are either being held on bail or remanded to custody, according to the City of New York.\n\nThere are an estimated 10,000 inmates at Rikers Island.\n\nManafort was convicted in federal court after prosecutors accused him of hiding from the U.S. government millions of dollars he earned as a consultant for Ukraine’s former pro-Russia government.\n\nAfter pro-Kremlin Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych’s ouster, prosecutors said, Manafort lied to banks to secure loans and maintain an opulent lifestyle with luxurious homes, designer suits and even a $15,000 ostrich-skin jacket.", "NEW YORK – Paul Manafort, President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman, who is already behind bars in Pennsylvania on a federal conviction, is close to being transferred into custody in New York City to face state fraud charges, two people familiar with the matter said Tuesday.\n\nManafort could be arraigned on the state charges as early as next week and then begin a stay at the city’s notorious jail complex on Rikers Island until the case is resolved, the people said.\n\nManhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr. made a request for his office to pick up Manafort at the federal lockup using a law providing for the transfer of prisoners under indictment in another jurisdiction, they added.\n\nTrump in Europe: Donald Trump reopens 'nasty' feud with Meghan Markle and hits Joe Biden on eve of D-Day ceremony\n\nThe people spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss the case. The transfer request was first reported Tuesday by The New York Times.\n\nState prosecutors and federal and local corrections officials declined to comment. Manafort’s lawyers didn’t immediately respond to messages.\n\nManafort, 70, now faces the prospect of becoming an inmate at Rikers Island, a facility that has faced years of complaints about violence by guards and gang members, mistreatment of the mentally ill and unjustly long detention for minor offenders. He likely would be placed in protective custody because of his high profile.\n\nIn March, Manafort was sentenced to 7 and a half years in prison on federal charges brought by former special counsel Robert Mueller, who accused him of misleading the U.S. government about his lucrative foreign lobbying work and for encouraging witnesses to lie on his behalf.\n\nImmediately after the sentence was imposed, New York prosecutors unsealed a 16-count indictment accusing him of giving false information on mortgage loan applications.\n\nTrump and Bette Midler: President Donald Trump bashes Bette Midler after she apologized for sharing fake quote\n\nTrump-Mexico: Donald Trump says he hopes Mexico can avoid tariffs by stopping migrants\n\nThe new case appeared designed at least in part to protect against the possibility that Trump could pardon Manafort, who led the celebrity businessman’s 2016 White House bid for months. The president can pardon federal crimes but not state offenses.\n\nNew York lawmakers doubled down on the issue in May by passing a bill meant to ensure state prosecutors could pursue charges against anyone granted a presidential pardon for similar federal crimes.\n\nThe legislation, supported by Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo, revises the local double jeopardy law to protect the state’s ongoing investigations into the Republican president and his associates.", "NEW YORK >> Paul Manafort, the former campaign chairman of President Donald Trump who’s already behind bars in Pennsylvania on a federal conviction, is close to being transferred to New York City to face state fraud charges, two people familiar with the matter said today.\n\nManafort, 70, could be arraigned on the state charges as early as next week and then begin a stay at the city’s notorious jail complex on Rikers Island until the case is resolved, the people said.\n\nManhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr. made a request for his office to pick up Manafort at the federal lockup under a law providing for the transfer of prisoners under indictment in another jurisdiction, they added.\n\nThe people spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to discuss the case. The transfer request was first reported by the New York Times.\n\nState prosecutors and federal and local corrections officials declined to comment. Manafort’s lawyers didn’t immediately respond to messages.", "NEW YORK (Reuters) - Paul Manafort, U.S. President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman who was convicted of tax and bank fraud, may be transferred to Rikers Island jail in New York to face state criminal charges, a person familiar with the matter said.\n\nManafort, 70, is serving a combined sentence of 7-1/2 years in prison from two separate federal criminal cases, the longest term of anyone stemming from Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election and contacts between Moscow and Trump’s campaign.\n\nThe veteran Republican political operative, who was paid millions of dollars for his work for pro-Russian politicians in Ukraine, had been expected to be transferred to New York state custody in June, another person familiar with the matter said.\n\nThe sources spoke on condition of anonymity.\n\nDefendants facing charges brought by the Manhattan District Attorney are typically held at Rikers Island, a troubled jail complex that handles about 9,000 people a day, another city jail known as the Tombs, or Bellevue hospital, if a defendant has a medical condition.\n\nAccording to the New York City Department of Corrections, a judge will decide whether he will be entering their custody.\n\nA spokeswoman for the Manhattan district attorney’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment. A lawyer for Manafort did not immediately respond to a request for comment.\n\nManafort was charged by prosecutors in New York in March with residential mortgage fraud and other felonies, as state lawmakers moved to ensure that he can be prosecuted even if he receives a presidential pardon from Trump. Presidents possess the power to issue pardons for federal crimes, not state crimes.\n\nProsecutors said the charges involved a scheme in which Manafort and others falsified records to obtain millions of dollars related to property loans. Manafort faces up to 25 years in prison on the three most serious charges in the latest indictment, residential mortgage fraud in the first degree.\n\nManafort was convicted by a Virginia jury last year on tax and bank fraud charges and pleaded guilty in Washington to charges including unregistered lobbying and witness tampering."], "summary": "Paul Manafort, former chief of President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign, is set to be sent from federal prison to the New York City jail on Rikers Island."}
{"document": ["The former school resource officer who stayed outside during the high school shooting in Parkland, Fla., last year has been arrested and charged for failing to act during the incident at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.\n\nFormer Broward Sheriff's Office deputy Scot Peterson, 56, is facing seven counts of neglect of a child, three counts of culpable negligence and one count of perjury, according to a statement released Tuesday by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.\n\nADVERTISEMENT\n\nThe charges come about 15 months after a gunman opened fire at the high school, killing 17 and wounding several others.\n\n“The FDLE investigation shows former Deputy Peterson did absolutely nothing to mitigate the MSD shooting that killed 17 children, teachers and staff and injured 17 others,” FDLE Commissioner Rick Swearingen said in a statment. “There can be no excuse for his complete inaction and no question that his inaction cost lives.”\n\nBroward County Sheriff Gregory Tony added that Peterson’s actions warranted “termination of employment and criminal charges.”\n\nBroward County Sgt. Brian Miller was also fired following the investigation, according to The South Florida Sun-Sentinel.\n\nFDLE said that an investigation found that Peterson refused to investigate the sources of gunshots during the shooting and that he retreated while victims were being shot. The probe also discovered that he directed law enforcement who arrived on the scene to remain 500 feet away from the building.\n\nPeterson was booked into the Broward County Main Jail following his arrest. He could face up to 97 years in state prison if convicted of the charges, the Sun-Sentinel noted. His bond was reportedly set at $102,000.\n\nPeterson, who resigned following the shooting, became the subject of outrage after surveillance video showed that he did not enter the school building during the shooting.\n\n“It’s never too late for accountability and justice,” Tony said, the Sun-Sentinel reported.\n\n--Updated at 4:09 p.m.", "Scot Peterson, a former Broward County Sheriff's deputy, was arrested Tuesday on charges stemming from the law enforcement response to the Feb.14, 2018, shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.Peterson, who was assigned to the Parkland high school as a \"school resource officer\" that Valentine's Day, is facing charges of neglect of a child, culpable negligence and perjury.\"The FDLE investigation shows former Deputy Peterson did absolutely nothing to mitigate the MSD shooting that killed 17 children, teachers and staff and injured 17 others,\" said Rick Swearingen, commissioner of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, in a media statement. \"There can be no excuse for his complete inaction and no question that his inaction cost lives.\"The investigation found that Peterson did not investigate the source of the gunshots, but instead ran away from the shooting while victims were under attack and then directed other law enforcement officers to remain 500 feet away from the building.", "While children were killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School last year, Deputy Scot Peterson found shelter outside.\n\nIt’s impossible to forget the devastating Valentine’s Day mass shooting that took place on February 14, 2018 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. On a day that was supposed to be focused on love and friendship, a 19-year-old gunman opened fire upon unsuspecting students. While bullets ricocheted off walls and children lost their lives, there was one figure who sought shelter outside, away from the chaos, rather than attempting to help. That person was Deputy Scot Peterson who, in the case of a true emergency, failed to confront the shooter, according to The New York Times.\n\nOn that tragic day, 17 high school students were killed and 17 others were injured. Those who were lucky enough to survive the incident have been vocal within the media and online in their support of stricter gun laws. Now, parents of those affected by the massacre are demanding answers to questions that involve former Deputy Peterson’s cowardice on the day that their children needed him most. Why didn’t Peterson step in? Why didn’t he do something to protect their children? He is being held accountable for his lack of action now and is facing a long list of charges in connection with that day.\n\nThe 56-year-old former deputy was suspended following the 2018 attack. He has recently been arrested and taken into the Broward County jail with his bail set at $102,000. His list of charges is lengthy, including 11 charges of neglect of a child, culpable negligence, and perjury.\n\nParkland citizen Fred Guttenberg has been outspoken regarding the topic of gun control since his daughter Jaime was murdered during the 2018 attack. On Twitter, he held nothing back when addressing Peterson. He pointed out that it wasn’t merely that Peterson had failed to take action, but that he had failed to tell the truth about it following the incident.\n\n“I have no comment except to say rot in hell. You could have saved some of the 17. You could have saved my daughter. You did not and then you lied about it and you deserve the misery coming your way.”\n\nIt has since been revealed that Peterson committed perjury while under oath when he stated that he hadn’t heard shots fired prior to his arrival at the 1200 building, except for the initial few shots. This would have at least explained his lack of action for the beginning portion of the shooting. However, it was later determined that he was well aware that the shooting was taking place, yet still neglected to do anything.", "(Reuters) - A former Florida sheriff’s deputy was arrested on Tuesday on multiple felony and misdemeanor charges stemming from his failure to stop the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that left 17 dead, the county sheriff said.\n\nScot Peterson, 56, who was taken into custody, faces seven counts of child neglect, three counts of culpable negligence and one count of perjury, Broward State Attorney Mike Satz said in a statement.\n\nA 27-minute surveillance video released a month after the shooting showed Peterson, who was assigned to the Parkland, Florida high school, staying outside the building while a former student fatally shot 17 people, according to the sheriff’s office.\n\n“We cannot fulfill our commitment to always protect the security and safety of our Broward County community without doing a thorough assessment of what went wrong that day,” Broward County Sheriff Gregory Tony said in a statement, announcing that he had fired Peterson and another deputy, Brian Miller, who he said failed to stop the massacre.", "In this 2015 photo, then-school resource officer Scot Peterson spoke at a school board meeting of Broward County in Florida. Peterson was arrested on Tuesday and faces 11 charges in the wake of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting.\n\n Image credit: Broward County Public Schools via\n\nA deputy who was blamed for failing to intervene as a shooter attacked Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School has been arrested and charged in connection with the rampage.\n\nFormer Broward Sheriff’s Deputy Scot Peterson, the only armed person assigned to the school that fatal day, faces 11 criminal charges. They include child neglect, culpable negligence and perjury, Broward State Attorney Mike Satz announced Tuesday in a statement.\n\nFamily members of victims and other attendees at a public safety commission meeting cheered the announcement, WLRN reported.\n\nOn Feb. 14, 2018, Peterson didn’t go into the building where 17 people were eventually slaughtered. Instead, he hid for 48 minutes at the base of a stairwell after the first shots were fired, according to a Public Safety Commission report published in January.\n\nPeterson was arrested Tuesday after a 14-month investigation, the state attorney’s office said.\n\nThe statement said agents from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement interviewed 184 witnesses about how deputies and other responders behaved on the day of the shooting. The agents reviewed hours of video footage and wrote more than 200 reports.\n\n“The FDLE investigation shows former Deputy Peterson did absolutely nothing to mitigate the MSD shooting,” Commissioner Rick Swearingen said in a statement. “There can be no excuse for his complete inaction and no question that his inaction cost lives.”\n\nAfter the massacre, Peterson retired from his job with the Sheriff’s department. Families of victims filed dozens of lawsuits against the school board and Peterson.\n\nThe lawsuits allege that he “wantonly and willfully disregarded” policies and procedures. Peterson’s attorney, Joseph DiRuzzo, described the lawsuits as lacking “merit” and asserted that they would be challenged “vigorously.”\n\nDiRuzzo did not immediately respond to NPR’s request for comment on Tuesday.\n\nIf convicted, Peterson, now 56, faces the possibility of spending more than 96 years in state prison.\n\nAuthorities said his bond would be set at $102,000, and he would be required to wear a GPS monitor, surrender his passport and relinquish any firearms while the case is pending.", "Former Broward County Sheriff's Deputy Scot Peterson was arrested today and now faces 11 charges related to his inaction during the 2018 Parkland shooting.\n\nPeterson, 56, is charged with seven counts of child neglect, three counts of culpable negligence and one count of perjury after a Florida Department of Law Enforcement investigation, FDLE officials announced.\n\n“The FDLE investigation shows former Deputy Peterson did absolutely nothing to mitigate the MSD shooting that killed 17 children, teachers and staff and injured 17 others,” FDLE Commissioner Rick Swearingen said in a statement.\n\nPeterson was the sole school resource officer at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School during the shooting. He became infamous for retreating and hiding as shots rang out as the massacre developed.\n\nThe former deputy directed responding law enforcement to remain 500 feet away from the school building in Parkland while the shooting unfolded.\n\nPeterson was arrested at the Broward County Sheriff's Office and booked into the Broward County jail.", "A Florida sheriff's deputy who was assailed as a \"coward\" for failing to confront the Parkland school shooter in February last year was arrested Tuesday on 11 criminal charges including child neglect.\n\nScot Peterson was the only armed deputy on the campus of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School when a troubled ex-student opened fire on his former classmates with an AR-15-style rifle.\n\nFourteen students died in the Valentine's Day attack, along with three adult staff at the school in Parkland, Florida.\n\nSurveillance video showed that Peterson, a 30-year law enforcement veteran, stood outside the building where the shooting took place -- but never went in.\n\nWhen the footage surfaced, Trump publicly accused him of being a \"coward,\" claiming he would have entered the school had he been there.\n\nThe 56-year-old Peterson faces seven counts of neglect of a child, three counts of culpable negligence and one count of perjury, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement said in a statement.\n\nThe arrest follows a 15-month investigation into Peterson's actions during the massacre.\n\nPeterson \"did absolutely nothing to mitigate the MSD shooting that killed 17 children, teachers and staff and injured 17 others,\" said FDLE Commissioner Rick Swearingen.\n\n\"There can be no excuse for his complete inaction and no question that his inaction cost lives.\"\n\nThe self-confessed school shooter, Nikolas Cruz, fired between 100 and 150 rounds in a rampage that lasted about six minutes before he discarded his weapon and fled the school by blending in with other students.\n\nHe was arrested shortly afterward and has been charged with multiple counts of murder.\n\nPeterson served as a \"school resource officer\" -- a member of law enforcement who provides security at a school -- for more than two decades.\n\n\"I have no comment except to say rot in hell Scott (sic) Petersen,\" tweeted Fred Guttenberg, whose 14-year-old daughter Jamie was killed in the shooting.\n\n\"You could have saved some of the 17. You could have saved my daughter. You did not and then you lied about it and you deserve the misery coming your way,\" Guttenberg wrote.\n\nAccording to the FDLE statement, the probe showed that Peterson \"refused to investigate the source of gunshots, retreated during the active shooting while victims were being shot and directed other law enforcement who arrived on scene to remain 500 feet away from the building.\"\n\n\"It's never too late for accountability and justice,\" said Gregory Tony, the new sheriff of Broward County, where Parkland is located.\n\nAt the time through his lawyer Peterson said that his actions during the shooting adhered to protocol, a position that he maintains today.", "Former Broward Sheriff's deputy Scot Peterson, 56, has been arrested and charged over his failure to act during the Valentine's Day mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School last year.\n\nPeterson, who was the armed school resource officer at the time, faces seven counts of neglect of a child, three counts of culpable negligence and one count of perjury according to a Tuesday statement by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. He was booked into the Broward County main jail, and could face up to 97 years in state prison if convicted, according to the Sun-Sentinel, which noted that his bond was reportedly set at $102,000.\n\nCCTV footage from the Parkland, FL shooting shows Peterson approach the high school building in a golf cart as gunman Nikolas Cruz massacred 17 students and staff members. Peterson then hopped off, unholstered his gun, and ran behind a concrete wall for cover.\n\n\"The FDLE investigation shows former Deputy Peterson did absolutely nothing to mitigate the MSD shooting that killed 17 children, teachers and staff and injured 17 others,\" said FDLE Commissioner Rick Swearington. \"There can be no excuse for his complete inaction and no question that his inaction cost lives.\"\n\nBroward County's new Sheriff Gregory Tony added that Peterson's actions warranted \"termination of employment and criminal charges.\n\nAccording to the FDLE, Peterson refused to investigate the source of gunshots during the shooting and retreated while victims were being shot. Peterson also told law enforcement who had just arrived to remain 500 feet from the building.\n\nThe records appear to support Broward Sheriff Scott Israel’s contention that Peterson, a longtime school resource officer, should have entered Building 12 to engage Cruz and try to prevent deaths. They also appear to show that other deputies may have refrained from rushing into the school at the direction of Peterson and a Parkland captain. The response by the agency has been the subject of national scrutiny, and is currently under review by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. -Miami Herald\n\nPeterson resigned before he could be fired.", "Former Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School resource officer Scot Peterson has been arrested on 11 charges related to his lack of response to the mass shooting in 2018.\n\nWhy it matters: Peterson was on duty the day that the Parkland massacre resulted in 17 dead, but did not confront the shooter — remaining outside during the event. Now, he faces charges including child neglect, perjury and culpable negligence. The charges amount to nearly 100 years of prison time and Peterson's bail has been set at $102,000.", "iStock(PARKLAND, Fla.) — Handcuffed and wearing tan jailhouse clothes, a fired Florida deputy sheriff appeared in court Wednesday morning to face a slew of charges stemming from his alleged inaction in the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.\n\nFormer Broward County Sheriff’s Deputy Scot Peterson appeared for a bond hearing in Broward County Circuit Court a day after he was arrested on seven counts of neglect of a child, three counts of culpable negligence and one count of perjury stemming from the Feb. 14, 2018, mass shooting in Parkland that left 17 students and staff members dead.\n\n“The court does find probable cause,” Judge Jackie Powell said during the brief hearing.\n\nShe set Peterson’s bail at $102,000 and ordered him to surrender his passport.\n\nPeterson, 56, had been a sheriff’s deputy in Broward County for more than 30 years until he was terminated from his position Thursday when the criminal complaint was filed against him.\n\nAn internal probe by the Broward County Sheriff’s Office found that Peterson, who was assigned to Marjory Stoneman Douglas as a school resource officer, “did absolutely nothing to mitigate the MSD shooting,” according to a statement released by the agency.\n\nThe agency also fired Sgt. Brian Miller, saying in a statement that both he and Peterson “neglected their duties” by failing to confront the alleged teenage gunman, Nikolas Cruz, a former student at the school, as he rampaged through a building full of freshmen at the South Florida campus.\n\nSurveillance video and police radio transmissions showed that as the mass shooting was unfolding inside Building 12, Peterson remained outside for 27 minutes.\n\n“He’s guilty. He’s part of this problem. He was a coward that day,” Manuel Oliver, whose 17-year-old son, Joaquin, was killed in the massacre, said in an interview with ABC News Wednesday. “He was there to save students, teachers. He did nothing. Now he needs to pay for his mistake and I’m glad this is happening now.”\n\nLinda Beigel, the mother of Scott Beigel, a 35-year-old teacher who lost his life in the shooting, also called Peterson a “total coward” in an interview Wednesday with ABC News.\n\nShe said that the gunman may have never made it to the third floor of Building 12, where her son was shot to death, if Peterson, who was armed, had immediately entered the building and confronted the shooter.\n\n“If he did, I honestly believe there was no one on the third floor who would have been killed that day,” Beigel said.\n\nPeterson didn’t say anything during Wednesday’s court hearing. His attorney, Joseph A. DiRuzzo, attempted to make a motion that there was no probable cause for the felony counts against the former deputy.\n\nBut Judge Powell stopped DiRuzzo, saying, “I’m not going to entertain any motions at this moment.”\n\nDiRuzzo also requested that Peterson be allowed 72 hours to travel to his home in North Carolina to fetch his passport. Powell denied the request.\n\nIn a statement released on Tuesday, DiRuzzo said the charges filed against Peterson were “unprecedented” and that the former deputy was being made a scapegoat.\n\n“We will vigorously defend against these spurious charges that lack basis in fact and law,” DiRuzzo said in his statement. “Specifically, Mr. Peterson cannot reasonably be prosecuted because he was not a ‘caregiver,’ which is defined as ‘a parent,’ adult household member, or other person responsible for a child’s welfare.”\n\nDiRuzzo added that Peterson was not criminally negligent in his actions because no police officer has ever been prosecuted for his or her actions in responding to an active shooter incident.\n\n“The state’s actions appear to be nothing more than a thinly veiled attempt at politically motivated retribution against Mr. Peterson, as no other individual employed at the Broward Sheriff’s Office or Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School has been criminally charged,” DiRuzzo said."], "summary": "Former Broward Sheriff Office deputy Scot Peterson is arrested for failing to act during the incident at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School."}
{"document": ["General Sani Abacha was de facto president of Nigeria until 1998 (Picture: Rex Shutterstock)\n\nMoney to the value of £211,000,000 has been seized from a Jersey bank account that belonged to a former dictator.\n\nGeneral Sani Abacha was a Nigerian army officer and de facto president between 1993 until his death in 1998.\n\nHe laundered money through the US into the Channel Islands and now that money has been recovered.\n\nThe money was put in accounts held in Jersey by Doraville Properties Corporation, a British Virgin Islands company.\n\nThe money is now being held by the government until authorities in Jersey, the US and Nigeria come to an agreement on how it should be distributed.\n\nAny money that Jersey does keep will be put into the Criminal Confiscation Fund, which is used to pay for a variety of projects. In the past the fund has been used for the new police station and developments at La Moye Prison.\n\nAdvertisement\n\nAdvertisement\n\nIt is expected that even more money held by Doraville is likely to be seized and paid into the Civil Asset Recovery Fund in the future.\n\nHe stashed £211,000,000 into a bank account in the Channel Islands (Picture: Rex Shutterstock)\n\nAttorney General Robert MacRae said: ‘In restraining the funds at the request of the United States of America, through whose banking system the funds were laundered prior to arriving here, and in achieving the payment of the bulk of the funds into the Civil Asset Recovery Fund, Jersey has once again demonstrated its commitment to tackling international financial crime and money laundering.’\n\nIn 2014, at the request of the US authorities, the Island’s Attorney General applied for, and the Royal Court granted, a restraining order over the Jersey bank account balance of Doraville.\n\nThe purpose of the restraining order was to preserve the money until a final civil asset recovery order could be registered in the Royal Court.\n\nDoraville applied to the Royal Court for the restraint order to be discharged, but the Royal Court dismissed the application in 2016.\n\nThen in 2017, Doraville challenged the Royal Court’s decision, taking the case to Jersey’s Court of Appeal. That challenge was again rejected.\n\nFinally, following the decision of Jersey’s Court of Appeal, Doraville made an application to appeal against the restraint order before the Privy Council – Jersey’s ultimate appellate court.\n\nIn February 2018 the Privy Council announced its rejection of this final legal challenge.\n\nLast week, Solicitor General Mark Temple gave a presentation in Vienna, Austria, about Doraville at a UN conference on corruption.\n\nAdvertisement\n\nAdvertisement\n\nHe said: ‘The conference of the States Parties to the United Nations convention against corruption is an important international forum concerned with anti-corruption measures and asset returns.\n\n‘The conference was a good opportunity to demonstrate progress with the Doraville case, as well as Jersey’s determination to deal with international financial crime more generally.’", "Image caption The late ruler is suspected to have embezzled about $2.2bn from Nigeria's central bank\n\nMore than $267m (£210m) belonging to a former Nigerian dictator has been seized from a Jersey bank account.\n\nThe money was \"derived through corruption\" during the presidency of Sani Abacha in the 1990s, according to Jersey's Civil Asset Recovery Fund.\n\nA shell company called Doraville held the funds, which were frozen in 2014.\n\nAfter a five-year legal wrangle, the money has now been recovered and will be split between Jersey, the United States and Nigeria.\n\nJersey's attorney general, Robert McRae QC, said the seizure \"demonstrated [Jersey's] commitment to tackling international financial crime and money laundering\".\n\nMr Abacha was in power from 1993 until his death in 1998.\n\nIt is not yet clear how much money will be kept by each government.\n\nJersey's Law Officers Department declined to comment on the final distribution of the funds because it could \"prejudice ongoing discussions\".\n\nImage copyright JEAN-PHILIPPE KSIAZEK/AFP/GETTY Images Image caption Sani Abacha met with former Pope John Paul II in March 1998, shortly before his death\n\nJersey's government said it had approached the US in 2007 to request legal proceedings begin in US courts over the laundered funds.\n\nThe US Department of Justice itself has forfeited millions of dollars of money back to Nigeria, ruling Mr Abacha and associates laundered funds through the US banking industry.\n\nFollowing an \"extensive\" collection of evidence in a variety of international jurisdictions, the funds were frozen by the Royal Court in 2014 and finally paid into the Civil Asset Recovery Fund on 31 May.\n\nThe money is just a fraction of the billions of dollars that were allegedly stolen and laundered during the presidency of Mr Abacha.\n\nSwiss authorities last year returned $300m (£228m) to the Nigerian government, after it was found to have been stolen from public funds.\n\nThat money is being paid back to 300,000 Nigerian households over the next six years.\n\nA spokesman for Jersey's Law Officers Department said it had faced \"challenges and appeals\" all the way to Jersey's highest court, as well as \"separate proceedings\" by a third party in US court.", "A new report has confirmed that Channels Island government has seized £211,000,000 found in a Jersey bank account that allegedly belonged to General Sani Abacha.\n\nMetroNews reports that the money was laundered through the US into the Channel Islands in Europe by the former dictator. The report revealed that the money was placed in the accounts held in Jersey by Doraville Properties Corporation, a British Virgin Islands company.\n\nUntil the US and Nigeria come to an agreement as to how the money is to be distributed, it will remain with the government.", "According to Jersey's Civil Asset Recovery Fund, the laundered funds recovered from confiscated assets, belonging to the son of the late dictator, Mohammed Abacha was \"derived from corruption,\" during the military leader's rule in Nigeria.\n\nThe money was found in a Channel Islands account held by shell company Doraville Properties Corporation.\n\nIt had been frozen by a federal court in Washington in 2014 at the request of prosecutors pursuing criminal proceedings against Mohammed Abacha and his associates.\n\nThe stolen funds have now been recovered and paid into a special recovery fund after a five-year legal battle, and it will be shared between the Nigerian government, Jersey and the US government, according to Jersey authorities overseeing the case.\n\nRobert MacRae, Jersey's Attorney-General Attorney said in a statement that freezing the assets demonstrated Jersey's \"commitment to tackling international financial crime and money laundering.\" CNN contacted Abacha's son for comments over the allegations but has yet to receive a response. Abacha came into power in 1993 and ruled Nigeria with an iron grip until his death in 1998. Activists who criticized his regime were imprisoned for months, with some put to death. Opposition leaders were also jailed under his leadership. Abacha's regime came under fierce international criticism when he executed popular playwright Ken Saro-Wiwa and eight other activists, who came to be known as the Ogoni 9. The men were charged with murdering four men and were convicted and sentenced to death at a special tribunal. Throughout, Saro-Wiwa maintained that he was being framed for criticizing Abacha's regime. The former president lived a lavish lifestyle is reported to have stolen over $4 billion during his five years in office through his family and allies. In 2017, the Swiss government reclaimed funds of $321 million from Abacha's family and has recovered around $700 million of Abacha-related assets till date. Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari in a recent interview said his government has also recovered some of the country's stolen wealth stashed by corrupt politicians in banks abroad. He, however, said prosecutors have faced challenges that have slowed down the recovery process. Nigeria lost $400 billion to corruption between 1960 and 1999, according to estimates cited by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).", "The United Kingdom Government has seized £211,000,000, from a Jersey bank account that belonged to the late Nigerian dictator, Sani Abacha, who died in June 1998 after serving as Nigeria’s military head of state for more than five years.\n\nThe UK Metro reported that the money had been placed in accounts in Jersey held by Doraville Properties Corporation, a British Virgin Islands company.\n\nThe money is now being held by the British government until its redistribution is agreed to by the Jersey authorities, the US and Nigeria.\n\n“Any money that Jersey does keep will be put into the Criminal Confiscation Fund, which is used to pay for a variety of projects. In the past, the fund has been used for the new police station and developments at La Moye Prison,” said the UK Metro report.\n\n“It is expected that even more money held by Doraville is likely to be seized and paid into the Civil Asset Recovery Fund in the future,” the report added.\n\nAmerican authorities in 2014 requested a restraining order on Doraville’s Jersey bank account, the purpose of which was to hold the money until a final civil asset recovery order could be registered.\n\nHowever, Doraville applied for the restraint order to be discharged, but this was dismissed in 2016 so Doraville took the case to Jersey’s Court of Appeal in 2017 but this was again rejected.\n\nNigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has on several occasions questioned the veracity of reports that Abacha looted billions of dollars from the Nigerian treasury.\n\nFor more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.", "A new report has confirmed that Channels Island government has seized £211,000,000 found in a Jersey bank account that allegedly belonged to General Sani Abacha. MetroNews reports that the money was laundered through the US into the Channel Islands in Europe by the former dictator. The report revealed …Read more via Information Nigeria – http://bit.ly/2JV9mMY Get More Nigeria Metro News", "The sum of £211,000,000 (N81.9bn) has been seized from a Jersey bank account that belonged to a former Nigerian dictator, General Sani Abacha.\n\nAbacha was a Nigerian army officer and de facto president between 1993 until his death in 1998.\n\nHe laundered money through the US into the Channel Islands and now that money has been recovered.\n\nThe UK Metro is reporting that the money was put in accounts held in Jersey by Doraville Properties Corporation, a British Virgin Islands company.\n\nThe Newspaper said the money was now being held by the government until authorities in Jersey, the US and Nigeria come to an agreement on how it should be distributed.\n\nAny money that Jersey does keep will be put into the Criminal Confiscation Fund, which is used to pay for a variety of projects.\n\nIn the past, the fund had been used for the new police station and developments at La Moye Prison.\n\nIt is expected that even more money held by Doraville is likely to be seized and paid into the Civil Asset Recovery Fund in the future.\n\nIn 2014, at the request of the US authorities, the Island’s Attorney General applied for, and the Royal Court granted, a restraining order over the Jersey bank account balance of Doraville.\n\nThe purpose of the restraining order was to preserve the money until a final civil asset recovery order could be registered in the Royal Court.\n\nDoraville applied to the Royal Court for the restraint order to be discharged, but the Royal Court dismissed the application in 2016.\n\nThen in 2017, Doraville challenged the Royal Court’s decision, taking the case to Jersey’s Court of Appeal.\n\nThat challenge was again rejected. Finally, following the decision of Jersey’s Court of Appeal, Doraville made an application to appeal against the restraint order before the Privy Council – Jersey’s ultimate appellate court.\n\nIn February 2018, the Privy Council announced its rejection of this final legal challenge.", "The United Kingdom Government has seized £211,000,000, about N81.9billion, from a Jersey bank account that belonged to the late Nigerian dictator, Sani Abacha.\n\nMr Abacha died on June 8, 1998, after more than five years in office as Nigerian military head of state.\n\nAccording to a report by UK Metro news medium, the money was put in accounts held in Jersey by Doraville Properties Corporation, a British Virgin Islands company.\n\nThe report further stated that the money is now being held by the government until authorities in Jersey, the US and Nigeria agree on how it should be distributed.\n\n“Any money that Jersey does keep will be put into the Criminal Confiscation Fund, which is used to pay for a variety of projects. In the past, the fund has been used for the new police station and developments at La Moye Prison.\n\n“It is expected that even more money held by Doraville is likely to be seized and paid into the Civil Asset Recovery Fund in the future,” the report said.\n\nIn 2014, at the request of the US authorities, the Island’s Attorney-General applied for, and the Royal Court granted, a restraining order over the Jersey bank account balance of Doraville.\n\n“The purpose of the restraining order was to preserve the money until a final civil asset recovery order could be registered in the Royal Court. ”\n\nDoraville applied to the Royal Court for the restraint order to be discharged, but the Royal Court dismissed the application in 2016.\n\nThen in 2017, Doraville challenged the Royal Court’s decision, taking the case to Jersey’s Court of Appeal.\n\n“That challenge was again rejected. Finally, following the decision of Jersey’s Court of Appeal, Doraville made an application to appeal against the restraint order before the Privy Council – Jersey’s ultimate appellate court.”\n\n“In February 2018 the Privy Council announced its rejection of this final legal challenge. Last week, Solicitor General Mark Temple gave a presentation in Vienna, Austria, about Doraville at a UN conference on corruption.”\n\nMr Buhari on several occasions questioned the veracity of reports that Mr Abacha looted billions of dollars from the Nigerian treasury.", "The sum of £211,000,000 (N81.9bn) has been seized from a Jersey bank account that belonged to a former Nigerian dictator, General Sani Abacha. Abacha was a Nigerian army officer and de facto president between 1993 until his death in 1998.\n\nHe laundered money through the US into the Channel Islands and now that money has been recovered.\n\nThe UK Metro is reporting that the money was put in accounts held in Jersey by Doraville Properties Corporation, a British Virgin Islands company.\n\nThe Newspaper said the money was now being held by the government until authorities in Jersey, the US and Nigeria come to an agreement on how it should be distributed.\n\nAny money that Jersey does keep will be put into the Criminal Confiscation Fund, which is used to pay for a variety of projects. In the past, the fund had been used for the new police station and developments at La Moye Prison.\n\nIt would be recalled that in 2014, at the request of the U.S. authorities, the Island’s Attorney General applied for, and the Royal Court, granted a restraining order over the Jersey bank account balance of Doraville.\n\nThe purpose of the restraining order was to preserve the money until a final civil asset recovery order could be registered in the Royal Court.\n\nDoraville applied to the Royal Court for the restraint order to be discharged, but the Royal Court dismissed the application in 2016.\n\nThen in 2017, Doraville challenged the Royal Court’s decision, taking the case to Jersey’s Court of Appeal. That challenge was again rejected.\n\nFinally, following the decision of Jersey’s Court of Appeal, Doraville made an application to appeal against the restraint order before the Privy Council – Jersey’s ultimate appellate court.\n\nIn February 2018 the Privy Council announced its rejection of this final legal challenge.\n\nLast week, Solicitor General Mark Temple gave a presentation in Vienna, Austria, about Doraville at a UN conference on corruption.\n\nHe said: “The conference of the States Parties to the United Nations convention against corruption is an important international forum concerned with anti-corruption measures and asset returns.\n\n“The conference was a good opportunity to demonstrate progress with the Doraville case, as well as Jersey’s determination to deal with international financial crime more generally.”\n\nMeanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said the return of stolen money traced to the late army general must be worrisome to President Muhammadu Buhari.\n\nThe PDP recalled that the President had once defended the late head of state and proclaimed him a saint.\n\nIt said that because Buhari served in the government of the general whom millions of dollars had been traced to, the President had been defending him “when it was clear to all that the late general stole Nigeria dry.”\n\nThe National Chairman of the PDP, Prince Uche Secondus, said there was nothing on ground to indicate that the looted funds would not be stolen again.\n\nHe said, “It is sad that we continue to hear about the return of stolen funds by the former head of state.\n\n“Funny though, the President had described the former head of state as a saint, saying he never stole anything.\n\n“The continued return of the stolen money must be a source of worry to the President and the Federal Government that the man they had proclaimed as a saint stole to that extent.\n\n“I am, however, worried that there is nothing to indicate that the money will not disappear again.\n\n“There is no monument on ground to tell us what repatriated cash was spent on. So, the recently announced stolen funds may also end same way.”\n\nThe African Democratic Congress (ADC) also said any literate Nigerian who still saw Buhari as a saint had only wasted his time in school.\n\nThe party’s National Publicity Secretary, Yemi Kolapo, wondered if a President, who defended a man who had stolen more funds than any living or dead Nigerian, could be rated high in integrity.\n\nKolapo said, “If the late dictator, Sani Abacha, whose stolen funds, worth several trillions of naira could run the Nigerian economy for three decades is the President’s hero, then his supporters must be enemies of Nigeria.\n\n“What exactly is the President’s stand against corruption? All the talk about the fight against corruption under this administration is political abracadabra.”", "Money to the value of £211,000,000 has been seized by the United Kingdom from a Jersey bank account that belonged to former Head of State, General Sani Abacha, reports MetroUK on Tuesday.\n\nGeneral Sani Abacha was head of state between 1993 until his death in 1998.\n\nPresident Muhammadu Buhari had on several occasions questioned the veracity of reports that Abacha looted billions of dollars from the country’s treasury.\n\nThe report said Abacha laundered money through the US into the Channel Islands and now that money has been recovered.\n\nIt noted that the money was put in accounts held in Jersey by Doraville Properties Corporation, a British Virgin Islands company.\n\nThe money, it said, is now being held by the government until authorities in Jersey, the US and Nigeria come to an agreement on how it should be distributed.\n\nIt also noted that any money that Jersey does keep will be put into the Criminal Confiscation Fund, which is used to pay for a variety of projects.\n\nIn the past, it noted, the fund has been used for the new police station and developments at La Moye Prison.\n\nIt is expected that even more money held by Doraville is likely to be seized and paid into the Civil Asset Recovery Fund in the future, the report noted.\n\n“In restraining the funds at the request of the United States of America, through whose banking system the funds were laundered prior to arriving here, and in achieving the payment of the bulk of the funds into the Civil Asset Recovery Fund, Jersey has once again demonstrated its commitment to tackling international financial crime and money laundering”, Attorney General Robert MacRae said.\n\nThe report noted that in 2014, at the request of the US authorities, the Island’s Attorney General applied for, and the Royal Court granted, a restraining order over the Jersey bank account balance of Doraville. The purpose of the restraining order was to preserve the money until a final civil asset recovery order could be registered in the Royal Court, MetroUK noted.\n\nIt said Doraville applied to the Royal Court for the restraint order to be discharged, but the Royal Court dismissed the application in 2016. Then in 2017, Doraville challenged the Royal Court’s decision, taking the case to Jersey’s Court of Appeal, it said.\n\nThat challenge was again rejected. Finally, following the decision of Jersey’s Court of Appeal, Doraville made an application to appeal against the restraint order before the Privy Council – Jersey’s ultimate appellate court, the reported explained.\n\nIt said in February 2018 the Privy Council announced its rejection of this final legal challenge. Last week, Solicitor General Mark Temple gave a presentation in Vienna, Austria, about Doraville at a UN conference on corruption.\n\nHe said: “The conference of the States Parties to the United Nations convention against corruption is an important international forum concerned with anti-corruption measures and asset returns.\n\n“The conference was a good opportunity to demonstrate progress with the Doraville case, as well as Jersey’s determination to deal with international financial crime more generally.”"], "summary": "Jersey authorities seize over $267 million (£210m) from a Doraville Properties Corporation bank account of former Nigerian president and army chief of staff dictator Sani Abacha (d. 1998) after courts ruled billions of dollars were stolen and laundered through the United States into the Channel Islands."}
{"document": ["Virginia Governor Ralph Northam speaks to mourners during a vigil for the victims of a shooting in Virginia Beach on June 2, 2019.\n\nEric Baradat / AFP - Getty Images", "Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam is summoning lawmakers back to the state Capitol to consider a package of gun-control legislation, saying Friday's mass shooting in Virginia Beach calls for \"votes and laws, not thoughts and prayers.\"\n\nNortham also said Tuesday that he wants every state lawmaker go on record for or against his proposals during the special session this summer, rather than let leaders shield them from tough votes by killing them subcommittees.\n\n\"I ask that the members of the General Assembly engage in an open and transparent debate and that the bills brought before the legislature are put to a vote by the entire General Assembly,\" Northam said. \"The nation will be watching.\"\n\nThe Democrat said in an Associated Press interview ahead of his announcement that he wants the Republican-controlled legislature to hear from the public about the need for \"common-sense\" laws. A top GOP lawmaker signaled Monday that he's open to a legislative debate, but doesn't expect Northam's bills to pass.\n\nSpeaking to a standing ovation from gun control advocates, state workers and elected officials, Northam said the massacre in Virginia Beach demands that lawmakers put saving lives before party doctrine.\n\n\"Our first responders knew what to do. They rushed to the sound of the gunfire. They responded in less than two minutes to the shooting. Our first responders acted to save lives, and indeed, they did save lives. Now, I'm calling on the elected officials of this commonwealth to become second responders. Your duty is clear: rush to the scene and put a stop to this violence,\" he said.\n\n\"Show Virginians that it doesn't matter what party you are in, we all our Virginians first, and we care about the safety and security of every Virginian no matter who they are or where they live,\" he added.\n\nVirginia Beach city employee DeWayne Craddock used two semi-automatic handguns, a silencer and extended ammunition magazines on Friday to kill 12 people, all but one them colleagues he had worked with for years. Craddock was mortally wounded in an intense gunbattle with police.\n\nNortham's bills include legislation that directly relates to Friday's shooting, such as a ban on silencers and high capacity ammunition magazines, as well as broadening the ability of local governments to limit guns in city buildings. But he said other recent shootings, including the death last month of a 9-year-old girl who was shot at a community cookout in Richmond, are also driving his call for a special session.\n\n\"It's an emergency here in Virginia, and it's time to take action,\" Northam told the AP. \"Every one of these pieces of legislation will save lives.\"\n\nNortham said he also wants votes on mandating universal background checks before gun purchases, limiting purchases to one handgun per month and a so-called red flag bill that would allow authorities to temporarily seize someone's guns if they are a shown to be threat to themselves or others.\n\nThe governor has long advocated for stricter gun control. He made the issue a top priority of his 2017 gubernatorial campaign, drawing from his experience as a pediatrician and Army doctor who has treated children and soldiers wounded by firearms.\n\nMost of the legislation already proposed by Northam and other Democrats has failed in Virginia, where Republicans hold slim majorities in the House and Senate. This is a closely watched election year in the state, when all 140 legislative seats are up for grabs.\n\nVirginia law doesn't give a governor any say in how a special session is conducted. While GOP Senate Majority Leader Tommy Norment indicated Monday that there's some willingness to debate whether to ban large-capacity magazines, according to the Virginia Gazette, he told gun-control advocates outside his office on Monday that \"nothing would have helped us in Virginia Beach.\"\n\nCraddock appeared to have had no felony record, making him eligible to purchase guns. Government investigators identified two .45-caliber pistols used in the attack and all indications are that he purchased them legally in 2016 and 2018, said Ashan Benedict, the regional special agent for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.\n\nFriday's shooting has been Northam's first major test since a scandal over a racist photo in his medical school yearbook nearly drove him from office four months ago. The governor has been active in helping coordinate the state's response and comforting victims, while also pressing the case for stricter gun control.\n\nA top gun rights advocate denounced the special session as \"political theater,\" and called it \"pure baloney\" that silencers mask the sound of gun shots. Philip Van Cleave, president of the Virginia Citizens Defense League, said \"there's really nothing other than allowing people to protect themselves until the police get there that would have worked.\"\n\nIn his AP interview, the governor flatly denied that he's \"playing politics.\"\n\n\"I'm bringing people to the special session to save lives,\" Northam said.", "VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (AP) — Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam announced on Tuesday that he'll recall lawmakers to the state Capitol in the coming weeks to take up a package of gun-control legislation, which he said is urgently needed to prevent killings like Friday's mass shooting in Virginia Beach.\n\nNortham said he plans to convene a special legislative session this summer.\n\nThe Democrat said in an Associated Press interview ahead of his announcement that he wants the Republican-controlled General Assembly to hear from the public about the need for \"common-sense\" law related to guns and accessories.\n\nRepublicans have previously rejected Northam's gun control bills out of hand, but a top GOP lawmaker signaled Monday that he's open to a legislative debate.\n\nNortham's announcement comes less than a week after Virginia Beach city employee DeWayne Craddock used two semi-automatic handguns, a silencer and extended ammunition magazines to kill 12 people, all but one them colleagues he had worked with for years, and injure several others. Craddock was then killed in an intense gunbattle with police during which a bullet hit one officer in a bulletproof vest.\n\nNortham's package of bills includes legislation that directly relates to Friday's shooting __ including a ban on silencers and high capacity ammunition magazines as well as broadening the ability of local governments to limit guns in city buildings. But Northam said other recent shootings, including the death last month of a 9-year-old girl who was shot at a community cookout in Richmond, are also driving his call for a special session.\n\n\"It's an emergency here in Virginia, and it's time to take action,\" Northam said. \"Every one of these pieces of legislation will save lives.\"\n\nOther proposals Northam said he wants lawmakers to vote on include mandating universal background checks before gun purchases, limiting purchases to one handgun per month and a so-called red flag bill that would allow authorities to temporarily seize someone's guns if they are a shown to be threat to themselves or others.\n\nThe governor has long advocated for stricter gun control. He made the issue a top priority of his 2017 gubernatorial campaign, drawing from his experience as a pediatrician and Army doctor who has treated children and soldiers wounded by firearms.\n\nMost of the legislation already proposed by Northam and other Democrats has failed at the General Assembly, including this year. Republicans hold slim majorities in the House and Senate and Virginia is in the middle of a closely watched election year when all 140 legislative seats are up for grabs.\n\nUnder Virginia law, the governor can call a special session but has no say in how it's conducted. But GOP Senate Majority Leader Tommy Norment indicated Monday that there's some willingness to debate whether to ban large-capacity magazines, according to the Virginia Gazette.\n\nA group of gun-control supporters gathered Monday outside Norment's office to press him on his pro-gun voting record. Norment told protesters that \"nothing would have helped us in Virginia Beach.\"\n\nCraddock appeared to have had no felony record, making him eligible to purchase guns. Government investigators identified two .45-caliber pistols used in the attack and all indications are that he purchased them legally in 2016 and 2018, said Ashan Benedict, the regional special agent for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.\n\nFriday's shooting has been Northam's first major test since a scandal over a racist photo in his medical school yearbook nearly drove him from office four months ago. The governor has been active in helping coordinate the state's response and comforting victims, while also pressing the case for stricter gun control.\n\nNortham hinted Saturday in news interviews that he may be considering some kind of executive action related to gun control efforts that would bypass the legislature, but his office declined to say what specific actions he may take.\n\nRepublicans did not immediately comment on Northam's plans for a special session, but some of Northam's opponents have said the governor is trying to use Friday's shooting to deflect attention from his own troubles.\n\nA top gun rights advocate in Virginia denounced the special session as \"political theater,\" and called it \"pure baloney\" that silencers mask the sound of gun shots. Philip Van Cleave, president of the Virginia Citizens Defense League, said \"there's really nothing other than allowing people to protect themselves until the police get there that would have worked.\"\n\nIn his AP interview, the governor flatly denied that he's \"playing politics.\"\n\n\"I'm bringing people to the special session to save lives,\" Northam said.", "APNewsBreak: Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam says he'll call special session of legislature to take up gun-control measures\n\nVIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (AP) — APNewsBreak: Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam says he'll call special session of legislature to take up gun-control measures.", "RICHMOND, Va. — Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam called a special session of the state legislature to take up gun-control measures in the wake of Friday’s mass shooting in Virginia Beach.\n\n“I will summon the members of the Senate and the House of Delegates to meet in special session for the purpose of passing common sense public safety laws,” Northam said at a press conference Tuesday.\n\nHe added, “I will be asking for votes and laws, not thoughts and prayers.”\n\nTwelve people were killed in an attack at a Virginia Beach city building after a gunman, who was a former employee, opened fire Friday afternoon. Law enforcement officers found two .45-caliber pistols legally purchased by the shooter at the scene — one pistol had a suppressor and several empty extended magazines, police said.\n\nNortham said “this weekend’s tragedy” must “instill in us a new level of urgency to act.”\n\n“If we can save one life because we acted now, it is worth it,” he argued.\n\nBack in January, Northam introduced a slate of gun control bills ahead of the start of the year’s legislative session, including a universal background checks bill, a ban on assault firearms, and an “extreme risk protective order.”\n\nNortham said Tuesday he will propose many of the same ideas he pushed in January.", "June 4 (UPI) -- Just four days after a gunman killed 12 co-workers at a city municipal building, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam called a special session of the state Assembly to address gun control.\n\n\"It's time for decisive action,\" Northam said. \"Let Virginia show the nation that we can respond to tragedy with decisive action.\"\n\nThe special session gives Northam a second chance at some of the gun laws he tried to pass last year, including universal background checks on all gun sales. That includes private and online sales. Also, an extreme risk protective order would create a legal mechanism to force people to give their guns up if they are a substantial danger to themselves or others.\n\n\"I will be asking for votes and laws, not thoughts and prayers,\" Northam said last week. \"It is right to respond to this tragedy with decisive action. Let Virginia set an example for the nation, that we can respond to tragedy with action. That we can turn pain into purpose.\"\n\nAnother law would limit gun purchases to one per month. Also, anyone who has a final order of protection against them would be prohibited from buying, possessing or transporting firearms and would be required to turn them over within 24 hours. Assault weapons that hold more than 10 rounds of ammunition would also be banned.\n\nThe lost and stolen firearm bill would require gun owners who lose a gun or have it stolen to report it within 24 hours.\n\nVirginia House of Delegates Speaker Kirk Cox said the governor's call for a special session is \"hasty and suspect.\"\n\n\"While the governor can call a special session, he cannot specify what the General Assembly chooses to consider or how we do our work,\" the Republican said. \"We intend to use that time to take productive steps to address gun violence by holding criminals accountable with tougher sentences -- including mandatory minimums.\"\n\nVirginia has had tragedy before, including the Virginia Tech shooting in 2007. In the aftermath, bipartisan reforms were passed, Cox said.\n\n\"The governor's call to special session is more likely to inflame political tensions than produce substantive public policy changes that will keep people safe,\" Cox said.\n\nHe said he wants to focus on harsher penalties for those who use guns to commit crimes, including mandatory minimum sentences.\n\nNortham has said he opposes mandatory minimum sentences.\n\nThe timing puts Virginia lawmakers in the spotlight with the November elections looming. Republican lawmakers have shot down gun control bills in the past.", "Citing the shooting in Virginia Beach in which 12 people were killed, “as well as the tragedies that happen every day across Virginia,” Gov. Ralph Northam on Tuesday called for a special session of the General Assembly to vote on gun control bills.\n\nHe listed a number of measures he intended to propose, including universal background checks and a requirement that people report lost or stolen firearms. Those ideas were floated in the past but died in committee before reaching the floor of the Legislature.\n\nThis time, the governor said, he was demanding that the measures be “put to a vote by the entire General Assembly.”\n\nOn Friday, a city engineer who had resigned earlier that day stormed the Virginia Beach municipal complex and killed 11 of his former colleagues, along with a contractor who was seeing about a permit. The gunman was killed in a shootout with police officers.", "RICHMOND, Va. -- In the wake of Friday's mass shooting in Virginia Beach, Virginia Governor Ralph Northam announced a special session of the Virginia General Assembly to address gun violence and Virginia's gun laws.\n\n\"We must do more than give our thoughts and prayers. We must give Virginians the action they deserve,\" the governor, flanked by fellow Democratic leaders, said during the Tuesday morning press conference. \"No one should go to work, to school, or to church wondering if they will come home.\"\n\nDuring the special session, the date of which has not yet been announced, the governor planned to reintroduce many of the gun laws he tried to pass earlier this year.\n\nUniversal background checks\n\n A ban on assault weapons, to include suppressors and bump stocks;\n\n An extreme risk protective order\n\n Reinstating the one-gun-a-month law\n\n Child access prevention\n\n Requiring people to report lost and stolen firearms\n\n Expanding local authority to regulate firearms, including in government buildings.\n\nThe governor urged Virginia lawmakers to allow the proposed gun laws to go before the entire General Assembly for a vote and not kill them in a small subcommittees.\n\n\"Business as usual, with leadership shielding most of their members from taking tough votes by setting early morning hearings before small subcommittees, won't cut it. Virginians deserve leadership, and they will be watching. The nation will be watching,\" he said. \"I will be asking for votes and laws, not thoughts and prayers.\"\n\nVirginia House of Delegates Speaker Kirk Cox (R - Colonial Heights) called the governor's call for a special session both \"hasty and suspect.\"\n\n\"While the Governor can call a special session, he cannot specify what the General Assembly chooses to consider or how we do our work,\" Speaker Cox said. \"We intend to use that time to take productive steps to address gun violence by holding criminals accountable with tougher sentences -- including mandatory minimums.\n\n\"Following the tragedy at Virginia Tech in 2007 and 2017’s shooting in Parkland, Florida, Virginia took a very deliberative approach that ultimately ended in substantive and bipartisan reforms to keep our communities safer. The governor’s call to Special Session is more likely to inflame political tensions than produce substantive public policy changes that will keep people safe.\n\n“We believe addressing gun violence starts with holding criminals accountable for their actions, not infringing on the constitutional rights of law-abiding citizens.\n\n\"When the Special Session convenes, Republicans will put forward a package of legislation to stiffen penalties for those who use firearms to commit crimes, including mandatory minimum sentences. These steps, combined with our ongoing efforts to strengthen the mental and behavioral health system, are the best ways to keep our communities safe from those who commit violence with guns.\n\n\"The House of Delegates will convene upon the Governor’s call as constitutionally required and work within the rules we adopt and the regular legislative process to consider any matter before us. Our actions will be based on sound public policy and the best interests of the Commonwealth.”", "VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (AP) — The Latest on plans by Virginia's governor to call a special legislative session on gun control (all times local):\n\nA top gun rights advocate in Virginia says Gov. Ralph Northam's plan for a special legislative session on gun control is \"political theater.\"\n\nPhilip Van Cleave is president of the Virginia Citizens Defense League. He says he \"can't think of a single gun control thing that would have prevented what happened at Virginia Beach,\" and accuses the governor of \"trying to deflect from his recent foibles.\"\n\nThe gun lobbyist said it's \"pure baloney\" that silencers mask sound of gun shots.\n\nHis solution to Friday's killings of 12 people would be loosening restrictions on Virginia Beach city employees from being able to carry concealed handguns at work. He says \"there's really nothing other than allowing people to protect themselves until the police get there that would have worked.\"\n\nVirginia Gov. Ralph Northam will recall lawmakers to the state Capitol in coming weeks to take up a package of gun-control legislation.\n\nNortham told The Associated Press ahead of his Tuesday announcement that he plans to convene a special legislative session later this summer. The Democrat said new laws are urgently needed to prevent killings like Friday's mass shooting in Virginia Beach.\n\nPolice said a Virginia Beach city employee used two semi-automatic handguns, a silencer and extended ammo magazines to kill 12 people. Northam's proposed legislation would ban silencers and magazines that hold more than 10 rounds.\n\nThe Democratic governor has long been an advocate for stricter gun control. But staunchly pro-gun Republicans who controlled the Virginia General Assembly have rejected previous efforts at limiting gun access.", "VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (AP) — Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam will recall lawmakers to the state Capitol in coming weeks to take up a package of gun-control legislation.\n\nNortham told The Associated Press ahead of his Tuesday announcement that he plans to convene a special legislative session later this summer. The Democrat said new laws are urgently needed to prevent killings like Friday’s mass shooting in Virginia Beach.\n\nPolice said a Virginia Beach city employee used two semi-automatic handguns, a silencer and extended ammo magazines to kill 12 people. Northam’s proposed legislation would ban silencers and magazines that hold more than 10 rounds.\n\nThe Democratic governor has long been an advocate for stricter gun control. But staunchly pro-gun Republicans who controlled the Virginia General Assembly have rejected previous efforts at limiting gun access."], "summary": "Virginia Governor Ralph Northam is expected to call a special session on gun control following the deadly shooting Friday afternoon in Virginia Beach that killed 12 people plus the shooter."}
{"document": ["Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Hong Kong is one of the few places in Chinese territory where an annual remembrance vigil can be held.\n\nTens of thousands of people have gathered in Hong Kong to mark the 30th anniversary of the crackdown on protests in Beijing's Tiananmen Square.\n\nHong Kong and Macau are the only places in Chinese territory where people can commemorate the activists killed in 1989.\n\nChina has never given an official figure for how many people died, but estimates begin in the hundreds.\n\nOrganisers say 180,000 people joined a vigil in the city's Victoria Park.\n\nBut police put the number of attendees at under 40,000.\n\nIn mainland China, the authorities have banned even oblique references to the crackdown, which took place after weeks of mass protests that were tolerated by the government. The numbers gathered in and around Tiananmen Square are estimated to have reached a peak of one million people.\n\nHundreds of security personnel and police were monitoring the square in Beijing on Tuesday.\n\nRefusing to forget\n\nby Grace Tsoi, BBC World Service, Hong Kong\n\nImage copyright Reuters\n\nHong Kong's Victoria Park is once again a sea of candlelight as far as the eye can see.\n\nThe crowd, many dressed in black, is mostly silent whilst holding up their candles in mourning. Some are crying. In between protest songs, they chant \"the people will not forget\".\n\nThe crowd claps and cheers when Liane Lee - who took part in the 1989 protests - shouts: \"We refuse to forget. We refuse to believe the lies\".\n\nStanding watching is Teresa Chan. She has attended the commemoration every year since 1990, except once when she was ill.\n\n\"I wanted to go Beijing to be with the movement but I couldn't,\" she says. \"I never imagined it would end the way it did, it's very hard to forget.\"\n\nBut there are also new faces in the crowd this year.\n\nImage caption Protestor Teresa Chan has come to the protest in Hong Kong nearly every year\n\nMs Leung, who is in her 30s, says she decided to come for the first time because she is worried about Hong Kong's future.\n\n\"I am very angry with what the Chinese government is doing here,\" she says.\n\nAmongst the remembrance flowers and candles, there are posters protesting against proposed amendments to laws concerning extraditions to mainland China. Many fear the changes will lead to the further erosion of civil liberties here in Hong Kong.\n\nHere in Victoria Park are also some mainland Chinese residents like Mr Zeng who travelled to Hong Kong with his wife and 11-year-old daughter just to attend tonight's event.\n\nHis daughter says it's an eye-opening experience. \"I am here to learn the real history about China. Now I feel like China is no better than other countries,\" she says.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Returning to Tiananmen Square for the first time\n\nThe vigils in Hong Kong come at a sensitive time for its leadership, with public backlash over a proposed bill that would allow fugitives captured in the city to be extradited to mainland China.\n\nSmaller vigils are also expected 64km (40 miles) away in Macau's city centre, and on the self-governing island of Taiwan.\n\nImage copyright AFP Image caption The gatherings come at a sensitive time for Hong Kong's leadership\n\nThe Tiananmen anniversary earlier prompted a war of words between Washington and Beijing. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo criticised China's human rights record and called on it to finally reveal how many people died in the crackdown.\n\nIn response, a Chinese embassy spokesman in Washington DC said his comments were \"an affront to the Chinese people\".\n\nOn Tuesday, China issued separate travel warnings to its citizens travelling to the US, citing police harassment and crime.\n\nIts foreign ministry accused American law enforcement agencies of \"harassing\" Chinese citizens in the US through immigration checks and other methods.\n\nWhat happened in 1989?\n\nPro-democracy protesters occupied Tiananmen Square in April 1989 and began the largest political demonstrations in communist China's history. They lasted six weeks.\n\nOn the night of 3 June tanks moved in and troops opened fire, killing and injuring many unarmed people in and around Tiananmen Square.\n\nAfterwards the authorities claimed no-one had been shot dead in the square itself. Estimates of those killed in the crackdown range from a few hundred to several thousand.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Wang Dan one of the leaders of the Tiananmen Square protests\n\nAt the weekend, Chinese Defence Minister Wei Fenghe made a rare mention of the protests during a regional forum in Singapore.\n\n\"That incident was a political turbulence and the central government took measures to stop the turbulence, which is a correct policy,\" he said in response to a question.\n\nHe added that because of the action the government took, \"China has enjoyed stability and development\".", "HONG KONG/BEIJING, June 4 (Reuters) - Tens of thousands joined a somber candlelight vigil in Hong Kong on Tuesday to mark the 30th anniversary of Chinese troops opening fire on student-led democracy protesters in and around Tiananmen Square, as authorities in Beijing went into lockdown.\n\nDemonstrators gathered in the financial hub's Victoria Park, holding up candles and placards as others rallied next to a replica of the Goddess of Democracy statue, which was erected in Tiananmen Square during the 1989 demonstrations in Beijing.\n\nNearby, a life-size replica of Liu Xiaobo, the Chinese Nobel Peace Prize-winning political dissident who died in 2017 while in custody, floated in a waterway adorned with flowers.\n\nAs tens of thousands thronged Hong Kong for the annual vigil, censors at Chinese internet companies said tools to detect and block content related to the 1989 crackdown had reached unprecedented levels of accuracy.\n\nIn the former British colony of Hong Kong, which returned to Chinese rule in 1997 under a \"one country, two systems formula\" that guarantees rights and freedoms not seen on the mainland, organizers said 180,000 joined the peaceful vigil, filling six football fields.\n\nIn comparison, authorities in mainland China, where the anniversary remains taboo, deployed a security blanket in and around Tiananmen Square. China has never provided a death toll for the 1989 violence. Rights groups and witnesses say it could run into the thousands.\n\n\"It is very important that Hong Kong people continue to remember the June 4 tragedy, and indeed, preserve the memory,\" said Richard Tsoi, vice-chairman of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China.\n\n\"And don't let the Chinese authority try to erase the memory for the whole nation.\"\n\nVeteran Hong Kong democracy campaigner and Baptist cleric Chu Yiu-ming who was in his mid-40s when he joined demonstrators around Tiananmen Square in 1989, just before the bloody crackdown, was overcome with emotion.\n\n\"I swear, as long as someone suffers and is humiliated, I have to voice it,\" he said.\n\nTourists thronged Tiananmen Square earlier on Tuesday amid tighter-than-usual security, although most visitors approached by Reuters said they were unaware of the bloody crackdown on student-led protests 30 years ago or would not discuss it.\n\nThe anniversary of the crackdown is not spoken of openly in China and is not formally marked by the government.\n\nA 67-year-old man surnamed Li, sitting on a bench about a 10-minute walk from the square, said he remembered the events of June 4, 1989, and its aftermath clearly.\n\n\"I was on my way back home from work. Changan Avenue was strewn with burned-out vehicles. The People's Liberation Army killed many people. It was a bloodbath,\" he said.\n\nAsked if he thought the government should give a full account of the violence, he said: \"What's the point? These students died for nothing.\"\n\nRefinitiv, a company that provides data and news to the financial services industry and was spun-off from the parent company of Reuters last year, has removed some Reuters stories on Tiananmen Square from its subscriber terminals. Reuters says its coverage is not affected.\n\nAmong the students' demands in 1989 were a free press and freedom of speech, disclosure of leaders' assets and freedom to demonstrate. However, exiled former protest leaders say those goals are further away in China than ever because the government has in the past decade suppressed a civil society nurtured by years of economic development.\n\nTiananmen also remains a point of contention between China and many Western countries, which have implored Chinese leaders to account for giving the People's Liberation Army (PLA) the order to open fire on their own people.\n\nChina's foreign ministry denounced criticism by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who called for China to release all political prisoners and offered his salute to \"the heroes of the Chinese people who bravely stood up 30 years ago in Tiananmen Square to demand their rights.\"\n\nThe vigil in Hong Kong is the biggest on Chinese soil. Smaller vigils are held in the former Portuguese territory of Macau and the self-ruled island of Taiwan, which China claims as its own.\n\nIn Taiwan's capital Taipei, a few hundred people gathered at Liberty Square for an event marked by documentaries, speeches and a dance dedicated to mothers of those who were killed in the Tiananmen crackdown.\n\n\"I'm very ashamed. I repent wholeheartedly,\" Li Xiaoming, a former PLA officer who participated in the military crackdown told the crowd from a stage in Taipei.\n\n\"The reason that I spoke up today is that I don't want people to forget the events of June 4,\" said Li, who is now an Australian citizen, as he burst into tears.\n\nBack in Beijing, hundreds of uniformed and plainclothes police monitored the square and its surroundings, conducting spot ID checks and inspecting car trunks. Thousands of visitors lined up at security checkpoints to enter the square, many carrying tour group flags.\n\nA male tourist in his 30s near the square, who gave his family name as Zhang, said he had no idea about the anniversary.\n\n\"Never heard of it,\" he said. \"I'm not aware of this.\"\n\nThe United Nations had received reports of detentions, threats and increased censorship ahead of the anniversary, U.N. human rights spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said in Geneva.\n\n\"We have made our concerns known to the Chinese government and we are working to also verify these reports that we have received,\" she said.\n\nWhile the June 4 vigil is an annual event in Hong Kong, it comes at a sensitive time for the city's leaders this year as they grapple with a backlash at home and abroad over a proposed extradition bill that would for the first time allow fugitives captured in the city to be sent to mainland China for trial.\n\nCritics of the bill plan to protest in Hong Kong on Sunday, with rally organizers calling for 300,000 people to take to the streets. (Reporting by James Pomfret and Jessie Pang in Hong Kong, Ben Blanchard and Michael Martina in Beijing; Additional reporting by Cate Cadell in BEIJING, Yimou Lee in TAIPEI, David Lawder in WASHINGTON and Stephanie Nebehay and Marina Depetris in GENEVA Writing by Anne Marie Roantree; Editing by Peter Graff)", "Tens of thousands joined a sombre candlelight vigil in Hong Kong on Tuesday to mark the 30th anniversary of Chinese troops opening fire on student-led democracy protesters in and around Tiananmen Square, as authorities in Beijing went into lockdown.\n\nDemonstrators gathered in the financial hub's Victoria Park, holding up candles and placards as others rallied next to a replica of the Goddess of Democracy statue, which was erected in Tiananmen Square during the 1989 demonstrations in Beijing and looked like the US Statue of Liberty.\n\nNearby, a life-size replica of Liu Xiaobo, the Chinese Nobel Peace Prize-winning political dissident who died in 2017 while in custody, floated in a waterway adorned with flowers.\n\nAs tens of thousands thronged Hong Kong for the annual vigil, censors at Chinese internet companies said tools to detect and block content related to the 1989 crackdown had reached unprecedented levels of accuracy.\n\nIn the former British colony of Hong Kong, which returned to Chinese rule in 1997 under a \"one country, two systems formula\" that guarantees rights and freedoms not seen on the mainland, organisers said 180,000 joined the peaceful vigil, filling six football fields.\n\nAnalysts believe the high turnout is a reflection of a common concern people share on a new extradition law coming up in China.\n\n\"Hong Kong is frightened and scared,\" Keith Richburg, from the University of Hong Kong told Al Jazeera.\n\n\"People are really afraid of a new extradition law that is coming into effect that would allow people to be shipped over the border to mainland China to face trial ... so people are [worried] that China has slowly been chipping away at Hong Kong's rights, chipping away at Hong Kong's legal system,\" he added.\n\nIn comparison, authorities in mainland China, where the anniversary remains taboo, deployed a security blanket in and around Tiananmen Square. China has never provided a death toll for the 1989 violence. Rights groups and witnesses say it could run into the thousands.\n\n\"Everybody is concerned about Tiananmen after 30 years,\" Wei Fenghe, China's minister of defence said on Sunday, in rare official comments about the repression.\n\n\"[In the past] 30 years, China, under the Communist Party, has undergone many changes. Do you think the government was wrong with the handling of June 4th? There was a conclusion to that incident. That was a political turmoil, that the central government needed to quell,\" Fenghe added.\n\nBut analysts believe that the course of action China has taken has not led to good changes.\n\nRichburg said the Chinese government has been able to successfully control dissent through several means, including creating \"a massive surveillance state.\n\n\"They have also been able to isolate themselves by wrapping themselves in the nationalist flag, so any criticism of China becomes a criticism of the Chinese people and the Chinese culture .. the government has also been insulated by a very strong economy, they have been saying ... leave us alone to rule the country, and we will keep the economy growing ... just don't get involved in politics.\"\n\nThe vigil in Hong Kong is the largest on Chinese soil. Smaller vigils are held in the former Portuguese territory of Macau and the self-ruled island of Taiwan, which China claims as its own.\n\nTourists thronged Tiananmen Square earlier on Tuesday amid tighter-than-usual security, although most visitors approached by Reuters said they were unaware of the bloody crackdown on student-led protests 30 years ago, or would not discuss it.\n\nThe anniversary of the repression is not spoken of openly in China and is not formally marked by the government.\n\nA 67-year-old man surnamed Li, sitting on a bench about a 10-minute walk from the square, said he remembered the events of June 4, 1989, and its aftermath clearly.\n\n\"I was on my way back home from work. Changan Avenue was strewn with burned-out vehicles. The People's Liberation Army killed many people. It was a bloodbath,\" he said.\n\nAsked if he thought the government should give a full account of the violence, he said: \"What's the point? These students died for nothing.\"\n\nTiananmen also remains a point of contention between China and many Western countries, which have implored Chinese leaders to account for giving the People's Liberation Army (PLA) the order to open fire on their own people.\n\nChina's foreign ministry denounced criticism by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who called for China to release all political prisoners and offered his salute to \"the heroes of the Chinese people who bravely stood up 30 years ago in Tiananmen Square to demand their rights\".", "HONG KONG (AP) — Pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong were preparing for a candlelight vigil Tuesday commemorating the 30th anniversary of the bloody Tiananmen crackdown, underscoring concern for Chinese human rights in the semi-autonomous territory, even as its own civil liberties are under threat.\n\nHong Kong is the only region under Beijing's jurisdiction that holds significant public commemorations of the 1989 crackdown and memorials for its victims. Hong Kong has a degree of freedom not seen on the mainland as a legacy of British rule that ended in 1997.\n\nThe annual evening event at Hong Kong's Victoria Park near the bustling Causeway Bay shopping district is expected to attract tens of thousands of participants.\n\nThis year's vigil will feature a replica of the \"Goddess of Democracy,\" a plaster sculpture of a female figure holding a torch that was displayed in Tiananmen Square in the days leading up to the 1989 crackdown, which took place on the night of June 3-4 and is believed to have killed hundreds and possibly thousands of people.\n\n\"That statue was crushed by tanks at the June 4 crackdown, the June 4 massacre. So we are rebuilding this here ... to symbolize that we are still continuing to fight for democracy, and continue on the spirit of the '89 democratic protests,\" said Chow Hang Tung, vice chair of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China, which organizes the annual vigil.\n\nVisitor Winnie Ma, a 55-year-old church worker, said she brought her 80-year-old mother to the park especially to view the statue on the 30th anniversary.\n\n\"I don't know if she will see it vindicated, but I hope that I will be able to,\" Ma said.\n\nMeanwhile, at the University of Hong Kong, a dozen students laid flower bouquets at the \"Pillar of Shame,\" a sculpture by Danish artist Jens Galschiot commemorating the crackdown's victims.\n\n\"Just because I wasn't born then and never experienced the event, there's no stopping me from reminding others like me of this and carrying on the collective memory,\" said 18-year-old student Donald Chung.\n\nStudents later observed a minute of silence in remembrance of the crackdown's victims before scrubbing the pillar clean in an annual ritual.\n\nRecent years have witnessed a generational divide about how best to memorialize the crackdown, and since 2015, Hong Kong university students have arranged their own commemorations separate from the main candlelight vigil.\n\n\"People who attend the vigil consider themselves Chinese. We disagree with this identity,\" said Jordan Pang, acting chair of the Hong Kong University Students' Union's current affairs committee.\n\n\"I think the young generation and most students consider themselves Hong Kongers. If we need to commemorate, we do not want to use (the vigil) to commemorate,\" Pang said.\n\nDespite its pro-democracy theme, young Hong Kongers see the vigil as promoting Chinese nationalism, said Samson Yuen, a professor of political science at Hong Kong's Lingnan University.\n\n\"They argue that Hong Kong needs to determine its own future. Hong Kong may need to seek independence from China and they believe that June 4 is a battleground,\" Yuen said.\n\nThirty years ago, the Tiananmen protesters gained widespread support and sympathy from residents of Hong Kong, whose return to Chinese rule had been agreed upon just years earlier. Hong Kong supporters helped sustain the protests with donated funds and equipment and, following the crackdown, mobilized to smuggle wanted student leaders out of the country, sometimes with the assistance of organized crime groups known as triads.\n\nThe spirit of political activism has now passed to a younger generation, crystalizing in the 2014 Occupy protests, also known as the Umbrella Movement, which laid siege to Hong Kong government headquarters and paralyzed the city's financial district for 79 days.\n\nThe movement fizzled with no concessions from the Hong Kong government for free elections, and the authorities have since cracked down hard on its leaders, sentencing nine in April on public nuisance and other charges.\n\nMore recently, activists, as well as business and legal associations, have protested amendments making it easier to send criminal suspects in Hong Kong to mainland China, where they could face vague national security charges and unfair trials.\n\nChinese President Xi Jinping has been seen as extending his crackdown on civil liberties to Hong Kong, threatening the territory's promised semi-autonomy.\n\nA march against the amendments is scheduled for Sunday ahead of the government's expected push for passage on June 12.\n\nThe extradition law amendments have put China's chosen Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam on the defensive. On Monday, she announced further changes aimed at placating critics.\n\nAsked Tuesday whether she agreed with China's justifications for the army crackdown in 1989, Lam did not answer directly, but said Hong Kong was a \"very free society\" that upholds the rights and freedoms of individuals.\n\n\"So today, if there are public gatherings to express their views and feelings on a particular historic incident, we fully respect those views,\" Lam said.\n\nMeanwhile in Taiwan, the self-governing island's president, Tsai Ing-wen, took to Facebook to highlight the contrast between her democratically elected government and China's authoritarian communist system.\n\nTsai said China had shown that it not only had no intention of reflecting on \"that year's mistake\" but also planned to continue covering up the truth about the 1989 crackdown.\n\nShe cited comments Sunday by China's defense minister at a forum in Singapore defending the army's bloody assault on protesters and Beijing citizens, as well as Hong Kong's refusal to allow entry to former student leader Feng Congde.\n\n\"Please rest easy, Taiwan will absolutely adhere to democracy, adhere to freedom, regardless of threats or infiltration. As long as I am president for just one day, there is no way Taiwan will yield to pressure,\" Tsai wrote.\n\nChina considers Taiwan its own territory to be annexed by force if necessary. Beijing has proposed ruling Taiwan under the same \"one country, two systems\" formula applied to Hong Kong, something the islands voters have overwhelmingly rejected.\n\nCopyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.", "Pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong are preparing for a candlelight vigil commemorating the Tiananmen protests and remembering the victims of the crackdown.\n\nThe semi-autonomous territory is the only region under Beijing’s jurisdiction which has a significant public commemoration of the 1989 crackdown.\n\nHong Kong has a degree of freedom not seen on the mainland as a legacy of British rule.\n\nThe event beginning at 8pm Tuesday is expected to attract tens of thousands of participants.\n\nAt the University of Hong Kong, a dozen students laid bouquets at the Pillar Of Shame, a sculpture by Danish artist Jens Galschiot commemorating the crackdown’s victims.\n\n“Just because I wasn’t born then and never experienced the event, there’s no stopping me from reminding others like me of this and carrying on the collective memory,” said student Donald Chung, 18.", "HONG KONG — Pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong were preparing for a candlelight vigil Tuesday commemorating the 30th anniversary of the bloody Tiananmen crackdown, underscoring concern for Chinese human rights in the semi-autonomous territory, even as its own civil liberties are under threat.\n\nHong Kong is the only region under Beijing's jurisdiction that holds significant public commemorations of the 1989 crackdown and memorials for its victims. Hong Kong has a degree of freedom not seen on the mainland as a legacy of British rule that ended in 1997.\n\nThe annual event beginning at 8 p.m. at Hong Kong's Victoria Park near the bustling Causeway Bay shopping district is expected to attract tens of thousands of participants.\n\nThis year's vigil will feature a replica of the \"Goddess of Democracy,\" a plaster sculpture of a female figure holding a torch that was displayed in Tiananmen Square in the days leading up to the 1989 crackdown, which took place on the night of June 3-4 and is believed to have killed hundreds and possibly thousands of people.\n\n\"That statue was crushed by tanks at the June 4 crackdown, the June 4 massacre. So we are rebuilding this here ... to symbolize that we are still continuing to fight for democracy, and continue on the spirit of the '89 democratic protests,\" said Chow Hang Tung, vice chair of the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China, which organizes the annual vigil.\n\nVisitor Winnie Ma, a 55-year-old church worker, said she brought her 80-year-old mother out to the park especially to view the statue on the 30th anniversary.\n\n\"I don't know if she will see it vindicated, but I hope that I will be able to,\" Ma said.\n\nMeanwhile, at the University of Hong Kong, a dozen students laid flower bouquets at the \"Pillar of Shame,\" a sculpture by Danish artist Jens Galschiot commemorating the crackdown's victims.\n\n\"Just because I wasn't born then and never experienced the event, there's no stopping me from reminding others like me of this and carrying on the collective memory,\" said 18-year-old student Donald Chung.\n\nThirty years ago, the Tiananmen protesters gained widespread support and sympathy from residents of Hong Kong, whose return to Chinese rule had been agreed upon just years earlier. Hong Kong supporters helped sustain the protests with donated funds and equipment and, following the crackdown, mobilized to smuggle wanted student leaders out of the country, sometimes with the assistance of organized crime groups known as triads.\n\nThe spirit of political activism has now passed to a younger generation, crystalizing in the 2014 Occupy protests, also known as the Umbrella Movement, which laid siege to Hong Kong government headquarters and paralyzed the city's financial district for 79 days.\n\nThe movement fizzled with no concessions from the Hong Kong government for free elections, and the authorities have since cracked down hard on its leaders, sentencing nine in April on public nuisance and other charges.\n\nMore recently, activists, as well as business and legal associations, have protested amendments making it easier to send criminal suspects in Hong Kong to mainland China, where they could face vague national security charges and unfair trials.\n\nChinese President Xi Jinping has been seen as extending his crackdown on civil liberties to Hong Kong, threatening the territory's promised semi-autonomy.\n\nA march against the amendments is scheduled for Sunday ahead of the government's expected push for passage on June 12.", "Hong Kong was a British colony until 1997, when the British government handed it over the Beijing.\n\nThe deal was that it would go on functioning quasi independently under a hybrid system that’s called “One country, two systems”.\n\nSo, even if Beijing doesn’t like it, it has to allow these protests, because that was the deal with the UK in 1997, when it signed the “Basic Law,” Hong Kong’s mini constitution, article 27 of which states that “Hong Kong residents shall have freedom of speech, of the press and of publication; freedom of association, of assembly, of procession and of demonstration; and the right and freedom to form and join trade unions, and to strike.”\n\nBut over the decades, things have been changing.\n\n“Year after year we hear that there is behind-the-scenes pressure from Beijing,” says Claudia Mo, a member of the part of Hong Kong’s legislature that is directly elected.\n\n“They tell the organisers, or people who are close to the organisers to forget about staging the events. But then Hong Kong people stand firm,” and the yearly commemorations take place anyway.\n\nThis year, apart from the traditional get-together in Victoria Park, there were kite-flying events, to remember times that people could freely go to Tiananmen Square to fly kites, and a marathon.\n\nBut it’s not the 30th anniversary that will attract more people than usual, says Mo.\n\n“We are fighting a Chinese extradition law which is going to put Hong Kong basically under Chinese law,” she says.\n\n“And that goes against Beijing’s “One country, two systems” formula that guarantees Hong Kong’s semi-autonomy.\n\nWhen London handed Hong Kong back to Beijing in 1997, regulations covering extradition procedures “very purposefully” excluded China, says Mo.\n\nBecause people in Hong Kong were fearful that a fair trial was impossible under the Chinese judiciary.\n\nA fear that was deeply installed with the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown, which took place less than a decade before Hong Kong would change hands.\n\n“It is supposed to be a safeguard, a firewall against this fear.\n\n“But now the Hong Kong government, obviously at the behest of Beijing, is calling that a loophole in the law. And they try to prop it up. Which means that Hong Kong people could be subject to extradition to China when Beijing wants to,” says Mo.\n\nIn practice, this would mean, that anybody who is wanted by Beijing, including foreigners who live in or pass through the territory, may be deported if the Chinese authorities demand it, Mo says.\n\nThe Tiananmen commemorations in Hong Kong started at 20:00 local time with a candlelight vigil. The number of those taking part was estimated by organisers at one-hundred and eighty thousand. Police counted 37,000 participants.", "HONG KONG (AP) — As pro-democracy protests took hold in China in 1989, hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets of neighboring Hong Kong to show their support.\n\nAssociated Press photographer Vincent Yu, just starting his career at the news service, covered the Hong Kong demonstrations, which continued even after a June 3-4 military crackdown at Beijing's Tiananmen Square ended the student-led protests in mainland China.\n\nHis images are preserved in black and white prints with typed captions attached, the way he transmitted the photos to AP editors in Tokyo in the pre-internet era. The shots are raucous in the early days, when protesters shouted slogans denouncing hard-line Chinese leaders, and tearful at the end, when they remembered those who had been killed.\n\nToday, with any marking of the Tiananmen crackdown banned in mainland China, it is in Hong Kong where the victims are remembered in an annual candlelight vigil. Citizens of the former British colony, which was returned to China in 1997, have more freedom than mainland Chinese, though some worry those liberties are being eroded.", "HONG KONG/TAIPEI -- For 30 years, Hong Kong has kept the flame of mourning alive for the protesters killed in central Beijing in 1989. Even after the 1997 handover of sovereignty to China, which has gone to great lengths to expunge the military suppression from history, the city continued to hold candlelight vigils to mark the anniversary of the Tiananmen crackdown every June 4.\n\nThis year, the memorial is scheduled to go ahead as usual in Victoria Park. But Hong Kong is rapidly losing its status as an enclave for promoting democracy and human rights -- and the world is beginning to reckon with its failure to hold Beijing accountable three decades ago.\n\nIn mid-May, a three-day international symposium for the 30th Tiananmen anniversary opened in Taipei. It was the sort of gathering that once would have been held in Hong Kong by default. But Joseph Cheng Yu-shek, former chair professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the de facto organizer, said Taiwan was chosen \"for the obvious reason of the situation in Hong Kong.\"\n\nThere was a real risk that participants would be turned away at the Hong Kong border, even though the territory is guaranteed a \"high degree of autonomy\" until at least 2047 under the \"one country, two systems\" framework devised by China and the U.K. Sure enough, on June 2, Hong Kong immigration denied the entry of Feng Congde, a Tiananmen student leader and a panelist at the Taipei symposium.\n\nThe list of persona non grata seems to be expanding. Hong Kong last month also turned away Conchita Carpio-Morales, a former Philippine Supreme Court associate justice and ombudsman who co-filed an International Criminal Court case against Chinese President Xi Jinping over environmental damage caused by island-building in the South China Sea. Freddy Lim Tshiong-tso, a Taiwanese heavy metal singer, and Kenichiro Wada, a Japanese municipal legislator -- both advocates of Taiwan's independence -- were rejected late last year.\n\nA bigger threat to Hong Kong's position as a flag-bearer of Chinese freedom comes in the form of extradition legislation.\n\nAn amendment pending in the Legislative Council would make it possible to deport individuals to places that do not have formal extradition treaties with Hong Kong -- mainland China included. Local activists, business groups and foreign government officials, including U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, have all voiced concerns.\n\nIn an open letter to the Hong Kong government, Amnesty International, Hong Kong Human Rights Monitor and Human Rights Watch argued that the change \"would remove existing safeguards from the process of extradition, allowing people to be sent to jurisdictions, notably mainland China, where they are at risk of torture or other ill-treatment, and unfair trials.\"\n\nHong Kong's autonomy did not stop Chinese Vice Premier Han Zheng, one of the top seven members of the powerful Communist Party Politburo Standing Committee, from weighing in on May 21. \"The central government completely supports the amendment process,\" he was quoted as saying by the government mouthpiece Xinhua.\n\nWith the backing of the top leadership, Hong Kong's pro-Beijing government is looking to bulldoze the amendment through, perhaps with minor changes. Democrats, meanwhile, are calling for another anti-extradition rally on June 9, following one on April 23 that brought 130,000 people into the streets in the largest demonstration since the Umbrella Movement of 2014.\n\n\"It is regrettable that we are not able to hold events in Hong Kong like in the past,\" lamented Tseng Chien-yuan, chairman of the New School for Democracy in Taipei, which co-sponsored the Tiananmen symposium. Ironically, he noted, Taiwan was not a democracy at the time of the crackdown in Beijing, but now \"everyone could say whatever they want in Taiwan.\"\n\nThe island has become a refuge for Lam Wing-kee, a Hong Kong bookseller kidnapped by Chinese agents in 2015. Cases like Lam's illustrated the danger in Hong Kong, as did the alleged abduction of Chinese billionaire Xiao Jianhua from the city's Four Seasons Hotel by Beijing's agents in January 2017.\n\nReporters Without Borders established its first Asian bureau in Taipei that year -- conspicuously avoiding Hong Kong.\n\nTaiwan, however, is not immune to Chinese pressure. Xi on Jan. 2 renewed a call for unification under the one country, two systems formula. Chinese fighter planes recently breached the median line in the Taiwan Strait. And Wang Yang, No. 4 on the mainland leadership hierarchy, recently told Beijing-friendly Taiwanese media leaders that he doubts the U.S. would go to war with China over Taiwan, and would not be able to defend the island if it did. \"You could say that timing and momentum are on our side,\" he said.\n\nJose Luis Martin Gascon, chairman of the Commission on Human Rights of the Philippines -- where democratically elected President Rodrigo Duterte has sought close ties with China and shown his own autocratic tendencies -- fears creeping Chinese-style authoritarianism far beyond China. \"If we don't challenge [such governments] now, perhaps tomorrow or the next day or next year, maybe it becomes too late,\" he said. \"Democracy will just be a memory.\"\n\n\"China today presents not just a threat to and a suppression of freedom and individual dignity of 1.3 billion in China, but freedom and access to information of billions of people around the world,\" said Larry Diamond, senior fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution. \"We cannot separate all that they are doing internally in China from what they are doing [on the] international stage.\"\n\nHe points to cases like an Australian lawmaker being influenced to support Beijing's stance in the South China Sea, amid increasing control of Chinese-language media globally to \"eclipse and silence alternative points of view, anything that would question China.\"\n\nDiamond stressed that \"if we don't recognize that and confront that, we won't do a service to the people of China ... and we won't do a service to our own interest in international peace, freedom and security.\"\n\nYet, right after Tiananmen, world powers appeared to prioritize economic expediency.\n\nWang Dan, a former Tiananmen student leader and a founder of think tank Dialogue China, points to how U.S. President George H.W. Bush secretly dispatched national security adviser Brent Scowcroft and Deputy Secretary of State Lawrence Eagleburger to Beijing just a month after the crackdown. Only a year later, Japanese Prime Minister Toshiki Kaifu announced the resumption of low-interest yen loans to China at a summit hosted by Bush -- making Japan the first Group of Seven country to officially lift sanctions.\n\n\"Even there was a massacre,\" Wang said, \"they still kept hope on that regime.\"\n\nNow, as far as Beijing is concerned, it has \"already reached a final verdict\" on what it euphemistically calls the \"political wind wave and a related problem at the end of the 1980s.\" Wei Fenghe, China's defense minister, answered the Tiananmen question this way at the Shangri-la Dialogue in Singapore on Sunday: \"Are you saying that the way we handled June 4 was wrong?\"\n\nSome argue the 1989 crackdown, and the pursuit of a \"socialist market economy\" while crushing dissent, actually made China more attractive to global partners.\n\nQin Hui, a former professor at Tsinghua University, has long attributed China's economic growth to a \"low human rights advantage.\" Oppression allowed high competitiveness thanks to lower wages and welfare. Crony capitalists profited from forced evictions for property developments and a disregard of environmental consequences. This, plus the world's largest population, inevitably lured foreign capital, allowing the regime to not only survive but thrive.\n\nTeng Biao, who was held in an \"enforced disappearance\" after the so-called Jasmine Revolution protests in China in 2011, said the post-Tiananmen economic miracle has produced \"totalitarianism that is not comparable to any totalitarianism in the past, utilizing the most advanced technology.\"\n\nThe human rights lawyer, now in exile, says the confluence of big data, artificial intelligence, surveillance and the social credit system -- a national program for scoring each citizen's reputation -- has \"greatly enhanced the ability to control society.\" China already has 70% of the world's surveillance cameras and is expected to have 2.76 billion installed by 2022, according to IDC.\n\nWang said the global community has \"already created a monster.\"\n\n\"I admit that we were naive about the Communist Party 30 years ago,\" Wang said of the student leaders. \"But wasn't the whole world naive about China?\"\n\nThat may be changing.\n\nDiamond believes one reason Australia's ruling Liberal-National coalition pulled off a shocking election victory on May 18 was that \"society has become awakened to the looming dark shadow of China's aspiration for hegemony in the region.\"\n\nChina takes in 30% of Australian exports, the most of any trading partner, while serving as Australia's biggest source of foreign direct investment. The relationship is a big driver behind Australia's 27-year streak of unbroken economic expansion. Simply put, Australia needs China.\n\nBut Canberra has also shown alarm over Chinese influence.\n\nIt has banned political donations by foreign nationals and corporations, while requiring individuals working for overseas organizations to register. In February, Canberra rescinded the permanent residency of Huang Xiangmo, a Chinese property developer and lavish political donor, and barred him from re-entering the country.\n\nAll this followed the resignation of Labor Senator Sam Dastyari in 2018 amid a swirl of questions over his support of Beijing's South China Sea policy and his murky dealings with Chinese businesses. Diamond thinks the perception that Labor would be softer on China hurt the party at the polls.\n\nThe U.S., where the trade and tech wars dominate the headlines, is also rooting out Chinese influence.\n\nThe U.S. government has zeroed in on Beijing-funded Confucius Institutes, which teach Mandarin and Chinese culture on hundreds of college campuses worldwide. China says they are friendly educational programs, but Washington sees them as propaganda outfits. Now, colleges that want to continue receiving Pentagon subsidies for language instruction must abolish the institutes.\n\nTwenty-one U.S. schools have closed them, 16 since last year, according to In the name of Confucius, an NGO. Globally, 34 universities have cut ties with them.\n\nA court case in April heightened the U.S. sense of urgency. Ying Lin, a former Air China manager and naturalized American citizen, pleaded guilty in New York to working as an agent for China's military. She stood accused of abusing her position by accepting packages from military officers and sending them on flights as unaccompanied luggage or checked under passengers' names.\n\n\"This case is a stark example of the Chinese government using the employees of Chinese companies doing business here to engage in illegal activity,\" said Assistant Attorney General John Demers.\n\nBut are governments willing to stick their necks out over China's treatment of its own people?\n\nGermany, in a clear acknowledgment of waning freedom in Hong Kong, in May 2018 granted asylum to two young pro-independence activists who had been charged for taking part in violent unrest but skipped bail, Reuters reported late last month. The news earned the German acting consul general in Hong Kong a rebuke from Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor.\n\nWuerkaixi, an ethnic Uighur and former Tiananmen student leader now in exile in Taiwan, argues the world must stand up for human rights.\n\nAnywhere from 800,000 to over 2 million Uighurs, ethnic Kazakhs and other Muslims have been rounded up in China's Xinjiang, according to a U.S. State Department report. Wuerkaixi wants to see enforcement of existing U.S. laws like the Magnitsky Act, which allows for freezing assets of foreign officials responsible for abuses and denying them visas. \"When China becomes a clear and present danger, it is the responsibility of the whole global community to act,\" he said.\n\n\"After 30 years, the whole world is learning who the Chinese Communist Party really is.\"", "Event of the Greens Party in the German Parliament to mark the 30th anniversary of the Tiananmen Massacre in Berlin\n\nBERLIN (Reuters) - A Hong Kong independence activist said on Tuesday that proposed amendments to the city's legal system that would allow captured fugitives to be sent to China could deal a fatal blow to the territory's judicial independence.\n\nSpeaking on the 30th anniversary of China's military crackdown on student-led democracy protests in and around Tiananmen Square, Ray Wong urged democratic countries to up the pressure on the Chinese government to respect human rights.\n\n\"This law is the final nail in the coffin,\" Wong, who was granted refugee status in Germany, told Reuters TV in Berlin. \"Because if this law is passed the legal system in Hong Kong will be destroyed. Hong Kong will be just another city in China.\"\n\nCalls to the Chinese embassy and Hong Kong's Economic and Trade Office in Berlin seeking comment went unanswered.\n\nThe legal amendments being pushed by the special administrative region's government mark one of the starkest challenges to Hong Kong's legal system and are increasingly troubling its business, political and diplomatic communities.\n\nThe city's independent legal system was guaranteed under the laws governing Hong Kong's return from British to Chinese rule 22 years ago and is seen by the financial hub's business and diplomatic communities as its strongest remaining asset amid encroachments from Beijing. Hong Kong's extensive autonomy is guaranteed until 2047.\n\nWong spoke to Reuters before a seminar on human rights in China in the Bundestag lower house on the 30th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square crackdown, which was marked with a somber candlelight vigil in Hong Kong attended by tens of thousands.\n\nThe proposed changes provide for case-by-case extraditions to countries, including mainland China, beyond the 20 states with which Hong Kong already has treaties.\n\nThe amendments allow for the chief executive to both seek the arrest of a fugitive and sign off on their extradition once approved by the courts, including any appeals and judicial reviews.\n\nBut they also eliminate the oversight roles of the chief executive's cabinet and the city's legislative body, which can currently step in to evaluate extradition arrangements.\n\nWong is one of two Hong Kong activists facing rioting charges in Hong Kong who have been granted refugee status by Germany. China's Xinhua state news agency on May 25 said Beijing had made \"solemn representations\" to Germany over its decision, demanding Berlin correct its \"mistakes\".\n\nHong Kong's Chief Executive Carrie Lam has also expressed \"deep regrets and strong objections\" to Germany about the case. Hong Kong authorities deny persecuting activists.\n\nGreens parliamentary leader Katrin Goering-Eckardt said German companies doing business in China should become more aware of the country's human rights violations, including the detention of more than 1 million ethnic Uighurs and other Muslims in what activists say are mass detention camps.\n\n\"German companies are doing business in China very carelessly,\" she said.\n\nChina has faced growing international condemnation for what it calls re-education and training centers in the remote western region of Xinjiang. Some 5,200 German companies are active in China, employing about 1.1 million people, compared with 900 Chinese companies with branches in Europe's largest economy.\n\n\"It is our responsibility to ensure that companies that take part in human rights violations and mass surveillance in China are granted no public contracts in Germany,\" said Goering-Eckardt. \"We must sanction human rights violators.\""], "summary": "Tens of thousands of people gather in Hong Kong to mark the 30th anniversary of the crackdown on protests in Beijing's Tiananmen Square. Hong Kong is one of the two places in China where people can openly commemorate the event, the other being Macau, to a lesser extent; elsewhere in China, the authorities have banned and blocked any reference to the crackdown."}
{"document": ["Fledgling party to be led by Anna Soubry after departure of Heidi Allen and Chuka Umunna\n\nThis article is more than 3 months old\n\nThis article is more than 3 months old\n\nSix of Change UK’s 11 MPs, including its spokesman, Chuka Umunna, and interim leader Heidi Allen, have abandoned the fledgling party after its dire performance at the European elections.\n\nChange UK announced that it now had just five MPs, who will be led by the former Conservative business minister and anti-Brexit campaigner Anna Soubry.\n\nThe others remaining are the former Labour MPs Mike Gapes, Chris Leslie, Joan Ryan and Ann Coffey. In their statement, they said they would embark on a “nationwide programme of deliberative democracy”, across the UK.\n\n“Change UK doesn’t just belong to MPs. It belongs to the country and those looking for a sense of hope and leadership to genuinely change our politics,” the five said in a statement.\n\n“We are in it for the long haul,” Leslie said. “It was never going to be easy to challenge the established parties. Of course there’s a whole treacle of cynicism that gets poured on people who try to do something different.”\n\nHe said the MPs had agreed that Soubry, who has been a leading figure in the People’s Vote campaign was “absolutely the clearest voice” in the “Brexit maelstrom” – and that they did not want to waste crucial weeks selecting a leader, like the Conservative party.\n\nSoubry said she was “deeply disappointed” that colleagues had resigned. “Now is not the time to walk away, but instead to roll up our sleeves and stand up for the sensible mainstream centre ground which is unrepresented in British politics today,” she said.\n\nSeveral of the MPs who have quit the party are believed to be considering defecting to the resurgent Liberal Democrats, although they issued a statement saying that they would initially sit as a group of independents.\n\nAllen and Umunna have both been advocating closer cooperation with Vince Cable’s party. Some of their erstwhile colleagues suspect they may have been offered plum seats, or the backing of Lib Dem activists in their existing constituency, if they defect.\n\nThe other four MPs to quit the party were Luciana Berger, who fronted its slick press launch on London’s South Bank in February, Gavin Shuker, who had spent months drawing up secret plans for the breakaway group, Sarah Wollaston and Angela Smith.\n\nOnly a national government can deliver Britain from its Brexit nightmare | Ed Davey Read more\n\nChange UK, which was initially called the Independent Group, caused a stir in Westminster when it was launched four months ago after the defection of seven Labour MPs. It had hoped to become the catalyst for a major political realignment, attracting a string of other recruits and becoming the rallying point for remainers.\n\nHigh-profile candidates including the former Conservative minister Stephen Dorrell, and the journalists Rachel Johnson and Gavin Esler, joined the party’s list of prospective MEPs.\n\nHowever, it has been beset by internal disagreements over strategy and management, including how closely to cooperate with other parties.\n\nChange UK’s leading candidate to become an MEP in Scotland, David MacDonald, stepped aside from the race and recommended voting for the Lib Dems. Two other candidates resigned after offensive social media posts were uncovered.\n\nEven before the European election polling day, Johnson questioned its strategy, saying: “If I were running it, we would have one leader and a different name and we would have done a deal with all the other remain parties. Then we would be able to give the Brexit party a fight.”\n\nTimeline Change UK's breakaway MPs – the story so far Show Hide Luciana Berger, Ann Coffey, Mike Gapes, Chris Leslie, Gavin Shuker, Angela Smith and Chuka Umunna quit the Labour party. Almost immediately Smith is heavily criticised for referring to people from minority backgrounds as having a 'funny tinge' - for which she later apologises. Three Conservative MPs leave their party to join the group: Sarah Wollaston, Heidi Allen, and Anna Soubry. Joan Ryan, ex-Labour, had joined the group the day before. After renaming itself Change UK, the party gets into a row with petition site Change.org, who release a statement warning it will be 'seeking guidance' over the 'imitation' of its brand. Two election candidates are forced to resign within 24 hours of each other after offensive tweets emerge, including Joseph Russo, the party's top Scotland candidate, writing 'black women scare me'. MP Joan Ryan bizarrely implores the audience at the party's Bath rally to look at their palms: 'It's there, the future is in your hands'. The day before the party's lead Scottish candidate felt the future lay elsewhere - defecting to the Lib Dems a week before European elections. Party leader Heidi Allen suggests Change UK may not exist at general election. 'Will I stand again [...] as Change UK, in whatever format? Let's hope, depends when next general election comes,' she says\n\nIn the week before the European parliamentary elections it emerges that Change UK spent £87,000 on Facebook adverts, becoming the biggest single political advertiser on Facebook - including spending at least £1,300 promoting Facebook adverts mistakenly saying it was campaigning to 'remain in the UK'. The party ends up winning 3.4% of the vote at the election, securing no MEPs. Six of Change UK’s 11 MPs, including its spokesman Chuka Umunna and interim leader Heidi Allen, abandon the fledgling party. Former Conservative business minister and anti-Brexit campaigner Anna Soubry becomes leader. Party announces it would be renamed for third time after legal threat from Change.org, and has applied to the Electoral Commission to be known as the Independent Group for Change. Chuka Umunna says there is no room for two centre-ground parties in British politics after he joins the Liberal Democrats 10 days after abandoning Change UK. Four of the original breakaways, Heidi Allen, Luciana Berger, Gavin Shuker and Angela Smith form a new group, the Independents. Joining them is former Labour MP John Woodcock. Not to be confused with either independent MPs or the Independent Group for Change, they say they are not forming a party, but are 'a co-operative of independent politicians working with you to find new ways forward in politics'. Sarah Wollaston joins the Liberal Democrats.\n\nAllen, the South Cambridgeshire MP, was appointed interim leader, but Umunna was still widely regarded as Change UK’s public face. Allen admitted she had considered resigning in the run-up to the European elections. She had suggested voting tactically for the Lib Dems in that poll, a proposal Soubry later called “rather bizarre”.\n\nSoubry and Umunna had struck up a close political friendship as co-chairs of the cross-party group on EU relations, which coordinated the tabling of anti-Brexit amendments in parliament.\n\nBut the pair clashed over Change UK’s future direction, with Soubry determined that it should continue as a political party, while Umunna became convinced it could only survive by striking up a close alliance with the Lib Dems.\n\nCable’s party positioned themselves as the leading pro-remain party at the European elections, with a punchy “bollocks to Brexit” slogan. The party’s strong performance, scooping up 20% of the vote, followed gains in local elections in May. Change UK, in contrast, took 3%.\n\nUmunna published a statement on his website on Tuesday, saying he had differed with colleagues over the party’s direction.\n\n“While I believe it should carry on as an organisation, I do not believe Change UK should carry on in its current form. This has put me in a fundamentally different place not only to other Change UK parliamentary colleagues but also its activists and candidates who should be free to take the party in the direction they wish,” he said.\n\nHe added that he planned to sit as an independent in parliament, “for the time being”.\n\nWith Cable stepping aside, frontrunners for the Lib Dem leadership, Ed Davey and Jo Swinson, have suggested they would welcome new recruits.\n\nSwinson said: “As the European and local election results showed, the old, two-party politics is fracturing. The Liberal Democrats are at the heart of the fight against nationalism and populism and I want to lead this party to grow that movement.”\n\nDavey, who had been more sceptical about the idea of an electoral pact with the breakaway group, said: “Change UK’s swift demise shows that my reluctance from the beginning to discuss mergers and pacts, and to hold firm in our belief that the Liberal Democrats are the clear home for all who want to stop Brexit, was the right call.”", "\n• Change UK rocked after 6 of its 11 MPs quit the struggling party.\n• The party was formed by former Conservative and Labour MPs in February.\n• But it has struggled in both the polls and the ballot box and failed to win a single seat in this week’s European Parliament elections.\n• Former Conservative MP Anna Soubry was elected as new leader.\n\nLONDON – Six of Change UK’s 11 MPs dramatically quit the party on Tuesday, just five months after it was established, following a disastrous performance in the European elections.\n\nChange UK issued a statement on Tuesday saying the party now consisted of just five MPs.\n\nChuka Umunna, Sarah Wollaston, Heidi Allen, Luciana Berger, Gavin Shuker, Angela Smith all confirmed they were leaving the party.\n\nThe remaining MPs are Anna Soubry, Chris Leslie, Joan Ryan, Mike Gapes, and Ann Coffey. Soubry will replace Heidi Allen as permanent party leader.\n\nIn a statement, Soubry said: “I’m deeply disappointed that at such a crucial time in British politics our former colleagues have made this decision.\n\n“Now is not the time to walk away, but instead to roll up our sleeves and stand up for the sensible mainstream centre ground which is unrepresented in British politics today. “Going forward, the Change UK MPs are as determined to fix Britain’s broken politics as we were when we left our former parties.\n\nIn a separate statement, the party’s departing MPs said they remained “proud” of what the party had achieved but had “concluded that by returning to sit as independents, we will be best placed to work cross party and respond flexibly.”\n\nOne Change UK source told Business Insider that the six departing MPs had been “spooked” by the European election results and had started to “worry about keeping their seats” at the next general election.\n\nSome but not all of the six MPs are expected to eventually join the Liberal Democrats, sources familiar with Change UK told Business Insider. For now they will sit as independent representatives in the House of Commons.\n\nChange UK launched in February as The Independent Group when eleven MPs quit Labour and the Conservatives in protest against the leaders and state of their former parties, including their policies on Brexit.\n\nThe party had hoped to replace the Liberal Democrats as the most popular centrist party in British politics and eventually challenge the Tories and Labour as a party of government.\n\nHowever, they struggled to gain traction with the public, following a series of name changes and blunders, including failing to submit a compliant logo to electoral authorities in time for the European elections.\n\nThe party went on to win just over three per cent of the national vote and no Members of the European Parliament.\n\nThere also been disagreement within Change UK over whether the new party should work together with other anti-Brexit parties in elections, with members like MPs Chris Leslie and Anna Soubry arguing against it.\n\nSoubry publicly criticised the party’s interim leader Allen on the eve of the European elections, for suggesting that anti-Brexit Brits should vote tactically and back the Lib Dems.\n\n“I think it is rather bizarre for an interim leader on the eve of poll to tell people essentially not to vote for their party,” Soubry last month.\n\n“You do not stand candidates and then say to people ‘we are going through a complete farce please don’t vote for them.”\n\nThe Lib Dems went on to win 20% of the vote and continue to receive a boost in post-election polls, leading in one recent survey.", "Anna Soubry has become leader of Change UK after six MPs quit the party, it has been announced.\n\nWe reported earlier today how the Change UK party appears to be in turmoil with a number of MPs considering quitting.\n\nThe Press Association understands that some of its 11 MPs are contemplating joining the Liberal Democrats or becoming independents, while others are keen to keep the newly founded party going.\n\nParty leader Heidi Allen has previously floated the idea of a possible merger with the Lib Dems.\n\nThe party, originally called the Independent Group, is made up of MPs who left Labour and Tory ranks.\n\nTalk of a split comes after Change UK performed poorly in the European Parliament elections.\n\nThe Mirror understands six MPs will return to being Independents but five plan to stay as part of Change UK.\n\nThere was a suggestion the breakaway MPs could join the Liberal Democrats who soared into second place in the European poll as the leading Remain party while Change UK languished in eighth place on 3.4%.\n\nThe group is meeting this afternoon to discuss their future.\n\nIt has been beset by disagreements over strategy including a spat over a pro-Remain pact for the European elections.\n\nInterim leader Heidi Allen hinted at a possible merger with the Liberal Democrats after the poll, saying: “I think we are sensible enough to know we can’t do it on our own.\n\n“Do we all agree that the long goal is something centrist together? Then, yes, we are all on that same path.”\n\nBut sources suggest there are no plans to do so at this point", "Change UK has elected Anna Soubry as their new leader after six of the party’s 11 MPs quit today.\n\nThe cross-party group appears to be on the verge of collapse following their humiliating blow at the European Elections.\n\nAs many as six of the party’s 11 MPs – including interim leader Heidi Allen – have left the breakaway party.\n\nSoubry said she was ‘deeply disappointed’ Allen, Chuka Umunna, Luciana Berger, Sarah Wollaston, Gavin Shuker and Angela Smith had walked out, but insisted there was still a party to lead.\n\nThe former Tory MPs is left with just Chris Leslie, Joan Ryan, Mike Gapes and Ann Coffey as the only remaining Change UK MPs.\n\nChange UK, formerly known as the Independent Group, said in a statement following the news: ‘Challenging the established political parties was never going to be easy. But we remain determined to fix Britain’s broken politics and we are in this for the long haul.\n\n‘You may have heard the news that some of our MPs group have decided to leave Change UK, which is saddening and disappointing just at the moment we need to roll up our sleeves, challenge the Brexit emergency and champion sensible evidence-based policy-making in the face of the main parties drifting to the ideological fringes.\n\n‘We regret their decision, but it is vital we continue to lead and look forward to future elections – and get started on building our policies and party across the country.’\n\nAnnouncing the news in a statement, the now independent MPs, said: ‘We are all immensely proud of the team of Change UK candidates and supporters who stepped forward to join us in making the unequivocal case for Remain in the recent EU elections.’\n\nIt added: ‘Heidi Allen, Luciana Berger, Gavin Shucker, Angela Smith, Chuka Umunna and Sarah Wollaston have made the decision to leave Change UK, returning to supporting each other as an independent grouping of MPs.\n\n‘We believe that our priority right now must be to provide collegiate leadership to bring people together in the national interest.’\n\nLiberal Democrat leader Sir Vince Cable said he would like the MPs to join his party but could also work with them in other ways.\n\nHe told the BBC: ‘Most of the group are people who share the same values as we do.\n\n‘My door is open to talk with them, particularly the independent group, about their future.\n\n‘I don’t want to gloat over their failure. It was a failure. But we have got to move on and I want to be positive about it.’\n\nThis comes after Allen suggested voting tactically for the Lib Dems in the EU elections, a proposal Soubry later called ‘bizarre’.\n\nChange UK added: ‘We are delighted that Anna Soubry has taken on the role as our new leader, and our hope is to quickly broaden out our nationwide leadership to include some of our key supporters and activists from across the country.\n\n‘Change UK doesn’t just belong to MPs. It belongs to the country and those looking for a sense of hope and leadership to genuinely change our politics, not simply settle for the existing party status quo.\n\n‘We hope that you agree this is a cause worth fighting for – and we will need your help and support going forward.\n\n‘While British politics slips into chaos around us, now is the time to stand firm in our beliefs and champion the mainstream centre ground values we articulated when we left our former parties in the first place.’", "Anna Soubry has become leader of Change UK after six MPs quit the party.\n\nThe newly formed party split as high-profile figures like Chuka Umunna and ex-leader Heidi Allen walked out.\n\nAlong with former Tory minister Ms Soubry, the remaining Change UK MPs are Chris Leslie, Joan Ryan, Mike Gapes and Ann Coffey.\n\nThe split comes after the party, originally called the Independent Group, performed poorly in the European Parliament elections.\n\nThe six MPs who quit Change UK will now sit as independents.\n\nMs Soubry, who quit the Tories in protest at its Brexit stance, said: \"I'm deeply disappointed that at such a crucial time in British politics our former colleagues have made this decision.\n\n\"Now is not the time to walk away, but instead to roll up our sleeves and stand up for the sensible mainstream centre ground which is unrepresented in British politics today.\n\n\"Going forward, the Change UK MPs are as determined to fix Britain's broken politics as we were when we left our former parties.\n\n\"Challenging the established broken political parties was never going to be easy.\n\n\"We registered as a political party to stand in the European elections but it was never our sole purpose.\n\n\"It is vital we continue leading the fight against a damaging Brexit, pressing for a People's Vote and being prepared to revoke Article 50 in the face of a no-deal Brexit.\n\n\"But Brexit is not the cause of our broken politics, it is a symptom of it. So we now look forward to providing a real choice for the public in future elections and building our policies through the evidence-led, deliberative policy making project we were planning before the European elections.\"\n\nA joint statement from the six MPs leaving Change UK, tweeted by Ms Allen and Sarah Wollaston, said that the party had boosted the European Parliament campaign and turnout.\n\nThe MPs, who also include Luciana Berger, Gavin Shuker, and Angela Smith said they would be \"supporting each other as an independent grouping\".\n\nThe MPs added: \"We believe that our priority right now must be to provide collegiate leadership to bring people together in the national interest.\n\n\"We know the landscape will continue to shift within the political environment and have concluded that by returning to sit as independents, we will be best placed to work cross-party and respond flexibly.\n\n\"We wish our colleagues well as they continue to build Change UK.\"\n\nLiberal Democrat leader Sir Vince Cable said he would like the MPs to join his party but could also work with them in other ways.\n\nHe told the BBC: \"Most of the group are people who share the same values as we do.\n\n\"My door is open to talk with them, particularly the independent group, about their future.\n\n\"I don't want to gloat over their failure. It was a failure. But we have got to move on and I want to be positive about it.\"\n\nVisit our Facebook pages for Coventry and Nuneaton or visit our Twitter pages for Coventry and Nuneaton\n\nWatch our videos on YouTube and see our photos on Instagram\n\nFind old stories in our online Archives and search for jobs, motors and property, or place an advert or family notice here", "Change UK has lost more than half of its MPs amid infighting and policy clashes in the wake of a disastrous EU election result.\n\nLeading figures in the party, including interim leader Heidi Allen and former Labour MP Chuka Umunna, have quit the upstart party.\n\nIn the wake of the defections, former Tory MP Anna Soubry has been co-opted as leader and said the remaining five MPs were “as determined as ever to fix broken politics”.\n\nAs well as Ms Allen and Mr Umunna, former Labour MPs Gavin Shuker, Luciana Berger and Angela Smith, and former Conservative Sarah Wollaston have left.\n\nPro-Remain party Change UK, formerly known as the Independent Group, launched just four months ago when a group of Labour and Tory MPs defected from their party and formed a breakout group.\n\nBut it is understood to have been beset with infighting over policy and strategy since its formation.\n\nDespite causing a splash in Westminster during its launch, with predictions that it could shake up both major parties, it is polling at less than one per cent just weeks later.\n\nAnd in the recent European elections, in which the pro-Remain Lib Dems outperformed expectations, Change UK failed to win a single seat.\n\nMs Soubry said she was “deeply disappointed that at such a crucial time in British politics our former colleagues have made this decision [to leave]”.\n\n“Now is not the time to walk away, but instead to roll up our sleeves and stand up for the sensible mainstream centre ground which is unrepresented in British politics today.”\n\n“Challenging the established broken political parties was never going to be easy,” she added. We registered as a political party to stand in the European elections but it was never our sole purpose.\n\n“It is vital we continue leading the fight against a damaging Brexit, pressing for a People’s Vote and being prepared to revoke Article 50 in the face of a no-deal Brexit.”", "Chuka Umunna has stepped down as Change UK’s lead spokesman to sit in parliament as an independent MP PAUL ELLIS/GETTY IMAGES\n\nChange UK all but collapsed yesterday as more than half its MPs quit just four months after leaving the two biggest parties with a vow to reshape British politics.\n\nAnna Soubry is left leading a group of five MPs but the other six, including the interim leader Heidi Allen and the lead spokesman Chuka Umunna, have become independents as they consider whether to jump ship to the Liberal Democrats.\n\nJoining Ms Allen, a former Tory, and Mr Umunna, a former Labour leadership candidate, in quitting yesterday were the ex-Tory Sarah Wollaston and the ex-Labour MPs Luciana Berger, Gavin Shuker and Angela Smith.\n\nThey leave behind the former Labour MPs Chris Leslie, Joan Ryan, Mike Gapes and Ann Coffey.", "Anna Soubry has become leader of Change UK after six MPs quit the party.\n\nThe newly formed party split as high profile figures like Chuka Umunna and ex-leader Heidi Allen walked out.\n\nAlong with former Tory minister Ms Soubry, the remaining Change UK MPs are Chris Leslie, Joan Ryan, Mike Gapes and Ann Coffey.\n\nThe split comes after the party, originally called the Independent Group, performed poorly in the European Parliament elections.\n\nMs Soubry, who quit the Tories in protest at its Brexit stance, said: “I’m deeply disappointed that at such a crucial time in British politics our former colleagues have made this decision.\n\n“Now is not the time to walk away, but instead to roll up our sleeves and stand up for the sensible mainstream centre ground which is unrepresented in British politics today.\n\n“Going forward, the Change UK MPs are as determined to fix Britain’s broken politics as we were when we left our former parties.\n\n“Challenging the established broken political parties was never going to be easy.\n\n“We registered as a political party to stand in the European elections but it was never our sole purpose.\n\n“It is vital we continue leading the fight against a damaging Brexit, pressing for a People’s Vote and being prepared to revoke Article 50 in the face of a no-deal Brexit.\n\n“But Brexit is not the cause of our broken politics, it is a symptom of it. So we now look forward to providing a real choice for the public in future elections and building our policies through the evidence-led, deliberative policy making project we were planning before the European elections.”", "Change UK have split just four months after the 11 former Labour and Tory MPs formed a new party - and they've even elected another new leader.\n\nIt has been exactly six weeks since Change UK launched its campaign for the European Parliamentary elections right here in Bristol.\n\nThe nation’s media descended on the city for the launch and they, along with dozens of party supporters, packed out a function room at We The Curious.\n\nIt was a launch that came with all the bells and whistles - a dramatic walk-in, outbreaks of applause, some famous names on the candidate list and plenty of Change UK branding.\n\nWhen asked why Bristol for the launch MP Chris Leslie, who is one of the five to remain with the party - said it’s because “We The Curious - a lot of people are curious about what’s going on in politics.”\n\nUnfortunately it seems not a lot of people were curious about Change UK.\n\nThe party had a pretty dismal EU elections last month, when it failed to get a single MEP elected.\n\nNationally Change UK managed to get just 3.4 per cent of the vote - coming just ahead of Ukip and Welsh nationalist party Plaid Cymru.\n\nAnd it seems this result has led to a split within the party both figuratively and literally.\n\nOn Tuesday (June 4) six of the party’s 11 MPs announced the would be leaving the party to sit as independents with just five staying as part of Change UK.\n\nThe rump of the party have elected ex-Tory Anna Soubry as their new leader.\n\nChris Leslie, Mike Gapes, Joan Ryan and Ann Coffey will remain with the party.\n\nBut Chuka Umunna, Sarah Wollaston, Heidi Allen, Angela Smith and Luciana Berger have said they will return to \"supporting each other as an independent grouping of MPs.\"\n\nThere was a suggestion the breakaway MPs could join the Liberal Democrats who soared into second place in the European poll as the leading Remain party.\n\nLiberal Democrat deputy leader and leadership candidate, Jo Swinson, has invited all pro-Remain politicians to join their party.\n\nBut according to the Mirror Online sources suggest there are currently no plans to do so.\n\nCommenting on the split Ms Soubry MP said: \"I'm deeply disappointed that at such a crucial time in British politics our former colleagues have made this decision.\n\n\"Now is not the time to walk away, but instead to roll up our sleeves and stand up for the sensible mainstream centre ground which is unrepresented in British politics today.\n\n“Going forward, the Change UK MPs are as determined to fix Britain’s broken politics as we were when we left our former parties.\n\n“Challenging the established broken political parties was never going to be easy. We registered as a political party to stand in the European elections but it was never our sole purpose.\n\n\"It is vital we continue leading the fight against a damaging Brexit, pressing for a People’s Vote and being prepared to revoke Article 50 in the face of a no-deal Brexit.\"\n\nThe new party was formed when seven MPs broke away from Labour citing concerns about the party's Brexit policy, the leadership and the handling of anti-Semitism.\n\nThey were soon joined by three Tory MPs Heidi Allen, Anna Soubry and Sarah Wollaston who had all clashed with their party over Brexit.\n\nInitially known as the Independent Group, called TIG by some, they finally decided on the name Change UK.\n\nThey stood a number of high profile candidates in the European elections, including Rachel Johnson in the South West and former BBC journalist Gavin Esler but failed to get the votes they needed to gain an MEP.", "These are external links and will open in a new window\n\nChange UK has lost six of its 11 MPs following a disappointing performance in last month's EU elections, when it failed to get a single MEP elected.\n\nThe party announced that a new party leader, Anna Soubry, had been elected.\n\nShe said she was \"deeply disappointed\" that Heidi Allen, Chuka Umunna, Sarah Wollaston, Angela Smith, Luciana Berger and Gavin Shuker had left.\n\nThe departing MPs said they would be \"returning to supporting each other as an independent grouping of MPs\".\n\nChange UK - formally known as the Independent Group - was formed earlier this year by MPs who quit Labour and the Conservatives.\n\nA joint statement from the six outgoing members said they believed it was their priority now \"to provide collegiate leadership to bring people together in the national interest\".\n\n\"We know the landscape will continue to shift within the political environment and have concluded that by returning to sit as independents, we will be best placed to work cross-party and respond flexibly.\n\n\"We wish our colleagues well as they continue to build Change UK.\"\n• Has time run out for another referendum?\n• Change UK leader wants to work with Lib Dems\n\nMs Soubry, who has taken over from Ms Allen as leader, said: \"I'm deeply disappointed that at such a crucial time in British politics our former colleagues have made this decision.\n\n\"Now is not the time to walk away, but instead to roll up our sleeves and stand up for the sensible mainstream centre ground which is unrepresented in British politics today.\"\n\nShe said the party was \"as determined to fix Britain's broken politics as we were when we left our former parties\".\n\nBBC political correspondent Ben Wright said there had clearly been turmoil in the party's ranks for number of weeks\".\n\n\"It has been obvious that there was an internal disagreement over where the party should be positioning itself, what its long term tactics should be, whether it should be cosying up to the Lib Dems or maintaining itself as an independent party,\" he said.\n\n\"Change UK was being squeezed by the other parties campaigning for Remain and didn't keep the momentum going that it had earlier in the year when it launched.\"\n\nThe party had pledged to push for any Brexit deal negotiated by the government to be voted on at a referendum - or \"People's Vote\" - in which it would campaign for the UK to remain in the EU.\n\nBut in last month's European Parliament elections, Change UK gained only 3.4% of the vote."], "summary": "Six Change UK MPs quit the party, with several said to be defecting to the Liberal Democrats, including its interim leader Heidi Allen and spokesperson Chuka Umunna after the party failed to win a single seat in the 2019 European Parliament election. Anna Soubry, one of its remaining four MPs, becomes the party's new leader."}
{"document": ["On Tuesday, the Democratic-led House of Representatives is expected to pass legislation seeking to provide permanent protections and offer a pathway to citizenship for more than two million immigrants who had their lives \"thrown into limbo\" by the Trump administration, immigration advocates say.\n\nThe American Dream and Promise Act of 2019, which was spearheaded by Democratic Representative Lucille Roybal-Allard of California, seeks to provide permanent status not only to undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. illegally as minors, known as Dreamers, but also to those living in the U.S. under the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) programs.\n\nTPS is a temporary status allowing nationals who are unable to safely return to their home countries due to armed conflict, natural disaster or other extraordinary and temporary conditions to remain in the U.S. until it is safe to return.\n\nDED does not extend a specific immigration status to beneficiaries, but it currently allows some 4,000 Liberian nationals displaced by conflict and the Ebola crisis to live in the U.S. without fear of removal, at least until their protections run out.\n\nUnder President Donald Trump, both programs face uncertain futures, with the U.S. leader's administration seeking to end protections for hundreds of thousands of TPS beneficiaries, while also ordering a \"wind-down\" of the DED program slated to begin as of March 30, 2020.\n\nThat is why, immigration advocates say, the American Dream and Promise Act of 2019, or H.R.6, could not come at a better time, offering a potential pathway to citizenship for as many as 2.5 million Dreamers, TPS holders and DED beneficiaries, according to estimates from the Center for American Progress (CAP) and the University of Southern California Dornsife Center for the Study of Immigration Integration.\n\nAs many as 2.1 million immigrants \"would be eligible under the measures for Dreamers, undocumented immigrants who arrived in the United States as children,\" CAP said in a press release on Monday. Those numbers would include as many as 673,000 recipients of the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which the Trump administration has sought to bring to an end. As many as \"460,000 immigrants would be eligible under the measures for TPS and DED recipients,\" CAP said.\n\n\"Dreamers and TPS or DED holders are immigrants who have lived much of their lives in the United States,\" the organization noted. \"The average TPS recipient has lived here for 22 years, the vast majority of that time in lawful status, while the average Dreamer potentially eligible for protection under the bill came to the United States at age 8,\" CAP said, noting that \"given their long-term resident in the United States, many of these immigrants have families here.\"\n\nIn a separate press release, immigration advocacy group United We Dream called on congress members to pass the American Dream and Promise Act and provide permanent protections for \"families and communities\" that have \"had their lives thrown into limbo due to the cruel actions of the Trump administration.\"\n\n\"The Dream and Promise Act recognizes the urgent need to provide permanent protections without using this group as bargaining chips to grow the Deportation Force,\" United We Dream said.\n\nThe organization said its members would be gathering on Capitol Hill to support the legislation, along with immigrant youth, TPS and DED recipients who would benefit from its protections.\n\n\"While on Capitol Hill, they will remind the new Democratic majority to reject any anti-immigrant additions to the bill that would racially profile and criminalize immigrants and people of color or continue to build up the Deportation Force,\" United We Dream said.\n\nIn addition to providing protections and a pathway to citizenship for millions of people, H.R.6 also seeks to repeal a restriction that bars states from providing higher education benefits to undocumented immigrants unless those benefits are available to all U.S. citizens.\n\nThe bill is expected to pass the Democratic-led House, but is likely to face difficulties in the Republican-controlled Senate, which rejected similar immigration proposals last year.", "WASHINGTON, June 4, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Teamsters Union applauds today's passage of the Dream and Promise Act in the U.S. House of Representatives.\n\nThe Dream and Promise Act would provide a path to legal permanent residency and citizenship for Dreamers who came to the United States as children and for workers who came from countries covered by the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) program.\n\nThe legislation would allow union members to continue contributing to their communities, supporting their families and the U.S economy. The legislation would help provide a secure future for workers and a stable workforce in construction, food processing, transportation, hospitality and many other industries.\n\n\"We are a nation of immigrants and our nation has prospered thanks to immigrants. Members of our union follow the rules, work hard, pay taxes and strengthen our communities. They deserve stability and the Dream and Promise Act will provide that. We look forward to this legislation moving forward and becoming law,\" said Ron Herrera, International Vice President and Executive Director of the Teamsters National Hispanic Caucus.\n\n\"Immigrants make our country stronger and they make our union stronger. The Dream and Promise Act will bring long-time residents out of the shadows by creating permanent protections and a fair path to citizenship for Dreamers and TPS holders. The Teamsters know that standing up for workers means standing up for all workers. When companies exploit immigrants it drives down wages and working conditions for immigrants and non-immigrants alike,\" said George Miranda, International Vice President At Large and President of the Teamsters National Hispanic Caucus. \"We commend the House of Representatives for passing this legislation. Our union will continue working until it is law and our immigrant members are protected.\"\n\n\"It's good news to hear that the House passed the Dream and Promise Act. A few months ago, I came to D.C. to share my story as a truck driver and TPS holder with our representatives. We make so many contributions to our communities and economy. We need solutions, and we hope the Senate moves on this soon,\" said Cesar Rodriguez, an XPO driver and TPS recipient.\n\nFounded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.4 million hardworking men and women throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Visit www.teamster.org for more information. Follow us on Twitter @Teamsters and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/teamsters.", "FANM applauds Passage of the Dream and Promise Act in the House\n\nThe Dream Act and Promise Act will give permanent protections for recipients of TPS, DED, and those eligible for DACA\n\nMIAMI – On Tuesday, June 4th, The U.S. House of Representatives voted for the passage of the American Dream and Promise Act of 2019 (H.R.6). H.R. 6 which would provide a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers, Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) recipients.\n\nMarleine Bastien, Executive Director of Family Action Network Movement (FANM) issued the following statement:\n\n“This bill is a great step toward finding a permanent solution for these deserving families. They will provide protection to the well-deserved and hardworking taxpayers. They will trailblaze a path to permanent residency for thousands of TPS, DACA and DED recipients. The Dream and Promise Act will give TPS and DACA recipients a safe haven in the U.S. where they have established their lives by contributing to our economy and our communities. Now FANM urges the Senate and the United States President to make this historic bill to become law. Our immigrant families deserve it”\n\nFANM’s mission is to empower low to moderate income families socially, financially, and politically and to give them the tools to transform their communities.", "Washington — With a handful of Republican votes, House Democrats passed the latest version of the DREAM Act, an ambitious expansion of a nearly two-decades-long legislative effort that would place millions of young undocumented immigrants and immigrants with temporary status on a pathway to U.S. citizenship.\n\nThe Democratic-led chamber approved the sweeping immigration bill, dubbed the DREAM and Promise Act of 2019, by a vote of 237 to 187, sending the legislation to the Republican-controlled Senate, which is unlikely to consider it. The White House has also issued a veto threat against the measure.\n\nSeven Republicans in the House joined 230 Democrats in voting for the bill. No Democrats voted against the measure.\n\nThe proposal would grant young undocumented immigrants who came to the U.S. as children, including those shielded from deportation by the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, an opportunity to acquire permanent lawful status if they meet certain requirements. The bill would also allow hundreds of thousands of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) recipients — as well as Liberian immigrants covered by Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) — to gain permanent residency.\n\n“There hasn’t been a vote on a bill like this since 2010, so it is a big deal,” Bruna Bouhid, a 27-year-old DACA recipient told CBS News, referring to the last time a chamber in Congress passed a version of the DREAM Act, which was first introduced in 2001. “Our communities have been fighting for this for a really long time.”\n\nBouhid, who came to the U.S. from Brazil when she was 7, said the bill’s passage sends a clear message to Congress that immigrants, including those like her who could face deportation if their protections end, will only support proposals to legalize their status if they do not include more funding for immigration enforcement agencies, like Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP).\n\n“You have an administration that proactively killed DACA, TPS and DED to put these communities at risk of deportation. They’ve been hellbent on using ICE and CBP to go after our communities,” she added.\n\nDespite the bill’s bleak prospects in the Senate, House Democrats believe the passage of one of their signature legislative issues will convey to the electorate that they continue using their majority to push through legislation, even during a tense standoff with the White House and increasing talk of a possible impeachment inquiry against President Trump.\n\n“This is a day that glorifies what America is to the world. A place of refuge, a place of safety, a place of opportunity,” House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said at a press conference before the vote, citing a speech in which Republican President Ronald Reagan said the U.S. is a “better nation” because of immigrants.\n\n“We will send it to the Senate and then we’ll keep on keeping on until it is the law of the land,” Hoyer added.\n\nThe legislation — spearheaded by Reps. Lucille Roybal-Allard, Nydia Velázquez and Yvette Clarke — would grant DACA recipients and other young undocumented immigrants conditional U.S. permanent residency for 10 years if they meet certain criteria. To be eligible, immigrants must have been younger than 18 when they came to the U.S., and must have lived in the U.S. continuously over the previous four years. They must also have an American high school diploma or GED and pass a background check. Those who have committed serious crimes would be ineligible.\n\nTo be placed on a pathway to citizenship under the bill, these young immigrants must earn a college degree or complete two years of a degree program in an institution of higher education or technical school. They would also qualify if they served honorably in the military or have been employed in the U.S. for more than three years.\n\nThe proposal would also grant this group of young undocumented immigrant access to federal financial aid for college.\n\nDED and TPS recipients, meanwhile, would be able to obtain permanent residency if they have resided in the U.S. for more than three years before the proposed legislation is enacted and if they do not have any felony convictions or more than one misdemeanor.\n\nThe bill would also make it more difficult for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to end TPS designations for countries, as the Trump administration has sought to do. Since the president was sworn in, his administration tried to terminate TPS protections for more than 300,000 immigrants from El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Sudan, Nepal and Nicaragua. The administration’s efforts, however, have been hampered by court rulings.\n\nSince the fall of 2017, the White House has also tried to dismantle the DACA program, instituted by President Obama in 2012 through executive action. Four circuit courts, however, have blocked the government from completely dismantling the program, and the Supreme Court this week denied a Justice Department request to fast-track the high court’s consideration of the legal battle surrounding DACA.\n\nThe government currently allows more than 700,000 DACA recipients, commonly referred to as DREAMers, to renew their protections for a period of two years.", "The House voted on House Resolution 6 Tuesday afternoon. This is the American Dream and Promise Act.\n\nRepresentative Kevin Hern was not present for the vote because he traveled back to Oklahoma to join Vice President Mike Pence touring flood damage. Hern said he does not want to make a habit out of missing votes, but the crisis in the First District that he serves and the arrival of Vice President Mike Pence took precedent.\n\nIn a statement. Representative Hern said he would have voted no on House Resolution 6 if he could have been in attendance. Hern further stated that there are great dangers involved in granting amnesty to millions of people living in America illegally, including known criminals. He said he will never support those who violate the law at the expense of those who follow them.\n\nMost importantly, Representative Hern said, this bill does nothing to address the humanitarian crisis at the border with Mexico. Instead, he said it ignores the problem of illegal immigration and will result in increased apprehensions along the border and greater danger to both those crossing illegally and our border security working to protect our citizens.\n\nThe House passed the American Dream and Promise Act on Tuesday on a 237 to 187 vote.", "The House passed a vote Tuesday that would grant protection from deportation to illegal immigrants and give millions a path to permanent citizenship status.\n\nThe American Dream and Promise Act passed the House with a vote of 236-187. The legislation was brought forward by California Democratic Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard and will provide permanent status to illegal immigrants who came to the U.S. illegally as minors, as well as to those living in the U.S. under Temporary Protected Status, Newsweek reported.\n\nThis all comes as apprehensions of immigrants have increased every month since January. There have also been over 100,000 encounters at the southern border in both March and April, making it so the border crisis is on track to be the highest it has been in a decade.\n\nThe legislation would make it so 2.1 million immigrants “would be eligible under the measures for Dreamers, undocumented immigrants who arrived in the United States as children.”\n\nThe House Judiciary Committee criticized Democrats for pushing the bill forward, listing a number of reasons why amnesty should not be granted to illegal immigrants.\n\n\n\n Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez recently said the “tide is turning” against President Trump. Alex explains this is yet another attempt to push a false narrative about his support in order to get the ball rolling on the impeachment of the President.", "The Democrat-controlled House of Representatives on Tuesday voted 237 to 187 to pass the American Dream and Promise Act of 2019, which provides a pathway to citizenship for certain undocumented immigrants known as Dreamers who were brought to the U.S. as children, as well as to individuals who currently hold temporary protected status or who are subject to deferred enforced departure due to dangerous conditions in their home countries.\n\nHigher education groups have lobbied in support of the act, which would provide protections to individuals whose status was thrown into uncertainty by the Trump administration’s efforts, currently halted by federal courts, to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program -- an Obama-era program that provides protection against deportation as well as work authorization for Dreamers -- and withdraw TPS protections for some groups. The Republican-led Senate is not expected to take up the bill.", "McMorris Rodgers is Washington’s only member of Congress to vote ‘no’\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. (June 5, 2019) — Democrats and a handful of Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives voted 237-187 on Tuesday to approve a new version of the DREAM Act that would place more than 2 million young undocumented immigrants and immigrants with temporary status on a pathway to U.S. citizenship.\n\nWashington’s Democratic Reps. Suzan DelBene, Rick Larsen, Derek Kilmer, Pramila Jayapal, Kim Schrier, Adam Smith and Denny Heck all voted “yes.” Rep. Dan Newhouse (R-4th) was one of only seven Republicans to support the measure. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-5th) voted “no” while Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-3rd) did not vote.\n\n“I voted today to stand with Dreamers and immigrants who have come to the United States to escape armed conflict, natural disasters and other extraordinary circumstances,” Larsen said. “I have consistently fought for a permanent solution for people with DACA, TPS and DED so they can continue contributing to the U.S. economy.”\n\nThe Dream and Promise Act of 2019 (H.R. 6), which is strongly supported by the AFL-CIO, offers a pathway to citizenship for immigrants, many of whom have spent their entire lives in the United States under programs offering temporary status such as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), Temporary Protected Status (TPS), and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED). DACA “Dreamers” who are eligible for protection under the bill on average arrived in the United States at the age of 8 and have grown up and built their lives knowing the United States as their home. Immigrants eligible for TPS or DED—programs protecting individuals in the United States whose countries of origin are experiencing ongoing armed conflict, natural disasters, or other extraordinary conditions—have, on average, lived in the United States since 1997.\n\nSince President Trump’s term began, his administration has tried to dismantle the DACA program, instituted by President Obama in 2012 through executive action. Four circuit courts, however, have blocked the government from completely dismantling the program, and the Supreme Court this week denied a Justice Department request to fast-track the high court’s consideration of the legal battle surrounding DACA.\n\nThe Washington Post reports that, following Tuesday’s passage of H.R. 6, House Democratic leaders voiced optimism that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) would bring up the legislation in the Senate, though many believe it’s unlilkely given his past opposition to similar measures.\n\n“There should be nothing partisan or political about this legislation,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said at a news conference, flanked by other Democrats and supporters of the measure. “We are proud to pass it, we hope, in a bipartisan way.”\n\nImmigrants eligible for protection under H.R. 6 are part of Washington state’s social fabric. According to the Center for American Progress:\n\n● Washington is home to 52,200 immigrants who are eligible for protection under the Dream and Promise Act.\n\n● These individuals live with 121,200 family members; among those family members, 23,500 are U.S.-born citizen children.\n\n● Dreamers in Washington who are eligible for protection under the bill arrived in the\n\n United States at the average age of 8.\n\n● TPS- and DED-eligible immigrants in Washington who would be eligible for protection under H.R. 6 have on average lived in the United States since 1996.\n\nIn addition, Washington’s economy benefits from immigrants eligible for protection under H.R. 6:\n\n● Immigrants eligible for the Dream and Promise Act own 4,400 homes in Washington and pay $45,800,000 in annual mortgage payments.\n\n● Eligible immigrants and their households contribute $428,800,000 in federal taxes and $229,200,000 in state and local taxes each year.", "Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester released a statement June 4 after the House passed H.R. 6, the American Dream and Promise Act.\n\n“I’ve had the privilege and honor of meeting with Dreamers, immigrants living with temporary protective status, and their families. I was moved by their stories, their dreams and their dedication to the only home many have ever known,” said Blunt Rochester. “I co-sponsored the American Dream and Promise Act because it represents the type of common-sense immigration reform Americans have long demanded from Congress. I proudly voted for this bill today to keep families together and help these men and women who seek only to be productive and contributing members of our country. The bill establishes a pathway to citizenship for those that exemplify the values that this country was founded on, contributing to our American society, economy and enriching the fabric of our communities. The Dreamers have demonstrated their commitment to strengthening our country, including serving in our nation’s military, and they deserve the opportunity and stability to carry out those goals. I urge my colleagues in the Senate to put aside our partisan differences and act by sending this landmark and long overdue legislation to the president’s desk.”\n\nBlunt Rochester is a cosponsor of the American Dream and Promise Act, which would put about 2.5 million Dreamers and immigrants eligible for temporary protected status or deferred enforced departure on a pathway to citizenship. Delaware is home to about 4,000 immigrants eligible for protection under the Dream and Promise Act. These individuals live with about 9,600 family members, including 1,900 U.S.-born children. Dreamers in Delaware arrived to the U.S. at the average age of 9.", "Democrats in the US House of Representatives used their majority status on Tuesday to pass a bill that contemplates a path to citizenship for more than 2.5 million immigrants who entered the country without authorization or with only temporary status.\n\nThe House voted 237-187 in favor of the DREAM and Promise Act of 2019, as seven Republicans joined the Democrats in supporting the measure."], "summary": "The United States House of Representatives passes the American Dream and Promise Act (HR 6), which offers a path to citizenship for millions of immigrants."}
{"document": ["The death toll in Sudan amid a violent crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in Khartoum has reached 60, according to protest organisers.\n\nThe mounting casualties are the latest challenge to the protest movement, which now aims to show it can keep up pressure in the streets after its central rallying point – the weeks-long sit-in outside the military headquarters in Khartoum – was wiped out on Monday.\n\nIn April, the movement succeeded in forcing the military to remove Sudan’s longtime strongman, Omar al-Bashir. It then kept its sit-in going, demanding that the generals who took power hand over authority to civilians.\n\nThe last previously reported death toll stood at 40 but the Sudan Doctors Committee said security forces killed at least 10 people on Wednesday in Khartoum and its twin city of Omdurman. That came after another 10 people were killed on Tuesday, including five in the White Nile state, three in Omdurman and two in Khartoum’s Bahri neighbourhood.\n\nThe doctors’ committee is the medical arm of the Sudanese Professionals Association, which has been spearheading protests against army rule. The medical group also said hundreds were wounded in clashes in the past two days.\n\nActivists Mohammed Najib and Hashim al-Sudani said there were street battles in Khartoum’s Bahri and Buri districts between protesters and security forces mainly from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, or RSF.\n\n“In Buri, there were lots of shootings and tear gas,” Mr al-Sudani said. “They tried to force people into narrow streets” to beat them.\n\nOn Monday, members of the RSF, which human rights groups say carried out rapes, torture and killings of civilians in Sudan’s Darfur region, and other troops waded into the protest camp outside the military’s headquarters in Khartoum, opening fire and burning down tents. Other troops crushed two smaller sit-ins organised by the protesters elsewhere.\n\nThe crackdown put an end to the relative peace that surrounded the talks and signalled the military had lost patience with activists’ demands. The result puts the two sides on the path of a potentially longer confrontation with increasing violence.\n\nIn a televised speech, the military council’s head, Gen Abdel-Fattah Burhan, blamed protest leaders for the volatile situation, accusing them of drawing out negotiations and trying to exclude some “political and security forces” from taking part in any transitional government.\n\nHe announced the military would unilaterally form an interim government and hold elections sooner, within seven to nine months, under international supervision. He said any agreements reached earlier in the negotiations with the demonstrators were cancelled.\n\nProtesters rejected the move because it would put the military in charge of running the election.\n\nSince Monday, tensions remain high in Khartoum and elsewhere as demonstrators stage scattered rallies and block main roads with barricades. Security forces have been seen in online videos, patrolling Khartoum districts.\n\nMadani Abbas Madani, a leading activist, said the protesters would continue an open-ended civil disobedience campaign until the overthrow of the ruling military council.\n\n“What happened on Monday was a systematic and planned attempt to impose repression on the Sudanese people,” he said. – AP", "Bassam Hatoum And Samy Magdy, The Associated Press \n\n \n\n\n\nKHARTOUM, Sudan -- At least 40 bodies were pulled from the Nile River in the Sudanese capital Khartoum, organizers of pro-democracy protests said Wednesday, bringing the death toll since the violent dispersal of a sit-in outside the military's headquarters to 100.\n\nThe Sudan Doctors' Committee said Wednesday the bodies were pulled out a day earlier, and that they were taken by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces to an unknown location. The sit-in was broken up by the military on Monday.\n\nOne activist, Amal al-Zein, said the number could be even higher. She said dozens of bodies had been pulled from the Nile in different places near the sit-in area and were taken to a hospital morgue.\n\n“Some bodies have wounds from bullets, others seemed to have beaten and thrown in the Nile,” she said.\n\nThe announcement came as Sudanese protest leaders dismissed a call for talks with the ruling generals, saying the military cannot be serious about negotiations while troops keep shooting and killing protesters.\n\nA spokesman for the protesters said they would instead continue their pro-democracy campaign to pressure the military to hand over power to a civilian authority.\n\nEarlier on Wednesday, the head of the military council, Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, said the generals were ready to resume negotiations and that there would be “no restrictions” in talks with the leaders behind the months-long street protests.\n\n“We open our hands to negotiations with all parties ... for the interest of the nation,” Burhan said, adding that those responsible for the violent beak-up of the demonstrators' sit-in in the capital, Khartoum, would be held accountable.\n\nThe motives for Burhan's about-face - if sincere - were not immediately clear. Burhan had earlier cut the negotiations and cancelled all agreed-on points between the military and the Forces for Declaration of Freedom and Change, an alliance which represents the protesters.\n\nMohammed Yousef al-Mustafa, a spokesman for the Sudanese Professionals Association, which is also part of the alliance and which is leading the demonstrations, said the protesters “totally reject” Burhan's call.\n\n“This call is not serious,” al-Mustafa told The Associated Press. “Burhan and those under him have killed the Sudanese and are still doing it. Their vehicles patrol the streets, firing at people.”\n\n“We will continue in our protests, resistance, strike and total civil disobedience,” he added.\n\nMeanwhile, the death toll in the military's crackdown reached 100 on Wednesday, organizers said. The mounting casualties are the latest challenge to the protest movement, which now aims to show it can keep up pressure in the streets after its central rallying point - the weeks-long sit-in outside the military headquarters in Khartoum - was wiped out on Monday.\n\nIn April, the movement succeeded in forcing the military to remove Sudan's longtime strongman, Omar al-Bashir. It then kept its sit-in going, demanding that the generals who took power hand over authority to civilians.\n\nThe last previously reported death toll stood at 40 but the doctors committee said security forces killed at least 10 people on Wednesday in Khartoum and its twin city of Omdurman. That came after another 10 people were killed on Tuesday, including five in the White Nile state, three in Omdurman and two in Khartoum's Bahri neighbourhood. That total 100 includes the 40 bodies pulled from the river.\n\nThe doctors' committee, the medical arm of the Sudanese Professionals Association, also said that at least 326 people have been wounded in clashes in the past two days and that it feared the final death toll would be much higher.\n\nActivists Mohammed Najib and Hashim al-Sudani said there were street battles late Tuesday and early Wednesday in Khartoum's Bahri and Buri districts between protesters and security forces, mainly from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, or RSF.\n\n“In Buri, there were lots of shootings and tear gas,” al-Sudani said. “They tried to force people into narrow streets” to beat them.\n\nThe opposition Congress Party reported more protests on Wednesday, posting footage showing hundreds of people marching in Omdurman.\n\nOn Monday, members of the RSF, which human rights groups say carried out rapes, torture and killings of civilians in Sudan's Darfur region, and other troops waded into the protest camp outside the military's headquarters in Khartoum, opening fire and burning down tents. Other troops crushed two smaller sit-ins organized by the protesters elsewhere.\n\nAfter al-Bashir's ouster, for weeks, the military and protest leaders negotiated over the makeup of a transitional council meant to run the country for three years before elections. Protesters demand that civilians dominate the council, but the generals resisted.\n\nThe crackdown put an end to the relative peace that surrounded the talks and signalled the military had lost patience with activists' demands, putting the two sides on the path of a potentially longer confrontation with increasing violence.\n\nBurhan's call for negotiations marked a significant change from his televised speech only a day earlier, when he blamed protest leaders for the volatile situation, accusing them of drawing out negotiations and trying to exclude some “political and security forces” from taking part in any transitional government.\n\nHe also announced Tuesday that the military would unilaterally form an interim government and hold elections sooner, within seven to nine months, under international supervision. Protesters had also rejected that because it would put the military in charge of running the election.\n\nSince Monday, tensions have remained high in Khartoum and elsewhere as demonstrators staged scattered rallies and blocked main roads with barricades. Security forces have been seen in online videos, patrolling Khartoum districts.\n\nMadani Abbas Madani, a leading activist, said the protesters would continue an open-ended civil disobedience campaign until the overthrow of the ruling military council.\n\n“What happened on Monday was a systematic and planned attempt to impose repression on the Sudanese people,” he said.\n\nIn a joint statement, the U.S., Norway and Britain have condemned the security forces' crackdown. The statement, released late Tuesday, said Sudan's military council “put the transition process and peace in Sudan in jeopardy” by ordering attacks on protesters.", "Medics recover dozens of bodies from the Nile in Sudan\n\nMedics recover dozens of bodies from the Nile in Sudan\n\nSecurity forces violently dispersed a weeks-long sit-in outside the military headquarters in Khartoum on Monday\n\nMedics say they have recovered dozens of bodies from the river Nile, bringing the total death toll in recent unrest to more than a hundred.\n\nThe Sudan Doctors' Committee, a group aligned with opposition, said at least 40 bodies had been pulled from the river in the capital Khartoum on Tuesday, and had been taken to an unknown location.\n\nThis follows from a day of violence on Monday, when Sudanese security forces opened fire on protesters taking part in a weeks-long sit-in outside the city's military headquarters.\n\nOpposition medics initially estimated that 13 people had been killed, but this figure rose rapidly, eventually passing a hundred by Wednesday.\n\nActivist Amal al-Zein said she believed the death toll could be higher as dozens more bodies had been recovered from various places along the river.\n\nShe said: \"Some bodies have wounds from bullets, others seemed to have beaten and thrown in the Nile\".\n\nNo official death toll figures have so far been released.\n\nThe sit-in, which began on 6 April, successfully saw the toppling of former president Omar al-Bashir amid a military coup.\n\nBut the pro-democracy protests continued as participants demanded the military agree to hand over power to a civilian-led government.\n\nTalks between civilian representatives and the military began in May, eventually reaching an agreement on a transitional period that would last three years.\n\nBut the ruling military council suspended talks and cancelled all agreements after the violent intervention in the pro-democracy sit-in earlier this week.\n\nThe deputy head of the military council, General Mohamed Hamdan \"Hemedti\" Dagalo, said in a televised statement on Wednesday that a \"fair and independent\" investigation into the sit-in violence had been opened.\n\nHe vowed that anyone found to have \"crossed boundaries\" would be punished.\n\nThe council also called for talks to resume, but this was swiftly rejected by the opposition, which said the transition process had been thrown into \"jeopardy\".\n\nMohammed Yousef al-Mustafa, a spokesperson for the opposition Sudanese Professional Association, said the call to resume talks was \"not serious\", and that the military \"have killed the Sudanese and are still doing it\".\n\nHe added: \"Their vehicles patrol the streets firing at people.\"\n\n\"We will continue in our protests, resistance, strike and total civil disobedience.\"", "Organizers of the pro-democracy say the death toll across the country since the violent dispersal of their sit-in in earlier this week has increased to 60.\n\nThe Doctors' Committee says security forces killed at least 10 people on Wednesday in the capital, Khartoum, and its twin city of\n\nThat came after another 10 people were killed on Tuesday, including five in the state, three in and two in Khartoum's Bahri neighborhood.\n\nThe doctors' committee is the medical arm of the Sudanese Professionals Association, which has been spearheading protests against army rule.\n\nOn Monday, security forces broke up the protest camp outside military headquarters in Khartoum, posing a new challenge to the protest movement.", "(AP) — Organizers of the pro-democracy protests in Sudan say the death toll across the country since the violent dispersal of their sit-in in Khartoum earlier this week has increased to 60.\n\nThe Sudan Doctors’ Committee says security forces killed at least 10 people on Wednesday in the capital, Khartoum, and its twin city of Omdurman.\n\nThat came after another 10 people were killed on Tuesday, including five in the White Nile state, three in Omdurman and two in Khartoum’s Bahri neighborhood.\n\nThe doctors’ committee is the medical arm of the Sudanese Professionals Association, which has been spearheading protests against army rule.\n\nOn Monday, security forces broke up the protest camp outside military headquarters in Khartoum, posing a new challenge to the protest movement.", "By BASSAM HATOUM and SAMY MAGDY Associated Press\n\nKHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) — At least 40 bodies of people slain by Sudanese security forces were pulled from the Nile River in the capital of Khartoum, organizers of pro-democracy demonstrations said Wednesday, and new clashes brought the death toll in three days of the ruling military’s crackdown to 100.\n\nWord about the retrieval of the bodies came as Sudan’s ruling general called for a resumption of negotiations with the protest leaders, which they promptly rejected. They said the generals cannot be serious about talks while troops keep killing protesters.\n\nA spokesman for the protesters said they instead would continue their demonstrations and strikes to pressure the military to hand over power to a civilian authority.\n\nThe reported discovery of the bodies in the Nile suggested that Monday’s violent dispersal of the protest movement’s main sit-in camp, outside the military’s headquarters, was even bloodier than initially believed. The attack on the camp was led by a notorious paramilitary unit called the Rapid Support Forces, along with other troops who waded into the camp, opening fire and beating protesters.\n\nDuring the mayhem, the protesters’ Doctors Committee said witnesses reported seeing bodies loaded into military vehicles to be dumped into the river. The camp was not far from the Blue Nile, just upstream from where it joins the White Nile and then flows north through Sudan and Egypt to the Mediterranean.\n\nThe committee said in a statement that a day earlier, the RSF was seen pulling 40 bodies from the river and taking them away. It said it was not known where they were taken.\n\nOne activist, Amal al-Zein, said the number could be even higher. She said activists and private citizens had pulled dozens more bodies from the Nile in areas near the sit-in and took them to a hospital morgue.\n\n“Some bodies have wounds from bullets, others seemed to have beaten and thrown in the Nile,” she said.\n\nOn Monday, the Doctors Committee put the death toll from the crackdown at 40. Another 10 were reported killed in clashes Tuesday in Khartoum and Omdurman, the capital’s twin city across the Nile, and farther south in the White Nile state.\n\nAt least 10 more were killed in clashes Wednesday, the Doctors Committee said, with at least 326 people wounded over the past two days. The committee said it feared the final death toll would be much higher.\n\nProtests continued in Omdurman and Khartoum’s central Bahri and Buri district, where clashes erupted with the RSF, activists said.\n\n“In Buri, there were lots of shootings and tear gas,” said Hashim al-Sudani, an activist. “They tried to force people into narrow streets” to beat them.\n\nThe crackdown has turned a tense but relatively peaceful standoff between the military and the protest movement over the country’s future into a bloody confrontation that threatens to escalate.\n\nMonths of protests succeeded in forcing the ouster in April of strongman Omar al-Bashir, who had ruled Sudan for 30 years as head of a repressive state backed by the military and Islamists. When the generals took power after his fall, the protesters stayed in the streets, saying they wanted an end to military rule as well.\n\nFor weeks, the military and protest leaders negotiated over the makeup of a transitional council meant to run the country for three years before elections. Protesters demand that civilians dominate the council, but the generals resisted.\n\nAfter Monday’s crackdown, protest leaders suspended negotiations. The head of the military council, Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, then canceled any agreed-upon points from the talks and said the military would form a government to hold elections within seven to nine months.\n\nOn Wednesday, however, Burhan abruptly announced that the generals were prepared to resume negotiations with “no restrictions.”\n\n“We open our hands to negotiations with all parties … for the interest of the nation,” Burhan said, adding that those responsible for the attack on the sit-in camp would be held accountable.\n\nThe reasons for his about-face were not immediately clear. But the offer could cause divisions within the protest movement, where some factions may be open to returning to the table.\n\nThe military council’s deputy head, Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo — who also leads the RSF, the force protesters blame for the bulk of killings — said in televised comments that a “fair and independent” investigation had been launched into the violent breakup of the Khartoum sit-in and other clashes.\n\nDagalo, better known by his nickname Hemedti, promised “fast results” and said anyone who “crossed boundaries” will be punished.\n\nThe RSF grew out of the Janjaweed militias used by the government to suppress the Darfur insurgency in the 2000s, a campaign that prompted charges of genocide against its perpetrators. Human rights groups said that under Dagalo in more recent years, the RSF carried out rapes, torture and killings of Darfur civilians.\n\nThe Sudanese Professionals Association, which has spearheaded the demonstrations and since Monday has called for the ouster of the military council, said protesters “totally reject” Burhan’s offer.\n\n“This call is not serious,” SPA spokesman Mohammed Yousef al-Mustafa told The Associated Press. “Burhan and those under him have killed the Sudanese and are still doing it. Their vehicles patrol the streets, firing at people.”\n\n“We will continue in our protests, resistance, strike and total civil disobedience,” he said.\n\nBut the head of Sudan’s leading opposition political party, the Umma Party, seemed to suggest the movement needed to discuss its position. Sadeq al-Mahdi urged all factions in the protest movement to meet urgently to work out “how to bring the transfer of power” to a civilian council.\n\nHe did not urge a return to negotiations but criticized some in the movement for “unjustified escalation” — an apparent reference to strikes called by the SPA in previous weeks — and said he had expected the military to escalate as well. He said the military council had played a “critical role in the revolution” by ousting al-Bashir and now must admit responsibility for Monday’s attack and hold those behind it accountable.\n\nAl-Mahdi headed the last elected government in Sudan, preceding al-Bashir. His Umma Party is one of a number of long-established opposition parties that joined the protest movement, bringing their organized rank-and-file into the streets. Some protesters view them with suspicion, considering them an old guard not ready to bring dramatic change.\n\nLeading activist Madani Abbas Madani said protesters would continue an open-ended civil disobedience campaign until the overthrow of the ruling military council.\n\n“What happened on Monday was a systematic and planned attempt to impose repression on the Sudanese people,” he said.\n\n ___\n\n Magdy reported from Cairo.", "The Latest on developments in Sudan (all times local):\n\nThe head of Sudan's ruling military council says the generals are ready to resume negotiations with the opposition, after three days of a violent crackdown that has claimed 60 lives across the country.\n\nGen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan said on Wednesday there would be \"no restriction\" in talks with the leaders behind the months-long street protests.\n\nHe says: \"We open our hands to negotiations with all parties ... for the interest of the nation.\"\n\nBurhan also added that those responsible for the violent beak-up of the demonstrators' sit-in would be held accountable.\n\nThere was no immediate reaction from the protesters. The motives for the general's apparent reversal — if sincere — were not immediately clear.\n\nBurhan had earlier cut the negotiations and cancelled all agreed-on points between the military and the Forces for Declaration of Freedom and Change, which represents the protesters.\n\nOrganizers of the pro-democracy protests in Sudan say the death toll across the country since the violent dispersal of their sit-in in Khartoum earlier this week has increased to 60.\n\nThe Sudan Doctors' Committee says security forces killed at least 10 people on Wednesday in the capital, Khartoum, and its twin city of Omdurman.\n\nThat came after another 10 people were killed on Tuesday, including five in the White Nile state, three in Omdurman and two in Khartoum's Bahri neighborhood.\n\nThe doctors' committee is the medical arm of the Sudanese Professionals Association, which has been spearheading protests against army rule.\n\nOn Monday, security forces broke up the protest camp outside military headquarters in Khartoum, posing a new challenge to the protest movement.", "Sudanese protest leaders have “totally” rejected the military’s offer for an unconditional resumption of talks as opposition-linked doctors said the death toll since a violent dispersal of a protest camp in the capital jumped to more than 100.\n\nThe number of those killed rose on Wednesday after the Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors said 40 bodies were pulled from the Nile River and taken to an unknown location by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).\n\nThe committee said the bodies were retrieved from the river on Tuesday, a day after security forces stormed the weeks-long sit-in outside the military headquarters in the capital, Khartoum.\n\nIt said the number of those killed was at least 108 but warned that it was likely to rise. More than 500 people were wounded.\n\nIn the early hours of Thursday, however, state news agency SUNA cited a health official as saying that the death toll did not exceed 46.\n\nThe raid on Monday marked a pivotal moment in the weeks-long struggle between the powerful military council and opposition groups over who should lead Sudan‘s transition to democracy following the removal of President Omar al-Bashir in April.\n\nImmediately after the crackdown, the military council cancelled all agreements it had reached with the opposition, but on Wednesday it rowed back amid mounting international criticism of the violence.\n\nGeneral Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the head of the military council, said the body was ready to resume negotiations and that there would be “no restrictions” in talks with the leaders behind the months-long street protests.\n\n“We in the military council extend our hand for negotiations without shackles except the interests of the homeland,” he said on state television.\n\nBut a Sudanese alliance of protesters and opposition groups rejected the offer, saying the military could not be trusted.\n\n“Today the council invited us to dialogue and at the same time it is imposing fear on citizens in the streets,” Madani Abbas Madani, a leader of the Freedom and Change alliance, told Reuters news agency.\n\nMohammed Yousef al-Mustafa, spokesman for the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA), which is also part of the alliance, said the protesters “totally reject” al-Burhan’s call.\n\n“This call is not serious,” al-Mustafa told The Associated Press. “Burhan and those under him have killed the Sudanese and are still doing it. Their vehicles patrol the streets, firing at people.\n\n“We will continue in our protests, resistance, strike and total civil disobedience,” he added.\n\nKhartoum remained tense on Wednesday, with demonstrators blocking streets in several districts as gunfire rang out in the distance.\n\nThe RSF, which protesters accuse of carrying out Monday’s attack, “are all around on the main streets, and protesters are burning tyres and still blocking the roads,” said Hajooj, a protester.\n\n“Moving around the capital is very hard and we are hearing gunfire. The RSF are stopping people, checking pockets, mobile phones and looting people. So it’s not safe. There’s also been reports of rapes and beatings. The internet has been cut so protesters are not able to share live videos and share information,” he told Al Jazeera from Khartoum.\n\nA senior Sudanese rebel leader who returned from exile after al-Bashir’s overthrow was also arrested at his house, a spokesman for his organisation said.\n\nYasir Arman, the deputy head of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) group, was seized from the house where he was staying in Khartoum by armed men who arrived in pick-up trucks and surrounded the building, the spokesman said.\n\n“They took him without clarifying to us the place (they would take him to) and said they were from the National Intelligence and Security Service,” said Mubarak Ardol, adding that the armed men “beat” Arman and his assistant and destroyed surveillance cameras outside the house.\n\nMeanwhile, most shops were shuttered on what would usually have been a bustling Muslim Eid al-Fitr holiday. Minor protests erupted outside mosques after Eid prayers but there were no reports of significant clashes with security forces.\n\nThe deputy head of the military council, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, commonly known as Hemeti, said in a televised speech that it had launched “an urgent and transparent investigation” into the recent violence.\n\n“Any person who crossed boundaries has to be punished,” said Hemeti, who also heads the RSF.\n\nThe military has denied trying to clear the sit-in protest, saying its forces moved in to deal with disruptive groups nearby and the violence spread from there.\n\nThe SPA has called for an international committee to investigate Monday’s deaths in what it branded a “massacre”.\n\nThe last previously reported death toll stood at 40 but the doctors’ committee said security forces killed at least 10 people on Wednesday in Khartoum and its twin city of Omdurman. That came after another 10 people were killed on Tuesday, including five in the White Nile state, three in Omdurman and two in Khartoum’s Bahri neighbourhood. The total of 101 includes the 40 bodies pulled from the river.\n\nThe doctors’ committee also said that at least 326 people have been wounded in clashes in the past two days and that it feared the final death toll would be much higher.\n\nDavid Shinn, a former senior US diplomat in Sudan, said the prospect for talks was dim as long as the violence continued.\n\n“You cannot have successful negotiations between the protest groups and the military so long as the security forces are killing fellow Sudanese. This has to stop. Until it does, I don’t see any prospect for meaningful negotiations,” he told Al Jazeera.\n\nSaudi Arabia, which has close ties to Sudan’s military council, said on Wednesday it was watching developments with great concern and called for more dialogue.\n\nUS National Security Adviser John Bolton said in a Twitter post that Monday’s violence by Sudan’s security forces was “abhorrent” and demanded that the military council facilitate moves towards a civilian-led government.\n\nThe United Nations Security Council met on Tuesday but failed to agree on a common position.\n\nAfterwards, eight European countries said in a joint statement that they “condemn the violent attacks in Sudan by Sudanese security services against civilians” and that the military council’s timeframe for elections was “too short”.\n\nThe European statement added: “We call for an agreed transfer of power to a civilian-led government as demanded by the people of Sudan.\n\nSeveral airlines have cancelled flights to Khartoum, including Bahrain’s Gulf Air, flydubai and EgyptAir.\n\nSudan has been rocked by unrest since December, when anger over rising bread prices and cash shortages broke into sustained protests against al-Bashir that culminated in the military removing him after three decades in office.", "Sudan’s army ruler said Wednesday he was open to negotiations even as gunfire crackled across the capital after a crackdown that doctors close to protesters said left at least 60 people dead. Despite mounting international concern at what demonstrators called a “bloody massacre”, a bid at the UN Security Council to condemn the killings was blocked by China with support from Russia.\n\nHospitals in Khartoum said they were struggling to cope with the number of wounded after security forces launched a deadly raid Monday on a weeks-long sit-in outside army headquarters.\n\n“The situation is very difficult. Most of the hospitals have taken in more casualties than they have capacity for,” a doctor who works at two hospitals in the city told AFP.\n\n“There’s a shortage of medical staff, a shortage of blood, and it’s difficult to do surgery because some operations can only be done in certain hospitals,” said the doctor, who asked not to be named.\n\n“Among the wounded there are still people in a serious condition and I expect the number of deaths to rise.”\n\nThere was a heavy security presence as worshippers in some neighbourhoods came out to mark the Eid al-Fitr festival following a call by protest leaders to “pray for the martyrs”. In Omdurman, just across the Nile from Khartoum, security forces were seen patrolling in trucks mounted with what appeared to be anti-aircraft and machine guns and other weapons including rocket-propelled grenades.\n\nSudan’s military ousted veteran president Omar al-Bashir in April after months of protests against his authoritarian rule and had agreed a three-year transition period to a civilian administration.\n\nBut army ruler General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan said following the crackdown that the agreement had been ditched and an election would take place within nine months — a plan rejected by demonstrators.\n\nBurhan appeared to strike a more conciliatory tone on Wednesday, saying the military rulers “regret the events” and were ready to hold talks on the country’s future.\n\n“We in the military council open our arms to negotiate with no restriction but the national interest to continue building a legitimate power that reflects the aspirations of the Sudanese revolution in every way,” Burhan said in a speech broadcast on state television.\n\nProtest leaders have called on their supporters to take part in “total civil disobedience” to topple the ruling military council.\n\nOn Wednesday, hundreds of residents of north Khartoum blocked off streets with rocks, and waited by them in silence, a witness told AFP.\n\nIn the distance gunfire was heard.\n\nIn the early morning, sporadic shooting was heard in the Khartoum 2 neighbourhood, an area where there are several embassies, an AFP reporter said.\n\nThe Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors, which is linked to the protesters, said the death toll had jumped to 60 with hundreds more wounded.\n\nAn eight-year-old child was among the dead, it added.\n\nThe committee said it held “the militias of the (military) council… responsible for this massacre.”\n\nThe Rapid Support Forces, paramilitaries with origins in the Janjaweed militia accused of abuses during the 16-year-old conflict in Darfur, are thought to have been largely behind the crackdown.\n\nTheir commander is deputy chairman of the ruling military council.\n\nThe Sudanese Doctors Union accused security forces of attacks on hospitals and staff across the country, and alleged some women had been raped in an area of the capital without giving details of how the group had learned of the assaults. Senior rebel leader Yasir Arman from the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North, who returned to Khartoum to take part in talks with the military, was detained Wednesday, a spokesman for his movement said.\n\nDeputy commander Arman, whose group has battled the government in Blue Nile and South Kordofan states, was seized from his house by armed men claiming to be from the intelligence service, the spokesman said.\n\nA push for the UN Security Council to condemn the killing of civilians and call on the military and protesters to work together was blocked by China, which was backed by Russia, during a closed-door meeting on Tuesday.\n\nEight European countries — Belgium, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, The Netherlands and Sweden — instead issued their own joint statement criticising “the violent attacks in Sudan by Sudanese security services against civilians”.\n\nThe British ambassador to Khartoum, Irfan Siddiq, called for an end to the internet outages that have plagued the country since the crackdown.\n\nSaudi Arabia, a key backer of the military rulers, called for a resumption of “dialogue between the various parties of Sudan”.", "At least 40 bodies were pulled from the Nile River in the Sudanese capital Khartoum, organizers of pro-democracy protests said Wednesday, bringing the death toll since the violent dispersal of a sit-in outside the military's headquarters to 100.\n\nThe Sudan Doctors' Committee said Wednesday the bodies were pulled out a day earlier, and that they were taken by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces to an unknown location. The sit-in was broken up by the military on Monday.\n\nOne activist, Amal al-Zein, said the number could be even higher. She said dozens of bodies had been pulled from the Nile in different places near the sit-in area and were taken to a hospital morgue.\n\n\"Some bodies have wounds from bullets, others seemed to have beaten and thrown in the Nile,\" she said.\n\nThe announcement came as Sudanese protest leaders dismissed a call for talks with the ruling generals, saying the military cannot be serious about negotiations while troops keep shooting and killing protesters.\n\nA spokesman for the protesters said they would instead continue their pro-democracy campaign to pressure the military to hand over power to a civilian authority.\n\nEarlier on Wednesday, the head of the military council, Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, said the generals were ready to resume negotiations and that there would be \"no restrictions\" in talks with the leaders behind the months-long street protests.\n\n\"We open our hands to negotiations with all parties ... for the interest of the nation,\" Burhan said, adding that those responsible for the violent beak-up of the demonstrators' sit-in in the capital, Khartoum, would be held accountable.\n\nThe motives for Burhan's about-face — if sincere — were not immediately clear. Burhan had earlier cut the negotiations and canceled all agreed-on points between the military and the Forces for Declaration of Freedom and Change, an alliance which represents the protesters.\n\nMohammed Yousef al-Mustafa, a spokesman for the Sudanese Professionals Association, which is also part of the alliance and which is leading the demonstrations, said the protesters \"totally reject\" Burhan's call.\n\n\"This call is not serious,\" al-Mustafa told The Associated Press. \"Burhan and those under him have killed the Sudanese and are still doing it. Their vehicles patrol the streets, firing at people.\"\n\n\"We will continue in our protests, resistance, strike and total civil disobedience,\" he added.\n\nMeanwhile, the death toll in the military's crackdown reached 100 on Wednesday, organizers said. The mounting casualties are the latest challenge to the protest movement, which now aims to show it can keep up pressure in the streets after its central rallying point — the weeks-long sit-in outside the military headquarters in Khartoum — was wiped out on Monday.\n\nIn April, the movement succeeded in forcing the military to remove Sudan's longtime strongman, Omar al-Bashir. It then kept its sit-in going, demanding that the generals who took power hand over authority to civilians.\n\nThe last previously reported death toll stood at 40 but the doctors committee said security forces killed at least 10 people on Wednesday in Khartoum and its twin city of Omdurman. That came after another 10 people were killed on Tuesday, including five in the White Nile state, three in Omdurman and two in Khartoum's Bahri neighborhood. That total 100 includes the 40 bodies pulled from the river.\n\nThe doctors' committee, the medical arm of the Sudanese Professionals Association, also said that at least 326 people have been wounded in clashes in the past two days and that it feared the final death toll would be much higher.\n\nActivists Mohammed Najib and Hashim al-Sudani said there were street battles late Tuesday and early Wednesday in Khartoum's Bahri and Buri districts between protesters and security forces, mainly from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, or RSF.\n\n\"In Buri, there were lots of shootings and tear gas,\" al-Sudani said. \"They tried to force people into narrow streets\" to beat them.\n\nThe opposition Congress Party reported more protests on Wednesday, posting footage showing hundreds of people marching in Omdurman.\n\nOn Monday, members of the RSF, which human rights groups say carried out rapes, torture and killings of civilians in Sudan's Darfur region, and other troops waded into the protest camp outside the military's headquarters in Khartoum, opening fire and burning down tents. Other troops crushed two smaller sit-ins organized by the protesters elsewhere.\n\nAfter al-Bashir's ouster, for weeks, the military and protest leaders negotiated over the makeup of a transitional council meant to run the country for three years before elections. Protesters demand that civilians dominate the council, but the generals resisted.\n\nThe crackdown put an end to the relative peace that surrounded the talks and signaled the military had lost patience with activists' demands, putting the two sides on the path of a potentially longer confrontation with increasing violence.\n\nBurhan's call for negotiations marked a significant change from his televised speech only a day earlier, when he blamed protest leaders for the volatile situation, accusing them of drawing out negotiations and trying to exclude some \"political and security forces\" from taking part in any transitional government.\n\nHe also announced Tuesday that the military would unilaterally form an interim government and hold elections sooner, within seven to nine months, under international supervision. Protesters had also rejected that because it would put the military in charge of running the election.\n\nSince Monday, tensions have remained high in Khartoum and elsewhere as demonstrators staged scattered rallies and blocked main roads with barricades. Security forces have been seen in online videos, patrolling Khartoum districts.\n\nMadani Abbas Madani, a leading activist, said the protesters would continue an open-ended civil disobedience campaign until the overthrow of the ruling military council.\n\n\"What happened on Monday was a systematic and planned attempt to impose repression on the Sudanese people,\" he said.\n\nIn a joint statement, the U.S., Norway and Britain have condemned the security forces' crackdown. The statement, released late Tuesday, said Sudan's military council \"put the transition process and peace in Sudan in jeopardy\" by ordering attacks on protesters."], "summary": "The Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors say the number of people killed this week in Sudan is at least 100, and that 40 bodies were pulled from the River Nile at Khartoum on Tuesday. Members of the Rapid Support Forces have reportedly been roaming the streets attacking civilians as it pushes deeper into Khartoum."}
{"document": ["A Sudanese official has denied that at least 100 people were killed by a paramilitary unit during protests, saying that the number was at most 46.\n\nDoctors linked to the opposition on Wednesday said at least 100 people had been killed in the capital, Khartoum, amid pro-democracy protests.\n\nThey said 40 bodies were pulled from the River Nile in Khartoum on Tuesday.\n\nAuthorities had initially stayed quiet, but a health ministry official put the number at 46 early on Thursday.\n\nSudanese opposition activists have rejected an offer of talks from the country’s military council, saying it cannot be trusted amid a violent crackdown on protesters.\n\nResidents told the BBC they were living in fear in the capital.\n\nThe deputy head of the military council defended the violent suppression, claiming that the protesters had been infiltrated by rogue elements and drug dealers.\n\n“We will not allow chaos and we will not go back on our convictions. There is no way back. We must impose the respect of the country by law,” said Mohammed Hamadan – also known as Hemeti – on Wednesday.\n\nNumerous reports from Khartoum said the paramilitary unit, the feared Rapid Support Forces (RSF), was roaming the city’s nearly deserted streets, targeting civilians.\n\nFormerly known as the Janjaweed militia, the RSF gained notoriety for brutal atrocities in the Darfur conflict in western Sudan in 2003.\n\nReports continue to come in of these militia going into neighbourhoods and killing people. Their leader claims it is impostors behind the violence.", "Image copyright Reuters Image caption A Sudanese protester stands on a barricade in Khartoum on Wednesday\n\nA Sudanese official has denied that at least 100 people were killed by a paramilitary unit during protests, saying that the number was at most 46.\n\nDoctors linked to the opposition on Wednesday said at least 100 people had been killed in the capital, Khartoum, amid pro-democracy protests.\n\nThey said 40 bodies were pulled from the River Nile in Khartoum on Tuesday.\n\nAuthorities had initially stayed quiet, but a health ministry official put the number at 46 early on Thursday.\n\nSudanese opposition activists have rejected an offer of talks from the country's military council, saying it cannot be trusted amid a violent crackdown on protesters.\n\nResidents told the BBC they were living in fear in the capital.\n\nThe deputy head of the military council defended the violent suppression, claiming that the protesters had been infiltrated by rogue elements and drug dealers.\n\n\"We will not allow chaos and we will not go back on our convictions. There is no way back. We must impose the respect of the country by law,\" said Mohammed Hamadan - also known as Hemeti - on Wednesday.\n\nNumerous reports from Khartoum said the paramilitary unit, the feared Rapid Support Forces (RSF), was roaming the city's nearly deserted streets, targeting civilians.\n\nImage copyright AFP Image caption Security forces, seen here on Monday, moved against protesters after a long stand-off\n\nFormerly known as the Janjaweed militia, the RSF gained notoriety for brutal atrocities in the Darfur conflict in western Sudan in 2003.\n\nReports continue to come in of these militia going into neighbourhoods and killing people. Their leader claims it is impostors behind the violence.\n\nDoctors afraid of going to work\n\nBy Catherine Byaruhanga, BBC News, Khartoum\n\nPeople are still coming to terms with the violence of the last few days.\n\nAt the former sit-in area - there are torn and charred posters as well as burnt-out tents.\n\nThe fear is that more of the dead could still be there.\n\nSecurity forces seem to outnumber civilians on the streets of the capital.\n\nReports continue to come in of their brutal crackdown.\n\nAt Ibrahim Maleek Teaching Hospital - the doctors and nurses have not come to work because they're afraid of being targeted. Instead, it's the medical students who are treating patients.\n\nLike 33-year-old Mohanned Mirghani - he says he was shot at close range by the Rapid Support Forces. \"They shot me from close range; the RSF were the distance that you are from me now. Two of my friends were also shot but I don't know what happened to them.\"\n\nIt's hard to get a proper sense of what's happened. One big hindrance is the fact that the military rulers have cut off the internet.\n\nWhat was the lead-up to the latest violence?\n\nSudan has been controlled by a military council since pro-democracy protests led to the ousting of veteran President Omar al-Bashir in April, after 30 years of authoritarian rule.\n\nDemonstrators had been occupying the square in front of the military headquarters, while their representatives had negotiated with the military council and agreed a three-year transition that would culminate in elections.\n\nBut on Monday, security forces swept in and opened fire on unarmed protesters in the square. General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the head of the military council, announced that the agreement was cancelled and an election would take place within nine months.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Sudan military attacks protesters\n\nOn Wednesday, however, after Saudi Arabia publicly called for a resumption of talks, Gen Burhan reversed course and said the military council would \"open our arms to negotiate with no restriction\".\n\nThe offer was rejected by the opposition. \"The Sudanese people are not open for talks,\" said Amjad Farid, a spokesman for the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA) which spearheaded the protests against Mr Bashir.\n\n\"The Sudanese people are not open to this TMC (Transitional Military Council) that kills people and we need justice and accountability before talks about any political process,\" Mr Farid told the AFP news agency.\n\nWhat have residents been saying?\n\nThe Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors - one of the groups behind the protests - said on Wednesday that 40 bodies had been recovered from the River Nile.\n\nAn official from the group told the BBC that they had witnessed and verified the bodies in hospitals and that the death toll now stood at at least 100.\n\nA former security officer quoted by Yousra Elbagir, a journalist with the UK's Channel 4, said that some of those thrown into the Nile had been beaten or shot to death and others hacked to death with machetes.\n\n\"It was a massacre,\" the unnamed source said.\n\nImage copyright Getty Images Image caption Many Khartoum streets are deserted\n\nMuch of Khartoum has been under lockdown in the wake of the killings. Witnesses told the BBC that protesters had retreated to residential areas, where they were building barricades and burning tyres.\n\n\"We have reached the point where we can't even step out of our homes because we are scared to be beaten or to be shot by the security forces,\" one Khartoum resident said, asking not to be named.\n\nAnother resident told the BBC he had been pulled from his car by members of the RSF and beaten on his head and back.\n\nA pharmacist who spoke to the BBC from Khartoum said RSF troops were shutting down hospitals to prevent civilians receiving treatment.\n\n\"They kicked us out from two hospitals that were giving aid to the injured and the victims of the gunshots,\" he said. \"It's an order from the military council to shut down those hospitals because we were giving aid for the citizens.\"\n\nA woman, identified only as Sulaima, told the BBC that troops from the Rapid Support Forces were \"all over Khartoum\".\n\n\"They're surrounding neighbourhoods, they're threatening people. They're also using live ammunition. They're everywhere. We're not feeling safe and we don't have trust in the security forces. It's complete chaos.\"\n\nLarge numbers of heavily armed troops were also reported on the streets of Omdurman, Sudan's second-largest city, just across the River Nile from Khartoum.\n\nAre you in the area? If it is safe to do so, please share your experiences by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.\n\nPlease include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways:", "A Sudanese official has denied that at least 100 people were killed by a paramilitary unit during protests, saying that the number was at most 46.\n\nDoctors linked to the opposition on Wednesday said at least 100 people had been killed in the capital, Khartoum, amid pro-democracy protests.\n\nThey said 40 bodies were pulled from the River Nile in Khartoum on Tuesday.\n\nAuthorities had initially stayed quiet, but a health ministry official put the number at 46 early on Thursday.\n\nSudanese opposition activists have rejected an offer of talks from the country's military council, saying it cannot be trusted amid a violent crackdown on protesters.\n\nResidents told the BBC they were living in fear in the capital.\n\nThe deputy head of the military council defended the violent suppression, claiming that the protesters had been infiltrated by rogue elements and drug dealers.\n\n\"We will not allow chaos and we will not go back on our convictions. There is no way back. We must impose the respect of the country by law,\" said Mohammed Hamadan - also known as Hemedti - on Wednesday.\n\nNumerous reports from Khartoum said the paramilitary unit, the feared Rapid Support Forces (RSF), was roaming the city's nearly deserted streets, targeting civilians.\n\nFormerly known as the Janjaweed militia, the RSF gained notoriety for brutal atrocities in the Darfur conflict in western Sudan in 2003."], "summary": "A Sudanese official denies that 100 people were killed by a paramilitary unit during protests, saying that the number was at most 46."}
{"document": ["At least five civilians were killed by Russian and Syrian government warplanes that targeted Syria's northwest as residents marked the holiday of Eid al-Fitr.\n\nA local source told Anadolu Agency the five people died on Wednesday in air attacks targeting the town of Kansafra and three villages in Idlib.\n\nThe UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor put the death toll at 10, saying two children were among those killed.\n\nAnother civilian died in shelling by government forces on the northern Hama countryside, also held by rebels, said the group, which relies on a network of sources on the ground in Syria.\n\nGovernment air attacks also hit a motorcycle in the Idlib town of Maaret al-Numan, killing a woman and her two children, said the Observatory.\n\nAir war\n\nWednesday's attacks come amid an escalation in violence in the country's northwest that is held by Syria's former al-Qaeda affiliate Hay'et Tahrir al-Sham.\n\nA September deal was supposed to avert a full-out government offensive on Idlib province and adjacent areas, home to about three million people, nearly half of whom have been displaced from other parts of Syria.\n\nBut the government and its ally Russia have since late April ramped up deadly air raids and rocket fire on the region, and fighters have clashed on its edges.\n\nThe bombardment of Idlib province and neighbouring areas has killed more than 300 people since late April, according to the Observatory.\n\nIt also displaced nearly 270,000 people in May alone, according to the United Nations.\n\nA total of 24 health facilities and 35 schools have been hit in the latest escalation, according to the UN's humanitarian office.\n\nAnalysts predict that President Bashar al-Assad and his allies will continue to chip away at the area, but not unleash a major assault that would create chaos on Turkey's doorstep.\n\nThe conflict in Syria has killed hundreds of thousands of people since it started in 2011 with millions displaced.", "US President Donald Trump on Sunday told Syria and Russia to stop \"bombing the hell\" out of Syria's last jihadist stronghold Idlib.\n\n\"Hearing word that Russia, Syria and, to a lesser extent, Iran, are bombing the hell out of Idlib Province in Syria, and indiscriminately killing many innocent civilians. The World is watching this butchery. What is the purpose, what will it get you? STOP!\" he said on Twitter shortly before he was to depart for a state visit to Britain.\n\nHis comments came after Syrian NGOs on Friday decried international inaction in the face of mounting violence in the northwestern region.\n\nAs well as killing dozens of civilians, the recent bombardments by Syrian and Russian forces in northwest Syria have pushed 300,000 people towards Turkey's border, the NGOs said at a press conference in Istanbul.\n\nThe Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Friday that almost 950 people had been killed in the latest clashes in Idlib.\n\nA September deal was supposed to avert a full-out regime offensive on the province and adjacent areas held by Syria's former Al-Qaeda affiliate Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.\n\nBut the jihadists have refused to leave the area, and the deal is on the verge of collapse as Syrian and Russian forces allied to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad ramp up air strikes and rocket fire.\n\nIranian fighters and Hezbollah paramilitary forces are also stationed in Syria to back the Assad regime.\n\nThe worsening unrest in Idlib comes with tensions soaring between Iran and the United States.\n\nThe stand-off has been simmering since the US last year withdrew from the 2015 nuclear treaty Iran reached with major world powers.", "BEIRUT (AP) - Syrian insurgents launched an offensive Thursday against government forces in northwestern Syria, armed opposition and a war monitoring group said, part of a see-sawing battle for control of the edge of the rebel-held territory there.\n\nThe Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the rebel offensive began Thursday afternoon with a volley of rockets and missiles lobbed at government forces in a handful of villages recently captured from the opposition on the southern edge of the rebel stronghold. The Observatory said the rebels burned tires to obstruct warplanes' vision.\n\nThe war monitoring group said rebel fighters advanced in one of the villages - Al-Jebeen - after intense clashes. The government and its ally Russia responded with a wave of airstrikes, including dropping barrel bombs on villages nearby, the Observatory said.\n\nA rebel umbrella group, National Front for Liberation, confirmed the offensive, saying it aimed to repel government forces.\n\nSyrian state media said the insurgents shelled residential homes in the northern countryside of Hama, an area controlled by government forces, causing damages. Syrian State news agency SANA said army units responded to the source of the rockets with artillery.\n\nHuman Rights Watch said the Syrian-Russian military alliance has used internationally banned indiscriminate weapons, such as barrel bombs and incendiary weapons, in populated areas in northwest Syria in recent weeks. More than 3 million people live in the rebel-held area, nearly half of them already displaced from other rounds of violence.\n\nCORRECTS DATE TO MONDAY JUNE 3 -- This photo posted and provided by the Syrian Civil Defense White Helmets, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, shows Civil Defense workers searching for victims under the rubble after an airstrike by Syrian government forces hit the village of Ehsim, in Jabal al-Zawiya, some 10 kilometers (6 miles) north of the town of Maarat al-Numan in Idlib, Syria, Monday, June 3, 2019. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said on Monday that Syrian troops had reached Qassaibyeh, a village deep within the last rebel stronghold in the northwest province of Idlib, after intense clashes with militants. (Syrian Civil Defense White Helmets via AP)\n\nGovernment forces began a ground offensive in late April against areas under rebel control since 2015, after a Russia-Turkey-backed cease-fire in place for months failed to reduce the influence of extremists in the stronghold or open a highway that links government-controlled cities.\n\nSome areas in the stronghold have been in rebel hands since as early as 2011, when the civil war began.\n\nIdlib province is the last area standing in President Bashar Assad's way as he seeks a final victory against the armed opposition after eight years of civil war. Besides Idlib, other parts of Syria in the northwest and northeast remain out of his control, held by Turkey-backed fighters or Kurdish-led forces backed by the United States."], "summary": "Syrian government and Russian warplanes conduct airstrikes that target Syria's northwest, killing five civilians in the town of Kansafra and three villages in Idlib, including two children."}
{"document": ["At least five civilians were killed by Russian and Syrian government warplanes that targeted Syria's northwest as residents marked the holiday of Eid al-Fitr.\n\nA local source told Anadolu Agency the five people died on Wednesday in air attacks targeting the town of Kansafra and three villages in Idlib.\n\nThe UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor put the death toll at 10, saying two children were among those killed.\n\nAnother civilian died in shelling by government forces on the northern Hama countryside, also held by rebels, said the group, which relies on a network of sources on the ground in Syria.\n\nGovernment air attacks also hit a motorcycle in the Idlib town of Maaret al-Numan, killing a woman and her two children, said the Observatory.\n\nAir war\n\nWednesday's attacks come amid an escalation in violence in the country's northwest that is held by Syria's former al-Qaeda affiliate Hay'et Tahrir al-Sham.\n\nA September deal was supposed to avert a full-out government offensive on Idlib province and adjacent areas, home to about three million people, nearly half of whom have been displaced from other parts of Syria.\n\nBut the government and its ally Russia have since late April ramped up deadly air raids and rocket fire on the region, and fighters have clashed on its edges.\n\nThe bombardment of Idlib province and neighbouring areas has killed more than 300 people since late April, according to the Observatory.\n\nIt also displaced nearly 270,000 people in May alone, according to the United Nations.\n\nA total of 24 health facilities and 35 schools have been hit in the latest escalation, according to the UN's humanitarian office.\n\nAnalysts predict that President Bashar al-Assad and his allies will continue to chip away at the area, but not unleash a major assault that would create chaos on Turkey's doorstep.\n\nThe conflict in Syria has killed hundreds of thousands of people since it started in 2011 with millions displaced.", "At least five civilians were killed by Russian and Syrian government warplanes that targeted Syria's northwest as residents marked the holiday of Eid al-Fitr.\n\nA local source told Anadolu Agency the five people died on Wednesday in air attacks targeting the town of Kansafra and three villages in Idlib.\n\nThe UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor put the death toll at 10, saying two children were among those killed.\n\nAnother civilian died in shelling by government forces on the northern Hama countryside, also held by rebels, said the group, which relies on a network of sources on the ground in Syria.\n\nGovernment air attacks also hit a motorcycle in the Idlib town of Maaret al-Numan, killing a woman and her two children, said the Observatory.\n\nWednesday's attacks come amid an escalation in violence in the country's northwest that is held by Syria's former al-Qaeda affiliate Hay'et Tahrir al-Sham.\n\nA September deal was supposed to avert a full-out government offensive on Idlib province and adjacent areas, home to about three million people, nearly half of whom have been displaced from other parts of Syria.\n\nBut the government and its ally Russia have since late April ramped up deadly air raids and rocket fire on the region, and fighters have clashed on its edges.\n\nThe bombardment of Idlib province and neighbouring areas has killed more than 300 people since late April, according to the Observatory.\n\nIt also displaced nearly 270,000 people in May alone, according to the United Nations.\n\nA total of 24 health facilities and 35 schools have been hit in the latest escalation, according to the UN's humanitarian office.\n\nAnalysts predict that President Bashar al-Assad and his allies will continue to chip away at the area, but not unleash a major assault that would create chaos on Turkey's doorstep.\n\nThe conflict in Syria has killed hundreds of thousands of people since it started in 2011 with millions displaced.", "In Syria, at least 10 civilians were killed in air strikes and shelling by regime forces in Idlib province.\n\nSyrian Observatory for Human Rights said two children were among six people killed in the strikes on the town of Kafr Aweid. Another civilian died in shelling on the northern Hama countryside.\n\nAccording to the Monitor, a woman and her two children were also killed during airstrikes that hit a motorcycle in the town of Maaret al-Numan.", "In northwestern Syria, hundreds of people in Idlib have been killed by air attacks since April, despite the province supposedly being in a de-escalation zone.\n\nDozens of hospitals are among the areas being hit.\n\nThat is leading some medical staff to feel that the Syrian government and Russian forces are intentionally taking aim at them.", "A motorcycle and a car were involved in a hit-and-run earlier this morning in Leicester say police.\n\nPolice are investigating after a driver failed to stop at the scene of a collision just off Welford Road.\n\nA commuter, who wished not to be named, was on the bus going past Gainsborough Road when they saw the aftermath.\n\nThey said: \"I was on the bus riding into town.\n\n\"There was a motorcycle on the pavement, police, ambulance and a paramedic in attendance.\n\n\"The motorcycle was a chopper style with L plates.\"\n\nThe witness said that they could not see much damage on the motorcycle but the rider was not present and there was no other vehicle at the scene.\n\nLeicestershire Police confirmed that they were called to the incident at 8.50am which was reported to be a \"non-stop collision\".\n\nA force spokesperson said: \"We were called at around 8.50am to a non-stop collision on Gainsborough Road leading to Chapel Lane.\n\n\"A motorcycle and a car were involved, the motorcyclist was checked by paramedics but did not need to be taken to hospital.\n\n\"The other vehicle failed to stop at the scene and inquiries into the incident are ongoing.\"", "\"Badger Bob\" Huddleson of Vista, CA holds one of his custom-made Howling Helmets at the Timonium Motorcycle Show at the Maryland State Fairgrounds."], "summary": "Government air attacks hit a motorcycle in the Idlib town of Maaret al-Numan, killing a woman and her two children."}
{"document": ["Image copyright Reuters\n\nFiat Chrysler has withdrawn its merger proposal for French carmaker Renault, the Italian-American firm has said.\n\nThe announcement followed a failed attempt by Renault board members to reach a decision on the offer.\n\nRenault said it had been unable to reach agreement because French government representatives had requested a postponement.\n\nThe French government is the biggest shareholder in Renault, with a stake of more than 15%.\n\nJapan's Nissan also owns 15% of Renault, while Renault owns 43.4% of Nissan's shares.\n\nRenault's share price fell by nearly 7% on Thursday in response to Fiat Chrysler's decision.\n\nFiat Chrysler made the offer for Renault at the end of last month, describing it as a \"transformative\" proposal that would create a global automotive leader.\n\nCarmakers have faced pressure to consolidate amid major industry shifts, including towards electric vehicles.\n\n\"It has become clear that the political conditions in France do not currently exist for such a combination to proceed successfully,\" Fiat Chrysler said in a statement.\n\nBut the carmaker said it remained \"firmly convinced of the compelling, transformational rationale\" of the proposal, the terms of which were \"carefully balanced to deliver substantial benefits to all parties\".\n\nChallenging times\n\nIndustry shifts toward electric models, along with stricter emissions standards and the development of new technologies for autonomous vehicles, have put increasing pressure on carmakers to consolidate.\n\nOlder, and often heavily indebted carmakers, also face rising competition from new entrants in the motoring sector including Tesla, as well as cash-rich companies developing driverless technology such as Amazon and Google-owned Waymo.\n\nThe Fiat Chrysler tie-up with Renault would have allowed the companies to share development costs on key technology such as electric vehicles and self-driving cars and to create an important player in the automotive industry.\n\nThe merger proposal came at a time when Renault had already been facing challenges as part of an alliance with Japan's Nissan.\n\nThe former chief executive of both Renault and Nissan, Carlos Ghosn, is awaiting trial following his fourth arrest in Japan amid allegations of financial misconduct.\n\nThe allegations have put a strain on the 20-year-old alliance, which also includes Japan's Mitsubishi Motors.", "Fiat Chrysler said on Wednesday it was withdrawing its US$35 billion merger offer for Renault.\n\nPARIS/MILAN: Fiat Chrysler said on Wednesday it was withdrawing its US$35 billion merger offer for Renault.\n\nA source close to the French carmaker's board said FCA took the decision after France sought to delay a decision on the deal.\n\nRenault directors failed to reach a verdict on FCA's May 27 merger proposal at a board meeting that ran late into Wednesday night, the company said.\n\nThe board was \"unable to take a decision due to the request expressed by the representatives of the French state to postpone the vote to a later meeting\", Renault said in a statement.", "PARIS/MILAN June 6 (Reuters) - Fiat Chrysler said on Wednesday it was withdrawing its $35 billion merger offer for Renault.\n\nA source close to the French carmaker's board said FCA took the decision after France sought to delay a decision on the deal.\n\nRenault directors failed to reach a verdict on FCA's May 27 merger proposal at a board meeting that ran late into Wednesday night, the company said.\n\nThe board was \"unable to take a decision due to the request expressed by the representatives of the French state to postpone the vote to a later meeting\", Renault said in a statement. (Reporting by Laurence Frost Editing by Bill Rigby)", "PARIS (Reuters) - Fiat Chrysler said on Wednesday it was withdrawing its $35 billion merger offer for Renault (RENA.PA), blaming French politics for scuttling what would have been a landmark deal to create the world’s third-biggest automaker.\n\nA source close to the French carmaker’s board said Fiat Chrysler made the move after France sought to delay a decision on the deal in order to win the support of Nissan Motor Co, Renault’s Japanese alliance partner.\n\nFrench government officials had pushed for Nissan to support the merger. Nissan had said it would abstain.\n\nThe French government, which owns a 15% stake in Renault, had also pushed Fiat Chrysler and Renault for guarantees that France would not lose jobs, and for a dividend to be paid to Renault shareholders, including the government, people familiar with the talks said.\n\n“It has become clear that the political conditions in France do not currently exist for such a combination to proceed successfully,” Fiat Chrysler said in a statement.\n\nRenault, in a separate statement, said its board was “unable to take a decision due to the request expressed by the representatives of the French state to postpone the vote to a later meeting.”\n\nThe apparent collapse of merger talks leaves the two companies facing an array of issues, starting with the likely dismay of investors who bid up shares in both companies after Fiat Chrysler proposed a merger of equals just over a week ago.\n\nFiat Chrysler had proposed that its shareholders receive a 2.5 billion euro ($2.8 billion) special dividend as part of the merger, had it been completed.\n\nThe two companies told investors a merger would cut running costs by 5 billion euros ($5.6 billion) or more a year. Fiat Chrysler stood to gain access to Renault’s superior electric drive technology to meet mandates for zero-emission cars.\n\nRenault would have had a share of the Italian-American company’s lucrative Jeep sport utility vehicle and RAM pickup truck franchises.\n\nIt is not clear what the two companies will do next to tackle the costs of far-reaching technological and regulatory changes. Fiat Chrysler had held inconclusive talks with France’s PSA Group, which also has the French government as a shareholder.\n\nThe sudden end to the merger talks came after midnight in Paris, after Fiat Chrysler and French government officials had reached a tentative agreement that cleared the way for Renault’s board to consider moving forward, people familiar with the situation said.\n\nRenault’s previous alliance and cross-shareholding with Japanese automaker Nissan had loomed all along as a potential snag. Nissan Chief Executive Hiroto Saikawa met last week with Renault Chief Executive Jean-Dominique Senard, and said he did not see “any particular negative aspect” to the proposed Renault-Fiat Chrysler merger.\n\nBut people familiar with the situation said Nissan executives were blindsided by the merger proposal. A Nissan spokesman had no immediate comment.", "Italian-American carmaker Fiat Chrysler on Thursday said it had withdrawn a proposal for a merger with Renault, saying it would be unable to reach an agreement with the French government.\n\nFiat Chrysler (FCA) \"remains firmly convinced\" of the interest of its offer but \"political conditions do not currently exist in France to carry out such an arrangement\", it said in a statement.\n\nFrench automaker Renault announced earlier that its board of directors had not made a decision following a crunch meeting held at the request of the French state, the biggest shareholder in Renault with a 15 percent stake.\n\nThe government has warned against \"any haste\" regarding the proposed 50/50 merger.\n\nFrench Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said he wanted a board meeting next Tuesday after a trip to Japan scheduled for the weekend, a source close to Renault said.\n\nAt Wednesday evening's board of directors vote at Renault's headquarters near Paris, all the directors were for the merger, apart from a representative of employees affiliated with the powerful CGT union and two representatives of Nissan -- a long-time Renault partner -- who abstained, the source added.\n\nThe two directors appointed by Nissan, however, asked \"to write in the minutes that they would say yes with a little more time\".\n\nFiat Chrysler said: \"FCA remains firmly convinced of the compelling, transformational rationale of a proposal that has been widely appreciated since it was submitted, the structure and terms of which were carefully balanced to deliver substantial benefits to all parties.\n\n\"However it has become clear that the political conditions in France do not currently exist for such a combination to proceed successfully.\"", "PARIS (Reuters) – Fiat Chrysler said on Wednesday it was withdrawing its $35 billion merger offer for Renault, calling off what would have been a landmark deal to create the world’s third-biggest automaker.\n\nA source close to the French carmaker’s board said FCA took the decision after France sought to delay a decision on the deal.\n\nRenault directors failed to reach a verdict on FCA’s May 27 merger proposal at a board meeting that ran late into Wednesday night, the company said.\n\nThe board was “unable to take a decision due to the request expressed by the representatives of the French state to postpone the vote to a later meeting”, Renault said in a statement.\n\nThe deal, cast as a merger of equals that would tackle the costs of far-reaching technological and regulatory changes, would have altered the landscape for rivals including General Motors and Peugeot-maker PSA Group, which recently held inconclusive talks with Fiat Chrysler.\n\nFCA, Renault and its 15% shareholder, the French state, had been locked in talks over the Italian-American manufacturer’s bid. France had broadly welcomed the tie-up, on condition it guaranteed Renault’s domestic blue-collar jobs and plants.\n\nAnalysts had warned of complications, including Renault’s existing alliance with Nissan, the French state’s role as Renault’s largest shareholder and potential opposition from politicians and workers to any cutbacks.", "Fiat Chrysler has withdrawn its merger proposal for French carmaker Renault, the Italian firm has said.\n\nThe announcement followed a failed attempt by Renault board members to reach a decision on the offer.\n\nRenault said it had been unable to reach agreement because French government representatives had requested a postponement.\n\nThe French government is the biggest shareholder in Renault, with a stake of more than 15%.\n\nJapan's Nissan also owns 15% of Renault, while Renault owns 43.4% of Nissan's shares.\n\nFiat Chrysler made the offer for Renault at the end of last month, describing it as a \"transformative\" proposal that would create a global automotive leader.\n\nIn its statement, Fiat Chrysler said it remained \"firmly convinced\" of the \"compelling, transformational rationale\" of the tie-up.\n\nIt said the terms had been \"carefully balanced to deliver substantial benefits to all parties\".\n\nIt added: \"However, it has become clear that the political conditions in France do not currently exist for such a combination to proceed successfully.\"\n\nIndustry shifts toward electric models, along with stricter emissions standards and the development of new technologies for autonomous vehicles, have put increasing pressure on carmakers to consolidate.\n\nThe former chief executive of both Nissan and Renault, Carlos Ghosn, is awaiting trial following his fourth arrest amid allegations of financial misconduct.\n\nThe allegations have put a strain on the 20-year-old alliance, which also includes Japan's Mitsubishi Motors.", "Renault delays decision on Fiat Chrysler merger proposal, to meet again Wednesday\n\nPARIS (AP) — Renault delays decision on Fiat Chrysler merger proposal, to meet again Wednesday.", "Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV abruptly withdrew its offer to combine with Renault SA after the French carmaker’s board—on the brink of approving the deal—postponed a decision for a second time in as many days.\n\nRenault’s board ended an hours-long meeting early Thursday without a vote after its most important shareholder, the French state, requested deliberations by put off to a later date. Renault, in a statement issued before Fiat’s withdrawal, said it would continue to review “with interest” the proposal.\n\nFiat Chrysler blamed the French government, which has ratcheted up demands over jobs, governance and other items since the deal was announced on May 27.\n\nThe maker of Jeep SUVs and Ram pickups “remains firmly convinced of the compelling, transformational rationale” of a proposal that was “carefully balanced to deliver substantial benefits to all parties,” it said separately. “However it has become clear that the political conditions in France do not currently exist for such a combination to proceed successfully.”\n\nThe collapse of his proposal to create the world’s third-largest automaker marks a significant retreat for Chairman John Elkann, who leads the company’s founding Agnelli family. After discussions with Renault’s cross-town rival Groupe PSA, Elkann opted for the riskier path, proceeding with an offer for Renault despite the complications of the government’s role and its strained relationship with alliance partner Nissan Motor Co.\n\nThe breakdown of talks on a night when a deal appeared to be in hand also leaves Renault Chairman Jean-Dominique Senard in a difficult position, having sought and failed to bring the French carmaker’s various constituencies into agreement. In addition to the demands from the French state, unions were worried about jobs and Japanese partner Nissan felt burned by the previous regime under deposed alliance Chairman Carlos Ghosn.\n\nRenault’s board was poised to approve the deal, with Nissan representatives abstaining, according people familiar with the matter. But France’s representatives asked for more time after officials made clear they wanted to discuss with Japanese authorities before making a decision, they said. Finance minister Bruno Le Maire plans a trip to Japan soon, one of the people added.\n\nMore time was needed to reassure the Japanese side and explain the deal, a French government official said, asking not to be identified to comply with ground rules. The person added that the government found surprising Fiat’s rushed move to withdraw its offer.\n\nA spokesman for the minister didn’t return requests for comment.\n\nCriticism of Fiat’s May 27 proposal has gathered steam in recent days. France asked for assurances on jobs, board representation and the role of Senard, 66, who would be chief executive officer of the combined company.\n\nRenault’s board on Tuesday adjourned without taking action on the proposal, saying it needed to study the draft in detail.\n\nNissan, which isn’t part of the Fiat deal, has withheld its support. Its representatives to the French carmaker’s board were set to abstain, according to people familiar with the matter, despite Senard’s desire to win at least conditional backing from the Japanese manufacturer.\n\nSome investors have also voiced doubts. Paris-based activist investment manager CIAM, in a letter to Renault’s board, said the merger with Fiat significantly undervalues Renault and that a 2.5 billion-euro ($2.8 billion) dividend set to go to Fiat Chrysler shareholders should instead be paid to the French company.", "PARIS — Renault looks set to say “yes” Tuesday to a merger with Fiat Chrysler, in a deal that could reshape the global auto industry as carmakers race to make electric and autonomous vehicles for the masses.\n\nFrance and Italy are both painting themselves as winners in the deal, which could save both companies 5 billion euros ($5.6 billion) a year. But workers worry a merger could lead to job losses, and analysts warn it could bog down in the challenges of managing such a hulking company across multiple countries.\n\nThe big loser may end up being Japan’s Nissan, whose once-mighty alliance with Renault and Mitsubishi is on the rocks since star CEO Carlos Ghosn’s arrest in November.\n\nRenault SA’s board is meeting Tuesday afternoon at its headquarters in Boulogne-Billancourt outside Paris to decide whether to accept Fiat Chrysler Automobiles’ bold merger offer of last week.\n\nA “yes” by Renault would open the way for a non-binding memorandum of understanding to start exclusive merger negotiations. The ensuing process — including consultations with unions, the French government, antitrust authorities and other regulators — would take about a year.\n\nA merger would create the world’s third-biggest automaker, worth almost $40 billion and producing some 8.7 million vehicles a year. That’s more than General Motors makes, and trails only Volkswagen and Toyota.\n\nIf the merged company were to include the Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance too, they’d be the No. 1 car producer in the world.\n\nBut Nissan wasn’t consulted on the potential deal, and had resisted Ghosn’s idea of a full merger with Renault before his arrest. Ghosn denies accusations of financial wrongdoing.\n\nThe French government, which owns 15% of Renault, has held talks with Renault and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles in recent days, and a government official told The Associated Press that the “dynamic is positive” and the merger “makes sense.”\n\nThe official, who spoke only on condition of anonymity in line with government policy, said the merger would produce a Netherlands-based holding company with potential operational headquarters in the Paris suburb of Boulogne-Billancourt — Renault’s home base.\n\nThe French government is insisting that any deal preserve French jobs and research and development sites, and a balance between both parties.\n\nBut the French official said it generally welcomes the deal as a win for both Renault and Fiat Chrysler, because each has strengths the other lacks.\n\nItalian Deputy Premier Luigi Di Maio is closely following the potential merger, and said in a Facebook message Monday that it would bring “a significant added value to Italy” and he “sees our country as one of the protagonists.”\n\nHe said he took for granted that the deal would protect workers. Di Maio comes from the Naples suburb of Pomigliano, where Fiat has been building the Panda and which is slated to build a new Alfa Romeo SUV under longer-term plans to transform Italian plants to higher-margin premium vehicles.\n\nThe merger would be a bold step in the industry consolidation that many see as necessary in the capital-hungry sector.\n\nFiat Chrysler says 90% of savings would come from reducing spending on purchasing parts, and combining research and development, manufacturing and tooling. It estimates the savings would be achieved in six years.\n\nFiat has merger experience in the past. It sealed an agreement with U.S. officials in 2009 to take over bankrupt Chrysler in exchange for small-car technology and managerial expertise. The deal secured Fiat’s survival, with Chrysler now the carmaker’s big cash machine on the strength of Jeeps SUVs and Ram trucks.\n\nCopyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed."], "summary": "Fiat Chrysler withdraws its merger proposal for French carmaker Renault after Renault board members were unable to reach a decision on the offer."}
{"document": ["Getty\n\nYouTube on Wednesday said it's removing videos that push extremist views like white supremacy or deny events like the Holocaust or Sandy Hook shooting. The new policy is an attempt to crack down on hate speech on the Google-owned video service.\n\nThe new rules prohibit any video \"alleging that a group is superior in order to justify discrimination, segregation or exclusion based on qualities like age, gender, race, caste, religion, sexual orientation or veteran status.\"\n\nYouTube didn't specifically say which channels or videos it's removing. The company has drawn criticism for how it enforces its policies and its decision-making process when it comes to leaving up videos that some deem hateful.\n\nThe update follows a controversy Tuesday evening, when YouTube refused to take down the channel of a prominent conservative personality named Stephen Crowder for using homophobic slurs against journalist Carlos Maza, a writer and video host at Vox. Maza, who is gay, created a supercut of Crowder calling him a \"lispy sprite\" and \"little queer.\"\n\nYouTube said Crowder's videos didn't violate the site's rules. \"Our teams spent the last few days conducting an in-depth review of the videos flagged to us, and while we found language that was clearly hurtful, the videos as posted don't violate our policies,\" the company said in a series of tweets Tuesday night. \"Opinions can be deeply offensive, but if they don't violate our policies, they'll remain on our site.\"\n\n(2/4) Our teams spent the last few days conducting an in-depth review of the videos flagged to us, and while we found language that was clearly hurtful, the videos as posted don’t violate our policies. We’ve included more info below to explain this decision: — TeamYouTube (@TeamYouTube) June 4, 2019\n\nYouTube also said Wednesday it would remove channels that \"brush up\" against its hate speech rules -- but don't necessarily break them -- from its YouTube Partner Program, which lets creators run ads on their channel and use other monetization features. For other \"borderline\" content, YouTube said it would reduce the reach of the video and surround it by more authoritative content, like putting a video on the topic from a trusted news source in the \"Watch next\" panel.\n\nYouTube hasn't banned Crowder's channel, but later Wednesday said it would suspend its monetization.\n\n\"We came to this decision because a pattern of egregious actions has harmed the broader community and is against our YouTube Partner Program policies,\" the company tweeted. However, the company said in a follow-up tweet that Crowder would be able to monetize his channel again if he addressed certain issues, including removing a link from the video selling his T-shirts and merchandise.\n\nYouTube didn't immediately respond to a request for comment about what else would need to be fixed.\n\nThe new hate speech policy also comes as platforms like YouTube, Facebook and Twitter face intense scrutiny for their ability to police the content on their platforms. Facebook in March announced it was banning white nationalist and separatist content. But it has also faced blowback for its decision to leave up a video of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that had been doctored to make her appear drunk. (YouTube decided the video was inappropriate and removed it from its service.)\n\nYouTube also said it has partnered with lawmakers and other organizations to help combat the spread of extremism on its service. On Wednesday, one of those partners, the Anti-Defamation League, applauded the new policy by YouTube but called on the company to do more.\n\n\"We were glad to share our expertise on this and look forward to continuing to provide input,\" Jonathan Greenblatt, the ADL's CEO and national director, said in a statement. \"While this is an important step forward, this move alone is insufficient and must be followed by many more changes from YouTube and other tech companies to adequately counter the scourge of online hate and extremism.\"\n\nNow playing: Watch this: What Facebook and Google say they’re doing to combat...\n\nOriginally published June 5, 9:54 a.m. PT.\n\nUpdate, 12:03 p.m. PT: Adds news that YouTube suspended monetization of Crowder's channel; 1 p.m. PT and 2:06 p.m. PT: Adds YouTube's followup statements about Crowder's demonetization.", "YouTube is removing thousands of channels for promoting Neo-Nazism, white supremacy, and conspiracy theories that deny well-known historical events like the Holocaust and the Sandy Hook school shooting ever occurred.\n\nOn Wednesday, the Google-owned platform announced it was taking a stricter stance on hateful content by deleting the offending videos instead of just limiting their circulation.\n\nYouTube's policy previously banned videos for using racial slurs to promote hate and dehumanizing people based on their ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation. However, the platform stopped short of banning \"supremacist content\" and instead made the videos harder to find by denying them access to YouTube's recommendation algorithm and share functions.\n\nThe updated policy now prohibits content that alleges \"the superiority of a group\" over another to \"justify violence, discrimination, segregation, or exclusion.\" Calling for the subjugation or domination of an individual or group is also no longer allowed.\n\nThe same policy tackles misinformation. It bans conspiracy theory videos that claim someone has \"evil, corrupt or malicious intent.\" Denying that a \"well-documented, violent event took place\" has been banned as well.\n\n\"The openness of YouTube's platform has helped creativity and access to information thrive. It's our responsibility to protect that, and prevent our platform from being used to incite hatred, harassment, discrimination and violence,\" YouTube said of the changes, which will start rolling out later today.\n\nThe crackdown will no doubt spark allegations of censorship from free speech advocates and conservatives. But others have accused YouTube of failing to fight hate speech. The platform made the announcement a day after it refrained from taking action on right-wing commenter Steven Crowder for hurling homophobic taunts at Vox reporter Carlos Maza.\n\n\"Our teams spent the last few days conducting an in-depth review of the videos flagged to us, and while we found language that was clearly hurtful, the videos as posted don't violate our policies,\" YouTube said in tweet thread to Maza, adding: \"Opinions can be deeply offensive, but if they don't violate our policies, they'll remain on our site.\" (YouTube says it's now suspended monetization over Crowder's YouTube channel.)\n\nNevertheless, YouTube said in today's announcement it's going to take a tougher stance on \"borderline\" content that doesn't quite violate the platform's policies but comes close. In January, for instance, the platform began limiting recommendations of harmful misinformation, such as videos promoting miracle cures or the claim that the Earth is flat.\n\n\"Thanks to this change, the number of views this type of content gets from recommendations has dropped by over 50 percent in the US,\" YouTube said. As a result, the video-sharing service is bringing the change globally across the platform.\n\n\"Our systems are also getting smarter about what types of videos should get this treatment, and we'll be able to apply it to even more borderline videos moving forward. As we do this, we'll also start raising up more authoritative content in recommendations,\" YouTube added.", "YouTube announced Wednesday it would ban videos promoting or glorifying racism and discrimination as well as those denying well-documented violent events, like the Holocaust or the Sandy Hook elementary school shooting.\n\nThe announcement by the Google-owned video-sharing platform was the latest of a series of tech industry moves to filter out hateful and violent content, which have spurred calls for tougher regulation.\n\n“YouTube has always had rules of the road, including a longstanding policy against hate speech,” a company statement said.\n\n“Today, we’re taking another step in our hate speech policy by specifically prohibiting videos alleging that a group is superior in order to justify discrimination, segregation or exclusion based on qualities like age, gender, race, caste, religion, sexual orientation or veteran status.”\n\nThe move comes after a call by world leaders in Paris last month to curb extremism online, following revelations about the livestreaming of a mosque massacre in New Zealand.\n\n“We will begin enforcing this updated policy today; however, it will take time for our systems to fully ramp up and we’ll be gradually expanding coverage over the next several months,” YouTube said.\n\nYouTube and other platforms have also been seen as havens for conspiracy theorists denying Holocaust or the September 11 attacks, and for Nazi and white supremacist groups.\n\nIn January, YouTube said it would stop recommending specious videos such as those claiming the earth is flat or promoting bogus theories about the September 11, 2001 attacks or the 2012 killings at the Sandy Hook elementary school in Connecticut. But it stopped short of banning that content.\n\nYouTube said it would seek ways to keep some of the violent content to make it available to researchers.\n\nBut the latest move is likely to eliminate numerous “channels” that use the platform for monetization.\n\n“We have longstanding advertiser-friendly guidelines that prohibit ads from running on videos that include hateful content and we enforce these rigorously,” the statement said.\n\n“Channels that repeatedly brush up against our hate speech policies will be suspended from the YouTube Partner program, meaning they can’t run ads on their channel or use other monetization features.”\n\nEarlier this year, Facebook announced it would ban praise or support for white nationalism and white separatism as part of a stepped-up crackdown on hate speech.\n\nThe moves by social media have prompted criticism among right-wing activists in the United States, and President Donald Trump has claimed that online platforms are seeking to suppress conservative voices.\n\nYouTube did not disclose the names of any groups or channels that may be banned.\n\nThe YouTube move comes after a report in The Verge documenting harassment of a journalist based on his race and sexual orientation by right-wing commentator Steven Crowder.\n\nAccording to the Verge, Crowder’s channel would not be affected by the latest ban.", "YouTube announced on Wednesday it would ban videos promoting or glorifying racism and discrimination as well as those denying well-documented violent events, like the Holocaust or the Sandy Hook elementary school shooting.\n\n[WASHINGTON] YouTube announced on Wednesday it would ban videos promoting or glorifying racism and discrimination as well as those denying well-documented violent events, like the Holocaust or the Sandy Hook elementary school shooting.\n\nThe announcement by the Google-owned video-sharing platform was the latest of a series of tech industry moves to filter out hateful and violent content, which have spurred calls for tougher regulation.\n\n\"YouTube has always had rules of the road, including a longstanding policy against hate speech,\" a company statement said.\n\n\"Today, we're taking another step in our hate speech policy by specifically prohibiting videos alleging that a group is superior in order to justify discrimination, segregation or exclusion based on qualities like age, gender, race, caste, religion, sexual orientation or veteran status.\"\n\nThe move comes after a call by world leaders in Paris last month to curb extremism online, following revelations about the livestreaming of a mosque massacre in New Zealand.\n\n\"We will begin enforcing this updated policy today; however, it will take time for our systems to fully ramp up and we'll be gradually expanding coverage over the next several months,\" YouTube said.\n\nYouTube and other platforms have also been seen as havens for conspiracy theorists denying Holocaust or the September 11 attacks, and for Nazi and white supremacist groups.\n\nThe Southern Poverty Law Centre, which tracks white supremacists and other extremist groups, said the ban will be positive only if YouTube enforces it.\n\n\"As with other outlets before it, YouTube's decision to remove hateful content depends on its ability to enact and enforce policies and procedures that will prevent this content from becoming a global organising tool for the radical right,\" said the group's intelligence director Heidi Beirich.\n\n\"Tech companies must proactively tackle the problem of hateful content that is easily found on their platforms before it leads to more hate-inspired violence.\"\n\nIn January, YouTube said it would stop recommending specious videos such as those claiming the earth is flat or promoting bogus theories about the September 11, 2001 terror attacks or the 2012 killings at the Sandy Hook elementary school in Connecticut. But it stopped short of banning that content.\n\nYouTube said it would seek ways to keep some of the violent content to make it available to researchers.\n\nBut the latest move is likely to eliminate numerous \"channels\" that use the platform for monetisation.\n\n\"We have longstanding advertiser-friendly guidelines that prohibit ads from running on videos that include hateful content and we enforce these rigorously,\" the statement said.\n\n\"Channels that repeatedly brush up against our hate speech policies will be suspended from the YouTube Partner program, meaning they can't run ads on their channel or use other monetisation features.\"\n\nEarlier this year, Facebook announced it would ban praise or support for white nationalism and white separatism as part of a stepped-up crackdown on hate speech.\n\nThe moves by social media have prompted criticism among right-wing activists in the United States, and President Donald Trump has claimed that online platforms are seeking to suppress conservative voices.\n\nYouTube did not disclose the names of any groups or channels that may be banned.\n\nThe YouTube move comes after a report in the tech news website The Verge documenting harassment of a journalist based on his race and sexual orientation by right-wing commentator Steven Crowder.\n\nAccording to The Verge, Mr Crowder's channel was still operational.\n\nBut YouTube said later on Twitter it had suspended monetisation of Mr Crowder's channel, barring him from getting YouTube ad revenues.\n\n\"We came to this decision because a pattern of egregious actions has harmed the broader community and is against our YouTube Partner Programme policies,\" the company said.\n\nAndrew Surabian, a Republican strategist and former White House aide, said the move suggests YouTube has caved in to pressure from activists.\n\n\"If that's their new standard, will they now demonetise all the rap videos with homophobic slurs on their platform?\" he said on Twitter.", "YouTube said Wednesday that it is launching a new campaign to rid its site of extremist political and personal videos, such as those promoting white supremacy and neo-Nazism, as the video publishing platform seeks to crack down on hate speech.\n\nYouTube, which is owned by Google, laid out the guidelines of its latest crackdown in a company blog post. No specific video producers or channels were named, but YouTube said that “videos that promote or glorify Nazi ideology” would be targeted under the new policies.\n\n“(We are) specifically prohibiting videos alleging that a group is superior in order to justify discrimination, segregation or exclusion based on qualities like age, gender, race, caste, religion, sexual orientation or veteran status,” YouTube said in announcing its latest effort to police content on its site. The company added that it would also begin removing videos that deny that violent events like the Holocaust and the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.\n\nYouTube said it would begin enforcing the new video policies on Wednesday, but the size of the issue means that “it will take time for our systems to fully ramp up and we’ll be gradually expanding coverage over the next several months.”\n• YouTube says some homophobic terms ‘don’t violate our policies’\n• YouTube bans kids from live-streaming video unless accompanied by an adult\n• What Facebook, YouTube, Twitter are doing with the fake Nancy Pelosi videos The size of YouTube speaks to the scale of the task at hand for the company. Approximately 1.3 billion people around the globe use YouTube, and more than 5 billion videos are watched on the site each day. It’s also estimated that 300 to 500 new videos are uploaded onto YouTube every minute.\n\nYouTube’s latest move against hate speech comes one day after the company determined that videos posted by conservative YouTuber Steven Crowder, in which he used racial and homophobic language to described Vox writer Carlos Maza, didn’t violate YouTube’s policy usage terms. A report this week from the New York Times also described the proliferation of home videos that include images of children in swimsuits as a “buffet” for pedophiles.", "YouTube said Wednesday that it is launching a new campaign to rid its site of extremist political and personal videos, such as those promoting white supremacy and neo-Nazism, as the video publishing platform seeks to crack down on hate speech.\n\nYouTube, which is owned by Google, laid out the guidelines of its latest crackdown in a company blog post. No specific video producers or channels were named, but YouTube said that “videos that promote or glorify Nazi ideology” would be targeted under the new policies.\n\n“(We are) specifically prohibiting videos alleging that a group is superior in order to justify discrimination, segregation or exclusion based on qualities like age, gender, race, caste, religion, sexual orientation or veteran status,” YouTube said in announcing its latest effort to police content on its site. The company added that it would also begin removing videos that deny that violent events like the Holocaust and the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut.\n\nYouTube said it would begin enforcing the new video policies on Wednesday, but the size of the issue means that “it will take time for our systems to fully ramp up and we’ll be gradually expanding coverage over the next several months.”\n• California poised to go further than any state to insure the undocumented—too pricey, or about time?\n• Oakland second city in USA to allow ‘magic mushrooms’\n• California's big cities are running out of people to hire\n• An effort to make dam electricity count as renewable energy just failed The size of YouTube speaks to the scale of the task at hand for the company. Approximately 1.3 billion people around the globe use YouTube, and more than 5 billion videos are watched on the site each day. It’s also estimated that 300 to 500 new videos are uploaded onto YouTube every minute.\n\nYouTube’s latest move against hate speech comes one day after the company determined that videos posted by conservative YouTuber Steven Crowder, in which he used racial and homophobic language to described Vox writer Carlos Maza, didn’t violate YouTube’s policy usage terms. A report this week from the New York Times also described the proliferation of home videos that include images of children in swimsuits as a “buffet” for pedophiles.", "YouTube may end up revising its anti-harassment policies amid an ongoing controversy involving a right-wing commentator who posted homophobic videos targeting a reporter.\n\n\"In the coming months, we will be taking a hard look at our harassment policies with an aim to update them,\" the Google-owned platform said in a blog post.\n\nTwo days ago, YouTube sparked online outrage from the LGBTQ community and journalists after it declined to suspend conservative commentator Steven Crowder's YouTube channel despite the fact that he repeatedly harassed Vox reporter Carlos Maza in his videos.\n\nMaza has been urging YouTube to take action and enforce the platform's rules against online harassment. However, the video-sharing site said that \"while we found language (in Crowder's channel) that was clearly hurtful, the videos as posted don't violate our policies.\"\n\nLater, YouTube abruptly decided to suspend Crowder's ability to monetize videos on his channel—underscoring a seemingly arbitrary enforcement of the platform's rules. \"Today has generated a lot of questions and confusion,\" YouTube admitted on Wednesday.\n\nThe controversy comes as YouTube has been struggling to balance fighting online abuse with maintaining free speech. In the past, it's tried to bury videos containing hate speech and racism by making them harder to find on the site. But on Tuesday, it decided to delete any videos promoting Neo-Nazism and racial supremacy, which will result in the takedown of thousands of channels.\n\nIn revising its anti-harassment policy, YouTube says it'll consult with experts, video creators, journalists, and victims of online harassment. But the platform also wants to protect free speech even when the content may be offensive, pointing to politically charged rants and edgy stand-up comedy routines as examples.\n\nCynics may roll their eyes at this. After all, YouTube generates millions in advertising dollars. Crowder himself has more than 3.8 million subscribers. The Trump administration, meanwhile, is considering action against Silicon Valley companies it believes has been unfairly censorsing political conservatives.\n\nHowever, YouTube says: \"We enforce our policies here rigorously and regardless of the creator in question.\" The platform indicated that the videos from Crowder weren't banned because the content itself was addressing a larger topic and not simply focused on demeaning Maza.\n\n\"In the case of Crowder's channel, a thorough review over the weekend found that individually, the flagged videos did not violate our Community Guidelines,\" the platform said. \"However, in the subsequent days, we saw the widespread harm to the YouTube community resulting from the ongoing pattern of egregious behavior, took a deeper look, and made the decision to suspend monetization.\"\n\nStill, no matter what YouTube does to revise its anti-harassment policy, it'll probably outrage someone. \"Not everyone will agree with the calls we make—some will say we haven't done enough; others will say we've gone too far,\" it said in the blog post.", "YouTube has not had an easy go of it over the last 24 hours. Right in the middle of LGBT Pride Month, the platform responded to Vox Media host Carlos Maza’s claims that right-wing YouTube host Steven Crowder had repeatedly taunted him with racist, homophobic language including “lispy queer,” “token Vox gay atheist sprite,” “gay Mexican,” and “anchor baby” by... ruling that Crowder was not, in fact, in completely obvious violation of its anti-hate speech rules.\n\n\n\nYouTube then made it worse, issuing talking points that its hate-speech standard is determining whether “criticism is focused primarily on debating the opinions expressed or is solely malicious” and that the “main point” of Crowder’s videos were “not to harass or threaten.” Faced with a furious backlash, it spent most of Wednesday rushing a new hate speech policy out the door, reversing course by saying it would demonetize Crowder’s content, and then waffling back and forth on how much of a slap on the wrist it would actually apply.\n\nOn Wednesday night, YouTube’s head of its beleaguered comms team, Chris Dale, tried yet again to explain exactly what is going on in a post to the Official YouTube Blog. It’s not great! Here’s some of what he wrote, broken down by section:\n\n“Rigorously and regardless of the creator in question” is a good laugh, given that this situation only developed after Maza publicly called out Crowder, building a critical mass that forced YouTube to pay attention.\n\nThe rest of these stats are essentially meaningless—in part because “tens of thousands of videos and accounts” and “hundreds of millions of comments” are a drop in the world-spanning YouTube bucket, but also in part because they lack any context or comparison point. Forget truncating the y-axis, we don’t even have an x-axis or a legend.\n\nYouTube did indeed announce it was banning supremacist ideology and denial of “well-documented violent events, like the Holocaust or the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary” on Wednesday. YouTube has also been claiming to be taking action on “borderline” content for months, and as Wired noted, platforms including YouTube have long claimed to be cleaning up their act with little to show for it. This is just a PR exercise unless and until that changes.\n\nNo one alleged that Crowder had personally encouraged his followers to go after Maza. But this is a fair point to bring up in isolation—creators are only responsible for their own behavior. To an extent. Which brings us to the next point:\n\nThis is a nice little sleight of hand. They’ve ditched their original point about whether content is “focused primarily on debating the opinions expressed or is solely malicious,” probably because it was repeatedly, by a large swathe of the internet, pointed out to them that hate speech is not an exchange of ideas but deliberate bullying.\n\nHate speech is implicitly dehumanizing and blows a big, loud dog whistle for audiences to go after targets. Couple the “primary purpose” standard with a harassment policy that leaves a plausible deniability loophole a mile wide, and YouTube is still left with rules that don’t address the original Crowder situation: A creator repeatedly pushing the boundaries enough that his audience gets the message, but can wink-wink, nudge-nudge his way out of the consequences until enough people complain.\n\nEven if a creator’s content doesn’t violate our community guidelines, we will take a look at the broader context and impact, and if their behavior is egregious and harms the broader community, we may take action. In the case of Crowder’s channel, a thorough review over the weekend found that individually, the flagged videos did not violate our Community Guidelines. However, in the subsequent days, we saw the widespread harm to the YouTube community resulting from the ongoing pattern of egregious behavior, took a deeper look, and made the decision to suspend monetization. In order to be considered for reinstatement, all relevant issues with the channel need to be addressed, including any videos that violate our policies, as well as things like offensive merchandise.\n\nHere’s where it all goes off the rails. YouTube appears to be caught in a bind where its hate speech policy clearly prohibited Crowder’s language, but seemingly doesn’t want to get dredged into another headache-inducing debate about censoring conservatives (too late!), or rock its “extremism rabbit hole” gravy train too far off the tracks, or whatever. Who knows what’s going on over there anymore? Does YouTube? Or is it just pulling a bunch of levers and contorting the facts of what happened through all of those loopholes to machine-pulp and squeeze out an arbitrary result it thinks will calm enough people down to ride out this news cycle?", "Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings.\n\nYouTube said Wednesday that the platform will begin banning videos promoting Nazi ideology as well as those denying “well-documented violent events” such as the Holocaust or the Sandy Hook massacre.\n\n\"Today, we're taking another step in our hate speech policy by specifically prohibiting videos alleging that a group is superior in order to justify discrimination, segregation or exclusion based on qualities like age, gender, race, caste, religion, sexual orientation or veteran status,\" the company wrote in a blog post.\n\nThe company noted that “it will take time for our systems to fully ramp up.\"\n\nThe video platform has been under pressure from experts and watchdog groups for years to address its role in hosting and spreading hateful content, as researchers showed that its algorithm tended to drag users from mainstream videos toward extremist political content through the use of its autoplay feature and recommendation system.\n\nYouTube said its new policy would aim to “prevent our platform from being used to incite hatred, harassment, discrimination and violence.”\n\nYouTube will also begin to change the videos it recommends alongside \"borderline content\" that does not violate the company's policies.\n\n\"In January, we piloted an update of our systems in the U.S. to limit recommendations of borderline content and harmful misinformation, such as videos promoting a phony miracle cure for a serious illness, or claiming the earth is flat,\" the company wrote. \"We’re looking to bring this updated system to more countries by the end of 2019.\"\n\nYouTube will also include videos from \"authoritative sources\" alongside borderline videos.\n\nThe video-sharing platform has been criticized by researchers who argued that the company wasn’t simply hosting the videos but also leading users down “rabbit holes” toward increasingly violent and extreme viewpoints while shutting out dissent.\n\nJonas Kaiser, an assistant researcher at Harvard University, and Adrian Rauchfleisch, an assistant professor at the National Taiwan University, outlined the phenomenon last year in a research paper titled “Unite the Right? How YouTube’s Recommendation Algorithm Connects The U.S. Far-Right.”\n\n“In much the same way that the ‘Unite the Right’ rally in Charlottesville, where a white supremacist injured many and killed Heather Heyer by driving a car into a crowd of counterprotesters, sought to bring together many far-right influencers, so too does YouTube’s recommendation algorithm bring together far-right channels,” Kaiser and Rauchfleisch wrote.\n\nYouTube said it would also work to hone its algorithm to stop directing users toward silos of extremist content.\n\n“If a user is watching a video that comes close to violating our policies, our systems may include more videos from authoritative sources (like top news channels) in the ‘watch next’ panel,” Shadloo wrote.\n\nYouTube also said it will strengthen its enforcement of its rules around which channels can monetize their videos.\n\n\"Channels that repeatedly brush up against our hate speech policies will be suspended from the YouTube Partner program, meaning they can’t run ads on their channel or use other monetization features like Super Chat,\" YouTube wrote.\n\nYouTube’s changes add to similar moves by other platforms that have begun to rewrite policies around hate speech. In March, Facebook announced a ban on “praise, support and representation of white nationalism and white separatism on Facebook and Instagram.”\n\nTwitter does not have a similar policy against white nationalism, but it does ban targeted harassment based on race.\n\nYouTube’s announcement comes just hours after the company said that it would not take action against far-right YouTube personality Steven Crowder, who has published numerous videos targeting Vox reporter Carlos Maza with anti-gay and anti-Mexican slurs over several years.\n\nDespite rules on the service that prohibit “racial, ethnic, religious, or other slurs where the primary purpose is to promote hatred” and “stereotypes that incite or promote hatred,” YouTube declined to take action on the videos created by Crowder, whose videos have received more than 833 million total views on YouTube.\n\n“Our teams spent the last few days conducting an in-depth review of the videos flagged to us, and while we found language that was clearly hurtful, the videos as posted don’t violate our policies,” a YouTube spokesperson tweeted to Maza on Tuesday night.\n\nShortly after Wednesday's initial announcement, YouTube tweeted that it had suspended monetization on Crowder's channel.\n\nBecca Lewis, a researcher at Data & Society, a nonprofit based in New York, and author of Alternative Influence: Broadcasting the Reactionary Right on YouTube about networks of far-right influencers on YouTube, called the move “a step in the right direction” toward eliminating hate speech on the platform but was ultimately skeptical.\n\n“It remains to be seen exactly how it will be enforced. And it's particularly strange to see this coming out right after such a public case of them interpreting their policies in favor of keeping harassment up on their platform,” Lewis said.\n\nBoth Lewis and Megan Squire, an Elon University computer science professor who studies the far right, said they see the new policies are an acknowledgement of years of academic research that showed ties between YouTube’s algorithm and domestic extremism.\n\n“This ban is certainly an admission that they have had and continue to have extremist and hateful content on their platform,” Squire said.", "June 5 (UPI) -- YouTube announced Wednesday new efforts to limit discriminatory and phony content by removing more extremist channels and rewarding more trusted creators.\n\nThe platform said it is furthering its crackdown on \"harmful\" and \"violent extremist\" content through a number of new policy changes after consulting with experts in extremism, supremacism and free speech.\n\n\"The openness of YouTube's platform has helped creativity and access to information thrive,\" the company said in a blog post. \"It's our responsibility to protect that, and prevent our platform from being used to incite hatred, harassment, discrimination and violence.\"\n\nIn 2017, YouTube tried to limit views of supremacist content by not allowing the videos to be shared and curtailing comments and recommendations. On Wednesday, the company said it will ban any video that says any one group is better than another or suggests segregation based on qualities like age, gender, race, caste, religion, sexual orientation or veteran status.\n\nYouTube said it also will ban content that denies well-documented historical events like the Holocaust and the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.\n\nAdditionally, YouTube said it plans to curtail the spread of video content that \"comes right up to the line\" on its policies such as videos suggesting miracle cures or suggesting the Earth is flat. The company said it piloted a version of this change in January and found that the number of views the content gets from recommendations dropped by 50 percent under the new policy.\n\nSuch videos will also include recommendations from more authoritative content such as news channels.\n\nYouTube already prevents monetary advertising on videos that include hate speech, but going forward, the company plans to suspend channels that \"repeatedly brush up against our hate speech policies.\"\n\nYouTube said efforts in recent years to crack down on hate speech and other extremist content has led to an 80 percent drop in views on such videos.\n\nIn May 2016, the company, along with Facebook, Twitter and Microsoft, signed a code of conduct formulated by the European Union to help fight the spread of hate speech."], "summary": "YouTube announces a new policy regarding hate speech and harassment on the video sharing platform, saying it will specifically ban videos that include neo-nazi and supremacist content, subsequently suspending several popular right-wing channels, and demonetizing Steven Crowder's."}
{"document": ["Why did this happen?\n\nPlease make sure your browser supports JavaScript and cookies and that you are not blocking them from loading. For more information you can review our Terms of Service and Cookie Policy.", "The Pentagon and State Department have informally notified Congress of a potential $2 billion deal with Taiwan that includes the first-time sale of one of the U.S. Army’s top tanks, according to an official familiar with the proposal, drawing protests from China.\n\nThe deal would contain the M1A2 Abrams tank, and a resupply of anti-air and anti-armor weapons, the official familiar with the matter said. The notification of the government-to-government sale doesn’t include F-16 fighters, which are still under State Department and Pentagon review, the person said.\n\n“We are severely concerned about the U.S.’s move,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told reporters in Beijing on Thursday. “We are firmly against U.S. arms sales to Taiwan. We urge the U.S. to see the high sensitivity and severe harm of arms sales to Taiwan.”\n\nThe move comes amid tensions over stalled trade talks between China and the U.S. China sees Taiwan as an integral part of its territory that it must unify, by force if necessary.\n\nThe package includes 108 of the tanks built by General Dynamics Corp., as well as 1,240 TOW wire-guided anti-tank missiles, 409 shoulder-launched “fire-and-forget” Javelin anti-tank missiles and 250 Stinger shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles made famous by Afghan “freedom fighters” in their war against the Soviet Union.\n\nThe informal notification, reported earlier Wednesday by Reuters, will be followed by a formal and public notification to Congress that’s likely to be approved within the normal 30-day review process. Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense confirmed the request for the arms purchase on Thursday.\n\nIn March, China vigorously protested the Trump administration’s tacit approval of Taiwan’s request to buy more than 60 F-16s built by Lockheed Martin Corp.", "Taipei, June 6: Taiwan has confirmed it has asked to purchase more than 100 US tanks, along with air defence and anti-tank missile systems in a major potential arms sale that could worsen frictions between Washington and Beijing.\n\nThe Defence Ministry says it has submitted a letter of request for 108 cutting-edge M1A2 Abrams tanks, 1,240 TOW anti-armor missiles, 409 Javelin anti-tank missiles and 250 Stinger man-portable air defense systems. It says Thursday the request is proceeding \"as normal.\"\n\nThe US is the main supplier of defensive weapons to Taiwan, which China considers its own territory. The M1 Abrams would mark a significant upgrade from the aging tanks Taiwan's army now uses. Reports have also said Taiwan is seeking 66 additional F-16 fighter jets.", "Taipei, Taiwan -- Taiwan confirmed Thursday it has asked to purchase more than 100 tanks from the U.S., along with air defense and anti-tank missile systems in a major potential arms sale that drew immediate protest from China. A Defense Ministry statement said it has submitted a letter of request for 108 cutting-edge M1A2 Abrams tanks, 1,240 TOW anti-armor missiles, 409 Javelin anti-tank missiles and 250 Stinger man-portable air defense systems.\n\nThe request is proceeding \"as normal,\" it said. It wasn't clear when the official request had been issued, after which the U.S. has 120 days to respond.\n\nChinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said that China firmly opposes U.S. arms sales to Taiwan.\n\n\"This position is consistent and clear,\" he said at the ministry's daily briefing. \"We urge the U.S. to fully understand the high sensitivity and serious harm of the issue of arms sales to Taiwan and abide by the one-China principle.\"\n\nChina considers self-governing Taiwan part of its territory, to be brought under its control by force if necessary. It says U.S. arms sales to the island constitute both interference in its internal affairs and a betrayal of earlier commitments made by Washington to Beijing.\n\nThe U.S. is the main supplier of weapons to Taiwan, and earlier reports have said Taiwan is also seeking 66 F-16 fighter jets in the most advanced \"V'' configuration.\n\nPresident Tsai Ing-wen said in March that Taiwan was seeking tanks and jet fighters, but didn't provide any details.\n\nAt a public appearance Thursday, she pledged continued support for a strengthened military and said the island's efforts were winning it more international support.\n\n\"We will keep on strengthening our self-defense capabilities (and) will also keep on being a contributor to regional peace,\" Tsai said.\n\nThe M1 Abrams would mark a significant upgrade from the aging tanks Taiwan's army now uses, while the TOW and Javelin systems would upgrade Taiwan's ability to repulse an attempt by China to land tanks and troops from across the 100 mile-wide Taiwan Strait.\n\nThe Stingers meanwhile could help boost Taiwan's defenses against China's more than 1,000 advanced fighter aircraft and 1,500 missiles pointing at the island.\n\nTaiwan, which split from China amid civil war in 1949, has had no formal diplomatic ties with the U.S. since Washington recognized Beijing in 1979.\n\nHowever, U.S. law requires it to take threats to the island seriously and to \"make available to Taiwan such defense articles and defense services in such quantity as may be necessary to enable Taiwan to maintain a sufficient self-defense capability.\"\n\nTsai has made beefing up Taiwan's armed forces a central task of her administration amid increasing Chinese military threats and a campaign to increase Taiwan's diplomatic isolation and weaken its economy.\n\nWhile China's military spending and numbers of ships, planes and missiles vastly outstrip those of Taiwan, the island is basing its defense on geographical factors and asymmetrical warfare, in which a weaker opponent can hold off a stronger one by pinpointing weaknesses and using specialized weaponry and tactics.\n\nTsai has also pushed to revamp the island's domestic arms industry and last month inaugurated a shipyard to build at least eight diesel-electric submarines. Taiwan currently operates just four aged submarines and pressure from China has prevented it from buying more abroad.\n\nThursday's Defense Ministry announcement comes as the U.S. and China are engaged in an increasingly acrimonious battle over trade and technology. The Trump administration has imposed up to 25% tariffs on $250 billion in imports from China and is preparing to increase import duties on another $300 billion.\n\nBeijing has responded by imposing tariffs on $60 billion worth of U.S. products, which went into effect Saturday. It also retaliated against the U.S. blacklisting of Chinese technology giant Huawei by announcing Friday that it will establish its own list of \"unreliable entities\" consisting of foreign businesses, corporations and individuals. No details have been given.", "Taiwan confirmed Thursday it has asked to purchase more than 100 tanks, along with air defense and anti-tank missile systems from the U.S. in a major potential arms sale that could worsen frictions between Washington and Beijing.\n\nThe Taiwanese Defense Ministry said in a statement it has submitted a letter of request for 108 cutting-edge M1A2 Abrams tanks, 1,240 TOW anti-armor missiles, 409 Javelin anti-tank missiles and 250 Stinger man-portable air defense systems. The request is proceeding \"as normal,\" it said. It wasn't clear when the official request had been issued, after which the U.S. has 120 days to respond. Reports have also said Taiwan is seeking 66 additional F-16 fighter jets in the most advanced \"V'\" configuration.\n\nChina's Foreign Ministry said yesterday it is seriously concerned about U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, after a source told Reuters that Washington was planning a $2 billion weapons sale to the island China claims as its own. China urges the U.S. to stop arms sales to Taiwan to avoid harming bilateral relations, ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a daily news briefing in Beijing.\n\nThe U.S. is the main supplier of defensive weapons to Taiwan, which China considers its own territory to be brought under its control by force if necessary. China has for years opposed U.S. arms sales to Taiwan, but has taken little concrete action in response to them. In April of this year, the U.S. State Department approved the sale to Taiwan of a pilot training program and maintenance and logistics support for Taiwan air force F-16 fighters based at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona at an estimated cost of $500 million. In 2018, the U.S. State Department approved the sale to Taiwan of spare parts for F-16 fighter planes and other military aircraft worth up to $330 million. In 2017, the U.S. decided to sell Taiwan $1.42 billion in arms, the first such sale under the administration of President Donald Trump. China said the decision contradicted a \"consensus\" President Xi Jinping reached with Trump in talks in April in Florida.\n\nTaiwan, which split from China amid civil war in 1949, has had no formal diplomatic ties with the U.S. since Washington recognized Beijing in 1979. In 2016, President Trump received a congratulatory phone call from Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, thus becoming the first U.S. president to speak to a Taiwanese leader in decades.\n\nThe announcement came as the U.S. and China are engaged in an increasingly acrimonious battle over trade and technology. The Trump administration has imposed up to 25% tariffs on $250 billion in imports from China and is preparing to increase import duties on another $300 billion. Beijing has responded by imposing tariffs on $60 billion worth of U.S. products, which went into effect Saturday. It also retaliated against the U.S. blacklisting of Chinese technology giant Huawei by announcing Friday that it will establish its own list of \"unreliable entities\" consisting of foreign businesses, corporations and individuals. No details have been given.", "WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is pursuing the sale of more than $2 billion worth of tanks and weapons to Taiwan, four people familiar with the negotiations said, sparking anger from Beijing which is already involved in an escalating trade war with Washington.\n\nAn informal notification of the proposed sale has been sent to the U.S. Congress, the four sources said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about the possible deal.\n\nThe potential sale included 108 General Dynamics Corp M1A2 Abrams tanks worth around $2 billion as well as anti-tank and anti-aircraft munitions, three of the sources said. Taiwan has been interested in refreshing its existing U.S.-made battle tank inventory, which includes M60 Patton tanks.\n\nThe United States is the main arms supplier to Taiwan, which China deems its own and has never renounced the use of force to bring the self-ruled island under its control.\n\nTaiwan President Tsai Ing-wen said in March Washington was responding positively to Taipei's requests for new arms sales to bolster its defenses in the face of pressure from China. The United States has no formal ties with Taiwan but is bound by law to help provide it with the means to defend itself.\n\nChina and the United States are engaged in a fierce trade war, with clashes over Taiwan and the South China Sea exacerbating tensions.\n\nA spokesman for the State Department, which oversees foreign military sales, said the U.S. government does not comment on or confirm potential or pending arms sales or transfers before they have been formally notified to Congress.\n\nThe congressional notifications included a variety of anti-tank munitions, including 409 Raytheon Co and Lockheed Martin Corp-made Javelin missiles worth as much as $129 million, two of the sources said.\n\nThe notifications also included 1,240 TOW anti-tank missiles worth as much as $299 million, one of the sources said. There were also 250 stinger missiles worth as much as $223 million in the notification, the source said.\n\nStingers are often used in portable anti-aircraft weapons systems.\n\nTaiwan's Defense Ministry confirmed it had requested those weapons and that the request was proceeding normally.\n\nThe U.S. commitment to providing Taiwan with the weapons to defend itself helps Taiwan's military to raise its combat abilities, consolidates the Taiwan-U.S. security partnership and ensures Taiwan's security, the ministry said in a statement.\n\n\"We are severely concerned about the U.S. move and are firmly against U.S. arms sales to Taiwan,\" Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a daily news briefing in Beijing.\n\nChina urges the United States to stop arms sales to Taiwan and prudently deal with issues relating to Taiwan to prevent harm to bilateral relations and peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait, he added.\n\nU.S. President Donald Trump's administration rolled out a long-awaited overhaul of U.S. arms export policy in 2018 aimed at expanding sales to allies, saying it would bolster the American defense industry and create jobs at home.\n\nTrump's trade adviser Peter Navarro was one of the administration's architects of that policy. Navarro, a China hawk, wrote about the possible sale of tanks to Taiwan in a March opinion column in the New York Times ahead of a presidential trip to the Lima, Ohio, plant where they are made.\n\nAt a low point, the U.S. Army had only one tank coming from the plant a month, General Dynamics CEO Phebe Novakovic said during an April conference call with investors, but said \"we'll be rolling out 30 tanks a month by the end of this year,\" partly because of international orders.\n\nThe Pentagon announced last week it would sell 34 ScanEagle drones, made by Boeing Co, to the governments of Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam for $47 million.\n\nThe drones would afford greater intelligence-gathering capabilities, potentially curbing Chinese activity in the region.\n\nChina claims almost all of the strategic South China Sea and frequently lambastes the United States and its allies over naval operations near Chinese-occupied islands. Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam all have competing claims.\n\nChina's Defense Minister Wei Fenghe warned the United States at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore last weekend not to meddle in security disputes over Taiwan and the South China Sea.\n\nActing U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan told the meeting that the United States would no longer \"tiptoe\" around China's behavior in Asia.\n\nTaiwan's Foreign Ministry, responding to the Reuters report of planned the new arms sale, said Wei's \"threatening\" comments and recent Chinese military drills near Taiwan showed the importance of its need to strengthen its defensive abilities.\n\n\"Going forward our government will continue to deepen the close security partnership between Taiwan and the United States,\" it said.", "PARIS — The Trump administration is proposing to sell more than $2 billion worth of tanks and other military equipment to Taiwan, American officials said on Thursday. The sale would add to tensions between the United States and China, which are already clashing over trade, communications technology and a military buildup in the Pacific region.\n\nThe sale would be one of the largest to Taiwan in recent years by the United States. The single costliest part of the package is 108 M1A2 Abrams tanks, the officials said.\n\nThe United States has no diplomatic relations with Taiwan, a de facto independent island off the southeast coast of China that the Chinese Communist Party intends to bring back eventually under the control of Beijing, by force if necessary. But the Taiwan Relations Act obligates the United States government to help Taiwan maintain self-defense capabilities, and each administration has sold it arms packages. The United States is Taiwan’s main arms supplier.\n\nThe Taiwan defense ministry requested the weapons in the latest package, which was first reported by Reuters on Wednesday. Congress would have to be notified of the deal before it could go forward.", "TAIPEI, Taiwan — Taiwan has confirmed it has asked to purchase more than 100 U.S. tanks, along with air defense and anti-tank missile systems in a major potential arms sale that could worsen frictions between Washington and Beijing.\n\nThe Defense Ministry says it has submitted a letter of request for 108 cutting-edge M1A2 Abrams tanks, 1,240 TOW anti-armor missiles, 409 Javelin anti-tank missiles and 250 Stinger man-portable air defense systems.\n\nIt says Thursday the request is proceeding “as normal.”\n\nThe U.S. is the main supplier of defensive weapons to Taiwan, which China considers its own territory. The M1 Abrams would mark a significant upgrade from the aging tanks Taiwan’s army now uses.\n\nReports have also said Taiwan is seeking 66 additional F-16 fighter jets.\n\nCopyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.", "Beijing, June 6 (IANS) China on Thursday said it was seriously concerned about the US’ reported plans to sell arms to Taiwan, an issue that has long plagued Washington-Beijing ties.\n\nThe US’ tacit support to Taiwan and arms supply to the self-ruled island irks Beijing and the latest report about Washington planning a $2 billion weapons sale to Taipei will add to the raging Sino-American trade tensions.\n\n“We are seriously concerned about the US move. We are firmly against the US’ arms sale to Taiwan… Our position is clear and consistent,” said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang.\n\nAccording to a news report, the US was planning to sell anti-tank, anti-aircraft weapons among others worth $2 billion to Taiwan, a self-governed island which China claims as its own and vows to reunite with the mainland someday.\n\n“We urge the US to see high sensitivity and severe harm in selling arms to Taiwan, abide by the One-China principle and three joint communiques, stop arms sales to Taiwan as well as cut off its military ties with Taiwan,” Geng said.\n\n“We also urge the US to prudently deal with issues related to Taiwan to prevent harm to bilateral relations and peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait.”\n\nEven if the US severed its diplomatic channels with Taiwan in 1979 and established ties with China, it is bound by law to sell arms to Taipei for its defence.\n\nThis has long been a sore point in Washington-Beijing ties and become more contentious after US President Donald Trump came to power.\n\nAfter taking office in 2016, Trump spoke to Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen by the phone, breaking an almost four-decade protocol that rattled China.", "BEIJING (REUTERS) - China's Foreign Ministry said on Thursday (June 6) it is seriously concerned about US arms sales to self-ruled Taiwan, after a source told Reuters that Washington was planning a US$2 billion (S$2.73 billion) weapons sale to the island China claims as its own.\n\nChina urges the United States to stop arms sales to Taiwan to avoid harming bilateral relations, ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a daily news briefing in Beijing."], "summary": "The Trump administration informs Congress of a potential $2 billion arms deal with Taiwan that includes the M1A2, the U.S.'s latest main battle tank, and a resupply of anti-air and anti-armor weapons. China's foreign ministry says it is \"severely concerned with\" and \"firmly against\" the plan."}
{"document": ["The Australian Federal Police (AFP) on Wednesday morning raided the Sydney offices of the country's national broadcaster over a series of leaked government documents published in 2017, which allege misconduct by Australian special forces in Afghanistan.\n\nAccording to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, federal police raided their Ultimo offices around 11:30 am local time.\n\nVideo from Sydney Morning Herald Journalist Lucy Cormack shows the moment AFP officers arrived at the ABC headquarters.\n\nABC reported that the raids were related to The Afghan Files, a series of 2017 government leaks published by the ABC. The leaked documents alleged that Australian special forces engaged in unlawful killings and misconduct in Afghanistan, including the killing of unarmed Afghan men in 2012 and the flying of a Nazi flag on an Australian army vehicle.\n\nJohn Lyons, Executive Editor and Head of Investigative Journalism at the ABC, said on Twitter that AFP handed over a warrant naming two reporters and a news director linked to the publishing of The Afghan Files, including investigative journalists Dan Oakes and Sam Clark.\n\nManaging Director at the ABC, David Anderson, said in a statement that the raids raised \"legitimate concerns over freedom of the press.\"\n\n\"It is highly unusual for the national broadcaster to be raided in this way,\" Anderson continued. \"This is a serious development and raises legitimate concerns over freedom of the press and proper public scrutiny of national security and Defense matters.\"\n\nHe added that the broadcaster \"stands by its journalists, will protect its sources and continue to report without fear or favour on national security and intelligence issues when there is a clear public interest.\"\n\nThe AFP said in a statement that they executed a search warrant on the ABC headquarters in relation to \"allegations of publishing classified material,\" which would constitute a criminal offense.\n\n\"All AFP search warrants are authorized by a magistrate or an appropriate member of the judiciary,\" the statement said. The AFP later added that the Minister for Home Affairs, Peter Dutton, was not notified prior to the execution of the warrants.\n\nThe AFP also stated that \"no arrests are planned today as a result of this activity,\" and that the activity is not linked to a search warrant executed in Canberra on Tuesday local time.\n\nThe Tuesday warrant was for the home of Australian political journalist Annika Smethurst, over reports that the Australian government was considering new surveillance measures on its citizens.\n\nIn a statement, the AFP confirmed to Business Insider Australia that it had executed a search warrant on the home in Canberra in connection \"to an investigation into the alleged unauthorized disclosure of national security information.\"\n\nPrime Minister Scott Morrison defended the AFP's raid of Smethurst's home, saying that he was not \"troubled\" by government agencies upholding federal laws.\n\n\"Australia believes strongly in the freedom of the press and we have clear rules and protections for the freedom of the press,\" he told journalists in London on Tuesday.\n\n\"There are also clear rules protecting Australia's national security and everybody should operate in accordance with all of those laws passed by our parliament … It never troubles me that our laws are being upheld,\" Morrison continued.\n\nBusiness Insider contacted Australia's Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance for comment.", "Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Police officers arrived at the Sydney headquarters of Australia's public broadcaster on Wednesday morning\n\nA police raid on Australian Broadcasting Corp (ABC) has drawn fire from broadcasters and rights groups.\n\nOfficers arrived at the public broadcaster's Sydney headquarters with search warrants naming two reporters and the news director. The ABC has protested over the raid.\n\nPolice searched the home of a News Corp journalist on Tuesday, sparking alarm.\n\nThe BBC said it was \"deeply troubling\" for a broadcaster to be searched.\n\nThe leading journalists' union in the country said the two raids represented a \"disturbing pattern of assaults on Australian press freedom\". Other unions and human rights groups also condemned the actions.\n\nIn a statement ABC Managing Director David Anderson said the police raid \"raises legitimate concerns over freedom of the press\".\n\n\"The ABC stands by its journalists, will protect its sources and continue to report without fear or favour on national security and intelligence issues when there is a clear public interest.\"\n\nABC News director Gaven Morris defended the two journalists who were named along with him in the search warrant.\n\nWhy the searches?\n\nThe police action is related to articles about alleged misconduct by Australian forces in Afghanistan.\n\nAccording to the ABC, Wednesday's search is about the 2017 investigative series known as The Afghan Files which \"revealed allegations of unlawful killings and misconduct by Australian special forces in Afghanistan\".\n\nThe broadcaster said the series was \"based off hundreds of pages of secret defence documents leaked to the ABC\".\n\nThe Australian Federal Police said the warrant was in relation to \"allegations of publishing classified material\" and that it \"relates to a referral received on 11 July 2017 from the Chief of the Defence Force and the then-Acting Secretary for Defence\".\n\nImage copyright ABC News Image caption The warrant allows police to access emails, notes, scripts, drafts and other documents\n\nThe Afghan Files were published by the ABC on 10 July 2017.\n\nTuesday's search at the home of newspaper journalist Annika Smethurst related to her 2018 report about a government plan to spy on Australian citizens.\n\nPolice said their warrant was linked with \"the alleged publishing of information classified as an official secret\".\n\nThe police said Tuesday's and Wednesday's raids were not connected, adding: \"Both however relate to separate allegations of publishing classified material, contrary to provisions of the Crimes Act 1914, which is an extremely serious matter that has the potential to undermine Australia's national security.\"\n\nIt defended its actions, saying they had \"been independent and impartial at all times\".\n\nABC journalist John Lyons, who live-tweeted the raid, said that police went through 9,214 documents found on the ABC systems one-by-one, including \"thousands of internal ABC emails\".\n\nAlso on Tuesday, Ben Fordham, a broadcaster for radio station 2GB, said that the government was investigating how he had obtained information that up to six boats carrying asylum seekers had recently tried to reach Australia.\n\nThe BBC contacted the home affairs ministry for comment. A spokesperson would not confirm or deny the existence of the investigation.\n\n\"The chances of me revealing my sources is zero. Not today, not tomorrow, next week or next month. There is not a hope in hell of that happening,\" Fordham said.\n\nWhat reaction has there been?\n\nThe raids have been met with widespread condemnation by media outlets and press freedom groups.\n\nThe search of Ms Smethurst's home provoked anger from her employer News Corp Australia. The multinational media corporation, owned by press mogul Rupert Murdoch, called the raid \"outrageous and heavy-handed\" and \"a dangerous act of intimidation\".\n\nNews Corp - whose UK titles include The Times and the Sun newspapers - said the public's right to know was being undermined by the Australian government.\n\nImage copyright ABC Image caption Annika Smethurst reported top secret discussions about new surveillance powers\n\nPeter Greste, director of the Alliance for Journalists' Freedom, said Australians who value press freedom will be concerned by the raids.\n\nMr Greste, a former Al Jazeera reporter, suggested his jailing by the Egyptian government in 2013 on national security charges is \"on the same spectrum\".\n\nThe raids could have a \"chilling effect on the right of journalists to carry out their jobs\", the National Press Club of Australia said in a statement.\n\n\"The scene might be expected in an authoritarian country but not in a democracy,\" Reporters Without Borders said of the raids on Twitter.\n\nWhistleblowers in the cross-hairs?\n\nby Jay Savage, Australia editor, BBC News website\n\nAustralian journalists have reacted furiously, calling the raids \"outrageous\" and \"chilling\"; one editor said he'd \"never seen an assault on the media as savage\".\n\nPolice insist that there is no link between the scouring of the ABC and a News Corp Australia journalist's home.\n\nBut the timing is more than curious: two raids, on successive days, concerning stories that were published more than a year ago. Each piece explored matters of transparency in clandestine Australian institutions.\n\nSome suspect it is the whistleblowers - not the media - who are actually being targeted.\n\nPolitical opponents say all of this raises \"serious questions\" for Prime Minister Scott Morrison's government - which has denied any interference - and there are calls for an urgent inquiry into press freedom.\n\nOthers say the media should reflect upon defending all whistleblowers' interests as noisily as it defends itself.\n\nWhat's the background?\n\nAustralia introduced new espionage offences last year that human rights advocates say could be used to target journalists and whistleblowers.\n\nThe two raids come weeks after a new centre-right government was elected. In a surprise result, Prime Minister Scott Morrison was returned to office.\n\nHe responded to Tuesday's raid on Ms Smethurst's Canberra home by saying that while he supported press freedom, \"it never troubles me that our laws are being upheld\".\n\nImage copyright EPA Image caption John Lyons (R), executive editor of ABC News, is followed by an Australian Federal Police officer\n\nThe opposition Labor party has asked Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton to explain the raids.\n\nMr Dutton said he was only informed of the raids after they had taken place.\n\n\"Like all Australians, I believe in the freedom of the press,\" Mr Dutton said.\n\n\"We have clear rules and protections for that freedom of the press and we also have clear rules and laws protecting Australia's national security.\"", "\n• Australian Federal Police on Wednesday morning raided the Sydney offices of the country’s national broadcaster.\n• The raids were related to The Afghan Files, a series of 2017 leaked documents published by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. The documents alleged that Australian special forces engaged in unlawful killings and gross misconduct in Afghanistan.\n• According to the ABC, federal police raided their Ultimo offices around 11:30 am local time.\n• News of the ABC raid comes at the heels of a raid of the home of Australian political journalist Annika Smethurst, over reports that the Australian government was considering new surveillance measures on its citizens.\n\nThe Australian Federal Police (AFP) on Wednesday morning raided the Sydney offices of the country’s national broadcaster over a series of leaked government documents published in 2017, which allege misconduct by Australian special forces in Afghanistan.\n\nAccording to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, federal police raided their Ultimo offices around 11:30 am local time.\n\nVideo from Sydney Morning Herald Journalist Lucy Cormack shows the moment AFP officers arrived at the ABC headquarters.\n\nABC reported that the raids were related to The Afghan Files, a series of 2017 government leaks published by the ABC. The leaked documents alleged that Australian special forces engaged in unlawful killings and misconduct in Afghanistan, including the killing of unarmed Afghan men in 2012 and the flying of a Nazi flag on an Australian army vehicle.\n\nJohn Lyons, Executive Editor and Head of Investigative Journalism at the ABC, said on Twitter that AFP handed over a warrant naming two reporters and a news director linked to the publishing of The Afghan Files, including investigative journalists Dan Oakes and Sam Clark.\n\nManaging Director at the ABC, David Anderson, said in a statement that the raids raised “legitimate concerns over freedom of the press.”\n\n“It is highly unusual for the national broadcaster to be raided in this way,” Anderson continued. “This is a serious development and raises legitimate concerns over freedom of the press and proper public scrutiny of national security and Defense matters.”\n\nHe added that the broadcaster “stands by its journalists, will protect its sources and continue to report without fear or favour on national security and intelligence issues when there is a clear public interest.”\n\nThe AFP said in a statement that they executed a search warrant on the ABC headquarters in relation to “allegations of publishing classified material,” which would constitute a criminal offense.\n\n“All AFP search warrants are authorized by a magistrate or an appropriate member of the judiciary,” the statement said. “This is the result of supporting documentation or material being presented to the court which provides sufficient suspicion that a criminal offence has been committed.”\n\nThe AFP also stated that “no arrests are planned today as a result of this activity,” and that the activity is not linked to a search warrant executed in Canberra on Tuesday local time.\n\nThe Tuesday warrant was for the home of Australian political journalist Annika Smethurst, over reports that the Australian government was considering new surveillance measures on its citizens.\n\nIn a statement, the AFP confirmed to Business Insider Australia that it had executed a search warrant on the home in Canberra in connection “to an investigation into the alleged unauthorized disclosure of national security information.”\n\nPrime Minister Scott Morrison defended the AFP’s raid of Smethurst’s home, saying that he was not “troubled” by government agencies upholding federal laws.\n\n“Australia believes strongly in the freedom of the press and we have clear rules and protections for the freedom of the press,” he told journalists in London on Tuesday.\n\n“There are also clear rules protecting Australia’s national security and everybody should operate in accordance with all of those laws passed by our parliament … It never troubles me that our laws are being upheld,” Morrison continued.", "Craig McMurtie, the editorial director of ABC, speaking to the media outside the company’s headquarters in Sydney DAVID GRAY/EPA\n\nA large police raid on the offices of Australia’s national broadcaster has sparked alarm over press freedoms. It was the third operation in a week by state security looking for journalists’ sources.\n\nFederal police raided the Sydney headquarters of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, with warrants ordering it to produce thousands of documents relating to an investigation into allegations of unlawful killings and brutality by special forces in Afghanistan.\n\nThe move came a day after officers raided the Canberra home of the journalist Annika Smethurst in connection with a 2018 story that revealed top-secret plans to expand surveillance of citizens by the Australian Signals Directorate, the government’s cyber-spying agency. Ms Smethurst, the national politics editor of The Sunday Telegraph and other News Corp Australia titles, has…", "The Australian Federal Police raided the Sydney office of Australia’s public broadcasting company on Wednesday.\n\nThe search is believed to be in connection to a 2017 article published by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation which detailed potential war crimes, including the killing of children and unarmed men, by Australian special forces in Afghanistan, reports the New York . The article was based on leaked military documents.\n\nJohn Lyons, Executive Editor of ABC News and its Head of Investigative Journalism, gave a play-by-play on his Twitter account, including photos of the police search warrant, an update on ABC’s lawyer’s attempts to push back and photos of the police reviewing ABC emails on a large screen in what appears to be a conference room.\n\nDavid Anderson, ABC’s Managing Director issued a statement saying the raid raised serious concerns about freedom of the press, and reaffirming ABC’s supports for its journalists.\n\n“The ABC stands by its journalists, will protect its sources and continue to report without fear or favor on national security and intelligence issues when there is a clear public interest,” said the statement.\n\nThe reports that it is illegal for government officials to disclose classified information, which allows the police to investigate, and although journalists do have some legal defense related to protecting sources, courts are able to overrule those protections if it is in the public interest.\n\nThe search comes a day after the police searched the home, computer and mobile phone of journalist Annika Smethurst, a politics editor for several of News Corp’s publications, including the Sunday and the Herald , in relation to a 2018 story which exposed the government’s consideration of a plan to spy on citizens.\n\nReporters Without Borders (RSF) condemned the search of Smethurt’s apartment as “intimidation” which “poses a great threat to journalists’ independence and to respect for the confidentiality of their sources.”\n\nAustralia was ranked 21 out of 180 countries in RSF’s 2019 World Press Freedom Index.", "Sydney — Police raided the offices of Australia’s national broadcaster on Wednesday over allegations it had published classified material, the second raid on a media outlet in two days, prompting complaints that the “outrageous” raids hindered media freedom.\n\nThe Australian Federal Police said its officers carried out a search at the head office of the government-funded Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) in Sydney on Wednesday.\n\nThat came a day after police raided the home of a News Corp editor, although police said the raids were unrelated.\n\n“It is highly unusual for the national broadcaster to be raided in this way,” ABC MD David Anderson said. “This is a serious development and raises legitimate concerns over freedom of the press and proper public scrutiny of national security and defence matters.”\n\nPolice said the ABC raid was in relation to allegations it had published classified material and followed a referral from the chief of the Australian Defence Force and a former acting defence secretary in 2017.\n\nThe raid was authorised by a court and based on evidence that provided “sufficient suspicion that a criminal offence has been committed”, police said.\n\nMarcus Strom, president of the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance trade union, said on his Twitter account the two raids were “just outrageous”. “Police raiding journalists is becoming normalised. It has to stop,” he said.\n\nThe raid was in relation to a series of broadcasts in 2017 about alleged misconduct by Australian troops in Afghanistan, the broadcaster said.\n\nThe raid on the News Corp editor related to a 2018 newspaper report that said Australian intelligence agencies wanted to carry out surveillance by accessing people’s e-mails, bank accounts and text messages, domestic media reported.\n\nNews Corp called the raid on its employee “outrageous and heavy handed”, and “a dangerous act of intimidation”.\n\nThe Rupert Murdoch-controlled company said it had “the most serious concerns about the willingness of governments to undermine the Australian public’s right to know about important decisions governments are making”.\n\nAustralian Prime Minister Scott Morrison was reported as saying he believed in media freedom but that there were also clear rules about the use of classified information. “​It never troubles me that our laws are being upheld,” the Sydney Morning Herald quoted Morrison as saying.", "Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings.\n\nAustralia's Federal Police raided the offices of the national public broadcaster on Wednesday in connection to a 2017 story based on leaked military documents that indicated the country's military forces were being investigated for possible war crimes in Afghanistan.\n\nThe Australian Broadcasting Corporation said the raid, the second in as many days by police investigating government leaks, raised questions about media freedom in the country.\n\n\"It is highly unusual for the national broadcaster to be raided in this way,\" ABC managing director David Anderson said in a statement. \"This is a serious development and raises legitimate concerns over freedom of the press and proper public scrutiny of national security and defense matters.\"\n\nThe raid in a suburb of Sydney came a day after federal police searched the Canberra home of Annika Smethurst, the political editor of The Sunday Telegraph of Sydney, over a 2018 story detailing an alleged government proposal to spy on Australians.\n\nNews Corp. Australia, the parent company of The Sunday Telegraph, said the raid \"demonstrates a dangerous act of intimidation towards those committed to telling uncomfortable truths\".\n\nThere were no arrests in either raid.\n\nAustralian law forbids officials from disclosing secret information, and the police warrants in both raids were based on a law enacted in 1914.\n\nThe police said in a statement that the two raids were not linked.\n\nAnderson said ABC stood by its journalists, would protect its sources and continue to report \"without fear or favor\" on national security and intelligence issues.\n\n\"We will be doing everything we can to limit the scope of this and we will do everything we can to stand by our reporters and as a general observation, we always do whatever we can to stand by our sources of course,\" ABC Editorial Director Craig McMurtrie said.", "It is typical of authoritarian governments that assail press freedoms to claim they are defending national security, since any effort by the news media to expose official misconduct can be construed as a revelation of state “secrets.” And it is typical of democratic governments to recognize that this role of the press is essential to protect the public from official abuse.\n\nThat’s why this week’s raids on journalists by the Australian Federal Police, accompanied by an unconvincing mantra of just-doing-our-job, are so galling. The back-to-back raids, on the home of a journalist and the Sydney offices of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, the country’s public broadcaster, replete with seizure of records and files likely to contain the identities of confidential sources within the government, were straight from the playbook of authoritarian thugs. The justification offered by the police had a familiar, sinister ring: the “alleged p ublishing of information classified as an official secret, which is an extremely serious matter that has the potential to undermine Australia’s national security.”\n\nThe secrets the federal police were claiming to protect were in fact serious official misconduct that should have been the primary focus of police investigations. The first raid, on Tuesday, was on the Canberra home of Annika Smethurst, political editor of The Sunday Telegraph of Sydney, who in April 2018 reported a top-secret proposal to allow broader surveillance of Australian citizens, illegal under current law.\n\nThen, on Wednesday, the police went to the public broadcaster’s offices, demanding access to emails, notes and drafts linked to a searing report in 2017 titled “The Afghan Files,” which provided evidence that Australian special forces soldiers in Afghanistan had killed unarmed civilians. A former defense lawyer who has acknowledged leaking the information and is already under arrest has said he turned the information over to the news media only after the military and the police failed to heed his reports.", "Australia's Federal Police have raided the offices of the national public broadcaster in connection to a 2017 story based on leaked military documents that indicated the country's military forces were being investigated for some of their actions in Afghanistan.\n\nPolice said they executed a search warrant Wednesday at the Sydney offices of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation based on a 2-year-old complaint by the then secretary of defense that the broadcaster published classified material.\n\nAustralian law forbids officials from disclosing secret information, and the police warrant was based on a law enacted in 1914.\n\nABC described the raid as a \"serious development\" relating to the freedom of the press. It was the second such raid against a media company in two days.\n\nABC is a client of The Associated Press.", "Australian media and rights groups are crying foul after federal police raided the offices of a national broadcaster over allegations it had published classified material.\n\nThe raid Wednesday at the head office of the government-funded Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) in Sydney came a day after police raided the home of a senior editor at The Sunday Telegraph newspaper.\n\nPolice say the two raids are unrelated, but News Corp. Australia, the parent company of The Sunday Telegraph, said the raid \"demonstrates a dangerous act of intimidation towards those committed to telling uncomfortable truths.''\n\n\"It is highly unusual for the national broadcaster to be raided in this way,\" ABC Managing Director David Anderson said in a statement.\n\nABC said the raid on its office was in connection with stories it published in 2017 about alleged misconduct by Australian troops in Afghanistan. News Corp. said the raid on the home of its political editor, Annika Smethurst, was prompted by a 2018 report about plans for surveillance of Australians' emails, text messages and bank records.\n\nThe police released a statement saying the raids \"relate to separate allegations of publishing classified material, contrary to provisions of the Crimes Act of 1914, which is an extremely serious matter that has the potential to undermine Australia's national security.\"\n\nThe raids come just days after the conservative government of Prime Minister Scott Morrison was reelected. But Morrison on Wednesday tried to distance himself from the raids.\n\n\"Australia believes strongly in the freedom of the press, and we have clear rules and protections for the freedom of the press,\" he said. \"There are also clear rules protecting Australia's national security, and everybody should operate in accordance with all of those laws passed by our parliament.\"\n\nAnderson didn't see things the same way.\n\n\"This is a serious development and raises legitimate concerns over freedom of the press and proper public scrutiny of national security and defense matters,\" he said."], "summary": "Australian federal police raid the headquarters of the country's public broadcaster, Australian Broadcasting Corporation, regarding the alleged publication of classified material in a 2017 report on allegations that Australian Special forces engaged in unlawful killings and gross misconduct in Afghanistan. The day before, police raided Herald Sun journalist Annika Smethurst's home regarding an alleged leak of national security information."}
{"document": ["The Asheville Police Department offers the public an emphatic \"no\" to rumors of a serial killer that have swirled on social media recently.\n\nA post on an Asheville Facebook group cited thirdhand reports of a \"serial killer\" that police were supposedly calling \"the Slasher.\" It drew a tenuous and ill-informed link between three recent incidents — two deaths and one attempted sexual assault — as evidence of a pattern.\n\nSeveral other posts in the 35,000-member West Asheville Exchange Facebook Group further promoted the rumor.\n\nBut according to police, any fears of a serial killer are unfounded. Indeed, the deaths cited as \"attacks\" by \"the Slasher\" weren't attacks at all — one was ruled a suicide and the other was an overdose, according to the APD.\n\n\"If we were to have any reason to believe that a serial killer was victimizing Asheville residents, we would absolutely make the public aware via all tools available,\" said Christina Hallingse, spokeswoman for the APD.\n\nMore: APD seeking suspect in Montford attack on woman", "Detroit Police have arrested a person of interest in their hunt for a possible serial killer who may have killed least three women in the last three months.\n\nKenneth DeAngelo Martin, 34, who police described as homeless, was taken into custody on Friday, hours after Detroit Police Chief James Craig released a photo of Martin asking the public for any information on his whereabouts.\n\nOn Monday, Craig said that police are still actively investigating the case but based on work, they believe “this suspect is tied to all the crimes.”\n\nWayne County Prosecutors Office charged Martin in the May 7 non-fatal stabbing and sexual assault of a 26 year-old woman, the only victim that police said “deviated” from the suspected serial killer’s M.O of targetingsex workers in their 50s.\n\nThe Brief Newsletter Sign up to receive the top stories you need to know right now. View Sample Sign Up Now\n\nCraig said police spoke to another woman who was attacked on June 3 and survived. She was assaulted in the same vacant building the third victim was found dead on June 5. Police described her as a woman in her 50’s who possibly was involved in sex work.\n\n“Were confident he’s connected to all the cases we’ve described” Craig told reporters. Martin has not yet been charged with the homicides, but Craig said police anticipates he will soon.\n\nCraig told reporters on Friday that police were still working on identifying the third victim. Craig described the victim as a 52 year-old, five foot tall, 100 pound African–American woman. He says her body was discovered 3-4 days after she died.\n\nAll the deceased victims were found in vacant homes.\n\nPolice were reaching out to sex workers in the area for tips, but said many were reluctant to speak to officers. He urged any sex workers in the area to “use extreme caution” when entering vacant homes. He also asked people who live near the crime scenes to reach out to police if they see any suspicious activity.\n\n“We’re not trying to create fear in the community,” Craig said. “But it is a pause for concern for the sex workers who are out in our community engaged in sex acts. Right now it seems the suspects is targeting sex workers who engage in illicit sexual acts in vacant dwellings.”\n\nMel Baggett, the president of Night Angels, a Christian nonprofit that works with sex-trafficking victims in the Detroit area, says the women being targeted are particularly vulnerable.\n\n“Because society looks at them in such a minimalist way, they are targets for hate crimes, beatings, assaults and rape,” he says. “These men say ‘Oh, she’s just a hooker, just a person on the street,’ so these people are victimized all the time.”\n\nThe first victim was found on March 19 on Detroit’s east side. Craig said that police discovered the decomposing body of a woman in a vacant building, but initially believed she had died of an overdose. Craig said on May 20 the medical examiner determined that the woman had actually died from blunt force trauma.\n\nThen on May 24, police discovered the body of a second woman partially clothed in a vacant home. While the medical examiner has still not determined her cause of death, Craig said aspects of the crime are similar to the first, so there was “cause for concern.”\n\nThen on June 5, a third woman’s body was discovered in a vacant building in the same area by a fellow sex worker. According to Craig, based on the investigation “It appears that this is a suspect who is targeting sex workers.”\n\nHe added he would not give further details as to why police believe the three deaths were linked, but said evidence from the investigation is consistent with just one suspect having committed the three murders. As of Thursday, police have not identified or released photos of the victims.\n\nDetroit ranks as one of America’s most dangerous cities, with 267 killings in 2017, according to the FBI. The Detroit Police Department has also struggled with staffing shortages in recent years.\n\nBaggett says news of a potential serial killer has brought attention to women on the streets of Detroit. But, there needs to be more awareness of how women end up in sex work in the first place to prevent this kind of violence from happening.\n\n“This case is getting notoriety because police pieced it together, it could very well be a serial killer,” he says. “But we see this ugliness all the time, our friends getting assaulted, murdered, raped, robbed… The Detroit police are becoming enlightened to these issues and changing their perspective, but society in general are not.”\n\nWrite to Gina Martinez at gina.martinez@time.com.", "DETROIT - Police are investigating a possible serial killer who they believe has been targeting sex workers in Detroit.\n\nDetroit police Chief Craig acknowledge the murders of three women may all be related and the department believes the killer is a man.\n\nPolice are asking sex workers to come forward with any information they might have.\n\nCraig said the investigation has nothing to do with apprehending and charging sex workers and \"this is about apprehending a very violent suspect and getting him off the street.\"\n\nPolice said all three women were in their 50s and have ties to sex work. The latest victim was found Wednesday morning on Mack Avenue near Mt. Elliot inside of an abandoned home.\n\nCraig said because the buildings are vacant, it can take days before bodies are located, which can make them difficult to identify.\n\nREAD: What we know: Detroit police investigating potential serial killer, rapist targeting sex workers", "- The Detroit Police Department says it knows the signature of an east side serial killer - but they're not sharing it.\n\nDetroit Police Chief James Craig talked to FOX 2 on Thursday, one day after announcing that the department was looking for a serial killer targeting women in their 50s who worked the streets. Craig is still urging all members of sex trade to be cautious but would not provide more information about who their suspect may be.\n\n\"We do not (have a profile). Except we know his signature,\" Craig said.\n\nDPD: Serial killer targeting sex workers lures them to abandoned houses\n\n Detroit Police say they're searching for possible serial killer, rapist\n\n Woman's body found in vacant house on Mack Ave near Mt Elliot\n\nOut of a concern of inspiring copycat, Craig would not reveal that trademark signature - and would not say if they've collected DNA.\n\nCraig said that it doesn't matter where these women are from or what they do - they don't deserve what's happened.\n\nTips have already started coming into the Detroit Police Department since Craig announced the serial rapist and killer on Wednesday.\n\n\"If he is watching, we're going to find you,\" Craig said.\n\nCraig announced the search for the serial killer Wednesday, saying that sex workers were being targeted on the city's east side.\n\nNancy Harrison, 52, is the first known victim. She was found naked and bludgeoned inside an abandoned home on Detroit's east side back on March 19.\n\nOn May 24, police made another gruesome discovery, finding 53-year-old Trevesene Ellis' body in an empty house on the 13000 block of Linnhurst near Seven Mile and Schoenherr.\n\nAnd on Wednesday, police found a third sex worker. She was also naked and dead inside of a vacant home on on the 3000 block of Mack.\n\nAll three women were raped before they were murdered.\n\n\"This suspect is luring his victims into abandoned homes - so this is a way of saying be cautious don't go into abandoned homes to commit your illicit act. Don't do it,\" Craig said.\n\nAnyone who may have encountered a situation like this or knows anything about what happened is asked to call Crimestoppers at 1-800-SPEAK-UP.", "DETROIT, Mich. — Detroit police are looking for a possible serial killer and rapist they say may be targeting sex workers on the city’s east side.\n\nAuthorities have found the bodies of three women whose deaths appear to be connected, Detroit Police Chief James Craig said during a media briefing on Wednesday.\n\nPolice opened an investigation after discovering a partially dressed, deceased woman in a vacant building on March 19, Craig said. Investigators first believed that the woman had died of a drug overdose, but a medical examiner ruled that she died of blunt force trauma, he said.\n\nThe body of another woman was discovered in a vacant building five days later, Craig said. And on Wednesday, a sex worker reported walking into a vacant dwelling and discovering the “long deceased” body of a third woman, the chief said.\n\nPolice believe the suspect is targeting sex workers in their early 50s and that the cases are the act of one person. One victim was 52 years old and another was 53, Craig said.\n\n“Of course, there is a reason why we are linking the three, but because we are still very early in this investigation we just want to identify the violent perpetrator,” Craig said.\n\nCraig warned sex workers and people living near abandoned homes in the area where the bodies have been discovered to be cautious.\n\nHe also encouraged people to come forward with information.\n\n“This is not about apprehending sex workers, this is about apprehending a very violent, predatory suspect,” he said.\n\nThe FBI defines serial murder as two or more killings separated by a span of time. A majority of serial killings are sexually motivated, according to the FBI.", "- Detroit Police say they're searching for a possible serial killer and rapist they say has killed three sex workers in Detroit since mid March.\n\nPolice Chief James Craig announced during an impromptu press conference Wednesday that \"they have the makings\" of serial killer and rapist who has raped and killed three women, dating back to March 19.\n\nAccording to Craig, the serial killer first struck on March 19th. Craig said another woman was killed on May 24 and a third victim was found Wednesday morning.\n\nCraig said the suspect lures them into the building, sexually assaults them, and then kills them in that vacant building.\n\nCraig said that the suspect is targeting women in their 50s and luring them into a vacant home and are asking sex workers to be cautious and give them information about a possible suspect.\n\nThis is a developing story. Stay with FOX 2 for more information.", "A serial killer may be on the loose in Detroit.\n\nDetroit Police Chief James Craig announced Wednesday that police were on the hunt for a serial killer who appears to be targeting sex workers in their 50s.\n\nSo far, three women, who have yet to be identified, have been killed.\n\nCraig says all three women were found partially clothed or nude in various stages of decomposition when they were discovered in abandoned homes on the east side of Detroit.\n\n“It is the same signature on all three victims,” Craig tells PEOPLE. “He is watching me to figure out what we know. I say right to him, ‘We are going to find you.’”\n\nCraig suspects that the “violent predator” most likely has been to prison and lives somewhere on Detroit’s east side.\n\n“[Serial killers] have a higher level of comfort on the side of town they reside,” he says.\n\n“It will be interesting once we arrest him to find out what his background is,” he says. “We are looking at other cases that have a similar signature but we haven’t found that yet.”\n\nCraig is no stranger to serial killer investigations.\n\nHe was a vice officer in Los Angeles in the 1980s when the Grim Sleeper serial killer Lonnie Franklin Jr. was prowling the streets of South Central.\n\n“This was somebody we were looking for for a good part of time while I was in LA,” he says.\n\nFranklin was eventually caught through familial DNA testing in 2010 and was sentenced to death for the murders of 10 women and the attempted murder of another for his 23-year killing spree.\n\nIn Detroit, the decomposing body of the killer’s first victim, a Caucasian woman, was discovered March 19 inside a vacant dwelling. Craig says initially the police department believed the woman died of an overdose but on May 20 the Medical Examiner determined that she died as a result of blunt force trauma.\n\nFour days after the coroner’s ruling, on May 24, an African American woman was found dead inside a home on the east side.\n\nA sex worker found the third victim on Wednesday. Craig says they have yet to determine the woman’s age, ethnicity and how she died but “given the signature we think the same suspect is involved.”\n\nHowever, it has been a challenge attempting to determine the dates of the killings because the bodies were found in various states of decomposition so they could have been there for weeks or months. The murders have also taken place in isolated areas with no witnesses.\n\nCraig says they are reaching out to community activists to help alert sex workers, particularly those who work inside vacant homes, that a serial killer is out there.\n\n“We don’t have a very open trusting relationship [with sex workers],” he says. “Most of the time it is because we are enforcing the law.”\n\nThe community activists will help “open up the conversation,” he says.\n\n“We need to make them aware there is a possibility of a serial killer targeting sex workers,” he says. “They think nobody cares. That is someone’s daughter and child. They are part of our community. I have shined a very bright light on this community.”\n• Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter.\n\nInvestigators are also hoping that the sex workers can provide vital clues as to who this person is.\n\nSince the Wednesday announcement, the police department has received numerous tips.\n\n“There have been three incidents and hopefully we won’t find any more bodies,” he says.", "Police in Detroit say they are tracking a possible serial killer who they believe has raped and murdered at least three women in the last three months.\n\nDetroit Police Chief James Craig made the revelation Wednesday after a third victim was found earlier in the day.\n\nAccording to Craig, police are searching for a man who is targeting sex workers in their 50s. All the victims were found in vacant homes.\n\nCraig said police are reaching out to sex workers in the area for tips, but that many are reluctant to speak to officers. He urged any sex workers in the area to “use extreme caution” when entering vacant homes. He also asked people who live near the crime scenes to reach out to police if they see any suspicious activity.\n\n“We’re not trying to create fear in the community,” Craig said. “But it is a pause for concern for the sex workers who are out in our community engaged in sex acts. Right now it seems the suspects is targeting sex workers who engage in illicit sexual acts in vacant dwellings.”\n\nMel Baggett, the president of Night Angels, a Christian nonprofit that works with sex-trafficking victims in the Detroit area, says the women being targeted are particularly vulnerable.\n\n“Because society looks at them in such a minimalist way, they are targets for hate crimes, beatings, assaults and rape,” he says. “These men say ‘Oh, she’s just a hooker, just a person on the street,’ so these people are victimized all the time.”\n\nThe first victim was found on March 19 on Detroit’s east side. Craig said that police discovered the decomposing body of a woman in a vacant building, but initially believed she had died of an overdose. Craig said on May 20 the medical examiner determined that the woman had actually died from blunt force trauma.\n\nThen on May 24, police discovered the body of a second woman partially clothed in a vacant home. While the medical examiner has still not determined her cause of death, Craig said aspects of the crime are similar to the first, so there was “cause for concern.”\n\nThen on Wednesday, a third woman’s body was discovered in a vacant building in the same area by a fellow sex worker. According to Craig, based on the investigation “It appears that this is a suspect who is targeting sex workers.”\n\nHe added he would not give further details as to why police believe the three deaths were linked, but said evidence from the investigation is consistent with just one suspect having committed the three murders. As of Thursday, police have not identified or released photos of the victims.\n\nDetroit ranks as one of America’s most dangerous cities, with 267 killings in 2017, according to the FBI. The Detroit Police Department has also struggled with staffing shortages in recent years.\n\nBaggett says news of a potential serial killer has brought attention to women on the streets of Detroit. But, there needs to be more awareness of how women end up in sex work in the first place to prevent this kind of violence from happening.\n\n“This case is getting notoriety because police pieced it together, it could very well be a serial killer,” he says. “But we see this ugliness all the time, our friends getting assaulted, murdered, raped, robbed… The Detroit police are becoming enlightened to these issues and changing their perspective, but society in general are not.”", "\n• Detroit police are warning of a possible serial killer targeting sex workers in their 50s.\n• Police Chief James Craig told reporters at a press conference Wednesday that three recent murders bore striking similarities – all women were sex workers found in empty homes on the city’s east side.\n• The first woman was discovered dead in a building on March 19, the second on May 24, and the third on Wednesday. All women were in various stages of decomposition, Craig said.\n\nDetroit police announced Wednesday that a possible serial killer and rapist has been targeting sex workers in their 50s.\n\nDetroit Police Chief James Craig said three recent murders bore striking similarities – all of the women were sex workers, all were found fully or partially naked in vacant homes on the city’s east side, and two were in their early 50s.\n\nHe urged women to stay vigilant and avoid entering empty homes with people, and said people who live near vacant homes should speak up if they’ve seen anything suspicious. He also requested that members of the public to come forward if they have any information on the cases.\n\nCraig told reporters at a press conference that they were specifically seeking out the help of sex workers in identifying a potential suspect, and acknowledged that it may be challenging to gain their trust.\n\n“Sex worker communities are generally not going to talk to us,” Craig said. “This is not about apprehending sex workers, this is about apprehending a very violent, predatory suspect. We need to get him off the street.”\n\nRead more: Dallas police believe they may have found a serial killer suspected of smothering elderly women with pillows before stealing their jewelry\n\nIt’s not the first possible serial killer authorities have reported in the US this year. Last month, Dallas police announced charges against a man they suspected of murdering at least 12 elderly women by smothering them with pillows.\n\nCraig said the investigation started not long after they found a partly dressed woman dead in an empty building on March 19. Police initially thought she died of a drug overdose, but the medical examiner determined she actually died of blunt-force trauma.\n\nOn May 24, they found another woman’s body in a second vacant building. And on Wednesday, police found the third woman after a sex worker walked into an empty home and found a “long deceased” body, Craig said.\n\n“This is an investigation based on what we believe to be a very significant pattern,” Craig said. “I’m not suggesting that there are other victims, but I am asking for the public’s help. We’re not trying to create fear in the community, but it is a cause for concern.”\n\nCraig urged people to report any relevant information or suspicious activity by calling 1-800-SPEAK-UP.\n• An Ohio doctor faces 25 murder charges after prosecutors say he prescribed patients excessive amounts of painkillers, including fentanyl\n• A woman mysteriously fell 7 stories to her death from a parking garage, but her phone was recording the whole time, and it’s helping police crack the case\n• A man who boasted on Instagram about not being arrested for saying he’d ‘execute’ Jared Kushner has pleaded guilty to making the threats\n• Dallas police are asking the FBI and the public for help after 3 transgender women were killed in the last year", "DETROIT – Detroit police are looking for a serial killer and rapist that has killed at least three sex workers on the city’s east side.\n\nSpeaking with reporters on Wednesday, Detroit Police Chief James Craig said they have reason to believe that the suspect appears to be targeting prostitutes in their 50s, luring them to vacant homes and leaving their bodies there.\n\nThe investigation has been ongoing for several months and began on March 19 when police found a disrobed, decomposing female in a vacant home in the 20000 block of Coventry Street.\n\nPolice initially treated the death as a drug overdose, but a medical examiner’s report later found she was killed by blunt force trauma, Craig said.\n\nPolice have since found two more women who appear to have been killed in a similar fashion. The second woman was found in an empty home in the 13000 block of Linhurst Street on May 20.\n\n“There were certain aspects of this crime that were very similar to the first so it was a cause for concern,” Craig said. \"We don’t have a cause (of death) for the second one but based on what we’ve seen we think there is a probable connection.”\n\nWhen a 53-year-old woman was found in a vacant home on Mack Avenue on Wednesday morning, police became convinced they had the \"makings of a serial killer and rapist that's operating on the east side of Detroit.\"\n\nCraig said all the killings involve sex workers and have occurred in vacant homes on Detroit’s east side. The case is the department’s highest priority investigation, Craig said.\n\nHe’s asking for help from the public and specifically the sex worker community to help catch the suspected killer.\n\n“The sex worker community is generally not going to talk to us,” Craig said. “This is not about apprehending sex workers; it’s about apprehending a very violent predatory suspect. We need to get him off the street.”\n\nThe amount of time between the suspected murders and the discovery of the bodies is also a challenge, he said."], "summary": "Detroit Police Chief James Craig announces the department is looking for a possible serial killer in three unsolved murders of sex workers in the city dating back to March."}
{"document": ["Denmark has elected a young, female, centre-left leader, completing a socialist sweep of the EU's nordic states.\n\nIt also humiliated the country's main far-right party, but only after the left poached its anti-immigrant ideas.\n\nMigrant life-jackets on display in art installation in Copenhagen city centre (Photo: TeaMeister)\n\n\"After tonight, we will put welfare first in Denmark again. Welfare, climate, education, children, future. Think of what we can do together. We now have the hope to change Denmark,\" Mette Frederiksen, the leader of the Social Democrat party, said after results came in on Wednesday (5 June) night.\n\nThe 41-year old, who first became an MP at the age of 24, spoke after her party won 48 out of 179 seats in the Danish parliament.\n\nMost of the other parties in the centre-left bloc also did well.\n\nThe Social Liberals, formerly led by Denmark's EU commissioner Margerthe Vestager, doubled its seats from eight to 16.\n\nThe Socialist People's Party also doubled seats from seven to 14, while the Red-Green Alliance lost one to win 13.\n\nThat gave them a majority of 91, putting Frederiksen on course to become the country's second-ever female prime minister after Helle Thorning-Schmidt in 2011.\n\nThe centre-right bloc won 75 seats.\n\nThe figure includes the so-called Liberals party of incumbent prime minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen, which gained nine MPs to get 43.\n\nRasmussen accepted defeat and offered to form a grand coalition with Frederiksen.\n\n\"We had a really good election\" and \"Denmark is a better country now than it was four years ago,\" he said.\n\n\"As things stand, Mette Frederiksen has a chance to form a government, [but] I don't think it will be easy for her,\" he added.\n\nHe would be \"standing by the phone\" for coalition talks, he also said.\n\nThe Danish centre-left victory comes after socialist parties also won elections in Finland and Sweden during the past year, creating a left-wing bloc in the EU north, despite dire predictions of a right-wing surge in Europe.\n\nAt the same time, Denmark's far-right Danish People's Party (DPP) lost 21 seats to gain just 16 on Wednesday in its worst result since 1998.\n\nA new far-right party, Stram Kurs, which wants to ban Islam, failed to reach the two-percent threshold to enter parliament.\n\nFrederiksen had campaigned on promises to increase public spending, lower the retirement age, and hike taxes on businesses and wealthy individuals, amid steady growth following years of austerity.\n\n\"This has been a welfare election, and the voters' verdict has been completely clear. From now on, we make welfare the top priority in Denmark,\" she said.\n\nShe had also promised to fight climate change - a leading concern for most Danish voters, especially young ones.\n\nAnti-migrant platform\n\nBut the socialist shine was dulled by Frederiksen's adoption of right-wing immigration policies, such as confiscating jewellery from asylum seekers, banning Islamic face veils, and seeking harsher criminal penalties for perpetrators in migrant ghettoes.\n\nAnother new far-right party, the New Right, led by Pernille Vermund, who says Muslim immigration could lead to civil war and mass rape, also entered the Danish parliament for the first time, winning four seats.\n\nAnd the DPP claimed a moral victory by saying that its influence on Danish politics in recent times had shifted the country to the right.\n\n\"We succeeded in making a lot of restrictions in Denmark the last few years - we have the lowest asylum figures since 2009. Maybe [that's why] the issue now isn't so big for the public,\" Peter Skaarup, its parliamentary speaker, said.\n\nFrederiksen played down her anti-migrant tactics in her victory remarks.\n\n\"Some Social Democrat voters who have been lost in the last few years, who didn't support our migration policy, are returning this time\", she noted.\n\nBut her hardline stance is not shared by her coalition partners, creating potential obstacles in government talks.\n\nFrederiksen does \"not have a mandate without us. The Social Democrats do not have a victory. Their supporting parties, the green parties, have won,\" Martin Lidegaard, the deputy head of the Social Liberals, said.", "Danish Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen concedes defeat in general elections, says will resign Thursday.\n\nCOPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Danish Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen concedes defeat in general elections, says will resign Thursday.", "Danish Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen concedes defeat in general elections, says will resign Thursday.\n\nCOPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Danish Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen concedes defeat in general elections, says will resign Thursday.", "COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Danish Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen concedes defeat in general elections, says will resign Thursday.\n\nCopyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.", "Danish Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen concedes defeat in general elections, says will resign Thursday.\n\nCOPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Danish Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen concedes defeat in general elections, says will resign Thursday.", "Danish Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen concedes defeat in general elections, says will resign Thursday.\n\nCOPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Danish Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen concedes defeat in general elections, says will resign Thursday.", "Danish Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen concedes defeat in general elections, says will resign Thursday.\n\nCOPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Danish Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen concedes defeat in general elections, says will resign Thursday.", "Danish Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen concedes defeat in general elections, says will resign Thursday.\n\nCOPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Danish Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen concedes defeat in general elections, says will resign Thursday.", "COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Danish Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen concedes defeat in general elections, says will resign Thursday.", "Opinion polls put the opposition centre-left Social Democrats, led by Mette Frederiksen, at 27.2 percent, a comfortable lead of almost 10 percentage points ahead of Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen's ruling Liberal Party, which has been in power for 14 of the last 18 years.\n\n\"Many voters want change. In particular, the 'millennials', who can vote for the first time,\" Flemming Juul Christiansen, a political scientist at Roskilde University, told AFP.\n\nLike Gustaf Lindegaard who is voting for the first time, 57 percent of Danes think the next government should prioritise climate change, according to a Gallup poll published in February. For those aged between 18 and 35, the figure was 69 percent.\n\n\"I really think global warming is the most important issue,\" Lindegaard said.\n\n**REMINDER: Join The Local from 8pm on Wednesday to follow the results of the Danish general election LIVE**\n\nREAD ALSO:\n\n\n\nNew priorities\n\nThe Socialist People's Party, heavily focused on environmental issues, is also expected to see a surge in its numbers, with opinion polls suggesting it could take 8.3 percent of votes, almost double its 2015 score.\n\nIf the Social Democrats emerge victorious, they intend to form a minority government -- common in Denmark's proportional representation system -- relying on the support of the left or the right on a case-by-case basis to pass legislation.\n\nAs Denmark enjoys robust growth, almost full employment and strong public finances, the party has focused its campaign on climate issues and the defence of the welfare state, promising to reverse budget cuts to education and healthcare.\n\nAnalysts believe the Social Democrats would likely collaborate with the right on immigration and the left on other matters in the Scandinavian country, which is a member of the European Union but not the eurozone.\n\nHowever, with a splintered political landscape featuring an abundance of political parties, the party could also find it necessary to forge long-term alliances to ensure stability.\n\n\n\nImmigration backdrop\n\nWhile the Liberal Party is expected to lose its grip on power, its performance is projected to match that of the 2015 election.\n\nOn the eve of the election Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen announced a dramatic shift for the Liberals by declaring his priority was now to form a government with traditional rivals the Social Democrats.\n\nBut opinion polls indicate the far-right Danish People's Party, which has informally supported Rasmussen's minority government, could lose almost half its support, shrinking to 10.7 percent.\n\nFor the last two decades the anti-immigrant party has supported successive right-wing governments in exchange for the implementation of their restrictive immigration policies.\n\nBut as those policies have now been broadly adopted by almost all Danish parties, the Danish People's Party has lost its unique appeal with voters.\n\nThe Social Democrats for instance last year announced their own proposal to crack down on immigration, including sending asylum seekers to North African camps while their requests are being processed.\n\n\"Mette Frederiksen has loved the Danish People's Party to death with her tough line on foreigners,\" Anja Westphal, an analyst at Denmark's public broadcaster DR, told AFP.\n\n\"We stand by our firm and realistic policy when it comes to immigration. We believe that Denmark and other countries have a responsibility to help people in need but there is a limit to the numbers we can take in,\" said Nicolai Wammen, political spokesman for the Social Democrats.\n\nThe Danish People's Party's slide has in part benefitted the Social Democrats, but it also coincides with the emergence of two more extreme far-right parties, New Right and the anti-Muslim Hard Line.\n\nThe Danish parliament, the Folketing, has 179 seats, four of which represent the autonomous territories of Greenland and the Faroe Islands, which have two seats each.\n\nTo be eligible for a seat, a party must win at least two percent of votes.\n\nVoter turnout is traditionally high in Denmark. In 2015, 85.9 percent of voters cast their ballots.\n\nPolls will be open from 8 am to 8 pm (0600 to 1800 GMT), with some 4.2 million people eligible to vote."], "summary": "The center-left Social Democrats win 48 of the 179 seats in the Folketing (parliament). Current Liberal Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen concedes defeat, paving the way for Social Democrat leader Mette Frederiksen, who at 41 is set to be the country's youngest prime minister."}
{"document": ["Peru's President Martin Vizcarra looks on prior a meeting with Colombia's President Ivan Duque at the government palace in Lima, Peru May 27, 2019. REUTERS/Guadalupe Pardo\n\nLIMA (Reuters) - Peru’s government won a confidence vote in the country’s Congress on Wednesday, reviving debate over President Martin Vizcarra’s flagging effort to pass anti-corruption measures.\n\nThe president had asked the opposition-controlled Congress for a confidence vote as part of his effort to pressure the legislature into approving a reform package, including measures aimed at cleaning up campaign financing and curbing the immunity against prosecution enjoyed by lawmakers.\n\n“This vote now implies the beginning of talks with the government,” independent legislator Juan Sheput told local television, referring to an expected jump start of negotiations over Vizcarra’s anti-corruption programme.\n\nThe confidence vote passed with 77 in favour, 44 against and three abstentions. Debate on the confidence motion had started on Tuesday and lasted for more than nine hours before resuming on Wednesday.\n\nA vote of no confidence would have triggered the disbanding of the cabinet and allowed Vizcarra to call special legislative elections. The threat triggered cries of “coup” from political enemies who accused him of strong-arming lawmakers.\n\nVizcarra called for the confidence vote after the opposition voted down or otherwise blocked his reform agenda.\n\nA business-friendly former vice president, Vizcarra took office a little over a year ago after his predecessor resigned in disgrace - one of several politicians entangled in a bribery probe involving Brazilian builder Odebrecht .", "Peru’s President Martin Vizcarra scored an important victory for his government’s tough anti-corruption policies Wednesday by winning a vote of confidence in the opposition-controlled Congress.\n\nVizcarra — who succeeded disgraced ex-president Pedro Pablo Kuczynski a year ago –won by 77 votes to 44 with three abstentions, Congress speaker Daniel Salaverry announced.\n\nKuczynski stepped down last year following allegations of bribe-taking as part of the continent-wide Odebrecht corruption scandal that has embroiled three other Peruvian former presidents.\n\nPrime Minister Salvador del Solar defended the proposed reforms on Tuesday at the start of a 15-hour confidence debate that resumed Wednesday.\n\n“It is urgent to save democracy from corruption. It is urgent to prevent people who are guilty of criminal offenses from representing us,” he said.\n\n“We have to encourage citizens with a vocation to participate in politics, so that Peruvians can trust the authorities.”", "Peru's government won a confidence vote in the country's Congress on Wednesday after a marathon debate centered on President Martin Vizcarra's effort at passing anti-corruption measures.\n\nThe president had asked the opposition-controlled Congress for a confidence vote as part of his effort to pressure the legislature into approving a reform package, which includes measures aimed at cleaning up campaign financing and curbing the immunity against prosecution enjoyed by lawmakers.\n\nThe vote passed with 77 in favor, 44 against and three abstentions. Debate on the confidence motion had started on Tuesday and lasted for more than nine hours before resuming on Wednesday.\n\nA vote of no confidence would have triggered the disbanding of the cabinet and allowed Vizcarra to call special legislative elections.", "Peru's President Vizcarra speaks during a television address to the nation in Lima\n\nLIMA (Reuters) - Peru's Congress was headed toward a confidence vote on the government on Tuesday that was summoned by President Martin Vizcarra in a bid to pressure lawmakers to pass his anti-graft proposals.\n\nDebates began on Tuesday, with a vote expected late in the day. If Peru's opposition-controlled Congress votes \"no confidence,\" Vizcarra could invoke a constitutional measure that would authorize him to dissolve Congress and call new legislative elections.\n\n\"It is urgent to save our democracy from corruption. It is urgent to prevent people who are guilty of criminal offenses from representing us. It is urgent to promote the strengthening of political parties,\" Prime Minister Salvador Del Solar, a Vizcarra ally, said at the start of the debate.\n\nUnder Peru's constitution, if Congress fails to grant a vote of confidence in a government twice, the president can dissolve Congress. The current Congress has already issued a vote of no-confidence once during this government -- in 2017, when Vizcarra was vice president.\n\nThe heightened tensions between Congress and the president have ushered in a new period of political uncertainty in one of Latin America's most stable economies.\n\nVizcarra's threat triggered immediate cries of \"coup\" from allies of opposition lawmakers and could stir some debate over its legality, potentially distracting the government from efforts to mediate disputes over mining and oil operations and to pass a labor reform package.\n\nVizcarra's proposals include measures aimed at cleaning up campaign financing, strengthening political parties and ending parliamentary immunity from prosecution.\n\nBut his political reform package has languished in committee discussions and the opposition has shelved or voted down other proposals.", "Peru's Martin scored an important victory for his government's tough anti-corruption policies Wednesday by winning a vote of confidence in the opposition-controlled\n\nVizcarra, who succeeded disgraced ex- a year ago, won by 77 votes to 44, announced.\n\nhad urged lawmakers to back his anti-graft proposals.\n\nKuczynski stepped down last year following allegations of bribe-taking as part of the continent-wide corruption scandal that has embroiled three other Peruvian former presidents.", "Peruvian Prime Minister Salvador Del Solar speaks to Congress as he asks for the approval to reform political bills in Lima\n\nLIMA (Reuters) - Peru's Congress readied itself on Wednesday to take a confidence vote on the government, a vote called by President Martin Vizcarra as part of his effort to pressure lawmakers to pass his anti-graft program.\n\nDebate in the unicameral legislature began on Tuesday and was suspended late at night after more than nine hours of argument. Lawmakers resumed the debate on Wednesday.\n\nIf the opposition-controlled Congress votes \"no confidence,\" Vizcarra's cabinet would be dissolved and he could invoke a constitutional measure authorizing him to dissolve Congress and call new legislative elections.\n\nThe president's proposals include measures aimed at cleaning up campaign financing and ending parliamentary immunity from prosecution. But his reforms have languished in committee and the opposition has shelved or voted down other proposals.", "LIMA, June 5 (Reuters) - Peru's Congress readied itself on Wednesday to take a confidence vote on the government, a vote called by President Martin Vizcarra as part of his effort to pressure lawmakers to pass his anti-graft program.\n\nDebate in the unicameral legislature began on Tuesday and was suspended late at night after more than nine hours of argument. Lawmakers resumed the debate on Wednesday.\n\nIf the opposition-controlled Congress votes \"no confidence,\" Vizcarra's cabinet would be dissolved and he could invoke a constitutional measure authorizing him to dissolve Congress and call new legislative elections.\n\nThe president's proposals include measures aimed at cleaning up campaign financing and ending parliamentary immunity from prosecution. But his reforms have languished in committee and the opposition has shelved or voted down other proposals. (Reporting by Marco Aquino, writing by Hugh Bronstein; Editing by David Gregorio)", "LIMA (Reuters) – Peru’s Congress was set to continue debate on Wednesday ahead of a confidence vote on the government called by President Martin Vizcarra as part of his effort to pressure lawmakers to pass his anti-graft proposals.\n\nDebate in the unicameral legislature began on Tuesday and was suspended late in the evening after more than nine hours of argument. It was scheduled to resume early on Wednesday.\n\nIf the opposition-controlled Congress votes “no confidence,” Vizcarra could invoke a constitutional measure that would authorize him to dissolve Congress and call new legislative elections.\n\n“It is urgent to save our democracy from corruption. It is urgent to prevent people who are guilty of criminal offenses from representing us. It is urgent to promote the strengthening of political parties,” Prime Minister Salvador Del Solar, a Vizcarra ally, said at the start of the debate.\n\nUnder Peru’s constitution, if Congress fails to grant a vote of confidence in a government twice, the president can dissolve Congress. The current Congress has already issued a vote of no-confidence once during this government — in 2017, when Vizcarra was vice president.\n\nThe heightened tensions between Congress and the president have ushered in a new period of political uncertainty in one of Latin America’s most stable economies.\n\nVizcarra’s threat triggered immediate cries of “coup” from allies of opposition lawmakers and could stir some debate over its legality, potentially distracting the government from efforts to mediate disputes over mining and oil operations and to pass a labor reform package.\n\nVizcarra’s proposals include measures aimed at cleaning up campaign financing, strengthening political parties and ending parliamentary immunity from prosecution.\n\nBut his political reform package has languished in committee discussions and the opposition has shelved or voted down other proposals.", "Lima: Peruvian President Martin Vizcarra scored a major victory for his government’s anti-corruption policies on Wednesday, winning a vote of confidence in the opposition-held Congress as the country seeks to emerge from the shadow of Latin America’s biggest graft scandal.\n\n The president sought the vote after threatening to\n\n dissolve Congress and force new legislative elections unless lawmakers backed his anti-graft proposals.\n\n Vizcarra — who succeeded the disgraced Pedro Pablo Kuczynski a year ago — won by 77 votes to 44 with three abstentions, Congress speaker Daniel Salaverry announced.\n\n “The course we have plotted continues. We continue working and putting Peru first, as always,” Vizcarra said in a tweet after the vote.\n\n The government is now expected to begin negotiations with the opposition over introducing the anti-corruption reforms.\n\n They range from cleaning up campaign financing, limiting immunity from prosecution that lawmakers enjoy, and blocking those convicted in court from running for elected office.\n\n Prime Minister Salvador del Solar defended the proposed reforms on Tuesday at the start of a 15-hour confidence debate that resumed early on Wednesday.\n\n “It is urgent to save democracy from corruption. It is urgent to prevent people who are guilty of criminal offenses from representing us.\n\n “We have to encourage citizens with a vocation to participate in politics, so that Peruvians can trust the authorities,” he said.\n\n Kuczynski stepped down last year following allegations of bribe-taking as part of the continent-wide Odebrecht corruption scandal that has embroiled three other Peruvian former presidents.\n\n Vizcarra, 56, had been Peru’s first vice-president and ambassador to Canada when he was appointed.\n\n He used his maiden speech in Congress to deliver a tough anti-corruption message.\n\n “The time has come to say we’ve had enough” he said, pledging to introduce policies that would punish “any type of irregularity.”\n\n Shaken by a string of high-profile corruption scandals, Peruvians overwhelmingly approved Vizcarra’s reforms in a December referendum.\n\n But he has repeatedly clashed with Congress, which is dominated by the Popular Force party of Keiko Fujimori, who is herself in prison pending trial on Odebrecht-related corruption charges.\n\n Odebrecht has loomed large over Peruvian politics as the Brazilian giant used a massive slush fund to wield influence across a dozen Latin American states.\n\n It has admitted to paying nearly $800 million in bribes to officials across the continent over more than a decade to win big construction contracts. Odebrecht said it paid 29 million in bribes to officials in Peru alone between 2004 and 2015.\n\n Prosecutors last month indicted former president Ollanta Humala for alleged money laundering as part of the Odebrecht scandal. — AFP", "Peruvian President Martin Vizcarra scored a major victory for his government's anti-corruption policies Wednesday, winning a vote of confidence in the opposition-held Congress as the country seeks to emerge from the shadow of Latin America's biggest graft scandal.\n\nThe president sought the vote after threatening to dissolve Congress and force new legislative elections unless lawmakers backed his anti-graft proposals.\n\nVizcarra -- who succeeded the disgraced Pedro Pablo Kuczynski a year ago -- won by 77 votes to 44 with three abstentions, Congress speaker Daniel Salaverry announced.\n\n\"The course we have plotted continues. We continue working and putting Peru first, as always,\" Vizcarra said in a tweet after the vote.\n\nThe government is now expected to begin negotiations with the opposition over introducing the anti-corruption reforms.\n\nThey range from cleaning up campaign financing, limiting immunity from prosecution that lawmakers enjoy, and blocking those convicted in court from running for elected office.\n\nPrime Minister Salvador del Solar defended the proposed reforms on Tuesday at the start of a 15-hour confidence debate that resumed early on Wednesday.\n\n\"It is urgent to save democracy from corruption. It is urgent to prevent people who are guilty of criminal offenses from representing us.\n\n\"We have to encourage citizens with a vocation to participate in politics, so that Peruvians can trust the authorities,\" he said.\n\nKuczynski stepped down last year following allegations of bribe-taking as part of the continent-wide Odebrecht corruption scandal that has embroiled three other Peruvian former presidents.\n\nVizcarra, 56, had been Peru's first vice-president and ambassador to Canada when he was appointed.\n\nHe used his maiden speech in Congress to deliver a tough anti-corruption message.\n\n\"The time has come to say we've had enough\" he said, pledging to introduce policies that would punish \"any type of irregularity.\"\n\nShaken by a string of high-profile corruption scandals, Peruvians overwhelmingly approved Vizcarra's reforms in a December referendum.\n\nBut he has repeatedly clashed with Congress, which is dominated by the Popular Force party of Keiko Fujimori, who is herself in prison pending trial on Odebrecht-related corruption charges.\n\nOdebrecht has loomed large over Peruvian politics as the Brazilian giant used a massive slush fund to wield influence across a dozen Latin American states.\n\nIt has admitted to paying nearly $800 million in bribes to officials across the continent over more than a decade to win big construction contracts.\n\nOdebrecht said it paid 29 million in bribes to officials in Peru alone between 2004 and 2015.\n\nProsecutors last month indicted former president Ollanta Humala for alleged money laundering as part of the Odebrecht scandal.\n\nHumala is the first former president to be indicted in relation to the affair.\n\nProsecutors have also taken aim at Alejandro Toledo, 73, president from 2001-06, who is facing extradition from the United States. He is charged with pocketing $20 million of Odebrecht's money.\n\nKuczynski, an 80-year-old former Wall Street banker who was president from 2016-18, was moved to house arrest in May after undergoing heart surgery.\n\nTwo time president Alan Garcia (1985-90 and 2006-11) died in April after shooting himself in the head as police arrived at his house to arrest him in connection with the scandal.\n\nMeanwhile, Fujimori -- arguably Peru's most powerful politician -- is serving 36-months in preventive detention, accused of accepting $1.2 million in illicit party funding from Odebrecht for her 2011 presidential campaign.\n\nHer incarceration has seriously damaged her prospects of standing in the 2021 presidential elections she once was favorite to win.\n\nBut the taint of corruption in Peruvian politics precedes Odebrecht's involvement.\n\nKeiko Fujimori's father, Alberto -- president from 1990-2000 -- is serving a 25-year sentence for crimes against humanity and corruption."], "summary": "President of Peru Martín Vizcarra wins a motion of confidence in the Congress of the Republic."}
{"document": ["(Reuters) - Hedge fund Elliott Management Corp is in talks to acquire Barnes & Noble Inc, in a deal that would mark the end of the once-dominant U.S. book retailer as a publicly listed company, a source familiar with the matter said on Thursday.\n\nThe Wall Street Journal reported earlier that a deal between the activist hedge fund and bookseller could be reached in the coming days. The Financial Times reported the price would be $6.50 per share, equivalent to a value of $476 million (£375 million).\n\nShould Elliott prevail with its bid, James Daunt, chief executive officer of Waterstones, would head Barnes & Noble, the source said. Elliott bought the British bookshop chain last year.\n\nBoth Elliott and Barnes & Noble did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.\n\nBarnes & Noble shares were last up 33.6% at $6.13.\n\nLast October, Barnes & Noble said it was exploring its options after several parties, including founder-chairman Leonard Riggio, showed interest in acquiring the company.\n\nRiggio acquired the flagship Barnes & Noble trade name in 1970s, nearly a century after Charles Barnes started the business in his Illinois home. Riggio grew the business, adding several retail stores across the country and transforming the Fifth Avenue store in new York into the world’s largest bookstore. The company’s growing success took a hit following the launch of Amazon.com Inc, which started as an online marketplace for books and also as more Americans shifted to non-reading activities like videogames. Since then, Barnes & Noble has grown its website, launched an ereader called Nook to compete with rival stores and online retailers. It has even closed several stores, including its flagship, and cut jobs to save costs.\n\nIt now runs 627 retail store as of January this year. The company’s annual sales have fallen for the past three years.\n\nBarnes & Nobles has been locked in a legal dispute with its former Chief Executive Officer Demos Parneros after he was fired, partly because of allegations that he sexually harassed a female employee and attempted to “sabotage” a potential sale.\n\nParneros has rejected Barnes & Noble’s accusations.", "Barnes & Noble, the one-time bookselling giant that lost customers to Amazon.com and other online rivals, is being acquired by hedge fund Elliott Management for $476 million.\n\nElliott, the owner of U.K. book chain Waterstones, said it plans to invest in Barnes & Noble.\n\nThe purchase by the hedge fund comes after Barnes & Noble in October said that it might put itself up for sale after it was approached by a number of potential buyers. Those possible buyers including founder Leonard Riggio who opened Barnes & Noble stores across the country and turned it into a superstore.\n\nElliott Management said it plans to invest in Barnes & Noble, adding that Waterstones CEO James Daunt will also become the CEO of Barnes & Noble. In a statement, the companies said Waterstones had returned to “sustainable profitability” and sales growth.\n\n“Physical bookstores the world over face fearsome challenges from online and digital. We meet these with investment and with all the more confidence for being able to draw on the unrivalled bookselling skills of these two great companies,” Daunt said in the statement.\n\nBarnes & Noble said Elliott Management will pay $6.50 per share, an approximately 9% percent premium to the company’s Thursday closing stock price. Elliott bought the U.K. bookseller Waterstones in June 2018.\n\nThe sale, valued at about $683 million including debt, is targeted to close in the third quarter if approved by regulators and shareholders.\n\nShares of the New York company jumped 11% in early trading.", "Activist firm Elliott Management announced Friday it plans to acquire bookseller Barnes & Noble for roughly $683 million, including debt.\n\nThe deal values Barnes & Noble at $6.50 a share, a 43% premium to the retailer's 10-day volume weighted average closing share price before news of an imminent deal leaked Thursday.\n\nAfter the announcement, the stock was up 10% to $6.56 per share, in premarket trading.\n\nBarnes & Noble has faced continued pressure from Amazon and independent booksellers. Its shares had fallen roughly 25% year to date before the news leak. Within the past five years, Barnes & Noble has lost more than $1 billion in market value.\n\nAmazon holds nearly half of new book sales, a report by audience research Codex Group said last year, while Walmart has about 4.2 percent of the market\n\nIn search of a turnaround, Barnes & Noble said last year it was exploring a sale after having received \"expressions of interest\" from \"multiple parties,\" including its chairman, Leonard Riggio, who founded the company in 1965.\n\nRiggio has entered into a voting agreement in support of the transaction, the company said Friday.\n\nAs a private company, Barnes & Noble will likely be more free to make the changes and investment that can be unwieldy under a public spotlight. Part of the bookseller's turnaround plan has included closing some of its more than 600 stores across the U.S. and relocating to smaller spaces that receive a fresh and modern look. The company has said its prototype stores encourage shoppers to buy books online or from a tablet.\n\nThe retailer has shown small signs of upturn. In March, it reported that over the holidays, sales at locations open for at least a year during the quarter rose 1.1 percent — its best quarterly performance in three years. As of January, it had $15 million in cash and cash equivalents.\n\nFor its part, Elliott, the firm founded and led by billionaire Paul Singer, acquired Britain's biggest bookseller, Waterstones, last year. Owning the two book retailing giants could give Elliott synergies and buying leverage with publishers, people familiar with the industry say.\n\nElliott will operate the two retailers independently, the company said on Friday, though Waterstones CEO James Daunt will oversee both retailers as chief executive.\n\nThe deal, which will be structured as a merger, is expected to close in the third quarter, the company said. Elliott and Barnes & Noble expect to amend the agreement to utilize a tender offer structure, thereby likely reducing closing time by several weeks.\n\nBarnes & Noble also will pay out a quarterly cash dividend of 15 cents per share, payable on Aug. 2.", "Barnes & Noble is sold to hedge fund after a tumultuous year\n\nBarnes & Noble has been acquired by the hedge fund Elliott Advisors for $638 million, a move that has momentarily calmed fears among publishers and agents that the largest bookstore chain in the United States might collapse after one of the most tumultuous periods in its history.\n\nThe sale was announced Friday morning after months of speculation over the future of Barnes & Noble. The acquisition follows Elliott’s purchase of the British bookstore chain Waterstones in June 2018. James Daunt, chief executive of Waterstones, will also act as Barnes & Noble’s CEO and will be based in New York City.\n\nIt marks a surprising new chapter in the 40-plus-year history of Barnes & Noble, which evolved from a single Manhattan bookstore in 1971 and grew into a national fleet of superstores. In the 1990s, Barnes & Noble was often vilified as a greedy corporate giant that slashed book prices to lows its competitors could not match and helped put struggling independent booksellers out of business across the United States.\n\nBut in recent years, Barnes & Noble has been decimated by the strength of online booksellers like Amazon and struggled to make a profit. The company has closed more than 150 stores in the past decade or so, leaving it with 627.\n\n“The loss of Barnes & Noble would have been catastrophic for the industry,” said Carolyn Reidy, president and chief executive of Simon & Schuster.\n\nMike Shatzkin, chief executive of Idea Logical Co., a book industry consulting firm, said a sale was probably the best outcome for the company’s future.\n\n“Somebody else had to save Barnes & Noble — the present ownership succeeded in a completely different environment and was not ready to jump into the 21st century,” he said. “The fact that they own Waterstones certainly puts them in the right direction. Their ability to influence the publishing industry is going to be stronger being in both markets.”\n\nThe all-cash transaction valued Barnes & Noble stock at $6.50 a share, a premium of nearly 42% over the retailer’s stock price Wednesday, before a report by the Wall Street Journal about an impending deal drove up the price Thursday. The stock rose 11% Friday, closing at $6.62 a share\n\nThe sale was approved unanimously by Barnes & Noble’s board. Leonard Riggio, the company’s founder and chairman, said in a news release: “In view of the success they have had in the bookselling marketplace, I believe they are uniquely suited to improve and grow our company for many years ahead.”\n\nDaunt is well regarded in the publishing industry for rescuing Waterstones from near bankruptcy.\n\n“James Daunt is a terrific bookseller and his focus in the U.K. has been bringing customers in and making book retail exciting,” Reidy said. “It bodes well for not just having a solid Barnes & Noble, but for having a growing Barnes & Noble.”\n\nWaterstones has pursued a strategy that some analysts say is the only way to compete in a marketplace dominated by online sales, by allowing individual Waterstones booksellers to tailor each store to the needs and interests of its community. Daunt, who took over in 2011, has said Waterstones operates more like a constellation of independent stores than a homogeneous chain.\n\nDaunt, who ran his own bookstore chain, Daunt Books, before taking charge of Waterstones, said he planned to apply a similar approach with Barnes & Noble.\n\n“The main thing is that there isn’t a template; there’s not some magic ingredient,” he said in an interview Friday. “The Birmingham, Alabama, bookshop I imagine will be very different from the one in downtown Boston. They don’t need to be told how to sell the exact same things in the exact same way.”\n\nWhile Barnes & Noble and Waterstones will operate independently, they will “benefit from the sharing of best practices between the companies,” the news release said.\n\nBarnes & Noble’s new owner, Elliott Advisors, is an affiliate of Elliott Management, an activist fund founded by Paul Singer.\n\nElliott spent more than a decade in a vicious fight over bond payments with Argentina, whose former president, Cristina Fernández, called Singer a “vulture lord” and his firm a “financial terrorist.” In 2016, the country paid Elliott $2.4 billion, a 392% return on the original value of the bonds.\n\nSinger has given money to campaigns supporting same-sex marriage and is an influential Republican donor. He was a major critic of President Trump until after the election, when he donated $1 million to Trump’s inaugural fund.\n\nBefore Elliott bought Waterstones, which operates more than 280 stores, the chain was struggling, posting negative earnings in 2012. It now has a double-digit margin. For its 2018 fiscal year, it had sales of more than 385 million pounds (about $490 million).\n\nDaunt acknowledged that Barnes & Noble faced significant challenges as it sought to reverse years of decline and Amazon continued to gobble up market share, but he expressed confidence that investing in stores would pay off in the end.\n\n“That tide has been only going in one direction for a while and we have to reverse that,” he said. “And you do that by running really nice bookshops.”\n\nIn recent years, the future of Barnes & Noble has looked grim. Its longtime strategy of beating competitors through the sheer volume of its offerings no longer provided an advantage in an era of online retail. Many in the book business have been bracing themselves for the chain’s possible demise, which would be a devastating blow to the publishing industry.\n\nThe turmoil was compounded by a series of management crises. Last summer, Barnes & Noble fired its chief executive, Demos Parneros, who was the fourth chief executive to depart in five years. He had been in his role for just over a year when he was ousted, in part because of claims of sexual harassment by an employee. Parneros later sued the company, claiming defamation and breach of contract. Barnes & Noble filed a countersuit, arguing that Parneros’ lawsuit “downplays what occurred” and blaming him for “disloyal conduct” that sabotaged the company’s potential sale. Both cases are continuing.\n\nRiggio’s vision of mass-market stores stocking more than 100,000 titles was considered radical back when bookselling was viewed as a genteel, quaint and not particularly lucrative industry.\n\nThe company’s dominant position in the retail ecosystem began to erode with Amazon’s arrival. Barnes & Noble struggled to match Amazon’s vast selection and its integrated e-reader and e-book marketplace. In an effort to carve out a piece of the digital marketplace, Barnes & Noble introduced its Nook e-reader and self-publishing platform. The company’s digital strategy turned out to be a financial disaster. It has lost more than $1 billion on its Nook business, and online sales remain anemic.\n\n“For everybody else, the digital business is 30% and growing by double digits,” said Ryan Vaughan, an analyst at Needham & Co. “These guys, it’s 5% and shrinking.”\n\nIn recent years, there have been encouraging signs that the print retail business is rebounding, and publishers hope that a revitalized Barnes & Noble could take advantage of that shift. Independent bookstores are thriving again, and print sales are rising while e-book sales are declining. Even Amazon is investing in physical bookstores across the country.\n\nAlexandra Alter and Tiffany Hsu are New York Times writers.", "Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings.\n\nHedge fund Elliott Management announced Friday it plans to acquire bookseller Barnes & Noble for roughly $683 million, including debt.\n\nBarnes & Noble has faced continued pressure from Amazon and independent booksellers. Its shares had fallen roughly 25 percent year to date before news of the deal leaked on Thursday. Within the past five years, Barnes & Noble has lost more than $1 billion in market value.\n\nAmazon holds nearly half of new book sales, a report by audience research Codex Group said last year, while Walmart has about 4.2 percent of the market\n\nIn search of a turnaround, Barnes & Noble said last year it was exploring a sale after having received “expressions of interest” from “multiple parties,” including its chairman, Leonard Riggio, who founded the company in 1965.\n\nRiggio has entered into a voting agreement in support of the transaction, the company said Friday.\n\nAs a private company, Barnes & Noble will likely be more free to make the changes and investment that can be unwieldy under a public spotlight. Part of the bookseller’s turnaround plan has included closing some of its more than 600 stores across the U.S. and relocating to smaller spaces that receive a fresh and modern look. The company has said its prototype stores encourage shoppers to buy books online or from a tablet.\n\nThe retailer has shown small signs of upturn. In March, it reported that over the holidays, sales at locations open for at least a year during the quarter rose 1.1 percent — its best quarterly performance in three years.\n\nFor its part, Elliott, the firm founded and led by billionaire Paul Singer, acquired Britain’sbiggest bookseller, Waterstones, last year. Owning the two book retailing giants could give Elliott synergies and buying leverage with publishers, people familiar with the industry say.\n\nElliott will operate the two retailers independently, the company said on Friday, though Waterstones CEO James Daunt will oversee both retailers as chief executive.", "June 7 (Reuters) - Barnes & Noble Inc said on Friday it would be bought by hedge fund Elliott Management Corp in an all-cash deal valued at about $683 million, including debt.\n\nShareholders of the once-dominant U.S. book retailer would be paid $6.50 per share, representing a premium of about 42% as of Wednesday’s close.\n\nThe company’s shares surged about 34% on Thursday after the Wall Street Journal reported that a deal between the activist hedge fund and bookseller could be reached soon.", "June 6 (Reuters) - Elliott Management is the lead bidder in an auction for Barnes & Noble Inc, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.\n\nA deal between the hedge fund and bookseller could be reached in the coming days, the report said here\n\nLast October, Barnes & Noble said it was exploring options after several parties, including founder-chairman Leonard Riggio, showed interest in acquiring the company.\n\nElliott and Barnes & Noble did not immediately respond to requests for comment.\n\nShares of Barnes & Noble were up more than 16% in afternoon trading. (Reporting by Uday Sampath in Bengaluru; Editing by James Emmanuel)", "(Reuters) - Barnes & Noble Inc said on Friday it would be bought by hedge fund Elliott Management Corp for $475.8 million, marking the end of the once-dominant U.S. book retailer as a public company after years of falling sales.\n\nShares in the United States’ largest book-store chain closed up 30% on Thursday after reports of a potential deal surfaced, and rose another 11% early on Friday.\n\nListed on the New York Stock Exchange since 1993, Barnes & Noble has struggled to grow its business since the arrival of Amazon.com Inc turned the book sales market on its head.\n\nEven the company’s recent efforts to pull in a more tech-savvy audience with its Nook e-book reader failed to compete with Amazon’s Kindle and other tablets.\n\nElliot’s offer of $6.50 per share, represented a premium of about 42% to Wednesday’s close, the day before media reports of a potential transaction first surfaced.\n\nBarnes & Noble has been exploring options for a buyout since at least last October, with multiple parties showing interest including founder-chairman Leonard Riggio.\n\nRiggio acquired the flagship Barnes & Noble trade name in 1970s, nearly a century after Charles Barnes started the business in his Illinois home.\n\nRiggio grew the business, adding several retail stores across the country, but could not sustain the growth in a retail landscape dominated by Amazon.\n\nIn 2014, Barnes & Noble closed its New York Fifth Avenue store - once the world’s largest bookstore - and has faced declining sales for at least the last three years. As of this January, it ran 627 retail stores.\n\nTo help turnaround the company’s fortunes, Elliott is bringing in Chief Executive Officer of British bookshop chain Waterstones, James Daunt, to take the helm at Barnes & Noble.\n\nBarnes & Noble said Waterstones, which was bought by Elliott last year, has successfully restored itself to sales growth and sustainable profitability under Daunt.\n\n“Our investment in Barnes & Noble, following our investment last year in Waterstones, demonstrates our conviction that readers continue to value the experience of a great bookstore,” Paul Best, Elliott’s head of European Private Equity said.\n\nWhile Daunt will lead both companies, the two booksellers would still operate independently.\n\nDaunt will take up the top job, vacant since July 2018, following the completion of the transaction, expected in the third quarter of 2019.\n\nBarnes & Noble fired former CEO Demos Parneros partly because of allegations that he sexually harassed a female employee and attempted to “sabotage” a potential sale.\n\nThe bookseller is being bought by Elliott Management’s affiliate, Elliott Advisors (UK) Ltd.", "\n• Elliott Management is acquiring Barnes & Noble for about $683 million including debt, the companies said Friday.\n• While the bookseller has lost half its market value in the last five years, its shares soared Thursday after The Wall Street Journal reported the deal was in the works.\n\nElliott Management, the hedge fund led by noted investor Paul Singer, is acquiring the beleaguered bookseller Barnes & Noble for about $683 million including debt, the companies announced Friday.\n\nElliott is acquiring the bookseller in an all-cash transaction that’s expected to close in the third quarter. Shares of Barnes & Noble jumped early Friday on the announcement, a move that followed a 30% surge Thursday after The Wall Street Journal reported the deal was imminent.\n\nBarnes & Noble would not mark Elliott’s first bookstore deal. Elliott acquired Waterstones, the largest retail bookseller in the United Kingdom, one year ago. That chain’s chief executive, James Daunt, will also assume the role of Barnes & Noble CEO once the deal is complete.\n\nElliott’s investment in the bookseller that’s lost around half of its market value in five years highlights the ongoing challenges brick-and-mortar retailers are facing in the age of online shopping and the rise of Amazon.\n\nRead more: We shopped at Barnes & Noble and saw a key shortcoming that’s hurting the chain in its battle against Amazon\n\nOnce a $2.4 billion company by market capitalization around its peak in 2006, Barnes & Noble’s market value has shrunk to just over $436 million. Its shares traded just under $6 apiece as of Thursday’s close.\n\nLast year, the New York-based company was mired in legal drama involving Demos Parneros, the bookseller’s former chief executive. Parneros sued Barnes & Noble last August, saying the company falsely accused him of violating its sexual harassment policy before terminating him without severance.\n\nAt the time, Barnes & Noble said the lawsuit was “an attempt to extort money from the company by a CEO who was terminated for sexual harassment, bullying behavior and other violations of company policies.”\n\nIn its Friday statement, Elliott said the fund is betting on the “experience” of bookstores.\n\n“Our investment in Barnes & Noble, following our investment last year in Waterstones, demonstrates our conviction that readers continue to value the experience of a great bookstore,” Paul Best, a portfolio manager and head of European private equity at Elliott, said in a release.\n\nBarnes & Noble will report its fiscal 2019 fourth-quarter and year-end earnings results on June 19.\n\nNow read more markets coverage from Markets Insider and Business Insider:\n\nA duo of stock pickers crushing 96% of their peers unpack their tactics for finding companies that customers can’t live without – and reveal their top picks\n\nCloudera crashes in its worst day ever after the company slashes sales outlook, announces CEO departure\n\nBeyond Meat soars 20% after crushing expectations for its first earnings report as a public company", "Elliott Management Corp., is reportedly the top contender to purchase Barnes & Noble and the two sides appeared to be approaching an agreement.\n\nThe Wall Street Journal reported the news Thursday, citing sources familiar with the matter, but said negotiations could still fizzle out. Details into a possible agreement with the hedge fund weren’t clear, they added.\n\nThe development comes months after the book retailer revealed in early October that several parties had shown interest in buying them. Among the offers was one from Leonard Riggio, Barnes & Noble’s founder and chairman.\n\nAnother possible contender to purchase the company is Readerlink LLC, Bloomberg reported, also citing sources. However, one source reportedly indicated that the more enticing bid appeared to be from Elliott.\n\nThe aforementioned potential Readerlink agreement would include Riggio, the outlet said.\n\nCLICK HERE FOR THE FOX BUSINESS APP\n\nBarnes & Noble has been struggling in recent years due to competition from Amazon and changing consumer preferences.\n\nA representative for Barnes & Noble did not immediately return Fox Business’ request for comment.\n\nThe Associated Press contributed to this report."], "summary": "Reuters, citing \"a source familiar with the matter\", said that the hedge fund firm Elliott Management is in talks to acquire the storied bookseller Barnes & Noble for roughly $476 million."}
{"document": ["PARIS (AP) — From the Eiffel Tower to the Champs-Élysées and across the Paris Metro, the Women's World Cup has had little visibility in the French capital.\n\nThe hosts at least made their presence felt on the field on Friday night in front of French President Emmanuel Macron. FIFA's monthlong women's soccer showpiece opened with France beating South Korea 4-0 in front of 45,261 fans at Paris Saint-Germain's stadium.\n\n\"We knew that it was going to be a very emotional evening but I think we managed it well,\" said Wendie Renard, who scored twice on headers off corner kicks. \"When you have more than 45,000 people singing the French national anthem, obviously it drives you forward, but we really made the most of the crowd's support.\"\n\nThe use of the city's second-largest stadium — rather than the Stade de France where French men opened and ended the European Championship three years ago — underscores the ongoing quest for greater gender equality.\n\nThe 24-team tournament started against the backdrop of a widening prize money gap between the men's and women's World Cup. The prize money pot has doubled from four years ago to $30 million, but the total available for the 32 men's teams last year in Russia was $400 million — and that is increasing by $40 million for Qatar in 2022.\n\n\"Is it enough? No,\" FIFA President Gianni Infantino said Friday. \"Can we do better? Yes. But it's a step.\"\n\nA step not far enough, according to many players competing for the trophy in France — particularly the defending champions from the United States. The U.S. players, who open their title defense against Thailand on Tuesday, have filed a lawsuit at home that accuses the U.S. Soccer federation of discrimination and seeks compensation that's equitable with compensation for the men's national team.\n\nThe American women have achieved what their male counterparts failed to achieve for the 2018 World Cup — qualify.\n\nAnd of 965,000 tickets which FIFA says have been \"allocated\" for this World Cup, supporters from the United States have more than every other country combined — outside of host France.\n\nWhile the French have 460,748 tickets, FIFA said 130,905 have been allocated to Americans. Third on the list provided by FIFA to The Associated Press are Britons, who have 29,307 tickets, followed by the Netherlands with 27,767, Sweden with 10,227 and Germany with 9,914.\n\nAlthough the World Cup has yet to sell out, the advertisements across the Paris Metro for games in France are for men's Euro 2020 qualifiers in three months' time, including next to the Parc des Princes. It reflects a lack of branding across the city where the ongoing French Open dominates sporting signage.\n\n\"This is not necessarily our fault if things have been organized in that way,\" Renard said. \"But it can only help in terms of our team spirit having won the match and having made a good start.\"\n\nInfantino this week acknowledged the need to do more to commercialize women's soccer, which could include seeking sponsorships that aren't combined with the men's competitions. But one of the stars of England's team, which finished third at the 2015 World Cup, is more sympathetic to FIFA in the storm over the lack of prize money parity.\n\n\"We don't bring in the money that the men do, we're not as successful as them yet,\" winger Toni Duggan said ahead of England's opening game against Scotland on Sunday. \"They bring in a lot more money than us commercially and are more successful.\"\n\n\"When people ask me: 'Should I earn the same money as the men?' No, I don't believe I should because they're on a bigger scale than me, they have more fans, are more popular. I believe the girls should be better paid but not the same as the men.\"\n\nFIFA is prioritizing investing more cash across its 211 member federations as part of a $500 million budget for the women's soccer division, including development projects.\n\n\"Football is a very male-dominated sport, a macho sport,\" Infantino said in the opening address of a FIFA women's soccer convention. \"But it's changing.\n\nA new world league for national teams between World Cups is planned, potentially in 2021, and Infantino is talking up the qualities of female players being \"pure and innocent.\"\n\n\"Maybe it's something we are losing a bit in men's football,\" Infantino said.\n\nThere is a more troubling side to the women's game.\n\nFIFA has sought to address concerns about abuses faced by women by strengthening its ethics code by specifying more incidents around \"protection of physical and mental integrity\" and increasing the punishments.\n\n\"Persons bound by this code must refrain from any form of physical or mental abuse and any form of harassment or any other hostile acts intended to isolate, ostracize or harm the dignity of a person,\" according to a new part of the code obtained by the AP.\n\nAfghan authorities have been investigating allegations by women's national team players of sexual and physical abuse, and FIFA has suspended federation president Keramuudin Karim during its own investigation.\n\nPreviously, only \"threats, the promise of advantages and coercion\" were specifically prohibited but that has now been expanded in the updated ethics code to include \"any form of sexual abuse, harassment or exploitation.\" FIFA can now impose a minimum 10-year ban from soccer in cases of sexual exploitation or abuse — double the previous maximum sanction.\n\n\"Discrimination towards women is certainly a topic that we need to address seriously,\" Infantino said.", "Popular\n\nDrinking culture and American kids\n\nOn America's college campuses, there are epidemics we talk about and those we don't. When sexual assaults or fraternity hazing deaths make headlines, court cases follow and new rules are enacted, but less attention is paid to an underlying issue – binge drinking culture. CBSN Originals explores how drinking to excess is not only considered normal, but cool, and how for many young people \"blacking out\" is less a rarity than an every weekend occurrence – with grave consequences.", "Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Hundreds of veterans gathered in Normandy for the anniversary\n\nHundreds of veterans gathered in France to honour the sacrifice of those who died in the D-Day landings, drawing to a close two days of commemorations.\n\nWorld leaders attended ceremonies honouring Allied forces who fought in the largest combined land, air and naval operation in history.\n\nWreaths were laid, a minute's silence was held and veterans linked arms and sang, before watching an RAF flypast.\n\nTheresa May and Emmanuel Macron thanked veterans who took part in June 1944.\n\nPresident Donald Trump called former US soldiers \"the pride of the nation\".\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption D-Day: Paratroopers land in France to mark 75th anniversary\n\nThroughout the day, key events were marked from the wartime operation at the start of the campaign to liberate Nazi-occupied north-west Europe.\n\nBy nightfall on 6 June 1944, some 156,000 Allied troops - including British, US and Canadian forces - had landed on Normandy's beaches, despite challenging weather and fierce German defences.\n\nThe Allies established a foothold in France and within 11 months Nazi Germany was defeated and the war in Europe was over.\n\nAt 06:26 BST - the exact minute the first British troops landed on the beaches in 1944 - a lone piper played on a section of the Mulberry Harbour in the French town of Arromanches.\n\nMr Macron and Mrs May - in one of her final engagements as Conservative leader - were in Ver-sur-Mer to see the first stone laid for a memorial to commemorate the 22,442 British troops who died there in the summer of 1944.\n\nThe memorial, which overlooks Gold Beach, depicts three soldiers advancing across the sand.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Mrs May and Mr Macron say 'thank you' to D-Day veterans\n\nMrs May said she was humbled to be able to mark the moment with veterans, who belonged to a \"very special generation\".\n\n\"A generation whose unconquerable spirit shaped the post-war world. They didn't boast. They didn't fuss. They served,\" she said.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption \"I don't think I should tell you what I saw because it was so horrible\"\n\n\"And they laid down their lives so that we might have a better life and build a better world.\n\n\"If one day can be said to have determined the fate of generations to come in France, in Britain, in Europe and the world, that day was 6 June, 1944,\" she added.\n\nImage copyright PA Image caption D-Day veterans made the journey to Normandy to attend commemorations\n\nImage copyright Getty Images Image caption D-Day Royal Navy veteran Ted Emmings, 94, passes a house in Arromanches decorated with a photo of himself and other veterans\n\nAlso paying tribute, Mr Macron said: \"This is where young men, many of whom had never set foot on French soil, landed at dawn under German fire, risking their lives while fighting their way up the beach, which was littered with obstacles and mines.\"\n\nThe French president also went on to say he was proud to have worked with Mrs May.\n\n\"Leaders may come and go but their achievements remain. The force of our friendship will outlast current events,\" he said.\n\nImage copyright PA Image caption Prince Charles joined the prime minister to mark the anniversary at a ceremony in Bayeux\n\nMrs May, the Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon later attended a service at the cathedral in Bayeux, the first city to be liberated by the invasion.\n\nA message was read out on behalf of Pope Francis, in which he said D-Day was \"decisive in the fight against Nazi barbarism\". He also paid tribute to those who \"joined the Army and gave their lives for freedom and peace\".\n\nThe service was followed by a ceremony at Bayeux War Cemetery, where many of the fallen are buried.\n\nImage copyright AFP Image caption A British soldier played the bagpipes for the inauguration of a garden in Arromanches\n\n'I wasn't a hero'\n\nAmong the veterans who attended the commemorations was Len Fox, who took part in a rendition of We'll Meet Again.\n\nThe 94-year-old, who lives in Norwich, landed in the town on D-Day with the 53rd Welsh Division as a dispatch rider.\n\nHe said: \"Being here for the anniversary is my way of paying back a little to my comrades who didn't make it.\n\n\"I wasn't a hero, I was a frightened 19-year-old. They were the brave heroes.\"\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Veteran Harry Billinge, 93, on his memories of friends who died during the Normandy invasion in 1944\n\nHarry Billinge, 93, from St Austell in Cornwall, was on a final pilgrimage to Normandy to see how thousands of pounds he raised had helped the construction of a national memorial honouring his fallen comrades.\n\nHe handed over more than £10,000 to the Normandy Memorial Trust after collecting donations in his local high street and Arromanches.\n\nAs an 18-year-old Royal Engineer, he landed on Gold Beach at 06:30 on 6 June 1944 as part of the first wave of troops.\n\nMr Billinge said this was his \"swansong\" and he did not think he would return again, but he was eager to see the first foundation stones of the monument laid on Thursday morning.\n\n'Pride of the nation'\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Donald Trump praised troops at a service in the US war cemetery at Omaha Beach\n\nMeanwhile, Mr Trump accompanied Mr Macron at a ceremony at the US war cemetery at Omaha Beach, Colleville-sur-Mer.\n\nHe told veterans gathered there: \"You are among the greatest Americans who will ever live. You are the pride of the nation. You are the glory of our republic and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.\"\n\nImage copyright EPA Image caption Donald Trump and the First Lady, Melania, joined Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte, for D-Day commemorations in Normandy\n\nImage copyright Reuters Image caption The US president greeted D-Day veterans\n\nOther events in the UK and France included:\n\nA veteran's parade in Arromanches, followed by a Red Arrows flypast\n\nA service of remembrance and wreath laying at the National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas, Staffordshire\n\nIn Portsmouth, a veteran's parade before a memorial service at the city's D-Day Stone\n\nThe Duke of Sussex joined the Chelsea Pensioners and six D-Day veterans for Founder's Day at London's Royal Hospital Chelsea\n\nIn Edinburgh, 15 D-Day veterans were presented with the Knight of the Légion d'Honneur Cross at the French Consulate\n\nImage copyright Reuters Image caption Prince William was among those at a service at the National Memorial Arboretum\n\nAt the National Memorial Arboretum, the Duke of Cambridge gave an address which was originally made by his great-grandfather, George VI in 1944.\n\nHe read: \"Four years ago our nation and empire stood alone against an overwhelming enemy, with our backs to the wall.\n\n\"Now, once more, a supreme test has to be faced.\"\n\nHe added: \"This time, the challenge is not to fight to survive but to fight to win the final victory for the good cause.\n\n\"At this historic moment, surely not one of us is too busy, too young, or too old to play a part in a nationwide, perchance a world-wide, vigil of prayer as the great crusade sets forth.\"\n\nDuring Prince Harry's visit to Royal Hospital Chelsea, he joked with Chelsea Pensioners and asked them \"Who's your favourite?\" while gesturing to hospital staff.\n\nImage copyright Getty Images\n\nOn Wednesday, leaders from every country that fought alongside the UK on D-Day joined the Queen in Portsmouth for the first day of the 75th anniversary events.\n\nThe Queen paid tribute to the \"heroism, courage and sacrifice\" of those who died.\n\nAround 300 veterans were then waved off on the cruise ship MV Boudicca as it headed to the Normandy commemorations.\n\nTwo veterans - Harry Read, 95, and John Hutton, 94 - parachuted back into Normandy, 75 years after their first landing, accompanied by members of the Army's Parachute Regiment display team.", "COLLEVILLE-SUR-MER, France (Reuters) - France will never forget the sacrifice of the Allied troops who liberated it from Nazi Germany, President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday, the 75th anniversary of the D-Day operation that helped bring World War Two to an end.\n\nU.S. President Donald Trump and British Prime Minister Theresa May joined Macron at separate ceremonies along a 80km (50 mile) stretch of Normandy coastline, where more than 150,000 soldiers landed on June 6, 1944, under a hail of German fire.\n\n“We know what we owe to you, our veterans: our freedom. On behalf of my country, I want to say ‘thank you’,” Macron told several dozen American D-Day combatants at a U.S. war cemetery overlooking Omaha Beach, one of five landing spots in Normandy.\n\n“France will never forget.”\n\nMacron awarded the Legion d’honneur, France’s highest award for merit, to five U.S. veterans and embraced each man warmly.\n\nThe Normandy landings were months in the planning and were kept secret from Hitler and his forces despite a huge trans-Atlantic mobilisation of industry and manpower.\n\nUnder the cover of darkness, thousands of Allied paratroopers jumped behind Germany’s coastal defences. Then, as day broke, warships pounded German positions before hundreds of landing craft disgorged the infantry troops under a barrage of machine-gun fire and artillery.\n\nSome veterans say the sea and sand turned red with blood during the operation. Dozens of U.S. rangers were felled by German machine-guns as they scaled the cliffs rising up from Omaha Beach to Colleville-sur-Mer, where the U.S. cemetery lies.\n\n“You are among the very greatest Americans who will ever live,” Trump said in his address, turning to the surviving veterans. “You are the pride of our nation, you are the glory of our republic and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.”\n\n“These men moved through the fires of hell,” he said. “They came here and saved freedom, and then they went home and showed us all what freedom is about.”\n\nPeople applauded as one of the veterans, 94-year-old Private Russell Pickett, rose shakily to his feet. “Tough guy,” Trump said, before Macron helped lower Pickett back into his seat.\n\n“SPECIAL GENERATION”\n\nThe Normandy landings remain the largest ever amphibious invasion and paved the way for western Europe’s liberation.\n\nInaugurating a memorial to the 22,000 soldiers under British command who were killed on June 6, 1944, and in the ensuing battle for Normandy, British Prime Minister Theresa May saluted the bravery of the soldiers, many of whom were still boys when they waded ashore as shells screamed overhead.\n\nFrench President Emmanuel Macron and U.S President Donald Trump stand during a ceremony to mark the 75th anniversary of the D-Day at the Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial in Colleville-sur-Mer, France, June 6, 2019. REUTERS/Christian Hartmann\n\n“It’s almost impossible to grasp the raw courage it must have taken that day to leap from landing craft and into the surf despite the fury of battle,” May told a small gathering that included Macron and veterans, their uniforms laden with medals.\n\n“These young men belonged to a very special generation ... whose incomparable spirit shaped our post-war world,” she said.\n\nThe devastation wrought by two world wars in the first half of the 20th century fostered a decades-long era of cooperation between European capitals determined to protect their hard-fought peace, giving rise to what is now the European Union.\n\nBut even as Britain now tries to sever its ties with the bloc after four decades of membership, Macron told May some links between France and Britain were indestructible.\n\n“Nothing will ever take away the links of spilled blood and shared values. The debates of the present in no way take away from the past.”\n\nSACRIFICED LIVES\n\nAn hour after sunrise, under clear blue skies, a lone piper on the remnants of an artificial harbour played Highland Laddie to mark the hour the first British soldier set foot on French sand. The Mulberry harbour was built to supply allied troops as they pushed the Germans back.\n\nRestored wartime jeeps and amphibious vehicles lined the beach at Arromanches and in villages along the Normandy shore the flags of Britain, Canada and the United States, the main contributors to the Allied force, fluttered in the breeze.\n\nSlideshow (21 Images)\n\nThe commemorations come against the backdrop of two years of forthright diplomacy and “America First” policymaking by Trump and his administration that have shaken the NATO alliance and tested relations with allies including Britain and France.\n\nOn the eve of the anniversary, France’s president evoked the spirit of D-Day, saying: “These allied forces that together freed us from the German yoke, and from tyranny, are the same ones that were able to build the existing multilateral structures after World War Two.\n\n“We must not repeat history, and remind ourselves what was built on the basis of the war,” he said.", "Portsmouth, United Kingdom | AFP | US President Donald Trump, Queen Elizabeth II and 300 veterans are to gather on the south coast of England on Wednesday for a poignant ceremony marking the 75th anniversary of D-Day.\n\nOther world leaders will join them in Portsmouth for Britain’s national event to commemorate the Allied invasion of the Normandy beaches — one of the turning points of World War II.\n\nTrump, Queen Elizabeth and British Prime Minister Theresa May will be joined by Canadian PM Justin Trudeau, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel for an event with the veterans, the youngest of whom are now in their 90s, marking the boats’ departure on the eve of the battle.\n\nIt will be the last act of Trump’s three-day state visit to Britain.\n\nPortsmouth was the main departure point for the largest amphibious assault in history, when some 156,000 US, British, Canadian and other Allied troops sailed for the beaches of northern France.\n\nThe Battle of Normandy on June 6, 1944 led to the liberation of Europe and helped bring about the end of World War II.\n\nIn a joint D-Day proclamation marking the anniversary, the 16 nations attending Wednesday’s ceremony affirmed their shared responsibility to ensure that the horrors of World War II are never repeated.\n\n“Over the last 75 years, our nations have stood up for peace in Europe and globally, for democracy, tolerance and the rule of law,” it said.\n\n“We re-commit today to those shared values because they support the stability and prosperity of our nations and our people. We will work together as allies and friends to defend these freedoms whenever they are threatened.”\n\n“In this way, we salute the surviving veterans of D-Day and we honour the memories of those who came before us.”\n\nThe ceremony is the first time that so many world leaders have gathered in Britain since the London 2012 Olympics.\n\nThe prime ministers of Australia, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, the president of Greece, New Zealand’s governor-general, Slovakia’s deputy PM and the Danish ambassador are due to attend.\n\nThe event on Southsea Common includes an hour-long production recounting the story of the invasion with testimony from veterans, theatrical performances and live music, as well as a flypast.\n\nSome 4,000 military personnel, 26 British military aircraft and 11 British naval vessels will participate.\n\nIn the event’s official programme, Queen Elizabeth, 93, said: “I am sure that these commemorations will provide an opportunity to honour those who made extraordinary sacrifices to secure freedom in Europe. They must never be forgotten.”\n\nMay will read a letter written by Captain Norman Skinner to his wife Gladys on June 3, 1944.\n\nThe letter was in the British soldier’s pocket when he landed on Sword Beach in Normandy on June 6. He was killed the next day.\n\nMay will attend a reception with veterans and a lunch with world leaders.\n\nShe will call for continued Western unity in tackling the world’s security threats.\n\n“Their solidarity and determination in the defence of our freedom remains a lesson to us all,” she was to say.\n\nThe D-Day commemorations are among May’s last official duties before she steps down as leader of the governing Conservative Party on Friday.\n\nThat will trigger a leadership contest. The winner, chosen from 11 candidates, will become the next prime minister by the end of July.\n\nTrump said Tuesday that the D-Day troops stormed the beaches to ensure that their people would forever remain sovereign and free.\n\n“Let us renew our pledge… that the cause for which they died shall live,” he said.\n\nThe state visit saw Trump join the royal family for a lavish state banquet, while the president promised Britain a “phenomenal” post-Brexit trade deal.\n\nAfter Queen Elizabeth formally bids him farewell, Trump is off to his golf resort in Ireland before heading to further D-Day commemorations in Normandy on Thursday.\n\nThe village of Doonbeg on Ireland’s west coast has been decked out in US flags to welcome Trump.", "OMAHA BEACH, France — Standing on the windswept beaches and bluffs of Normandy, a dwindling number of aging veterans of history’s greatest air and sea invasion received the thanks and praise of a world transformed by their sacrifice.\n\nThe mission now, they said, was to honor the dead and keep their memory alive, 75 years after the D-Day operation that portended the end of World War II.\n\n“We know we don’t have much time left, so I tell my story so people know it was because of that generation, because of those guys in this cemetery,” said 99-year-old Steve Melnikoff of Maryland, standing at Colleville-Sur-Mer, where thousands of Americans are buried.\n\n“All these generals with all this brass that don’t mean nothing,” he said. “These guys in the cemetery, they are the heroes.”\n\nThursday’s anniversary was marked with eloquent speeches, profound silences and passionate pleas for an end to bloodshed.\n\nFrench President Emmanuel Macron and U.S. President Donald Trump praised the soldiers, sailors and airmen who took part in the invasion, codenamed Operation Overlord, saying it was the turning point that ended Nazi tyranny and ensured peace for Europe.\n\n“You are the pride of our nation, you are the glory of our republic, and we thank you from the bottom of our heart,” Trump said of the warriors who took part in what he called the ultimate fight of good against evil in World War II.\n\n“They battled not for control and domination, but for liberty, democracy and self-rule,” Trump said in a speech at the Normandy American Cemetery overlooking Omaha Beach, the bloodiest of five landing beaches.\n\nMacron saluted the courage, generosity and strength of spirit that made them press on “to help men and women they didn’t know, to liberate a land most hadn’t seen before, for no other cause but freedom, democracy.”\n\nHe expressed France’s debt to the United States for freeing his country from the Nazis. Macron awarded five American veterans with the Chevalier of Legion of Honor, France’s highest award.\n\n“We know what we owe to you, veterans, our freedom,” he said, switching from French to English. “On behalf of my nation I just want to say ‘thank you.’”\n\nAbout 160,000 troops were took part in D-Day, and many more fought in the ensuing Battle of Normandy. Of those 73,000 were from the United States, while 83,000 were from Britain and Canada. Troops started landing overnight from the air, then were joined by a massive force by sea on the beaches of Omaha, Utah, Juno, Sword and Gold, carried by 7,000 boats.\n\n“The eyes of the world are upon you. The hopes and prayers of liberty-loving people everywhere march with you,” Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower had said in his order of the day. “The tide has turned! The free men of the world are marching together to victory.”\n\nOn Wednesday, a commemoration was held in Portsmouth, England, the main embarkation point for the transport boats. Then the dignitaries came to the bluffs and beaches of Normandy, where veterans recalled what they saw 75 years ago.\n\n“The water was full of dead men, the beach had burning landing craft,” said Jim Radford, 90, a British D-Day veteran from Hull, describing the scene near Gold Beach, where British landed.\n\nHe was there again to watch the unveiling of a statue at Gold Beach, where a memorial to British fighters is to be erected.\n\nAt dawn Thursday, hundreds of civilians and military alike from around the world gathered on Omaha Beach.\n\nDick Jansen, 60, from the Netherlands, drank Canadian whisky from an enamel cup on the water’s edge. Others scattered carnations into the waves. Randall Atanay, the son of a medic who tended to the dying and wounded, waded barefoot into the water, bonding with his dad, who has since died.\n\nUp to 12,000 people attended the ceremony at the Normandy American Cemetery, with U.S. veterans, their numbers fast diminishing as years pass, the guests of honor.\n\nA 21-gun salute thundered into the waters below the cemetery, on a bluff overlooking Omaha Beach, and across the rows of white crosses and Stars of David. The final resting places of more than 9,380 of the fallen stretched out before the guests.\n\nBritain’s Prince Charles, his wife, Camilla, and Prime Minister Theresa May attended a remembrance service at the medieval cathedral in Bayeux, the first Normandy town liberated by Allied troops after D-Day.\n\nHundreds of people packed the seaside square in the town of Arromanches to applaud veterans of the Battle of Normandy that ensued. A wreath was placed outside the town’s D-Day Museum.\n\nMacron thanked soldiers “so that France could become free again” at the Gold Beach ceremony with May and uniformed veterans laid the cornerstone of the memorial that will record the names of thousands of troops under British command who died in Normandy.\n\n“If one day can be said to have determined the fate of generations to come, in France, in Britain, in Europe and the world, that day was the 6th of June, 1944,” May said.\n\nAs the sun rose that morning, not one of the thousands of men arriving in Normandy “knew whether they would still be alive when the sun set once again,” she said.\n\nPassing on memories is especially urgent, with hundreds of World War II veterans now dying every day.\n\nCanadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau hailed those who “took a gamble the world had never seen before.”\n\nSpeaking at Juno Beach where 14,000 Canadians came ashore, Trudeau lauded the resulting world order including the United Nations and NATO that have helped preserve peace.\n\nBut postwar tensions were evident. Not invited to the remembrance was Russian President Vladimir Putin, who had been present for the 70th commemoration of D-Day.\n\nOn Wednesday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said it was a “gift of history” that she was able to participate in the ceremony on Britain’s southern coast. Some 22,000 German soldiers are among those buried around Normandy.\n\nThe D-Day invasion was a defining moment of military strategy complicated by unpredictable weather and human chaos in which soldiers from the U.S., Britain, Canada and other Allied nations applied relentless bravery to carve out a beachhead on ground that Nazi Germany had occupied for four years.\n\nThe Battle of Normandy hastened Germany’s defeat less than a year later.\n\nStill, that single day cost the lives of 4,414 Allied troops, 2,501 of them Americans. More than 5,000 were injured. On the German side, several thousand were killed or wounded.\n\nFrom there, Allied troops would advance, take Paris in late summer and race with the Soviet Red Army to control as much German territory as possible by the time Adolf Hitler died in his Berlin bunker and Germany surrendered in May 1945.\n\nThe Soviet Union also fought valiantly against the Nazis — and lost more people than any other nation in World War II — but those final battles would divide Europe for decades between the West and the Soviet-controlled East, the face-off line of the Cold War.\n\n“War is the most idiotic thing that man ever created,” said Charles Levesque, 93, who served in the Pacific theater. “Our enemies now are our friends, and our friends are our enemies. It doesn’t make any sense.”\n\nAssociated Press writers Sylvie Corbet and Alex Turnbull in Colleville-sur-Mer, France, Milos Krivokapic and Adam Pemble in Ver-sur-Mer contributed. Ganley reported from Paris.", "President Trump, British Prime Minister Theresa May and other world leaders are gathering Wednesday on the south coast of England to mark the 75th anniversary of the D-Day landings, honoring the Allied forces who risked and gave their lives in the invasion that helped liberate Europe from Nazi Germany.\n\nThe Royal British Legion has brought about 300 veterans, aged 91 to 101, to the ceremonies in Portsmouth, where many of the troops embarked for Normandy on June 5, 1944. After a flyover by the Royal Air Force and a salute from the Royal Navy, the veterans will return to the landing beaches overnight, just as they did 75 years ago.\n\n\"The Normandy landings 75 years ago were a moment of historic international cooperation,\" British Prime Minister Theresa May said. \"And it is right that at the heart of today's commemorations are the veterans who fought to secure the liberty and the peace that we now enjoy.\"\n\nThe event, which kicks off two days of D-Day anniversary observances, is intended as a tribute to the troops who shaped history during the dangerous mission to reach beachheads and fight in German-occupied France.\n\nREMEMBER THESE TWO YOUNG MEN WHO HELPED TO WIN D-DAY\n\nD-Day saw more than 150,000 Allied troops land on the beaches of Normandy in northwest France on June 6, 1944, carried by 7,000 boats. The Battle of Normandy, codenamed Operation Overlord, was a turning point in the war, and helped bring about Nazi Germany's defeat in May 1945.\n\nPlanning to attend are presidents, prime ministers and other representatives of the countries that fought alongside Britain in Normandy: the United States, Canada, Australia, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Luxembourg, Denmark, France, Greece, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway and Poland.\n\nThe leader of the country that was the enemy in 1944, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, is also attending.\n\nBritain has promised \"unprecedented commemorations,\" involving testimony from veterans and military spectacle, including a flyby of 24 vintage and modern military aircraft.\n\nIn Portsmouth, dignitaries plan to read from historical documents linked to D-Day. In May's case, it's a letter written by Capt. Norman Skinner of the Royal Army Service Corps to his wife, Gladys, on June 3, 1944, a few days before the invasion. It was in his pocket when he landed in Normandy.\n\n\"I can imagine you in the garden having tea with Janey and Anne getting ready to put them to bed,\" wrote Skinner, who was killed the day after D-Day. \"Although I would give anything to be back with you, I have not yet had any wish at all to back down from the job we have to do.\"\n\nOn Thursday the focus shifts to France, where commemorations will be held at simple military cemeteries near the Normandy beaches.\n\nSome events were already held in France early Wednesday morning, with U.S. Army Rangers climbing the jagged cliffs of Normandy's Pointe du Hoc to honor the men who scaled them under fire 75 years ago.\n\nElderly veterans looked on as members of the 75th Ranger Regiment started mounting the limestone promontory at dawn, pulling themselves up on ropes one by one, seagulls swooping above.\n\nThey were recreating a journey taken by the U.S. Army's 2nd and 5th Ranger Battalions to destroy Nazi guns atop the cliffs. The operation helped prepare the way for Allied troops landing on beaches up a few miles up the coast.\n\nOf the 235 men who took on the cliffs in 1944, only 90 were fit for battle two days later.\n\nElsewhere in Normandy parachutists were jumping from C-47 transporters in World War II colors and other aircraft, aiming for fields of wild flowers on the outskirts of Carentan, one of the early objectives for Allied troops.\n\nAmong the jumpers will be American D-Day veteran Tom Rice, 97. He jumped into Normandy with thousands of other parachutists in 1944, and recalled it as \"the worst jump I ever had.\"\n\nCLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP\n\nLike many other veterans , Rice said he remains troubled by the war.\n\n\"We did a lot of destruction, damage. And we chased the Germans out and coming back here is a matter of closure,\" he said. \"You can close the issue now.\"\n\nThis is a developing story. Check back for updates\n\nThe Associated Press contributed to this report.", "OMAHA BEACH, France (AP) — With the silence of remembrance and respect, nations honored the memory of the fallen and the singular bravery of all Allied troops who sloshed through bloodied water to the landing beaches of Normandy, a tribute of thanks 75 years after the massive D-Day assault that doomed the Nazi occupation of France and portended the fall of Hitler’s Third Reich.\n\nThursday's second day of ceremonies to mark the surprise Allied offensive by air and sea moved to France after spirited commemorations in Portsmouth, England, the main embarkation point for the transport boats that carried tens of thousands of soldiers to Normandy, each not knowing whether he would survive the day.\n\nLeaders, veterans, their families and the grateful from France, Europe and elsewhere were present for the solemn day that began under a radiant sun.\n\nAt dawn, hundreds of people, civilians and military alike, hailing from around the world, gathered at the water's edge, remembering the troops who stormed the fortified Normandy beaches to help turn the tide of the war and give birth to a new Europe.\n\nDick Jansen, 60, from the Netherlands, drank Canadian whisky from an enamel cup on the water's edge. Others scattered carnations into the waves. Randall Atanay, a medic's son who tended the dying and injured, waded barefoot into the water near Omaha Beach — the first of five code-named beaches where the waters ran red the morning of June 6, 1944.\n\nUp to 12,000 people gathered hours later at the ceremony at the Normandy American Cemetery, where U.S. veterans, their numbers fast diminishing as years pass, were the guests of honor. They shared a giant stage with President Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron.\n\nMacron is awarding five American vets with the Legion of honor, France's highest distinction.\n\nRows of white crosses and Stars of David where more than 9,380 of the fallen are buried stretched before the guests on a bluff overlooking Omaha Beach.\n\nBritain's Prince Charles, his wife Camilla and Prime Minister Theresa May attended a service of remembrance at the medieval cathedral in Bayeux, the first Normandy town liberated by Allied troops after D-Day. Cardinal Marc Ouellet read a message from Pope Francis with a tribute for those who \"gave their lives for freedom and peace.\"\n\nAt daybreak, a lone piper played in Mulberry Harbor, exactly 75 years after British troops came ashore at Gold Beach.\n\n\"It is sobering, surreal to be able to stand here on this beach and admire the beautiful sunrise where they came ashore, being shot at, facing unspeakable atrocities,\" said 44-year-old former U.S. paratrooper Richard Clapp, of Julian, North Carolina.\n\n\"Thank you to all those who were killed so that France could become free again,\" French President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday, standing with British Prime Minister Theresa May and uniformed veterans overlooking Gold Beach.\n\nThey were taking part in a ceremony laying the cornerstone of a new memorial that will record the names of thousands of troops under British command who died on D-Day and ensuing Battle of Normandy.\n\n\"If one day can be said to have determined the fate of generations to come, in France, in Britain, in Europe and the world, that day was the 6th of June, 1944,\" May said.\n\n\"As the sun rose that morning,\" she said, not one of the thousands of men arriving in Normandy \"knew whether they would still be alive when the sun set once again.\"\n\nTo the veterans, she said \"the only words we can - thank you.\"\n\nNorwegian Sigrid Flaata drove from Oslo in a 1942 restored jeep to honor the soldiers who died on D-Day. Belgian Filip Van Hecke called his journey a \"small effort to pay homage.\"\n\nPassing on memories is especially urgent, with hundreds of World War II veterans now dying every day.\n\nA group of five Americans parachuted into Normandy on Wednesday as part of a commemorative jump, and showed up on the beach Thursday morning still wearing their jumpsuits, all World War II-era uniforms, and held an American flag. All five said they fear that the feats and sacrifices of D-Day are being forgotten.\n\n\"I have all kinds of friends buried,\" said William Tymchuk, 98, who served with the 4th Canadian Armored Division during some of the deadliest fighting of the brutal campaign after the Normandy landings.\n\n\"They were young. They got killed. They couldn't come home,\" Tymchuk, who was back in Normandy, continued.\n\n\"Sorry,\" he said, tearing up. \"They couldn't even know what life is all about.\"\n\nThe biggest-ever air and seaborne invasion took place on D-Day, involving more than 150,000 troops that day itself and many more in the ensuing Battle of Normandy. Troops started landing overnight from the air, then were joined by a massive force by sea on the beaches code-named Omaha, Utah, Juno, Sword and Gold, carried by 7,000 boats.\n\nIn that defining moment of military strategy confounded by unpredictable weather and human chaos, soldiers from the U.S., Britain, Canada and other Allied nations applied relentless bravery to carve out a beachhead on ground that Nazi Germany had occupied for four years.\n\n\"The tide has turned! The free men of the world are marching together to Victory,\" Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower predicted in his order of the day.\n\nThe Battle of Normandy, codenamed Operation Overlord, hastened Germany's defeat less than a year later.\n\nStill, that single day cost the lives of 4,414 Allied troops, 2,501 of them Americans. More than 5,000 were injured. On the German side, several thousand were killed or wounded.\n\nFrom there, Allied troops would advance their fight, take Paris in late summer and march in a race against the Soviet Red Army to control as much German territory as possible by the time Adolf Hitler died in his Berlin bunker and Germany surrendered in May 1945.\n\nThe Soviet Union also fought valiantly against the Nazis — and lost more people than any other nation in World War II — but those final battles would divide Europe for decades between the West and the Soviet-controlled East, the face-off line of the Cold War.\n\n“The heroism, courage and sacrifice of those who lost their lives will never be forgotten,” said Queen Elizabeth, who was an army mechanic during World War II while her father George was king. “It is with humility and pleasure, on behalf of the entire country — indeed the whole free world — that I say to you all, thank you.”", "The world will turn its eyes Thursday to the beaches of Normandy, France, paying tribute to the 75th anniversary of the D-Day invasion and the few surviving veterans of that battle that changed the course of World War II.\n\nFor President Donald Trump, it is another moment to praise alliances and military service, on the heels of defending his decision not to serve in Vietnam. World leaders will gather in heartfelt tribute to alliance and sacrifice and a unified vow for enduring unity, outweighing any national or political skirmish of the moment.\n\nTrump is expected to give a speech while touring the beaches and an American military cemetery in France. He stuck to the script Wednesday in the first of two days of D-Day tributes at a moving ceremony in Portsmouth, England, from which the 1944 invasion was launched.\n\nTrump did his part with a 90-second recitation of some of the prayer that President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivered to a worried nation just getting word of the fighting. The president, with images of an American flag and Roosevelt projected behind him, read to the crowd: \"Almighty God, our sons, pride of our nation, this day, have set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our republic, our religion and our civilization and to set free a suffering humanity.\"\n\nThe president sat in a VIP area between Queen Elizabeth II and first lady Melania Trump. Some 300 World War II veterans also attended the seaside ceremony. Trump joined in giving a standing ovation to a group of vets who appeared on stage as the commemoration began.\n\nThe queen provided the keynote address in unusually personal terms.\n\n\"When I attended the commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the D-Day landings, some thought it might be the last such event. But the wartime generation, my generation, is resilient, and I am delighted to be with you in Portsmouth today,\" she said.\n\nAfter the event, Trump visited with American World War II veterans who were among Allied troops on D-Day. But the ceremony came just hours after the broadcast of an interview in which he said he had no regrets about not serving in Vietnam because he \"was not a fan of that war.\"\n\nIn the interview with Piers Morgan that aired Tuesday, Trump was asked if he wished he had served in Vietnam. \"Well, I was never a fan of that war, I'll be honest with you. I thought it was a terrible war,\" Trump said. \"I thought it was very far away.\"\n\nTrump received a series of deferments to avoid serving in Vietnam, including one attained with a physician's letter stating that he suffered from bone spurs in his feet.\n\nTrump spent Wednesday night at his golf course on Ireland's west coast.\n\nHe wanted to host the Irish prime minister there, while the government countered with the grand staging of an ancient castle. In the end, neither side got what they wanted. The compromise location for Trump's meeting Wednesday with Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar was the VIP lounge at Shannon Airport, just down the hallway from the food court and duty-free shop.\n\nAnd the meeting itself was more than just a warm handshake for the cameras, as the two broke sharply on what would be best for Ireland if the United Kingdom were to leave the European Union.\n\nVaradkar has become a vociferous opponent of Brexit, a move Trump supports. Many in Ireland express worry that if the U.K. does leave, a \"hard border\" will return between Ireland and Northern Ireland, which is part of the U.K, potentially reigniting sectarian tension that lasted for decades and sometimes exploded into violence.\n\n\"Probably you'll ask me about Brexit because I just left some very good people who are very involved with Brexit, as you know,\" Trump said in the leaders' meeting. \"And I think it will all work out very well, and also for you with your wall, your border.\"\n\nVaradkar quickly retorted, \"I think one thing we want to avoid, of course, is a wall or border between us.\"", "PARIS (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron wants an August summit of the Group of Seven advanced economies to take concrete initiatives on climate change despite divergences with the United States on the issue.\n\nMacron said that President Donald Trump's presence at the G-7 summit of Biarritz, in southwestern France, is not being questioned. Macron was speaking Friday at a news conference in Paris alongside Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.\n\nMacron said the summit also aims at easing tensions on world trade, stressing the importance to \"understand where our differences lie\" and \"how we can overcome them.\"\n\nLast year, Trump roiled the G-7 meeting in Canada by first agreeing to a statement on trade before withdrawing from it while complaining that he had been blindsided by Trudeau's criticism of tariff threats."], "summary": "President of France Emmanuel Macron, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Theresa May, Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau and President of the United States Donald Trump mark the 75th Anniversary of D-Day in Normandy, France, paying tribute to Allied World War II veterans."}
{"document": ["Sudan protesters to keep up campaign until military's ouster\n\nKHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) — Sudan's pro-democracy leaders are vowing to press their campaign of civil disobedience until the ruling military council is ousted and killers of protesters are brought to justice.\n\nThe pledge comes after new clashes brought the death toll in three days of the military's crackdown to 108. In one of the most shocking moments, troops pulled 40 bodies of the victims from the Nile in Khartoum on Wednesday.\n\nThe Sudanese Professionals Association, which was behind months of rallies that drove longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir from power, asked people to block main roads and bridges on Thursday to \"paralyze public life\" across the country in retaliation for the military's crackdown.\n\nThe crackdown began with a violent dispersal of the protest movement's main sit-in camp, outside the military headquarters in Khartoum on Monday.", "Sudan's pro-democracy leaders vowed Thursday to press their campaign of civil disobedience until the ruling military council is ousted and killers of protesters are brought to justice, following a crackdown this week that killed scores of people.\n\nThe pledge comes after new clashes brought the death toll in three days of the military crackdown to 108. On Wednesday, troops were seen pulling 40 bodies of victims, slain by Sudanese security forces, from the Nile River in Khartoum and taking them away.\n\nThe Sudan Doctors Committee, one of the protest groups, said it was not known where they were taken. The committee also said more than 500 have been wounded in the crackdown.\n\nThe Sudanese Professionals Association, an umbrella of union groups that has been behind months of rallies that forced the military to oust longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir in April, urged people to block main roads and bridges to \"paralyze public life\" across the country in retaliation for the military's crackdown.\n\nThe crackdown began with a violent dispersal of the protest movement's main sit-in camp, outside the military headquarters in the capital, Khartoum, on Monday.\n\n\"Our success depends on our full adherence to peaceful protests, no matter how hard the criminal militias seek to drag us into violence,\" the association said in a Facebook statement on Thursday.\n\nWord about the retrieval of the bodies from the Nile came as Sudan's ruling general called for a resumption of negotiations with the protest leaders, which they promptly rejected. They said the generals cannot be serious about talks while troops keep killing protesters.\n\nThe protesters said that instead, they would continue their demonstrations and strikes seeking to pressure the military into handing over power to a civilian authority.\n\nMeanwhile, Sudan's military-controlled health ministry is disputing the death toll of 108 killed in the crackdown. The ministry's undersecretary, Soliman Abdel Gaber, issued a statement insisting that only 46 people died in this week's violence.\n\nSince Monday's violent dispersal of the protest sit-in outside the military headquarters in Khartoum, violent clashes have erupted in other parts of Sudan.\n\nThe protest leaders said there were attacks in 13 cities and towns this week perpetrated by security forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, which grew out of the Janjaweed militias used by al-Bashir's government to suppress the Darfur insurgency in the 2000s, a campaign that prompted charges of genocide against its perpetrators.\n\nBefore Monday's crackdown began, the military and protest leaders had for weeks negotiated the makeup of a transitional council meant to run the country until elections. The protesters demanded civilians dominate the council, which the generals resisted.\n\nAfter the crackdown, the military suspended the talks and canceled all agreed-on points. It also announced the military would form a government and hold elections within seven to nine months.\n\nBut the head of the military council, Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, then on Wednesday abruptly announced the generals were prepared to resume negotiations— an offer the protesters immediately turned down.\n\nIn Moscow, a top diplomat said Russia — which has largely stayed on the sidelines of the crisis in Sudan — opposes \"any foreign intervention\" and believes a compromise is needed.\n\nMikhail Bogdanov, chief of the foreign ministry's Middle East desk, told local news agencies that Russian diplomats are in touch with all political players in Sudan, including the opposition. Bogdanov visited Khartoum earlier this year.", "Bassam Hatoum And Noha Elhennawy, The Associated Press \n\n \n\n\n\nKHARTOUM, - 's pro-democracy movement vowed Thursday to press its campaign of civil disobedience until the ruling military council is ousted and killers of protesters are brought to justice, as security forces fanned out across the capital and appeared to thwart any new demonstrations.\n\nThe African Union, meanwhile, suspended from all activities “with immediate effect” over the deadly military crackdown on protesters that left 108 dead this week. It threatened “punitive sanctions” if the military does not quickly hand over power to civilians.\n\nThe crackdown marked the start of a violent new chapter in the uprising that began in December and led to the military overthrow of President Omar al-Bashir in April. The protesters had remained in the streets while holding talks with the military to demand a handover of power to civilians. Those negotiations were suspended after the violent dispersal of the main sit-in outside the military headquarters in the capital, Khartoum, on Monday.\n\nThe Doctors' Central Committee, one of the protest groups, said Wednesday that troops were seen pulling 40 bodies of people slain by the security forces from the Nile River in Khartoum and taking them away.\n\nIt said Thursday that more bodies had been pulled from the river, without giving an exact number. The committee said it was not known where the bodies were taken. It also said more than 500 protesters have been wounded in the crackdown, and that three children were among those killed.\n\n's military-controlled Health Ministry disputed the death toll, with the ministry's undersecretary, Soliman Abdel Gabbar, saying only 61 people died in this week's violence. He said those include 52 killed in Khartoum, and that only two corpses were pulled from the Nile.\n\nClashes have erupted in other parts of the country as well. The ese Professionals Association, which has been spearheading the protests since December, said security forces have attacked demonstrators in more than a dozen cities and towns, in some cases beating, killing and raping civilians. The SPA did not provide further information about the attacks.\n\nThe group urged people to block main roads and bridges to “paralyze public life” across the country.\n\n“Our success depends on our full adherence to peaceful protests, no matter how hard the criminal militias seek to drag us into violence,” the association said Thursday.\n\nHundreds of armoured vehicles of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces could be seen across the capital. The paramilitary force grew out of the Janjaweed militias used by al-Bashir's government to suppress the Darfur insurgency in the early 2000s, a scorched-earth campaign that led to his indictment by the International Criminal Court on charges including genocide.\n\nBarricades erected earlier this week by protesters near the site of the dispersed sit-in were removed and roads were opened. Most stores were closed and few people were seen on the streets.\n\nGen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, the head of the ruling military council, has called for a resumption of negotiations with the protest leaders, which they have rejected.\n\n“All members of the military council belong to the old regime, and that is why we are betting now on lower-rank officers,” said Amal al-Zein, an activist and a leader of 's Communist Party, part of the protest movement.\n\n“We are hoping patriotic policemen and military officers will act to protect the ese people,” she said, implying they might overthrow their superiors.\n\nThe military and protest leaders had spent weeks negotiating the makeup of a transitional council meant to run the country until elections. The protesters demanded civilians dominate the council, which the generals resisted.\n\nAfter the crackdown, the military suspended the talks and cancelled all agreed-on points. It said it would form a government and hold elections within seven to nine months.\n\nFrom Ethiopia, the African Union's Peace and Security Council said 's suspension will remain in effect until “the effective establishment” of a civilian-led transitional authority, calling it the only way of exiting the crisis.\n\nThe council said it would impose “punitive sanctions” if 's ruling military council does not hand over power to civilians, and called for “the immediate resumption of negotiations, without pre-conditions, between all ese stakeholders.”\n\nThe council is in charge of enforcing union decisions, somewhat similar to the U.N. Security Council.\n\nThe suspension deprives 's ruling military council of international legitimacy, according to Amani Africa, an independent think-tank based in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa. The United Nations, European Union and other bodies are expected to take their cues from the AU's action.\n\nIn practical terms, now cannot participate in any AU meeting and any AU financial or other support will cease, the think-tank said, though 's peacekeeping obligations are expected to continue.\n\nThe AU has suspended countries in the past over what were considered unconstitutional changes of government, including Egypt, Burkina Faso, Mali, Madagascar, Mauritania and Niger. In certain cases, a suspension can last for years. No other country of the 55-member continental body is currently suspended.\n\nThe AU could take further steps, imposing sanctions and calling on the U.N. to do the same, the think-tank said.\n\nThe chairman of the African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, earlier this week strongly condemned the violence in and urged the military “to protect the civilians from further harm.”\n\nIn Moscow, a top diplomat said Russia, which has largely stayed on the sidelines of the crisis in , opposes “any foreign intervention” and believes a compromise is needed.\n\nMikhail Bogdanov, chief of the Foreign Ministry's Middle East desk, told local news agencies that Russian diplomats are in touch with all political players in , including the opposition. Bogdanov visited Khartoum earlier this year.", "The United Nations is moving some of its staff from Sudan, a spokeswoman said Wednesday, as the number of dead from a crackdown on protesters soared to more than 100.\n\n\"We are temporarily relocating non-programme-critical UN staff, while all UN operations continue in Sudan,\" said UN spokesperson Eri Kaneko.\n\nNo details were provided on the number of staffers leaving Khartoum, where there is a large UN presence of 27 entities, mostly UN aid agencies.\n\nThe United Nations also runs a peacekeeping mission in Darfur with the African Union, where about 7,200 troops and police are deployed.\n\nSudan has been engulfed in turmoil since security forces on Monday violently broke up a weeks-long sit-in by protesters demanding an end to military rule.\n\nThe Central Committee for Sudanese Doctors close to the protest movement said on Wednesday that at least 101 people had been killed in the crackdown.\n\nForty bodies have been recovered from the Nile river, they said.\n\nA military council has ruled the country since the ouster of President Omar al-Bashir on April 11, following months of protests against his three-decade authoritarian rule.\n\nArmy ruler General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan announced Tuesday that he was scrapping a plan for a three-year transition period and would hold elections within nine months.\n\nWestern powers have warned that snap elections will crush hopes for a democratic transition in Sudan and have called for a return to negotiations.", "Sudanese protest leaders have turned down an offer by the ruling military council for talks and demanded justice for a crackdown that doctors said has left 108 people dead.\n\nSecurity forces moved in to brutally disperse a protest sit-in on Monday.\n\nThe Rapid Support Forces, paramilitaries said by rights groups to have their origins in the Janjaweed militias accused of abuses during the 16-year-old conflict in Darfur, are thought to have been largely behind the crackdown.\n\nThe Central Committee for Sudanese Doctors close to the protest movement said on Wednesday that at least 108 people had been killed in the crackdown, including 40 whose bodies were recovered from the Nile, and more than 500 wounded.\n\nSudan has been controlled by a military council since it ousted veteran president Omar al-Bashir in April after protesters demanded an end to his authoritarian rule before agreeing a three-year transition period to a civilian administration.\n\nBut army ruler General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan said following the crackdown that the agreement had been ditched and an election would take place within nine months -- a plan rejected by demonstrators.\n\nOn Wednesday, however, Burhan said those in \"the military council open our arms to negotiate with no restriction\", an offer that the protest leaders were quick to reject.\n\n\"The Sudanese people are not open for talks,\" said Amjad Farid, a spokesman for the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA) which spearheaded protests that led to the ouster of Bashir.\n\n\"The Sudanese people are not open to this TMC (Transitional Military Council) that kills people and we need justice and accountability before talks about any political process,\" he told AFP.\n\nFarid said both the SPA and umbrella protest group the Alliance for Freedom and Change would \"continue using all non-violent tools and civil disobedience in resisting the TMC\".\n\nThe rejection came after the commander of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces accused of carrying out the deadly crackdown insisted the country would not be allowed to slip into \"chaos\".\n\n\"We will not allow chaos... we must impose the authority of the state through law,\" Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, deputy chief of the military council, told his forces in a televised address.\n\nHospitals in Khartoum said they were struggling to cope with the number of wounded after security forces on Monday raided a weeks-long sit-in outside army headquarters.\n\n\"The situation is very difficult. Most of the hospitals have taken in more casualties than they have capacity for,\" a doctor who works at two hospitals in the city told AFP.\n\n\"There's a shortage of medical staff, a shortage of blood,\" said the doctor, who asked not to be named.\n\n\"Among the wounded there are still people in a serious condition and I expect the number of deaths to rise.\"\n\nThere was a heavy security presence as worshippers in some neighborhoods came out to mark the Eid al-Fitr festival.\n\nIn Omdurman, just across the Nile from Khartoum, security forces were seen patrolling in machine-gun mounted trucks.\n\nProtest leaders have called on their supporters to take part in \"total civil disobedience\" to topple the military council.\n\nOn Wednesday, hundreds of residents of north Khartoum blocked off streets with rocks, and waited by them in silence, a witness told AFP.\n\nIn the distance gunfire was heard.\n\nThe United Nations said late Wednesday it was relocating some of its staff away from Khartoum, while Britain warned its citizens against all but essential travel and decided to pull non-essential staff from its embassy.\n\nThe Sudanese Doctors Union accused security forces of attacks on hospitals and staff across the country, and alleged some women had been raped in an area of the capital without giving details of how the group had learned of the assaults.\n\nA push for the U.N. Security Council to condemn the killing of civilians and call on the military and protesters to work together was blocked by China, which was backed by Russia, during a closed-door meeting on Tuesday.\n\nEight European countries instead issued their own joint statement criticizing \"the violent attacks in Sudan by Sudanese security services against civilians.\"\n\nThe U.S. called on the military rulers to \"desist from violence\" and urged talks with protesters to resume.\n\nAmnesty International called on the African Union and the U.N. to \"take immediate action to hold the perpetrators of this violence accountable.\"\n\nBritish ambassador to Khartoum, Irfan Siddiq, called for an end to the internet outages that have plagued the country since the crackdown.\n\n\"In these critical times it is essential that everyone can communicate, particularly to urge messages of keeping things calm and peaceful,\" he tweeted.\n\nTop U.S. envoy David Hale, under secretary of state for political affairs, underlined the importance of a transition to a civilian-led government in a phone call with the Saudi deputy defense minister, Khalid bin Salman, the State Department said.\n\nSaudi Arabia, a key backer of the military rulers, called for a resumption of \"dialogue between the various parties of Sudan.\"", "KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudan’s military rulers offered to resume talks with opposition groups on Wednesday, two days after security forces mounted a deadly raid on a protest camp, but the opposition rejected the invitation.\n\nMedics linked to the opposition said the death toll from Monday’s operation and subsequent unrest had risen to 108 and that it was expected to increase. State news agency SUNA early on Thursday put the number much lower, at 46, citing a health ministry official.\n\nThe raid, which followed weeks of wrangling between the ruling military council and opposition groups over who should lead Sudan’s transition to democracy, marked the worst outbreak of violence since the army ousted President Omar al-Bashir in April after months of protests against his 30-year rule.\n\nThe Transitional Military Council cancelled all agreements it had reached with the opposition immediately after the raid, but it rowed back on Wednesday amid mounting international criticism of the violence.\n\n“We in the military council extend our hand for negotiations without shackles except the interests of the homeland,” its head, Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, said on state TV.\n\nBut a Sudanese alliance of protesters and opposition groups rejected the offer, saying the military could not be trusted.\n\n“Today the council invited us to dialogue and at the same time it is imposing fear on citizens in the streets,” Madani Abbas Madani, a leader of the Declaration of Freedom and Change Forces (DFCF), told Reuters.\n\nMadani said Burhan’s invitation had come before the arrest of one of the opposition alliance members, Yasir Arman, deputy head of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) rebel group.\n\nOpposition medics said 40 bodies that had been pulled out of the Nile on Tuesday were among the 108 killed. The bodies were taken to an unknown destination by pickup trucks belonging to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, the medics said. Reuters was not immediately able to verify the report.\n\nA military council spokesman could not immediately be reached for comment, but the council said on Twitter that some Rapid Support Forces members had been attacked and that people had put on their uniforms to impersonate them in an attempt to harm their reputation.\n\nThe mood in the capital, Khartoum, remained tense on Wednesday, with demonstrators blocking streets in several districts. Gunfire rang out in the distance.\n\nMost shops were shuttered on what would usually have been a bustling Muslim Eid al-Fitr holiday. Minor protests erupted outside mosques after Eid prayers, but there were no reports of significant clashes with security forces.\n\nThe deputy head of the military council, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, commonly known as Hemedti, said in a televised speech that it had launched “an urgent and transparent investigation” into the recent violence.\n\n“Any person who crossed boundaries has to be punished,” he added.\n\nThe military has denied trying to clear the sit-in protest outside the defence ministry on Monday. Its spokesman said forces moved in to deal with disruptive groups nearby and the violence spread from there.\n\nSaudi Arabia, which has close ties to Sudan’s military council, said on Wednesday it was watching developments with great concern and called for more dialogue.\n\nU.S. national security adviser John Bolton said in a Twitter post that Monday’s violence by Sudan’s security forces was “abhorrent” and demanded that the military council facilitate moves towards a civilian-led government.\n\nThe main protest organizer, the Sudanese Professionals Association, has called for an international committee to investigate Monday’s deaths in what it branded a “massacre”.\n\nSeveral airlines have cancelled flights to Khartoum, including Bahrain’s Gulf Air, flydubai and EgyptAir.\n\nSudan has been rocked by unrest since December, when anger over rising bread prices and cash shortages broke into sustained protests against Bashir that culminated in the military removing him after three decades in office.", "Arab States Foment Sudan Chaos While U.S. Stands By\n\nSudan’s descent into bloody anarchy in recent days has been partly brokered by Middle Eastern countries that are filling the power vacuum since the downfall of longtime leader Omar al-Bashir, leaving some U.S. officials frustrated by with Washington’s response to a massacre of civilians by Sudanese security forces.\n\nMore than 100 people were killed on Monday, according to civilian groups, when Sudanese military forces destroyed the country’s protest site and rampaged through Khartoum. Videos showed civilians walking through the streets and then being attacked by soldiers. Forty bodies were pulled from the Nile River, according to the Central Committee of Sudan Doctors, a professional association affiliated with the protest, after reports that soldiers from Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces paramilitary unit threw them in. One video showed bodies with rocks tied to their feet to make them sink in the river. There was no regular internet access in Khartoum on Wednesday, the third day of a web blackout.\n\nAfter weeks of unbridled optimism following Bashir’s April ouster, Sudan is now on the brink of a total breakdown. The influence of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates is unmistakable. Military vehicles made by the UAE were identified by a New York Times reporter on the streets of Khartoum. Saudi Arabia and the UAE have pledged $3 billion in assistance to Sudan, although an official at Sudan’s Central Bank said the Emirates initial deposit of $250 million had still not arrived as of last week. Rapid Support Forces commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagolo, known as “Hemeti,” and Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the head of Sudan’s military council, recently visited the Gulf states.\n\n“UAE involvement increased a lot after the Bashir removal,” Salah Gosh, Sudan’s influential former spy chief, told Foreign Policy on Tuesday. Gosh was installed as head of Sudan’s intelligence service with the support of Saudi Arabia and the Emirates, according to current and former U.S. officials, and remained in Sudan’s government until resigning in the days after a coup against Bashir. Asked how the coup happened, Gosh said that Saudi Arabia and Egypt were not involved. The “UAE pushed [the coup] but [they] are not the main player.” Gosh did not provide more details when asked over WhatsApp, other than to say “many steps and insidents [sic] took place.” Phone calls to Gosh repeatedly dropped. Gosh’s account that only the UAE was involved in the coup is disputed by a Sudanese diplomat who spoke to Foreign Policy on the condition of anonymity and reporting from the Associated Press. Both said that all three Arab nations participated.\n\nGosh said he plays no role in Sudan’s military or political situation, but he made an ominous prediction: “I do not think it will be like what happened in Darfur, but [there] will be losses.” Gosh is accused of orchestrating many of those losses himself as a top official during Sudan’s brutal crackdown on Darfur, where an estimated 300,000 people died in what the U.S. government labeled a genocide.\n\nSudan’s uprising began in December 2018, when spontaneous protests over the anemic economy and low standards of living morphed into a nationwide strike that was organized by the country’s labor unions. More than a hundred civilians died during months-long protests that aimed to uproot not only Bashir, but also his entire system. Bashir was ousted in a military coup, but many elements of his regime remained in place.\n\nThe Sudanese military initially said that it wanted to hand over power to the civilians organizing the protests, but then military leaders dragged their feet. Protests turned the area around the military headquarters into a sit-in to keep pressure on the junta to transfer power. The sit-in was repeatedly attacked by Hemeti’s forces for weeks and was finally dismantled on Monday. Much of the city remains in lockdown, with Hemeti’s soldiers roaming the streets.\n\nThe hive of activity from Gulf countries stands in stark contrast with the United States, critics say. Several U.S. officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, complained that the Trump administration seemed to have no solid strategy on Sudan beyond sharply worded statements condemning violence and wasn’t convening enough regular meetings to coordinate between agencies such as the State Department, National Security Council, and the U.S. Agency for International Development. Intelligence about the political situation in Sudan is slim. Some said the United States had no diplomatic plan for what happens at the end of June, the deadline the African Union set for the military to give up power. With a U.S. absence, the Gulf states are filling the void, said one U.S. official: “They are totally running the show.”\n\n“The leaders and governments of Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Egypt do not share our fundamental democratic values, and their views on what should happen in Sudan diverge significantly from the policies the United States should be pursuing,” former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Johnnie Carson told Foreign Policy.\n\n“The United States has been clear on its interests in seeing a transition to a civilian-led interim government in Sudan that can stabilize the situation, oversee a period of reforms, and prepare for free and fair elections,” a State Department spokesman wrote in an email response. “We have spoken out publicly and in private diplomatic conversations to ensure that international actors, including the [African Union] and the UN, are coordinating policies to achieve a civilian-led interim government in Sudan. ”\n\nEgypt, Western officials and experts say, wants to hedge the rise of political Islam and democracy in Sudan because it threatens Cairo.\n\nHowever, Saudi Arabia and the UAE are interested in keeping its military and financial partnership with Sudan. The Rapid Support Forces, under Hemeti, have supplied the two Gulf states with troops to fight in Yemen. Families of fighters in Yemen told Foreign Policy that they receive thousands of dollars each month to fight there. An estimated 8,000 to 14,000 Sudanese militia members have fought in Yemen, according to the New York Times. Saudi Arabia’s interests in Sudan are so intimate that Sudan’s former presidential minister, Taha Osman al-Hussein, is now the kingdom’s advisor on African affairs. Hussein reportedly fled Sudan in a standoff at the airport amid concerns that he was especially close with the Saudi government. During the holy month of Ramadan, Foreign Policy spoke with an emissary of the Emirati royal family, who said they were distributing sweets and money to people.\n\nDespite the wealthy Gulf states vying for influence and the bloody crackdown, some experts still see hope for democracy in Sudan.\n\nSuliman Baldo, a senior advisor with the advocacy group Enough Project, said violence won’t deter protesters. “The resolve of the Sudanese people to end three decades of repression and corruption will not be weakened–on the contrary, it is already fueling a rapidly spreading nationwide civil disobedience campaign,” he said.", "Sudan protesters to keep up campaign until military's ouster\n\nKHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) — Sudan's pro-democracy leaders are vowing to press their campaign of civil disobedience until the ruling military council is ousted and killers of protesters are brought to justice.\n\nThe pledge comes after new clashes brought the death toll in three days of the military's crackdown to 108. In one of the most shocking moments, troops pulled 40 bodies of the victims from the Nile in Khartoum on Wednesday.\n\nThe Sudanese Professionals Association, which was behind months of rallies that drove longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir from power, asked people to block main roads and bridges on Thursday to \"paralyze public life\" across the country in retaliation for the military's crackdown.\n\nThe crackdown began with a violent dispersal of the protest movement's main sit-in camp, outside the military headquarters in Khartoum on Monday.", "KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudan’s military rulers offered to resume talks with opposition groups on Wednesday, two days after security forces mounted a deadly raid on a protest camp, but the opposition rejected the invitation.\n\nMedics linked to the opposition said the death toll from Monday’s operation and subsequent unrest had risen to 108 and that it was expected to increase. State news agency SUNA early on Thursday put the number much lower, at 46, citing a health ministry official.\n\nThe raid, which followed weeks of wrangling between the ruling military council and opposition groups over who should lead Sudan’s transition to democracy, marked the worst outbreak of violence since the army ousted President Omar al-Bashir in April after months of protests against his 30-year rule.\n\nThe Transitional Military Council cancelled all agreements it had reached with the opposition immediately after the raid, but it rowed back on Wednesday amid mounting international criticism of the violence.\n\n“We in the military council extend our hand for negotiations without shackles except the interests of the homeland,” its head, Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, said on state TV.\n\nBut a Sudanese alliance of protesters and opposition groups rejected the offer, saying the military could not be trusted.\n\n“Today the council invited us to dialogue and at the same time it is imposing fear on citizens in the streets,” Madani Abbas Madani, a leader of the Declaration of Freedom and Change Forces (DFCF), told Reuters.\n\nMadani said Burhan’s invitation had come before the arrest of one of the opposition alliance members, Yasir Arman, deputy head of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) rebel group.\n\nOpposition medics said 40 bodies that had been pulled out of the Nile on Tuesday were among the 108 killed. The bodies were taken to an unknown destination by pickup trucks belonging to the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, the medics said. Reuters was not immediately able to verify the report.\n\nA military council spokesman could not immediately be reached for comment, but the council said on Twitter that some Rapid Support Forces members had been attacked and that people had put on their uniforms to impersonate them in an attempt to harm their reputation.\n\nThe mood in the capital, Khartoum, remained tense on Wednesday, with demonstrators blocking streets in several districts. Gunfire rang out in the distance.\n\nMost shops were shuttered on what would usually have been a bustling Muslim Eid al-Fitr holiday. Minor protests erupted outside mosques after Eid prayers, but there were no reports of significant clashes with security forces.\n\nThe deputy head of the military council, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, commonly known as Hemedti, said in a televised speech that it had launched “an urgent and transparent investigation” into the recent violence.\n\n“Any person who crossed boundaries has to be punished,” he added.\n\nThe military has denied trying to clear the sit-in protest outside the defence ministry on Monday. Its spokesman said forces moved in to deal with disruptive groups nearby and the violence spread from there.\n\nSaudi Arabia, which has close ties to Sudan’s military council, said on Wednesday it was watching developments with great concern and called for more dialogue.\n\nU.S. national security adviser John Bolton said in a Twitter post that Monday’s violence by Sudan’s security forces was “abhorrent” and demanded that the military council facilitate moves towards a civilian-led government.\n\nThe main protest organizer, the Sudanese Professionals Association, has called for an international committee to investigate Monday’s deaths in what it branded a “massacre”.\n\nSeveral airlines have cancelled flights to Khartoum, including Bahrain’s Gulf Air, flydubai and EgyptAir.\n\nSudan has been rocked by unrest since December, when anger over rising bread prices and cash shortages broke into sustained protests against Bashir that culminated in the military removing him after three decades in office.", "\"A commission of inquiry formed by the prosecutor general of Sudan to investigate the events near the military command headquarters [in Khartoum] began operating and is interrogating several witnesses,\" the source said, adding that the investigation will be completed shortly.\n\nREAD MORE: Sudan Health Ministry Denies Protest Death Toll of Over 100, Claims 46 Killed\n\nOn Wednesday, the Sudanese Transitional Military Council (TMC)’s head, Abdel Fattah Abdelrahman Burhan, said it was recommended that the Office of the Prosecutor General conducts an impartial investigation into the armed dispersal of the protesters' camp in Khartoum, during which the security forces used firearms and killed 14 people.\n\nOn Monday, Sudanese security forces attacked a sit-in protest camp near the military headquarters in Khartoum, firing at the protesters and killing 14.\n\nAccording to the opposition Central Committee of Sudan Doctors, as many as 60 people were killed in the clashes, hundreds were wounded. Protesters have been demanding the military resign and hands power over to civilian rule since 6 April.\n\nOn Tuesday, Burhan held a television address in which he announced the termination of negotiations with the opposition. He called for general elections to be held within nine months and announced forming an interim caretaker government to run the country until then.\n\nLong-standing popular protests in Sudan culminated in a military coup on 11 April, when then-President Omar Bashir was overthrown and detained after almost 30 years in power.\n\nThe TMC took over and pledged to organize new presidential elections within two years. Protesters have remained in the streets demanding that the military yield power to a civilian authority."], "summary": "The African Union suspends Sudan's membership \"with immediate effect\", after dozens of protesters were killed by pro-government forces in the capital Khartoum."}
{"document": ["Serial killer and former nurse Niels Högel was sentenced Thursday to life in prison for the murder of 85 patients.\n\n\"Your guilt is unimaginable,\" Judge Sebastian Bührmann told the convicted man. \"The human mind struggles to take in the sheer scale of these crimes.\"\n\n\"I feel like an accountant of death,\" the judge remarked. \"Sometimes the worst fantasy is not enough to describe the truth.\"\n\nHögel was originally accused of having murdered 100 patients while on duty as a nurse from June 1999 until 2005. The victims, people of all ages and backgrounds, some in bad health and others on the mend, had trusted the medical centers in Lower Saxony where Högel worked with their lives.\n\nThe court in Oldenburg handed down Germany's most severe form of a life sentence which precludes the chance of an early release after serving 15 years. A prisoner sentenced to life imprisonment can usually apply for parole after 15 years, but if the court judges there is a \"severe gravity of guilt,\" as it did in Högel's case, parole can be delayed for a non-specified period beyond that time.\n\nApology to victims\n\nDuring closing arguments at the district court in Oldenburg on Wednesday, Högel addressed friends and relatives of his victims.\n\n\"I would like to sincerely apologize to every single individual for all that I have subjected them to over the years,\" the 42-year-old Högel told the court.\n\nWhile working at a clinic in Oldenburg and a hospital in Delmenhorst, Högel deliberately induced cardiac arrest in patients by injecting them with certain drugs. He then resuscitated them to win everyone's admiration. But many of Högel's stunts went awry, and patients died.\n\nA former colleague told the mass-circulation German newspaper Bild that Högel \"always pushed everyone else aside\" when resuscitating patients. The man, also a former nurse, said less-experienced doctors even expressed their appreciation that Högel was around. The killer's unsuspecting colleagues nicknamed him \"resuscitation Rambo.\"\n\nRead more: Parents accused of stabbing children, torching foreclosed home\n\nThe prosecution sought a murder conviction on 97 counts against Högel, having conceded they lacked the requisite evidence in three cases. Högel's defense team closed its arguments by calling for 55 murder convictions and 14 attempted murder convictions. They said 31 cases should be thrown out.\n\n\n\nDubbed \"resuscitation Rambo\" by colleagues, Högel did not revive everyone he drugged\n\nTrial after trial\n\nHögel's killing spree came to light in June 2005, when fellow nurses at the Delmenhorst hospital caught him manipulating a patient's syringe driver.\n\nInitially, Högel was accused of manslaughter. Then, in a subsequent trial, he was accused of three murders. And, as evidence began piling up, it became clear that Högel was most likely involved in numerous deaths.\n\nRead more: Wife confesses to husband's unsolved 2008 murder\n\nIn court, Högel admitted to the crimes for which there was sufficient evidence to convict and cultivated his image as a cooperative defendant. In 2015, he was sentenced to life in prison.\n\nSubsequent investigations and postmortem examinations found that Högel might not have been telling the truth. The corpses of many other possible victims could not be forensically analyzed as they had already been cremated.\n\nHögel said he did not recall what happened to those patients. \"I do not remember, but I cannot rule anything out,\" Högel said when asked about the various people he has been accused of murdering, according to the German daily Süddeutsche Zeitung.\n\nRead more: Parents accused of stabbing children, torching foreclosed home\n\nThe defendant spoke as if he were commenting on something altogether banal. Högel showed neither \"sympathy nor remorse,\" the newspaper reported.\n\nHe denied involvement in the deaths of five people.\n\nWatch video 01:02 Share Puzzling crossbow killings Send Facebook google+ Whatsapp Tumblr linkedin stumble Digg reddit Newsvine Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/3IRJA Crossbow killings: Two more bodies found\n\n'Extremely narcissistic person'\n\nHögel is reported to have had a happy childhood and to have later led a structured life, offering no clues as to why he committed dozens of murders.\n\nRead more: German nurse killed patients 'out of boredom'\n\nIt's possible that \"he could no longer bear seeing gravely ill or dying patients and then took matters into his own hands,\" Karl Beine, head physician at St. Marien-Hospital Hamm and professor of psychiatry at Witten/Herdecke University, told DW. For 25 years, Beine has been researching the phenomenon of medical staff who murder patients.\n\nHögel likely knowingly instigated medical emergencies so that he could then \"shine by successfully resuscitating\" the patients, Beine said. This, he added, would indicate that Högel \"is an extremely narcissistic person who depended on external recognition to boost his weak ego.\"\n\nThe court heard an emotive account of patients' lives — and Högel's role in ending them\n\nDesensitized to death\n\nBeine described Högel as someone who had become desensitized and no longer had empathy. He said Högel \"to this day has not fully understood the incredible pain he caused the victims' families.\" The doctor added: \"One will never learn his exact motives.\"\n\nHögel's murder spree means that other hospital workers will also have to go to court. Investigators will need to determine how it was possible that Högel could kill so many patients and why there were no security measures in place to prevent this from happening.\n\nThe nurse had been moved out of the intensive care unit after initial suspicions arose, but he was nevertheless handed a certificate testifying to his excellent work, which he then used to find employment at a different hospital. There, he might have murdered 60 more patients.\n\n\"Early warning signs and evidence that something was up were not registered,\" Beine said, or they were \"ignored or even hushed up.\" That, he added, points to much more than just a failure or lack of hospital security measures. Instead, he said, \"hospitals prioritized their own interests over the interests of their patients.\"\n\nGaby Lübben is one of several lawyers representing the victims' families. In May, she showed the courtroom pictures of the murdered patients and spoke about their lives. Then, she addressed the defendant. \"I hope that you, Mr. Högel, will never forget these images,\" she said, adding that a just verdict would see him \"grow old behind a locked door, tormented by the spirits of the deceased.\"\n\n\n\n\n\nWith a view to kill: Germany's worst serial killers The cannibal of Münsterberg Karle Denke murdered and cannibalized at least 42 people, mostly villagers, between 1903 and 1924 in his Münsterberg apartment in then Prussia (pictured). It is thought that he even sold the flesh of his victims at the Breslau (now Wroclaw, Poland) market as pork. A victim was able to escape and later police found cured human flesh in his home. Denke hung himself in his jail cell two days later.\n\nWith a view to kill: Germany's worst serial killers The horror of Hanover Fritz Haarmann is thought to have sexually assaulted, murdered, mutilated and dismembered at least 24 boys and young men between 1918 and 1924.The full extent of his crimes were revealed after 500 pieces of human bone, some with knife marks, were found by Hanover residents worried about the disappearance of children in the area. Haarmann, who was once a police informant, was beheaded in 1925.\n\nWith a view to kill: Germany's worst serial killers The butcher of Berlin Karl Grossmann killed his victims and sold their meat on the black market and at his hotdog stand. After neighbors heard screaming, police burst into his home to find a dead young woman on his bed. It is unclear how many lives Grossmann took, but he is suspected of dismembering 23 women found nearby and up to 100 missing cases in Berlin. He hung himself in 1922 before receiving the death penalty.\n\nWith a view to kill: Germany's worst serial killers The terror of Falkenhagen Lake Friedrich Schumann was a locksmith who raped, murdered and stole from 1918 to 1920. After a confrontation with a local forester — whom he shot — Schumann was arrested and charged with the murder of six people and attempted murder of 11 others. He was sentenced to death six times. The night before his execution at aged 28, he admitted to killing 25 people, including his first victim — his cousin.\n\nWith a view to kill: Germany's worst serial killers The S-Bahn murderer Paul Ogorzow was convicted for 31 sexual assaults, the murder of eight women and attempted murder of six others in Nazi-era Berlin between 1940 and 1941. Ogorzow worked for the German commuter rail system and would threaten, stab or bludgeon his rape victims before sometimes throwing them off the moving train. He was sentenced to death and beheaded two days later.\n\nWith a view to kill: Germany's worst serial killers The death-maker In 1946 and 1947, Rudolf Pleil worked as a border guard in the Harz Mountains and illegally trafficked mostly women from East to West Germany. For a while, he had two accomplices, who would help trap victims. Rudolf Pleil was convicted of killing a salesman and nine women but he claimed to have killed 25 people. Sentenced to life in prison in 1950, Pleil committed suicide eight years later.\n\nWith a view to kill: Germany's worst serial killers The man-eater of Duisburg Joachim Gero Kroll was a serial killer, rapist, child molester and cannibal. Between 1955 and 1976 he murdered up to 14 people, mainly women and young girls. When he was arrested in 1976, human remains were packed in his refrigerator and he was in the process of cooking the arms and hands of a four-year-old girl he had just killed. Imprisoned for life in 1982, Kroll died of a heart attack in 1991.\n\nWith a view to kill: Germany's worst serial killers Smoking out murder Fritz Honka was notorious for killing at least four women between 1970 and 1975. He strangled prostitutes in his apartment and cut up their corpses. Firefighters found hidden body parts in his apartment after a fire broke out while he was gone. Honka was sentenced to 15 years in a psychiatric institution. After his release in 1993, he lived in a retirement home until his death five years later.\n\nWith a view to kill: Germany's worst serial killers The St. Pauli killer Werner Pinzner was a for-hire killer for pimps in Hamburg's red light district. He is thought to have killed between seven and 10 people. Pinzner gained nationwide fame in 1986 when he was brought to the Hamburg police department for interrogation with his wife and lawyer. He suddenly pulled out a gun and shot the investigating prosecutor before turning the gun on his wife and himself.\n\nWith a view to kill: Germany's worst serial killers Death by poison A nurse from Cologne, Marianne Nölle killed patients in her care by poisoning them with an antipsychotic drug between 1984 and 1992. Police believe she actually killed 17 people and attempted a further 18 murders, but she was only convicted of killing seven patients. She has never confessed to any of her crimes and since 1993, Nölle has been serving a life sentence.\n\nWith a view to kill: Germany's worst serial killers Killer on the roads Volker Eckert was a German trucker who murdered at least nine women, most of them between 2001 and 2006. According to police, there were probably four others. His first victim was a classmate whom he strangled aged 15. Most of his victims were prostitutes he picked up across Europe and he kept trophies like his victims' hair. Eckert hung himself in his cell during his trial in 2007.\n\nWith a view to kill: Germany's worst serial killers Angel of death Stephan Letter is a former nurse responsible for the death of at least 29 patients by lethal injection at a Bavarian hospital between 2003 and 2004. Arrested for drug theft, Letter confessed to some of the killings, insisting that he was trying to relieve suffering. He is serving a life sentence and until recently, his acts were described as Germany's worst killing spree since World War II.\n\nWith a view to kill: Germany's worst serial killers The killer nurse Keen to impress colleagues with his life-saving skills, Niels Högel would inject patients with cardiovascular medication to induce heart failure or circulatory collapse. He was convicted of killing two people and was jailed for life in 2015. However, after a multi-year probe, investigators now believe the former nurse was responsible for 100 more deaths, making him Germany's most prolific killer.\n\n\n\nAt 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of news and features. You can sign up to receive it here.", "Serial killer nurse Niels Hoegel sentenced to life for murdering 85 patients in Germany\n\nSerial killer nurse Niels Hoegel sentenced to life for murdering 85 patients in Germany\n\nNiels Hoegel's victims were aged between 34 and 96\n\nA former nurse has been given a life sentence for murdering 85 patients in the worst killing spree in Germany's post-war history.\n\nNiels Hoegel, 42, injected people with lethal drugs and then played the hero by appearing to struggle to revive them, a court heard.\n\n\"Your crimes are impossible to grasp,\" judge Sebastian Buehrmann reportedly told him.\n\n\"The human mind struggles to take in the sheer scale of these crimes.\"\n\nHoegel - whose victims were aged between 34 and 96 - was already serving a life sentence after being convicted in 2015 of two murders and two attempted murders.\n\nHe worked at a hospital in the northwestern city of Oldenburg between 1999 and 2002 and another hospital in nearby Delmenhorst from 2003 to 2005.\n\nHe was charged with committing 100 murders between 2000 and 2005. He admitted 43 of them, disputed five and said he could not remember the other 52.\n\nHoegel was acquitted of 15 of the charges due to a lack of evidence.\n\nThere are no consecutive sentences in the German court system and under the country's law he could be released after 15 years.\n\nHowever, a ruling on the seriousness of the crimes all but ensures he will remain in the jail after the standard 15-year term is up.\n\nThe court also banned Hoegel from practising nursing for life.\n\nDuring his first trial, Hoegel said he intentionally brought about cardiac crises in some 90 patients in Delmenhorst because he enjoyed the feeling of being able to resuscitate them.\n\nHe later told investigators that he also killed patients in Oldenburg.\n\nAuthorities subsequently investigated hundreds of deaths, exhuming bodies of former patients.\n\nIn his closing statement to the court on Wednesday, Hoegel apologised and said he realised how much pain and suffering he had caused with his \"terrible deeds\".\n\n\"To each and every one of you I sincerely apologise for all that I have done,\" he said.", "Serial killer, Niels Hoegel, was on Thursday sentenced to life imprisonment after a German court found him guilty of murder of 85 patients while working as a hospital nurse.\n\nHoegel, 42, had admitted to killing patients with lethal injections and was already serving a life sentence after being found guilty in 2015 of murdering two people.\n\nIt seemed to me that I was death’s bookkeeper,’’ presiding Judge, Sebastian Buehrmann, said as he read out the judgment.\n\nHoegel initially selected his victims carefully in hospitals in the cities of Oldenburg and Delmenhorst in north-western Germany, injecting them with medication that led to heart failure or other complications between 2000 and 2005.\n\nBut his killings later became random.\n\nProsecutors claimed he did this so he could try to resuscitate them, motivated by boredom or a desire to impress his colleagues with his medical skills.\n\nNoting the seriousness of the case, the court virtually ruled out release from prison after 15 years, as is usual practice in Germany.\n\nThe charge sheet originally listed 100 murders, of which Hoegel admitted 43.\n\nHe was acquitted in 15 cases.\n\nReferring to these cases, Buehrmann said of the relatives: “we leave you with doubts that are surely painful for you, but we have at this point to disappoint you.’’\n\nFrank Brinkers lost his father, but is one of those who remained in uncertainty.\n\n“This is very, very bitter. I’ve been through hell, and it’s difficult to bear.’’\n\nBrinkers had hoped for final clarity, but “apparently it was not to be,’’ he said after the case was concluded.\n\nThe verdict marked the climax of a seven-month trial that drew global attention, in what is thought to be the worst serial murder case in post-war Germany.\n\nAccording to a psychological report submitted to the court in April, Hoegel showed signs of a disturbed personality, including a lack of shame, guilt, regret and empathy.\n\n“His patients’ condition would suddenly deteriorate; alarms would go off and Hoegel was the first at the bedside to initiate life-saving treatment.\n\n“And, he was good at it and seemed that he yearned for the acknowledgement of his colleagues,’’ the report said.\n\nBuehrmann highlighted a case directly after Hoegel’s daughter was born, saying “soon afterwards, the nurse struck again, by manipulating his patient’s medication.’’\n\n“You wanted to hang on to that feeling of happiness, by sending another person to their death,’’ the judge said.\n\nThe killing spree ended in 2005 when another nurse caught him in the act of injecting medication that had not been prescribed into a patient.\n\nIn his final words to the court on Wednesday, Hoegel asked for forgiveness from the relatives of his victims, saying that the trial on his “terrible crimes’’ had brought him much suffering.\n\nHis defence team asked for 55 murders to be considered and 14 attempted murders, calling for acquittal in 31 cases, while prosecutors saw murder proved in 97 cases.\n\nThree other charges failed on grounds of lack of evidence.", "Judge Sebastian Bührmann on Thursday morning called Niels Högel's killing spree \"incomprehensible\". The 42-year-old murdered patients selected at random with lethal injections between 2000 and 2005 until he was caught in the act.\n\nHögel was charged with nearly 100 murders, 43 which he confessed. In 15 cases, the court acquitted him.\n\nOn the final day of the trial on Wednesday, Högel asked his victims' loved ones for forgiveness for his \"horrible acts\".\n\n\"I would like to sincerely apologize for everything I did to you over the course of years,\" he said.\n\nThe heavy-set Högel, 42, has already spent a decade in prison following a previous life sentence he received for six other murders.\n\nSEE ALSO: Who is Germany's 'most prolific post-war serial killer'?\n\nAccording to the charges against him during this, his third murder trial, Högel had been accused of killing 97 patients aged between 34 and 96 by medical injection in hospitals in the northern cities of Oldenburg and Delmenhorst.\n\nHis horrific killing spree is believed to have begun in 2000 and only stopped when he was caught in the act in 2005.\n\nDriven by a desire to show off his skills in bringing patients back from the brink of death, Högel repeatedly gambled with the lives of vulnerable victims chosen at random.\n\nMost often, he lost.\n\nThe exhumation and autopsy of more than 130 bodies were necessary to build\n\n the case for the prosecution.\n\nPolice suspect that Högel's final toll may be more than 200. But they say they can never know for sure because of gaps in his memory and because many likely victims were cremated before autopsies could be performed.\n\n'Always ready to lie'\n\n \n\n Caught in 2005 while injecting an unprescribed medication into a patient in Delmenhorst, Högel was sentenced in 2008 to seven years in prison for attempted murder.\n\nA second trial followed in 2014-2015 under pressure from alleged victims' families.\n\nHe was found guilty of murder and attempted murder of five other victims and given the maximum sentence of 15 years.\n\nSEE ALSO: Prosecutors seek life in jail for German serial killer nurse\n\nAt the start of the third trial in October, Bührmann said its main aim was to establish the full scope of the killing that was allowed to go unchecked for years.\n\n\"It is like a house with dark rooms -- we want to bring light into the darkness,\" he said.\n\nVictims' advocates say the court has failed woefully at the task, due in large part to Högel's own contradictory testimony.\n\nAfter admitting on the first day of testimony to killing 100 patients in his care, he has since revised his statement.\n\nHe now says he committed 43 murders but denies five others. For the remaining 52 cases examined by the court, he says he cannot remember whether he \"manipulated\" his victims -- his term for administering the ultimately deadly shots.\n\n\"That leaves people in the dark -- it doesn't allow them to mourn,\" Petra Klein of the Weisser Ring crime victims' organization in Oldenburg told AFP\n\nShe described the legal proceedings as \"trying\" for the loved ones.\n\nPsychiatrist Max Steller told the court that while Högel bears responsibility for his acts, he suffers from a \"severe narcissistic disorder\".\n\nSEE ALSO: Germany's 'killer nurse' tells families of over 100 victims 'sorry'\n\nHe \"is always fundamentally ready to lie if that allows him to put himself in a better light\", Steller said.\n\nThe defendant claims, for example, not to remember his first victim, who died on February 7th, 2000.\n\nHowever a serial killer never forgets his first victim, Steller asserted, \"meaning that he probably 'manipulated' before that\". \n\n \n\n 'Collective amnesia'\n\nWhile former colleagues in Delmenhorst admitted to having had their suspicions about Högel, all the staff from Oldenburg who testified said they were oblivious to the body count stacking up on his watch.\n\nBührmann appeared exasperated by what he called this \"collective amnesia\".\n\nTen of the witnesses are now facing possible charges for perjury, according to a spokesman for the prosecution.\n\nKlein said that, at this point, the biggest hope of the victims' families was that Högel \"should never emerge from prison\".\n\nShe said the idea that he would one day walk free -- which is not inconceivable under the German justice system, in which life in prison means 15 years with the possibility of an extension -- would be \"unbearable for many of them\".", "OLDENBURG, Germany — A former nurse who confessed to killing more than four dozen patients in Germany was found guilty Thursday of murdering 85 and was sentenced to life in prison, with the judge calling the scope of his crimes “incomprehensible.”\n\nIt was the third conviction for the nurse, Niels Högel, who is believed to be the most prolific serial killer in peacetime Germany, and perhaps the world. But for the families of the nearly 100 people whom he was accused of killing while in his care, the trial had aimed to serve as a form of belated justice by trying to find answers to why they had died.\n\nThe presiding judge, Sebastian Bührmann, had emphasized that the purpose of the trial went beyond a determination of guilt: It was to try to find answers about how and why the patients had died. But he acknowledged that in 15 other cases, the court had failed to find enough evidence to support a murder conviction.\n\n“Despite all of our attempts, we could only lift part of the fog that hangs over this trial,” the judge said. “That fills us with a certain sadness.”\n\nHögel had been accused of administering overdoses of drugs that caused cardiac arrest so that he could try to revive patients heroically.\n\nUnder German law, a person convicted of murder can be sentenced only to life in prison, with the possibility of parole after 15 years, depending on the severity of the crime. Högel is already serving a life sentence for other murders, and the judge made clear that his record would ensure he is not eligible for early parole.\n\nOfficials believe Högel killed as many as 300 patients while working at two clinics in northern Germany between 2000 and 2005, although the true number may never be known.", "OLDENBURG, Germany — A former nurse who confessed to killing more than four dozen patients was found guilty on Thursday in Germany of murdering 85 people and was sentenced to life in prison, with the judge calling his crimes “incomprehensible.”\n\nIt was the third conviction for the nurse, Niels Högel, who is believed to be the most prolific serial killer in peacetime Germany, and perhaps the world. But for the families of the 100 people he was accused of killing while in his care, the trial had aimed to serve as a form of belated justice by trying to find answers to why they had died.\n\nThe judge, Sebastian Bührmann, said of his findings, “Despite all of our attempts, we could only lift part of the fog.”\n\nIn court, Mr. Högel sat with his head in his hand. The judge directly addressed him, repeatedly telling him that the scope of his crime was “incomprehensible.”", "It was the third conviction for the nurse, Niels Högel, who is believed to be the most prolific serial killer in peacetime Germany, and perhaps the world. But for the families of the nearly 100 people whom he was accused of killing while in his care, the trial had aimed to serve as a form of belated justice by trying to find answers to why they had died.\n\nThe presiding judge, Sebastian Bührmann, had emphasised that the purpose of the trial went beyond a determination of guilt: It was to try to find answers about how and why the patients had died. But he acknowledged that in 15 other cases, the court had failed to find enough evidence to support a murder conviction.\n\n“Despite all of our attempts, we could only lift part of the fog that hangs over this trial,” the judge said. “That fills us with a certain sadness.”\n\nHögel had been accused of administering overdoses of drugs that caused cardiac arrest so that he could try to revive patients heroically.\n\nUnder German law, a person convicted of murder can be sentenced only to life in prison, with the possibility of parole after 15 years, depending on the severity of the crime. Högel is already serving a life sentence for other murders, and the judge made clear that his record would ensure he is not eligible for early parole.\n\nOfficials believe Högel killed as many as 300 patients while working at two clinics in northern Germany between 2000 and 2005, although the true number may never be known.\n\nBührmann ordered eight of Högel’s former colleagues to be investigated for perjury because of suspicion that they had lied to the court or withheld evidence at the most recent trial.\n\nTwo doctors and two head nurses from the Delmenhorst hospital have been charged with manslaughter, and authorities are investigating other hospital employees from Oldenburg.", "(DW.COM) – Serial killer and former nurse Niels Högel was sentenced Thursday to life in prison for the murder of 85 patients.\n\n“Your guilt is unimaginable,” Judge Sebastian Bührmann told the convicted man. “The human mind struggles to take in the sheer scale of these crimes.”\n\n“I feel like an accountant of death,” the judge remarked. “Sometimes the worst fantasy is not enough to describe the truth.”\n\nHögel was originally accused of having murdered 100 patients while on duty as a nurse from June 1999 until 2005. The victims, people of all ages and backgrounds, some in bad health and others on the mend, had trusted the medical centers in Lower Saxony where Högel worked with their lives.\n\nThe court in Oldenburg handed down Germany’s most severe form of a life sentence which precludes the chance of an early release after serving 15 years. A prisoner sentenced to life imprisonment can usually apply for parole after 15 years, but if the court judges there is a “severe gravity of guilt,” as it did in Högel’s case, parole can be delayed for a non-specified period beyond that time.", "OLDENBURG, Germany: A German nurse believed to be the most prolific serial killer in the country’s post-war history was handed a life sentence on Thursday for killing 85 patients in his care.", "A former nurse was jailed for life today for murdering 85 of his patients - the worst killing spree in Germany's post-war history.\n\nA former nurse was jailed for life today for murdering 85 of his patients - the worst killing spree in Germany's post-war history.\n\nNiels Hoegel injected people with lethal drugs and then played the hero by appearing to struggle to revive them, the district court in Oldenburg heard.\n\n\"Your crimes are impossible to grasp,\" judge Sebastian Buehrmann told him, according to Der Spiegel. \"The human mind struggles to take in the sheer scale of these crimes.\"\n\nHoegel made a statement in court on Wednesday apologising to victims' relatives and asking for their forgiveness.\n\nHe had been charged with committing 100 murders between 2000 and 2005. He admitted 43 of them and denied the rest. He was acquitted of 15 of the charges, a court spokeswoman said.\n\nHoegel had already been convicted and sentenced for two murders in 2015.\n\nThe court banned him from practicing nursing for life. Under German law he could be released after 15 years, though in extreme cases, a life sentence is often enforced in full."], "summary": "Niels Högel, post-war Germany's serial killer with the highest known kill count, is sentenced to life imprisonment for 85 murders."}
{"document": ["\"It’s now time for me to move on with my life,\" Williams said on \"The View.\"", "Singer R. Kelly pleads not guilty to 11 more sex-related charges\n\nCHICAGO — R&B singer R. Kelly pleaded not guilty to 11 additional sex-related charges on Thursday, including four counts that carry a maximum prison term of 30 years in prison.\n\nProsecutors did not ask the judge to raise the bond amount for Kelly during the brief hearing in Cook County court.\n\nKelly stood with his hands folded in front of him and listened to Judge Lawrence Flood describe the charges to him. When Flood asked if he understood, Kelly, responded, “Yes, sir.” The Grammy award-winning singer, who has denied any wrongdoing, left without speaking to reporters. A status hearing was scheduled for June 26.\n\nAmong the 11 new counts are four counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault, which carries a sentence of up to 30 years in prison. That is more than four times as long as the maximum term for each of the 10 counts Kelly was originally charged with in February.\n\nKelly’s defense attorney, Steve Greenberg, said after the hearing that he couldn’t speculate as to why prosecutors brought the new charges, which pertain to one of the four women he was charged in February with sexually abusing years ago, three of whom were minors when the alleged abuse occurred.\n\n“It’s the same case. It’s just that they’ve just changed what they’ve charged him with,” Greenberg said. “It’s the same facts ... the same bond, the same evidence. We expect the same result.”\n\nAsked how Kelly is coping, Greenberg said, “It’s tough. Everything is against him.”\n\nSophia Tareen and Michael Tarm are Associated Press writers.", "CHICAGO — Singer R. Kelly has pleaded not guilty to 11 additional sex-related felonies during a court hearing in Chicago.\n\nProsecutors did not ask the judge to raise the bond amount for Kelly during Thursday’s hearing in Cook County court.\n\nKelly stood and listened to the judge describe the charges in a gray suit, with his hands folded in front of him. When the judged asked if he understood, Kelly, responded, “Yes, sir.”\n\nAmong the 11 new counts are four counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault, which carries a sentence of up to 30 years in prison. That is more than four times as long as the maximum term for each of the 10 counts Kelly was originally charged with in February.", "R. Kelly leaving after an appearance in court for Kelly’s child support case in Chicago in March. Photo: Chicago Sun-Times via AP", "CHICAGO (AP) — The Latest on the sexual abuse case against R&B singer R. Kelly (all times local):\n\nSinger R. Kelly has pleaded not guilty to 11 additional sex-related felonies during a court hearing in Chicago.\n\nProsecutors did not ask the judge to raise the bond amount for Kelly during Thursday’s hearing in Cook County court.\n\nKelly stood and listened to the judge describe the charges in a gray suit, with his hands folded in front of him. When the judged asked if he understood, Kelly, responded, “Yes, sir.”\n\nAmong the 11 new counts are four counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault, which carries a sentence of up to 30 years in prison. That is more than four times as long as the maximum term for each of the 10 counts Kelly was originally charged with in February.\n\nR&B singer R. Kelly is back in a Chicago courtroom, where he is expected to plead not guilty to 11 new sex-related charges against him.\n\nProsecutors could ask the judge during Thursday’s hearing to raise the bond amount for Kelly, whose financial problems have been widely reported. The Grammy award-winner spent a few days behind bars when he was originally charged in February until a suburban woman posted the 10% of $1 million bond — $100,000 — to secure his release.\n\nAmong the 11 new counts against Kelly are four counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault, which carries a sentence of up to 30 years in prison. That is more than four times as long as the maximum term for each of the 10 counts Kelly was originally charged with in February.\n\nSinger R. Kelly is expected to plead not guilty to 11 new sex-related felonies at his Cook County arraignment.\n\nThursday’s hearing in Chicago comes a week after prosecutors announced the new counts, including four aggravated criminal sexual assault ones. Each carries a maximum prison term of 30 years.\n\nKelly pleaded not guilty in February to 10 related counts of aggravated sexual abuse involving three girls and one woman over roughly 10 years starting in the late 1990s.\n\nThe judge could revoke his bond and order him jailed pending trial. But legal experts say that’s highly unlikely.\n\nKelly’s lawyer, Steve Greenberg, has said the accuser in the new charges is one of the four accusers in the February charges. Even with more charges, he has said Kelly still expects to prevail at trial.", "CHICAGO (AP) — R&B singer R. Kelly pleaded not guilty to 11 additional sex-related charges on Thursday, including four counts that carry a maximum prison term of 30 years in prison.\n\nProsecutors did not ask the judge to raise the bond amount for Kelly during the brief hearing in Cook County court.\n\nKelly stood with his hands folded in front of him and listened to Judge Lawrence Flood describe the charges. When Flood asked if he understood, Kelly, responded, \"Yes, sir.\" The Grammy award-winning singer, who has denied any wrongdoing, left without speaking to reporters.\n\nAmong the 11 new counts are four counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault, which carries a sentence of up to 30 years in prison. That is more than four times as long as the maximum term for each of the 10 counts Kelly was originally charged with in February.\n\nKelly's defense attorney, Steve Greenberg, said after the hearing that he couldn't speculate as to why prosecutors brought the new charges, which pertain to one of the four women he was charged in February with sexually abusing years ago, three of whom were minors when the alleged abuse occurred.\n\n\"It's the same case. It's just that they've just changed what they've charged him with,\" Greenberg said. \"It's the same facts ... the same bond, the same evidence. We expect the same result.\"\n\nAccording to the new indictment, the first eight counts are from encounters that allegedly occurred between Jan. 1 and Jan. 31, 2010. Three others pertain to alleged encounters between May 1, 2009, and Jan. 31, 2010.\n\nAmong other things, prosecutors allege that Kelly used force or threatened to do so to pressure the accuser into sex or to perform oral sex on him. Since she was underage at the time, the statute of limitations for bringing charges was extended to 20 years from her 18th birthday, they wrote.\n\nA woman has come forward to say publicly that 11 new felony counts stem from allegations she made about the R&B singer.\n\nJerhonda Pace wrote on her Facebook page that she's the accuser identified as \"J.P.\" in court documents. Anticipating an angry reaction by Kelly's fans, Pace — one of four women Kelly is charged with sexually abusing — wrote that \"no matter how \"wrong\" you think I am, the law is on my side, a MINOR at the time.\"\n\nThe Associated Press doesn't usually name alleged victims of sexual assault, but Pace has gone public with her allegations.", "Among the new counts are 4 counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault, with a sentence of up to 30 years\n\nSinger R. Kelly has pleaded not guilty to 11 additional sex-related felonies during a court hearing in Chicago.\n\nProsecutors did not ask the judge to raise the bond amount for Kelly during Thursday’s hearing in Cook County court.\n\nKelly stood and listened to the judge describe the charges in a gray suit, with his hands folded in front of him. When the judged asked if he understood, Kelly, responded, “Yes, sir.”\n\nAmong the 11 new counts are four counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault, which carries a sentence of up to 30 years in prison. That is more than four times as long as the maximum term for each of the 10 counts Kelly was originally charged with in February.\n\nREAD MORE: R. Kelly: ‘We’re going to straighten all this stuff out’\n\nLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.", "CHICAGO (AP) — R&B singer R. Kelly pleaded not guilty to 11 additional sex-related charges on Thursday, including four counts that carry a maximum prison term of 30 years in prison.\n\nProsecutors did not ask the judge to raise the bond amount for Kelly during the brief hearing in Cook County court.\n\nKelly stood with his hands folded in front of him and listened to Judge Lawrence Flood describe the charges to him. When Flood asked if he understood, Kelly, responded, “Yes, sir.” The Grammy award-winning singer, who has denied any wrongdoing, left without speaking to reporters. A status hearing was scheduled for June 26.\n\nAmong the 11 new counts are four counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault, which carries a sentence of up to 30 years in prison. That is more than four times as long as the maximum term for each of the 10 counts Kelly was originally charged with in February.\n\nKelly’s defense attorney, Steve Greenberg, said after the hearing that he couldn’t speculate as to why prosecutors brought the new charges, which pertain to one of the four women he was charged in February with sexually abusing years ago, three of whom were minors when the alleged abuse occurred.\n\n“It’s the same case. It’s just that they’ve just changed what they’ve charged him with,” Greenberg said. “It’s the same facts … the same bond, the same evidence. We expect the same result.”\n\nAsked how Kelly is coping, Greenberg said, “It’s tough. Everything is against him.”\n\n“Initially, he was a little depressed,” Johnson said. “But I mean, with anything, if someone accuses you of something, you’ll be depressed. He knows the truth.”\n\nAccording to the new indictment, the first eight counts are from encounters that allegedly occurred between Jan. 1 and Jan. 31, 2010. Three others pertain to alleged encounters between May 1, 2009, and Jan. 31, 2010.\n\n\n\n R&B and pop music star R. Kelly is yet again facing charges of sexual abuse. He’s also the subject of three federal investigations, including one about sex trafficking. Yamiche Alcindor talks to journalist Jim DeRogatis, author of “Soulless: The Case Against R. Kelly,” about how DeRogatis first uncovered the alleged abuse, how institutions failed Kelly’s victims and his “masterful” manipulation.\n\nAmong other things, prosecutors allege that Kelly used force or threatened to do so to pressure the accuser into sex or to perform oral sex on him. Since she was underage at the time, the statute of limitations for bringing charges was extended to 20 years from her 18th birthday, they wrote.\n\nA woman has come forward to say publicly that 11 new felony counts stem from allegations she made about the R&B singer.\n\nJerhonda Pace wrote on her Facebook page that she’s the accuser identified as “J.P.” in court documents. Anticipating an angry reaction by Kelly’s fans, Pace — one of four women Kelly is charged with sexually abusing — wrote that “no matter how “wrong” you think I am, the law is on my side, a MINOR at the time.”\n\nThe Associated Press doesn’t usually name alleged victims of sexual assault, but Pace has gone public with her allegations.", "Singer R Kelly pleaded not guilty to 11 additional sex-related charges when he appeared in court in Chicago on Thursday.\n\nSinger R Kelly pleaded not guilty to 11 additional sex-related charges when he appeared in court in Chicago on Thursday.\n\nProsecutors did not ask the judge to raise the bond amount for Kelly during the brief hearing at Cook County court.\n\nKelly stood with his hands folded in front of him and listened as Judge Lawrence Flood described the charges.\n\nWhen the judge asked Kelly if he understood, the R&B singer responded: “Yes, sir.”\n\nThe Grammy award-winner, who has denied any wrongdoing, left without speaking to reporters.\n\nAmong the 11 new counts are four counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault, which carries a sentence of up to 30 years in prison.\n\nThat is more than four times as long as the maximum term for each of the 10 counts Kelly was originally charged with in February.\n\nSpeaking after the hearing, Kelly’s defence lawyer, Steve Greenberg, said that he could not speculate as to why prosecutors had brought the new charges, which pertain to one of the four women he was charged in February with sexually abusing years ago, three of whom were minors when the alleged abuse occurred.\n\n“It’s the same case. It’s just that they’ve just changed what they’ve charged him with,” Mr Greenberg said.\n\n“It’s the same facts … the same bond, the same evidence. We expect the same result.”\n\nAccording to the new indictment, the first eight counts are from encounters that allegedly occurred between January 1 and January 31 2010. Three others pertain to alleged encounters between May 1 2009 and January 31 2010.\n\nProsecutors allege, among other things, that Kelly used force or threatened to do so to pressure the accuser into sex or to perform oral sex on him. Since she was underage at the time, the statute of limitations for bringing charges was extended to 20 years from her 18th birthday, they wrote.\n\nA woman has come forward to say publicly that 11 new counts stem from allegations she made about the R&B singer.\n\nJerhonda Pace wrote on her Facebook page that she was the accuser identified as “JP” in court documents.\n\nAnticipating an angry reaction by Kelly’s fans, Pace — one of four women the singer is charged with sexually abusing — wrote that “no matter how ‘wrong’ you think I am, the law is on my side, a MINOR at the time.”", "R. Kelly pleads not guilty to new sex charges\n\n(ABC NEWS) – R&B singer R. Kelly was in court again this morning. This time he’s facing several news sexual assault charges.\n\nWatch the video above for the full story."], "summary": "American singer R. Kelly pleads not guilty to 11 additional sex-related felonies during a court hearing in Chicago."}
{"document": ["Labour has held on to the marginal seat of Peterborough, overturning predictions that the contest could deliver a first byelection victory for Nigel Farage’s Brexit party.\n\nThe victorious Labour candidate, Lisa Forbes, told her supporters after the count early on Friday: “Tonight’s result is significant because it shows that the politics of division will never win.”\n\nForbes won 10,484 votes, beating the Brexit party’s Mike Greene, who took 9,801 votes, a margin of 683. The Conservatives were beaten into third place with 7,243 votes. Turnout was 48%.\n\nFarage left the count through a backdoor minutes before the result was announced.\n\nAfter the result, Jeremy Corbyn said the Tories had been pushed to the margins because of the government cuts and its disastrous handling of Brexit.\n\n“This result shows that in spite of the divisions and deadlock over Brexit, when it comes to a vote on the issues that directly affect people’s lives, Labour’s case for real change has strong support across the country. I look forward to welcoming Lisa to parliament next week,” he said.\n\nGreene said the Brexit party had made a significant breakthrough, despite not winning. “We have shaken up British politics with none of the data that is necessary to win a parliamentary election,” he said. “We’ve had two parties ruling for decades, that’s not happening any more.”\n\nFacebook Twitter Pinterest Brexit party candidate Mike Greene gives a thumbs down as Lisa Forbes gives her winner’s speech. Photograph: Joe Giddens/PA\n\nSpeaking on Friday morning, Farage insisted his party had done well. “Whichever way you cut it, we’ve come from nowhere, produced a massive result,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. “We haven’t quite got over the line but we’re pretty buoyed by this.”\n\nHe added: “Here’s the important thing – eight weeks ago today the Brexit party launched. And I think what you’ve seen from this result last night is that British politics has fundamentally changed. It’s no longer just two parties contesting.”\n\nFarage said the relatively high Conservative vote was the key factor: “There are now seats like this, over the country, where voters are going to start to realise that if you vote Conservative you’re going to finish up with a Corbyn government. Once that gets through we’ll begin to see tactical voting.”\n\nLabour’s shadow transport secretary, Andy McDonald, told BBC1’s Breakfast that the party had “won against the odds, and I’m absolutely delighted”.\n\nFacebook Twitter Pinterest Mike Greene and Nigel Farage have a drink at The Bull public house in Newborough before votes were counted. Photograph: Joe Giddens/PA\n\nHe said: “It’s a very good night for Labour. And there’s really no other way to try to spin this. We were supposed to lose – we won.”\n\nStewart Jackson, the former Conservative MP for Peterborough, said the Tories suffered because of the failings of the parliamentary party. “There has been no leader and Brexit policy has been a shambles. Once we deliver Brexit, and get a new leader in place, I think this seat will be back in contention,” he said.\n\nThe Liberal Democrats came fourth in the byelection with 4,159 with the Greens fifth with 1,035 votes.\n\nBrexit party insiders said Labour’s reliance upon a mainly Pakistani vote in inner-city wards had been the difference between the parties.\n\nLabour dismissed the theory a “racist trope”.\n\nFacebook Twitter Pinterest Independent candidate Bobby Elmo Smith watches the byelection count. Photograph: Darren Staples/Getty Images\n\nThe result is a setback for Farage’s fledgling party, which argues for a no-deal departure from Europe and made a strong showing in last month’s European elections, securing the largest share of the vote and winning 29 seats. This was the first Westminster constituency it has contested since it was founded four months ago.\n\nAlthough an opposition party is expected to win byelections, Labour was seeking victory in a seat where 60% of people voted to leave the EU.\n\nLabour activists acknowledged they also had to combat anger over the party’s selection of Fiona Onasanya as its last candidate. She was forced to stand down following a recall petition after lying to police about a speeding ticket.\n\nThe victory will help Corbyn in his fight with critics within the party who have tried to persuade the Labour leader to change course over Brexit. Shadow cabinet members such as Emily Thornberry have urged him to strongly campaign for a second referendum.\n\nOther senior figures, such as the party chair Ian Lavery, have argued that Labour will be decimated in parts of northern England and Wales if it attempts to run another referendum.", "Labour held on to its seat in Peterborough by a margin of only 683 voters - in a constituency of 70,000 voters - in the early hours of Friday, 7 June.\n\nThe Brexit Party came second, pushing the Conservatives into third place, and the party’s leader, Nigel Farage said they had been narrowly defeated because of the well-oiled machine which Labour had deployed on the ground.\n\n​Mr Farage said: “Something very significant is happening. We had energy and enthusiasm but because we are so new we had no data.”\n\nThe Brexit Party topped the poll in last month’s European elections, getting 29 MEPs elected and sending ripples of fear through both Labour and the Conservatives.\n\n​Mr Farage’s party had been widely tipped to get its first MP elected in Peterborough but their candidate Mike Greene was beaten by Lisa Forbes, a local councillor who had been at the centre of a row about anti-semitism last week.\n\nThe Jewish Chronicle reported Ms Forbes had apologised for liking a Facebook post that claimed Theresa May had a “Zionist slave masters’ agenda.”\n\nAn investigation of Ms Forbes's social media activity also found she wrote under a Facebook claiming Daesh was created by the CIA and Mossad: “ I have enjoyed reading this thread so much.”\n\nMargaret Hodge, who is Jewish, tweeted that she had “formally raised concerns with the party” and Jess Phillips, a long-time critic of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, tweeted: “The reality is I cannot be gleeful or proud as I’d want to be because of how it shows that anti-semitism is becoming normal in the party.”\n\n​The by-election was called after the previous Labour MP, Fiona Onasanya, was jailed for lying in a bid to avoid a speeding ticket.\n\n​Although the Brexit Party did not win the seat it might be too early to write them off as a political force.\n\nPolitical commentator Andrew Neil pointed out that at the 2017 general election the combined Labour/Tory vote share was 95 percent, but in Thursday’s by-electiion it was only 52 percent.\n\nIf a general election were to be called today the Brexit Party would undoubtedly pick up seats from both Labour and the Tories.\n\n​Theresa May is stepping down as leader of the Conservative Party on Friday, 7 June, and her successor will need to rapidly reinvigorate the Tories and come up with a solution on exiting the European Union if they are to reverse the growth of the Brexit Party.\n\n​If, as predicted, Boris Johnson were to win the former foreign secretary is likely to back a no deal Brexit, which would steal the Brexit Party’s clothes and firm up support in Leave areas of the country but could lose many Tory seats in Remain constituencies in London and the south east of England to the Liberal Democrats.", "PETERBOROUGH, England (Reuters) - Britain’s opposition Labour Party narrowly held on to a parliamentary seat in eastern England on Friday, seeing off a challenge from Nigel Farage’s insurgent Brexit Party to win by less than 700 votes.\n\nThe Brexit Party, which only launched in April, swept to victory in the United Kingdom’s European Parliament election last month, riding a wave of anger over Prime Minister Theresa May’s failure to deliver Brexit on time.\n\nIt had hoped to replicate that success by winning its first seat in the British parliament at the election in Peterborough, which supported Brexit by 61% to 39% in the 2016 referendum.\n\nLabour candidate Lisa Forbes won with 10,484 votes, while the Brexit Party, who were the bookmakers’ favourite, came second on 9,801 votes. May’s governing Conservatives came third with 7,243 votes.\n\n“Despite differing opinions across our city, the fact that the Brexit Party have been rejected here in Peterborough shows that the politics of division will not win,” Forbes said in her victory speech.\n\nAlmost three years since Britain voted 52% to 48% to leave the European Union, lawmakers remain at loggerheads over how, when or even whether to leave the EU. May is quitting after failing to get her Brexit deal approved and the prospect of a “no-deal” exit has become central to the battle to replace her.\n\nForbes, who backed remaining in the EU in 2016 but said she respects the result of the referendum, said May’s successor should restart government talks with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn that failed to find a way through the deadlock on Brexit.\n\n“They should reach out straight away to the other parties,” she told Sky News. “I’ll support a deal that won’t make our constituents poorer, that protects their jobs, protects living standards.”\n\nLabour, which along with the Conservatives saw its support slump at the European elections as voters expressed their frustration over the Brexit deadlock, is divided over whether to unequivocally support holding a second referendum.\n\nCorbyn has so far only said the option of another Brexit vote should be kept on the table, along with a national election. The prospect poses a dilemma as many of the party’s supporters backed Brexit.\n\nAsked whether she would support holding another referendum, Forbes said. “If there is an impasse in parliament that we just can’t get through, it may be that we end up there in the future ... I’d like to see a deal.”\n\nThe Peterborough election was triggered when Labour’s Fiona Onasanya became the first member of parliament to be ousted in a recall petition, after she was jailed for lying about a speeding offence. She had won the seat from the Conservatives in 2017’s general election with a majority of just 607 votes.\n\nDespite failing to win the seat, the Brexit Party’s lead over the Conservatives will increase the pressure on those running to replace May to pursue a cleaner break with the bloc.\n\nSeveral of the candidates have warned of the threat from the Brexit Party if an election were held before Britain leaves the EU. Frontrunner Boris Johnson has said the Conservatives face “political extinction” at the next national election if Brexit does not happen by the current deadline of Oct. 31.\n\nFarage played a leading role in the campaign to leave the EU and his Brexit Party supports quitting the bloc without a deal.\n\n“Two parties have been ruling this country for decades, that is not happening anymore,” the Brexit Party’s Peterborough candidate Mike Greene told Sky News after the result.\n\n“The party has only been going 7 weeks,” he added. “Of course we have made a breakthrough ... in an election you will see more of the same and you will see us getting more seats all over the country.”", "Labour has narrowly held on to Peterborough in the by-election, defeating the Brexit Party by just 683 votes.\n\nThe Conservative candidate came in third place.\n\nLabour’s Lisa Forbes, who won by 10,484 votes in total, praised the result as a defeat for the Brexit Party’s “politics of division”.\n\n“Despite the differing opinions across our city, the fact that the Brexit Party have been rejected here in Peterborough shows that the politics of division will not win,” she said, after her victory was announced.\n\nNigel Farage’s Brexit Party had been hoping to gain its first MP in the eastern England constituency, which voted 60.9 per cent for Leave in the 2016 EU referendum.\n\nIn a tweet, the party said it was a “remarkable result” for an organisation that launched six months ago.\n\n“If we can come so close in our 201st target seat, no seat is safe,” it said.\n\nLabour leader Jeremy Corbyn said the result was a “great win”.\n\n“In this key seat, the Conservatives have been pushed to the margins,” he said.\n\n“This result shows that in spite of the divisions and deadlock over Brexit, when it comes to a vote on the issues that directly affect people’s lives, Labour’s case for real change has strong support across the country.”\n\nLabour won 10,484 votes to the Brexit Party’s 9,801, with the Tories on 7,243 votes in a seat which has traditionally been a two-way Conservative-Labour marginal.\n\nThe by-election in Peterborough was called after the previous MP, Fiona Onasanya, was forced out. She was jailed for lying about a speeding offence.", "The Labour party narrowly has denied the Brexit party its first parliamentary seat in eastern England.\n\nLisa Forbes won the election with 10,484 votes, defeating Brexit party candidate Mike Greene by less than 700 votes.\n\n\"Despite differing opinions across our city, the fact that the Brexit party have been rejected here in Peterborough shows that the politics of division will not win,\" newly elected Labour party candidate Lisa Forbes said.\n\nNigel Farage launched the Brexit party just eight weeks ago and the party was hoping to replicate its success in the European elections by winning its first UK parliamentary seat.\n\nFarage's party won the most seats in the UK's European Parliament elections, winning 30.74% of the vote.\n\n\"If we can come so close in our 201st target seat, no seat is safe,\" the Brexit party tweeted about the Peterborough election.\n\nThe vote was triggered when former Labour MP, Fiona Onasanya, was ousted in a recall process after she was jailed for lying about a speeding offence.\n\nOnasanya had defeated the Conservative candidate by just 607 votes in the 2017 general election.\n\nPeterborough voted to Leave the European Union 61% to 39% in the 2016 referendum. Since the referendum, lawmakers have struggled to pass a deal through parliament.\n\nConservative Prime Minister Theresa May is set to step officially down from her role as party leader today.", "THE NEWLY FORMED Brexit Party failed to win its first seat in Britain’s parliament after it lost out to the opposition Labour Party in a crunch by-election, results today show.\n\nThe poll in the city of Peterborough was triggered after the sitting MP, Fiona Onasanya, was rejected by voters after being jailed for lying over a speeding offence.\n\nThe Brexit Party’s candidate Mike Greene, a local entrepreneur, came in second with nearly 29% of the vote, behind Labour’s Lisa Forbes, who won around 31%. The ruling Conservatives came third with 21%, while the Liberal Democrats won 12 percent.\n\nToday’s result is a setback for the Brexit Party – founded by eurosceptic Nigel Farage only a few months ago – which came out on top in the European elections in May with 31.6% of votes cast.\n\nIt had been seeking to capitalise on that momentum as well as voter disillusionment with the main Conservative and Labour parties, who have historically shared the Peterborough seat.\n\nPrime Minister Theresa May is stepping down as Conservative party leader today after delaying Brexit twice as she tried and failed to get her EU divorce deal through parliament.\n\nFarage, who has called for Britain to leave the bloc without a deal, said last weekend while campaigning he saw the by-election as “the opportunity for the next chapter in this great story”.", "Nigel Farage's new Brexit Party has failed to secure its first MP as Labour took the Peterborough by-election in a closely-fought contest.\n\nThe Brexit Party, which launched less than six months ago, was beaten by just 683 votes as the Conservatives fell back into third place.\n\nThe constituency, which voted 60.9% for Leave in the 2016 referendum, had been regarded as potentially fertile ground for the new party.\n\nBut with a relatively high turnout for a by-election of 48.4%, it appears that they were unable to match Labour's organisation on the ground.\n\nMr Farage made a brief appearance at the count - apparently anticipating victory - but left without talking to reporters.\n\nIn a tweet, the party said it was a \"remarkable result\" for such a new organisation.\n\n\"If we can come so close in our 201st target seat, no seat is safe,\" it said.\n\nThe result came as a huge relief for Labour after their dismal showing in last month's European elections amid complaints they had failed to offer a clear line on Brexit.\n\nJeremy Corbyn said it was a \"great win\" and represented a rejection of the Conservatives' \"disastrous\" handling of Brexit.\n\n\"In this key seat, the Conservatives have been pushed to the margins,\" he said.\n\nREAD MORE: Tory leadership 'will take a dozen hustings'\n\n\n\n\"This result shows that in spite of the divisions and deadlock over Brexit, when it comes to a vote on the issues that directly affect people's lives, Labour's case for real change has strong support across the country.\"\n\nShadow chancellor John McDonnell tweeted that it was \"great to send Farage sneaking out by the back door, puncturing the Brexit Party's balloon. Well done Lisa Forbes.\"\n\nLabour won 10,484 votes to the Brexit Party's 9,801, with the Tories on 7,243 votes in a seat which has traditionally been a two-way Conservative-Labour marginal.\n\nThe Liberal Democrats were fourth with 4,159, while the Greens came fifth with 1,035 votes.\n\nHowever Labour's vote share fell by more than 17 percentage points from the 2017 general election, while the Conservatives were down by more than 25 percentage points.\n\nIn her victory address, the winning Labour candidate Lisa Forbes hailed the result as a defeat for the Brexit Party's \"politics of division\".\n\n\"Despite the differing opinions across our city, the fact that the Brexit Party have been rejected here in Peterborough shows that the politics of division will not win,\" she said.\n\nThe defeated Brexit Party candidate Mike Greene admitted they had been unable to match Labour's established organisation in the constituency.\n\nHowever he insisted that they would continue to build on the momentum from their triumph in the European elections when they topped the poll.\n\n\"Two parties have been ruling this country for decades. That is not happening any more. We were ahead of the Tories, only 683 votes behind Labour,\" he told Sky News.\n\n\"They have decades of data. We had nothing just four weeks ago. We did not have the vote numbers they had. We didn't have the voting history they have.\n\n\"We will be back. Let's see what does happen in the next general election.\"\n\nThe by-election was called after Peterborough's previous MP Fiona Onasanya was forced out after she was jailed for lying about a speeding offence.\n\nOnasanya was elected as a Labour MP in 2017 with a wafer-thin majority of 607 but was suspended from the party after she was sentenced.\n\nAmong local Tory activists there was frustration that the continuing turmoil over Brexit meant they were unable to take advantage of Labour's difficulties.\n\nThe chairman of the Peterborough Conservative Association Wayne Fitzgerald said it was now essential the party committed to taking Britain out of the EU, even if it meant no deal.\n\n\"Parliamentarians in Westminster are against the will of the people,\" he told Sky News.\n\n\"The Conservatives must de-select every MP who will not accept a WTO (World Trade Organisation) Brexit if it comes to that.\n\n\"If Boris (Johnson) or whoever is leader doesn't do that, Mr Farage will sweep to 450 seats in the next general election.\"\n\nFormer Brexit minister David Jones gave a succinct assessment of the by-election result.\n\nThe Tory MP tweeted: \"Message from Peterborough: no Brexit = Corbyn.\"", "The defeated Brexit Party candidate at the by-election in Peterborough insists he will be back at a general election - and will take the seat.\n\nMike Greene came second by 683 votes to Labour's Lisa Forbes in the first ever parliamentary election contested by the Brexit Party.\n\nRELATED: Labour Party candidate Lisa Forbes wins Peterborough by-election\n\nBrexit Party 'politics of division' beaten by hope, says new MP for Peterborough Lisa Forbes\n\nNew Peterborough MP Lisa Forbes says voters cared more about crime than Brexit after by-election win\n\nAnd despite not claiming a seat they were odds on to win according to the bookies, self-made millionaire Mr Greene was confident of electoral success in the near future.\n\nAsked what he intends to do with himself after his defeat, he said: \"I've been living in Peterborough a third of my life. The last seven years has been charity and community. I will keep doing that stuff. I wasn't doing it because of politics.\n\n\"And I will be back in a general election. I am (going to run). We've learnt a lot in four weeks. Look how far we came against decades of data. Just see what happens when we come back next time.\"\n\nThe Brexit Party was launched eight weeks ago and had to quickly mobilise once the by-election in Peterborough was called following the ousting of former MP Fiona Onansaya through a Recall Petition after she was jailed for perverting the course of justice.\n\nMr Greene said he believed the Conservatives's failure to deliver Brexit will help his party take the Leave constituency in the future.\n\nHe added: \"I'm sure the Government will let people down on Brexit again come October, there'll be a general election, we'll be back, and watch what happens next time.\n\n\"If you look at those votes, then Leave voters far outweighed Labour. It's because people wanted to believe in the Conservative Party, even though they've been let down again and again.\n\n\"So that held up a bit stronger than people expected it to, but it still fell behind us.\"\n\nMr Greene said people had been \"betrayed\", but added: \"Sometimes people get cheated but still want to believe in the person that's cheating them.\"", "Nigel Farage's Brexit Party is believed to be neck and neck with Labour as it seeks to get its first MP into the Commons.\n\nRichard Tice, the new eurosceptic party's chairman said the Peterborough by-election was 'close' and suggested there might need to be a recount to separate the two parties.\n\nPolls closed late last night in the historic vote called after the former Labour MP Fiona Onasanya was sensationally booted out of Parliament after being jailed for lying to police.\n\nIt is pitching the Brexit Party's Mike Green, 54, a local business and self-made millionaire against Corbynite Labour candidate Lisa Forbes in the see-saw marginal.\n\nMr Tice told Sky News: 'We will have to wait and see, it's going to be really, really close.\n\n'It's getting into recount territory - we could be here for some time.'\n\nMr Farage's upstart outfit could be on the verge of an historic victory that would represent a damning Brexit rebuke for the main political parties.\n\nWith the result expected in the early hours of this morning a win for Mr Green will send shockwaves through the political establishment in a seat that has been held by one of the main two parties for a century.\n\nVictory for Mr Farage's party would mark another astonishing milestone, just four months after it was founded.\n\nTonight he said 'I have no idea' when asked by Sky what the result was going to be.\n\nMr Farage last night said the result looked to be a two-horse race between his party and Labour, in an interview with the Sun Online.\n\n'For Peterborough to elect their first Brexit Party MP on D-Day would be hugely symbolic - it would be democracy day,' he said.\n\n'In normal circumstances that Labour should be winning this seat by tonnes of votes but they are really worried they are going to lose it us. It's going to be very close all the way.'\n\nOnasanya enjoyed a tight 607-vote win over the Tories in 2017 in the marginal swing seat - which voted for Leave in the 2016 referendum - setting up a hugely symbolic showdown in Cambridgeshire.\n\nBut Labour sources suggested that despite fighting a 'hard' campaign they felt that they could 'lose out'.\n\nTurnout was 48.4 per cent, down from 67.5 per cent in the 2017 General Election.\n\nAny collapse in the Tory vote will be seen as a damning epitaph for Theresa May's Premiership - on the day that she steps down as Conservative leader.\n\nAnd Labour faces a struggle to hold on to the seat amid disarray over its own Brexit policy under Mr Corbyn's leadership.\n\nCombative MEP Mr Farage was all smiles as he arrived at the count alongside Mr Greene last night, with the vote believed to be 'on a knife edge'.\n\nThe new party has already caused an earthquake by trouncing the Tories and Labour in European elections last month, amid a furious backlash at the government's failure to secure the UK's departure from the EU.\n\nIt has also been surging in Westminster polls, with one at the weekend showing the party top with 26 per cent support against 22 per cent for Labour and 17 per cent for the Tories.\n\nToday's result is expected to be declared in the early hours between 2am and 4am.\n\nOne Brexit Party source told MailOnline its activists had been 'working our nuts off' in the constituency, which has swapped between Tory and Labour hands for decades.\n\nBut they complained that resources were stretched, while Jeremy Corbyn has been going all-out to hold the seat.\n\n'A lot depends on the impact of the Lib Dems,' the source said. 'The fact is Labour was right to call it so fast. They know we were concentrating on the Euros.'\n\nOnasanya, 35, was jailed in January following an Old Bailey trial for repeatedly lying to police about a speeding offence in July 2017 – only weeks after she was elected to parliament.\n\nA lawyer, she lost her seat in the House of Commons earlier this month after more than 27 per cent of registered voters in her Peterborough constituency signed a recall petition demanding her removal.\n\nThe Tories are not optimistic about the prospects for their hopeful Paul Bristow, while the Lib Dems are aiming for a third-place finish.\n\nThe Brexit Party swept to victory in the United Kingdom's European Parliament election last month, riding a wave of anger over Theresa May's failure to deliver Brexit on time.\n\nThe Brexit Party is the bookmakers' favourite to win.\n\nMr Farage was campaigning in Peterborough earlier this month ahead of the by-election.\n\nIn a bid to avoid splitting the vote, he has urged Tory voters to back the Brexit Party to prevent Labour from retaining their vacated seat.\n\nMr Farage told The Telegraph: 'The Tory party in Peterborough are nowhere. But Labour have a massive election machine and they are throwing everything at this. And I mean everything.\n\n'Our key message these last few days to conservative voters in the north of the constituency, is vote Conservative, get Corbyn. Only the Brexit Party can beat Labour here.'\n\nIronically, the slogan is based on David Cameron's phrase to steal Ukip votes when Farage was leader of the independence party: 'Vote Ukip, get Labour.'\n\nIt took some time for Ms Onasanya to be stripped of the seat, coming three months after she was jailed for perverting the course of justice.\n\nHer refusal to quit - despite serving as an independent after Labour kicked her out - allowed her to rake in more than £19,000 in pay over the last three months.\n\nAnd taxpayers will be hit with a bill of £500,000 to fund the costs of running the petition and election tomorrow.\n\nIt was the first time voters have successfully unseated an MP using 2015 legislation.\n\nMPs only automatically lose their seat if they are sentenced to more than one year in prison.\n\nSince Onasanya's three-month sentence fell below this threshold, it instead paved the way to open a recall petition in her constituency.\n\nThe petition defeat proved highly embarrassing for Onasanya who has brazenly maintained that she has done nothing wrong.\n\nShe was convicted alongside her soul singer brother Festus, 34, who admitted three counts of perverting the course of justice, one of which related to the incident when the politician was driving.\n\nAlmost three years since Britain voted 52 per cent to 48 per cent to leave the European Union, lawmakers remain at loggerheads over how, when or even whether to leave the EU.", "The Peterborough by-elections are at the centre of UK politics today (June 6) as voters head to the polls to vote for a new MP.\n\nThe previous Peterborough MP, Fiona Onasanya, lost her seat on May 1 as 27 per cent of the electorate signed a recall petition calling for the MP to be removed.\n\nA total of 15 candidates are running in the contest to replace Onasanya.\n\nAlong with candidates for Labour, Conservatives, Liberal Democrats, and others, Peterborough will also see the Brexit Party standing with an MP for the first time in a local election.\n\nWhen do the polls close and when will the results be announced?\n\nPolling stations opened at 7am, and will remain open until 10pm this evening. The time it takes to get results will partly depend on voter turnout, and with nearly three times as many people signing the recall petition as were needed, voter turnout could be high.\n\nAlthough it is impossible to pinpoint the exact time results are due in, but Peterborough City Council have given an approximate time of results coming in anywhere between 3am and 5am.\n\nWe'll be bringing you live coverage from the counts in our live blog, which can be found by clicking here.\n\nWhy did Fiona Onasanya lose her seat?\n\nFiona Onasanya kept her Peterborough seat during her trial after she was caught by a speed camera doing 41mph in a 30mph zone through the village of Thorney, on the outskirts of Peterborough. The MP denied she was the one driving the Nissan Micra when it was caught in July 2017.\n\nShe told authorities that it was the family's former lodger, Alekz Antipow, behind the wheel, but inquiries discovered he had in fact been in Russia visiting his family at the time.\n\nAuthorities were also given a fake address and telephone number for Mr Antipow, making him near untraceable to police. The former MP also went on to claim that her brother, Festus Onasanya, would have been driving her when it was revealed her phone had been used in the vicinity of the speed camera, as she said: \"I don't use my phone when driving.\"\n\nThe 35-year-old MP was convicted in an Old Bailey retrial after a previous jury failed to reach a verdict. She served less than four weeks behind bars.\n\nThe former Labour MP, Fiona Onasanya, who was later ousted by the party, was the first MP in the United Kingdom to be removed from their seat as MP following a recall petition. The process was first introduced by David Cameron in 2015."], "summary": "The Labour Party holds the Peterborough seat in the by-election, defying predictions that they would lose the seat to the Brexit Party. The seat was vacated after a successful recall petition against its previous MP Fiona Onasanya."}
{"document": ["Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen speaks to journalists outside his local polling station in Denmark on Wednesday. Photo: EPA-EFE", "Denmark's centre-right prime minister resigned Thursday after a general election that ended with a gain for left-leaning parties and a big loss for populists who were supporting the government.\n\nLars Loekke Rasmussen's resignation means the centre-left Social Democrats, Denmark's largest party, will start talks to form a one-party minority government.\n\nSocial Democrat Leader Mette Frederiksen had rejected forming a coalition with Loekke Rasmussen's Liberals.\n\nLoekke Rasmussen failed to maintain a majority in parliament after his allies, the populist Danish People's Party, saw their vote share plunge to 8.7 per cent in Wednesday's election from 21.1 per cent in 2015.\n\nRune Stubager, a politics professor at Denmark's University of Aarhus, said the election results showed a \"considerable swing to the left\" on the topics of welfare and climate.\n\nMette Frederiksen of the Danish Social Democrats thanks supporters after the election results poured in at Christiansborg Castle in Copenhagen early Thursday. Rasmussen has the opportunity to form the next government. (Liselotte Sabroe/AFP/Getty Images)\n\nThe Social Democrats are promising to put welfare first again and reverse some of centre-right government's cuts. But they also say they will seek support from the right on immigration issues, and will continue the current government's tough anti-immigration stance.\n\nPressed by his populist supporters, Loekke Rasmussen's government has tightened immigration laws in recent years. Face-covering garments have been banned, and newly arrived asylum seekers are required to hand over valuables such as jewelry and gold to help pay for their stays.\n\nStrong turnout\n\nLast year, Denmark made international headlines when officials decided rejected asylum seekers or those with a criminal record awaiting expulsion should be sent to an island that once housed a defunct laboratory for contagious animal diseases.\n\nStubager called the election outcome \"a disaster\" for the populists because voters are dissatisfied the protest party \"is part of the political establishment.\"\n\nLike their counterparts in neighbouring Sweden, Denmark's Social Democrats have opted for a tougher stance on immigration since the 2015 refugee crisis, when hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers sought shelter in European countries. Sweden's Social Democratic government has sharply restricted immigration, reversing a long tradition of welcoming migrants and refugees.\n\nOn Thursday, Loekke Rasmussen formally handed over his resignation to Queen Margrethe, Denmark's figurehead monarch, at the Amalienborg Palace.\n\nTalks to form a new government, expected to begin later Thursday, could take weeks.\n\nTurnout in Wednesday's election was 85.5 per cent, according to official figures, slightly lower than in the 2015 elections.", "We go to the ring and out first comes The Lucha House Party's Kalisto, Lince Dorado and Gran Metalik. Lars Sullivan is out next. Lars laughs as he enters the ring to his opponents staring him down.\n\nKalisto starts off with Lars, sizing him up and trying to use his speed. Lars rams Kalisto into the corner and sends him down first. Lars clubs Kalisto in the back and laughs at him. Lars presses Kalisto in the air and drops him face-first into the top turnbuckle.\n\nLars allows Dorado to tag in next. Dorado brings the offense to Lars but Lars levels him with a huge blow to the chest. Lars lifts Dorado but Dorado fights out. Lars manhandles him and sends him over the top rope to the floor with ease. Lars brings it back into the ring, runs the ropes and then runs over Dorado in the middle of the ring. Kalisto and Metalik try to rally the crowd with \"lucha!\" chants. Lars knocks Kalisto off the apron, then knocks Dorado off the top. Metalik goes to the floor to check on his partners as the referee counts. Lars just smiles.\n\nMetalik strikes from the apron and fights in, staggering Lars with strikes. Kalisto tags in and flies in but Lars catches him. Kalisto fights out and comes off the top rope but Lars knocks him out of the air. Lars gets sent over the top rope to the floor by Kalisto, right in front of the announcers. Lars runs right back in and knocks Metalik off the apron. Lars goes back to work on Kalisto now, driving him into the mat. Lars works over Kalisto while he's down in the middle of the ring now.\n\nLars climbs to the top rope while Kalisto is down. Metalik and Dorado strike from the apron, sending Lars back to the mat. Dorado and Metalik attack Lars for the double team and the referee calls for the bell.\n\nThis is from our live coverage of WWE Super ShowDown. To access our full Super ShowDown coverage, click here."], "summary": "After the defeating of his party in the general election, Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen resigns, but will remain as acting in the office until his succession."}
{"document": ["Militants from the *Hayat Tahrir al-Sham terror group launched an offensive late on Thursday. At least 500 terrorists with the support of armored vehicles and tanks, attacked Syrian army positions near the towns of Jabin and Tal Melh, according to Maj. Gen. Viktor Kupchishin, commander of the Russian center for Syrian reconciliation.\n\n“While repelling the attack, Syrian government forces killed over 120 terrorists and destroyed five tanks, three IFV, nine off-road vehicles, a multiple-launch rocket system and two mortars”, Kupchishin said at a daily briefing.\n\nThe Russian general also said that on 7 June armed opposition groups from the Idlib de-escalation zone launched attacks on the positions of government forces near the towns of Karnaz and Hamamiyat in Hama province.\n\nAccording to Kupchishin, about 80 militants and seven pickup trucks participated in the attack on Karnaz. About 60 militants took part in the attack on Hamamiyat with the support of two tanks, an IFV and a pickup truck.\n\n“While repelling the attacks by armed opposition groups, the Syrian Arab Republic armed forces destroyed more than 20 militants, a tank and two pickup trucks”, he concluded.\n\nIn early May, terrorists increased the frequency of attacks on the Syrian provinces of Hama, Aleppo, and Latakia. They also attempted attacks on Syrian army positions in the region. Government forces have responded by attacking terrorist formations in Idlib province. Syrian forces are targeting Nusra Front terrorist group depots, artillery positions, and observation posts.\n\nNorthwestern Idlib is reportedly still home to around 30,000 gunmen, including foreign mercenaries, and militants of the Nusra Front terror group.\n\nThe Idlib province is one of four designated de-escalation zones in the Syrian civil war in which government forces led by President Bashar Al-Assad and the opposition, including terrorist organizations, have been fighting since 2011. Russia, Turkey, and Iran act as the guarantors of the ceasefire in these zones.\n\nDespite a countrywide ceasefire regime being established, violations by illegal armed formations in the Idlib de-escalation zone still occur.\n\nSource: Sputnik\n\nAdvertisements", "Syrian government forces have resumed their offensive on the positions of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (formerly Jabhat al-Nusra) and the Turkish-backed Front for National Liberation (NFL).\n\nOver the past two days, units of the Syrian Arab Army and the Tiger Forces have liberated the villages of Qasabiya, Humayrat, Hardanah and Qirutiyah. According to pro-government sources, army troops are now aiming to liberate Meidan Ghazal, Shariya and Deir Sonbol as well as Tal Sakhar, Habit and Abidin.\n\nThese settlements are located northwest and east of the town of Kafr Nabudah, a key militant stronghold, which had recently been liberated by the army. The collapse of the militants’ defense there became the main factor allowing government forces to develop their advance.\n\nMultiple Syrian and Russian airstrikes in northern and southern Idlib are being reported by pro-militant sources on a daily basis.\n\nThe ongoing army advance was launched on June 3 after a failed attempt to establish a temporary ceasefire in the area last week.\n\nImmediately after the declaration of the ceasefire, units of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and the NFL stormed army positions in Kafr Nabudah thus showing their commitment to further hostilities. This predetermined the observed scenario.\n\nAccording to pro-militant sources, at least 4 pieces of military equipment and over a dozen army troops were killed in the recent clashes. In their turn, government-linked media claim that 8 militants and 2 vehicles were eliminated.\n\nOn June 4, Israel’s ImageSat Intl. released a satellite image showing the alleged impact of Israel’s June 2 strike on the T4 airbase in Syria.\n\nThe Israeli satellite and data analysis company claimed in its report that the strike had targeted “an element or a few” speculating that they may have been some kind of “advanced weapon system element”. Nonetheless, it was not able to provide evidence to confirm these speculations.\n\nSyria and Iran provided no details as to what kind of infrastructure or weapon systems were targeted in the T4 airbase. Nonetheless, it’s an open secret that Iran uses this airbase for UAV operations across the country.\n• Army targets terrorists’ positions in Hama and Idleb, many terrorists killed\n• US, NATO States Keep Supporting Terrorism in Syria through Spreading Misleading Information about Events in Idleb\n• In the Last 24 Hours: Army Wins Control Over 23 Regions in 40 Days of Operations in Hama\n• People Hold Massive Rally Demanding the Expulsion of Turkish Forces from Aleppo\n• Russia Once Again Rejects Turkey’s Demand to Stop Military Operations in Idlib Province\n\nFiled under: Al Qaeda, AngloZionist Empire, Nusra Front, SAA, Turkey, USA, War on Syria | Tagged: Hama, Liberation of Idlib |", "Earlier on Friday, Syrian Arab Army’s units operating in Hama eliminated terrorist groups, which attacked military points in the direction of Tal al-Jabin / Tal Melh in the northwestern countryside of Hama, parallel with conducting concentrated strikes against the terrorists’ supply routes coming from Idleb southern countryside.\n\nSana’s reporter said that army units responded to the terrorist groups’ breaches, and targeted with intensive artillery strikes hideouts and positions of terrorists from “al-Izzeh Battalions”, which includes hundreds of foreign mercenaries, in Morek, Kafar Zita, al-Arbaein , and Hasraya, in Hama northwestern countryside.\n\nMany of the terrorists were either killed or injured, and their gatherings, supply routes, and rocket launching pads were destroyed during the army’s operation.\n\nThe reporter said that army units clashed with terrorists which infiltrated into the surroundings of Kafarhoud and Tal Melh villages in the northwestern countryside of Mharda.\n\nThe army units restored a number of the points after inflicting heavy losses upon the terrorists in personnel and arms and began pursuing their remnants in the area.\n\nIn another context, terrorist groups continued to violate the de-escalation zone area targeting with rocket shells residential neighborhoods in Mharda city, Karnaz, and al-sheikh Hadid towns in Hama northern countryside.\n\nThe terrorist groups positioned in the northern and northwestern countryside of Hama on Friday fired rocket shells on the citizens’ houses and their properties in Mharda city, causing material damage to the houses, public and private properties, and infrastructure.\n\nThe terrorists fired also a number of rocket shells on the locals’ houses in Karnaz and al-Sheikh Hadid towns in the northern countryside of Hama, causing material damage.", "The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and the jihadist rebels of Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham are involved in the deadliest battle of the month in northwestern Hama, Al-Masdar News reports.\n\nWhat began as a successful month for the Syrian Arab Army has since turned in a blood bath with all warring parties trading heavy offensives along the Hama-Idlib axis.\n\nThe death from this week’s battles has already exceeded over 100 dead, as a surprise Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham offensive has resulted in little map changes and heavy losses.\n\nAccording to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the militants suffered over 120 casualties during their offensive on Thursday night.\n\nA source from the Syrian military was more conservative with their numbers, as they claimed the militant death toll was estimated between 60-70.\n\nThe source added that the Syrian Arab Army and their allies from the National Defense Forces (NDF) lost 39 soldiers during the battles on Thursday and Friday.\n\nThe majority of the Syrian Army’s dead were reported on Thursday night when Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham broke through their lines at the small town of Jibeen.\n\nAs of now, the militants are in control of two out of the three areas they targeted on Thursday night; however, the Syrian Arab Army is working to retake these sites in order to secure the region north of Mhardeh."], "summary": "Over 120 rebels are killed in northwestern Hama Governorate, after failed attacks against Syrian troops."}
{"document": ["[What you need to know to start the day: Get New York Today in your inbox.]\n\nAround the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks last year, Ashiqul Alam voiced his admiration for their mastermind, Osama bin Laden, and said he wanted to carry on Bin Laden’s legacy of violent extremism, court documents said.\n\n“He did what he is supposed to do,” Mr. Alam, 22, said, according to a criminal complaint. “Now it’s up to us.”\n\nThat sentiment, expressed to an undercover law enforcement agent, kicked off a series of conversations about a potential terrorist attack in New York City that ultimately led to Mr. Alam’s arrest on Thursday, the authorities said.\n\nMr. Alam, a green-card holder from Bangladesh who lives in Queens, was taken into custody after trying to buy two Glock pistols with defaced serial numbers from an undercover officer, officials said.", "Josh Campbell is a CNN law enforcement analyst. He previously served as a Supervisory Special Agent with the FBI conducting counterterrorism investigations. Follow him on Twitter at @joshscampbell. The views expressed in this commentary are his own. View more opinion articles at CNN.\n\n(CNN) In the span of about six weeks, US law enforcement thwarted two unrelated terrorist plots in New York and Los Angeles.\n\nJosh Campbell\n\nBoth incidents involved a so-called \"lone wolf\" perpetrator who expressed either support or admiration for ISIS and planned to inflict violence that would cause mass casualties. Despite claims from the White House that the deadly terrorist faction has been \"defeated,\" the group continues to inspire acts of violence around the globe.\n\nOn Thursday, the FBI and NYPD arrested a 22-year-old resident of Queens after he purchased two Glock pistols from an undercover government agent. The suspect had been on the radar of law enforcement for nearly a year and during the investigation, he described his desire to obtain grenades and a suicide vest to stage an attack in either Washington or New York to target a senior government official. He conducted \"recon\" trips to the highly trafficked Times Square, and even went so far as to get Lasik eye surgery so he wouldn't be nicknamed the \"Blind Terrorist\" in case his glasses fell off during an attack.\n\nAccording to a criminal complaint, the suspect discussed ISIS with an FBI undercover agent and expressed his admiration for the terrorist group. In subsequent conversations, he also said , \"I want to die fighting\" and told the undercover agent it would make him happy to see the flag of Islam flying on the Empire State Building.\n\nThe New York City arrest comes just weeks after authorities thwarted a similar plot in Los Angeles. In late April, the FBI arrested a 26-year-old former Army infantryman who expressed his support for ISIS, according to the criminal complaint. That subject described to an undercover agent his desire to attack Jews, churches and police officers. He indicated that he wanted to avenge the deaths of Muslims killed during New Zealand mosque shootings earlier this year and described his wish to stage an attack like the 2017 Las Vegas shooting. The suspect eventually acquired inert explosive devices (which he thought were live bombs) from an undercover officer and traveled to a park in Long Beach, California, to scope out the location of his planned attack before he was taken into custody.\n\nRead More", "A Queens man has been arrested after authorities say he plotted to bomb Manhattan’s Times Square Ashiqul Alam was taken into custody Thursday by the Joint Terrorism Task Force , which includes both the NYPD and FBI The 22-year-old man from Queens allegedly bought guns and wanted to use a suicide vest and grenades to attack Times Square to kill police officers and civilians.Authorities say Alam bought two guns with their serial numbers removed from undercover agents.", "Federal and local authorities arrested 22-year-old Ashiqul Alam of Jackson Heights, Queens, on Thursday for plotting to attack Times Square with guns and hand grenades. Law enforcement described the suspect as a “lone wolf” with no known links to any larger conspiracy to attack New York City.\n\nAccording to CBS News in New York, Alam was taken into custody by the Joint Terrorism Task Force of the New York Police Department and FBI. He caught the attention of the task force by expressing interest in obtaining explosives for an attack in New York and also wanted to try killing senior government officials in Washington, DC. The authorities launched an undercover sting operation and arrested Alam when he attempted to purchase the weapons he wanted.\n\nNBC News in New York said Alam made “jihadist comments as to why he would target the Crossroads of the World” during his interactions with undercover law enforcement officers. According to NBC’s sources, he was arrested while trying to purchase illegal guns, but had previously spoken of using grenades or a suicide vest for his attack. NBC reports:\n\n[Alam] had allegedly spoken of wanting to get or use a suicide bomb vest and talked of hand grenades and explosives, as well as potential attacks on politicians in New York City and Washington, D.C. But a senior law enforcement official says he eventually came around to wanting to shoot up Times Square – and he allegedly tried to buy guns Thursday, which prompted his arrest. Sources say he was trying to buy guns with their serial numbers removed.\n\nNBC’s sources said Alam’s scheme proceeded as far as accumulating surveillance video of Times Square with his cell phone to plan his attack. The authorities believe there is no imminent threat to Times Square now that Alam is in custody. NBC’s sources said he will not face terrorism charges.\n\nProsecutors said Alam mentioned several foreign terrorist organizations, including the Islamic State, during his exchanges with undercover federal agents. He also praised Osama bin Laden and expressed approval for al-Qaeda’s attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.\n\n“I want to die fighting, man,” he told an undercover officer during a visit to a shooting range in Pennsylvania in January.\n\nCNBC described Alam as a “lawful permanent resident of the U.S.” who is a “citizen of Bangladesh.” His neighbors in Queens described him as “respectful” and “quiet,” saying they were “shocked” to learn of his arrest. A search of his family home by federal agents on Thursday afternoon was noted by the community. Computers and boxes of goods were reportedly taken from the home by agents.\n\nTimes Square has been targeted by jihadis several times over the past few years, most recently by Bangladesh-born Akayed Ullah, who detonated a pipe bomb at a bus terminal in 2017. He hoped to kill as many innocent people as possible with a suicide attack, but was the only person seriously injured in the blast.\n\nA Canadian citizen named Abdulrahman el-Bahnasawy planned a spree of bombings and shootings in Times Square and the New York City subway system during the Ramadan holiday in 2016. Bahnasawy was caught when he attempted to travel to New York by an undercover FBI agent posing as an Islamic State operative.\n\nAnother would-be jihadi, Yemeni-born Mohamed Rafik Naji, was arrested by the Joint Terrorism Task Force in 2016 after mulling over the idea of attacking Times Square to get the attention of Islamic State leadership. Naji’s ideas included tossing pipe bombs filled with nails and running people over with a stolen garbage truck.", "By TOM HAYS and MICHAEL R. SISAK Associated Press\n\nNEW YORK (AP) — A New York City man plotted to use guns, grenades and suicide vests to bring bloodshed to Times Square, federal prosecutors said Friday.\n\nAshiqul Alam was arrested Thursday after arranging through an undercover agent to buy a pair of pistols whose serial numbers had been obliterated, prosecutors said. Alam also discussed buying a silencer, ammunition and hand grenades, which he said could each “take out at least eight people,” prosecutors said.\n\nAlam, 22, of Queens, was expected to be arraigned Friday on weapons-related offenses, but court documents filed in connection with the case describe months of plotting for a terrorist attack aimed at killing civilians and law enforcement officers in Times Square.\n\nAlam started speaking with the undercover agent about his plans last August and went with him on a reconnaissance trip to the bustling Manhattan tourist district in January, the documents said.\n\nAlam “repeatedly expressed interest in purchasing firearms and explosives for a terrorist attack in the New York City area” and spoke about terrorist organizations including ISIS during conversations with the undercover agent, the court documents said.\n\nAlam used his cellphone to take video of Times Square and “explained to the undercover that he was looking for potential targets,” according to the documents.\n\nTimes Square, which is in the heart of the Broadway theater district and is packed with tourists day and night, has been a target of attacks before.\n\nIn 2010, Faisal Shahzad, a U.S. citizen who had gotten explosives training in Pakistan, tried but failed to detonate a car bomb there. He was sentenced to life in prison.\n\nIn 2017, a Bangladeshi immigrant, Akayed Ullah, detonated a bomb in an underground pedestrian concourse linking the Times Square subway station to the Port Authority Bus Terminal. Only Ullah was seriously hurt, though bystanders were injured by shrapnel.\n\nThat same year, a man who told police he was high on drugs and hearing voices drove his car into the square’s crowds, killing a teenager and injuring around 20 people.\n\nPolice always have a heavy presence in Times Square and its sidewalks and plazas are partially protected with steel posts intended to stop speeding vehicles.", "A New York City man accused of plotting a terrorist attack on Times Square spent months trying to stockpile guns and grenades, heaped praise on the Islamic State group and Osama bin Laden, and feared being known as the \"Looney Tunes Terrorist\" if his glasses fell off and he couldn't shoot straight, federal prosecutors said today.\n\nAshiqul Alam was arrested yesterday after arranging through an undercover agent to buy a pair of semiautomatic pistols with obliterated serial numbers, prosecutors said. Police Commissioner James O'Neill said that development was \"a clear indicator of (Alam's) intent to move his plot forward.\"\n\nDespite the grave allegations, the 22-year-old Alam is charged only with offences related to the gun transaction. He did not enter a plea at an arraignment yesterday and was ordered jailed without bail. Prosecutors argued he was a flight risk and a danger to the community.\n\nHe talked about wanting to \"shoot down\" gays, referring to them with a slur; using a \"rocket launcher, like a huge one,\" to cause havoc at the World Trade Centre; and obtaining an enhanced driver's licence so he could walk onto a military base and \"blow it up,\" the documents said.\n\nAlam, born in Bangladesh, moved to the US as a child about 12 years ago and has been living in Queens as a legal permanent resident, prosecutors said.\n\nAlam started speaking with the undercover agent about his plans in August and went with him on reconnaissance trips to Times Square and to a shooting range in Pennsylvania, the documents said.\n\nAlam \"repeatedly expressed interest in purchasing firearms and explosives for a terrorist attack in the New York City area\" during conversations with the agent and spoke glowingly about past attacks on the city, the court documents said.\n\nAlam used his cellphone to take video of Times Square and \"explained to the undercover that he was looking for potential targets,\" according to the documents.\n\nAlam also allegedly discussed buying a silencer, ammunition and hand grenades, which he said could each \"take out at least eight people.\"\n\nIn April, Alam told the undercover agent he was planning to get laser eye surgery so he wouldn't have to wear glasses during the planned attack, the documents said.\n\n\"Let's say we are in an attack, right, say that my glasses fall off. What if I accidentally shoot you? You know what I mean?\" Alam said, according to the documents. \"Imagine what the news channel would call me, the Looney Tunes Terrorist or the Blind Terrorist.\"\n\nIn 2010, Faisal Shahzad, a US citizen who had gotten explosives training in Pakistan, tried but failed to detonate a car bomb there. He was sentenced to life in prison.\n\nIn 2017, a Bangladeshi immigrant, Akayed Ullah, detonated a bomb in an underground pedestrian concourse linking the Times Square subway station to the Port Authority Bus Terminal. Only Ullah was seriously hurt, though bystanders were injured by shrapnel.\n\nThat same year, a man who told police he was high on drugs and hearing voices drove his car into the square's crowds, killing a teenager and injuring around 20 people.", "NEW YORK (AP) — A New York City college student accused of plotting a terrorist attack on Times Square spent months trying to stockpile guns and grenades, heaped praise on the Islamic State group and Osama bin Laden, and feared being known as the “Looney Tunes Terrorist” if his glasses fell off and he couldn’t shoot straight, federal prosecutors said Friday.\n\nAshiqul Alam was arrested Thursday after arranging through an undercover agent to buy a pair of semiautomatic pistols with obliterated serial numbers, prosecutors said. Police Commissioner James O'Neill said that development was \"a clear indicator of (Alam's) intent to move his plot forward.\"\n\nDespite the grave allegations, the 22-year-old Alam is charged only with offenses related to the gun transaction. Alam, wearing blue jeans and a purple T-shirt, did not enter a plea at an initial appearance Friday in federal court in Brooklyn.\n\nDefense attorney James Darrow argued that his client should be released on a $200,000 bond since his client has a solid background and the charges he's facing so far don't include terrorism.\n\nThe defendant, a legal resident born in Bangladesh, moved to the U.S. as a child about 12 years ago, Darrow said. He has lived in Queens with his parents while attending John Jay College of Criminal Justice and working two jobs, the lawyer added.\n\nBut a federal magistrate ordered Alam held without bail after prosecutors argued that he was a danger to the community and a flight risk. Family members who attended the hearing left court without speaking to reporters.\n\nCourt documents describe months of plotting for an attack Alam told an undercover agent would make them \"legends.\"\n\nAlam spoke of plotting to kill civilians and law enforcement officers in Times Square and targeting a senior government official in Washington, according to the documents.\n\nHe talked about wanting to \"shoot down\" gays, referring to them with a slur; using a \"rocket launcher, like a huge one,\" to cause havoc at the World Trade Center; and obtaining an enhanced driver's license so he could walk onto a military base and \"blow it up,\" the documents said.\n\nAlam started speaking with the undercover agent about his plans in August and went with him on reconnaissance trips to Times Square and to a shooting range in Pennsylvania, the documents said.\n\nAlam \"repeatedly expressed interest in purchasing firearms and explosives for a terrorist attack in the New York City area\" during conversations with the agent and spoke glowingly about past attacks on the city, the court documents said.\n\nAlam used his cellphone to take video of Times Square and \"explained to the undercover that he was looking for potential targets,\" according to the documents.\n\nAlam also allegedly discussed buying a silencer, ammunition and hand grenades, which he said could each \"take out at least eight people.\"\n\nIn April, Alam told the undercover agent he was planning to get laser eye surgery so he wouldn't have to wear glasses during the planned attack, the documents said.\n\n\"Let's say we are in an attack, right, say that my glasses fall off. What if I accidentally shoot you? You know what I mean?\" Alam said in a recorded conversation, according to the documents. \"Imagine what the news channel would call me, the Looney Tunes Terrorist or the Blind Terrorist.\"\n\nTimes Square, the heart of the Broadway theater district and packed with tourists day and night, has been a target of attacks before.\n\nIn 2010, Faisal Shahzad, a U.S. citizen who had gotten explosives training in Pakistan, tried but failed to detonate a car bomb there. He was sentenced to life in prison.\n\nIn 2017, a Bangladeshi immigrant, Akayed Ullah, detonated a bomb in an underground pedestrian concourse linking the Times Square subway station to the Port Authority Bus Terminal. Only Ullah was seriously hurt, though bystanders were injured by shrapnel.\n\nThat same year, a man who told police he was high on drugs and hearing voices drove his car into the square's crowds, killing a teenager and injuring around 20 people.\n\nPolice always have a heavy presence in Times Square, and its sidewalks and plazas are partially protected with steel posts intended to stop vehicles.", "Ashiqul Alam, 22 years of age, of Jackson Heights, Queens, was arrested after planning to buy a pair of 9mm Glock semiautomatic handguns. The serial numbers on the weapons had been obstructed. Alam was arrested as part of an FBI sting operation.\n\nAlam, who lives with his parents, planned an attack on Times Square on police officers, tourists, and anyone. He also wanted to kill a senior government official in New York City or Washington.\n\nHe praised the 9/11 attacks to an undercover agent. “The mission is a complete success, thousands of American soldiers died and trillions of their moneys are gone in the war,” he allegedly said.\n\n“As alleged, Ashiqul Alam bought illegal weapons as part of his plan to kill law enforcement officers and civilians in a terrorist attack on Times Square,” Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Richard Donoghue said in a public statement. “What he did not know was that he was buying weapons from government agents, who were monitoring his plans and intervening to prevent those plans from escalating into deadly violence.”\n\nThe ungrateful immigrant is a legal permanent resident from Bangladesh with a green card.\n\nSo far, Alam is being held on weapons charges, not terrorism. He’s just another angry foreigner who never would have been able to carry out an attack. Why don’t they shut the border down and really accomplish something? Hundreds of thousands this year alone and we don’t know who the hell they are.", "New York — A man accused of planning to attack Times Square in New York City has been arrested and is being held without bail. Sources tell CBS News the FBI keyed in on suspect Ashiqul Alam based on suspicious social media activity and reached out to him in August of 2018.\n\nAlam allegedly praised al-Qaeda and ISIS over the course of 10 months of clandestine meetings with an undercover officer. According to court papers, Alam said the September 11th attacks were \"a complete success.\"\n\nThe 22-year-old Bangladeshi immigrant from Queens zeroed in on attacking New York City. Aslam said he wanted to use \"suicide vests\" or AR-15 rifles in an attack on Times Square. He and the undercover agent went on several reconnaissance runs there. Alam said a successful attack would make them \"legends.\"\n\nProsecutors said Alam also expressed interest in targeting other New York City landmarks, including attacking the Freedom Tower with a rocket launcher.\n\n\"With somebody like this you try to keep them under surveillance as long as possible, to see if he's tied to a network. To see if he's tied to suppliers. To see where he's getting his information, his potential source of other weapons,\" said Jerry Hauer, former head of New York State's Department of Homeland Security.\n\nIn a sting operation Thursday, Alam purchased two Glock handguns with the serial numbers scratched off from other undercover officers. He was then quickly arrested.\n\nSources said they worried Alam was committed enough to actually carry out some kind of attack and they moved to arrest him as soon as he took possession of the guns. His attorney has not commented.", "NEW YORK (AP) — The Latest on a man accused of buying guns as part of a Times Square terror attack plot (all times local):\n\nFederal prosecutors have charged a New York City man with buying illegal guns from an undercover agent as part of a planned terrorist attack on Times Square.\n\nProsecutors said in court papers made public Friday that 22-year-old Ashiqul Alam spoke about terrorist organizations including ISIS during months of conversations with the agent.\n\nThey said he \"repeatedly expressed interest in purchasing firearms and explosives for a terrorist attack in the New York City area.\"\n\nAlam is in federal custody awaiting arraignment. It was unclear whether he had a lawyer.\n\nProsecutors say he was nabbed in a sting in which the undercover officer sold him a pair of semiautomatic pistols with obliterated serial numbers.\n\nAccording to court papers, Alam and the undercover agent made a trip to Times Square in January and recorded video of the area.\n\nAuthorities have arrested a New York man who talked about wanting to throw a grenade in Times Square.\n\nTwo law enforcement officials told The Associated Press the man was placed under investigation over the comments, and then arrested late Thursday after trying to buy a weapon.\n\nThe officials spoke on condition of anonymity because the charges hadn't been made public yet.\n\nThey called the man's statements \"aspirational\" and never reached a stage that endangered the public.\n\nThe man is expected to be arraigned Friday at a federal court in Brooklyn Friday.\n\nTimes Square has been a target of attacks before. An Islamic militant tried to detonate a car bomb there in 2010.\n\nIn 2017, a man detonated a bomb in a tunnel linking the square to a bus terminal."], "summary": "Authorities arrested Ashiqul Alam who allegedly planned to attack Times Square in New York City with grenades, guns and a suicide vest."}
{"document": ["FILE PHOTO: The cockpit of Jet Airways Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircarft is pictured during its induction ceremony at the Chhatrapati Shivaji International airport in Mumbai, India, June 28, 2018. Picture taken June 28, 2018. REUTERS/Abhirup Roy/File Photo\n\nSEATTLE (Reuters) - Boeing Co learned that a cockpit warning light on its 737 MAX jetliner was defective in 2017 but decided to defer fixing it until 2020, U.S. lawmakers said on Friday.\n\nThe defective warning light alerts pilots when two sensors that measure the angle between the airflow and the wing disagree. Faulty “angle of attack” data is suspected of playing a role in two deadly crashes involving Boeing’s best-selling 737 MAX in Indonesia in October and in Ethiopia in March.\n\nThose crashes, which killed 346 people, have triggered investigations by aviation regulators and U.S. lawmakers and left Chicago-based Boeing facing one of the biggest crises in its more than 100-year history.\n\nBoeing decided in November 2017 to defer a software update to correct the so-called AOA Disagree alert defect until 2020, three years after discovering the flaw, U.S. Congressmen Peter DeFazio and Rick Larsen said in a press release on Friday. Boeing only accelerated this schedule after the Lion Air accident in Indonesia, they added.\n\nBoeing spokesman Gordon Johndroe said by email that a company safety review found the absence of the AOA Disagree alert did not adversely impact airplane safety or operation.\n\n“Based on the safety review, the update was scheduled for the MAX 10 entry into service in 2020,” Johndroe said. “We fell short in the implementation of the AoA Disagree alert and are taking steps to address these issues so they do not occur again.”\n\nBoeing has said it discovered the problem in 2017, soon after it began delivering its top-selling 737 MAX aircraft to customers. But it did not inform the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) about the defect until after the Lion Air crash more than one year later, the lawmakers said.\n\nThe House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure sent letters to Boeing, supplier United Technologies Corp and the FAA requesting further details on the AoA Disagree alert, the lawmakers said.\n\nThe letter was the second such records request sent by the committee to Boeing and the FAA related to its investigation into the MAX aircraft.", "After discovering a problem in 2017 with a cockpit warning light on the 737 MAX, Boeing decided it would defer an update to fix the issue until 2020, officials said Friday.\n\nEven as it continued delivering MAX airplanes to customers, Boeing had kept quiet the details of the problem, which prevented a light from warning pilots when there was disagreement between the plane’s angle-of-attack sensors. Those sensors are now suspected of playing a role in two MAX crashes.\n\nThe company didn’t disclose the issue to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) until after a 737 MAX crash in Indonesia last year, something that frustrated FAA leadership. Now, leaders with a transportation committee in the U.S. House said they have obtained information about the initial plan to fix the issue in 2020. They have sent letters to Boeing, the FAA and supplier United Technologies requesting documents around the problematic alert.\n\n“An important part of the Committee’s investigation is finding out what Boeing knew, when the company knew it and who it informed,” said Rep. Rick Larsen, a Washington state Democrat who leads the aviation subcommittee. “I have questions about the decision to not deem the AOA Disagree alert as safety critical and I am concerned it took Boeing so long to report this defective feature to the FAA and its customers.”\n\nBoeing has said that its engineers discovered that the warning light wasn’t functioning in 2017, but the company concluded that the issue did not adversely impact the safety or operation of the plane. In a statement Friday, the company said it determined that it was acceptable to wait to modify the system software on its next planned display system update, which was scheduled for the rollout of the 737 MAX 10 in 2020.\n\n“We fell short in the implementation of the AoA Disagree alert and are taking steps to address these issues so they do not occur again,” Boeing said.\n\nThe warning light, which is standard on the MAX and included in the pilot manuals, is designed to light up if there’s a disagreement between the two sensors on either side of the plane’s nose that measure the jet’s angle of attack — the angle between the oncoming air flow and the airplane’s wing.\n\nAt the time of the crashes, the alert worked only on planes flown by airlines that had bought a different indicator added to the main flight-display panel. Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines did not have those packages.\n\nAdvertising\n\nIf it had been working, the warning light would have lit up on the fatal flights of both the Lion Air and Ethiopian jets. It’s not clear that it would have made a difference, as Lion Air pilots were unaware of the MAX’s new automated maneuvering system that pushed the plane’s nose down in response to the erroneous angle-of-attack data.\n\nWith knowledge of the overall system in the wake of the Lion Air crash, the Ethiopian pilots might have benefited from the information, but a preliminary report suggests they were ultimately able to diagnose the problem. They still weren’t able to maintain control of the plane.\n\nDan Elwell, the head of the FAA, has expressed concern that Boeing took 13 months to inform the FAA about the problematic disagree light, but he has also endorsed Boeing’s perspective that the light wasn’t a safety-critical issue. FAA leaders characterized it as an advisory light for the sake of maintenance, and Elwell told lawmakers there are no actions that pilots are to take when a disagree light engages.\n\nAt a hearing before a House committee investigating issues around the 737 MAX last month, Elwell encouraged members of Congress not to focus so much attention on the light.\n\nAdvertising\n\n“Don’t make something that isn’t a critical safety item a critical safety item, because there’s enough critical safety items for us to focus on,” he said.\n\nThe Aviation Subcommittee of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure is scheduled to hold a second hearing on the 737 MAX on June 19.", "Boeing has known a cockpit warning light on its 737 MAX jetliner was defective since 2017 - but did not plan to fix it until next year, US lawmakers revealed.\n\nThe model has been involved in two crashes, in Indonesia and Ethiopia, which claimed 346 lives.\n\nIt has been grounded since the two tragedies, with around 300 planes affected worldwide.\n\nThe affected light warns pilots when two sensors which measure the angle between the airflow and the wing disagree.\n\nFaulty \"angle of attack\" data is suspected of playing a role in October's crash in Indonesia and the Ethiopian Airlines crash in March.\n\nAll 157 people on board died in the Ethiopia incident, while all 189 on Lion Air Fight 610 were killed on October 29 last year.\n\nThe crashes have triggered investigations by aviation regulators and US lawmakers and left Boeing facing one of the biggest crises in its history.\n\nBoeing decided in November 2017 to defer a software update to correct the so-called AOA Disagree alert defect until 2020, US Congressmen Peter DeFazio and Rick Larsen said in a press release on Friday.\n\nBoeing only accelerated this schedule after the Lion Air accident in Indonesia, they added.\n\nBoeing spokesman Gordon Johndroe said that a company safety review found the absence of the AOA Disagree alert did not adversely impact airplane safety or operation.\n\n\"Based on the safety review, the update was scheduled for the MAX 10 entry into service in 2020,\" Johndroe said.\n\n\"We fell short in the implementation of the AoA Disagree alert and are taking steps to address these issues so they do not occur again.\"\n\nBoeing has said it discovered the problem in 2017, soon after it began delivering its top-selling 737 MAX aircraft to customers.\n\nBut it did not inform the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) about the defect until after the Lion Air crash more than one year later, the lawmakers said.\n\nThe House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure has requested further details.", "The defective warning light alerts pilots when two sensors that measure the angle between the airflow and the wing disagree. Faulty \"angle of attack\" data is suspected of playing a role in two deadly crashes involving Boeing's best-selling 737 MAX in Indonesia in October and in Ethiopia in March.\n\nThose crashes, which killed 346 people, have triggered investigations by aviation regulators and U.S. lawmakers and left Chicago-based Boeing facing one of the biggest crises in its more than 100-year history.\n\nBoeing decided in November 2017 to defer a software update to correct the so-called AOA Disagree alert defect until 2020, three years after discovering the flaw, U.S. Congressmen Peter DeFazio and Rick Larsen said in a press release on Friday. Boeing only accelerated this schedule after the Lion Air accident in Indonesia, they added.\n\nBoeing spokesman Gordon Johndroe said by email that a company safety review found the absence of the AOA Disagree alert did not adversely impact airplane safety or operation.\n\n\"Based on the safety review, the update was scheduled for the MAX 10 entry into service in 2020,\" Johndroe said. \"We fell short in the implementation of the AoA Disagree alert and are taking steps to address these issues so they do not occur again.\"\n\nBoeing has said it discovered the problem in 2017, soon after it began delivering its top-selling 737 MAX aircraft to customers. But it did not inform the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) about the defect until after the Lion Air crash more than one year later, the lawmakers said.\n\nThe House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure sent letters to Boeing, supplier United Technologies Corp and the FAA requesting further details on the AoA Disagree alert, the lawmakers said.\n\nThe letter was the second such records request sent by the committee to Boeing and the FAA related to its investigation into the MAX aircraft.", "Boeing planned to delay a fix for a critical cockpit warning light on its now-grounded Max 737 airliner, leaders of a congressional committee said Friday, but then accelerated the timeline late last year after the first of two deadly crashes that killed 346 people.\n\nIn a letter to Boeing, the Federal Aviation Administration and a Boeing subcontractor, Reps. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) and Rick Larsen (D-Wash.) said they'd obtained information suggesting that even though the plane maker knew the safety alert wasn't working when it began 737 Max deliveries in 2017, it decided to wait until 2020 to implement a fix. The warning light tells flight crews when an angle-of-attack sensor is giving false readings. The faulty sensor was linked to both the Lion Air crash in Indonesia in October and the Ethiopian Airlines crash in March.\n\nAs part of an ongoing investigation of the crashes by the House transportation committee, which DeFazio chairs, the lawmakers are asking Boeing to disclose when the company knew the light was defective and when it informed airlines.\n\n\"An important part of the Committee's investigation is finding out what Boeing knew, when the company knew it and who it informed,\" Larsen, chair of the House subcommittee on aviation, said in a statement. \"I have questions about the decision to not deem the AOA Disagree alert as safety critical and I am concerned it took Boeing so long to report this defective feature to the FAA and its customers.\"\n\nBoeing admitted in April that the alert was not operating on all Max 737 aircraft, but a few days later said that the absence of such an alert didn't adversely affect airplane safety or operation. In response to the DeFazio and Larsen letter, a Boeing spokesman on Friday reiterated that finding in a statement to CNET.\n\n\"Based on the safety review, the update was scheduled for the MAX 10 rollout in 2020,\" the statement said. \"We fell short in the implementation of the AoA Disagree alert and are taking steps to address these issues so they do not occur again.\"\n\nWhen the Max returns to service, the safety alert will be included as a standard feature on all aircraft delivered. Prior to the Lion Air crash, though, it was sold as part of an optional package of equipment, a package that Lion Air didn't purchase for its planes.\n\nThe 737 Max has now been grounded for almost three months, dragging down Boeing's earnings and reputation as it heads into the Paris Air Show later this month. Though the company says a software update to the Max's Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System is complete, there's still no timeline for the airliner to carry passengers again.", "The majority of Boeing 737 MAX aircraft had a non-working alert for faulty sensor data. The company scheduled the problem to be fixed three years after discovering it and didn’t inform the FAA until one of the planes crashed.\n\nTwo Boeing 737 MAX airliners operated by Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines crashed five months apart, killing a total of 346 people, and leading to a worldwide grounding of the new model. Both accidents were apparently caused by faulty data from Angle of Attack (AoA) sensors, which made the aircraft software falsely detect impending stalling and pushed the aircraft’s nose down.\n\nPilots were supposed to be alerted about possible problems with the sensors by an AoA Disagree alert, which should light up when data coming from two AoA sensors does not match. But the alert required an optional set of indicators to be installed to actually work, and only 20 percent of the aircraft sold had them. Boeing learned about the situation in November 2017, but considered it a low-risk issue and scheduled a fix for 2020, the company reported to a House committee.\n\nAfter Lion Air flight 610 crashed in October 2018, the company decided to accelerate its timeline, Boeing said in response to a letter sent by Representatives Peter DeFazio and Rick Larsen, who head a House committee that is investigating the crashes and possible mismanagement by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regarding the rollout of the 737 MAX. Boeing first informed the FAA about the faulty alert after one of the planes crashed.\n\nThe aviation giant reported the issue earlier in May. Neither the Lion Air aircraft nor Ethiopian Airlines flight 302, which crashed in March, had the optional feature that allows the alert to work, although it was not immediately clear if the pilots could have averted the disasters if they had known that the AoA sensors were failing.\n\nThe Lion Air aircraft, however, narrowly avoided a similar incident a day before its final demise thanks to an off-duty pilot who was in the cockpit and instructed the crew to turn off the anti-stalling system.\n\nIf you like this story, share it with a friend!", "Boeing planned to wait three years to fix a non-working safety alert on its 737 Max aircraft and sped up the process only after the first of two deadly crashes involving the planes. The company acknowledged that it originally planned to fix a cockpit warning light in 2020 after two key lawmakers disclosed the company's timetable on Friday. US Reps. Peter DeFazio of Oregon and Rick Larsen of Washington wrote to Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration and asked why the company took more than a year to tell the safety agency and airlines that the alert did not work on Max jets.\n\nThe feature, called an angle of attack or AoA alert, warns pilots when sensors measuring the up-or-down pitch of the plane's nose relative to oncoming air might be wrong. The sensors malfunctioned during a Lion Air flight in Indonesia in October and an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Addis Ababa in March, causing anti-stall software to push the planes' noses down. Pilots were unable to regain control, and both planes crashed. In all, 346 people were killed.\n\nIt is not clear whether either crash could have been prevented if the cockpit alert had been working. A Boeing spokesman said that based on a safety review, the company had originally planned to fix the cockpit warning when it began delivering a new, larger model of the Max to airlines in 2020. \"We fell short in the implementation of the AoA Disagree alert and are taking steps to address these issues so they do not occur again,\" said the spokesman, Gordon Johndroe.\n\nAll Max jets will have the alert as standard equipment before returning to service, and newly built planes will have it too, Johndroe said. Boeing delivered about 370 of the planes before they were grounded around the world in March. Both Boeing and the head of the FAA say that the alert is not critical for safety. Boeing says all its planes, including the Max, give pilots all the flight information including speed, altitude and engine performance that they need to fly safely. The pilots' union at American Airlines expressed unhappiness about the matter, however, and said Boeing's assurance about the cockpit alert was a factor in the union standing behind Boeing after the first Max crash, in October.\n\nRBI dilutes norms on stressed assets; asks banks to review borrowers' accounts in 30 days of default\n\nJason Goldberg, an American Airlines pilot and union spokesman, said Boeing told pilots that the alert could pinpoint a faulty sensor even on the ground, before takeoff. \"That is one of the things that made us confident initially to make the statement that we were happy to continue to fly the aircraft,\" he said. \"It turned out later that that wasn't true.\" Boeing admitted in May that within months of the plane's 2017 debut, engineers realised that the sensor warning light only worked when paired with a separate, optional feature. Boeing is revising its software, called MCAS, so that it will rely on readings from two sensors instead of one, and will be easier for pilots to overcome if it malfunctions. It is unclear when the FAA will approve the changes and allow the Max to fly again. Regulators in other countries could take longer.\n\nDeFazio and Larsen are leaders of a House committee that is investigating the crashes and the FAA's regulation of Boeing. They said Friday that Boeing decided in November 2017 to defer a software update to fix the sensor alert feature until 2020 but accelerated that timeline after the Lion Air crash. Larsen questioned why Boeing didn't consider the problem critical to safety.\n\nThe FAA on Friday repeated a statement it made last month that Boeing briefed the agency's Seattle office about the non-working alert in November, and the matter was forwarded to an FAA review board which considered the matter to be \"low risk.\" Last month, acting FAA Administrator Daniel Elwell told DeFazio's and Larsen's committee that he wasn't happy Boeing waited 13 months to tell the agency about the problem. \"We will make sure that software anomalies are reported more quickly,\" he said.", "Two key lawmakers said Friday that Boeing planned to delay fixing a nonworking safety alert on its 737 Max aircraft for three years and sped up the process only after the first of two deadly crashes involving Max planes last October.\n\nU.S. Reps. Peter DeFazio of Oregon and Rick Larsen of Washington disclosed the decision in letters sent to Boeing and the Federal Aviation Administration seeking details on what the plane maker and the agency knew and when, and at what point airlines were told of the defect. Both said they were concerned about delays in notifying regulators and the airlines.\n\nThe feature, called an angle of attack alert light, was designed to warn pilots when sensors measuring the direction of the plane's nose up or down relative to oncoming air might not be working.\n\nBoeing admitted in May that within months of the plane's 2017 debut, engineers realized that the sensor warning light only worked when paired with a separate, optional feature.\n\nThe sensors malfunctioned during flights in Indonesia in October and Ethiopia in March. Pilots were unable to regain control of both planes and they crashed, killing a total of 346 people.\n\nThe sensors fed incorrect information to computers on board the Lion Air Max plane that crashed in Indonesia last year and the Ethiopian Airlines Max that crashed in March. However, neither of those airlines ordered the extra safety feature for their planes.\n\nThe legislators, both leaders of a House committee that's investigating the Max crashes and the FAA's regulation of Boeing, said in a statement Friday that the committee has information that Boeing knew about the problem in 2017, soon after the first Max was delivered. Yet the company decided in November of 2017 to defer a software update to fix the flaw until 2020, the statement said.\n\nBut after the Lion Air crash in Indonesia last year, the company accelerated its timeline for the update, the legislators wrote.\n\nDeFazio, chairman of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and Larsen, who heads an aviation subcommittee, said the fact that Boeing knew about the defect for more than a year before disclosing it to the FAA is a big problem.\n\nLarsen questioned why Boeing didn't consider the problem critical to safety “and I am concerned it took Boeing so long to report this defective feature to the FAA and its customers.”\n\nIt's not clear whether the warning light would have prevented either the Lion Air crash or the March 10 crash of an Ethiopian Airlines Max near Addis Ababa. But the delayed notification of the FAA raises questions about Boeing's candour with regulators and airline customers.\n\nOn Friday, the FAA re-issued a May statement that said Boeing briefed the agency's Seattle office about the problem in November of 2018, and the matter was forwarded to an agency review board. The board considered the issue to be “low risk,” and required it to be addressed as part of the software update after the Indonesia crash. “However, Boeing's timely or earlier communication with the operators would have helped to reduce or eliminate possible confusion,” the statement said.\n\nFAA Acting Administrator Daniel Elwell, during testimony last month before the committee, said he wasn't happy with the 13-month gap between Boeing discovering the problem and telling the agency. “We will make sure that software anomalies are reported more quickly,” said Elwell, who called the problem a maintenance issue rather than a critical safety item.\n\nBoeing has said the Max was safe to fly without the sensor alert. Other gauges tell pilots enough about the plane's speed, altitude, engine performance and other factors to fly safely, the company has said. Messages were left Friday seeking comment about the legislators' letter.\n\nKoenig reported from Dallas, while Krisher reported from Detroit.", "After discovering a problem in 2017 with a cockpit warning light on the 737 MAX, Boeing decided it would defer an update to fix the issue until 2020, congressional officials said Friday.\n\nEven as it continued delivering MAX airplanes to customers, Boeing had kept quiet the details of the problem, which prevented a light from warning pilots when there was disagreement between the plane’s angle-of-attack sensors. Those sensors are now suspected of playing in a role in two MAX crashes.\n\nThe company didn’t disclose the issue to the FAA until after a 737 MAX crash in Indonesia last year, something that frustrated FAA leadership. Now, leaders with a transportation committee in the U.S. House said they have obtained information about the planned fix in 2020. They have sent letters to Boeing, the FAA and supplier United Technologies requesting documents around the problematic alert.\n\n“An important part of the Committee’s investigation is finding out what Boeing knew, when the company knew it and who it informed,” said Rep. Rick Larsen, a Washington state Democrat who leads the aviation subcommittee. “I have questions about the decision to not deem the AOA Disagree alert as safety critical and I am concerned it took Boeing so long to report this defective feature to the FAA and its customers.”\n\nBoeing has said its engineers discovered that the warning light wasn’t functioning in 2017. The company determined that the issue did not adversely impact the safety or operation of the plane.\n\nThe warning light, which is standard on the MAX and included in the pilot manuals, is designed to light up if there’s a disagreement between the two sensors on either side of the plane’s nose that measure the jet’s angle of attack — the angle between the oncoming air flow and the airplane’s wing.\n\nAt the time of the crashes, the alert worked only on planes flown by airlines that had bought a different indicator added to the main flight-display panel. Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines did not have those packages.\n\nIf it had been working, the warning light would have lit up on the fatal flights of both the Lion Air and Ethiopian jets. It’s not clear that it would have made a difference, as Lion Air pilots were unaware of the MAX’s new automated maneuvering system that pushed the plane’s nose down in response to the erroneous angle-of-attack data.\n\nWith knowledge of the overall system in the wake of the Lion Air crash, the Ethiopian pilots might have benefited from the information, but a preliminary report suggests they were ultimately able to diagnose the problem. They still weren’t able to maintain control of the plane.", "(Bloomberg) -- House lawmakers demanded records from Boeing Co., one of its suppliers and U.S. aviation regulators on why a cockpit alert that might have helped pilots in two recent fatal 737 Max crashes was installed with a defect that made it inoperable.\n\nRepresentative Peter DeFazio, the Oregon Democrat who heads the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, on Friday sent letters to Boeing, United Technologies Corp. and the Federal Aviation Administration requesting a timeline and other documents related to the alerting system.\n\nBoeing had installed an indicator light on a cockpit display that was supposed to illuminate when weather-vane-like sensors on the nose of the 737 were malfunctioning, but software issues prevented it from working in some configurations. Airlines operating the new plane weren’t told about the faulty alert until after the accidents, even though Boeing knew about the issue in 2017. Failures of that sensor, known as angle-of-attack, were what led the planes to automatically try to dive in both deadly crashes.\n\n“The fact that Boeing knew about a defect for more than a year before disclosing it to the FAA is of great concern to me,” DeFazio said in a press release.\n\nDeFazio was joined by Representative Rick Larsen, a Washington Democrat who is chairman of the aviation subcommittee, in making the request. It was the second call for records in the committee’s investigation of the two crashes on the 737 Max that have claimed the lives of 346 people and resulted in the grounding of Boeing’s best-selling jet.\n\nSoftware for the cockpit alert on the angle-of-attack sensor is made by Rockwell Collins Inc., which was acquired by United Technologies. Another United Technologies division makes the angle-of-attack vanes for the plane.\n\nFAA Acting Administrator Daniel Elwell told House lawmakers at a May hearing that regulators didn’t believe the defective alert was a safety-critical item because pilots had other ways to detect a failure, but the agency was concerned the manufacturer hadn’t disclosed it.\n\nBoeing’s internal experts reviewed the issue after it was discovered and determined the flaw wouldn’t affect safety and they planned to fix it during the next software update for the plane, the company said in May.\n\nThe cockpit alert only worked on airplanes that displayed the position of angle-of-attack sensors. Most airlines opted not to purchase the extra display, rendering it unworkable on most of the delivered 737 Max aircraft.\n\nIt’s not clear whether having a working cockpit alert would have made a difference in either the October crash of a Lion Air jet off the coast of Indonesia or the March accident near Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. In the Ethiopia Airlines crash, for example, pilots recognized the type of failure they faced, but still couldn’t control the plane, according to a preliminary investigative report.\n\nTo contact the reporter on this story: Alan Levin in Washington at alevin24@bloomberg.net\n\nTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Jon Morgan at jmorgan97@bloomberg.net, Elizabeth Wasserman, Steve Geimann"], "summary": "U.S. Representatives Peter DeFazio and Rick Larsen of the House Transportation committee report Boeing discovered the 737 Max AOA Disagree alert problem in 2017 but decided to defer fixing it until 2020, and sped up the process only after the Lion Air Flight 610 crash."}
{"document": ["London: Britain's former defence secretary has urged Theresa May to delay a final decision on whether Huawei should be allowed to build the 5G network until after a new prime minister and national security team is in place.\n\nSpeaking to The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age in London, Sir Michael Fallon- who served as defence secretary under Mrs May and her predecessor David Cameron - said the call was too important to be made in the dying days of the Prime Minister's tenure.\n\n\"This isn't the kind of decision that can be left to an outgoing prime minister's wash-up,\" Sir Michael said.\n\nPushing back the final verdict opens the prospect of the United Kingdom reversing course and following Australia's lead in banning the Chinese telecommunications giant from the critical 5G mobile network.", "FILE PHOTO: A Huawei logo is seen outside the fence at its headquarters in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, China May 29, 2019. REUTERS/Jason Lee\n\nBRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazilian Vice President Hamilton Mourao on Friday told journalists that the government will not exclude Chinese telecom company Huawei Technologies Co from operating a fifth-generation (5G) mobile telecoms network in Latin America’s largest economy.\n\nThe United States has asked countries to reject Huawei technology in the development of new mobile phone networks, arguing that it could be vulnerable to Chinese eavesdropping. Huawei denies its equipment is a security risk.\n\nU.S. President Donald Trump raised the issue with Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro during a White House visit in March.\n\nBut Mourao, who met with Huawei Chief Executive Ren Zhengfei on a trip to China last month, said Brazil has no plans to bar Huawei when it launches its 5G network next year.\n\nHuawei has already been locked out of the U.S. market. Australia and New Zealand also blocked it from building 5G networks. Japan’s government said last year it will ban government purchases of equipment from the Chinese company.\n\nMourao told Valor Economico newspaper that there was no distrust of the Chinese company within the Brazilian government and Brazil needs the telecom technology it has to offer.\n\nWireless carrier TIM Participacoes SA announced this month that it was using Huawei technology to conduct 5G network tests in southern Brazil.\n\nHuawei also relaunched its smartphone business in Brazil recently after a false start in 2014, and now plans to manufacture phones in the country.\n\nThe company said on Friday that it is taking the lead in the global 5G market and has secured 46 commercial contracts in 30 countries.", "BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazilian Vice President Hamilton Mourao on Friday told journalists that the government will not exclude Chinese telecom company Huawei Technologies Co from operating a fifth-generation (5G) mobile telecoms network in Latin America's largest economy.\n\nThe United States has asked countries to reject Huawei technology in the development of new mobile phone networks, arguing that it could be vulnerable to Chinese eavesdropping. Huawei denies its equipment is a security risk.\n\nU.S. President Donald Trump raised the issue with Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro during a White House visit in March.\n\nBut Mourao, who met with Huawei Chief Executive Ren Zhengfei on a trip to China last month, said Brazil has no plans to bar Huawei when it launches its 5G network next year.\n\nHuawei has already been locked out of the U.S. market. Australia and New Zealand also blocked it from building 5G networks. Japan's government said last year it will ban government purchases of equipment from the Chinese company.\n\nMourao told Valor Economico newspaper that there was no distrust of the Chinese company within the Brazilian government and Brazil needs the telecom technology it has to offer.\n\nWireless carrier TIM Participacoes SA announced this month that it was using Huawei technology to conduct 5G network tests in southern Brazil.\n\nHuawei also relaunched its smartphone business in Brazil recently after a false start in 2014, and now plans to manufacture phones in the country. [nL1N22C21L]\n\nThe company said on Friday that it is taking the lead in the global 5G market and has secured 46 commercial contracts in 30 countries.\n\nThis story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.\n\nTech2 is now on WhatsApp. For all the buzz on the latest tech and science, sign up for our WhatsApp services. Just go to Tech2.com/Whatsapp and hit the Subscribe button.", "Huawei has signed a deal with Russian telecommunications firm MTS to help develop the country's 5G technology.\n\nAs reported by The Guardian, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to the deal just before the former started a three-day visit to Russia. The arrangement will result in \"the development of 5G technologies and the pilot launch of fifth-generation networks in 2019-2020,\" MTS said in a statement.\n\nHuawei is currently dealing with a number of restrictions in Western countries after a trade-related executive order from President Trump required US suppliers to suspend their work with Huawei. They have since been given a 90-day reprieve, but Huawei's relationship with Google, Qualcomm, and Intel is still on the rocks. Even UK-based ARM severed ties because its designs contain \"US origin technology.\"\n\nThe Trump blacklist comes at a time when Huawei is facing attacks on its reputation due to security concerns. Huawei says it would never use its telecom equipment to spy on other countries, but the US and many of its allies are concerned that the Chinese government could compel Huawei to do its bidding whether the company wanted to or not. Huawei has said it is willing to sign a \"no spy\" agreement with Western govenments to ensure it can continue operating in those countries, but has not yet had any takers.\n\nThe United States is also currently locked in a battle with China over trade, and Trump appears to be using Huawei's business as leverage for a better deal.\n\nChina and Russia have similar approaches to internet services. Russia is currently in the process of testing ways to better control its internet, including censoring VPNs, developing a unified CCTV system, and possibly disconnecting from the global web altogether. China, of course, has the \"Great Firewall,\" which does not allow residents of the country to access the wider internet.", "Huawei Technologies has signed an agreement with Russian telecom company MTS to develop next-generation 5G networks in the country over the next year.\n\n5G is the next-generation cellular network that offers faster data transfer speed and could enhance technologies such as autonomous driving, remote medical diagnosis and mobile payments.\n\nThe deal was signed Wednesday in Moscow, as Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin looked on. MTS said in a statement that it plans to work with Huawei on developing 5G technologies.\n\nHuawei has also signed a draft agreement with the African Union that includes cooperation in 5G communications.\n\nChina has been championing Huawei, the world's biggest telecoms gear provider, as a national star as it races to be a global leader in advanced wireless networks amid fierce rivalry from the United States.\n\nBeijing's ambitions have faced a major challenge from Washington, which has blacklisted Huawei just as it seeks to provide equipment for 5G networks in several countries.\n\nCommenting on the announcement, Huawei ─ which produces both network equipment and mobile phones ─ said it will “fully support” Chinese operators to build 5G infrastructure.\n\n“(We) believe that in the near future, China's 5G will lead the world,” Huawei said on Weibo.\n\nAnother Chinese phone maker, Vivo, said its 5G devices are ready for network testing and will be on sale once trials are complete.\n\nThe administration of President Donald Trump banned US companies in May from selling high-tech components to Huawei on national security grounds, though a 90-day reprieve was issued.\n\nSeveral firms have already distanced themselves from Huawei, including Google, whose Android operating system runs the vast majority of smartphones in the world.\n\nThe move led to an escalation in the US-China trade war, with Beijing preparing its own blacklist of “unreliable” foreign companies.\n\nChina's Commerce Ministry says it will release the list in the near future. He said no particular company or industry is being targeted, and those that follow Chinese law don't need to worry.\n\nUS companies will have to seek approval for sales to Huawei once the list takes effect.\n\nChina hasn't said what action it might take against the entities included on its list.\n\nSince last year, 5G trials have been conducted in Chinese cities ahead of plans to deploy the technology across the country in 2020, and now the government has given the green light.\n\nThe Industry and Information Technology Ministry said state-owned telecom providers China Telecom, China Mobile, China Unicom and China Broadcasting Network Corporation received business licences to operate fifth-generation digital cellular mobile communication services.\n\n“After the issuance of 5G licences, we will continue to welcome foreign companies to actively participate in China's 5G market, seek common development of China's 5G, and share the achievements of China's 5G development,” said Miao Wei, the minister of industry and information technology, according to the ministry's Twitter-like Weibo account.\n\nChina Mobile later said it would offer 5G services in 40 Chinese cities this year.\n\nThe United States has urged other countries to shun Huawei over concerns that its equipment could be used by Beijing's intelligence services.", "Huawei Technologies has signed an agreement with Russian telecom company MTS to develop next-generation 5G networks.\n\nThe deal was signed on Wednesday in Moscow, as Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin looked on.\n\nChina has been championing Huawei, the world’s biggest telecoms gear provider, as a national star as the company fights US pressure on many countries to exclude it from new 5G networks.\n\nUS officials say Huawei is a security risk.\n\nMTS said in a statement that it plans to work with Huawei on developing 5G technologies.\n\nMr Xi is on a state visit to Russia as the two countries grow increasingly close while each contends with friction with the US.\n\nHe will also attend a major investment conference in St Petersburg on Friday.", "New Delhi, June 7 (IANS) The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) will consult with the Home Ministry and the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) before taking a final call on allowing Chinese telecom major Huawei to take part in the upcoming 5G spectrum-based field trials, an official source said here.\n\n“It is a security issue not a telecom or technology one, Home Ministry will have to be in the loop and also the PMO whose views are very crucial on matters relating security of the system or country,” the official said.\n\n“The call on such a decision will have to be with detailing and due consultation. We will also have to see worldwide how the issue has been handled by the governments wherever Huawei is operating. It’s a larger call than just a equipment supply,” he added.\n\nThe government has constituted a committee headed by the Principal Scientific Advisor, to decide on Huawei’s participation in the 5G trials.\n\nAccording to the source, the panel’s recommendations will be communicated to the Home Ministry and the PMO to take a holistic view on the issue.\n\nThe new Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has said in a recent briefing: “There are security issues it is not only a matter of technology, where their participation in 5G is concerned.”\n\n“Participation of 5G is not conditional upon the trial being started. Whether a particular company is allowed to participate or not is a complex question including security issues,” he had pointed,” he said.\n\nHuawei has been seeking clarity from the ministry on whether it would be allowed to participate in the field trials along with a telecom operator.\n\nIn October last year, the Shenzen-based Huawei said it had been invited by the DoT to participate in the discussions on 5G trials. Another Chinese major, ZTE, however, was not invited.\n\nThe three equipment vendors who have got the green signal from the panel are Samsung, Nokia and Ericsson. For the trials, Jio is likely to partner with Samsung, Nokia with Airtel and Vodafone Idea (VIL) with Ericsson.\n\nHuawei has come under the cloud after allegations that that the company’s electronic and telecom devices help the Chinese government to spy on US corporations and agencies.\n\nThe situation worsened last year with the Huawei CFO and daughter of the company’s founder, Meng Wanzhou’s arrest in Canada at the request of the US government on grounds that the company had violated trade sanctions against Iran. This has become a major international incident.\n\nChina has a National Intelligence Law, enacted in October 2017, which mandates that the government can ask any of their companies to provide any kind of data – either onshore or offshore, while the DoT is aware of this Chinese legislation.\n\nThe US has been asking its allies in Europe and other countries to cease doing business with Huawei, particularly with regard to the international roll out of 5G equipment. The wireless firm Orange has ruled out using Huawei products in its core 5G network in France, and Germany’s Deutsche Telekom has announced that it is reviewing purchases of Huawei equipment.\n\nVodafone, however, has said that it will turn on its 5G service in the UK on July 3 with the help of Huawei equipment. In India, Vodafone Idea has selected Ericsson as its partner.", "The Latest: China's Huawei to develop 5G with Russia's MTS\n\nBEIJING (AP) — The Latest on the trade dispute between China and the United States, and related developments (all times local):\n\nHuawei Technologies has signed an agreement with the Russian telecom company MTS to develop next-generation \"5G\" networks.\n\nThe deal was signed Wednesday in Moscow, as Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin looked on.\n\nChina has been championing Huawei, the world's biggest telecoms gear provider, as a national star as the company fights U.S. pressure on many countries to exclude it from nascent 5G networks. U.S. officials say Huawei is a security risk.\n\nMTS said in a statement that it plans to work with Huawei on developing 5G technologies.\n\nXi is on a state visit to Russia as the two countries grow increasingly close while each contends with friction with the U.S. He also will attend a major investment conference in St. Petersburg on Friday.\n\nChina's Commerce Ministry says it will release a list of \"unreliable\" foreign companies in the near future.\n\nThe Chinese commerce ministry spokesman did not give a specific date Thursday during a weekly briefing. He said no particular company or industry is being targeted, and those that follow Chinese law don't need to worry.\n\nBut he told reporters the process of drawing up the list was underway.\n\nChina said that would issue a list of foreign companies and individuals that it deems unreliable after the U.S. blacklisted Huawei Technologies for alleged theft of intellectual property and evasion of Iran sanctions.\n\nU.S. companies will have to seek approval for sales to Huawei once the list takes effect.\n\nChina hasn't said what action it might take against the entities included on its list.", "INTERNATIONAL - China granted 5G licenses to the country’s three major telecom operators and China Broadcasting Network Corp on Thursday, giving the go-ahead for full commercial deployment of the next-generation cellular network technology. The approvals will trigger investment in the telecommunications sector which will benefit top vendors such as Huawei Technologies, just as the Chinese network equipment provider struggles to overcome a US blacklisting that has hurt its global business.\n\nState-owned carriers China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom , as well as state-owned broadcaster China Broadcasting Network Corporation Ltd, are the four licensees named by the government.\n\nThe three carriers had been granted trial 5G licenses at the end of 2018 and Thursday’s announcement gives the go ahead to begin commercial deployment ahead of the original timeline that was targeting that for 2020.\n\nThe accelerated 5G rollout could help Huawei as Washington pushes its allies around the world to drop the firm from their 5G networks due to fears it could be used as a tool of Chinese state espionage, a claim that Huawei has repeatedly denied.\n\nHuawei said in response to the license grant that it was prepared to support China’s 5G build-out. It said it had signed 46 5G commercial contracts in 30 countries to date, shipping more than 100,000 5G base stations.\n\nChina is racing against other countries to deploy 5G on a large scale, paving the way for advances in technologies like artificial intelligence and autonomous driving.\n\nSome analysts however believe China’s 5G rollout will face difficulties due to the U.S. ban on Huawei buying parts and components from American firms without Washington’s approval.\n\n“We remain concerned that if the U.S. export ban on Huawei remains in place for some time, and is even extended to other Chinese tech companies, it will be very difficult for China to build 5G in scale,” Jefferies said in a note.\n\n“The action by China to accelerate 5G licensing does not remove or alleviate this risk.”\n\nTelecom operators in Britain, the United States and South Korea have already started offering 5G services in limited areas.\n\nChina welcomed foreign enterprises to participate in China’s 5G market, an official from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, which issued the licenses, said in a statement. Foreign firms likely to be interested in the rollout include Nokia and Ericsson.\n\nChina Mobile, the largest Chinese telecom operator, said it planned to offer 5G services in more than 40 Chinese cities before the end of September.\n\nShares in Chinese 5G-related firms such as ZTE slumped after the news, as investors pocketed gains.", "The 5G deal was one of several cooperation agreements signed after talks on Wednesday between President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Moscow. The Kremlin website lists the deal as a “memorandum of understanding.”\n\nRussia’s top cellphone operator MTS has signed an agreement with Huawei to develop 5G technology as the Chinese telecom giant faces escalating pressure from the United States, news agencies reported.\n\nPilot launches of the advanced cellular network technology will be held in 2019 and next year, according to Agence France Presse.\n\nThe United States, which has blacklisted Huawei, has discouraged its European allies from using the Chinese company's technology, citing concerns about a \"backdoor\" that could enable spying by the Chinese state.\n\nEurope — where Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, the Netherlands, Lithuania and Portugal are preparing to auction 5G licenses this year — has emerged as a battleground over Huawei's next-generation technology.\n\nThe security issue is crucial because of 5G's leading role in internet-connected products ranging from self-driving cars and smart cities to augmented reality and artificial intelligence. If underlying technology is vulnerable, it could allow hackers to exploit such products to spy or disrupt them."], "summary": "Brazilian Vice President Hamilton Mourão says the government will not exclude Chinese telecom company Huawei Technologies Co. from operating a fifth-generation (5G) mobile telecom network."}
{"document": ["BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombia’s top administrative court on Friday began hearings that could be long and contentious about proposals to drill for oil using the technique known as fracking, hailed for sharply boosting supplies but criticized for causing environmental damage.\n\nDemonstrators take part in a protest against the use of fracking, in Bogota, Colombia June 7, 2019. REUTERS/Luisa Gonzalez TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY\n\nThe public hearings in the Council of State, which is tasked with ruling on administrative matters, stem from a decision made late last year to temporarily suspend regulations for development of non-conventional oil deposits.\n\nFracking is not yet in use in Colombia. While there is no law against the practice, the government says regulations are needed before it can be used. Its possible use has sparked vitriolic debate among lawmakers, activists, officials and regular citizens about whether it could cause pollution or other environmental harms.\n\n“We consider this high-impact litigation,” Magistrate Ramiro Pazos told Reuters after the largely procedural hearing. “It’s an issue of extreme importance for the country.”\n\nSix magistrates could rule next month on whether the suspension should continue, Pazos said, while evidence gathering on whether fracking should go ahead will take until the end of the year.\n\nThe next hearing, which will include witness testimony, is scheduled for July.\n\nThe tribunal’s decision to suspend the regulations came after environmental lawyer Esteban Lagos, with support from the Universidad del Norte college, anti-fracking activists and a leftist lawmaker, filed a suit against the energy ministry to halt potential use of the technique.\n\nLagos, representing himself, said he was optimistic about the process.\n\nState-run oil company Ecopetrol is acting as a co-defendant and asked the court to lift the suspension measure so a fracking pilot project can proceed.\n\nThe company has applied for several fracking licenses and is looking to spend $500 million on exploring unconventional deposits over the next three years.\n\nHundreds of activists gathered outside the court building to protest fracking - one of 70 marches set to take place around the country on Friday.\n\nFracking could nearly triple Colombia’s reserves of crude and gas, the government has said.\n\nHydraulic fracturing breaks up rock formations with pressurized liquid. Its use is credited for booming oil and gas production in the United States, but environmental activists have blamed it for water pollution and earthquakes.\n\nAn expert commission convened by the government to study fracking recommended strict monitoring of three pilot projects to determine whether the technique should be widely used.\n\nThree commission members will be able to testify in the case, Pazos ruled."], "summary": "Colombia’s top administrative court begins hearings on proposals to drill for oil using the technique known as fracking."}
{"document": ["Image copyright Getty Images Image caption India confirmed eight of its citizens were among the dead in Dubai\n\nAt least 17 people of different nationalities have been killed and several more injured after a bus hit an overhead road sign in Dubai.\n\nThe Oman-registered vehicle was carrying 31 passengers when the crash occurred on Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road, police said.\n\nIndian officials said that eight Indian citizens were among the dead.\n\nThe driver, who is in his 50s, is receiving treatment for minor injuries and an investigation is underway.\n\nOn their official Twitter account, Dubai police offered their \"sincere condolences and sympathies\" to the families of the victims.\n\n\"Sometimes a slight error or negligence during the driving of the vehicle leads to dire consequences,\" police chief Maj Gen Abdullah Khalifa Al-Marri said.\n\nNo official cause or details have yet emerged about the crash. Local media said the vehicle swerved to avoid a height restriction sign, which then sliced through the roof.\n\nThe Indian embassy in Dubai released the names of all eight Indians killed in the crash, and said it was in touch with some of the families. Several other Indians were treated for injuries.\n\nThere are as yet no further details about the remaining victims.\n\nOmani bus company Mwasalat tweeted its \"deepest condolences\" and announced its services between Muscat and Dubai were suspended until further notice.", "A bus from Oman smashed into a warning sign coming off a major highway in Dubai, killing 17 people, including at least 12 Indians, authorities said Friday.\n\nThe number of Indians killed in the crash Thursday night in the United Arab Emirates could increase further, Indian consular officials said.\n\nThe bus drove straight into a low-clearance sign in Dubai’s Rashidiya neighbourhood around 6 p.m., smashing through the driver’s side of the bus. The sign hangs over a car-only off-ramp of the Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road, a major highway in Dubai.\n\nMwasalat, a government-owned bus company in Oman, said the crash involving its Muscat-to-Dubai route. It said it would suspend the service for the immediate future.\n\nDubai police said the dead included different nationalities, without elaborating. At least three others were injured in the crash.\n\n“Sometimes a minor error or negligence during driving leads to serious consequences,” police said on Twitter, without elaborating on the cause of the crash.", "DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Police in Dubai say 17 people were killed when bus from Oman crashed in the United Arab Emirates.\n\nPolice say the bus crashed into a sign on Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road. They did not elaborate on what caused the bus driver to hit the sign, though police warn that “sometimes a minor error or negligence” can be fatal.\n\nIt said the dead included different nationalities, without elaborating. At least three others were injured in the crash.\n\nMwasalat, a government-owned bus company in Oman, said the crash involving its Muscat-to-Dubai route happened at 6 p.m. Thursday. It said it would suspend the service for the immediate future.", "A bus crashed into a road sign in Dubai, killing 17 people, police said on Friday.\n\nThe bus, owned by an Omani company, hit the sign Thursday evening on the Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road, a highway in Dubai, the police added in a series of tweets.\n\nThe police said an investigation was under way into the causes of the crash.\n\nThe bus, operating on a Dubai-Muscat route, was carrying 31 people of different nationalities at the time of the accident, police officials said.\n\nThe passengers included Asian and European citizens, the Emirati English-language newspaper The National reported online.\n\nThe driver said during questioning he had not seen the sign because he had installed a small curtain on his windshield to protect his eyes from the sun, according to the report.\n\nWhile not disclosing the exact cause of the crash, chief of the Dubai police Abdullah Kalifa called on drivers to be attentive while at the wheel.\n\n“Sometimes a small mistake or negligence during the driving of the vehicle results in grave consequences,” he said in a tweet.\n\nDubai, a bustling tourist destination, is one of the seven emirates that make up the United Arab Emirates.", "DUBAI: As many as 17 people died and five others were severely injured in a tour bus crash on Thursday evening in Dubai. According to the sources of Rashid Hospital, a few injured are in critical conditions.\n\nDubai Police said an investigation into the \"unfortunate incident\" is under way but released no further details. The Oman-registered bus that transports people between Dubai and Muscat was carrying 31 passengers along Dubai Highway, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Road when it crashed into a signboard at Al Rashidiya exit in the evening. It is unclear what caused the driver to crash into the signboard. The authorities of Oman are also working with Dubai authorities to investigate the incident.\n\nThe Oman government-owned bus company issued a statement on Twitter, offering condolences to families of those who died and announcing suspension of their daily bus services between Muscat and Dubai.", "17 people have been killed after a bus from Oman crashed in the United Arab Emirates, Dubai police have said.\n\nThe death toll was announced in tweets published early on Friday.\n\nPolice say the bus crashed into a sign on Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road.\n\nThey did not elaborate on what caused the bus driver to hit the sign, but warned that “sometimes a minor error or negligence” can be fatal.\n\nThe force said the dead included different nationalities. At least three others were injured in the crash.\n\nMwasalat, a government-owned bus company in Oman, said the crash involving its Muscat-to-Dubai route happened at 6pm local time on Thursday.\n\nIt said it would suspend the service for the immediate future.", "A bus from Oman has smashed into a warning sign coming off a major highway in Dubai, killing 17 people, authorities said.\n\nA bus from Oman has smashed into a warning sign coming off a major highway in Dubai, killing 17 people, authorities said.\n\n17 killed in Dubai as bus smashes into warning sign\n\nAt least 12 Indians were among the dead and the number could increase, Indian consular officials said.\n\nThe bus drove straight into a low-clearance sign in Dubai’s Rashidiya neighbourhood, smashing through the driver’s side of the bus.\n\nThe sign hangs over a car-only off-ramp of Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road.\n\nMwasalat, a government-owned bus company in Oman, said the crash involving its Muscat-to-Dubai route. It said it would suspend the service for the immediate future.\n\nDubai police said the dead included different nationalities. At least three others were injured in the crash.\n\n“Sometimes a minor error or negligence during driving leads to serious consequences,” police said on Twitter, without elaborating on the cause of the crash.", "An airport bus crash in Dubai has killed 17 people of different nationalities, Dubai Police have said.\n\nThree people were also severely injured in the incident on Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road.\n\nOfficers said the bus, driving a route between Muscat, in Oman, and Dubai, crashed into an overhead sign.\n\nThe driver of the bus, believed to be in his 50s, survived the crash and is receiving treatment for his ‘moderate injuries’ at Rashid Hospital.\n\nDubai Police Chief Maj Gen Abdullah Al Marri described the crash as a ‘tragic incident’.\n\nHe said: ‘Sometimes a simple error or negligence during driving leads to serious consequences, as happened this evening, and resulted in the deaths of 17 people of different nationalities.’\n\nMwasalat, a government-owned bus company in Oman, said the crash happened at 6pm local time on Thursday.\n\nIt added: ‘Mwasalat family expresses its deepest condolences to the families of the deceased and wishes a speedy recovery to the injured.’\n\nThe service has now been suspended until further notice.\n\nPolice previously stated that 15 of the 31 people on-board the bus had died in the crash.\n\nThey later corrected this to 17, confirming that two more passengers, including an unnamed woman, had died.\n\nDubai Police added: ‘The general directorate of Dubai Police extends its sincere condolences to the families of the deceased in the unfortunate accident.’", "Seventeen people have been killed after a bus crash in Dubai.\n\nThe coach was carrying 31 passengers when in smashed into a sign warning drivers about maximum vehicle heights.\n\nThe bus was en route from Dubai to Muscat, Oman, when tragedy struck in the Al Rashidiya district near Dubai Airport.\n\nA photo posted on Twitter by Dubai police shows the wrecked shell of the vehicle.\n\nThere were 15 victims killed on impact, including the bus driver in his 50s.\n\nAnother five were taken to hospital where two were later confirmed dead.\n\nBus company Mwasalat, which runs the service twice a day, said in a statement: \"Our valued customers, we could like to inform you that our bus was involved in an unfortunate traffic accident at approximately 6pm in Dubai.\n\n\"Mwasalat family expresses its deepest condolences to the families of the deceased and wishes a speedy recovery to the injured.\n\n\"Mwsalat has paid great attention to the incident immediately on receipt of the news and has been in direct contact with the competent authorities in Dubai to look into the incident.\n\n\"Hence, our trips from Muscat and Dubai, and vice versa, will be suspended until further notice.\n\n\"Thus action has been taken after coordination with the Road and Transport Authority in Dubai. We apologise for any inconvenience this might cause.\"", "June 7 (UPI) -- Seventeen people have died and several others were injured following a bus accident in Dubai, authorities said.\n\nThe Dubai Police Headquarters said on Twitter the bus, carrying 31 passengers, crashed into a road sign at around 5:40 p.m. while driving along the Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road. The bus was returning to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, from Muscat, Oman, after the Eid holiday.\n\nFifteen people were initially reported dead but that number increased after two more passengers succumbed to their injuries, police said.\n\n\"The cause of the unfortunate incident is still being investigated,\" Dubai police said in a tweet.\n\nThe driver, described only as being in his 50s, sustained only moderate injuries and was being treated at Rashid Hospital in Dubai, police said.\n\n\"Sometimes a slight error or negligence during driving of the vehicle leads to dire consequences as happened this evening and led to the deaths of 17 people of different nationalities,\" he said.\n\nAmong the dead were eight Indian nationals, the Consulate General of India in Dubai said.\n\nIt initially reported that six Indians were dead but increased that number to eight an hour later as bodies were still being identified. Four Indians have since been discharged from Rashid Hospital while three others were still receiving treatment there, it said.\n\n\"[The] Consulate is in touch with relatives of some of the deceased & awaits further details for others to inform their families,\" it said.\n\nThe nationalities of the other passengers have yet to be released.\n\nOmani national bus company Mwasalat said it has suspended all services between the two countries' capitals after consulting with Dubai's road and transportation authority, it said in a statement.\n\n\"[The] Mwasala family expresses its deepest condolences to the families of the deceased and wishes a speedy recovery to the injured,\" it said, adding that it is in contact with the authorities about the accident."], "summary": "An Oman-registered bus carrying 31 passengers crashes into an overhead traffic sign in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, killing at least 17 people."}
{"document": ["Image copyright AFP Image caption A sea rescue boat moments before it capsized, killing three crew\n\nA rescue boat has overturned in the Atlantic off the west coast of France leaving three crew dead, amid winds of up to 129 km/h (80 mph).\n\nThey were part of a crew of seven who had gone to the aid of another boat which had got into difficulty as Storm Miguel struck the area.\n\nWinds of up to 147km/h hit northern Spain earlier, swirling around the Bay of Biscay and moving on to France.\n\nThe storm is unusual, coming at the start of the summer tourist season.\n\nPhotographs of the National Society of Sea Rescue rescue boat captured it rolling in large swells in the moments before it capsized, after which the vessel ran ashore upside down.\n\nFour of the seven crew aboard the rescue boat managed to swim to shore. Three helicopters and around 60 firefighters were attempting to find the bodies of the three dead.\n\nImage copyright AFP Image caption The National Society of Sea Rescue boat after it capsized\n\nThe strongest winds were recorded in the north-western Spanish region of Asturias late on Thursday while earlier there was damage to some buildings in Galicia.\n\nAs the storm hit land on the Ile d'Yeu in western France on Friday, forecasters recorded wind speeds of 129km/h.\n\nDown the coast of the Vendée area, off the beach resort of Les Sables-d'Olonne, a crew from the SNSM sea rescue service went to the aid of a fishing boat in trouble and capsized some 800m off shore.\n\n\"The sea was quite atrocious,\" mayor Yannick Moreau told news channel BFMTV. \"The boat had a crew of seven and three rescuers have died. It's a big shock for us and a big shock for the whole town.\"\n\nTen French departments were placed on orange alert and warned of potential damage, particularly to trees. Rail travel in the west was disrupted by the storm and forecasters said such images were rare in June.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Ten French departments were on alert for the storm\n\nAlerts were also in place further north, with warnings of heavy rain and wind speeds of up to 100 km/h in the western half of the Netherlands.\n\nHigh winds had already ravaged the Dutch coast in the early hours of Thursday, leading police in the coastal province of Zeeland to stumble on a cocaine laboratory.\n\nWhen they were alerted to a tree that had fallen during the night, they saw some suspicious men loitering around a barn and noticed a strange smell.\n\nPolice said the cocaine lab was one of the biggest ever discovered in the Netherlands.", "", "Winds of up to 129 km/h (80 mph) were recorded as Storm Miguel hit the coast of western France.\n\nThe storm had already hit northwestern Spain and had come in off the Bay of Biscay.", "Storms have battered the Atlantic coasts of northern Spain and western France, with winds of up to 147km/h (91mph).\n\nTrees were uprooted as Storm Miguel first hit the Spanish region of Asturias, swirled around the Bay of Biscay and then hit the French coast.\n\nThe storm is unusual for the time of year, coming at the start of the summer tourist season.\n\nLate on Thursday, wind speeds of 147 km/h were recorded in the north-western Spanish region of Asturias while earlier there was damage to some buildings in Galicia.\n\nAs the storm hit land on the Ile d'Yeu in western France on Friday, forecasters recorded wind speeds of 129km/h. Fallen trees were reported in the Vendée area.\n\nTen French departments were placed on orange alert and warned of potential damage, particularly to trees. Rail travel in the west was disrupted by the storm.\n\nHigh waves lashed the coast near the port of Royan, and forecasters said such images were rare in June.\n\nAlerts were also in place further north, with warnings of heavy rain and wind speeds of up to 100 km/h in the western half of the Netherlands.\n\nHigh winds had already ravaged the Dutch coast in the early hours of Thursday, leading police in the coastal province of Zeeland to stumble on a cocaine laboratory.\n\nWhen they were alerted to a tree that had fallen during the night, they saw some suspicious men loitering around a barn and noticed a strange smell.\n\nPolice said the cocaine lab was one of the biggest ever discovered in the Netherlands.", "France was clearing up Saturday after a massive storm ripped across the country, leaving three dead and thousands of homes without electricity.\n\nThree rescuers from the French ocean rescue service died Friday when their vessel capsized in rough seas as Storm Miguel pummelled the Atlantic coast.\n\n\"In late morning, a boat from the SNSM capsized 800 metres from the coast around Les Sables d'Olonne with seven people on board,\" the local prosecutor's office said in a statement.\n\nThree of them died while four managed to swim to shore, the statement added.\n\n\"These tragic deaths have sparked deep emotions within the ocean rescue services,\" said SNSM chief, Xavier de la Gorce.\n\nThe team from the National Society of Sea Rescue (SNSM) had been attempting to help a fishing boat which was struggling in the giant swell caused by storm Miguel, which packed winds of up to 120 kilometres an hour (75 mph).\n\nMaritime officials said the crew was using one of the SNSM's \"all weather\" vessels, specially designed to be unsinkable and to automatically right itself if capsized.\n\nNational electricity company Enedis said meanwhile that 28,000 homes were without power Saturday, with Normandy and northern parts of Acquitaine the worst affected.\n\n\"More than 1,000 personnel have been mobilised in the affected regions,\" it said in a statement.\n\nIn Paris meanwhile, a man was seriously injured after a falling tree knocked down a street light which hit him.\n\nRescue officials said the manwas fighting for his life after the incident in the 19th district in the northeastern part of the city that was hit by high winds.", "June 7 (UPI) -- Three members of a rescue lifeboat crew died and one remained missing off a French beach as Storm Miguel slammed France overnight with 62-mph winds.\n\nThe boat, from the French rescue group Sociéténationale de sauvetage en mer, ventured out into the rough seas off Tachetaux Sables-d'Olonne in southern France to assist a fishing boat caught in the storm. The rescue boat capsized in rough waters.\n\nAuthorities warned people to stay away from the western coast and beaches while dangerous conditions remained Friday.\n\nThe storm hit northwest Spain on Thursday before moving on to France and then Britain on Friday.\n\nBritain's national weather service, the Met Office, warned of thunderstorms, some producing as much as an inch of rain in an hour, hitting some portions of the country as Miguel starts to track northwardly. Some areas could receive more than 1.5 inches in a few hours, disrupting travel.\n\nA swath from Plymouth to London and Nottingham could be affected by the storm, including Bath, Portsmouth, Brighton, Birmingham and Peterborough.", "Britain will face more turbulent weather today as Storm Miguel finishes its assault on the country as the sun stays away.\n\nYet the heavy rain expected for today is set to drift away by this evening, with tomorrow set to be a brighter day with some bursts of sunshine.\n\nThe North East of England as well as Scotland will be hit hardest by the storm as large outbreaks of rain will batter the area over the course of the day.\n\nEastern England could face heavy downpours as Storm Miguel moves into the North Sea and there is also a threat that a band of rain will hit central and northern England as it sweeps eastwards and turns more showery.\n\nStrong winds of up to 35mph are expected for eastern counties over the morning as Storm Miguel continues its onslaught towards the sea.\n\nThe wind will affect much of England and Wales and make the outdoors feel cool, but the weather yellow warning in place for parts of the country yesterday have gone.\n\nSouthern parts of England and Wales will brighten this afternoon as the rain eases - and this could be the picture for Northern Ireland too.\n\nMost of the rain or showers will gradually die out tonight to leave clear skies, but it will remain cloudier for Northern Ireland and Scotland with some showers lingering.\n\nTemperatures will stay moderate at around 52F (11C) after starting at 61F (16C) this weekend, with London and the South East potentially reaching highs of 68F (20C).\n\nToday in the Midlands will likely be the lowest temperature with it struggling to get above 55F (13C).\n\nSunny spells and a few showers will follow on Monday - especially northern and central Scotland - but it will be less windy than Saturday and so feel warmer for most of the country.\n\nOn Monday, the bad weather will start to subside as the sun breaks through thundery showers with the best of the drier weather in the north and heavy rain in the south.\n\nAnd it is expected to be followed by more heavy rain on Tuesday.\n\nMet Office meteorologist Simon Partridge said: 'Miguel is pretty much gone now. It is currently in the North Sea.\n\n'It is wet and rainy in the Midlands. They are feeling the last effects of it in the storm now.\n\n'It is an improving picture from today.'\n\nHe said it will be wetter in the Midlands in the next few hours and there will be a maximum of 66F (19C) in the South East today.\n\nThe more positive outlook comes after Storm Miguel battered Britain yesterday as it brought thunderstorms and more than an inch of rain in two hours.\n\nAfter battering Spain with heavy showers and gale-force winds, Miguel first hit the UK on Friday afternoon – with much of southern England, the Midlands and South Wales under a thunderstorm warning from 2pm until 11pm.\n\nForecasters warned motorists that driving conditions may become hazardous in the rain - while homes and businesses were warned of possible flooding, train services could be disrupted and the potential for power cuts.\n\nWales was badly affected by the storm, with cars and people left submerged in flash floods and firefighters having to drag them out.\n\nSocial media images showed vehicles backlogged on the M4 westbound by Brynglas Tunnels after a lane was closed.\n\nFire and Rescue services were called to flood-related issues in Rumney, Pentwyn and Llanrumney.", "GUIMARAES, Portugal (AP) — Another semifinal loss, another missed chance for England to end its title drought.\n\nThe Netherlands took advantage of two sloppy defensive mistakes by England in extra time to earn a 3-1 win in the semifinals of the Nations League on Thursday, extending England’s run of more than five decades without a trophy.\n\nAn own goal by Kyle Walker gave the Dutch the lead after John Stones gave the ball away in the first half of extra time, and Ross Barkley then misplayed a back pass to gift the Netherlands a third goal in the 114th minute.\n\n“Throughout the game we made too many mistakes in our third of the pitch,” England coach Gareth Southgate said. “Partly that was a consequence of their pressure but partly that was errors by us. The last two goals were really difficult errors to account for.”\n\nThe Dutch will play the final of UEFA’s newest competition against host Portugal in Porto on Sunday, when it will try to lift its first trophy since the 1988 European Championship.\n\nThe Netherlands had failed to qualify for both the 2016 European Championship and the 2018 World Cup.\n\nEngland, which was seeking its first title since the 1966 World Cup, will play Switzerland in the third-place game in Guimaraes, also on Sunday.\n\nEngland hasn’t celebrated a title since that World Cup at home, and it has lost the last four competitive semifinals it played in, including in the World Cup last year, at the 1996 European Championship and in the 1990 World Cup.\n\n“It was tough to take in the end because you get to another semifinal and it should be a positive, and of course you leave even more deflated,” Southgate said. “But I have to look at the bigger picture and what these players have given me.”\n\nEngland arrived for the Nations League as one of the favorites after a fourth-place finish at the World Cup and a series of good results since then, including wins over Spain and World Cup runner-up Croatia.\n\nThe Netherlands made it to the Final Four by eliminating the last two World Cup winners — France and Germany.\n\n“(This win) is a sign we’re growing stronger and stronger,” said coach Ronald Koeman, who was still playing when the Dutch won the Euros in 1988. “This win will help us improve even more. We don’t stop after tonight.”\n\nEngland took the lead in the first half through a penalty by Marcus Rashford after he was brought down by center back Matthijs de Ligt, but the Dutch defender made amends by heading in the equalizer in the 73rd.\n\nEngland thought it had scored a winner in the 83rd but a video review determined that Jesse Lingard was just offside before he scored from inside the area.\n\nThe Netherlands went ahead in the seventh minute of extra time after Stones gave the ball away to Memphis Depay inside his own area. The Dutch forward’s shot was stopped by a great save by goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, but on the rebound Quincy Promes got to the ball first and his strike deflected off Walker and into the net.\n\nPromes added the third goal after another defensive blunder by England, this time by Barkley, whose short pass went straight to an opponent inside the area.\n\nSouthgate didn’t start any of the players who last week were in the Champions League final in Madrid, including Liverpool’s Jordan Henderson and Tottenham’s Harry Kane.\n\nKoeman used Liverpool duo Virgil van Dijk and Georginio Wijnaldum from the start.\n\nKane entered the match at halftime to replace Rashford, who hobbled after getting injured near the end of the first half.\n\nUEFA created the Nations League this season to give national teams more meaningful games and reduce the number of friendlies. Despite some criticism at first, especially by the clubs, the competition produced some exciting games and gave more nations the chance of playing in competitive environments.", "Three people have died after a rescue boat capsized as it searched for a fishing boat off the western coast of France.\n\nFour others on the rescue boat are safe but the trawler has not been found, the prefect of the Vendee region said.\n\nGusts of wind have been measured at up to 120 kilometres per hour (75 mph).\n\nThree helicopters are scouring the area off Les Sables d’Olonne.\n\nThe National Society of Sea Rescue, which sent the rescue boat out, has tweeted a warning to avoid coastal regions nearby.", "Storm Miguel hit the western part of France on Friday, bringing winds of up to 100 km/h and heavy rain.As the waves battered the seas, three members of a French lifeboat crew died after their vessel capsized off Tanchet aux Sables-d'Olonne in the Vendée.The crew had been going to the rescue of a fishing boat which got into difficulties in the treacherous seas.People in the western part of France were ordered to stay away from the coast as the storm continued to move north throughout the day.A total of eight départements are on an orange alert for storms, and the warning lasts until 6am on Saturday.The areas affected are Charente-Maritime, Indre, Indre-et-Loire, Loire-Atlantique, Maine-et-Loire, Deux-Sèvres, Vendée and Vienne."], "summary": "Three people on a rescue mission are killed when Storm Miguel, with max winds of 129 km/h (80 mph), overturned their National Society of Sea Rescue boat off the west coast of France in the Atlantic Ocean. The storm, unusual at the start of the summer tourist season, hit Spain, the Netherlands and southern England and Wales yesterday and is heading north toward England, Wales and Scotland."}
{"document": ["London (CNN) Three people have died and three are seriously ill following an outbreak of listeria infection in hospitals in England, Public Health England has said.\n\nMultiple health agencies and local authorities are investigating the source of the infection, which is currently being linked to pre-packaged sandwiches available in English hospitals.\n\nAll six people affected were seriously ill in the hospital at the time they were infected, Public Health England said in a statement Friday.\n\nThe people who died were being treated at two hospitals in the northern English cities of Manchester and Liverpool, the health agency said.\n\nThe Good Food Chain, which distributes sandwhiches and salads linked to the outbreaks, has halted production and withdrawn potentially contaminated produce from hospitals.\n\n\"Our thoughts are with the families of those patients who have died,\" Nick Phin, the deputy director at the UK's National Infection Service at Public Health England, said in the statement.\n\nRead More", "Image copyright Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust Image caption Two deaths occurred at Manchester Royal Infirmary\n\nThree hospital patients have died in an outbreak of listeria linked to pre-packed sandwiches.\n\nPublic Health England (PHE) said the victims were among six patients affected in England and the deaths occurred in Manchester and Liverpool.\n\nTwo of the victims were at Manchester Royal Infirmary, with the other a patient at Aintree Hospital.\n\nSandwiches and salads from The Good Food Chain linked to the outbreak have been withdrawn and production stopped.\n\nPHE said the products were withdrawn from hospitals when the links to the infections were first identified.\n\nA spokesperson for the Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust said it offered its \"deepest condolences to the bereaved families\" and \"sincerely regret\" that two of their seriously ill patients contracted listeria.\n\nThe trust, which would not say when the deaths happened, said the sandwiches were from the patient menu.\n\nThe first patient showed symptoms on 25 April while the most recent case was reported on 15 May, a PHE spokeswoman said.\n\nAintree Hospital said: \"Public health experts advised us of this supply chain issue on Friday 24 May and we immediately removed all products from this supplier.\"\n\nImage copyright Google Image caption A patient at Aintree Hospital also died\n\nDr Nick Phin, deputy director at the National Infection Service at PHE said: \"To date, there have been no associated cases identified outside healthcare organisations, and any risk to the public is low.\"\n\nPHE said The Good Food Chain - which supplied 43 NHS trusts across the UK - had been supplied with meat produced by North Country Cooked Meats which subsequently produced a positive test result for the outbreak strain of listeria.\n\nThis business and North Country Quality Foods, which it distributes through, have also voluntarily ceased production.\n\nA spokesman for The Good Food Chain Ltd said the company's production facility in Stone, Staffordshire, was \"cross contaminated by an ingredient from one of its approved meat suppliers\".\n\nA spokesman for North Country Cooked Meats said it was \"currently co-operating fully with the environmental health and the Food Standards Agency in their investigations\".\n\nWhat is listeria?\n\nListeria is a bacterium which can cause a type of food poisoning called listeriosis.\n\nNormally, the symptoms are mild - a high temperature, chills, feeling sick - and go away on their own after a few days.\n\nBut these cases occurred in people who were seriously ill.\n\nAlong with pregnant women, newborn babies and the elderly, they are most at risk of a more serious infection that can spread to the brain or bloodstream.\n\nIn 2017 there were 33 deaths linked to listeriosis in England and Wales.\n\nListeria can be found in many types of food such as soft cheeses, chilled ready-to-eat foods like pre-packed salads, sandwiches and sliced meats, and unpasteurised milk products.\n\nTo reduce the risk, the NHS advises people keep chilled food in the fridge, heat food until it is piping hot and not eat food after its use-by date.", "PHE said sandwiches and salads linked to the cases have been withdrawn and the supplier, The Good Food Chain, has decided to stop production while the investigation continues.\n\nPHE said The Good Food Chain had been supplied with meat produced by North Country Cooked Meats which tested positive for the outbreak strain of listeria. North Country Quality Foods has also voluntarily ceased production.\n\nThe cases of listeria infection were in six seriously-ill hospital patients in England, three of whom died.\n\nDr Nick Phin, deputy director at the National Infection Service at PHE, said: \"Our thoughts are with the families of those patients who have died.", "Three hospital patients have died in an outbreak of listeria linked to pre-packed sandwiches.\n\nPublic Health England (PHE) said the victims were among six patients affected in England and the deaths occurred in Manchester and Liverpool.\n\nTwo of the victims were at Manchester Royal Infirmary, with the other a patient at Aintree Hospital.\n\nSandwiches and salads from The Good Food Chain linked to the outbreak have been withdrawn and production ceased.\n\nPHE said the products were withdrawn from hospitals when the links to the infections were first identified.\n\nA spokesperson for the Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust said it offered its \"deepest condolences to the bereaved families\" and \"sincerely regret\" that two of their seriously ill patients contracted listeria.\n\nThe trust, which would not say when the deaths occurred, said the sandwiches were from the patient menu.\n\nAintree Hospital said: \"Public health experts advised us of this supply chain issue on Friday 24 May and we immediately removed all products from this supplier.\"\n\nDr Nick Phin, deputy director at the National Infection Service at PHE said: \"To date, there have been no associated cases identified outside healthcare organisations, and any risk to the public is low.\"\n\nPHE said The Good Food Chain, based in Staffordshire, had been supplied with meat produced by North Country Cooked Meats which subsequently produced a positive test result for the outbreak strain of listeria.\n\nThis business and North Country Quality Foods, who it distributes through, have also voluntarily ceased production.\n\nThe BBC has contacted The Good Food Chain and North Country Quality Foods for comment.\n\nListeria is a bacteria which can cause a type of food poisoning called listeriosis.\n\nNormally, the symptoms are mild - a high temperature, chills, feeling sick - and go away on their own after a few days.\n\nBut these cases occurred in people who were seriously ill.\n\nAlong with pregnant women, newborn babies and the elderly, they are most at risk of a more serious infection which can spread to the brain or blood stream.\n\nIn 2017 there were 33 deaths linked to listeriosis in England and Wales.\n\nListeria can be found in many types of food such as soft cheeses, chilled ready-to-eat foods like pre-packed salads, sandwiches and sliced meats, and unpasteurised milk products.\n\nTo reduce your risk, the NHS advises people keep chilled food in the fridge, heat food until it's piping hot and not use food after its use by date.", "Three hospital patients in England have died following an outbreak of listeria that is being linked to pre-packed sandwiches.\n\nAn investigation has been launched into the source of the infection.\n\nPublic Health England are focusing their probe on packets of sandwiches supplied by The Good Food Chain.\n\nThe cases of listeria infection were in six seriously ill hospital patients.\n\nThose who died were at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust and Aintree University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in Liverpool.\n\nListeriosis is a rare but serious foodborne illness caused by the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes that can be more serious for individuals with weakened immune systems, and also the elderly, pregnant women and infants.\n\nDr Nick Phin, deputy director at the national infection service, at PHE, said: \"Our thoughts are with the families of those patients who have died.\n\n\"We, along with the FSA, colleagues in local authorities and the NHS have worked quickly to determine the likely cause of this outbreak and taken action to reduce the risk to the public's health.\n\n\"To date, there have been no associated cases identified outside healthcare organisations, and any risk to the public is low.\"\n\nPublic Health England (PHE) said sandwiches and salads linked to the cases have been withdrawn and the supplier, The Good Food Chain, has voluntarily ceased production while the investigation continues.\n\nPHE said The Good Food Chain had been supplied with meat produced by North Country Cooked Meats which tested positive for the outbreak strain of listeria.", "Three hospital patients have died after a listeria outbreak from pre-packaged sandwiches, according to Public Health England.\n\nSandwiches and salads linked to the cases have been withdrawn and the supplier, The Good Food Chain has ceased production while an investigation begins.\n\nThe cases of the listeria infections were in six seriously ill patients at two hospitals - Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust and Aintree University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.\n\nThree of those patients have sadly died.\n\nThe Good Food Chain had been supplied with meat produced by North Country Cooked Meats which subsequently produced a positive test result for the outbreak strain of listeria.\n\nHave you been affected by this story? Email webnews@mirror.co.uk\n\nNorth Country Cooked Meats and North Country Quality Foods who they distribute through, have also voluntarily ceased production.\n\nDr Nick Phin, Deputy Director at the National Infection Service at Public Health England said: \"Our thoughts are with the families of those patients who have died.\n\n\"We, along with the FSA, colleagues in local authorities and the NHS have worked quickly to determine the likely cause of this outbreak and taken action to reduce the risk to the public’s health.\n\n\"To date, there have been no associated cases identified outside healthcare organisations, and any risk to the public is low.\"\n\nDr Colin Sullivan, Chief Operating Officer at the FSA said: \"Our sympathies are with the families of those patients who have tragically passed away.\n\n\"We have taken action along with local authorities to minimise the risk based on the evidence so far. The FSA will continue to investigate how the outbreak occurred and if further steps are required to protect vulnerable groups.\"\n\nListeria is a bacteria infection that can often go unnoticed or present only mild symptoms in most cases.\n\nHowever, the infection can be more serious or even fatal in some circumstances, spreading to the blood stream or brain.\n\nThe sandwiches and salads affected are no longer being produced while investigations continue and the affected products were withdrawn from hospitals when the links to the listeria infections were first identified.\n\nOn The Good Food Chain's website, they state: \"Whole Lotta Good' is brought to you by The Good Food Chain. For over 20 years we have supplied prestigious Universities, Business & Industry and Sporting Venues in the UK.\n\n\"Our customers enjoy quality products at the right price. They have peace of mind that all our products are lovingly hand prepared in a safe environment, as you would in your own kitchen.\"\n\nWe'll be bringing you the very latest updates, pictures and video on this breaking news story.", "Three people have died and three are seriously ill following an outbreak of listeria infection in hospitals in England, Public Health England has said.\n\nMultiple health agencies and local authorities are investigating the source of the infection, which is currently being linked to pre-packaged sandwiches available in English hospitals.\n\nAll six people affected were seriously ill in the hospital at the time they were infected, Public Health England said in a statement Friday.\n\nThe people who died were being treated at two hospitals in the northern English cities of Manchester and Liverpool, the health agency said.\n\n“Our thoughts are with the families of those patients who have died,” Nick Phin, the deputy director at the UK’s National Infection Service at Public Health England, said in the statement.\n\n“We, along with the Food Standards Agency (FSA), colleagues in local authorities and the NHS have worked quickly to determine the likely cause of this outbreak and taken action to reduce the risk to the public’s health.”\n\nHe added that there have been “no associated cases identified outside healthcare organizations,” and said the risk to the public was low.\n\nColin Sullivan, chief operating officer at the FSA, said his agency had taken action alongside local authorities to “minimize the risk based on the evidence so far.”\n\n“The FSA will continue to investigate how the outbreak occurred and if further steps are required to protect vulnerable groups,” he added.\n\nPublic Health England said the sandwiches and salads linked to the cases of illness were removed from hospitals by the supplier, The Good Food Chain. The agency also said the company voluntarily halted production while the contamination is under investigation.\n\n“Following investigations by Public Health England and the Food Standards Agency, The Good Food Chain has confirmed that its production facility in Stone, Staffordshire was cross-contaminated by an ingredient from one of its approved meat suppliers,” the company said in a statement to CNN.\n\nThe meat supplier, North Country Cooked Meats, and its distributor, North Country Quality Foods, have also voluntarily ceased production while the investigation is ongoing, Public Health England said.\n\nSymptoms of Listeria infection include fever, muscle aches, and gastrointestinal illness such as diarrhea.\n\nPregnant women, newborns, older adults and anyone with a weakened immune system are most at risk for Listeriosis infection. The risk for pregnant women is that the illness can cause miscarriage, stillbirth or premature birth.\n\nPublic Health England noted that the National Health Service in England and Wales typically sees 166 cases of listeria infection a year. An average of 46 deaths per year due to Listeria were reported between 2010 and 2016.", "Three hospital patients have died in an outbreak of listeria linked to pre-packed sandwiches.\n\nPublic Health England (PHE) said the victims were among six patients affected in England and the deaths occurred in Manchester and Liverpool.\n\nTwo of the victims were at Manchester Royal Infirmary, with the other a patient at Aintree Hospital.\n\nSandwiches and salads from The Good Food Chain linked to the outbreak have been withdrawn and production ceased.\n\nPHE said the sandwiches and salads affected are no longer being produced while investigations continue.\n\nIt added the products were withdrawn from hospitals when the links to the infections were first identified.\n\nA spokesperson for the Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust said it offered its \"deepest condolences to the bereaved families\" and \"sincerely regret\" that two of their seriously ill patients contracted listeria.\n\n\"Although the risk of infection was extremely small, as soon as the Trust was informed of the findings of PHE's investigation, a decision was made to remove the sandwiches that may have been affected from the patient menu as a precautionary measure, and an alternative supplier was established,\" the spokesperson said.\n\nDr Nick Phin, deputy director at the National Infection Service at PHE said: \"To date, there have been no associated cases identified outside healthcare organisations, and any risk to the public is low.\"\n\nPHE said The Good Food Chain, based in Staffordshire, had been supplied with meat produced by North Country Cooked Meats which subsequently produced a positive test result for the outbreak strain of listeria.\n\nThis business and North Country Quality Foods, who they distribute through, have also voluntarily ceased production.\n\nThe BBC has contacted The Good Food Chain and North Country Quality Foods for comment.", "The deaths at Aintree, right, and Manchester are linked to food supplied by the Good Food Chain\n\nTwo of the victims were patients at Manchester Royal Infirmary. The other was a patient at Aintree Hospital, Liverpool. Three other patients were reported to be seriously ill as a result of the outbreak.\n\nSandwiches and salads linked to the cases were immediately withdrawn and the Staffordshire-based supplier, The Good Food Chain, has voluntarily ceased production while an investigation is conducted.\n\nThe caterers supplied 43 NHS trusts across the UK with their Whole Lotta Good range which has been developed specifically for healthcare patients' needs.\n\nPublic Health England (PHE) said the business had been supplied with meat produced by Salford-based North Country Cooked Meats, which has since tested positive for the outbreak strain of listeria and has also stopped production.\n\nA spokesman for the Aintree University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust (AFT) said it had been advised by PHE to remove the affected products from the supply chain on Friday May 24.", "Three hospital patients have died after eating pre-packaged sandwiches linked to a listeria outbreak.\n\nAn investigation has been launched into the source of the infections, related to products supplied by The Good Food Chain, Public Health England (PHE) said.\n\nCases of listeria infection were found in six seriously ill hospital patients.\n\nThose who died were at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust and Aintree University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in Liverpool.\n\nDr Nick Phin, deputy director at the national infection service at PHE, said: “Our thoughts are with the families of those patients who have died.\n\n“We, along with the Food Standards Agency, colleagues in local authorities and the NHS have worked quickly to determine the likely cause of this outbreak and taken action to reduce the risk to the public’s health.\n\n“To date, there have been no associated cases identified outside healthcare organisations, and any risk to the public is low.”\n\nThe first case showed symptoms on April 25 while the most recent case was reported on May 15, a PHE spokeswoman said.\n\nSandwiches and salads were withdrawn on May 25, as soon as a link with the cases was suspected.\n\nIt is understood that some of the products were sold at hospitals while others were given to patients.\n\nThe Good Food Chain, which supplied 43 NHS trusts across the UK, has voluntarily ceased production.\n\nThe business was supplied with meat produced by North Country Cooked Meats, which has since tested positive for the outbreak strain of listeria and also stopped production.\n\nListeria infection is rare and usually causes a mild illness in healthy people.\n\nHowever it can have more serious consequences among those with pre-existing medical conditions, pregnant women and those with a weak immune system.\n\nDr Colin Sullivan, chief operating officer at the Food Standards Agency (FSA), which is helping with the investigation, said: “Our sympathies are with the families of those patients who have tragically passed away.\n\n“We have taken action along with local authorities to minimise the risk based on the evidence so far.\n\n“The FSA will continue to investigate how the outbreak occurred and if further steps are required to protect vulnerable groups.”"], "summary": "In the United Kingdom, three hospital patients die from listeria linked to prepacked sandwiches from North Country Cooked Meats distributed via The Good Food Chain, which supplies 43 National Health Service trusts across the country. Three other patients are seriously ill. North Country Cooked Meats, and its distributor, North Country Quality Foods, voluntarily cease production while the investigation is ongoing."}
{"document": ["Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The crew of the USS Chancellorsville had a close-up view of the Russian warship Admiral Vinogradov\n\nA Russian warship and a US warship have come close to collision in the western Pacific Ocean, with each side blaming the other for the incident.\n\nRussia's Pacific Fleet said the cruiser USS Chancellorsville crossed just 50m (160ft) in front of the destroyer Admiral Vinogradov at 06:35 Moscow time (03:35 GMT).\n\nIt was forced to perform \"emergency manoeuvring\" to avoid the US ship.\n\nBut US forces blamed the Russians, claiming their ship was responsible.\n\nUS Seventh Fleet Commander Clayton Doss called the Russians \"unsafe and unprofessional\", saying their destroyer \"made an unsafe manoeuvre against USS Chancellorsville\". He dismissed the Russian allegation as \"propaganda\".\n\nImage copyright AFP/US NAVY Image caption Another US Navy image showed the Russian destroyer Admiral Vinogradov (l) close to the USS Chancellorsville\n\nAdmiral Vinogradov came within 50 to 100 feet (15m-30m) of the USS Chancellorsville in the Philippine Sea, the US said.\n\nThe Russian Pacific Fleet meanwhile said the incident took place in the southeast of the East China Sea, and added they had sent a message of protest to the US ship's commanders.\n\nIn a statement it said the US warship had \"suddenly changed direction and crossed the path of Admiral Vinogradov just 50m away,\" forcing the Russian crew to make a quick manoeuvre.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The US Navy posted this video of its plane being intercepted by a Russian jet\n\nThe US said later that it would lodge a formal diplomatic complaint, or demarche, with Russia over its warship's movements.\n\n\"We'll have military-to-military conversations with the Russians, and of course we'll demarche them,\" acting Defence Secretary Patrick Shanahan told reporters.\n\nBoth countries regularly accuse the other of dangerous military manoeuvres - at sea and in the air.\n\nIn November, the US posted footage of a Russian jet intercepting one of its planes over the Black Sea - a move they called \"irresponsible\", but which the Russians said was to stop \"a violation of Russian airspace\".\n\nDangerous and unnecessary brinkmanship\n\nBy Jonathan Marcus, BBC defence and diplomatic correspondent\n\nTwo warships; two narratives - but one very real chance of accident or potential injury. There is simply no reason for vessels of this size to be in such close proximity.\n\nOne of them - or maybe even both - was at fault. Both sides blame the other. But this kind of incident is becoming ever more frequent and it does generally seem to be the result of a concerted policy by Russia to challenge US and its allies naval operations whenever possible.\n\nOften these incidents occur in the Black Sea which Moscow sometimes regards as its own lake; a view with which other states on its shores - some of them Nato members, or aspiring Nato members - disagree.\n\nSuch incidents between the US and Russia are less frequent in Asian-Pacific waters, where the tensions tend to be between US and Chinese ships or aircraft. But wherever it occurs naval brinkmanship of this kind is dangerous and unnecessary.", "According to Reuters, the US Navy said a Russian destroyer almost collided with one of its warships early Friday morning in the Philippine Sea and denounced the incident as \"unsafe and unprofessional.\"\n\nA US official told CNN that the US Navy is in the process of declassifying footage to show exactly what happened to prove Russian aggression.\n\nThe Navy said the incident occurred in the Philippine Sea while the Russians said it was in the East China Sea. The boundary between the two bodies of water is the Senakaku Islands, which are a group of uninhabited islands in the East China Sea, located approximately due east of Mainland China, northeast of Taiwan, west of Okinawa Island.\n\n: The Navy just decalassified the following two stunning videos of the incident.\n\nWe reported last November that the Senakaku Islands could be a \"flashpoint for war.\"\n\nHowever, the Russian Navy has a different description of what happened: they said the USS Chancellorsville, a Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser, radically changed course and came within just 50 meters of the Russian destroyer Admiral Vinogradov. It added in a statement that a collision was averted by emergency maneuvers.\n\nThe statement from Russia's Pacific Fleet said the \"actions of the American ship are unacceptable.\"\n\nThe near collision comes just three days after a Russian Sukhoi Su-35 unsafely intercepted a US Navy warplane over the Mediterranean.\n\nTensions between Beijing and Washington have been elevated in the South China Sea. American warships using Freedom of Navigation Operations have been recently sailing within 12 nautical miles of Chinese militarized islands, which has deeply angered Beijing.\n\nThis comes at a time when the US has been lured into Thucydides's trap: the rising power (China/Russia) challenge the status quo (the US) and ultimately has put the world onto a collision course for war. If you're curious as to how the next shooting war might start, well, it could very well be a collision of warships near the Senakaku Islands or somewhere in the South China Sea.", "SALT LAKE CITY — Warships from Russia and the United States came close to a collision in the western Pacific Ocean on Friday morning. Both sides blamed each other for the incident.\n\nA video of the near-collision also surfaced online:\n\nRussia’s Pacific Fleet said that the U.S.S. Chancellorsville came within 50 meters of the Russian destroyer Admiral Vinogradov, which was forced to take emergency action to avoid a crash, Reuters reports.\n\nMultiple Russian media reports cited a statement from the Russian Pacific Fleet that said the incident happened after Russian warships were on a course parallel to a U.S. strike group.\n\n“The U.S guided-missile cruiser Chancellorsville suddenly changed course and cut across the path of the destroyer Admiral Vinogradov coming within 50 meters of the ship,” the statement said, according to Reuters.\n\n“A protest over the international radio frequency was made to the commanders of the American ship who were warned about the unacceptable nature of such actions,” it said.\n\nThe U.S. Navy rejected the story.\n\n“While operating in the Philippine Sea, a Russian Destroyer ... made an unsafe maneuver against USS Chancellorsville,” U.S. Seventh Fleet spokesman Commander Clayton Doss said, according to CNN. “This unsafe action forced Chancellorsville to execute all engines back full and to maneuver to avoid collision.”\n\nContext: Russia and the United States commonly blame each other for military incidents at sea and in the air, according to BBC News. For example, the U.S. shared footage of Russia intercepting a plane over the Black Sea last November.\n• Carl Schuster, a retired U.S. Navy captain and former director of operations at the U.S. Pacific Command's Joint Intelligence Center, told CNN that the incident happened far away from Russia and in international waters and that this situation is nothing new.\n• \"The Russians normally harass our ships when they are operating in waters the Russian consider to be within their sphere of Influence (Black Sea, Barents Sea and the waters off Validvostok,\" he said.", "Russia and the United States blamed each other for a near collision between their warships in the East China Sea on Friday with both countries accusing one another of dangerous and unprofessional behaviour.\n\nRussia’s Pacific Fleet said that the USS Chancellorsville, a guided-missile cruiser, had come within just 50m (165ft) of the Russian destroyer Admiral Vinogradov which had been forced to take emergency action to avoid a collision, Russian news agencies reported.\n\nThey cited a Russian Pacific Fleet statement as saying the incident took place in the early hours of Friday morning in the eastern part of the East China Sea at a time when a group of Russian warships was on a parallel course with a US naval strike group.\n\n“The US guided-missile cruiser Chancellorsville suddenly changed course and cut across the path of the destroyer Admiral Vinogradov coming within 50m of the ship,” the statement said.\n\n“A protest over the international radio frequency was made to the commanders of the American ship who were warned about the unacceptable nature of such actions,” it said.\n\nThat version of events was rejected by the US navy, which said the behaviour of the Russian ship had been “unsafe and unprofessional”.\n\n“While operating in the Philippine Sea, a Russian Destroyer . . . made an unsafe manoeuvre against USS Chancellorsville,” US Seventh Fleet spokesman Commander Clayton Doss said.\n\n“This unsafe action forced Chancellorsville to execute all engines back full and to manoeuvre to avoid collision.”\n\nHe described a Russian assertion that the US ship had acted dangerously as “propaganda”. The Russian destroyer came within 50 to 100ft of the Chancellorsville, he said, putting the safety of her crew and the ship at risk.\n\nThe incident comes days after Washington and Moscow sparred over an allegedly unsafe spy plane intercept by a Russian fighter jet near Syria.", "The US and Russian warships came somewhere between 50 feet and 165 feet of each other, according to the two opposing reports, with both sides alleging their ships were forced to perform emergency maneuvers to avoid a collision.\n\n\"A Russian destroyer .... made an unsafe maneuver against USS Chancellorsville, closing to 50-100 feet, putting the safety of her crew and ship at risk,\" US Navy spokesman Cmdr. Clayton Doss told CNN in a statement.\n\n\"This unsafe action forced Chancellorsville to execute all engines back full and to maneuver to avoid collision,\" Doss said.\n\nThe US guided-missile cruiser was traveling in a straight line and trying to recover its helicopter when the incident occurred, he said.\n\n\"We consider Russia's actions during this interaction as unsafe and unprofessional,\" Doss said. The Russian destroyer Admiral Vinogradov arrives at a port to attend China-Russia Joint Sea 2019 naval exercise on April 29, 2019, in Qingdao, China. The US account was contradicted by Russia's Pacific Fleet, which claimed it was the US ship that instigated the incident, according to comments carried by the state-run RIA-Novosti news agency. A US official tells CNN the US Navy is attempting to declassify images to show what happened to discount the Russian account claiming that the US was at fault. \"When moving (on) parallel courses of a detachment of ships of the Pacific Fleet and a carrier group of the US Navy, the cruiser Chancellorsville suddenly changed its direction and crossed within 50 meters of the Admiral Vinogradov,\" forcing the Russian destroyer to take emergency evasive action, the report said. The US Navy said the incident occurred in the Philippine Sea while the Russian report said it happened in the East China Sea. The boundary between the two bodies of water is the Senakaku Islands (also known as the Diaoyu islands in China), to the south of Japan and east of Taiwan. The incident comes just days after the US Navy accused Russia of intercepting a US aircraft flying in international airspace over the Mediterranean Sea three times in just under three hours. The second of the three interactions \"was determined to be unsafe\" due to the Russian aircraft \"conducting a high speed pass directly in front of the mission aircraft, which put our pilots and crew at risk,\" the US Navy said.", "– The U.S. and Russia accused each other of unsafe actions on Friday after a U.S. guided-missile cruiser and a Russian destroyer came within 165 feet of each other in the Philippine Sea.\n\nActing Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan told reporters that the U.S. will file a formal diplomatic complaint and will have military to military conversations with the Russians. He added that the encounter will not deter the U.S. from conducting naval operations. The U.S. 7th Fleet said the Russian destroyer put the safety of the USS Chancellorsville and its crew at risk, forcing it to reverse all engines at full throttle.\n\nNo one was injured, and the ships never came into contact, said a spokesman for the Japan-based 7th Fleet. A U.S. helicopter was preparing to land on the Chancellorsville, which was traveling on a steady course, when the Russian destroyer, traveling behind the U.S. ship, started moving faster and approached as close as 50-100 feet, the 7th Fleet said in a statement.\n\n“We consider Russia’s actions during this interaction as unsafe and unprofessional and not in accordance with the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGS), ‘Rules of the Road,’ and internationally recognized maritime customs,” the statement said.\n\nIt was the first such incident involving warships in the region since September, when the Chinese warship Luoyang maneuvered close to the USS Decatur, a Navy destroyer, in the South China Sea, an incident the U.S. also labeled unprofessional and unsafe. The U.S. at the time said the Chinese ship came within 45 yards of the American ship, forcing it to maneuver out of the way.\n\nThe U.S. also has repeatedly complained in recent years that Russian planes have flown dangerously close to U.S. aircraft, and the two nations routinely shadow each other in international airspace.\n\nIn this latest incident, in open ocean northeast of the Philippines, the Russian military accused the Chancellorsville of making a dangerous maneuver by crossing the path of the destroyer Admiral Vinogradov. The U.S. said the incident happened in the Philippine Sea, while the Russians said it was in the East China Sea, which is farther west and closer to China.", "The US Navy has accused a Russian warship of “unsafe and unprofessional” conduct after a tense standoff on Friday. The US Navy released footage of the near collision, showing the USS Chancellorsville being forced to manoeuvre to avoid a crash. The Russian Udaloy-class destroyer can be seen getting very close to the USS Chancellorsville as the warships move past one another. The US Navy posted: “BREAKING: #USNavy has released video of #USSChancellorsville being forced to manoeuvre to avoid collision.\n\n“#Russian destroyer Udaloy I made an unsafe and unprofessional approach in the Phillippine Sea, June 7th.” In an earlier post, the US Navy explained: “While recovering its helicopter #USSChancellorsville was forced to execute all engines back full. “To avoid collision with #Russian destroyer Udaloy I, which had come from behind and alongside within 50-100 feet in the Phillippine Sea.” However in a contrasting version of events, Russia's Pacific Fleet said that the USS Chancellorsville, a guided-missile cruiser, had come within just 50 meters (165 feet) of the Russian destroyer Admiral Vinogradov.\n\nThe Russian warship had been forced to take emergency action to avoid a collision, Russian news agencies reported. They cited a Russian Pacific Fleet statement as saying the incident took place in the early hours of Friday morning in the eastern part of the East China Sea at a time when a group of Russian warships was on a parallel course with a U.S. naval strike group. The statement said: ”The U.S guided-missile cruiser Chancellorsville suddenly changed course and cut across the path of the destroyer Admiral Vinogradov coming within 50 metres of the ship. ”A protest over the international radio frequency was made to the commanders of the American ship who were warned about the unacceptable nature of such actions.”\n\nU.S. Seventh Fleet spokesman Commander Clayton Doss said: “While operating in the Philippine Sea, a Russian Destroyer...made an unsafe manoeuvre against USS Chancellorsville. \"This unsafe action forced Chancellorsville to execute all engines back full and to maneuver to avoid collision.\" He described a Russian assertion that the U.S. ship had acted dangerously as \"propaganda\". The Russian destroyer came within 50 to 100 feet of the Chancellorsville, he said, putting the safety of her crew and the ship at risk. The incident comes days after Washington and Moscow sparred over an allegedly unsafe spy plane intercept by a Russian fighter jet near Syria.", "In this image provided by the U.S. Navy, a Russian destroyer, left, sails very close to the USS Chancellorsville, right, while operating in the Philippine Sea, Friday, June 7, 2019. The U.S. and Russian militaries accused each other of unsafe actions in the incident. (Photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Christopher J Krucke via AP)\n\nWASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. and Russia accused each other of unsafe actions on Friday after an American guided-missile cruiser and a Russian destroyer came within 165 feet (50 meters) of each other in the Philippine Sea.\n\nActing Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan told reporters that the U.S. will file a formal diplomatic complaint about the incident and will have military to military conversations with the Russians. He added that the encounter will not deter the U.S. from conducting naval operations.\n\nThe U.S. 7th Fleet said the Russian destroyer put the safety of the USS Chancellorsville and its crew at risk, forcing it to reverse all engines at full throttle to avoid a collision.\n\nNo one was injured, and the ships never came into contact, said Navy Cdr. Clay Doss, a spokesman for the Japan-based 7th Fleet.\n\nAn American helicopter was preparing to land on the Chancellorsville, which was traveling on a steady course, when the Russian destroyer, traveling behind the U.S. ship, started moving faster and approached as close as 50-100 feet (15-30 meters), the 7th Fleet said in a statement.\n\n“We consider Russia’s actions during this interaction as unsafe and unprofessional and not in accordance with the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGS), ‘Rules of the Road,’ and internationally recognized maritime customs,” the statement said.\n\nIt was the first such incident involving warships in the region since September, when the Chinese warship Luoyang maneuvered close to the USS Decatur , a Navy destroyer, in the South China Sea, an incident the U.S. also labeled unprofessional and unsafe. The U.S. at the time said the Chinese ship came within 45 yards (41 meters) of the American ship, forcing it to maneuver out of the way. The Chinese said the Luoyang had been deployed to drive the U.S. vessel away from islands that China claims as its own.\n\nThe U.S. also has repeatedly complained in recent years that Russian planes have flown dangerously close to American aircraft, and the two nations routinely shadow each other in international airspace.\n\nIn this latest incident, in open ocean northeast of the Philippines, the Russian military accused the Chancellorsville of making a dangerous maneuver by crossing the path of the Russian destroyer Admiral Vinogradov. The U.S. said the incident happened in the Philippine Sea, while the Russians said it was in the East China Sea, which is further west and closer to China.\n\nThe Russian military said in a statement that the U.S. cruiser “suddenly changed direction and crossed the path of Admiral Vinogradov just 50 meters (165 feet) away,” forcing the crew of the Russian ship to make a quick maneuver to avoid a collision. It said its navy sent a radio message in protest.\n\nWith U.S.-Russian relations at post-Cold War lows over the Ukrainian crisis, the war in Syria and Moscow’s meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, the Russian and U.S. militaries have frequently exchanged accusations of what they describe as unsafe maneuvers by the other side’s warplanes and navy ships.\n\nYamaguchi reported from Tokyo. Associated Press writer Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow contributed to this report.", "Washington and Moscow blame each other for a near-collision between warships in East China Sea on Friday morning. A US guided missile cruiser, the USS Chancellorsville, and a Russian destroyer came within 50 metres of each other while on patrol\n• US and Russia blame each other after warships nearly collide", "- The U.S. Navy has released footage of the dramatic moment one of its warships almost collided with a Russian destroyer in the Philippine Sea.\n\nThe USS Chancellorsville, a guided-missile cruiser, nearly struck the Udaloy I DD 572 when it made an \"unsafe maneuver\", coming within 50 to 100 feet, according to the Navy's 7th Fleet in a statement.\n\n“This unsafe action forced Chancellorsville to execute all engines back full and to maneuver to avoid collision,” said the Navy’s 7th Fleet in a statement.\n\nThe Navy subsequently released video and a satellite image showing the two vessels sailing perilously close to one another.\n\nThe incident happened at 11:45 am Friday in the Philippine Sea, according to the statement.\n\nRussian state media had claimed that the U.S. cruiser had \"hindered the passage\" of the Admiral Vinogradov anti-submarine destroyer about 160 feet in front of it, forcing them to perform a dangerous maneuver in the southeastern part of the East China Sea. But the U.S. dismissed their version of events as \"propaganda\"\n\nIt’s the second time in three days the U.S. Navy has accused Russian forces of dangerous maneuvers after a Russian fighter jet flew dangerously close to a Navy reconnaissance aircraft in the eastern Mediterranean.\n\nThe near collision between American and Russian warships comes days after Russian President Vladimir Putin hosted his Chinese counterpart at the Kremlin.\n\n\"We consider Russia's actions during this interaction as unsafe and unprofessional and not in accordance with the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGS), 'Rules of the Road,' and internationally recognized maritime customs,\" the 7th Fleet said.\n\nThe latest incident comes just days after the Navy accused a Russian fighter jet of buzzing a U.S. reconnaissance plane over the Mediterranean Sea three times.\n\nThe U.S. P-8A Poseidon aircraft was flying in international airspace at the time of the intercepts Tuesday, Navy officials added.\n\nThe developments come as the U.S. Navy is set to kick off a series of war games in the Baltic Sea with other NATO nations.\n\nThe Pentagon had mulled over pulling thousands of Marines from the exercise - known as BALTOPS - to send to the Middle East in a warning to Iran, but in the end, top officials thought the American forces were needed to send a message to Russia.\n\nGet updates on this story at FoxNews.com"], "summary": "The U.S. cruiser USS Chancellorsville and the Russian destroyer Admiral Vinogradov almost collide in the western Pacific Ocean. Each side blames the other, and their reports disagree as to the location of the incident: Russia claims it happened in the East China Sea, while the U.S. says it was in the nearby Philippine Sea."}
{"document": ["Following is a summary of current world news briefs.\n\nMichael Gove, a leading contenders to replace British Prime Minister Theresa May, said he would delay Brexit rather than rush into a no-deal exit that could trigger an election that would propel Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn to power. The United Kingdom could be heading towards a constitutional crisis over Brexit as many of the candidates vying to succeed May are prepared to leave the EU on Oct. 31 without a deal but parliament has indicated it will try to thwart such a scenario.\n\nTrump to decide on $300 billion China tariffs after G20 meeting\n\nU.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday he would decide whether to carry out his threat to hit Beijing with tariffs on at least $300 billion in Chinese goods after a meeting of leaders of the world's largest economies late this month. Relations between the United States and China have deteriorated since Trump in early May accused Beijing of reneging on commitments to change its ways of doing business with the rest of the world.\n\nEastern Libyan forces on Thursday conducted an air strike for a second night on the military section of the only functioning airport of the Libyan capital, a statement by the force said. The Libyan National Army (LNA) force of Khalifa Haftar, which controls eastern Libya, has tried to take the capital held by the internationally recognized government in a two-month offensive but has failed to breach defenses in southern suburbs.\n\nDoubts persist over Trump attendance at French G7 summit: French official\n\nU.S. President Donald Trump did not confirm he would attend August's summit of the G7 group of rich nations in southwestern France city of Biarritz when he met President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday, a French official said. A G7 foreign ministers meeting held in Britanny earlier this year was overshadowed when U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo chose not to attend, underscoring how tough agreeing common ground between allies has become at the annual big power summit.\n\nIran failing as a nation, but U.S. could turn that around: Trump\n\nIran is failing as a nation after Washington imposed powerful sanctions last year, U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday, adding that he could turn that around very quickly in talks with the leadership in Tehran. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Tuesday that Tehran would not be \"deceived\" by Trump´s offer of negotiations and would not give up its missile program.\n\nMost EU governments back another Brexit delay, says EU source: The Times\n\nMost European Union governments will back another Brexit delay regardless of who becomes the next British prime minister, The Times reported on Friday, citing a senior European source. At least 25 European governments are prepared to give the UK another extension, despite statements from most British prime minister candidates that Britain will leave the EU on Oct. 31 with or without a deal, the newspaper added.\n\nUAE says 'sophisticated' tanker attacks likely the work of a state actor\n\nThe United Arab Emirates told the United Nations Security Council on Thursday that attacks on four tankers off its coast on May 12 bore the hallmarks of a \"sophisticated and coordinated operation,\" most likely by a state actor. In a document on the U.N. briefing, the UAE joined by Norway and Saudi Arabia did not say who they believed was behind the attacks and they did not mention Iran, which has been accused by the United States of being directly responsible.\n\nUAE says 'sophisticated' tanker attacks likely the work of a state actor\n\nThe United Arab Emirates told United Nations Security Council members on Thursday that attacks on four tankers off its coast on May 12 bore the hallmarks of a \"sophisticated and coordinated operation,\" most likely by a state actor. In a document on the briefing to Security Council members, the UAE, joined by Norway and Saudi Arabia, did not say who it believed was behind the attacks and did not mention Iran, which has been accused by the United States of being directly responsible.\n\nExplainer: How does the situation on the U.S.-Mexico border compare with the past?\n\nU.S. President Donald Trump has made immigration a central theme of his administration but has grown increasingly frustrated with the ballooning numbers of mostly Central American families crossing the U.S.-Mexico border and turning themselves in to U.S. authorities. A threat of across-the-board tariffs on Mexican goods starting on Monday unless Mexico does more to stop migrants from reaching the United States has led to high-stakes negotiations between the two governments.\n\nAs Mexico-U.S. talks progress, markets rise on hopes a deal could be close\n\nMexican and U.S. officials held a second day of talks on trade and migration on Thursday, with markets rebounding on optimism a deal could be close, although it was unclear if Mexican pledges to curb migration flows were enough to persuade the Trump administration to postpone tariffs. U.S. President Donald Trump has warned that tariffs of 5% on all Mexican exports to the United States will go into effect on Monday if Mexico does not step up efforts to stem an increase in mostly Central American migrants heading for the U.S. border.", "Image copyright AFP Image caption The Saudi oil tanker Al-Marzoqah was one of the ships damaged\n\nThe United Arab Emirates has told the UN Security Council a \"state actor\" was most likely behind attacks on four tankers off its coast.\n\nThe 12 May attacks bore the hallmarks of a \"sophisticated and co-ordinated operation\", according to its report.\n\nThe UAE did not say who it thought was behind the attacks, which also targeted vessels from Saudi Arabia and Norway.\n\nThe US has accused Iran of being behind the attacks but Tehran denies this and has called for an investigation.\n\nThe attacks took place within UAE territorial waters east of the emirate of Fujairah, just outside the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, in what the UAE called a \"sabotage attack\".\n\nThey exacerbated long-standing tensions between Iran, and the US and its allies in the Gulf.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The BBC was invited on board the USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea\n\nWhat does the report say happened?\n\nAccording to the UAE-led investigation, which was presented to a closed session of the UN Security Council in New York, the attacks showed a \"high degree of sophistication\".\n\n\"The attacks required the expert navigation of fast boats\" which \"were able to intrude into UAE territorial waters\", the report's preliminary findings say.\n\nDivers were used to attack the ships using limpet mines in order to cause damage but not cause a major explosion, the presentation says.\n\nThere were no casualties but Saudi Arabia has said two of its ships suffered \"significant\" damage. Another tanker was Norwegian-registered, while the fourth was UAE-flagged.\n\nPressure-cooker atmosphere\n\nThere are two aspects to the tensions under way in the Gulf. One practical - what the Americans insist is a real threat from Iran and its allies in the region - and a political one - a push by Washington and its key Gulf allies to paint Iran as an imminent threat to peace.\n\nThe latest UAE-led findings on the tanker attacks last month have to be seen in this context.\n\nAt the UN they - along with Saudi Arabia and Norway - blamed a \"state actor\" but stopped short of specifically naming Iran. But then US officials have already said Iran was responsible, with reports that the US Navy tracked a flotilla of small Iranian vessels from which they believe divers operated to mine the ships.\n\nSo the accusations are not new as such, though made in a more formal setting.\n\nBut they underscore the pressure-cooker atmosphere in the region with any mistake or misunderstanding by either side risking a serious military engagement.\n\nWhy is Iran being accused?\n\nThe attacks happened at a time of escalating tension between the US and Iran, long-time foes.\n\nThey took place days after the US sent warships and bombers to the region in response to what it said was an unspecified plan by Iran to attack US forces in the area.\n\nWhile it is unclear why Iran would carry out a relatively low-level attack on the multinational tankers, observers have speculated that it could have been to send a signal to forces ranged against it that it is capable of disrupting shipping there without triggering a war.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption US special representative for Iran: \"We are not looking to get into a war\"\n\nResponding to the UAE report, the Saudi Ambassador to the UN, Abdallah Y al-Mouallimi, said the kingdom believed \"that the responsibility for this action lies on the shoulders of Iran. We have no hesitation in making this statement,\" Reuters news agency reported.\n\nUS National Security Adviser John Bolton previously said \"naval mines almost certainly from Iran\" were to blame for the damage, although he provided no evidence to support the allegation.\n\nIran's foreign ministry has rejected the US accusations as \"ludicrous\" and accused Mr Bolton of being a \"warmonger\".\n\nEarlier this week, Israeli media reported that the Israeli intelligence agency, the Mossad, had provided the US with unspecified material linking Iran to the attacks.\n\nAn unnamed senior Israeli official said on Thursday that Israel had evidence that \"the Iranians did it… without a doubt, either directly or by proxies\".\n\nWhy have tensions risen?\n\nThe Trump administration has taken a hard line towards Iran, accusing it of being a destabilising force in the Middle East. For its part, Iran has accused the US of aggressive behaviour.\n\nTensions increased last month when Washington ended exemptions from sanctions for countries still buying oil from Iran. Washington reinstated sanctions a year ago when it abandoned an international nuclear deal curbing Iran's nuclear programme.\n\nThe decision was intended to bring Iran's oil exports to zero, denying the government its main source of revenue.\n\nIn response, Iran announced it would suspend several commitments under the deal.", "NEW YORK: The United Arab Emirates told United Nations Security Council members on Thursday that attacks on four tankers off its coast on May 12 bore the hallmarks of a “sophisticated and coordinated operation,” most likely by a state actor.\n\n In a document on the briefing to Security Council members, the UAE, joined by Norway and Saudi Arabia, did not say who it believed was behind the attacks and did not mention Iran, which has been accused by the United States of being directly responsible.\n\n The attacks required expert navigation of fast boats and trained divers who likely placed limpet mines with a high degree of precision on the vessels under the waterline to incapacitate but not sink them, according to the preliminary findings of the countries’ joint investigation.\n\n “While investigations are still ongoing, these facts are strong indications that the four attacks were part of a sophisticated and coordinated operation carried out by an actor with significant operational capacity, most likely a state actor,” the three countries said in the document.\n\n They believe it was the work of several teams of operatives, which coordinated the timed detonation of all four explosive charges within less than an hour.\n\n The May 12 attacks targeted two Saudi tankers, an Emirati vessel and a Norwegian tanker, causing no casualties but fueling tensions between the United States and Iran during weeks of escalating rhetoric.\n\n US national security adviser John Bolton said on May 29 that the attacks were the work of “naval mines almost certainly from Iran.” Tehran denied the accusations.\n\n A few days earlier in May, at the Pentagon, US Rear Admiral Michael Gilday accused Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) of being directly responsible for the attacks.\n\nSaudi Arabia's ambassador to the United Nations, Abdallah Y. Al-Mouallimi, laid the blame squarely on Iran.\n\n“We believe that the responsibility for this action lies on the shoulders of Iran. We have no hesitation in making this statement,” he said.\n\nThreat to global energy supplies\n\n US President Donald Trump’s administration, acting on concerns of a potential attack by Iran on US interests, has deployed 1,500 more troops to the Middle East, accelerated the movement of an aircraft carrier strike group to the region and sent bombers and additional Patriot missiles.\n\n The tanker attacks occurred off the UAE emirate of Fujairah, which lies just outside the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global oil and gas shipping route that separates the Gulf Arab states — allies of the United States — and Iran.\n\n The three countries said the attacks endangered commercial navigation and the security of global energy supplies. They planned to share the findings of their probe with the London-based International Maritime Organization.\n\n In the weeks before the attacks, the Trump administration hardened its policy against Iran by fully reimposing sanctions on Iranian oil exports and designating the IRGC as a foreign terrorist organization.\n\n Trump reiterated this week that he wants to sit down with Iran’s leaders to negotiate a new deal, a year after Washington pulled out of an accord between Iran and global powers to curb Tehran’s nuclear program in return for lifting international sanctions.\n\n Irani Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Tuesday that Tehran would not be “deceived” by Trump’s offer.", "UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United Arab Emirates told the United Nations Security Council on Thursday that attacks on four tankers off its coast on May 12 bore the hallmarks of a “sophisticated and coordinated operation,” most likely by a state actor.\n\nIn a document on the U.N. briefing, the UAE joined by Norway and Saudi Arabia did not say who they believed was behind the attacks and they did not mention Iran, which has been accused by the United States of being directly responsible.", "The United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Norway said Thursday that a preliminary investigation into a coordinated attack on four of their oil tankers in an Emirati port last month was likely carried out by a state actor.\n\nIn a joint statement, they said limpet mines were used in the May 12 coordinated attacks, which left large holes in the hulls of the four tankers, but did not cause more extensive damage or oil spills. Limpets are a type of naval mine that attach to their target with magnets.\n\n“It appears most likely that the mines were placed on the vessels by divers deployed from fast boats,” the statement said. “While investigations are still ongoing, these facts are strong indications that the four attacks were part of a sophisticated and coordinated operation carried out by an actor with significant operational capacity, most likely a state actor.”\n\nThe three countries presented their initial findings to the U.N. Security Council in an informal meeting Thursday to discuss what they see as a threat to international commercial navigation and the security of global energy supplies.\n\nWhile they stressed that their investigation is still in the preliminary stage and did not jointly point a finger at any country in their statement, Saudi Arabian U.N. Ambassador Abdallah al-Mouallimi said there was a “preponderance of evidence” pointing in one direction.\n\n“We believe that the responsibility for this action lies on the shoulders of Iran,” al-Mouallimi told a small group of reporters. “We have no hesitation in making this statement, we believe there is enough evidence to demonstrate that.”\n\nHe said the attacks follow a “pattern of regular behavior of the Iran regime in terms of spreading acts of terrorism, sabotaging and causing havoc in many parts of the world.”\n\nU.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton shared a similar assessment when he was in the Emirati capital Abu Dhabi last month, telling reporters that it was “clear that Iran is behind” the attack.\n\nThe four blasts occurred within less than an hour on the two Saudi vessels, and one each from the UAE and Norway. The ships were within UAE territorial waters off the port of Fujairah, just outside the Strait of Hormuz, a busy shipping lane through which a large portion of the world’s oil supply passes.\n\nThe tankers were targeted from among nearly 200 other vessels at anchor off of Fujairah on that day. One of the vessels was several kilometers away at the opposite end of the anchorage area, an indication that the targets were not randomly chosen.\n\nThe UAE is leading the ongoing investigation and said it will share its preliminary findings with the London-based International Maritime Organization.", "The United Arab Emirates has told United Nations Security Council members that attacks on four tankers off its coast on May 12 bore the hallmarks of a \"sophisticated and coordinated operation,\" most likely by a state actor.\n\nIn a document on the briefing to Security Council members, the UAE, joined by Norway and Saudi Arabia, did not say who it believed was behind the attacks and did not mention Iran, which has been accused by the US of being directly responsible.\n\nThe three countries said the attacks required expert navigation of fast boats and trained divers who likely placed limpet mines with a high degree of precision on the vessels under the waterline.\n\n\"While investigations are still ongoing, these facts are strong indications that the four attacks were part of a sophisticated and coordinated operation carried out by an actor with significant operational capacity, most likely a state actor,\" the three countries said in the document.\n\nUS national security adviser John Bolton said on May 29 that the attacks were the work of \"naval mines almost certainly from Iran.\" Tehran denied the accusations.\n\nA few days earlier in May, at the Pentagon, US Rear Admiral Michael Gilday accused Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps of being directly responsible for the attacks.\n\nThe May 12 attacks targeted two Saudi tankers, an Emirati vessel and a Norwegian tanker, causing no casualties. They occurred off the UAE emirate of Fujairah, which lies just outside the Strait of Hormuz, a vital global oil and gas shipping route.\n\nThe strait separates the Gulf Arab states and Iran, which has been embroiled in an escalating war of words with the United States over US sanctions and the US military's regional presence.", "A United Arab Emirates probe into attacks on four tankers off its coast last month that ratcheted up tensions in the region has found a \"state actor\" was likely responsible, though stopped short of naming Iran.\n\nIn a document on the briefing to Security Council members, the UAE, joined by Norway and Saudi Arabia, did not say who it believed was behind the attacks and did not mention Tehran, which has been accused by the United States of being directly responsible.\n\nThe attacks required expert navigation of fast boats and trained divers who likely placed limpet mines with a high degree of precision on the vessels under the waterline to incapacitate but not sink them, according to the preliminary findings of the countries' joint investigation.\n\n\"While investigations are still ongoing, these facts are strong indications that the four attacks were part of a sophisticated and coordinated operation carried out by an actor with significant operational capacity, most likely a state actor,\" the three countries said in the document.", "New York [US], June 07 (ANI): In a veiled reference to Iran, an investigation conducted by the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Norway into the coordinated attack on their four oil tankers off the port of Fujairah last month has concluded that a \"state actor\" was behind it.\n\nThe three countries told the United Nations on Thursday in the briefing that there are \"strong indications that the four attacks were part of a sophisticated and coordinated operation carried out with significant operational capacity.\"\n\nThe countries conducted the assessment of the damage to the four vessels and the chemical analysis of the debris recovered revealed that limpet mines were used during the attack on the four vessels.\n\nIn a press statement, the countries said that the attacks required trained divers, explosive charges placed under the waterline, near the engines, so as to not sink the ships or detonate their cargoes, which indicated a knowledge of the design of the targeted ships. The countries said rapid withdrawal of the plotters by fast boats indicated an understanding of the geographic area.\n\nOn May 12, two oil tankers from Saudi Arabia and two other vessels were targeted in the United Arab Emirates' (UAE) exclusive economic zone.\n\nHowever, the countries did not name Iran in their report, which has been repeatedly accused by the US for the attack.\n\nThe UAE ambassador, Lana Nusseibeh said she did not accuse Iran of responsibility in an informal Security Council meeting about the investigation, the CNN reported.\n\nSaudi Arabia's ambassador to the United Nations, Abdallah al-Mouallimi, however, claimed that Riyadh believes \"responsibility lies on the shoulders of Iran.\"\n\nHe said there was \"enough evidence\" to demonstrate Iranian responsibility, adding that \"if we tolerate a symbolic attack like this ... it opens the door for more.\" (ANI)", "Initial findings of an investigation led by the United Arab Emirates of May 12 attacks on oil tankers point to the likelihood that a state was behind the bombings, but there is no evidence yet that Iran was involved, the UAE said Thursday.\n\nThe UAE along with Saudi Arabia and Norway presented the preliminary findings during a briefing to the UN Security Council, which will also receive the final results of the probe to consider a possible response.\n\nThe United States has accused Iran of being behind the attacks on the four oil tankers off the Emirati coast, which came at a time of escalating tensions between Tehran and Washington.\n\nThe four vessels — two Saudi-flagged, a Norwegian-flagged and an Emirati-flagged — were damaged by explosions that took place within UAE territorial waters, off the port of Fujairah.\n\nAfter assessing the damage and carrying out chemical analysis, the UAE told the council that the attacks were sophisticated and of the type most likely carried out by state services.\n\n“While investigations are still ongoing, these facts are strong indications that the four attacks were part of a sophisticated and coordinated operation carried out by an actor with significant operational capacity, most likely a state actor,” said a statement from the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Norway.\n\nThe initial findings showed that it was “highly likely” that four Limpet mines, which are magnetically attached to a ship’s hull, were used in the attacks, placed by trained divers who were deployed from fast boats, according to the preliminary findings.\n\nThe UAE believes the attacks required intelligence capabilities to pick the four oil tankers as targets, one of which — a Saudi ship — was at the opposite end of the anchorage area at Fujairah from the three other tankers.\n\nIran has rejected accusations that it was behind the sabotage and diplomats said there was no mention of Iran’s possible role during the briefing by the UAE.\n\nSaudi Arabia, Iran’s arch-rival, told reporters that Tehran was nevertheless the most likely culprit.\n\n“We believe the responsibility for this attack lies on the shoulders of Iran,” Saudi Arabia’s UN Ambassador Abdallah al-Mouallimi told reporters after the briefing.\n\nSaudi Arabia maintains the attacks affect the safety of international navigation and the security of world oil supplies, requiring a response from the Security Council.\n\nRussia’s Deputy Ambassador Vladimir Safronkov told reporters after the closed-door briefing that no evidence was presented linking Iran to the attacks.\n\n“We shouldn’t jump to conclusions,” Safronkov said. “This investigation will be continued.”\n\nUN diplomats say that any attempt at the council to punish Iran for the attacks is likely to face opposition from Russia.\n\nUS National Security Advisor John Bolton said last week that Iranian mines were likely used in the attacks.\n\n“There’s no doubt in anybody’s mind in Washington who’s responsible for this,” Bolton said last week during a visit to Abu Dhabi.\n\nUS Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said that Iran was trying to raise the price of oil as Washington works to end Iran’s exports of crude.\n\nRegional tensions have spiked since President Donald Trump’s administration reimposed sanctions against Iran after the United State pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal.\n\nThe United States has sent nuclear-capable bombers and an aircraft carrier strike group to the Gulf, but Trump has said he does not want war.", "Attacks on four oil tankers off the coast of the United Arab Emirates last month were “most likely” perpetrated by a “state actor”, the United Nations Security Council has been told.\n\nBut the UAE’s joint investigation did not specify which country was believed to be behind the attacks, which US officials have said they suspect were carried out by Iran.\n\nIn a statement outlining its briefing to the Security Council on Thursday, the UAE’s permanent representative to the UN said that a preliminary investigation into the May 12th incident found evidence of a “sophisticated and co-ordinated operation carried out by an actor with significant operational capacity”.\n\nThe perpetrators were divers deployed from speed boats who attached mines to the four ships, a report said.\n\nTensions in the Gulf spiked last month after the sabotage of the oil tankers off the UAE coast, a drone attack on Saudi oil infrastructure claimed by the Iran-allied Yemeni Houthi militia and a rocket explosion near the US embassy in Baghdad.\n\nThe incident heightened fears that shipping lanes in the Gulf, crucial to much of the world’s oil exports, could become flashpoints as tensions escalate between the US, its Arab allies and Iran.\n\nJohn Bolton, the hawkish US national security adviser, has blamed Iran for the tanker attack, warning of a “very strong response from the US” against the Islamic republic and its proxies.\n\nThe US has bolstered its military presence in the Gulf with additional troops, bombers and an aircraft carrier group. The heightened deployment is to deter any further incidents, US officials have said.\n\nThe UAE, alongside close ally Saudi Arabia, has been leading attempts to challenge regional rival Iran’s influence in the Arab world, from Syria and Lebanon to Iraq and Yemen, welcoming the Trump administration’s withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear pact and backing tougher sanctions on Iranian crude exports.\n\nAnwar Gargash, the UAE minister of state for foreign affairs, called on the Security Council to help hold the “perpetrators accountable” while also stressing de-escalation.\n\n“In the current political climate, the UAE stands united with regional and international partners in order to reduce tensions in the region and ensure the security of international shipping and global energy supplies,” he tweeted on Friday.\n\nAbdallah al-Mouallimi, the Saudi ambassador to the UN, said: “We believe that the responsibility for this action lies on the shoulders of Iran. We have no hesitation in making this statement.”\n\nTehran has distanced itself from the tanker incident and warned against “adventurism” in the region. Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman said in the aftermath of the incident that it was “worrisome” and “regretful”.\n\nThe investigation said that the sabotage of the vessels, which were targeted in UAE territorial waters 12 nautical miles off the emirate of Fujairah, required a “high degree of co-ordination” and technical and intelligence capabilities of the area’s geography and the ships themselves.\n\nThe investigation was conducted alongside Saudi Arabia and Norway, whose vessels were also targeted in the attack, which resulted in no casualties or oil spills. International partners, such as the US and France, were also closely involved in the probe. The attacks were designed to “incapacitate the ships without sinking them or detonating their cargoes,” the report said.\n\nThe attack, most likely carried out by several teams of operatives, required the expert navigation of fast boats that were able to intrude into UAE territorial waters and withdraw the operatives after delivering the charges, it added. – Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2019"], "summary": "The United Arab Emirates tells the UN Security Council that a \"state actor\" was most likely behind the May 12 attacks on four tankers off its coast, including ones from Saudi Arabia and Norway. UAE did not say who it suspected; the United States blamed Iran which denied the accusation."}
{"document": ["The US Pentagon has notified Turkey that it is cancelling its purchase of F-35 fighter jets if the Turkish government goes ahead with the purchase of a Russia's S-400 missile defence system.\n\nActing US Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan has sent a letter notifying Turkey that all training of Turkish pilots will also end as of July 31. And all Turkish personnel connected to the F-35 programme must leave the country by the end of that month.\n\nShanahan's letter explicitly states there will be \"no new F-35 training\". It says there were 34 students scheduled for F-35 training later this year.\n\n\"This training will not occur because we are suspending Turkey from the F-35 programme; there are no longer requirements to gain proficiencies on the systems,\" according to an attachment to the letter that is titled, \"Unwinding Turkey's Participation in the F-35 Program.\"\n\nIn his letter, Shanahan also warned Ankara that its deal with Moscow risked undermining its ties to NATO, hurting the Turkish economy and creating over-dependence on Russia.\n\n\"You still have the option to change course on the S-400,\" Shanahan wrote.\n\nThe two NATO allies have sparred publicly for months over Turkey's order for Russia's S-400 air defence system, which Washington says poses a threat to the Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 stealthy fighters, which Turkey also plans to buy.\n\nThe United States has said Turkey cannot have both, but had avoided taking steps to curtail or halt planned training of Turkish pilots in the programme, a reprisal that could be seen as an embarrassment in Turkey.\n\nRussia: 'Everything is on track with the Turks'\n\nThe announcement came as the head of Russia's state-owned conglomerate Rostec said Moscow would begin delivering the S-400 air defence systems to Turkey.\n\n190604063857003\n\n\"Everything is on track with the Turks. I hope that we will begin to deliver in about two months,\" Sergei Chemezov told NTV channel, according to Russian news agencies on Friday.\n\n\n\n\"The credit money has been spent, the technology was produced. And we completed training of all the military personnel,\" he said.\n\nIf Turkey were removed from the F-35 programme, it would be one of the most significant ruptures in recent history in the relationship between the two allies, experts said.\n\nTurkish officials have not immediately commented on the Pentagon's letter.\n\nTurkish President Recept Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday it was \"out of the question\" for Turkey to back away from its deal with Moscow.\n\nErdogan said the US had not \"given us an offer as good as the S-400s\".\n\nThe Turkish lira declined as much as 1.5 percent on Friday before recovering some losses. The currency has shed nearly 10 percent of its value against the dollar this year in part on fraying diplomatic ties and the risk of US sanctions if Turkey accepts delivery of the S-400s.\n\n'Graceful wind-down'\n\nTurkey is one of the core partners in the F-35 programme and expressed an interest in buying 100 of the fighters, which would have a total value of nine billion dollars at current prices.\n\nTurkish companies produce some 937 parts of the F-35, largely for the aircraft's landing gear and centre fuselage, the Pentagon says. The US is now planning to move that production elsewhere, ending Turkey's manufacturing role by early next year.\n\nThe Pentagon believes that it can minimise the effects on the broader programme if Turkey abides by the US timeline.\n\n\"What we are doing is working to do a very disciplined and graceful wind-down,\" Ellen Lord, an undersecretary of defence, told reporters at the Pentagon.\n\nBut if Turkey were removed from the F-35 programme, the ramifications would be felt far beyond the Turkish air force.\n\nStrains in ties between the US and Ankara already extend beyond the F-35 to include conflicting strategy in Syria, Iran sanctions and the detention of US consular staff in Turkey.", "The United States on Friday raised the stakes in its standoff with Turkey over Ankara’s deal to acquire a Russian air defense system, laying out a plan to remove the NATO ally from the F-35 fighter jet program that includes immediately halting any new training for Turkish pilots on the advanced aircraft.\n\nActing U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan sent a letter to his Turkish counterpart, seen by Reuters on Friday, that laid out the steps to remove Turkey from the program unless Turkey changes course.\n\nReuters on Thursday first reported the decision to stop accepting more Turkish pilots for training in the United States, in one of the most concrete signs that the dispute between Washington and Ankara is reaching a breaking point.\n\nThe United States says Turkey’s acquisition of Russia’s S-400 air defense system poses a threat to the Lockheed Martin Corp. F-35 stealthy fighters, which Turkey also plans to buy. The United States says Turkey cannot have both.\n\nShanahan’s letter explicitly states there will be “no new F-35 training.” It says there were 34 students scheduled for F-35 training later this year.\n\n“This training will not occur because we are suspending Turkey from the F-35 program; there are no longer requirements to gain proficiencies on the systems,” according to an attachment to the letter that is titled, “Unwinding Turkey’s Participation in the F-35 Program.”\n\nTurkish personnel already in the United States will see their training on the F-35 discontinued at the end of July.\n\nIn his letter, Shanahan also warned Ankara that its deal with Moscow risked undermining its ties to NATO, hurting the Turkish economy and creating over-dependence on Russia.\n\n“You still have the option to change course on the S-400,” Shanahan wrote.\n\nThe Turkish lira declined as much as 1.5 percent on Friday before recovering some losses. The currency has shed nearly 10 percent of its value against the dollar this year in part on fraying diplomatic ties and the risk of U.S. sanctions if Turkey accepts delivery of the S-400s.\n\nTurkey is one of the core partners in the F-35 program and expressed an interest in buying 100 of the fighters, which would have a total value of $9 billion at current prices.\n\nTurkish companies produce some 937 parts of the F-35, largely for the aircraft’s landing gear and center fuselage, the Pentagon says. The United States is now planning to move that production elsewhere, ending Turkey’s manufacturing role by early next year.\n\nThe Pentagon believes that it can minimize the impact on the broader program if Turkey abides by the U.S. timeline.\n\n“What we are doing is working to do a very disciplined and graceful wind-down,” Ellen Lord, an under secretary of defense, told reporters at the Pentagon.\n\nBut if Turkey were removed from the F-35 program, the ramifications would be felt far beyond the Turkish air force. It would be one of the most significant ruptures in recent history in the relationship with the United States, experts said.\n\nStrains in ties between the United States and Ankara already extend beyond the F-35 to include conflicting strategy in Syria, Iran sanctions and the detention of U.S. consular staff in Turkey.\n\nStill, Turkey seems to be moving ahead with the S-400 purchase, regardless of the U.S. warnings. President Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday it was “out of the question” for Turkey to back away from its deal with Moscow.\n\nDefense Minister Hulusi Akar said on May 22 that Turkish military personnel were receiving training in Russia to use the S-400, and that Russian personnel may go to Turkey.\n\nThe head of Russian state conglomerate Rostec, Sergei Chemezov, was quoted as saying on Friday that the country would start delivering S-400 missile systems to Turkey in two months.\n\nErdogan said the United States had not “given us an offer as good as the S-400s.”\n\nStill, Lord held out hope for Turkey, noting that none of the U.S. decisions so far were irreversible.\n\n“We’re hopeful that they will stop the acquisition of the S-400. We would very much like them to stay in the (F-35) program,” Lord said.", "The United States on Friday raised the stakes in its standoff with Turkey over Ankara’s deal to acquire a Russian air defense system, laying out a plan to remove the NATO ally from the F-35 fighter jet program that includes halting any new training for Turkish pilots on the advanced aircraft.\n\nActing U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan sent a letter to his Turkish counterpart, seen by Reuters on Friday, that laid out the steps to “unwind” Turkey from the program.\n\nReuters on Thursday first reported the decision to stop accepting more Turkish pilots for training in the United States, in one of the most concrete signs that the dispute between Washington and Ankara is reaching a breaking point.\n\nThe United States says Turkey’s acquisition of Russia’s S-400 air defense system poses a threat to the Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 stealthy fighters, which Turkey also plans to buy. The United States says Turkey cannot have both.\n\nShanahan’s letter explicitly states there will be “no new F-35 training.” It says there were 34 students scheduled for F-35 training later this year.\n\n“This training will not occur because we are suspending Turkey from the F-35 program; there are no longer requirements to gain proficiencies on the systems,” according to an attachment to the letter that is titled, “Unwinding Turkey’s Participation in the F-35 Program.”\n\nIn his letter, Shanahan warns that training for Turkish personnel on the F-35 at Luke Air Force Base and Eglin Air Force Base will be discontinued at the end of July.\n\n“This timeline will enable many, but not all, Turkish F-35 students currently training to complete their courses prior to departing the United States by July 31, 2019,” Shanahan said in his letter, which noted: “You still have the option to change course on the S-400.”\n\nTurkey has expressed an interest in buying 100 of the fighters, which would have a total value of $9 billion at current prices.\n\nIf Turkey were removed from the F-35 program, it would be one of the most significant ruptures in recent history in the relationship between the two allies, experts said.\n\nStrains in ties already extend beyond the F-35 to include conflicting strategy in Syria, Iran sanctions and the detention of U.S. consular staff in Turkey.\n\nThe disclosure of the decision on the pilots follows signs that Turkey is moving ahead with the S-400 purchase.\n\nDefense Minister Hulusi Akar said on May 22 that Turkish military personnel were receiving training in Russia to use the S-400, and that Russian personnel may go to Turkey.\n\nThe head of Russian state conglomerate Rostec, Sergei Chemezov, said the country would start delivering S-400 missile systems to Turkey in two months, the Interfax news agency reported.\n\nPresident Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday it was “out of the question” for Turkey to back away from its deal with Moscow.\n\nErdogan said the United States had not “given us an offer as good as the S-400s.”\n\nThe Turkish lira declined as much as 1.5% on Friday before recovering some losses. The currency has shed nearly 10% of its value against the dollar this year in part on fraying diplomatic ties and the risk of U.S. sanctions if Turkey accepts delivery of the S-400s.\n\nKathryn Wheelbarger, one of the Pentagon’s most senior policy officials, said last week that Turkey’s completion of the transaction with Russia would be “devastating,” dealing heavy blows to the F-35 program and to Turkish interoperability within the NATO alliance.\n\n“The S-400 is a Russian system designed to shoot down an aircraft like the F-35,” said Wheelbarger, an acting assistant secretary of defense. “And it is inconceivable to imagine Russia not taking advantage of that (intelligence) collection opportunity.”", "The Pentagon has warned Turkey that it has until July 31 to not purchase the Russian-made S-400 air defense missile system or the NATO ally will no longer be allowed to buy the sophisticated F-35 fighter or participate in any aspects of the program.\n\nThe move is the latest escalation in a high-stakes war of wills between the two NATO allies over whether Turkey should purchase a Russian weapons system that U.S. officials say is \"incompatible\" with America's most sophisticated stealth fighter.\n\n\"While we seek to maintain our valued relationship, Turkey will not receive the F-35 if Turkey takes delivery of the S-400, \"Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan wrote in a letter Thursday to Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar. \"You still have the option to change course on the S-400,\"\n\nShanahan warned Akar that the United States has developed a plan to discontinue Turkey's participation in the F-35 program by July 31 if it does not reverse its decision to purchase the S-400 missile system. The Russian system is believed to have a longer range and improved detection capabilities than American missile defense air systems.\n\nThe United States wants Turkey to purchase American-made Patriot anti-missile systems instead of the Russian-made S-400's. But Turkish leaders have been adamant that they prefer the Russian missile system that they say is markedly better than the American system.\n\nBut U.S. officials are most concerned that Russia could use the anti-missile system to pinpoint the stealth fighter's capabilities and potential vulnerabilities, particularly a radar profile that could make the stealth fighter detectable. Those concerns are why U.S. officials have said that the two systems are \"incompatible\".\n\n\"We do not want to have the F-35 in close proximity to the S-400 over a period of time because of the ability to understand the profile of the F-35 on that particular piece of equipment,\" Ellen Lord, the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment told reporters on Friday.\n\nIn addition to not delivering the four F-35 aircraft that Turkey has already purchased Shanahan said no additional Turkish pilots would be trained in the United States past July 31. By that date, many Turkish pilots who have been training at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona will have completed their courses prior to departing the United States.\n\nThe U.S. decision could also have an economic impact inside Turkey where more than 900 parts found inside the F-35 are built, as part of the original international consortium agreement for American allies to develop the F-35.\n\nAbout 400 of those parts, found in the aircraft's landing gear and central fuselage, are exclusively made by Turkish manufacturers.\n\nLord said the Pentagon is already looking to make arrangements to find alternate production facilities in other countries by early 2020.\n\nThe Pentagon position seems to have been hardened by the recent acknowledgment by Turkey that it had already sent military personnel to Russia to train on the S-400 systems.", "Alwaght- The US once again has threatened Turkey not to by Russia to buy an S-400 missile defense system if it wants to continue participating in the F-35 fighter jet program.\n\nEllen Lord, Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment, told reporters on Friday that agreements with Turkish firms sub-contracted for manufacturing the F-35 stealth warplane will be cancelled unless Ankara gives up on the S-400 system by July 31.\n\nThe deadline \"will allow sufficient time for Turkish personnel associated with the F-35 program to be reassigned and depart the United States... to facilitate an orderly cessation of Turkish participation.\"\n\nTwo unnamed US officials told Reuters earlier on Friday that Washington would no longer accept any additional Turkish pilots to train on F-35 fighter jets.\n\nLord, however, said that even Turkish pilots currently training in the United States on the F-35 will be expelled too.\n\nCurrently, four Turkish pilots are receiving training on F-35 fighter jets at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona and two more are working as instructors at the base. An additional 20 Turkish aircraft maintainers are also participating in the program, according to the US military.\n\nLord justified the US ultimatum by the fact that Turkey, a NATO ally of the United States, already has its personnel in Russia waiting to be trained with the S-400.\n\nUS officials previously said they wanted Ankara to opt for the American Patriot system instead, saying that option would allow the F-35 program to continue.\n\nTurkey, which plans to buy 100 US F-35s, said it told the US that Ankara would buy Patriots only if Washington's conditions of delivery were as positive as Moscow's.\n\n\"But unfortunately we haven't received a positive proposal from the American side on the subject of Patriots like the S-400s from Russia,\" Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.\n\nActing US Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said he, in a letter, had informed his Turkish counterpart Hulusi Akar of Washington's new decision.\n\nThe US offer for the Patriots was \"very competitive,\" Shanahan told reporters.\n\nThe S-400 is an advanced Russian missile system designed to detect, track, and destroy planes, drones, or missiles as far as over 400 kilometers away. It has previously been sold only to China and India.\n\nAnkara is striving to boost its air defense, particularly after Washington decided in 2015 to withdraw its Patriot surface-to-air missile system from Turkish border with Syria, a move that weakened Turkey’s air defense.\n\nAnkara has been critical of Washington for supporting Kurdish groups in Syria that he says are responsible for terror attacks inside Turkey, among other issues.", "By Doug Cameron in Chicago and Ben Kesling in New York\n\nThe Pentagon put Turkey on notice that it will cut off Turkish military pilots from training and halt any Turkish purchases of the F-35 fighter jet, defense officials said Friday, exerting new pressure in a widening rift between the two allies.\n\nActing Defense Secretary Pat Shanahan told his Turkish counterpart in a memo released Friday that if Ankara makes good on plans to purchase a Russian anti-aircraft system, the U.S. would take steps to discontinue Turkey's participation in the development and use of the plane.\n\nThe F-35 is by far the world's largest weapons program. Maker Lockheed Martin Corp. forecasts demand for at least 4,500 of the radar-evading jets over the course of the program, which analysts estimate could cost $400 billion.\n\nThe letter to Turkish officials increases pressure on the country to cut ties with Russia on a major defense initiative to reverse the U.S. decision to end a partnership providing one of the world's most-advanced fighter jets to the longtime North Atlantic Treaty Organization ally.\n\nTurkey has been training with Russia and plans to purchase and field Moscow's S-400 missile system, an advanced surface-to-air missile developed to shoot down planes like the F-35 that is seen by NATO forces as a key Russian threat.\n\n\"While we seek to maintain our valued relationship, Turkey will not receive the F-35 if Turkey takes delivery of the S-400,\" Mr. Shanahan said in a letter sent Thursday to the Turkish defense minister which was released publicly on Friday.\n\nThe Turkish Embassy to the U.S. didn't respond to a request for comment.\n\nThe dispute over the S-400 is one of several issues straining U.S.-Turkey ties. The two countries have been negotiating the possible creation of a safe zone in Syria along Turkey's border. And under pressure from the U.S., Turkey has reluctantly cut off oil deals with Iran.\n\nMr. Shanahan said Turkey's involvement in the F-35 program will be frozen by July 31 unless Ankara ends its efforts to buy and field the Russian system. Mr. Shanahan also sent his Turkish counterpart, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, a detailed timeline of how the program would unwind, a stark threat that included a reminder that nothing has been finalized.\n\n\"You still have the option to change course on the S-400,\" he said.\n\nMr. Shanahan laid out the various knock-on effects that would come from fielding the Russian system.\n\n\"In addition to threatening the security of platforms like the F-35, Turkey's procurement of the S-400 will hinder your nation's ability to enhance or maintain cooperation with the United States and within NATO, lead to Turkish strategic and economic over-dependence on Russia, and undermine Turkey's very capable defense industry and ambitious economic development goals,\" he said.\n\nLockheed Martin oversees a global supply chain and analysts estimate there is as much as $3 million in Turkish content on each plane. That would have to be replaced, potentially inflating the price of the plane just as Lockheed Martin and its partners are trying to bring the price of the basic model down below $80 million.\n\nTurkey is one of the largest F-35 export customers, with an order for 100 jets, third behind only the U.K. and Japan. It is one of eight country partners in the F-35, joining the program in 2002, before years of design and production problems delayed its entry into service by five years and added billions of dollars in cost.\n\nLockheed Martin, which derives around 30% of its sales from the F-35, has played down the impact of Turkey's ejection from the program.\n\nTurkey has received four of the jets so far and is due to secure another eight annually over the next several years. The defense giant said those purchases can be replaced with potential new customers such as Singapore and Poland, as well as through expanded orders from countries including Japan.\n\n\"It will be backfilled,\" said Lockheed Martin Chief Executive Marillyn Hewson at an investor conference last week. \"In fact, a lot of countries say: 'We'll take their slot.'\"\n\nThe company expects to deliver 131 jets this year, rising to 160 by 2023. It didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.\n\nLocal suppliers such as Turkish Aerospace Industries produce major parts for the plane, including a joint venture with Northrop Grumman Corp. to make the center fuselage. The Pentagon said it is developing alternative suppliers, but these can take time to certify and could interrupt or raise the cost of producing future jets.\n\nTurkey has also been chosen to provide maintenance and repair services for itself and U.S. allies flying the jets, especially for the engines made by the Pratt & Whitney unit of United Technologies Corp.\n\nMr. Shanahan's actions aren't occurring in a vacuum. The Senate, which is working on the annual defense policy bill, the National Defense Authorization Act, included bipartisan-supported language to end the F-35 relationship if Turkey takes delivery of the S-400.\n\n\"The language essentially says in no uncertain terms that there won't be F-35s sent to Turkish territory if they buy the S-400,\" a Senate staffer said. \"And they will be required to certify that they won't do so in the future.\" another staffer said.\n\nWhile the House hasn't released final language on their authorization bill, similar terms are expected, according to people familiar with the matter.\n\nThe U.S. and other NATO allies want Turkey to instead buy the Patriot radar system made by Raytheon Co.\n\nWrite to Doug Cameron at doug.cameron@wsj.com and Ben Kesling at benjamin.kesling@wsj.com", "The United States has given Turkey a deadline of July 31 to reverse its purchase of a Russian missile-defense system or face the loss of subcontracting work on the U.S.-led F-35 fighter jet project.\n\n \n\n Ellen Lord, U.S. undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment, also told reporters on June 8 that Turkish pilots training in the United States on F-35 warplanes being sold to Ankara will be expelled if the missile deal is not called off.\n\n \n\n She said the deadline \"will allow sufficient time for Turkish personnel associated with the F-35 program to be reassigned and depart the United States...to facilitate an orderly cessation of Turkish participation.\"\n\n \n\n Acting U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan sent a letter to his Turkish counterpart that explained the measures to remove Turkey from the program unless Ankara changes course.\n\n \n\n Washington and its allies consider Russia’s S-400 missile system to be incompatible with NATO systems and a threat to the F-35 fighter jets.\n\n \n\n The United States has urged Ankara to back off its purchase of the system and has turned up the heat as its delivery date has neared.\n\n \n\n President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly said his country was \"determined\" to proceed with the Russia purchase, which he has long labeled a “done deal.”\n\n \n\n Turkey, a NATO ally of the United States, had already sent personnel to Russia to start training with the S-400. It also has at least two pilots training in the United States to fly the F-35 – of which Turkey has purchased 100 for its own military’s use.\n\n \n\n Turkey has spent billions to gear up its industry to participate in parts production related to the F-35s. Companies in the country make hundreds of parts for the warplane, largely for the aircraft's landing gear and center fuselage.\n\n \n\n Lord said Turkey's participation would be finished by early 2020 if it does not reverse the S-400 deal.\n\n \n\n \"Turkey still has the option to change course,\" she said.\n\n \n\n \"If Turkey does not accept delivery of the S-400, we will enable Turkey to return to normal,\" she said.\n\n \n\n The F-35s are designed to operate in sync and with NATO systems, including antimissile defenses, raising fears that Russia could adjust the S-400's capacities against the Western Alliance through information gathered in dealing with Turkey.\n\n \n\n U.S. officials have pressed Turkey to switch to the American-made Patriot air defense system, telling Ankara that would allow it to continue participation in the F-35 program.\n\n \n\n Erdogan said he told the United States that Ankara would consider buying Patriots only if Washington's conditions for a deal were as good as Moscow's offer.\n\n \n\n \"But unfortunately we haven't received a positive proposal from the American side on the subject of Patriots like the S-400s from Russia,\" he said.\n\n \n\n Shanahan said he believed the U.S. offer for the Patriots was \"very competitive.\"\n\nWith reporting by Reuters, AFP, and AP", "US to stop accepting Turkish pilots to train on F-35 jets over S-400 row: report\n\nThe delivery of the S-400 missile defense system to Turkey will begin within two months, the head of Russia's state-run defense company Rostec said Friday.\n\nCEO Sergey Chemezov, speaking on the Russian NTV channel amid the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), said the delivery process of the S-400 system is proceeding as planned.\n\nChemezov said pre-payments have been received from Turkey on schedule and training has been completed.\n\n\"We will begin delivery of the S-400s to Turkey within two months,\" he said.\n\nTurkey decided in 2017 to purchase the S-400 system following protracted efforts to purchase air defense systems from the U.S. with no success.\n\nThe S-400 missile defense system is Russia's most advanced long-range anti-aircraft missile system and can carry three types of missiles capable of destroying targets, including ballistic and cruise missiles.\n\nThe system can track and engage up to 300 targets at a time and has an altitude ceiling of 27 kilometers (17 miles).\n\nWith the purchase of the S-400s, Ankara aims to build Turkey's first long-range air and anti-missile defense system to guard against threats in the region. Moreover, Turkey seeks to build its own missile defense systems as the deal also involves the transfer of technology and know-how.\n\nThe S-400 system, which was introduced in 2007, is the new generation of Russian missile systems, and so far Russia has only sold them to China and India.\n\nU.S. officials have advised Turkey to buy the Patriot missile system rather than the S-400 system from Moscow, arguing it is incompatible with NATO systems. Turkey has responded that it was the U.S.' refusal to sell it Patriots that led it to seek other sellers, adding Russia offered it a better deal, including technology transfers.\n\nThe two NATO allies have sparred publicly for months over the S-400s, which Washington says pose a threat to the Lockheed Martin Corp F-35 stealthy fighters, which Turkey also plans to buy.\n\nThe United States says Turkey cannot have both, but had avoided taking steps to curtail or halt planned training of Turkish pilots in the program.", "The head of Russian state conglomerate Rostec, Sergei Chemezov, said the country would start delivering S-400 missile systems to Turkey in two months, the Interfax news agency reported.\n\n \n\n Chemezov added that Russia had finished instructing Turkish specialists on the use of the S-400.\n\n \n\n Tensions between Turkey and the United States are running high over Ankara’s decision to buy the S-400 missile defenses, which are not compatible with NATO systems.\n\nALSO READ: US will not accept more Turkish F-35 pilots over Russia defenses", "WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon has notified Turkey that it is canceling its purchase of F-35 fighter jets if the Turkish government goes ahead with the purchase of a Russian missile defense system.\n\nActing Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan has sent a letter notifying Turkey that all training of Turkish pilots will also end as of July 31. And all Turkish personnel connected to the F-35 program must leave the country by the end of that month.\n\nShanahan’s letter to Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Aka also says Turkey won’t be allowed to take final delivery of the four F-35s it bought.\n\nThe letter is the latest in an ongoing dispute over Turkey’s decision to buy the Russian-made S-400 system. The U.S. has repeatedly warned Ankara that the Russian system is considered a threat to the F-35.\n\nREAD MORE: Turkey doesn’t have to choose between U.S. and Russia, foreign minister says"], "summary": "The United States notifies Turkey that it will cancel Turkey's purchase of F-35 fighter jets if the government goes ahead with purchasing Russia's S-400 missile defense system."}
{"document": ["President Donald Trump speaks about Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington, Monday, Oct. 1, 2018. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)\n\nWASHINGTON (AP) — Straining to stave off threatened U.S. tariffs, Mexican and American officials claimed progress in White House talks, but President Donald Trump said Thursday that a “lot of progress” must be made to halt the import taxes he is holding out as a way to force Mexico to stanch the flow of Central American migrants flooding America’s southern border.\n\nTalks were to resume later Thursday.\n\nUnderscoring the scope of the border problem, the Department of Homeland Security announced separately that U.S. Border Patrol apprehensions of migrants illegally crossing the border hit the highest level in more than a decade in May: 132,887 apprehensions, including a record 84,542 adults and children together, 36,838 single adults and 11,507 children traveling alone.\n\nTrump, renewing his threat of import taxes on all Mexican goods, tweeted from Ireland that the Washington talks would continue “with the understanding that, if no agreement is reached, Tariffs at the 5% level will begin on Monday, with monthly increases as per schedule.”\n\n“We’re having a great talk with Mexico,” Trump told reporters in Ireland before leaving for France to attend a D-Day ceremony. “We’ll see what happens. But something pretty dramatic could happen. We’ve told Mexico the tariffs go on. And I mean it, too. And I’m very happy with it.”\n\nMexican Foreign Secretary Marcelo Ebrard said immigration, not tariffs, was the main focus at the White House meeting, which included Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Vice President Mike Pence and other U.S. officials.\n\n“We are optimistic,” he said at a news conference at the Mexican Embassy.\n\nMeanwhile, Republicans in Congress are threatening their own confrontation with Trump, warning the White House that they are ready to stand up to the president to try to block his tariffs, which they worry would spike costs to U.S. consumers, harm the economy and imperil a major pending U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade deal .\n\nThe Republican president slammed Democrats in Congress, saying they don’t want to fix U.S. immigration laws. He said Congress probably won’t address immigration legislation until after the next presidential election.\n\n“They want to just ride it out,” he said.\n\nA “lot of people, senators included — they have no idea what they’re talking about when it comes to tariffs,” Trump said. “They have no — absolutely no idea.\n\n“When you have the money, when you have the product, when you have the thing that everybody wants, you’re in a position to do very well with tariffs, and that’s where we are,” he added. “We’re the piggybank. The United States is the piggybank. It has all the money that others want to take from us, but they’re not taking it so easy anymore.”\n\nWithout a deal, the first tariffs — 5% taxes on imports from Mexico, eventually increasing to 25% — are to go into effect next Monday, and Trump has said that is “more likely” than not to occur despite the stiff and vocal opposition from many fellow Republicans. His goal is to persuade Mexican leaders to do more to keep would-be migrants from other Central American countries from traveling across Mexico to the American border.\n\nMost are from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, countries wracked by gangs, violence and poverty. Many of the travelers are expected to eventually request asylum.\n\nThe tariffs carry enormous economic implications for both countries, and politically they underscore a major ideological split between Trump and his party. Trump has increasingly relied on tariffs as a bludgeon to try to force other nations to bend to his will, dismissing warnings, including from fellow Republicans, about the likely impacts on American manufacturers and consumers.\n\nAdministration officials have said Mexico can prevent the tariffs by securing its southern border with Guatemala, cracking down on criminal smuggling organizations and entering into a “safe third country agreement” that would make it difficult for those who enter Mexico from other countries to claim asylum in the U.S.\n\nThe U.S., however, has not proposed any concrete benchmarks or metrics to assess whether the U.S. ally is sufficiently stemming the migrant flow from Central America. And it is unclear whether even those steps would be enough to satisfy Trump on illegal immigration, a signature issue of his presidency and one that he sees as crucial to his 2020 reelection campaign.\n\nGOP Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin said Wednesday he called the Mexican ambassador to underscore that Trump was “serious” about the tariffs and that it’s unclear if Congress would be able to muster enough votes to block them from a presidential veto.\n\nHouse Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, warned that the proposed tariffs would be “punishing” for both the U.S. and Mexico.\n\nAnalysts were not optimistic that the initial phase of tariffs could be avoided.\n\n“Trump has got his new tool and he wants to use it and he will use it … because it’s part of his negotiation tactics,” said Duncan Wood, director of the Mexico Institute at the Wilson Center think tank in Washington. “Mexico will offer to do a lot more on migration, but they will also say that they will retaliate against tariffs and a lot of people are going to lose a lot of money.”\n\nThe stakes are clear: The 25-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement made trade with Mexico largely duty free. As a result, manufacturers have built up complicated supply chains that straddle the border. Americans bought $378 billion worth of Mexican imports last year, led by cars and auto parts. Mexico is America’s No. 2 export market behind Canada.\n\nThe back-and-forth could also imperil the NAFTA revamp, which Trump pressured Mexico and Canada to agree to last year . The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement has been signed by all three countries but must be approved by their legislatures.", "The United States and Mexico reached an agreement on immigration enforcement Friday and President Donald Trump said tariffs that were scheduled to hit Mexico on Monday had been \"indefinitely suspended\" as a result.\n\n\n\nUnder the agreement, Mexico has agreed to deploy its national guard throughout the country with priority given to its southern border to stem migration from Central America. Asylum seekers crossing the U.S. southern border will be sent back to Mexico where they will await the adjudication of their asylum claims, according to the joint declaration.\n\n\n\nU.S.-Mexico Joint Declaration\n\n\n\nThe United States and Mexico met this week to address the shared challenges of irregular migration, to include the entry of migrants into the United States in violation of U.S. law. Given the dramatic increase in migrants moving from Central America through Mexico to the United States, both countries recognize the vital importance of rapidly resolving the humanitarian emergency and security situation. The Governments of the United States and Mexico will work together to immediately implement a durable solution.\n\n\n\nAs a result of these discussions, the United States and Mexico commit to:\n\n\n\nMexican Enforcement Surge\n\n\n\nMexico will take unprecedented steps to increase enforcement to curb irregular migration, to include the deployment of its National Guard throughout Mexico, giving priority to its southern border. Mexico is also taking decisive action to dismantle human smuggling and trafficking organizations as well as their illicit financial and transportation networks. Additionally, the United States and Mexico commit to strengthen bilateral cooperation, including information sharing and coordinated actions to better protect and secure our common border.\n\n\n\nMigrant Protection Protocols\n\n\n\nThe United States will immediately expand the implementation of the existing Migrant Protection Protocols across its entire Southern Border. This means that those crossing the U.S. Southern Border to seek asylum will be rapidly returned to Mexico where they may await the adjudication of their asylum claims.\n\n\n\nIn response, Mexico will authorize the entrance of all of those individuals for humanitarian reasons, in compliance with its international obligations, while they await the adjudication of their asylum claims. Mexico will also offer jobs, healthcare and education according to its principles.\n\n\n\nThe United States commits to work to accelerate the adjudication of asylum claims and to conclude removal proceedings as expeditiously as possible.\n\n\n\nFurther Actions\n\n\n\nBoth parties also agree that, in the event the measures adopted do not have the expected results, they will take further actions. Therefore, the United States and Mexico will continue their discussions on the terms of additional understandings to address irregular migrant flows and asylum issues, to be completed and announced within 90 days, if necessary.\n\n\n\nOngoing Regional Strategy\n\n\n\nThe United States and Mexico reiterate their previous statement of December 18, 2018, that both countries recognize the strong links between promoting development and economic growth in southern Mexico and the success of promoting prosperity, good governance and security in Central America. The United States and Mexico welcome the Comprehensive Development Plan launched by the Government of Mexico in concert with the Governments of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras to promote these goals. The United States and Mexico will lead in working with regional and international partners to build a more prosperous and secure Central America to address the underlying causes of migration, so that citizens of the region can build better lives for themselves and their families at home.", "Mexico and the United States have agreed on a deal to stop the flow of illegal Central American immigrants from coming into the U.S., President Trump tweeted late Friday. The president said the deal suspended steep tariffs on imported Mexican goods that would have gone into effect on Monday.\n\nThe tariffs raised fears that they could cripple some American businesses and raise prices for American consumers on everything from cars to produce.\n\nThe deal came after three days of negotiations to stop the flow of mostly Central American migrants traveling to the U.S. through Mexico. In a joint declaration, Mexico agreed to increase its enforcement efforts along their southern border with Guatemala, including deploying their national guard troops.\n\nMexico also agreed to take action against human smuggling and trafficking organizations.\n\n\"The tariffs scheduled to be implemented by the U.S. on Monday, against Mexico, are hereby indefinitely suspended,\" Mr. Trump tweeted. \"Mexico, in turn, has agreed to take strong measures to stem the tide of migration through Mexico, and to our Southern Border.\"\n\nSecretary of State Mike Pompeo followed the president's tweet with a statement.\n\n\"We would like to thank Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard for his hard work to negotiate a set of joint obligations that benefit both the United States and Mexico,\" Pompeo said. \"The United States looks forward to working alongside Mexico to fulfill these commitments so that we can stem the tide of illegal migration across our southern border and to make our border strong and secure.\"\n\nThe agreement leaves open the possibility that the deal could be altered if progress is not considered sufficient. \"Both parties also agree that, in the event the measures adopted do not have the expected results, they will take further actions,\" the agreement said.\n\nUnder the agreement, the U.S. will also \"immediately\" expand its Migrant Protection Protocols, also known as the \"Remain-in-Mexico\" policy, which started at the end of January. Individuals who are trying to come to the U.S. to seek asylum will be returned to Mexico to wait for their asylum claims to be heard in court. Mexico said that it will offer jobs, healthcare and education to the asylum-seekers.\n\nIn a series of tweets Saturday morning, Mr. Trump continued defending his last-minute decision call off the tariffs, blaming the media for perceived negative reporting. He also said Mexico had agreed to purchase \"large quantities\" of agricultural product from American farmers.\n\nMEXICO HAS AGREED TO IMMEDIATELY BEGIN BUYING LARGE QUANTITIES OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCT FROM OUR GREAT PATRIOT FARMERS! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 8, 2019\n\nThe president also tweeted that House Democrats should ratify the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement, the renegotiated NAFTA deal.\n\nMr. Trump had faced some strong criticism from Republicans who represent states with large farming populations, such as Sens. Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst of Iowa. Ernst said in a statement Friday night that \"Iowans are breathing a sigh of relief\" now that the tariffs were not going into effect. It was unclear whether there were enough votes to block the tariffs from going into effect in Congress.\n\nA tariff deal also had not seemed certain. The White House did not publicly identify what targets Mexico needed to meet, and said Mexico wasn't offering enough to curb illegal immigration. Top White House officials had insisted the tariffs were imminent if Mexico didn't drastically crack down on the flow of migrants.\n\nMr. Trump appeared to muddy the waters even more Friday afternoon while tweeting from Air Force One that Mexico would buy more agricultural products from the U.S. — even though the White House insisted the proposed tariffs were about immigration, not trade.\n\n\"If we are able to make the deal with Mexico, & there is a good chance that we will, they will begin purchasing Farm & Agricultural products at very high levels, starting immediately,\" Mr. Trump tweeted. \"If we are unable to make the deal, Mexico will begin paying Tariffs at the 5% level on Monday!\"\n\n\"Remains to be seen\" if trade deal will change how Mexico handles U.S. immigration\n\nFor months, Mr. Trump has vocalized his frustration over illegal immigration levels and sought ways to stem the tide of migrants, as he attempts to keep his campaign promise to build a border wall and handle illegal immigration more effectively than his predecessors. But those attempts have been fraught with hurdles, both legal and political, with the 2020 presidential election just around the corner.\n\nSenate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer issued a statement Saturday criticizing Mr. Trump for backing down from his threat of tariffs. Schumer said the new deal would only make a \"small impact on solving the root causes of Central American migration because many of the components are things Mexico is already doing.\"\n\nHouse Speaker Nancy Pelosi was also critical of Mr. Trump, saying that he had \"undermined America's preeminent leadership role in the world by recklessly threatening to impose tariffs on our close friend and neighbor to the south.\"\n\n\"We are deeply disappointed by the Administration's expansion of its failed Remain-in-Mexico policy, which violates the rights of asylum seekers under U.S. law and fails to address the root causes of Central American migration,\" Pelosi said in a statement, adding that \"threats and temper tantrums are no way to negotiate foreign policy.\"\n\nIn December, Mr. Trump's insistence on border wall funding led to the longest government shutdown on record, but the president ultimately gave in when the impacts of the shutdown became visible.", "President Donald Trump says he has suspended plans to impose tariffs on Mexico, tweeting that the country \"has agreed to take strong measures\" to stem the flow of Central American migrants into the United States.\n\nPresident Donald Trump says he has suspended plans to impose tariffs on Mexico, tweeting that the country \"has agreed to take strong measures\" to stem the flow of Central American migrants into the United States.\n\n\"I am pleased to inform you that The United States of America has reached a signed agreement with Mexico,\" he tweeted on Friday night, saying the tariffs scheduled to be implemented by the US on Monday \"are hereby indefinitely suspended\".\n\nHe said Mexico had agreed to work to \"stem the tide of Migration through Mexico, and to our Southern Border\" and said those steps would \"greatly reduce, or eliminate, Illegal Immigration coming from Mexico and into the United States\".\n\nAccording to a joint declaration released by the State Department late on Friday, the US said it would work to expand a programme that returns asylum-seekers who cross the southern border to Mexico while their claims are adjudicated.\n\nMexico has also agreed to take \"unprecedented steps to increase enforcement to curb irregular migration\", including the deployment of the Mexican National Guard throughout the country, especially on its southern border with Guatemala.\n\nAnd the US said Mexico was also taking \"decisive action to dismantle human smuggling and trafficking organisations as well as their illicit financial and transportation networks\".\n\nMr Trump's decision marked a change in tone from earlier on Friday, when his spokeswoman Sarah Sanders told reporters in Ireland before Mr Trump took off: \"Our position has not changed. The tariffs are going forward as of Monday.\"\n\nA tax on all Mexican goods, increasing every month up to 25% under Mr Trump's plan, would have had enormous economic implications for both countries.\n\nAmericans bought 378 billion US dollars (£297 billion) worth of Mexican imports last year, led by cars and auto parts.\n\nMany members of Mr Trump's Republican Party and business allies had urged him to reconsider - or at least postpone actually implementing the tariffs as talks continued - citing the potential harm to American consumers and manufactures.\n\nUS and Mexican officials met for more than 10 hours on Friday during a third day of talks at the US State Department trying to hash out a deal that would satisfy Mr Trump's demand that Mexico dramatically increase its efforts to crack down on migrants.\n\nThe talks were said to be focused, in part, on attempting to reach a compromise on changes that would make it harder for migrants who pass through Mexico from other countries to claim asylum in the US, those monitoring the situation said.\n\nMexico had opposed such a change but appeared open to considering a potential compromise that could include exceptions or waivers for different types of cases.", "Trump says US, Mexico reach agreement to prevent tariffs\n\nWASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump announced late Friday that he had suspended plans to impose tariffs on Mexico, tweeting that the country \"has agreed to take strong measures\" to stem the flow of Central American migrants into the United States. But the deal the two neighbors agreed to falls short of some of the dramatic overhauls the U.S. had pushed for.\n\nA \"U.S.-Mexico Joint Declaration\" released by the State Department said the U.S. \"will immediately expand the implementation\" of a program that returns asylum-seekers who cross the southern border to Mexico while their claims are adjudicated. Mexico will \"offer jobs, healthcare and education\" to those people, the agreement stated.\n\nMexico has also agreed, it said, to take \"unprecedented steps to increase enforcement to curb irregular migration,\" including the deployment of the Mexican National Guard throughout the country, especially on its southern border with Guatemala. And Mexico is taking \"decisive action to dismantle human smuggling and trafficking organizations as well as their illicit financial and transportation networks,\" the State Department said.\n\nThe move puts to an end — for now — a threat that had sparked dire warnings from members of Trump's own party, who warned the tariffs would damage the economy, drive up prices for consumers and imperil an updated North American trade pact. Trump's Friday night tweet marked a sharp reversal from earlier in the day, when his spokeswoman Sarah Sanders told reporters: \"Our position has not changed. The tariffs are going forward as of Monday.\"\n\nMexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador tweeted, \"Thanks to the support of all Mexicans, the imposition of tariffs on Mexican products exported to the USA has been avoided.\" He called for a gathering to celebrate in Tijuana Saturday.\n\nThe changes, in part, continue steps the Trump administration was already taking. The U.S. announced in December that it would make some asylum seekers wait in Mexico while their cases were being proceeded — a begrudging agreement with Mexico that has taken months to scale and that has been plagued with glitches, including wrong court dates, travel problems and issues with lawyers reaching their clients.\n\nHomeland Security officials have been ramping up slowly, and were already working to spread the program along the border before the latest blowup. About 10,000 people have been returned to Mexico to wait out the processing of their immigration cases since the program began Jan. 29. More than 100,000 migrants are currently crossing the U.S. border each month, but not everyone claims asylum and migrants can wait an entire year before making a claim.\n\nAny sizable increase may also be difficult to achieve. At the San Ysidro crossing alone, Mexico had been prepared to accept up to 120 asylum seekers per week, but for the first six weeks only 40 people per week were returned.\n\nTrump had announced the tariff plan last week, declaring in a tweet that, on June 10, the U.S. would \"impose a 5% Tariff on all goods coming into our Country from Mexico, until such time as illegal migrants coming through Mexico, and into our Country, STOP.\" U.S. officials had laid out steps Mexico could take to prevent the tariffs, but many had doubts that even those steps would be enough to satisfy Trump on illegal immigration, a signature issue of his presidency and one that he sees as crucial to his 2020 re-election campaign.\n\nAfter returning from Europe Friday, though, Trump tweeted, \"I am pleased to inform you that The United States of America has reached a signed agreement with Mexico.\" He wrote that the \"Tariffs scheduled to be implemented by the U.S. on Monday, against Mexico, are hereby indefinitely suspended.\"\n\nHe said Mexico has agreed to work to \"stem the tide of Migration through Mexico, and to our Southern Border\" and said those steps would \"greatly reduce, or eliminate, Illegal Immigration coming from Mexico and into the United States.\"\n\nThe 5% tax on all Mexican goods , which would increase every month up to 25% under Trump's plan, would have had enormous economic implications for both countries. Americans bought $378 billion worth of Mexican imports last year, led by cars and auto parts. Many members of Trump's Republican Party and business allies had urged him to reconsider — or at least postpone actually implementing the tariffs as talks continue — citing the potential harm to American consumers and manufactures.\n\nFrom the moment Trump announced the tariff threat, observers wondered whether he would pull the trigger, noting his habit of creating problems and then claiming credit when he rushes in to solve them.\n\nIn late March, Trump threatened to shut the entire U.S.-Mexico border if Mexico didn't immediately halt illegal immigration. Just a few days later, he backed off that threat, saying he was pleased with steps Mexico had taken. It was unclear, however, what — if anything — Mexico had changed.\n\nU.S. and Mexican officials met for more than 10 hours Friday during a third day of talks at the U.S. State Department trying to hash out a deal that would satisfy Trump's demand that Mexico dramatically increase its efforts to crack down on migrants.\n\nThe talks had been focused, in part, on attempting to reach a compromise on changes that would make it harder for migrants who pass through Mexico from other countries to claim asylum in the U.S., those monitoring the situation said. Mexico has long opposed such a change but appeared open to considering a potential compromise that could include exceptions or waivers for different types of cases. The joint declaration, however makes no mention of the issue.\n\nLeaving the State Department Friday night, Mexican Foreign Secretary Marcelo Ebrard said he thought the deal struck \"a fair balance\" because the U.S. \"had more drastic proposals and measures at the start.\"\n\nBut Leticia Calderón Cheluis, a migration expert at the Mora Institute in Mexico City, said the agreement is essentially a series of compromises solely by Mexico, which she said committed to \"a double clamp at both borders.\"\n\nTrump in recent months has embraced tariffs as a political tool he can use to force countries to comply with his demands — in this case on his signature issue of immigration. Beyond Trump and several White House advisers, though, few in his administration had believed the tariffs were a good idea, according to officials familiar with internal deliberations. Those people had worried about the negative economic consequences for Americans and argued that tariffs — which would likely spark retaliatory taxes on U.S. exports — would also hurt the administration politically.\n\nRepublicans in Congress had also warned the White House that they were ready to stand up to the president to try to block his tariffs, which they worried would spike costs to U.S. consumers, harm the economy and imperil a major pending U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade deal .\n\nSenate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., greeted Friday night's news with sarcasm. \"This is an historic night!\" he tweeted. \"Now that that problem is solved, I'm sure we won't be hearing any more about it in the future.\"\n\nAssociated Press writers Zeke Miller, Colleen Long, Paul Wiseman, Lisa Mascaro, Darlene Superville and Padmananda Rama in Washington and Jonathan Lemire in Shannon, Ireland contributed to this report.", "Jill Colvin, Matthew Lee and Luis Alonso Lugo, The Associated Press \n\n \n\n\n\nWASHINGTON -- U.S. President Donald Trump has put on hold his plan to begin imposing tariffs on Mexico on Monday, saying the U.S. ally will take \"strong measures\" to reduce the flow of Central American migrants into the United States.\n\nBut the deal he announced Friday night, after returning from a trip to Europe, falls short of some of the dramatic overhauls pushed for by his administration.\n\nA joint declaration released by the State Department said the U.S. \"will immediately expand\" a program that returns asylum-seekers, while their claims are under review, to Mexico after they have crossed the U.S.-Mexico border. Mexico will \"offer jobs, healthcare and education\" to those people, according to the agreement.\n\nMexico has agreed, it said, to \"unprecedented steps to increase enforcement to curb irregular migration,\" including the deployment of the Mexican National Guard throughout the country, especially on its southern border with Guatemala.\n\nTrump put the number of troops at 6,000, and said in a tweet Saturday, \"Mexico will try very hard, and if they do that, this will be a very successful agreement for both the United States and Mexico!\"\n\nMexico's president, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, said on Twitter that \"Thanks to the support of all Mexicans, the imposition of tariffs on Mexican products exported to the USA has been avoided.\" He called for a gathering Saturday to celebrate in Tijuana.\n\nThe State Department also said Mexico is taking \"decisive action to dismantle human smuggling and trafficking organizations as well as their illicit financial and transportation networks.\"\n\nThe agreement removes, for now, the threat of trade penalties that had elicited dire warnings from members of Trump's own party about the potential economic damage, higher consumer prices and an imperiled update to a North American trade deal.\n\nMexico's foreign secretary, Marcelo Ebrard, said he thought the deal struck \"a fair balance\" because the U.S. \"had more drastic proposals and measures at the start.\"\n\nBut Leticia Calderon Cheluis, a migration expert at the Mora Institute in Mexico City, said the agreement is essentially a series of compromises solely by Mexico, which she said committed to \"a double clamp at both borders.\"\n\nTrump used social media to say he was \"pleased to inform you\" about the deal with Mexico and said the threatened tariffs \"are hereby indefinitely suspended.\" He cited Mexico's commitment to \"strong measures\" intended \"to greatly reduce, or eliminate\" illegal immigration from Mexico.\n\nIt was a sharp reversal, given that earlier Friday, his spokeswoman Sarah Sanders had told reporters: \"Our position has not changed. The tariffs are going forward as of Monday.\"\n\nThe U.S. had announced in December that it would make some asylum-seekers wait in Mexico while their cases were being processed. But this move has been plagued with glitches, including incorrect court dates, travel problems and issues with lawyers reaching their clients.\n\nOfficials from the Department of Homeland Security were working to spread the program along the border before the latest blowup. About 10,000 people have been returned to Mexico to wait the processing of their immigration cases since the program began Jan. 29.\n\nAny sizable increase may be difficult to achieve. At just the San Ysidro crossing in California, Mexico had been prepared to accept up to 120 asylum-seekers per week. But for the first six weeks, only 40 people per week were returned.\n\nMore than 100,000 migrants are currently crossing the U.S. border each month, but not everyone claims asylum and migrants can wait an entire year before making a claim.\n\nTrump had threatened a 5% tariff on all Mexican goods entering the U.S. \"until such time as illegal migrants coming through Mexico, and into our Country, STOP.\"\n\nU.S. officials had laid out steps Mexico could take to prevent the tariffs, but many people had doubts that even those steps would be enough to satisfy Trump on illegal immigration, a signature issue of his presidency and one that he sees as crucial to his 2020 re-election campaign.\n\nThe 5% tax on all Mexican goods would have risen every month, up to 25% under Trump's plan, and had enormous economic implications for both countries.\n\nAmericans bought $378 billion worth of Mexican imports last year, led by cars and auto parts. Many members of Trump's Republican Party and business allies had urged him to reconsider -- or at least postpone the threatened tariffs as talks continued.\n\nFrom the moment Trump announced his threat, observers wondered whether he would follow through. They noted his habit of creating problems and then claiming credit when he rushed in to solve them.\n\nIn late March, Trump threatened to shut the entire U.S.-Mexico border if Mexico didn't immediately halt illegal immigration. Just a few days later, he backed off that threat, saying he was pleased with steps Mexico had taken. It was unclear, however, what -- if anything -- Mexico had changed.\n\nTalks in Washington had focused partly on changes that would make it harder for migrants who pass through Mexico from other countries to claim asylum in the U.S., according to those monitoring the situation. Mexico has opposed such a change but appeared open to considering a potential compromise that could include exceptions or waivers for different types of cases. The joint declaration, however, makes no mention of the issue\n\nTrump has embraced tariffs as a political tool he can use to force countries to comply with his demands. Beyond Trump and several White House advisers, though, few in his administration had believed the tariffs were a good idea, according to officials familiar with internal deliberations. Those people had worried about the negative economic consequences for Americans and argued that tariffs, which probably would have drawn retaliatory taxes on U.S. exports, would also hurt the administration politically.\n\nRepublicans in Congress warned the White House that they were ready to stand up to the president to try to block his tariffs, which they worried would raise costs to U.S. consumers, harm the economy and imperil a major pending U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade deal .\n\nAssociated Press writers Zeke Miller, Colleen Long, Paul Wiseman, Lisa Mascaro, Darlene Superville and Padmananda Rama in Washington and Jonathan Lemire in Shannon, Ireland contributed to this report.", ", Washington, United States, Jun 7 – The United States and Mexico reached an 11th-hour deal late Friday to crack down on migration from Central America, with President Donald Trump relenting on threats to slap potentially devastating tariffs on the neighboring country.\n\nWith Trump ready to impose five percent tariffs on all Mexican goods starting Monday, senior officials hammered out an agreement after three days of intense negotiations at the State Department.\n\nUnder the deal, Mexico acknowledged and agreed to expand its policy of taking back migrants from violence-riven Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador as the United States processes their asylum claims.\n\nIn turn, Mexico managed to avoid a proposal it had continually rejected — that it process asylum claims on its own soil before migrants try to reach the United States.\n\n“I am pleased to inform you that The United States of America has reached a signed agreement with Mexico. The Tariffs scheduled to be implemented by the U.S. on Monday, against Mexico, are hereby indefinitely suspended,” Trump wrote on Twitter shortly after returning from a trip to Europe.\n\n“Mexico, in turn, has agreed to take strong measures to stem the tide of Migration through Mexico, and to our Southern Border. This is being done to greatly reduce, or eliminate, Illegal Immigration coming from Mexico and into the United States.”\n\nMexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who had planned to head Saturday to the border city of Tijuana to show solidarity ahead of the tariffs, said that his trip would instead be to “celebrate.”\n\n“Thanks to the support of all Mexicans, we were able to avoid tariffs on Mexican products exported to the United States,” tweeted Lopez Obrador, who since his election last year has tried studiously not to antagonize Trump.\n\nTrump, who ran for president pushing a tough line on immigration that included denouncing undocumented Mexicans as rapists, had vowed to raise tariffs as high as 25 percent unless Mexico — which exports $350 billion in goods each year to the United States — takes further action against migrants.\n\nThe tariffs would have clobbered Mexico’s economy, which is integrated with the United States and Canada under the North American Free Trade Agreement, with experts warning of a recession and Fitch rating service already downgrading Mexico’s credit rating.\n\nBut the tariffs also drew unusually strong opposition from Trump’s fellow Republicans, especially lawmakers from farm states who worried about losing their second largest international market.\n\nMexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard, who quickly flew to Washington and had stayed ever since following Trump’s tariff threat by Twitter on May 30, said he believed the two sides had found a compromise.\n\n“I think it was a fair balance, because they have more drastic measures and proposals,” he told reporters as he left the State Department following a final day of talks that lasted 12 hours.\n\n“We have reached some middle point,” he said.\n\nTreasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin hailed the deal between the US and Mexico as “very, very significant.”\n\nSpeaking to reporters Saturday on the sidelines of the G20 meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors, Mnuchin said: “We couldn’t be more pleased with the agreement that we reached. It is very, very significant and we very much appreciate the commitments that Mexico has made to help us on those important immigration issues.”\n\nMexico pledged in a joint statement to take “unprecedented steps to increase enforcement to curb irregular migration.”\n\n“The Governments of the United States and Mexico will work together to immediately implement a durable solution,” it said.\n\nMexico will deploy National Guard troops throughout the country, “giving priority to its southern border” with Guatemala. It will also target human smuggling and trafficking groups.\n\nMaking official a policy that has triggered opposition in both countries, the United States said it would systematically send back asylum seekers who cross the border, with Mexico offering them jobs, health care and education.\n\nThousands of asylum seekers have already been sent back to Mexico, prompting criticism from human rights campaigners that the migrants will lack due process and face new danger in border cities such as Ciudad Juarez.\n\nTrump, who has declared a crisis at the border and earlier deployed troops, says that asylum seekers can too easily slip into the population while on US soil.\n\nIn a shift from the past when most undocumented immigrants were men seeking work, a majority of recent arrivals are families or unaccompanied children fleeing violence.\n\nThe number of migrants detained or blocked at the border surged to 144,000 in May, triple the level a year earlier.\n\nSenator Joni Ernst, who represents the farming state of Iowa and had broken with Trump on the tariffs, said that her state was “breathing a sigh of relief” with the deal.\n\nBut Democrats denounced Trump for taking the United States and Mexico to the brink.\n\n“What we see is yet another example of him trying to be both the arsonist who created this problem in the first place and the firefighter who wants credit for addressing it,” said Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke, who represented the Texas border city of El Paso in Congress.\n\nChuck Schumer, the top Democrat in the Senate, mocked Trump’s triumphant announcement of a deal to reduce illegal immigration.\n\n“Now that that problem is solved, I’m sure we won’t be hearing any more about it in the future,” Schumer tweeted.\n\nIn the joint statement, the US and Mexico said they would continue discussions and could announce further measures if the plan does not lead to “the expected results.”", "WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says he has suspended plans to impose tariffs on Mexico, tweeting that the country \"has agreed to take strong measures\" to stem the flow of Central American migrants into the United States.\n\n\"I am pleased to inform you that The United States of America has reached a signed agreement with Mexico,\" Trump tweeted Friday night, saying the \"Tariffs scheduled to be implemented by the U.S. on Monday, against Mexico, are hereby indefinitely suspended.\"\n\nHe said Mexico has agreed to work to \"stem the tide of Migration through Mexico, and to our Southern Border\" and said those steps would \"greatly reduce, or eliminate, Illegal Immigration coming from Mexico and into the United States.\"\n\nHe said details would be released soon by the State Department.\n\nThe tweet marked a change in tone from earlier Friday, when his spokeswoman Sarah Sanders told reporters in Ireland before Trump took off: \"Our position has not changed. The tariffs are going forward as of Monday.\" Trump has often said unpredictability helps him negotiate.\n\nA tax on all Mexican goods , which would increase every month up to 25% under Trump's plan, would have had enormous economic implications for both countries. Americans bought $378 billion worth of Mexican imports last year, led by cars and auto parts. Many members of Trump's Republican Party and business allies have urged him to reconsider — or at least postpone actually implementing the tariffs as talks continue — citing the potential harm to American consumers and manufactures.\n\nU.S. and Mexican officials held a third day of talks at the U.S. State Department trying to hash out a deal that would satisfy Trump's demand that Mexico dramatically increase its efforts to crack down on migrants.\n\nThe talks were said to be focused, in part, on attempting to reach a compromise on changes that would make it harder for migrants who pass through Mexico from other countries to claim asylum in the U.S., those monitoring the situation said. Mexico has opposed such a change but appeared open to considering a potential compromise that could include exceptions or waivers for different types of cases.\n\nTrump has nonetheless embraced tariffs as a political tool he can use to force countries to comply with his demands — in this case on his signature issue of immigration. And he appeared poised earlier Friday to invoke an emergency declaration that would allow him to put the tariffs into effect if that is his final decision, according to people monitoring the talks.\n\n\"If negotiations continue to go well,\" Trump \"can turn that off at some point over the weekend,\" Marc Short, Vice President Mike Pence's chief of staff, told reporters.\n\nTalks had gotten off to a shaky start Wednesday, as the U.S. once again pressed Mexico to step up enforcement on its southern border with Guatemala and to enter into a \"safe third country agreement\" overhauling its asylum system. But as talks progressed Thursday, U.S. officials began to grow more optimistic, with Short reporting Mexican \"receptivity\" to potential asylum changes.\n\nStill, he said there was \"a long way to go in that particular piece.\"\n\nIn Mexico, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador would not say whether he would accept his country agreeing to be a \"safe third country.\"\n\n\"That is being looked at,\" he said Friday morning during his daily news conference, where he held out hope a deal could be reached before Monday's deadline.\n\nIn addition, Mexican Foreign Secretary Marcelo Ebrard said Thursday his country had agreed to deploy 6,000 National Guard troops to its border with Guatemala to help control the flow of migrants as part of its concessions.\n\nHe tweeted late Friday that there would be no \"tariff application on Monday.\"\n\n\"Thanks to all the people who have supported us by realizing the greatness of Mexico,\" he wrote.\n\nBeyond Trump and several White House advisers, few in his administration believe the tariffs are a good idea, according to officials familiar with internal deliberations. Those people worry about the negative economic consequences for Americans and believe the tariffs — which would likely spark retaliatory taxes on U.S. exports — would also hurt the administration politically.\n\nRepublicans in Congress have warned the White House that they are ready to stand up to the president to try to block his tariffs, which they worry would spike costs to U.S. consumers, harm the economy and imperil a major pending U.S.-Mexico-Canada trade deal .\n\nAssociated Press writers Zeke Miller, Paul Wiseman, Lisa Mascaro, Darlene Superville and Padmananda Rama in Washington and Jonathan Lemire in Shannon, Ireland contributed to this report.\n\nGrab the FREE WDTN News App for iPhone or Android. Stay up to date with all the local news, weather and sports as well as live newscasts and events as they happen.\n\nLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for all the latest news, weather and sports.", "President Donald Trump has suspended planned tariffs against Mexico, saying that an agreement has been reached on border enforcement to stem the tide of illegal migration into the U.S. from Central America.\n\n'I am pleased to inform you that The United States of America has reached a signed agreement with Mexico,' Trump wrote in a tweet on Friday, three days before the first tariffs were set to take effect.\n\n'The Tariffs scheduled to be implemented by the U.S. on Monday, against Mexico, are hereby indefinitely suspended. Mexico, in turn, has agreed to take strong measures to stem the tide of Migration through Mexico, and to our Southern Border,' he continued, shortly after arriving back at the White House from a trip to the UK and Ireland.\n\n'This is being done to greatly reduce, or eliminate, Illegal Immigration coming from Mexico and into the United States. Details of the agreement will be released shortly be the State Department. Thank you!'\n\nA spokesman for Mexico's foreign ministry confirmed that an agreement had been reached to suspend the tariffs, however details of the deal were not immediately clear.\n\nTrump had previously vowed to put a 5 per cent tariff on all imports from Mexico starting on June 10, to be increased an additional 5 per cent monthly until reaching 25 per cent, unless Mexico cooperated on immigration enforcement.\n\nCrunch talks between US and Mexican officials continued through the day on Friday at the State Department in Washington, with the Trump administration demanding a tough crackdown on the Central American migrants and an agreement to accept their asylum petitions inside Mexico.\n\nSuch an agreement, known as a 'safe third country' agreement, was thought to be a key sticking point of the talks.\n\nMexico has previously refused to agree to the commitment, under which asylum seekers would be required to apply for benefits in the first safe country they enter, and not the country where they ultimately want to settle.\n\nEarlier this week, Mexico ordered 6,000 troops to its own southern border in a crackdown on illegal crossings and attempt to appease Trump.\n\nThe show of force included the halting of a caravan of more than 1,000 migrants, the type of group that Mexico has long allowed to continue freely through its territory toward the U.S.\n\nIf a deal could not be reached, the US intended to hit hundreds of billions of dollars' worth of imports from Mexico with 5 per cent tariffs beginning Monday - a move which could have clobbered Mexico's economy.\n\nThe tariffs would have also increased the costs of some imported goods for U.S. consumers.\n\n'We're doing all right,' Trump said without elaborating as he returned to Washington on Friday evening from Europe, as reporters shouted questions about the negotiations with Mexico.\n\nBut after leaving Ireland earlier in the day he tweeted that 'there is a good chance' that an agreement could be reached.\n\nOn Friday, Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard met with US officials at the State Department for a third straight day to discuss US demands for a crackdown on migrants.\n\nTalks went on late in the afternoon, and there was no news on whether they were making progress.\n\nMexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said Friday morning he was 'optimistic' for a deal.\n\nThe Trump administration has demanded Mexico take tough action to halt the flow of hundreds of thousands of migrants fleeing chronic poverty and violence in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, who are hoping to request asylum in the United States.\n\nThe number of migrants intercepted illegally crossing the border surged to 144,000 in May, the highest level in 13 years.\n\nMany were Central Americans traveling with children, which under current rules means they are often released into the U.S. interior pending an asylum court date.\n\nThe US insists Mexico must lock down its border with Guatemala to the south and agree to let asylum seekers register their claims inside Mexico, presumably to wait there while their applications are processed.", "Mexico's Foreign Minister Ebrard speaks to reporters after U.S.-Mexico talks at State Department in Washington\n\nWASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S.-Mexico migration talks were set to resume on Friday as Mexican officials continue their push to reach an agreement that would avert U.S. tariffs set to take effect next week.\n\nVice President Mike Pence said progress has been made after two days of talks but gave no specifics. He said President Donald Trump, who returns from a week-long trip to Europe on Friday afternoon, would have final say on any deal.\n\n\"There has been some movement on their part. It's been encouraging,\" Pence said on Thursday.\n\nMexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said the Mexican government had offered to send 6,000 members of the National Guard to secure its southern border with Guatemala.\n\nHe said migration talks would continue on Friday.\n\nTrump rattled global markets, Mexican officials and his fellow Republicans in Congress last week by threatening 5% tariffs on Mexican imports starting on Monday if Mexico did not step up efforts to stem an increase in migrants heading for the U.S. southern border.\n\nWall Street futures signaled a positive opening for U.S. markets on Friday after stocks rebounded on Thursday amid optimism that a deal could be close. Still, it remained unclear if Mexican pledges to curb migration flows would persuade Trump to drop his tariff threat.\n\nMexico in recent days moved to block and detain mostly Central American migrants crossing its own southern border headed for the United States. It also acted to block the bank accounts of more than two dozen people allegedly linked to human trafficking.\n\nThe U.S. president is eager to show progress on his 2016 campaign pledge to take a hard line on immigration as he seeks re-election in 2020 on his \"America First\" platform.\n\nBut Trump has also staked his tenure on the success of the U.S. economy, and many economists see trade tensions and a tilt toward protectionism as increasing recession risks.\n\nEconomic officials on Thursday warned global trade tensions and rising tariffs could threaten U.S. expansion and the global economy.\n\nAnalysts have also warned that tariffs could spark a recession in Mexico, something Mexican officials have said could increase the number of migrants fleeing to the United States."], "summary": "Mexico and the United States reach a deal on migration, suspending tariffs on Mexican imports into the U.S. which were to take effect on June 10. Mexico agreed to increase its enforcement efforts along their southern border with Guatemala, including deploying troops from their upcoming National Guard [es]."}
{"document": ["The Prime Minister will continue “trying to deliver for the people of this country”, Downing Street said on Theresa May’s last full day as Conservative Party leader.\n\nMrs May will continue as Prime Minister until a new Tory leader is elected, at which point she will tell the Queen she is stepping aside for a successor who can command the confidence of the House of Commons.\n\nUnder the timetable set out by the Tory Party, Mrs May will formally resign as leader on Friday, with her successor elected in the week beginning July 22.\n\nThe Prime Minister’s official spokesman said she was continuing to focus on her duties.\n\nHe said: “You have heard the Prime Minister talk passionately about some of the domestic policy issues which she cares about.\n\n“She will continue to focus on trying to deliver for the people of this country.\n\n“In relation to Brexit, the Prime Minister said it wouldn’t be for her to take this process forward, that will be for her successor.\n\n“But this week, you have seen the Prime Minister take part in what was a successful state visit and then she has been commemorating those who took part in the D-Day landings.\n\n“I think those ceremonies have been very moving and have been a fitting tribute to the heroism of all those who took part 75 years ago.”\n\nAt the D-Day commemoration event in Normandy, French President Emmanuel Macron offered his support to the outgoing Prime Minister.\n\n“Leaders may come and go but their achievements remain,” he said.\n\n“The force of our friendship will outlast current events.”\n\nMrs May’s last day as leader could be marked by a crushing defeat in the Peterborough by-election, with the Brexit Party and Labour expected to battle it out for a seat held by the Tories until 2017.\n\nA Tory source said: “She would urge the voters of Peterborough to vote Conservative and we will see what the result is on Friday.”\n\nThe Prime Minister had “definitely done some phone banking” to help the campaign, Tory sources said.\n\nMeanwhile, a Government source said the civil service will ensure “continuity arrangements” are in place to manage the transfer of power to Mrs May’s successor.", "Image copyright Getty Images\n\nBoris Johnson is the new leader of the Conservative party. He officially becomes prime minister on Wednesday, after Theresa May formally resigns.\n\nBut what will his new job actually involve?\n\nWhat does the prime minister do?\n\nThe prime minister is the leader of the government and is appointed by the Queen. Normally, he or she is the leader of the party that wins a general election.\n\nIt's the prime minister's job to appoint members to the government, known as ministers. Only a small number of MPs actually get these roles.\n\nThe most senior figures are called cabinet ministers and they oversee government departments - such as the Treasury and the Home Office.\n\nImage copyright Getty Images Image caption Boris Johnson was elected Conservative leader after winning more than 92,000 votes\n\nThe prime minister can, at any time, hire and fire ministers. They can also abolish government departments or create brand new ones.\n\nAlongside the chancellor, the prime minister is also in charge of tax-and-spending policy.\n\nAnd the prime minister can also bring in new laws - so long as they receive the backing of Parliament.\n\nUltimately, the prime minister is responsible for all government policy and decisions.\n\nWhat other powers does the prime minister have?\n\nThe prime minister has overall control of the civil service - the people and departments that carry out the government's decisions.\n\nThey can award honours, such as knighthoods and damehoods. They can also award peerages.\n\nThey also have a number of responsibilities relating to defence and security.\n\nFor example, they have the power to send the UK's armed forces into action. However, recent convention says Parliament should also approve such a decision.\n\nA number of special responsibilities also rest on the prime minister's shoulders, such as deciding whether to shoot down a hijacked or unidentified aircraft.\n\nThey can also authorise the use of UK nuclear weapons.\n\nHow are prime ministers held to account?\n\nDespite these powers, a prime minister can't just take any decision they like.\n\nPrime ministers need to retain the confidence of most MPs. That's because laws can only be passed if a majority of MPs vote them through.\n\nIf a government repeatedly loses votes, MPs could choose to call a \"motion of no confidence\". If a prime minister loses such a vote, they face the prospect of a general election.\n\nIf the prime minister's party loses a general election, they must resign so the leader of the winning party can take over.\n\nIn theory, the Queen has the power to sack a prime minister if it was felt they were acting against the country's interest. That, however, would trigger a constitutional crisis.\n\nWho got to choose the prime minister?\n\nBoris Johnson needed the backing of both Conservative MPs and ordinary party members.\n\nTo start with, 10 Tory MPs were nominated as possible prime ministers. But a series of secret votes by Conservative MPs whittled them down to two - Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt.\n\nBoth Mr Johnson and Mr Hunt took part in a series of debates, before paid-up members of the Tory Party voted for who they wanted.\n\nThat meant about 160,000 people were able to choose the leader of a country of more than 65 million people.\n\nBoris Johnson received 92,153 votes compared to Jeremy Hunt's 46,656.\n\nMost Conservative party members are over 55 and a large majority are from the top social class.\n\nWhy wasn't there a general election?\n\nA new prime minister doesn't necessarily mean a general election is inevitable.\n\nAs the Conservatives are already in power, they won't have to hold one - so long as Boris Johnson can command the support of the majority of MPs.\n\nIf he did decide to call an election, the prime minister would need at least two-thirds of MPs to agree to it.\n\nWhere does this leave Brexit?\n\nDespite Theresa May's departure, the problem of Brexit is far from resolved.\n\nComing up with a solution that will define the future relationship of the UK with its European neighbours will keep Boris Johnson very busy.\n\nMr Johnson has pledged to renegotiate the existing deal - the one Mrs May failed to pass three times.\n\nBut there's also no guarantee that a revised deal can be agreed before the Brexit deadline.\n\nHowever, Mr Johnson is adamant the UK will leave on 31 October \"deal or no deal\".\n\nWhat are the perks?\n\nThe prime minister is expected to live and work in 10 Downing Street - the office of the prime minister since 1735.\n\nHowever, there are some exceptions. Tony Blair, who had a young family, chose to reside in Number 11 in 1997 - as it had a larger living area.\n\nIn addition, the prime minister has an official country residence, Chequers, which is free to be used at any time.\n\nImage copyright Getty Images Image caption Chequers has been the official country residence of the UK prime minister since 1921\n\nBoris Johnson will be driven in an official prime ministerial car. Currently, it's a custom-built Jaguar XJ Sentinel.\n\nAs for salary, the prime minister is currently paid £150,402 a year.", "LONDON (REUTERS) - British Prime Minister Theresa May formally notified her Conservative Party on Friday (June 7) that she had resigned as party leader, opening the way for a succession contest that will determine the country's next prime minister.\n\nMrs May will remain prime minister and acting party leader until Conservative Party lawmakers and members select a new leader after a process that is expected to last several weeks.\n\nNominations for the Conservative leadership close at 1600 GMT on Monday.", "LONDON – Theresa May has resigned as leader of the Conservative party, triggering a leadership contest which will see her replaced as prime minister in late July.\n\nThe 1922 Committee of backbench Conservative MPs confirmed that the prime minister had handed in her notice on Friday afternoon.\n\nThe committee confirmed that May would remain as acting leader of the Conservative and Unionist party until her successor had been announced.\n\nConservative MPs who wish to replace her must submit their formal applications by Monday.\n\nEleven MPs have announced their intention to stand, including frontrunner Boris Johnson, as well as Dominic Raab, Michael Gove, and Andrea Leadsom.", "Prime Minister Theresa May has officially resigned from her position as leader of the Conservative Party.\n\nHowever she will remain as PM until a new Tory leader is elected.\n\nThe 62-year-old MP for Maidenhead announced her intention to stand down on May 24.\n\nThe race for the next party leader will begin on Monday with several MPs including Boris Johnson, Michael Gove and Dominic Raab already putting their names forward for the role.\n\nMay was first elected as an MP in 1997 and was named party leader in 2016 after David Cameron stood down from the role following the EU referendum.\n\nShe decided to resign after repeatedly failing to her Brexit deal through parliament.\n\nThe next leader will have until October 31 to agree a deal that can gather enough support in Westminster or risk leaving the EU without a deal.\n\nDownload: The STV News app is Scotland's favourite and is available for iPhone from the App store and for Android from Google Play. Download it today and continue to enjoy STV News wherever you are.", "Theresa May quit as Tory leader tonight in a low-key formality as she prepares to slip out of No10.\n\nThe Prime Minister, who was holed up in her Maidenhead constituency all day, swapped private letters with the party’s 1992 Committee acting chairmen, Charles Walker and Cheryl Gillan, as she resigned after nearly three years as Conservative chief.\n\nA terse statement from the committee said: “Following notification from the Prime Minister, Rt Hon Theresa May MP, that she has resigned as the Leader of the Conservative and Unionist Party, the Joint Acting Chairs of the 1922 Committee are inviting nominations from those Conservative Members of Parliament who wish to stand for election as the next Party Leader.”\n\nShe remains acting party leader and PM until a new Conservative chief is unveiled in the week beginning July 22.\n\nNominations for her successor formally open at 10am on Monday and close seven hours later.\n\nEleven candidates have declared their tilts for the top job so far.\n\nMeanwhile, Downing Street was forced to play down claims of a rift between Mrs May and Chancellor Philip Hammond over the Treasury releasing cash for her pet projects as she desperately tries to secure a legacy.\n\nThe pair “meet regularly to talk about spending and other issues,” a No 10 spokeswoman said.\n\nShe added: “You have heard from the PM recently, in setting out that for the remainder of her time in office, she will be focused on delivering and building on the domestic agenda that she has put at the heart of her premiership since she became Prime Minister.”\n\nLabour chairman Ian Lavery said: “The Conservatives’ legacy under Theresa May’s leadership is one of historic failure.\n\n“They have let down renters, let down people on Universal Credit , let down older people receiving social care, betrayed the Windrush generation and done nothing to tackle the climate emergency.\n\n“Theresa May’s reign is over but another unelected Tory Prime Minister will not make life any better for people in this country.”\n\nMeanwhile, the London Dungeon threw what it dubbed a “farewell party” for the departed Conservative leader.\n\nIt included a “Theresa May-inspired drag act” and “Fields of Wheat” cocktails in a nod to her claim the naughtiest thing she has ever done was run through a farmer’s wheat field.\n\nThe PM did not attend the bash.", "How will the Conservative Party elect their new leader and the UK's next prime minister?\n\nHow will the Conservative Party elect their new leader and the UK's next prime minister?\n\nCandidates are vying to be the next occupant of 10 Downing St\n\nConservative officials have revealed the rules for their party's leadership contest, which will also decide the UK's next prime minister. Here's how it works:\n\n:: Friday 7 June - Theresa May will officially resign as Conservative Party leader in a letter to the Tories' 1922 Committee.\n\nShe will henceforth become acting leader.\n\n:: Monday 10 June - Leadership candidates have between 10am and 5pm to formally apply to enter the contest. Each candidate will need the backing of eight MPs in order to join the race.\n\nThis is a change from the last Tory leadership election in 2016, when candidates needed the initial backing of only two MPs.\n\nThe 1922 committee will announce the final list of candidates at 5.30pm.\n\nCurrently, 11 Tory MPs have made public their intention to enter the contest.\n\n:: 11/12 June - The candidates will take part in the first hustings event organised by the 1922 Committee.\n\nOnly Conservative MPs will be able to attend.\n\nConservative peers will not be able to attend the event while, despite their confidence and supply agreement with the Tories, DUP MPs also won't be permitted entry.\n\nNo media will be allowed in the room either.\n\n:: 13 June - The first ballot of Tory MPs will take place.\n\nEach MP will cast their vote - either in person or by proxy - by posting their papers into black tin boxes in Committee Room 14 in parliament.\n\nThe votes will then be counted in another room before the 1922 Committee's co-chairmen, Dame Cheryl Gillan and Charles Walker, will announce the results.\n\nCandidates will be required to win 5% of votes (a total of 17 MPs) to move on from the first round.\n\nIf candidates don't meet the threshold, they will be eliminated.\n\nIf all candidates (or indeed no candidates) meet the threshold, the one with the lowest number of votes will be eliminated.\n\nIf no candidates meet the threshold and there is a tie at the bottom, there will be a \"frank discussion\" with those candidates about whether or not they agree to drop out.\n\nIf they don't, this could mean the ballot is voted on again.\n\n:: 17 June - The candidates will take part in a second hustings event organised by the 1922 Committee.\n\n:: 18 June - A second ballot of Tory MPs will take place with candidates this time requiring 10% of votes (33 MPs) to make it through the second round.\n\nThe same rules as the first ballot on candidates being eliminated will apply.\n\n:: 19/20 June - A third, fourth, fifth and possibly sixth ballot of Tory MPs will be held, depending on how many rounds of voting are needed to whittle the candidates down to a final pair.\n\nAt each round, the candidate with the lowest number of votes will be eliminated.\n\n:: 22 June - The final pair of candidates are expected to be in Birmingham to take part in the first hustings event in front of Conservative Party members.\n\nFurther hustings events are likely to be held in every region of the country.\n\n:: 22 July - It is expected the party's grassroots members will be asked to submit their vote for their favoured candidate by 5pm on 22 July.\n\n:: 23 July - This could see the announcement of the winning candidate by the 1922 Committee and might also be the day Theresa May visits the Queen to resign as prime minister in order to hand over to her successor.", "LONDON — Theresa May will on Friday resign as Conservative party leader, paving the way for a successor to replace her as prime minister in July.\n\nThe prime minister will send a letter to the chair of the 1922 Committee of backbench Conservative MPs, before triggering the official start of the campaign to replace her.\n\nShe will leave her successor the inheritance of a bitterly divided party, historically low poll ratings and an impending political crisis as Britain once again approaches a potential no-deal Brexit in October.\n\nBusiness Insider has spoken to Conservative MPs and political experts about why things went so badly wrong for May and how she could have handled her time in office differently.\n\nHere are five strategic mistakes that defined Theresa May's premiership.\n\nBritish Prime Minister Theresa May leaves after addressing a media conference at an EU summit in Brussels. AP/Frank Augstein\n\nTheresa May's decision to call a snap general election in 2017 will be remembered as a political mistake of historic proportions.\n\nHowever, at the time it did not appear to be so.\n\nWith the Conservatives high in the polls, ,uch of the press and many of her colleagues hailed it as a strategic masterstroke which could increase the slender majority she had inherited from David Cameron and provide much-needed wiggle room to push through Brexit. The Daily Mail billed it as a plan to \"crush the saboteurs.\"\n\nIt didn't quite work out like that. In fact when the results came in on June 8, 2017, the Conservatives had lost their majority and May's political authority had all but vanished. It would never recover.\n\nMay's mistake was arguably not the decision to call the election itself.\n\n\"In terms of the basics, she needed to get a Withdrawal Agreement through, and it wasn't going to happen with parliament as it was pre-election,\" said Anand Menon, professor of European politics and foreign affairs at King's College London.\n\n\"So you could do with a bigger majority and you had those polls. Why not?\"\n\nHowever, the way May fought the election campaign proved to be a disaster.\n\nTheresa May produced a manifesto, largely the work of her advisor Nick Timothy, which included a policy that would force elderly people to pay for all but £100,000 of their care costs. It was immediately dubbed the \"dementia tax\" and became immensely unpopular.\n\nThen there was the prime minister herself. Much of the Conservative campaign focused on May's perceived personal qualities, with the key slogan urging voters to back her \"strong and stable\" leadership. However, her campaign appearances failed to live up to the message.\n\nAwkward and sometimes irritable, May was quickly dubbed the \"Maybot\" for her often robotic appearances.\n\n\"Politicians in general aren't brilliant when it comes to self-awareness,\" said Anand Menon. \"But I don't understand how she could not know she wasn't a very good campaigner.\"\n\nConservative MPs say the prime minister was deeply mistaken to focus the campaign on her personal leadership qualities when she had so few, in particular citing her refusal to take part in televised debates with other party leaders.\n\nOne pro-Brexit MP said that May's refusal to do so was a \"profound mistake that had a shattering impact on the Conservative vote.\"\n\n\"She made the whole thing about leadership and then refused to do leaders' debates,\"\n\n\"There's a perfectly legitimate argument not to do leaders' debates,\" they said.\n\n\"But you can't say \"this is all about leadership,\" then refuse to participate in them.\"\n\nMany of May's colleagues say she never recovered the authority or confidence when the results came in.\n\n\"The election result destroyed her confidence as prime minister,\" said one Tory MP who had initially supported the prime minister's decision to call an election.\n\n\"When you start going backwards you never really recover.\"\n\nPerhaps the biggest of May's mistakes was triggering the two-year Article 50 process without a clear strategy of how to approach an incredibly complex set of negotiations.\n\nFormer UK diplomat Sir Ivan Rogers has been one of the most vocal critics of how May's government approached the early stages of the Brexit process — and her decision to trigger Article 50 without having developed a detailed strategy.\n\nHe resigned as the UK's Permanent Representative to the EU just weeks before May triggered Article 50, citing her government's \"muddled thinking,\" \"ill-founded arguments\" and a chronic lack of \"serious multilateral negotiating experience\" in the UK team.\n\nThe UK's lack of preparation and negotiating experience meant it was vulnerable in negotiations, giving even greater leverage to the EU than it already had as a group of 27 economies rather than one.\n\nMay also made the decision to trigger the two-year Brexit countdown without having started to make serious preparations for a no-deal Brexit.\n\nEU leaders had no reason to take her threats of walking away seriously when she had given the UK very little time to prepare for such a momentous potential outcome.\n\nJill Rutter, Director of the Institute For Government think tank, said that Roger's dramatic resignation was arguably \"the most symbolic moment\" in the story of Theresa May's downfall.\n\n\"It was a message: 'I'm trying to give you advice and you're not listening',\" she told Business Insider.\n\nRutter said it reflected May's \"inability to engage with inconvenient advice\" and her \"refusal to engage with the reality of negotiations in Brussels.\"\n\nWhen May became prime minister she quickly came under intense pressure to reveal her vision for Brexit.\n\nSome MPs wanted her to pursue what became known as a \"soft\" exit in which the UK would leave the EU but stay very close to its markets, like countries such as Norway and Switzerland are.\n\nHowever, most Brexit-backing Conservative MPs urged her to instead negotiate a \"hard\" exit in which the UK would move far away from EU institutions and markets.\n\nAfter consulting with her small team of advisors, May decided to go with the latter, and told the Conservative party's 2016 conference that the UK would leave the single market, customs union, and European Court of Justice, insisting that \"Brexit means Brexit.\"\n\nAnand Menon said this was a \"stand out\" moment in understanding the Brexit crisis which awaited May further down the line.\n\n\"The moments that stand out are the first Sunday at Tory Party Conference in 2016 when she hinted at her red lines and said we're leaving the customs union,\" he told Business Insider.\n\n\"Those four days were absolutely unbelievable.\"\n\nHe said that these radical promises combined with her infamous \"citizens of nowhere\" speech, in which she was accused of dismissing Remainers as being un-British, pointed to a harder Brexit than most people had been expecting.\n\n\"Until that moment you could legitimately wonder about what direction Brexit was going to head.\"\n\nThe big problem was that the prime minister's conference promises were simply incompatible with her negotiating objectives of maintaining frictionless trade with the EU and preserving the status quo on the island of Ireland.\n\nShe boxed herself in and set up incredibly difficult negotiations in which either her personal pledges or her Brexit objectives would ultimately have to be binned.\n\nIFG Director Jill Rutter told Business Insider that rather than pursuing a Brexit which reflected the 52/48 referendum result, May decided to try an implement a version of the project designed to delight her most hardline pro-Leave MPs.\n\n\"Then she went into a shell and we heard nothing from her until she came out with her red lines at the Tory party conference. Her Chequers [Brexit proposals] and the Withdrawal Agreement were her trying to row back on some red lines.\n\n\"But that set the direction of the type of Brexit she was going for.\"\n\nThe Brexit deal that May eventually negotiated with European counterparts was rejected by MPs three times.\n\nThe first was the biggest ever defeat for a UK government, with a House of Commons majority of 230 voting it down.\n\nIn a last-ditch attempt to breathe new life into the Withdrawal Agreement, May last month tried for a fourth time to get pro-Remain MPs on board, by promising the chance to vote for a new referendum if they backed the deal.\n\nThe plan backfired spectacularly. The pro-Remain MPs it was intended to entice were not convinced and pro-Brexit MPs were absolutely furious, to the point where they launched an ultimately successful coup to get rid of her.\n\nHowever, many Conservative MPs and those familiar with May's government believe that while the deal had flaws, it could have got through the House of Commons had the prime minister not been so poor at selling its upsides.\n\n\"The number 10 operation was absolutely atrocious,\" a former Cabinet minister told Business Insider.\n\n\"That's why the party felt like it had to step in. Every time [Downing Street] said something it just got even worse.\"\n\nOne example of this was the contentious \"backstop\" for avoiding a border on the island of Ireland.\n\nThe backstop is loathed by most Conservative MPs and the Democratic Unionist Party which props up the government, as it would potentially lead to border checks between Northern Ireland and the rest of Great Britain.\n\nIt would also keep the United Kingdom in a customs union with the EU without a fixed exit date.\n\nHowever, as influential Brexiteer Henry Newman wrote earlier this year, the backstop, although not ideal, would let the UK \"have its cake and eat it\" through tariff-free access to the single market, without being a member.\n\nNewman said this point was barely made because \"Downing Street is appallingly bad at explaining its own policies.\"\n\nOther Conservative MPs agree. One told Business Insider: \"A prime minister needs to be like the managing director of a business. They need to be a team captain, and they should be to be able to get the most out of people around them.\n\n\"But they should also be a good salesperson. The prime minister wasn't.\n\n\"She had lots of skills: She was a great details person, she had great resilience.\n\n\"But she wasn't a good salesperson, and that was a big part of the problem.\"\n\nIn the aftermath of the disastrous general election in 2017, the prime minister might have pursued a very different strategy, reaching across to Labour MPs to establish what sort of Brexit might command a majority in the House.\n\n\"You could imagine an alternative world in which she said: 'This is very close, we need to think about what this means for our country, I'm going to put out consultation documents to see what [Brexit] should look like, and when I should trigger Article 50',\" said Jill Rutter.\n\nBut she didn't, opting instead to pursue a vision of Brexit which was a \"Conservative party project\" rather than a cross-party policy goal, Rutter said.\n\nFaced with a tiny working majority and a permanent rebellion on her own backbenches, the prime minister was always unlikely to deliver Brexit without Labour votes. But she appeared not to recognise this fact until it was too late.\n\nBy the time she sought cross-party talks with Labour in April 2019, the parliamentary divisions were too deep and May's credibility with opposition parties too low. Theresa May's time in office appeared to be limited to a few months and John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor, said making a deal with her government would be like signing a contract with a company which was about to enter administration.\n\nNeither did Downing Street's \"compromise\" plan appear to make any significant concessions to the opposition, with Labour demanding a full customs union, which was never forthcoming, and May's offer to let MPs vote on whether to hold a second referendum received by Conservative colleagues with a fury that Downing Street had not anticipated.\n\nBy the time May made her final offer of holding a Commons vote on a second referendum, the die had been cast and May's premiership would soon be over.", "London [UK], Jun 7 (ANI): British Prime Minister Theresa May formally resigned as the head of the Conservative Party on Friday, setting off the campaign among eleven Members of Parliament to replace her, both as the party head and the country's PM.\n\nHowever, May will remain the acting Prime Minister until a new leader is chosen, reports Sputnik.\n\nIn a tearful speech last month, 62-year-old May had announced that she would step down as the PM and party head, in consideration to the fact that she failed to pass her Brexit agreement in the Parliament despite repeated efforts and negotiations with the Labour Party.\n\nAt least eleven Conservative MPs are aiming to replace her, including the country's former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, former Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab, and current Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, among others. The candidates are required to announce formal nominations next week, starting June 10.\n\nMay assumed the Prime Minister's office in July 2016 after her predecessor and party colleague David Cameron stepped down from the post, following the Brexit referendum, which saw 52 per cent of the electorate voting in favour of the country leaving the EU.\n\nFor long, May had been making efforts to push her beleaguered agreement or an alternative withdrawal deal through the British Parliament in a bid to prevent the UK from participating in the European Parliament elections. After the deal was rejected thrice in the UK parliament, May accepted her defeat and announced her resignation.\n\nLast month, the EU leaders agreed to delay the Brexit process to another six months, with October 31 as the new date for the UK's withdrawal from the European bloc. (ANI)", "British Prime Minister Theresa May's time as Conservative Party leader ended Friday, not with a bang but a whimper.\n\nMay, who announced her departure two weeks ago after her career was undone by the Brexit mess, formally stepped down in a private exchange of letters with the party, leaving almost a dozen Conservative contenders fighting to replace her and resume the stalled quest to lead Britain out of the European Union.\n\nThe second female prime minister in British history spent the day quietly in her home constituency west of London, rather than the prime minister's residence at 10 Downing St.\n\nMay will remain as acting leader and prime minister for a few weeks while the party picks a successor, who will become the next prime minister.\n\nConservative lawmakers will hold a secret ballot on Thursday, with any candidates who don't get at least 5% dropping out. Further rounds will be held the following week until the field is narrowed to two.\n\nThe final two candidates will be decided in a mail-in vote by about 160,000 Conservative members, with the winner announced the week of July 22.\n\nSo far, 11 Conservative lawmakers are running to replace May, vowing to succeed where she failed and renegotiate Britain's deal to pull out of the EU.\n\nThere's just one problem: The EU says that's not going to happen.\n\n\"There will be no renegotiation,\" European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said — not for the first time — last week.\n\nOn Friday, Juncker lamented: \"Everyone understands English, but nobody understands England.\"\n\nMay, 62, has seen her three years atop party and country defined, and ultimately destroyed, by Brexit.\n\nAn Oxford-educated vicar's daughter, she was picked as party leader in July 2016, weeks after Britain voted 52% to 48% to leave the EU and her predecessor, David Cameron, resigned.\n\nAfter many months of negotiations, the 27 other EU nations finally agreed late last year to a detailed withdrawal plan with May's government.\n\nBut in one humiliation after another for May, the plan has been rejected three times by Parliament, doomed by lawmakers who wanted more of a clean break and those who wanted a softer Brexit that kept close economic ties to the bloc.\n\nWith British politicians deadlocked, departure day was postponed from March 29 to Oct. 31, and many of May's Conservative colleagues decided she and her plan had to go.\n\nThe impasse has transformed the U.K.'s political map. May's Conservatives and the main opposition Labour Party are both fractured over how to leave the EU.\n\nFrustrated and angry voters are turning away from the big parties to the upstart Brexit Party led by Nigel Farage and — on the other side of the European divide — the Liberal Democrats and Greens, who want Britain to remain in the EU.\n\nFarage's Brexit Party came close to winning its first seat in Parliament on Friday, narrowly losing to Labour in a special election in the city of Peterborough. Labour's share of the vote fell sharply from the last election in 2017, and the Conservatives came in third.\n\nDespite the loss, Farage said the result showed that British politics has \"fundamentally changed,\" with the stranglehold of Conservative and Labour now broken.\n\nThe bookmakers' favorite to replace May as prime minister, tousle-haired Brexit champion Boris Johnson, has warned that the Conservatives face \"extinction\" if Britain doesn't leave the EU on Oct. 31.\n\nJohnson is one of several contenders — including Environment Secretary Michael Gove, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt and Health Secretary Matt Hancock — promising to go back to Brussels and make changes to the Brexit deal.\n\n\"I believe that European leaders want to find a way through this,\" Gove wrote in the Daily Mail.\n\nBut the chances that the other EU countries will consider reopening the legally binding agreement appear slim at best. Even as the Brexit saga has dragged on and the pressure of a potentially disastrous \"no-deal\" Brexit mounted, no European leader has publicly shown an appetite for renegotiating any part of the 585-page text.\n\nHard-core Brexiteers in the British leadership contest say they would rather take Britain out of the bloc with no deal than countenance a further delay.\n\nThat message resonates with many Conservative members, who are much more pro-Brexit than the British population as a whole.\n\nBut most economists and businesses say a no-deal Brexit would cause economic turmoil, imposing obstacles overnight between the U.K. and the EU, its biggest trading partner.\n\nLorne Cook in Brussels contributed to this story."], "summary": "UK Prime Minister Theresa May resigns as Leader of the Conservative Party, paving the way for a new Prime Minister to be elected."}
{"document": ["Image copyright Reuters Image caption Latin American countries host the vast majority of Venezuelan migrants and refugees\n\nMore than four million Venezuelans have fled their country amid an economic and humanitarian crisis, UN agencies say.\n\nThe pace of people fleeing has \"skyrocketed\" since the end of 2015, with around one million leaving in the last seven months alone, they found.\n\nThe agencies said countries hosting the migrants and refugees were in \"urgent need\" of international support.\n\nVenezuela's imploding economy has meant shortages of basic supplies, such as food and medicines, in recent years.\n\nThe crisis has deepened this year amid a bitter power struggle between the government and opposition.\n\nThe exodus means Venezuelans are now \"one of the single largest population groups displaced from their country\", the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) and International Organization for Migration (IOM) said in a joint statement on Friday.\n\nThe agencies said they calculated the four million figure using data from national immigration authorities and other sources.\n\nThey did not give an exact date for when the calculation began, but said some 3.3 million people had fled since the end of 2015.\n\nA UNHCR spokesperson told the BBC that the real figure may be even higher due to the use of unofficial border crossings.\n\nThe agencies called for support to be given to countries hosting the Venezuelans.\n\n\"Latin American and Caribbean countries are doing their part to respond to this unprecedented crisis but they cannot be expected to continue doing it without international help,\" said Eduardo Stein, joint UNHCR-IOM special representative for Venezuelan refugees and migrants.\n\nLatin American countries host the vast majority of Venezuelan migrants and refugees. According to UN figures, Colombia hosts the most at 1.3 million, followed by Peru with 768,000.\n\nCountries in Central America and the Caribbean also host significant numbers of Venezuelans.\n\nWhat's the situation on the ground in Venezuela?\n\nUnder the government of Nicolás Maduro, the economy has collapsed and shortages of food and medicines have become widespread.\n\nIn parts of the oil-rich country, fuel has become scarce and drivers queue for days at petrol stations. There are also frequent blackouts.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption What are the real reasons behind Venezuela’s blackouts?\n\nThe government says the shortages are caused by US sanctions. The opposition argues that they are the result of mismanagement and corruption by consecutive socialist governments.\n\nWho is in charge?\n\nVenezuela is engulfed in a political crisis with two rival politicians - Mr Maduro and National Assembly leader Juan Guaidó - claiming to be the country's legitimate leader.\n\nMr Guaidó declared himself interim president in January, arguing that Mr Maduro's re-election last year had been \"illegitimate\".\n\nHe has since been recognised by more than 50 countries, including Canada, the US and most in Latin America. But Mr Maduro retains the loyalty of most of the military and important allies such as China and Russia.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Venezuela crisis: The four countries interested in the presidential battle\n\nOn 30 April, Mr Guaidó led a failed attempt to spark a military rebellion against Mr Maduro, which the latter said was part of a US-orchestrated coup.\n\nSince then, close allies of Mr Guaidó have been arrested. While his parliamentary immunity has been lifted, he has so far not been jailed.\n\nRepresentatives of the two sides have been holding talks in Norway but they ended without agreement last week.", "Four million Venezuelans have fled country to escape economic and humanitarian crisis, UN says", "Four million Venezuelan refugees and migrants have fled economic and humanitarian crisis in their homeland, all but 700,000 of them since the end of 2015, U.N. aid agencies said on Friday.\n\nThe OPEC member's imploding economy has brought widespread shortages of basic foods and medicines, while political hostilities have led to waves of fatal violence.\n\nThe crisis has deepened since the United States imposed sanctions, including on the pivotal oil industry, in an effort to oust leftist President Nicolas Maduro in favor of opposition leader Juan Guaido.\n\n\"The pace of the outflow from Venezuela has been staggering,\" the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said in a joint statement.\n\nThe previous U.N. count was 3.7 million and the \"alarming\" new figure highlights the urgent need to support host countries, mainly in Latin America - led by Colombia with 1.3 million and followed by Peru, Chile, Ecuador, Brazil and Argentina, it said.\n\nPeru's president on Thursday vowed to continue deporting Venezuelans with criminal records as long as necessary, part of a toughening stance toward the migrants.\n\nSome 3.2 million children in Venezuela - or one in three - need humanitarian assistance, the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF) said in a separate statement on Friday.\n\nMortality rates among under five-year-olds doubled from 14 per 1,000 live births in 2010/2011 to 31 per 1,000 live births in 2017, UNICEF spokesman Christophe Boulierac told a briefing.\n\nSome 190 suspected cases of diphtheria and 558 suspected cases of measles have been recorded in Venezuela this year, he said, noting that measles weakens a child's immune system.\n\nUNICEF has provided 55 tonnes of health supplies to 25 hospitals in Caracas and other states this year, including midwifery kits, antibiotics and malaria treatments, he added.\n\n\"Unfortunately we are barely scratching the surface - millions of children need to be immunized, go to school, drink safe water and feel protected,\" Boulierac said.\n\nDozens of nations around the world now recognize opposition leader Guaido as interim president, saying Maduro rigged a 2018 election and is behaving like a dictator.\n\nBut Guaido has been unable to remove Maduro, who still has the backing of the top military brass and accuses his foes of conniving with Washington to bring about a coup.\n\nU.S. President Donald Trump's strong backing for Guaido has not tipped the balance, and the sanctions have failed to dislodge Maduro while exacerbating the humanitarian crisis.\n\nOne study in April, co-authored by U.S. economists Jeffrey Sachs and Mark Weisbrot, blamed sanctions for causing more deaths and disproportionately hitting the most vulnerable.\n\n\"We find that the sanctions have inflicted, and increasingly inflict, very serious harm to human life and health, including an estimated more than 40,000 deaths from 2017–2018,\" they said, arguing they were illegal under international law.", "Ah, the joys of socialism. Amidst a growing political and economic crisis, 4 million citizens have now fled Venezuela. According to a new report by the UN Refugee Agency and the International Organization for Migration, the pace at which citizens are leaving the country has been \"staggering\", rising from 695,000 people in 2015 to over 1 million people since November 2018.\n\nThe countries surrounding Venezuela have been forced to put regulatory measures in place to stop the flow of migrants, which will soon be the largest in Latin American history, according to Bloomberg. Should the exodus continue, it could surpass the 6.3 million refugees created by the Syrian civil war.\n\nOver 12 countries met last year to address the flow of migrants that is putting pressure on resources and stoking tensions in the region. A universal policy for dealing with the problem has yet to be enacted and, on Thursday, Peru said it would increase controls later this month by requiring Venezuelans to apply for humanitarian visas before crossing the border.\n\nColombia remains the primary destination for those leaving Venezuela, and it now hosts 1.3 million people who have fled the country. Peru hosts 768,000; Chile 288,000; Ecuador 263,000; Brazil 168,000 and Argentina 130,000. Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean have also seen an influx of Venezuelan migrants.\n\nEduardo Stein, the joint UNHCR-IOM Special Representative for Venezuelan refugees and migrants said: “These alarming figures highlight the urgent need to support host communities in the receiving countries. The countries are doing their part to respond to this unprecedented crisis but they cannot be expected to continue doing it without international help.”\n\nJust days ago we reported that Venezuela had defaulted on $750 million in gold-backed swaps with Deutsche Bank. As part of a financing agreement signed in 2016 which we profiled here, Venezuela received a cash loan from Deutsche Bank and put up 20 tons of gold as collateral. The agreement, which was set to expire in 2021, was settled early due to missed interest payments as Venezuela has now effectively run out of foreign reserves.\n\nAdditionally, we reported recently how difficult it was to get even $1 worth of Venezuelan Bolivars anywhere in the country: the reason - hyperinflation in the country is alive and well according to the Bloomberg Venezuela Cafe con Leche index. Finally, back in April, we documented the \"Zombie Apocalypse\" that gas gipped the country in photos of Caracas in darkness. A series of AP photographs entitled As the sun sets, Venezuela’s capital empties presented Caracas as essentially becoming a ghost town after sunset, depicting its infrastructure collapse and lack of services like electricity, water, and public transport.", "LIMA, Peru — The number of Venezuelans fleeing the country is accelerating at a “staggering” rate, the United Nations reported Friday, as the South American nation is caught in a political struggle and grinding humanitarian crisis.\n\nThe United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, said there are now more than 4 million Venezuelans living abroad — and that 1 million have left in the last seven months alone.\n\n“The pace of the outflow from Venezuela has been staggering,” UNHCR said in a statement. “From some 695,000 at the end of 2015, the number of refugees and migrants from Venezuela had skyrocketed to over 4 million by mid-2019.”\n\nNeighboring Colombia is now home to 1.3 million Venezuelans, followed by Peru with 768,000, Chile with 288,000, Ecuador with 263,000, Brazil with 168,000 and Argentina with 130,000. However, almost every country in the region is hosting “a significant number of Venezuelans,” UNHCR said.\n\nMost countries have taken unprecedented steps to help the migrants, including allowing them to enter on expired passports and providing residency and work programs. But that might be changing.\n\nPeru, which has had some of the most welcoming policies toward Venezuelan migrants, announced Thursday that it will begin requiring them to apply for visas at Peruvian embassies in Venezuela or Colombia.\n\nThe new requirement comes as dozens of Venezuelans have been expelled from Peru after committing crimes and as President Martin Vizcarra is facing pushback from those worried about what they see as uncontrolled immigration.\n\nColombia has also complained that the international community isn’t doing enough to help Venezuela’s neighbors handle the influx, which is taxing the region’s health, education and social security systems.\n\n“These alarming figures highlight the urgent need to support host communities in the receiving countries,” said Eduardo Stein, the special representative for Venezuelan refugees and migrants for UNHCR and the International Organization on Migration. “Latin American and Caribbean countries are doing their part to respond to this unprecedented crisis, but they cannot be expected to continue doing it without international help.”\n\nVenezuela has been trapped in an economic and humanitarian crisis for years amid falling oil production, hyperinflation, and widespread corruption and mismanagement. More recently, economic sanctions from Washington and elsewhere are thought to be exacerbating the crisis.\n\nLeader Nicolas Maduro is fighting for his political survival against Juan Guaido, the head of congress whom the United States and more than 50 other countries consider Venezuela’s legitimate president.", "GENEVA (Reuters) - Four million Venezuelan refugees and migrants have fled an economic and political crisis in their homeland, all but 700,000 of them since the end of 2015, U.N. aid agencies said on Friday.\n\nThe “alarming” figure highlights the urgent need to support host countries, mainly in Latin America - led by Colombia, Peru, Chile, Ecuador, Brazil and Argentina - the U.N. refugee agency and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said in a joint statement issued in Geneva.", "Four million Venezuelan refugees and migrants have fled economic and humanitarian crisis in their homeland, all but 700,000 of them since the end of 2015, UN aid agencies said on Friday.\n\nThe Opec member's imploding economy has brought widespread shortages of basic foods and medicines, while political hostilities have led to waves of fatal violence.\n\nThe crisis has deepened since the US imposed sanctions, including on the pivotal oil industry, in an effort to oust leftist President Nicolas Maduro in favour of opposition leader Juan Guaido.\n\n\"The pace of the outflow from Venezuela has been staggering,\" the UN refugee agency UNHCR and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said in a joint statement.\n\nThe previous UN count was 3.7 million and the \"alarming\" new figure highlights the urgent need to support host countries, mainly in Latin America - led by Colombia with 1.3 million and followed by Peru, Chile, Ecuador, Brazil and Argentina, it said.\n\nPeru's president on Thursday vowed to continue deporting Venezuelans with criminal records as long as necessary, part of a toughening stance toward the migrants.\n\nAbout the UN Children's Fund (Unicef) said in a separate statement on Friday.", "One million people have left Venezuela since November as the exodus from the crisis-hit South American country has continued to skyrocket, UN agencies said on Friday.\n\nThe latest increase has brought the total number of Venezuelan migrants and refugees abroad to 4 million, up from 695,000 in late 2015, when the opposition’s election victory set the stage for intensifying conflict with President Nicolas Maduro.\n\nAccording to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), Colombia is the main destination, hosting 1.3 million Venezuelans, followed by Peru with 768,000.\n\nChile, Ecuador, Brazil and Argentina host hundreds of thousands, while Central American and Caribbean states have also taken in significant amounts of people from Venezuela.\n\n“Latin American and Caribbean countries are doing their part to respond to this unprecedented crisis,’’ Eduardo Stein, the UN refugee and migration manager for Venezuela, said.\n\n“But they cannot be expected to continue doing it without international help,’’ Stein said.\n\nA crisis plan to help 2.2 million exiled Venezuelans as well as their host communities was launched late 2018.\n\nSo far, only 21 per cent of the needed 738 million dollars have been funded by donor countries.\n\nVenezuela has experienced a massive economic and political crisis under Maduro, who won a second term in an election boycotted by most of the opposition a year ago.\n\nThe dire situation has pushed Venezuelans to leave the country amid hyperinflation and goods shortages.", "An estimated 3.3 million people have fled the crisis in Venezuela since the start of 2016, including one million who have left the country since November, the United Nations said Friday.\n\n\"The pace of the outflow from Venezuela has been staggering,\" the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) and International Organization for Migration (IOM) said in a joint statement.\n\nEconomically-devastated Venezuela is suffering from shortages of food, medicine and other essentials amid a power struggle between President Nicolas Maduro and opposition leader Juan Guaido, who has been recognised as interim president by more than 50 countries including the United States.\n\nAmerican actress and UNHCR goodwill ambassador Angelina Jolie will travel this weekend to a Colombian region on the Venezuela border \"to assess the humanitarian response to exodus,\" the agency said.\n\nColombia is hosting about 1.3 million people displaced from Venezuela, the most of any country, followed by Peru, Chile and Ecuador.\n\nThe joint UNHCR-IOM envoy for the crisis, Guatemala's former vice president Eduardo Stein, said there is \"an urgent need to support host communities\" in the countries receiving displaced Venezuelans.", "LIMA (Reuters) - Peru’s president on Thursday vowed to continue deporting Venezuelans with criminal records as long as necessary, part of a tougher stance toward Venezuelan migrants in the region as they continue to flee their crisis-stricken homeland in mass.\n\nThe government of centrist President Martin Vizcarra started deporting groups of Venezuelans with criminal records in April, when a local opinion poll showed an increasingly negative perception of the migrants, mainly due to fears about crime.\n\nSpeaking to journalists while a third group of about 50 Venezuelans were escorted onto a plane, Vizcarra said the expulsions were only the beginning.\n\n“We’re going to continue,” Vizcarra said at the airport in Lima. “500, 800, 1,000, 2,000 - whatever’s necessary. Those who have committed crimes will be expelled to their country.”\n\nPeru was once one of the most welcoming countries for Venezuelan migrants. It granted hundreds of thousands of temporary residency permits to Venezuelans that let them work legally and access health and education services.\n\nBut last year, after more than half a million desperate Venezuelans fled to Peru, the government tightened entry requirements for the migrants and ended the residency program earlier than planned.\n\nPeru’s Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that starting June 15, Venezuelan migrants will be required to obtain a humanitarian visa from Peruvian consulates in Venezuela - and in special cases from consulates in Colombia or Ecuador.\n\nThe ministry did not say it would change its policy toward Venezuelans seeking refugee status, who are not generally required to present visas or passports. Peru has said the vast majority of Venezuelans who apply for exile do not qualify.\n\nPeru, which has a population of 32 million, has the second-biggest population of Venezuelan migrants after Colombia. Nearly 800,000 Venezuelans are now in Peru.\n\nSome 3 million Venezuelans have left their homeland since 2015, seeking to escape an economic crisis that has deprived many of basic foods and medicine, according to a U.N. estimate. A further 2 million are expected to emigrate this year.\n\nMost Venezuelan migrants have ended up in other South American countries, straining public services in developing nations unaccustomed to absorbing large migratory waves and fueling a backlash in some places.\n\nVizcarra said his government would continue to push hard for a transition to democracy in Venezuela, which he described as the only way to solve the migratory crisis."], "summary": "The United Nations reports more than four million Venezuelans have fled their country during the economic and humanitarian crisis."}
{"document": ["NEW YORK — As NASA shifts its priorities to landing astronauts to the moon , it is opening the International Space Station for commercial business, agency officials announced today (June 7) at a news conference here at the Nasdaq MarketSite.\n\nPrivate companies can now apply to launch short-duration commercial crew missions to the International Space Station (ISS) to conduct for-profit activities like off-Earth manufacturing , marketing and advertising.\n\nAlthough the private astronauts won't work for NASA, they will still receive rigorous astronaut training from NASA to ensure that they are qualified for spaceflight. Those astronauts will be able to launch on commercial crew vehicles like SpaceX's Crew Dragon and Boeing's CST-100 Starliner.\n\nRelated: Low Earth Orbit Commercialization Studies Show Wide Range of Markets and Demand\n\nNASA is currently planning to end its support of the ISS by 2024, the same year that NASA astronauts are slated to return to the surface of the moon. With or without NASA, the 20-year-old station is approaching the end of its lifetime . So, rather than abandoning the aging laboratory, NASA is transitioning the station's operations to the private sector to stimulate the development of a low-Earth-orbit economy and give companies a place to demonstrate technologies needed for the 2024 moon landing .\n\nCommercializing the ISS \"will enable NASA to focus resources to land the next man and the first woman on the moon by 2024,\" Jeff DeWit, NASA's chief financial officer, told reporters during the news conference.\n\nAfter 2024, the ISS will be in the hands of NASA's commercial and international partners, but the agency isn't retreating from the station entirely. Rather, NASA will become one of many customers that can purchase services at the ISS at a lower cost to taxpayers than what it currently costs for NASA to those things on its own, DeWit said.\n\nMore than 50 companies are already using the ISS for research and development. Under NASA's new policy, commercial entities will have the opportunity to broaden the scope of their activities at the orbiting lab, to include manufacturing, marketing, advertising and other for-profit activities, Robyn Gatens, NASA's deputy director for the ISS program, said at the news conference.\n\nNASA has published detailed guidelines for private companies wishing to apply for use of the ISS, which you can read here .", "NASA laid out a plan Friday to open the International Space Station to expanded commercial activities, including space tourism.\n\nIt won’t be cheap. NASA estimated a trip would cost a private astronaut $58 million, with additional estimated $35,000 charges for each day spent on the space station.\n\nTwo paying space tourists could begin visits of up to 30 days as soon as 2020, NASA officials said at a news conference Friday in New York.\n\nThe move could help NASA raise money as it looks to focus its resources beyond low-Earth orbit — where the space station is located — and toward its plan to send U.S. astronauts to the moon by 2024. Revenue generated by a larger commercial presence might offset NASA’s cost to operate and support the space station, which totals about $3 billion to $4 billion each year, according to a NASA Office of Inspector General report. That, in turn, could shift funds toward the moon mission, NASA Chief Financial Officer Jeff DeWit said during the news conference.\n\nAdvertisement\n\nFor almost two decades since it was first occupied in 2000, the International Space Station has served as a continuously occupied hub for scientific and commercial research and development. Although expanded commercialization has been discussed for years, such a plan represents a change in the program’s status quo, said Marco Caceres, senior space analyst at market research firm Teal Group.\n\n“It’s no longer just for science and research,” he said. “You’re allowing ventures to come in and use that space for profit, for making money. That’s not a small thing.”\n\nCompanies that want to conduct commercial or marketing work on the space station must meet one of at least three requirements — that the work requires the “unique microgravity environment” aboard for production of some commercial application, that it is connected to a NASA mission, or that it supports the development of a “sustainable” economy in low-Earth orbit, according to NASA.\n\nIn return, NASA said it would allocate about 5% of its resources on the station to accommodate commercial activities. Interested companies will be reviewed on a first-come, first-served basis.\n\nAdvertisement\n\nSeveral industries have already dabbled in research aboard the space station. Several years ago, pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly conducted an experiment on the station to investigate how medicine tablets dissolve. Jacksonville, Fla.-based Made in Space has made optical-fiber cables on the station, taking advantage of microgravity to help prevent manufacturing flaws.\n\nNASA has increasingly relied on commercial companies to handle tasks the agency used to take the lead on. Hawthorne-based SpaceX and Northrop Grumman Corp. currently transport supplies for NASA to the space station, and SpaceX and Boeing Co. are in the latter stages of testing and developing spacecraft that will take NASA astronauts there.\n\nThose vehicles can now also be used for the twice-yearly private astronaut missions. In addition to the $58-million seat cost, tourists will be charged $11,250 per day for use of the station’s life support system and toilet; crew supplies, including food, air and medical supplies, would cost $22,500 per day. Smaller fees include use of power and data.\n\nAllowing paying tourists to visit the space station is not unprecedented — the Russian space agency has transported a handful of private astronauts over the years through a company called Space Adventures. NASA’s move into this market is “about 20 years too late,” said Laura Forczyk, owner of space consulting firm Astralytical.\n\n“Russia embraced the concept of flying private astronauts because they needed the money,” she said. “Now NASA’s finding itself in a similar situation where it needs to free up money … to focus on [the lunar] gateway and Artemis lunar plans, and at least at this point, it’s not getting much of an increase from Congress.”\n\nNASA said it had briefed its international partners — space agencies from Russia, Japan, Europe and Canada — on the plan and that all resources involved would come from the U.S. agency’s allocation.\n\nHovering over NASA’s plan is the question of how long the space station will be habitable. NASA originally expected its service life to end in 2015, but then extended that several times. Its final run is now scheduled for 2024. The agency is considering another extension to 2028, according to a statement last year by NASA’s inspector general before a Senate subcommittee.\n\n“Eventually, the space station we have … will wear out,” said Bill Gerstenmaier, associate administrator of NASA’s Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate. “The physical hardware won’t be able to be maintained. It’ll become cost-prohibitive for us to keep it operating.”\n\nAdvertisement\n\nThe idea here is to “start early” and determine whether there are private-sector space stations that could meet the agency’s future needs, he said. NASA officials said there was no set date for a transition from a NASA-operated space station and a privately owned one.\n\n“This is not going to be, ‘It’s NASA today, [and] all the commercial sector tomorrow,” Gerstenmaier said. “This is going to be a nice transition period between us.”\n\nBut the looming specter of the station’s eventual end could make companies less interested in commercial opportunities.\n\n“Any company that is wanting to invest in doing something commercial on the station isn’t going to do it thinking, ‘We can only do it for a couple of years,’” said Caceres, the Teal Group analyst. “Until we know what the future of the space station is long-term, I have a hard time believing any company would want to invest their time and money in doing it.”\n\nNASA officials said it was too early to project how much revenue the agency could get from commercialization.\n\n“This is not going to be a profit-making venture for NASA at all,” DeWit said. “But it will help defray expenses.”", "Get your (space) passports ready: NASA will allow tourists to visit the International Space Station (ISS) from 2020.\n\nNASA announced Friday it would open the orbiting station to tourism and commercial ventures, allowing businesses use of the space station facilities, including filming movies and commercials.\n\n“NASA is opening the International Space Station to commercial opportunities and marketing these opportunities as we’ve never done before,” NASA chief financial officer Jeff DeWit said in New York.\n\n“NASA will continue research and testing in low-Earth orbit to inform its lunar exploration plans, while also working with the private sector to test technologies, train astronauts and strengthen the burgeoning space economy,” the agency said in a press release.\n\nThe space agency said the private astronauts would be permitted to travel to the ISS, which has been continually occupied since November 2000, for up to 30 days. The tourists would travel on a U.S. spacecraft developed under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program.\n\nBoth Boeing and SpaceX are currently developing capsules that can carry humans to the ISS.\n\nThe commercial entity developing the mission will determine crew composition for each mission and ensure private astronauts meet NASA’s medical standards and the training and certification procedures for International Space Station crew members, according to NASA.\n\nThere will be up to two short private astronaut missions per year, according to Robyn Gatens, the deputy director of the ISS.\n\nNASA will also allow those companies to use resources on the ISS for commercial purposes, even making use of NASA astronauts’ time and expertise (but not their likeness), The Verge noted.\n\nCompanies can start sending astronauts to the ISS as early as 2020 — if they can afford it. It’s expected that a trip will cost around $50 million per astronaut.\n\nNASA had previously banned any commercial use of the space station and prohibited astronauts from taking part in for-profit research, BBC News reported.\n\nOn the other hand, Russia has been more open to placing advertisements on the ISS and has sent tourists to the space station before.\n\nWatch: This Space Harpoon Could Be a Solution to the Space Junk Problem", "It’s official: The International Space Station is open for business.\n\nSpeaking at the Nasdaq Stock Exchange in New York, NASA officials on Friday unveiled a plan to allow private companies to make use of the space station starting next year.\n\nThe plan would allow up to two private astronaut missions per year to visit the space station for up to 30 days and offer companies the opportunity to conduct experiments and pursue other activities there. NASA would also devote one docking port to private operations, which might include attaching an additional module to the station.\n\n“We have no idea what kind of creativity and literally out-of-this-world ideas can come from private industry,” Bill Gerstenmaier, associate administrator of NASA’s Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate in Washington, said at the New York event.\n\nGerstenmaier called the plan a key transition in the life of the space station, which has been orbiting Earth for two decades. “Think about how this space station that we put together to do research, education and outreach is now going to be used to put together a business model,” he said. “How could we ever imagine that this space station would have any role, when it was originally designed, in developing new business markets.”\n\nOpening the station to commercial ventures will enable the space agency to focus its resources on returning astronauts to the moon and a subsequent mission to Mars. “NASA by its very nature is an exploration agency,” Gerstenmaier said.\n\nRobyn Gatens, deputy director of the space station program at NASA headquarters in Washington, said the first commercial flights to the station could begin in 2020.\n\nPrivate astronauts will be able to fly to the station aboard a commercial capsule, such as SpaceX’s Crew Dragon or Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner — both of which are still in development and have yet to carry humans. A flight to the space station will likely cost about $58 million per passenger, with a stay at the station costing roughly $35,000 per night for each astronaut, said Jeff DeWit, chief financial officer at NASA headquarters.\n\nThe first components used to build the station were launched into space in 1998. The space lab, constructed entirely in low-Earth orbit, is a partnership of the U.S., Canada, Japan, Russia and 11 members states of the European Space Agency.\n• New Hubble Space Telescope photo is a 'living history book' of our universe\n• Scientists finally solve the mystery of weird aurora-like lights in the sky\n• The moon is shrinking, and a new study shows it's racked by moonquakes\n\nSIGN UP FOR THE MACH NEWSLETTER AND FOLLOW NBC NEWS MACH ON TWITTER, FACEBOOK, AND INSTAGRAM.", "NASA said Friday it will open up the International Space Station for tourism and other business ventures as of next year, as it seeks to financially disengage from the orbiting research lab.\n\n\"NASA is opening the International Space Station to commercial opportunities and marketing these opportunities as we've never done before,\" NASA chief financial officer Jeff DeWit said in New York.\n\nThere will be up to two short private astronaut missions per year, said Robyn Gatens, deputy director of the ISS.", "NASA said Friday it will open up the International Space Station to business ventures including space tourism as it seeks to financially disengage from the orbiting research lab.\n\nPrice tag? Tens of millions of dollars for a round trip ticket and $35,000 a night.\n\n\"NASA is opening the International Space Station to commercial opportunities and marketing these opportunities as we've never done before,\" NASA chief financial officer Jeff DeWit said in an announcement made at the Nasdaq stock exchange in New York.\n\nThere will be up to two short private astronaut missions per year, said Robyn Gatens, deputy director of the ISS.\n\nThe missions will be for stays of up to 30 days. As many as a dozen private astronauts could visit the ISS per year, NASA said.\n\nThese travelers would be ferried to the orbiter exclusively by the two US companies currently developing transport vehicles for NASA: SpaceX, with its Crew Dragon capsule, and Boeing, which is building one called Starliner.\n\nThese companies would choose the clients—who will not have to be US citizens—and bill for the trip to the ISS, which will be the most expensive part of the adventure: around $58 million for a roundtrip ticket.\n\nThat is the average rate the companies will bill NASA for taking the space adventurers up to the ISS.\n\nNeither Dragon nor Starliner are ready. Their transport capsules are supposed to be ready in late 2019 but the timetable depends on the results of a series of tests. So the private missions will have to wait until 2020 at the earliest.\n\nThe tourists will pay NASA for their use of the station, for food, water and use of the life support system.\n\nThat will run about $35,000 per night per astronaut, said DeWit.\n\nThat does not include internet, which will cost $50 per gigabyte.\n\nThe space station does not belong to NASA. It was built along with Russia starting in 1998, and other countries participate in the mission and send up astronauts.\n\nBut the United States has paid for and controls most of the modules that make it up.\n\nThe new space tourists to the ISS will not be the first: US businessman Dennis Tito had that honor in 2001. He paid Russia around $20 million for the trip.\n\nOthers followed in his footsteps, the last being Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberte in 2009.\n\nSince 2011, Russian Soyuz rockets have been the only way to get to the space station. And they have transported only space agency astronauts, in addition to Russian cosmonauts.\n\nThere are usually three to six crew members on the ISS at any given time. Right now it is home to three Americans, two Russians and a Canadian.\n\nThe policy change announced Friday includes the opening of parts of the ISS to private sector companies for commercial and marketing activity.\n\nThis would include startups developing techiques for building materials in conditions of weightlessness.\n\nFiber optic cables, for example, are of extraordinary quality when manufactured in microgravity.\n\nThe idea is to develop the space economy in the hope of seeing the private sector take over the ISS, which the United States hopes to stop financing in the late 2020s.\n\n\"We want to be there as a tenant, not as the landlord,\" NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine said in April.\n\nThe agency wants to free up funds for a return to the moon mission called Artemis in 2024 and for sending the first humans to Mars, perhaps in the 2030s.\n\nBut it remains unclear if commercial activity in earth orbit is profitable because it is still so expensive to get up there in the first place.\n\nIn the end, NASA appears to have changed its stance in order to meet its huge budget needs.\n\nWhen Russia announced it was taking Tito to the space station, NASA was at first opposed to such a mission. And it ended up sending the Russians a bill for his stay on the ISS.", "NEW YORK: NASA said Friday it will open up the International Space Station to business ventures including space tourism - with stays priced at US$35,000 a night - as it seeks to financially disengage from the orbiting research lab.\n\n\"NASA is opening the International Space Station to commercial opportunities and marketing these opportunities as we've never done before,\" NASA chief financial officer Jeff DeWit said in New York.\n\nThere will be up to two short private astronaut missions per year, said Robyn Gatens, deputy director of the ISS.\n\nThe missions will be for stays of up to 30 days. As many as a dozen private astronauts could visit the ISS per year, NASA said.\n\nThese travelers would be ferried to the orbiter exclusively by the two companies currently developing transport vehicles for NASA: SpaceX, with its Crew Dragon capsule, and Boeing, which is building one called Starliner.\n\nThese companies would choose the clients and bill for the trip to the ISS, which will be the most expensive part of the adventure: around US$58 million for a round trip ticket.\n\nThat is the average rate the companies will bill NASA for taking the space adventurers up to the ISS.\n\nBut the tourists will also pay NASA for their stay in space, for food, water and use of the life support system on the orbiter.\n\nThat will run about US$35,000 per night per astronaut, said DeWit.\n\nThe space station does not belong to NASA. It was built along with Russia starting in 1998, and other countries participate in the mission and send up astronauts.\n\nBut the US has paid for and controls most of the modules that make up the orbiter.\n\nThe new space tourists to the ISS will not be the first: US businessman Dennis Tito had that honor in 2001. He paid Russia around US$20 million for the trip.", "NASA plans to allow tourists to visit the International Space Station from 2020 – at an estimated cost of more than $50 million (£39 million) per trip.\n\nUntil now, the floating space lab has only been accessible to astronauts representing state-level space agencies.\n\nIn a surprise announcement today, NASA confirmed that it would be \"opening the International Space Station for commercial business\".\n\nCLICK ON THE SUN FOR MORE\n\nIt means that private companies will be able to take \"private astronauts\" to the ISS for up to 30 days.\n\n\"The agency can accommodate up to two short-duration private astronaut missions per year to the International Space Station,\" Nasa explained.\n\n\"These missions will be privately funded, dedicated commercial spaceflights.\"\n\nTransport will be provided by both Boeing and Elon Musk's SpaceX, who are currently developing capsules that can carry humans to the ISS.\n\nIt's expected that a trip will likely cost around $50 million (£39 million) per astronaut, according to early estimates – but could easily rise well above that figure.\n\nThe spaceflight to the ISS will account for a large chunk of the cost.\n\nNASA typically pays around $75 million for seats aboard a Soyuz spacecraft destined for the ISS, and even paid $82 million per seat in 2015.\n\nHowever, NASA says seats aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon and/or Boeing CST-100 capsules will cost roughly $58 million per seat.\n\nIt's these capsules that will be used to ferry astronauts up to the ISS – but the cost continues to rise after the journey.\n\nKeeping astronauts on board the ISS is a pricey business.\n\nFor instance, regenerative life support and toilet cost $11,250 (£8,800) per astronaut each day.\n\nAnd general supplies – like food and air – cost $22,500 (£17,500) per astronaut each day.\n\nNasa will get around $35,000 (£27,000) per night that a private astronaut spends on board the ISS.\n\nA large bank balance won't be enough either: you'll have to pass Nasa's rigorous health checks and training procedures.\n\nAs part of its \"commercialization\" of the ISS, Nasa will be making one space station port and utilities available for a private company to \"attach a commercial module to\".\n\nAnd it hopes that in the long-term, there will be lots of private space stations floating just above Earth.\n\n\"In the long-term, NASA’s goal is to become one of many customers purchasing services from independent, commercial and free-flying habitable destinations in low-Earth orbit,\" NASA explained.\n\n\"A robust low-Earth orbit economy will need multiple commercial destinations, and NASA is partnering with industry to pursue dual paths to that objective that either go through the space station or directly to a free-flying destination.\"\n\nWhatever ends up going into space, it's unlikely to get cheaper any time soon.\n\nEven SpaceX charges $62million (£48.7million) to send commercial satellites into orbit with its relatively new Falcon 9 rocket.\n\nAnd Axiom Space, a Houston-based company hoping to organize trips to the ISS, has pledged to charge $55 million (£43.2 million) for a 10-day trip to the ISS.\n\nSo why is NASA letting tourists travel to the ISS?\n\nThe main advantage seems to be keeping costs down, as the ISS is very expensive to run.\n\nBut it's also about continuing to test space travel – to make it safer and cheaper for everyone.\n\n\"Market studies identified private astronaut missions to low-Earth orbit as a key element to demonstrate demand and reduce risk for future commercial destinations in low-Earth orbit,\" NASA explained.\n\nThe long-term plan is to create space stations near Earth that can be used as stop-off points for deeper trips into space.\n\nNASA hopes to set up several \"lunar gateways\" starting from 2028 that will float near the Moon, and could be used for crewed missions to Mars.\n\n\"The first Gateway is about the moon, but I think the second Gateway, being a deep-space transport, again using commercial and international partners, enables us to get to Mars,\" said NASA top boss Jim Bridenstine, speaking last year.\n\n\"What we don’t want to do is go to the surface of the moon, prove that we can do it again, and then be done. We want to go to stay.\n\n\"And the Gateway, in my view – I’ve been convinced – enables us to take advantage of commercial and international partners in a more robust way so we are there to stay, it enables us to get to more parts of the moon than ever before, and it enables us to get to Mars.\"\n\nThis story originally appeared in The Sun.", "NASA HAS ANNOUNCED it could open up the International Space Station (ISS) to tourist ventures as it seeks to financially disengage from the research lab.\n\nDeputy director of the ISS Robyn Gatens suggested that the station could host up to two short private astronaut missions every year.\n\nIt is proposed that the missions would be for stays of up to 30 days, and that as many as a dozen private astronauts could visit the ISS per year for $35,000 (€30,869) a night.\n\nTourists would be ferried to the orbiter exclusively by the two companies currently developing transport vehicles for NASA: the Elon Musk-owned SpaceX, with its Crew Dragon capsule, and Boeing, which is building one called Starliner.\n\nThe companies would choose the clients and bill for the trip to the ISS, which will be the most expensive part of the adventure: around $58 million (€51 million) for a round trip.\n\nBut tourists will also pay NASA for their stay in space, for food, water and use of the life support system on the orbiter.\n\nThat will run about $35,000 per night per astronaut, NASA chief financial officer Jeff DeWit said.\n\n“NASA is opening the International Space Station to commercial opportunities and marketing these opportunities as we’ve never done before,” he told reporters in New York.\n\nThe space station does not belong to NASA. It was built along with Russia starting in 1998, and other countries participate in the mission and send up astronauts.\n\nBut the US has paid for and controls most of the modules that make up the orbiter.\n\nThe new space tourists to the ISS will not be the first: US businessman Dennis Tito had that honor in 2001. when he paid Russia around $20 million (€17 million) for the trip.", "\"Providing expanded opportunities at the International Space Station to manufacture, market and promote commercial products and services will help catalyze and expand space exploration markets for many businesses,\" the agency said. Private astronauts will be granted missions of up to 30 days to work on commercial projects, and we might see products manufactured in space for sale on Earth. NASA is now soliciting proposals for commercial concepts, and at the Nasdaq stock exchange today, it released preliminary pricing.\n\nAccording to CNBC, NASA has long considered offsetting its operating costs by commercializing the ISS. Perhaps the incentive to finally do so is the fact that private companies like SpaceX and Boeing have made advances towards commercial spaceflight, and Jeff Bezos has revealed his ambitious plans to put manufacturing on the moon. As NASA said in a press release, its long-term goal is \"to become one of many customers purchasing services from independent, commercial and free-flying habitable destinations in low-Earth orbit.\""], "summary": "NASA announces that the International Space Station will be opened for commercial business in 2020 for $58 million."}
{"document": ["Hosts France laid down a marker in the opening game of the women’s World Cup as towering defender Wendie Renard scored twice in a rampant 4-0 win over South Korea to kick off the tournament in style in Paris on Friday.A sell-out crowd of 45,261 filled the Parc des Princes to watch the start of what is billed as the biggest women’s World Cup yet, but there was no sign of the pressure getting to the French on the big occasion.Les Bleues are among the favourites to win the trophy on home soil and they showed no mercy to the Koreans, with the prolific Eugenie Le Sommer giving them an early lead and Renard — the tallest player at the tournament — twice heading home before the interval.Captain Amandine Henry, impressive throughout, wrapped up the win late on in this Group A encounter.The display was watched by France’s President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte, who were in the crowd alongside Gianni Infantino.The FIFA chief had this week promised the month-long tournament would see the “explosion” of the women’s game as he was waved in for a second term at the head of world football’s governing body. Almost a million tickets have been sold for matches in the nine host cities.This was certainly a fine start, despite the unseasonably cold Parisian evening, with the French showing their credentials having been set the target by their own federation of going all the way to the final in Lyon on July 7.The problem for Corinne Diacre’s team is that, if they win their group, they could well end up facing reigning champions the United States back in Paris in the quarter-finals.The USA, whose legal battle to be paid the same as their male counterparts has made waves in the run-up to the tournament, start their campaign against Thailand on Tuesday in Reims.Ranked fourth in the world, the French have underperformed at recent major tournaments, losing in the quarter-finals of the last World Cup, Euro 2017 and the last Olympics.Diacre is relying on a core of players from Lyon, Europe’s leading club side who won a fourth successive Champions League title last month.– VAR plays role –There were seven Lyon players in the French starting line-up here, and two of them combined for the ninth-minute opener, captain Henry with the low ball into the box for Le Sommer to fire in off the crossbar. It was Le Sommer’s 75th goal for her country.South Korea were hardly able to get out of their own half, with their star player, Chelsea’s Ji So-yun, barely touching the ball.France thought they had a second before the half-hour mark when Renard’s header down was hooked into the net by her fellow centre-back Griedge Mbock, but after the celebrations had finally died down, the goal was disallowed for an extremely tight offside following a VAR review.The 1.87 metre Renard was not to be denied, however, as she headed in Gaetane Thiney’s corner from the right in the 35th minute to make it 2-0.She did it again in first-half stoppage time, this time heading in a corner from the other side by Amel Majri.Korea can count themselves lucky that this did not turn into a full-blown rout, although the excellent Henry curled in a delightful fourth from 20 yards with five minutes left.(AFP)", "The 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup final in France will take place on July 7 at Lyon's Report Parc Olympique Lyonnais. It will mark the eighth time a champion will be crowned the FIFA Women's World Cup trophy. Only four teams in three different continents have been lucky enough to be crowned champs -- and only seven teams overall have reached the final. Here's a breakdown of winners by continent:\n\nThe United States will be seeking its first back-to-back titles in team history and the first in the Women's World Cup since Germany took home the 2003 and 2007 titles. No team has won more Women's World Cup titles then the United States. The USWNT have three, followed by Germany with two and Norway and Japan, respectively, with one.\n\nSpeaking of history, below you will find the winner and loser of every World Cup final played since the days of the inaugural tournament in China to Mia Hamm and the '99ers at the Rose Bowl to Carli Lloyd's ridiculous goal behind the halfway line in the 2015 final in Canada. Here's a list of every World Cup final results and scores broken down by year and each country:\n\nWorld Cup final results broken down by each year\n\nWorld Cup final results broken down by each country", "PARIS (Reuters) - A rampant France smashed South Korea out of sight on Friday to open their women’s soccer World Cup campaign in irrepressible style with a 4-0 victory that sent a warning to all other teams with a design on the trophy.\n\nSoccer Football - Women's World Cup - Group A - France v Korea Republic - Parc des Princes, Paris, France - June 7, 2019 France's Griedge Mbock Bathy shoots at goal REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes\n\nIt was one-way traffic all night in a packed 45,000-seater Parc des Princes as the French launched wave after wave of attack at the hapless Koreans, running out easy winners to stamp their authority on Group A of the FIFA extravaganza.\n\n“We started well, it was the way to go we made it easy for ourselves. It was important to score a second goal before the break, we did even better,” France coach Corinne Diacre told a news conference.\n\n“We knew there would a be a lot of emotions tonight, we dealt with it perfectly. You can only transcend yourself when you hear 45,000 people sing La Marseillaise,” woman of the match Wendie Renard told reporters.\n\nFrance skipper Amandine Henry controlled the midfield with a firm grip and deft touch, while strikers Eugenie Le Sommer and Delphine Cascarino were constant threats.\n\nFrom the very first minutes South Korea struggled to get out of their own half and Le Sommer set the tone after nine minutes when she slammed a shot past Korean keeper Kim Min-jung into the roof of the net to send the stadium into raptures.\n\nFrance had all the play, and thought they had doubled their lead after 27 minutes when Griedge Mbock Bathy slammed a volley home, only for the video assistant referee to rule it out for offside two minutes later.\n\nRenard made amends after 35 minutes, the powerful central defender thumping a header home for her 21st international goal. She added another headed goal to make it 3-0 on the stroke of halftime of what was rapidly becoming a non-contest.\n\nThe Koreans were being outclassed in every department, and trudged off at the break having barely ventured out of their own half.\n\nKorea desperately scrambled to keep the French at bay - just - and with the result in no doubt French coach Diacre looked to preserve some of her star names for later action, taking Cascarino off in the 70th minute, replacing her with Valerie Gauvin; and replacing Amel Majri with fellow defender Eve Perisset four minutes later.\n\nRelated Coverage France take first step toward possible World Cup glory\n\nJust as the Koreans thought they had somehow kept the French at bay for the second period, Henry added to the tally, slamming a right-foot shot curling into the Korean net from the edge of the area for 4-0 and a fitting finale.\n\nNorway take on Nigeria in the other Group A game in Reims on Saturday.", "The U.S. Women's National Team (USWNT) are the favorites to win the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup. The defending champions are ranked No. 1 in the FIFA world rankings, a position they've held for 11 of the past 12 years. Here's why they're the team to beat again in 2019.\n\nThere is some serious experience on this squad. Of the 23-woman roster, eight have over 100 appearances – or caps – for the U.S. in international competition. Those eight women alone have a combined 334 goals – more than three-quarters of the 433 goals the 2019 squad has collectively.\n\nThere are only 10 on the team that have yet to play in a Women's World Cup match. Seven on the roster have played for the U.S.A. in the last three Women's World Cups.\n\n\"Selecting a World Cup team is a long process,\" says fourth-year coach Jill Ellis. \"These 23 players have been through adversity and success, and it's a group that has the talent, confidence, experience and desire to help us win the World Cup.\"\n\nOne of the three captains for the 2019 World Cup squad, veteran forward Carli Lloyd will be playing in her fourth FIFA Women's World Cup this year. Only four women have more appearances in a U.S.A. jersey than Lloyd. She is fourth on the top scorers list and seventh for assists. She tallied six of the 14 goals the U.S.A scored in the 2015 tournament, winning the adidas Golden Ball award in the process.\n\nThe U.S.A. has qualified for the Women's World Cup every year since it started in 1991, winning three times. They have a 33 wins, six losses and only four ties in World Cup play, outscoring their competition 112-35. Their last loss in World Cup play was in 2011, losing the final to Japan on penalty kicks after two overtime periods.\n\nThe team has played 10 matches in 2019 leading up to this year's World Cup, winning seven of them. They enter the tournament on a six-game win streak, scoring 23 times, but conceding only three goals in those matches.\n\nThe U.S. women will begin play in Group F, the last of the six groups to play. They will play one match each against ninth-ranked Sweden, Thailand (34) and Chile (39). Here is when the USWNT will play their first three matches in the group stage.\n\nThe U.S. Women have only faced Thailand one time, winning handedly 9–0 in their first match after the 2016 Olympics. Thailand qualified for the 2015 tournament, but failed to advance. This is their second Women's World Cup.\n\nThis is Chile's first Women's World Cup. USA and Chile have met on two prior occasions, both last summer in international friendly play. The U.S. combined for seven goals, shutting out Chile in both matches.\n\nLike the U.S., Sweden has participated in every Women's World Cup. USA will be looking to avenge their 2016 Olympic Games quarter-final loss to Sweden that knocked the USWNT out of medal contention. In World Cup competition, however, the U.S. holds a respectable 3-1-1 record against Sweden. This should be the most competitive group stage match for both sides.\n• Sweden vs. Thailand – June 16 at 9 a.m (FS1)", "Google Doodle today marks the start of 2019 Women’s World Cup in France. The Women’s World Cup kicks off today, and is being held between June 7 and July 7. The doodle today celebrates the eighth edition of the tournament with a collage depicting the popularity of soccer in various parts of the world. Google says that the doodle represents characters from an upcoming series of doodles by guest artists and each represent the competing countries. “Each Doodle will capture the local excitement of the World Cup competition as well as what soccer means to the guest artist personally,” Google explains.\n\nThe doodle depicts the national teams of Argentina illustrated by Xoana Herrera, Australia by Sophie Beer, Brazil by Laura Lannes, Cameroon by Reine Dibussi, Canada by Jenn Liv, Chile by Luisa Rivera, China by Lisa Feng, England by Priha Mistry, France by Aurore Carric, Germany by Noam Weiner, Italy by Giovanna Guiliano, Jamaica by Robin Clare, Japan by Ayumi Takahashi, Netherlands by Eline Van Dam, New Zealand Phoebe Morris, Nigeria by Data Oruwari, Norway by Ingunn Dybendal, Scotland by Nuria Boj, South Africa by Phathu Nembilwi, South Korea by Sehee Chae, Spain by Nuria Tamarit, Sweden by Sara Andreasson, Thailand by Banana Blah Blah and the United States by Roxie Vizcarra. Their detailed illustrations will appear over the course of the World Cup on Google’s homepage.\n\nOver the next month, the Women’s Soccer World Cup will see players from the national teams of 24 countries compete. The final match will take place on July 7 in Lyon, France. FIFA, the organizing body of Women’s World Cup 2019, calls it the biggest Women’s World Cup taking place yet. The official mascot of this year’s game is ettie the French poussin. Seven teams are making their appearance in the World Cup, and defending champion America will be gunning for its fourth title.\n\nDuring the 2019 World Cup, four teams – Chile, Scotland, South Africa and Jamaica – are making their debut. Jamaica, in particular, is the first Caribbean team ever to qualify. This is the first Women’s World Cup to use the video assistant referee (VAR) system. The first match is between host nation France and South Korea and the second game is held between Germany and China. The group stage will conclude in three days, and qualified teams will progress to round of 16.", "The eighth edition of the Women’s World Cup has been described as the most important in history. Kicking off in Paris on Friday, the tournament certainly promises to be the best yet.\n\nNever before has there been such a wealth of talent or as many title contenders and, perhaps, never before has women’s football had such a platform. The four-week competition in France offers an opportunity to change attitudes, to push the drive for equality farther forward.\n\nEstablished in 1991, initially as the FIFA World Championship for women’s football for the M&M’s Cup, only after the tournament in China did FIFA, the sport’s governing body, allow for it to be called a World Cup — the Women’s World Cup is still, relatively speaking, in its infancy.\n\nBut there is a sense that France 2019 could be a turning point. Twenty years after the record-breaking 1999 Women’s World Cup which propelled the women’s game into wider consciousness, the next month provides an opportunity to not only build on those foundations but to surpass the achievements of the 1999 groundbreakers.\n\nGlobal stars will emerge over the course of the 52 games as a bigger audience than ever tune in to watch more countries than ever compete for the prestigious prize.\n\nThe capacity of the stadiums in France means that the record attendance of 90,185 set on that sweltering Californian afternoon in the summer of 1999 — still a record for a female sporting event — will not be eclipsed, but the television figures for France 2019 are expected to put the 2015 Women’s World Cup, which attracted a global TV audience of 750 million, in the shade.\n\nIn April, FIFA said ticket sales were “smashing records.” The opening match in the Parc de Princes and the semifinals and finals at the Stade de Lyon were sold out within 48 hours of going on sale.\n\nSuch is the focus on the tournament, it leaves former players wishing they could play again. For those who grew up in a world where young girls struggled to find teams, the rate of the progress made in recent years has come as a surprise.\n\nKelly Smith is regarded as the finest female footballer to have played for England, making 117 appearances from 1995 to 2014.\n\n“It’s been an eye opener, just the attention that’s now on women’s football,” Smith, speaking as part of Three UK’s unveiling of three lioness emojis (England’s women’s team are called the Lionesses) on the front of its flagship London store, tells CNN Sport.\n\n“Certain nations are investing more resources. FIFA has opened up the tournament to 24 teams, so more nations are getting to experience tournament football.\n\n“When I was playing, there were only two or three teams who could potentially win a World Cup. Now you could name six to eight teams who could potentially do something special at this tournament and it just makes it more competitive, it makes it better for viewers to watch.\n\n“And there are just so many cool stories out there of the women. There are a lot of social media campaigns promoting the players and teams. There’s a lot more exposure and visibility now, which just didn’t happen when I was playing.”\n\nREAD: Football is life — the Nigerian women taking on the world\n\nFor England’s squad announcement, famous faces such as former Manchester United midfielder David Beckham and Harry Potter actress Emma Watson revealed each of the 23 chosen players on Twitter, allowing the unveiling to reach a new audience.\n\nTwo-time winners Germany have also been part of a powerful and innovative ad campaign, which had the players saying: “We don’t have balls, but we know how to use them.”\n\nThe video was made by the team’s sponsors and it is the keenness of business to now be associated with women’s football which partly helps explain the increased investment.\n\nThe rise of women’s football is a result of a myriad of reasons, the biggest arguably being societal change (this will be the first tournament since the #MeToo movement), and now sponsors and FIFA are adding their voices.\n\nLast year, FIFA announced a five-pronged global strategy to grow the game, one being to ensure all 211 members have comprehensive women’s plans in place by 2022.\n\nThe governing body has said it wants women’s participation to double to 60 million worldwide by 2026, and that the women’s game offers “vast untapped opportunities,” but there is continued criticism of FIFA over the prize money on offer at this tournament.\n\nRaised from $15 million in 2015 to $30 million, the overall prize fund has doubled since 2015, but for the 2018 men’s World Cup it was $400 million, with winners France taking home $38 million.\n\n“Women national team players around the world should receive equal treatment to their male national team counterparts; this should include their travel and accommodation as well as their medical treatment and financial compensation,” said world players’ union FIFPro earlier this week.\n\n“Within the last few weeks, FIFA has agreed to our request to start negotiating new conditions for women’s national team players after the 2019 Women’s World Cup and we are determined to making real and lasting progress on behalf of them.”\n\nIn CNN Sport’s “World Cup Continental” series, the thread which entwined female footballers around the world was that the battle for recognition and equality is ongoing.\n\nYet, not only is there inequality between men’s and women’s teams, but there is also a gulf between the countries competing at France 2019.\n\nOnly last month did the Jamaican Football Federation and its Women’s World Cup squad agree contracts which at least ensures the players are being paid for representing their country at this tournament.\n\nBefore they departed for France, some of Jamaica’s players held fundraising events, while Hue Menzies has coached the team — the first Caribbean country to qualify for the Women’s World Cup — on a voluntary basis. Were it not for funding from the Bob Marley Foundation, the Reggae Girlz may not have been in a position to qualify for France.\n\nIn recent years, Nigeria’s Super Falcons have had to protest over unpaid bonuses and went through 2017 without playing an international match. There has been progress, but for some of the players the fight for change has been exhausting.\n\n“It’s really tiring to keep complaining about the same thing all the time without getting any improvement, but if you want something you don’t stop talking,” Asisat Oshoala, Nigeria’s star striker, told CNN Sport.\n\nThe absence of Ada Hegerberg, the first female recipient of the Ballon d’Or and widely regarded as the best player in the world, casts a shadow on the tournament.\n\nThe striker has stopped playing for her country because she wants the young Norwegian girls following in her path to have the same opportunities as aspiring young male footballers.\n\nHer stance leads to the question: How would the world react were Lionel Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo to refuse playing for their countries at a World Cup on similar grounds?\n\nThe lion’s share of the tickets for this tournament have been bought by fans in America, eager to watch the defending champions attempt to win what would be a fourth title in eight tournaments.\n\nBut the USWNT’s ongoing battle for equal pay illustrates that even for the most successful and well-funded teams more progress needs to be made.\n\nFemale footballers are more visible and powerful than ever before, while the women’s game has certainly advanced, but for how long female footballers will have to fight for equality will depend on how the world looks back on France 2019.", "PARIS — France began the Women’s World Cup the way it ended last year’s men’s tournament: with an emphatic victory.\n\nWendie Renard, a 6-foot-2 the tallest player in the tournament, scored a pair of headers off corner kicks, and Les Bleus overwhelmed South Korea 4-0 Friday night in a gala World Cup opener.\n\nEugenie Le Sommer and Amandine Henry also scored on a cool, windy night at Parc des Princes, the home of Paris Saint-Germain. French pop star Jain provided the pre-game entertainment for the sellout crowd of 45,261 fans.\n\nFrance is vying to become the first nation to hold both the men’s and women’s World Cup titles at the same time. France’s margin of victory was the largest in a Women’s World Cup opener since China beat Norway by the same score at the first tournament in 1991.\n\nNorway and Nigeria meet in the other Group A opener on Saturday. France faces Norway on Wednesday and Nigeria on June 17.\n\nFour years ago, all nine teams that won their opener advanced from the 24-nation group stage to the round of 16.\n\nFrance is hosting the tournament in a time when women’ teams are increasingly their push for equal treatment from FIFA and other soccer governing bodies.\n\nThe world’s fourth-ranked team wasn’t tested by No. 14 South Korea. France had a 17-0 advantage in shots during the first half and 21-4 overall.\n\nLes Bleus, eliminated by Germany on penalty kicks in the quarterfinals four years ago in Canada, applied pressure from the start on goalkeeper Kim Minjung.\n\nLe Sommer scored in the ninth minute off a cross from Henry and held up her hands in the shape of a heart in celebration after the earliest goal in a Women’s World Cup opener. South Korea has conceded the first goal in all eight World Cup it has played.\n\nGriedge Mbock Bathy appeared to score in the 30th minute but the goal was disallowed in a video review, technology also used by FIFA at last year’s men’s tournament in Russia.\n\nRenard doubled the lead in the 35th from Gaëtane Thiney’s corner kick as the crowd chanted “Wendie! Wendie!”\n\nShe made it 3-0 from Amel Majri’s corner kick in stoppage time with her 22nd international goal. Ten of her last 11 goals have come on headers.\n• Five players to watch during the 2019 Women’s World Cup\n• Women’s World Cup 2019: How to follow, where to gather to watch in Southern California\n• Crystal Dunn upped her game for U.S. Women’s World Cup team after getting cut in 2015 Henry added a goal off a pass from Le Sommer in the 85th.\n\nSouth Korea substitute Lee Mina had the best chance for her team on a breakaway in the 76th minute, but the shot went just wide.\n\nRenard, selected player of the match, is among seven players on France’s roster that play professionally for Lyon, which recently crushed Barcelona 4-1 to win the women’s Champions League for the fourth straight year and sixth time overall.\n\nCoach Corinne Diacre had surprised many when she left French league leading scorer Marie-Antoinette Katoto off her roster. The 20-year-old plays for PSG.", "With the 2019 Women’s World Cup just days away, we here at For The Win wanted to preview every team that will feature in this tournament. Next up is the France women’s national team. You can see the full list of team previews, and read about the USWNT, here.\n\nThe French captain is one of the many French stars who plays club soccer for Lyon, the women’s powerhouse that has dominated Europe, with six Champions League trophies since 2011. Henry helped lead the Portland Thorns to the 2017 NWSL championship, and re-joined Lyon in 2018, where she has won back-to-back Champions League winner’s medals.\n\nFrance has a long list of talented attackers on its World Cup roster, but no player has found the back of the net more frequently in the buildup to the World Cup that Kadidiatou Diani, who has scored in six goals in seven 2019 friendlies, including a brace against the United States women’s national team.\n\nFrance is playing in its fourth Women’s World Cup, and is serving as the host for the first time. France is considered to be one of the strongest teams in the world – and may be the favorite to win the 2019 World Cup – but the squad doesn’t have experience in major cup finals. France was eliminated in the quarterfinals in the 2015 World Cup, and has been stopped in the quarterfinals in each of the last three European championships.\n\nWhat experts are saying about France:\n\nVia Frank Simon on The Guardian:\n\n“Despite the fact that the core of the national team is formed of players from Lyon – who won the Champions League for the fourth season in succession earlier this month – France have not gone beyond the last eight in any of the recent major tournaments. One main reason for that is the lack of efficiency up front in key games but under Corinne Diacre they have worked hard to rectify that. By mid-May they had scored at least once in 19 of their past 21 games.“\n\nHow to be a fan\n\nYou can follow the team on Twitter @FrenchTeam.", "Mark the date - June 6 2019. When the history books recount the rise of Women's soccer, the start of the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup may be seen as a sea change moment. First, there's the spectacle of an opening ceremony to enjoy, and then we move on to the tournament's first match - and you're in the right place to discover how to live stream France vs South Korea and the rest of the festivities, no matter where in the world you are.\n\nLive stream France vs South Korea and opening ceremony - where and when It all gets going in Paris tonight - the famous old Parc des Princes (still home of Paris Saint-Germain) will be host to the razzmatazz of the opening ceremony first, and then the first 90 minutes of actual soccer. To the match itself first of all - that is due to kick-off today at 9pm local time (so 3pm ET, 12pm midday PT, 8pm BST). But if you'd also like to see the spectacle of the opening ceremony, which is set to feature popular French singer Jain, then tune in half-an-hour before kick-off.\n\nFrance will be looking to take inspiration from their male counterparts' World Cup victory in Russia last year, and they enter their own tournament with high expectations. They're already ranked number 4 in the world (following a brilliant 3-1 win over the US in January), and that home-crowd advantage can surely only help. They are overwhelming favorites to open their account successfully in Paris, and a lot of eyes will be on exciting midfielder Kadidiatou Diani to turn on the style early doors.\n\nWhile they'll be cheered enthusiastically from faraway supporters back at home, nobody is giving Korea much of a chance of making an impact at the 2019 World Cup. If you follow the Women's Super League in the UK, then you may recognise Chelsea midfielder Ji So-Yun. She'll need to put in an awesome performance to get the best from her teammates in Paris today.\n\nWhether you're watching Women's soccer for the first time or you've been a fan for years, you've come to the right place to find out how to live stream France vs South Korea at the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup - no matter where on Earth you are.\n• See how to live stream every single Women's World Cup game\n\nWatch a FIFA Women's World Cup 2019 live stream from outside your country\n\nFor devotees to Women's soccer, you won't want to miss a minute of the 2019 FIFA World Cup. For broadcaster details in the US, Canada, UK, Australia and New Zealand keep on scrolling down this page.\n\nBut if you try to access those streams (or any other domestic coverage) from overseas, you'll soon be tackled by a geo-restriction. Meaning you won't be able to watch. At least not without either compromising your security with a dodgy, illegal stream or by installing a VPN and relocating your laptop or mobile IP address back to one in your home country.\n\nDo that, and your preferred viewing device will think its back in your home country and so will be able to show the stream you were originally after - with the added plus of an extra layer of security and anonymity. From the 100+ Virtual Private Networks we've tested, it's ExpressVPN that comes out as a #1 pick. It's fast, easy to use and one of the most secure options out there. And if you happen to have a streaming device like an Amazon Fire TV Stick, Roku, Apple TV or games console, then ExpressVPN is compatible with them too. As you'll see from our list of best VPN options, it's right at the top of the list. 1. Express VPN (comes with a 30 day money back guarantee) This is the #1 rated best VPN in the world right now, with those previously mentioned levels of security, speed and compatibility putting it to the top of the list. You can try it out for a month for free or sign up for an annual plan and get 3 months absolutely FREE. Check out Express VPN\n\n2. NordVPN: SmartPlay tech makes NordVPN a great choice for streaming. It's really affordable, too\n\n3. IPVanish supports up to 10 devices, so great on the go Choose, download and install your provider and from there the process is a breeze. Open up the program, hit 'choose location' and select a server in your home country - trust us when we say that it's as easy as it sounds.\n\nHow to watch France vs South Korea: US live stream\n\nJust as it did for the men's World Cup last year, Fox Sport is your go-to destination for the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup live streaming (or Telemundo and Universo for Spanish). There's also the Fox Go app you can download to your mobile device if you want to watch away from your TV. The match itself starts at 3pm ET, 12pm midday. Cord cutter and no interest in getting cable? We hear you...well FuboTV is looking like a strong option - you can get a free trial and it's showing the soccer in 4K, too. Or you could try any of the other following services...\n• FuboTV $44.99 for the first month\n\nAnd don't forget that using a VPN is the best way to watch if you want to catch your domestic coverage from abroad.\n\n- Discover our pick of all the US's best sports streaming sites\n\nHow to stream France vs South Korea live in the UK\n\nUK football fans will be delighted to hear that free-to-air BBC has the rights to show all the games of this year's World Cup, and the opening ceremony and match are being shown on BBC One itself. That also means the option to watch online with BBC iPlayer. Tune in tonight from 7pm BST. Outside the UK for this one but still want to watch the BBC coverage? Then we'd suggest getting yourself a VPN and connecting a server in England.\n\nHow to watch France vs South Korea: live stream in Australia\n\nHooray! Free-to-air station SBS has the first throws of the 2019 Women's World Cup to watch (as well as all Matildas games and the latter stage matches). The service's World Game website and app will also be streaming all SBS matches live, meaning you can access coverage on laptops and mobiles, too, with the match kicking off at 5am AEST. You'll need a VPN if you're intending to watch the Australian coverage from overseas.\n\nHow to watch France vs South Korea: New Zealand live stream", "beIN SPORTS presenter Andy Kerr sat down with your Women's World Cup pundit Michelle Heyman ahead of the big kick-off in France. You can follow every game from the 2019 Women's World Cup via beIN CONNECT."], "summary": "The 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup starts with the hosts France defeating South Korea 4–0."}
{"document": ["Image copyright AFP/Getty Images Image caption Abdel Basset al-Sarout was described as a \"martyr\" by a Syrian rebel commander\n\nA Syrian footballer who became a symbol of the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad has died of wounds sustained in clashes in the north-west.\n\nAbdel Basset al-Sarout, 27, died in the Hama province, his rebel faction says.\n\nA promising goalkeeper for Syria's youth team, he sprang to prominence in his home city of Homs in 2011 as one of many who staged street protests.\n\nHe had survived a brutal government siege of Homs, although many of his family members were killed there.\n\nThe story of Abdel Basset al-Sarout in many ways traces the trajectory of the revolution in Syria - from the heady days of hope to the grim war of attrition that has kept President Bashar al-Assad in power, the BBC's Sebastian Usher says.\n\nHow did Sarout die?\n\nHis death was announced by a commander of the Jaish al-Izza rebel faction fighting in Hama.\n\nThe commander described Mr Sarout as a \"martyr\".\n\nImage copyright AFP/Getty Images Image caption Abdel Basset al-Sarout (left) was seen by many as a voice of the Syrian revolution\n\nMeanwhile, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said he had been wounded in clashes between Thursday and Friday and died on Saturday.\n\nThe Syrian Network for Human Rights, a non-government organisation which monitors the Syrian war, also said he died on 8 June.\n\nThe Syrian army has not publicly commented on the reports.\n\nWho was Sarout?\n\nHe was only 19 when the mass anti-Assad protests began in 2011.\n\nWith his long hair and a voice he used to sing in praise of the revolution, Mr Sarout soon became a symbol of that first peaceful phase of the uprising.\n\nHe famously stood side by side with another icon of the uprising - actress Fadwa Sulayman, who was a rebel voice from President Assad's own Alawite community.\n\nBut he took up arms as the government directed its full devastating firepower against Homs.\n\nMr Sarout later starred in the documentary Return to Homs, which portrayed his evolution from a talented athlete to a rebel fighter.\n\nTo Assad supporters, Mr Sarout was just another terrorist - proof of the government's claim that it had all along been battling an armed jihadist insurrection.\n\nThere were rumours that Mr Sarout subsequently pledged allegiance to the so-called Islamic State.\n\nHe denied this, but admitted he had considered the idea when IS seemed the only force strong enough to combat the government - a sign of how the rebel cause disintegrated.\n\nTwo years ago, Fadwa Sulayman died of cancer in exile in France.\n\nNow, Abdel Basset Sarout is dead, too, fighting to defend the last rebel stronghold in Syria - which is itself dominated by a jihadist group that had him arrested in 2017 for protesting against its rule.\n\nYou may also want to watch:", "This article is more than 3 months old\n\nThis article is more than 3 months old\n\nA Syrian footballer who became a symbolic figure in the rebellion against the country’s president, Bashar al-Assad, has died of wounds suffered in a battle with government forces.\n\nAbdul Baset al-Sarout, 27, who rose to fame as a goalkeeper for his home city of Homs, joined peaceful protests against Assad in 2011 and was known as the “singer of the revolution”. He later took up arms as the country slid into civil war. Four of his brothers and his father have also been killed in the fighting.\n\nSarout’s life and his role in Syria’s uprising and conflict was the subject of Return to Homs, a documentary film that won an award at the 2014 Sundance film festival.\n\nCpt Mustafa Maarati, a spokesman for the Jaysh al-Izza rebel group, said Sarout died of wounds sustained two days ago while fighting in northern Hama province.\n\nFighting intensified in north-west Syria on Friday after insurgents mounted an attack to repel an army offensive to retake the last major rebel stronghold.\n\nThe violence in Idlib province and a strip of nearby Hama is the worst escalation in the conflict since the middle of last year. Tens of thousands of people have fled their homes, many of them sheltering at the Turkish border from airstrikes that have killed scores of people.\n\nAssad has reclaimed much of Syria with the help of Russia and Iran. Sarout was among hundreds of thousands of people, both civilians and fighters, shuttled to the north-west in recent years under surrender deals.\n\nHe fought in his city of Homs, but left in 2014 when such a withdrawal deal ended a two-year siege. Four of Sarout’s brothersand his father have also been killed in the fighting.", "The story of Abdelbaset al-Sarout stands out from other military or civilian opponents who died or were killed inside Syria or abroad – as his life was witness to Syria's peaceful protests, vicious battles, demonstrations, siege, displacement, and poverty all the way from Homs «capital of the revolution» to Idlib «the last stronghold of the opposition».\n\nThe Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Sarout was wounded in clashes with government forces in the northern Hama countryside in the night of Thursday to Friday while fighting in the ranks of Jaish Al-Izza.\n\n\"He died of his wounds on Saturday,\" the head of the Britain-based Observatory, Rami Abdurrahman, said.\n\nA nationally-recognized goalkeeper, he sprang to prominence in his home city of Homs in 2011 as one of many who staged street protests – he used to sing in praise of the revolution and was known as the “singer of the revolution”.\n\nHe fought in Homs, but left in 2014 along with other rebels under a surrender deal with the regime to end a two-year siege of its historical center. Four of Sarout’s brothers and his father have also been killed in the fighting and shelling there.\n\nSarout moved among Islamic and moderate factions, becoming a symbol of the revolution, as described by Mahmoud al-Hamoud, a leader of the Jaysh al-Izza rebel group, in which Sarout was a commander.\n\n“He was both a popular figure, guiding the rebellion and a military commander,” said Maj. Jamil al-Saleh from Jaish al-Izza. “His martyrdom will give us a push to continue down the path he chose and to which he offered his soul and blood as sacrifice.”\n\nHe spearheaded the battles in the north of Aleppo and was among the first arrivals to Tal Meleh when factions launched a counter-attack in north-Hama on Thursday.\n\nSarout starred in the documentary \"Return to Homs\" by Syrian director Talal Derki.\n\nFurther, an album including all the songs by Sarout that went viral during the protests in 2012 was issued. His picture was also printed on postal cards designed by activists in 2012 to archive protests against the regime.\n\nUpon announcing his death, some cheered up and described him as a terrorist while others mourned him and called him the “Guevara of Syria.”\n\nThis article has been adapted from its original source.", "A Syrian footballer who became a symbolic figure in the rebellion against the country’s president, Bashar al-Assad, has died of wounds suffered in a battle with government forces.\n\nAbdelbaset al-Sarout, 27, who rose to fame as a goalkeeper for his home city of Homs, joined peaceful protests against Assad in 2011 and was known as the “singer of the revolution”. He later took up arms as the country slid into civil war. Four of his brothers and his father have also been killed in the fighting.\n\nSarout’s life and his role in Syria’s uprising and conflict was the subject of Return to Homs, a documentary film that won an award at the 2014 Sundance film festival.\n\nCpt Mustafa Maarati, a spokesman for the Jaysh al-Izza rebel group, said Sarout died of wounds sustained two days ago while fighting in northern Hama province.\n\nFighting has been escalating in north-western Syria, the last major rebel stronghold, since April.", "A goalkeeper who became an icon of the rebellion against Syrian president Bashar Assad has died of wounds suffered in a battle with government forces, a rebel spokesman said.\n\nA goalkeeper who became an icon of the rebellion against Syrian president Bashar Assad has died of wounds suffered in a battle with government forces, a rebel spokesman said.\n\nAbdelbaset Sarout, 27, who rose to fame as a player for his home city of Homs, joined peaceful protests against Assad in 2011 and was known as the \"singer of the revolution\".\n\nHe later took up arms as the country slid into civil war. Four of his brothers and his father were killed in the war.\n\nSarout’s life and his role in Syria’s uprising and conflict was the subject of Return to Homs, a documentary film that won an award at the 2014 Sundance film festival.\n\nCaptain Mustafa Maarati, spokesman for the Jaysh al-Izza rebel group, said Saturday that Sarout died from wounds sustained two days earlier while fighting in the northern Hama province.\n\nFighting has escalated in northwestern Syria, the last major rebel stronghold, since April.", "AL-DANA, Syria: Thousands of people flocked to the funeral on Sunday of a Syrian soccer star turned fighter who became an icon of the revolt against President Bashar Assad.\n\n Abdelbasset Al-Sarout, 27, died on Saturday from wounds he sustained in northwest Syria, where an army offensive has pounded the last major rebel bastion for weeks.\n\n Once a well-known goalkeeper from the city of Homs, Sarout gained a new kind of fame when the popular uprising against Assad’s rule erupted in 2011. He was dubbed the “singer of the revolution” for chanting ballads at rallies that eulogized slain activists and vilified the president.\n\n\n\n After Assad’s iron-fisted crackdown on the protests, Sarout took up arms and became a wanted man. His path mirrored the uprising’s spiral into an armed fight to the death between Damascus and the myriad militias and guerrilla bands that the conflict spawned.\n\n Sarout was moved from a hospital in Turkey, which backs the opposition, across the border on Sunday, with a convoy of cars and motorcycles following the coffin into Syria.\n\n People chanted, honked and waved rebel flags on the way to the funeral in the border town of Al-Dana, where one of Sarout’s brothers is buried.\n\n Four of Sarout’s brothers and his father had already died fighting pro-government forces.\n\n\n\n Crowds stood on the roofs to watch Sarout’s body, wrapped in white, being carried through the town. Rebels from his faction, Jaish Al-Izza, fired into the air.\n\n In the mosque, men including fighters in combat uniform kneeled in front of his body to pray, some of them weeping.\n\n “We all know Sarout’s songs and golden vocals. Today is a big loss, a sad day for the Syrian revolution. We lost one of its icons,” said Ali Al-Zajel, an activist at the funeral.\n\n With Russian and Iranian help, Assad’s military has reclaimed much of Syria by crushing opposition enclaves in recent years.\n\n Sarout was among hundreds of thousands of civilians and insurgents shuttled to the northwest under surrender deals as the army reconquered their hometowns.\n\n Sarout, who fought government forces in his home city, left under such a deal in 2014 after a bitter two-year siege.\n\n As rebel factions struggled with infighting and the growing influence of Muslim jihadists, Sarout was accused of switching his allegiance to Islamic State, which he denied in a video in 2015.", "A Syrian goalkeeper turned rebel fighter who starred in an award-winning documentary died on Saturday of wounds sustained fighting government forces in northwestern Syria, his faction and a war monitor said.\n\n \n\nAbdel-Basset al-Sarout, 27, was a goalkeeper from the central city of Homs, who became its most popular singer of protest songs after the Syrian uprising broke out in March 2011.\n\n \n\nFollowing a government crackdown on peaceful protests, he took up arms against the forces of President Bashar al-Assad's government.\n\n \n\nAl-Sarout starred in the documentary Return to Homs by Syrian director Talal Derki, which tracked his evolution from protest leader to fighter, and won a top prize at the Sundance Film Festival in 2014.\n\nJameel al-Saleh, the commander of the rebel faction Jaish al-Izza, announced al-Sarout's death in a message on Twitter, describing him as a \"martyr\" who died \"fighting for the sake of God\".\n\n \n\nThe message was accompanied by a video showing al-Sarout singing \"We will be back, Homs\".\n\n \n\nThe Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said al-Sarout was wounded in clashes in the northern Hama countryside in the night of Thursday to Friday while fighting in the ranks of Jaish al-Izza. \n\n \n\n\"He died of his wounds on Saturday,\" the head of the Britain-based observatory, Rami Abdurrahman, said.\n\n \n\nAl-Sarout was evacuated from Homs in 2014 under a surrender deal with the government to end a two-year siege of its historical centre, according to the observatory. \n\n \n\nHis father and four of his siblings were killed during bombardment and clashes in Homs, it said.", "Abdul Basset Al Sarout, 27, was a goalkeeper from the central city of Homs, who became its most popular singer of protest songs after the Syrian uprising broke out in March 2011.\n\nAl Sarout starred in the documentary “Return to Homs” by Syrian director Talal Derki, which tracked his evolution from protest leader to fighter, and won a top prize at the Sundance film festival in 2014.\n\nJameel Al Saleh, the commander of the rebel faction Jaish Al Izza, announced Al Sarout’s death in a message on Twitter, describing him as a “martyr” who died “fighting for the sake of God”.\n\nThe Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Al Sarout was wounded in clashes in the northern Hama countryside in the night of Thursday to Friday while fighting in the ranks of Jaish Al Izza.\n\nAl Sarout was evacuated from Homs in 2014 under a surrender deal with the regime to end a two-year siege of its historical centre, according to the Observatory.\n\nHis father and four of his siblings were killed during bombardment and clashes in Homs, it said.\n\n“The goalkeeper of freedom, the icon of Homs, the bard of the squares, the unforgettable sound of the Syrian revolution has been martyred,” researcher and opposition supporter Ahmad Abazeed said.\n\nAl Sarout was wounded in the push to take the village of Tal Maleh from regime forces, the Observatory said.\n\nThe village lies on the southwestern edge of the Idlib region, which is dominated by an alliance led by Syria’s former Al Qaida affiliate Hayat Tahrir Al Sham (HTS).\n\nAlmost half of the region’s three million residents have been displaced from other parts of the war-torn country, including after deals to return government control to those areas.\n\nLate Thursday, HTS and rebel allies launched a counterattack against government forces in the north of Hama province, after weeks of deadly regime bombardment on the Idlib region.\n\nThe Idlib region is supposed to be protected by a months-old buffer zone deal, but the regime and its Russian ally have ramped up air strikes and rocket fire on the area since late April.\n\nMore than 300 civilians have been killed in that bombardment, according to the Observatory, and the United Nations says the violence has forced 270,000 people to flee their homes.", "BINNISH, Syria: A Syrian goalkeeper turned rebel fighter who starred in an award-winning documentary died on Saturday (Jun 8) of wounds sustained fighting regime forces in northwestern Syria, his faction said.\n\nAbdel-Basset al-Sarout, 27, was among dozens of fighters killed since Thursday in clashes on the edges of the Idlib region.\n\nThe region, dominated by an alliance led by Syria's former Al-Qaeda affiliate, is supposed to be protected by a months-old buffer zone deal.\n\nBut it has come under deadly regime bombardment in recent weeks, sparking fears for its roughly three million residents.\n\nBefore Syria's eight-year civil war, Sarout, from the central city of Homs, was a goalkeeper for the country's youth football team.\n\nWhen peaceful demonstrations broke out against President Bashar al-Assad's regime in 2011, he joined in and soon became a popular singer of protest songs.\n\nFollowing a brutal government crackdown on the protests, he took up arms.\n\nSarout starred in the documentary \"Return to Homs\" by Syrian director Talal Derki, which tracked his evolution from protest leader to fighter, and won a top prize at the Sundance Film Festival in 2014.\n\nJameel al-Saleh, commander of the rebel faction Jaish al-Izza, announced Sarout's death in a message on Twitter, describing him as a \"martyr\".\n\nAnother of the group's commanders, Mahmoud al-Mahmoud, also confirmed the fighter's death.\n\n\"He was a well-mannered young man and one of the fiercest fighters I have known,\" he told AFP.\n\nHe said the fighter had been wounded two days previously in the battle for Tal Maleh, a village in the north of Hama province.\n\nThe Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Sarout was wounded in overnight battles Thursday to Friday while fighting in the ranks of Jaish al-Izza.\n\n\"He died of his wounds on Saturday,\" said the head of the Britain-based monitor, Rami Abdel Rahman.\n\nSarout was evacuated from Homs in 2014 under a surrender deal with the regime to end a two-year siege of its historical centre, according to the Observatory.\n\nHis father and four of his brothers were killed during bombing and clashes in Homs, it said.\n\nOn Saturday, Syrian activists and opposition figures took to Twitter to mourn him.\n\n\"The goalkeeper of freedom, the icon of Homs, the bard of the squares, the unforgettable sound of the Syrian revolution has been martyred,\" wrote researcher and opposition supporter Ahmad Abazeed.\n\nHadi al-Bahra, a member of the opposition Syrian Negotiations Commission, posted: \"He died hoping to realise the dreams of Syrians.\"\n\nSince 2011, the conflict has killed 370,000 people and displaced millions.\n\nToday, Assad's forces are in control of almost 60 percent of Syria, after a series of Russian-backed victories against rebels and militants.\n\nA large northeastern swathe of the country remains in Kurdish hands, while the Idlib region is dominated by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham alliance.\n\nSyria analyst Shiraz Maher described Sarout as \"a totemic figure within the revolution\".\n\n\"His trajectory reflects the many twists and turns of this constantly mutating conflict,\" said the director of the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation in London.\n\n\"The symbolism of his loss is huge. It's another loss for the stalled and stunted revolutionaries of 2011,\" he told AFP.\n\nAlmost half of the Idlib region's residents have been displaced from other parts of the war-torn country, including under deals to hand back those areas to government control.\n\nThe region, also spanning slivers of neighbouring Latakia, Aleppo and Hama provinces, is nominally protected by a September buffer zone deal signed by Russia and rebel backer Turkey.\n\nBut the regime and their allies have upped their deadly bombardment of the region since late April, killing more than 330 civilians, according to the Observatory.\n\nThe violence has also forced more than 270,000 people to flee their homes and hit 24 health facilities, the United Nations says.\n\nLate Thursday, HTS and rebel allies launched a counterattack against government forces in the area of Tal Maleh to the southwest of the Idlib region.\n\nAlmost 170 fighters from both sides have been killed since.\n\nAnalysts predict the regime will continue to chip away at the Idlib region, but say it is unlikely to unleash a major assault.", "DANA, SYRIA (AFP) - Hundreds of mourners attended the burial of a Syrian goalkeeper turned opposition fighter on Sunday (June 9) after he died of wounds sustained in battle against regime forces.\n\nAbdel-Basset al-Sarout, 27, died on Saturday after he was wounded on Thursday night in clashes on the edge of the embattled Idlib region in north-west Syria.\n\nBefore Syria's grinding eight-year civil war, Sarout was a goalkeeper for the country's youth football team.\n\nWhen peaceful demonstrations broke out against President Bashar al-Assad's regime in 2011, he became a popular singer of protest songs in his hometown of Homs in the centre of the country.\n\nBut after a brutal government crackdown on the protests, he took up arms, eventually joining the Jaish al-Izza rebel group, with whom he was fighting when he was wounded.\n\nOn Sunday, hundreds of supporters joined a procession of vehicles driving Sarout's body wrapped in a bright white shroud to the mosque in the northwestern village of Dana, an AFP reporter said.\n\nAmong them were fighters who brandished their weapons and fired shots into the air.\n\nAs his body was transported over the crowd outside the mosque, dozens held up their mobile phones to grab images.\n\nA couple of men laid Sarout to rest in the deep red earth of a cemetery bordering golden fields, as hundreds thronged around to get a last glimpse of the young fighter.\n\nSyrian activists and opposition supporters have flooded Twitter with eulogies for a man they describe as the \"goalkeeper of the revolution\" or \"songbird of the revolution\".\n\nLebanese political researcher and university professor Ziad Majed said Sarout was \"the truest expression of the Syrian revolution, its twists and turns\".\n\nHe went \"from a peaceful protester and singer demanding dignity and freedom, to a fighter defending Homs... to successive changes of fighter identities,\" he wrote on Facebook.\n\nHe was \"close for a while to extremism and its black banner, but then distanced himself and returned to the northern Hama countryside\" where he was mortally wounded, Prof Majed said.\n\nSarout starred in the documentary Return to Homs, for which Syrian director Talal Derki was awarded at the Sundance Film Festival in 2014.\n\nThe Idlib region, which is dominated by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham alliance led by Syria's former Al-Qaeda affiliate, is supposed to be protected by a Turkish-Russian buffer zone deal.\n\nBut it has come under intense bombardment since last April from the regime and its Russian ally, killing more than 330 civilians, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group.\n\nSince Thursday, Islamists and allied rebels have been battling pro-government fighters on the edge of the Idlib region in the north of Hama province, leaving more than 250 fighters dead in total, it said."], "summary": "Abdul Baset al-Sarout, a Jaysh al-Izza commander, the “singer of the revolution”, and former Syria national football team goalkeeper, dies from wounds sustained Thursday when he was struck by Syrian Army artillery."}
{"document": ["Image copyright Geograph/ Gareth James Image caption Dublin statues commemorating the Great Famine in which around one million people died and a million more emigrated from Ireland\n\nRemains washed up on a Canadian beach belonged to shipwreck victims lost at sea while fleeing the Irish Famine, the Canadian government has confirmed.\n\nThe bones of three children washed up on a beach at Cap-des-Rosiers following a storm in 2011.\n\nThe remains of 18 others, mostly women and children, were uncovered by archaeologists on the beach in 2016.\n\nExperts have now said the remains were from the 1847 Carricks ship from County Sligo.\n\nScientists said that that the location of the remains, combined with laboratory analysis, confirmed the theory that they were from the Carricks shipwreck.\n\nThe famine killed more than a million Irish people and forced about a million more to emigrate after blight devastated the potato crop.\n\nThe Carricks ship was carrying 180 emigrants when it sank off the coast of Cap-des-Rosiers en route to the Port of Quebec.\n\nOnly 48 people survived the accident and, according to historical accounts, 87 bodies recovered from the shipwreck were buried on the beach.\n\nParks Canada said analysis carried out by the bioarcheology laboratory at Montreal University indicated the 21 individuals found had followed a rural diet mostly based on potatoes, and suffered from diseases associated with malnutrition.\n\nImage copyright Google Image caption Cap-des-Rosiers beach in Quebec where the remains from the Carricks ship were discovered\n\nThe human remains will be buried near the Irish Memorial on Cap-des-Rosiers beach at a ceremony this summer.\n\nThe memorial was built in 1900 in memory of the lost passengers of the Carricks shipwreck, and features the ship's bell which was found in 1968 on a beach on Quebec's north shore.\n\nCanada's National Revenue Minister Diane Lebouthillier said the discovery was \"very significant for Irish families whose ancestors were Carricks passengers\".\n\n'Emotional and sensitive'\n\n\"During the Great Famine of Ireland in 1847, Canada became the home of many Irish immigrants,\" she said.\n\n\"The tragic events of the Carricks shipwreck are a startling reminder of just how difficult the journey was for the travellers and that not everybody was lucky enough to reach their new home.\n\n\"This shipwreck reflects an important part of Canadian history.\"\n\nSpeaking to the CBC, Isabelle Ribot, associate professor of bioarchaeology at Montreal University, said the discovery was in keeping with local oral history, which suggested there was a mass grave of shipwreck victims on the beach.\n\n\"Our skeletons reflect what we eat,\" she said, adding that the bones found belonged to people who had suffered chronic health problems likely caused by the famine in Ireland.\n\n\"Knowing the context and knowing there are descendants of the people who survived, it is very emotional and very sensitive,\" she said.\n\n\"We are very blessed to have been able to analyze them and extract as much information as we can.\"", "The Government is set to liaise with Canadian authorities after scientists there linked discovered human remains with an Irish famine shipwreck.\n\nThe Government is set to liaise with Canadian authorities after scientists there linked discovered human remains with an Irish famine shipwreck.\n\nMinister to liaise with Canadian officials after scientists link human remains with Irish famine shipwreck\n\nMinister for Culture Josepha Madigan said that she will make contact with authorities in Quebec, where the remains of 21 individuals were discovered over a five-year period.\n\nThe bones, which were discovered between 2011 and 2016, were analysed and have now been positively identified as belonging to victims of the 1847 Carricks shipwreck, where 150 passengers lost their lives.\n\nMs Madigan said that the new discovery brings to light the pain and suffering that Irish people faced during the Great Famine, which spanned from 1845 to 1851.\n\n\"This is a very poignant reminder, a matter of weeks after our annual famine commemoration in Sligo, of the horror and abject suffering of that time and of the fate that awaited some of those trying to escape from it,\" the minister told Independent.ie.\n\n\"I have asked my officials to liaise with their colleagues in Parks Canada on this discovery, to see in the context of our recent international twinning, what appropriate memorial and mark of respect can be organised.\"\n\nLocals in Gaspé, Quebec have long-held the theory that the remains were linked to the Irish famine after the bones of three children washed up on shore in 2011, after a harsh storm.\n\nIn the five years that followed, the human remains of a further 18 individuals washed up.\n\nThe remains have now been linked to the 1847 Carricks shipwreck, which saw a ship embarking from Sligo and carrying 180 passengers sink off the coast of Cap-des-Rosiers in Gaspé.\n\nIt is believed that around 120 to 150 of the famine-fleeing passengers died in the shipwreck, while forty-eight people survived. Of those who lost their lives, 87 bodies have been found.\n\nScientists at the Montreal University identified their origins by using samples of the bones to determine their chemical composition.\n\nThe analysis revealed that the remains belonged to people with chronic health problems like malnutrition. Their diets, low in protein, suggested a rural population dependent on agriculture, specifically potatoes.\n\nIn a statement, Diane Lebouthillier, MP for Gaspésie–Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine, mirrored the sentiment of Ms Madigan, while paying homage to the significance the period had in Canadian history.\n\n\"The tragic events of the Carricks shipwreck are a startling reminder of just how difficult the journey was for the travellers and that not everybody was lucky enough to reach their new home.\n\n\"Today's announcement is very significant for Irish families whose ancestors were Carricks passengers. This shipwreck reflects an important part of Canadian history.\"\n\nDNA analysis was impossible because of the conditions of the bones, and only about 1pc of the individual skeletons were located. Scientists could reveal however that most of the bones belonged to women and children.\n\nThe remains will be removed to Forillon National Park, in the coming weeks, where a funeral service will be held.\n\nA burial will take place near Cap-des-Rosiers Beach where an Irish Memorial was built in 1990 to remember those who died in the shipwreck.", "THE REMAINS of three bodies were found washed up on a Canadian beach back in 2011, and on the same beach in 2016, the remains of a further 18 bodies were discovered after an archeological dig.\n\nCanadian scientists have now confirmed that a study of the bones show that these are the remains of Irish famine victims who fled across the Atlantic in the mid 1800s.\n\nThe initial remains that were discovered in 2011 on a beach in Forillon National Park, Quebec, were identified as two seven-year-old boys and an 11-year-old boy.\n\nTheir bones indicated severe malnutrition according to scientists.\n\nAfter the dig in 2016 found evidence of 18 more bodies, most of whom were women and children, all of which were showing signs of malnutrition, it was speculated that they were passengers from the 1847 Carricks shipwreck.\n\nThe ship, carrying 180 people fleeing the Potato Famine, sailed from Sligo to Quebec and was under the command of Captain R. Thompson.\n\nOn April 28 1847, the ship ran into a heavy storm in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and was wrecked around 4 miles east of the Canadian coast.\n\nIt’s estimated that between 120 and 150 people died as a result, and those who survived had extremely plucky local fisherman to thank, who braved the storm, rowing out to save them.\n\nAfter the remains found on the beach were sent to Montreal University for analysis, it’s now confirmed that they are of Irish victims of the Carricks shipwreck.\n\nMathieu Cote, a resource conservation manager at Forillon National Park said: “This is like the end of the story for people who were interested in this.”\n\n“We were suspicious of where [the remains] were from, and we had a good idea, but now we have evidence that those people were from Ireland.\n\nAround 100,000 people fled Ireland for Canada in 1847 alone, and around 20,000 of those either died during the voyage or during their time spent in quarantine stations.", "MONTREAL — Human remains found in Quebec’s Gaspe region in 2011 and 2016 are those of Irish immigrants fleeing the potato famine who died in an 1847 shipwreck, according to Parks Canada.\n\nThe federal department confirmed the longstanding hypothesis that the bones from 21 skeletons discovered on the beach in Cap-des-Rosiers in recent years belong to victims from the Carricks of Whitehaven, an Irish ship that sank during a storm off the Gaspe coast while on its way to Quebec City over 170 years ago.\n\nThe bones of three children between the ages of seven and 12 washed up on the beach during a storm in 2011, Parks Canada said. In 2016, the department carried out an archaeological dig that found remains of 18 more people — which matched historical accounts of a mass grave on the beach.\n\nAn analysis by scientists at the Universite de Montreal found the deceased had followed a diet typical of Irish rural people, and many had suffered from diseases and malnutrition that were most likely caused by the famine.\n\nViveka Melki, who made a documentary about the shipwreck, said the discovery only confirms what local residents have long known to be true.\n\n“They’ve known it, passed down from great-grandmothers to grandmothers,” Melki said in a phone interview from Cuba, where she’s working on her next film.\n\n“They knew the story, whether I came into that story, whether Parks Canada came in and dug that up and found it, they were sure of the story.”\n\nAs part of her research, Melki spoke to descendents of the shipwreck’s survivors and discovered an obituary for a priest that tells the story of a mass grave dug on the beach and a shore strewn with bodies.\n\nSome of the skeletons that were unearthed were found holding their children in their arms, she said.\n\nMelki, who explores resilience and trauma in her films, said she was struck by how the shipwreck’s descendants are still haunted by the story.\n\n“Whether it’s in our DNA in the bones, or our DNA as a person, it’s something that passes down, and we have to acknowledge it, acknowledge that this story isn’t finished,” she said, adding that she believes the announcement will bring closure for the residents.\n\nThe Carricks was one of many ships that carried the hundreds of thousands of Irish immigrants who came to Canada fleeing poverty and starvation in 1847 to 1848.\n\nAccording to Parks Canada, the ship carrying 180 passengers had departed from Sligo, Ireland and was headed to the Port of Quebec when it sank off the coast of Cap-des-Rosiers, killing all but 48 passengers.\n\nDiane Lebouthillier, the area’s MP, said the shipwreck is a stark symbol of the sacrifices many Irish immigrants made in their perilous journey to Canada.\n\n“The tragic events of the Carricks shipwreck are a startling reminder of just how difficult the journey was for the travellers and that not everybody was lucky enough to reach their new home,” she said.\n\nParks Canada said the remains will be buried near the Irish Memorial on Cap-des-Rosiers Beach at a ceremony to be held in the summer, in accordance with the community’s wishes.", "Human remains discovered in Quebec’s Gaspe region in 2011 and 2016 were those of Irish immigrants who died in a shipwreck in 1847 after fleeing famine, Parks Canada has confirmed.\n\nThe government agency said the bones of three individuals between the ages of seven and 12 washed up on a beach at Cap-des-Rosiers in Forillion National Park in 2011 following a violent storm. Five years later, Parks Canada workers carried about a preventative archeological dig at Cap-des-Rosiers and found the remains of 18 more individuals, mostly women and children.\n\nHistorians theorized the remains were from the Carricks shipwreck in 1847. The ship carrying 180 passengers from Sligo, Ireland sank off the coast of Cap-des-Rosiers before it was able to reach its final destination of the Port of Quebec. Between 120 and 150 people died when the ship sank, according to historical records. Only 48 people survived.\n\nResearchers analyzed the human remains in the bioarcheology laboratory at the University of Montreal and confirmed they were indeed from the shipwreck. They did this by accounting for the location where the bones were discovered and the context of their burial, which were buried on the beach.\n\nThe academics also determined the individuals followed a diet that was characteristic of rural populations dependent on agriculture at the time, in this case, potatoes. This aligns with historical records of the typical diet of the population of Ireland in the first half of the 19th century.\n\nThe tests also revealed the shipwrecked people were suffering from diseases most likely caused by malnutrition, which would be consistent with the Great Famine in Ireland during that time.\n\n“During the Great Famine of Ireland in 1847, Canada became the home of many Irish immigrants,” Diane Lebouthillier, MP for Gaspesie — Les Iles-de-la-Madeleine, said in a statement. “The tragic events of the Carricks shipwreck are a startling reminder of just how difficult the journey was for the travellers and that not everybody was lucky enough to reach their new home.”\n\nAfter consulting with the residents of Cap-des-Rosiers and members of the Irish community, Parks Canada said the human remains of the 21 passengers would be buried near the Irish Memorial on Cap-des-Rosiers Beach at a ceremony in the summer. The monument was erected in 1900 in memory of the shipwrecked passengers.\n\n“Today's announcement is very significant for Irish families whose ancestors were Carricks passengers. This shipwreck reflects an important part of Canadian history,” Lebouthillier said.", "Parks Canada has confirmed that human remains found in Quebec’s Gaspé region in 2011 and 2016 are those of Irish immigrants fleeing the potato famine who died in an 1847 shipwreck.\n\nThe federal department says the bones from 21 skeletons discovered on the beach in Cap-des-Rosiers in recent years belong to victims from the Carricks of Whitehaven, an Irish ship that sank during a storm off the Gaspé coast while on its way to Quebec City over 170 years ago.\n\nREAD MORE: Diver explores shipwreck in Ontario lake despite sub-zero temperatures\n\nAn analysis by scientists at the Université de Montréal showed the deceased had followed a diet typical of Irish rural people, and many had suffered from diseases and malnutrition that were most likely caused by the famine.\n\nFilmmaker Viveka Melki, who made a documentary about the shipwreck, says the discovery confirms what local residents have long known to be true.\n\nREAD MORE: Pieces of 19th century ship washed up on English beach could have Nova Scotian connection\n\nAs part of her research, Melki spoke to descendents of the shipwreck’s survivors and discovered an obituary for a priest that tells the story of a mass grave dug on the beach and a shore strewn with bodies.\n\nShe says she hopes the residents find closure with the announcement and an upcoming ceremony to bury the bones near the Irish memorial on Cap-des-Rosiers Beach this summer.", "MONTREAL — Parks Canada has confirmed that human remains found in Quebec's Gaspé region in 2011 and 2016 are those of Irish immigrants fleeing the potato famine who died in an 1847 shipwreck.\n\nThe federal department said the bones from 21 skeletons discovered on the beach in Cap-des-Rosiers in recent years belong to victims from the Carricks of Whitehaven.\n\nThe Irish ship sank during a storm off the Gaspé coast while on its way to Quebec City.\n\nAn analysis by scientists at the Université de Montréal showed the deceased had followed a diet typical of Irish rural people, and many had suffered from diseases and malnutrition that were most likely caused by the famine.\n\nFilmmaker Viveka Melki, who made a documentary about the shipwreck, said the discovery confirms what local residents have long known to be true.\n\nAs part of her research, Melki spoke to descendents of the shipwreck's survivors and discovered an obituary for a priest that tells the story of a mass grave dug on the beach and a shore strewn with bodies.\n\nShe said she hopes the residents find closure with the announcement and an upcoming ceremony to bury the bones near the Irish memorial on Cap-des-Rosiers Beach this summer.\n\nThe ship's bell was found in 1966 some distance away in Blanc-Sablon and is mounted next to the Carricks Monument.\n\nOf the 187 passengers on board, 87 perished at sea and 100 survivors were taken in by families in the village.", "Bones found washed up on a beach in Quebec in 2011 and 2016 are those of Irish Famine victims, Canadian scientists have determined.\n\nScientists have confirmed a long-held theory of locals that the human remains of 21 individuals, unearthed over a five-year period, are from an 1847 Carricks shipwreck.\n\nThe ship left Sligo carrying 180 passengers fleeing the Famine, but it sank off the coast of Cap-des-Rosiers in Gaspe killing at least 150 of those on board.\n\nSkeletal remains of three boys - two aged seven and one eleven-year-old - suggest rural Irish origins based on diet and indicate severe malnutrition.\n\nParks Canada conservation manager Mathieu Cote said: “This is like the end of the story for people who were interested in this.\n\n“We were suspicious of where [the remains] were from, and we had a good idea where they were from, but now we have evidence that those people were from Ireland.\n\n“They were old bones, and they were very fragile,” Cote said, adding that 160 years of saltwater exposure worsened their condition.\n\nAnalysis showed that the bones belonged to people whose diets were typical of a rural population dependent on agriculture - specifically potatoes - and low in protein.\n\nScientists said chronic health problems such as malnutrition were also evident.\n\nMost of the Black 47 wreck’s survivors continued on to Quebec City and Montreal, but some stayed in the area.\n\nThere is a mass grave of shipwreck victims on the beach.\n\nIt is estimated that 100,000 fleeing famine victims set out for Canada in 1847 alone and that 20,000 died on the voyage or at the quarantine station at Grosse Isle.", "Archaeologists have continued to examine the 1847 Carricks shipwreck at Cap-Des-Rosiers beach in Quebec PARKS CANADA\n\nHuman bones washed up on a Canadian beach eight years ago are the remains of three Irish children who were fleeing the Great Hunger, scientists have confirmed. The victims were two seven-year-old boys and another boy aged 11.\n\nThe bones of another 18 individuals unearthed during a beach restoration in 2016 are the remains of shipwrecked Irish famine victims who had sailed from Co Sligo in March 1847.\n\nThe scientific discovery confirms a long-held belief locally that the bones that came ashore at Forillon national park in Quebec were the remains of passengers on board the Carricks ship when it sank during a violent storm off Cap-des-Rosiers in Gaspé.\n\nThe ship had left Ireland for Canada with 180 passengers, mostly former tenants of Lord Palmerston,…", "Scientists have confirmed a long-held theory of locals in Gaspé, Que., that the human remains of 21 individuals, unearthed over a five-year period, are from an 1847 Carricks shipwreck.\n\nThe ship left Sligo, Ireland, carrying 180 passengers fleeing the Potato Famine, also known as the Great Hunger. It sank off the coast of Cap-des-Rosiers in Gaspé, killing as many as 150 people.\n\nThe bones of three children washed up on the shore in 2011 after a harsh storm, and the remains of another 18 individuals were unearthed in 2016 before a beach restoration.\n\nThe remains were sent to Parks Canada offices in Ottawa, and then to researchers at the Montreal University for analysis.\n\n\"This is like the end of the story for people who were interested in this,\" said Mathieu Côté, a resource conservation manager at Forillon National Park.\n\n\"We were suspicious of where [the remains] were from, and we had a good idea where they were from, but now we have evidence that those people were from Ireland.\"\n\nCôté started with Parks Canada about a year before the first remains were found. He called the last eight years a \"great project\" that's shed light on an important part of Canada's history.\n\n\"They were old bones, and they were very fragile,\" Côté said, adding that 160 years of saltwater exposure worsened their condition.\n\nScientists used samples of the bones to determine their chemical composition and identify their origins.\n\n\"We did our best because the remains were very fragmentary,\" said Isabelle Ribot, an associate professor of bioarcheology at Montreal University, who was involved with the analysis.\n\n\"They were extremely fragile,\" she said. \"As soon as you touched, them they would start to crumble.\"\n\nThe analysis showed that the bones belonged to people whose diets were characteristic of a rural population dependent on agriculture — specifically potatoes — as was typical of the Irish population at the time.\n\n\"Our skeletons reflect what we eat,\" Ribot said, explaining that scientists are able to determine whether a person had a protein- or vegetable-rich diet based on their bones.\n\nShe said chronic health problems like malnutrition are also evident in the bones.\n\nThe remains found at Cap-des-Rosiers showed that the shipwrecked people had a diet low in protein, and that they were under nutritional stress, likely caused by the famine in Ireland.\n\nMost of the bones belonged to women and children.\n\n\"Knowing the context and knowing there are descendants of the people who survived, it is very emotional and very sensitive,\" Ribot said \"We are very blessed to have been able to analyze them and extract as much information as we can.\"\n\nRibot said she would have liked to do ancient DNA analysis on the bones, but it was impossible because of their condition.\n\nThe archeologists were also only able to collect about one per cent of some skeletons.\n\n\"They probably literally melted because of the context of preservation,\" Ribot said.\n\nCôté said the discovery is in line with the oral history of the area — that there is a mass grave of shipwreck victims on the beach.\n\n\"We weren't sure if there was one, but that's what the locals were saying,\" he said.\n\nMost of the wreck's survivors continued on to Quebec City and Montreal, but some stayed in the area.\n\n\"The tragic events of the Carricks shipwreck are a startling reminder of just how difficult the journey was for the travellers and that not everybody was lucky enough to reach their new home,\" said Diane Lebouthillier, MP for Gaspésie–Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine, in a statement.\n\n\"Today's announcement is very significant for Irish families whose ancestors were Carricks passengers,\" she said. \"This shipwreck reflects an important part of Canadian history.\"\n\nThe remains will be taken to Forillon National Park in the coming weeks and a funeral service will be held.\n\nThey will be buried near the Irish Memorial on Cap-des-Rosiers Beach, which was erected in 1900 in memory of those who died after the ship sank.\n\nForty-eight people survived the shipwreck, and 87 bodies have been found of the estimated 120 to 150 dead."], "summary": "Human remains found at a beach near the Port of Quebec in 2011 and 2016 are identified as those of 21 shipwreck victims, who drowned in 1847 while fleeing the Irish Great Famine."}
{"document": ["At least 100 people gathered in central Moscow Friday evening to hold single pickets against the arrest of investigative journalist Ivan Golunov. Golunov, an investigative reporter for the Meduza news website, was detained Thursday afternoon on drug trafficking charges which his colleagues say were “persecution” for his reports. Russia’s independent trade union of journalists on Friday called for members to hold single pickets in support of Golunov outside police headquarters in their cities.\n\nnews Russian Investigative Journalist Detained in Moscow on Drug Charges Read more\n\nA line of people formed outside the Interior Ministry headquarters Friday evening as people waited to hold single pickets against Golunov's detention. Police detained local deputy Viktor Kotov and RBC news website employee Vladimir Kheifets at the picket site. The two are still in detention. Three other people were later detained, the police-monitoring OVD-Info website reported.\n\nAround 200 people are protesting against Golunov‘s detention pic.twitter.com/nYwpNFu0si — Pavel Lokshin (@lokshin) June 7, 2019\n\nUp to 15 protesters had been detained earlier while holding single pickets there, Russian media reported. Those detained included journalists Anna Narinskaya, Alexander Gorbachev, Alexander Ryklin, Ilya Azar, Grigory Tumanov and Pavel Kanygin, the MBKh news website reported. Alexander Polivanov, former deputy head of Meduza, was also detained. Popular Russian satirist Victor Shenderovich, who was one of the detained, told The Moscow Times it was “vital” for as many people as possible to voice their anger with Golunov’s arrest. “We all know that the charges are absurd, and we can’t let them get away with this quietly,” he added. Video shared on social media shows Shenderovich's detention.\n\nЗадержания у Петровки 38 pic.twitter.com/FQK8Lgxq1J — Snegov (@stay___free) June 7, 2019\n\nAll of the individuals who were detained were released shortly after, the police-monitoring OVD-Info website reported. Speaking outside the picket shortly after he was released, Shenderovich said he believes that the releases were linked to the St. Petersburg Economic Forum that began on Thursday. “They must have realized that our arrests could overshadow the forum, so they decided to quickly let us out.”", "Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Police moved in and made arrests as protesters gathered outside the court\n\nA Russian investigative journalist, Ivan Golunov, has been arrested in the capital Moscow and charged with trying to illegally sell drugs.\n\nHe was placed under house arrest after a court hearing. Earlier, he was given a medical examination amid reports he had been injured during the arrest.\n\nThe reporter for Latvia-based news site Meduza was detained on Thursday.\n\nHis lawyer says drugs were planted on him, an accusation the Russian authorities deny.\n\nMeduza says Mr Golunov, 36, is being \"being persecuted because of his journalistic activity\".\n\nWhat do we know about his arrest?\n\nThe court rejected a request by investigators to keep him in custody.\n\nHe reporter had been on his way to meet another journalist on Thursday when he was stopped and searched by officers.\n\nThey say they found the synthetic drug mephedrone in his rucksack, and that a later search of his flat turned up more drugs and some scales - indicating that he was involved in dealing.\n\nImage copyright Reuters Image caption Investigative journalist Ivan Golunov was arrested on Thursday\n\nThe journalist was officially charged on Saturday morning with attempting illegally to produce, sell or pass on drugs.\n\nPolice released photos which they said showed drug paraphernalia in Mr Golunov's flat, but these were later withdrawn, BBC Russian journalist Olga Ivshina reports.\n\nThe police, she adds, admitted that \"most of the published photos had not been taken at Mr Golunov's flat after all, but were related to another criminal investigation that might be linked to his detention\".\n\nMeduza said in a statement that Mr Golunov had received threats in recent months over a story he was working on.\n\n\"We are convinced that Ivan Golunov is innocent,\" the statement reads, according to Reuters news agency. \"Moreover, we have grounds to believe that Golunov is being persecuted because of his journalistic activity.\"\n\n'A deep feeling of helplessness'\n\nby Nataliya Zotova, BBC Russian reporter\n\nIvan Golunov's friends and journalists have been waiting outside the court building since the morning, showing their support for a colleague they believe has been wrongly arrested.\n\n\"I don't believe we can change anything standing there. But what else can we do?\" Evgeny Buntman of Ekho Moskvy, one of few independent radio stations in Russia, wondered aloud.\n\n\"People come here not because they can be of help here, but because of a deep feeling of helplessness.\"\n\nIn the courtroom, Golunov cried when he saw his friends and colleagues. Everyone was expecting him to be jailed while he awaited trial. Instead, the judge decided on house arrest.\n\nThe angry screams of the crowd outside instantly transformed into yelps of joy which carried through the open windows into the courtroom.\n\nNow, it was Golunov's friends to cry - out of relief.\n\nWhat is being reported about his condition?\n\nA medical examination at Moscow's Hospital Number 71 showed that he had an abrasion on his back and bruising around one eye but no serious injuries that required a stay in hospital, Dr Alexander Myasnikov told Russian media.\n\nNone of his ribs were broken, he added, after earlier claims that he had suffered a fracture.\n\nMeduza says he was beaten up by officers both during his arrest and later at a police station. He was, the news site says, only able to contact a friend after 14 hours.\n\nIn the first video of Mr Golunov since his arrest, posted by the Russian news site Breaking Mash, he lifts up his shirt to reveal marks on his back.\n\nMr Golunov said he had been involved in \"scuffles\" with police, and showed bruises.\n\nHis lawyer, Dmitry Julay, told reporters that the journalist had been denied food and sleep for more than 24 hours.\n\nWho is Ivan Golunov?\n\nThe journalist has repeatedly exposed corruption among Moscow's high-profile businesspeople and its political elite, as well as fraudulent financial schemes in the city.\n\nJournalists in Russia have often been harassed or attacked in recent years for their work. Many opposition figures and human rights activists in Russia have been detained on apparently fabricated drugs charges, which are widely seen as an attempt to quash political dissent.\n\nMuch of Russia's media is controlled by the state and Russia is ranked 83rd out of 100 countries for press freedom by Freedom House.\n\nImage copyright Reuters Image caption Mr Golunov's mother Svetlana (centre) with Galina Timchenko\n\n\"We will find out by whose will Vanya [Ivan] is being pursued, and we will make this information public,\" Meduza's director Galina Timchenko and editor Ivan Kolpakov said.\n\n\"We will protect our journalist by all available means.\"\n\nThe journalist's arrest sparked protests in Moscow and St Petersburg, and more than a dozen people - mostly fellow journalists - were reportedly detained and later released.\n\nOn Saturday, police detained several people trying to protest about the arrest outside Nikulinsky Court, with one placard condemning the case against the reporter as a \"fabrication\".\n\nMr Golunov's mother, Svetlana Golunova, told Reuters the arrest was \"not even a farce, it is something unbelievable\", and she expected \"only victory\".", "Ivan Golunov, a prominent Russian investigative journalist who has exposed corruption among Moscow's most powerful business and political elite, has been hospitalized with bruises and abrasions two days after his arrest for allegedly trying to illegally sell drugs.\n\nThe 36-year-old reporter for the Latvia-based news site Meduza was jailed on Thursday, but was taken to a hospital on Saturday after complaining of feeling poorly.\n\nHis lawyer, Dmitry Julay, told reporters that the journalist had been denied food and sleep for more than 24 hours.\n\nMoscow police said only that an emergency medical squad was summoned and found that Golunov should be taken a hospital for examination, but did not elaborate.\n\nThe head of human rights organization Agora, Pavel Chikov, told Russian news agencies the reporter was suspected of having a concussion and a broken rib. In a video taken after his arrest and posted by the Russian news site Breaking Mash, Golunov showed marks on his back.\n\nMeduza said on its website that Golunov allegedly was beaten after his arrest and is being \"being persecuted because of his journalistic activity.\"\n\nMeduza said in a statement that Golunov had received threats in recent months over a story he was working on. \"We are convinced that Ivan Golunov is innocent,\" the group said.\n\nAlexei Kovalev, head of the Meduza investigative team, said he was with Golunov shortly before his arrest and called him \"one of the best investigative reporters in the industry.\"\n\n\"Okay, listen up,\" Kovalev said on Twitter to sound an alarm of the arrest. \"This is not a drill.\"\n\nDemonstrators protesting Golunov's arrest turned out in Moscow, as well as in Perm, Yaroslavl, Krasnodar, and other Russian cities, according to Meduza.\n\nPEN America, which advocates for free expression worldwide, said in a statement that the \"questionable accusations\"against the journalist \"reflect the Russian government's long-standing practice of harassing its critics via both legalistic and clearly extra-legal means, which appear to have widened as regional elections are coming in September.\"\n\nMichael McFaul, former U.S. ambassador to Moscow during the Obama administration, said Golunov's arrest reflects the brutality of the Putin era. \"Putin's regime is an autocracy,\" he said on Twitter.\"Whether Putin personally orders every assault on human rights or rule of law is immaterial. This is his regime.\"\n\nHe equated Golunov's arrest with the assassination of prominent opposition figure Boris Nemtsov in 2015 and the attempted poisoning in Britain last year of former Russian military officer and double agent for the British intelligence services.\n\nThe reporter was stopped and searched by police while on his way to meet another journalist on Thursday.\n\nPolice alleged that four grams of a synthetic stimulant were found in his backpack and that other drugs were found in his apartment. His lawyer maintains the drugs were planted on him. He was officially charged on Saturday with attempting illegally to produce, sell or pass on drugs.\n\nPolice released photos which they said showed drug paraphernalia in his apartment, but these were later withdrawn, BBC Russian journalist Olga Ivshina reports.\n\nThe police, she adds, admitted that \"most of the published photos had not been taken at Mr Golunov's flat after all, but were related to another criminal investigation that might be linked to his detention.\"\n\nGolunova has long been a thorn in the side of Russia's power center after repeatedly exposing among business people and political figure, as well as uncovering fraudulent financial schemes in Moscow.", "A Russian investigative journalist arrested on controversial drug charges has been severely beaten in custody, his lawyer has said.\n\nA doctor who inspected Ivan Golunov said he may have suffered broken ribs, concussion and a haematoma.\n\nGolunov, a reporter for the independent Meduza news website, was arrested on drug charges on Friday. Colleagues and friends believe he is being targeted for his work on state corruption and business interests.\n\nTwo separate teams of doctors suggested Golunov be taken to hospital for x-rays but police investigators refused. The injuries were sustained while Golunov was in custody, his lawyer Dmitri Dzhulai confirmed by text message.\n\nGolunov was later taken to a Moscow hospital, several Russian outlets reported. He had earlier complained police punched and kicked him about the head and chest because he refused to sign a police report before he had access to a lawyer.\n\nHe was formally charged on Saturday with drug possession with intent to sell, a crime that carries a prison sentence of between 10 and 20 years. Police said that they found 3.56 grams of the clubbing drug mephedrone in a backpack belonging to Golunov and 5.42 grams of cocaine in an apartment he purportedly rented in Moscow. Golunov has said the drugs were planted.\n\nHundreds of people protested against his arrest outside Moscow’s police headquarters on Friday, holding signs in support reading: “My name is Ivan Golunov. I am a journalist. Arrest me, too.”\n\nPolice had also demanded Golunov sign a confession, Dzhulai said. Russian investigators often put suspects in criminal cases under pressure in order to sobtain confessions, which makes it far easier to secure a conviction.\n\nPolice have also tried to limit the public flow of information about the case, demanding that Golunov’s lawyers sign non-disclosure agreements. They have refused.\n\nGolunov has investigated family members of a Moscow deputy mayor who amassed a fortune in real estate, predatory lenders who purchased apartments in Moscow, plans to ship Moscow’s waste to the regions, and the efforts of a senior official’s son to corner Russia’s funeral market.\n\nHe had been receiving threats before his arrest, his editors said.\n\n“Ivan Golunov is a prominent critic and his investigations into government corruption clearly did not go down well with the authorities. It seems he is now paying the price,” said Natalia Zviagina, the director of Amnesty International’s Russia office . “The circumstances of Ivan Golunov’s detention sound dubious and follow a depressingly familiar pattern.”", "Colleagues and friends of detained journalist Ivan Golunov, at Russian Internal Ministry building in Moscow\n\nColleagues and friends of detained journalist Ivan Golunov, at Russian Internal Ministry building in Moscow\n\nA RUSSIAN INVESTIGATIVE journalist facing drugs charges in a case supporters have denounced as a frame-up was taken to hospital today after complaining of being beaten in police custody.\n\nIvan Golunov, a Moscow-based reporter for Meduza independent news site has been charged with attempted dealing in designer drug mephedrone and cocaine.\n\nSupporters and his defence team said he had received death threats and suggested the drugs were planted to punish him over his reporting. Rights groups Amnesty said there was evidence that the authorities were fabricating drugs charges to shut up their critics.\n\nAfter his detention on Thursday, Golunov told a representative of Russia’s presidential rights council, which advises Vladimir Putin, that police had punched him and stood on his chest,\n\nHis lawyer Pavel Chikov said that paramedics suspected he had broken ribs and concussion. A paramedic who examined him told Interfax news agency that he had numerous grazes to his chest, injuries to his ribs and a suspected head injury while police have denied he was beaten.\n\nThe journalist was due to attend court today for a ruling on whether to hold him in custody but police said that they called an ambulance after he complained of feeling unwell and he was taken to a hospital for examination.\n\nGolunov’s detention has prompted widespread outrage and supporters and journalists have held protests outside the police headquarters and the court where his case was due to be held.\n\nMeduza posted photographs of people holding placards in support of Golunov in cities in Russia and abroad.\n\nThe 36-year-old has investigated high-level corruption among Moscow officials and Meduza said it believed he was being persecuted for his journalistic work.\n\nMeduza general director Galina Timchenko told journalists outside court that Golunov had received death threats over his reporting.\n\n“Ivan received threats. Two months ago they became almost daily,” she said. She had failed to persuade Golunov to contact police, she added.\n\n“They said ‘we’ll bury you forever’,” she said.\n\nGolunov has investigated everything from Russia’s shady funeral industry to corruption in Moscow city hall.\n\n“We have reasons to believe that Golunov is being persecuted for his journalistic work,” Meduza said in an earlier statement.\n\nThe respected site is based in EU member Latvia to avoid Russian censorship, but some journalists, including Golunov live in Russia.\n\nOne of his lawyers, Dmitry Dzhulai, told AFP it appeared the drugs had been planted on Golunov.\n\nMoscow police admitted that they published on their website photographs of drugs paraphernalia that they captioned as showing the crime scene but were not taken at Golunov’s flat.\n\n“Everything indicates that the authorities are planting drugs on their targets to shut them up with a jail sentence,” said Natalia Zvyagina, director of Amnesty International’s branch in Russia.\n\nA presidential rights council member who visited Golunov in detention on Friday, Yeva Merkacheva, said in a statement that Golunov had shown her scratches on his back that he said were from police dragging him.\n\nHe also told her he was twice punched in the head and that the police also stood on his chest and that “he hadn’t slept for 24 hours and so he feels bad. He also hasn’t eaten”, she said.\n\nRussian journalists and rights groups see the case as an example of the persecution of independent reporters, with many saying Golunov was not known to take drugs.\n\nOutside the Moscow court where Golunov was due to appear Saturday, several journalists held up placards with slogans including “I am the journalist Ivan Golunov. Arrest me too.”\n\nPolice detained three people, an AFP video journalist saw.\n\nYesterday, dozens of journalists protested against Golunov’s detention outside Moscow police headquarters and were themselves briefly detained.\n\nReporters Without Borders warned his arrest could mark “a significant escalation in the persecution” of independent journalists in Russia.", "MOSCOW: A Russian investigative journalist facing what supporters call trumped up drugs charges was ordered to be held under house arrest on Saturday (Jun 8) after appearing before a judge in Moscow.\n\nAround a hundred people cheered outside the court to show support for Ivan Golunov, 36, in a case that has drawn international concern.\n\nThe Moscow-based reporter for the Meduza independent news site has been charged with attempted dealing of a \"large amount\" of designer drug mephedrone and cocaine.\n\nHe will remain under house arrest for two months, the judge said.\n\nSupporters and his defence team said before the hearing he had received death threats and suggested the drugs were planted to punish him for his reporting.\n\n\"We have reasons to believe that Golunov is being persecuted for his journalistic work,\" Meduza said in a statement.\n\nThe respected site is based in EU member Latvia to avoid Russian censorship, but some journalists live in Russia. Golunov has investigated subjects ranging from Russia's shady funeral industry to corruption in Moscow city hall.\n\nGolunov was taken to court from a Moscow hospital where doctors examined him and rejected lawyers' claims that he had broken ribs and concussion, while saying he had scratches on his back and a bruised eye.\n\nGolunov, who was arrested on Thursday, earlier told a representative of Russia's presidential rights council, which advises Vladimir Putin that police had punched him and stood on his chest, while police denied he was beaten.\n\nThe US Embassy in Moscow wrote on Twitter: \"We call for the release of Ivan Golunov,\" saying he \"should not suffer persecution over his professional activities\", while the British Embassy called his case \"concerning\".\n\nAround 20 supporters also protested outside the Russian Embassy in Berlin with slogans such as \"Free Golunov\".\n\nMeduza founder and CEO Galina Timchenko told journalists outside court Golunov had received death threats over his reporting.\n\n\"Ivan received threats. Two months ago they became almost daily,\" she said.\n\n\"They said 'we'll bury you forever',\" she said.\n\nOne of Golunov's lawyers, Dmitry Dzhulai, told AFP it appeared the drugs had been planted on Golunov.\n\nMoscow police admitted that they posted photographs of drugs paraphernalia wrongly captioned as showing Golunov's flat.\n\n\"Everything indicates that the authorities are planting drugs on their targets to shut them up with a jail sentence,\" said Natalia Zvyagina, director of Amnesty International's branch in Russia.\n\nRussian journalists and rights groups see the case as an example of the persecution of independent reporters, with many saying Golunov was not known to take drugs.\n\nOutside the Moscow court on Saturday, some journalists held up placards with slogans including \"I am the journalist Ivan Golunov. Arrest me too.\"\n\nPolice detained four people, an AFP video journalist saw.\n\nOn Friday, dozens of journalists protested against Golunov's detention outside Moscow police headquarters and were themselves briefly detained.\n\nReporters Without Borders warned his arrest could mark \"a significant escalation in the persecution\" of independent journalists in Russia.\n\nJournalists at Russia's dwindling number of independent media resources frequently face criminal probes, physical attacks and official pressure. Drugs accusations, however, are not common.", "Russian journalist in Moscow police custody sent to hospital\n\nMOSCOW (AP) — A prominent investigative journalist who was detained on drug-dealing charges in Russia is being taken to the hospital after complaining of feeling poorly in police custody.\n\nThe Moscow police department said Saturday that an emergency medical squad was called for Ivan Golunov and determined he should be taken a hospital for examination.\n\nIt did not specify Golunov's medical problem. The head of human rights organization Agora, Pavel Chikov, told Russian news agencies Golunov was suspected to have a concussion and a broken rib.\n\nGolunov's publication, the independent website Meduza, said he allegedly was beaten after his Thursday arrest.\n\nPolice are alleging four grams of a synthetic stimulant were found in his backpack. But many journalists suspect the arrest was retribution for Golunov's investigative work.", "Russian investigative journalist Ivan Golunov was placed under two months’ house arrest in Moscow on Saturday while he is investigated for drug peddling, as a court rejected a request from investigators to hold him in custody.\n\nGolunov, 36, was on his way to a meeting with a source on Thursday when he was detained in central Moscow and illegal drugs were found in his rucksack, according to police and his employer, the online news portal Meduza, based in Latvia.\n\nA lawyer for Golunov, who is known for investigating alleged corruption among Moscow city officials, said he believed police had planted the drugs on his client to frame him, and that Golunov had been physically beaten.\n\nGolunov denies the charges. Dressed in blue jeans and a black t-shirt, he told people present in court during a recess that he had received threats in connection with an investigation into the funeral service industry.\n\n“I did not commit a crime, I am ready to cooperate with the investigation, I have nothing to do with the drugs,” Golunov was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying.\n\nGolunov is accused of large-scale drug dealing and investigators had asked the court to remand him in custody for two months.\n\nOutside the court, several hundred supporters chanted “Freedom! Freedom!”\n\nEarlier in the day, Golunov had been taken to hospital after feeling unwell. Interfax news agency cited an unnamed paramedic as saying he had multiple chest abrasions, bruised ribs and suspected head injuries.\n\nBut the news agency RIA later cited Alexander Myasnikov, chief doctor of the hospital, as saying that an examination had not shown evidence of any serious injuries.\n\nThe U.S. embassy urged Russian authorities to free Golunov and ensure a transparent investigation, Interfax reported.\n\nJournalists critical of the government or other authorities have led a dangerous existence in Russia since the 1990s.\n\nAccording to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a U.S. non-governmental organisation, 58 journalists have been killed in Russia since 1992, of whom 38 were targeted for murder.", "MOSCOW (Reuters) - A Russian investigative journalist who was detained this week for alleged drug offences was taken to court on Saturday to face possible arrest, after being hospitalised with suspected head injuries.\n\nIvan Golunov, 36, had been on his way to a meeting with a source on Thursday when he was detained in central Moscow and illegal drugs were found in his rucksack, according to police and his employer, the online news portal Meduza.\n\nA lawyer for Golunov, who is known for investigating alleged corruption among Moscow city officials, said he believed police had planted the drugs on his client to frame him and that Golunov had been physically beaten.\n\n“The detainee ... complained of feeling unwell. An ambulance was called,” Moscow City police said in a statement on its website. “Paramedics decided that he should be taken to hospital for examination.”\n\nInterfax news agency cited an unnamed paramedic as saying Golunov had multiple chest abrasions, rib bruises and suspected head injuries. The agency subsequently said he had been released from hospital and brought to court, which under Russian law is where he would have to be charged with any alleged offences.\n\nNews agency RIA later cited Alexander Myasnikov, chief doctor of the hospital, as saying following the medical examination that Golunov did not have any serious injuries.\n\nA Moscow court said it had received a request from investigators to hold Golunov in custody on drug charges. He could either be placed under arrest in custody, subject to house arrest, released on bail, or released with travel restrictions.\n\nThe court may also extend his detention by 72 hours.\n\nThe U.S. embassy called on the Russian authorities to free Golunov and ensure the transparency of the investigation, Interfax reported.\n\nThe editorial management of Meduza, which is based in Latvia, has said Golunov had received threats in recent months in connection with a story he was working on.\n\nA number of independent reporters in Russia have been prosecuted, threatened or killed. In 2017 journalist Yulia Latynina was forced to flee Russia after a series of attacks.", "Russian police have been accused of framing a well-known investigative journalist after he was arrested on drug charges.\n\nAuthorities say they found illegal substances, first in a rucksack being carried by Ivan Golunov and later in his Moscow apartment.\n\nBut a lawyer for Golunov claims the drugs were planted and says his client has been beaten while in custody.\n\nGolunov is well known for his investigative reports for the Meduza news website into corruption among Moscow officials.\n\n\"Pretty much every investigation done by Ivan Golunov hurts someone's interests,” colleague Illya Zhegulev said. “In most cases, it’s the interests of officials covering up illegal businesses, or those of security forces representatives. He is one of the best investigative journalists in the country.\"\n\nSupporters protesting against the arrest were also detained. Drugs convictions can carry sentences of up to 20 years in prison."], "summary": "Several people, protesting Meduza investigative journalist Ivan Golunov's arrest Thursday on drug charges, are themselves arrested outside Moscow's Nikulinsky Court. Others were arrested yesterday. His lawyer says drugs were planted on him. Golunov was taken to a hospital, police say because he said he was ill. Meduza says he was beaten up during and after his arrest. A doctor's examination found the reporter has \"a suspected rib fracture, concussion and hematoma.\""}
{"document": ["DALLAS, Texas (KTRK) -- At least one person is dead after a construction crane collapse in Dallas amid severe thunderstorms.According to Dallas' Fire-Rescue, six people were injured. Two are in critical condition, three people were seriously injured and one person suffered a minor injury.Dallas Fire-Rescue spokesman Jason Evans told the Dallas Morning News that the crane fell into a downtown apartment building Sunday afternoon as strong winds, heavy rain and hail battered parts of North Texas. The victims' names were not immediately available.Crews were searching the Elan City Lights building when they found the body of a woman after the crane collapsed and ripped a large gash into the side of the five-story structure. The fire rescue said they are still searching for missing people.The cause behind the fall of the crane is unknown, but Evans said strong winds could have played a role in the collapse.A video shared to Twitter by Sophie Daigle showed how the winds blew away pieces of wood near the area. Next thing, Daigle is heard screaming \"the crane is falling!\" She quickly turned her camera and caught the horrifying moment.At Dallas Love Field airport, WFAA-TV reports gusts damaged a hangar door and part of the roof at a Southwest Airlines maintenance facility.", "UPDATE: One person is dead and at least six others were injured when a crane fell on a Dallas apartment building during a storm, a fire official said.\n\nDALLAS (AP) — At least two people have been hospitalized after a crane collapsed on an apartment building in Dallas amid severe thunderstorms.\n\nDallas Fire-Rescue spokesman Jason Evans told the Dallas Morning News that the crane fell into a downtown apartment building Sunday afternoon as strong winds, heavy rain and hail battered parts of North Texas. Evans initially said two people were taken to a hospital but later said the total number of people injured and hospitalized is unknown, according to the paper.\n\nThe names and conditions of those injured were not immediately available.\n\nVideo footage shows that downed crane ripped a large gash into the side of the building. It also damaged an adjacent parking garage and some of the vehicles in it.\n\nThe crane fell after the National Weather Service issued a severe thunderstorm watch for the greater Dallas/Fort Worth area until 7 p.m. Sunday, warning of heavy rain, damaging gusts and large hail. The agency also issued a flood advisory for parts of the region until 5 p.m.\n\nThe weather service says winds could exceed 70 miles per hour. At Dallas Love Field airport, WFAA-TV reports gusts damaged a hangar door and part of the roof at a Southwest Airlines maintenance facility.\n\nCopyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.", "Fire official: One person dead and at least six injured when a crane fell on a Dallas apartment building during a storm\n\nDALLAS (AP) — Fire official: One person dead and at least six injured when a crane fell on a Dallas apartment building during a storm.", "Fire official: One person dead and at least six injured when a crane fell on a Dallas apartment building during a storm.", "Dallas [USA], Jun 10 (ANI): A woman was killed and six others sustained injuries on Sunday after a crane collapsed onto an apartment building in downtown Dallas, amid inclement weather conditions, a fire official said.\n\nThe crane fell onto the Elan City Lights apartment complex, which left a large hole in the east side of the building and landed on an adjacent parking garage, CNN quoted Dallas Fire-Rescue spokesperson Jason Evans as saying.\n\nAccording to videos doing the round on social media, the crane was dangerously swaying due to the strong winds with debris falling at different places before it eventually fell.\n\nFirefighters along with live-find rescue dogs are searching the complex for missing and injured people.\n\n\"This is a really challenging situation in the sense that I cannot personally recall that we've had a crane collapse that involved an already inhabited building,\" Evans said.\n\n\"Our hearts go out to everyone who has been impacted by this incident. We only hope that the damage that's been inflicted thus far is where it stops,\" he added.\n\nThe National Weather Service had reported the crane collapse just after 2 pm (local time) and there were multiple reports of downed trees. A severe thunderstorm watch for the Dallas-Fort Worth area was issued at 11:25 am (local time).\n\nPower outages were reported in the greater Dallas-Fort Worth area due to the inclement weather, affecting over 227,000 people residing there, according to electric company Oncor. (ANI)", "DALLAS — At least two people have been hospitalized after a crane collapsed on an apartment building in Dallas amid severe thunderstorms.\n\nDallas Fire-Rescue spokesman Jason Evans told the Dallas Morning News that the crane fell into a downtown apartment building Sunday afternoon as strong winds, heavy rain and hail battered parts of North Texas. Evans initially said two people were taken to a hospital but later said the total number of people injured and hospitalized is unknown, according to the paper.\n\nThe names and conditions of those injured were not immediately available.\n\nVideo footage shows that downed crane ripped a large gash into the side of the building. It also damaged an adjacent parking garage and some of the vehicles in it.\n\nThe crane fell after the National Weather Service issued a severe thunderstorm watch for the greater Dallas/Fort Worth area until 7 p.m. Sunday, warning of heavy rain, damaging gusts and large hail. The agency also issued a flood advisory for parts of the region until 5 p.m.\n\nThe weather service says winds could exceed 70 miles per hour. At Dallas Love Field airport, WFAA-TV reports gusts damaged a hangar door and part of the roof at a Southwest Airlines maintenance facility.", "Severe weather in Texas caused a massive crane to collapse onto a building in Dallas, Texas Sunday, injuring at least two people.\n\nVideo footage shows the winds blowing debris off of the top of one building that was being constructed near another crane. No tornado warning was issued and none were reported in the area, but the winds were extremely powerful.\n\nA woman told CNN on the phone that she put her child in the car and rushed to try and rescue. One woman who lived on the fourth floor was found on the second floor, she said.\n\nOne man expressed how lucky he was because it missed his apartment by just two units.\n\nA local Fox reporter went inside the building, showing the way the crane sliced through the building.\n\nFrom a distance away, one person captured the moment the crane fell.", "DALLAS — At least two people have been hospitalized after a crane collapsed on an apartment building in Dallas amid severe thunderstorms.\n\nDallas Fire-Rescue spokesman Jason Evans told the Dallas Morning News that the crane fell into a downtown apartment building Sunday afternoon as strong winds, heavy rain and hail battered parts of North Texas. Evans initially said two people were taken to a hospital but later said the total number of people injured and hospitalized is unknown, according to the paper.\n\nThe names and conditions of those injured were not immediately available.\n\nA crane collapsed in downtown Dallas Saturday after heavy rains and winds moved through the area.\n\nVideo footage shows that downed crane ripped a large gash into the side of the building. It also damaged an adjacent parking garage and some of the vehicles in it.\n\nThe crane fell after the National Weather Service issued a severe thunderstorm watch for the greater Dallas/Fort Worth area until 7 p.m. Sunday, warning of heavy rain, damaging gusts and large hail. The agency also issued a flood advisory for parts of the region until 5 p.m.\n\nThe weather service says winds could exceed 70 miles per hour. At Dallas Love Field airport, WFAA-TV reports gusts damaged a hangar door and part of the roof at a Southwest Airlines maintenance facility.\n\n►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.\n\nHave a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter.", "\n• Multiple injuries have been reported Sunday afternoon after a crane collapsed into an apartment building in east Dallas, Texas.\n• The incident comes amid harsh weather in the region, including high winds and rain.\n• Video and photos posted to social media show the moment the crane toppled into the building and laid wrecked among the surrounding buildings.\n\nAt least two people were injured after a crane collapsed onto a Dallas, Texas apartment building Sunday afternoon, KXAS-TV reported.\n\nAn unknown number of people were being treated for injuries, Dallas Fire-Rescue spokesman Jason Evans said. Information about their injuries was not available, he told The Dallas Morning News\n\nSeveral floors of the Elan City Lights building were crushed by the crane, which one resident told the Morning News initially sounded like thunder.\n\n\"I saw that the crane had actually fell straight through the building and had destroyed a good eight to 10 apartments and so there's like floors and stuff falling through,\" building resident Isaiah Allen told the outlet.\n\nCBSDFW reported that the entire region was experiencing fallen power lines and trees caused by heavy winds. The outlet also tweeted photos of the fallen crane over buildings in the city.\n\nA video posted to Twitter shows the terrifying moment the crane fell into the building as high winds roared across the city.\n\nA 79-year-old inmate has been linked to more than 60 deaths, making him the most prolific serial killer in US history\n\nThe last living nun who fought Katy Perry's purchase of LA convent says the singer 'has blood on her hands'\n\nKatherine Schwarzenegger gushed about marrying Chris Pratt: 'Nothing but blessed'", "One person was killed and several others were injured after a construction crane toppled on an apartment building in Dallas on Sunday."], "summary": "At least one person is killed and six others are injured after a crane collapses onto an apartment building in Dallas, Texas, amid severe weather."}
{"document": ["< PREVIOUS SLIDE SLIDE 1 of 3 NEXT SLIDE > An off-duty police officer plowed into a restaurant in Chicago on Sunday, June 9, 2019. A woman inside the building was killed and the officer has been charged with DUI. © WLS\n\nAn off-duty police officer lost control of his vehicle while allegedly driving drunk and plowed into a restaurant in Chicago early Sunday, killing a woman who was dining inside.\n\nThe off-duty officer was driving on 87th Street on Chicago's South Side when he swerved to avoid another car, jumped a curb and drove through the front of Tony's Philly Steak restaurant, police said.\n\nA 34-year-old woman who was eating inside the restaurant with a friend was trapped under the vehicle. She was taken to Christ Medical Center and later pronounced dead, according to police.\n\nFriends identified the woman as Marquita Reed, a nurse and mother of two, according to Chicago ABC station WLS.\n\nThe officer, whose name has not been released, had a blood alcohol level 0.083 and was charged with driving under the influence, police said. The legal limit in Illinois is 0.08.\n\nHe has not yet been charged with any other offenses.\n\n\"We'll keep investigating and when the time comes, he will be held responsible for his actions,\" Chicago Police Department Superintendent Eddie Johnson said when asked about the incident at an unrelated press conference Sunday.\n\nThe suspect suffered a neck injury in the accident. He is 24 years old and has worked for the Chicago police for three years.\n\nReed's friend suffered a broken leg in the crash, according to WLS.\n\n\"Before the crash happened there were a lot of customers in the store, but at the time of the crash there were three people in the store,\" restaurant owner Tawfik Damra told WLS.\n\nThe police officer was driving his personal car at the time.\n\nThe other vehicle that swerved in front of the off-duty officer did not stop and has not been found, police said.", "CHICAGO — A Chicago police officer was charged with driving under the influence after a 34-year-old woman was killed and another was injured after a car plowed into a restaurant in the Gresham neighborhood early Sunday morning.\n\nThe 24-year-old officer, whose name has not been released, was charged with DUI. His blood alcohol content was .083, just over the legal limit. He was with the department for three years.\n\nA black Toyota Corolla, that was driven by that officer, crashed into Tony’s Philly Steak on the 1700 block of West 87th Street around 2:25 a.m. Sunday.\n\nPolice said the officer was driving east on 87th Street when another car going in the opposite direction turned in front of him, cutting him off. Police said both cars were trying to turn to go south on Wood Street, but in an effort to avoid the car, the officer ended up jumping the curb and plowing into the restaurant, which was still open at the time.\n\nEmergency responders at the scene said that the officer told them he lost control of his vehicle.\n\nThe 34-year-old woman, who was sitting inside the restaurant, was pinned under the car and was pronounced dead later at Advocate Christ Medical Center.\n\nAnother woman, a 35-year-old, was standing when she was hit by the car. She was taken in good condition to the same hospital with a leg injury.\n\nPolice said the officer was also taken to the hospital for a neck injury where he was stabilized.\n\nThe department did not say if the officer will face any internal disciplinary action due to the deadly accident.\n\nThe second car involved in the crash fled the scene.", "Off-duty officer charged with DUI after crashing into restaurant, killing woman\n\nCHICAGO, Ill. - Authorities in Chicago say an off-duty police officer lost control of his vehicle and crashed into a restaurant Sunday morning.\n\nThe officer was driving on 87th Street when he swerved to avoid another car. His vehicle jumped a curb and went through the front of Tony's Philly Stake restaurant killing a woman, ABC News reports. Authorities believe the officer had been drinking.\n\nThe woman, identified by friends as Marquita Reed, was eating inside the restaurant with a friend at the time of the crash. Reed was trapped under the vehicle. She was taken to an area hospital and later pronounced dead.\n\nAuthorities say the officer had a blood alcohol level of 0.083.\n\nHe was charged with driving under the influence. The officer's name hasn't been released.", "An off-duty police officer has been charged with driving under the influence of alcohol after his car crashed into a restaurant , killing one person in Gresham.\n\nChicago police said the off-duty officer is 24 years old and had been on the force for three years.\n\nA woman died after she was pinned underneath the car that crashed into a restaurant in the 1700 block of west 87th Street.\n\nThe 34-year-old woman was sitting inside Tony’s Philly Steak restaurant when she was pinned underneath the car. She was pronounced dead at Christ Hospital from her injuries.\n\nAnother woman inside the restaurant suffered a leg injury, and the driver suffered a neck injury.\n\nThe offender told police he was trying to avoid striking a vehicle do he made a sharp turn, jumped the curb and hit the building.\n\nPolice said the officer had a blood alcohol level of .083.\n\nPolice said Sunday is his day off and he was coming from a friends house.", "CHICAGO (WLS) -- A woman is dead and two others are injured after a car driven by an off-duty police officer crashed into Tony's Philly Steak restaurant in Chicago's Auburn Gresham neighborhood.According to police, a Toyota sedan plowed into the late-night restaurant near 87th and Wood Street around 3:00 a.m. Sunday morning. The Toyota is the officer's personal car.Authorities have now charged the 24-year-old officer with DUI. He's a three year veteran of the CPD and is assigned to the 3rd district.The officer was driving the Toyota eastbound on 87th Street, according to police. He was turning south on Wood Street when another vehicle traveling westbound on 87th Street turned in front of his vehicle, cutting him off. The officer made a sharp turn and jumped a curb causing him to strike the building.Police say the vehicle went through the building and struck two women.A 35-year-old woman was standing inside the restaurant and was struck by the car, resulting in a leg injury. She was transported to Christ Medical Center in stable condition.A second woman, 34, was sitting down inside the restaurant and was pinned underneath the vehicle. She was pronounced dead at Christ Medical Center due to her injuries.The officer suffered a neck injury but is in stable condition, according to police. He was transported to Christ Medical Center as well.Other witnesses were treated at the scene.According to police, the other vehicle involved continued driving and is currently unknown.", "Formal charges are expected against an off-duty Chicago police officer who crashed his car into a Gresham restaurant , killing a woman inside.\n\nThe officer was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol, but he has not yet been identified by the Chicago Police Department.\n\nRELATED: Several Chicago Police Officers Involved In Crashes This Year; At Least Two Were Fatal\n\nHowever, records indicate the owner of the car that smashed into Tony’s Philly Steak has a history of recent moving violations.\n\n“It’s important that people know I expect officers to adhere to a higher standard,” said CPD Supt. Eddie Johnson. “When they don’t then they’ll be held accountable for it. I can assure you there’s no game playing, no trying to hide that information. I can assure you when the times comes for us to release that information we’ll do it.”\n\nInvestigators said the 24-year-old officer’s blood alcohol level was .083, which is just over the legal limit, when he crashed into the restaurant at the corner of 87th and Wood around 2:45 Sunday morning.\n\nHe said he was driving east on 87th Street when another car heading west turned in front of him, and he swerved to avoid the vehicle. The off-duty officer made a sharp turn, jumped the curb and hit the building.\n\nState records show the car belongs to a Chicago man, who, according to the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board, is currently working as a police officer.\n\nThat man, according to Cook County Circuit Court traffic records, was issued two moving violations in 2018.\n\nThe first was in February for speeding more than 20 mph over the speed limit. He was driving the same 2018 Toyota that was buried in the rubble from the restaurant over the weekend.\n\nThen in April 2018 the driver was cited for using a cell phone while driving.\n\nIn both cases the officer completed four hours of “Traffic Safety School,” and the violations were removed from his driving record.\n\nAt last check, the off-duty officer was being held at the 22nd District Police Station. He was arrested for driving for driving under the influence, but additional charges could be pending.\n\nChicago police have 48 hours to charge the off-duty officer in the case. Johnson said he would e identified at that time.", "CHICAGO — A 34-year-old woman was killed and two others were injured after a car plowed into a restaurant in the Gresham neighborhood early Sunday morning.\n\nA black Toyota Corolla, that was driven by a 24-year-old off-duty Chicago police officer, crashed into Tony’s Philly Steak on the 1700 block of West 87th Street around 2:25 a.m. Sunday.\n\nPolice said the officer was driving east on 87th Street when another car going in the opposite direction turned in front of him, cutting him off. That officer made a sharp left turn to avoid the car, and ended-up jumping the curb and plowing into the restaurant, which was still open at the time.\n\nEmergency responders at the scene said that the officer told them he lost control of his vehicle.\n\nThe 34-year-old woman, who was sitting inside the restaurant, was pinned under the car and was pronounced dead later at Advocate Christ Medical Center.\n\nAnother woman, a 35-year-old, was standing when she was hit by the car. She was taken in good condition to the same hospital with a leg injury.\n\nPolice said the officer was also taken to the hospital for a neck injury where he was stabilized.\n\nThe department did not say if the officer will face any disciplinary action due to the deadly accident.\n\nThe second car involved in the crash fled the scene.", "NASHVILLE (WSMV) - A woman is accused of driving through a police barricade while under the influence and then assaulting a police officer after CMA Fest Saturday.\n\nPolice say 35-year-old Shernette Fowler was pulled over after driving erratically and running through a barricade at 5th and Broadway.\n\nAccording to officers, Fowler had slurred speech, bloodshot eyes, and smelled of alcohol. A bottle of whiskey was also seen inside her vehicle.\n\nFowler was arrested for DUI and taken to General Hospital to get blood drawn. As an officer was walking her in, Fowler struck him in the face and then kicked him after getting her blood drawn.\n\nCourt documents show she told the officer, \"I will make it an assault now.\"\n\nShe is facing assaulting an officer, DUI, evading arrest, and other related charges.", "CHICAGO (WLS) -- An off-duty Chicago police officer has been charged with DUI after police said he slammed into a late-night restaurant on the South Side, killing a 34-year-old mother of two and injuring another woman.Police have not released the name of the officer, even though he has been charged. It is unclear when he will be in bond court.The 24-year-old Chicago police officer was off-duty when he told first responders early Sunday morning that he swerved to avoid an accident as a car allegedly cut him off. Police said his Toyota Corolla jumped a curb and plowed into Tony's Philly Steak in the 1700-block of West 87th Street in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood.Marquita Reed was inside the restaurant eating with friends at a table. She was pinned under the car and killed. A 35-year-old woman standing inside suffered a leg injury. She was transported to Christ Medical Center in stable condition.Sunday night, family and friends released balloons at the spot where Reed died to remember the registered nurse and mother.Meanwhile, police said the officer was driving under the influence.\"We will keep investigating and when the time comes, he will be held accountable,\" said Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson.Superintendent Johnson said the officer's blood alcohol content was 0.083, which is just over the legal limit of 0.08.The officer, who has a neck injury, is expected to be okay. Police said he has three years on the force and is assigned to the 3rd Police District in Grand Crossing.Jerrell Desmond witnessed the crash.\"I don't even think he had time to hit the brakes,\" Desmond said of the officer.The other vehicle involved in the incident continued driving, police said, and its whereabouts are currently unknown.", "CHICAGO (WLS) -- An off-duty Chicago police officer has been arrested on suspicion of DUI after police said he slammed into a late-night restaurant on the South Side, killing a 34-year-old mother of two and injuring another woman.Police have not released the name of the officer ,who remains in custody. Police said Monday morning that the officer has not yet been charged.The 24-year-old Chicago police officer was off-duty when he told first responders early Sunday morning that he swerved to avoid an accident as a car allegedly cut him off. Police said his Toyota Corolla jumped a curb and plowed into Tony's Philly Steak in the 1700-block of West 87th Street in the Auburn Gresham neighborhood.Marquita Reed, 34, was inside the restaurant eating with friends at a table. She was pinned under the car and killed.A 35-year-old woman standing inside suffered a leg injury. She was transported to Christ Medical Center in stable condition.Jerrell Desmond witnessed the crash.\"I don't even think he had time to hit the brakes,\" Desmond said of the officer.The other vehicle involved in the incident continued driving, police said, and its whereabouts are currently unknown.Sunday night, family and friends released balloons at the spot where Reed died to remember her.\"I've known Marquita since she was about three years old,\" said Iona Bell, the victim's friend. \"We were neighbors up until last year. She was a wonderful person.Bell is devastated for Reed's two children. Reed, who was a registered nurse, looked after her neighbors.\"If she could help anybody, she would help anybody,\" Bell said. \"I suffer with diabetes and she would always check to see if I was alright.\"Meanwhile, police said the officer was driving under the influence.\"We will keep investigating and when the time comes, he will be held accountable,\" said Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson.Superintendent Johnson said the officer's blood alcohol content was 0.083, which is just over the legal limit of 0.08.The officer, who has a neck injury, is expected to be okay. Police said he has three years on the force and is assigned to the 3rd Police District in Grand Crossing.Police said the officer was on his regular day off, in his personal car and driving under the influence."], "summary": "A woman is killed when a police officer driving under the influence crashes into a restaurant in Illinois."}
{"document": ["Why did this happen?\n\nPlease make sure your browser supports JavaScript and cookies and that you are not blocking them from loading. For more information you can review our Terms of Service and Cookie Policy.", "HANOI (Reuters) - Vietnam has said it will crack down on goods of Chinese origin illegally relabeled “Made in Vietnam” by exporters seeking to avoid U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Chinese imports.\n\nVietnamese customs have found scores of such cases amid the ongoing U.S.-China trade dispute, the department said in a statement posted to a government website on Sunday.\n\n“The faking of origin and the illegal transhipment of goods happens most often in the sectors of textiles, seafood, agricultural products, tiles, honey, steel and iron, aluminium and timber products,” the department said in the statement.\n\nSome importers had been illegally re-packing goods from China in “Made in Vietnam” packaging and then applying for a Vietnamese certificate of origin with which to export to the United States, Europe and Japan, Vietnam customs said.\n\nIn one such example, which the statement said was uncovered by U.S. customs, a Vietnam-based manufacturer of timber products was found to have been importing Chinese timber which it then relabeled and exported to the United States.\n\nVietnam’s customs department is developing a process to better identify and impose penalties on businesses which carry out such violations, the statement said.\n\nVietnam has emerged as one of the largest beneficiaries of the trade war between Beijing and Washington as some businesses are shifting their supply chains away from China in order to avoid tariffs. An analysis of trade data by Japan’s Nomura Holdings Inc earlier this month showed Vietnam had easily benefited more than other countries.\n\nThe Southeast Asian country relies heavily on China for materials and equipment for its labour-intensive manufacturing. Meanwhile, the United States is its largest export market.\n\nForeign minister Pham Binh Minh said in a speech to Vietnam’s national assembly last week that the government has created a steering committee in response to the trade war.", "Chinese goods illegally labelled “Made in Vietnam” will risk penalties by Vietnam, the latter said on the government website, Reuters reports.\n\n“The faking of origin and the illegal transhipment of goods happens most often in the sectors of textiles, seafood, agricultural products, tiles, honey, steel and iron, aluminium and timber products,” it has been announced.\n\nThe false labels would allow Beijing to avoid Washington’s tariffs amid a raging trade war. The US is one of the major markets for Vietnamese goods. Last year, Washington imposed billions of dollars in tariffs on China, with Bejing firing back in a reciprocal way. The trade war saw another leap after US intensified attempts to force Chinese tech giant Huawei out of its and European markets.", "WASHINGTON – Vietnamese officials say China is intentionally mislabeling its products as \"made in Vietnam\" to avoid American tariffs, and have ordered offices to more aggressively examine products' certificates of origin.\n\nChinese firms first export products to Vietnam, then change the labeling on packages before exporting the goods to the United States, Japan or Europe, they said.\n\n\"Dozens\" of products have been identified, Hoang Thi Thuy, a Vietnamese Customs Department official, told state-run media, and goods like textiles, fishery products, agricultural products, steel, aluminum, and processed wooden products were most vulnerable to the fraud.\n\nMore: Donald Trump rips U.S. Chamber of Commerce for attacking his tariff strategy\n\nVietnamese state media noted that in 2017, the Customs Department exposed a company called INTERWYSE for trying to rebrand 600 Chinese-made speakers and phone chargers with a \"Made in Vietnam\" label.\n\n\"It will sabotage Vietnamese brands and products and it will also affect consumers. We could even get tariff retribution from other countries, and if that happens, it will hurt our economy,\" Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh told the Vietnamese National Assembly last week.\n\nVietnam does not have any legal requirements for certification of the \"Made in Vietnam\" label. The country's current regulations require that goods be produced partly or completely in Vietnam, but does not provide a mechanism for determining the veracity of the label.\n\nMore: As trade battle escalates, Chinese newspaper to US: 'Don't say we didn't warn you'\n\nMore: China warns travelers of harassment by United States authorities\n\nAmid President Donald Trump's escalating trade war with China, international firms have shifted some of their supply chains to Vietnam in an effort to avoid American tariffs. The United States is currently Vietnam largest export partner.\n\nThe trade war shows few signs of slowing down. On Monday morning, Trump threatened to increase tariffs on Chinese products unless Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to meet with him at the G20 summit later in May.", "Vietnam cracking down on Chinese goods falsely labelled and shipped to US to avoid tariffs", "HANOI (BLOOMBERG) - Vietnam said it will impose higher penalties on Chinese goods transferred to the country and illegally relabelled as made-in-Vietnam for export to the United States to dodge tariff hikes.\n\nThe customs department has detected dozens of fraudulent certificates of product origin and illegal transfers of goods ranging from agriculture and textile to steel and aluminium, the government said in a post on its website on Sunday (June 9).\n\nVietnam's exports to the US have surged this year at the same time that China's shipments to America slumped amid a trade war between the world's two largest economies.\n\nWhile there's evidence of rising foreign investment into Vietnam as businesses adjust their supply chains, there are also worries Chinese products may be being rerouted via the South-east Asian nation to avoid higher US tariffs.\n\nMr Do Van Sinh, a standing member of the National Assembly's economic committee, said Vietnam is concerned it may be punished by the US for allowing fake made-in-Vietnam products to be exported to America, according to the government's post.\n\nFraudulent cases discovered by the government include packaging on Chinese goods being changed to say made-in-Vietnam before certificates of origin are processed. It cited an example of the US customs department uncovering Chinese plywood being shipped to America via a Vietnamese company.\n\nCustoms officials in Vietnam are beefing up their supervision and inspection of goods to crack down on the practice, the government said.\n\nVietnam is already under scrutiny from US authorities after the Treasury Department added the nation to a watchlist for currency manipulation last month. Vietnam has said its exchange rate won't be used to create an unfair trade advantage.\n\nThe authorities in the South-east Asian nation are concerned the US-China tensions will hurt economic growth. Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh told the National Assembly last week that gross domestic product could drop six trillion dong (S$350 million) in the next five years because of the trade war.", "Hanoi has vowed to crack down on Chinese companies illegally using 'Made in Vietnam' labels on goods shipped to the U.S. to avoid high tariffs.\n\nThe customs department discovered dozens of fraudulent product-origin certificates on goods including textiles, fisheries, farm products, tiles, honey, iron, steel and plywood, according to the Vietnamese government's website.\n\nExporters have started shifting production from China to Vietnam to avoid 25 per cent levies imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods amid a spiralling trade war.\n\nBut Hanoi said some manufacturers are illegally claiming their goods are from Vietnam when in fact they originate in China.\n\nThe government cited an example of U.S. customs officials uncovering Chinese plywood being shipped to America through a Vietnamese company.\n\nThe trend has 'affected the reputation of Vietnamese businesses and goods', said Vietnam's Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh, quoted in an official report published Sunday on the government website.\n\n'We could even get tariff retribution from other countries, and if that happens, it will hurt our economy,' he said.\n\n'We will increase the punishment to deter cases of goods claiming to be Vietnamese goods entering other markets,' he added.\n\nThe report said Vietnamese customs officials had uncovered dozens of cases of incorrectly labelled goods destined for the United States, Europe and Japan.\n\nThe government called for more stringent inspection of exports to those markets and said Vietnam could be punished by the U.S. - one of its leading trade partners - if it failed to stem the problem.\n\nVietnam has long been a manufacturing hub for cheaply-made goods from Adidas sneakers and H&M dresses to Samsung smart phones and Intel processors.\n\nThose exports have soared this year as Beijing and Washington have escalated tit-for-tat tariffs on billions of dollars worth of goods.\n\nIn the first three months of this year, U.S. imports from Vietnam reached nearly $16 billion, up 40 per cent from the same period last year, according to U.S. trade data.\n\nNearly half of all American companies working in China have said they are considering shifting production from the so-called 'Factory of the World' as a result of the trade dispute, according to a poll by the American Chamber of Commerce in China.\n\nTrump raised the tariffs last month after trade talks broke down, prompting Beijing to retaliate with higher duties on $60 billion worth of American products.\n\nThe U.S. President warned today he will slap huge new tariffs on China if his counterpart Xi Jinping doesn't show up for a planned face-to-face meeting later this month and insisted the Chinese economy will never overtake the United States.\n\nTrump delivered his hardline message ahead of the G20 summit on June 28-29 in Osaka, Japan, which could mark a turning point in the trade dispute between the world's two biggest economies.\n\nAsked if a failure by Xi to come to the summit would lead to tariffs kicking in on a further $300 billion in Chinese imports, Trump told CNBC television: 'Yes it would.'\n\nTrump said the meeting was 'scheduled' and that he expects Xi to attend.\n\n'I would be surprised if he didn't go,' Trump said. 'I think he's going, I haven't heard that he's not.'\n\nHowever, as U.S.-Chinese tensions mount, a spokesman for Xi's government said last month that he had 'no information at present' on Trump-Xi talks.", "Chinese exporters who are hoping to evade tariffs as high as 25% on some of their goods are hoping to capitalize on the explosion of exports from Vietnam to the US - and not by simply and legally routing their products through Vietnam as a legal transshipment point, but by masking their true origins, provoking fears that the US might seek to punish the Vietnamese for failing to crack down on this type of fraud.\n\nOn Sunday, Vietnam released a statement pledging to increase penalties on trade-related fraud. It was one of the first times an Asian government has ever alleged such misbehavior, and comes after Vietnamese authorities found dozens of fake product origin certificates and illegal transfers presumably by Chinese companies trying to sidestep US tariffs on everything from agriculture to textiles, according to Bloomberg.\n\nThe crackdown comes as Vietnam has emerged as one of the fastest growing sources of American imports.\n\nOne member of the Vietnamese national assembly's economic committee said the government is worried it could provoke the wrath of the US if it doesn't crack down on the flow of mislabeled Chinese products. The sheer magnitude of the jump in Vietnamese exports has prompted some to question how much of this could possibly be due to legitimate commerce.\n\nSome say that a \"cottage industry\" for circumventing Vietnamese tariffs has emerged out of nowhere.\n\nThe Southeast Asian country’s reported shipments to the U.S. have jumped this year as China’s have slumped. While there’s evidence that some of those gains are due to shifting supply chains, analysts have questioned how much of the recent surge is legitimate. Fraudulent cases discovered by Vietnam’s government include packaging on Chinese goods being changed to say \"Made in Vietnam\" before certificates of origin are processed. The government cited an example of U.S. customs officials uncovering Chinese plywood being shipped to America through a Vietnamese company. \"A cottage industry for circumventing U.S. tariffs will likely bloom, given the high tariff rates and huge potential profit,\" said Chua Hak Bin, a senior economist at Maybank Kim Eng Research Pte. in Singapore. \"ASEAN governments will likely crackdown on such re-routing for fear of being seen as a backdoor,\" Chua said, referring to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.\n\nAnd while the number of 'questionable' shipments will always be 'relatively small', \"there will always be leakages and work-arounds to avoid tariffs. But we do not see it as a widespread phenomenon.\"", "has vowed to crack down on manufacturers illegally using \"Made in Vietnam\" labels on items destined for to dodge punishing tariffs as the US- trade spat drags on.\n\nExporters have started shifting production from to to avoid 25 percent levies imposed by US on $200 billion worth of Chinese goods.\n\nBut said some manufacturers are illegally claiming their goods -- including textiles, seafood and -- are from when in fact they originate in\n\nThe trend has \"affected the reputation of Vietnamese businesses and goods\", said Vietnam's Pham Binh Minh, quoted in an official report published Sunday on the government website.\n\n\"We will increase the punishment to deter cases of goods claiming to be Vietnamese goods entering other markets,\" he added, according to the report.\n\nThe report said Vietnamese customs officials had uncovered dozens of cases of incorrectly labelled goods destined for the United States, and\n\nThe government called for more stringent inspection of exports to those markets and said could be punished by the US -- one of its leading trade partners -- if it failed to stem the problem.\n\nVietnam has long been a for cheaply-made goods from sneakers and dresses to and processors.\n\nThose exports have soared this year as and have escalated tit-for-tat tariffs on billions of dollars worth of goods.\n\nIn the first three months of this year, US imports from Vietnam reached nearly $16 billion, up 40 percent from the same period last year, according to US trade data.\n\nNearly half of all American companies working in China have said they are considering shifting production from the so-called 'Factory of the World' as a result of the trade dispute, according to a poll by the\n\nTrump raised the tariffs last month after trade talks broke down, prompting to retaliate with higher duties on $60 billion worth of American products.", "Vietnam Cracks Down on Chinese-Made Goods Being Shipped to U.S.\n\n(Bloomberg) -- Vietnam said it will impose higher penalties on Chinese goods transferred to the country and illegally relabeled as made-in-Vietnam for export to the U.S. to dodge tariff hikes.\n\nThe customs department has detected dozens of fraudulent certificates of product origin and illegal transfers of goods ranging from agriculture and textile to steel and aluminum, the government said in a post on its website on Sunday.\n\nVietnam’s exports to the U.S. have surged this year at the same time that China’s shipments to America have slumped amid a trade war between the world’s two largest economies. While there’s evidence of rising foreign investment into Vietnam as businesses adjust their supply chains, there are also worries Chinese products may be being rerouted via the Southeast Asian nation to avoid higher U.S. tariffs.\n\nDo Van Sinh, a standing member of the National Assembly’s economic committee, said Vietnam is concerned it may be punished by the U.S for allowing fake made-in-Vietnam products to be exported to America, according to the government’s post.\n\nFraudulent cases discovered by the government include packaging on Chinese goods being changed to say made-in-Vietnam before certificates of origin are processed. It cited an example of the U.S. customs department uncovering Chinese plywood being shipped to America via a Vietnamese company.\n\nCustoms officials in Vietnam are beefing up their supervision and inspection of goods to crack down on the practice, the government said.\n\nVietnam is already under scrutiny from U.S. authorities after the Treasury Department added the nation to a watchlist for currency manipulation last month. Vietnam has said it’s exchange rate won’t be used to create an unfair trade advantage.\n\nAuthorities in the Southeast Asian nation are concerned the U.S.-China tensions will hurt economic growth. Deputy Prime Minister Pham Binh Minh told the National Assembly last week that gross domestic product could drop 6 trillion dong ($256 million) in the next five years because of the trade war.\n\nTo contact the reporters on this story: Mai Ngoc Chau in Ho Chi Minh City at cmai9@bloomberg.net;John Boudreau in Hanoi at jboudreau3@bloomberg.net\n\nTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Nasreen Seria at nseria@bloomberg.net"], "summary": "Vietnamese customs say it will crack down on goods of Chinese origin illegally relabeled \"Made in Vietnam\" by exporters seeking to avoid American tariffs on Chinese imports."}
{"document": ["Former Boston Red Sox superstar David Ortiz was hospitalized to treat injuries sustained via gunshot wound following an incident in the Dominican Republic on Sunday, his family and the Red Sox have confirmed. Ney Aldrin Bautista Almonte, Dominican National police director, announced that Ortiz is in stable condition following emergency surgery.\n\nThe Red Sox released the following statement late Sunday night:\n\nLate last night we were made aware of an incident involving David Ortiz in the Dominican Republic. David's family has confirmed that he sustained a gunshot wound to the lower back/abdominal region. David is being treated at Clinica Abel Gonzalez in Santo Domingo where he is recovering after surgery. \n\n\n\n We have offered David's family all available resources to aid in his recovery and will continue to keep them in our hearts.\n\nOrtiz's father, Leo, confirmed that his son was shot once, according to an ESPN report. The bullet penetrated through Ortiz's back and exited out through his stomach. Here is what Ortiz's father told ESPN's Enrique Rojas via telephone immediately after news surfaced that Ortiz had been shot and wounded:\n\nESPN's Marly Rivera passes along word from Leo Lopez, Ortiz's assistant and press representative, that Ortiz's surgery ended at 3:30 a.m. local time and he will remain in intensive care for 24 hours. Doctor's had to remove his gallbladder, and also control bleeding from his liver and bowel.\n\nOrtiz's brother, Eloy, told Dominican reporter Dionisio Soldevila that the former Red Sox slugger is \"out of surgery and doing well.\" Despite the injuries, Leo Ortiz said a full recovery is expected.\n\nThe incident took place at a lounge in the eastern part of Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic. At least one person responsible for the incident is in local police custody. The incident was initially described as a attempted robbery, but security footage surfaced on social media that is alleged to show what appeared to have been an ambush.\n\nJeff Passan of ESPN has more:\n\nTwo others were wounded during the attack, including Dominican television host Jhoel Lopez, possibly by the same bullet that passed through Ortiz.\n\nESPN reports the attacker has been identified as 25-year-old Eddy Feliz Garcia. He was captured and beaten by a crowd at the venue, and suffered injuries to his head and legs. He was treated at a local hospital before being released into police custody.\n\nOrtiz, 42, was born and raised in Santo Domingo and is considered a legendary figure in his native Dominican Republic. His main residence is in the Boston area, but he does charity work and has business interests in his native country. In parts of 20 MLB seasons, Ortiz hit .286 with 541 home runs. He was a 10-time All-Star and three-time World Series champion.\n\nHere is what is being reported:\n\n- Ortiz was shot once in the lower back. The bullet exited through his abdomen.\n\n - Incident took place at a bar/lounge in Ortiz's native Dominican Republic.\n\n - Ortiz underwent emergency surgery and is expected to make a full recovery.\n\n - During the surgery, Ortiz's gallbladder was removed and bleeding from his liver and bowel had to be controlled.\n\n - Ortiz is considered to be in stable condition, according to one of the doctors and the local police chief.\n\n - A suspect was beaten by a crowd at the venue and is now in police custody.\n\n - Two others were wounded during the attack, including Dominican television host Jhoel Lopez.\n\n - Security camera footage shows the attack was not an attempted robbery, but perhaps an ambush.\n\nCBS Sports will continue to update this breaking news story as necessary.", "SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic — Former Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz was hospitalized Monday following surgery for a gunshot wound after being ambushed by a man in a bar in his native Dominican Republic, authorities said.\n\nDominican National Police Director Ney Aldrin Bautista Almonte said Ortiz was at the Dial Bar and Lounge in Santo Domingo around 8:50 p.m. Sunday when a gunman approached from behind and shot him at close range. Ortiz was taken to the Abel Gonzalez clinic, where he underwent surgery, and his condition was stable, Bautista said.\n\nOrtiz's father, Leo, speaking to reporters outside the clinic, said his son was out of danger and there wasn't any collateral damage, meaning no damage to major organs. He said he had no idea why someone would have shot at his son.\n\nLeo Ortiz, center, father of former Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz talks with journalists at the hospital where his son was hospitalized after being shot in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Sunday, June 9, 2019. Ortiz was ambushed by a man who got off a motorcycle and shot him in the back at close range Sunday night in his native Dominican Republic, authorities said. (AP Photo / Ricardo Hernandez)\n\nHe is out of surgery and stable; he is resting,\" Leo Ortiz said. \"Big Papi will be around for a long time.\"\n\nRELATED: Red Sox pull out stops for David Ortiz: Number retired, bridge named in honor\n\nThe Boston Red Sox confirmed the details in a tweet early Monday.\n\nThe team said they have been notified by Ortiz's family that he sustained a gunshot wound to his \"lower back/abdominal region\" and that he is recovering after surgery.\n\nThe Red Sox said they offered the Ortiz family \"all available resources to aid in his recovery\" and they will continue to keep them in their hearts.\n\nThe alleged gunman was captured and beaten by a crowd of people at the bar, Bautista said. He said police are waiting until the man undergoes treatment for his injuries before questioning him.\n\nInvestigators are trying to determine whether Ortiz was the intended target, Bautista said.\n\nTwo other people were wounded, Bautista said, including Jhoel López, a Dominican TV host who was with Ortiz. Bautista said police believe López was wounded by the same bullet.\n\nLópez was shot in the leg and his injuries were not life-threatening, said his wife, Liza Blanco, who is also a TV host.\n\nPolice did not identify the third person or detail that person's injuries.\n\nThe Dial Bar and Lounge is located in eastern Santo Domingo on Venezuela Avenue, a bustling nightlife district packed with dance clubs and pricey bars that Ortiz is known to frequent. Ortiz, who lives at least part of the year in the Dominican Republic, is often seen getting his cars washed and hanging out with friends, including other baseball players, artists and entertainers.\n\nReaction from around the sports world started to come in as news of the shooting spread across social media.\n\nFormer Red Sox teammate Pedro Martinez expressed relief that Ortiz was out of danger.\n\nMartinez tweeted, \"I’m at peace knowing you out of danger; you a strong man Compai, can’t wait to hear your voice.\"\n\nThe 43-year-old Ortiz hit 541 homers in 20 major league seasons, including 14 with the Red Sox. He helped lead Boston to three World Series titles and retired after the 2016 season. He was a 10-time All-Star and World Series MVP in 2013.", "", "\n• Surveillance footage shows the moment David “Big Papi” Ortiz was shot at a bar in the Dominican Republic on Sunday night.\n• The video shows the former Red Sox slugger falling to the ground after being shot in the back.\n• Ortiz is reportedly out of surgery and expected to recover. The shooting suspect is in custody.\n\nSurveillance footage obtained by CNN shows the moment the former Red Sox slugger David “Big Papi” Ortiz was shot at a bar in the Dominican Republic on Sunday night.\n\nThe video shows the 43-year-old falling to the ground after being shot in the back by a man who reportedly arrived at a bar in Santo Domingo, Ortiz’s hometown, on a motorcycle.\n\nOrtiz was rushed to the hospital to undergo surgery. A sports reporter named Guillermo Schultz tweeted shortly before midnight that Ortiz was already out of surgery and “is out of danger.”\n\nLocal journalists have identified the shooting suspect as a man in his 20s named Eddy Feliz García.\n\nVideos showed the suspect being beaten by bystanders after the attack. The videos, which INSIDER is not reposting because they are graphic, show the man bleeding heavily from the face while sitting on a sidewalk, a crowd yelling obscenities at him.\n\nRead more: After Red Sox legend David ‘Big Papi’ Ortiz was shot, a crowd at the bar beat the suspect until police arrived\n\nA photo shows the suspect recovering from his injuries after the attack, with a bandage around his head and cuts and bruises covering his face.\n\nOrtiz helped the Red Sox win three World Series during his 14 seasons with the team. He retired in 2016 with a career 541 home runs.\n• 5 American tourists have died in the Dominican Republic in less than three months\n• A Pennsylvania woman died at a Dominican Republic hotel just days before a Maryland couple were found dead at the same resort", "Retired Boston Red Sox star David Ortiz is listed in stable condition in the intensive care unit of a Dominican Republic hospital Monday morning following surgery for gunshot wounds.\n\n\"Doctors say he is out of danger, but he is heavily sedated and will be in intensive care for the next 24 hours,\" Leo Lopez, Ortiz's media assistant, told ESPN.\n\nThe 43-year-old Ortiz, recognized as the beloved \"Big Papi\" by baseball fans during his 14 seasons in Boston, was shot in the back Sunday night while visiting a nightclub in Santo Domingo.\n\nLopez said Ortiz underwent six hours of surgery. Doctors removed his gallbladder and part of his colon and intestines. Ortiz also sustained liver damage, he added.\n\n\"Doctors say that David is out of danger, thank God,\" Ortiz's father, Leo Ortiz, told ESPN. \"What they have told me post-op is that the doctors believe he will recover quickly.\"\n\nHis father added: \"Big Papi will be around for a long time.''\n\nPolice said Ortiz was shot at nearly point-blank range by a man identified as Eddy Feliz Garcia, 25. Ney Aldrin Bautista Almonte, the director of the Dominican National Police, said a group of people at the bar surrounded the suspect and beat him before police arrived, per ESPN.\n\nGarcia was treated at a local hospital and released to police.\n\nPolice said it is unclear whether Ortiz was targeted.\n\nTwo others also were wounded in the attack.\n\nJhoel Lopez, a Dominican television host, was shot in the leg, and his injuries were not considered life-threatening. Police did not detail the injuries to the third person or make an identification.\n\nThe news of Ortiz' shooting brought an outpouring of support on social media Monday morning.\n\nFrom former New England Patriots linebacker Tedy Bruschi: \"Thoughts and prayers to David Ortiz and his family. A man that defines the city of Boston. Get better Big Papi.\"\n\nFrom the Washington Nationals: \"David Ortiz is a one-of-a-kind baseball legend. Wishing Big Papi a full and speedy recovery.\"\n\nAnd from Boston Mayor Marty Walsh: \"Boston is thinking of you, @davidortiz, and wishing you a full and quick recovery. Get well soon.\"\n\nOrtiz ended his 20-year big league career in 2016, when he earned the last of his 10 All-Star appearances. The former designated hitter and first baseman won seven Silver Slugger awards in his career, and he hit 541 home runs with 1,768 RBIs in 2,408 games in the majors. He ranks 17th in major league history in career home runs.\n\nOrtiz began his major league career by playing six seasons for the Minnesota Twins (1997-2002), but his career blossomed after he joined the Red Sox. His postseason heroics helped Boston capture its first World Series title in 86 years in 2004, when he was the Most Valuable Player of the American League Championship Series as the Red Sox overcame a 3-0 series deficit to the New York Yankees in seven games.\n\nHe also helped the Red Sox win championships in 2007 and 2013, capturing World Series MVP honors in the latter season.", "Former Red Sox star David Ortiz was hospitalized with a gunshot wound Sunday night in the Dominican Republic, according to multiple reports. Ortiz’s condition is currently unknown.\n\nDominican news station CDN 37 reported the suspect has been arrested. Dominican journalist Dionisio Soldevilla reported Ortiz was shot in the lower back.\n\nESPN’s Enrique Rojas spoke with Ortiz’s father, who confirmed Ortiz was shot at an amusement center.\n\n“They called me to tell me that David is injured and that they took him to a medical center, but they did not tell me how he is or exactly where he was transferred,\" Leo Ortiz told Rojas (via Marly Rivera).\n\n.@Enrique_Rojas1 spoke to David Ortiz's father after learning that he was shot in a burglary attempt in the DR: \"They called me to tell me that David is injured and that they took him to a medical center, but they did not tell me how he is or exactly where he was transferred.\" — Marly Rivera (@MarlyRiveraESPN) June 10, 2019\n\nWhen reached for comment Sunday night, Red Sox spokesperson Kevin Gregg said the team was not aware of the incident.\n\nOrtiz, 43, spent 14 years with the Red Sox from 2003-2016. He is a 10-time All-Star who has remained with the organization as a special assistant since retiring after the 2016 season.\n\nMore to come as updates become available.", "David Ortiz in stable condition after being shot in Dominican Republic\n\nFormer Boston Red Sox superstar David Ortiz was hospitalized to treat injuries sustained via gunshot wound following an incident in the Dominican Republic on Sunday, his family and the Red Sox have confirmed. Ney Aldrin Bautista Almonte, Dominican National police director, announced that Ortiz is in stable condition following emergency surgery.\n\nThe Red Sox released the following statement late Sunday night:\n• Late last night we were made aware of an incident involving David Ortiz in the Dominican Republic. David’s family has confirmed that he sustained a gunshot wound to the lower back/abdominal region. David is being treated at Clinica Abel Gonzalez in Santo Domingo where he is recovering after surgery.\n\nWe have offered David’s family all available resources to aid in his recovery and will continue to keep them in our hearts.\n\n“(Ortiz’s family) got back to me this morning. Stable, recovering, and it looks like everything is going to be OK,” former Red Sox infielder Will Middlebrooks said Monday morning on CBS Sports HQ. “… As it looks right now, surgery went well, from what I’m being told. He’s got a little bit of recovery ahead of him, but he’s going to be OK.”\n\nOrtiz’s father, Leo, confirmed that his son was shot once, according to an ESPN report. The bullet penetrated through Ortiz’s back and exited out through his stomach. Here is what Ortiz’s father told ESPN’s Enrique Rojas via telephone immediately after news surfaced that Ortiz had been shot and wounded:\n\n“They called me to tell me that David is injured and that they took him to a medical center, but they did not tell me how he is or where he was transferred exactly,” Leo Ortiz said by telephone from the Dominican Republic.\n\nESPN’s Marly Rivera passes along word from Leo Lopez, Ortiz’s assistant and press representative, that Ortiz’s surgery ended at 3:30 a.m. local time and he will remain in intensive care for 24 hours. Doctor’s had to remove his gallbladder, and also control bleeding from his liver and bowel.\n\nOrtiz’s brother, Eloy, told Dominican reporter Dionisio Soldevila that the former Red Sox slugger is “out of surgery and doing well.” Despite the injuries, Leo Ortiz said a full recovery is expected.\n\n“Doctors say that David is out of danger, thank God,” Ortiz’s father, Leo Ortiz, told ESPN. “What they have told me post-op is that the doctors believe he will recover quickly.”\n\nLeo Ortiz added: “Big Papi will be around for a long time.”\n\nThe Red Sox will hold a press conference Monday afternoon at Fenway Park to discuss the Ortiz situation. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, executive vice president and assistant GM Eddie Romero, and manager Alex Cora are expected to speak. Ortiz has been cleared to travel to Boston for further treatment:\n\nThe incident took place at a lounge in the eastern part of Santo Domingo, the capital of the Dominican Republic. At least one person responsible for the incident is in local police custody. The incident was initially described as a attempted robbery, but security footage surfaced on social media that is alleged to show what appeared to have been an ambush.\n\nTwo others were wounded during the attack, including Dominican television host Jhoel Lopez, possibly by the same bullet that passed through Ortiz.\n\nESPN reports the attacker has been identified as 25-year-old Eddy Feliz Garcia. He was captured and beaten by a crowd at the venue, and suffered injuries to his head and legs. He was treated at a local hospital before being released into police custody.\n\nOrtiz, 42, was born and raised in Santo Domingo and is considered a legendary figure in his native Dominican Republic. His main residence is in the Boston area, but he does charity work and has business interests in his native country. In parts of 20 MLB seasons, Ortiz hit .286 with 541 home runs. He was a 10-time All-Star and three-time World Series champion.\n\nHere is what is being reported:\n• Ortiz was shot once in the lower back. The bullet exited through his abdomen.\n• Incident took place at a bar/lounge in Ortiz’s native Dominican Republic.\n• Ortiz underwent emergency surgery and is expected to make a full recovery.\n• During the surgery, Ortiz’s gallbladder was removed and bleeding from his liver and bowel had to be controlled.\n• Ortiz is considered to be in stable condition, according to one of the doctors and the local police chief.\n• A suspect was beaten by a crowd at the venue and is now in police custody.\n\n Two others were wounded during the attack, including Dominican television host Jhoel Lopez.\n• Security camera footage shows the attack was not an attempted robbery, but perhaps an ambush.", "I just spoke to @dSoldevila who is at the clinic where David Ortiz is currently being treated. Dionisio said me that the attending doctor told him that David was shot in the lower back and the bullet went through and through; he’s currently in surgery.", "SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic — Former Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz was hospitalized Monday following surgery for a gunshot wound after being ambushed by a man in a bar in his native Dominican Republic, authorities said.\n\nDominican National Police Director Ney Aldrin Bautista Almonte said Ortiz was at the Dial Bar and Lounge in Santo Domingo around 8:50 p.m. Sunday when a gunman approached from behind and shot him at close range. Ortiz was taken to the Abel Gonzalez clinic, where he underwent surgery, and his condition was stable, Bautista said.\n\nOrtiz's father, Leo, speaking to reporters outside the clinic, said his son was out of danger and there wasn't any collateral damage, meaning no damage to major organs. He said he had no idea why someone would have shot at his son.\n\nLeo Ortiz, center, father of former Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz talks with journalists at the hospital where his son was hospitalized after being shot in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Sunday, June 9, 2019. Ortiz was ambushed by a man who got off a motorcycle and shot him in the back at close range Sunday night in his native Dominican Republic, authorities said. (AP Photo / Ricardo Hernandez)\n\nHe is out of surgery and stable; he is resting,\" Leo Ortiz said. \"Big Papi will be around for a long time.\"\n\nRELATED: Red Sox pull out stops for David Ortiz: Number retired, bridge named in honor\n\nThe Boston Red Sox confirmed the details in a tweet early Monday.\n\nThe team said they have been notified by Ortiz's family that he sustained a gunshot wound to his \"lower back/abdominal region\" and that he is recovering after surgery.\n\nThe Red Sox said they offered the Ortiz family \"all available resources to aid in his recovery\" and they will continue to keep them in their hearts.\n\nThe alleged gunman was captured and beaten by a crowd of people at the bar, Bautista said. He said police are waiting until the man undergoes treatment for his injuries before questioning him.\n\nInvestigators are trying to determine whether Ortiz was the intended target, Bautista said.\n\nTwo other people were wounded, Bautista said, including Jhoel López, a Dominican TV host who was with Ortiz. Bautista said police believe López was wounded by the same bullet.\n\nLópez was shot in the leg and his injuries were not life-threatening, said his wife, Liza Blanco, who is also a TV host.\n\nPolice did not identify the third person or detail that person's injuries.\n\nThe Dial Bar and Lounge is located in eastern Santo Domingo on Venezuela Avenue, a bustling nightlife district packed with dance clubs and pricey bars that Ortiz is known to frequent. Ortiz, who lives at least part of the year in the Dominican Republic, is often seen getting his cars washed and hanging out with friends, including other baseball players, artists and entertainers.\n\nReaction from around the sports world started to come in as news of the shooting spread across social media.\n\nFormer Red Sox teammate Pedro Martinez expressed relief that Ortiz was out of danger.\n\nMartinez tweeted, \"I’m at peace knowing you out of danger; you a strong man Compai, can’t wait to hear your voice.\"\n\nThe 43-year-old Ortiz hit 541 homers in 20 major league seasons, including 14 with the Red Sox. He helped lead Boston to three World Series titles and retired after the 2016 season. He was a 10-time All-Star and World Series MVP in 2013.", "Topline: Amid a spate of high-profile violence in the Dominican Republic—former Red Sox player David Ortiz was shot in the back at a club on Sunday, the same day officials confirmed a 6th American had died there in recent months—officials there insist that the island is safe, and the U.S. State Department has issued no new warnings to tourists.\n\nBig Papi shot, but expected to be okay: Ortiz, who’s number 85 on the Forbes list of the world’s highest-paid athletes, was shot in the back at a San Domingo bar on Sunday. The Dominican native underwent surgery and is recovering in stable condition, according to the Associated Press.\n\nDeaths under similar circumstances: Six Americans visiting the island nation have died there over the past year, according to the Washington Post, with families of the deceased questioning what exactly happened to their loved ones. At least half of the victims were reported to have had an alcoholic drink at their hotels prior to being found dead. They are:\n• David Harrison, 45, who died at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Punta Cana. (July 14, 2018)\n• Yvette Monique Sport, 51, who died at the Bahia Principe in Punta Cana. (June 23, 2018)\n• Robert Wallace, 67, who died at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Punta Cana. (April 12, 2019)\n• Miranda Schaup-Werner, 41, who died at the Bahia Principe Bouganville. (May 25, 2019)\n• Edward Holmes, 63, engaged to Cynthia Day, died at the Bahia Principe La Romana. (May 30, 2019)\n• Cynthia Day, 49, engaged to Edward Holmes, died at the Bahia Principe La Romana. (May 30, 2019)\n\nInvestigations into the deaths are ongoing: According to the Washington Post, U.S. investigators are examining the deaths but have not yet established any links between them. Victims Schaup-Werner, Day, and Holmes died within a week of each other, and all three of their autopsies showed fluid in their lungs, enlarged hearts, and internal bleeding. Complicating the investigations is Schaup-Werner’s history of heart problems and the discovery of blood pressure medication and oxycodone in the room shared by Holmes and Day. The FBI is assisting Dominican law enforcement with the deceased’s toxicology reports.\n\nOne woman was severely beaten: Tammy Lawrence-Daley, 51, posted to Facebook in May photos of her beaten and bloodied face, the result of a brutal, hours-long attack she claimed occurred at the hands of a resort employee during her January stay at the Majestic Elegance in Punta Cana. According to NBC News, Lawrence-Daley asked the hotel for $2.2 million after the attacks before posting her story to social media. CBS News reports that the hotel claims no responsibility in the attack because Lawrence-Daley couldn’t identify her assailant.\n\nDominican officials insist it’s safe to visit. According to the Washington Post, minister of tourism Francisco Javier Garcia said it’s safe for Americans to visit the Dominican Republic during a news conference last Thursday, and that the reported deaths are more coincidental than nefarious. “Sometimes in life there can be a law of sequences. Sometimes, nothing may happen to you in a year. But in another week, three things might happen to you,” said Garcia.\n\nWhat does the State Department say for visitors? As of April, the State Department updated its travel advisory for the Dominican Republic to caution travelers against crime, particularly “violent crime, including armed robbery, homicide and sexual assault.” The Dominican Republic has been rated a two (out of four) since 2018, with two meaning “exercise increased caution” and four meaning “do not travel.”"], "summary": "Former Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz is shot in the Dominican Republic during a reported robbery attempt. He is expected to fully recover following surgery."}
{"document": ["The handpicked successor of former Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev was elected to the presidency on Sunday in a vote marred by clashes between protesters and police.\n\nThe electoral commission said that Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, a career diplomat, had won with 70.8% of the vote. The candidate with the next highest vote share, opposition rival Amirzhan Kossanov, won around 15%.\n\nTurnout was at about 77%, according to the national elections commission.\n\nRead more: Historic Kazakhstan election sparks hope for a taste of democracy\n\nTokayev, 66, became interim president in March after the resignation of Nazarbayev, who had ruled the country since Kazakhstan gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.\n\nYet Nazarbayev, who holds the official title of national leader, is set to exert significant influence on day-to-day politics as leader of the ruling Nur Otan party.\n\nAs he voted, Tokayev said Nazarbayev was \"still in power in the capacity of chairman of the security council ... and other capacities.\"\n\nRead more: Could Kazakhstan be a model for a power transfer in Russia?\n\nWatch video 03:47 Share Kazakhstan activists call for free elections Send Facebook google+ Whatsapp Tumblr linkedin stumble Digg reddit Newsvine Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/3K5zV Activists call for free elections\n\nOpposition arrests\n\nThroughout the day, police detained some 500 people in Almaty and Nur-Sultan — the capital city recently renamed after Nazarbayev — as they protested for voters to boycott what they see as a fixed election.\n\nDeputy Interior Minister Marat Kozhayev said the arrests were necessary because \"radical elements\" had held \"unsanctioned\" rallies.\n\nTokayev pledged his administration would be \"building up a dialogue with all those who support the government and those who are against the government.\"\n\nNazarbayev was Kazakhstan's president from 1991 to 2019\n\nIn the weeks leading up to the vote, police raided the homes of opposition figures and courts sentenced anti-government protesters to short prison stays.\n\nNo vote in the Central Asian country has yet been recognized as fully democratic by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which sent more than 300 observers to monitor Sunday's election.\n\nKazakhstan is a member of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), a free trade bloc that also includes Russia and Belarus.\n\namp/cmk (AFP, Reuters)\n\nEvery evening, DW sends out a selection of the day's news and features. Sign up here.", "Kazakhstan's presidential election was marred by irregularities and a lack of regard for fundamental rights, the OSCE observer mission said Monday.\n\nSome 12 million people were called to cast their vote at some 10,000 polling stations on Sunday which unfolded in an orderly manner.", "Preliminary results show an ally of Kazakhstan’s former president has won the country’s presidential election.\n\nPreliminary results show an ally of Kazakhstan’s former president has won the country’s presidential election.\n\nKazakhstan election marred by arrests as ex-president’s ally on course to win\n\nSunday’s vote was marred by a police crackdown on protesters who took to the streets against what they see as a mockery of democracy.\n\nThe Central Election Commission in the Central Asian country said Kassym-Jomart Tokayev won nearly 71% of the vote with all the ballots counted.\n\nMr Tokayev became acting president when Nursultan Nazarbayev, who had led the country since its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, abruptly stepped down.\n\nShortly after Mr Nazarbayev resigned, Kazakhstan’s ruling party nominated Mr Tokayev for presidency in what was largely seen as an orchestrated handover of power.\n\nSome 500 people were taken into custody after police broke up rallies in Kazakhstan’s two largest cities.", "Preliminary results show an ally of Kazakhstan’s former president has won the country’s presidential election.\n\nSunday’s vote was marred by a police crackdown on protesters who took to the streets against what they see as a mockery of democracy.\n\nThe Central Election Commission in the Central Asian country said Kassym-Jomart Tokayev won nearly 71% of the vote with all the ballots counted.\n\nMr Tokayev became acting president when Nursultan Nazarbayev, who had led the country since its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, abruptly stepped down.\n\nShortly after Mr Nazarbayev resigned, Kazakhstan’s ruling party nominated Mr Tokayev for presidency in what was largely seen as an orchestrated handover of power.\n\nSome 500 people were taken into custody after police broke up rallies in Kazakhstan’s two largest cities.", "Kazakhstan’s interim president, the hand-picked successor of long time ruler Nursultan Nazarbayev, was declared the winner of Sunday's presidential election, defeating six other government-approved candidates.\n\nThe country’s Central Election Commission said on Monday that Kassym-Jomart Tokayev won nearly 71 percent of the vote with all the ballots counted and his nearest challenger, opposition candidate Amirzhan Kosanov, had about 16 percent.\n\nElection observers were critical of the election.\n\n\"A lack of regard for fundamental rights, including detentions of peaceful protesters, and widespread voting irregularities on election day, showed scant respect for democratic standards,\" observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) said of Sunday's vote.\n\nPolice in Kazakhstan have arrested about 500 protesters marching against Sunday's early presidential election that they call illegal.\n\nSome protesters chanted \"shame shame shame\" as they were hauled away, urging police to ignore orders to arrest them and \"come to the side of the people.\"\n\nOpposition supporters had called for a boycott, saying Sunday's election would be neither free nor fair. They call it an illegal and orchestrated transfer of power from one authoritarian leader to another.\n\nTokayev became acting president in March, when Nazarbayev stunned Kazakhstan as he unexpectedly announced his resignation as president. He had said he would continue the same policies as Nazarbaev if elected president.\n\nNazarbaev governed the country since it was part of the Soviet Union and through its independence in 1991.\n\nAlthough Kazakhstan has thrived economically because of huge oil and gas deposits, the country has a poor human rights record under Nazarbayev, with free speech suppressed and nearly all independent media outlets shut down.", "“Presidential elections took place in the Republic of Kazakhstan on 9 June 2019 with Kassym-Jomart Tokayev voted into his first term as President. According to the preliminary findings of the internationally-recognised OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission, the election offered an important moment for potential political reforms, but it was tarnished by clear violations of fundamental freedoms as well as pressure on critical voices. There were widespread detentions of peaceful protesters on election day” reads the text of the European External Action Service (EEAS) spokesperson statement.\n\n“Overall, the OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission recognised that elections were administered efficiently by the Central Electoral Commission, but significant irregularities were observed across the country, including cases of ballot box stuffing, group voting and series of identical signatures on voter lists. The count was also negatively assessed in more than half of observations.\n\n“In the light of the shortcomings reported by the OSCE/ODIHR Mission, we expect Kazakhstan to address these violations, as well as the controlled legal and political electoral framework, as they run counter to the country’s OSCE commitments and international obligations. In the framework of our Enhanced Partnership and Cooperation Agreement with Kazakhstan, the European Union stands ready to further support reforms to strengthen the promotion and protection of fundamental freedoms and human rights, the respect for democratic principles, the rule of law and good governance.”\n\n“We look forward to working with the new President in this regard, as well as to advance EU-Kazakhstan relations more broadly.”", "REUTERS/Mariya Gordeyeva | Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, who was elected president on Sunday, walks out of a voting booth at a polling station in Kazakhstan's capital Nur-Sultan.\n\nKassym-Jomart Tokayev, the hand-picked successor of former president Nursultan Nazarbayev, has won Kazakhstan's presidential election with over 70% of the vote, electoral authorities said on Monday after a vote day marred by protests.\n\nThe victory of Tokayev, a career diplomat, was never in doubt after he received the blessing of Nazarbayev, who led the Central Asian nation for the last three decades.\n\nKazakhstan's Central Election Commission said Tokayev received 70.6 percent of the vote, citing the preliminary results of Sunday's vote.\n\nBut the day was marked by the biggest protests the Muslim-majority country has seen in three years, as demonstrators urged a \"boycott\" of what they said was a fixed election.\n\nThe build-up to the vote saw an intensifying crackdown on the opposition with courts sentencing protesters to short stays in jail and police raiding activists' homes.\n\nThe interior ministry said around 500 people were arrested on Sunday, with deputy minister Marat Kozhayev blaming \"radical elements\" for holding \"unsanctioned\" rallies.\n\nTwo AFP journalists were among those detained in the largest city, Almaty, where police broke up a protest involving several hundred people.\n\nProtesters shouted \"shame, shame, shame!\" and \"police come to the side of the people\" as officers moved in on the crowd.\n\nAman Amanov, a protester in Almaty, asked an AFP journalist to \"show this video all over the world\" as the correspondent filmed him being ushered into a police van.\n\n\"You can see what is happening here. People are against this illegal election,\" he said. \"You can see what the police are doing here!\"\n\nOne AFP correspondent was taken to a police station before being released while another had video equipment confiscated.\n\nMarzhan Aspandiyarova, an activist who visited police stations in Almaty Sunday evening said that protesters who had been held for over 12 hours had not been fed, while most had been denied access to their mobile phones.\n\n\"We have seen some first aid vehicles arrive at one district and colleagues say the same is happening in other districts. This suggests the condition of the detainees is worsening,\" Aspandiyarova told AFP.\n\nJournalists for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and an independent local news site were also arrested, as was a representative of the Norwegian Helsinki Committee rights group and a local political analyst.\n\nThey were all later released.\n\nNazarbayev's announcement in March that he was stepping down from the presidency and naming Tokayev interim leader shocked Kazakhs who had lived under his rule since Soviet times.\n\nBut the 78-year-old, who turned the country of 18 million people into an energy powerhouse while governing with little tolerance for opposition, is still expected to call the shots from behind the scenes.\n\nAs he voted, Tokayev told reporters in the capital Nur-Sultan that Nazarbayev was \"still in power in the capacity of chairman of the security council [...] and other capacities\".\n\nIn Nur-Sultan, a 31-year-old woman who gave her first name Meiramgul, admitted that she only knew Tokayev and was still deciding whether or not she would vote.\n\n\"I don't think my vote will count for anything,\" she told AFP.\n\nTurnout in the election was around 77 percent, the Central Election Commission said earlier in the day.\n\nFour years ago Nazarbayev scored nearly 98 percent of a virtually uncontested vote where the official turnout was 95 percent.\n\nNo Kazakh vote has ever been recognised as fully democratic by the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which sent more than 300 observers to monitor this election.\n\nOne of Tokayev's first acts as interim president was to propose that the capital Astana – which Nazarbayev transformed from a steppe town into a million-strong city – be renamed \"Nur-Sultan\" in honour of his mentor.\n\nThe change went ahead without public consultation.\n\nThere was only one candidate who was openly in opposition in Sunday's race.\n\nJournalist Amirzhan Kosanov has criticised the government, but even these rebukes were vague, rather than directly attacking either Tokayev or Nazarbayev.\n\nHuman Rights Watch called the prospect of a genuine political transition \"an illusion\" and noted the persistence of rights abuses under Tokayev's interim presidency.\n\n\"Kazakh authorities routinely break up peaceful protests, forcibly round up participants... and sanction them with warnings, fines, and short-term imprisonment,\" the watchdog said.", "MOSCOW (AP) — Police detained about 500 people amid unauthorized protests in Kazakhstan of the presidential election that opponents alleged was a fake exercise in democracy.\n\nOfficers, some in riot gear with shields and helmets, broke up the demonstrations in Nur-Sultan, the capital, and Almaty, the country's main commercial city.\n\nDeputy Interior Minister Marat Kozhayev said three police were injured in the clashes and some 500 demonstrators were taken to police stations. There were no immediate reports on whether charges were being filed.\n\nThe protesters were calling for a voter boycott of the snap election, which they alleged was staged to put in office a politician loyal to the former longtime president, Nursultan Nazarbayev, who resigned in March.\n\nKassym-Jomart Tokayev, the upper house speaker who became acting president when Nazarbayev stepped down, is expected to win Sunday's contest easily.\n\nSeven candidates were on the ballot, including a genuine opposition figure for the first time since independence. The national elections commission reported the election's turnout was about 77 percent of the electorate.\n\nThe resignation of the 78-year-old Nazarbayev, who had led Kazakhstan since it separated from the Soviet Union to become an independent country in 1991, came as a surprise to many who expected him to run for re-election next year.\n\nThe opposition candidate, Amirzhan Kossanov, said Sunday he had no complaints about violations during the campaign.\n\n\"But the most important result, the peak of the election political process, is counting of the votes,\" Kossanov said.\n\nKazakhstan has experienced rising opposition sentiment recently. Anti-government rallies were held in the spring to protest what opponents saw as an orchestrated handover of power and to call for a boycott of the early presidential vote.\n\nOne of the most prosperous former Soviet republics, Kazakhstan stands at a crossroads between neighbors China and Russia.\n\nCopyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.", "NUR-SULTAN, Kazakhstan: The hand-picked successor of Kazakhstan’s longtime ruler has won a sweeping victory in a presidential election, authorities said yesterday, after a voting day marred by protests and arrests.\n\nKassym-Jomart Tokayev took 70.8 per cent of the vote in Sunday’s election, the Central Election Commission said, with his nearest rival, opposition candidate Amirzhan Kosanov, taking 16.2 per cent.\n\nTokayev’s victory was never in doubt after he received the blessing of former president Nursultan Nazarbayev, who led the Central Asian nation for three decades before his shock resignation in March.\n\nBut the vote was marked by the biggest protests the Muslim-majority country has seen in at least three years, as demonstrators urged a boycott of what they said was a fixed election.\n\nThe interior ministry said about 500 people were arrested, with deputy minister Marat Kozhayev blaming ‘radical elements’ for holding ‘unsanctioned’ rallies.\n\nActivists denounced the arrests and there were claims of ballot stuffing, but Tokayev insisted the election had been ‘a competition’.\n\n“This shows that our level of political culture has seriously increased. There is much work ahead,” he said in comments broadcast on state television.\n\nAuthorities said they would investigate all allegations of vote violations. No vote in Kazakhstan has ever been recognised as fully democratic by the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), which sent more than 300 observers to monitor this election.\n\nTokayev’s opponents were quick to congratulate him on victory, including second-place finisher Kosanov, a journalist who positioned himself as the ballot’s sole opposition candidate.\n\n“This political transition will take place with the participation of the people,” Kosanov said, criticising ‘foreign-based’ opposition figures who had encouraged voters to boycott the poll.\n\n“People are ready for an equal dialogue with authorities,” he said.\n\nKosanov had previously said that if the count was fair the result would go to a second round. Toleutay Rakhimbekov, a career government official who ran on a rural issues campaign for the Aul (Village) party, said the result was “proof of the population of Kazakhstan’s trust and confidence in (Tokayev’s) rule.”\n\nThird place was claimed by Daniya Yespayeva, the first woman candidate in a Kazakh presidential election, who scored 5.2 percent of the ballot according to the CEC.\n\nSunday’s protests took place in the capital Nur-Sultan, renamed after Nazarbayev following his resignation, and largest city Almaty. Several hundred rallied in Almaty before police moved in to detain protesters.\n\nJournalists, including two from AFP and reporters for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, were among those detained in Almaty but were later released. About 50 more people were detained as they attempted to gather again in the central Almaty square where Sunday’s protests took place.\n\nMarzhan Aspandiyarova, a civic activist who visited police stations in Almaty on Sunday and Monday, said that snap trials were underway to convict and sentence the protesters.\n\n“Relatives are trying to get more information but it is difficult because the detained had their telephones confiscated.”\n\nNazarbayev’s announcement in March that he was stepping down from the presidency and naming Tokayev interim leader shocked Kazakhs who had lived under his rule since Soviet times.\n\nBut the 78-year-old, who turned the country of 18 million people into an energy powerhouse while governing with little tolerance for opposition, is still expected to call the shots from behind the scenes. — AFP", "Police detained hundreds of people in Kazakhstan amid unauthorized protests of a presidential election Sunday, that opponents alleged was a fake exercise in democracy. Officers, some in riot gear with shields and helmets, broke up the demonstrations in the capital, Nur-Sultan, and in Almaty, the Central Asian country’s main commercial city. Some 500 protesters were taken to police stations, a government official said.\n\nThree police officers were injured in the clashes, Deputy Interior Minister Marat Kozhayev said. There were no immediate reports of charges following the arrests.\n\nThe snap election was called after the unexpected March resignation of President Nursultan Nazarbayev, 78, who had led the country since its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. Many people assumed Nazarbayev would run for re-election during a regularly scheduled presidential vote next year.\n\nThe protesters alleged the election to choose his successor would not be free or fair, and had called for a voter boycott.\n\nNazarbayev loyalist Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, the upper house speaker who became acting president when Nazarbayev stepped down, was expected to win easily.\n\nSeven candidates were on the ballot, including a genuine opposition figure for the first time since 2005.\n\nThe opposition candidate, Amirzhan Kossanov, said he had no complaints about possible campaign violations before Sunday’s contest.\n\n“But the most important result, the peak of the election political process, is counting of the votes,” Kossanov said. The national elections commission reported that about 77% of the electorate turned out to vote. Previous presidential elections had reported turnouts of more than 90%.\n\nKazakhstan recently has experienced rising opposition sentiment. Previous anti-government rallies took place in the spring to protest the early election, which opponents saw as an orchestrated handover of power.\n\nOne of the most prosperous former Soviet republics, large Kazakhstan stands at a crossroads between neighbors China and Russia."], "summary": "Kassym-Jomart Tokayev is elected as the next president of Kazakhstan. The election was marred by the arrests of more than 500 protesters and was not declared to be fully democratic by OSCE observers."}
{"document": ["CHISINAU/KIEV (Reuters) - Moldovan parties on Saturday agreed to form a government and appoint Maia Sandu, a former education minister and World Bank adviser, as prime minister with a mandate to curb the power of oligarchs in one of Europe’s poorest countries.\n\nFILE PHOTO: Moldova's Action and Solidarity Party presidential candidate Maia Sandu speaks to the media after voting in a presidential election in Chisinau, Moldova, November 13, 2016. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich/File Photo\n\nSandu’s pro-European Union ACUM bloc formed a working coalition with the Russian-backed Socialist party, breaking months of deadlock after a parliamentary election in February produced a hung parliament.\n\nBut their alliance set up a clash with the Democratic Party of Moldova and the Constitutional Court, which earlier said parliament should be dissolved and any decision taken by lawmakers on forming a government would be void.\n\nSandu is a fierce opponent of the Democratic Party, which formed the last government, and its leader Vladimir Plahotniuc, a wealthy tycoon she accuses of corruption and abuse of power.\n\nPlahotniuc was the target of street protests but in 2016 he told Reuters that negative perceptions about him were down to lies spread by his opponents after he entered politics.\n\n“Injustice has come to an end today in Moldova,” Sandu said. “Today begins the process of the purification of Moldova.”\n\nThe Democrats accuse ACUM and the Socialists of usurping power at Russia’s behest and deputy chairman Andrian Candu said they would challenge the formation of the government in court.\n\nIn a parliament session convened on Saturday, Sandu and the Socialists also signed a declaration calling Moldova a “captured state”.\n\nA nation of 3.5 million, the tiny ex-Soviet republic is squeezed between Ukraine and EU member Romania. Politically divided, some of its voters favor closer ties with the EU or even reunification with Romania, while others prefer closer ties to Russia.\n\n“THEFT OF THE CENTURY”\n\nMoldova has been dogged by political instability and corruption, especially since a scandal known as the “theft of the century” emerged in 2014-2015 where $1 billion, around an eighth of its economic output, was pilfered from three banks.\n\n“We must free the captured state institutions, depoliticize the Constitutional Court, get rid of the oligarchs,” said Andrei Nastase, who leads ACUM alongside Sandu.\n\n“We will form a government today.”\n\nCandu told Reuters by phone the Socialists had ignored a ruling by the Constitutional Court stipulating that if a government was not formed by June 7, there would have to be another election.\n\n“The Russian Federation is trying to force the creation of the pro-Russian government, illegally, in Moldova,” Candu said.\n\nHe said Moldovan President Igor Dodon, who used to be the Socialist party chief, had approached Candu’s Democratic Party with a coalition offer on conditions set by Moscow, including turning Moldova into a federal state.\n\nOpponents of the move say it would give the separatist region of Transdniestria, which wants to merge with Russia, an outsize say in how Moldova is run.\n\n“To all these conditions, we said ‘no’. We are not betraying our country,” Candu said. “And rather we go for the snap elections in the future than to create a coalition and a majority and to empower a government under such conditions.”\n\nDodon has said the idea to federalize Moldova had come from Plahotniuc, which the latter had offered Moscow in exchange for Russian criminal cases against him being dropped.\n\nAlso on Saturday, lawmakers voted to appoint the Socialist party’s Zinaida Greceanii as the new parliament speaker. The Constitutional Court declared the appointment illegal.\n\nAmbassadors from Russia, the European Union and the United States observed proceedings in the parliament.\n\n“The United States supports efforts by Moldova’s political parties to negotiate an agreement and overcome the ongoing political impasse,” the U.S. embassy said.\n\nThe Russian Embassy urged all responsible political forces to avoid destabilization, adding: “We support efforts by parliamentary parties to form a functioning coalition and create a government capable of ensuring lasting civil peace and sustainable development of Moldova in line with established democratic norms.”\n\nThe EU forged a deal on closer trade and political ties with Moldova in 2014 and showered it with aid but it has become increasingly critical of Chisinau’s track record on reforms.", "The ex-Soviet state which lies betwen Ukraine and Romania has been in political chaos since the elections in February. A deadline to form a government expired this weekend.\n\nAfter months of talks, an unprecedented alliance was finally formed on Saturday between the pro-European ACUM group and pro-Russian Socialist Party of President Igor Dodon. ACUM's Maia Sandu, a former minister and World Bank adviser, was named prime minister on Saturday afternoon.\n\n\"Injustice has come to an end today in Moldova,\" Sandu said Saturday. \"Today begins the process of the purification of Moldova.\"\n\nThe ACUM-Socialist Party agreement defied the Constitutional Court, which on Friday ordered parliament to be dissolved and fresh elections to be held.\n\nThe court declared all future decisions of the parliament would also be invalid.\n\nOn Sunday, the court accepted a petition from the Democratic Party made on Saturday which challenged the legitimacy of the new government and relieved Dodon from the presidency. It appointed former prime minister Pavel Filip as interim president. Reuters reported he had signed a decree for elections to be held on September 6.\n\nNo majority\n\nNeither party won a majority of seats in parliamentary elections in February, with ACUM winning 26 and the Socialist Party winning 35 of the assembly's 101 seats.\n\nBoth parties want to keep the Democratic Party, which is led by Vlad Plahotniuc, a powerful oligarch, out of government. The former ruling party won 30 seats in February.\n\nACUM and the Socialist Party have accused Plahotniuc of transporting people from the breakaway region of Transnistria to polling stations and telling them to vote for the Democratic Party.\n\nRead more: Transnistria: Russia's satellite state an open wound in Eastern Europe\n\nTransnistria — lost in Moldova A fight for recognition In 1991, the Soviet Union broke into pieces from which 15 new sovereign countries were born. Yet Transnistria, the Russian-speaking region in the easternmost part of Moldova, was not among them. The self-proclaimed \"presidential republic\" has its government, army, flag, emblem, anthem and even passports, which are valid in only three countries in the world.\n\nTransnistria — lost in Moldova The Soviet Union lives on Anton Polyakov was born in the Transnistrian capital of Tiraspol in 1990, the year the region declared independence from Moldova. He has been capturing the daily life of Transnistrians since 2012. \"For many, Transnistria is a new country without a past, but some see it as a continuation of the Soviet Union,\" says the photographer. Portrayed here is famous Soviet footballer Alexander Veryovkin.\n\nTransnistria — lost in Moldova Conflicts stuck on repeat When Polyakov was 2, tensions between the country and the region led to a war, which was quickly put down by Russia's intervention. \"People are still sentimental about the Soviet times here,\" says Polyakov. May 9, the \"Victory Day\" of the Great Patriotic War between the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany, is remembered across the region with battle reenactments.\n\nTransnistria — lost in Moldova Omnia pro patria The Transnistrian government wants to be ready to fight on real front lines, too. Basic military training is part of high school curricula, military parades take place every year and body-building contests are hugely popular. According to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the region owns 20,000 to 40,000 tonnes of Soviet-era weaponry.\n\nTransnistria — lost in Moldova Satellite of love The OSCE report from 2015 also states that Russian military personnel is still present in Transnistria, despite the 1999 Istanbul Summit deal to withdraw. \"People here see Russia as the main guarantor of security in the region and want Russia's recognition,\" says Polyakov. Most Transnistrians voted for independence and potential future integration into Russia in a referendum held in 2006.\n\nTransnistria — lost in Moldova From bad to worse With a population of roughly 475,000 and an area of 4,163 square kilometers, Transnistria is one of the smallest countries in Europe. Its GDP is comparable with Nigeria but higher than Moldova's. The economy is driven by heavy industry, electricity production and textile manufacturing, but the trade restrictions related to the Ukrainian conflict are bringing the region close to economic collapse.\n\nTransnistria — lost in Moldova Beauty isn’t everything While there are jobs in the cities – albeit poorly paid, with an average salary of 180 euros ($200) – living in the Transnistrian countryside is a different story. \"We may think it is great to live in the picturesque nature of the region, but there are no opportunities nor infrastructure. With nothing to do, young people leave and go to the cities or Russia as soon as they can,\" says Polyakov.\n\nTransnistria — lost in Moldova The empire strikes back The future of Transnistria is dependent on Russia, which views the region as strategically important. And it intends to stick with \"the format of the existing peacekeeping mission in Transnistria,\" which essentially means keeping Russian soldiers there. \"This is why Transnistria is still not an independent political player. This makes my home a hostage to the political situation,\" says Polyakov. Author: Jan Tomes\n\n\n\n'Oligarchs' keeping Moldova 'captive'\n\nOn Saturday, both parties passed a parliamentary motion that said \"oligarchs\" were keeping Moldova \"captive.\"\n\n\"The oligarchs have established a dictatorship driven by manipulation, terror, lies and disinformation. The country is wallowing in corruption,\" it said.\n\nThe US Embassy said it \"supports efforts by Moldova's political parties\" to \"overcome the ongoing political impasse.\"\n\nThe Russian Embassy echoed the US, saying it supported \"efforts by parliamentary parties to form a functioning coalition.\"\n\nMoldova: A country without parents Left behind Tanya moved to Italy five years ago where she works as a caregiver for the elderly and earns about 850 euros ($960) a month. But her three daughters — Karolina, Sabrina and Olga — were left behind in Moldova. They were 8, 9 and 12 years old, respectively, when she left.\n\nMoldova: A country without parents On the phone with mom The girls initially lived alone at first, even though the oldest was only 12 years old. After a time, they began living with various people, to whom their mother regularly sent money.\n\nMoldova: A country without parents Meals apart Now the eldest daughter, Olga, is finishing high school in Chisinau, while Sabrina and Karolina have joined their mother in Italy.\n\nMoldova: A country without parents Help from the grandmother For the past seven years, Katalina's parents have barely been home. Her parents found jobs in Moscow and later moved to Italy after receiving work visas. Katalina's grandmother lived in a different village, but she eventually moved in with Katalina and her brother, Victor, to look after them.\n\nMoldova: A country without parents Reunited at last Ottilia was barely a year old when her parents left Moldova. Her mother and father paid 4,000 euros each to get into Italy without proper documents. The girl didn't see them for five years and lived with her grandmother, who she called \"mom.\" A year ago, Ottilia's parents managed to get a residence permit in Italy and brought their daughter to live with them.\n\nMoldova: A country without parents Hard work Lilia moved to the West with her husband eight years ago. The couple had to work hard to repay the debt they took on to pay for the illegal border-crossing. Their daughters Nadia and Alina were 9 and 6 at the time.\n\nMoldova: A country without parents Parcels from abroad Lilia sent parcels to her children three times a month. The family is reunited now, but it has come at a high price — the \"visas\" for the children cost 1,500 euros each.\n\nMoldova: A country without parents Childhood without parents German photographer Andrea Diefenbach tells the story of Moldovan children in her book \"Country without parents,\" published in German by Kehrer-Verlag. Author: Efim Schuhmann and Flora Murphy\n\n\n\namp/jm (AFP, Reuters)\n\nEvery evening, DW sends out a selection of the day's news and features. Sign up here.", "Five EU states including Britain, France and Germany on Monday threw their support behind Moldova’s parliament as it negotiated a constitutional crisis pitting it against an interim president wanting it dissolved to hold new elections.\n\nThe parliament of the poor ex-Soviet state, nestled between Romania and Ukraine, is the “best place to discuss all political issues,” the EU countries, including Poland and Sweden, declared in a joint statement.\n\nMoldova, one of Europe’s poorest nations and not an EU member, has been struggling with political chaos since a general election in February failed to give a clear majority to any party.\n\nA day after its Constitutional Court on Friday said fresh elections needed to be held, the parliament approved a new government built on an unprecedented coalition of pro-Russian and pro-European forces.\n\nThe Court then effectively blocked that governing alliance by suspending the country’s president, Igor Dodon, and appointing the former prime minister, Pavel Filip, as interim leader.\n\nFilip immediately ordered the parliament dissolved and new elections for September 6.\n\nIn Monday’s statement, the five EU states backed the parliament over the other constitutional branches.\n\n“In the current constitutional crisis, we see and support the parliament of Moldova, as the representative of the people of Moldova, and as the best place to discuss all political issues including controversial ones,” they said.\n\nThey echoed a broader European Union appeal for “calm and restraint” and stressed that “all the sides bear responsibility for the resolution of this constitutional crisis by peaceful means”.\n\nDodon is from the pro-Russian Socialist Party, which said Saturday it was willing to join the pro-European ACUM alliance to run the country. Both parties said Moldova was “wallowing in corruption” and “captive” to oligarchs.\n\nBut that proposed tie-up would have frozen out the previous ruling party, the Democratic Party, which is led by a powerful oligarch, Vlad Plahotniuc.\n\nOn Sunday, thousands of Democratic Party supporters rallied in the capital Chisinau, many of them bussed in and watched over by a heavy police presence.\n\nPlahotniuc addressed the crowd, saying he was confident his party would win the September 6 elections and describing Dodon as “not worthy of occupying the post of president”.\n\nDodon, for his part, complained that the Democratic Party was refusing to hand over power to “a lawful parliamentary majority and a lawful government” and urged international mediation.\n\nMoldova, once part of Romania before it became a Soviet Republic then independent, contains a Russian-backed breakaway region called Transnistria.", "CHISINAU (Reuters) - A Moldovan court on Sunday relieved Igor Dodon of his duties as president and appointed former prime minister Pavel Filip as interim president, a statement said.\n\nThe court explained its decision by the fact that Dodon had not dissolved parliament as mandated by an earlier Constitutional Court verdict.\n\nFilip’s Democratic Party of Moldova on Saturday had vowed to challenge the legitimacy of a new government formed by the Russian-backed Socialist party and the pro-European Union ACUM bloc. Dodon is a former chief of the Socialist party and backed the formation of the new government.\n\nACUM leader Maia Sandu, a former education minister and World Bank adviser, was appointed as the new prime minister on Saturday, vowing to curb the influence of oligarchs in the east European country.\n\nHer appointment followed months of deadlock after a February election produced a hung parliament.\n\nBut the Democrats accused her and the Socialists of usurping power. They say Dodon had ignored a ruling by the Constitutional Court stipulating that if a government was not formed by June 7, there would have to be another election.\n\nMoldova has been dogged by political instability and corruption, especially since a scandal known as the “theft of the century” emerged in 2014-2015 in which $1 billion, around an eighth of its economic output, was pilfered from three banks.", "FILE - In this Saturday, Feb. 23, 2019 file photo, a man holds a European Union flag as people stand by shoes of Moldovan citizens working abroad are placed on the pavement in Chisinau, Moldova. A Moldovan court has appointed former prime minister Pavel Filip as interim president, a day after a new government was formed following a months-long political stalemate. The Constitutional Court said Sunday, June 9 that Igor Dodon, who supported the new government, was being relieved of his duties for failing to comply with its ruling to dissolve parliament. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda, file)\n\nCHISINAU, Moldova (AP) — Five European nations and Russia declared support Monday for elected lawmakers in Moldova, where a court-appointed interim president dissolved parliament and called a new election the day after a new coalition government won approval.\n\nIn a joint declaration, France, Germany, Poland, Sweden and the United Kingdom said the parliament picked in February had made important decisions \"including the formation of a government.\" A majority voted in an emergency session Saturday to make pro-Europe leader Maia Sandu prime minister of a governing coalition of her ACUM alliance and the Socialists.\n\nThe previous government, led by the Democratic Party, has refused to recognize Sandu and make way for a new Cabinet. Both claimed to have the only legal mandate to govern Moldova, though the new government had strong backing from outside.\n\n\"In the current constitutional crisis, we see and support the Parliament of Moldova, as the representative of the people of Moldova, and as the best place to discuss all political issues including controversial ones,\" the European nations said.\n\nMoldova's Constitutional Court disrupted the transfer of power Sunday by suspending President Igor Dodon, the Socialists former leader, for refusing to carry out an order to disband parliament himself. The court said a 90-day deadline for forming a new government elapsed Friday.\n\nIt appointed the prime minister in the existing Democratic Party-led government, Pavel Filip, to replace Dodon. Filip immediately disbanded parliament and called a snap election for September. The head of the Democratic Party, Vladimir Plahotniuc, is Moldova's current de facto leader.\n\nRussia also backed the governing coalition formed by ACUM and the Socialists on Monday.\n\n\"We count on the earliest possible normalization of the situation in Chisinau in the interests of all Moldovan citizens and the progressive development of the country.\" the Russian Foreign Ministry said. \"The only possible way to solve the internal political crisis in Moldova is the dialogue of all responsible political forces in accordance with generally accepted democratic principles.\"\n\nNATO and the Council of Europe also have expressed concern about the political developments. Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjorn Jagland asked the council's Venice Commission of constitutional law experts for its opinion.\n\n\"Recent decisions of the Constitutional Court are difficult to understand and seem to be arbitrary in the light of the text of the Constitution and of international rule of law standards,\" he said over the weekend. \"In a democratic state everybody must respect the Constitution, in case of uncertainty a good objective advice is always needed.\"", "CHISINAU, Moldova — Five European nations and Russia declared support Monday for elected lawmakers in Moldova, where a court-appointed interim president dissolved parliament and called a new election the day after a new coalition government won approval.\n\nIn a joint declaration, France, Germany, Poland, Sweden and the United Kingdom said the parliament picked in February had made important decisions “including the formation of a government.” A majority voted in an emergency session Saturday to make pro-Europe leader Maia Sandu prime minister of a governing coalition of her ACUM alliance and the Socialists.\n\nThe previous government, led by the Democratic Party, has refused to recognize Sandu and make way for a new Cabinet. Both claimed to have the only legal mandate to govern Moldova, though the new government had strong backing from outside.\n\n“In the current constitutional crisis, we see and support the Parliament of Moldova, as the representative of the people of Moldova, and as the best place to discuss all political issues including controversial ones,” the European nations said.\n\nMoldova’s Constitutional Court disrupted the transfer of power Sunday by suspending President Igor Dodon, the Socialists former leader, for refusing to carry out an order to disband parliament himself. The court said a 90-day deadline for forming a new government elapsed Friday.\n\nIt appointed the prime minister in the existing Democratic Party-led government, Pavel Filip, to replace Dodon. Filip immediately disbanded parliament and called a snap election for September. The head of the Democratic Party, Vladimir Plahotniuc, is Moldova’s current de facto leader.\n\nRussia also backed the governing coalition formed by ACUM and the Socialists on Monday.\n\n“We count on the earliest possible normalization of the situation in Chisinau in the interests of all Moldovan citizens and the progressive development of the country.” the Russian Foreign Ministry said. “The only possible way to solve the internal political crisis in Moldova is the dialogue of all responsible political forces in accordance with generally accepted democratic principles.”\n\nNATO and the Council of Europe also have expressed concern about the political developments. Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjorn Jagland asked the council’s Venice Commission of constitutional law experts for its opinion.\n\n“Recent decisions of the Constitutional Court are difficult to understand and seem to be arbitrary in the light of the text of the Constitution and of international rule of law standards,” he said over the weekend. “In a democratic state everybody must respect the Constitution, in case of uncertainty a good objective advice is always needed.”\n\nCopyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.", "CHISINAU, June 9 (Reuters) - A Moldovan court on Sunday relieved Igor Dodon of his duties as president and appointed former prime minister Pavel Filip as interim president, a statement said.\n\nFilip's Democratic Party of Moldova had on Saturday vowed to challenge the legitimacy of a new government formed by the Russian-backed Socialist party and the pro-European Union ACUM bloc. Dodon is a former chief of the Socialist party and backed the formation of the new government.", "CHISINAU (Moldova), June 9 — Moldova’s acting president Pavel Filip today dissolved parliament and called snap elections, as a political crisis rocks the ex-Soviet country.\n\nFilip signed a decree dissolving parliament and calling snap elections for September 6 after the Constitutional Court earlier Sunday suspended pro-Russia president Igor Dodon and named Filip, who is the acting prime minister, as acting president.\n\nFilip told a briefing that Dodon had refused to sign a decree dissolving parliament after the Constitutional Court on Friday judged that the assembly should be dissolved and new elections held.\n\nThe Constitutional Court then this morning suspended Dodon at the request of the parliament’s second biggest force, the Democratic party.\n\nMoldova’s parliament on Saturday had approved a new government combining pro-Russia and pro-European forces in a bid to end a political crisis sparked by February elections.\n\nNo party won a clear majority in the chaotic polls, throwing the country nestled between Ukraine and Romania into political uncertainty. — AFP", "CHISINAU, Moldova (AP) - Five European nations have joined NATO in appealing for \"calm and restraint\" in Moldova, where a court installed an interim president who immediately dissolved parliament and rival governments are fighting for control.\n\nFrance, Germany, Poland, Sweden and the United Kingdom declared support Monday for the Moldovan Parliament, which was elected in February and disbanded a day after lawmakers elected Maia Sandu of the pro-European Union ACUM alliance as prime minister of a new coalition government.\n\nRussia also backed the governing coalition formed by ACUM and the Socialists, but the Democratic Party-led government refuses to recognize it.\n\nMoldova's Constitutional Court disrupted the transfer of power by suspending President Igor Dodon, the Socialists former leader, and appointing outgoing Prime Minister Pavel Filip to replace him. The president has the authority to dissolve parliament and to call a snap election.\n\nFILE - In this Saturday, Feb. 23, 2019 file photo, a man holds a European Union flag as people stand by shoes of Moldovan citizens working abroad are placed on the pavement in Chisinau, Moldova. A Moldovan court has appointed former prime minister Pavel Filip as interim president, a day after a new government was formed following a months-long political stalemate. The Constitutional Court said Sunday, June 9 that Igor Dodon, who supported the new government, was being relieved of his duties for failing to comply with its ruling to dissolve parliament. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda, file)\n\nFILE - In this Friday, Feb. 22, 2019 file photo, Maia Sandu, leader of the ACUM opposition alliance, speaks to people during an electoral meeting in Loganesti, Moldova. A Moldovan court has appointed former prime minister Pavel Filip as interim president, a day after a new government was formed following a months-long political stalemate. The Constitutional Court said Sunday, June 9 that Igor Dodon, who supported the new government, was being relieved of his duties for failing to comply with its ruling to dissolve parliament. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda, File)\n\nFILE - In this Sunday, Feb. 24, 2019 file photo, Moldova's President Igor Dodon exits a voting cabin in Chisinau, Moldova. A Moldovan court has appointed former prime minister Pavel Filip as interim president, a day after a new government was formed following a months-long political stalemate. The Constitutional Court said Sunday, June 9 that Igor Dodon, who supported the new government, was being relieved of his duties for failing to comply with its ruling to dissolve parliament. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda, File)\n\nFILE- In this Saturday, Feb. 23, 2019 file photo, seen through the mesh covering of an electoral advertising point for the Socialits' Party, people walk in Chisinau, a day before the country holds parliamentary elections. A Moldovan court has appointed former prime minister Pavel Filip as interim president, a day after a new government was formed following a months-long political stalemate. The Constitutional Court said Sunday, June 9 that Igor Dodon, who supported the new government, was being relieved of his duties for failing to comply with its ruling to dissolve parliament.(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda, file)\n\nVladimir Plahotniuc, the leader of the Moldova's Democratic party, and the country's de facto leader, clenches his fist gesturing next to interim president Pavel Filip, right, as people hold turkeys before throwing them over the fence of the Modovan presidency building in Chisinau, Moldova, Sunday, June 9, 2019. Moldova's interim president Pavel Filip has dissolved parliament and called for snap elections on Sept. 6 amid a months-long political crisis, announcing his decision shortly after his appointment on Sunday by the Constitutional Court to replace president Igor Dodon.(AP Photo/Roveliu Buga)", "Moldovan acting President Pavel Filip has dissolved parliament and called snap elections for September 6 as the former Soviet country faces a political crisis.\n\nFilip made the announcement on June 9, shortly after the Constitutional Court suspended pro-Russian President Igor Dodon and named Filip, who is the acting prime minister, as acting president.\n\nDodon has been frequently at odds with Filip and his government, which favors closer ties with the EU and the United States.\n\nHundreds of people have taken to streets in the capital, Chisinau, since June 8 to protest against Dodon and to support the Constitutional Court's ruling. The rally is organized by the Democratic Party, led by Vlad Plahotniuc, Moldova's richest person.\n\nFilip's announcement comes a day after parliamentary leaders met in an extraordinary session in the latest attempt to form a government following inconclusive elections in February.\n\nThe Socialist Party and the pro-European right-center ACUM bloc, which together control 61 seats out of 101, convened the June 8 session, at which they signed an agreement on political cooperation and approved a new government.\n\nHowever, the Constitutional Court the same day responded affirmatively to a request by the Democratic Party, which controls 30 mandates, to nullify the proceedings.\n\nRepresentatives of the Democratic Party and the Socialist Party on June 7 failed to reach an agreement on cooperation. A spokesman for the Democratic Party said it would not recognize the decisions of the extraordinary session.\n\nThe rump parliament voted to approve Socialist Party leader Zenaida Greceanii as parliament speaker and voted on other key parliamentary leadership posts.\n\nIn addition, ACUM co-Chairwoman Maia Sandu was approved as prime minister. ACUM co-Chairman Andrei Nastase was named deputy prime minister and interior minister.\n\nVasile Sova, President Igor Dodon's adviser on reintegration, was named deputy prime minister for reintegration. Academic and political analyst Nicolae Popescu was named minister for foreign affairs and European integration.\n\nSandu said her government's program consisted of \"the country's liberation from the oligarchical system,\" \"the restoration of the economy and cooperation with the International Monetary Fund,\" and \"the fight against corruption and poverty.\"\n\nThe Constitutional Court almost immediately issued a statement invalidating the proceedings.\n\n\"The court finds the decision of June 8, 2019, taken by the members of the 10th parliament to elect Zinaida Greceanii to the post of speaker of parliament to be unconstitutional,\" the court's statement said.\n\nThe court also declared all future decisions of the parliament invalid as well.\n\nDodon, the former head of the Socialist Party, attended the extraordinary session to support the last-minute effort to form a government.\n\nThe office of European Union foreign-policy chief Federica Mogherini issued a statement calling for \"calm and restraint,\" adding that \"the European Union expects the Republic of Moldova...to respect the rule of law and guarantee democracy.\"\n\nPeter Michalko, the European Union ambassador to Moldova, posted on Facebook that \"democratically elected representatives should decide the outcome of the political process.\"\n\nUnder Moldovan law, if parliament fails to form a government within three months of the certification of election results, the president can dissolve the legislature and call new elections.\n\nThe February elections were certified on March 9, and analysts have assumed that the deadline for forming a new government was June 9.\n\nHowever, on June 7 the Constitutional Court ruled that the deadline was actually June 7, 90 days after the certification.\n\nIn addition, there is a dispute about whether the president must dissolve parliament. The Constitutional Court ruled that he must, while Dodon argues that the president has the option of allowing continued efforts to form a government.\n\nThe Democratic Party has said they will ask the Supreme Court to rule on the matter.\n\nRomanian President Klaus Iohannis issued a statement urging all political forces in Moldova to respect democracy and the rule of law."], "summary": "The Constitutional Court of Moldova dissolves the national parliament and removes Moldovan President Igor Dodon from office, appointing former prime minister Pavel Filip in his place. Dodon, as well as the Parliament of Moldova defy the move, hence triggering a constitutional crisis."}
{"document": ["Hong Kong (CNN) More than 1 million protesters took to the streets of Hong Kong Sunday, organizers said, to oppose a controversial extradition bill that would enable China to extradite fugitives from the city.\n\nThe mass of protesters would be the largest demonstration since the city was handed back to China in 1997. Civil Human Rights Front, the group that organized the protests, said 1.03 million people marched -- a figure that accounts for almost one in seven of the city's 7.48 million-strong population.\n\nHong Kong Police estimated the number of protesters closer to 240,000.\n\nCritics say the bill will leave anyone on Hong Kong soil vulnerable to being grabbed by the Chinese authorities for political reasons or inadvertent business offenses and undermine the city's semi-autonomous legal system.\n\nThe bill has caused political gridlock, outcry among the city's usually pro-conservative business community, and even physical scuffles in the city's legislature, as well as criticism of the Hong Kong government by the United States and European Union.\n\n-- such as Taiwan, Macau and mainland China. Lawmakers have said the The government says the bill is designed to plug loopholes in current law by allowing Hong Kong to decide on a case-by-case basis whether or not to send fugitives to territories where it doesn't have formal extradition deals-- such as Taiwan, Macau and mainland China. Lawmakers have said the guarantee of a fair trial will not be written into the bill.\n\nProtesters waved placards and wore white -- the designated color of the rally. \"Hong Kong, never give up!\" some chanted.\n\nSunday afternoon, protesters gathered at Victoria Park in central Hong Kong, waving placards and wearing white -- the designated color of the rally. \"Hong Kong, never give up!\" some chanted.\n\nOther protesters were heard chanting \"step down,\" \"shelve the evil law,\" \"anti extradition to China,\" and called for Carrie Lam, the chief executive of Hong Kong, to step down, as the marchers made their way along the 3-kilometer (1.86-mile) route to the Legislative Council in the Admiralty business district.\n\nAt least seven people were arrested, the police posted to Twitter\n\nAt around 7:30 p.m. in Hong Kong (7:30 a.m. ET), five to six men with masks planned to occupy a main road in the city, Hong Kong Police said on Twitter.\n\nPolice said they used pepper spray on the protesters before they escaped the area. Officers urged protesters to disperse.\n\nThe protest was mostly peaceful during the day, but it turned violent overnight, with police trying to clear protesters with batons.\n\nThousands also gathered to protest the extradition bill in cities across Australia on Sunday. Similar marches were planned in other cities around the world, Hong Kong political group Demosisto said in a statement.\n\nAt about 10.30 p.m. (10.30 a.m. ET), organizers announced that the protest had ended. CNN journalists on the ground said the bulk of the protesters had dispersed by then, leaving a number of people milling around the Legislative Council.\n\nLate Sunday, the government of Hong Kong released a statement acknowledging the ongoing protests across the island but reiterating the contested bill is still scheduled to resume debate June 12.\n\n\"We urge the Legislative Council to scrutinize the Bill in a calm, reasonable and respectful manner to help ensure Hong Kong remains a safe city for residents and business,\" it said.\n\nMurder of tourist\n\nThe case for the bill was expedited by a grisly murder case in Taiwan, where a 20-year-old Hong Kong woman was allegedly killed by her boyfriend while on holiday there. Currently, the suspect cannot be sent from Hong Kong to face justice in Taiwan.\n\nIn #HongKong, scores of protesters - including this family - gather in Victoria Park to take part in a march against the proposed #extradition law. pic.twitter.com/Qc61f6REEk — Kristie Lu Stout✌🏽 (@klustout) June 9, 2019\n\nHowever, Taipei has already said it will refuse to cooperate with the new law if it puts Taiwanese citizens at risk of being extradited to China. The self-ruled island has previously seen citizens accused of crimes in countries that do not recognize Taiwan diplomatically being handed to Chinese custody , despite objections of Taipei.\n\nEarlier this week, Chris Patten, the last British governor of Hong Kong, slammed the bill.\n\n\"People have known exactly why there shouldn't be an extradition agreement with China for years,\" Patten said in a video message Thursday. \"The argument that it's better to have an extradition treaty than to abduct people illegally from Hong Kong -- are people really supposed to believe that?\"\n\nProtesters take part in a rally against the proposed extradition law on April 28, 2019, in Hong Kong.\n\nLast month, representatives from the European Union met with Lam, the chief executive, and expressed concern over the bill. Members of the US Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) have also spoken out against the bill, warning Lam it could \"negatively impact the relationship between the United States and Hong Kong.\"\n\nUnwanted and unneeded?\n\nBusiness groups in Hong Kong usually take a neutral stance on contentious political issues. But this time they, too, have spoken out against the bill. In a bid to secure their support, the government has limited the scope of extraditable offenses -- but for some that is still not enough.\n\nThe American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong warned last week there were \"too many uncertainties in fundamental sections of the proposed legislation\" for it to be passed in its current form.\n\n\"Hong Kong is not ready to see this bill passed and we do not see why it should be rushed through when the loophole it seeks to address has existed for 20 years,\" the chamber said in a statement.\n\nA woman holds a poster of Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam, against a proposed extradition law, before a candlelight vigil at Victoria Park in Hong Kong on June 4, 2019.\n\nBut government spokesman Matthew Cheung said the move was time sensitive.\n\n\"The suspect in the Taiwan murder case is serving sentences for other criminal offenses in Hong Kong but is expected to be released this October,\" Cheung said. \"There is thus a pressing need to provide a legal basis for the assistance that we want to render to Taiwan, before the (legislature) goes into summer recess from mid-July to October.\"\n\nCheung did not address Taipei's concerns over the bill. Separately, Lam said it was \"unfounded\" to suggest the Hong Kong government \"will just follow the instructions given by the Central Government and surrender whatever fugitives that the Central Government wants.\"\n\nA US State Department spokesperson said Washington is \"concerned by the Hong Kong government's proposed amendments to its Fugitive Offenders Ordinance, which would allow for individuals to be transferred to mainland China at the request of Communist Party authorities, and is closely monitoring the situation.\"\n\n\"Societies are best served when diverse political views are respected and can be freely expressed,\" the spokesperson said in a statement. \"Continued erosion of the 'One country, Two systems' framework puts at risk Hong Kong's long-established special status in international affairs.\"\n\nFierce opposition\n\nThe extradition bill, particularly an attempt to fast-track it through Hong Kong's semi-democratic Legislature, has reinvigorated the city's flagging opposition movement after numerous setbacks.\n\nOrganizers claimed 130,000 people took part in a protest against the bill in April . While police gave the lower figure of 22,800, it was still the biggest protest since the 2014 Umbrella Movement, an ultimately unsuccessful protest over political reform which shut down parts of the city for months.\n\nPhotos: Massive Hong Kong vigil held 30 years after Tiananmen A candlelight vigil, held in Hong Kong's Victoria Park on Tuesday, remembered the victims of the 1989 massacre in Beijing's Tiananmen Square. Hide Caption 1 of 8 Photos: Massive Hong Kong vigil held 30 years after Tiananmen The annual candlelight vigil has been taking place in Hong Kong's Victoria Park since 1990. The vigil calls for the release of all dissidents, rehabilitation of the 1989 pro-democracy movement, accountability for the massacre, the end of one-party dictatorship and the start of a democratic China. Hide Caption 2 of 8 Photos: Massive Hong Kong vigil held 30 years after Tiananmen For many who lived in Hong Kong in 1989, the massacre quashed their hopes that a rapidly reforming China would also bring democracy to the city. \"Young people in China were demanding democracy,\" Lee Cheuk-yan, one of the organizers, told CNN in 2017. \"We felt that if they made it, it meant Hong Kong would not have to live under an authoritarian regime.\" The massacre forever changed the character of Hong Kong, Lee said. \"In the past we were something of an economic city, but after 1989 we became a political city.\" Hide Caption 3 of 8 Photos: Massive Hong Kong vigil held 30 years after Tiananmen While attendance at the annual vigil has fluctuated — with some, particularly younger people, complaining that the focus on democracy in China ignores more pressing demands for reform in the city — key anniversaries have always brought massive numbers to Victoria Park. According to the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements in China, more than 200,000 people attended a commemoration in 2009, and 180,000 came out in 2014 for the 25th anniversary. Hide Caption 4 of 8 Photos: Massive Hong Kong vigil held 30 years after Tiananmen Tens of thousands filled Victoria Park on Tuesday, ignoring sweltering heat and threatening clouds overhead. Most wore black and almost all held candles overhead. The crowd chanted: \"Demand accountability for the massacre! End one-party dictatorship! Build a democratic China!\" Hide Caption 5 of 8 Photos: Massive Hong Kong vigil held 30 years after Tiananmen Students at the University of Hong Kong clean the \"Pillar of Shame\" statue, a memorial for those killed in the 1989 crackdown. Hide Caption 6 of 8 Photos: Massive Hong Kong vigil held 30 years after Tiananmen Students at the University of Hong Kong observe a minute of silence in front of the \"Pillar of Shame\" statue. Hide Caption 7 of 8 Photos: Massive Hong Kong vigil held 30 years after Tiananmen A Chinese paramilitary police officer stands guard in front of Mao Zedong's portrait on Beijing's Tiananmen Gate on Tuesday. Hide Caption 8 of 8\n\nFears over the bill -- and criticism from a broad swath of Hong Kong society -- echo 2003, when half a million people took to the streets to oppose the passage of an anti-sedition law. That legislation was shelved, but the issue has become such a hot-button topic in Hong Kong that -- despite promising to do so -- no governments since have attempted to introduce it.\n\nSunday's protest comes days after the 30th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre , a pivotal moment that dashed hopes China would democratize before it took control of Hong Kong in 1997.\n\nHong Kong has commemorated the massacre with a candlelit vigil ever since, the only place on Chinese soil where mass remembrances are held. Organizers said more than 180,000 people joined a vigil in the city's Victoria Park on Tuesday , the largest such event since the 25th anniversary in 2014, which came in the politically fraught run-up to the Umbrella protests.\n\nCorrection: A previous version of this story misstated the number of people who participated in protests in Hong Kong on Sunday. The Civil Human Rights Front estimates there were 1.03 million protesters.", "HONG KONG: Hong Kong witnessed its largest protest since the city's 1997 handover to China on Sunday (Jun 9) as hundreds of thousands came out to oppose plans to allow extraditions to the mainland.\n\nThe crowds wanted the city's pro-Beijing leaders to scrap the proposals - but there is little sign of that happening, and the issue has plunged the city into a political crisis.\n\nWhat's the law all about?\n\nThe city's government is pushing a bill through the legislature that would allow extraditions to any jurisdiction with which it does not already have a treaty - including mainland China.\n\nThey say it is needed to plug existing loopholes and prevent the city from becoming a bolthole for fugitives.\n\nREAD: Hong Kong leader says extradition bill will not be scrapped\n\nHong Kong leader Carrie Lam says safeguards are in place to protect the city's free speech, and to ensure political cases will not be affected by the extradition law.\n\nShe also argues that the law meets international standards for human rights, and that only serious crimes that carry sentences above seven years will be considered.\n\nFears centre on getting tangled up in China's opaque and politicised courts - whether it be the city's 7.3 million inhabitants or those just passing through the airport.\n\nA broad cross-section of society has opposed the legislation, including lawyers and influential legal bodies, business figures and chambers of commerce, journalists, activists and western envoys.\n\nThen on Sunday some one million people marched against the bill, according to organisers, in unprecedented scenes.\n\nHong Kong's appointed leaders are increasingly perceived to be doing the bidding of Beijing, and there is little trust in their assurances that the law won't impact the city's prized independent judiciary or its wider freedoms.\n\nJimmy Sham, convenor of the group behind Sunday's protests, said young people felt \"powerless\" in the face of a \"brutal\" government.\n\nYes. But under the 1997 handover agreement with Britain, China has agreed to a 50-year deal where Hong Kong is able to retain key liberties, such as freedom of speech and an independent judiciary.\n\nThe city's courts and rule of law, built around the British legal system, are key to the financial hub's economic success.\n\nThe idea of Hong Kong being a bolthole for fugitives had never been high up the political agenda. But after a Hong Kong man murdered his girlfriend while on holiday in Taiwan and fled back home, local authorities seized on the case to call for an overhaul of the law.\n\nDespite confessing to Hong Kong police, authorities were unable to extradite him because the two territories do not share an agreement.\n\nThe extradition law was born, covering any place Hong Kong doesn't have a specific agreement with - including mainland China for the first time.\n\nBut critics say the Taiwanese case is a Trojan horse to please Beijing.\n\nDOES THE BILL HAVE SUPPORTERS?\n\nCertainly. Outside of Hong Kong's local government, the bill has received public backing from senior party officials in China and state media.\n\nA petition run by a group that supports the bill has collected more than 800,000 signatures, while the Hong Kong government has a comfortable majority of lawmakers who have say they will back the bill.\n\nBut proponents have not managed to get people onto the streets in anything like the numbers seen in Sunday's opposition protest, making it hard to gauge genuine public support.\n\nWHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN NEXT?\n\nThere are no signs of the tension diffusing. On Monday Carrie Lam refused to delay or scrap the extradition bill, and said her administration had already made major concessions to protect human rights.\n\nHong Kong police said they will track down protestors behind violence in the early hours of Monday morning.\n\nBut opponents of the law have also doubled down, announcing plans for fresh protests on Wednesday alongside calls for a city-wide strike.\n\nAnd Beijing has added its own rhetoric to the mix, attacking \"foreign forces\" for trying to disrupt a \"sensible, legitimate\" piece of legislation.", "HONG KONG (AP) - A sea of protesters was marching through central Hong Kong on Sunday in a major demonstration against government-sponsored legislation that would allow people to be extradited to mainland China to face charges.\n\nThe massive protest came three days before Hong Kong's government plans to bring the bill to the full legislature, bypassing the committee process, in a bid to win approval by the end of the month.\n\nHong Kong's leader, Carrie Lam, has pushed forward with the legislation despite widespread criticism from human rights and business groups. Opponents say that China's legal system would not guarantee the same rights to defendants as in semi-autonomous Hong Kong.\n\n\"What can we do to get Carrie Lam to listen to us, how many people have to come out to make her reconsider listening to the public?\" said Miu Wong, a 24-year-old office worker who joined the protest.\n\nHong Kong, a former British colony, was returned to China in 1997 but retained the right to its own social, legal and political systems for 50 years under a \"one country, two systems\" framework.\n\nA policeman, left, stands watch as protesters holding umbrellas and placards take part in a rally against the proposed amendments to the extradition law in Hong Kong Sunday, June 9, 2019. The extradition law has aroused concerns that this legislation would undermine the city's independent judicial system as it allows Hong Kong to hand over fugitives to the jurisdictions that the city doesn't currently have an extradition agreement with, including mainland China, where a fair trial might not be guaranteed. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)\n\nProtesters hold placards as they stage protest against the extradition law in Hong Kong, Sunday, June 9, 2019. The extradition law has aroused concerns that this legislation would undermine the city's independent judicial system as it allows Hong Kong to hand over fugitives to the jurisdictions that the city doesn't currently have an extradition agreement with, including mainland China, where a fair trial might not be guaranteed. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)\n\nProtesters hold placards as they stage protest against the extradition law in Hong Kong, Sunday, June 9, 2019. The extradition law has aroused concerns that this legislation would undermine the city's independent judicial system as it allows Hong Kong to hand over fugitives to the jurisdictions that the city doesn't currently have an extradition agreement with, including mainland China, where a fair trial might not be guaranteed. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)\n\nProtesters hold umbrellas and placards march on a street as they take part in a rally against the extradition law in Hong Kong Sunday, June 9, 2019. The extradition law has aroused concerns that this legislation would undermine the city's independent judicial system as it allows Hong Kong to hand over fugitives to the jurisdictions that the city doesn't currently have an extradition agreement with, including mainland China, where a fair trial might not be guaranteed. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)", "(Reuters) - At least half a million people in Hong Kong are expected to brave sweltering heat on Sunday to press the government to scrap a proposed extradition law that would allow suspects to be sent to China to face trial, organizers of the march said.\n\nAfter weeks of growing local and international pressure, the protest is expected to reflect the broad range of opposition to the bill, with many saying they simply cannot trust China’s court system or its security apparatus.\n\nFor the latest story, see\n\nHere are some quotes from people who joined the early stages of the march:\n\n“I come here to fight,” said a wheelchair bound 78-year-old man, surnamed Lai, who was among the first to arrive at Victoria Park before the start of the march at 3pm.\n\n“It may be useless, no matter how many people are here. We have not enough power to resist as Hong Kong government is supported by the mainland,” said Lai, who suffers from Parkinson’s disease.\n\n“The extradition bill will directly threaten the core values of Hong Kong and rule of law,” said Kelvin Tam, 21, a student at the University of London.\n\n“It will remove the firewall of Hong Kong’s judicial independence. We need to safeguard Hong Kong when our core values are being challenged.”\n\n“This the end game for Hong Kong, it is a matter of life or death. That’s why I come,” said Rocky Chang, a 59-year-old professor. “This is an evil law.”\n\nA Hong Kong government official said: “We continue to listen to a wide cross-section of views and opinions and remain to open to suggestions on ways to improve the new regime.”\n\nShortly before the march started, Jimmy Sham, convener of the organising committee of pro-democratic groups, said the groups wanted the world to see Hong Kong residents in the streets defending the “rule of law, human rights and freedom”.\n\n“Today, Hongkongers have stood up, not just to the Hong Kong government, not just to Beijing, but also to the world, to history,” he said.\n\n“We want to tell Carrie Lam that we don’t want Hong Kong to become a Chinese city,” one man yelled through a loudhailer, referring to Hong Kong’s chief executive.", "Beijing: Over a million people marched through Hong Kong city streets on Sunday evening in a massive protest against a bill that would allow people to be extradited to mainland China.\n\nViolence erupted after midnight, as thousands of students attempted a sit-in outside Hong Kong’s legislative council after the march, but were dispersed by police in riot gear using pepper spray and batons.\n\nThe organiser's estimate of 1.03 million people marching the three kilometres from Victoria Park would make it the biggest protest since the former British colony was returned to China in 1997.\n\nAt handover, China and Britain had agreed Hong Kong would operate under \"One Country, Two Systems\", allowing Hong Kong's limited government control over immigration, borders and a separate legal system.", "\n• Hong Kong residents staged a massive protest on Sunday over a bill that would allow courts to extradite Hong Kong residents in mainland China.\n• Hong Kong is a semiautonomous region of China. Critics of the bill argue Hong Kong residents would be subjected to unfair trials and worse legal protections in the mainland.\n\nHundreds of thousands of residents took to the streets of Hong Kong Sunday in a largely peaceful protest against a bill that would allow residents to be tried in mainland China.\n\nOrganizers told The Wall Street Journal 1 million people showed up, or one in every seven residents. Police say 240,000 people showed up.\n\nCritics of the extradition bill say residents would face China’s less transparent legal system. Beijing had previously allowed Hong Kong to keep its own legal system after the British left the colonized region in 1997.\n\nHere’s the history behind why Hong Kong residents staged a mass protest on Sunday.\n\nHong Kong residents staged a massive protest on Sunday over a bill that would allow courts to extradite Hong Kong residents to mainland China for trial. Protest organizers say 1 million people walked the streets, while the police put the number at 240,000.\n\nThe extradition bill would allow officials to send suspected criminals to mainland China to be tried. Critics of the bill argue Hong Kong residents would be subjected to unfair trials and worse legal protections in the mainland.\n\nHong Kong is a semiautonomous territory in China. The British colonized the area for 150 years. Since handing back the territory to China in 1997, the two governments agreed to allow Hong Kong to retain its own legal systems until 2047.\n\nYet Beijing has tried to undermine Hong Kong’s sovereignty, resulting in various protests over the last decade. Another major protest happened in 2014 during the ‘Umbrella Revolution,’ when residents rallied against mainland plans to pre-screen Hong Kong leaders.\n\nHuman rights groups have expressed concern about China’s use of torture, capital punishment, and arbitrary detention within the legal system.\n\nCritics of the extradition law also call out Hong Kong’s chief executive, Carrie Lam, for a lack of leadership over the unpopular legislation. Lam introduced the bill in February after a Hong Kong resident murdered his girlfriend in Taipei before fleeing back to his home city, and since tweaked the bill after pressure from the opposition.\n\nSome critics from Hong Kong worry China has already begun overstepping on the city’s legal system. A Hong Kong billionaire mysteriously disappeared in January after being into custody in mainland China. A bookseller connected with publications that criticize the communist regime also went missing, before revealing he was taken into Chinese custody.\n\nSource: The New York Times, The New York Times\n\n“I needed to let my voice be heard,” protestor Kitty Wong told the Wall Street Journal. “We need to defend our home for the next generation.”", "Hong Kong witnessed the largest protest since its 1997 handover to China on Sunday as huge crowds massed against plans to allow extraditions to the mainland, a proposal that has plunged the city's pro-Beijing leaders into a crisis.\n\nOrganisers said more than a million people marched in blazing summer heat through the cramped streets of the financial hub's main island in a noisy, colourful demonstration calling on the government to scrap its planned extradition law.\n\nThe demonstration was the biggest the international finance hub has experienced since it was returned to China by Britain — beaten only by a 1.5 million-strong rally during colonial rule in 1989 supporting the Tiananmen protesters.\n\nHong Kong's pro-Beijing leaders are pushing a bill through the legislature that would allow extraditions to any jurisdiction with which it does not already have a treaty — including mainland China.\n\nBut the proposals have sparked an outcry and birthed an opposition that unites a wide cross-section of the city.\n\n“The government cannot ignore these numbers,” protester Peter Chan, 21, told AFP. “If they really choose not to response to our demands we will not rule out more action.”\n\nFor more than six hours on Sunday dense crowds snaked their way through the city chanting “Scrap the evil law!” and “Oppose China extradition!”, the lines of white-dressed demonstrators stretching for miles.\n\n“There are 1,030,000 people at today's march,” an organiser told crowds outside the city's legislature at the march's end, prompting a cacophony of cheers and applause as new arrivals continued to join.\n\nPolice, who historically give much lower figures than organisers, put the peak crowd size at 240,000 -- still their second highest estimate for attendance at a protest since handover.\n\nThe city's population is around 7.3 million and the organiser figure for Sunday's protest outstripped 2003, when an estimated half a million demonstrators forced the government to shelve a deeply unpopular national security law.\n\nBut it is unclear if the financial hub's current leadership will be moved.\n\nThe city's appointed leader Carrie Lam has staked her political reputation on the bill passing.\n\nIgnoring the protests could fuel anger or even a return to the unrest of 2014 when pro-democracy protesters took over key intersections of the city for two months.\n\nOrganisers said Sunday they would “upgrade their actions” if the government did not drop the bill.\n\nBut backtracking by Lam might embolden opponents and anger Beijing. Several senior Communist Party leaders in China have voiced support for the bill.\n\nIn a statement on Sunday evening, the government described the protest as “an example of Hong Kong people exercising their freedom of expression” but did not signal any compromise, urging legislators to continue debating the bill.\n\nOpposition to extradition has come from a wide political and social spectrum.\n\nLawyers, business groups, activists, journalists and western powers have all voiced alarm.\n\nHong Kong's leaders say the law is needed to plug loopholes and stop the city from being a bolthole for mainland fugitives.\n\nThey say dissidents and critics will not be extradited and have urged the bill's quick passage to extradite a Hong Kong man who is wanted in Taiwan for murdering his girlfriend.\n\nBut critics fear the law would entangle people in China's opaque and politicised court system and say the government is using the Taiwan case as a Trojan Horse.\n\nThe proposed law has been fast-tracked through the city's government-dominated legislature and on Wednesday it will receive its second reading, with plans to have the law on the statute books by late July.\n\nIn recent weeks Lam's administration has made some key concessions.\n\nThey have removed nine economic crimes from a list of extraditable offences and said only offences that carry seven years or more in jail will be considered, up from three. Requests will only be considered from China's top prosecuting authority.\n\nThose steps have received a cautious welcome from some business groups, but others have seized on the concessions as a tacit admission that China's courts are not impartial.\n\nMany protesters on Sunday said they no longer trust the Hong Kong government to stick to promises that critics would never be sent to the mainland.\n\nSuspicion of China was worsened by a series of high profile disappearances of people who later appeared in mainland detention, including a group of dissident publishers and a billionaire who disappeared from a top hotel.\n\nProtester Leo Yuen, who said he worked in the arts sector, described the disappearances as “horrifying”. “You can forsee how easily this would happen again if the bill is passed,” he told AFP.", "(Reuters) - At least half a million people in Hong Kong are expected to brave sweltering heat on Sunday to press the government to scrap a proposed extradition law that would allow suspects to be sent to China to face trial, organizers of the march said.\n\nAfter weeks of growing local and international pressure, the protest is expected to reflect the broad range of opposition to the bill, with many saying they simply cannot trust China’s court system or its security apparatus.\n\nFor the latest story, see\n\nHere are some quotes from people planning to join the march:\n\n“I come here to fight,” said a wheelchair bound 78-year-old man, surnamed Lai, who was among the first to arrive at Victoria Park before the start of the march at 3pm.\n\n“It may be useless, no matter how many people are here. We have no enough power to resist as Hong Kong government is supported by the mainland,” said Lai, who suffers from Parkinson’s disease.\n\n“The extradition bill will directly threaten the core values of Hong Kong and rule of law,” said Kelvin Tam, 21, a student at the University of London.\n\n“It will remove the firewall of Hong Kong’s judicial independence. We need to safeguard Hong Kong when our core values are being challenged.”\n\n“This the end game for Hong Kong, it is a matter of life or death. That’s why I come,” said Rocky Chang, a 59-year-old professor. “This is an evil law.”\n\nA Hong Kong government official said: “We continue to listen to a wide cross-section of views and opinions and remain to open to suggestions on ways to improve the new regime", "Hong Kong has been rocked by protests as hundreds of thousands of people demonstrated at the weekend against legal changes that would make it easier to extradite people to China from the semi-autonomous city. This is what the amended extradition law would do, and why it is so controversial.\n\nWhat is the proposed extradition law?\n\nHong Kong’s amended extradition law would allow the extradition of suspects to mainland China for the first time. Supporters say the amendments are key to ensuring the city does not become a criminal refuge, but critics worry Beijing will use the law to extradite political opponents and others to China where their legal protections cannot be guaranteed.\n\nAuthorities say the push to change the law, which would also apply to Taiwan and Macau, stems from the killing last year of a Hong Kong woman while she was in Taiwan with her boyfriend. Authorities in Taiwan suspect the woman’s boyfriend, who remains in Hong Kong, but cannot try him because no extradition agreement is in place.\n\nUnder the amended law, those accused of offences punishable by seven years or more in prison could be extradited. The new legislation would give Hong Kong’s leader, known as the chief executive, authority to approve extradition requests, after review by the courts. Hong Kong’s legislature, the legislative council, would not have any oversight over the extradition process.\n\nWhy are Hong Kongers so angry about the bill?\n\nMany Hong Kongers fear the proposed extradition law will be used by authorities to target political enemies. They worry the new legislation spells the end of the “one country, two systems” policy, eroding the civil rights enjoyed by Hong Kong residents since the handover of sovereignty from the UK to China in 1997.\n\nMany attending the protests on Sunday said they could not trust China as it had often used non-political crimes to target government critics, and said they also feared Hong Kong officials would not be able to reject Beijing’s requests.\n\nLegal professionals have also expressed concern over the rights of those sent across the border to be tried. The conviction rate in Chinese courts is as high as 99%. Arbitrary detentions, torture and denial of legal representation of one’s choosing are also common.\n\nWhat do the bill’s supporters say?\n\nSupporters say the legislation is necessary to plug a “loophole” in the current law and protect Hong Kong from becoming a “haven for international fugitives”. Officials have promised to safeguard against abuses, pledging that no one at risk of political or religious persecution will be sent to the mainland and stressing the role of local judges as “gatekeepers” for extradition requests. Suspects who could face the death penalty would not be extradited.\n\nHow much is Beijing pushing for it?\n\nHong Kong officials have repeatedly said the bill has not come from the central government in Beijing. However, Beijing has voiced its backing for the changes. China’s foreign ministry said in a statement on Monday that it “firmly supports” the Hong Kong government in passing the law.\n\nIn an editorial on Monday, the state-owned China Daily said: “Any fair-minded person would deem the amendment bill a legitimate, sensible and reasonable piece of legislation that would strengthen Hong Kong’s rule of law and deliver justice.”\n\nWhat are the wider fears about Beijing’s influence on Hong Kong?\n\nMany in the protests on Sunday said they felt overwhelmed by a sense of helplessness in the face of mainland China’s increasing political, economic and cultural influence in Hong Kong. Hong Kong’s top political leader is not elected by ordinary voters but by a 1,200-strong election committee accountable to Beijing. Half of its legislature are chosen through indirect electoral systems that favour pro-Beijing figures.\n\nMany Hong Kongers also cited the jailing of leaders and activists from the 2014 Occupy Central movement– a 79-day mass civil disobedience movement – as well as the disqualification of young localist lawmakers as signs of the erosion of civil freedoms.\n\nResentment towards China has been intensified by soaring property prices – with increasing numbers of mainland Chinese buying properties in the city – as well as the government’s “patriotic education” drive, and the large numbers of mainland tourists who flock to Hong Kong.\n\nMany Hong Kongers are also concerned about China’s growing control over the city’s news media, as they increasingly self-censor and follow Beijing’s tacit orders.\n\nWhat happens next?\n\nThe chief executive, Carrie Lam, said on Monday she was determined to pass the extradition bill. She promised to further improve it, but members of the public appear unconvinced.\n\nActivist groups are calling for strikes, a boycott of classes and protests on Wednesday, when the bill’s second reading will resume.", "HONG KONG — Hundreds of thousands of protesters marched through Hong Kong on Sunday to voice their opposition to legislation that would allow people to be extradited to mainland China where they could face politically charged trials.\n\nThe massive demonstration took place three days before the semi-autonomous Chinese territory's government plans to bring the highly contentious bill to the full legislature in a bid to win approval by the end of the month.\n\nPolice estimated the crowd at 240,000, but organizers said more than 1 million took part.\n\nThe protest was one of the largest in recent Hong Kong history, underscoring fears over China's broadening footprint in the former British colony. It appeared to be even bigger than a massive pro-democracy demonstration in 2003 against a proposed national security law, according to Associated Press journalists who covered both events.\n\nLate Sunday night, a group of demonstrators broke through barriers at government headquarters, where the march had ended. The crowd briefly pushed its way into the lobby, but police in riot gear used batons and pepper spray to push the protesters outside. Most had dispersed by 1 a.m., but police continued pushing protesters away for kilometers over a period of two to three hours.\n\nThere was still a strong police presence on streets throughout downtown Hong Kong as of 3 a.m. Monday.\n\nA small group of protesters sat with hands tied on the side of Gloucester Road, surrounded by police.\n\nPeople of all ages took part in the march, some pushing strollers and others carrying canes, chanting slogans in the native Cantonese dialect in favor of greater transparency in government.\n\nKiwi Wong, 27, was among the throng, a member of the younger generation who've grown up enjoying relative prosperity but also growing insecurity about what many see as an erosion of the rights Hong Kong residents have enjoyed.\n\n\"If I didn't come out now, I don't know when I would have the chance to express my opinion again,\" Wong said. \"Because now we've got to this stage, if you don't come out to try to do what you can, then it will end up too late, you won't be able to say or do anything about it.\"\n\nAlex Ng, a 67-year-old retiree, said he joined the protest because \"I think that there was never any public consultation about this law, and there are a lot of uncertainties.\"\n\nHong Kong's leader, Carrie Lam, has pushed forward with the legislation despite widespread criticism from human rights and business groups. The amendments have been criticized as eroding Hong Kong's judicial independence by making it easier to send criminal suspects to mainland China, where they could face vague national security charges and unfair trials.\n\n\"What can we do to get Carrie Lam to listen to us, how many people have to come out to make her reconsider listening to the public?\" said Miu Wong, a 24-year-old office worker who was among the protesters.\n\nTommy Lam, a 29-year-old who is working on his master's degree, said: \"All these people coming out and marching sends a definite message. If the government doesn't listen, there will be tension.\"\n\nThe Hong Kong government said in a statement late Sunday that it respected the right of its opponents to protest.\n\n\"We acknowledge and respect that people have different views on a wide range of issues,\" the statement said. \"The procession today is an example of Hong Kong people exercising their freedom of expression within their rights as enshrined in the Basic Law and the Hong Kong Bill of Rights Ordinance.\"\n\nHong Kong was guaranteed the right to retain its own social, legal and political systems for 50 years following its handover from British to Chinese rule in 1997, the so-called \"one country, two systems\" framework. However, China's ruling Communist Party has been seen as increasingly reneging on that agreement by forcing through unpopular legal changes.\n\nHong Kong currently limits extraditions to jurisdictions with which it has existing extradition agreements or to others on an individual basis under a law passed before 1997.\n\nChina was excluded because of concerns over its poor record on legal independence and human rights. In recent years, mainland authorities have gone after opponents by accusing them of dubious crimes such as tax evasion, crystalizing worries among critics and others.\n\nLam's government argued that the revisions were needed to close legal loopholes, while opponents say that is merely an excuse to pursue China's agenda of reducing Hong Kong's legal independence.\n\nHong Kong's Legislative Council will table the amendments on the bill on Wednesday.\n\n\"The people of Hong Kong want to protect our freedom, our freedom of speech, our rule of law, our judicial system, and also our economic foundation, which is welcome to international investors,\" activist Lee Cheuk-yan, a former Hong Kong legislator, said Sunday. \"If international investors lose confidence in Hong Kong because of this evil bill, then Hong Kong, economically, would also be destroyed.\""], "summary": "Over 1 million people gather in the streets of Hong Kong to protest a new controversial law which would allow the city to extradite fugitives to China."}
{"document": ["When news emerged this week that the Federal Police had arrested four people accused of hacking the Telegram accounts of various Brazilian officials and providing some of that content to The Intercept, many of our readers asked: What effect will this have on the reporting that we have done and are continuing to do on this secret archive?\n\nThe answer, in one word: None.\n\nThe public interest in reporting this material has been obvious from the start. These documents revealed serious, systematic, and sustained improprieties and possible illegality by Brazil’s current Minister of Justice and Public Security Sergio Moro while he was a judge, as well as by the chief prosecutor of the Car Wash investigation, Deltan Dallagnol, and other members of that investigative task force. It was the Car Wash task force, which Moro presided over as a judge, that was responsible for prosecuting ex-President Lula da Silva and removing him from the 2018 election, paving the way for the far-right Jair Bolsonaro to become president. The corruption exposed by our reporting was so serious, and so consequential, that even many of Moro’s most loyal supporters abandoned him and called for his resignation within a week of the publication of our initial stories.\n\nAs the revelations of corruption by Moro and Dallagnol grew — reported both by us and our journalistic partners in Brazil — those officials resorted to the tactics used by government officials everywhere when their improprieties are revealed in the press: They tried to distract attention away from their own misconduct by fixating on the actions of the source as well as the journalists who revealed their wrongdoing.\n\nThat is what Sergio Moro, exploiting his position as Bolsonaro’s minister of justice and public security, has been attempting to do for weeks. He and his defenders in Bolsonaro’s party constantly speak about the alleged crimes committed by our source and imply that the reporters and editors at The Intercept and other media outlets working with us are criminals and “accomplices” for the role we have played in exposing their corruption. Moro consistently refers to The Intercept’s reporters as “the allies of the hackers.”\n\nAnd on July 27, Bolsonaro directly weighed in, with the scurrilous charge that Glenn Greenwald got married and adopted children in order to avoid deportation (his marriage occurred 14 years ago), and threatened Greenwald with imprisonment with the line, “He may take a cane here in Brazil.”\n\nBut despite their aggressive efforts, Moro and his defenders have been unable to obtain any evidence to support their insinuations that The Intercept did anything in this matter other than exercise our right to practice journalism, which is guaranteed and protected by the Brazilian Constitution.\n\nAt the end of last week, after Brazil’s Federal Police had announced the arrests, they released what they called the “confession” of the person they claim is the principal hacker who provided us with this material, Walter Delgatti Neto. After being interrogated for hours and allegedly “confessing” to the hacking, Delgatti Neto said in his official police statement that:\n\nhe never spoke to any Intercept reporter until he had already completed his hacking;\n\nhe never requested or received any payment from The Intercept (or any other party) for providing the documents;\n\nhe only spoke to The Intercept anonymously;\n\nhe never altered any of the chats he provided to us and does not believe that it would be technically possible to have altered the chats given how he downloaded them from Telegram; and\n\nhis claimed motive for obtaining and leaking these documents was inspired by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden: to improve his country by exposing hidden corruption that the public had the right to know.\n\nBecause we have not only the right but the duty — under both the Constitution in Brazil and the code of ethics that governs our profession — to protect our sources, we have not and will not comment on the individuals accused by the Federal Police of having hacked into Telegram accounts and then providing information to our journalists.\n\nBut what we can confirm is that, as we have said emphatically from the beginning, the work we have done is classic public interest journalism: receiving authentic information that reveals serious wrongdoing by the country’s most powerful officials and then carefully and responsibly reporting it. Even the Federal Police’s account of what their suspect says aligns with what we have said from the start about our role.\n\nWhen we published our first series of exposes on June 9, we included an editorial explaining the journalistic principles that guided our reporting of the archive and what our role was in obtaining it. We wrote:\n\nUntil now, the Car Wash prosecutors and Moro have carried out their work largely in secret, preventing the public from evaluating the validity of the accusations against them and the truth of their denials. That’s what makes this new archive so journalistically valuable: For the first time, the public will learn what these judges and prosecutors were saying and doing when they thought nobody was listening. … The Intercept’s only role in obtaining these materials was to receive them from our source, who contacted us many weeks ago (long before the recently alleged hacking of Moro’s telephone) and informed us that they had already obtained the full set of materials and was eager to provide them to journalists.\n\nWhen we received the archive, we asked ourselves two questions, the same two key questions journalists around the world ask when embarking on a story: 1) Can we determine that this material is authentic? and 2) Is it in the public interest to report it?\n\nIf the answer to those two questions is “yes” — as it was in this case — then we have not only the right but the duty to inform the public about it. That is what we have been doing since June 9 and will continue to do until all of the material in the public interest is reported. This is also why we opened our newsroom and archive to Brazilian journalistic partners, including the major newspaper Folha, the news magazine Veja, and others.\n\nWe were able to authenticate this material using the same methods that at least six other journalistic outlets used to authenticate it, many of which were the same methods used to authenticate the Snowden archive before reporting on it. They include comparing the contents to nonpublic material to determine that it was genuine; consulting with sources whose nonpublic knowledge aligned with its contents; and confirming with legal specialists that the highly intricate, nonpublic legal material could have been created only by someone with in-depth, inside knowledge of the Car Wash investigations. We were also able to see in the chats the prosecutors’ past conversations with our own reporters, and we found that they were authentic. The other journalists who had access to the material did the same check and came to the same conclusion: The chats are real.\n\nIf history is any indication, the attempt by Moro and his defenders to encourage the public to fixate on the actions of the alleged source rather than the content of our journalistic revelations about his misconduct will fail spectacularly. Much of the most important journalism of the last several decades was made possible by sources who illegally obtained vital information and furnished it to journalists. What history remembers is what the reporting revealed, not the actions of the sources who helped reveal it.\n\nIn 1971, a former Pentagon official Daniel Ellsberg stole tens of thousands of pages of top-secret documents proving that the U.S. government was lying to the American people about the Vietnam War. He gave those stolen documents to the New York Times and then to the Washington Post, both of which reported them. What people remember are the lies revealed by those stolen documents. To the extent Ellsberg is discussed, he is widely regarded as a hero for enabling this official deceit to be exposed by journalists.", "The Intercept has released documents showing that prosecutors, and even the presiding judge, in the case against former president Lula da Silva conspired to railroad him and his party’s chances in the presidential election.\n\nThe Intercept published three exposés, Sunday, showing political motivation by members of a taskforce of prosecutors in charge of, and even the judge presiding over, one of the biggest corruption scandals in Brazil’s history. Known as ‘Operation Car Wash’, the scandal has implicated scores of politicians in Brazil and the wider Latin American region from across the political spectrum.\n\n\n\nThe most high profile conviction so far has been Brazil’s popular former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, widely known simply as “Lula.” Da Silva was elected president of the South American nation twice, in 2002 and 2006, by large margins and left office with approval ratings of over 80 percent. He was planning to run in the 2018 elections and was favorite to win before his campaign was railroaded by his court case and subsequent conviction in August of that year. With da Silva out of the race, a right-wing candidate Jair Bolsonaro, a former army captain and member of the Brazilian parliament, defeated the relatively unknown former Sao Paulo mayor, Fernando Haddad, who ran as the replacement candidate for da Silva’s Workers’ Party (PT in its Portuguese initials). PT is a center-left social democratic party with a large base of support amongst the country’s poor and working class.\n\nAccording to the Intercept, the leaked communications are made up of “private chats, audio recordings, videos, photos, court proceedings, and other documentation.” The Intercept’s co-founding editor Glenn Greenwald, along with reporters Leandro Demori and Betsy Reed, say that they demonstrate beyond doubt the flagrant political motivation of the case’s prosecutors and the then-presiding judge Sergio Moro. According to the authors, the documents show “serious wrongdoing, unethical behavior, and systematic deceit about which the public, both in Brazil and internationally, has the right to know.”\n\nMost damning for the Bolsonaro government is the inclusion of Moro in some of the leaks, who the president appointed to a powerful position within his cabinet following his election victory – dubbed “a super justice minister” in the Brazilian press. The appointment was widely seen as confirming suspicions that Moro was far from politically neutral. His actions during the trial, such as tapping phones and intimidating defense attorneys, has been dubbed “lawfare,” with one UK-based human rights lawyer likening his behavior to the Catholic Inquisition. Moro consistently denied the allegations, instead presenting himself as a public servant engaged in a noble campaign against corruption.\n\nBut according to the Intercept, several of the documents show direct collusion between Moro and lead prosecutor Deltan Dallagnol. For example, shortly after Dallagnol initiated the corruption case against da Silva, he privately messaged Moro to discuss how they would conspire to present him as the “maximum leader” of Operation Car Wash. Dallagnol was open about the lack of material evidence against da Silva throughout the discussions and stressed the need for the trial to take place in the Curitiba province where Moro has jurisdiction.\n\nAlso of particular interest is the contents of a group chat held between the prosecutors and Moro on the cell phone app Telegram. In the chat, they discuss how they wish to damage the PT’s chances in the 2018 Brazilian presidential elections even after da Silva had been disqualified. For example, they spoke about how to use a court mechanism to block a newspaper from interviewing him from within prison.\n\nAfter publication, the prosecutors issued a press release in which they did not deny the veracity of the leaks, but rather alleged that they had been illegally obtained. A statement made by Sergio Moro also did not directly contradict the claims but rather accused the publication of “sensationalism” and taking the information “out of context.” The articles also precipitated some vicious back-and-forth attacks between Greenwald and President Bolsonaro's son Eduardo. Bolsonaro posted a tweet attacking Greenwald as a “voice for Snowden” and “dumping” US classified information through Wikileaks. Greenwald responded by pointing out that Bolsonaro was simply using irrelevant “little attacks to distract” from the matter at hand.\n\nThink your friends would be interested? Share this story!", "A demonstrator carries a sign with the image of former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva reading '...\n\nRIO DE JANEIRO: Brazil's justice minister and prosecutors collaborated to convict left-wing icon Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on corruption charges to prevent him from contesting the 2018 election, an investigative news outlet reported Sunday.Citing leaked documents, The Intercept website co-founded by Glenn Greenwald said an anonymous source had provided material, including private chats, audio recordings, videos and photos, that show \"serious wrongdoing, unethical behavior, and systematic deceit.\"Among the explosive claims, The Intercept said prosecutors in a massive, yearslong anti-corruption probe known as \"Car Wash\" had expressed \"serious doubts whether there was sufficient evidence to establish (former president) Lula's guilt.\"Justice Minister Sergio Moro was the anticorruption judge who handed Lula his first conviction in 2017, which prevented him from running in a presidential election he was widely expected to win.President Jair Bolsonaro , who said during his campaign that he hoped Lula would \"rot in prison,\" later made Moro part of his cabinet.Greenwald, who was part of the team that first interviewed Edward Snowden in 2013, said on Twitter the leak was \"one of the largest & most important in years.\"This is \"just the very beginning of what we intend to reveal from this massive archive about him (Moro) & the prosecutors with whom he unethically worked,\" Greenwald tweeted.The documents could not be verified by AFP.The claims come at a bad time for Bolsonaro who is already facing mounting opposition less than six months into his term, as Latin America's biggest economy teeters on the edge of recession and his signature pension reform remains stuck in a hostile Congress.In response to The Intercept reports, Moro defended his actions as judge in the ongoing Car Wash probe and said the material obtained through the \"criminal invasion of prosecutors' cell phones\" had been \"taken out of context.\"\"Careful reading reveals that there is nothing there despite the sensational material,\" Moro said on Twitter.The Car Wash task force confirmed its investigators had been hacked, but said it did not know the extent of the breach.Lula, who led Brazil through a historic boom from 2003 to 2010, has denied all the corruption charges against him, arguing they were politically motivated to prevent him from competing in the elections.He is serving a reduced jail term of eight years and 10 months after being convicted of accepting a seaside apartment as a bribe for helping the OAS construction company get lucrative deals with state oil firm Petrobras.While behind bars, Lula's Workers' Party (PT) registered him as their presidential candidate in August 2018 -- two months before the election. An electoral court barred him two weeks later.A second conviction was handed down in February for which he was sentenced to almost 13 years.Fernando Haddad, the PT's election candidate who lost to Bolsonaro, said on Twitter \"we could be facing the biggest institutional scandal in the history of the republic.\"\"The truth will prevail\" was posted on Lula's Twitter account above a link to The Intercept stories.Days before filing the indictment that put Lula in jail, group chats involving prosecutors in the case show chief prosecutor Deltan Dallagnol \"expressed his increasing doubts over two key elements of the prosecution's case: whether the triplex was in fact Lula's and whether it had anything to do with Petrobras.\"The leaked material also shows \"Car Wash prosecutors spoke openly of their desire to prevent the PT from winning the election and took steps to carry out that agenda,\" The Intercept said.\"Moro secretly and unethically collaborated with the Car Wash prosecutors to help design the case against Lula ... only for him to then pretend to be its neutral adjudicator.\"", "Brazil has been rocked by allegations that a prominent judge repeatedly collaborated with prosecutors during high-profile corruption investigations – including the controversial case that imprisoned former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.\n\nAccording to the Intercept, Sérgio Moro gave prosecutors strategic advice, criticism and tips during the sprawling graft investigation known as Operation Car Wash that jailed hundreds of executives, politicians and middlemen.\n\nProsecutors also allegedly discussed strategies to block a newspaper’s attempts to interview Lula during last year’s election campaign, according to the Intercept, which published cellphone chats it said it had received from an anonymous source.\n\nOpinion polls had indicated that Lula was likely to win the 2018 presidential poll until he was imprisoned and forced out of the race. His last-minute replacement, Fernando Haddad was beaten by the far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro – who then appointed Moro as justice minister.\n\nLula has been imprisoned since April 2018. He was handed a nine-year prison sentence in 2017 by Moro, who ruled that he received bribes from a construction company in the shape of a seaside apartment renovated for him.\n\nOn Sunday, the Intercept published excerpts from what it described as an “enormous trove” of group chats on the encrypted phone app Telegram, along with audio, video and other documentation.\n\nExcerpts of conversations between prosecutors on the Telegram cellphone app appear to show Deltan Dallagnol, the lead prosecutor in the Car Wash investigation, expressing doubts over the strength of the case against Lula in September 2016, four days before filing the indictment.\n\n“It is like stopping the other team from playing. It is like they decided to play the ball alone,” said Carlos Melo, a professor of political science at the São Paulo business school Insper. “A basic principle of law is that those who accuse do not judge.”\n\nOther messages appeared to show that during the election campaign, prosecutors schemed against a decision by a supreme court judge to allow Brazil’s Folha de S Paulo newspaper to interview Lula in jail because it could help his Workers’ party’s electoral chances.\n\n“The judge’s relationship with prosecutors is scandalous,” said the Intercept Brasil’s executive editor, Leandro Demori. “This is illegal under Brazilian law.”\n\nIn a statement on Sunday night, Moro said the disclosures “did not show any abnormality” and that they “ignored the giant corruption scheme revealed by Operation Car Wash”.\n\nThe minister also complained about the “criminal invasion” of prosecutors’ phones.\n\nDamori declined to discuss how the site had obtained the material, other than to say that it came from an anonymous source. He said the archive was bigger than that revealed by the NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden to the Rio-based journalist Glenn Greenwald – who later set up the Intercept and co-wrote Sunday’s articles.\n\nPresident Bolsonaro has yet to comment but his son Carlos shared a tweet noting that Greenwald’s husband is congressman David Miranda from the leftist Socialism and Freedom party.\n\nProsecutors said in a statement they had been subject to a “criminal act” by a hacker which had compromised their safety with “the objective of impeding the continuity of the operation”. “Many conversations, without due context, can give way to misinterpretations,” they said.", "SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Brazilian Justice Minister Sergio Moro and federal prosecutors scrambled to recover on Monday after the website The Intercept published reports based on what it said were leaked messages from a corruption probe.\n\nThe Intercept said it was only beginning to report on an \"enormous trove\" of leaked messages between Moro and prosecutors on Telegram, an encrypted messaging platform, that it had received from an anonymous source.\n\nIt said the messages raise serious questions about the impartiality of Moro, a former judge who sent ex-president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to prison.\n\nThe excerpts, released on Sunday, included exchanges in which Moro gave prosecutors guidance on the focus, pace and sequence of investigations.\n\nAttorneys for Lula, a leftist icon who remains one of the most influential opposition figures in Brazil, have been petitioning the Supreme Court for his release and seized on the reports to argue that his sentence should be overturned.\n\nMoro, speaking at an event in Brasilia on Monday, argued that the messages published so far showed no improper conduct on his part.\n\nThe team of federal prosecutors cited in the messages said they had acted properly throughout the five-year investigation known as \"Car Wash,\" which revealed billions of dollars of political bribery. They said in written statements that they had been targeted by a hacker, adding that they were concerned about messages being taken out of context and possibly forged.\n\nMoro, who left his role as the most prominent judge in the Car Wash probe to become justice minister in January, also criticized The Intercept for not naming \"the person responsible for the criminal invasion of the prosecutors' cell phones.\"\n\n\"Regarding the content of the messages citing me, there is no sign of any abnormality or directing of actions as a magistrate, despite them being taken out of context,\" he said in a statement.\n\nThe Intercept did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for reaction to Moro's comment.\n\nMoro's conviction of Lula was the highest-profile verdict in the ongoing Car Wash probe, which has led to the imprisonment of scores of powerful politicians and businessman in Brazil and elsewhere in Latin America, reshaping the region's political landscape.\n\nLula, who faces at least six other trials on corruption charges, ran for president last year, but was blocked from appearing on the ballot because of his conviction by Moro, which was upheld on appeal. Lula led opinion polls heading into the election, which was won by far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro.\n\nSome excerpted conversations published by The Intercept showed prosecutors discussing how to block journalists from interviewing Lula in jail during the presidential campaign. One of the prosecutors suggested that such an interview could help Lula's stand-in on the Workers Party ticket.\n\nIn a written statement, Lula's legal team said the leak proved what they have argued in court: That Moro and federal prosecutors teamed up to ensure that their client would be quickly found guilty and blocked from last year's election.\n\nMoro and the prosecutors have denied any illegal collaboration or political motives.\n\nThe Intercept said it had secured the archive of texts, audio and video outside of Brazil so \"numerous journalists have access to it\" and no one country can block use of the material.\n\nThe website was co-founded by Brazil-based journalist Glenn Greenwald, who won a Pulitzer Prize in 2014 for his reporting on the U.S. National Security Agency's vast spying program.", "The documents were released in a three-part series where according to The Intercept, it is proven, based on leaked documents and Telegram messages between prosecutors and Moro that Lula was politically tried without real evidence.\n\nOn Sunday, Glenn Greenwald’s The Intercept Brazil published an extensive and hard-hitting expose on the alleged political motivations behind Operation Car Wash (Lava Jato) task force against former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and the Worker’s Party (PT), as well as the unethical involvement of current Minister of Justice, Sergio Moro.\n\nThe documents were released in a three-part series where according to The Intercept, it is proven, based on leaked documents and Telegram messages between prosecutors and Moro the “apolitical” and “unbiased” team spent hours internally plotting how to prevent the return to power by Lula and his Workers’ Party.\n\n“These stories are based on a massive archive of previously undisclosed materials — including private chats, audio recordings, videos, photos, court proceedings, and other documentation — provided to us by an anonymous source. They reveal serious wrongdoing, unethical behavior, and systematic deceit about which the public, both in Brazil and internationally, has the right to know,” the journalists stated.\n\nOn the first article, The Intercept argues with evidence, that despite being portrayed in Brazil and around the world as apolitical and concerned solely with fighting corruption, the Car Wash prosecutors “plotted to prevent the Workers’ Party (PT) from winning the 2018 presidential election by blocking or weakening a pre-election interview.”\n\nOn Sept. 28, 2018, after Supreme Court Justice Ricardo Lewandowski authorized that the then jailed Lula could give interviews as part of free speech rights, one of the prosecutors, Laura Tessler, warned in the chat room that “a press conference before the second round of voting could help elect Haddad,” referring to PT’s presidential candidate Fernando Haddad.\n\nWhile the chief of the prosecutor task force, Deltan Dallagnol, said that they should “pray” so that the PT doesn’t return to power. In a series of ongoing conversations, the prosecutors, including Dallagnol, actively strategized on how to undermine the possible effect of the interviews or how to even stop them from happening.\n\nThings take on a more complicated turn on the second article, in which The Intercept accuses current Minister of Justice, and then-presiding judge Sergio Moro offered strategic advice to prosecutors, passed on tips for new avenues of investigation, and weighed in on the trial in secrecy and outside the courtroom.\n\n“Over the course of more than two years, Moro suggested to the prosecutor that his team change the sequence of who they would investigate; insisted on less downtime between raids; gave strategic advice and informal tips; provided the prosecutors with advance knowledge of his decisions; offered constructive criticism of prosecutorial filings; and even scolded Dallagnol as if the prosecutor worked for the judge,” the report reads.\n\nThese sort of conduct, if true, is unethical for a judge, who is responsible for maintaining neutrality to guarantee a fair trial, and it violates the Judiciary’s Code of Ethics for Brazil. Yet these are not new accusations, as Lula’s defense teams have stated Moro’s questionable involvement since the begin of the probe.\n\n\"Judge Moro made his bias and political motivation clear from the beginning to the end of the process,\" Lula's legal defense team said back in July 2017, adding that “his judgment has shamed Brazil by ignoring overwhelming evidence of innocence and succumbing to political bias whilst overseeing continual breaches of basic human rights and the legal process.”\n\nMoro ruled against Lula and rendered him ineligible to run in the 2018 presidential election at a time when all polls showed that the former president was the clear frontrunner. This gave far-right Jair Bolsonaro a strong lead that resulted in his presidency win.\n\nBolsonaro then, according to many, “rewarded” Moro by creating an unprecedented powerful position now called the “super justice minister”, which has complete control over all the judicial branch, policing and social control in Brazilian society.\n\nFinally, the report concludes with the fact that while publicly boasting about the strength of the evidence against Lula, internally the Car Wash task force doubted on the lack of hard evidence and the case built against the former president.\n\n“They will say that we are accusing based on newspaper articles and fragile evidence … so it’d be good if this item is wrapped up tight. Apart from this item, so far I am apprehensive about the connection between Petrobras and enrichment, and after they told me I am apprehensive about the apartment story,” wrote Dallagnol in a group Telegram chat with his colleagues on September 9, 2016, four days before filing their indictment against Lula.\n\nLula’s trial was built on the accusation that he received about US$1.15 million in bribes. According to the Attorney General's Office, the amount would have been passed on through an luxury apartment and a payment for the storage of the company's assets between 2011 and 2016, as gifts received when he was president.\n\nValeska Texeira Zanin Martin, a lead lawyer in Lula's defense team, said evidence \"definitely proves that Lula could not have been given a bribe.\" The lawyer argued that bank and real estate records proved Lula's innocence.\n\nThe three-story beach apartment couldn't have been given to Lula as a bribe, as prosecutors alleged because it is registered in the name of the company OAS with financial rights in a federal bank account. Zanin Martin said that if the company sold the apartment, the money trail would have to appear in the federal bank transactions, where records prove that Lula did not acquire the property.\n\nYet as ‘proof’ in an internationally mocked and criticized trial, Moro presented a PowerPoint slide filled with typos that had Lula’s name in the middle and alleged crimes circled and pointing to his name. No documentation or hard evidence was ever produced against the PT’s leader.\n\nOn Sunday night, Justice Minister Moro responded to the Intercept investigation saying that he \"laments the lack of indication of the source\", yet does not deny any accusation. Moreover, Moro defends that \"there is no sign of any abnormality or providing directions as a magistrate, despite being taken out of context...\" Meanwhile, the Car Wash task force did not refute the authenticity of the information published by The Intercept.", "Seven months ago, DER SPIEGEL correspondent Jens Glüsing asked the Brazilian Supreme Court for permission to conduct an interview with the country's former president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who has been in prison for over a year. Until April, all interview requests had been rejected, but permission was then unexpectedly granted. Glüsing was allowed to speak to Lula for 60 minutes in a windowless conference room at police headquarters in the city of Curitiba in southern Brazil. Two armed policemen were present for the duration of the interview. DER SPIEGEL's correspondent was permitted to greet the former president with a handshake, but after that he was required to keep a distance of about 3 meters (about 10 feet).\n\nThe former president seemed to be in excellent physical and mental condition and he also seemed combative. But Glüsing did not get to see the former Brazilian leader's actual prison cell. It's on the fourth floor of the building and doesn't have bars on the windows. Visitors report that it is 15 square meters in size. Lula keeps in touch with the world via a TV with a USB connection and is well informed about national and international politics. Each morning, prison staff save a press review and important documents on a USB stick for him. He has no access to the internet. The former president spends a lot of time reading in prison and he is permitted access to sunlight three times a week. At his request, a treadmill was installed in his cell so he can keep fit.\n\nDER SPIEGEL: Mr. President, how are you doing? Are you lonely?\n\nLula: I can deal with it. I am also greeted loudly three times a day by my supporters, who camp outside on a street corner. When I get out of here, I will be eternally grateful to these people. I hope that once I leave this building through the main entrance, I can have a proper drink with them.\n\nDER SPIEGEL: You've always been a very communicative, sociable person. How are you able to stand such a small cell?\n\nLula: I will tell you something I haven't told anyone before. When I started my career in the labor union many years ago, I was extremely shy. Whenever I was supposed to speak at an event, I got nervous. To prepare myself, I stuck photos of many people on the wall of my room and practiced my speech in front of them. I was speaking to an imaginary audience. When I feel like speaking to an audience in my cell today, I also just stick photos to the wall.\n\nDER SPIEGEL: Your imprisonment has also been a burden for your family. Your accounts have been frozen and your daughter is now selling sweets on the internet.\n\nLula: All of this is difficult for them, but I don't want to complain. As a child, when I lived with my mother, I often saw her sitting next to the stove on Sundays. There was absolutely nothing she could have prepared a meal with, but she didn't complain. At least my children have enough to eat. Of course, I wish they didn't have to go through this. But in time, the truth will show its face.\n\nDER SPIEGEL: You were sentenced to 12 years by an appellate court for corruption and money laundering. Recently the sentence was reduced to just short of nine years. You were convicted of having received an apartment from a construction company, which in return is said to have been given preferential treatment in the awarding of the contract to the oil company Petrobras, which is half-owned by the government. How do you intend to prove your innocence?\n\nLula: I don't have to prove that I'm innocent. I demand that the judiciary prove my guilt. I was convicted in the first instance without the presentation of a single piece of evidence. The prosecutor in charge gave a PowerPoint presentation to justify the charges against me. During the trial it was stated that there was no clear evidence and that the charges were based on \"convictions.\" Even Judge Sérgio Moro, who convicted me, did not produce any evidence. He referred to \"indeterminate facts.\" The appeals court then sentenced me without reading the case files. They wanted to prevent my candidacy as quickly as possible.\n\nDER SPIEGEL: The prosecutors accused you of acting as the head of a criminal organization.\n\nLula: Somebody needs to finally prove that I own this apartment and that I received money from the construction company or money from Petrobras. It's unacceptable for someone to be in custody waiting for the justice system to produce evidence. I'm fighting for the truth to finally come out in its own right.\n\nDER SPIEGEL: It's possible you will have to spend years in prison.\n\nLula: It could take a while. No problem. It's tough. I'd rather be free, but there's one thing I won't give up at any price: my dignity.\n\nDER SPIEGEL: Shortly before your arrest, you were campaigning for the election on the border with Uruguay. You said at the time that all you needed to do to be safe from the judiciary was to step across the border. Do you regret that you didn't go into exile?\n\nLula: No. There were a few things I didn't want to give up. I am 73 years old, I was president of Brazil and I am too well known. I didn't see myself as a refugee. Important people spoke with me about whether I should leave Brazil or seek refuge in an embassy. I decided to stay in the country. I am fighting for the truth. I want to prove that my accusers are liars, even if I have to do that from custody. I have a clear conscience. I am convinced that Judge Moro and the prosecutors who put me behind bars do not sleep as well as I do.\n\nDER SPIEGEL: Did you expect that you would be arrested?\n\nLula: From the beginning, I was convinced that the real target of Operation Lava Jato (editors: the name of the corruption investigation) was me. I was fully aware that it wasn't likely that my opponents would remove my successor, Dilma Rousseff, who also comes from the Labor Party, from office only to then allow me to be re-elected President. It didn't fit together.\n\nDER SPIEGEL: Do you see yourself as a political prisoner?\n\nLula: Judge Moro, who convicted me, has since been appointed Justice Minister by Jair Bolsonaro, the new president. A few days ago, Bolsonaro publicly admitted that he had agreed with Moro to move him to the next vacant justice position at the Supreme Court. That shows that it was all planned in advance.\n\nDER SPIEGEL: Moro is defending himself against such accusations ...\n\nLula: Moro made sure that Bolsonaro was elected president by preventing my candidacy.\n\nDER SPIEGEL: The economy boomed under your leadership and millions rose out of poverty. But a political and economic crash followed, and last year Bolsonaro, a right-wing radical, was elected president. What went wrong with your country?\n\nLula: Economic policy isn't magic. You have to be credible to be respected. That's why I had the support of Gerhard Schröder and Angela Merkel, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Jacques Chirac, Nicolas Sarkozy, Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. Brazil was on its way to becoming the world's fifth-largest economic power, and now we have this disaster. Bolsonaro is like the Roman emperor Nero: He'ssetting the whole country on fire. He doesn't use the words employment, growth, investment and development. He doesn't want to build anything. He just wants to destroy. We've got a president who is clicking his heels in front of the American flag. Brazil doesn't deserve this.\n\nDER SPIEGEL: Isn't your Workers' Party (PT) partly to blame for the decline? It once promised to fight corruption, but now the party itself is entangled in numerous corruption scandals.\n\nLula: There is no party in Brazilian history that has created more instruments for combating corruption than the PT. We've not only created tougher laws, but also greater transparency. That's how corruption came to light. We've made mistakes, and we are paying for them. But it's only the treasurer of our party who is in prison, even though all parties raised money in the same way. PT is not being punished for its mistakes, but for what it did right.\n\nLula: The Brazilian elite do not accept the rise of the poor. My crime was that I made it possible for the poor to study, to use the same sidewalks as the rich and for them to suddenly be able to go to shopping centers and airports. This country belongs to everyone. PT has been generous to those who need the Brazilian state, but it has not neglected the rich. I bear my cross, but the sins were committed by others.\n\nDER SPIEGEL: The public prosecutor's office claims there was a gigantic corruption system surrounding Petrobras to finance the parties.\n\nLula: That's a lie. There may have been one or two cases. Petrobras is a huge company that moves 30 billion real a year, the equivalent of 6.6 billion euros. I just read a book about the history of oil and the power politics associated with it. I've been convinced ever since that what is happening in Brazil has to do with the interests of the U.S. oil companies.\n\nDER SPIEGEL: Are you serious?\n\nLula: The Americans and the Brazilian elite didn't want to the deep-sea oil deposits that were discovered during my government to be extracted only by consortiums in which Petrobras held a majority stake. They're opposed to the fact that 75 percent of the money from license fees is invested in the education system so that Brazil, which is 200 years behind, can finally catch up. Or that it will be used to finance research, technology and the health system. That's why they overthrew my successor Dilma Rousseff. It's also why all the illegal maneuvers followed to prevent me from being able to run again. They knew that I would be elected president, even if I were in prison. Public Prosecutor Deltan Dallagnol, who is persecuting me, is a puppet of the U.S. Justice Department.\n\nDER SPIEGEL: But not all the accusations have come out of nowhere. Odebrecht, the Brazilian construction company at the center of the corruption investigations, is said to have bribed politicians throughout Latin America. Did you have too close a relationship with Odebrecht?\n\nLula: No. And I don't regret any relationship I had with companies, banks, businesspeople and workers. I have always been aware of how important Odebrecht is for Brazil. It's quite possible that the people who were trying to destroy Rousseff and Petrobras also had an interest in busting up the big Brazilian construction companies. You can investigate allegations of corruption and expose corruption perfectly well. And if the owner of Odebrecht has practiced corruption, then he should be arrested. But the company should continue to work to create jobs and prosperity. Who would benefit if the construction companies were to go under? Who has an interest in Brazilian companies not being active in Africa or other South American countries? The competitors in Europe and the U.S.\n\nDER SPIEGEL: The Brazilian elite that you criticize so harshly courted you when you were in government.\n\nLula: I always said: I govern for the rich and for the poor. But everyone needs to know that my preference belongs to those who are most in need. At the end of my term in office in 2010, I had approval ratings of more than 80 percent. There was a national consensus regarding my person.\n\nDER SPIEGEL: How do you explain the fact that you are so hated by an element of society today?\n\nLula: Brazil's media has been stirring up hatred against me since 2005. Mário Soares, the former Portuguese president, told me during a visit: Lula, I don't understand how you are a god in the foreign press, but a devil in the Brazilian press. This hatred grew even stronger after the mass protests in 2013. After the 2014 election, which my successor Rousseff narrowly won, the opposition initially refused to accept the result. The right is always preaching that their enemy is the Labor Party, that they must destroy us. But they didn't succeed in doing that. They just won a single election.\n\nDER SPIEGEL: Bolsonaro, though, isn't a representative of the traditional opposition ...\n\nLula: He's not capable of serving as president. Why did he win anyway? Let me quote the Mozambican author Mia Couto: \"In times of terror, we choose monsters to protect us.\" A guy comes along who was a member of parliament for 28 years, but never achieved anything, and manages to sell himself as the \"new one.\" He wasn't elected because his supporters believe he is the better alternative. It was because he opposes the PT. It was a protest vote.\n\nDER SPIEGEL: Is democracy in peril in Brazil?\n\nLula: Bolsonaro doesn't think much of democracy. He and his people know only one thing: weapons. He simulates a pistol with his hand in almost every photo. The first thing he did was to send the Cuban doctors home, who were the only people guaranteeing health care in many poor regions. Then he took on environmental policy and eroded workers' rights. Now, he's talking about a major pension reform. It may help the banks, but not the people. This man is a danger to Brazil. He's destroying everything we have built.\n\nDER SPIEGEL: Nonetheless, he enjoys the support of the armed forces.\n\nLula: Those in the military who support him seem to have forgotten all nationalist principles. In my view, this includes not only protecting our borders, but also our biodiversity, our water, our Amazon region, our industry.\n\nDER SPIEGEL: You had a good relationship with the armed forces during your time in office. Why are the generals now turning against you?\n\nLula: I'd like to know that too. When I get out of here one day, I want to have a serious discussion with several officers. I don't understand why the army chief suggested my conviction to the Supreme Court before the election to prevent my candidacy. My government always treated the military well.\n\nDER SPIEGEL: Will the military take power if the Bolsonaro government fails?\n\nLula: I don't want that to happen. The Brazilian people don't deserve that. I hope that Bolsonaro will come to his senses and earn respect as the president of this country. He should learn to behave in a civilized way. If Bolsonaro falls, the vice president would have to take over. He's a general.\n\nLula: That doesn't only apply to Brazil, but also to Germany, the U.S. and other countries. Hate is being stirred up everywhere. He that soweth the wind shall reap the whirlwind. That's the situation Brazil is in.\n\nDER SPIEGEL: Venezuela is in an even more serious crisis than Brazil. The leader of PT traveled to Nicolás Maduro's swearing-in. Brazil's government, like Germany and many others, has recognized Juan Guaidó as interim president.\n\nLula: It was a mistake for Germany to recognize Guaidó, you can tell Angela Merkel that. That Donald Trump would do it, okay, but Germany wasn't obliged to obey the Americans. No one can proclaim themselves president. That kind of approach destroys the institutions.\n\nLula: Why didn't the opposition contest Maduro's election victory last year?\n\nDER SPIEGEL: The election was considered to be rigged.\n\nLula: If it was manipulated, why didn't they challenge it? I don't agree with what is happening in Venezuela, but it is a Venezuelan problem. I support people's right to self-determination. Whoever wants to govern in Venezuela must sit down at the table with his opponents and negotiate, but Guaidó isn't prepared to do that. He's vain, he's not credible.\n\nDER SPIEGEL: Can you imagine running for president again?\n\nLula: At my age -- I'm 73 now -- I don't even know if I'll be alive in four years. We have to look for new candidates, and there are good people inside and outside PT. I'm not thinking of running for office right now. I'm focusing on my life and on my court cases.\n\nDER SPIEGEL: Mr. President, we thank you for this interview.", "SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Brazilian Justice Minister Sergio Moro and federal prosecutors scrambled to respond on Monday to reports published by news website The Intercept based on what it said were leaked messages from a corruption probe.\n\nThe Intercept said it was only beginning to report on an “enormous trove” of leaked messages between Moro and prosecutors on Telegram, an encrypted messaging platform, that it had received from an anonymous source. It said the messages raise serious questions about the impartiality of Moro, a former judge who sent ex-president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to prison.\n\nThe excerpts, released on Sunday, included exchanges in which Moro made suggestions to prosecutors about the focus, pace and sequence of investigations.\n\nAttorneys for Lula, a leftist icon who remains one of the most influential opposition figures in Brazil, have been petitioning the Supreme Court for his release and seized on the reports to argue that his sentence should be overturned.\n\nMoro, speaking at an event in Brasilia on Monday, argued that the messages published so far showed no improper conduct on his part.\n\nThe team of federal prosecutors cited in the messages said they had acted properly throughout the five-year investigation known as “Car Wash,” which uncovered billions of dollars of political bribery. They said in written statements that they had been targeted by a hacker, adding that they were concerned about messages being taken out of context and possibly forged.\n\nMoro, who left his role as the most prominent judge in the Car Wash probe to become justice minister in January, also criticized The Intercept for not naming “the person responsible for the criminal invasion of the prosecutors’ cell phones.”\n\n“Regarding the content of the messages citing me, there is no sign of any abnormality or directing of actions as a magistrate, despite them being taken out of context,” he said in a statement.\n\nAndrew Fishman, managing editor at The Intercept Brasil, told Reuters in an emailed statement that Moro and prosecutors had said over the years that they were not collaborating, and “the reporting shows that their private actions contradict their own public statements at the time.”\n\nLawmakers in Brasilia suggested the controversy would not slow their work on an overhaul of the country’s social security system, which the government considers essential to kickstarting an economic recovery.\n\nCongressman Marcelo Ramos, who heads the pension reform committee in the lower house of Congress, said he and his colleagues had a “responsibility” not to slow their work.\n\nStill, he told Reuters that Moro should temporarily step down as justice minister until he can explain his collaboration with prosecutors. That would give the federal police, which Moro oversees, freedom to investigate the former judge if deemed necessary.\n\nMoro’s conviction of Lula was the highest-profile verdict in the ongoing Car Wash probe, which has led to the imprisonment of scores of powerful politicians and businessman in Brazil and elsewhere in Latin America, reshaping the region’s political landscape.\n\nLula, who faces at least six other trials on corruption charges, ran for president last year but was blocked from appearing on the ballot because of his conviction by Moro, which was upheld on appeal. Lula led opinion polls heading into the election, which was won by far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro.\n\nSome excerpted conversations published by The Intercept showed prosecutors discussing how to block journalists from interviewing Lula in jail during last year’s campaign. A message attributed to one of the prosecutors, Laura Tessler, suggested that such an interview could help Lula’s stand-in on the Workers Party ticket.\n\nThe prosecutors said in their statement on Monday that imprisonment involves restricting the communications of all inmates, regardless of who they are. Tessler did not respond to a request for comment.\n\nIn a written statement, Lula’s legal team said the leak proved what they have argued in court: that Moro and federal prosecutors teamed up to ensure that their client would be quickly found guilty and blocked from last year’s election.\n\nMoro and the prosecutors have denied any illegal collaboration or political motives.\n\nThe Intercept said it had secured the archive of texts, audio and video outside of Brazil so “numerous journalists have access to it” and no one country can block use of the material.\n\nThe website was co-founded by Brazil-based journalist Glenn Greenwald, who won a Pulitzer Prize in 2014 for his reporting on the U.S. National Security Agency’s vast spying program.", "Alwaght- The Brazilian justice minister has, in collaboration with prosecutors, fabricated a case against ex-president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and convicted him of corruption in a scheme meant to prevent the popular politician from running for the 2018 presidential election, Leaked documents revealed.\n\nThe Intercept website, citing the leaked documents, reported on Sunday that Moro was sharing information and giving advice to prosecutors working in a years-long anti-corruption probe, known as “Car Wash.”\n\nThe massive Car Wash probe, which has swept through Brazil for the last five years, eventually resulted in the conviction of Lula for corruption and money laundering.\n\nLula has been serving a 12-year prison sentence since April, 2018. A second conviction was handed down to him by Moro in February for, which Lula was sentenced to almost 13 years.\n\nThe Intercept said an anonymous source had provided the online new publication with material, including private chats, audio recordings, videos and photos that show “serious wrongdoing, unethical behavior, and systematic deceit.”\n\n“Moro secretly and unethically collaborated with the Car Wash prosecutors to help design the case against Lula,” it wrote.\n\n“Car Wash prosecutors spoke openly of their desire to prevent the PT (Lula’s Workers’ Party) from winning the election and took steps to carry out that agenda,” The Intercept said.\n\nIn response to the report, Lula’s Twitter account posted a link to The Intercept stories, writing, “The truth will prevail.”\n\nThe leftist former leader, who ruled Brazil between 2003 and 2010, has denied all the corruption charges, saying they were politically motivated to prevent him from competing in the elections.\n\nThe justice minister denied wrongdoing in a statement on Sunday. He said the material obtained through the “criminal invasion of prosecutors’ cell phones had been “taken out of context.”\n\n“Careful reading reveals that there is nothing there despite the sensational material,” Moro said on Twitter.\n\nHe became part of the cabinet of President Jair Bolsonaro, who had said during his campaign that he hoped Lula would “rot in prison.”\n\nIn a separate statement, Car Wash prosecutors also dismissed the allegations, saying they were victim of “a criminal action perpetrated by a hacker,” and that they are available to provide clarifications", "Brazil's Justice Minister and prosecutors collaborated to convict left-wing icon Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on corruption charges to prevent him from contesting the 2018 election, an investigative news outlet reported Sunday.\n\n[RIO DE JANEIRO] Brazil's Justice Minister and prosecutors collaborated to convict left-wing icon Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on corruption charges to prevent him from contesting the 2018 election, an investigative news outlet reported Sunday.\n\nCiting leaked documents, The Intercept website co-founded by Glenn Greenwald said an anonymous source had provided material, including private chats, audio recordings, videos and photos, that show \"serious wrongdoing, unethical behaviour, and systematic deceit.\"\n\nAmong the explosive claims, The Intercept said prosecutors in a massive, years long anti-corruption probe known as \"Car Wash\" had expressed \"serious doubts whether there was sufficient evidence to establish (former president) Lula's guilt.\"\n\nJustice Minister Sergio Moro was the anti-corruption judge who handed Lula his first conviction in 2017, which prevented him from running in a presidential election he was widely expected to win.\n\nBrazil President Jair Bolsonaro, who said during his campaign that he hoped Lula would \"rot in prison,\" later made Mr Moro part of his cabinet.\n\nMr Greenwald, who was part of the team that first interviewed Edward Snowden in 2013, said on Twitter the leak was \"one of the largest & most important in years.\"\n\nThis is \"just the very beginning of what we intend to reveal from this massive archive about him (Moro) & the prosecutors with whom he unethically worked,\" Mr Greenwald tweeted.\n\nThe documents could not be verified by AFP.\n\nThe claims come at a bad time for Mr Bolsonaro who is already facing mounting opposition less than six months into his term, as Latin America's biggest economy teeters on the edge of recession and his signature pension reform remains stuck in a hostile Congress.\n\nIn response to The Intercept reports, Mr Moro defended his actions as judge in the ongoing Car Wash probe and said the material obtained through the \"criminal invasion of prosecutors' cell phones\" had been \"taken out of context and sensationalised.\"\n\nThe Car Wash task force confirmed its investigators had been hacked, but said it did not know the extent of the breach.\n\nLula, who led Brazil through a historic boom from 2003 to 2010, has denied all the corruption charges against him, arguing they were politically motivated to prevent him from competing in the elections.\n\nHe is serving a reduced jail term of eight years and 10 months after being convicted of accepting a seaside apartment as a bribe for helping the OAS construction company get lucrative deals with state oil firm Petrobras.\n\nWhile behind bars, Lula's Workers' Party (PT) registered him as their presidential candidate in August 2018 - two months before the election. An electoral court barred him two weeks later.\n\nA second conviction was handed down in February for which he was sentenced to almost 13 years.\n\n\"The truth will prevail\" was posted on Lula's Twitter account above a link to The Intercept stories.\n\nThe leaked material shows \"Car Wash prosecutors spoke openly of their desire to prevent the PT from winning the election and took steps to carry out that agenda,\" The Intercept said.\n\n\"Moro secretly and unethically collaborated with the Car Wash prosecutors to help design the case against Lula despite serious internal doubts about the evidence supporting the accusations, only for him to then pretend to be its neutral adjudicator.\""], "summary": "Several text and audio messages between Brazilian judge Sérgio Moro and lead prosecutor Deltan Dallagnol are leaked, casting doubt over the trial of former Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on the grounds of illegal collaboration between court and prosecution. The leaks also point to interference in the 2018 elections by Operation Car Wash's task force officials."}
{"document": ["PARIS — Roland Garros keeps changing look and shape in the 21st century. It is vaster and more avant-garde, and perhaps it will become less crowded in the passageways as tennis fans shuffle from match to match.\n\nThe No. 1 Court, known as the bullring, will soon be demolished. The No. 2 Court, with its enchanting lack of symmetry, is already gone.\n\nEven the main Philippe Chatrier Court, where Rafael Nadal won his 12th French Open singles title on Sunday, was reconstructed in the past year.\n\nIt might be hard to believe at this stage, but Nadal will fade from view someday, too. Or at least he’ll spend men’s final day in the front row of the presidents box, his water bottles surely still in order, instead of in the arena with his socks coated in red clay and his poor opponents failing to find, to use one of his favorite English words, solutions.", "French Open 2019 Final Live Streaming: After Dominic Thiem defeated the World No. 1 Novak Djokovic on Saturday over the course of two days by 6-2 3-6 7-5 5-7 7-5, he set a repeat of last year’s French Open final with the indomitable Rafael Nadal, who is on course to make three Roland Garros wins in a row.\n\nThe Spanish second seed Nadal has only dropped one set against David Goffin in a third-round clash, and has progressed to the final by defeating his years-long Swiss rival, Roger Federer in straight sets, 6-3 6-4 6-2. The King of Clay can become the first player to win 12 singles titles at one Grand Slam. While Nadal is seeking his 18th Grand Slam title, the Austrian fourth seed Dominic Thiem is seeking his first, hoping to better his best finish at a Grand Slam when he had reached the final last year on the Parisian clay. Although the heir apparent has beaten Nadal in three-set matches on the European clay swing in each of the past three years, the 33-year-old Spaniard leads the head-to-head record 8-4.\n\nBut whether Thiem can carry forward his momentum from his first ATP Masters 1000 title at Indian Wells, the tier of tournament below the Grand Slams, is there to be seen. Beating Novak Djokovic is one thing, but beating the maestro on his own backyard will be a whole new ball game altogether.\n\nWhen and what time will Rafael Nadal vs Dominic Thiem French Open 2019 Men’s Final match take place?\n\nThe Rafael Nadal vs Dominic Thiem French Open 2019 Men’s Final match will take place on June 9, 6:30 PM IST.\n\nWhere will be the Rafael Nadal vs Dominic Thiem French Open 2019 Men’s Final be held?\n\nThe Rafael Nadal vs Dominic Thiem French Open 2019 Men’s Final will be held at the Stade Roland-Garros in Paris, France.\n\nWhich channel will telecast Rafael Nadal vs Dominic Thiem French Open 2019 Men’s Final match?\n\nThe Rafael Nadal vs Dominic Thiem French Open 2019 Men’s Final match will be aired live on Star Sports Select 1. The match will be live streamed on Hotstar.com. You can catch live scores, live updates and live commentary on IndianExpress.com.", "Rafael Nadal swept to an historic 12th Roland Garros title and 18th Grand Slam crown on Sunday with a 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1 victory over Austria’s Dominic Thiem.\n\nThe 33-year-old Spaniard becomes the first player, man or woman, to win the same Slam 12 times after seeing off a brave challenge from a weary Thiem in a repeat of the 2018 final.\n\nNadal is now just two behind Roger Federer’s all-time record of 20 majors and three ahead of Novak Djokovic who was knocked out by Thiem in the semi-finals.\n\nThe world number two also took his Paris record to an astonishing 93 wins and just two losses having previously won the title in 2005-2008, 2010-2014, 2017 and 2018.\n\n“I want to say congratulations to Dominic. I feel sorry as he deserves to win it as well,” said Nadal.\n\n“But he has every chance in the future. He has unbelievable talent for the sport and I want to encourage him for the future.\n\n“It’s a dream to win again, an incredible moment. When I first played here in 2005 I never thought I would be still playing here in 2019.\n\nSunday’s triumph confirmed the ‘Big Three’ stranglehold on the Grand Slams having shared the last 10 between them.\n\nIt also gave Nadal an 82nd career title and 950th match win.\n\nIn a 53-minute first set of brutal hitting and raw physicality, it was Thiem who broke first for a 3-2 lead.\n\nBut the 25-year-old’s joy was short-lived as Nadal retrieved the break in the sixth game before racing away with the next three games to pocket the opener.\n\nThiem, who had beaten his opponent four times on clay in his career, failed to claim a single point off Nadal’s first five service games of the second set.\n\nHowever, the dogged Austrian pushed and pushed, forced Nadal into three rushed groundstrokes and, from nowhere, broke to take the second set.\n\nIt was the first set he had managed to take off Nadal at Roland Garros after three previous defeats.\n\nNadal was riled by the insult.\n\nHe swept the first 10 points of the third set, carving out a double break for 3-0 before sweeping to a third break for the set.\n\nThiem, bidding to become just Austria’s second Grand Slam champion after Thomas Muster won in Paris in 1995, had played four successive days to reach Sunday’s final and the toll was slowly telling.\n\nHe wasted break points in the first and third games of the fourth set and Nadal pounced to stretch to 3-0.\n\nThat was soon 5-1 and the relentless barrage continued with Nadal taking the title on a second match point when Thiem fired a return long.", "Stop if you've heard this before: Rafael Nadal is playing Dominic Thiem in the 2019 French Open final. The year has changed, but the names in the men's singles final remain the same as 2018 when Nadal topped Thiem in straight sets.\n\nNadal is seeking his 18th major title and record 12th French Open title. The \"King of Clay\" has won the last two French Opens and has dropped only one set in his six matches leading to Sunday's final. Nadal made quick work of 20-time Grand Slam singles champion Roger Federer in Friday's semi, beating the Swiss tennis star 6-3, 6-4, 6-2.\n\nLast year's French Open final was the first Grand Slam final for a now 25-year-old Thiem. The Austrian native reached this year's final by winning a grueling five-set match over world No. 1 Novak Djokovic in a match that began on Friday and extended to Saturday morning due to weather. Thiem's quarterfinal match on Wednesday was also postponed until Thursday, meaning the tournaments No. 4 seed will be playing his fourth day in a row when he faces Nadal.\n\nMORE: Watch the French Open live with fuboTV (7-day free trial)\n\nDespite Nadal's rather easy win over Thiem last year at Roland Garros, Thiem does have a history of some success over the 33-year-old Nadal - some of it even on clay. Thiem is 4-8 overall in his career vs. Nadal and has beaten Nadal on European clay in each of the past three years. He last beat Nadal on clay in April in the semifinals of the Barcelona Open.\n\nAustralian Ashleigh Barty defeated Marketa Vondrousova in straight sets of the women's singles French Open final on Saturday to win her first Grand Slam singles title. She became the first Australian to win a singles title at Roland Garros since Margaret Court in 1973.\n\nWhen is the Rafael Nadal vs. Dominic Thiem match?\n\nThe finals match between Nadal and Thiem is set to begin at 9 a.m.. Nadal will have had a over 36 hours of rest in advance of his title defense, whereas it will be the fourth straight day Thiem has had to play tennis. Thiem's coach Nicolas Massu asked tournament officials on Saturday to move the finals to Monday, but had his request denied.\n\nThe 2019 French Open final can be watched on NBC or streamed live on NBCSports.com and on the NBC Sports app, as well as fuboTV, which offers a free 7-day trial.\n\nRefresh the page of click here if you don't see live results from the match.", "PARIS — For a few, fleeting moments Sunday, Rafael Nadal found his French Open supremacy seemingly threatened by Dominic Thiem, a younger, talented opponent challenging him in the final for the second consecutive year.\n\nA poor game from Nadal allowed Thiem to break him and even things at a set apiece. That development brought fans to their feet in Court Philippe Chatrier, roaring and clapping and, above all, wondering: Was this, now, a real contest? Could Thiem push Nadal more? Could he make this surge last? Would Nadal falter?\n\nThat the questions were raised at all was significant. The answers, perhaps not surprisingly, arrived swiftly. Nadal reasserted himself, as he usually does at Roland Garros, by grabbing 16 of the next 17 points and 12 of the remaining 14 games, pulling away to beat Thiem 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1 for his record-extending 12th championship at the French Open.\n\n“I gave everything I had,” Thiem said. “It’s amazing: 12 times here. It’s unreal.”\n\nNo one in tennis ever has won any major tournament that many times. Then again, no one ever has been as suited for success on any of the sport’s surfaces as this 33-year-old Spaniard is on red clay: Nadal is 93-2 for his career at Roland Garros, winning four in a row from 2005-08, five in a row from 2010-14, and now three in a row.\n\nLooking at the bigger picture, Nadal is now up to 18 Grand Slam trophies, moving within two of Roger Federer’s men’s record of 20.\n\nThiem, a 25-year-old Austrian who was seeded No. 4 and upset No. 1 Novak Djokovic in the semifinals, was eyeing his first major title in this rematch of the 2018 final in Paris. But again, he couldn’t solve Nadal.\n\n“First thing that I want to say is congrats to Dominic. I feel sorry, because he deserves it here, too,” Nadal said during the trophy ceremony. “He has an unbelievable intensity.”\n\nThis one began on a cloudy afternoon, with the temperature in the low 60s (mid-teens Celsius) and only a slight breeze. In the initial game — interrupted briefly by a baby wailing in the stands, drawing a laugh from other spectators and prompting Nadal to back away from the baseline between serves — three of the five points lasted at least 11 strokes.\n\nAnd, thereby, a pattern was established: By the end of the 3-hour, 1-minute match, a total of 46 points went 10 strokes or more. Each man claimed half.\n\nBoth men would station themselves along the baseline and sprint, scramble, slide, stretch to somehow reach just about each and every ball that came their way, not merely putting a racket on it but responding with a booming reply. It was an impressive display of athleticism, skill and will, with Thiem managing to give just as good as he got, particularly with his ferocious backhand.\n\nFrom the get-go, it was such a physical grind that Nadal was soaked with sweat and changed neon yellow shirts after seven games and 45 minutes, eliciting some whistles and catcalls from the crowd.\n\nEarly on, there were no signs of fatigue for Thiem, even though he was competing for a fourth straight day, because of rain that jumbled the schedule. Nadal, meanwhile, entered Sunday having played just once in the previous four days.\n\nNot only that, but while Nadal dismissed Federer with relative ease in a straight-set semifinal that concluded Friday, Thiem was forced to work overtime, eliminating Djokovic in a five-setter that wrapped up less than 24 hours before the final began.\n\nThiem showed he can play defense. Showed he can flip to offense in a blink. Showed power off both sides. Showed precision, too, making only three of the match’s first 12 unforced errors.\n\nIndeed, it was Thiem who nosed ahead first, closing a 12-stroke exchange by ripping a forehand winner to earn the first break point of the final, then converting it with an overhead to cap a 20-stroke point for a 3-2 edge. He turned with a clenched right hand to face his guest box, where all of his supporters were on their feet, yelling and shaking fists, too, including his girlfriend, French tennis player Kristina Mladenovic, who won the women’s doubles championship earlier in the day on the same court.\n\nNadal snapped to, immediately. He grabbed 13 of the set’s last 18 points, and its final four games, doing so with elan, using a drop shot to help him break Thiem for a 5-3 lead, then a serve-and-volley to help hold for the set.\n\nThat must have been demoralizing for Thiem. How couldn’t it be?\n\nTo play as well as he did, for as long as he did, going toe-to-toe with — by any measure, objective or subjective — the greatest clay-court performer ever, and even taking the lead, yet end up with absolutely zero to show for it?\n\nAt the ensuing changeover, Thiem didn’t whack a ball toward the stands, as Roger Federer memorably did during his semifinal loss to Nadal. He didn’t spike a racket or kick a tennis ball. He casually sat in his gray sideline seat, bounced his legs and chewed on an energy bar, furtively glancing to his left at Nadal.\n\nPerhaps Thiem was thinking: Is there anything I can do?\n\nThe answer, it turned out, was “Yes.” But only briefly.\n\nThey appeared headed for a tiebreaker in the second set when Thiem broke to take it. Talk about a stunning shift: Nadal had a run in which he took 25 of 26 points on his serve, before a loss of focus, perhaps, did him in. With spectators trading between-point chants of nicknames — “Ra-fa!” and “Do-mi!” — Nadal pushed a backhand long. That gave Thiem the first set he’d managed to steal from Nadal in four career meetings at Roland Garros.\n\nBut Thiem, put simply, wilted a bit. He made three unforced errors in the fourth set’s first game to get broken at love. Thiem created an opening and Nadal barged through. By now, Nadal was creating magic at the net, and he won the point on 23 of 27 times he went forward. One drop volley was spun so marvelously that it landed on Thiem’s side, then bounced back toward the net. All Thiem could do was watch — and offer an appreciative thumbs-up.", "Rafael Nadal poses with ball girls and boys after his final match against Austria?s Dominic Thiem(Reuters)", "PARIS: To death and taxes being life’s only two certainties can be added a third -- Rafael Nadal winning the French Open.\n\nThe Spaniard secured a 12th title at Roland Garros with victory over Dominic Thiem on Sunday and 18th major of his career. He now has 93 match wins on Paris’ famous crushed red brick against just two defeats in 14 years. Roger Federer, who suffered his worst loss at a Slam in 11 years at the hands of the world number two in the semi-finals, said: \"There is nobody who even plays remotely close to Rafa. \"I don’t even know who I need to go search for to go practice with somebody who plays like him.\"\n\nHowever, you will never hear Nadal indulge in any similar self-praise. Just as happy fishing or playing golf in Mallorca, Nadal is ruthless on the tennis court but disarmingly humble off it.\n\nIt is that forthright modesty which endears Nadal to his legion of fans as is his respect for opponents. He applauds every vanquished foe off court at every tournament. His idiosyncracies are just as charming to his supporters.\n\nHis picking at the rear of his shorts and mopping of his brow, aligned with his obsessive devotion to lining up his water bottles, labels facing out, are parts of the Nadal DNA. Victory on Sunday moved Nadal to just two Slams behind Federer who, at 37, is more than four years older.\n\nHis Grand Slam CV boasts 12 French Opens, three US Open titles, two at Wimbledon and one at the Australian Open. His 2008 Wimbledon final triumph over Federer is widely regarded as the greatest ever final at the majors. He has 82 career titles in total of which 59 have been on clay.\n\nAs well as his 18 majors, he possesses a record 34 Masters. Along with Federer and Novak Djokovic, the other member of tennis’ ‘Big Three’, Nadal has comfortably passed the $100 million prize money barrier. Tennis has been good for Nadal but he has been just as influential as a key driver of the sport’s growth.\n\nHe won an under-12 regional crown at age eight and by 12 had captured Spanish and European age-group junior titles. By 15, he had turned professional and, two years later, won his first match against Federer.\n\nAt 19, he won the 2005 French Open on his debut. Nadal has Wimbledon crowns in 2008 and 2010, an Australian Open title in 2009 and completed the career Grand Slam in 2010 by defeating Djokovic in the US Open final, becoming the youngest in the Open era to complete the four-event career sweep. Nadal added another US Open crown at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York in 2013 and a third in 2017.\n\nOnly Nadal and Andre Agassi can say they have a career Grand Slam and an Olympic men’s singles gold medal, Nadal having claimed his in 2008 at Beijing. He has also led Spain to four Davis Cups.\n\nKnee and wrist injuries have taken a toll throughout his career, however, costing him nine Slam appearances. After he failed to even reach a Slam semi-final in 2015 and 2016 some figured his greatest moments were behind him.", "PARIS (AP) — Rafael Nadal aims for a 12th French Open title against Dominic Thiem in a rematch of last year's final.\n\nNadal should be more rested for Sunday's match, because Thiem needed two days to complete his five-set, four-hour semifinal victory over Novak Djokovic.\n\nNadal beat Thiem in straight sets in last year's final. But Thiem showed against Djokovic that he has the power and poise to deal with the top players. Also, Thiem beat Nadal in straight sets in the Barcelona Open semifinals on clay in April.\n\nNadal is 92-2 for his career at Roland Garros. He can become the first man or woman to win the same major tournament 12 times.\n\nAn 18th Grand Slam title overall would also move Nadal within two of Roger Federer's record among men.", "Dominic Thiem takes on Rafael Nadal in the French Open final on Sunday. It was a chastening experience for the Austrian 12 months ago as he collapsed to a straight sets defeat – 4-6 3-6 2-6 on Phillipe Chatrier as the Spanish player claimed an 11th Grand Slam title on his favourite surface.\n\nAfter a rain affected semi-final win over Novak Djokovic on Saturday, Thiem will be looking to get his hands on his first Grand Slam title, but it appears to be tough ask. Thiem is priced at 9-1 with Nadal 1/4 to claim his 12th title at the venue since 2005.\n\nThe Austrian fourth seed has made huge strides over the past couple of years and he is seen as one of the more likely players to challenge the established elite of Nadal, Djokovic and Roger Federer when they retire.\n\nBut how can Thiem make the breakthrough? Charles Perrin assesses the three things Thiem must do if he is to emerge victorious at Roland Garros.\n\nCommitting to shots and adopting an aggressive mindset is crucial. When Nadal is in full flow, he can wind up with a meaty forehand and demoralise players with his ability to work every angle on the court.\n\nLast year, Thiem allowed Nadal to pick him off. While Nadal possesses the intimidation factor, Thiem simply has to try and push things without taking too many risks.\n\nHe has a fantastic clay court game and his ability to mix up drop shots as well as his lethal single handed backhand, makes him dangerous for any opponent.\n\nAfter his win over Djokovic, Thiem said: “I’m feeling fine. I’m full of adrenaline, of course, still from today’s match, and also I will have that tomorrow. So I’m not going to be tired.\n\n“It’s all going to come after the tournament.\n\n“So I’m ready to leave all or everything what I have out on the court tomorrow.”\n\nThiem has to take the initiative and force mistakes as Nadal won’t allow him any cheap points.\n\nThiem has to be prepared to try new things. Nadal is quick at cottoning onto certain tactics, but the world No 4 has to keep the Spaniard guessing. If such a ploy is possible.\n\nIf that means serving out wide or down the ‘T’ or even wrong footing him, then that could work to his advantage.\n\nLast year, Thiem let Nadal get on top of him early on. When Nadal has his opponent where he wants him, he can squeeze the life out of their game.\n\nExecuting of course is a very different matter, but being cute could see Thiem push the match longer than is forecase and unsettle Nadal. who must feel some tension being so close to an 18th major at the age of 33.\n\nWhen Nadal gets on a roll, it is very different to keep him at bay. Of course, playing a five setter is a different proposition to playing the world No 2 over three sets at any other clay court tournament.\n\nApplying the pressure could force Nadal to revert to another game plan and 25-year-old Thiem is one of the few players on the ATP Tour that can damage Nadal on the red dirt.\n\nThiem, as mentioned, needs to take control early on and stop Nadal settling if he is to have any joy. Getting inside Nadal's head is arguably as important than disturbing his menacing gait.", "Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)\n\nClick to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)\n\nClick to share on Flipboard (Opens in new window)\n\nClick to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)\n\nClick to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)\n\nRafael Nadal goes for a record-extending 12th French Open crown, while Dominic Thiem eyes his first major title at Roland Garros, live on NBC Sports.\n\nNadal and Thiem face off for a second straight French Open final. Thiem, a 25-year-old Austrian, has never taken a set off the Spaniard in three meetings on the Paris red clay.\n\nIf Nadal wins, he will have 18 Grand Slam singles titles, moving within two of Roger Federer‘s record total for the first time.\n\nNadal, 33, has looked every bit the pre-tournament favorite, dropping just one set en route to the final. He swept No. 7 Kei Nishikori in the quarterfinals and No. 3 Roger Federer in the semifinals on Friday.\n\nThiem will attempt to pull off a first in Grand Slam history — beat Novak Djokovic and Nadal in back-to-back matches. He took out the top-ranked Serb in five sets in a semifinal that began Friday and finished Saturday, giving him half the rest that Nadal received going into the final.\n\nOutside of Roland Garros, Thiem is 4-4 against Nadal on clay, including winning their last two meetings on the surface outside of Paris.\n\nOlympicTalk is on Apple News. Favorite us!"], "summary": "Spaniard Rafael Nadal, who turned 33 this past Monday, defeats Austrian Dominic Thiem 6–3, 5–7, 6–1, 6–1 for his 12th French Open men's singles championship, and his 18th Grand Slam title."}
{"document": ["Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Dogon villages often follow a traditional way of life\n\nNearly 100 people have been killed in an attack in a village in central Mali inhabited by the Dogon ethnic group, officials say.\n\nThe attack happened in Sobame Da, near Sanga town in the Mopti region.\n\nThe search for bodies is ongoing, but officials say 95 people have been found dead, with many of the bodies burned.\n\nThere have been numerous attacks in Mali in recent months, some ethnically driven, some carried out by jihadist groups.\n\nClashes between Dogon hunters and semi-nomadic Fulani herders are frequent.\n\nMali's government said \"suspected terrorists\" had attacked the village at around 03:00 local time. At least 19 people were still missing, it said.\n\nBut the mayor of nearby Bankass, Moulaye Guindo, told Reuters news agency that Fulanis from that district had attacked Sobane Da after nightfall.\n\n\"About 50 heavily armed men arrived on motorbikes and pickups,\" a survivor who called himself Amadou Togo told the AFP agency. \"They first surrounded the village and then attacked – anyone who tried to escape was killed.\"\n\n\"No-one was spared – women, children, elderly people,\" he added.\n\nNo group has officially said it was responsible for the attack.\n\n\"Right now we have 95 dead civilians. The bodies are burned, we are continuing to look for others,\" a local official told AFP.\n\nWhat is the Dogon-Fulani conflict?\n\nThe Dogon people have lived in central Mali for centuries, and live a largely traditional way of life as settled farmers.\n\nMany Fulani, on the other hand, are semi-nomadic herders who move across large distances in West Africa.\n\nFriction between farmers and the roaming herders over resources is long-standing – but clashes between them have increased since a militant Islamist uprising in northern Mali in 2012.\n\nBoth sides accuse the other of carrying out attacks amid the unrest.\n\nThe Fulani, a largely Muslim ethnic group, have been accused of having links with the Islamist uprising. But for their part, the Fulani accuse a Dogon self-defence association, Dan Na Ambassagou, of attacks on them.\n\nAnalysis: A crisis getting worse\n\nBy Louise Dewast, West Africa correspondent\n\nThere is a growing view in Mali that the (mostly military) response to this multi-faceted crisis is ineffective and even counter-productive. Despite having a large UN peacekeeping mission and French forces deployed since 2013, insecurity has worsened in some parts of the country.\n\nAccording to the International Crisis Group, there were four times more attacks in May 2019 compared to May 2016. In their latest report on the country, the group urges the government to engage in dialogue with militants to negotiate local ceasefires and facilitate humanitarian access to civilians in need.\n\nAfter another massacre of Fulanis in March, senior officials were sacked, people took to the streets – and the entire government resigned in April.\n\nIs this attack unusual?\n\nThe attack on Sobame Da has killed about a third of its inhabitants.\n\nIn the same region in March, more than 130 Fulani villagers were killed by armed men wearing traditional Dogon hunters' clothing.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption In March, more than 130 people were killed in an attack on the villages of Ogossagou and Welingara\n\nAfter the attack, the Dogon Dan Na Ambassagou was banned by Mali's government.\n\nBut the organisation, which insists it is a self-defence group and had nothing to do with the killings, refused calls to lay down its arms.\n\nThe United Nations mission in Mali, in a report dated 31 May, said the security situation in central Mali \"continued to deteriorate\".\n\nIt said that clashes between the Dogon and Fulani had been \"exacerbated by the presence of extremist groups\", and that the central region had recorded the highest number of attacks against civilians.\n\nHundreds of people have been killed so far this year.\n\nWhat effect did the Islamist uprising have?\n\nThere are several Islamist groups based in northern Mali. In 2013, they seized half of the country and were advancing on the capital, Bamako.\n\nFrance, the former colonial power in Mali, and some neighbouring African countries, intervened – and pushed the Islamist groups back towards their strongholds in the Sahara desert.\n\nBefore the unrest, disagreements between the Fulani and Dogon were often settled through negotiation.\n\nBut the uprising - which had spread to the centre of Mali by 2015 - decreased government control and increased the availability of weapons.", "Dogon villages often follow a traditional way of life\n\nNearly 100 people have been killed in an attack in a village in central Mali inhabited by the Dogon ethnic group, officials say.\n\nThe attack happened in Sobame Da, near Sanga town in the Mopti region.\n\nThe search for bodies is ongoing, but officials say 95 people have been found dead, with many of the bodies burned.\n\nThere have been numerous attacks in Mali in recent months, some ethnically driven, some carried out by jihadist groups.\n\nClashes between Dogon hunters and semi-nomadic Fulani herders are frequent.\n\nMali's government said \"suspected terrorists\" had attacked the village at around 03:00 local time. At least 19 people were still missing, it said.\n\nBut the mayor of nearby Bankass, Moulaye Guindo, told Reuters news agency that Fulanis from that district had attacked Sobane-Kou after nightfall.\n\n\"About 50 heavily armed men arrived on motorbikes and pickups,\" a survivor who called himself Amadou Togo told the AFP agency. \"They first surrounded the village and then attacked – anyone who tried to escape was killed.\"\n\n\"No-one was spared – women, children, elderly people,\" he added.\n\nNo group has officially said it was responsible for the attack.\n\n\"Right now we have 95 dead civilians. The bodies are burned, we are continuing to look for others,\" a local official told AFP.\n\nWhat is the Dogon-Fulani conflict?\n\nThe Dogon people have lived in central Mali for centuries, and live a largely traditional way of life as settled farmers.\n\nMany Fulani, on the other hand, are semi-nomadic herders who move across large distances in West Africa.\n\nFriction between farmers and the roaming herders over resources is long-standing – but clashes between them have increased since a militant Islamist uprising in northern Mali in 2012.\n\nBoth sides accuse the other of carrying out attacks amid the unrest.\n\nThe Fulani, a largely Muslim ethnic group, have been accused of having links with the Islamist uprising. But for their part, the Fulani accuse a Dogon self-defence association, Dan Na Ambassagou, of attacks on them.\n\nThe attack on Sobame Da has killed about a third of its inhabitants.\n\nIn the same region in March, more than 130 Fulani villagers were killed by armed men wearing traditional Dogon hunters' clothing.\n\nIn March, more than 130 people were killed in an attack on the villages of Ogossagou and Welingara\n\nAfter the attack, the Dogon Dan Na Ambassagou was banned by Mali's government.\n\nBut the organisation, which insists it is a self-defence group and had nothing to do with the killings, refused calls to lay down its arms.\n\nThe United Nations mission in Mali, in a report dated 31 May, said the security situation in central Mali \"continued to deteriorate\".\n\nIt said that clashes between the Dogon and Fulani had been \"exacerbated by the presence of extremist groups\", and that the central region had recorded the highest number of attacks against civilians.\n\nHundreds of people have been killed so far this year.\n\nWhat effect did the Islamist uprising have?\n\nThere are several Islamist groups based in northern Mali. In 2013, they seized half of the country and were advancing on the capital, Bamako.\n\nFrance, the former colonial power in Mali, and some neighbouring African countries, intervened – and pushed the Islamist groups back towards their strongholds in the Sahara desert.\n\nBefore the unrest, disagreements between the Fulani and Dogon were often settled through negotiation.\n\nBut the uprising - which had spread to the centre of Mali by 2015 - decreased government control and increased the availability of weapons.", "BAMAKO (Reuters) - Attackers believed to belong to the Fulani ethnic group raided a rival Dogon village in central Mali overnight, killing at least 95 people and burning houses to the ground, local and government officials said on Monday.\n\nViolence between Dogon hunters and Fulani herders has killed hundreds since January, including an attack in March in which gunmen killed more than 150 Fulani, one of the worst acts of bloodshed in Mali’s recent history.\n\nSunday’s raid took place in the Sangha district, where Fulanis from the neighboring Bankass district descended on a Dogon village after dark, Bankass mayor Moulaye Guindo told Reuters on Monday.\n\n“Armed men, apparently Fulani, fired at the population and burned the village,” said Siriam Kanoute, an official for the nearby town of Bandiagara.\n\nSangha mayor Ali Dolo told Reuters 95 charred bodies had been found so far, but that the death toll was likely to rise as the village was still ablaze.\n\n“On a population of around 300 inhabitants, only 50 responded to the roll call,” said Dolo.\n\nA security ministry spokesman confirmed the attack, but said the assailants had not been identified. The government later vowed to find those responsible.\n\n“The government of Mali presents its deepest condolences to mourning families and assures all measures will be taken to arrest and punish the authors of this carnage,” the communications ministry said in a statement.\n\nMalian authorities have come under fire for failing to disarm militias or beat back Islamist insurgents. Rights groups have also accused the Malian army of conducting extrajudicial killings, kidnappings, torture and arbitrary arrests against suspected sympathizers of jihadist groups.\n\nViolence between Fulani and rival communities has compounded an already dire security situation in Mali’s semi-arid and desert regions, which are used as a base by groups with ties to al Qaeda and Islamic State.\n\nThose groups have exploited ethnic rivalries in Mali and its neighbors Burkina Faso and Niger in recent years to boost recruitment and extend their influence over vast swathes of territory.\n\nThe Malian government is seen as having lost its grip over parts of the country having outsourced the fight against jihadists to vigilante groups with scores to settle.\n\nThe Dogon suspect the Fulani of harboring Islamist militants, charges the Fulani deny.\n\nFrench forces intervened in Mali, a former French colony, in 2013 to push back a jihadist advance from the north but the militants have since regrouped.", "Bamako: Attackers believed to belong to the Fulani ethnic group have raided a rival Dogon village in central Mali, killing at least 95 people and burning houses to the ground, local and government officials said on Monday.\n\nViolence between Dogon hunters and Fulani herders has killed hundreds since January, including an attack in March in which gunmen killed more than 150 Fulani, one of the worst acts of bloodshed in Mali's recent history.\n\nSunday's raid took place in the Sangha district, where Fulanis from the neighbouring Bankass district descended on a Dogon village after dark, Bankass mayor Moulaye Guindo said on Monday.\n\n\"Armed men, apparently Fulani, fired at the population and burnt the village,\" said Siriam Kanoute, an official for the nearby town of Bandiagara.", "Attackers believed to belong to the Fulani ethnic group raided a rival Dogon village in central Mali overnight, killing at least 95 people and burning houses to the ground, local and government officials said on Monday.\n\nViolence between Dogon hunters and Fulani herders has killed hundreds since January, including an attack in March in which gunmen killed more than 150 Fulani, one of the worst acts of bloodshed in Mali’s recent history.\n\nSunday’s raid took place in the Sangha district, where Fulanis from the neighbouring Bankass district descended on a Dogon village after dark, Bankass mayor Moulaye Guindo told Reuters on Monday.\n\n“Armed men, apparently Fulani, fired at the population and burnt the village,” said Siriam Kanoute, an official for the nearby town of Bandiagara.\n\nSangha mayor Ali Dolo told Reuters 95 charred bodies had been found so far, but that the death toll was likely to rise as the village was still ablaze.\n\n“On a population of around 300 inhabitants, only 50 responded to the roll call,” said Dolo.\n\nA security ministry spokesman confirmed the attack but said the assailants had not been identified.\n\nViolence between Fulani and rival communities has compounded an already dire security situation in Mali’s semi-arid and desert regions, which are used as a base by jihadist groups with ties to al Qaeda and Islamic State.\n\nThose groups have exploited ethnic rivalries in Mali and its neighbours Burkina Faso and Niger in recent years to boost recruitment and extend their influence over vast swathes of territory.\n\nThe Malian government is seen as having lost its grip over parts of the country having outsourced the fight against jihadists to vigilante groups with scores to settle.\n\nThe Dogon suspect the Fulani of harbouring Islamist militants, charges the Fulani deny.\n\nFrench forces intervened in Mali, a former French colony, in 2013 to push back a jihadist advance from the north but the militants have since regrouped. – Reuters", "Nearly 100 people have been killed in attack in a village in central Mali inhabited by the Dogon ethnic group, reports say.\n\nThe attack happened in Sobane-Kou, close to Sanga town, according to French-language news outlet RFI.\n\nThe bodies of the dead have been burned, says a local official, and the search for more bodies is ongoing.\n\nThere have been numerous attacks in Mali in recent months, some ethnic, some carried out by jihadist groups.\n\nClashes between Dogon hunters and semi-nomadic Fulani herders are frequent.\n\nThe mayor of nearby Bankass, Moulaye Guindo, told Reuters news agency that Fulanis from that district had attacked Sobane-Kou after nightfall.\n\nA local official in the Koundou area, where the village is located, told the AFP agency: “Right now we have 95 dead civilians. The bodies are burned, we are continuing to look for others.”\n\nIn the same region in March, more than 130 Fulani villagers were killed by armed men wearing traditional Dogon hunters’ clothing.\n\nClashes between the two groups have increased since a militant Islamist uprising in northern Mali in 2012.\n\nThe Dogon people have lived in central Mali for centuries, and live a largely traditional way of life as settled farmers. The Fulani, on the other hand, are semi-nomadic herders who move across large distances in West Africa.\n\nFriction between farmers and the roaming herders over resources is long-standing.\n\nPreviously, disagreements between the Fulani and Dogon had often been settled through negotiation, but the uprising – which spread to the centre of Mali by 2015 – decreased government control and increased the availability of weapons.\n\nBoth sides accuse the other of carrying out attacks amid the unrest.\n\nThe Fulani, a largely Muslim ethnic group, have been accused of having links with the Islamist uprising. But for their part, the Fulani accuse a Dogon self-defence association, Dan Na Ambassagou, of attacks on their villages. BBC News", "MALI - Nearly 100 people have been killed in an attack in a village in central Mali inhabited by the Dogon ethnic group, reports say.\n\nThe attack happened in Sobane-Kou, near Sanga town in the Mopti region. The search for bodies is ongoing, but officials say 95 people have been found dead, with many of the bodies burned.\n\nThere have been numerous attacks in Mali in recent months, some ethnically driven, some carried out by jihadist groups.\n\nClashes between Dogon hunters and semi-nomadic Fulani herders are frequent.\n\n“Right now we have 95 dead civilians. The bodies are burned, we are continuing to look for others,” a local official told the AFP agency.\n\nWhat is the Dogon-Fulani conflict?\n\nThe Dogon people have lived in central Mali for centuries, and live a largely traditional way of life as settled farmers. Many Fulani, on the other hand, are semi-nomadic herders who move across large distances in West Africa.\n\nFriction between farmers and the roaming herders over resources is long-standing – but clashes between them have increased since a militant Islamist uprising in northern Mali in 2012.\n\nBoth sides accuse the other of carrying out attacks amid the unrest.\n\nThe Fulani, a largely Muslim ethnic group, have been accused of having links with the Islamist uprising. But for their part, the Fulani accuse a Dogon self-defence association, Dan Na Ambassagou, of attacks on them. War in the desert: Why Sahara is terror’s new front line.\n\nThe attack on Sobane-Kou has killed about a third of its inhabitants.\n\nIn the same region in March, more than 130 Fulani villagers were killed by armed men wearing traditional Dogon hunters’ clothing.\n\nMedia captionIn March, more than 130 people were killed in an attack on the villages of Ogossagou and Welingara. After the attack, the Dogon Dan Na Ambassagou was banned by Mali’s government.\n\nBut the organisation, which insists it is a self-defence group and had nothing to do with the killings, refused calls to lay down its arms.\n\nThe United Nations mission in Mali, in a report dated 31 May, said the security situation in central Mali “continued to deteriorate”.\n\nIt said that clashes between the Dogon and Fulani had been “exacerbated by the presence of extremist groups”, and that the central region had recorded the highest number of attacks against civilians. Hundreds of people have been killed so far this year.\n\nWhat effect did the Islamist uprising have?\n\nThere are several Islamist groups based in northern Mali. In 2013, they seized half of the country and were advancing on the capital, Bamako.\n\nFrance, the former colonial power in Mali, and some neighbouring African countries, intervened – and pushed the Islamist groups back towards their strongholds in the Sahara desert.\n\nBefore the unrest, disagreements between the Fulani and Dogon were often settled through negotiation.\n\nBut the uprising - which had spread to the centre of Mali by 2015 - decreased government control and increased the availability of weapons.", "Eric Feferberg, AFP | Women belonging to the Dogon ethnic group walk back to the village they left in central Mali after it was taken by Islamist groups in February 2013.\n\nAt least 95 people were killed when gunmen raided their village in central Mali late on Sunday, FRANCE 24 has confirmed, marking the latest attack in a region that has witnessed a resurgence of ethnic and jihadist violence.\n\nThe attack took place in the ethnic Dogon village of Sobane, in Mali’s central Mopti region, where Dogon hunters and members of the largely nomadic Fulani ethnic group have repeatedly clashed in recent months.\n\nArmed assailants set fire to the village and shot villagers as they sought to escape the flames, the mayor of Sangha told FRANCE 24’s correspondent in Bamako, Christelle Pire.\n\nThe mayor said the charred bodies of 95 people had been found and that several more villagers were missing.\n\nContacted by FRANCE 24, the Malian defence ministry confirmed the death toll at 95, adding that 19 people were still missing and that the toll was likely to rise.\n\nIt was not immediately clear who carried out the attack.\n\nMembers of the Dogon and Fulani groups often clash over access to land and water. The Dogon also accuse Fulanis of having ties to local jihadist groups, while Fulanis claim that Mali’s army has armed Dogon hunters to attack them.\n\nEarlier this year, the massacre of more than 150 Fulani villagers, including women and children, prompted Mali’s government to sack senior military officials and dissolve a militia composed of Dogon hunters.\n\nWeeks later, the entire government resigned over its failure to disarm militias and beat back Islamist militants, who continue to stage attacks six years after France helped Malian forces stave off a jihadist insurgency in the country's restive north.", "Nearly 100 people have been killed in attack in a village in central Mali inhabited by the Dogon ethnic group, reports say.\n\nThe attack happened in Sobane-Kou, close to Sanga town, according to French-language news outlet RFI.\n\nThe bodies of the dead have been burned, says a local official, and the search for more bodies is ongoing.\n\nThere have been numerous attacks in Mali in recent months, some ethnic, some carried out by jihadist groups.\n\nClashes between Dogon hunters and semi-nomadic Fulani herders are frequent.\n\nThe mayor of nearby Bankass, Moulaye Guindo, told Reuters news agency that Fulanis from that district had attacked Sobane-Kou after nightfall.\n\nA local official in the Koundou area, where the village is located, told the AFP agency: “Right now we have 95 dead civilians. The bodies are burned, we are continuing to look for others.”\n\nClashes between the two groups have grown more frequent since a militant Islamist uprising in northern Mali in 2012.\n\nIn the same region in March, more than 130 Fulani villagers were killed by armed men wearing traditional Dogon hunters’ clothing.\n\nPreviously, disagreements between the Fulani and Dogon had often been settled through negotiation, but the uprising – which spread to the centre of Mali by 2015 – decreased government control and increased the availability of weapons.\n\nBoth sides accuse the other of carrying out attacks amid the unrest. -BBC", "June 10 (UPI) -- Armed men killed at least 95 people in an attack on a village in Mali, local officials said.\n\nThe group of gunmen, who Mayor Ali Dolo said were members of the Fulani ethnic group, fired gunshots and burned structures in the ethnic Dogon village of Sobanou-Kou in central Mali's Mopti region Sunday, CNN reported.\n\nDolo said 95 bodies, including women and children, were recovered among the city's 300 residents.\n\nA spokesman for U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was \"outraged\" by the news of the attack.\n\n\"He strongly condemns this attack and calls on Malian authorities to investigate this tragedy and to bring the perpetrators to justice,\" the spokesman said. \"The secretary-general expresses his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims, the people and the government of Mali and wishes a speedy recovery to the injured.\"\n\nThe Dogon and Fulani have been engaged in violent clashes over land and water, and nearly 200 people have been killed in attacks on Dogon communities dating back to February."], "summary": "An attack on a village near the town of Sangha in central Mali kills 95 Dogon villagers. The mayor of nearby Bankass blames local Fulani."}
{"document": ["Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-12 07:46:22|Editor: Yang Yi\n\nVideo Player Close\n\nYAOUNDE, June 11 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from an attack by terror group Boko Haram in Darak, a town in Cameroon's Far North region bordering Lake Chad, rose to 37, military sources said Tuesday.\n\n\"We now know that 21 soldiers and 16 civilians were killed in the attack. We arrested some 15 Boko Haram militants and neutralized some. We are still searching for some missing civilians and soldiers,\" a military officer, who asked not to be named, told Xinhua.\n\nAccording to local authorities, Boko Haram attacked the town on Sunday night and clashed with the Cameroonian army until Monday afternoon.\n\n\"They were shooting indiscriminately, killing civilians in the process. Some of those shot fell into Lake Chad and the bodies were retrieved after,\" the officer added.\n\n\"If they (terrorists) had come during peak hours, today would be a disaster. They even broke into the military camp, then left with weapons and equipment,\" Alifa Adoum, a resident of Darak, told Xinhua Tuesday morning. He lost his brother in Boko Haram's attack.\n\nOn Tuesday, the region's governor Midjiyawa Bakari said \"life was returning to normal\" in the region after the attack and stressed that the civilians and soldiers \"must remain vigilant.\"\n\n\"Boko Haram can fall upon us at any moment,\" Darak mayor Ali Ramat told Xinhua Tuesday morning. He called for military reinforcement and a change of strategy of the army fighting the terror group.\n\nThe attack is the bloodiest in the region since the start of this year.", "Three Cameroonian soldiers and an unspecified number of civilians were killed during an overnight attack by Boko Haram on a military post manned by a multinational force, security sources said Monday.\n\nThe raid in the village of Darak in western Cameroon’s Lake Chad region was followed by heavy fighting, a security source said.\n\n“Three soldiers and (some) civilians were killed,” the source said, confirming a claim from a member of a local self-defence militia.\n\n“Around 3:45 am, many heavily armed Boko Haram members targeted a post of the multinational force and a brigade.\n\n“It was followed by heavy fighting lasting several hours,” the source said.\n\nBoko Haram’s decade-long uprising to establish a hardline Islamic state in Nigeria’s northeast, which has killed more than 27,000 people and left 1.8 million homeless, has spilled into neighbouring Niger, Chad and Cameroon.\n\nAn anti-Boko Haram force combining soldiers from Chad, Cameroon, Niger, and Nigeria has been set up but has failed to rout the group from the restive Lake Chad region.", "At least seven soldiers and two civilians were killed in the Darak Island, Logone and Chari Division in the Far North region of Cameroon following an attack by Boko Haram fighters that took place very early Monday June 10, 2019.\n\nAccording to sources, heavily armed Boko Haram terrorists attacked the Gendarmerie station and the Multinational Mixed Force of Darak at about Past 3am.\n\nThe source further states that this led to a long confrontation between both forces that led to the dead of at least seven militaries, two civilians and other Boko Haram fighters, including some soldiers missing.\n\nThe Logone and Chari Division is found on the border between Cameroon and the federal Republic of Nigeria.\n\nBoko Haram attacks in the whole of this area have taken a disturbing intensity recently.", "Terrorists belonging to the Boko Haram group active in Nigeria killed at least 26 people in an attack in neighboring Cameroon that was one of the bloodiest in recent months, according to a security official.\n\n\"Seventeen soldiers and nine civilians\" were killed in the attack early Monday on Darak, a Cameroonian island located near Lake Chad, the regional security official told AFP.\n\nA preliminary count, given on Monday, had three Cameroonian soldiers killed along with an unspecified number of civilians in an attack on a military post in the area.\n\nThe official told AFP on Tuesday that the Boko Haram attack sparked fierce combat with Cameroonian troops. He said 40 of the terrorists were captured and seven soldiers remained missing.\n\nBefore being repelled, the terrorists managed to hoist their flag over Darak, several security sources said.\n\nBoko Haram's decade-long uprising in Nigeria's northeast, which has killed more than 27,000 people and left 1.8 million homeless, has spilled into neighboring Niger, Chad and Cameroon.\n\nAn anti-Boko Haram force combining soldiers from Chad, Cameroon, Niger, and Nigeria has been set up but has failed to rout the group from the restive Lake Chad region.", "A dozen people, including civilians and military personnel, have been killed in the Far North of Cameroon in two separate attacks blamed on the militant sect Boko Haram, APA learned on Tuesday.The first raid in Darak, a locality in the Lake Chad area, targeted a military column in an outpost manned by soldiers of the Joint Multinational Force (MFF).\n\nThe defense forces repulsed the raid by neutralizing some 20 suspected jihadists.\n\nThe second offensive in the Kolofata district targeted mainly civilians.\n\nBoko Haram’s deadly raids have intensified in recent days, especially in the border towns of Kolofata and Nguetchewe near Chad and Nigeria.", "The Nigerian Army has announced the death of nine key online media personalities working for Boko Haram faction, the Islamic State West African Province (ISWAP).\n\nIn a statement released by the Army on Monday, June 10, 2019, it revealed that the nine worked to maintain an online presence for the terrorist group.\n\n\"The terrorist group is known for its online media propaganda and quest to maintain a virtual caliphate.\n\n\"The annihilation of members of its media team further confirms that the NA has decimated the group and they no longer have freedom of action,\" the Army said.\n\nThe names of the deceased are Abu Hurayra al-Barnawi, Ali al-Ghalam al-Kajiri, Abu Musab Muhammed Mustafa al-Maiduguri, Abu Abdullah Ali al-Barnawi, Abu Musa al-Camerooni, Ahmed al-Muhajir, Abu Ali al-Bamawi, Abu Khubayb bin Ahmed al-Barnawi, and Abu al-Qa'qa' al-Maiduguri.\n\nSince the group's insurgency escalated in 2009, Boko Haram has killed around 30,000 people and displaced millions in the northeast region, with its operations also extending to border countries like Cameroon, Chad and Niger.\n\nEven though the powers of the Abubakar Shekau-led main faction of Boko Haram has been on the wane in the past couple of years, ISWAP, which broke off in 2016, has grown in influence and carried out several savage attacks on military bases last year.", "The Nigerian Army on Monday said it killed nine ”social media personalities” of the Islamic State for West African Province(ISWAP).\n\nCol. Sagir Musa, Army Director Public Relations, who disclosed this in a statement, said the annihilation of members of the Boko Haram media team further confirmed that the Nigerian Army has decimated the group and they no longer have freedom of action.\n\nHe gave the names as: ”Abu Hurayra al-Barnawi, Ali al-Ghalam al-Kajiri, Abu Musab Muhammed Mustafa al-Maiduguri, Abu Abdullah Ali al-Barnawi, and Abu Musa al-Camerooni.\n\nRead Also: Masari assures Army of support to tackle kidnappings, others\n\n“The terrorist group is known for its online media propaganda and quest to maintain a virtual caliphate,”he said.NAN reports that Boko Haram launched using the media in 2009, starting with a very traditional media approach through propaganda films, many of them aimed at recruiting new fighters from Nigeria and neighbouring countries including Niger, Chad and Cameroon.\n\nNAN reports that from 2014, their strategy changed into more use of social media platforms, videos, and creating multiple accounts like Facebook and Twitter platforms, mostly as a way to communicate with individuals.", "The Nigerian Army on Monday said it killed nine “social media personalities” of the Islamic State for West African Province.\n\nCol. Sagir Musa, Army Director, Public Relations, who disclosed this in a statement, said the annihilation of members of the Boko Haram media team further confirmed that the Nigerian Army has decimated the group and they no longer have the freedom to act.\n\nHe gave the names of the social media personalities as “Abu Hurayra al-Barnawi, Ali al-Ghalam al-Kajiri, Abu Musab Muhammed Mustafa al-Maiduguri, Abu Abdullah Ali al-Barnawi, and Abu Musa al-Camerooni.\n\n“The terrorist group is known for its online media propaganda and quest to maintain a virtual caliphate,” he said.\n\nNAN reports that Boko Haram launched using the media in 2009, with the target of recruiting new fighters from Nigeria and neighbouring countries including Niger, Chad and Cameroon.\n\nNAN reports that from 2014, their strategy change to improved increased use of social media.", "The Nigerian Army on Monday said it killed nine ”social media personalities” of the Islamic State for West African Province (ISWAP).\n\nThis was disclosed in a statement by Col. Sagir Musa, Army Director Public Relations, who said the annihilation of members of the Boko Haram media team further confirmed that the Nigerian Army has decimated the group.\n\nHe gave the names as:\n\n“The terrorist group is known for its online media propaganda and quest to maintain a virtual caliphate,” he said.\n\nBoko Haram launched using the media in 2009, starting with a very traditional media approach through propaganda films, many of them aimed at recruiting new fighters from Nigeria and neighbouring countries including Niger, Chad and Cameroon.\n\nFrom 2014, their strategy changed into more use of social media platforms, videos, and creating multiple accounts like Facebook and Twitter platforms, mostly as a way to communicate with individuals.\n\nA faction of the group them merged with the Islamic State in 2015 (ISWAP), a move that came with increased use of social media and other instruments of propaganda.\n\nDespite a series of devastating attacks in the north east, the Nigerian army insists that the Jihadists remain defeated.", "The Nigerian Army on Monday said it killed nine ‘social media personalities’ of the Islamic State for West African Province (ISWAP).\n\nSagir Musa, the Army’s Director of Public Relations, who disclosed this in a statement, said the killing of members of the Boko Haram media team further confirmed that the Nigerian Army has decimated the group and they no longer have freedom of action.\n\nHe gave the names as: Abu Hurayra al-Barnawi, Ali al-Ghalam al-Kajiri, Abu Musab Muhammed Mustafa al-Maiduguri, Abu Abdullah Ali al-Barnawi, and Abu Musa al-Camerooni.\n\nOthers are Ahmed al-Muhajir, Abu Ali al-Bamawi, Abu Khubayb bin Ahmed al-Barnawi and Abu al-Qa’qa’ al-Maiduguri.\n\n“The terrorist group is known for its online media propaganda and quest to maintain a virtual caliphate,” he said.\n\nBoko Haram launched using the media in 2009, starting with a very traditional media approach through propaganda films, many of them aimed at recruiting new fighters from Nigeria and neighbouring countries including Niger, Chad and Cameroon.\n\nFrom 2014, their strategy changed into more use of social media platforms, videos, and creating multiple accounts like Facebook and Twitter platforms, mostly as a way to communicate with individuals."], "summary": "Boko Haram militants attacked the town of Darak in Cameroon’s Far North Region bordering Lake Chad, killing 21 soldiers and 16 civilians. Several Boko Haram attackers were also killed."}
{"document": ["Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The release comes in the midst of LGBT Pride month\n\nThe Vatican has released a new document challenging modern conceptions of gender identity.\n\nThe 31-page teaching guidance, released on Monday, is titled Male and Female He Created Them.\n\nIt speaks of an \"educational crisis\" and says the current debate can \"annihilate the concept of nature\" and destabilise the family institution.\n\nThe document, released during Pride month, has drawn immediate criticism from LGBT groups.\n\nIt was issued by the Congregation for Catholic Education as teaching instruction to those who work with children.\n\nIt is not signed by Pope Francis himself, but quotes him and scripture within its reasoning.\n\nWhat does the document say?\n\nThe document calls for dialogue, but issues guidance on a number of topics including the transgender community.\n\nNotably it criticises the modern understanding of gender as being more complex than the binary division of sexes.\n\nIt says current theories \"move away from nature\" and instead \"towards an absolute option for the decision of the feelings of the human subject\".\n\nIt also says moveable sexual identities are \"often founded on nothing more than a confused concept of freedom in the realm of feelings and wants\".\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption LGBT Catholics in Italy are asking for the Church to better understand them\n\nIt goes on to say that gender is not decided upon by individuals but imputed by God: \"The Holy Scripture reveals the wisdom of the Creator's design, which has assigned as a task to man his body, his masculinity and femininity.\"\n\nAnalysis: Questionable timing\n\nBy Megha Mohan, BBC Gender and Identity correspondent\n\nIt came without warning and at a questionable time - LGBT Pride Month. Which is also 50 years since the Stonewall riots of 1969 - one of, if not the, most pivotal moments in gay history.\n\nThe 31-page document was decisive in its definition of the gender binary, condemning any deviation. It states that a person claiming identity beyond cisgender (when personal and gender identity is the same as birth sex) is trying to be \"provocative\".\n\nThe document came as a blow to activists, who say that such a stance will only alienate vulnerable people from the Church in a time where a lot of modern society has acknowledged, embraced and are celebrating LGBT communities.\n\nIn 2019 there are new and crucial conversations to be had on those whose identity varies from their biological sex: bathroom facilities, women's shelters, even prisons. But with the release of this document, the Catholic Church seems light years away from that dialogue.\n\nThe document says that institutions should teach coherently on \"the true nature of human persons\" on the basis of \"clear and convincing anthropology\".\n\nHowever, it also says that children and young people should be taught to respect every person so that no-one suffers bullying or other discrimination.\n\nNew Ways Ministry, a US advocacy group for LGBT Catholics, has described the document as a \"harmful tool\" that will be used to \"oppress and harm not only transgender people, but lesbian, gay, bisexual people, too\".\n\nFrancis DeBernardo, executive director of the group, rejected the notion that people \"choose their gender\".\n\nIn a statement, he said the document will \"confuse those who sincerely struggle with questions of gender identity and sexual orientation\" and described the Vatican as being in the \"dark ages\" on this issue.", "The Vatican has condemned 'gender theory', the notion that people should be able to choose or change their gender, as a “confused concept of freedom” not “based on the truths of existence” in an official new document.\n\nThe Vatican booklet released Monday, titled “Male and Female He Created Them” describes gender fluidity as a symptom of the “momentary desires” that characterise post-modern culture, and claims that basing gender on self-identity rather than biology is an attempt to “annihilate nature”.\n\nThe right to “choose one’s gender”, the Vatican says in the document, is in “direct contradiction of the model of marriage as being between one man and one woman”.\n\nThe text was designed to aid Catholic teachers, parents, students and clergy address what the Vatican’s Congregation for Catholic Education, calling gender theory an “educational crisis” in the field of sex education.\n\nIt called for a “path of dialogue” and for educators to address the issue of gender theory directly.\n\nThe advocacy group New Ways Ministry told the media it would further confuse individuals who are questioning their gender identity or sexual orientation and are at risk of self-harm.\n\nFrancis DeBernardo, head of New Ways Ministry, said such concepts are outdated, misinformed and ignore contemporary science.\n\n“Gender is also biologically determined by genetics, hormones and brain chemistry — things not visible at birth,” Mr. DeBernardo said in a statement.\n\n​Even priestly advocates for LGBT Catholics noted that the document seems to rely entirely on previous papal pronouncements, Vatican documents and philosophers and theologians.\n\nProminent Jesuit Priest Father James Martin, who has advocated for the church to more openly welcome LGBT members, said on Twitter that while the new document supports dialogue and listening, it “sets aside the real-life experiences of LGBT people”.\n\n“The real-life experiences of LGBT people seem entirely absent from this document,” said Father Martin, author of the book Building A Bridge, on improving Catholic Church outreach to the LGBT community.\n\n“We should welcome the congregation's call to dialogue and listening on gender, and I hope that conversation will now begin.”\n\nThe released Vatican document, as anticipated, split Twitter users, eliciting very diverse reactions.\n\nAt a time of increased secularisation, the church has been facing a challenge as many of its teachings on sexuality are being ignored as out of date. \n\nPope Francis has earlier expressed an interest in outreach to LGBT followers, while adopting a definitive stance on gender identity, denouncing the fact that children are taught in schools that “everyone can choose his or her sex”.", "The Vatican issued an official document Monday rejecting the idea that people can choose or change their genders and insisting on the sexual “complementarity” of men and women to make babies.\n\nThe document, published during LGBT Pride Month, was immediately denounced by LGBT Catholics as contributing to bigotry and violence against gay and transgender people. Advocacy group New Ways Ministry said it would further confuse individuals questioning their gender identity or sexual orientation and at risk of self-harm.\n\nThe text, “Male and Female He Created Them,” was intended to help Catholic teachers, parents, students and clergy address what the Vatican’s Congregation for Catholic Education called an “educational crisis” in the field of sex education.\n\nIt called for a “path of dialogue” and listening on the issue of “gender theory” in education. But even priestly advocates for LGBT Catholics noted that the text appeared to have relied entirely on previous papal pronouncements, Vatican documents and philosophers and theologians.\n\n“The real-life experiences of LGBT people seem entirely absent from this document,” said the Rev. James Martin, a Jesuit priest who wrote a book on improving Catholic Church outreach to the LGBT community, titled “Building a Bridge.” ”We should welcome the congregation’s call to dialogue and listening on gender, and I hope that conversation will now begin.“ Pope Francis has repeatedly argued the position that people cannot choose their genders. But the document represents the first attempt to put the Vatican’s position, first articulated fully by Pope Benedict XVI in a 2012 speech, into a comprehensive, official text.\n\nThe document called for a new alliance among families, schools and society to offer a “positive and prudent sexual education” in Catholic schools so children learn the “full original truth of masculinity and femininity.”\n\nIt called gender fluidity a symptom of the “confused concept of freedom” and “momentary desires” that characterize postmodern culture. It rejected terms such as “intersex” and “transgender” and said the purpose of the biological “complementarity” of the male and female sex organs was to ensure procreation.\n\nFrancis DeBernardo, head of New Ways Ministry, said such concepts are outdated, misinformed and ignore contemporary science on factors beyond visible genitalia that determine gender.\n\n“Gender is also biologically determined by genetics, hormones and brain chemistry – things not visible at birth,” DeBernardo said in a statement. “People do not choose their gender, as the Vatican claims, they discover it through their lived experiences.”\n\nHe said the Catholic Church should encourage this process of discovery, saying it’s “a process by which individuals discover the wonderful way that God has created them.”", "The Vatican released a 30-page condemnation on Monday of modern gender theory calling it a “confused concept of freedom” and adding that the concept of determining gender by emotion and not biology seeks to “annihilate the concept of ‘nature.’”\n\nThe document, titled “Male and Female He Created Them,” was written by the Congregation for Catholic Education and published as America marked Pride Month. Its purpose is to tell Catholic educators how to address gender theory while hewing to the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church, Reuters reported.\n\nPortions of the document were reproduced by the Catholic News Agency.\n\n“In all such [gender] theories, from the most moderate to the most radical, there is agreement that one’s gender ends up being viewed as more important than being of male or female sex,” the document read.\n\n“The effect of this move is chiefly to create a cultural and ideological revolution driven by relativism, and secondarily a juridical revolution, since such beliefs claim specific rights for the individual and across society.”\n\nThe document said the differences between male and female are not up to choice.\n\n“There is a need to reaffirm the metaphysical roots of sexual difference, as an anthropological refutation of attempts to negate the male-female duality of human nature, from which the family is generated,” the document said.\n\n“The denial of this duality not only erases the vision of human beings as the fruit of an act of creation but creates the idea of the human person as a sort of abstraction who ‘chooses for himself what his nature is to be.’”\n\nGender theory, the document said, undermines the institution of the family.\n\n“According to such theories, the only thing that matters in personal relationships is the affection between the individuals involved, irrespective of sexual difference or procreation which would be seen as irrelevant in the formation of families,” the document said.\n\n“Thus, the institutional model of the family (where a structure and finality exist independent of the subjective preferences of the spouses) is bypassed, in favor of a vision of family that is purely contractual and voluntary.”\n\nThe document said the Church opposes “calls for public recognition of the right to choose one’s gender, and of a plurality of new types of unions, in direct contradiction of the model of marriage as being between one man and one woman, which is portrayed as a vestige of patriarchal societies,” The New York Times reported.\n\nAdvocates for LGBTQ Catholics were unsettled at the publication of the document.\n\n“By ignoring new scientific understandings of gender identity, and by refusing to engage in dialogue with LGBT people about their lived experiences of self-understanding and faith, the Vatican remains in the dark ages, promoting a false teaching that relies on myth, rumor, and falsehoods,” Francis DeBernardo, director of New Ways Ministry, an advocacy group for LGBTQ Catholics, said, according to USA Today.\n\nRELATED: Catholic Bishop Faces Backlash for Telling Catholics Not To Support LGBTQ Pride Events\n\n“The document associates sexual and gender minorities with libertine sexuality, a gross misrepresentation of the lives of LGBT people which perpetuates and encourages hatred, bigotry, and violence against them,” DeBernardo added.\n\nContrary to the document’s claim that individuals “choose” their gender, people “discover it through their lived experiences,” he said in a statement.\n\nRev. James Martin, who wrote, “Building a Bridge,” which talks about the Catholic Church connecting with the LGBTQ population, had mixed feelings on the document.\n\n“The congregation’s call for listening and dialogue about gender is a positive step, however, it seems that the congregation is listening only to philosophers and theologians rather than to LGBT people who would share their real life experiences if asked,” he said, according to The Times.\n\n“LGBT people are usually not responding to a theory or ideology but their own inner feelings and their own desires,” he said.\n\nWe are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.", "VATICAN CITY — The Vatican condemned gender theory on Monday as part of a “confused concept of freedom,” saying in a new document that the idea of gender being determined by personal feeling rather than biology was an attempt to “annihilate nature.”\n\nLGBT rights advocates denounced the 30-page document, called “Male and Female He Created Them,” as harmful and confusing, saying it would encourage hatred and bigotry.\n\nThe document, the Vatican’s first on gender theory, was written by the Congregation for Catholic Education as an “instruction” to Catholic educators on how to address the topic of gender theory in line with Church teaching.\n\nIt was released as lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people around the world have been celebrating “Pride Month” amid a surge in demands for acceptance of the idea that gender is more complex and fluid than the binary categories of male and female, and depends on more than visible sex characteristics.\n\n“The concept of gender is seen as dependent upon the subjective mindset of each person, who can choose a gender not corresponding to his or her biological sex, and therefore with the way others see that person,” the Vatican booklet says.\n\nIt says gender theories are “often founded on nothing more than a confused concept of freedom in the realm of feelings and wants, or momentary desires provoked by emotional impulses and the will of the individual, as opposed to anything based on the truths of existence.”\n\nFrancis DeBernardo, executive director of New Ways Ministry, which seeks to reconcile LGBT Catholics and the institutional Church, called the booklet “a gross misrepresentation” of the lives of LGBT people that could encourage violence against them.\n\n“The misinformation the document contains will cause families to reject their children, and it will increase alienation of LGBT people from the Church,” he said in a statement.\n\nWhile the document is not signed by Pope Francis, it several times quotes from his speeches and teachings and those of previous popes. It was issued with little advance notice to reporters and without the customary news conference.\n• HOLY SEE RUNNERS: Vatican launches track team to compete in Olympics\n\nIt denounced theories that attempted to “annihilate the concept of nature” and “educational programs and legislative trends that … make a radical break with the actual biological difference between male and female.”\n\nA prominent American Jesuit writer, Father James Martin, tweeted: “The document is mainly a dialog with philosophers and theologians, and with other church documents; but not with scientists and biologists, not with psychologists, and certainly not with LGBT people, whose experiences are given little if any weight.”\n\nDeBernardo added: People do not choose their gender, as the Vatican claims: they discover it through their lived experiences. The Church should respect and encourage this process of discovery, because it is a process by which individuals discover the wonderful way that God has created them.”", "VATICAN CITY -- The Vatican issued an official document Monday rejecting the idea that people can choose or change their genders and insisting on the sexual \"complementarity\" of men and women to make babies.\n\nThe document, published during LGBT Pride Month, was immediately denounced by LGBT Catholics as contributing to bigotry and violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. Advocacy group New Ways Ministry said it would confuse individuals questioning their gender identity or sexual orientation and at risk of self-harm.\n\nThe text, \"Male and Female He Created Them,\" was intended to help Catholic teachers, parents, students and clergy address what the Vatican's Congregation for Catholic Education called an \"educational crisis\" in the field of sex education.\n\nIt called for a \"path of dialogue\" and listening on the issue of \"gender theory\" in education. But even priestly advocates for LGBT Catholics noted that the text appeared to have relied entirely on previous papal pronouncements, Vatican documents, and philosophers and theologians.\n\n\"The real-life experiences of LGBT people seem entirely absent from this document,\" said the Rev. James Martin, a Jesuit priest who wrote a book on improving Catholic Church outreach to the LGBT community, titled Building a Bridge. \"We should welcome the congregation's call to dialogue and listening on gender, and I hope that conversation will now begin.\"\n\nPope Francis has repeatedly argued that people cannot choose their genders. But the document represents the first attempt to put the Vatican's position into an official text.\n\nThe document called for a new alliance among families, schools and society to offer a \"positive and prudent sexual education\" in Catholic schools so children learn the \"full original truth of masculinity and femininity.\"\n\nIt called gender fluidity a symptom of the \"confused concept of freedom\" and \"momentary desires\" that characterize post-modern culture.\n\nFrancis DeBernardo, head of New Ways Ministry, said such concepts are outdated, misinformed and ignore contemporary science on factors beyond visible genitalia.\n\n\"Gender is also biologically determined by genetics, hormones and brain chemistry -- things not visible at birth,\" DeBernardo said in a statement. \"People do not choose their gender, as the Vatican claims, they discover it through their lived experiences.\"", "New Vatican Document Says Gender Theory is ‘Cultural and Ideological Revolution’\n\nThe document says it aims to set out an intellectual framework “towards a path of dialogue on the question of gender theory in education.”\n\nVATICAN CITY - A Vatican department has issued a sweeping denunciation of so-called gender theory, and affirmed the principles of human dignity, difference, and complementarity.\n\n“In all such [gender] theories, from the most moderate to the most radical, there is agreement that one’s gender ends up being viewed as more important than being of male or female sex,” the Congregation for Catholic Education wrote June 10, in a new document entitled “Male and Female He Created Them.”\n\n“The effect of this move is chiefly to create a cultural and ideological revolution driven by relativism, and secondarily a juridical revolution, since such beliefs claim specific rights for the individual and across society.”\n\nThe document says it aims to set out an intellectual framework “towards a path of dialogue on the question of gender theory in education.”\n\nPublished at the beginning of “Pride Month,” during which many cities and corporations mark the campaign of LGBT advocacy, the document says that the Church teaches an essential difference between men and woman, ordered in the natural law and essential to the family and human flourishing.\n\n“There is a need to reaffirm the metaphysical roots of sexual difference, as an anthropological refutation of attempts to negate the male-female duality of human nature, from which the family is generated,” the document explains.\n\n“The denial of this duality not only erases the vision of human beings as the fruit of an act of creation but creates the idea of the human person as a sort of abstraction who ‘chooses for himself what his nature is to be.’”\n\nThe text, signed by Cardinal Giuseppe Versaldi, prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education, outlines the philosophical origins of the gender theory movement, and notes the broad movement to enshrine its distinct anthropology in policy and law.\n\nThe Congregation explains that, beginning in the middle of the twentieth century, a series of studies were published which proposed that external conditioning had the primary determinative influence on personality. When such studies were applied to human sexuality, the document says, they did so with a view to demonstrating that sexuality identity was more a social construct than a given natural or biological fact.\n\n“These schools of thought were united in denying the existence of any original given element in the individual, which would precede and at the same time constitute our personal identity, forming the necessary basis of everything we do.”\n\n“Over the course of time, gender theory has expanded its field of application. At the beginning of the 1990s, its focus was upon the possibility of the individual determining his or her own sexual tendencies without having to take account of the reciprocity and complementarity of male-female relationships, nor of the procreative end of sexuality,” the document says.\n\nThe result was a “radical separation between gender and sex, with the former having priority over the later.”\n\nThe problem with this theory, according to the Congregation, is not the distinction between the two terms, which can be properly understood, but in the separation of the two from each other.\n\n“The propositions of gender theory converge in the concept of ‘queer’, which refers to dimensions of sexuality that are extremely fluid, flexible, and as it were, nomadic.”\n\nThe result of this ideological trend, according to the Congregation’s assessment, is an undermining of the family.\n\n“[In gender theory] the only thing that matters in personal relationships is the affection between the individuals involved, irrespective of sexual difference or procreation which would be seen as irrelevant in the formation of families.”\n\n“Thus, the institutional model of the family (where a structure and finality exist independent of the subjective preferences of the spouses) is bypassed, in favor of a vision of family that is purely contractual and voluntary.”\n\nThe document said that despite the challenges, dialogue remains possible. It also called for protection of human and family rights, decried unjust discrimination, and noted points of unity among people of divergent perspectives on gender ideology.\n\n“For instance, educational programs on this area often share a laudable desire to combat all expressions of unjust discrimination, a requirement that can be shared by all sides,” the document said.\n\n“Indeed, it cannot be denied that through the centuries forms of unjust discrimination have been a sad fact of history and have also had an influence within the Church. This has brought a certain rigid status quo, delaying the necessary and progressive inculturation of the truth of Jesus’ proclamation of the equal dignity of men and women, and has provoked accusations of a sort of masculinist mentality, veiled to a greater or lesser degree by religious motives.”\n\nThe aim of the Church at the institutional and individual level must be the education of children in line with authentic principles which defend and instil authentic human dignity, the Congregation explains.\n\n“In practice, the advocacy for the different identities often presents them as being of completely equal value compared to each other.”\n\n“The generic concept of ‘non-discrimination’ often hides an ideology that denies the difference as well as natural reciprocity that exists between men and women.”\n\nReferencing classical philosophy, historic Church teaching, Vatican Council II and the writings of several popes, the document explains the Church’s understanding of a Christian anthropology, insisting that it be at the heart of human formation.\n\nFor Christians working in schools, both religious and secular, the radical individualism of gender theory should be avoided in favor of teaching children “to overcome their individualism and discover, in the light of faith, their specific vocation to live responsibly in a community.”\n\nAbove all, the document says, the family remains “the primary community” to which the students belong and the fundamental vehicle for preserving, understanding, and transmitting human dignity.\n\n“The school must respect the family’s culture. It must listen carefully to the needs that it finds and the expectations that are directed towards it.”\n\nIn the modern context, however, the essential alliance between school and family “has entered into crisis,” the Congregation notes.\n\n“There is an urgent need to promote a new alliance that is genuine and not simply at the level of bureaucracy, a shared project that can offer a ‘positive and prudent sexual education’ that can harmonise the primary responsibility of parents with the work of teachers.”\n\n“Although ideologically-driven approaches to the delicate questions around gender proclaim their respect for diversity, they actually run the risk of viewing such difference as static realities and end up leaving them isolated and disconnected from each other,” the document concludes.\n\nPromoting a culture of dialogue between the Church and those advancing gender theory principles must take place, the document says, in a manner that respects “the legitimate aspirations of Catholic schools to maintain their own vision of human sexuality,” based on “an integral anthropology capable of harmonizing the human person’s physical, psychic and spiritual identity.”\n\nThe congregation ends by insisting on the rights of the Church, the family, and of Catholic educators to defend authentic teaching and understanding in the face of an increasingly exclusivist approach to education in line with secular progressive principles.\n\n“A democratic state cannot reduce the range of education on offer to a single school of thought, all the more so in relation to this extremely delicate subject, which is concerned on the one hand with the fundamentals of human nature, and on the other with natural rights of parents to freely choose any educational model that accords with the dignity of the human person.”", "VATICAN CITY — The Vatican has issued a document rejecting the idea that people can choose or change their genders.\n\nThe document issued Monday - during LGBT pride month - is the Vatican's first on gender theory. In it, the Vatican also insists on the sexual complementarity of men and women.\n\nLGBT Catholics immediately denounced it as harmful and contributing to hatred, bigotry and violence against gay and transgender people.\n\nAdvocacy group New Ways Ministry said it will confuse people who are struggling with questions about gender identity and sexual orientation.\n\nThe text, \"Male and Female He Created Them,\" was issued by the Congregation for Catholic Education, which said it was intended to help Catholic teachers, parents, students and clergy address the \"educational crisis\" in the field of teaching sexuality.", "The text, Male and Female He Created Them, was intended to help Catholic teachers, parents, students and clergy address what the Vatican's Congregation for Catholic Education called an \"educational crisis\" in the field of sex education. It called for a \"path of dialogue\" and listening on the issue of \"gender theory\" in education. But even priestly advocates for LGBT Catholics noted that the text appeared to have relied entirely on previous papal pronouncements, Vatican documents and philosophers and theologians. \"The real-life experiences of LGBT people seem entirely absent from this document,\" said the Reverend James Martin, a Jesuit priest who wrote a book on improving Catholic Church outreach to the LGBT community, titled Building a Bridge. \"We should welcome the congregation's call to dialogue and listening on gender, and I hope that conversation will now begin.\" Jay Brown of the Human Rights Campaign - the largest LGBT-rights group in the United States - said the Vatican's stance \"sends a dangerous message that anybody who experiences gender diversity is somehow less worthy.\"\n\nThe document called for a new alliance among families, schools and society to offer a \"positive and prudent sexual education\" in Catholic schools so children learn the \"full original truth of masculinity and femininity.\" It called gender fluidity a symptom of the \"confused concept of freedom\" and \"momentary desires\" that characterise post-modern culture. It rejected terms such as \"intersex\" and \"transgender\" and said the purpose of the biological complementarity of the male and female sex organs was to ensure procreation. Francis DeBernardo, head of New Ways Ministry, said such concepts are outdated, misinformed and ignore contemporary science on factors beyond visible genitalia that determine gender. \"Gender is also biologically determined by genetics, hormones and brain chemistry - things not visible at birth,\" DeBernardo said in a statement. \"People do not choose their gender, as the Vatican claims, they discover it through their lived experiences.\"\n\nHe said the Catholic Church should encourage this process of discovery, saying it's \"a process by which individuals discover the wonderful way that God has created them.\" \"This casts everything back to the Dark Ages,\" said Marianne Duddy-Burke, the executive director of DignityUSA, a group that advocates for LGBT equality and inclusion in the church. \"I think it is incredibly insensitive, to be talking still about gender and sexuality as a choice and a momentary whim rather than a fundamental God-given identity.\" The church's retrenchment hints at one of the challenges it faces at a time of growing secularisation - when many of its teachings on sexuality are being ignored as out of date. Francis has expressed an interest in outreach to LGBT followers, but he has also taken a clear stance on gender identity, decrying the idea that children are taught in schools that \"everyone can choose his or her sex.\" \"And this is terrible,\" Francis said in 2016. The church on Monday said it was important to listen and \"understand cultural events of recent decades,\" but it also described a crisis in sexual education - a \"disorientation\" that was destabilising the family and cancelling out the differences between men and women.\n\nThe church made a case that children had the right to grow up in a family \"with a father and a mother,\" and the document quoted an earlier Francis speech about how children benefit from seeing masculinity represented by the father and femininity represented by the mother. \"It is precisely within the nucleus of the family unit that children can learn how to recognise the value and the beauty of the differences between the two sexes,\" the document said. Traditionalist groups lauded the 31-page Vatican document. CitizenGO, a conservative Madrid-based group that campaigns around the world, called the latest church teaching an \"extraordinary guidebook.\" \"This authoritative tool is quite clear in the condemnation of gender ideology and of the grave damage it wreaks inside society,\" the group said. Father James Martin, a prominent Jesuit who has advocated for the church to more openly welcome LGBT members, said on Twitter that the document calls for dialogue and listening \"but sets aside the real-life experiences of LGBT people.\"", "The Vatican has released a new document challenging modern conceptions of gender identity.\n\nThe 31-page teaching guidance, released on Monday, is titled Male and Female He Created Them.\n\nIt speaks of an \"educational crisis\" and says the current debate can \"annihilate the concept of nature\" and destabilise the family institution.\n\nThe document, released during Pride month, has drawn immediate criticism from LGBT groups.\n\nIt was issued by the Congregation for Catholic Education as teaching instruction to those who work with children.\n\nIt is not signed by Pope Francis himself, but quotes him and scripture within its reasoning.\n\nWhat does the document say?\n\nThe document calls for dialogue, but issues guidance on a number of topics including the transgender community.\n\nNotably it criticises the modern understanding of gender as being more complex than the binary division of sexes.\n\nIt says current theories \"move away from nature\" and instead \"towards an absolute option for the decision of the feelings of the human subject\".\n\nIt also says moveable sexual identities are \"often founded on nothing more than a confused concept of freedom in the realm of feelings and wants\".\n\nIt goes on to say that gender is not decided upon by individuals but imputed by God: \"The Holy Scripture reveals the wisdom of the Creator's design, which has assigned as a task to man his body, his masculinity and femininity.\"\n\nThe document says that institutions should teach coherently on \"the true nature of human persons\" on the basis of \"clear and convincing anthropology\".\n\nHowever, it also says that children and young people should be taught to respect every person so that no-one suffers bullying or other discrimination.\n\nNew Ways Ministry, a US advocacy group for LGBT Catholics, has described the document as a \"harmful tool\" that will be used to \"oppress and harm not only transgender people, but lesbian, gay, bisexual people, too\".\n\nFrancis DeBernardo, executive director of the group, rejected the notion that people \"choose their gender\".\n\nIn a statement, he said the document will \"confuse those who sincerely struggle with questions of gender identity and sexual orientation\" and described the Vatican as being in the \"dark ages\" on this issue."], "summary": "The Vatican issues a teaching instruction, Male and Female He Created Them, which criticizes the theory of gender as being more complex than the binary division of sexes. The document draws criticism from LGBT groups."}
{"document": ["Why did this happen?\n\nPlease make sure your browser supports JavaScript and cookies and that you are not blocking them from loading. For more information you can review our Terms of Service and Cookie Policy.", "Defense stocks were on the move Monday after Raytheon and United Technologies agreed to merge.\n\nA combined company would generate $74 billion in annual sales, making it the second-largest aerospace and defense company in the U.S.\n\nWhile President Donald Trump expressed concern a deal could make the industry less competitive, Raytheon CEO Tom Kennedy tells CNBC the two companies are more like partners than competitors.\n\n\"We're complementary. We're not competitive,\" said Kennedy. \"They have some complementary technologies, we bring together with our technologies to go to the marketplace. In this case here, we're going to be able to take about $8 billion of research and development spend and our 60,000 engineers to develop the next-level technologies to create the next generation franchises so we can go to the international/global marketplace and win those markets and then bring that stuff back to the U.S. to create more jobs.\"\n\nSheila Kahyaoglu, aerospace and defense analyst at Jefferies, says companies in the industry see mergers as the best way forward.\n\n\"It reminds us a lot of Harris and L3. You have to keep moving to get ahead. If you think about the budget, it's $730 billion so not an Uber-sized addressable market … it's still off of a very low base, so we have a good addressable market. It's just these companies are seeing a way of merging, and bigger is better, and defense seems to be the theme.\"\n\nRon Epstein, research analyst at Bank of America, sees a formidable player in the industry once the merger goes through.\n\n\"The underlying point of this transaction is a couple things. One, for United Technologies, basically they're swapping out Otis elevator and Carrier air conditioner for Raytheon. And no offense to Otis and Carrier, but Raytheon is a far superior asset. So with the spinout of those companies from UTC, Mr. Hayes has rebuilt this portfolio to a technology juggernaut. The combination here ... a defensive, high-tech portfolio, it really is a spectacular combination.\"\n\nTim Lesko, principal at Granite Investment Advisors, says sell-offs have presented buying opportunities for companies and investors.", "Waltham, Mass. – Raytheon Co. and United Technologies Corp. are merging in a deal that creates one of the world’s largest defense companies.\n\nThe merger, announced Sunday, will close in the first half of 2020 after United Technologies completes the previously planned separation of its Otis and Carrier businesses.\n\nRaytheon shareholders will receive 2.33 shares in the new company for each Raytheon share. Once the merger is complete, United Technologies shareholders will own approximately 57% of the company; Raytheon shareholders will own the rest.\n\nThe combined company, named Raytheon Technologies Corp., will be a powerhouse of defense research and technology, with total sales of approximately $74 billion this year. That would top giants like Lockheed Martin Corp. and Northrop Grumman Corp.\n\nWaltham-based Raytheon was founded in 1922 and makes missiles – including the Patriot system – and cybersecurity tools. Connecticut-based United Technologies was founded in 1934 and makes products for the aerospace and building sectors, including airplane engines and spacesuits.\n\nThe companies said they will be able to develop new technologies more quickly with combined R&D spending of $8 billion annually and more than 60,000 engineers. Raytheon Technologies will focus on hypersonics – vehicles or weapons which can fly faster than the speed of sound – as well as intelligence and surveillance systems, artificial intelligence for commercial aviation and cybersecurity for connected planes.\n\nEventually, the companies expect the merger will cut $1 billion in costs annually, half of which will be returned to customers.\n\n“Our two companies have iconic brands that share a long history of innovation, customer focus and proven execution,” said United Technologies Chairman and CEO Greg Hayes in a statement.\n\nHayes will become the CEO of Raytheon Technologies. Two years after the merger closes, he will add the title of chairman. Raytheon Chairman and CEO Tom Kennedy will be appointed executive chairman. The company’s board will have eight directors from United Technologies and seven from Raytheon.\n\nRaytheon Technologies will be based near Boston. That brought a complaint from U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat from Connecticut, who said he is troubled by the potential impact of the headquarters moving to Massachusetts. Blumenthal, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, also urged the Defense Department, the Justice Department and other agencies to examine the potential impact on costs and competition in the defense industry.\n\nDefense mergers have been increasing as companies – flush with cash from the rising defense budget – look to ensure future growth. In 2018 there were eight mergers exceeding $1 billion in value, including an all-stock deal between L3 Technologies and Harris and General Dynamics’ acquisition of CSRA Inc., according to PricewaterhouseCoopers.\n\nThis story has been corrected to show that revenue of the combined companies will be $74 billion, not million.", "Raytheon and United Technologies will join to create a massive aerospace and defense company in a sector that is already rapidly consolidating.\n\nThe combined company, which will count among its portfolio of weaponry the F-35 fighter jet engines, Patriot and Tomahawk missile systems in addition to space suits and intelligence technology as well as Pratt & Whitney engines used in both commercial and military aircraft, anticipates annual revenue of $74 billion if approved.\n\nThat means it still trails Boeing Co. in heft, but the deal may give the soon to be renamed Raytheon Technologies Corp. leverage with suppliers and contractors over other heavyweights in the industry like Lockheed Martin Corp. and Northrop Grumman Corp.\n\nCosts for the company could eventually be trimmed by $1 billion each year as it strips away duplicative functions.\n\nThe combined company would be valued at well over $100 billion even after United Technologies completes the planned spin-off of a good chunk of its commercial, industrial wing. The deal is expected to close in the first half of 2020, after those assets are shed by United Technologies.\n\n\"The combination of United Technologies and Raytheon will define the future of aerospace and defense,\" said Greg Hayes, United Technologies chairman and CEO, who will become the CEO of the combined company.\n\nThe companies will push to develop new technologies more quickly with combined R&D spending of $8 billion annually and more than 60,000 engineers. Raytheon Technologies will focus on hypersonics — vehicles or weapons which can fly five times faster than the speed of sound — as well as intelligence and surveillance systems, artificial intelligence for commercial aviation and cybersecurity for connected planes.\n\nThe deal would push United Technologies further from the cyclical nature of its commercial businesses, and more deeply into the defense sector.\n\nIndustry analysts saw fewer advantages for Raytheon, but noted that it has ensured that it is not left behind in the push to grow bigger in aerospace and defense.\n\n\"The rationale seems to address (United Technologies') needs more than Raytheon's, unless this was also about simply finding the best partner in a consolidating space,\" wrote Joseph DeNardi, a defense analyst with Stifel. \"A scenario whereby Raytheon would be competing longer-term against Lockheed Martin and a combined Northrop + (United Technologies) may have been an unacceptable outcome of consolidation for Raytheon.\"\n\nDeNardi also once saw Boeing as the likely buyer of Raytheon, but said it may have been hobbled by the grounding of its fleet of its 737 Max aircraft.\n\nRaytheon shareholders will receive 2.33 shares in the new company for each Raytheon share. Once the merger is complete, United Technologies shareholders will own approximately 57% of the company; Raytheon shareholders will own the rest.\n\nTwo years after the deal closes, Hayes will also become chairman. Until then, Raytheon Chairman and CEO Tom Kennedy will be the executive chairman. The company's board will have eight directors from United Technologies and seven from Raytheon.\n\nBoth executives said Monday that there is little overlap between the companies and that they do not anticipate pushback from anti-monopoly regulators.\n\nHowever, President Donald Trump voiced concerns about the deal when he phoned in to the CNBC early Monday.\n\n\"When I hear they're merging ... does that take away more competition?\" asked Trump. \"It becomes one big, fat beautiful company, but I have to negotiate, meaning the United States has to buy things. Does that make it less competitive?\"\n\nIn 2018 there were eight mergers in defense and aerospace exceeding $1 billion in value, including an all-stock deal between L3 Technologies and Harris, and General Dynamics' acquisition of CSRA Inc., according to PricewaterhouseCoopers.\n\nRaytheon Co., is based in Waltham, Massachusetts. United Technologies Corp., based in Farmington, Connecticut. Raytheon Technologies will be based near Boston.\n\nFollow @ChiTribBusiness on Facebook and @ChiTribBiz on Twitter.", "WALTHAM, Mass. (AP) — Raytheon Co. and United Technologies Corp. are merging in a deal that creates one of the world's largest defense companies.\n\nThe merger, announced Sunday, will close in the first half of 2020 after United Technologies completes the separation of its Otis and Carrier businesses. Raytheon shareholders will receive 2.33 shares in the new company for each Raytheon share.\n\nThe combined company, named Raytheon Technologies, will be based near Boston. United Technologies' current Chairman and CEO Greg Hayes will be its CEO. Raytheon chief Tom Kennedy will be its executive chairman.\n\nWaltham-based Raytheon was founded in 1922 and makes missile and cybersecurity systems. Connecticut-based United Technologies was founded in 1934 and serves the aerospace and building sectors.\n\nThe combined companies will have total sales of approximately $74 billion this year.\n\nThis story has been corrected to show that revenue of the combined companies will be $74 billion, not million.", "(Reuters) - United Technologies Corp agreed on Sunday to combine its aerospace business with U.S. defense contractor Raytheon Co and create a new company worth more than $120 billion, in what would be the industry’s biggest ever merger.\n\nThe deal would reshape the competitive landscape by forming a conglomerate which spans commercial aviation and defense equipment. United Technologies provides primarily commercial plane makers with electronics, communications and other equipment, whereas Raytheon mainly supplies the U.S. government with military aircraft and missile equipment.\n\nRaytheon shareholders will receive 2.3348 shares in the combined company for each Raytheon share, the companies said in a statement. The merger is expected to result in more than $1 billion in cost synergies by the end of the fourth year.\n\nUnited Technologies shareholders will own about 57% of the combined business, called Raytheon Technologies Corporation, which will be led by Greg Hayes, the current chief executive of United Technologies. Raytheon shareholders will own the remaining stake, and Raytheon CEO Tom Kennedy will be named executive chairman.\n\nUnited Technologies and Raytheon have market capitalizations of $114 billion and $52 billion, respectively.\n\nThe deal is expected to close in the first half of 2020, following the previously announced spin-off of United Technologies’ Carrier air conditioning and Otis elevator businesses.\n\nThe newly created company is expected to return between $18 billion and $20 billion of capital to shareholders in the first three years after the deal’s completion, the companies said. The new company will also assume about $26 billion in net debt, they added.\n\nRaytheon, maker of the Tomahawk and the Patriot missile systems, and other U.S. military contractors are expected to benefit from strong global demand for fighter jets and munitions as well as higher U.S. defense spending in fiscal 2020, a lot of it driven by U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration.\n\nHowever, Pentagon spending is projected to slow down after an initial boost under Trump. A deal with United Technologies would allow Raytheon to expand into commercial aviation, which does not rely on government spending like the defense sector.\n\nUnited Technologies could benefit from reducing its exposure to commercial aerospace clients amid concerns that the rise of international trade protectionism will weigh on the flow of goods through air traffic.\n\nThe International Air Transport Association, which represents about 290 carriers accounting for more than 80% of global air traffic, cited these concerns earlier this month, when it said the industry is expected to post a $28 billion profit in 2019, down from a December forecast of $35.5 billion.", "The Raytheon Company and United Technologies Corp. are merging in an all-stock deal that the two companies say is a merger of equals. The new company’s name will be Raytheon Technologies Corp. — and it’s expected to have nearly $74 billion in annual sales.\n\nThe new defense and aerospace company would be second only to Boeing in the U.S., according to the latest Forbes 500 rankings by annual revenue. On that list, Boeing had more than $101 billion in revenue while another rival, Lockheed Martin, racked up $53.7 billion, according to Forbes.\n\n“The combination of United Technologies and Raytheon will define the future of aerospace and defense,” United Technologies Chairman and CEO Greg Hayes said in a statement about the deal.\n\nHayes is set to become the leader of the new company: He’ll take the titles of chairman and CEO two years after the merger is finalized.\n\nUnder the deal, United Technologies’ shareholders will own around 57 percent and Raytheon shareholders will own about 43 percent of the merged company. Both Raytheon’s and United’s board of directors have unanimously approved the merger, which is expected to close during the first half of 2020.\n\nThe headquarters of Raytheon Technologies will be in the Boston metro area, the companies say. Raytheon is currently based in Waltham, Mass., while United is based in Farmington, Conn.\n\nThe deal brings together two companies that have been integral to the U.S. technological explosion in the past nearly 100 years. United’s list of accomplishments range from transmitting the first photo via satellite to receiving the first GPS signal. Raytheon’s engineers invented both the microwave oven and the Patriot missile. In 1997, Raytheon acquired trailblazing Hughes Aircraft, which was founded by late billionaire Howard Hughes.\n\n“Raytheon Technologies will continue a legacy of innovation with an expanded aerospace and defense portfolio supported by the world’s most dedicated workforce,” said Tom Kennedy, Raytheon’s current chairman and CEO. He’ll be the new company’s executive chairman.\n\nThe merger is subject to approval by government regulators, as well as by the two companies’ shareholders. But the pair have already unveiled a website touting their merger.\n\nUnder the deal, the new Raytheon will consolidate its operations into four businesses. One will be based on intelligence and aerospace and another based on defense and missile systems. Those entities will join Collins Aerospace (the recently acquired Rockwell Collins Inc.) and jet engine maker Pratt & Whitney — two of United’s high-revenue divisions.\n\n“By joining forces, we will have unsurpassed technology and expanded R&D capabilities,” Hayes said. “Merging our portfolios will also deliver cost and revenue synergies that will create long-term value for our customers and shareowners.”\n\nBy the time the deal closes, United Technologies is expected to have finished spinning off its Otis and Carrier businesses — a move that was announced previously as part of a focus on aerospace and engines.", "United Technologies Corp. agreed to buy Raytheon Co. in an all stock deal, forming an aerospace and defense giant with US$74 billion in sales through one of the industry’s biggest deals ever.\n\nThe new entity will be called Raytheon Technologies Corp., the companies said in a statement Sunday. The combination, which they are billing as a merger of equals, will take place in the first half of 2020 after United Technologies’ planned spinoff of its Otis elevator and Carrier air-conditioner businesses.\n\n“The combination of United Technologies and Raytheon will define the future of aerospace and defense,” United Technologies Chief Executive Officer Greg Hayes said in the statement. He will hold that same role in the combined organization, while Raytheon CEO Thomas Kennedy will become chairman, the companies said.\n\nUnder terms, Raytheon shareowners will receive 2.3348 shares in the combined company for each Raytheon share they hold. When the dust settles, United Technologies shareowners will own approximately 57% of the combined company on a fully diluted basis and Raytheon shareowners will own approximately 43%. Raytheon will hold seven of the 15 board positions.\n\nThe blockbuster deal caps a dramatic revamp of United Technologies under Hayes, who took the reins at the industrial conglomerate in 2014 with a vow to pursue big transactions. Along with last year’s $23 billion acquisition of aircraft-parts supplier Rockwell Collins, the Raytheon deal remakes United Technologies as an aerospace behemoth with products including jet engines, missiles, cockpit electronics and radars.\n\nBoth companies advanced more than 20% this year through June 7, in line with a Standard & Poor’s index of aerospace and defense manufacturers.\n\nGreater heft would enhance the ability of United Technologies to withstand cost pressures from customers such as Boeing Co. and Airbus SE, said Douglas Rothacker, an analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence. Another crucial customer is the U.S. Department of Defense.\n\n“Aerospace suppliers have been, and will continue to be, under immense pressure from Boeing and Airbus to cut costs,” Rothacker said. “We’ve seen consolidation in the sector as a way to counter these pricing and competitive pressures, and also diversify to add revenue streams.”\n\nAnother wildcard in winning approval for the deal: the U.S. Department of Defense. Hayes spurned a merger offer from Honeywell International Inc. in 2016, saying the deal undervalued his company and would face customer opposition. At the time, Wall Street analysts anticipated resistance from the Pentagon, as well as planemakers.", "(Hatha al-Youm | Iraq News )- Raytheon and United Technologies will join to create amassive aerospace and defense company in a sector that is already rapidlyconsolidating.The combined company, which will count among its portfolioof weaponry the F-35 fighter jet engines, Patriot and Tomahawk missile systemsin addition to space suits and intelligence technology as well as Pratt &Whitney engines used in both commercial and military aircraft, anticipatesannual revenue of $74 billion if approved.That means it still trails Boeing Co. in heft, but the dealmay give the soon to be renamed Raytheon Technologies Corp. leverage withsuppliers and contractors over other heavyweights in the industry like LockheedMartin Corp. and Northrop Grumman Corp.Costs for the company could eventually be trimmed by $1billion each year as it strips away duplicative functions.The combined company would be valued at well over $100billion even after United Technologies completes the planned spin-off of a goodchunk of its commercial, industrial wing. The deal is expected to close in thefirst half of 2020, after those assets are shed by United Technologies.“The combination of United Technologies and Raytheon willdefine the future of aerospace and defense,” said Greg Hayes, UnitedTechnologies chairman and CEO, who will become the CEO of the combined company.The companies will push to develop new technologies morequickly with combined R&D spending of $8 billion annually and more than60,000 engineers. Raytheon Technologies will focus on hypersonics — vehicles orweapons which can fly five times faster than the speed of sound — as well asintelligence and surveillance systems, artificial intelligence for commercialaviation and cybersecurity for connected planes.The deal would push United Technologies further from thecyclical nature of its commercial businesses, and more deeply into the defensesector.Industry analysts saw fewer advantages for Raytheon, butnoted that it has ensured that it is not left behind in the push to grow biggerin aerospace and defense.“The rationale seems to address (United Technologies’) needsmore than Raytheon’s, unless this was also about simply finding the bestpartner in a consolidating space,” wrote Joseph DeNardi, a defense analyst withStifel. “A scenario whereby Raytheon would be competing longer-term againstLockheed Martin and a combined Northrop + (United Technologies) may have beenan unacceptable outcome of consolidation for Raytheon.”DeNardi also once saw Boeing as the likely buyer ofRaytheon, but said it may have been hobbled by the grounding of its fleet ofits 737 Max aircraft.Raytheon shareholders will receive 2.33 shares in the newcompany for each Raytheon share. Once the merger is complete, UnitedTechnologies shareholders will own approximately 57% of the company; Raytheonshareholders will own the rest.Two years after the deal closes, Hayes will also becomechairman. Until then, Raytheon Chairman and CEO Tom Kennedy will be theexecutive chairman. The company’s board will have eight directors from UnitedTechnologies and seven from Raytheon.Both executives said Monday that there is little overlapbetween the companies and that they do not anticipate pushback fromanti-monopoly regulators.However, President Donald Trump voiced concerns about thedeal when he phoned in to the CNBC early Monday.“When I hear they’re merging... does that take away morecompetition?” asked Trump. “It becomes one big, fat beautiful company, but Ihave to negotiate, meaning the United States has to buy things. Does that makeit less competitive?”In 2018 there were eight mergers in defense and aerospaceexceeding $1 billion in value, including an all-stock deal between L3Technologies and Harris, and General Dynamics’ acquisition of CSRA Inc.,according to PricewaterhouseCoopers.Raytheon Co., is based in Waltham, Massachusetts. UnitedTechnologies Corp., based in Farmington, Connecticut. Raytheon Technologieswill be based near Boston.Shares of Raytheon rose about 2% early Monday, a day afterthe deal was announced. United Technologies fell 2%.", "United Technologies Corp. is near a deal to combine with military contractor Raytheon Co., according to people familiar with the matter, the latest move by the sprawling conglomerate to transform into a company focused on aerospace and defense.\n\nThe companies, which together have a market value of roughly $166 billion, could announce a deal in the coming days assuming talks don't fall apart at the last minute, the person said.\n\nExact terms couldn't be learned but United Technologies shareholders are likely to own a majority of the combined company.\n\nThe tie-up, expected to be billed as a merger-of-equals, wouldn't affect United Technologies' existing plans to spin off its Otis elevator and Carrier building-systems businesses into separate companies. Raytheon would be combining with United's remaining aerospace business, and all transactions would take place at the same time. United Technologies has said the spinoffs will take place in the first half of next year.\n\nAdjusting for the spinoffs, the companies' combined market value would likely still be north of $100 billion. The new entity would be the world's second-largest aerospace-and-defense company by sales after Boeing Co., with annual revenue of more than $70 billion last year.\n\nIn addition to other benefits from increased scale, the proposed deal could help the enlarged company weather any slowdown in the commercial aerospace and defense markets.\n\nUnited Technologies Chairman and Chief Executive Greg Hayes is expected to lead the combined company, while Raytheon Chairman and CEO Thomas Kennedy would be chairman, the person said.\n\nUnited Technologies has a market value of roughly $114 billion, while Raytheon's is about $52 billion.\n\nThe deal would be one of the largest in a year that has included some big mergers but otherwise has been lackluster. Right now the biggest proposed acquisition is Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.'s $74 billion purchase of rival drugmaker Celgene Corp.\n\nA United Technologies-Raytheon combination has long been speculated on by analysts and investors, given that the two companies operate in mainly different segments and could benefit from sharing technology.\n\nIt would unite the maker of Pratt & Whitney engines -- used on commercial airliners such as the Airbus SE A320neo -- and the F-35 combat jet, with Raytheon, the fourth-largest U.S. defense contractor by revenue.\n\nFarmington, Conn.-based United Technologies, which acquired Rockwell Collins for $23 billion late last year, is one of America's last remaining big industrial conglomerates -- though it is set to radically transform with the spinoffs and now the merger.\n\nThe Otis elevator division and Carrier building-systems businesses will become separate publicly traded companies, leaving United Technologies as a pure-play aerospace company. The rationale for the split was clear in the company's first-quarter results as the aerospace portions of its business posted strong growth.\n\nInvestors are pressuring traditional conglomerates to become more focused. Rivals Honeywell International Inc. and General Electric Co. are both shaving off units to streamline their businesses.\n\nSeveral activist investors had pushed United Technologies to split, and Mr. Hayes has openly expressed his preference for smaller, more focused companies. Before the Rockwell deal, the company's revenue was about evenly split between airplanes and buildings.\n\nWaltham, Mass.-based Raytheon, whose sales rose 6.7% last year to $27.1 billion, produces missiles such as the Tomahawk together with radars and other electronic-warfare systems. It has invested heavily in recent years ahead of the recent uptick in Pentagon spending, and has the biggest export business among the five largest U.S. defense contractors.\n\nWhile commercial aircraft sales have been booming during an unprecedented 13-year surge in orders that has left Airbus and Boeing with backlogs of more than 13,000 jetliners, analysts have cautioned that slowing air traffic could force aircraft makers to reverse production increases.\n\nThe two-year uptick in Pentagon spending on new aircraft, missiles and other defense equipment is also running out of steam, with analysts projecting muted growth over the next several years.\n\nThe U.S. defense industry has morphed from about 60 big companies at the start of the 1980s to only five prime contractors today. Pentagon leaders have indicated they wouldn't allow further mergers between the main players -- Lockheed Martin Corp., Boeing, Northrop Grumman Corp., General Dynamics and Raytheon.\n\nHowever, combining United Technologies' aerospace assets with Raytheon is likely to attract less scrutiny given that the companies have almost no overlap in their defense businesses.\n\nThomas Gryta and Doug Cameron contributed to this article."], "summary": "Defense contractors United Technologies and Raytheon agree to merge into a combined company that would generate $74 billion in annual sales, making it the second-largest aerospace and defense company in the U.S."}
{"document": ["Ha lottato dieci giorni nel reparto di terapia intensiva dell’ospedale Sant’Eugenio. Si è battuto come un leone, come aveva fatto la mattina del 10 giugno scorso quando nonostante le ustioni al volto e alle braccia è rimasto nel palazzo del Comune in fiamme e con il rischio che crollasse per portare fuori tutti gli impiegati rimasti bloccati. Era uscito per ultimo, come il comandante di una nave che affonda, il sindaco Emanuele Crestini dopo aver messo in salvo anche il suo delegato ai Servizi cimiteriali del comune di Rocca di Papa, Vincenzo Eleuteri, 68 anni, morto martedì scorso nello stesso ospedale. Nella tarda serata di giovedì anche il primo cittadino si è arreso. È morto per le ustioni e sopratutto per aver respirato troppo a lungo le particelle solide del fumo nero e acre provocato dell’incendio. Se fosse fuggito prima probabilmente sarebbe sopravvissuto. Ma, come Eleuteri, è restato dentro per salvare gli altri. A confermarlo ci sono le testimonianze di chi si trovava nel palazzo del Comune in corso Costituente letteralmente esploso per la fuga di gas causata da tre operai della ditta Tecnogeo di Frosinone che un’ora prima avevano rotto per errore una tubatura dell’Italgas. Il metano, seguendo un percorso sotterraneo che i vigili del fuoco stanno ancora accertando, forse favorito dal fatto che qualcuno ha infilato uno straccio nella falla per bloccarla in modo grossolano prima di allontanarsi dal posto, si è infilato nel seminterrato del palazzo che ospitava l’archivio del catasto e poi ha raggiunto tutti e quattro i piani con la tromba dell’ascensore. E alla fine è esploso: sedici feriti, fra loro anche quattro bambini piccoli del vicino asilo Centro Urbano. Ma i più gravi erano Crestini ed Eleuteri, con il 36 e il 44 per cento del corpo coperti da ustioni di secondo e terzo grado.\n\nMorto nello stesso giorni in cui, 3 anni fa, fu eletto Per un tragico gioco del destino Crestini è morto lo stesso giorno in cui, tre anni fa, era stato eletto sindaco della cittadina dei Castelli con una lista civica, Insieme per Rocca di Papa, battendo di 2mila voti la candidata del Pd Silvia Sciamplicotti. L’anno scorso il sindaco era stato protagonista della vicenda del ricollocamento dei migranti della nave Diciotti nella comunità «Un Mondo Migliore» e aveva dovuto affrontare anche le tensioni legate a manifestazioni cittadine. «Adesso dobbiamo far uscire tutti», aveva detto Crestini dopo l’esplosione. Le indagini dei carabinieri e dei vigili del fuoco dovranno appurare dove si trovassero lui ed Eleuteri - ex dipendente Atac - nel momento dello scoppio. Probabilmente nei piani inferiori dove si sentiva un fortissimo odore di gas. Per un’ora - come ha accertato la procura di Velletri - nessuno ha pensato di evacuare l’edificio e dare l’allarme. Per la fuga di gas e la deflagrazione sono indagate tre persone prima per disastro colposo e lesioni gravissime in concorso, adesso probabilmente per anche per omicidio colposo plurimo. Si tratta del titolare della Tecnogeo, del fratello geologo che si trovava sul posto e di un altro geologo incaricato dal Comune di svolgere delle indagini nelle cavità del sottosuolo di Rocca di Papa.\n\nMessaggi di cordoglio: «Hai amato questo paese fino alla morte» Centinaia i messaggi di cordoglio sui social da parte di amici e concittadini del sindaco scomparso. Alcuni di loro chiedono anche giustizia per quando accaduto. «Mi sento devastata nell’animo.E pensare che la domenica eravamo a pranzo insieme e che ci siamo sentiti fino all’una di notte, e poi la tragedia! Chi ha creato questa ondata di dolore paghi in eterno! Stanotte mi sento piccola piccola con tante domande alle quali non so dare risposta. Tu che hai portato a battessimo mio figlio,tu che in ogni avversità mi hai teso una mano, tu che ad ogni telefonata rispondevi anche a tarda notte, tu che hai amato questo paese fino alla morte. Il nostro non è un addio ma un arrivederci........buon viaggio amico mio».\n\nMattarella: «Esempio di coraggio e altruismo» «Ho appreso con profondo dolore la notizia della morte di Emanuele Crestini, sindaco di Rocca di Papa, deceduto a causa delle ustioni riportate per essersi adoperato, dopo l'esplosione nel palazzo del municipio, per portare in salvo tutte le persone che erano dentro i locali, dando un esempio di coraggio, di altruismo e di generosità nei confronti dei suoi concittadini». Così il presidente della Repubblica, Sergio Mattarella. «In questo momento di dolore - aggiunge - desidero far pervenire ai familiari del sindaco la mia solidarietà e partecipazione che esprimo anche ai familiari di Vincenzo Eleuteri, morto nei giorni scorsi in quella sciagura».\n\nSalvini: «Un eroe: medaglia d’oro al valor civile» «Si è preoccupato di far uscire tutte le persone dal Comune in fiamme, ma il suo eroismo gli è costato la vita: il sindaco di Rocca di Papa ha lottato ma nella notte è morto proprio per il troppo fumo inalato. Un pensiero commosso alla sua famiglia e a quella dell’altro dipendente comunale Vincenzo Eleuteri, deceduto cinque giorni fa (il 16 giugno)». Lo ha detto il ministro dell’Interno, Matteo Salvini. «Per il sindaco Emanuele Crestini ritengo sia doverosa la medaglia d’oro al valor civile», ha concluso.\n\nIl sindaco di Rocca di Papa Emanuele Crestini non ce l'ha fatta. Era rimasto ferito nell'esplosione del palazzo comunale. Una notizia davvero triste. @Roma abbraccia la sua famiglia e i suoi cittadini in questo momento di dolore. — Virginia Raggi (@virginiaraggi) 21 giugno 2019", "At least nine people were wounded, including three children, after an explosion destroyed a town hall in the Roman suburb of Rocca di Papa on Monday, June 10, local media reported. The mayor of Rocca di Papa, Emanuele Crestini, was among those injured in the blast, according to reports. Vigili del Fuoco, Italy’s national fire service, said they believed the incident was a gas explosion. The explosion gutted the facade of the Rocca di Papa town hall and damaged a neighboring nursery school and another building that houses public offices. Credit: Vigili del Fuoco via Storyful", "The European Union should allow Italy to cut tax and invest in the green economy to boost the country's economy, Deputy Prime Minister Luigi Di Maio said on Monday.\n\nThe European Union should allow Italy to cut tax and invest in the green economy to boost the country's economy, Deputy Prime Minister Luigi Di Maio said on Monday.\n\nItaly deputy PM Di Maio says EU must allow Italy to cut tax\n\nDi Maio, who heads the ruling 5 Star party, will meet his co-deputy PM and League party leader Matteo Salvini as well as Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte later on Monday to discuss the threat of EU action against Italy for excessive debt.\n\nDi Maio said he expected the trio to agree on minimum salary, tax cuts and curbing privileges for politicians and policymakers.", "Ten people have been injured, including a child who is in critical condition, following an explosion caused by a gas leak in the centre of a small town near Rome.\n\nThe accident took place on Monday in Rocca di Papa, about 25 kilometres southeast of Rome and close to the pope's summer residence of Castel Gandolfo.\n\nThe child was seriously hurt but his life is not in danger, regional health commissioner Alessio D'Amato said in a statement, adding that he was admitted to hospital along with an adult, who has burn injuries.\n\nTwo more children were taken to hospital by their families while six adults were treated at the scene of the accident, the commissioner added.\n\nThe blast took place inside Rocca di Papa's town hall, partially destroying its facade and triggering a fire.\n\nAccording to Italian media reports, mayor Emanuele Crestini was among the injured.\n\nThe children affected by the explosion were in a nursery school adjacent to the town hall, according to reports from the ANSA news agency.\n\nFirefighters published a video on Twitter showing the street outside the town hall strewn with debris. No other victims were found among the rubble, they said.\n\nIn a statement, gas company Italgas blamed a third - unnamed - company for causing the explosion.\n\nIt said digging work outside the town hall had damaged underground gas pipes, provoking a leak.", "ROME (Reuters) - The European Union should allow Italy to cut tax and invest in the green economy to boost the country’s economy, Deputy Prime Minister Luigi Di Maio said on Monday.\n\nDi Maio, who heads the ruling 5 Star party, will meet his co-deputy PM and League party leader Matteo Salvini as well as Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte later on Monday to discuss the threat of EU action against Italy for excessive debt.\n\nDi Maio said he expected the trio to agree on minimum salary, tax cuts and curbing privileges for politicians and policymakers.", "(Di martedì 11 giugno 2019)\"How to\" workshop, Christopher Raeburn, Duran LantinkDuran Lantink,\"How to\" workshop\"How to\" workshop\"How to\" workshop\"How to\" workshopChristopher Raeburn,\"How to\" workshopDuran Lantink, Aleali May,, Christopher Raeburn: La capsule collection: La capsule collection: La capsule collectionMercedes Benz London PartyMercedes Benz London PartyMercedes Benz London PartyMercedes Benz London Party, attrice e sceneggiatrice originaria di South Chicago, lesbica dichiarata e militante per i diritti LGBTQ è stata la prima donna di colore a ricevere un Emmy per la sceneggiatura di una commedia, grazie alla puntata di Thanksgiving della serie «Master of None». Quante altre prime volte per le ...\n\nLuana97017521 : RT @HLNewsItaly: Harry sarà presente alla puntata del Late Late Show dove si sfideranno Team USA e Team UK. Tra le altre celebrità: Michell… - officialbabi97 : RT @HLNewsItaly: ?? Harry ha messo mi piace alla foto pubblicata da Lena Waithe su Instagram. - angelamariamat9 : RT @HLNewsItaly: ?? Harry ha messo mi piace alla foto pubblicata da Lena Waithe su Instagram. -"], "summary": "A man died and 15 others are injured after an accidental explosion at the building of the Comune in Rocca di Papa, Italy. Emanuele Crestini, the mayor of the city, was critically injured and died ten days later for his injuries, bringing the death toll to two."}
{"document": ["4.0 earthquake reported in northeast Ohio\n\nThe tremor was centered near the city of Eastlake, about 18 miles northeast of Cleveland.", "CLEVELAND — The United States Geological Survey reports a 4.0-magnitude earthquake was centered in Lake Erie, just north of Eastlake at 10:50 a.m.\n\nResidents across a wide swath of Northeast Ohio reported feeling an earthquake Monday morning. Many said it felt like a car hit their homes.\n\nRELATED: Watch the incredible moment cameras captured an earthquake outside of Cleveland\n\nPreliminary reports by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources indicate the naturally-occurring earthquake took place about half a mile off the coast of Eastlake along the southern edge of Lake Erie in Lake County and had a 4.2 magnitude. A series of aftershocks followed, ranging in magnitude from 2.1 to 2.5.\n\n\"Seismic activity of 2.5 and above can generally be felt,\" stated ODNR Public Information Officer David Roorbach. \"This is a known epicenter of natural earthquakes, due to the geologic history of the area. Seismologists from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources continue to monitor the seismic activity.\"\n\nJeff Fox, a seismologist with the ODNR Division of Geological Survey, said the slight discrepancy in magnitude numbers is due to different agencies and different stations reporting the earthquake.\n\nNo reports of damage\n\nThere was no damage reported at FirstEnergy's Perry Nuclear Power Plant in Perry Township.\n\n\"Perry Nuclear Power Plant employees completed a visual inspection inside and outside the Perry Plant this morning after the earthquake,\" said Senior Communications Representative Christopher Eck. \"No damage was reported. The plant continues to operate at 100 percent power.\"\n\nThere are no reported power outages at this time.\n\nA representative for Cargill Salt said team at their mine under Lake Erie is safe and the mine is operating as usual.\n\n\"We constantly monitor the mine and have rigorous safety protocols in place to ensure a safe environment for our team at all times,\" said Justin Barber with Cargill Salt.\n\nCellular Interruption\n\nWhile the earthquake caused no damage, it appears to have been the cause of some cell phone services being interrupted.\n\nThe Geauga County Sheriff's Office reported the cellular interruption on Monday evening. Deputies said they had contacted the cell phone companies, who assured them that they were working towards restoring full service as quickly as possible.\n\nUSGS Explains\n\nNews 5 meteorologist Bryan Shaw spoke to an expert at the USGS shortly after the quake.\n\n\"The most you would typically see from a quake like this is something knocked from a shelf or a picture that wasn’t on the wall very well might fall...something like that,\" said USGS geophysicist Don Blakeman. \"But we don’t expect to see structural damage to buildings in the U.S. anyway until about magnitude 5, because we have pretty good building codes everywhere.\"\n\nBlakeman explained why those in the upper floors of buildings around the area may have felt the quake when those on the ground level did not.\n\n\"The higher the building is, the more waves tend to be amplified in general,\" he said. \"So oftentimes people in high-rise buildings will feel an earthquake some distance away, whereas people on ground level or lower floors don’t feel it, and it’s just a matter of getting the building kind of shaking or swaying. So, oftentimes, the taller the building is the more likely it is that a quake will be felt. And it also depends on how well the building is built, how close you are to the earthquake, what the ground or rocks are like under the building. There are a lot of factors that determine how strongly something’s felt.\"\n\nBlakeman encouraged anyone who felt the quake Monday morning to go on to the USGS website and fill out a \"Did You Feel It?\" report.\n\nResidents react\n\nA News 5 viewer in Mayfield Village said it felt like her whole house was shaking. Viewers felt it as far away as Strongsville. News 5 journalist Bob Fenner reported feeling a \"rumble\" in Mentor.\n\nAreas included Euclid and Mentor, both of whose fire departments confirmed feeling a rumbling.\n\nThe Lake County Sheriff's Office says no damage has been reported.\n\nWe also felt the shaking. We suspect that it was an earthquake but are awaiting further information. No reports of damage but getting lots of calls asking what it was. — Wickliffe Police (@WickliffePolice) June 10, 2019\n\nIn a tweet, the City of Mentor said dispatch is overwhelmed with 911 calls.\n\nWe are waiting for the experts to affirm what was probably an earthquake here in NEO but please tune in to the news. Dispatch is being overwhelmed with 911 calls - we don't know anymore than you do at this point. — City of Mentor (@cityofmentor) June 10, 2019\n\nAccording USGS, 220 people reported feeling the earthquake.\n\nEarthquakes in Ohio\n\nSince 1836, Northeastern Ohio has experienced more than 100 earthquakes, many of them beneath Lake Erie offshore from Lake County. While many of the earthquakes caused little to no damage, an earthquake on January 31, 1986, in southern Lake County, shook the state and was felt in 10 other states and southern Canada, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources.\n\nThe 1986 earthquake had a magnitude of 5.0 and caused minor to moderate damage, including broken windows and cracked plaster.\n\nODNR says little is known about Ohio's earthquakes. Those in Ohio appear to be associated with ancient zones of weakness in the Earth's crust that formed during rifting and collision events about a billion years ago, according to ODNR.\n\nRELATED:\n\nNEWS 5 ARCHIVE: Monday's quake has Clevelanders recalling 1986 earthquake\n\nEastlake ice cream shop offering deal on 'shakes'", "Or it was a 4.0 magnitude. Depends on which earthquake measuring agency is analyzing the temblor. \n\n\n\nThe Ohio Department of Natural Resources originally pegged the quake at a 4.4 magnitude, but reduced that to 4.2 after more data came in Monday. ODNR spokesman Eric Heis expects the department will stick with the 4.2 measurement. \n\n\n\nThe National Earthquake Information Center in Colorado estimates the earthquake was at a magnitude of 4.0, and expects that figure will come down a couple of tenths after more data and analysis is completed. \n\n\n\nWhatever the magnitude, thousands of individuals reported feeling the quake on Monday. It was felt as far south as Akron and Canton. \n\n\n\nThe quake was centered about 2.5 miles north, northwest of Eastlake and about three miles below the surface, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Eastlake is about 18 miles northeast of downtown Cleveland. \n\n\n\nDon Blakeman, a geophysicist at the National Earthquake Information Center, the earthquake was shallow, \"like all of the ones in the east are.\" \n\n\n\nBlakeman said that thousands of people have reported feeling the temblor, but it's unlikely any significant damage would occur with a 4.0 magnitude earthquake. \n\n\n\n\"A poorly hung picture might fall off the wall,\" Blakeman said. He said that larger earthquakes have been recorded in the area, and that they are fairly rare but not unheard of. \n\n\n\n\"It's not like a one-of-a-kind [earthquake],\" Blakeman said. \n\n\n\nHeis agreed, saying that earthquakes of this magnitude happen about once every 20 years or so in Northeast Ohio. He said that the different magnitude measurements occur because ODNR and NEIC use different monitoring networks and analysis techniques. \n\n\n\n\"In my office in Richfield thinking, What is shaking the shelves? Or in that a critter in the wall?\" Christen Varley posted on the Beacon Journal's Facebook page. \n\n\n\n\"I'm glad it was an earthquake. I was not interested in dealing with mice,\" Varley said. \n\n\n\nDennis Miller posted on the Beacon's Facebook page, \"Felt in Copley, light but felt it... still shook the house.\" \n\n\n\nIn Bath, Barb Nonno, said here desk swayed back and forth. \"It was super short. I picked up my water glass so it wouldn't spill,\" she posted on Facebook. \n\n\n\nColleen McCauley Piscetta, of Medina County, felt the quake while working in Highland Heights, closer to the where the quake was centered. \"Nothing like a lil’ Ohio earthquake,\" she posted on her Facebook page. \"The place rumbled and [you] could feel it in your chest.\" \n\n\n\nThere was no damage reported at FirstEnergy's Perry Nuclear Power Plant — about 22 miles north, northeast of Eastlake, in Perry Township, according to the Beacon Journal news partner News Channel 5. \n\n\n\nIt was in 1986 when a 5.0 tremor shook the region, and many in Northeast Ohio learned the area is seismically active. \n\n\n\nWhile the 1986 quake probably ranks as the third largest in Ohio and caused minor to moderate damage, it became the most intensively studied Ohio earthquake. That's because researchers had never traced an epicenter so close to a U.S. nuclear reactor. Perry Power Nuclear Plant was 11 miles from the epicenter, in Lake County, just north of the Geauga County line. \n\n\n\nThe facility, built to withstand a 6.0 shock, suffered no structural damage, a spokesman for FirstEnergy, said in 2006. FirstEnergy owned the plant that year. It is now owned by FirstEnergy Solutions. \n\n\n\nAlthough newspapers in 1986 reported 17 people being treated for injuries in the \"epicentral area,\" only two injuries were a direct result of the earthquake, the Ohio Division of Natural Resource's Geological Survey division said. A woman received minor cuts from falling ceiling tile in a Mentor shopping mall and a child received a minor cut from broken window glass at Lake Erie College in Painesville. \n\n\n\nNo one has died from injuries from an Ohio earthquake, according to the Geological Survey division. \n\n\n\nEarthquakes too small to cause damage are felt two or three times per decade in the region, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. \n\n\n\nThe Anna earthquake on March 9, 1937, in Shelby County was the strongest earthquake to strike Ohio, with an estimated magnitude of 5.4, according to the Geological Survey division. \n\n\n\nSeismographs were not readily available at that time; however, based on the \"felt area\" of the earthquake and the damage that occurred in Anna and surrounding communities, the U.S. Geological Survey assigned a magnitude of 5.4 to this earthquake. \n\n\n\nPeople can let the U.S. Geological Survey know if they felt the Monday quake and rate the \"intensity\" at the organization's web page where the earthquake is listed at on.doi.gov/31ne3Vj. \n\n\n\nSo far, most of those who have reported feeling the quake have said the intensity is \"weak\" or \"light.\" \n\n\n\nJo Marie Silvidi of Cuyahoga Falls, said her 15-year-old daughter texted her to say that her bed shook. Jo Marie Silvidi was in Cleveland with her other daughter. She said on Facebook that said she didn't feel the earthquake.", "EASTLAKE, Oh. (CBS46) A magnitude 4.0 earthquake has been reported in northeast Ohio.\n\nThe USGS reports that the 4.0 magnitude quake hit the city of Eastlake, near Cleveland.\n\nThe City of Mentor says their 911 systems are being overwhelmed with calls, and they're asking residents not to call unless it’s an emergency situation.\n\nSome residents said they felt like their home was \"rocking.\"", "Residents of the Buckeye State got an extra jolt to their Monday morning when an earthquake rattled parts of the state, overwhelming some 911 dispatch centers.\n\nThe United States Geological Survey said the 4.0 magnitude earthquake was centered in Lake Erie about 2 1/2 miles north of Eastlake, Ohio at 10:50 a.m.\n\nThe quake had a shallow depth of about 3 miles and was felt by people across the region in cities such as Mentor and Cleveland. There were no reports of damage or injuries from the quake.\n\nThe city of Mentor, located about 25 miles northeast of Cleveland, said on Twitter the shaking caused dispatch to be \"overwhelmed with 911 calls.\"\n\n\"No reports of damage but getting lots of calls asking what it was,\" police said.\n\nMany across the Cleveland metropolitan area took to social media to report the shaking.\n\nAccording to the USGS, the Northeast Ohio seismic zone has had \"moderately frequent earthquakes\" since the first was recorded in 1823.\n\nOFF THE COAST OF PORTUGAL, THE EARTH'S CRUST MIGHT BE PEELING IN TWO\n\nEast of the Rockies, earthquakes can typically be felt over a much broader region than those in the western U.S.\n\n\"A magnitude 4.0 eastern U.S. earthquake typically can be felt at many places as far as 100 km (60 mi) from where it occurred, and it infrequently causes damage near its source,\" according to USGS.\n\nThe Ohio Department of Natural Resources said at least 100 earthquakes since 1836 have been reported beneath Lake Erie offshore from Lake County. While many of the quakes have caused little to no damage, an earthquake on January 31, 1986 \"strongly shook\" Ohio and was felt in 10 other states and southern Canada.\n\nCLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS APP\n\n\"This event had a magnitude of 5.0 and caused minor to moderate damage, including broken windows and cracked plaster, in the epicentral area,\" the state agency states.\n\nThe ODNR said that origins of Ohio earthquakes are not entirely understood, but appears to be associated with ancient zones of weakness in the Earth's crust that formed during rifting and continental collision events about a billion years ago.\n\n\"These zones are characterized by deeply buried and poorly known faults, some of which serve as the sites for periodic release of strain that is constantly building up in the North American continental plate due to continuous movement of the tectonic plates that make up the Earth's crust,\" according to the agency.", "A 4.0 magnitude earthquake shook the Cleveland area at 10:50 a.m. Monday.\n\nThe quake was centered about 2.5 miles north, northwest of Eastlake and about three miles below the surface, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Eastlake is about 18 miles north east of downtown Cleveland.\n\nThe quake was felt as far south as the Akron and Canton areas.\n\n\"In my office in Richfield thinking `What is shaking the shelves? Or in that a critter in the wall?,\" Christen Varley posted on the Beacon Journal's Facebook page. \n\n\n\n\"I'm glad it was an earthquake. I was not interested in dealing with mice,\" Varley said.\n\nDennis Miller posted on the Beacon's Facebook page, \"Felt in Copley, light but felt it... still shook the house.\"\n\nIn Bath, next to Copley, Barb Nonno, said here desk swayed back and forth. \"It was super short. I picked up my water glass so it wouldn't spill,\" she posted on Facebook.\n\nColleen McCauley Piscetta, of Medina County, felt the quake while working in Highland Heights, closer to the where the quake was centered. \"Nothing like a lil’ Ohio earthquake,\" she posted on her Facebook page. \"The place rumbled and [you] could feel it in your chest.\"\n\nIt was in 1986 when a 5.0 tremor shook the region, and many in Northeast Ohio learned the area is seismically active.\n\nWhile the quake probably ranks as the third largest in Ohio and caused minor to moderate damage, it became the most intensively studied Ohio earthquake. That's because researchers had never traced an epicenter so close to a U.S. nuclear reactor. Perry Power Nuclear Plant was 11 miles from the epicenter, in Lake County, just north of the Geauga County line.\n\nThe facility, built to withstand a 6.0 shock, suffered no structural damage, a spokesman for FirstEnergy, said in 2006. FirstEnergy owned the plant that year. It is now owned by FirstEnergy Solutions.\n\nAlthough newspapers in 1986 reported 17 people being treated for injuries in the \"epicentral area,\" only two injuries were a direct result of the earthquake, the Ohio Division of Natural Resource's Geological Survey division said. A woman received minor cuts from falling ceiling tile in a Mentor shopping mall and a child received a minor cut from broken window glass at Lake Erie College in Painesville.\n\nNo one has died from injuries from an Ohio earthquake, according to the Geological Survey division.\n\nEarthquakes too small to cause damage are felt two or three times per decade in the region, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.\n\nThe Anna earthquake on March 9, 1937, in Shelby County Ohio, was the strongest earthquake to strike Ohio, with an estimated magnitude of 5.4, according to the Geological Survey division.\n\nSeismographs were not readily available at that time; however, based on the \"felt area\" of the earthquake and the damage that occurred in Anna and surrounding communities, the U.S. Geological Survey assigned a magnitude of 5.4 to this earthquake.\n\nPeople can let the U.S. Geological Survey know if they felt the Monday quake and rate the \"intensity\" at the organization's web page where the earthquake is listed at on.doi.gov/31ne3Vj.\n\nSo far, most of those who have reported feeling the quake have said the intensity is \"weak\" or \"light.\"\n\nJo Marie Silvidi of Cuyahoga Falls, said her 15-year-old daughter texted her to say that her bed shook. Jo Marie Silvidi was in Cleveland with her other daughter. She said on Facebook that said she didn't feel the earthquake.\n\nDid you feel that rumble this morning Cleveland? Well if you missed it, we caught this morning's earthquake on multiple#OHGO cameras. Check it out!#Clevelandreallyrockspic.twitter.com/UjV60VlvpP", "Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings.\n\nA rare earthquake shook up northeast Ohio on Monday, registering 4.0 on the Richter Scale, officials said.\n\nThe quake was centered 2.5 miles northwest of Eastlake, Ohio, and struck at about 10:50 a.m. ET, according to the United States Geological Survey. Eastlake is 18 miles northeast of Cleveland.\n\n\"I felt a shake but heard something different than normal,\" tweeted meteorologist Betsy Kling of NBC-affiliate WKYC.\n\nThere were no immediate reports of major damage or serious injuries.\n\n\"We felt it!! Eyes open everyone!\" the city of Eastlake tweeted. \"We are aware of the 4.0 magnitude earthquake. Please DO NOT call dispatch unless it is an emergency. They are overwhelmed with calls.\"\n\nThis is a breaking story, please check back here for updates.", "Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings.\n\nA rare earthquake shook up northeast Ohio on Monday, with a magnitude of 4.0, officials said.\n\nThe quake was centered 2.5 miles northwest of Eastlake, and struck at about 10:50 a.m. ET, according to the United States Geological Survey. Eastlake is 18 miles northeast of Cleveland.\n\n\"I felt a shake but heard something different than normal,\" meteorologist Betsy Kling of NBC-affiliate WKYC tweeted.\n\nThere were no immediate reports of major damage or serious injuries.\n\n\"We felt it!! Eyes open everyone!\" the city of Eastlake tweeted. \"We are aware of the 4.0 magnitude earthquake. Please DO NOT call dispatch unless it is an emergency. They are overwhelmed with calls.\"\n\nThree aftershocks were felt in the following hour, measuring between 2.1 and 2.5, according to Ohio Department of Natural Resources spokesman Eric Heis.\n\nA representative for the Perry Nuclear Power Plant, located about 20 miles north of Eastlake, told WKYC that inspectors found \"no abnormal or unusual indications\" in the quake's aftermath and that it's \"designed to withstand an earthquake measured at 6.0 at the plant site.\"\n\nThe last quake of this size in the area came on Jan. 31, 1986, when a 5.0 earthquake struck just east of Cleveland, according to WKYC and state records.\n\nIt resulted in only two injuries, a woman who suffered minor cuts from a falling ceiling tile and a child who was hurt by broken glass, according to the state.", "An earth tremor was felt throughout Northeast Ohio shortly before 11 am, June 10. The sustained rumbling lasted only seconds but its effect was felt by many throughout the region.\n\nAccording to the United States Geological Survey, the earthquake occurred at 10:51 and registered as a 4.0 on the Richter scale.\n\nEarly indications place the epicenter approximately 2.48 miles from the city of Eastlake at a depth of 3.1 miles underground.\n\nThe region’s most historic earthquake occurred in 1986 with an earthquake that registered 4.9 on the Richter scale.", "The United States Geological Survey confirmed a 4.0 magnitude earthquake in Lake Erie approximately 2.5 miles north of Eastlake at approximately 10:50 a.m.\n\nThere is no damage reported in the immediate vicinity of the earthquake epicenter in Eastlake, according to Ohio law enforcement. Although, multiple agencies reported an overwhelming amount of 911 calls from residents asking what the shaking was.\n\nRumblings were felt in portions of Cuyahoga, Geauga, Summit, Ashtabula, Portage, Lorain, Medina, and Summit counties, according to the USGS.\n\nResidents in Northeast Ohio can submit a “Felt Report” to the USGS describing what they experienced during the earthquake. As of 1 p.m. Monday, more than 3,100 reports were filled out for the Eastlake-area event.\n\nThe depth of the earthquake was approximately 3.1 miles.\n\nAftershocks are possible, but geological experts who spoke to WOIO say they will likely not be felt.\n\nThe largest earthquake recorded by the USGS in Northeast Ohio was a magnitude 4.8 shock in 1986. The most recent damaging earthquake in the area occurred in 1998 in northwestern Pennsylvania and registered a magnitude 4.5.\n\nAccording to USGS estimates, a magnitude 4.0 earthquake can be felt as far as 60 miles from where it originated.\n\nPeople immediately took to Twitter to report feeling rumblings throughout Northeast Ohio."], "summary": "A magnitude 4.0 earthquake is reported in Northeast Ohio. No damage has been reported."}
{"document": ["[What you need to know to start the day: Get New York Today in your inbox.]\n\nFor hours on Monday, fog surrounded the skyscrapers in Midtown Manhattan, hiding the upper floors behind a gauzy, grayish curtain.\n\nAbout the time that the late-lunch crowd would have been signaling for the check, there were noises that seemed out of place, even in noisy New York City: the disturbing roar of an aircraft flying low, followed by what some assumed was an explosion.\n\nA helicopter had crashed onto the roof of an office building on Seventh Avenue and burst into flames.\n\nOnly a pilot was aboard the doomed aircraft. He was killed, and investigators were trying to determine if he had been trying to make an emergency landing.\n\nAlerts spread on cellphones as a smoky plume streamed through the fog. New Yorkers, unnerved, wondered whether the crash had been deliberate. It rekindled memories of a far different day — Sept. 11, 2001, when jetliners commandeered by terrorists destroyed the twin towers of the World Trade Center.", "NEW YORK (Reuters) - At least one person was killed when a helicopter crashed onto the roof of a building in Midtown Manhattan on Monday, emergency officials said.\n\nThe crash occurred shortly before 2 p.m. (1800 GMT) in rain and fog. Dozens of emergency vehicles swarmed the busy area around Seventh Avenue between 51st and 52nd streets, a few blocks north of Times Square.\n\nThe city fire department said on Twitter around 2:40 p.m. that one unidentified person was killed. Media reports said the person killed was the helicopter pilot.\n\nGovernor Andrew Cuomo, who was at the scene soon after the crash, told reporters that it appeared a helicopter attempted a forced emergency landing on the roof and that no one inside the building had been injured.\n\nMelvin Douglas, 50, who was selling umbrellas on the street, said he heard a “rumble” when the helicopter crash landed.\n\n“I didn’t see it, but I felt it,” said Douglas. “Smoke was on top of the building.”\n\nA fire that broke out on the roof was quickly brought under control, the fire department said. The building, the AXA Equitable Center, was evacuated after the crash.\n\nU.S. President Donald Trump has been briefed on the crash and continues to monitor the situation, White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said.", "A helicopter crashed onto the fog-shrouded roof of a midtown Manhattan skyscraper on Monday, killing at least one person and unnerving a city still scarred by memories of the Sept. 11, 2001, airplane attacks on the World Trade Center.\n\nThe crash occurred shortly before 2 p.m. (1800 GMT) on a rainy, gray day atop the 750-foot (229m) AXA Equitable Center at 787 Seventh Avenue, a few blocks north of Times Square. Dozens of emergency vehicles swarmed the area, shutting down traffic and evacuating offices in one of the city’s busiest areas.\n\nThe person killed is “presumed” to be the pilot, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said at a news conference. No injuries, either to people in the building or on the ground, have been reported.\n\n“The helicopter is pretty obliterated at this point. It was obviously a very hard hit,” de Blasio said during the briefing.\n\nHe said the cause was unknown but that there was no indication the crash was an “act of terrorism.” It was not clear if limited visibility due to the weather was a contributing factor.\n\nNicolas Estevez was standing across the street from the building when a 12-inch (30 cm) piece of metal that appeared to be from the helicopter landed on the pavement just feet away.\n\nThe crash, which sent people streaming out of the building within seconds, reminded him of Sept. 11, Estevez said.\n\n“I saw the explosion and the smoke coming out,” he said.\n\nThe Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement that the aircraft was an Agusta A109E, a twin-engine, lightweight helicopter. The pilot was the only person aboard, and FAA air traffic controllers did not handle the flight, according to the agency.\n\nThe chopper took off from a heliport on Manhattan’s east side at 1:32 p.m. and crash-landed on the building 11 minutes later, causing a fire that was quickly extinguished by responding firefighters, officials said.\n\nThe site is about half a mile from Trump Tower, where U.S. President Donald Trump maintains an apartment. The area has been under a temporary flight restriction since his election in November 2016.\n\nThe pilot would have required permission from air control at La Guardia Airport in New York, and investigators are trying to determine if the pilot was in contact with the tower there or at any other airport, de Blasio said.\n\nNathan Hutton, who works in information technology for the French bank BNP Paribas on the 29th floor, said the building shook when the helicopter slammed into the roof.\n\n“It felt like you were just standing there, and someone takes their hand and just shoves you,” he said. “You felt it through the whole building.”\n\nTrump called New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who was at the scene soon after the crash, to offer assistance if needed, the governor’s office said.\n\n“Phenomenal job by our GREAT First Responders who are currently on the scene,” Trump said on Twitter after being briefed on the crash. “The Trump Administration stands ready should you need anything at all.”", "NEW YORK, June 10 (Reuters) - A helicopter made a crash landing onto the roof of a midtown Manhattan skyscraper on Monday, killing at least one person and sending a plume of smoke skyward from the top of the building, which was shrouded in fog.\n\nThe crash occurred shortly before 2 p.m. (1800 GMT) on a rainy day at the AXA Equitable Center at 787 Seventh Avenue. Dozens of emergency vehicles swarmed the busy area, a few blocks north of Times Square.\n\nThe city fire department said on Twitter around 2:40 p.m. that one unidentified person was killed. Media reports said the person killed was the helicopter pilot.\n\nGovernor Andrew Cuomo, who was at the scene soon after the crash, told reporters that it appeared a helicopter attempted a forced emergency landing on the roof and that no one inside the building had been injured. It was not clear if the weather was a contributing factor.\n\nNathan Hutton, who works in information technology for the French bank BNP Paribas on the 29th floor, said the building shook when the helicopter slammed into the roof.\n\n\"It felt like you were just standing there, and someone takes their hand and just shoves you,\" he said. \"You felt it through the whole building.\"\n\nMelvin Douglas, 50, who was selling umbrellas on the street, said he heard a \"rumble\" when the helicopter crash landed.\n\n\"I didn't see it, but I felt it,\" said Douglas. \"Smoke was on top of the building.\"\n\nA fire that broke out on the roof was quickly brought under control, the fire department said. The building, which houses a number of corporate offices, was evacuated after the crash.\n\n\"Phenomenal job by our GREAT First Responders who are currently on the scene,\" U.S. President Donald Trump said on Twitter after being briefed on the crash. \"The Trump Administration stands ready should you need anything at all.\" (Reporting by Gabriella Borter; Additional reporting by Peter Szekely; Writing by Joseph Ax; Editing by David Alexander and Bill Rigby)", "NEW YORK (Reuters) - A helicopter made a crash landing onto the roof of a midtown Manhattan skyscraper on Monday, killing at least one person and sending a plume of smoke skyward from the top of the building.\n\nThe crash occurred shortly before 2 p.m. (1800 GMT) on a rainy, foggy day at the 750-foot (229m) AXA Equitable Center at 787 Seventh Avenue. Dozens of emergency vehicles swarmed the busy area, a few blocks north of Times Square.\n\nThe person killed is “presumed” to be the pilot, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said at a news conference. No injuries, either to people in the building or on the ground, have been reported, he said.\n\n“Thank God for that,” de Blasio said. “This could have been a much worse incident.”\n\nThe mayor said the cause was unknown but that there was no indication that the crash was an “act of terrorism.” It was not clear if the weather was a contributing factor.\n\nThe chopper took off from a heliport on Manhattan’s east side and crash-landed on the building 11 minutes later, emergency officials said.\n\nThe site is about half a mile from Trump Tower, where U.S. President Donald Trump maintains an apartment. The area has been under a temporary flight restriction since his election in November 2016.\n\nNathan Hutton, who works in information technology for the French bank BNP Paribas on the 29th floor, said the building shook when the helicopter slammed into the roof.\n\n“It felt like you were just standing there, and someone takes their hand and just shoves you,” he said. “You felt it through the whole building.”\n\nThe Federal Aviation Administration said in a statement that the aircraft was an Agusta A109E, a twin-engine, lightweight helicopter. The pilot was the only person aboard, and FAA air traffic controllers did not handle the flight, according to the agency.\n\nThe National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the cause of the crash, the FAA said.\n\nMelvin Douglas, 50, who was selling umbrellas on the street, said he heard a “rumble” when the helicopter crash landed.\n\n“I didn’t see it, but I felt it,” said Douglas. “Smoke was on top of the building.”\n\nA fire that broke out on the roof was quickly brought under control, the fire department said. The building was evacuated after the crash.\n\nTrump called New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, who was at the scene soon after the crash, to offer assistance if needed, the governor’s office said.\n\n“Phenomenal job by our GREAT First Responders who are currently on the scene,” Trump said on Twitter after being briefed on the crash. “The Trump Administration stands ready should you need anything at all.”\n\nThe AXA Equitable Center was built in 1985 and includes more than 50 floors. A roof helipad is not listed as one of the building’s amenities on its website.\n\nIn addition to BNP Paribas, the building houses offices for a number of other corporate tenants, including law firms Willkie Farr & Gallagher and Sidley Austin and investment manager New Mountain Capital. Le Bernardin, one of New York City’s most celebrated restaurants, is also located in the AXA building.\n\nThe skyscraper is managed by the Los Angeles-based CommonWealth Partners. Reached by telephone, LeAnn Holsapple, the office manager for CommonWealth, said the company had “no comment at this time.”\n\nHelicopters are a regular sight in the air around Manhattan, and they have occasionally been involved in crashes.\n\nNearly a month ago, a chopper crashed into the Hudson River in New York City shortly after taking off from Manhattan, injuring two people. A sightseeing helicopter went down in New York City’s East River in March 2018, killing five passengers.", "New York City police and firefighters arrive at the scene after a helicopter crashed atop a building in Times Square and caused a fire on the roof in the Manhattan borough of New York, New York, U.S., June 10, 2019.. (photo credit: BRENDAN MCDERMID/REUTERS)\n\nDear Reader, \n\n As you can imagine, more people are reading The Jerusalem Post than ever before. Nevertheless, traditional business models are no longer sustainable and high-quality publications, like ours, are being forced to look for new ways to keep going. Unlike many other news organizations, we have not put up a paywall. We want to keep our journalism open and accessible and be able to keep providing you with news and analysis from the frontlines of Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World.\n\nAs one of our loyal readers, we ask you to be our partner.\n\nFor $5 a month you will receive access to the following:\n• Content from the award-winning Jerusalem Report and our monthly magazine to learn Hebrew - Ivrit\n• A brand new ePaper featuring the daily newspaper as it appears in print in Israel\n\nHelp us grow and continue telling Israel’s story to the world.", "New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (center) and a firefighter at the scene.\n\nOne person is dead after a helicopter crashed on a building roof in New York City on Monday afternoon, authorities said.\n\n\n\nThe helicopter made a \"hard landing or an emergency landing\" on the roof of the 54-story building on Seventh Avenue in Manhattan, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo told reporters.\n\nHe added that it was \"not a routine landing.\"\n\nOnly the pilot was on board the Agusta A109E helicopter, the Federal Aviation Administration said. FAA air traffic controllers did not handle the flight, the agency said.\n\nThe National Transportation Safety Board will be investigating the probable cause of the accident.", "At least one person was killed when a helicopter crash-landed onto the roof of a high-rise building in midtown Manhattan on Monday afternoon, according to New York City Fire Department officials.\n\nThe helicopter crashed onto the roof of the 51-story AXA Equitable Center office building at 787 7th Avenue, near 51st Street. According to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, it’s not clear whether the helicopter crashed or attempted to make an emergency landing on the roof of the building. Officials said it did not appear to be terrorism-related.\n\nA fire broke out, but has since been put out, according to the New York City Police Department. The person killed is believed to be the helicopter pilot.\n\nThis is a developing story, and officials have not confirmed what prompted the helicopter’s hard landing. Here’s what we know and don’t know.\n\nWhat we know\n• Shortly before 2 pm, a helicopter crash-landed onto the roof of a 51-story building in midtown Manhattan, located at 787 7th Avenue, according to Fire Department officials.\n• A fire broke out on the roof after the incident, but it has been extinguished, according to the police.\n• New York City Police Department officials described it as “hard landing.” Gov. Cuomo told reporters on Tuesday the helicopter may have crashed while attempting to make an emergency landing on the building, thought the circumstances are still unclear. There is no helipad on top of the building.\n• New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said at an afternoon press conference that “there is no indication that this was an act of terror.” The weather in New York is rainy and cloudy, but it’s not yet clear if weather or visibility-related issues prompted the crash landing.\n• The Fire Department has confirmed one fatality, which is presumed to be the pilot.\n• The building has been evacuated, and police and fire officials are investigating. The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are also assisting, according to NBC News.\n• There is a temporary flight restriction in the area, which is not far Trump Tower in New York City. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said at an afternoon press conference that the pilot would have needed approval to fly into this zone, something officials have not yet confirmed.\n\nWhat we don’t know\n• The cause of the crash landing\n• Why the helicopter was flying in this area of midtown Manhattan\n• What type of helicopter it was, and who it was affiliated with", "A helicopter crash-landed on the roof a midtown Manhattan skyscraper Monday, killing the pilot, authorities said.\n\nThe crash happened at around 2 p.m. in a steady rain and clouds that obscured the roof of the 750-foot (229-meter) AXA Equitable building.\n\nThe helicopter that crashed into a New York City skyscraper was flying in heavy rain in airspace that is supposed to be off-limits.\n\nA flight restriction in effect since President Donald Trump took office bans aircraft from flying below 3,000 feet (914 meters) within a 1-mile radius of Trump Tower, which is just a few blocks from the crash site.\n\nFire Department officials say the helicopter pilot died when the craft hit the top of the AXA Equitable building at around 2 p.m.\n\nThere were no other reports of injuries.\n\nIt wasn't clear why the pilot flew into that part of Manhattan, but authorities called it an emergency landing.\n\nTrump said in a tweet that he'd been briefed on the crash. He said first responders on the scene did a \"phenomenal job.\"\n\nGov. Andrew Cuomo, who spoke to reporters at the scene about 20 minutes after the crash, said the impact shook the building and caused a fire, but it was under control and there were no other reports of injuries.\n\nThe crash, close to both Rockefeller Center and Times Square, sent rescue vehicles swarming to the building and immediately evoked memories of the Sept. 11 attacks, though officials said there were no indications it was related to terrorism.\n\n\"If you're a New Yorker, you have a level of PTSD, right, from 9/11. And I remember that morning all too well. So as soon as you hear an aircraft hit a building, I think my mind goes where every New Yorker's mind goes,\" Cuomo said.\n\nThe Federal Aviation Administration said it would investigate. It was not immediately known what type of helicopter was involved. New York officials said the pilot was believed to be the only one aboard.\n\nVideos posted by onlookers showed emergency vehicles in the street, but no obvious damage to the skyscraper.\n\nPedro Rodriguez, a pastry line cook at Le Bernardin, a well-known restaurant in the building, said workers got an announcement telling everyone to exit, and he later heard from people around him that there was a fire on the roof. The evacuation wasn't chaotic, Rodriguez said, but he was rattled because he immediately thought of the Sept. 11 attacks.\n\n\"It's scary when something like this happens,\" he said.\n\nAlex Jacobs was working on the seventh floor when he heard bells and an announcement to evacuate. He and his colleagues — who hadn't heard or felt an impact — used stairs to a fire exit. \"It's really unfortunate. I Just hope everyone's OK,\" he said.\n\nNew York City has a history of both minor and major helicopter wrecks and crash landings.\n\nLast month, a helicopter crash landed in the Hudson River near a busy Manhattan heliport. The pilot escaped mostly unscathed.\n\nFive people died when a sightseeing helicopter crashed into the East River last year. Three people died in another crash into the same river in 2011. Nine people died in a collision between a sightseeing helicopter and a small plane in 2009, not far from the scene of Monday's mishap.", "At least 32 people have died in helicopter accidents in New York City since 1977, when an accident on a skyscraper landing pad led the city to start putting restrictions on where choppers could land.\n\nHelicopter flights are getting renewed scrutiny after a fatal crash into a Manhattan tower Monday.\n\nA look at accidents over the years:\n\n2019: A helicopter used for executive travel hits the roof of a Manhattan skyscraper in restricted airspace. The pilot is killed.\n\n2019: A charter helicopter goes into the Hudson River and sinks while being maneuvered at a heliport. The pilot escapes.\n\n2018: Five people drown when a charter helicopter offering \"open door\" flights crashes in the East River . The pilot survives.\n\n2011: Three people die when a helicopter carrying a family outing plunges into the East River.\n\n2009: A sightseeing helicopter carrying Italian tourists collides with a private plane over the Hudson River, killing nine.\n\n2007: A sightseeing helicopter drops into the Hudson River after experiencing a mechanical problem after lifting off from a West Side heliport. Everyone makes it out safely.\n\n2005: A corporate helicopter carrying MBNA Corp. executives falls into the East river after taking off from the East 34th Street heliport. The pilot is seriously injured but everyone survives.\n\n2005: A sightseeing helicopter goes into the East River while trying to take off from the Wall Street heliport. A British tourist nearly drowns.\n\n2004: A WNBC news helicopter hits a building in Brooklyn and disintegrates while covering a story. All occupants survive.\n\n1997: One person is killed and a second is badly injured when a helicopter owned by the Colgate-Palmolive Company falls into the East River after taking off from the 60th Street heliport.\n\n1990: One person dies after the pilot of an Island Helicopter air taxi misjudges the wind during a takeoff from the East 34th Street heliport and flies into the river.\n\n1988: A passenger drowns when a sightseeing helicopter loses power and makes a forced landing in the East River.\n\n1986: An NBC radio traffic reporter dies when the helicopter she is riding in loses lift, hits a fence and crashes into the Hudson.\n\n1985: A passenger drowns when a sightseeing flight operated by New York Helicopters crashes into the East River after taking off from the East 34th Street heliport.\n\n1983: A seaplane coming in for a landing on the East River collides with a police helicopter over the Brooklyn waterfront, killing four people.\n\n1981: Hijackers seize a sightseeing helicopter and order the pilot to fly to a federal jail in Manhattan in an unsuccessful attempt to free a prisoner waiting on the roof.\n\n1977: A rotor breaks loose from a New York Airways helicopter on a landing pad atop the Pan Am Building and kills five people, including one on the street two blocks away. The helipad closes after the accident."], "summary": "A helicopter crashes onto the roof of the AXA Equitable Center in New York City, killing the pilot."}
{"document": ["Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Canada to ban single-use plastics as early as 2021\n\nCanada will ban \"harmful\" single-use plastics as early as 2021 in a bid to reduce ocean waste, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced.\n\nThis initiative is modelled on similar legislation passed last year by the European Union and other nations.\n\nCanada will also establish \"targets\" for companies that manufacture or sell plastics to be responsible for their plastic waste.\n\nCurrently less than 10% of plastic used in Canada gets recycled.\n\nMr Trudeau called the issue of plastic pollution a \"global challenge\".\n\nIn May, the United Nations said 180 countries reached a deal to reduce the amount of plastic that ends up in the world's oceans, where it can harm fish, sea turtles, whales and other wildlife.\n\nMarine animals can become entangled in larger plastics - particularly cord, nets and ropes from fishing.\n\nWhile European and North American countries tend to produce a lot of plastic waste per capita, their management of that waste limits the impact of that product on the ocean compared to other regions, according to research out of the UK.\n\nThe Canadian government has yet to decide which single-use plastic products will be included on the list but it could target plastic bags, straws, cutlery, plates and stir sticks.\n\nAbout 3m tonnes of plastic waste is thrown away each year in the country.\n\n\"As parents we're at a point when we take our kids to the beach and we have to search out a patch of sand that isn't littered with straws, Styrofoam or bottles,\" Mr Trudeau said.\n\n\"That's a problem, one that we have to do something about.\"\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption How do you vacuum plastic from a beach?\n\nIn October 2018, the EU voted for a complete ban on a range of single-use plastics across the union in a bid to stop pollution of the oceans.\n\nThe EU hopes it will go into effect across the bloc by 2021.\n\nThat included a ban on plastic cutlery and plates, cotton buds, straws, drink-stirrers and balloon sticks and a reduction in single-use plastic for food and drink containers like plastic cups.\n\nThe prime minister made the announcement a few months before the next general election, which is scheduled for this coming autumn.\n\nIssues like climate change and pollution are widely expected to be among the top concerns on the campaign trail.\n\nAcross Canada, a number of municipalities and some provinces have recently moved ahead with various single-use plastics bans, mainly targeting plastic bags.\n\nMr Trudeau acknowledged those efforts and said \"a real solution needs to be nation-wide\".\n\nEnding dolphin and whale captivity\n\nCanadian legislators also passed a bill on Monday that will ban the wild capture, captivity, and breeding of whales, dolphins and porpoises in the country.\n\nThere will be a provision in place to allow organisations that keep cetaceans in captivity for rehabilitation or in the best interests of their welfare to continue to do their work.\n\nAll cetaceans currently in captivity will be exempt.\n\nThe legislation, first tabled in 2015, has been closely watched by animal rights groups, which say keeping cetaceans in captivity for public display is unethical.\n\n\"No tank is large enough or deep enough\" for whales or dolphins to be able to live naturally in captivity, said Melissa Matlow with World Animal Protection Canada.\n\nCanada is joining a handful of other countries in banning keeping such creatures in captivity solely for commercial purposes.", "Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced on Monday that Canada will ban single-use plastics by as early as 2021.\n\nSpeaking to reporters near Montreal, Trudeau said a list of items that will be banned was not yet prepared, but the government is planning to research which plastics should be eliminated.\n\nMAINE IS FIRST STATE OF BAN SINGLE-USE PLASTIC-FOAM CONTAINERS\n\n\"We need to cover all of Canada with this decision and that's why the federal government is moving forward on a science-based approach to establishing which harmful single-use plastics we will be eliminating as of 2021,\" the prime minister said, according to CBC News.\n\nA source told the news outlet that the list might include plastic plates, cotton swabs, drink stirrers, and polystyrene cups.\n\nTrudeau added that the government will make it the responsibility of businesses to manage what plastics they create and sell.\n\nThe prime minister also said it's \"tough trying to explain\" to his children why \"dead whales [are] washing up on beaches around the world, their stomachs jam-packed with plastic bags,\" Reuters reported.\n\nCLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP\n\n“As parents, we’re at a point when we take our kids to the beach and we have to search out a patch of sand that isn’t littered with straws, Styrofoam or bottles. That’s a problem, one that we have to do something about,\" Trudeau said.\n\nThe decision by Canada comes after European Union lawmakers voted earlier this year to also ban single-use plastics by 2021.", "Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Monday that Canada will begin banning all single-use plastics in 2021. Trudeau said Canada had a unique opportunity to take the lead as the country with the world's longest coastline. Straws, plastic bags, cutlery, plates, and stir sticks would be among the items banned, a government statement said.\n\n“I am very pleased to announce that as early as 2021 Canada will ban harmful, single-use plastics from coast to coast,” Trudeau said. Less than 10 percent of plastics are currently recycled in Canada, according to the prime minister.\n\nAt current rates, plastic is expected to outweigh all the fish in the sea by 2050, according to the Center for Biological Diversity. Hundreds of thousands of seabirds ingest plastic every year, according to the Center. Ingesting plastic reduces bird's stomach volume, causing starvation. “To be honest as a dad it is tough trying to explain to my kids,” Trudeau said. “How do you explain dead whales washing up on beaches across the world, their stomachs jam packed with plastic bags? How do I tell them that against all odds, you will find plastic at the very deepest point of the Pacific Ocean.”", "Canada will ban \"harmful\" single-use plastics as early as 2021 in a bid to reduce ocean waste, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced.\n\nThis initiative is modelled on similar legislation passed last year by the European Union and other nations.\n\nCanada will also establish \"targets\" for companies that manufacture or sell plastics to be responsible for their plastic waste.\n\nCurrently less than 10% of plastic used in Canada gets recycled.\n\nIn May, the United Nations said 180 countries reached a deal to reduce the amount of plastic that ends up in the world's oceans, where it can harm fish, sea turtles, whales and other wildlife.\n\nThe Canadian government has yet to decide which single-use plastic products will be included on the list but it could target plastic bags, straws, cutlery, plates and stir sticks.\n\nAbout 3m tonnes of plastic waste is thrown away each year in the country.\n\n\"As parents we're at a point when we take our kids to the beach and we have to search out a patch of sand that isn't littered with straws, Styrofoam or bottles,\" Mr Trudeau said.\n\n\"That's a problem, one that we have to do something about.\"\n\nIn October 2018, the EU voted for a complete ban on a range of single-use plastics across the union in a bid to stop pollution of the oceans.\n\nThe EU hopes it will go into effect across the bloc by 2021.\n\nThat included a ban on plastic cutlery and plates, cotton buds, straws, drink-stirrers and balloon sticks and a reduction in single-use plastic for food and drink containers like plastic cups.\n\nThe prime minister made the announcement a few months before the next general election, which is scheduled for this coming autumn.\n\nIssues like climate change and pollution are widely expected to be among the top concerns on the campaign trail.\n\nAcross Canada, a number of municipalities and some provinces have recently moved ahead with various single-use plastics bans, mainly targeting plastic bags.\n\nMr Trudeau acknowledged those efforts and said \"a real solution needs to be nation-wide\".", "Canada will ban single-use plastics from 2021, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Monday, declaring it a \"global challenge\" to phase out the bottles, straws and plastic bags clogging the world's oceans.\n\n\"I am very pleased to announce that as early as 2021 Canada will ban harmful, single-use plastics from coast to coast,\" Trudeau said, arguing Canada has a unique chance to lead to fight against plastic pollution as the country with the world's longest coastline.\n\nTrudeau said that in Canada less than 10 percent of plastics are currently recycled.\n\nEach year a million birds and more than 100,000 marine mammals worldwide suffer injury or death by becoming entangled in plastic or ingesting it through the food chain.\n\n\"You've all heard the stories and seen the photos. And to be honest as a dad it is tough trying to explain to my kids,\" Trudeau said.\n\n\"How do you explain dead whales washing up on beaches across the world, their stomachs jam packed with plastic bags? How do I tell them that against all odds, you will find plastic at the very deepest point of the Pacific Ocean.\"\n\nStraws, plastic bags, cutlery, plates and stir sticks would be among the items banned, a government statement said.", "Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks during a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, Friday, June 7, 2019. (Philippe Wojazer/Pool via AP)\n\nLess than 10 per cent of plastic used in Canada gets recycled\n\nCanada will ban single-use plastics as early as 2021, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday.\n\nTrudeau said the specific items to be banned will be determined based on a science-based review, but the government is considering items such as water bottles, plastic bags and straws.\n\n“As early as 2021, Canada will ban harmful single-use plastics from coast to coast,” Trudeau said.\n\nREAD MORE: Liberals to announce plan to ban single-use plastics as early as 2021\n\nTrudeau said his government is drawing inspiration from the European Union’s Parliament, which voted overwhelmingly in March to impose a wide-ranging ban on single-use plastics to counter pollution from discarded items that end up in waterways and fields. Legislatures of the EU member states must vote on the measure before it takes effect.\n\n“Many other countries are doing that and Canada will be one of them,” Trudeau said. “This is a big step but we know can do this for 2021.”\n\nLess than 10 per cent of plastic used in Canada gets recycled. The government said that 1 million birds and over 100,000 sea mammals worldwide are injured or die each year when they mistake plastic for food or become entangled.\n\nThe EU’s measure would affect a range of plastic products for which reasonable alternatives exist, from straws to earbuds, starting in 2021.\n\nDisposable utensils would not be completely off-limits, but the EU measure calls for them to be made of sustainable materials when possible. The EU legislation also sets a goal of having 90 per cent of plastic bottles recycled by 2025 and of halving the litter from the 10 items that turn up in oceans most often.\n\nThe EU estimated the changes will cost the bloc’s economy 259 million to 695 million euros a year ($291 million to $781 million). It’s not clear what the cost would be for Canada.\n\nChina’s decision to no longer import some of the EU’s waste helped spur the plastics ban.\n\nChina banned the import of plastic waste last year, causing other Southeast Asian nations to become new destinations. The Philippines, complaining of being treated like a dumpsite by wealthier nations, shipped 69 containers of what its officials called illegally transported garbage back to Canada in May.\n\nALSO READ: Canadian shoppers want green packaging, but reluctant to pay more: study\n\nALSO READ: Tofino and Ucluelet officially ban plastic bags and straws\n\nLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.", "TORONTO – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Canada plans to ban single-use plastics as early as 2021.\n\nTrudeau says a science-based review will determine which products to ban. The government is considering items such as water bottles, plastic bags and straws.\n\nTrudeau said Monday his government is looking at what the European Union did and drawing inspiration from its model.\n\n“Canadians know first-hand the impacts of plastic pollution, and are tired of seeing their beaches, parks, streets, and shorelines littered with plastic waste. We have a responsibility to work with our partners to reduce plastic pollution, protect the environment, and create jobs and grow our economy. We owe it to our kids to keep the environment clean and safe for generations to come,” Trudeau said.\n\nThe European Parliament overwhelmingly voted in March to impose a wide-ranging ban on single-use plastics to counter pollution from discarded items that end up in waterways and fields. EU member states have given their support, but need to vote on the measure for it to go into effect.", "Canada will ban single-use plastics from 2021, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Monday, declaring it a “global challenge” to phase out the plastic bags, straws and cutlery clogging the world’s oceans.\n\n“I am very pleased to announce that as early as 2021, Canada will ban harmful, single-use plastics from coast to coast,” Trudeau said, arguing Canada has a unique chance to lead the fight against plastic pollution as the country with the world’s longest coastlines.\n\nLess than 10 percent of plastics used in Canada are currently recycled, he said.\n\nEach year a million birds and more than 100,000 marine mammals worldwide suffer injury or death by becoming entangled in plastic or ingesting it through the food chain — with single-use items representing some 70 percent of the plastic waste littering the marine environment.\n\n“You’ve all heard the stories and seen the photos. And to be honest, as a dad it is tough trying to explain this to my kids,” Trudeau said.\n\n“How do you explain dead whales washing up on beaches around the world, their stomachs jam-packed with plastic bags?”\n\n“How do I tell them that against all odds, you will find plastic at the very deepest point of the Pacific Ocean?”\n\n“People around the world are grappling with this every day,” Trudeau said. “As parents we’re at a point where we take our kids to the beach and we have to search out a patch of sand that isn’t littered with straws, styrofoam or bottles.\n\nStraws, plastic bags, cutlery, plates and stir sticks would be among the items banned, a government statement said. The list will be refined based on further scientific research between now and 2021.\n\nTrudeau said producers of other plastics — such as bottles or food packaging — will be held responsible for “the entire life-cycle” of their products.\n\nBoth plastic manufacturers and the companies using their products, as in packing materials, will have to provide recycling plans.\n\nCanada, France, Germany, Britain and Italy, along with the European Union, subscribed at last year’s G7 summit in Quebec to a new charter against pollution in the world’s oceans. The United States and Japan did not join the pact.\n\nThe non-binding Ocean Plastics Charter called on participating countries and the EU to commit to making all plastics reusable, recyclable or recovered by 2030.\n\nA total of 21 governments have by now taken that pledge, Trudeau said. In addition, the EU earlier this year passed legislation this year to ban single-use plastic products starting in 2021.\n\nSeveral Canadian cities already ban the use of plastic bags — Montreal passed its ban last year — and some provinces have banned other products.\n\nBut Trudeau said a “national solution” was needed.\n\n“Every year, Canadians throw away over three million tons of plastic waste,” the prime minister said in a statement. “This represents up to $8 billion per year in lost value and wastes valuable resources and energy.”\n\nRecycling, he said, would not only cut down on pollution but would help produce 42,000 jobs in the recycling and recovery businesses.\n\nThe environment is shaping up as a key issue in Canadian legislative elections set for October, with Trudeau’s main challenger vowing if he wins to roll back environmental protections, including a federal carbon tax and a tanker traffic ban along a pristine part of the Pacific coast.\n\nAnd while Trudeau has declared it a top priority, a recent parliamentary report concluded Canada is doing too little to combat climate change, even as government scientists warned the country was warming at twice the global rate.", "Canada has set a goal to ban single-use plastics by as early as 2021 in a measure aimed at reducing waste that ends up in the ecosystem, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Monday.\n\nSingle-use plastics such as bags, straws and cutlery will be prohibited in the country, which throws away about 3 million metric tons of plastic waste yearly, the Prime Minister’s office said in a statement. The initiative will also include targets for companies that manufacture or sell plastic products to responsibly dispose of their waste.\n\n“This is a problem we simply can’t afford to ignore,” the statement said.\n\nCurrently, Canada recycles just 10% of its plastic. According to the Canadian government, over 1 million birds and over 100,000 sea mammals worldwide die or become injured due to plastics every year.\n\n“As parents we’re at a point when we take our kids to the beach and we have to search out a patch of sand that isn’t littered with straws, Styrofoam or bottles,” Trudeau said, according to the BBC.\n\n“That’s a problem, one that we have to do something about.”\n\nCanada follows in the footsteps of a host of other countries that have also set targets to ban single-use plastics in the coming years. In March, the European Union voted overwhelmingly to ban straws, food containers and cotton bud sticks, among other plastics by 2021. Last year, India pledged to eliminate all single-use plastic in the country by 2022.\n\nTrudeau’s announcement also comes after both Malaysia and the Philippines announced plans to send tons of non-recyclable waste back to the countries of origin, including Canada. Increasingly, Southeast Asian nations are pushing back against becoming a dumping ground for wealthier countries after China barred the import of scrap plastic last year.\n\nCanada has pledged to repatriate its rubbish.\n\n“We owe it to our kids to keep the environment clean and safe for generations to come,” Trudeau said.", "OTTAWA, June 10 (Reuters) - Canada plans to ban some environmentally harmful single-use plastics like straws, bags and cutlery by early 2021 to reduce waste and litter and protect the world's oceans, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Monday.\n\nTrudeau announced the move from the banks of a lake in Gault Nature Reserve in Quebec less than five months before a national election in which climate change and pollution are widely expected to be among the top campaign issues. (Reporting by Steve Scherer and David Ljunggren Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)"], "summary": "Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announces that Canada will ban all single-use plastics as early as 2021 in a bid to significantly reduce plastic pollution."}
{"document": ["Nearly a decade later, so much remains unknown about the murders of Joseph and Summer McStay and their two young boys.\n\nThey vanished from their Fallbrook home in 2010 and, more than three years later, their bodies were found buried in shallow graves in the Mojave Desert. But without a bloody crime scene, exactly when they died — and where — remains a mystery.\n\n“What exactly happened in that house?” a prosecutor said in court late last month. “Only one person knows: the killer.”\n\nA jury has concluded that person is Charles “Chase” Merritt, a business partner whom they convicted of bludgeoning the family of four before burying their bodies in the desert roughly 100 miles away.\n\nAdvertisement\n\nThe panel found Merritt guilty of four counts of first-degree murder, reaching their verdict on Friday morning after about a week of deliberating. Their verdict forms were sealed through the weekend and read publicly by a clerk in a packed San Bernardino courtroom on Monday morning.\n\nMerritt, 62, sat at the defense table, staring ahead with his hands clasped together in front of him. When the clerk announced the outcome, he closed his eyes and inhaled slightly. He held his posture for several seconds, then dropped his head. Seated beside him, his attorney reached over and, for a moment, set his hand on Merritt’s arm.\n\n“Oh, God,” someone in the audience shrieked. A woman on Merritt’s side ran out of the courtroom in tears. Members of the McStay family wept, one wiping her eyes with a tissue.\n\nIt was an emotional end to more than nine years of tragedy in a case that drew national attention, serving as the subject of documentaries and a book. Merritt’s five-month trial was streamed live by the website Law & Crime.\n\nAdvertisement\n\nProceedings are set to continue this week. The jury found Merritt responsible for multiple murders, making him eligible for the death penalty. Jurors will begin hearing testimony on Tuesday to decide his punishment. They were ordered by a judge not to speak to reporters until after the trial’s penalty phase.\n\nProsecutors declined to comment after the verdict, saying the trial was ongoing. Defense attorneys could not be reached.\n\nSusan Blake, center, the mother of Joseph McStay, leaves the San Bernardino Superior Court after the guilty verdicts in San Bernardino. (Katie Falkenberg / Los Angeles Times)\n\nFrom the start, the family’s disappearance baffled detectives, who initially believed they may have ventured out on their own and planned to return.\n\nThe home showed signs of a swift departure: uneaten bowls of popcorn on the futon, vegetables left out to rot. There were no signs of a struggle or forced entry.\n\nA check of the family’s computer revealed searches suggesting an international trip, including “What documents do children need for traveling to Mexico?” Within days, their Isuzu Trooper was towed from the parking lot of a strip mall near the border.\n\nSan Diego County sheriff’s detectives handed the investigation over to the FBI, saying they believed the family was out of the country.\n\nIt wasn’t until more than three years later that there was a break in the case. An off-road motorcyclist stumbled upon parts of a skull in the desert off Interstate 15 in Victorville.\n\nAdvertisement\n\nInvestigators unearthed two shallow graves. One contained the remains of Joseph McStay, 40, and Joey Jr., 3. The second had the remains of Summer McStay, 43, and Gianni, 4, along with a rusty sledgehammer.\n\nJoseph McStay’s skull was shattered; his wife sustained a blow to the jaw. Both boys, killed presumably because they could have identified the attacker, had skull fractures.\n\nProsecutors said Merritt, of Rancho Cucamonga, was motivated by greed and self-interest in a case they acknowledged was built on circumstantial evidence.\n\nDays before the disappearance, Joseph McStay accused Merritt — a welder who helped build custom water fountains for McStay’s company — of owing him thousands of dollars.\n\nProsecutors said Merritt then forged checks to himself from McStay’s QuickBooks account and tried to erase the paper trail. When speaking with detectives, Merritt referred to McStay in the past tense.\n\nProsecutors played video and audio clips for jurors of Merritt’s interviews with CNN and with investigators. In one, a reporter asks Merritt if he was the last person to see Joseph McStay.\n\n“I’m definitely the last person he saw,” he replies.\n\nIn another, an investigator questions Merritt on why he refers to McStay in the past tense.\n\nAdvertisement\n\n“Oh,” he said. “I did … I don’t know why.”\n\nFor several days after the family’s disappearance, they said, Merritt’s phone went dark for hours at a time. The shadow of a truck consistent with one driven by Merritt was captured on a home security camera in the McStay’s Fallbrook neighborhood, and Merritt’s cellphone records showed that his phone was in the vicinity of the desert grave sites two days after the disappearance.\n\nA San Bernardino County sheriff’s investigator had testified that a DNA mixture, including a sample that matched Merritt’s genetic profile, was found on the gearshift and steering wheel of the Isuzu.\n\nThe defense team argued that Merritt was wrongfully accused in a case based entirely on motive.\n\n“They’ve spun a lot of tales to you,” defense attorney Rajan Maline told jurors during closing arguments. “They’ve given you half truths.”\n\nDefense attorneys pointed to another of McStay’s business associates, who they said siphoned money from McStay’s accounts after he went missing. They argued that no boarding pass or ticket verified the prosecution’s assertion that the associate had traveled to Hawaii at the time.\n\nIn an interview with The Times before the trial, Joseph McStay’s father said he had been living in a fog for nine years. Patrick McStay, who lives in Texas and launched an online fundraiser to pay for trips to California for the trial, had investigated the family’s disappearance and chronicled his findings in a book, “McStays, Taken Too Soon: A True Story.”\n\nAfter Monday’s proceeding, he and more than a dozen other loved ones walked out of the courthouse flanked by news cameras. They declined to be interviewed.\n\nBut in the middle of the crowd, Joseph McStay’s mother, Susan Blake, turned to a woman exiting next to her and smiled.\n\n“It’s over,” she said.\n\nalene.tchekmedyian@latimes.com\n\nTwitter: @AleneTchek", "Jurors on Monday found Charles “Chase” Merritt guilty in the February 2010 bludgeoning deaths of the four-member McStay family of Fallbrook, whose bodies were found nearly four years later in two shallow graves near Victorville.\n\nMerritt now faces a possible death penalty, with the same jury to hear evidence in the penalty phase that will begin Tuesday.\n\nThe panel, in the downtown San Bernardino Justice Center courtroom of Superior Court Judge Michael A. Smith, found him guilty of four first-degree murders.\n\nMembers of the Merritt family were among those in the crowded courtroom. They had their arms around one another as the verdicts were read. Some gasped and said, “No,” and bowed their heads when they heard the first guilty verdict.\n\nSome left the courtroom as the verdicts were ticked off.\n\nTestimony in front of the Superior Court jury began on Jan. 7, with deliberations beginning late in the morning of May 30. The jurors announced on Friday, they had come to a verdict, but the reading of them was delayed until Monday morning.\n\nThey had considered both first- and second-degree murder in the case.\n\nMerritt, 62, had pleaded not guilty to killing his former business associate Joseph McStay, 40, his wife, Summer, 43, and their two children: Gianni, 4, and Joseph Jr., 3, in their San Diego County home. The family had recently moved from San Clemente.\n\nMerritt was arrested and charged in November 2014 – a year after the McStay family’s skeletal remains were discovered in two shallow graves west of the 15 Freeway near Victorville. A three-pound sledge hammer investigators said was used to kill the family was buried along with their remains.\n\nMcStay and Merritt had worked together in the sale, design and building of large-scale custom waterworks for clients in Saudi Arabia and businesses such as Paul Mitchell salons. McStay found customers, and Merritt, whose business was separate from McStay’s, built the pieces.\n\nProsecutors said Merritt was being cut out of the relationship by McStay for poor performance, and on Feb. 1, 2010, McStay sent an email to Merritt stating Merritt owed him $42,845. The McStay family was last heard three days later.\n\nDefense attorneys said the men were best friends and future prospects for their business relationship were too lucrative for Merritt to kill McStay and his family. They said another business associate of McStay’s, web designer, had disputes with McStay and was overlooked by investigators.\n\nThe web designer has denied having anything to do the the McStay family’s death, and prosecutors have said he was not a suspect.\n\nThis story is developing. Please check back for updates.", "Jurors on Monday found Charles “Chase” Merritt guilty in the February 2010 bludgeoning deaths of the four-member McStay family of Fallbrook, whose bodies were found nearly four years later in two shallow graves near Victorville.\n\nMerritt now faces a possible death penalty, with the same jury to hear evidence in the penalty phase that will begin Tuesday. After hearing evidence in the penalty phase, jurors will deliberate and decide whether to recommend the death penalty or life in prison without parole.\n\nThe panel, in the downtown San Bernardino Justice Center courtroom of Superior Court Judge Michael A. Smith, found him guilty of four first-degree murders.\n\nMembers of the Merritt family were among those in the crowded courtroom. They had their arms around one another as the verdicts were read. Some gasped and said, “No,” and bowed their heads when they heard the first guilty verdict.\n\nSome left the courtroom as the verdicts were ticked off.\n\nA member of the McStay family said, “Oh, thank God,” when the first guilty verdict was read. The family declined to speak with the media outside of court.\n\nAsked outside court if Merritt defense attorneys would have any comment, attorney Rajan Maline said, “Not for now.”\n\nTestimony in front of the Superior Court jury began on Jan. 7, with deliberations beginning late in the morning of May 30. The jurors announced on Friday, they had come to a verdict, but the reading of them was delayed until Monday morning.\n\nThey had considered both first- and second-degree murder in the case.\n\nMerritt, 62, had pleaded not guilty to killing his former business associate Joseph McStay, 40, his wife, Summer, 43, and their two children: Gianni, 4, and Joseph Jr., 3, in their San Diego County home. The family had recently moved from San Clemente.\n\nMerritt was arrested and charged in November 2014 – a year after the McStay family’s skeletal remains were discovered in two shallow graves west of the 15 Freeway near Victorville. A three-pound sledge hammer investigators said was used to kill the family was buried along with their remains.\n\nMcStay and Merritt had worked together in the sale, design and building of large-scale custom waterworks for clients in Saudi Arabia and businesses such as Paul Mitchell salons. McStay found customers, and Merritt, whose business was separate from McStay’s, built the pieces.\n\nProsecutors said Merritt was being cut out of the relationship by McStay for poor performance, and on Feb. 1, 2010, McStay sent an email to Merritt stating Merritt owed him $42,845. The McStay family was last heard three days later.\n\nDefense attorneys said the men were best friends and future prospects for their business relationship were too lucrative for Merritt to kill McStay and his family. They said another business associate of McStay’s, web designer, had disputes with McStay and was overlooked by investigators.\n\nThe web designer has denied having anything to do the the McStay family’s death, and prosecutors have said he was not a suspect.\n\nAfter the verdicts were read, prosecutor Britt Imes brought up the issue of possible jury tampering from last week, when two alternates were apparently approached by a defense team member after deliberations started. Imes was concerned there had been no check with the 12 deliberating jurors throughout the course of the five-month-plus case.\n\nJudge Smith said he was convinced that no attempt was made on the day the alternates were approached. But we will talk to the jurors out of an abundance of caution on Tuesday.\n\nThis story is developing. Please check back for updates.", "Charles 'Chase' Merritt found guilty on four counts of first-degree murder for the killing of the four members of the McStay family of Fallbrook on Monday, June 10 in San Bernardino.\n\nCharles \"Chase\" Merritt was found guilty of murdering the McStay family of Fallbrook on Monday, June 10 after more than six months of testimony and deliberation.\n\nThe jury of 12 people on Friday, June 7 announced they had reached a verdict in the case, but waited until Monday to announce their decision. They deliberated for 22 hours before making a decision.\n\nWhen the verdicts were read, the jury convicted Merritt of first-degree murder on all four McStay family members and found true the multiple-murder special circumstances charges.\n\nMerritt appeared stunned by the decision, closed his eyes and lowered his head, shaking it slightly. There were audible gasps from the courtroom gallery.\n\nMerritt could face the death penalty when the same jury hears testimony in the penalty phase of the trial. That testimony will begin at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, June 11.\n\nSan Bernardino County Supervising Deputy District Attorney Britt Imes said the state's portion of the testimony should last about three days. Lead defense attorney James McGee said their side should take two to three days.\n\nMerritt was found guilty of bludgeoning to death Joseph and Summer McStay and the couple's young sons - 4-year-old Gianni and 3-year-old Joseph Jr. - in 2010 and burying their bodies in a San Bernardino desert.\n\nProsecutors built their case around the theory that greed was the basis for why Merritt subsequently killed the Fallbrook family, who lived in the Lake Rancho Viejo housing development east of Interstate 15 in Fallbrook, was last seen alive Feb. 4, 2010.\n\nPrior to the family going missing, McStay and Merritt were business associates and good friends by most accounts. Merritt designed and built custom fountains for Joseph McStay's business, Earth Inspired Products, but, according to prosecutors, he was in debt to the tune of more than $40,000 to McStay at the time of the murders.\n\nDetectives testified that Merritt deposited checks worth thousands of dollars from McStay after the family went missing, using QuickBooks and even called QuickBooks from his cell phone, identifying himself as Joseph McStay and asking to transfer the money in the account.\n\nAfter the family went missing, relatives contacted the authorities and an investigation began. Their Fallbrook home appeared to indicate they left in a hurry that day with fruit left out and clothes scattered about the house.\n\nDetectives thought initially that the family had gone on a trip and would return after searches on one of the family's computers showed a web search about documents needed for children traveling to Mexico.\n\nBoosting that theory was the discovery of the family's Isuzu Trooper was found parked in a strip mall near the Mexican border and the San Diego County sheriff's investigators then turned the case over to the FBI.\n\nOver the course of the next two years, the case gained national attention with tips coming in from all over the United States and the world.\n\nThen, in November 2013, the skeletal remains of the four family members were discovered in shallow graves by a motorcyclist in the Mojave desert.\n\nRecords show that all four were beaten to death, most likely with a sledgehammer owned by Joseph McStay.\n\nAt that point, the investigation was taken over by the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department. On Nov. 7, 2014, investigators announced the arrest of Merritt and charged him with four counts of murder.\n\nAfter years of delays, the trial began on Jan. 7, 2019.\n\nMerritt's defense attorneys argued that investigators zeroed in on Merritt early on the case and never looked at anyone else. The defense repeatedly attempted to point the finger at another McStay business associate, Dan Kavanaugh, who they said was overlooked by investigators.\n\nJeff Pack can be reached by email at jpack@reedermedia.com.", "Jurors on Monday found Charles “Chase” Merritt guilty in the February 2010 bludgeoning deaths of the four-member McStay family of Fallbrook, whose bodies were found nearly four years later in two shallow graves near Victorville.\n\nMerritt now faces a possible death sentence. The verdicts, from a circumstantial-evidence case, drew gasps in the courtroom.\n\nJurors convicted Merritt, 62, of first-degree murder in the slayings of former business associate Joseph McStay, 40; his wife, Summer, 43; and their two children, Gianni, 4, and Joseph Jr., 3; in their San Diego County home. The family had just moved there from San Clemente.\n\nThe same jury will hear evidence starting Tuesday to decide whether to recommend death by lethal injection, or life in prison without parole for Merritt.\n\nDefense attorney James McGee patted Merritt’s hand just before the verdicts were read, and at one point Merritt, in custody since November 2014, closed his eyes while hearing the litany of convictions.\n\n“Oh, my God,” exclaimed one woman among the family and friends seated behind Merritt. “Oh, God,” one man could be heard saying. Some of those on Merritt’s side of the courtroom bolted in tears. Their cries in the hallway could be heard inside the courtroom.\n\nMembers of the McStay family, including Joseph McStay’s mother Susan Blake, who came with son Michael, cried and hugged as the verdicts were read.\n\nThey embraced prosecutors Sean Daugherty, Britt Imes and Melissa Rodriguez and lead sheriff’s investigator Sgt. Ryan Smith after court ended for the day.\n\n“We’re kind of shell-shocked,” defense attorney Rajan Maline said outside the courthouse, according to Law & Crime Network. Maline and McGee spoke to reporters after meeting for about two hours, post-verdict, with Merritt.\n\nMcGee said Merritt was “devastated, in shock, and disappointed.”\n\nThe prosecution, along with Merritt and McStay family members, declined to comment to a gathered group of news media outside the courthouse. San Bernardino County District Attorney Jason Anderson noted in a statement that the case was still in trial.\n\nThe jury in the downtown San Bernardino Justice Center courtroom of Superior Court Judge Michael A. Smith affirmed their verdicts for the murder convictions, as well as the multiple-murder special circumstance that made it a capital case.\n\nTestimony in front of the Superior Court jury began on Jan. 7, with deliberations beginning late in the morning of May 30. The jurors announced Friday that they had come to verdicts, but the reading of them was delayed until Monday morning.\n\nThe panel had deliberated six days, but some were partial days. Court watchers estimated there were about 22 hours of deliberation.\n\nThe jurors had considered both first- and second-degree murder in the case.\n\nMerritt was arrested and charged in November 2014 – a year after the McStay family’s skeletal remains were discovered in two shallow graves west of the 15 Freeway near Victorville. A three-pound sledge hammer investigators said was used to kill the family was buried along with their remains.\n\nMcStay and Merritt had worked together in the sale, design and building of large-scale custom waterworks for clients in Saudi Arabia and businesses such as Paul Mitchell salons. McStay found customers, and Merritt, whose business was separate from McStay’s, built the pieces.\n\nThe pieces featured falling water over metallic sculptures and were designed as centerpieces to create an ambience for their customers’ business.\n\nProsecutors said Merritt was being cut out of the relationship by McStay for poor performance, and on Feb. 1, 2010, McStay sent an email to Merritt stating Merritt owed him $42,845. The McStay family was last heard three days later.\n\nThen, prosecutors said, Merritt began looting McStay’s business, forging checks to himself in McStay’s name and backdating them to Feb. 4, because Merritt knew that was the last day anyone would have heard from McStay, or his family.\n\nDefense attorneys said the men were best friends and future prospects for their business relationship were too lucrative for Merritt to kill McStay and his family.\n\nThey said the checks were an effort to keep the waterworks business going after Joseph McStay disappeared, and his fate was unknown. They said another business associate of McStay’s, a web designer, had disputes with McStay and was overlooked by investigators.\n\nThe web designer has denied having anything to do the McStay family’s death, and prosecutors have said he was not a suspect.\n\nAfter the verdicts were read, prosecutor Imes again brought up the issue of possible jury tampering.\n\nThere was a hearing June 3 after it was learned two alternates were approached May 30 by a defense team member after deliberations had started. He told Smith he had asked if they would agree to interviews, after trial, for a documentary. Smith banned him from the courthouse.\n\nImes on Monday told Smith he wanted assurances, for the sake of the trial record, that other jurors were not contacted by the now-banned defense team member during the entire length of the trial. Smith agreed to ask jurors about that on Tuesday.", "SAN BERNARDINO — Charles \"Chase\" Merritt was convicted Monday of killing a family of four and burying their bodies in the desert, a case that puzzled investigators for years after the family suddenly vanished from their home in 2010.\n\nAfter a trial that spanned more than four months and depended largely on circumstantial evidence, jurors in San Bernardino found the 62-year-old Merritt guilty in the bludgeoning deaths of his business associate Joseph McStay, McStay's wife, Summer, and the couple's 3- and 4-year-old sons.\n\nMerritt closed his eyes and looked down when the court clerk said the word \"guilty\" the first of four times to first-degree murder. Sobs came from the packed courtroom. Someone called out, \"Yes!\"\n\nProsecutors say Merritt killed the family with a sledgehammer at a time when he owed McStay money and was being cut out of the victim's business making and selling custom water fountains.\n\nThe jury also found the special circumstance of multiple murders. Prosecutors have said they would seek the death penalty if Merritt was convicted, and the penalty phase of the trial was scheduled to begin Tuesday.\n\nProsecutors declined to comment after the verdict, escorting the McStays' relatives from the courthouse.\n\nAfter the McStay family disappeared, authorities found bowls of uneaten popcorn at their San Diego County home, which had no signs of forced entry, and their car parked at a strip mall near the Mexican border.\n\nFor years, officials couldn't determine what happened to the McStays. At one point, investigators said they believed the family had gone to Mexico voluntarily, though they couldn't say why.\n\nIn 2013, their bodies were found in shallow graves in the desert after an off-road motorcyclist discovered skeletal remains in the area. Authorities also unearthed a rusty sledgehammer that they said was used to kill the family.\n\n\"It was blow, after blow, after blow to a child's skull,\" the Los Angeles Times reported prosecutor Britt Imes said during closing arguments.\n\nMerritt, who worked with McStay in his water features business, was arrested in 2014.\n\nAuthorities said they traced Merritt's cellphone to the area of the desert gravesites in the days after the family disappeared and to a call seeking to close McStay's online bookkeeping account.\n\nMerritt referred to McStay in the past tense in an interview with investigators after the family vanished, and while the evidence linking him to the killings is largely circumstantial, it is \"overwhelmingly convincing,\" Imes said.\n\nMerritt's attorneys said the two men were best friends and investigators overlooked another possible suspect in the killings. Instead, they said, authorities zeroed in on an innocent man, but the evidence didn't add up, noting there were no signs of an attack inside the family's home.\n\n\"They tried his character and not the facts of this case,\" defense attorney James McGee told jurors.\n\nMany questions still remain about the family's disappearance. Prosecutors acknowledge details of the killings aren't entirely clear but say the evidence from the family's car, cellphone towers and financial accounts link Merritt to the killings.\n\nAuthorities said McStay was cutting Merritt out of the business in early February and the two met on Feb. 4 in Rancho Cucamonga, where Merritt lived at the time.\n\nProsecutors say financial records show Merritt tried to loot the business bank accounts just before and after the family disappeared and backdated checks to Feb. 4, knowing it was the last day anyone had contact with McStay.\n\nPhone records show McStay called Merritt seven times after the Feb. 4 meeting, with defense lawyers arguing that McStay wouldn't likely do that if he had just fired Merritt.", "SAN DIEGO — A Southern California man was convicted Monday of killing a family of four and burying their bodies in the desert, a case that puzzled investigators for years after the family suddenly vanished from their home in 2010.\n\nAfter a trial that spanned more than four months and depended largely on circumstantial evidence, jurors in San Bernardino found 62-year-old Charles \"Chase\" Merritt guilty in the bludgeoning deaths of his business associate Joseph McStay, McStay's wife, Summer, and the couple's 3- and 4-year-old sons.\n\nMerritt closed his eyes and looked down when the court clerk said the word \"guilty\" the first of four times to first-degree murder. Sobs came from the packed courtroom. Someone called out, \"Yes!\"\n\nProsecutors say Merritt killed the family with a sledgehammer at a time when he owed McStay money and was being cut out of the victim's business making and selling custom water fountains.\n\nThe jury also found the special circumstance of multiple murders. Prosecutors have said they would seek the death penalty if Merritt was convicted, and the penalty phase of the trial was scheduled to begin Tuesday.\n\nProsecutors declined to comment after the verdict, and families on both sides left without speaking to reporters.\n\nRELATED: Verdict reached for man charged with killing family of 4\n\nWhen the McStay family disappeared there was no evidence of struggle or foul play in their Fallbrook home, but there were signs of a hasty departure – unopened groceries left on the counter and the family's dogs still in the backyard.\n\nFour days after their disappearance, the McStay’s Isuzu Trooper was located near the San Ysidro border.\n\nGrainy surveillance video of a family of four crossing the border on foot and Google inquiries found on the family's home computer researching documents required for travel to Mexico, initially led the focus of the search south of the border – leading to speculation that the McStays may have left voluntarily.\n\nMore than three years later, though, in November 2013, a motorcyclist found the remains of the McStay bodies buried in shallow graves in the Mojave Desert near Victorville.\n\nRELATED: McStay Murder Trial: Brother of Joseph McStay testifies about interactions with defendant\n\nA sledge hammer was also found in one of the graves.\n\nInvestigators ruled the deaths a homicide and determined that the McStays were fatally bludgeoned inside their Fallbrook home, although no trace of blood was ever found there.\n\nIn 2014, Merritt, was arrested for the murders. He went on trial in January of this year.\n\nRELATED: McStay Murder Trial: Mother of Joseph McStay first witness to take the stand\n\nProsecutors said Merritt killed the McStays over money after he was being cut out of the decorative fountain business the two owned. Prosecutors also said Merritt had stolen $42,000 from the business – which Joseph McStay had discovered. They claim surveillance video and cell phone evidence link him to the crime.\n\n“That greed and self-interest motivated a man to kill a family of four and take them from this earth,” the prosecution said during trial.\n\nMerritt's attorneys said the two men were best friends and investigators overlooked another possible suspect in the killings. Instead, they said, authorities zeroed in on an innocent man, but the evidence didn't add up, noting there were no signs of an attack inside the family's home.\n\n\"They tried his character and not the facts of this case,\" defense attorney James McGee told jurors.\n\nMany questions still remain about the family's disappearance. Prosecutors acknowledge details of the killings aren't entirely clear but say the evidence from the family's car, cellphone towers and financial accounts link Merritt to the killings.", "SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. -- Charles \"Chase\" Merritt was found guilty of murder in the killing of a family of four, who disappeared in 2010 and were later discovered three years later near Victorville.After a trial that spanned more than four months, Merritt was found guilty in the killing of the McStay family in 2010. The 62-year-old Merritt had pleaded not guilty to charges he murdered his business partner, Joseph McStay, his wife Summer, and the couple's four and three-year-old sons.Merritt was found guilty of four counts of first-degree murder. The jury also found the special circumstance of multiple murders. Prosecutors have said they would seek the death penalty if Merritt was convicted. The penalty phase of the trial was scheduled to begin Tuesday.The family vanished from their home in 2010.The remains of the family were discovered in two shallow graves in 2013 near Victorville. Merritt was arrested a year later.The prosecution believes Merritt murdered the family because he was being cut out of McStay's water-feature business and that he was also stealing money from the business - which McStay discovered.A verdict was reached Friday by jurors, but it was not announced publicly until Monday.", "A Southern California man was convicted Monday of killing a family of four and burying their bodies in the desert in a case that puzzled investigators for years after the family suddenly vanished from their home in 2010. After a trial that spanned more than four months and depended largely on circumstantial evidence, jurors in San Bernardino found 62-year-old Charles “Chase” Merritt guilty in the bludgeoning deaths of his business associate Joseph McStay, McStay’s wife, Summer, and the couple’s 3- and 4-year-old sons.\n\nMerritt closed his eyes and looked down when the court clerk said the word “guilty” the first of four times to first-degree murder. Sobs came from the packed courtroom. Someone called out, “Yes!”\n\nCharles “Chase” Merritt, second left, stands in a San Bernardino courtroom after a jury finds him guilty of four counts of first-degree murder in the 2013 killings of the McStay family. Jennifer Cappuccio Maher/The Orange County Register via AP\n\nProsecutors say Merritt killed the family with a sledgehammer at a time when he owed McStay money and was being cut out of the victim’s business of making and selling custom water fountains.\n\nThe jury also found special circumstance of multiple murders, which means Merritt is eligible for the death penalty. Prosecutors have said they would seek the death penalty if Merritt was convicted, and the penalty phase of the trial was scheduled to begin Tuesday.\n\nProsecutors declined to comment after the verdict and families on both sides left without speaking to reporters.\n\nAfter the McStay family disappeared, authorities found bowls of uneaten popcorn at their San Diego County home, which showed no signs of forced entry. Their car was later found parked at a strip mall near the Mexican border.\n\nFor years, officials couldn’t determine what happened to the McStays. At one point, investigators said they believed the family had gone to Mexico voluntarily, though they couldn’t say why.\n\nIn 2013, their bodies were found in shallow graves in the desert after an off-road motorcyclist discovered skeletal remains in the area. Authorities also unearthed a rusty sledgehammer that they said was used to kill the family.\n\n“It was blow, after blow, after blow to a child’s skull,” the Los Angeles Times reported prosecutor Britt Imes said during closing arguments.\n\nMerritt, who worked with McStay in his water features business, was arrested in 2014. Merritt had been working on a book about the McStay family murders when he was taken into custody, CBS News reported at the time.\n\nIn the book, titled “Afraid of the Light,” Merrick claimed Joseph McStay had been concerned his wife may have been poisoning him. He was looking to release it later this year. Patrick McStay, Joseph McStay’s father, told CBS News in 2014 that Merritt had talked to him about the book in a phone conversation.\n\n“He wanted me to read what he was writing. He proceeded to start reading it to me. He said, ‘Why don’t we collaborate together and write a book?'” Patrick McStay told CBS News.\n\nSummer McStay, left, Joseph McStay, right, and their two children, Gianni and Joseph Jr. Family photo\n\nPatrick McStay said it immediately made him suspicious of Merritt, but he “played along” in hopes of finding out what happened to his son, his daughter-in-law and his two grandchildren.\n\nAuthorities said they traced Merritt’s cellphone to the area of the desert gravesites in the days after the family disappeared and to a call seeking to close McStay’s online bookkeeping account.\n\nMerritt referred to McStay in the past tense in an interview with investigators after the family vanished. And, while the evidence linking him to the killings is largely circumstantial, it is “overwhelmingly convincing,” Imes said.\n\nMerritt’s attorneys said the two men were best friends and investigators overlooked another possible suspect in the killings. Instead, they said, authorities zeroed in on an innocent man, but the evidence didn’t add up, noting there were no signs of an attack inside the family’s home.\n\n“They tried his character and not the facts of this case,” defense attorney James McGee told jurors.\n\nMany questions still remain about the family’s disappearance. Prosecutors acknowledged that details aren’t entirely clear but say the evidence from the family’s car, cellphone towers and financial accounts link Merritt to the killings.\n\nAuthorities said McStay was cutting Merritt out of the business in early February and the two met on Feb. 4 in Rancho Cucamonga, where Merritt lived at the time.\n\nProsecutors say financial records show Merritt tried to loot the business bank accounts just before and after the family disappeared and backdated checks to Feb. 4, knowing it was the last day anyone had contact with McStay.\n\nPhone records show McStay called Merritt seven times after the Feb. 4 meeting, with defense lawyers arguing that McStay wouldn’t likely do that if he had just fired Merritt.", "SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. — The Latest on the killings of a family of four found buried in the California desert (all times local):\n\nA Southern California man has been convicted of killing a family of four and burying their bodies in the desert.\n\nJurors on Monday found 62-year-old Charles “Chase” Merritt guilty of four counts of first-degree murder in the bludgeoning deaths of his business associate Joseph McStay, McStay’s wife, Summer, and the couple’s 3- and 4-year-old sons.\n\nThe family vanished from their San Diego County home in 2010, puzzling investigators. Three years later, their bodies were found in shallow graves in the desert.\n\nMerritt was arrested in 2014. Prosecutors say Merritt killed McStay out of greed at a time when he owed McStay money and was being cut out of the business.\n\n\n\n FILE - In this Jan. 7, 2019, file photo, murder defendant Charles Ray Merritt sits in San Bernardino County Court prior to opening statements in San Bernardino, Calif. A jury verdict will be read in the case of a Southern California man charged with killing a family of four and burying their bodies in the desert. The verdict will be read Monday, June 10, 2019, in court in San Bernardino in the quadruple murder case against 62-year-old Charles “Chase” Merritt. (Will Lester/The Orange County Register via AP, Pool, File) (Associated Press)\n\nAuthorities said they traced Merritt’s cellphone to the area of the gravesites and to a call seeking to close McStay’s online bookkeeping account.\n\nMerritt’s attorneys said authorities zeroed in on an innocent man but the evidence doesn’t add up.\n\nA jury’s verdict will be revealed in the case of a Southern California man charged with killing a family of four and burying their bodies in the desert.\n\nIt will be read Monday in court in San Bernardino in the murder case against 62-year-old Charles “Chase” Merritt. Jurors reached a decision Friday after deliberating for about a week.\n\nMerritt is charged in the bludgeoning deaths of his business associate Joseph McStay, McStay’s wife, Summer, and the couple’s 3- and 4-year-old sons.\n\nThe family vanished from their San Diego County home in 2010. Their bodies were found in shallow graves in the desert three years later.\n\nMerritt was arrested in 2014. Prosecutors say he killed McStay because he was cutting him out of a water features business.\n\nCopyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed."], "summary": "In San Bernardino, California, Charles \"Chase\" Merritt is found guilty of four counts of murder in the 2013 deaths of the McStay family."}
{"document": ["Indian Court Convicts 6 Men In Rape And Murder Of 8-Year-Old Girl\n\nEnlarge this image toggle caption Narinder Nanu/AFP/Getty Images Narinder Nanu/AFP/Getty Images\n\nThe 8-year-old girl was grazing horses in the foothills of the Himalayas when she was lured by kidnappers. Over the next several days, investigators say, she was drugged, starved and gang-raped before being bludgeoned to death with a stone. Her small body was found in a forest.\n\nOn Monday, an Indian court convicted six men in her 2018 rape and murder. Three of the men, including a 61-year-old temple priest named Sanji Ram who is believed to be the main conspirator, were sentenced to life, while the other three were found guilty of destroying evidence and given five-year prison terms.\n\nFour former police officers were among those convicted, including the three given shorter sentences.\n\nA seventh suspect was acquitted, while an eighth defendant, who is a minor, will be tried in juvenile court. All eight of the accused had pleaded not guilty.\n\nThe case fueled religious tensions in India and sparked nationwide protests — including many in support of the accused. They are all Hindus. The victim was a Muslim girl from a minority nomadic community in the Kathua district of India's northern state of Jammu and Kashmir. Some politicians of the ruling Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party came out in support of the defendants. When police officers went to file a charge sheet accusing the Hindus, some Hindu lawyers tried to physically block them.\n\nThe crime against the girl was apparently a plot to drive away her tribe, which has been involved in a spat over land with the Hindu-majority community in Kathua. She was held captive in a local Hindu temple, where she was hidden under a cot in a sedated state.\n\n\"Our family has gone through hell. Our hearts are bleeding,\" the girl's father, Mohammed Akhtar, told The Associated Press after the court's decision was announced.\n\n\"Verdict is tribute to her,\" the victim's lawyer, Deepika Singh Rajawat, tweeted. Mehbooba Mufti, former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, welcomed the judgment. \"High time we stop playing politics over a heinous crime,\" she wrote on Twitter.\n\nSome criticized the sentences as not harsh enough. \"Why is it that they were not given the death penalty when that is the law of the land?\" Swati Maliwal, chairperson for the Delhi Commission for Women, told local media. She urged the Jammu and Kashmir state government to appeal the sentences to a higher court.\n\nThe Kathua killing was one of the cases that prompted stricter laws against child rape in India. Last year, Indian lawmakers made a provision for giving the death penalty as punishment in cases of aggravated sexual assault against minors. However, whether those guilty are sentenced to death is left to the discretion of the judge in each case.\n\nMuch like the high-profile 2012 gang rape of a paramedical student on a bus in New Delhi, the Kathua case galvanized and horrified India, which has long grappled with the problem of sexual violence against women and girls. Last year, a survey conducted by the Thomson Reuters Foundation ranked India as the most dangerous country for women.\n\nDays before the Kathua verdict, an 8-year-old girl was raped and killed in the city of Bhopal, her body dumped in a drain. Another young girl was raped and strangled to death in Meerut in northern India.\n\nSushmita Pathak is NPR's producer in Mumbai.", "Six men found guilty over rape and murder of girl, 8, in Indian-controlled Kashmir\n\nSix men found guilty over rape and murder of girl, 8, in Indian-controlled Kashmir\n\nA bus carries the six men convicted over the rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl\n\nSix men, including four police officials, have been found guilty over the rape and murder of an eight-year-old Muslim girl in Indian-controlled Kashmir.\n\nThe group, who are all Hindu, were involved in an attack on the child from a community of nomadic herders.\n\nJudge Tejwinder Singh found at least some of the six guilty of rape and murder in the region of Jammu and Kashmir, but it was not immediately known if all of them were.\n\nOne person was acquitted due to lack of evidence.\n\nAt least some of the men are expected to be handed the death penalty during sentencing later.\n\nThe men were also found guilty of destroying evidence in the case, which caused outrage in the country and exacerbated tensions in disputed Kashmir.\n\nThe Muslim-majority region is where rebels have been fighting for years for independence or unification with Pakistan and there is great distrust of the government.\n\nConflict has been brewing in recent years between Muslim nomads and local Hindus over land disputes.\n\nThe girl was with her family's ponies in the forests of the Himalayan foothills when she was kidnapped in January last year.\n\nShe was later drugged and sexually assaulted as she was held captive in a small village temple in Kathua for a week.\n\nThe girl was then strangled and battered to death with a stone.\n\nHer raped and mutilated body was found in the woods a week later.\n\nPolice say the attack had been planned to terrify the Bakarwals community, which roams the forests of Kashmir, into leaving the area.\n\nMohammed Akhtar, the girl's father has said the men should be \"punished speedily, not just convicted\".\n\n\"Our family has gone through hell.\n\nHe added: \"Our hearts are bleeding. These beasts should be hanged.\"\n\nThe trial was shifted to neighbouring Punjab state following accusations that local Hindu leaders and politicians were trying to block the investigation into the case.\n\nIndia has been shaken by a series of sexual assaults in recent years, including the gang rape and murder of a student on a New Delhi bus in 2012.", "An Indian court has sentenced three men to life imprisonment for the brutal rape and murder of an 8-year-old girl in Indian Kashmir, in a case that sparked nationwide outrage.\n\nThe young Muslim girl was kidnapped last January while she was alone in a field grazing horses, tortured, drugged, and repeatedly raped inside a small Hindu temple for five days. She was then bludgeoned with a rock and her body dumped in a forest near Kathua district.\n\nThe three men convicted include a retired government official and a police officer.\n\nThree other police officers were handed five-year sentences for destruction of evidence. One man was acquitted and a juvenile will be tried in a separate court.\n\nThe girl, who belonged to a Muslim nomadic tribe, was targeted as part of a plan to frighten the community into leaving the Hindu-dominated area, according to investigators.\n\nIn Jammu and Kashmir — the only Muslim majority state that simmers with tensions, the sexual assault exposed a religious divide when the arrest and trial of the Hindu men for the rape of a Muslim girl prompted protests by right-wing Hindu groups and lawyers. The protesters included two senior leaders of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in Jammu and Kashmir they resigned after the case came under the national spotlight.\n\nIn cities across India, members of an outraged public took to the streets demanding justice for the young girl and the Supreme Court ordered that the trial should be held in a neighboring state.\n\nLawyers representing the victim's family said they would appeal in a higher court to seek the death penalty. Defense lawyers, meanwhile, said the case was based on \"circumstantial evidence,\" and that they would appeal the conviction in a higher court.\n\n\"Justice will be done if the perpetrators are hanged,\" the eight year old's father told reporters before the sentences were pronounced.\n\nThe chairman of the National Commission for Women, Rekha Sharma, also said the men should get the death penalty \"to set an example for others because cases against minors are increasing.\"\n\nThe Kathua rape was one of the cases that prompted India to tighten laws for sexual assault. It introduced the death penalty for the rape of children under the age of 12. In April of last year, India increased minimum prison terms from 10- to 20 years for the rape of girls under age 16.\n\nThe stricter laws, however, appear to have done little to deter incidents of sexual violence.According to government figures, instances of child rape account for nearly half of the total cases that are reported. Nearly 19,000 such cases rape were registered in 2016, or more than 50 each day.\n\nSome blame a slow-moving justice system. While the trial in the rape and murder of the 8-year-old girl was completed in 16 months in a fast track court, many sexual assault cases languish in the courts, usually dragging on for years.", "Indian Punjab Police personnel escort a police vehicle carrying the seven accused on June 10, 2019. Six of them were convicted while one was found not guilty.\n\nPATHANKOT, India - An Indian court on Monday (June 10) convicted six men of involvement in the rape and murder of an eight-year-old Muslim girl in India's Jammu and Kashmir state last year, said a prosecution lawyer.\n\nThe case sparked outrage and criticism of the country's ruling party after some of its members opposed charges being laid.\n\nThe girl, from a nomadic Muslim community that roams the forests of Kashmir, was drugged, held captive in a temple and sexually assaulted for a week before being strangled and battered to death with a stone in January 2018.\n\nThe abduction, rape and killing of the child was part of a plan to remove the minority nomadic community from the area, the 15-page charge sheet said.\n\nAmong those accused were a Hindu priest and police officers, fanning communal tensions between Hindus and Muslims in the area.\n\n\"This is a victory of truth,\" prosecution lawyer M. Farooqi told reporters outside the court. \"The girl and her family has got justice today. We are satisfied with the judgment.\"\n\nThe prosecution was seeking the death penalty for three men - priest Sanji Ram, Deepak Khajuria and Parvesh Kumar - who were convicted of rape and murder, he said.\n\nThe three others, Surinder Kumar, Tilak Raj and Anand Dutta, were convicted of lesser crimes of destroying evidence. A lawyer leading the legal team representing the accused, Mr AK Sawhney, told reporters they planned to appeal the verdict. The case shocked India, which has an appalling record for violence against women and girls, and led to the introduction of the death penalty for rapists of girls below the age of 12. The trial, held in private, began over a year ago in Pathankot, a town about 70km from Rasana village in Kathua district, where the incident happened, in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. India's Supreme Court shifted the trial to the neighbouring state of Punjab after the girl's family and lawyer said they faced death threats, and local lawyers and Hindu politicians, including some from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, held protests against police filing charges in court. India has long been plagued by violence against women and children. Reported rapes climbed 60 per cent to 40,000 from 2012 to 2016, according to government statistics, and many more go unreported, especially in rural areas. In total, there are eight people accused of involvement in the case. The seventh man, named as Vishal, was found not guilty on Monday, Mr Farooqi said, while the eighth, a juvenile, is currently awaiting trial.", "Six men were convicted Monday over the notorious 2018 gang rape and murder in India of an eight-year-old girl from a Muslim nomadic tribe that provoked horror and stoked inter-religious tensions.\n\nSexual violence, including against children, is rife in India and outrage over the so-called Kathua case contributed to the government introducing the death penalty for child rapists.\n\nAccording to the charge sheet, the girl was abducted while she was out grazing horses and taken to a village in the Kathua district of the northern Indian region of Jammu on January 10 last year.\n\nIn an ordeal lasting five days, she was sedated and held in a Hindu temple, repeatedly raped and then strangled and bludgeoned to death.\n\nInvestigations suggested that the girl was targeted in order to strike fear in her nomad community and drive them out of the area.\n\nThe six Hindu men were due to be sentenced later, prosecution lawyer Mubeen Farooqui told reporters outside a special court in Pathankot, in Punjab state.\n\nThey face the death penalty with a minimum of life imprisonment. A seventh man was acquitted while an eighth person, who claims to be underage, faces a separate trial.\n\n\"We will appeal against the convictions in a higher court,\" defence lawyer H.S. Pathania said.\n\nAmong the three convicted for rape and murder were village head Sanjhi Ram and special police officer Deepak Khajuria. Three others were found guilty of taking bribes and destroying evidence, but still face life imprisonment under strict conspiracy laws.\n\nIndia has the death penalty for the most brutal murders and terror attacks. The last execution happened in 2015 over bombings in Mumbai in 1993.\n\nThe Kathua case sparked two days of violent protests in Jammu and demonstrations in several other places across India, including in New Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore.\n\nThe ruling right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party also drew flak after two of its members participated in rallies in support of the accused.\n\nThe protests were reminiscent of those that followed the fatal gang rape of a Delhi student on a bus in 2012 that made headlines around the world.\n\nThe Supreme Court had shifted the Kathua trial to Punjab after the girl's family and their lawyer complained of death threats.\n\nSexual violence, including against children, remains unabated in India. Nearly 20,000 child rape cases were reported in 2016, according to official data, while a 2014 UN report said one in three rape victims was a minor.\n\nJammu and Kashmir is India's only Muslim-majority state, but the southern Jammu region -- where the rape and murder took place -- is Hindu-dominated.\n\nOn Monday hundreds of police were on duty in Pathankot for the trial. Wary of new protests, security was also heavy in Kathua town and surrounding Muslim areas.", "A court in India on Monday found six people guilty in a case related to rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl from a Muslim nomadic tribe in northern state of Jammu and Kashmir that sparked countrywide outrage and provoked communal tensions last year.\n\nThree of the convicts were sentenced to life in prison while three others convicted in the case were given five years in jail.", "PATHANKOT, India: Six men were convicted on Monday (Jun 10) over the gang rape and murder in India of a young girl from a Muslim nomadic tribe that provoked horror and stoked inter-religious tensions.\n\nThe six men from the Jammu region of northern India escaped the death sentence, however, with three defendants given life imprisonment and the others five years in jail.\n\n\n\nSexual violence, including against children, is rife in India and outrage over the so-called Kathua case contributed to the government imposing the death penalty for child rapists.\n\nAccording to the charge sheet, the girl was abducted while she was out grazing horses and taken to a village in Jammu, the Hindu-dominated part of the Muslim-majority state of Jammu and Kashmir, on Jan 10 2018.\n\n\n\nIn an ordeal lasting five days, she was sedated and held in a Hindu temple, raped repeatedly over five days and then strangled and bludgeoned to death.\n\nInvestigations suggested that the girl was targeted in order to strike fear in her nomad community and drive them out of the area.\n\nOn Monday a seventh man was acquitted while an eighth person, who claims to be underage, faces a separate trial.\n\nAmong the three convicted for rape and murder and sentenced to life were village head Sanjhi Ram and special police officer Deepak Khajuria. The others were found guilty of taking bribes and destroying evidence.\n\nProsecutors said that they would study the verdict before deciding whether to appeal. The family, who were not present at the trial, had hoped that all six would be given the death sentences, prosecutors said.​​​​​​​\n\n\n\nIndia has the death penalty for the most brutal murders and terror attacks. The last execution happened in 2015 over bombings in Mumbai in 1993.\n\nThe Kathua case sparked two days of violent protests in Jammu and demonstrations in several other places across India, including in New Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore.\n\nThe ruling Bharatiya Janata Party also drew flak after two of its members participated in rallies in support of the accused.\n\nThe protests were reminiscent of those that followed the fatal gang rape of a Delhi student on a bus in 2012 that made headlines around the world.\n\nThe Supreme Court had shifted the Kathua trial to Punjab after the girl's family and their lawyer complained of death threats.\n\nSexual violence, including against children, remains unabated in India. Nearly 20,000 child rape cases were reported in 2016, according to official data, while a 2014 UN report said one in three rape victims was a minor.\n\n\n\nOn Monday, hundreds of police were on duty in Pathankot for the trial. Wary of new protests, security was also heavy in Kathua town and surrounding Muslim areas.", "New Delhi - Three men have been jailed for life for the rape, torture and murder of an eight-year-old Muslim girl in Indian-administered Kashmir. Three police officers were found guilty of destroying evidence and sentenced to five years in prison. The victim, who belonged to a Muslim nomadic tribe, was found in a forest near Kathua city in January 2018.\n\nThe eight-year-old girl went missing in the new year of 2018 and her battered body was discovered almost three weeks later.\n\nAccording to investigators, the child was confined to a local temple for several days and given sedatives that kept her unconscious. The charge sheet alleged that she was “raped for days, tortured and then finally murdered”.\n\nThey added that the child was targeted because the men wished to terrorise the tribe - known as Gujjars - into leaving.\n\nWhy did India wake up so late to a child rape and murder?\n\nA child is sexually abused every 15 minutes in India, according to government crime figures up to 2016, and there has been a steady rise in offences against children.\n\nThe BBC’s Geeta Pandey in Delhi says India is home to the largest number of sexually abused children in the world, but there is a reluctance to talk about the topic so the real number of cases could be much higher. Who are the convicted men?\n\nSeven men were tried in a specially convened fast-track court on Monday and six were found guilty. Investigators said that Sanjhi Ram, a 60-year-old retired government officer, allegedly planned the crime with the help of police officers Surinder Verma, Anand Dutta, Tilak Raj and Deepak Khajuria. Ram’s son, Vishal, his nephew, a juvenile, and his friend, Parvesh Kumar, were also accused over the rape and murder.\n\nWhile Vishal was acquitted, Ram, Khajuria and Kumar have been sentenced for life. The remaining three have been handed five-year sentences.\n\nAfter the verdict, the lawyer representing the child’s family told BBC Punjabi that it was a “victory of constitutional spirit”. He added that “the whole country fought this case, irrespective of religious affiliations”.\n\nThe lawyer representing the accused said that despite the conviction, the case was based on “circumstantial evidence” and has pleaded for minimum punishment for the six men. He added that there were mitigating circumstances, including the fact that the men were the sole breadwinners in their families.\n\nWhen I met the girl’s mother, she was on a hilltop alongside her elder daughter and several other members of the family.\n\nThey were surrounded by their sheep and goats, which were grazing, and they did not know that this verdict had come out. When I informed the girl’s mother that six of the accused had been convicted, she began to cry and blessed me for being the bearer of good news.\n\nShe said the family could not afford to travel to Pathankot to hear the verdict because selling livestock was their only source of income. “I have always believed in justice and God gave me strength to fight for it,” she said.\n\nShe added that if the two main accused were not sentenced to death, she and her husband would challenge the sentence. “We will not eat or drink but we will get justice for our daughter,” she said. The girl’s elder sister, who is 15, says she and other girls her age now live in “constant fear of Hindu men” and never leave the house unless they are accompanied by an older family member.\n\nWhat was the response to the case?\n\nAlthough promptly reported in Indian-administered Kashmir, it only made headlines in the rest of the country in April after Hindu groups marched in support of the accused.\n\nBut as details of the injuries inflicted on the child became public, horrified Indians protested across the country.\n\nOutrage grew after two ministers from India’s governing Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) attended a rally in support of the accused men, whose community was involved in a land dispute with the nomadic tribe the girl belonged to.\n\nThe child’s mother has demanded capital punishment for two of those convicted - retired government officer Sanji Ram and police officer Deepak Khajuria - claiming that they were the “masterminds” behind the crime.\n\n“My daughter’s face still haunts me and that pain will never leave me. When I see other children of her age playing around me, it breaks my heart,” she told the BBC.\n\nDespite the outrage, the victim’s parents said they felt threatened in Kathua, where the community is predominantly Hindu.\n\nThe sentiment around the case prompted the top court to move the trial out of Jammu and Kashmir to a court in Pathankot in the northern state of Punjab and start the trial afresh.", "A court has sentenced three Hindu men, including a police officer, to life imprisonment for kidnapping, raping and murdering an eight-year-old Muslim girl in Indian-controlled Kashmir, in a case that has exacerbated tensions in the disputed region.\n\nA court has sentenced three Hindu men, including a police officer, to life imprisonment for kidnapping, raping and murdering an eight-year-old Muslim girl in Indian-controlled Kashmir, in a case that has exacerbated tensions in the disputed region.\n\nLife terms for three over rape and murder in Kashmir of Muslim girl, eight\n\nJudge Tejwinder Singh sentenced three other policemen to five years in prison for destroying evidence, prosecutor Santokh Singh told reporters.\n\nThe judge acquitted another defendant due to insufficient evidence.\n\nAn eighth suspect, a minor, will be tried separately by a juvenile court, Santokh Singh said.\n\nThe girl, who was a member of a nomadic tribe, was grazing her family’s ponies in the forests of the Himalayan foothills when she was kidnapped in January 2018.\n\nHer mutilated body was found in the woods a week later.\n\nThe case sparked protests across Kashmir, a Muslim-majority region where rebels have been fighting for years for independence or unification with Pakistan and there is great distrust of the government.\n\nProsecutors plan to appeal to a higher court and seek the death penalty for the three defendants who received life sentences.\n\nThousands of members of a radical Hindu group had demanded the release of the defendants, insisting they were innocent.\n\nThe trial was shifted to Pathankot, a town in neighbouring Punjab state, following accusations that local Hindu leaders and politicians were trying to block the investigation.\n\nThe prosecution said the girl was raped in a small village temple in Kathua district after having been kept sedated for four days, and was then bludgeoned to death.\n\nThe girl’s father, Mohammed Akhtar, said by phone that the men should be “punished speedily, not just convicted”.\n\n“Our family has gone through hell,” he said.\n\n“Our hearts are bleeding. These beasts should be hanged.”\n\nIndia has been shaken by a series of sexual assaults in recent years, including the gang rape and murder of a student on a New Delhi bus in 2012.\n\nThat attack galvanised a country where widespread violence against women had long been quietly accepted.\n\nWhile the government has passed a series of laws increasing punishment for rape, it’s rare for more than a few weeks to pass without another brutal sexual assault being reported.", "PATHANKOT, India, June 10 (Reuters) - An Indian court on Monday convicted six men for the rape and murder of an eight-year-old Muslim girl in Jammu and Kashmir state last year, a lawyer for the prosecution told reporters, in a case that sparked outrage across the country.\n\nThe girl, from a nomadic Muslim community that roams the forests of Kashmir, was drugged, held captive in a temple and sexually assaulted for a week before being strangled and battered to death with a stone in January 2018. (Reporting by Manoj Kumar, writing by Alasdair Pal; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)"], "summary": "An Indian court convicts six men in the 2018 rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl near Kathua in the state of Jammu and Kashmir. Three of the men are given life sentences while the other three, found guilty of destroying evidence, receive five-year prison terms."}
{"document": ["Baseball star David Ortiz has left hospital in the Dominican Republic to be flown to Boston after he was ambushed by a gunman at a bar in his native country, authorities said.\n\nThe 43-year-old retired batter had been in stable condition in intensive care at a Santo Domingo hospital after doctors removed his gallbladder and part of his intestine, according to his spokesman, Leo Lopez.\n\nHe said Ortiz’s liver was also damaged in the shooting on Sunday night.\n\nThe former Boston Red Sox star, affectionately known as Big Papi, is one of the most beloved figures in sports history in the Dominican Republic and Boston. He led the Red Sox to three World Series championships, was a 10-time All-Star and hit 541 home runs.\n\nDozens of fans crowded the hospital earlier on Monday, causing a traffic jam. In the US, fans prayed for his recovery and wished him well, with New England Patriots NFL star Julian Edelman assuring him on Instagram: “Papi, all of New England has your back.”\n\nThe Red Sox offered “all available resources” and sent an aircraft to bring him back to Boston.\n\nOrtiz was at the Dial Bar and Lounge in Santo Domingo on Sunday night when a gunman approached from behind and shot him at close range in the torso, authorities said.\n\nThe gunman was not immediately identified or arrested, and the motive for the shooting was under investigation, with authorities trying to determine whether Ortiz was the target.\n\nThe rider of the motorcycle that was carrying the gunman was captured and beaten by a crowd of people at the bar, authorities said.\n\nEliezer Salvador, who was at the scene, said the gunman said nothing, just fired once. Mr Salvador then drove a wounded Ortiz to the hospital, telling reporters they had a brief conversation in the car as he urged the baseball great to stay calm and breathe.\n\n“Do you have any problems with anyone?” Mr Salvador recalled asking him, to which Ortiz replied: “No, my brother, I’ve never wronged anyone.”\n\nMr Salvador held up Ortiz’s bloody belongings for reporters, along with some of his jewellery. He also apologised for hitting several cars while rushing to hospital: “That wrongdoing was justified.”\n\nOrtiz’s father Leo said he had no idea why someone would have shot at his son.\n\n“He is resting,” he said. “Big Papi will be around for a long time.”\n\nHe added that he is pleased with the medical attention Ortiz has received but he will be transferred to Boston so he can be with his wife and the Red Sox medical team.\n\nTwo other people were wounded, including Jhoel Lopez, a Dominican TV host who was with Ortiz. Police believe Lopez was wounded by the same bullet, said national police director Ney Aldrin Bautista Almonte. Lopez was shot in the leg, and his injuries were not life-threatening, said his wife, Liza Blanco, who is also a TV host.\n\nPolice did not identify the third person or detail that person’s injuries.\n\nThe bar is in a bustling nightlife district packed with dance clubs and expensive bars that Ortiz is known to frequent.\n\nOrtiz, who retired after the 2016 season and lives at least part of the year in the Dominican Republic, is often seen hanging out with friends, including other baseball players, artists and entertainers.\n\nThe Red Sox retired his number, 34, in 2017, and Boston renamed a bridge and a stretch of road outside their ground, Fenway Park, in his honour. He maintains a home on the outskirts of Boston.\n\nOrtiz galvanised the city after the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing that left three people dead, bellowing through a megaphone at Fenway Park: “This is our (expletive) city!”\n\n“In 2013, when we needed David Ortiz the most, he was there for us,” Red Sox president and CEO Sam Kennedy said. “Our focus is on his health and on getting him back here for treatment.”", "David Ortiz is on his way to Boston on Monday after the former Red Sox slugger affectionately known as “Big Papi” was ambushed by a gunman at a bar in the Dominican Republic, investigators said.\n\nThe 43-year-old retired athlete had been in stable condition in intensive care at a Santo Domingo hospital after doctors removed his gallbladder and part of his intestine.\n\nHis spokesman, Leo López, said Ortiz’s liver also was damaged in the shooting Sunday night.\n\nThe Red Sox offered “all available resources” and sent an aircraft to bring him back to Boston.\n\n“He’s on the Mount Rushmore of Boston sports,” said Eddie Romero, the team’s assistant general manager.\n\nOrtiz’s father, Leo, said he will be transferred to Boston so he can be with his wife and the Red Sox medical team.\n\n“He is resting,” the elder Ortiz said. “Big Papi will be around for a long time.”\n\nOrtiz was at the Dial Bar and Lounge in Santo Domingo on Sunday night when a gunman approached from behind and shot him at close range in the torso, officials said.\n\nThe gunman was not immediately identified or arrested, and the motive for the shooting was under investigation, with investigators trying to determine whether Ortiz was the target.\n\nThe operator of the motorcycle that was carrying the gunman was captured and beaten by a crowd of people at the bar, the investigators said.\n\nThe bar is in a bustling nightlife district packed with dance clubs and expensive bars that Ortiz is known to frequent.\n\nEliezer Salvador, who was at the scene, said the gunman said nothing, just fired once. Salvador then drove a wounded Ortiz to the hospital, telling reporters they had a brief conversation in the car as he urged the baseball great to stay calm and breathe.\n\n“Do you have any problems with anyone?” Salvador recalled asking him, to which Ortiz replied: “No, my brother, I’ve never wronged anyone.”\n\nSalvador held up Ortiz’s bloody belongings for reporters, along with some of his jewelry. He also apologized for hitting several cars while rushing to the hospital: “That wrongdoing was justified.”\n\nTwo other people were wounded, including Jhoel López, a Dominican TV host who was with Ortiz. López apparently was wounded by the same bullet, National Police Director Ney Aldrin Bautista Almonte said. López was shot in the leg, and his injuries were not life-threatening, said his wife, Liza Blanco, who is also a TV host.\n\nPolice did not identify the third person or detail that person’s injuries.\n\nOrtiz is one of the most beloved figures in sports history in the Dominican Republic and Boston. He led the Red Sox to three World Series championships, was a 10-time All-Star and hit 541 home runs.\n\nOrtiz, who retired after the 2016 season and lives at least part of the year in the Dominican Republic, is often seen getting his cars washed and hanging out with friends, including other baseball players, artists and entertainers.\n\nThe Red Sox retired his number, 34, in 2017, and Boston renamed a bridge and a stretch of road outside Fenway Park in his honor. He maintains a home in Weston, on the outskirts of Boston.\n\nCLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP\n\nOrtiz galvanized the city in the aftermath of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing that left three people dead, bellowing through a megaphone at Fenway Park: “This is our (expletive) city!”\n\n“In 2013, when we needed David Ortiz the most, he was there for us,” Red Sox president and CEO Sam Kennedy said Monday. “Our focus is on his health and on getting him back here for treatment.”\n\nThe Associated Press contributed to this report.", "David Ortiz, a three-time World Series champion during his career with the Boston Red Sox, was shot in the leg during an apparent robbery attempt at an amusement center in the Dominican Republic, according to multiple reports Sunday night.\n\nOrtiz's father, Enrique (Leo) Ortiz, told ESPN's Enrique Rojas that \"David is injured and that they took him to a medical center, but they did not tell me how he is or exactly where he was transferred.\"\n\nAccording to CDN 37, a news station in the Dominican Republic, an arrest was made of at least one suspect in the shooting and that Ortiz was taken to a local medical facility in nearby Santo Domingo, where the 43-year-old former slugger was born.\n\nRed Sox spokesperson Kevin Gregg told MassLive that the team was not aware of the incident upon being contacted.\n\nOrtiz ended his 20-year big league career in 2016, when he earned the last of his 10 All-Star appearances. The former designated hitter and first baseman won seven Silver Slugger awards in his career, and he hit 541 home runs with 1,768 RBIs in 2,408 games in the majors. He ranks 17th in major league history ion career home runs.\n\nOrtiz began his major league career by playing six seasons for the Minnesota Twins (1997-2002), but his career blossomed after he joined the Red Sox. His postseason heroics helped Boston capture its first World Series title in 86 years in 2004, when he was the Most Valuable Player of the American League Championship Series as the Red Sox overcame a 3-0 series deficit to the New York Yankees in seven games.\n\nHe also helped the Red Sox win championships in 2007 and 2013, capturing World Series MVP honors in the latter season.", "(Reuters) - Police in the Dominican Republic were investigating on Monday why a man shot and wounded former Boston Red Sox slugger David “Big Papi” Ortiz as he sat in a nightclub late on Sunday, according to police and the team.\n\nOrtiz, a 43-year-old retired baseball player still beloved in Boston for his role on three World Series-winning teams, was recovering in a hospital in Santo Domingo on Monday from a bullet wound to his back, the Red Sox said. His friend Jhoel López, a television host, was also wounded in the incident, police said in a statement.\n\nThe pair of assailants drove up to the club on a motorcycle late Sunday where one of them appeared to approach on foot and open fire, sparking a panic in which diners fled their tables, according to police and video of the incident posted by local media.\n\nSome at the club then beat one of the suspects before police took him into custody. He was later identified as Eddy Vladimir Féliz García.\n\nPolice said they are still searching for the other suspect, who fled on foot. Féliz García had been arrested in 2017 on drug possession charges, police said, adding they had seized the motorcycle used in the attack.\n\nEl Nuevo Diario published what it said was security camera footage of the moment the shooting occurred. It showed patrons at the bar suddenly fleeing, leaving toppled chairs behind them.\n\nThe former baseball star was out of surgery and in a stable condition and expected to make a full recovery, his father, Leo Ortiz, told reporters in Santo Domingo, according to CBS.\n\n“Big Papi will be around for a long time,” he told reporters.\n\nThe surgery lasted about six hours, with doctors removing parts of his intestines, colon and gallbladder, ESPN reported, citing Leo Lopez, a spokesman for Ortiz.\n\nOrtiz remained in the intensive care unit on Monday, but was expected to be flown to Boston later for further treatment, ESPN said.\n\nThe Red Sox said they were in contact with the family.\n\nOrtiz started his career in 1997 with the Minnesota Twins, then played for the Red Sox for 14 seasons before retiring in 2016, according to Major League Baseball.\n\nBoston Mayor Marty Walsh and Ortiz’s fellow baseball stars were among those expressing sympathy for Ortiz and his family.\n\nOrtiz was famously protective of Boston during his time with the Red Sox, and won international attention for a defiant speech in the days after the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing in which he exclaimed “this is our fucking city” on national television.\n\n“I’m at peace knowing you (are) out of danger,” he wrote on Twitter.\n\nNew England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady extended his get-well wishes on Twitter, writing: “Papi defines Boston Strong ... get well soon my friend!!!”\n\nFormer U.S. President Barack Obama also wished Ortiz a speedy recovery, writing on Twitter that his “spirit and resolve helped us all begin to heal from the Boston Marathon bombing.”", "I’m at peace knowing you out of danger; you a strong man Compai, can’t wait to hear your voice. My thoughts and prayers are with you, see you soon. \n\nMe siento tranquilo de saber que estás fuera de peligro, usted es fuerte Compai, ya quiero oírle la voz. Orando, nos vemos pronto pic.twitter.com/jdSnNsM7eI — Pedro Martinez (@45PedroMartinez) June 10, 2019\n\nA guy who takes care of people all over the world and has made an impact on so many. Was there for me with my brother and he will be back being Big Papi! Thoughts and Prayers from my family to you and yours! #PAPI — Blake Aubry Swihart (@BLAKESWIHART_1) June 10, 2019\n\nSANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic -- The sports world is reeling after learning that Boston Red Sox icon David Ortiz was shot in a bar in the Dominican Republic.Ortiz is hospitalized and his condition is stable after the shooting, which happened Sunday, Dominican National Police Director Ney Aldrin Bautista Almonte said His former team was among the first organizations to react to the news, writing in a statement, \"We have offered David's family all available resources to aid in his recovery and will continue to keep them in our hearts.\"Former Red Sox teammate Travis Shaw wrote, \"Please be Superman one more time.\"Athletes and sports analysts from Major League Baseball and beyond also shared their thoughts and prayers.", "SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) - Authorities say former Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz is hospitalized following surgery for a gunshot wound after being ambushed by a man in a bar in his native Dominican Republic.\n\nDominican police officials said Ortiz was at the Dial Bar and Lounge in Santo Domingo around 8:50 p.m. Sunday when the gunman approached from behind and shot him at close range. Officials said Ortiz was taken to the Abel Gonzalez clinic, where he underwent surgery, and his condition was stable.\n\nOrtiz's father, Leo, said his son was out of danger and there wasn't any collateral damage, meaning no damage to major organs. He said he had no idea why someone would have shot at his son.\n\nThe Boston Red Sox said in a statement they were notified by Ortiz's family that he sustained a gunshot wound to his \"lower back/abdominal region\" and that he is recovering. The team offered \"all available resources to aid in his recovery.\"", "SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic -- Former Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz was hospitalized following surgery for a gunshot wound after being ambushed by a man in a bar in his native Dominican, authorities said.Dominican National Police Director Ney Aldrin Bautista Almonte said Ortiz was at the Dial Bar and Lounge in Santo Domingo around 8:50 p.m. Sunday when a gunman approached from behind and shot him at close range. Ortiz was taken to the Abel Gonzalez clinic, where he underwent surgery, and his condition was stable, Bautista said.Ortiz's father, Leo, speaking to reporters outside the clinic, said his son was out of danger and there wasn't any collateral damage, meaning no damage to major organs. He said he had no idea why someone would have shot at his son.\"He is out of surgery and stable; he is resting,\" Leo Ortiz said. \"Big Papi will be around for a long time.\"The Boston Red Sox, in a statement early Monday, said they have been notified by Ortiz's family that he sustained a gunshot wound to his \"lower back/abdominal region\" and that he is recovering after surgery.The Red Sox said they offered the Ortiz family \"all available resources to aid in his recovery\" and they will continue to keep them in their hearts.The alleged gunman was captured and beaten by a crowd of people at the bar, Bautista said. He said police are waiting until the man undergoes treatment for his injuries before questioning him.Investigators are trying to determine whether Ortiz was the intended target, Bautista said.Two other people were wounded, Bautista said, including Jhoel López, a Dominican TV host who was with Ortiz. Bautista said police believe López was wounded by the same bullet.López was shot in the leg and his injuries were not life-threatening, said his wife, Liza Blanco, who is also a TV host.Police did not identify the third person or detail that person's injuries.The Dial Bar and Lounge is located in eastern Santo Domingo on Venezuela Avenue, a bustling nightlife district packed with dance clubs and pricey bars that Ortiz is known to frequent. Ortiz, who lives at least part of the year in the Dominican, is often seen getting his cars washed and hanging out with friends including other baseball players, artists and entertainers.The 43-year-old Ortiz hit 541 homers in 20 major league seasons, including 14 with the Red Sox. He helped lead Boston to three World Series titles and retired after the 2016 season. He was a 10-time All-Star and World Series MVP in 2013.", "A series of videos showed the bloody and gruesome beating of a man identified as the suspect in the shooting of baseball legend David Ortiz.\n\nReports circulated late on Sunday that Ortiz was shot during an attempted robbery in his native Dominican Republic. The Boston Red Sox legend was reportedly rushed to the hospital with a gunshot wound to the leg, and his condition was not immediately clear.\n\nAlmost at the same time that reports emerged that Ortiz had been shot, a series of videos were posted to the internet purporting to show the bloody beating of a man identified as the suspect in the shooting. While the veracity of these videos have not yet been confirmed, some have been shared by news outlets including Barstool Sports. The sports/entertainment site posted one of the videos on Twitter (be warned, the video shows the graphic beating and may be disturbing for some viewers).\n\nIn the videos, which were taken by several members of the angry crowd that had gathered, the alleged suspect could be seen cowering on the ground and covering his head as crowd members kicked him. The man’s head was bloodied from the beating, and blood also covered the wall behind the alleged suspect.\n\nOther video published by the Dominican news outlet CDN 37 showed police detaining what appeared to be a suspect in Ortiz’s shooting. The news outlet reported that police had arrested one person, but it was not clear if it was the same person seen in the beating video or if the person in the back of a police pickup truck was the same.\n\nThe circumstances of the shooting were not yet fully clear, though reports indicated that David Ortiz was shot in an attempted robbery outside an entertainment center.\n\nEven David Ortiz’s father, reached for comment by ESPN, did not have many details in the immediate wake of the shooting.\n\n“They called me to tell me that David is injured and that they took him to a medical center, but they did not tell me how he is or exactly where he was transferred,” David’s father told ESPN reporter Marly Rivera.\n\nPolice in the Dominican Republic have not yet named the suspect in David Ortiz’s shooting, or given an update on the condition of either the suspect or the baseball legend. Ortiz was reportedly headed to a nearby hospital to undergo surgery, and a condition was not yet available.", "Baseball star David Ortiz has left hospital in the Dominican Republic to be flown to Boston after he was ambushed by a gunman at a bar in his native country, authorities said.\n\nBaseball star David Ortiz has left hospital in the Dominican Republic to be flown to Boston after he was ambushed by a gunman at a bar in his native country, authorities said.\n\nThe 43-year-old retired batter had been in stable condition in intensive care at a Santo Domingo hospital after doctors removed his gallbladder and part of his intestine, according to his spokesman, Leo Lopez.\n\nHe said Ortiz’s liver was also damaged in the shooting on Sunday night.\n\nThe former Boston Red Sox star, affectionately known as Big Papi, is one of the most beloved figures in sports history in the Dominican Republic and Boston. He led the Red Sox to three World Series championships, was a 10-time All-Star and hit 541 home runs.\n\nDozens of fans crowded the hospital earlier on Monday, causing a traffic jam. In the US, fans prayed for his recovery and wished him well, with New England Patriots NFL star Julian Edelman assuring him on Instagram: “Papi, all of New England has your back.”\n\nThe Red Sox offered “all available resources” and sent an aircraft to bring him back to Boston.\n\nOrtiz was at the Dial Bar and Lounge in Santo Domingo on Sunday night when a gunman approached from behind and shot him at close range in the torso, authorities said.\n\nThe gunman was not immediately identified or arrested, and the motive for the shooting was under investigation, with authorities trying to determine whether Ortiz was the target.\n\nThe rider of the motorcycle that was carrying the gunman was captured and beaten by a crowd of people at the bar, authorities said.\n\nEliezer Salvador, who was at the scene, said the gunman said nothing, just fired once. Mr Salvador then drove a wounded Ortiz to the hospital, telling reporters they had a brief conversation in the car as he urged the baseball great to stay calm and breathe.\n\n“Do you have any problems with anyone?” Mr Salvador recalled asking him, to which Ortiz replied: “No, my brother, I’ve never wronged anyone.”\n\nMr Salvador held up Ortiz’s bloody belongings for reporters, along with some of his jewellery. He also apologised for hitting several cars while rushing to hospital: “That wrongdoing was justified.”\n\nOrtiz’s father Leo said he had no idea why someone would have shot at his son.\n\n“He is resting,” he said. “Big Papi will be around for a long time.”\n\nHe added that he is pleased with the medical attention Ortiz has received but he will be transferred to Boston so he can be with his wife and the Red Sox medical team.\n\nTwo other people were wounded, including Jhoel Lopez, a Dominican TV host who was with Ortiz. Police believe Lopez was wounded by the same bullet, said national police director Ney Aldrin Bautista Almonte. Lopez was shot in the leg, and his injuries were not life-threatening, said his wife, Liza Blanco, who is also a TV host.\n\nPolice did not identify the third person or detail that person’s injuries.\n\nThe bar is in a bustling nightlife district packed with dance clubs and expensive bars that Ortiz is known to frequent.\n\nOrtiz, who retired after the 2016 season and lives at least part of the year in the Dominican Republic, is often seen hanging out with friends, including other baseball players, artists and entertainers.\n\nThe Red Sox retired his number, 34, in 2017, and Boston renamed a bridge and a stretch of road outside their ground, Fenway Park, in his honour. He maintains a home on the outskirts of Boston.\n\nOrtiz galvanised the city after the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing that left three people dead, bellowing through a megaphone at Fenway Park: “This is our (expletive) city!”\n\n“In 2013, when we needed David Ortiz the most, he was there for us,” Red Sox president and CEO Sam Kennedy said. “Our focus is on his health and on getting him back here for treatment.”", "BOSTON (AP) — Brandon Lowe hit a pair of solo homers, Blake Snell baffled Boston's lineup and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Boston Red Sox 6-1 Sunday to take three of four from the World Series champions.\n\nGuillermo Heredia and Yandy Díaz also hit solo shots, and Lowe added an RBI single for Tampa Bay, which at 40-24 matched its season-high at 16 games over .500. Díaz had four hits.\n\nSnell (4-5) became the third Rays starter to hold Boston to two runs or fewer in the series after Yonny Chirinos and Ryan Yarbrough.\n\nSnell battled through two tough opening innings, allowing one run and five hits over six innings with seven strikeouts. With runners on second and third in the first, the AL Cy Young Award winner stuck out the next three batters swinging with sharp, breaking curveballs.\n\nBoston starter Eduardo Rodríguez (6-4) gave up four runs and seven hits in 5 2/3 innings with seven strikeouts.\n\nTampa Bay's first four batters singled, and the Rays took a 2-0 lead on Lowe's RBI single and Travis d'Arnaud's sacrifice fly.\n\nHeredia homered into the Green Monster seats in the second.\n\nBoston got the first two runners on in the opening two innings but scored just a run on Marco Hernandez's RBI single in the second.\n\nLowe hit Rodríguez's first pitch of the sixth into the center-field bleachers. Díaz led off the seventh with a drive into the Monster seats and Lowe connected off Marcus Walden later in the inning for his 13th home run this season.\n\nAfter Lowe's second, some fans tried to change the mood in Fenway Park, chanting \"We Want the Cup!\" ahead of the Bruins' Game 6 against St. Louis in the Stanley Cup Final on Sunday night. They broke into \"Let's Go Bruins!\" cheers later.\n\nTampa Bay reached 40 wins in its initial 64 games for only the second time in its history after doing it in 62 games in 2010.\n\nBoston had gone 9-1 in Rodríguez's previous 10 starts.\n\nRays: OF Tommy Pham returned to the lineup after leaving Saturday's first game of the DH when he was hit by a pitch on the right wrist.\n\nRed Sox: Slugger J.D. Martinez missed his fourth straight game with back tightness. Manager Alex Cora said that he was \"feeling better, but he's not ready to play.\" . Cora also said RHP Nathan Eovaldi had \"a little bicep soreness\" and was going to back off as he continues rehab from surgery to remove loose body in his right elbow in late April. ... 3B Rafael Devers and LF Andrew Benintendi both had the day off.\n\nRays: RHP Charlie Morton (7-0, 2.30 ERA) brings the longest active unbeaten streak in the majors at 20 starts into Monday's series opener at home against Oakland. He is 10-0 since last August.\n\nRed Sox: LHP Chris Sale (2-7, 3.84) looks to build off his strong start the last time out Monday against Texas. He had a complete-game victory over Kansas City Wednesday and recorded his second immaculate inning of the season, joining Lefty Grove (1928) as the only to do it twice in a year."], "summary": "Former Boston Red Sox star David Ortiz returns to Boston to recover from a shooting in the Dominican Republic."}
{"document": ["", "(Hatha al-Youm | Iraq News )- Nechirvan Barzani sworn in as president of Iraqi Kurdistan, Erbil, June 10, 2019. Photo: K24 TVHEWLÊR-Erbil, Iraq’s Kurdistan region,— Nechirvan Barzani was sworn in Monday as Iraqi Kurdistan’s second president, succeeding his uncle and veteran KDP party leader Massoud Barzani whose son Masrour will likely be nominated premier on Tuesday.On May 6, the Kurdistan Parliament approved legislation that reactivates the Kurdistan Region’s Presidency.Nechirvan, the 52-year-old deputy leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, was elected as president on May 28, 2019 after seven years as the region’s prime minister.He is the Kurdish region’s second president after his uncle Massoud, who served in the role from 2005 until he stepped down in 2017 following a controversial independence referendum.On August 20, 2015 Massoud Barzani’s term as president of Kurdistan has expired but he refused to step down and remains unofficially in office for more than two years despite protests and demonstration against Barzani across Kurdistan region. He also closed the parliament and prevented speaker from entering Erbil.On Monday, the younger Barzani took his oath of office during a sleek ceremony at Erbil’s Congressional Palace.In his address, he appealed for better ties with federal authorities in Baghdad, and said his government would also prioritise the well-being of constituents in the region.A set of speeches followed his swearing-in, with the first slots going to Massoud and then Iraqi President Barham Salih, who hails from the opposing Patriotic Union of Kurdistan PUK which boycotted Barzani’s election.Among those in the audience were Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and several foreign consuls, but not Iraq’s Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi.Iraqi Parliament Speaker Mohammed al-Halbusi congratulated Barzani on his election as the President of the Kurdistan Region.Born in northern Iraq in 1966, Barzani spent part of his life in Iran and speaks fluent Kurdish, Farsi and English.He has had a long political career in the Kurdish region, serving as its vice prime minister, head of government and prime minister since it won autonomy from federal authorities in 1991.Observers expect the new president will nominate his cousin Masrour and Massoud’s son — the KDP-controlled region’s current national security advisor — to replace him as premier.The nominee will be announced at 11:00 am (0800 GMT) on Tuesday, according to parliament speaker Vala Fareed.The premier-designate would then have 30 days to form a government.The Barzani clan have been routinely accused by critics of amassing huge wealth from oil business for his family instead of serving the population.The Barzanis control a large number of commercial enterprises in Kurdistan-Iraq, with a gross value of several billion US dollars. The family is routinely accused of corruption and nepotism by Kurdish media as well as international observers.The New Generation Movement caucus in the Kurdistan parliament said on Saturday that it would not attend the ceremony.“The current situation in the Kurdistan Region needs more respect for the legitimate institutions and parliament, where is the first source of legislation and monitoring the government. The executive power should obey the parliament. In contrast to all the democratic traditions, the parliament is taken into service of the persons,” the Movement said in a statement, NRT reported.The New Generation caucus also boycotted the parliamentary session to elect the new president on May 28.Read more about The Monarchy of Iraqi KurdistanCopyright © 2019, respective author or news agency, Ekurd.net | AFP | AgenciesComments Comments", "Nechirvan Barzani was sworn in Monday as Iraqi Kurdistan’s second president, succeeding his uncle and veteran leader Massud Barzani whose son Masrour will likely be nominated premier on Tuesday.\n\nNechirvan, the 52-year-old deputy leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, was elected as president on May 28 after seven years as the region’s prime minister.\n\nHe is the Kurdish region’s second president after his uncle Massud, who served in the role from 2005 until he quit in 2017 following a controversial independence referendum.\n\nOn Monday, the younger Barzani took his oath of office during a sleek ceremony at Arbil’s Congressional Palace.\n\nIn his address, he appealed for better ties with federal authorities in Baghdad and said his government would also prioritize the well-being of constituents in the region.\n\nA set of speeches followed his swearing-in, with the first slots going to Massud and then Iraqi President Barham Saleh, who hails from the opposing Patriotic Union of Kurdistan which boycotted Barzani’s election.\n\nAmong those in the audience were Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and several foreign consuls, but not Iraq’s Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi.\n\nBorn in northern Iraq in 1966, Barzani spent part of his life in Iran and speaks fluent Kurdish, Farsi and English.\n\nHe has had a long political career in the Kurdish region, serving as its vice prime minister, head of government and prime minister since it won autonomy from federal authorities in 1991.\n\nObservers expect the new president will nominate his cousin Masrour – the region’s current national security advisor – to replace him as premier.\n\nThe nominee will be announced at 11:00 am (0800 GMT) on Tuesday, according to parliament speaker Vala Fareed. The premier-designate would then have 30 days to form a government.", "(Hatha al-Youm | Iraq News )- He praised his predecessor and first president of the Kurdistan Region, Masoud Barzani, for his role and 55 years of struggle to obtain and secure the rights of all Kurdistani people.Barzani mentioned that Kurdistan, as a federal region of Iraq, had proved itself and earned a seat at the table as an important player in the region and on the international scene. He added it would continue to further strengthen ties with its neighbors and other countries around the world.In a dedicated parliamentary session on May 28, 68 lawmakers from the Kurdistan Region’s 111-seat legislature voted in favor of Nechirvan Barzani as the new President of the Kurdish autonomous region.Nechirvan Barzani is also the deputy head of the leading Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP). Born in 1966, Barzani was elected as the deputy Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region in 1996. He was elected as Prime Minister in 1999 and 2006. He continued serving after subsequently being re-elected to the post in 2011 and 2013, until May 28, 2019.In his new role, Barzani called for unity among the political parties in the Kurdistan Region and hope the Constitution of Iraq would be implemented in full “to prevent the reemergence of jihadist group like Da’esh [ISIS] and other tragic incidents like Shingal,” in reference to the crimes against humanity committed by the militant group in northern Iraq and disputed territories.Masoud Barzani, the former president and current head of the KDP, also delivered a short speech, expressing his support for the new president and calling on the implementation of the Iraqi constitution to resolve long-standing disputes between Erbil and Baghdad.Other senior officials like Iraqi President Barham Salih, Iraqi Parliamentary Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi, and influential Shia cleric Ammar al-Hakim also attended the event, congratulating Nechirvan Barzani in their brief addresses, noting to respectfully call back to the previous leader, Masoud Barzani, and his contribution to the Kurdistan Region and Iraq.The Speaker of Kurdistan Parliament, Vala Fareed, suspended the session until Tuesday morning, where Parliament will vote for a new Prime Minister. The position is expected to be given to Masrour Barzani, the current Chancellor of the Kurdistan Region Security Council (KRSC).The new Prime Minister will have 30 days to form the new cabinet of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).Editing by Nadia Riva", "Nechirvan Barzani sworn in as president of Iraqi Kurdistan\n\nNechirvan Barzani has been sworn in as Iraqi Kurdistan’s second president, succeeding his uncle and veteran leader Massud Barzani whose son Masrour will likely be nominated premier on Tuesday.\n\nNechirvan, the 52-year-old deputy leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party, was elected as president on May 28 after seven years as the region’s prime minister.\n\nHe is the Kurdish region’s second president after his uncle Massud, who served in the role from 2005 until he quit in 2017 following a controversial independence referendum.\n\nThe younger Barzani takes his oath of office during a sleek ceremony at Erbil’s Congressional Palace.\n\nBorn in northern Iraq in 1966, Barzani spent part of his life in Iran and speaks fluent Kurdish, Farsi and English.\n\nHe has had a long political career in the Kurdish region, serving as its vice prime minister, head of government and prime minister since it won autonomy from federal authorities in 1991.", "(Hatha al-Youm | Iraq News )-Former Kurdish Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani was sworn in Monday as president of northern Iraq’s Kurdish region. The swearing-in ceremony in Erbil saw a high-profile participation of officials from Iraq.Among the attendees were President Barham Salih, Parliament Speaker Mohammad al-Halbousi, and several foreign delegates. Barzani, the candidate of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), was elected president by the regional parliament last month. The region's presidency remained vacant since November 2017, when the mandate of then President Masoud Barzani expired.During his speech delivered at the inauguration of the new president of Kurdistan Region, former president of Kurdistan Region, Masoud Barzani, reiterated a call on political forces in Erbil and Baghdad to work together and address the prolonged disputes.“I congratulate Nechirvan Barzani and I wish him success. I will fully support him in his new responsibility,” he said.Barzani reminded the joint efforts and mutual understanding, within the framework of the Constitution of Iraq, remains the best option to resolve the disputes between Erbil and Baghdad.", "(Hatha al-Youm | Iraq News )- Iraq's Kurdish region named a cousin of its new president to succeed him as prime minister on Tuesday, keeping power in the hands of the family that has governed since the region gained partial self rule after Saddam Hussein's fall.The new prime minister, Masrour Barzani, is a son of former president Masoud Barzani, who stepped down in 2017 after a failed independence bid. The regional presidency was vacant for more than 18 months until Masoud Barzani's nephew Nechirvan Barzani was elevated from prime minister and sworn in on Monday.The Barzani clan and their Kurdistan Democratic Party have ruled the semi-autonomous Kurdish region since Iraq's constitution was set up following the US-led invasion that toppled Saddam in 2003.They have shared power in the region with their main rivals, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, which has appointed presidents for Iraq's central government in Baghdad under a system designed to balance power among Iraq's main ethnic and sectarian groups.However, the two big Kurdish parties have quarreled lately over the apportionment of posts in the regional government, and resolving that standoff is likely to be the first major task for the new prime minister, who has 30 days to form a government.Masrour Barzani, who had been serving as regional security chief, was elected prime minister with 87 votes from the 97 lawmakers present. The regional legislature has 111 seats in total. Several smaller opposition parties, including the Kurdistan Islamic Group and New Generation movement, boycotted.The Barzani family has been at the forefront of Kurdish politics for generations. Masoud Barzani, a veteran of decades of guerrilla warfare for Kurdish independence, inherited his position as leader of the KDP from his father Mustafa Barzani, who died in 1979.Masoud Barzani stepped down as Kurdish president in 2017 after a failed independence bid that prompted a military offensive from Baghdad and a political crisis among the Kurds.Smaller opposition parties in the Kurdish region accuse the KDP and PUK of using their combined dominance of the region's politics to build business empires for the families that lead them.", "(Hatha al-Youm | Iraq News )- Masrour Barzani, Massoud’s son, named as news Iraqi Kurdistan PM. Photo: 2018, Farhad Ahmad/FBHEWLÊR-Erbil, Iraq’s Kurdistan region,— Iraqi Kurdistan’s parliament named Masrour Barzani as the region’s new premier on Tuesday, a day after his cousin was sworn in as its president.Masrour Barzani, 50, is the son of longtime Iraqi Kurdish KDP party leader Massoud Barzani and had been serving as national security adviser for the autonomous Kurdistan region since 2012 in the areas under Kurdistan Democratic Party control.He won the votes of 87 of the 97 members present in the region’s 111-seat chamber — more than his cousin received when he was elected president late last month.PM-elect Barzani will have one month to form the autonomous region’s cabinet.The cousins hail from the KDP, which was founded by their grandfather Mustafa in 1946 and remains dominated by the Barzani clan.Its main rival, the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK), boycotted Nechirvan’s election as president but at least some of its MPs took part in Tuesday’s session.Born in Erbil in 1969, Masrour joined the Kurdish security forces, known as the peshmerga, as a 16-year-old.He attended school in neighbouring Iran, then returned to Iraqi Kurdistan to take part in the 1991 uprising against then-dictator Saddam Hussein before travelling to the US to complete his graduate studies.During his tenure as national security adviser, Barzani had a major role in the region’s fightback against the Islamic State jihadist group, which swept across a third of Iraq in 2014.He succeeds his cousin Nechirvan who had served as prime minister since 2012.Nechirvan is now the KRG’s second president after Masoud Barzani, who served in the role from 2005 until he stepped down in 2017 following a controversial independence referendum that prompted Baghdad to reoccupy large swathes of Kurdish-held territory.On August 20, 2015 Massoud Barzani’s term as president of Kurdistan has expired but he refused to step down and remains unofficially in office for more than two years despite protests and demonstration against Barzani across Kurdistan region. He also closed the parliament and prevented speaker from entering Erbil.The Barzani clan have been routinely accused by critics of amassing huge wealth from oil business for his family instead of serving the population.The Barzanis control a large number of commercial enterprises in Kurdistan-Iraq, with a gross value of several billion US dollars. The family is routinely accused of corruption and nepotism by Kurdish media as well as international observers.Copyright © 2019, respective author or news agency, Ekurd.net | AFPComments Comments", "(Hatha al-Youm | Iraq News )- ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) — The Kurdistan Parliament on Tuesday resumed its suspended session from Monday and named Masrour Barzani for the post of Prime Minister, who now must receive his mandate from the President.Barzani was presented by the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), which won the Sept. 2018 elections and secured 45 seats, as its candidate for the post. The KDP beat out the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) 21, and Gorran (Change) Movement, which won 12 seats out of the total 111-seat of the regional parliament.Barzani, incumbent Chancellor of the Kurdistan Region Security Council (KRSC), received 87 votes out of 97 attending lawmaker from Tuesday’s Parliament session.The parliament’s leadership will now present the candidate to the President of the Kurdistan Region, Nechirvan Barzani, who will issue a formal letter asking Masrour Barzani to form the new Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) cabinet within 30 days of being selected, finalizing the appointment process.Related Article: Nechirvan Barzani takes oath of office as new Kurdistan PresidentSHORT BIO ON MASROUR BARZANIBorn in 1969 in Erbil’s Balakayati area, Barzani became a Kurdish Peshmerga fighter at the age of 16 in 1985.He is married and has three sons and a daughter.Barzani earned a degree in International Studies at the American University in Washington DC, and continues his post-graduate studies in Peace and Conflict Resolutions.In 1998, he returned to the Kurdistan Region and was elected by the KDP's 12th Congress to the Central Committee.In 2010, he was elected to the Leadership Council and then selected as a KDP Politburo member.In 2012, he was appointed by then-President Masoud Barzani as Chancellor of the Kurdistan Region Security Council (KRSC) to oversee the region’s security, military intelligence, and intelligence services.Editing by Nadia Riva", "(Hatha al-Youm | Iraq News )- Masrour Barzani has been elected as prime minister of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), as the parliament convened on Tuesday to vote for the new prime minister.Barzani, who is the son of former-president Masoud Barzani, garnered 87 out of 97 votes of MPs who attended the session.MPs from the two Islamic parties Komal and the KIU refrained from voting.Masrour, the former-chancellor of the Kurdistan Region Security Council (KRSC), now has 30 days to form a government.On Monday, his cousin, Nechirvan Barzani, stepped down as prime minister after he was sworn-in as president in a ceremony in Erbil."], "summary": "Nechirvan Barzani is sworn in as the new President of Iraqi Kurdistan. In his first speech as President, Barzani says he will seek to improve ties with Baghdad, and create a joint-security plan to prevent ISIL from re-emerging in the region."}
{"document": ["Rep. Justin Amash quit the conservative House Freedom Caucus on Monday night, weeks after becoming the lone Republican to call for President Donald Trump’s impeachment.\n\nThe Michigan lawmaker told a CNN reporter that he has “the highest regard for them, and they’re my close friends,” but he “didn’t want to be a further distraction for the group.” Amash’s decision to step down was confirmed to POLITICO by his office.\n\nStory Continued Below This browser does not support the Ad element.\n\nAmash, a founding member of the Freedom Caucus, has long been a lone wolf in Congress, routinely bucking GOP leadership and defying Trump on a number of issues throughout the past two years.\n\nBut Amash’s support for impeachment roiled members of the Freedom Caucus, who found Amash’s criticism dead wrong. The group decided to uniformly oppose his impeachment stance last month, though they stopped short of kicking him out of the caucus — despite some lawmakers complaining that Amash was still a member.\n\nAmash, a 39-year-old libertarian who rode the 2010 tea party wave to Congress, had stopped showing up to HFC meetings this year and even threatened to quit the group at one point last year after they didn’t stand up to Trump for attacking one of their own members, South Carolina’s Mark Sanford, who was facing a pro-Trump primary challenge. (Sanford lost his primary.)\n\nNow, Amash finds himself in a similar position, facing two primary challenges back home and being ripped by Trump on Twitter. While Amash beat back a primary challenge from an establishment candidate in 2014, he faces a far more uncertain political future in the age of Trump, in which fealty to the president has often become a litmus test in the GOP.\n\nThere has also been speculation Amash might challenge Trump in 2020 as a libertarian candidate, something he did not rule out at a recent town hall.\n\n“I’ve said many times, I don’t rule things like that out,” Amash said. “If you’re fighting to defend the Constitution, if you find a way to do that that’s different and maybe more effective, then you have to think about that.”", "Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.) has stepped down from the conservative House Freedom Caucus, weeks after becoming the first Republican member of Congress to publicly support impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump.\n\nAmash, one of the Freedom Caucus’ founding members, told CNN that he’d announced his resignation at the group’s weekly board meeting on Monday. He said the meeting had been a “positive” one.\n\n“I have the highest regard for them, and they’re my close friends,” Amash said of the Freedom Caucus. “I didn’t want to be a further distraction for the group.”\n\nAmash made waves last month when he tweeted his conviction, based on his reading of special counsel Robert Mueller’s report, that Trump had “engaged in impeachable conduct.”\n\nHere are my principal conclusions:\n\n1. Attorney General Barr has deliberately misrepresented Mueller’s report.\n\n2. President Trump has engaged in impeachable conduct.\n\n3. Partisanship has eroded our system of checks and balances.\n\n4. Few members of Congress have read the report. — Justin Amash (@justinamash) May 18, 2019\n\nTop GOP leaders, including the president himself, condemned Amash for his views. The House Freedom Caucus also distanced itself from the congressman, with former chairman Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio telling Politico in May that “every single” member who’d attended that week’s meeting “disagrees with what he says.”\n\nAmash told CNN in March that he’s stopped attending most Freedom Caucus meetings following clashes with members over their differing views on Trump.\n\nThe congressman has refused to back down from his calls for Trump’s impeachment.\n\n“I’d do it whether it was a Republican president or a Democratic president. It doesn’t matter. You elected me to represent all of you,” Amash told supporters in Grand Rapids, Michigan, last month. “Congress has a duty to keep the president in check .… And I think we owe it to the American people to represent them, to ensure that the people we have in office are doing the right thing, are of good character, aren’t violating the public trust.”", "Rep. Justin Amash (R-MI) resigned Monday evening from the House Freedom Caucus, the conservative congressional group he helped launch in January 2015, after putting himself at odds with lawmakers in calling for impeachment proceedings to begin against President Donald Trump.\n\n“I have the highest regard for them and they’re my close friends,” Amash said in a statement to CNN. “I didn’t want to be a further distraction for the group.”\n\nThe Michigan Republican raised eyebrows less than a month ago when he accused President Trump of committing “impeachable” offenses stemming from Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report on now-debunked collusion between the 2016 Trump campaign and Russia. The libertarian-leaning lawmaker also alleged Attorney General William Barr misrepresented Mueller’s key findings. Notwithstanding Amash’s assertions, Mueller found no criminal conspiracy occurred between the 2016 Trump campaign and the Russian government, and further, Barr and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein used the special counsel’s findings to determine the president had not obstructed justice during the two-year-plus probe.\n\nAmash’s position has earned him strong rebuke from Republicans, including President Trump, who has hit back at the congressman, calling him a “loser” and an attention-seeker. Last month, the House Freedom Caucus formally condemned Amash’s remarks on impeachment. “It was every single person who totally disagrees with what he says,” Rep. Jim Jordan (D-OH) said of the 30-lawmaker strong vote. “What concerns me is Justin was viewed as a leader, right, on protecting privacy rights first to First Amendment rights.”\n\nDuring a recent town hall, Amash was assailed by Trump supporters, including one African-American voter who criticized the congressman’s “demonizing” calls to start impeachment.\n\n“From what I’m seeing, for the black community and minorities, is that Trump is good for America,” the voter said. “And I’m wondering why the Republicans and Democrats are fighting him so much when he’s doing such a good job?”\n\n“You’re demonizing him on something that you know is not true,” he added. “It’s just bewildering to me that you can treat the president of the United States in this way, especially when he’s doing such a good job for minorities and black people.”\n\nAmash responded to the unidentified man, stating that many people “disagree” with his position and claimed “nobody’s demonizing” President Trump. “The person who demonizes people every day is Donald Trump,” he claimed. “He goes on Twitter and calls people names and says the most egregious things about people.”\n\nOn top of criticism from members of his own party, Amash’s position has also earned him a primary challenge from Michigan State Rep. Jim Lower (R) and Army National Guardsman Tom Norton.\n\n“Congressman Justin Amash tweets yesterday calling for President Trump’s impeachment show how out of touch he is with the truth and how out of touch he is with people he represents,” Lower said at the time of his campaign launch, per the Detroit Free Press. “He must be replaced and I am going to do it.”", "Rep. Justin Amash, the first Republican to call for President Donald Trump's impeachment following the release of the Mueller report, has left the conservative House Freedom Caucus and its board, a source close to Amash confirmed to ABC News on Tuesday.\n\n\"I have the highest regard for them and they're my close friends,\" Amash told CNN on Monday. \"I didn't want to be a further distraction for the group.\"\n\nAmash publicly condemned President Trump on Twitter in May saying that after reading the Mueller report he believes that the president engaged in “impeachable conduct.” He also took aim at Attorney General William Barr for “deliberately misrepresenting” the findings of the report.\n\nThe caucus was officially founded by conservatives in 2015 at the House Republican retreat in Hershey, Pennsylvania, and now includes more than 30 members. It's chaired by Rep. Mark Meadows, a third-term Republican from North Carolina. Beyond Meadows and Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, Reps. Justin Amash, R-Mich., Raul Labrador, R-Idaho, and Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., were all founding members and still serve in the House of Representatives.\n\nFollowing Amash's remarks about Trump's impeachment, the House Freedom Caucus came out strongly against him.\n\n“We had a good discussion and every single member, I think now based on who was there and our board meeting was probably over 30 members, every single member disagrees and strongly with the position Justin took over the week, and we're focused on the now,” Jordan said to reporters.\n\nThe Michigan lawmaker opposed Trump’s primary campaign and in the past couple years close observers believe he has grown frustrated with the caucus’s leadership, including Trump loyalist Meadows and Jordan.\n\nWhile Amash has not signed on to any existing impeachment resolutions proposed by Democrats, in a town hall in Grand Rapids he said it is appropriate for Speaker Nancy Pelosi to proceed with impeachment inquiries and hearings. Ultimately, he says, the ball is in Pelosi's court regarding how to go forward.\n\n\"I think it's really important that we do our job as a Congress, that we do not allow misconduct to go undeterred, that we not just say someone can violate the public trust and that there are no consequences to it,\" Amash said.", "Michigan Rep. Justin Amash, the first and only Republican to call for President Donald Trump’s impeachment, said he was leaving the Freedom Caucus on Monday, a development that underscores Trump’s unrivaled influence on the Republican Party.\n\nAmash, a conservative libertarian, co-founded the Freedom Caucus to fight against a certain Republican Party groupthink and to promote small-government and constitutionally conservative ideals. But on Monday, he told CNN he no longer wanted to be a “distraction.”\n\nAn exclusive group of roughly 40 of the House’s most conservative members, the Freedom Caucus was founded on a mission of rebellion; for years they’ve been unafraid of escalating tensions and divisions within their party to push forward a conservative agenda. They haven’t seen many concrete legislative wins, but the group has been effective at moving the debate far to the right — oftentimes so far that passing legislation becomes impossible.\n\nBut since Trump, they’ve assumed a new role: defending the president at all costs. Amash hasn’t been attending Freedom Caucus meetings for some time, but he remained on the caucus’s board. Amash’s official exit is a demarcation line; yet another data point in Trump’s takeover of the Republican Party.\n\nAmash has stood on an island in his own party for some time. That island is shrinking. He made headlines in recent weeks after tweeting that Trump’s conduct is impeachable, that Attorney General William Barr knowingly misled the public about the conclusions of special counsel Robert Mueller’s report, and that his Republican colleagues in Congress are willfully ignoring it all. He came to that conclusion after reading the entirety of the redacted special counsel report.\n\nIn May, the Freedom Caucus unanimously voted to condemn Amash, a founding member, for speaking out against Trump, escalating the treatment that Trump critics — like former Freedom Caucus member Rep. Mark Sanford or even Sens. Bob Corker and Jeff Flake — have received in the past.\n\nTo outside observers, it’s been a slow unraveling of a group that was once based on strict principles, Corie Whalen, Amash’s former congressional staffer, told me in May.\n\n“Trump was unexpectedly elected, so they wanted to work with him when they could, but it went from working with him to being sycophants,” Whalen said then. “And for what? I’m not sure they can tell us.”\n\nAmash says Trump has blinkered the Republican Party. Look no further than the Freedom Caucus.\n\nAmash’s comments indicting the president have also thrust the Republican Party’s strategy of inaction into the spotlight.\n\n“We’ve witnessed members of Congress from both parties shift their views 180 degrees — on the importance of character, on the principles of obstruction of justice — depending on whether they’re discussing Bill Clinton or Donald Trump,” Amash tweeted.\n\nThis is perhaps most poignant with the Freedom Caucus. Led by Reps. Mark Meadows (NC) and Jim Jordan (OH), who have a direct line to the president, the Freedom Caucus has always liked to tout itself as a big-tent group with raucous policy debate. Amash, a libertarian, played a big role in that, often breaking from Trump on major issues from immigration to government spending.\n\nBut now the group has become some of Trump’s biggest cheerleaders in Congress.\n\nIt’s helped raise the caucus’s influence. When Republicans controlled the House, the Freedom Caucus, having cultivated Trump’s ear, forced congressional Republican leaders to listen to their demands. They used that power to move the debate on issues like health care and immigration further and further right, often tanking negotiations altogether. But the group has had to accept that Trump wasn’t always aligned with their mission: He’s supported deficit-busting budgets and abandoned cuts to programs like Social Security and Medicare.\n\n“It’s all got a little bit fuzzy in the Trump era,” Sanford told Vox of the Freedom Caucus’s mission in May, pointing out “more than a little irony” in Mick Mulvaney — now acting White House chief of staff and another Freedom Caucus founding member, who’s known for being one of Congress’s most notorious deficit hawks — supporting an administration that’s ballooned the debt.\n\nTheir biggest focus has been on securing political wins for Trump, using the House inquiry into Russia’s election meddling to sow distrust in the FBI, and defending the president through every twist and turn of Mueller’s investigation.\n\nMeadows has said the group was based on two rules: Members had to be willing to vote with Republican leadership, and against it.\n\nNow questioning Trump is seen as a distraction.\n\n“It just seems like these guys want to follow the leader,” Whalen said. “It’s actually sad.”", "\n• GOP Rep. Justin Amash stepped down from the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus on Monday night.\n• “I have the highest regard for them, and they’re my close friends,” Amash told CNN. “I didn’t want to be a further distraction for the group.”\n• The move comes after Amash ignited a firestorm within his own party by calling for President Donald Trump’s impeachment last month.\n• Though his stance was viewed favorably by many in the public, it prompted Trump allies and several top Republicans to disown him.\n\nMichigan Rep. Justin Amash stepped down from the House Freedom Caucus on Monday night, CNN reported.\n\n“I have the highest regard for them, and they’re my close friends,” Amash said. “I didn’t want to be a further distraction for the group.”\n\nThe move comes after the lawmaker ignited a firestorm by being the first Republican to call for President Donald Trump’s impeachment last month.\n\nHe said he made his decision after reading the former special counsel Robert Mueller’s report on the Russia investigation, which examined Russia’s interference in the 2016 US election and whether Trump sought to obstruct justice in the inquiry.\n\nAmash wrote on Twitter at the time that he came to his conclusion “only after having read Mueller’s redacted report carefully and completely” and reviewing relevant testimony and materials.\n\nRead more: A Republican congressman just became the first in his party to call for Trump’s impeachment\n\nAmash also sharply criticized Attorney General William Barr’s handling of Mueller’s report, the way it was portrayed to the public, and his subsequent attempts to sugarcoat Mueller’s findings in what many saw as an effort to shield Trump.\n\nAt a town hall shortly after making his comments, Amash said “a lot of” congressional Republicans agree with him that Trump should be impeached, but won’t say it publicly.\n\nAmash’s remarks were viewed favorably by much of the general public; indeed, a majority of Americans in an INSIDER poll agreed with the Michigan congressman that Trump committed impeachable offenses.\n\nBut he faced a lot of heat from members of his own party, many of whom disowned him after he came out against the president.\n\nHouse Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy called Amash’s decision a plea for attention during an appearance on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures.”\n\n“You’ve got to understand Justin Amash. He’s been in Congress quite some time,” McCarthy said. “I think he’s asked one question in all the committees that he’s been in. He votes more with Nancy Pelosi than he ever votes with me. It’s a question whether he’s even in our Republican conference as a whole.”\n\nThe move also prompted Michigan State Rep. Jim Lower to launch a primary challenge, citing Amash’s claims as the catalyst.\n\nBut the GOP response to Amash was predictable.\n\nJust a few weeks before Amash spoke out against Trump, a media report revealed Sen. Richard Burr, the Republican chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee issued a subpoena to Donald Trump, Jr. The move infuriated Trump’s allies and prompted Republicans to turn on a senator they had previously championed as a calculated leader during tense investigations.", "Amash is the only Republican in the House to call for impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump. Currently, a quarter of the House Democratic caucus support opening such an inquiry.\n\nAmash, 39, identifies as a libertarian Republican and is considered among the most conservative members of the House, in which he’s served in since 2011. He helped found the Freedom Caucus in 2015, which is chaired by Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., a frequent defender of the president.\n\n“I have the highest regard for them, and they’re my close friends,” Amash told CNN reporter Haley Byrd on Monday evening. “I didn’t want to be a further distraction for the group.\"\n\nAmash's chief of staff Poppy Nelson confirmed the move to NBC Tuesday.\n\nMeadows said that he had spoken to Amash on Monday, and that Amash did not attend the group's weekly meeting that evening.\n\n“Justin and I have had conversations over the last several weeks and discussed the mission of the Freedom Caucus, which is to represent the millions of Americans who feel like Washington, D.C., has forgotten them,\" Meadows said. \"He felt like his continued affiliation with the caucus would be a distraction, and that it was best for all concerned that he step aside.”\n\nConservative groups like the Club for Growth, Heritage Action for America and Americans for Prosperity have awarded Amash lifetime ratings of more than 85 percent. But that hasn’t stopped the congressman from bashing Trump publicly.\n\nLast month, Amash posted a series of tweets about his conclusions from reading special counsel Robert Mueller’s redacted report on Russian interference in the 2016 election, saying, “Trump engaged in specific actions and a pattern of behavior that meet the threshold for impeachment.”\n\nThe tweets led to Amash receiving his first official 2020 GOP primary challenger — Michigan state Rep. Jim Lower, who said in a statement that he is a “pro-Trump, pro-life, pro-jobs, pro-2nd Amendment, pro-family values Republican,” and that Amash's remarks “show how out of touch he is with the truth, and how out of touch he is with people he represents.”\n\nAmash is often viewed as an outlier within his own conference, as House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., noted Tuesday. \"Justin Amash can determine his own future, but I think in a philosophical basis he is probably in a different place than a majority of Republicans,\" McCarthy said at a GOP leadership press conference when asked about the Michigan congressman's resignation from the Freedom Caucus.\n\nIn February, Amash was one of 13 Republicans to join 232 Democrats in favor of a bill to overturn Trump’s emergency declaration to build a border wall. A month later, he defected again and joined Democrats in a vote to override the president’s veto of that measure. And in December, Amash was one of only eight Republicans to vote against a spending bill that would have provided $5.7 billion in border wall funding. According to FiveThirtyEight, Amash voted about 54 percent of the time with Trump in the first two years of his presidential term.", "Congressman Justin Amash, the House Republican who received significant attention for saying the Mueller report revealed impeachable conduct by President Donald Trump, has stepped down from the House Freedom Caucus.\n\nAmash not only said that the President engaged in impeachable conduct, but also called out Bill Barr‘s summary letter “deliberately misrepresented” Mueller’s report and his Republican colleagues for their responses to his assessment.\n\nRepublicans were so incensed that the House Freedom Caucus––of which Amash is a founding member––formally condemned him last month.\n\nTonight CNN is reporting that Amash has officially stepped down from the House Freedom Caucus, saying he didn’t want to “be a further distraction for the group”:\n\n[Amash] told CNN in March that he had stopped going to Freedom Caucus meetings after clashing for months with members over the group’s direction under Trump. He told CNN he had attended a House Freedom Caucus board meeting before House votes on Monday night to announce he would step aside from both the board and the group as a whole. The other members didn’t know he would be going to the meeting. “It was a positive meeting. It wasn’t negative,” Amash said.\n\nAmash has been criticized by not just fellow House Republicans, but by the head of the RNC and even President Trump himself.\n\nHave a tip we should know? tips@mediaite.com", "Republican Representative Justin Amash is stepping down from his position with the House Freedom Caucus amid the fallout after he called for President Donald Trump's impeachment.\n\nAmash made the announcement of his voluntary departure on Monday at a Freedom Caucus board meeting, Fox News reported.\n\nAmash said during his remarks that he didn't want to be a 'further distraction' for the influential conservative caucus.\n\nA few weeks ago, the Michigan lawmaker became the only Republican in Congress to openly argue that Trump had committed impeachable offenses. He made the accusations in a lengthy Twitter thread.\n\n'Some of the president's actions were inherently corrupt. Other actions were corrupt—and therefore impeachable—because the president took them to serve his own interests,' Amash posted on May 23.\n\nJim Jordan, a Republican representative from Ohio, and a member of the Freedom Caucus, told Fox on Monday that Amash mutually came to the decision to step aside with the caucus's chairman, Mark Meadows.\n\nAmash had come under fire from those within his party, and especially the president, after he sided with Democrats who have increased calls for Trump's impeachment after the publication of the Russia report.\n\n'Never a fan of @justinamash, a total lightweight who opposes me and some of our great Republican ideas and policies just for the sake of getting his name out there through controversy,' Trump posted to Twitter in response to Amash's call for impeachment.\n\n'Justin is a loser who sadly plays right into our opponents hands!' he continued.\n\nAlthough more than 50 Democrats in Congress have called for Trump's impeachment, no Republicans – until Amash – had agreed.\n\nCalls for impeachment proceedings increased after Mueller delivered remarks at the Department of Justice last month and said his report is his testimony. He also said he did not charge Trump because it is longstanding DOJ protocol to not charge a sitting president with a federal crime.\n\nDemocrats claimed this was basically Mueller telling them it was up to Congress to bring charges against the president and impeach him.\n\nA redacted version of Mueller's 448-page was made public in April, a few weeks after Attorney General Bill Barr classified the report in a four-page memo that claimed it found Trump had committed no crimes.\n\nThe report did not find evidence that Trump had conspired with the Kremlin to influence the 2016 elections, but did outline a handful of 'episodes' that were potential grounds for obstruction.\n\nDemocrats say this is enough to impeach Trump, and Amash accused Barr of intentionally misrepresenting Mueller's report.\n\nAbout a week after taking a stance on impeachment, Amash held a town hall with constituents in Michigan.\n\nAmash fielded mixed reviews from about 800 audience members at the event in Grand Rapids.\n\nFor more than two hours that evening, Amash took questions from audience members at the DeVos Center for Arts and Worship at Grand Rapids Christian High School.\n\nThe majority of attendees peppered the congressman about Mueller's Russia report and the congressman's analysis of the document.\n\nAlthough many of the audience members applauded the congressman with standing ovations on his courage in calling for Trump's impeachment, others accused him of switching political parties.\n\n'How can you become a Democrat when we voted you in as a Republican?' 57-year-old Diane Luke, who was wearing a 'Make America Great Again' hat, questioned, adding she was disappointed in Amash.", "The Washington TimesRep. Justin Amash has stepped down from the House Freedom Caucus, telling CNN on Monday night that he had just told his colleagues.The Michigan Republican, who last month became the first Republican to call for President Trump’s impeachment, said he didn’t want to be a distraction for the conservative group.\n\nRead more at The Washington Times."], "summary": "Congressman Justin Amash announces that he will leave the Freedom Caucus, weeks after calling for the impeachment of President Donald Trump."}
{"document": ["WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee said on Tuesday it planned a June 20 hearing on the Trump administration’s proposal to freeze fuel efficiency standards at 2020 levels through 2026.\n\nFILE PHOTO: The U.S. Capitol building reflected in water at sunrise on the day of the U.S. midterm election in Washington, U.S., November 6, 2018. REUTERS/Jim Bourg\n\nTwo subcommittees will jointly hold the hearing, committee Chairman Frank Pallone and other Democrats said in a statement, saying they “look forward to questioning both the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency.”\n\nHeidi King, the deputy NHTSA administrator, and Mary Nichols, the head of the California Air Resources Board, are both likely to testify at the hearing, officials said.\n\nLast week, 17 major automakers including General Motors Co, Volkswagen AG and Toyota Motor Corp urged the White House to resume talks with California aimed at avoiding a lengthy legal battle over the standards.\n\nPallone and Representatives Jan Schakowsky and Paul Tonko said in a joint statement that “rolling back our clean car standards threatens American jobs, public health, the climate and consumers.\n\n“The automobile industry doesn’t even support the Trump Administration’s proposal – no one does, except the oil companies that stand to profit from Americans spending more at the pump filling up less efficient cars,” the statement added.\n\nAutomakers last week backed a compromise on vehicle emissions, warning that the lack of a deal could lead to “an extended period of litigation and instability.”\n\nIn a letter to California Governor Gavin Newsom also signed by Daimler AG, Ford Motor Co and Hyundai Motor Corp, the 17 car companies urged a compromise “midway” between the Obama era standards that require annual decreases of about 5% in emissions and the Trump administration’s proposal.\n\nIn a separate letter to President Donald Trump last week, they urged “both the federal government and California to resume discussions and to remain open to regulatory adjustments.”\n\nThe White House said on Thursday that California had “failed to put forward a productive alternative, and we are moving forward to finalize a rule with the goal of promoting safer, cleaner, and more affordable vehicles.”\n\nEighteen states, including California, have vowed to sue the administration if it finalizes the freeze. In August 2018, the administration called for stripping California of the right to impose stricter emissions rules or to require a rising number of zero-emissions vehicles.\n\nThe Trump plan would increase U.S. oil consumption by about 500,000 barrels a day by the 2030s but reduce automakers’ regulatory costs by more than $300 billion, the agencies said.", "WASHINGTON, June 11 (Reuters) - The House Energy and Commerce Committee said on Tuesday it plans a June 20 hearing on the Trump administration’s proposal to freeze fuel efficiency standards at 2020 levels through 2026.\n\nTwo subcommittees will jointly hold the hearing, committee chairman Frank Pallone and other Democrats said in a statement, saying they “look forward to questioning both the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency.” (Reporting by David Shepardson Editing by Phil Berlowitz)", "WASHINGTON, June 11 (Reuters) - The House Energy and Commerce Committee said on Tuesday it plans a June 20 hearing on the Trump administration's proposal to freeze fuel efficiency standards at 2020 levels through 2026.\n\nTwo subcommittees will jointly hold the hearing, committee chairman Frank Pallone and other Democrats said in a statement, saying they \"look forward to questioning both the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency.\"\n\nLast week, 17 major automakers including General Motors Co , Volkswagen AG and Toyota Motor Corp urged the White House to resume talks with California aimed at avoiding a lengthy legal battle over the standards. (Reporting by David Shepardson Editing by Phil Berlowitz)"], "summary": "A committee of the US House of Representatives announces that it will hold a hearing next Thursday (June 20) to examine fuel efficiency standards, as the Trump administration presses for a rollback of an Obama-era schedule of 5% reductions in emissions per year."}
{"document": ["Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Timelapse footage shows the operation to raise the boat from the riverbed\n\nFour more bodies have been recovered after salvage crews raised the wreck of a tourist boat that sank on the Danube in Budapest last month.\n\nA floating crane raised The Mermaid to the surface, allowing divers to enter.\n\nThe boat was carrying South Korean tourists when it was hit by a cruise ship and capsized, killing 20 people and leaving eight missing.\n\nRecovery efforts by Hungarian and South Korean teams have been hampered by high water levels in the Danube.\n\nFootage from the scene on Tuesday morning showed the cabin and upper deck of the boat emerge from the water and divers carry out a search for victims still trapped inside.\n\nThe four bodies recovered have not been formally identified, but they are believed to be those of the boat's Hungarian captain and three South Koreans including a six-year-old girl - the only child to die in the accident.\n\nImage copyright Reuters Image caption Hoists lifted the boat and then water was pumped out from the hull\n\nThe rest of the 70-year-old boat was then slowly brought to the surface with pumps removing water from the hull to stabilise it, and lifted on to a barge.\n\nOne of the divers, Zoltan Papp, said attaching straps to the hull of the boat had been difficult because visibility in the muddy, fast-flowing river had been as low as 10cm (4in) at times.\n\n\"It was like being in heavy snowfall or fog,\" he told Reuters news agency.\n\nAt one point in Tuesday's operation, a member of the recovery crew fell into the swollen river and had to be rescued by colleagues.\n\nAnother four people are believed to still be missing. After the ship was raised, a police spokesman said search efforts would be doubled to find them.\n\nHow did the accident happen?\n\nThe Viking Sigyn cruise ship struck the Mermaid just after 21:00 local time (19:00 GMT) on 29 May as both vessels passed under the Margaret Bridge.\n\nSeven of the 35 people on board were rescued and several bodies quickly recovered, but others were swept away in the swollen river or trapped inside the boat.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The tour boat sank seconds after a collision with another vessel\n\nPolice said the boat had sunk within seven seconds of the collision.\n\n\"The current was so fast and people were floating away,\" one survivor, identified only by her surname Jung, told South Korea's Yonhap news agency.\n\nMore bodies were recovered in the following days, with one pulled from the Danube more than 100km (60 miles) downstream. Excluding the unidentified four recovered on Tuesday, 19 South Korean tourists and a Hungarian crewman are so far confirmed to have died.\n\nThe disaster was the worst on the Danube - Europe's second-longest river - in more than 50 years.\n\nWhat about the investigation?\n\nThe wreck of the Mermaid will be taken to a secure location and examined by police, who have launched a criminal investigation.\n\nThe Viking Sigyn's captain, named as 64-year-old Ukrainian national Yuriy C, was detained on suspicion of reckless misconduct in waterborne traffic leading to mass casualties. His lawyers said he was devastated but did nothing wrong.\n\nSouth Korean President Moon Jae-in said his government would co-operate with Hungarian authorities \"to thoroughly investigate the incident\".", "BUDAPEST\n• Salvage crews recovered four bodies yesterday as they slowly lifted the wreck of a boat from the Danube River in Budapest, two weeks after it capsized with a group of South Korean tourists on board, officials said.\n\nThe Mermaid sank in seconds on May 29, after a cruise liner hit it from behind under a bridge in the Hungarian capital during heavy rain. Twenty-six of the tourists and the two Hungarian crew members died in the worst disaster on the river in half a century. The bodies of all but four of the victims have now been recovered.\n\nOne of the bodies was spotted as the captain's cabin came to the surface, said the spokesman for Hungary's special forces, who are coordinating the recovery operation.\n\n\"Now we will make further checks... in the parts of the boat where there could be further victims,\" Mr Nandor Jasenszky said.\n\nState news agency MTI reported that a total of four victims were found yesterday and recovered by divers. Salvage crews saluted in respect as each body was removed.\n\nDivers had placed straps under the sunken wreck to allow a huge floating crane to lift it. The Mermaid was lifted onto a barge that will take it to Csepel, an industrial port in south Budapest.\n\nThe captain of the cruise liner Viking Sigyn - a 64-year-old man identified as C. Yuriy from Odessa, Ukraine - is being held as a suspect. His lawyers said he is devastated but did nothing wrong.\n\nThe captain was held under suspicion of misconduct in waterborne traffic leading to mass casualties, police said. Swiss-based Viking Cruises, which owns the Viking Sigyn, said it is cooperating with Hungarian investigators.", "Four more bodies have been found after crews recovered a tourist boat that sank on the Danube in the Hungarian capital last month.\n\nRescue teams used a large crane to hoist the 50-tonne Mermaid vessel out of the river in Budapest on Tuesday.", "At least 4 more bodies have been recovered as salvage crews raised the wreck of a tourist boat, which sank on the Danube in Budapest last month.\n\nDivers entered the boat as a floating crane slowly brought it to the surface.\n\nThe Mermaid was carrying South Korean tourists when it was in collision with a cruise ship and capsized, leaving 20 people dead and eight others missing.\n\nHigh water levels in the Danube have hampered recovery efforts by Hungarian and South Korean teams.\n\nFootage from the scene this morning shows the cabin and upper deck of the boat emerge from the water and divers then carry out a search for victims still trapped inside.\n\nPumps then removed water from the hull and the rest of the 70-year-old boat was slowly brought to the surface.\n\nThe entire operation is expected to take several hours.\n\nThe bodies recovered were believed to be those of 3 South Koreans and the Hungarian captain.", "SALVAGE crews recovered four bodies on Tuesday as they slowly lifted the wreck of a boat two weeks after it capsised.\n\n It capsised on the Danube River in Budapest with a group of South Korean tourists on board, officials said.\n\n The Mermaid boat sank in seconds on May 29, after a large cruise liner hit it from behind under a bridge in the Hungarian capital during heavy rain.\n\n 26, tourists, two Hungarian crew died in the worst disaster on the river in half a century.\n\n The bodies of all but four of the victims have now been recovered.\n\n One of the bodies was spotted as the captain’s cabin came to the surface, said the spokesman for Hungary’s Special Forces, who are coordinating the recovery operation.\n\n “Now we will make further checks, in the parts of the boat where there could be further victims,” Nandor Jasenszky said.\n\n State news agency MTI reported that a total of four victims had been found on Tuesday and recovered by divers.\n\n Salvage crews saluted in respect as each body was removed.\n\n Divers had pulled straps under the sunken wreck to allow a huge floating crane to start lifting it.\n\n Each level of the boat would be searched as it surfaced and the vessel would then be hoisted onto a barge, Jasenszky added.\n\n The captain of the cruise liner Viking Sigyn, a 64-year-old man identified by police as C. Yuriy from Odessa, Ukraine is being held as a suspect.\n\n His lawyers said he is devastated but did nothing wrong.\n\n The captain was held under suspicion of misconduct in waterborne traffic leading to mass casualties, police have said.\n\n Swiss-based Viking Cruises Ltd, which owns the Viking Sigyn, has said it is cooperating with Hungarian investigators.", "The body of the Hungarian captain of the tourist boat Hableány (Mermaid) has been removed from the wreck after the vessel sank on May 29 when she with the cruise ship Viking Sigyn.\n\nThe Hableány was brought to the surface on Tuesday, and four victims were recovered, including the captain and the only child that was on the vessel. There were seven survivors in the incident and 24 now confirmed dead, most South Koreans. Four remain missing.\n\nThe Hableány, a 27-meter (89-foot) double-decker tourist ship, sank quickly after colliding with the 135-meter (443-foot) Viking Sigyn on the Danube River in Budapest last Wednesday night. The wreck was found on the bed of the river close to one of the pillars of Margaret Bridge. Some of the bodies that were recovered last week were pulled out of the water several miles south of the bridge where the incident occurred, according to a map release by the police.\n\nQuestions have been raised about the high amount of traffic on the Danube at the time and the possible tightening of water traffic regulations.\n\nThe 64-year-old captain of the Viking Sigyn, who is a Ukrainian citizen, was arrested last Thursday following questioning. The court has ordered that he be detained for a period of 30 days pending prosecution.", "Salvage crews recovered four bodies on Tuesday as they slowly lifted the wreck of a boat two weeks after it capsized on the Danube River in Budapest with a group of South Korean tourists on board, officials said.\n\nThe Mermaid boat sank in seconds on May 29 after a large cruise liner hit it from behind under a bridge in the Hungarian capital during heavy rain.\n\nTwenty-six of the tourists and the two Hungarian crew died in the worst disaster on the river in half a century. The bodies of all but four of the victims have now been recovered.\n\nOne of the bodies was spotted as the captain's cabin came to the surface, said the spokesman for Hungary's special forces, who are coordinating the recovery operation.\n\n\"Now we will make further checks ... in the parts of the boat where there could be further victims,\" Nandor Jasenszky said.", "Salvage crews recovered four bodies as they lifted the wreck of a boat, two weeks after it capsized on the Danube River in Budapest killing 28.", "BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Salvage crews started an operation Tuesday to raise the wreck of a Hungarian boat that capsized on the Danube river in Budapest, killing 26 South Korean tourists and two Hungarian crew, Reuters TV reported from the scene.\n\nThe Mermaid sank after a large Swiss-owned cruise liner struck it from behind on May 29 as both vessels passed under a 19th century bridge in the Hungarian capital during heavy rain.\n\nIt was the worst disaster in half a century on Europe’s longest river. The bodies of all but eight of the victims have been recovered.", "BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Hungarian salvage crews prepared on Monday to raise the wreck of a pleasure boat that capsized on the Danube river in Budapest, killing 26 South Korean tourists and two local crew.\n\nThe Mermaid sank after a large Swiss-owned cruise liner struck it from behind on May 29 as both vessels passed under a 19th century bridge in the Hungarian capital during heavy rain.\n\nIt was the worst disaster in half a century on Europe’s longest river, which has become an increasingly popular route for big hotel cruisers.\n\nThe bodies of all but eight of the victims have been recovered.\n\nDivers inserted four straps under the sunken wreck to allow a floating crane to lift it, possibly starting on Tuesday morning, according to South Korean Embassy defense attache Song Shun-Keun.\n\nHe expressed concern that the ship might break up, or bodies could be dislodged.\n\n“Therefore, Hungarian experts spend a lot of time figuring out how to lift the ship in a good balanced position,” he told reporters.\n\nHungarian special forces spokesman Nandor Jasenszky said divers had fixed the straps and made all the necessary checks.\n\n“The boat can be lifted soon,” he said, adding that the first phase, when the wreck is raised off the riverbed, will be critical.\n\nOnce the captain’s deck appears, they will stop and search for the body of the captain before continuing to lift the boat very slowly.\n\n“It cannot be excluded that something happens to the hull (during the process) but we are hoping it won’t,” Jasenszky added.\n\nThe wreck will be placed on a barge before the police take over the investigation.\n\nThe Viking Sigyn cruise liner’s captain, a 64-year-old Ukrainian man identified by police as C. Yuriy, is being held as a suspect. His lawyers said he was upset but did nothing wrong.\n\nSeven South Koreans were saved and 20 of the victims’ bodies have been recovered. On a nearby embankment, people have placed flowers, candles and teddy bears.\n\n“I sincerely hope the missing bodies can be retrieved and brought back to their families to rest,” said South Korean tourist Lee Seung Hwan who was standing by the river."], "summary": "Four bodies are recovered by salvage crews during the raising of the wreck of the Hableány, which sank on the Danube in Budapest last month. Four other people are still missing."}
{"document": ["00:55 Hurricane Season Has Peaked, Here’s What to Expect Until Nov. The Atlantic hurricane season has reached its climatological peak. Here’s what you can expect for the second half of the season.\n\nAt a Glance Vayu's outer rainbands are lashing parts of India's northwestern coastline.\n\nIt's moving away from India, but it could turn back toward northwestern India and southeastern Pakistan this weekend.\n\nMore than a quarter-million people were evacuated ahead of Vayu. Tropical Cyclone Vayu is moving away from northwestern India's Gujarat state, but outer rainbands and gusty winds continue to lash parts of the coastline.\n\nMore than a quarter-million people were evacuated from several towns and villages in harm's way along India's western coast, according to the Associated Press. This was done with assistance from 39 National Disaster Response teams that were deployed to the region.\n\n(MORE: Residents Urged to Evacuate in Northwestern India)\n\nOn the forecast track, Vayu will move away from India's Gujarat state into this weekend. Western India is 9.5 hours ahead of Eastern Daylight Time in the United States.\n\nHowever, outer rainbands may continue to produce locally heavy rain and gusty winds at times.\n\nThe track of Vayu is more uncertain late this weekend into early next week, and it could turn back toward northwestern India or southeastern Pakistan. It will be weakening but will also likely be moving slowly, which could result in prolonged heavy rainfall.\n\nTropical Cyclone Strikes Are Infrequent on Far Northwestern India's Coast\n\nVayu didn't officially make landfall in Gujarat state, but it would have been a rare occurrence if it did. Landfalling tropical cyclones are not very common along northwestern India's Gujarat coast, and stronger tropical cyclones with hurricane-force winds are even rarer.\n\nThere have been just three tropical cyclones on record to make landfall in this region of India as a Category 2 or stronger equivalent, according to NOAA's tropical cyclone database. The last one was a Category 3 tropical cyclone, which made landfall in Gujarat in May 1999.", "Indian authorities are bracing for a severe cyclone strengthening in the Arabian Sea that's set to make landfall in the western state of Gujarat as India's second major storm of the season.\n\nThe India Meteorological Department said on Wednesday that Cyclone Vayu was due to hit the Gujarat coast early on Thursday with winds gusting up to 170km an hour.\n\nGujarat's chief minister Vijay Rupani requested on social media that tourists leave coastal areas by Wednesday afternoon. Authorities said more than a quarter of a million people living in low-lying areas would be evacuated.\n\n190505093729330\n\nBy contrast, more than a million people were evacuated ahead of Cyclone Fani, which hit India's eastern coast on the Bay of Bengal in May, killing 34 people.\n\nGujarat is home to large refineries and sea ports that lie near the storm’s path, officials said.\n\nIndia's Sikka Ports and Terminals Ltd, which handles crude oil and refined products for Reliance Industries Ltd, closed berthing of vessels at its western Indian port on Wednesday due to a cyclone warning, according to a port notice and a shipping industry source.\n\nIndia's biggest oil refinery, owned by Reliance Industries, is also based in Gujarat. A Reliance executive on Tuesday said the cyclone is expected to weaken by the time it reaches the Jamnagar-based refinery.\n\nSikka ports also handle oil and refined products cargo for Bharat Oman Refineries Ltd, a subsidiary of Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd.\n\n\"Berthing operation have been stopped. Most of the vessels have already been moved out as a safety precaution,\" a shipping industry source told Reuters news agency. The port would be closed for at least one or two days, the source said.\n\nA spokesperson for Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone Ltd on Tuesday said it was preparing to move employees at two ports it runs in the state to safer areas.\n\n\"Our Mundra and Tuna ports will be closest to the path. The disaster management plan has been put into action and all the necessary precautions are being put in place including evacuation of staff if the need arises,\" the spokesman said.\n\nGujarat braces for storm\n\nThe warm waters of the Arabian Sea will continue to allow Vayu to gradually strengthen before making possible landfall, potentially making the cyclone the equivalent strength of a Category 2 hurricane.\n\nThe India Meteorological Department is forecasting a 1-1.5-metre storm surge, on top of normal astrological tides, for coastal Maharashtra and Gujarat states.\n\nMost of the heavy rain will remain off shore, but as the storm nears Gujarat, rain showers are likely to come onshore across the Kathiawar peninsula, a relatively mountainous area where flash flooding and mudslides could occur.\n\nGujarat is not immune to tropical cyclones, but a direct landfall of this strength or greater has not happened since 1998.\n\nIn June of that year, a cyclone with winds of 195km an hour came ashore with a storm surge of 4.9 metres and was responsible for more than 10,000 deaths because of severe flooding.\n\nOne unusual knock-on effect from the approaching storm will be the increasing temperatures for southeastern Pakistan.\n\nThe counter-clockwise circulation will mean an easterly flow over the region, allowing much hotter and drier air to move over the area. Temperatures for Karachi could reach as high as 40C in coming days, 11 degrees above its normal average.", "Cyclone Vayu has formed in the Arabian Sea and is expected to impact the western Indian state of Gujarat.\n\nThe storm that began to show signs of developing this past weekend has strengthened with current wind speeds of 102 kilometres per hour, gusting to 130 km/h, making it equivalent to a tropical storm.\n\nCurrently Vayu is 480km southwest of Mumbai and moving to the north.\n\nThe warm waters of the Arabian Sea, which are currently averaging 30 degrees Celsius, will continue to allow Vayu to gradually strengthening before making a possible landfall. Winds could strengthen to as high as 165 km/h with stronger gusts, potentially making the cyclone the equivalent strength of a Category 2 hurricane.\n\nThere is still some question on where and when Vayu could make landfall. If the storm continues on its northerly route, then the southwestern coast of Gujarat could see a landfall as soon as Wednesday evening.\n\nBut if the storm begins to track a little more to the west, then it may actually stay just off the coast of western Gujarat and continue to head towards southwestern Pakistan later in the week.\n\nIn either scenario, there are storm risks that will be affect coastal India. Seas will continue to build in the eastern Arabian Sea making it increasingly dangerous for fisherman. Dangerous riptides along coastal areas will be a factor from Kerala to Gujarat through the week.\n\nThe India Meteorological Department is forecasting a 1 to 1.5 metre storm surge, on top of normal astrological tides, for coastal Maharashtra and Gujarat states.\n\nMost of the heavy rain will remain off shore, but as the storm nears Gujarat, rain showers are likely to come onshore across the Kathiawar peninsula, a relatively mountainous area where flash flooding and mudslides could occur.\n\nGujarat is not immune to tropical cyclones, but a direct landfall of this strength or greater hasn't happened since 1998.\n\nIn June of that year, a cyclone with winds of 195 km/h came ashore with a storm surge of 4.9 metres and was responsible for more than 10,000 deaths because of severe flooding. Many of those were salt mine workers who didn't own radios and were unaware of the approaching storm.\n\nOne unusual knock on effect from the approaching storm will be the increasing temperatures for southeastern Pakistan.\n\nThe counter-clockwise circulation will mean an easterly flow over the region, allowing much hotter and drier air to move over the area. Temperatures for Karachi could reach as high as 40C in coming days, 11 degrees above its normal average.", "A heavy rainfall warning has been issued in parts of Gujarat in the next few days due to a depression in the Arabian Sea which is likely to turn into a severe cyclonic storm, a MeT official said on Monday.\n\nFishermen have been advised not to venture into the sea in the next few days and ports have been asked to flag the danger signal, he said.\n\n“Heavy rain warning has been issued for Saurashtra and Kutch on June 13 and 14 due to the depression in the Arabian Sea which will turn into a severe cyclonic storm,” state meteorological director Jayanta Sarkar told reporters here.\n\nThe depression over south-east, adjoining Lakshadweep and east-central Arabian Sea moved northwards with a speed of about 31 kmph on Monday.\n\nIt lay centered at 8.30 am on Monday near latitude 12.5N and longitude 71.0E over east-central and adjoining south-east Arabian Sea and Lakshadweep area, about 240 km northwest of Aminidivi (Lakshadweep), 760 km south-southwest of Mumbai (Maharashtra) and 930 km south-southeast of Veraval (Gujarat), a release of the MeT department said.\n\nIt is very likely to intensify further into a deep depression during the next six hours, into a cyclonic storm during the subsequent 24 hours and into a severe cyclonic storm thereafter. It is likely to move north-northwestwards during next 72 hours, it said.\n\n“It is very likely to cause an adverse impact in terms of wind and rainfall over Saurashtra and Kutch, mainly on June 13 and 14,” the release said.\n\nGujarat is at present reeling under severe heat wave as the maximum temperature in major cities, including Ahmedabad, has been over 43 degrees Celsius since last week of May.\n\nSarkar said the severe cyclonic storm is likely to cause heavy rains and winds in the coastal districts of Saurashtra, like Bhavnagar, Amreli, Junagadh, Jamangar, Porbandar, Dwarka and also Kutch.\n\n“We have asked the state government to issue a warning to fishermen that they should not venture into the sea and have also asked those who are in sea to come back immediately.\n\nWe have also asked all the ports to display the danger signal number 1,” he said.\n\nAlso read: Cyclone Vayu to turn into severe storm today, may bring heavy rain to southern coast\n\nThe setting of monsoon will be further delayed in Gujarat after the cyclonic storm, he said.\n\nThe monsoon usually sets the state around June 15. But as it got late to arrive in Kerala this year, it was expected to be delayed by a week in Gujarat.\n\nHowever, the cyclone could disturb its advancement and further delay the monsoon, another official said.", "Mumbai and some neighbouring coastal areas of Maharashtra witnessed a windy Wednesday morning as cyclone 'Vayu' turned into a \"very severe cyclonic storm\", the weather department said.\n\nAs the cyclone continued to progress towards Saurashtra and Kutch regions of neighbouring Gujarat, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) upgraded its severity condition.\n\n\"Cyclone Vayu has turned into a very severe cyclonic storm. It would cause gusty winds to blow at a speed of 145 kmph to 170 kmph by Thursday morning,\" the IMD said.\n\nTeams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) started landing in Gujarat with the help of the Indian Air Force to undertake preventive evacuation of people living on the west coast, an IAF official said.\n\nBecause of the cyclonic storm, the Arabian Sea has turned turbulent and bigger waves are advancing towards coastal areas, the IMD said.\n\nHuge sea waves lashed Devbaug village in Malvan tehsil of Maharashtra's Sindhudurg district on Wednesday.\n\nAn official at the district collectorate said since Devbaug is located in a low-lying area, it often gets inundated when the sea is rough, and maintained that so far the situation is under control.\n\nUnion Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday reviewed the preparations for cyclone Vayu, which is expected to make landfall in Gujarat on Thursday, and directed officials to ensure all possible steps for the safety of people.\n\nThe Indian Coast Guard, the Navy, Army and Air Force units have been put on standby and surveillance aircraft and helicopters are carrying out aerial surveillance, an official earlier said.", "Tropical Cyclone “VAYU” in the East Arabian Sea has intensified as Very Severe Cyclonic Storm (VSCS) and moved further north-northwestward during last 6 hours, now lay centered around Lat.18.N and Long.70.0E at 0800PST of 12 June 2019 at a distance of about 725 km southeast of Karachi. The maximum sustained surface winds are 135-145 km/hour gusting to 160 km/hour around the system centre.\n\nTC VAYU is likely to continue to move in northerly direction. Under the influence of this system, widespread Dust/Thunder-showers with scattered heavy to very heavy falls are expected in southeast Sindh (Thatta, Badin and Tharparkar districts) on Thursday and Friday. While scattered/isolated Dust-thundershowers may occur in rest of Sindh during the period.\n\nThe seabreeze is likely to remain cutoff on Thursday-Friday (13-14 June) which can lead to heatwave like conditions in coastal areas of Sindh including Karachi.\n\nThe fishermen of Sindh are advised not to venture in open sea during Wednesday evening to Friday evening, as the sea conditions are likely to be very rough/high.\n\nNote: All concerned authorities of Sindh province are requested to remain alert and take precautionary measures during coming days regarding the impact of TC VAYU.", "KARACHI: Tropical Cyclone “Vayu” in the East Arabian Sea has intensified as ‘Very Severe Cyclonic Storm’ (VSCS) and is currently located at a distance of about 725 km from Karachi, the Pakistan Meteorological Department said in an update issued to media on Wednesday.\n\n\n\nThe PMD said that cyclone has moved further north-northwestward during last the six hours. It now lay centered around Lat.18.N and Long.70.0E at 0800PST of 12 June 2019 at a distance of about 725 km southeast of Karachi and is likely to continue to move in northerly direction, the PMD stated.\n\nThe maximum sustained surface winds are 135-145 km/hour gusting to 160 km/hour around the system centre.\n\nUnder the influence of this system, widespread Dust/Thunder-showers with scattered heavy to very heavy falls are expected in southeast Sindh (Thatta, Badin and Tharparkar districts) on Thursday and Friday. While scattered/isolated Dust-thundershowers may occur in rest of Sindh during the period.\n\nThe seabreeze is likely to remain cutoff on Thursday-Friday (13-14 June) which can lead to heatwave like conditions in coastal areas of Sindh including Karachi.\n\nThe fishermen of Sindh are advised not to venture in open sea during Wednesday evening to Friday evening, as the sea conditions are likely to be very rough/high.\n\nThe Met Office has also advised all the concerned authorities of Sindh province to remain alert and take precautionary measures during coming days regarding the impact of TC Vayu.", "A storm formed over the Arabian Sea, close to the Lakshadweep islands, intensified into a deep depression on June 10. It is likely to strengthen into a severe cyclonic storm by June 12.\n\nThe cyclone, to be called Vayu, is heading northwards towards Gujarat, parallel to India’s western coast. The cyclonic storm is likely to bring heavy rainfall along the western coast, according to the Indian Metrological Department (IMD). The name was given by India, according to the naming convention.\n\nAccording to the IMD, Cyclone Vayu was around 630 kilometres south-southwest off Mumbai, Maharashtra at 11.30 pm on June 10. It is likely to cross the Gujarat coast early morning on June 13, the IMD added. The storm is expected to peak on June 13 when the wind speed could reach 135 kilometres per hour (kmph).\n\nThe IMD has issued an “orange” alert for Cyclone Vayu, indicating that it does not expect the storm to cause much damage on land. However, the warning means that fishermen have been warned not to venture into the sea till the storm subsides. An advancement of the storm is likely to stall monsoon further in northern parts of India.\n\nGujarat has been put on alert. The state government has decided to deploy 15 teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) in coastal areas of Saurashtra and Kutch from June 11 morning.\n\nThe severe cyclonic storm is likely to cause heavy rains and winds in the coastal districts of Saurashtra, such as Amreli, Dwarka, Bhavnagar, Jamnagar, Junagadh, Porbandar and Kutch.\n\nThe government has also put the Army, the Navy and the Coast Guard on alert.", "Met Office warns of likely cyclone in Arabian Sea, south of Karachi\n\nKARACHI: A low-pressure area in the East Arabian Sea has strengthened into a depression, which will likely to strengthen further into a Tropical Cyclone during next 36 hours.\n\nTropical Cyclone Warning Centre of the weather department has informed that the well-marked low-pressure area in the Arabian Sea has been at a distance of about 1500 km south of Karachi, the department said in a statement.\n\nThe cyclonic activity lay centred around Latitude 11.7N and Longitude 71.0E.\n\nThe system is likely to move initially North or Northwest-ward and strengthen further into a Tropical Cyclone during next 36 hours, highlighting trajectory of the cyclonic activity, the centre said.\n\nCurrently none of Pakistan’s coastal area is under threat from this system, the statement further said.\n\nThe met office has advised the fishermen of Sindh coastal belt to remain alert and not to venture in deep sea.\n\nThe Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has advised authorities and stakeholders to remain abreast of the updates about the cyclonic activity.\n\nMaharashtra state government in neighboring India in an advisory on Sunday said that a cyclone is likely in the Arabian Sea some 300 kilometres off the country’s west coast between June 11-12.\n\nThe track of the cyclone may allow the continued flow of moist westerly winds onto the western coastal regions of India, said weather experts. There is a good possibility that this system may enhance precipitation in the western coastal regions of the country including Mumbai.", "The India Meteorological Department on Tuesday said a deep depression over the south-east Arabian Sea near Lakshadweep has intensified into a cyclonic storm and is expected to intensify over the next 24 hours.\n\nThe cyclonic storm, named Vayu, is likely to head northwards towards Gujarat as a severe cyclonic storm with a wind speed of 110-120 km per hour. It is likely to hit Gujarat on Thursday morning, the weather department said.\n\nThe IMD has advised fisherfolks not to venture into the sea. It also advised those out in the deep sea to return to the coast. Ports have been also asked to flag a danger signal.\n\nPrivate weather forecaster Skymet said: “With long sea travel, low vertical wind shear, and warm sea surface temperatures, the probable cyclone is further expected to gain strength and intensify into a Severe Cyclone Storm.” It also said most places in Gujarat like Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Gandhinagar, Bhuj, Surat, and Veraval would see light showers on June 12 and 13.\n\nGujarat has been put on alert following the weather department prediction. The state government has decided to deploy National Disaster Response Force personnel in coastal areas of Saurashtra and Kutch from Tuesday morning, PTI reported. It added that the government will also put the Army, the Navy and Coast Guard on alert.\n\n“We have alerted all district collectors of coastal Gujarat to take immediate steps keeping in mind the likelihood of a cyclone,” said Additional Chief Secretary, Revenue, Pankaj Kumar.\n\nGujarat is at present reeling under severe heat wave. The maximum temperatures in major cities, including Ahmedabad, touched 43 degrees Celsius since the last week of May.\n\nThe advancement of the storm is likely to stall monsoon further in northern parts of India."], "summary": "Very Severe Cyclonic Storm Vayu is in the Arabian Sea less than 600 miles south-southeast of Karachi, Pakistan, and is strengthening as it heads north. Vayu is expected to be a Category 2 or 3 storm when it approaches the Indian state of Gujarat early Thursday (local time), then should weaken as it approaches southeastern Pakistan over the weekend."}
{"document": ["Rohingya women are seen on a beach after a fishing boat carrying more than sixty Rohingya refugees was found beached at Rawi island, part of Tarutao national park in province of Satun, Thailand, bordering with Malaysia, according to officials, June 11, 2019. Department of National Parks Wildlife and Plant Conservation/Handout via REUTERS\n\nBANGKOK (Reuters) - A fishing boat carrying more than 60 Rohingya Muslims was found beached on an island in southern Thailand on Tuesday, officials said.\n\nThe passengers - 28 men, 31 women and five children - were stranded on Rawi island in Tarutao National Park in Thailand’s southern Satun province after the boat suffered engine trouble, a park official told Reuters.\n\nScores of Rohingya Muslims have boarded boats in recent months to try to reach Malaysia, part of what authorities fear could be a new wave of people smuggling by sea after a 2015 crackdown on trafficking.\n\nA Satun government official said the passengers would be transferred to the mainland.\n\n“Everyone will be investigated in order to see whether they are victims of trafficking or illegal immigrants,” said the official who declined to be named.\n\nMore than 700,000 Rohingya crossed into Bangladesh in 2017 fleeing an army crackdown in Myanmar’s Rakhine state, according to U.N. agencies.\n\nMyanmar regards Rohingya as illegal migrants from the Indian subcontinent and has confined tens of thousands to sprawling camps in Rakhine since violence swept the area in 2012.\n\nThe unrest prompted tens of thousands of Rohingya to flee Myanmar by sea. The exodus peaked in 2015, when an estimated 25,000 people crossed the Andaman Sea for Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, many drowning in unsafe and overloaded boats.", "Rohingya people are seen detained in a police station after a fishing boat carrying more than sixty Rohingya refugees was found beached at Rawi island\n\nBANGKOK (Reuters) - Thai authorities have charged the captain and crew of a boat carrying 65 Rohingya Muslims with assisting illegal immigration after the group was found stranded on a southern Thai island, police said on Wednesday.\n\nThe 29 men, 31 women and five children were discovered on Rawi island in Satun province where their boat had beached due to engine trouble, police said on Tuesday.\n\nThe crew - five Myanmar nationals and the Thai captain - were charged with assisting foreign nationals to enter the country illegally, an offence that can carry a prison term of up to 10 years.\n\n\"We have charged the Thai and Myanmar suspects with assisting illegal entry for migrants,\" Police General Suchart Thirasawat told Reuters.\n\nThe Rohingya are being cared for while authorities try to determine if they are victims of human trafficking, he said.\n\n\"We have not pressed charges against the Rohingya passengers and are still working to determine whether they are victims or not,\" Suchart said.\n\nMany Rohingya Muslims have boarded boats in recent months to try to reach Malaysia, part of what authorities fear could be a new wave of people smuggling by sea after a 2015 crackdown on trafficking.\n\n\"Based on what we know so far, these Rohingya are from the border area between Myanmar and Bangladesh and they were traveling to Malaysia,\" said Jaruwat Kliangklao, governor of Satun province.\n\nMyanmar regards the Rohingya as illegal migrants from the Indian subcontinent and has confined tens of thousands to sprawling camps in Rakhine state segregated from the Buddhist Rakhine population since violence swept the area in 2012.\n\nThe unrest prompted tens of thousands of Rohingya to flee Myanmar by sea, an exodus that peaked in 2015 when an estimated 25,000 people crossed the Andaman Sea for Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia, many drowning in unsafe and overloaded boats.\n\nMore than 700,000 Rohingya fled into Bangladesh in 2017 after a crackdown by the Myanmar's army, according to U.N. agencies.", "BANGKOK — Thai officials said they discovered 65 ethnic Rohingya Muslim refugees on Tuesday who were shipwrecked and stranded in southern Thailand.\n\nThe chief of Tarutao National Marine Park, Kanjanapan Kamhaeng, said the boat carrying the Rohingya was found after several Thai and Myanmar citizens told park officials their ship had broken down. They initially denied they were transporting Rohingya.\n\nKanjanapan said the boat was found smashed onto a rocky shore and a preliminary check showed it was carrying 65 Rohingya and several Thai and Myanmar citizens who were identified by the Rohingya as in charge of operating the ship.\n\nKanjanapan said the Thai navy took the group away to be processed by immigration officials.\n\nNavy officer Cmdr. Thanapong Sudrak said authorities will investigate whether the incident involved human trafficking.\n\nRohingya originate in Rakhine state in Myanmar, where they face extreme persecution by authorities and majority Buddhists, prompting their flight over the years, many on rickety boats that were sometimes pushed back into the open sea by countries such as Thailand.\n\nAttacks by Myanmar's army in 2017 caused more than 700,000 Rohingya to flee to overcrowded refugee camps in neighboring Bangladesh and elsewhere for safety.", "Thai officials say they have discovered 65 ethnic Rohingya Muslim refugees who were shipwrecked and stranded in southern Thailand.\n\nThe chief of Tarutao National Marine Park, Kanjanapan Kamhaeng, said a boat carrying the Rohingya was discovered Tuesday morning after several Thai and Myanmar citizens told park officials their ship had crashed onto rocks. They initially denied they were transporting Rohingya refugees.\n\nKanjanapan said the boat was found on a rocky shore and a preliminary check showed it was carrying 65 Rohingya and several Thai and Myanmar citizens who were believed to be operating the ship.\n\nKanjanapan said the group is now under the custody of the Thai navy.\n\nAttacks by Myanmar's army in 2017 caused more than 700,000 Rohingya villagers to flee to Bangladesh and elsewhere for safety.", "Bangkok [Thailand], Jun 12 (ANI): Around 65 ethnic Rohingya Muslim refugees were found stranded in southern Thailand, Thai officials said on Wednesday.\n\nAn official told Dawn that the refugees, including 28 men, 31 women and five children, were stranded on Rawi Island in Tarutao National Park in Thailand's southern Satun province after their boat suffered engine trouble.\n\nKanjanapan Kamhaeng, the chief of Tarutao National Marine Park, was also quoted as saying that the boat was found smashed onto a rocky shore. A preliminary check showed that the boat was carrying 65 Rohingya and several Thai and Myanmar citizens, he added.\n\nHe also stated that the Thai navy took the group away to be processed by immigration officials.\n\nMeanwhile, Navy officer Commander Thanapong Sudrak told Dawn that Thai authorities are investigating whether the incident involved any case of human trafficking.\n\nRohingyas, who belong to the Rakhine state in Myanmar, have been facing extreme persecution by authorities and majority Buddhists. It has further prompted their flight over the years, many on rickety boats that are mostly pushed back into the open sea by countries, especially Thailand and Myanmar.\n\nAt present, nearly one million Rohingyas are forced to take shelter in Bangladesh after Myanmar's army, responding to attacks by an armed group, launched a brutal campaign against the Muslim minorities in the Rakhine state in 2017.\n\nA Thai government official was further quoted as saying that the passengers of the wrecked boat will be transferred to the mainland.\n\n\"Everyone will be investigated in order to see whether they are victims of trafficking or illegal immigrants,\" the official said.\n\nMyanmar regards Rohingya as illegal migrants from the Indian subcontinent and has confined tens of thousands to sprawling camps in Rakhine since violence swept the area in 2012.\n\nThe unrest prompted thousands of minorities to flee Myanmar by sea. The exodus peaked in 2015 when an estimated 25,000 people crossed the Andaman Sea for Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, many drowning in unsafe and overloaded boats. (ANI)", "BANGKOK (AP) — Thai officials said they discovered 65 ethnic Rohingya Muslim refugees on Tuesday who were shipwrecked and stranded in southern Thailand.\n\nThe chief of Tarutao National Marine Park, Kanjanapan Kamhaeng, said the boat carrying the Rohingya was found after several Thai and Myanmar citizens told park officials their ship had broken down. They initially denied they were transporting Rohingya.\n\nKanjanapan said the boat was found smashed onto a rocky shore and a preliminary check showed it was carrying 65 Rohingya and several Thai and Myanmar citizens who were identified by the Rohingya as in charge of operating the ship.\n\nKanjanapan said the Thai navy took the group away to be processed by immigration officials.", "BANGKOK (REUTERS) - A fishing boat carrying more than 60 Rohingya Muslims was found beached on an island in southern Thailand on Tuesday (June 11), officials said.\n\nThe passengers - 28 men, 31 women and five children - were stranded on Rawi island in Tarutao National Park in Thailand's southern Satun province after the boat suffered engine trouble, a park official told Reuters.\n\nScores of Rohingya Muslims have boarded boats in recent months to try to reach Malaysia, part of what the authorities fear could be a new wave of people smuggling by sea after a 2015 crackdown on trafficking.\n\nA Satun government official said the passengers would be transferred to the mainland.\n\n\"Everyone will be investigated in order to see whether they are victims of trafficking or illegal immigrants,\" said the official, who declined to be named.\n\nMore than 700,000 Rohingya crossed into Bangladesh in 2017 fleeing an army crackdown in Myanmar's Rakhine state, according to UN agencies.\n\nMyanmar regards Rohingya as illegal migrants from the Indian subcontinent and has confined tens of thousands to sprawling camps in Rakhine since violence swept the area in 2012.\n\nThe unrest prompted tens of thousands of Rohingya to flee Myanmar by sea. The exodus peaked in 2015, when an estimated 25,000 people crossed the Andaman Sea for Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, many drowning in unsafe and overloaded boats.", "(Hatha al-Youm | Iraq News )- A fishing boat carrying more than 60 Rohingya Muslims wasfound beached on an island in southern Thailand on Tuesday, officials said.The passengers – 28 men, 31 women and five children – werestranded on Rawi Island in Tarutao National Park in Thailand’s southern Satunprovince after the boat suffered engine trouble, a park official told Reuters.Scores of Rohingya Muslims have boarded boats in recentmonths to try to reach Malaysia, part of what authorities fear could be a newwave of people smuggling by sea after a 2015 crackdown on trafficking.A Satun government official said the passengers would betransferred to the mainland.“Everyone will be investigated in order to see whether theyare victims of trafficking or illegal immigrants,” said the official whodeclined to be named.More than 700,000 Rohingya crossed into Bangladesh in 2017fleeing an army crackdown in Myanmar’s Rakhine state, according to UN agencies.Myanmar regards Rohingya as illegal migrants from the Indiansubcontinent and has confined tens of thousands to sprawling camps in Rakhinesince violence swept the area in 2012.The unrest prompted tens of thousands of Rohingya to fleeMyanmar by sea. The exodus peaked in 2015, when an estimated 25,000 peoplecrossed the Andaman Sea for Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia, many drowning inunsafe and overloaded boats.", "A group of 65 Rohingya Muslims have been found on a shipwrecked boat off the coast of southern Thailand, Navy officials said Wednesday as authorities investigated whether they had been trafficked\n\nBangkok, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - APP - 12th Jun, 2019 ) :A group of 65 Rohingya Muslims have been found on a shipwrecked boat off the coast of southern Thailand, Navy officials said Wednesday as authorities investigated whether they had been trafficked.\n\nThe boat was discovered early Tuesday in the Tarutao Marine National Park in southern Thailand, some 400 kilometers (250 miles) from the border of Myanmar.\n\nSome 740,000 Rohingya have fled Myanmar since a brutal military crackdown in 2017 against the stateless minority in the Buddhist-majority country.\n\nMost have escaped into overcrowded refugee camps in Bangladesh, while others have fallen prey to human trafficking rings as they seek better lives in Malaysia or Thailand.\n\nA Thai Navy spokesman said there were 31 women and five children among the Rohingya on the shipwrecked boat.\n\nOne Thai man and five Burmese citizens were also in the group.\n\nThe men said they were fishing in the area and had no link to the Rohingyas.\n\nThe six men \"were detained for questioning because of their suspicious behaviour,\" Thai Navy spokesman, vice admiral Khan Deeubol, said Wednesday.\n\nA provincial official said the group was initially investigated for illegal entry but the probe had broadened.\n\n\"Authorities are not ruling out other issues such as human trafficking,\" an Internal Security Command (ISOC) source in Satun province told AFP.\n\nPhotos from the Thai Navy showed the group on a beach, some eating rice near the marooned ship.\n\nBangladeshi authorities have intercepted several suspected traffickers seeking to transport refugees from squalid camps in Cox's Bazaar, where nearly one million Rohingyas are living -- almost all refusing to go back to Myanmar out of fear for their safety and rights.", "Bangkok: A group of 65 Rohingya Muslims have been found on a shipwrecked boat off the coast of southern Thailand, Navy officials said on Wednesday as authorities investigated whether they had been trafficked.\n\nThe boat was discovered early on Tuesday in the Tarutao Marine National Park in southern Thailand, some 400 kilometers from the border of Myanmar.\n\nSome 7,40,000 Rohingyas have fled Myanmar since a brutal military crackdown in 2017 against the stateless minority in the Buddhist-majority country. Most have escaped into overcrowded refugee camps in Bangladesh, while others have fallen prey to human trafficking rings as they seek better lives in Malaysia or Thailand.\n\nA Thai Navy spokesman said there were 31 women and five children among the Rohingya on the shipwrecked boat. One Thai man and five Burmese citizens were also in the group. The men said they were fishing in the area and had no link to the Rohingyas. The six men \"were detained for questioning because of their suspicious behaviour,\" Thai Navy spokesman, Vice Admiral Khan Deeubol, said on Wednesday.\n\nA provincial official said the group was initially investigated for illegal entry but the probe had broadened. \"Authorities are not ruling out other issues such as human trafficking,\" an Internal Security Command (ISOC) source in Satun province told AFP. Photos from the Thai Navy showed the group on a beach, some eating rice near the marooned ship.\n\nBangladeshi authorities have intercepted several suspected traffickers seeking to transport refugees from squalid camps in Cox's Bazaar, where nearly one million Rohingyas are living — almost all refusing to go back to Myanmar out of fear for their safety and rights. Myanmar has said the 2017 crackdown was aimed at rooting out insurgents who attacked military posts. It has signed a repatriation agreement with Bangladesh to return Rohingya refugees, but so far virtually none have volunteered to go back.\n\nUnited Nations investigators have said the violence amounts to \"genocide\" and called for the prosecution of top generals.\n\nYour guide to the latest cricket World Cup stories, analysis, reports, opinions, live updates and scores on https://www.firstpost.com/firstcricket/series/icc-cricket-world-cup-2019.html. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram or like our Facebook page for updates throughout the ongoing event in England and Wales."], "summary": "A group of 65 Rohingya Muslims are left stranded on Rawi Island in southern Thailand after their boat shipwrecked during a journey to flee genocide in their native Rakhine State in Myanmar."}
{"document": ["", "United States daily oil output is surging in a new pace and even aiming to surpass global giants such as Saudi Arabia and Russia. At a time when the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries or OPEC is facing a slowdown in oil production, U.S. is gearing up to claim for the top position in production. The higher contribution from U.S. is expected to keep oil prices low, in and around $50 per barrel.\n\nThe May production statistics in the U.S. showed that daily production climbed to a record 12.4 million barrels. The current projection for the year is for more than 13 million barrels per day. By the next year end the daily production might exceed 14 million barrels per day.\n\nEarlier in 1960s U.S. has recorded daily field production of crude oil of 9.2 million barrels, while it declined slowly in the next decades. In 2008, daily production was only five million barrels per day. However, it gained back from 2009 onward to reach 9.35 million barrels per day in 2018.\n\nThe shale revolution, mostly based in and around Texas is hugely supporting U.S. to achieve new heights. The daily production from oil wells in Texas is targeted to surpass oil production of traditional oil producing countries such as Iran and Iraq.\n\nThe oil output in U.S. kept on increasing from last June. Advances in drilling technologies and reduction in drilling costs helped the country in a big way.\n\nFour years back, U.S. lifted the ban on exporting crude oil and it exports oil to Europe, China as well as South America.\n\nU.S. sanction has been hitting Iran and Venezuela, while regional issues in African nations like Libya and Nigeria were restricting oil production.\n\nThe OPEC was forced to reduce their output. They pumped 30.09 million barrels per day, the lowest point since 2015.\n\nThe material has been provided by InstaForex Company – www.instaforex.com", "Wildflower Brands Inc. (CSE:SUN, OTC:WLDFF) (the “Company” or “Wildflower”) announces that new production facilities are in the process of being built to meet increasing demand. Wildflower products can be found in over 300 stores nationwide in the U.S. and have recently been picked up by several national retail chains.\n\nTo meet this demand, Wildflower has added a second shift at its existing production facility. Even with this increase in production, capacity is at 90%. The new facility is critical to the company’s growth strategy.\n\nNew production equipment has been purchased and is on site to completely automate the production of multiple product lines. Completion of the new facility is expected in August 2019 and will have the effect of increasing our production capacity by more than 10-fold.\n\nWilliam MacLean, Chief Executive Officer of Wildflower, states, “We are excited to get our new production facility up and running in order to meet the demand. We receive inbound contact daily by new retailers and distributors reaching out to us to carry our products and with production at near capacity we need the expanded manufacturing.”\n\nWildflower Brands is a Vancouver-based company developing and designing brands that focus on plant-based health and wellness products. All of our brands work in synergy, toward becoming a global wellness leader.\n\nThe Canadian Securities Exchange Inc. has neither approved nor disapproved of the contents of this press release.\n\nClick here to connect with Wildflower Brands Inc. (CSE:SUN, OTCQB:WLDFF, FWB:RSP) for an Investor Presentation.", "VANCOUVER, British Columbia, June 10, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- via NetworkWire -- Wildflower Brands Inc. (CSE: SUN, OTC: WLDFF) (the “Company” or “Wildflower”) announces that new production facilities are in the process of being built to meet increasing demand. Wildflower products can be found in over 300 stores nationwide in the U.S. and have recently been picked up by several national retail chains. \n\n\n\nTo meet this demand, Wildflower has added a second shift at its existing production facility. Even with this increase in production, capacity is at 90%. The new facility is critical to the company’s growth strategy.\n\nNew production equipment has been purchased and is on site to completely automate the production of multiple product lines. Completion of the new facility is expected in August 2019 and will have the effect of increasing our production capacity by more than 10-fold.\n\nWilliam MacLean, Chief Executive Officer of Wildflower, states, “We are excited to get our new production facility up and running in order to meet the demand. We receive inbound contact daily by new retailers and distributors reaching out to us to carry our products and with production at near capacity we need the expanded manufacturing.”\n\nWildflower Brands is a Vancouver-based company developing and designing brands that focus on plant-based health and wellness products. All of our brands work in synergy, toward becoming a global wellness leader.\n\nThe Canadian Securities Exchange Inc. has neither approved nor disapproved of the contents of this press release.\n\nFor more information about Wildflower Brands, visit wildflowerbrands.co. To learn, engage and shop our wellness products visit buywildflower.com.\n\n\n\n EIN Presswire does not exercise editorial control over third-party content provided, uploaded, published, or distributed by users of EIN Presswire. We are a distributor, not a publisher, of 3rd party content. Such content may contain the views, opinions, statements, offers, and other material of the respective users, suppliers, participants, or authors."], "summary": "The Congress of Colombia unanimously approves a resolution to ban the production, commercialization, and distribution of asbestos."}
{"document": ["Botswana's High Court has ruled in favour of decriminalising homosexuality in a landmark decision for campaigners.\n\nThe court rejected laws that impose up to seven years in prison for same-sex relationships, stating they were unconstitutional.\n\nThe move contrasts with Kenya's recent ruling against campaigners seeking to overturn laws on gay sex.\n\n\"Human dignity is harmed when minority groups are marginalized,\" Judge Michael Elburu said.\n\nThree judges came to the decision unanimously.\n\nJudge Elburu labelled laws banning gay sex as \"discriminatory\" and added: \"Sexual orientation is not a fashion statement. It is an important attribute of one's personality.\"\n\nThe law has been in place since 1965 when it was brought in by the colonial British government.\n\nThe case was brought to court by a student who argued society had changed and homosexuality was more widely accepted.\n\nActivists welcomed the decision and described it as a significant step for gay rights on the African continent.\n\nLaws outlawing same sex relations exist in 31 out of 54 African countries, according to the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA).\n\nGay sex can be punishable by death in northern Nigeria, Sudan, Somalia and Mauritania. Tanzanian laws mean homosexuality can result in a life sentence.\n\nAngola, Mozambique and the Seychelles have all scrapped anti-homosexuality laws in recent years.\n\nOn 24 May, Kenya's High Court ruled against overturning a law banning gay sex.", "High court judges in Botswana have ruled that laws criminalising same-sex relations are unconstitutional and should be struck down.\n\nThe ruling is a major victory for gay rights campaigners in Africa and comes after a setback in Kenya last month when a court rejected a bid to repeal similar colonial-era laws criminalising gay sex.\n\nHomosexuality is illegal in most countries on the African continent. In several countries, gay people face life imprisonment or the death penalty.\n\nBotswana is regarded as one of Africa’s most stable and democratic nations but homosexuality is outlawed under the country’s penal code of 1965.\n\nIn March, the court postponed a ruling on the issue after an unnamed applicant challenged two sections of the penal code under which offenders face a jail sentence of up to seven years.\n\nActivists are hoping the government will do away with the oppressive laws that brand homosexuality as “unAfrican”.\n\n“If this law is decriminalised it will be a positive thing for the community because it will protect their right to privacy and their right to express themselves the way they feel,” Matlhogonolo Samsam, from Botswana’s lesbian, gay and bisexual organisation (LEGABIBO), said before the ruling.\n\nActivists launched the legal battle after the home affairs ministry rejected an application to register the LEGABIBO.\n\nOutreach worker Thato Game Tsie said scrapping the anti-gay laws would help the community access healthcare and treatment more easily.\n\n“There are many services we require as gay men that some nurses are not aware of, and if we go to a government hospital there will be those negative comments said to you,” Ms Game Tsie said. “So we just want to be free to access these services. I think it will be a great disappointment if we lose this.”\n\nKenyan judges rejected last year’s precedent in India, which legalised gay sex between consenting adults, as well as a series of other judgments across the Commonwealth and elsewhere, and said Kenya should make its own laws to reflect its own culture.\n\nAt the Botswana high court hearing in Gaborone in March, lawyers for the applicant said public opinion on same-sex relationships had evolved and employment laws now outlaw discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation.\n\nIn 2016 the country’s appeals court ruled that the government was wrong to refuse to register an organisation representing homosexuals and other minority sexual groups.\n\nPresident Mokgweetsi Masisi had addressed a meeting on gender-based violence, saying there are “many people of same sex relationships in this country who have been violated and have also suffered in silence”.\n\n“Just like other citizens, they deserve to have their rights protected,” he told the December gathering.\n\nAngola, Mozambique and Seychelles have scrapped anti-gay laws in recent years.\n\nIn Tanzania, authorities in Dar es Salaam, the biggest city, have launched a series of crackdowns on gay people in recent years. In the most recent the city’s governor called on citizens to identify gay people so they could be arrested, forcing hundreds of people into hiding. – Guardian", "Gaborone [Botswana], Jun 11 (ANI): In a major victory for gay rights campaigners in Africa, Botswana's High Court on Tuesday overruled a colonial-era law that criminalised homosexuality in the country.\n\nUnder Section 164 of Botswana's Penal Code, homosexuality was an offence that carried a sentence of up to seven years imprisonment, until today, when a three-judge bench unanimously voted to revoke the laws, which, they said, conflicted with Botswana's Constitution, reported The New York Times.\n\n\"Human dignity is harmed when minority groups are marginalised,\" said Judge Michael Leburu before delivering the judgement. \"Sexual orientation is not a fashion statement. It is an important attribute of one's personality.\"\n\nHailing the judgement, Matlhogonolo Samsam, a spokesperson for gay rights group 'Lesbians, Gays and Bisexuals of Botswana', said, \"It is a historical moment for us. We are proud of our justice system for seeing the need to safeguard the rights of the LGBT community.\"\n\nThe case was brought to the court by an anonymous gay applicant, identified in court papers as L.M. His written statement to the court had read, \"We are not looking for people to agree with homosexuality but to be tolerant.\"\n\nHomosexuality had been illegal in Botswana since the late 1800s when the territory was under British rule.\n\nIt is pertinent to mention that the decision has come a month after Kenya's High Court upheld its laws criminalising homosexuality. Homophobia is widely entrenched on the African continent, with homosexuality being outlawed in more than 30 countries.\n\nIn India, homosexuality was decriminalised last year following a historic judgement by the Supreme Court, where it overturned a 157-year-old colonial-era law, known as Section 377. (ANI)", "In a landmark ruling, Botswana's High Court rejected a 54-year-old colonial law that could imprison those in same-sex relationships for up to 7 years, BBC reports.\n\nThe big picture: Across Africa, many countries still criminalize homosexuality and same-sex relationships — for example, last month, Kenya's top court upheld a similar set of laws. However, some African nations have moved to on a path toward decriminalizing homosexuality in recent years, like Angola, Mozambique and the Seychelles.\n\nGo deeper: Homosexuality still criminalized in much of the world", "Botswana's High Court has ruled in favour of decriminalising homosexuality in a landmark decision for campaigners.\n\nThe High Court rejected laws that impose up to seven years in prison for same-sex relationships, stating they were unconstitutional.\n\nThe move contrasts with Kenya's recent ruling against campaigners seeking to overturn laws on gay sex.\n\nAngola, Mozambique and the Seychelles have all scrapped anti-homosexuality laws in recent years.\n\nThe Botswana law has been in place since 1965 when it was brought in by the colonial British government.\n\nThe case was brought to court by a student who argued society had changed and homosexuality was more widely accepted.\n• Why are some places gay-friendly and not others?", "Botswana decriminalised homosexuality on Tuesday, with the High Court overturning a colonial-era law that punished gay sex by up to seven years in prison.\n\nSame-sex relationships are illegal in more than 70 countries worldwide; almost half of them in Africa, where homosexuality is broadly taboo and persecution is rife.\n\n“Discrimination has no place in this world. All human beings are born equal. Homosexuality is another form of sexuality that has been suppressed for years,” Justice Michael Leburu said.\n\nThe case, which local media reported had been brought by a university student, argued the government should do away with the law in light of a changed society where homosexuality was more widely accepted.\n\nRights group Amnesty International welcomed the decision as “marking an exciting new era of acceptance, which should inspire other African countries to follow suit”.\n\n“With this ruling, Botswana has said ‘no’ to intolerance and hate and ‘yes’ to hope and equality for all people,” Muleya Mwananyanda, Amnesty International’s deputy director for Southern Africa, said in a statement.\n\nBotswana’s ruling comes after Kenya’s high court upheld its law banning gay sex, keeping same sex relations punishable by 14 years in jail, drawing strong criticism from the United Nations and rights activists.\n\nBotswana’s penal code, drawn up under British rule, had previously outlawed “carnal knowledge of any person against the order of nature”, with those convicted facing up to seven years in prison, as well as “indecent practices between persons” in public or private, punishable with up to two years in prison.\n\nPrevious rulings have partially acknowledged the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in the southern African country, including their right to equal protection before the law.\n\nPresident Mokgweetsi Masisi also signalled his support for same-sex relations in a speech in December 2018, where he said LGBT citizens deserve to have their rights protected.\n\nBut when the case came to court in March, when the ruling was postponed until Tuesday, the lawyer for the state challenged those bringing the case to provide concrete evidence attitudes in conservative Botswana, where Christianity is the main religion, had changed.\n\n“We still have a long away to go to engage all opposing factions, be it our religions community, our cultural community — we need to engage them and educate them about the need to be tolerant,” Cindy Kelemi, executive director of the Botswana Network on Ethics, Law and HIV/AIDS, told local newspaper MMEGI after the judgment.\n\nBotswana is the latest country in Africa to decriminalise same sex relations, with Amnesty saying it follows Angola in January, Seychelles in June 2016, Mozambique in June 2015 and Sao Tome and Principe, and Lesotho in 2012.\n\nSouth Africa is the only African nation to have legalised gay marriage.", "\"Any criminalisation of love, of finding fulfilment in love, dilutes compassion and tolerance.\"\n\nWith these powerful words, a Botswana's High Court on Tuesday emphatically struck down section 164 of the country's penal code that had considered same-sex relations a punishable offence.\n\nThe court ruled that the erstwhile law violated constitutional rights by denying liberty, dignity, privacy and equality to Botswanian citizens.\n\nBotswana's penal code, drawn up during the British rule, painted homosexuality as \"carnal knowledge of any person against the order of nature\". Those convicted of the \"offence\" could face up to seven years in prison. In addition, \"indecent practices between persons\" in public or private, were punishable with up to two years in prison.\n\n\"Discrimination has no place in this world. All human beings are born equal. Homosexuality is another form of sexuality that has been suppressed for years,\" said Justice Michael Leburu.\n\nThe high court was hearing a petition made by a young Botswanian activist and university student who had challenged the archaic law, saying that society had changed since parts of the penal code had been written. He said that homosexuality was now widely accepted.\n\nThe LGBT community in Botswana were hopeful after recent rulings that partially acknowledged the rights of gay people, including their right to equal protection before the law.\n\nPresident Mokgweetsi Masisi had also signalled his support for same-sex relations in a speech in December 2018, where he said LGBT citizens deserve to have their rights protected.\n\nAmnesty International welcomed the decision as \"marking an exciting new era of acceptance, which should inspire other African countries to follow suit\".\n\nBotswana's ruling comes a month after Kenya's high court upheld its anti-homosexuality laws, keeping gay sex punishable by 14 years in jail.\n\nEven though the atmosphere in Botswana was celebratory on the day of the ruling, activists were aware that the judgement was just a beginning.\n\n\"We still have a long way to go to engage all opposing factions, be it our religious community, our cultural community — we need to engage them and educate them about the need to be tolerant,\" Cindy Kelemi, executive director of the Botswana Network on Ethics, Law and HIV/AIDS, told local newspaper MMEGI after the judgement.\n\nBy legalising homosexuality, Botswana has joined other African countries like Angola, Seychelles, Mozambique and South Africa.", "Botswana's High Court has ruled in favour of decriminalising homosexuality in a landmark decision for campaigners.\n\nThe High Court rejected laws that impose up to seven years in prison for same-sex relationships, stating they were unconstitutional.\n\nThe move contrasts with Kenya's recent ruling against campaigners seeking to overturn laws on gay sex.\n\nAngola, Mozambique and the Seychelles have all scrapped anti-homosexuality laws in recent years.\n\nAfter three judges came to the decision unanimously, Judge Michael Elburu delivered the verdict.\n\n\"Human dignity is harmed when minority groups are marginalized,\" he said.\n\nHe labelled laws banning gay sex as \"discriminatory\" and said: \"Sexual orientation is not a fashion statement. It is an important attribute of one's personality.\"\n\nThe law has been in place since 1965 when it was brought in by the colonial British government.\n\nThe case was brought to court by a student who argued society had changed and homosexuality was more widely accepted.\n\nActivists welcomed the decision and described it as a significant step for gay rights on the African continent.\n• Why are some places gay-friendly and not others?", "In a landmark decision, a panel of three High Court judges on Tuesday decriminalised sex between consenting adults in Botswana.The judges – Abednego Tafa, Michael Leburu and Jenifer Dube – ruled that Section 164 of the Constitution is unconstitutional and declared that homosexuality is legal in Botswana.\n\nStriking down Section 164, the three judges found that the section was discriminatory to the gay community.\n\n“Denying the applicant the right to sexual intercourse in the only way natural to him even though it is done to all is in our view discriminatory…any dissemination to the minority in a society is a discrimination to all,” the three judges said in their landmark judgement.\n\nThe case was brought before the High Court by an organisation whose identity the Court requested that it should not be made public.\n\nThe judgement was handed down a few weeks after a High Court in Kenya declined to decriminalise homosexuality in that country.", "Gaborone – Botswana's high court, in a highly-anticipated verdict, on Tuesday ruled to decriminalise homosexuality, which is outlawed under the country's 1965 penal code.\n\nJudge Michael Elburu \"set aside\" the \"provisions of a Victorian era\" and ordered the laws be amended."], "summary": "Botswana decriminalizes homosexuality."}
{"document": ["Prominent Russian investigative journalist Ivan Golunov, cries as he leaves an Investigative Committee building in Moscow. Photo: AP Photo", "Russian police announced on Tuesday they are dropping charges against the investigative journalist Ivan Golunov, an extraordinary reversal by authorities in the face of a popular outcry over his arrest on drug charges last week.\n\nThe abrupt turnaround by Russian authorities came amid mounting protests over Golunov's detention, which has been widely criticized by his supporters, including an exceptional show of solidarity by the country's journalists and even pro-Kremlin commentators.\n\nThe decision to drop the case came a day before a large protest was planned to take place in Moscow.\n\nGolunov, a prominent reporter for the popular independent news site, Meduza, who has written on corruption and shady business practices among officials and organized crime, was arrested last Friday in Moscow. Police claimed they had found bags of the drug mephedrone on Golunov's person and during a subsequent search of his home, and charged him with intention to distribute, an offense that carries a potential 10 to 20 year prison sentence.\n\nThe case, though, quickly seemed to unravel. Golunov accused the police of planting the drugs on him and then beating him up during questioning, and police later admitted that photos they had made public, which suggested Golunov had a drug lab at his home, were misleading.\n\nOn Tuesday, authorities seemed to yield to the criticism. Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev, announced in a video statement that the case against Golunov was being closed after analysis found no sign he had committed a crime. Golunov would be released from house arrest on Tuesday, he said.\n\nKolokoltsev also said that he was firing the Moscow police chief who was overseeing Golunov’s case, as well as the head of the city’s narcotics division. The officers who had arrested Golunov had been suspended and would be investigated, he said.\n\nThe Investigative Committee, Russia's equivalent of the FBI, also announced it would examine the circumstances around Golunov's arrest.\n\nIt was a remarkable retreat for Russian law enforcement in the face of popular pressure. In a country where the acquittal rate in courts is less than 1%, instances of high profile cases being closed are essentially unheard of and, even in ordinary cases, charges are rarely dropped.\n\n“I’m happy, I’m crying. We understand completely that this happened thanks to the efforts of hundreds and thousands of people. Huge gratitude to all of them,” Galina Timchenko, the general director of Meduza, told the liberal channel, TV Rain. \"We all together have done the unbelievable: stopped the criminal prosecution of an innocent person.\"\n\nThe scale and breadth of the criticisms in support of an independent journalist have been almost unheard of in today’s Russia. The country’s three leading independent newspapers on Tuesday ran identical front pages in support of Golunov. Over two dozen state media journalists signed a letter calling for him to be freed. Celebrities, including those normally who remain outside politics, posted messages in support.\n\nIn Moscow and other cities, hundreds of protesters have taken part in demonstrations all week calling for Golunov's release.\n\nInitially the Kremlin had suggested it favored the prosecution, pointing to the discredited photos as proof there may be grounds for the case. But as criticism mounted, there were signs that the Kremlin was changing course, and prominant pro-government anchors started to criticize the police's handling of the case.\n\nPresident Vladimir Putin’s press secretary on Monday set the tone, saying that “mistakes” are sometimes made—an admission almost never heard from top Russian officials.\n\nMost Russian observers believe the Kremlin had no direct stake in Golunov’s arrest, which most suspected had been brought about by mid-level officials or others involved in regional rackets that he most frequently wrote about. The prominent anti-corruption campaigner, Alexey Navalny on Tuesday published a report in which he claimed an FSB officer involved in a corrupt attempt to take over a funeral business had targeted Golunov for investigating it.\n\nBut the case struck a nerve in Russia as emblematic of the lawlessness and corruption in the country’s law enforcement and officials that has flourished under Putin. The case's closure was celebrated by many as evidence that Russia's civil society has the strength to force a response from authorities and as a victory over official unaccountability.\n\nThe celebration even came from inside government. On Facebook, Russia’s normally aggressive foreign ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova wrote that it was “the best day” and that she was \"moved to tears.”", "Prominent investigative reporter Ivan Golunov was beaten and kept in custody for 12 hours without a lawyer\n\nForeign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland addresses delegates at the International Economic Forum of the Americas Conference of Montreal Monday, June 10, 2019 in Montreal.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz\n\nForeign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland says she will speak out about the lack of media freedom in Russia during a conference that Canada is co-hosting next month with Great Britain.\n\nHer comments Monday came the same day as Russia’s three major newspapers — in a rare show of solidarity — put out nearly identical front pages to support a detained journalist.\n\nProminent investigative reporter Ivan Golunov was beaten and kept in custody for 12 hours without a lawyer after he was stopped by police in Moscow last Thursday, according to his lawyer. He faces drug dealing charges he alleges are fabricated by the police.\n\nFreeland, a journalist before she entered politics, told reporters, “We are following the current situation in Russia very closely and with great interest and attention.”\n\nShe and British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt are hosting an international conference on media freedom in London in mid-July. Freeland said the event will bring up “specific cases” around the world where the lives of journalists are at risk but wouldn’t go into details.\n\n“We will be talking at that conference about media freedom — or lack of it — in Russia, among other countries,” she said, following a talk at the International Economic Forum of the Americas in Montreal.\n\n“This will be the first of what becomes an annual event,” Freeland continued, adding Canada has committed to hosting the second conference next year.\n\nKommersant, Vedomosti and RBK, among the most respected daily newspapers in Russia, published a joint editorial Monday under the headline, “I am/We are Ivan Golunov,” calling for a transparent probe into the case.\n\nThe papers dismissed evidence presented against the journalist. Russia’s media landscape is fragmented, and such a show of solidarity in the media is rarely seen. All three papers have faced pressure from authorities and covert censorship.\n\nThe circumstances of the journalist’s arrest have alarmed the media community. In an apparent attempt to portray Golunov as a professional drug dealer, police on Friday released several photos, reportedly from Golunov’s home, of what appeared to be a drugs lab before they retracted the statement, saying that the pictures were taken elsewhere.\n\nAccording to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 58 reporters have been killed in Russia between 1992 and 2019. One of the more famous cases involved Anna Politkovskaya, renowned for her critical coverage of the Russian military’s invasion and occupation of Chechnya. She was shot dead in her apartment building in 2006.\n\nAlso on Monday, the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights along with a coalition of other international groups produced a report claiming the number of political prisoners in Russia increased from 50 to almost 300 in the last four years.\n\nFormer Canadian justice minister and Raoul Wallenberg Centre chairman, Irwin Cotler, said in a statement the report “exposes and unmasks” the Russian government’s “culture of corruption and criminality.”\n\nCotler said the report identifies “the individual architects of this repression” and called on the Canadian government to impose targeted financial sanctions and travel bans on them.\n\nThose identified include President Vladimir Putin, Alexander Bortnikov, director of the federal security service, and Aleksandr Konovalov, minister of justice.\n\nFreeland spoke of her “tremendous respect” for Cotler and said she would study the report “with great interest.”\n\nShe said Canada has already imposed sanctions on an “extensive list” of Russian officials “and we are constantly reviewing … our sanctions and will continue to do that.”\n\nALSO READ: Russia requires Tinder to provide data on its users\n\nALSO READ: Russia accused of ‘backsliding’ on doping reforms in track\n\n— With files from The Associated Press\n\nLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.", "Prominent investigative reporter Ivan Golunov was beaten and kept in custody for 12 hours without a lawyer\n\nForeign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland addresses delegates at the International Economic Forum of the Americas Conference of Montreal Monday, June 10, 2019 in Montreal.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz\n\nForeign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland says she will speak out about the lack of media freedom in Russia during a conference that Canada is co-hosting next month with Great Britain.\n\nHer comments Monday came the same day as Russia’s three major newspapers — in a rare show of solidarity — put out nearly identical front pages to support a detained journalist.\n\nProminent investigative reporter Ivan Golunov was beaten and kept in custody for 12 hours without a lawyer after he was stopped by police in Moscow last Thursday, according to his lawyer. He faces drug dealing charges he alleges are fabricated by the police.\n\nFreeland, a journalist before she entered politics, told reporters, “We are following the current situation in Russia very closely and with great interest and attention.”\n\nShe and British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt are hosting an international conference on media freedom in London in mid-July. Freeland said the event will bring up “specific cases” around the world where the lives of journalists are at risk but wouldn’t go into details.\n\n“We will be talking at that conference about media freedom — or lack of it — in Russia, among other countries,” she said, following a talk at the International Economic Forum of the Americas in Montreal.\n\n“This will be the first of what becomes an annual event,” Freeland continued, adding Canada has committed to hosting the second conference next year.\n\nKommersant, Vedomosti and RBK, among the most respected daily newspapers in Russia, published a joint editorial Monday under the headline, “I am/We are Ivan Golunov,” calling for a transparent probe into the case.\n\nThe papers dismissed evidence presented against the journalist. Russia’s media landscape is fragmented, and such a show of solidarity in the media is rarely seen. All three papers have faced pressure from authorities and covert censorship.\n\nThe circumstances of the journalist’s arrest have alarmed the media community. In an apparent attempt to portray Golunov as a professional drug dealer, police on Friday released several photos, reportedly from Golunov’s home, of what appeared to be a drugs lab before they retracted the statement, saying that the pictures were taken elsewhere.\n\nAccording to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 58 reporters have been killed in Russia between 1992 and 2019. One of the more famous cases involved Anna Politkovskaya, renowned for her critical coverage of the Russian military’s invasion and occupation of Chechnya. She was shot dead in her apartment building in 2006.\n\nAlso on Monday, the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights along with a coalition of other international groups produced a report claiming the number of political prisoners in Russia increased from 50 to almost 300 in the last four years.\n\nFormer Canadian justice minister and Raoul Wallenberg Centre chairman, Irwin Cotler, said in a statement the report “exposes and unmasks” the Russian government’s “culture of corruption and criminality.”\n\nCotler said the report identifies “the individual architects of this repression” and called on the Canadian government to impose targeted financial sanctions and travel bans on them.\n\nThose identified include President Vladimir Putin, Alexander Bortnikov, director of the federal security service, and Aleksandr Konovalov, minister of justice.\n\nFreeland spoke of her “tremendous respect” for Cotler and said she would study the report “with great interest.”\n\nShe said Canada has already imposed sanctions on an “extensive list” of Russian officials “and we are constantly reviewing … our sanctions and will continue to do that.”\n\nALSO READ: Russia requires Tinder to provide data on its users\n\nALSO READ: Russia accused of ‘backsliding’ on doping reforms in track\n\n— With files from The Associated Press\n\nLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.", "Prominent investigative reporter Ivan Golunov was beaten and kept in custody for 12 hours without a lawyer\n\nForeign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland addresses delegates at the International Economic Forum of the Americas Conference of Montreal Monday, June 10, 2019 in Montreal.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz\n\nForeign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland says she will speak out about the lack of media freedom in Russia during a conference that Canada is co-hosting next month with Great Britain.\n\nHer comments Monday came the same day as Russia’s three major newspapers — in a rare show of solidarity — put out nearly identical front pages to support a detained journalist.\n\nProminent investigative reporter Ivan Golunov was beaten and kept in custody for 12 hours without a lawyer after he was stopped by police in Moscow last Thursday, according to his lawyer. He faces drug dealing charges he alleges are fabricated by the police.\n\nFreeland, a journalist before she entered politics, told reporters, “We are following the current situation in Russia very closely and with great interest and attention.”\n\nShe and British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt are hosting an international conference on media freedom in London in mid-July. Freeland said the event will bring up “specific cases” around the world where the lives of journalists are at risk but wouldn’t go into details.\n\n“We will be talking at that conference about media freedom — or lack of it — in Russia, among other countries,” she said, following a talk at the International Economic Forum of the Americas in Montreal.\n\n“This will be the first of what becomes an annual event,” Freeland continued, adding Canada has committed to hosting the second conference next year.\n\nKommersant, Vedomosti and RBK, among the most respected daily newspapers in Russia, published a joint editorial Monday under the headline, “I am/We are Ivan Golunov,” calling for a transparent probe into the case.\n\nThe papers dismissed evidence presented against the journalist. Russia’s media landscape is fragmented, and such a show of solidarity in the media is rarely seen. All three papers have faced pressure from authorities and covert censorship.\n\nThe circumstances of the journalist’s arrest have alarmed the media community. In an apparent attempt to portray Golunov as a professional drug dealer, police on Friday released several photos, reportedly from Golunov’s home, of what appeared to be a drugs lab before they retracted the statement, saying that the pictures were taken elsewhere.\n\nAccording to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 58 reporters have been killed in Russia between 1992 and 2019. One of the more famous cases involved Anna Politkovskaya, renowned for her critical coverage of the Russian military’s invasion and occupation of Chechnya. She was shot dead in her apartment building in 2006.\n\nAlso on Monday, the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights along with a coalition of other international groups produced a report claiming the number of political prisoners in Russia increased from 50 to almost 300 in the last four years.\n\nFormer Canadian justice minister and Raoul Wallenberg Centre chairman, Irwin Cotler, said in a statement the report “exposes and unmasks” the Russian government’s “culture of corruption and criminality.”\n\nCotler said the report identifies “the individual architects of this repression” and called on the Canadian government to impose targeted financial sanctions and travel bans on them.\n\nThose identified include President Vladimir Putin, Alexander Bortnikov, director of the federal security service, and Aleksandr Konovalov, minister of justice.\n\nFreeland spoke of her “tremendous respect” for Cotler and said she would study the report “with great interest.”\n\nShe said Canada has already imposed sanctions on an “extensive list” of Russian officials “and we are constantly reviewing … our sanctions and will continue to do that.”\n\nALSO READ: Russia requires Tinder to provide data on its users\n\nALSO READ: Russia accused of ‘backsliding’ on doping reforms in track\n\n— With files from The Associated Press\n\nLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.", "A Russian investigative journalist whose arrest on dubious drug charges was widely condemned — including on the front pages of three of Russia's biggest newspapers — will be cleared of all charges, according to his news outlet, Meduza.\n\nWhy it matters: This is a stunning reversal. The journalist, Ivan Golunov, was almost certainly targeted because of his work, and almost certainly freed because of the furious backlash — which extended even to state media. The police responsible for the arrest have reportedly been suspended, and the Kremlin has admitted mistakes were made.", "Prominent investigative reporter Ivan Golunov was beaten and kept in custody for 12 hours without a lawyer\n\nForeign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland addresses delegates at the International Economic Forum of the Americas Conference of Montreal Monday, June 10, 2019 in Montreal.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz\n\nForeign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland says she will speak out about the lack of media freedom in Russia during a conference that Canada is co-hosting next month with Great Britain.\n\nHer comments Monday came the same day as Russia’s three major newspapers — in a rare show of solidarity — put out nearly identical front pages to support a detained journalist.\n\nProminent investigative reporter Ivan Golunov was beaten and kept in custody for 12 hours without a lawyer after he was stopped by police in Moscow last Thursday, according to his lawyer. He faces drug dealing charges he alleges are fabricated by the police.\n\nFreeland, a journalist before she entered politics, told reporters, “We are following the current situation in Russia very closely and with great interest and attention.”\n\nShe and British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt are hosting an international conference on media freedom in London in mid-July. Freeland said the event will bring up “specific cases” around the world where the lives of journalists are at risk but wouldn’t go into details.\n\n“We will be talking at that conference about media freedom — or lack of it — in Russia, among other countries,” she said, following a talk at the International Economic Forum of the Americas in Montreal.\n\n“This will be the first of what becomes an annual event,” Freeland continued, adding Canada has committed to hosting the second conference next year.\n\nKommersant, Vedomosti and RBK, among the most respected daily newspapers in Russia, published a joint editorial Monday under the headline, “I am/We are Ivan Golunov,” calling for a transparent probe into the case.\n\nThe papers dismissed evidence presented against the journalist. Russia’s media landscape is fragmented, and such a show of solidarity in the media is rarely seen. All three papers have faced pressure from authorities and covert censorship.\n\nThe circumstances of the journalist’s arrest have alarmed the media community. In an apparent attempt to portray Golunov as a professional drug dealer, police on Friday released several photos, reportedly from Golunov’s home, of what appeared to be a drugs lab before they retracted the statement, saying that the pictures were taken elsewhere.\n\nAccording to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 58 reporters have been killed in Russia between 1992 and 2019. One of the more famous cases involved Anna Politkovskaya, renowned for her critical coverage of the Russian military’s invasion and occupation of Chechnya. She was shot dead in her apartment building in 2006.\n\nAlso on Monday, the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights along with a coalition of other international groups produced a report claiming the number of political prisoners in Russia increased from 50 to almost 300 in the last four years.\n\nFormer Canadian justice minister and Raoul Wallenberg Centre chairman, Irwin Cotler, said in a statement the report “exposes and unmasks” the Russian government’s “culture of corruption and criminality.”\n\nCotler said the report identifies “the individual architects of this repression” and called on the Canadian government to impose targeted financial sanctions and travel bans on them.\n\nThose identified include President Vladimir Putin, Alexander Bortnikov, director of the federal security service, and Aleksandr Konovalov, minister of justice.\n\nFreeland spoke of her “tremendous respect” for Cotler and said she would study the report “with great interest.”\n\nShe said Canada has already imposed sanctions on an “extensive list” of Russian officials “and we are constantly reviewing … our sanctions and will continue to do that.”\n\nALSO READ: Russia requires Tinder to provide data on its users\n\nALSO READ: Russia accused of ‘backsliding’ on doping reforms in track\n\n— With files from The Associated Press\n\nLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.", "Prominent investigative reporter Ivan Golunov was beaten and kept in custody for 12 hours without a lawyer\n\nForeign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland addresses delegates at the International Economic Forum of the Americas Conference of Montreal Monday, June 10, 2019 in Montreal.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ryan Remiorz\n\nForeign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland says she will speak out about the lack of media freedom in Russia during a conference that Canada is co-hosting next month with Great Britain.\n\nHer comments Monday came the same day as Russia’s three major newspapers — in a rare show of solidarity — put out nearly identical front pages to support a detained journalist.\n\nProminent investigative reporter Ivan Golunov was beaten and kept in custody for 12 hours without a lawyer after he was stopped by police in Moscow last Thursday, according to his lawyer. He faces drug dealing charges he alleges are fabricated by the police.\n\nFreeland, a journalist before she entered politics, told reporters, “We are following the current situation in Russia very closely and with great interest and attention.”\n\nShe and British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt are hosting an international conference on media freedom in London in mid-July. Freeland said the event will bring up “specific cases” around the world where the lives of journalists are at risk but wouldn’t go into details.\n\n“We will be talking at that conference about media freedom — or lack of it — in Russia, among other countries,” she said, following a talk at the International Economic Forum of the Americas in Montreal.\n\n“This will be the first of what becomes an annual event,” Freeland continued, adding Canada has committed to hosting the second conference next year.\n\nKommersant, Vedomosti and RBK, among the most respected daily newspapers in Russia, published a joint editorial Monday under the headline, “I am/We are Ivan Golunov,” calling for a transparent probe into the case.\n\nThe papers dismissed evidence presented against the journalist. Russia’s media landscape is fragmented, and such a show of solidarity in the media is rarely seen. All three papers have faced pressure from authorities and covert censorship.\n\nThe circumstances of the journalist’s arrest have alarmed the media community. In an apparent attempt to portray Golunov as a professional drug dealer, police on Friday released several photos, reportedly from Golunov’s home, of what appeared to be a drugs lab before they retracted the statement, saying that the pictures were taken elsewhere.\n\nAccording to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 58 reporters have been killed in Russia between 1992 and 2019. One of the more famous cases involved Anna Politkovskaya, renowned for her critical coverage of the Russian military’s invasion and occupation of Chechnya. She was shot dead in her apartment building in 2006.\n\nAlso on Monday, the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights along with a coalition of other international groups produced a report claiming the number of political prisoners in Russia increased from 50 to almost 300 in the last four years.\n\nFormer Canadian justice minister and Raoul Wallenberg Centre chairman, Irwin Cotler, said in a statement the report “exposes and unmasks” the Russian government’s “culture of corruption and criminality.”\n\nCotler said the report identifies “the individual architects of this repression” and called on the Canadian government to impose targeted financial sanctions and travel bans on them.\n\nThose identified include President Vladimir Putin, Alexander Bortnikov, director of the federal security service, and Aleksandr Konovalov, minister of justice.\n\nFreeland spoke of her “tremendous respect” for Cotler and said she would study the report “with great interest.”\n\nShe said Canada has already imposed sanctions on an “extensive list” of Russian officials “and we are constantly reviewing … our sanctions and will continue to do that.”\n\nALSO READ: Russia requires Tinder to provide data on its users\n\nALSO READ: Russia accused of ‘backsliding’ on doping reforms in track\n\n— With files from The Associated Press\n\nLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.", "More than 50 people were arrested in Moscow on Wednesday as people protested against the arrest of a journalist.\n\nIvan Golunov was arrested last week on reportedly trumped-up drug charges, but was released following an unusually vocal backlash in Russia and internationally.\n\nGolunov vowed to continue his investigative work into corruption and graft.\n\nDespite his release, people continued to protest on Wednesday, calling for police involved to be punished. Authorities warned that the demonstration would be illegal.\n\nDW correspondent Emily Sherwin reported that a heavy police presence was in force to send a message.\n\nA young man in Ivan Golunov t-shirt told DW: \"We came today because we want those who are guilty to be punished.\"\n\nAn older woman said: \"Apart from what we achieved with Ivan a lot of other people are wrongly behind bars. It’s great that we got Ivan out, but that’s a drop in the ocean. we have to do something.\"\n\nMonitoring group OVD-Info said police had detained at least 94 people, some of them forcibly.\n\nEvery evening, DW sends out a selection of the day's news and features. Sign up here.", "MOSCOW — The speaker of the upper house of the Russian parliament has raised concerns about a drug dealing case against a prominent investigative journalist.\n\nValentina Matviyenko, who is Russia’s third most senior official after the president and prime minister, on Tuesday described the criminal inquiry into Ivan Golunov as “a really bad story.” She said that she spoke to the prosecutor general who promised to take the case under his personal control.\n\nGolunov, who works for the independent website Meduza, was beaten and kept in custody for 12 hours without a lawyer after he was stopped by police in Moscow on Thursday, according to his lawyer. He was transferred to house arrest following a public outpouring of support, but he still faces drug dealing charges.\n\nCopyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed."], "summary": "Following a public outcry, authorities in Russia drop drug charges against a journalist, Ivan Golunov, who has earned a reputation for exposing the corruption of Moscow city officials."}
{"document": ["The Pacific nation of Samoa has banned the Elton John biopic “Rocketman” because of its depictions of homosexuality.\n\nWELLINGTON, New Zealand — The Pacific nation of Samoa has banned the Elton John biopic “Rocketman” because of its depictions of homosexuality.\n\nAbout 97% of people in Samoa identify as Christian, and the society is generally considered conservative and traditional. Under Samoa’s 2013 Crimes Act, sodomy is deemed an offense that is punishable by up to seven years in prison, even if both parties consent.\n\nSamoa’s principal censor Leiataua Niuapu Faaui told the Samoa Observer on Tuesday that the homosexual activity depicted on screen violated laws and didn’t sit well with the country’s cultural and Christian beliefs.\n\nThe censor did concede to the newspaper that “It’s a good story, in that it’s about an individual trying to move on in life.”\n\nApollo Cinemas Samoa wrote on Facebook that “due to censoring issues we have had to cancel Rocketman.”\n\nThe movie examines John’s sexuality and relationship with then-manager John Reid. It stars Taron Egerton who does his own singing as John in the musical fantasy that aims to capture the essence of the musician’s life.\n\nA Russian distributor censored scenes from “Rocketman” that featured gay sex and drug use, and John wrote in a joint statement with the filmmakers that it was a “sad reflection of the divided world we still live in and how it can still be so cruelly unaccepting of the love between two people.”\n\nRussian gay rights activists and prominent figures denounced the move. Although homosexuality is not criminalized in Russia, animosity toward gay people remains strong.\n\nSamoa, which is home to about 200,000 people, also banned the 2008 movie “Milk,” in which actor Sean Penn portrayed American gay activist Harvey Milk.\n\nSince opening 10 days ago, Rocketman has taken in about $101 million at theaters around the world.", "WELLINGTON, New Zealand — The Pacific nation of Samoa has banned the Elton John biopic \"Rocketman\" because of its depictions of homosexuality.\n\nAbout 97% of people in Samoa identify as Christian, and the society is generally considered conservative and traditional. Under Samoa's 2013 Crimes Act, sodomy is deemed an offense that is punishable by up to seven years in prison, even if both parties consent.\n\nSamoa's principal censor Leiataua Niuapu Faaui told the Samoa Observer on Tuesday that the homosexual activity depicted on screen violated laws and didn't sit well with the country's cultural and Christian beliefs.\n\nThe censor did concede to the newspaper that \"It's a good story, in that it's about an individual trying to move on in life.\"\n\nApollo Cinemas Samoa wrote on Facebook that \"due to censoring issues we have had to cancel Rocketman.\"\n\nThe movie examines John's sexuality and relationship with then-manager John Reid. It stars Taron Egerton who does his own singing as John in the musical fantasy that aims to capture the essence of the musician's life.\n\nA Russian distributor censored scenes from \"Rocketman\" that featured gay sex and drug use, and John wrote in a joint statement with the filmmakers that it was a \"sad reflection of the divided world we still live in and how it can still be so cruelly unaccepting of the love between two people.\"\n\nRussian gay rights activists and prominent figures denounced the move. Although homosexuality is not criminalized in Russia, animosity toward gay people remains strong.\n\nSamoa, which is home to about 200,000 people, also banned the 2008 movie \"Milk,\" in which actor Sean Penn portrayed American gay activist Harvey Milk.\n\nSince opening 10 days ago, Rocketman has taken in about $101 million at theaters around the world.", "Image copyright Paramount Pictures Image caption The film tells the story of the musician's rise to fame and includes a male sex scene\n\nSamoa has banned the Sir Elton John biopic Rocketman because of the film's depiction of gay sex.\n\nUnder Samoa's laws, sodomy is illegal and punishable by up to seven years in prison.\n\nThe country's principal censor told local media that the film did not \"go well with cultural and Christian beliefs here\".\n\nIt comes after Sir Elton criticised a Russian distributor's decision to cut sex scenes from the film.\n\nThe film tells the story of the musician's rise to fame and includes a male sex scene. It also includes images of Sir Elton, his husband and their children.\n\nApollo Cinemas in the Samoa's capital Apia wrote on its Facebook page: \"Unfortunately due to censoring issues we have had to cancel 'Rocketman'\".\n\nCensor Leiataua Niuapu Faaui told the Samoa Observer that the film is \"not good for public viewing and violates laws against same-sex marriage.\"\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Rocketman is a musical film about Sir Elton John's career and how he broke into the industry\n\nFilms that include explicit sexual activity, explicit sexual violence, promotion of drugs or offence to religions are subject to bans, according to ABC.\n\nAround 97% of Samoa's population is Christian. It is not the first time that the country has banned a film over \"cultural and Christian beliefs\".\n\nIn 2009, censors banned Milk, a film based on the life of gay rights activist and politician Harvey Milk. Samoa also banned The Da Vinci Code in 2006, arguing that it conflicted with the country's religious beliefs.", "Paramount PicturesAfter reports that Russia was censoring parts of Rocketman, now comes news that the Elton John biopic has been banned in the Pacific nation of Samoa because of its depictions of homosexuality.\n\nAccording to the Samoa Observer, Samoa’s principal censor Leiataua Niuapu Faaui says the homosexual activity shown in the movie violates the country’s laws and isn’t in line with Samoa’s cultural and Christian beliefs.\n\nUnder Samoa’s 2013 Crimes Act, sodomy is deemed an offense punishable by up to seven years in prison, even if both parties consent.\n\nApollo Cinemas Samoa wrote on its Facebook page, “Unfortunately due to censoring issues we have had to cancel Rocketman.”\n\nWhen a Russian distributor censored scenes from Rocketman featuring gay sex and drug use, Elton and the filmmakers denounced it in a joint statement.\n\nThey wrote in part, “That the local distributor has edited out certain scenes, denying the audience the opportunity to see the film as it was intended is a sad reflection of the divided world we still live in and how it can still be so cruelly unaccepting of the love between two people.”", "APIA - Samoa has banned the blockbuster Elton John biopic Rocketman from cinemas over depictions of gay sex, which remains illegal in the Pacific island nation.\n\nSamoa's Principal Censor Leiataua Niuapu confirmed the ban to local media this week, saying the film contained too many scenes that were \"not good for public viewing\".\n\nNiuapu told the Samoa Observer that the movie \"violates laws against same-sex marriage and doesn't go well with cultural and Christian beliefs here\".\n\n\"It's a good story, in that it's about an individual trying to move on in life,\" he said.\n\n\"He (Elton John) went through a difficult family life and managed to move on and become very successful. But there are acts that are not good for public viewing and against the law.\"\n\nSamoa is a devoutly Christian nation and gay sex can attract jail terms of up to seven years, according to London-based lobby group Human Dignity Trust, although it notes authorities do not actively enforce the laws.\n\nThe country is also well known for its acceptance of fa'afafines -- men who dress as women and adopt female mannerisms -- known locally as the third sex.\n\n\"This censorship is yet another way for moral seekers to bash a few people for no good reason,\" Tuisina Ymania Brown, a Samoan fa'afafine who is co-secretary of Geneva-based rights group ILGA.\n\nShe said fa'afafines were part of Samoa's cultural fabric and the Rocketman ban was a contradiction of the tolerance they enjoyed.\n\n\"Now are we saying that art that celebrates fa'afafines are not allowed?\" she told Newsline Samoa.\n\n\"The power of the church has now reached into censoring the celebration of art. There are more important issues we should focus on, such as gender-based violence (and the) church paying taxes.\"\n\nSamoa also banned the 2009 movie Milk about pioneering US gay activist Harvey Milk, but last year's \"Bohemian Rhapsody\" was screened without attracting any complaints.\n\nIn Russia, the gay sex scenes were cut from Rocketman, prompting condemnation from Elton John and the stars of the movie.", "Samoa's film censor has banned Elton John rock biopic Rocketman because of its gay content.\n\nThe deeply conservative Pacific nation's censorship office last week banned the film, which is based on the life of of the iconic British musician, with principal censor Leiataua Niuapu Faaui telling the Samoa Observer some scenes were \"not good for public viewing\".\n\nHe said its depiction of sex between men \"violates laws against same sex marriage\" and clashed with the nation's Christians beliefs, according to the Observer.\n\nMore than 95 per cent of Samoa's population is estimated to identify with some form of Christianity and the country still has laws against sex between men.\n\nApollo Cinemas Samoa over the weekend announced it would not be screening the film due to \"censoring issues\".\n\nThe country's censors in 2009 also objected to the film Milk, which is based on the life of gay rights activist Harvey Milk.\n\nThe decision comes after Rocketman's local distributor in Russia was criticised for reportedly cutting gay scenes from the film to accommodate local laws.\n\nSir Elton and the film's makers condemned the Russian move and said it was a \"sad reflection of the divided world we still live in and how it can still be so cruelly unaccepting of the love between two people\".", "The South Pacific nation of Samoa said on Tuesday that it was banning the film \"Rocketman\" about the life of musician Elton John, over its depictions of gay romance. Gay sex can attract jail terms of up to seven years in the small nation of only 196,000 inhabitants.\n\nSamoa's Principal Censor Leiataua Niuapu confirmed the ban, saying that the film was \"not good for public viewing.\"\n\nHe told the Samoa Observer that the movie \"violates laws against same-sex marriage and doesn't go well with cultural and Christian beliefs here.\"\n\n\"It's a good story, in that it's about an individual trying to move on in life,\" Niuapu said.\n\n\"He (Elton John) went through a difficult family life and managed to move on and become very successful. But there are acts that are not good for public viewing and against the law.\"\n\nChristianity is the official religion of Samoa. However, many were keen to point out that films like last year's \"Bohemian Rhapsody\" were not banned, and neither were movies depicting acts like murder and premarital sex.\n\n'There are more important issues'\n\nSamoa is also known for its acceptance of fa'afafines, also called the \"third sex\" locally. Fa'afafines are men who dress as women and usually adopt what are considered feminine mannerisms.\n\n\"This censorship is yet another way for moral seekers to bash a few people for no good reason,\" said Tuisina Ymania Brown, a fa'afafine who is also co-secretary of the Geneva-based International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Assocation (ILGA).\n\nBrown said that banning \"Rocketman\" was a slap in the face to a group that was part of Samoa's cultural heritage.\n\n\"Now are we saying that art that celebrates fa'afafines are not allowed?\" she told Newsline Samoa.\n\n\"The power of the church has now reached into censoring the celebration of art. There are more important issues we should focus on, such as gender-based violence (and the) church paying taxes.\"\n\n\"Rocketman\" focuses on Elton John's childhood and life of excess in the 1970s and 80s. While the film is not graphic, John rejected a call to tone down the drug use and sexuality, writing in The Observer: \"I have not led a PG-13 life.\"\n\nBoth John and the film's star Taron Egerton have condemned the editing of the film in Russia to comply with the country's controversial \"gay propaganda\" laws. Five minutes of the movie have been cut in Russia, as well as a caption at the end of the film about how the rock star has found love with his husband David Furnish and their two children.\n\nEvery evening, DW sends out a selection of the day's news and features. Sign up here.", "Washington D.C. [USA], June 12 (ANI): The Pacific nation of Samoa has banned singer-songwriter Elton John's biopic 'Rocketman' over its depiction of homosexuality.\n\nThe Samoan government has banned the widely acclaimed Taron Egerton starrer film from screening in the South Pacific island country, reported Entertainment Weekly.\n\nBreaking the news on Facebook, the Apollo Cinemas Samoa wrote, \"Unfortunately due to censoring issues we have had to cancel Rocketman.\"\n\nThe film follows John's journey starting from a young piano prodigy named Reginald Dwight, to a rockstar struggling with addiction who finally finds his way to sobriety. The biopic is directed by Dexter Fletcher and is produced by Elton and his husband David Furnish.\n\nAccording to Samoa's principal censor Leiataua Niuapu Faaui, the film clashes with the country's culture and its Christian beliefs.\n\n\"(The film is) not good for public viewing and violates laws against same-sex marriage,\" Faaui asserted.\n\nReportedly, the film features multiple instances of intimate same-sex acts, including a kiss between a young John and an American musician. In addition to this, the biopic also features an explicit sex scene involving John and his former manager John Reid, played by Richard Madden.\n\nEarlier this week, the makers of 'Rocketman' and Elton John blasted the Russian distributor of the film for removing same-sex intimate scenes from the musical biopic.\n\nThe film, which is a musical rendition of the iconic singer's breakthrough years, is scheduled to release on May 31. (ANI)", "SYDNEY — Samoa has banned “Rocketman,” the movie-musical based on the life of British musician Elton John, over its depiction of homosexuality, the South Pacific island’s censor has said.\n\nThe film was banned last week because it clashed with Samoa’s “culture and our Christian beliefs,” the censor, Leiataua Niuapu Faaui, told the Samoa Observer newspaper on Monday.\n\nAbout 97 percent of Samoa’s nearly 200,000 people are Christians and sodomy is a crime in the island nation.\n\n“Rocketman” starring Taron Egerton, tracks Elton John’s first steps in the music business, from his piano playing as a child to his explosion onto the U.S. scene and its drug and alcohol-fueled party world.\n\nScenes involving gay sex and drug use were cut from a screening in Russia, drawing criticism from John and the film’s makers.\n• ‘Rocketman’ music director-soundtrack producer ‘a bit like Gollum’ on the project\n\nThe movie, which has won warm reviews, began its worldwide rollout late in May.\n\n“Unfortunately due to censoring issues we have had to cancel ‘Rocketman’,” Apollo Cinemas, in the Samoan capital Apia, said on its Facebook page.", "The Elton John biopic Rocketman has reportedly been banned in the Pacific island nation of Samoa over its depiction of homosexuality.\n\nStarring Taron Egerton, the film charts the British singer's rise to fame and his relationship with his former manager John Reid.\n\nScenes of kissing and sex between men, as well as drug use, contributed to it earning a 15 certificate in the UK.\n\nPrincipal censor Leiataua Niuapu Faaui told the Samoa Observer that the homosexual activity depicted in the film violated laws and did not sit well in the devoutly Christian country.\n\nHowever, he did concede that \"it's a good story, in that it's about an individual trying to move on in life\".\n\nApollo Cinemas Samoa wrote on Facebook that \"due to censoring issues we have had to cancel Rocketman\".\n\nAbout 97% of people in Samoa, which has a population of approximately 200,000 people, identify as Christian.\n\nGay sex is an offence punishable by up to seven years in prison - even if both parties consent.\n\nMilk, the 2008 film in which Sean Penn portrayed gay activist Harvey Milk, and 2006's The Da Vinci Code - based on the theory that Jesus Christ married Mary Magdalene and bore children - were also banned in the nation.\n\nThe Rocketman ban comes the film's gay sex scenes were reportedly cut from the film by a distributor in Russia.\n\nThe Moscow Times quoted a Russian critic who first saw the film at its world premiere in Cannes as saying \"all scenes with kissing, sex and oral sex between men have been cut\", as well as a photo displayed during the end credits featuring Sir Elton and his husband David Furnish.\n\nSir Elton, 72, a prominent gay rights campaigner, released a joint statement with the makers of the film to accuse censors of being \"cruelly unaccepting of the love between two people\".\n\nThey said: \"We reject in the strongest possible terms the decision to pander to local laws and censor Rocketman for the Russian market, a move we were unaware of until today.\n\n\"That the local distributor has edited out certain scenes, denying the audience the opportunity to see the film as it was intended, is a sad reflection of the divided world we still live in and how it can still be so cruelly unaccepting of the love between two people.\n\n\"We believe in building bridges and open dialogue, and will continue to push for the breaking down of barriers until all people are heard equally across the world.\"\n\nSince opening, Rocketman has taken in about $101m (£79.5m) at theatres worldwide."], "summary": "Samoa bans the film Rocketman for its depictions of gay sex."}
{"document": ["Why did this happen?\n\nPlease make sure your browser supports JavaScript and cookies and that you are not blocking them from loading. For more information you can review our Terms of Service and Cookie Policy.", "Washington (CNN) President Donald Trump said Tuesday that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has \"kept his word\" when it comes to nuclear and missile testing, contradicting his own national security adviser, John Bolton, who just hours earlier had accused Pyongyang of failing to follow through on its commitments.\n\nSpeaking to reporters on the South Lawn of the White House, Trump said he had received a warm letter from Kim before again downplaying North Korea's latest test of a short-range ballistic missile -- a move Bolton and acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan have said violated UN resolutions\n\n\"He kept his word. There's no nuclear testing. There's no large, there's no long-range missiles going up. The only things he's set up were very short term, short range. That was just a test of short range. It's a whole different deal, but he's kept his word to me. That's very important,\" the President said.\n\nEarlier Tuesday, Bolton had told the Wall Street Journal at a speaking event in Washington that North Korea is not complying with the terms agreed upon during Trump's first summit with Kim, in Singapore last year.\n\n\"What they've said was that they're not going to test ballistic missiles, intercontinental range ballistic missiles, or have nuclear tests. That's continued. They're doing a lot of other things that still indicate that they have not made a strategic decision to give up the pursuit of deliverable weapons, which is why we continue the maximum pressure campaign,\" Bolton said.\n\nIn May, Bolton said that \"there is no doubt\" the tests violated the UN resolutions, something Shanahan has also said publicly.\n\nBut that conclusion is at odds with Trump's own assertions.\n\n\"My people think it could have been a violation,\" Trump said in May. \"I view it differently.\"\n\nThe President added that he thinks Kim could be a man \"who wants to get attention,\" but said there are no nuclear tests or long-range missiles being fired, something he again pointed out Tuesday.\n\nTrump claims remains 'keep coming back'\n\nTrump also claimed Tuesday that the remains of US soldiers in North Korea \"keep coming back,\" despite the US Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency telling CNN in May that the effort was suspended due to a lack of communication from North Korean officials following the second summit between the two leaders, in Hanoi, Vietnam, earlier this year.\n\n\"We have a very good relationship together,\" Trump said of Kim. \"Now I can confirm it because of the letter I got yesterday, and I think something will happen that's going to be very positive. But in the meantime, we have our hostages back, the remains keep coming back, we have a relationship.\"\n\nThe return of American remains was part of the US-North Korea agreement reached during Kim and Trump's Singapore summit.\n\nFollowing the summit, North Korea handed over 55 cases of presumed remains of US service members killed during the 1950-53 Korean War.\n\n\"DPRK officials have not communicated with DPAA since the Hanoi summit,\" Chuck Prichard, a spokesman for the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, said in May.\n\n\"As a result, our efforts to communicate with the Korean People's Army regarding the possible resumption of joint recovery operations for 2019 has been suspended,\" he added.\n\n'I wouldn't let that happen'\n\nTrump would not confirm reports that Kim Jong Un's half brother was a CIA asset Tuesday but said he would tell Kim that \"would not happen under my auspice.\"\n\n\"I saw the information about the CIA with respect to his brother or half brother and I would tell him that would not happen under my auspice, that's for sure. I wouldn't let that happen under my auspices,\" he said when asked about details published by the Wall Street Journal\n\nThe CIA operative claims are also described in a book by Washington Post reporter Anna Fifield published on Tuesday. \"The Great Successor,\" about Kim Jong Un, details meetings between Kim Jong Nam and his handlers in the two countries. The CIA has declined to comment to CNN.\n\nWhen asked if the CIA was wrong to use Kim's half-brother as an asset if it did indeed do so, Trump said: \"I don't know anything about that. I know this, that the relationship is such that that wouldn't happen under my auspices, but I don't know about that. Nobody knows.\"\n\nJUST WATCHED WSJ: Kim Jong Un's slain half-brother was CIA source Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH WSJ: Kim Jong Un's slain half-brother was CIA source 01:19\n\nWithout going into specifics on the contents on the letter he had gotten from Kim, Trump said receiving it solidified the fact he has a good relationship with the North Korean leader, a claim he has repeatedly made over the past year.\n\n\"I just received a beautiful letter from Kim Jong Un ... I appreciated the letter,\" the President said.\n\nWhen asked whether there would be a third summit with Kim, Trump said he hoped so but did not want to get ahead of progress.\n\nLast month, Trump said he still believes North Korea \"would like to make a deal\" and left the door open for a third summit despite a new warning from Pyongyang urging the US to change the course of its negotiations \"before it is too late.\"\n\n\"I think they would like to make a deal and we would like to make a deal,\" the President told reporters during his recent visit to Ireland, adding that he looks forward to seeing Kim \"at the appropriate time.\"", "SEOUL, June 12 (Reuters) - A year after President Donald Trump and North Korea's Kim Jong Un met for the first time, they appear committed to a personal bond upon which hopes for peace appear to rest, despite a stalemate in efforts to get Kim to abandon nuclear weapons.\n\nTrump and Kim agreed at the first U.S.-North Korea summit in Singapore to work towards the complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula, easing fears of war between their countries.\n\nBut there has been little progress since then and tension has again been rising recently with North Korea resuming some limited testing of weapons and warning of \"truly undesired consequences\" if the United States was not more flexible.\n\nBut Trump said on Tuesday he had received a \"beautiful letter\" from Kim.\n\n\"I can´t show you the letter obviously, but it was a very personal, very warm, very nice letter,\" Trump told reporters outside the White House.\n\nTrump, who has tried to convert what he feels is a warm personal relationship with Kim into a diplomatic breakthrough, gave no details, but repeated that he believed North Korea had \"tremendous potential\".\n\n\"I think that something will happen that´s going to be very positive,\" he said.\n\nNorth Korea's state media has not mentioned any letter.\n\nThe optimism that the two leaders generated in Singapore all but evaporated in February when a second summit, in Vietnam, dramatically fell apart without even a recommitment to the general goals outlined in a statement signed in Singapore.\n\nSince then, North Korea has complained of U.S. sanctions and Kim said he would wait until the end of the year before deciding on whether to take a \"new path\".\n\nBoth sides have said they are open to talks but that the other side needs to change their policy.\n\nThe United States says North Korea needs to make verifiable progress toward giving up its nuclear weapons before any sanctions are eased, while North Korea says the United States has done nothing to reward steps already taken.\n\nIn the weeks ahead of Wednesday's anniversary of the Singapore summit, North Korean state media has repeatedly warned that the statement signed there was in danger of being rendered meaningless if the United States did not drop demands for North Korea to unilaterally dismantle its nuclear arsenal.\n\nAccording to the Singapore foreign ministry, North Korea's embassy there had been planning an event to commemorate the summit anniversary and invited Singapore officials. But it later cancelled the event.\n\nStill, North Korea has said it \"remains unchanged in its stand and will to cherish and implement in good faith\" the Singapore statement, which included vague promises to improve relations and eventually pursue the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.\n\nA third summit between Trump and Kim was possible but the ball was in Pyongyang's court, White House national security adviser John Bolton said on Tuesday.\n\nBolton said the United States was continuing its \"maximum pressure campaign\" because Kim still appeared not to have made \"a strategic decision to give up the pursuit of deliverable nuclear weapons.\"\n\nIn a briefing on Monday, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said North Korea is \"one of the toughest national security challenges\" but that U.S. officials are working \"diligently\" to follow up on North Korea's promise to denuclearise.\n\n\"There´s always ups and downs, and we remain confident that Kim Jong Un and his government will see a path for a brighter future for the North Korean people,\" she told reporters.\n\n\"And one year later, that´s what we are still aspiring to and still hoping for while noting, of course, that economic sanctions do remain.\"\n\nThose sanctions remain a key sticking point, with North Korea calling them illegal after the United States announced it had seized a North Korean cargo ship accused of illicit coal shipments in violation of sanctions.\n\nThis month, acting U.S. Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan gave Chinese Defense Minister Wei Fenghe a 32-page book of photographs and satellite images showing North Korean ships evading sanctions of China's coasts, in a bid to secure more sanctions enforcement by Beijing.\n\nIn May, Kim oversaw the test launch of new, short-range missiles while giving a cold shoulder to projects planned with South Korea.\n\nThe North's leader has maintained his efforts to build diplomatic ties with other countries, meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin in April.\n\nKim sent Putin a congratulatory message on Wednesday saying he believed that \"the common understanding and agreements made at our first significant meeting will bear rich fruits\". (Reporting by Josh Smith. Additional reporting by Aradhana Aravindan in Singapore Editing by Robert Birsel)", "US President Donald Trump says he has received a warm letter from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, calling the correspondence “beautiful”.\n\n“I think that something will happen that’s going to be very positive,” he told reporters at the White House, but gave no details. Washington is seeking to rebuild momentum in stalled talks with Pyongyang aimed at getting North Korea to dismantle its nuclear weapons program. Mr Trump and Kim last met early this year in Hanoi but failed to reach a denuclearisation agreement.\n\nMr Trump spoke a day after the Wall Street Journal reported that Kim’s slain half-brother, Kim Jong-nam, was a source for the US Central Intelligence Agency.\n\nKim Jong-nam was killed at the airport in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 2017. “I did receive a beautiful letter from Kim Jong-un … I appreciated the letter. I saw the information about CIA with respect to his brother, or half-brother. And I will tell him that will not happen under my … I wouldn’t let that happen.\n\n“A very warm, very nice letter,” Mr Trump said. “I think North Korea has tremendous potential.”\n\nMORE: Strange North Korean town no one visits\n\nHe did not rule out another meeting soon with Kim. Mr Trump is due to travel to Japan and South Korea later this month.\n\nMr Trump said Kim had thus far kept his promises not to test long-range ballistic missiles or conduct underground nuclear tests.\n\nIn May, North Korea conducted a “strike drill” for multiple launchers, firing tactical guided weapons in a military drill supervised by Kim.\n\nMr Trump said at the time that these launches did not pose a problem in his eyes, although his advisers called them a violation of UN Security Council resolutions.", "WASHINGTON: A third summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is possible but the ball is in Pyongyang's court, White House national security adviser John Bolton said on Tuesday (Jun 11).\n\nWhile North Korea had kept pledges not to conduct nuclear or intercontinental range ballistic missile tests, Bolton said the United States was continuing its \"maximum pressure campaign\" because Kim still appeared not to have made \"a strategic decision to give up the pursuit of deliverable nuclear weapons.\"\n\nBolton, speaking at a conference hosted by the Wall Street Journal, said it was \"entirely possible\" there could be a third Trump-Kim summit following their earlier meetings in Singapore and Vietnam. \"Kim Jong Un holds the key,\" he said.\n\n\"We are ready when they are, so it’s - any time that they want to schedule it,\" Bolton said.\n\nTrump and Kim's most recent meeting, in Hanoi in February, failed to result in a deal because of conflicts over U.S. calls for Pyongyang's complete denuclearisation and North Korean demands for sanctions relief. Since then, diplomatic efforts have stalled since, there are no signs of plans for a new meeting and North Korea conducted short-range missile tests last month.\n\nEarlier, North Korean state media called on Washington on Tuesday to \"withdraw its hostile policy\" toward Pyongyang or agreements made at the first Trump-Kim meeting in Singapore a year ago might become \"a blank sheet of paper.\"\n\nBefore their meetings, Trump and Kim exchanged insulting rhetoric but since then Trump has said they \"fell in love.\"", "US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he had received a very warm letter from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, calling the correspondence \"beautiful\".\n\nSpeaking to reporters at the White House, Trump added, \"I think that something will happen that's going to be very positive,\" but gave no details.\n\nWashington is seeking to rebuild momentum in stalled talks with Pyongyang, aimed at getting North Korea to dismantle its nuclear weapons programme. Trump and Kim last met early this year in Hanoi but failed to reach a denuclearisation agreement.\n\n\"I did receive a beautiful letter from Kim Jong Un ... I appreciated the letter,\" Trump said, adding that he thinks the country has \"tremendous potential\".\n\nTrump spoke a day after the Wall Street Journal reported that Kim's slain half-brother, Kim Jong Nam, was a source for the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Kim Jong Nam was killed at the airport in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 2017.\n\nThe newspaper cited an unnamed \"person knowledgeable about the matter\" for the claim and said many details of Kim Jong Nam's relationship with the US spy agency remained unclear.\n\n\"I saw the information about CIA with respect to his brother, or half-brother. And I will tell him that will not happen under my ... I wouldn't let that happen,\" Trump told reporters.\n\nThe US president did not rule out another meeting soon with Kim. Trump is due to travel to Japan and South Korea later this month.\n\nTrump said Kim had so far kept his promises not to test long-range ballistic missiles or conduct underground nuclear tests.\n\nIn May, North Korea conducted a \"strike drill\" for multiple launchers, firing tactical guided weapons in a military drill supervised by Kim.\n\nTrump said at the time that these launches did not pose a problem in his eyes, although his advisers called them a violation of UN Security Council resolutions.", "President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he has received another “beautiful letter” from Kim Jong Un and expressed openness to holding a third summit with the North Korean leader.\n\nIndicating that he continues to trust Kim, despite making little progress in efforts to get Pyongyang to give up nuclear weapons, Trump said the North Korean strongman “has kept his word.”\n\n“That’s very important to me,” he said at the White House.\n\nTrump did not divulge what was in the letter from Kim. He has described previous letters as “beautiful” and even said that he and the leader of one of the world’s most repressive countries “fell in love.”\n\nTrump has made history by meeting twice with Kim in a bid to lure North Korea into giving up nuclear weapons. However, US intelligence officials say Pyongyang has no intention of following through.\n\nDespite widespread perceptions that the last summit, held in Hanoi in February, was a failure, Trump said he would be open to an eventual third meeting.\n\n“It could happen but I want to bring it further down the line,” Trump said.\n\nWhite House national security adviser John Bolton is also backing a new summit.\n\n“We’re ready when they are,” he told The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday.", "Washington DC [USA], Jun 12 (ANI): US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said that he received a \"very beautiful\" and \"very warm\" letter from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un amid the stalled nuclearisation\">denuclearisation negotiations between the two countries.\n\nCalling the letter \"very nice\", Trump again highlighted his personal relationship with Kim and exuded confidence that an agreement could be eventually reached between the two sides.\n\n\"We have a very good relationship together,\" The Hill quoted Trump as saying while speaking to reporters at the White House.\n\nThe US President said that a third meeting with Kim could take place and said that Kim had \"kept his word\" and \"that's very important to me.\"\n\nTrump is set to attend the G-20 summit in Japan later this month and is scheduled to meet South Korean President Moon Jae-in.\n\nTalks between the two countries hit a roadblock after the second summit in Vietnam ended abruptly with no joint statement being released. The two sides reportedly failed to resolve their differences on sanction waivers.\n\nNo signs of thaw can be seen as yet, especially after North Korea tested multiple short-range missiles last month as a sign of their apparent frustration over the stalled negotiations and continuing sanctions.\n\nPyongyang has repeatedly insisted that the removal of penalties will help spur economic growth, whereas Washington has reaffirmed that sanctions will not be removed till the communist country completely stopped its nuclear weapons programme. (ANI)", "WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump cosied up anew to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Tuesday (Jun 11), praising a \"beautiful\" letter he received from Kim and appearing to take a public stance against the CIA spying on him.\n\nTrump told reporters at the White House, \"I think that something will happen that's going to be very positive,\" but gave no details.\n\nWashington is seeking to rebuild momentum in stalled talks with Pyongyang, aimed at getting North Korea to dismantle its nuclear weapons programme. Trump and Kim last met early this year in Hanoi but failed to reach a denuclearisation agreement.\n\nTrump spoke a day after the Wall Street Journal reported that Kim's slain half-brother, Kim Jong Nam, was a source for the US Central Intelligence Agency. Kim Jong Nam was killed at the airport in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in 2017.\n\n\"I did receive a beautiful letter from Kim Jong Un ... I appreciated the letter,\" Trump said. \"I saw the information about the CIA with respect to his brother, or half-brother. And I would tell him that would not happen under my auspices.\"\n\nTrump, who has described previous correspondence from Kim as \"beautiful letters,\" said the most recent one was a \"very warm, very nice letter.\" He repeated that he believes North Korea has \"tremendous potential.\"\n\nAfter exchanging insults and war-like rhetoric with Kim early in his presidency, Trump in the past year has repeatedly praised him. They have held two summits as Trump tries to convert what he feels is a warm personal relationship into a diplomatic breakthrough.\n\nTrump did not rule out another meeting with Kim. He is due to travel to Japan and South Korea later this month.\n\nTrump said Kim had thus far kept his promises not to test long-range ballistic missiles or conduct underground nuclear tests.\n\n\"He's kept his word to me. That's very important,\" said Trump.\n\nIn May, North Korea conducted a \"strike drill\" for multiple launchers, firing tactical guided weapons in a military drill supervised by Kim.\n\nTrump said at the time that those launches did not pose a problem in his eyes, although his advisers called them a violation of UN Security Council resolutions.", "On the eve of the first anniversary of his precedent-shattering summit in Singapore with Kim Jong-un, President Trump heaped fresh praise on the North Korean leader Tuesday even as critics, including some conservatives, complained that Pyongyang had made no real progress on denuclearization over the past year despite Mr. Trump’s intense personal diplomacy.\n\nFiercely protective of his administration’s signature foreign policy initiative, Mr. Trump rejected suggestions of applying more pressure on Pyongyang. He revealed to reporters that he had received a “beautiful” letter from Mr. Kim a day earlier and suggested a renewal of the stalled talks with the North Korean leader is in the works.\n\n“I can’t show you the letter, obviously, but it was a very personal, very warm, very nice letter,” Mr. Trump said.\n\nAsked about a Wall Street Journal report that Mr. Kim’s assassinated half brother may have been providing information to U.S. intelligence agencies, Mr. Trump said he never would have authorized recruiting family members of Mr. Kim as assets to gather intelligence on the opaque North Korean regime. The newspaper reported that Kim Jong-nam was traveling to Malaysia to meet his CIA contact before he was assassinated at an airport there in 2017.\n\n“I would never let that happen under my auspices,” the president said.\n\nThe anniversary of the one-day summit in Singapore — a second summit in Hanoi in February broke up abruptly with the two sides far apart on the future of the North’s nuclear and missile programs — has sparked a mini-industry of stocktaking. Mr. Trump noted again Tuesday that regional tensions are down sharply in East Asia and Mr. Kim has refrained from major weapons tests since the Singapore summit.\n\nBut skeptics say the North Korea crisis is following a long-familiar pattern in which Pyongyang seeks to ease its economic crisis while stringing along the U.S. and its allies with denuclearization promises that never materialize.\n\n“While there was much hope that Singapore would deliver results, it has, thus far, failed to do so,” Heritage Foundation Asia scholar Olivia Enos said Tuesday. “North Korea is no closer to denuclearizing than it was prior to Singapore, and human rights conditions in North Korea continue to deteriorate.”\n\nBruce Klingner, a former CIA Korea deputy division chief, added that “denuclearization negotiations with North Korea are at an impasse” and that “Kim Jong-un has been no more willing to abandon his country’s arsenal than his father and grandfather were.”\n\nMr. Klingner, a Heritage Foundation senior fellow, said the Trump administration has fallen short with its “maximum pressure” campaign against North Korea.\n\n“The Trump administration initially sanctioned more North Korean entities in its first 18 months in office than the Obama administration did in eight years,” Mr. Klingner said. “But like his predecessors, Trump has not fully enforced U.S. laws, including those protecting the U.S. financial system. For all its tough talk, the Trump administration’s ‘maximum pressure’ policy was never maximum.”\n\nThe administration rallied the U.N. Security Council to level the most extensive slate of economic sanctions to date against North Korea in 2017. Washington also has its own unilateral sanctions in place against certain North Korean economic sectors.\n\nU.S. officials last month announced the seizure of a North Korean ship accused of smuggling coal and heavy machinery in defiance of sanctions. Although officials noted in court documents that Indonesian authorities seized the ship in April 2018, many saw the move as a signal from the Trump administration that it could enforce sanctions more aggressively.\n\nThe ship seizure was revealed after North Korea carried out a wave of short-range missile tests. Pyongyang refrained from such tests during a period of diplomacy with Washington.\n\nAfter the failed summit in February, Mr. Trump said he had to walk away because the North Koreans demanded sweeping sanctions relief in exchange for only a limited commitment to destroy part of their nuclear arsenal. Pyongyang later challenged that characterization.\n\nSince Hanoi, the North Korean regime has resumed its heated rhetoric against U.S. policy and against many of Mr. Trump’s top aides while carefully refraining from attacks on Mr. Trump himself. In mid-April, Mr. Kim set a Dec. 31 deadline for the Trump administration to make a “bold decision” to change its negotiating stance if it wants a deal.\n\n“We don’t like — and we are not interested in — the United States’ way of dialogue … in which it tries to unilaterally push through its demands,” Mr. Kim said in the speech. “We don’t welcome — and we have no intention of repeating — the kind of summit meeting like the one held in Hanoi.”\n\nNorth Korean state media appeared to reiterate the statement last week with a message from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Pyongyang that said “there is a limit to our patience.”\n\nHowever, the message carried by the regime-controlled Korean Central News Agency also projected positive language about the Singapore summit. It referred to the meeting as a “momentous occasion of great significance in promoting peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.”\n\nNorth Korean press outlets repeatedly argue that it is the U.S. that has failed to live up to the commitments in the original Singapore declaration, which hinted at security guarantees for the North and a possible formal end to the Korean War of the early 1950s.\n\nWhite House officials declined to comment further on the subsequent letter that Mr. Trump claimed to have received this week from Mr. Kim. The letter would mark the first direct communication between the U.S. and North Korean leaders since their summit in Hanoi broke down three months ago without a deal.\n\n“We have a very good relationship together. Now I can confirm it because of the letter I got yesterday,” Mr. Trump told reporters. “And, I think that, you know, I think that something will happen that’s going to be very positive.”\n\nThe president went on to tout signs of progress with North Korea despite its short-range missile tests.\n\n“No nuclear testing, no major missile testing. Nothing like when I first got here,” Mr. Trump said as he left the White House en route to Iowa. “When I first got here, it was a bad mess.”\n\nThe president also touted North Korea’s return over the past year of American hostages and the remains of U.S. soldiers who perished in the Korean War. But the North has provided no remains after a set of 55 was turned over to the U.S. military a month after the Singapore summit. The Pentagon announced last month that it had halted talks on joint searches inside North Korea because of the diplomatic stalemate.\n\nMr. Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in are suggesting that a third Trump-Kim summit may be in the works, with the lure of economic aid too great for Mr. Kim to resist indefinitely.\n\n“I think that North Korea has tremendous potential,” Mr. Trump said. “The one that feels that more than anyone is Kim Jong-un. He gets it.”\n\nMr. Trump is set to meet with Mr. Moon in Seoul this month to discuss the next steps on North Korea after a visit to Osaka, Japan, for the Group of 20 summit.\n\nSecretary of State Mike Pompeo, meanwhile, brushed aside North Korea’s recent demands in an interview with The Washington Times, saying the Trump administration remains open to talks but that denuclearization is a non-negotiable end goal.\n\n“I hope we get another opportunity to sit down with them and have a serious conversation,” Mr. Pompeo said in the interview last week.\n\nThe secretary of state stressed that it was Mr. Kim who agreed to give up his nuclear arsenal at the Singapore summit a year ago.\n\n“They need to do what Chairman Kim said that they would do,” he said. “That’s been our posture since the beginning. We’re happy to talk about the best way to achieve that. We’re happy to talk about what the right tools and mechanisms are so we can facilitate that.”\n\nBut some national security analysts say the two sides have wide differences on what “complete denuclearization” would entail. Some argue that the North Koreans, as the price for giving up their nuclear arsenal, want the removal of the U.S. defensive nuclear umbrella from all of East Asia as well.\n\nDavid Maxwell, a retired Army Special Forces colonel and a North Korea analyst with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies think tank, said “the U.S. has been clear that it is ready to talk.”\n\n“Kim is the one who has not allowed substantive working-level talks since the Singapore summit,” Mr. Maxwell said recently.\n\nThere should be no third summit with North Korea “unless working-level negotiations produce some kind of substantive agreement,” he added.\n\n“We should not expect any substantive positive action from the North because Kim is still trying to recover from his failure at Hanoi,” Mr. Maxwell said, arguing that the best way forward for the Trump administration is to “sustain maximum pressure” against Pyongyang."], "summary": "U.S. President Donald Trump says he received a \"beautiful\", \"very warm and very nice\" letter from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. He added that Kim is \"keeping his word\" and not testing any kind of missiles. Earlier at a speaking event in Washington, National Security Adviser John Bolton said North Korea is not complying with the terms agreed upon during Trump's first summit with Kim in Singapore last year."}
{"document": ["There are many ways to describe just how one-sided the U.S. women’s national team’s 2019 World Cup opener was.\n\nThe most simplistic would be the score: USA 13, Thailand 0 – a record margin of victory at the Women’s World Cup.\n\nOr Alex Morgan’s individual tally: five goals, tying a tournament record.\n\nScroll to continue with content Ad\n\nBut no single stat can do this bloodbath justice. No single description can explain just how excellent and ruthless the U.S. was.\n\nThe Americans battered and bullied and outpaced and outplayed their overmatched opponents. And they never relented, turning a 3-0 halftime lead into an unprecedented thrashing.\n\nWhich wasn’t unexpected. But the extent of their dominance was still jarring. It was almost cringeworthy.\n\nIt was, in so many ways, the perfect World Cup start.\n\nAlex Morgan celebrates her and the USWNT's first goal at the 2019 Women's World Cup. (Getty)\n\nUSWNT’s breakout stars get their goals\n\nA matchup with Thailand was an ideal opportunity to ease World Cup debutants onto the big stage. Not that Lindsey Horan or Rose Lavelle needed to be eased into anything. But if there were any worries about nerves or overwhelming emotions, they were quickly quashed.\n\nLavelle, a 24-year-old attacking midfielder making her first start at a major tournament, nabbed her first World Cup goal in less than 20 minutes:\n\nYES WE WILL ACCEPT THIS ROSE! 🌹@roselavelle doubles the @USWNT lead with a sweet strike from distance 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/52BmByOjLw — FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 11, 2019\n\nHoran, whose unconventional path has led her to the top of the sport, got off the mark in the 32nd minute:\n\nStory continues\n\nIT'S THREE! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸@LindseyHoran pounces on the loose ball in the box off a Tobin Heath free kick. #FIFAWWC pic.twitter.com/73zdchSWeA — FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 11, 2019\n\nSam Mewis, another midfielder making her major-tournament bow, made it 4-0 shortly after halftime ...\n\nSam Mewis got the @USWNT’s second-half goal fest started with her 1st career #FIFAWWC goal 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/GgC19jlGAu — FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 11, 2019\n\n... and got her second minutes later:\n\nDREAM DEBUT FOR MEWIS! @sammymewy scores her 2nd goal of her #FIFAWWC debut for the @USWNT's 6th. 😱 pic.twitter.com/WhTAhnD6pR — FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 11, 2019\n\nLavelle capped off a seven-minute barrage with the USWNT’s seventh:\n\nLAVELLE AGAIN!@roselavelle matches Sam Mewis with a brace of her own and it is SEVEN for the @USWNT 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/aAA9DH643v — FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 11, 2019\n\nThe joy on all three of their faces was so genuine, so deserved, and so meaningful. Mallory Pugh, a 21-year-old winger, joined them on the scoresheet late in the day.\n\nHISTORY! 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸\n\n\n\nThe @USWNT ties the all-time record for biggest World Cup win as @malpugh gets in on the fun in her 1st #FIFAWWC game pic.twitter.com/C2NrVyH3L2 — FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 11, 2019\n\nNow that all those firsts are out of the way, and those emotions have been experienced, Horan and Lavelle in particular can be unleashed on the rest of the world. The U.S. might need both to star if it’s to defend its title.\n\nAlex Morgan gets five\n\nIt’ll also need Alex Morgan to be the striker we know she can be. And, well, Tuesday was a pretty good start in that department as well.\n\nMorgan got the scoring underway in the 12th minute, nodding home a precisely weighted Kelley O’Hara cross:\n\nThis one counts! @AlexMorgan13 scores her 4th career #FIFAWWC goal to give the U.S. the early lead on a @Kelleymohara assist. 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/hiCgNcLYbr — FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 11, 2019\n\nShe got a second in the middle of that early second-half flash flood ...\n\nThe rout is on!\n\n\n\nAlex Morgan’s 5th career #FIFAWWC goal gave the @USWNT a 5-0 lead on Thailand early in the 2nd half pic.twitter.com/idp7TgXoUB — FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 11, 2019\n\n... and a third a little over 20 minutes later:\n\nHeader ✅\n\nLeft Foot ✅\n\nRight Foot ✅@alexmorgan13 with a PERFECT hat trick at the #FIFAWWC 🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/xhzUklhBDD — FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 11, 2019\n\nAs if a hat trick wasn’t enough, Morgan put in a fourth, and the USWNT’s 10th, in the 81st minute.\n\nALEX MORGAN SCORES AGAIN\n\n\n\nHer 4th goal of the match makes it 1️⃣0️⃣ for USA 💪🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/Pq9zwbbhR4 — FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 11, 2019\n\nAnd then a fifth in the 87th.\n\nALEX MORGAN FOR THE RECORD! 😱😱@alexmorgan13's 5th ties Michelle Akers' single-game #FIFAWWC record ... and makes it 12-0 USA! pic.twitter.com/52Z0ePG6vI — FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 11, 2019\n\nMegan Rapinoe also scored. So did 2015 hero Carli Lloyd. The 10 goals in the second half were yet another Women’s World Cup record.\n\nAnd to be quite frank, the U.S. easily could have scored more than 13. Thailand, on the other hand, never even threatened to get one.\n\nJust how dominant was the U.S.?\n\nThe U.S., by the end of the 90 minutes, had peppered Thailand with 40 – FORTY! – shots. It put 20 of the 40 on goal.\n\nThailand, meanwhile, had two. And they were both hopeless.\n\nThe U.S. camped in the attacking half all game. Through 45 minutes, nine American players had 40 or more touches. No Thai player topped 40.\n\n#USWNT's first-half passing network.\n\n\n\nNaeher had five touches. Morgan had 22. Everyone else had 40+.\n\n\n\nThe top Thai player had 40 touches. pic.twitter.com/Ul1hqVAVMu — Paul Carr (@PaulCarr) June 11, 2019\n\nIn the second half, the action map was pretty telling:\n\nSo was a final-whistle shot map:\n\nxG Thailand - USA\n\n\n\nthat\n\nis\n\na\n\npaddlin pic.twitter.com/SjlCaqHMZU — Caley Graphics (@Caley_graphics) June 11, 2019\n\nThe U.S. started defensive midfielder Julie Ertz at center back to fit Mewis into the lineup. At times, it barely even played with any defenders – and the “defenders” who did hang back at the halfway line didn’t do much defending. The 4-3-3 base became a 3-4-3, and occasionally something resembling a 1-6-3.\n\nThen, as if to flaunt her riches, U.S. coach Jill Ellis brought Lloyd and fellow forward Christen Press off the bench. After Pugh entered as the third sub, the U.S. had three strikers and two wingers on the field despite being up double-digits.\n\nThe U.S. will have tougher tests ahead, starting with Chile on Sunday, then Sweden in the group finale. Opponents will get progressively stronger. France, the USWNT’s top challenger, likely awaits in the quarterfinals. A demolition of Thailand doesn’t tell too much about the Americans’ readiness for a game like that.\n\nBut Tuesday’s rout was nonetheless remarkable.\n\n– – – – – – –\n\nHenry Bushnell is a features writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Question? Comment? Email him at henrydbushnell@gmail.com, or follow him on Twitter @HenryBushnell, and on Facebook.\n\nMore from Yahoo Sports:", "Alex Morgan has 5 goals as US routs Thailand 13-0 in Women’s World Cup\n\nThailand was not a real threat to the U.S. national team. Even so, the three-time Women’s World Cup champions had no desire to go easy on a lesser opponent in their opening game in France.\n\nGoals matter in the group stage, where goal difference can determine group winners. And statements matter in soccer’s biggest tournament.\n\n“Obviously, we have the utmost respect for everyone we play, but it’s the World Cup,” said Redding native Megan Rapinoe, the U.S. captain.\n\nAlex Morgan tied a Women’s World Cup record with five goals and the United States opened with a historic 13-0 rout of Thailand on Tuesday night in Reims. Samantha Mewis and Rose Lavelle each added two goals for the United States, which broke the record for goals and margin of victory in a Women’s World Cup game.\n\nRapinoe, Lindsey Horan, Mallory Pugh and Carli Lloyd also scored. The previous record margin was Germany’s 11-0 victory over Argentina in 2007.\n\nMorgan tied Michelle Akers’ record for Women’s World Cup goals, set in the quarterfinals against Taiwan in 1991. The team’s seven different scorers also set a tournament record.\n\nLloyd, 36, became the oldest American woman to score at a World Cup and joined Germany’s Birgit Prinz as the only players to score in five straight World Cup games.\n\nThe United States faced criticism over its relentless attack. The Americans led 3-0 at the break and then broke the match open in the second half, with the players celebrating goal after goal.\n\nThe Americans meant no disrespect, said Morgan, but they simply wanted to position themselves for a run at a second consecutive title.\n\n“We really just came into the game really wanting to showcase ourselves,” Morgan said. “Every goal matters in this tournament and that’s what we were working on.”\n\nMorgan, U.S. Soccer’s 2018 Player of the Year, has 106 international goals.\n\nAt the final whistle, Lloyd and Stanford alum Christen Press consoled Thailand goalkeeper Sukanya Chor Charoenying. Morgan put her arm around Thailand’s Miranda Nild, who was wiping away tears on the field. Nild and Morgan both played college soccer for Cal.\n\nThailand, ranked No. 34 in the world, has shown progress on the world stage. Making its World Cup debut in 2015 four years ago, Thailand finished third in its group and earned its first win, a 3-2 victory over Ivory Coast.\n\nThe last time the Americans played in the sport’s top tournament, Lloyd had a hat trick in the first 16 minutes and the United States beat Japan 5-2 in Canada for the trophy.\n\nNext for the U.S. is Chile on Sunday in Paris.\n\nOther games: Also in Group F, Kosovare Asllani’s goal after a 40-minute weather delay late in the second half broke up a scoreless stalemate in Rennes and Sweden won its opener 2-0 and spoil Chile’s debut in the tournament. ... Jill Roord came off the bench and scored in stoppage time to give the Netherlands a 1-0 victory over New Zealand in a Group E opener in Le Havre.", "REIMS, France — Thailand was never a real threat to the U.S. national team. Even so, the three-time Women's World Cup champions had no desire to go easy on a lesser opponent in their opening game.\n\n\"Obviously we have the utmost respect for everyone we play, but it's the World Cup,\" said captain Megan Rapinoe.\n\nAlex Morgan tied the tournament record with five goals and the United States opened with a historic 13-0 rout of Thailand on Tuesday night. Samantha Mewis and Rose Lavelle each added a pair of goals for the United States, which broke the record for goals and margin of victory in a World Cup game.\n\nRapinoe, Lindsey Horan, Mallory Pugh and Carli Lloyd also scored. The previous record margin was Germany's 11-0 victory over Argentina in 2007.\n\nMorgan tied Michelle Akers' record for World Cup goals, set in the quarterfinals against Taiwan in 1991. The team's seven different scorers also set a tournament record.\n\nLloyd, 36, became the oldest American woman to score at a World Cup and joined Germany's Birgit Prinz as the only players to score in five straight World Cup games.\n\nThe United States faced criticism over its relentless attack. The Americans led 3-0 at the break and then broke the match open in the second half, with the players celebrating goal after goal.\n\nThe Americans meant no disrespect, said Morgan, but they simply wanted to position themselves for a run at a second consecutive title.\n\n\"We really just came into the game really wanting to showcase ourselves,\" Morgan said. \"Every goal matters in this tournament and that's what we were working on.\"\n\nAsked about the lopsided score, U.S. coach Jill Ellis wondered if a 10-0 victory in a men's World Cup would elicit the same questions.\n\n\"This is a world championship, so every team here has been fantastic to get to this point. And I think that to be respectful to opponents is to play hard against opponents, and as Alex said, it's a tournament where goal differential is important,\" Ellis said.\n\nThe two teams were the last to kick off in the group stage for the monthlong tournament. Host France opened the World Cup before a sellout crowd in Paris on Friday night with a 4-0 victory over South Korea.\n\nRanked No. 1 in the world, the Americans had dropped only one match in their previous 38, a loss to France in Le Havre in January. The team was 7-1-2 overall this year, with six straight wins going into the World Cup.\n\nThe last time the Americans played in the sport's top tournament, Lloyd had a hat trick in the first 16 minutes and the United States beat Japan 5-2 in Canada for the trophy.\n\nThe U.S. pounced early against Thailand, too, on Morgan's header in the 13th minute off Kelley O'Hara's precisely placed cross. Mewis, Lavelle and Horan were all making their World Cup debuts.\n\n\"When you get a deluge of goals like that, it's a good feeling,\" Ellis said. \"It builds confidence.\"\n\nThailand, ranked No. 34 in the world, was clearly outmatched even though the team has shown progress on the world stage. Making its World Cup debut in 2015 four years ago, Thailand finished third in its group but earned its first win, a 3-2 victory over Ivory Coast.\n\nAt the final whistle, Lloyd and Christen Press were seen consoling the Thailand goalkeeper. Morgan put her arm around Thailand's Miranda Nild, who was wiping away tears on the field. Nild and Morgan both played college soccer for the California Golden Bears.\n\n\"They were disappointed of course, they intended to make an impression in this first match and they were disappointed,\" coach Nuengrutai Srathongvian said through a translator. \"Yes, they are all athletes and they will be resilient. We've got two more games to play and we need to bounce back.\"\n\nSrathongvian said soccer in Thailand is still growing and there is a limited pool of players to draw from.\n\nThe World Cup comes at a time when female players across the globe are seeking better treatment, conditions and pay. The U.S. national team has long championed equal rights, and players collectively filed a lawsuit earlier this year that alleges discrimination by the U.S. Soccer Federation and are seeking pay equitable with that of the men's national team.\n\nThe players say the lawsuit is on hold while they're in France. But a pair of prominent well-wishers on Twitter referenced the team's pursuit of equality.\n\n\"The @USWNT is something to smile about. It was great to celebrate with them back in 2015 and I'm excited to root them on in their drive to earn their fourth star. Best of luck to these champions for equality, on and off the field,\" wrote former President Barack Obama.\n\nTennis legend Billie Jean King weighed in: \"The pursuit of a record 4th World Cup trophy for the #USWNT officially begins today, but the journey has been years in the making. You have the support of a nation behind you. Get that win, and then get the equal pay you deserve!\"\n\nEllis made some lineup moves for the match in the absence of defender Becky Sauerbrunn, whom the team said was held out as a precaution with a minor quad injury. Julie Ertz was moved to the backline and Mewis got the start in the midfield.\n\nMorgan, U.S. Soccer's 2018 Player of the Year, now has 106 international goals. Playing in her third World Cup, she was named player of the match.\n\nIt came close to the team's biggest rout ever. The U.S. beat the Dominican Republic 14-0 in a 2012 Olympic qualifier in Vancouver, British Columbia.\n\nUp next for the U.S. is World Cup newcomer Chile on Sunday in Paris. In the final group match before the knockout round, the Americans will travel to Le Havre to face nemesis Sweden, who they've been grouped with six times in World Cup play.\n\nIn the last meeting between the teams, Sweden ousted the United States in the quarterfinals at the 2016 Olympics. Afterward, former U.S. goalkeeper Hole Solo called Sweden \"cowards\" for bunkering on defense. Alyssa Naeher has since replaced Solo, who was dismissed from the team.\n\nSweden defeated Chile 2-0 earlier on Tuesday in Rennes, a match that featured a 40-minute weather delay.", "The USA has left Thailand devastated after a 13-0 win at the Stade Auguste-Delaune in Reims, France saw the Thai footballers leave the pitch in tears. The first Group F clash saw USA superstar Alex Morgen head in the first opening goal, before firing in astoundingly four more. Morgan was joined by team mates Rose Lavelle, Lindsay Horan, Sam Mews, Megan Rapinoe, Mallory Pugh and Carli Lloyd, adding up to 13 goals in total.\n\nWomen’s World Cup 2019 TV channel: What channel is the World Cup on?\n\nThe USA’s biggest win at the World Cup was previously a 7-0 victory over Chinese Taipei at the 1991 World Cup.\n\nThe 13-0 win is the biggest win ever in a World Cup match.\n\nWomen’s World Cup: Alex Morgan was named player of the match in USA-Thailand clash\n\nAlex Morgan is also the first player in Women's World Cup history with five goals and two assists in the same match.\n\nMorgan said after the game: \"Every goal matters in this tournament and that is what we were working on.\n\n“We were really clinical in the attacks we did get.\n\n\"I am speechless. The ball just bounced my way today and I am looking forward to the next game.", "Morgan has 5 goals as US routs Thailand 13-0\n\nREIMS, France (AP) — Alex Morgan tied a tournament record with five goals and the defending champion U.S. national team opened the Women's World Cup with a historic 13-0 rout of Thailand on Tuesday night.\n\nSamantha Mewis and Rose Lavelle each added a pair of goals for the United States, which broke the record for goals and margin of victory in a World Cup game. Lindsey Horan, Megan Rapinoe, Mallory Pugh and Carli Lloyd also scored. The previous record margin was Germany's 11-0 victory over Argentina in 2007.\n\nMorgan tied Michelle Akers' record for World Cup goals, set in the quarterfinals against Taiwan in 1991.\n\n\"We really just came into the game really wanting to showcase ourselves,\" Morgan said. \"Every goal matters in this tournament and that's what we were working on.\"\n\nAsked repeatedly about the lopsided score, U.S. coach Ellis wondered if a 10-0 victory in a men's World Cup would elicit the same questions.\n\n\"Getting off on the right foot is important,\" Ellis said. \"But we also feel like we've got more to do. So were going to stay humble and go back to work.\"\n\nThe two teams were the last to kickoff in the group stage for the monthlong tournament. Host France opened the World Cup before a sellout crowd in Paris on Friday night with a 4-0 victory over South Korea.\n\nRanked No. 1 in the world, the Americans had dropped only one match in their previous 38, a loss to France in Le Havre in January. The team is 7-1-2 overall this year, with six straight wins going into the World Cup and its seven different scorers against Thailand set a record for most in a Women's World Cup game.\n\nThe last time the Americans played on the world's biggest stage, Lloyd had a hat trick in the first 16 minutes and the United States beat Japan 5-2 in Canada for the trophy.\n\nThe U.S. pounced early against Thailand, too, on Morgan's header in the 13th minute off Kelley O'Hara's precisely placed cross. Mewis, Lavelle and Horan were all making their World Cup debuts.\n\n\"When you get a deluge of goals like that, it's a good feeling. It builds confidence,\" said Ellis.\n\nThailand, ranked No. 34 in the world, was clearly outmatched even though the team has shown progress on the world stage. Making its World Cup debut in 2015 four years ago, Thailand finished third in its group but earned its first win, a 3-2 victory over Ivory Coast.\n\nAt the final whistle, Lloyd and Christen Press were seen consoling the Thailand goalkeeper. Morgan put her arm around Thailand's Miranda Nild, who was wiping away tears on the pitch. Nild and Morgan both played college soccer for the California Golden Bears.\n\n\"They were disappointed of course, they intended to make an impression in this first match and they were disappointed,\" coach Nuengrutai Srathongvian said. \"Yes they are athletes and they will be resilient.\"\n\nThe World Cup comes at a time that female players across the globe are seeking better treatment and pay. The U.S. national team has long championed equal rights, and players collectively filed a lawsuit earlier this year that alleges discrimination by the U.S. Soccer Federation and are seeking pay equitable with that of the men's national team.\n\nThe players say the lawsuit is on hold while they're in France. But a pair of prominent well-wishers on Twitter referenced the team's pursuit of equality.\n\n\"The @USWNT is something to smile about. It was great to celebrate with them back in 2015 and I'm excited to root them on in their drive to earn their fourth star. Best of luck to these champions for equality, on and off the field,\" wrote Former President Barack Obama.\n\nTennis legend Billie Jean King weighed in: \"The pursuit of a record 4th World Cup trophy for the #USWNT officially begins today, but the journey has been years in the making. You have the support of a nation behind you. Get that win, and then get the equal pay you deserve!\"\n\nEllis made some lineup moves for the match in the absence of defender Becky Sauerbrunn, who the team said was held out as a precaution with a minor quad injury.\n\nJulie Ertz was moved to the backline for Tuesday night's game and Mewis got the start in the midfield.\n\nSauerbrunn, at her third World Cup, was a steadying force for the U.S. defense in Canada when the U.S. went 540 minutes without conceding a goal.\n\nMorgan, U.S. Soccer's 2018 Player of the Year has 106 international goals. Playing in her third World Cup, she was named player of the match.\n\nThe team's biggest margin of victory was a 14-0 win over the Dominican Republic in a 2012 Olympic qualifier in Vancouver, British Columbia.\n\nUp next for the United States is World Cup newcomer Chile on Sunday in Paris. In the final group match before the knockout round, the Americans will travel to Le Havre to face nemesis Sweden, who they've been grouped with six times in World Cup play.\n\nIn the last meeting between the teams, Sweden ousted the United States in the quarterfinals at the 2016 Olympics. Afterward, former U.S. goalkeeper Hole Solo called Sweden \"cowards\" for bunkering on defense. Alyssa Naeher has since replaced Solo, who was dismissed from the team.\n\nSweden defeated Chile 2-0 earlier on Tuesday in Rennes, a match that featured a 40-minute weather delay.", "The U.S. Women’s National Team just set the tone for the rest of the tournament after they beat Thailand 13-0 in their first match, breaking the record for the most lopsided victory in the history of the Women’s World Cup.\n\nThe U.S. entered the match with a 4-3-3 formation, with Alex Morgan, Megan Rapinoe and Tobin Heath (captain) leading the front line.\n\nThe USWNT dominated from the opening kickoff in Reims, France, scoring two goals in the first 20 minutes.\n\nAlex Morgan took the spotlight as the opening act when she scored the first goal within 12 minutes, followed by two more from Rose Lavelle and Lindsey Horan, and the U.S. squad finished the first half with 15 shots and 73 percent possession.\n\nThat lead ballooned in the second half when team USA scored four more goals in the span of six minutes, cementing a 7-0 lead, until Alex Morgan scored a hat trick for the eighth goal.\n\nMorgan eventually finished the game with five goals, tying the single-game record set by Michelle Akers in 1991.\n\nHer fifth goal put the Americans in the lead for the all-time records for both goals and margin of victory in a World Cup match, a record previously held by Germany when they beat Argentina 11-0 in 2007.\n\nHere is a look at Team USA’s opening XI and substitutions:\n\nWatch it on FOX\n\nWatch the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup on FOX from June 7 through July 7.", "Alex Morgan tied a World Cup record with five goals as the defending champion U.S. national team opened the Women's World Cup with a record-breaking 13-0 rout of Thailand on Tuesday night.\n\nSamantha Mewis and Rose Lavelle each added a pair of goals for the United States, which broke the record for goals and margin of victory in a World Cup game. Lindsey Horan, Megan Rapinoe, Mallory Pugh and Carli Lloyd also scored. The previous record margin was Germany's 11-0 victory over Argentina in 2007.\n\nMorgan tied Michelle Akers' record for World Cup goals, set in the quarterfinals against Chinese Taipei in 1991.\n\n\"We really just came into the game really wanting to showcase ourselves,\" Morgan said. \"Every goal matters in this tournament and that's what we were working on.\"\n\nThe two teams were the last to kickoff in the group stage for the monthlong tournament. Hosts France opened the World Cup before a sellout crowd in Paris on Friday night with a 4-0 victory over South Korea.\n\nRanked No. 1 in the world, the Americans had dropped only one match in their previous 38, a loss to France in Le Havre in January. The team is 7-1-2 overall this year, with six straight wins going into the World Cup and its seven different scorers against Thailand set a record for most in a Women's World Cup game.\n\nThe last time the Americans played on the world's biggest stage, Lloyd had a hat trick in the first 16 minutes and the United States beat Japan 5-2 in Canada for the trophy.\n\nThe U.S. pounced early against Thailand, too, on Morgan's header in the 13th minute off Kelley O'Hara's precisely placed cross. Mewis, Lavelle and Horan were all making their World Cup debuts.\n\nThailand, ranked No. 34 in the world, was clearly outmatched even though the team has shown progress on the world stage. Making its World Cup debut in 2015 four years ago, Thailand finished third in its group but earned its first win, a 3-2 victory over Ivory Coast.\n\nAt the final whistle, Lloyd and Christian Press were seen consoling the Thailand goalkeeper. Morgan put her arm around an opponent, who was wiping away tears on the pitch moments after the final whistle.\n\nThe World Cup comes at a time that female players across the globe are seeking better treatment and pay. The U.S. national team has long championed equal rights, and players collectively filed a lawsuit earlier this year that alleges discrimination by the U.S. Soccer Federation and are seeking pay equitable with that of the men's national team.\n\nThe players say the lawsuit is on hold while they're in France. But a pair of prominent well-wishers on Twitter referenced the team's pursuit of equality.\n\n\"The @USWNT is something to smile about. It was great to celebrate with them back in 2015 and I'm excited to root them on in their drive to earn their fourth star. Best of luck to these champions for equality, on and off the field,\" wrote Former President Barack Obama.\n\nTennis legend Billie Jean King weighed in: \"The pursuit of a record 4th World Cup trophy for the #USWNT officially begins today, but the journey has been years in the making. You have the support of a nation behind you. Get that win, and then get the equal pay you deserve!\n\nCoach Jill Ellis made some lineup moves for the match in the absence of defender Becky Sauerbrunn, who the team said was held out as a precaution with a minor quad injury.\n\nJulie Ertz was moved to the backline for Tuesday night's game and Samantha Mewis got the start in the midfield.\n\nSauerbrunn, at her third World Cup, was a steadying force for the U.S. defense in Canada when the U.S. went 540 minutes without conceding a goal.\n\nMorgan, U.S. Soccer's 2018 Player of the Year has 106 international goals. Playing in her third World Cup, she was named player of the match.\n\nAfter going into the break with a 3-0 lead, Mewis's strike deflected of a defender to put the United States up 4-0 early in the second half. And the rout was on.\n\nThe United States is one of just four teams to win a World Cup since the tournament started in 1991, joining Germany, Japan and Norway. The Americans have most titles of any country.\n\nUp next for the United States is World Cup newcomer Chile on Sunday in Paris. In the final group match before the knockout round, the Americans will travel to Le Havre to face nemesis Sweden, who they've been grouped with six times in World Cup play.\n\nIn the last meeting between the teams, Sweden ousted the United States in the quarterfinals at the 2016 Olympics. Afterward, former U.S. goalkeeper Hole Solo called Sweden \"cowards\" for bunkering on defense. Alyssa Naeher has since replaced Solo, who was dismissed from the team.\n\nSweden defeated Chile 2-0 earlier on Tuesday in Rennes, a match that featured a 40-minute weather delay.", "REIMS (Agencies): Holders the United States began their defence of the women’s World Cup trophy in style on Tuesday as Alex Morgan scored five times in an incredible, record-setting 13-0 destruction of hapless Thailand in Reims.\n\nTen of their goals came in the second half as the USA set a new mark for the biggest winning margin in a women’s World Cup match, bettering Germany’s 11-0 defeat of Argentina in 2007.\n\nRose Lavelle and Samantha Mewis netted twice each while Lindsey Horan, skipper Megan Rapinoe and substitutes Mallory Pugh and Carli Lloyd also found the net for the USA in an embarrassingly one-sided Group F encounter watched by a crowd of more than 18,000 at the Stade Auguste-Delaune.\n\nThe result also far outstrips the USA’s own record result in a World Cup match, which had been their 7-0 defeat of Taiwan in the quarter-finals of the first tournament in 1991. “We have to look at the group stage as every goal counts and it was important for us to continue to go,” said Morgan.\n\nShe was the star of the show, with her five goals in one game equalling the record for a player in a World Cup match set by her compatriot Michelle Akers, and taking her to 106 in total for her country on her 164th appearance. Morgan and her coach, Jill Ellis, dismissed suggestions that the manner of the victory was in any way disrespectful towards Thailand or embarrassing for the game.\n\n“This is a world championship so every team that is here has been fantastic to get to this point. To be respectful to opponents is to play hard against opponents,” said Ellis. “A lot of this is about building momentum, so I don’t find it my job to go and rein them in. “I respect Thailand, I celebrate that they are here, I spoke to some of them afterwards and just said keep your heads up. This is part of the growth of the game.”\n\nMorgan had an effort disallowed for offside inside five minutes but quickly made up for that by nodding in a Kelley O’Hara cross, before Thai goalkeeper Sukanya Chor Charoenying — standing at just 1.65m tall — allowed Lavelle’s shot to beat her at the near post. Horan smashed in the third in the 32nd minute, but the floodgates really opened in the second half as Ellis’s side scored four times in six minutes shortly after the restart.\n\nMewis bagged two either side of Morgan getting her second from close range, before Mewis squared for Lavelle to make it seven. Only after that did the legendary Lloyd, scorer of a hat-trick in the 2015 final and now 36, come on. There was a lull and it looked as if Thailand might avoid claiming an unwanted record, but the holders scored six more in the closing stages.\n\nMorgan got three more to equal the record of Akers set in that game against Taiwan in 1991, while Rapinoe, Pugh and Lloyd joined in too as spectators struggled to keep up with the scoring. The USA, who are aiming to win the trophy for the fourth time overall, now go to Paris where on Sunday they will face Chile, who lost 2-0 to Sweden earlier on Tuesday.", "The United States Women’s National Team made history with an incredible 13-0 win over Thailand in the Women’s World Cup last night.\n\nStar player Alex Morgan bagged five goals herself in the rout, which, according to Opta, is now the biggest World Cup victory ever, in both the women’s and men’s tournaments.\n\nMORE: Video: Lorenzo Insigne scores sensational goal to draw Italy level vs Bosnia\n\nIt was certainly a one-sided contest, with USA just running away with it in the second half despite only leading 3-0 at half time.\n\nThe USWNT are undoubtedly one of the strongest sides in this year’s competition, and Thailand one of the weakest, but few could have seen such a ridiculously one-sided contest coming.\n\nIt will be interesting to see how Alex Morgan and co. get on in the rest of the tournament, but this kind of start should be a major morale booster, though fans will hope it doesn’t lead to complacency.\n\nElsewhere in yesterday’s matches, the Netherlands beat New Zealand while Sweden came out on top against Chile.\n\nToday, Nigeria and South Korea meet in the afternoon while there are games between France and Norway and Germany and Spain in the evening.", "REIMS, France — Alex Morgan tied a World Cup record with five goals as the defending champion U.S. national team opened the Women’s World Cup with a record-breaking 13-0 rout of Thailand on Tuesday night.\n\nSamantha Mewis and Rose Lavelle each added a pair of goals for the United States, which broke the record for goals and margin of victory in a World Cup game. Lindsey Horan, Megan Rapinoe, Mallory Pugh and Carli Lloyd also scored. The previous record margin was Germany’s 11-0 victory over Argentina in 2007.\n\nMorgan tied Michelle Akers’ record for World Cup goals, set in the quarterfinals against Chinese Taipei in 1991.\n\n“We really just came into the game really wanting to showcase ourselves,” Morgan said. “Every goal matters in this tournament and that’s what we were working on.”\n\nThe two teams were the last to kickoff in the group stage for the monthlong tournament. Hosts France opened the World Cup before a sellout crowd in Paris on Friday night with a 4-0 victory over South Korea.\n\nRanked No. 1 in the world, the Americans only had dropped one match in their previous 38, a loss to France in Le Havre in January. The team is 7-1-2 overall this year, with six straight wins going into the World Cup and its seven different scorers against Thailand set a record for most in a Women’s World Cup game.\n\nThe last time the Americans played on the world’s biggest stage, Lloyd had a hat trick in the first 16 minutes and the United States beat Japan 5-2 in Canada for the trophy.\n\nThe U.S. pounced early against Thailand, too, on Morgan’s header in the 13th minute off Kelley O’Hara’s precisely placed cross. Mewis, Lavelle and Horan were all making their World Cup debuts.\n\nThailand, ranked No. 34 in the world, clearly was outmatched even though the team has shown progress on the world stage. Making its World Cup debut in 2015 four years ago, Thailand finished third in its group but earned its first win, a 3-2 victory over Ivory Coast.\n\nAt the final whistle, Lloyd and Christian Press were seen consoling the Thailand goalkeeper. Morgan put her arm around an opponent, who was wiping away tears on the pitch moments after the final whistle.\n\nUp next for the United States is World Cup newcomer Chile on Sunday in Paris. In the final group match before the knockout round, the Americans will travel to Le Havre to face nemesis Sweden, who they’ve been grouped with six times in World Cup play.\n\nIn the last meeting between the teams, Sweden ousted the United States in the quarterfinals at the 2016 Olympics. Afterward, former U.S. goalkeeper Hole Solo called Sweden “cowards” for bunkering on defense. Alyssa Naeher has since replaced Solo, who was dismissed from the team."], "summary": "The USA's 13–0 defeat of Thailand sets a World Cup record for margin of victory for either men or women, and Alex Morgan's five goals ties a tournament record."}
{"document": ["On June 13, just a day after a missile fired by the Iranian-backed Houthi militia hit Abha International Airport in Saudi Arabia, injuring 26 people, the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet came to the assistance of two oil tankers in a \"reported attack in the Gulf of Oman.\"\n\nThe ships were damaged near the Strait of Hormuz, a month after four tankers were sabotaged in the region in attacks attributed by the U.S. and its allies to Iranian forces or proxies.\n\nThe BBC quoted Wu I-fang, a spokesman for Taiwan's state oil refiner CPC Corp, which chartered one of the ships [the Norwegian-owned Front Altair] saying that it was carrying 75,000 tonnes of naphtha and was 'suspected of being hit by a torpedo', although this has not been confirmed. Other unverified reports suggested a mine attack.\"\n\nThe operator of the other ship, the Panama-flagged Kokuka Courageous, said \"its crew had been rescued by a passing vessel... The tanker was carrying methanol and was not in danger of sinking.\"\n\nIran's foreign minister Javed Zarif tweeted that \"suspicious doesn't begin to describe what likely transpired this morning,\" drawing links between the \"reported attacks on Japan-related tankers\" while Iran's Ayatollah Khamenei met with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe for \"extensive and friendly talks,\" implying that the attack was executed by others and was intended to cause issues for Iran. Zarif has accused Israel and Saudi Arabia of such false flag activities in the past.\n\nSpokesperson Josh Frey of the 5th Fleet said in a statement: \"U.S. naval forces in the region received two separate distress calls at 06:12 local time (08:12 GMT) and a second one at 07:00. US Navy ships are in the area and are rendering assistance.\"\n\nThere were varying reports of the vessels being ablaze, and even some reports in the Iranian press that one of the ships had sunk. Both vessels were evacuated and the crews were safe.\n\nOil prices rose 4% in response to reports of the attack.\n\nThese latest tanker attacks will escalate already rising tensions in the immediate aftermath of the attack on Abha International Airport. Responding to that attack, Saudi Arabia's Deputy Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman said \"appropriate measures will be taken to confront and deter these terrorist militias. We will stand against all those that aim to inflict harm on our security and interests, and we will continue to adhere to all international laws and norms to protect regional security and stability.\"\n\nAccording to the Arab News, \"the day before the attack, a spokesman for the Houthi military warned that the group planned to target every airport in Saudi Arabia and that the coming days would reveal 'big surprises'.\"\n\nPrince Khalid bin Salman added that \"the Iranian regime is the only party in the region that has been pursuing reckless escalation, through the use of ballistic missiles and UAVs to directly target civilian installations and innocent civilians. The continuation of the Iranian regime’s aggression and reckless escalation, whether directly or through its militias, will result in grave consequences.\"\n\nWith the airport attack being attributed to Iranian proxies, the question now is whether the same will be true for this latest tanker attack and, if so, what response that might prompt in the tinderbox region. The challenge for Iran is the extent to which it exercises genuine control over its regional proxies. And, as a result, the risk in the region remains that with tensions sky-high and military resources ramping up, the autonomous actions of a proxy might trigger a more serious skirmish. As I've written before, it would be foolish to think that anyone is in control of what happens next.", "Air strikes by the Saudi-led military coalition fighting in Yemen targeted an area north of the capital Sanaa on Thursday, Al-Masirah TV, a television station run by Yemen's Iranian-aligned Houthi group said.\n\nThe two strikes come a day after the coalition vowed to respond firmly to a Houthi missile attack on a civilian airport in southern Saudi Arabia on Wednesday that wounded 26 people.\n\nThere was no immediate confirmation from the coalition about the strikes.\n\nTwenty-six people were injured following the attack by Yemeni rebels at an airport in Saudi Arabia yesterday, prompting fresh tensions between Riyadh and its fierce regional rival Iran.\n\nA missile fired by Houthi rebels hit the airport's arrivals hall in the mountain resort city of Abha, according to Saudi officials, injuring passengers of different nationalities.\n\nThe Saudi-led coalition which is fighting the Houthis in Yemen immediately pointed the blame at Iran, saying Tehran had equipped the rebel group with 'advanced weapons'.\n\nA rebel TV network acknowledged the attack and said Houthi forces had fired a cruise missile.\n\nHow the Yemen conflict is a proxy for tension between Iran, the US and Saudi Arabia Yemen's civil war has been raging since 2015 and has global implications. On one side is a government-in-exile backed by Saudi Arabia, which in turn is an ally of the United States. On the other are the Houthi rebels, who also claim to be the legitimate government of Yemen. The Houthis are backed by Saudi Arabia's regional enemy, Iran. Tens of thousands of people have died and the UN says that most of the country's 29million people are in need of aid. The conflict has come to wider global prominence in recent months. First, the fallout from the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi last year strained relations between Saudi Arabia and the rest. It led to demands for Europe and the U.S. to stop providing arms to Saudi Arabia, some of which are used in Yemen. Second, the escalating tension between the U.S. and Iran has sparked fears that any sudden movement in Middle East politics could trigger a war. An attack on Saudi oil tankers last month, claimed by the Yemeni rebels, sent tensions spiralling as the U.S. blamed Iran for the act of sabotage. Donald Trump's White House has not ruled out military action against Iran, although both sides insist they do not want a war. Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said there 'won't be any war' while U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the U.S. 'fundamentally does not seek any war'.\n\nEight of those wounded at Abha airport were admitted to hospital, coalition spokesman Turki al-Malki said in a statement.\n\nHe said at least one Indian was among three women wounded along with two Saudi children.\n\nThe other 18 were discharged after receiving first aid. Flights from the airport, which is around 100 miles from the Yemeni border, were disrupted for several hours before returning to normal.\n\nThe attack is the latest flashpoint in long-running tensions between Saudi Arabia and Iran.\n\nThe rivalry is closely watched around the world because the U.S. is a close Saudi ally and any war with Iran could escalate into a wider conflict.\n\nAccusing Iran of arming the rebels, the Saudis said the attack 'proves this terrorist militia's acquisition of new special weapons' [and] the continuation of the Iranian regime's support and practice of cross-border terrorism.'\n\nThe latest violence 'could amount to a war crime of targeting civilians and civilian objects in a systematic manner', the Saudis suggested.\n\nThe coalition has vowed to 'take stern action' to deter the rebels and protect civilians.\n\nSaudi Arabia's ally Bahrain also condemned the attack, saying it was a 'cowardly criminal act against innocent civilians'.\n\nThe rebels acknowledged earlier that they had launched a missile at the airport in the Saudi city.\n\nOne Houthi spokesman, Mohammed Abdel-Salam, said the attack was in response to Saudi Arabia's 'continued aggression and blockade on Yemen.'\n\nThe latest Middle East flashpoint comes just weeks after the Houthi forces claimed responsibility for sabotaging Saudi oil tankers in the Gulf of Yemen.\n\nSaudi and UAE officials were tight-lipped about the extent of the damage but pictures showed at least one tanker with a hole in its hull.\n\nThe mysterious sabotage sent tensions spiralling in the Middle East as the U.S. blamed Iran and its allies for the attack - which divers said appeared to be the work of magnetic explosives.\n\nThe Houthis said the sabotage was meant to send a message to the kingdom to 'stop your aggression' on Yemen.\n\nThe rebels, who have faced persistent coalition bombing since March 2015, have stepped up missile and drone attacks across the border in recent weeks.\n\nThe incidents sparked fears of a Gulf war breaking out 'by accident' with the U.S. and Iranian militaries on high alert amid high tensions between Washington and Tehran.\n\nIranian leader Hassan Rouhani has threatened to abandon the 2015 nuclear deal with the West, which is faltering already after Donald Trump pulled out of it last year.\n\nThe U.S. deployed B-52 bombers and an assault ship to bolster an aircraft carrier in the region.\n\nTensions heightened further after two pumping stations on a major Saudi oil pipeline were attacked by explosive-laden drones, halting the flow of crude along it.\n\nToday Japanese leader Shinzo Abe will travel to Iran in an effort to ease tensions between the White House and Tehran.\n\nYemen's civil war has been raging since March 2015, with the Saudi-led coalition fighting Iran-aligned Houthi rebels in the Middle East state.\n\nAccording to the United Nations, 22 of the country's 29million people are in need of aid.\n\nAn air strike by the Saudi-led coalition that killed dozens of people in Yemen last August was branded an apparent war crime by Human Rights Watch.\n\nYemen has also witnessed two outbreaks of cholera and acute watery diarrhea since 2016.\n\nEarlier this year President Donald Trump vetoed a bill passed by Congress to end U.S. military assistance for the Saudis in Yemen.\n\nTrump has been under pressure over relations with Saudi Arabia since the kingdom was blamed for murdering dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi last year.\n\nThe columnist went missing on October 2 last year in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, where Turkey believes he was killed and then dismembered with a bone saw.\n\nKhashoggi, who had lived for a time in the U.S., wrote for The Washington Post and had been critical of the Saudi regime.\n\nRiyadh initially denied any knowledge of his disappearance before saying Khashoggi was killed after 'negotiations' to convince him to return to Saudi Arabia failed.\n\nSaudi Arabia's Crown Prince and de facto leader Mohammed bin Salman came under global suspicion over his possible role in the killing.\n\nThe kingdom later said the death penalty was being sought against five suspects, in an effort to distance the prince from the murder.", "(CNN) A missile fired by Houthi rebels struck the arrivals hall of an airport in southwestern Saudi Arabia on Wednesday, injuring 26 people, a Saudi official said.\n\nEighteen people were treated at Abha International Airport for minor injuries and another eight were taken to hospital, Turki al-Malki, spokesman of the US-backed Saudi-led coalition battling rebels in Yemen , said in a statement published on Saudi state media.\n\n\"Three women, a Yemeni, an Indian and Saudi and two Saudi children were amongst those injured,\" al-Malki said, adding that \"authorities are working on identifying the type of missile that was used in this terrorist attack.\"\n\nAccording to Houthi-run Saba News, a strategic guided cruise missile was used in the attack.\n\n\"In light of these terrorist and immoral transgressions by the Houthis, the coalition will take strict measures urgently and carefully to deter them,\" al-Malki said. \"This includes protecting civilians and civilian assets. The terrorist elements responsible for planning and carrying out this attack will be held accountable.\"\n\nRead More", "A total of 26 civilians were wounded in an attack on the Abha International Airport in Saudi Arabia carried out by the Yemeni Houthi movement, Saudi media reported Wednesda\n\nMOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 12th June, 2019) A total of 26 civilians were wounded in an attack on the Abha International Airport in Saudi Arabia carried out by the Yemeni Houthi movement, Saudi media reported Wednesday.\n\nMissiles hit the arrivals hall of the Abha airport in southwestern Saudi Aseer province, the Saudi Press Agency reported.�\n\nThere were nationals of India, Saudi Arabia and Yemen among those injured, the news outlet added. At least three women and two children were among those affected.\n\nTurki Maliki, the spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition of Arab states, which is conducting a military operation in Yemen, said that the coalition would take urgent measures to deter the Houthi attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure in the future.\n\nEarlier on Wednesday, Saudi Arabia repelled an attack of two combat drones launched by the Houthis, targeting the King Khaled Military base in the country's south.\n\nThe armed conflict in Yemen between government forces, led by President Abdrabuh Mansour Hadi, and the Houthis has been ongoing since 2011. It peaked in 2015, when the Saudi-led coalition joined the military action on the government's side. The United Nations has repeatedly called the Yemeni conflict the world's worst humanitarian crisis, with an estimated 24 million people - over 80 percent of the country's population - currently in need of aid.", "The Saudi-led Arab coalition confirmed Yemen's Houthi group launched overnight a \"terrorist\" attack against Saudi Arabia's Abha airport. At least 26 people who were in the arrival halls of the airport were injured at approximately 12.21am BST (2.21am local time), when the Houthis launched a projectile in the facility’s arrival area, the coalition spokesman, Colonel Turki al-Maliki, said in a statement carried on Saudi-owned Al Arabiya TV.\n\nEight of the people injured have been transferred to hospital, while 18 suffered minor wounds. Among those wounded in the attack, there are three women of Yemeni, Indian and Saudi nationality, and two Saudi children. The Abha International Airport itself has also suffered damages, according to Colonel Turki al-Maliki. READ MORE: Gulf CRISIS: Yemen rebels BOMB Saudi Arabian oil depot - missile shot down over Jizan\n\nThe Houthi group claimed the attack via the Houthi-run Masirah TV, adding the group launched a cruise missile attack. The coalition spokesman attacked this statement, saying it marks a “flagrant acknowledgement of responsibility for an attack against civilian targets in violation of International Humanitarian Law”. A similar attack with cruise missiles also confirmed the Houthis \"have obtained advanced weapons from Iran\", the spokesman added. The colonel also said this attack could amount to a war crime, as it targetted civilians rather than military forces, and pledged the coalition will carry out a \"firm\" response.\n\nColonel Turki al-Maliki vowed the coalition will take “immediate and severe measures to deter this terrorist militia in order to protect civilians and civilian facilities”. He continued: “The responsible terrorists will be held accountable for plotting and carrying out this terrorist attack,” he added. This aggression to the airport, which is approximately 125 miles north of the border with Yemen and serves domestic and regional routes, comes a day after Saudi Arabia said it intercepted two drones fired by the group, which controls a large part of Yemen, including the capital Sanaa.", "At least 26 people were wounded when a missile fired by Houthi rebels in Yemen struck a civilian airport in the south of Saudi Arabia, the Saudi government said yesterday.\n\nThe Iranian-backed rebels have fired many missiles into Saudi Arabia during four-year Yemen war but Wednesday’s attack was among the most serious.\n\nThe Houthis claimed responsibility for the missile strike, which they said was in response to the Saudi blockade on Yemen, and threatened to continue striking at Saudi airports.\n\nColonel Turki Almalki, a spokesman for the Saudi-led military coalition fighting in Yemen, said the coalition would take “urgent and timely measures to deter this terrorist militia”.\n\nThe missile struck the Abha International Airport, around 125 miles from the Saudi-Yemen border, at 2.21am, according to the Saudi government.", "Eighteen people were treated at Abha International Airport for minor injuries and another eight were taken to hospital, Turki al-Malki, spokesman of the US-backed Saudi-led coalition battling rebels in Yemen , said in a statement published on Saudi state media.\n\n\"Three women, a Yemeni, an Indian and Saudi and two Saudi children were amongst those injured,\" al-Malki said, adding that \"authorities are working on identifying the type of missile that was used in this terrorist attack.\"\n\n\"In light of these terrorist and immoral transgressions by the Houthis, the coalition will take strict measures urgently and carefully to deter them,\" al-Malki said. \"This includes protecting civilians and civilian assets. The terrorist elements responsible for planning and carrying out this attack will be held accountable.\"\n\nThe airport, which services flights within Saudi Arabia, as well as to Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, suffered from material damage, al-Malki said.", "A cruise missile strike on Saudi Arabia’s Abha International Airport launched from within Yemen has left at least 26 injured, officials in the desert kingdom have confirmed.\n\nHouthi rebels in Yemen said they carried out the attack on the airport, in south-western Saudi Arabia, using cruise missiles. The Houthi rebels said the attacks were in response to “continued aggression” in Yemen by Saudi Arabia.\n\nThe number of wounded represent the largest civilian toll since Saudi Arabia became involved in the civil war in Yemen.\n\nAccording to a Houthi military spokesman, the airport strike represents the beginning of a wider assault on Saudi as the group will target every airport in the kingdom. He said the coming days will reveal “big surprises”.\n\nThe Sun report: Saudi-led coalition fighting the rebels promised to respond to what they said was a war crime.\n\nAccording to Houthi-run Masirah TV, the rebels had launched a cruise missile attack on the airport, which is about 125 miles north of the border with Yemen.\n\nAnother Houthi spokesman, Brigadier General Yahia Sarie was quoted as saying that the missile hit and destroyed the airport’s traffic control tower. US-made air defense systems were unable to intercept the missile, he said.\n\nThe Saudi-led military coalition said, which has been fighting the Iran-aligned Houthis in Yemen, said it would make a “firm” response.\n\nA coalition statement, carried on Saudi-owned Al Arabiya TV, said a projectile hit the arrivals hall at Abha airport, causing material damage.\n\nThree women and two children were among the 26 wounded, who were of Saudi, Yemeni and Indian nationalities, it said.\n\nEight people were hospitalised and 18 sustained minor injuries, coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki said.\n\n“Targeting Abha airport proves that the Houthis have obtained advanced weapons from Iran,” the coalition statement said, saying the attack could amount to a war crime.\n\nThe attack comes amid tensions in the Gulf, which has seen a massive US military build up in response to what it says are Iranian threats.\n\nIn May a pipeline in Saudi Arabia came under attack from drones armed with explosives flown by the rebels.\n\nThe Houthis have repeatedly launched drone and missile attacks on Saudi cities, but two Saudi sources said this was the first time an Aramco facility was hit by drones.", "Pakistan on Wednesday strongly condemned the missile attack by Houthi militants at Abha airport in Saudi Arabia that resulted in 26 casualties\n\nISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 12th Jun, 2019 ) : Pakistan on Wednesday strongly condemned the missile attack by Houthi militants at Abha airport in Saudi Arabia that resulted in 26 casualties.\n\nAccording to the Foreign Office, Pakistan reiterated its full support and solidarity with the brotherly Kingdom of Saudi Arabia against any threats to its security and territorial integrity.", "DUBAI (Reuters) - Yemeni Houthi forces launched a missile strike on an airport in southern Saudi Arabia early on Wednesday which wounded 26 people, the Saudi-led military coalition said.\n\nThe coalition, which has been fighting the Iran-aligned Houthis in Yemen, said it would make a “firm” response.\n\nA coalition statement, carried on Saudi-owned Al Arabiya TV, said a projectile hit the arrivals hall at Abha airport, causing material damage. Three women and two children were among the wounded, who were of Saudi, Yemeni and Indian nationalities, it said.\n\nThe Houthi-run Masirah TV earlier said the Houthi group had launched a cruise missile attack on Abha airport, which is about 200 km (125 miles) north of the border with Yemen and serves domestic and regional routes.\n\n“Targeting Abha airport proves that the Houthis have obtained advanced weapons from Iran,” the coalition statement said, saying the attack could amount to a war crime.\n\nThe attack follows an armed drone strike last month on two oil-pumping stations in the kingdom that were claimed by the Houthis. Saudi Arabia accused Iran of ordering the attack, a charge that Tehran denies.\n\nA Houthi military spokesman on Tuesday threatened that the group, which has been battling the Saudi military alliance in Yemen for four years, would target every airport in Saudi Arabia and that the coming days would reveal “big surprises”."], "summary": "A ballistic missile fired by Houthi forces strikes the arrivals hall at Abha International Airport in Saudi Arabia, injuring 26 people."}
{"document": ["Out of the two terrorists who attacked the team, one has been killed\n\nFive Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel have been killed and two have sustained injuries after their patrol team was attacked by terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district. A police inspector and a civilian have also been injured in the firing.\n\nAccording to the reports, out of the two terrorists who attacked the team, one has been killed by security forces.\n\nThe soldiers who lost their lives in the line of duty have been identified as Ramesh Kumar from Haryana's Jhajjar, Nirod Sarma from Assam's Nalbari, Satendra Kumar from UP's Muzaffarnagar, Mahesh Kumar Kushwaha from UP's Ghazipur and Sandeep Yadav from Madhya Pradesh's Dewas.\n\nThe incident took place at KP Road in Anantnag. The terrorists fired at the team with automatic rifles and hurled grenades, news agency PTI reported.\n\nStation House Officer of Anantnag Police Station, Arshad Ahmed, was injured in the attack and has been shifted to Srinagar for treatment, the agency added.\n\nThe attack comes as the state administration is preparing for the annual Amarnath Yatra that would begin next month. The 46-day pilgrimage is scheduled to start from two routes, one of which passes from Anantnag.\n\nFormer Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti has condemned the attack.\n\n\"Strongly condemn the barbarous attack on security personnel in Anantnag. My heart goes out to families of our martyred CRPF personnel. Prayers for speedy recovery of those injured,\" she tweeted.\n\nOmar Abdullah, National Conference leader, also condemned the incident.\n\n\"Very sorry to hear about the attack on the CRPF personnel in Anantnag today. I unreservedly condemn this attack and pray for the souls of the departed. May the injured make a speedy and complete recovery,\" he tweeted.\n\nNearly 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were killed in a suicide blast carried out by Jaish-e-Mohammed in Pulwama district earlier this year. It later snowballed into an aerial dogfight between India and Pakistan.\n\nWith inputs from PTI\n\nGet Breaking news, live coverage, and Latest News from India and around the world on NDTV.com. Catch all the Live TV action on NDTV 24x7 and NDTV India. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagram for latest news and live news updates.", "A militant who attacked a forces party in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district on Wednesday has been killed, a CRPF official said.\n\nThree CRPF men were killed in the militant attack while a militant was also killed in retaliatory action, a CRPF official told Rising Kashmir.\n\nReports said another CRPF man and a girl, who were also injured in the attack, are under treatment at district hospital Anatnag while Station House Officer of Police Anantnag, who sustained bullet wound in chest, has been referred to Srinagar for specialised treatment.\n\nMeanwhile, GNS news agency reported that Al-Umar militant outfit claimed the attack.", "Two CRPF jawans were killed and five others were injured in a militant attack in Anantang in Jammu and Kashmir on Wednesday.\n\nMilitants carried out the attack on a busy road in Anantnag district of South Kashmir. The injured include an inspector of Jammu and Kashmir Police, officials said.\n\nThey said at least two militants attacked a patrol party of the CRPF on the busy KP Road in Anantnag with automatic rifles followed by hurling of grenades.\n\nTwo CRPF personnel died and five others injured, they said, adding the firing is still going on.\n\nOne terrorist was also killed in the gunfight.\n\nStation House Officer of Anantnag Police Station, Arshad Ahmed, was injured in the attack and has been shifted to Srinagar for treatment, they said.", "Five Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel and a militant were killed in an attack in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district on Wednesday.\n\nReports said that the militants opened fire upon a joint naka party of the state police and the CRPF near Oxford School at Khanabal-Pahalgam road today around 04:55 pm.\n\nThe fire was retaliated by the joint team, triggering a shootout, they said.\n\nMedical Superintendent, District Hospital Anantnag, said five CRPF personnel were brought to the facility. “Three among them succumbed,” he was quoted as having said by news agency GNS.\n\nStation House Officer Sadder police station Arshad Khan who had sustained a bullet injury in his chest was also shifted to Anantnag district hospital where from he was referred to Srinagar in critical condition.\n\nMedical Superintendent said that a girl was also brought to the facility with a bullet injury in her foot.\n\nA CRPF spokesman confirmed the attack. “Troops of B/116 deployed for law and order duties was fired upon by suspected vehicle borne militants,” said the spokesman.\n\nHe confirmed the deaths of three CRPF personnel and injuries to three others and the killing of a militant.\n\nReports said that the bodies of two CRPF personnel were shifted to District Police Lines Anantnag.\n\nMeanwhile, Al Umar militant outfit has claimed the attack, reported news agency GNS.\n\nThe attack comes months after 40 CRPF personnel were killed in a suicide blast in Pulwama, which had brought India and Pakistan close to a war.", "Two paramilitary CRPF men, who were injured in a militant attack in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district, succumbed to injuries on Wednesday.\n\nAn official said that two CRPF men succumbed to injuries at the district hospital Anantnag while one CRPF man is under treatment there.\n\nEarlier, a CRPF man was brought dead to the hospital.\n\nStation House Officer of Police Anantnag, who sustained bullet wound in chest, has been taken to Srinagar for specialised treatment. A girl was also injured and she is being treated at district hospital Anantnag\n\nPolice wrote on Twitter that there was an exchange of fire between forces and militants in Anantnag.\n\n“Area is under cordon,” police said.", "SRINAGAR, India (Reuters) - Militants killed five Indian paramilitary police on Wednesday in an attack on security forces deployed in a Kashmiri town, a senior police officer said.\n\nThree paramilitaries, a local policeman and a woman bystander were wounded, and one militant was killed when the police returned fire, he said.\n\nThe attack in Anantnag town was claimed by Al Umar Mujahideen, an Islamist militant group based in Kashmir. It was the deadliest in Indian Kashmir since February, when a suicide bomber rammed an explosive-laden car into a bus, killing 40 paramilitary police.\n\nThat bombing raised tensions between nuclear-armed neighbours India and Pakistan, part of whose border runs through the disputed, Muslim-majority region.\n\nSeparately on Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet agreed to extend direct federal rule over the state of Jammu and Kashmir.\n\nThe Himalayan region has been being directly governed by New Delhi since 2018, after Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) quit a regional coalition and called for federal authorities to take control.\n\nKashmir is claimed in its entirety by Pakistan, and Indian forces have struggled to quell a revolt there for decades.\n\nIndia blames Pakistan for fomenting the rebellion in its only Muslim-majority state, while Pakistan says it only provides moral support to the insurgency.", "A CRPF man was killed and four others including a girl were injured in a militant attack at KP road Anantnag in south Kashmir on Wednesday.\n\nPolice wrote on Twitter that there was an exchange of fire between forces and militants in Anantnag.\n\n“Area is under cordon,” police said.\n\nAn official said that a CRPF man brought dead to district hospital Anantnag while two other CRPF personnel, station house officer Anantnag and a girl were injured.\n\nHe said that the injured CRPF men and girl were being treated at district hospital Anantnag while SHO Anantnag, who has bullet wound in chest, has been taken to Srinagar for specialised treatment. Further details awaited.", "Security personnel near the site of fidayeen attack in Anantnag on Wednesday. (PTI)\n\nSRINAGAR: Five Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawans were killed and three other security personnel including a local police officer were injured in a sneak attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s southern Anantnag district on Wednesday evening.\n\nA militant was also killed in the security forces’ retaliatory fire whereas a woman resident received a bullet injury in her foot in the shooting incident, the officials said.\n\n“From the materials recovered, it is found that the militant was a foreigner,” said a statement issued by the J&K police here.\n\nThe officials said that two motorcycle-borne militants targeted a joint party of the J&K police and the CRPF’s 116th Battalion at a makeshift security barrier laid along the Khanabal-Pahalgam Road, about 60 kilometres south of summer capital Srinagar, at 4.55 pm. The assailants, they said, also hurled a hand grenade at the security forces’ naka party.\n\nIn the militant firing and ensuing brief encounter, five CRPF personnel received grievous injuries. They were rushed to Anantnag’s district hospital where three of them were declared dead on arrival. Two others succumbed to their injuries later. Three other injured CRPF jawans have been admitted to Srinagar’s 92-Army Base Hospital, a report said.\n\nThe police statement said that the CRPF jawans laid down their lives “while repulsing a terrorist attack”. The authorities said that the security in the area was beefed up further recently in view of the upcoming Amarnath yatra.\n\nThe slain jawans have been identified as Assistant Sub-Inspector Neeru Sharma and Ramesh Kumar and Constables Santinder Kumar, M. K. Kushwa and Mahesh Kumar.\n\nThe officials said that the Station House Officer of Anantnag’s Saddar Police Station Arshad Ahmed Khan who received a bullet injury in his chest has been shifted to Srinagar for specialized treatment from Anantnag’s district hospital whereas local resident Ms. Sanober who was also injured is being treated locally. The hospital sources said that she sustained bullet injury in her foot and is out of danger.\n\nThe police said that an AK series rifle in the use of the militant who was killed in the security forces’ retaliatory fire has been recovered from the scene of the occurrence.\n\nA CRPF spokesman here said that the attack took place on the men of the force’s 116th Battalion deployed near Oxford School along the Khanabal-Pahalgam road for law and order duties.\n\nAccording to a local news agency GNS, Al-Umar Mujahideen outfit has claimed responsibility for carrying out the attack.\n\nSoon after the incident, clashes broke out between irate crowds of youth and the security forces in the area, the witnesses said. The security forces fired teargas canisters to quell the protesters and stone-pelting mobs, the witnesses added. The mobile internet services in the district have been withdrawn amid rising tensions.\n\nWednesday’s attack comes weeks after a Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) suicide bomber had targeted a CRPF convoy in neighbouring Pulwama district. In the February 14 attack, as many as 42 CRPF jawans were killed and several others injured.\n\nThe authorities here said that the security forces have in their tough campaign against the separatist militants killed as many as 115 of them including eight commanders, so far, this year. Out of these, 38 belonged to JeM and others were associated with Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, Lashkar-e-Tayyaba, ISIS or Daesh, Ansar Ghazwatul Hind (Al-Qaeda’s India cell) and Al-Badr Mujahideen.\n\nAs many as 68 security personnel also laid down their lives while fighting militants or in their attacks whereas seventeen civilians lost their lives in violence.", "A CRPF soldier was killed and five others were seriously injured in a major suicide attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district on Wednesday. At least two militants also died in the fidayeen attack.\n\nSources told International Business Times, India, that a group of militants attacked a police patrolling party at the busy KP Road and there could be more casualties.\n\nThe Station House Officer of the Anantnag police station was also injured. This is the major terror attack after the suicide bombing on a bus ferrying CRPF soldiers in Pulwama district on February 14.", "SRINAGAR: Two Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawans attain martyrdom and four others were injured in a militant attack in south Kashmir district of Anantnag on Wednesday.\n\n According to official sources, militants attacked a CRPF patrolling party on KP road in Anantnag, resulting in injuries to six jawans. “The jawans were immediately rushed to a hospital where two of them were declared brought dead,” they said.\n\n The exchange of fire between militants and security forces was still going on when reports last came in.\n\n “Additional security forces have been rushed to cordon-off the area to foil any attempts by militants to escape,” the sources added.\n\n (AGENCIES)"], "summary": "Militants kill five Indian paramilitary police in Anantnag district. Three paramilitaries, a local policeman and a woman bystander are wounded, and one militant is killed."}
{"document": ["Image copyright AFP Image caption Some stall vendors returned to work on Tuesday - but most businesses remained closed\n\nProtest and military leaders in Sudan have agreed to resume talks soon, an Ethiopian mediator says.\n\nSeparately, an opposition alliance agreed to suspend its campaign of civil disobedience and widespread strikes.\n\nThe army - which has been in control since long-time President Omar al-Bashir was ousted in April - has agreed to release political prisoners, special envoy Mahmoud Dirir told reporters.\n\nPro-democracy protesters are demanding a return to civilian government.\n\nTalks broke down after dozens of protesters were killed in a crackdown on a sit-in on 3 June. Since then much of the country has been shut down after the opposition called for an open-ended strike.\n\nDoctors say 118 people have died in the recent outbreak of violence, while officials say there were fewer fatalities – putting the number at 61.\n\nSoldiers have patrolled the streets of Sudanese towns since then, while most businesses have remained closed.\n\nWhat happens now?\n\nOn Tuesday, the Ethiopian mediator between the two sides said that talks on restoring a civilian administration would begin soon.\n\nThe army has agreed to release political prisoners as a confidence-building measure, Mahmoud Dirir said.\n\nThe opposition Alliance for Freedom and Change issued a statement urging people to return to work on Wednesday.\n\nThe Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA), which called the strikes in the first place, backed the temporary suspension and urged people to return to work for the time being.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Driving around deserted Khartoum\n\nSome shops and services had already started to re-open, mostly among small businesses and daily wage earners who could not afford to remain closed.\n\nWhat kind of deal could be struck?\n\nMilitary leaders have yet to formally confirm the return to talks.\n\nBut a member of the Transitional Military Council (TMC), Salah Abdelkhalek, told BBC Arabic that it might agree to \"equal\" power sharing with the opposition.\n\nHowever, he said the TMC was adamant that the head of the new council should be from the military.\n\nImage copyright Reuters Image caption The strikes had shuttered many businesses\n\nHe also said that some military officers had been responsible for the 3 June crackdown, and said hundreds of soldiers, including officers, had been arrested – and endorsed the idea of an international inquiry into the violence.\n\nBut he added the TMC was willing to negotiate without preconditions.\n\nEarlier on Tuesday, the top US diplomat for Africa announced a trip to Sudan to urge both sides to resume talks.\n\nNews of the return to talks followed the intervention of Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who met both sides to try and break the impasse.\n\nThere are some reports suggesting that Mr Abiy proposed a 15-member ruling council for the transitional period, made up of eight civilians and seven military officials.\n\nAs ever in this story, scepticism is necessary. The Ethiopian assertion that talks will resume \"soon\" depends on what is meant by soon.\n\nThe opposition Forces for Freedom and Change insist they are not about to return to the negotiating table. For now, any contact between both sides will take place via international mediators.\n\nIt is negotiation of a sort – but the opposition insists that before face to face talks begin, six conditions need to be met:\n\nremoval of military from streets\n\ninternational investigation into the killings\n\nrelease of all detainees\n\nreturn of internet\n\nfreedom of the press\n\nTransitional Military Council to take responsibility for the assault on the protest zone\n\nSo far they have only the promise of prisoner releases. But any negotiation - even if it happens soon - will circle back to the same issue: will the military cede power to a civilian government? Nothing about the generals' actions has indicated that this is an imminent possibility.\n\nThe fear is that they will use any negotiations to try to divide the opposition while security pressure is maintained on the streets.", "Sudan’s opposition calls off campaign of civil disobedience and strikes", "CAIRO (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 12th June, 2019) The biggest Sudanese opposition movement Forces for the Declaration of Freedom and Change declared on Tuesday an end to the civil disobedience campaign after calls for a return to dialogue, the movement's member, Moataz Mohamed Saleh, told the Al Hadath broadcaster on Tuesday.\n\nLast week, the Forces for the Declaration of Freedom and Change announced a permanent disobedience campaign, which paralyzed the country for three days. Currently, Ethiopian special envoy for Sudan Mahmoud Drir is in Sudan, attempting to revive dialogue between the opposition and military authorities.\n\nAt the same time a special representative of the Ethiopian prime minister said at a press conference that the Transitional Military Council (TMC) had agreed to release political prisoners in exchange for the opposition's decision to stop the disobedience campaign.\n\nLong-standing popular protests in Sudan culminated in a military coup on April 11, when then-President Omar Bashir was overthrown and detained. TMC took over and pledged to organize a new presidential election within two years. The protesters have meanwhile remained in the streets demanding that the military yield power to a civilian authority.", "Khartoum: Protest leaders have agreed to end a campaign of civil disobedience launched after a deadly crackdown on demonstrators and to resume talks with Sudan's ruling generals, an Ethiopian mediator said on Tuesday.\n\nThe apparent breakthrough, which the military rulers had yet to confirm, came as a top US diplomat prepared to embark on a mission to press the generals to halt the crackdown on protesters demanding civilian rule.\n\nSudan has been led by a military council since it toppled autocratic president Omar al-Bashir on 11 April after months of nationwide protests against his iron-fisted rule of three decades. Following Bashir's removal, protesters camped outside military headquarters in Khartoum for weeks to demand civilian rule, before security and paramilitary forces dispersed them in a 3 June crackdown that killed dozens.\n\nThe protest movement launched a campaign of civil disobedience on Sunday, and most businesses stayed closed and residents hunkered indoors for the next three days. It had threatened to pile even more pressure on the generals by releasing a list of members for a new ruling body — the key point of dispute between the two sides.\n\nBut they agreed to end the campaign and return to talks, said an envoy of Ethiopian prime minister Abiy Ahmed.\n\n\"The Alliance for Freedom and Change agreed to end the civil disobedience (campaign) from today,\" Mahmoud Drir, who has been mediating between the two sides since Ahmed visited Khartoum last week. Both sides have also agreed to resume talks soon,\" he told reporters.\n\nThe protest movement itself said in a statement that it was calling on people \"to resume work from Wednesday\".\n\nThe UN Security Council called on all sides \"to continue working together towards a consensual solution to the current crisis\" and voiced support for African-led diplomatic efforts. The council also called for an immediate halt to attacks against civilians and stressed the importance of upholding human rights — a week after Russia and China blocked a similar draft statement on the crisis.\n\nShops and businesses closed during Eid\n\n \n\n In Khartoum, the protest strike saw most shops and businesses remain closed with some companies extending to the end of the week the Eid al-Fitr holidays marking the end of Ramadan. The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) were accused of having played the lead role in last week's crackdown patrolled districts in their trademark pickup trucks fitted with heavy machine guns.\n\n\"We are now getting used to living with guns as we are seeing so many of these men walking into restaurants with their weapons,\" one resident said as a group of RSF members entered an eatery.\n\nIn the northern district of Bahari, a hotbed of unrest where protesters had put up roadblocks in the past few weeks, most shops were closed on Tuesday but there were no barricades to be seen, an AFP correspondent reported. Demonstrators declared their nationwide shutdown a success. \"This shows clearly what we can do, and also in a peaceful way,\" said Ishraga Mohamed.\n\nProtest leaders vowed to name a new ruling body to replace the generals. \"The Alliance for Freedom and Change will reveal its sovereign council and a prime minister in an announcement to be made at a suitable time,\" the Sudanese Professionals Association, a key member of the umbrella protest movement, said late on Monday.\n\nThe crackdown came after negotiations between protest leaders and the generals collapsed late last month over who should lead the new governing body — a civilian or a soldier.\n\nUS calls for an end of attacks against civilians\n\nThe US assistant secretary of state for African affairs, Tibor Nagy, plans to meet both the generals and protest leaders in Khartoum, the state department said. He is to leave on the trip on Wednesday and also visit Addis Ababa to discuss the Sudan crisis with Ethiopian leaders and the African Union. \"He will call for a cessation of attacks against civilians and urge parties to work toward creating an enabling environment\" for talks to resume, the state department said.\n\nThe United States has led calls for a civilian-led transition even as its Arab allies Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have backed the generals. The military-led government blamed deteriorating conditions in Khartoum on the disobedience campaign.\n\n\"We are appealing to those who blocked the roads to open them for all the sick people... since many people lost their lives because they cannot reach the hospital,\" senior Health ministry official Mohamed Altom told reporters.\n\nHollywood star and activist George Clooney urged the international community to take action against the generals behind the crackdown. \"By creating significant financial consequences for regime leaders and their commercial collaborators, diplomats from Africa, Europe and the United States will be able to influence the cost-benefit calculus of Khartoum's generals,\" he wrote in a joint op-ed piece with former US official John Prendergast.\n\nMeanwhile, a doctors committee linked to the protests accused the Janjaweed militia of shooting dead nine people on Monday in the Darfur region of western Sudan.\n\nYour guide to the latest cricket World Cup stories, analysis, reports, opinions, live updates and scores on https://www.firstpost.com/firstcricket/series/icc-cricket-world-cup-2019.html. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram or like our Facebook page for updates throughout the ongoing event in England and Wales.", "The Sudanese opposition and the Transitional Military Council have agreed to resume dialogue to resolve the current political crisis, a day after the suspension of civil disobedience in the country, the Ethiopian envoy to Sudan said.\n\nEthiopian Prime Minister’s special envoy to Sudan, Mahmoud Drir said that talks on the formation of a Transitional Governing Council “will begin soon”, explaining that the Sudanese military council has agreed to release political prisoners “as a confidence building step” after the opposition agreed to suspend protests.\n\nIn the early hours of 3 June, the Sudanese security forces stormed a sit-in in central Khartoum, forcibly removing it, according to opposition forces. The Sudanese Central Committee of Doctors reported that the death toll had reached 108.\n\nSince then the military leadership has been accused of using militias to intimidate protesters. Women’s rights campaigner and activist Nahid Jabrallah told the German publication Deutsche Welle that the Rapid Support Forces, part of Sudan’s security services, raped numerous Sudanese women and men as they violently dispersed a pro-democracy sit-in outside the military headquarters in Khartoum last week.\n\nA black out has now been reported in the country with protesters unable to use mobile phones to go online, limiting the information which is now able to flow out of Sudan.\n\nREAD: Sudan will not be silenced", "Leaders of Sudan’s Alliance for Freedom and Change have agreed to end civil disobedience from Tuesday, three days after its launch.\n\nMahmoud Drir, who has been mediating since a visit by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed confirmed in his statement to the press on Tuesday.\n\n‘‘They agreed to uphold what they have agreed upon before the suspension of the negotiations regarding the structures, powers, responsibilities of the transitional government’‘, he said.\n\n‘‘Talks will resume soon in good faith to iron out outstanding points, including the sovereign council and other relevant matters’‘, he added.\n\nThe two warring sides agreed to also resume talks on the handover of power to a civilian authority.\n\nThe Alliance for Freedom and Change, in a separate statement also confirmed the end to the civil disobedience, calling on the Sudanese “to return to work on Wednesday”.\n\nThe civil disobedience campaign was launched after a crackdown on demonstrators by the military.", "Sudan talks to resume soon as opposition halts strikes, says mediator\n\nProtest and military leaders in Sudan have agreed to resume talks soon, an Ethiopian mediator says.\n\nSeparately, an opposition alliance agreed to suspend its campaign of civil disobedience and widespread strikes.\n\nThe army – which has been in control since long-time President Omar al-Bashir was ousted in April – has agreed to release political prisoners, special envoy Mahmoud Dirir told reporters.\n\nTalks broke down after dozens of protesters were killed in a crackdown on a sit-in on 3 June. Since then much of the country has been shut down after the opposition called for an open-ended strike.\n\nDoctors say 118 people have died in the recent outbreak of violence, while officials say there were fewer fatalities – putting the number at 61.\n\nSoldiers have patrolled the streets of Sudanese towns since then, while most businesses have remained closed.\n\nWhat happens now?\n\nOn Tuesday, the Ethiopian mediator between the two sides said that talks on restoring a civilian administration would begin soon.\n\nThe army has agreed to release political prisoners as a confidence-building measure, Mahmoud Dirir said.\n\nThe opposition Alliance for Freedom and Change issued a statement urging people to return to work on Wednesday.\n\nThe Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA), which called the strikes in the first place, backed the temporary suspension and urged people to return to work for the time being.\n\nSome shops and services had already started to re-open, mostly among small businesses and daily wage earners who could not afford to remain closed.\n\nWhat kind of deal could be struck?\n\nMilitary leaders have yet to formally confirm the return to talks.\n\nBut a member of the Transitional Military Council (TMC), Salah Abdelkhalek, told BBC Arabic that it might agree to “equal” power sharing with the opposition.\n\nHowever, he said the TMC was adamant that the head of the new council should be from the military.\n\nHe also said that some military officers had been responsible for the 3 June crackdown, and said hundreds of soldiers, including officers, had been arrested – and endorsed the idea of an international inquiry into the violence.\n\nBut he added the TMC was willing to negotiate without preconditions.\n\nEarlier on Tuesday, the top US diplomat for Africa announced a trip to Sudan to urge both sides to resume talks.\n\nNews of the return to talks followed the intervention of Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, who met both sides to try and break the impasse.\n\nThere are some reports suggesting that Mr Abiy suggested a 15-member ruling council for the transitional period, made up eight civilians and seven military officials. BBC News", "AFP | Locals set tyres on fire and block a sidestreet leading to their neighbourhood in the Sudanese capital Khartoum to stop military vehicles from driving through the area on June 4, 2019.\n\nProtest leaders have agreed to end their civil disobedience campaign launched after a crackdown on demonstrators and resume talks with Sudan’s ruling generals, an Ethiopian mediator said Tuesday.\n\n“The Alliance for Freedom and Change agreed to end the civil disobedience (campaign) from today,” Mahmoud Drir, who has been mediating since a visit by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed last week, told reporters.\n\n“Both sides have also agreed to resume talks soon” on a handover of power to a civilian administration, he said.\n\nThe protest movement itself said in a statement that it was calling on people “to resume work from Wednesday”.\n\n“The TMC (Transitional Military Council) as a goodwill gesture has agreed to release all political detainees,” Drir added, without giving details.\n\nProtest leaders launched a nationwide civil disobedience campaign from Sunday after a June 3 crackdown on a weeks-long sit-in had left dozens of people dead.\n\nThousands of protesters had camped for weeks outside the army headquarters in Khartoum demanding that the ruling generals step down and hand power to a civilian administration - the key demand of demonstrators.\n\nThe generals seized power after the army ousted longtime ruler Omar al-Bashir on April 11 following months of nationwide protests against his iron-fisted rule of three decades.\n\nDoctors close to the protest movement say at least 118 people have been killed since the June 3 crackdown.\n\nThe health ministry acknowledges that 61 people were killed on June 3 across Sudan, including 49 by “live ammunition” in the capital.", "KHARTOUM, June 11 (Reuters) - Sudan’s military and opposition groups have agreed to resume talks on the formation of a transitional council, an Ethiopian envoy said on Tuesday, as an opposition alliance said it was suspending its campaign of civil disobedience and strikes.\n\nThe steps appeared to show a softening of positions after talks between the two sides collapsed following the violent dispersal of a protest sit-in on June 3.\n\nThe crackdown, in which dozens of people were killed, dealt a big setback to hopes of a transition towards democratic elections following the overthrow of veteran leader Omar al-Bashir in April.\n\nThe alliance said in a statement it would suspend the strike from Wednesday until further notice, though it encouraged people to remain mobilized for possible further action.\n\nOpposition leader Khaled Omar struck a cautious note, saying in comments to Al Hadath TV that the suspension of the campaign was “not tied to any specific political developments.”\n\nYasir Arman, one of three officials from the southern SPLM-Nrebel movement who were detained and then deported to SouthSudan after the breakdown of talks, said the military council did not want to cede power.\n\n“My experience in Khartoum is that the military council wanted to divide the oppositions, to have a deal with them that will keep them in power,” Arman told Reuters in Juba a day after saying he had been tied up and flown out of Khartoum on a military helicopter.\n\nAfter the military ousted and arrested Bashir on April 11, following months of protests, talks became deadlocked over who would control a sovereign council that would oversee a three-year transition towards elections.\n\nA leader of the DFCF opposition alliance said on Monday night that the group had decided to name eight members to the council and nominate Abdullah Hamdouk, a former executive secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, as prime minister.\n\nThe bloodshed in Sudan has prompted concern from world powers including the United States, which announced on Monday it was sending its senior diplomat for Africa to Khartoum this week to push for a resumption of talks.\n\nStability in the nation of 40 million is crucial for a volatile region struggling with conflict and insurgencies from the Horn of Africa to Egypt and Libya.\n\nThe military council has been bolstered by support fromSaudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt. The UAE’sMinister of State for Foreign Affairs said on Tuesday his country was in contact with both sides and was seeking “a smooth organized political transition.”\n\nThe recent crackdown led to at least 118 deaths since June3, according to a group of doctors linked to the opposition. The government has confirmed 61 deaths.\n\nThe RSF, which is led by the council’s deputy head, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, grew out of Arab militias that fought in the western region of Darfur during a civil war that began in 2003.\n\nRights group Amnesty International on Tuesday accused theRSF and allied militia of being responsible for the destruction of dozens of villages, unlawful killings and sexual abuse in Darfur over the past year.\n\nAmnesty said tens of thousands of civilians in Darfur’s Jebel Marra would become more vulnerable if the U.N. SecurityCouncil and the AU were to vote on June 27 to close their joint peacekeeping mission there, UNAMID.", "Sudan’s opposition leaders have agreed to end their campaign of civil disobedience and strikes and resume talks with the country’s military rulers aimed at forming a transitional council.\n\nIn turn, the Transitional Military Council also agreed to release political prisoners, Ethiopia’s special envoy Mahmoud Dirir told reporters in Khartoum Tuesday.\n\n“The Freedom and Change alliance agreed to end the civil disobedience(campaign) from today,” said Dirir, who has been mediating since a visit by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed last week.\n\n“Both sides have also agreed to resume talks soon” on a handover of power to a civilian administration, he said.\n\nThe protest leaders said the call for talks is insincere following this week’s deadly crackdown on demonstrators in Khartoum, which witnesses blamed on the militia known as the Rapid Support Forces.\n\nAccording to the Voice of America news medical doctors allied with the opposition said the death toll from the crackdown had risen to 118. The Sudanese Health Ministry issued a statement last week that said the number is “no more than 46.”\n\nProtest groups and opposition parties have been demanding that the TMC, which took power after the army overthrew longtime president Omar al-Bashir on April 11, handpower to a civilian-led authority.\n\nTalks on the proposed interimgovernment broke down over which side would have ultimate decision-making authority.\n\nViolence erupted in Sudan last December, when anger over rising bread prices and cash shortages evolved into sustained protests against al-Bashir before he was ousted after three decades in power."], "summary": "Sudanese military and opposition leaders agree to resume talks that broke down after a violent crackdown on protesters earlier in June. The military also agrees to release political prisoners, while the opposition agrees to end its campaign of strikes and civil disobedience."}
{"document": ["Two brothers shot by counter-terrorism police at a campground near the Victoria-NSW border yesterday are the sons of a fugitive who died during a siege in 2014.\n\nFormer prison guard Rodney Clavell took his own life to end a 12-hour standoff with police at an Adelaide CBD brothel in 2014 after a 16-day manhunt.\n\nThe brothers shot yesterday are two of his four sons, 19-year-old Joel and 30-year-old Joshua Clavell, who police say are \"reverts or converts\" to an extreme form of Islam.\n\nJoshua (left) and Joel Clavell were shot by police. (Supplied)\n\nThe men shot are the sons of former prison guard Rodney Ian Cavell, who died during a police siege. (AAP)\n\nThe siege Rodney Clavell was involved in brought Adelaide's CBD to a standstill in 2014. (AAP)\n\nCounter Terrorism Command Assistant Commissioner Ross Guenther said this morning the brothers \"have a very strong hatred of police as a result of their criminal history over a period of time\".\n\nDetectives were investigating Joshua Clavell's relocation from NSW to Victoria and were planning to interview him when they spotted the pair at the Barnawartha service station yesterday afternoon.\n\nAfter a failed attempt to intercept the pair's vehicle, local police were called for back-up.\n\nThey tracked the brothers to the Richardsons Bend camp site, where the men allegedly rammed a police vehicle.\n\n\"(Police) were almost immediately challenged... with a tomahawk and a knife,\" Asst Comm. Guenther told 3AW's Neil Mitchell.\n\nJoshua was shot first as he charged at police, while Joel was shot after refusing to surrender despite being tasered and capsicum sprayed.\n\nJoshua Clavell is said to have convinced his brothers to convert to an extreme form of Islam. (Supplied)\n\nBoth were taken to Albury hospital, with Joel since transferred to Melbourne in a critical condition.\n\nJoshua has a criminal history across three states and was released from a NSW prison in February.\n\nPolice believe the brothers may have been staying at the campsite to get \"off the grid\".\n\nAsst Comm. Guenther told a press conference Joshua was on a list of more than 100 people being monitored for their risk to the community and had been so for two years.\n\n\"That older individual in our terminology would be at a threat level that's very high,\" he said.\n\n\"If we go to an extreme level, we pass that investigation across to the joint counter-terrorism team.\n\n\"In this case, it was one level below that.\"\n\nThe brothers \"have a very strong hatred of police\". (9News)\n\nAsst Comm. Guenther confirmed Joshua had travelled to Bangladesh to get married.\n\nCorrective Services NSW has issued a statement denying reports that the men were \"radicalised\" within their system and Asst Comm. Guenther said Joshua's extreme beliefs began before his recent prison stint.\n\n\"My understanding is the older brother made a commitment to this form of Islam several years ago,\" he said.\n\n\"He sought to impart that thinking to his brothers. I think that's occurred over a period of several years.\"\n\n(9News)\n\nThe men were spotted by Counter Terror authorities at a service station before they allegedly rammed a patrol vehicle and threatened officers with weapons, and were ultimately shot. (9News)\n\nHe praised the efforts of local police and his detectives during the confrontation.\n\n\"I think the efforts of all of those involved actually is really brave … very, very brave,\" he said.\n\n\"No one of those people would have left yesterday thinking they would be confronted by that.\n\n\"I think the bigger concern going forward for anyone involved in these incidents and I've been involved in investigating these similar incidents over many years, our own people get very affected by the trauma this brings on.\"\n\nVictoria's Homicide Squad is leading the investigation with oversight from Professional Standards Command.\n\nAsst Comm. Guenther reaffirmed that there was no current terror-related threat being posed to the community, and that investigators were treating the incident as a violent attack against police.\n\n*Readers seeking support can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14.", "The two brothers shot and seriously wounded by police at the Victoria-NSW border were under the watch of counter-terror cops when they rammed a squad car and later lunged at police with a knife and a tomahawk.\n\nActing Assistant Commissioner Clive Rust said counter-terror detectives had asked local police to intercept the men, believed to be brothers aged 19 and 31, but emphasied it was \"standard procedure\" and there was no ongoing terror investigation or threat to the public.\n\nPolice found the pair about 3pm on Old Barnawartha Road, about 20 kilometres west of Albury-Wodonga, before the men allegedly rammed their car and fled on foot.\n\nMr Rust said one of the men then charged police with a weapon and was shot. He said police tried negotiate with the second man \"for a number of minutes\" and used taser and pepper spray before he also allegedly lunged at police and was shot.", "The two men shot and seriously wounded by police at the Victoria-NSW border were under the watch of counter-terror cops when they rammed a local squad car and lunged at police with a knife and a tomahawk.\n\nActing Assistant Commissioner Clive Rust said counter-terror detectives had asked local police to intercept the men, believed to be brothers aged 19 and 31, but emphasised it was \"standard procedure\" and there was no ongoing terror investigation or threat to the public.\n\nPolice from Wodonga found the pair about 3pm at a service station at Barnawartha North, about 20 kilometres west of Albury-Wodonga, before the men allegedly rammed their car and fled on foot.\n\nMr Rust said one of the men then charged police with a weapon and was shot.", "Two brothers armed with a knife and tomahawk were shot by police in Australia on Wednesday after a confrontation escalated when authorities tried to question the pair when they \"unexpectedly\" saw them at a gas station.\n\nVictoria Acting Assistant Commissioner Clive Rust said at a news conference the men, ages 19 and 30, were taken to an area hospital after the shootings at Barnawartha North, located about 185 miles northeast of Melbourne.\n\nRust said that investigators from Counter Terrorism Command tried to intercept them when they saw them at a gas station.\n\nWhen officers located the brothers, the men rammed the police vehicle before getting out and confronting the officers, News.com.au reported.\n\n“The two males rammed the police vehicle and then alighted from their own vehicle and confronted the police,” Rust said. “The two males were armed with edged weapons. One man lunged at the officers and was shot.\"\n\nThe other was involved in a standoff with police for several minutes before also lunging and subsequently being shot, he added. Rust later said the \"edged weapons\" were a tomahawk and knife, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported.\n\nThe two men, who were not identified, had links to an outlaw motorcycle gang and converted to Islam while in prison, according to the Herald Sun.\n\nBoth had recently relocated to the region and were considered to be of \"low-level interest\" to counter-terrorism police.\n\nCLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS APP\n\nRust said officers were trying to speak with the men as part of \"standard procedure,\" and there was no ongoing investigation. He added that officials are treating the incident as a violent attack on police officers, not terror-related.\n\nVictorian Premier Daniel Andrews said on Twitter that authorities have advised there is no ongoing threat to the community.\n\n\"Following the incident in Barnawartha, I want to thank the brave @VictoriaPolice officers who put themselves in harm’s way every single day to keep Victorians safe,\" he said.", "These are the two brothers shot by police near a campground after a high speed chase.\n\nJoel, 19, and Joshua Clavell, 30, have been identified as the men involved in the confrontation with counter-terror cops near Richardsons Bend Camping Ground, west of Wodonga on the border between Victoria and New South Wales, at 3.30pm on Wednesday.\n\nThe pair, who converted to Islam in prison, have been watched by counter-terrorism police for the past two years, Assistant Commissioner Ross Guenther said.\n\nTheir father, Rodney Clavell, a former prison officer, held four women hostage at an Adelaide brothel during a 13-hour stand-off with police before killing himself in 2014.\n\nHe had been on amphetamines during the siege, an inquest into his death found last year.\n\nWhen police approached one man, he moved towards them and he was shot. Police attempted to negotiate with the second man, but he refused. He was sprayed with capsicum spray and tasered but when neither of these methods had any effect, the police also shot him (pictured, the Murray River Reserve where the shooting took place)\n\n'My understanding is the older brother made a commitment to this form of Islam several years ago.\n\n'He sought to impart that thinking to his brothers. I think that's occurred over a period of several years.\n\nHe said the older brother 'would be at a threat level that's very high.'\n\nHe said police were now seeking to understand whether 19-year-old Joshua Clavell was a risk to the community.\n\nBoth men remain in hospital after the standoff with police, which is believed to have sparked when police officers performed a 'precautionary' check on the pair.\n\nThey rammed a police car before jumping out of their vehicle allegedly wielding a knife and a tomahawk.\n\nThe 30-year-old was shot after he allegedly lunged at an officer with a weapon in hand, police said.\n\nThe 19-year-old was shot after allegedly refusing to surrender.\n\nJoshua, who has a criminal record in three states and spent six months in jail for matters unrelated to terror offences, remains in a serious condition in Melbourne.\n\nVictoria Police's Assistant Commissioner Ross Guenther said the two men may have crossed the border to escape the watchful eye of the NSW police.\n\n'Perhaps they felt they were under too much spotlight in NSW, so they thought coming across into Victoria was a good move.'\n\nJoshua is recovering at an Albury hospital and Joel was flown to Melbourne and remains in a critical condition.", "Two men seriously injured after being shot by Victorian police near NSW border\n\nTwo men have suffered \"serious injuries\" after being shot by Victorian police at Barnawartha North near the New South Wales border.\n\nPolice said the shootings happened when they tried to stop a car on Old Barnawartha Road near Richardsons Bend camping ground on the Murray River about 3:00pm.\n\nIn a statement, police said both had men sustained \"serious injuries\" and had been taken to hospital.\n\nPolice said the exact circumstances surrounding the shooting were still being established.\n\nThey said there was no threat to the community.\n\n\"At this stage the investigation is ongoing and more information will be provided once it comes to hand,\" the statement said.", "Police have shot two men at a Murray River campground.\n\nPolice have shot two men at a Murray River campground.\n\nTWO brothers with terror and bikie links have been seriously wounded in a police shooting near a Murray River campground. Police opened fire after the men rammed a police car near the Victoria-NSW border and got out armed with weapons.\n\nPolice on Wednesday night said one of the armed brothers was shot as he lunged at an officer with a weapon, and the other was wounded after he refused to surrender.\n\nThe Herald Sun can reveal that the brothers, wounded on Wednesday in a confrontation on the banks of the Murray River, had outlaw motorcycle gang links. Aged 19 and 30, they are believed to be from NSW and had recently relocated to Victoria.\n\nThe brothers converted to Islam while in prison in NSW and are considered to be of low-level ­interest to counter-terrorism police.\n\nVictoria Police said on Wednesday night there was no ongoing threat to the community. A major investigation was under way after the pair was ­seriously injured by gunfire after a vehicle stop in which a police car was rammed.\n\nIt is believed the violence had ­exploded when officers performed what has been described as a \"precautionary\" check on the suspects.\n\nThe men then rammed the police car and got out of their vehicle with weapons - thought to be a knife and a type of axe.\n\n- Do you know more? Call our newsdesk on (03) 9292 1226\n\nThey were shot at the isolated Richardsons Bend Campground, in Barnawartha North about 3pm.\n\nBoth were last night in hospital under police guard.\n\nPolice and ambulance officers rushed to the scene by road and helicopter. Paramedics worked on the ­injured men before they were taken to hospital.\n\nPolice were not seeking anyone else over the ­incident.\n\nActing Assistant Commissioner Clive Rust said investigators from Counter Terrorism Command \"unexpectedly\" saw the brothers in a service station and tried to intercept them, but they drove off.\n\nHe said the CT officers then asked for help from local uniformed members, resulting in the confrontation at Richardsons Bend.\n\n\"The two males rammed the police vehicle and then alighted from their own vehicle and confronted the police,\" Mr Rust said. \"The two males were armed with edged weapons.\n\n\"One man lunged at the officers and was shot.\n\n\"There was a standoff between the officers and the second male for a number of minutes as the police attempted to negotiate with the man.\n\n\"Police tried to control this person by the use of nonlethal force. They utilised OC foam and a taser and then this male person lunged at police, and he was subsequently shot also.\"\n\nThe men were rushed to Albury Hospital in serious conditions.\n\nOne was later flown to Melbourne.\n\nMr Rust said there were indications the men were camping at Richardsons Bend.\n\nHe said CT officers wanted to speak to the men to \"assess whether or not they were any risk to community safety.\n\n\"We're treating this as a violent attack on police members, not as a terrorism incident,\" Mr Rust said.\n\n\"They were residents of NSW and had recently moved into Victoria and that's the reason why our investigators were attempting to contact them to ascertain what the actual level of their involvement was in regard to counter-terrorism.\"\n\nOne of the offenders was shot in the abdomen and a leg.\n\nThe officers, from the Wodonga command area, would receive support from the force and the Police Association, Mr Rust said.\n\nJune Chilvers, who lives nearby, saw at least four police cars speed by her property in the aftermath.\n\n\"I saw them fly along, four cars,\" she said. \"I saw them fly past.\"\n\nJohn Malcolm, who lives about 2km from the campground, had been at Richardsons Bend just minutes before the shooting and saw nothing to ­indicate the trouble that followed. There was barely anyone staying at the camping spot in the cold and wet conditions.\n\n\"I saw one bloke, who I reckon lives down there, has a tent down there,\" Mr Malcolm said. \"There's a lot of free camping, free parking,\" he said\n\nThe circumstances are expected to be the subject of an internal investigation, but Police Association secretary Wayne Gatt backed the officers' actions.\n\n\"As a community, we are all in debt to our police members every time they go out and put our safety ahead of their own,\" Mr Gatt said.\n\nMakeshift shelters were set up at the scene where ­detectives were expected to work well into the night.\n\nPremier Daniel Andrews said the government had advice that there was no ongoing threat to the community.\n\n\"I want to thank the brave Victoria Police officers who put themselves in harm's way every single day to keep Victorians safe,\" Mr Andrews said.\n\nThe isolated Richardsons Bend camping ground is a most unlikely venue for bullets to fly in a showdown between terror suspects and police.\n\nNestled under gum trees by the Murray River, it is a favoured holiday spot for locals and the odd visitor from outside the Barnawartha North area.\n\nOn Wednesday, wet and cold, there was even less to indicate the events about to unfold.\n\nA local, John Malcolm, who lives about 2km away, was at Richardsons Bend just minutes before the shooting.\n\n\"I saw one bloke, who I reckon lives down there, has a tent down there\" Mr Malcolm said.\n\n\"There was nothing going on whatsoever. It was quiet.\"\n\nBut at about 3am, all hell broke loose.\n\nA vehicle containing two men drove into the reserve, closely followed by at least one police unit.\n\nAnyone not knowing the area would probably be unaware they were heading for a dead-end - their escape route terminated by the Murray.\n\nIt is unclear where and why police wanted to intercept the pair.\n\nBut the Herald Sun has been told weapons were brandished by the cornered suspects at the campground.\n\nAn unknown number of shots were fired by the police in reply, sparking a huge emergency response.\n\nIt was not the kind of thing locals had ever expected would be played out on their patch.\n\n\"A lot of idiots go down there with the four-wheel-drives and tear the place up, but not shootings, not terror,\" Mr Malcolm said.\n\nAnother nearby resident, Tony, was stunned by the events and revelations of potential terror links.\n\n\"I'll make sure I've got my guns polished up for next time,\" Tony said.\n\n\"They didn't know the area obviously.\n\n\"They've gone down there and they couldn't get out.\n\n\"It's a real trap there. Right on the bloody water, right there on the river.\"", "Joshua has been a person of interest to counter-terror investigators for at least two years after converting to an extremist form of Islam. He had recently travelled to Bangladesh to marry, before returning to Australia. Rodney Clavell died in a police siege at an Adelaide brothel in 2014. Joshua spent six months on remand in a NSW prison before being released in February this year. Police are now investigating whether the brothers had taken up residence at the camping ground in an attempt to \"get off the grid\", Mr Guenther said. \"Perhaps they felt they were under too much spotlight,\" he said.\n\nThe 30-year-old was originally arrested in Sydney on August 31, 2018, and charged with robbery, larceny and intimidation offences. \"At that time, Corrective Services NSW identified that [he] had already been radicalised and shared this information with other law enforcement agencies,\" a spokeswoman said. The robbery charge was later dropped, and he was found guilty on the other charges. He appeared in Burwood Local Court in February where he was released without any conviction recorded. \"This was the only time the [he was] in CSNSW custody,\" the spokeswoman said. The men are from a family of four brothers and police believe the 30-year-old had indoctrinated two of his three siblings, Victoria's counter-terror boss Ross Guenther said.\n\nThe two brothers who had set up camp were known to have \"fundamental and rigid beliefs\", while the older man also harboured a hatred for police. \"The older brother made a commitment to this form of Islam several years ago, he sought to impact that thinking onto his brothers. That's occurred over a time period of several years,\" Mr Guenther said. \"That older individual in our terminology would be at the threat level that is very high. \"We have over 100 people that we monitor at various levels. He was definitely one of those on that list.\" Police at the campground in Barnawartha North.\n\nJoshua remains in a serious condition in Albury hospital, while Joel is in a critical but stable condition at The Alfred hospital in Melbourne. On Wednesday afternoon, counter-terror detectives spotted the pair \"by chance\" at a service station in Barnawartha North, about 20 kilometres west of Albury-Wodonga, and called on local police to help stop the duo at the nearby Richardsons Bend campground. Mr Guenther said at the campground, one police car was rammed before the brothers allegedly emerged from their vehicle, one carrying a knife and the other a tomahawk. The older brother allegedly charged police first and was shot. Police tried to negotiate with the teenager for a number of minutes and used a Taser and capsicum spray before he also allegedly lunged at officers and was shot.\n\nThe 30-year-old brother has previously spent time in Victoria, but a more significant period in NSW, Mr Guenther said. He has previously been linked to a bikie gang in South Australia. Mr Guenther said it was too early to say whether the 30-year-old was associated with any terrorist organisations. Victoria's Chief Police Commissioner Graham Ashton said counter-terrorism police had been trying to speak to the pair after learning they had recently relocated to Wodonga. One was wanted, he said, on an old warrant. Mr Ashton said the officers involved in the confrontation were wearing body cameras and Victoria Police's Professional Standards Command would be reviewing the footage, with oversight from the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission.\n\nVictorian Premier Daniel Andrews said the brothers had been \"all over the country\", including Queensland and South Australia. Acting Assistant Commissioner Clive Rust, who is based in Albury-Wodonga, could not say how many officers fired their weapons. Mr Rust emphasised it was \"standard procedure\" and there was no ongoing terror investigation or threat to the public. \"We're treating this as a violent attack on police members and not a terrorism incident,\" he said.", "Barnawartha police shooting: Men had potential for radicalisation, commissioner says\n\nVictoria's police commissioner says two men shot by police yesterday had converted to Islam while in prison and were exposed to ideologies that were \"problematic from a terrorism point of view\".\n\nThe men were shot and injured by police yesterday afternoon in Barnawartha North near the New South Wales border.\n\nThe pair, brothers aged 19 and 30, wielded a knife and a tomahawk and rammed the police car during the confrontation at the Richardsons Bend campsite, police said.\n\nOfficers believe they had recently relocated to Victoria from NSW, where they had been in prison, and were of interest to counterterror police.\n\nThe attack itself was not terrorism-related and there was no ongoing threat, police said.\n\nThe 30-year-old was in a critical but stable condition in a hospital in Melbourne this morning, while the 19-year-old was in a serious but stable condition in Albury.\n\nPolice said one officer was injured, but not seriously.\n\nSpeaking to ABC Radio Melbourne this morning, Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Graham Ashton said one of the men was \"wanted on an old warrant\" and counterterrorism police had been looking to speak to him.\n\nBut said the men were \"not regarded as high risk from a counterterrorism point of view\", the commissioner said.\n\nMr Ashton said there was no evidence the men were planning any kind of attack, but there was intelligence that suggested there was the \"potential for radicalisation … because of their extensive criminal history\".\n\n\"[There had been] some intelligence around them having ideologies that were problematic from a terrorism point of view,\" he said.\n\n\"So [investigators] were trying to clarify where they were at, and having a conversation with them was what they were after,\" Mr Ashton said.\n\nMr Ashton said it was \"not unusual\" for people to become radicalised within the NSW prison system.\n\nIn a statement, NSW Corrective Services said: \"We can confirm the two offenders were not radicalised while in a NSW prison\".\n\nLast night, Acting Assistant Commissioner Clive Rust said police were \"making routine inquiries in order to touch base with them, talk to them, assess them and make a judgement on whether or not they posed any risk\".\n\nMr Ashton said the men were likely to be charged over yesterday's alleged attack once their health had improved.\n\nHomicide Squad detectives will investigate the shooting, with oversight from Professional Standards Command, as is standard protocol after a police shooting.", "GREENWICH — Police received reports of two stolen vehicles Wednesday. The keys were in the vehicles, according to the police reports.\n\nOn Davis Avenue in central Greenwich, a 2004 Honda Odyssey was stolen. On East Point Lane in Old Greenwich, a 2018 Porsche 911 went missing.\n\nA 25-year-old Greenwich woman was charged with driving while intoxicated Tuesday afternoon, police said. She was involved in a collision on Fairfield Road, police said. Bail was set at $250.\n\nA 24-year-old man from Stamford was hit with numerous driving offenses Wednesday, police said. Officers in Stamford detained him on a traffic stop, then determined that Greenwich police held an active arrest warrant in connection with a car accident in early February in Byram.\n\nHe was charged with evading responsibility, driving with a suspended license, making a false statement, interfering with a police investigation and numerous traffic citations. Bail was set at $50,000.\n\nOfficers were called to a dispute in the midcountry Wednesday morning, police said. A 61-year-old local man was arrested and charged with assault and disorderly conduct. Bail was set at $5,000.\n\nA 49-year-old man from Port Chester, N.Y., was arrested Wednesday on a warrant charging him with violating a protective order. He posted $25,000 bond.\n\nA 24-year-old man from Rye Brook, N.Y., was charged with violating a protective order on Wednesday. Bail was set at $35,000."], "summary": "Clavell brothers rammed a police car and then lunged at police with a knife and a tomahawk before they were shot on Wednesday afternoon by Victorian police."}
{"document": ["Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Richard Yu had been expected to unveil a new laptop at the CES Asia 2019 tech show in Shanghai\n\nHuawei has ditched a product launch for the first time since the US placed it on a trade blacklist.\n\nIt was reported that the Chinese tech firm had intended to unveil a new laptop as early as this week.\n\nHowever, its consumer device chief Richard Yu told CNBC that it had become \"unable to supply the PC\".\n\n\"[It's] unfortunate,\" he added via a WeChat message to the business news network. He added that the product itself might have to be scrapped.\n\n\"[It] depends on how long the Entity List will be there,\" he wrote.\n\nThis refers to a list of foreign parties that the US Department of Commerce has judged to pose a potential national security or foreign policy threat.\n\nSpecifically, Huawei is accused of having committed bank fraud to evade Iran sanctions, and obstruction of justice, among other violations.\n\nAs a result, other companies with business activities in the US have been forbidden to sell or transfer technologies to the Shenzhen-based firm unless they have a special licence.\n\nHuawei denies any wrongdoing, and has said that claims its poses a security threat are \"unsubstantiated\".\n\nSelf-drive cars\n\nHuawei launched new smartphones shortly after the decision was taken last month.\n\nBut its inability to buy computer chips and other components from Intel, Qualcomm and Broadcom - among others - appears to have hindered its ability to produce the new laptop in the volumes required, despite the fact it had built up stockpiles of parts in case such a crisis occurred.\n\nIn addition, there has been speculation that Huawei would be unable to license copies of the Windows 10 operating system from Microsoft.\n\nWashington's intervention has resulted in some non-US companies breaking links too. The chip designer ARM, for example, which is UK-based and owned by Japan's Softbank, told staff to suspend business with Huawei because some of its R&D work is carried out in the States.\n\nDespite this, the Chinese firm continues to pursue partnerships with overseas companies.\n\nThe Financial Times has reported that Huawei has begun working with Audi and Toyota among others, to develop self-driving cars.", "Google has suspended Huawei’s access to updates of its Android operating system and chipmakers have reportedly cut off supplies to the Chinese telecoms company, after the US government added it to a trade blacklist last week.\n\nGoogle said it was complying with an executive order issued by Donald Trump and was reviewing the “implications”, later adding that Google Play – through which Google allows users to download apps – and the security features of its antivirus software Google Play Protect would continue on existing Huawei devices. New versions of its smartphones outside China would lose access to popular applications and services including Google Play, Maps and the Gmail app.\n\nHuawei will continue to have access to the version of the Android operating system available through the open source licence that is free to anyone who wishes to use it. But, according to Reuters who first reported the ban on Sunday, Google will stop providing technical support and collaboration for Android and Google services.\n\nQ&A Why is Huawei controversial? Show Hide Huawei is a Chinese telecoms company founded in 1987. Politicians in the US have alleged that Huawei’s forthcoming 5G mobile phone networks could be hacked by Chinese spies to eavesdrop on sensitive phone calls and gain access to counter-terrorist operations. Allies who allow Huawei technology inside their 5G networks have been told they may be frozen out of US intelligence sharing. Australia, New Zealand and Japan have banned Huawei from their 5G networks. In the UK, BT has excluded Huawei telecoms infrastructure from its own 5G rollout and removed some of its equipment from the 4G network. In January 2019 Vodafone said it had decided to 'pause' the use of Huawei equipment in its core networks across Europe. The UK's defence secretary Gavin Williamson was sacked by prime minister Theresa May after a leak revealed the sensitive decision that the UK would not be totally banning Huawei from 5G projects.\n\nPoland’s internal affairs minister, Joachim Brudziński, has called for the European Union and Nato to work on a joint position over whether to exclude Huawei from their markets, after an Huawei employee was arrested on spying charges. Much of the doubt surrounding Huawei stems from founder Ren Zhengfei’s background in China's People’s Liberation Army between 1974 and 1983, where he was an engineer. His daughter, Huawei’s senior executive Meng Wanzhou, was arrested in Canada in December 2018 over allegations of Iran-sanctions violations, and she awaits extradition to the US. Ren, referring to trade issues between the US and China, says the company is 'like a small sesame seed, stuck in the middle of conflict between two great powers'. Photograph: Mark Schiefelbein/AP\n\nHuawei responded late Monday afternoon, promising to continue providing security updates and after-sale services for its smartphones and tablets. It did not clarify what the ban will mean for new Huawei phones but instead underscored its previous cooperation with Android.\n\n“Huawei has made substantial contributions to the development and growth of Android around the world,” it said. “As one of Android’s key global partners, we have worked closely with their open-source platform to develop an ecosystem that has benefited both users and the industry.”\n\nA spokesman for China’s ministry of foreign affairs, Lu Kang, said Beijing would “support Chinese enterprises in defending their legitimate rights through legal methods”.\n\nObservers say Chinese countermeasures could include encouraging a consumer boycott of US goods, such as Apple products. China is Apple’s third largest market by sales volume. Increased inspections or added regulatory hurdles are other options. In 2014, amid US accusations of Chinese cyber-theft, Microsoft offices in China were subjected to raids by inspectors.\n\nHuawei has previously said it is developing its own backup operating system in case it was blocked from using US software.\n\nIn an interview in March with the German publication Die Welt, Richard Yu, the head of the company’s consumer division, said the company had a “plan B”. He said: “We have prepared our own operating system. Should it ever happen that we can no longer use these systems, we would be prepared.”\n\nChipmakers such as Intel, Qualcomm, Xilinx, and Broadcom have told employees they will not supply chips to Huawei until further notice, Bloomberg reported on Monday, citing people familiar with the matter.\n\nHuawei, which relies on chips from the US, has reportedly been stockpiling the chips and other components in anticipation of the ban. In an interview on Saturday, the Huawei chief executive, Ren Zhengfei, said the company would be “fine” without US chips.\n\nIt will take another crisis for governments to step up to the spending plate | Larry Elliott Read more\n\nThe moves come after the Trump administration officially added the telecoms manufacturer to a trade blacklist on Thursday, declaring a national economic emergency to ban the technology and services of “foreign adversaries”. The blacklist immediately led to restrictions that will make it extremely difficult for the firm to do business with US companies.\n\nIn another development in the growing trade war between the two countries, Trump claimed in an interview on Fox on Sunday night that his policy of imposing tariffs on Chinese goods was already bearing fruit by encouraging companies to move manufacturing to other countries.\n\nThe latest restrictions are likely to hit Huawei’s European business, its second-biggest market, because it licenses many of its mobile phone services from Google in Europe.\n\nGeoff Blaber, the vice-president of research at the market research firm CCS Insight, told Reuters: “Having those apps is critical for smartphone makers to stay competitive in regions like Europe.”\n\nGoogle’s suspension follows a report last week calling for Huawei to be prevented from supplying 5G mobile networks in the UK, because its operations are “subject to influence by the Chinese state”.\n\nThe research, by a Conservative MP and two academics, said a decision announced by Theresa May last month, after a fraught meeting of the national security council (NSC), to allow the company to supply “non-core” equipment should be overturned because using the company’s technology presents “risks”.\n\nIn the report by the Henry Jackson Society thinktank, the authors claimed Huawei “has long been accused of espionage” – a claim repeatedly denied by the firm – and noted that “while there are no definitely proven cases”, a precautionary principle should be adopted.\n\nThe British government has been pressured by partner intelligence agencies in the US and Australia to reconsider letting the Shenzhen-based multinational participate in the UK’s 5G network.\n\nIn April, May provisionally approved the use of Huawei technology for parts of the networks after a meeting of the NSC. A leaked account of the meeting said five cabinet ministers had raised concerns about the company.\n\nHow other countries are responding to Trump's Huawei threat Read more\n\nRobert Strayer, a deputy assistant secretary at the US state department, warned last month that the UK’s proposal to adopt Huawei technology risked affecting intelligence cooperation with the US. He claimed the Chinese firm “was not a trusted vendor” and any use of its technology for 5G was a risk.\n\nAustralia, which also shares intelligence with the UK, has already moved to ban Huawei as a supplier for its future 5G network.\n\nHuawei has always insisted it is a privately held company, independent of the Chinese state, owned largely by its employees, and has worked supplying phone technology in the UK for 15 years without problems.", "Huawei has cancelled its planned launch of a new laptop due to a recently imposed U.S. ban that forbids the company from buying parts from U.S. companies without a special government approval.\n\nHuawei business consumer group CEO Richard Yu told CNBC that the company planned to launch a new MateBook product, but has now put those plans on hold — indefinitely.\n\nYu called the situation \"unfortunate.\" He could not provide a later date for the launch, saying it depends on how long Huawei will be blacklisted by the U.S.. If Huawei stays on the U.S. \"entity list\" for a long time, the new MateBook might be scrapped altogether, he said.\n\nAfter being blacklisted by the U.S. in May, Huawei was cut off from purchasing parts from chipmakers Intel and Qualcomm. Given that all of Huawei's MateBook laptops released so far have been based on Intel chips, Huawei was likely unable to get the necessary parts for the new MateBook — despite the reports that the company has stockpiled enough components to last it at least three months.\n\nHuawei's laptop business was hurt in other ways, too; in May, Microsoft stopped selling Huawei laptops through its online store.\n\nWhile Huawei doesn't sell a huge number of laptops — the company is a far bigger player in the smartphone arena — the cancellation of an important new product will surely hurt the company, especially given Huawei's appetite for becoming a top PC seller. The news is also bad for consumers, simply because Huawei's MateBook's laptops are really good.", "Huawei was planning to announce a new MateBook laptop this week, but an executive confirmed that the company cancelled the launch because of US sanctions against the Chinese company. It's not clear when—or whether—the laptop will be released.\n\nThe US has banned sales of technology to Huawei, which uses Intel chips and the Windows operating system in its MateBook PCs. Huawei \"planned to unveil the new Windows laptop at the CES Asia 2019 trade show in Shanghai this week\" but \"indefinitely postponed\" the launch because of the US export ban, The Information reported yesterday.\n\nHuawei consumer division CEO Richard Yu subsequently confirmed the cancellation to CNBC. \"We cannot supply the PC,\" Yu said, calling it \"unfortunate,\" according to CNBC.\n\nHuawei has also \"paused production at its personal-computer business because of restrictions on buying US components,\" the Wall Street Journal reported. We contacted Huawei today, but a company spokesperson had no further information to share.\n\nThe US last month put Huawei on its Entity List, which prevents it from buying parts and components from US companies without US government approval. The US argues that the Chinese government could use Huawei to spy on the US, but Huawei has denied those accusations and called on the US to provide evidence.\n\n\"When asked if the laptop could be launched at a later date, Yu said it 'depends on how long the Entity List will be there,'\" CNBC wrote. \"He acknowledged that, if Huawei is on the blacklist for a long time, the laptop will not be able to be launched.\"\n\nHuawei is known more for smartphones and networking equipment but has courted PC users with laptops such as the MateBook 13 and MateBook X Pro.\n\nThe Global Times—which is part of China's state-run media—published a story disputing some of the reporting about the laptop launch. \"Huawei will release a new laptop product in July, with different models and configurations compared with previous series such as the MateBook and HonorBook, a source close to the matter confirmed to the Global Times,\" the news organization said.\n\n\"The new laptop will be equipped with the Windows operating system, the source said, in contrast to rumors about Microsoft halting cooperation with Huawei,\" the report added. The laptop will use an ARM processor instead of Intel, the report said.\n\nThe state-run media report doesn't mention the fact that a Huawei executive confirmed the cancellation of this week's laptop launch. The Global Times also said its source \"refuted reports that Huawei had halted laptop production due to the export control imposed by the Trump administration amid the escalating trade war.\" The Global Times wrote that \"industry insiders\" called Huawei's plan to release the laptop \"an inspiring move.\"\n\nIntel reportedly restricted its employees from having informal conversations with Huawei, but an Intel executive also spoke out against the Trump administration's Huawei ban on Monday.\n\nARM—which licenses its intellectual property to other vendors—recently told its employees that the US export ban means it can no longer work with Huawei. Microsoft recently removed Huawei laptops from its website.\n\nIn other Huawei news today, The Wall Street Journal reported that Huawei has told Verizon it should pay licensing fees for more than 200 patents that cover \"core network equipment, wireline infrastructure and Internet-of-things technology.\"", "Huawei has indefinitely postponed the imminent launch of a new Windows laptop, consumer division Richard Yu has confirmed to CNBC. The product was set for a reveal at the ongoing CES Asia show in Shanghai this week, but trade sanctions from the US government are restricting Huawei’s ability to use American products like Microsoft software and Intel processors. The news was first reported by The Information.\n\nYu described the situation as “unfortunate” to CNBC, saying that the laptop would have been unveiled this week without a release date, but Huawei’s placement on the US Entity List has stopped the company from announcing the product altogether. Whether the laptop ever sees the light of day will depend on how long Huawei remains on the blacklist.\n\nThere aren’t any technical details of the upcoming laptop in the reports, beyond that it would be a new entry in the MateBook line. Huawei updated its well-regarded MateBook X Pro line at Mobile World Congress in February, while the mid-range MateBook 13 was introduced at CES in January.\n\nDigitimes reported earlier this week that Huawei is halting production and development of laptop computers. Microsoft has remained silent on the matter other than removing Huawei’s laptops from sale in its online store.\n\nHuawei has suggested that its stockpiling of components and proprietary technology will mitigate the effect of US sanctions, and the laptop division only represents a tiny sliver of the company’s business. But the computers represent Huawei’s biggest consumer success in the US to date, and the retreat could be the most visible sign yet of the damage the trade war is inflicting on the company.\n\nHuawei didn’t respond to a request from The Verge for comment.\n\nUpdate June 12th, 00.45AM ET: Added CNBC’s confirmation of the story.", "Chinese firm cancels launch of Matebook laptop as US Entity Listing halts Intel chips and Microsoft software\n\nFresh signs of the fallout of the US blacking of Huawei Technologies, after the Chinese firm confirmed it is cancelling the launch of a new laptop.\n\nThe new Matebook machine was going to be revealed at the CES Asia show in Shanghai this week, but consumer division CEO Richard Yu confirmed to CNBC that the launch had been pulled.\n\nHuawei is struggling to deal with the fallout after an executive order issued by President Donald Trump in mid May, that declared a national security emergency against Chinese firms.\n\nFollowing Trump’s executive order, the US Commerce Department added Huawei and 70 affiliates to its so-called Entity List, which bans them from buying parts and components from US companies without US government approval.\n\nThat decision made it difficult, if not impossible, for Huawei, to sell some products because of its reliance on US suppliers for essential silicon and other components.\n\nJust days later however the US Commerce Department announced a 90-day delay to the imposition of trade restrictions on Huawei, but the Chinese firm said that the extension didn’t ‘mean much’.\n\nHuawei is therefore still allowed to buy US goods until 19 August.\n\nBut this new laptop is said to rely on chips from Intel, as well as software (Windows 10 etc) from Microsoft.\n\nBoth of these firm are American, and are effectively barred from doing business with Huawei.\n\nRichard Yu told CNBC that its launch of the Matebook device had been indefinitely put on hold.\n\nHe said that being on the US Entity List had caused the cancellation.\n\n“We cannot supply the PC,” Yu reportedly said, adding that the situation is “unfortunate.”\n\nWhen Yu asked if the laptop could be launched at a later date, Yu said it “depends on how long the Entity List will be there.” He acknowledged that, if Huawei is on the blacklist for a long time, the laptop will not be able to be launched.\n\nHuawei has insisted that the American blacklisting has not impacted smartphone sales, despite several media reports that manufacturing orders have been scaled back.\n\nGoogle said that after 19 August, it will restrict Huawei’s access to future Android operating system updates, which impacts Huawei’s ability to offer popular Google apps on its phones in the future.\n\nGoogle’s Play Store and all Google apps will still be available for current and future models of Huawei phones. But this is likely to change going forward.\n\nFacebook has also pulled the pre-installing of its Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram apps from Huawei smartphones as well.\n\nAnd firms such as British chip designer ARM, as well as Intel, Qualcomm, Xilinx and Broadcom have said they are halting co-operation with Huawei.\n\nDo you know all about security? Try our quiz!", "Huawei postpones new laptop indefinitely after US ban - Huawei has postponed indefinitely the release of a new laptop that uses Windows as an OS according to the Windows laptop consumer CEO Richard Yu. Shanghai - Huawei has postponed indefinitely the release of a new laptop that uses Windows as an OS according to the Windows laptop consumer CEO Richard Yu. The new laptop was set to be announced at CES Asia show The The new US trade sanctions are restricting Huawei's ability to use US software such as Microsoft's Windows 10 and Intel processors. Yu said the situation was unfortunate and said that the new product would have been revealed this week but without a release date. Given the problems with the US ban as Huawei is on the US Entity List the company decided not even to announce the product. Unless Huawei is removed from the blacklist the laptop may never see the light of day. Addition of Huawei to the US Entity List The Notice 68 affiliates in 26 other countries are also on the list. Huawei to stop production of laptops No details of the new laptop have been revealed except that it will be in the MateBook line. In February Huawei announced the Matebook 14 and also updated its well thought of Matebook X Pro line. But neither has shipped as yet. Huawei stockpiling parts and technology Huawei hopes to mitigate the effects of the ban on existing laptops as it has been stockpiling US components of the laptops. The laptop division is a very small part of the company's total business. However, the laptops had represented the biggest consumer success in the US so far. It was a success too for the US companies who supplied components. The 2019 Consumer Electronics Show Asia will be held in Shanghahi this week: \"Be part of the tech revolution. Experience groundbreaking technology and get in touch with the world’s brightest minds at Asia’s leading tech event. CES Asia is the place where startups, entrepreneurs and global brands converge to form game-changing partnerships. CES Asia 2019 will return to Shanghai, China June 11-13, 2019. The only industry event focused on the Asia-Pacific market will take place at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC) and the Kerry Hotel in Pudong New Area.\"The new US trade sanctions are restricting Huawei's ability to use US software such as Microsoft's Windows 10 and Intel processors. Yu said the situation was unfortunate and said that the new product would have been revealed this week but without a release date. Given the problems with the US ban as Huawei is on the US Entity List the company decided not even to announce the product. Unless Huawei is removed from the blacklist the laptop may never see the light of day.The Federal Register summarizes the addition of Huawei to the Entity List: \"In this rule, the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) amends the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) by adding Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei) to the Entity List. The U.S. Government has determined that there is reasonable cause to believe that Huawei has been involved in activities contrary to the national security or foreign policy interests of the United States. BIS is also adding non-U.S. affiliates of Huawei to the Entity List because those affiliates pose a significant risk of involvement in activities contrary to the national security or foreign policy interests of the United States. Huawei will be listed on the Entity List under the destination of China. This final rule also adds to the Entity List sixty-eight non-U.S. affiliates of Huawei located in twenty-six destinations: Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Burma, Canada, Chile, China, Egypt, Germany, Hong Kong, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Lebanon, Madagascar, Netherlands, Oman, Pakistan, Paraguay, Qatar, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Taiwan, United Kingdom, and Vietnam.\"Notice 68 affiliates in 26 other countries are also on the list.No details of the new laptop have been revealed except that it will be in the MateBook line. In February Huawei announced the Matebook 14 and also updated its well thought of Matebook X Pro line. But neither has shipped as yet. Digitimes had reported earlier this week that Huawei is actually halting production and development of laptop computers. Microsoft has said nothing about what is happening but has removed Huawei laptops from sale.Huawei hopes to mitigate the effects of the ban on existing laptops as it has been stockpiling US components of the laptops.The laptop division is a very small part of the company's total business. However, the laptops had represented the biggest consumer success in the US so far. It was a success too for the US companies who supplied components.", "The pressure is mounting on Huawei.\n\nThis week, the Chinese tech giant admitted to canceling the launch of one of its new laptops after being banned from doing business with US suppliers\n\nRichard Yu, CEO of Huawei's consumer business, told CNBC. \"We cannot supply the PC,\" he said, adding that the situation is \"unfortunate.\"\n\nSources familiar with the matter told The Information that its new Windows laptop, which was meant to be unveiled at the CES Asia 2019 trade show in Shanghai this week, was pulled because US trade sanctions blocked its access to Microsoft's Windows operating system and Intel's processors, which it relies on to function.\n\nHuawei has been placed on an \"entity list\" which means US companies need permission to do business with the Chinese tech firm from August. Google is said to be lobbying against the decision.\n\nRead more: Microsoft hasn't said a word so far about Huawei's ban in the US, but it removed Huawei laptops from its stores\n\nIt doesn't look like we can expect the laptop to launch anytime soon. When asked by CNBC whether it could still launch, Yu said: [It] \"depends on how long the entity list will be there.\"\n\nTaiwanese news site Digitimes also reported earlier this week that Huawei had paused the delivery and development of its laptops.\n\nA spokesperson for Huawei did not immediately respond to Business Insider's request for comment.\n\nHuawei previously acknowledged that it is speeding up efforts to develop its own smartphone operating system and app store to reduce the impact of trade sanctions.\n\nIt has also reportedly stopped some smartphone production lines and has \"reassessed\" its target to become the world's top smartphone vendor by the end of 2020.", "BEIJING (WASHINGTON POST) - Chinese netizens posting to the social-media site Weibo this week threw their support behind an unlikely Internet sensation: a bespectacled British Huawei executive who defended the Chinese telecom giant before Britain's Parliament.\n\nAmong Weibo's trending topics Wednesday (June 12), alongside a South Korean pop idol and a difficult-to-summarise story involving two frogs, was John Suffolk, Huawei's global cyber-security chief, who parried parliamentarians' questions this week about whether Huawei posed a security threat.\n\nHis defence of the company, reported by China's Global Times newspaper, quickly went viral, drawing praise from Chinese Weibo users far and wide.\n\n\"A lovely old man. Let's go, Huawei!\" one proclaimed. \"Frankly speaking, I knew Huawei was amazing, but now I know it's freaking amazing,\" said another. A third Weibo poster pronounced Suffolk \"chill.\"\n\nChinese citizens have robustly supported their government in its months-long trade war with the United States, but recent US action to counter Huawei has propelled Chinese passions to new levels.\n\nMany Chinese citizens carry Huawei phones in their pockets and are proud of the company's success selling its products around the globe. Huawei is one of China's largest companies, with global sales last year of more than US$105 billion and is seen as a national champion.\n\nHuawei is \"a symbol of the national future of China,\" said Yan Xuetong, dean of the Institute of International Relations at Tsinghua University in Beijing. \"The people know, the government knows, that if Huawei cannot survive, this country will have no hope for rejuvenation.\"\n\nChinese loyalty to the company, which sells phones and telecom network equipment, has helped give it the financial might to compete globally.\n\nHuawei is by far the largest smartphone seller in China, with a 26 per cent market share last year, when it shipped 100 million new phones, according to research firm IDC. Apple, by comparison, held 9 per cent of the Chinese market.\n\nWashington has taken several steps to block Huawei's overseas expansion, warning that the Chinese government could use Huawei telecom equipment installed overseas to spy on the West.\n\nIn its latest salvo, the Trump administration banned companies from selling US technology to Huawei, prompting Google and other firms to stop supplying software and parts.\n\nWashington also has pressured allied countries not to buy Huawei equipment, and banned US government agencies from acquiring the gear. And last year the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced plans to block US telecom and Internet carriers from using federal subsidies to buy foreign equipment deemed to pose a security threat.\n\nHuawei has denied the US spying accusations, and attempted to defend its business on several fronts.\n\nOn Wednesday, it filed a submission to the FCC to try to stop the federal subsidy ban, saying it would harm rural telecom carriers that rely on Huawei equipment and would not improve US national security. The FCC has yet to hold a final vote on the measure.\n\nIn an interview to discuss that filing, Huawei executives in the United States said China's economic and military might was partly motivating US action to block the company.\n\n\"There's a geopolitical overlay,\" said Andy Purdy, chief security officer at Huawei US. \"Technology competition between China and Chinese companies and the US and US companies\" is playing a role in the conflict, he said.\n\nChinese consumers see Washington's anti-Huawei action as an affront to the country.\n\n\"As a Chinese person I'd like to support (Huawei), more or less out of patriotism,\" a 37-year-old who would identify himself only by his last name, Zhang, said as he left a central Beijing Huawei store Wednesday, carrying his Huawei-brand phone.\n\nAnother Huawei customer, who identified himself only as Wang, said US action against the company \"makes me favour Huawei more.\"\n\nEarlier this week, speaking at a British hearing about the security of UK telecom networks, Huawei's Suffolk faced tough questioning from members of Parliament about whether the company could be forced to support Chinese spying.\n\nBritain, like other countries, is weighing how much Huawei gear to use in its networks.\n\n\"There's a law in China that requires Chinese companies to cooperate actively with the intelligence services. So certainly that applies to Huawei in China, doesn't it?\" one MP asked.\n\n\"No laws in China obligate us to work with the Chinese government on anything whatsoever,\" Suffolk said.\n\nHis testimony, reported late Tuesday Beijing time by Chinese media, sparked viral support from Chinese Weibo users. \"The more I learn about Huawei the more I respect them,\" one wrote.\n\nPublic backing for the company has taken many forms. Some Chinese companies have offered employees incentives to buy Huawei phones.\n\nThe founder of a Henan-based company announced on Weibo that staff would get 1,000 yuan for using Huawei devices, saying their purchases would \"support the great rejuvenation of China.\"\n\nSome of the pro-Huawei fervour has sparked criticism, however.\n\nIn February, a music video showing children praising Huawei went viral on Chinese social media. The video, featuring school children singing a song called \"Huawei the Beautiful,\" was made by a production company in southern China.\n\nThe song lyrics were written by Li Yourong, a former member of the People's Liberation Army's song and dance troupe, and Zang Sijia, who also does contract writing for China's Public Security.\n\nMany praised the video, but some Weibo users criticised it as \"disgusting\" and resembling the kind of propaganda that North Korea produces. Huawei said it had nothing to do with the video's production.", "US Senators Mark Warner and Marco Rubio on Thursday urged the Trump administration not to use Huawei Technologies Co as a bargaining chip in trade talks with China that might allow expanded use of the company's equipment in the US telecommunications industry.\n\n\"Allowing the use of Huawei equipment in US telecommunications infrastructure is harmful to our national security,” the senators wrote. \"In no way should Huawei be used as a bargaining chip in trade negotiations.\"\n\nTrump reiterated on Monday in a CNBC interview that Huawei could be part of a trade deal with China, a position he has repeatedly stated, even though he has said Huawei is \"dangerous.\"\n\nRubio, a Republican and Warner, a Democrat, both serve on the Senate Intelligence Committee.\n\nIn a letter to US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, the senators said \"Europeans have publicly expressed fears that the administration will soften its position on Huawei in the United States to gain leverage in trade talks, as the administration did in June 2018 when the seven-year ban on ZTE was reversed.\"\n\nLast month, the Trump administration took aim at China’s Huawei, banning the firm from buying vital US technology without special approval and effectively barring its equipment from US telecom networks on national security grounds.\n\nTaken together, the two moves threaten Huawei's ability to continue to sell many products because of its reliance on American suppliers and represents a significant escalation in the US government's worldwide campaign against the company.\n\nWashington believes the handsets and network equipment for telecommunications companies made by Huawei could be used by the Chinese state to spy on Americans.\n\nHuawei has repeatedly denied the allegations. Members of Congress said Trump's executive order last month on addressing threats to US telecommunications networks was squarely aimed at Chinese companies like Huawei, which generated $93 billion in revenue last year and is seen as a national champion in China.\n\nHuawei equipment is used in many rural US telecommunications networks and the Federal Communications Commission has been debating whether it should prohibit wireless companies from using US government funds to buy Huawei gear for their networks or force them to remove existing equipment.\n\nWashington is also seeking the extradition of Huawei Chief Financial Executive Meng Wanzhou from Canada after her arrest in Vancouver last December on a US warrant. China has since upped the pressure on Canada, halting Canadian canola imports and in May suspended the permits of two major pork producers.\n\nThe senators said any changes to Huawei's status \"must be pursued in a risk-based way, separate from any trade negotiations, and consistent with national security considerations... Conflating national security concerns with levers in trade negotiations undermines this effort, and endangers American security.\""], "summary": "Chinese telecommunications and electronics company Huawei cancels its new laptop launch. A Huawei executive said the company has been \"unable to supply the PC\" because of the U.S. trade blacklist and may have to scrap the project."}
{"document": ["Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Many Venezuelans have fled the crisis-hit country to the island of Curaçao (file photo)\n\nThirty-two Venezuelan migrants are missing after the boat they were travelling on sank on its way to the island of Curaçao, a politician said.\n\nThe group left a village in the north-western Falcón state on a speedboat on Friday. Relatives said they had not heard from the group since.\n\nIt was the third Venezuelan migrant boat to capsize in recent weeks.\n\nSome four million people have fled Venezuela since 2015, according to the United Nations.\n\nA severe years-long economic crisis has resulted in high unemployment and shortages of food and medicine, and hundreds of thousands of people are said to be in need of humanitarian aid in the oil-rich country.\n\n\"No-one has been in touch with their families, which makes us fear the worst,\" said opposition politician Luis Stefanelli, who accused the government of \"criminal negligence\" for not deploying teams to search for the missing.\n\nVenezuelan authorities have not yet commented.\n\nThe Dutch island of Curaçao is about 40 miles (64km) off the Venezuelan coast. Mr Stefanelli said each person had paid $400 (£313) for the crossing in a country where the monthly minimum wage is around $6.70.\n\nTwo other boats carrying migrants sank on separate journeys to Trinidad and Tobago in April and May, leaving more than 50 missing in total.\n\nLast week, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said the exodus from the country meant that Venezuelans were now \"one of the single largest population groups displaced from their country\".\n\nLatin American countries host the vast majority of Venezuelan migrants and refugees. Colombia has the most at 1.3 million, followed by Peru with 768,000, according to UN figures.\n\nBut countries in Central America and the Caribbean also host significant numbers of Venezuelans.\n\nThe government of President Nicolás Maduro says the shortages are a result of a US-led \"economic war\". The opposition argues that they are the result of mismanagement and corruption by socialist governments.\n\nThe crisis deepened in January after Juan Guaidó, the head of the National Assembly, declared himself interim president, arguing that Mr Maduro's re-election last year had been \"illegitimate\".\n\nHe has since been recognised by more than 50 countries, including the US and most of Latin America. But Mr Maduro retains the loyalty of most of the military and important allies such as China and Russia.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption What are the real reasons behind Venezuela’s blackouts?\n\nIn April, Mr Guaidó led a failed attempt to spark a military rebellion against Mr Maduro, who described the effort as part of a US-orchestrated coup. Since then, close allies of Mr Guaidó have been arrested. While his parliamentary immunity has been lifted, he has so far not been jailed.", "At least 30 Venezuelan migrants are missing after the speedboat they were traveling in sank on its way to Curacao, an opposition lawmaker said on Tuesday.\n\nThe vessel left from a village in the northwest on Friday with 30 to 35 people on board, deputy Luis Stefanelli told AFP, quoting family members.\n\n“No one has been in touch with their families, which makes us fear the worst,” said Stefanelli.\n\nAuthorities have not commented on the report.\n\nThe body of a man wearing a life jacket was found near Bullenbaai bay in Curacao, according to a coast guard statement published by media on the Caribbean island.\n\nHowever, it was not clear if he had been aboard the speedboat that left clandestinely from the Venezuelan village of Aguide in Falcon state.\n\nIt's the third such boat carrying Venezuelan migrants to capsize in the last month, with a total of 80 people now missing.\n\nThe previous two boats were heading for Trinidad and Tobago.\n\nAnother opposition lawmaker, Robert Alcala said on May 19 that 29 people had gone missing when their boat sank in open water on its journey to Trinidad and Tobago from northwestern Venezuela.\n\nIt was Alcala as well who reported on April 25 that a boat carrying 33 migrants taking the same route disappeared, although nine people were rescued that time.\n\n“These are desperate people who sell all their belongings and leave with nothing,” Stefanelli told AFP.\n\nHe said that according to the families, the migrants had paid $400 each for the crossing -- in a country where the minimum wage is now around $6.50 a month because of hyperinflation.\n\nVenezuela is suffering from an economic crisis and has been in recession for five years, with its people suffering from shortages of basic necessities such as food and medicines.\n\nThe United Nations says a quarter of its 30 million population are in need of humanitarian aid.\n\nLast week, the UN said more than 3.3 million people have fled the country in the last three and a half years.\n\nForeign Minister Jorge Arreaza, a close ally of President Nicolas Maduro, has accused the UN of “inflating figures.”", "The senator representing Abia North in the Senate, Dr Orji Uzor Kalu, has said his interest in the peace process in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela was borne out of the need to come to the aid of the suffering masses of the country.\n\nKalu made the disclosure in Abuja when he hosted the Vice President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Aristibulo, Isturiz Almeida, in company with the Vice Minister of Foreign Relations of Venezuela, Mr Yuri Pimentel in his residence.\n\nThe former governor of Abia State also said his interest in the peace in Venezuela was also as a way of demonstrating what the Holy Father, the Pope, told him that wherever he found himself, he had to endeavour to make peace.\n\nThe visit of the Venezuelan Vice President followed Kalu’s recent visit to Venezuela where he met President Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela regarding peace in the country and upon his return to Nigeria, delivered a special message from President Maduro to President Muhammadu Buhari.\n\nKalu further said the visit of the Venezuela vice president was commendable, adding that he would continue to urge for diplomacy and peace around the world so that all countries would continue to live in peace.\n\n“As a Catholic, I recall that the Pope once told us that everywhere we go, we must endeavour to make peace. That is why peace initiatives take me to Venezuela; I will continue to go to Venezuela to see how we can assist the Venezuelan people to live in peace.\n\n“The problem is not even about Venezuelan leadership, it is about the Venezuelan people on the street who could be assisted to open the economic doors. The United Nations, the United States, the European Union (EU), President Buhari and President Putin, all should put heads together to bring about everlasting peace for that country.\n\n“This issue is not about the leadership, it is about the downtrodden because we need to have countries that are not liberated to be liberated; it is not really about politics. I appeal that the people of Norway and the EU who have started a peace process for that country to let everybody come to the table and talk. There is nothing wrong about talking,” Kalu said.\n\nKalu recalled that Venezuelan nationals are brothers and sisters to the rest of the world, adding that there are many Nigerians of Yoruba extraction living in Venezuela.\n\n“There are our brothers living in Venezuela. That is why I am concerned. There are Nigerians who are Yoruba, who are Afro Venezuelans. They are living there and they are our brothers. And so, we should feel much concerned that every door of Venezuela should be open in terms of peace and the need for the opposition to calm down because they didn’t participate in the recent past elections in the country. There was a general election but they boycotted it.\n\n“But we will continue to appeal to President Maduro and the leadership to accommodate them in government so that in the next elections, if they desire to run, they should run because the last general election is over.\n\n“So, I call on the United States, I call on President Trump and all allies to see reason why this country should exist and live in peace. When you are punishing a people, you are not punishing President Maduro, you are not punishing his ministers, you are punishing the lowest level of the people of Venezuela,” Kalu also said.\n\nResponding, Vice President Isturiz said he was hopeful that peace would return to Venezuela soon, adding that it was the fundamental focus of the country.\n\n“The principal goal for us is to have peace in Venezuela. The dialogue is not an end in itself, but a means to an end. We are under attack from the US government – the economic work, the inflation, the economic blockage, the financial blockage and the commercial blockage. They took from us, more than $30 billion and only God will help our country from the peoples’ revolution,” Isturiz said.\n\nIsturiz further said the sanctions against his country were contrary to the international rule of law and the multilateral instruments, adding that they were criminal actions against the people of Venezuela.\n\nEarlier, Isturiz recalled the excellent diplomatic relations between Venezuela and Nigeria, noting that Venezuela’s relationship with Nigeria is a historic one.\n\nNigeria, he added, is so important to Venezuela in the African continent, nothing that both countries are forging ahead to have agreements in the areas of oil and gas, mines, agriculture, culture, education and communications.\n\n“We need to find some common areas in the aerospace and aeronautical relationship too, including tourism and commerce,” Isturiz also said.", "If I told you that NPR, National Public Radio, was fronting propaganda operations for Donald Trump and John Bolton, would you call me crazy? If I said that NPR was just another voice for an imperial media, would you believe me? That's the situation we find ourselves in on Venezuela.\n\nNPR, like every other major US media outlet, is towing Donald Trump's line, perpetuating propaganda, half-truths, and outright lies in furtherance of an expansionist foreign policy. And it's not just NPR. Most of the mainstream media just touts the government line without doing any background research to get the story straight. It's a problem that is getting worse.\n\nAs an example, take a look at this article from NPR. It's innocuously entitled, \"After Four Months, Venezuela's Border with Colombia Reopens.\" It's common knowledge that the economic situation in Venezuela is dire. The country suffers from hyperinflation and a lack of medicine and basic foodstuffs. Crime is rampant. But what the article never mentions is that many of Venezuela's economic problems stem from crippling US and international economic sanctions that have blocked the export of Venezuelan oil and the import of those same medicines and foodstuffs that the country so desperately needs. I'm actually willing to give NPR a pass on that, at least for the sake of argument. Perhaps an editor took that pertinent information out of the article. Perhaps it was a space issue. But things quickly worsen.\n\nIn the article's third paragraph, NPR nakedly chooses a side. The reporter writes, \"In a tweet announcing the move, Venezuela's authoritarian president, Nicolas Maduro, ordered the reopening of the border with Colombia on Friday and said in Spanish, \"We are a people of peace who firmly defend our independence and self-determination.\"\n\nWho is it that made the determination that Maduro is an \"authoritarian?\" Whether we like his politics or not, the man is the democratically-elected president of Venezuela. The opposition did not contest the last election. They boycotted it. That's on them, not on Maduro. In fact, it was the White House that insisted that the opposition boycott the election just so that it could later accuse Maduro of being an illegitimate leader. NPR and others have fallen right in line.\n\nThe article's very next sentence promotes the blind expansionism and imperialism that National Security Adviser John Bolton is famous for. It says, \"The border with Colombia was closed earlier this year in an attempt by Maduro's government to block opposition and humanitarian groups from delivering foreign aid to Venezuelans in need.\" The problem there is that there were no \"humanitarian groups\" delivering food to Venezuelans.\n\nHere's what happened. The US and the European Union cut off food deliveries to Venezuela as a way to squeeze Maduro. When he didn't resign and flee to Cuba, which is what Western leaders wanted to happen, the White House ordered a cut-off of food imports. The only way for Venezuelans to get food, then, was to have the US provide it and the \"opposition\" ship it across the border from Colombia. But the US and the opposition used the open border to also smuggle arms to supporters of US puppet Juan Gauido to help overthrow the Venezuelan government. I would have closed the border, too. But NPR doesn't tell you any of that.\n\nIn only the fifth paragraph of the article, the author introduces Juan Guaido. Guaido is a nobody whom John Bolton decided should be the new president of Venezuela. NPR, with a completely straight face, says, \"Maduro is in a power struggle with opposition leader Juan Guaido, the head of Venezuela's National Assembly who declared himself Venezuela's president in January. Guaido has been recognized as Venezuela's rightful head of state by more than 50 countries, including the United States.\"\n\nThis paragraph is an outrage. Maduro and Guaido are not \"in a power struggle.\" Guaido was chosen by the Trump White House to be the fact of the US coup in Venezuela. He's a traitor who has taken up arms against his own country on behalf of a foreign power, the United States.\n\nImagine for a moment that a foreign country that didn't like a US president decided that the Speaker of the House or the President pro tempore of the Senate or some other politician should be the \"rightful head of state.\" Since when is it up to the US to decide who the rightful head of state of Venezuela is? Shouldn't that be up to the Venezuelan voters? Imagine if the Russians decided that some schmo they happen to like should be President of the United States. They strong-arm 50 countries into recognizing the schmo, and then they send \"humanitarian aid\" and arms to the border. That's an act of war, plain and simple. I can easily imagine every American taking up arms to defend the country.\n\nNPR and other mainstream outlets should be ashamed of themselves. They toe the (illegal) official line just like the compliant propaganda outlets they have become. There's no end in sight.\n\nRemember, and forgive me if I sound like a broken record, the White House's actions in Venezuela are a violation of international law. This is a coup attempt. It's a crime. I'm not a Nicolas Maduro fan-boy. But it's none of our business who leads a foreign country, especially when his or her people hold an election. This intervention is just plain wrong. Hands off Venezuela. And every other country.", ".@SecPompeo met today with #Canada’s Foreign Minister @cafreeland. The two leaders reiterated their mutual commitment to restoring democracy in Venezuela and #Nicaragua, discussed #Cuba’s destabilizing interference in #Venezuela and more. https://t.co/ndusa0V01H pic.twitter.com/g03r8XBUmx", "The refugee crisis in Venezuela is growing. A U.N. agency says the number of people fleeing the country is staggering. Most of the people who have left Venezuela remain in Latin America.\n\nThe number of people fleeing Venezuela has now exceeded 4 million. That's according to the U.N. Refugee Agency and the International Organization for Migration, which called the pace of the outflow staggering. Here's United Nations special envoy Angelina Jolie talking from the Venezuela-Colombia border on Sunday.\n\nANGELINA JOLIE: This is a life-and-death situation for millions. UNHCR has received only a fraction of the funds it needs to do even the bare minimum to help them survive.\n\nINSKEEP: OK. Let's remember the geography here. We said she's on the Venezuela-Colombia border. Colombia's the next country west of Venezuela. That's where a lot of people are going. We've heard our colleague Ari Shapiro with a lot of dramatic reporting on Colombian refugees, and now the outflow has increased. So let's get an update from reporter John Otis, who has been reporting for the region, is in Colombia now. Hi there, John.\n\nINSKEEP: What are conditions where you are?\n\nOTIS: Well, you know, up on the Colombia-Venezuela border, that's actually one of the busiest in all of South America. And President Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela blocked those border crossings back in February over a dispute with the political opposition. The bridges were blocked with shipping containers, and that forced Venezuelans who were trying to get across to Colombia to go along clandestine footpaths that are quite dangerous 'cause these footpaths, many of them are controlled by drug trafficking groups, and there were sometimes shootouts between them. And what's happening up there on the border, Steve, is that lots of Venezuelans go across to Colombia just for even a few hours 'cause they need to buy food and medicine and other things that they can't get back home.\n\nSo there's just a lot of back and forth. Colombia's become quite a lifeline for Venezuela as the crisis gets worse. People need to get across. Even coming across and working odd jobs and, you know, picking up a few dollars - that's enough, once they go back to Venezuela, to live for a few days.\n\nINSKEEP: OK. So some of the regular border crossings have reopened for the moment. People are going back and forth, but some people just go. How are the countries in the region, the neighboring countries, handling millions of people?\n\nOTIS: You know, for the most part, they seem to be doing a pretty good job. They seem to be maintaining kind of an open-door policy. Colombia, especially, because many Colombians crossed over and emigrated to Venezuela back in the '80s and '90s during Colombia's period of horrific drug-fueled violence and guerrilla war. So there's kind of a common understanding between the two countries. Colombia's now home to about 1.3 million Venezuelans. And it's a real mix. You know, you've got highly educated Venezuelans coming across working as university professors and in Colombia's oil industry. You've got construction workers. But, you know, the down and out, you'll find them begging on the streets of Bogota.\n\nNow, the one upside, or one of the upsides of this outward flow is that these Venezuelans are able to, again, find jobs and send money back to their loved ones back in Venezuela who really are depending on U.S. dollars these days to get along as hyperinflation soars in that country.\n\nINSKEEP: I guess that means also that some of the Venezuelans are contributing to the local economies of the countries to which they flee.\n\nOTIS: That's true. But, you know, as this crisis continues, you know, there are concerns about rising xenophobia. Peru, for example, is just putting some new restrictions on Venezuelans coming into their country because they're blaming Venezuelan immigrants for a rise in crime. So we could see more of these kinds of measures as the crisis continues.\n\nINSKEEP: John, thanks for your reporting.", "Cuba has stood alongside Venezuela for years and continues to send doctors and medical professionals to the Bolivarian Republic to assist the people as they face an inhuman blockade from the U.S. and its allies.\n\nThe U.S. administration's plan to overthrow the legitimate government of Venezuela has failed once again, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel tweeted on Monday.\n\n\"The US government has failed in its purpose to defeat the Bolivarian Revolution #HandsOffVenezuela #SomosCuba #SomosContinuidad Mike Pompeo puts opposition in crisis and dismantles Plan Guaidó,\" the Cuban President tweeted.\n\nAt the same time, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza called out U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for his failures in Venezuela. According to Arreaza, Pompeo and the opposition, led by self-proclaimed 'president' Juan Guaido, have admitted their short comings in their plot to overthrow the legitimate government of Venezuela.\n\nThe oppositions's failures have become all too prevalent since the failed coup on April 30, as their protests have dwindled in size and participation. \n\n \n\n Elias Jaua, member of the national leadership of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela, said that the division amongst the opposition is nothing new, stating that their constant failures have further divided the right-wingers inside the Bolivarian Republic. \n\n \n\n Jaua added that the U.S. government will fail to unite the opposition because their political aspirations are based on personal and mercantile interests.", "You might hope that at least the United States Libertarian Party could be counted on not to support the US government’s effort to install its chosen politician as president of Venezuela. Oh well.\n\nSorry to be the bearer of bad news. Earlier this month, a “Dear Libertarian” letter from party chairman Nicholas Sarwark appeared on the Libertarian Party’s website in which Sarwark promotes viewing a video by Kyle Varner — described by Sarwark as a party member — in which Varner delivers the US government’s regime change line in regard to the South America country.\n\n\n\n In the video, Varner, purporting to speak for the Libertarian Party and all libertarians, compares Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro to Adolph Hitler, places the blame on the Venezuela government for problems in the country while neglecting to mention US sanctions or any other US government efforts that contribute to suffering in the Venezuela, and praises Juan Guaidó who is seeking to overthrow the Venezuela government and who the US government has been calling the “interim president” of Venezuela.\n\n\n\n As if to make the support for a US government-orchestrated regime change operation in Venezuela yet more clear, Varner in the video even promotes that the “Chicago Boys” can improve things in Venezuela after the country’s current government is replaced.\n\n“Chicago Boys” is a reference to University of Chicago-connected individuals that played a prominent role in the Chile government after a successful US-supported regime change in that country in 1973.\n\nThis article was published by RonPaul Institute."], "summary": "A speedboat carrying migrants reportedly sinks off the coast of Venezuela en route to Curaçao, making it the third migrant boat leaving Venezuela to sink in as many months, with over 50 people missing."}
{"document": ["The An-32 aircraft with 13 people on board had gone missing on June 3 | File photo\n\nAn Indian Air Force (IAF) team on Thursday recovered black box of An-32 aircraft which went missing on June 3.\n\nThe An-32's black box was recovered from crash site in Arunachal Pradesh.\n\nThe flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder are part of the block box that will help in investigations into the crash.\n\nThe flight data recorder can store up to 30 parameters.\n\nThese parameters include details of engine, speed and other things to assess what possibly triggered the crash.\n\nThe cockpit voice recorder can be extremely crucial in getting more crash details as it will have the conversations the pilot had with the ground staff minutes before the crash.\n\nA team, comprising four Indian Air Force personnel, reached the crash site this morning with the remaining nine personnel joining them a later.\n\nThe IAF will now assess the damage black box sustained.\n\n\"If the damage is not much and the equipment are intact, retrieving the data will not be a problem,\" an IAF officer said.\n\nA team of four, out of a group of 15, reached close to the crash site on Thursday evening but because of the poor light could not go further and access the wreckage and waited for daylight.\n\n\"They had to rappel and get to the An-32 that is stuck at a steep gradient,\" the officer said.\n\nThe next big challenge is to get back the mortal remains of the IAF personnel. According to an ANI report, the choppers would be used to ferry the bodies from the crash site in Arunachal Pradesh.\n\nThe wreckage of the An-32 aircraft of the Indian Air Force was spotted in a heavily forested mountainous terrain by an IAF Mi-17 helicopter, eight days after it went missing with 13 people on board on June 3.\n\nTeams were airdropped near An-32 aircraft wreckage site in Arunachal Pradesh to carry out search operations in area | File photo\n\nThere were no survivors in the crash of An-32 aircraft, wreckage of which was found in Arunachal Pradesh on Tuesday, Indian Air Force confirmed.\n\nThe Russian-origin An-32 aircraft was going from Jorhat in Assam to Menchuka advanced landing ground near the border with China on June 3 when it lost contact with ground staff at 1 pm, within 33 minutes of taking off.\n\nA total of eight aircrew and five passengers were on board the aircraft.", "The wreckage of an IAF aircraft, which went missing eight days ago with 13 people on board, was found Tuesday in Lipo locality of Arunachal Pradesh, official sources said.\n\nThe Russian-origin AN-32 aircraft lost contact on the afternoon of June 3 after taking off from Jorhat in Assam for Menchuka advanced landing ground near the border with China.\n\nThe wreckage of the aircraft has been located in an area called Lipo, the sources said.", "Parts of missing IAF aircraft AN-32 that went missing after taking off from Jorhat has been found north of Lipo in Arunachal.\n\nAN-32 with 13 people onboard last contacted ground sources from Arunachal Pradesh on Jun 3. (Photo: AFP)\n\nNew Delhi: Wreckage of missing Indian Air Force AN-32 aircraft that went missing after taking off from Jorhat airways on June 3 has been found north of Lipo in Arunachal Pradesh.\n\nIt was found by found by Mi-17 helicopters of the Indian Air Force.\n\nDetails are still being verified.\n\nAN-32 with 13 people onboard last contacted ground sources from Arunachal Pradesh on Jun 3.\n\nThe location of the parts of aircraft, believed to be that of missing AN-32, is 15-20 kilometers north of the flight path of the AN-32 aircraft in Arunachal Pradesh. Indian Air Force (IAF) chopper teams were involved in this mission.", "The wreckage of the AN-32 aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) was spotted on Tuesday 16 km north of Lipo in Arunachal Pradesh, eight days after it went missing after taking off from Assam’s Jorhat. The aircraft had 13 people on board and the IAF said efforts are on to establish the status of the occupants.", "New Delhi: The wreckage of the AN-32 aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) was spotted on Tuesday 16 km north of Lipo in Arunachal Pradesh, eight days after it went missing after taking off from Assam’s Jorhat.\n\n The aircraft had 13 people on board and the IAF said efforts are on to establish the status of the occupants.\n\n “The wreckage of the aircraft was spotted today 16 kms north of Lipo, north east of Tato at an approximate elevation of 12,000 ft by the IAF Mi-17 helicopter undertaking search in the expanded search zone,” the IAF said in a statement.\n\n “Efforts are now continuing to establish the status of occupants and establish survivors. Further details will be communicated as the recovery actions progress,” it said.\n\n The Russian-origin AN-32 aircraft lost contact on the afternoon of June 3 after taking off from Jorhat for Menchuka advanced landing ground near the border with China.\n\n A total of eight aircrew and five passengers were on board the aircraft.\n\n The AN-32 is a twin-engine turboprop transport aircraft and the IAF currently operates a sizeable number of it.\n\n The IAF launched a massive operation to trace the missing aircraft but the search was badly hit by poor weather conditions.\n\n The assets deployed for the operation included Sukhoi-30 aircraft in addition to a fleet of C-130J and AN-32 planes and Mi-17 and ALH helicopters. The ground forces included troops from the Army, Indo Tibetan Border Police and state police.\n\n ISRO’s Cartosat and RISAT satellites were also used to take images of the area around Menchuka.\n\n On Saturday, the IAF had announced a reward of Rs 5 lakh to anyone providing information about location of the AN-32 transport aircraft which went missing six days ago around remote Mechuka in Arunachal Pradesh, an earlier report said.\n\n —PTI", "The wreckage of the aircraft was spotted today 16 kms north of Lipo, northeast of Tato at an approximate elevation of 12,000 ft by the IAF Mi-17 helicopter undertaking search in the expanded search zone\n\nNew Delh: The wreckage of the AN-32 aircraft of the Indian Air Force was spotted on Tuesday 16 km north of Lipo in Arunachal Pradesh, eight days after it went missing after taking off from Assam's Jorhat. The aircraft had 13 people on board and the IAF said efforts are on to establish the status of the occupants.\n\n\"The wreckage of the aircraft was spotted today 16 kms north of Lipo, north east of Tato at an approximate elevation of 12,000 ft by the IAF Mi-17 helicopter undertaking search in the expanded search zone,\" the IAF said in a statement.\n\n\"Efforts are now continuing to establish the status of occupants and establish survivors. Further details will be communicated as the recovery actions progress,\" it said. The Russian-origin AN-32 aircraft lost contact on the afternoon of June 3 after taking off from Jorhat for Menchuka advanced landing ground near the border with China. A total of eight aircrew and five passengers were on board the aircraft. The AN-32 is a twin-engine turboprop transport aircraft and the IAF currently operates a sizeable number of it.\n\nThe IAF launched a massive operation to trace the missing aircraft but the search was badly hit by poor weather conditions. The assets deployed for the operation included Sukhoi-30 aircraft in addition to a fleet of C-130J and AN-32 planes and Mi-17 and ALH helicopters. The ground forces included troops from the Army, Indo Tibetan Border Police and state police. ISRO's Cartosat and RISAT satellites were also used to take images of the area around Menchuka.\n• None Mumbai: Esplanade holds key to heritage tag for whole precinct\n• None Mumbai: NEET topper's face in ads of 3 different classes raises hackles\n• None Mumbai: Two die after auto crushed between dumper, private bus on EEH\n• None Mumbai: Chaos alert as BMC shuts old bridges in Juhu and Oshiwara\n• None Politicians to plant 9,000 trees for the 3,000 hacked over Metro 4 work\n• None Dr Ram Puniyani: To label me anti-Hindu is a carefully constructed prism'\n• None Mumbai doctor's suicide: Court proceedings in Dr Payal Tadvi's case to be recorded on video\n• None Mumbai Crime: IIT scholar who stalked woman for 5 years held in Bihar\n• None BMC chief Praveen Pardeshi: New zoo will help preserve Aarey better\n• None Mumbai: Two kids and five dogs electrocuted in first showers\n• None Woman on flight opens emergency exit door mistaking it for toilet\n• None Tanuja on the road to recovery; Kajol shares a picture with mother\n• None Man stabbed to death by his friend over ludo game\n• None Yuvraj Singh receives a standing ovation from rumoured ex-girlfriend Kim Sharma on his retirement\n• None Yuvraj Singh: Cricket taught me to fight, fall, dust myself and get up\n• None World Cup 2019: ICC needs to take a serious look at the LED bails\n• None An era ends with Girish Karnad; last rites take place in Bengaluru\n• None Dino Morea and Shibani Dandekar spotted at an eatery in Bandra\n\nCatch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates", "New Delhi, June 11: The wreckage of the Indian Air Force's missing AN-32 transport aircraft has been found in Arunachal Pradesh, almost a week after it went missing.\n\nThe wreckage has been found in Payum Circle of Siang district. It was spotted by a Mi-17 helicopter of the Indian Air Force.\n\nThe IAF has confirmed that wreckage of the missing AN-32 was spotted north of Lipo in Arunachal Pradesh.\n\n\"Efforts are now continuing to establish the status of occupants and establish survivors. Further details will be communicated as the recovery actions progress,\" it added.\n\nThe Russian-origin AN-32 aircraft with 13 people on board lost contact on June 3 afternoon after taking off from Jorhat in Assam for Menchuka advanced landing ground near the border with China.\n\nIAF had launched a massive search operation hours after the aircraft went missing. The assets deployed for the operation included Sukhoi-30 aircraft in addition to a fleet of C-130J and AN-32 planes and Mi-17 and ALH helicopters. The ground forces included troops from the Army, Indo Tibetan Border Police and state police.", "The wreckage of the AN-32 aircraft of the Indian Air Force was spotted on Tuesday in a heavily forested mountainous terrain in Arunachal Pradesh, eight days after it went missing with 13 people on board after taking off from Assam's Jorhat.\n\nThe IAF said efforts are on to establish the status of occupants amid fears of that chances of any survivor in the one of worst accidents involving a military platform in recent years may be very bleak.\n\n\"The wreckage of the aircraft was spotted today 16 kms North of Lipo, North East of Tato at an approximate elevation of 12,000 feet by an IAF Mi-17 helicopter undertaking search in the expanded search zone,\" the IAF said in a statement.\n\n\"Efforts are now continuing to establish the status of occupants and establish survivors,\" it said.\n\nAn IAF official said after identifying the wreckage of the AN 32, a Cheetah helicopter and an ALH chopper reached the crash site but could not land due to high elevation and dense forest.\n\n\"However, nearest landing site has been identified and the rescue operation by helicopters will commence tomorrow early morning. Ground forces will continue to reach the crash site during the night,\" he said.\n\nAnother official said the IAF will send its special commandos 'Garud' to the crash site and carry out an exercise to look for possible survivors.\n\nThe Russian-origin AN-32 aircraft was going from Jorhat in Assam to Menchuka advanced landing ground near the border with China on June 3 when it lost contact with ground staff at 1 pm, within 33 minutes of taking off.\n\nThe IAF launched a massive operation after the aircraft went missing but the search was badly hit due to poor weather conditions.\n\nThe assets deployed for the operation included Sukhoi-30 aircraft in addition to a fleet of C-130J and AN-32 planes and Mi-17 and ALH helicopters. The ground forces included troops from the Army, Indo Tibetan Border Police and state police.\n\nThe Indian Navy's P-8I aircraft was also deployed earlier this week as it has electro-optical and infra-red sensors which could be helpful in the search operation.\n\nISRO's Cartosat and RISAT satellites were also used to take images of the area around Menchuka.\n\nDeputy Commissioner of Siang district Rajeev Takuk said the wreckage of the aircraft was spotted near Pari hills which is close to Gatte village under Payum circle in Arunachal Pradesh.\n\n\"The wreckage was spotted near Pari hills, a few kilometres from Gatte village. However, the area is inaccessible as there is no road communication,\" Takuk told PTI.\n\nThe IAF has been regularly updating the families of all those who were on board the AN-32 about the rescue operation.\n\nOfficials said a total of nine aircraft of the Indian Air Force were involved in accidents this year.\n\nAn AN-32 aircraft had crashed near a village in West Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh in June 2009 in which 13 defence personnel were killed.\n\nThe aircraft had crashed over the Rinchi Hill above Heyo village, about 30 km from Mechuka advance landing ground.\n\nIn July 2016, an AN-32 aircraft went missing after taking off from Chennai for Port Blair with 29 people on board.\n\nThe aircraft could not be traced even after weeks of massive search operations covering 2,17,800 square nautical miles by multiple aircraft.\n\nMonths later, an IAF court of inquiry concluded that it was unlikely that the missing personnel on board the aircraft would have survived the accident.", "The wreckage of the AN-32 aircraft of The Indian Air Force (IAF) that went missing on June 3 has finally been spotted. A team of Indian Air Force (IAF) officials found the debris at 16kms North of Lipo and North-East of Tato at an approximate elevation of 12,000 ft in Arunachal Pradesh.\n\nIn a statement on Twitter, IAF said, \"The wreckage of the missing #An32 was spotted today 16 Kms North of Lipo, North East of Tato at an approximate elevation of 12000 ft by the #IAF Mi-17 Helicopter undertaking search in the expanded search zone.\"\n\nIAF, however, makes no mention about the status of the 13 occupants. It added that the efforts are still underway to find the survivors.\n\nThe Soviet-origin twin-engine turboprop Antonov-32 military transport plane was carrying 13 passengers from Assam's Jorhat to a remote base in Arunachal Pradesh when it went missing at around 12:25 pm, half an hour after it took off.\n\nIAF had launched a massive search operation hours after the aircraft went missing. However, there were delays due to poor weather conditions even as ground troops continued to comb the mountainous area for days. The assets deployed for the operation included Sukhoi-30 aircraft in addition to a fleet of C-130J and AN-32 planes and Mi-17 and ALH helicopters. The ground forces included troops from the Army, Indo Tibetan Border Police and state police.\n\nThe IAF on Saturday announced a reward of Rs 5 lakh to anyone providing information about location of the AN-32 transport aircraft.\n\nAlso Read: Missing in action: Why Antonov AN-32 is India's most troubled aircraft\n\nAlso Read: Indian Air Force announces Rs 5 lakh reward for information on missing AN-32 aircraft", "Itanagar: The Indian Air Force, Army and the civil administration of Arunachal Pradesh started a massive operation on Wednesday to reach the site where the AN-32 aircraft of the Indian Air Force had crashed on June 3, a defence official said.\n\n\"The rescue mission of inducting teams to the crash site, by helicopters has begun. Mi17s and ALH from army are being utilised,\" said defence PRO Wing Commander Ratnakar Singh.\n\nThe site where the wreckage of the AN-32 has been spotted is located 16 km north of Lipo and about 12 to 15 km west of Gatte under Payum region of Shi Yomi district.\n\nThe wreckage was spotted on Tuesday afternoon when the joint teams of IAF, Army and the civil administration carried out aerial survey in the area. \"It is likely to take some time for the ground parties to reach the crash site. The area has thick vegetation and the tough terrain often prevents the ground search party from advancing,\" said a senior official of Shi Yomi district. Although the IAF has spotted the wreckage, nothing is yet clear about the fate of the 13 on board the aircraft when it taken off on June 3 from the Jorhat airbase for Mechuka advanced landing ground in Arunachal Pradesh."], "summary": "The wreckage of An-32 aircraft was found in Arunachal Pradesh with all 13 people on board killed. India Today"}
{"document": ["Image copyright EPA Image caption Nearly 1,400 people have died in a recent outbreak in DR Congo\n\nThe head of a major medical research charity has called the latest outbreak of Ebola in central Africa \"truly frightening\".\n\nNearly 1,400 people have died in the Democratic Republic of Congo.\n\nDr Jeremy Farrar, the director of the Wellcome Trust, said the epidemic was the worst since that of 2013-16 and has showed \"no sign of stopping\".\n\nTwo people have also died in neighbouring Uganda, the first cases of Ebola reported in the country.\n\nA five-year-old boy infected with the virus died on Tuesday and his 50-year-old grandmother died on Wednesday, the Ugandan health ministry said.\n\nThe Ugandan government has reported at least six other suspected cases of the virus.\n\nIn a statement, Dr Farrar said the spread was \"tragic but unfortunately not surprising\". He warned that more cases were expected, and a \"full\" national and international response would be needed to protect lives.\n\n\"The DRC should not have to face this alone,\" he said.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Treating Ebola in the DR Congo warzone\n\nWhat's the situation so far?\n\nSince the first case of Ebola in DR Congo last August, nearly 1,400 people have died - around 70% of all those infected.\n\nThe outbreak is the second-largest in the history of the disease, with a significant spike in new cases in recent weeks.\n\nOnly once before has an outbreak continued to grow more than eight months after it began - that was the epidemic in West Africa between 2013-16, which killed 11,310 people.\n\nEfforts to contain the spread have been hindered by militia group violence and by suspicion towards foreign medical assistance.\n\nNearly 200 health facilities have been attacked in DR Congo this year, forcing health workers to suspend or delay vaccinations and treatments. In February, medical charity Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) put its activities on hold in Butembo and Katwa - two eastern cities in the outbreak's epicentre.\n\nIn Uganda, a five-year-old boy died of the virus on Tuesday, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).\n\nOfficials said his grandmother and younger brother also had the disease. The boy is said to have travelled across the border with his family from DR Congo on Sunday. He was then taken to a Ugandan hospital after exhibiting symptoms, including vomiting blood, officials said.\n\nSeven other cases have been confirmed in the country, and Uganda's government said 50 people were suspected to have come into contact with those infected.\n\nImage copyright Reuters Image caption The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is already the second deadliest in history\n\nEmergency measures\n\nAnalysis by James Gallagher, Health and Science Correspondent, BBC News\n\nCases of Ebola appearing in another country are always a significant and worrying development. The key question now is how far has the virus spread in Uganda?\n\nHas it been contained to just the family that crossed the border from DR Congo or has it spread more widely? This is a moment that Uganda has long prepared for and, hopefully, measures such as pre-emptively vaccinating healthcare workers will lower the risk of Ebola spreading.\n\nThis outbreak is already the second largest in human history and some have predicted it could take up to two more years to bring to an end. The WHO has twice ruled that this Ebola outbreak is not a yet global emergency. Its Emergency Committee will meet again on Friday.\n\nWhat is being done to prevent the spread?\n\nIn Uganda, mass gatherings including market days and prayers have been cancelled. Market days in the town of Kasese attract an estimated 20,000 people at the border area.\n\nUganda's health ministry and the WHO said a rapid response team had been dispatched to identify others at risk.\n\nThe country has already vaccinated about 4,700 health workers against the disease, according to a joint statement by WHO and Ugandan health officials.\n\nOn Wednesday, WHO head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that he would hold an IHR Emergency Committee meeting on 14 June. The group will decide if the outbreak should now be deemed a public health emergency.\n\nWhat is Ebola?", "Ebola has broken out in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) since 2013. Fully named Ebola virus disease (EVD), it crept over the DRC in an initial outbreak from 2013 to 2016 and killed more than 1,000 people. Despite intensive reworks to the West African nation’s healthcare administration, the disease still crops up. Smaller outbreaks sometimes spill over the border to neighbouring countries but are contained. Now Ebola has strayed to Uganda.\n\nEbola SPREADS: First case outside DR Congo emerges in Uganda\n\nThe latest confirmed case of Ebola is in a five-year-old child who crossed the border into Bwera, Uganda, near the Congolese city of Butembo on June 9.\n\nThe child’s family sought medical care in the city at the Kagando Hospital.\n\nThe child was transferred to Bwera Ebola Treatment Unit, followed by a rapid response team.\n\nDr Jeremy Farrar, director of the Wellcome Trust, said the disease could now cause new cases to sprout over the border.\n\nHe said in a statement: “This epidemic is in a truly frightening phase and shows no sign of stopping anytime soon.\n\n“We can expect and should plan for more cases in DRC and neighbouring countries.\n\n“The DRC should not have to face this alone.”\n\nREAD MORE: WHO warns of secret Ebola victims", "A 50-year-old woman has become the second Ebola patient to die in Uganda after the killer virus spread from the Congo.\n\nThe grandmother fell victim alongside her grandson who was the first fatality on June 11, as experts warn the spread is 'truly frightening'.\n\nPublic gatherings have been banned in Kasese, a district in western Uganda close to the DRC border, where the woman and the boy will be buried.\n\nIt comes after the health ministry announced Wednesday that Uganda had recorded three cases of Ebola infection in the first known cross-border spread.\n\nAll three were from a single family that travelled to DRC to care for a relative, who also died of Ebola, before returning to Uganda.\n\nNeighboring countries, including Uganda, have been on high alert since the second worst outbreak in history began in eastern DRC last August.\n\nMore than 2,000 cases of Ebola have been recorded in the north-eastern part of the DRC, two-thirds of which have been fatal.\n\nA health official told AFP on a condition of anonymity: 'The deceased has been confirmed as the grandmother of the five-year-old boy who died. Both victims had attended the burial of an Ebola patient in Congo, but returned to Uganda.'\n\nThe third confirmed case, the five-year-old's three-year-old brother, is believed to still be in quarantine in a hospital in Bwera ETU, an Ebola treatment unit.\n\nEight others who had been in contact with them were also being monitored there.\n\nThe family, including the boys' mother, were from the DRC and had reportedly travelled across the border to see a family member which the WHO confirmed died of Ebola.\n\nWhile returning to Uganda, the group including several other children was stopped at a Congo's Kasindi border post.\n\n\n\nCongo's health ministry said the boy was reportedly vomiting blood and a dozen of his family members appeared to have symptoms.\n\nThey were planned to be transferred to an Ebola treatment unit in Beni, in Congo.\n\nBut six family members slipped away and crossed into Uganda on an unguarded footpath, authorities told The Associated Press.\n\nAuthorities in both countries now vow to step up border security.\n\nCongolese Health Minister Oly Ilunga Kalenga said as soon as the family crossed into Uganda, they alerted the authorities about the potential Ebola spread.\n\nUgandan officials found the family members at the Kagando hospital, where the boy's Ebola case was confirmed. They were then transferred to Bwera, it is believed.\n\nUganda has now identified seven suspected Ebola cases, and about 50 contacts of the family are being traced there.\n\nFive family members who did not cross into Uganda have tested positive for Ebola, Congo's health ministry said.\n\nOn Wednesday, an official told AFP the boy who tested positive for Ebola in Kasese died in the isolation unit.\n\n'The minister for health (Ruth Aceng) will be briefing the country about the death of the boy and arrangements to bury the body', the official, on condition on anonymity, added.\n\nThe child was buried on Wednesday in Kasese, in the west of Uganda, according to health ministry spokeswoman Emma Ainebyoona.\n\nMs Aceng said: 'We have three cases of Ebola confirmed. Unfortunately, we lost the boy who was first tested and was found positive.'\n\nThe infected family members and frontline health workers in Uganda are due to be vaccinated Friday with a new drug designed to protect them against the virus, the health ministry said.\n\nEast Africa has been on high alert since the outbreak was declared in the eastern DRC provinces of North Kivu and Ituri.\n\nThe World Health Organization is under pressure to declare the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern'.\n\nThey health body said it did not constitute as one in April, but are meeting again Friday to reassess. It would be a major shift in the level of attention devoted internationally to combating the disease.\n\nOfficial figures show the death toll in the African nation now stands at 1,396, with half of the fatalities having occurred since April.\n\nDr Jeremy Farrar, director of the Wellcome Trust, said: 'News of an Ebola case confirmed in Uganda is tragic but unfortunately not surprising.\n\n'Uganda is very well prepared, has established surveillance and given the Merck vaccine to health care workers, but we can expect and should plan for more cases in DRC and neighbouring countries.\n\n'This epidemic is in a truly frightening phase and shows no sign of stopping anytime soon. There are now more deaths than any other Ebola outbreak in history, bar the West Africa Epidemic of 2013-16, and there can be no doubt that the situation could escalate towards those terrible levels.'\n\nWHAT CLASSES AS AN INTERNATIONAL HEALTH EMERGENCY? The World Health Organization has only invoked a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) four times in the past, according to The Telegraph. These were during the last major Ebola outbreak in 2014, the Swine flu outbreak in 2009, a resurgence of Polio in 2014, and the Zika outbreak in South America in 2016. WHO's Emergency Committee must convene to decide on the seriousness of a disease outbreak and the threat it poses to other countries before declaring a PHEIC. These are the incidents it has deemed serious enough in the past: In 2009 'Swine flu' was identified for the first time in Mexico and was named because it is a similar virus to one which affects pigs. The outbreak is believed to have killed as many as 575,400 people – the H1N1 strain is now just accepted as normal seasonal flu. Poliovirus began to resurface in countries where it had once been eradicated, and the WHO called for a widespread vaccination programme to stop it spreading. Cameroon, Pakistan and Syria were most at risk of spreading the illness internationally. Ebola killed at least 11,000 people across the world after it spread like wildfire through Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone in 2014, 2015 and 2016. More than 28,000 people were infected in what was the worst ever outbreak of the disease. Zika, a tropical disease which can cause serious birth defects if it infects pregnant women, was the subject of an outbreak in Brazil's capital, Rio de Janeiro, in 2016. There were fears that year's Olympic Games would have to be cancelled after more than 200 academics wrote to the World Health Organization warning about it.\n\nIt is not clear exactly how the family members were able to cross the border, where millions have travelers have been screened for Ebola since the outbreak began.\n\nUgandan health teams 'are not panicking,' Henry Mwebesa, a physician and the national director of health services, told The Associated Press.\n\nHe cited the country's experience battling previous outbreaks of Ebola and other hemorrhagic fevers.\n\n'We have all the contingencies to contain this case,' Mr Mwebesa said. 'It is not going to go beyond' the patient's family.\n\nThe family likely did not pass through official border points, where all travelers are screened for a high temperature and isolated if they show signs of illness.\n\nThe child's mother, who is married to a Ugandan, 'knows where to pass,' Mr Mwebesa said, adding. 'she does not have to go through the official border points'.\n\nRwanda, which borders both countries, has announced it is tightening border surveillance.\n\nIn April, an expert committee of the WHO decided that DR Congo’s outbreak, while of ‘deep concern’, was not yet a global health emergency.\n\nInternational spread of a disease is one of the major criteria WHO considers before declaring a situation to be a global health emergency.\n\nThe WHO says an expert committee has been alerted for a possible meeting to discuss whether to declare the Ebola outbreak a global health emergency.\n\nUganda has had multiple outbreaks of Ebola - considered one of the most lethal pathogens in existence - since 2000.\n\nThe outbreak in the DRC only appears to be getting worse – week-by-week infection rates are far higher than at any time before March.\n\nAttacks from armed rebels – some believed to be linked to Islamic State – are slowing down the response and risking the lives of locals and aid workers.\n\nArmed militiamen reportedly believe Ebola is a conspiracy against them and have repeatedly attacked health workers battling the epidemic.\n\nThere have been more than 120 attacks this year against aid workers, with eighty-five being wounded or killed, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).\n\nEbola killed 11,000 people and ravaged West Africa during an epidemic between 2014-15. One case was detected in Spain, Italy and the UK, respectively.\n\nThe DRC declared its tenth ever outbreak of Ebola last August in northeastern North Kivu province.\n\nThe killer virus, which causes fevers, uncontrollable bleeding and organ failure, quickly spread into the neighbouring Ituri region.", "A FIVE-year-old boy in Uganda has died of Ebola in the first cross-border case during the current outbreak, a health official said.\n\nThe youngster was being treated in an isolated unit after testing positive for the killer virus on Monday but passed away last night.\n\nThe World Health Organisation said two more people have since tested positive for the Ebola virus.\n\nUgandan authorities said the two new cases are his three-year-old brother and 50-year-old grandmother, who have been isolated at a hospital near the border.\n\nThese are the first cross-border cases in the country since an outbreak started in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo last year.\n\nThere have been more than 2,000 confirmed and probable cases in Congo since August, with nearly 1,400 deaths.\n\nThe boy is said to have travelled across the border with four family members, including his mother and father, on Monday.\n\nThey had returned to Congo to see his maternal grandfather before he died of Ebola, Uganda's Health Minister Jane Ruth Aceng said.\n\nHe was taken to hospital near the border in Uganda after he started showing symptoms, including vomiting blood, officials said.\n\nThe diagnosis of Ebola was confirmed by the Uganda Virus Institute (UVRI) yesterday.\n\nA rapid response team was sent to identify other people who may be at risk, the WHO said.\n\nThe boy's Congolese grandmother, who travelled to Uganda with the rest of the family, is sick although Ebola test results are yet to come in, it's reported.\n\nCongo's health ministry said a dozen members of the boy's family had showed symptoms of Ebola and were put in isolation.\n\nBut six managed to leave while awaiting transfer to an Ebola treatment centre.\n\nOfficials claim the Congolese family likely did not pass through official border points, where health workers screen all travellers for a high temperature and isolate those who show signs of illness.\n\nHenry Mwebesa, the national director of health services, said the child's mother, who is married to a Ugandan, \"knows where to pass. She does not have to go through the official border points.\"\n\nExperts have long feared Ebola could spread to neighbouring countries because of rebel attacks and community resistance hampering virus containment work in eastern Congo, one of the world's most turbulent regions.\n\nThe virus can spread quickly via close contact with bodily fluids of those infected and can be fatal in up to 90 per cent of cases.\n\nBut Mr Mwebesa said Ugandan health teams \"are not panicking,\" adding: \"We have all the contingencies to contain this case. It is not going to go beyond the patient's family.\"\n\nSince the epidemic began in August in eastern Congo, the Congo health ministry said on Monday that it had recorded 2,062 cases including 1,390 deaths.\n\nUganda has suffered regular outbreaks of Ebola and Marburg over the years, both high-fatality viral haemorrhagic fevers, and health facilities to treat the diseases are relatively robust for the region.\n\nBut Uganda is more stable than eastern Congo, and for the first time an experimental but effective Ebola vaccine is being widely used.\n\nUganda has vaccinated nearly 4,700 health workers so far.\n\nBut Ebola has been especially feared in Uganda, where multiple outbreaks have occurred over the years.\n\nWhat is Ebola and where did it come from? The Ebola virus disease - previously called Ebola haemorrhagic fever - is a viral infection that occurs in humans and primates. The virus is part of the Filoviridae family, which also includes Marburg virus. It was first detected in regions close to the River Ebola, which gave the disease its name. To date, scientists have identified five strains of Ebola - four of which are known to cause disease in humans. The natural reservoir - or host of the virus - is thought to be the fruit bat. Non-human primates are a secondary host, and like humans develop fatal symptoms, so are unlikely to be the reservoir. In spite of the epidemic that swept West Africa from 2013 to 2015, scientists class Ebola as a virus that has a relatively low infection rate. During that, the most recent and widespread outbreak, one Ebola patient would typically pass the disease on to another two people. That is compared with a disease like measles where one case can often lead to 18 new infections. The Ebola virus was first identified by a team of scientists in what was then called Zaire, now known as Democratic Republic of the Congo, in 1976. Until the last outbreak, the most widespread and deadliest ever, records show regular bursts of Ebola virus did occur. However, they tended to be confined to villages close to rainforests in Central and West Africa. Infection has been recorded in humans through contact with infected chimpanzees, gorillas, fruit bats, monkeys, forest antelope and porcupines.\n\nAn outbreak in the north in 2000 infected 425 people and killed more than half of them.\n\nThe announcement of the first cross-border case puts new pressure on WHO to declare the Ebola outbreak a global health emergency.\n\nA WHO expert committee has twice decided that the outbreak, while of \"deep concern,\" is not yet a global health emergency .\n\nDr Jeremy Farrar, Director of Wellcome, said: “This epidemic is in a truly frightening phase and shows no sign of stopping anytime soon.\n\n\"There are now more deaths than any other Ebola outbreak in history, bar the West Africa Epidemic of 2013-16, and there can be no doubt that the situation could escalate towards those terrible levels.\n\n“A step up in the national response with full international support is critical if we’re to contain the epidemic and ensure the very best protection for the communities at risk and for the health workers working to protect lives.\"\n\nWe pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368 . You can WhatsApp us on 07810 791 502. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.", "The World Health Organization announced an emergency committee would meet Friday to determine whether to upgrade its assessment of the situation to “a public health emergency of international concern”.\n\nWHO, in October and again in April, held off declaring the DRC epidemic an emergency of international concern, because the outbreak was contained to one part of DRC.\n\nFor the committee to make the emergency call, it must determine that the epidemic “carries implications for public health beyond the affected State’s national border and may require immediate international action”.\n\nIf such a declaration is made Friday it will represent a major shift in mobilisation against the disease.\n\nThe current Ebola epidemic began in August last year in eastern Congo and has already infected at least 2,062 people, killing 1,390 of them.\n\n“This epidemic is in a truly frightening phase and shows no sign of stopping anytime soon,” said Jeremy Farrar, an infectious disease specialist and director of the Wellcome Trust global health charity which is involved in fighting Ebola.\n\n“We can expect and should plan for more cases in DRC and neighbouring countries,” he said, adding: “There are now more deaths than any other Ebola outbreak in history, bar the West Africa Epidemic of 2013-16, and there can be no doubt that the situation could escalate towards those terrible levels.”\n\nThe Red Cross said it was scaling up efforts to contain the spread of the virus since it was detected in Uganda.\n\n“This is a worrying development, but we have been preparing for this day for months now,” Robert Kwesiga, Uganda Red Cross Secretary General, said in a statement Wednesday.\n\nExperts noted that Uganda, which has been on high alert for possible spread of Ebola and has already vaccinated many frontline healthworkers, is relatively well prepared and should be able to limit the virus’ spread.\n\n“The current cases in Uganda will be quickly contained but the failure to stop the current Ebola epidemic in DRC is simply tragic,” said Ian Jones, a professor virology at Britain’s Reading University.\n\nAt least two people have so far died of Ebola in Uganda, following Tuesday’s confirmation that the deadly virus had crossed into the country.\n\nThe five-year-old Congolese child who was the first recorded case in Uganda and its grandmother have both succumbed to the virus, at Bwere General Hospital, where an isolation facility has been established.\n\nAuthorities are now worried about the spread of the epidemic, after mire cases were confirmed on Wednesday.\n\n“Two more samples … have tested positive,” the World Health Organization agency said on Twitter, citing the health minister and bringing the total tally of confirmed cases to three.\n\nLocal news channel, Daily Monitor, said Ebola cases in the country have risen to 10, citing the country’s health minister Dr. Ruth Aceng who said there are seven more suspects, including two men, two women and a six-months-old baby, who came from the Democratic Republic of Congo.\n\nA case of Ebola has been confirmed in Uganda, ten months after the deadly virus was confirmed in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The 5-year-old Congolese child, who entered Uganda on June 9 through Bwera Border post, is receiving care, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday.\n\n“This is the first confirmed case in Uganda during the Ebola outbreak on-going in neighbouring Democratic Republic of the Congo,” the WHO said in a statement.\n\nThe child’s family sought medical care at Kagando hospital and the child was transferred to Bwera Ebola Treatment Unit for management, the WHO said.\n\n“The confirmation was made today by the Uganda Virus Institute (UVRI) …contacts are being monitored,” WHO said.\n\nHow the Ebola victim came to Uganda\n\nThe boy was accompanied by his Ugandan father and Congolese mother, who had returned to Congo to nurse her father before he died of Ebola, Uganda’s Health Minister Jane Ruth Aceng told a news conference.\n\nThe family returned to Uganda with four other family members of Congolese origin, Aceng said. All the other Congolese family members are in isolation at Bwera Hospital. Two of them have already developed symptoms similar to those of Ebola and samples have been removed from them, Aceng said.\n\nResults of tests are expected Wednesday. Eight more contacts are being followed up, Aceng said.\n\nAceng said the family entered Uganda on June 10, not 9. The reason for the discrepancy was not immediately clear and neither the WHO nor the government was reachable for clarification.\n\nSince the epidemic began in August in eastern Congo, the Congo health ministry said on Monday that it had recorded 2,062 cases, including 1,390 deaths.\n\nNeighbouring Uganda has suffered regular outbreaks of Ebola and Marburg over the years, both high-fatality viral haemorrhagic fevers. Health facilities to treat the diseases are relatively robust.\n\nA donor-supported laboratory in Entebbe, a lakeside town south of the capital Kampala, means Uganda typically confirms outbreaks much faster than many of its neighbours.\n\nPreparing for possible cases of Ebola, Uganda has vaccinated nearly 4,700 health workers, disease monitoring has been intensified, special treatment units set up and health workers have been trained to recognize symptoms of the disease, WHO said.\n\nUganda’s worst Ebola outbreak was in 2000 when 425 people were infected. More than half of them died.", "This photo taken Monday, June 10, 2019 and released by the International Rescue Committee (IRC), shows an Ebola screening checkpoint where people crossing from Congo go through foot and hand washing with a chlorine solution and have their temperature taken, at the Bunagana border crossing with Congo, in western Uganda. Uganda’s health ministry said late Tuesday, June 11, 2019 that a child in Uganda has tested positive for Ebola in the first cross-border case of the deadly virus since an outbreak started in neighboring Congo last year. (Ben Wise/International Rescue Committee via AP)\n\nKASINDI, Congo (AP) — A 5-year-old boy vomiting blood became the first cross-border victim in the current Ebola outbreak on Wednesday, while his 3-year-old brother and grandmother tested positive for the disease that has killed nearly 1,400 people in Congo.\n\nThe outbreak’s spread into Uganda prompted the World Health Organization to revisit whether the second-largest Ebola epidemic in history should be declared a global health emergency. A WHO expert committee meets on Friday. Such declarations almost always boost attention and donor funding.\n\nThe boy’s mother had taken him and his brother from Uganda into Congo, where her father was ill. WHO said he died of Ebola, and officials believe those who mourned him became infected, too.\n\nThe family then crossed back into Uganda via an unguarded foot path, bypassing official border crossings where health workers have been screening millions of travelers since the outbreak was declared in August.\n\nAuthorities in both countries now vow to step up border security.\n\nExperts have long feared Ebola could spread to neighboring countries because of rebel attacks and community resistance hampering containment work in eastern Congo, one of the world’s most turbulent regions. The virus can spread quickly via close contact with bodily fluids of those infected and can be fatal in up to 90% of cases.\n\nThe 5-year-old boy’s mother and grandmother, along with several other children, were stopped at a border post before crossing into Uganda. A dozen of them already showed symptoms of Ebola.\n\nCongo’s health ministry said those 12 were put in an isolation center, but in fact they were told to remain where they were staying until transport was found to an Ebola treatment unit, Dr. Dominique Kabongo, a local coordinator of response teams, told The Associated Press.\n\nInstead, six family members quietly crossed into Uganda.\n\n“Many people are evading (border) customs and using small footpaths and it is difficult for us to follow the contacts,” Kabongo said.\n\nOn arrival in Uganda, where authorities had been alerted by Congolese colleagues, the boy received treatment while relatives were isolated and tested. The boy’s uncle is among seven suspected cases now identified in Uganda.\n\nOn the Congo side, five family members who did not cross into Uganda have tested positive for Ebola, the health ministry said.\n\nHealth teams in Uganda “are not panicking,” Henry Mwebesa, the national director of health services, told the AP. He cited the East African nation’s experience battling previous outbreaks of Ebola and other hemorrhagic fevers.\n\nThis outbreak “is not going to go beyond” the boy’s family in Uganda, he added.\n\nWhile officials vowed to close unauthorized crossings, an AP reporter in the border area where the family crossed saw surveillance teams patrolling the Ugandan side. Some footpaths, however, remained unguarded. Some people wade across the shallow Lubiriha River.\n\nThe “stubbornness of Congolese” is a challenge in screening, a Ugandan Red Cross official, Francis Tumwine, told the AP at one border crossing last week. “They have failed to understand that Ebola is there, they think that it is witchcraft which is killing them.”\n\nA Congolese trader, Muhindo Kaongezekela, added: “We are not sure if there’s Ebola in Congo. In Congo, if they find you with a headache, they take you to the hospital and later say they died of Ebola.”\n\nThis is the first time this restive part of vast Congo, veteran of several Ebola outbreaks, has experienced the virus.\n\nResistance by residents wary of authorities has hurt containment efforts in an outbreak where an experimental but effective Ebola vaccine is being widely used for the first time. More than 130,000 people have received the vaccine.\n\nUganda is more stable than eastern Congo, and it has vaccinated nearly 4,700 health workers. WHO is shipping another 3,500 doses this week for health workers and contacts of those infected.\n\nThe WHO expert committee has twice decided that this outbreak, while of “deep concern,” is not yet a global health emergency . But international spread is one of the major criteria the United Nations agency considers before making a declaration. WHO has advised against travel restrictions.\n\nThe first cross-border case is “tragic but unfortunately not surprising,” said Dr. Jeremy Farrar with the Wellcome Trust, which funds Ebola vaccine research.\n\nWhile Uganda is well-prepared, he added, “we can expect and should plan for more cases in (Congo) and neighboring countries. This epidemic is in a truly frightening phase and shows no sign of stopping anytime soon.”\n\nMuhumuza reported from Kampala, Uganda. Associated Press writers Maria Cheng in London; Saleh Mwanamilongo in Kinshasa, Congo; Krista Larson in Dakar, Senegal and video journalist Tina Smole in Mpondwe, Uganda contributed.", "Latest Ebola outbreak spreads beyond Congo for first time with two cases confirmed in Uganda\n\nUganda has announced two cases of Ebola — a grandmother and a three-year-old boy — confirming that a deadly outbreak has spread for the first time beyond the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).\n\nThe Ugandan cases show the epidemic is entering a \"truly frightening\" phase and could kill many more people, one infectious disease specialist said.\n\nThe World Health Organisation's emergency committee will meet on Friday to decide whether the outbreak constitutes an international emergency.\n\nA five-year-old boy who had crossed into Uganda from Congo died late on Tuesday and his family are currently in isolation and being monitored, Uganda's Health Minister Jane Ruth Aceng, said.\n\nThe two new victims were the boy's brother and grandmother, the Ugandan health ministry said.\n\nHis grandfather had recently died of Ebola.\n\n\"This epidemic is in a truly frightening phase and shows no sign of stopping,\" said Jeremy Farrar, an infectious disease specialist and director of the Wellcome Trust global health charity, which is involved in fighting Ebola.\n\n\"We can expect and should plan for more cases in DRC and neighbouring countries,\" he said.\n\nThe current Ebola epidemic began in August last year in eastern Congo and has already infected at least 2,062 people, killing 1,390 of them.\n\nThe West Africa epidemic infected 28,000 people and killed 11,300, mostly in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone.\n\nThe viral disease spreads through contact with bodily fluids, causing haemorrhagic fever with severe vomiting, diarrhoea and bleeding.\n\nAuthorities have struggled to contain the disease partly because health workers have been repeatedly attacked in conflict-ravaged eastern Congo, the epicentre of the outbreak.\n\nThis year, the WHO has documented 174 attacks on health care workers and facilities in Congo, causing five deaths and 51 injuries, Geneva-based spokesman Tarik Jasarevic said.\n\nThere is widespread public mistrust of the Congo Government and health workers from outside the region, giving rise to rumours that the disease is a ruse to try to rig elections in the area, where dozens of armed groups operate.\n\nOther rumours accused health teams of spreading the disease. Many victims have sought treatment with traditional healers instead.\n\nUganda, which has been on high alert for a possible spread of Ebola and has already vaccinated many frontline health workers, is relatively well prepared to contain the virus.\n\n\"The current cases in Uganda will be quickly contained but the failure to stop the current Ebola epidemic in DRC is simply tragic,\" Ian Jones, a professor of virology at Britain's Reading University, said.", "(KASINDI, Congo) — A 5-year-old boy vomiting blood became the first cross-border victim of Ebola in the current outbreak on Wednesday, while two more people in Uganda tested positive for the highly contagious disease that has killed nearly 1,400 in Congo.\n\nThe boy, part of a Congolese family who crossed into Uganda earlier in the week, died overnight, the World Health Organization said. Ugandan authorities said the two new cases are his 3-year-old brother and 50-year-old grandmother, who have been isolated at a hospital near the border. Uganda now has three confirmed Ebola cases.\n\nAuthorities tried to determine how the family, exposed to the virus via a sick relative in Congo, managed to cross a border where health officials have been screening millions of travelers for months.\n\nThis has become the second-deadliest Ebola outbreak in history since the first cases were declared in August. A WHO expert committee has been alerted for a possible meeting on whether to declare a global health emergency now that the outbreak has crossed the border, a spokesman said.\n\nExperts have long feared Ebola could spread to neighboring countries because of rebel attacks and community resistance hampering virus containment work in eastern Congo, one of the world’s most turbulent regions. The virus can spread quickly via close contact with bodily fluids of those infected and can be fatal in up to 90% of cases.\n\nCongo’s health ministry said a dozen members of the boy’s family had showed symptoms of Ebola. They were not placed in isolation and instead were told to remain where they were staying until transport was found to an Ebola treatment unit in Beni, Dr. Dominique Kabongo, coordinator of Ebola response teams in Kasindi, told The Associated Press.\n\nInstead half of the family quietly crossed into Uganda, while five of those who remained have tested positive for Ebola since being taken to Beni, the health ministry said.\n\n“Many people are evading (border) customs and using small footpaths and it is difficult for us to follow the contacts,” Kabongo said.\n\nIn Uganda, where authorities had been alerted by Congolese colleagues, the boy received treatment while relatives were isolated and tested. The boy’s uncle is now among seven suspected Ebola cases in Uganda, Health Minister Jane Aceng said, adding that authorities on both sides of the border would do their best to close unauthorized crossings.\n\nUgandan health teams “are not panicking,” Henry Mwebesa, the national director of health services, told the AP. He cited the East African nation’s experience battling previous outbreaks of Ebola and other hemorrhagic fevers.\n\n“We have all the contingencies to contain this case,” Mwebesa said. “It is not going to go beyond” the boy’s family. The child’s mother, who is married to a Ugandan, knew where to cross the border unofficially, he added.\n\nIn the border area where the family is thought to have crossed, surveillance teams patrolled the Ugandan side on Wednesday. Some footpaths, however, remained unguarded. Some people wade across the shallow Lubiriha River instead of using a bridge to avoid being stopped by officials.\n\nThe “stubbornness of Congolese here” is a challenge in screening, a Ugandan Red Cross official, Francis Tumwine, told the AP at one border crossing last week. “They have failed to understand that Ebola is there, they think that it is witchcraft which is killing them.”\n\nA Congolese trader, Muhindo Kaongezekela, added: “We are not sure if there’s Ebola in Congo. In Congo, if they find you with a headache, they take you to the hospital and later say they died of Ebola.”\n\nThis is the first time this restive part of vast Congo, veteran of several Ebola outbreaks, has experienced the virus.\n\nUganda is more stable than eastern Congo, and for the first time an experimental but effective Ebola vaccine is being widely used, with more than 130,000 doses distributed. Uganda has vaccinated nearly 4,700 health workers, and WHO is shipping another 3,500 doses this week for health workers and contacts of those infected.\n\nBut Ebola has been especially feared in Uganda, where multiple outbreaks have occurred over the years. An outbreak in the north in 2000 infected 425 people and killed more than half of them.\n\nThe WHO expert committee has twice decided that the current outbreak, while of “deep concern,” is not yet a global health emergency. But international spread is one of the major criteria the United Nations agency considers before making a declaration. WHO has advised against travel restrictions.\n\nThe first cross-border case is “tragic but unfortunately not surprising,” said Dr. Jeremy Farrar with the Wellcome Trust, which funds Ebola vaccine research.\n\nWhile Uganda is well-prepared, he added, “we can expect and should plan for more cases in (Congo) and neighboring countries. This epidemic is in a truly frightening phase and shows no sign of stopping anytime soon.”", "The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo made the long-feared jump across borders with three cases confirmed Wednesday in Uganda, including the death of a 5-year-old boy who had the virus.\n\nThe World Health Organization and Ugandan health authorities said Tuesday the Congolese boy had traveled from Congo on Sunday, entered Uganda with his family and sought medical care.\n\nThe other two confirmed cases are the boy’s 3-year-old brother and his grandmother, 50. They are being treated under isolation at the Bwera Hospital Ebola Treatment Unit, in the west of Uganda, the country’s Ministry of Health said.\n\nIn a tweet Wednesday, WHO said the boy died Tuesday night.\n\n“The young patient – 5- year-old index case of #Ebola died last night. Two more samples were sent to UVRI and have tested positive. We, therefore, have three confirmed cases of #Ebola in #Uganda,” the tweet said, referring to the Uganda Virus Research Institute.\n\nThe ministry added that eight people who had been in contact with the family were being traced.\n\nThe Congo outbreak is both the second largest and second deadliest Ebola outbreak in history.\n\nMore than 1,300 people have died since it began in August. The epicenter is in North Kivu and Ituri provinces, among the most populous in the Congo and bordering Uganda, Rwanda and South Sudan.\n\nConcern had been mounting that the infectious disease would cross the border, underscored by an increase in the number of cases in recent weeks.\n\nPressure on WHO to declare international emergency\n\nDr. Jeremy Farrar, director of Wellcome Trust, a UK medical research charity, said that while Uganda was well-prepared to cope with the disease, global health authorities should be ready for more cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo and other neighboring countries.\n\n“This epidemic is in a truly frightening phase and shows no sign of stopping anytime soon,” he said in a statement.\n\n“There are now more deaths than any other Ebola outbreak in history, bar the West Africa Epidemic of 2013-16, and there can be no doubt that the situation could escalate towards those terrible levels.”\n\nUganda’s Health Ministry said the boy and his grandmother had been vomiting blood, a severe symptom of Ebola, when they had presented themselves to doctors.\n\n“Ebola is a horrific illness that ravages the human body,” said Brechtje van Lith, Save the Children’s country director in Uganda. “This first death, of a child, is a sickening reminder of the dangers of this disease.”\n\nWHO is likely to come under pressure to declare the outbreak an international health emergency. In April, the health body said it did not constitute a “public health emergency of international concern.”\n\nWHO defines a public health emergency of international concern as “an extraordinary event” that constitutes a “public health risk to other States through the international spread of disease” and “to potentially require a coordinated international response.”\n\nUnlike the outbreak in West Africa that killed more than 11,000 people, there are now vaccines and experimental treatments to help stop the spread of the disease.\n\nHowever, the Congo outbreak has proven difficult to bring under control because of community mistrust and violent attacks on health care workers.\n\n“A step up in the national response with full international support is critical if we’re to contain the epidemic and ensure the very best protection for the communities at risk and for the health workers working to protect lives,” Farrar said. “This needs to be championed at the highest political levels, including at the UN and the upcoming G20.”\n\nUganda’s health ministry said it was vaccinating front-line health workers and people who had been in contact with the family. It said people should report any symptoms including unexplained bleeding from any body opening, vomiting of blood, bloody diarrhea and muscle pain.\n\nIt appealed to the public to “suspend social norms like shaking hands and hugging” and called on border districts to suspend mass gatherings such as weddings and markets and in places of worship.", "BENI, Congo (AP) — A 5-year-old boy vomiting blood has become the first cross-border case of Ebola in the current deadly outbreak. Now authorities are trying to determine how his family, exposed to the virus, managed to cross from Congo into neighboring Uganda.\n\nThe World Health Organization late Tuesday confirmed the first Ebola case outside Congo since the outbreak began in August. Nearly 1,400 people have died in what has become the second-deadliest Ebola outbreak in history.\n\nCongo's health ministry said a dozen members of the boy's family had showed symptoms of Ebola and were put in isolation. But six managed to leave while awaiting transfer to an Ebola treatment center. They crossed into Uganda, where the boy has been receiving treatment and relatives are isolated.\n\nExperts have long feared Ebola could spread to neighboring countries because of rebel attacks and community resistance hampering virus containment work in eastern Congo, one of the world's most turbulent regions. The virus can spread quickly via close contact with bodily fluids of those infected and can be fatal in up to 90% of cases.\n\nUgandan health teams \"are not panicking,\" Henry Mwebesa, a physician and the national director of health services, told The Associated Press on Wednesday. He cited the country's experience battling previous outbreaks of Ebola and other hemorrhagic fevers.\n\n\"We have all the contingencies to contain this case,\" Mwebesa said. \"It is not going to go beyond\" the patient's family. Two family members were being tested for Ebola after developing symptoms, with results expected on Wednesday.\n\nThe Congolese family likely did not pass through official border points, where health workers screen all travelers for a high temperature and isolate those who show signs of illness.\n\nThe child's mother, who is married to a Ugandan, \"knows where to pass. She does not have to go through the official border points,\" Mwebesa said.\n\nThe boy's Congolese grandmother, who traveled to Uganda with the rest of the family, is sick although Ebola test results are yet to come in, he said, speaking from Kasese, a district near the Congo border where the family is being treated.\n\nUganda is more stable than eastern Congo, and for the first time an experimental but effective Ebola vaccine is being widely used, with more than 130,000 doses distributed. Uganda has vaccinated nearly 4,700 health workers so far.\n\nBut Ebola has been especially feared in Uganda, where multiple outbreaks have occurred over the years. An outbreak in the north in 2000 infected 425 people and killed more than half of them.\n\nThe announcement of the first cross-border case puts new pressure on WHO to declare the Ebola outbreak a global health emergency. A WHO expert committee has twice decided that the outbreak, while of \"deep concern,\" is not yet a global health emergency .\n\nBut international spread is one of the major criteria the United Nations agency considers before such a declaration. Millions have travelers along Congo's border with Uganda and Rwanda have been screened for Ebola since the outbreak began. WHO has advised against travel restrictions.\n\nThe news of a first cross-border case is \"tragic but unfortunately not surprising,\" said Dr. Jeremy Farrar with the Wellcome Trust, which is funding vaccine research in this outbreak. While Uganda is well-prepared with established surveillance, \"we can expect and should plan for more cases in (Congo) and neighboring countries. This epidemic is in a truly frightening phase and shows no sign of stopping anytime soon.\""], "summary": "Wellcome Trust director Dr. Jeremy Farrar says the Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, which has killed 1,400 people since August 2018, is the worst since the 2013–2016 outbreak in West Africa and shows \"no sign of stopping\". Uganda reported its first two deaths."}
{"document": ["DUBAI (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe warned of unintended clashes in the crisis-hit Middle East after meeting the Iranian president in Tehran on Wednesday, amid a brewing confrontation between Iran and the United States.\n\nIranian President Hassan Rouhani shakes hands with Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, during a welcome ceremony in Tehran, Iran, June 12, 2019. Official Iranian President website/Handout via REUTERS\n\nAs a U.S. ally that also has good diplomatic relations with Iran, Japan could be in a unique position to mediate between the Islamic Republic and the United States.\n\n“Armed conflict needs to be prevented at all costs. Peace and stability in the Middle East is indispensable not only for this region but for global prosperity. No one is hoping for war,” the Japanese leader said.\n\n“We would like to play the maximum role we can for easing tension. That is what brought me to Iran,” said Abe, whose two-day visit is the first by a Japanese leader to Iran since its 1979 Islamic Revolution.\n\nWhile Abe did not mention Japan’s currently suspended purchases of Iranian oil, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that Japan wants to keep buying Iranian oil.\n\n“In our meeting, Mr. Abe said that Japan was interested in continuing buying Iran’s oil,” Rouhani told a joint news conference with Abe, broadcast live on state TV.\n\nEarlier, two Iranian officials told Reuters that Tehran would ask Tokyo to mediate between it and Washington to ease oil sanctions on Iran.\n\n“America should either lift the unjust oil sanctions or extend the waivers or suspend them,” one senior official said.\n\nTo slash Iran’s oil exports, Washington has revoked waivers since May that had allowed some countries, including Japan, to continue buying Iranian crude and has effectively ordered countries to stop purchasing Iranian oil or face sanctions of their own.\n\nDespite pushing for imports to continue, Japan has stopped importing oil from Iran for now to avoid U.S. sanctions.\n\nOn a visit to Japan last month, U.S. President Donald Trump welcomed Abe’s help in dealing with Iran, highlighting what he called the “very good relationship” between Tokyo and Tehran.\n\nStrains between Washington and Tehran have sharply increased in recent weeks, a year after the United States abandoned a 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers to curb Tehran’s nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of sanctions.\n\n“Iran will remain committed to the deal, which is important for the security of the region and the world. Tehran and Tokyo both oppose nuclear weapons,” said Rouhani.\n\nTRUMP CRANKS UP PRESSURE ON IRAN\n\nWashington, calling the nuclear deal flawed and seeking to push Iran into new negotiations, intensified sanctions from the start of May, ordering all countries and firms to halt imports of Iranian oil or be banished from the global financial system.\n\nIt has also dispatched extra armed forces to the region to counter what it describes as Iranian threats.\n\nIran has warned against any military aggression.\n\n“Iran will never initiate a war but will give a crushing response to any aggression,” Rouhani said.\n\n“The source of tensions is America’s staged economic war against Iran. As soon as this war ends, we shall see a very positive development in the region and in the world.”\n\nAbe has talked to U.S. regional allies like Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who have supported Trump’s Iran policy.\n\nIran said in May that after 60 days it would resume its enrichment of uranium beyond the low fissile purity - suitable for civilian nuclear power generation - allowed under the deal, unless other powers stuck to their commitments under the 2015 nuclear deal.\n\nEuropean parties the deal have promised to help Iran find other ways to trade, although with no success so far.\n\nJapan wants to do as much as possible towards peace and stability in the Middle East,” Abe said in Tokyo ahead of his departure, according to Iranian TV.\n\nSlideshow (10 Images)\n\nBut just hours before Abe’s visit to Iran, Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels carried out a missile attack on a civilian airport in southern Saudi Arabia which wounded 26 people.\n\nThe Western-backed, Sunni Muslim alliance that has been battling the Houthis in Yemen said the attack was proof of Tehran’s support for what it called cross-border terrorism.\n\nAbe will also meet the Islamic Republic’s top authority, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.", "The Japanese government hopes to mediate between the United States and Iran to rescue the landmark 2015 international nuclear deal, officials said.\n\n“We note that Iran denies it is withdrawing from the nuclear deal,” Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasutoshi Nishimura told a news conference on Thursday after Tehran announced the suspension of some of its commitments under the 2015 agreement, Japan Times reported.\n\n“We intend to contribute to regional peace and stability, utilizing our traditional friendly relations with Iran,” Nishimura added.\n\nTokyo has consistently supported the deal that terminated sanctions against Iran in exchange for restrictions on its nuclear development activities.\n\nWhen the US government decided in May last year to withdraw from the accord, Japan acted in concert with European countries and said it would be extremely regrettable if the decision had a significant impact on the maintenance of the deal.\n\nOn Wednesday, US President Donald Trump issued an executive order imposing fresh sanctions to prohibit trade in metals, mainly steel, with Iran. Some Japanese officials say Tokyo should urge Washington to exercise restraint.\n\nAmid heightened military tensions marked by the dispatch of a US carrier strike group to the Middle East, Tokyo is seeking ways to facilitate talks between Iran and the United States.\n\n“Both sides are seeking dialogue,” a Foreign Ministry source said. “There’s a limit, but there’s also a role Japan can play.”", "DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran will ask Japan to mediate between Tehran and Washington to ease oil sanctions imposed by the United States, Iranian officials said ahead of a visit by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.\n\nAbe, the first Japanese leader to visit Iran since its 1979 Islamic Revolution, arrives in Tehran as brewing confrontation between Iran and the United States stokes fear of another military conflict in the crisis-ridden Middle East.\n\n“Japan can help in easing the ongoing tension between Iran and America... As a goodwill gesture, America should either lift the unjust oil sanctions or extend the waivers or suspend them,” a senior Iranian official told Reuters.\n\nOn a four-day visit to Japan last month, U.S. President Donald Trump welcomed Abe’s help in dealing with Iran, highlighting what he called the “very good relationship” between Tokyo and Tehran.\n\nAs a U.S. ally that also has good diplomatic relations with Iran, Japan could be in a unique position to mediate between the Islamic Republic and the United States.\n\n“Mr. Abe can be a great mediator to facilitate that (easing of oil sanctions)...Japan has always respected Iran and Mr. Abe can play a very constructive role to calm the ongoing tension that can harm the (Middle East) region,” said another Iranian official, who asked not to be named.\n\nStrains between Washington and Tehran have sharply increased in recent weeks, a year after the United States abandoned a 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers to curb Tehran’s nuclear program in exchange for the lifting of sanctions.\n\nWashington, calling the nuclear deal flawed and seeking to push Iran into new negotiations, intensified sanctions from the start of May, ordering all countries and firms to halt imports of Iranian oil or be banished from the global financial system.\n\nIt has also dispatched extra armed forces to the region to counter what it describes as Iranian threats.\n\nIran threatened in May that in 60 days it would resume enrichment of uranium beyond the low fissile purity - suitable for civilian nuclear power generation - allowed under the deal, unless other powers signed up to it found a way to protect Iran’s oil and banking industries from U.S. sanctions.\n\nEuropean parties of the deal have promised to help Iran find other ways to trade, although with no success so far. All major European companies that had announced plans to invest in Iran have since called them off for fear of U.S. punishment.\n\nAbe was to hold talks with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday afternoon following his arrival in Tehran, and on Thursday will meet the Islamic Republic’s top authority, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.\n\n“Japan wants to do as much as possible toward peace and stability in the Middle East,” Abe said in Tokyo, ahead of his departure, according to Iranian TV.\n\nTo achieve his aim of slashing Iran’s oil exports to zero, the Trump administration has revoked waivers since May that had allowed some countries, including Japan, to continue buying Iranian crude and has effectively ordered countries to stop purchasing Iranian oil or face sanctions of their own.\n\nDespite pushing for imports to continue, Japan has stopped importing oil from Iran for now to avoid U.S. sanctions.", "DUBAI, June 12 — Iran will ask Japan to mediate between Tehran and Washington to ease oil sanctions imposed by the United States, Iranian officials told Reuters ahead of a visit to Iran by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.\n\nAbe, who is the first Japanese leader to visit Iran since its 1979 Islamic Revolution, arrives in Tehran as heightened tensions between Iran and the United States raise fears of another military conflict in the crisis-hit Middle East.\n\n“Japan can help easing the ongoing tension between Iran and America ... as a goodwill gesture, America should either lift the unjust oil sanctions or extend the waivers or suspend them,” a senior Iranian official told Reuters.\n\nAnother official said “Mr. Abe can be a great mediator to facilitate that.”\n\nOn a four-day visit to Japan last month, US President Donald Trump welcomed Abe’s help in dealing with Iran.\n\nStrains between Washington and Tehran have sharply increased in recent weeks, a year after the United States abandoned a 2015 nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers to curb Tehran’s nuclear programme in exchange for the lifting of sanctions.\n\nWashington tightened sanctions from the start of May, ordering all countries and companies to halt imports of Iranian oil or be banished from the global financial system.\n\nIt has also dispatched extra troops to the region to counter what it describes as Iranian threats. — Reuters", "DUBAI, June 12 (Reuters) - Iran plans to ask Japan to mediate between Tehran and Washington to ease oil sanctions imposed by the United States, Iranian officials told Reuters ahead of a visit to Iran by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.\n\n“Japan can help easing the ongoing tension between Iran and America ... as a goodwill gesture, America should either lift the unjust oil sanctions or extend the waivers or suspend them,” a senior Iranian official told Reuters.\n\nAnother official said “Mr. Abe can be a great mediator to facilitate that.”", "DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's trip to Tehran represents the highest-level effort yet to de-escalate tensions between the U.S. and Iran as the country appears poised to break the 2015 nuclear deal it struck with world powers that America earlier abandoned.\n\nBut while Abe's trip to Iran marks the first visit of a sitting Japanese premier in the 40 years since the Islamic Revolution, it remains unclear if he'll end up going home with any success.\n\nIran is threatening to resume enriching uranium closer to weapons-grade level on July 7 if European allies fail to offer it new terms. While President Donald Trump says he wants to talk to Tehran, the U.S. has piled on sanctions that have seen Iran's rial currency plummet along with its crucial oil exports.\n\nThe U.S. also has sent an aircraft carrier and B-52 bombers to the region, along with hundreds more troops to back up the tens of thousands already deployed across the Middle East. The U.S. blames Iran for a mysterious attack on oil tankers off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, while Iranian-backed rebels in Yemen continue to launch coordinated drone attacks on Saudi Arabia.\n\nThe stakes, analysts say, couldn't be higher.\n\n\"Just going to Iran doesn't resolve any problem,\" said Kazuo Takahashi, an Open University of Japan professor of international politics and expert on the Middle East. \"He would have to help open a path of dialogue between the U.S. and Iran, and that could be a major risk.\"\n\nIran's nuclear deal, agreed to at the time by China, Russia, France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the U.S., saw Tehran agree to limit its enrichment of uranium exchange for the lifting of crippling sanctions. Western powers feared Iran's atomic program could allow it to build nuclear weapons, although Iran long has insisted its program was for peaceful purposes.\n\nIn withdrawing from the deal last year, Trump pointed to the accord not limiting Iran's ballistic missile program and not addressing what American officials describe as Tehran's malign influence across the wider Mideast. Those who struck the deal at the time described it as a building block toward further negotiations with Iran, whose Islamic government has had a tense relationship with America since the 1979 takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and subsequent hostage crisis.\n\nTrump spoke Tuesday with Abe, said Yoshihide Suga, Japan's chief Cabinet secretary. Suga declined to give any details about what they discussed. Abe also in recent days spoken with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, all of whom are fierce critics of Iran.\n\n\"Taking into account the current status of rising tension in the Middle East, we hope to ease tensions through leader-level talks with Iran, a regional powerhouse,\" Suga said.\n\nMiddle East peace is a must for Japan, which gets most of the oil fueling its economy from there. Japan had once purchased Iranian oil, but it has now stopped because of American sanctions. Recent threats from Iran to close off the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth through which a third of all oil traded by sea passes, has raised concerns.\n\nAbe is scheduled to see Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, a relative moderate within Iran's Shiite theocracy, as well as Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.\n\nAlready though, Iran says it quadrupled its production of low-enriched uranium. Yukiya Amano, the director-general of the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog agency that monitors Iran's nuclear deal, acknowledged Monday that Tehran has increased its production. However, Amano said he hadn't spoken recently with Abe.\n\nMeanwhile, U.S. sanctions have cut off opportunities for Iran to trade its excess uranium and heavy water abroad, putting Tehran on course to violate terms of the nuclear deal regardless.\n\nHard-liners within Iran already have dismissed Abe's trip.\n\n\"Just like the nuclear deal . helped improved the country's economy, visits by people such as the Japanese prime minister will improve the livelihood of the people,\" the hard-line Kayhan newspaper sarcastically offered in an editorial Tuesday.\n\nIt remains unlikely Iran will want to engage in direct talks with the U.S. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, an American-educated diplomat key in negotiating the nuclear deal, openly threatened the U.S. during a news conference Monday with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas.\n\n\"Mr. Trump himself has announced that the U.S. has launched an economic war against Iran,\" Zarif said. \"The only solution for reducing tensions in this region is stopping that economic war.\"\n\nZarif also warned: \"Whoever starts a war with us will not be the one who finishes it.\"\n\nHowever, Iran on Tuesday did release U.S. permanent resident Nizar Zakka, a Lebanese-born internet advocate imprisoned for years in Tehran on internationally criticized spying charges. Zakka had done contract work for the State Department.\n\nAnd overall, Iran risks little in inviting Abe to the country, said Henry Rome, an analyst with the Eurasia Group.\n\n\"Khamenei and Rouhani get to show the beleaguered population that despite extreme economic pressure, top world leaders are still willing to visit Iran,\" Rome wrote Monday. \"And Tehran can probe for opportunities to expand its trade relationship with Tokyo, although options are quite limited.\"", "TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will visit Iran in an effort to reduce tensions between Tehran and Washington, Japan’s government spokesman said Thursday. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Abe’s trip will…\n\nTOKYO (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will visit Iran in an effort to reduce tensions between Tehran and Washington, Japan’s government spokesman said Thursday.\n\nChief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Abe’s trip will be the first by a Japanese leader to Iran in 41 years. He declined to specify the dates of the trip or other details, but said it would be “soon.” Officials are finalizing the details so the visit will be meaningful, Suga said.\n\nKyodo News and other local media said Abe will visit Tehran on June 12-14 and meet with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani.\n\nTensions between the U.S. and Iran have worsened since Washington withdrew last year from a nuclear deal between Iran and several world powers, and re-imposed sanctions on Tehran.\n\n“With tensions intensifying in the Middle East, I believe it is extremely important to try to alleviate tension, encourage Iran to abide by the nuclear agreement and play a constructive role for regional stability,” Suga said. “We will actively work toward a peaceful resolution.”\n\nForeign Minister Taro Kono is expected to travel to Tehran to meet with his counterpart, Mohammad Javad Zarif, on June 12 to pave the way for Abe’s visit.\n\nAbe proposed the trip to President Donald Trump during a visit by the U.S. leader to Japan in late May and received his support.\n\nResource-poor Japan relies heavily on oil imports from the Middle East and has maintained friendly relations with Iran, though oil from that country now accounts for only about 5% of Japan’s total oil imports, down from 10% in the 2000s.\n\nCopyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.", "On Historic Visit To Iran, Japan's Abe Hopes To Play Role Of Mediator With U.S.\n\nJapan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is set to arrive in Iran on Wednesday to begin a historic trip to the Middle Eastern country where he is expected to try to mediate escalating tensions between Washington and Tehran.\n\nAbe's two-day visit is the first to Iran for a Japanese premier since Takeo Fukuda in 1978.\n\nSpeaking at Tokyo's Haneda Airport just before departing, Abe acknowledged \"rising tensions\" in the Middle East and said, \"Japan wants to do as much as possible towards peace and stability in the region.\"\n\nDuring his visit, Abe plans to meet separately with Iran's president, Hassan Rouhani, and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.\n\nAt a news conference in Tokyo, Japan's Chief Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Abe had spoken by telephone for about 20 minutes on Tuesday with President Trump and that the two leaders had \"exchanged views on regional issues, including the situation in Iran.\"\n\nRelations between the U.S. and Iran have been particularly strained since Washington withdrew from the 2015 nuclear accord, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), re-imposed sanctions on Tehran and dispatched an aircraft carrier strike group and B-52 bombers to the region.\n\nAlthough specifics of Tuesday's conversation between Abe and Trump were not made public, The Japan Times reports that \"Abe is likely to have reiterated his intention of encouraging Iran, with which Japan has traditionally maintained friendly relations, to engage in dialogue.\"\n\nIn a joint news conference with President Trump in Tokyo last month, Abe pledged to do whatever he could to mediate.\n\nJapan had relied heavily on Iranian oil, but has cut imports to comply with U.S. sanctions.\n\nReuters, quoting unnamed Iranian officials, said Iran plans to ask Abe to mediate with the U.S. to ease those sanctions.\n\nAlthough Tokyo and Tehran have long enjoyed close relations, Tokyo's strong ties with the U.S. have raised concern among conservatives in Iran.\n\nIn a reference to the U.S. atomic bombs dropped on Japan during World War II, one hard line newspaper in Iran, Farheekhtegan, or Educated, published a photo of a mushroom cloud with the headline \"How Can You Trust a War Criminal, Mr. Abe?\"", "Japan's Abe heads to Iran in hopes to help ease tension\n\nTOKYO (AP) — Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has headed to Iran on a closely watched trip, saying he hoped to help ease tension in the Middle East.\n\nAbe told reporters Wednesday that he wants to do as much as he could to secure peace and stability in the region.\n\nTension has intensified since Washington has withdrawn from a nuclear deal between Iran and several world powers and re-imposed sanctions.\n\nAbe, the first Japanese leader visiting Iran in 41 years, will hold talks with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during his three-day visit.\n\nJapan maintains friendly ties with both Tehran and Washington and hopes to serve as mediator, a task experts say is difficult.\n\nJapan imports its oil mostly from the Middle East and considers its stability crucial.", "Airbus delivered its first A350 aircraft to Japan Air Lines on Thursday, saying the specially tailored version would start operating on Japan's busy domestic routes.\n\nREUTERS: Airbus delivered its first A350 aircraft to Japan Air Lines on Thursday, saying the specially tailored version would start operating on Japan's busy domestic routes.\n\nThe aircraft is also expected to serve demand during the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics, Japanese officials said.\n\nAirbus clinched its first jet order from Japan Air Lines in 2013, cracking a big national market long dominated by the European firm’s main rival, Boeing.\n\nThe US$9.5 billion deal came after a lengthy campaign to woo JAL officials who were unfamiliar with Airbus aircraft, including their distinctive side-stick controls.\n\nJAL Chairman Yoshiharu Ueki, a former pilot, said an experience on the A380 simulator had helped sway his decision to choose Airbus for JAL, which at the time was one of only two full-service airlines globally without any Airbus aircraft.\n\n\"I have the urge to take the control stick on the ferry flight to Tokyo,\" he joked at a webcast ceremony in Toulouse.\n\nBoeing dominates the market for wide-body jets in Japan but there is a more mixed market for smaller narrowbody jets.\n\nThe A350 will fly to Japan using traditional fuel blended with alternative fuel, said Airbus sales chief Christian Scherer. Planemakers and airlines have reiterated pledges to cut emissions sharply amid growing environmental pressure in Europe."], "summary": "Japan offers to mediate between Iran and the U.S.; officials say the Japanese government hopes to rescue the landmark 2015 international nuclear deal."}
{"document": ["WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Trump administration is pressing Saudi Arabia to show “tangible progress” toward holding to account those behind the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi and wants them to do so before the one-year anniversary of his murder, a senior administration official said.\n\nFILE PHOTO: An Indonesian journalist holds a placard during a protest over the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in front of the Saudi Arabia embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia, October 19, 2018. REUTERS/Beawiharta/File Photo\n\nPushing back against critics who have accused President Donald Trump of letting the Saudis off the hook after Khashoggi’s death, the official told Reuters this week the message to the kingdom is that it remains a “very hot issue” and “they need to take it seriously.”\n\nRepublican and Democratic lawmakers, citing evidence of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s role in the Khashoggi case and incensed over the civilian toll from the Saudi air campaign in Yemen, have ramped up efforts to block Trump’s arms sales to Saudi Arabia.\n\nThe official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Saudis needed to complete their investigation and take action ahead of the anniversary but did not specify any consequences if they failed to do so. The Trump administration has so far taken only minimal steps.\n\nKhashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and U.S. resident who had become a vocal critic of the prince, disappeared after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2. Eleven Saudi suspects have been put on trial in secretive proceedings but only a few hearings have been held since January.\n\n“There will be increased sensitivity around the anniversary,” the official said. “It would be in everyone’s best interest to have some tangible progress by then.”\n\nThe CIA has determined with “medium to high confidence” that the crown prince, commonly known by his initials MbS and considered de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, ordered the killing, U.S. government sources have said. The spy agency has continued to monitor and gather information but is not conducting a full-scale inquiry, a U.S. official said.\n\nSaudi officials have denied involvement by Prince Mohammed.\n\nTrump has expressed doubts about the CIA assessment and argued that Washington must not risk its alliance with Riyadh, the cornerstone of U.S. security policy in the Gulf regarded as a regional counterweight to Iran.\n\nKhashoggi’s murder tarnished the crown prince’s reputation internationally. He has pushed ahead with an ambitious domestic agenda accompanied by a crackdown on dissent.\n\nTrump drew a furious reaction from Congress last month when he declared that the threat from Iran was an emergency that forced him to bypass lawmakers and sell $8 billion in arms to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.\n\nDemocratic U.S. Senator Chris Murphy this week accused the administration of “turning a blind eye” to Khashoggi’s murder.\n\nThe administration is making clear to the Saudis the controversy will persist until they demonstrate a “very clear case of culpability,” the senior administration official said.\n\nWhite House adviser and Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, who has cultivated a close relationship with MbS, declined to blame the crown prince for Khashoggi’s death in an interview with Axios this month.\n\nSecretary of State Mike Pompeo said in March the administration was still working “all across the government” to identify those responsible.", "US Republican members of Congress pushed back on Wednesday against President Donald Trump’s plan to sell $8 billion in weapons to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, saying it was “unfortunate” the administration used an emergency declaration to avoid Congressional review, Reuters reports.\n\nMembers of Congress had been blocking sales of military equipment to Saudi Arabia and the UAE for months, angry about the deaths of civilians in their air campaign in Yemen, as well as human rights abuses such as the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at a Saudi consulate in Turkey last year.\n\nThe Trump administration is pressing Riyadh to show “tangible progress” toward holding to account those behind Khashoggi’s killing, a senior administration official said on Tuesday.\n\nThe ranking Republican on the US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, Michael McCaul, said at a hearing on Wednesday that he supports “the efforts of Saudi Arabia to defend themselves against Iran,” but “the recent use of this emergency authority, in my judgment, was unfortunate.”\n\nAnother Republican, Representative Ann Wagner, asked for a better understanding of the administration’s move to sidestep congressional oversight given Saudi Arabia’s human rights abuses.\n\nCiting an Iran-related emergency, the Trump administration told congressional committees on May 24 that it would go ahead with 22 military deals worth $8.1 billion to Saudi Arabia, UAE and Jordan, circumventing a long-standing precedent for lawmakers to review significant weapons sales.\n\nStrains between Washington and Tehran have increased in recent weeks, a year after Trump, a Republican, abandoned a 2015 nuclear accord between Iran and world powers to curb Tehran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.\n\nTrump’s administration announced that it was sending 1,500 additional troops to the Middle East, which it described as an effort to bolster defences against what it sees as a threat of potential attack by Iran.\n\nIran has warned against any military aggression. “Iran will never initiate a war but will give a crushing response to any aggression,” Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday.\n\nIn a memorandum justifying the emergency declaration, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said, “Iranian malign activity poses a fundamental threat to the stability of the Middle East and American security at home and abroad.”\n\nDemocrats on the committee called the emergency declaration phoney.\n\nDefending the administration’s position at Wednesday’s hearing, assistant secretary of state for Political-military affairs Clarke Cooper said: “This is an emergency, this is a one-time event.”\n\nHowever, Cooper later said a “one time event is conditions-based,” and that this was the fifth time in history that such an emergency was used to push through the sale of weapons.\n\nCooper said that some of the weapons have already been sent to the customer since the emergency declaration and before Wednesday’s hearing. “Anything that’s what’s called ‘off the shelf’ then it’s already moving” to customers, Cooper said.\n\nBut Cooper said “there was nothing new in these 22 sales,” indicating that the packages had been previously notified to Congress, but did not progress through the established channels for weapons sales notifications.\n\nUS Senators have drafted 22 “resolutions of disapproval.” The resolutions are intended to “protect and reaffirm Congress’ role of approving arms sales to foreign governments.”\n\nCompanies that would benefit include Raytheon Co precision-guided munitions (PGMs), support for Boeing Co F-15 aircraft, and Javelin anti-tank missiles, which are made by Raytheon and Lockheed Martin Corp.", "THE BIG IDEA: President Trump invited future interference in American elections on Wednesday when he declared that “there isn’t anything wrong” with accepting “oppo research” from foreigners and made clear that he does not feel any obligation to alert the FBI if his campaign is approached again in 2020.\n\nDuring a news conference on July 27, 2016, Trump said a foreign power would be “rewarded mightily” if it hacked Hillary Clinton’s private email server and released her messages. “Russia, if you're listening, I hope you’re able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing,” the then-Republican nominee declared.\n\n“Within approximately five hours of Trump's statement, GRU officers targeted for the first time Clinton's personal office,” then-special counsel Bob Mueller wrote in his report, referring to Russian military intelligence.\n\nDuring an interview in the Oval Office that aired last night on ABC News, Trump said that he would “want to hear” whatever information a foreigner was offering and that accepting compromising information about a challenger does not count as foreign interference. “The FBI doesn't have enough agents to take care of it,” he said. “When you go and talk, honestly, to congressmen, they all do it. They always have, and that's the way it is. It’s called oppo research.”\n\nTrump added: “You don't call the FBI. … Oh, give me a break – life doesn't work that way.”\n\nIn response to rebukes, including from Republicans, Trump claimed in the summer of 2016 that he had been joking when he encouraged Russia to hack his opponent’s emails. Watch last night’s clip, and you’ll see that Trump is clearly not joking about welcoming dirt from foreigners. Once again, this puts him crosswise with the FBI.\n\nAt a Senate hearing on May 7, FBI Director Chris Wray said such attempts should be reported. Trump appointed Wray after firing James Comey. “My view is that, if any public official or member of any campaign is contacted by any nation-state or anybody acting on behalf of a nation-state about influencing or interfering with our election, then that is something that the FBI would want to know about,” Wray testified.\n\nAsked about this statement by ABC anchor George Stephanopoulos, Trump said, “The FBI director is wrong.”\n\n-- The president dismissed the idea that his son Donald Trump Jr. should have told the FBI about his 2016 contacts with the Russians, including the June 2016 meeting at Trump Tower. Trump Jr. welcomed a Russian lawyer after he was promised damaging information about Clinton as part of the Russian government effort to elect his father. “You’re a congressman, someone comes up and says, ‘I have information on your opponent,’ do you call the FBI?” Trump asked rhetorically.\n\n“If it’s coming from Russia, you do,” replied Stephanopoulos, noting that Al Gore’s campaign contacted the FBI when it received a stolen briefing book in 2000 about how George W. Bush planned to answer questions in the debates.\n\n-- This is the latest illustration of Trump’s lack of respect for the career professionals in the national security firmament, from law enforcement field agents to intelligence gatherers, who are charged with keeping this country safe.\n\n-- It’s not just the FBI. The CIA is in Trump’s crosshairs, too. We’re learning today that the Justice Department intends to interview senior CIA officers as part of its investigation of the investigators that Attorney General Bill Barr ordered after Trump publicly urged him to do so.\n\n“The interview plans are the latest sign the Justice Department will take a critical look at the C.I.A.’s work on Russia’s election interference,” the New York Times’s Julian Barnes, Katie Benner, Adam Goldman and Michael Schmidt report. “Investigators want to talk with at least one senior counterintelligence official and a senior C.I.A. analyst. ... Both officials were involved in the agency’s work on understanding the Russian campaign to sabotage the election in 2016. While the Justice Department review is not a criminal inquiry, it has provoked anxiety in the ranks of the C.I.A. … Senior agency officials have questioned why the C.I.A.’s analytical work should be subjected to a federal prosecutor’s scrutiny. ... Barr, who is overseeing the review, assigned the United States attorney in Connecticut, John H. Durham, to conduct it.”\n\n-- Still awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to lying to the FBI, former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn has hired Sidney Powell to replace the lawyers he fired last week. She has been an outspoken critic of the bureau. “Powell, a former Justice Department attorney who has written extensively about overzealous prosecutors, has claimed that Flynn was spied on as part of a ‘set-up’ by the FBI, and that his entire case should be ‘dismissed,’ taking a far more aggressive public stance than Flynn’s previous lawyers, Robert Kelner and Stephen Anthony, ever did,” Politico’s Natasha Bertrand reports. “Powell, meanwhile, has made a cottage industry out of attacking Mueller and his team. She has a website called ‘creepsonamission.com’ that sells T-shirts and books attacking former FBI and Justice Department officials involved in the Russia probe and Flynn’s case specifically. And she’s called Mueller prosecutor Andrew Weissmann ‘the poster boy for prosecutorial misconduct.’”\n\nThis morning, Trump praised Flynn — whom he has not ruled out granting a pardon to — for hiring Powell:\n\n-- Perhaps Trump has staked out this polarizing position vis-a-vis alerting the FBI to foreign overtures because he does not want to acknowledge that what his son, son-in-law, campaign chairman and several others did to help get him elected in 2016 was improper. Current and former aides and advisers say he’s worried about anything that could call into question the legitimacy of his victory. This is not an academic discussion about some hypothetical:\n• The Trump campaign refuses to sign on to a pledge promising not to use hacked material that all the leading Democratic candidates have endorsed.\n• White House senior adviser Jared Kushner, the son-in-law who participated in the June 2016 meeting, said last month that he doesn’t know whether he’d go to the FBI if it happened again. “I don't know,” he told Axios. “It's hard to do hypotheticals, but the reality is that we were not given anything that was salacious.”\n• Rudy Giuliani, who has been trying to get dirt on Joe Biden from Ukraine, went further in April. “There’s nothing wrong with taking information from Russians,” the president’s personal lawyer told CNN.\n\n-- Foreign governments are indisputably eager to curry Trump’s favor. To wit: Representatives of at least 22 foreign governments appear to have spent money at Trump Organization properties. NBC News published its tabulation yesterday: “At least nine foreign governments were involved in hosting events at a Trump property: Afghanistan, Cyprus, Ireland, Japan, Philippines, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. At least nine foreign governments rented or purchased property in buildings or communities owned by Trump businesses: Kuwait, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, China, Malaysia, Slovakia, Thailand, India and the European Union. Representatives of at least five foreign governments have stayed at a Trump property: Georgia, Nigeria, Malaysia, Romania and Saudi Arabia. Foreign governments have improved infrastructure in a way that benefited Trump properties in Indonesia and Panama. At least eight foreign governments or their representatives attended parties or gatherings at Trump properties: Brazil, Dominica, Georgia, Nigeria, Russia, Turkey, Malaysia and Qatar.”\n\n-- Trump told reporters yesterday that he plans to meet with Russian leader Vladimir Putin at the upcoming Group of 20 summit.\n\n-- Last time, it was the Russians. Next time, it might be the Iranians, the Chinese, the North Koreans, the Venezuelans, any number of non-state actors or, frankly, all of the above. Last time, it boosted Trump. Next time, it might doom him. No one can know.\n\n-- The ABC interview offers a fresh proof point that Trump is not using the moral power of the presidency to model good behavior. Republican operative Stuart Stevens, the chief strategist on Mitt Romney’s 2012 campaign, worked for Bush in 2000 when the Gore campaign went to the FBI about the briefing book. His father was also an FBI agent. “Trump is telling every kid to cheat when you can get away with it, every employee to steal when no one’s looking, every American to cheat on taxes because you won’t get caught [and] every politician to betray America if it helps you win,” Stevens tweeted.\n\n-- This is also another case of Trump employing false moral equivalency to justify his win-at-any-cost approach to politics. The president used the everybody’s-doing-it defense, but there’s no evidence that members of Congress would directly accept information from American adversaries to help their campaigns and hurt their opponents.\n\n“He calls it ‘opposition research.’ The rest of us call it subversion and espionage,” said University of Minnesota law professor Richard Painter, who served as the chief ethics lawyer in Bush’s White House and who has emerged as a vocal Trump critic.\n\n“This is sad and cynical,” said Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio), who is running for president. “To think every politician would accept research from a sworn enemy shows how demented and amoral this president is.”\n\nRep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) said every House Republican needs to answer for whether they agree with Trump that any member of Congress would take the help. “I will never take dirt from a foreign adversary — EVEN if it means beating someone as corrupt as you,” he tweeted.\n\n-- Bill Weld, the former GOP governor of Massachusetts who is primarying Trump, called for the president’s resignation after watching the interview. “Under no circumstance should any candidate accept or use information about a political opponent gained from a foreign power — especially one who seeks the destruction of our democracy like Russia or China — to influence the outcome of an American election,” he tweeted. “This latest statement again proves we have a president with no respect for the rule of law and lacking a basic sense of right and wrong. … For once in your life put the good of the country first. America deserves better.”\n\n-- This latest kerfuffle has also fueled a fresh round of calls for impeachment from the left, especially by the Democratic presidential candidates. At least 15 of the 23 candidates have released statements attacking Trump for what he said.\n\n“This isn't about politics. It is a threat to our national security,” said Biden. “An American president should not seek their aid and abet those who seek to undermine democracy.”\n\n“When the president of the United States openly welcomes foreign help to win an election, he threatens the very core of our democracy,” said former Texas congressman Beto O’Rourke. “If we are to secure justice and ensure this never happens again, we must impeach him.”\n\n“China is listening. Russia is listening. North Korea is listening,” said Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), who sits on the Select Committee on Intelligence. “Let’s speak the truth: this president is a national security threat.”\n\n“We have a president who thinks he is above the law,” said Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). “The House should immediately begin impeachment inquiries.”\n\n“It’s time for Congress to begin impeachment hearings,” said Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.).\n\n“The definition of collusion from the man guilty of obstruction,” said Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.).\n\n“Trump is now essentially calling for an open season on our 2020 elections,” said Julián Castro, the former housing secretary. “Once again, he's putting his interests above our nation's.”\n\n-- No new laws have passed since 2016 to criminalize some of the attack vectors used by the Russians. More significant than impeachment, Trump’s posture might create some momentum for legislative efforts on the Hill to improve election security or to create a legal duty for campaigns to report foreign influence efforts to the FBI.\n\n“It is illegal to accept foreign campaign contributions, although an exchange of information is a more murky matter,” Tom Hamburger and Colby Itkowitz explain. “Mueller found that it was not clear whether courts would accept that opposition research provided free by a foreign government constituted a ‘thing of value’ and thus an illegal foreign campaign contribution. Ultimately, Mueller also found that he could not sustain a criminal case around the meeting, in part because it would be difficult to prove that Trump Jr. knew it could violate the law.”\n\nSen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), the co-chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said that if the president “does not have enough of a moral compass” to understand this is wrong, “perhaps we need legislation saying that there is a duty to report such offers of assistance to law enforcement. I just can’t understand this. I think every past presidential campaign — Republican or Democrat — would have recognized that obligation.”\n\nSen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) said Trump’s comments on ABC underscore the need to pass her election security bill that Mitch McConnell is blocking. “This is inexcusable. The President of the United States just effectively gave permission to foreign agents to interfere in our elections,” the presidential candidate tweeted. “We need my Secure Elections Act and Honest Ads Act passed immediately. The 2020 elections are not secure.”\n\n-- For his part, Trump continues to materially mischaracterize the conclusions of the Mueller report. He did so again yesterday by claiming falsely that it says his campaign “rebuffed” Russia’s outreach. Fox News anchor Shepard Smith told viewers yesterday that “everyone in America should read” all 448 pages for themselves. “Everyone,” he said on his show. “The special counsel did not exonerate the president. He said if they could have, they would have, but they couldn’t, so they didn’t.”\n\n-- Trump Jr. said after his second interview with the Senate Intelligence Committee that he is “not at all” worried he might face perjury charges. “I don’t think I changed anything of what I said because there was nothing to change,” the president’s eldest son told reporters after three hours of closed-door questioning at the Capitol. Karoun Demirjian and Tom Hamburger report: “According to people familiar with Trump Jr.’s Wednesday interview, members of the Senate Intelligence Committee asked him questions about his relationship with George Nader, who functioned as a liaison between foreigners hoping to make inroads with the Trump transition team and was a key witness in Mueller’s report. … Trump Jr. said he was not familiar with the details of plans to construct a Trump Tower in Moscow and told the panel that the Trump Organization often considers several potential international proposals at the same time. In general, people in the room for the interview said, Trump Jr. frequently claimed to be unable to recall several interactions and other episodes he was queried about.”\n\n-- Former White House communications director Hope Hicks agreed to appear before the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday. Josh Dawsey and Rosalind S. Helderman report: “Hicks will be the first former Trump aide to go before the committee investigating whether Trump tried to obstruct a probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election. But Hicks might not answer many of the panel’s questions, citing the president’s assertion of executive privilege on events that occurred inside the White House. … The testimony will occur behind closed doors ... but a transcript will be released to the public. A member of the White House Counsel’s Office will be present for the testimony as part of the deal between Hicks and the committee, according to an individual familiar with the planning.”\n\n-- “Trump’s latest efforts to defend himself ran into new obstacles as a House panel moved to hold two Cabinet officials — Attorney General William P. Barr and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross — in contempt of Congress over the administration’s efforts to shield documents related to its decision to add a citizenship question to the 2020 Census,” David Nakamura, Josh Dawsey and John Wagner report. “The committee vote came several hours after Trump asserted executive privilege over the material related to the 2020 Census. … Trump was unable to mask his anger with the congressional investigations during a photo op ahead of a bilateral meeting with Polish President Andrzej Duda in the Oval Office. ‘I don’t know if you have this, Mr. President, but we have people that are totally out of control,’ Trump told Duda, referring to Democrats.”\n\nMore on the contempt vote: “The 23 Democrats on the House Oversight and Reform Committee, along with Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.), who has accused Trump of impeachable acts, voted to hold Barr and Ross in contempt in a nearly party-line vote. The 15 other Republicans on the committee objected. … The developments marked a further escalation in the fight over the investigatory powers of Congress that is playing out in multiple committees and the courts. The committee and the Justice Department could still work out a deal for the documents related to the 2020 Census decision and testimony from a senior Justice Department official. Absent an agreement, the full House would vote on the contempt resolution, though the timing is unclear.”\n\n-- Conservative lawyer George Conway, who is married to senior White House counselor Kellyanne Conway, argues in an op-ed for today’s newspaper that an argument advanced in court this week by Trump’s lawyers proves he is unfit to be president.\n\n“On Tuesday, Trump gave us direct evidence of his contempt toward the most foundational precept of our democracy — that no person, not even the president, is above the law,” Conway writes with Barack Obama’s former acting solicitor general Neal Katyal. “He filed a brief in the nation’s second-most-important court that takes the position that Congress cannot investigate the president, except possibly in impeachment proceedings. It’s a spectacularly anti-constitutional brief, and anyone who harbors such attitudes toward our Constitution’s architecture is not fit for office. Trump’s brief is nothing if not an invitation to commencing impeachment proceedings that, for reasons set out in the Mueller report, should have already commenced.\n\n“The case involves a House committee’s efforts to follow up on the testimony of Trump’s now-incarcerated former attorney, Michael Cohen, that Trump had allegedly committed financial and tax fraud, and allegedly paid off paramours in violation of campaign finance laws. The House Committee on Oversight and Reform subpoenaed Trump’s accountants in mid-April for relevant documents, and Trump tried to block the move, only to be sternly rebuked in mid-May by a federal judge in Washington. … He argues that Congress is ‘trying to prove that the President broke the law’ and that that’s something Congress can’t do, because it’s ‘an exercise of law enforcement authority that the Constitution reserves to the executive branch.’”\n\nWHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING:\n\n­-- The St. Louis Blues ended their half-century wait for the Stanley Cup with a decisive 4-1 victory over the Boston Bruins in Game 7. Isabelle Khurshudyan reports: “Center Ryan O’Reilly was named the Conn Smythe Trophy winner as the postseason MVP after he scored eight goals with 14 assists in 26 playoff games. O’Reilly’s first-period deflection made him the first player since Wayne Gretzky in 1985 to score in four straight Stanley Cup finals games. But Binnington was the best player of this Game 7, the first Stanley Cup finals Game 7 since 2011, with 32 saves. … After players passed around the Stanley Cup on the ice, they did the same with a bottle of rye. Defenseman Colton Parayko found Blues superfan Laila Anderson, an 11-year-old with a life-threating immune disease, and skated her over to the trophy. Patrick Maroon, the one St. Louis native on the roster who had taken a hometown discount to play for the Blues, held the Cup over his son’s face so he could kiss it. ‘St. Louis fans, we’ve been waiting for this for so many freaking years,’ Maroon said with through tears in his eyes. ‘We did it.'”\n• Stanford's former sailing coach received a one-day sentence for his role in the college admissions bribery scandal. The feds had recommended that John Vandemoer receive 13 months in the clink. But a judge disagreed, on the grounds that Vandemoer did not pocket the bribes for his own personal gain. (Karen Weintraub and Nick Anderson)\n• Margaret Hunter, who is married to Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.), appears to have reached a plea agreement in the couple’s campaign finance case. The congressman’s attorney would not comment on whether the change of plea meant that Margaret Hunter intended to testify against her husband about the alleged misuse of campaign funds. The two have arrived separately to recent court appearances. (San Diego Union-Tribune)\n• Dozens of police officers were injured in Memphis after the U.S. Marshals Service fatally shot a young black man. At least two dozen police officers were injured by concrete rocks thrown during protests over the death of 21-year-old Brandon Webber. (Timothy Bella)\n• Park Police detained an on-duty Secret Service agent in 2015, and he believes it was because he’s black. Agent Nathaniel Hicks was waiting to join a motorcade for then-Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson when two Park Police officers detained him for an hour, causing him to miss the motorcade. (Meagan Flynn)\n• Five were detained in the shooting of Red Sox legend David Ortiz in the Dominican Republic. The suspected gunman and his accomplices were paid less than $8,000, but the motives of whoever paid them remains unknown. (Dave Sheinin)\n• The National Institutes of Health director said he would no longer appear on all-male panels at public scientific meetings. Francis S. Collins said that it is time to end “manels” and that more effort must be made to include women and other underrepresented people in speaking engagements. (Lenny Bernstein)\n• Actress Jessica Biel said she’s an anti-vaccination activist. The wife of Justin Timberlake joined forces with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lobby against SB 276, a California state bill that would limit medical exemptions from vaccinations without approval from a state public health officer. (The Daily Beast)\n• Dallas police officers arrested a suspect in the death of a transgender woman. Kendrell Lavar Lyles has been charged in the killing of 23-year-old Muhlaysia Booker and two other people. Booker’s death has brought national attention to the perils faced by the black LGBTQ community. (Michael Brice-Saddler)\n• New York announced plans to build a statue honoring Marsha Johnson and Sylvia Rivera, two transgender women who played a vital role in the Stonewall riots. The statue — which was announced as the city celebrates the 50th anniversary of the riots that helped kick off the modern-day gay rights movement — will be the first permanent, public monument honoring transgender women in the world. (Gillian Brockell)\n• Trip bookings to Ukraine’s Chernobyl have surged since the release of HBO’s miniseries on the 1986 nuclear disaster there. A company that organizes trips to the nuclear power plant said bookings last month were 30 percent higher than in May 2018. (Rick Noack)\n• Visitors to Chicago’s Willis Tower panicked when the protective coating on the Skydeck’s ledge, located on the 103rd floor, cracked into thousands of pieces. Tower officials said no one was ever in danger because the protective layer served its purpose, but the incident left many visitors very rattled. (CBS Chicago)\n• The severed head of a prehistoric wolf was found perfectly preserved in Siberia. Paleontologists believe the wolf’s head is exactly as it was 30,000 years ago. (Marisa Iati)\n• Archaeologists have found signs of ritualized cannabis use in China from 2,500 years ago. Residue of cannabis burned in western China was discovered in wooden containers used with stones that could’ve been heated to create smoke from plant material. (Joel Achenbach)\n\n-- Bernie Sanders defended democratic socialism. Sean Sullivan reports: “In an impassioned speech explaining his long-standing political philosophy, the independent senator from Vermont said, ‘Democratic socialism means to me requiring and achieving political and economic freedom in every community in this country.’ Sanders said he understood he would face ‘massive attacks from those who attempt to use the word ‘socialism’ as a slur.’ He added: ‘I have faced and overcome these attacks for decades. And I am not the only one.’ The address, coming from a major presidential contender two weeks before the first Democratic debate, reflected a party that is in the midst of an internal battle to shape its identity ahead of the next election.”\n\n-- Howard Schultz laid off most of his campaign staff and suspended his exploration of an independent presidential bid through at least the end of the summer. HuffPost’s Amanda Terkel reports: “Schultz came into the office Wednesday for the first time in months and met with the staff, according to a person in the room. He announced that he was letting everyone go except those in senior leadership positions, adding he would not make a decision about running for president until after Labor Day. Shortly thereafter, Schultz sent an email to supporters, saying that medical reasons had taken him out of commission for months, and he still needed time to recover. … Schultz told his staff Wednesday that he was closely watching [Biden] … Schultz said that if Biden does not appear to be the nominee, he would think about jumping into the presidential race after Super Tuesday.”\n\n-- Pete Buttigieg is expected to post a big second-quarter fundraising number that cements his place in the top tier of candidates. By the end of this month, the mayor of South Bend, Ind., will have headlined 70 in-person fundraisers. (CNN)\n\n-- The Trump campaign’s expansive digital presence is unnerving Democratic operatives. The Los Angeles Times’s Noah Bierman and Evan Halper report: “[Trump’s] campaign is testing all manner of iterations, algorithms and data-mining techniques — from the color of the buttons it uses on fundraising pitches to the audiences it targets with short videos of his speeches. By the time Democrats pick a nominee, some of the party’s top digital strategists warn, Trump will have built a self-feeding machine that grows smarter by the day. His campaign has run thousands of iterations of Facebook ads — tens of thousands by some counts — sending data on response rates and other metrics gleaned from the platform to software that perpetually fine-tunes the campaign messages.”\n\n-- At least 10 city governments have asked Trump's reelection campaign to reimburse costs incurred from the president’s rallies, but Trump's team has paid none of the invoices. From the Center for Public Integrity’s Dave Levinthal: “When Lebanon City Hall sent Trump’s campaign a $16,191 invoice for police and other public safety costs associated with his event, Trump didn’t respond. Trump’s campaign likewise ignored Lebanon officials’ follow-up reminders to cover the sum. … At least nine other city governments — from Mesa, Arizona, to Erie, Pennsylvania — are still waiting for Trump to pay public safety-related invoices they’ve sent his presidential campaign committee in connection with his political rallies, according to interviews with local officials and municipal records. ... In all, city governments say Trump’s campaign owes them at least $841,219.”\n\n-- Republicans have dodged a nasty Senate primary in North Carolina after Rep. Mark Walker decided not to challenge Sen. Thom Tillis. Politico’s James Arkin and Melanie Zanona report: “Walker met with Tillis in his Senate office Wednesday afternoon to deliver the message that he would not challenge him, according to Jack Minor, a Walker spokesman. Minor also said Walker is still requesting a second meeting with Trump this week to speak directly to the president about his decision.”\n\n-- A conservative PAC is behind a recent poll asking Republican voters in Kansas to choose between Rep. Roger Marshall and a lobbyist with connections to Trump in a possible Senate primary. The Kansas City Star's Bryan Lowry reports: “The Club for Growth PAC touted Tuesday the results of a poll testing American Conservative Union chair Matt Schlapp against Marshall, a Republican who represents western Kansas, in the race to replace retiring Republican Sen. Pat Roberts next year. Schlapp said last week that he had no involvement in the poll, but confirmed his interest in the race if a conservative standard-bearer doesn’t emerge. Marshall is weighing a run, but hasn’t yet decided. In a statement, the Club For Growth presented Schlapp as the best option if Secretary of State Mike Pompeo doesn’t enter the race. Pompeo, a Wichita Republican, has repeatedly downplayed his interest in the race despite a public recruitment campaign from national Republicans.”\n\n-- Five men outlawed abortion in a small East Texas town, declaring it a “sanctuary city for the unborn.” Isaac Stanley-Becker reports: “There are no abortion clinics in Waskom, Tex., a city of about 2,200, which lies on the border with Louisiana. But the all-male, all-white city council decided unanimously on Tuesday that prohibiting abortion was necessary as a preventive measure. The municipal prohibition, which plainly contradicts the judgments of the U.S. Supreme Court, joins statewide bans on abortion sweeping the country in the wake of the solidification of a conservative majority on the nation’s top court. Supporters of the city ordinance say it is the first of its kind in the Lone Star State.”\n\n-- Pop superstar Ariana Grande donated $250,000 in proceeds from a June 8 concert in Atlanta to Planned Parenthood after some fans criticized her for performing in Georgia after the governor signed a law to curtail women's rights. (Sarah Polus)\n\n-- Groups that help women who can't afford abortions have received a flood of donations as red states pass abortion bans. The National Network of Abortion Funds said more than $1 million in donations have poured in since Alabama passed its abortion ban on May 14. The funds are used to cover women’s medical expenses and often transportation and lodging, as heightened abortion restrictions have forced patients to travel out of state for access to the procedure. (Lenny Bernstein)\n\n-- Eleven Democratic presidential candidates will participate in a Planned Parenthood forum on reproductive rights in South Carolina next week. The event will take place in Columbia on June 22, coinciding with the South Carolina Democratic Party convention. (AP)\n\n-- Buttigieg, Gillibrand, Booker and others are using their religion to justify liberal positions on abortion, same-sex marriage and other policy areas that have traditionally animated the religious right. (Politico)\n\n-- Facebook executives are frightened that emails could get out that show CEO Mark Zuckerberg not just knew but approved of questionable privacy practices. The Wall Street Journal’s John D. McKinnon, Emily Glazer, Deepa Seetharaman and Jeff Horwitz report: “Within the company, the unearthing of the emails in the process of responding to a continuing federal privacy investigation has raised concerns that they would be harmful to Facebook—at least from a public-relations standpoint—if they were to become public ... The potential impact of the internal emails has been a factor in the tech giant’s desire to reach a speedy settlement of the investigation by the Federal Trade Commission ... Facebook is operating under a 2012 consent decree with the agency related to privacy, and the emails sent around that time suggest that Mr. Zuckerberg and other senior executives didn’t make compliance with the FTC order a priority.”\n\n-- Google is firing several of its lobbying firms as it tries to protect itself from intensifying federal scrutiny. The Journal’s Brody Mullins and Ted Mann report: “In the past few months, the company has shaken up its roster of lobbying firms, restructured its Washington policy team and lost two senior officials who helped build its influence operation into one of the largest in the nation’s capital, according to people familiar with Google’s Washington strategy. The firms Google has dumped make up about half of the company’s more than $20 million annual lobbying bill. People familiar with the matter say the revamp is part of a continuing modernization of the influence operation Google built over the last 15 years, but it comes as Google faces a number of government investigations into its affairs.”\n\n-- Top artificial-intelligence researchers across the country are racing to beat the creation of “deepfake” videos — but they say they’re outgunned. Drew Harwell reports: “The researchers have designed automatic systems that can analyze videos for the telltale indicators of a fake, assessing light, shadows, blinking patterns — and, in one potentially groundbreaking method, even how a candidate’s real-world facial movements — such as the angle they tilt their head when they smile — relate to one another. But for all that progress, the researchers say they remain vastly overwhelmed by a technology they fear could herald a damaging new wave of disinformation campaigns, much in the same way fake news stories and deceptive Facebook groups were deployed to influence public opinion during the 2016 election.”\n\n-- Facebook decided that a “deepfake” video of Zuckerberg would remain online. The company would have faced criticism had it protected the firm's founder while refusing to take down the fake videos of Nancy Pelosi and others. Allyson Chiu reports: “‘We will treat this content the same way we treat all misinformation on Instagram,’ a spokesman told The Post in a statement late Tuesday. ‘If third-party fact-checkers mark it as false, we will filter it from Instagram’s recommendation surfaces like Explore and hashtag pages.’”\n\n-- Kim Jong Un’s half brother went from casino playboy to slain CIA informant. John Hudson and Anna Fifield go deep: “Kim Jong Nam, the exiled firstborn son of the late North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il, lived among the gamblers and gangsters of the Chinese enclave of Macau. Because he was the only high-profile member of the Kim dynasty living outside the territory and employment of the regime, Japanese and South Korean reporters would flock to him on sight. He was a bon vivant who enjoyed expensive watches, wine and cigars. On Facebook, he posted photos of himself outside various casinos and resorts. ‘Living Las Vegas in Asia,’ he captioned one. But behind the veneer of a high-rolling North Korean card shark was a man supplementing his income with a job as an informant to the CIA, said two people familiar with his activities. Kim Jong Nam provided information to the intelligence agency, often meeting his handlers in Singapore or Malaysia.\n\n“Kim Jong Nam is believed to have met with an American intelligence agent on a Malaysian island a few days before he was killed in Kuala Lumpur’s airport, according to a Malaysian official ... The backpack he was wearing in the airport held $120,000 in cash, raising immediate suspicions of shadowy dealings.” Bruce Klingner, a former CIA deputy division chief for Korea, joked in an interview yesterday that a payment of that magnitude would show that the “CIA pays its assets better than its employees.”\n\n-- “Two oil tankers near the strategic Strait of Hormuz were reportedly attacked on Thursday, an assault that left one ablaze and adrift as sailors were evacuated from both vessels and the U.S. Navy rushed to assist amid heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran,” the Associated Press reports. “In Iran, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned that while Tehran doesn’t seek nuclear weapons, ‘America could not do anything’ to stop Iran if it did. The comments came during a one-on-one meeting capping Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s high-stakes visit in Tehran that sought to ease Iran-U.S. tensions, suggested the efforts had failed.”\n\n-- Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said he’s ready to revoke the president’s emergency power on arms sales. Karoun Demirjian reports: “Doing so, he added, would prevent the executive branch from repeating such a move in the future. ‘I would not have agreed to that before, but after this maneuver by the administration, count me in.’ Graham is one of several leading lawmakers conferring over how to change the rules governing congressional oversight of arms sales to prevent end runs around Congress, after Democrats and Republicans objected to the administration citing an unspecific threat from Iran to expedite more than $8 billion worth of weapons sales.”\n\n-- Trump said he will expand the military’s relationship with Poland — at Germany’s expense. Anne Gearan and Paul Sonne report: “The plan, although vague and incomplete, was announced as part of a day-long White House visit for Poland’s right-wing leader that included a F-35 jet turning loops near the Washington Monument as Trump and his guests clapped on the White House lawn. ‘I just have a very warm feeling for Poland. I always have,’ said Trump, adding that he may make his second trip to the country as president in September. Trump was explicit that his goal was to boost Poland and punish neighbor and close U.S. ally Germany, where about 34,000 U.S. forces are stationed.”\n\n-- British Prime Minister Theresa May promised to pass legislation committing her country to reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The pledge, among the most ambitious in the world, is one of May’s final acts as prime minister and comes amid protests in Britain to raise awareness about the effects of climate change. (Karla Adam)\n\nTHE NEW COLD WAR WITH CHINA:\n\n-- Hong Kong’s legislature postponed a debate on an extradition bill again after police clashed with protesters. Shibani Mahtani reports: “Hong Kong’s legislative body on Thursday canceled a debate for the second day in a row on a controversial bill that would allow extraditions to mainland China, a day after demonstrations around the legislative complex brought central areas of the city to a standstill and provoked a violent response from riot police. … Andrew Leung, president of the Legislative Council, Hong Kong’s lawmaking body, said he would postpone the meeting to an unspecified date. The body was due once again to sit for a reading on a deeply unpopular bill that will allow extraditions from Hong Kong to other countries even without a formal treaty, effectively allowing mainland law to govern the semi-autonomous territory. The legislature had previously said it would bring the bill to a vote by June 20, and Leung said he had reserved 66 hours for debate. It is unclear whether that timeline will be affected.”\n\nThe CEO of Telegram, a secure-messaging app used to coordinate the protests, reported a massive cyberattack likely originating in China: “Police arrested Ivan Ip, the administrator of a Telegram messaging group involving thousands of members, and charged him with conspiracy to commit public nuisance, according to the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post newspaper. Local news outlets said injured demonstrators were being questioned by police upon arrival at nearby hospitals, prompting some to seek treatment further from central Hong Kong.”\n\n-- Federal prosecutors are developing a potential national security case against Yujing Zhang, the Chinese woman charged with unlawfully entering Mar-a-Lago with a stash of electronic equipment. The Miami Herald’s Jay Weaver and Sarah Blaskey: “They asked a federal judge to allow them to file ‘classified information’ under seal without the public — or the defendant — seeing it. If the motion is granted, prosecutors will present the evidence directly to the federal judge in Zhang’s trespassing case during a private, closed meeting in the judge’s chambers. The prosecution’s motion indicates that she is a focus of a widening U.S. probe of possible Chinese espionage and suggests that authorities have evidence she was likely not simply a ‘bumbling tourist’ who accidentally found her way into Trump’s private estate in Palm Beach.”\n\n-- In addition to Putin, Trump announced plans to meet again with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the G-20 summit. But Beijing has not confirmed the sit-down, per John Wagner.\n\n-- The rising influence of Trump’s protectionist trade adviser Peter Navarro has alarmed conservatives who support free trade and the business community. Josh Dawsey and Damian Paletta: “The showdown with Mexico marks a high point in Navarro’s tumultuous tenure in the White House as Trump’s increasingly aggressive actions on trade, including toward China, mirror policies that the man he calls ‘my Peter’ has pushed since the beginning of the administration. Navarro, along with White House adviser and immigration hawk Stephen Miller, helped devise the proposed Mexican tariffs and beat back arguments from other aides that Trump did not have the legal authority to implement the trade penalties, and that the fight could derail the new trade deal with Mexico and Canada, according to White House aides. … Navarro’s ascension is frightening his critics, who have derided him as an ideologue who doesn’t let facts get in the way of his agenda, while cheering supporters of the president eager for Trump to emphasize his nationalist agenda ahead of his 2020 reelection campaign.”\n\n-- White House acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney took shots at both of his predecessors, saying he's created a happy medium between the extremes of Reince Priebus and the domineering era under John Kelly. The Journal’s Vivian Salama reports: “'We’re back now in sort of a mix between the complete free-wheeling, wild, wild west of Reince Priebus and the militaristic Marine camp of John Kelly. We found a happy medium between those two things. And I think the president is happy.’ The president ‘likes the environment we’re in now because there is a lot less in-fighting,’ Mr. Mulvaney said. ‘We had a morale problem when I took over.’ He said that Mr. Kelly made a management mistake when he ‘let everyone around him know he hated his job,’ adding that it was terrible for morale. ‘The president fixed it,’ he said. He said that he tells staffers: ‘Unless you are Jared and Ivanka,’ referring to the president’s son-in-law and daughter, ‘this is the best job you’ll ever have.’”\n\n-- Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue denied having ever met Brazilian businessman Wesley Batista, whose embattled meatpacking company has collected a windfall of millions in U.S.-taxpayer-funded farm bailouts. The New York Daily News’s Chris Sommer reports: “A spokesman for Perdue contradicted a press release put out when the agriculture secretary served as Georgia governor about a powwow he had with Wesley Batista — who, with his brother, Joesley, controls the world’s largest meatpacker, Brazil’s JBS SA. ... But the May 26, 2010, release from then-Gov. Perdue’s office states that he met with Wesley Batista for the opening of a JBS-owned chicken plant in Douglas, Ga. … The bailouts have prompted outrage from congressional Democrats and industry watchdogs, as the cash came from a federal program — established by Trump — that was supposed to help American farmers having a hard time selling products because of the administration’s tariff-heavy trade wars with China and other countries.”\n\n-- Mexican officials relied on Trump’s son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner as a source of White House information during months of immigration talks. The Daily Beast’s Erin Banco and Asawin Suebsaeng report: “Most times they ignored the missives, believing that Trump’s public statements were often divorced from the reality of the negotiations, according to individuals with direct knowledge of that strategy. … Tapping on Kushner for clarity has become a semi-official policy in the top ranks of the offices of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard, those same sources said. One person familiar with the bilateral interactions said that senior Mexican officials had sought aggressively to cultivate Kushner as a primary contact and possible ‘good cop’ since at least early 2017.”\n\n-- Mexico's López Obrador said he will use proceeds from selling off his presidential plane to fund efforts to curb migration under a deal his government struck with Trump. From Reuters: “‘About how much this plan is going to cost, let me say, we have the budget,’ Lopez Obrador said at his regular daily news conference. ‘It would come out of what we’re going to receive from the sale of the luxurious presidential plane.’ Lopez Obrador said the price tag of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner used by his predecessor Enrique Pena Nieto would start at $150 million, citing a United Nations evaluation. The plane has been on sale for several months.”\n\n-- The Trump administration wants to move hundreds of TSA employees to the southern border, but the agency is already short-staffed heading into the busy summer travel season. Columnist Joe Davidson writes: “[TSA] officials expect a 4.5 percent increase in airline passengers in fiscal 2020 but have requested only a 2.5 percent staffing increase over the current 46,000 officers. … Understaffing isn’t good for anyone, but it might be worse for passengers in long lines than for the officers who inspect them and their belongings.”\n\n-- Organizations challenging the government’s decision to put a citizenship question on the 2020 Census form asked the Supreme Court to put off a ruling on whether the Trump administration can do so. Robert Barnes reports: “Lawyers for the American Civil Liberties Union said that if justices are not prepared to affirm lower court rulings keeping the question off the census form, they should send the issue back to a lower court to consider new allegations that the question was added at the behest of a Republican operative to benefit the party and white voters in general. ‘If ever there were a case that should be decided on the basis of a true and complete record, it is this one,’ ACLU lawyer Dale Ho wrote in the brief. ‘Even an appearance that the government has manipulated the census for partisan and racially discriminatory purposes would undermine public confidence in our representative democracy.’”\n\n-- Art installations in New York blasted audio of sobbing, detained children across the city. Alex Horton reports: “It is a pop-up art installation of the most dystopian kind: Small kids curled up underneath foil survival blankets in chain-link cages, with audio of crying detained children wailing through speakers, dropped onto sidewalks throughout New York City. The guerrilla art installations, 24 in all, were plopped in front of the offices of news organizations, Google and highly trafficked areas of the city on Wednesday, depicting the most vivid sounds and migrant children detained by federal authorities at the U.S. southern border. The audio was so ‘haunting’ and ‘disturbing,’ a local TV station said, a camera crew kept its distance from one installation to prevent capturing the audio on their broadcast. ‘Brought me to my knees just now,’ one passerby said.”\n\n-- Kamala Harris said she would try to give citizenship to “dreamers” through an executive order if elected president. “It needs to happen. It’s the right thing to do,” Harris said Wednesday in an interview with Bloomberg News. “Until Congress can get its act together, I’m prepared to take executive action to get it done.”\n\n-- A House panel voted to replenish a fund for 9/11 victims a day after emotional testimony from first responders. Devlin Barrett reports: “Anger and frustration over the fund have been growing since February, when it was announced that future payouts would be cut as much as 70 percent to offset surging claims from those who are ill and the families of those who have died. Lawmakers said they expect a full House vote next month. The bill is expected to pass easily in the House, but its prospects are less certain in the Republican Senate.”\n\n-- Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) wore a firefighter jacket during the hearing. “I consider it fashion with a purpose,” Maloney said on Wednesday as she sat in her office between committee obligations, swaddled in the enormous black coat with neon-yellow accents. (Kayla Epstein)\n\n-- Rep. Joe Courtney (D-Conn.) appears to have successfully thwarted Trump’s plans to paint Air Force One red, white and blue instead of its traditional color scheme. (CT Mirror)\n\n-- The House scheduled a hearing on reparations for slavery next week. Writer Ta-Nehisi Coates and actor Danny Glover are expected to testify before the House Judiciary subcommittee on the Constitution, civil rights and civil liberties. (AP)\n\nRep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) proposed making birth control available over the counter:\n\nAnd Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) responded with a tweet that surprised many:\n\nHuffPost's Washington bureau chief criticized Joe Biden's comments to a young girl in Iowa:\n\nAn ABC News reporter noted this trend among Trump officials:\n\nSen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) recognized another woman who served as a congressional “first:\n\nAnd George H.W. Bush's former service dog wished his late owner a happy birthday:\n\n-- “Bribery scandal points to the athletic factor: A major force in college admissions,” by Nick Anderson and Susan Svrluga: “The University of Michigan, a charter member of the Big Ten, is widely regarded as an athletic powerhouse. Brown University is not. … But federal data show the Ivy League school equals Michigan on one measure: They each had 910 varsity athletes in 2017. Because Brown is smaller and more exclusive, that means a far larger share of its coveted admission offers every year — nearly 9 percent — are set aside for recruiting in sports from baseball to water polo. The athletic portion of admissions for Michigan’s public flagship is 2 percent. These are two examples among many — drawn from interviews, documents and a Washington Post survey — that illuminate the powerful and pervasive role sports play in admissions to the nation’s most prestigious private colleges and universities.”\n\n-- USA Today, “Seniors were sold a risk-free retirement with reverse mortgages. Now they face foreclosure,” by Nick Penzenstadler and Jeff Kelly Lowenstein: “In a stealth aftershock of the Great Recession, nearly 100,000 loans that allowed senior citizens to tap into their home equity have failed, blindsiding elderly borrowers and their families and dragging down property values in their neighborhoods. In many cases, the worst toll has fallen on those ill-equipped to shoulder it: urban African Americans, many of whom worked for most of their lives, then found themselves struggling in retirement.”\n\n-- ProPublica and AL.com, “Wasted Funds, Destroyed Property: How Sheriffs Undermined Their Successors After Losing Reelection,” by Connor Sheets: “AL.com and ProPublica interviewed nine of the 10 new sheriffs who won elections against incumbents last year. All nine said that last-minute actions by their predecessors had negative impacts on their offices and, by extension, the public. … Many of the sheriffs alleged that their predecessors acted in ways that could be described as vindictive hazing … But seven of the sheriffs made more serious accusations against their predecessors, many of which were corroborated by internal office records. Among their claims: Outgoing sheriffs pocketed public money, fudged financial reports, wasted sheriff’s office funds and destroyed or stole public property.”\n\n-- The White House Correspondents’ Association is looking for ways to push back against Trump as the president continues making false official statements. Paul Farhi reports: “We as an organization need to be more concerned about getting lied to as a matter of course — and the American public getting lied to, through us — than about access,’ HuffPost correspondent S.V. Date wrote in an email touting his candidacy to the WHCA’s 425 voting members. He added, ‘I’ve been in this business more than three decades, and what’s happening now is unprecedented. We are attacked on a near daily basis using Stalinist language. We are called corrupt and dishonest. We are given false information from staff who often know full well that it is false.’ CBS News Radio reporter Steven Portnoy, 38, uses less explosive language in his pitch for support but makes clear his disappointment that the White House hasn’t held a press briefing in a record 93 days as of Wednesday.”\n\n-- “Steve King’s proof he’s not racist? Diamond and Silk,” by Dana Milbank: “It has been five months since Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) lost his committee assignments over his support for white supremacy, and on Wednesday he took a step toward rehabilitation. He gave a news conference on the Capitol grounds — with two real, live, actual black people! Not African Americans, mind you. ‘You ain’t gotta call me African American ’cause I ain’t never been to Africa,’ explained Lynette Hardaway. ‘You can call me black.’ Hardaway and her sister, Rochelle Richardson, form the ‘Diamond and Silk’ YouTube sensation, a duo whose outrageous conservative commentary has won them frequent airtime on Fox News and promotion from President Trump. King had recruited Diamond and Silk ostensibly to help launch a new piece of legislation, the so-called Diamond and Silk Act — designed to shift funds from sanctuary cities to homeless veterans — but really King needed them to inoculate him from the whole racism thing.”\n\nTrump will have a working lunch with governors on “workforce freedom and mobility” and later give a speech on second-chance hiring.\n\nNEWS YOU CAN USE IF YOU LIVE IN D.C.:\n\n-- It’s a rainy day with bouts of warmth. The Capital Weather Gang forecasts: “Steady rain ends early today before a break in the action into the afternoon. But then a closing round of showers and storms may cycle through before dark. The weekend gets off to a great start with a lack of heat and humidity causing some to question the calendar. But fear not, muggy air returns for Father’s Day, along with a few pop-up showers. It turns even more humid Monday with increasing thunderstorm chances.”\n\n-- A longtime D.C. chef who owns the San Lorenzo Ristorante and Bar in Shaw faces felony cocaine charges after being arrested in a Delaware beach town. Massimo Fabbri had served Barack Obama on several occasions. (Tim Carman)\n\n-- There might be a second Fourth of July fireworks show at the Mall that will go with the original, relocated display at the Lincoln Memorial. Michael E. Ruane reports: “It was not immediately clear if the second display would also be launched from behind the Lincoln Memorial, which could provide Trump a dramatic backdrop for any speech there, or exactly when it would occur. ‘We are looking forward to an announcement from the White House that has all the details of the events, including any information on, perhaps, more fireworks,’ National Park Service spokesman Mike Litterst said Tuesday.”\n\n-- Northern Virginia voters endorsed a new mandate on criminal justice. Rachel Weiner and Justin Jouvenal report: “On Tuesday, two Northern Virginia prosecutors with decades of experience lost to newcomers pledging to put fewer people behind bars. In off-year primaries in a state often watched as a barometer of the national political mood, Parisa Dehghani-Tafti beat Theo Stamos in Arlington, and Steve Descano defeated Ray Morrogh in Fairfax with messages focused on racial inequities in the criminal justice system and excessive incarceration as a problem both national and local. ‘The results are going to send such a message to the rest of the country,’ said former Virginia governor Terry McAuliffe (D), who supported both challengers. ‘It’s a great message of who Virginia is; we’re righting many of the wrongs of the past.’”\n\nSamantha Bee tackled YouTube's algorithm and the recent controversies the platform has faced:\n\nStephen Colbert took a look at the 2020 polls:", "US Republican members of Congress pushed back on Wednesday against President Donald Trump’s plan to sell $8 billion in weapons to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, saying it was “unfortunate” the administration used an emergency declaration to avoid Congressional review.\n\nMembers of Congress had been blocking sales of military equipment to Saudi Arabia and the UAE for months, angry about the deaths of civilians in their air campaign in Yemen, as well as human rights abuses such as the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at a Saudi consulate in Turkey last year.\n\nThe Trump administration is pressing Riyadh to show “tangible progress” toward holding to account those behind Khashoggi’s killing, a senior administration official said on Tuesday.\n\nThe ranking Republican on the US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs committee, Michael McCaul, said at a hearing on Wednesday that he supports “the efforts of Saudi Arabia to defend themselves against Iran,” but “the recent use of this emergency authority, in my judgment, was unfortunate.”\n\nAnother Republican, Representative Ann Wagner, asked for a better understanding of the administration’s move to sidestep congressional oversight given Saudi Arabia’s human rights abuses.\n\nCiting an Iran-related emergency, the Trump administration told congressional committees on May 24 that it would go ahead with 22 military deals worth $8.1 billion to Saudi Arabia, UAE and Jordan, circumventing a long-standing precedent for lawmakers to review major weapons sales.\n\nStrains between Washington and Tehran have increased in recent weeks, a year after Trump, a Republican, abandoned a 2015 nuclear accord between Iran and world powers to curb Tehran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.\n\nTrump’s administration announced that it was sending 1,500 additional troops to the Middle East, which it described as an effort to bolster defences against what it sees as a threat of potential attack by Iran.\n\nIran has warned against any military aggression. “Iran will never initiate a war but will give a crushing response to any aggression,” Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday.\n\nIn a memorandum justifying the emergency declaration, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said, “Iranian malign activity poses a fundamental threat to the stability of the Middle East and to American security at home and abroad.”\n\nDemocrats on the committee called the emergency declaration phony. Defending the administration’s position at Wednesday’s hearing, assistant secretary of state for Political-military affairs Clarke Cooper said, “This is an emergency, this is a one-time event.”\n\nHowever, Cooper later said a “one time event is conditions-based,” and that this was the fifth time in history that such an emergency was used to push through the sale of weapons.\n\nCooper said that some of the weapons have already been sent to the customer since the emergency declaration and before Wednesday’s hearing. “Anything that’s what’s called ‘off the shelf’ then it’s already moving” to customers, Cooper said. But Cooper said “there was nothing new in these 22 sales,” indicating that the packages had been previously notified to Congress, but did not progress through the established channels for weapons sales notifications.\n\nUS Senators have drafted 22 “resolutions of disapproval.” The resolutions are intended to “protect and reaffirm Congress’ role of approving arms sales to foreign governments.”\n\nCompanies that would benefit include Raytheon Co precision-guided munitions (PGMs), support for Boeing Co F-15 aircraft, and Javelin anti-tank missiles, which are made by Raytheon and Lockheed Martin Corp.", "U.S. Republican members of Congress pushed back on Wednesday against President Donald Trump’s plan to sell $8 billion in weapons to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, saying it was “unfortunate” the administration used an emergency declaration to avoid Congressional review.\n\nMembers of Congress had been blocking sales of military equipment to Saudi Arabia and the UAE for months, angry about the deaths of civilians in their air campaign in Yemen, as well as human rights abuses such as the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at a Saudi consulate in Turkey last year.\n\nThe Trump administration is pressing Riyadh to show “tangible progress” toward holding to account those behind Khashoggi’s killing, a senior administration official said on Tuesday.\n\nThe ranking Republican on the U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs committee, Michael McCaul, said at a hearing on Wednesday that he supports “the efforts of Saudi Arabia to defend themselves against Iran,” but “the recent use of this emergency authority, in my judgment, was unfortunate.”\n\nAnother Republican, Representative Ann Wagner, asked for a better understanding of the administration’s move to sidestep congressional oversight given Saudi Arabia’s human rights abuses.\n\nCiting an Iran-related emergency, the Trump administration told congressional committees on May 24 that it would go ahead with 22 military deals worth $8.1 billion to Saudi Arabia, UAE and Jordan, circumventing a long-standing precedent for lawmakers to review major weapons sales.\n\nStrains between Washington and Tehran have increased in recent weeks, a year after Trump, a Republican, abandoned a 2015 nuclear accord between Iran and world powers to curb Tehran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.\n\nTrump’s administration announced that it was sending 1,500 additional troops to the Middle East, which it described as an effort to bolster defenses against what it sees as a threat of potential attack by Iran.\n\nIran has warned against any military aggression.\n\n“Iran will never initiate a war but will give a crushing response to any aggression,” Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday.\n\nIn a memorandum justifying the emergency declaration, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said, “Iranian malign activity poses a fundamental threat to the stability of the Middle East and to American security at home and abroad.”\n\nDemocrats on the committee called the emergency declaration phony.\n\nDefending the administration’s position at Wednesday’s hearing, assistant secretary of state for Political-military affairs Clarke Cooper said: “This is an emergency, this is a one time event.”\n\nHowever, Cooper later said a “one time event is conditions based,” and that this was the fifth time in history that such an emergency was used to push through the sale of weapons.\n\nCooper said that some of the weapons have already been sent to the customer since the emergency declaration and before Wednesday’s hearing. “Anything that’s what’s called ‘off then shelf’ then it’s already moving” to customers, Cooper said.\n\nBut Cooper said “there was nothing new in these 22 sales,” indicating that the packages had been previously notified to Congress, but did not progress through the established channels for weapons sales notifications.\n\nU.S. Senators have drafted 22 “resolutions of disapproval.” The resolutions are intended to “protect and reaffirm Congress’ role of approving arms sales to foreign governments.”\n\nCompanies that would benefit include Raytheon Co precision-guided munitions (PGMs), support for Boeing Co F-15 aircraft, and Javelin anti-tank missiles, which are made by Raytheon and Lockheed Martin Corp.", "WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Republican members of Congress pushed back on Wednesday against President Donald Trump's plan to sell $8 billion in weapons to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, saying it was \"unfortunate\" the administration used an emergency declaration to avoid Congressional review.\n\nMembers of Congress had been blocking sales of military equipment to Saudi Arabia and the UAE for months, angry about the deaths of civilians in their air campaign in Yemen, as well as human rights abuses such as the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at a Saudi consulate in Turkey last year.\n\nThe Trump administration is pressing Riyadh to show \"tangible progress\" toward holding to account https://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-khashoggi-usa/u-s-pushes-for-saudi-progress-on-khashoggi-probe-before-anniversary-of-killing-idUSKCN1TC2RY those behind Khashoggi's killing, a senior administration official said on Tuesday.\n\nThe ranking Republican on the U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs committee, Michael McCaul, said at a hearing on Wednesday that he supports \"the efforts of Saudi Arabia to defend themselves against Iran,\" but \"the recent use of this emergency authority, in my judgment, was unfortunate.\"\n\nAnother Republican, Representative Ann Wagner, asked for a better understanding of the administration's move to sidestep congressional oversight given Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses.\n\nCiting an Iran-related emergency, the Trump administration told congressional committees on May 24 that it would go ahead with 22 military deals worth $8.1 billion to Saudi Arabia, UAE and Jordan, circumventing a long-standing precedent for lawmakers to review major weapons sales. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-saudi-arms/defying-congress-trump-sets-8-billion-plus-in-weapons-sales-to-saudi-arabia-uae-idUSKCN1SU25R\n\nStrains between Washington and Tehran have increased in recent weeks, a year after Trump, a Republican, abandoned a 2015 nuclear accord between Iran and world powers to curb Tehran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.\n\nTrump’s administration announced that it was sending 1,500 additional troops to the Middle East, which it described as an effort to bolster defences against what it sees as a threat of potential attack by Iran.\n\nIran has warned against any military aggression. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-iran-japan-usa/japans-abe-warns-of-armed-conflict-amid-soaring-u-s-iran-tension-idUSKCN1TD0RJ\n\n\"Iran will never initiate a war but will give a crushing response to any aggression,\" Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Wednesday.\n\nIn a memorandum justifying the emergency declaration, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said, \"Iranian malign activity poses a fundamental threat to the stability of the Middle East and to American security at home and abroad.\"\n\nDemocrats on the committee called the emergency declaration phony.\n\nDefending the administration's position at Wednesday's hearing, assistant secretary of state for Political-military affairs Clarke Cooper said: \"This is an emergency, this is a one time event.\"\n\nHowever, Cooper later said a \"one time event is conditions based,\" and that this was the fifth time in history that such an emergency was used to push through the sale of weapons.\n\nCooper said that some of the weapons have already been sent to the customer since the emergency declaration and before Wednesday's hearing. \"Anything that's what's called 'off then shelf' then it's already moving\" to customers, Cooper said.\n\nBut Cooper said \"there was nothing new in these 22 sales,\" indicating that the packages had been previously notified to Congress, but did not progress through the established channels for weapons sales notifications.\n\nU.S. Senators have drafted 22 \"resolutions of disapproval.\" The resolutions https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-saudi-arms/republican-democratic-senators-seek-to-block-trump-saudi-arms-sales-idUSKCN1T61PL are intended to \"protect and reaffirm Congress' role of approving arms sales to foreign governments.\"\n\nCompanies that would benefit include Raytheon Co precision-guided munitions (PGMs), support for Boeing Co F-15 aircraft, and Javelin anti-tank missiles, which are made by Raytheon and Lockheed Martin Corp.\n\nThis story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.\n\nYour guide to the latest cricket World Cup stories, analysis, reports, opinions, live updates and scores on https://www.firstpost.com/firstcricket/series/icc-cricket-world-cup-2019.html. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram or like our Facebook page for updates throughout the ongoing event in England and Wales.", "Donald Trump is the most anti-LGBTQ president in recent history. While past presidents might very well have hated LGBTQ people more, Trump has certainly been the most openly hostile.\n\nSo forgive me if I’m super unimpressed that Trump Tweeted a recognition of Pride Month. I’m also not impressed that Trump’s online merch store is selling a T-shirt that reads “LGBTQ for Trump” in rainbow letters.\n\nActions speak louder than words. And nothing about the Trump presidency has been positive for LGBTQ people.\n\nLet’s take a look at Trump’s Tweet, posted May 31:\n\n“As we celebrate LGBT Pride Month and recognize the outstanding contributions LGBT people have made to our great Nation, let us also stand in solidarity with the many LGBT people who live in dozens of countries worldwide that punish, imprison, or even execute individuals on the basis of their sexual orientation. My Administration has launched a global campaign to decriminalize homosexuality and invite all nations to join us in this effort!”\n\nFirst of all, Trump did not issue an official proclamation that June is Pride Month, unlike Obama. So Trump is neither “celebrating” nor “recognizing.”\n\nIt’s the next part that gets interesting. Trump claims he wants to “stand in solidarity” with LGBT people who live in places that “punish, imprison, or even execute” them, and he invites all nations to join his administration’s efforts to “decriminalize homosexuality.”\n\nWhat he’s actually saying here is, “Hey LGBTQ Americans. It’s not like we’re throwing you in jail and putting you to death. So quit yer complaining.”\n\nHe’s also saying, “Don’t look at the ways my administration is hurting LGBTQ people in America. Look at places like Syria where gay people are pushed off of buildings! We’re not as bad as the Islamic State!”\n\nAnd it’s true. The extrajudicial killing of LGBTQ people is not currently legal or government sanctioned in the U.S. — but that’s a pretty low bar.\n\nTrump isn’t necessarily trying to make his administration look better on LGBTQ issues. He’s highlighting some of the most heinous actions in predominantly Muslim countries under Sharia in order to paint all Muslims as violent and hateful.\n\nIran is the perfect example. There, homosexuality is punishable by death. Which is beyond reprehensible. We should be absolutely horrified. But does the Trump Administration really care about the lives of LGBTQ Iranians? I highly doubt it. What the Trump Administration does care about, however, is portraying Iran as a backward country full of violent extremists. That makes it just that much easier to sell the American public on going to war with Iran or dismissing the effects that harsh sanctions have on its civilians.\n\nMost folks can see right though Donald Pride Trump, though he has some of his supporters worried.\n\nBryan Fischer says that Trump is making a big mistake.\n\n“If the president’s advisers think this is going to cut any ice with LGBT activists, they haven’t been paying attention,” Fischer writes on the American Family Association website. “Gay activists are hostile, implacable and vengeful toward their political adversaries.”\n\nImagine that, gays being “hostile” and “implacable” when it comes to people who want to deny us our very humanity, who want to control our sexuality and gender expression and who want to dismantle our families. I just can’t imagine why we’re so darn stubborn.\n\n“President Trump is simply and badly wrong to grab the rainbow flag and cheerlead the global LGBT parade,” he writes.\n\nIs Fischer naive enough to think that Trump is really the Grand Marshal of Global Pride? Probably not. Though the idea that Trump would in any way acknowledge LGBTQ people with even the most tepid support enrages him.\n\n“Because homosexuality is immoral, unnatural and unhealthy, it is a practice that no rational society should ever embrace, celebrate, subsidize or celebrate,” Fischer writes.\n\nNice. But please tell me again about how “hostile” LGBTQ people are toward pathologizing our lives and the wholesale denial of our right to exist.\n\nBut it seems pretty clear that Fischer, who also hates Muslims, knows what game Trump is playing.\n\n“Outside of Muslim countries, the death penalty for homosexuality is largely a myth,” he writes. “For instance, there is not even one confirmed example of a homosexual being put to death in Victorian England, not one.”\n\nIt all comes down to demonizing Muslims. And glorifying Victorian England? I mean, “not even one confirmed example of a homosexual being put to death?” Sounds very on-brand for Trump. By all means, hand Trump a rainbow flag and put him in a time machine with a one-way ticket.\n\nD’Anne Witkowski is a poet, writer and comedian living in Michigan with her wife and son. She has been writing about LGBT politics for over a decade. Follow her on Twitter @MamaDWitkowski.", "Dear Reader, As you can imagine, more people are reading The Jerusalem Post than ever before. Nevertheless, traditional business models are no longer sustainable and high-quality publications, like ours, are being forced to look for new ways to keep going. Unlike many other news organizations, we have not put up a paywall. We want to keep our journalism open and accessible and be able to keep providing you with news and analysis from the frontlines of Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World.\n\nThe Trump administration is pressing Saudi Arabia to show \"tangible progress\" toward holding to account those behind the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi and wants them to do so before the one-year anniversary of his murder, a senior administration official said. \n\n\n\nPushing back against critics who have accused President Donald Trump of letting the Saudis off the hook after Khashoggi’s death, the official told Reuters this week the message to the kingdom is that it remains a \"very hot issue\" and \"they need to take it seriously.\"\n\n\n\nRepublican and Democratic lawmakers, citing evidence of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s role in the Khashoggi case and incensed over the civilian toll from the Saudi air campaign in Yemen, have ramped up efforts to block Trump’s arms sales to Saudi Arabia.The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Saudis needed to complete their investigation and take action ahead of the anniversary but did not specify any consequences if they failed to do so. The Trump administration has so far taken only minimal steps.Khashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and U.S. resident who had become a vocal critic of the prince, disappeared after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2. Eleven Saudi suspects have been put on trial in secretive proceedings but only a few hearings have been held since January.\"There will be increased sensitivity around the anniversary,\" the official said. \"It would be in everyone's best interest to have some tangible progress by then.\"The CIA has determined with \"medium to high confidence\" that the crown prince, commonly known by his initials MbS and considered de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, ordered the killing, U.S. government sources have said. The spy agency has continued to monitor and gather information but is not conducting a full-scale inquiry, a U.S. official said.Saudi officials have denied involvement by Prince Mohammed.Trump has expressed doubts about the CIA assessment and argued that Washington must not risk its alliance with Riyadh, the cornerstone of U.S. security policy in the Gulf regarded as a regional counterweight to Iran.Khashoggi's murder tarnished the crown prince's reputation internationally. He has pushed ahead with an ambitious domestic agenda accompanied by a crackdown on dissent.Trump drew a furious reaction from Congress last month when he declared that the threat from Iran was an emergency that forced him to bypass lawmakers and sell $8 billion in arms to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.Democratic U.S. Senator Chris Murphy this week accused the administration of \"turning a blind eye\" to Khashoggi’s murder.The administration is making clear to the Saudis the controversy will persist until they demonstrate a \"very clear case of culpability,\" the senior administration official said.White House adviser and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, who has cultivated a close relationship with MbS, declined to blame the crown prince for Khashoggi's death in an interview with Axios this month. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in March the administration was still working \"all across the government\" to identify those responsible.\n\nNow is the time to join the news event of the year - The Jerusalem Post Annual Conference! \n\nFor more information and to sign up, click here>>", "Pushing back against critics who have accused President Donald Trump of letting the Saudis off the hook after Khashoggi’s death, the official told Reuters this week the message to the kingdom is that it remains a \"very hot issue\" and \"they need to take it seriously.\"\n\nRepublican and Democratic lawmakers, citing evidence of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s role in the Khashoggi case and incensed over the civilian toll from the Saudi air campaign in Yemen, have ramped up efforts to block Trump’s arms sales to Saudi Arabia.\n\nThe official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Saudis needed to complete their investigation and take action ahead of the anniversary but did not specify any consequences if they failed to do so. The Trump administration has so far taken only minimal steps.\n\nKhashoggi, a Washington Post columnist and US resident who had become a vocal critic of the prince, disappeared after entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct 2. Eleven Saudi suspects have been put on trial in secretive proceedings but only a few hearings have been held since January.\n\n\"There will be increased sensitivity around the anniversary,\" the official said. \"It would be in everyone's best interest to have some tangible progress by then.\"\n\nThe CIA has determined with \"medium to high confidence\" that the crown prince, commonly known by his initials MbS and considered de facto ruler of Saudi Arabia, ordered the killing, US government sources have said. The spy agency has continued to monitor and gather information but is not conducting a full-scale inquiry, a US official said.\n\nTrump has expressed doubts about the CIA assessment and argued that Washington must not risk its alliance with Riyadh, the cornerstone of US security policy in the Gulf regarded as a regional counterweight to Iran.\n\nKhashoggi's murder tarnished the crown prince's reputation internationally. He has pushed ahead with an ambitious domestic agenda accompanied by a crackdown on dissent.\n\nTrump drew a furious reaction from Congress last month when he declared that the threat from Iran was an emergency that forced him to bypass lawmakers and sell $8 billion in arms to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.\n\nDemocratic US Senator Chris Murphy this week accused the administration of \"turning a blind eye\" to Khashoggi’s murder.\n\nThe administration is making clear to the Saudis the controversy will persist until they demonstrate a \"very clear case of culpability,\" the senior administration official said.\n\nWhite House adviser and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, who has cultivated a close relationship with MbS, declined to blame the crown prince for Khashoggi's death in an interview with Axios this month.\n\nSecretary of State Mike Pompeo said in March the administration was still working \"all across the government\" to identify those responsible.", "WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican members of Congress pushed back on Wednesday against President Donald Trump's plan to sell $8 billion in weapons to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, saying it was \"unfortunate\" the administration used an emergency declaration to avoid Congressional review.\n\nMembers of Congress had been blocking sales of military equipment to Saudi Arabia and the UAE for months, angry about the deaths of civilians in their air campaign in Yemen, as well as human rights abuses such as the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at a Saudi consulate in Turkey.\n\nThe ranking Republican on the U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs committee, Michael McCaul, said at a hearing he supports \"the efforts of Saudi Arabia to defend themselves against Iran,\" but \"the recent use of this emergency authority, in my judgment, was unfortunate.\"\n\nAnother Republican, Representative Ann Wagner, asked for a better understanding of the administration's move to sidestep congressional oversight given Saudi Arabia's human rights abuses.\n\nCiting an Iran-related emergency, the Trump administration told congressional committees on May 24 that it would go ahead with 22 military deals worth $8.1 billion to Saudi Arabia, UAE and Jordan, circumventing a long-standing precedent for lawmakers to review major weapons sales. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-saudi-arms/defying-congress-trump-sets-8-billion-plus-in-weapons-sales-to-saudi-arabia-uae-idUSKCN1SU25R\n\nDemocrats on the committee called the emergency declaration phony.\n\nDefending the administration's position, assistant secretary of state for Political-military affairs Clarke Cooper told the committee in testimony: \"This is an emergency, this is a one time event.\"\n\nHowever, Cooper later said a \"one time event is conditions based,\" and that this was the fifth time in history that such an emergency was used to push through the sale of weapons.\n\nCooper said that some of the weapons have already been sent to the customer since the emergency declaration and before Wednesday's hearing. \"Anything that's what's called 'off then shelf' then it's already moving\" to customers, Cooper said.\n\nBut Cooper said \"there was nothing new in these 22 sales,\" indicating that the packages had been previously notified to Congress, but did not progress through the established channels for weapons sales notifications.\n\nU.S. Senators have drafted 22 \"resolutions of disapproval,\" one for each of the 22 arms deals. The resolutions https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-saudi-arms/republican-democratic-senators-seek-to-block-trump-saudi-arms-sales-idUSKCN1T61PL are intended to \"protect and reaffirm Congress' role of approving arms sales to foreign governments.\"\n\nCompanies that would benefit include Raytheon Co precision-guided munitions (PGMs), support for Boeing Co F-15 aircraft, and Javelin anti-tank missiles, which are made by Raytheon and Lockheed Martin Corp."], "summary": "Reuters reports, on the basis of an unnamed \"senior administration\" source, that the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump is pressuring the government of Saudi Arabia to show some progress in its investigation of the murder of Jamal Khashoggi before the one-year anniversary in October."}
{"document": ["In Spain today, the trial of a group of Catalonian separatist leaders will end.\n\nThe trial started in February, but the road into the court system for the activists started long before then.\n\nThey're facing charges of rebellion, disobedience and misuse of public funds, all related to the independence referendum held on October first, 2017. The referendum was declared illegal by the Spanish government, which moved to punish those involved immediately.\n\nBy October 30th, 2017, the President of the newly declared Catalonian republic, Carlos Puigdemont, and his entire cabinet were charged with sedition.\n\nWithin days, eight ministers who had remained in the country were detained without bail - others were swept up by the justice system later that year. After being detained for more than a year, six of the jailed activists began a hunger strike in December of 2018 - it ended 20 days later.\n\nAnd by February of this year, the case against them opened in Spain's Supreme Court. The trial has heard over 300 witnesses, and rejected at least 50.\n\nThe verdict is not expected until at least after the summer.\n\nEuronews sums up the case in the report in the video player above", "Pro-independence activists plan to assemble giant TV screens in town squares across Catalonia so that locals can follow events taking place several hundred kilometres away, in the supreme court in Madrid on Wednesday. These preparations reflect the enormous interest in the trial of 12 Catalan leaders which is coming to a close after four months.\n\nThe defendants face accusations of crimes related to their region’s failed bid to secede in 2017 and this is widely seen as the most important, and politically charged, court case in Spain’s modern era.\n\nThe charges presented by state prosecutors against nine of the accused include rebellion and sedition. Former Catalan vice-president Oriol Junqueras could face up to 25 years in prison, while rank-and-file independence leaders Jordi Sànchez and Jordi Cuixart could face 17-year sentences. All nine have been in preventive custody for well over a year.\n\nThe three other defendants, who face lesser charges, have been free on bail. On Wednesday, the accused will be allowed to give final statements to the court before it adjourns.\n\nDespite the exhaustive scale of the trial, it seems to have done little to shift the respective positions of the plaintiffs and the defence.\n\n“More than 50 sessions, 422 witnesses, five pieces of expert evidence and some extensive documentary evidence have left the two sides exactly where they were at the start of the trial,” noted El País. Nor has the trial altered the view of Spain’s political parties or public opinion on the matter, the newspaper added.\n\nThe plaintiffs – the public prosecutor, the state lawyer and the far-right Vox party – have presented this as a clear-cut case of criminality. Last week, public prosecutor Javier Zaragoza appeared to harden his stance by describing the 2017 independence drive as “a coup d’état”.\n\nHis colleague, Jaime Moreno, said: “I don’t think that from what we have heard or seen in this trial that it can be concluded that there was not violence.”\n\nBoth claims seek to justify the rebellion charge, focusing on street demonstrations in Barcelona in September of 2017 and an outlawed referendum on independence 10 days later. Whether or not violence was used in those events has been a major bone of contention throughout the case, with defence lawyers insisting that the independence movement is by nature peaceful.\n\nSuggesting otherwise is both “scandalously untrue and dishonest”, wrote Cuixart in an opinion article published in La Vanguardia newspaper at the weekend. “Non-violent action is not violence. Not here or anywhere.”\n\nAnother key issue in the trial has been the role of the Catalan police force, and whether or not they resisted or abetted the regional government’s plans to hold the controversial referendum. One of the trial’s biggest surprises was the assertion by the former Catalan police chief, Josep Lluís Trapero, that he was ready and willing to arrest separatist politicians following a unilateral independence declaration that was approved by the regional parliament.\n\nSeveral of the accused have played down the significance of that declaration. For example, Meritxell Borràs, a former Catalan minister who faces charges of misuse of public funds and disobedience, testified that it was not an effective statement of secession but “a political declaration without legal or juridical consequences”.\n\nThe defence’s case was indirectly bolstered last month when a UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention recommended that Spain immediately release Junqueras, Cuixart and Sànchez and pay them compensation. The group’s findings fed into a broader claim by the independence movement that not only is the trial unfounded, but that it is based on a political premise and that the court case reflects glaring weaknesses in Spanish democracy.\n\n“This is a political trial that has been presented as a legal one,” says Gonzalo Boye, lawyer for the former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont, who escaped the Spanish justice system by fleeing to Belgium.\n\n“It says to me a lot about the lack of checks and balances that exist in the Spanish system.”\n\nThe Spanish government and judicial authorities take the opposing view.\n\nJustice minister Dolores Delgado lauded “a trial held with all guarantees, with a level of transparency that puts us at the top of and in the vanguard of international judicial systems”.\n\nThis propaganda battle over Spain’s democratic credentials is expected to continue at least until the verdict is announced, probably in the autumn. Even then, the case is unlikely to be closed, with defendants expected to appeal to the constitutional court and then the European Court of Human Rights if they face an unfavourable verdict.\n\nWith a general election and European and local elections all taking place in the meantime, the trial has had an inevitable influence on Spain’s politics, helping to ensure that the Catalan territorial crisis has remained at the heart of political debate. The perceived injustice of the case and particularly the long spells of preventive custody for defendants have united and galvanised the independence movement, which blames the acting government of Socialist Pedro Sánchez for failing to rein in the judiciary.\n\n“The Catalan government [and the independence movement] have spent months thinking about how to deal with this trauma and how to capitalise on the court verdict in a political way,” says Catalan writer Jordi Amat. “Without a doubt, for those affected this might be a tragedy but that tragedy could have political consequences.”\n\nCatalan president Quim Torra has not ruled out calling a regional election once the verdict is announced in a bid to channel separatist outrage. However, a more familiar response will be seen this week when demonstrations are called across Catalonia to protest against the trial.", "There is no formal deadline for the Supreme Court’s seven judges to render a verdict, but a ruling is expected before November. By then the defendants will have spent two years in prison, after being denied bail in 2017.\n\nThe case has also been closely followed in other parts of Spain, like the Basque region, which has its own separatist history. “It’s clear to us that this has been a show trial, to frighten anybody else who wants to challenge the state,” said Idoia Elorza, a Basque Nationalist Party official who traveled to Madrid this week with some colleagues to follow the trial’s closing days.\n\nThe trial’s most divisive issue has been whether the independence drive involved violence — and whether the leaders of the movement could be held personally accountable. On Wednesday, Jordi Turull, a former member of the Catalan government, said it was “an insult to Catalan society” to suggest that a few leaders had manipulated more than 2 million voters into taking part in the October 2017 referendum. “Catalans are not sheep,” he told the courtroom.\n\nOther defendants also forecast that the independence movement would keep growing — with or without their help — and ultimately force the Spanish government to allow an independence referendum in Catalonia.\n\n“The ballot box can never be a threat to democracy,” said Jordi Sànchez, a defendant who faces up to 17 years in prison if convicted. “In Catalonia, there will be ballot boxes and votes and we will have them thanks to an agreement with the Spanish government, like in Scotland or Quebec.”\n\nIf convicted, the defendants could appeal to the European Court of Human Rights, or they could be pardoned by Mr. Sánchez. However, Spain’s prime minister is under intense pressure not to make further concessions to separatist politicians, particularly following his unsuccessful effort to reopen a political dialogue with them last year. The talks went nowhere, and instead the separatists helped vote down Mr. Sánchez’s budget in February, forcing him into a snap election.\n\nThe defendants’ closing statements, which referred to philosophical writings from Socrates to Hannah Arendt, also warned the judges directly that their ruling could significantly impact Spain’s political future. “You have the responsibility of not worsening a political situation,” Jordi Sànchez told the judges. “I would not like to be in your shoes now.”", "A four-month trial has ended for 12 Catalan separatists over their bid for independence from Spain but a verdict is not expected for months.", "MADRID, June 12 (Reuters) - Jailed Catalan separatist leaders denied the prosecutors' charge of inciting violence in the Spanish region's failed bid for independence and used their final arguments in a four-month Supreme Court trial in Madrid to call for dialog.\n\nProsecutors said last week that the Catalan leaders had knowingly attempted a \"coup d'etat\" against Spain in 2017 when they organized a referendum on independence, triggering Spain's biggest political crisis in decades..\n\n\"To vote or defend the republic from a parliament cannot constitute a crime,\" Oriol Junqueras, who served as deputy leader of the Catalan regional government, told the court on Wednesday.\n\nDuring the independence vote, which Spanish courts had ruled illegal, police attempted to shut down impromptu voting stations, provoking an international outcry with the use of batons and rubber bullets in melees that injured dozens.\n\nThe 12 defendants are charged with rebellion, sedition and misappropriation of public funds. The Catalan politicians and civic leaders, nine of whom have been jailed pending sentence for more than a year, face up to 25 years in prison.\n\nA final ruling is not expected for another few months.\n\nJunqueras defined himself as someone with \"democratic, civic and peaceful convictions,\" and called for dialog to resolve the crisis over Catalonia, which has contributed to the fragmenting of Spanish politics and the rise of far-right party Vox.\n\n\"The best for Catalonia, Spain, Europe, everyone, would be to return this issue to the political arena ... to the arena of dialog, negotiation and agreement,\" Junqueras said.\n\nOther defendants argued that they were being prosecuted for their political ideas, said that holding a referendum was not a crime and accused the prosecutors of manipulating facts.\n\nSome of their lawyers admitted on Tuesday that they could have conducted misappropriation of funds but denied the rebellion charge.\n\n\"I am being judged for my political career, for being who I am, not for my acts, not for my facts,\" said Carme Forcadell, who was the Catalan parliament's speaker when it approved a unilateral declaration of independence after the referendum, despite both moves being ruled illegal.\n\nAfter the independence declaration, Spain's then- conservative government stripped the regional parliament of power before calling an election. But the move backfired and the secessionists retained a slim majority in the Catalan assembly.\n\nHowever, many in the rest of Spain strongly disapprove of the idea of the wealthy northeastern region breaking away.\n\nWhile several of the separatist leaders involved in the secession drive were arrested and have remained in preventative custody ever since, others, including the regional president at the time, Carles Puigdemont, fled the country.\n\nQuim Torra, the current Catalan president, attended Wednesday's session in the Supreme Court, along with the Catalan parliament's speaker Roger Torrent. (Reporting by Joan Faus Editing by Andrei Khalip and Frances Kerry)", "Unprecedented and historic — that is how the Supreme Court trial of a dozen Catalan separatist leaders that ended today is being described.\n\nThe proceedings, which began in February, saw them face charges of rebellion, disobedience and misuse of public funds, all related to the independence referendum held on October 1, 2017.\n\nThe vote was declared illegal by the Spanish government, which moved to punish those involved immediately.\n\nThe high-profile trial — that has heard from more than 300 witnesses and rejected at least 50 — came to an end on Wednesday with the final statements of the defendants.\n\nA verdict is expected in the autumn.\n\nREAD MORE: Catalan Separatists' trial: How they got here and what's next? | Euronews Answers\n\n“The nuclear question is whether or not there has been violence that integrates the crime of rebellion,” said the spokesman for the professional association for Spanish judges Judges for Democracy (Juezas y Jueces para la Democracia) Ignacio González Vega.\n\nHe believes that “accusations are still based on the fact that (the declaration of independence on October 1) was a planned plot spread out through time with episodes of violence while the defence still argues that the declaration of independence was made without any violence.”\n\nGonzález Vega doesn’t recall any other trial like this one that was broadcast live on television from beginning to end.\n\n“This is a way for citizens to supervise the jurisdictional activity of the Spanish courts and that is enough motivation to forgo an international observer,” noted González Vega.\n\nTransparency was key for a trial that many independentists have been calling a \"farce\". It became a test for the public image of the Spanish judicial system, which the spokesman defended: “It responds to European standards on justice and preserves rights and guarantees.”\n\nGonzález Vega believes that “political pressure cannot be ignored” but that the experience and professionalism of the judges make them immune to these pressures.", "MADRID — The battle in court is coming to a close. But the political fight is just getting started.\n\nThe case against 12 Catalan leaders on charges that include violent rebellion and sedition is scheduled to conclude Wednesday, exactly four months after it began.\n\nThe defendants, nine of whom have been in preventive custody for over a year, have been on trial since February 12 for their participation in the Catalan regional government’s failed bid for independence in 2017.\n\nThree of them — former Catalan Vice President Oriol Junqueras, the Catalan National Assembly’s Jordi Sànchez and Jordi Cuixart of the pro-independence Òmnium Cultural association — face potential jail sentences between 17 and 25 years if found guilty.\n\nA verdict, and any resulting sentences, isn’t expected until the fall, after the court has reviewed the evidence provided by prosecutors, defendants and hundreds of witnesses. But the process has already deepened the fraught fault lines between Catalonia and Spanish authorities in Madrid.\n\nAnger over the trial, accusations of bias and the detention of the high-profile defendants have given new life to Catalonia’s nationalists, whose spirits were sagging after their failed attempt to break away. And nationally, the issue continues to burn; it contributed to the fall of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s government earlier this year.\n\nThe Supreme Court’s president has described the trial as “the most important that we have had in the democratic era.”\n\nAs the judicial process winds down and both sides await the verdict, the struggle to control the narrative and determine what happens next is already well under way.\n\nCatalonia’s separatists may be outraged over a judicial process they have characterized as political persecution. But it comes at a good time for their cause.\n\nSince their failed attempt to secede, the region’s separatists have focused their messaging on the judiciary's decision to keep nine of the 12 defendants behind bars.\n\nSupporters have held a series of mass demonstrations and have hung yellow ribbons — symbolizing solidarity with the prisoners — in public spaces across the region. On several occasions, these displays have prompted clashes between Catalan nationalists and Spanish unionists, who oppose the region’s push to break away from Madrid.\n\n“The biggest mobilizing factor for the independence cause over the last year or so has been the jailing of the defendants in the Supreme Court trial,” said Jordi Amat, a Catalan writer and commentator.\n\nAt a time when morale might otherwise have flagged, “the issue of the prisoners” has become a rallying cry.\n\nFury over the issue has benefited Catalonia’s inexperienced leader, Quim Torra, as he struggles to keep control of the independence movement.\n\nTorra, who has said he is preparing for the trial’s verdict by consulting colleagues and grassroots independence organizations on how to respond to it, has suggested there will be a strong popular backlash if any of the defendants are found guilty.\n\n“When we see the sentences, they might turn out to be another enormous mistake by the powers in Spain,” Catalan Foreign Minister Alfred Bosch told POLITICO.\n\n“Obviously we won’t just sit there. We’ll have to react — we believe we are entitled to react in a civic, peaceful way.”\n\nThe trial’s outcome will also affect the institutional relationship between Catalonia and Madrid.\n\nSince taking office last year, Sánchez has attempted to engage with the Catalan government, restoring a bilateral working group and holding regular meetings with Torra.\n\nHowever, the prime minister's efforts to find common ground with Catalan lawmakers, offering to meet a long-held demand of the secessionists to appoint a facilitator in talks between pro-independence and pro-unity political parties, failed, triggering April's general election.\n\nHaving won that election, Sánchez is now attempting to form a new government. Crucially, he may be able to do so without the support of pro-independence parties, which would mean they no longer hold the political leverage they enjoyed during his first year in government.\n\nShould that come to pass, some observers expect that Torra will look for other ways of exerting pressure on Madrid. One of them would be to respond to any guilty verdicts by calling a regional election to capitalize on public outrage over the trial and broaden the secessionist parties’ narrow majority in the Catalan parliament.\n\nComplicating that plan, however, is the competition between the two leading Catalan nationalist forces. Holding another election would put Torra’s Junts per Catalunya at risk of losing support to its most dangerous rival, the similarly separatist Catalan Republican Left.\n\n“We’ve got to where we are because neither of these two parties has wanted to be seen to be betraying its electoral support base,” said Oriol Bartomeus, a political scientist at Barcelona’s Autonomous University.\n\nThe two parties, he said, will be vying to prove “who is more committed to independence, who is willing to take more risks, who disobeys more.”\n\nHeavy sentences for the defendants would add pressure on the two parties, who “wouldn’t be able to justify [reaching agreements with the Spanish government] to their supporters,” La Vanguardia columnist Lola García noted.\n\nBenefits for the right\n\nThe resulting escalation would continue to force the Catalan issue up the national agenda, drawing attention from Sánchez’s agenda, which includes proposed reforms in areas such as euthanasia, workers’ rights and gender equality, as well as efforts to cement his status as a prominent and influential European leader.\n\nThat would benefit Spain’s fragmented and stridently unionist right. The center-right Popular Party, the liberal Ciudadanos and the far-right Vox party have all used the Catalan issue to attack Sánchez, with varying degrees of success.\n\nThe perceived threat to Spanish unity could, for example, help the Popular Party, which lost over half its congressional seats in the general election.\n\nSánchez’s government is already bracing itself for the likelihood that the trial’s legal fallout will drag on well beyond the fall, with appeals that could go as far as the European Court of Human Rights.\n\nIn addition to its potential to derail Sánchez’s agenda, the government also worries a protracted fight over Catalonia would damage Spain’s image internationally.\n\n“For me this is much more than a mere battle of images,” said Irene Lozano, who heads up the Spanish government’s international image department, España Global. “For me it’s one of the biggest battles against disinformation in the world.”\n\nThe trial has already caught international attention, with the U.N. Working Group on Arbitrary Detention calling for several of the defendants to be freed and paid compensation. The plight of Catalan politicians also made a splash in Brussels last month, after elected members of the European Parliament from Catalonia who have escaped the Spanish justice system by living abroad were denied entry to the institution because Madrid has not yet filled out the paperwork that would have allowed them to enter.\n\nThe case “has helped the international community to understand what is happening and that this is not just a bunch of egotistical people who want to separate because they are wealthier [than other regions],” said Bosch, the region’s foreign minister.\n\nThe Spanish government questioned the timing of the U.N. findings, which came toward the end of the trial, and alleged that some members of the working group had a conflict of interest. The report was nevertheless a blow to Madrid, which has struggled to counter the independence movement’s slick PR machine.\n\nAn editorial on the progressive news site CTXT warned that although the end of the legal process is in sight, “it is doubtful that it will resolve the social conflict, improve co-existence or manage to cover up the fact that nobody has yet accepted political responsibility [for this crisis] on one side or the other.”", "[PDF] Download The Verdict Ebook | READ ONLINE \n\n \n\nDownload => http://shp.shoppipubherenow.icu/?book=25622050-the-verdict \n\nDownload The Verdict read ebook Online PDF EPUB KINDLE \n\n \n\nThe Verdict pdf download \n\nThe Verdict read online \n\nThe Verdict epub \n\nThe Verdict vk \n\nThe Verdict pdf \n\nThe Verdict amazon \n\nThe Verdict free download pdf \n\nThe Verdict pdf free \n\nThe Verdict pdf \n\nThe Verdict epub download \n\nThe Verdict online ebooks \n\nThe Verdict epub download \n\nThe Verdict epub vk \n\nThe Verdict mobi \n\nDownload The Verdict PDF - KINDLE - EPUB - MOBI \n\nThe Verdict download ebook PDF EPUB book in english language \n\n[DOWNLOAD] The Verdict in format PDF \n\nThe Verdict download free book in format PDF \n\n#book #readonline #ebook #pdf #kindle #epub", "The trial of Catalan separatists accused of trying to prise their region from Spain is scheduled to end on Wednesday after four months of intense hearings, which impacted national politics.\n\nIn proceedings broadcast live on television, 12 defendants have been in the dock every week, their role in organising an illegal referendum on secession and a short-lived declaration of independence in October 2017 under meticulous scrutiny.\n\nFor some, they are \"political prisoners\" repressed by the Spanish state -- and a protest by independence supporters is planned in Barcelona to mark the end of the trial.\n\nFor others, they broke the law and risked Spain's unity in the country's worst political crisis since its transition to democracy in the 1970s.\n\nNine are charged with rebellion, including Catalonia's former vice-president Oriol Junqueras who risks 25 years in jail, the heaviest sentence, and three face lesser charges of disobedience and misuse of public funds.\n\nAll 12 are expected to take the stand one last time on Wednesday.\n\nBeyond the closely-watched proceedings at Spain's Supreme Court, the trial has shone the spotlight back onto key figures in Catalonia's independence drive, some of whom have been behind bars for over a year and a half.\n\nWith Catalonia's former president Carles Puigdemont, the main protagonist of the secession attempt, conspicuously absent after he fled Spain, that spotlight has shone brightest on his former deputy Junqueras.\n\n\"I am being prosecuted for my ideas and not for my actions,\" he told the court in February, prompting a later retort by prosecutors that the defendants were on trial for having broken the law, not for their opinions.\n\nNot content with sitting through four months of hearings, the 50-year-old was elected lawmaker to the national parliament in an April general election along with four other fellow defendants. They were later suspended from parliament.\n\nOn May 26, Junqueras was also elected to the European Parliament and hopes to keep that post, although how that will happen remains to be seen.\n\nGoing forward, all eyes will now be on the sentence, which is not expected until later in the year.\n\n\"No matter what it is, the sentence will be interpreted by the independence movement as an element to hold on to, to try to mobilise its camp again,\" said politics professor Oriol Bartomeus.\n\nHe predicted that the sentence could push Catalonia's separatist-led government into calling snap regional elections or even \"a reaction like disobedience.\"\n\nBy and large, however, Bartomeus said the trial did not appear to have swayed opinion in either camp in Catalonia, the wealthy region in northeastern Spain where around 47 percent are pro-independence.\n\n\"The trial will have been useful to strengthen an independence movement that had been left without much horizon or road ahead\" months after the secession bid, he said.\n\nStill, the trial -- and by extension the secession crisis in Catalonia -- continues to impact national politics.\n\nEarlier this year, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez was forced to call a snap election on April 28 after his 2019 budget failed to be voted through when Catalan separatist lawmakers refused to back it, partly in solidarity with those in the dock.\n\nPerhaps the most controversial element in the trial has been the charge of rebellion levelled at nine of the defendants.\n\nUnder Spanish law, rebellion is a serious offence that implies a violent uprising.\n\nDefence lawyers and independence supporters insist there was no violence, pointing to the peaceful nature of the movement.\n\nProsecutors argue that the defendants \"fomented, favoured and sought the direct confrontation between the crowds of citizens and police,\" particularly during the banned independence referendum on October 1, 2017, which was marred by police violence.\n\nOn Tuesday, Junqueras's lawyer Andreu Van den Eynde said there may have been disobedience but never rebellion, accusing prosecutors of \"bias and exaggeration.\"\n\nThe trial's chief prosecutor Javier Zaragoza, however, has said the secession bid was a \"coup d'etat\" aimed at \"wiping out the Spanish constitution.\"", "MADRID (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 13th June, 2019) The four-month trial against 12 pro-independence Catalan politicians closed in the Spanish Supreme Court on Wednesday, with the defendants denying charges of sedition and rebellion, insisting on the peaceful nature of their movement and calling for settling \"differences\" through political rather than judicial mechanisms.\n\nOn the last day of the trial, the defendants  nine of whom are members of Carles Puigdemont's government  were offered to make final statements to the court.\n\nRegional vice president Oriol Junqueras, for whom prosecutors seek the maximum sentence of 25 years on sedition charges, said in his final statement that voting in a referendum could not be viewed as a crime.\n\n\"To vote is not a crime. The will for a dialogue, agreement, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms cannot be a crime,\" he said.\n\nAccording to Junqueras, who was elected to the European Parliament in the May 26 elections, \"it would better for all  Catalonia, Spain and Europe  to return the issue into the political domain\".\n\nRaul Romeva, a former regional minister for external affairs, said that the prosecution \"seeks to punish [them] for ideology.\" According to Romeva, the former Catalan authorities decided to hold the referendum as \"they could not act the other way because 80 percent of the population demanded it.\"\n\n\"Holding a referendum, including an illegal one, is not a crime in the criminal code,\" he said, pledging that he \"will always defend the right to self-determination, which should be exercised without violence.\"\n\nFormer regional minister Joaquim Forn denied that his goal \"as a member of the government was to declare independence through violence.\"\n\n\"We are in court because the politics has failed. We never concealed our intention to hold a referendum, we acted absolutely transparently. It was an action in support of the right to decide,\" Forn said, accusing the Spanish leadership of bringing the political conflict to court.\n\nThe head of the Catalan Omnium Cultural organization Jordi Kuishar, in his final statement, called on the supporters of independence to continue \"peaceful and constant mobilization.\n\n\" He promised not to stop \"fighting for the right to self-determination.\"\n\nFormer regional minister for territories Josep Rull, in turn, stated that \"there are not enough prisons to stop the people's desire for freedom.\"\n\nIt is so far unclear how long it will take for the judges to deliver a verdict on the case. October 16 will mark two years since pro-independence activists Jordi Sanchez and Jordi Kuishar have been kept in pre-trial detention. Under law, however, the Supreme Court says their pre-trail detention can be extended for another two years.\n\nThe prosecutors seek maximum punishment of 25 years for Junqueras, the rest are facing from seven to 12 years in prison. In his final speech last week, a Spanish Supreme Court prosecutor accused Catalan leaders of staging a coup, aimed at substituting \"one legal system for another by illegal means.\"\n\nJunqueras' lawyer rejected the \"coup\" accusations, saying that the prosecution \"is confusing disobedience with rebellion\" because \"people took to the streets not to overthrow the state but to vote.\" The defendants maintain that pro-independence rallies were of a \"peaceful and democratic nature,\" stressing that they had nothing to do with \"separate cases of violence between protesters and police.\"\n\nThe lawyer also denied that the unilateral declaration of independence by the Catalan parliament on October 27, 2017, was an act of \"breaking with the state\" since it never entered into force.\n\nOn October 1, 2017, the northeastern Spanish region held an independence referendum, which resulted in 90 percent of voters supporting Catalonia's secession from Spain. On October 27, 2017, the Catalan parliament proclaimed the region's independence, but the central Spanish government refused to accept the outcome of the vote and went on to prosecute those who helped organize the vote."], "summary": "The trial of the leaders involved in the Catalan declaration of independence ends and is remitted to decision. A verdict is not expected until after August."}
{"document": ["Authorities say eight people have been arrested following the early-morning rescue of two Canadian women who were abducted in Ghana last week.\n\nAt a press conference on Wednesday, Ghana’s Minister of Information Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah said five Ghanaians and three Nigerians were taken into custody after security forces raided a building in a Kumasi suburb where the women were being held.\n\nThe two women, aged 19 and 20, were abducted from the Royal Golf Club in Kumasi’s Ashanti Region on June 4, according to the country’s Ministry of Information.\n\nOppong-Nkrumah said their preliminary indications suggest both women are “fine.” He said they were flown from Kumasi to the nation’s capital Accra.\n\n“They have been in contact with Canadian authorities and are undergoing the necessary evaluations following a traumatic incident,” he said.\n\nOppong-Nkrumah said no ransom was discussed or paid. He added there is no indication yet the suspects have any affiliation to a political or religious group.\n\nYouth Challenge International, the Toronto-based non-profit organization the women were working with in Ghana, identified the kidnapping victims as Lauren Tilley and Bailey Chitty. The organization said the women are safe and unhurt following their ordeal.\n\n“Bailey and Lauren are receiving emotional and psychological support from professionals as they travel home,” the statement posted to their website on Wednesday read.\n\nThe parents of both women have been in contact with their daughters and are grateful to Ghanaian police and government, and the Canadian government for their actions, the statement added.\n\nTilley is from Rothesay, N.B., while Chitty is from Amherst, N.S., CTV News Atlantic reported. They are both students at the University of New Brunswick and were in Ghana as part of a school internship.\n\n\"Even though we're incredibly pleased to see a successful resolution, we need to respect the privacy of our students and their families,” a spokesperson for UNB said in a statement. “The students and their families have been and continue to be our number one priority and not engaging publicly is how we can continue to support them.”\n\nA spokesperson for Global Affairs Canada said the government was “relieved” to confirm the women have been released.\n\n“We would like to thank the Government of Ghana for their cooperation in the resolution of this case,” the statement said. “Consular officials are providing assistance to the Canadians and their families.”\n\nThe spokesperson said they wouldn’t disclose further information regarding the women’s “harrowing experiences.”\n\nNew Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs called the news “a relief for all of us.”\n\n“As a parent of four daughters, I can just imagine what the family is going through, and I certainly was aware of the family, but it's great news to find that they have been rescued,” he said.\n\nAmherst Mayor David Kogon said his community is \"beyond thankful, grateful and relieved,” while Rothesay-area MLA Ted Flemming said he is “very glad” to hear the women are safe.\n\n“Who could be anything but fabulously relieved that she's been rescued?” he said. “It's a wonderful story.”\n\nINVESTIGATION ONGOING\n\nOppong-Nkrumah said several agencies worked together on the rescue operation, but no “foreign assets” were involved. He acknowledged that a Canadian team arrived in Ghana to find a way to help with local efforts, but that it was “not necessary” because Ghanaian security forces already knew what to do.\n\nThe minister of information said gunshots were fired within the premises of where the women were held, but he didn’t specify who fired them. He said one of the Nigerian suspects sustained a minor injury when they were apprehended.\n\nThe suspects can only be held for 48 hours without formal charges, according to the country’s laws. Oppong-Nkrumah didn’t rule out further arrests as the investigation into the incident is ongoing.\n\nAlthough Ghana has long been considered one of the least dangerous nations to visit in West Africa, the country’s information ministry has been working hard to reassure the public that it’s still safe following a recent spate of kidnappings for ransom.\n\nIn April, an Indian national was abducted in Kumasi and rescued by police within 24 hours. Earlier that month, an Estonian consular-general was kidnapped on his way to work in Accra. He was also rescued soon after, according to local media.\n\n“Security agencies continue to assure the general public, including Ghanaians and potential travellers, that Ghana is safe,” Oppong-Nkrumah said.\n\nWith files from The Canadian Press, The Associated Press and CTV Atlantic's Laura Brown", "2 Canadian women abducted in Ghana have been rescued\n\nACCRA, Ghana (AP) — Authorities say two Canadian women who were abducted earlier this month in Ghana have been rescued.\n\nGhana's information ministry says the rescue operation was completed early Wednesday in the south-central Ashanti region. No other details are immediately available.\n\nThe ministry has sought to assure travelers that the West African nation remains safe despite a recent uptick in kidnappings for ransom. The country has been considered one of the safest in the region for foreign travelers.\n\nThis was the second time in less than a month that foreigners were targeted in the city of Kumasi. An Indian national earlier was abducted and rescued.\n\nGhana's president has vowed to crack down on kidnappers amid fears the abductions could harm tourism.", "OTTAWA — The two Canadian women who were rescued this morning after being abducted in Ghana last week have been identified.\n\nYouth Challenge International, a Toronto-based non-profit group, says Lauren Tilly and Bailey Chitty were rescued by Ghanaian police.\n\nIn a statement posted online, the group says both are safe and unhurt, and they are “receiving emotional and psychological support from professionals as they travel home.”\n\nGlobal Affairs Canada says the federal government is “very relieved” that the two women have been rescued from what a department spokesman called their “harrowing experiences.”\n\nGhana’s information ministry says national security operatives completed the rescue mission in the country’s south-central Ashanti region.\n\nThe country’s national police force said last Thursday that the two Canadian women were aged 19 and 20.\n\n— With files from The Associated Press", "OTTAWA—The two Canadian women who were rescued this morning after being abducted in Ghana last week have been identified. Youth Challenge International, a Toronto-based non-profit group, says Lauren Tilly and Bailey Chitty were rescued by Ghanaian police.\n\nIn a statement posted online, the group says both are safe and unhurt, and they are “receiving emotional and psychological support from professionals as they travel home.”\n\nGhana’s national police force said last Thursday that the two Canadian women were aged 19 and 20. Global Affairs Canada says the federal government is “very relieved” that the two women have been rescued from what a department spokesman called their “harrowing experiences.”\n\nGhana’s information ministry says national security operatives completed the rescue mission in the country’s south-central Ashanti region. The ministry has sought to assure travellers that the West African nation remains safe despite a recent uptick in kidnappings for ransom. The country has been considered one of the safest in the region for foreign travellers. This was the second time in less than a month that foreigners were targeted in the city of Kumasi. An Indian national earlier was abducted and rescued. Ghana's president has vowed to crack down on kidnappers amid fears the abductions could harm tourism. — With files from The Associated Press", "Two young Canadian women who were kidnapped while volunteering in Ghana have begun their journey home after being rescued by authorities in the West African country on Wednesday.\n\nBailey Chitty and Lauren Tilley are safe and physically unharmed, said Youth Challenge International, the Toronto-based non-profit the women were volunteering with.\n\n“Bailey and Lauren are receiving emotional and psychological support from professionals as they travel home,” the group said in a statement.\n\n“The parents of both young women have been in contact with their daughters and at this time wish to express their extreme gratitude to the Ghanaian police, the Ghanaian government and the Canadian government.”\n\nGhana's information minister said national security forces led an operation to rescue the two women - aged 19 and 20 - from a location in the suburbs of Kumasi, Ghana's second-largest city.\n\nKojo Oppong-Nkrumah said five Ghanaians and three Nigerians are now in custody in connection with what he called a “traumatic incident,” and more arrests are possible.\n\nNo ransom was discussed or paid in the case, and there's no indication yet of any affiliation between the kidnappers and any religious or political group, the minister said.\n\n“We have no brief that says that this person, that person is associated with this church or that religion or this political party,” he said, adding that the investigation is ongoing. “It's the interrogation that will determine who the masterminds are.”\n\nOppong-Nkrumah said a Canadian “team” had been in Ghana to offer help in the rescue, but it was not necessary because Ghanaian forces had the situation under control.\n\n“Our people on the ground had clarity on what to do, and the result is what you see currently,” he said.\n\nA spokesman for Global Affairs Canada said the federal government is “very relieved” that the women are safe.\n\n“We would like to thank the Government of Ghana for their co-operation in the resolution of this case,” Guillaume Berube said in an email, adding that consular officials were assisting the women and their families.\n\n“Out of respect to these two Canadians who have been through harrowing experiences, no further information will be disclosed,” he said.\n\nGhana has long been considered one of the least dangerous countries in West Africa, but the abductions of the two Canadians marked the second time in a month that foreigners had been targeted in Kumasi. A previous rescue effort freed an Indian national.\n\nThe information minister maintained that Ghana remained safe for foreign travellers.\n\n“The country's risk profile has not changed,” he said.\n\n- with files from the Associated Press.", "Two Canadian women who were abducted earlier this month in Ghana have been rescued, and their names have been released.\n\nGhana's Information Ministry said the rescue operation was completed early Wednesday in the south-central Ashanti region. No other details were immediately available from the ministry.\n\nBut the Canadian government said in an email to CBC on Wednesday that it's \"very relieved to confirm\" the release of the women, whose names were disclosed by non-governmental organization Youth Challenge International as Lauren Tilley and Bailey Chitty.\n\nOn its website, the organization said both women were getting support from professionals and that they were physically unhurt.\n\n\"The parents of both young women have been in contact with their daughters and at this time wish to express their extreme gratitude to the Ghanaian police, the Ghanaian government and the Canadian government for all their support and actions throughout this extremely difficult time,\" the website said.\n\nThe two, aged 19 and 20, had been abducted at the Kumasi Royal Golf Club at 8:25 p.m. local time on June 4, said a news release issued by the Ghana Police Service.\n\nPolice had not disclosed their names, but said they're volunteers with Youth Challenge International. The two women are studying at Renaissance College with the University of New Brunswick. Tilley is originally from Rothesay, N. B., a suburban community on the outskirts of Saint John. Chitty is from Amherst, N.S., a town that borders the province of New Brunswick.\n\n\"Bailey and Lauren are receiving emotional and psychological support from professionals as they travel home,\" Youth Challenge International said in the news release. \"Medical reports are that they are both physically unhurt. At this time, we are unable to comment on the police actions, the rescue or the perpetrators of the abduction.\"\n\nGlobal Affairs Canada also said consular officials are providing assistance to the two women and their families.\n\n\"Due to the provisions of the Privacy Act, and out of respect to these two Canadians who have been through harrowing experiences, no further information will be disclosed,\" Global Affairs Canada spokesperson Guillaume Bérubé said in the email.\n\nFrancisca Forson, a freelance journalist in Accra, told CBC News Network that two people have been arrested, and the Information Ministry will hold a news conference at 3 p.m. local time (11 a.m. ET) to provide more details about the rescue operation.\n\nThe ministry has sought to assure travellers that the West African nation remains safe despite a recent uptick in kidnappings for ransom. The country has been considered one of the safest in the region for foreign travellers.\n\nThis was the second time in about a month that foreigners were targeted in the city of Kumasi. An Indian national earlier was abducted and rescued.\n\nGhana's president has vowed to crack down on kidnappers amid fears the abductions could harm tourism.\n\nForson said the Ghana Tourism Authority that regulates the industry has shut down the hostel where the two Canadians were lodging after doing inspections.\n\n\"They were operating without a licence, and they shut that down, and they also issued a warning that they would be tougher with other hostels or hotels where foreigners are lodged,\" she said.\n\n\"So there's efforts on the part of the authorities to ensure that foreigners do not feel unsafe and are able to come here.\"", "ACCRA — Ghana forces have rescued two Canadian women who were kidnapped last week outside their hostel in Ghana’s second city of Kumasi, the Ghanaian government said in a statement on Wednesday.\n\nThe women, aged 19 and 20, were volunteers for charity Youth Challenge International.\n\nKidnappings were rare in Ghana until a spate of abductions late last year, most of them for ransom. They are more common in other parts of West Africa, especially Nigeria.\n\nAn Indian national was kidnapped and rescued in Kumasi last month, local media reported.", "ACCRA/TORONTO (Reuters) - Ghana forces have rescued two Canadian women who were kidnapped last week outside their hostel in Ghana’s second city of Kumasi, the Ghanaian government said in a statement on Wednesday.\n\nThe women, aged 19 and 20, were volunteers for Canadian charity Youth Challenge International (YCI).\n\nYCI in a statement named the two volunteers as Lauren Tilley and Bailey Chitty. It said the two were receiving emotional and psychological support and were physically unharmed.\n\nGlobal Affairs Canada spokesman Guillaume Berube said the government was very relieved that the two Canadians were released and thanked the government of Ghana for its cooperation. Berube said consular officials were providing support for Tilley and Chitty and for their families.\n\nOfficials at Ghana’s Information Ministry said five Ghanaians and three Nigerians were taken into custody, that no ransom was paid for the release, and that there was no foreign involvement in the rescue operation, CBC reported.\n\nKidnappings were rare in Ghana until a spate of abductions late last year, most of them for ransom. They are more common in other parts of West Africa, especially Nigeria.\n\nAn Indian national was kidnapped and rescued in Kumasi last month, local media reported.", "MAHMUD MOHAMMED-NURUDEEN via Getty Images A police bus is seen here outside of regional police headquarters in Kumasi, Ghana, on June 7, 2019. Two Canadian women have been rescued after they went missing in the country earlier this month.\n\nOTTAWA — Global Affairs Canada says the federal government is “very relieved” that two Canadian women who were abducted in Ghana earlier this month have been rescued.\n\nA spokesman for the department says consular officials are providing assistance to the two women and their families after what he called their “harrowing experiences.”\n\nGuillaume Berube says no further details will be released.", "OTTAWA — Global Affairs Canada says the federal government is “very relieved” that two Canadian women who were abducted in Ghana earlier this month have been rescued.\n\nA spokesman for the department says consular officials are providing assistance to the two women and their families after what he called their “harrowing experiences.”\n\nGuillaume Berube says no further details will be released.\n\nGhana’s information ministry says national security operatives completed the rescue mission in the country’s south-central Ashanti region early Wednesday.\n\nThe ministry has sought to assure travellers that the West African nation remains safe despite a recent uptick in kidnappings for ransom. The country has been considered one of the safest in the region for foreign travellers.\n\nThe country’s national police force said last Thursday that the two Canadian women, aged 19 and 20, were volunteers with a non-governmental organization."], "summary": "Two Canadian women who were abducted in Ghana are rescued by Ghanaian police."}
{"document": ["John Vandemoer, a former sailing coach at Stanford University who swapped spots at the elite college for bribes, was spared prison Wednesday, becoming the first person to be sentenced for participating in the widespread college admissions scandal.\n\nIn choosing not to incarcerate Vandemoer, U.S. District Judge Rya W. Zobel came down on the side of the disgraced coach, who had pleaded for leniency because he did not pocket the bribes personally and quickly accepted responsibility for his crimes when he was discovered.\n\nInstead of time behind bars, the judge sentenced Vandemoer to one day but deemed that to have already been served. He will spend two years on probation, with the first six months in home confinement, and pay a $10,000 fine.\n\nVandemoer, 41, did not deserve to go to prison, the judge said, in part because she viewed him as “the least culpable” of the dozens of coaches, parents and others charged in the federal investigation into what authorities say was a nearly decade-long scheme to sneak the children of wealthy families into top universities.\n\nAdvertisement\n\nWhile there was no doubt “Mr. Vandemoer knew what he was doing was wrong,” Zobel instead placed blame squarely at the feet of William “Rick” Singer, the Newport Beach consultant who has admitted to running the admissions scam and bribing Vandemoer.\n\nSinger has pleaded guilty to several felonies stemming from his brazen scheme, in which he charged affluent parents huge sums to rig their children’s entrance exams or to outright buy their entrance into top-tier colleges by paying off coaches to designate the teens as recruited athletes. He too will be sentenced by Zobel.\n\nThe judge’s decision marked a setback for prosecutors from the U.S. attorney’s office in Boston, who have portrayed the case as a badly needed opportunity for the justice system to rein in the role money plays in college admissions and to send a stern message that corruption in higher education will bear consequences.\n\nBefore Zobel handed down her sentence, Assistant U.S Atty. Eric Rosen urged the judge to send a “powerful message” and see her decision as one that would “set the tone” for other district judges in Boston who will sentence defendants in the case.\n\nAdvertisement\n\nRosen, who wanted Vandemoer sentenced to 13 months in prison, warned that a punishment without jail time would amount to “a slap on the wrist” and reinforce the widely held view that the wealthy and well-connected play by their own rules when it comes to getting their kids into top colleges.\n\nA significant time in prison for Vandemoer was “the only way to begin restoring confidence in a college admissions system that most people agree is needlessly unfair,” Rosen wrote in a court filing.\n\nIn comments to Zobel and later to reporters outside the courthouse, Vandemoer was contrite, saying he had disgraced himself, brought “a cloud” over Stanford and failed the sailors to whom he had preached integrity over winning.\n\nHe apologized to his family, and in particular to his two young children.\n\nIn his last-ditch effort to sway the judge before she made her decision, Vandemoer’s attorney, Robert Fisher, said sending the coach to jail would do nothing to deter others from trying to pull off similar crimes. Vandemoer, who was fired from his “dream job,” kicked out of his university housing and lost his family’s health insurance, is already a warning to anyone tempted to follow his example, Fisher said.\n\n“This man,” Fisher added, “has been absolutely crushed.”\n\nVandemoer pleaded guilty in March to racketeering conspiracy and admitted to taking $610,000 from Singer.\n\nIn exchange for the money, which Vandemoer deposited into school accounts and used to buy boats and cover other expenses for his team, the coach designated three children of Singer’s clients as sailing recruits to boost their chances of admission to Stanford. None was a competitive sailor.\n\nAdvertisement\n\nSinger directed $770,000 in three payments to Stanford’s sailing program. Fisher said prosecutors took into account just the first two payments, totaling $610,000. In a victim impact statement to the judge, Stanford said it views the $770,000 as “tainted” and is in talks with California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra to put the money toward “the public good.”\n\nFisher argued in court papers and before Zobel on Wednesday that prison would be inappropriate because his client, unlike others in the case, had not profited personally and none of the three students won admission because of the illicit maneuvers Vandemoer took on their behalf.\n\nTwo of the teens chose to attend other schools. In the case of the third, the athletic scam proved unsuccessful because Singer and Vandemoer initiated it too late in the recruiting season, prosecutors said. The student was eventually admitted to Stanford through the normal application process.\n\nThat student, identified by the Los Angeles Times as Yusi Zhao, has been expelled from Stanford. Her mother acknowledged paying Singer $6.5 million after Zhao was admitted in 2017. Singer then directed $500,000 to Vandemoer’s sailing program.\n\nThrough an attorney, Zhao’s mother said Singer told her the money was a legitimate donation to the school. No member of the Zhao family has been charged in the investigation, which is ongoing.\n\nMuch of Wednesday’s hearing revolved around an arcane legal question of what loss, if any, Stanford had suffered because of Vandemoer’s actions.\n\nIn a dispute that could take on significance as the admissions case progresses, Zobel and Rosen sparred over the issue. The judge repeatedly challenged Rosen on his claim that because it is difficult to tally a dollar amount the university lost, the $610,000 Vandemoer collected from Singer should be used as a proxy.\n\nThe dollar figures are significant because they are part of the federal guidelines judges refer to when deciding on a sentence. Zobel rejected Rosen’s argument, saying she could see no tangible way Stanford suffered. Her decision could influence other judges when they sentence coaches and parents charged in the case, said Carl Tobias, a professor at the University of Richmond School of Law who focuses on the federal court system.\n\nAdvertisement\n\n“Technically, they’re not under any obligation to follow it; it’s certainly not binding,” Tobias said. “But on the other hand, she’s a colleague at the courthouse. They’re going to give it serious consideration.”", "CLOSE John Vandemoer's case has unique circumstances meaning his sentence might not signal other \"Varsity Blues\" defendants will avoid prison. USA TODAY\n\nBOSTON – Former Stanford University head sailing coach John Vandemoer was sentenced Wednesday to home supervision – not prison – for his actions in the nation's college admissions scandal, a blow to prosecutors who had sought to send a strong message to other defendants in the high-profile case.\n\nA federal judge gave Vandemoer two years of supervised release, including the first six months confined to his home, and a $10,000 fine in the first sentencing of the \"Varsity Blues\" college admissions bribery and cheating case.\n\nHe received a prison term of just one day, but it was deemed already served when he was arrested in March. Prosecutors had sought 13 months of prison while Vandemoer's defense fought for probation over incarceration.\n\nVandemoer, 41, pleaded guilty in March to racketeering charges for accepting $610,000 in bribes from the admissions scheme's mastermind Rick Singer to benefit Stanford's sailing program in exchange for designating college applicants as sailing recruits to get them accepted into the prestigious university.\n\nCLOSE The college admissions scam involving Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman shows how some rich families use a “side door” to game an already unfair education system. Just the FAQs, USA TODAY\n\nMore: Ex-Stanford sailing coach faces first sentence in college admissions scandal\n\nFederal Judge Rya Zobel said it's important that Vandemoer be punished \"because it's too easy to do this kind of thing\" but she didn't think prison was warranted. Vandemoer funneled payments to Stanford's sailing program, not his personal use, she noted, and none of the students tied to his payments attended Stanford as a direct result of his actions.\n\nVandemoer, joined by his wife, parents and sister outside the courthouse after the hearing, said he takes full responsibility for his actions and accepts the consequences.\n\n\"A big part of my coaching philosophy has always been that it's not the mistake that defines you, but it's what you do afterwards,\" he said. \"I'm holding true to those words now in the face of my biggest mistake.\"\n\nFormer Stanford sailing coach John Vandemoer addresses media after avoiding prison time for pleading guilty in the college admissions scheme. He says he accepts responsibility for his actions. pic.twitter.com/pUfLebuXgo — Joey Garrison (@joeygarrison) June 12, 2019\n\nVandemoer is the first of the 22 defendants who have pleaded guilty in the nation's sweeping college admissions scandal to receive a sentence. But because of his case's unique circumstances, his sentence might not signal other defendants will also avoid prison.\n\nStill, the judge was bluntly skeptical of the government's central case, saying that although Vandemoer certainly committed fraud against Stanford, she couldn't determine that the payments he collected were bribes under the federal commercial bribery statute.\n\n“You call them a bribe, but it’s not clear to me what makes it a bribe,\" Zobel said.\n\nMore: Lori Loughlin digs in – and 7 more surprises and takeaways in college admissions scandal\n\nThe judge also questioned whether Stanford suffered any losses at all from Vandmoer's actions – noting that no admissions slots were used on under-qualified students – and whether the coach himself gained anything from the transaction.\n\nAssistant U.S. Attorney Eric Rosen cited Vandemoer's salary paid by Stanford as a loss for the school. He said directing the money to the sailing program was \"absolutely his gain\" because he could buy boats and other sailing equipment that benefit him.\n\nThe judge shot back: “So it’s a psychological gain.”\n\nRosen responded: “It’s not a psychological gain. He had the choice to put (the money) where he wanted.”\n\nStanford has said the university is in discussions with the California attorney general about an appropriate way for the \"tainted\" money brought in by Vandemoer to be used for \"the public good.\"\n\nIn a brief statement after the sentencing, U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling said, “We will continue to seek meaningful penalties in these cases.”\n\nProsecutors, led by Rosen, argued that Vandemoer's sentence should set an example in the historic admissions case, calling prison \"the only way to deter similarly situated individuals\" who are \"entrusted with the power to shape figures.\"\n\nHe told the judge a prison sentence for Vandemoer “will set the tone for this case going forward\" – and “send a powerful message” that if a person takes bribes for college admissions, he or she will be criminally prosecuted and go to jail.\n\nHe added that the sentence should signal to \"honest and hardworking high school students\" who are trying to get into college the right way that the wealthy can't pay bribes to undermine the system.\n\n“These kids deserve that. Our society needs that,\" he said prior to the sentencing. If Vandemoer were to avoid prison, Rosen said, it would be \"shortchanging not only the criminal justice system but all those kids in school trying to get in by hard work.\"\n\n“The danger in this case and others is not an over-sentence but failing to send a message,” he said.\n\nBut Vandemoer's defense, led by attorney Robert Fisher, argued that he did not personally profit from the scheme \"though he easily could have.\"\n\n“He is a unique individual in what is a unique and unprecedented case,\" Fisher said. \"No student got in. Money was given to the victim. We have unusual facts.”\n\n\"Everyone but Mr. Vandemoer gained something,\" Fisher said of the 50 overall defendants in the college admissions case that also include famous actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin. \"He got nothing. He gave every single dime to sailing, to Stanford. He could have pocketed that. He didn't.\"\n\nFisher highlighted letters from some of Vandemoer's former sailing players and others – 27 in all – lauding his character. Vandemoer is married with two children under 2 years old.\n\n“Jail isn’t going to do anything other than punish his family.\" he said, adding that his client has already lost his job, his housing and health insurance and been the subject of countless media reports. “This is a gentleman whose heart is in the right place.\"\n\nIn March, Vandemoer admitted to designating a female college applicant from China as a sailing recruit in early 2016 after Singer, the scheme's ringleader, promised that the student's family would \"endow\" sailing coach salaries. Singer, who funneled payments from wealthy parents to carry out the admissions scheme, created a fake sailing profile for the student, but it was too late in the recruitment process, and the student was accepted through the normal admissions process.\n\nMore: Mom from China who paid $6.5M to Rick Singer says Stanford daughter a 'victim' of admissions scam\n\nProsecutors say Singer paid Vandemoer's sailing program $500,000 for his efforts anyway and for \"recruiting\" future clients.\n\nThe initial student has since been revealed as Yusi Zhao from China, whose mother paid $6.5 million to Singer's nonprofit The Key Worldwide Foundation in what prosecutors say was the largest single transaction in the entire scheme. Zhao is no longer at Stanford.\n\nIn the spring of 2018, Singer funneled an additional $110,000 into the sailing program for a second student to be designated as a sailing recruit, but the student chose to attend Brown University instead, prosecutors say.\n\nLater that year, Singer promised Vandemoer an additional $160,000 for the sailing program to get a third female student tagged as a sailing recruit, but she ultimately went to Vanderbilt University. By this point. Singer was cooperating with federal investigators and his phone calls with Vandemoer were wiretapped.\n\nThe next defendant set to be sentenced in the college admissions scandal is Mark Riddell, a former college counselor at a private high school in Florida, who has pleaded guilty to taking tests for the children of parents who paid bribes to Singer. His sentencing date is set for July 18.\n\nFollow Joey Garrison on Twitter @joeygarrison.\n\nRead or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2019/06/12/no-prison-first-defendant-bribery-scandal-college/1429812001/", "BOSTON — A former Stanford sailing coach who on Wednesday became the first person to be sentenced in the nation’s largest-ever college admissions fraud prosecution has avoided prison time, receiving a far lighter punishment than prosecutors had sought.\n\nThe coach, John Vandemoer, who was accused of taking bribes from a corrupt college consultant, was ordered to spend a single day in jail — time the judge said he had already served — and six months in home confinement as part of two years of supervised release.\n\nProsecutors had called for a 13-month sentence, and the lighter penalty raised uncertainties about the future of the sprawling case, which has so far brought criminal charges against 50 people, including other coaches, Hollywood actresses and prominent figures from the worlds of law and finance. Yet the outcome of Mr. Vandemoer’s case seemed an imperfect indicator of how cases against others may play out.\n\nUnlike other coaches charged in the admissions scheme, Mr. Vandemoer, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit racketeering, did not pocket any money from the bribes. He negotiated with the college consultant at the center of the scandal to designate students as recruits to the Stanford sailing team even though they were not competitive sailors, giving them an advantage in the admissions process. In exchange, the consultant directed hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations to the school’s sailing program.", "Former Stanford sailing coach, the 1st person sentenced in the college admissions bribery scheme, avoids prison time\n\nBOSTON (AP) — Former Stanford sailing coach, the 1st person sentenced in the college admissions bribery scheme, avoids prison time.", "BOSTON (AP) — Former Stanford sailing coach, the 1st person sentenced in the college admissions bribery scheme, avoids prison time.", "Sailing Coach Will Be First Person Sentenced In College Admissions Scandal\n\nFederal prosecutors want a former Stanford sailing coach to get 13 months in prison, when he becomes be the first to be sentenced in the college admissions scam on Wednesday.", "John Vandemoer, Stanford University's former head sailing coach, leaves the federal courthouse in Boston after being sentenced for his role in the nationwide college admissions cheating scandal on Wednesday. Photo: Reuters", "On Wednesday, the Stanford sailing coach who pleaded guilty and was fired for his role in the massive, nationwide college admissions cheating scandal will become the first of the 50 counselors, coaches and parents charged in the scheme to be sentenced.\n\nAnd with the country captivated by a case that has left many seething at how Hollywood celebrities and Silicon Valley executives allegedly bribed their kids into elite colleges, the burning question will be whether John Vandemoer gets sentenced to prison or, as his lawyer argues, just probation.\n\nA former federal prosecutor who has closely followed the case said it’s hard to imagine that the former coach will get no prison time for his involvement in the scandal that involved bribes to athletic coaches and test administrators masterminded by a California college admissions consultant to secure enrollment to USC, Georgetown, Yale and other selective schools.\n\n“The judge in this case wants to send a powerful message to would-be cheaters — you’re going to pay the piper,” said Manny Medrano, a former federal prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Los Angeles who specializes in white collar criminal defense.\n\n“I firmly believe he’s going to federal prison. If the judge grants probation to this defendant, the judge is setting the wrong example and tone for the rest of the case.”\n\nVandemoer pleaded guilty on March 12 to conspiracy to commit racketeering, the day federal prosecutors announced the Operation Varsity Blues case, along with the scheme’s mastermind, William “Rick” Singer, who is not scheduled to be sentenced until September. Medrano said the order in which defendants are sentenced largely reflects their attorneys’ schedules. Among those charged were 33 parents, including Hollywood actresses Felicity Huffman, who pleaded guilty, and Lori Loughlin, who is contesting the charges.\n\nProsecutors in Boston, where the case was filed, in a sentencing memorandum recommend that Vandemoer be sentenced to 13 months in prison and a year of supervised release for his role in the conspiracy. They noted that is less than the 18 months and year of supervised release Vandemoer could have faced under his plea agreement and well short of the 37 to 46 months they say he could face under sentencing guidelines.\n\n“Over the course of approximately two years, the defendant — the former head sailing coach\n\n at Stanford University — participated in a sweeping bribery, fraud and money laundering scheme\n\n that helped secure the admission of students to elite universities over other, more qualified applicants,” prosecutors wrote. “His actions not only deceived and defrauded the university that employed him, but also validated a national cynicism over college admissions by helping wealthy and unscrupulous applicants enjoy an unjust advantage over those who either lack deep pockets or are simply unwilling to cheat to get ahead.”\n\nBut Vandemoer’s lawyer, Robert Fisher, argues in a sentencing memorandum that the former coach should receive no prison time and only a probationary sentence. He notes that unlike other coaches caught up in the caper, Vandemoer did not personally receive payment as part of the scheme or secure a student’s fraudulent admission.\n\nVandemoer steered a total of $770,000 from Singer to Stanford’s sailing program, for which he agreed to recommend enrollment for students with little or no boating experience as recruits to his team.\n\nThat included payments of $110,000 and $160,000 on behalf of two students who chose to enroll at other universities before Vandemoer could recommend them as recruits. It also included $500,000 associated with a third student, the daughter of a wealthy Chinese family who reportedly paid Singer $6.5 million to secure her admission to Stanford.\n\nVandemoer didn’t recommend that student for enrollment as a sailing recruit due to the timing of her application. But she was admitted anyway based in part on an application Singer prepared that included fraudulent sailing credentials. She has since been expelled.\n\n“Mr. Vandemoer failed in one instance to live up to the high expectations he sets for himself,” Fisher wrote in a memorandum to the court. “He fully accepts responsibility for his mistake. Mr. Vandemoer is determined to make amends for this mistake, move on with his life, and continue to provide for his family.”\n\nMore than two dozen people — his wife, assistant coach, and former sailors and their parents — wrote letters on Vandemoer’s behalf urging leniency.\n\nHis wife, Molly, wrote that she wasn’t angry with her husband of 11 years over the crime that has upended their lives and those of their two children, ages 3 and 1.\n\n“I know he made a mistake,” Molly Vandemoer wrote. “I know it is extremely costly to his livelihood, to our family, etc. But I know he will never do something like this again. I know he will continue to be an upstanding member of society, and I know he will always be the loving, patient, and hard working man I met 13 years ago.”\n\nHis assistant and now interim coach, Clinton Hayes, wrote that Vandemoer “truly cared that every one of\n\n our student athletes left Stanford a better person and productive member of society.” Former sailor Samantha Steele, who graduated in 2016, wrote that “integrity always mattered to John.”\n\nProsecutors, however, wrote that they already took those factors into account in recommending Vandemoer serve 13 months in prison and bristled at the suggestion that he didn’t benefit from involvement in the scheme and urged a “meaningful term of incarceration.”\n\n“He funneled the criminal proceeds to accounts he controlled for the university sailing program,” prosecutors wrote. “He secretly sold recruitment slots in exchange for payments that were used to benefit the sailing program he ran, and so enhanced his own career prospects.”\n\nStanford, in a “victim impact statement” submitted to the court, took no position regarding any particular sentence but said Vandemoer’s actions “undermined public confidence in the college admissions system and reflected negatively on Stanford and its hard-working, honest student athletes.”\n\nThe university said in an updated statement that it is “working to review, and strengthen wherever necessary, its policies and processes” and is “committed to learning from this deeply unfortunate episode and ensuring the integrity of our programs going forward.”\n\nStanford said in the impact statement that the university “does not wish to benefit in any way from Mr. Vandemoer’s conduct” and is in discussions with the California attorney general about “an appropriate way for those funds to be used for the public good.”\n\nFormer prosecutor Medrano said that with so many of the accused fighting the charges, there is pressure on the court not to signal that they have little to lose by handing down a light sentence. Of the 50 charged, 21 have pleaded or agreed to plead guilty.\n\n“The judge has to set an example for other defendants in this case,” Medrano said. “If he gives a light sentence to someone who pleaded guilty, others will fight this because at the end of the day, they know it’ll be a light sentence.”", "Operation Varsity Blues received its first prison sentence today, and it was...not a big one. A judge sentenced John Vandemoer, ex-coach of Stanford University’s sailing team, to one single day in jail for taking bribe money from Rick Singer, the infamous college admissions scandal’s (alleged) ringleader.\n\nAccording to CNN, Vandemoer pleaded guilty in March to conspiracy to commit racketeering charges, having accepted $110,000 and $160,000 from Singer to falsely designate several Stanford applicants as sailing recruits. Massachusetts Judge Rya Zobel said Vandemoer, who was fired from Stanford shortly after the scandal news broke, “is probably the least culpable” of the 50 people charged, since he used Singer’s money to purchase equipment for the sailing team instead of keeping it for himself.\n\nStill, Assistant US Attorney Eric Rosen recommended he be sentenced to 13 months behind bars:\n\n“His actions not only deceived and defrauded the university that employed him, but also validated a national cynicism over college admissions by helping wealthy and unscrupulous applicants enjoy an unjust advantage over those who either lack deep pockets or are simply unwilling to cheat to get ahead,” Rosen wrote in a sentencing memorandum filed on June 7.\n\nIt is true that Vandemoer’s actions were less egregious than those of, say, two parents who *allegedly* paid $500,000 to cheat their daughters’ way into the University of Southern California (and won’t own up to it). Zobel also fined him $10,000 and sentenced him to six months house arrest and two years probation, so it’s not like he’s off totally scot-free.\n\nBut considering that struggling mothers like Kelley Williams-Bolar, who falsified records in hopes of getting their children in better public schools, were sentenced to more jail time than a man who helped rich kids cheat their way into one of the country’s most prestigious universities, it’s clear the system is still skewed in privilege’s favor.", "(BOSTON) — A former head sailing coach at Stanford avoided prison time for agreeing to help students get into the elite university as recruited athletes in exchange for money for his sailing program, a judge ruled Wednesday.\n\nJohn Vandemoer is the first person to be sentenced in the college admissions bribery case that exposed the lengths that some wealthy parents will go to get their children into the nation’s top schools.\n\nU.S. District Court Judge Rya Zobel sentenced him to one day in prison, which he was deemed to have served. He will pay a $10,000 fine and serve two years of supervised release, including six months of home confinement with electronic monitoring.\n\nZobel said she believed it was important that Vandemoer be punished because “it’s too easy to do this kind of thing.” But she said she didn’t believe he needed to serve time behind bars, noting the powerful letters of support he received and calling him probably the “least culpable” of those charged in the case because he didn’t take any of the money for himself.\n\nAssistant U.S. Attorney Eric Rosen told the judge that a prison sentence was necessary to send a message to other defendants charged in the case and other people considering on cheating the college admissions system, which he said is “crying out for reform.”\n\n“If we fail to take these crimes seriously, if you give just a slap on the wrist instead of real punishment. … We are short changing not only the criminal justice system, but all those kids in high school who are working hard every day in an effort to improve their own lives and to get into the best school they can honestly and through hard work,” Rosen said.\n\nProsecutors had sought more than a year behind bars. Vandemoer pleaded guilty in March on the same day that charges were announced in the so-called “Operation Varsity Blues” case against 50 people, including business executives and Hollywood actresses.\n\nVandemoer stood to address the judge and apologized to his family, friends, the sailing team and Stanford. “I am devastated that the program and the sport would be looked at poorly because of my actions,” he said.\n\nHis lawyers had urged the judge to keep him out of prison, noting the coach quickly accepted responsibility for his actions and didn’t pocket any of the money for himself. They say Vandemoer was seeking only to “help the sailing program he loved.”\n\nThe admissions consultant at the center of the scheme, Rick Singer, tried to get a student from China into Stanford through Vandemoer’s sailing program in 2016, authorities say. It was too late to secure a spot for the student as a recruit, but the student got in through the normal process.\n\nAfter the student was admitted, Singer gave $500,000 to Vandemoer’s program to secure his help for future applicants, prosecutors say. Stanford has since been expelled that student.\n\nVandemoer also got $110,000 for the sailing program from Singer last year in exchange for labeling a prospective student as a recruit, prosecutors say. The student ended up going to another school.\n\nHe later agreed to help another student get in as a recruit in exchange for $500,000, prosecutors say. The student also went to another school, but Singer — who was cooperating with authorities by this point — sent $160,000 to the sailing program anyway.\n\nDebra Zumwalt, Stanford vice president and general counsel, said in a letter filed in court that it views the $770,000 it received from Singer’s sham foundation as “tainted” and is trying to determine “an appropriate way for those funds to be used for the public good.”\n\nSeveral other coaches have also admitted to charges in the case, including Yale women’s soccer coach Rudy Meredith, who is scheduled to be sentenced next week. Other coaches, such as former Georgetown University soccer coach Gordon Ernst, have pleaded not guilty.\n\nWealthy parents charged include actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin as well as Loughlin’s fashion designer husband, Mossimo Giannulli.\n\nHuffman is among 14 parents who have agreed to plead guilty. The “Desperate Housewives” star has apologized for paying $15,000 to have someone rig her daughter’s SAT score and is scheduled to be sentenced in September.\n\nLoughlin and Giannulli, who are charged with paying $500,000 to get their daughters into the University of Southern California as crew recruits, are fighting the charges. They haven’t publicly commented on the allegations"], "summary": "Former Stanford University sailing coach John Vandemoer is sentenced to two-years probation, with the first six months to be served under house arrest. Vandemoer is the first person to be sentenced among the 50 individuals indicted on federal charges related to the U.S. college admissions bribery scheme."}
{"document": ["Marcos Pin, AFP | People celebrate after the Ecuador's Constitutional Court approved equal civil marriage, in Guayaquil, Ecuador on June 12, 2019.\n\nEcuador's highest court has authorised same-sex marriage in a landmark case seeking to expand LGBT rights in the small South American nation.\n\nAdvertising Read more\n\nThe Constitutional Court said same-sex marriage had been approved in a five-to-four vote of its nine judges in a closed hearing.\n\nEcuador, where the church is very influential, thus joins Argentina, Brazil and Colombia in recognising same-sex marriage.\n\n\"It means that Ecuador is more egalitarian. It is more just than yesterday, that it recognizes that human rights must be for all people without discrimination,\" said lawyer Christian Paula of the Patka Foundation, which provides legal advice for around 10 same-sex couples seeking to marry in the country.\n\nThe four dissenting judges argued that in order to recognise same-sex marriage, constitutional reform would have to be debated in the National Assembly.\n\nGustavo Medina, a former Supreme Court president, told AFP that Ecuadoran authorities were obliged to abide by decisions of the Constitutional Court, which were \"binding and mandatory.\"\n\nEcuador has recognised de-facto civil unions for same-sex couples since 2015.\n\nThe Constitutional Court approved same-sex marriage as it ruled on lawsuits by two pairs of men who wanted to wed.\n\nThe men in one of those couples are named Efrain Soria and Javier Benalcazar.\n\n\"I want to say hello to Javier, who is in Guayaquil. Honey, I love you,\" Soria told reporters in the capital Quito.\n\nHe urged other gays to stop hiding and \"enjoy the happiness that comes from being equal, like anyone else.\"\n\nEcuador's current constitution, ratified in 2008, defines marriage as the union between a man and a woman. It also bars same-sex couples from adopting children.\n\nThe Constitutional Court judges that approved same-sex marriage said they based their decision on the idea that all people are equal. They also said they sought to counter any kind of discrimination.\n\n(AFP)", "Ecuador's highest court approved same-sex marriage Wednesday — a huge milestone for the LGBTQ community in the traditionally Catholic and conservative country.\n\nJudges on Quito's constitutional court ruled five to four to give same-sex couples equal rights, following several lengthy lawsuits by same-sex couples and activists. The four dissenting judges argued that changes to the constitution should be debated in parliament.\n\nEcuador joins only a handful of Latin American nations — Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, Columbia and Uruguay — that have legalized same-sex marriage. The decision comes during the annual World Pride Month, which coincides this year with the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising, the beginning of the gay rights movement.\n\nPlaintiff Efraín Soria told The Associated Press that he would immediately begin planning a wedding with his partner, Xavier Benalcázar. The couple has been together for 12 years and in a civil union since 2012.\n\nWhile same-sex civil unions have been legal in Ecuador for several years, those couples did not receive the same legal rights and benefits as married couples. The AP reports the court ruling instructs congress to pass legislation ensuring equal treatment for all under the country's marriage law.\n\nCelebrations erupted across the country after the landmark ruling. The decision is \"a joy for our entire community and Ecuador,\" Soria, who is also president of the Ecuadorian Equality Foundation, an LGBTQ rights group, told The AP.\n\nJust a day earlier, Botswana decriminalized gay sex in a landmark case for Africa. In May, Taiwan's legislature passed a law allowing same-sex marriage, a first for Asia.\n\nAccording to the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association's 2019 roundup, consensual same-sex sex acts are still officially or unofficially criminalized in 70 U.N. member nations. The same report said the death penalty could still be implemented for consensual same-sex sexual acts in at least 10 nations around the world.", "Judges on Quito's constitutional court ruled five-to-four on Wednesday to overhaul the country's laws, arguing that its current marriage legislation was discriminatory and unconstitutional, and that same-sex couples should be allowed equal rights.\n\nThe four dissenting judges said that changes to the Ecuadorean constitution should be decided and approved by the government and not the court.\n\nEcuador's National Assembly will still be required to officially change the laws that define the institution of marriage. Constitutional lawyer Salim Zaidán told CNN, however, that Wednesday's verdict was binding and that same-sex couples would be able to marry as soon as the constitutional court notifies local government offices of their decision. The court has 10 days to do so.\n\nThe National Assembly will then introduce -- and pass -- a bill that will modify the country's current marriage law from its current definition as a union between a man and a woman only.\n\n'The right side of history' A couple celebrates the verdict in Quito on Wednesday evening. The case was brought to the constitutional court by two same-sex couples who had petitioned for the right to marry. On Wednesday, LGBTQ activists and supporters outside the courthouse hailed the celebration as a victory for a movement that has long campaigned for equal marriage rights. Same-sex marriage advocate Pamela Troya, who had been denied a license to marry her partner, Gaby Correa in 2013, told CNN she was \"overwhelmed with emotion,\" after a six-year fight. \"The judges decided to be on the right side of history,\" she said, adding that now the pair will finally be able to get married. Botswana scraps gay sex laws in big victory for LGBTQ rights in Africa Human rights activist Cristhian Paula told CNN that the decision \"recognizes a historic fight for equality in which every citizen has the same rights, with the same name\" and that \"an institution like marriage is no longer used as an excuse to segregate and discriminate.\" Since 2015, Ecuador has legally recognized same-sex unions, with legislation providing that couples are granted the same rights afforded to married couples, with the exception of adoption. Ecuador's LGBTQ movements have marked some victories over the years, notably through a 2008 constitutional protection that prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation. In 2013, conversion therapy was outlawed in rehabilitation institutions and, in 2015, a change to the labor law made it illegal for employers to discriminate against workers on sexual orientation. Still, homophobic attitudes continue to prevail in parts of the country and the region. Only a handful of countries in South America have legalized same-sex marriage, including Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Uruguay, according to the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association", "Ecuador’s highest court on Wednesday approved same-sex marriage in a landmark ruling in the traditionally Catholic and conservative South American country.\n\nLGBT and human rights activists erupted in celebration in Quito and the port city of Guayaquil, waving the rainbow flags that symbolize the gay rights movement.\n\nThe Constitutional Court said same-sex marriage had been approved in a five-to-four vote of its nine judges in a closed-door hearing.\n\nEcuador, where the church is very influential, thus joins Argentina, Brazil and Colombia in recognizing same-sex marriage.\n\n“It means that Ecuador is more egalitarian,” said lawyer Christian Paula of the Patka Foundation, which provides legal advice for around 10 same-sex couples seeking to marry in the country.\n\n“It recognizes that human rights must be for all people without discrimination.”\n\nThe four dissenting judges argued that in order to recognize same-sex marriage, constitutional reform would have to be debated in the National Assembly.\n\nGustavo Medina, a former Supreme Court president, told AFP that Ecuadoran authorities were obliged to abide by decisions of the Constitutional Court, which were “binding and mandatory.”\n\nEcuador has recognized de facto civil unions for same-sex couples since 2015.\n\nThe Constitutional Court approved same-sex marriage as it ruled on lawsuits by two pairs of men who wanted to wed.", "Ecuador's highest court on Wednesday approved same-sex marriage in a landmark ruling in the traditionally Catholic and conservative South American country.\n\nLGBT and human rights activists erupted in celebration in Quito and the port city of Guayaquil, waving the rainbow flags that symbolize the gay rights movement.\n\nThe Constitutional Court said same-sex marriage had been approved in a five-to-four vote of its nine judges in a closed door hearing.\n\nEcuador, where the church is very influential, thus joins Argentina, Brazil and Colombia in recognizing same-sex marriage.\n\n\"It means that Ecuador is more egalitarian,\" said lawyer Christian Paula of the Patka Foundation, which provides legal advice for around 10 same-sex couples seeking to marry in the country.\n\n\"It recognizes that human rights must be for all people without discrimination.\"\n\nThe four dissenting judges argued that in order to recognize same-sex marriage, constitutional reform would have to be debated in the National Assembly.\n\nGustavo Medina, a former Supreme Court president, told AFP that Ecuadoran authorities were obliged to abide by decisions of the Constitutional Court, which were \"binding and mandatory.\"\n\nEcuador has recognized de facto civil unions for same-sex couples since 2015.\n\nThe Constitutional Court approved same-sex marriage as it ruled on lawsuits by two pairs of men who wanted to wed.\n\nThe men in one of those couples are named Efrain Soria and Javier Benalcazar.\n\n\"I want to say hello to Javier, who is in Guayaquil. Honey, I love you,\" Soria told reporters in the capital Quito.\n\nHe urged other gays to stop hiding and \"enjoy the happiness that comes from being equal, like anyone else.\"\n\nEcuador's current constitution defines marriage as the union between a man and a woman.\n\nThe charter, ratified in 2008, also bars same-sex couples from adopting children.\n\nBut the judges that approved same-sex marriage said they based their decision on the idea that all people are equal. They also said they sought to counter any kind of discrimination.\n\nIn Foch Plaza in downtown Quito, two women who have been fighting since 2013 for the right to marry staged a symbolic wedding right after the court decision was announced.\n\nPamela Troya and Gabriela Correa sat formally in chairs for the ceremony and when Troya was asked the big question, she said: \"Today, I say yes. A big yes. A giant yes. I want to be your wife.\"\n\nOthers in the crowd shouted in approval, hugged and kissed.\n\nTroya later told reporters the fight for same sex marriage in Ecuador had been long and hard, and at times she thought it was a lost cause.\n\n\"Finally, today is an historic day for Ecuador because it is a little more fair and egalitarian,\" she said.", "Ecuador's highest court on Wednesday approved same-sex marriage in a landmark ruling in the traditionally Catholic and conservative South American country.The Constitutional Court said same-sex marriage had been approved in a five-to-four vote of its nine judges in a closed hearing. Ecuador, where the church is very influential, thus joins Argentina, Brazil and Colombia in recognizing same-sex marriage. \"It means that Ecuador is more egalitarian. It is more just than yesterday, that it recognizes that human rights must be for all people without discrimination,\" said lawyer Christian Paula of the Patka Foundation, which provides legal advice for around 10 same-sex couples seeking to marry in the country.\n\nThe four dissenting judges argued that in order to recognize same-sex marriage, constitutional reform would have to be debated in the National Assembly. Gustavo Medina, a former Supreme Court president, told AFP that Ecuadoran authorities were obliged to abide by decisions of the Constitutional Court, which were \"binding and mandatory.\" Ecuador has recognized de-facto civil unions for same-sex couples since 2015. The Constitutional Court approved same-sex marriage as it ruled on lawsuits by two pairs of men who wanted to wed. The men in one of those couples are named Efrain Soria and Javier Benalcazar.\n\n\"I want to say hello to Javier, who is in Guayaquil. Honey, I love you,\" Soria told reporters in the capital Quito. He urged other gays to stop hiding and \"enjoy the happiness that comes from being equal, like anyone else.\" Ecuador's current constitution, ratified in 2008, defines marriage as the union between a man and a woman. It also bars same-sex couples from adopting children. The Constitutional Court judges that approved same-sex marriage said they based their decision on the idea that all people are equal. They also said they sought to counter any kind of discrimination.\n\nRegister to advertise your products & services on our classifieds website Digger.co.ke and enjoy one month subscription free of charge and 3 free ads on the Standard newspaper.", "Ecuador has become the fifth South American country to legalise same-sex marriage.\n\nThe country’s highest court authorised same-sex marriage on Wednesday in a landmark case seeking to expand LGBT rights in the small nation.\n\nEfrain Soria, President of LGBT rights group the Ecuadorian Equality Foundation, described the ruling as ‘a joy for our entire community and Ecuador’.\n\nEcuador – nestled below Colombia and above Peru – has now become the fifth Latin American country to legalise same-sex marriage, joining Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, Colombia and Uruguay.\n\nThe Constitutional Court made the decision with a five to four ruling, following a lengthy legal battle put forward by several couples and gay rights advocates.\n\nSoria is one of the activists to put the case to the courts and said he would immediately begin planning a wedding with his partner, Xavier Benalcazar, who he met years ago and has been in a civil union with since 2012.\n\nAlthough same-sex unions have been legal in Ecuador for 10 years, those in a civil partnership have fewer rights than marriage couples in relation to inheritance and estate laws.\n\nIn the ruling, the court has instructed congress to pass the legislation making sure that equal treatment is available for all couples under the country’s current marriage law.\n\nA decision by the Inter-American Court on Human Rights affirming that countries should allow same-sex couples the right to marry paved the way for the case.", "Ecuador, where the church is very influential, thus joins Argentina, Brazil and Colombia in recognizing same-sex marriage.\n\n“It means that Ecuador is more egalitarian. It is more just than yesterday, that it recognizes that human rights must be for all people without discrimination,” said lawyer Christian Paula of the Patka Foundation, which provides legal advice for around 10 same-sex couples seeking to marry in the country.\n\nThe four dissenting judges argued that in order to recognize same-sex marriage, constitutional reform would have to be debated in the National Assembly.\n\nGustavo Medina, a former Supreme Court president, told AFP that Ecuadoran authorities were obliged to abide by decisions of the Constitutional Court, which were “binding and mandatory.”\n\nEcuador has recognized de-facto civil unions for same-sex couples since 2015.\n\nThe Constitutional Court approved same-sex marriage as it ruled on lawsuits by two pairs of men who wanted to wed.\n\nThe men in one of those couples are named Efrain Soria and Javier Benalcazar.\n\n“I want to say hello to Javier, who is in Guayaquil. Honey, I love you,” Soria told reporters in the capital Quito.\n\nHe urged other gays to stop hiding and “enjoy the happiness that comes from being equal, like anyone else.”\n\nEcuador’s current constitution, ratified in 2008, defines marriage as the union between a man and a woman. It also bars same-sex couples from adopting children.\n\nThe Constitutional Court judges that approved same-sex marriage said they based their decision on the idea that all people are equal. They also said they sought to counter any kind of discrimination.", "[BBC] Ecuador’s highest court has approved same-sex marriage in a landmark ruling in the traditionally Catholic country.\n\nThe vote at the nine-member Constitutional Court came as they ruled on the lawsuits by two same-sex couples who wanted to get married.\n\nFive voted in favour, arguing all people were equal. Four said the issue had to be debated in parliament.\n\nIn Latin America, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Uruguay have already legalised same-sex marriage.\n\nThe ruling in Ecuador follows a decision by the Inter-American Court on Human Rights which said countries should give same-sex couples the right to marry and comes as other countries in the region debate changing their laws.", "Ecuador’s highest court on Wednesday approved same-sex marriage in a landmark ruling in the traditionally Catholic and conservative South American country.\n\nLGBT and human rights activists erupted in celebration in Quito and the port city of Guayaquil, waving the rainbow flags that symbolize the gay rights movement.\n\nThe Constitutional Court said same-sex marriage had been approved in a five-to-four vote of its nine judges in a closed-door hearing.\n\nEcuador, where the church is very influential, thus joins Argentina, Brazil and Colombia in recognizing same-sex marriage.\n\n“It means that Ecuador is more egalitarian,” said lawyer Christian Paula of the Patka Foundation, which provides legal advice for around 10 same-sex couples seeking to marry in the country.\n\n“It recognizes that human rights must be for all people without discrimination.”\n\nThe four dissenting judges argued that in order to recognize same-sex marriage, constitutional reform would have to be debated in the National Assembly.\n\nThe country’s current constitution defines marriage as the union between a man and a woman. The charter, ratified in 2008, also bars same-sex couples from adopting children.\n\nBut the judges that approved same-sex marriage said they based their decision on the idea that all people are equal. They also said they sought to counter any kind of discrimination.\n\nIn Foch Plaza in downtown Quito, two women who have been fighting since 2013 for the right to marry staged a symbolic wedding right after the court decision was announced.\n\nPamela Troya and Gabriela Correa sat formally in chairs for the ceremony and when Troya was asked the big question, she said: “Today, I say yes. A big yes. A giant yes. I want to be your wife.”\n\nOthers in the crowd shouted in approval, hugged and kissed."], "summary": "The Supreme Court of Ecuador legalizes same-sex marriage."}
{"document": ["“When you elect women that are here to make a difference, that’s what they do and that’s what they did. I want to be clear: the freshmen women in the house, they really did move this bill,” Bush said. “Without their help, without their commitment, without them saying, ‘not on our watch … we ran when a president ran and told us it was OK to grab our body parts. And we’re saying no more.’ So I just want to thank them so much.”", "Gov. J.B. Pritzker is scheduled to sign into law Wednesday morning sweeping new abortion rights legislation, establishing the procedure as a “fundamental right” for women in Illinois.\n\nIllinois lawmakers approved the legislation amid an increased sense of urgency among advocates looking to protect abortion access as a series of states recently passed laws essentially banning the practice.\n\n“I believe, frankly, there’s a war against women’s rights going on,” Sen. Melinda Bush, the Grayslake Democrat who sponsored the bill in the Senate, said at the time.\n\nThe bill establishes the “fundamental right” of a woman to have an abortion and states that a “fertilized egg, embryo or fetus does not have independent rights.” It repeals the Illinois Abortion Law of 1975, doing away with provisions for spousal consent, waiting periods, criminal penalties for physicians who perform abortions and other restrictions on facilities where abortions are performed.\n\nState lawmakers approved the measure on their last scheduled day of the General Assembly’s spring session, before heading into legislative overtime to handle other high profile bills such as casino gambling expansion and a $45 billion capital projects package.\n\nPritzker is scheduled to sign it at the Chicago Cultural Center in Chicago.\n\nThis is a developing story. Check back for updates.\n\nIllinois abortion law: How did your legislators vote? »\n\nHow Illinois' new law compares with what other states are doing »", "Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker has signed a bill that makes abortion a “fundamental right” for women in Illinois.\n\n“In a time when too many states across the nation are taking a step backward, Illinois is taking a giant step forward for women’s health,” Pritzker said on Wednesday at the Chicago Cultural Center before signing the bill. “Today, we proudly proclaim that in this state, we trust women.”\n\nChicagotribune.com reports: Entitled the Reproductive Health Act, the law repeals the Illinois Abortion Law of 1975. It eliminates felony penalties for doctors that perform abortions, removes waiting periods and removes the requirement that a married woman get consent from her husband.\n\nThe bill establishes the “fundamental right” of a woman to have an abortion and states that a “fertilized egg, embryo or fetus does not have independent rights.” The law also requires that the cost of an abortion be treated like any other medical procedure for insurance purposes.\n\nIllinois lawmakers approved the legislation in the recently ended spring session amid an increased sense of urgency among advocates looking to protect abortion access as a series of states recently passed laws essentially banning the practice.\n\nPritzker has said the law makes the state the most progressive in the nation for reproductive health care.\n\n“I promised that Illinois would become a national leader in protecting reproductive rights,” Pritzker said. “Illinois is demonstrating what it means to affirm the rights of individuals to make the most personal and fundamental decisions of their lives no matter their income level, no matter their race, ethnicity or religion. … This law puts the decision making where it belongs — in the hands of women and their doctors.”\n\nPritzker’s news conference was marked by whoops, cheers and hugs, but a much more somber mood prevailed on the ground floor of the cultural center, where abortion opponents gathered to issue their response.\n\n“We’re already the bankruptcy capital and the corruption capital, now we add abortion to that list,” said Peter Breen, a former state representative who is now vice president of the Thomas More Society, a religious advocacy nonprofit group.\n\nBreen called the law “a new death penalty,” and said it removes necessary regulations and licensing requirements and eliminates the rights of unborn children.\n\n“We in Illinois have a history, including in recent years, of filthy, dirty abortion clinics being shut down based on inspections done by the state of Illinois,” Breen said. “As of today, the statutory sections that supported those shutdowns have been wiped off the books … parental notice has now been put at risk. We are looking forward to trying to defend that in court.”\n\nAcross the country, states have been passing laws that limit the use of private and public insurance to pay for abortion and instituting long wait periods to discourage women from getting the procedure. Six states have only one abortion clinic, so it requires women to travel long distances if they want to terminate a pregnancy.\n\nAmong the states limiting access to abortion is Missouri, making the state’s border with Illinois a front line in the national abortion rights battle. It took court action to keep the state’s one operating abortion clinic in St. Louis open.\n\nMary Kate Knorr, spokeswoman for Illinois Right to Life Action, called the Illinois law an extreme action and said “we anticipate that the daily rate of abortions in Illinois will increase.\n\n“We also anticipate that the rate of injury to women as the result of negligent clinics will increase. We suspect more clinics will open and more dollars will be made by the abortion industry which capitalizes on our loose laws.”\n\nA number of the measures in the current Illinois abortion law are not enforced because of court injunctions. But proponents argued that several court cases that are in the pipeline to the Supreme Court could provide a path to overturning the landmark 46-year-old Roe v. Wade case, which legalized abortion nationwide.\n\nPritzker said the bill he signed Wednesday is a preventive measure that “ensures that women’s rights do not hinge on the fate of Roe v. Wade, or the whims of an increasingly conservative supreme court in Washington.”\n\nState Rep. Kelly M. Cassidy, a Chicago Democrat, was a sponsor of the bill and among those who spoke at Wednesday’s signing.\n\n“There is a war against women, a war against bodily autonomy,” Cassidy said “Our opponents are using hateful, untrue and outright misogynistic rhetoric which escalates daily and endangers women everywhere.\n\n“We are building a firewall around Illinois to protect access,” she said.\n\nCassidy introduced Sen. Melinda Bush, a Democrat from Grayslake, who was a sponsor of the bill in that chamber, as “my sister in badassery.”\n\n“When you elect women that are here to make a difference, that’s what they do and that’s what they did. I want to be clear: the freshmen women in the house, they really did move this bill,” Bush said. “Without their help, without their commitment, without them saying, ‘not on our watch … we ran when a president ran and told us it was OK to grab our body parts. And we’re saying no more.’ So I just want to thank them so much.”\n\nAt a news conference held by opponents of the bill, both Knorr and Breen stood surrounded by supporters who carried signs, some with babies and young children.\n\nEmily Kelly, a neonatal ICU nurse at a Chicago hospital, said too many women don’t know how early an unborn fetus can survive outside of its mother’s womb.\n\n“I, myself, was born at 32 weeks gestation, about two months before my projected due date. I was on a ventilator for numerous days, I couldn’t breastfeed due to my lungs being underdeveloped,” she said. “My parents fought for my life. The doctors and nurses that care for me fought for my life. And in my own way, I fought for my life.\n\n“I’m a woman against abortion. That does not make me a woman against women. On the contrary, it makes me a woman who cares for women,” she said. “I tell them the truth about what’s growing inside them. This growing fetus is a baby, a living member of our human family.”\n\nIllinois has more abortion clinics based on population than most of its Midwest neighbors. Jennifer Welch, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Illinois, called the new law “an important step to remove the stigma around a simple medical procedure that one in four women in the United States will have in their lifetime.”", "The governor of the US state of Illinois on Wednesday enacted a law establishing a “fundamental right” to abortion and removing old laws that criminalized the procedure.\n\nThe Illinois law was passed in response to a wave of bans and restrictions approved in other states, and Governor JB Pritzker hailed it as “a beacon of hope in the heart of this nation.”\n\nThe law repeals criminal penalties on abortion providers, codifying what had already been de facto law through court rulings.\n\nThe measure also requires private health insurance companies in the state to cover abortion procedures.\n\n“We are building a firewall around Illinois to protect reproductive access for everyone,” state representative Kelly Cassidy, one of the law’s chief sponsors said.\n\nPritzker, a Democrat, said the added legal protections are necessary in the event that the US Supreme Court rules in the future to impose new abortion limits.\n\n“Those opposed to women’s reproductive rights are emboldened,” the governor said, “And their hopeful eyes are on the highest court in the land.”\n\nIt comes as more conservative US states have enacted restrictions on abortion as part of a strategy to push the issue to the Supreme Court.\n\nThe top court upheld women’s right to abortion in its landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, but anti-abortion forces hope to overturn it now that the court’s conservative majority has been strengthened with the addition of two justices appointed by President Donald Trump.\n\nAlabama approved a near complete abortion ban in May, and six other states have tightened abortion access in recent months, making the procedure illegal when fetal heartbeat is detected — usually around the six-week mark, when many women are not aware they are pregnant.\n\nPritzker said Illinois would be willing to accept “refugees from other states” where women might be denied abortion access.\n\nIn neighboring Missouri, for example, the fate of the last remaining abortion clinic is in the hands of a judge who is considering whether to allow it to continue operating.", "Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed sweeping abortion protections into law on Wednesday, establishing women’s access to the procedure as a “fundamental right” and putting Illinois at odds with Republican-led states that have been embracing steep abortion restrictions.", "Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signs the Reproductive Health Act into law with bill sponsors Illinois State Senator Melinda Bush, left, and Illinois State Rep. Kelly Cassidy, right, at the Chicago Cultural Center on Wednesday, June 12, 2019. The law establishes \"the fundamental right\" of a pregnant woman to have an abortion and states that \"a fertilized egg, embryo, or fetus does not have independent rights.\" (Jose M. Osorio/Chicago Tribune via AP)\n\nCHICAGO (AP) — Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed sweeping protections for abortion on Wednesday in a new law that establishes access to the procedure as a \"fundamental right\" for women.\n\nThe move in the state where Democrats control the House, Senate and governor's office comes as several Republican-majority states have taken up steep restrictions or bans on abortion.\n\n\"In a time when too many states across the nation are taking a step backward, Illinois is taking a giant step forward for women's health,\" Pritzker said at the bill signing in Chicago, surrounded by abortion-rights advocates from Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois. \"In this state, we trust women.\"\n\nThe new law voids decades-old abortion regulations on the books that had never taken effect because of court orders. For instance, it lifts restrictions on late-term abortions and ends criminal penalties for doctors who perform abortions. It also requires insurance coverage for abortions, contraception and related medical care.\n\nSupporters argued the plan simply puts existing practice into law — something they say has become more urgent as prohibitions on abortion in other states could lead to overturning the U.S. Supreme Court's 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized the procedure nationwide. Abortion-rights supporters in Illinois said they planned to continue pushing for expanded access, including attempting to remove a parental notification requirement. Vermont and Maine have recently approved abortion protections.\n\nRepublicans strongly objected to the Illinois measure, calling it an \"extreme expansion.\" Their concerns included an increase in late-term abortions.\n\n\"Illinois is now one of the most radical states for abortion access,\" state Rep. Avery Bourne, a Raymond Republican, said in a statement Wednesday.\n\nThe Thomas More Society, a Christian advocacy group based in Chicago, said the law will make Illinois an \"abortion destination for the country.\" The group said it will fight any efforts to outlaw parental notification.\n\nMore than half a dozen states have adopted steep restrictions on abortion, including a near-total ban signed into law in Alabama last month.\n\nLouisiana, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi and Ohio have enacted laws prohibiting abortion once there's a detectable fetal heartbeat, which could be as early as the sixth week of pregnancy. Missouri passed an eight-week ban, with few exceptions.\n\nNone of the bans has taken effect, and all are expected to face legal challenges", "Gov. J.B. Pritzker has signed a bill to expand abortion protections in Illinois, a move that comes while some Republican-led states try to restrict the procedure.\n\nThe law establishes abortion as a \"fundamental right\" for women. Pritzker, a Democrat, signed the bill Wednesday, surrounded by advocates. He says Illinois is taking a \"giant step forward\" while other states are taking a step backward.\n\nThe measure rescinds decades-old regulations on abortion that had been suspended by judges. It also requires insurance coverage for abortions, contraception and related medical care.\n\nSupporters say the legislation would put existing practice into law. Republicans strongly objected.\n\nAt least six states have adopted steep restrictions or bans on abortion.", "CHICAGO (WLS) -- Governor JB Pritzker signed the Reproductive Health Act into law Wednesday morning, officially expanding abortion rights in Illinois.With much fanfare, Gov. Pritzker brought his wife MK as he signed what is being called the most progressive abortion protection bill in the country.\"Today, we proudly claim in this state, we trust women,\" Gov. Pritzker said.Illinois' Reproductive Health Act establishes the fundamental right of a woman to have an abortion. It repeals a 1975 state law that placed restrictions such as waiting periods and criminal penalties for doctors who perform abortions. However, many of those provisions were never enforced because of court injunctions. But, with recent abortion bans in other states and threat of federal one, lawmakers wanted to make sure abortion remained a choice in Illinois.While pro-life advocates call the legislation extreme, Gov. Pritzker said it makes sure abortion remains an option in Illinois during a time when many starts are banning it.\"The Reproductive Health Act ensures that women's rights in Illinois do not hinge on the fate of Roe V. Wade or the whims of an increasingly conservative Supreme Court,\" Gov. Pritzker said.\"As the pro-life people in Illinois, we will not be silent, we will move forward,\" said Mary Kate Knorr, executive director at Illinois Right to Life Action.Pro-life advocates call the new law extreme and barbaric.\"What happened today was the legalized killing of viable preemie babies in utero,\" said Peter Breen, of the Thomas More Society.Because the new law wipes out certain restrictions, pro-life advocates frame that act as a late-term abortion bill, which co-sponsor State Rep. Kelly Cassidy (D-Chicago) said is not true.'We have a viability standard in the law, and federal law with regard to abortion late in pregnancy reigns supreme, so there is nothing in the law that would make that scenario possible,\" State Rep. Cassidy said.For State Rep. Cassidy, the bill signing is personal. Before becoming a mother of three, Cassidy had an abortion which she said saved her life and her fertility.Pro-choice advocates said their next fight is repealing Illinois' parental notice law.", "- Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed sweeping abortion protections into law on Wednesday, establishing women's access to the procedure as a \"fundamental right\" and putting Illinois at odds with Republican-led states that have been embracing steep abortion restrictions.\n\nThe new Illinois law voids decades-old abortion regulations that were on the books but had never taken effect because of court orders, including restrictions on late-term abortions and criminal penalties for doctors who perform abortions. It also requires insurance coverage for abortions, contraception and related medical care.\n\n\"In a time when too many states across the nation are taking a step backward, Illinois is taking a giant step forward for women's health. In this state, we trust women,\" the Democratic governor said at a bill signing ceremony in Chicago. He was surrounded by abortion-rights advocates from Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union of Illinois.\n\nSupporters said the plan, which took effect immediately, simply puts existing practice into law, which they argue has become more urgent because of the conservative shift on the U.S. Supreme Court and the prohibitions on abortion in other states that could lead to the overturning of the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, which legalized abortion nationwide. They said they planned to continue pushing for expanded access, including attempting to remove a parental notification requirement. Vermont and Maine have recently approved abortion protections.\n\nRepublicans, who are in the minority in the Illinois Legislature, strongly objected to the measure, calling it an \"extreme expansion.\" Their concerns included an increase in late-term abortions.\n\n\"Illinois is now one of the most radical states for abortion access,\" state Rep. Avery Bourne, a Raymond Republican, said in a statement.\n\nThe Thomas More Society, a Christian advocacy group based in Chicago, said the law will make Illinois an \"abortion destination for the country.\" The group said it will fight any efforts to outlaw parental notification.\n\nMore than half a dozen states have adopted steep restrictions on abortion, including a near-total ban signed into law in Alabama last month.\n\nLouisiana, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi and Ohio have enacted laws prohibiting abortion once there's a detectable fetal heartbeat, which could be as early as the sixth week of pregnancy. Missouri passed an eight-week ban, with few exceptions.\n\nNone of the bans has taken effect and all are expected to face legal challenges.\n\nOverall, the number of abortions performed in the U.S. has declined, with historically low rates reported in 2014. Illinois has mirrored national trends. Approximately 39,000 abortions were performed in the state in 2017, the latest statistics available. A decade earlier, there were more than 45,000, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.", "Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker drew enthusiastic whoops and cheers from the crowd Wednesday at a festive ceremony that saw him sign a bill creating a “fundamental right” to abortion and clearing the way for late-term procedures.\n\nThe Democratic governor was interrupted frequently by hoots and applause as he spoke to the crowd prior to signing the Reproductive Health Act at the Chicago Cultural Center, featuring signs from the ACLU and Planned Parenthood.\n\nHe was surrounded by state legislators as he signed the bill with multiple pens, which were passed around to supporters, and received hugs afterward as the crowd applauded, as shown on live video by ABC7 in Chicago.\n\n“Let the word go forth today from this place, that if you believe in standing up for women’s fundamental rights, Illinois is a beacon of hope in the heart of this nation,” Mr. Pritzker said. “We trust women.”\n\nThe Reproductive Health Act repeals the Illinois Abortion Act of 1975 and the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act, removing criminal penalties for doctors who perform the procedures and allowing abortions at any point during pregnancy to protect “the health of the patient.”\n\nThe measure, Senate Bill 25, also requires insurance coverage for elective abortion and expands coverage for contraception.\n\nThe Illinois bill illustrated the divide between red-state legislatures passing laws to narrow abortion access and blue states seeking to “codify” the Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade decision against the high court’s newly minted 5-4 conservative majority.\n\n“The Reproductive Health Act ensures that women’s rights in Illinois do not hinge on the fate of Roe v. Wade or the whims of an increasingly conservative supreme court in Washington,” Mr. Pritzker said. “In this state, women will always have the right to reproductive health care.”\n\nThe mood was far more somber at a press conference held afterward by Illinois pro-life activists, who said the bill also puts at risk the state’s parental-notice law and state inspections of abortion clinics.\n\n“Under this law, every single one of my patients could be legally killed in utero in our state. What does this say about this law? What does that say our politicians? What does that say about our leaders?” said Emily Kelly, who identified herself as a neo-natal nurse at a large hospital.\n\nMarch for Life tweeted that the Illinois bill was “abortion extremism at its worst,” while other pro-life supporters said the measure went “way beyond Roe.”\n\nJennifer Welch, CEO and president of Planned Parenthood of Illinois, said at the signing ceremony that “we are in the fight of our lives.”\n\n“No other health care is as scrutinized and as stigmatized as abortion,” Ms. Welch said. “The RHA is an important step to remove the stigma surrounding a simple procedure that one in four women will have in their lifetime.”\n\nMr. Pritzker’s public signing celebration came in stark contrast to the approach of Vermont Gov. Phil Scott, a pro-choice Republican who signed a far-reaching abortion law Monday in private, issuing a brief statement afterward.\n\nNew York Gov. Andrew Cuomo drew a backlash in January after signing a “codify Roe” bill accompanied by cheers and applause, after which One World Trade Center was lit up in pink lights.\n\nElected in November, Mr. Pritzker promised to make Illinois the most progressive state on “protecting reproductive rights.”\n\n“With the signing of the Reproductive Health Act, I’m keeping that promise,” he said."], "summary": "Illinois Governor J. B. Pritzker signs abortion rights law making the procedure a \"fundamental right\" for pregnant individuals in the state."}
{"document": ["Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Police use tear gas on protesters\n\nPolice have fired rubber bullets and tear gas in Hong Kong at demonstrators amid anger at a new bill to allow extradition to mainland China.\n\nProtesters blocked key roads around government buildings and threw bricks and projectiles at police.\n\nThey are concerned the new laws could target political opponents of Beijing, and fear human rights abuses in China's legal system.\n\nHong Kong's Chief Executive Carrie Lam condemned the \"organised riots\".\n\n\"The rioting actions that damage peaceful society, ignoring law and discipline is unacceptable for any civilised societies,\" she said in a video statement.\n\nOfficials say 72 people aged between 15 and 66 have been injured so far, with two men in a critical condition.\n\nThe government is still backing the bill and it is expected to pass its final vote on 20 June.\n\nIt has promised legally binding human rights safeguards and other measures it says should alleviate concerns.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The BBC's Gabriel Gatehouse was inside the LegCo building\n\nBut Hong Kong's Legislative Council (LegCo) has now delayed its second reading.\n\nThe rallies against the extradition bill are the biggest since the territory was handed back to China by the British in 1997.\n\nHow have the protests unfolded?\n\nProtests had been largely peaceful ahead of the scheduled debate of the bill - but on Wednesday they escalated as activists tried to storm government buildings.\n\nOne young protester wearing a black mask and gloves told news agency AFP that they would not leave until \"they scrap the law\".\n\nRights groups including Amnesty have accused police of using excessive force, but Police Commissioner Stephen Lo Wai-chung said police had had \"no choice\".\n\nAs night fell, protesters remained in some streets behind makeshift barricades.\n\nImage copyright Reuters\n\nMeanwhile a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman has described reports that security forces from the mainland could be sent to Hong Kong as \"fake news\".\n\nGeng Shuang said such reports were \"rumours to fool people so as to create panic\".\n\nImage copyright Reuters\n\nPolice said they were also investigating death threats made against Ms Lam.\n\nIn a tearful interview with local TV, Ms Lam dismissed accusations that she had \"sold out\" Hong Kong.\n\n\"I have grown up here with all the Hong Kong people,\" she said. \"My love for this place has led me to make many personal sacrifices.\"\n\nChinese editor decries violence\n\nBy Vincent Ni, BBC News Chinese reporter\n\nThere has been very limited media coverage of events in Hong Kong on the mainland. Search results are either blank or toe the Beijing line.\n\n\"This kind of violent demonstration is not supposed to happen in Hong Kong, a developed society,\" said Global Times Editor Hu Xijin on Twitter, which is blocked in China\n\n\"I don't think Westerners that encourage protests in Hong Kong want the best for the city. They would rather see disturbance there.\"\n\nHowever Chinese citizens are not completely unaware of what is happening across the border.\n\nSome mainlanders were seen protesting in Hong Kong over the weekend, and others have shown their solidarity on the Wechat social media platform.\n\n\"Although this is Hong Kongers' fight, the love for freedom and dignity is universal,\" wrote one user. \"I salute their struggle and effort. I just hope that we are not going to see a bloody crackdown.\"\n\nWhat is in the extradition bill?\n\nIt allows for extradition requests from authorities in mainland China, Taiwan and Macau for suspects accused of serious criminal wrongdoing such as murder and rape. The requests would then be decided on a case-by-case basis.\n\nThe move came after a 19-year-old Hong Kong man allegedly murdered his 20-year-old pregnant girlfriend while they were holidaying in Taiwan together in February last year.\n\nThe man fled to Hong Kong and could not be extradited to Taiwan because the two do not have an extradition treaty.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The BBC's Helier Cheung on why people are taking to the streets in Hong Kong\n\nHong Kong officials have said courts in the territory will have the final say over whether to grant extradition requests, and suspects accused of political and religious crimes will not be extradited.\n\nThe government has also promised to only hand over fugitives for offences carrying a maximum sentence of at least seven years.\n\nHong Kong has entered into extradition agreements with 20 countries, including the UK and the US.\n\nChina has expressed \"firm support\" for the bill but many Western nations have criticised it.\n\nHow widespread is the opposition?\n\nA wide range of groups have spoken out against extradition to China, and hundreds of petitions are in circulation.\n\nMore than 100 businesses have said they will shut to allow their staff to protest and nearly 4,000 teachers said they would strike.\n\nImage copyright Getty Images Image caption The protesters fear human rights abuses in China's legal system\n\nPowerful business lobbies say they fear the plans will damage Hong Kong's competitiveness as a base of operations.\n\nOn Sunday organisers said more than a million people took to the streets demanding the government abandon the amendments, though police estimated turnout was 240,000 at its peak.\n\nIn 2014 tens of thousands protested against restrictions on who they could vote for as chief executive.\n\nImage copyright BBC News\n\nDespite being mostly peaceful, the protests failed to achieve any concessions. Some of the organisers have since been jailed on public nuisance charges.\n\nWhat is Hong Kong's relationship with China?\n\nHong Kong was a British colony from 1841 until sovereignty was returned to China in 1997.\n\nUnder the \"one country, two systems\" principle, Hong Kong has kept its judicial independence, its own legislature, its economic system and the Hong Kong dollar.\n\nImage copyright AFP Image caption Ms Lam has refused to scrap the bill\n\nIts residents were also granted protection of certain human rights and freedoms, including freedom of speech and assembly.\n\nBeijing retains control of foreign and defence affairs, and visas or permits are required for travel between Hong Kong and the mainland.\n\nAre you attending the protests? If it's safe to do so, tell us about your experience by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk\n\nYou can also contact us in the following ways:", "Hong Kong, Jun 12 (ANI): The Legislative Council meeting, during which a debate on the controversial Chinese extradition bill was supposed to be held, has been rescheduled to a \"later time\" by the President of the Legislative Council.\n\nThis comes as swathes of anti-bill protesters have blocked major roads leading to the Legislative Council building, forcing police to use pepper spray to disperse the crowd.\n\n\"Under Rules of Procedure 14(3), the President of the Legislative Council has directed that the Council meeting of June 12 scheduled to begin at 11 am today be changed to a later time to be determined by him. Members will be notified of the time of the meeting later,\" CNN reported while quoting an official statement.\n\nLawmakers were slated to hear a second reading of the bill along with holding a debate on it during the meeting which is now rescheduled. 5,000 police personnel in anti-riot gear have sealed all entrances of the complex, around which the protests are being held.\n\nThe contested bill, which was proposed on April 3, has been defended by the region's pro-Beijing leader, Chief Executive Carrie Lam.\n\n\"This is a very important piece of legislation that will help to uphold justice and also ensure that Hong Kong will fulfil her international obligations in terms of cross-boundary and transnational crimes,\" Lam said previously.\n\nThe protests took a violent turn on Monday as several hundred protesters clashed with police around Hong Kong's parliament.\n\nIgnoring the huge public backlash, Lam said her administration had already made major concessions to ensure that the city's unique freedoms would be protected and that the bill's human rights safeguards met international standards.\n\n\"I and my team have not ignored any views expressed on this very important piece of legislation. We have been listening and listening very attentively,\" she said.\n\nCalls for her resignation have been rampant throughout the protests against the document which was proposed on April 3.\n\nCritics believe that the bill will leave anyone on Hong Kong soil vulnerable to being grabbed by the Chinese authorities for political reasons or inadvertent business offences, according to Al Jazeera.\n\nThey further reasoned that the newly framed extradition plan would dissolve the rights and legal protections, which were guaranteed under the city's handover from British colonial rule to Chinese sovereignty in 1997.\n\nThe vast majority of the protesters is made up of young people of high school or university age. Multiple pro-independence groups, including localist political party Youngspiration, are amongst those protesting today. The party, along with Hong Kong Indigenous, started the protests on Tuesday night.\n\nSeveral appeals have been made for peaceful protests, with the leaders from the Civil Human Rights group urging demonstrators to \"not confront police.\"\n\nThe respective governments of countries like UK, USA, Singapore, Thailand and Taiwan have issued travel advisories to their citizens in the wake of the protests.\n\nMany observers have likened the latest demonstrations to the 2014 mass democracy protests, which have come to be known as the 'Umbrella Movement'. Several protesters can be seen holding umbrellas, much like the 2014 protests when the agitators used them as a tool to protect themselves from tear gas and pepper spray deployed by the police. (ANI)", "Hong Kong police warn they 'will use force' as they fire tear gas at anti-extradition protesters\n\nHong Kong police have fired pepper spray at protesters angry about an extradition bill that would allow people to be sent to mainland China for trial.\n\nTens of thousands of demonstrators, most of them young people dressed in black, had gathered peacefully outside government buildings in the Chinese-ruled city before tempers flared, with claims some threw bottles at officers.", "Anti-riot police in Hong Kong have used pepper spay and tear gas against activists as thousands of people have gathered near the Legislative Council (LegCo) on Wednesday to protest the controversial bill on amendments to the autonomous region's extradition law, local media reported\n\nMOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 12th June, 2019) Anti-riot police in Hong Kong have used pepper spay and tear gas against activists as thousands of people have gathered near the Legislative Council (LegCo) on Wednesday to protest the controversial bill on amendments to the autonomous region's extradition law, local media reported.\n\nThe protesters gathered ahead of the body's meeting on the second reading of the bill, whose adoption will allow regional authorities to extradite suspects to mainland China. The Council's meeting was subsequently rescheduled for a later date.\n\nAfter the police started pepper spraying the protesters, who are using umbrellas to protect themselves from the agent, the demonstrators started charging toward metal barricades, separating them from the police and the LegCo complex, The South China Morning Post newspaper reported.\n\nOne of police officers could be seen holding a banner reading \"Stop charging or we use force,\" the outlet added.\n\nThe protesters, however, continued charging forward, with some of them shouting \"Add oil, Hongkongers\" and started clashing with the police, prompting law enforcement officers to use tear gas, according to the newspaper.\n\nThe anti-riot police have also fired bean bag rounds at the demonstrators, the outlet reported.\n\n\"It's a riot now. We had no choice but to use weapons to stop these rioters from barging at our defence lines. We condemn such irresponsible behaviour. There's no need to hurt innocent people to express your opinions,\" Hong Kong Police chief Stephen Lo said, as quoted by the newspaper.\n\nOn June 9, over 1 million people took to the streets in Hong Kong in another mass rally to protest against the amendment, with the protest becoming the largest rally held in the city since the United Kingdom returned Hong Kong to China in 1997.\n\nThe amendments to Hong Kong's extradition law are set to allow the autonomous territory to give up suspects to countries, with which it does not have extradition agreements. Rights groups have voiced concern that the new law would allow Beijing to secure the extradition of not only fugitive Chinese politicians but also activists who oppose the government's policies.", "Hong Kong police fired pepper spray at protesters near government buildings on Wednesday as tensions ramped up over an extradition bill that would allow people to be sent to mainland China for trial.\n\nTens of thousands of Hong Kong demonstrators surrounded the Chinese-ruled city's legislature earlier in the day, forcing it to postpone a second round of debate on the extradition bill.", "SEATTLE -- About 100 people inside Northgate Mall were exposed to pepper spray and had to be brought outside because of coughing and eye irritation Wednesday morning.\n\nThe Seattle Fire Department responded about 10:30 a.m. to the mall where scores of people were standing outside and complaining about eye irritation and coughing. Police concluded that pepper spray -- or a pepper spray-like substance -- was sprayed around the middle of the mall, but it then spread to a few stores nearby.\n\nNone of the 100 people who exhibited symptoms were taken to a hospital, according to the fire department.\n\nFirefighters worked with the building engineers to make sure the substance was cleared from the mall's HVAC system. It's unclear how the pepper spray incident happened, whether it was malicious or whether police are looking for a suspect.\n\nPeople were allowed back into the mall about an hour after the incident.\n\nFirefighters are telling affected people to flush their eyes with water and see the doctor if the irritation persists."], "summary": "The Legislative Council delays \"to a later time\" the second reading of the new legislation on extradition as thousands of protesters, who blocked key roads around government buildings, were confronted by police in riot gear using pepper spray. Despite widespread opposition, the government had said it will continue to push for passage."}
{"document": ["The Latest on a Russian journalist arrested on drug charges (all times local):\n\nRussia's interior minister says all charges against an investigative journalist arrested on suspicion of drug dealing have been dropped.\n\nMinister Vladimir Kolokoltsev said in a statement on Tuesday that the accusations against Ivan Golunov \"have not been proven.\"\n\nKolokoltsev said Golunov has been released from house arrest and he intends to seek the dismissal of two senior police officials and to investigate others.\n\nGolunov was jailed on Thursday and put under house arrest on Saturday. He denied possessing drugs and the circumstances of his case aroused suspicion among rights activists the journalist had been framed.\n\nThis version corrects that Kolokoltsev said he plans to seek the dismissal of two senior police officials, not three.\n\nThe speaker of the upper house of the Russian parliament has raised concerns about a drug dealing case against a prominent investigative journalist.\n\nValentina Matviyenko, who is Russia's third most senior official after the president and prime minister, on Tuesday described the criminal inquiry into Ivan Golunov as \"a really bad story.\" She said that she spoke to the prosecutor general who promised to take the case under his personal control.\n\nGolunov, who works for the independent website Meduza, was beaten and kept in custody for 12 hours without a lawyer after he was stopped by police in Moscow on Thursday, according to his lawyer. He was transferred to house arrest following a public outpouring of support, but he still faces drug dealing charges.", "MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian police said on Tuesday they were dropping a criminal case against Ivan Golunov, an investigative journalist charged with drug offences, and that he would be freed from house arrest later on Tuesday, the RIA news agency reported.\n\nThe case against Golunov, who was detained last week, has sparked widespread anger among Russian journalists and prominent cultural figures who said he had been crudely framed.", "Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Police in riot gear clashed with protesters in Moscow on Wednesday\n\nHundreds of people have been detained at a Moscow rally demanding punishment for police who detained an anti-corruption journalist.\n\nOfficers in riot gear clashed with protesters during the unauthorised march in support of Ivan Golunov.\n\nAmong those detained at the rally were journalists and Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny.\n\nMr Golunov was freed on Tuesday after drug-dealing charges against him were dropped following a public outcry.\n\nInterior Minister Vladimir Kolokotsev said officers who had taken part in his detention would be suspended during an investigation.\n\nThree major Russian newspapers had earlier rallied round the freelance journalist in a rare public show of support.\n\nWhat happened at the rally?\n\nA monitoring group said more than 400 people were detained, although Russian authorities put the number at closer to 200.\n\nLocal media said more than 2,500 people had taken part in the rally, although authorities said it was less than half that number.\n\nImage copyright Reuters Image caption Opposition leader Alexei Navalny is detained at a rally in support of journalist Ivan Golunov\n\nProtesters waved banners and wore T-shirts with the slogan \"I/We are Ivan Golunov\" and accused police of using criminal behaviour in arresting the reporter.\n\nA number of journalists at the rally were detained, including protest organiser Ilya Azar of Russian newspaper Novaya Gazeta and several others who were reporting on the demonstration.\n\nA member of staff from German magazine Der Spiegel was held as well as journalists from Vedomosti and Echo Moscow Radio.\n\nFootage of the arrests and of the crowds gathered in the centre of the city were shared on social media.\n\nThe march was originally organised to demand Mr Golunov's release but then became a call for those responsible for his initial detention to be held accountable.\n\nThe interior minister admitted that Mr Golunov's guilt had \"not been proven\", and that an internal inquiry had been launched.\n\n\"I believe that the rights of every citizen, regardless of his profession, must be protected,\" he asserted.\n\nMr Navalny tweeted that the government had become very worried by the \"fantastic and unanimous expression of solidarity in the Golunov case\" and was now setting about destroying that solidarity and intimidating and jailing those who persevered.\n\nWhat happened to Ivan Golunov?\n\nMr Golunov, 36, had been working for the Latvia-based independent news website Meduza, among others. The website was established by Russian journalists from Lenta.ru, who formed their own outlet abroad after a takeover by a new pro-Kremlin owner.\n\nHis reporting included coverage of the loan shark business, the earnings of the family of Moscow's deputy mayor, the unusually high cost of public works in the Russian capital, and the alleged censorship of journalists.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Ivan Golunov arrest: Freed Russian journalist is met by crowd\n\nMr Golunov was on his way to meet another journalist in Moscow last week when he was stopped and searched by police officers.\n\nOfficers said they had discovered the drug mephedrone in his bag, and more drugs and weighing scales in a search of his home. Reports said he was beaten during his arrest.\n\nThe journalist's lawyers and press freedom activists said the drugs had been planted in order to silence the investigative journalist. Much of Russia's media is controlled by the state and Russia is ranked 83rd out of 100 countries for press freedom by Freedom House.\n\nSupporters immediately claimed the journalist was innocent and a victim of fabricated drug charges, which activists say are used against opposition figures and human rights activists by the Russian state.", "Russian Journalist Ivan Golunov Is Freed, As Drug Charges Are Dropped\n\nRussian investigative journalist Ivan Golunov is now free, after Russia's interior affairs ministry said it would drop drug charges against him. Golunov's freedom was announced by his employer, Meduza.\n\nGolunov had been held under house arrest since Saturday. His arrest last Thursday triggered a public outcry — and accusations that police had fabricated the case against him.\n\nIn a surprise move, authorities said on Tuesday that there isn't enough evidence to back up the charges against Golunov, 36. The journalist's arrest last Thursday shocked many in Russia, especially as he was accused of being involved in a drug ring.\n\nIn a statement announcing Golunov's freedom, Meduza's leader thanked what they called \"an unprecedented international solidarity campaign\" of journalists and others who are committed to free speech.\n\n\"Together, we made the unbelievable happen: we stopped the criminal prosecution of an innocent man. Thank you!\" the statement said.\n\nThe criminal case against Golunov had several irregularities. During his detention, reports emerged that police officers had beaten Golunov while in custody. And via his employer, he said the \"evidence\" that was allegedly gathered from his apartment — including various drugs and weight scales — had actually been planted there.\n\nExplaining the decision to release Golunov, Minister of Internal Affairs Vladimir Kolokoltsev said that after numerous tests, \"a decision has been made to drop the criminal case against journalist Ivan Golunov for lack of evidence proving his involvement in the crime in question. He will be released from house arrest today, and the charges against him will be dropped.\"\n\nThe announcement also said an internal investigation will be conducted into the police officers who detained the journalist. Those officers have now been suspended from their official duties, Kolokoltsev said.\n\nWhile the news of Golunov's arrest came as a surprise to many, word of Tuesday's abrupt reversal came as a shock. Another journalist in Moscow, Alexey Kovalev, asked via Twitter, \"Cops who framed him will be investigated. Am I sleeping? Did this really happen?\"\n\nThose who spoke out against Golunov's detention included the Committee to Protect Journalists, which noted Russia's \"long history of politically motivated allegations against reporters.\"\n\nDespite the victory, Meduza says the work to prevent anyone else being treated in a similar way has only just begun. And it announced that its plans for a pro- Golunov rally, which had run into official delays, has now received the official go-ahead. That rally is scheduled for next Sunday, June 16.\n\nAs Golunov's former colleague Leonid Bershidsky writes for Bloomberg, Golunov is a well-respected journalist whose work has mostly dealt with exposing corruption at the lower levels of Russian life rather than taking on the heads of its power structure. He has reported on landfills, loan sharks and city bureaucracies.\n\nBut that changed a bit on Thursday, Bershidsky says, when Golunov published a story about Moscow's funeral industry \"which implicated a number of law enforcement officials, including some officers in the FSB secret police, in running a protection racket.\"\n\nLater that day, Golunov was detained in public and taken back to his apartment, where he was confronted with drug paraphernalia.\n\nHis case set off alarm bells in Moscow's journalism circles, Bershidsky writes, including the fear that \"anyone could be next in line.\"", "MOSCOW (AP) — The Latest on a Russian journalist arrested on drug charges (all times local):\n\nRussia's interior minister says all charges against an investigative journalist arrested on suspicion of drug dealing have been dropped.\n\nMinister Vladimir Kolokoltsev said in a statement on Tuesday that the accusations against Ivan Golunov \"have not been proven.\"\n\nKolokoltsev said Golunov has been released from house arrest and he intends to seek the dismissal of three senior police officials and to investigate others.\n\nGolunov was jailed on Thursday and put under house arrest on Saturday. He denied possessing drugs and the circumstances of his case aroused suspicion among rights activists the journalist had been framed.\n\nThe speaker of the upper house of the Russian parliament has raised concerns about a drug dealing case against a prominent investigative journalist.\n\nValentina Matviyenko, who is Russia's third most senior official after the president and prime minister, on Tuesday described the criminal inquiry into Ivan Golunov as \"a really bad story.\" She said that she spoke to the prosecutor general who promised to take the case under his personal control.\n\nGolunov, who works for the independent website Meduza, was beaten and kept in custody for 12 hours without a lawyer after he was stopped by police in Moscow on Thursday, according to his lawyer. He was transferred to house arrest following a public outpouring of support, but he still faces drug dealing charges.", "Russian investigative journalist Ivan Golunov made his career writing the news, revealing corruption among Moscow’s elite for the news site Meduza. But he became the subject of headlines himself last week, after he was arrested on trumped-up charges of drug trafficking that could have landed him 20 years in prison.\n\nAfter an outcry and scrutiny from Russia’s remaining independent media, authorities eventually conceded a lack of evidence on Tuesday. When he was released that day from house arrest, activists hailed it as a rare victory amid a sea of repression.\n\nBut they also say he should never have been arrested in the first place. Golunov was stopped on the street in Moscow on June 6, handcuffed and bundled into a police car. Police then strip-searched him and allegedly beat him. They then said they had found a packet of methamphetamine in his bag, and charged him with conspiracy to traffic the drug. His disappearance initially went unreported, and when his lawyer was finally able to see him after more than 12 hours, Golunov said he had not been allowed to eat or sleep. By the time the journalist appeared on June 8 in a Moscow court, where he was sentenced to two months of house arrest awaiting trial, doctors suspected he had a concussion and broken ribs.\n\nCracks soon started to appear in the official story, however. Photos purporting to show a drug lab in Golunov’s apartment were removed from a government website after his journalist colleagues established they were taken elsewhere. On the streets, meanwhile, a wave of support was growing. One-person vigils—which, unlike other forms of protest in Russia, don’t require a permit—were held on a rolling basis, despite police intimidation. Video footage posted on Twitter showed crowds of supporters lining up to “change shifts” with a lone picketer. And on June 10, three of Russia’s biggest newspapers each carried the same front-page headline: .\n\n“We have grounds to believe Golunov is being persecuted because of his journalistic activity,” his editors at Meduza said in a statement. Ivan Kolpakov, editor in chief of Meduza, tells TIME that he believes Golunov’s ordeal was prompted by one particular piece he was working on as recently as last week.\n\nGolunov might be a free man now, but intimidation of journalists is common in Russia, which is ranked 149th out of 180 countries for press freedom by Reporters Without Borders. “Ivan’s arrest is just a part of the Russian system,” Kolpakov says.\n\nBut in this case, Golunov received an unexpected wave of support. His incarceration became a test of solidarity among Russian journalists, who rallied to his defense. In front of the country and the world, they effectively dismantled the police narrative. Even some reporters in the state-run media stood up for Golunov. Eventually, the Russian Interior Ministry stepped in to order his release. The officers involved in his arrest have been suspended.\n\nNevertheless, their tactics revealed something about the way public discourse is stifled in Russia today. “The easiest way to put anyone in prison in Russia is to plant drugs in his bag,” Kolpakov told TIME shortly before Golunov was released. “It means that he immediately goes to prison. It means that his reputation is immediately destroyed. It means it’s going to be a dirty case.” In Russia, reporters routinely face intimidation, and most newspapers and TV channels avoid criticizing powerful figures in politics and business.\n\nBut Golunov was determined to do his work. “I think he had a lot of powerful enemies,” Kolpakov says. “I would say many people were not pleased by what he wrote. Many people did not want to appear in his pieces, because it’s the easiest way for a corrupt person to become famous.”\n\nIn a recent story, Golunov had presented evidence to show the deputy mayor of Moscow had embezzled public money, with which he and his family were able to buy nine penthouses in the city.\n\nAnd Gulonov wasn’t a stranger to receiving threats, either. “He was threatened in April 2018 by a group of people he wrote about, because of one of his articles,” Kolpakov tells TIME. “He was threatened systematically and I’ve heard that a couple of months ago he also got some other threats from the same people.”\n\nThe most recent threats, Kolpakov says, weren’t about a published piece, but an-as-yet unpublished investigation Golunov was working on for Meduza\n\nIn a stroke of luck, Golunov filed that story just hours before his arrest. Now, Meduza is preparing to publish it. His arrest virtually guarantees that investigation will reach a wider audience than ever before. “He is a lucky guy,” Kolpakov says. “For the first time in his life, he didn’t miss his deadline.”", "Police detained hundreds of demonstrators who turned out for a march in Moscow on June 12 to maintain pressure on authorities following the release of Ivan Golunov, an investigative reporter who was arrested on a drug charge supporters said was fabricated. Opposition politician Aleksei Navalny and several journalists were among those detained at the rally in the center of the Russian capital.", "Drugs charges against investigative reporter Ivan Golunov have been dropped, Russian officials said today.\n\nGolunov (pictured) was arrested in Moscow on Thursday and later charged with possessing drugs with intent to supply.\n\nHe was subsequently put under house arrest and could have faced 20 years in prison if he was convicted.\n\nThe charges against Golunov have now been dropped, one day after three of Russia’s biggest newspapers joined together to publish a front page protesting his arrest.\n\nThe accusations against Golunov “have not been proven”, government minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev said.\n\nKolokoltsev said Golunov has been released from house arrest, and that he intends to seek the dismissal of three senior police officials and to investigate others involved in the case.\n\nGolunov denied possessing drugs, and the circumstances of his case aroused suspicion among rights activists that he had been framed.\n\nHe was not allowed to contact a lawyer for more than 12 hours after his arrest, his request for a test on his hands to be done that would show whether he had been in recent contact with drugs was denied, and he was reportedly beaten up during his detention.\n\nThe journalist writes for Russian-language news website Meduza, based in Latvia, and is known for investigating political corruption and criminality in Moscow. Meduza said he had recently been threatened.\n\nReporters Without Borders (Reporters Sans Frontieres) said this afternoon celebrated Golunov’s release, saying: “We hail the historic mobilisation of the Russian civil society. Now those who tried to set him up must be judged.\n\n“We will remain mobilised for the other journalists jailed in Russia.”\n\nRussia is ranked 149th out of 180 countries in RSF’s World Press Freedom Index 2019.", "The Latest on a Russian journalist arrested on drug charges (all times local):\n\nRussia's interior minister says all charges against an investigative journalist arrested on suspicion of drug dealing have been dropped.\n\nMinister Vladimir Kolokoltsev said in a statement on Tuesday that the accusations against Ivan Golunov \"have not been proven.\"\n\nKolokoltsev said Golunov has been released from house arrest and he intends to seek the dismissal of three senior police officials and to investigate others.\n\nGolunov was jailed on Thursday and put under house arrest on Saturday. He denied possessing drugs and the circumstances of his case aroused suspicion among rights activists the journalist had been framed.\n\nThe speaker of the upper house of the Russian parliament has raised concerns about a drug dealing case against a prominent investigative journalist.\n\nValentina Matviyenko, who is Russia's third most senior official after the president and prime minister, on Tuesday described the criminal inquiry into Ivan Golunov as \"a really bad story.\" She said that she spoke to the prosecutor general who promised to take the case under his personal control.\n\nGolunov, who works for the independent website Meduza, was beaten and kept in custody for 12 hours without a lawyer after he was stopped by police in Moscow on Thursday, according to his lawyer. He was transferred to house arrest following a public outpouring of support, but he still faces drug dealing charges.", "More than 20 arrested at Moscow protest after reporter freed\n\nMOSCOW (AP) — Police and hundreds of demonstrators are facing off in central Moscow at an unauthorized march against police abuse in the wake of the high-profile detention of a Russian journalist. More than 20 demonstrators have been detained, according to a monitoring group.\n\nThe rally on Wednesday comes one day after a stunning police decision to drop charges against Ivan Golunov, who was charged last week with drug dealing. After a public outburst of protest, including by three of Russia's most respected newspapers, the case was dropped on Monday for lack of evidence. Police claimed to have found drugs in Golunov's apartment.\n\nThe OVD-Info group that monitors political arrests said more than 20 people were detained at the march. Associated Press journalists saw opposition leader Alexei Navalny being seized."], "summary": "Russian authorities detain hundreds of protesters, including Novaya Gazeta journalist and protest organizer Ilya Azar and other reporters, at an \"unauthorized march\" in Moscow demanding punishment for police who detained anti-corruption journalist Ivan Golunov. Golunov's charges were dropped and he was released yesterday at which time Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev said some officers who had taken part in his detention were suspended pending an investigation."}
{"document": ["The House Oversight Committee voted Wednesday to recommend the full House hold Attorney General Bill Barr and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in contempt of Congress, after President Donald Trump asserted executive privilege over materials related to the committee's census investigation.\n\nInterested in Trump Administration? Add Trump Administration as an interest to stay up to date on the latest Trump Administration news, video, and analysis from ABC News. Add Interest\n\nThe panel adopted the contempt resolution on a mostly party line vote of 24-15 on Wednesday afternoon, with Republican Rep. Justin Amash notably joining all Democrats in voting for the resolution while all other Republicans voted against.\n\nThe privilege assertion marks the latest escalation in the battle between the Trump Administration and House Democrats investigating Ross' move to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census, which Democrats claim was intended to intimidate immigrants and minorities, and depress the party's representation across the country.\n\n“The Committee’s attempt to define the Department of Justice’s good-faith cooperation as ‘contempt’ defies logic. Today’s action by Chairman Cummings and his Committee undermines Congress’s credibility with the American people. The Department of Justice has tirelessly worked for months to accommodate the Committee’s requests for information, including producing over 17,000 pages of documents and making senior Department officials available for questioning,\" Justice Department spokeswoman Kerri Kupec said in a statement.\n\nJ. Scott Applewhite/AP\n\nHouse Oversight Chairman Elijah Cummings has accused both the DOJ and Commerce Department of stonewalling his investigation by withholding documents and preventing witnesses requested by the committee from testifying on the issue.\n\n“For months, the Trump Administration has claimed that the decision to add the citizenship question was made at the Department level rather than at the White House,” Cummings said. “But now the president is asserting executive privilege over all of these documents. This begs the question—what is being hidden?” he said in opening remarks.\n\nCummings said the committee has obtained evidence that shows Ross was pushing staff to add the citizenship question months before the department made the request, and that he was doing so at the urging of the White House.\n\n“We also now have evidence that President Trump’s advisers began discussing the citizenship question long before he took office,” Cummings said. “After the inauguration, President Trump discussed the idea with his top White House aides, Reince Priebus and Steve Bannon, who in turn pressed it with Secretary Ross.”\n\nJ. Scott Applewhite/AP\n\nAssistant Attorney General Stephen Boyd argued in a letter Tuesday that the department has sought to engage in good faith with Cummings and handed over thousands of documents relevant to its investigation. Boyd accused the committee of refusing to engage with the department over a \"limited subset\" of the requested documents that might be privileged information.\n\n\"The Committee has failed to abide by the constitutionally mandated accommodation process by declining to negotiate over the scope of the subpoenaed materials or to recognize legitimate executive branch interest, as well as by its premature decision to schedule a contempt vote,\" Boyd said in the letter.\n\nBoyd also addressed criticism from the committee on the DOJ blocking testimony from John Gore, principal deputy assistant attorney general for the civil rights division. The department contends that Barr had only instructed Gore not to testify after the committee declined the department's request to have counsel accompany him in his transcribed interview.\n\nYuri Gripas/Reuters\n\nReacting to the privilege letter in the committee hearing Wednesday, Cummings said it was part of a broader effort by the Trump Administration to dodge oversight from the legislative branch.\n\n\"[The Justice Department] has made very clear that they will not produce the key documents that we have identified as priorities,\" Cummings said. \"This does not appear to be an effort to engage in good faith negotiations or accommodations, instead it appears to be another example of the administration's blanket defiance of Congress' constitutionally mandated responsibilities.\"\n\nThe contempt vote comes just days after Barr reached a separate agreement with House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler regarding his request for underlying documents related to special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation.\n\nNadler similarly had his committee vote to hold Barr in contempt early last month for withholding those documents, which led Barr to request that Trump invoke executive privilege over the materials the committee requested.\n\nAndrew Harnik/AP, FILE\n\nHowever, Nadler announced on Monday that he was suspending any potential move to hold Barr in criminal contempt.\n\nHouse Democrats did move forward on a separate resolution Tuesday allowing committee heads to go to court to seek the enforcement of subpoenas, which could speed up their plans to sue the administration for defying subpoenas related to the census, the president's tax returns and other issues.\n\nOn Wednesday, House Democrats received an update on their multiple legal battles against the Trump administration from House counsel Douglas Letter, whose presentation appeared to tamp down expectations that Democrats' lawsuits - particularly those over the president's financial records, and a potential lawsuit over a subpoena for his tax returns - would be resolved quickly.\n\n\"Without getting into the specifics of the timing, it was sobering, that some of this will take a long time,\" Rep. Dan Kildee, D-Michigan, a member of leadership and the House Ways and Means Committee, said after the meeting. \"The less-optimistic scenario is that we’re well into next year on some of these.\"", "This post was originally published on this site\n\nPolitical News AG Barr to ask Trump to invoke privilege over census materials if Dems move forward with contempt https://linewsradio.com/ag-barr-to-ask-trump-to-invoke-privilege-over-census-materials-if-dems-move-forward-with-contempt/ http://abcnewsradioonline.com/politics-news/\n\nChip Somodevilla/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — The Department of Justice said in a letter Tuesday that Attorney General William Barr will request that President Donald Trump invoke executive privilege over materials related to the House Oversight Committee’s census investigation if the committee moves forward with a planned Wednesday vote to hold Barr and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in contempt of Congress.\n\nThis is the latest escalation in the battle between the Justice Department and House Democrats investigating Ross’ move to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census, a move which Democrats claim was intended to intimidate immigrants and minorities, and depress the party’s representation across the country.\n\nHouse Oversight Chairman Elijah Cummings has accused both the DOJ and Commerce Department of stonewalling his investigation by withholding documents and preventing witnesses requested by the committee from testifying on the issue.\n\nBut in the letter on Tuesday, Assistant Attorney General Stephen Boyd said that the committee has refused to engage with the department over a “limited subset” of the requested documents that might be privileged information.\n\n“The Committee has failed to abide by the constitutionally mandated accommodation process by declining to negotiate over the scope of the subpoenaed materials or to recognize legitimate executive branch interest, as well as by its premature decision to schedule a contempt vote,” Boyd said in the letter.\n\nBoyd also addressed criticism from the committee on the DOJ blocking testimony from John Gore, principal deputy assistant attorney general for the civil rights division. The department contends that Barr had only instructed Gore not to testify after the committee declined the department’s request to have counsel accompany him in his transcribed interview.\n\nIn a statement announcing the contempt vote, Cummings said Barr and Ross’ unwillingness to cooperate is part of a broader effort by the Trump Administration to dodge oversight from the legislative branch.\n\n“The Trump Administration has demonstrated repeatedly that it is willing to disregard the Constitution, defy decades of clear precedent and invent frivolous new arguments to delay and obstruct Congress’ oversight authority, and Attorney General Barr and Secretary Ross are complicit in this cover-up,” Cummings said.\n\nThe Oversight Committee contempt vote on Wednesday comes just days after Barr reached a separate agreement with House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler regarding his request for underlying documents related to special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation.\n\nNadler similarly had his committee vote to hold Barr in contempt early last month for withholding those documents, which led Barr to request that Trump invoke executive privilege over the materials the committee requested.\n\nHowever, Nadler announced on Monday that he was suspending any potential move to hold Barr in criminal contempt.\n\nHouse Democrats did move forward on a separate resolution Tuesday allowing committee heads to go to court to seek the enforcement of subpoenas, which could speed up their plans to sue the administration for defying subpoenas related to the census, the president’s tax returns and other issues.", "(CNN) — The House Oversight Committee voted on Wednesday to hold Attorney General William Barr and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in contempt of Congress over a dispute related to the addition of a citizenship question to the 2020 census. The vote was 24-15.\n\nThe vote came just hours after President Donald Trump asserted executive privilege over materials related to the citizenship question, a move that further escalated tensions between House Democrats investigating the 2020 census and the administration.\n\nThe Democratic-led committee voted on a contempt resolution that recommends that the House of Representatives find Barr and Ross in contempt of Congress “for refusal to comply with subpoenas.” The contempt resolution includes citations for both civil and criminal contempt.\n\nRepublican Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan joined with Democrats on the committee to vote in favor of the resolution.\n\nRoss called the move an “empty stunt” in a statement and said, “Today, the Democrats maintained their shameless, weekly attacks on this Administration without consideration for the truth.”\n\nThe Commerce Secretary said that the committee “isn’t interested in cooperation” and “demonstrated its scorn for the Constitution” by holding the vote.\n\n“This is a disappointing day for Congress and our country. America deserves better,” Ross said.\n\nThe Justice Department fired back at the contempt finding, accusing the committee of playing “political games” and saying the panel’s “attempt to define the Department of Justice’s good-faith cooperation as ‘contempt’ defies logic.”\n\nJustice Department spokesperson Kerri Kupec went on to say that DOJ had worked “tirelessly” to respond to the committee’s requests.\n\n“Today’s action by Chairman Cummings and his Committee undermines Congress’s credibility with the American people,” Kupec said.\n\nRep. Jim Jordan, the top Republican on the committee, called the vote “unwarranted” in a statement as well as “a misuse of the committee’s contempt authority.”\n\n“This vote was another act of political theater designed to interfere with the Supreme Court’s consideration of the reinstitution of a citizenship question on the 2020 Census,” Jordan said.\n\nHouse Oversight Chairman Elijah Cummings said in a statement that the “contempt vote was the last thing I wanted to do,” adding, “I bent over backwards to try to work with the Administration, but they delayed, dissembled, and degraded our Committee’s efforts to conduct this investigation and fulfill our responsibilities under the Constitution.”\n\nIt’s unclear what will happen now that the committee has voted on the resolution. Depending on how the Departments of Justice or Commerce respond, House Democrats could go to the floor with both criminal and civil contempt. They could also drop criminal before going to the floor if some accommodation happens.\n\nAccording to a committee aide, a criminal contempt vote would have to go through the floor. However, civil contempt could go through the Bipartisan Legal Advisory Group, which is made up of the three highest-ranked House Democrats and two highest-ranked House Republicans.\n\nEarlier Wednesday, the Department of Justice informed the House Oversight Committee that Trump has asserted executive privilege over materials related to the addition of a citizenship question to the 2020 census.\n\nIn a letter to Cummings, Assistant Attorney General Stephen Boyd wrote, “this letter is to advise you that the President has asserted executive privilege over certain subpoenaed documents identified by the Committee in its June 3, 2019 letters to the Attorney General and the Secretary.”\n\nCummings, a Maryland Democrat, has said that he scheduled the vote because the attorney general and commerce secretary have not complied with subpoenas issued by the committee as it investigates the Trump administration’s push to add the question to the census.\n\nCummings criticized the assertion of executive privilege Wednesday morning.\n\n“This does not appear to be an effort to engage in good-faith negotiations or accommodations,” he said. “Instead, it appears to be another example of the administration’s blanket defiance of Congress’ constitutionally-mandated responsibilities.”\n\nThe specific documents at the heart of the fight — mainly a set of drafts memos and letters exchanged between Commerce and Justice — are covered by certain privileges, according to the Justice Department.\n\nAt least one federal court in a different, but related case, agreed with the administration and concluded that the documents were appropriately withheld — a fact that may bolster DOJ’s case if House Democrats take the document production issue to court.\n\nThe Commerce Department announced last year that a citizenship question would be included in the upcoming 2020 census. The move has sparked controversy and a high-stakes court battle as critics say that asking about citizenship status will lead to an inaccurate count.\n\nCensus data serves as the basis for decisions about how to allocate federal resources and draw congressional districts.\n\nPresident Donald Trump defended the addition of a citizenship question on Wednesday, saying in remarks to reporters from the Oval Office, “it’s totally ridiculous that we would have a census without asking.”\n\nWhat happens next\n\nCummings told CNN on Tuesday that he’s not sure what the next step after his committee would be and if he’d push for a full House vote.\n\n“We will decide that when the time comes,” Cummings said of next steps.\n\n“If they come to us, we will certainly talk to them, but I don’t anticipate that,” Cummings added, referring to the possibility of a deal or any accommodation being reached ahead of the vote.\n\nThe Justice Department and Commerce Department have both argued that they are working in good faith to respond to the requests from the committee and have already submitted thousands of pages of documents to the panel.\n\nRoss said in an interview with CNBC on Tuesday said, “Please don’t tell me we’re not cooperating.”\n\n“What we are doing is cooperating in a rational way that’s consistent with the rules, the regulations, the laws and prior practice,” Ross said, adding, “We have produced to the House Oversight Committee 14,000 pages of material. I testified before them for almost seven hours. We’re producing three more witnesses.”\n\nA Democratic committee aide told CNN, however, that those documents have been insufficient and are either publicly available documents, heavily redacted or just not responsive to the request at all and unrelated.\n\nThis story has been updated with additional developments Wednesday.", "A House committee voted Wednesday to hold two top Trump administration officials in contempt of Congress for failing to comply with subpoenas for documents related to a decision adding a citizenship question to the 2020 census.\n\nThe Democratic-controlled House Oversight Committee voted 24-15 to advance contempt measures against Attorney General William Barr and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross. The vote sends the measures to the full House.\n\nThe committee's action marks an escalation of Democratic efforts to use their House majority to aggressively investigate the inner workings of the Trump administration.\n\nThe White House asserted executive privilege on the matter earlier Wednesday. The Justice Department said officials had \"engaged in good-faith efforts\" to satisfy the committee's oversight needs and labeled the planned contempt vote \"unnecessary and premature.\"\n\nDemocrats fear the citizenship question will reduce census participation in immigrant-heavy communities and result in a severe undercount of minority voters. They say they want specific documents to determine why Ross added the question to the 2020 census and contend the administration has declined to provide the documents despite repeated requests.\n\nThe administration has turned over more than 17,000 of pages of documents and Ross testified for nearly seven hours in March. The Justice Department said two senior officials were interviewed by committee staff and said officials were working to produce tens of thousands of additional pages of relevant documents.\n\nThe oversight panel's chairman, Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland, disputed the Justice Department's account and said most of the documents turned over to the committee had already been made public.\n\n\"We must protect the integrity of the census and we must stand up for Congress' authority under the Constitution to conduct meaningful oversight,\" Cummings said Wednesday.\n\nThe administration's refusal to turn over requested documents \"does not appear to be an effort to engage in good-faith negotiations or accommodations,\" he said. \"Instead, it appears to be another example of the administration's blanket defiance of Congress' constitutionally mandated responsibilities.\"\n\nTrump has pledged to \"fight all the subpoenas\" issued by Congress and says he won't work on legislative priorities, such as infrastructure, until Congress halts investigations of his administration.\n\nRoss told the committee the March 2018 decision to add the question was based on a Justice Department request to help it enforce the Voting Rights Act.\n\nCummings disputed that, citing documents unearthed last week suggesting that the real reason the administration sought to add the citizenship question was to help officials gerrymander legislative districts in overtly partisan and racist ways.\n\nComputer files from North Carolina redistricting expert Tom Hofeller include detailed calculations that lay out gains Republicans would see in Texas by basing legislative districts on the number of voting-age citizens rather than the total population.\n\nHofeller, a Republican operative who died last year, said in the documents that GOP gains would be possible only if the census asked every household about its members' immigration status for the first time since 1950.\n\nThe Supreme Court is considering the citizenship question . A ruling is expected by the end of the month.\n\n\"I think it's totally ridiculous that we would have a census without asking\" about citizenship, Trump said Wednesday, \"but the Supreme Court is going to be ruling on it soon. I think when the census goes out ... you have the right to ask whether or not somebody is a citizen of the United States.\"\n\nSome of the documents the committee is seeking are protected by attorney-client privilege and other confidential processes, Assistant Attorney General Stephen Boyd said. The president has made a \"protective assertion\" of executive privilege so the administration can fully review all of the documents, he added.\n\n\"The president, the Department of Justice, has every right to do that,\" White House counselor Kellyanne Conway said on MSNBC. Democrats are \"asking for documents that are privileged, and I would hope that they can continue to negotiate and speak about what is appropriate and what is not, but the world is watching. This country sees that they'd rather continue to investigate than legislate.\"\n\nRep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., said the administration has thwarted congressional efforts to obtain key documents and exercise legitimate oversight. \"All we get from the administration is a middle finger\" of defiance, Raskin said. \"And that's not appropriate for the power of Congress.\"\n\nA vote by the full House to hold Barr and Ross in contempt on the census issue would be a political blow but would not result in real punishment since the men are unlikely to go to jail or be arrested.", "The House voted to hold Attorney General William P. Barr and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in contempt after President Trump asserted executive privilege.", "WASHINGTON (AP) — A House committee voted Wednesday to hold two top Trump administration officials in contempt of Congress for failing to comply with subpoenas for documents related to a decision adding a citizenship question to the 2020 census.\n\nThe Democratic-controlled House Oversight Committee voted 24-15 to advance contempt measures against Attorney General William Barr and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross. Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan, who has said he supports an impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump, was the sole Republican to join with Democrats.\n\nThe vote sends the contempt measures to the full House, although congressional leaders could go directly to court to try to force compliance with the subpoenas under a resolution approved earlier this week.\n\nThe committee's action marks an escalation of Democratic efforts to use their House majority to aggressively investigate the inner workings of the Trump administration.\n\nThe vote came as the White House asserted executive privilege on the matter Wednesday. The Justice Department said officials had \"engaged in good-faith efforts\" to satisfy the committee's oversight needs and labeled the contempt vote \"unnecessary and premature.\"\n\nIt was not clear what would happen next. A resolution approved by the House on Tuesday empowers committee chairs to sue top Trump administration officials to force compliance with congressional subpoenas without a vote of the full House, as long as they have approval from a bipartisan group of House leaders.\n\nAction to hold Barr and Ross in contempt on the census issue would be a political blow but would not necessarily result in real punishment since the men are unlikely to go to jail or be arrested.\n\nDemocrats fear the citizenship question will reduce census participation in immigrant-heavy communities and result in a severe undercount of minority voters. They say they want specific documents to determine why Ross added the question to the 2020 census and contend the administration has declined to provide the documents despite repeated requests.\n\nThe oversight panel's chairman, Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland, said he was saddened by the vote, but called it an important step to assert Congress' constitutional authority to serve as a check on executive power.\n\n\"The census is something that is so very, very important,\" Cummings told reporters after the vote. \"It goes to the bedrock of our very society and our democracy. We need to make sure the census is counted and counted accurately.\"\n\nA spokeswoman for Barr said the committee's vote defied logic and undermined Congress' credibility with the American people.\n\n\"Despite the committee's political games, the department will remain focused on its critical work safeguarding the American people and upholding the rule of law,\" spokeswoman Kerri Kupec said.\n\nRoss said in a statement that the committee's vote \"demonstrated its scorn for the Constitution.\" He accused Democrats of \"continually refusing to engage in the constitutionally mandated accommodation process.\"\n\nThe administration has turned over more than 17,000 of pages of documents and Ross testified for nearly seven hours in March. The Justice Department said two senior officials were interviewed by committee staff and said officials were working to produce tens of thousands of additional pages of relevant documents.\n\nCummings disputed that account and said most of the documents turned over to the committee had already been made public.\n\n\"We must protect the integrity of the census and we must stand up for Congress' authority under the Constitution to conduct meaningful oversight,\" Cummings said before Wednesday's vote.\n\nThe administration's refusal to turn over requested documents \"does not appear to be an effort to engage in good-faith negotiations or accommodations,\" he said. \"Instead, it appears to be another example of the administration's blanket defiance of Congress' constitutionally mandated responsibilities.\"\n\nTrump has pledged to \"fight all the subpoenas\" issued by Congress and says he won't work on legislative priorities, such as infrastructure, until Congress halts investigations of his administration.\n\nRoss told the committee the March 2018 decision to add the question was based on a Justice Department request to help it enforce the Voting Rights Act.\n\nCummings disputed that, citing documents unearthed last week suggesting that the real reason the administration sought to add the citizenship question was to help officials gerrymander legislative districts in overtly partisan and racist ways.\n\nComputer files from North Carolina redistricting expert Tom Hofeller include detailed calculations that lay out gains Republicans would see in Texas by basing legislative districts on the number of voting-age citizens rather than the total population.\n\nHofeller, a Republican operative who died last year, said in the documents that GOP gains would be possible only if the census asked every household about its members' immigration status for the first time since 1950.\n\nThe Supreme Court is considering the citizenship question . A ruling is expected by the end of the month. Meanwhile, the American Civil Liberties Union asked the Supreme Court to hold off on a decision, arguing in a filing Wednesday that the federal judge in the case needs time to consider new evidence related to the Hofeller files.\n\n\"I think it's totally ridiculous that we would have a census without asking\" about citizenship, Trump said Wednesday, \"but the Supreme Court is going to be ruling on it soon. I think when the census goes out ... you have the right to ask whether or not somebody is a citizen of the United States.\"\n\nSome of the documents the committee is seeking are protected by attorney-client privilege and other confidential processes, Assistant Attorney General Stephen Boyd said. The president has made a \"protective assertion\" of executive privilege so the administration can fully review all the documents, he added.\n\nRep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., said the administration has thwarted congressional efforts to obtain key documents and exercise legitimate oversight. “All we get from the administration is a middle finger” of defiance, Raskin said. “And that’s not appropriate for the power of Congress.”", "House Oversight and Reform ranking member Jim Jordan (R-OH) charged in a statement Wednesday that the Democrat-led contempt vote against Attorney General William Barr and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross amounts to “political theatre,” designed to interfere in the Supreme Court’s potential decision on the citizenship question on the 2020 census.\n\nThe House Oversight Committee voted Wednesday to hold Barr and Ross in contempt for their refusal to comply with subpoenas for documents relating to the Donald Trump administration’s decision to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census.\n\nCongressman Jordan said that Oversight Chairman Elijah Cummings’ (D-MD) contempt vote serves as another instance of “political theatre” designed to “interfere” with the Supreme Court’s potential decisionr egarding putting a citizenship question on the 2020 census.\n\nChairman Cummings’s decision to proceed with holding the Attorney General and Secretary Ross in contempt represents a sad day in this Committee’s history. Today’s vote was an unwarranted action by the Chairman and a misuse of the Committee’s contempt authority. This vote was another act of political theater designed to interfere with the Supreme Court’s consideration of the reinstitution of a citizenship question on the 2020 Census.\n\nRanking member Jordan demanded last week that Cummings hold former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen accountable for his “perjury-laden” testimony the House Oversight committee.\n\nIn April, a Hill-HarrisX poll found that 60 percent of Americans approve of a citizenship question on the 2020 census.\n\nCongressman Jody Hice (R-GA) told Breitbart News Sunday in March that Democrats continue to fight the citizenship question because they fear that it might endanger their House majority by losing seats in Democrat-leaning states.\n\nFrom that, the apportionment districts are drawn and frankly, the Democrats are trying to protect the fact that there are who knows how many, 10, 15, 20 million people who are not citizens in the United States who are in states like California, where there are high numbers of people who are not citizens. That enables states like that have more representatives in Washington, and I would suspect at the end of the day that is the issue for them.\n\nJordan then asked rhetorically, “The Democrats’ desperation to affect the outcome of the case raises the question: why don’t Democrats want to know how many American citizens are in the United States of America?”", "WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is asserting executive privilege over documents related to the Trump administration’s decision to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census.\n\nThe Justice Department notified the chairman of the House oversight committee of the decision in a letter Wednesday.\n\nThe committee is set to vote on whether to hold Attorney General William Barr and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in contempt for failing to turn over the subpoenaed documents.\n\nBarr says the president has made a “protective assertion” of executive privilege so the administration can fully review all of the documents.\n\nDemocrats fear the question will reduce census participation in immigrant-heavy communities, harming representation and access to federal dollars.\n\nRepublicans have criticized the hearings as a waste of time and have called for Democrats to move on.", "House Oversight and Reform Committee votes on whether to find Attorney General William Barr and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in contempt of Congress for withholding Census documents\n\nWASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump asserted executive privilege on Wednesday to keep under wraps documents related to adding a citizenship question to the 2020 U.S. Census, defying a U.S. House committee in another move to stonewall Democrats' multiple investigations of the president.\n\nThe move came minutes before the House Oversight Committee convened to vote on holding two of his Cabinet members in contempt of Congress over the census question.\n\nDemocrats on the committee were angered after receiving a letter from the Justice Department saying Trump had asserted executive privilege over the documents.\n\n“This does not appear to be a good faith effort at negotiation,” House Oversight Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings said in an opening statement at the panel's meeting.\n\n“Instead it appears to be another example of the administration’s blanket defiance of Congress’ constitutionally mandated authority ... This begs the question: what is being hidden?” Cummings said.\n\nHe said the committee would vote later in the afternoon on whether to hold Attorney General William Barr and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in contempt of Congress for refusing to comply with a committee subpoena seeking the documents related to an administration decision to add a citizenship question to the census.\n\nThe census question already has triggered lawsuits with several states and cities saying that asking census respondents if they are U.S. citizens will frighten immigrants and Latinos into abstaining from the count. Critics have said Republicans want to engineer a deliberate population undercount in Democratic-leaning areas where many immigrants live in order to gain seats in the House.", "WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump on Wednesday asserted executive privilege to shield documents about the administration’s decision to add a citizenship question to the 2020 Census, a move meant to try to undercut an expected vote by a House panel to hold his attorney general and commerce secretary in contempt for failing to turn over the materials to lawmakers.\n\nAttorney General William Barr had a day earlier warned the House Oversight Committee that if it moved toward holding him in contempt, he would ask Trump to assert privilege to protect the materials. The committee, though, rejected his offer, and was preparing to vote Wednesday on a contempt finding when Trump followed through on Barr’s threat.\n\nThe department revealed the assertion in a letter to the committee, which called the contempt vote “unnecessary and premature.”\n\nIn the Justice Department’s view, the privilege assertion undercuts the contempt finding, because it prevents the attorney general from turning over materials lawmakers had subpoenaed.\n\nBut the Oversight Committee is expected to hold Barr and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in contempt anyway. Unless they later work out a deal with the Justice Department, the court system will ultimately decide which documents lawmakers are entitled to see.\n\nThe Justice Department and the Oversight Committee are essentially on the same trajectory as the Department and the House Judiciary Committee were last month, when the Judiciary Committee voted to hold Barr in contempt for failing to turn over materials related to now-former special counsel Robert Mueller’s probe.\n\nIn that case, though, the Judiciary Committee and the Justice Department later worked out a deal. That contempt process is in “abeyance,” though Democrats have taken steps to make sure they have the ability to sue the department in court.\n\nThe expected contempt vote Wednesday would mark a further escalation in the fight between House Democrats and the Republican administration over the investigatory powers of Congress that is playing out in multiple committees and the courts.\n\nDemocrats say the larger issue is that the White House is almost completely rejecting congressional oversight – stonewalling requests for documents and blocking witnesses from testifying on various subjects. The administration, meanwhile, argues that Democrats are requesting far more materials than they should legally have access to in an attempt to embarrass the president, and they have been unwilling to negotiate.\n\nIf the Oversight Committee contempt resolution is approved by the full House, Chairman Elijah Cummings, D-Md., would be empowered to ask a federal court to order Barr and Ross to comply with subpoenas that sought documents related to the 2020 Census decision and testimony from a senior Justice Department official.\n\nDemocrats have already gone to federal judges in Washington and New York to seek enforcement of subpoenas targeting Trump’s financial records in the possession of private companies. They have scored initial wins in trial courts, but appeals are likely to play out over the coming months.\n\nThe Oversight Committee authorized Cummings in April to issue subpoenas to Barr and Ross for documents related to the Census decision and for a deposition of John Gore, principal deputy assistant attorney general.\n\nBut the Justice Department said it would not comply with the subpoena for Gore to testify. In a letter last week to Barr, Cummings cited the attorney general’s “unprecedented order” to Gore to defy the subpoena as part of the reason for the contempt votes.\n\nDemocratic lawmakers have accused the Trump administration of stonewalling their efforts to investigate Ross’s March 2018 decision to add the citizenship question, which the government says it needs to better enforce the Voting Rights Act.\n\nIn a statement last week, the Commerce Department noted that Ross has previously testified before the committee and that the department has turned over nearly 14,000 pages of documents to the panel.\n\nOpponents of the citizenship question have argued that it will suppress responses to the survey among immigrant communities, resulting in an undercount in the areas where they live.\n\nThe population count from the Decennial Census is used to allocate $800 billion a year in federal funding and determine congressional representation and redistricting.\n\nA key issue in the challenges to the citizenship question is how it came to be added. Ross originally told Congress that his decision to add it came solely in response to a December 2017 request from the Justice Department, but lawsuits later produced emails showing that Ross, who oversees the Census Bureau, had been pushing for the question for months before that.\n\nIn March of this year, Democrats on the Oversight Committee grilled him about it extensively, with several asking whether he had lied under oath, and one demanding his resignation.\n\nThe committee also met with Gore that month on the matter, but Cummings said he refused to answer more than 150 questions, citing ongoing litigation.\n\nThree federal judges have struck down the Census question, saying Ross’ actions in adding it were in violation of the Administrative Procedure Act.\n\nThe Supreme Court heard the case April 23. Evidence in the case concluded with oral arguments that day, and it appeared that the conservative majority seemed inclined to agree with the government that the decision to add the question was within the authority of the commerce secretary.\n\nLast month, new evidence emerged suggesting that the citizenship question was crafted specifically to give an electoral advantage to Republicans and whites.\n\nThe evidence was found in the files of the prominent Republican redistricting strategist Thomas Hofeller after his death in August. According to lawyers challenging the question, it reveals that Hofeller “played a significant role in orchestrating the addition of the citizenship question to the 2020 Decennial Census to create a structural electoral advantage for, in his own words, ‘Republicans and Non-Hispanic Whites.’ ”\n\nThe lawyers also argued that Trump administration officials purposely obscured Hofeller’s role in court proceedings."], "summary": "The House Oversight Committee votes to hold Attorney General William Barr and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in contempt after U.S. President Donald Trump asserted executive privilege over materials related to the committee's census investigation."}
{"document": ["Novos trechos de diálogos entre o coordenador da força-tarefa da Operação Lava Jato em Curitiba, Deltan Dallagnol, e o ex-juiz e ministro da Justiça e Segurança Pública, Sergio Moro, no aplicativo Telegram foram divulgados nesta quarta-feira, 12.\n\nVeiculado por um jornalista do site The Intercept Brasil em um programa da Rádio Bandeirantes, o conteúdo mostra Deltan falando em um grupo de procuradores da Lava Jato sobre uma conversa que teve com o ministro do Supremo Tribunal Federal (STF) Luiz Fux. No encontro, Fux teria dito ao procurador que a sua equipe poderia “contar com ele”, que o então relator da Lava Jato no STF, ministro Teori Zavascki, morto em janeiro de 2017, “fez queda de braço com Moro e viu que se queimou” e que “o tom da resposta do Moro depois foi ótimo”.\n\nAs mensagens de Deltan são do dia 22 de abril de 2016, pouco mais de um mês depois de Sergio Moro divulgar o conteúdo de grampos telefônicos que flagraram ligações entre a então presidente Dilma Rousseff e o ex-presidente Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Moro deu publicidade a áudios de telefonemas feitos depois do fim do prazo legal das interceptações, o que levou Teori a cobrar dele explicações.\n\n“Caros, conversei com o Fux, mais uma vez, hoje. Reservado, é claro: o ministro Fux disse quase espontaneamente que Teori fez queda de braço com Moro e viu que se queimou. E que o tom da resposta do Moro depois foi ótimo. Disse para contarmos com ele para o que precisarmos, mais uma vez. Só faltou, como bom carioca, chamar-me para ir à casa dele rs. Mas os sinais foram ótimos. Falei da importância de nos protegermos como instituições. Em especial no novo governo”, afirmou Deltan Dallagnol aos procuradores.\n\nEm seguida, ele encaminhou o conteúdo da conversa ao próprio Moro, que respondeu: “Excelente. In Fux we trust” [Em Fux nós confiamos]. Após a divulgação das mensagens, a hashtag #infuxwetrust chegou aos Trending Topics do Twitter.\n\nNas reportagens publicadas pelo The Intercept Brasil no último domingo, 9, Sergio Moro aparece em outros diálogos com Deltan. O então juiz indica um possível informante em uma investigação contra Lula, cobra a deflagração de novas fases da operação, sugere mudanças na cronologia de novas ações da Operação e adiante o conteúdo de uma decisão.\n\nO ministro da Justiça atribui os vazamentos à ação de hackers. O site afirma que recebeu as informações de uma fonte anônima.", "The messages show that Dallagnol took on at least once the role of interlocutor between Moro and Fux, while the federal judge was acting in tune with the two.\n\nA new leaked conversation between chief prosecutor of the Car Wash (Lava Jato) task force, Deltan Dallagnol and current Supreme Justice Minister, Sergio Moro, allegedly show that Supreme Federal Court (STF) judge Luiz Fux was also part of the scheme against former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.\n\nThe leak was made by The Intercept Brazil’s executive editor, Leandro Demori, during an interview on Wednesday. The messages show that Dallagnol took on at least once the role of interlocutor between Moro and Fux, while the federal judge was acting in tune with the two.\n\n\"Fux told us to count on him for whatever we need one more time, and he just needed to call me to go to his house,\" Dallagnol wrote in the Car Wash Telegram chat group. Then copied the same message, according to The Intercept, and forward it to Moro, who replied, \"Excellent, in Fux we trust.\"\n\nFux is responsible for the ruling that prevented former president Lula from giving interviews, as well as denying the habeas corpus to the Workers’ Party (PT) when the defense appealed to the Supreme Court.\n\nAll this comes as Brazil now is facing a political earthquake as The Intercept Brazil published on Sunday an extensive and hard-hitting exposé on the alleged political motivations behind Operation Car Wash against Lula, and unethical involvement of current Supreme Minister of Justice, Moro.\n\nThe documents were released in a three-part series where according to The Intercept, it is proven, based on leaked documents and Telegram messages between prosecutors and Moro that the “apolitical” and “unbiased” team spent hours internally plotting how to prevent the return to power by Lula and his party. As well as the lack of hard and documented evidence to establish a case against the former head of state.", "SAO PAULO, (Reuters) – Brazilian Justice Minister Sergio Moro and federal prosecutors scrambled to respond yesterday to reports published by news website The Intercept based on what it said were leaked messages from a corruption probe.\n\nThe Intercept said it was only beginning to report on an “enormous trove” of leaked messages between Moro and prosecutors on Telegram, an encrypted messaging platform, that it had received from an anonymous source. It said the messages raise serious questions about the impartiality of Moro, a former judge who sent ex-President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to prison.\n\nThe excerpts, released on Sunday, included exchanges in which Moro made suggestions to prosecutors about the focus, pace and sequence of investigations.\n\nAttorneys for Lula, a leftist icon who remains one of the most influential opposition figures in Brazil, have been petitioning the Supreme Court for his release and seized on the reports to argue that his sentence should be overturned. Moro, speaking at an event in Brasilia on Monday, argued that the messages published so far showed no improper conduct on his part.\n\nThe team of federal prosecutors cited in the messages said they had acted properly throughout the five-year investigation known as “Car Wash,” which uncovered billions of dollars of political bribery. They said in written statements that they had been targeted by a hacker, adding that they were concerned about messages being taken out of context and possibly forged. Moro, who left his role as the most prominent judge in the Car Wash probe to become justice minister in January, also criticized The Intercept for not naming “the person responsible for the criminal invasion of the prosecutors’ cell phones.”\n\n“Regarding the content of the messages citing me, there is no sign of any abnormality or directing of actions as a magistrate, despite them being taken out of context,” he said in a statement.\n\nAndrew Fishman, managing editor at The Intercept Brasil, told Reuters in a statement that Moro and prosecutors had said over the years that they were not collaborating, and “the reporting shows that their private actions contradict their own public statements at the time.”\n\nLawmakers in Brasilia suggested the controversy would not slow their work on an overhaul of the country’s social security system, which the government considers essential to kick-starting an economic recovery.\n\nCongressman Marcelo Ramos, who heads the pension reform committee in the lower house of Congress, said he and his colleagues had a responsibility not to slow their work.\n\nStill, he told Reuters that Moro should temporarily step down as justice minister until he can explain his collaboration with prosecutors. That would give the federal police, which Moro oversees, freedom to investigate the former judge if deemed necessary.\n\nThe office of President Jair Bolsonaro told the Globo TV network late Monday that the leader had “complete trust” in Moro. Earlier, a spokesman had said Bolsonaro would not comment on the situation until he had a chance to meet in person with his minister on Tuesday.\n\nBrazil’s national bar association, which has frequently criticized what it sees as overly aggressive prosecutions and in recent months called for the Car Wash team of prosecutors to be disbanded, on Monday said any prosecutor involved cited in the leak should resign.\n\nMoro’s conviction of Lula was the highest-profile verdict in the ongoing Car Wash probe, which has led to the imprisonment of scores of powerful politicians and businessman in Brazil and elsewhere in Latin America, reshaping the region’s political landscape.\n\nLula, who faces at least six other trials on corruption charges, ran for president last year but was blocked from appearing on the ballot because of his conviction by Moro, which was upheld on appeal. Lula led opinion polls heading into the election, which was won by far-right Bolsonaro.\n\nSome excerpted conversations published by The Intercept showed prosecutors discussing how to block journalists from interviewing Lula in jail during last year’s campaign. A message attributed to one of the prosecutors, Laura Tessler, suggested that such an interview could help Lula’s stand-in on the Workers Party ticket.\n\nThe prosecutors said in their statement on Monday that imprisonment involves restricting the communications of all inmates, regardless of who they are. Tessler did not respond to a request for comment.\n\nIn a written statement, Lula’s legal team said the leak proved what they have argued in court: that Moro and federal prosecutors teamed up to ensure that their client would be quickly found guilty and blocked from last year’s election.\n\nMoro and the prosecutors have denied any illegal collaboration or political motives.\n\nThe Intercept said it had secured the archive of texts, audio and video outside of Brazil so “numerous journalists have access to it” and no one country can block use of the material.\n\nThe website was co-founded by Brazil-based journalist Glenn Greenwald, who won a Pulitzer Prize in 2014 for his reporting on the U.S. National Security Agency’s vast spying program.", "SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Brazil’s Justice Minister Sergio Moro faced intense pressure on Tuesday after leaked personal messages raised doubts about his impartiality as the judge overseeing landmark corruption cases, with an influential newspaper calling on him to resign.\n\nMoro will appear before the Senate judiciary committee next week to explain the leaked messages, which were published on Sunday by The Intercept news website.\n\nThe report said the messages raised serious questions about Moro’s ethics as the judge who imprisoned former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on corruption charges in 2017. They include exchanges between Moro and the lead prosecutor in that case that showed Moro making suggestions about the focus, pace and sequence of investigators’ work.\n\nMoro and the prosecutors have said that nothing released from the hack of their exchanges on the Telegram encrypted chat app indicates any wrongdoing on their part.\n\nLeftist Lula was barred from running for the presidency last year because of Moro’s conviction. Far-right President Jair Bolsonaro prevailed - and promptly named Moro as his justice minister.\n\nThe pressure on Moro and federal prosecutors is expected to increase.\n\nThe Intercept said it had received an “enormous trove” of hacked data from the mobile phones of Moro and prosecutors overseeing the “Car Wash” corruption probe. It said it had only examined a tiny fraction of the material it has in hand and has promised to publish more articles soon.\n\nThe website was co-founded by Glenn Greenwald, a U.S. journalist who made headlines around the world with stories in 2013 and 2014 on U.S. electronic spying, based on classified information leaked by Edward Snowden.\n\nAn editorial in the Estado de S.Paulo, the most conservative of Brazil’s three largest newspapers, argued that Moro clearly needs to step down from his post.\n\nThe leaked messages were “inappropriate and possibly illegal,” the paper wrote.\n\n“It would be best if the minister resigned and the prosecutors removed from the (Car Wash) task force until everything is cleared up,” the editorial stated.\n\nSupreme Court Justice Gilmar Mendes, who has sharply criticized Moro’s aggressive methods when he was a judge, on Tuesday told reporters that the messages could potentially being used against him in future criminal charges, arguing that despite the hack being illegal, the evidence it revealed was still valid.\n\nAnother top court justice, Marco Aurelio Mello, said if Moro had worked with prosecutors in the way that the leaked messages indicated, he would have clearly broken the basic ethical standards of an impartial judge.\n\n“We are all against corruption, but not the fighting of it at any cost,” Mello said. “That would be a setback for the democratic rule of law.”\n\nBrazil’s Supreme Court on Tuesday indicated it would soon take up an appeal from Lula’s lawyers for him to be freed from prison, but have not yet settled on a date.\n\nMoro’s conviction of Lula was the highest-profile verdict in the ongoing Car Wash probe, which has led to the imprisonment of scores of politicians and businessman in Brazil and elsewhere in Latin America.\n\nThe legal team for Lula, who faces at least six other trials on corruption charges, said the leaked messages proved what they have argued in court: that Moro and federal prosecutors teamed up to ensure that their client would be quickly found guilty and blocked from last year’s election.", "Brazil’s supreme court has been dragged into the crisis that has called into question the behaviour of the former judge and federal prosecutors in charge of the country’s historic Car Wash anti-corruption investigation.\n\nAccording to the latest leak by the Intercept website, lead Car Wash prosecutor Deltan Dallagnol apparently communicated with supreme court justice Luiz Fux during 2016 about the probe’s progress, with Mr Fux offering it his support. Mr Dallagnol related this offer in a conversation over a messaging app to then federal judge Sérgio Moro, who at the time oversaw Car Wash cases and is now the country’s justice minister.\n\nThe conversation with Mr Fux appears to refer to preserving the investigation from any attempt to undermine or end it by the new government installed following the impeachment of president Dilma Rousseff in May 2016. Various ministers in the administration of her successor, Michel Temer, were determined to neuter the investigation which exposed the vast extent of corruption by Brazil’s political class.\n\nMr Moro responded: “Excellent. In Fux we trust.” The justice minister has not yet commented on the leak.\n\nAdded to the conversations between Mr Moro and Mr Dallagnol leaked at the weekend these latest revelations appear to provide further evidence of back-channel communication and possible collusion between Car Wash prosecutors and federal judges. Under Brazil’s legal system, judges are meant to be strictly impartial though jurists admit informal contacts between them and prosecutors are common.\n\nMr Moro and Mr Dallagnol have denied any wrongdoing and Car Wash supporters have sought instead to focus on the Intercept’s source. Police believe a number of judges and prosecutors were targeted by a wide-ranging hacking operation.\n\nBut critics of Car Wash, among them the defence of former former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, convicted in the first of nine corruption cases he faces by Mr Moro in 2017, say the leaks prove the investigation’s illegality and are demanding his release from jail.\n\nWhat will President Bolsonaro do?\n\nPresident Jair Bolsonaro has expressed his continuing support for his embattled justice minister, telling reporters on Thursday: “What he did has no price . . . He showed the viscera of power, the promiscuity of power operating through corruption.”\n\nIn the latest leak which was first revealed on Wednesday night Mr Dallagnol also relates how Mr Fux told him of an “arm wrestle” between his court colleague Teori Zavascki and then judge Moro which left the supreme court justice “burnt”.\n\nThis seems to refer to Mr Moro’s illegal release of a phone tap of a conversation between then-president Rousseff and Lula in March 2016.\n\nThe recording indicated that Ms Rousseff’s plan to appoint Lula as her cabinet chief was not about attempting to salvage her disintegrating administration, but to provide her predecessor with immunity from possible arrest by Mr Moro.\n\nThe release of the conversation caused a furore and squashed the effort to bring Lula into cabinet. Mr Zavascki reprimanded the junior judge over his handling of the recordings, but Mr Moro managed to hold on to the Car Wash investigation.", "Four congressional commissions asked Sergio Moro to explain details from a scandal that is involving more people each time.\n\nThe Lower House summoned Justice Minister Sergio Moro to a hearing on June 26 to testify about The Intercept-leaked audios, in which he and Attorney General Deltan Dallagnol coordinated a joint action to prevent former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from running in the 2018 presidential elections.\n\n\"The minister is haunted by the Intercept revelations and even more so to come. He must, after all, be remembering much of everything he did,\" Marcio Jerry, a congressman from the Communist Party (PCdoB), said.\n\nThe Human Rights and Minority Commission (CDHM), the Labor, Administration and Public Service Committee (CTASP) and the Financial Control Committee (CFFC) decided to hold a single joint hearing at the Constitution and Justice Commission (CCJC).\n\nThe information disclosed by The Intercept shows that the then acting federal judge Moro advised prosecutors in several phases of the \"Car Wash\" case, which was an illegal interference that led to a ban on Lula's candidacy to while remaining in prison and boosted Jair Bolsonaro's chances at winning the presidency.\n\n\"Moro was jeered by the crowd at the stadium but the media did not show it.\"\n\nThe Supreme Justice Court vice president Luiz Fux also came under fire Wednesday when new revelation showed that he was involved in the scandal, calling into question the fairness of the trial behind Lula's conviction.\n\nThe Intercept Brazil director Leandro Demory revealed Monday that Judge Fuxhad supported Dallagnol and Moro in their actions.\n\nAt a private conversation, Dallagnol says, \"he said that we should count on him for what we need, once again,\" to which Moro replied, \"Excellent. In Fux we trust\".\n\nAccording to The Intercept, Moro suggested that the prosecutors of Car Wash case change the order of the phases of the operation and other procedures that supposed to be prohibited by law.\n\nThe confidential information disclosed have caused a stir in Brazil and led the defense of Lula to reiterate that the leftist politician is a victim of political persecution, prompting them to demand that the trial against him should be declared void.​​​​​​​\n\nIn 2017, Moro handed out a sentence of to nine years and six months in prison to Lula for corruption, arguing that he had received a beach apartment in exchange for political favors to the Odebrecht construction multinational company.\n\n\"The head of the Car Wash case was no one else than Moro. Dallagnol was a fool. It's proven,\" Supreme Justice Gilmar Mendes said and added that Moro and Dallagnol committed a crime.\n\n\"Simulating a complaint is not just an ethical fault. That's a crime.\"\n\nWhile the Brazilians could not get out of their astonishment at The Intercept leaks, Minister Moro and President Bolsonaro met at the Alvorada Palace Tuesday and were later seen together at a military ceremony and at a soccer game in Brasilia on Wednesday night.​​​​​​ in a show of solidarity.\n\nWhen asked if Bolsonaro still trusts Moro, presidential spokesperson Otavio Rego Barros said that \"all the ministers of President Jair Bolsonaro's administration have the confidence of the executive branch head.\"​​​​​​​", "US journalist Glenn Greenwald said Thursday he has received \"grotesque\" threats also targeting his husband and children after publishing leaked chats showing Brazil's justice minister conspired to keep leftist icon Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva out of the 2018 presidential race.\n\nGreenwald told AFP \"political violence is a reality\" in Brazil and he would not leave the country after The Intercept investigative website he co-founded released explosive material that has cast doubt on Sergio Moro's impartiality when he was an anti-corruption judge.\n\nThe Telegram chats -- provided to The Intercept by an anonymous source -- have triggered calls for the resignation of Moro, who spearheaded a massive graft investigation known as Car Wash before he joined far-right President Jair Bolsonaro's cabinet in January.\n\nNo one has been untouchable in the probe, which began in 2014 and upended Brazil's politics by uncovering large-scale looting of state oil company Petrobras.\n\nScores of top players across the political spectrum as well as business figures have been taken down.\n\nBut critics say Moro -- who handed Lula his first conviction for taking bribes and money laundering in 2017, effectively ending both his election hopes and decades of center-left rule in Brazil -- targeted the former president and his popular Workers' Party (PT) most of all.\n\n\"We knew that when we were going to report on very powerful figures who are part of the Bolsonaro government that was going to generate a lot of hatred, animosity and threats,\" Greenwald said a day after The Intercept released more conversations between Moro and Car Wash chief prosecutor Deltan Dallagnol.\n\n\"We have received some really disgusting and detailed and grotesque, graphic threats that are pretty disturbing and we do take seriously,\" he said.\n\nThe menacing messages -- sent via email and social media -- have also targeted his husband, Brazilian lawmaker David Miranda, and their two adopted children.\n\nGreenwald, who was part of the team that first interviewed fugitive US whistleblower Edward Snowden in 2013, acknowledged the risks were greater this time given his physical proximity to the people he is accusing, but said he \"would absolutely not ever leave Brazil.\"\n\n\"It's the country that belongs to my children and my husband,\" Greenwald said.\n\n\"We have taken all the measures that we feel like we should take for our legal and physical security. After that you have to go about and do your work.\n\nMoro, a hero to many Brazilians fed up with corruption, has remained defiant since The Intercept published the first tranche of what it said was an \"enormous trove\" of documents on Sunday.\n\nIn the leaked group chats, Car Wash prosecutors expressed \"serious doubts\" over the evidence against Lula and spoke openly of wanting to prevent the PT from winning the 2018 presidential election that Lula was widely expected to win.\n\nMoro repeatedly \"overstepped the ethical lines that define the role of a judge\" by offering prosecutors advice and tips for \"new avenues of investigation,\" The Intercept said.\n\nMoro has denied any wrongdoing and claims the leaked messages were illegally hacked. Car Wash investigators have questioned the authenticity of the chats, saying they could have been fabricated.\n\nGreenwald refused to discuss how The Intercept's source obtained the incendiary material, which he said showed \"Moro was integrated fully into the prosecutorial work\" of the Car Wash investigation.\n\n\"They had an ongoing collaborative relationship which violates the constitution and the code of judicial ethics in a way that calls into question every verdict that Moro issued as part of the Lava Jato (Car Wash) case.\"\n\nLula, who led Brazil through a historic boom from 2003 to 2010, is serving a reduced jail term of eight years and 10 months after being convicted of accepting a seaside apartment as a bribe for helping the OAS construction company get lucrative deals with Petrobras.\n\nA second conviction was handed down in February for which he was sentenced to almost 13 years.\n\nLula has denied all the corruption charges against him, arguing they were politically motivated to prevent him from competing in the 2018 election, which Bolsonaro won.\n\nWhile the leaks have been a blow to Moro's reputation, some analysts have downplayed the potential fall-out from the scandal given the popularity of Moro, who is seen by many as an anti-corruption crusader.\n\nBolsonaro, who has been uncharacteristically silent on Twitter over the leak, attended a football game with Moro on Wednesday in a sign of his support.\n\nGreenwald said he had not expected Moro to resign after the initial reports, but questioned whether the minister could hang on to his job or be effective as The Intercept publishes more material.\n\n\"The main victims of what we are revealing is Brazilian society... and the people who were punished and imprisoned by a process that was clearly run by people who had no regard for the rules that they are required to abide by,\" said Greenwald.\n\n\"When those rules are violated the entire system of justice is corrupted.\"", "The Brazilian Bar Association and a congressman have called for the suspension of Justice Minister Sergio Moro after reports published by an online magazine appeared to question Moro's impartiality in a case that saw a former leftist president convicted of corruption.\n\nThe Intercept report said that, as a crusading anti-corruption judge, Moro coordinated with prosecutors in the case that led to the conviction and jailing of former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.\n\nLula was blocked from running as a presidential candidate because of the 2018 conviction. The leftist leader led opinion polls heading into the October election, which was won by far-right Jair Bolsonaro.\n\nThe website said it was only beginning to report on an \"enormous trove\" of leaked messages between Moro and prosecutors on Telegram, an encrypted messaging platform, that it had received from an anonymous source.\n\nThe Bar Association also recommended that all the prosecutors involved in the Car Wash scandal probe be disbanded \"so that the investigation can run without any suspicions\".\n\nThe five-year investigation, known as Car Wash, uncovered billions of dollars of political bribery involving politicians and bureaucrats.\n\nMoro denied any wrongdoing. \"There is no orientation in those messages,\" he told reporters on Monday. He added that he couldn't confirm if the published messages were real because he had not saved them.\n\nIn an earlier statement, he called the reports \"sensationalist\".\n\n\"Regarding the content of the messages citing me, there is no sign of any abnormality or directing of actions as a magistrate, despite them being taken out of context,\" he said.\n\nMoro, who left his role as the most prominent judge in the Car Wash probe to become justice minister in January, also criticised The Intercept for not naming \"the person responsible for the criminal invasion of the prosecutors' cell phones.\"\n\nThe excerpts, released on Sunday by the Intercept, included exchanges in which Moro made suggestions to prosecutors about the focus, pace and sequence of investigations.\n\nAttorneys for Lula, a leftist icon who remains one of the most influential opposition figures in Brazil, have been petitioning the Supreme Court for his release and seized on the reports to argue that his sentence should be overturned.\n\nThe team of federal prosecutors cited in the messages said they had acted properly throughout the Car Wash investigation.\n\nThey said in written statements that they had been targeted by a hacker, adding that they were concerned about messages being taken out of context and possibly forged.\n\nAndrew Fishman, managing editor at The Intercept Brasil, told Reuters in a statement that Moro and prosecutors had said over the years that they were not collaborating, and \"the reporting shows that their private actions contradict their own public statements at the time.\"\n\nMeanwhile, legislators in Brasilia suggested the controversy would not slow their work on an overhaul of the country's social security system, which the government considers essential to kick-starting an economic recovery.\n\nCongressman Marcelo Ramos, who heads the pension reform committee in the lower house of the National Congress, said he and his colleagues had a responsibility not to slow their work.\n\nStill, he told Reuters, Moro should temporarily step down as justice minister until he is able to explain his collaboration with prosecutors. That would give the federal police, which Moro oversees, freedom to investigate the former judge if deemed necessary.\n\nThe office of President Jair Bolsonaro told the Globo TV network late on Monday that the leader had \"complete trust\" in Moro.\n\nEarlier, a spokesman had said Bolsonaro would not comment on the situation until he had a chance to meet in person with his minister on Tuesday.\n\nMoro's conviction of Lula was the highest-profile verdict in the ongoing Car Wash probe, which has led to the imprisonment of scores of powerful politicians and businessman in Brazil and elsewhere in Latin America, reshaping the region's political landscape.\n\nSome excerpted conversations published by The Intercept showed prosecutors discussing how to block journalists from interviewing Lula in jail during last year's campaign.\n\nA message attributed to one of the prosecutors, Laura Tessler, suggested that such an interview could help Lula's stand-in on the Workers Party ticket.\n\nThe prosecutors said in their statement on Monday that imprisonment involves restricting the communications of all inmates, regardless of who they are. Tessler did not respond to a request for comment.\n\nIn a written statement, Lula's legal team said the leak proved what they have argued in court: that Moro and federal prosecutors teamed up to ensure that their client would be quickly found guilty and blocked from last year's election.\n\nThe Intercept said it had secured the archive of texts, audio and video outside of Brazil so \"numerous journalists have access to it\" and no one country can block use of the material.", "These stories are based on a massive archive of previously undisclosed materials — including private chats, audio recordings, videos, photos, court proceedings, and other documentation — provided to us by an anonymous source. They reveal serious wrongdoing, unethical behavior, and systematic deceit about which the public, both in Brazil and internationally, has the right to know.\n\nThe Intercept Brasil today published three explosive exposés showing highly controversial, politicized, and legally dubious internal discussions and secret actions by the Operation Car Wash anti-corruption task force of prosecutors, led by the chief prosecutor Deltan Dallagnol, along with then-Judge Sergio Moro, now the powerful and internationally celebrated justice minister for Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.\n\nThese three articles were published today in The Intercept Brasil in Portuguese, and we have synthesized them into two English-language articles for The Intercept. Given the size and global influence of Brazil under the new Bolsonaro government, these stories are of great significance to an international audience.\n\nThis is merely the beginning of what we intend to be an ongoing journalistic investigation, using this massive archive of material, into the Car Wash corruption probe; Moro’s actions when he was a judge and those of the prosecutor Dallagnol; and the conduct of numerous individuals who continue to wield great political and economic power both inside Brazil and in other countries.\n\nBeyond the inherent political, economic, and environmental importance of Brazil under Bolsonaro, the significance of these revelations arises from the incomparably consequential actions of the yearslong Car Wash corruption probe. That sweeping scandal implicated numerous leading political figures, oligarchs, Bolsonaro’s predecessor as president, and even foreign leaders in corruption prosecutions.\n\nMost importantly, Car Wash was the investigative saga that led to the imprisonment of former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva last year. Lula’s conviction by Moro, once it was quickly affirmed by an appellate court, rendered him ineligible to run for president at a time when all polls showed that Lula — who was twice elected president by large margins in 2002 and in 2006 before being term-limited out of office in 2010 with an 87 percent approval rating — was the frontrunner in the 2018 presidential race. Lula’s exclusion from the election, based on Moro’s finding of guilt, was a key episode that paved the way for Bolsonaro’s election victory.\n\nPerhaps most remarkably, after Bolsonaro won the presidency, he created a new position of unprecedented authority, referred to by Brazilians as “super justice minister,” to oversee an agency with consolidated powers over law enforcement, surveillance, and investigation previously interspersed among multiple ministries. Bolsonaro created that position for the benefit of the very judge who found Lula guilty, Sergio Moro, and it is the position Moro now occupies. In other words, Moro now wields immense police and surveillance powers in Brazil — courtesy of a president who was elected only after Moro, while he was as judge, rendered Bolsonaro’s key adversary ineligible to run against him.\n\nThe Car Wash prosecutors and Moro have been highly controversial in Brazil and internationally — heralded by many as anti-corruption heroes and accused by others of being clandestine right-wing ideologues masquerading as apolitical law enforcers. Their critics have insisted that they have abused and exploited their law enforcement powers with the politicized goal of preventing Lula from returning to the presidency and destroying his leftist Workers’ Party, or the PT. Moro and the prosecutors have, with equal vehemence, denied that they have any political allegiances or objectives and have said they are simply trying to cleanse Brazil of corruption.\n\nBut, until now, the Car Wash prosecutors and Moro have carried out their work largely in secret, preventing the public from evaluating the validity of the accusations against them and the truth of their denials. That’s what makes this new archive so journalistically valuable: For the first time, the public will learn what these judges and prosecutors were saying and doing when they thought nobody was listening.\n\nToday’s articles show, among other things, that the Car Wash prosecutors spoke openly of their desire to prevent the PT from winning the election and took steps to carry out that agenda, and that Moro secretly and unethically collaborated with the Car Wash prosecutors to help design the case against Lula despite serious internal doubts about the evidence supporting the accusations, only for him to then pretend to be its neutral adjudicator.\n\nThe Intercept’s only role in obtaining these materials was to receive them from our source, who contacted us many weeks ago (long before the recently alleged hacking of Moro’s telephone) and informed us that they had already obtained the full set of materials and was eager to provide them to journalists.\n\nInforming the public of matters in the public interest and exposing wrongdoing was our guiding principle in doing this initial reporting on the archive, and it will continue to be our guiding principle as we report further on the large number of materials we have been provided.\n\nThe sheer volume of materials in this archive, as well as the fact that many documents include private conversations among public officials, requires us to make journalistic decisions about which documents should be reported on and published, and which documents should be withheld.\n\nWhen making these judgments, we employ the standard used by journalists in democracies around the world: namely, that material revealing wrongdoing or deceit by powerful actors should be reported, but information that is purely private in nature and whose disclosure may infringe upon legitimate privacy interests or other social values should be withheld.\n\nIndeed, in our reporting on this material, we are guided by the same rationale that led much of Brazilian society — including many journalists, commentators, and activists — to praise the disclosure in 2016 by Moro and various media outlets of the private telephone calls between Lula and former President Dilma Rousseff, in which the two leaders discussed the possibility of Lula becoming a minister in Dilma’s government. Disclosure of those private calls was crucial in turning public opinion against the PT, helping to lay the groundwork for Dilma’s 2016 impeachment and Lula’s 2018 imprisonment. The principle invoked to justify that disclosure was the same one we are adhering to in our reporting on these materials: that a democracy is healthier when significant actions undertaken in secret by powerful figures are revealed to the public.\n\nBut unlike those disclosures by Moro and various media outlets of the private conversations between Lula and Dilma — which included not only matters whose disclosures were in the public interest, but also private communications of Lula that had no public relevance and that many argued were released with the intention of personally embarrassing Lula — The Intercept has resolved to withhold any private communications, audio recordings, videos, or other materials relating to Moro, Dallagnol, or any other parties that are purely private in nature and thus unrelated to matters of public interest.", "A hero to Brazilians fed up with corruption, Justice Minister Sergio Moro is wounded but defiant after accusations of unethical — or even illegal — behavior in a sprawling anti-graft investigation that has polarized the country.\n\nMoro, the powerful anticorruption judge behind the so-called Car Wash probe that upended the country’s politics by uncovering large-scale looting of state oil company Petrobras, is at the center of a growing scandal that has triggered calls for his resignation.\n\nTelegram messages leaked to The Intercept investigative website purportedly show Moro conspired with Car Wash prosecutors to keep leftist icon Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva — who he sent to jail for taking bribes and laundering money — out of the 2018 presidential election, which he was expected to win.\n\nThe incendiary claims published Sunday ignited a firestorm in Brazil’s mainstream media and on social networks, with opinion on Moro deeply divided.\n\nIn the three days since the explosive reports involving his star minister, however, far-right President Jair Bolsonaro has been uncharacteristically silent.\n\nBolsonaro met with Moro on Tuesday morning, but when questioned by reporters later about the claims against him, the president swiftly shut down the interview.\n\nAccused of improperly advising Car Wash prosecutors in their years-long probe, Moro has said there was nothing abnormal about his relationship with the investigators.\n\nHe remained defiant Wednesday, tweeting: “Hackers of judges, prosecutors, journalists and perhaps parliamentarians … or fake scandals will not interfere with the mission,” which includes getting approval for his anticrime bill in a hostile Congress.\n\nWhile Bolsonaro has not publicly defended Moro, the embattled minister has drawn support from the powerful military.\n\n“Left-leaning members of Congress, newspapers and lawyers associations may demand Moro’s resignation, but this comes down to the president,” said Robert Muggah, research director at the Igarape Institute, a think tank in Rio de Janeiro.\n\nMoro’s appointment to Bolsonaro’s cabinet was a popular decision with those who saw the stern, square-jawed ex-judge as a hero for helping to expose and jail some of Brazil’s best known and most powerful politicians and business executives.\n\nBut his critics saw it as proof Moro pulled the strings of justice to manipulate the country’s politics.\n\nNo one has been untouchable in the investigation, which began in 2014 and has become one of the world’s biggest corruption sweeps ever, as it tackled business empires like the powerful Odebrecht construction company and took down a string of top-level players from across the political spectrum.\n\nBut opponents say he targeted Lula and his once-unstoppable Workers’ Party most of all.\n\nLula, who led Brazil through a historic boom from 2003 to 2010, is serving a reduced jail term of eight years and 10 months after being convicted of accepting a seaside apartment as a bribe for helping the OAS construction company get lucrative deals with Petrobras.\n\nA second conviction was handed down in February for which he was sentenced to almost 13 years.\n\nLula has denied all the corruption charges against him, arguing they were politically motivated to prevent him from competing in the 2018 election, which Bolsonaro went on to win.\n\nBorn in 1972 in Maringa, near Curitiba, Moro studied law, earned a doctorate and became a federal judge in 1996.\n\nHe completed his training at Harvard law school, going on to specialize in money laundering crimes. He took inspiration from Italy’s “Clean Hands” anti-corruption drive in the 1990s, which led to the conviction of half the country’s lawmakers.\n\nA married father of two, Moro’s unprecedented assault on business-as-usual has won him many fans. But he also has accumulated plenty of enemies.\n\nOpposition parties have called for a congressional investigation into the relationship between Car Wash investigators and judges, including Moro.\n\nWriting in the daily Folha de S.Paulo on Wednesday, columnist Monica Bergamo said Moro’s opponents in Congress were still deciding how to attack the minister.\n\n“There is an agreement: it is necessary to have patience and wait for Moro to ‘bleed’ more.”"], "summary": "More text messages between judge Sérgio Moro and prosecutor Deltan Dallagnol are leaked, implicating Vice-President of the Supreme Federal Court Luiz Fux in illicit collaboration between Brazilian judges and Car Wash's team of prosecutors."}
{"document": ["SpaceX\n\nSpaceX on Wednesday launched a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, containing the Canadian Space Agency's Radarsat trio of Earth observation satellites. The broadcast was telecast live on SpaceX's YouTube channel and it was a particularly interesting one -- the base was covered in fog.\n\nThat provided a wonderful image of the Falcon 9 bursting through the layer of fog as it ascended to orbit (above). It also provided an interesting landing for the Falcon 9 booster as it returned to land at Vandenberg shortly after separation.\n\nIf you missed it as it happened, you can watch a replay of the launch below.\n\nCanada's three Radarsat satellites, shaped like old rubber stamps, will gather data about the nation's coasts and waterways to help ships navigate the Arctic, provide agriculture solutions and help first responders save lives, according to the agency. The dimensions of the satellites are such that they're almost as big as a Tesla Roadster, but they're only half as heavy. Eventually the satellites will settle into an orbit around 600 kilometers (around 370 miles) above the Earth.\n\nFor SpaceX, it's another flight for the Falcon 9 rocket, which delivered the Crew Dragon to the International Space Station in March. The first stage booster successfully returned to land at Vandenberg after separation.\n\nAfter the Radarsat mission, SpaceX will launch the Falcon Heavy for the third time on the STP-2 mission. That's scheduled to take place on June 24 (with a backup launch window on June 25). It's regarded as one of the most challenging launches in SpaceX history and will be attempting to deploy a suite of satellites into orbit for the Department of Defense. It'll also be carrying the Planetary Society's experimental solar sail, LightSail 2.\n\nProvided the Falcon Heavy core can be recovered in that mission, it'll be the first such success for SpaceX, which was unable to keep the core from toppling over in rough seas during the Arabsat mission.\n\nOriginally published June 11, 6:05 p.m. PT.\n\nUpdate, June 12 at 9:01 a.m. and 6:09 p.m.: Confirmed launch and added details.", "VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE (CBSLA) — Sonic booms may wake up people along the coasts in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties when SpaceX attempts to land a rocket that will carry three satellites Wednesday morning from Vandenberg Air Force Base.\n\nHawthorne-based SpaceX is scheduled to launch the Falcon 9 rocket carrying the RADARSAT Constellation Wednesday morning during a launch window that opens at 7:17 a.m. and try to recover the rocket with a landing back at Vandenberg Air Force Base.\n\nIf the launch proceeds as planned, it could create an impressive aerial show visible to most of Southern California. Depending on weather conditions in Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties, residents may also hear one or more sonic booms during the landing operations, according to base officials.\n\nThe three satellites are part of Canada’s RADARSAT Constellation of Earth-observation satellites. The Canadian Space Agency says the satellites will gather data primarily for maritime surveillance, disaster management and ecosystem monitoring.", "SpaceX launches a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base Wednesday morning.According to the base's Facebook page, the launch window is set to open at 7:17 a.m. and conditions are looking good.Base officials say the visibility will be three to four miles with patchy fog. The temperature is expected to be anywhere from 52 to 57 degrees Fahrenheit.The Falcon 9 will be carrying the RADARSAT Constellation Mission from Space Complex Launch-4.RADARSAT is a Canadian remote sensing Earth Observation satellite overseen by the Canadian Space Agency.Surrounding counties, including Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Ventura, may hear at least one sonic boom during the launch.", "Three satellites for the Canadian Space Agency's Earth-monitoring Radarsat program are heading toward orbit aboard a SpaceX rocket.The Falcon 9 booster blasted off from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, at 7:17 a.m. Wednesday.SpaceX intends to fly the rocket's first stage back to the base northwest of Los Angeles and area residents have been advised they may hear a sonic boom during its return. The booster was previously used for a launch in March.Deployment of the three satellites is scheduled to be complete just over an hour after liftoff.The Radarsat satellites bounce signals off the Earth's surface to create images even during adverse weather conditions.The images are used for a wide range of purposes, including monitoring sea ice, disaster management and agricultural and forestry management.", "Going back to Cali! SpaceX launches RADARSAT for Canadian Space Agency\n\nLOMPOC, Calif. — SpaceX successfully completed the company’s second launch of 2019 from Vandenberg Air Force Base’s Space Launch Complex 4 East in California. Today’s flight continues pushing the company’s busy 2019 flight manifest.\n\nOne of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rockets ferried the RADARSAT Constellation Mission (or “RCM” for short) on the first leg of its journey on behalf of the Canadian Space Agency. Three of the satellites made up the payload for today’s flight.\n\nEach of the RCM satellites sent aloft weigh in at about 3,150 pounds (1,429 kg) and were built by MDA. RCM-1 was deployed 54 minutes after it had left the pad with the other two satellites released in four minute intervals after that. The last of the trio was deployed one hour and two minutes after lifting off. The satellites launched today are identical C-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) Earth observation satellites.\n\nThe mission got underway at 10:17 a.m. EDT (7:17 a.m. PDT; 1417 GMT) using the B1051.2 first stage core to lift its precious cargo off the pad.\n\nThis booster core was last used on SpaceX’s DM-1 mission. Not satisfied that it had made history sending the first commercial crew-rated spacecraft to the International Space Station, the NewSpace company refurbished it and used it again today.\n\nAfter it had completed its part of the flight B1051.2 conducted a safe landing back on the ground at Landing Zone 4 (LZ-4) about eight minutes after it lifted off (so far this year SpaceX has launched seven times and recovered every first stage booster used).\n\nIf there is one near constant at Vandenberg – it’s fog. A bank submerged the area in a white haze with visibility described as being about 200 feet (61 meters).\n\nToday’s launch window only lasted about 13 minutes, but SpaceX got the flight underway at the very opening of that window. There’s no rest for the wicked however. SpaceX now has to prepare for a planned June 24 launch of the Space Test Program Flight 2 (STP-2) from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A. The payload’s size requires one of the company’s huge Falcon Heavy rockets to get it underway.\n\nThe 229-foot-tall (70-meter) rocket (at lift off) Block 5 rocket sent the trio of satellites to a sun-synchronous orbit. Each of the spacecraft will be included in a constellation of satellites that started taking shape in 1995, when the first satellites under the program were sent to orbit.\n\nThe last time SpaceX used SLC-4E was to launch the Iridium NEXT-8 mission back in January of this year (2019). At present, there are no other West Coast missions on its 2019 launch manifest. So far, the Hawthorne, California-based company has conducted seven flights in 2019 – a rate of more than per a month.", "\n• SpaceX successfully launched a used Falcon 9 rocket on a space mission for Canada on Wednesday morning.\n• The used rocket sent three Earth-observing satellites into space to monitor Canadian land and waters.\n• The first-stage of the rocket stuck its landing approximately eight minutes after liftoff, and the satellites were deployed about an hour later.\n\nDespite a layer of heavy fog blanketing the launchpad, SpaceX successfully launched a used Falcon 9 rocket, which deployed three satellites before sticking a landing on the California coast.\n\nThe trio of satellites were part of the RADARSAT Constellation Mission developed by the Canadian Space Agency to observe Canada’s land and oceans, as well as measure the impact of climate change on the region. The satellites will also provide maritime surveillance and assist in designing disaster relief efforts.\n\nThis Falcon 9 was used in March to ferry the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule to the International Space Station, The Verge reported.\n\nRead more: Elon Musk is building SpaceX’s Mars rockets in a tiny Texas hamlet. But getting them off the ground there may be harder than he imagined.\n\nThe Falcon 9 rocket took off at 7:17 am PST, piercing through the clouds after a foggy launch.\n\nThe satellites were deployed approximately 54 minutes after liftoff.\n\nThe Falcon 9 rocket is a two-stage rocket — the second stage heads into orbit and the first stage comes back to Earth.\n\nThe first-stage landing occurred approximately eight minutes after liftoff of the Falcon 9 rocket.\n\nThe first stage successfully landed in SpaceX’s launchpad at the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.\n\nWatch the broadcast of the launch here:", "In this image made from video provided by SpaceX, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying an Argentinian satellite blasts off from the Vandenberg Air Force Base launch site, about 130 miles (209 kilometers) northwest of Los Angeles on Sunday, Oct. 7, 2018. The primary purpose of the mission was to place the SAOCOM 1A satellite into orbit, but SpaceX also wanted to expand its recovery of first stages to its launch site at the Air Force base (SpaceX via AP) (Photo: AP)\n\nThe planned launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base Wednesday morning could bring one or more sonic booms to the region, officials say.\n\nThe launch window will open at 7:17 a.m. Wednesday, according to officials at the base outside Lompoc.\n\nThe rocket will be carrying a trio of satellites dubbed the RADARSAT Constellation for the Canadian Space Agency, the agency said.\n\nThe reusable first stage of the two-stage Falcon 9 rocket will return to Vandenberg after the launch. It's during that landing attempt that residents of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo and Ventura counties could hear one or more sonic booms, according to base officials.\n\nIn recent years, some SpaceX and other rocket launches from Vandenberg have created colorful displays in dawn or twilight skies, flooding social media with photos and videos.", "SpaceX completed a second successful blastoff, satellite deployment, and return of its Falcon 9 rocket at Vandenberg Air Force Base Wednesday morning. The two-stage rocket lifted off through dense fog at 7:17 a.m. from the ocean-side launch facility, carrying three satellites for the Canadian Space Agency that will provide repeated daily views of sea ice in the Arctic, farmland conditions inland, and areas affected by severe weather.\n\nWithin eight minutes, the lower portion of the rocket touched down again at Vandenberg, the second time SpaceX has accomplished the feat; the first time was in October 2018. Fifty-four minutes later, the upper part of the missile released the three satellites into orbit, minutes apart. The Synthetic Aperture Radar Earth observation satellites were built by MDA (formerly MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates of BC), now owned by Maxar Technologies of Colorado, which commissioned the ride into space. A live webcast was being carried by SpaceX.", "The launch is set to launch at 7:17 a.m.\n\nSANTA BARBARA, Calif. — SpaceX on Wednesday is scheduled to launch a trio of satellites for the Canadian government.\n\nThe Falcon 9 is slated to lift off from Vandenberg Air Force base in California, with a 13-minute launch window that begins at 7:17 a.m. PT.\n\nMeteorologists from the National Weather Service forecast “areas of dense fog” during the time period. Winds could gust as much as 20 miles per hour.\n\nPrevious launches at Vandenberg have provided a brilliant sight in the sky above San Diego.\n\nThe rocket is the same one used during a March test mission of SpaceX’s new spacecraft that’s built to carry humans, the company said. The first stage booster is expected to return to Vandenberg about 10 minutes after liftoff.\n\nThe rocket is carrying the RADARSAT Constellation Mission — and consists of three satellites for the Canadian Space Agency.\n\nData pulled from the satellites will be used for a variety of information, including monitoring climate change, ice melt and maritime surveillance to help the country’s defense force, according to the agency’s website. Images taken by the satellites will also help emergency services respond to severe weather situations, such as flooding and earthquakes.\n\nSpaceX is the only rocket company that safely lands boosters after launching orbital missions. Its ability to recover boosters is a key selling point, since the company says reusable hardware helps reduce launch costs.\n\nThe broadcast will be carried live on SpaceX’s YouTube channel.", "SpaceX has blasted off a payload of three Tesla Roadster-sized satellites for the Canadian government, marking its seventh successful launch this year.\n\nThrough a thick haze of fog, the white Falcon 9 rocket took flight from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California at 10:17 am (ET).\n\nAbout ten minutes after launch, the recycled rocket touched down without a hitch back on the landing pad.\n\n'Falcon has landed back at landing zone four at Vandenberg Air Force Base,' a SpaceX announcer said during a livestream of the launch.\n\nThe launch made use of the same Falcon 9 rocket that flew a mission just a few months earlier in March, when it delivered the Crew Dragon capsule to the International Space Station.\n\nThe 'RADARSAT Constellation' mission also represents SpaceX's second successful launch and re-landing on the west coast.\n\nRoughly 55 minutes into the launch, SpaceX successfully deployed the first of the trio of satellites.\n\nThe satellites, which will orbit roughly 370 miles above the Earth, are approximately the size of a Tesla Roadster, measuring about 23ft wide and 11.8ft tall.\n\nOnce all three are deployed, the satellites will map Canada's waters, as well as provide readings of the Arctic, to help ships navigate.\n\nTo do this, they're equipped with radar and ship-identification technology, according to the Canadian Space Agency.\n\nAbout ten minutes after launch, the recycled rocket touched down without a hitch back on the landing pad. Pictured is the Falcon 9 returning to Earth through a haze of fog\n\n'The three-satellite configuration of the RCM will provide daily revisits of Canada's vast territory and maritime approaches, including the Arctic up to 4 times a day, as well as daily access to any point of 90% of the world's surface,' SpaceX said in a statement.\n\n'The RCM help create precise sea ice maps of Canada’s oceans and the Great Lakes to facilitate navigation and commercial maritime transportation.'\n\nFollowing this mission, SapceX will launch the Falcon Heavy megarocket for the third time on June 24th.\n\nThat event, dubbed the STP-2 mission, will deploy several satellites into orbit for the Department of Defense.\n\nIt'll also be carrying the Planetary Society's Lightsail 2, a 'solar sail' that resembles a kite and is capable of guiding satellites by harnessing solar energy.\n\nThe first Lightsail launch took place in 2015 and now the team is hoping to test it further.\n\nAfter Lightsail 2 is deployed, it will fly around the Earth for the first time, in order to test its maneuverability."], "summary": "Despite dense fog, SpaceX successfully launches the Canadian Space Agency's RADARSAT Constellation satellites on a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base."}
{"document": ["ST. LOUIS — Facing elimination in an oh-so-hostile environment, Tuukka Rask and Brad Marchand stepped up for the Boston Bruins once again.\n\nThe Stanley Cup Final is heading to Game 7 because two of Boston's biggest stars love the biggest moments.\n\nRask made 28 saves, Marchand had a goal and an assist, and the Bruins beat the St. Louis Blues 5-1 on Sunday night to even the bruising, physical final at three games apiece.\n\nDavid Pastrnak had one of Boston's four goals in the third period and an assist, helping the Bruins force the 17th Game 7 in Stanley Cup history. Brandon Carlo, Karson Kuhlman and Zdeno Chara also scored.\n\n\"We're fighting for our lives obviously,\" Marchand said. \"When you play desperate, I think you see everyone's best game.\"\n\nBoston also was involved in the final's last Game 7, winning the championship at Vancouver in 2011. Rask was a reserve goaltender on that team eight years ago, while Marchand was a key performer. They will go for another championship Wednesday night in Boston after losing to Chicago in the 2013 final.\n\n\"The whole hockey world loves a Game 7, so it should be a great night in Boston and may the best team win,\" Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy said.\n\nRyan O'Reilly scored in the third period for St. Louis, which is looking for the franchise's first Stanley Cup title in its 51st season. Rookie Jordan Binnington finished with 27 stops.\n\n\"We have to move on, get ready for the next one,\" O'Reilly said. \"We're confident. We're a great road team. Maybe that's our story. Maybe we have to get it done on the road.\"\n\nBacked by an electric Enterprise Center crowd that included actors Jon Hamm and Jenna Fischer and Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina, wearing a No. 49 Blues jersey in honor of suspended forward Ivan Barbashev, St. Louis looked a step off for most of the game. Prime scoring opportunities were derailed by misplaced passes or ever-so-slight timing issues.\n\nOf course, the unflappable Rask can have that effect on a team. And whenever the Blues threatened, the 6-foot-3 Finnish star was there.\n\n\"He's our best player,\" Bruins defenseman Charlie McAvoy said. \"He just steps up when it matters and we have all the faith in the world in him. ... He's our rock.\"\n\nRask was at his best while Boston killed off four power plays, dropping St. Louis to 1 for 18 with the man advantage for the series. He smothered a big Colton Parayko slap shot with Chara in the box near the end of the first period, and made a fancy glove stop on an even-strength try for Brayden Schenn 7:42 in the second.\n\nHe got some help after Marchand was whistled for tripping Alex Pietrangelo midway through the second. With the Blues applying heavy pressure in search of the tying goal, Pietrangelo had a backhand go off the left post and Rask's back before McAvoy knocked the puck out of the way out of midair.\n\n\"We weathered the storm pretty good,\" Rask said.\n\nWhile St. Louis came up empty on the power play, Boston used a 5-on-3 advantage to jump in front in the first. With Schenn and O'Reilly in the box, Marchand beat Binnington with a sharp-angled shot from the right circle at 8:40.\n\nIt was Marchand's first goal since he got an empty-netter in Boston's 4-2 victory in Game 1. The Bruins improved to 25-1 when the pesky veteran scores in the postseason.\n\n\"We knew that again the start was going to be key and that they were going to give us a push early and to manage that and play well and take care of details and obviously capitalize on our chances,\" Boston center Patrice Bergeron said.\n\nMarchand and company then put it away in the third.\n\nFirst, Jake DeBrusk won a board battle with Pietrangelo to set up Carlo's bouncing shot that went off Binnington's arm for the defenseman's second career playoff goal. Then Kuhlman, a rookie who was in the lineup in place of former Blues captain David Backes, made it 3-0 with a well-placed wrist shot at 10:15.\n\nAfter O'Reilly supplied some hope for St. Louis when he was awarded a goal after a review by the officials, Marchand found Pastrnak in front and the winger put a slick move on Binnington to make it 4-1 on 14:06.\n\nChara, playing with a broken jaw, added an empty-netter with 2:19 left. The crowd chanted \"Let's Go Blues!\" in the final moments, hoping to give St. Louis a boost for its trip to Boston.\n\n\"Listen, if you told me four months ago we were going to be in the finals in Game 7, I think I'd take it,\" Blues coach Craig Berube said. \"We've been a good road team. We've won twice up there in this series, so we're a confident group.\"\n\nNOTES: Boston is hosting Game 7 in the Stanley Cup Final for the first time in franchise history. ... The Bruins improved to 13-3 when they score first in the playoffs. ... Barbashev was suspended for one game for an illegal check to the head of Boston forward Marcus Johansson during Game 5.", "Almost 50 years after they were swept by the Boston Bruins in their last Stanley Cup Final appearance, the St. Louis Blues have avenged their 1970 defeat in historic fashion, beating the Eastern Conference champions 4-1 at TD Garden on Thursday night to claim their first title.\n\nThe Bruins entered with the upper hand, touting home ice after dropping four goals on Blues rookie goalie Jordan Binnington in a 5-1 Game 6 rout, but he stifled an early onslaught of offense to start Thursday's showdown. That allowed St. Louis to hold a 2-0 lead after two periods despite taking only six of their own shots at the halfway point of the action. From that point forward, with Boston fans muzzled and the Bruins' biggest names back in the shadows, St. Louis simply put on a clinic, demonstrating pitch-perfect checking, transition defense and penalty killing -- all before a pair of third-period goals sealed their first title in franchise history.\n\nFor a team that sat in last place on the first day of 2019, the Blues looked a whole lot more like a veteran playoff team than the Bruins, who were essentially sapped of all energy and rhythm as early as the end of the first period. Ryan O'Reilly made history by getting St. Louis on the board first, tipping a shot past Tuukka Rask to become the first player to score in four straight Final games since Wayne Gretzky in 1985. Scoring strikes from Zach Sanford and Brayden Schenn in the final eight and a half minutes sealed the deal, with only a late tally from Matt Grzelcyk putting Boston on the board.\n\nEntering Game 7, it was anyone's guess as to which version of the Blues and Bruins would actually show up. Boston seemed like the clear-cut favorite after an opening-game victory that established them as the \"been there, done that\" veterans of the series, and the Blues needed overtime to barely hang on in Game 2. A 7-2 blowout in the subsequent matchup seemingly reaffirmed the Bs as the team to beat for the Cup, but St. Louis stole the series lead with two straight wins, including one at TD Garden, before yet another Bruins explosion in Game 6 -- a 5-1 rout that marked the long-awaited emergence of Boston's first-line stars.\n\nDiscipline haunted the Blues at various points in the series, with two different players warranting suspensions for illegal hits, and yet it was St. Louis that stayed locked in when it mattered, particularly in Game 7. Aside from a first-period delay of game that played into Boston's early momentum, Craig Berube's squad remained laser sharp, especially on defense, to maintain their initial 2-0 lead.\n\nRelive the entire championship finale right here:\n\nBoston has no answers, little life through two periods\n\nAfter starting so aggressively and effectively in the first period, the Bruins seemed as if they'd slip one past Jordan Binnington in no time. The subsequent 35 or so minutes, however, proved Boston's early surge may have been nothing more than a mirage. Even with St. Louis managing just six shots on goal at the halfway point of Game 7, the Blues were in total control for the entirety of period two, squashing any hope of a quick rebound for the Bs on their home ice with a defensive clinic, particularly in transition through the neutral zone.\n\nMore Binnington stonewalling sucked more life out of not only Boston's scarily quiet first line but a TD Garden crowd that at one point dished New England Patriots Super Bowl highlights in order to spark cheers.\n\nIf not for some help from the crossbar, Tuukka Rask may have also surrendered a third Blues goal in the second.\n\nBlues strike first -- and second -- despite Bruins' early dominance\n\nThe Bruins had everything going for them to start Game 7. Right out of the gate, they absolutely peppered Jordan Binnington with shots and had great movement in scoring range. They limited St. Louis to just one shot on goal more than 10 minutes into the opening period. A nonsensical delay of game on an airmailed pass by Colton Parayko even gave Boston the first extra-man advantage of the night. But Binnington refused to back down, blanking Boston with a number of close stops.\n\nRyan O'Reilly, meanwhile, rewarded Binnington's perseverance by putting the Blues on the board first with 3:13 left in the opening period, tipping a hard shot from Sammy Blais past Rask and setting a franchise record with 22 career postseason points in the process.\n\nIf St. Louis' sudden lead seemed improbable due to the Bruins' obvious energy advantage early in the game, Alex Pietrangelo ensured TD Garden would keep quiet for a while longer. He charged the net during a bad change for the Bruins and put the puck past Rask to increase the Blues' lead to 2-0 with 7.9 seconds left in the first.\n\nGame 7 updates", "St. Louis Blues beat Boston Bruins 4-1 in Game 7 for their first Stanley Cup title\n\nBOSTON (AP) — St. Louis Blues beat Boston Bruins 4-1 in Game 7 for their first Stanley Cup title.", "The St. Louis Blues defeat the Boston Bruins 4-1 to win their first Stanley Cup title in Game 7 of the NHL hockey final on Wednesday, June 12, 2019, in Boston.", "BOSTON (AP) - St. Louis Blues beat Boston Bruins 4-1 in Game 7 for their first Stanley Cup title.\n\nRyan O'Reilly scored for the fourth straight game and rookie Jordan Binnington stopped 32 shots in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final on Wednesday night to lead the St. Louis Blues to a 4-1 victory over the Boston Bruins and their first NHL championship.\n\nAlex Pietrangelo added a goal and an assist and Brayden Schenn and Zach Sanford also scored for St. Louis. The Blues woke up on New Year's morning with the worst record in the league but won 30 of their final 49 regular-season games and soared through the playoffs to reach the final for the first time since 1970.\n\nCoach Craig Berube, who took over when Mike Yeo was fired in November, is the fourth coach in the past 11 years hired in midseason to lead his team to the NHL title.", "The St. Louis Blues beat the Boston Bruins 4-1 in Game 7 to win the Stanley Cup. Here's how fans reacted around the city.", "BOSTON—Asked what edge his team has over the St. Louis Blues in the Stanley Cup final, Boston Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy hesitated, wary of providing bulletin-board material before the series even started.\n\n\"I'll go the easy route,\" Cassidy said two weeks ago. \"I just believe that our guys that have been there — have won a Cup, have lost a Cup — that should give us an edge. Some people disagree with that once you're here, but I believe it will give us an edge.\"\n\nBoston has five players who were part of two previous Stanley Cup finals — 2011 against Vancouver and 2013 against Chicago — and the Bruins can boast playing in (and winning) the last Stanley Cup final Game 7, in 2011. Captain Zdeno Chara, 42, will set an NHL record with his 14th playoff Game 7. Meantime, the Blues could become the first team in 30 years to win a Stanley Cup without a previous winner on the roster.\n\n\"They have obviously more experience, but we don't worry about it,\" St. Louis centre Brayden Schenn said. \"We have had a lot of ups and downs in this series, this season and this playoffs that have gotten us to this point. Anything can happen in one game.\"\n\nBoston defenceman Charlie McAvoy realized the benefit of championship experience in the locker room before Game 6 on Sunday. This is the 21-year-old's third playoff run, but with his team on the brink of elimination on the road, the magnitude of the moment got to him. \"I'll just be honest with you, the emotions, like, crap, it's a lot,\" McAvoy said after the game, a 5-1 Boston win.\n\nA moving speech from top centre Patrice Bergeron — who might have been inspired by a pre-game speech Mark Recchi gave the Bruins in 2011 — helped settle down the team, and then veteran winger Brad Marchand came up with the first goal in the first period. The poise and savvy from both showed exactly why clubs regularly pay a premium for free agents or trade additions who have championship experience.\n\n\"Of course you've got to rely on your experience in these games,\" Bergeron said Sunday. \"You need to know what's coming and obviously we expected a big start from them. I thought we managed that pretty well, and getting that first goal was huge.\"\n\nMarchand and Bergeron are two of 11 players to score two goals in Game 7 of a Stanley Cup final; no one has had a hat trick. And Boston is 6-1 all time with an opportunity to clinch a Stanley Cup, but the 2013 loss to the Blackhawks might be more motivating.\n\n\"You realize when you get to this point how hard it actually is, especially the longer you've been around the league,\" Marchand said. \"You look at some guys that have been around a long time, and how few opportunities you get. … It's the best thing in the world for the team that wins, and it sucks for the team that loses. Being on both sides of it, you realize how hard it is, and just how (expletive) it is to lose. It sticks with you forever.\"\n\nBlues forward David Perron played on this stage a year ago — he was on the Vegas Golden Knights team that lost to the Washington Capitals a year ago — and he said, \"the best way to put your best performance is not to think about the importance of the game\" too soon, but save that energy for the three hours before puck drop. St. Louis will draw on its experience from this season, overcoming a poor first half that had the Blues last in the league to start January.", "(Reuters) - Few Stanley Cup trophies have ever been as heavy as the one earned Wednesday by the St. Louis Blues, who lifted the weight of a championship-starved city that had long been on the wrong side of history.\n\nFor too long, the Blues had been tied to the Stanley Cup Final only as a victim of Bobby Orr and the Boston Bruins who swept them in the title series of 1970.\n\nThe iconic photo of Orr launching through the air in celebration, after scoring the series-clinching goal in overtime, loomed as an omnipresent reminder of the franchise’s shortcoming.\n\nSt. Louis has now added a more favorable moment that comes 49 years after that Final defeat, and 51 seasons into the team’s existence – a championship.\n\n“St. Louis, we frickin did it. We’re bringing the cup back home 49 years in the making,” Blues winger Pat Maroon told reporters.\n\n“It’s amazing. This is a night I’ll never forget. I can’t be any more proud to be from St. Louis. I can’t wait to celebrate with you guys on Saturday in that parade.”\n\nThe homegrown Maroon has a special understanding of the angst of growing up a St. Louis fan. St. Louis is a respected sports city with the strong success of the Cardinals in Major League Baseball, a brief run from the NFL’s defunct Rams and an ancient one from the NBA’s former St. Louis Hawks.\n\nGolf held its final major of the year in 2018 - the PGA Championship - at Bellerive Country Club outside of St. Louis to rave reviews.\n\nBut there is still something decidedly underdog about the city. The Blues franchise had made a habit of teasing their fan base with competitive teams that just could not take the final step. From 1979 to 2004, the Blues made 25 consecutive playoff appearances only to watch other teams collect the Cup. This year’s Blues appeared as though they may not make the playoffs at all.\n\nThey were in last place in the NHL on Jan. 3 and miraculously won 30 of their final 45 games to complete the turnaround.\n\n“I really believe that the adversity that they had to go through to make the playoffs, and that schedule, and winning all those games (in the regular season), that really set us up for the playoffs,” said St. Louis coach Craig Berube, who took over as interim coach in November when Mike Yeo was fired.\n\n“I’m so happy for the city of St. Louis and all our fans.”\n\nIt was all too fitting that the Blues would defeat the Bruins, not only avenging their past but scoring a win over the sports powerhouse city of Boston. A win for the Bruins would have given Boston the reigning champion in the NHL, MLB and NFL. Instead, St. Louis was rewarded for its wait.\n\n“To bring a Cup to a city for a first time is crazy,” forward Jaden Schwartz said.\n\n“Tough to put into words. These fans have been waiting a long time. It’s exciting. We’re going to have a lot of fun with it.”", "Boston Bruins’ Matt Grzelcyk, center, is assisted from the ice by Jake DeBrusk, left, and David Krejci, right, after an injury during the first period in Game 2 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final against the St. Louis Blues, Wednesday, May 29, 2019, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer)\n\nBOSTON (AP) — The Latest from Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final between Boston and St. Louis (all times local):\n\nThe St. Louis Blues are 20 minutes away from their first Stanley Cup championship.\n\nThe Blues lead the Boston Bruins 2-0 after two periods. No goals were scored in the second period. Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington strengthened his case for the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP by stopping all 11 Boston shots to give him 23 saves so far.\n\nThe Bruins have limited the Blues to 10 shots on goal, but Ryan O’Reilly’s deflection and Alex Pietrangelo’s backhander gave them two goals against Tuukka Rask. The Bruins netminder entered the night 3-2 with a 3.18 goals-against average and .877 save percentage in Game 7 in his NHL career.\n\nBoston is hosting its first Game 7 Cup Final game as it seeks its seventh NHL championship.\n\nThe St. Louis Blues hold a surprising 2-0 lead on Boston after a wild first period in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.\n\nThe Bruins have been the far more aggressive team and had the Blues badly out of synch for most of the opening 20 minutes. But it was the Blues who struck first.\n\nRyan O’Reilly scored on a perfect deflection and captain Alex Pietrangelo lifted a backhander past Tuukka Rask in the final seconds of the opening period to give the St. Louis Blues a two-goal lead.\n\nO’Reilly tipped Jay Bouwmeester’s point shot in with 3:13 left in the period on just the third Blues shot of the game. After a bad line change by the Bruins, the Blues got numbers in the offensive zone and Jaden Schwartz fed Pietrangelo for a stunning goal with 7.9 seconds left.\n\nScoring on consecutive shots silenced a charged-up Bruins crowd. The Bruins outshot the Blues 12-4 in the first period, but St. Louis rookie goaltender Jordan Binnington made several spectacular saves to keep the Bruins scoreless.\n\nThe Boston Bruins are off to a strong start in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final on home ice against St. Louis.\n\nSo far, Blues goalie Jordan Binnington has been up to the challenge.\n\nThere was no score through the first 13 minutes of the game, but St. Louis looks scattered and has been outshot 7-1.Binnington made several outstanding saves, including one with his right armpit on Brad Marchand during a power play.\n\nBoston is hosting its first Game 7 Cup Final game as it seeks its seventh NHL championship. St. Louis is going for its first title.\n\nGame 7 of the Stanley Cup Final between the St. Louis Blues and Boston Bruins is underway after some deafening pregame festivities.\n\nThe crowd roared for three-time Olympic gold medalist Aly Raisman and Super Bowl MVP Julian Edelman in David Ortiz jerseys when they were brought out to wave a Bruins banner. They were joined by Liam Fitzgerald, a young Bruins fan who survived cancer.\n\nThe roar was even bigger for Bruins captain Zdeno Chara when he was introduced. Chara is playing with what many believe is a broken jaw.\n\nAs if emotions aren’t high enough for the first decisive seventh game for the Stanley Cup in Boston history, the nods to Ortiz added to the atmosphere. The retired Red Sox star is recovering in a Boston hospital after what police say was an assassination attempt in his native Dominican Republic.\n\nBoston is hosting its first Game 7 Cup Final game as it seeks its seventh NHL championship. St. Louis is going for its first title.\n\nRecuperating Red Sox star David Ortiz wasn’t far from the hearts of Bruins fans before Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final in Boston.\n\nThree-time Olympic gold medalist Aly Raisman and Super Bowl MVP Julian Edelman of the New England Patriots wore Ortiz jerseys when they were brought out to wave a Bruins banner before the decisive game against the St. Louis Blues. They were joined by Liam Fitzgerald, a young Bruins fan who survived cancer.\n\nThe banner captain has become a tradition for the Bruins, with the honors going to a local celebrity or sports star. All-time Bruins great Bobby Orr has already done it twice this postseason.\n\nOrtiz is recovering in a Boston hospital after what police say was an assassination attempt in his native Dominican Republic.\n\nThere are no surprises in the lineups. Boston defenseman Matt Grzelcyk is back two weeks after suffering a concussion on a hit by St. Louis forward Oskar Sundqvist, who was suspended one game. Grzelcyk, who goes in for Connor Clifton, missed the past four games.\n\nSt. Louis will be without injured forward Rob Thomas for the fifth time in six games during the series. With Ivan Barbashev back from a Game 6 suspension and Thomas out, Sammy Blais stays in on the Blues’ third line.\n\nBoston is seeking its seventh NHL championship. St. Louis is looking for its first.\n\nMatt Grzelcyk replacing Connor Clifton in the Boston Bruins’ lineup for Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final is a no-brainer because he was cleared from concussion protocol. The St. Louis Blues had a harder decision to make.\n\nAfter his team fell flat in Game 6, coach Craig Berube decided to put defenseman Joel Edmundson back in the lineup in place of Robert Bortuzzo. He said he was OK with four left-handed shooters on defense because righties Colton Parayko and Alex Pietrangelo are playing so much.\n\nBerube told Edmundson on Tuesday he’d be back in after being a healthy scratch the past two games.\n\n“I played in I think three Game 7s now so this is going to be my fourth,” Edmundson said. “None of them compare to this one. Obviously it’s going to be the biggest game of my life. But everyone’s excited.”\n\nThe return of Ivan Barbashev from suspension pushes banged-up forward Robert Thomas out of the lineup. Struggling Sammy Blais stays in for St. Louis on the third line with Tyler Bozak and Patrick Maroon.\n\nPreparations were underway on the streets outside Boston’s TD Garden in the hours before Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.\n\nBy early afternoon, police were setting up sidewalk barriers in preparation for the first championship-series Game 7 in Boston since the Celtics beat the Lakers to win the NBA title on June 12, 1984, 35 years to the day of Blues-Bruins.\n\nThousands of fans are expected to be in the vicinity of the arena, which will have a charged atmosphere. Buzz began circulating during the day that Patriots quarterback Tom Brady would be the pregame flag-bearer to fire up the crowd and former Red Sox slugger David Ortiz would make an appearance on the video screens from his room in intensive care at Massachusetts General Hospital after being shot at a bar in his native Dominican Republic three days ago.\n\nMatt Grzelcyk (GRIHZ’-lihk) is expected to return to the Boston lineup for Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final against St. Louis.\n\nGrzelcyk’s return is a major boost on the blue line for Boston. He suffered a concussion two weeks ago in Game 2 of the series and has missed the past four.\n\nCoach Bruce Cassidy says the puck-moving defenseman was cleared through the concussion protocol Wednesday, hours before the game. Connor Clifton is set to come out to make room.\n\nSt. Louis is also making changes: Joel Edmundson replaces Robert Bortuzzo on defense, and with Ivan Barbashev back from suspension, Sammy Blais stays in for the banged-up Robert Thomas. Coach Craig Berube says defensemen Colton Parayko and Alex Pietrangelo are playing major minutes so he wanted to put four left-handed shooters at the positon.", "BOSTON (AP) — Ryan O'Reilly scored for the fourth straight game and rookie Jordan Binnington stopped 32 shots in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final on Wednesday night to lead the St. Louis Blues to a 4-1 victory over the Boston Bruins and their first NHL championship.\n\nAlex Pietrangelo added a goal and an assist and Brayden Schenn and Zach Sanford also scored for St. Louis. The Blues woke up on New Year's morning with the worst record in the league but won 30 of their final 49 regular-season games and soared through the playoffs to reach the final for the first time since 1970.\n\nCoach Craig Berube, who took over when Mike Yeo was fired in November, is the fourth coach in the past 11 years hired in midseason to lead his team to the NHL title.\n\nMatt Grzelcyk scored the Bruins' only goal, and Tuukka Rask stopped 16 shots for Boston.\n\nBoston outshot St. Louis 33-20, but the Blues went ahead at the end of the first period on goals from Reilly and Pietrangelo about three minutes apart. The second period was scoreless, then Schenn put it out of reach with 8:35 to play and Sanford made it 4-0 before the Bruins spoiled Binnington's bid for a shutout.\n\nReturning to the site of their last appearance in the final, which ended when Bobby Orr sailed through the air after scoring the Cup winner, the Blues won for the third time in Boston this series and an NHL record-tying 10th time in the postseason.\n\nO'Reilly won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP of the postseason. He is the first player since Wayne Gretzky to score in four consecutive Stanley Cup Final games.\n\nNot so surprising with Gretzky, who is the NHL's leading regular-season and playoff scorer, but O'Reilly had just three goals in his first 22 postseason games.\n\nBoston will have to console itself with the two major sports championships it has already won in the past year, or the dozen trophies that have been chauffeured through Boston in a parade of the city's iconic, amphibious Duck Boats. Three of them have come at St. Louis' expense.\n\nThe Bruins tried to harness all the local karma they could.\n\nOlympic gold medalist Aly Raisman and Julian Edelman waved a banner before the game while wearing David Ortiz jerseys; the Red Sox slugger is recuperating just a mile or so away from an assassination attempt in his native Dominican Republic.\n\nRetired Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling also was in the crowd, wearing his World Series ring and a Bruins jersey. Portable party Rob Gronkowski also made an appearance on the video board.\n\nAnd the Bruins responded, dominating for long stretches of time except in the way that mattered most.\n\nThe Blues had just one shot on goal heading into the final minutes of the first period, but they scored first when O'Reilly deflected a shot from Jay Bouwmeester into the net. Then with just 8 seconds left in the period and Bruins forward Brad Marchand tentative on a line change, Pietrangelo beat Rask to make it 2-0.\n\nBouwmeester played in 1,184 regular-season games — the third most among active players who had not gotten their names etched on the Stanley Cup."], "summary": "In ice hockey, the St. Louis Blues defeat the Boston Bruins four games to three to win their first Stanley Cup."}
{"document": ["Two oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, the world's most sensitive oil transportation choke point, came under attack Thursday.\n\nU.S. officials were quick to blame Iran, while Iranian foreign minister Javad Zarif denied responsibility and described the attacks as “suspicious.”\n\nJamal Abdi, president of the National Iranian American Council, said in a statement: “With [national security adviser] John Bolton seeking to maneuver the U.S. into a war with Iran, the sabotage of more oil tankers underscores the increasingly dangerous situation in the Middle East as the Trump administration pursues its maximum pressure approach toward Iran.\"\n\nNo state has been deemed responsible for attacks on tankers that occurred in May, Abdi said.\n\n\"There is a plausible motive to attribute to Iran, but also to other actors in the region and beyond who want to maneuver the U.S. into a war.”\n\nThe sabotage occurred amid Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s state visit to Iran, where he is thought to have communicated a message from Trump to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, Abdi said. This \"underscores that the likely motive of the attackers is to prevent any easing of tensions and block off exit ramps to war,\" he said.\n\nOne of the ships attacked Thursday is Japanese, according to The Wall Street Journal.\n\n“We may know more about these attacks in the weeks ahead, but we urge all actors — in particular the Trump administration and Iran — to exercise restraint,\" Abdi said.\n\nWTI crude prices were up 2.19% at the time of publication Thursday, while Brent crude was up 2.08%, according to oilprice.com.\n\nOil Prices Moving Following Reports Of Tanker Attacks Near Iran", "U.S. Releases Video of Alleged Gulf of Oman Tanker Attacks by Sam LaGrone – USNI News\n\nU.S. Central Command has released a video and photographs that officials say prove the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy attacked two merchant tankers in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday.\n\nAs a result, the U.S. is sending a second warship to the vicinity of the two merchant vessels that were attacked in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday, U.S. Central Command said.\n\nGuided-missile destroyer USS Mason (DDG-87) is joining U.S. forces assisting a merchant tanker that has been abandoned by its crew after suffering damage from what U.S. officials are calling a deliberate attack.\n\nEarlier Thursday, the crew of destroyer USS Bainbridge (DDG-96) rescued the crew of a tanker that was allegedly attacked in the Gulf of Oman, officials told USNI News on Thursday afternoon.\n\n“Twenty-one mariners from the M/V Kokuka Courageous, who abandoned ship, were rescued and are currently aboard USS Bainbridge,” according to U.S. Central Command spokesman Army Lt. Col. Earl Brown.\n\n“Bainbridge remains in close contact with the M/V Kokuka Courageous and is the on-scene U.S. command authority. No interference with USS Bainbridge, or its mission, will be tolerated.”…", "Shortly after the crews of the two tankers attacked this week in the Gulf of Oman evacuated their stricken vessels, the ships that rescued them were surrounded by Iranian military boats and told to transfer the mariners into their custody, according to declassified U.S. intelligence reports obtained on Friday by CBS News.\n\nOne of the civilian rescue ships eventually complied with the Iranian military's request. The other did not. The new details help to paint a picture of what happened Thursday in the Gulf, near the vital shipping channel of the Strait of Hormuz, through which about a third of the world's oil supply passes.\n\nThe U.S. has accused Iran of carrying out the attacks on the tankers — the second similar incident blamed on Iran in a month. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called it \"the latest in a series of attacks started by Iran and its surrogates against American and allied interests\" aimed at \"escalating tension.\"\n\nHe said the U.S. would defend its forces and interests in the region but gave no specifics about any plans for retaliation, and he took no questions.\n\nA U.S. defense official quickly dismissed an Iranian claim on Thursday, soon after the attacks, that Iran sent search teams that rescued 44 sailors from the two vessels. The official told CBS News that claim was \"patently false,\" and that it was an American destroyer, the USS Bainbridge, that picked up 21 crew members from one of the vessels.\n\nThe intelligence reports obtained by CBS News on Friday include a readout from the crew of the Hyundai Dubai, an oil tanker that came to the rescue when the stricken Front Altair issued a distress call after an explosion on Thursday. The crew of the Norwegian-owned Altair came aboard the Hyundai Dubai, according to the detailed readout from the rescuing vessel's crew.\n\nAbout 10 minutes later, the Hyundai Dubai \"was surrounded by Iranian military vessels who demanded the Ship's Master turn over the M/V FRONT ALTAIR mariners,\" according to the readout.\n\nThe captain of the vessel contacted his company's management, which told him to refuse the Iranian request, but the readout says he \"stated he felt like he had no choice but to comply with Iranian demands\" and he did hand the Front Altair's crew over to the Iranian vessels. The sailors, most of them Russian and Filipino, were taken to Iran and remained in Iranian custody, the Front Altair's owner Frontline told Reuters on Friday.\n\nThe other tanker that came under attack on Thursday was the Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous, which issued a distress call after sustaining an explosion that caused a fire in its engine room.\n\nThe readout from the crew of the Kokuka said a Dutch vessel responded and positioned itself to inspect the damage to the tanker.\n\n\"The Dutch vessel reported to the Master an unusual object on the Starboard side, mid-ship, of the KOKUKA. The crew looked over the side and noticed an object they believed to be an explosive. Due to the ship carrying methanol and already suffering one explosion, the Master ordered the crew to abandon ship,\" according to the intelligence briefing.\n\nThe Dutch vessel took the sailors from the Kokuka aboard and moved to a safe distance.\n\nThe crew of an Iranian military vessel then asked the Dutch ship for permission to board, \"so they could transfer personnel and render assistance to the crew. The Master of the KOKUKA spoke to the owner of his vessel and was instructed not to go aboard the Iranian vessel so he declined aid and thanked them.\"\n\nThe crew of the Dutch vessel and the Kokuka were able to see attached to the tanker, as they moved away from it, a \"grey explosive,\" described as being about five feet wide and three feet tall, which the sailors said was protruding from the hull, three to six feet over the waterline.\n\nU.S. officials have accused Iran of using limpet mines in the attacks this week — the same magnetic explosive devices allegedly used by Iranians in attacks on four tankers in the region last month. The devices can be affixed to the hull of a vessel, and can cause significant damage to a ship. They have not, however, been powerful enough to breach the double hulled vessels sufficiently as to capsize them.\n\nThe U.S. military said Thursday it had a video showing troops from Iran's Revolutionary Guard removing an unexploded limpet mine from the Kokuka. The black-and-white video, as well as still photographs released by the U.S. military's Central Command, appeared to show a limpet mine on the Kokuka.\n\nA U.S. official told CBS News senior national security correspondent David Martin on Friday that the U.S. had a forensic team aboard the Kokuka Courageous as it was being towed to port. Parts of the magnet which held the mine to the ship were still attached to the tanker's hull.\n\nThe official told CBS News that a commercial tug boat was sent to tow the Front Altair to port also, but that Iranian Navy vessels were preventing it from tying up to the tanker.\n\nWhy would Iran attack an oil tanker?\n\nThe waterways in the region are crucial to the global transportation of oil and gas: A third of all shipped oil comes through the area, and because the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow waterway near where the attack took place, is right off the coast of Iran, it's a point of leverage for the country.\n\nIran has repeatedly threatened to cut off this vital artery whenever there is a dispute with the U.S. or its regional allies, such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Tension between Iran and the U.S. has mounted steadily since the Trump administration's unilateral withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear agreement negotiated by the previous occupant of the White House.\n\nAs CBS News reported in early June, the admiral of the USS Abraham Lincoln, an aircraft carrier in the region, said one of his ship's primary missions is to safeguard the free flow of commerce through the Strait and the surrounding waterways. The Lincoln was sent specifically because of perceived threats from Iran — but as CBS News correspondent Charlie D'Agata reported on Thursday, it doesn't appear to be proving much of a deterrent.\n\n\"On April 22nd, Iran promised the world it would interrupt the flow of oil through the Strait of Hormuz. It is now working to execute on that promise,\" Pompeo said Thursday.\n\nIran flatly denies any involvement in the tanker attacks, and has called the timing of Thursday's incidents \"suspicious\" as they came just as the Japanese leader was in Tehran trying to rekindle diplomacy.\n\nOther nations, and the United Nations, have stressed the need to avoid \"accidental\" escalations in the region.\n\n\"I want to say how worried I am with the recent developments in the Gulf,\" United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said on Friday. \"We believe that the truth needs to be clearly established in relation to these attacks. We believe that responsibilities need to be clearly defined. And, as I said to the Security Council, the world cannot afford a major confrontation in the Gulf.\"\n\n\"It is very important to know the truth,\" Guterres said, before calling for \"some independent entity\" to verify the facts. He added that as secretary-general he cannot instigate an international investigation, but noted that the Security Council can.", "KUALA LUMPUR, June 14 — Malaysia has called for an open, transparent and objective international investigation into yesterday’s attack on two tankers in the Gulf of Oman.\n\nWisma Putra in a statement today said Malaysia was deeply concerned at the rapid escalation of tension in the Middle East, which is a vital area of interest for Malaysia and the world.\n\n“These destructive acts on civilian commercial ships are a clear violation of international law, threatens international freedom of navigation and freedom of commerce.\n\n“Malaysia urges all parties to exercise utmost restraint and avoid any actions that could further escalate tensions in the region,” it said.\n\nWisma Putra added that Malaysia would support any credible and impartial effort aimed at deescalating the present tensions and resolving the conflicts that currently bedevilled the region.\n\nThe Marshal Islands-flagged and Panama-flagged tankers were heading to Taiwan and Singapore from Qatar and Saudi Arabia respectively, when the assaults happened.\n\nMedia reported that at least one of the tankers that was attacked near the Strait of Hormuz was operated by a Japanese company. — Bernama", "Karim Sahib, AFP | An Emirati man looks on at the port of Fujairah in the Gulf Emirate, on May 13, 2019.\n\nTwo oil tankers were hit in suspected attacks in the Gulf of Oman and the crews have been evacuated, shipping firms and industry sources said on Thursday, a month after a similar incident in which four tankers in the region were struck.\n\nThe Bahrain-based US Navy Fifth Fleet said it was assisting the tankers after receiving distress calls following \"reported attacks\". The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, part of the Royal Navy, said it was investigating.\n\nDetails of the incident were not immediately clear, but one operator said it suspected its ship had been hit by a torpedo. Another shipping firm said its vessel was on fire in the Gulf of Oman.\n\nIran’s official news agency IRNA reported that Iran’s navy had rescued 44 crew members from the tankers, and had transferred them to the port of Jask.\n\nOil prices surged by 4 percent after the report that has stoked tensions in the region that have already been heightened by attacks last month on Gulf oil assets amid a dispute between Iran and the United States over Tehran's nuclear programme.\n\nThe Gulf of Oman lies at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz, a major strategic waterway through which a fifth of global oil consumption passes from Middle East producers.\n\nThere was no immediate confirmation from authorities in Oman or the United Arab Emirates, in whose territorial waters four tankers were hit last month. An investigation said limpet mines were used. US and Saudi officials blamed Iran for the May attack, a charge Tehran has denied.\n\nSaudi Arabia and the UAE have said the attacks on oil assets in the Gulf posed a risk to global oil supplies and regional security.\n\nOn Thursday Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement said tanker Kokuka Courageous was damaged in a \"suspected attack\" that breached the hull above the water line while on passage from Saudi Arabia to Singapore.\n\n\"The ship is safely afloat,\" it said in a statement.\n\nTaiwan's CPC said tanker Front Altair, carrying 75,000 tonnes of naptha, was \"suspected of being hit by a torpedo\" around 0400 GMT. Refinitiv Eikon ship tracking data showed the Front Altair, an Aframax vessel owned by Norway's Frontline, had loaded naphtha, a petrochemical feedstock, and was in waters between Oman and Iran, carrying its cargo from Ruwais in the UAE to aiwan.\n\nFrontline said its vessel was on fire in the Gulf of Oman.\n\nThe sources said crews from both vessels, which they had said had been struck in international waters, had been safely evacuated.\n\nOne shipping broker said there had been an explosion \"suspected from an outside attack\" that may have involved a magnetic mine on the Kokuka.\n\n\"All crew safely abandoned the vessel and were picked up by Vessel Coastal Ace. Kokuka Courageous is adrift without any crew on board,” the source said.\n\nAnother source said the Front Altair reported a fire caused by a \"surface attack\" and that the crew had been picked up by nearby vessel Hyundai Dubai.", "DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran said on Friday it had dispatched experts to one oil tanker from which it rescued crew members from a fire caused by an attack to see whether they could now return to the vessel.\n\nThe European Union has called for maximum restraint amid mounting tensions over U.S. accusations against Iran over attacks on two oil tankers on Thursday in the Gulf of Oman. Iran has denied responsibility for the attacks.\n\n“Fire has been contained on both tankers ... We have sent experts to evaluate whether the crew rescued by Iran can return to (one) tanker,” Allahmorad Afifipour, head of ports in the Iranian coastal province of Hormozgan, told Tasnim news agency.\n\nIran’s state news agency IRNA had reported on Thursday that Iranian search and rescue teams picked up 44 sailors from the two damaged tankers, and that they had been taken to the Iranian Gulf port of Bandar Jask.\n\nHowever, U.S. Central Command said 21 crew of the Japanese-owned Kokuka tanker were collected by a Dutch tug and transferred to the destroyer USS Bainbridge.\n\nIranian TV channels showed footage of 23 rescued rew members and said 11 of them were Russian, 11 Filipino and one Georgian.", "The United States Fifth Fleet responded to suspected attacks on two tankers in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday.\n\n\"US naval forces in the region received two separate distress calls at 6:12 a.m. local time and a second one at 7:00 a.m.,\" the statement said.\n\n\"US Navy ships are in the area and are rendering assistance.\"\n\nOne of the ships involved was the Front Altair, a Norwegian-owned tanker that was being chartered by Taiwan's state-owned CPC Corp, the CEO of CPC's petrochemical division, Wul-Fang, told Reuters.\n\nThe ship was carrying 75,000 tonnes of naphtha, a petrochemical feedstock, \"when it was suspected of being hit by a torpedo,\" he said.\n\nRead more: John Bolton says Iran is 'almost certainly' behind oil tanker 'attacks'\n\nA spokesman for Frontline, the company that owns Front Altair, told Norwegian newspaper VG that the vessel was still on fire and that all 23 crew members were in safety after abandoning ship.\n\nSingapore's BSM Management said in a statement that its Kokuka Courageous tanker had been damaged in an unspecified \"security incident\" while it was transporting methanol.\n\nAll 21 crew members abandoned ship and one member was slightly injured. The ship was not in danger of sinking, it added.\n\nThe reported attacks come amid heightened regional tensions following attacks on four ships off the coast of the United Arab Emirates in May. The United States and Saudi Arabia blamed Iran, which dismissed the accusation.\n\nEvery evening, DW sends out a selection of the day's news and features. Sign up here.", "The UK is prepared to assist in any rescue effort or investigation over the “completely unacceptable” suspected attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman, Downing Street has said.\n\nThe two civilian ships were damaged off the coast of Iran on Thursday amid heightening tensions between the US and Tehran, but many details remain unclear.\n\nAn alert urging “extreme caution” was issued by the Navy-run United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations following reports of explosions.\n\nSailors were forced to evacuate when one of the tankers was left ablaze and the other adrift.\n\nTheresa May’s official spokesman told a Westminster briefing: “Attacks on civilian vessels like these are completely unacceptable.\n\n“We are in contact with international partners and are ready to assist in any rescue effort or investigation.”", "President Trump said on Friday that Iran carried out the attack on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman. Host Lisa Mullins talks with Here & Now security analyst Jim Walsh (@DrJimWalshMIT), with MIT's Security Studies Program.", "US Navy says it is assisting 2 oil tankers targeted in 'reported attack' in Gulf of Oman\n\nDUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — US Navy says it is assisting 2 oil tankers targeted in 'reported attack' in Gulf of Oman."], "summary": "Two oil tankers, one Norwegian and one Japanese, are damaged and abandoned after being attacked in the Gulf of Oman, with all crew members aboard both ships safely rescued."}
{"document": ["Iran is responsible for Thursday’s attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Thursday.\n\nThe MT Front Altair and the Kokuka Courageous were both carrying petroleum products at the time of the incidents. The Front Altair burned for hours afterward. No deaths were reported on either ship, though several crewman were reported injured. In response to the attacks, oil prices rose on world markets.\n\nIn Washington, Pompeo laid the blame squarely on Iran. “It is the assessment of the United States government that the Islamic Republic of Iran is responsible for the attacks that occurred in the Gulf of Oman today,” Pompeo said during a news conference, according to ABC.\n\n“This assessment is based on intelligence, the weapons used, the level of expertise needed to execute the operation, recent similar Iranian attacks on shipping, and the fact that no proxy group operating in the area has the resources and proficiency to act with such a high degree of sophistication,” he said.\n\n“This is only the latest in the series of attacks instigated by the Islamic Republic of Iran and its surrogates against American and allied interests,” he said, according to the BBC.\n\n“Taken as a whole, these unprovoked attacks present a clear threat to international peace and security, a blatant assault on the freedom of navigation and an unacceptable campaign of escalating tension by Iran,” Pompeo said.\n\nPompeo said the United States “will defend its forces, interests and stand with our partners and allies to safeguard global commerce and regional stability.”\n\nHe said the attacks are part of Iran’s backlash against sanctions imposed upon it, The Guardian reported.\n\n“Iran is lashing out because the regime wants our successful maximum pressure campaign lifted. No economic sanctions entitle the Islamic Republic to attack innocent civilians, disrupt global oil markets and engage in nuclear blackmail,” he said.\n\nFox News reported that it was told by a “senior U.S. defense official” that one of the damaged ships had an unexploded mine attached to its hull, and the mine was of the same type used in several May attacks on ships also in the Gulf of Oman. The U.S. blamed Iran or its allies for those attacks.\n\nRELATED: Iran Stepping Back After Preparing To Attack US Forces\n\nPompeo said last month that those attacks “were efforts by the Iranians to raise the price of crude oil throughout the world,” according to The New York Times.\n\nA spokesman for Taiwan’s CPC Corporation, which owns one of the ships, said the targeted ship was “suspected of being hit by a torpedo.” There was no confirmation of that claim.\n\nJakob P. Larsen, head of maritime security for BIMCO, said the attacks add to rising tensions in the Persian Gulf region.\n\n“The shipping industry views this as an escalation of the situation, and we are just about as close to a conflict without there being an actual armed conflict, so the tensions are very high,” he said.\n\nThe U.S. Navy sent the USS Bainbridge, a destroyer, to assist the stricken vessels.\n\nIran denied that it was behind the attacks, which took place as Japanese Prime Minster Shinzo Abe, during a visit to Iran, was rebuffed by Iranian leader Ali Khamenei on the subject of re-starting talks between the U.S. and Iran.\n\nPresident Donald Trump then joined in with a tweet, agreeing that the time was wrong for talks.\n\n“While I very much appreciate PM Abe going to Iran to meet with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, I personally feel that it is too soon to even think about making a deal. They are not ready, and neither are we!” Trump tweeted.\n\nThe latest attacks add to a rising drumbeat of tensions that began in May, when the U.S. sent extra forces to the Persian Gulf region, citing concerns of an attack by Iran or its allies against the U.S. or American interests in the region.\n\nWe are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.", "The suspected attack on two oil tankers off the Gulf of Oman early Thursday came after U.S. officials' warnings that Iran poses an “imminent” risk in the region.\n\nIt remains unclear the exact cause of the damage to the two oil tankers, though the incident occurred almost exactly a month after four ships, including two Saudi tankers, were damaged near the Strait of Hormuz, a 30 miles wide sea passage where over 90 percent of oil exports from the Persian Gulf passes every day. The U.S. military claimed the previous attack was executed by Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), though Tehran has denied the charges and instead accused the U.S. of warmongering.\n\n2 OIL TANKERS DAMAGED IN SUSPECTED ATTACK IN THE GULF OF OMAN, CREW EVACUATED\n\nDetails of the latest incidents in the Strait of Hormuz were unclear, but one of the operators claimed that its ship had been hit by a torpedo, Reuters reported.\n\nOther experts say the images from the scene suggest mines rather than torpedoes may have damaged the oil tankers. Whether it be a torpedo or mines, Jakob P. Larsen, head of maritime security for BIMCO, told the Associated Press that the incident brings the region closer to an armed conflict.\n\n“The shipping industry views this as an escalation of the situation, and we are just about as close to a conflict without there being an actual armed conflict, so the tensions are very high,” he said.\n\nIran's foreign minister Javad Zarif said of the latest incident: \"Suspicious doesn't begin to describe what likely transpired this morning\".\n\nBut U.S. officials have repeatedly warned that the Iranian regime is posing a credible threat in the Middle East, prompting the Trump administration to beef up security in the region in form of additional bombers and troops.\n\nGen. Frank McKenzie, the head of American forces in the Middle East, warned during a recent trip to the region of an unspecified “imminent” threat from Iran.\n\nGEN. KEANE: SUSPECTED ATTACK ON OIL TANKERS INTENDED TO 'PUT PRESSURE' ON US TO 'EASE OFF' IRAN SANCTIONS\n\nSecretary of State Mike Pompeo, meanwhile, said last month during a surprise visit to Iraq that threats from Iran are “specific” and imminent.”\n\nBack in May, the U.S. military was put on alert after reports that Iranian forces loaded missiles into launchers on two Iranian commercial boats sailing around the Persian Gulf, according to the Wall Street Journal. For two weeks, the U.S. shadowed the ships as the tensions continued to rise, according to the report. The ships eventually came back to a harbor and unloaded the rockets, Iranian officials said\n\n“The best way to describe them is a covert, deniable first-strike weapon,” a U.S. official familiar with the intelligence told the newspaper. “The conversion of a merchant ship for an attack in and of itself is a very provocative act.”\n\nZarif fired back against criticism at the time, saying that the regime had the to right self-defense. “We have a right to defend ourselves, so if we put missiles on our boats, it is our right,” he told ABC News on Sunday.\n\nJAPANESE PRIME MINISTER AND TRUMP ALLY SHINZO ABE VISITS TEHRAN TO HELP EASE US-IRAN TENSIONS\n\nOne of the vessels involved in the Thursday incident was identified as the MT Front Altair, a Marshall Islands-flagged but Norwegian-owned crude oil tanker carrying naphtha, a flammable petrochemical product, to Japan. The Front Altair came from Ruwais in the UAE, a loading point for the state-run Abu Dhabi National Oil Co..\n\nInternational Tanker Management, which operates the MT Front Altair said an explosion had caused a fire onboard. The firm told the Associated Press the incident is still being investigated and it was unclear what caused the explosion. Its 23 crew members were evacuated by the nearby South Korean-based Hyundai Dubai Vessel and are now safe, the firm said.\n\nThe other tanker was identified as the Kokuka Courageous. BSM Ship Management, the operator, said it sustained hull damage and 21 sailors had been evacuated, with one suffering minor injuries.\n\nThe vessel came from Mesaieed, Qatar, and Jubail, Saudi Arabia, carrying methanol, a chemical compound used in a variety of products.\n\nThe tensions between the U.S. and Iran has reached a fever pitch and the diplomatic efforts to defuse the situation tend to hit a wall. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is visiting Iran this week and is expected to try to de-escalate tensions between Tehran and Washington, though any significant breakthrough is unlikely.\n\nYet Abe’s visit coincided with the Iran-backed Houthi rebel attack on Saudi Arabia’s Abha regional airport that reportedly wounded 26 people.\n\nThe U.S. was put on alert amid intelligence reports that indicated that Iran-backed militias in Iraq are moving the missiles close to American bases. This prompted the U.S. to order all non-essential personnel to leave the U.S. Embassy and consulate in Iraq.\n\nPresident Trump, meanwhile, sent an aircraft carrier and B-52 bombers to the region, along with hundreds more troops to back up the tens of thousands already deployed in the region.\n\nCLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP\n\nIn the midst of this, Iran is also threatening to withdraw from the 2015 nuclear accord and resume enriching uranium closer to weapons-grade level on July 7 if European allies fail to offer new terms for the nuclear deal.\n\nIlan Goldenberg, Middle East Security Director at CNAS (Center for a New American Security), a defense and national security think tank, tweeted Thursday: \"I’ve been saying for the past month that threat of war with Iran is overhyped. Not after today. We should be concerned.\"\n\nFox News’ Lucas Tomlinson, Bradford Betz and the Associated Press contributed to this report.", "DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Two oil tankers came under a suspected attack Thursday near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, with one of them set ablaze, and the U.S. blamed Iran in what it called a campaign of “escalating tensions” in a region crucial to global energy supplies.\n\nThe U.S. Navy rushed to assist the stricken vessels in the Gulf of Oman off the coast of Iran. The ships’ operators offered no immediate explanation on who or what caused the damage against the Norwegian-owned MT Front Altair and the Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous. Each was loaded with petroleum products, and the Front Altair burned for hours, sending up a column of thick, black smoke.\n\nU.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the U.S. assessment of Iran’s involvement was based in part on intelligence as well as the expertise needed for the operation. It was also based on recent incidents in the region that the U.S. also blamed on Iran, including the use of limpet mines to attack four oil tankers off the nearby Emirati port of Fujairah and the bombing of an oil pipeline in Saudi Arabia by Iranian-backed fighters in May, he said.\n\n“Taken as a whole these unprovoked attacks present a clear threat to international peace and security, a blatant assault on the freedom of navigation and an unacceptable campaign of escalating tension by Iran,” Pompeo said. He provided no evidence, gave no specifics about any plans and took no questions.\n\nAt the United Nations, the United States asked for closed Security Council consultations on the tanker incidents later Thursday.\n\nIran denied being involved in the attacks last month and its foreign minister called the timing of Thursday’s incidents suspicious, given that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was meeting Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran.\n\nPompeo noted that Abe had asked Iran to enter into talks with Washington but Tehran “rejected” the overture.\n\n“The supreme leader’s government then insulted Japan by attacking a Japanese-owned oil tanker just outside Iranian waters, threatening the lives of the entire crew, creating a maritime emergency,” Pompeo added.\n\nIran previously used mines against oil tankers in 1987 and 1988 in the “Tanker War,” which saw the U.S. Navy escort ships through the region. Regardless of who is responsible, the price of a barrel of benchmark Brent crude spiked as much as 4% immediately after the attack, showing how critical the region remains to the global economy.\n\n“The shipping industry views this as an escalation of the situation, and we are just about as close to a conflict without there being an actual armed conflict, so the tensions are very high,” said Jakob P. Larsen, head of maritime security for BIMCO, the largest international association representing ship owners.\n\nThe suspected attacks occurred at dawn Thursday about 40 kilometers (25 miles) off the southern coast of Iran. The Front Altair, loaded with naphtha from the United Arab Emirates, radioed for help as it caught fire. A short time later, the Kokuka Courageous, loaded with methanol from Saudi Arabia and Qatar, also called for help.\n\nThe U.S. Navy sent a destroyer, the USS Bainbridge, to assist, said Cmdr. Joshua Frey, a 5th Fleet spokesman. He described the ships as being hit in a “reported attack,” without elaborating.\n\nFrontline, the firm that operates the Front Altair, told The Associated Press that an explosion was the cause of the fire. Its crew of 23 — from Russia, the Philippines and Georgia — was safely evacuated to the nearby Hyundai Dubai vessel, it said.\n\nBSM Ship Management said the Kokuka Courageous sustained hull damage and its 21 Filipino sailors had been evacuated, with one suffering minor injuries. All 21 were placed aboard the Bainbridge, according to Lt. Col. Earl Brown, a spokesman for the U.S. Central Command.\n\nEarlier, Iranian state television said 44 sailors from the two tankers were transferred to an Iranian port in the southern province of Hormozgan. The discrepancy could not be immediately reconciled.\n\nThe Front Altair had been bound for Taiwan, the Kokuka Courageous for Singapore, according to the data firm Refinitiv.\n\nThe fact that both vessels remained afloat suggested mines may have damaged them, Larsen said.\n\n“Judging from the damage, it doesn’t look like a torpedo, it looks like something smaller, whether that is a vessel-borne improvised explosive device or even a limpet mine,” he told the AP.\n\nAccording to a U.S. official, initial evidence suggested the attack against the Kokuka Courageous was conducted by Iran with a mine similar to what was used against oil tankers off the UAE last month. The official, who declined to provide additional details or evidence, spoke on condition of anonymity in order to discuss initial findings that have not been made public.\n\nLike in Fujairah, dozens of ships ranging from massive oil tankers to smaller pleasure boats, traditional dhows and cargo vessels ply the waters of the strait and the Gulf of Oman. The navies of Iran, Oman, the UAE and the U.S. regularly patrol, but the waters are vast and lit only by the moonlight at night, allowing small vessels to approach without warning.\n\nTensions have escalated in the Mideast as Iran appears poised to break the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, an accord that President Donald Trump repudiated last year. The deal saw Tehran agree to limit its enrichment of uranium in exchange for the lifting of crippling sanctions. Now, Iran is threatening to resume enriching uranium closer to weapons-grade levels if European nations don’t offer it new terms to the deal by July 7.\n\nAlready, Iran says it quadrupled its production of low-enriched uranium. Meanwhile, U.S. sanctions have cut off opportunities for Iran to trade its excess uranium and heavy water abroad, putting Tehran on course to violate terms of the nuclear deal regardless.\n\nIn May, the U.S. rushed an aircraft carrier strike group and other military assets to the region in response to what it said were threats from Iran.\n\nThursday’s incidents came as Abe’s high-stakes diplomatic mission was underway in Iran. Japan’s Trade Ministry said the two vessels had “Japan-related cargo,” without elaborating.\n\nAfter talks Wednesday with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Abe said any “accidental conflict” that could be sparked amid heightened between Washington and Tehran must be avoided.\n\nHis message came hours after Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels attacked a Saudi airport, striking its arrivals hall before dawn and wounding 26 people. A Saudi-led coalition has been fighting for over four years against the Houthis, whom United Nations experts and the West say receive arms from Iran. Tehran denies that.\n\nA statement published by Khamenei’s website after Abe’s meeting with Khamenei suggested a tense exchange between the two.\n\n“We have no doubt about your good will and seriousness, but … I don’t regard Trump as deserving any exchange of messages,” Khamenei reportedly told Abe. Khamenei also said Iran remained opposed to building atomic weapons, but offered a challenge to Trump.\n\n“You should know that if we planned to produce nuclear weapons, America could not do anything,” said Khamenei, who has final say on all matters of state in Iran’s Shiite theocracy.\n\nAbe later told journalists he stressed with Khamenei that Trump wanted to de-escalate the tensions.\n\n“I frankly told that to Supreme Leader Khamenei as my opinion,” Abe said.\n\nAssociated Press writers Aya Batrawy in Dubai, David Rising in Berlin, Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo, Lolita C. Baldor in Washington and Amir Vahdat in Tehran, Iran, contributed.", "Iran is responsible for Thursday’s attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Thursday.\n\nThe MT Front Altair and the Kokuka Courageous were both carrying petroleum products at the time of the incidents. The Front Altair burned for hours afterward. No deaths were reported on either ship, though several crewman were reported injured. In response to the attacks, oil prices rose on world markets.\n\nIn Washington, Pompeo laid the blame squarely on Iran. “It is the assessment of the United States government that the Islamic Republic of Iran is responsible for the attacks that occurred in the Gulf of Oman today,” Pompeo said during a news conference, according to ABC.\n\n“This assessment is based on intelligence, the weapons used, the level of expertise needed to execute the operation, recent similar Iranian attacks on shipping, and the fact that no proxy group operating in the area has the resources and proficiency to act with such a high degree of sophistication,” he said.\n\n“This is only the latest in the series of attacks instigated by the Islamic Republic of Iran and its surrogates against American and allied interests,” he said, according to the BBC.\n\n“Taken as a whole, these unprovoked attacks present a clear threat to international peace and security, a blatant assault on the freedom of navigation and an unacceptable campaign of escalating tension by Iran,” Pompeo said.\n\nPompeo said the United States “will defend its forces, interests and stand with our partners and allies to safeguard global commerce and regional stability.”\n\nHe said the attacks are part of Iran’s backlash against sanctions imposed upon it, The Guardian reported.\n\n“Iran is lashing out because the regime wants our successful maximum pressure campaign lifted. No economic sanctions entitle the Islamic Republic to attack innocent civilians, disrupt global oil markets and engage in nuclear blackmail,” he said.\n\nFox News reported that it was told by a “senior U.S. defense official” that one of the damaged ships had an unexploded mine attached to its hull, and the mine was of the same type used in several May attacks on ships also in the Gulf of Oman. The U.S. blamed Iran or its allies for those attacks.\n\nRELATED: Iran Stepping Back After Preparing To Attack US Forces\n\nPompeo said last month that those attacks “were efforts by the Iranians to raise the price of crude oil throughout the world,” according to The New York Times.\n\nA spokesman for Taiwan’s CPC Corporation, which owns one of the ships, said the targeted ship was “suspected of being hit by a torpedo.” There was no confirmation of that claim.\n\nJakob P. Larsen, head of maritime security for BIMCO, said the attacks add to rising tensions in the Persian Gulf region.\n\n“The shipping industry views this as an escalation of the situation, and we are just about as close to a conflict without there being an actual armed conflict, so the tensions are very high,” he said.\n\nThe U.S. Navy sent the USS Bainbridge, a destroyer, to assist the stricken vessels.\n\nIran denied that it was behind the attacks, which took place as Japanese Prime Minster Shinzo Abe, during a visit to Iran, was rebuffed by Iranian leader Ali Khamenei on the subject of re-starting talks between the U.S. and Iran.\n\nPresident Donald Trump then joined in with a tweet, agreeing that the time was wrong for talks.\n\n“While I very much appreciate PM Abe going to Iran to meet with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, I personally feel that it is too soon to even think about making a deal. They are not ready, and neither are we!” Trump tweeted.\n\nThe latest attacks add to a rising drumbeat of tensions that began in May, when the U.S. sent extra forces to the Persian Gulf region, citing concerns of an attack by Iran or its allies against the U.S. or American interests in the region.\n\nWe are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.", "Iran has warned the US to stop playing a blame game through \"suspicious\" attacks on oil tankers in the Middle East, describing the American behavior as \"worrying\".\n\nThe stern warning by Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi on Friday came after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo offhandedly blamed Tehran for attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman.\n\n\"The suspicious nature of incidents for oil tankers is not a joke. It is not only not funny, but it is also worrying and alarming,\" Mousavi said in a statement.\n\nThe attacks on Thursday morning sent shock waves through the world which was awaiting the news of a meeting between Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei in Tehran.\n\nPompeo said immediately, “It is the assessment of the United States government that the Islamic Republic of Iran is responsible for the attacks that occurred in the Gulf of Oman today.”\n\n\"It seems that for Mr Pompeo and other American statesmen, accusing Iran in the suspicious and unfortunate incident for tankers is the most convenient and simplistic job,\" Mousavi said.\n\n\"While Japan's prime minister is meeting with the number one figure of the Islamic Republic of Iran to reduce tensions, which clandestine hands seek to undermine these efforts in the region and who benefit from it?\" he added.\n\nThe spokesman reminded that Iran was the first country to come to help the ships in distress and save their crew as quick as possible.\n\n\"The responsibility for ensuring the security of the Strait of Hormuz lies with the Islamic Republic of Iran, and we have shown that we have been able to help the sailors of the crashed ships and rescue them as quickly as possible.\"\n\nEarlier on Friday, Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif rebuffed Pompeo's allegations, saying they were part of the “sabotage diplomacy” pushed by the \"B-Team\".\n\nThe B-Team is a reference to hawkish US national security adviser John Bolton, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.\n\nIn a follow-up Twitter post, Zarif said, “I warned of exactly this scenario a few months ago, not because I'm clairvoyant, but because I recognize where the #B_Team is coming from.”\n\nThe UN Security Council met behind closed doors on Thursday and discussed the attacks at the request of the United States.\n\nWashington's assessment, however, was not shared by other council members, who noted that there was no clear evidence linking Tehran to the attacks, diplomats said.\n\nThe Iranian mission to the UN, meanwhile, rejected the \"unfounded\" US accusations.\n\n“Neither fabrications and disinformation campaigns nor shamelessly blaming others can change the realities. The US and its regional allies must stop warmongering and put an end to mischievous plots as well as false flag operations in the region.”", "Iran is responsible for Thursday’s attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Thursday.\n\nThe MT Front Altair and the Kokuka Courageous were both carrying petroleum products at the time of the incidents. The Front Altair burned for hours afterward. No deaths were reported on either ship, though several crewman were reported injured. In response to the attacks, oil prices rose on world markets.\n\nIn Washington, Pompeo laid the blame squarely on Iran. “It is the assessment of the United States government that the Islamic Republic of Iran is responsible for the attacks that occurred in the Gulf of Oman today,” Pompeo said during a news conference, according to ABC.\n\nTRENDING: Supreme Court Shuts Down Atheist’s Attack on ‘In God We Trust’ Motto\n\n“This assessment is based on intelligence, the weapons used, the level of expertise needed to execute the operation, recent similar Iranian attacks on shipping, and the fact that no proxy group operating in the area has the resources and proficiency to act with such a high degree of sophistication,” he said.\n\n“This is only the latest in the series of attacks instigated by the Islamic Republic of Iran and its surrogates against American and allied interests,” he said, according to the BBC.\n\n“Taken as a whole, these unprovoked attacks present a clear threat to international peace and security, a blatant assault on the freedom of navigation and an unacceptable campaign of escalating tension by Iran,” Pompeo said.\n\nPompeo said the United States “will defend its forces, interests and stand with our partners and allies to safeguard global commerce and regional stability.”\n\nHe said the attacks are part of Iran’s backlash against sanctions imposed upon it, The Guardian reported.\n\n“Iran is lashing out because the regime wants our successful maximum pressure campaign lifted. No economic sanctions entitle the Islamic Republic to attack innocent civilians, disrupt global oil markets and engage in nuclear blackmail,” he said.\n\nFox News reported that it was told by a “senior U.S. defense official” that one of the damaged ships had an unexploded mine attached to its hull, and the mine was of the same type used in several May attacks on ships also in the Gulf of Oman. The U.S. blamed Iran or its allies for those attacks.\n\nRELATED: Iran Stepping Back After Preparing To Attack US Forces\n\nPompeo said last month that those attacks “were efforts by the Iranians to raise the price of crude oil throughout the world,” according to The New York Times.\n\nA spokesman for Taiwan’s CPC Corporation, which owns one of the ships, said the targeted ship was “suspected of being hit by a torpedo.” There was no confirmation of that claim.\n\nJakob P. Larsen, head of maritime security for BIMCO, said the attacks add to rising tensions in the Persian Gulf region.\n\n“The shipping industry views this as an escalation of the situation, and we are just about as close to a conflict without there being an actual armed conflict, so the tensions are very high,” he said.\n\nThe U.S. Navy sent the USS Bainbridge, a destroyer, to assist the stricken vessels.\n\nIran denied that it was behind the attacks, which took place as Japanese Prime Minster Shinzo Abe, during a visit to Iran, was rebuffed by Iranian leader Ali Khamenei on the subject of re-starting talks between the U.S. and Iran.\n\nPresident Donald Trump then joined in with a tweet, agreeing that the time was wrong for talks.\n\n“While I very much appreciate PM Abe going to Iran to meet with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, I personally feel that it is too soon to even think about making a deal. They are not ready, and neither are we!” Trump tweeted.\n\nThe latest attacks add to a rising drumbeat of tensions that began in May, when the U.S. sent extra forces to the Persian Gulf region, citing concerns of an attack by Iran or its allies against the U.S. or American interests in the region.\n\nWe are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.", "Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Thursday afternoon that attacks earlier in the day on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman were carried out by Iranian forces.\n\n“This assessment is based on intelligence, the weapons used, the level of expertise needed to execute the operation, recent similar Iranian attacks on shipping, and the fact that no proxy group operating in the area has the resources and proficiency to act with such a high degree of sophistication,” Mr. Pompeo told reporters at the State Department.\n\nAs the secretary of state was speaking, President Trump said Iran and the U.S. “are not ready” for any kind of cooperation.\n\nMr. Trump noted that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a close ally of the U.S., had been visiting Tehran as a possible mediator on Thursday.\n\n“While I very much appreciate P.M. Abe going to Iran to meet with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, I personally feel that it is too soon to even think about making a deal,” Mr. Trump said on Twitter, in reference to the Japanese prime minister’s meeting with Iran’s supreme leader.\n\n“They are not ready, and neither are we!” Mr. Trump said in the tweet.\n\nThe comments from Mr. Trump and Mr. Pompeo came after early morning attacks Thursday on the two oil tankers near the Persian Gulf left dozens of sailors stranded off the coast of Iran and ratcheted up already heightened tensions in the region.\n\nThe U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet responded to the incident, which saw two vessels — the MT Front Altair and the Kokuka Courageous, flagged from the Marshall Islands and Panama, respectively — stranded at sea after reports of explosions aboard and a suspected “torpedo attack.”\n\nThe Front Altair was traveling to Taiwan and the Kokuka was on its way to Singapore, according to reports.\n\n“We are aware of the reported attack on shipping vessels in the Gulf of Oman. U.S. Naval Forces in the region received two separate distress calls at 6:12 a.m. local (Bahrain) time and a second one at 7:00 a.m. U.S. Navy ships are in the area and are rendering assistance,” the Navy said in a statement.\n\nThe reported attacks come just weeks after another incident in the region in which four oil tankers were struck by mines — an attack the U.S. and its regional allies blamed on Iran. It took place shortly after the Trump administration announced a major new embargo on Iranian oil exports.\n\nAfter Thursday’s attack, Iran’s state-run Islamic Republic News Agency said Iran was helping to evacuate the stranded sailors.\n\nIran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif appeared to deny the attacks and described them as “suspicious.”", "FILE PHOTO - Saudi Arabia's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir speaks during a news conference with Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (not pictured) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia March 4, 2019. REUTERS/Faisal Al Nasser\n\nWASHINGTON (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia agrees with the United States that Iran was behind the suspected attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman, Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir said on Thursday.\n\n“We have no reason to disagree with the secretary of state. We agree with him,” Jubeir told CNN. “Iran has a history of doing this.”\n\n(This story corrects Saudi minister’s title in headline and first paragraph)", "Iran has accused the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo of lying about the “torpedo attack” on an American-linked oil tanker as tensions reach breaking point.\n\nAccording to Iran, the US launched the attacks Thursday on two tankers which burst into flames in the Gulf of Oman, as part of a “false flag” operation to justify another war of aggression in the region.\n\nEx-CIA Director Mike Pompeo immediately blamed Iran for the “blatant” attacks, and the Pentagon released images and footage they described as “proof” of Iranian involvement.\n\nBut Iran has hit back at the “unfounded and reckless” claims and accused the US of “warmongering” as part of a “disinformation campaign”.\n\n“The US and its regional allies must stop warmongering and put an end to mischievous plots and false flag operations in the region,” Iran’s mission to the United Nations said.\n\n“Warning, once again, about all of the US coercion, intimidation and malign behaviour, Iran expresses concern over suspicious incidents for the oil tankers that occurred today.”\n\nThe Sun report: It came after Pompeo pointed the finger at Iran and the Pentagon attempted to prove the Iranians are to blame.\n\nPompeo said the attacks were part of a “campaign” of “escalating tension” by Iran which posed a threat to international peace and security.\n\nIran blasted his “inflammatory remarks” and said they amounted to “another Iranophobic campaign”.\n\n“Iran categorically rejects the U.S. unfounded claim with regard to 13 June oil tanker incidents and condemns it in the strongest possible terms,” the Iranian mission said in a statement.\n\nThe Islamic nation added that the US poses the “most significant threat” to the peace and security of the Persian Gulf region.\n\n“The US economic war and terrorism against the Iranian people as well as the massive military presence in the region have been and continue to be the main sources of insecurity and instability in the wider Persian Gulf region and the most significant threat to its peace and security,” the statement said.\n\nIran’s foreign minister later dismissed the US accusations as “sabotage diplomacy”.\n\nBoth the Front Altair and the Panama-flagged Kokuka Courageous burst into flames and were forced to evacuate in the troubled region on Thursday.\n\nReports suggested the Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous may have been targeted by a magnetic mine causing a series of massive explosions on board.\n\nThe Pentagon released a video that it said showed Iran’s Revolutionary Guard removing an unexploded limpet mine from the tanker.\n\nThis suggests the Islamic Republic may have sought to remove evidence of its involvement from the scene.\n\nThe black-and-white footage, as well as still photographs released by the US military’s Central Command, appeared to show the limpet mine on the Kokuka Courageous.\n\nBut the owner has since said the tanker crew saw “flying objects” before the attack, suggesting the ship was not damaged by mines, according to AP.\n\nPompeo said the US will defend its forces and interests in the region but gave no specifics about any plans and he took no questions.\n\nHours later it was revealed the US Navy is sending the guided missile destroyer USS Mason to the scene of the attacks.\n\nThe USS Bainbridge rescued 21 of the 44 stricken sailors involved in the incident near the Strait of Hormuz.", "DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES >> The U.S. military released a video today it said showed Iran’s Revolutionary Guard removing an unexploded limpet mine from one of the oil tankers targeted near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, suggesting Tehran wanted to hide evidence of its alleged involvement.\n\nIran denied any role in Thursday’s apparent attacks, which have again roiled the Persian Gulf amid heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington over the unraveling nuclear deal with world powers.\n\nFour other oil tankers off the nearby Emirati port city of Fujairah suffered similar attacks in recent weeks, and Iranian-allied rebels from Yemen have struck U.S. ally Saudi Arabia with drones and missiles.\n\nPresident Donald Trump withdrew America last year from the 2015 nuclear deal that Iran reached with world powers and recently imposed a series of sanctions now squeezing its beleaguered economy and cutting deeply into its oil exports. While Iran maintains it has nothing to do with the recent attacks, its leaders repeatedly have threatened to close the vital Strait of Hormuz, through which 20 percent of the world’s oil flows.\n\nIran accused Washington of waging an “Iranophobic campaign” against it, while Trump countered that the country was “a nation of terror.”\n\n“Iran did do it,” he said of the attack, in remarks Friday morning to “Fox & Friends.”\n\nThe black-and-white U.S. video of the Iranians alongside the Japanese-owned tanker Kokuka Courageous came after its crew abandoned ship after seeing the undetonated explosive on its hull, said Capt. Bill Urban, a spokesman for the U.S. military’s Central Command. It separately shared photos of the vessel, which showed what appeared to be a conical limpet mine against its side.\n\nIn the video, the boat from Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard pulls alongside Kokuka Courageous at 4:10 p.m. Thursday. The Iranians reach up and grab along where the limpet mine could be seen in the photo. They then sail away.\n\nAnalysts say Iran, if involved, wouldn’t want investigators to find an unexploded mine because they could check its serial numbers and other attributes to trace it.\n\n“The U.S. and the international community stand ready to defend our interests, including the freedom of navigation,” Urban said in a statement. “The United States has no interest in engaging in a new conflict in the Middle East. However, we will defend our interests.”\n\nIn a statement from its U.N. mission, Iran accused the U.S. of escalating tensions.\n\n“The U.S. economic war and terrorism against the Iranian people as well as its massive military presence in the region have been and continue to be the main sources of insecurity and instability in the wider Persian Gulf region and the most significant threat to its peace and security,” the statement said.\n\nIn Tokyo, the owner of the Kokuka Courageous said its sailors saw “flying objects” before the attack, suggesting it wasn’t damaged by mines. Company president Yutaka Katada offered no evidence for his claim, which contradicted the U.S. military account.\n\nKatada also said crew members saw an Iranian naval ship nearby, but did not specify whether this was before or after the attacks.\n\nThe suspected attacks occurred at dawn Thursday about 40 kilometers (25 miles) off the southern coast of Iran. The Front Altair, loaded with naphtha from the United Arab Emirates, radioed for help as its cargo of flammable chemicals caught fire. The Kokuka Courageous, carrying methanol from Saudi Arabia and Qatar, called for help a short time later.\n\nThe U.S. Navy sent the USS Bainbridge, which picked up 21 sailors from the Kokuka Courageous, and they stayed overnight on the destroyer, returning to their vessel Friday to help in it being towed.\n\nThursday’s attack resembled one in May that targeted four oil tankers off the nearby Emirati port of Fujairah. U.S. officials similarly accused Iran of using limpet mines, which are magnetic and attach to a ship’s hull. The mines are designed to disable — but not sink — a vessel.\n\nU.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the U.S. assessment of Iran’s involvement was based in part on intelligence, as well as the expertise needed for the operation. It was also based on recent incidents, including the Fujairah attack, he said. He also tied Iran to a drone attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on a crucial Saudi oil pipeline around the same time.\n\n“Taken as a whole, these unprovoked attacks present a clear threat to international peace and security, a blatant assault on the freedom of navigation and an unacceptable campaign of escalating tension by Iran,” Pompeo said. He didn’t elaborate.\n\nIran also denied being involved in last month’s attacks. Its foreign minister questioned the timing of Thursday’s incidents, given that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was meeting Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran.\n\nPompeo noted that Abe had asked Iran to enter into talks with Washington but Tehran “rejected” the overture.\n\n“The supreme leader’s government then insulted Japan by attacking a Japanese-owned oil tanker just outside Iranian waters, threatening the lives of the entire crew, creating a maritime emergency,” Pompeo added.\n\nThe U.N. Security Council held closed consultations on the tanker incidents late Thursday at the request of the U.S. but took no action.\n\nTensions have escalated in the Mideast as Iran appears poised to break the nuclear deal, which Trump repudiated last year. In the deal, Tehran agreed to limit its enrichment of uranium in exchange for the lifting of crippling sanctions. Now, Iran is threatening to resume enriching uranium closer to weapons-grade levels if European nations don’t offer it new terms to the deal by July 7.\n\nAlready, Iran says it quadrupled its production of low-enriched uranium. Meanwhile, U.S. sanctions have cut off opportunities for Iran to trade its excess uranium and heavy water abroad, putting Tehran on course to violate terms of the nuclear deal regardless.\n\nMeanwhile, Saudi Arabia said early Friday its military intercepted five drones launched by Houthi rebels targeting the kingdom, including the Abha regional airport. The kingdom said a similar attack Wednesday on the airport wounded 26 people."], "summary": "The United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Saudi Arabia Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir directly blame Iran for being behind the attacks on both ships. Iranian officials deny the U.S. claims."}
{"document": ["The U.S. military on Friday released a video it said showed Iran's Revolutionary Guard removing an unexploded limpet mine from one of the oil tankers targeted near the Strait of Hormuz, suggesting the Islamic Republic sought to remove evidence of its involvement from the scene.\n\nThe U.S. Navy rushed to assist the stricken vessels in the Gulf of Oman off the coast of Iran, including one that was set ablaze Thursday by an explosion.\n\nThe ships' operators offered no immediate explanation on who or what caused the damage against the Norwegian-owned MT Front Altair and the Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous. Each was loaded with petroleum products, and the Front Altair burned for hours, sending up a column of thick, black smoke.\n\n'It is the assessment of the United States government that the Islamic Republic of Iran is responsible for the attacks that occurred in the Gulf of Oman today,' Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters at the State Department.\n\n'This assessment is based on intelligence, the weapons used, the level of expertise needed to executive the operation, recent similar Iranian attacks on shipping, and the fact that no proxy group operating in the area has the resources and proficiency to act with such a high degree of sophistication.'\n\nIran has denied being involved in the attack, calling it an 'unfounded claim' in the U.S.' 'Iranophobic campaign.' However, Iran previously used mines against oil tankers in 1987 and 1988 in the 'Tanker War,' when the U.S. Navy escorted ships through the region.\n\nThe black-and-white footage, as well as still photographs released by the U.S. military's Central Command, appeared to show the limpet mine on the Kokuka Courageous.\n\nA Revolutionary Guard patrol boat pulled alongside the ship and removed the mine, Central Command spokesman Capt. Bill Urban said.\n\n'The U.S. and the international community stand ready to defend our interests, including the freedom of navigation,' Urban said. 'The United States has no interest in engaging in a new conflict in the Middle East. However, we will defend our interests.'\n\nIran earlier denied involvement via a statement from its mission to the United Nations.\n\n'The U.S. economic war and terrorism against the Iranian people as well as its massive military presence in the region have been and continue to be the main sources of insecurity and instability in the wider Persian Gulf region and the most significant threat to its peace and security,' the statement said.\n\nThe suspected attacks occurred at dawn Thursday about 40 kilometers (25 miles) off the southern coast of Iran.\n\nThe Front Altair, loaded with the flammable hydrocarbon mixture naphtha from the United Arab Emirates, radioed for help as it caught fire. A short time later, the Kokuka Courageous, loaded with methanol from Saudi Arabia and Qatar, also called for help.\n\nThe U.S. Navy sent a destroyer, the USS Bainbridge, to assist, said Cmdr. Joshua Frey, a 5th Fleet spokesman. He described the ships as being hit in a 'reported attack,' without elaborating.\n\nThursday's attack resembled that of an attack in May targeting four oil tankers off the nearby Emirati port of Fujairah. U.S. officials similarly accused Iran of targeting the ships with limpet mines, which are magnetic and attach to the hulls of a ship. The mines disable, but don't sink, a vessel.", "LONDON (Reuters) - The Kokuka Courageous tanker was damaged in a security incident in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday, a spokesman for the vessel’s manager BSM Ship Management (Singapore) said.\n\nThe spokesman said 21 crew had abandoned ship after the incident, which resulted in damage to the ship’s starboard hull.\n\nThe master and crew were quickly rescued from a lifeboat by the Coastal Ace, a nearby vessel.\n\nOne crew man from the Kokuka Courageous was slightly injured in the incident and received first aid on board the Coastal Ace.\n\n“The Kokuka Courageous remains in the area and is not in any danger of sinking. The cargo of methanol is intact,” the spokesman said.\n\nThe vessel is about 70 nautical miles from Fujairah and about 14 nautical miles off Iran.", "DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The U.S. military on Friday released a video it said shows Iran's Revolutionary Guard removing an unexploded limpet mine from one of the oil tankers targeted near the Strait of Hormuz, suggesting the Islamic Republic sought to remove evidence of its involvement from the scene. Iran denies being involved, accusing the U.S. instead of waging an \"Iranophobic campaign\" against it.\n\nThe U.S. Navy rushed to assist the stricken vessels in the Gulf of Oman, off the coast of Iran, including one that was set ablaze Thursday by an explosion.\n\nThe ships' operators offered no immediate explanation on who or what caused the damage against the Norwegian-owned MT Front Altair and the Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous. Each was loaded with petroleum products, and the Front Altair burned for hours, sending up a column of thick, black smoke.\n\nWhile Iran has denied being involved in the attack, Tehran previously used mines against oil tankers in 1987 and 1988 in the \"Tanker War,\" when the U.S. Navy escorted ships through the region.\n\nThe black-and-white footage, as well as still photographs released by the U.S. military's Central Command on Friday, appeared to show the limpet mine on the Kokuka Courageous.\n\nA Revolutionary Guard patrol boat pulled alongside the ship and removed the mine, Central Command spokesman Capt. Bill Urban said.\n\n\"The U.S. and the international community stand ready to defend our interests, including the freedom of navigation,\" Urban said. \"The United States has no interest in engaging in a new conflict in the Middle East. However, we will defend our interests.\"\n\nThis June 13, 2019, image released by the U.S. military's Central Command, shows damage and a suspected mine on the Kokuka Courageous in the Gulf of Oman near the coast of Iran. (U.S. Central Command via AP)\n\nIran earlier denied involvement via a statement from its mission to the United Nations.\n\n\"The U.S. economic war and terrorism against the Iranian people as well as its massive military presence in the region have been and continue to be the main sources of insecurity and instability in the wider Persian Gulf region and the most significant threat to its peace and security,\" the statement said.\n\nMeanwhile in Tokyo, the owner of the Kokuka Courageous said its sailors saw \"flying objects\" before the attack, suggesting it wasn't damaged by mines. Company president Yutaka Katada offered no evidence for his claim, which contradicts the U.S. military account.\n\nKatada also said crew members saw an Iranian naval ship nearby, but did not specify whether this was before or after the attacks.\n\nThe suspected attacks occurred at dawn Thursday about 40 kilometers (25 miles) off the southern coast of Iran. The Front Altair, loaded with the flammable hydrocarbon mixture naphtha from the United Arab Emirates, radioed for help as it caught fire. A short time later, the Kokuka Courageous, loaded with methanol from Saudi Arabia and Qatar, also called for help.\n\nThe U.S. Navy sent a destroyer, the USS Bainbridge, to assist, said Cmdr. Joshua Frey, a 5th Fleet spokesman. He described the ships as being hit in a \"reported attack,\" without elaborating.\n\nThursday's attack resembled that of an attack in May targeting four oil tankers off the nearby Emirati port of Fujairah. U.S. officials similarly accused Iran of targeting the ships with limpet mines, which are magnetic and attach to the hulls of a ship. The mines disable, but don't sink, a vessel.\n\nU.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told journalists on Thursday that the U.S. assessment of Iran's involvement was based in part on intelligence, as well as the expertise needed for the operation. It was also based on recent incidents in the region, which the U.S. also blamed on Iran, including the use of limpet mines in the Fujairah attack, he said. He also tied Iran to a drone attack by Yemen's Iranian-backed Houthi rebels on a crucial Saudi oil pipeline around the same time.\n\n\"Taken as a whole, these unprovoked attacks present a clear threat to international peace and security, a blatant assault on the freedom of navigation and an unacceptable campaign of escalating tension by Iran,\" Pompeo said. He didn't elaborate and took no questions.\n\nIran denied being involved in the attacks last month and its foreign minister questioned the timing of Thursday's incidents, given that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was meeting Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran.\n\nPompeo noted that Abe had asked Iran to enter into talks with Washington but Tehran \"rejected\" the overture.\n\n\"The supreme leader's government then insulted Japan by attacking a Japanese-owned oil tanker just outside Iranian waters, threatening the lives of the entire crew, creating a maritime emergency,\" Pompeo added.\n\nAt the United Nations, the Security Council held closed consultations on the tanker incidents late Thursday at the request of the United States but took no action.\n\nTensions have escalated in the Mideast as Iran appears poised to break the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, an accord that President Donald Trump repudiated last year. In the deal, Tehran agreed to limit its enrichment of uranium in exchange for the lifting of crippling sanctions. Now, Iran is threatening to resume enriching uranium closer to weapons-grade levels if European nations don't offer it new terms to the deal by July 7.\n\nAlready, Iran says it quadrupled its production of low-enriched uranium. Meanwhile, U.S. sanctions have cut off opportunities for Iran to trade its excess uranium and heavy water abroad, putting Tehran on course to violate terms of the nuclear deal regardless.\n\nMeanwhile, Saudi Arabia said early Friday its military intercepted five drones launched by Yemen's Houthi rebels targeting the kingdom, including the Abha regional airport. The kingdom said a similar attack Wednesday on the Abha airport wounded 26 people.\n\nAssociated Press writers Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations, Aya Batrawy in Dubai, David Rising in Berlin, Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo, Lolita C. Baldor, Zeke Miller and Susannah George in Washington and Amir Vahdat and Nasser Karimi in Tehran, Iran, contributed to this report.", "This June 13, 2019, image released by the U.S. military's Central Command, shows damage and a suspected mine on the Kokuka Courageous in the Gulf of Oman near the coast of Iran. The U.S. military on Friday, June 14, 2019, released a video it said showed Iran's Revolutionary Guard removing an unexploded limpet mine from one of the oil tankers targeted near the Strait of Hormuz, suggesting the Islamic Republic sought to remove evidence of its involvement from the scene. (U.S. Central Command via AP)\n\nThis June 13, 2019, image released by the U.S. military's Central Command, shows damage and a suspected mine on the Kokuka Courageous in the Gulf of Oman near the coast of Iran. The U.S. military on Friday, June 14, 2019, released a video it said showed Iran's Revolutionary Guard removing an unexploded limpet mine from one of the oil tankers targeted near the Strait of Hormuz, suggesting the Islamic Republic sought to remove evidence of its involvement from the scene. (U.S. Central Command via AP)\n\nPresident Trump fully believes Iran is responsible for tanker attacks in the Gulf of Oman.\n\nVideo released by the U.S. military looks to show an Iranian navy boat removing an unexploded mine from a Japanese-owned tanker. President Trump says the images show Iran’s role in the attack.\n\nBritain is also backing the claim, and although they say they’ll make their own assessment, they have no reason to doubt Trump’s statement.", "WASHINGTON: The US military released a video late on Thursday that it said showed Iran's Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) removing an unexploded mine from the side of a Japanese-owned oil tanker, as Washington blamed Iran for attacks rattling global oil markets.\n\nThe US military's Central Command also released photographs showing the apparent mine, which attaches to the side of a ship magnetically, before it was removed later in the day.\n\nSuch imagery is often difficult to declassify and its release appeared to show US efforts to convince the international community of Iran's culpability in Thursday's attacks on the Kokuka Courageous and the Norwegian-owned Front Altair. Tehran has bluntly denied the allegation.\n\nBoth vessels suffered explosions, forcing crews to abandon ship and leave them adrift in waters between Gulf Arab states and Iran.\n\nNavy Captain Bill Urban, a Central Command spokesman, said the IRGC vessel was observed at 4:10 p.m. local time approaching the Japanese-owned tanker.\n\n\"(It) was observed and recorded removing the unexploded limpet mine from the Kokuka Courageous (video attached),\" Urban said in a statement.\n\nReuters had previously reported the existence of the video.\n\nCrude oil prices spiked more than 4 per cent after the attacks near the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial shipping artery for Saudi Arabia and other Gulf energy producers. Prices later settled about 2 per cent higher.\n\nBrent crude was down by 0.4 per cent at US$61.06 a barrel in early Asia trading.\n\nCentral Command also offered a detailed chronology of events, starting with U.S. Navy forces receiving distress calls from the Altair at 6.12am and from the Kokuka Courageous at 7am.\n\nBut much of the chronology centred on the movement of nearby Iranian ships, and what Central Command said was an Iranian order to take control of Altair sailors who had been rescued.\n\nAbout an hour after the Kokuka Courageous' distress call, a U.S. aircraft observed an IRGC Hendijan-class patrol boat and multiple IRGC fast attack craft and fast inshore attack craft near the Altair, Urban said.\n\nHe said that at 9.26am Iranian forces told a ship that had rescued sailors from the Altair \"to turn the crew over to the Iranian (fast inshore attack craft).\"\n\n\"The motor vessel Hyundai Dubai complied with the request and transferred the crew of the Altair to the Iranian (vessels),\" Urban said.\n\nIn a statement on Thursday evening, the Iranian mission to the United Nations said Tehran \"categorically rejects the U.S. unfounded claim with regard to 13 June oil tanker incidents and condemns it in the strongest possible terms.\"\n\nIt accused the United States and its regional allies, which include Iranian rival Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, of \"warmongering.\"\n\nUrban said the United States would defend its interests and warned that Thursday's attacks were a threat to international freedom of navigation and freedom of commerce.\n\n\"The United States has no interest in engaging in a new conflict in the Middle East,\" Urban added. \"However, we will defend our interests.\"", "DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The U.S. military’s Central Command has released a video it says shows Iranian forces removing an unexploded limpet mine from one of the two ships suspected to have been attacked near the Strait of Hormuz.\n\nCapt. Bill Urban, a Central Command spokesman, said a Revolutionary Guard patrol ship removed the limpet mine from the Kokuka Courageous.\n\nIran has denied involvement in Thursday’s suspected attacks amid heightened tensions between Iran and the U.S.\n\nUrban said in a statement the attacks “are a clear threat to international freedom of navigation and freedom of commerce.”\n\nHe added: “The United States has no interest in engaging in a new conflict in the Middle East. However, we will defend our interests.”", "DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The U.S. military on Friday released a video it said shows Iran's Revolutionary Guard removing an unexploded limpet mine from one of the oil tankers targeted near the Strait of Hormuz, suggesting the Islamic Republic sought to remove evidence of its involvement from the scene. Iran denies being involved, accusing the U.S. instead of waging an \"Iranophobic campaign\" against it.\n\nThe U.S. Navy rushed to assist the stricken vessels in the Gulf of Oman, off the coast of Iran, including one that was set ablaze Thursday by an explosion.\n\nThe ships' operators offered no immediate explanation on who or what caused the damage against the Norwegian-owned MT Front Altair and the Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous. Each was loaded with petroleum products, and the Front Altair burned for hours, sending up a column of thick, black smoke.\n\nWhile Iran has denied being involved in the attack, Tehran previously used mines against oil tankers in 1987 and 1988 in the \"Tanker War,\" when the U.S. Navy escorted ships through the region.\n\nThe black-and-white footage, as well as still photographs released by the U.S. military's Central Command on Friday, appeared to show the limpet mine on the Kokuka Courageous.\n\nA Revolutionary Guard patrol boat pulled alongside the ship and removed the mine, Central Command spokesman Capt. Bill Urban said.\n\n\"The U.S. and the international community stand ready to defend our interests, including the freedom of navigation,\" Urban said. \"The United States has no interest in engaging in a new conflict in the Middle East. However, we will defend our interests.\"\n\nThis June 13, 2019, image released by the U.S. military's Central Command, shows damage and a suspected mine on the Kokuka Courageous in the Gulf of Oman near the coast of Iran. (U.S. Central Command via AP)\n\nIran earlier denied involvement via a statement from its mission to the United Nations.\n\n\"The U.S. economic war and terrorism against the Iranian people as well as its massive military presence in the region have been and continue to be the main sources of insecurity and instability in the wider Persian Gulf region and the most significant threat to its peace and security,\" the statement said.\n\nMeanwhile in Tokyo, the owner of the Kokuka Courageous said its sailors saw \"flying objects\" before the attack, suggesting it wasn't damaged by mines. Company president Yutaka Katada offered no evidence for his claim, which contradicts the U.S. military account.\n\nKatada also said crew members saw an Iranian naval ship nearby, but did not specify whether this was before or after the attacks.\n\nThe suspected attacks occurred at dawn Thursday about 40 kilometers (25 miles) off the southern coast of Iran. The Front Altair, loaded with the flammable hydrocarbon mixture naphtha from the United Arab Emirates, radioed for help as it caught fire. A short time later, the Kokuka Courageous, loaded with methanol from Saudi Arabia and Qatar, also called for help.\n\nThe U.S. Navy sent a destroyer, the USS Bainbridge, to assist, said Cmdr. Joshua Frey, a 5th Fleet spokesman. He described the ships as being hit in a \"reported attack,\" without elaborating.\n\nThursday's attack resembled that of an attack in May targeting four oil tankers off the nearby Emirati port of Fujairah. U.S. officials similarly accused Iran of targeting the ships with limpet mines, which are magnetic and attach to the hulls of a ship. The mines disable, but don't sink, a vessel.\n\nU.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told journalists on Thursday that the U.S. assessment of Iran's involvement was based in part on intelligence, as well as the expertise needed for the operation. It was also based on recent incidents in the region, which the U.S. also blamed on Iran, including the use of limpet mines in the Fujairah attack, he said. He also tied Iran to a drone attack by Yemen's Iranian-backed Houthi rebels on a crucial Saudi oil pipeline around the same time.\n\n\"Taken as a whole, these unprovoked attacks present a clear threat to international peace and security, a blatant assault on the freedom of navigation and an unacceptable campaign of escalating tension by Iran,\" Pompeo said. He didn't elaborate and took no questions.\n\nIran denied being involved in the attacks last month and its foreign minister questioned the timing of Thursday's incidents, given that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was meeting Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran.\n\nPompeo noted that Abe had asked Iran to enter into talks with Washington but Tehran \"rejected\" the overture.\n\n\"The supreme leader's government then insulted Japan by attacking a Japanese-owned oil tanker just outside Iranian waters, threatening the lives of the entire crew, creating a maritime emergency,\" Pompeo added.\n\nAt the United Nations, the Security Council held closed consultations on the tanker incidents late Thursday at the request of the United States but took no action.\n\nTensions have escalated in the Mideast as Iran appears poised to break the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, an accord that President Donald Trump repudiated last year. In the deal, Tehran agreed to limit its enrichment of uranium in exchange for the lifting of crippling sanctions. Now, Iran is threatening to resume enriching uranium closer to weapons-grade levels if European nations don't offer it new terms to the deal by July 7.\n\nAlready, Iran says it quadrupled its production of low-enriched uranium. Meanwhile, U.S. sanctions have cut off opportunities for Iran to trade its excess uranium and heavy water abroad, putting Tehran on course to violate terms of the nuclear deal regardless.\n\nMeanwhile, Saudi Arabia said early Friday its military intercepted five drones launched by Yemen's Houthi rebels targeting the kingdom, including the Abha regional airport. The kingdom said a similar attack Wednesday on the Abha airport wounded 26 people.\n\nAssociated Press writers Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations, Aya Batrawy in Dubai, David Rising in Berlin, Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo, Lolita C. Baldor, Zeke Miller and Susannah George in Washington and Amir Vahdat and Nasser Karimi in Tehran, Iran, contributed to this report.", "U.S. Naval Forces in the region received two separate distress calls at 6:12 a.m. local time from the motor tanker (M/T) Altair and a second one at 7a.m. local time from the M/T Kokuka Courageous.\n\n\n\nBoth vessels were in international waters in the Gulf of Oman approximately 10 nautical miles apart at the time of the distress calls. USS Bainbridge was approximately 40 nautical miles away from the M/T Altair at the time of the attack, and immediately began closing the distance.\n\n\n\nAt 8:09 a.m. local time a U.S. aircraft observed an IRGC Hendijan class patrol boat and multiple IRGC fast attack craft/fast inshore attack craft (FAC/FIAC) in the vicinity of the M/T Altair.\n\n\n\nAt 9:12 a.m. local time a U.S. aircraft observes the FAC/FIAC pull a raft from the M/T Altair from the water.\n\n\n\nAt 9:26 a.m. local time the Iranians requested that the motor vessel Hyundai Dubai, which had rescued the sailors from the M/T Altair, to turn the crew over to the Iranian FIACs. The motor vessel Hyundai Dubai complied with the request and transferred the crew of the M/T Altair to the Iranian FIACs.\n\n\n\nAt 11:05 a.m. local time USS Bainbridge approaches the Dutch tug Coastal Ace, which had rescued the crew of twenty-one sailors from the M/T Kokuka Courageous who had abandoned their ship after discovering a probable unexploded limpet mine on their hull following an initial explosion.\n\n\n\nWhile the Hendijan patrol boat appeared to attempt to get to the tug Coastal Ace before USS Bainbridge, the mariners were rescued by USS Bainbridge at the request of the master of the M/T Kokuka Courageous. The rescued sailors are currently aboard USS Bainbridge.\n\n\n\nAt 4:10 p.m. local time an IRGC Gashti Class patrol boat approached the M/T Kokuka Courageous and was observed and recorded removing the unexploded limpet mine from the M/T Kokuka Courageous (video attached).\n\n\n\nThe U.S. and our partners in the region will take all necessary measures to defend ourselves and our interests. Today's attacks are a clear threat to international freedom of navigation and freedom of commerce.\n\n\n\nThe U.S. and the international community, stand ready to defend our interests, including the freedom of navigation.\n\n\n\nThe United States has no interest in engaging in a new conflict in the Middle East. However, we will defend our interests.\n\n\n\nU.S. Central Command Statement on June 13 Limpet Mine Attack in the Gulf of Oman, attributable to Capt. Bill Urban, Lead Spokesman for U.S. Central Command.", "BREAKING: U.S. Central Command released a video it says shows Iran removing a mine from targeted oil tanker.\n\nCapt. Bill Urban, the spokesman for U.S. Central Command, issued a timeline late Thursday that suggested U.S. military assets observed Iranian vessels returning to the Courageous to retrieve the unexploded mine.\n\n“At 4:10 p.m. local time an IRGC Gashti Class patrol boat approached the M/T Kokuka Courageous and was observed and recorded removing the unexploded limpet mine” from the Courageous,” Urban said.\n\nThe perilous contest between the United States and Iran for influence in the Middle East escalated dramatically on Thursday as two tankers were targeted in suspected attacks near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a vital waterway for global oil shipments.\n\nSecretary of State Mike Pompeo blamed Iran for the “blatant assault” on the vessels and said the United States would defend itself and its allies against Iranian aggression in the region. But he provided no evidence that the explosions had been the work of Iranian forces.\n\nThe blasts appeared to be a coordinated attack, damaging the hull of a Japanese-owned tanker and striking a Norwegian-owned vessel, which caught fire and was left adrift in the Gulf of Oman.\n\nThe incidents were similar to suspected acts of sabotage carried out against tankers near the United Arab Emirates port of Fujairah last month and looked to be the latest salvo in the mounting confrontation between the United States and Iran. As the Trump administration has tightened economic sanctions on Iran after withdrawing last year from the historic nuclear deal, Iran and its allies have responded with calibrated attacks in the Persian Gulf area, Iraq and Saudi Arabia aimed at underscoring the potential cost to U.S. interests, including the international oil trade, experts say.\n\nIranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif described the incidents Thursday as “suspicious,” and Iran’s naval forces said they were investigating the “accident” in the Gulf of Oman. At the United Nations, the Iranian mission denied any involvement and called the U.S. claim “inflammatory” and “Iranophobic.”\n\nThe crews of both vessels were forced to abandon ship. A U.S. defense official said the USS Bainbridge, an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer that was in the area, took on board 21 crew members from the Japanese vessel, the Kokuka Courageous.\n\nThe suspected attack on the Japanese ship appeared timed to undermine diplomatic efforts by Japan’s prime minister, Shinzo Abe, who was wrapping up a high-stakes visit to Tehran. He met there with Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and was seeking to help mediate potential talks between U.S. and Iranian officials. Abe had called his talks in Tehran “a major step forward toward securing peace and stability in this region,” the Kyodo news agency reported.\n\nThe second vessel, owned by Norway’s Frontline, was “suspected of being hit by a torpedo,” an official with Taiwan’s state oil refiner, CPC Corp., which chartered the vessel, told the Reuters news agency.\n\nThe tanker, called the Front Altair, was carrying naphtha, a flammable petrochemical product that was loaded at a port in the UAE and was destined for East Asia, news agencies reported. The ship’s 23 crew members — 11 Russians, 11 Filipinos and one Georgian — were rescued by a nearby vessel and transferred to an Iranian navy ship, then taken to the Iranian port of Bandar Abbas.\n\nSpeaking to reporters, Pompeo said that the U.S. assessment of Iranian involvement is based on intelligence, the type of weapons used and the level of expertise needed, and that no Iranian-backed militia in the region has the resources or proficiency to pull off such a sophisticated operation.\n\nHe said the impetus behind the attacks was the administration’s “maximum pressure campaign” of sanctions that U.S. officials say are designed to get Iran to negotiate over its nuclear program and its support of militias in various neighboring countries.\n\n“Our policy remains an economic and diplomatic effort to bring Iran back to the negotiating table at the right time and encourage a comprehensive deal that addresses the broad range of threats,” Pompeo said. “Iran should meet diplomacy with diplomacy, not with terror, bloodshed and extortion.”\n\nIn New York, the U.S. representative to the United Nations blamed Tehran for the attacks during a meeting of the Security Council, drawing a sharp response from the Iranian mission.\n\n“Iran categorically rejects the U.S. unfounded claim,” the mission said in a statement.\n\n“The U.S. economic war and terrorism against the Iranian people as well as its massive military presence in the region have been and continue to be the main sources of insecurity and instability in the wider Persian Gulf region and the most significant threat to its peace and security,” the statement continued.\n\n“Neither fabrications and disinformation campaigns nor shamelessly blaming others can change the realities. The U.S. and its regional allies must stop warmongering and put an end to mischievous plots as well as false flag operations in the region.”\n\nShortly after Pompeo spoke in Washington, senior U.S. officials showed photographs to reporters of the damaged tanker Courageous with what the Navy identified as a suspected magnetic mine attached to its hull. The unexploded weapon was probably applied by hand from an Iranian fast boat, one official said, and is thought to be the same kind of weapon used to blow a hole elsewhere in the same tanker and to do more-\n\nserious damage to the other ship, the Front Altair, two officials said.\n\nThe officials, who briefed reporters on the condition of anonymity because many elements of the investigation remain secret, said the type and timing of the attack bear Iranian hallmarks, but U.S. officials cannot yet say with certainty where the mines were manufactured or exactly how they were laid.\n\n“There’s not too many ways in which this can be done,” one official said. “Very few that don’t involve an individual physically placing it on the ship.”\n\nU.S. officials said several nations are consulting about how to respond. One option may be to provide military escorts for commercial tankers moving through the Strait of Hormuz, one official said, although no decision has been made.\n\n“As the threat evolves, it’s incumbent on us to reevaluate our presence,” said one senior U.S. official.\n\nThe U.S. military has dispatched a P-8 Poseidon, an anti-ship, anti-submarine and surveillance aircraft, to the area in response to the incident, a defense official said.\n\nSenior U.S. officials have frequently been in touch about the incident since Thursday morning, the official added. U.S. Central Command is sending additional troops and weaponry to the Middle East.\n\n[The oil route that could become central to mounting tensions between Iran and the U.S.]\n\nThe Gulf of Oman links the Arabian Sea with the Strait of Hormuz, the gateway to the Persian Gulf. The gulf has been a flash point for tensions between Iran and the United States and its Arab gulf allies.\n\n“The tension in the Strait of Hormuz and the Persian Gulf is now as high as it gets without being an actual armed conflict,” said Jakob P. Larsen, head of maritime security at the Baltic and International Maritime Council, the world’s largest international shipping association. “The increase in attacks and the escalated threat to seafarers is an urgent concern to the industry.”\n\nU.S. officials say the administration’s pressure campaign is aimed at isolating Tehran, curbing its support for regional proxies, restricting its ballistic missile program, and ultimately bringing Tehran back to the negotiating table. But some experts say the recent tensions have underscored the limits of that policy.\n\nIn a climate of hostility, the tanker incidents could bring the parties closer to the brink of violent confrontation.\n\n“This is a way station to a wider conflict breaking out between Iran and the United States,” said Ali Vaez, senior Iran analyst and Iran project director for the International Crisis Group. “If Iran was behind it, it is very clear the maximum pressure policy of the Trump administration is rendering Iran more aggressive, not less.”\n\nThe attacks could also reflect a widening split between pro-\n\ndiplomacy officials in Iran and hard-liners opposed to further negotiations, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, or IRGC. The paramilitary organization, which boasts land, air and sea forces, answers only to Khamenei and is responsible for Iran’s external military operations.\n\nIran’s security services, including the IRGC, “have a decades-long history of conducting attacks and other operations aimed precisely at undermining the diplomatic objectives of a country’s elected representatives,” the political risk firm Eurasia Group said in a briefing note Thursday.\n\n“The attacks could have been designed to put an exclamation point on Iran’s warnings to Abe about the risks of instability in the region,” the note said. About 80 percent of Japan’s oil imports come from the Middle East and pass through the Strait of Hormuz.\n\nThe attacks occurred 24 nautical miles from the nearest IRGC naval base, one U.S. official said. IRGC ships are frequently present in that area but had not until recently begun to harass or impede shipping, the official said.\n\n“It’s clear that there is a pattern of Iranian naval activity in and around commercial shipping lanes that is inconsistent with their prior behavior,” the official said.\n\nThe attacks are part of Iran’s response to tightening U.S. sanctions, one official said. He described the Iranian view this way: “If we can’t ship oil, no one can.”\n\nGearan and Morello reported from Washington. Simon Denyer and Akiko Kashiwagi in Tokyo contributed to this report.\n\nToday’s coverage from Post correspondents around the world\n\nLike Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news", "The United States has blamed Iran for an attack on two tankers in the Gulf of Oman, releasing video footage that it claims shows an Iranian patrol boat removing an unexploded mine from one of the vessels’ hulls.\n\nThe Kokura Courageous and Front Altair tankers were attacked in international waters Thursday, prompting the evacuation of both vessels and raising fears of further confrontation in one of the world’s most strategic shipping lanes at a time of high tensions between the US and Iran.\n\nThe explosions, which sparked a fire on at least one of the two ships, are still under investigation. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo blamed Iran for the incident, citing intelligence assessments, the weapons used, the level of expertise required and the similarity to other recent attacks.\n\nOn Thursday night, US Central Command released a video which it said shows Iranian sailors removing a mine from the Kokura Courageous’ hull.\n\nIn the video, a smaller boat is shown coming up to the side of the Japanese-owned tanker. An individual stands up on the bow of the boat and can be seen removing an object from the tanker’s hull. The US says that object is likely an unexploded mine.\n\n“Iran did do it, and you know they did it because you saw the boat,” President Donald Trump said during a phone interview on Fox and Friends Friday morning, referring to the video.\n\nA senior diplomatic source of a US ally told CNN Friday, “It is a virtual certainty Iran was behind this latest attack. The video now nails it.”\n\nThe source added that the goal of the response from the US government thus far is all about publicly exposing Iranian actions and intensifying maximum pressure.\n\nAfter the United States withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal, adopted a policy of maximum economic pressure and sent a carrier group to the region, the source said this “Iranian retaliation is designed to show they can disrupt, and push oil prices up.”\n\nThe Trump administration predicted that the pressure from the United States would bring Iran to the negotiating table, but European leaders disagreed, believing it would empower the hardliners, the source continued.\n\nIran has denied any involvement in the incident, with its foreign minister suggesting that the US was quick to make allegations “without a shred of evidence.”\n\nOn Friday, the president of the Japanese shipping company that owns the Kokuka Courageous held a press conference in Tokyo, in which he denied that a mine had been used in the tanker attack.\n\nThe President of Kokuka Sangyo Marine, Yutaka Katada, said he believed there was “no possibility of mine attack” owing to the attack being “well above the naval line.”\n\nKatada said he had not seen the images released by the US military, but referenced the account of a crew member who witnessed the second blast and saw a “flying object.”\n\nThe International Association of Independent Tanker Owners (Intertanko) said the vessels were hit “at or below the waterline, in close proximity to the engine room,” and added that the attacks “appeared to be well-planned and coordinated.”\n\nAnother US official told CNN that multiple Iranian small boats have entered the area where the USS Bainbridge continues to be on the scene, prompting US Central Command to issue a statement saying, “No interference with USS Bainbridge, or its mission, will be tolerated.”\n\nThe attack could provide more fodder for Iran hawks within the US administration, whose recent Iran saber-rattling has frustrated President Donald Trump. One of them, national security adviser John Bolton, announced last month that the Pentagon was deploying the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group and a bomber task force to the Middle East in response to a “number of troubling and escalatory indications and warnings” from Iran.\n\nThe two tankers — one carrying oil and the other transporting chemicals — were attacked near the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route that has been the focal point of regional tensions for decades. Roughly 30% of the world’s sea-borne crude oil passes through the strategic choke point, making it a flashpoint for political and economic friction.\n\nJonathan Cohen, acting US ambassador to the United Nations, said Thursday that he echoed Pompeo’s comments in a private meeting of the UN Security Council, describing the attack as “another example of Iran’s destabilizing activities in the region.”\n\nThe Iranian mission to the UN rejected the US’ claim.\n\nAlireza Miryousefi, a spokesman for the Iranian mission, tweeted a statement saying Iran “categorically rejects the US unfounded claim” that Iran is behind the attacks and “condemns it in the strongest possible terms.”\n\nHe added that Iran “expresses concern” over the “suspicious incidents.” And he called it “ironic” that the US, which withdrew from the nuclear deal with Iran, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, is now calling Iran to come back for negotiations and diplomacy.\n\nFollowing the attack, Iran’s foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, said “suspicious doesn’t begin to describe” this latest incident, noting that one of the tankers is Japanese owned and the attack took place as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was visiting Iran in an effort to calm tensions between Washington and Tehran.\n\n“Reported attacks on Japan-related tankers occurred while PM was meeting with Ayatollah [Ali Khamenei] for extensive and friendly talks. Suspicious doesn’t begin to describe what likely transpired this morning,” Zarif tweeted Thursday.\n\nAfter Khamenei met with Abe, who was in Tehran on a visit widely viewed as an attempt to moderate US-Iran tensions, Iran’s Supreme Leader tweeted that he does not “consider Trump as a person deserving to exchange messages with; I have no response for him & will not answer him.”\n\nTrump appeared to weigh in on Twitter, saying: “While I very much appreciate P.M. Abe going to Iran to meet with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, I personally feel that it is too soon to even think about making a deal. They are not ready, and neither are we!”\n\nThursday’s incident follows attacks on four oil tankers in the United Arab Emirates’ port of Fujairah in May. The US and Saudi Arabia suspect Iran was behind those attacks — though no evidence of its involvement has been presented. Tehran denied any involvement, and precisely who carried it out is still under investigation.\n\nInitial findings from an international investigation of the attack last month concluded that a “state actor” was the most likely culprit.\n\nThe UAE, Saudi Arabia and Norway told the UN Security Council last week that there are “strong indications that last month’s attacks were part of a sophisticated and coordinated operation carried out with significant operational capacity.”\n\nOn Friday, a UK intelligence source told CNN that Britain had “no doubts” over the validity of the video released by the US Central Command. When asked about the remarks from Pompeo blaming Iran for the attack, Maja Kocijančič, a spokeswoman for the European Union, said Friday that the EU was still “gathering more information.”"], "summary": "The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) releases a video showing what CENTCOM spokesperson says, is an Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps' patrol boat approaching the Kokuka Courageous \"and was observed and recorded removing an unexploded limpet mine from the M/T Kokuka Courageous.\" Iran denies involvement."}
{"document": ["Jalalabad (Afghanistan): A suicide bomber targeted a police checkpoint Thursday in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad, killing at least 11 people and wounding 13 others, an official said.\n\nThe Afghan arm of the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack, which was committed by an assailant on foot, said Attaullah Khogyani, a spokesman for the governor of Nangarhar province.\n\nThere was at least one child among the fatalities, while three others were wounded.\n\nThe area around Jalalabad is home to fighters from both the Taliban and the IS group's Afghan affiliate.\n\nLast month, three blasts in rapid succession in the center of Jalalabad left three people dead and 20 wounded.\n\nUntil then, this city near the border with Pakistan had largely been spared from attacks and fighting, mainly with IS, in far-flung parts of the surrounding province.\n\nHowever, in March, at least 16 civilians were killed in a suicide bombing followed by gunfire targeting a construction company near the city's airport. The Taliban said they were not behind that attack.\n\nA wave of violence across Afghanistan in recent weeks has claimed the lives of dozens of civilians and security forces.\n\nAfter 18 years of conflict, the Taliban are in negotiations with US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad for some sort of peace settlement.\n\nA resolution still seems far off, with the two sides struggling to agree on several key points.\n\nKhalilzad is in the country now meeting with political leaders and members of civil society in the hope of launching intra-Afghan talks with the Taliban.\n\nThe EU envoy for Afghanistan, Roland Kobia, is also here to support the process.\n\nIn a gesture of goodwill, the government announced Thursday it has released 490 Taliban prisoners who are ill or have less than a year left to serve.\n\nThey are among 887 prisoners that President Ashraf Ghani promised to free in early June as he marked the end of Ramadan.\n\nKhalilzad is due to travel to Qatar in coming days for a new round of talks with the Taliban.\n\nThe goal of the negotiations is to set a timetable for the withdrawal of US troops in exchange for a Taliban pledge to keep the country from being used as a staging ground for terror attacks.\n\nGet the best of News18 delivered to your inbox - subscribe to News18 Daybreak. Follow News18.com on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and on YouTube, and stay in the know with what's happening in the world around you – in real time.", "Afghan men carry a wounded person to the hospital after a suicide attack in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, June 13, 2019. REUTERS/Parwiz\n\nJALALABAD, Afghanistan (Reuters) - A suicide bomber on foot targeted a police vehicle in Afghanistan’s eastern city of Jalalabad on Thursday, killing at least nine people, including civilians, local officials said.\n\nAtahullah Khogyani, spokesman for Nangarhar province’s governor, said the attacker set off his explosives as a police vehicle was passing from a residential area in the city.\n\nFive civilians, including a child, and four policemen were killed and 12 more civilians and policemen were wounded, Khogyani said.\n\nNo group has claimed responsibility for the attack but Islamic State militants have carried a string of suicide bombings and attacks on government offices, schools, and aid groups in recent years in Jalalabad, Nangarhar’s main city.\n\nAfghan government and U.S. military officials have said they will step air strikes and operations to eliminate the militants, who first emerged in Nangarhar in 2015.\n\nAs talks between U.S. officials and Taliban leaders have intensified in recent months aimed at bringing and end to more than 17 years of war in Afghanistan, fighting and insurgent attacks continue to take place across the country.", "JALALABAD: A suicide bomber targeted a police checkpoint Thursday in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad, killing at least 11 people and wounding 13 others, an official said.\n\nThe Afghan arm of the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack, which was committed by an assailant on foot, said Attaullah Khogyani, a spokesman for the governor of Nangarhar province. There was at least one child among the fatalities, while three others were wounded. The area around Jalalabad is home to fighters from both the Taliban and the IS group´s Afghan affiliate. Last month, three blasts in rapid succession in the center of Jalalabad left three people dead and 20 wounded. Until then, this city near the border with Pakistan had largely been spared from attacks and fighting, mainly with IS, in far-flung parts of the surrounding province. However, in March, at least 16 civilians were killed in a suicide bombing followed by gunfire targeting a construction company near the city´s airport. The Taliban said they were not behind that attack. A wave of violence across Afghanistan in recent weeks has claimed the lives of dozens of civilians and security forces. After 18 years of conflict, the Taliban are in negotiations with US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad for some sort of peace settlement. A resolution still seems far off, with the two sides struggling to agree on several key points.", "A suicide bomber targeted a police checkpoint Thursday in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad, killing at least 11 people and wounding 13 others, an official said\n\nJalalabad, Afghanistan, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - APP - 13th Jun, 2019 ) :A suicide bomber targeted a police checkpoint Thursday in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad , killing at least 11 people and wounding 13 others, an official said.\n\nThe Afghan arm of the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack, which was committed by an assailant on foot, said Attaullah Khogyani, a spokesman for the governor of Nangarhar province.\n\nThere was at least one child among the fatalities, while three others were wounded.\n\nThe area around Jalalabad is home to fighters from both the Taliban and the IS group's Afghan affiliate.\n\nLast month, three blasts in rapid succession in the center of Jalalabad left three people dead and 20 wounded.\n\nUntil then, this city had largely been spared from attacks and fighting, mainly with IS, in far-flung parts of the surrounding province.\n\nHowever, in March, at least 16 civilians were killed in a suicide bombing followed by gunfire targeting a construction company near the city's airport. The Taliban said they were not behind that attack.\n\nA wave of violence across Afghanistan in recent weeks has claimed the lives of dozens of civilians and security forces.\n\nAfter 18 years of conflict, the Taliban are in negotiations with US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad for some sort of peace settlement.", "Jalalabad: At least nine people were killed and 12 others injured by a suicide bomber Thursday in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad, an official said.\n\nThe bomber, who was on foot, detonated a device near a local police checkpoint, according to a spokesman for the governor of Nangarhar province.\n\n“Four security personnel and five civilians have been killed and 12 more, including three security personnel, wounded,” said Attaullah Khogyani.\n\nThere was at least one child among the fatalities, while three others were among those wounded.\n\nNo group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack, but the area around Jalalabad is home to fighters from both the Taliban and the Islamic State group’s Afghan affiliate.\n\nA wave of violence across Afghanistan in recent weeks has claimed the lives of dozens of civilians and security forces.\n\nAfter 18 years of conflict, the Taliban are in negotiations with US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad for some sort of peace settlement.\n\nA resolution still seems far off, with the two sides struggling to agree on several key points. (AFP)", "Atleast 9 people including three policemen were killed by a suicide bomber in Afghanistan. 13 people were injured in the attack. The fatal incident occurred in the capital city of eastern Nangarhar province, Jalalabad on Thursday.\n\nA suicide bomber has walked up to an Afghan police vehicle and detonated an explosive device that killed three police and six civilians. No militant group has claimed the responsibility of the attack.", "At least nine people were killed and 12 others wounded by a suicide bomber on June 13 in Jalalabad, the capital of the eastern Afghan province of Nangarhar, officials said.\n\n \n\n The bomber, who was on foot, detonated his device near a security checkpoint, according to a spokesman for the governor of Nangarhar.\n\n \n\n \"Four security personnel and five civilians have been killed and 12 more, including three security personnel, wounded,\" said Attaullah Khogyani.\n\n \n\n At least one child was among those killed, while three others were among those wounded.\n\n \n\n The Islamic State (IS) militant group claimed responsibility for the attack on its news agency, Amaq.\n\nA wave of violence across Afghanistan in recent weeks has claimed the lives of dozens of civilians and security forces.\n\n \n\n The Taliban militant group is in negotiations with U.S. peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad for a peace settlement that would put an end to the almost 18-year war, but little progress has been made so far.\n\nBased on reporting by AFP and Reuters", "An Afghan patient receives medical treatment at a hospital following a suicide attack on a police checkpoint in Jalalabad. AFP Photo", "JALALABAD\n• A suicide bomber targeted a police checkpoint in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad, killing at least 11 people and wounding 13 others, an official said.\n\nThe Afghan arm of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) group claimed responsibility for the Thursday attack, which was committed by an assailant on foot, said a spokesman for the governor of Nangarhar province.\n\nThere was at least one child among the fatalities, while three other minors were wounded.\n\nLast month, three blasts in rapid succession in the centre of Jalalabad left three people dead and 20 wounded.\n\nThe area around Jalalabad is home to fighters from both the Taleban and the ISIS group's Afghan affiliate.\n\nAfghan government and United States military officials have said they will step up air strikes and operations to eliminate the militants, who first emerged in Nangarhar in 2015.\n\nUntil then, this city near the border with Pakistan had largely been spared from attacks and fighting.\n\nHowever, in March, at least 16 civilians were killed in a suicide bombing followed by gunfire targeting a construction company near the city's airport. The Taleban said it was not behind that attack.\n\nA wave of violence across Afghanistan in recent weeks has claimed the lives of dozens of civilians and security forces.\n\nAfter 18 years of conflict, the Taleban is in negotiations with US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad for some sort of peace settlement.\n\nA resolution still seems far off, with the two sides struggling to agree on several key points.\n\nMr Khalilzad is in the country now to meet political leaders and members of civil society in the hope of launching intra-Afghan talks with the Taleban.\n\nThe European Union envoy to Afghanistan, Mr Roland Kobia, is also in the country to support the process.\n\nIn a gesture of goodwill, the Afghan government announced on Thursday that it has released 490 Taleban prisoners who are ill or have less than a year left to serve.\n\nThey are among 887 prisoners President Ashraf Ghani promised to free early this month as he marked the end of the Ramadan fasting month.\n\nMr Khalilzad is expected to travel to Qatar in the coming days for a new round of talks with the Taleban.\n\nThe goal of the negotiations is to set a timetable for the withdrawal of US troops in exchange for a Taleban pledge to keep the country from being used as a staging ground for terror attacks.", "A suicide bomber hit a security check post in PD6 area of Jalalabad city on Thursday afternoon, local officials confirmed.\n\nProvincial governor spokesman Ataullah Khogyani said at least seven dead bodies and nine injured people have been taken to Nangarhar central hospital so far.\n\nImmediately, there was no claim of responsibility for the attack."], "summary": "A suicide bomber kills eleven and injures thirteen in an attack in Jalalabad, Afghanistan."}
{"document": ["Image copyright Getty Images Image caption A destroyed Russian tank is seen alongside one of two minarets built in the 12th Century in Ghazni city\n\nAn ancient tower in the Afghan city of Ghazni has collapsed, raising questions over the government's ability to protect the country's artefacts.\n\nFootage uploaded to social media shows a fort in the old city crumbling.\n\nThe tower was one of dozens already destroyed in the city. Officials blamed heavy rain, but some critics accuse the government of negligence.\n\nGhazni's Islamic and pre-Islamic architecture is widely admired although war has taken its toll.\n\nMohammad Saber Mohmand, a spokesman for the ministry of information and culture, told Tolo News the fort was \"vulnerable to rainfall and mostly damaged by rain\".\n\nSkip Twitter post by @TOLOnews A tower in the ancient Ghaznain Fort in Ghazni’s old city collapsed on Tuesday. The fort had 32 towers, most of which have collapsed over the past few years due to “inattention” by relevant government departments. pic.twitter.com/fvo9ntb3Vo — TOLOnews (@TOLOnews) June 11, 2019 Report\n\n\"The main highway is located near the fort, which affects the towers,\" he added.\n\nGhazni was a thriving Buddhist centre up until the 7th Century. But in 683 AD, Arab armies brought Islam to the region. In the 13th Century it was destroyed by the Mongol armies of Genghis Khan, led by his son Ogedei Khan.\n\nThe ancient city has been designated an Asian city of Islamic Culture by the Organisation of Islamic Co-operation.\n\nHowever, many of the city's ancient buildings have been difficult for outsiders to visit due to the Taliban insurgency.", "Ancient tower collapse caught on camera in Ghazni in Afghanistan\n\nThe ancient towers of Ghazni have stood through centuries of war and upheaval — until now.\n\nSituated on the strategically vital main route between Kabul and southern Afghanistan, the city is believed to have been built in the 13th century and has seen British, Russian and US invaders come and go.\n\nBut now footage of one of the towers collapsing into a cloud of dust has raised fears that neglect may prove more dangerous to the monuments than the shells and bombs of rival armies.\n\nIn video posted to social media, dust is seen billowing from beneath the tower in the ancient fort, before the structure starts to crumble, sending bystanders fleeing.\n\nIt is one of 32 towers in the old city of Ghazni — many of which have been destroyed in recent years, according to the BBC.\n\n\"The main highway is located near the fort, which affects the towers,\" Mohammad Saber Mohmand, a spokesman for Ministry of Information and Culture, told TOLOnews, which obtained the video.\n\nNow the Afghan government is being urged to help protect the surviving towers.\n\nGhazni, a trading and transit hub, is home to a number of cultural heritage sites, but the ancient buildings have been difficult for outsiders to access in recent times due to the Taliban insurgency.", "BBC News: An ancient tower in the Afghan city of Ghazni has collapsed, raising questions over the government’s ability to protect the country’s artefacts. Footage uploaded to social media shows a fort in the old city crumbling. The tower was one of dozens already destroyed in the city. Officials blamed heavy rain, but some critics accuse the government of negligence. Ghazni’s Islamic and pre-Islamic architecture is widely admired although war has taken its toll. Click here to read more (external link).\n• Ancient tower collapse caught on camera in Ghazni in Afghanistan"], "summary": "One of the towers of the centuries-old Citadel of Ghazni, Afghanistan collapses amid heavy rainfall."}
{"document": ["Prosecutors have said they are dismissing all criminal charges against eight people who were charged in the Flint, Mich., water crisis and are restarting their investigation into one of the worst manmade public health crises in U.S. history.\n\nThe announcement of the dropped charges comes as prosecutors say they will essentially start from scratch in reviewing the water crisis in order to expand the scope of the investigation.\n\nMichigan Solicitor General Fadwa Hammoud took over the case in January and said previous prosecutors had not taken advantage of all available evidence, according to The Associated Press.\n\n\"This week, we completed the transfer into our possession millions of documents and hundreds of new electronic devices, significantly expanding the scope of our investigation,\" Hammoud said in a statement.\n\nThat expanded search included seizing the cell phone and other records from former Gov. Rick Snyder (R).\n\nFormer state health director Nick Lyon was among those whose charges were dropped. Lyon was facing charges of involuntary manslaughter and accused of not quickly alerting the public of a Legionnaires’ disease outbreak while Flint used water that was not properly treated.\n\nThe outbreak of Legionnaires’, a form of pneumonia, occurred while the city used lead-contaminated water that also contained other bacteria tied to the disease. Lyon was the top official charged in the probe.\n\nADVERTISEMENT\n\nWith the announcement of the dropped charges, Lyon's attorney, Chip Chamberlain, told the AP they \"feel fantastic and vindicated,\" but acknowledged that Lyon and others could be charged again.\n\nIn April, a federal judge ruled residents of Flint, Mich., can sue the federal government over its response to the city's drinking water crisis.\n\nResidents have long blamed the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for waiting too long to intervene into state and local management of the city's water.\n\nFlint's water troubles began in 2014 after switching its water source to the Flint River. The city no longer uses the river for its water supply.", "Michigan prosecutors upended a yearslong investigation into the Flint water crisis, dropping criminal charges against eight people and announcing a new investigation into a scandal that has embroiled the city since 2014.\n\n“Legitimate criminal prosecutions require complete investigations,” Solicitor General Fadwa Hammoud and Wayne County Prosecutor Kym L. Worthy said on Thursday.\n\nThe...", "DETROIT -- Prosecutors dropped all criminal charges Thursday against eight people in the Flint water crisis and pledged to start from scratch the investigation into one of the worst man-made environmental disasters in U.S. history.\n\nThe stunning decision came more than three years - and millions of dollars - after authorities began examining the roots of the scandal that left Flint's water system tainted with lead. Michigan Solicitor General Fadwa Hammoud, who took control of the investigation in January after the election of a new attorney general, said “all available evidence was not pursued” by the previous team of prosecutors.\n\nOfficials took possession this week of “millions of documents and hundreds of new electronic devices, significantly expanding the scope of our investigation,” Hammoud and Wayne County prosecutor Kym Worthy said in a statement.\n\nThe efforts “have produced the most comprehensive body of evidence to date related to the Flint water crisis,” they said, putting investigators “in the best possible position to find the answers the citizens of Flint deserve.”\n\nHammoud's team recently used search warrants to get state-owned mobile devices of former Gov. Rick Snyder and 66 other people from storage.\n\nAmong those who had charges dismissed: Michigan's former health director, Nick Lyon, who was accused of involuntary manslaughter for allegedly failing to alert the public in a timely fashion about an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease when Flint was drawing improperly treated water from the Flint River in 2014 and 2015.\n\nThe dismissal came a day before a judge planned to announce whether a 2018 decision to send Lyon to trial would stand. Dropping the charges with just hours to spare killed the possibility of an adverse ruling and still gives prosecutors the freedom to haul Lyon into court again.\n\nNonetheless, defence attorney Chip Chamberlain said they “feel fantastic and vindicated.”\n\n“We're confident that a just and fair investigation, done properly, will yield no evidence of any criminal wrongdoing,” he said.\n\nHammoud said she would not speak to reporters until after a June 28 town hall-style meeting with Flint residents. Her boss, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, said a “fearless” team was still on the case.\n\n“Justice delayed is not always justice denied,” Nessel said in a statement.\n\n“We don't know if new charges will be filed,” LeeAnne Walters, who is credited with exposing the lead contamination, told The Associated Press. “It feels kind of degrading, like all that we went through doesn't matter. Our city was poisoned, my children have health issues and the people responsible just had all the charges dropped against them.”\n\nWhile waiting for a new pipeline to bring water from Lake Huron, Flint, a majority-black city of 100,000, pulled water from a river without treating it to reduce corrosive effects on old pipes. Lead contaminated the distribution system in a community where 41% of residents are classified by the government as living in poverty.\n\nBecause of its poor finances, Flint was being run by financial managers appointed by Snyder. The uproar over water quality reached a peak by fall 2015, when a doctor reported high levels of lead in children, which can cause brain damage.\n\nSome experts also have linked the water to Legionnaires' disease, a type of pneumonia caused by bacteria that thrive in warm water and infect the lungs. People can get sick if they inhale mist or vapour, typically from cooling systems.\n\nFlint's water no longer comes from the river and has significantly improved, but some residents are so distrustful that they continue to use bottled water.\n\nThe criminal probe began in 2016, when Bill Schuette was attorney general. He hired a Detroit-area lawyer, Todd Flood, as special prosecutor. Andy Arena, the former head of the FBI in Detroit, was a key investigator.\n\nNo one is behind bars. Seven of 15 people charged pleaded no contest to misdemeanours. Their records will eventually be scrubbed clean.\n\nCharges were pending against eight people, including former Michigan chief medical executive Eden Wells and two men, Gerald Ambrose and Darnell Earley, who were state-appointed emergency managers in Flint. Like Lyon, Wells was charged with involuntary manslaughter.\n\n“We understand that there will be further investigation, but do not expect it to justify any further prosecution relative to her,” Wells' attorneys, Steven Tramontin and Jerold Lax, said.\n\nThrough March, the investigation and prosecution had cost about $9.5 million, records show. State agencies separately have spent millions of dollars to provide defence lawyers to public employees.\n\nHammoud dismissed Flood in April and put together a new team. Flood told Detroit television station WJBK on Thursday that he wishes “all the luck in the world” to Hammoud, but he did not directly address the dismissal of cases that he had filed.\n\n“We had an experienced, aggressive and hard-driving team. Everything we did was for the people of Flint,” Schuette, Flood's former boss, said on Twitter.", "Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings.\n\nProsecutors investigating the deadly lead-poisoned water crisis in Flint, Michigan, dropped criminal charges against eight people, including the former head of the state's health department.\n\nThe Department of Attorney General said in a press release on Thursday that the decision to dismiss the charges is \"not a determination of any defendant’s criminal responsibility\" and stems from concerns over how the Office of Special Counsel handled the investigation.\n\nAccording to officials, the OSC \"entered into agreements that gave private law firms\" a role in deciding what information would be turned over to law enforcement.\n\nThe eight criminal cases involved various crimes, including involuntary manslaughter, for failing to alert the public about an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease in 2014 and 2015 that killed at least 12 people.\n\nThe outbreak occurred at the same time Flint's water system was contaminated with lead.\n\nAmong those charged was Nick Lyon, who was then the director of the Michigan health department. Lyon was charged with involuntary manslaughter.\n\nSpecial agent Jeff Seipenko told a judge that Lyon was made aware of the outbreak in January 2015 but did not alert the public until nearly a year later. Seipenko said Lyon's failure to tell the public resulted in at least one person dying.\n\nDr. Eden Wells, the state's chief medical officer, was also charged with involuntary manslaughter as well as lying to a special police agent and obstruction of justice, according to The Detroit News.\n\n\"We are not precluded from refiling charges against the defendants or adding new charges and additional defendants,\" said Solicitor General Fadwa Hammoud and Wayne County Prosecutor Kym L. Worthy in a joint statement.\n\nMichigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said Thursday that she supports Hammoud and Worthy's decision to dismiss the charges if it helps them conduct a \"comprehensive and complete investigation.\"\n\nThe city of Flint began using the Flint River as its water supply in 2014, but did not treat it for corrosion after lead from old plumbing seeped into the water. Some experts have said that the contaminated water led to an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease, a severe form of pneumonia caused by bacteria that thrives in warm water.\n\nIn 2014 and 2015, there were nearly 100 cases of the disease in the Flint area, resulting in the deaths and sickening another 72 people.", "June 13 (UPI) -- Michigan prosecutors dropped all criminal cases related to the Flint water crisis Thursday in order to give the attorney general's office more time to investigate.\n\nMichigan Deputy Solicitor General Fadwa Hammoud said she and Wayne County prosecutor Kym Worthy found new evidence in the investigation into the crisis that left at least 12 people dead.\n\nThe office is dropping the manslaughter cases of Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Director Nick Lyon and form Chief Medical executive Eden Wells, as well as cases against six other state and city officials. Their cases could be reopened in the future.\n\nThe investigation into the cause and liabilities related to the Flint water crisis began under the tenure of former Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette, but Dana Nessel took over the office earlier this year.\n\nNessel appointed Hammoud and Worthy to review the criminal cases.\n\n\"I trust them and if this step is necessary for them to do a comprehensive and complete investigation,\" Nessel said, \"I am in absolute support.\n\n\"I want to remind the people of Flint that justice delayed is not always justice denied and a fearless and dedicated team of career prosecutors and investigators are hard at work to ensure those who harmed you are held accountable.\"\n\nThe water crisis began April 25, 2014, when city officials switched Flint's water supply from treated Lake Huron and Detroit water to raw water from the Flint River, which was then treated at the Flint Water Treatment Plant. The new source wasn't sufficiently cleaned and lead leached from the city's old pipes into the water supply, poisoning about 100,000 Flint residents over a period of 17 months. At least 12 people died from Legionnaires' disease linked to the contaminated water, and the city faced dozens of lawsuits that accused officials of recklessness and negligence.\n\nMarc Edwards, an environmental engineer professor at Virginia Tech who helped uncover the water contamination, testified before Congress in February 2016 that state and federal officials tried to cover up proof of high lead levels. He said Susan Herman, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's former Midwest chief, and Michigan's Department of Environmental Quality dismissed information about contaminants in the city's water system.", "‘Our Lives Don’t Matter’: Flint Residents Left Stunned As Prosecutors Drop All Criminal Charges Against Officials\n\nSome officials had been facing charges as serious as involuntary manslaughter in the case over the water contamination crisis that crippled the city of Flint, Michigan. The prosecutors say that the initial investigation was bungled and it is opting to launch a new but expanded probe. But the decision was a blow to residents who were already suspicious of the government.\n\nThe New York Times: Flint Water Prosecutors Drop Criminal Charges, With Plans To Keep Investigating \n\n Fifteen state and local officials, including emergency managers who ran the city and a member of the governor’s cabinet, had been accused by state prosecutors of crimes as serious as involuntary manslaughter. Seven had already taken plea deals. Eight more, including most of the highest-ranking officials, were awaiting trial. On Thursday, more than three years after the first charges were filed, the Michigan attorney general’s office, which earlier this year passed from Republican to Democratic hands, abruptly dropped the eight remaining cases. Prosecutors left open the possibility of recharging some of those same people, and perhaps others, too. (Smith, 6/13)\n\nThe Associated Press: Charges Dropped For 8 People In The Flint Water Scandal \n\n Seven people pleaded no contest earlier to misdemeanors in deals that will leave them without a criminal record. Charges were dropped against the other eight Thursday when prosecutors announced they were restarting the investigation. (6/13)\n\nDetroit Free Press: All Flint Water Crisis Criminal Charges Dismissed By AG's Office \n\n Flint residents reacted with shock and confusion. The statement from the Office of Attorney General Dana Nessel said the dismissals were a response to problems with the original investigation, launched in 2016 under former Attorney General Bill Schuette, and don't preclude recharging the original defendants or adding new ones. (Egan, 6/13)\n\nNPR: Charges Dropped In Flint Drinking Water Investigation, Officials Vow New Probe \n\n Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced the dramatic shift in a statement Thursday. \"I want to remind the people of Flint that justice delayed is not always justice denied and a fearless and dedicated team of career prosecutors and investigators are hard at work to ensure those who harmed you are held accountable,\" Nessel said. (Gonzales, 6/13)", "June 13 (Reuters) - Michigan prosecutors on Thursday dropped all criminal charges over the deadly contamination of the city of Flint's water, saying a more thorough investigation was needed before they could proceed with the case.\n\nThe charges were brought by the Office of Special Counsel (OSC), a federal prosecutorial agency, and were based on an investigation that state prosecutors described as \"flawed.\"\n\n\"Dismissing these cases allows us to move forward according to the non-negotiable requirements of a thorough, methodical and ethical investigation,\" Michigan's Solicitor General Fadwa Hammoud and Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said in a statement.\n\nEight former state and city officials, including Michigan's chief medical officer Eden Wells, faced criminal charges for their roles in the water crisis which killed 12 people and sickened over 70, one of the worst man-made environmental disasters in U.S. history.\n\nAccording to the prosecutors, the OSC made agreements that gave law firms representing state agencies and officials a role in deciding what information would be turned over to law enforcement during their investigation. As a result, not all evidence was pursued, they said.\n\nAdditional investigation by the prosecution team has already identified more individuals of interest in the case, they said.\n\nFlint's troubles began in 2014 after the city switched its water supply to the Flint River from Lake Huron to cut costs. Corrosive river water caused lead to leach from pipes, contaminating the drinking water and causing an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease.\n\nProsecutors said they dropped charges \"without prejudice,\" meaning they could be brought again once a new investigation is completed.\n\n\"Justice delayed is not always justice denied,\" Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said in a statement.\n\nBut Michigan Senate Minority Leader Jim Ananich, a Democrat who represents Flint, expressed his disappointment.\n\n\"Months of investigation have turned into years, and the only thing to show for it is a bunch of lawyers who have gotten rich off the taxpayers´ dime,\" he said in a statement. \"The people of Flint believe that they will never see justice, and sadly, so far they´ve been proven right.\"\n\nThe U.S. Supreme Court in March allowed two class-action lawsuits filed by Flint residents, who are pursuing civil rights claims against local and state officials. (Reporting by Andrew Hay in Taos, New Mexico; Editing by Bill Tarrant and James Dalgleish)", "(6/13/2019) - Will the people who caused the Flint water crisis ever see justice?\n\nThat is the question Flint's elected state officials asked hours after the Michigan Attorney General's Office dismissed all criminal charges against eight people, deciding instead to start over with a new investigation.\n\nRELATED: Flint water prosecutors dismiss all charges, plan to start over after new investigation\n\nState Rep. Sheldon Neeley, a Democrat, is disappointed about the millions of taxpayer dollars spent on attorneys and years of court litigation wasted by dropping the charges.\n\n“We’ve been told to wait, to be patient, that justice was coming, but where is that justice today?\" he said. \"My city is losing faith in our government, and that distrust was justified today when it once again failed them so miserably.\"\n\nNeeley said the Flint community has suffered greatly due to the water crisis and he demands justice for the people who caused it.\n\n\"I’m not going to rest until everyone involved is held accountable and justice is truly served,\" he said. \"I and the residents of Flint truly hope the Attorney General’s office will finally join us in this fight.”\n\nState Sen. Jim Ananich, also a Democrat, feels much the same way.\n\n\"The people of Flint believe that they will never see justice, and sadly, so far they’ve been proven right,\" he said. \"I hope and expect that this will not be the case for much longer, but until then, I will continue to fight for my city and hold people accountable.”\n\nThursday's action means the following defendants are free of all charges filed against them:\n\n-- Former Michigan Department of Health and Human Service Director Nick Lyon. He is the highest ranking official to face charges.\n\n-- Former Michigan Chief Medical Executive Eden Wells.\n\n-- Former Flint emergency managers Gerald Ambrose and Darnell Earley.\n\n-- Michigan Department of Environmental Quality official Patrick Cook.\n\n-- Former Flint Public Works Director Howard Croft.\n\n-- Michigan Department of Health and Human Services officials Robert Scott and Nancy Peeler.\n\nThey had been charged with involuntary manslaughter, misconduct in office and willful neglect of duty. Lyon and Wells had their cases bound over to trial, although both were actively appealing those decisions.\n\nAll the charges against them were dismissed without prejudice, meaning prosecutors can file them again later -- and possibly add more counts. More people who weren't facing charges also could be implicated later.\n\nMichigan Solicitor General Fadwa Hammoud and Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy, who are leading the Flint water criminal prosecutions under Attorney General Dana Nessel, are starting a new investigation from scratch.\n\nThey decided the investigative work done under former Attorney General Bill Schuette gave them \"immediate and grave concerns\" -- so bad that they couldn't move forward without re-launching the investigation.\n\nSchuette appointed attorney Todd Flood as a special prosecutor, who oversaw the entire investigation until Schuette left office on Jan. 1. Hammoud and Worthy claim that Flood didn't pursue all the evidence, leaving them a \"flawed foundation\" on which to continue prosecuting the cases.\n\nIn a series of tweets on Thursday afternoon, Schuette defended his team's work and the charges they brought.\n\n\"During my tenure as Attorney General, the department initiated three major investigations: Nassar, the Catholic Church and the Flint Water Crisis. All three were staffed and conducted with the highest level of professionalism and expertise,\" he wrote.\n\nSchuette believes Flood's investigative did well at pursuing justice for everyone affected by the Flint water crisis.\n\n\"We had an experienced, aggressive and hard-driving team,\" he wrote. \"Everything we did was for the people of Flint.\"\n\nGov. Gretchen Whitmer and Flint Mayor Karen Weaver support the decision to start over, as long as that's the right course to get justice.\n\n\"We've been waiting for justice for quite some time and justice is what we deserve,\" she said. \"For them to say we need to do a full investigation and not just take what was handed to them is a good thing.\"\n\nCongressman Dan Kildee, a Democrat from Flint, just wants to see the people who caused the water crisis held accountable -- no matter how prosecutors have to get there.\n\n“The Attorney General’s office should aggressively continue its investigations and pursue criminal charges, supported by the facts and evidence, against any individual criminally responsible,\" he said.\n\nAttorney Trachelle Young represents thousands of clients in a civil lawsuit filed against the city, state and former Gov. Rick Snyder, among others. She's encouraged by the news that the prosecution team is dismissing all pending criminal cases and expanding their investigation based on new evidence.\n\n\"The net is going to be cast wider and it's going to a much stronger net, and maybe they'll catch the big fish rather than the guppies,\" Young said.\n\nThe decision to drop all criminal charges won't affect the civil litigation currently under way, she said, \"but it doesn't hurt our civil case either.\"", "FLINT, Mich. (AP) - Michigan prosecutors dropped all criminal charges Thursday against eight people in the Flint water scandal and pledged to start the investigation from scratch. Officials said that since the election of a new attorney general, they have acquired a lot of new evidence that significantly expands of the scope of the investigation. They say the defendants, including Michigan's former health director, Nick Lyon, could be charged again.\n\nHere's a look back at key moments in the crisis:\n\nApril 2014: In an effort to save money, Flint begins drawing water from the Flint River for its 100,000 residents. The move is considered temporary while the city waits to connect to a new regional water system. Residents immediately complain about the water's smell, taste and appearance, and they raise health concerns, reporting rashes, hair loss and other problems.\n\nJanuary 2015: Detroit offers to reconnect Flint to its water system, but Flint leaders insist the water is safe.\n\nSept. 24, 2015: A group of doctors urges Flint to stop using the Flint River for water after finding high levels of lead in the blood of Flint children. State regulators insist the water is safe.\n\nSept. 29, 2015: Then-Gov. Rick Snyder pledges to take action in response to the lead levels - the first acknowledgment by the state that lead is a problem.\n\nOctober 2015: Snyder announces that the state will spend $1 million to buy water filters and test water in Flint public schools, and days later calls for Flint to go back to using water from Detroit's system.\n\nDec. 29, 2015: Snyder accepts the resignation of Department of Environmental Quality Director Dan Wyant and apologizes for what occurred in Flint.\n\nJan. 5, 2016: Snyder declares a state of emergency in Flint, the same day federal officials confirm that they are investigating. A week later, the Michigan National Guard begins helping to distribute bottled water and filters, while Snyder asks the federal government for help.\n\nJan. 14, 2016: Snyder, a Republican, asks the Obama administration for a major disaster declaration and more federal aid. The White House provides federal aid and an emergency declaration on Jan. 16, but not the disaster declaration.\n\nJan. 15, 2016: Then-Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette begins an \"independent review\" into the Flint crisis.\n\nMid-March. 2016: State officials testify before Congress, including Snyder and the state-appointed emergency manager who oversaw Flint when the water source was switched to the river.\n\nMarch 23, 2016: A governor-appointed panel concludes that the state of Michigan is \"fundamentally accountable\" for the crisis because of decisions made by environmental regulators.\n\nApril 20, 2016: Two state officials and a local official are charged with evidence tampering and other crimes in the state attorney general's investigation - the first charges to come from the probe.\n\nAug. 14, 2016: A federal emergency declaration over Flint's lead-tainted water crisis ends, but state officials say work continues to fix the drinking water system and provide services to city residents.\n\nDec. 10, 2016: Congress approves a wide-ranging bill to authorize water projects across the country, including $170 million to address lead in Flint's drinking water.\n\nDec. 16, 2016: Congressional Republicans quietly close a yearlong investigation into Flint's crisis, faulting both state officials and the Environmental Protection Agency.\n\nDec. 20, 2016: Schuette charges former emergency managers Darnell Earley and Gerald Ambrose with multiple 20-year felonies for their failure to protect the residents of Flint from health hazards caused by contaminated drinking water. He also charges Earley, Ambrose and two Flint city employees with felony counts of false pretenses and conspiracy to commit false pretenses in the issuance of bonds to pay for a portion of the water project that led to the crisis.\n\nFeb. 17, 2017: The Michigan Civil Rights Commission issues a report that finds \"systemic racism\" going back decades is at the core of problems that caused the water crisis in majority black Flint.\n\nMarch 16, 2017: Snyder says his administration will enact the country's toughest lead limits for water.\n\nMarch 28, 2017: Water lines in Flint homes will be replaced under a landmark deal approved by a judge.\n\nJune 14, 2017: Michigan Health and Human Services Director Nick Lyon is accused of failing to alert the public about an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease in the Flint area that some experts believe resulted from the poorly treated water. He and four others are charged with involuntary manslaughter. The state's chief medical officer, Dr. Eden Wells, is charged with obstruction of justice and lying to an investigator.\n\nApril 2018: Snyder ends Flint water distribution, saying the city's tap water had significantly improved.\n\nJuly 19, 2018: A federal watchdog calls on the EPA to strengthen its oversight of state drinking water systems nationwide and to respond more quickly to public health emergencies like Flint's. The EPA says it agrees with the inspector general's recommendations and is adopting them \"expeditiously.\"\n\nAug. 20, 2018: A judge orders Lyon to stand trial on involuntary manslaughter charges in the deaths of two men linked to the Legionnaires' disease outbreak.\n\nDec. 7, 2018: A judge orders Wells to stand trial on involuntary manslaughter and other charges.\n\nJan. 7: Liane Shekter Smith, Michigan's former drinking water regulator, pleads no contest to a misdemeanor - disturbance of a lawful meeting - in the Flint water investigation. It's a break for Smith, who had been facing felony charges, including involuntary manslaughter.\n\nApril 16: Todd Flood, a special prosecutor who spent three years leading a criminal investigation of the Flint water scandal, is fired in the fallout from the discovery of 23 boxes of records in the basement of a state building.\n\nMay: Authorities execute search warrants to take from government storage the state-owned mobile devices of former Gov. Snyder, top aides and other government employees related to the water crisis probe.\n\nJune 13: Prosecutors drop all criminal charges against eight people in the Flint water scandal and pledge to start the investigation from scratch. Solicitor General Fadwa Hammoud, who took control of the investigation in January after the election of a new attorney general, says \"all available evidence was not pursued\" by the previous team of prosecutors. Officials say it's possible that the former defendants could be charged again.\n\nFILE - In this Aug. 20, 2018, file photo, Nick Lyon, director of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, listens closely as Genesee District Judge David J. Goggins gives his decision during Lyon's preliminary examination at Genesee District Court in Flint, Mich. Prosecutors say they're dismissing all criminal charges against eight people in the Flint water scandal and starting the investigation over again. The eight people include former Michigan health director Nick Lyon. He was accused of failing to timely inform the public about an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease when Flint was using improperly treated water from the Flint River in 2014 and 2015. The outbreak occurred at the same time that the city's water system was contaminated with lead. Lyon was the highest-ranking official to be charged in the investigation. (Jake May/The Flint Journal via AP, File)", "Prosecutors have dropped all criminal charges against eight people in the Flint water crisis and pledged to start the investigation from scratch.\n\nMichigan officials made the stunning announcement on Thursday, stating that 'all available evidence was not pursued' by the team of prosecutors initially tasked with investigating the widespread contamination of Flint's drinking water in 2014 and 2015.\n\nThe crisis is considered to be one of the worst man-made environmental disasters in US history. Intentionally-untreated Flint River water leached lead from pipes and into thousands of homes and businesses while cost-cutting financial managers were running the poverty-stricken city.\n\nAll eight defendants implicated in the previous investigation - including Michigan's former health director Nick Lyon - could - and likely will - be charged again.\n\nAdditional defendants could also face charges as Michigan Solicitor General Fadwa Hammoud indicated the new probe will be significantly more extensive.\n\nHammoud, who took control of the investigation in January, explained the decision to drop charges in a joint statement with Wayne County prosecutor Kym Worthy.\n\n'This week, we completed the transfer into our possession millions of documents and hundreds of new electronic devices, significantly expanding the scope of our investigation,' the statement said.\n\n'Our team's efforts have produced the most comprehensive body of evidence to date related to the Flint water crisis.\n\n'We are now in the best possible position to find the answers the citizens of Flint deserve and hold all responsible parties accountable.'\n\nThree years after the investigation began, no one is behind bars. Seven of 15 defendants have pleaded no contest to misdemeanors, and their records will eventually be scrubbed clean.\n\nCharges were pending against eight people, including former Michigan chief medical executive Eden Wells and two men who were state-appointed emergency managers in Flint.\n\nLyon, who was head of the state health department until January, was charged with involuntary manslaughter and accused of failing to alert the public in a timely manner about an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease linked to the improperly-treated water.\n\nThe former director's lawyer, Chip Chamberlain, said he feels 'fantastic and vindicated' by the dismissal of charges.\n\nChamberlain acknowledged that Lyon could be charged again, but said he's confident the new probe 'will yield no evidence of any criminal wrongdoing'.\n\nThe crisis unfolded as Flint, a majority-black city of 100,000 where 41 percent of residents are living in poverty, was being run by financial managers appointed by the government due to poor finances.\n\nThey pulled water from the river without treating it to reduce corrosive effects on old pipes while waiting for a new pipeline to bring water from Lake Huron.\n\nThe uproar over water quality reached a peak by fall 2015 when a doctor reported high levels of lead in children, which can cause brain damage.\n\nSome experts also have linked the water to Legionnaires' disease, a type of pneumonia caused by bacteria that thrive in warm water and infect the lungs. People can get sick if they inhale mist or vapor, typically from cooling systems.\n\nThe city's water no longer comes from the river and has significantly improved, but some residents are so distrustful that they continue to use bottled water.\n\nFlint residents filed a lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency in 2017. The suit, in part, claimed that the EPA failed to appropriately use its authority under the Safe Drinking Water act, neglecting to intervene, investigate and warn residents about the health risks attached to drinking and using the city's contaminated water, according to the Detroit News. The federal government tried to have the suit dismissed last year, claiming that the alleged misconduct was exempt from liability because it fell under the Federal Tort Claims Act's discretionary function exception. Federal Judge Linda Parker ruled in the plaintiff's favor in April, stating that the government isn't immune to the legal action. In her opinion Parker wrote: 'The EPA was well aware that the Flint River was highly corrosive and posed a significant danger of lead leaching out of the city’s lead-based service lines at alarming rates into residents’ homes.' 'The EPA was well aware of the health risks posed by lead exposure, particularly to children and pregnant women. … Further, the EPA knew that (the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality) and Flint officials were not warning Flint’s residents that they were being supplied lead-laced water.' The judge added that the EPA knew that Michigan regulators were misleading residents about the quality of the water and that the 'lies went on for months'.\n\nLast month Hammoud and Worthy executed search warrants to seize state-owned mobile devices of former Republican Governor Rick Snyder from storage, along with tech from 65 other current or former officials.\n\n'As stated in recent motions, the prosecution is aware of substantial potential evidence that was not provided to the original prosecution team from the onset of the investigation,' Hammoud said in a statement after the Associated Press reported on the warrants.\n\n'The team is currently in the process of obtaining this evidence through a variety of means, including search warrants. The team is also conducting a thorough review of existing and newly received evidence pertaining to the Flint water crisis.'\n\nOne warrant, signed May 19, listed all content from Snyder's cellphone, iPad and computer hard drive.\n\nSimilar information was sought from the devices of 33 employees who worked in his office, 11 in the Department of Environmental Quality and 22 in the Department of Health and Human Services.\n\nThe evidence was apparently initially obtained by former special prosecutor Todd Flood with investigative subpoenas.\n\nBecause it has been kept in a division of the attorney general's office, Hammoud took the unusual step of securing a warrant to search another part of the office.\n\n'We're doing everything we can to comply,' said Dan Olsen, a spokesman for Democratic Attorney General Dana Nessel, who is not involved in the criminal investigation and is instead handling lawsuits against the state by Flint residents.\n\nAfter succeeding former Republican Attorney General Bill Schuette this year, she appointed Hammoud to lead the probe.\n\nA similar warrant was also issued to the Department of Technology, Management and Budget.\n\n'The department is complying with the warrant. We cannot discuss the details further because it is part of pending litigation,' spokesman Caleb Buhs said.\n\nA spokesman for the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy - formerly the Department of Environmental Quality - confirmed it was served a warrant last week.\n\nThe warrants seek data from the devices of individuals who have been charged in the probe but also uncharged officials such as Snyder, former Environmental Quality director Dan Wyant and various people who worked in Snyder's office including Lt Gov Brian Calley, top aide Richard Baird and chief of staff Dick Posthumus.\n\nLawyers who have represented Snyder and his office could not immediately be reached for comment Monday."], "summary": "Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announces that charges will be dropped against eight people in the Flint water crisis and investigations will be restarted in the scandal, which has plagued the city since 2014."}
{"document": ["WASHINGTON — A federal watchdog agency on Thursday recommended that White House counselor Kellyanne Conway be fired for repeatedly violating a law that limits certain political activities of federal employees.\n\nThe U.S. Office of Special Counsel, which is unrelated to special counsel Robert Mueller's office, said Conway is a \"repeat offender\" of the Hatch Act by disparaging Democratic presidential candidates while speaking in her official capacity during television interviews and on social media.\n\nConway told reporters who encountered her in the White House press office, \"I have no reaction.\"\n\nWhite House spokesman Steven Groves called the watchdog agency's decision \"unprecedented\" and \"deeply flawed\" and said it violated Conway's constitutional rights to free speech and due process.\n\nRELATED: House Oversight committee votes to hold William Barr and Wilbur Ross in contempt\n\n\"Its decisions seem to be influenced by media pressure and liberal organizations — and perhaps OSC should be mindful of its own mandate to act in a fair, impartial, non-political manner, and not misinterpret or weaponize the Hatch Act,\" Groves said in a statement.\n\nThe Office of Special Counsel noted that, during a May 29 media interview, Conway minimized the significance of the law as applied to her.\n\nWhen asked about the Hatch Act, the office stated that she replied: \"If you're trying to silence me through the Hatch Act, it's not going to work,\" and \"Let me know when the jail sentence starts.\"\n\nThe office had found in March 2018 that Conway violated the Hatch Act during two television interviews in which she advocated for and against candidates in the 2017 Alabama special election for U.S. Senate.\n\nCareer government officials found to have violated the Hatch Act can be fired, suspended or demoted, and fined up to $1,000.\n\nConway has been an unwavering defender of President Donald Trump on cable news. Trump has praised her for her \"success\" in her career.", "WASHINGTON — A federal watchdog agency recommended Thursday that President Donald Trump fire one of his most ardent defenders, counselor Kellyanne Conway, for repeatedly violating a law that limits political activity by government workers.\n\nThe U.S. Office of Special Counsel, which is unrelated to special counsel Robert Mueller's office, said in a letter to Trump that Conway has been a \"repeat offender\" of the Hatch Act by disparaging Democratic presidential candidates while speaking in her official capacity during television interviews and on social media.\n\nFederal law prohibits employees of the executive branch from using their official authority or influence to affect the result of an election. Trump and Vice President Mike Pence are exempt from the Hatch Act, but there are no exceptions for White House employees.\n\nRELATED: House Oversight committee votes to hold William Barr and Wilbur Ross in contempt\n\nThe agency does not have the authority to fire Conway, who was appointed by Trump, so it would be up to the president to follow its recommendation and dismiss one of his most unwavering defenders. The recommendation to fire Conway is the first time the watchdog office has recommended the removal of a White House official over Hatch Act violations.\n\nSpecial Counsel Henry Kerner's letter to Trump states: \"Ms. Conway's violations, if left unpunished, send a message to all federal employees that they need not abide by the Hatch Act's restrictions. Her actions erode the principal foundation of our democratic system — the rule of law.\"\n\nConway told reporters who encountered her in the White House press office, \"I have no reaction.\"\n\nWhite House spokesman Steven Groves called the agency's decision \"unprecedented\" and \"deeply flawed\" and said it violated Conway's constitutional rights to free speech and due process.\n\n\"Its decisions seem to be influenced by media pressure and liberal organizations — and perhaps OSC should be mindful of its own mandate to act in a fair, impartial, non-political manner, and not misinterpret or weaponize the Hatch Act,\" Groves said in a statement.\n\nA summary of the investigation into Conway stated that beginning in February, Conway engaged in a pattern of partisan attacks on Democratic presidential candidates. She called Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey \"sexist\" and a \"tinny\" motivational speaker. In another interview, she accused Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts of \"lying\" about her ethnicity and \"appropriating somebody else's heritage.\" And she attacked former U.S. Rep. Beto O'Rourke of Texas for not thinking the women running \"are good enough to be president.\" It also cited her description of former Vice President Joe Biden as lacking \"vision.\"\n\nThe summary also noted that she used her Twitter account to conduct political activity. For example, she retweeted a March 31 message that referred to Biden as \"Creepy Uncle Joe\" and \"took it upon herself to outline other faults she found in Mr. Biden's candidacy,\" the report said.\n\nThe Office of Special Counsel also noted that, during a May 29 media interview, Conway minimized the significance of the law as applied to her.\n\nWhen asked during the interview about the Hatch Act, Conway replied: \"If you're trying to silence me through the Hatch Act, it's not going to work,\" and \"Let me know when the jail sentence starts.\"\n\nKerner told Trump in his letter that career staff in his office have long conducted thorough and impartial investigations of alleged Hatch Act violations by senior officials in administrations from both parties.\n\n\"Never has OSC had to issue multiple reports to the President concerning Hatch Act violations by the same individual,\" Kerner wrote. \"Ms. Conway's actions and statements stand in stark contrast to the culture of compliance promised by your White House Counsel and undermine your efforts to create and enforce such a culture.\"\n\nKerner said he therefore would \"respectfully request\" that Conway be held to the same standards as other federal employees and that \"you find removal from federal service to be the appropriate disciplinary action.\"\n\nIn March 2018, the Office of Special Counsel found that Conway violated the law during two television interviews in which she advocated for and against candidates in the 2017 Alabama special election for U.S. Senate .\n\nThe Office of Special Counsel is an independent agency that protects federal employees from prohibited personnel practices, especially reprisal for whistleblowing.\n\nCareer government officials found to have violated the Hatch Act can be fired, suspended or demoted, and fined up to $1,000. The 1939 law allows government officials to personally donate money to political committees or engage in a variety of partisan activities, so long as they do so during their personal time and don't use government resources.\n\nConway has been a fiery defender of Trump, doing so during frequent appearances on cable TV news programs and in answering questions from reporters at the White House. Trump has praised her for her \"success\" in her career.\n\nConway is a former pollster who helped Trump win election in 2016 as his campaign manager.", "WASHINGTON — A federal watchdog agency on Thursday recommended that White House counselor Kellyanne Conway be fired for repeatedly violating a law that limits certain political activities of federal employees.\n\nThe U.S. Office of Special Counsel, which is unrelated to special counsel Robert Mueller's office, said Conway is a \"repeat offender\" of the Hatch Act by disparaging Democratic presidential candidates while speaking in her official capacity during television interviews and on social media.\n\nConway told reporters who encountered her in the White House press office, \"I have no reaction.\"\n\nWhite House spokesman Steven Groves called the watchdog agency's decision \"unprecedented\" and \"deeply flawed\" and said it violated Conway's constitutional rights to free speech and due process.\n\nRELATED: House Oversight committee votes to hold William Barr and Wilbur Ross in contempt\n\n\"Its decisions seem to be influenced by media pressure and liberal organizations — and perhaps OSC should be mindful of its own mandate to act in a fair, impartial, non-political manner, and not misinterpret or weaponize the Hatch Act,\" Groves said in a statement.\n\nThe Office of Special Counsel noted that, during a May 29 media interview, Conway minimized the significance of the law as applied to her.\n\nWhen asked about the Hatch Act, the office stated that she replied: \"If you're trying to silence me through the Hatch Act, it's not going to work,\" and \"Let me know when the jail sentence starts.\"\n\nThe office had found in March 2018 that Conway violated the Hatch Act during two television interviews in which she advocated for and against candidates in the 2017 Alabama special election for U.S. Senate.\n\nCareer government officials found to have violated the Hatch Act can be fired, suspended or demoted, and fined up to $1,000.\n\nConway has been an unwavering defender of President Donald Trump on cable news. Trump has praised her for her \"success\" in her career.", "CLOSE A report by the Office of Special Counsel described Kellyanne Conway's offenses as \"egregious, notorious and ongoing.\" USA TODAY\n\nWASHINGTON – A federal watchdog agency recommended Thursday that Kellyanne Conway, a senior aide to President Donald Trump, be removed from office after repeatedly violating a federal law that prohibits political speech in her official capacity.\n\nConway, a counselor to the president, is a \"repeat offender\" of the Hatch Act for disparaging Democratic presidential candidates and for two television interviews in which she spoke for and against Alabama candidates for U.S. Senate in 2017, according to the Office of Special Counsel. The report described her offenses as \"egregious, notorious and ongoing.\"\n\nSpecial Counsel Henry Kerner said in a letter Thursday to Trump that his office had investigated aides to presidents of both parties and never before found repeated violations by the same person.\n\nWhite House counselor Kellyanne Conway takes verbal jabs at House Speaker Nancy Pelosi after a White House meeting that dissolved into rancor last month. (Photo: AP)\n\n\"Ms. Conway's disregard for the restrictions the Hatch Act places on executive branch employees is unacceptable,\" Kerner wrote. \"Ms. Conway's actions and statements stand in stark contrast to the culture of compliance promised by your White House counsel and undermine your efforts to create and enforce such a culture.\"\n\nCounting the violations: All the times Kellyanne Conway ran afoul of a federal watchdog over the Hatch Act\n\nSteven Groves, a White House deputy press secretary, immediately hit back, accusing the agency of \"flawed\" reasoning. Groves said the law cited by the Office of Special Counsel is unclear and applied unevenly.\n\n“The Office of Special Counsel’s unprecedented actions against Kellyanne Conway are deeply flawed and violate her constitutional rights to free speech and due process,\" Groves said.\n\nWhite House counsel Pat Cipollone replied to Kerner with an 11-page letter that said the report “was the product of a fatally flawed process.\" Cipollone said Conway wasn’t given a reasonable opportunity to respond to complaints, and her proposed removal risked violating Conway’s First Amendment rights and could chill free speech for all federal workers.\n\n“Indeed the report is based on numerous grave legal, factual and procedural errors,” Cipollone said. “OSC’s overreaching recommendation is wholly unsupported by any statute or the Constitution.”\n\nPelosi: Democrats must be 'methodical' about Trump impeachment\n\nJon Stewart: 'Daily Show' host slammed Congress over a 9/11 bill. The next day, a house panel passed it\n\nCipollone asked for more information by June 26 about how Kerner compiled the report so the White House could provide a formal response.\n\nThe report cited Conway's statements beginning in February in which she disparaged Democratic presidential candidates. She called Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., \"sexist\" and a \"tinny\" motivational speaker. Conway also said Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., was \"lying\" about her ethnicity and \"appropriating somebody else's heritage.\" Of former Rep. Beto O'Rourke of Texas, Conway suggested he didn't think \"women running are good enough to be president.\"\n\nIn an interview on \"Fox and Friends\" on Feb. 11, Conway said Trump had the \"presidential timber\" to be reelected, while Democrats were \"a bunch of presidential woodchips.\" She then described several of the candidates, calling Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota as \"a very nice person, I guess unless you're on her staff\" and questioning the credibility of Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York eating chicken \"apparently for the first time\" in her 50s.\n\nKerner's office had reported in March 2018 that Conway \"impermissibly mixed official government business with political views\" when she gave television interviews on CNN and Fox late in 2017, taking sides in Alabama's special election for the Senate.\n\nArmy: Army reprimands retired four-star general in alleged groping incident from 25 years ago\n\nThe Office of Special Counsel is an independent federal agency that investigates whistle-blower complaints but doesn't prosecute cases itself. The agency is not connected to Robert Mueller, the former Justice Department special counsel who investigated Russian interference in the 2016 election.\n\nSince Conway is a presidential appointee, Trump would have to decide on any discipline.\n\nRep. Elijah Cummings, a Democrat who chairs the House Oversight and Reform Committee, said in a statement he planned to hold a hearing on June 26 with the Office of Special Counsel on the report about Conway.\n\nCummings said his committee has had \"multiple concerns\" of its own about Conway and accused her of \"brazenly flouting the Hatch Act.\"\n\nThe agency's investigation of Conway followed two complaints from the advocacy group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. Executive Director Noah Bookbinder joined Kerner in saying Conway should be removed from office to demonstrate the offenses won't be taken lightly.\n\n“Conway’s repeated violations and publicly expressed disdain for the law show a dangerous disregard for governmental ethics, the rule of law and the long-held understanding that government officials should not use their official positions to advance partisan politics,\" Bookbinder said.\n\nIn an interview May 29, 2019, Conway played down the significance of the law by saying, \"If you're trying to silence me through the Hatch Act, it's not going to work.\"\n\n\"Let me know when the jail sentence starts,\" Conway said at the time.\n\n'Secret' Mexico deal: Trump waved an alleged 'secret' Mexico deal around. A photographer got a picture of it.\n\nTrump: If foreign governments have dirt on 2020 election rivals, 'I think I'd take it'\n\nBut the Office of Special Counsel said her violations, if left unpunished, would send a message to all federal employees that they need not abide by the Hatch Act.\n\n\"Her actions thus erode the principal foundation of our democratic system – the rule of law,\" Kerner said in his letter.\n\nShortly after the report was released, Conway was in a White House meeting with Trump and a handful of governors. Trump did not respond to reporters' questions about the report.\n\nMore about Kellyanne Conway and the Hatch Act:\n\nKellyanne Conway broke law that bars employees from promoting politics, watchdog office says\n\nOnPolitics Today: And another one goes and another one goes\n\nEthics chief: Conway likely broke rules with 'go buy Ivanka's stuff' remarks\n\nRead or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/06/13/watchdog-kellyanne-conway-should-removed-political-statements/1444402001/", "WASHINGTON — A federal watchdog agency on Thursday recommended that White House counselor Kellyanne Conway be fired for repeatedly violating a law that limits certain political activities of federal employees.\n\nThe U.S. Office of Special Counsel, which is unrelated to special counsel Robert Mueller's office, said Conway is a \"repeat offender\" of the Hatch Act by disparaging Democratic presidential candidates while speaking in her official capacity during television interviews and on social media.\n\nConway told reporters who encountered her in the White House press office, \"I have no reaction.\"\n\nWhite House spokesman Steven Groves called the watchdog agency's decision \"unprecedented\" and \"deeply flawed\" and said it violated Conway's constitutional rights to free speech and due process.\n\nRELATED: House Oversight committee votes to hold William Barr and Wilbur Ross in contempt\n\n\"Its decisions seem to be influenced by media pressure and liberal organizations — and perhaps OSC should be mindful of its own mandate to act in a fair, impartial, non-political manner, and not misinterpret or weaponize the Hatch Act,\" Groves said in a statement.\n\nThe Office of Special Counsel noted that, during a May 29 media interview, Conway minimized the significance of the law as applied to her.\n\nWhen asked about the Hatch Act, the office stated that she replied: \"If you're trying to silence me through the Hatch Act, it's not going to work,\" and \"Let me know when the jail sentence starts.\"\n\nThe office had found in March 2018 that Conway violated the Hatch Act during two television interviews in which she advocated for and against candidates in the 2017 Alabama special election for U.S. Senate.\n\nCareer government officials found to have violated the Hatch Act can be fired, suspended or demoted, and fined up to $1,000.\n\nConway has been an unwavering defender of President Donald Trump on cable news. Trump has praised her for her \"success\" in her career.", "WASHINGTON — A federal watchdog agency on Thursday recommended that White House counselor Kellyanne Conway be fired for repeatedly violating a law that limits certain political activities of federal employees.\n\nThe U.S. Office of Special Counsel, which is unrelated to special counsel Robert Mueller's office, said Conway is a \"repeat offender\" of the Hatch Act by disparaging Democratic presidential candidates while speaking in her official capacity during television interviews and on social media.\n\nConway told reporters who encountered her in the White House press office, \"I have no reaction.\"\n\nWhite House spokesman Steven Groves called the watchdog agency's decision \"unprecedented\" and \"deeply flawed\" and said it violated Conway's constitutional rights to free speech and due process.\n\nRELATED: House Oversight committee votes to hold William Barr and Wilbur Ross in contempt\n\n\"Its decisions seem to be influenced by media pressure and liberal organizations — and perhaps OSC should be mindful of its own mandate to act in a fair, impartial, non-political manner, and not misinterpret or weaponize the Hatch Act,\" Groves said in a statement.\n\nThe Office of Special Counsel noted that, during a May 29 media interview, Conway minimized the significance of the law as applied to her.\n\nWhen asked about the Hatch Act, the office stated that she replied: \"If you're trying to silence me through the Hatch Act, it's not going to work,\" and \"Let me know when the jail sentence starts.\"\n\nThe office had found in March 2018 that Conway violated the Hatch Act during two television interviews in which she advocated for and against candidates in the 2017 Alabama special election for U.S. Senate.\n\nCareer government officials found to have violated the Hatch Act can be fired, suspended or demoted, and fined up to $1,000.\n\nConway has been an unwavering defender of President Donald Trump on cable news. Trump has praised her for her \"success\" in her career.", "The Office of Special Counsel on Thursday recommended the removal of White House counselor Kellyanne Conway from federal office for violating the Hatch Act, which bars federal employees from engaging in political activity in the course of their work.\n\nThe report submitted to President Donald Trump found that Conway violated the Hatch Act on numerous occasions by \"disparaging Democratic presidential candidates while speaking in her official capacity during television interviews and on social media.\"\n\nThe agency said that because Conway was a \"repeat offender,\" it was recommending that she be removed from federal office.\n\nHowever, the decision about whether to remove Conway is up to Trump.\n\n\"Because Kellyanne Conway is a presidential appointee, the Office of Special Counsel itself does not have authority to discipline her,\" said Daniel Jacobson, who worked at the White House Counsel's Office under President Obama advising on ethics and compliance matters. \"They can only recommend disciplinary measures and it is up to the president to take up the recommendation or not.\"\n\nA senior White House official said Thursday the president is unlikely to punish Conway and instead will defend her. The White House counsel immediately issued a letter calling for the agency to withdraw its recommendation that Conway be removed.\n\nIn the past, Trump has privately dismissed concerns about the Hatch Act, sympathizing with aides found to have violated it, according to current and former White House officials.\n\nConway did not immediately reply to a request for comment.\n\nThe White House called the agency's assessment of Conway's actions \"deeply flawed and violate her constitutional rights to free speech and due process.\"\n\n\"Others, of all political views, have objected to the OSC's unclear and unevenly applied rules which have a chilling effect on free speech for all federal employees,\" deputy White House press secretary Steven Groves said in a statement. \"Its decisions seem to be influenced by media pressure and liberal organizations, and perhaps OSC should be mindful of its own mandate to act in a fair, impartial, nonpolitical manner, and not misinterpret or weaponize the Hatch Act.\"\n\nThe Office of Special Counsel is an independent federal agency charged with enforcing the Hatch Act and other civil service rules. The office is run by Henry Kerner, whom Trump nominated to the post. It is a separate agency than the office run by now-former special counsel Robert S. Mueller III, who led the investigation into Russian interference.\n\nIn a letter to Kerner, the White House requested his office to withdraw and retract its report recommending Conway's removal.\n\nWhite House counsel Pat Cipollone wrote that the office has inconsistently applied Hatch Act standards across Democratic and Republican administrations, and did not provide Conway enough time to respond to its allegations.\n\nThe office has no legal authority to establish binding social media rules for federal employees, and has applied an \"overbroad interpretation\" of the Hatch Act, Cipollone wrote.\n\n\"The White House takes seriously the principles codified in the Hatch Act and has continued to take affirmative steps to ensure compliance. At the same time, the White House must ensure that OSC exercises its significant authority in an appropriate and neutral manner,\" Cipollone wrote.\n\nThe agency's recommendation that Conway be removed was a rare move, according to Jacobson.\n\n\"How unique is this? I am not aware of any other time, to my mind, ever, where the Office of Special Counsel has recommended the removal of a White House presidential appointee,\" Jacobson said.\n\nThe Office of Special Counsel has found numerous Hatch Act violations by Conway.\n\nIn 2017, she was upbraided for touting the clothing line sold by Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump. The White House said Conway was \"counseled\" after that misstep, but no further disciplinary action was taken.\n\nIn 2018, Conway violated the Hatch Act on two occasions by making public comments supportive of one candidate and against another ahead of a special Senate election in Alabama last year.\n\nConway has brushed off the findings.\n\n\"Blah, blah, blah,\" Conway said last month when asked about the violations. \"If you're trying to silence me through the Hatch Act, it's not going to work. Let me know when the jail sentence starts.\"\n\nThe reprimands of Conway are among a series of Hatch Act violations by Trump administration officials.\n\nIn late 2018, the Office of Special Counsel found six White House officials in violation of the law for using their official Twitter accounts to send or display political messages supporting Trump.\n\nOthers sanctioned by the Office of Special Counsel for political messages include former interior secretary Ryan Zinke; Stephanie Grisham, the first lady's spokeswoman; Dan Scavino, former White House social media director; and Nikki Haley, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.\n\nTrump often praises Conway on TV and appreciates the way she deflects questions and attacks his political enemies, current and former White House aides said.\n\n\"She'll do the shows that nobody else dares go near,\" Trump said in a speech last spring praising her. \"She'll just -- I'll say, do this one or that one. No problem sir. Others say, sir, do you think I could take a pass please, I beg you please. Great going, Kellyanne. Thank you. What a help.\"", "Special Counsel Recommends That Kellyanne Conway Be Removed From Gov’t\n\nDo not pass “Go”. Do not collect $200.\n\nDonald Trump bootlicker Kellyanne Conway should be removed from the federal government immediately according to the recommendation of the U.S. Office of Special Counsel.\n\nAccording to CNN, the federal watchdog agency had this to say about Trump’s saggy-skinned lackey:\n\nWe already know that the Trump administration isn’t big on following the law, but someone has to flag the clementine-tinted president’s felonious flunkies as they habitually line-step their way through U.S. history.\n\nThe White Hosue has responded to these claims in typical fashion:\n\nUltimately Kellyanne Conway will probably not suffer any consequences as a result of these infractions, but we’d relish seeing her bounced out of D.C. on her bony a$$.", "A federal watchdog agency is recommending that White House counselor Kellyanne Conway be fired for repeatedly violating a law that limits certain political activities of federal employees.\n\nThe U.S. Office of Special Counsel says Conway has become a \"repeat offender\" of the Hatch Act by disparaging Democratic presidential candidates while speaking in her official capacity during television interviews and on social media.\n\nSteven Groves, a White House deputy press secretary, hit back, accusing the agency of \"flawed\" reasoning. Groves said the law cited by the Office of Special Counsel is unclear and applied unevenly.\n\n“The Office of Special Counsel’s (OSC) unprecedented actions against Kellyanne Conway are deeply flawed and violate her constitutional rights to free speech and due process,\" Groves said.\n\nIn an interview May 29, 2019, Conway downplayed the significance of the law by saying, \"If you're trying to silence me through the Hatch Act, it's not going to work.\"\n\nBut the Office of Special Counsel said her violations, if left unpunished, would send a message to all federal employees that they need not abide by the Hatch Act.\n\n\"Her actions thus erode the principal foundation of our democratic system – the rule of law,\" the Office of Special Counsel said in a statement.\n\nThe Office of Special Counsel is an independent federal agency that investigates whistle-blower complaints but doesn't prosecute cases itself. The agency is not connected to Robert Mueller, the former Justice Department special counsel who investigated Russian interference in the 2016 election.\n\nConway's statements cited in the Office of Special Counsel's report disparaging Democratic presidential candidates began in February 2019. Her statements included:\n• Conway said Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., was \"lying\" about her ethnicity and \"appropriating somebody else's heritage.\"\n• Conway said of former Rep. Beto O'Rourke of Texas that he didn't think \"women running are good enough to be president.\"\n• In an interview on \"Fox and Friends\" on Feb. 11, 2019, Conway said Trump had the \"presidential timber\" to be reelected, while Democrats were \"a bunch of presidential woodchips.\"\n• She then described several of the candidates, calling Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota as \"a very nice person, I guess unless you're on her staff.\"\n• She also questioned the credibility of Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York eating chicken \"apparently for the first time\" in her fifties.", "In a Thursday report sent to President Trump, the U.S. Office of Special Counsel has recommended Kellyanne Conway “be removed from federal service” after “numerous” violations of the Hatch Act. Conway repeatedly violated that U.S. law, the office said, by making public political comments “disparaging Democratic presidential candidates” while serving as senior adviser to Trump.\n\n“Ms. Conway’s violations, if left unpunished, would send a message to all federal employees that they need not abide by the Hatch Act’s restrictions. Her actions thus erode the principal foundation of our democratic system—the rule of law.”\n\nThe White House responded to the report, calling the “deeply flawed” recommendation a violation of Conway’s “constitutional rights to free speech and due process.” Deputy Press Secretary Steven Groves said in a statement: “It's decisions seem to be influenced by media pressure and liberal organizations.”\n\nThis is the second report to conclude Conway violated the Hatch Act, after a March 2018 OSC investigation into two separate TV interviews in which Trump’s ex-campaign manager advocated for and against candidates in the 2017 Alabama special election for U.S. Senate."], "summary": "The U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) recommends that the Trump administration remove Kellyanne Conway from her office as senior aide to President Trump because of her repeated violations of the Hatch Act of 1939. The Trump administration rejects the OSC's recommendations, saying they \"are deeply flawed and violate [Conway's] constitutional rights to free speech and due process.\""}
{"document": ["White House press secretary Sarah Sanders, a fierce loyalist of U.S. President Donald Trump who evolved into one of his closest advisers, will leave the job at the end of June to return to her home state of Arkansas, Trump announced on Thursday.\n\nSanders, who has worked with Trump since the early days of his unconventional run for office and became a national public figure in her own right, is the latest in a long line of senior advisers to leave the White House.\n\nThe 36-year-old often compared the antics of the press to the behaviour of her three young children and had largely backed Trump's dismissal of the news media as \"the enemy of the people.\"\n\nShe called the job \"the honour of a lifetime.\"\n\n\"I've loved every minute, even the hard minutes,\" Sanders said at a White House event, called onstage by Trump to a standing ovation, her voice trembling with emotion. \"I have three amazing kids and I'm going to spend a little more time with them.\"\n\nTrump described Sanders as \"a warrior.\"\n\n\"We've been through a lot together, and she's tough, but she's good,\" he said.\n\nSanders for governor?\n\nSanders evolved into a senior adviser and confidante of the president, one who is regularly brought into senior-level meetings.\n\nIn announcing her departure on Twitter, Trump suggested Sanders should run for governor of Arkansas, a position once held by her father, Mike Huckabee.\n\n....She is a very special person with extraordinary talents, who has done an incredible job! I hope she decides to run for Governor of Arkansas - she would be fantastic. Sarah, thank you for a job well done! —@realDonaldTrump\n\nSanders replied to Trump's tweet not long after, expressing her appreciation for the president and the chance to work with him.\n\nI am blessed and forever grateful to <a href=\"https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@realDonaldTrump</a> for the opportunity to serve and proud of everything he’s accomplished. I love the President and my job. The most important job I’ll ever have is being a mom to my kids and it’s time for us to go home. Thank you Mr. President! <a href=\"https://t.co/wHNnq06AMg\">https://t.co/wHNnq06AMg</a> —@PressSec\n\nTrump, who has seen almost a complete turnover in his press and communications teams, did not immediately name a replacement.\n\nHis first press secretary, Sean Spicer, resigned abruptly after six months, having become the butt of late-night comedy lampoons for his blustery and fact-challenged arguments for Trump.\n\nSanders had been Spicer's deputy and initially had a less combustive approach with journalists. But her fiery defences of her boss drew criticism.\n\nIn 2017, Sanders told reporters she had heard from \"countless members of the FBI\" who wanted Trump to fire his former FBI director James Comey — an assertion she later cast as a \"slip of the tongue\" during special counsel Robert Mueller's probe.\n\nShe burns facts and then she uses that ash to create a perfect smokey eye. - Comedian Michelle Wolf\n\nHer relationship with the press became particularly strained a year ago, after a comedian hired by the White House Correspondents' Association for its annual dinner mocked her appearance and penchant for spinning the truth as Sanders sat nearby at the head table.\n\n\"She burns facts and then she uses that ash to create a perfect smokey eye,\" comedian Michelle Wolf said.\n\nIn the months afterward, she was asked to leave a restaurant in Lexington, Va., because of her association with the Trump administration.\n\nNo more daily briefings\n\nOver time, Sanders retreated from the lectern, frustrating reporters by ending the long tradition of daily press briefings. Trump preferred to take questions himself from reporters and command the White House stage, and relegated Sanders and other staff to appearances on television to defend his policies.\n\nSanders's last press briefing was 94 days ago, but Trump answers questions from reporters on a near-daily basis, including two extended sessions with them on Wednesday.\n\nSanders became a popular figure at Trump rallies, sought after for selfies by his supporters. In November, at his final rallies ahead of the congressional elections, Trump invited her on stage to speak briefly to the cheering crowds.\n\nSanders has long been rumoured as a future gubernatorial candidate in Arkansas. The current governor, Republican Asa Hutchinson, began his second and final four-year term in January. The state's next regular gubernatorial election would be in 2022.\n\n\"Arkansas is a very red state. The Huckabee name carries a lot of weight there, and if she ran, I can't think of anyone that would have a chance of beating her,\" said Alice Stewart, a Republican strategist in Washington who is from Arkansas and worked for Huckabee while he was governor, and then on his presidential campaign.\n\n\"The Republicans in Arkansas would welcome her back with open arms. They applaud the work she's done.\"", "WASHINGTON, June 13 (Reuters) - The United States will continue assessing the situation in the Gulf of Oman following an attack on two oil tankers, the White House said in a statement on Thursday.\n\nU.S. President Donald Trump \"has been briefed on the attack on ships in the Gulf of Oman. The U.S. Government is providing assistance and will continue to assess the situation,\" White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said. (Reporting by Steve Holland Writing by Susan Heavey Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)", "President Donald Trump said he has a 'lot of great people' to choose from when it comes to selecting a replacement for White House press secretary Sarah Sanders and that makes it difficult to pick one.\n\n'We have a lot of great people, sometimes you have so many that makes it more difficult,' he told 'Fox & Friends' on Friday when he called into the show for a 45-minute interview.\n\nThere are two names getting the majority of the buzz as Washington indulges in one of its favorite parlor games: who's in and who's out in the Trump administration.\n\nThose are Stephanie Grisham, who worked on Trump's campaign and now serves as spokesperson for first lady Melania Trump, and Hogan Gidley, who serves as deputy White House press secretary.\n\nBut he did not give away who he's leaning toward hiring, merely saying 'we have a lot of great people, a lot of people to choose from.'\n\nGrisham is well-liked by the president from her time on his campaign team and she - along with Dan Scavino, Stephen Miller and Kellyanne Conway - are one of the 'originals' left in the White House from the 2016 campaign.\n\nShe was originally part of the West Wing communications team before she moved to the first lady's office in March 2017.\n\nAnd a number of people close to Trump are pushing for her to get the gig, they told Axios, adding that the president likes and trusts her.\n\nAnother source suggested to the news website that Grisham could also take on a senior role in the press office - moving back to the West Wing from the East Wing.\n\nGidley was brought aboard the Trump team by Sanders, who got to know him when he worked for her father, the former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.\n\nBut he is said not to have the closest relationship with the president, who was reported to call him 'Tidley.'\n\nGidley was subject to a New York Times profile in May 2018 that described his keen fashion sense and workout routine.\n\nAnd he's also a consistent presence on television to defend the president, who is said to like his interviews.\n\nTrump did rule out one name: former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci, who served 10 days in that job.\n\n'I like Anthony, I think he should stay where he is right now,' the president told Fox News.\n\nThe president could simply leave the job open for some time as he has with the communications director job.\n\nTrump often asks as his own spokesperson and communication director - using tweets and question-and-answer sessions with the White House press corps to spread his message.\n\nOther names being listed include Tony Sayegh, a former Treasury Department spokesman, and Morgan Ortagus, a spokeswoman at the State Department, the Washington Examiner reported.\n\nA few Republican operatives praised Sayegh's television skills, which is a metric Trump uses to judge people.\n\nKellyanne Conway's name has been floated but she turned down a job in the communications shop shortly after Trump was elected.\n\nAdditionally, she's served as a loyal surrogate in television interviews in her role as counselor to the president.\n\nAnd Trump likes his former campaign manager. He defended her against the finding of a government watchdog that she violated the Hatch Act, a law the forbids government officials from making political statements while working in their professional capacity.\n\nThe agency recommended Conway be fired for her violations but Trump said she's staying on the job.\n\n'No I'm not going to fire her,' he told 'Fox & Friends.'\n\n'It looks to me like they're trying to take away her right of free speech and that's not fair,' he said, adding: 'she's got to have the right to answer questions.'\n\nShe's part of a Republican power couple being married to Matt Schlapp, chairman of the American Conservative Union, which organizes CPAC, a conference of conservatives Trump addresses every year.\n\nBut she was reported to be up for the White House communications director job in 2018 and did not get it.\n\nShe and Sayegh fought in a bitter battle at the time for the job neither of them ended up with.\n\nSanders will leave the press secretary job at the end of June after two-and-a-half years at the White House, it was announced Thursday.\n\n'After 3 1/2 years, our wonderful Sarah Huckabee Sanders will be leaving the White House at the end of the month and going home to the Great State of Arkansas,' Trump tweeted.\n\nTrump hailed her at the White House minutes after the departure announcement.\n\nHe called her 'a person, a friend, a woman, a great, great magnificent person actually, named Sarah Huckabee Sanders. And she's very popular. She's very popular,' ending the tribute by saying: 'She is a warrior.'\n\n'She's done an incredible job. We've been through a lot together. She's tough and she's good,' Trump gushed.\n\n'If we can get her to run for governor of Arkansas. I think we can get her to do that. I'm trying to get her to do that.'\n\n'I want to thank you for an outstanding job,' he said, kissing her check.", "White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders will be leaving the Trump administration at the end of June, President Donald Trump announced Thursday afternoon.\n\n\"She is a very special person with extraordinary talents, who has done an incredible job,\" Trump tweeted.\n\nThe Trump administration has largely done away with formal press briefings, instead answering questions before cameras spontaneously on the White House driveway.\n\nThe last formal press briefing by Sanders was on March 11.\n\nSanders pushed back on a report last year that said she had planned to leave the Trump administration by the end of 2018. In June 2018, she tweeted that she loved her job and was honored to work for the president.\n\nTrump explained Thursday that Sanders would be returning to her home in Arkansas and he hoped that she would run for governor one day, saying \"she would be fantastic.\"\n\n\"Sarah, thank you for a job well done.\"", "In this June 11, 2019, photo, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders talks with reporters outside the White House in Washington. President Donald Trump announced on June 13, Sanders is leaving her job as press secretary at the end of June. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)\n\nIn this June 11, 2019, photo, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders talks with reporters outside the White House in Washington. President Donald Trump announced on June 13, Sanders is leaving her job as press secretary at the end of June. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)\n\n(AP) – White House press secretary Sarah Sanders will be leaving the Trump administration at the end of the month.\n\nPresident Donald Trump announced the news on Twitter Wednesday. He says Sanders will be returning to her home state of Arkansas and has not immediately named a successor.\n\nSanders is one of the president’s closest and most trusted White House aides and one of the few remaining who worked on his campaign. Her tenure was marked by a breakdown in regular White House press briefings and questions about the administration’s credibility.\n\nSpecial counsel Robert Mueller’s revealed that Sanders admitted to investigators that she had made an unfounded claim that “countless” FBI agents had reached out to express support for Trump’s decision to fire FBI Director James Comey in May 2017.", "Jim WATSON / AFP | White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders speaks to the media outside the West Wing of the White House in Washington, DC, on May 23, 2019\n\nWhite House press secretary Sarah Sanders, whose tenure was marked by a breakdown in regular press briefings and questions about the administration's credibility, will leave her post at the end of June, President Donald Trump announced Thursday.\n\n\"She's a warrior,\" said Trump, who announced her departure on Twitter shortly before calling Sanders on stage at an event at the White House. \"We've been through a lot together, and she's tough, but she's good.\"\n\nTrump did not immediately name a replacement.\n\nThe Republican Sanders, who is 36 and has three young children, has drawn fire from the White House Correspondents Association for ending daily briefings, with Trump preferring to take questions himself from reporters and command the White\n\nHouse stage.\n\nThe last briefing was 94 days ago, but Trump answers questions from reporters on a near-daily basis, including two extended sessions with them on Wednesday.\n\nSanders called the job \"the honor of a lifetime.\"\n\n\"I've loved every minute, even the hard minutes,\" she said, her voice trembling with emotion. \"I have three amazing kids and I'm going to spend a little more time with them.\"\n\nSanders evolved into a senior adviser and confidante of the president, one who is regularly brought into senior-level meetings.\n\nSpeculation immediately turned to whether Sanders might run for governor of Arkansas, a position once held by her father, Mike Huckabee.\n\n\"If we can get her to run for the governor of Arkansas, I think she'll do very well,\" Trump said.", "White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders will step down from her post by the end of the month, according to President Donald J. Trump.\n\nTrump made the announcement via Twitter on Thursday afternoon.\n\n“Our wonderful Sarah Huckabee Sanders will be leaving the White House at the end of the month and going home to the Great State of Arkansas,” he tweeted. “She is a very special person with extraordinary talents, who has done an incredible job! I hope she decides to run for Governor of Arkansas - she would be fantastic. Sarah, thank you for a job well done!”\n\nSanders is the daughter of Mike Huckabee, who served as the 44th governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007.\n\nSpeaking with NBC News, Sanders did not say whether she would take another job in Arkansas or run for governor. But she stressed that she will “continue to be one of the most outspoken and loyal supporters of the president and his agenda.”\n\nShe has served as Trump’s press secretary since July 2017 and had an adversarial relationship with the media.\n\nLast summer, Sanders slammed CBS News for reporting she planned to leave her post by the end of the year. “I love my job and am honored to work for @POTUS,” she tweeted.", "WASHINGTON — White House press secretary Sarah Sanders will leave her position at the end of the month, capping a tumultuous tenure as the President’s chief spokeswoman in which she largely redefined the position.\n\nAnnouncing her departure on Twitter, President Donald Trump said Sanders will return to her home state of Arkansas and floated the possibility of a gubernatorial run for the White House press secretary.\n\n“After 3 1/2 years, our wonderful Sarah Huckabee Sanders will be leaving the White House at the end of the month and going home to the Great State of Arkansas,” Trump said.\n\nIn private conversations in recent weeks, Sanders has floated running for governor in her home state of Arkansas, according to two people familiar with the talks. Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson was re-elected just last year, so unless he steps down early — or is appointed to something — the governor’s office in Little Rock isn’t open until January 2023.\n\nShe has told colleagues and friends that she thinks running for office would be a good next move for her, instead of taking a television job upon her departure.", "This post was originally published on this site\n\nChip Somodevilla/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders is leaving her post, President Donald Trump tweeted on Thursday.\n\n“After 3 1/2 years, our wonderful Sarah Huckabee Sanders will be leaving the White House at the end of the month and going home to the Great State of Arkansas,” Trump tweeted. “She is a very special person with extraordinary talents, who has done an incredible job! I hope she decides to run for Governor of Arkansas – she would be fantastic. Sarah, thank you for a job well done!”\n\nAt an event aimed at highlighting hiring efforts for former inmates, Trump praised Sanders calling her “a warrior.”\n\n“We’ve been through a lot together. She’s tough, but she’s good,” he said and added, “If we can get her to run for the governor of Arkansas, I think she’ll do very well.”\n\nSources familiar say Sanders has not revealed whether she might consider mounting a political bid of her own back in Arkansas, but a personal familiar said there has been speculation among staffers in the White House about the possibility of Sanders pursuing a political career.\n\nSanders described her role as “the honor of a lifetime.”\n\n“This has been the honor of a lifetime, the opportunity of a lifetime… particularly to work for this president,” she said adding it is “something I will treasure forever .. loved every minute…even the hard minutes.”\n\nSanders gathered members of her staff Thursday afternoon and informed them of her planned departure at that time. Sources familiar with Sanders decision to depart cited her desire to make the move back to Arkansas for the sake of her family. Sanders and her husband have three young children, all under the age of ten, and sources said she and her husband felt now was the right time to move the family and get them settled back in Arkansas during the summer school recess.\n\nSanders was named White House press secretary in July 2017, just hours after Sean Spicer resigned from the position. She is the daughter of former Arkansas governor and two-time presidential candidate Mike Huckabee and grew up with a fascination for politics.\n\n“I always say that when most kids are seven or eight years old out jumping rope, she was sitting at the kitchen table listening to [political commentators] analyze poll results,” her father told Fox News in May of 2017.\n\nSanders confirmed earlier this year that she has been interviewed by special counsel Robert Mueller’s team investigating Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.\n\n“The President urged me, like he has everyone in the administration, to fully cooperate with the special counsel. I was happy to voluntarily sit down with them,” Sanders said in a statement to ABC after the news was first reported by CNN.\n\nOne source told ABC News the interview happened around the same time that it’s believed other White House officials were being brought in for interviews.", "President Trump announced Thursday on Twitter that White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders will be leaving her position at the end of the month.\n\n\"After 3 1/2 years, our wonderful Sarah Huckabee Sanders will be leaving the White House at the end of the month and going home to the Great State of Arkansas,\" Trump said. \"She is a very special person with extraordinary talents, who has done an incredible job! I hope she decides to run for Governor of Arkansas - she would be fantastic. Sarah, thank you for a job well done!\"\n\nThe president has not yet named a replacement for the position.\n\nThe 36-year old Sanders, the daughter of former Arkansas Republican Gov. Mike Huckabee, worked on her father’s presidential campaign during the 2016 Republican primary until he dropped out of the race. She then joined the Trump campaign and, subsequently, the Trump administration as a White House communications aide. She was promoted to White House press secretary in 2017, after the president’s first top spokesman, Sean Spicer, resigned from the position.\n\nIf she chooses to follow in her father's footsteps the seat for governor opens up in 2022.\n\nThroughout her tenure at the White House, Sanders has come under fierce criticism from members of the press for being dishonest on the president's behalf during press briefings that were often contentious and emotional. Eventually, the press secretary stopped giving daily briefings altogether.\n\nSanders did not immediately respond to request for comment.\n\nCLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS APP\n\nThis is a developing story. Check back for updates."], "summary": "White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders announces she will resign at the end of June."}
{"document": ["SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A surge of about 200,000 users believed to be from Saudi Arabia who are frustrated at what they say is censorship by Twitter have helped crash the small social media network Parler, which styles itself as a “free speech-driven” space.\n\nThe unexpected arrival of the new accounts since Sunday more than doubled the total number of Parler users and crippled some functions, CEO and co-founder John Matze told Reuters.\n\nThe influx of users has created unusual bedfellows on Parler, which has mostly been a home for supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump after starting up a year ago.\n\nAn analysis by Reuters and Citizen Lab, a Canadian research group, found that many of the new users came from Saudi Arabia. They promoted their use of Parler with hashtags on Twitter, which they accuse of stifling expression by arbitrarily banning users.\n\n“The nationalist movement of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has made it known that big tech is censoring them at rates we have never experienced in the United States,” Parler wrote in a post on its own account on the site. “Let us welcome them as we all fight for our rights together.”\n\nTwitter declined to comment on whether the platform had taken any new action against Saudi accounts that could have triggered the sudden sign-ups on Parler. It was not clear how many of the new Parler users had stopped using Twitter.\n\nSome of the new Parler accounts used the hashtag #Twexit or shared cartoons of blue birds in distress, using Twitter’s logo to suggest the platform’s decline. Other users tweeted threats to leave Twitter directly at chief executive Jack Dorsey.\n\nSaudis are prolific users of social networks, particularly Twitter. The kingdom has Twitter’s largest user base in the Middle East, with 11.7 million people on the platform, according to Arabic social media monitoring firm Crowd Analyzer.\n\n“It is great to be here guys. Twitter and other major platforms are not our place anymore. Everyday[sic] hundreds of #Saudi accounts are suspended for NO reason,” a user called @5a1di, who has 109,000 followers on Twitter, posted on Parler.\n\nTwitter has previously acknowledged pulling down hundreds of “inauthentic” accounts that pushed talking points favorable to the Saudi government, which has built an “electronic army” tasked with furthering its agenda online. [nL8N1XA87R][nL8N1X2266]\n\nSome Saudi nationalists, who vociferously support the country’s influential Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, now share an online space with right-wing U.S. backers of Trump.\n\nU.S. right-wing social media users have flocked to messaging app Telegram and hands-off social site Gab as well as Parler, citing the more aggressive policing of controversial political comments on mainstream platforms such as Twitter and Facebook.\n\nMatze, who describes himself as libertarian, says he founded Parler in 2018 as a bipartisan platform but has doubled down on marketing to conservatives as they took to the site.\n\nThose who have joined include commentator Candace Owens, Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani and right-wing activist Laura Loomer, who handcuffed herself to the door of Twitter’s New York office in Nov. 2018 to protest a ban on her by the site.\n\nSome Saudi users emphasized common ground with Trump supporters. They shared photos of Trump with members of the Saudi royal family and used emojis of the two countries’ flags and Trump’s #MAGA hashtag.\n\nOffline, the Trump administration has forged strong ties with Riyadh, which it regards as the cornerstone of U.S. security policy in the Gulf. Trump made Saudi Arabia his first stop abroad as president in 2017.\n\nBut the Saudi newcomers on Parler were met with mixed reactions from users, with some echoing the site’s welcome while others expressing anti-Muslim sentiments.\n\nThe Reuters-Citizen Lab analysis looked at 28,000 tweets under the hashtags #parler, #parlerksa - using an acronym for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - and an Arabic-language version of #parler sent out between last Friday and Tuesday.\n\nMore than half of the tweeters using those hashtags had their language set to Arabic. Of those who reported their location, about a third said they were in Saudi Arabia.\n\nOne of the earliest Arabic-language tweeters to jump on the #parler hashtag, who goes by @NadiaBintFahad, warned on Friday: “Twitter management will be taught a lesson they won’t forget.”\n\nSpeaking by phone from Riyadh, Nadia, who declined to give her last name, told Reuters she was a 28-year-old woman who had studied in Australia. She said she heard about Parler from American figures on Twitter and had watched an interview Matze did with the conservative Blaze TV.\n\nShe does not know much about U.S. politics, she said, but expressed support for Trump and frustration with Twitter for banning Saudi users without explanation.\n\nMany English-speaking Parler users called for a translate button so they could read the new content on the site. Others expressed doubts about the newcomers’ authenticity.\n\n“GET RID OF THESE BOTS AND MAKE THIS SITE USABLE AGAIN THANKS,” posted user @Voisine, referring to automated accounts.\n\nMatze, who denied there were automated accounts on the platform, called it an “interesting merging” of the two groups.\n\n“Most of them are getting along very well and share common ground on many issues,” he said. “Some are quickly regretting their views on free speech.”", "A 3D-printed logo for Twitter is seen in this picture illustration on January 26, 2016. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo\n\n(Reuters) - Twitter Inc on Thursday said it removed thousands of accounts linked to coordinated, state-backed activities it believes were from the Iranian government and archived them to its public database launched last year.\n\nIn the latest purge of information, the company said it believes 4,779 accounts were associated or backed by Iran.\n\nThe micro-blogging site also said it had removed and archived four accounts affiliated with the St. Petersburg-based Internet Research Agency, a Russian “troll farm” that has been indicted by U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller for attempts to interfere with the 2016 presidential election.\n\nIt also removed and archived 130 accounts tied to the Catalan independence movement in Spain, and 33 accounts engaged in manipulative behavior related to Venezuela.\n\nTwitter first released the archive of data associated with known state-backed information operations last October to provide more transparency of information and to stem manipulation on its platform.\n\n“Thousands of researchers from across the globe have downloaded datasets, which contain more than 30 million Tweets and over 1 terabyte of media, using our archive to conduct their own investigations and to share their insights and independent analysis with the world,” Twitter said in a blog post.", "SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A surge of about 200,000 users believed to be from Saudi Arabia who are frustrated at what they say is censorship by Twitter have helped crash the small social media network Parler, which styles itself as a “free speech-driven” space.\n\nThe unexpected arrival of the new accounts since Sunday more than doubled the total number of Parler users and crippled some functions, CEO and co-founder John Matze told Reuters.\n\nThe influx of users has created unusual bedfellows on Parler, which has mostly been a home for supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump after starting up a year ago.\n\nAn analysis by Reuters and Citizen Lab, a Canadian research group, found that many of the new users came from Saudi Arabia. They promoted their use of Parler with hashtags on Twitter, which they accuse of stifling expression by arbitrarily banning users.\n\n“The nationalist movement of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has made it known that big tech is censoring them at rates we have never experienced in the United States,” Parler wrote in a post on its own account on the site. “Let us welcome them as we all fight for our rights together.”\n\nTwitter declined to comment on whether the platform had taken any new action against Saudi accounts that could have triggered the sudden sign-ups on Parler. It was not clear how many of the new Parler users had stopped using Twitter.\n\nSome of the new Parler accounts used the hashtag #Twexit or shared cartoons of blue birds in distress, using Twitter’s logo to suggest the platform’s decline. Other users tweeted threats to leave Twitter directly at chief executive Jack Dorsey.\n\nSaudis are prolific users of social networks, particularly Twitter. The kingdom has Twitter’s largest user base in the Middle East, with 11.7 million people on the platform, according to Arabic social media monitoring firm Crowd Analyzer.\n\n“It is great to be here guys. Twitter and other major platforms are not our place anymore. Everyday[sic] hundreds of #Saudi accounts are suspended for NO reason,” a user called @5a1di, who has 109,000 followers on Twitter, posted on Parler.\n\nTwitter has previously acknowledged pulling down hundreds of “inauthentic” accounts that pushed talking points favorable to the Saudi government, which has built an “electronic army” tasked with furthering its agenda online. [nL8N1XA87R][nL8N1X2266]\n\nSome Saudi nationalists, who vociferously support the country’s influential Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, now share an online space with right-wing U.S. backers of Trump.\n\nU.S. right-wing social media users have flocked to messaging app Telegram and hands-off social site Gab as well as Parler, citing the more aggressive policing of controversial political comments on mainstream platforms such as Twitter and Facebook.\n\nMatze, who describes himself as libertarian, says he founded Parler in 2018 as a bipartisan platform but has doubled down on marketing to conservatives as they took to the site.\n\nThose who have joined include commentator Candace Owens, Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani and right-wing activist Laura Loomer, who handcuffed herself to the door of Twitter’s New York office in Nov. 2018 to protest a ban on her by the site.\n\nSome Saudi users emphasized common ground with Trump supporters. They shared photos of Trump with members of the Saudi royal family and used emojis of the two countries’ flags and Trump’s #MAGA hashtag.\n\nOffline, the Trump administration has forged strong ties with Riyadh, which it regards as the cornerstone of U.S. security policy in the Gulf. Trump made Saudi Arabia his first stop abroad as president in 2017.\n\nBut the Saudi newcomers on Parler were met with mixed reactions from users, with some echoing the site’s welcome while others expressing anti-Muslim sentiments.\n\nThe Reuters-Citizen Lab analysis looked at 28,000 tweets under the hashtags #parler, #parlerksa - using an acronym for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - and an Arabic-language version of #parler sent out between last Friday and Tuesday.\n\nMore than half of the tweeters using those hashtags had their language set to Arabic. Of those who reported their location, about a third said they were in Saudi Arabia.\n\nOne of the earliest Arabic-language tweeters to jump on the #parler hashtag, who goes by @NadiaBintFahad, warned on Friday: “Twitter management will be taught a lesson they won’t forget.”\n\nSpeaking by phone from Riyadh, Nadia, who declined to give her last name, told Reuters she was a 28-year-old woman who had studied in Australia. She said she heard about Parler from American figures on Twitter and had watched an interview Matze did with the conservative Blaze TV.\n\nShe does not know much about U.S. politics, she said, but expressed support for Trump and frustration with Twitter for banning Saudi users without explanation.\n\nMany English-speaking Parler users called for a translate button so they could read the new content on the site. Others expressed doubts about the newcomers’ authenticity.\n\n“GET RID OF THESE BOTS AND MAKE THIS SITE USABLE AGAIN THANKS,” posted user @Voisine, referring to automated accounts.\n\nMatze, who denied there were automated accounts on the platform, called it an “interesting merging” of the two groups.\n\n“Most of them are getting along very well and share common ground on many issues,” he said. “Some are quickly regretting their views on free speech.”", "Just the tip of anti-Iran campaign iceberg?\n\nTwitter has announced that it is removing 4,779 accounts associated or backed by Tehran, the latest strike in the ongoing anti-Iran campaign perfectly timed to coincide with the attack on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman.Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was already blaming Iran hours after the incident, offering not a shred of proof aside from a few other dubious incidents in the Middle East that the US has previously pinned on Iran, without evidence.mostly because the narrative is so improbable. Japan's PM Shinzo Abe was in Tehran, promising to use his \"utmost effort\" to de-escalate tensions,a Japanese ship was hit along with a Norwegian vessel.When even CNN is acknowledging that the attack \"doesn't appear to benefit any of the protagonists in the region,\" and Bloomberg admits \"Iran has little to gain\" from blowing up the ship of its esteemed guest, Pompeo must realize another route of influence is required. Who better to call in for reinforcements than Twitter, which has demonstrated time and again its willingness to serve the US' preferred narrative with mass deplatformings?- at least, it wasn't Twitter that brought the \"Iran Disinformation Project\" crashing to a halt earlier this week. The State Department shut down the social media campaign it created to \"counter Iranian propaganda\" after it supposedly went rogue, smearing any and all critics of Trump's hawkish Iran policy as paid operatives of the Iranian government.Congress only learned of the project in a closed-door hearing on Monday, when the State Department confessed the troll campaign had taken $1.5 million in taxpayer money to attack those same taxpayers - all in the name of promoting \"freedom of expression and free access to information.\"The group contracted to operate Iran Disinfo is run by an Iranian immigrant and claims to focus on strengthening \"civil society\" and \"democracy\" back home,While the State Department was long barred from directing government-funded propaganda at its own citizens, that rule was quietly repealed in 2013 with the passage of the Smith-Mundt Modernization Act,The Pentagon is also technically forbidden from running psychological operations (\"psy-ops\") against American citizens, but that rule goes out the window in case of \"domestic emergencies\" - and the domestic emergency declared by then-President George W. Bush days after the September 11 terror attacks remains in effect,Nor was the State Department's trolling operation the only anti-Iran psy-op to be unmasked this week. Heshmat Alavi, a virulently anti-Iranian columnist promoted by the Trump administration and published in Forbes, the Hill, and several other outlets,, a controversial Iranian exile group often called a cult that has only recently lobbied its way off the US' terror list.The fictional Alavi's stories were used to sell Trump's withdrawal from the Iran deal to the Washington Post and other more reputable outlets, as well as to promote the MEK as a \"main Iranian opposition group\" and viable option for leadership post-regime-change.Indeed, Alavi's relentless advocacy for the group may have scared off a few of the sites that initially published his work - the Diplomat and the Daily Caller both quit publishing him in 2017, citing quality concerns.a Canadian MEK defector told the Intercept, describing a comprehensive online propaganda mill run out of the group's former base in Iraq that sought to control the narrative about Iran on Facebook and Twitter.The Intercept's comprehensive investigation of the Alavi persona essentially dropped the key to the MEK's propaganda network in Twitter's lap; their refusal to act on this information, merely removing the Alavi account without investigating the swamp of \"coordinated inauthentic behavior\" surrounding it, indicates they are content with being weaponized in the US propaganda war against Iran. Trolling is fine, as long as it's \"our guys\" doing it.", "SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A surge of about 200,000 users believed to be from Saudi Arabia who are frustrated at what they say is censorship by Twitter have helped crash the small social media network Parler, which styles itself as a “free speech-driven” space.\n\nThe unexpected arrival of the new accounts since Sunday more than doubled the total number of Parler users and crippled some functions, CEO and co-founder John Matze told Reuters.\n\nThe influx of users has created unusual bedfellows on Parler, which has mostly been a home for supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump after starting up a year ago.\n\nAn analysis by Reuters and Citizen Lab, a Canadian research group, found that many of the new users came from Saudi Arabia. They promoted their use of Parler with hashtags on Twitter, which they accuse of stifling expression by arbitrarily banning users.\n\n“The nationalist movement of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has made it known that big tech is censoring them at rates we have never experienced in the United States,” Parler wrote in a post on its own account on the site. “Let us welcome them as we all fight for our rights together.”\n\nTwitter declined to comment on whether the platform had taken any new action against Saudi accounts that could have triggered the sudden sign-ups on Parler. It was not clear how many of the new Parler users had stopped using Twitter.\n\nSome of the new Parler accounts used the hashtag #Twexit or shared cartoons of blue birds in distress, using Twitter’s logo to suggest the platform’s decline. Other users tweeted threats to leave Twitter directly at chief executive Jack Dorsey.\n\nSaudis are prolific users of social networks, particularly Twitter. The kingdom has Twitter’s largest user base in the Middle East, with 11.7 million people on the platform, according to Arabic social media monitoring firm Crowd Analyzer.\n\n“It is great to be here guys. Twitter and other major platforms are not our place anymore. Everyday[sic] hundreds of #Saudi accounts are suspended for NO reason,” a user called @5a1di, who has 109,000 followers on Twitter, posted on Parler.\n\nTwitter has previously acknowledged pulling down hundreds of “inauthentic” accounts that pushed talking points favorable to the Saudi government, which has built an “electronic army” tasked with furthering its agenda online. [nL8N1XA87R][nL8N1X2266]\n\nSome Saudi nationalists, who vociferously support the country’s influential Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, now share an online space with right-wing U.S. backers of Trump.\n\nU.S. right-wing social media users have flocked to messaging app Telegram and hands-off social site Gab as well as Parler, citing the more aggressive policing of controversial political comments on mainstream platforms such as Twitter and Facebook.\n\nMatze, who describes himself as libertarian, says he founded Parler in 2018 as a bipartisan platform but has doubled down on marketing to conservatives as they took to the site.\n\nThose who have joined include commentator Candace Owens, Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani and right-wing activist Laura Loomer, who handcuffed herself to the door of Twitter’s New York office in Nov. 2018 to protest a ban on her by the site.\n\nSome Saudi users emphasized common ground with Trump supporters. They shared photos of Trump with members of the Saudi royal family and used emojis of the two countries’ flags and Trump’s #MAGA hashtag.\n\nOffline, the Trump administration has forged strong ties with Riyadh, which it regards as the cornerstone of U.S. security policy in the Gulf. Trump made Saudi Arabia his first stop abroad as president in 2017.\n\nBut the Saudi newcomers on Parler were met with mixed reactions from users, with some echoing the site’s welcome while others expressing anti-Muslim sentiments.\n\nThe Reuters-Citizen Lab analysis looked at 28,000 tweets under the hashtags #parler, #parlerksa - using an acronym for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - and an Arabic-language version of #parler sent out between last Friday and Tuesday.\n\nMore than half of the tweeters using those hashtags had their language set to Arabic. Of those who reported their location, about a third said they were in Saudi Arabia.\n\nOne of the earliest Arabic-language tweeters to jump on the #parler hashtag, who goes by @NadiaBintFahad, warned on Friday: “Twitter management will be taught a lesson they won’t forget.”\n\nSpeaking by phone from Riyadh, Nadia, who declined to give her last name, told Reuters she was a 28-year-old woman who had studied in Australia. She said she heard about Parler from American figures on Twitter and had watched an interview Matze did with the conservative Blaze TV.\n\nShe does not know much about U.S. politics, she said, but expressed support for Trump and frustration with Twitter for banning Saudi users without explanation.\n\nMany English-speaking Parler users called for a translate button so they could read the new content on the site. Others expressed doubts about the newcomers’ authenticity.\n\n“GET RID OF THESE BOTS AND MAKE THIS SITE USABLE AGAIN THANKS,” posted user @Voisine, referring to automated accounts.\n\nMatze, who denied there were automated accounts on the platform, called it an “interesting merging” of the two groups.\n\n“Most of them are getting along very well and share common ground on many issues,” he said. “Some are quickly regretting their views on free speech.”", "SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A surge of about 200,000 users believed to be from Saudi Arabia who are frustrated at what they say is censorship by Twitter have helped crash the small social media network Parler, which styles itself as a \"free speech-driven\" space.\n\nThe unexpected arrival of the new accounts since Sunday more than doubled the total number of Parler users and crippled some functions, CEO and co-founder John Matze told Reuters.\n\nThe influx of users has created unusual bedfellows on Parler, which has mostly been a home for supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump after starting up a year ago.\n\nAn analysis by Reuters and Citizen Lab, a Canadian research group, found that many of the new users came from Saudi Arabia. They promoted their use of Parler with hashtags on Twitter, which they accuse of stifling expression by arbitrarily banning users.\n\n\"The nationalist movement of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has made it known that big tech is censoring them at rates we have never experienced in the United States,\" Parler wrote in a post on its own account on the site. \"Let us welcome them as we all fight for our rights together.\"\n\nTwitter declined to comment on whether the platform had taken any new action against Saudi accounts that could have triggered the sudden sign-ups on Parler. It was not clear how many of the new Parler users had stopped using Twitter.\n\nSome of the new Parler accounts used the hashtag #Twexit or shared cartoons of blue birds in distress, using Twitter's logo to suggest the platform's decline. Other users tweeted threats to leave Twitter directly at chief executive Jack Dorsey.\n\nSaudis are prolific users of social networks, particularly Twitter. The kingdom has Twitter's largest user base in the Middle East, with 11.7 million people on the platform, according to Arabic social media monitoring firm Crowd Analyzer.\n\n\"It is great to be here guys. Twitter and other major platforms are not our place anymore. Everyday[sic] hundreds of #Saudi accounts are suspended for NO reason,\" a user called @5a1di, who has 109,000 followers on Twitter, posted on Parler.\n\nTwitter has previously acknowledged pulling down hundreds of \"inauthentic\" accounts that pushed talking points favourable to the Saudi government, which has built an \"electronic army\" tasked with furthering its agenda online.\n\nSome Saudi nationalists, who vociferously support the country's influential Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, now share an online space with right-wing U.S. backers of Trump.\n\nU.S. right-wing social media users have flocked to messaging app Telegram and hands-off social site Gab as well as Parler, citing the more aggressive policing of controversial political comments on mainstream platforms such as Twitter and Facebook.\n\nMatze, who describes himself as libertarian, says he founded Parler in 2018 as a bipartisan platform but has doubled down on marketing to conservatives as they took to the site.\n\nThose who have joined include commentator Candace Owens, Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani and right-wing activist Laura Loomer, who handcuffed herself to the door of Twitter's New York office in Nov. 2018 to protest a ban on her by the site.\n\nSome Saudi users emphasized common ground with Trump supporters. They shared photos of Trump with members of the Saudi royal family and used emojis of the two countries' flags and Trump's #MAGA hashtag.\n\nOffline, the Trump administration has forged strong ties with Riyadh, which it regards as the cornerstone of U.S. security policy in the Gulf. Trump made Saudi Arabia his first stop abroad as president in 2017.\n\nBut the Saudi newcomers on Parler were met with mixed reactions from users, with some echoing the site's welcome while others expressing anti-Muslim sentiments.\n\nThe Reuters-Citizen Lab analysis looked at 28,000 tweets under the hashtags #parler, #parlerksa - using an acronym for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - and an Arabic-language version of #parler sent out between last Friday and Tuesday.\n\nMore than half of the tweeters using those hashtags had their language set to Arabic. Of those who reported their location, about a third said they were in Saudi Arabia.\n\nOne of the earliest Arabic-language tweeters to jump on the #parler hashtag, who goes by @NadiaBintFahad, warned on Friday: \"Twitter management will be taught a lesson they won't forget.\"\n\nSpeaking by phone from Riyadh, Nadia, who declined to give her last name, told Reuters she was a 28-year-old woman who had studied in Australia. She said she heard about Parler from American figures on Twitter and had watched an interview Matze did with the conservative Blaze TV.\n\nShe does not know much about U.S. politics, she said, but expressed support for Trump and frustration with Twitter for banning Saudi users without explanation.\n\nMany English-speaking Parler users called for a translate button so they could read the new content on the site. Others expressed doubts about the newcomers' authenticity.\n\n\"GET RID OF THESE BOTS AND MAKE THIS SITE USABLE AGAIN THANKS,\" posted user @Voisine, referring to automated accounts.\n\nMatze, who denied there were automated accounts on the platform, called it an \"interesting merging\" of the two groups.\n\n\"Most of them are getting along very well and share common ground on many issues,\" he said. \"Some are quickly regretting their views on free speech.\"\n\nThis story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.\n\nTech2 is now on WhatsApp. For all the buzz on the latest tech and science, sign up for our WhatsApp services. Just go to Tech2.com/Whatsapp and hit the Subscribe button.", "SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A surge of about 200,000 users believed to be from Saudi Arabia who are frustrated at what they say is censorship by Twitter have helped crash the small social media network Parler, which styles itself as a “free speech-driven” space.\n\nThe unexpected arrival of the new accounts since Sunday more than doubled the total number of Parler users and crippled some functions, CEO and co-founder John Matze told Reuters.\n\nThe influx of users has created unusual bedfellows on Parler, which has mostly been a home for supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump after starting up a year ago.\n\nAn analysis by Reuters and Citizen Lab, a Canadian research group, found that many of the new users came from Saudi Arabia. They promoted their use of Parler with hashtags on Twitter, which they accuse of stifling expression by arbitrarily banning users.\n\n“The nationalist movement of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has made it known that big tech is censoring them at rates we have never experienced in the United States,” Parler wrote in a post on its own account on the site. “Let us welcome them as we all fight for our rights together.”\n\nTwitter declined to comment on whether the platform had taken any new action against Saudi accounts that could have triggered the sudden sign-ups on Parler. It was not clear how many of the new Parler users had stopped using Twitter.\n\nSome of the new Parler accounts used the hashtag #Twexit or shared cartoons of blue birds in distress, using Twitter’s logo to suggest the platform’s decline. Other users tweeted threats to leave Twitter directly at chief executive Jack Dorsey.\n\nSaudis are prolific users of social networks, particularly Twitter. The kingdom has Twitter’s largest user base in the Middle East, with 11.7 million people on the platform, according to Arabic social media monitoring firm Crowd Analyzer.\n\n“It is great to be here guys. Twitter and other major platforms are not our place anymore. Everyday[sic] hundreds of #Saudi accounts are suspended for NO reason,” a user called @5a1di, who has 109,000 followers on Twitter, posted on Parler.\n\nTwitter has previously acknowledged pulling down hundreds of “inauthentic” accounts that pushed talking points favorable to the Saudi government, which has built an “electronic army” tasked with furthering its agenda online. [nL8N1XA87R][nL8N1X2266]\n\nSome Saudi nationalists, who vociferously support the country’s influential Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, now share an online space with right-wing U.S. backers of Trump.\n\nU.S. right-wing social media users have flocked to messaging app Telegram and hands-off social site Gab as well as Parler, citing the more aggressive policing of controversial political comments on mainstream platforms such as Twitter and Facebook.\n\nMatze, who describes himself as libertarian, says he founded Parler in 2018 as a bipartisan platform but has doubled down on marketing to conservatives as they took to the site.\n\nThose who have joined include commentator Candace Owens, Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani and right-wing activist Laura Loomer, who handcuffed herself to the door of Twitter’s New York office in Nov. 2018 to protest a ban on her by the site.\n\nSome Saudi users emphasized common ground with Trump supporters. They shared photos of Trump with members of the Saudi royal family and used emojis of the two countries’ flags and Trump’s #MAGA hashtag.\n\nOffline, the Trump administration has forged strong ties with Riyadh, which it regards as the cornerstone of U.S. security policy in the Gulf. Trump made Saudi Arabia his first stop abroad as president in 2017.\n\nBut the Saudi newcomers on Parler were met with mixed reactions from users, with some echoing the site’s welcome while others expressing anti-Muslim sentiments.\n\nThe Reuters-Citizen Lab analysis looked at 28,000 tweets under the hashtags #parler, #parlerksa - using an acronym for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - and an Arabic-language version of #parler sent out between last Friday and Tuesday.\n\nMore than half of the tweeters using those hashtags had their language set to Arabic. Of those who reported their location, about a third said they were in Saudi Arabia.\n\nOne of the earliest Arabic-language tweeters to jump on the #parler hashtag, who goes by @NadiaBintFahad, warned on Friday: “Twitter management will be taught a lesson they won’t forget.”\n\nSpeaking by phone from Riyadh, Nadia, who declined to give her last name, told Reuters she was a 28-year-old woman who had studied in Australia. She said she heard about Parler from American figures on Twitter and had watched an interview Matze did with the conservative Blaze TV.\n\nShe does not know much about U.S. politics, she said, but expressed support for Trump and frustration with Twitter for banning Saudi users without explanation.\n\nMany English-speaking Parler users called for a translate button so they could read the new content on the site. Others expressed doubts about the newcomers’ authenticity.\n\n“GET RID OF THESE BOTS AND MAKE THIS SITE USABLE AGAIN THANKS,” posted user @Voisine, referring to automated accounts.\n\nMatze, who denied there were automated accounts on the platform, called it an “interesting merging” of the two groups.\n\n“Most of them are getting along very well and share common ground on many issues,” he said. “Some are quickly regretting their views on free speech.”", "Twitter has announced that it has removed thousands of accounts in its latest purge of bad actors on the site and released information relating to state-backed content.\n\nA Catalonian pro-independence party, Iran's government and a commercial entity in Venezuela have all been connected to \"coordinated manipulation\" on Twitter that breaks the social platform's rules.\n\nRussia's notorious Internet Research Agency (IRA) also gets a mention, albeit briefly, which Twitter attributes to \"increased information sharing between industry peers and law enforcement\".\n\nThursday's report follows on from Twitter's mass release in October of content associated with \"potential information operations\" since 2016.\n\nThe IRA featured heavily in the October report, with Twitter releasing details of 3,841 accounts traced back to the Kremlin-linked troll farm.\n\nBut the most recent report ties the IRA to just four accounts, which have since been removed from the platform.\n\nEuronews has read through the rest of Twitter's recent report and has broken it down for you below.\n\nPrevious reports from cybersecurity company FireEye and Twitter have revealed Iranian-linked accounts taking part in inauthentic behaviour, but both companies distanced themselves from blaming the state.\n\nIn Thursday's report, however, Twitter said it had identified 4,779 accounts that were all \"associated with — or directly backed by — the Iranian government\".\n\nTwitter then broke the activity down into three subsets — 1,666 accounts tweeted news content promoting Iran's diplomatic and geostrategic views, 248 accounts directly engaged in conversation on Israel, and a further 2,865 accounts took on fake personas and tweeted about politics and social issues in Iran and around the world.\n\nThe latter example was the subject of a thread posted last month by Yoel Roth, Twitter's head of site integrity, who said the accounts had replied to users, including politicians and journalists.\n\nHe added: \"Several of the accounts falsely represented themselves as media based in the United States and claimed affiliation without outlets like the New York Daily News, Newsday and the Seattle Times.\"\n\nTwitter says it has removed 130 suspected fake accounts \"directly associated\" to the Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC), a prominent party in the Catalan independence movement. One of these accounts alone had more than 13,000 followers.\n\nThe pro-independence ERC won a record number of 15 seats in Spain's parliament following elections in April, which marked the first time since the 1930s that it garnered the most support out of all Catalan parties.\n\nIts leader, Oriol Junqueras, is the former vice-president of Catalonia, and has been in jail since 2017 over the region's failed declaration of independence.\n\nHis trial in Madrid ended this week after four months — he could face a 25-year jail sentence if convicted.\n\nThe 50-year-old was also elected to European Parliament in last month's election.\n\nAccording to Twitter's report, the ERC-linked accounts were found to be fake profiles spreading content about the banned 2017 Catalan referendum.\n\nThey had been \"created with the intent to inorganically influence the conversation in politically advantageous ways,\" the report said.\n\nThis is not the first instance of influencing campaigns uncovered in Catalonia.\n\nSpain's El Pais newspaper released an investigation in 2017 that said the IRA had \"used the Catalan crisis as a way to deepen divisions within Europe\".\n\nThe ERC has not yet responded to Euronews' request for comment on the report from Twitter.\n\nIn January, Twitter said it had removed 1,196 accounts it believed was part of a government-backed campaign targeting Venezuelan audiences, and a further 764 accounts it believed were linked to the IRA.\n\nBut in Thursday's report, the social network said it had uncovered a further 33 accounts (on top of the 764 from January), in a campaign that it now believed originated from inside Venezuela itself.\n\nIt said: \"While there were initial indications that these accounts were associated with the Russian Internet Research Agency, our further analysis suggests that they were operated by a commercial entity originating in Venezuela.\"\n\n\"We are sharing further data on this group to update the public on our attribution efforts.\"\n\nThe social platform said it believes such activity from government-linked actors, who are \"knowingly trying to manipulate and distort the public conversation\", is in the public interest, and should, therefore, be published.\n\n\"People and organisations with the advantages of institutional power and which consciously abuse our service are not advancing healthy discourse but are actively working to undermine it,\" the company added.", "The Thursday disclosure showed that the social media giant removed 4,779 accounts, which were later categorized into three different sets because their “signals and behaviors” varied.\n\n​The first group, which amounts to 1,666 accounts, was removed because “they tweeted global news content, often with an angle that benefited the diplomatic and geostrategic views of the Iranian state,” a release by Yoel Roth, the head of Twitter’s Site Integrity, reads. He added, “Platform manipulation is a violation of the Twitter Rules.”\n\nAnother 248 accounts allegedly originating from Iran were removed from the platform because they “were more directly engaged with discussions related to Israel specifically.” The last set included 2,865 deleted accounts, which were found to have “employed a range of false personas to target conversations about political and social issues in Iran and globally.”\n\nAdditionally, the announcement noted that dozens of other accounts originating from Russia, Spain and Venezuela were removed from the social media site. Those accounts include four profiles with ties to the Russia-based Internet Research Agency, 130 accounts linked to the Catalan independence movement and 33 accounts originating from Venezuela that were reportedly “engaging in platform manipulation targeted outside of the country.”\n\nTwitter first began issuing disclosures regarding accounts and content “associated with potential information operations” in October 2018 as a means to be more transparent with information and to stem manipulation on its site. Since then, the social media company has made its datasets available to investigators so that further analysis can be conducted.\n\n“We believe that people and organizations with the advantages of institutional power and which consciously abuse our service are not advancing healthy discourse but are actively working to undermine it,” Roth wrote in the Thursday announcement.\n\n“By making this data open and accessible, we seek to empower researchers, journalists, governments, and members of the public to deepen their understanding of critical issues impacting the integrity of public conversation online, particularly around elections.”\n\n“This transparency is core to our mission,” he added.\n\nThis latest development comes weeks after it was reported that both Twitter and Facebook deleted so-called “Iran-linked” accounts based off of information from a report by cybersecurity firm and CIA startup FireEye. However, it was later revealed by Roth that Twitter hadn’t actually been provided with said report when it chopped some 2,800 “inauthentic accounts originating in Iran” from its platform.", "Twitter said Thursday it had deleted nearly 4,800 suspect accounts linked to Iran that the company says secretly pushed that government’s agenda.\n\nTwitter is adding those accounts and their tweets to a public database it launched last year to track its battle against government-linked misinformation. It is also adding a smaller number of deleted accounts linked to Russia, Venezuela and the Catalonia region of Spain.\n\nThe social media giant removed 4,779 accounts “we believe all are associated with — or directly backed by — the Iranian government,” a company statement said. Twitter said the removals are meant to prevent election interference while preserving valid political speech.\n\nGet The Times of Israel's Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Free Sign Up\n\nSocial media firms like Twitter, Google and Facebook have been accused of allowing political propagandists to use their platforms to hijack elections, poison online debate and smear their opponents. But Twitter, in a blog post by its head of site integrity Yoel Roth, said “transparency is core to our mission” and vowed to fight “misleading, deceptive, and spammy behaviour.”\n\nThe company confirmed last month it had removed about 2,800 of the Iranian accounts that were using fake personas.\n\nTwitter launched the database in October. Anyone can download the datasets, which has some information redacted. Researchers can request access to get the unredacted documents.\n\nThursday’s release was the firm’s third such archive, representing more than 30 million tweets and a terabyte of media data from the just under 5,000 suspected accounts.\n\nMost of the Iranian accounts were found to be spreading news stories angled to support Iranian geopolitical interests or to be fake user profiles designed to manipulate online debate.\n\nA smaller sub-group, originating in Iran, exclusively “engaged with discussions related to Israel.”\n\nTwitter previously targeted alleged Russian bots, and its archive contains four more accounts that the firm believes are associated with the Internet Research Agency (IRA).\n\nThe St. Petersburg-based “troll factory” has been accused of working with Russian intelligence to influence Western votes, notably US President Donald Trump’s election campaign.\n\nInvestigations into the Russian agency also led Twitter’s security team to 33 more accounts linked to a previously known group of 764 Venezuelan fake users.\n\n“Our further analysis suggests that they were operated by a commercial entity originating in Venezuela,” the post said.\n\nAnd in Spain, Twitter took down 130 allegedly fake accounts apparently set up to push the views of Catalan separatists.\n\n“We believe the public and research community are better informed by transparency,” Roth said.\n\nEU Justice Commissioner Vera Jourova and Security Commissioner Julian King are scheduled to brief reporters Friday on European efforts to fight political disinformation."], "summary": "Twitter says it has removed thousands of accounts that were being run by the Iranian government, to spread propaganda and fake news on the social media platform. It has also removed over a hundred accounts linked to the Catalan independence movement, and dozens of accounts related to Venezuela."}
{"document": ["The Toronto Raptors did it.\n\nThe Raptors on Thursday beat the Golden State Warriors, 114-110, in Game 6 to win the NBA Finals. It is their first championship in franchise history.\n\nKawhi Leonard, who scored 22 points on 7-of-16 shooting, took home Finals MVP.\n\nIn a game where the Warriors defense stifled Leonard, holding him below his series average, the Raptors were led by their two point guards, Kyle Lowry and Fred VanVleet. Lowry kicked things off by scoring the Raptors first 11 points and finished with 26. VanVleet carried the load in a tight fourth quarter, scoring 12 of his 22 in the final frame. Pascal Siakam scored 26.\n\nThe finish was a chaotic one, with the Raptors taking a late lead, but the Warriors refusing to go down quietly.\n\nWith 9.6 seconds left and the Raptors leading by one, Danny Green was trapped at midcourt by Draymond Green and threw away the ball, giving the Warriors one last chance to get the win.\n\nAs it did all postseason, the bounces went the Raptors way. Stephen Curry sprang open on a beautifully designed play, but his fade-away three-pointer rimmed in and out. The ball was tapped out to midcourt, where Draymond Green dove on it and called timeout with .9 seconds left. However, the Warriors were out of timeouts, resulting in a technical foul. Kawhi Leonard sank the free throw, his first points of the fourth quarter, to essentially secure the championship.\n\nThough the series was evenly matched and dramatic, the specter of injuries lingered over the six games. In Games 1-4, questions about when Kevin Durant would return from a calf injury persisted. Durant, of course, returned in Game 5, but tore his Achilles tendon just 14 minutes into the game.\n\nIn Game 6, the Warriors, already short-handed and bruised, suffered another casualty as Klay Thompson went down with a knee injury in the third quarter. Though he briefly returned in a dramatic scene, he later left the game and was ruled out.\n\nBoth teams now head into the offseason with big questions — Leonard, Durant, Thompson, and Danny Green are all free agents. Some believe the Warriors dynasty may have ended on Thursday night.\n\nIn the meantime, the Raptors achieved the exact purpose of the bold Kawhi Leonard trade they made 11 months ago.", "Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings.\n\nThe latest on the U.S.-Iran tensions, Sarah Sanders says \"so long\" to the White House and the Toronto Raptors have won Canada's first NBA championship — here's what we're watching today.\n\nAttacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman have sent tensions soaring between Iran and the United States, and reinforced fears that the two countries are treading in very dangerous territory that could lead to an unintended war.\n\nSecretary of State Mike Pompeo blamed Iran for what he called a “blatant assault” on the tankers and said the attacks “present a clear threat to international peace and security.”\n\nWhile Pompeo produced no evidence to back up his claim, U.S. Central Command released video Thursday night that it said showed an Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps patrol boat approaching one of the ships hours after the explosion and removed an unexploded mine.\n\nIran has denied any role in the attacks. \"Suspicious doesn't begin to describe what likely transpired this morning,” Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif tweeted.\n\nWith no diplomatic relations between the two countries, former U.S. officials, foreign diplomats and experts said there is a growing risk that a miscalculation, coupled with deep distrust, could trigger a conflict that neither side wants.\n\n\"In many ways, I feel like this is a 1914 moment for the region, that a single incident could put the entire region on fire,\" said Ali Vaez, Iran project director at the International Crisis Group think tank.\n\nSarah Sanders will be leaving the White House at the end of June, President Donald Trump announced Thursday.\n\nWhile the combative press secretary has come under fire for breaking with decades of tradition by ending the daily White House news briefing, she says she has no regrets.\n\n“I still contend that we are the most accessible White House,” she said in an exit interview of sorts. It's been over three months since the last formal White House briefing was held on March 11.\n\nA Kansas mother has posted videos about giving chlorine dioxide to her sons, one of many bogus online “cures” she’s attempted to rid them of autism. Despite doctors warning the bleach solution has no medical benefits, and can cause irreparable harm to internal organs, police who investigated the case declined to intervene.\n\nThe outcome illustrates the ways in which online health misinformation can sway not only those on the fringe but also authorities, including doctors and the police, who are charged with protecting the vulnerable.\n\nThe Democratic National Committee on Thursday named the 20 presidential candidates who qualified to appear on stage later this month in the first primary debate of the 2020 campaign. You can see the full list here.\n\nWe'll save you the calculus of trying to sort out who didn't make it. Montana Gov. Steve Bullock; former Alaska Sen. Mike Gravel; Miramar, Florida Mayor Wayne Messam; and Rep. Seth Moulton of Massachusetts will not be among the candidates trading barbs over the two-night debate.\n\nMeantime, the current Democratic front-runner, former Vice President Joe Biden, is facing a \"Back to the Future\" dilemma. His long record, including six terms in the Senate, is his biggest selling point, but it's also becoming his biggest vulnerability, NBC News Jonathan Allen writes in a news analysis.\n\nBut there is at least one vote he shouldn't count out: Anita Hill says she's still be open to voting for Biden, despite his handling of the Clarence Thomas' confirmation hearing in 1991.\n\nThe Toronto Raptors beat the Kevin Durant-less Golden State Warriors, 114-110, on Thursday night to win Canada's first National Basketball Association championship.\n\nWant to receive the Morning Rundown in your inbox? Sign up here.\n• Suspicious timing? A Chinese cyberattack hit an encrypted messaging app that activists use to organize demonstrators as protests unfolded in Hong Kong.\n• A government watchdog has called for Kellyanne Conway to be removed from office for violating the Hatch Act.\n• Actress Jessica Biel denied she's an anti-vaxxer after lobbying with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. against a proposed California bill that would tighten medical exemptions for vaccines.\n\nDid iTunes kill the (concept) album? Music critic Jeff Slate asks the question in an opinion piece.\n\nReminder! It's Father's Day this weekend. Here are some last-minute gift ideas.\n\nSummer is here, and the sticky air is filled with the smell of charcoal grills and the sound of ice cream trucks making their rounds.\n\nWhat's the one food or drink that reminds you most of summer?\n\nWe wanna know. Tell us what food or drink you cannot get through Labor Day without tasting at least once, and why you love it.\n\nThanks for reading the Morning Rundown.\n\nIf you have any comments — likes, dislikes — drop me an email at: petra@nbcuni.com\n\nIf you'd like to receive this in your inbox Monday to Friday, please sign up here.", "It’s why you miss birthdays and anniversaries, why you know hotel beds better than your own. It’s why it feels like you spend more time in the air than on the ground, why you have to settle for Facetime calls instead of hugs and kisses.\n\nIt’s the back-to-backs, the late nights in cities across the country. It’s never knowing what day of the week it is. It’s taking photos of your hotel room number because they all jumble together.\n\nIt’s why you grind through 82 games, why you put up with the sprains and strains, the bruises and the breaks. It’s why you deal with the internet trolls and the trade rumors.\n\nYou do all of that because when things break just right, when you get moments like this. The journey can end here, the smell of champagne following your every step because you’ve just bathed in it.\n\nAdvertisement\n\nIt’s worth it because now you get to call yourself champions.\n\nThe Toronto Raptors capped their journey Thursday, slamming the door on Oracle Arena — and maybe on the Golden State dynasty — clinching their first NBA title with a 114-110 victory in Game 6.\n\nTheir journeys began all over the globe — the executive from Nigeria, the coach who worked in England, the players from three different continents. None were picked in the top 14 of the NBA draft.\n\nAs soon as the final horn echoed, Kawhi Leonard lifted his hands to the sky while he opened the NBA’s most closed mouth, a howl of celebration and vindication.\n\nAdvertisement\n\nGolden State Warriors forward Andre Iguodala (9) shoots over Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard (2) during the second half of Game 6 of the NBA Finals on Thursday in Oakland. (Frank Gunn / Associated Press)\n\nA year ago, he was an unhappy member of the San Antonio Spurs, someone who wanted to be traded, preferably to Los Angeles. He had a reputation to rebuild, a mysterious calf injury limiting him to only nine games in his last year with the Spurs.\n\n“Last year, a lot of people were doubting me,” Leonard said, his second NBA Finals MVP trophy nearby. “They thought I was either faking an injury or didn’t want to play for a team. That was disappointing to me that that was out in the media, because I love the game of basketball. Like I always say, if we’re not playing this game, if we’re hurt, I mean you’re down.\n\n“So me just going through that, and I just knew that I would have to make myself happy and no one else. And I have to trust myself.”\n\nLeonard, fittingly, iced the championship from the free-throw line, scoring the final points in this Raptors’ season. His 732 points this postseason were the third most, trailing only Michael Jordan (759 in 1992) and LeBron James (748 in 2018).\n\nIn Game 6, though, it was Leonard’s teammates that did the most damage.\n\nKyle Lowry, who had his potential series-winner blocked in final seconds of Game 5, opened the game by hitting four three-point shots in the first quarter. And Pascal Siakam, whom coach Nick Nurse benched at the end of Game 5, responded with 26 points and 10 rebounds, playing all but 110 seconds of Game 6.\n\nThe Raptors’ proficiency just pounded and pounded on the Warriors, who couldn’t handle all of the obstacles put in their way.\n\nAdvertisement\n\nJust like Kevin Durant one game earlier, Klay Thompson had to leave the arena early on crutches, a left knee injury late in the third quarter putting an abrupt end to his 30-point night.\n\nDespite being down two starters, the Warriors still had a chance to win Game 6, but Stephen Curry’s missed the potential game-winner between the rim and the backboard, allowing the Raptors to escape and make history.\n\n“How? How has this group of guys put themselves in position to do it?” Warriors coach Steve Kerr asked himself. “And then when Klay goes down and is out for the game, it’s just sort of, ‘You got to be kidding me.’ Like this has to stop. But it’s just the way it’s gone.”\n\nAnd it might be the way it ends. Thompson, like Durant, is a free agent this summer. Durant has already undergone surgery. Thompson, who tore his ACL, will undergo surgery soon.\n\nBut as he walked past the party in the visiting locker room, Kerr, who just had his bid for a third-straight title extinguished, stopped and answered a question with the most obvious answer.\n\nSign up for our daily sports newsletter »\n\nWas it — the nights away from home, the physical and mental pain, the sacrifices — all worth it?\n\n“Oh yeah. Yeah. Absolutely. It’s so worth it,” Kerr told The Times. “What else could be more gratifying than competing as a group with people you love and like being around and doing it at the highest level? Doing that every day for a living? We’re the luckiest people on earth.\n\nAdvertisement\n\n“…Hopefully the journey isn’t over. But it’s pretty special. “\n\nYou could hear it the Raptors’ celebration. You could see it on their faces, the disbelief. You could smell the champagne within 20 yards of the locker room. They grabbed phones, posed for pictures and took videos.\n\nGetting to this, no matter how you came, is pretty special.\n\ndan.woike@latimes.com\n\nTwitter: @DanWoikeSports", "OAKLAND, Calif — Kawhi Leonard raised his arms high in triumph and celebrated Canada's first NBA championship.\n\n\"We the North!\" is now \"We the Champs!\"\n\nLeonard and the Toronto Raptors captured the country's first major title in 26 years with their most remarkable road win yet in the franchise's NBA Finals debut, outlasting the battered and depleted two-time defending champion Golden State Warriors 114-110 on Thursday night in a Game 6 for the ages.\n\n\"I wanted to make history here. That's what I did,\" a soaking wet Leonard said, ski goggles perched on his forehead and sporting a fresh black champions hat.\n\nA general view of Oracle Arena during the first half of Game 4 of basketball's NBA Finals between the Golden State Warriors and the Toronto Raptors in Oakland, Calif., Friday, June 7, 2019. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)\n\nStephen Curry missed a contested 3-pointer in the waning moments before Golden State called a timeout it didn't have, giving Leonard a technical free throw with 0.9 seconds left to seal it. Leonard, the NBA Finals MVP for a second time, then got behind Andre Iguodala for a layup as the buzzer sounded, but it went to review and the basket was called off before Leonard's two free throws. That only delayed the celebration for a moment.\n\nWhen it actually ended, the typically stoic Leonard could let it all out. A Canadian team — and we're not talking hockey here — stood on top of one of the traditional major sports leagues for the first time since the Toronto Blue Jays won the 1993 World Series.\n\nSerge Ibaka pulled his head up through the hoop by the Golden State bench as the crowd chanted \"Warriors! Warriors!\" after a sensational send-off at Oracle Arena.\n\nCurry walked away slowly, hands on his head on a night Splash Brother Klay Thompson suffered a torn ACL in his left knee and departed with 30 points.\n\nFred VanVleet rescued the Raptors down the stretch with his dazzling shooting from deep to score 22 points with five 3s off the bench, while Leonard wound up with 22 points. Kyle Lowry scored the game's first eight points and finished with 26 in all to go with 10 assists and seven rebounds.\n\nFans poured into the streets in Toronto, screaming and honking horns after the Raptors pulled off a third straight win on Golden State's home floor that said goodbye to NBA basketball after 47 seasons. And the Raptors did it with the very kind of depth that helped define Golden State's transformation into a dynasty the past five seasons.\n\nThis time, the Warriors were wounded.\n\nGolden State already was down two-time reigning NBA Finals MVP Kevin Durant, who had surgery Wednesday for a ruptured right Achilles tendon. Then, the Warriors lost Thompson — and they couldn't overcome just one more heartbreaking injury.\n\n\"A lot of bad breaks in the finals, to be honest,\" Raptors coach Nick Nurse said. \"Like us, they kept on playing. We just had to keep on playing no matter who was out there. And I think they were super intense high-level games and both teams desperately trying to win.\"\n\nThis thrilling back-and-forth game featured 18 lead changes, nine ties and neither team going ahead by more than nine points.\n\nCurry scored 21 points but shot just 6 for 17 and went 3 of 11 on 3s. Iguodala added 22 for his biggest game this postseason as the Warriors did everything until the very last moment to leave a lasting legacy at Oracle.\n\nThompson provided his own dramatic memory. He injured his knee when fouled by Danny Green on a drive at the 2:22 mark of the third, was helped off the court and walked partially down a tunnel toward the locker room, then — shockingly — re-emerged to shoot his free throws before going out again at 2:19. He didn't return and left the arena on crutches, and the Warriors announced that an MRI had confirmed the torn ACL.\n\n\"More than the what-ifs is just feeling bad for the players involved. Injuries are always part of the NBA season — any professional sport, injuries play a huge role,\" Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. \"It's just the nature of these injuries, the severity of these injuries. And we'll know more about Klay. But we can sit here and say, well, if this hadn't happened or that hadn't happened, that doesn't matter. What matters is Kevin Durant is going to miss next season with an Achilles tear and Klay suffered a knee injury.\"\n\nIn their best Bay Area version of Jurassic Park — Toronto's jam-packed gathering spot to cheer the Raptors — hundreds of red-clad fans stayed long after the game ended to watch the Larry O'Brien trophy ceremony. They waved the Maple Leaf and sang \"O Canada\" just as they did here after winning previously this series.\n\nLowry's hot start was almost fitting. It was the Toronto guard who got shoved on the sideline in Game 3 by Warriors minority owner Mark Stevens, now banned by the league and team for a year.\n\nThe Raptors, in their 24th season of existence, rallied from two games down to beat the Bucks in the Eastern Conference finals then took down the mighty Warriors on their home floor to deny Golden State a three-peat.\n\nThe Raptors went 8 for 32 on 3s in a 106-105 Game 5 defeat as the Warriors staved off elimination Monday in Toronto. They started 5 of 6 from long range in this one and finished 13 of 33 and converted 23 of 29 free throws.\n\nCurry and these Warriors never, ever count themselves out. Yet down 3-1 in their fifth straight NBA Finals, they didn't have the health it took to win the past two titles and three of the past four against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.\n\n\"This five-year run's been awesome but I definitely don't think it's over,\" Curry said.\n\nRaptors: Leonard scored 732 points this postseason and on Thursday passed Allen Iverson (723) for fourth place and Hakeem Olajuwon (725) for third on the NBA's single-postseason scoring list. James is second with 748 accomplished last year behind Michael Jordan's 759 points in 1992. ... Toronto 9-16 all-time at Oracle Arena but 4-0 overall this season.\n\nWarriors: Thompson's 374 career postseason 3s passed James (370) for third place on the career playoff list, trailing only Curry (470) and Ray Allen (385). ... Thompson notched his second 30-point performance this postseason, 13th of his career and fourth in a finals game despite not playing the entire fourth quarter.\n\nA gold rally towel read FOR OAK on one line and LAND on the next with the K and D lined up in white — a clever way to also pay tribute to Durant with his initials \"KD.\"\n\nKerr narrated a pregame tribute to Oracle's legacy on the big screen.\n\nIn the 2,070th game at Oracle, the Warriors sold out their 343rd consecutive game and said farewell at last to the place they called home nearly five decades. Now, Golden State will move its games, practices and day-to-day operations to new Chase Center in San Francisco beginning next season.", "The Toronto Raptors are NBA champions for the first time.\n\nThe Raptors defeated the Golden State Warriors 114-110 in Game 6 of the NBA Finals on Thursday night. The Raptors won the series 4-2, denying the Warriors what would have been a third straight championship.\n\nKyle Lowry and Pascal Siakam had 26 points apiece for the Raptors, Fred VanVleet and Kawhi Leonard each had 22 for Toronto.\n\nKlay Thompson scored 30 for Golden State but left with a knee injury. Andre Iguodala scored 22 points and Stephen Curry had 21 for the Warriors. Curry missed a 3-pointer with about 5 seconds left, the Raptors tacked on a free throw off a technical in the last second when the Warriors called a time-out they didn't have, and the last game at Oracle Arena was the last game of Golden State's reign.\n\nA general view of Oracle Arena during the first half of Game 4 of basketball's NBA Finals between the Golden State Warriors and the Toronto Raptors in Oakland, Calif., Friday, June 7, 2019. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)", "OAKLAND, Calif. (Reuters) - The Toronto Raptors delivered Canada its first NBA title with a 114-110 victory over the two-time defending champion Golden State Warriors on Thursday that set off a country-wide celebration.\n\nWith a nation hanging on their every shot, Canada’s only NBA team put the finishing touches to a remarkable 4-2 series upset that denied the Warriors a fourth championship in five years.\n\n“I can’t really think right now, this is crazy. This is awesome man,” said Toronto guard Kyle Lowry. “Toronto! Canada! We brought it home baby! We brought it home!”\n\nWhen the final buzzer sounded, jubilant Raptors fans flooded the streets of downtown Toronto for a night of celebration not seen in the city since Major League Baseball’s Toronto Blue Jays last won a World Series title in 1993.\n\nToronto forward Kawhi Leonard, who arrived in a blockbuster trade with the San Antonio Spurs last July after an injury limited his season to nine games, was named the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player after averaging 28.5 points during the series.\n\n“Last summer I was going through a lot. I had a great support system, I just kept working hard, working hard and had my mind set on this goal right here,” said Leonard, who last season was limited to nine games due to a quadriceps injury.\n\n“I came to a team, a new coach, and that mindset was the same as mine. This is what I play basketball for, this is what I work out for all summer, during the season and I’m happy that my hard work paid off.”\n\nKyle Lowry and Pascal Siakam each had 26 points for Toronto while sharp-shooting Warriors guard Klay Thompson, who left the game with an injury in the third quarter, had 30 points.\n\nDespite playing against a more playoff-seasoned opponent, the Raptors proved unflappable throughout the series and whenever the Warriors looked set to seize momentum Toronto would use some smart passes and precise shooting to maintain control.\n\n“I thought they really fought hard, they were tough-minded,” Raptors head coach Nick Nurse said of his team. “They didn’t seem like this was wearing on them at all. Two months of playoff basketball, they never seemed tired to me.”\n\nThe Warriors, who lost Kevin Durant to a ruptured Achilles in Game Five, were dealt another crushing blow late in the third quarter of a tight game when Thompson came down awkwardly after a shot attempt.\n\nThompson, who was fouled on the play, was in obvious pain and headed toward the locker room but suddenly reappeared to shoot his free throws, which if he did not shoot would have made him ineligible to come back later in the game.\n\nBut after making both free throws Thompson went to the Warriors locker room and was later seen walking on crutches.\n\n“When Klay goes down and is out for the game, it’s just sort of a, you got to be kidding me, like this has to stop,” said Warriors coach Steve Kerr.\n\n“But it’s just the way it’s gone. I don’t know if it’s related to five straight seasons of playing a hundred plus games and just all the wear and tear, but it’s devastating.”\n\nThe loss sends the Warriors into an offseason of uncertainty given some of their top players, including Durant and Thompson, are eligible to become free agents.\n\nThe Raptors made a furious start to Game Six and nailed seven three pointers to build an early nine-point lead but the Warriors responded and cut the deficit to 33-32 by the end of a first quarter in which both teams flexed their offensive muscle.\n\nThe teams continued to throw everything they had at each other in a basketball version of a heavyweight prize fight that saw 14 lead changes during a wild first half in which Lowry had 21 points to put Toronto ahead 60-57 at the break.\n\nToronto kept up their torrid pace after the half but the Warriors, a team known for their third-quarter dominance, refused to be buried and were starting to take control with Thompson leading the charge until he went down suddenly.\n\nWhen healthy the Warriors are a near-unstoppable group, one that has been a fixture in the NBA Finals for the last five years but injuries ultimately proved their undoing.\n\nDespite the injuries, the Warriors were in it right up until the final minute where Stephen Curry missed a three-point jumper with eight second remaining that would have put his team ahead 113-111.\n\n“We’ll be thinking about this one, it’s tough,” said Curry, who had 21 points in the loss. “But our DNA and who we are and the character that we have on this team, I wouldn’t bet against us being back on this stage next year and going forward.\n\n“So really proud of the way that we fought until the end and this five-year run’s been awesome, but definitely don’t think it’s over.”", "Leonard named Finals MVP; Toronto becomes first team outside U.S. to capture crown\n\nToronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard (2) handles the ball while Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson (11) defends during second half basketball action in Game 6 of the NBA Finals in Oakland, Calif. on Thursday, June 13, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn\n\nOAKLAND, Calif. — The Toronto Raptors are bringing the Larry O’Brien Trophy as NBA champions home to Canada, a brilliant basketball story 24 years in the making.\n\nKyle Lowry had 26 points, nine assists and seven rebounds to lift the Raptors to a thrilling 114-110 victory over the two-time defending champion Golden State Warriors on Thursday in Game 6 of the NBA Finals.\n\nRaptors in six. Or 6ix. A storybook ending.\n\n“Basketball has come full circle in Canada, invented by a Canadian, the first NBA game was in Toronto and now an NBA championship,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said before presenting the trophy to the Raptors.\n\nPascal Siakam added 26 points, while Fred VanVleet had 12 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter. Kawhi Leonard, who was named Finals MVP, finished with 22, and Serge Ibaka chipped in with 15.\n\nKlay Thompson had 30 points for the Warriors, who had won three of the past four NBA championships. Andre Iguodala added 22, while Stephen Curry finished with 21.\n\nIn what will go down as one of the most exciting games in recent Finals history, Lowry, playing with the sprained left thumb he suffered in Game 7 of the conference semis 12 games earlier, got the Raptors going, staking his team to an early nine-point lead in a thoroughly entertaining first half of breakneck basketball. Three days after connecting on just eight three-pointers in Game 5, the Raptors had nine from deep by the end of the first half Thursday.\n\nBoth Lowry and Leonard ran into foul trouble in the third quarter, picking up their fourth fouls. A three-pointer by Andre Iguodala with a minute left in the third put the Warriors up by five — their biggest lead to that point — and ignited the rowdy crowd. Golden State led 88-86 with one quarter to play.\n\nVanVleet had three big three-pointers in the second half: his first tied the game, his second gave Toronto a one-point lead with 7:08 to play, and his third put Toronto up 104-101 with 3:44 to play. VanVleet, looking battered with a bandage under the eye he cut a couple of games earlier, clenched his fists and let out a jubilant yell after the final one.\n\nA Lowry basket made it a six-point Raptors lead with 2:14 to play. But a three-pointer by Draymond Green sparked a Warriors run capped by a DeMarcus Cousins layup that slashed Toronto’s lead to a point with 38 seconds left.\n\nOn Toronto’s second-last possession, Leonard was swarmed by Warriors as he finally got a pass off to Danny Green. But Siakam fumbled Green’s pass and it went out of bounds, giving the ball back to Golden State with 9.6 seconds to play. Curry’s three-pointer bounced off the rim, then the Raptors regained possession with 0.9 seconds left after a mad scramble.\n\nLeonard scored on a technical awarded because the Warriors called a timeout when they didn’t have one to take. He connected for two more to clinch Toronto the victory.\n\nAfter 82 regular-season games, and 24 post-season battles, all leading to this moment, finally the Raptors could celebrate.\n\n“Last summer, man, I was going through a lot,” Leonard said on the live TV broadcast. “And I had a great support system, just kept working hard and had my mindset on this goal right here. I came to a team and a coach with the (same) mindset as mine.”\n\n“I’m going to enjoy this with my teammates and coaches and I’ll think about that later,” Leonard said.\n\nThe Raptors had been methodically working since president Masai Ujiri, dreaming of an NBA title, acquired Leonard last summer, and then added Marc Gasol at February’s trade deadline. Leonard has been their emotional gauge, his teammates assuming his mantra of living in the moment. Never too high, never too low.\n\n“This is a strong-minded tough-ass group of guys,” said Raptors coach Nick Nurse, almost a year to the day he was promoted to head coach after the firing of Dwane Casey.\n\nThe Raptors’ post-season run had seen Toronto trail Orlando 1-0, Philadelphia 2-1, and Milwaukee 2-0. But the level-headed Raptors never allowed doubt to creep in.\n\nThe Raptors had missed an opportunity to close out the Finals at home on Monday, losing to the Warriors 106-105 on a night marred by Kevin Durant’s torn Achilles tendon. The Warriors vowed to win for Durant, and when highlights of the 10-time all-star were played on the Jumbotron, the arena erupted in chants of “K-D!”\n\nREAD MORE: ‘Canada is sorry’: Raptors fan sends Kevin Durant flowers to apologize for cheering injury\n\nThe already short-handed Warriors lost Thompson in the third quarter Thursday after his left leg buckled underneath him when he came down from a dunk. The Warriors’ sharp-shooter was on the ground for several minutes, returned to the game briefly to sink two free throws — Danny Green was whistled for a foul on the play — before heading to the Warriors’ locker-room. He was on crutches soon after.\n\nThe Raptors had already won all three previous games — each by double digits — at Oracle this season, including two wins last week in a storied building that Raptors fans have practically turned into their own Jurassic Park — O-Town version.\n\nThe Raptors’ historic run to the Finals gave the NBA something new, a fan base that extended beyond the boundaries of just one city, but stretched across an entire country. There’s been a groundswell of support from the Maritimes to Vancouver Island.\n\nThousands of fans gathered at Jurassic Park outside Scotiabank Arena — like they’ve done all post-season long — and cheered on the Raptors under dark skies and drizzling rain, ponchos pulled up over dripping hair. There were versions of Jurassic Park viewing parties across Canada, including Montreal, which was lovingly dubbed “Jurassic Peel,” and at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, normally home to the Saskatchewan Roughriders.\n\nThe pockets of Raptors fans in Oracle Arena could be heard singing along with Canadian singer/songwriter Sarah McLachlan to “O Canada.” Train’s lead singer Pat Monahan performed the U.S. anthem.\n\nWin or lose, it was bound to be an emotional night for the Warriors, who say goodbye to Oracle Arena, their home since 1967 and a storied building that has seen plenty of glorious victories, before moving across the bay to sparking new Chase Center in San Francisco next season.\n\n“This is sort of a once in a career moment where you play in a building for the very last time,” said Warriors coach Steve Kerr. “Win or lose, we’ll be able to share some emotion and say our goodbyes. But it is a strange, unique night.”\n\nREAD MORE: Raptors say they’re simply staying in the moment as Game 6 approaches\n\nThe capacity crowd of 19,596 that included baseball’s Barry Bonds and Alex Rodriguez, retired L.A. Lakers star Metta World Peace, and civil rights activist Jesse Jackson marked the 343rd consecutive — and final — Warriors sellout at Oracle.\n\nLowry scored the Raptors’ first 11 points to propel the Raptors to a quick nine-point lead. An 18-10 run gave the Warriors a brief lead late in the first quarter, and the Raptors led 33-32 to start the second.\n\nGolden State led by two points several times in the second quarter, but the Raptors responded to every Warriors push, and ended the half with a 7-3 run to take a 60-57 advantage into the halftime break.\n\nLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter", "The Toronto Raptors are getting a second chance at a first NBA Title when they tip-off against the two-time defending champion Golden State Warriors in Game 6 of the NBA Finals in Thursday in Oakland.\n\nThe Raptors were two minutes away from securing Canada's first-ever NBA title Monday in Game 5 before falling victim to a barrage of 3-pointers from Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry in a 9-2 finish that was historic on several levels.\n\nMonday's 106-105 final not only produced the first one-point Finals margin since 2007, but it also made the Warriors just the sixth team in NBA history to win a potential elimination game on the road.\n\nHistory remains on the Raptors' side entering Game 6, even though the scene has shifted back to Oakland. Of the 34 teams that have led a Finals 3-1, 33 have gone on to win the championship. The only exception was the Warriors in 2016, when the Cleveland Cavaliers rallied to win in seven games.\n\n'We understand that the moment is the moment, but we still are staying in it,' Raptors guard Kyle Lowry said Wednesday. 'We're not too up, we're not too down. We're just one game, hey, we lost it, now we got to move on to the next one.'\n\nExacerbating matters for Golden State has been the loss of Kevin Durant, who returned from a calf injury to score 11 points in 12 minutes in Game 5, only to sustain a ruptured Achilles in the same leg. Durant is expected to miss the majority of next season, if not the entire 2019-2020 campaign.\n\nWarriors players and fans were outraged during Game 5 when a contingent of Raptors supporters appeared to cheer Durant's injury, even as Toronto veterans Serge Ibaka and Kyle Lowry attempted to hush them and pat the rival star on the back.\n\n'I expect our fans to be the loudest they have ever been, especially in the name of Kevin and bringing his type of spirit he would bring to the fight and the competitiveness,' Warriors guard Klay Thompson said Wednesday. 'I know our fans will do that because we deserve it, but more importantly, Kevin does for what he gave this team, this organization. There wouldn't be banners if it wasn't for his presence.'\n\nThe game will be the Warriors' last at Oracle Arena, which opened as the Oakland Coliseum Arena 47 years ago. Golden State will move to the Chase Center in San Francisco next season.\n\n'This has been just an incredible environment in which to coach and play back in the day,' Warriors coach Steve Kerr said Wednesday. 'Even when the Warriors weren't any good, to come in here as a visitor and feel the energy in this building, you could tell that the fans loved the game.\n\n'This was a basketball hotbed. And just the atmosphere out there, the energy, the noise, over the last five years with our team's rise, combined with that organic energy that this place has always had, it's just been an incredible experience to coach here.'\n\nThat energy wasn't enough to prevent Raptors wins in Games 3 and 4 after the Warriors earned a split in the two series-opening games in Toronto.\n\nRaptors coach Nick Nurse said Wednesday he's not surprised the road team has won four of the first five games in the best-of-seven.\n\n'Both teams are really good road teams and have been all season,' he said. 'Two really tough-minded teams playing, and you got to be a little more tough-minded on the road. And I think a lot of those games probably could have went either way.'\n\nThe team that had the upper hand in 3-point shooting has prevailed in the first five games of the series.\n\nThe Raptors outscored the Warriors 120-96 from beyond the arc in their three wins, while Golden State had a 99-57 dominance in long-range points in its two victories.\n\nAs for Durant, the former NBA MVP is likely to start rehabbing his surgically-repaired Achilles tendon almost immediately. And according to a specialist at the Mayo Clinic, he should be back to full strength within a year.\n\nThere are no guarantees, however, that Durant will ever feel quite the same after Wednesday's surgery, said Nancy Cummings, an orthopedic surgeon at Mayo Clinic and head orthopedic surgeon for the Minnesota Lynx Women's NBA team.\n\n'It takes about a year to get all your strength back in that muscular complex,' she said in a telephone interview with Reuters.\n\n'I think it's fair to say athletes will put higher demands on it when it's recovered, so that will take a longer time and some people will never feel totally the same after this injury.'\n\nRecent history of NBA players who have ruptured an Achilles shows that they are out of action for about nine months on average.\n\nSo even if Durant makes a speedier-than-normal recovery, he is unlikely to be back much before the start of next season's playoffs.\n\nDurant, 30, has the option to become a free agent this summer, so there is no guarantee the two-times NBA Finals' most valuable player will even be with the Warriors next season.\n\nCummings said knowledge of the best way to rehabilitate a ruptured Achilles had advanced in recent years.\n\n'When I started my training in the '80s it was more 'we'll fix it and immobilize it' (but) tendons like to move,' she said.\n\n'A functional rehab is better than a static rehab.'\n\nWhich is good news for professional athletes like Durant.\n\n'Pro athletes have nothing but time afterwards to rehab so they're at an advantage,' she said.\n\n'It starts almost straight away. We give them 10 days to let the incision calm down and then start to have them put weight on it in a functional brace or boot that allows tendon to see some stress.\n\n'You start some exercises such as toe curls and things like that to get muscles around the Achilles moving.\n\n'At about three months we start doing some light jogging if all looks well, and gradual return to sports specific activity, but that tissue that is repaired has to mature some and that typically is about the six-month mark.'\n\nCummings knew immediately when Durant sustained the injury that it was a ruptured Achilles.\n\n'You see his heel drop down and calf muscle reverberate,' she said. 'It looks very ballistic. I knew the diagnosis the second I saw it.'\n\nDurant's injury not only devastated Warriors fans, but also the supporters of the New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets, and Los Angeles Clippers, all of whom were reportedly interested in signing the two-time NBA Finals MVP this summer.\n\nThe only fans who did not seem upset over Durant's Achilles injury were few who cheered after the 7foot forward went down on Monday in Toronto.\n\n'It was bulls***,' Warriors guard Klay Thompson said after Game 5. 'That was freaking ridiculous. I can't even put into words how mad I was about that.'\n\nSome Raptors fans have attempted to make amends, including one anonymous Canadian who decided to send flowers instead.\n\nAccording to NBC Sports, the Raptors fan sent a floral arrangement to the Warriors offices in downtown Oakland to apologize 'on behalf of Canada'.\n\nThe basket contained an assortment of carnations and a ribbon reading, 'Canada is sorry KD.'\n\n'Dear KD and the Warriors: I can't even believe those dumba** Raptors fans cheered when they saw you were injured,' the card read, according to NBC Sports. 'I was watching the game and felt horrible. It was a total disgrace. I hereby apologize on behalf of Canada. Prayers for recovery.'\n\nA GoFundMe page launched by a suburban Toronto man has raised nearly $30,000 for the Kevin Durant Charity Foundation.\n\nThe organizer, Hamzah Moin, said he started the fundraiser to support Durant after some Toronto Raptors fans seemingly reacted with joy when the Golden State Warriors star ruptured his Achilles in the second quarter of Game 5 of the NBA Finals on Monday night. Durant had surgery to repair his Achilles on Wednesday.\n\nThe Raptors lead the best-of-seven series 3-2 heading into Game 6 on Thursday night in Oakland, Calif.\n\n'On behalf of the level-headed and true fans of Raptor Nation - from Toronto to Vancouver to Iqaluit to St. John's, and any fans living outside Canada: we wanted to say `sorry',' Moin wrote.\n\n'We're sorry that some fans of Raptor Nation at the Scotiabank arena, Jurassic Park, and in some bars/restaurants showing the game, displayed an ugly side of fandom when they cheered on the injury of Kevin Durant.\n\n'This isn't cool. This isn't right. This isn't what I expect from fellow Canadians.'\n\nMoin set a goal of $40,000 for the fundraiser. Through mid-day Thursday in Toronto, it had taken in $27,649 from more than 1,000 donors.\n\nOn its website, the Kevin Durant Charity Foundation says its mission 'is to enrich the lives of at-risk youth from low-income backgrounds through education, athletic and social programs.'", "OAKLAND: The Toronto Raptors became the first Canadian team to win an NBA title with a 114-110 victory over the two-time defending champion Golden State Warriors on Thursday (Jun 13) that set off a country-wide celebration.\n\nThe victory gave the Raptors a 4-2 series win and denied the Warriors a fourth NBA championship in five years.\n\nKyle Lowry and Pascal Siakam each scored 26 points while Kawhi Leonard and reserve Fred VanVleet each added 22 as the Raptors claimed their historic win.\n\nWhen the final buzzer sounded, jubilant Raptors fans flooded the streets of downtown Toronto for a night of celebration not seen in the city since Major League Baseball’s Toronto Blue Jays last won a World Series title in 1993.\n\nDepite playing against a more playoff-seasoned opponent, the Raptors proved unflappable throughout the series and whenever the Warriors looked set to seize momentum Toronto would use some smart passes and precise shooting to maintain control.\n\nKlay Thompson scored 30 points to lead the Warriors but left the game with a left knee injury late in the third quarter after landing awkwardly on his left leg.\n\nInjury-hit Golden State was already without two-time NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Kevin Durant, who returned in game five Monday after being sidelined for a month only to suffer a ruptured right Achilles tendon.\n\nAndre Iguodala added 22 points for the Warriors, Stephen Curry had 21 and Draymond Green contributed 11 points, 18 rebounds and 13 assists.\n\nGolden State had a final shot to win trailing 111-110 but Curry missed a 3-pointer and Green called a timeout when the team had none, setting up three final free throws by Leonard to seal the victory.\n\nLeonard was named the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player for the second time in his career after the first in 2014 with San Antonio.\n\nThe Raptors spoiled the Warriors’ farewell appearance at Oracle Arena. Golden State’s home since 1971 will be replaced by a new US$1 billion venue in San Francisco next season. – AFP", "The Golden State Warriors are favored to win Game 6 of the NBA Finals Thursday night at Oracle Arena, while the Toronto Raptors are favored to win the franchise's first NBA championship in Game 7 on Sunday night in Toronto.\n\nAccording to bookmaker.eu, the Warriors are -140 to win Game 6, while the Raptors are at -350 to win the series.\n\nWhen the series began, the Warriors were favored to win in five or six games, but that was before they went down 3-1 and then lost Kevin Durant for the remainder of the series with a torn Achilles'. Durant had surgery on Wednesday in New York and has begun the clock on his rehab.\n\nNow Steph Curry and the Warriors will try to win the last game ever held at Oracle Arena and try to force a Game 7 Sunday night.\n\n\"Protect our home court, feed off our crowd's energy, play for K and try to keep our season alive so there's a lot of things that you can tap into,\" Curry told reporters.\n\nThese were the odds to win MVP before the series began:"], "summary": "In basketball, the Toronto Raptors defeat the Golden State Warriors four games to two to win their first NBA championship. The Toronto Raptors are also the first NBA team outside of the United States and the first from Canada to win the NBA Finals."}
{"document": ["WASHINGTON — In the hours before the attack on the two tankers in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday, the Iranians spotted a US drone flying overhead and launched a surface-to-air missile at the unmanned aircraft, a US official told CNN.\n\nThe missile missed the drone and fell into the water, the official said.\n\nPrior to taking fire, the American MQ-9 Reaper drone observed Iranian vessels closing in on the tankers, the official added, though the source did not say whether the unmanned aircraft saw the boats conducting an actual attack.\n\nStill, it is the first claim that the US has information of Iranian movements prior to the attack.\n\nCNN has not seen any imagery from the US drones.\n\nIran has strenuously denied any involvement in the attack.\n\nThe same official also said in the days prior to the attack, a US Reaper drone was shot down in the Red Sea by what is believed to be an Iranian missile fired by Houthi rebels.\n\nThe Pentagon had tough words for Iran on Friday as the US continues to assert its claim that Tehran was responsible for the attack on the two oil tankers in international waters after releasing video footage its says shows an Iranian patrol boat removing an unexploded mine from one of the vessels’ hulls.\n\n“We’re making sure that General McKenzie and the central command has the resources and the support that they need to conduct their missions,” acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said, adding that the US continues to work on building an international consensus that Iran was behind the attack.\n\nThe United Kingdom released a statement Friday saying it is “almost certain” that a branch of the Iranian military — the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) — attacked two tankers.\n\nThe IRGC is an elite wing of the Iranian military that was established in the aftermath of the country’s revolution in 1979. In April 2019, the US officially designated it as a foreign terrorist organization, a move which was rejected by authorities in Tehran.\n\nNo other state or non-state actor “could plausibly have been responsible,” the statement added.\n\nIran does not appear to be backing off and continues to engage in provocative behavior, according to a US official, who told CNN on Friday that Iranian small boats are preventing tug boats from towing away one of the damaged tankers.\n\nBut the owner of the Front Altair tanker has said they have “no information” and “no details” about any type of obstruction around its vessel since the time of the attack, Frontline spokesperson Pat Adamson told CNN Saturday.\n\nPresident Donald Trump seems convinced that Tehran was responsible.\n\n“Iran did do it and you know they did it because you saw the boat,” he said, appearing to refer to the images and video released by the Pentagon late Thursday.\n\nIn the video, a smaller boat is shown coming up to the side of the Japanese-owned tanker. An individual stands up on the bow of the boat and can be seen removing an object from the tanker’s hull. The US says that object is likely an unexploded mine.\n\nA senior diplomatic source of a US ally told CNN Friday, “It is a virtual certainty Iran was behind this latest attack. The video now nails it.”\n\nThe source added that the goal of the response from the US government thus far is all about publicly exposing Iranian actions and intensifying maximum pressure.\n\nAfter the United States withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal, it adopted a policy of maximum economic pressure and sent a carrier group to the region, the source said this “Iranian retaliation is designed to show they can disrupt, and push oil prices up.”\n\nThe Trump administration predicted that the pressure from the United States would bring Iran to the negotiating table, but European leaders disagreed, believing it would empower the hardliners, the source continued.\n\nIran has denied any involvement in the incident, with its foreign minister suggesting that the US was quick to make allegations “without a shred of evidence.”\n\nThe attack could provide more fodder for Iran hawks within the US administration, whose recent Iran saber-rattling has frustrated Trump. One of them, national security adviser John Bolton, announced last month that the Pentagon was deploying the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group and a bomber task force to the Middle East in response to a “number of troubling and escalatory indications and warnings” from Iran.\n\nThe two tankers — one carrying oil and the other transporting chemicals — were attacked near the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route that has been the focal point of regional tensions for decades. Roughly 30% of the world’s sea-borne crude oil passes through the strategic choke point, making it a flashpoint for political and economic friction.\n\nJonathan Cohen, acting US ambassador to the United Nations, said Thursday that he echoed Pompeo’s comments in a private meeting of the UN Security Council, describing the attack as “another example of Iran’s destabilizing activities in the region.”\n\nThe Iranian mission to the UN rejected the US’ claim.\n\nAlireza Miryousefi, a spokesman for the Iranian mission, tweeted a statement saying Iran “categorically rejects the US unfounded claim” that Iran is behind the attacks and “condemns it in the strongest possible terms.”\n\nHe added that Iran “expresses concern” over the “suspicious incidents.” And he called it “ironic” that the US, which withdrew from the nuclear deal with Iran, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), is now calling Iran to come back for negotiations and diplomacy.\n\nSpeaking on Friday at a conference in Tajikistan, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said his country was willing to further scale back its commitment to the JCPOA if it does not receive “the necessary response from other signatories.”\n\n“We still believe that making good on commitments by all the signatories could have a major role in preserving regional and global peace and security. Iran will unilaterally not be able to remain as the party adhering to the JCPOA. Other parties need to do their own share as regards the deal,” he said.\n\nThis story and headline have been updated.", "Washington (CNN) In the hours before the attack on the two tankers in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday, the Iranians spotted a US drone flying overhead and launched a surface-to-air missile at the unmanned aircraft, a US official told CNN.\n\nThe missile missed the drone and fell into the water, the official said.\n\nPrior to taking fire, the American MQ-9 Reaper drone observed Iranian vessels closing in on the tankers, the official added, though the source did not say whether the unmanned aircraft saw the boats conducting an actual attack.\n\nStill, it is the first claim that the US has information of Iranian movements prior to the attack.\n\nCNN has not seen any imagery from the US drones.\n\nIran has strenuously denied any involvement in the attack.\n\nThe same official also said in the days prior to the attack, a US Reaper drone was shot down in the Red Sea by what is believed to be an Iranian missile fired by Houthi rebels.\n\nThe Pentagon had tough words for Iran on Friday as the US continues to assert its claim that Tehran was responsible for the attack on the two oil tankers in international waters after releasing video footage its says shows an Iranian patrol boat removing an unexploded mine from one of the vessels' hulls.\n\n\"We're making sure that General McKenzie and the central command has the resources and the support that they need to conduct their missions,\" acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said, adding that the US continues to work on building an international consensus that Iran was behind the attack.\n\nTrump says Iran 'did do it'\n\nThe United Kingdom released a statement Friday saying it is \"almost certain\" that a branch of the Iranian military -- the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) -- attacked two tankers.\n\nThe IRGC is an elite wing of the Iranian military that was established in the aftermath of the country's revolution in 1979. In April 2019, the US officially designated it as a foreign terrorist organization, a move which was rejected by authorities in Tehran.\n\nNo other state or non-state actor \"could plausibly have been responsible,\" the statement added.\n\nIran does not appear to be backing off and continues to engage in provocative behavior, according to a US official, who told CNN on Friday that Iranian small boats are preventing tug boats from towing away one of the damaged tankers.\n\nBut the owner of the Front Altair tanker has said they have \"no information\" and \"no details\" about any type of obstruction around its vessel since the time of the attack, Frontline spokesperson Pat Adamson told CNN Saturday.\n\nPresident Donald Trump seems convinced that Tehran was responsible.\n\n\"Iran did do it and you know they did it because you saw the boat,\" he said, appearing to refer to the images and video released by the Pentagon late Thursday.\n\nIn the video , a smaller boat is shown coming up to the side of the Japanese-owned tanker. An individual stands up on the bow of the boat and can be seen removing an object from the tanker's hull. The US says that object is likely an unexploded mine.\n\nA senior diplomatic source of a US ally told CNN Friday, \"It is a virtual certainty Iran was behind this latest attack. The video now nails it.\"\n\nThe source added that the goal of the response from the US government thus far is all about publicly exposing Iranian actions and intensifying maximum pressure.\n\nAfter the United States withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal, it adopted a policy of maximum economic pressure and sent a carrier group to the region, the source said this \"Iranian retaliation is designed to show they can disrupt, and push oil prices up.\"\n\nThe Trump administration predicted that the pressure from the United States would bring Iran to the negotiating table, but European leaders disagreed, believing it would empower the hardliners, the source continued.\n\nIran denies involvement\n\nIran has denied any involvement in the incident, with its foreign minister suggesting that the US was quick to make allegations \"without a shred of evidence.\"\n\nThe attack could provide more fodder for Iran hawks within the US administration, whose recent Iran saber-rattling has frustrated Trump. One of them, national security adviser John Bolton, announced last month that the Pentagon was deploying the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group and a bomber task force to the Middle East in response to a \"number of troubling and escalatory indications and warnings\" from Iran.\n\nThe two tankers -- one carrying oil and the other transporting chemicals -- were attacked near the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route that has been the focal point of regional tensions for decades. Roughly 30% of the world's sea-borne crude oil passes through the strategic choke point, making it a flashpoint for political and economic friction.\n\nJonathan Cohen, acting US ambassador to the United Nations, said Thursday that he echoed Pompeo's comments in a private meeting of the UN Security Council, describing the attack as \"another example of Iran's destabilizing activities in the region.\"\n\nThe Iranian mission to the UN rejected the US' claim.\n\nAlireza Miryousefi, a spokesman for the Iranian mission, tweeted a statement saying Iran \"categorically rejects the US unfounded claim\" that Iran is behind the attacks and \"condemns it in the strongest possible terms.\"\n\nHe added that Iran \"expresses concern\" over the \"suspicious incidents.\" And he called it \"ironic\" that the US, which withdrew from the nuclear deal with Iran, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), is now calling Iran to come back for negotiations and diplomacy.\n\nSpeaking on Friday at a conference in Tajikistan, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said his country was willing to further scale back its commitment to the JCPOA if it does not receive \"the necessary response from other signatories.\"\n\n\"We still believe that making good on commitments by all the signatories could have a major role in preserving regional and global peace and security. Iran will unilaterally not be able to remain as the party adhering to the JCPOA. Other parties need to do their own share as regards the deal,\" he said.\n\nThis story and headline have been updated.", "In the hours before the attack on the two tankers in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday, the Iranians spotted a US drone flying overhead and launched a surface-to-air missile at the unmanned aircraft, a US official told CNN.\n\nThe missile missed the drone and fell into the water, the official said.\n\nPrior to taking fire, the American MQ-9 Reaper drone observed Iranian vessels closing in on the tankers, the official added, though the source did not say whether the unmanned aircraft saw the boats conducting an actual attack.\n\nStill, it is the first claim that the US has information on Iranian movements prior to the attack.\n\nCNN has not seen any imagery from the US drones.\n\nIran has strenuously denied any involvement in the attack.\n\nThe same official also said in the days prior to the attack, a US Reaper drone was shot down in the Red Sea by what is believed to be an Iranian missile fired by Houthi rebels.\n\nThe Pentagon had tough words for Iran on Friday as the US continues to assert its claim that Tehran was responsible for the attack on the two oil tankers in international waters after releasing video footage it says shows an Iranian patrol boat removing an unexploded mine from one of the vessels’ hulls.\n\n“We’re making sure that General McKenzie and the central command has the resources and the support that they need to conduct their missions,” acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said, adding that the US continues to work on building an international consensus that Iran was behind the attack.\n\nThe United Kingdom released a statement Friday saying it is “almost certain” that a branch of the Iranian military — the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) — attacked two tankers.\n\nThe IRGC is an elite wing of the Iranian military that was established in the aftermath of the country’s revolution in 1979. In April 2019, the US officially designated it as a foreign terrorist organization, a move which was rejected by authorities in Tehran.\n\nNo other state or non-state actor “could plausibly have been responsible,” the statement added.\n\nBut Iran does not appear to be backing off and continues to engage in provocative behavior, according to a US official who told CNN on Friday that Iranian small boats are preventing tug boats from towing away one of the damaged tankers.\n\nPresident Donald Trump seems convinced that Tehran was responsible.\n\n“Iran did do it and you know they did it because you saw the boat,” he said, appearing to refer to the images and video released by the Pentagon late Thursday.\n\nIn the video, a smaller boat is shown coming up to the side of the Japanese-owned tanker. An individual stands up on the bow of the boat and can be seen removing an object from the tanker’s hull. The US says that object is likely an unexploded mine.\n\nA senior diplomatic source of a US ally told CNN Friday, “It is a virtual certainty Iran was behind this latest attack. The video now nails it.”\n\nThe source added that the goal of the response from the US government thus far is all about publicly exposing Iranian actions and intensifying maximum pressure.\n\nAfter the United States withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal, it adopted a policy of maximum economic pressure and sent a carrier group to the region, the source said this “Iranian retaliation is designed to show they can disrupt, and push oil prices up.”\n\nThe Trump administration predicted that the pressure from the United States would bring Iran to the negotiating table, but European leaders disagreed, believing it would empower the hardliners, the source continued.\n\nIran has denied any involvement in the incident, with its foreign minister suggesting that the US was quick to make allegations “without a shred of evidence.”\n\nThe attack could provide more fodder for Iran hawks within the US administration, whose recent Iran saber-rattling has frustrated Trump. One of them, national security adviser John Bolton, announced last month that the Pentagon was deploying the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group and a bomber task force to the Middle East in response to a “number of troubling and escalatory indications and warnings” from Iran.\n\nThe two tankers — one carrying oil and the other transporting chemicals — were attacked near the strategically important Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route that has been the focal point of regional tensions for decades. Roughly 30% of the world’s sea-borne crude oil passes through the strategic choke point, making it a flashpoint for political and economic friction.\n\nJonathan Cohen, acting US ambassador to the United Nations, said Thursday that he echoed Pompeo’s comments in a private meeting of the UN Security Council, describing the attack as “another example of Iran’s destabilizing activities in the region.”\n\nThe Iranian mission to the UN rejected the US’ claim.\n\nAlireza Miryousefi, a spokesman for the Iranian mission, tweeted a statement saying Iran “categorically rejects the US unfounded claim” that Iran is behind the attacks and “condemns it in the strongest possible terms.”\n\nHe added that Iran “expresses concern” over the “suspicious incidents.” And he called it “ironic” that the US, which withdrew from the nuclear deal with Iran, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, is now calling Iran to come back for negotiations and diplomacy.", "MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 15th June, 2019) The Iranian forces have perpetrated a failed missile attack on a US drone hours before the tankers incident in the Gulf of Oman, US media reported, citing a source.\n\nThe CNN reported on Friday, citing a US official, that the US MQ-9 Reaper reconnaissance drone observed Iranian vessels close to the affected tankers prior to the incident that happened on Thursday.\n\nThe Iranian forces reportedly detected the drone and fired a surface-to-air missile at it. The missile, however, missed the vehicle and fell into the water.\n\nThe same source told CNN that two days prior to the Thursday's incident, another US drone had been downed in the Red Sea by an alleged Iranian missile fired by the Yemeni Houthi rebel movement.\n\nOn Thursday, two oil tankers, Kokuka Courageous and Front Altair, suffered explosions and fires in the Gulf of Oman near the Strait of Hormuz. While the causes of the incident remain unknown, the United States claimed that Iran had attacked the vessels. However, Washington had not provided any evidence to support its claims. The US military subsequently released a video showing alleged Iranian forces removing an unexploded mine from one of the tankers. The footage, however, did not show any boat Names or flags that could help substantiate the claims.\n\nIran has denied all the allegations of having a role in the incident. Moscow called for an investigation into the incident, calling for avoiding making hasty conclusions on the issue.", "(CNN) — In the hours before the attack on the two tankers in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday, the Iranians spotted a US drone flying overhead and launched a surface-to-air missile at the unmanned aircraft, a US official told CNN.\n\nThe missile missed the drone and fell into the water, the official said.\n\nPrior to taking fire, the American MQ-9 drone observed Iranian vessels closing in on the tankers, the official added, though the source did not say whether the unmanned aircraft saw the boats conducting an actual attack.\n\nStill, it is the first claim that the US has information of Iranian movements prior to the attack.\n\nThe same official also said in the days prior to the attack, a US reaper drone was shot down in the Red Sea by what is believed to be an Iranian missile fired by Houthi rebels.\n\nThe Pentagon had tough words for Iran on Friday as the US continues to assert its claim that Tehran was responsible for the attack on the two oil tankers in international waters after releasing video footage its says shows an Iranian patrol boat removing an unexploded mine from one of the vessels’ hulls.\n\n“We’re making sure that General McKenzie and the central command has the resources and the support that they need to conduct their missions,” acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said, adding that the US continues to work on building an international consensus that Iran was behind the attack.\n\nThe United Kingdom released a statement Friday saying it is “almost certain” that a branch of the Iranian military — the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) — attacked two tankers.\n\nThe IRGC is an elite wing of the Iranian military that was established in the aftermath of the country’s revolution in 1979. In April 2019, the US officially designated it as a foreign terrorist organization, a move which was rejected by authorities in Tehran.\n\nNo other state or non-state actor “could plausibly have been responsible,” the statement added.\n\nBut Iran does not appear to be backing off and continues to engage in provocative behavior, according to a US official who told CNN on Friday that Iranian small boats are preventing tug boats from towing away one of the damaged tankers.\n\nPresident Donald Trump seems convinced that Tehran was responsible.\n\n“Iran did do it and you know they did it because you saw the boat,” he said, appearing to refer to the images and video released by the Pentagon late Thursday.\n\nIn the video, a smaller boat is shown coming up to the side of the Japanese-owned tanker. An individual stands up on the bow of the boat and can be seen removing an object from the tanker’s hull. The US says that object is likely an unexploded mine.", "The Iranian forces have perpetrated a failed missile attack on a US drone hours before the tankers incident in the Gulf of Oman, US media reported, citing a source.\n\nThe CNN reported on Friday, citing a US official, that the US MQ-9 Reaper reconnaissance drone observed Iranian vessels close to the affected tankers prior to the incident that happened on Thursday.\n\nThe Iranian forces reportedly detected the drone and fired a surface-to-air missile at it. The missile, however, missed the vehicle and fell into the water.\n\nThe same source told CNN that two days prior to the Thursday’s incident, another US drone had been downed in the Red Sea by an alleged Iranian missile fired by the Yemeni Houthi rebel movement.\n\nOn Thursday, two oil tankers, Kokuka Courageous and Front Altair, suffered explosions and fires in the Gulf of Oman near the Strait of Hormuz. While the causes of the incident remain unknown, the United States claimed that Iran had attacked the vessels. However, Washington had not provided any evidence to support its claims.\n\nThe US military subsequently released a video showing alleged Iranian forces removing an unexploded mine from one of the tankers. The footage, however, did not show any boat names or flags that could help substantiate the claims.\n\nIran has denied all the allegations of having a role in the incident. Moscow called for an investigation into the incident, calling for avoiding making hasty conclusions on the issue.", "The CNN reported on Friday, citing a US official, that the US MQ-9 Reaper reconnaissance drone observed Iranian vessels close to the affected tankers prior to the incident that happened on Thursday.\n\nThe Iranian forces reportedly detected the drone and fired a surface-to-air missile at it. The missile, however, missed the vehicle and fell into the water.\n\nThe same source told CNN that two days prior to the Thursday’s incident, another US drone had been downed in the Red Sea by an alleged Iranian missile fired by the Yemeni Houthi rebel movement.\n\nOn Thursday, two oil tankers, Kokuka Courageous and Front Altair, suffered explosions and fires in the Gulf of Oman near the Strait of Hormuz. While the causes of the incident remain unknown, the United States claimed that Iran had attacked the vessels. However, Washington had not provided any evidence to support its claims. The US military subsequently released a video showing alleged Iranian forces removing an unexploded mine from one of the tankers. The footage, however, did not show any boat names or flags that could help substantiate the claims.\n\nIran has denied all the allegations of having a role in the incident. Moscow called for an investigation into the incident, calling for avoiding making hasty conclusions on the issue.", "Iranians had launched a surface-to-air missile at a US drone flying overhead, a US official told CNN. \n\n \n\n The official said the missile missed the MQ-9 drone and fell into the water.\n\n \n\n The drone had observed the Iranian vessels near the tankers, the official added.", "Iranian boats reportedly tried and failed to shoot down a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone flying, which was monitoring their movement in the Gulf of Oman just hours before attacks on a pair of oil tankers in the same general area two days ago. This comes amid separate reports that Iran has been interfering with the ongoing efforts to recover one of the two tankers, the Front Altair, which had suffered a serious fire in the incident. CNN was first to report the new details, citing an unnamed U.S. government official, on June 14, 2019. The source described the weapon the Iranian's employed as a \"missile,\" but did not specify what type. They added that it had missed the drone and fallen into the ocean. They did not say whether or not the unmanned aircraft had subsequently observed the Iranians conducting any actual attacks on the Front Altair or a second tanker, the Kokuka Courageous.\n\nGiven the generally small size of Iran's various armed speed boats, it seems very likely that the weapon in question was a short-range, heat-seeking, man-portable, shoulder-fired, surface-to-air missile, commonly known as MANPADS, which stands for Man Portable Air Defense System. Iran's military and quasi-military Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) both have various types of these weapons in service, including locally produced clones and derivatives of Chinese models.\n\nDepending on the exact model of MANPADS, it's not clear whether it would be been able to hit a Reaper, which can fly above the engagement envelope of these short-range weapons. But the MQ-9 could well have been flying significantly within the threat range of such weapons in order to get a clearer view of what was happening below. The U.S. military flies other drones in the region that are smaller and less complex, too. MQ-9s have certainly proven vulnerable to relatively limited air defenses, though. CNN's source also offered confirmation that Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen had shot down a Reaper over or near the Red Sea last week. Social media accounts linked to the Houthis first began posting pictures of the wreckage of an MQ-9 online on June 7, 2019. At the time of writing, the U.S. government has not publicly acknowledged this loss. In October 2017, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) did confirm publicly that the Iranian-supported militants had brought down another Reaper over Yemen. In both of these Yemen shoot downs, it is unclear what type of weapon the Houthis, who have access to a limited number of medium-range surface-to-air missile systems, as well as MANPADS, may have employed.\n\nIt's also not the first time Iranian forces have tried to shoot down U.S. drones flying in the region. In 2012, an Iranian Su-25 Frogfoot ground attack aircraft tried to bring down a U.S. Air Force MQ-1 Predator, leading the service to use manned fighter jets to escort them for a period. This harassment also gave added emphasis to efforts to give these unmanned aircraft their own air-to-air self-defense capability. But, if true, this latest altercation is still evidence of a significant escalation in tensions between the United States and Iran, which have been growing steadily since the beginning of May 2019. It would also be an indication of the additional evidence the U.S. government has to substantiate its claims that Iran was involved in the attacks on Front Altair and Kokuka Courageous. CENTCOM has already released pictures of what it says is a likely dud limpet mine attached to the hull of the Kokuka Courageous, as well as a video showing Iranian forces returning to the ship to recover it hours after the attack. Japanese shipping company Kokuka Sangyo, which owns this tanker, has disputed these assertions, saying that it heard from the crew that the ship came under attack by \"flying objects.\"", "World War 3 fears as Iran fired a missile just hours before tanker attack\n\nA US official said the missile missed the aircraft and landed in the water, according to CNN. The official said the MQ-9 drone saw Iranian vessels nearing the tankers before Thursday’s attacks. However, they did not disclose whether the US saw vessels attacking the tankers.\n\nIran chaos: Britain lashes out at Tehran after oil tanker attack\n\nUS vs Iran war IMMINENT? How start of Vietnam War mirrors Gulf of Oman\n\nThe same official said just days prior to the attack, a US reaper drone was shot down in the Red Sea by an alleged Iranian missile fired by Houthi rebels.\n\nSecretary of State Mike Pompeo blamed Iran for the attack on the tankers on Thursday.\n\nHe said: “Iran is lashing out because the regime wants our successful maximum pressure campaign lifted.\n\n“The international community condemns Iran’s assault on the freedom of navigation and the targeting of innocent civilians.”\n\nREAD MORE: Fears of war surge as US claims to have evidence Iran attacked tankers"], "summary": "An unnamed United States official claims that, just prior to the attack on two merchant vessels, an Iranian vessel launched a surface to air missile at a MQ-9 Reaper drone in the vicinity of the attack. An additional MQ-9 Reaper is reported to have been shot down by Houthi rebels several days prior in the Red Sea."}
{"document": ["DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The Latest on Mideast developments amid rising tensions in the Persian Gulf region (all times local to Dubai):\n\nPresident Donald Trump is calling Iran \"a nation of terror,\" saying Iran's responsibility for attacks on tankers in the Gulf of Oman was \"exposed\" by the United States.\n\nCalling into \"Fox & Friends\" on Friday, Trump says of the Thursday attacks, \"Iran did do it.\" He cites video purporting to show an Iranian boat removing what the U.S. says is an unexploded mine from one of the vessels.\n\nIran has denied any role in the attacks.\n\nTrump cites no new potential U.S. responses, saying the U.S. has been \"very tough on sanctions.\" He says, \"They've been told in very strong terms we want to get them back to the table.\"\n\nTrump is warning Iran not to close off the strategic Strait of Hormuz, saying if it is closed it won't be closed for long.\n\nRELATED: WATCH: US says video shows Iran removing mine from oil tanker in Persian Gulf\n\nIran's President Hassan Rouhani has called for closer cooperation between Tehran and Moscow amid rising regional tensions.\n\nSpeaking Friday during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of a summit of a regional security grouping in Kyrgyzstan that includes Russia, China and India among others, Rouhani said \"the situation in the region requires stronger interaction between our nations.\"\n\nThe Iranian leader added that \"external pressure and foreign sanctions\" have made such cooperation \"even more acute.\"\n\nPutin hailed economic and security ties between Russia and Iran, noting their joint action in Syria.\n\nRegional tensions escalated over suspected attacks Thursday on two oil tankers near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, which the U.S. blamed on Iran. Tehran has rejected the U.S. accusations.\n\nThe U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet says the 21 sailors it hosted overnight from one of the oil tankers hit in an apparent attack in the Gulf of Oman have returned to their vessel.\n\nCmdr. Joshua Frey said on Friday that the sailors were back on the Kokuka Courageous to assist in it being towed.\n\nFrey says the USS Bainbridge remains nearby and is in close contact with the vessel.\n\nThe Dutch company Boskalis says it has been appointed to salvage the two tankers in the suspected attacks in the Gulf of Oman, near the strategic Strait of Hormuz.\n\nRoyal Boskalis Westminster said on Friday that the insurers of the two tankers, the Front Altair and the Kokuka Courageous, have appointed its subsidiary SMIT Salvage to salvage both vessels and their cargoes.\n\nBoskalis says the situation of the Front Altair, which was carrying a petroleum product known as naptha, \"is still worrisome.\" It does not elaborate, but adds that the crew left the ship following the suspected attack on Thursday and the fire on board has been extinguished.\n\nThe company says that the Kokuka Courageous, carrying the chemical compound methanol, is in a stable condition and being towed to a port in the Gulf region.\n\nThe German government is calling for an investigation into the \"extraordinarily worrying\" suspected attacks on two tankers near the Strait of Hormuz.\n\nIt also says it has no information on who carried them out and isn't saying who it believes was responsible.\n\nUlrike Demmer, a spokeswoman for Chancellor Angela Merkel, told reporters in Berlin on Friday that a \"spiral of escalation\" must be avoided.\n\nShe says that \"what's important now is to continue investigating the background of the incidents in depth,\" and added that Germany \"is in contact with all our partners\" on the matter.\n\nThe U.S. military has released a video it says shows Iran's Revolutionary Guard removing an unexploded limpet mine from one of the oil tankers. Iran denies being involved.\n\nIran's President Hassan Rouhani has assailed the Trump administration, accusing it of radicalizing the situation in the Mideast and pursuing an aggressive policy against his country.\n\nRouhani spoke at a regional summit in the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek on Friday, a day after the suspected attacks on two oil tankers near the strategic Strait of Hormuz that the U.S. has blamed on Iran.\n\nRouhani made no mention of the tankers but lashed out at Washington for walking out of Iran's nuclear deal with world powers and re-imposing sanctions on Tehran.\n\nRouhani says the U.S. is \"using all opportunities for radicalizing the situation, which undermines the stability not only in our region but in the whole world.\"\n\nHe added that America has been \"carrying out an aggressive policy and posing a serious threat to regional stability.\"\n\nChina is urging all parties to exercise restraint after the suspected attacks on two oil tankers near the strategic Strait of Hormuz.\n\nChinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said on Friday that countries should \"avoid further escalation of tensions.\"\n\nIran has rejected a U.S. accusation against Tehran over Thursday's suspected attacks, which hit one Norwegian-owned ship and one Japanese-owned ship off the coast of Iran. Each vessel was loaded with petroleum products, and one was set ablaze.\n\nGeng says that a \"war in the Gulf region of the Middle East is something that no one wants to see.\"\n\nChina is the world's largest buyer of Iranian oil and has maintained its support for the Iran nuclear deal.\n\nGeng said that \"China will continue to protect its energy security\" and oppose unilateral sanctions.\n\nJapan's defense minister says he has no intention of sending Japanese troops to respond to attacks on a Japanese-operated oil tanker in the Middle East.\n\nTakeshi Iwaya told reporters at a Friday news conference that the situation is not considered an imminent threat to Japan.\n\nHis remarks came after a Japanese-operated tanker headed to Singapore was attacked on Thursday while traveling near the Strait of Hormuz, just as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was wrapping up his high-stakes visit in Tehran to help de-escalate regional tension.\n\nAll 21 Filipino crewmembers pf the vessel were rescued and were now on a U.S. warship.\n\nIwaya says Japan doesn't think the so-called \"Self-Defense Force has a necessarily role to play at this point and we don't plan to send them to the Strait of Hormuz region in response to the attacks.\"\n\nThe Japanese ship operator says sailors on board the Kokuka Courageous, one of the vessels attacked near the Strait of Hormuz, saw \"flying objects\" just before the attack, suggesting the tanker wasn't damaged by mines.\n\nThat account contradicts what the U.S. military has said as it released a video it says shows Iranian forces removing an unexploded limpet mine from one of the two ships in the suspected attack.\n\nThe Japanese tanker carrying petroleum products to Singapore and Thailand was attacked twice while traveling near the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, damaging the tanker and forcing all 21 crewmembers to evacuate.\n\nCompany president Yutaka Katada said Friday he believes the flying objects seen by the sailors could be bullets, and denied possibility of mines or torpedoes because the damages were above the ship's waterline. He called reports of mine attack \"false.\"\n\nKatada said the crew members also spotted an Iranian naval ship nearby, but did not specify whether that was before or after the attacks. The tanker survived the first attack that hit near the engine room, followed by another causing damage to the star-board side toward the back.\n\nIran rejects a U.S. accusation against Tehran over suspected attacks on two oil tankers near the strategic Strait of Hormuz.\n\nIranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in an early Friday morning tweet called the accusations part of a plot by hawkish politicians in the U.S. and the region.\n\nSecretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday blamed Iran for the attacks and the U.S. military released images it said showed Iranian forces removing an unexploded limpet mine from one of the ships.\n\nZarif tweeted that the United States \"immediately jumped to make allegations against Iran-w/o a shred of factual or circumstantial evidence.\"\n\nHe said the United States was trying to cover up economic terrorism, referring to sanctions the U.S. re-imposed on Iran.\n\nSaudi Arabia says its military intercepted five drones launched by Yemen's Houthi rebels targeting the kingdom.\n\nMilitary spokesman Col. Turki al-Maliki said early Friday that the drones targeted Abha regional airport and Khamis Mushait.\n\nAl-Maliki in a statement carried by the state-run Saudi Press Agency said that the drone attack showed the Houthis were targeting civilian infrastructure in the kingdom.\n\nU.N. experts, the West and Gulf Arab nations say Iran arms the Houthis with weapons. Tehran denies that.\n\nThe kingdom says a similar attack Wednesday on the Abha airport wounded 26 people.\n\nIt is just the latest in a wave of rebel drone and missile attacks targeting the kingdom, which has been mired in a yearslong war in Yemen that has killed an estimated 60,000 people and pushed the Arab world's poorest nation to the brink of famine.\n\nThe development comes as tensions are rising in the Persian Gulf region.\n\nThe U.S. military's Central Command has released a video is says shows Iranian forces removing an unexploded limpet mine from one of the two ships suspected to have been attacked near the Strait of Hormuz.\n\nCapt. Bill Urban, a Central Command spokesman, said a Revolutionary Guard patrol ship removed the limpet mine from the Kokuka Courageous.\n\nIran has denied involvement in Thursday's suspected attacks amid heightened tensions between Iran and the U.S.\n\nUrban said in a statement the attacks \"are a clear threat to international freedom of navigation and freedom of commerce.\"\n\nHe added: \"The United States has no interest in engaging in a new conflict in the Middle East. However, we will defend our interests.\"", "Audio has emerged of a distress call made at the scene of one of the Gulf of Oman explosions yesterday, as the owner of the other tanker said the crew saw a 'flying object' hurtling towards them.\n\nIn the short clip, the captain of a passing cargo ship voices fears of a torpedo attack as he helps to rescue the crew of the MT Front Altair after it was hit by a blast and caught fire.\n\nThe sailor, who identifies himself as the captain of the Hyundai Dubai, gives the exact location of the Altair and says that its 23 crew members have 'safely disembarked', in the recording published by TradeWinds.\n\nWashington alleges that Iran was behind the two blasts and published footage yesterday claiming to show an Iranian patrol boat retrieving an unexploded mine from the Kokuka.\n\nHowever, the accounts of torpedoes and flying objects which are emerging from the two shipping companies do not entirely back America's findings up.\n\nYutaka Katada, the head of the firm which owns the Kokuka Courageous, said that 'something came flying at the ship' - casting doubt on America's theory that it was attacked with a limpet mine.\n\nHe said the unknown object punched a hole in the Kokuka Courageous, starting a fire and forcing the crew to evacuate.\n\nThe shipping firm boss said the weapon had not been a torpedo and revealed that the U.S. Navy was now escorting the stricken vessel to the UAE.\n\nHe also said it was unlikely that the ship was targeted because of its Japanese ownership - a theory hinted at by Iran as the attacks came during talks with Japan's PM yesterday.\n\nThe ship's 21 crew have since returned to the vessel and its cargo of 25,000 tonnes of methanol, destined for Singapore, is said to be undamaged.\n\nMr Katada, the head of the Kokuka Sangyo company, said the tanker had suffered two apparent attacks.\n\nAfter the first, crew members 'made evasive manoeuvres but three hours later it was hit again,' he said.\n\nDescribing the second blast today, he said: 'The crew members are saying that they were hit by a flying object. They saw it with their own eyes.\n\n'We have received a report saying that something seems to have flew in, there was an explosion and it created a hole in the body of the ship.'\n\nOne crew member suffered minor injuries in the blasts, which have sent Middle East tensions spiralling once again.\n\n'Crew members went back to the ship with support of the U.S. military and recovered the backup power source,' Mr Katada said.\n\n'We'll review the overall damage but we don't think there's a possibility it will sink. There's no damage to the goods and fuel.'\n\nThe United States has blamed Iran for attacking the Kokuka Courageous and another tanker, the Norwegian-owned Front Altair, on Thursday, but Tehran has denied the allegations.\n\nThe ship's crew saw an Iranian military ship in the vicinity on Thursday night Japan time, Katada said.\n\nKatada said he did not believe Kokuka Courageous was targeted because it was owned by a Japanese firm. The tanker is registered in Panama and was flying a Panamanian flag, he said.\n\n'Unless very carefully examined, it would be hard to tell the tanker was operated or owned by Japanese,' he said.\n\nThe tanker was attacked near the Strait of Hormuz, a major strategic waterway through which about one-fifth of global oil consumption passes on its way from Middle Eastern producers including Saudi Arabia, Iraq, the UAE and Kuwait as well as Iran.\n\n'This strait is very crucial. Without this route we can not transport gasoline and heavy oil to Japan,' Katada said.\n\n'Unless another major incident occurs, as long as we get approval from our crew, we will continue operating our tankers via this route to Saudi Arabia.'\n\nJapanese Industry Minister Hiroshige Seko said on Friday that the incidents will be discussed at a meeting of G20 energy and environment ministers this weekend.\n\nSeko declined to comment on American officials blaming Iran, saying Japan is still investigating the incident, which occurred while Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was in Tehran trying to help ease rising tensions between the United States and Iran.", "TOKYO (Reuters) - The president of the Japanese shipping company Kokuka Sangyo Ltd said one of its tankers had been attacked near the Strait of Hormuz, its president told reporters at a news conference.\n\nThe public broadcaster NHK identified the ship as the Kokuka Courageous, one of two that were hit in suspected attacks in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday, according to shipping firms and industry sources.\n\nKokuka Sangyo President Yutaka Katada told reporters that the ship had been hit twice over a three-hour period before all the crew evacuated. The company first received reports of the attack around 0400 GMT, he told reporters.\n\nAll members of the crew were rescued, he told reporters.\n\nThe Kokuka Courageous was carrying 25,000 tonnes of methanol, according to NHK.\n\nKokuka Sangyo declined to comment further when contacted by Reuters by phone.\n\nEarlier Japanese Trade Minister Hiroshige Seko told reporters that the government was investigating reports that a ship carrying “Japan-related” cargo had been attacked.\n\nJapanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is in Tehran trying to help ease rising tensions between the United States and Iran.\n\nAn oil tanker chartered by Taiwan’s state oil refiner CPC Corp to carry fuel from the Middle East was suspected to have been attacked earlier on Thursday, a senior company official said.\n\nThe attacks on the two tankers came a month after a similar incident in which four tankers in the region were attacked.\n\nBenchmark oil prices surged by 4% after the attacks, which may stoke tensions in the region that have already been heightened by a dispute between Iran and the U.S. over Tehran’s nuclear program.\n\nThe Gulf of Oman lies at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz, a major strategic waterway through which a fifth of global oil consumption passes from Middle East producers.\n\nThere was no immediate confirmation from authorities in Oman or the United Arab Emirates, in whose territorial waters four tankers were hit last month. An investigation said limpet mines were used. U.S. and Saudi officials blamed Iran for the May attack, a charge Tehran has denied.\n\nSaudi Arabia and the UAE have said the attacks on oil assets in the Gulf pose a risk to global oil supplies and regional security.", "DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The Latest on Mideast developments amid rising tensions in the Persian Gulf region (all times local to Dubai):\n\nPresident Donald Trump is calling Iran \"a nation of terror,\" saying Iran's responsibility for attacks on tankers in the Gulf of Oman was \"exposed\" by the United States.\n\nCalling into \"Fox & Friends\" on Friday, Trump says of the Thursday attacks, \"Iran did do it.\" He cites video purporting to show an Iranian boat removing what the U.S. says is an unexploded mine from one of the vessels.\n\nIran has denied any role in the attacks.\n\nTrump cites no new potential U.S. responses, saying the U.S. has been \"very tough on sanctions.\" He says, \"They've been told in very strong terms we want to get them back to the table.\"\n\nTrump is warning Iran not to close off the strategic Strait of Hormuz, saying if it is closed it won't be closed for long.\n\nRELATED: WATCH: US says video shows Iran removing mine from oil tanker in Persian Gulf\n\nIran's President Hassan Rouhani has called for closer cooperation between Tehran and Moscow amid rising regional tensions.\n\nSpeaking Friday during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of a summit of a regional security grouping in Kyrgyzstan that includes Russia, China and India among others, Rouhani said \"the situation in the region requires stronger interaction between our nations.\"\n\nThe Iranian leader added that \"external pressure and foreign sanctions\" have made such cooperation \"even more acute.\"\n\nPutin hailed economic and security ties between Russia and Iran, noting their joint action in Syria.\n\nRegional tensions escalated over suspected attacks Thursday on two oil tankers near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, which the U.S. blamed on Iran. Tehran has rejected the U.S. accusations.\n\nThe U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet says the 21 sailors it hosted overnight from one of the oil tankers hit in an apparent attack in the Gulf of Oman have returned to their vessel.\n\nCmdr. Joshua Frey said on Friday that the sailors were back on the Kokuka Courageous to assist in it being towed.\n\nFrey says the USS Bainbridge remains nearby and is in close contact with the vessel.\n\nThe Dutch company Boskalis says it has been appointed to salvage the two tankers in the suspected attacks in the Gulf of Oman, near the strategic Strait of Hormuz.\n\nRoyal Boskalis Westminster said on Friday that the insurers of the two tankers, the Front Altair and the Kokuka Courageous, have appointed its subsidiary SMIT Salvage to salvage both vessels and their cargoes.\n\nBoskalis says the situation of the Front Altair, which was carrying a petroleum product known as naptha, \"is still worrisome.\" It does not elaborate, but adds that the crew left the ship following the suspected attack on Thursday and the fire on board has been extinguished.\n\nThe company says that the Kokuka Courageous, carrying the chemical compound methanol, is in a stable condition and being towed to a port in the Gulf region.\n\nThe German government is calling for an investigation into the \"extraordinarily worrying\" suspected attacks on two tankers near the Strait of Hormuz.\n\nIt also says it has no information on who carried them out and isn't saying who it believes was responsible.\n\nUlrike Demmer, a spokeswoman for Chancellor Angela Merkel, told reporters in Berlin on Friday that a \"spiral of escalation\" must be avoided.\n\nShe says that \"what's important now is to continue investigating the background of the incidents in depth,\" and added that Germany \"is in contact with all our partners\" on the matter.\n\nThe U.S. military has released a video it says shows Iran's Revolutionary Guard removing an unexploded limpet mine from one of the oil tankers. Iran denies being involved.\n\nIran's President Hassan Rouhani has assailed the Trump administration, accusing it of radicalizing the situation in the Mideast and pursuing an aggressive policy against his country.\n\nRouhani spoke at a regional summit in the Kyrgyz capital of Bishkek on Friday, a day after the suspected attacks on two oil tankers near the strategic Strait of Hormuz that the U.S. has blamed on Iran.\n\nRouhani made no mention of the tankers but lashed out at Washington for walking out of Iran's nuclear deal with world powers and re-imposing sanctions on Tehran.\n\nRouhani says the U.S. is \"using all opportunities for radicalizing the situation, which undermines the stability not only in our region but in the whole world.\"\n\nHe added that America has been \"carrying out an aggressive policy and posing a serious threat to regional stability.\"\n\nChina is urging all parties to exercise restraint after the suspected attacks on two oil tankers near the strategic Strait of Hormuz.\n\nChinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said on Friday that countries should \"avoid further escalation of tensions.\"\n\nIran has rejected a U.S. accusation against Tehran over Thursday's suspected attacks, which hit one Norwegian-owned ship and one Japanese-owned ship off the coast of Iran. Each vessel was loaded with petroleum products, and one was set ablaze.\n\nGeng says that a \"war in the Gulf region of the Middle East is something that no one wants to see.\"\n\nChina is the world's largest buyer of Iranian oil and has maintained its support for the Iran nuclear deal.\n\nGeng said that \"China will continue to protect its energy security\" and oppose unilateral sanctions.\n\nJapan's defense minister says he has no intention of sending Japanese troops to respond to attacks on a Japanese-operated oil tanker in the Middle East.\n\nTakeshi Iwaya told reporters at a Friday news conference that the situation is not considered an imminent threat to Japan.\n\nHis remarks came after a Japanese-operated tanker headed to Singapore was attacked on Thursday while traveling near the Strait of Hormuz, just as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was wrapping up his high-stakes visit in Tehran to help de-escalate regional tension.\n\nAll 21 Filipino crewmembers pf the vessel were rescued and were now on a U.S. warship.\n\nIwaya says Japan doesn't think the so-called \"Self-Defense Force has a necessarily role to play at this point and we don't plan to send them to the Strait of Hormuz region in response to the attacks.\"\n\nThe Japanese ship operator says sailors on board the Kokuka Courageous, one of the vessels attacked near the Strait of Hormuz, saw \"flying objects\" just before the attack, suggesting the tanker wasn't damaged by mines.\n\nThat account contradicts what the U.S. military has said as it released a video it says shows Iranian forces removing an unexploded limpet mine from one of the two ships in the suspected attack.\n\nThe Japanese tanker carrying petroleum products to Singapore and Thailand was attacked twice while traveling near the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, damaging the tanker and forcing all 21 crewmembers to evacuate.\n\nCompany president Yutaka Katada said Friday he believes the flying objects seen by the sailors could be bullets, and denied possibility of mines or torpedoes because the damages were above the ship's waterline. He called reports of mine attack \"false.\"\n\nKatada said the crew members also spotted an Iranian naval ship nearby, but did not specify whether that was before or after the attacks. The tanker survived the first attack that hit near the engine room, followed by another causing damage to the star-board side toward the back.\n\nIran rejects a U.S. accusation against Tehran over suspected attacks on two oil tankers near the strategic Strait of Hormuz.\n\nIranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif in an early Friday morning tweet called the accusations part of a plot by hawkish politicians in the U.S. and the region.\n\nSecretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday blamed Iran for the attacks and the U.S. military released images it said showed Iranian forces removing an unexploded limpet mine from one of the ships.\n\nZarif tweeted that the United States \"immediately jumped to make allegations against Iran-w/o a shred of factual or circumstantial evidence.\"\n\nHe said the United States was trying to cover up economic terrorism, referring to sanctions the U.S. re-imposed on Iran.\n\nSaudi Arabia says its military intercepted five drones launched by Yemen's Houthi rebels targeting the kingdom.\n\nMilitary spokesman Col. Turki al-Maliki said early Friday that the drones targeted Abha regional airport and Khamis Mushait.\n\nAl-Maliki in a statement carried by the state-run Saudi Press Agency said that the drone attack showed the Houthis were targeting civilian infrastructure in the kingdom.\n\nU.N. experts, the West and Gulf Arab nations say Iran arms the Houthis with weapons. Tehran denies that.\n\nThe kingdom says a similar attack Wednesday on the Abha airport wounded 26 people.\n\nIt is just the latest in a wave of rebel drone and missile attacks targeting the kingdom, which has been mired in a yearslong war in Yemen that has killed an estimated 60,000 people and pushed the Arab world's poorest nation to the brink of famine.\n\nThe development comes as tensions are rising in the Persian Gulf region.\n\nThe U.S. military's Central Command has released a video is says shows Iranian forces removing an unexploded limpet mine from one of the two ships suspected to have been attacked near the Strait of Hormuz.\n\nCapt. Bill Urban, a Central Command spokesman, said a Revolutionary Guard patrol ship removed the limpet mine from the Kokuka Courageous.\n\nIran has denied involvement in Thursday's suspected attacks amid heightened tensions between Iran and the U.S.\n\nUrban said in a statement the attacks \"are a clear threat to international freedom of navigation and freedom of commerce.\"\n\nHe added: \"The United States has no interest in engaging in a new conflict in the Middle East. However, we will defend our interests.\"", "Iranian gunboats reportedly tried to round up the crews of both tankers attacked Thursday in the Gulf of Oman, but were only able to take one crew into custody, according to a Fox News report and U.S. Central Command.\n\nSailors on the Front Altair were reportedly first rescued by the Hyundai Dubai, however, Iranian gunboats closed in and demanded the crew be turned over, U.S. Central Command said in a statement.\n\nThe statement said that aircraft dispatched to the attack site observed “an IRGC (Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps) Hendijan class patrol boat and multiple IRGC fast attack craft/fast inshore attack craft (FAC/FIAC) in the vicinity of the M/T Altair.”\n\nThe statement said that the Iranian craft acted aggressively.\n\n“(T)he Iranians requested that the motor vessel Hyundai Dubai, which had rescued the sailors from the M/T Altair, to turn the crew over to the Iranian FIACs. The motor vessel Hyundai Dubai complied with the request and transferred the crew of the M/T Altair to the Iranian FIACs,” the statement said.\n\nIn the meantime, the statement said 21 sailors from the Kokuka Courageous were picked up by the Coastal Ace, a Dutch tugboat, and then transferred to the destroyer USS Bainbridge.\n\n“While the Hendijan patrol boat appeared to attempt to get to the tug Coastal Ace before USS Bainbridge, the mariners were rescued by USS Bainbridge at the request of the master of the M/T Kokuka Courageous,” the statement said.\n\nThe 23 crew members from the Front Altair are now being held in Iran, Fox News reported.\n\nIran was quick to show an image of what it says is the sailors in good health.\n\nIran’s English-language Press TV showed film and images and said they were in “full health.”\n\n“This video refutes false reports by some media outlets claiming that Iran avoided help the sailors working on the vessel,” Press TV said. It said that of the 23 people in the crew 11 were Russian, 11 Filipino and one Georgian.\n\nIt is unclear when the sailors will leave Iran.\n\nUSS Mason, a guided-missile destroyer, is now patrolling the area of the Gulf of Oman where the attacks took place.\n\nRELATED: US Navy Releases Footage of Tanker Attack Aftermath That Has ‘Iran Written All Over It,’ Trump Says\n\nThe U.S. has blamed Iran for the attacks and on Thursday, released video of what it said was an Iranian vessel removing an unexploded mine from the hull of the Kokuka Courageous.\n\n“You saw the boat. It has Iran written all over it,” President Donald Trump said during an interview Friday on “Fox & Friends.”\n\n“They didn’t want the evidence left behind. They don’t know that we have things that we can detect in the dark that work very well. We have that. It was them that did it,” he said.\n\nIran has denied any role in the attacks.\n\n“Fire has been contained on both tankers … We have sent experts to evaluate whether the crew rescued by Iran can return to (one) tanker,” Allahmorad Afifipour, head of ports in the Iranian province of Hormozgan, said, according to Reuters.\n\nMeanwhile late Thursday, Yutaka Katada, president of Kokuka Sangyo shipping company which owns the Kokuka Courageous, said he doubted a mine caused the damage to his vessel.\n\n“Our crew said that the ship was attacked by a flying object,” he said according to The New York Times.\n\nHe stated that the holes in the ship’s hull were above its waterline.\n\n“There is zero possibility that they were torpedoes,” he said.\n\nWe are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.", "US says video shows Iran removing mine from stricken tanker\n\nDUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The U.S. military released a video Friday it said showed Iran's Revolutionary Guard removing an unexploded limpet mine from one of the oil tankers targeted near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, suggesting Tehran wanted to hide evidence of its alleged involvement.\n\nIran denied any role in Thursday's apparent attacks, which have again roiled the Persian Gulf amid heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington over the unraveling nuclear deal with world powers.\n\nFour other oil tankers off the nearby Emirati port city of Fujairah suffered similar attacks in recent weeks, and Iranian-allied rebels from Yemen have struck U.S. ally Saudi Arabia with drones and missiles.\n\nPresident Donald Trump withdrew America last year from the 2015 nuclear deal that Iran reached with world powers and recently imposed a series of sanctions now squeezing its beleaguered economy and cutting deeply into its oil exports. While Iran maintains it has nothing to do with the recent attacks, its leaders repeatedly have threatened to close the vital Strait of Hormuz, through which 20 percent of the world's oil flows.\n\nIran accused Washington of waging an \"Iranophobic campaign\" against it, while Trump countered that the country was \"a nation of terror.\"\n\n\"Iran did do it,\" he said of the attack, in remarks Friday morning to \"Fox & Friends.\"\n\nThe black-and-white U.S. video of the Iranians alongside the Japanese-owned tanker Kokuka Courageous came after its crew abandoned ship after seeing the undetonated explosive on its hull, said Capt. Bill Urban, a spokesman for the U.S. military's Central Command. It separately shared photos of the vessel, which showed what appeared to be a conical limpet mine against its side.\n\nIn the video, the boat from Iran's paramilitary Revolutionary Guard pulls alongside Kokuka Courageous at 4:10 p.m. Thursday. The Iranians reach up and grab along where the limpet mine could be seen in the photo. They then sail away.\n\nAnalysts say Iran, if involved, wouldn't want investigators to find an unexploded mine because they could check its serial numbers and other attributes to trace it.\n\n\"The U.S. and the international community stand ready to defend our interests, including the freedom of navigation,\" Urban said in a statement. \"The United States has no interest in engaging in a new conflict in the Middle East. However, we will defend our interests.\"\n\nIn a statement from its U.N. mission, Iran accused the U.S. of escalating tensions.\n\n\"The U.S. economic war and terrorism against the Iranian people as well as its massive military presence in the region have been and continue to be the main sources of insecurity and instability in the wider Persian Gulf region and the most significant threat to its peace and security,\" the statement said.\n\nIn Tokyo, the owner of the Kokuka Courageous said its sailors saw \"flying objects\" before the attack, suggesting it wasn't damaged by mines. Company president Yutaka Katada offered no evidence for his claim, which contradicted the U.S. military account.\n\nKatada also said crew members saw an Iranian naval ship nearby, but did not specify whether this was before or after the attacks.\n\nThe suspected attacks occurred at dawn Thursday about 40 kilometers (25 miles) off the southern coast of Iran. The Front Altair, loaded with naphtha from the United Arab Emirates, radioed for help as its cargo of flammable chemicals caught fire. The Kokuka Courageous, carrying methanol from Saudi Arabia and Qatar, called for help a short time later.", "DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — US military's Central Command releases video it says shows Iran removing limpet mine from targeted oil tanker.", "Washington has blamed Iran for a twin attack on tankers in sensitive Gulf waters, releasing grainy footage it said implicates Iranian Revolutionary Guard forces in one of the operations.\n\nThe video, published Thursday on the US Central Command's website, purports to show the crew of an Iranian patrol boat removing an object from the hull of a vessel whose markings appear to match archive footage and pictures of the Japanese-owned tanker Kokuka Courageous.\n\nThe tanker had been transporting methanol from the United Arab Emirates towards the Indian Ocean when it was attacked on Thursday morning, along with the Front Altair, owned by the Oslo-listed company Frontline, after passing through the Strait of Hormuz.\n\nIn the CENTCOM footage, a speedboat carrying between eight and 10 people, apparently wearing life jackets, lies in calm waters alongside a tanker that appears to be the Kokuka Courageous.\n\nIn the very first frames of the video, a person standing on the bow of the speedboat seems to remove a light-coloured object, slightly bigger than a large dinner plate, from the tanker's hull.\n\n\"An IRGC Gashti Class patrol boat approached the M/T Kokuka Courageous and was observed and recorded removing (an) unexploded limpet mine,\" CENTCOM said in its description of the footage.\n\nAnother shot, slightly zoomed out, shows the speedboat, between 10-15 metres (30-50 feet) long, backing away from the larger vessel.\n\nAgain, the markings, railings and pipes on the tanker appear to match archive AFP footage of the Kokuka Courageous.\n\nAs the shot pans away, tracking the reversing patrol boat, a dark patch can be seen further back on the tanker's hull, just above the waterline.\n\nThis seems to match damage shown in a handout powerpoint slide separately released by the US military.\n\nAnother close-up of the smaller boat shows what appears to be a machine gun, mounted in front of a small wheelhouse.\n\n- 'Iran did do it' -\n\nCENTCOM did not say how the footage was taken, but it was apparently shot from the air.\n\nThe operators of the Kokuka Courageous, citing eyewitness reports from the ship's crew, have said it was hit by a \"flying object\" before suffering a second blast on board.\n\nThe US navy said 21 crew members had abandoned ship after \"discovering a probable unexploded limpet mine on their hull following an initial explosion\".\n\nIt said they were picked up by a Dutch tugboat then transferred to the USS Bainbridge.\n\nAnalyst Ali Ansari, an Iran expert at Scotland's University of St Andrews and a senior associate at the Royal United Services Institute, warned against jumping to conclusions over the video.\n\n\"The situation is particularly febrile and the consequences will be significant so we should not rush to judgement,\" he said.\n\nJean-Pierre Maulnay, deputy head of the Paris-based Iris think tank, called the video \"useless\".\n\nHe said the figures on the patrol boat appeared to remove something from the tanker's hull, but \"we don't know what it is and it's impossible to confirm\".\n\nIran has dismissed as \"baseless\" US accusations it executed the twin attacks.\n\nIranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted that the US had \"immediately jumped to make allegations against Iran without a shred of factual or circumstantial evidence\".\n\nBut US President Trump was adamant that \"Iran did do it\".\n\n\"You saw the boat at night, successfully trying to take the mine off -- and that was exposed,\" he told Fox News television on Friday, after the video was released.\n\nCENTCOM said the video had been taken at 4.10 pm local time.", "The US military has released a video it said showed Iran’s Revolutionary Guard removing an unexploded limpet mine from one of the oil tankers targeted near the Strait of Hormuz.\n\nThe US Navy rushed to assist the stricken vessels in the Gulf of Oman off the coast of Iran, including one that was set ablaze on Thursday by an explosion.\n\nThe ships’ operators offered no immediate explanation on who or what caused the damage against the Norwegian-owned MT Front Altair and the Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous.\n\nEach was loaded with petroleum products, and the Front Altair burned for hours, sending up a column of thick black smoke.\n\nIran has denied being involved in the attack, calling it an “unfounded claim” in the US’s “Iranophobic campaign”.\n\nHowever, Iran previously used mines against oil tankers in 1987 and 1988 in the Tanker War, when the US Navy escorted ships through the region.\n\nThe black-and-white footage, as well as still photographs released by the US military’s Central Command, appeared to show the limpet mine on the Kokuka Courageous.\n\nA Revolutionary Guard patrol boat pulled alongside the ship and removed the mine, Central Command spokesman Captain Bill Urban said.\n\n“The US and the international community stand ready to defend our interests, including the freedom of navigation,” Capt Urban said.\n\n“The United States has no interest in engaging in a new conflict in the Middle East. However, we will defend our interests.”\n\nIran earlier denied involvement in a statement from its mission to the United Nations.\n\n“The US economic war and terrorism against the Iranian people as well as its massive military presence in the region have been and continue to be the main sources of insecurity and instability in the wider Persian Gulf region and the most significant threat to its peace and security,” the statement said.\n\nThe suspected attacks occurred at dawn on Thursday about 25 miles off the southern coast of Iran.\n\nThe Front Altair, loaded with the flammable hydrocarbon mixture naphtha from the United Arab Emirates, radioed for help as it caught fire.\n\nA short time later, the Kokuka Courageous, loaded with methanol from Saudi Arabia and Qatar, also called for help.\n\nThe US Navy sent a destroyer, the USS Bainbridge, to assist, said Commander Joshua Frey, a 5th Fleet spokesman. He described the ships as being hit in a “reported attack”.\n\nThursday’s attack resembled another in May that targeted four oil tankers off the nearby Emirati port of Fujairah.\n\nUS officials similarly accused Iran of targeting the ships with limpet mines, which are magnetic and attach to the hulls of a ship. The mines disable but do not sink a vessel.", "\n• An oil tanker is on fire after it was hit by apparent attacks in the Gulf of Oman.\n• A tanker owned by Norwegian company Frontline is on fire and the company that chartered the ship said it is “suspected of being hit by a torpedo,” but Frontline said that the crew is safe.\n• A second tanker, also damaged in a “suspected attack,” has been evacuated, with one person injured.\n• The US and UK Navies are responding to the incidents in the waters off Iran, an important oil-carrying route that has seen tensions between Iran and US tankers.\n\nA photo shows an oil tanker on fire off the coast of Iran after two oil tankers in the region were hit by unexplained attacks.\n\nThe image, published by Iranian state media, shows the burning Front Altair, a tanker owned by Norwegian company Frontline that has now been evacuated.\n\nFrontline told Reuters on Thursday that the shop was on fire but that its crew had been rescued. It denied reports that the ship sank.\n\nTaiwan’s state oil refiner CPC, which had chartered the ship, said that it was “suspected of being hit by a torpedo.”\n\nBernhard Schulte Shipmanagement also told Reuters that a second tanker, the Kokuka Courageous was damaged, in a “suspected attack.”\n\nThe company said in a statement said that the 21 crew members “abandoned ship” after the ship’s hull was damaged. One cew member was “slightly injured,” it said.\n\nRead more: Oil is surging after a suspected torpedo attack on 2 tankers in the Gulf of Oman\n\nIt said that the ship, which is 14 nautical miles from Iran’s coast, is “remains in the area and is not in any danger of sinking.” The methanol it was transporting, which is a flammable substance, is “intact,” it said.\n\nThe company said it has “launched a full-scale emergency response.”\n\nA US Navy fleet said it was aware of a “reported attack” on the vessells after it recieved two separate distress calls. It said its ships are “in the area and rendering assistance.” Reuters reported that a part of the UK’s Royal Navy said it was investigating.\n\nOil prices are rising after the incident.\n\nA source told Reuters that the Bernhard Schulte tanker may have been hit by a mine.\n\nThe US claimed earlier in June that Iran attacked four oil tankers with limpet mines, but Iran denies the charge.\n\nThe Gulf of Oman leads to the Strait of Hormuz, which is shared by Iran and Oman and where a third of the world’s oil passes through.\n\nUS ships travel through the area, though Iran has threatened to close it off and tensions have flared between the two countries with reports that oil tankers are being targeted."], "summary": "The president of the Japanese shipping company offers a different account of the attack than that provided by the United States. Yutaka Katada says the Filipino crew of the Kokuka Courageous oil tanker said their vessel was apparently first hit by an artillery shell rather than a mine. The United States said the tanker was attacked by limpet mines and released a video it says shows Iranian special forces removing an unexploded mine from the oil tanker's side."}
{"document": ["(Hatha al-Youm | Iraq News )- A Japanese tanker, one of two vessels attacked in sensitiveGulf waters this week, was heading to port Saturday, its owners said.The United Arab Emirates called on world powers \"tosecure international navigation and access to energy\" after the incidentThursday, which sent crude prices soaring amid a tense standoff between Iranand the US.The Kokuka Courageous was carrying highly flammable methanolthrough the Gulf of Oman when was rocked by explosions, causing a blaze thatwas quickly extinguished.US President Donald Trump said the twin attack, which alsotargeted a tanker owned by Oslo-listed company Frontline, had Iran\"written all over it\".He was speaking hours after the US military released grainyfootage it said showed an Iranian patrol boat removing an \"unexplodedlimpet mine\" from one of the tankers.Iran has repeatedly threatened to block the Strait of Hormuz, anarrow seaway vital to the world's oil supplies, in the case of a conflict withthe US.But the UAE's Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed AlNahyan, whose country is bitterly opposed to Iranian influence in the region,called Saturday for a de-escalation in tensions.\"We remain hopeful in attaining a broader framework forcooperation with Iran,\" he said at a summit in Bulgaria.Acting US Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said an\"international consensus\" was needed to resolve the situation.The Japanese tanker's Tokyo-based operator Kokuka confirmedSaturday the vessel was heading to port in the United Arab Emirates.\"We still don't know if the tanker goes to Khor Fakkanor Fujairah as they are very close,\" said a spokesman, referring to twoEmirati ports on the Gulf of Oman.Maritime experts would then seek to transfer its highlyflammable cargo to shore, according to an unnamed official quoted by Japanesestate media.\"From a viewpoint of global energy security, it isnecessary for the international community to jointly deal with the act,\"said Japanese Trade Minister Hiroshige Seko at a G20 energy and environmentmeeting in Japan on Saturday.The other ship which came under attack, theNorwegian-operated Front Altair, was being towed away from Iranian waters andwould undergo a damage assessment later Saturday, said a spokeswoman for itsoperator.\"The 23 crew members of the 'Front Altair' remain safeand well, with plans being made for their repatriation soonest,\" sheadded.'Allegations against Iran'Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted thatthe US had \"immediately jumped to make allegations against Iran without ashred of factual or circumstantial evidence.\"The United States has also accused Iran over May 12 sabotageattacks on four tankers anchored in the Gulf of Oman off Fujairah.UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for anindependent investigation.\"It's very important to know the truth (and) thatresponsibilities are clarified,\" he told reporters at UN headquarters inNew York.\"Obviously that can only be done if there is anindependent entity that verifies those facts.\"The oil tankers hit Thursday morning were 10 nautical milesapart and headed to Asia when they were struck by explosions after passingthrough the Strait of Hormuz, some 25 nautical miles off Iran's southern coast.The Front Altair was carrying naphtha, a refined petroleumproduct, when it was hit by three explosions, according to Norwegian officials.Blocking the Strait of Hormuz would be a relativelylow-tech, high-impact countermeasure Iran could take against any attack by theUnited States, and would severely disrupt global oil supplies.But Trump played down the threat.\"It's not going to be closed, it's not going to beclosed for long and they know it. They've been told in very strong terms,\"he said.", "(CNN) The attack on two tankers in a vital Gulf of Oman waterway Thursday comes at a time of heightened tensions between the United States and Iran in the oil-rich region and raises concerns of a potential conflict in the Middle East.\n\nUS Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was quick to point the finger at Iran, saying his assessment was \"based on intelligence.\" While Iran denied involvement, the US military on Thursday released a video that it said showed an Iranian navy boat removing an unexploded mine attached to the hull of one of the tankers in an apparent attempt to recover evidence of its participation.\n\nOn Friday, however, the Japanese shipping company that owns one of the tankers said it did not believe its ship was attacked by a mine.\n\nThe incident bears similarities to an attack on May 12 when four oil tankers were targeted off the coast of the United Arab Emirates in the Gulf of Oman.\n\nLike Thursday's attack, that incident took place near the Strait of Hormuz , a vital shipping route that has been the focal point of regional tensions for decades. About 30% of the world's sea-borne crude oil passes through the strategic choke point, making it a flashpoint for political and economic friction.\n\nHere's how the attacks played out.\n\nOn May 12, four commercial oil tankers were targeted near the strategic Emirati port of Fujairah in the Gulf of Oman, in what the UAE described as a \"sabotage attack.\"\n\nOne was flying a UAE flag, and another the Norwegian flag. The other two were owned by Saudi Arabia, which described the incident as a threat to the security of global oil supplies.\n\nThe UAE, Saudi Arabia and Norway told the United Nations Security Council that there were \"strong indications that the four attacks were part of a sophisticated and coordinated operation carried out with significant operational capacity.\"\n\nDiplomats said the assessment of the damage to the four vessels and chemical analysis of the debris recovered revealed \"it was highly likely that limpet mines were deployed.\"\n\nIn a printed statement describing the conclusions, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Norway said the attacks required trained divers and explosive charges placed under the waterline, near the engines so as to not sink the ships or detonate their cargoes, which indicated a knowledge of the design of the targeted ships. The countries say rapid withdrawal of the plotters by fast boats indicated understanding of the geographic area.\n\nThe Norwegian Maritime Agency said that three explosions were reported on board the Marshall Islands-flagged Front Altair oil tanker, which is owned by the Bermuda-based Norwegian company Frontline. The company said that a fire broke out after an explosion and that the cause of the blast was unclear.\n\nA second vessel, the Japanese-owned chemical tanker Kokura Courageous, was \"attacked\" twice \"with some sort of shell,\" the ship's co-manager, Michio Yuube, said.\n\nThe vessels were hit \"at or below the waterline, in close proximity to the engine room,\" said the International Association of Independent Tanker Owners (Intertanko).\n\n\"These appeared to be well-planned and coordinated\" attacks, it added.\n\nAll 21 Philippine crew members on the Kokura Courageous were evacuated, Yuube said. The ship's Singapore-based management company, BSM, said a sailor was injured and the vessel had suffered damage to its hull.\n\nThe USS Bainbridge was nearby when the incident happened and a tug ferried crew members of the Kokuka Courageous to it. Images released by the US Central Command showed crew from the Bainbridge assisting the sailors following their rescue.\n\nThe 23 crew members of the Front Altair were picked up by a South Korean cargo ship, the Hyundai Dubai, which responded to their distress call.\n\nAccording to a Hyundai Merchant Marine official, the ship's captain said in an official report that he heard three explosions prior to the Front Altair's distress call. He went outside to the dock and saw the ship was on fire. Two sailors approached the Norwegian tanker on a lifeboat and rescued the 23 crew, bringing them to the Hyundai Dubai, which has now docked in Abu Dhabi.\n\nOn Friday, the Japanese shipping company that owns the chemical tanker Kokuka Courageous said it did not believe the ship was attacked by a mine.\n\nIn a press conference Friday in Tokyo, the president of Kokuka Sangyo Marine, Yutaka Katada, said he believed \"there is no possibility of mine attack as the attack is well above the naval line.\"\n\nAccording to Katada, a crew member said the second attack came from a flying shell.\n\nKatada said that all crew members were now back on board the tanker, which is currently tagged to the UAE city of Khor Fakkan, and were working to get electricity fully up and running.\n\n\"It is the assessment by the United States government that the Islamic Republic of Iran is responsible for the attacks that occurred in the Gulf of Oman today,\" Pompeo said in specially scheduled remarks at the State Department Thursday, as investigations into the attacks were beginning.\n\n\"This assessment is based on intelligence, the weapons used, the level of expertise needed to execute the operation, recent similar Iranian attacks on shipping, and the fact that no proxy group operating in the area has the resources and proficiency to act with such a high degree of sophistication.\"\n\nIn the video, a smaller boat is shown coming up to the side of the tanker. An individual stands up on the bow of the boat and can be seen removing an object from the tanker's hull. The US says that object is likely an unexploded mine.\n\nAnother official told CNN that multiple Iranian small boats had entered the area where the Bainbridge continued to be on the scene, prompting US Central Command to issue a statement saying, \"No interference with USS Bainbridge, or its mission, will be tolerated.\"\n\nSaudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir told CNN's Wolf Blitzer that the Saudis \"have no reason to disagree\" with Pompeo's comments blaming Iran for being behind Thursday's attacks, saying \"Iran has a history of doing this.\"\n\nIran Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said \"suspicious doesn't begin to describe\" this latest incident, noting that one of the tankers is Japanese owned and the attack took place as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was visiting Iran in an effort to calm tensions between Washington and Tehran.\n\nAlireza Miryousefi, a spokesman for the Iranian mission, tweeted a statement saying Iran \"categorically rejects the US unfounded claim\" that Iran is behind the attacks and \"condemns it in the strongest possible terms.\"\n\nHe added that Iran \"expresses concern\" over the \"suspicious incidents.\" And he called it \"ironic\" that the US, which withdrew from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action nuclear deal with Iran, was now calling Iran to come back for negotiations and diplomacy.\n\nThe UN Security Council privately discussed the latest on the attack but declined to produce any formal reaction.", "Two “flying objects” damaged a Japanese tanker in a suspected attack on Thursday in the Gulf of Oman, but there was no damage to the cargo of methanol, the president of the shipping company said on Friday.\n\nThe Kokuka Courageous was sailing toward the port of Khor Fakkan in the United Arab Emirates after the crew, which had evacuated after the incident, returned, President Yutaka Katada of Kokuka Sangyo told a press conference. It was being escorted by the U.S. Navy, he said.\n\n“The crew told us something came flying at the ship, and they found a hole,” Katada said. “Then some crew witnessed the second shot.”\n\nKatada said there was no possibility that the ship, carrying 25,000 tons of methanol, was hit by a torpedo.\n\nThe crew saw an Iranian military ship in the vicinity on Thursday night Japan time, Katada said.\n\nThe United States blamed Iran for attacking the Kokuka Courageous and another tanker, the Norwegian-owned Front Altair, on Thursday, but Tehran denied the allegations.\n\nJapanese Industry Minister Hiroshige Seko said on Friday that the incidents will be discussed at a meeting of G20 energy and environment ministers this weekend.\n\nSeko declined to comment on American officials blaming Iran, saying Japan is still investigating the incident, which occurred while Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was in Tehran trying to help ease rising tensions between the United States and Iran.", "The United States on Friday blamed Iran for attacks on two oil tankers at the entrance to the Gulf, and said it was seeking international consensus about the threat to shipping, despite Teheran denying involvement in the explosions at sea.\n\n[WASHINGTON] The United States on Friday blamed Iran for attacks on two oil tankers at the entrance to the Gulf, and said it was seeking international consensus about the threat to shipping, despite Teheran denying involvement in the explosions at sea.\n\nThursday's attacks raised fears of a confrontation in the vital oil shipping route at a time of increased tension between Iran and the United States over US sanctions and military moves in the Middle East, Teheran's proxy groups in the region and its nuclear programme.\n\n\"Iran did do it and you know they did it because you saw the boat,\" US President Donald Trump told Fox News.\n\nHe was referring to a video released on Thursday by the US military which said it showed Iran's Revolutionary Guards were behind the blasts that struck the Norwegian-owned Front Altair and the Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous in the Gulf of Oman, at the mouth of the Gulf.\n\nIran said the video proved nothing and that it was being made into a scapegoat.\n\n\"These accusations are alarming,\" Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said.\n\nIran has dismissed earlier US charges that it was behind the attacks and has accused the United States and its regional allies such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates of \"warmongering\" by making accusations against it.\n\nLast month, the United States sharply tightened economic sanctions that are damaging the economy of Iran, which in response has threatened to step up its nuclear activity.\n\nTeheran has said it could block the Strait of Hormuz, the main route out for Middle Eastern oil, if its own exports were halted.\n\nMr Trump, who last year pulled the United States out of an agreement between world powers and Teheran to curb Iran's nuclear programme in exchange for some sanctions relief, said any move to close the Strait of Hormuz would not last long but added that he was open to negotiations with Iran.\n\nIran has repeatedly said it will not re-enter talks with the United States unless it reverses Mr Trump's decision to withdraw from the 2015 nuclear deal.\n\nTeheran and Washington have both said they have no interest in starting a war. But this has done little to assuage concerns that the two arch foes could stumble into a conflict.\n\nMr Trump's administration is focused on building international consensus following the attacks, US Defence Secretary Patrick Shanahan said.\n\nAsked whether he was considering sending more troops or military capabilities to the Middle East, Mr Shanahan said: \"As you know we're always planning various contingencies.\"\n\nBut he emphasised the issue of building consensus.\n\n\"When you look at the situation, a Norwegian ship, a Japanese ship, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, 15 per cent of the world's oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz,\" he said.\n\n\"So we obviously need to make contingency plans should the situation deteriorate. We also need to broaden our support for this international situation,\" he told reporters.\n\nOil prices rose about 1 per cent on Friday, reflecting the jitters. Insurance costs for ships sailing through the Middle East have jumped by at least 10 per cent after the attacks, ship insurers said.\n\nUN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for an independent investigation of the attacks.\n\nThe tanker attacks took place while Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan - a big buyer of Iranian oil until it was forced by the new US sanctions to stop - was visiting Teheran on a peacemaking mission, bringing a message from Mr Trump.\n\nIran dismissed Mr Trump's message, details of which were not made public.\n\n\"I do not see Trump as worthy of any message exchange, and I do not have any reply for him, now or in future,\" Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said.\n\nWashington has also blamed Iran or its proxies for attacks on May 12 that crippled four oil tankers in the same area, and has said Teheran was behind May 14 drone strikes on two Saudi oil-pumping stations. Teheran has denied all those charges.\n\nThe US military said black-and-white footage it filmed from a US aircraft showed Iran's Guards on a patrol boat drawing up to the Kokuka Courageous and removing an unexploded limpet mine from its hull.\n\nThe Japanese-owned tanker, abandoned by its crew, was being towed to a port in the United Arab Emirates on Friday, after a Dutch firm said it had been appointed to salvage the ships.\n\nThe second tanker, the Front Altair, which was set ablaze by a blast, was still languishing at sea, although the fire that had charred the hull had been put out.\n\nIranian military fast-boats in the Gulf of Oman were preventing two privately owned tug boats from towing away the Front Altair, a US official said on Friday.\n\nChina, the European Union and others have called for restraint from all sides. In a notable signal that close US allies are wary of Washington's position, Germany said the US video was not enough to apportion blame for Thursday's attack.\n\nBut British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt differed, saying no other state or non-state actor could have been responsible.\n\nLast month, Washington scrapped waivers that had allowed some countries to continue importing Iranian oil, effectively ordering all countries to blacklist Iran or face sanctions themselves.\n\nIran's crude exports fell to about 400,000 barrels per day (bpd) in May, starving Iran's economy of its main source of revenue.\n\nIran says it is still abiding by the terms of the nuclear deal, but cannot do so indefinitely unless it receives some of the economic benefits that were promised.\n\nThere have been conflicting accounts of the cause of Thursday's blasts. An initial report that Kokuka Courageous was struck by a torpedo was dismissed by a source familiar with the issue. The owner of the tanker, which carried methanol, later said it was hit by two \"flying objects\".\n\nIranian TV showed 23 crew in Iran believed to be from Front Altair on Friday, and said its experts would assess whether they could return to the ship. The crew from Kokuka Courageous were picked up and handed to a US Navy ship on Thursday.", "TOKYO (Reuters) - Two “flying objects” damaged a Japanese tanker owned by Kokuka Sangyo Co in an attack on Thursday in the Gulf of Oman, but there was no damage to the cargo of methanol, the company president said on Friday.\n\nThe Kokuka Courageous is now sailing toward the port of Khor Fakkan in the United Arab Emirates, with the crew having returned to the ship after evacuating because of the incident, Kokuka President Yutaka Katada told a press conference. It was being escorted by the U.S. Navy, he said.\n\n“The crew told us something came flying at the ship, and they found a hole,” Katada said. “Then some crew witnessed the second shot.”\n\nKatada said there was no possibility that the ship, carrying 25,000 tons of methanol, was hit by a torpedo.\n\nThe United States has blamed Iran for attacking the Kokuka Courageous and another tanker, the Norwegian-owned Front Altair, on Thursday, but Tehran has denied the allegations.\n\nThe ship’s crew saw an Iranian military ship in the vicinity on Thursday night Japan time, Katada said.\n\nKatada said he did not believe Kokuka Courageous was targeted because it was owned by a Japanese firm. The tanker is registered in Panama and was flying a Panamanian flag, he said.\n\n“Unless very carefully examined, it would be hard to tell the tanker was operated or owned by Japanese,” he said.\n\nThe tanker was attacked near the Strait of Hormuz, a major strategic waterway through which about one-fifth of global oil consumption passes on its way from Middle Eastern producers including Saudi Arabia, Iraq, the UAE and Kuwait as well as Iran.\n\n“This strait is very crucial. Without this route we can not transport gasoline and heavy oil to Japan,” Katada said.\n\n“Unless another major incident occurs, as long as we get approval from our crew, we will continue operating our tankers via this route to Saudi Arabia.”\n\nJapanese Industry Minister Hiroshige Seko said on Friday that the incidents will be discussed at a meeting of G20 energy and environment ministers this weekend.\n\nSeko declined to comment on American officials blaming Iran, saying Japan is still investigating the incident, which occurred while Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was in Tehran trying to help ease rising tensions between the United States and Iran.", "Thursday morning's attacks against two tankers carrying \"Japan-related cargo\" 14 nautical miles off Iran's coast, coming amid the second day of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's conciliatory visit to Tehran, have ratcheted up fears over the security of precious cargo making its way through the narrow waterways connecting the vast energy wealth of the Middle East's energy powers to the rest of the world.\n\nThe Persian Gulf and the adjacent Gulf of Oman, linked by the Strait of Hormuz, sees the equivalent of between 17-18 million of barrels of oil transported through its waters each day, with these supplies, destined mainly for Asia, accounting for 35 percent of the world's seaborne crude oil supplies.\n\nGiven these waters' strategic significance, any disturbance in the area, whether in the form of tensions between competing powers, accidents, or events such as Thursday's tanker sabotage, can have an immediate and drastic impact on the global economy. On Thursday, oil futures spiked over 4 percent over the news of the incident in the Gulf. \"This is the kind of nightmare headline that you don't necessarily want to wake up to,\" Again Capital energy hedge fund manager John Kilduff told CNBC's Squawk Box this morning.\n\nAmid the chaos, and the back-and-forth allegations about who is responsible, some observers have suggested that the fears over the acts of sabotage, when combined with reactions to the attacks against four tankers off the Emirati coast in mid-May, were reminiscent of the 1980s 'Tanker War' during the wider Iran-Iraq War of 1980-1988.\n\nAccording to the US Naval Institute, during that war some 451 ships, 259 of them tankers, were subject to Iraqi and Iranian air and naval attacks, with ships from over three dozen nations targeted.\n\nIran, Liberia, Panama and Cyprus-flagged ships were the most commonly attacked, although by 1987 the violence grew increasingly desperate and indiscriminate, with belligerents even attempting to strike ships belonging to the United States and the Soviet Union, the world's two superpowers.\n\nThroughout the campaign, Iraq was responsible for about 59 percent of the attacks, with Iranian forces responsible for the remainder. Baghdad started the tanker conflict, with Saddam Hussein supposedly hoping that Tehran would respond to the sinking of its ships by trying to close the Strait of Hormuz to all maritime traffic and bring about US intervention. Iran did not bite, but did begin retaliating heavily by 1984.\n\nAttacks began to decline when warships from the US, the UK and the USSR started accompanying all vessels making their way through the Persian Gulf in 1987, and stopped completely after the war ended in 1988.\n\nIn total, some 340 ships were damaged, 259 of them tankers. 116 civilian sailors were killed in the violence, with 37 more reported wounded, according to US Naval Institute figures. Lloyd's of London has given a higher estimate of the losses, estimating that a total of 546 commercial vessels were damaged or sunk, and 430 civilian sailors killed.\n\nThe figures do not account for the July 3, 1988 US shoot down of an Iranian passenger plane with 290 civilians onboard, which took place after a US Navy ship on duty in the Gulf fired a missile at what it thought at the time to be an Iranian warplane.\n\nThe death and destruction caused during the 'Tanker War' was just a small portion of that caused by the wider Iran-Iraq War, which claimed the lives of an estimated half a million Iraqi and Iranian soldiers and tens of thousands of civilians, and caused over a trillion dollars in damage and economic losses. The war ended in a stalemate.\n\nDespite the campaign of attacks against the commercial ships, some historians believe that the Tanker War did little overall damage to the Gulf's regional energy powers, with even less of an impact observed on global oil prices.", "\n• New photos and video show the aftermath of an alleged torpedo attack on an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman.\n• The oil tanker was evacuated on Thursday after catching fire. The company which chartered the ship said they believe it was hit by a torpedo.\n• The ship was one of two that was allegedly attacked. Both have been evacuated.\n• The photos show the ship on fire and covered in ash, with smoke billowing into the sky.\n\nPhotos and video of the aftermath of an alleged torpedo attack show flames, ash, and charring on an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman.\n\nThe imagery shows the Front Altair, a tanker owned by the Norwegian company Frontline.\n\nIt is not clear exactly what happened to leave the tanker so badly damaged. It had been chartered by Taiwan’s state oil refining company, CPC, which said the ship was “suspected of being hit by a torpedo.”\n\nPress TV, a broadcaster funded by the government of Iran, posted aerial footage of the fire to Twitter on Thursday afternoon.\n\nStill images, credited to Iran’s ISNA news agency and distributed by the Associated Press, show the now-abandoned ship in flames. Its crew was evacuated after the incident began.\n\nAround half of its starboard side can be seen with fire damage. Its bridge, usually white, was blackened on one side. According to the Reuters news agency, the ship was carrying 75,000 tonnes of petrochemicals.\n\nUndated archive photos of the ship shared by Frontline show how the ship looked before the alleged attack:\n\nThis photo shows the fire from another angle:\n\nThe ship is one of two that was allegedly attacked in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday.\n\nAn anonymous US defense official told CBS News that it was “highly likely Iran caused these attacks.”\n\nRead more: Oil is surging after a suspected torpedo attack on 2 tankers in the Gulf of Oman\n\nThe second ship was the Kokuka Courageous, operated by Bernhard Schulte Shipmanagement. It was also evacuated. The company said that the hull was damaged and one crew member was “slightly injured.”\n\nThe ship’s manager told Reuters the ship was damaged in a “suspected attack.”\n\nThe incidents have caused the price of oil to surge as the ships were in a significant oil transportation route that has seen increased tensions between US tankers and Iran.\n\nThe US last month accused Iran of attacking its oil tankers in the region, but Iran denies any involvement.\n\nRead the full story of the apparent attacks here.", "BEIJING (Reuters) - China’s foreign ministry said on Friday that all sides should exercise restraint following attacks on oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman.\n\nNobody wanted to see war in the Gulf and China hoped all sides could resolve differences through dialogue, a spokesman for the ministry said.\n\nThe United States blamed Iran for attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday that drove up oil prices and raised concerns about a new U.S.-Iranian confrontation, though Tehran has denied the allegation.", "The United States called Thursday for the UN Security Council to confront a \"clear threat\" posed by Tehran, after Washington said Iran was behind an attack on oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman.\n\nThe council met behind closed doors to hear US acting Ambassador Jonathan Cohen present a briefing on Washington's assessment that Iran was responsible for the suspected attack on two tankers in the strategic sea lane.\n\nThe attacks, which came a month after a similar incident targeting four tankers off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, \"demonstrate the clear threat that Iran poses to international peace and security,\" Cohen said.\n\n\"I've asked the Security Council to remain seized of the matter and I expect that we will have further conversations about it and how to respond in the days ahead,\" he added.\n\nIran's mission to the United Nations responded in a statement that it was US sanctions and its military buildup in the Gulf that was \"the most significant threat to peace and security\" in the region.\n\nWashington's assessment that Iran was the culprit was not shared by other council members, who noted that there was no clear evidence linking Tehran to the attacks, diplomats said.\n\n\"We would like to know who was behind this incident,\" he told reporters after the meeting.\n\nINVESTIGATION\n\nThe latest incident came amid spiralling tensions between Tehran and Washington, which has pointed the finger at Iran over earlier tanker attacks in May.\n\n\"If there is something the world cannot afford, it is a major confrontation in the Gulf region,\" he told an earlier council meeting on UN cooperation with the Arab League.\n\nThe Norwegian Maritime Authority said three explosions were reported Thursday on board the Norwegian-owned tanker Front Altair after it was \"attacked,\" along with the Japanese-owned ship Kokuka Courageous.\n\nOn May 12, four oil tankers -- two Saudi, one Norwegian and one Emirati -- were damaged in still unexplained attacks in the Gulf of Oman off the United Arab Emirates.\n\nThe UAE last week said initial findings of its investigation pointed to the likelihood that a \"state actor\" was behind the bombings, but did not specifically blame Iran.\n\nThese showed that it was \"highly likely\" that four Limpet mines, which are magnetically attached to a ship's hull, were used in the attacks, placed by trained divers deployed from fast boats.", "DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Crew members of oil tanker Front Altair that was attacked in Gulf of Oman land in Dubai after 2 days in Iran. ."], "summary": "A U.S. official says Iranian Navy gunboats are preventing the damaged Norwegian-owned Front Altair oil tanker from being towed away by two private tugboats in the Gulf of Oman."}
{"document": ["BEIRUT — Explosions aboard a pair of oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman Thursday heightened regional tensions with Iran in an already volatile showdown with Washington and sent energy prices soaring in jittery global markets.\n\nU.S. Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo quickly blamed Tehran for what he called “a blatant assault” and cited the action as the “terror, bloodshed and extortion” that is part of Iranian strategy.\n\nThe apparent attacks, a month after four other tankers were damaged in mine explosions that the Trump administration also blamed on Iran — without providing evidence — sharply raised fears in the strategically important region that Washington might use such incidents to punish the Islamic Republic even without ironclad proof of its involvement.\n\nPompeo told reporters in Washington that the assessment was based on U.S. intelligence, the type of weapons used, the level of expertise needed and that none of Iran’s proxy groups, which operate in countries across the region, had the resources to carry out an apparent attack like Thursday’s.\n\n“These attacks are a threat to international peace and security, a blatant assault on the freedom of navigation, and an unacceptable escalation of tension by Iran,” Pompeo said.\n\nHe did not elaborate, offer details or take questions in his brief appearance before reporters at the State Department.\n\nU.S. military officials said later there was evidence the Iranians carried out the attacks using mines.\n\nTo bolster that claim, late Thursday the military released video taken by a Navy surveillance plane that it said showed a crew from an Iranian patrol boat removing an unexploded mine from the hull of the Kokura Courageous 10 hours after the ship was stricken by an explosion.\n\nThe grainy black and white video shows a small boat alongside the tanker. Several crew members are seen near the bow as one pulls a small object off the hull.\n\nAt 4:10 p.m. a patrol boat from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps approached the Kokura Courageous and “was observed and recorded removing the unexploded limpet mine,” said the statement by Capt. Bill Urban, a spokesman for U.S. Central Command.\n\nA limpet mine is a naval weapon that attaches to a ship with magnets.\n\nUrban said the U.S. also observed Iranian small boats swarmed around the other damaged tanker, the Front Altair, demanding that the ship’s crew, who had been rescued by another vessel, be turned over to them.\n\nThe rescuers, from a ship called the Hyundai Dubai, “complied with the request and transferred the crew” to the Iranians, Urban said.\n\nHours earlier, dozens of crew members were rescued after explosions on the Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous and the Front Altair, owned by Norway. Iran has denied any connection with the incident.\n\nThe suspected attack on a Japanese-owned vessel came less than a day after Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe made a rare conciliatory visit to Tehran seeking dialogue.\n\nThe United States and its Persian Gulf allies, led by Saudi Arabia, have mounted a steady campaign of diplomatic isolation and economic punishment of Iran, which they blame for militancy in the Middle East.\n\nPompeo said he was instructing U.S. envoys to stress the issue in a Security Council meeting, while the United Nations’ top diplomat separately urged a return to calm.\n\n“I strongly condemn any attack against civilian vessels. Facts must be established, and responsibilities clarified,” said U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in a Security Council meeting on cooperation with the Arab League.\n\n“If there is something the world cannot afford, it is a major confrontation in the Gulf region,” Guterres said.\n\nAhmed Aboul Gheit, the Arab League’s secretary-general, warned there were sides seeking to “inflame the region, and practice a kind of dangerous blackmail of the international community.”\n\nThe Egyptian also called upon the U.N. Security Council to confront whoever is behind the suspected attack so the perpetrator could face “all legal responsibility.”\n\nOn Thursday morning, the Front Altair and the Kokuka Courageous were sailing in international waters in the Gulf of Oman when they suffered apparent attacks about 25 miles off the southern coast of Iran that led to explosions on board.\n\nThe Front Altair reported three detonations, according to a statement Thursday from the Norwegian Maritime Authority. It was not clear what caused the blasts, but they were serious enough to cause a major fire.\n\nImages depicted the Front Altair engulfed in a 15-mile plume of smoke that was captured by NASA satellites; later pictures showed more than a third of the deck scorched, and a video showed a raging fire in the ship’s center.\n\nThe crews — 23 on the Front Altair and 21 on the Kokuka Courageous — were forced to abandon their ships, but had been evacuated and were safe, according to press statements by the vessels’ owners.\n\nThe U.S. Navy, according to a statement released by U.S. Central Command, had rescued the 21 mariners from the Japanese vessel.\n\nIran earlier had said that it had rescued all 44 of the ships’ crew members.\n\nSailors aboard the Bainbridge, the U.S. Navy destroyer that went to assist the Kokuka Courageous, saw a device that appeared to be an unexploded mine above the waterline on the hull of the tanker and photographed it, a U.S. official said.\n\nAfter the captain of the Kokuka Courageous was alerted to the device, he ordered the crew to abandon the damaged ship, a U.S. official said.\n\nPossible use of naval mines to attack the tankers was one piece of information that led U.S. intelligence agencies to reach a preliminary conclusion that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps was responsible for the alleged attacks, one of the officials said.\n\nLast month, Trump administration officials blamed Iran for suspected attacks that damaged four oil tankers off the United Arab Emirates, citing undisclosed evidence that the Revolutionary Guard carried out the attacks using limpet mines.\n\nU.S. national security adviser John Bolton has promised to provide evidence to the Security Council proving Iran’s culpability, but has yet to do so.\n\nRegardless of who was behind Thursday’s suspected attacks, they triggered a 3 percent increase in world energy prices.\n\nThe explosions occurred near the Strait of Hormuz, which serves as a crucial passageway for much of the oil from Gulf states. At its narrowest it measures a mere 21 nautical miles, yet in 2016 it ushered through some 18.5 million barrels of oil per day, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.\n\nThose numbers make it an important choke point; any conflict there would have a staggering effect on trade.\n\nWhile details of Thursday’s suspected attacks were not clear, said the Norwegian Maritime Authority, it urged Norwegian ships to “exercise extreme caution in the region” and to “keep a safe distance from Iranian waters.” It also raised its security level in the area.\n\nAlso unclear was what Iran would gain from such an assault — coinciding with Abe’s high-profile visit to Tehran aimed at salvaging the 2015 international nuclear deal.\n\nBoth ships, according to the Japanese government, were carrying “Japan-related” cargo, leading Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif to question the timing of Thursday’s apparent attacks.\n\n“Suspicious,” he tweeted, “doesn’t begin to describe what likely transpired this morning.”\n\nMeanwhile, Abe had brought a message from President Donald Trump to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader.\n\nKhamenei rejected the letter, saying Iran had “no trust” in the U.S. and that it would “not repeat the bitter experience” of negotiations, in a reference to the 2015 nuclear deal that was repudiated by Trump.\n\nKhamenei also said he considered Trump an unworthy person with whom to strike up a correspondence.\n\n“I do not have and will not have any response for him,” said Khamenei.\n\nNevertheless, he again emphasized Iran was not seeking the development or use of nuclear weapons.\n\nThe Trump administration’s quick public assertion that Iran was behind the latest suspected attacks concerned some senior U.S. officers, who said they feared that the administration was moving too quickly toward retaliating, possibly with military force, without building a public case that Tehran was responsible.\n\nAnother option for the U.S. short of military action would be to seek to build international support for steps to safeguard shipping traffic, using naval ships from the U.S. and other countries to escort tankers and other vessels through the Persian Gulf and into the Arabian Sea.\n\nPentagon officials said they were worried that Iran and its proxies could conduct its own reprisals against U.S. forces or allies in the region if Washington escalates the confrontation.\n\n“We will defend our interests, but a war with Iran is not in our strategic interest, nor in the best interest of the international community,” said Army Lt. Col. Earl Brown, a spokesman for U.S. Central Command, which oversees military operations in the Middle East.\n\nThe Pentagon, nevertheless, has substantially increased its forces in the region recently.\n\nEarly last month, the aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln and its strike group of ships arrived in waters near the Persian Gulf in response to what U.S. officials said was intelligence suggesting Iran was preparing attacks.\n\nIn late May, a fighter squadron, manned and unmanned reconnaissance aircraft, engineering units and additional Patriot anti-missile batteries — comprising 1,500 troops altogether — were added. An amphibious assault ship with a Marine expeditionary unit and an Air Force B-52 bomber task force were also sent.\n\nAnother amphibious assault ship, the Arlington, with Marines aboard, arrived in the Arabian Sea this week.\n\nThose forces are in addition to the more than 30,000 troops stationed in the region, along with hundreds of fighters and bombers at air bases in Persian Gulf countries.", "Two oil tankers were hit in suspected attacks in the Gulf of Oman and the crews have been evacuated, shipping firms and industry sources said on Thursday, a month after a similar incident in which four tankers in the region were struck.\n\nThe Bahrain-based US Navy Fifth Fleet said its were assisting the tankers after receiving distress calls following \"reported attacks\". The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, part of the Royal Navy, said it was investigating.\n\nDetails of the incident were not immediately clear, but one operator said it suspected its ship had been hit by a torpedo. Another shipping firm said its vessel was on fire in the Gulf of Oman.\n\nOil prices surged by 4% after the report that has stoked tensions in the region that have already been heightened by attacks last month on Gulf oil assets amid a dispute between Iran and the United States over Tehran's nuclear programme.\n\nThe Gulf of Oman lies at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz, a major strategic waterway through which a fifth of global oil consumption passes from Middle East producers.\n\nThere was no immediate confirmation from authorities in Oman or the United Arab Emirates, in whose territorial waters four tankers were hit last month. An investigation said limpet mines were used. U.S. and Saudi officials blamed Iran for the May attack, a charge Tehran has denied.\n\nSaudi Arabia and the UAE have said the attacks on oil assets in the Gulf posed a risk to global oil supplies and regional security.", "The US is hoping to “build international consensus” around what officials claim is Iran’s responsibility for damaging two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman, as UK officials joined the US in formally accusing Iran of carrying out the attacks.\n\nThe efforts come after the US released grainy surveillance footage of an alleged Iran Revolutionary Guard patrol boat, with men who appear to remove a magnetic limpet mine on the hull of one of the ships.\n\nThe acting defence secretary, Patrick Shanahan, said the US was looking to “build international consensus to this international problem” on Friday.\n\nThe attack was not only a “US situation”, Mr Shanahan said. He listed several other countries that operated vessels in the waters. “When you look at the situation, a Norwegian ship, Japanese ship, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, UAE,” Mr Shanahan said, referring to attacks a few weeks prior.\n\nOil prices have risen 3.4 per cent following the attack, which came in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping channel for international oil supplies. Insurance for ship operators in the area jumped 10 per cent.\n\nSaudi Arabia, one of the world’s largest oil producers, also uses the strait. On Saturday, the Saudi energy minister, Khalid al-Falih, said “there must be a rapid and decisive response to the threat” to secure Gulf energy supplies and consumer confidence, according to a tweet from the ministry.\n\nThe message was echoed by the Japanese industry minister, Hiroshige Seko, who said ministers agreed on the need to “work together to deal with the recent incidents from [an] energy security point of view”.\n\nThe US military released a video on Thursday, saying it showed Iran’s Revolutionary Guards were behind the explosions that damaged the Norwegian-owned Front Altair and the Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous.\n\nAll 23 crew members of the Norwegian ship landed at Dubai International Airport on Saturday, according to a statement from the vessel’s operator\n\nThe UK officially joined the US in accusing Iran of perpetrating the attack on Friday night, in a statement from the foreign office saying: “It is almost certain that a branch of the Iranian military – the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps – attacked the two tankers on June 13th. No other state or non-state actor could plausibly have been responsible.”\n\nThe statement continued: “There is recent precedent for attacks by Iran against oil tankers. The Emirati-led investigation of the May 12th attack on four oil tankers near the port of Fujairah in the [UAE] concluded that it was conducted by a sophisticated state actor. We are confident that Iran bears responsibility for that attack.”\n\nAlthough Donald Trump claimed the attacks had “Iran written all over” them, other heads of state have been more cautious in assigning blame.\n\nThe United Nations secretary general, António Guterres, called for an independent investigation.\n\n“It’s very important to know the truth and it’s very important that responsibilities are clarified. Obviously that can only be done if there is an independent entity that verifies those facts,” Mr Guterres told reporters on Friday.\n\nThe German foreign minister was also cautious, saying the video released by US Central Command was “not enough” to make an assessment, according to ABC News.\n\nSeveral world powers have meanwhile called for diplomatic efforts to lower tensions, including China and Russia, which have closer ties to Iran. The European Union called for “maximum restraint”.\n\nIran, meanwhile, has denied responsibility for the attack. Iran’s ambassador to the UK, Hamid Baeidinejad, said the claims were like “false fabrications during World War I, the Vietnam war and Iraq war that were designed to instigate military interventions and armed conflicts in different parts of world.”\n\nThe attack came as the Japanese prime minister, Shinzo Abe, visited Iran in an attempt to mediate new talks on a nuclear agreement. One of the ships attacked was a Japanese vessel called the Kokuka Courageous. Iran is holding the mostly Russian crew of one of the ships, the Norwegian-owned Front Altair. – Guardian/Agencies", "Pompeo Says Iran Is Responsible For Attacks On Oil Tankers In The Gulf Of Oman\n\nSecretary of State Mike Pompeo says Iran is responsible for Thursday's attacks on two oil tankers in the Persian Gulf.", "United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Friday that the truth needed to be established after two oil tankers were attacked this week in the Gulf of Oman.\n\nGuterres told reporters that the international body condemned the attack.\n\nAhmed Aboul Gheit, the head of the Arab League, urged Iran to reverse course, after the United States blamed the country for the attacks, Reuters reported.\n\nIran’s mission to the UN said earlier that Tehran categorically rejects the “unfounded” US claim over Thursday’s attacks on the oil tankers.", "Attacks On Tankers In Gulf Of Oman Send Oil Prices Up, Sharply\n\nAttacks on two tankers in the Gulf of Oman near the coast of Iran sent oil prices higher and created new uncertainty about the safety of crude shipments in the Middle East.", "China’s Foreign Ministry on Friday said all sides should exercise restraint, following attacks on oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman.\n\n“Nobody wanted to see war in the Gulf and China hoped all sides could resolve differences through dialogue,” a spokesman for the ministry said.\n\nThe U.S. blamed Iran for attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday that drove up oil prices and raised concerns about a new U.S.-Iranian confrontation, though Tehran has denied the allegation.", "What The U.S. Military Knows About The Attacks On Oil Tankers In The Gulf Of Oman\n\nBefore the two tankers were attacked Thursday there were four other ships attacked in the last month around the Persian Gulf. The U.S. Navy watches the sea lanes there closely.\n\nThese two tankers that were attacked yesterday in the Gulf of Oman weren't the only ones. Four other ships were attacked in the region in just the last month. The U.S. Navy watches the sea lanes there closely. NPR's Pentagon correspondent Tom Bowman has been reporting on what the military knows. He joins us now. And Tom, let's just talk about what you've learned so far starting with where those two tankers are now.\n\nTOM BOWMAN, BYLINE: Well, Audie, I'm told one of the ships, the Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous, is being towed by tugs. The fire is out on the vessel. Crew's back on board, and the destroyer USS Bainbridge is on overwatch. This second vessel, the Norwegian-owned Front Altair - tug operators are saying they've been told by Iranian fast boat operators not to move the ship according to U.S. military officials, and they say that's what the tug operators are telling their company officials in Oman.\n\nCORNISH: What more is the U.S. saying about what happened?\n\nBOWMAN: Well, U.S. military personnel are now inspecting this ship, the Courageous, and saying it appears an explosive device left a hole that folds in, meaning it was not an internal but rather an external explosion. They also say they're pulling off what appears to be a mine or two and seeing scorchers on the ship. We could see pictures of that.\n\nAnd of course as we just learned, the president is saying Iran did it. The Pentagon released this video they say is an Iranian ship taking a limpet mine off one of the tankers. Iran denies any involvement. The foreign minister, Mohammad Zarif, said the U.S. has immediately jumped to make allegations against Iran without a shred of factual or circumstantial evidence.\n\nCORNISH: In the meantime, are there plans to send any more U.S. ships to the area?\n\nBOWMAN: Well, the Bainbridge is there, of course. And another destroyer, the USS Mason, which was off Karachi, Pakistan, is now off Oman. I'm told it's possible you could see other ships and aircraft heading there in the coming days. That's something that the top military officer for the region, General Frank McKenzie, was asking about even before these explosions.\n\nCORNISH: Tom, I want to step back and look at some of the history here because some people may remember the so-called tanker wars of the 1980s. And at that time, as Iran and Iraq fought, they attacked ships, so then the U.S. began escorting some ships through those waters. Is that something we could see again?\n\nBOWMAN: You know, we could see that again. And of course, Audie, during the tanker war, it got very complicated very quickly. The U.S. ended up firing on Iranian ships and shot down an Iranian airliner. And four years ago, there was a week-long escort effort after Iranian fast boats grabbed the crew of the container ship and brought them off Iran.\n\nNow, this effort, I'm told, is - requires a good number of ships. And I was just talking with Ash Carter, the former defense secretary just yesterday. And he said, you know, it requires a lot of planning. And it's not something you do lightly.\n\nCORNISH: Tom, before I let you go, do you get any sense that the Pentagon feels like they're on the defensive here in terms of explaining themselves?\n\nBOWMAN: No, they think the evidence is pretty clear. But again, there's skepticism, as we heard in Europe. There's skepticism obviously from Iran. And they may offer Congress a little more detailed information maybe that they can't publicly release. And I'm thinking about, you know, radio intercepts from this ship maybe back to Iran if that's the case, if it was Iranian. And also, you can track these ships, of course. Did this ship come from an Iranian port? So there's a lot more they could provide, and I'm sure they have it.", "Iran fired a surface-to-air missile on a US drone, hours before two tankers were hit by suspected attacks in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday.\n\nA US official told CNN that the missile missed the drone and fell into the water. While the official did not reveal whether the drone had footages of the attack being conducted, the source said that an American MQ-9 Reaper drone saw \"Iranian vessels closing in on the tankers.\"\n\nThe source also claimed that another US drone was also shot down by an Iranian missile by alleged Houthi rebels a few days before the attack.\n\nOn Friday, the US military released the footage that showed Iran's Revolutionary Guard removing a limpet mine from one of the oil tankers. The video suggested that the Iranian armed force tried to remove evidence of its involvement from the attacks.\n\nFollowing the release of the video, US President Donald Trump accused Iran's involvement saying that the attack had \"Iran written all over it\" in an interview.\n\nThe Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, also blamed Iran for the recent attack and said, \"Iran is lashing out because the regime wants our successful maximum pressure campaign lifted.\"\n\nIran has denied the accusations and asserted that the country is responsible for maintaining the security of the Strait of Hormuz economic corridor.\n\nRegarding Mike Pompeo's statements, Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Abbas Mousavi said \"Obviously, accusing Iran of such a suspicious and unfortunate incident is the simplest and the most convenient way for (US Secretary of State Mike) Pompeo and other US officials. These accusations are alarming.\"\n\nOn Friday, the Security General of United Nations, Antonio Guterres, called for an independent investigation of the incident by the security council.\n\n\"It's very important to know the truth and it's very important that responsibilities are clarified. Obviously, that can only be done if there is an independent entity that verifies those facts,\" he said at a press conference.\n\nEarlier this month, a UAE-led probe concluded that a \"state actor\" was most likely behind the attack on four oil tankers that took place on May 12 within UAE special economic zone waters, outside the Strait of Hormuz.\n\nSaudi Arabia and the US had accused Iran's involvement in the May attacks.", "LONDON, June 14 (Reuters) - Britain blamed Iran and its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on Friday for attacks on tankers in the Gulf of Oman, saying no other state or non-state actor could have been responsible.\n\nBritish Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt condemned the attacks, said they had violated international norms, and called on Iran to stop all forms of destabilising activity.\n\n“These latest attacks build on a pattern of destabilising Iranian behaviour and pose a serious danger to the region,” he said in a statement. (Reporting by Kate Holton; Editing by Kevin Liffey)"], "summary": "United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres calls for an independent investigation to establish the facts and responsibility for the oil tankers attacks in the Gulf of Oman."}
{"document": ["At least 61 people have been killed and 356,000 evacuated from their homes as heavy rain and floods swept through large parts of southern and central China this week, Chinese rescue authorities said.\n\nIn a notice published late on Thursday, China's Ministry of Emergency Management said 9,300 homes have collapsed and 3.71 million hectares of farmland damaged during the floods, with direct economic losses now estimated at 13.35 billion yuan ($1.93bn).\n\nIt said more than 4,300 people had been rescued from floodwaters, which have affected regions stretching from Guangdong province in the southeast to southwest China's Chongqing on the upper reaches of the Yangtze river.\n\nDuring the summer, China routinely suffers from droughts in the far north and floods in the south.\n\nThe emergency ministry has warned that northern regions face even lower precipitation levels this year, while heavy rains are expected to raise flood risks on the Yellow River's upstream.", "SHANGHAI\n• As many as 61 people have been killed and 356,000 evacuated from their homes as heavy rain and floods swept through large parts of southern and central China this week, the country's rescue authorities said.\n\nIn a notice published late on Thursday, China's Ministry of Emergency Management said that 9,300 homes have collapsed and 3.71 million ha of farmland were damaged during the floods, which began on June 6.\n\nDirect economic losses due to the floods were estimated at 13.35 billion yuan (S$2.6 billion).\n\nIt said more than 4,300 people had been rescued from floodwaters, which have affected regions stretching from Guangdong province in the south-east to south-west China's Chongqing on the upper reaches of the Yangtze River.\n\nAt least 6 million people have been affected since the start of the flooding season, a senior official said on Tuesday.\n\nMore than 20 provincial regions were hit by the floods, with the Guangxi region and the provinces of Guangdong, Jiangxi and Fujian suffering heavy losses, said Mr Ye Jianchun, Vice-Minister of Water Resources.\n• Number of homes destroyed, according to China's Ministry of Emergency Management. Estimated cost of direct economic losses due to the floods. Number of people affected since the start of the flooding season.\n\nIn Guangdong province, at least two vehicles plunged into a river after part of a bridge collapsed in the urban area of Heyuan city early yesterday, according to the local road management authorities.\n\nOne person was rescued, but the exact number of casualties remained unknown as the search and rescue work is under way.\n\nHeyuan is among the areas worst-hit by the floods.\n\nA total of 13 people have been killed as a result of the torrential downpours which have destroyed roads and toppled houses. Two people were still missing as of Thursday.\n\nIn the Guangxi region, which borders Vietnam, the week-long downpours have triggered floods in six cities, killing at least 12 and affecting more than 570,000 people, Xinhua reported on Wednesday, citing the regional emergency management department.\n\nIn the province of Jiangxi, the floods have affected more than 2.8 million people in nine cities and forced the evacuation of about 340,000 people as of Thursday. Local governments there have sent relief materials, including food, water and clothes, to the affected areas.\n\nMr Ye said the country has also been hit by droughts which have affected more than 4 million people and 640,000ha of crops as of this month.\n\nHe said there were great challenges to the flood and drought prevention efforts this year due to the adverse weather conditions.\n\nThe country will strengthen prevention and control of floods and droughts by preventing severe meteorological risks and providing emergency rescue and disaster relief, added Mr Ye.\n\nDuring the summer, China routinely suffers from droughts in the far north and floods in the south.\n\nThe Emergency Ministry has warned that northern regions face even lower precipitation levels this year, while heavy rains are expected to raise flood risks on the Yellow River's upstream portion.", "As many as 61 people have been killed and 356,000 evacuated from their homes as heavy rain and floods swept through large parts of southern and central China this week, Chinese rescue authorities said.\n\nIn a notice published late on Thursday, China's Ministry of Emergency Management said 9,300 homes have collapsed and 3.71 million hectares of farmland damaged during the floods, with direct economic losses now estimated at 13.35 billion yuan ($1.93 billion).\n\nIt said more than 4,300 people had been rescued from floodwaters, which have affected regions stretching from Guangdong province in the southeast to southwest China's Chongqing on the upper reaches of the Yangtze river.\n\nDuring the summer, China routinely suffers from droughts in the far north and floods in the south. The emergency ministry has warned that northern regions face even lower precipitation levels this year, while heavy rains are expected to raise flood risks on the Yellow river's upstream. Subscribe to Moneycontrol Pro and gain access to curated markets data, exclusive trading recommendations, independent equity analysis, actionable investment ideas, nuanced takes on macro, corporate and policy actions, practical insights from market gurus and much more.", "Continuous heavy rain caused flooding in six cities and 38 counties of southern China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. As of 15:00 Wednesday, more than 590,000 people had been affected, with 17 dead and nine missing. Other regions of southern China also suffered from heavy rain. [CGTN]", "Footage shows the moment a landslide hits a road in the Fujian province in southeast China.\n\nDays of heavy rain and flooding in central and southern parts of the country have killed up to 61 people. Thousands of people have been rescued and hundreds of thousands have been evacuated from their homes.", "NANNING, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Seventeen people died and nine people went missing after heavy downpours hit southwest China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, local authorities said Wednesday.\n\nMore than 590,000 people have been affected by the week-long downpours, according to the latest update by the regional emergency management department.\n\nA total of 1,747 houses have collapsed and 966 were severely damaged, forcing over 30,000 people to be relocated. Rain-triggered floods also damaged more than 34,600 hectares of crops, according to the department.\n\nThe provincial meteorological authorities on Wednesday maintained a yellow alert on heavy rain, predicting storms in cities including Guilin, Nanning and Baise.\n\nHeavy rain starting last week has hit a number of provinces in China's southern region, including Guizhou, Guangdong, Hunan, Fujian and Jiangxi.\n\nIn southern China's Guangdong Province, floods and landslides have killed 13 people in the city of Heyuan as of Wednesday morning, while heavy rainstorms are predicted to continue through Friday.\n\nIn the eastern province of Jiangxi, rain-triggered floods have forced the evacuation of 212,000 people as of Wednesday evening. The provincial emergency management department said houses of 1,595 families have collapsed or were seriously damaged and 172,000 hectares of crops were destroyed.\n\nThe National Meteorological Center on Wednesday continued a yellow alert for rainstorms, saying rainstorms or heavy rains are expected in Guangdong, Guangxi, Hunan, Jiangxi, Fujian, Zhejiang, Yunnan, Taiwan and Jilin.\n\nSome southern regions will experience torrential rains, with precipitation up to 240 mm in parts of Guangdong, Hunan, Jiangxi and Fujian.", "GUANGZHOU, June 13 (Xinhua) -- A total of 13 people were killed and two were still missing as of 2:00 p.m. Thursday as torrential downpours destroyed roads and toppled houses in southern China's Guangdong Province.\n\nThe city of Heyuan is among the worst-hit regions in the latest round of rainstorms that have persisted for over a week. More than 280,000 people were affected and over 4,000 houses collapsed, according to the local publicity department.\n\nLocal authorities have sent 7100 quilts, 450 tents, 400 folding beds and other disaster relief supplies to Heyuan. Guangdong Power Grid Corporation said they had dispatched personnel and vehicles to restore electricity disrupted by the rain in Heyuan.\n\nSo far, power and water supplies and communication network have returned to most part of Heyuan.\n\nThe provincial meteorological authorities on Thursday predicted the rainfall would weaken starting Friday.\n\nHeavy rain starting last week has hit a number of provinces in China's southern region, including Guangxi, Guizhou, Hunan, Fujian and Jiangxi.\n\nIn the eastern province of Jiangxi, rain-triggered floods have affected more than 2.8 million people in nine cities and forced the evacuation of about 340,000 people as of 11:30 a.m. Thursday. The provincial emergency management department said houses of 1,065 families collapsed and 199,600 hectares of crops were damaged.\n\nThe rain in Jiangxi has subsided since Thursday morning, and sunny weather is predicted on Friday and Saturday.\n\nGuangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Thursday saw the end of week-long heavy downpours, which left 17 people dead and nine people missing as of Wednesday.\n\nThe National Meteorological Center Thursday issued a blue alert for heavy rain in Guangdong, Fujian, Zhejiang, Yunnan, Jilin, Heilongjiang, Guangxi and Taiwan from Thursday to Friday.\n\nSome areas in Guangdong will be hit by up to 160 mm of rainfall within 24 hours.", "A landslide has hit the Fujian province in China. Up to 61 people have been killed following days of heavy rain and flooding in central and southern parts of the country. Thousands of people have been rescued and hundreds of thousands have been evacuated from their homes.\n\nThis video has been optimised for mobile viewing on the BBC News app. The BBC News app is available from the Apple App Store for iPhone and Google Play Store for Android.", "Cars plunge into river as bridge collapses in southern China\n\nCars plunge into river as bridge collapses in southern China\n\nTwo people are missing after a road bridge plunged into a river and sent two vehicles into the water in southern China.\n\nHeyuan city police said the 120-metre (390-foot) section collapsed early on Friday morning.\n\nChina's Xinhua News Agency said two nearby security guards rescued a 44-year-old man but two other people are still missing.\n\nDramatic footage aired on state broadcaster CCTV showed two arches of the six-arch bridge, which spans the Dongjiang river in Guangdong province, falling apart within seconds.\n\nThe cause of the collapse is under investigation but it came as southern China was battered by heavy rain which has brought flooding. At least 61 people have died.\n\nIn Longyan City in the Fujian Province, a landslide swept cars away and one man was trapped in his vehicle.\n\nA local resident who went to the market was buried by the landslide.\n\nHis family could not reach him by phone and there was no response from him when rescuers shouted his name.\n\nHis rescue is still underway and his condition remained unknown, according to CCTV.\n\nHundreds of homes and businesses have been evacuated amid the heavy rains, affecting more than two million people across southern China.\n\nMore than 20,000 homes in the south-west region of Guangxi are without power, the state-run China Daily newspaper reported.", "The moment a giant landslide buried a road in China has been caught on camera\n\nThe terrifying moment a giant wave of dirt and trees buried a road and wiped out cars in its path in the Fujian province of China has been captured on camera.\n\nEmergency crews managed to free a man who was trapped by the landslide after three hours but he died on the way to hospital.\n\nThe cause of the landslide is under investigation.\n\nA bridge also collapsed in south China's Guangdong Province but the total number of casualties remains unclear.\n\nAs many as 61 people have been killed and 356,000 evacuated from their homes as heavy rain and floods swept through large parts of southern and central China, rescue authorities also said.\n\nIn a notice, China's Ministry of Emergency Management said 9,300 homes have collapsed and 3.71 million hectares of farmland damaged during the floods, with direct economic losses now estimated at 13.35 billion yuan ($2.79 billion).\n\nYe Jianchun, the Vice-Minister of Water Resources, said that 83 people have died or gone missing nationwide since the start of this year's flood season.\n\nMr Ye also said 6.75 million people in 22 provinces have been affected."], "summary": "At least 61 people have been killed and 356,000 evacuated from their homes as heavy rain and floods swept through large parts of southern and central China this week."}
{"document": ["Israeli intelligence has concluded that Iran carried out Thursday’s attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman, Israeli television reported on Saturday night.\n\nQuoting a senior Israeli official involved in Iran-related issues, Channel 13 news reported that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps carried out the attacks. They used mines and a torpedo, the report said.\n\nUS President Donald Trump on Friday called Iran “a nation of terror,” saying the attacks on tankers in the Gulf of Oman had “Iran written all over it.”\n\nGet The Times of Israel's Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Free Sign Up\n\nThe Israeli conclusion mirrors that of the US and the UK.\n\nThe US military on Friday released a video it said shows Iran’s Revolutionary Guard removing an unexploded limpet mine from one of the oil tankers targeted near the Strait of Hormuz, suggesting the Islamic republic sought to remove evidence of its involvement from the scene.\n\nAlso Friday, Britain said it had concluded that Iran was “almost certainly” responsible for the latest Gulf tanker attacks.\n\n“Our own assessment leads us to conclude that responsibility for the attacks almost certainly lies with Iran. These latest attacks build on a pattern of destabilizing Iranian behavior and pose a serious danger to the region,” British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said Friday\n\nIran denies being involved, accusing the US instead of waging an “Iranophobic campaign” against it. Tehran’s foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Friday fired back at Washington, accusing the US, Israel and Saudi Arabia of a plot to “sabotage diplomacy,” and appeared to insinuate that those countries were behind the assaults.\n\nUS President Donald Trump said Friday of the attacks, “Iran did do it.” He cited the video purporting to show an Iranian boat removing what the US says is an unexploded mine from one of the vessels.\n\n“You know they did it because you saw the boat,” Trump said. “I guess one of the mines didn’t explode and it’s probably got essentially Iran written all over it.”\n\n“You saw the boat at night, successfully trying to take the mine off — and that was exposed,” he said.\n\nAlso on Friday, an US official told CNN that Iranian forces in the Gulf of Oman fired a missile at a US drone hours before the alleged attack. The drone had spotted Iranian boats approaching the tankers before the sabotage occurred. The surface-to-air missile launched at the drone missed its target and fell into the sea, the official said.\n\nThe ships’ operators offered no immediate explanation on who or what caused the damage against the Norwegian-owned MT Front Altair and the Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous. Each was loaded with petroleum products, and the Front Altair burned for hours, sending up a column of thick, black smoke.\n\nFrontline, the owner of the MT Front Altair said Friday that the blaze has been extinguished and did not cause any pollution. The company added that its 23 crew members are still in Iran at Bandar Abbas, though they’ll be repatriated soon.\n\nFrontline CEO Robert Hvide Macleod separately said the company still doesn’t know the cause of the explosion and the fire, “but we can exclude that a fault with the ship that has caused this.”\n\nWhile Iran has denied being involved in the attack, Tehran previously used mines against oil tankers in 1987 and 1988 in the “Tanker War,” when the US Navy escorted ships through the region.\n\nThe black-and-white footage, as well as still photographs released by the US military’s Central Command on Friday, appeared to show the limpet mine on the Kokuka Courageous.\n\nA Revolutionary Guard patrol boat pulled alongside the ship and removed the mine, Central Command spokesman Capt. Bill Urban said.\n\n“The US and the international community stand ready to defend our interests, including the freedom of navigation,” Urban said. “The United States has no interest in engaging in a new conflict in the Middle East. However, we will defend our interests.”\n\nIran earlier denied involvement via a statement from its mission to the United Nations.\n\n“The US economic war and terrorism against the Iranian people as well as its massive military presence in the region have been and continue to be the main sources of insecurity and instability in the wider Persian Gulf region and the most significant threat to its peace and security,” the statement said.\n\nMeanwhile in Tokyo, the owner of the Kokuka Courageous said its sailors saw “flying objects” before the attack, suggesting it wasn’t damaged by mines. Company president Yutaka Katada offered no evidence for his claim, which contradicts the US military account.\n\nKatada also said crew members saw an Iranian naval ship nearby, but did not specify whether this was before or after the attacks.\n\nThe suspected attacks occurred at dawn Thursday about 40 kilometers (25 miles) off the southern coast of Iran. The Front Altair, loaded with the flammable hydrocarbon mixture naphtha from the United Arab Emirates, radioed for help as it caught fire. A short time later, the Kokuka Courageous, loaded with methanol from Saudi Arabia and Qatar, also called for help.\n\nThe US Navy sent a destroyer, the USS Bainbridge, to assist, said Cmdr. Joshua Frey, a 5th Fleet spokesman. He described the ships as being hit in a “reported attack,” without elaborating.\n\nThursday’s attack resembled that of an attack in May targeting four oil tankers off the nearby Emirati port of Fujairah. US officials similarly accused Iran of targeting the ships with limpet mines, which are magnetic and attach to the hulls of a ship. The mines disable, but don’t sink, a vessel.\n\nUS Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told journalists on Thursday that the US assessment of Iran’s involvement was based in part on intelligence, as well as the expertise needed for the operation. It was also based on recent incidents in the region, which the US also blamed on Iran, including the use of limpet mines in the Fujairah attack, he said. He also tied Iran to a drone attack by Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels on a crucial Saudi oil pipeline around the same time.\n\n“Taken as a whole, these unprovoked attacks present a clear threat to international peace and security, a blatant assault on the freedom of navigation and an unacceptable campaign of escalating tension by Iran,” Pompeo said. He didn’t elaborate and took no questions.\n\nTensions have escalated in the Mideast as Iran appears poised to break the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, an accord that President Donald Trump repudiated last year. In the deal, Tehran agreed to limit its enrichment of uranium in exchange for the lifting of crippling sanctions. Now, Iran is threatening to resume enriching uranium closer to weapons-grade levels if European nations don’t offer it new terms to the deal by July 7.\n\nAlready, Iran says it quadrupled its production of low-enriched uranium. Meanwhile, US sanctions have cut off opportunities for Iran to trade its excess uranium and heavy water abroad, putting Tehran on course to violate terms of the nuclear deal regardless.", "What does the Trump administration want from Iran?\n\n(THE CONVERSATION) Two oil tankers were attacked on June 13 off the coast of Oman, forcing the crew members of one burning ship to flee.\n\nIt was the latest in a series of assaults on tankers transporting oil through the Gulf. In May, Saudi, Norwegian and Emirati oil tankers were attacked off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, causing damage but no casualties. The attacks have gone unclaimed, so the perpetrator is unknown – at least publicly.\n\nU.S. ally Saudi Arabia, Iran’s regional rival, blamed the Iranian government and called the May attacks “naked aggression.” Saudi King Salman asked the international community to “use all means” to punish Iran.\n\nU.S. national security adviser John Bolton, who has called for bombing Iran to cripple its nuclear program, has maintained that Iran is “almost certainly” responsible for the attacks. In May Bolton announced the deployment to the Persian Gulf of a carrier strike group and a nuclear-capable bomber task force, America’s most formidable military assets.\n\nThe purpose: “to send a clear and unmistakable message” to Iran.\n\nBut the White House is squabbling over its objectives, which are far from clear. Trump administration officials do not seem to agree whether the U.S. wants behavior change or regime change. Should the U.S. use diplomacy or force? Are frustrated Iranians or frustrated Americans the target of this military deployment?\n\nPresident Trump told U.K. television host Piers Morgan that military options are on the table but, “I’d much rather talk.”\n\nAccording to Washington Post columnist David Ignatius, President Trump “wants to sound tough (popular) so long as it doesn’t get him into a war (unpopular).” President Trump “doesn’t want to go to war with Iran,” retired General David Petraeus told ABC News.\n\nAs a scholar who has studied the onset of a number of wars, I believe these commentators underestimate the influence of shrewd warmongers like Bolton. They also fail to credit how quickly a trivial confrontation between industrialized forces can change a leader’s calculus and drag the great powers and their allies into war.\n\nThe showdown in the Persian Gulf is not like the U.S. and the Soviet Union incrementally adjusting the balance of power, as they did during the Cold War.\n\nMixed signals, bad timing and this kind of uncalibrated brinksmanship is how World War I began and spiraled out of control. It has brought the U.S. closer to the next Middle East war.\n\nUp to the edge\n\nIran brokered a deal with the U.S., the EU, Russia, China and Germany in 2015 to curtail its nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief.\n\nThe current standoff began in May 2018 when President Trump reneged on the deal and later implemented a new “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran, which included economic sanctions punishing countries purchasing Iranian oil.\n\nThe U.K., France, China, Russia and Germany pledged to abide by the terms of the deal. Nevertheless, U.S. sanctions against Iranian industry at a time when Iran was complying with the deal are collapsing the Iranian economy.\n\nThe White House claims its “maximum pressure” policy is working – that Iran is cutting aid to malevolent allies and proxies in the region, including Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Hezbollah and Hamas.\n\nU.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo maintains, without evidence or a tangible timeline, that grueling economic conditions created by the U.S. will turn frustrated Iranians against their leaders, provoking regime change.\n\nThat idea seems to me to be magical thinking. U.S. belligerence, especially when it has been rejected by the broader international community – as it is now by parties to the 2015 nuclear deal – is more likely to turn Iranians against the U.S., polarize U.S. allies and strengthen Iran’s hardliners.\n\nCosmopolitan Iranian youth, for example, who are the best hope for peace with the U.S., are the most likely group to turn against their government – but not if the Trump administration strangles their economy and threatens to invade their country.\n\nIn the meantime, Iran’s economic troubles are narrowing its options.\n\nAccording to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Iran has accelerated uranium enrichment, in violation of the Iran nuclear deal. Attacks on U.S. forces or allies, including Israel, are becoming increasingly appealing to Iranian leaders to give Iran some leverage against the U.S.\n\nThe prospect of economic collapse under draconian sanctions by the U.S. also provokes Iran’s leaders to instigate a confrontation sooner rather than later, while its military and proxies are strong. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has given Germany, the U.K., France, China and Russia 60 days to honor their promise to buttress Iranian energy and banking sectors before taking additional steps to withdraw from the nuclear deal.\n\nIran’s economic and military weakness also encourages its leadership to cooperate more closely with America’s foreign adversaries, including Russia, despite Iran’s aversion to ceding precious influence in the region.\n\nIf the Iran-Russia relationship tightens, it will result in even greater tension with the U.S. Increased Iranian-Russian cooperation is also an invitation to U.S. leaders to strike before U.S. troops find themselves facing an emboldened Iranian military reinforced with Russian equipment and know-how.\n\nWith each day of U.S. sanctions, Iran’s leaders become increasingly desperate, with diminished leverage should the two countries face off on the battlefield or at the negotiating table.\n\nWith tensions rising, the U.S. has sent an additional 1,500 troops to the Middle East. Iran’s 60-day ultimatum to parties to the nuclear deal expires in early July.\n\nAccording to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, “Negotiation has no benefit and carries harm.”\n\nIran experts Colin Kahl and Jon Wolfsthal warn, “Bolton’s preferences, not Trump’s, are winning out.”\n\nThere is still time for President Trump to extract the U.S. from this dangerous standoff that he allowed to escalate.\n\nJapan, which is not party to the 2015 nuclear deal, is a major purchaser of Iranian oil and Abe is perceived to be a neutral broker.\n\nAbe is visiting Iran this week – the first Japanese leader to do so in four decades – and will meet with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei and Prime Minister Rouhani to discuss the standoff.\n\nIt is unclear what Abe can accomplish in this overheated climate. A potential solution lies in intense, nuanced diplomacy where the U.S., building on the 2015 nuclear deal, trades sanction relief for slightly tougher limits on Iran’s nuclear program.\n\nThis includes renegotiating the restrictions on Iran’s centrifuges, mandatory international inspections, and its accumulation of nuclear material. A slightly modified nuclear deal like Trump’s slightly modified trade agreement with Canada and Mexico, can be recast as victory by all.\n\nTrump emerges as peacemaker and potential contender for the Nobel Prize. Iran’s leaders can then right their economy.\n\nTrump’s winning outcome, however, is not the outcome Bolton has long advocated.\n\nFor decades, Bolton has publicly agitated for preventive strikes against Iraq, North Korea and Iran. Only grudgingly, perhaps for fear of losing his job, has Bolton acquiesced to a policy of behavior change over regime change.\n\nThis is the price Bolton pays to remain the president’s national security adviser — filterer of Trump’s intelligence reports, first one in and last one out of the room whenever the president is discussing matters of war and peace.\n\nIf Abe fails, the current Iran crisis may yet become the culmination of Bolton’s lifelong ambition. When new explosions rock the Persian Gulf, U.S. troops are injured or killed by Iranian proxies in Iraq, or Iranian-made drones pepper the Saudi skies, will President Trump resist the urge to escalate?\n\nThis article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: http://theconversation.com/what-does-the-trump-administration-want-from-iran-117797.", "DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A U.K. maritime safety group warned Thursday of an unspecified incident in the Gulf of Oman and urged \"extreme caution\" amid heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran and a high-stakes visit by the Japanese prime minister to Iran.\n\nIranian media claimed — without offering any evidence — that there had been an explosion in the area targeting oil tankers.\n\nThe United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, which is run by the British navy, put out the alert but did not elaborate on the incident. It said it was investigating.\n\nCmdr. Joshua Frey, a spokesman for the U.S. Navy's Bahrain-based 5th Fleet, said his command was \"aware\" of a reported incident in the area. He declined to elaborate.\n\n\"We are working on getting details,\" Frey told The Associated Press.\n\nIranian state television's website, citing the pro-Iran Lebanese satellite news channel Al-Mayadeen, said two oil tankers had been targeted in the Gulf of Oman. It offered no evidence to support the claim.\n\nEmirati officials declined to immediately comment. The coordinates offered for the incident by the U.K. group put it some 45 kilometers (25 miles) off the Iranian coastline.\n\nThe maritime alert comes after what the United States has described as Iranian attacks on four oil tankers nearby, off the coast of the United Arab Emirates. Iran has denied being involved.\n\nThose apparent attacks occurred off the Emirati port of Fujairah, also on the Gulf of Oman, approaching the critical Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which a third of all oil traded by sea passes.\n\nThe timing was especially sensitive as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was visiting Iran on a high-stakes diplomacy mission. On Wednesday, after talks with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Abe warned that any \"accidental conflict\" that could be sparked amid the heightened U.S.-Iran tensions must be avoided.\n\nHis message came just hours after Yemen's Iranian-backed Houthi rebels attacked a Saudi airport, wounding 26 people.\n\nAbe was to meet with Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Thursday, the second and final day of his visit.\n\nMeanwhile, in Tokyo, Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, a top government spokesman, told reporters that Abe's trip was intended to help de-escalate tensions in the Mideast — but not specifically mediate between Tehran and Washington.\n\nHis remarks were apparently meant to downplay and lower expectations amid uncertain prospects for Abe's mission.\n\nTensions have escalated in the Mideast as Iran appears poised to break the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, an accord that the Trump administration pulled out of last year.\n\nAssociated Press writers Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo and Amir Vahdat in Tehran, Iran, contributed to this report.", "The US has accused Iran of detaining the crew of one of two oil tankers attacked in the Gulf of Oman this week, as video footage emerged that purportedly shows an Iranian boat removing an unexploded mine from one of the vessels.\n\nWashington claims Iran is behind a succession of recent shipping attacks in the Gulf. It said grainy video published on the US Central Command’s website provided evidence of Iran’s involvement in Thursday’s attacks.\n\nDonald Trump said the attacks had “Iran written all over it”, while US defence officials claimed the mainly Russian crew of one of the ships, the Norwegian-owned Front Altair, had been detained.\n\nIran said the crew were being held while its inspectors determined whether it was safe for them to return to the stricken tanker.\n\nThe crew were originally rescued by a merchant ship, Hyundai Dubai, and were then taken into Iranian custody. Eleven of the crew are Russian, 11 Filipino and one Georgian.\n\nBritain’s foreign secretary, Jeremy Hunt, said the UK agreed with the US intelligence assessment that Iran or its surrogates were behind the sabotage.\n\nBritain believes a beleaguered Iran is trying to force the US to relax its economic sanctions and to negotiate over the 2015 nuclear deal, from which the US has unilaterally withdrawn.\n\nThe UK has ruled out suggestions that the attacks may have been mounted by Houthi rebel fighters from Yemen, but it sees a confluence of purpose between Yemen’s recent drone assaults on Saudi pipelines and what it believes are Iranian attacks on oil shipping arteries.\n\nWith oil prices rising and warnings of an unintended war between Washington and Tehran proliferating, Trump vowed the US would ensure the narrow Strait of Hormuz would be kept open for oil traffic. The two-mile stretch of waterway is seen by Iran as sovereign waters.\n\n“They’re not going to be closing it. It’s not going to be closed, it’s not going to be closed for long and they know it. They’ve been told in very strong terms,” Trump told Fox News.\n\nHe added: “Iran did do it. You know they did it because you saw the boat. I guess one of the mines didn’t explode and it’s probably got essentially Iran written all over it … You saw the boat at night, successfully trying to take the mine off – and that was exposed.”\n\nOn Thursday he said any plans for talks over the nuclear deal were off, despite a mediation visit to Tehran this week by the Japanese prime minister, Shinzo Abe. But on Friday Trump said he was open to discussions and wanted to get Iran round the table. Abe personally debriefed Trump after his trip.\n\nAnother mediator, the Iraqi prime minister, Adel Abdul-Mahdi, called the US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, to urge Washington to lower the temperature.\n\nIran has insisted it would not have attacked the two ships during Abe’s visit since both ships had connections with Japan. Iran’s foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, tweeted that the US had “immediately jumped to make allegations against Iran without a shred of factual or circumstantial evidence”. He accused Washington of seeking to “sabotage diplomacy”.\n\nThe Iranian ambassador to the UK, Hamid Baeidinejad, said the western intelligence claims were similar to “false fabrications during World War I, the Vietnam war and Iraq war that were designed to instigate military interventions and armed conflicts in different parts of world.”\n\nSaudi Arabia’s energy minister, Khalid Al-Falih, said the kingdom was monitoring the situation with “great concern”. A statement said he “called upon the international community to assume its joint responsibility and take firm action to secure maritime traffic in the region’s waterways”.\n\nSaudi Arabia, a close US ally, is a bitter regional rival of Iran and has been accused by some critics of encouraging Washington to pursue a confrontation with the Iranian leadership.\n\nOther world powers called for calm. China urged all sides to “resolve the conflict through dialogue”, while the European Union called for “maximum restraint”. Russia, which has close if sometimes strained links to Iran, warned against “hasty conclusions”.\n\nThe oil tankers that came under attack were 10 nautical miles apart and heading to Asia when they were struck by explosions in the early hours of Thursday after passing through the Strait of Hormuz 25 nautical miles off Iran’s southern coast.\n\nThe Front Altair was carrying naphtha, a refined petroleum product, and is owned by Frontline, an Oslo-listed company. It was hit by three explosions, according to Norwegian officials.\n\nExplosions also struck the Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous, which was loaded with methanol. The fire onboard was soon extinguished. One crew member suffered minor injuries. On Friday the ship was heading towards the UAE port of Khor Fakkan.\n\nIn Tokyo, the owner of the Kokuka Courageous said its sailors saw “flying objects” before the attack, suggesting it was not damaged by mines. The company’s president, Yutaka Katada, offered no evidence for his claim, which contradicted the US military account.\n\nKatada also said crew members saw an Iranian naval ship nearby, but he did not specify whether this was before or after the attacks.", "PM Abe of Japan returns from a pointless visit to Iran: Middle East quagmire\n\nPrime Minister Shinzo Abe returns to Japan after a pointless visit to Iran that made him look out of touch. Once more, the Japanese Foreign Ministry that is aloof about the real power dynamics of the Russian Federation, was equally caught out by Abe’s trip to Iran that was doomed to fail.\n\nModern Tokyo Times indicated prior to Abe’s visit to Iran that it appeared pointless. Equally alarming, it is far from the concerns of the Japanese electorate. Therefore, Abe merely made himself appear weak and unimportant – just like Japan was sidelined by the initiatives of America toward North Korea.\n\nAfter all, how can Japan claim to be an honest broker given the special relationship that exists between America and Japan? Of course, the same issue blights the territorial dispute with the Russian Federation. Hence, political elites in Moscow can’t even get the most basic of guarantees from Japan. This relates to American military forces being kept out of Northern Japan.\n\nSimilarly, it is clear that Saudi Arabia believes that the current President Trump administration is more open to anti-Iran policies. In other words, Japan entered the world of geopolitical issues that concern Iran and Saudi Arabia. A far cry from doing the bidding of America. Likewise, hardliners in Iran and Saudi Arabia don’t support the status quo. On the contrary, Iran and Saudi Arabia are involved in various proxy wars in relation to Iraq, Syria, and Yemen respectively. Also, Saudi Arabia is anti-Muslim Brotherhood, unlike Iran. Hence this means that Egypt is brought into the geopolitical fray on the side of Saudi Arabia.\n\nFor this reason, Modern Tokyo Times stipulated prior to Abe visiting Iran that “Abe’s approach seems rather whimsical and not well thought out unless Japan is in direct talks with Saudi Arabia.”\n\nModern Tokyo Times also stated, “…it remains to be seen how Saudi Arabia views the role of Japan mediating between America and Iran. After all, Saudi Arabia seeks to contain Iran and this is more likely given the role of John R. Bolton, the current National Security Advisor of the United States. This especially relates to the hawkish approach of Bolton who is extremely hostile to Iran.”\n\nAyatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran, stated strongly, “I do not consider (U.S. President Donald) Trump as a person worth exchanging any message with and I have no answer for him, nor will I respond to him in the future.”\n\nIt is difficult to believe how gullible the Japanese Foreign Ministry is because what else would one expect from Ayatollah Khamenei. Similarly, in the opposite direction, how can America trust a nation that kills homosexuals, persecutes apostates, imprisons political dissenters, and arrests women for not covering up and so forth? Ironically, Iran and Saudi Arabia have much in common when it comes to enforcing draconian laws based on Sharia. Yet Sunni-Shia sectarianism and different geopolitical ambitions mean that both nations distrust each other.\n\nIf nations seek to contain the respective ambitions of Iran and Saudi Arabia, then this must be done when both nations are represented. Equally important, a regional conference to reduce tensions must involve neutral outside parties. Or political elites in America, Iran, and Saudi Arabia must bite the bullet and talk directly to solve the crisis. Either way, Japan is a minor player to the events that are unfolding. Hence, the Japanese Foreign Ministry should have protected Abe.\n\nModern Tokyo News is part of the Modern Tokyo Times group\n\nDONATIONS to SUPPORT MODERN TOKYO TIMES – please pay PayPal and DONATE to sawakoart@gmail.com\n\nhttps://www.pinterest.co.uk/moderntokyotimes/ Modern Tokyo Times is now on PINTEREST", "Iran dismissed as \"baseless\" Friday US accusations that it carried out twin attacks that left two tankers ablaze in the Gulf of Oman, escalating tensions across the region and sending world oil prices soaring.\n\nSecretary of State Mike Pompeo warned Washington would defend its forces and allies in the region, and the United States pressed its case as the UN Security Council met to address the incident -- the second in a month in the strategic shipping lane.\n\nForeign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted Friday that the US administration had \"immediately jumped to make allegations against Iran without a shred of factual or circumstantial evidence\".\n\nHe accused it of seeking to \"sabotage diplomacy\" amid a visit to Iran by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and \"cover up its economic terrorism against Iran\" in enforcing crippling unilateral sanctions.\n\nWith tensions spiralling between Iran and the United States, the European Union called for \"maximum restraint\" and UN chief Antonio Guterres warned the world cannot afford a major confrontation in the Gulf.\n\nIran labelled the apparent attacks \"suspicious,\" as its supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei rebuffed overtures by Abe to open talks with US President Donald Trump.\n\nPompeo said there was strong evidence of Iran's culpability, after the US Navy said it had spotted an unexploded limpet mine stuck to the hull of one of the vessels.\n\nThe US Central Command (CENTCOM) released a grainy black-and-white video it said showed an Iranian patrol boat \"removing the unexploded limpet mine\" from the ship.\n\n\"It is the assessment of the United States that the Islamic Republic of Iran is responsible for the attacks,\" Pompeo announced.\n\n\"This is based on intelligence, the weapons used, the level of expertise needed to execute the operation, recent similar Iranian attacks on shipping, and the fact that no proxy group operating in the area has the resources and proficiency to act with such a high degree of sophistication,\" he said.\n\nThe two vessels were struck by explosions in the early daylight hours Thursday after passing through the Strait of Hormuz and travelling around 25 nautical miles off Iran's southern coast headed towards Asia.\n\nThe Norwegian-owned Front Altair ethanol tanker was hit by three explosions, according to the Norwegian Maritime Authority, and remained ablaze late Thursday.\n\nExplosions also struck the Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous, which was loaded with methanol, but the fire on board was soon extinguished. One crew member suffered minor injuries. The ship was on Friday heading towards the Omani port of Khor Fakkan.\n\nThere was no claim of responsibility for the blasts, which struck both tankers at the waterline.\n\nIran said its navy rescued several dozen crew members of the two vessels, while the US Navy said it had picked up 21 from the Kokuka Courageous.\n\nWashington has dispatched the destroyer USS Mason to the scene \"to provide assistance,\" CENTCOM said in a statement.\n\nPompeo called Thursday's tanker explosions \"the latest in a series of attacks\" he alleged were undertaken by Iran or its \"proxies,\" including a Yemeni missile rebel missile which wounded 26 civilians at a Saudi airport on Wednesday.\n\nA Saudi-led coalition which has been fighting the rebels it accuses of being Iranian proxies said Saudi air defences had intercepted a new rebel attack on a Saudi airport on Friday.\n\nThe abortive attack using five rebel drones targeted the southwestern city of Khamis Mushait, home to a huge airbase which has been the main launchpad of the coalition's more than four-year bombing campaign in Yemen.\n\n\"Taken as a whole, these unprovoked attacks present a clear threat to international peace and security,\" Pompeo said.\n\nThe United States has also accused Iran over May 12 attacks on four tankers anchored in the Gulf of Oman off the United Arab Emirates port of Fujairah.\n\nA five-nation investigation into those attacks said its preliminary findings indicated a state actor was responsible but stopped short of naming Iran.\n\nThe US called Thursday for the UN Security Council to confront the \"clear threat\" posed by Iran, as the council met behind closed doors to hear a briefing on Washington's assessment that Tehran was responsible.\n\nIran's mission to the UN pushed back, saying: \"The US and its regional allies must stop warmongering.\"\n\nOil prices jumped at the threat of open conflict around the Strait of Hormuz, the chokepoint between the Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, through which transit some 15 million barrels per day of crude passes.\n\nIn London, benchmark Brent crude jumped 2.2 percent to $61.31 a barrel, while in New York, the US standard, West Texas Intermediate, rose 2.2 percent, to $52.28.\n\n\"We are in a dangerous moment in the region with this emerging pattern of attacks,\" said Elizabeth Dickinson, senior analyst with International Crisis Group.\n\n\"Any miscalculation or misunderstanding risks a spiral toward more direct confrontation.\"", "FILE – In this Jan. 22, 2014 file photo, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, left, and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, attend a session of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Abe’s trip to Tehran on Wednesday, June 12, 2019, represents the highest-level effort yet to de-escalate tensions between the U.S. and Iran. The visit comes as Iran appears poised to break the 2015 nuclear deal it struck with world powers that America earlier abandoned. (AP Photo/Michel Euler, File)\n\nDUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s trip to Tehran represents the highest-level effort yet to de-escalate tensions between the U.S. and Iran as the country appears poised to break the 2015 nuclear deal it struck with world powers that America earlier abandoned.\n\nBut while Abe’s trip to Iran marks the first visit of a sitting Japanese premier in the 40 years since the Islamic Revolution, it remains unclear if he’ll end up going home with any success.\n\nIran is threatening to resume enriching uranium closer to weapons-grade level on July 7 if European allies fail to offer it new terms. While President Donald Trump says he wants to talk to Tehran, the U.S. has piled on sanctions that have seen Iran’s rial currency plummet along with its crucial oil exports.\n\nThe U.S. also has sent an aircraft carrier and B-52 bombers to the region, along with hundreds more troops to back up the tens of thousands already deployed across the Middle East. The U.S. blames Iran for a mysterious attack on oil tankers off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, while Iranian-backed rebels in Yemen continue to launch coordinated drone attacks on Saudi Arabia.\n\nThe stakes, analysts say, couldn’t be higher.\n\n“Just going to Iran doesn’t resolve any problem,” said Kazuo Takahashi, an Open University of Japan professor of international politics and expert on the Middle East. “He would have to help open a path of dialogue between the U.S. and Iran, and that could be a major risk.”\n\nIran’s nuclear deal, agreed to at the time by China, Russia, France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the U.S., saw Tehran agree to limit its enrichment of uranium exchange for the lifting of crippling sanctions. Western powers feared Iran’s atomic program could allow it to build nuclear weapons, although Iran long has insisted its program was for peaceful purposes.\n\nIn withdrawing from the deal last year, Trump pointed to the accord not limiting Iran’s ballistic missile program and not addressing what American officials describe as Tehran’s malign influence across the wider Mideast. Those who struck the deal at the time described it as a building block toward further negotiations with Iran, whose Islamic government has had a tense relationship with America since the 1979 takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and subsequent hostage crisis.\n\nTrump spoke Tuesday with Abe, said Yoshihide Suga, Japan’s chief Cabinet secretary. Suga declined to give any details about what they discussed. Abe also in recent days spoken with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, all of whom are fierce critics of Iran.\n\n“Taking into account the current status of rising tension in the Middle East, we hope to ease tensions through leader-level talks with Iran, a regional powerhouse,” Suga said.\n\nMiddle East peace is a must for Japan, which gets most of the oil fueling its economy from there. Japan had once purchased Iranian oil, but it has now stopped because of American sanctions. Recent threats from Iran to close off the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth through which a third of all oil traded by sea passes, has raised concerns.\n\nAbe is scheduled to see Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, a relative moderate within Iran’s Shiite theocracy, as well as Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.\n\nAlready though, Iran says it quadrupled its production of low-enriched uranium. Yukiya Amano, the director-general of the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog agency that monitors Iran’s nuclear deal, acknowledged Monday that Tehran has increased its production. However, Amano said he hadn’t spoken recently with Abe.\n\nMeanwhile, U.S. sanctions have cut off opportunities for Iran to trade its excess uranium and heavy water abroad, putting Tehran on course to violate terms of the nuclear deal regardless.\n\nHard-liners within Iran already have dismissed Abe’s trip.\n\n“Just like the nuclear deal . helped improved the country’s economy, visits by people such as the Japanese prime minister will improve the livelihood of the people,” the hard-line Kayhan newspaper sarcastically offered in an editorial Tuesday.\n\nIt remains unlikely Iran will want to engage in direct talks with the U.S. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, an American-educated diplomat key in negotiating the nuclear deal, openly threatened the U.S. during a news conference Monday with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas.\n\n“Mr. Trump himself has announced that the U.S. has launched an economic war against Iran,” Zarif said. “The only solution for reducing tensions in this region is stopping that economic war.”\n\nZarif also warned: “Whoever starts a war with us will not be the one who finishes it.”\n\nHowever, Iran on Tuesday did release U.S. permanent resident Nizar Zakka, a Lebanese-born internet advocate imprisoned for years in Tehran on internationally criticized spying charges. Zakka had done contract work for the State Department.\n\nAnd overall, Iran risks little in inviting Abe to the country, said Henry Rome, an analyst with the Eurasia Group.\n\n“Khamenei and Rouhani get to show the beleaguered population that despite extreme economic pressure, top world leaders are still willing to visit Iran,” Rome wrote Monday. “And Tehran can probe for opportunities to expand its trade relationship with Tokyo, although options are quite limited.”\n\nYamaguchi reported from Tokyo. Associated Press writer Amir Vahdat in Tehran, Iran, contributed.", "IRAN has accused the US of lying about the \"torpedo attack\" on an American-linked oil tanker as tensions reach breaking point.\n\nUS Secretary of State Mike Pompeo blamed Iran for the \"blatant\" attacks on two tankers which burst into flames in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday.\n\nBut Iran has hit back at the \"unfounded and reckless\" claims and accused the US of “warmongering” as part of a “disinformation campaign”.\n\n“The US and its regional allies must stop warmongering and put an end to mischievous plots and false flag operations in the region,” Iran's mission to the United Nations said.\n\n“Warning, once again, about all of the US coercion, intimidation and malign behaviour, Iran expresses concern over suspicious incidents for the oil tankers that occurred today.”\n\nIt came after Pompeo pointed the finger at Iran and the Pentagon released images and footage as \"proof\" of Iranian involvement.\n\nWhat we know so far:\n• Two oil tankers were seriously damaged in the suspected torpedo attack\n• The US believes Iran is definitely to blame for the shocking attacks\n• Tehran has accused America of 'Iranophobia' and says it is innocent\n• Almost 50 sailors had to be rescued from the stricken tankers in the Gulf\n• Oil prices surged by 3.5 per cent after today's suspected terror attack\n• Iran's foreign minister has branded the explosions as \"suspicious\"\n• The US Navy's 5th Fleet is now investigating the suspected torpedo attack\n\nPompeo said the attacks were part of a \"campaign\" of \"escalating tension\" by Iran which posed a threat to international peace and security.\n\nIran blasted his “inflammatory remarks” and said they amounted to “another Iranophobic campaign”.\n\n\"Iran categorically rejects the U.S. unfounded claim with regard to 13 June oil tanker incidents and condemns it in the strongest possible terms,\" the Iranian mission said in a statement.\n\nThe hardline Islamic nation added that the US poses the \"most significant threat\" to the peace and security of the Persian Gulf region.\n\n\"The US economic war and terrorism against the Iranian people as well as the massive military presence in the region have been and continue to be the main sources of insecurity and instability in the wider Persian Gulf region and the most significant threat to its peace and security,\" the statement said.\n\nIran's foreign minister later dismissed the US accusations as \"sabotage diplomacy\".\n\nBoth the Front Altair and the Panama-flagged Kokuka Courageous burst into flames and were forced to evacuate in the troubled region on Thursday.\n\nReports suggested the Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous may have been targeted by a magnetic mine causing a series of massive explosions on board.\n\nThe Pentagon released a video that it said showed Iran's Revolutionary Guard removing an unexploded limpet mine from the tanker.\n\nThis suggests the Islamic Republic may have sought to remove evidence of its involvement from the scene.\n\nThe black-and-white footage, as well as still photographs released by the US military's Central Command, appeared to show the limpet mine on the Kokuka Courageous.\n\nBut the owner has since said the tanker crew saw \"flying objects\" before the attack, suggesting the ship was not damaged by mines, according to AP.\n\nPompeo said the US will defend its forces and interests in the region but gave no specifics about any plans and he took no questions.\n\nHours later it was revealed the US Navy is sending the guided missile destroyer USS Mason to the scene of the attacks.\n\nThe USS Bainbridge rescued 21 of the 44 stricken sailors involved in the incident near the Strait of Hormuz.\n\nBritain is working on the basis that Iran is responsible for the attacks and warned Iran that these actions were “deeply unwise”.\n\nForeign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said: “This is deeply worrying and comes at a time of already huge tension.\n\n\"I have been in contact with Pompeo and, while we will be making our own assessment soberly and carefully, our starting point is obviously to believe our U.S. allies.\n\n“We are taking this extremely seriously and my message to Iran is that if they have been involved it is a deeply unwise escalation which poses a real danger to the prospects of peace and stability in the region.\"\n\nNorwegian shipping firm Frontline, which owns the Altair, has denied Iranian reports that the tanker had sunk.\n\nThe ship was built in 2016 and is flagged to the Marshall Islands - a US associated state in the Pacific Ocean.\n\nChartered by Taiwan's state oil refiner CPC Corp, the huge vessel set sail from the UAE port of Ruwais on Tuesday and was due to arrive in Kaohsiung on June 30.\n\nSpeaking to Reuters, the CEO of CPC's petrochemical division Wu I-Fang said the tanker was \"suspected of being hit by a torpedo.\"\n\nHe said it was carrying 75,000 tonnes of naphtha, a petrochemical feedstock, which trade sources estimate to be worth more than $30 million.\n\nPaolo d'Amico, chairman of the tanker association, Intertanko, said concern was rising for other crews braving the powder keg shipping lanes.\n\nHe said: \"If the waters are becoming unsafe, the oil supply to the entire Western world could be at risk.”\n\nIt comes as tensions in the Persian Gulf between the United States and Iran are threatening to reach boiling point.\n\nA Saudi-led coalition has described the attack as a \"major escalation\".\n\nIn recent weeks, Washington has sent a number of battleships to the region in response to what it says are Iranian threats against American interests and its allies in the region.\n\nThe Kokuka Courageous - which is owned by Japanese firm Kokuka Sangyohad - set sail from Al Jubail in Saudi Arabia on June 10 and was due to reach Singapore by June 22.\n\nOil prices rose by 3.5 per cent following news of the explosions, according to reports.\n\nIran's foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif branded the explosions as \"suspicious\" calling them \"reported attacks on Japan-related oil tankers.\"\n\nHe said the incident had happened as Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei was meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a close American ally.\n\nThe US Navy's 5th Fleet said it is aware of a \"reported attack\" in the area and is investigating.\n\nA statement said: \"US naval forces in the region received two separate distress calls at 6.12 am local time and a second one at 7.00 am.\n\n\"US Navy ships are in the area and are rendering assistance.\"\n\nSpeaking about the attacks, White House spokesperson Sarah Sanders said: “The President has been briefed on the attack on ships in the Gulf of Oman.\n\n“The US Government is providing assistance and will continue to assess the situation.”\n\nThe United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations, which is run by the British Navy, urged \"extreme caution\" and said it was investigating the incident.\n\n“We are deeply concerned by reports of explosions and fires on vessels in the Gulf of Oman. We are in contact with local authorities and partners in the region.”\n\nAuthorities do not believe that any British nationals were on the two ships.\n\nA UK Foreign Office spokesperson said: “We are deeply concerned by reports of explosions and fires on vessels in the Gulf of Oman. We are in contact with local authorities and partners in the region.”\n\nThis comes after the US claimed Iran used explosives to blow huge holes in four ships - including two Saudi oil tankers - anchored in the Persian Gulf last month.\n\nThe ships reportedly had ruptures measuring up to ten foot across in their hulls as a result of the May 12 sabotage attacks.\n\nThey were targeted near the port of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates - with one of the tankers due to be loaded with Saudi crude oil bound for the US.\n\nA Washington-based official told the Associated Press that an American military team's initial assessment indicated Iran or its allies used explosives to blow holes in the ships.\n\nA huge US naval presence has built up in the Gulf over recent weeks amid a fevered standoff between Washington and Tehran.\n\nUS intelligence revealed Iran was on the verge of carrying out offensive action to disrupt and attack American and partner interests in the region.\n\nIt led to the deployment of US aircraft carriers, Patriot missiles and B52 bombers over recent days.\n\nThe general-secretary of the Gulf Cooperation Council described the sabotage as a \"serious escalation\" in an overnight statement.\n\nIran's foreign ministry spokesman called the incidents near the coast of Fujairah on May 12 \"worrisome and dreadful\" and asked for an investigation into the matter.\n\nWhat is the Iran nuclear deal?\n\nThe deal is an agreement between the Islamic Republic and a group of world powers aimed at scrapping the Middle Eastern country's nuclear weapons programme.\n\nIt saw Iran agree to eliminate its stockpile of medium-enriched uranium by 98 per cent.\n\nAccording to the deal, Iran would receive relief from the US, the European Union and the United Nations Security Council on all nuclear-related economic sanctions.\n\nThe agreement was reached on July 14, 2015, and was signed by world powers in Vienna, Austria.\n\nHowever, on May 8, 2018, President Trump announced the US would withdraw from the agreement - which he has repeatedly called \"insane\" and ridiculous\".\n\nAmerica's withdrawal from the deal mean crippling economic sanctions will once again be placed on Iran - further heightening tensions between the two countries.\n\nWe pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368 . We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours", "TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s top government spokesman says Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s high-stakes trip to Iran is intended to help de-escalate tensions in the Mideast — and not specifically mediate between Tehran and Washington.\n\nThe remarks by Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga to reporters were apparently meant to downplay and lower expectations amid uncertain prospects for Abe’s mission.\n\nAbe was to meet with Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Thursday, the second and final day of his visit.\n\nOn Wednesday, after talks with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Abe warned any “accidental conflict” that could be sparked amid the heightened U.S.-Iran tensions must be avoided.\n\nTensions have escalated in the Mideast and Iran appears poised to break the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. Washington pulled out of the agreement last year.", "Two oil tankers near the strategic Strait of Hormuz were damaged in suspected attacks on Thursday, an assault that left one ablaze and adrift as sailors were evacuated from both vessels and the U.S. Navy rushed to assist amid heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran.\n\nThe Navy and the ship's owners offered no immediate explanation on what weapon caused the damage to the MT Front Altair and the Kokuka Courageous in the Gulf of Oman off the coast of Iran, though all believed the ships had been targeted in an attack.\n\nIt marks the latest mysterious incident to target the region's oil tankers. The U.S. alleged that Iran used limpet mines to attack four oil tankers off the nearby Emirati port of Fujairah last month. Iran has denied being involved, but it comes as Iranian-backed rebels in Yemen also have launched missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia.\n\nMeanwhile in Iran, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned that while Tehran doesn't seek nuclear weapons, \"America could not do anything\" to stop Iran if it did.\n\nThe comments came during a one-on-one meeting capping Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's high-stakes visit in Tehran that sought to ease Iran-U.S. tensions, suggested the efforts had failed.\n\nBenchmark Brent crude spiked at one point by as much 4% in trading following the suspected attack, to over $62 a barrel, highlighting how crucial the area remains to global energy supplies. A third of all oil traded by sea passes through the strait, which is the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf.\n\nCmdr. Joshua Frey, a 5th Fleet spokesman, said the U.S. Navy was assisting the two vessels that he described as being hit in a \"reported attack.\" He did not say how the ships were attacked or who was suspected of being behind the assault.\n\nDryad Global, a maritime intelligence firm, preliminarily identified one of the vessels involved as the MT Front Altair, a Marshall Islands-flagged crude oil tanker. The vessel was \"on fire and adrift,\" Dryad added. It did not offer a cause for the incident or mention the second ship.\n\nThe firm that operates the Front Altair told The Associated Press that an explosion was the cause of the fire onboard. International Tanker Management declined to comment further saying they are still investigating what caused the explosion. Its crew of 23 is safe after being evacuated by the nearby Hyundai Dubai vessel, it said.\n\nThe second vessel was identified as the Kokuka Courageous. BSM Ship Management said it sustained hull damage and 21 sailors had been evacuated, with one suffering minor injuries. Iranian state television said 44 sailors from the two tankers have been transferred to an Iranian port in the southern province of Hormozgan.\n\nThe timing of Thursday's suspected attack was especially sensitive as Abe's high-stakes diplomacy mission was underway in Iran. Japan's Trade Ministry said the two vessels had \"Japan-related cargo.\"\n\nOn Wednesday, after talks with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Abe warned that any \"accidental conflict\" that could be sparked amid the heightened U.S.-Iran tensions must be avoided.\n\nHis message came just hours after Yemen's Iranian-backed Houthi rebels attacked a Saudi airport, striking its arrivals hall before dawn and wounding 26 people Wednesday.\n\nA statement published by Khamenei's website after Abe's meeting Thursday with the supreme leader suggested a tense exchange between the two.\n\n\"We have no doubt about your good will and seriousness, but ... I don't regard Trump as deserving any exchange of messages,\" Khamenei reportedly told Abe.\n\nKhamenei also said Iran remained opposed to building atomic weapons, but offered a challenge to Trump.\n\n\"You should know that if we planned to produce nuclear weapons, America could not do anything,\" said Khamenei, who has final say on all matters of state in Iran's Shiite theocracy.\n\nIn Tokyo, Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, a top government spokesman, told reporters that Abe's trip was intended to help de-escalate Mideast tensions — not specifically mediate between Tehran and Washington. His remarks were apparently meant to downplay and lower expectations amid uncertain prospects for Abe's mission.\n\nTensions have escalated in the Mideast as Iran appears poised to break the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, an accord that the Trump administration pulled out of last year.\n\nIran's nuclear deal, reached in 2015 by China, Russia, France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the U.S., saw Tehran agree to limit its enrichment of uranium in exchange for the lifting of crippling sanctions. Western powers feared Iran's atomic program could allow it to build nuclear weapons, although Iran long has insisted its program was for peaceful purposes.\n\nIn withdrawing from the deal last year, Trump pointed to the accord not limiting Iran's ballistic missile program and not addressing what American officials describe as Tehran's malign influence across the wider Middle East. Those who struck the deal at the time described it as a building block toward further negotiations with Iran, whose Islamic government has had a tense relationship with America since the 1979 takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and subsequent hostage crisis.\n\nAlready, Iran says it quadrupled its production of low-enriched uranium. Meanwhile, U.S. sanctions have cut off opportunities for Iran to trade its excess uranium and heavy water abroad, putting Tehran on course to violate terms of the nuclear deal regardless.\n\nAya Batrawy in Dubai, Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo and Amir Vahdat in Tehran, Iran, contributed to this report"], "summary": "Kyodo News Agency reports that during his visit to mediate between the U.S. and Iran, Japanese PM Shinzō Abe asked Iran to release American prisoners held by Iran, though the response is \"unclear\" to the press. But Iran says it will not negotiate with the United States, rejecting Abe's bid to broker dialogue between the two countries amid escalating tensions in the Middle East. Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif accuses the \"B-Team\" (Mohammed bin Salman, John Bolton and Benjamin Netanyahu) of sabotaging diplomacy, including Abe's meeting, to hide its \"economic terrorism\" by accusing Iran of attacking oil tankers."}
{"document": ["French President Emmanuel Macron attends a news conference during the Southern EU Countries Summit in front of the Auberge de Castille in Valletta, Malta, June 14, 2019. REUTERS/Darrin Zammit Lupi\n\nVALLETTA (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron urged Turkey to stop “illegal activities” in Cyprus’s exclusive economic zone and said the European Union would not back down on the issue.\n\nEuropean Union members have pressured Turkey to drop its plans for offshore drilling for natural gas in an area claimed by the Cypriot authorities as part of their exclusive economic zone around the island.\n\n“I want to reiterate my solidarity with Cyprus and my support and respect for its sovereignty. Turkey must stop its illegal activities in Cyprus’s exclusive economic zone,” Macron said after a summit of Southern European Union heads of states on Friday in Malta.\n\n“The European Union will not show weakness on this matter,” he said.\n\nSeparately, the French president argued for euro zone reforms to continue after the bloc’s finance ministers took steps toward tighter integration without reaching agreement on hotly disputed matters such as a common budget for the area.\n\n“This first step is not enough and we must go much further,” Macron said.\n\n“We need a stability function for the euro zone, a European guarantee for deposits.”\n\nThe finance ministers are set to hold more discussions over financing sources and a common budget.", "VALLETTA (Reuters) - Heads of European Union Mediterranean states offered full support on Friday for fellow EU member Cyprus in a dispute with Turkey over the ownership of offshore natural gas deposits.\n\nGreek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, Portugal's Prime Minister Antonio Costa, French President Emmanuel Macron, Malta's Prime Minister Joseph Muscat, Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Italy's Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte and Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades attend the Southern EU Countries summit at Auberge de Castille in Valletta, Malta June 14, 2019. Department of Information-Malta/Handout via REUTERS\n\nThe discovery of lucrative energy reserves has exacerbated tensions between Turkey and Cyprus which date to an ethnic conflict in 1974 that split the island between its Greek and Turkish Cypriot populations. The Turkish-speaking northern part of Cyprus proclaims independence, recognized only by Turkey.\n\nCyprus said this week it had issued arrest warrants for the crew of a Turkish drill ship it accused of infringing territory over which it claims the right to explore for oil and gas.\n\nTurkey has overlapping claims of jurisdiction for offshore research in the Mediterranean and argues that Turkish Cypriots also have a right to a share of the newfound resources. Ankara said reports of the arrest warrants “crossed the line”.\n\nEU leaders in Malta threw their weight behind Cyprus.\n\n“Turkey must stop its illegal activities in the exclusive economic zone of Cyprus,” said French President Emmanuel Macron. “The European Union will not show any weakness on this subject.”\n\nGreek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said: “It’s important to signal that the EU should take specific measures if Turkey does not stop its infringing behavior. Whoever doesn’t respect international law must suffer the consequences.”\n\nTurkey has bid for EU membership, but its candidacy is frozen, with the EU executive in May saying its hopes of joining were fading because of backsliding on rights and rule of law.\n\nThe gathering in Malta came a week ahead of a full summit of EU leaders, which falls at a time when a number of top jobs in Europe are up for grabs — including new heads of both the European Commission and the European Central Bank (ECB).\n\nItalian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said he hoped the southern EU leaders could work together to make sure their interests were respected.\n\n“I hope to get everyone’s agreement for greater cohesion on the part of the southern EU states. Sometimes we make the mistake of splitting, while other groups, like those in the north, are more united,” he said.\n\nEarlier this week a government source in Rome said Italy was ready to back a French candidate to lead the ECB as part of a plan to ensure an Italian retained a seat on the central bank executive board.\n\nConte, who leads a government that includes the anti-immigrant far-right League, also expressed disappointment that the EU had yet to agree a comprehensive immigration policy, with promises unfulfilled to disperse migrants across the bloc.\n\n“It is unacceptable that we continue to declare abstract solidarity for all, but then fail to translate this into concrete measures,” he said.", "Dear Reader, As you can imagine, more people are reading The Jerusalem Post than ever before. Nevertheless, traditional business models are no longer sustainable and high-quality publications, like ours, are being forced to look for new ways to keep going. Unlike many other news organizations, we have not put up a paywall. We want to keep our journalism open and accessible and be able to keep providing you with news and analysis from the frontlines of Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World.\n\nHeads of European Union Mediterranean states offered full support on Friday for fellow EU member Cyprus in a dispute with Turkey over the ownership of offshore natural gas deposits. \n\n\n\nThe discovery of lucrative energy reserves has exacerbated tensions between Turkey and Cyprus which date to an ethnic conflict in 1974 that split the island between its Greek and Turkish Cypriot populations. The Turkish-speaking northern part of Cyprus proclaims independence, recognized only by Turkey.\n\nCyprus said this week it had issued arrest warrants for the crew of a Turkish drill ship it accused of infringing territory over which it claims the right to explore for oil and gas.Turkey has overlapping claims of jurisdiction for offshore research in the Mediterranean and argues that Turkish Cypriots also have a right to a share of the newfound resources. Ankara said reports of the arrest warrants \"crossed the line\".EU leaders in Malta threw their weight behind Cyprus.\"Turkey must stop its illegal activities in the exclusive economic zone of Cyprus,\" said French President Emmanuel Macron. \"The European Union will not show any weakness on this subject.\"Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said: \"It's important to signal that the EU should take specific measures if Turkey does not stop its infringing behavior. Whoever doesn't respect international law must suffer the consequences.\"Turkey has bid for EU membership, but its candidacy is frozen, with the EU executive in May saying its hopes of joining were fading because of backsliding on rights and rule of law.The gathering in Malta came a week ahead of a full summit of EU leaders, which falls at a time when a number of top jobs in Europe are up for grabs -- including new heads of both the European Commission and the European Central Bank (ECB).Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said he hoped the southern EU leaders could work together to make sure their interests were respected.\"I hope to get everyone's agreement for greater cohesion on the part of the southern EU states. Sometimes we make the mistake of splitting, while other groups, like those in the north, are more united,\" he said.Earlier this week a government source in Rome said Italy was ready to back a French candidate to lead the ECB as part of a plan to ensure an Italian retained a seat on the central bank executive board.Conte, who leads a government that includes the anti-immigrant far-right League, also expressed disappointment that the EU had yet to agree a comprehensive immigration policy, with promises unfulfilled to disperse migrants across the bloc. \"It is unacceptable that we continue to declare abstract solidarity for all, but then fail to translate this into concrete measures,\" he said.\n\nNow is the time to join the news event of the year - The Jerusalem Post Annual Conference! \n\nFor more information and to sign up, click here>>", "VALLETTA (Reuters) - Heads of European Union Mediterranean states offered full support on Friday for fellow EU member Cyprus in a dispute with Turkey over the ownership of offshore natural gas deposits.\n\nThe discovery of lucrative energy reserves has exacerbated tensions between Turkey and Cyprus which date to an ethnic conflict in 1974 that split the island between its Greek and Turkish Cypriot populations. The Turkish-speaking northern part of Cyprus proclaims independence, recognised only by Turkey.\n\nCyprus said this week it had issued arrest warrants for the crew of a Turkish drill ship it accused of infringing territory over which it claims the right to explore for oil and gas.\n\nTurkey has overlapping claims of jurisdiction for offshore research in the Mediterranean and argues that Turkish Cypriots also have a right to a share of the newfound resources. Ankara said reports of the arrest warrants \"crossed the line\".\n\nEU leaders in Malta threw their weight behind Cyprus.\n\n\"Turkey must stop its illegal activities in the exclusive economic zone of Cyprus,\" said French President Emmanuel Macron. \"The European Union will not show any weakness on this subject.\"\n\nGreek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said: \"It's important to signal that the EU should take specific measures if Turkey does not stop its infringing behaviour. Whoever doesn't respect international law must suffer the consequences.\"\n\nTurkey has bid for EU membership, but its candidacy is frozen, with the EU executive in May saying its hopes of joining were fading because of backsliding on rights and rule of law.\n\nThe gathering in Malta came a week ahead of a full summit of EU leaders, which falls at a time when a number of top jobs in Europe are up for grabs -- including new heads of both the European Commission and the European Central Bank (ECB).\n\nItalian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said he hoped the southern EU leaders could work together to make sure their interests were respected.\n\n\"I hope to get everyone's agreement for greater cohesion on the part of the southern EU states. Sometimes we make the mistake of splitting, while other groups, like those in the north, are more united,\" he said.\n\nEarlier this week a government source in Rome said Italy was ready to back a French candidate to lead the ECB as part of a plan to ensure an Italian retained a seat on the central bank executive board.\n\nConte, who leads a government that includes the anti-immigrant far-right League, also expressed disappointment that the EU had yet to agree a comprehensive immigration policy, with promises unfulfilled to disperse migrants across the bloc.\n\n\"It is unacceptable that we continue to declare abstract solidarity for all, but then fail to translate this into concrete measures,\" he said.\n\nThis story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.\n\nYour guide to the latest cricket World Cup stories, analysis, reports, opinions, live updates and scores on https://www.firstpost.com/firstcricket/series/icc-cricket-world-cup-2019.html. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram or like our Facebook page for updates throughout the ongoing event in England and Wales.", "VALLETTA, June 14 (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron urged Turkey to stop “illegal activities” in Cyprus’s exclusive economic zone and said the European Union would not back down on the issue.\n\nEuropean Union members have pressured Turkey to drop its plans for offshore drilling for natural gas in an area claimed by the Cypriot authorities as part of their exclusive economic zone around the island. (Reporting by Jean-Baptiste Vey; Editing by Inti Landauro and Hugh Lawson)", "European Union members have pressured Turkey to drop its plans for offshore drilling for natural gas in an area claimed by the Cypriot authorities as part of their exclusive economic zone around the island.\n\n\"EU WILL NOT SHOW WEAKNESS ON THIS MATTER\"\n\n“I want to reiterate my solidarity with Cyprus and my support and respect for its sovereignty. Turkey must stop its illegal activities in Cyprus’s exclusive economic zone,” Macron said after a summit of Southern European Union heads of states on Friday in Malta. “The European Union will not show weakness on this matter,” he said.\n\nSeparately, the French president argued for euro zone reforms to continue after the bloc’s finance ministers took steps toward tighter integration without reaching agreement on hotly disputed matters such as a common budget for the area.\n\n“This first step is not enough and we must go much further,” Macron said.", "The Southern European countries released a statement during a meeting Friday condemning Turkish actions in the Eastern Mediterranean. The statement called on the European Union to “consider appropriate action” against Turkey if it doesn’t stop an “illegal” hydrocarbon drilling bid in waters where the Republic of Cyprus has exclusive economic rights, the leaders of France, Italy, Greece, Portugal, Spain and Malta said in a joint declaration issued at the end of the sixth Med7 summit in the Maltese capital La Valletta on Friday.\n\n In their Declaration the MED7 express their “deep regret that Turkey has not responded to the European Union’s repeated calls condemning Turkey’s illegal continued actions in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Aegean Sea and express serious concern over actual or potential drilling activities within Cyprus’ EEZ.”\n\n “We ask the European Union to remain seized on the matter and, in case Turkey does not cease its illegal activities, to consider appropriate measures in full solidarity with Cyprus,” they note.\n\n In a statement during a joint press conference by the seven southern EU member states leaders, Malta’s Prime Minister and host Joseph Muscat said that “we have made it very clear that we give our total support to our Cypriot friends on recurrent issues and that this support is unwavering.”\n\n\n\n“Turkey must stop its illegal activities in the exclusive economic zone of Cyprus,” said French President Emmanuel Macron. “The European Union will not show any weakness on this subject.”\n\n Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said: “It’s important to signal that the EU should take specific measures if Turkey does not stop its infringing behavior. Whoever doesn’t respect international law must suffer the consequences.”\n\nItalian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte also conveyed “our support and full help to the Cyprus government.” “Cyprus is completely entitled to economic measures to protect its resources in its EEZ,” he said speaking through an interpreter.\n\nSpain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez also noted solidarity and support to the government of Cyprus regarding oil protection as regards Turkey.\n\nThe Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Saturday condemned a joint statement released by the MED7 nations targeting Turkey at a summit of southern European Union states, saying Ankara rejects biased remarks disconnected from reality and against international law.\n\n “These expressions reflect the Greek Cypriot/Greek duo’s national positions that are not compatible with the U.N.’s principles regarding a solution to the Cyprus question and international law. They do not hold any value, provision or influence for us,” the ministry statement said, describing the Med7 statement as a new and saddening example of how Greek Cyprus and Greece abuse their EU membership and how some EU countries serve as an instrument to this.", "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Saturday condemned a joint statement targeting Turkey at a summit of southern European Union states, saying Ankara rejects biased remarks disconnected from reality and against international law.\n\nThe European Union should \"consider appropriate action\" against Turkey if it doesn't stop an \"illegal\" hydrocarbon drilling bid in waters where the Republic of Cyprus has exclusive economic rights, the leaders of France, Italy, Greece, Portugal, Spain and Malta said in a joint declaration issued at the end of the sixth Med7 summit in the Maltese capital La Valletta on Friday.\n\n\"Turkey must stop its illegal activities in the exclusive economic zone of Cyprus,\" said French President Emmanuel Macron. \"The European Union will not show any weakness on this subject.\"\n\nGreek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said: \"It's important to signal that the EU should take specific measures if Turkey does not stop its infringing behavior. Whoever doesn't respect international law must suffer the consequences.\"\n\nCyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkey used its guarantor rights to intervene on the island after a far-right Greek Cypriot military coup sponsored by the military junta then in power in Athens sought to unite the island with Greece. The coup followed decadelong inter-ethnic violence and terrorism targeting Turkish Cypriots, who were forced to live in enclaves when Greek Cypriots unilaterally changed the constitution in 1963 and stripped the island's Turks of their political rights.\n\nThe Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), established in 1983 on the northern one-third of the island, is only recognized by Turkey and faces a longstanding embargo in commerce, transportation and culture. Meanwhile, the Greek Cypriot Administration enjoys recognition by the international community as the Republic of Cyprus, established in 1960.\n\n\"These expressions reflect the Greek Cypriot/Greek duo's national positions that are not compatible with the U.N.'s principles regarding a solution to the Cyprus question and international law. They do not hold any value, provision or influence for us,\" the ministry statement said, describing the Med7 statement as a new and saddening example of how Greek Cyprus and Greece abuse their EU membership and how some EU countries serve as an instrument to this.\n\n\"This situation clearly puts forward once again that the EU and EU countries cannot be impartial and trusted actors in solving of the Cyprus question as well,\" it added.\n\nGreek Cyprus was admitted to the European Union in 2004, violating the EU's own rules of not allowing candidate countries with border disputes and assurances to Turkey and Turkish Cypriots that the Cypriot accession would not take place until a permanent solution had been reached on the island. The Greek Cypriot accession took place a week after a peace plan backed by U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan was voted down in the South while being approved in the North.\n\n\"The countries which signed this statement within the scope of the Cyprus question should remember that not only Cypriot Greeks live on the island but also Cypriot Turks, comprehend that the Cyprus question can only be solved if political equality of Cypriot Turks is provided and their security needs are met, and finally see that the Cyprus question remaining without solution for 56 years shows the Greek party does not want to share the government and welfare,\" the ministry said, calling the signatories to acknowledge that Cypriot Turks have equal rights over the island's natural resources.\n\nThe statement also underlined that supporting the maximalist maritime boundary claims of the Greek Cypriot Administration is in violation of the international law itself since \"as we have emphasized before, neither the EU nor a member country of the EU can pass judgements regarding a country's claim of maritime authority boundary and cannot bring validity to these boundaries. Moreover, the Greek Cypriot Administration, usurping the rights of Cypriot Turks which are a founding element of the island with equal rights, is not a normal country.\"\n\nThe statement reminded the international community once again that Turkey is determined to protect both its rights on its own continental shelf and equal rights of Cypriot Turks on the hydrocarbon resources of the island in the Eastern Mediterranean, and is taking and will not hesitate to take necessary steps in that regard.\n\nFollowing the release of the Med7 statement, Greek Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades expressed his \"deepest gratitude\" for the leaders' expression of solidarity with his country against Turkey's \"provocations.\"\n\nTurkey has consistently contested the Greek Cypriot Administration's unilateral drilling in the Eastern Mediterranean, stating that the exclusive economic zone unilaterally declared by Nicosia violates part of Turkey's shelf, particularly in Blocks 1, 4, 5, 6 and 7.\n\nSaying that unilateral exploration deprives the Turkish Cypriot minority of benefiting from the island's natural resources, Turkey has ramped up efforts in the Eastern Mediterranean. Turkey's first seismic vessel, the Barbaros Hayrettin Paşa, bought from Norway in 2013, has been carrying out exploration in the Mediterranean since April 2017.\n\nAnkara also sent its first drilling vessel, Fatih, to the region. The vessel is currently located some 40 miles west of Paphos in an area within Turkey's continental shelf which is also claimed by Greek Cyprus within its exclusive economic zone (EEZ). However, it is not among the areas unilaterally licensed by Nicosia for hydrocarbons.\n\nThere are British and Turkish nationals working on the Fatih drillship, in addition to TPAO's cooperation with two American and one Croatian companies with expertise in drilling.\n\nThe Greek Cypriot Administration has issued international arrest warrants for the ship's crew and officials from foreign companies assisting in the drilling. A Greek Cypriot government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly, told the Associated Press the arrest warrants number in the \"double digits\" and target officials \"in decision-making positions.\"\n\nTurkey warned this week that it would give the \"necessary response\" to Greek Cyprus over the arrest warrants.\n\nGreek Cypriot Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides said the Cypriot government won't be drawn into a \"publicity-oriented confrontation\" with Turkey.\n\nBut he claimed on private TV station Sigma on Thursday that some drilling support companies had stopped collaboration with Turkey following actions that he said have been taken by the Greek Cypriot government and \"by companies which are lawfully authorized to operate within Cyprus' exclusive economic zone.\"\n\nExxonMobil, France's Total and Italy's Eni are among the companies unilaterally licensed by the Greek Cypriot government to search for gas inside their claimed exclusive economic zone.\n\nThe gathering in Malta came a week ahead of a full summit of EU leaders, which falls at a time when a number of top jobs in Europe are up for grabs – including new heads of both the European Commission and the European Central Bank (ECB).", "The European Union should take “specific measures” against Turkey if Ankara persists with its “illegal behavior” in the eastern Mediterranean, Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras told the South EU Summit in Malta on Friday.\n\n“The key pillar of our position is respect for international law and that anyone who doesn't respect it should face the consequences,” Tsipras told the summit.\n\nAddressing the government leaders of Cyprus, France, Italy, Malta, Portugal and Spain, Tsipras said that Turkey's insistence to explore for natural gas off Cyprus' coast is “not a bilateral issue between Cyprus and Turkey, nor are those between Greece and Turkey.”\n\n“We have expressed our complete support to [Cyprus President] Nicos Anastasiades,” Tsipras said.\n\n \n\n French President Emmanuel Macron also warned that Turkey needs to “stop its illegal activities inside Cyprus' exclusive economic zone,” according to comments translated into Greek.", "NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) - The European Union should \"consider appropriate action\" against Turkey if it doesn't stop an \"illegal\" gas drilling bid in waters where Cyprus has exclusive economic rights, the leaders of southern EU states said Friday.\n\nIn a joint declaration issued at the end of their meeting in the Maltese capital, the leaders of France, Italy, Greece, Portugal, Spain and Malta expressed their full support for Cyprus' sovereign rights to exploit its national resources and repeated their condemnation of Turkey's actions.\n\nCyprus President Nicos Anastasiades expressed his \"deepest gratitude\" for the leaders' expression of solidarity with his country against Turkey's \"provocations.\"\n\nA Turkish drill ship has been anchored 41 miles off Cyprus' western coast for several weeks, but it is unclear if it has started drilling. Turkey says it is defending its rights and those of breakaway Turkish Cypriots to the area's energy reserves.\n\nCyprus' government says Turkey is acting in blatant disregard of international law.\n\nAlthough it hasn't said so publicly, the Cypriot government has issued international arrest warrants for the ship's crew and officials from foreign companies assisting in the drilling. A Cypriot government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly, said the arrest warrants number in the \"double digits\" and target officials \"in decision-making positions.\"\n\nTurkey warned this week that it would give the \"necessary response\" to Cyprus over the arrest warrants.\n\nCyprus Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides said the Cypriot government won't be drawn into a \"publicity-oriented confrontation\" with Turkey.\n\nBut he repeated on private TV station Sigma on Thursday that some drilling support companies had stopped collaboration with Turkey following actions that he said have been taken by the Cypriot government and \"by companies which are lawfully authorized to operate within Cyprus' exclusive economic zone.\"\n\nExxonMobil, France's Total and Italy's Eni are among the companies licensed to search for gas inside Cyprus' exclusive economic zone."], "summary": "European Union Mediterranean state leaders offer full support to fellow EU member Cyprus in its dispute with Turkey over offshore natural gas deposit ownership. French President Emmanuel Macron, speaking for the EU, urges Turkey to stop “illegal activities” in Cyprus’s exclusive economic zone."}
{"document": ["(Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court handed President Donald Trump a victory in his effort to ban most transgender people from the military, ordering a judge to reconsider her ruling against the policy, which the U.S. Supreme Court has allowed to take effect.\n\nDemonstrators gather to protest U.S. President Donald Trump's announcement that he plans to reinstate a ban on transgender individuals from serving in any capacity in the U.S. military, at the White House in Washington, U.S. July 26, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst - RC12D641E1E0\n\nThe 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday set aside a ruling by U.S. District Judge Marsha Pechman in Seattle, which had said the ban likely violated the constitutional rights of transgender service members and recruits.\n\nWithout ruling on the merits, a three-judge panel of the San Francisco-based appeals court said Pechman did not give the military’s judgment enough deference, and ordered her to give it more.\n\nThat finding could strengthen Trump’s position, though the government still had the burden of justifying his policy.\n\nSharon McGowan, legal director of Lambda Legal, which represents opponents of the ban, said she believed the decision foreshadowed the eventual “vindication of the constitutional right of the transgender service members who have been harmed by this policy.”\n\nPechman is one of four federal judges to rule against Trump’s policy toward transgender military personnel.\n\nIn January, the Supreme Court, which has a 5-4 conservative majority, lifted lower court injunctions against the policy, while allowing legal challenges to continue.\n\nKelly Laco, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Justice, said that agency will continue defending the ban, which lets the Pentagon “continue implementing a personnel policy it determined necessary to best defend our nation.”\n\nTrump, a Republican, announced the transgender ban in July 2017, saying the military needed to focus on “decisive and overwhelming victory” without being burdened by the “tremendous medical costs and disruption” of having transgender personnel.\n\nThe move marked an about-face from a landmark policy announced in 2016 by Democratic President Barack Obama, which let transgender people serve without fear of being discharged, and receive medical care to transition genders.\n\nIn March 2018, Trump backed a revised policy from then-Defense Secretary Jim Mattis that disqualified most transgender people with a history of gender dysphoria from military service, and people who have undergone gender transition steps.\n\nMedical experts define gender dysphoria as distress from the internal conflict between physical gender and gender identity.\n\nThe policy also allowed those military personnel diagnosed with gender dysphoria under Obama’s policy to serve according to their gender identity.\n\nIn April 2018, Pechman extended her injunction to the revised policy, finding no evidence that transgender troops reduced the military’s effectiveness, and saying the ban undermined the dignity of those troops.\n\nOn Friday, the appeals court said the revised policy “discriminates on the basis of transgender status” but was nevertheless “significantly different” from the 2017 ban.\n\n“On the current record,” the court said, “a presumption of deference is owed, because the 2018 policy appears to have been the product of independent military judgment.”\n\nThe government, nevertheless, still bore the burden of showing the policy significantly furthered its important interests, “and that is not a trivial burden,” the court added.\n\nFriday’s decision related to an August 2017 lawsuit by current and aspiring Army and Navy personnel, including one stationed overseas with nearly 20 years of experience. Washington state later joined the plaintiffs.", "June 14 (Reuters) - A federal appeals court on Friday ordered a lower court judge to reconsider her ruling against U.S. President Donald Trump's restrictions on transgender people from serving in the military, a policy that has already been allowed to go into effect by the U.S. Supreme Court.\n\nThe San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals set aside a decision by federal judge in Seattle, Washington, which said Trump's policy likely violated the constitutional rights of transgender recruits and service members.", "(Reuters) - A federal appeals court on Friday ordered a lower court judge to reconsider her ruling against U.S. President Donald Trump’s restrictions on transgender people serving in the military, a policy that had already been allowed to go into effect by the U.S. Supreme Court.\n\nThe San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals set aside a decision by a federal judge in Seattle, Washington, which said Trump’s policy likely violated the constitutional rights of transgender recruits and service members.\n\nThe three-judge appeals court panel said a request by the administration to lift an injunction issued by U.S. Judge Marsha Pechman must be reconsidered because an outright ban on transgender troops that Trump had announced in 2017 had been revised by a 2018 policy crafted by then-Defense Secretary Jim Mattis. The new policy was “significantly different,” the panel said.\n\nIn January, the Supreme Court lifted lower court injunctions blocking the transgender policy on constitutional grounds from going into effect while challenges to its legality continued in lower courts.\n\nThe high court did not resolve the underlying question of the legality of the Republican president’s plan, which reversed the landmark 2016 policy of his Democratic predecessor, President Barack Obama, to let transgender people serve openly in the armed forces for the first time and to receive medical care to transition genders.", "A US appeals court handed President Donald Trump a victory in his effort to ban most transgender people from the military, ordering a judge to reconsider her ruling against the policy, which the US Supreme Court has allowed to take effect.\n\nThe 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday set aside a ruling by US District Judge Marsha Pechman in Seattle, which said the ban likely violated the constitutional rights of transgender service members and recruits.\n\nWithout ruling on the merits, a three-judge panel of the San Francisco-based appeals court said Pechman did not give the military's judgment enough deference, and ordered her to give it more.\n\nThat finding could strengthen Trump's position, though the government still had the burden of justifying his policy.\n\nSharon McGowan, legal director of Lambda Legal, which represents opponents of the ban, said she believed the decision foreshadowed the eventual \"vindication of the constitutional right of the transgender service members who have been harmed by this policy.\"\n\nThe US Department of Justice did not immediately respond to a request for comment.\n\nTrump, a Republican, announced the transgender ban in July 2017, saying the military needed to focus on \"decisive and overwhelming victory\" without being burdened by the \"tremendous medical costs and disruption\" of having transgender personnel.\n\nThe move marked an about-face from a landmark policy announced in 2016 by Democratic President Barack Obama, which let transgender people serve without fear of being discharged, and receive medical care to transition genders.\n\nIn March 2018, Trump backed a revised policy from then-Defense Secretary Jim Mattis that disqualified most transgender people with a history of gender dysphoria from military service, and people who have undergone gender transition steps.\n\nOn Friday, the appeals court said the revised policy \"discriminates on the basis of transgender status\" but was nevertheless \"significantly different\" from the 2017 ban.\n\n\"On the current record,\" the court said, \"a presumption of deference is owed, because the 2018 policy appears to have been the product of independent military judgment.\"", "A U.S. appeals court handed President Donald Trump a victory in his effort to ban most transgender people from the military, ordering a judge to reconsider her ruling against the policy, which the U.S. Supreme Court has allowed to take effect.", "Dear Reader, As you can imagine, more people are reading The Jerusalem Post than ever before. Nevertheless, traditional business models are no longer sustainable and high-quality publications, like ours, are being forced to look for new ways to keep going. Unlike many other news organizations, we have not put up a paywall. We want to keep our journalism open and accessible and be able to keep providing you with news and analysis from the frontlines of Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World.\n\nA U.S. appeals court handed President Donald Trump a victory in his effort to ban most transgender people from the military, ordering a judge to reconsider her ruling against the policy, which the U.S. Supreme Court has allowed to take effect. \n\n\n\nThe 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday set aside a ruling by U.S. District Judge Marsha Pechman in Seattle, which had said the ban likely violated the constitutional rights of transgender service members and recruits.\n\nWithout ruling on the merits, a three-judge panel of the San Francisco-based appeals court said Pechman did not give the military's judgment enough deference, and ordered her to give it more.That finding could strengthen Trump's position, though the government still had the burden of justifying his policy.Sharon McGowan, legal director of Lambda Legal, which represents opponents of the ban, said she believed the decision foreshadowed the eventual \"vindication of the constitutional right of the transgender service members who have been harmed by this policy.\"Pechman is one of four federal judges to rule against Trump's policy toward transgender military personnel.In January, the Supreme Court, which has a 5-4 conservative majority, lifted lower court injunctions against the policy, while allowing legal challenges to continue.Kelly Laco, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of Justice, said that agency will continue defending the ban, which lets the Pentagon \"continue implementing a personnel policy it determined necessary to best defend our nation.\"Trump, a Republican, announced the transgender ban in July 2017, saying the military needed to focus on \"decisive and overwhelming victory\" without being burdened by the \"tremendous medical costs and disruption\" of having transgender personnel.The move marked an about-face from a landmark policy announced in 2016 by Democratic President Barack Obama, which let transgender people serve without fear of being discharged, and receive medical care to transition genders.In March 2018, Trump backed a revised policy from then-Defense Secretary Jim Mattis that disqualified most transgender people with a history of gender dysphoria from military service, and people who have undergone gender transition steps.Medical experts define gender dysphoria as distress from the internal conflict between physical gender and gender identity.The policy also allowed those military personnel diagnosed with gender dysphoria under Obama's policy to serve according to their gender identity.In April 2018, Pechman extended her injunction to the revised policy, finding no evidence that transgender troops reduced the military's effectiveness, and saying the ban undermined the dignity of those troops.On Friday, the appeals court said the revised policy \"discriminates on the basis of transgender status\" but was nevertheless \"significantly different\" from the 2017 ban.\"On the current record,\" the court said, \"a presumption of deference is owed, because the 2018 policy appears to have been the product of independent military judgment.\"The government, nevertheless, still bore the burden of showing the policy significantly furthered its important interests, \"and that is not a trivial burden,\" the court added. Friday's decision related to an August 2017 lawsuit by current and aspiring Army and Navy personnel, including one stationed overseas with nearly 20 years of experience. Washington state later joined the plaintiffs.\n\nNow is the time to join the news event of the year - The Jerusalem Post Annual Conference! \n\nFor more information and to sign up, click here>>", "The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals alleged Seattle’s Judge Pechman failed to give the policy sufficient deference and must reconsider the case.\n\nPresident Trump triumphed in his efforts to ban transgender people from the military after the U.S. appeals court Friday ordered U.S. District Judge Marsha Pechman to review her ruling.\n\nThe 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals alleged Seattle’s Judge Pechman failed to give the policy sufficient deference after she ruled against the ban, saying it infringed on the constitutional rights of transgender service members and recruits.\n\nWithout ruling on the merits, a three-judge panel of the San Francisco-based appeals court said Pechman did not give the military’s judgment enough deference and ordered her to give it more.\n\nPechman is one of four federal judges to rule against Trump’s policy toward transgender military personnel.\n\nIn January, the Supreme Court, which has a 5-4 conservative majority, lifted lower court injunctions against the policy, while allowing legal challenges to continue.\n\nThe policy also allowed military personnel diagnosed with gender dysphoria — “the conflict between a person's physical gender and their identified gender” — under Obama’s policy to serve according to their gender identity.\n\nIn April 2018, Pechman extended her injunction to the revised policy, finding no evidence that transgender troops reduced the military’s effectiveness, and saying the ban undermined the dignity of those troops.\n\nIn March 2018, Trump backed a revised policy from then-Defense Secretary Jim Mattis that disqualified most transgender people with a history of gender dysphoria from military service, and people who have undergone gender transition steps.\n\nOn Friday, the appeals court said the revised policy “discriminates on the basis of transgender status” but was nevertheless “significantly different” from the 2017 ban.", "The appeal originated from the District Court’s ruling in —the transgender military ban case. The Ninth Circuit’s specific ruling wasn’t particularly shocking or momentous, because it amounted to little more than tying up loose ends. However, the court’s resulting decision set out a legal standard for all things transgender moving forward – and that is a big deal.\n\nIn July 2017, Trump announced a ban on transgender military service via tweet. Almost immediately, four federal judges issued injunctions, temporarily stopping the ban from being implemented on the grounds that it violated the constitutional rights of transgender Americans. In January 2019, the U.S. Supreme Court lifted two of those injunctions, and the other two were lifted in turn by lower courts. The Pentagon then carried out the ban.\n\nOn Friday, the Ninth Circuit overturned a lower court ruling that the same transgender ban was unconstitutional, as was expected. None of that is great for the transgender community. However, all of it is specific to military service, and Trump’s particular directive on it.\n\nThe Ninth Circuit’s hands were tied; after the SCOTUS ruling, lifting the injunction was the appropriate course of action. But the court took the opportunity to answer a specific question of profound importance and broad application for the days to come: what kind of scrutiny is appropriate for laws single out transgender people?\n\nUnder the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments, Americans are entitled to equal protection under the law. What that’s come to mean is that there are rules to be applied when laws treat one group of people differently from another group. For example, when a law singles out people on the basis of race, religion, or national origin, that law is presumed unconstitutional unless it survives the most exacting of standards (referred to as, “strict scrutiny.”) By contrast, when law separates folks on the basis of something less suspect – such as their income or educational level, occupation, or IQ – it need only be meet the low “rational basis” threshold. Classifications on the basis of sex (the traditional legal word for “gender”) are subject to “intermediate scrutiny.” Yes, that’s where the title of the RBG biopic comes from.\n\nFor years, much debate has ensued over whether laws that single out LGBTs are entitled to the intermediate scrutiny afforded to traditional legal issues about gender (usually, involving discrimination against women). The question is an important one, because such a designation of intermediate scrutiny would mean invalidating most laws that affect the LGBT community differently from other Americans.\n\nBecause the stakes are so high, the legal dispute encompassed the nature of homosexuality and transgenderism themselves. If a person’s sexual orientation and identity are fixed and based in biology, it follows that those characteristics are entitled to the same legal protections as race or national origin. Alternatively, if sexual orientation and identity are choices, a lower legal standard is more appropriate.\n\nIn 2017, the Seventh Circuit boldly ruled in an employment case that for legal purposes, discrimination against LGB people isgender-discrimination because at its heart, it is about gender non-conformity. The court wrote:\n\nNow, the Ninth Circuit has gone a step farther – and ruled that laws effecting transgender discrimination are specifically entitled to intermediate scrutiny. In its opinion, the court referred litigants to its past decision about the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, in which it mandated an intermediate scrutiny standard for any law that, “attempts to intrude upon the personal and private lives of homosexuals…”. Handing the transgender military ban back down to the lower court, the Ninth Circuit directed that in light of past precedent, “the district court should apply a standard of review that is more than rational basis but less than strict scrutiny.”\n\nAs an extra measure, the Ninth Circuit also called out the Trump administration for its nonsensical argument that the transgender ban wasn’t really about transgenders at all:\n\nAlthough the U.S. Supreme Court’s rulings on the transgender military ban do not bode well for transgender discrimination generally, SCOTUS hasn ’t yet ruled on the specific issue of appropriate constitutional scrutiny. For now, the Ninth Circuit’s ruling on intermediate scrutiny will be the law of (part of) the land.\n\nThis is an opinion piece. The views expressed in this article are those of just the author.", "(Reuters) - A U.S. federal appeals court on Friday handed President Donald Trump a victory in his effort to ban most transgender people from the military, ordering a lower court judge to reconsider her ruling against the policy, which the U.S. Supreme Court later allowed to take effect.\n\nThe 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals set aside a ruling by U.S. District Judge Marsha Pechman in Seattle, which said the ban likely violated the constitutional rights of transgender recruits and service members.\n\nWhile not ruling on the case’s merits, a three-judge panel of the San Francisco-based appeals court said Pechman did not give the military’s judgment enough weight, and ordered her to give it more deference. That finding could strengthen Trump’s position on transgender troops going forward.\n\nIn January, the Supreme Court, which has a 5-4 conservative majority, lifted lower court injunctions that blocked the ban on constitutional grounds from going into effect, while challenges to its legality continued in lower courts.\n\nThe Supreme Court did not address the legality of the Republican president’s ban, which reversed a landmark 2016 policy of his Democratic predecessor, President Barack Obama.\n\nThat policy allowed transgender people for the first time to serve openly in the armed forces without fear of being discharged, and to receive medical care to transition genders.\n\nAttorneys for the transgender service members who filed the lawsuit could not immediately be reached. A spokeswoman for the Department of Justice also could not be reached.\n\nPechman was one of four federal judges who ruled against the administration on the transgender troop ban, saying it likely violated the U.S. Constitution’s equal protection guarantee.\n\nTrump had announced the ban in July 2017, and has said the old policy led to “tremendous medical costs and disruption.”\n\nIn March 2018, Trump backed a revised policy from then-Defense Secretary Jim Mattis that banned, in some circumstances, transgender people with gender dysphoria, or distress resulting from internal conflict between physical gender and gender identity.\n\nMattis’ policy also banned transgender people who seek or have undergone gender transition steps. But it allowed people diagnosed with gender dysphoria during the Obama policy to stay in the military and serve according to their gender identity.\n\nIn April 2018, Pechman extended her injunction to the revised policy, finding no evidence that transgender troops reduced the military’s effectiveness, and saying the ban undermined the dignity of those troops.\n\nShe also said the new policy would “force transgender service members to suppress the very characteristic that defines them as transgender in the first place.”\n\nIn Friday’s decision, the appeals court said the 2018 policy “discriminates on the basis of transgender status” but was nevertheless “significantly different” from the 2017 ban.\n\nIt said that when reconsidering the government’s request to lift her injunction, Pechman “must apply appropriate military deference to its evaluation.”\n\nThe lawsuit was filed in August 2017 on behalf of current and aspiring Army and Navy personnel, including one stationed overseas with nearly 20 years of experience. Washington state later joined the plaintiffs.", "On Friday, a federal appeals court overturned a lower court ruling declaring that Donald Trump’s ban on transgender military service is unconstitutional. Its decision might seem like a setback for the service members challenging the policy—but it’s actually a qualified victory for transgender rights with sweeping ramifications in other cases.\n\nAfter Trump announced his ban on trans military service via tweet in July 2017, four federal judges issued injunctions prohibiting its implementation. All four courts found the policy to be an unjustified violation of transgender Americans’ equal protection rights. In January, however, the Supreme Court lifted two of those injunctions by a 5–4 vote while the government appeals the rulings. The other two injunctions were eventually lifted in light of SCOTUS’s order, allowing the Pentagon to implement the ban. Meanwhile, appeals courts have continued to mull the policy’s constitutionality.\n\nThe 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals finally issued its decision on the matter Friday, vacating U.S. District Judge Marsha J. Pechman’s 2018 ruling against the ban. This outcome in Karnoski v. Trump is no surprise, since the Supreme Court already lifted Pechman’s injunction. The 9th Circuit found that Pechman hadn’t properly assessed whether former Defense Secretary James Mattis’ final implementation plan shored up the legality of the ban by providing the “considered military judgment” absent from Trump’s impromptu tweets and the resulting scramble to rationalize them. Its decision in Karnoski also found that Pechman had improperly applied strict scrutiny, thereby giving insufficient deference to the commander in chief.\n\nBut the 9th Circuit didn’t stop there. It went on to explain that the trans ban does discriminate against transgender people—a fact contested by the administration, which insists that the policy only discriminates against people with gender dysphoria. (This distinction makes no sense.) Moreover, the court found that discrimination on the basis of transgender status constitutes sex-based discrimination and is therefore subject to intermediate scrutiny. That means anti-trans policies must be supported by an “exceedingly persuasive justification,” one not “hypothesized or invented post hoc in response to litigation.” It directed Pechman to apply this test to the trans troops ban.\n\nWhat “exceedingly persuasive justification” might lie behind this policy? The Trump administration asserts that transgender service members “undermine readiness,” “erode reasonable expectations of privacy,” and “impose disproportionate costs.” These claims are demonstrably false. We know that because trans troops could already serve openly when Trump announced his ban, and none of these problems arose. These excuses were cooked up by anti-LGBTQ advocates in response to litigation against the ban, precisely what intermediate scrutiny forbids. The Trump administration’s justifications cannot be “exceedingly persuasive” if they are ungrounded in reality, discredited by experts, and disproved by experience.\n\nThus, Pechman is almost certain to conclude that the ban remains unconstitutional. In the meantime, Karnoski establishes precedent in the 9th Circuit, confirming that transgender discrimination is subject to intermediate scrutiny. The court will now apply this test to other trans cases—including Arizona’s effort to exclude transition-related care from its state health plan. ACLU attorney Joshua Block noted on Friday that he’ll cite this development in his effort to block Arizona’s discriminatory exclusion in court. Karnoski may also compel the 9th Circuit to rule that prisons must provide transition-related care to inmates in a case currently pending before the court.\n\nThe 9th Circuit encompasses Alaska, Arizona, California, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, the Northern Mariana Islands, Oregon, and Washington. Following Karnoski, any anti-trans law passed by these states and territories must survive intermediate scrutiny. Few will be able to clear this high bar. Yes, the Supreme Court’s conservatives may ultimately issue a devastating decision writing transgender people out of the Constitution if and when these cases come back to SCOTUS. They could also undermine the logic of Karnoski in next term’s LGBTQ employment discrimination cases; anything is possible with this far-right bloc in control. But until then, trans people in a huge chunk of the country will enjoy heightened protections against unjust discrimination."], "summary": "The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, without ruling on the merits, orders U.S. District Judge Marsha Pechman (Seattle) to reconsider her ruling against the ban of most transgender people from the military, stating she did not give the military’s judgment enough deference."}
{"document": ["A view of closed metro station in Sao Paulo, Brazil, during a national strike called by trade unions over Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro's pension reforms\n\nAdvertising Read more\n\nSao Paulo (AFP)\n\nA nationwide strike called by Brazil's trade unions disrupted public transport and triggered road blocks in parts of the country Friday, ahead of protests against far-right President Jair Bolsonaro's pension reform.\n\nHours before the opening match of the Copa America in Sao Paulo, some metro lines in the country's biggest city were paralyzed as professors and students also prepared to take to the streets over the government's planned education spending cuts.\n\nIt will be the latest mass demonstration against Bolsonaro since he took office in January, but the timing could not be worse for the embattled president as Brazil prepares to play Bolivia in South America's showcase football tournament.\n\nBolsonaro was expected to attend the opener at Morumbi stadium where police sharpshooters will be deployed as part of increased security for the competition.\n\nOne of Brazil's main trade unions estimated 45 million workers had taken part in the strike.\n\nSome 63 cities had been affected by the stoppage, with more than 80 cities recording demonstrations, G1 news site said.\n\nThe number of protesters is expected to balloon in the afternoon with demonstrations planned in Brazil's major cities.\n\nProtesters have already blocked some roads in several cities, including Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, where G1 said police had used tear gas to disperse demonstrators and clear the streets.\n\nBrazilians were divided over the partial strike.\n\n\"This current government wants to destroy everything that we built decades ago so that's why I'm in favor (of the strike) and I am fighting against social inequality,\" Vania Santos, 49, told AFP in Rio.\n\nIn Sao Paulo, Flavio Moreira opposed the stoppage, however, saying it \"hurts the commercial part\" of the city.\n\n- Pension savings cut -\n\nBolsonaro's proposed overhaul of Brazil's pension system -- which he has warned will bankrupt the country if his plan is not approved -- is seen as key to getting a series of economic reforms through Congress.\n\nBut the changes, including an increase in the retirement age and workers' contributions, have faced resistance from trade unions and in the lower house of Congress, where Bolsonaro's ultraconservative Social Liberal Party has only around 10 percent of the seats.\n\nA pared-back draft of the reform presented to Congress on Thursday -- which reduces expected savings from 1.2 trillion reais ($300 billion) in 10 years to around 900 billion reais -- did little to appease union leaders, who vowed to go ahead with the shutdown.\n\nSuch savings are seen as vital to repairing Brazil's finances and economy, which were devastated by a 2015-2016 crisis.\n\nEconomy minister Paulo Guedes, who is spearheading the government's reform agenda, has threatened to resign if the bill is not passed or is watered down significantly.\n\nIt caps a tumultuous six months for Bolsonaro, who has seen his popularity nosedive as he struggles to push his signature reform through a hostile Congress and keep Latin America's biggest economy from sliding back into recession.\n\nMore than 13 million people are unemployed, the latest data shows, with a record number giving up looking for a job.\n\nFighting between military and far-right factions of Bolsonaro's government has fueled chaos in his administration where his sons and right-wing writer and polemicist Olavo de Carvalho wield enormous influence.\n\nBolsonaro sacked his third minister on Thursday -- retired general Carlos Alberto dos Santos Cruz, who had been the government secretary and seen as a moderate voice.\n\nThat came on the same day Bolsonaro broke his silence to defend Justice Minister Sergio Moro, who has been accused of wrongdoing while serving as a judge in the sprawling Car Wash anticorruption investigation.\n\n? 2019 AFP", "Thousands of public workers have joined a general strike in Brazil against a controversial government proposal to reform pensions.\n\nThe strike, the first since far-right President Jair Bolsonaro took office in January, has affected public transport, schools and banks across the country.\n\nPolice used stun grenades on protesters in Rio de Janeiro. In several cities, roads were blocked with burning tyres.\n\nMr Bolsonaro says the reform is needed in order to restore public finances.\n\nThe plan includes raising the minimum retirement age to 65 for men and 62 for women and workers' contributions. Critics argue the changes, which have to be approved by both houses of Congress, would penalise the poorest.\n• Read more about the proposed pension reform\n• Is the honeymoon period over for Bolsonaro?\n\nThe one-day protest called by unions, the second general strike in Brazil in two years, affected public transport in São Paulo, Brazil's largest city, where subway workers joined the strike.\n\nTransport had also been affected in other major cities, including Salvador, Curitiba and Maceió and the capital, Brasília. Many schools, universities, banks and parts of the state-run oil company Petrobras were also not working.\n\nIn dozens of cities across the country, protesters - who are also against cuts to the education budget - held demonstrations on the streets and in some blocked streets and roads with burning tires.\n\nThe government estimates the current plan for the reform will result in savings of $237bn (£188bn) over the next decade. The changes are seen as crucial to revive the country's economy, still struggling to recover from the 2015-2016 recession, the worst in more than a century.\n\nOpponents say the poor would be the most affected, as they are more likely to start working at a young age and would now be required to work longer before being able to collect pension benefits.\n\nCongress is expected to vote on the reform in the next few weeks, and the new rules would phase in over 12 to 14 years.\n\nOn Friday evening local time, Mr Bolsonaro is expected to attend the opening ceremony of the Copa America soccer tournament in São Paulo, where a special plan has been implemented for fans to arrive at the Morumbi stadium.", "Petrobras (NYSE:PBR) oil workers are on strike in eight Brazilian states as part of nationwide protests against a government pension reform proposal, umbrella union group FUP says.\n\nWorkers at nine refineries including Reduc in Rio de Janeiro state and Paulínia in São Paulo state are part of the strike, which also affected a PBR port terminal in Pernambuco, while workers reportedly are keeping operations to a minimum at the Campos Basin.\n\nBrazil's pension reform bill is aimed at sparking a slow economy but is opposed by some groups for raising the minimum retirement age and workers' contributions.", "Major national unions and social organizations strike (again) against President Jair Bolsonaro pension reforms, shutting down capitals and cities across country.\n\nIn Brazi the Popular Brazil Front, People Without Fear Front along with hundreds of other social movements and student organizations, as well as twelve of the country's largest trade unions are staging a massive general strike against President Jair Bolsonaro’s plan to privatize the nation's pension system.\n\n“We know that this pension reform is a fraud, it's a lie, and the working class is going to pay a high price for it. That is why we are out here,” Luiz Gonzaga da Silva, leader within the Central of Popular Movements (CMP) told the press Friday morning as the nation was brought to a halt from the strike.\n\nPublic transportation in dozens of Brazilian state capitals is non-existant this Friday and streets are empty save protesting citizens. In Sao Paulo, a city of 13 million inhabitants and Brazil's financial and economic center, burning tires along the city's main avenues have been sending up plumes of smoke among highrises since dawn.\n\n“We closed the avenue because this is an important day for everyone. Everyone knows how important the retirement system is especially for youth, women, and rural workers,” Vitor Quarenta, a Worker’s Party (PT) activist told teleSUR. He says Bolsonaro’s proposals will affect human rights and quality of life, \"especially for young people like myself.”\n\n\"Yes, we have to stop everything!\" The sign reads, \"The general strike did not cause chaos. It was chaos that caused the general strike.\"\n\nAccording to local media, the rejection of the administration's neoliberal reforms are uniting those across a multitude of sectors, including bankers, teachers, students, professors, metal workers, healthcare workers, water and sewage workers, transportation workers, electricians, and civil servants from all over the country.\n\nBolsonaro's social security reform bill, which he says will restore public finances, seeks to raise the minimum retirement age and workers' contributions. It also includes provisions that eliminate labor protections for pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers.\n\nCurrently, in Brazil, workers receive a full retirement that is 80 percent of their highest contribution during the 35 years of contributions, for men, and 30 years, for woman.\n\nIf the proposal is approved by Brazil's Congress, the minimum retirement age will be 62 for women and 65 for men.\n\nteleSUR correspondent, Brian Mier reporting from Sao Paulo says that the president's plan would transfer the management of the social security system to the private sector and banks, based on Chile's privatized pension model.\n\n\"A man who says this is not my president: 'the dictatorship's mistake was to torture instead of killing,' Jair Bolsonaro.\"\n\n“For 24 hours, the federal government and reform-minded businessmen will feel the impacts of popular discontent in their pocketbooks,” commented Brasil de Fato newspaper.\n\nThe Homeless Workers Movement (MTST) and the Landless Workers Movement Terra (MST) are also participating in the general strike affecting hundreds of cities by closing the main highways that connect the nation's interior cities, according to Brazil 247.\n\n\"The strike and stoppages... expose the struggle of Brazilian workers who have suffered a lot in recent years, first with a labor reform that made work precarious and now with the social security reform, a perverse project against workers,\" said Lidice da Mata, a Brazilian Socialist Party Congresswoman and member of the legislature's Social Security Special Commission.\n\nBrazilians are also demanding the government end the massive budget cuts and adjustments to the national higher education system.\n\nOn May 15 and May 30, thousands of workers, teachers and students also took to the streets to protests against budget cuts to universities and scientific research institutes.", "Thousands of people filled the streets of Brazil's main cities Friday, and schools, banks and some public transportation shut down, as Brazilians angry over a pension reform and budget cuts held the first general strike of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro's administration.\n\nThe nationwide strike was called by Brazil's unions and mainly targeted the pension reform Bolsonaro is currently pushing for in Congress, but it comes on the heels of massive protests in May against steep cuts to the public education system and amid discontent over an economic downturn.\n\n\"Stop the reform or we stop the country!\" shouted strikers in front of the Candelaria Church in downtown Rio de Janeiro.\n\nReinaldo Galamba, a 63-year-old French teacher in a state office, said he fears the reform would force him to work more years before retiring.\n\n\"This government is awful, it is ending the country,\" he said.\n\nIn Rio, police launched tear gas at protesters who attempted to block Avenida Brasil, while residents of Sao Paulo awoke to find demonstrators burning tires on the main Rodovia Anhangüera highway. There were no reports of injuries.\n\nAuthorities in Rio Grande do Sul said 76 people who participated in the protests had been detained, including 54 in the state capital of Porto Alegre.\n\nWhile the crowds were not as large as in May's education protests, the United Workers Central labor federation called the strike a success, claiming that 45 million heeded its call not to work.\n\nBolsonaro's government, which took office on Jan. 1 and has faced a series of protests by women's and indigenous groups, as well as by teachers and students, ignored Friday's general strike. The press office of the presidency said it wouldn't release any statements.\n\nThe pension reform would raise the retirement age to 65 for men and 62 for women and increase workers' contributions. Under the current system, male and female workers can claim pension benefits after 30 to 35 years of contributions, respectively, meaning many can retire as early as 50 or 55.\n\nBolsonaro's government says the reform could save about 1 trillion reals ($260 billion) and help save the troubled social security system from bankruptcy.\n\nThe proposal is currently being reviewed by a special commission in the lower house of congress. A previous pension reform bill, introduced by former President Michel Temer, managed to pass the commission and made it to the plenary, but was abandoned after nine months.\n\nProtester Carolina Cacau said the plan would do away with retirement altogether.\n\n\"It will make workers work until their death,\" she said.", "SAO PAULO: Oil workers at state-run Petroleo Brasileiro SA have begun a strike in eight Brazilian states as part of nationwide protests against a government pension reform proposal, umbrella union group FUP said on Friday (Jun 14).\n\nBrazil's pension reform bill is aimed at restoring public finances and reviving a flagging economy, but is fiercely opposed by some sectors of society for raising the minimum retirement age and workers' contributions.\n\nWorkers at nine refineries including Reduc in Rio de Janeiro state and Paulínia in São Paulo state were participating in the strike, which also affected a Petrobras port terminal in Pernambuco, and a fertilizer plant in Bahia, FUP said.\n\nOn the Campos basin in Rio de Janeiro, workers were keeping operations to a minimum, it added.\n\nIn Brazil's largest city São Paulo, public transport was disrupted as subway workers adhered to the strike, affecting train schedules and closing some stations, local media reported.\n\nRoad blocks and demonstrations in streets and highways in and around São Paulo, including burning tyres close to the city's international airport, have also been reported.\n\nAs well as seeking to block changes in public sector pensions, FUP said, the oil workers were protesting against \"the privatisation of the Petrobras system\".", "AP Explains: Why is there a general strike in Brazil?\n\nRIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazil kicked off a general strike Friday that is likely to paralyze major cities across Latin America's largest country. The nationwide strike is the first since the arrival of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro on Jan. 1. While most participants will be protesting against a pension reform being discussed in Congress, others will be turning out to oppose budget cuts, a sluggish economy and the administration's conservative agenda. Here is a look at what's happening and why:\n\nFIRST GENERAL STRIKE IN TWO YEARS\n\nWorkers in all 26 Brazilian states and the federal district of Brasilia are expected to take part in Friday's strike, according to several unions. Actions blocking roads and public transportation are set to start early in the morning in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. Turnout should be particularly strong in the northeast, the historic bastion of the opposition Workers' Party. But general strikes are not so common in Brazil. The last one was held in 2017 against proposals in Congress to loosen labor rules and trim pension benefits. Before that, there hadn't been a general strike in 20 years.\n\nWhile it will be the first nationwide labor strike against Bolsonaro, he has faced protests since even before he was elected on Oct. 18, 2018. A few weeks before casting their votes, women led large demonstrations across Brazil over the far-right leader's misogynistic comments and conservative social agenda. They marched under the slogan \"Not Him.\" In April, indigenous leaders from over 300 ethnicities attended a march in Brasilia to denounce policies they say will facilitate the expansion of mining and industrial farming businesses into their protected lands. Then last month, thousands took to the streets to oppose a decision by Bolsonaro's government to slash education funds in the largest protest so far.\n\nFriday's strike is primarily against the pension reform the Bolsonaro administration is currently pushing for in Congress. The plan would raise the retirement age to 65 for men and 62 for women and increase workers' contributions. The government says the proposal could save about 1 trillion reals ($260 billion) and that it is essential for saving the troubled social security system and hopefully giving a boost to Latin America's largest economy. Under the current system, male and female workers can claim pension benefits after 30 to 35 years of contributions, respectively, meaning many can retire as early as 50 or 55.\n\nThe reform is one of this administration's signature promises and is currently being reviewed by a special commission in the lower house of congress. A previous pension reform bill, introduced by ex-President Michel Temer, managed to pass the commission and made it to the plenary, but was abandoned after nine months.\n\nSome Brazilians will use the strike as another opportunity to express their opposition to the government's across-the-board budget cuts, especially to education. Professors, students and academics have protested the decision to pare $1.85 billion from funds for the public education network, from elementary schools to universities. They were particularly distressed by the suspension of some scholarship funding and a 30% freeze on federal universities' discretionary budgets, which goes to pay utility bills, security, cleaning or maintenance work. Officials have promised to send more money toward education, thanks to an additional government funding measure approved this week by Congress. But they have conditioned even more funding on the passing of the pension reform.\n\nThere is widespread discontent over Brazil's sluggish economy. Gross domestic product shrank in the first quarter of 2019, while inflation hit nearly 5% in April, the highest in more than two years. Unemployment also remains high at nearly 13%, but even greater —over 30%— among Brazilians aged 18 to 24. Economy Minister Paulo Guedes recently told Brazilian magazine Veja that he would quit his position if Congress tried to pass a watered-down version of his pension proposal. Without the reform, Guedes said the country could go broke as early as next year.", "SAO PAULO, June 14 (Reuters) - Oil workers at state-run Petroleo Brasileiro SA have begun a strike in eight Brazilian states as part of nationwide protests against a government pension reform proposal, umbrella union group FUP said on Friday.\n\nWorkers at nine refineries including Reduc in Rio de Janeiro state and Paulínia in São Paulo state were participating in the strike, which also affected a Petrobras port terminal in Pernambuco, and a fertilizer plant in Bahia, FUP said.", "Brazilian workers began their labor strike Friday over possible pension reform by new far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.\n\nAccording to the Associated Press, the reform the Bolsonaro administration is pushing for in Congress would raise the retirement age to 65 for men and 62 for women. Currently, men can retire as early as 50 and women after working for 30 years.\n\nThis strike is likely to shut down most public transportation in Brazil.", "Sao Paulo, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 15th Jun, 2019 ) :Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro's proposed overhaul of the country's bloated pension system sparked a nationwide strike and protests on Friday.\n\nHere's what the changes mean.\n\n- Working longer - Brazil is one of the few countries in the world without a minimum retirement age.\n\nBolsonaro wants to introduces a retirement age of 65 for men and 62 for women to enjoy their full pension after they have made contributions for 35 and 30 years respectively.\n\nNot everyone is treated equally, though, with some professions allowed to retire and enjoy their benefits sooner than others.\n\nTeachers, for example, can stop working five years earlier if they have paid into their pension fund for 25 years, while police and prison guards can retire at 55 after 30 years of contributions.\n\n- Approval - A pared-back version of the original reform proposal was presented to Congress on Thursday, reducing expected savings from 1.2 trillion reais ($300 billion) in 10 years to around 900 billion reais.\n\nChanging the pension system requires three-fifths of Congress to support a constitutional amendment.\n\nSome analysts are optimistic the reform could be passed sooner than expected as the country totters on the edge of recession.\n\nEconomy Minister Paulo Guedes warned last month Brazil would \"burn\" if the plan was watered down too much or voted down.\n\n- Deficit - In 2018 Brazil's pension deficit -- including public, private, state, municipality and military -- reached 362 billion reais (almost $100 billion), which is the equivalent of 5.5 percent of GDP. In 2011 it was 2.1 percent.\n\nThe deterioration was largely due to the 2015-2016 recession, which devastated Brazil's finances and economy. The country is still struggling to recover.\n\nCritics of the proposed reform argue that the deficit would improve once the economy returned to strong growth.\n\nBut there is growing consensus in Congress that pension reform is necessary, particularly as the country ages.\n\nSome 9.2 percent of Brazil's 209 million people were over the age of 65 last year, official data shows. In 2060, it is projected to be 25.5 percent."], "summary": "In response to a controversial pension reform proposal and cuts in the education budget, a general strike by over 40 million workers takes place in Brazil. Demonstrations are held in over 80 cities across the country."}
{"document": ["On June 13, just a day after a missile fired by the Iranian-backed Houthi militia hit Abha International Airport in Saudi Arabia, injuring 26 people, the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet came to the assistance of two oil tankers in a “reported attack in the Gulf of Oman.”\n\nThe Houthi missile attack on the Saudi Arabian airport, some 70 miles from the Yemen border, came early on Wednesday morning. It was the latest in more than 200 recent cross-border missile attacks, albeit with greater impact and casualties. The Arab News reported that “the day before the attack, a spokesman for the Houthi military warned that the group planned to target every airport in Saudi Arabia and that the coming days would reveal ‘big surprises’.”\n\nResponding to the airport attack, Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman said “the Iranian regime is the only party in the region that has been pursuing reckless escalation, through the use of ballistic missiles and UAVs to directly target civilian installations and innocent civilians,” adding that “the continuation of the Iranian regime’s aggression and reckless escalation, whether directly or through its militias, will result in grave consequences.”\n\nA day later, and the attack on two ships near the Strait of Hormuz has raised tensions still further with echoes of the attacks on four vessels off the coast of the UAE a month ago, which was attributed by the U.S. and its allies to Iranian forces or proxies.\n\nThe BBC quoted Wu I-fang, a spokesman for Taiwan’s state oil refiner CPC Corp, which chartered one of the ships [the Norwegian-owned Front Altair] saying that it was carrying 75,000 tonnes of naphtha and was ‘suspected of being hit by a torpedo’, although this has not been confirmed. Other unverified reports suggested a mine attack.”\n\nThe operator of the other ship, the Panama-flagged Kokuka Courageous, said “its crew had been rescued by a passing vessel… The tanker was carrying methanol and was not in danger of sinking.”\n\nSpokesperson Josh Frey of the 5th Fleet said in a statement: “U.S. naval forces in the region received two separate distress calls at 06:12 local time (08:12 GMT) and a second one at 07:00. US Navy ships are in the area and are rendering assistance.”\n\nThere were varying reports of the vessels being ablaze, and even some reports in the Iranian press that one of the ships had sunk. Both vessels were evacuated and the crews were safe. Oil prices rose 4% in response to reports of the attack\n\nThe cargo on at least one of the vessels was linked to Japan, and Iran’s foreign minister Javed Zarif drew a link between this and the “extensive and friendly talks,” taking place between Iran’s Ayatollah Khamenei and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe.\n\nZarif tweeted that “suspicious doesn’t begin to describe what likely transpired this morning.” The implication was that a state actor, such as Saudi Arabia or Israel, had deliberately targeted the vessels to damage Iran’s standing with Japan. Zarif has accused both countries of pushing the U.S. towards an “unwanted” conflict with Iran and accused Israeli intelligence agency Mossad of falsely attributing the last tanker attack to the regime in Teheran.\n\nWhat is clear is that the Abha International Airport attack is directly attributed to Iranian proxies. And so the question now is whether the same will be true for this latest tanker attack and, if so, what response that might prompt in the tinderbox region.\n\nThe challenge for Iran is the extent to which it exercises genuine control over its regional proxies. And, as a result, the risk in the region remains that with tensions sky-high and military resources ramping up, the autonomous actions of a proxy might trigger a more serious skirmish.\n\nIn his public statements, Saudi Arabia’s Prince Khalid threatened that “appropriate measures will be taken to confront and deter these terrorist militias. We will stand against all those that aim to inflict harm on our security and interests, and we will continue to adhere to all international laws and norms to protect regional security and stability.”\n\nAs I’ve written before, it would be foolish to think that anyone is in control of what happens next.\n\nSource: Forbes, Zak Doffman, Founder/CEO of Digital Barriers, providing surveillance solutions to defense, security and law enforcement agencies worldwide", "Dubai - A damaged Japanese tanker arrived Sunday at a UAE anchorage site after it was rocked by explosions in Gulf waters as Saudi Arabia accused arch-rival Iran of being behind the attack. The Kokuka Courageous was carrying highly flammable methanol through the Gulf of Oman on Thursday when it came under attack along with the Norwegian-operated Front Altair -- the second assault in a month in the strategic shipping lane.\n\nUS President Donald Trump has said the twin attacks had Iran \"written all over it\" -- rejecting Tehran's vehement denial -- and its key Gulf ally Saudi Arabia has also lashed out against Tehran.\n\nIn his first public comments since the attacks, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said in remarks published Sunday he \"won't hesitate\" to tackle any threats to the oil-rich kingdom.\n\n\"We do not want a war in the region... But we won't hesitate to deal with any threat to our people, our sovereignty, our territorial integrity and our vital interests,\" he told pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat.\n\n\"The Iranian regime did not respect the presence of the Japanese prime minister as a guest in Tehran and responded to his (diplomatic) efforts by attacking two tankers, one of which was Japanese.\"\n\nThe US military on Friday released grainy footage it said showed an Iranian patrol boat removing an \"unexploded limpet mine\" from one of the tankers.\n\n\"Kokuka Courageous has arrived safely at the designated anchorage at Sharjah,\" the vessel's Singapore-based BSM Ship Management said in a statement Sunday.\n\nThe crew, who remained on board, were \"safe and well\", it said.\n\nA damage assessment and preparations for transferring the ship's cargo would start \"once the port authorities have completed their standard security checks and formalities\", it added.\n\nThe other ship, the Front Altair, has left Iran's territorial waters, multiple sources said Saturday.\n\nIt was \"heading toward the Fujairah-Khor Fakkan area in the United Arab Emirates\", the ports chief of Iran's southern province of Hormozgan told the semi-official news agency ISNA.\n\nA spokeswoman for Frontline Management, the Norwegian company which owns the ship, said \"all 23 crew members of the tanker departed Iran\" and flew to Dubai on Saturday.\n\nThe UAE's Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Saturday called on world powers \"to secure international navigation and access to energy\", a plea echoed by regional ally Saudi Arabia after the incident sent crude prices soaring.\n\nThursday's attacks took place southeast of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital corridor connecting the energy-rich states of the Middle East with markets in Asia, Europe, North America and elsewhere.\n\nAccording to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), 35 percent of the world's seaborne oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz.\n\nIran, which is struggling with crippling US sanctions, has repeatedly warned in the past that it could block the strait in a relatively low-tech, high-impact countermeasure to any attack by the United States.\n\nDoing so would disrupt oil tankers travelling out of the Gulf region to the Indian Ocean and global export routes.\n\nIran's parliament speaker said Sunday Washington could be behind the \"suspicious\" tanker attacks, the official news agency IRNA reported.\n\n\"The suspicious actions against the tankers... seem to complement the economic sanctions against Iran considering that (the US) has not achieved any results from them,\" he told MPs.\n\nThe UN has called for an independent investigation.\n\nThe Saudi crown prince also accused \"Iran and its proxies\" over May 12 attacks on four tankers anchored in the Gulf of Oman off the UAE port of Fujairah.\n\nAttacks on Saudi Arabia by Iran-aligned Yemeni rebels have further fuelled tensions in the region.\n\nOn Friday, the kingdom intercepted five drones launched by the Huthi rebels, a Riyadh-led coalition said, in a second assault on an airport in the country's southwest in two days.\n\nThe drones targeted Abha airport, where a rebel missile on Wednesday left 26 civilians wounded, and the nearby city of Khamis Mushait, which houses a major airbase, the coalition said.\n\nA Yemeni rebel drone targeting Abha was also intercepted Saturday but it caused no casualties or damage.\n\nThe rebels, who have faced persistent coalition bombing since March 2015 that has exacted a heavy civilian death toll, have stepped up missile and drone attacks across the border in recent weeks and warned that coalition airports were valid targets.\n\nPrince Mohammed said Saudi Arabia will \"not accept the presence of militias on its borders\".\n\nRiyadh has repeatedly accused Tehran of arming the rebels with sophisticated weapons, a charge the Islamic republic denies.", "CAIRO (Reuters) - Yemen’s Houthi movement launched fresh drone attacks targeting Jizan and Abha airports in southern Saudi Arabia, the group’s Al-Masirah TV said on Saturday, adding the installations were out of service.\n\nThe Saudi-led coalition said in a statement that it had intercepted and downed a Houthi drone targeting the southwestern city of Abha.\n\nThe Iran-aligned group said multiple drone strike targeted control rooms at Jizan airport and a fuel station at Abha airport.\n\n“The two airports are now out of service. We promise the Saudi regime more painful days as long as the aggression and siege continue on our country,” the group’s armed forces spokesman said in a tweet published by Al-Masirah TV’s account.\n\nThe Houthis have launched several strikes targeting Abha airport since Wednesday, when a missile attack against the same airport wounded 26 people.\n\nThe Saudi-led coalition, which intervened in 2015 in Yemen’s civil war to restore the government of President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi, said earlier this week that it intercepted five drones that targeted Abha airport and Khamis Mushait in the same region.\n\nIn response to these attacks, the Western-backed coalition said it had destroyed Houthi military assets on the outskirts of the Houthi-held capital Sanaa.\n\nIt was unclear if there were any casualties following Saturday’s drone strikes.\n\nCoalition leaders, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, accuse Iran’s Revolutionary Guards and Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah of supporting the Houthis, a charge all three deny.\n\nThe Houthis have stepped up missile and drone attacks against Saudi cities as tensions have risen between Iran and Gulf Arab states allied with the United States. Last month, the group carried out drone strikes on two Saudi oil pumping stations.\n\nTehran and Washington have engaged in a war of words since the United States reimposed sanctions on Tehran and increased its military presence in the Gulf.\n\nThe Yemen conflict is widely seen in the region as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran.", "Two damaged tankers arrived safely Sunday to locations off the Emirati coast after they were rocked by explosions in Gulf waters, in an incident Saudi Arabia blamed on its regional arch-rival Iran.\n\nThe Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous was carrying highly flammable methanol through the Gulf of Oman on Thursday when it came under attack along with the Norwegian-operated Front Altair -- the second assault in a month in the strategic shipping lane.\n\nU.S. President Donald Trump has said the operation had Iran \"written all over it\" -- rejecting Tehran's vehement denial -- and its key Gulf ally Saudi Arabia has also lashed out against Tehran.\n\nIn his first public comments since the attacks, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said in remarks published Sunday that he would not hesitate to tackle any threats to the oil-rich kingdom.\n\n\"We do not want a war in the region... But we won't hesitate to deal with any threat to our people, our sovereignty, our territorial integrity and our vital interests,\" he told pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat.\n\nHe said Iran had responded to a visit to Tehran by Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe \"by attacking two tankers, one of which was Japanese\".\n\nAbe had been on an unprecedented visit to the Iranian capital in a bid to defuse tensions between Washington and the Islamic Republic when the attacks took place.\n\nThe US military on Friday released grainy footage it said showed an Iranian patrol boat removing an \"unexploded limpet mine\" from the Japanese vessel.\n\nThe crew of the Kokuka Courageous saw a \"flying object\" before a second blast on board, the operator's head said Friday.\n\nThe vessel's Singapore-based BSM Ship Management said in a statement Sunday that it had \"arrived safely at the designated anchorage\" and that its crew were \"safe and well\".\n\nA damage assessment and preparations for transferring the ship's cargo would start once authorities had completed \"security checks and formalities\", it added.\n\nThe other ship, the Front Altair, was under safe tow by tug boats towards an area off the coast of the eastern Emirati port of Fujairah.\n\n\"First inspections are under way and no hot spots have been identified following the fire,\" the vessel's owners said in a statement Sunday.\n\nIt said all crew members were in Dubai, where they will \"assist with the debrief to the owner's legal team and the appropriate authorities, before returning home\".\n\nThe UAE's Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Saturday called on world powers \"to secure international navigation and access to energy\", a plea echoed by regional ally Saudi Arabia after the incident sent crude prices soaring.\n\nThursday's attacks took place southeast of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital corridor connecting the energy-rich states of the Middle East with markets in Asia, Europe, North America and elsewhere.\n\nAccording to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), 35 percent of the world's seaborne oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz.\n\nIran, which is struggling with crippling US sanctions, has repeatedly warned in the past that it could block the Strait in a relatively low-tech, high-impact countermeasure to any attack by the United States.\n\nDoing so would disrupt oil tankers travelling out of the Gulf region to the Indian Ocean and global export routes.\n\nIran's parliament speaker said Sunday that Washington could have been behind the \"suspicious\" tanker attacks, the official news agency IRNA reported.\n\n\"The suspicious actions against the tankers... seem to complement the economic sanctions against Iran, considering that (the US) has not achieved any results from them,\" he told MPs.\n\nPope Francis said Sunday he was following \"with concern\" the growing tensions in the Gulf.\n\nHe appealed \"to the international community to pursue every possible effort to promote dialogue and peace\".\n\nThe Saudi crown prince also accused \"Iran and its proxies\" over May 12 attacks on four tankers anchored in the Gulf of Oman off the UAE port of Fujairah.\n\nAttacks on Saudi Arabia by Iran-aligned Yemeni rebels have further fueled tensions in the region.\n\nOn Friday, the kingdom intercepted five drones launched by the Huthi rebels, a Riyadh-led coalition said, in a second assault on an airport in the country's southwest in two days.\n\nThe drones targeted Abha airport, where a rebel missile on Wednesday left 26 civilians wounded, and the nearby city of Khamis Mushait, which houses a major airbase, the coalition said.\n\nA Yemeni rebel drone targeting Abha was also intercepted Saturday, but it caused no casualties or damage.\n\nThe rebels, who have faced persistent coalition bombing since March 2015 that has exacted a heavy civilian death toll, have stepped up missile and drone attacks across the border in recent weeks and warned that coalition airports were valid targets.\n\nPrince Mohammed said Saudi Arabia would \"not accept the presence of militias on its borders.\"\n\nRiyadh has repeatedly accused Tehran of arming the rebels with sophisticated weapons, a charge the Islamic republic denies.", "DUBAI: Two damaged tankers arrived safely Sunday to locations off the Emirati coast after they were rocked by explosions in Gulf waters, in an incident Saudi Arabia blamed on its regional arch-rival Iran.The Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous was carrying highly flammable methanol through the Gulf of Oman on Thursday when it came under attack along with the Norwegian-operated Front Altair -- the second assault in a month in the strategic shipping lane.US President Donald Trump has said the operation had Iran \"written all over it\" -- rejecting Tehran's vehement denial -- and its key Gulf ally Saudi Arabia has also lashed out against Tehran.In his first public comments since the attacks, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said in remarks published Sunday that he would not hesitate to tackle any threats to the oil-rich kingdom.\"We do not want a war in the region... But we won't hesitate to deal with any threat to our people, our sovereignty, our territorial integrity and our vital interests,\" he told pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat He said Iran had responded to a visit to Tehran by Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe \"by attacking two tankers, one of which was Japanese\".Abe had been on an unprecedented visit to the Iranian capital in a bid to defuse tensions between Washington and the Islamic Republic when the attacks took place.The US military on Friday released grainy footage it said showed an Iranian patrol boat removing an \"unexploded limpet mine\" from the Japanese vessel.The crew of the Kokuka Courageous saw a \"flying object\" before a second blast on board, the operator's head said Friday.The vessel's Singapore-based BSM Ship Management said in a statement Sunday that it had \"arrived safely at the designated anchorage\" and that its crew were \"safe and well\".A damage assessment and preparations for transferring the ship's cargo would start once authorities had completed \"security checks and formalities\", it added.The other ship, the Front Altair, was under safe tow by tug boats towards an area off the coast of the eastern Emirati port of Fujairah.\"First inspections are under way and no hot spots have been identified following the fire,\" the vessel's owners said in a statement Sunday.It said all crew members were in Dubai, where they will \"assist with the debrief to the owner's legal team and the appropriate authorities, before returning home\".The UAE's foreign minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan on Saturday called on world powers \"to secure international navigation and access to energy\", a plea echoed by regional ally Saudi Arabia after the incident sent crude prices soaring.Thursday's attacks took place southeast of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital corridor connecting the energy-rich states of the Middle East with markets in Asia, Europe, North America and elsewhere.According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA), 35 per cent of the world's seaborne oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz.Iran, which is struggling with crippling US sanctions, has repeatedly warned in the past that it could block the Strait in a relatively low-tech, high-impact countermeasure to any attack by the United States.Doing so would disrupt oil tankers travelling out of the Gulf region to the Indian Ocean and global export routes.Iran's parliament speaker said Sunday that Washington could have been behind the \"suspicious\" tanker attacks, the official news agency IRNA reported.\"The suspicious actions against the tankers... seem to complement the economic sanctions against Iran, considering that (the US) has not achieved any results from them,\" he told MPs.Pope Francis said Sunday he was following \"with concern\" the growing tensions in the Gulf.He appealed \"to the international community to pursue every possible effort to promote dialogue and peace\".The Saudi crown prince also accused \"Iran and its proxies\" over May 12 attacks on four tankers anchored in the Gulf of Oman off the UAE port of Fujairah.Attacks on Saudi Arabia by Iran-aligned Yemeni rebels have further fuelled tensions in the region.On Friday, the kingdom intercepted five drones launched by the Huthi rebels, a Riyadh-led coalition said, in a second assault on an airport in the country's southwest in two days.The drones targeted Abha airport, where a rebel missile on Wednesday left 26 civilians wounded, and the nearby city of Khamis Mushait, which houses a major airbase, the coalition said.A Yemeni rebel drone targeting Abha was also intercepted Saturday, but it caused no casualties or damage.The rebels, who have faced persistent coalition bombing since March 2015 that has exacted a heavy civilian death toll, have stepped up missile and drone attacks across the border in recent weeks and warned that coalition airports were valid targets.Prince Mohammed said Saudi Arabia would \"not accept the presence of militias on its borders\".Riyadh has repeatedly accused Tehran of arming the rebels with sophisticated weapons, a charge the Islamic republic denies.", "CAIRO (Reuters) - Yemen’s Houthi movement launched a new drone attack targeting the Abha regional airport in southern Saudi Arabia, the group’s Al-Masirah TV said on Monday.\n\nThere was no immediate Saudi confirmation of the attack.\n\nThe Houthis have launched several strikes targeting Abha since last week, when a missile attack on the airport wounded 26 people. On Saturday, the group said it launched drone attacks on Abha and Jizan, another airport in southern Saudi Arabia.", "Saudi forces have intercepted a ballistic missile targeting the city of Abha in southwest of Saudi Arabia, Al-Arabiya TV channel reported.\n\nThe attack comes a day after another Houthi strike on Saudi Arabia's Abha Airport with drones. On Wednesday, the Saudi-led coalition confirmed that 26 people were injured as a result of another missile attack by Houthis.\n\nThe Abha International Airport in Saudi Arabia was continuing operating in regular mode after being hit by a missile strike, the airport informed back then.\n\nA Saudi-led coalition has been carrying out airstrikes against the Houthis in Yemen at the nation's President Abdrabuh Mansour Hadi's request since March 2015.\n\nYemen, a small nation in the south of the Arabian peninsula, has been engulfed in an armed conflict between the government forces, led by Hadi, and the rebel Houthi movement for several years. The conflict has resulted in a massive humanitarian crisis in the war-torn country.", "CAIRO (Reuters) - Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement said early on Friday that it carried out drone attacks on Abha Airport in Saudi Arabia, the group’s Al-Masirah TV reported.\n\nThere was no Saudi confirmation of the attacks.\n\nThe Saudi-led military coalition vowed to respond firmly to a Wednesday cruise missile attack by Yemeni Houthi forces on the airport in southern Saudi Arabia that wounded 26 people.", "ADEN, June 14 — Yemen's Houthi group carried out new drone strikes on a Saudi airport today after a series of air strikes by a Saudi-led coalition against the capital Sanaa, residents and both sides of Yemen's war said.\n\nThe Iran-aligned group said it has launched several drone strikes against Abha regional airport in southern Saudi Arabia, the Houthi television channel reported, two days after it claimed responsibility for a missile attack against the same airport.\n\nThe Saudi-led coalition, which intervened in 2015 in Yemen's civil war to restore the government of President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi, said it intercepted five drones that targeted Abha airport and Khamis Mushait in the same region.\n\nThe Western-backed coalition, which had vowed to respond to Wednesday's missile attack on Abha airport, said yesterday it had destroyed Houthi military assets on the outskirts of the Houthi-held capital Sanaa.\n\nA statement from the alliance said the operation targeted “foreign experts from terrorist organisations working with the Houthis” but did not identify their nationality or say whether they had been hit.\n\nIt was unclear if there were any casualties following today's drone strikes. Wednesday's missile attack had wounded 26 people, Saudi authorities said.\n\nCoalition leaders Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates accuse Iran's Revolutionary Guards and Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah of supporting the Houthis, a charge all three deny.\n\n\"The targets that were destroyed in Yemen include missile depots, weapons and manufacturing plants,\" said a coalition statement carried on Saudi-owned Al Arabiya TV.\n\nThe Houthi-run Masirah TV said coalition airplanes bombed three sites, including military targets belonging to Houthi forces, on the outskirts of Sanaa. Residents told Reuters the strikes had targeted military camps west and north of the city.\n\nThe Houthis have stepped up missile and drone attacks against Saudi cities as tensions have risen between Iran and Gulf Arab states allied with the United States. Last month, the group carried out drone strikes on two Saudi oil pumping stations.\n\nTehran and Washington have engaged in a war of words since the United States reimposed sanctions on Tehran and increased its military presence in the Gulf.\n\nThe Yemen conflict is widely seen in the region as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran. The Houthis say they took up arms against corruption. — Reuters", "Saudi Arabia has yet to confirm the attack, according to reports. After a brief disruption at Abha, normal airport operations have resumed.\n\n​The alleged attacks come after Al-Masirah TV reported Wednesday that Houthi rebels carried out an attack on Abha Airport with a cruise missile, Sputnik reported.\n\n​The Saudi-led coalition confirmed on Wednesday that 26 people were injured as a result of the missile, the state-run Saudi Press Agency reported. On Wednesday, the Saudi-led coalition vowed to respond to the attack.\n\nThe missile attack followed an incident in which Saudi Arabia's air defense forces had intercepted two drones launched by insurgents from the Ansar Allah movement, part of the Houthis, on its military air base on the country's southern border.\n\nYemen, a small nation in the south of the Arabian peninsula, has been engulfed in an armed conflict between the government forces, led by President Abdrabuh Mansour Hadi, and the rebel Houthi movement for several years now. A Saudi-led coalition has been carrying out airstrikes against the Houthis at Hadi's request since March 2015. The conflict has resulted in a massive humanitarian crisis in the war-torn country."], "summary": "Yemen-based Houthi forces launch drone strikes on Jizan Regional Airport and Abha International Airport in Saudi Arabia. A Saudi Arabian-led coalition spokesperson says a Houthi drone has been shot down near the Saudi city of Abha."}
{"document": ["At least 12 Kenyan police officers were reportedly killed after their vehicle struck an improvised explosive device (IED) near the Somali border on Friday, 15th June 2019.\n\nKenya officials said those killed on Saturday 15th June 2019 in Wajir County along the border with Somalia, were among 13 police officers who were pursuing extremists who had kidnapped police reservists. 12 of them were killed in a suspected extremist attack, while another is reported to have escaped with serious injuries.\n\nThe incident took place between Riba and Konton villages in Wajir east. A senior Wajir police officer who declined to be identified confirmed the incident by suspected al-Shabab militants believed to have crossed over from neighboring Somalia.\n\n“A team of 13 administration police officers were attacked with IED between Riba and Konton and only one survived with serious injuries subject to confirmation of the number of death toll,” said the police officer.\n\nThe security officer issued that the killed police officers were allegedly conducting security surveillance along Kenya-Somalia border when the incident happened as militants stormed a local center and abducted three police reservists in the same location two days before the incident.\n\nWitnesses said the police officers were killed when their vehicle ran over the landmine and those who survived were pursued and shot dead.\n\n“A police chopper has been sent to pick the only survivor,” he added.\n\nSomali al Shabaab insurgents claimed responsibility on Friday for kidnapping three Kenyan police reservists from Wajir, in northeast Kenya near the Somali border.\n\nAl Shabaab said that it also took hostage of several Kenyan police officers and confiscated two motorbikes as well as military equipment.\n\n“Last night, we captured a village called Konton in Wajir County. We left the village and took three Kenyan policemen with us,” Abdiasis Abu Musab, al Shabaab’s spokesman for military operations, told Reuters by phone, according to France 24.\n\nKenyan military forces have occupied part of southern Somalia along the two countries’ shared border since 2011.", "Image copyright Reuters Image caption Al-Shabab have been fighting Kenyan troops because of Kenya's support for the Somali government\n\nAt least eight Kenyan police officers have died after their car hit a roadside bomb near the Somali border.\n\nEleven people were in the car when it hit the device in east Wajir county. The fate of the others is unclear.\n\nNo-one has admitted planting the explosives.\n\nUnnamed officials told AFP news agency that the police had been pursuing suspected al-Shabab Islamist militants fighting Somalia's government and its backers, including Kenya.\n\nThe al-Qaeda-linked group has been trying to overthrow the Somali government for years.\n\nThe insurgents have lost many of their strongholds, including areas of the Somali capital, Mogadishu.\n\nHowever they control large rural swathes of Somalia and continue to wage guerrilla war against local authorities.\n\nAl-Shabab has also carried out several attacks and kidnappings in Kenya, vowing retribution for the country's involvement with Anisom - a 20,000-strong African Union force helping to support the government in Somalia.\n\nIn a separate incident, at least eight people were killed by a bomb which exploded at a checkpoint near Somalia's parliament in Mogadishu.\n\nAl-Shabab said it carried out the attack and another one on a road leading to the city's airport, in which nobody died.", "Kenyan officials say at least 10 police officers are dead after their vehicle struck an improvised explosive device near the Somali border in a suspected extremist attack.\n\nThe officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to share the information, said those killed Saturday in Wajir County were among 13 officers who were pursuing extremists who had kidnapped police reservists.\n\nPolice on Friday said an unknown number of gunmen stormed Konton center in Wajir East and kidnapped three reservists.\n\nThere was no claim of responsibility for the latest attack. The Somalia-based al-Shabab extremist group often targets Kenyan security forces, vowing retribution after Kenya deployed troops to Somalia in 2011 to combat the extremists.", "NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — At least 10 Kenyan police officers died after their vehicle struck an improvised explosive device near the Somali border in a suspected extremist attack on Saturday, officials said.\n\nThose killed in the Wajir County blast were among 13 officers who had been pursuing suspected extremists who had kidnapped police reservists, the officials said. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to share the information.\n\nPolice on Friday said a number of gunmen thought to be members of the Somalia-based al-Shabab extremist group stormed Konton center in Wajir East and kidnapped three reservists.\n\nThere was no immediate claim of responsibility for the latest attack. Al-Shabab often targets Kenyan security forces. It has vowed retribution for Kenya’s deployment of troops to Somalia in 2011 to combat the extremists after they carried out high-profile kidnappings inside Kenya and hurt the country’s lucrative tourism industry.\n\nIn recent months the al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab has resumed the abductions.\n\nIn April the extremist group kidnapped two Cuban doctors in Mandera County and demanded $1.5 million for their return.\n\nIn November an Italian volunteer, Silvia Romano, was kidnapped in southern Kenya’s coastal region by gunmen linked to al-Shabab. She has not been found.", "NAIROBI, June 15 (Reuters) - A roadside bomb hit a vehicle patrolling near Kenya's border with Somalia on Saturday, killing several of the 11 police officers onboard, the police spokesman said.\n\nCharles Owino told Reuters that he was still awaiting exact casualty figures.\n\nNo one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack but Somali Islamist insurgents carry out frequent attacks on Kenyan security forces.\n\nSomali al Shabaab insurgents claimed responsibility on Friday for kidnapping three Kenyan police reservists from Wajir, in northeast Kenya near the Somali border.\n\n\"Last night, we captured a village called Konton in Wajir county. We left the village and took three Kenyan policemen with us,\" Abdiasis Abu Musab, al Shabaab's spokesman for military operations, told Reuters by phone.\n\nKenyan military forces have occupied part of southern Somalia along the two countries' shared border since 2011. The Kenyans, along with allied Somali militia, wrested back control of the territory from al Shabaab after a spate of kidnappings on Kenyan soil.", "NAIROBI (Reuters) - A roadside bomb hit a vehicle carrying 11 police officers near Kenya’s border with Somalia on Saturday, killing several of the officers, the police spokesman said.\n\nCharles Owino told Reuters he was still awaiting precise casualty figures.\n\nNo one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack but Somali Islamist insurgents frequently attack Kenyan security forces.", "A roadside bomb has hit a vehicle patrolling near Kenya's border with Somalia, killing several of the 11 police officers aboard.\n\nNo one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack but Somali Islamist insurgents frequently carry out attacks on Kenyan security forces.\n\nSomali al Shabaab insurgents claimed responsibility on Friday for kidnapping three Kenyan police reservists from Wajir, in northeast Kenya near the Somali border.\n\nKenyan military forces have occupied part of southern Somalia along the two countries' shared border since 2011.\n\nThe Kenyans, along with allied Somali militia, wrested back control of the territory from al Shabaab after a spate of kidnappings on Kenyan soil.", "A roadside bomb hit a police vehicle patrolling near Kenya’s border with Somalia on Saturday, killing several of the 11 officers inside, a Kenyan police spokesman has said.\n\nSeparately, another blast in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu killed eight people, according to emergency services. \n\n\n\nBoth attacks were claimed by Somali Islamist insurgents who also kidnapped three Kenyan police reservists on Friday from the same area in Wajir district in northeast Kenya.\n\n\n\nKenyan military forces have occupied part of southern Somalia along the border since 2011. The Kenyans, along with allied Somali militia, wrested control of the territory from al Shabaab jihadists after a spate of kidnappings on Kenyan soil.\n\nAl Shabaab is fighting the weak, UN-backed Somali government and its international allies in a quest to impose strict Islamic law.\n\n\n\nExact casualty figures from Saturday’s patrol attack were still unclear, police spokesman Charles Owino told Reuters. \n\n\n\nIn Mogadishu, al Shabaab detonated two bombs. Police said the first blast, at a busy junction known as K4, was a car bomb intercepted by security services that caused no casualties.\n\nThe other blast killed eight people and injured 16, said Abdikadir Abdirahman, the director of Aamin ambulance service. Abdiasis Abu Musab, al Shabaab’s spokesman for military operations, said the group was responsible for the blast in Kenya and the two in Mogadishu.", "Police officials in Kenya say the al-Shabab extremist group is responsible for a deadly explosion Saturday morning that reportedly killed 10 police officers near the country’s border with Somalia.\n\nAround 10:50 a.m. local time, a police vehicle carrying 11 officers on patrol hit an improvised explosive device, killing several of the officers, Kenya police spokesman Charles Owino told NPR.\n\nThe 10 deaths were reported by The Associated Press but Kenyan officials say they’re still trying to confirm the number of police officer casualties, Owino said.\n\nThose killed, according to the AP, were pursuing extremists who had kidnapped police reservists.\n\nIn a statement to NPR, Kenya’s Inspector General of Police Hilary Mutyambai said additional resources have been deployed near the Somali border, including aerial surveillance.\n\nAl-Shabaab, the Somali-based militant group, has for years been staging retaliatory attacks against Kenyan security forces since the start of a 2011 campaign by Kenya’s government to cross the border and try to drive out the militants from Somalia.", "Eight police officers patrolling the Kenya-Somali border on Saturday were killed in an apparent al-Shabaab bomb attack along the porous Kenya-Somali border.\n\nFive officers were also injured in the improvised explosive device (IED) attack in the Konton area of northeastern Kenya.\n\nConfirming the attack to Anadolu Agency, a senior police officer who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media said: \"All the police officers were in a car patrolling the border, and the five who were injured have been rushed to Wajir hospital.\"\n\nThe officer added that reinforcements have been sent to the area where the attack happened.\n\nKenyan officials told The Associated Press that 10 police officers had been killed in the attack.\n\nThe officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to share the information, said those killed Saturday in Wajir County were among 13 officers who were pursuing terrorists who had kidnapped police reservists.\n\nPolice on Friday said an unknown number of gunmen stormed Konton center in Wajir East and kidnapped three reservists.\n\nThere was no claim of responsibility for the latest attack.\n\nThe Somalia-based al-Shabab terrorist group often targets Kenyan security forces, vowing retribution after Kenya deployed troops to Somalia in 2011 to combat the terrorists. In 2018, more than 100 Kenya police were killed in separate IED attacks along the porous Kenyan-Somali border.\n\nMeanwhile in Somalia, police said Saturday that nine civilians were executed by a local militia in war-torn Somalia after the killing of a policeman by al-Shabaab.\n\nThe revenge attack on Friday just outside Galkayo -- one of the most developed cities in the center of the country -- targeted the Rahanweyn clan, several of whose members are suspected of being al-Shabaab fighters.\n\n\"This was a horrible incident, a gruesome killing against nine unarmed innocent civilians in southern Galkayo. All of the civilians belong to one clan and the gunmen shot them dead in one location a few minutes after suspected Shabaab gunmen killed\" a policeman, Mohamed Abdirahman, a local police official said.\n\n\"This is an unacceptable act and we will bring those perpetrators to justice,\" said Hussein Dini, a traditional elder.\n\n\"Their killing cannot be justified. It seems that the merciless gunmen were retaliating for the security official who they believe was killed by al-Shabaab gunmen belonging to the clan of the victims.\"\n\nWitnesses told local media that the victims were rounded up from the streets or their homes and then shot dead on the outskirts of Galkayo.\n\nLocal officials have in the past fingered the Rahanweyn clan for fomenting instability in the region and supplying fighters to the Shabaab.\n\nThe local militia which staged the revenge attack are from the Saad Habargidir, a sub-clan of the Hawiye group which is dominant in the southern part of the city.\n\nGalkayo, situated about 600 kilometers (380 miles) north of the capital Mogadishu, straddles the frontier with the self-proclaimed autonomous regions of Puntland and Galmudug.\n\nThe city has been the scene of violent clashes between forces of the two regions in recent years and also witnessed violence between the two rival clans occupying its northern and southern districts."], "summary": "12 Kenyan police officers are killed when their vehicle hits a roadside bomb in east Wajir County, near the Somali border. No one has claimed responsibility, though the police had been pursuing suspected al-Shabab militants fighting Somalia's government and its backers."}
{"document": ["MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) - A pair of explosions rocked Somalia's capital and left eight people dead, the director of an ambulance service said Saturday.\n\nAnother 16 people were wounded, some of them seriously, Dr. Abdiqadir Aden with the Aamin ambulance service told The Associated Press.\n\nHe said a car bomb detonated near the Somali parliament headquarters in Mogadishu and caused the most damage.\n\nThe al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab extremist group which often targets the capital with high-profile bombings quickly claimed responsibility for the latest attack.\n\nAl-Shabab said the blasts were meant to strike the first line of security checkpoints for the heavily fortified airport and the presidential palace.\n\nThe airport is home to a number of diplomatic offices. The palace is a frequent al-Shabab target.", "MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — A pair of explosions rocked Somalia's capital and left eight people dead, the director of an ambulance service said Saturday.\n\nAnother 16 people were wounded, some of them seriously, Dr. Abdiqadir Aden with the Aamin ambulance service told The Associated Press.\n\nHe said a car bomb detonated near the Somali parliament headquarters in Mogadishu and caused the most damage.\n\nThe al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab extremist group which often targets the capital with high-profile bombings quickly claimed responsibility for the latest attack.\n\nAl-Shabab said the blasts were meant to strike the first line of security checkpoints for the heavily fortified airport and the presidential palace.\n\nThe airport is home to a number of diplomatic offices. The palace is a frequent al-Shabab target.", "Security forces stand near the wreckage of an official vehicle that was destroyed in a bomb attack in the capital Mogadishu, Somalia Saturday, June 15, 2019.\n\nSecurity forces stand near the wreckage of an official vehicle that was destroyed in a bomb attack in the capital Mogadishu, Somalia Saturday, June 15, 2019. AP Photo - Farah Abdi Warsameh\n\nTwo explosions have rocked Somalia's capital and left 11 people dead, as the al-Qaeda-linked extremist group al-Shabab claimed responsibility.\n\nAnother 25 people were wounded, according to Somalia's General Bashir Abdi Mohamed.\n\nHe told reporters in Mogadishu the first car bomb went off near a security checkpoint for the presidential palace and was responsible for nine deaths.\n\nThe second car bomb killed the driver and his accomplice near a checkpoint on the road to the heavily fortified airport, he said on Saturday.\n\nAl-Shabab, which often targets the capital, said the blasts were meant to strike the first line of security checkpoints for the airport and palace.\n\nThe airport is home to a number of diplomatic offices. The palace is a frequent al-Shabab target.\n\nA witness said some of the victims were elderly.\n\n\"I was at a short distance from the blast and I saw several people dead including two women, a passenger and two men, some of whom were elderly,\" Hussein Mohamed said. \"This is really very terrible.\"\n\nAl-Shabab was responsible for the horrific truck bombing in Mogadishu in October 2017 that killed more than 500 people in one of the world's deadliest extremist attacks since 9/11 .", "MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — A pair of explosions rocked Somalia's capital and left eight people dead, the director of an ambulance service said Saturday.\n\nAnother 16 people were wounded, some of them seriously, Dr. Abdiqadir Aden with the Aamin ambulance service told The Associated Press.\n\nHe said a car bomb detonated near the Somali parliament headquarters in Mogadishu and caused the most damage.\n\nThe al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab extremist group which often targets the capital with high-profile bombings quickly claimed responsibility for the latest attack.\n\nAl-Shabab said the blasts were meant to strike the first line of security checkpoints for the heavily fortified airport and the presidential palace.\n\nThe airport is home to a number of diplomatic offices. The palace is a frequent al-Shabab target.", "A pair of explosions rocked Somalia’s capital and left 11 people dead, the country’s police chief said Saturday, as the al-Qaida-linked extremist group al-Shabab claimed responsibility.\n\nAnother 25 people were wounded, Gen Bashir Abdi Mohamed told reporters in Mogadishu. He said the first car bomb went off near a security checkpoint for the presidential palace and was responsible for nine deaths.\n\nThe second car bomb killed the driver and his accomplice near a checkpoint on the road to the heavily fortified airport, he said.\n\nAl-Shabab, which often targets the capital, said the blasts were meant to strike the first line of security checkpoints for the airport and palace. The airport is home to a number of diplomatic offices. The palace is a frequent al-Shabab target.\n\n“I was at a short distance from the blast and I saw several people dead including two women, a passenger and two men, some of whom were elderly,” witness Hussein Mohamed told newsmen. “This is really very terrible.” Al-Shabab was responsible for the horrific truck bombing in Mogadishu in October 2017 that killed more than 500 people in one of the world’s deadliest extremist attacks since 9/11 .\n\nThe United States military has dramatically increased the number of airstrikes against al-Shabab in the past couple of years, seeking to limit the territory the group controls in central and southern Somalia and make it more difficult for fighters to circulate.\n\nIn a report to the United Nations Security Council circulated last month, U.N. chief Antonio Guterres noted an increase in security operations “and a large number of airstrikes targeting al-Shabab training bases and assembly points” that were deemed to have degraded its operating capability and freedom of movement.\n\n“They have also led, however, to increased al-Shabab movement into urban centers, in particular Mogadishu, where their forces are less likely to be targeted from the air,” he said.\n\nGuterres added that Somalia is making progress toward building a functioning state after three decades of civil war, extremist attacks and famine but that insecurity, political instability and corruption remain major challenges.\n\nThe multinational African Union force in Somalia continues to gradually withdraw personnel in preparation for Somali government forces to assume responsibility for the country’s security. Those forces, however, have been described by U.S. military officials and others as not yet ready for the job.", "MOGADISHU, Somalia — A pair of explosions rocked Somalia's capital and left 11 people dead, the country's police chief said Saturday, as the al-Qaida-linked extremist group al-Shabab claimed responsibility.\n\nAnother 25 people were wounded, Gen. Bashir Abdi Mohamed told reporters in Mogadishu. He said the first car bomb went off near a security checkpoint for the presidential palace and was responsible for nine deaths.\n\nThe second car bomb killed the driver and his accomplice near a checkpoint on the road to the heavily fortified airport, he said.\n\nAl-Shabab, which often targets the capital, said the blasts were meant to strike the first line of security checkpoints for the airport and palace. The airport is home to a number of diplomatic offices. The palace is a frequent al-Shabab target.\n\n\"I was at a short distance from the blast and I saw several people dead including two women, a passenger and two men, some of whom were elderly,\" witness Hussein Mohamed told the AP. \"This is really very terrible.\"\n\nAl-Shabab was responsible for the horrific truck bombing in Mogadishu in October 2017 that killed more than 500 people in one of the world's deadliest extremist attacks since 9/11 .\n\nThe United States military has dramatically increased the number of airstrikes against al-Shabab in the past couple of years, seeking to limit the territory the group controls in central and southern Somalia and make it more difficult for fighters to circulate.\n\nIn a report to the United Nations Security Council circulated last month, U.N. chief Antonio Guterres noted an increase in security operations \"and a large number of airstrikes targeting al-Shabab training bases and assembly points\" that were deemed to have degraded its operating capability and freedom of movement.\n\n\"They have also led, however, to increased al-Shabab movement into urban centers, in particular Mogadishu, where their forces are less likely to be targeted from the air,\" he said.\n\nGuterres added that Somalia is making progress toward building a functioning state after three decades of civil war, extremist attacks and famine but that insecurity, political instability and corruption remain major challenges.\n\nThe multinational African Union force in Somalia continues to gradually withdraw personnel in preparation for Somali government forces to assume responsibility for the country's security. Those forces, however, have been described by U.S. military officials and others as not yet ready for the job.", "Security forces stand near the wreckage of an official vehicle that was destroyed in a bomb attack in the capital Mogadishu, Somalia Saturday, June 15, 2019.\n\nSecurity forces stand near the wreckage of an official vehicle that was destroyed in a bomb attack in the capital Mogadishu, Somalia Saturday, June 15, 2019. AP Photo - Farah Abdi Warsameh\n\nTwo explosions have rocked Somalia's capital and left 11 people dead, as the al-Qaeda-linked extremist group al-Shabab claimed responsibility.\n\nAnother 25 people were wounded, according to Somalia's General Bashir Abdi Mohamed.\n\nHe told reporters in Mogadishu the first car bomb went off near a security checkpoint for the presidential palace and was responsible for nine deaths.\n\nThe second car bomb killed the driver and his accomplice near a checkpoint on the road to the heavily fortified airport, he said on Saturday.\n\nAl-Shabab, which often targets the capital, said the blasts were meant to strike the first line of security checkpoints for the airport and palace.\n\nThe airport is home to a number of diplomatic offices. The palace is a frequent al-Shabab target.\n\nA witness said some of the victims were elderly.\n\n\"I was at a short distance from the blast and I saw several people dead including two women, a passenger and two men, some of whom were elderly,\" Hussein Mohamed said. \"This is really very terrible.\"\n\nAl-Shabab was responsible for the horrific truck bombing in Mogadishu in October 2017 that killed more than 500 people in one of the world's deadliest extremist attacks since 9/11 .", "MOGADISHU, Somalia — A pair of explosions rocked Somalia’s capital and left 11 people dead, the country’s police chief said Saturday, as the al-Qaida-linked extremist group al-Shabab claimed responsibility.\n\nAnother 25 people were wounded, Gen. Bashir Abdi Mohamed told reporters in Mogadishu. He said the first car bomb went off near a security checkpoint for the presidential palace and was responsible for nine deaths.\n\nThe second car bomb killed the driver and his accomplice near a checkpoint on the road to the heavily fortified airport, he said.\n\nAl-Shabab, which often targets the capital, said the blasts were meant to strike the first line of security checkpoints for the airport and palace. The airport is home to a number of diplomatic offices. The palace is a frequent al-Shabab target.\n\n“I was at a short distance from the blast and I saw several people dead including two women, a passenger and two men, some of whom were elderly,” witness Hussein Mohamed told the AP. “This is really very terrible.”\n\nAl-Shabab was responsible for the horrific truck bombing in Mogadishu in October 2017 that killed more than 500 people in one of the world’s deadliest extremist attacks since 9/11.\n\nThe United States military has dramatically increased the number of airstrikes against al-Shabab in the past couple of years, seeking to limit the territory the group controls in central and southern Somalia and make it more difficult for fighters to circulate.\n\nIn a report to the United Nations Security Council circulated last month, U.N. chief Antonio Guterres noted an increase in security operations “and a large number of airstrikes targeting al-Shabab training bases and assembly points” that were deemed to have degraded its operating capability and freedom of movement.\n\n“They have also led, however, to increased al-Shabab movement into urban centers, in particular Mogadishu, where their forces are less likely to be targeted from the air,” he said.\n\nGuterres added that Somalia is making progress toward building a functioning state after three decades of civil war, extremist attacks and famine but that insecurity, political instability and corruption remain major challenges.\n\nThe multinational African Union force in Somalia continues to gradually withdraw personnel in preparation for Somali government forces to assume responsibility for the country’s security. Those forces, however, have been described by U.S. military officials and others as not yet ready for the job.", "A pair of explosions rocked Somalia’s capital and left 11 people dead, the country’s police chief said Saturday, as the al-Qaida-linked extremist group al-Shabab claimed responsibility.\n\nAnother 25 people were wounded, Gen Bashir Abdi Mohamed told reporters in Mogadishu. He said the first car bomb went off near a security checkpoint for the presidential palace and was responsible for nine deaths.\n\nThe second car bomb killed the driver and his accomplice near a checkpoint on the road to the heavily fortified airport, he said.\n\nAl-Shabab, which often targets the capital, said the blasts were meant to strike the first line of security checkpoints for the airport and palace. The airport is home to a number of diplomatic offices. The palace is a frequent al-Shabab target.\n\n“I was at a short distance from the blast and I saw several people dead including two women, a passenger and two men, some of whom were elderly,” witness Hussein Mohamed told the AP. “This is really very terrible.” Al-Shabab was responsible for the horrific truck bombing in Mogadishu in October 2017 that killed more than 500 people in one of the world’s deadliest extremist attacks since 9/11 .\n\nThe United States military has dramatically increased the number of airstrikes against al-Shabab in the past couple of years, seeking to limit the territory the group controls in central and southern Somalia and make it more difficult for fighters to circulate.\n\nIn a report to the United Nations Security Council circulated last month, U.N. chief Antonio Guterres noted an increase in security operations “and a large number of airstrikes targeting al-Shabab training bases and assembly points” that were deemed to have degraded its operating capability and freedom of movement.\n\n“They have also led, however, to increased al-Shabab movement into urban centers, in particular Mogadishu, where their forces are less likely to be targeted from the air,” he said.\n\nGuterres added that Somalia is making progress toward building a functioning state after three decades of civil war, extremist attacks and famine but that insecurity, political instability and corruption remain major challenges.\n\nThe multinational African Union force in Somalia continues to gradually withdraw personnel in preparation for Somali government forces to assume responsibility for the country’s security. Those forces, however, have been described by U.S. military officials and others as not yet ready for the job.", "Security forces stand near the wreckage of an official vehicle that was destroyed in a bomb attack in the capital Mogadishu, Somalia Saturday, June 15, 2019.\n\nSecurity forces stand near the wreckage of an official vehicle that was destroyed in a bomb attack in the capital Mogadishu, Somalia Saturday, June 15, 2019. AP Photo - Farah Abdi Warsameh\n\nTwo explosions have rocked Somalia's capital and left 11 people dead, as the al-Qaeda-linked extremist group al-Shabab claimed responsibility.\n\nAnother 25 people were wounded, according to Somalia's General Bashir Abdi Mohamed.\n\nHe told reporters in Mogadishu the first car bomb went off near a security checkpoint for the presidential palace and was responsible for nine deaths.\n\nThe second car bomb killed the driver and his accomplice near a checkpoint on the road to the heavily fortified airport, he said on Saturday.\n\nAl-Shabab, which often targets the capital, said the blasts were meant to strike the first line of security checkpoints for the airport and palace.\n\nThe airport is home to a number of diplomatic offices. The palace is a frequent al-Shabab target.\n\nA witness said some of the victims were elderly.\n\n\"I was at a short distance from the blast and I saw several people dead including two women, a passenger and two men, some of whom were elderly,\" Hussein Mohamed said. \"This is really very terrible.\"\n\nAl-Shabab was responsible for the horrific truck bombing in Mogadishu in October 2017 that killed more than 500 people in one of the world's deadliest extremist attacks since 9/11 ."], "summary": "Twin explosions rock Mogadishu killing 11 and injuring over 25. The first bomb went off near a checkpoint for the presidential palace killing nine and the other bomb killed the two occupants in the vehicle. Al Shabbab claimed responsibility."}
{"document": ["Notre Dame Cathedral on Saturday held its first mass since a devastating fire tore through the building two months ago on April 15.\n\nInterested in Notre Dame Fire? Add Notre Dame Fire as an interest to stay up to date on the latest Notre Dame Fire news, video, and analysis from ABC News. Add Interest\n\nOnly a small group of about 30 people attended the mass, including the church’s clergy, worshipers, media and construction workers. The mass was also transmitted live on a French Catholic TV station, and dozens of other Catholics attended the service from outside the cathedral, watching on their phones.\n\nThe small group convened in a chapel behind the large gold-covered cross that was miraculously found intact after the fire, which destroyed the building’s roof, causing its iconic spire to collapse. For safety reasons, those attending the mass were asked to wear hard hats inside the church.\n\nKarine Perret/POOL/EPA via Shutterstock\n\nParis archbishop Michel Aupetit led the service. He has pushed for the reconstruction of Notre-Dame since the fire and wanted to hold the mass as a way to keep the energy around the monument’s recovery alive.\n\nFrench Minister of Culture Franck Riester that only 9% of the $955 million in donations that had been promised to Notre Dame’s reconstruction had actually been received, according to Agence France-Press. He said some donors were waiting to send their donations because they wanted clear plans for how their money would be spent.\n\nThe mass was held a day before an annual celebration of the consecration of the church’s altar, known as the feast of the Dedication of Our Lady, and Aupetit prayed to the statue of the Virgin Mary, saying that he was thankful to be there.\n\nZakaria Abdelkafi/AFP/Getty Images\n\n“It was extraordinary,” he said, “to be able to celebrate again, even in this wounded cathedral. I was ordained bishop in this cathedral.”\n\nAupetit called it “a little weird” praying with hard hats on and said that he took it off during the consecration because “come on.”\n\nHe hopes he’ll be able to hold mass again soon, though. “As soon as I’m given the authorization again, I will go again, because I used to go all the time,” he said.\n\nZakaria Abdelkafi/AFP/Getty Images\n\nThe church site is still being investigated by the French police. Investigators have now seized 100 samples from the crime scene to undergo laboratory examinations. However, they fear that a lot of the samples won’t be useful.\n\nInvestigators believe that the fire started because of a short-circuit around the electrified bells in the spire. They also believe that there had been a human error in locating the fire, and that a security guard inspected the wrong sector of the church.\n\nAs the investigation continues, the church’s reconstruction will remain on hold until the it is fully cleared of rubble. Yet still, with this mass, the clergy around Notre Dame demonstrates that it’s eager to start a regular church life again.", "After the devastating fire in April, Notre Dame Cathedral stopped holding services for months out of safety concerns, but on June 15, Paris Archbishop Michel Aupetit performed the Mass wearing a hardhat as the building is still “in a fragile state.”\n\nTown & Country reports that the Mass was limited to 30 people including priests, canons, and other religious representatives, all of whom had to wear protective headgear as the vault has not yet been secured.\n\nArchbishop Aupetit shared a statement to thank everyone who had contributed to the reconstruction efforts.\n\nBut a Notre Dame press official says that the big European donors who pledged millions immediately after the fire, like French billionaires like François-Henri Pinault and Bernard Arnault, haven’t paid. “Not a cent.”\n\nThe New York Times reports that the solemn first Mass which was restricted in size due to security concerns was televised via video on a Catholic channel on YouTube. The Mass was held in the Chapel of the Virgin, and as the camera pans around, viewers can see the charred timbers caused by the fire.\n\nWhile the edifice of the cathedral is still being shored up, approximately 150 people are now working on site to refurbish the building.\n\nThe Mass on June 15 was held on this day which is significant because it marked the consecration of Notre Dame’s altar, typically celebrated every year. The cathedral continues to be closed to the public, but this annual celebration was important, says Monsignor Aupetit.\n\n“The cathedral was born of the faith of our ancestors,” Monsignor Aupetit said in his service. “It was born of Christian hope.”\n\nJust after the fire, French President Emmanuel Macron pledged to rebuild Notre Dame within five years, but that plan has been criticized.\n\nBut there has been a bright side following the fire, says The Inquisitr, as parts of the cathedral were preserved, including the beehives (from which honey was collected) which were situated on the roof of the building near the spires which collapsed. Following the fire, experts feared that even if the housing was still in place, that it was likely that the bees were killed by the heat and the smoke.\n\nBut drones flew over, piloted by urban beekeeping company, Beeopic, and shared that everything was still intact.", "This post was originally published on this site\n\nWORLD NEWS Notre Dame to hold first mass since April blaze https://linewsradio.com/notre-dame-to-hold-first-mass-since-april-blaze/ http://abcnewsradioonline.com/world-news/\n\nABC News(PARIS) — The Notre Dame Cathedral is opening its doors to worshipers on Saturday, marking the first time since a devastating fire tore through its halls in April.\n\nThe Archdiocese of Paris announced that a mass will be held “on a very small scale” on Saturday with a “restricted” number of people in a “side chapel,” according to Agence France-Presse.\n\nParis Archbishop Michel Aupetit will deliver the mass, which will be televised live, on June 15, the agency reported.\n\nThe date signifies an anniversary of sorts for the cathedral: the consecration of the church’s altar is normally celebrated annually on June 16.\n\nOn April 15, a blaze that took hours to extinguish tore through the 850-year-old building in the heart of France’s capital.\n\nThe fire was ignited during an evening mass at the start of Holy Week, the busiest and most important period of the liturgical year.\n\nMillions mourned the extent of the destruction in the landmark of Gothic architecture, but miraculously, much of the relics and structure of the cathedral survived, including its famous rose windows.\n\nOn the evening of the blaze, rescuers were intent on saving the relics inside — including what Catholics believe is the crown of thorns that Jesus wore during the Passion — as well as Notre Dame’s great organ and its 8,000 pipes, along with the building itself.\n\nRetired French Gen. Jean-Louis Georgelin was chosen by French President Emmanuel Macron to lead the cathedral’s restoration.\n\n“Nothing is impossible to a French general,” Georgelin told ABC News’ David Muir in an exclusive interview, saying that he agrees with Macron that Notre Dame could reopen within five years. But, he said, “When there’s a will, there’s a way.”", "Notre-Dame to celebrate first Mass since April fire\n\nPARIS (AP) — The Notre Dame cathedral is holding its first Mass since the April fire that ravaged the edifice's roof and caused its masterpiece spire to collapse.\n\nSaturday's mass at the Gothic building will be celebrated by Paris archbishop Michel Aupetit amid reduced attendance. For security reasons, only about 30 people — mainly priests, canons and church employees — will be admitted inside the cathedral. Aupetit will be wearing a construction worker's helmet in addition to his miter.\n\nWorshippers won't be authorized in the cathedral but can watch the Mass on a Catholic TV station that is broadcasting the service. Aupetit has also invited some of the workers hired to rebuild the church.\n\nFrench President Emmanuel Macron has set a goal of rebuilding the cathedral in just five years, which some experts consider impossible to reach.", "PARIS – A small Mass will be celebrated at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris Saturday evening — the first since a fire destroyed the structure’s spire, parts of the roof and vault in April.\n\nAccess to the event will be extremely limited due to safety concerns, with just 20 to 30 people expected to attend, the Archdiocese of Paris said.\n\nAs of June 12, the Notre Dame Foundation had received donations of 15.7 million euros ($17.7 million), and donors have pledged an additional 377 million euros ($425 million).\n\nMost of these funds are to be used to restore the cathedral, although some will be used to receive pilgrims, repair damaged goods and organize religious music at the site, according to the archdiocese.\n\nThe Mass will be led by Michel Aupetit, the archbishop of Paris, who said in a statement, “May all those who have mobilized since April 15 and all those who continue to work every day for Notre Dame, be they donors, architects, construction workers, political leaders, be warmly thanked for their efforts.”", "Paris's Notre-Dame to celebrate first mass after fire\n\nThe Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris will host its first mass on Saturday, exactly two months after the devastating blaze that shocked France and the world.For safety reasons, the mass led by Archbishop of Paris Michel Aupetit will be celebrated on a very small scale. Worshippers will be expected to don hard hats but priests will be wearing their ceremonial garb. There will be just some 30 people -- half of them clergy -- although the mass will be broadcast live on Catholic TV channel KTO. It will take place at 6:00 pm (1600 GMT) in the Chapel of the Virgin on the east side of the cathedral behind the choir, which has been confirmed to be safe.\n\nSEE ALSO :'Paris is disfigured': Tears and shock as Notre-Dame burns\n\nAupetit will be joined by the rector of Notre-Dame, Patrick Chauvet, canons, volunteers, people working on the restoration as well a handful of lay worshippers. The date has been chosen as it is the anniversary of the consecration of the cathedral's altar, which is celebrated every year on June 16. The date is \"highly significant, spiritually,\" Chauvet told AFP, adding he was happy to be able to show that \"Notre-Dame is truly alive\".President Emmanuel Macron has set an ambitious target of five years for restoring Notre-Dame, which was gutted by a fire on April 15 that felled its steeple and consumed the lattice of beams supporting the roof.\n\nSEE ALSO :Firefighters race to save Notre-Dame Cathedral\n\nThe diocese is awaiting a response from the French authorities over whether it can re-open the esplanade in front of the cathedral to the public. If the authorities approve the plan, the idea is to celebrate evening prayers there, the diocese said. The church has also floated the idea of erecting a temporary structure in front of the cathedral to welcome worshippers while the building is repaired. Up to 150 workers have been working at the cathedral daily since the fire, continuing to remove debris and stabilise the structure. Two large white canopies have been placed above the nave and the choir to ensure the edifice is protected, including from the rain.\n\nSEE ALSO :Macron vows to rebuild Notre-Dame Cathedral\n\nMacron's call for an \"inventive\" rather than identical reconstruction of the steeple has left some architects up in arms. Meanwhile, legislation over the reconstruction has been blocked in parliament over disagreements between the upper and lower houses and is now only expected to be adopted at the end of July. Pledges of some 850 million euros ($960 million) had been made from prominent French businessmen and ordinary citizens but only around 10 percent has been donated so far. France Info public radio said just 80 million euros had been paid, with businessmen giving the money in tranches and some private individuals renouncing their pledges due to the apparent success of the campaign.\n\nRegister to advertise your products & services on our classifieds website Digger.co.ke and enjoy one month subscription free of charge and 3 free ads on the Standard newspaper.", "The Notre Dame cathedral in Paris hosted its first mass on Saturday exactly two months after a devastating blaze, with priests and worshippers wearing hard hats to protect themselves against possible falling debris.\n\nDressed in a white robe and helmet, Archbishop of Paris Michel Aupetit led the service, which was attended by just some 30 people - half of them clergy.\n\nWATCH: From futuristic to crazy - here are some ideas for Notre Dame's new look\n\n\"The fire, which ravaged the building on April 15, has provoked a wave of emotion, not only for the community of believers,\" Archbishop Aupetit said in his sermon, broadcast live\n\n\"This cathedral is a place of worship, that's its true and unique purpose.\"\n\nThe mass started at 16:00 GMT in the Chapel of the Virgin on the east side of the cathedral, confirmed to be safe.\n\nProtective nets have been strung above the nave and choir and rubble still strews the floor but the pews have remained intact.\n\nAupetit was joined by the rector of Notre-Dame, Patrick Chauvet, other clergy, volunteers, people working on the restoration as well a handful of lay worshippers.\n\nThe date was chosen as it is the anniversary of the consecration of the cathedral's altar, which is celebrated every year on June 16.\n\nThe date is \"highly significant, spiritually,\" Chauvet had told AFP ahead of the service, adding he was happy to be able to show that \"Notre-Dame is truly alive\".\n\nPresident Emmanuel Macron has set an ambitious target of five years for restoring Notre-Dame, which was gutted by a fire on April 15 that felled its steeple and consumed the lattice of beams supporting the roof.\n\nThe diocese is awaiting a response from the French authorities over whether it can re-open the esplanade in front of the cathedral to the public.\n\nIf the authorities approve the plan, the idea is to celebrate evening prayers there, the diocese said.\n\nThe church has also floated the idea of erecting a temporary structure in front of the cathedral to welcome worshippers while the building is being repaired.\n\nUp to 150 workers have been working at the cathedral daily since the fire, continuing to remove debris and stabilise the structure.\n\nTwo large white canopies have been put in place to ensure the edifice is protected, including from rain.\n\nMacron's call for an \"inventive\" rather than identical reconstruction of the steeple has left some architects up in arms.\n\nMeanwhile, legislation over the reconstruction has been blocked in parliament over disagreements between the upper and lower houses and is now only expected to be adopted at the end of July.\n\nPledges of some $960m had been made from prominent French businessmen and ordinary citizens but only around 10% of that has been donated so far.\n\nFrance Info public radio said just 80 million euros had been handed over, with businessmen giving the money in tranches and some private individuals renouncing their pledges due to the apparent success of the campaign.\n\nNotre-Dame has figured as a central character through the ups and downs of French history since construction began in mid-12th century.\n\nDuring the French Revolution in the 18th century, it was vandalised and plundered but went on to feature as a central character in a Victor Hugo's novel \"The Hunchback of Notre-Dame\" (1831) which is credited with helping save it.\n\nIt survived the devastation of two global conflicts in the 20th century and famously rang its bells on August 24, 1944, the day of the Liberation of Paris from German occupation at the end of the World War II.\n\nKEEP UPDATED on the latest news by subscribing to our FREE newsletter.", "PARIS — The archbishop wore a hard-hat helmet, burnt wood debris was still visible and only about 30 people were let inside, but Notre Dame Cathedral on Saturday held its first Mass since the devastating April 15th fire that ravaged its roof and toppled its masterpiece spire.\n\nExactly two months after the blaze engulfed the landmark Gothic building in the French capital, the service was celebrated by Paris Archbishop Michel Aupetit in a chapel behind the choir, a place confirmed by construction experts as safe.\n\nFrench Culture Minister Franck Riester said this week the cathedral remains in a “fragile” state, especially its vaulted ceiling, which is still at risk of collapsing.\n\nFor security reasons, only about 30 people — mainly priests, canons and church employees — were admitted inside the cathedral for the service, while Aupetit and others wore construction worker’s helmets. Some of the workers rebuilding the church were also invited.\n\nOther worshippers could watch the Mass live on a Catholic TV station. The video showed some burnt wood still in the church but a famous statue of the Virgin and Child appeared intact behind wooden construction planks.\n\nThe annual Dedication Mass commemorated the cathedral’s consecration as a place of worship.\n\n“This cathedral is a place of worship, it is its very own and unique purpose,” Aupetit said.\n\nOne French priest called the service “a true happiness, full of hope.”\n\n“We will rebuild this cathedral. It will take time of course — a lot of money, lot of time, lot of work — but we will succeed,” Father Pierre Vivares told The Associated Press outside the cathedral. “Today it’s a small but a true victory against the disaster we have had.”\n\nIt is still unclear when the cathedral will reopen to the public.\n\nFrench President Emmanuel Macron has set a goal of rebuilding it in just five years, which many experts consider unrealistic. In the meantime, the French parliament is debating amendments to a new law that would create a public body to expedite the restoration of the cathedral and circumvent some of France’s complex labor laws.\n\nMeanwhile, billionaire French donors who publicly proclaimed they would give hundreds of millions to rebuild Notre Dame have not yet paid a penny toward the restoration of the French national monument, according to church and business officials.\n\nInstead, it’s mainly American and French individuals, via Notre Dame charitable foundations, that are behind the first donations paying the bills and salaries for up to 150 workers employed by the cathedral since the April 15 fire that devastated its roof and caused its masterpiece spire to collapse. This month they are handing over the first private payment for the cathedral’s reconstruction of 3.6 million euros ($4 million).\n\n“The big donors haven’t paid. Not a cent,” said Andre Finot, senior press official at Notre Dame. “They want to know what exactly their money is being spent on and if they agree to it before they hand it over, and not just to pay employees’ salaries.”\n\nAlmost $1 billion was promised by some of France’s richest and most powerful families and companies, some of whom sought to outbid each other, in the hours and days after the inferno. It prompted criticism that the donations were as much about the vanity of the donors wishing to be immortalized in the edifice’s fabled stones than the preservation of France’s church heritage.", "The iconic Notre-Dame Catholic building in Paris was razed by fire early this year\n\nThe iconic Notre-Dame Catholic building in Paris was razed by fire early this year\n\nPARIS: The Notre-Dame cathedral in Paris will host its first mass on Saturday (Jun 15), exactly two months after the devastating blaze that shocked France and the world.\n\nFor safety reasons, the mass led by Archbishop of Paris Michel Aupetit will be celebrated on a very small scale. Worshippers will be expected to don hard hats but priests will be wearing their ceremonial garb.\n\nThere will be just some 30 people – half of them clergy – although the mass will be broadcast live on Catholic TV channel KTO.\n\nIt will take place at 6pm (12am Sunday, Singapore time) in the Chapel of the Virgin on the east side of the cathedral behind the choir, which has been confirmed to be safe.\n\nAupetit will be joined by the rector of Notre-Dame, Patrick Chauvet, canons, volunteers, people working on the restoration as well a handful of lay worshippers.\n\nThe date has been chosen as it is the anniversary of the consecration of the cathedral’s altar, which is celebrated every year on Jun 16.\n\nThe date is “highly significant, spiritually”, Chauvet told AFP, adding he was happy to be able to show that “Notre-Dame is truly alive”.\n\nPresident Emmanuel Macron has set an ambitious target of five years for restoring Notre-Dame, which was gutted by a fire on Apr 15 that felled its steeple and consumed the lattice of beams supporting the roof.\n\nThe diocese is awaiting a response from the French authorities over whether it can re-open the esplanade in front of the cathedral to the public.\n\nIf the authorities approve the plan, the idea is to celebrate evening prayers there, the diocese said.\n\nThe church has also floated the idea of erecting a temporary structure in front of the cathedral to welcome worshippers while the building is repaired.\n\nUp to 150 workers have been working at the cathedral daily since the fire, continuing to remove debris and stabilise the structure.\n\nTwo large white canopies have been placed above the nave and the choir to ensure the edifice is protected, including from the rain.\n\nMacron’s call for an “inventive” rather than identical reconstruction of the steeple has left some architects up in arms.\n\nMeanwhile, legislation over the reconstruction has been blocked in parliament over disagreements between the upper and lower houses and is now only expected to be adopted at the end of July.\n\nPledges of €850 million (US$960 million) had been made from prominent French businessmen and ordinary citizens but only around 10 per cent has been donated so far.\n\nFrance Info public radio said just €80 million had been paid, with businessmen giving the money in tranches and some private individuals renouncing their pledges due to the apparent success of the campaign.", "Worshippers in Paris wore hard hats for the small celebration in one of the cathedral's side chapels which was broadcast live on Catholic television channel KTO. The mass, marking the annual anniversary of the consecration of the cathedral's altar, came exactly two months after the fire destroyed its spire and the oak-framed lead roof. Attendance was limited to 30 people - half of them clergy - in the Chapel of the Virgin on the east side of the cathedral behind the choir which has been confirmed as safe.\n\nArchbishop of Paris Michel Aupetit, who led the ceremony, was joined by the rector of Notre-Dame, Patrick Chauvet, canons, volunteers, people working on the restoration, as well as a handful of lay worshippers.\n\nChurch leaders have been keen to show life goes on at the cathedral as donations to help rebuild it trickle in.\n\nThe cathedral and the square in front of it are closed to the public as a lengthy operation gets under way to make the weakened structure safe.\n\nBut French culture minister Franck Riester on Friday said less than 10 percent of the £760million pledged for its restoration had been received so far.\n\nHe said the cathedral was still \"in a fragile state, namely the vault, which hasn't yet been secured\".\n\nConstruction of the cathedral began in 1160 and it is considered an architectural masterpiece. The blaze on April 15 caused the roof and spire of the building to collapse, triggering a worldwide outpouring of sadness at the loss of the historic building."], "summary": "The Notre Dame Cathedral holds its first mass since the April 15 fire."}
{"document": ["Image copyright AFP Image caption The group died of asphyxiation after inhaling toxic fumes from the sewer\n\nSeven people have died whilst cleaning a hotel sewer in western India, according to local police.\n\nThe four sanitation workers and three staff at Darshsan Hotel fell unconscious and died on Friday night after inhaling toxic fumes.\n\nTheir bodies have been recovered in the village of Fartikui, and the hotel owner has been charged over the deaths.\n\nGujarati authorities have pledged financial assistance to the victims' next of kin.\n\nAccording to police, the incident began after one sanitary worker entered the septic tank. When he did not return from the tank or respond to calls, his three colleagues went in to find him.\n\nLater, when none of the four had come out, three hotel staff went in to help them, but they too fell unconscious and died.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Newsnight: Unblocking India's sewers... by hand\n\nAfter all seven went missing, local emergency services pulled their bodies out in a three-hour operation.\n\n\"All seven were dead as the pressure of gas was high in the tank, but we could bring their bodies out,\" fire officer Nikunj Azad told local press.\n\nSafai Karmachari Andolan - a group campaigning to end manual sanitation work - estimates that nearly 1,800 sewer cleaners have died from suffocation during the last 10 years.", "Seven people have died whilst cleaning a hotel sewer in western India, according to local police.\n\nThe four sanitation workers and three staff at Darshsan Hotel fell unconscious and died on Friday night after inhaling toxic fumes.\n\nTheir bodies have been recovered in the village of Fartikui, and the hotel's owner is reportedly on the run.\n\nGujarati authorities have pledged financial assistance to the victims' next of kin.\n\nAccording to police, the incident began after one sanitary worker entered the septic tank. When he did not return from the tank or respond to calls, his three colleagues went in to find him.\n\nLater, when none of the four had come out, three hotel staff went in to help them, but they too fell unconscious and died.\n\nAfter all seven went missing, local emergency services pulled their bodies out in a three-hour operation.\n\n\"All seven were dead as the pressure of gas was high in the tank, but we could bring their bodies out,\" fire officer Nikunj Azad told local press.", "VADODARA: Seven persons, including four sanitation workers, died on Saturday after inhaling toxic fumes while cleaning sewer of a hotel in Vadodara district of Gujarat, officials said.\n\nThe incident happened shortly after midnight at Darshan Hotel in Fartikui village of Dabhoi tehsil, around 30 kms from Vadodara city, police said.\n\nThree employees of the hotel were also among those killed.\n\n\"The sanitation workers had been roped in to clean the sewer. When one worker failed to come out of the manhole, others went inside to check, but all of them died of asphyxiation,\" in-charge district collector Kiran Zaveri told PTI.\n\n\"We rushed to the site soon after learning about the incident and teams of the fire brigade from Vadodara Municipal Corporation and Dabhoi civic body launched rescue work. They took out the bodies of the deceased after three hours of efforts,\" he added.\n\nAfter the post-mortem, the bodies were handed over to the kin of the deceased.\n\nThe owner of the hotel, Hassan Abbas Ismail Boraniya, is absconding.\n\nTalking to PTI, BJP MLA Shailesh Mehta, who represents the Dabhoi Assembly constituency, said the four sanitation workers were from the nearby Thuvavi village and they were hired to clean the sewer lines.\n\nHe added that the incident shows sheer disregard for the safety of the workers.\n\nPolice said the incident took place around 12.30 am.\n\nDue to inhalation of toxic fumes inside the manhole, the workers fell unconscious and died, police said.\n\nMeanwhile, the Gujarat government announced financial assistance of Rs 4 lakh each to the kin of the deceased.\n\nIn a statement, the government said that it has directed the police to take strict action against the hotel owner.", "Seven people, including four sanitation workers, died of suffocation while cleaning a hotel sewer in Gujarat. The men had entered the septic tank without any safety gear, news agency AFP reported.\n\nThe incident took place at Darshan Hotel in Fartikui village of Dabhoi tehsil, about 35 km from Vadodara city.\n\nThe four sanitation workers were identified as Mahesh Patanwadiya, Ashok Harijan, Brijesh Harijan, Mahesh Harijan. All of them had been called in from Thuvavi in Dabhoi for the job.\n\nThree employees of the hotel, identified as Ajay Vasava (24), Vijay Chauhan (22) and Sahdev Vasava (22), were also among those killed.\n\n“We are investigating what was the exact gas they inhaled and what exactly happened,” said Deputy Superintendent of Police (Dabhoi division) Kalpesh Solanki.\n\nMahesh Patanwadiya was the first worker to enter the tank but after he stopped responding, Ashok Harijan, Brijesh Harijan, and Mahesh Harijan followed to help him, police officials said. Later, when the four workers did not come out, the other three hotel workers went in but they too fell unconscious inside the tank.\n\nA case has been registered at the Dabhoi Police station. The owner of the hotel has been charged with causing death due to negligence and culpable homicide not amounting to murder.\n\n“This government ( Gujarat ) will spends ₹ 3,000 crores on a statue, but won’t invest in machines to end manual scavenging. The 7 people who lost their lives while cleaning drains in Vadodara, could have been saved has this government got its priorities right” said Jignesh Mevani Dalit activist and Gujarat MLA.\n\nOne sanitation worker die every third day in India, according to a report released by an NGO in September last year.\n\nThe data by NGO Safai Karmachari Andolan suggests that 221 sanitation workers have died since January 2017.\n\nThe Safai Karmachari Andolan claims that the all-India death toll of 666 quoted by the National Commission for Sanitation Workers is misleading.\n\nAs per the NGO estimates, a total of 1,760 sanitation workers have died since 1993. This data is based on information collected by the NGO from only 16 states and Union Territories (UTs).", "Vadodara (Gujarat) [India], June 15 (ANI): Seven people, including 4 sanitation workers, died in Fartikui village allegedly due to suffocation while cleaning a hotel's septic tank in a hotel.\n\n\"Seven people fell in the tank and died of suffocation. One person was at the top. He called everyone around for help. The police was also called,\" said Solanki.\n\n\"The hotel owner called the workers at night to clean the septic tank. He should have known an incident was about to happen,\" said Moffat Bhai Solanki, a relative of two of the victims.\n\nThe locals staged a protest to demand justice after the owner closed the hotel gate and fled.(ANI)", "Vadodara: Seven people, including four sanitation workers, allegedly died of suffocation while cleaning a closed septic tank of a hotel in Dabhoi town of Vadodara district in Gujarat on Saturday.\n\nThe incident occurred at a hotel in Dabhoi's Fartikui village where three hotel staff and four sanitation workers choked to death due to an alleged gas leak in the septic tank in which they had entered.\n\nThe manager of the hotel fled from the spot after the incident. A case has been registered in this regard and the dead bodies have been sent for post-mortem.\n\nThe local police have launched a search to nab the hotel manager.\n\nThis is a developing story. Further details are awaited.", "An offence of negligence has been registered against the owner of the hotel, Hassan Abbas Bhoraniya, who was arrested on Saturday morning\n\nVadodara: Around seven persons - four sanitation workers and three employees were asphyxiated to death in the wee hours of Saturday while cleaning the septic tank of a highway hotel in Vadodara district. The police said the incident occurred after midnight at Darshan Hotel in Fartikui village of Dabhoi tehsil which is some 30 km from Vadodara.\n\nThe police told reporters that 47-year-old Mahesh Patanwadiya was the first to go inside the septic tank. Others outside got worried when he did not come out for some time despite being called by them. Ashok Harijan, 45, then entered to look for Mahesh, followed by 23-year-old Brijesh Harijan and Mahesh Harijan, 25. When the four sanitation workers didn't come out, the three employees of the hotel, Vijay Chaudhary, Sahadev Vasava and Ajay Vasava, all 22 years old, went inside and reportedly fell unconscious and later died after inhaling toxic fumes.\n\nTheir bodies were pulled out after three hours of effort by fire brigade staff of the Vadodara Municipal Corporation who had to go there since the Dabhoi Municipality did not have the equipment to rescue the seven people inside.\n\nAn offence of negligence has been registered against the owner of the hotel, Hassan Abbas Bhoraniya, who was arrested on Saturday morning.\n\nThe sanitation workers hailed from the nearby Thuvavi village. The state government has announced financial assistance of Rs 4 lakh each to the kin of the deceased. In an official press release, the government stated that it had asked the police to initiate tough action against the hotel owner.\n• None Mumbai Crime: Baby kidnapper pretended to be pregnant for 7 months, reveals probe\n• None Maharashtra cabinet reshuffle to take place on June 16\n• None Mumbai rains: These 15 photos will surely put a smile on your face!\n• None Mumbai: Bio-toilets near Gateway of India shut after wind, waves slam it leaving debris on road\n• None Mumbai Rains: 100 illegal structures on nullahs razed in five days by BMC\n• None Mumbai Rains: Three dead in tree collapse incidents in Jogeshwari, Malad, and Govandi\n\nCatch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates", "Seven persons, including four sanitation workers, died due to asphyxiation on Saturday while cleaning the sewer of a hotel in Gujarat’s Vadodara district, officials said.\n\nThe incident happened at a hotel in Fartikui village in Dabhoi tehsil, about 30 km from Vadodara city.\n\nThree employees of the hotel were also among those killed. “When one sanitation worker failed to come out of the manhole, others went inside. All of them died due to asphyxiation,” district collector Kiran Zaveri told PTI.", "Seven people died in Gujarat's Vadodara while cleaning a septic tank on Friday. They are believed to have suffocated to death while cleaning the septic tank outside a hotel in Fartikui village in Dabhoi taluk. The victims include four sanitation workers and three hotel employees.\n\nHassan Abbas Bhoraniya, the owner of the Darshan Hotel, located 30 kilometres from Vadodara city, has been booked under charges of culpable homicide and causing death due to negligence, The Times of India reported. The case was registered at the Dabhoi Police station.\n\n\"All seven were dead as the pressure of gas was high in the tank. We could bring their bodies out,\" said Nikunj Azad of the Vadodara Fire and Emergency Services.\n\nThe seven victims have been identified as Ashok Harijan (45), Mahesh Harijan (25), Mahesh Patanwadiya (47), Vijay Chaudhary (22), Brijesh Harijan (23), Ajay Vasava (22) and Sahdev Vasava (22). Patanwadiya, Ashok, Brijesh and Mahesh had been called to clean the septic tank, Chaudhary, Sahdev and Ajay were employees of hotel and were assisting the four, according to The Times of India.\n\n\"When one sanitation worker failed to come out of the manhole, others went inside. All of them died due to asphyxiation,\" said district collector Kiran Zaveri.\n\nPatanwadiya was the first to enter the hotel's septic tank. When he did not come out or respond for a while, Ashok entered the tank, followed by Brijesh and Mahesh. After none of the four came out, the three hotel staff went in to help the sanitation workers, but they, too, lost consciousness, the police said.\n\nOfficers added that the Dabhoi municipality and local police were informed after all seven did not respond from inside the septic tank. The municipality, lacking the necessary equipment, sought help from the Vadodara Fire and Emergency Services. After the bodies were taken out of the tank, a suction tank vehicle of the Vadodara Municipal Corporation cleaned the tank.\n\nYour guide to the latest cricket World Cup stories, analysis, reports, opinions, live updates and scores on https://www.firstpost.com/firstcricket/series/icc-cricket-world-cup-2019.html. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram or like our Facebook page for updates throughout the ongoing event in England and Wales.", "Seven people died while cleaning a hotel septic tank in India on Friday after going in without safety gear, according to officials.\n\nThe incident happened at the Darshsan Hotel in the village of Fartikui shortly after midnight when one worker went into the tank and fell unconscious.\n\nWhen the worker did not return or respond to calls, three colleagues went in to find him but also did not come back.\n\nPAINTER SURVIVES BEING IMPALED BY BAMBOO SPIKE AFTER FALLING OFF LADDER\n\nThree hotel staffers then went in to find the missing workers, but also ended up falling unconscious when they encountered the toxic fumes.\n\n\"All seven died of suffocation as the pressure of gas was high in the tank,\" Vandodara fire officer Nikunj Azad told the Times of India.\n\nFirefighters had to spend several hours working to pull the bodies out, as the mouth of the tank was so narrow that an excavator had to be used to widen it for the recovery mission.\n\nA police official told Agence France-Presse that the hotel owner has been charged with causing death due to negligence.\n\nCLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS APP\n\nAuthorities in the Gujarati region have pledged financial assistance to the victims' families, according to the BBC."], "summary": "Seven people—four sanitation workers and three staff members—die after inhaling toxic fumes from a Darshsan Hotel sewer cleaning in the village of Fartikui in western India. The hotel owner is charged with the fatalities."}
{"document": ["Una emergencia sanitaria que crece en el país, pero que podemos detener con una correcta higiene. El Ministerio de Salud (Minsa) informó que, en lo que va del año, ya se han registrado 548 casos del síndrome de Guillain-Barré a nivel nacional. Esta cifra representa un aumento significativo en comparación con los 341 casos que se reportaron en 2018.\n\nDe acuerdo al último informe del Centro Nacional de Epidemiología, Prevención y Control de Enfermedades del Minsa, Lima es una de las regiones más afectadas con 163 casos de este mal. Le siguen Piura y Junín (ver recuadro).\n\nPese al incremento de casos en todo el país, la ministra de Salud, Zulema Tomás , dijo ayer –durante una conferencia de prensa– que “se ha encontrado una leve disminución en algunas de las regiones donde ha sido reportado el brote”.\n\n“Esta semana, los casos nuevos reportados son 77 hasta el día de hoy. Nos falta el reporte del sábado y domingo. Pero la semana pasada, hasta el viernes, ya teníamos 191 casos. Eso nos dice que en la semana 24 a la 25 está bajando, pero nosotros como Ministerio de Salud estamos alerta ante cualquier proceso”, manifestó.\n\nAsimismo, señaló que los tratamientos están siendo cubiertos por el Minsa y por las regiones. “Este tratamiento es totalmente gratuito y estamos hablando de un costo semanal de entre S/30 mil y S/60 mil por paciente, que, definitivamente, la población no iba a poder cubrir”, indicó Tomás.\n\nAnte ello, destacó que esto se puede hacer gracias a la declaratoria de emergencia sanitaria , que se dio el 8 de junio, en las regiones de La Libertad, Piura, Lambayeque, Junín y Lima.\n\nRefirió que los casos en los que los pacientes han fallecido (cinco en lo que va del año) se han dado por complicaciones con otras enfermedades graves, por lo que enfatizó en la necesidad de una atención oportuna.\n\nLa ministra también explicó que se trata de un brote de este mal, pero que aún no se puede hablar de una epidemia. Recordó que esta enfermedad no es contagiosa.\n\nSostuvo que las infecciones digestivas y respiratorias preceden al síndrome y que por ello es importante estar alerta ante estos males.\n\nFinalmente, precisó que los síntomas (hormigueos en las manos y pies) que se están presentando actualmente en los pacientes son atípicos.\n\nGuillian-Barré\n\nMÁS CASOS EN LIMA\n\nRespecto al incremento de casos en la capital, Ciro Maguiña, médico infectólogo y exdecano del Colegio de Médicos del Perú, dijo a Perú21 que “Lima está contaminada con bastante basura. Por ello, reúne todas las condiciones para que haya infecciones respiratorias y diarreicas, y como consecuencia el síndrome de Guillain-Barré”.\n\nEn ese sentido, recomendó vacunarse contra la influenza , comer en lugares higiénicos y lavarse bien las manos. “Si la persona presenta infecciones respiratorias o diarreicas, debe evitar ir al trabajo o al colegio. En el caso del Metropolitano , sería necesario que los pasajeros utilicen mascarillas”, sugirió.\n\n“La mascarilla es clave como norma de higiene y el Perú debe implementar su uso”, sostuvo Maguiña como medida de prevención.\n\nPor otro lado, la Defensoría del Pueblo se pronunció ante el incremento de casos y recomendó que se evalúe la ampliación de la declaratoria de emergencia sanitaria a otras regiones del país para garantizar una respuesta oportuna a la población.\n\nTENGA EN CUENTA\n\n- ￼El síndrome de Guillain-Barré es un trastorno poco frecuente que afecta a los nervios que controlan el movimiento de brazos y piernas. ￼\n\n￼- El Ministerio de Salud advirtió que gran parte de los casos se presenta una o dos semanas después de una infección diarreica o respiratoria. ￼\n\n￼- Los pacientes que son dados de alta, luego deben pasar por un proceso de rehabilitación a fin de que puedan recuperarse en su totalidad.\n\n￼- La ministra de Salud, Zulema Tomás, aclaró que no se ha declarado en emergencia sanitaria a todo el país.\n\n- “Enviaremos diversas muestras de laboratorio al Centro de Control de Enfermedades de Atlanta, en EE.UU\", indicó Hans Vásquez Soplopuco, jefe del Instituto Nacional de Salud (INS).", "TWO more patients have died in a listeria outbreak linked to contaminated hospital sandwiches, health officials have said.\n\nPublic Health England today confirmed a total of five people have now died from the lethal bug after eating infected sarnies.\n\nScientists linked the outbreak to chicken sandwiches from The Good Food Chain in Stone, Staffordshire, which supplies 43 hospital trusts and shops nationwide.\n\nIt is also feared infected grub may have been sold to sporting venues, businesses and universities.\n\nLast week it was revealed that two patients died at Manchester Royal Infirmary, with the third at Aintree Hospital in Liverpool.\n\nIt is understood that of the latest two listeria deaths, one died after the first three confirmed cases.\n\nThe other died before the other three, but has only just been discovered to by linked.\n\nThe trusts where the latest two victims were receiving treatment have not yet been named, but PHE said there are seven trusts across the country dealing with listeria cases.\n\nThe first case showed symptoms on April 25 and sandwiches and salads were withdrawn on May 25, as soon as a link with the cases was suspected.\n\nHealth bosses today said it brings the total number of cases to nine.\n\nIn a statement, PHE said: \"Since the multi-agency investigation began into listeria cases linked to sandwiches and salads, Public Health England (PHE) has been analysing previously known cases of listeria from the past two months to see if they are linked to this outbreak.\n\n\"Whilst any risk to the public remains low, PHE's Whole Genome Sequencing analysis has identified an additional three cases of listeria linked to this outbreak.\n\n\"This brings the total number of confirmed cases to nine. All of the cases of listeria infection were in hospital patients in England.\n\n\"Sadly, one of the seriously ill six patients PHE confirmed last week has since died.\n\n\"One of the patients confirmed today as linked to the outbreak had already died. This brings the number of deaths linked to this outbreak to five.\"\n\nOfficials said meat from supplier North Country Cooked Meats has tested positive for the strain of listeria responsible for the outbreak.\n\nThey supplied meat to The Good Food Chain, who made the sandwiches. They have since pulled all prepacked sandwiches and salads from sale.\n\nIt is unclear if more Brits will come down with the infection - as it can take 70 days from exposure to show signs of the illness.\n\nDr Kimon Andreas Karatzas, associate professor in food microbiology at the University of Reading, said: \"The company has ceased production and hopefully this can put an end to the outbreak.\n\n\"However, due to a relatively long incubation period it's possible that there could potentially be some more cases.\"\n\nA PHE spokesperson confirmed the items of food were no longer being produced.\n\nThe affected products were also pulled from hospitals when the links to the listeria infections were first identified.\n\nFollowing the product withdrawal, Public Health England and Health Protection Scotland have written to their respective NHS Trusts and Boards to ensure that they are following appropriate food storage and handling protocols and to provide clinical guidance.\n\nDr Nick Phin, Deputy Director at the National Infection Service at PHE said: \"Our thoughts are with the families of those patients who have died.\n\n\"We, along with the FSA, colleagues in local authorities and the NHS have worked quickly to determine the likely cause of this outbreak and taken action to reduce the risk to the public’s health.\n\n\"To date, there have been no associated cases identified outside healthcare organisations, and any risk to the public is low.\"\n\nBug can cause meningitis and death\n\nListeria bacteria can prove serious for pregnant women and people with weak immune systems.\n\nProf Brendan Wren, an expert from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, said: \"If consumed it can lead to gastroenteritis, and in compromised patients more severe disease such as meningitis and, in rare cases, death.\n\n\"Pregnant women can pass the infection to their unborn children who are particularly susceptible to infection.\n\n\"In this small outbreak there appears a cluster of cases in hospitalised patients that were already ill.\n\n\"Listeria can survive refrigeration temperatures, which means it can persist in food processing equipment and in the food chain.\"\n\nThe Good Food Chain's website states: \"We're proud to be revolutionising sandwiches for healthcare patients.\n\n\"Giving you more for less - making them fresh, tasty, nutritious, attractive and incredible value for money - is our mission.\n\n\"Our products are designed around today's patients - to give them a coffee shop style sandwich in bed.\"\n\nThey added: \"Our customers enjoy quality products at the right price. They have peace of mind that all our products are lovingly hand prepared in a safe environment, as you would in your own kitchen.\"\n\nDr Colin Sullivan, Chief Operating Officer at the FSA said: \"Our sympathies are with the families of those patients who have tragically passed away.\n\n\"We have taken action along with local authorities to minimise the risk based on the evidence so far.\n\n\"The FSA will continue to investigate how the outbreak occurred and if further steps are required to protect vulnerable groups.\"\n\nThere are around 166 annual listeria cases in England and Wales — with 46 deaths between 2010 and 2016.\n\nListeriosis is a rare infection and for most people it goes unnoticed or there are mild symptoms of gastroenteritis that usually last a short time without the need for treatment.\n\nThe time between exposure to the organism and the development of the illness can be up to 70 days.\n\nOccasionally, however, a more serious infection develops and spreads to the blood stream or brain.\n\nThis can happen in people who have serious underlying health conditions and can also occur in pregnant women.\n\nPregnant women and people with underlying health conditions can find more information on the NHS website."], "summary": "The Ministry of Health of Peru reports that so far this year, 548 people have contracted Guillain–Barré syndrome in an outbreak in the country. It also clarified that in the five cases in which patients died, death was caused by complications with other serious diseases."}
{"document": ["US President Donald Trump blames Iran for Gulf of Oman oil tanker attacks\n\nUS President Donald Trump has blamed Iran for attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman and said the US wanted international consensus about the threat to shipping, despite Tehran denying involvement.\n\nThe attacks have raised fears of a confrontation in the vital oil shipping route at a time of increased tension between Iran and the US over American sanctions and military moves in the Middle East, Tehran's proxy groups in the region and its nuclear program.\n\n\"Iran did do it and you know they did it because you saw the boat,\" Mr Trump told Fox News.\n\nHe was referring to a video released on Thursday by the US military, which said it showed Iran's Revolutionary Guards were behind the blasts that struck the Norwegian-owned Front Altair and the Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous at the mouth of the Gulf.\n\nThe US military said black-and-white footage it filmed from a US aircraft showed Iran's Guards on a patrol boat drawing up to the Kokuka Courageous and removing an unexploded limpet mine from its hull.\n\nThe Japanese-owned tanker, abandoned by its crew, was being towed to a port in the United Arab Emirates on Friday, after a Dutch firm said it had been appointed to salvage the ships.\n\nThe second tanker, the Front Altair, which was set ablaze by a blast, was still languishing at sea, although the fire that charred the hull had been extinguished.\n\nIran said the video proved nothing and that it was being made into a scapegoat.\n\n\"These accusations are alarming,\" Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said.\n\nIran had dismissed earlier US claims that it was behind the attacks and accused the US and its regional allies such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates of \"warmongering\" by making accusations.\n\nLast month, the US sharply tightened economic sanctions that are now damaging the economy of Iran. In response, Tehran has threatened to step up its nuclear activity.\n\nTehran also said it could block the Strait of Hormuz, the main route out for Middle Eastern oil, if its own exports were halted.\n\nMr Trump, who last year pulled the US out of an agreement between world powers and Tehran to curb Iran's nuclear program in exchange for some sanctions relief, said any move to close the Strait of Hormuz would not last long.\n\nLast month Washington scrapped waivers that had allowed some countries to continue importing Iranian oil.\n\nIran's crude exports fell to about 400,000 barrels per day (bpd) in May, starving its economy of its main source of revenue.\n\nUS planning contingencies but does not want conflict\n\nTehran and Washington have both said they have no interest in starting a war.\n\nBut this has done little to assuage concerns that the two arch foes could stumble into a conflict.\n\nMr Trump's administration is focused on building international consensus following the attacks, US Defence Secretary Patrick Shanahan said.\n\nAsked whether he was considering sending more troops or military capabilities to the Middle East, Mr Shanahan said: \"As you know we're always planning various contingencies.\"\n\nBut he emphasised the issue of building consensus.\n\n\"When you look at the situation, a Norwegian ship, a Japanese ship, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, 15 per cent of the world's oil flows through the Strait of Hormuz,\" he said.\n\n\"So we obviously need to make contingency plans should the situation deteriorate. We also need to broaden our support for this international situation.\"\n\nChina, the European Union and others have called for restraint from all sides.\n\nIn a notable signal that close US allies are wary of Washington's position, Germany said the US video was not enough to apportion blame for Thursday's attack.\n\nBut British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt differed, saying no other state or non-state actor could have been responsible.\n\nOil prices rose about 1 per cent on Friday, reflecting market jitters.\n\nInsurance costs for ships sailing through the Middle East have jumped by at least 10 per cent after the attacks.\n\nUN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for an independent investigation of the attacks.\n\nThe tanker attacks took place while Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan — a big buyer of Iranian oil until it was forced by the new US sanctions to stop — was visiting Tehran on a peacemaking mission, bringing a message from Mr Trump.\n\nIran dismissed Mr Trump's message, details of which were not made public.\n\n\"I do not see Trump as worthy of any message exchange, and I do not have any reply for him, now or in future,\" Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said.\n\nWashington has also blamed Iran or its proxies for attacks on May 12 that crippled four oil tankers in the same area, and has said Tehran was behind May 14 drone strikes on two Saudi oil-pumping stations. Tehran has denied all those charges.", "Japanese Prime Minister Abe is functioning as Trump’s informal ambassador to Iran during his two day trip to the Islamic Republic, though he has much greater strategic interests in mind than just being the US President’s proxy such as expanding his island nation’s footprint in the Mideast as part of its attempt to “contain” China.\n\nJapanese Prime Minister Abe’s trip to Iran is the first time that one of his nation’s leaders visited the Islamic Republic since its 1979 Revolution, and it carries extra significance because of how he was recently tasked by Trump to be his informal ambassador to the country. This is a tongue-in-cheek reference to the agreement that they made during their last meeting to have Abe try to encourage the Iranian leadership to re-enter into dialogue with the US, something that they vehemently refused to do after being so brazenly disrespected by the American President since the beginning of his tenure. It’s curious that the two allied leaders publicly spoke about Abe’s ambition to play this peacemaking role since other indirect channels of communication already exist between the US and Iran, so involving Japan in this process is seemingly redundant.\n\nIf one steps back and appreciates the bigger strategic picture, however, then it makes more sense why this is happening. The US and Japan are on the same page when it comes to “containing” China, with the Pentagon praising it as the “cornerstone of peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific” in its recently published “Indo-Pacific Strategy Report”. Japan has had a quiet strategic presence in the greater region ever since it opened its first-ever overseas military base in Djibouti in 2011, but it aims to do much more with American assistance. Seeing as how Iran is poised to become a joint Russian-Chinese economic condominium as the most realistic form of sanctions relief in the coming future, there’s a certain logic to Trump encouraging Japan to give the country a third choice that would indirectly tie the Islamic Republic to the Western-led unipolar system.\n\nIt might sound a bit convoluted at first listen but the fact of the matter is that Trump’s weaponization of sanctions as America’s reinvigorated form of economic warfare is highly selective and based on double standards, so it’s very possible that while his administration might sanction Russian and Chinese firms operating in Iran, they’ll probably turn a blind eye to Japanese ones doing the same. This would give Japanese companies a competitive advantage over Russia and China’s because they wouldn’t have to fear the potential isolation that would accompany primary and secondary sanctions. As such, Japan could help expand the incipient influence of the “Asia-Africa Growth Corridor” (AAGC) transregional initiative in Iran that it’s jointly constructing with India all throughout the “Indo-Pacific”, thereby laying the basis for countering China’s Belt & Road Initiative (BRI).\n\nThis “competitive connectivity” is at the core of the New Cold War, but it’s still a far way’s off from posing a tangible threat to China’s interests. Nevertheless, the ground is already being built for this to become a long-term challenge to China if one considers the selective application of the US’ sanctions regime (both primary and secondary) and the geostrategic importance of the Greater “Indian Ocean” Region in which this competition is poised to play out. Abe’s role as Trump’s informal Ambassador to Iran is being heavily promoted in order to justify the US turning a blind eye to the forthcoming Japanese investments in the Islamic Republic that its leader hopes to clinch during his visit. In addition, positioning Japan as the US’ preferred “mediator” with Iran is also a rebuff to the earlier offer made by China’s close partner Pakistan to fulfill this role instead.\n\nThat observation reinforces the notion that this is all about directly and indirectly “containing” China on the diplomatic, infrastructural, and overall influence fronts. Japan is China’s historic rival so supporting its presence in Iran is deliberately designed to inflame the competition between these two Asian Great Powers, with Tokyo having an edge over Beijing in the sense that its companies could possibly be exempt from American sanctions on a case-by-case basis in order to give them a competitive advantage. That said, while these are the strategic opportunities that most realistically present themselves, Trump will likely demand that Abe enter into more concessions on trade in order to be given these other economic benefits in exchange as a part of a quid-pro-quo that keeps the US calling the shots in this unipolar game.", "Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei categorically rejected the possibility of talks between Iran and the US in a meeting with Japan’s prime minister, saying the US president does not merit a response or exchange of messages.\n\nHeading a high-ranking delegation, Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe held a meeting with Ayatollah Khamenei in Tehran on Thursday morning.\n\nAt the beginning of the meeting, the Japanese prime minister said he intended to relay a message to Iran from US President Donald Trump.\n\nIn response, Ayatollah Khamenei told Abe, “We have no doubts about your goodwill and seriousness, but with regard to what you relayed from the US president, I see no merit in Trump as a person to deserve the exchange of any messages, and I do not have any answer for him and will not give him any either.”\n\nAs regards the Japanese premier’s comments about Trump’s assertion that Washington does not seek a regime change in Iran, Ayatollah Khamenei said Iran’s problem with the US does not relate to the issue of regime change, although the US would never achieve such an objective even if it wanted to.\n\n“Trump’s claim that he does not intend to change the regime (in Iran) is a lie, because he would do this if he was able to, but he can’t,” Ayatollah Khamenei underlined.\n\nOn the Japanese leader’s message that the US has called for nuclear negotiations with Iran, the Leader said the US once reneged on an agreement that was reached after five to six years of negotiations with the US and Europeans. “So, which wise man would negotiate again with a country that has broken all agreements?”\n\nIn response to the Japanese leader’s comments that the US is resolved to prevent Iran from producing nukes, Ayatollah Khamenei underlined, “We are opposed to nuclear weapons and my religious fatwa is that production of nuclear weapons is haram (forbidden), but be mindful that if we ever intended to produce nuclear weapons, the US would not be able to do anything, and the American rejection would not pose any obstacle.”\n\nAyatollah Khamenei also noted that the US which has a stockpile of thousands of nuclear warheads is in no position to comment about nuclear weapons in the other countries.\n\nIn response to Abe’s comments that the US is ready for genuine talks with Iran, the Leader said, “We do not believe it at all, because sincere negotiations would not come from an individual like Trump.”\n\n“Sincerity is very rare among the American officials,” the Leader noted.\n\nAyatollah Khamenei then stressed that Trump’s move to impose sanctions on Iran’s petrochemical industry immediately after returning from Japan shows that the US president is insincere and does not look for genuine talks.\n\n“We will by no means repeat the bitter experience of negotiations with the US in the past recent years,” Ayatollah Khamenei underscored.\n\nTouching on the US breach of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, the Leader said, “After the nuclear deal, the first one that violated the JCPOA immediately was (former US President Barack) Obama, the one who had made a request for talks with Iran and had sent a mediator too.”\n\nIn reaction to Abe’s message from Trump that negotiations with Washington would contribute to development of Iran, Ayatollah Khamenei said Iran will be making progress despite the sanctions and without any talks with the US.\n\nThe Leader also welcomed the Japanese premier’s call for the expansion of ties with Iran, adding, “Japan is an important country in Asia, and if it is willing to expand relations with Iran, then it should express its decisive determination, in a way that some major countries expressed such determination.”\n\nDenouncing the US hostility towards the Iranian nation over the past forty years, Ayatollah Khamenei said, “We believe that our problems would not be solved through talks with the US, and no free nation would approve of negotiations under pressures.”\n\nThe Leader then hailed the Japanese prime minister’s assertion that Americans always seek to impose their thoughts and policies on the other countries, noting, “You had better also know that Americans are not content with any limit in imposing their stances.”\n\nFor his part, Abe expressed the hope that his political negotiations in Tehran would pave the way for the promotion of cooperation between Iran and Japan.\n\nAbe arrived in Tehran on Wednesday and became the first Japanese leader to visit Iran in more than 4 decades.\n\nIn a meeting with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday evening, Abe said the main purpose of his trip to Iran is to ease the tensions, and expressed hope that his visit would result in the reduction of tensions and establishment of peace in the region.", "Washington, June 15 (IANS) U.S. President Donald Trump spoke over phone with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Iran and bilateral trade.\n\nThe two leaders on Friday discussed Abe’s recent trip to Iran, the ongoing U.S.-Japan bilateral trade negotiations and Trump’s upcoming trip to the Group of 20 (G20) Osaka summit in late June, Xinhua reported, citing a White House statement.\n\n“President Trump thanked Abe for his effort to facilitate communication with Iran,” said the statement.\n\nAbe paid a visit to Iran earlier this week, which was the first visit made by a Japanese prime minister since Takeo Fukuda in 1978.\n\nThe rare visit aimed at easing tensions between Washington and Tehran.\n\nIran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, however, told Abe on Thursday that it was meaningless to exchange message with Trump, according to Iranian state media.\n\n“While I very much appreciate P.M. Abe going to Iran to meet with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, I personally feel that it is too soon to even think about making a deal. They are not ready, and neither are we!” Trump tweeted on Thursday.\n\nAbe’s visit was also overshadowed by the attacks on two oil tankers in the Sea of Oman on Thursday, with at least one of them operated by a Japanese company.\n\nThe Trump administration has claimed that Iran is responsible for the attacks, while Tehran called U.S. allegation as “sabotage diplomacy.”", "Donald Trump will go down in history as the most evil person who ever served as president of the United States.\n\nPresident Donald Trump claims that if President Barack Obama had made the deals he did, we would have named a national holiday after him. So maybe they should name national holidays after some of Mr. Trump’s great deals.\n\nWhat names should they be?\n\nFor border security: Children’s Day. For negotiations with Kim Jong Un: D&K Day. For outing the United States from the Iran nuclear deal: Hide Day. For his great financial deals: Laundry Day. For his love of the media: Fake News Day. For all his truths: Pinocchio Day.\n\nMr. Trump believes he is so great that I am sure we can find a holiday for him in each of the 12 months.\n\nIt is clear the president is very envious of President Obama’s 2009 Noble Peace Prize, his doing in of Osama Bin Laden and his pulling our country out of maybe the worst financial disaster ever.\n\nDonald Trump will go down in history as the most evil person who ever served as president of the United States.", "Japan \"resolutely denounces\" attacks on two oil tankers near the Strait of Hormuz, regardless of who is responsible for them, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Friday after speaking with U.S. President Donald Trump by phone.\n\nAbe, who returned to Tokyo in the morning from a two-day visit to Tehran, did not name any country suspected of being behind the attacks, while the United States has already pointed fingers at Iran.\n\nAmid escalating tensions in the Middle East, Abe instead said Japan will work closely with the United States and the international community for peace and stability in the region.\n\n\"I believe that all parties concerned should exercise restraint to prevent from causing unforeseen situations and refrain from any action that could escalate tensions,\" Abe also told reporters at his office in Tokyo shortly after the phone conversation that lasted about 30 minutes.\n\nWhile Thursday's attacks on the tankers, including one operated by a Japanese company, have raised fears of a new confrontation between Washington and Tehran, Abe said, \"U.S. President Trump expressed appreciation for my visit to Iran and efforts (toward easing tensions).\"\n\nAccording to the White House, Trump thanked Abe for his effort to facilitate communication with Iran. They discussed Abe's recent trip to Tehran and the circumstances surrounding the attacks on the two tankers.\n\nThe two leaders also touched on negotiations for a Japan-U.S. trade agreement and Trump's visit to Japan for a Group of 20 summit slated for June 28 and 29 in Osaka, it said in a brief statement.\n\nThe United States has released footage purportedly showing an Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps patrol boat removing an unexploded mine from the Japanese-operated Kokuka Courageous in the Gulf of Oman, one of the world's most important sea lanes. But Iran has denied the allegations.\n\nU.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Thursday that Washington's judgment is based on \"intelligence, the weapons used, the level of expertise needed to execute the operation, recent similar Iranian attacks on shipping, and the fact that no proxy group operating in the area has the resources and proficiency to act with such a high degree of sophistication.\"\n\nDuring his visit to Iran, Abe sought to broker dialogue between the two foes, tapping into Tokyo's traditionally friendly ties with Tehran.\n\nAbe conveyed Trump's message that Washington is ready to open talks with Tehran, but Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei on Thursday flatly rejected the proposal.\n\n\"I do not consider Trump as a person worth exchanging any message with and I have no answer for him, nor will I respond to him in the future,\" Khamenei, who ultimately decides on Iran's policy direction, told Abe, who became the first sitting Japanese prime minister to visit the country in 41 years.\n\nKhamenei also said in a statement, released after meeting with Abe, that Iran believes \"problems will not be solved by negotiating with the United States, and no free nation would ever accept negotiations under pressure.\"", "The drumbeat of war between the United States and Iran grew louder on Friday as President Donald Trump flatly rejected Tehran’s insistence that it had nothing to do with a pair of oil tanker explosions this week.\n\n“We don’t take it lightly,” Trump said on “Fox & Friends.” “They are a nation of terror and they've changed a lot since I've been president, I can tell you. They were unstoppable and now they are in deep, deep trouble.”\n\nThe remarks are the latest instance of the Trump administration ratcheting up pressure on the Iranian regime in recent months. While the two sides have been at odds since Trump entered the Oval Office, tensions flared in April, when the U.S. designated Iran’s main military group as a terrorist organization and decided to end waivers that allowed several foreign countries to continue buying Iranian oil without facing sanctions.\n\nSince then, an escalating tit-for-tat has pushed the two sides closer to a military confrontation. The Trump administration sent warships and additional troops to the region, as Iranian leaders have themselves saber rattled, pulled back on some commitments to limit their nuclear program and rejected all U.S. demands to change their behavior.\n\nIn recent days, the Trump administration has been publicly building its case against Iran. Overnight, the Pentagon made its first attempt to release concrete evidence that the Iranian military was molesting oil tankers moving through the Strait of Hormuz, publishing a video officials said showed Iranian soldiers removing an unexploded mine from the hull of one of the attacked ships. And earlier Thursday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said U.S. intelligence had concluded Iran was responsible, an assertion Trump reiterated Friday.\n\n“Well, Iran did do it. You know they did it, because you saw the boat, I guess one of the mines didn't explode and it’s probably got, essentially, Iran written all over it,” he said. “And you saw the boat at night trying to take the mine off, and successfully took the mine off the boat and that was exposed. And that was their boat, that was them. And they didn't want the evidence left behind.”\n\nThe public case was more forceful than the administration’s last attempt to blame Iran for similar attacks last month on vessels moving through the Strait of Hormuz, reflecting the mounting attempts to convince the public and U.S. allies that Iran poses a danger to the region. Military analysts said that while this latest evidence wasn’t completely convincing, it did seem unlikely another actor would have been behind the sabotage attempts.\n\n“My assessment is it’s very, very likely, almost certain, that the Iranians did this. The notion that this is anything other than Iran is pretty far-fetched. I have a hard time seeing this being some kind of false flag operation by the Gulf states,\" said Ilan Goldenberg, an Obama-era Pentagon and State Department official now at the Center for a New American Security.\n\nStill, some pointed to the confusing placement of the mines above the ship’s waterline. Brant DeBoer, a former U.S. Navy bomb and mine disposal expert, said that type of mine is typically placed below a ship’s waterline for maximum damage, so the placement seen in the video “doesn’t make any sense unless it was just as a show of force,” said DeBoer. “Whoever placed them either didn’t know what they were doing, wanted to limit the damage they were going to cause, or didn’t want to lose the mines.”\n\nHow to best pressure Iran has long dominated many of this White House’s internal foreign policy discussions — from the president’s decision in May 2018 to pull out of the deal to limit Tehran’s nuclear ambitions to Jared Kushner’s nascent proposal to settle territorial disputes in Israel. The Trump administration accuses Iranian leaders of funding violent proxy groups throughout the region and secretly working to restart its nuclear program.\n\nBut Trump himself often vacillates on how to best deal with adversaries like Iran. He wants to appear and talk tough to U.S. enemies without provoking an actual conflict, given his isolationist approach to foreign conflicts.\n\nWhile the U.S. recently sent an additional 1,500 troops to the Middle East to counter unspecified Iranian threats, the president has also been skeptical of his more hawkish advisers such as national security adviser John Bolton, who’s long advocated for a far harsher stance toward Iran.\n\nHawkish members of the administration could push Trump to pursue limited military strikes against Iranian targets, said Goldenberg. Such attacks would be similar to strikes Trump authorized in 2017 and 2018 against Syrian leader Bashar Assad’s chemical weapons facilities.\n\n“You could see the administration going down a path of limited military action against Iranian targets … but the risk of miscalculation is much higher,” he said. “If President Trump is able to be convinced that he can do that without Iranian retaliation, he would be playing with fire.”\n\nYet despite the saber rattling from Iran hawks in the White House, Trump appeared prepared on Friday to wait out Iran. He asserted that if Tehran attempted to choke off the Strait of Hormuz, “it's not going to be closed for long and they know it.”\n\n“They've been told in strong terms, we want to get them back to the table if they want to go back,” he continued. “I'm ready when they are. Whenever they’re ready, I’m OK. In the meantime, I'm in no rush.”\n\nMilitary specialists said Iran could also be calculating its actions to minimize the chance of a large-scale confrontation with the U.S.\n\n“I think the Iranians purposefully went after Gulf targets rather than American troops in an effort to split the United States from its Gulf allies. Is Donald Trump going to go to war over a couple of tankers?” said Goldenberg.\n\nStill, experts said the latest assault on the oil ships — if indeed ordered by Tehran — appeared to represent a shift away from more moderate policies championed over the past year by Iran's foreign minister, Javad Zarif, and president, Hassan Rouhani. The attack on a Japanese vessel was particularly perplexing, given that it came the same day Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was visiting Iran to try and calm tensions.\n\nOne theory is that Iran wants to call Trump’s bluff.\n\n“I think they keep pushing to demonstrate that a lot of the U.S. ability to respond is just bluster,” said Phillip Smyth of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, who studies Iran's involvement in Middle Eastern conflicts. “I think the Iranians see disarray at the top of the US decision making period — that Trump doesn’t want war and isn’t going to do anything.”\n\nIndeed, Trump responded with a bit of levity to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s declaration that Trump’s offers for peace talks were unworthy of a response.\n\n“I'm glad he likes me so much. He has every reason not to like me,” he joked, launching into a summary of what he argued his “maximum pressure” campaign had accomplished.\n\n“They've changed a lot since I've been president, I can tell you. They were unstoppable and now they are in deep, deep trouble,” he argued.", "The full interview with President Donald Trump finally aired on ABC Sunday, revealing the shocking way that he views his life.\n\nTrump lamented that he’s had such a hard life, as the son of multi-millionaires who paid to get him out of trouble multiple times.\n\n“You’re a fighter. You, you, it feels like you’re in a constant kind of churn–” host George Stephanopoulos began.\n\n“Yeah, uh, my life has always been a fight,” Trump said. “And I enjoy that I guess, I don’t know if I enjoy it or not, I guess — sometimes I have false fights like the Russian witch hunt. That’s a false fight. That’s a made-up, uh, hoax. And I had to fight that.”\n\nIndeed, Trump has had a lot of trouble in his life, avoiding the Vietnam War, being able to pass classes in college, filing for bankruptcy six times on five companies, and more. Until his father’s death, Trump was bailed out.\n\nTrump has a tendency to play the victim, CNN explained in 2017.", "Washington [US], June 14 (ANI): President Donald Trump on Thursday said that the United States and Iran are not ready to strike a deal to end their longstanding conflict.\n\nHe also praised Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe who has offered to broker a deal between Tehran and Washington.\n\n\"While I very much appreciate PM Abe going to Iran to meet with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, I personally feel that it is too soon to even think about making a deal. They are not ready, and neither are we!\" Trump tweeted.\n\nThis comes hours after two oil tankers were attacked in the Gulf of Oman, raising tensions in the region.\n\nAbe has just completed his two-day visit to Iran, becoming the first sitting Japanese premier to visit the country since its 1979 Islamic Revolution. While talking to reporters, Abe on Wednesday said that helping to ease tension in the region was \"the one single thought that brought me to Iran\", reported Al Jazeera. \n\nThe United States has blamed Iran for the recent attack.\n\n\"The attack on two oil tankers on June 13 was one in a list of Iranian and Iranian-backed attacks over the last month. It was a clear threat to peace, security and freedom of navigation,\" US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said during a media briefing.\n\n\"The US will defend its force, interests, partners and allies. We call upon all nations threatened to join us in that endeavour,\" he added.\n\nTensions have escalated in the already simmering region. The US and Iran are at loggerheads since President Donald Trump's decision in May 2018 to withdraw from a landmark nuclear deal.\n\nFollowing this, the US slapped a multitude of sanctions on Iran, citing the latter's support to state-sponsored terrorism and conflicts.\n\nThe historic 2015 deal between Iran and world powers including the EU and the US, offered sanctions relief to Iran for scaling back its nuclear programme.\n\nThe US has remained rooted to its stand, saying it would continue to \"impose maximum pressure\" against Iran till the regime gives up its \"destabilising ambitions\" of expanding its nuclear programme.\n\nWashington recently announced that no fresh sanction waivers will be issued for Iranian oil imports to eight countries, including India. (ANI)", "US President Donald Trump discussed with Japanese Premier Shinzo Abe Friday recent attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman, Anadolu Agency reports.\n\nThe telephone call follows the conclusion of Abe’s recent visit to Iran in which he sought to diffuse simmering tensions between Washington and Tehran that hit a boiling point Thursday when the ships were attacked.\n\nThe leaders discussed the visit as well as the “circumstances surrounding the attacks,” the White House said in a statement.\n\n“President Trump thanked Prime Minister Abe for his effort to facilitate communication with Iran,” the White House said.\n\nTrump said Thursday it is “too soon” for the U.S. to engage in nuclear talks with Iran just minutes before Washington blamed Tehran for the attacks on the oil tankers near the Gulf of Oman, which is a critical waterway for the global energy trade.\n\nShortly after meeting with Abe, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in remarks carried by Iranian state news agency FARS that he did not see Trump as deserving of a message from him.\n\n“I do not consider Trump, as a person, deserving to exchange messages with. We will not negotiate with the United States,” he said, according to FARS.\n\nTensions between Washington and Tehran have been at a fever pitch since Trump unilaterally withdrew the U.S. in May 2018 from an international pact aimed at reigning in Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for billions of dollars in relief from economic sanctions.\n\nThe Trump administration has since gone on to attempt to scuttle the agreement, which all other signatories — France, Russia, Germany, the UK, China, Iran and the EU — remain a party to.\n\nThe attempts to undermine the deal have included the reimposition of US sanctions on Iran oil exports that were lifted as part of the agreement.\n\nThat decision, in particular, drew strong condemnation from Iran amid a near-ceaseless diplomatic and economic effort the administration terms its “maximum pressure campaign” to bring Iran back to negotiations that would address its nuclear program and other regional activities the US says are destabilising.\n\nJapan PM to meet Iran’s Khamenei to mediate with US\n\nAlso on Thursday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused Iran of being responsible for the attacks near the Strait of Hormuz, describing the attacks as part of “an unacceptable campaign of escalating tension by Iran.”\n\nThe top diplomat said the US assessment is based on intelligence, the weapons that were used, the level of expertise needed to carry out the attacks, as well as other recent attacks on ships in the region the US has blamed on Iran.\n\nThe US on Friday released grainy video footage it says shows Iranian forces removing a mine from the hull of one of the ships that came under attack. The tanker, the Kokuka Courageous, is Japanese owned.\n\nThe strait is vital waterway with roughly one-third of the world’s liquefied natural gas and a fifth of its oil consumption transiting through it each day."], "summary": "U.S. President Donald Trump thanks Prime Minister of Japan Shinzō Abe by phone for his effort to mediate between the U.S. and Iran."}
{"document": ["Image copyright Reuters\n\nIndia has said that, from Sunday, it will impose tariffs on 28 US products, including almonds and apples.\n\nThe new duties, some as high as 70%, are in response to Washington's refusal to exempt Delhi from higher taxes on steel and aluminium imports.\n\nEarlier this month, US President Trump also announced the US was withdrawing India's preferential trade treatment.\n\nTariffs of up to 120% were announced by India in June last year, but trade talks had delayed their implementation.\n\nIn an announcement on Friday, India's Ministry of Finance said the decision was in the \"public interest\".\n\nAn earlier list had also listed a 29th item - artemia, a type of shrimp - but this was removed.\n\nUS-India bilateral trade was worth $142bn (£111bn) in 2018, a sevenfold increase since 2001, according to US figures.\n\nBut $5.6n worth of Indian exports - previously duty-free in the US - will be hit now the country has lost preferential treatment under America's Generalized System of Preferences (GSP).\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Sujitha Rajendrababu tells the BBC how getting a job at a car factory has changed her life\n\nThe move is the latest push by the Trump administration to redress what it considers to be unfair trading relationships with other countries.\n\nTensions have since been rising between the two countries. Last year, India retaliated against US tariff hikes on aluminium and steel by raising its own import duties on a range of goods.\n\nPresident Trump has also threatened to impose sanctions if India purchases oil from Iran and if it goes ahead with plans to buy Russian S-400 anti-aircraft missiles.\n\nThe latest tariffs from India come just days before country's Foreign Minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, is due to meet his US counterpart, Mike Pompeo, at a G20 summit in Japan. Mr Trump and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi are also expected to hold talks.", "India announced it's imposing higher tariffs on 28 U.S. products from Sunday, after Washington withdrew the South Asian country's preferential trade status.\n\nWhy it matters: It's the latest escalation in President Trump's trade war, designed to cut U.S. deficits. The tariffs on products including almonds and apples are as high as 70% on some items and are in response to Washington's refusal to exempt Delhi from higher taxes on steel and aluminium imports, the BBC notes.", "From Sunday, India will levy higher customs duty on 28 products imported from the United States. The move is a response to higher tariffs imposed by Washington on Indian products like steel and aluminium.\n\nThese 28 items include almonds, apples and walnuts. While import duty on walnut has been raised to 120% from 30%, that on chickpeas, Bengal gram and masur dal has been increased to 70%. India will get additional revenue of $217 million from these imports. Earlier, the list included 29 products but artemia, a kind of shrimp, was later removed.\n\nThe Central Board of Indirect taxes and Customs made the announcement on Saturday. The notification will “implement the imposition of retaliatory duties on 28 specified goods originating in or exported from USA and preserving the existing MFN rate for all these goods for all countries other than USA”.\n\nIndia had issued an order in June 2018 to raise import taxes on a number of US items after Washington refused to exempt it from higher steel and aluminium tariffs. But New Delhi has delayed raising tariffs eight times as the two nations engaged in trade talks. India’s exports to the US in 2017-’18 was $47.9 billion, while imports were at $ 26.7 billion, reported PTI.\n\nIndia’s move comes days after Washington withdrew key trade privileges for New Delhi. In March, US President Donald Trump had announced his decision to remove India from the Generalized System of Preferences programme. India was the biggest beneficiary of the GSP programme which allowed for $5.6 billion, around Rs 3,896 crore, worth of Indian exports to enter the country duty-free. Under the GSP programme, certain products can enter the US duty-free if beneficiary developing countries meet the eligibility criteria established by its Congress.", "India to impose retaliatory tariffs on 28 U.S. goods from Sunday\n\nIndia will impose higher retaliatory tariffs on 28 U.S. products including almonds, apples and walnuts from Sunday, following Washington’s withdrawal of key trade privileges for New Delhi.", "NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India will impose higher tariffs on 28 U.S. products including almonds, apples and walnuts, a government notificatihere;jsessionid=05BB93EF9871E631DCA5475F5330BC4E said.\n\nThe new duties take effect from Sunday.\n\nReuters had previously reported that India was preparing to levy higher tariffs following Washington’s withdrawal of key trade privileges for New Delhi.\n\nIndia initially issued an order in June last year to raise import taxes as high as 120% on a slew of U.S. items, incensed by Washington’s refusal to exempt it from higher steel and aluminum tariffs.\n\nBut New Delhi repeatedly delayed raising tariffs as the two nations engaged in trade talks. Trade between them stood at about $142.1 billion in 2018.", "The Indian government issued a statement on Saturday, saying the Asian nation would impose higher tariffs on 28 US products including almonds, apples and walnuts starting from Sunday.", "India will impose higher tariffs on 28 U.S. products including almonds, apples and walnuts, a government notification http://www.cbic.gov.in/resources//htdocs-cbec/customs/cs-act/notifications/notfns-2019/cs-tarr2019/cs17-2019.pdf;jsessionid=05BB93EF9871E631DCA5475F5330BC4E said.\n\nNEW DELHI: India will impose higher retaliatory tariffs on 28 U.S. products including almonds, apples and walnuts from Sunday, following Washington's withdrawal of key trade privileges for New Delhi.\n\nThe new duties take effect from Sunday, a government notification http://www.cbic.gov.in/resources//htdocs-cbec/customs/cs-act/notifications/notfns-2019/cs-tarr2019/cs17-2019.pdf;jsessionid=05BB93EF9871E631DCA5475F5330BC4E said, in the latest trade row since U.S. President Donald Trump took office in 2017 vowing to act against countries with which Washington has a large trade deficit.\n\nFrom June 5, President Trump scrapped trade privileges under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) for India, the biggest beneficiary of a scheme that allowed duty-free exports of up to US$5.6 billion.\n\nIndia termed that \"unfortunate\" and vowed to uphold its national interests.\n\nReuters previously reported India was preparing to levy higher tariffs ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's first meeting with Trump on the sidelines of a G20 summit in Japan on June 28 and 29.\n\nIndia initially issued an order in June last year to raise import taxes as high as 120per cent on a slew of U.S. items, incensed by Washington's refusal to exempt it from higher steel and aluminum tariffs.\n\nBut New Delhi repeatedly delayed raising tariffs as the two nations engaged in trade talks. Trade between them stood at about US$142.1 billion in 2018.\n\nIndia on Saturday amended its previous order \"to implement the imposition of retaliatory duties on 28 specified goods originating in or exported from USA\" while preserving the existing rate for these goods for all other countries, the government notification said.\n\nHigher Indian tariffs on U.S. goods could impact growing political and security ties between the two nations.\n\nU.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who is expected to visit India this month, said this week the United States was open to dialogue to resolve trade differences with India, through greater access for American companies to its markets.\n\nIndia is by far the largest buyer of U.S. almonds, paying US$543 million for more than half of U.S. almond exports in 2018, U.S. Department of Agriculture data shows. It is the second largest buyer of U.S. apples, taking US$156 million worth in 2018.\n\nNew Delhi's new rules in areas such as e-commerce and data localization have already angered the United States and hit companies such as Amazon.com, Walmart Inc, Mastercard and Visa, among others.", "India will impose higher tariffs on 28 U.S. products including almonds, apples and walnuts, a government notification http://www.cbic.gov.in/resources//htdocs-cbec/customs/cs-act/notifications/notfns-2019/cs-tarr2019/cs17-2019.pdf;jsessionid=05BB93EF9871E631DCA5475F5330BC4E said.\n\nNEW DELHI: India will impose higher tariffs on 28 U.S. products including almonds, apples and walnuts, a government notification http://www.cbic.gov.in/resources//htdocs-cbec/customs/cs-act/notifications/notfns-2019/cs-tarr2019/cs17-2019.pdf;jsessionid=05BB93EF9871E631DCA5475F5330BC4E said.\n\nThe new duties take effect from Sunday.\n\nReuters had previously reported that India was preparing to levy higher tariffs following Washington's withdrawal of key trade privileges for New Delhi.\n\nIndia initially issued an order in June last year to raise import taxes as high as 120per cent on a slew of U.S. items, incensed by Washington's refusal to exempt it from higher steel and aluminum tariffs.\n\nBut New Delhi repeatedly delayed raising tariffs as the two nations engaged in trade talks. Trade between them stood at about US$142.1 billion in 2018.", "India will impose higher retaliatory tariffs on 28 U.S. products including almonds, apples and walnuts from Sunday, following Washington's decision to strip the country of preferential access to the American market.\n\nNew Delhi initially issued an order in June last year to raise import taxes as high as 120% on a slew of U.S. items, incensed by Washington's refusal to exempt it from higher steel and aluminum tariffs, but repeatedly delayed the decision as the two nations engaged in trade talks.", "NEW DELHI, June 15 (Reuters) - India will impose higher tariffs on 28 U.S. products including almonds, apples and walnuts, a government notification http://www.cbic.gov.in/resources//htdocs-cbec/customs/cs-act/notifications/notfns-2019/cs-tarr2019/cs17-2019.pdf;jsessionid=05BB93EF9871E631DCA5475F5330BC4E said.\n\nThe new duties take effect from Sunday.\n\nReuters had previously reported that India was preparing to levy higher tariffs following Washington's withdrawal of key trade privileges for New Delhi.\n\nIndia initially issued an order in June last year to raise import taxes as high as 120% on a slew of U.S. items, incensed by Washington's refusal to exempt it from higher steel and aluminium tariffs.\n\nBut New Delhi repeatedly delayed raising tariffs as the two nations engaged in trade talks. Trade between them stood at about $142.1 billion in 2018. (Reporting by Nidhi Verma and Neha Dasgupta; Editing by Hugh Lawson)"], "summary": "India announces that effective Sunday it will impose tariffs, some as high as 70 percent, on 28 United States products, including almonds and apples, in response to the U.S. government's refusal to exempt India from higher taxes on steel and aluminum imports."}
{"document": ["HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong is bracing for another massive protest over an unpopular extradition bill, a week after the crisis brought as many as 1 million into the streets.\n\nHong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam on Saturday said she was suspending work on the bill that would allow some suspects to be sent for trial in mainland Chinese courts.\n\nBut pro-democracy activists say that's not enough. They want the proposal withdrawn and are calling for Lam to step down.\n\nMourners meanwhile laid flowers Sunday on the pavement near where a man fell to his death a day earlier after hanging a protest banner on scaffolding on a shopping mall.\n\nEmergency workers tried to cushion the man's fall but failed to catch him.", "In what appears to be a “stunning” and “unprecedented” victory for the leaders of Hong Kong’s massive protest movement (and a similarly unexpected capitulation from the city’s leaders), City Executive Carrie Lam announced on Saturday that her government would suspend the hated extradition bill “indefinitely,” leaving it unclear whether the legislation would ever be brought back.\n\nThe SCMP previewed the decision on Friday, but even then it seemed hard to believe, given the immense pressure Beijing has applied to Lam and her government to pass the bill, which would allow Hong Kong to extradite people who are wanted on the mainland. But the plan has faced unprecedented opposition both in Hong Kong and the US, where Congress has threatened to pass legislation diminishing Hong Kong’s status as an “independent” territory.\n\nLam has run the city since being installed by Beijing in 2017. The last popular protest movement in the country, the so-called ‘Umbrella’ movement of 2014, failed to stop Beijing from effectively pre-screening candidates for the city’s leadership.\n\nThough it has been indefinitely suspended, Lam made it clear that she wasn’t killing the bill, and that it would be re-considered some day. She apologized for the rollout of the bill, and said that its benefits had not been clearly communicated to the public.\n\nLam said she felt “sorrow and regret” that she had failed to convince the public that it was needed, and pledged to listen to more views. – READ MORE", "The massive rally saw some protesters carry white carnation flowers, while others held banners saying, “Do not shoot, we are Hong Konger,” as they sought to avoid a repeat of the violence that rocked the financial centre on Wednesday when police fired rubber bullets and tear gas.\n\nLoud cheers rang out when activists called through loud hailers for Lam to step down and “step down” echoed through the streets. Protesters also chanted “pursue the black police”, angry at what they say was an overreaction by police that left more than 70 people injured in Wednesday’s violent protest.\n\nThe about-face was one of the most significant political turnarounds by the Hong Kong government since Britain returned the territory to China in 1997, and it threw into question Lam’s ability to continue to lead the city.\n\n“Carrie Lam refused to apologise yesterday. It’s unacceptable,” said 16-year-old Catherine Cheung. “She’s a terrible leader who is full of lies ... I think she’s only delaying the bill now to trick us into calming down.” Her classmate, Cindy Yip, said: “That’s why we’re still demanding the bill be scrapped. We don’t trust her anymore. She has to quit.” Critics say the planned extradition law could threaten Hong Kong’s rule of law and its international reputation as an Asian financial hub. Some Hong Kong tycoons have already started moving personal wealth offshore.\n\n“Her minders in Beijing, while expressing public support for now, have clearly lined her up for the chop by distancing themselves from the proposal in recent days.” China’s Communist Party mouthpiece, the People’s Daily, said in a commentary on Sunday that central authorities expressed “firm support” for Lam.\n\nIn the self-ruled island of Taiwan, which China claims as its own, about 5,000 people rallied outside the parliament building in Taipei with banners saying, “No China extradition law” and “Taiwan supports Hong Kong.” Some of the protesters in Hong Kong also waved Taiwan flags.\n\nAsked repeatedly on Saturday if she would step down, Lam avoided answering directly and appealed to the public to “give us another chance.” Lam said she had been a civil servant for decades and still had work she wanted to do.\n\n“This is resolutely opposed by the whole of the Chinese people including the vast majority of Hong Kong compatriots.” The Hong Kong protests have been the largest in the city since crowds came out against the bloody suppression of pro-democracy demonstrations centred around Beijing’s Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989.\n\nLam had said the extradition law was necessary to prevent criminals using Hong Kong as a place to hide and that human rights would be protected by the city’s court which would decide on the extraditions on a case-by-case basis.", "Hundreds of people took to the streets in Hong Kong on Sunday dressed in black to demand the city's embattled leader steps down, a day after she suspended an extradition bill in a dramatic retreat following the most violent protests in decades.\n\nActivists set up gazebos as protesters, some carrying flowers, started to gather in sweltering summer heat to march from Victoria Park to Hong Kong's central government offices.\n\nBeijing-backed Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam on Saturday indefinitely delayed the extradition bill that could send people to mainland China to face trial, expressing \"deep sorrow and regret\".\n\nThe about-face was one of the most significant political turnarounds by the Hong Kong government since Britain returned the territory to China in 1997, and it threw into question Lam's ability to continue to lead the city.\n\nActivist investor David Webb, in a newsletter on Sunday, said if Lam was a stock he would recommend shorting her with a target price of zero.\n\n\"Call it the Carrie trade. She has irrevocably lost the public's trust,\" Webb said.\n\n\"Her minders in Beijing, while expressing public support for now, have clearly lined her up for the chop by distancing themselves from the proposal in recent days.\"\n\nProtest organizers are hoping more than a million people turn up for the Sunday rally, scheduled to start at 2.30 p.m. local time, similar to numbers they estimated for a demonstration against the proposed extradition bill last Sunday. Police put that count at 240,000.\n\nViolent clashes on Wednesday when police fired rubber bullets and tear gas at protesters near the heart of the financial center grabbed global headlines and forced some banks to shut branches.\n\nSome Hong Kong tycoons have started moving personal wealth offshore over concerns about the proposed extradition law, which critics warn could erode the city's international status.\n\nThe city's independent legal system was guaranteed under laws governing Hong Kong's return from British to Chinese rule 22 years ago, and is seen by business and diplomatic communities as its strong remaining asset amid encroachments from Beijing.\n\nHong Kong has been governed under a \"one country, two systems\" formula since its return to Beijing, allowing freedoms not enjoyed on mainland China but not a fully democratic vote.\n\nMany accuse Beijing of extensive meddling since then, including obstruction of democratic reforms, interference with elections and of being behind the disappearance of five Hong Kong-based booksellers, starting in 2015, who specialised in works critical of Chinese leaders.\n\nSome opponents of the extradition bill said a suspension was not enough and want it scrapped and Lam to go.\n\n\"If she refuses to scrap this controversial bill altogether, it would mean we wouldn't retreat. She stays on, we stay on,\" said pro-democracy lawmaker Claudia Mo.\n\nAsked repeatedly on Saturday if she would step down, Lam avoided answering directly and appealed to the public to \"give us another chance.\" Lam said she had been a civil servant for decades and still had work she wanted to do.\n\nShe added that she felt \"deep sorrow and regret that the deficiencies in our work and various other factors have stirred up substantial controversies and disputes in society\".\n\nLam's reversal was hailed by business groups and overseas governments.\n\n\"AmCham is relieved by the government decision to suspend the extradition bill and that it listened to the Hong Kong people and international business community,\" said Tara Joseph, President of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong.\n\nThe UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said on Twitter: \"Well done HK Government for heeding concerns of the brave citizens who have stood up for their human rights\".\n\nChina's top newspaper on Sunday condemned \"anti-China lackeys\" of foreign forces in Hong Kong.\n\n\"Certain people in Hong Kong have been relying on foreigners or relying on young people to build themselves up, serving as the pawns and lackeys of foreign anti-China forces,\" the ruling Communist Party's official People's Daily said in a commentary.\n\n\"This is resolutely opposed by the whole of the Chinese people including the vast majority of Hong Kong compatriots.\"\n\nThe Hong Kong protests have been the largest in the city since crowds came out against the bloody suppression of pro-democracy demonstrations centered around Beijing's Tiananmen Square on June 4, 1989.\n\nOfficials said 72 people were admitted to hospitals from the Wednesday protest, while a man died on Saturday after plunging from construction scaffolding where he unfurled a banner denouncing Hong Kong’s extradition bill, local media reported.\n\nLam had said the extradition law was necessary to prevent criminals using Hong Kong as a place to hide and that human rights would be protected by the city's court which would decide on the extraditions on a case-by-case basis.\n\nCritics, including leading lawyers and rights groups, note China's justice system is controlled by the Communist Party, and say it is marked by torture and forced confessions, arbitrary detention and poor access to lawyers.", "Hundreds of mothers protest against the amendments to the extradition law in Hong Kong on Friday, June 14, 2019. Calm appeared to have returned to Hong Kong after days of protests by students and human rights activists opposed to a bill that would allow suspects to be tried in mainland Chinese courts. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)\n\nHONG KONG (AP) — Pressure on Hong Kong’s Chief Executive Carrie Lam was mounting Saturday, with signs emerging that she may delay an unpopular extradition bill that has drawn hundreds of thousands of people into the streets in protest.\n\nLam was expected to hold a news conference at 3 p.m. (0700 GMT), the government said in an announcement. It gave no details about what she planned to say.\n\nAnother mass protest was expected on Sunday, after clashes that turned violent on Wednesday, leaving about 80 people injured including 22 police officers.\n\nThe standoff between police and protesters in the former British colony is Hong Kong’s most severe political crisis since the Communist Party-ruled mainland took control in 1997 with a promise not to interfere with the city’s civil liberties and courts.\n\nLam, chosen by Beijing to be the highest-level local official, is caught between her Communist Party bosses and a public anxious to protect the liberties they enjoy as a former British colony.\n\nOpponents want her to withdraw the bill, which would allow Hong Kong suspects to be tried in mainland China. She has said she won’t, and has the backing of leaders in Beijing. Many protesters are demanding she quit.\n\nProtests died down late in the week, but around midnight Friday there were still dozens of youths singing and standing vigil near the city’s government headquarters, where demonstrators had tussled with police who deployed tear gas, pepper spray, hoses and steel batons as thousands pushed through barricades.\n\nPolice said 11 were arrested. Lam declared that Wednesday’s violence was “rioting,” potentially raising severe legal penalties for those arrested for taking part. In past cases of unrest, authorities have waited months or years before rounding up protest leaders. In April, nine leaders of a 2014 pro-democracy protest movement known as the “Umbrella Revolution” were convicted on public nuisance and other charges.\n\nLam was facing calls from both outside and within her government to delay the extradition legislation that has spurred the protests.\n\nSome members of the Executive Council, Hong Kong’s cabinet, said she should perhaps rethink plans to rush the bills’ passage. A group of former senior government officials issued a public letter urging her not to force a confrontation by pushing ahead with the unpopular bills.\n\nMany in Hong Kong fear the measures would undermine the former British colony’s legal autonomy.\n\nMore than 1,000 people joined a peaceful “mother’s protest” Friday evening in a downtown garden.\n\nAdding to tensions, the extradition bill has drawn criticism from U.S. and British lawmakers and human rights groups, prompting Beijing to lash back with warnings against “interference” in its internal affairs.\n\nIt is unclear how the local leadership might defuse the crisis, given Beijing’s strong support for the extradition bill and its distaste for dissent — and for foreign pressure.\n\nMany experts believe Lam might be obliged to step down, assuming responsibility for the uproar the bill has raised.\n\nAnson Chan, a former chief secretary for Hong Kong, said Lam still could keep her post if she backs down.\n\n“What the people are attempting to tell is that we are very worried about the consequences of passing the extradition bill, because no one will feel safe, even in their own beds, after passage of this bill,” Chan said in an interview.\n\n“It places everybody’s individual freedom and safety at risk,” said Chan, who as chief secretary was the top local civil servant under former British Gov. Chris Patton.", "HONG KONG (AP) — The Latest on protests in Hong Kong against extradition bill (all times local):\n\nHong Kong's chief executive has met with her Executive Council as pressure mounts for her to delay or withdraw an unpopular extradition bill.\n\nCarrie Lam, who was appointed by Beijing, is expected to speak with media later Saturday. TV networks showed members of the Executive Council, or cabinet, headed by car into a government compound.\n\nSome Executive Council members have urged Lam to suspend debate on the bill, which would allow Hong Kong suspects to be tried in mainland China.\n\nAnother mass protest is expected Sunday after clashes turned violent on Wednesday, leaving about 80 people injured including 22 police officers.\n\nPressure on Hong Kong's chief executive Carrie Lam has been mounting, with signs emerging that she may delay an unpopular extradition bill that has drawn hundreds of thousands of people into the streets in protest.\n\nReports say Lam is expected to make an announcement Saturday after talks that continued late into Friday night. Another mass protest is expected Sunday.\n\nThe pressure on Lam to withdraw the bill is intense, with many protesters demanding she quit. The Beijing-appointed leader of the former British colony is caught between a public anxious to protect civil liberties and legal protections guaranteed when control of the territory was handed to China in 1997, and her Communist Party bosses.\n\nProtests died down late in the week after clashes with police that turned violent on Wednesday.", "HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam steadily climbed her way up bureaucratic ranks to capture the top position in the former British colony, relying on sheer intelligence, ambition, canny networking and an astute deference to authority.\n\nYet the ground has shifted considerably since she began her civil service career in the 1980s. On Saturday, she appeared to be fighting for her political life as she sought to explain her decision to push through unpopular legislation that would make it easier to extradite suspects to communist-ruled mainland China, which took control of the territory in a 1997 handover.\n\nA key reason for Lam's vulnerability is that she was not directly elected by the territory's people, but rather ushered into office in 2017 by the vote of a 1,194-member committee dominated by pro-Beijing elites, despite being far less popular than her main rival.\n\nShe now finds herself caught between a public that never truly backed her, and leaders in Beijing who want her to push through unpopular measures seen to be eroding Western-style economic, social and cultural freedoms that Beijing promised to respect for at least 50 years after it took back control from Britain.\n\nLam, 62, has a reputation as an efficient and pragmatic administrator. But she was unpopular with Hong Kongers even before she took office because she was seen as a proxy for Beijing who was out of touch with ordinary people.\n\nShe said Saturday that she was shelving the extradition bill to avoid further social turmoil following a protest march that drew hundreds of thousands of people on June 9 and violent clashes on Wednesday where police used tear gas, rubber bullets and other tactics, angering the public further.\n\nLam's insistence that she had the full backing of China's central government in taking her decision likely rang as tone-deaf given skepticism over the communist leadership's motives, especially after a deadly crackdown on student-led pro-democracy demonstrations in Beijing's Tiananmen Square three decades ago.\n\n\"They understand, they have confidence in my judgment and they support me,\" Lam told reporters, while also saying the legislation was still needed.\n\nHours later, Bonny Leung, a leader with a pro-democracy alliance, accused Lam of \"ignorance and arrogance.\" She and other activists urged Hong Kong citizens to turn out en-masse for a march Sunday to demand the full withdrawal of the extradition bill, an apology for the aggressive police tactics and Lam's resignation as chief executive.\n\nFew anticipated that Lam would become embroiled in such friction when she took over from her predecessor Leung Chun-ying, a highly polarizing former policeman who stepped down as chief executive in 2017, citing family reasons.\n\nLam may eventually, after a face-saving interval, also end up stepping aside, analysts said. That would allow time for Beijing to decide upon a successor that the leadership considers both competent and politically reliable.\n\n\"They may not fire her immediately, but her chances for a second term are totally gone now and they may find a reason to let her go without losing much face because now she is hated by everybody in Hong Kong and her administration has become quite ungovernable,\" said Willy Lam, a veteran political observer.\n\nCarrie Lam is Hong Kong's first female leader and its fourth since Britain ended its colonial rule in 1997. While the Chinese government in Beijing has condemned foreign criticism of the protests over the extradition bill as meddling in the country's internal affairs, they've largely remained aloof from the controversy in Hong Kong, preferring to let Lam take the heat or even make her a scapegoat, according to some analysts.\n\nChina's ambassador to Britain told the BBC the push to fast-track the extradition bill was entirely Lam's idea.\n\nUnlike many in the top ranks of Hong Kong's leadership, Lam comes from a humble background. She grew up in the downtown Wanchai district, the fourth of five children. She attended a Catholic girls school, the University of Hong Kong and later Cambridge University.\n\nShe is married to a mathematician and has two sons. They are British citizens, but Lam is not.\n\nMuch of the unhappiness with Lam and her administration predates her appointment as chief executive. Protests in 2014 over rules Beijing imposed for choosing members of the election committee that helps select the chief executive paralyzed parts of the city for weeks.\n\nThe protests, dubbed the Umbrella Movement, highlighted Hong Kong aspirations for greater, rather than less democracy.\n\nOn taking office, Lam pledged to focus on issues such as housing, education and health care. In pushing for the extradition bill, she ignited public frustrations over increasing control by Beijing.\n\nIn speaking to reporters on Saturday, Lam insisted she only wants what's good for Hong Kong.\n\n\"We have not done a good enough job to convince the people of Hong Kong,\" she said.", "HONG KONG — Pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong are planning a mass protest Sunday even after the territory’s embattled leader Carrie Lam sought to quell public anger by shelving an unpopular extradition bill that has highlighted apprehension about relations with mainland China.\n\nActivists said Lam’s announcement on Saturday is not enough. Over the past week, hundreds of thousands marched to demand Lam drop the legislation, which many fear would undermine freedoms enjoyed by this former British colony but not elsewhere in China.\n\nThe battle over the proposal to amend the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance to allow some suspects to face trial in mainland Chinese courts has evolved into Hong Kong’s most severe political test since the Communist Party-ruled mainland took control in 1997 with a promise not to interfere with the city’s civil liberties and courts.\n\nCritics said Lam should withdraw the plan for good, resign and apologize for police use of potentially lethal force during clashes with protesters on Wednesday.\n\n“Democrats in Hong Kong simply cannot accept this suspension decision,” said lawmaker Claudia Mo. “Because the suspension is temporary. The pain is still there.”\n\nThe decision was “too little, too late,” she said.\n\n“Hong Kong people have been lied to so many times,” said Bonny Leung, a leader of the Civil Human Rights Front, one of the groups that has helped organize the demonstrations.\n\nLam has said the legislation is needed if Hong Kong to uphold justice, meet its international obligations and not become a magnet for fugitives. The proposed bill would expand the scope of criminal suspect transfers to include Taiwan, Macau and mainland China.\n\nChina has been excluded from Hong Kong’s extradition agreements because of concerns over its judicial independence and human rights record.\n\nSpeaking to reporters after announcing her decision Saturday, Lam sidestepped questions over whether she should quit. She insisted she was not withdrawing the proposed amendment and defended the police.\n\nBut she said she was suspending the bill indefinitely. It was time, she said, “for responsible government to restore as quickly as possible this calmness in society.”\n\n“I want to stress that the government is adopting an open mind,” she said. “We have no intention to set a deadline for this work.”\n\nShe emphasized that a chief concern was to avoid further injuries both for the public and for police. About 80 people were hurt in the clashes earlier in the week, more than 20 of them police.\n\n“It’s possible there might be even worse confrontations that might be replaced by very serious injuries to my police colleagues and the public,” she said. “I don’t want any of those injuries to happen.”\n\nLam apologized for what she said were failures in her government’s work to win public support for the bill, which is opposed by a wide range of sectors in Hong Kong, including many teachers, students, lawyers and trade unions.\n\nBut she insisted the bill was still needed.\n\n“Give us another chance,” she said.\n\nBeijing-appointed Lam said she had the central government’s backing for her decision to yield to the protests. A Foreign Ministry spokesman, Geng Shuang, said in a statement Saturday that the Chinese government “expresses support, respect and understanding” for Lam’s decision.\n\nMany analysts believe that given deep public frustration over expanding control from Beijing under President Xi Jinping, China’s strongest leader in decades, Lam might eventually have to abandon the plan altogether.\n\n“If there’s more mass action this week that doesn’t degenerate into smashing, they will have to,” said Ken Courtis, an investment banker who has worked in Hong Kong off and on for many years.\n\nThe anger seen in the streets has been directed squarely at Lam and the Hong Kong government, not Beijing, he notes.\n\n“Young people continue to be very dissatisfied,” said Courtis, chairman of Starfort Investment Holdings. “The economy’s not growing like people thought it would grow.”\n\nLam acknowledged that the government needed to tackle other issues, especially a dire lack of affordable housing. She also cited the economy as a concern.\n\nThe extradition bill has drawn criticism from U.S. and British lawmakers and human rights groups, prompting Beijing to lash back with warnings against “interference” in its internal affairs.\n\nBut analysts say China also has to weigh the risk of seeing Hong Kong, a vital port and financial center of 7 million people, possibly losing its special economic status.\n\nUnder the 1992 U.S.-Hong Kong Policy Act, Beijing needs to abide by its “one country, two systems” promises to respect the territory’s legal autonomy for 50 years as promised under the agreement signed with Britain for the 1997 handover.\n\nAlready, many here believe the territory’s legal autonomy has been significantly diminished despite Beijing’s insistence that it is still honoring those promises.\n\nProsecutions of activists, detentions without trial of five Hong Kong book publishers and the illegal seizure in Hong Kong by mainland agents of at least one mainland businessman are among the moves in recent years that have undermined that\n\nIn may well be in China’s interest to help Hong Kong’s role as a financial center to grow in importance given the current extreme trade tensions with the U.S.\n\nMuch hinges on whether protests persist or again turn violent, Courtis said.\n\n“That is a limit, a brake of common sense of how far Beijing would push these things,” he said. “The last thing Beijing wants, with all this trouble with Washington, is that Hong Kong boils over.”\n\nCopyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.", "HONG KONG -- Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam sought to quell public anger Saturday by shelving an unpopular extradition bill that has highlighted apprehension about relations with mainland China, but opponents of the measure said it was not enough.\n\nActivists said they were still planning a mass protest for today, a week after hundreds of thousands marched to demand Lam drop the legislation, which many fear would undermine freedoms enjoyed by the former British colony but not elsewhere in China.\n\nThe battle over the proposal to amend the Fugitive Offenders Ordinance to allow some suspects to face trial in mainland Chinese courts has evolved into Hong Kong's most severe political test since the Communist Party-ruled mainland took control in 1997 with a promise not to interfere with the city's civil liberties and courts.\n\nCritics said Lam should withdraw the plan for good, resign and apologize for police use of potentially lethal force during clashes with protesters on Wednesday.\n\n\"Democrats in Hong Kong simply cannot accept this suspension decision,\" said lawmaker Claudia Mo. \"Because the suspension is temporary. The pain is still there.\"\n\nThe decision was \"too little, too late,\" she said.\n\n\"Hong Kong people have been lied to so many times,\" said Bonny Leung, a leader of the Civil Human Rights Front, one of the groups that has helped organize the demonstrations.\n\nLam has said the legislation is needed if Hong Kong is. to uphold justice, meet its international obligations and not become a magnet for fugitives. The proposed bill would expand the scope of criminal suspect transfers to include Taiwan, Macau and mainland China.\n\nChina has been excluded from Hong Kong's extradition agreements because of concerns over its judicial independence and human rights record.\n\nSpeaking to reporters after announcing her decision Saturday, Lam sidestepped questions over whether she should quit. She insisted she was not withdrawing the proposed amendment and defended the police.\n\nBut she said she was suspending the bill indefinitely. It was time, she said, \"for responsible government to restore as quickly as possible this calmness in society.\"\n\n\"I want to stress that the government is adopting an open mind,\" she said. \"We have no intention to set a deadline for this work.\"\n\nShe emphasized that a chief concern was to avoid further injuries both for the public and for police. About 80 people were hurt in the clashes last week, more than 20 of them police.\n\n\"It's possible there might be even worse confrontations that might be replaced by very serious injuries to my police colleagues and the public,\" she said. \"I don't want any of those injuries to happen.\"\n\nLam apologized for what she said were failures in her government's work to win public support for the bill, which is opposed by a wide range of sectors in Hong Kong, including many teachers, students, lawyers and trade unions.\n\nBut she insisted the bill was still needed.\n\n\"Give us another chance,\" she said.\n\nBeijing-appointed Lam said she had the central government's backing for her decision to yield to the protests. A Foreign Ministry spokesman, Geng Shuang, said in a statement Saturday that the Chinese government \"expresses support, respect and understanding\" for Lam's decision.\n\nMany analysts believe that given deep public frustration over expanding control from Beijing under President Xi Jinping, China's strongest leader in decades, Lam might eventually have to abandon the plan altogether.\n\n\"If there's more mass action this week that doesn't degenerate into smashing, they will have to,\" said Ken Courtis, an investment banker who has worked in Hong Kong off and on for many years.\n\nThe anger seen in the streets has been directed squarely at Lam and the Hong Kong government, not Beijing, he notes.\n\n\"Young people continue to be very dissatisfied,\" said Courtis, chairman of Starfort Investment Holdings. \"The economy's not growing like people thought it would grow.\"\n\nLam acknowledged that the government needed to tackle other issues, especially a dire lack of affordable housing. She also cited the economy as a concern.\n\nThe extradition bill has drawn criticism from U.S. and British lawmakers and human rights groups, prompting Beijing to lash back with warnings against \"interference\" in its internal affairs.\n\nBut analysts say China also has to weigh the risk of seeing Hong Kong, a vital port and financial center of 7 million people, possibly losing its special economic status.\n\nUnder the 1992 U.S.-Hong Kong Policy Act, Beijing needs to abide by its \"one country, two systems\" promises to respect the territory's legal autonomy for 50 years as promised under the agreement signed with Britain for the 1997 handover.\n\nAlready, many believe the territory's legal autonomy has been significantly diminished despite Beijing's insistence that it is still honoring those promises.", "The controversial law that prompted Hong Kong into mass demonstrations of dissent has been officially suspended until further notice.\n\nIn an official press conference held in Hong Kong on Saturday, June 15, the severely criticised Chief Executive Carrie Lam announced that the pro-Beijing lawmakers had urged the government to delay the bill.\n\nReferring to the massive protest that the bill generated from Hong Kong's citizens, Lam said that \"We should pause and think instead of assuming the second reading of the bill in the Legislative Council as scheduled,\" reported Hong Kong Free Press.\n\nShe further said that the Government of Hong Kong is reflecting on the protests and is adopting an open mind \"to heed comprehensively\" the views of all sections of the society.\n\nHowever, she insisted that the \"loophole\" in the Hong Kong criminal justice system, which according to her was the main reason behind pushing forward the contentious bill, continue to persist and clarified the fact that the government has not completely retracted the bill.\n\nLam cited the murder case in Taiwan, in which the alleged perpetrator, a Hong Kong man, fled to the city had prompted the two countries to re-evaluate the criminal justice system affecting both the countries.\n\nThe Taiwanese authorities have however said that it would not seek the extradition of the accused man as the proposed bill is suspected to put its citizens at risk.\n\nDismissing questions whether she will resign after the widespread dissent over her proposed bill, she said that \"We regret that this incident caused a split in society.\"\n\nEarlier, before she became the Chief Executive in 2017, Lam had said that she would resign \"if mainstream opinion makes me no longer able to continue the job,\" CNN reported.\n\nLast week, at least a million protesters marched against the passing of the contentious extradition law. The massive demonstration turned violent after the riot police armed with batons arrived at the government headquarters in the Admiralty business district and subjected tear gas and pepper sprays against protestors who charged and hurled the police barricades.\n\nHowever, the public is still suspicious and holds its position of Beijing being the mastermind behind the law based on last month's incident in which a politburo member revealed that its targets included foreigners who had committed crimes against Chinese national security outside China.\n\nThe anxiety of Hong Kong bending before Beijing's imposition had plagued the minds of many before the recent demonstrations.\n\nIn April, pro-democracy protest organisers were jailed for taking part in the Umbrella Movement protests in 2014 in which demonstration for seeking free, transparent elections from China had been sought by the public."], "summary": "Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam announces that the government has suspended its plan to allow extraditions to mainland China."}
{"document": ["President Donald Trump said he doesn't particularly believe in unidentified flying objects (UFOs), despite a rise in reports of unidentified aircraft by U.S. Navy pilots.\n\nIn an exclusive interview with ABC News Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos this week, the president was asked what he made of the increased reports.\n\nABC News\n\n\"I think it’s probably -- I want them to think whatever they think. They do say, and I've seen, and I’ve read, and I’ve heard. And I did have one very brief meeting on it. But people are saying they’re seeing UFOs. Do I believe it? Not particular,\" Trump said.\n\nAsked if he thought he would know if there were a case of extraterrestrial life, the president replied, \"Well, I think my great pilots would know. Our great pilots would know.\"\n\nTo the Stars Academy of Arts and Science\n\n\"They see things a little bit different from the past. So we’re going to see. We’re watching, and you’ll be the first to know,\" he continued.\n\nEarlier this year, the Navy updated its guidelines for how its pilots report the sighting of \"unauthorized and/or unidentified aircraft\" due to an increase in the number of reports in recent years.\n\n\"There have been a number of reports of unauthorized and/or unidentified aircraft entering various military-controlled ranges and designated air space in recent years,\" Joseph Gradisher, spokesperson for Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Information Warfare, told ABC News last month. \"For safety and security concerns, the Navy and the [U.S. Air Force] take these reports very seriously and investigate each and every report. As part of this effort, the Navy has updated and formalized the process by which reports of any such suspected incursions can be made to the cognizant authorities.\"\n\nGradisher added that senior Naval intelligence officials and aviators \"who reported hazards to aviation safety\" have briefed congressional members and staff in response to requests for information.\n\nTune in Sunday at 8 p.m. ET for an hour-long ABC News special, only on ABC — including \"ABC News Live,\" the 24/7 streaming news channel available on abcnews.com, Roku, Hulu, Amazon Fire TV and Apple TV.", "President Trump said he's been briefed on Navy pilots reported sightings of unidentified flying objects, but remained skeptical of the existence of UFOs.\n\nGeorge Stephanopoulos of ABC News raised the issue during an interview with Trump released Saturday.\n\nPENTAGON FINALLY ADMITS IT INVESTIGATES UFOS\n\n\"I was struck in the last few couple of weeks, we're reading more and more reports of Navy pilots seeing lots and lots of UFOs,\" Stephanopoulos said to a smiling Trump. \"Have you been briefed on that? What do you make of it?\"\n\n\"I want them to think whatever they think,\" Trump replied, referring to the Navy pilots. \"I did have one very brief meeting on it. But people are saying they’re seeing UFOs. Do I believe it? Not particularly.\"\n\nThe Navy recently announced it would update guidelines for how its pilots report \"unidentified aircraft\" in response to reports of strange sightings. Navy strike group pilots reported seeing strange objects flying above 30,000 feet at hypersonic speeds with no visible engine or infrared exhaust fumes, according to the New York Times.\n\nCLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP\n\nThe new protocol doesn't mean Navy officials believe in UFOs, but \"rather that the strange sightings warrant an investigation and need to be formally documented.\"\n\nAsked if he knew if there was evidence of extraterrestrial life, Trump said \"I think our great pilots would know. And some of them see things a little bit different from the past. We’re watching, and you’ll be the first to know.\"", "CLOSE A U.S. Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet encountered this apparent UFO off the East Coast of the United States in 2015. USA TODAY\n\nWASHINGTON – President Donald Trump doesn't seem to be a believer of aliens or UFOs flying through Earth's atmosphere, although he has been briefed on them.\n\nABC News' George Stephanopoulos, in a wide-ranging interview, asked Trump about recent news reports about Navy pilots spotting flying objects and what he made of the apparent UFO sightings.\n\n\"I want them to think whatever they think,\" Trump said, raising his eyebrows and slightly grinning before adding that he did have \"one really brief meeting on it.\"\n\n\"People are saying they're seeing UFOs. Do I believe it? Not particularly,\" he added.\n\nStephanopoulos followed up, asking the president whether he thought he'd actually know if the U.S. had any proof of extraterrestrials — a question Trump didn't appear to actually answer directly.\n\n\"I think our great pilots would know and some of them really see things that are a little bit different than in the past, so we're gonna see, but we'll watch it,\" Trump said, following his answer with a promise that Stephanopoulos would \"be the first to know\" if there was alien life.\n\nTrump's comments followed a number of reports chronicling how the government has examined UFO sightings and a report in the New York Times about Navy pilots reporting bizarre flying objects, including one that looked like a \"spinning top\" and another with no visible engine that could reach 30,000 feet and hypersonic speeds.\n\nThe Times report includes a number of videos filmed by Navy pilots showing the aircraft and the curiosity of the pilots who couldn't figure out what the objects were and how they were so quick, even when they were flying against the wind. But the report makes clear that the Defense Department doesn't believe the objects are from beyond Earth and that an explanation can almost always be found for incidents like these.\n\nUnexplained flying objects have been seen by pilots for decades. In 2017, the Department of Defense released footage from 2004 showing Navy Pilots coming into contact with an unidentified flying object off the San Diego coast.\n\nCLOSE After a number of reports of unauthorized or unidentified aircraft being reported in recent years, the U.S. Navy is updating its UFO protocol. Buzz60, Buzz60\n\nIn an interview with the Times, one of the pilots, David Fravor, said mysterious aircraft were being investigated after appearing on radar at 80,000 feet, dropping suddenly to 20,000 feet then hovering there before dropping out of radar or shooting back up in the sky.\n\nFravor said he went to investigate one of the aircraft, saw it moving erratically then hovering just above the Pacific Ocean. As he got closer to the object, it zipped off.\n\n\"It accelerated like nothing I’ve ever seen,\" he told the Times, adding the incident, which was never explained, left him feeling \"pretty weirded out.\"\n\nRead or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/06/15/trump-briefed-ufos-but-doesnt-particularly-believe-them/1465077001/", "A new poll found that half of Americans believe that Donald Trump’s campaign coordinated with Russia during the 2016 election, despite the president’s frequent cries that there was “no collusion.”\n\nThe Fox News poll found that 50 percent of respondents believed that Trump’s campaign had some level of coordination with the Kremlin, an increase of six points from the same poll taken in March. The increase comes despite the release of the final Russia investigation report finding there was no improper coordination between Russia and the Trump campaign, though no such determination was made on whether Trump obstructed justice in efforts to thwart the investigation.\n\nDespite the growing number of Americans who believe the Trump campaign coordinated with Russia, that has not translated into a desire to see Trump impeached. The Fox News poll found that 56 percent of respondent believe it is “not at all” likely that Trump will be impeached, and a separate poll found that only a fraction of Americans would like him to be impeached.\n\nA new NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll released Sunday showed that 27 percent of Americans believe there is enough evidence to launch impeachment hearings of Donald Trump, up 10 points from the same poll last month. The views were split sharply along party lines, with 48 percent of Democrats saying they supported impeachment to just 6 percent of Republicans.\n\nDespite the rising support for impeachment, Democratic leadership has not appeared too anxious to kick off impeachment hearings. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has expressed hesitation with moving forward, saying there must be strong support both from the American public and from Republicans in Congress, and that the process must not be politically motivated.\n\nPelosi has also warned that the impeachment process could be harmful to America.\n\n“I don’t think there’s anything more divisive we can do than to impeach a President of the United States, and so you have to handle it with great care. It has to be about the truth and the facts to take you to whatever decision has to be there,” she said, via USA Today.\n\nOther members of her caucus have not been so cautious, with many calling for impeachment hearings to begin including a handful of 2020 presidential hopefuls, including Elizabeth Warren.\n\nDonald Trump has continued to speak out against Democrats who call for his impeachment, saying that the Mueller report should close the book on allegations that his campaign colluded with Russia and warning of harsh consequences if they push forward.", "President Donald Trump said he'd been briefed on Navy pilots reporting increased sightings of unidentified flying objects, adding that he doesn't particularly believe in UFOs.\n\nSpeaking with ABC News' George Stephanopoulos in an interview segment released Saturday, Trump raised his eyebrows and grinned incredulously when asked what he made of the reports.\n\n\"I want them to think whatever they think,\" Trump said of the Navy pilots. \"I did have one very brief meeting on it. But people are saying they’re seeing UFOs. Do I believe it? Not particularly.\"\n\nThe Navy recently drafted new guidelines for how to report encounters with \"unidentified aircraft\" in response to reports of sophisticated vessels intruding on Navy strike groups, POLITICO reported in April. Pilots reported seeing objects flying at 30,000 feet with no exhaust plumes and at supersonic speeds, according to The New York Times.\n\nThe Pentagon quietly set up a program to research UFOs more than 10 years ago at the direction of Congress. The Advanced Aviation Threat Identification Program was largely pushed by former Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and operated with extremely limited public exposure, though it was not a classified program.\n\nTrump did not seem as eager to act on the reports, telling Stephanopoulos that \"we’re going to see.\"\n\nWhen asked if Trump would know of any extraterrestrial life, he demurred and said: \"I think our great pilots would know. And some of them see things a little bit different from the past. ... We’re watching, and you’ll be the first to know.\"", "American admitted of being sceptical for the existence of UFOs (unidentified flying object), even after he was briefed on its sightings by Navy pilots.\n\nDuring an interview, American television host, asked Trump regarding the reports of sighting a lot of UFOs.\n\n\"I was struck in the last few weeks, we're reading more and more reports of Navy pilots seeing lots and lots of UFOs. Have you been briefed on that? What do you make of it?\" Stephanopoulos raised the issue.\n\nTo which Trump replied he do not particularly believe in what people are saying regarding seeing the UFOs. \"I want them to think whatever they think. I did have one very brief meeting on it. But people are saying they're seeing UFOs. Do I believe it? Not particularly,\" Trump replied.\n\nOn being asked if he knew if there was evidence of extraterrestrial life, Trump said, \"I think our great pilots would know. And some of them see things a little bit different from the past. We're watching, and you'll be the first to know.\"\n\nAccording to the New York Times, Navy strike pilots saw strange objects at hypersonic speed flying above 30,000 feet. Also, those objects had no visible engine or any exhaust fumes.\n\nFollowing the matter, navy recently introduced a new protocol, under which the pilots have been updated with a guideline for how the pilots will report about the sighting unidentified aircraft.", "US President Donald Trump has admitted being briefed about military sightings of unidentified flying objects but does not particularly believe in them\n\nMOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 15th June, 2019) US President Donald Trump has admitted being briefed about military sightings of unidentified flying objects but does not particularly believe in them.\n\nHe was quizzed by ABC news about increasing reports by US Navy pilots who have been seeing strange objects flying at hypersonic speeds.\n\n\"They do say [it]. I've seen and I've read and I've heard and I did have one very brief meeting on it.\n\nBut people are saying they are seeing UFOs. Do I believe it? Not particularly,\" he said.\n\nThe president added that he thought \"our great pilots would know\" if there was evidence of extraterrestrial activity but promised to \"watch it.\"\n\nJoseph Gradisher, spokesman for US Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Information Warfare, told the outlet last month they had changed guidelines on how pilots should report such incidents after a rise in sightings in recent years.", "President Trump may be a fan of some conspiracy theories, but when it comes to UFOs, he’s a skeptic.\n\n“Do I believe it? Not particularly,” Trump told ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos, who asked him what he thought of reports that US Navy pilots have seen more unidentified flying objects recently.\n\n“I think it’s probably — I want them to think whatever they think,” Trump said. “They do say, and I’ve seen, and I’ve read and I’ve heard. And I did have one very brief meeting on it. But people are saying they’re seeing UFOs.\n\n“So we’re going to see. We’re watching, and you’ll be the first to know,” the president added.", "In the latest segment released of the headline-churning interview between ABC Good Morning America host George Stephanopoulos and Donald Trump, the president said he had been briefed on unidentified flying objects or UFOs. Stephanopoulos said he had been reading a lot about Navy pilots spotting UFOs and wondered if the president had thought about it. “I want them to think whatever they think,” Trump said, raising an eyebrow. “I did have one very brief meeting on it. But people are saying they’re seeing UFOs. Do I believe it? Not particularly.” The ABC newsman then asked if Trump had heard of any reports of extraterrestrial life, the president didn't take the bait. “I think our great pilots would know,” he said. “And some of them see things a little bit different from the past. We’re watching, and you’ll be the first to know.”", "President Donald Trump spoke briefly about his feelings on unidentified flying objects during his interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos earlier this week and it doesn’t sound like the commander in chief is much of a believer. In an excerpt from the interview released Saturday morning, Stephanopoulos asked the president about recent reports that Navy pilots have been seeing unidentified objects flying through the sky. “Have you been briefed on that?” Stephanopoulos asked. “What do you make of it?”\n\nAn evidently amused Trump didn’t seem too eager to really get into the issue. “I think it’s probably—I want them to think whatever they think,” Trump said. “They do say, and I’ve seen, and I’ve read, and I’ve heard. And I did have one very brief meeting on it. But people are saying they’re seeing UFOs. Do I believe it? Not particular.”\n\nStephanopoulos went on to ask whether the president thought he would know whether there there was evidence of extraterrestrial life. “Well, I think my great pilots would know. Our great pilots would know,” Trump said. “They see things a little bit different from the past. So we’re gong to see. We’re watching and you’ll be the first to know.”\n\nThere has been a lot of talk about UFOs lately after the Navy updated its guidelines to how pilots should report potential sightings considering an increase in the number of reports in recent years. A New York Times story last month reported that Navy pilots had regularly seen UFOs while training over the East Coast in 2014 and 2015. The sightings coincided with an upgrade in radar systems. “There have been a number of reports of unauthorized and/or unidentified aircraft entering various military-controlled ranges and designated air space in recent years,” Joseph Gradisher, spokesperson for Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Information Warfare, said. “For safety and security concerns, the Navy and the [U.S. Air Force] take these reports very seriously and investigate each and every report."], "summary": "U.S. President Donald Trump confirms he has been briefed on a spike of UFO sightings in Earth's atmosphere by United States Navy pilots, saying \"people are saying they're seeing UFOs. Do I believe it? Not particularly\". The U.S. Navy recently updated its guidelines for how its pilots can report \"unidentified aircraft\"."}
{"document": ["Anti-corruption campaigner Zuzana Caputova was sworn in as Slovakia's first female president on Saturday, vowing to fight impunity and champion justice in a country shaken by a journalist's murder last year.\n\nThe killing of Jan Kuciak, who investigated high-level graft cases, and his fiancee at their home last February sparked mass street protests and hit the approval ratings of the governing leftist party Smer.\n\nSmer is still the most popular party but Caputova's victory in the presidential vote boosted the opposition liberal alliance Progressive Slovakia/Together, which backed her and aims to unseat the ruling party in a 2020 general election.\n\nThe pro-European coalition won the EU Parliament election last month.\n\nIn her inauguration speech, Caputova said state officials that had proven incapable of stamping out corruption should lose their jobs and vowed to make the justice system work fairly for everyone.\n\n\"Under the constitution, people are free and equal in dignity and in rights, meaning nobody is that irrelevant to have their rights compromised, nor is anyone that powerful to stand above the law.\"\n\n\"Too many people feel that this is not quite the reality in our country. The feeling of injustice has grown and has demonstrated itself in calls for change and decency but also in anger over 'the system',\" she said in a nod to the rise to anti-system and far-right parties.\n\nCaputova's election stood in contrast to a European shift towards populist and nationalist parties.\n\nCaputova, whose fight against an illegal landfill in her home town earned her the nickname \"Slovakia's Erin Brockovich\" after the American environmentalist portrayed by Julia Roberts in a 2000 film, also called on the European Union to become a leader in the battle against climate change.\n\nSlovakia's president wields little day-to-day power but appoints prime ministers and can veto appointments of senior prosecutors and judges.\n\nFive people have been charged with the murders of Kuciak and his fiancee Martina Kusnirova, including businessman Marian Kocner, who was investigated by Kuciak and has become a symbol of perceived impunity after more than a decade of rule by Smer.\n\nKocner has denied any wrongdoing.\n\nMore on this topic", "Anti-corruption campaigner Zuzana Caputova has been sworn in as Slovakia's first female President.\n\nThe swearing-in took place before Constitutional Court chair Ivan Fiacan during a ceremonial parliamentary session held in Bratislava on Saturday, Xinhua reported.\n\nCaputova gave her first speech in office, saying she does not want to rule from the office but to serve people and Slovakia. \"By taking the constitutional oath, I assume all the commitments and obligations of the public service. I haven't come to rule, I've come to serve citizens, inhabitants, Slovakia,\" said Caputova, adding that she offers expertise, emotion and a healthy activist interest.\n\nCaputova also claimed allegiance to the pro-European and pro-Atlantic orientation of Slovakia. \"As the European Union is our life and value space, the North Atlantic Alliance is our defence and security pillar. As a country, we must do everything we can to maintain and strengthen this space and its pillars,\" stressed Caputova.\n\nCaputova is the fifth president in the modern Slovak history. She was elected in March.", "Slovakia's President Zuzana Caputova is seen after her swearing-in ceremony as the country's first female head of state, in Bratislava, Slovakia, June 15, 2019. (photo credit: REUTERS/RADOVAN STOKLASA)\n\nHelp us grow and continue telling Israel’s story to the world.\n\nFor $5 a month you will receive access to the following:\n\nAs one of our loyal readers, we ask you to be our partner.\n\nDear Reader, As you can imagine, more people are reading The Jerusalem Post than ever before. Nevertheless, traditional business models are no longer sustainable and high-quality publications, like ours, are being forced to look for new ways to keep going. Unlike many other news organizations, we have not put up a paywall. We want to keep our journalism open and accessible and be able to keep providing you with news and analysis from the frontlines of Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World.\n\nBratislava - Anti-corruption campaigner Zuzana Caputova was sworn in as Slovakia's first female president on Saturday, vowing to fight impunity and champion justice in a country shaken by a journalist's murder last year.\n\nThe killing of Jan Kuciak, who investigated high-level graft cases, and his fiancé at their home last February sparked mass street protests and hit the approval ratings of the governing leftist party Smer.\n\nSmer is still the most popular party but Caputova's victory in the March presidential vote boosted the opposition liberal alliance Progressive Slovakia/Together, which backed her and aims to unseat the ruling party in a 2020 general election.\n\nThe pro-European coalition already won the EU Parliament election last month.\n\nIn her inauguration speech, Caputova, 45, said state officials that had proven incapable of stamping out corruption should lose their jobs and vowed to make the justice system work fairly for everyone.\n\n\"Under the constitution, people are free and equal in dignity and in rights, meaning nobody is that irrelevant to have their rights compromised, nor is anyone that powerful to stand above the law.\"\n\n\"Too many people feel that this is not quite the reality in our country. The feeling of injustice has grown and has demonstrated itself in calls for change and decency but also in anger over 'the system',\" she said in a nod to the rise to anti-system and far-right parties.\n\nCaputova's election stood in contrast to a European shift towards populist and nationalist parties.\n\nCaputova, whose fight against an illegal landfill in her home town earned her the nickname \"Slovakia's Erin Brockovich\" after the American environmentalist portrayed by Julia Roberts in a 2000 film, also called on the European Union to become a leader in the battle against climate change.\n\nSlovakia's president wields little day-to-day power but appoints prime ministers and can veto appointments of senior prosecutors and judges.\n\nFive people have been charged with the murders of Kuciak and his fiancé Martina Kusnirova, including businessman Marian Kocner, who was investigated by Kuciak and has become a symbol of perceived impunity after more than a decade of rule by Smer. Kocner has denied any wrongdoing.\n\nNow is the time to join the news event of the year - The Jerusalem Post Annual Conference! \n\nFor more information and to sign up, click here>>", "Lawyer and anti-corruption activist Zuzana Caputova was inaugurated Saturday as the first female president of Slovakia\n\nPRAGUE (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 15th June, 2019) Lawyer and anti-corruption activist Zuzana Caputova was inaugurated Saturday as the first female president of Slovakia.\n\nThe 45-year-old, the country's youngest leader, was sworn in at the Slovak Philarmonic in Bratislava.\n\nThe ceremony was attended by her predecessor, Andrej Kiska.\n\nCaputova won the March runoff against her challenger, European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic, by a 16.8 point margin.\n\nIn her inauguration address, Caputova promised to be a president for all and do her best to improve living standards in this Central European country.", "Pro-European liberal lawyer Zuzana Caputova became Slovakia‘s youngest and first female president on Saturday when she formally took office.\n\n“I did not come to rule,” the 45-year-old told a special session of parliament in Bratislava. “I came to serve the citizens.”\n\nCaputova was elected in March as the torch-bearer of a cross-party movement against corruption and abuse of office. She resigned as a member of the liberal Progressive Slovakia party before her inauguration.\n\nHer victory came after months of demonstrations against the February 2018 murder of journalist Jan Kuciak, who was shot dead at his home near Bratislava while working on a story about links between the Slovak government and the Italian Mafia.\n\nCaputova, a single mother of two daughters, has been repeatedly criticized by the church and other conservative groups for her stance on abortion and homosexuals, but said her victory showed that Slovakia is not as conservative as many people believe it is.\n\nCaputova has been praised across party lines for the balance with which she chose the experts who will serve in her team of advisors. Numerous national minorities – including the Roma – and other socially disadvantaged groups will be given a voice in the presidential palace with the appointment of a prominent poverty researcher as presidential advisor.", "Lawyer and environmental activist Zuzana Caputova has been inaugurated as Slovakia's first female president. The June 15 ceremony in the capital, Bratislava, came after Caputova's victory in the March 30 presidential runoff. The new president greeted supporters as she walked from the swearing-in ceremony to an ecumenical service at St. Martin's Cathedral.", "Anti-corruption activist Zuzana Caputova kicked off her five-year term as president of Slovakia on Saturday by calling for state officials incapable of standing up to corruption to lose their jobs.\n\nAddressing Slovak lawmakers after a swearing-in ceremony, Caputova pledged to make the justice system work for everyone.\n\n\"Under the constitution, people are free and equal in dignity and in rights, meaning nobody is that irrelevant to have their rights compromised, nor is anyone that powerful to stand above the law,\" she said in her inauguration speech.\n\n\"Too many people feel that this is not quite the reality in our country. The feeling of injustice has grown and has demonstrated itself in calls for change and decency but also in anger over 'the system,'\" she added.\n\nSlovakia was deeply shaken by last year's murder of investigative reporter Jan Kuciak. The 27-year-old journalist and his fiancée were gunned down in his home near Bratislava as Kuciak was preparing a story on ties between Slovak politicians, local businessmen and the Italian mafia.\n\nCaputova, who made her reputation as a pro-environment lawyer and anti-graft crusader, took part in the resulting protest that forced then-Prime Minister Robert Fico to resign.\n\nFive people have since been charged over the double murder, including Slovak businessman Marian Kocner. Many believe Kocner has ties to Fico's Smer-SD party. The entrepreneur has denied any wrongdoing.\n\nOn Saturday, Caputova also said she \"did not come to rule\" but to \"serve the citizens.\"\n\nAt 45 years of age, the single mother of two is the youngest person ever to be named the president of Slovakia, a formerly socialist country of 5.4 million people. She is also the first woman to be voted into the office.\n\nRead more: What did Slovakia's government know about murder of Jan Kuciak?\n\nCaputova scored a convincing victory against Smer-SD candidate Maros Sefcovic in March. Her allies from the Progressive Slovakia/Together party hope to use the momentum to unseat the ruling party in a 2020 general election.\n\nRead more: Nationwide protests call for snap polls in Slovakia\n\nThe presidency has far less power than the prime minister's office, which is currently held by Peter Pellegrini from Fico's Smer-SD party. Even so, Caputova is now officially the commander-and-chief of the country's military and can veto laws and appointments of senior prosecutors and judges, giving her influence over anti-corruption reforms.\n\nEvery evening, DW sends out a selection of the day's news and features. Sign up here.", "Environmental lawyer Zuzana Caputova was on Saturday sworn in as Slovakia‘s first female President.\n\nConcise News reports that she surprised observers with a speech that lacked the government criticism she was known for on the campaign trail.\n\nThe community activist, who ran on the slogan “Stand up to evil,” was largely unknown before she launched her presidential bid in the eurozone member of 5.4 million people.\n\nThe 45-year-old environmental lawyer won the March ballot with 58 percent of the vote thanks in part to voter disillusionment with the governing coalition a year after the murder of an investigative journalist plunged the country into crisis.\n\n“I did not come to rule, I came to serve citizens, and residents of Slovakia,” the liberal politician, who is pro-choice and promotes greater rights for same-sex couples, said in her inaugural speech in Bratislava.\n\n“I offer expertise, I offer emotion and I offer a healthy activist approach. So I offer my mind, my heart and my hands,” she added alongside family, former presidents, politicians and members of her presidential campaign.\n\nAfter the ceremony, Caputova walked to a nearby cathedral for an ecumenical service, shaking hands with people along the way, before hosting a lunch for seniors from across Slovakia.\n\nAnalysts called her inaugural speech surprisingly mild, given her past criticism of the government.\n\n“The new president’s speech was non-confrontational. It was formulated positively, not attacking political opponents,” political analyst Juraj Marusiak told AFP.\n\nCaputova “does not want to divide, she wants to unite. She talks about the common good, a common path, often using the word ‘we’.”\n\nCaputova was among the tens of thousands of protesters who took to the streets after journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancee were gunned down at home in February 2018.", "Anti-corruption campaigner Zuzana Caputova has been sworn in as Slovakia’s first female president as she vowed to fight impunity and champion justice in a country shaken by a journalist’s murder last year.\n\nThe community activist, who ran on the slogan “Stand up to evil,” was largely unknown before she launched her presidential bid in the eurozone member of 5.4 million people.\n\nThe 45-year-old environmental lawyer won the March ballot with 58 percent of the vote thanks in part to voter disillusionment with the governing coalition a year after the murder of an investigative journalist plunged the country into crisis.\n\n“I did not come to rule, I came to serve citizens, and residents of Slovakia,” the liberal politician, who is pro-choice and promotes greater rights for same-sex couples, said in her inaugural speech in Bratislava.\n\n“I offer expertise, I offer emotion and I offer a healthy activist approach. So I offer my mind, my heart and my hands,” she added alongside family, former presidents, politicians and members of her presidential campaign.\n\nAfter the ceremony, Caputova walked to a nearby cathedral for an ecumenical service, shaking hands with people along the way, before hosting a lunch for seniors from across Slovakia.\n\nAnalysts called her inaugural speech surprisingly mild, given her past criticism of the government.\n\n“The new president’s speech was non-confrontational. It was formulated positively, not attacking political opponents,” political analyst Juraj Marusiak told AFP.\n\nCaputova “does not want to divide, she wants to unite. She talks about the common good, a common path, often using the word ‘we’.”\n\nCaputova was among the tens of thousands of protesters who took to the streets after journalist Jan Kuciak and his fiancee were gunned down at home in February 2018.\n\nKuciak was about to publish a report on alleged ties between Slovak politicians and the Italian mafia.\n\nThe premier at the time, Robert Fico, was forced to resign but he remains the leader of the ruling Smer-SD party and is a close ally of current Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini.\n\nIn her speech, Caputova declared unequivocal support for Slovakia’s membership in the EU and NATO and also spoke out in favour of protecting the environment.\n\n“The process of global climate change must be slowed down and reversed, otherwise it can have major consequences,” she said.", "The Central European country will be led by a woman environmentalist who is also a gender rights defender.\n\nEnvironmental lawyer Zuzana Caputova was sworn in Saturday as Slovakia's first female president. She ratified her commitment to battle climate change and strengthen the European Union (EU) during her inauguration speech.\n\n\"Europe, with us as a party, must be a spiritual leader to combat global threats,\" the new head of state said in her speech after taking the oath of office before parliamentary legislators.\n\nEmbracing a pro-Europe discourse, Caputova positioned herself away from the nationalist, Eurosceptics rulers leading neighboring countries, such as Italy, Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic.\n\nThese last three countries are Slovakia's main Visegrad Group (V4) partners, an alliance of Central European states aimed at collaborating in military, cultural, economic and energy projects.\n\nShe also called global warming one of the biggest \"threats we face,\" adding that about 143 million people may become climate refugees by 2050.\n\n\"Climate change must be slowed down because otherwise it can have substantial effects in Slovakia,\" said the woman who was awarded the 2016 Goldman Environmental Prize in recognition of her 14 years of fighting the installation of a landfill in Pezinok, her hometown.\n\n\"I offer my experience, sensitivity and healthy activist interests. I offer my wisdom, heart and hands,\" Caputova said, calling for the return of hope in the country's institutions, which has been seriously damaged by the presence corruption and organized crime at the highest levels of power.\n\n\"The feeling of injustice has grown and has demonstrated itself in calls for change and decency but also in anger over 'the system,'\" she added, alluding to the murder of journalist Jan Kuciak, which sparked a wave of unprecedented protests in 2018 due to the apparent ineffectiveness of Slovak justice.\n\n\"Decency and transparency\" was Caputova's main campaign motto that led her to defeat the Smer leader, Robert Fico, in the presidential elections last March.\n\nWhile her political experience is little, the now head of state convinced voters with her grassroots activism and participation in the social-liberal Progresivne Slovensko (PS) party founded only two years ago.\n\nAlthough she formally separated herself from the PS after being elected as president, Caputova vowed herself to defending the country's minorities as a \"president of all.\"\n\n\"Under the constitution, people are free and equal in dignity and in rights, meaning nobody is so irrelevant to have their rights compromised, nor is anyone that powerful to stand above the law,\" stated the newest European leader."], "summary": "Slovakia inaugurates Zuzana Čaputová as its first female elected President."}
{"document": ["Stopping attacks by the Syrian regime is the responsibility of Russia and Iran as guarantor states of peace, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said Sunday, hours after an Assad regime attack on a Turkish observation post in northwestern Syria.\n\nEarlier Sunday, Assad regime forces attacked a Turkish observation post in Idlib, Syria -- with no casualties -- and was retaliated upon by heavy weapons, the Defense Ministry said.\n\n\"Turkey won't tolerate Syrian regime harassment of its soldiers,\" Çavuşoğlu said during his visit to Hatay, a southern Turkish province bordering Syria.\n\nÇavuşoğlu stressed that Turkey \"will teach them their place.\"\n\nThe Defense Ministry said they immediately retaliated to an Assad regime attack Sunday on a Turkish observation post in northwestern Syria.\n\nIn a statement, the ministry said regime forces launched an artillery attack from Idlib region's Tall Bazan on Murak, where a Turkish observation post is situated.\n\nThe regime attack was \"deliberate\" and was retaliated against with heavy weapons, according to the statement.\n\nPartial material damage was reported, but without casualties. Additionally, necessary initiatives were taken with Moscow and the situation was being followed closely.\n\nThe Sochi agreement was reached in September between Ankara and Moscow, envisaging the preservation of the cease-fire in Idlib, with the withdrawal of heavy arms and radicals from the region.\n\n\n\nFollowing eight months of calm provided by the Sochi deal, the regime has started to intensify its attacks since April 26 under the pretext of fighting Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) militants holed up in Idlib. The intermittent attacks and bombardments have killed, wounded and displaced many civilians.\n\nOn Thursday, the regime boldly expanded its attacks to another phase, targeting a Turkish observation point located inside the de-escalation zone in Idlib.\n\n\n\nAccording to the Defense Ministry, Turkey's 10th observation post was \"deliberately\" targeted in a mortar attack in which three soldiers were wounded. The observation point located near Mount Zawiyah was targeted by 35 mortar rounds fired from the regime-controlled As Shariah region some 3 kilometers away, the statement said, adding that the observation point facility, equipment and other supplies were partially damaged, and the wounded soldiers were evacuated.\n\nÇavuşoğlu on Saturday defined the attack as a \"deliberate act of aggression,\" vowing retaliation if further attacks are carried out.\n\n\n\nOn Saturday, the Turkish military sent reinforcements to the targeted observation post.\n\nWhile the attacks rendered Russia's announcement of a cease-fire on Thursday morning incoherent, Ankara pledged to retaliate if more attacks occur. Russian news agencies, citing the Russian military, reported Wednesday that Ankara and Moscow have brokered a complete cease-fire in Idlib between the Syrian regime and opposition forces, which has been applied to the Idlib de-escalation zone and led to a significant reduction in violence.\n\n\n\nYet, the Assad regime's attack came hours after the announcement and Çavuşoğlu said it is not possible to say that there is a complete cease-fire in Idlib.\n\n\n\n\"However, efforts continue in cooperation with Russia,\" he said.\n\nOn Friday, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan also warned the Assad regime not to provoke Turkey through attacks targeting Turkish observation points in the region.\n\n\"If the regime attacks more Turkish observation points and continues to take such missteps, we won't remain silent. We want the deaths to stop in Syria, the bombing of Idlib with barrel and phosphorous bombs is inexcusable,\" Erdoğan told reporters in Istanbul before departing for Tajikistan to attend the Fifth Summit of Heads of State of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA).\n\nThe president said Turkey is listening to the voices of the Syrian people in the region, who are asking Ankara to intervene against the bloodshed.", "Turkish and Syrian government forces have exchanged fire in Idlib province after what Turkey described as a “deliberate attack” on its soldiers.\n\nAt least 15 civilians were killed in the province on Saturday, as Russian and Syrian forces advanced.\n\nAl Jazeera's Andrew Chappelle reports.", "MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 16th June, 2019) Syrian armed forces attacked a Turkish observation point in northwest Syria and Turkey retaliated, local media reported, citing the Turkish Defense Ministry.\n\nAccording to the ministry, as cited by the Turkish Anadolu news agency, Syrian forces launched an artillery attack from Syria's northwestern Idlib province on the Turkish observation point located in the town of Morek in neighboring Hama province.\n\nPartial damage to the observation point has been reported, but no casualties have resulted from the attack.\n\nTurkey has contacted Russia, which signed a deal with Ankara last September to jointly monitor the ceasefire in Idlib.\n\nOn Thursday, three Turkish soldiers were injured at an observation point in Idlib when Syrian forces launched a mortar attack against it.\n\nThere are over a dozen militant groups in this restive Syrian province. The National Front for Liberation, a pro-Turkish alliance, and the Nusra Front terror group (banned in Russia) have the biggest presence in the area.", "ANKARA: One of Turkey’s observation posts was hit by shelling from an area controlled by Syrian government forces in northwestern Syria, the Turkish defence ministry said on Sunday.\n\nThere were no casualties but the ministry said equipment was damaged in the assault while Turkish forces \"immediately retaliated with heavy weapons\". Shelling and mortar fire \"understood to be deliberate\" fired from Tall Bazan region held by Syrian regime forces hit the post in Murak region, the ministry said in a statement.\n\nThe assault comes less than four days after three Turkish soldiers were hit in another attack Turkey said was \"deliberate\" on another observation post on Thursday. Two Turkish soldiers were hurt in May in a similar attack blamed on Damascus.\n\nTurkey has 12 military observation posts in Idlib, northwestern Syria, the last bastion of Jihadist forces, in a bid to prevent a large-scale offensive in the region. Ankara fears such an assault would push hundreds of thousands of refugees into Turkey. Turkish officials made representations to Russia about the latest attack, the ministry said. Moscow provides support to the Syrian regime of President Bashar al-Assad.", "Assad regime forces attacked a Turkish observation point in Syria and it was retaliated with heavy weapons, Turkish Defense Ministry said on Sunday.\n\nIn a statement, the ministry said regime forces launched an artillery attack from Idlib region's Tall Bazan area to Murak area, where a Turkish observation point is situated.\n\nIt said the regime attack was \"deliberate\" and was retaliated with heavy weapons.\n\nPartial material damage was reported, but without casualties.\n\nThe statement said necessary initiatives were taken with Moscow and the situation was being followed closely.\n\nOn Saturday, the Turkish military sent reinforcements to another observation point in Idlib near Zawiya, which was targeted by regime forces last week and left three Turkish soldiers wounded.\n\nAlthough Turkey and Russia have agreed to stop acts of aggression and turn Idlib into a de-escalation zone, the Syrian regime has consistently violated the cease-fire, launching frequent attacks inside the de-escalation zone.\n\nSyria has been locked in a vicious civil war since early 2011, when the Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests.\n\nSince then, hundreds of thousands of people have been killed and more than 10 million others displaced, according to UN officials.", "Turkey said Syrian government forces “deliberately” attacked on Sunday a Turkish military observation post in northwestern Syria.\n\nIn a statement, the defense ministry said Turkish troops responded with “heavy weapons” after the artillery attack in Idlib province.\n\nSyrian forces launched an offensive to take the last rebel-held territory in Idlib late April, leading to the collapse of a ceae-fire negotiated by Turkey and Russia last year.\n\nTurkey set up 12 posts in Idlib as part of the de-escalation zone agreement struck with Russia and Iran in September 2017.\n\nThe Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said airstrikes from Syrian warplanes struck the southern edge of the rebel-held enclave with nearly 42 raids, including one that hit near the Turkish observation point in Morek that resulted in a fire in the area.\n\nThe strike solicited a Turkish response against Syrian government positions, the first such retaliation, which included missiles and rockets as well as auxiliary attacks launched by Turkey-allied Syrian fighters.\n\nThe Syrian strike on Morek is the second such targeting of Turkish forces this week, following an attack Thursday when three Turkish soldiers were injured at an observation point in Sheir Maghar.\n\nTurkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Sunday that the country would not tolerate Syrian military attacks on its troops. “We’ll put you in your place. Everyone should know their place,” he was quoted as saying by the official Anadolu news agency.\n\nRussia supports Syrian President Bashar Assad while Turkey backs opposition groups. The Turkish military said Russian officials were contacted after Sunday’s attack.", "Turkey says Syrian government forces have \"deliberately\" attacked a Turkish military observation post in northwestern Syria.\n\nIn a statement Sunday, the defense ministry said Turkish troops responded with \"heavy weapons\" after the artillery attack in Idlib province.\n\nTurkey set up the posts in Idlib as part of a de-escalation zone agreement struck with Russia and Iran in September 2017.\n\nTurkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Sunday that the country would not tolerate Syrian military attacks on its troops. \"We'll put you in your place. Everyone should know their place,\" he was quoted as saying by official Anadolu news agency.\n\nSyrian forces launched an offensive to take the last rebel-held territory in Idlib late April. At least five Turkish soldiers have been wounded in attacks on observation posts since May.", "ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey warned Syria on Thursday that it would respond if attacks in Syria’s northwestern Idlib province continue, after a Turkish observation post in the region was attacked by mortar shells, which Turkey’s Defense Ministry said were fired from areas under Syrian government control.\n\nA ministry statement said three Turkish soldiers were lightly wounded when 35 mortar rounds were fired at the observation point in what it described as a deliberate attack.\n\n“If the regime continues its attacks we will take the necessary action. No one should have any doubts about that,” Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said during a joint press conference in Ankara with his French counterpart, Jean-Yves Le Drian.\n\nCavusoglu also called on Russia and Iran to exert pressure on Syrian President Bashar Assad to stop assaults in Idlib.\n\nThursday’s attack, which also damaged equipment and facilities at the observation post, came amid a ground offensive launched by Syrian government forces in late April against rebel-held areas near the Turkish border. Al-Qaida linked militants and other jihadi groups have come to dominate the Idlib enclave, which first fell under rebel control in 2015.\n\nThe Russian military had a different version of events on Thursday, blaming militants for the attack on Turkish troops. Russia is a main backer of Assad and his forces, while Turkey backs some Syrian opposition fighters.\n\nThe Russian Defense Ministry said Turkey had asked Russia for help after one of its checkpoints in the de-escalation zone came under fire from shelling. In response to that request, Russia launched an airstrike that destroyed a group of rebels and the weapons used in the attack.\n\nThe ministry said Turkey gave Russia the coordinates for the militant’s location for the strike.\n\nSyrian opposition activists reported shelling and airstrikes on different rebel-held parts of Idlib and the central province of Hama. The opposition’s Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said four people were killed in the town of Khan Sheikoun alone on Thursday.\n\nThe recent government offensive began after a Russia-Turkey-backed truce in place for months failed to reduce the influence of extremists in the stronghold. The Russian-Turkish agreement established demilitarized zones with observation posts to monitor the cease-fire.\n\nSpeaking to reporters, Cavusoglu denied news reports that Turkey and Russia had reached a new cease-fire agreement for Idlib but said the two countries were engaged in “serious and sincere” efforts to stop the conflict.\n\nLe Drian said: “(Idlib) is such a dangerous and explosive zone that it is important that the cease-fire is meticulously respected.”\n\nCopyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.", "In a statement, the ministry said regime forces launched an artillery attack from Idlib region's Tall Bazan area to Murak area, where a Turkish observation point is situated.\n\nIt said the regime attack was \"deliberate\" and was retaliated with heavy weapons. Partial material damage was reported, but without casualties. The statement said necessary initiatives were taken with Moscow and the situation was being followed closely.\n\nOn Saturday, the Turkish military sent reinforcements to another observation point in Idlib near Zawiya, which was targeted by regime forces last week and left three Turkish soldiers wounded.\n\nAlthough Turkey and Russia have agreed to stop acts of aggression and turn Idlib into a de-escalation zone, the Syrian regime has consistently violated the cease-fire, launching frequent attacks inside the de-escalation zone.", "ISTANBUL, June 16 (Reuters) - A Turkish observation post in Syria's Idlib region was attacked with mortar fire and shelling from an area controlled by Syrian government forces, causing damage but no casualties, the Turkish Defence Ministry said on Sunday.\n\nThe ministry said its forces immediately retaliated with heavy weapons and it made representations to Moscow over the incident. It did not specify when the shelling occurred, but said the attack was launched from what it named the Tall Bazan area and it was assessed to be deliberate."], "summary": "The Syrian Army and the Turkish Land Forces exchange heavy fire in the northern Idlib Governorate, in what Turkish officials described as a deliberate mortar attack on one of their observation posts in Murak that wounded three Turkish troops."}
{"document": ["At least 12 people were killed after terror groups attacked a village in the Syrian province of Aleppo, through mortar shelling.\n\n\"The armed groups deployed in the Rashid area on the outskirts of the city of Aleppo fired several projectiles at the southern suburb of Aleppo, which fell in the village of al-Wadihi,\" Sputnik quoted the local police as saying.\n\nThis comes a day after seven people were killed in air strikes by the Syrian government on the northwest province of Idlib.\n\nSyria is marred by civil war since 2011.More than 370,000 people were killed and millions were displaced in Syria and abroad since the beginning of the Syrian war in March 2011.\n\n(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)", "Terror groups opened mortar fire at a village in the Syrian province of Aleppo, leaving 12 people killed, a source in local police said.\n\nAccording to police, the Sunday attack has also left 15 people injured. “The armed groups deployed in the Rashidin area on the outskirts of the city of Aleppo fired several projectiles at the southern suburb of Aleppo, which fell in the village of al-Wadihi,” the source said.\n\nAccording to the source, the attack killed a Syrian serviceman and injured several women and children. The attack also caused significant property damage. Some of the injured people remain in critical condition, so the death toll may further increase, the source added.\n\nSyria has been mired in a civil war since 2011, with the government forces fighting against numerous opposition groups as well as militant and terrorist organizations.\n\nIn late April, terrorists boosted the number of attacks on the Syrian provinces of Hama, Aleppo and Latakia. They also attempted to attack positions of the Syrian army in the region. The government forces responded by intensifying their attacks on terrorists remaining in Idlib. Last week, Russia initiated an agreement on the full cessation of hostilities in the Idlib de-escalation zone."], "summary": "At least 12 people are killed after jihadists shelled a village in Aleppo Governorate with mortars."}
{"document": ["Renewed fighting between ethnic groups in the Democratic Republic of Congo has killed at least 160 people.\n\nNearly 40 villages were destroyed and more than 100,000 people have been forced to flee their homes in the eastern province of Ituri during the past week.\n\nAl Jazeera gained exclusive access to one of the villages that was attacked. Raheela Mahomed reports."], "summary": "In the past week, over 160 people have been killed and 40 villages destroyed in attacks between tribes in the Democratic Republic of the Congo."}
{"document": ["BUENOS AIRES — A blackout stripped all of mainland Argentina and Uruguay of power early Sunday, affecting tens of millions of people in an electrical failure that officials called unprecedented in its scope.\n\nThe cause remained under investigation by late Sunday, when power had been largely restored to both countries. Much of Argentina was hit by heavy rainfall over the weekend, and Uruguay’s state-owned utility, UTE, said some systems had been damaged by the recent rain and still needed to be repaired.\n\n“This is the first time something like this has happened across the entire country,” said Alejandra Martínez, a spokeswoman for Edesur, an electricity company in Argentina that serves parts of Buenos Aires and its suburbs. She called it “a complete blackout in Argentina.”\n\nThe blackout may have affected a population greater than California’s, across a region four times the size of Texas: Argentina has more than 44 million people, and Uruguay about 3.5 million.", "- Two entire South American nations are completely in the dark after a massive power failure that cut electricity to the 48 million people who live within their borders. Buenos Aires - Two entire South American nations are completely in the dark after a massive power failure that cut electricity to the 48 million people who live within their borders. The blackout came as people in parts of Argentina were preparing to go to the polls for local elections. Argentina's energy secretary, Gustavo Lopetegui, said the cause of the power failure had not yet been determined. Tweets from Edesur explained that \"a massive \"failure in the Argentine Interconnection System (SADI)\" is at fault. So far, about 50,000 people in Argentina have had their power restored, as well as several coastal cities in Uruguay. However, this still The Argentine Interconnection System handles the bulk of Argentina's electricity. It is One of Argentina's biggest water companies, Agua y Saneamientos Argentinos, warned those without power to limit their water use, as the distribution of drinking water had been affected by the power cut. \"Never has anything like this happened before,\" Alejandra Martinez, a spokesperson for electricity company Edesur Argentina told Infobae. Massive power blackout hits Argentina and Uruguay AJENews SinLuz T2gN5rp0Tv— мaттιaѕ wacнтмeιѕтer (@mattiaswac) June 16, 2019 The power outage has left Argentina and Uruguay totally without power and also affected parts of Brazil, Paraguay, and Chile. According to The BBC, the power failure occurred around 7 a.m. (6 a.m. ET) said Edesur, the Buenos Aires-based utility on its website.The blackout came as people in parts of Argentina were preparing to go to the polls for local elections. Argentina's energy secretary, Gustavo Lopetegui, said the cause of the power failure had not yet been determined.Tweets from Edesur explained that \"a massive \"failure in the Argentine Interconnection System (SADI)\" is at fault. So far, about 50,000 people in Argentina have had their power restored, as well as several coastal cities in Uruguay.However, this still leaves millions without power and the utility says it could take several hours to get power restored.The Argentine Interconnection System handles the bulk of Argentina's electricity. It is one of two such systems in the country, the other being in the Patagonia region.One of Argentina's biggest water companies, Agua y Saneamientos Argentinos, warned those without power to limit their water use, as the distribution of drinking water had been affected by the power cut.", "A massive failure in the electrical interconnection system left Argentina and Uruguay without power, according to reports by local media.\n\nInfobae, an Argentinian website, reported on Sunday that the country has been in the dark for more than an hour, and all trains were suspended.\n\nLocal media said the blackout started at around 07:00 local time (12:00 GMT).\n\nElectricitycompany Edesur Argentina said in a tweet: \"A massive failure in the electrical interconnection system left Argentina and Uruguay without power.\"\n\n\"Never has anything like this happened before,\" Alejandra Martinez, a spoksperson for the company told Infobae.\n\nSocial media reports on the blackout were widespread.\n\n\"Huge blackout in Argentina: the City, the Province of Buenos Aires and Santa Fe were left in the dark,\" a news agency posted on Twitter.\n\n\"What's happening with this blackout,\" a user on Twitter asked the government.", "Almost the entirety of the nations of Argentina and Uruguay, were “completely without power” following a “massive failure” in an electrical system on Sunday, Bloomberg and CNN reported, with parts of Paraguay, Chile and southern Brazil seeing outages as well. The Associated Press estimated over 44 million people lost power.\n\n\n\nPower has already been restored in some areas, such as Chile and parts of south and western Uruguay, CNN wrote, but many other areas are expected to have blackouts stretching throughout the day. Buenos Aires-based utility Edesur removed Paraguay and Uruguay from a list of countries totally without electricity, but it wasn’t clear how much of the grid in those nations was restored, CNN added:\n\nIn a statement on its website, Edesur said a “collapse” in its system occurred around 7 a.m. (6 a.m. ET). The outage “is the first generalized blackout that Argentina has had in its history,” Edesur spokesman Alejandra Martínez told CNN affiliate TN. Edesur is prioritizing any customer who depends on electricity for health reasons, it said, but because the power outage is so serious, anyone experiencing problems should go to a medical center.\n\nEdesur is investigating the cause of the incident, but it told CNN that part of the Argentine Interconnection System at Yacyretá Dam on the Paraná River failed “without human intervention” early Sunday morning, resulting in an automatic shutdown. According to the New York Times, Argentina was hit by heavy rain this weekend and Uruguay’s state-owned utility, UTE, had said some systems damaged by the rain had yet to be repaired. \n\n\n\nAccording to Bloomberg, the Economic Ministry of Argentina said in a statement that a quarter of the affected areas in the country had power restored by 12:15 p.m. local time, and the capital of Buenos Aires is slowly being brought back online. The blackout delayed early voting in gubernatorial elections in the provinces of Santa Fe, Formosa, and San Luis, Bloomberg added; the province of Tierra del Fuego far to the south was unaffected as it is not connected to the national grid. Service in Uruguay is being restored more rapidly, according to the AP.\n\n“Everything came to a halt,” Buenos Aires resident Juan Borges told the BBC. “Elevators, water pumps, everything. We were left adrift... There are some elderly people on the eighth floor but nothing happened, because the power cut was short. If it had gone on for longer it would have been a whole different story.”", "Buenos Aires, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 16th Jun, 2019 ) :Power was slowly being restored on Sunday after a massive outage blacked out Argentina and Uruguay, leaving around 48 million people without electricity, power companies said.\n\nThe cut, which happened just after 7:00 am (1000 GMT), also affected Paraguay, which reported short, localized losses of power.\n\nArgentinian power company Edesur, which has 2.5 million customers, wrote on Twitter that \"the restoration of the electric power service to the grid is slowly beginning.\" On a blog, Edesur said that 50,000 of its customers had power back.\n\nFor its part, Uruguay's state power company UTE said it was \"continuing to restore the service.\" It said service was back in the northern part of the country above the Rio Negro river, as well as \"part of the south coast and metropolitan area\" around the capital Montevideo.\n\nThe outage was caused by \"a collapse of the Argentine Interconnection System (SADI) which produced a massive power cut in the whole country and also affected Uruguay,\" said Argentina's energy secretariat in a statement quoted by local press.\n\n\"The causes are being investigated and have not yet been determined,\" it said on its Twitter account, adding that it would take \"some hours\" to restore power completely.\n\nEdesur said the outage had affected in their entirety the two South American countries, which share a border along the River Plate.\n\nArgentina has a population of more than 44 million while around 3.4 million people live in Uruguay.\n\nSources from the official energy agency of Paraguay, which borders Argentina to the northeast, told AP that cuts there had been \"momentary.\" A spokesperson for RGE, the biggest energy distributor in Brazil's southern Rio Grande do Sul state that borders both Argentina and Uruguay, said they had had no reports of cuts.\n\n- Empty streets - By mid-morning, streets were largely empty in a rainy Buenos Aires although some stores were open, operating with generators, while Montevideo was almost entirely without power, with only some traffic lights working.\n\nIt is Father's Day in Argentina and some restaurants were expecting many customers.\n\nIn the Tobago bar in the Boedo neighborhood of Buenos Aires, had been fully booked for lunch.\n\n\"It had to happen today,\" said 60-year-old waiter Pedro Salinas.\n\n\"They've cut off our legs,\" he added, using a famous phrase uttered by football great Diego Maradona when he was kicked out of the 1994 World Cup after testing positive for drugs.\n\nArgentines are also going to the polls in several provinces on Sunday to elect governors, with some local media reporting voters cast ballots by candle light.\n\nIn Montevideo, some restaurants in the downtown area had power back by 11:00 am (1400 GMT).\n\nMore than an hour after the blackout, UTE said its system was being brought back \"from zero.\"Argentina and Uruguay have a common power grid centered on the bi-national Salto Grande dam, 450 kilometers (280 miles) north of Buenos Aires.", "Buenos Aires, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 17th Jun, 2019 ) :Electricity services have been restored to more than 50 percent of Argentina and Uruguay following a massive blackout that left around 48 million people without power on Sunday, authorities said.\n\nAt around 3:30 pm (1830 GMT), Argentina's Energy Minister Gustavo Lopetegui said services had been restored in 56 percent of the country.\n\nIn neighboring Uruguay, the state power company UTE said power had returned to three-quarters of the country.\n\nThe cut, which happened just after 7:00 am, also affected Paraguay, which reported short, localized losses of power.\n\nIt was the first time a power cut had affected the entirety of both Argentina, with a population of more than 44 million, and Uruguay, which has 3.4 million inhabitants.\n\n\"These are failures that occur (even) with diligence. The amazing thing is the chain of events that took place to cause the total disconnection,\" Lopetegui told a press conference.\n\nHe said the outage took place \"automatically to protect the system.\" \"We don't have any more information right now on how it occurred. We're not ruling out any possibility, but a cyber attack is not among the main alternatives being considered.\" Argentina's energy secretariat said the \"interconnection system\" had \"collapsed,\" producing \"a massive power cut\" for which its generators had been unable to compensate, but that the causes had not been determined.\n\nSources from the official energy agency of Paraguay, which borders Argentina to the northeast, told AFP that cuts there had been \"momentary.\" - Hospitals, clinics on generators - A spokesperson for RGE, the biggest energy distributor in Brazil's southern Rio Grande do Sul state that borders both Argentina and Uruguay, said they had had no reports of cuts.\n\nBy midday, power had returned to some sectors of Buenos Aires but the metro and trains were still halted.\n\nPublic hospitals and private clinics were running on generators.\n\n\"The only inconvenience is the elevators. We only have one working, but all services are operating without problems,\" said an employee at the Fernandez Hospital.\n\nEarlier in the day, streets were largely empty in a rainy Buenos Aires, although some stores were open, operating with generators, while Montevideo was almost entirely without power, with only some traffic lights working.\n\nIt is Father's Day in Argentina and some restaurants were expecting many customers.\n\n- 'This killed us' - \"This killed us,\" Luciano Ferreira, the owner of a popular restaurant in the Boedo neighborhood of Buenos Aires, told AFP.\n\nThe restaurant had been fully booked and Ferreira had been expecting to make two or three times as much money as a normal day.\n\nSome people shared messages on WhatsApp with advice on how to prepare for a lengthy outage, such as collecting water.\n\nIn the interior plains region of Junin, residents stocked up on drinking water sold in supermarkets.\n\n\"Fortunately, we had two buckets on the patio that were filled with rain water. We've gone back to the Stone Age,\" Eduardo Gralatto told AFP.\n\nIn Cordoba, Argentina's second city, people headed to bakeries looking to buy supplies for the traditional Father's Day barbecue.\n\n\"We decided to open because we need to work, but early on we lost seven or eight tables of customers because we couldn't prepare coffee or bake bread,\" Carlos Arce, the owner of a bakery, told AFP.\n\nArgentines also went to the polls in several provinces on Sunday to elect governors, with some local media reporting voters cast ballots by candle light.\n\nIn Montevideo, some restaurants in the downtown area had power back by 11:00 am (1400 GMT).\n\nMore than an hour after the blackout, UTE said its system was being brought back \"from zero.\"Argentina and Uruguay have a common power grid centered on the bi-national Salto Grande dam, 450 kilometers (280 miles) north of Buenos Aires.", "BUENOS AIRES: A massive outage blacked out Argentina and Uruguay on Sunday (Jun 16), leaving both South American countries without electricity, power companies said.\n\nBy mid-morning, streets were largely empty in a rainy Buenos Aires although some stores were open, operating with generators, while Montevideo, the Uruguayan capital, was almost entirely without power with only some traffic lights working.\n\nUruguay's system went down at 7.06am (6.06pm Singapore time), according to the Uruguayan power company UTE, which attributed the outage to \"a fault in the Argentine network\".\n\n\"The causes are being investigated and have not yet been determined,\" Argentina's secretariat of energy said on its Twitter account, adding it would take \"some hours\" to restore power completely.\n\nArgentina, with 44 million people, and Uruguay, with 3.4 million, have a common power grid centered on the bi-national Salto Grande dam, 450km north of Buenos Aires.\n\nTwo Argentine power companies confirmed that the failure knocked out electricity throughout Argentina, without specifying the cause.\n\n\"A massive failure in the electrical interconnection system left all Argentina and Uruguay without power,\" Edesur Argentina said on Twitter.\n\nEdenor, Argentina's largest electricity distributor, attributed the outage to a \"general failure in the interconnection system.\"\n\nUTE said the failure left Uruguay's \"entire national territory without service, as well as several provinces of the neighbor country.\"\n\nMore than an hour after the blackout, UTE said its system was being brought back \"from zero\".\n\n\"Some coastal cities already have service and work continues toward general restoration (of power),\" it said.", "BUENOS AIRES: A massive outage blacked out Argentina and Uruguay Sunday, leaving both South American countries without electricity, power companies said.\n\nUruguay's system went down at 7:06 am (1006 GMT), according to the Uruguayan power company UTE, which attributed the outage to \"a fault in the Argentine network.\"\n\nTwo Argentine power companies confirmed the failure knocked out electricity throughout Argentina, without specifying the cause.\n\n\"A massive failure in the electrical interconnection system left all Argentina and Uruguay without power,\" Edesur Argentina said on Twitter.\n\nEdenor, Argentina's largest electricity distributor, attributed the outage to a \"general failure in the interconnection system.\n\nUTE said the failure left Uruguay's \"entire national territory without service, as well as several provinces of the neighbour country. More than an hour after the blackout, UTE said its system was being brought back from zero.\n\n\"Some coastal cities already have service and work continues toward general restoration (of power),\" it said.\"", "The URL has been copied to your clipboard\n\nThe code has been copied to your clipboard.\n\nPower is being restored to Argentina and Uruguay after a massive electrical failure left more than 44 million people without electricity on Sunday. A massive blackout was caused by an unexplained failure in the countries' interconnected power grid. VOA's Zlatica Hoke reports", "Argentina’s main energy company said that it was “slowly beginning to restore” electricity after a massive power failure left large swathes of the South American country and neighbouring Uruguay in the dark.\n\nIt was unclear how many people had been affected by the blackout, but the nations have a combined population of nearly 50 million.\n\n“A massive failure in the electrical interconnection system left all of Argentina and Uruguay without power,” electricity supply company Edesur said in a tweet.\n\nA spokesman for the company, Alejandra Martinez, said the power cut was unprecedented.\n\n“This is the first time something like this has happened across the entire country.”\n\nEdesur later said on Twitter power had been returned to 34,000 customers as of Sunday (local time).\n\n“The return of electricity generation to the interconnected system of the Federal Capital and Greater Buenos Aires has begun,” it said.\n\nIt noted the process would take several hours.\n\nUruguayan energy company UTE tweeted that the system was being reinstated from scratch.\n\n“There are already coastal cities with service and work continues toward general restoration,” it said.\n\nIt said the blackout was due to a “flaw in the Argentine network” which left the entire country and several regions of Uruguay without electricity.\n\nArgentina’s energy secretary said that the blackout occurred around 7am local time, when a key interconnection system collapsed. It said the causes “are being investigated and are not yet determined.”\n\nThe blackout affected the entire Argentine capital of Buenos Aires, in addition to provinces in the north and south.\n\nSince taking office, Argentina’s President Mauricio Macri has said that gradual austerity measures were needed to revive the country’s struggling economy.\n\nHe has cut red tape and tried to reduce the government’s budget deficit by ordering job cuts and cutting utility subsidies."], "summary": "A massive blackout hits Argentina, Uruguay, and southern Brazil, leaving millions without power."}
{"document": ["Kano - Gunmen have killed 34 people in Nigeria’s northern Zamfara state where criminal gangs have been terrorising remote villages, police said Sunday.\n\nArmed bandits on motorcycles stormed into neighbouring Tungar Kafau and Gidan Wawa villages in Shinkafi district late Friday and shot dead 34 people, state police spokesman Mohammed Shehu said in a statement.\n\n“Normalcy has been restored in Tungar Kafau and Gidan Wawa... following attack by armed bandits... where 34 people were killed,” Shehu said.\n\nHe said the victims of the attacks were buried on Saturday, adding police were on the trail of the killers.\n\nThe bandits were said to have opened fire on farmers on their fields outside the villages and also pursued those who fled.\n\n“The bandits killed 35 people in the attacks,” said Lawwali Madattai, a resident.\n\nRural communities in Zamfara state have for years been terrorised by criminal gangs who raid villages, stealing cattle, kidnapping for ransom and burning homes after looting food supplies.\n\nThe bandits are known to hide in camps in Rugu forest which straddles Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna and Niger states from where they launch attacks on communities in the area.\n\nLast week, at least 40 people were killed and dozens injured in raids in eight remote villages in Niger state.", "BAUCHI, Nigeria (Reuters) - An armed gang killed at least 34 people in attacks on villages in northwest Nigeria, police said on Sunday, part of a wave of violence the government has blamed on bandits.\n\nHundreds of people have died in the northwest region this year, adding to security problems in a country already struggling with Islamist insurgencies in the northeast and a brutal conflict between farmers and herders in central states.\n\nThe armed gang came to unprotected villages in the northwestern state of Zamfara on Friday night, killing 34 people, said Muhammed Shehu, police spokesman for the state.\n\nPeople from the village told Reuters the attackers escaped.\n\n“We heard gunshots and saw people running for shelter, chased by men on motorbikes,” said Shehu Shinkafi.\n\n“We immediately took cover in a house nearby, and after the bandits were done with their killing spree they moved to a nearby village,” he said, adding he counted 12 bodies in his village alone.\n\nThe gang left without any resistance as there were no security agents in the area, and it was only after the massacre that police arrived hours later, Shinkafi and two other witnesses said.", "34 villagers have been killed by gunmen on motorcycles in the northern Zamfara state of African country Nigeria. This areas in the country are constantly facing criminal gangs who terrorize the remote villages.\n\nThe fatal incident occurred on Friday. The criminals’ gangs on motorcycles entered the Ungar Kafau and Gidan Wawa villages in Shinkafi district and shot dead 34 people. The bandits were said to have opened fire on farmers on their fields outside the villages and also pursued those who fled.\n\nFor the last many years the rural communities in the Zamfara state have for years been terrorised by criminal gangs. The criminals’ raid villages, steal cattle, kidnapping for ransom and burning homes after looting food supplies.\n\nThe bandits are known to hide in camps in Rugu forest which straddles Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna and Niger states from where they launch attacks on communities in the area.", "The Police Command in Zamfara State has confirmed the killing of 34 persons following an attack in Tungar Kafau and Gidan Wawa communities in Shinkafi Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the state.The Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the command, SP Muhammad Shehu in a statement issued yesterday in …Read more via Thisdaylive – http://bit.ly/2KnDXD8 Get More Nigeria Metro News", "At least 34 people were killed after suspected bandits attacked three villages in Shinkafi local government of Zamfara state on Friday.\n\nThe affected villages are Gidan Wawo-Katuru, Tungar Kaho-Galadi and Kyalido-Katuru.\n\nA source told TheCable that the attackers, who came on motorcycles, set many houses on fire and shot at those within their sight.\n\nMohammed Shehu, police public relations officer (PPRO) in Zamfara, confirmed the attack but said normalcy had been restored in the villages.\n\n“In order to forestall future occurrence in any part of the state, the Zamfara State Police Command in collaboration with other security agencies have made adequate security arrangement to ensure adequate protection of all villages and communities in the state,” he said in a statement.\n\n“Today being 15th June, 2019, the Commissioner of Police Zamfara State Command, CP Usman Nagogo, joined the delegation led by the deputy governor to the affected villages for burial of the deceased.\n\n“The CP has directed the combine security personnel deployed to the area to improve and sustain the ongoing bush combing of the affected area and its environs for possible arrest of the perpetrators of this dastardly act.”\n\nEfforts of government to contain attacks in Zamfara have not yielded the desired result.\n\nTwo months ago, the federal government banned mining, citing it as a major cause of banditry but several attacks have been recorded after that action.", "Mohammed Munirat Nasir, Gusau. The Zamfara State police command has confirmed the killing of 34 people in...", "Bandits have reportedly killed 34 people in Tungar Kafau and Gidan Wawa villages of the Shinkafi Local Government Area of Zamfara State.\n\nAccording to Punch, the bandits who were on motorbikes attacked the village around around 5pm on Friday, June 14, 2019, and began to shoot anyone they could see in the village.\n\n34 people died and several others were seriously wounded.\n\nThe Police Public Relations Officer, Zamfara State Command, Mohammed Shehu confirmed the incident on Saturday, June 15, 2019, saying “Normalcy has been restored in Tungar Kafau and Gidan wawa in the Shibkafi LGA following attacks by bandits where 34 people were killed by the bandits.\n\n“In order to forestall future occurrence in any part of the state, the Zamfara State Police Command, in collaboration with other security agencies, have made adequate security arrangements to ensure adequate protection of all villages and communities in the state.\n\n“Today, 15th June, 2019, the Commissioner of Police, Zamfara State Command, CP Usman Nagogo, was in the state government’s delegation, led by the deputy governor, to the affected villages for burial of the deceased.”\n\nHowever, on Saturday, June 15, 2019, President Muhammadu Buhari assured Nigerians that his administration will soon put an end to banditry, kidnapping and insurgency in the country.\n\nBuhari said his administration will overpower insurgents, kidnappers and bandits wherever they are hiding in the country.\n\nThe president gave this assurance on Saturday, June 15, 2019, at the fourth convocation of the Federal University, Dutsin-Ma, in Katsina State.", "EXCLUSIVE DETAILS/#TrackNigeria: Fresh attacks by armed bandit Friday evening in three villages of Shinkafi local government of Zamfara state, left 34 people dead.\n\nNewsdiaryonline exclusively gathered that the villages attacked by the bandits include Gidan Wawo-Katuru, Tungar Kaho-Galadi and Kyalido-Katuru villages.\n\nThough other sources say the number of the dead people were more, our source and the Police maintained that those killed were 34.\n\nThe source added that in spite of the attacks, the bandits had further threatened to come back to the communities.\n\n“The problem that must be faced is these security men are human beings too and they do not know the terrains where these bandits operate.\n\n“A moment ago, they threatened they would return, that we should vacate the villages. I was about to go to the farm when a neighbour came on a motorbike and informed me that they were on their way to our village, Tungar Danmada.\n\n“Just when I went to inform my people, they came firing five motorcycles and stayed at the primary school. They left to Gerenya and siezed someone’s motorcycle. They then left to Ƙwaryad Dutse and entered house to house and made away with the people’s herds.\n\n“They then came back to our village and made away with our sheep as they shot at people. Where they met resistance, they set houses on fire and left.\n\n“The villages that are being disturbed by the bandits now include Tungan Danmada, Asarara, Durkawa, Gidan Aye, Gidan Danmussa, Gidan Daji, Gidan Antaru,” the source told Newsdiaryonline.\n\nReacting to further inquiries, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) the Zamfara state Command, SP Mohammed Shehu told this reporter on telephone that the team comprised of the Commissioner of Police and the Deputy Governor of the state had just returned from the burial of the people killed. He said he would issued a statement thereafter.\n\nIn the statement, Mohammed confirmed that 34 people lost their lives in the attack and that measures had been been put in place to secure lives and properties of the villagers.\n\n“Normalcy has been restored in Tungar Kafau and Gidan wawa in Shibkafi LGA following attack by armed bandits on 14/6/2019 where 34 people were killed by the bandits.\n\nHe added that the Police Commissioner, along with Zamfara Deputy Governor went to the affected villages to bury the dead people.\n\n“In order to forestall future occurrence in any part of the state, the Zamfara State Police Command in collaboration with other security agencies have made adequate security arrangement to ensure adequate protection of all villages and communities in the state.\n\n“Today being 15th June, 2019, the Commissioner of Police Zamfara State Command, CP Usman Nagogo psc+, was in the State Government delegation led by the Deputy Governor to the affected villages for burial of the deceased.\n\n“The CP has directed the combine security personnel deployed to the area to improve and sustain the ongoing bush combing of the affected area and its environs for possible arrest of the perpetrators of this dastardly act.\n\n“He further directed the Command Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to conduct a discreet investigation with a view to unravelling the circumstance behind this crime. Whoever is involved in this dastardly act will be made to face the full wrath of the law.\n\n“He appealed to members of the public to always give the police credible and timely information and also report strange and suspicious characters for prompt action,” the statement read.", "At least 34 people were killed after suspected bandits attacked three villages in Shinkafi local government of Zamfara state on Friday. The affected villages are Gidan Wawo-Katuru, Tungar Kaho-Galadi and Kyalido-Katuru. A source told TheCable that the attackers, who came on motorcycles, set many houses on fire and shot …Read more via TheCable – http://bit.ly/2Kj4Fg7 Get More Nigeria Metro News", "Bandits have again killed 34 people in Tungar Kafau and Gidan Wawa villages of the Shinkafi Local Government Area of Zamfara State.\n\nThe bandits, who were on motorbikes, invaded the two villages around 5pm on Friday and began to shoot anyone they could see in the two villages, where several others were equally wounded.\n\nConfirming the incident in a statement, the Police Public Relations Officer, Zamfara State Command, Mohammed Shehu, said, “Normalcy has been restored in Tungar Kafau and Gidan wawa in the Shibkafi LGA following attacks by bandits where 34 people were killed by the bandits.\n\n“In order to forestall future occurrence in any part of the state, the Zamfara State Police Command, in collaboration with other security agencies, have made adequate security arrangements to ensure adequate protection of all villages and communities in the state.\n\n“Today, 15th June, 2019, the Commissioner of Police, Zamfara State Command, CP Usman Nagogo, was in the state government’s delegation, led by the deputy governor, to the affected villages for burial of the deceased.”"], "summary": "A group of bandits attack a village in the Shinkafi local government area of Zamfara State, Nigeria, killing at least 34 civilians. The gunmen arrived on motorcycles and opened fire on civilians indiscriminately, later burning down homes."}
{"document": ["WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump launched a fresh attack on Saturday on London mayor Sadiq Khan , backing a right-wing British columnist who has been widely accused of Islamophobia and once called migrants \"cockroaches.\"Trump attached his latest denunciation of the mayor to a retweet by Katie Hopkins about crime in \"Khan's Londonistan\" - using a term widely perceived as a pejorative reference to the British capital's Muslim population and Khan's Pakistan ancestry.\"LONDON needs a new mayor ASAP. Khan is a disaster - will only get worse!\" Trump wrote in response to Hopkins' tweet, later adding the mayor was \"a national disgrace who is destroying\" the city.Earlier this month the President's plane had not even touched down in London for the start of a state visit when he tweeted that Khan was a \"stone cold loser.\"Khan had criticized the red carpet treatment being given to Trump for the visit.Trump said the mayor should \"focus on crime in London, not me,\" and made a derisive reference to Khan's height.Khan, London's first Muslim mayor, had led opposition to Trump's visit, writing a newspaper article in which he compared the US leader to European dictators from the 1930s and 1940s.At that time, the mayor's spokesman called Trump's tweets \"childish\" and \"beneath the President of the United States.\"On a trip to London in July last year, Trump accused Khan of doing \"a very bad job on terrorism ,\" linking immigration to a deadly wave of crime in London.The feud began when Khan, the son of a bus driver who emigrated from Pakistan in the 1960s, criticized Trump's travel ban on people from certain Muslim countries.Hopkins, who wrote in support of Trump's election campaign during her time at the Daily Mail , has been dogged by numerous allegations of Islamophobia and hate speech during her career as a columnist.Her description of migrants as \"cockroaches\" in 2015 prompted a rebuke by former UN high commissioner for refugees Zeid Ra'ad Al Husein, who said Hopkins had used language similar to that employed by some Rwandan media outlets in the run-up to the 1994 genocide , and by the Nazis in the 1930s.", "Image copyright AFP\n\nIsraeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has unveiled a new settlement in the occupied Golan Heights, named after US President Donald Trump.\n\nAt a naming ceremony on Sunday, Mr Netanyahu said Trump Heights honoured Mr Trump for his decision to recognise Israeli sovereignty over the territory.\n\nBuilding work has yet to begin but a sign bearing Mr Trump's name and US and Israeli flags was unveiled.\n\nCritics called the move a publicity stunt with no legal authority.\n\nIsrael seized the Golan from Syria in the 1967 Middle East war. In March, the US became the first country to recognise Israeli sovereignty over the area since Israel effectively annexed it in 1981.\n\n\"This is a historic day,\" said Mr Netanyahu, hailing President Trump as \"a friend of Israel\".\n\nUS Ambassador David Friedman, who attended the ceremony, called the move \"well deserved, but much appreciated\".\n\nIsrael's premier pledged in April to name a new settlement after Mr Trump, soon after the president overturned decades of US policy by recognising Israel's sovereignty over the Golan.\n\nThe region is located about 60km (40 miles) south-west of the Syrian capital, Damascus, and covers about 1,000 sq km (400 sq miles).\n\nThe new settlement is expected to be built near Kela in the northern Golan Heights.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Netanyahu praises Trump for recognising Israel control of Golan\n\nOn Sunday, Israel's cabinet approved Mr Netanyahu's resolution for an \"initiative to establish\" a new Golan Heights community.\n\nBut the resolution falls short of declaring the establishment of a settlement, and no money has yet been earmarked for construction.\n\nPolitical opponents of the scheme have also noted that, legally, no new localities can be established before Israel's elections in September.\n\n\"Anyone who reads the fine print in this 'historic' decision will understand that this is nothing more than a nonbinding, fake policy,\" former cabinet secretary Zvi Hauser told the Times of Israel.\n\n\"Let's hope President Trump does not know that his name is being used for this public relations exercise,\" he added.", "Welcome back, Power friends. Reach out, sign up, and have a wonderful week. Thanks for waking up with us.\n\nBreaking 🚨: \"Iran has threatened to increase its uranium stockpile limit set by the 2015 nuclear deal in the next 10 days, amid escalating tensions with the United States and so far unsuccessful European efforts to salvage the deal. Iran said it had already sped up its production of low-enriched uranium,\" The Post's Rick Noack reports.\n• \"Iran has denied claims by the Trump administration and others that it is seeking to build a nuclear bomb. But on Monday, Iran also announced enrichment targets that would put it in the proximity of the levels needed to build a weapon. It was unclear how long Iran would need to reach those targets.\"\n\nRED FLAGS: Trumpworld is trying to wave a red flag in front of the president to warn him that his 2020 reelection battle is going to be a tougher fight than he's willing to acknowledge. That's why, people close to the campaign said, that unflattering internal poll numbers leaked about matchups with Joe Biden and other Democratic contenders in key states.\n\nTrump at first denied the internal numbers existed (his campaign manager Brad Parscale confirmed they did indeed exist, but were from March) and his campaign then took action to dismiss those suspected of revealing them.\n\nAfter the 17-state internal poll was outed, NBC News first reported that his campaign is “cutting ties with some of it's own pollsters” going into the week of Trump's official reelection kickoff event tomorrow in Orlando.\n• “Days ahead of Trump’s official launch of his reelection bid on Tuesday, the campaign is severing its relationship with Brett Loyd, Mike Baselice and Adam Geller while keeping pollsters Tony Fabrizio and John McLaughlin,” my colleagues Felicia Sonmez, Josh Dawsey and Ashley Parker report of the personnel changes.\n\nThe real deal: A source close to the Trump campaign told Power Up that the leaks — and the way they were handled — are of more concern than the actual numbers:\n• “Polls are simply snapshots in time, and the election is still a year and a half away. I'm not worried about the polling numbers as much as I'm worried about the volume of damaging leaks coming from within the campaign,” a source close to the campaign told Power Up.\n\nHowever, campaign sources speculated the bleak poll numbers were leaked for a purpose: to send a wake up call to Trump about his poor standing.\n• \"2020 will be exponentially more difficult than 2016 and everyone needs to realize that,” the source close to the campaign explained.\n• The message is clearly not one Trump has been receptive to, telling Fox News in an interview last week that the polling was “incorrect.”\n• Last week, Trump unloaded on “several campaign officials, telling them the numbers they had were incorrect and not an accurate reflection of how he's polling throughout the country,” CNN's Kaitlan Collins, Sarah Westwood, Jeremy Diamond and Jeff Zeleny report.\n• But public polling tells the story of a similarly difficult reelection climb. In a Fox News poll released this weekend, “Trump trails the Democrat in each of the possible 2020 head-to-head matchups tested and never gets above 41 percent support. At the same time, none of the challengers hits 50 percent.”\n\nLeaking to the press as a way to expose pertinent information, back stab colleagues, influence policy, or send a message to the president is not a new phenomenon in the Trump administration. Funneling information through the one medium that Trump is most likely to consume is a surefire way to get through to him.\n\nDeny at all costs: Trump's response to the poll numbers surfacing fits into a pattern of the president denying reports in the “fake news” media he frequently doesn't like or paint an unflattering portrait of the administration.\n\nAfter the New York Times's David Sanger and Nicole Perlroth reported over the weekend that the United States is “stepping up digital incursions into Russia’s electric power grid,” Trump called the report “NOT TRUE” and “a virtual act of Treason.”\n• But Trump's national security adviser John Bolton and U.S. Cyber Command head Gen. Paul Nakasone “declined to answer questions about the incursions into Russia’s grid.”\n• And moreover: “Officials at the National Security Council also declined to comment but said they had no national security concerns about the details of the New York Times’s reporting about the targeting of the Russian grid, perhaps an indication that some of the intrusions were intended to be noticed by the Russians,” per Sanger and Perlroth.\n• Pentagon and intelligence officials also described “broad hesitation” to divulge details to Trump about the operation, worried he'd “countermand it or discuss it with foreign officials.”\n\nScorched-earth approach: Trump's “willingness to act with impunity in his drive for re-election,” was encapsulated in his interview with ABC News's George Stephanopoulos that aired in a Sunday special edition.\n• “I mean it was all phony polling. It’s actually phony polling and I believe it’s suppression. They suppress, they want to suppress the minds of people so they don’t bother going out and voting,” Trump said, continuing to complain of the coverage of the leaked internal polls.\n• “Yeah, uh, my life has always been a fight. And I enjoy that I guess, I don’t know if I enjoy it or not, I gue — sometimes I have false fights like the Russian witch hunt. That’s a false fight. That’s a made-up, uh, hoax. And I had to fight that.”\n• “Abraham Lincoln was treated supposedly very badly. But nobody's been treated badly like me.”\n\nTrump to his chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, after he coughed in the middle of the interview: \"If you’re going to cough, please leave the room. You just can’t, you just can’t cough. Boy oh boy. Okay, do you want to do that a little differently than uhh--\"\n\nA 2016 campaign staffer sent me a text in response to Trump's reaction to the coughing episode:\n\n\"I was told by multiple people when I came aboard to never cough or sneeze while in the presence of Trump. He thinks it’s a sign of weakness and lack of control. Nobody ever recovers.”\n\nTRUMP HEIGHTS, ISRAEL — “Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took his first steps Sunday to express his gratitude to President Trump, unveiling, at a specially convened cabinet meeting, a plaque marking the spot where Israel’s newest town — Trump Heights — will sit,” my colleague Ruth Eglash reported over the weekend from Jerusalem.\n• “The new community is located on the occupied Golan Heights, which — in a highly controversial move that upended decades of U.S. foreign policy — Trump recognized as being part of sovereign Israel last March.”\n\nHowever, Haaretz's Noa Shpigel reports that, “Despite the fanfare in the Golan Heights, the current government is temporary, and cannot officially approve the community. At this point, it can only start the administrative work on the project.\"\n• “The legal opinion accompanying the proposal states that the decision to establish the community in practice will be up to the next government, which will be formed after new elections take place in September. It also states that the finance ministry and the National Planning and Construction Commission will have to carry out large-scale administrative work before a final decision can be made.”\n\n“Israbluff”: MK Zvi Hauser, of the Blue and White Party who served as cabinet secretary under Netanyahu from 2009 to 2013 told the Jerusalem Post that the establishment of\n\n“Ramat Trump” is “fictitious.”\n• “Whoever reads the fine print in this ‘historical decision’ will understand that it is nothing more than a fictitious and non-obligatory resolution (fake policy),” Hauser said. “There is no budget, there is no plan, there is no location for the settlement and there isn’t really any binding decision to execute the project.”\n\nHONG KONG PROTESTERS RETURN: Nearly 2 million protesters filled Hong Kong's streets again on Sunday, demonstrating against the government's proposal to allow extraditions to China \"even after the city’s leader said she would suspend the bill,\" my colleague Shibani Mahtani reports.\n• \"Hong Kong’s chief executive, Carrie Lam, said Saturday she would suspend debate on the bill in an effort to “restore calm and peace” to Hong Kong. After protests swelled on Sunday, she apologized to the people of Hong Kong for “deficiencies in the government’s work” and promised to “adopt a most sincere and humble attitude to accept criticisms and make improvements.”\n• \"But she has stopped short of withdrawing the bill altogether. She has insisted the proposal — which would allow fugitives to be extradited to countries without a formal treaty with Hong Kong, including China — is “laudable.\"\n• Click here for more stunning images of the historic protests from the New York Times.\n\nIMPEACHMENT UPDATE: A poll released by the Wall Street Journal/NBC News over the weekend found support is growing among Democrats to initiate an official impeachment inquiry into Trump.\n• \"The share of Americans in the survey calling for immediate impeachment hearings jumped 10 points, to 27%, since last month. The share of those who believe Congress should avoid hearings and allow Mr. Trump to finish his term stood at 48%, unchanged since May,\" per The Journal's Joshua Jamerson.\n• \"The change is being driven by Democrats. Some 48% of Democrats said there is enough evidence to begin impeachment hearings now, up from 30% last month.\"\n\nBut as the New York Times's Sheryl Gay Stolberg points out, it's the centrist Democrats who delivered the House majority in 2018 -- \"majority makers\" she calls them -- who might have the final say on whether House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) relents in her opposition to an official inquiry.\n• \"More than 40 Democratic newcomers captured Republican seats last year, and nearly all are on a list of 44 incumbents known as “front-line Democrats” who are deemed endangered by the House Democrats’ campaign arm. Many say their constituents have expressed little interest in impeachment, and polls back that up: A Quinnipiac University survey released Wednesday found that Americans oppose opening an impeachment inquiry into Mr. Trump by nearly a two-to-one ratio.\"\n• And then there's also the Pelosi fear factor, according to my colleague Rachael Bade: \"The reluctance to oppose the speaker, according to interviews with more than 20 lawmakers and aides, has undermined the push for impeachment despite the growing support for ousting Trump among the party’s liberal base and several 2020 presidential candidates.\"\n\nHowever, there are some newcomers who are considering casting their caution and desire to keep their seats aside -- especially as voters start to ask more about the \"I-word.\"\n• \"Representative Harley Rouda, a freshman Democrat from California who defeated the veteran Republican Dana Rohrabacher, has set a June 30 deadline for himself: If the White House is still stonewalling by then, he said, he will advocate opening an impeachment inquiry — even if it costs him his seat.\"\n• \"Both [Elissa] Slotkin, who ousted a veteran Republican incumbent, and Representative Katie Porter, who flipped a Southern California district, said they had noticed a recent uptick in questions about impeachment on trips back home.\"\n\nPROGRAMMING NOTE: Hope Hicks will testify behind closed doors before the House Judiciary Committee this Wednesday, \"the first former Trump aide to go before the committee investigating whether Trump tried to obstruct a probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election.\"\n• Huawei founder says revenue will be billions below forecast. By the Associated Press’s Dake Kang and Yanan Wang.\n• As Sudan Faces Political Upheaval & A Food Crisis, Here’s How To Help. By Refinery 29’s Lydia Wang.\n• Notre Dame Holds 1st Mass Since Fire Devastated The Historic Paris Cathedral. By NPR’s Jake Cigainero.\n• Trump national security team expected to discuss sending more US military force to Middle East in wake of tanker attacks. By CNN’s Barbara Starr.\n• Lyrics Site Accuses Google of Lifting Its Content. By the Wall Street Journal's Robert McMillan.\n• Tyranny of the 70-Somethings. By The Atlantic's Andrew Ferguson.", "Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced a new settlement in the Golan Heights named after his “great friend” Donald Trump.\n\nNetanyahu unveiled a sign at the proposed site of the settlement on Sunday bearing the name “Trump Heights,” and thanked the US President for breaking with the international community to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the region.\n\n“We are proud that we have the opportunity to establish a new settlement and to give thanks to a great friend,” Netanyahu told a celebratory cabinet meeting at the site. “We will continue to grow and develop the Golan for all of our citizens — Jews and non-Jews together.”\n\nThe Golan Heights, which was seized by Israel from Syria during the Six-Day War in 1967 and annexed in 1981, is regarded as illegally occupied territory by the global community. The UN Security Council has deemed Israel’s administration of the area “null and void and without legal effect,” and the UN special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, recently reiterated that position.\n\nBut Trump recognized Israeli sovereignty in the region in March, two weeks before that country’s elections, in what was seen as a major political gift to Netanyahu. The US is the only country in the world to recognize Israeli sovereignty in the occupied territory.\n\nAt Sunday’s unveiling, the Israeli leader went on to thank Trump for a number of pro-Israel decisions — while also joining the US in blaming Iran for the attack on tankers in the Gulf of Oman last week.\n\n“President Trump did it [with the Golan], he also did it with Jerusalem, he did it with the transfer of the embassy, he did it with the exit from the Iran nuclear deal, he does it now with the strong stand against the aggression of Iran in the Gulf of Oman, in the Persian Gulf, and in the entire region,” he said.\n\nUS Ambassador to Israel David Friedman, who sat next to Netanyahu during the festive cabinet meeting, praised the decision.\n\n“I want to thank you for holding the cabinet meeting and for the extraordinary gesture that you and the State of Israel are making to the President of the United States,” Friedman said. “It’s well-deserved, but it’s much appreciated.”\n\nBut opposition lawmakers in Israeli criticized Netanyahu’s announcement as a public relations exercise.\n\n“Whoever reads the fine print in this ‘historic’ decision understands that it is a phantom decision,” Zvi Hauser, an advocate of international recognition of Israeli sovereignty in the Golan, said on Twitter. “There is no budget, there is no planning, there is no place, and there is really no binding decision,” he added.", "Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu unveils the sign for the new settlement\n\nIsrael's prime minister has renamed a settlement after his favourite world leader: Donald Trump.\n\nThe 30-year-old settlement in the Israel-controlled Golan Heights is currently known as Beruchim and has a population of 10 people, mostly elderly immigrants from the former Soviet Union.\n\nIt is around 12 miles from the border with Syria and surrounded by land mines and high yellow grass.\n\nBenjamin Netanyahu's cabinet has agreed in principle to rename the community Ramat Trump (Hebrew for Trump Heights), hoping this will encourage more Israelis to move there.\n\nThe move is also to thank the US president for his recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the territory in March.\n\nIn a ceremony on Sunday, Mr Netanyahu said Mr Trump was a \"great friend\" of Israel and that the Golan Heights is an \"inseparable part of our country and homeland\".\n\nThe ceremony was also attended by US Ambassador David Friedman, who said: \"Few things are more important to the security of the state of Israel than permanent sovereignty over the Golan Heights.\n\n\"It is simply obvious, it is indisputable and beyond any reasonable debate.\"\n\nTwo days after Mr Trump's 73rd birthday, Mr Friedman said: \"I can't think of a more appropriate and a more beautiful birthday present.\"\n\nA huge sign was unveiled with the settlement's new name in gold, with US and Israeli flags.\n\nMr Trump tweeted afterwards that the renaming was a \"great honour\" and residents of the settlement were also pleased.\n\nVladimir Belotserkovsky, 75, said: \"We certainly thank, and I personally, am satisfied by the fact that they're founding the new settlement named for Trump.\"\n\nRosa Zhernakov, a resident since 1991, said she hoped a bigger settlement would give \"more security\" from any possible return of the land to Syria.\n\nOpposition politician Zvi Hauser described the ceremony as a cheap PR stunt, adding: \"Whoever reads the small print on the 'historic' resolution understands that it is a dummy-resolution.\"\n\nIsrael captured the Golan Heights from Syria in 1967 and annexed it in 1981, a move most countries consider illegal.\n\nAlmost 50,000 people live in the Golan Heights, roughly half of them Jewish Israelis and half of them Arab Druze.\n\nIt is several hours from the economic centre of Tel Aviv and attracts little business besides some tourism and agriculture.\n\nSyria wants the area back but, while it deals with conflict within its own borders, talks are unlikely.", "Israel approved in principle on Sunday a new community named after U.S. President Donald Trump on Golan Heights, the contested frontier zone with Syria – but construction looked likely to lag given Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s political stumbles.\n\nThe “Trump Heights” project is intended to cement ties after Trump broke with other world powers to recognize Israeli sovereignty over the plateau in March.\n\nREAD MORE: Why is the Golan Heights so controversial?\n\nAt a special cabinet session in Beruchim, a sparse clutch of homes just 12 km (7.5 miles) from the Golan Heights armistice line with Syria, Netanyahu unveiled a sign labeled “Trump Heights” in English and Hebrew.\n\nThe sign was decorated with the Israeli and U.S. flags and planted on a patch of synthetic grass.\n\nIsrael captured the Golan from Syria in a 1967 war and later annexed and settled it – moves not accepted by most world powers, who deem it to be occupied Syrian territory.\n\nOngoing hostilities between Israel and Syria, and internal Syrian fighting that drew Iranian-backed auxiliaries to back Damascus and deploy near the Golan, helped Netanyahu make his case for Trump to recognize the Israeli claim of sovereignty.\n\nTrump similarly delighted Israelis – while appalling other world powers – by recognizing Jerusalem as their capital and withdrawing from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.\n\n“Trump is a great friend of Israel,” Netanyahu said.\n\n“He has torn the mask off this hypocrisy which doesn’t recognize the obvious.”\n\nREAD MORE: Israeli aircraft strikes Syria after rockets fired at Golan\n\nIsraeli authorities hope a revamping of Beruchim, home to an aging immigrant community from the former Soviet Union, to “Trump Heights” might bring a resident influx.\n\nBut a June 12 memorandum from Netanyahu’s office showed the plan was far from implementation: it lacks earmarked funds as well as final approval for its precise location and name.\n\n“In this (cabinet) resolution, it is proposed that the name of the community, if it is founded, be ‘Trump Heights’,” said the memorandum, signed by a deputy legal counselor, Yael Cohen.\n\nREAD MORE: Canada says it doesn’t recognize Israeli control over disputed Golan Heights\n\nThe hesitancy was in part due to the fact that Netanyahu heads a caretaker government, having failed to form a coalition after coming ahead in Israel’s April 9 election. The conservative four-term premier must now contest a Sept. 17 vote.\n\nIn such an interval, Cohen wrote, legal rulings “require, as a general rule, restraint in decision-making” by the cabinet.\n\n“Whoever reads the small print on the ‘historic’ resolution understands that it is a dummy-resolution,” tweeted Zvi Hauser, an ex-Netanyahu cabinet secretary now with an opposition party.\n\nNetanyahu’s political flailing has tested the patience of Trump, who earlier this month said Israel was “all messed up” over the election and needed to “get their act together.”\n\nThe upheaval appears to have put a spanner in the works of a long-awaited U.S. proposal for Israeli-Palestinian peace.\n\nTrump advisers had predicted the plan would be made public this month, but officials now say that is unlikely to happen until after the September election.", "RAMAT TRUMP, Golan Heights — The Trump name graces apartment towers, hotels and golf courses. Now it is the namesake of a tiny Israeli settlement in the Israel-controlled Golan Heights.\n\nIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Cabinet convened in this hamlet Sunday to inaugurate a new settlement named after President Donald Trump in a gesture of appreciation for the U.S. leader’s recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the territory.\n\nThe settlement isn’t exactly new. Currently known as Bruchim, it is over 30 years old and has a population of 10 people.\n\nIsrael is hoping the rebranded “Ramat Trump,” Hebrew for “Trump Heights,” will encourage a wave of residents to vastly expand it.\n\n“It’s absolutely beautiful,” said U.S. Ambassador David Friedman, who attended Sunday’s ceremony. Noting that Trump celebrated his birthday on Friday, he said: “I can’t think of a more appropriate and a more beautiful birthday present.”\n\nIsrael captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Mideast war and annexed it in 1981. Most of the international community considers the move illegal under international law.\n\nBut during a visit to Washington by Netanyahu in March, just weeks before Israeli elections, Trump signed an executive order recognizing the strategic mountainous plateau as Israeli territory. The decision, the latest in a series of diplomatic moves benefiting Israel, was widely applauded in Israel.\n\n“Few things are more important to the security of the state of Israel than permanent sovereignty over the Golan Heights,” Friedman said. “It is simply obvious, it is indisputable and beyond any reasonable debate.”\n\nAfter the Cabinet decision, Netanyahu and Friedman unveiled a sign trimmed in gold with the name “Trump Heights” and adorned with U.S. and Israeli flags. Trump retweeted photos Friedman posted of the event and thanked Netanyahu “and the State of Israel for this great honor!”\n\nAddressing the ceremony, Netanyahu called Trump a “great friend” of Israel and described the Golan, which overlooks northern Israel, as an important strategic asset.\n\n“The Golan Heights was and will always be an inseparable part of our country and homeland,” he said.\n\nDeveloping Ramat Trump will not be easy. Ringed by high yellow grass and land mines, it is roughly 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the Syrian border and a half hour drive from the nearest Israeli town, Kiryat Shmona, a community of about 20,000 people near the Lebanese border.\n\nAccording to Israeli figures, almost 50,000 people live in the Golan, including about 22,000 Jewish Israelis and nearly 25,000 Arab Druze residents.\n\nWhile Israel has encouraged and promoted settlement in the Golan, its remote location, several hours from the economic center of Tel Aviv, has been an obstacle. The area is home to small agriculture and tourism sectors but otherwise has little industry.\n\nThe eight-year Syrian civil war, which at times has resulted in spillover fire into the Golan, also could present an obstacle to luring new residents.\n\nRosa Zhernakov, a resident of Bruchim since 1991, said the community was excited by Sunday’s decision.\n\n“We hope it will benefit the Golan Heights,” she said, standing outside her bungalow on one of Bruchim’s few streets. She said the revitalization of the settlement will mean “more security” for residents from any possible return of the Golan Heights to Syria as part of a future peace treaty.\n\nSyria has demanded a return of the strategic territory, which overlooks northern Israel, as part of any peace deal. After the devastating civil war in Syria, the prospects of peace talks with Israel anytime soon seem extremely low.\n\nVladimir Belotserkovsky, 75, another veteran resident, said he welcomed any move to build up the settlement.\n\n“We certainly thank, and I personally, am satisfied by the fact that they’re founding the new settlement named for Trump,” he said.\n\nRamat Trump joins a handful of Israeli places named after American presidents, including a village for Harry S. Truman, who first recognized the Jewish state, and George W. Bush Plaza, a square the size of a modest living room in central Jerusalem.\n\nFollowing Sunday’s decision to rename the community, developing the settlement still requires overcoming several additional bureaucratic obstacles. With Netanyahu running for re-election in the second national election this year, it remains unclear whether he will be able to complete the task.\n\nZvi Hauser, an opposition lawmaker who formerly served as Netanyahu’s Cabinet secretary, called Sunday’s ceremony a cheap PR stunt.\n\n“There’s no funding, no planning, no location, and there’s no real binding decision,” he said.", "Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has unveiled a new settlement in the Israel-controlled Golan Heights, named after US President Donald Trump.\n\nMr Netanyahu’s Cabinet convened in the tiny hamlet to inaugurate the settlement, named after Mr Trump in a gesture of appreciation for the president’s recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the territory.\n\nThe settlement, currently known as Bruchim, is over 30-years-old and has a population of 10 people.\n\nIsrael is hoping the rebranded “Ramat Trump”, Hebrew for “Trump Heights”, will encourage residents to help expand it.\n\n“It’s absolutely beautiful,” said US Ambassador David Friedman, who attended Sunday’s ceremony.\n\nNoting that Mr Trump celebrated his birthday on Friday, he said: “I can’t think of a more appropriate and a more beautiful birthday present.”\n\nIsrael captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Middle East war and annexed it in 1981.\n\nMost of the international community considers the move illegal under international law.\n\nBut during a visit to Washington by Mr Netanyahu in March, just weeks before Israeli elections, Mr Trump signed an executive order recognising the strategic mountainous plateau as Israeli territory.\n\nThe decision, the latest in a series of diplomatic moves benefiting Israel, was widely applauded in Israel.\n\n“Few things are more important to the security of the state of Israel than permanent sovereignty over the Golan Heights,” Mr Friedman said.\n\n“It is simply obvious, it is indisputable and beyond any reasonable debate.”\n\nAfter the Cabinet decision, Mr Netanyahu and Mr Friedman unveiled a sign trimmed in gold with the name “Trump Heights” and adorned with US and Israeli flags.\n\nAddressing the ceremony, Mr Netanyahu called Mr Trump a “great friend” of Israel and described the Golan, which overlooks northern Israel, as an important strategic asset.\n\n“The Golan Heights was and will always be an inseparable part of our country and homeland,” he said.\n\nWhile Israel has encouraged and promoted settlement in the Golan, its remote location, several hours from the economic centre of Tel Aviv, has been an obstacle. The area is home to small agriculture and tourism sectors but otherwise has little industry.\n\nThe eight-year Syrian civil war, which at times has resulted in spillover fire into the Golan, could also present an obstacle to encouraging new residents.\n\nRosa Zhernakov, a resident of Bruchim since 1991, said the community was excited by Sunday’s decision.\n\n“We hope it will benefit the Golan Heights,” she said, standing outside her bungalow on one of Bruchim’s few streets.\n\nShe said the revitalisation of the settlement would mean “more security” for residents from any possible return of the Golan Heights to Syria as part of a future peace treaty.\n\nSyria has demanded a return of the strategic territory, which overlooks northern Israel, as part of any peace deal.\n\nAfter the devastating civil war in Syria, the prospects of peace talks with Israel anytime soon seem extremely low.\n\nRamat Trump joins a handful of Israeli places named after American presidents, including a village for Harry S Truman, who first recognised the Jewish state, and George W Bush Plaza, a square the size of a modest living room in central Jerusalem.\n\nSeveral bureaucratic obstacles will need to be overcome to develop the settlement. With Mr Netanyahu running for re-election in the second national election this year, it remains unclear whether he will be able to complete the task.\n\nZvi Hauser, an opposition lawmaker who formerly served as Mr Netanyahu’s Cabinet secretary, called Sunday’s ceremony a cheap PR stunt.\n\n“There’s no funding, no planning, no location, and there’s no real binding decision,” he said.", "In what critics denounced as an obscene celebration of land theft and a violation of international law, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday showed his appreciation for U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize the occupied Golan Heights as Israeli territory by unveiling a new illegal settlement named “Trump Heights.”\n\nAs Common Dreams reported, Trump’s recognition of the occupied Syrian territory as Israeli property in March was widely condemned by international observers.\n\n“This is a historic day,” Netanyahu said after dramatically uncovering the “Trump Heights” entry sign, emblazoned with large gold letters.\n\nAs Haaretz reported, no new community was actually established in the occupied Syrian territory on Sunday, as the move must be approved and finalized by the government.\n\n“There isn’t really any settlement there yet, just a sign, just as there isn’t any reality to Trump more generally, just an empty suit,” historian and Middle East expert Juan Cole wrote in a blog post on Monday.\n\n“Given that Trump is a narcissistic fraud, it is appropriate that his name be attached to the illegal Israeli theft of Syrian territory. In fact, we should just call the Occupied Palestinian Territories in general Trumpland, a fraud and form of robbery like his ‘university’ and ‘steaks’ and ‘airline,'” Cole wrote. “Trump Heights is such a great name for the colony built on theft, since Trump’s whole life has been about being wealthy and powerful enough to escape the consequences of his crimes.”\n\nOthers expressed similar disgust at Netanyahu’s announcement, which was quickly hailed by Trump as a “great honor.”\n\n“Blatant theft: with no legal jurisdiction whatsoever and in flagrant violation of international law, Israel re-names part of Syria after Trump,” tweeted activist Sarah Wilkinson.", "AFP | Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman inaugurate ‘Trump Heights’ in Golan, on June 16, 2019.\n\nPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday officially renamed a settlement in the disputed Golan Heights after Israel’s “great friend” Donald Trump, in a show of gratitude for the US president for recognising Israel’s sovereignty of the territory.\n\nIn a ceremony attended by several cabinet ministers and accompanied by song and speeches, Netanyahu unveiled the “Trump Heights” sign, featuring the Israeli and American flags to mark the renaming of Israel’s Bruchim settlement, which was created 30 years ago.\n\n\"The Golan is Israeli and will remain so always,\" Netanyahu declared in his inauguration speech, praising Trump for his strong support for Israel by becoming the first foreign leader to recognise the Golan Heights as Israeli.\n\nTrump is \"a very great friend of Israel who has taken a decision that has never before been taken\", he said.\n\nIsrael captured the Golan Heights from Syria in the 1967 Mideast war and annexed it in 1981. Most of the international community considers the move illegal under international law.\n\nSome 23,000 Druze, an Arab Muslim minority also present in Syria and Lebanon, live in the occupied and annexed portion of the Golan, while 25,000 Israeli settlers have arrived there since 1967.\n\nThe US Ambassador to Israel, David Friedman, attended the ceremony and called the renaming of the site “absolutely beautiful”.\n\n“We all checked the history book… it almost never happens anywhere in the world that an entire community is dedicated in the name of a sitting president,” he was quoted by the Times of Israel as saying. “President Trump will be honored to be in that small cadre of Israeli heroes,” he said.\n\n“My only regrets is that neither the president nor I are in the real estate business anymore because if we were, I’m sure it this would be high on our list for places that we would think about developing.”\n\nTrump retweeted photos of the event, thanking Netanyahu and “and the State of Israel for this great honor!”\n\nTrump’s recognition of the annexation of Golan Heights is not the first time the US president has shown his allegiance with Netanyahu and Israel. In May, 2018, Trump transferred the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem causing violent protests and condemnation from much of the international community.\n\nTrump's embassy decision broke with decades of international consensus not to recognise the city as the capital of Israel, which took over mainly Palestinian east Jerusalem in the Six-Day War and later annexed it.\n\nIsrael considers the entire city its capital, but the Palestinians see east Jerusalem as the capital of their future state.\n\nIn Netanyahu’s speech on Sunday, the prime minister said the new settlement would “drive development of the Golan Heights\", vowing his government will invest in building homes and roads, as well as education and tourism facilities.\n\nBut according to critics, the task of developing the settlement still requires overcoming several additional bureaucratic obstacles and with Netanyahu running for re-election in the second national election this year, it remains unclear whether he will be able to complete the task.\n\nZvi Hauser, an opposition lawmaker who formerly served as Netanyahu’s Cabinet secretary, called Sunday’s ceremony a cheap PR stunt.\n\n“There’s no funding, no planning, no location, and there’s no real binding decision,” he said."], "summary": "Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu formally unveils Trump Heights, a new settlement in the Golan Heights, named after U.S. President Donald Trump for his decision to recognise Israeli sovereignty over the occupied territory."}
{"document": ["Foreign Minister Taro Kono on Sunday sought cooperation from Mongolia over efforts to settle the issue of past abductions of Japanese nationals by North Korea, as Ulaanbaatar maintains friendly ties with Pyongyang.\n\nDuring talks between Kono and his Mongolian counterpart, Damdin Tsogtbaatar, in the Mongolian capital, the two agreed on the importance of fully implementing U.N. sanctions against North Korea to push the country toward denuclearization, according to Japanese officials.\n\nKono said the two countries are strategic partners sharing universal values and that he hopes to further develop their relationship. Tsogtbaatar agreed to deepen ties.\n\nTokyo, which has no diplomatic ties with North Korea, has often looked to Mongolia to act as a mediator. It is the first time in about nine years that a Japanese foreign minister has visited the country.\n\nPrime Minister Shinzo Abe recently stepped up efforts to reach out to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, saying he is willing to hold a meeting “without preconditions” — a shift from his previous position that any summit should yield progress on the abduction issue.\n\nNorth Korea has so far reacted coldly, with its state-run media quoting a spokesperson for the country’s Korea Asia-Pacific Peace Committee earlier in the month as calling the offer “brazen.”\n\nJapan officially lists 17 people as victims of abduction, five of whom were repatriated in 2002, and suspects the North’s involvement in many other disappearances.\n\nKono will return to Japan on Monday."], "summary": "Foreign Minister of Japan Tarō Kōno seeks cooperation from Mongolia over efforts to settle the issue of past abductions of Japanese nationals by North Korea, as Mongolia maintains friendly ties with Pyongyang. Japan has no ties with North Korea and pushes for further sanctions."}
{"document": ["Image copyright Reuters Image caption Sandra Torres led most polls in the run up to Sunday's vote\n\nFormer First Lady Sandra Torres has taken the lead in the first round of Guatemala's presidential elections, preliminary results show.\n\nShe now faces her nearest conservative rival, Alejandro Giammattei, in a run-off vote in August.\n\nWith 98% of polling stations tallied, Ms Torres took 25.70% of the vote, while Mr Giammattei got 13.92%.\n\nThe next president will be under pressure to tackle gang violence and poverty, which dominated campaigning.\n\nMs Torres said on Monday she would work to build alliances to win the run-off, which is due to be held on 11 August.\n\n\"The country needs unity: to unite the countryside with the city, to unite the workers with the business community, and also in civil society, in all sectors,\" the centre-left candidate told reporters.\n\nAround 40,000 police officers were on duty during voting on Sunday amid fears of violence.\n\nIn San Jorge in the east of the country, voting was suspended after death threats were made against electoral authorities, according to Interior Minister Enrique Degenhart.\n\nNineteen candidates were running to succeed President Jimmy Morales.\n\nThelma Aldana, the former attorney-general, and Zury Ríos, the daughter of the late military ruler Efraín Ríos Montt, were barred from running for the presidency. Another candidate was arrested in Miami on suspicion of conspiring to import cocaine to the US.\n\nReuters Guatemala election 8.1 millioneligible voters choose 1 President and vice-president\n\n160 Members of Congress\n\n340 Mayors\n\n20Members of the Central American Parliament Source: Guatemalan Supreme Electoral Tibunal\n\nThe president is elected by absolute majority for a single four-year term. Under Guatemalan law, current President Jimmy Morales cannot stand for a second term.\n\nWho is Sandra Torres?\n\nImage copyright EPA Image caption Sandra Torres divorced her husband to be able to run for president\n\nSandra Torres, 63, failed in her two previous attempts to be elected president, but the most recent opinion polls put her in the lead.\n\nMs Torres was married to Álvaro Colom, who governed Guatemala from 2008 to 2012, and who is currently under investigation for alleged fraud.\n\nShe divorced him in 2011 in order to bypass a law which banned close relatives of the president from succeeding him.\n\nIn 2011, her candidacy was rejected by the Constitutional Court, but she was allowed to run in 2015. That time, she had enough votes to get her into the second round where she was defeated by Jimmy Morales by a large margin of almost 35 percentage points.\n\nMs Torres is running for the social-democratic National Unity of Hope party (UNE).\n\nShe and her party are under investigation for alleged illegal campaign financing during the last election, which she has denied.\n\nMs Torres says she will provide \"comprehensive solutions like development, fight against poverty and job opportunities\" to try to convince Guatemalans to stay in the country rather than migrating to the United States.\n\nThe former First Lady has also pledged to deploy troops in Guatemala's streets to crack down on drug gangs.\n\nWho is Alejandro Giammattei, the runner up?\n\nImage copyright Reuters Image caption Alejandro Giammattei was once in charge of the Guatemalan prison service\n\nThe 63-year-old candidate is standing for the right-wing Vamos (Let's Go) party and this is his fourth attempt at becoming president. Each time, he has run for a different party.\n\nMr Giammattei is a trained doctor who was named director of the Guatemalan prison system in 2006.\n\nThat same year, he led a controversial operation to take control of the Pavón prison, which had been run by inmates for a decade. Seven inmates died during the raids by the security forces.\n\nMr Giammattei was among eight people accused over the incident and after spending 10 months in pre-trial detention, he was acquitted due to lack of evidence.\n\nHe came fourth in the 2015 election.\n\nHe says that if he is elected, he will build \"a wall of prosperity\" to keep Guatemalans from migrating to the US.\n\nIn order to lessen the disparity between the rich and the poor, he wants to attract more foreign investment to Guatemala by strengthening the protections granted to private property.\n\nWhat are the main issues?\n\nGuatemalans have told pollsters that their top concern is government corruption.\n\nFour years after large-scale anti-corruption protests forced then-President Otto Pérez Molina to resign, many Guatemalans feel not enough has been done by the government of Jimmy Morales to combat corruption.\n\nMr Morales caused outrage when he tried to kick the UN-backed anti-corruption commission out of Guatemala when it investigated him over alleged corruption.\n\nThe most vocal supporter for the commission, known as CICIG by its Spanish initials, has been Thelma Aldana, who as Guatemala's attorney general has worked closely with it. Before she was barred, she said she would strengthen CICIG and make government more efficient and transparent.", "A woman jogs past political campaign posters at Reforma avenue in Guatemala City, early Saturday, June 15, 2019. The road to Sunday’s presidential election in Guatemala has been a chaotic flurry of court rulings and shenanigans, illegal party-switching and allegations of malfeasance that torpedoed the candidacies of two of the top three candidates. (AP Photo/Oliver de Ros)\n\nGUATEMALA CITY (AP) — Guatemalans head to the polls Sunday to choose their next president, as well as a vice president, congressional representatives and mayors. With 19 candidates in the race for president, a runoff vote is likely in August.\n\nUnemployment, violence, corruption, rising costs of living and the shoddy state of the country’s highways are among top concerns for the country’s electorate. Surging migration has not emerged as a major campaign issue, even as an estimated 1 percent of Guatemala’s population of some 16 million people has left the country this year.\n\nHere are the top-five candidates for president based on recent polls:\n\nPolls favor former first lady Sandra Torres of the National Unity and Hope party to finish first, but it is unlikely she will get enough votes to avoid a runoff. Torres, 64, is a businesswoman who gained national prominence during the 2008-2012 government of her then-husband, Álvaro Colom, when she served as coordinator of the Council on Social Cohesion, an entity dedicated to helping the marginalized and the poor. The couple divorced in 2011. This is the third time Torres has tried to run for president. Prosecutors opened an investigation into alleged illicit campaign financing involving her party. The case has not moved forward because candidates are protected from prosecution.\n\nThis four-time presidential candidate and former prison director is best-known for having put down a prison uprising in which several hostages were killed.\n\nA businessman and son of a former president, Arzú is polling close to Giammattei for second place. Arzú, who was once president of a soccer club, represents a coalition of conservative parties.\n\nA lawyer, journalist and diplomat who was accused of running an international child adoption ring in the early 1980s that spirited orphans and other children who may have been abandoned out of Guatemala. Mulet, 68, later became the highest ranking Guatemalan in the United Nations.\n\nThe only indigenous candidate in the race and the top contender from a left-leaning party. Cabrera, 43, is a human and land rights defender from the indigenous Mam community.", "Guatemalans are geared up to elect the successor of Jimmy Morales in Sunday’s election.\n\nGuatemalans headed to the polls Sunday to vote for a new president and elect the successor of President Jimmy Morales. Nearly eight million Guatemalans are voting this election.\n\nA total of 19 candidates will compete in the election, which is expected to yield no outright winner, forcing the top two vote-getters to face off in a second round on Aug. 11.\n\nThe voting centers opened at 7:00 am local time and are expected to close at 6:00 pm local time. The winner will take office on Jan 14.\n\nAmong those leading the polls is Sandra Torres — wife of ex-President Alvaro Colom, a representative of the social democratic party, National Union of Hope (UNE).\n\nFollowing her is a great number of contenders led by Alejandro Giammattei of the newly established Vamos party, the former director of the jail system. Next is Roberto Arzu of the right-wing Pan-Podemos and finally Edmundo Mulet of the Guatemalan Humanist Party.\n\nHowever, the Times News reports widespread discontent, with voters saying they don't trust any of the candidates, especially in light of a campaign plagued with scandals in which three candidates were disqualified for ethics violations.\n\nThere are big challenges for the next president of the country who will be expected to provide solutions to voters' urgent concerns, which include a slowing economy, growing poverty, wild corruption and high levels of crime.\n\nCorruption has always characterized the country’s political life. In an effort to address the problem, the government of Oscar Berger (2004-2008) invited the United Nations to create the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) to inquire into corruption and crime in the country.\n\nThe progress made by the CICIG came to an end during Jimmy Morales presidency and his broken promises have produced immense dissatisfaction among Guatemala’s population.\n\nIn August, President Morales said he would end the commission’s mandatewhen it expires in September 2019. At that time he also prohibited its director, Ivan Velasquez, from reentering Guatemala from his home country of Colombia and ordered the government to withhold the passports of over 30 of its employees.\n\nThis all unfolded just days after the commission was getting closer and closer to investigating the president and his National Party (NP), for illicit campaign financing during Morales’ 2016 run for head of state, among other charges.", "GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) - Guatemalans on Sunday began voting for a new president, who will face the challenge of curbing drug gang violence that has convulsed the country and helped spur illegal immigration to the United States, fueling tensions with President Donald Trump.\n\nNineteen candidates are competing in the election, which is expected to yield no outright winner, forcing the top two contenders to face off in a second round on Aug. 11.\n\nFormer first lady Sandra Torres, of the center-left UNE party, has led the race to succeed President Jimmy Morales, a conservative former television host whose term has been blighted by accusations of corruption made by U.N.-backed investigators.\n\nTorres, who wants to send troops onto the streets to fight drug gangs, and to tackle poverty with welfare programs, has support of around 20 percent of the electorate, polls show.\n\n“We have to sort out our problems here, and part of the reason for the migration is the lack of jobs, the gap in wages between the United States and here,” Torres said as she arrived to cast her vote in Guatemala City. “We need to work with the business community to revive the economy and create jobs.”\n\nHer closest rivals, trailing by a few percentage points, are conservatives Alejandro Giammattei, who is running in his fourth campaign, and Edmond Mulet, a former United Nations official whose candidacy has gained traction in the run-up to the vote.\n\nMulet, who arrived to vote driving a white car with his wife and son, stressed that he had run an austere campaign, and said he was hopeful of making the second round run-off.\n\nRampant violence and widespread discontent over corruption and impunity in the country of 17 million have prompted more and more Guatemalans to flee for the United States.\n\nThe surge of departures has undermined Trump’s pledge to curb illegal immigration, and the U.S. president has responded by threatening to cut U.S. aid to Central America.\n\nThat prospect has caused alarm in Guatemala, where the legacy of the bloody 1960-1996 civil war continues to cast a long shadow over the country’s development.\n\nPolling stations close at 6 p.m. (0000 GMT) and results are due to begin to coming in from around 7 p.m. (0100 GMT).\n\nTo avoid a run-off, one of the candidates needs to win more than 50 percent of the vote, a result pollsters deem highly unlikely. Securing victory will likely depend on candidates’ ability to build a coalition for the second round.\n\nIn research report on Friday, Eurasia Group said Torres would struggle to win a run-off, given her high rejection rate and the ability of her likely opponent to unify the conservative vote and secure support from the country’s powerful elites.\n\nMorales, who is barred by law from seeking re-election, took office in 2016 vowing to root out corruption after his predecessor was brought down by a probe led by the U.N.-backed International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG).\n\nInstead, Morales himself became a target of a CICIG probe into allegations of campaign finance wrongdoing and was subject to impeachment proceedings in 2017.\n\nHe survived the attempt to oust him, and then engaged in a bitter dispute with the CICIG before finally terminating its mandate, effective from September.\n\n“Guatemala needs a transparent government, more security,” said Dalila Lorenzana, a 46-year-old homemaker, after voting. “And for the CICIG to stay in Guatemala and a stronger economy.”\n\nQuestions of legitimacy have dogged the 2019 contest since two of the front-runners were forced out, including Thelma Aldana, a former attorney general who tried to impeach Morales with the CICIG. The government accused Aldana of corruption, leading to her exclusion last month.\n\nAllegations of shady dealings have permeated the election, which has been fought out amid intensifying efforts by Trump to turn Mexico and Guatemala into buffer zones to keep undocumented migrants out of the United States.\n\nPresidential hopeful Mario Estrada and congressional candidate Julio Jose Rosales were arrested during the campaign and charged with having links to Mexico’s Sinaloa drug cartel.", "GUATEMALA CITY: Corruption-weary Guatemalans went to the polls Sunday to elect a new president after a tumultuous campaign that saw two leading candidates barred from taking part and the top electoral crimes prosecutor forced to flee the country, fearing for his life.\n\nBesides the president, voters will elect members of Congress and municipal offices. Gang violence, poverty and streams of US-bound migrants have dominated campaigning in Central America´s most populous country, where a crowded field of 19 candidates is vying to succeed outgoing president Jimmy Morales.\n\nThe country´s top anti-corruption campaigner, former attorney general Thelma Aldana, is not among them. She was expected to poll strongly, but was barred from running last month over allegations of irregularities dating from when she was a barnstorming public prosecutor. Sandra Torres, a 63-year-old businesswoman and former first lady, heads into the election as the favorite, having built a clear opinion-poll lead over second placed Alejandro Giammattei, also 63.\n\nTorres — candidate for the center-left Unity of Hope party (UNE) — has over 22 percent of voter preferences in the latest polls, while Giammattei, a doctor running for the conservative Vamos party, trails with just over 11 percent.\n\nHowever, neither is seen as likely to poll strongly enough Sunday to avoid a runoff round on August 11.Analysts believe Torres, a polarizing figure since her years as the Central American country´s first lady, would struggle in a second round, given Giammattei´s ability to unify the conservative vote against her.\n\nThree other candidates are vying for third place, with indigenous woman Thelma Cabrera building momentum in the closing stages of the campaign. Guatemala´s electorate of eight million is also voting in congressional and municipal elections on Sunday.\n\nTorres´s UNE is expected to poll strongly but fall short of a majority in the deeply fractured 160-seat congress. The ex-wife of former president Alvaro Colom, in power from 2008-2012, Torres has pledged health and education reforms as well as jobs to stem the flow of migration to the US.\n\nShe has vowed to oppose abortion and same-sex marriage. Giammattei has vowed to bring back the death penalty to help crush violent gangs, fight poverty to stop migration and end “disgusting” corruption.\n\nMonitors from the Organization of American States (OAS), led by former Costa Rican president Luis Guillermo Solis, are supervising the polls. All police leave has been canceled and around 40,000 police have been put on alert, while the military has been mobilized to guard key buildings and jails. Authorities have expressed concern about possible outbreaks of violence in at least 55 municipalities.\n\nGuatemala has one of the world´s highest homicide rates: official statistics put the rate at 22.4 murders per 100,000 people at the end of 2018. Around half the killings are blamed on drug trafficking and extortion operations carried out by powerful gangs. Morales, a former TV comedian who won power in 2015 — beating Torres in the run-off — is obliged to step down under Guatemala´s one-term rules.", "Corruption-weary Guatemalans went to the polls Sunday to elect a new president after a tumultuous campaign that saw two leading candidates barred from taking part and the top electoral crimes prosecutor forced to flee the country, fearing for his life.\n\nBesides the president, voters will elect members of Congress and municipal offices.\n\nGang violence, poverty and streams of US-bound migrants have dominated campaigning in Central America's most populous country, where a crowded field of 19 candidates is vying to succeed outgoing president Jimmy Morales.\n\nThe country's top anti-corruption campaigner, former attorney general Thelma Aldana, is not among them. She was expected to poll strongly, but was barred from running last month over allegations of irregularities dating from when she was a barnstorming public prosecutor.\n\nSandra Torres, a 63-year-old businesswoman and former first lady, heads into the election as the favorite, having built a clear opinion-poll lead over second placed Alejandro Giammattei, also 63.\n\nTorres -- candidate for the center-left Unity of Hope party (UNE) -- has over 22 percent of voter preferences in the latest polls, while Giammattei, a doctor running for the conservative Vamos party, trails with just over 11 percent.\n\nHowever, neither is seen as likely to poll strongly enough Sunday to avoid a runoff round on August 11.\n\nAnalysts believe Torres, a polarizing figure since her years as the Central American country's first lady, would struggle in a second round, given Giammattei's ability to unify the conservative vote against her.\n\nThree other candidates are vying for third place, with indigenous woman Thelma Cabrera building momentum in the closing stages of the campaign.\n\nGuatemala's electorate of eight million is also voting in congressional and municipal elections on Sunday. Torres's UNE is expected to poll strongly but fall short of a majority in the deeply fractured 160-seat congress.\n\nThe ex-wife of former president Alvaro Colom, in power from 2008-2012, Torres has pledged health and education reforms as well as jobs to stem the flow of migration to the US. She has vowed to oppose abortion and same-sex marriage.\n\nGiammattei has vowed to bring back the death penalty to help crush violent gangs, fight poverty to stop migration and end \"disgusting\" corruption.\n\nMonitors from the Organization of American States (OAS), led by former Costa Rican president Luis Guillermo Solis, are supervising the polls.\n\nAll police leave has been canceled and around 40,000 police have been put on alert, while the military has been mobilized to guard key buildings and jails.\n\nAuthorities have expressed concern about possible outbreaks of violence in at least 55 municipalities.\n\nGuatemala has one of the world's highest homicide rates: official statistics put the rate at 22.4 murders per 100,000 people at the end of 2018.\n\nAround half the killings are blamed on drug trafficking and extortion operations carried out by powerful gangs.\n\nMorales, a former TV comedian who won power in 2015 -- beating Torres in the run-off -- is obliged to step down under Guatemala's one-term rules.\n\nHis predecessor Otto Perez is in jail for corruption and he himself faces a corruption inquiry into illegal campaign funding.\n\nThat was instigated by Aldana and the UN-backed International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) that has put former presidents, ministers and business moguls in jail.\n\nAldana -- who fled to the United States after receiving death threats -- told AFP her exclusion was orchestrated by those she put in prison and their allies, who saw her as a \"hindrance.\"\n\nAlso barred from running was Zury Rios, daughter of late dictator Efrain Rios Montt, under constitutional rules that prevent his relatives from seeking the presidency.\n\nAnd this week, as polling stations were being prepared across the country, Oscar Schaad, the electoral court's top prosecutor, said he had been forced to flee the country, citing threats to him and his family.\n\nSome polls place Roberto Arzu, son of the late former president Alvaro Arzu (1996-2000), in third place.\n\nTough-talking Arzu warned criminal gangs he would leave no stone unturned in a quest to hunt them down if he is elected. Then he would give them a choice, he said: \"surrender or die on the spot.\"", "GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) - Guatemala’s presidential election was headed for a runoff as results on Monday gave center-left candidate Sandra Torres a clear lead but far short of the outright majority needed to avoid a second round against a conservative rival.\n\nWith votes tallied from 94% of polling stations, preliminary results from Sunday’s election gave former first lady Torres 25.27% of the vote, followed by conservative Alejandro Giammattei with 14.08%, the electoral tribunal’s website said.\n\nEarly on Monday, Torres said she would work to forge alliances to win the second round runoff, which is due to be held on Aug. 11.\n\n“The country needs unity: To unite the countryside with the city, to unite the workers with the business community, and also in civil society, in all sectors,” she told reporters.\n\nThe head of the electoral tribunal said late on Sunday it could take approximately two weeks to have definitive results from across the Central American country.\n\nGuatemala’s next president faces the difficult task of curbing drug gang violence that has ravaged the country and helped spur illegal immigration to the United States, souring relations with President Donald Trump.\n\nTorres, of the center-left UNE party, has for weeks led the race to succeed President Jimmy Morales, a conservative former television host whose term has been blighted by accusations of corruption made by U.N.-backed investigators.\n\nNevertheless, Torres also has high negative ratings and may struggle to win a direct runoff if supporters of the many right-of-center candidates unite against her.\n\nNineteen candidates took part in the vote. In third place with 11.32% was Edmond Mulet, a former U.N. official whose conservative candidacy gained traction in recent weeks.\n\nTorres, who wants to send troops into the streets to fight drug gangs, and use welfare programs to tackle poverty, extended a hand to Guatemala’s business elite when voting on Sunday.\n\nRampant violence and widespread discontent over corruption and impunity in the country of 17 million have prompted more and more Guatemalans to flee for the United States.\n\nThe surge of departures has undermined Trump’s pledge to curb illegal immigration, and the U.S. president has responded by threatening to cut U.S. aid to Central America.\n\nThat prospect has caused alarm in Guatemala, where the legacy of the bloody 1960-1996 civil war still casts a long shadow over the country’s development.\n\nRain fell on Guatemala City during Sunday’s vote and results suggested there was considerable discontent among the electorate about the choice of candidates on offer. More than 13% of votes cast were blank or spoiled ballots, the count showed.\n\nPresident Morales, who is barred by law from seeking re-election, took office in 2016 vowing to end corruption after his predecessor was brought down by a probe led by the U.N.-backed International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG).\n\nInstead, Morales himself became a target of a CICIG probe into allegations of campaign finance wrongdoing and was subject to impeachment proceedings in 2017.\n\nHe survived the attempt to oust him, and then engaged in a bitter dispute with the CICIG before finally terminating its mandate, effective from September.\n\nNone of the top contenders has unequivocally backed the CICIG, with Torres saying she would consider holding a referendum on whether it should remain in Guatemala.\n\nQuestions of legitimacy have dogged the 2019 contest since two of the front-runners were forced out, including Thelma Aldana, a former attorney general who tried to impeach Morales with the CICIG. The government accused Aldana of corruption, leading to her exclusion last month.", "GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — A former first lady led early Monday in voting counting from Guatemala’s presidential election, although a runoff ballot appeared likely to determine the next leader of this Central American nation where tens of thousands have fled poverty and gang violence this year to seek a new life in the United States.\n\nWith votes tallied from just over a third of polling centers by late Sunday, Sandra Torres had 24% of the vote, followed by four-time presidential candidate Alejandro Giammattei with 15%. The early results were in line with expectations.\n\nBusinessman Roberto Arzú, diplomat Edmond Auguste Mulet Lesieur and indigenous human rights advocate Thelma Cabrera rounded out the top-five candidates for the presidency.\n\nA candidate would need more than 50% of votes to win the first round outright The runoff election likely would take place in August. Presidents are limited to a single, four-year term.\n\nThe next president will take office in January needing to stem growing violence, poverty and outward migration. An estimated 1 percent of Guatemala’s population of some 16 million people has left the country this year.\n\nWATCH: On the U.S.-Mexico border, crowds of migrants and a ‘broken’ system\n\nGuatemalans are also clamoring for a crackdown on corruption: Three of the last four elected presidents have been arrested after their terms of office on charges of corruption.\n\nTorres, 64, is a businesswoman who gained national prominence during the 2008-2012 government of her then husband, Álvaro Colom, who is among the former leaders to have been accused of corruption. The couple divorced in 2011.\n\n“There is a belief that instead of advancing in these four years of government, we’ve gone backward,” said Marco René Cuellar, 39, the first to vote Sunday at the Mixed Rural School in the municipality of Santa Catarina Pinula. “We’ve lost our way as a country, but we should not lose faith in the democratic process we have.”\n\nMore than 8.1 million citizens were eligible to vote for the vice president, congressional representatives and mayors.\n\nThe election marked the first time that Guatemalans could cast ballots from abroad. At least 60,000 were eligible to vote in Los Angeles, New York, Maryland and Washington, all home to large numbers of Guatemalan emigres.\n\nOn Sunday, municipal officials and police stood guard as many waited in line to cast their ballots in an election dinged by threats of violence and possible fraud.\n\nTo the east of the capital, in the Zacapa department, voting stations didn’t open in the San Jorge municipality after organizers were threatened with violence. More than 7,000 people were unable to cast votes there. Voting was also called off in Esquipulas Palo Gordo, near the border with Mexico in the San Marcos department, amid accusations of vote-buying.\n\nThe attorney general’s office launched an investigation after a voter posted a video to social media showing how her ballot was allegedly already marked for Torres.\n\nThe campaign season was marked by a chaotic flurry of court rulings, shenanigans, illegal party-switching and allegations of malfeasance that torpedoed the runs of two of the three front-runners, including Chief Prosecutor Thelma Aldana.\n\nAldana gained international renown for leading crusading anti-corruption investigations in tandem with a U.N.-backed anti-graft commission operating in Guatemala, but was booted from the race on the grounds that she lacked a document certifying that she didn’t have any outstanding accounts from her time overseeing a public budget as prosecutor.\n\nOutgoing President Jimmy Morales, who was barred from seeking re-election, took office in 2016 promising to root out corruption after his predecessor was brought down by a probe led by the U.N.’s International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala, or CICIG. But Morales soon became a target of CICIG himself for alleged campaign finance violations, starting a bitter dispute with the agency in which he terminated its mandate.\n\nA recent poll from CID Gallup Latinoamerica found that nearly a third of Guatemalan adults surveyed believed the election would be plagued by fraud. Twenty percent said the election’s legitimacy would be suspect because so many candidates were kept from running.\n\nUnemployment, violence, corruption, rising costs of living and the shoddy state of the country’s highways are among top concerns for the country’s electorate.\n\nBut Fernando Barrillas, 44-year-old Guatemalan citizen, said surging migration was also an issue for him.\n\n“As long as the root causes that propel migration are not addressed, which are poverty and inequality, we will continue to remain without the best men and women, young people who they are the engine of the country,” he said.", "When Guatemalans head to the polling stations on Sunday, two of the candidates who until recently had been tipped as favourites to win will not be on the ballot papers.\n\nBoth the former attorney-general, Thelma Aldana, and Zury Ríos, the daughter of the late military ruler, Efraín Ríos Montt, have been barred from running for the presidency and another candidate was arrested in Miami on suspicion of conspiring to import cocaine to the US.\n\nHere is a look at the candidates and the main issues.\n\nHow does it work?\n\nThe president is elected by absolute majority for a single four-year term. Under Guatemalan law, current President Jimmy Morales cannot stand for a second term.\n\nIf no candidate gets more than 50% in the first round on 16 June, the top two candidates will go through to a second round on 11 August.\n\nNineteen candidates are competing for the presidency, down from the original 24.\n\nWho are the top candidates?\n\nSandra Torres: 'Leaving a loving marriage for the sake of a nation'\n\nSandra Torres, 63, is hoping it will be third time lucky for her. She failed in her two previous attempts to be elected president but the most recent opinion polls put her in the lead.\n\nMs Torres was married to Álvaro Colom, who governed Guatemala from 2008 to 2012, and who is currently under investigation for alleged fraud.\n\nShe divorced him in 2011 in order to bypass a law which banned close relatives of the president from succeeding him. At the time she said that \"I'm divorcing my husband but I'm getting married to the people\".\n\nShe also said that she had found it \"very difficult\" to leave her \"loving marriage\" to Mr Colom.\n\nIn the 2011, her candidacy was rejected by the Constitutional Court but she was allowed to run in 2015. That time, she had enough votes to get her into the second round where she was defeated by Jimmy Morales by a large margin of almost 35 percentage points.\n\nMs Torres is running for the social-democratic National Unity of Hope party (UNE).\n\nShe and her party are under investigation for alleged illegal campaign financing during the last election, which she has denied.\n\nMs Torres says she will provide \"comprehensive solutions like development, fight against poverty and job opportunities\" to try to convince Guatemalans to stay in the country rather than migrating to the United States.\n\nThe 63-year-old candidate is standing for the right-wing Vamos (Let's Go) party and this is his fourth attempt at becoming president. Each time, he has run for a different party.\n\nMr Giammattei is a trained doctor who was named director of the Guatemalan prison system in 2006.\n\nThat same year, he led a controversial operation to take control of the Pavón prison, which had been run by inmates for a decade. Seven inmates died during the raids by the security forces.\n\nMr Giammattei was among eight people accused over the incident and after spending 10 months in pre-trial detention, he was acquitted due to lack of evidence.\n\nHe came fourth in the 2015 election.\n\nHe says that if he is elected he will build \"a wall of prosperity\" to keep Guatemalans from migrating to the US.\n\nIn order to lessen the disparity between the rich and the poor, he wants to attract more foreign investment to Guatemala by strengthening the protections granted to private property.\n\nThe 49-year-old conservative businessman wants to follow in the footsteps of his late father Álvaro, who governed Guatemala from 1996 to 2000.\n\nRoberto Arzú has never held public office but did preside over one of Guatemala's most successful football teams. He has had a string of businesses ranging from sports centres to shopping malls.\n\nThe outgoing president, Jimmy Morales, named him ambassador with a special mission to promote trade between Guatemala and South America.\n\nHe is standing for a coalition made up of the PAN and Podemos parties. His motto has been \"Make Guate great!\" using the shortened word for Guatemala and imitating US President Trump's campaign slogan.\n\nHe has campaigned mainly on security issues, saying that he will crack down on crime.\n\nA judge in Florida has ordered his arrest over an outstanding debt he owes to Miami-based political campaign strategist JJ Rendón. Mr Arzú says he never signed a contract with Mr Rendón and is therefore not liable for the breach of contract payment.\n\nWhat are the main issues?\n\nThe election was overshadowed by the decision by the constitutional court to bar Thelma Aldana, who had been leading the polls, and Zury Ríos from running.\n\nPolls suggest many voters are undecided and the election outcome is therefore hard to predict.\n\nGuatemalans have told pollsters that their top concern is government corruption.\n\nFour years after large-scale anti-corruption protests forced then-President Otto Pérez Molina to resign, many Guatemalans feel not enough has been done by the government of Jimmy Morales to combat corruption.\n\nMr Morales caused outrage when he tried to kick the UN-backed anti-corruption commission out of Guatemala when it investigated him over alleged corruption.\n\nThe most vocal supporter for the commission, known as CICIG by its Spanish initials, has been Thelma Aldana, who as Guatemala's attorney general has worked closely with it. Before she was barred, she said she would strengthen CICIG and make government more efficient and transparent.\n\nMr Arzú, on the other hand, has been openly critical of the CICIG, accusing it of \"violating national sovereignty\", and Mr Giammattei said he was opposed to the commission because \"justice must be from Guatemalans, for Guatemalans, by Guatemalans\".", "GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) - Guatemalans on Sunday voted for a new president, who will face the daunting challenge of curbing drug gang violence that has ravaged the country and helped spur illegal immigration to the United States, stoking tensions with President Donald Trump.\n\nPolling stations closed at 6 p.m. (0000 GMT). None of the 19 candidates is expected to win an outright majority, meaning the top two finishers will likely face off in a second round on Aug. 11.\n\nFormer first lady Sandra Torres, of the center-left UNE party, has led the race to succeed President Jimmy Morales, a conservative former television host whose term has been blighted by accusations of corruption made by U.N.-backed investigators.\n\nTorres, who wants to send troops into the streets to fight drug gangs, and use welfare programs to tackle poverty, has the support of about 20 percent of the electorate, opinion polls showed.\n\n\"We have to sort out our problems here, and part of the reason for the migration is the lack of jobs, the gap in wages between the United States and here,\" Torres said as she voted in Guatemala City. \"We need to work with the business community to revive the economy and create jobs.\"\n\nHer closest rivals, trailing by a few percentage points, are conservatives Alejandro Giammattei, who is running in his fourth campaign, and Edmond Mulet, a former U.N. official whose candidacy has gained traction in recent weeks.\n\nArriving to vote while driving a white car carrying his wife and son, Mulet said he had run an austere campaign and was hopeful of making the runoff.\n\nRampant violence and widespread discontent over corruption and impunity in the country of 17 million have prompted more and more Guatemalans to flee for the United States.\n\nThe surge of departures has undermined Trump's pledge to curb illegal immigration, and the U.S. president has responded by threatening to cut U.S. aid to Central America.\n\nThat prospect has caused alarm in Guatemala, where the legacy of the bloody 1960-1996 civil war still casts a long shadow over the country's development.\n\nPreliminary results are due to begin coming in around 7 p.m. (0100 GMT).\n\nWith polls showing it is highly unlikely any candidate will win more than 50% of the vote, victory will likely depend on candidates' ability to build a coalition for the second round.\n\nConsultancy Eurasia Group said on Friday that Torres would struggle to win a runoff, given her high negative ratings and the ability of her likely opponent to unify conservative voters and secure support from the country's powerful elites.\n\nMorales, who is barred by law from seeking re-election, took office in 2016 vowing to root out corruption after his predecessor was brought down by a probe led by the U.N.-backed International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG).\n\nInstead, Morales himself became a target of a CICIG probe into allegations of campaign finance wrongdoing and was subject to impeachment proceedings in 2017.\n\nHe survived the attempt to oust him, and then engaged in a bitter dispute with the CICIG before finally terminating its mandate, effective from September.\n\nNone of the top contenders has unequivocally backed the CICIG, with Torres saying she would consider holding a referendum on whether it should remain in Guatemala.\n\nFernando Escalante, 41, an industrial design adviser, said the next president must continue the fight against corruption.\n\n\"I fear all the progress we've made could be lost, but maybe it's time for us Guatemalans to take on the task,\" he said.\n\nQuestions of legitimacy have dogged the 2019 contest since two of the front-runners were forced out, including Thelma Aldana, a former attorney general who tried to impeach Morales with the CICIG. The government accused Aldana of corruption, leading to her exclusion last month.\n\nAllegations of shady dealings have permeated the election, which has been fought out amid intensifying efforts by Trump to turn Mexico and Guatemala into buffer zones to keep migrants from entering the United States illegally.\n\nPresidential hopeful Mario Estrada and congressional candidate Julio Jose Rosales were arrested during the campaign and charged with having links to Mexico's Sinaloa drug cartel."], "summary": "Citizens of Guatemala head to the polls to vote for their next president and new members of the country's congress."}
{"document": ["LONDON (AP) — Contenders for leadership in Britain’s Conservative Party jostled for attention Monday as the race narrowed into a contest to seize the mantle of challenger to front-runner Boris Johnson.\n\nWith Johnson solidly ahead after winning 114 of the 313 votes in first-round voting among party lawmakers, challengers sought to position themselves as the best alternative to the former foreign secretary. The goal is to win the coveted second slot on the postal ballot being sent to Conservative Party members nationwide — a vote that will decide the next leader and the next prime minister.\n\n“This is a two-horse race and we know one of the horses: Boris,” said International Development Secretary Rory Stewart at a campaign event for political journalists. “There is literally only one question you have to answer — who is likely to beat Boris?”\n\nThe contest will choose a replacement for Prime Minister Theresa May, who stepped down as party leader earlier this month after failing to secure Parliament’s approval for her European Union divorce deal.\n\nThe House of Commons’ 313 Conservative Party lawmakers will winnow the field of contenders in a series of leadership votes this week, with the final two names put to a postal vote of about 160,000 Conservative members nationwide. The winner is set to be announced in July.\n\nA leading figure in the 2016 campaign to leave the European Union, Johnson wants Britain to withdraw from the EU on Oct. 31, with or without a withdrawal agreement that some economists warn is needed to prevent chaos. He also threatened to withhold a 39 billion pound ($50 billion) divorce payment if the EU digs in its heels.\n\nUnlike his more polished challengers, Johnson’s appeal comes in part from his rumpled suits, unruly hair and colorful — if sometimes offensive — turns of phrase. He has called Papua New Guineans cannibals and once compared Muslim women who wear face-covering veils to the sturdy red “letter boxes” on Britain’s streets.\n\nThose statements also have led some to question whether he could be trusted in high office. Hoping to avoid a campaign de-railing gaffe, his team is rationing his appearances. He evaded media scrutiny for a second day Monday, skipping a series of campaign events. A day earlier, he also missed Channel 4’s television debate between the candidates, prompting the broadcaster to place an empty lectern on the debate stage.\n\nWith more to lose than gain, Johnson’s absence is frustrating his opponents — all of whom want a chance to take him on directly. Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt suggested in a tweet that Johnson should step forward and face the others in public forums.\n\n“Hopefully someone will summon up some Churchillian courage and come along too. #intothelionsden,” Hunt said.\n\nFellow contender Michael Gove compared Boris’s refusal to attend Sunday’s debate or Monday’s media events as “Hamlet without the prince.”\n\n“And of course we all remember that at the end of ‘Hamlet,’ he isn’t the king. . It ain’t over till it’s over,” he said.\n\nMeanwhile, Johnson’s bid to become Britain’s next prime minister was bolstered by fresh support when Health Secretary Matt Hancock backed his candidacy. Hancock argued his former rival’s “unique personality” would help rally support around a deal to leave the EU.\n\n“Having considered all the options, I’m backing Boris Johnson as the best candidate to unite the Conservative Party, so we can deliver Brexit and then unite the country behind an open, ambitious, forward-looking agenda, delivered with the energy that gets stuff done,” Hancock wrote in op-ed in The Times of London.\n\nFollow AP’s full coverage of Brexit and the Conservative Party leadership race at: https://www.apnews.com/Brexit", "Politics isn't always complicated. The reason why Matt Hancock, the health secretary, has backed Boris Johnson is plain.\n\nHe thinks he is going to be the prime minister and he wants to stay in the cabinet, with a big job. In the words of one source: \"It was back him now, or in five weeks' time, so best to get on board.\"\n\nThere is another reason, though, that explains why he, other MPs and ministers have climbed on board the Johnson jalopy even if they have fundamental disagreements with him.\n\nPlenty of MPs who worry about what he might do in office are joining his camp in order to stop him from veering off to the right - in the words of one, \"to anchor\" him in the middle ground. To be the Boris Johnson of City Hall in the late 2000s, not the Boris Johnson who has politically flirted with Donald Trump adviser Steve Bannon.\n\nOne minister joked that they were \"wrestling with Boris Johnson's soul\".\n\nTory members will ultimately, of course, be the ones who judge what that tells us about Boris Johnson himself. But other insiders suggest, scurrilously perhaps, an extra influence in play here too.\n• The UK's next prime minister: What you need to know\n• Do Boris Johnson's claims about his time as London mayor add up?\n\nIt's notable how much friendlier the tone of the London newspaper, the Evening Standard, has become of late towards Mr Johnson, quite a move in its stance.\n\nWho is the editor of that paper? Well of course, it's George Osborne, the former chancellor. A source said it had been made clear to Mr Johnson for several months by some of his colleagues that to make his leadership work he has to convince the middle of the Tory Party, not just the Brexit fringe, that he is up to the task. That \"includes a former chancellor giving his blessing\".\n\nOne well-placed insider detects the \"hidden hand of George Osborne working with the Wizard of Oz\" - Sir Lynton Crosby, the election strategist involved with Boris Johnson, who also ran campaigns for David Cameron and Mr Osborne over the years.\n\nCould that even mean a return for Mr Osborne one day?\n\nHe is not an MP any more of course, and is ensconced in being an editor of a paper. I'm told there have not been any conversations about any kind of return.\n\nAnd this is, in a way, the ultimate kind of froth from the Westminster bubble. But if Mr Johnson wins, to survive he will need as much support as possible from every kind of Tory.", "Politics isn't always complicated. The reason why Matt Hancock, the health secretary, has backed Boris Johnson is plain.\n\nHe thinks he is going to be the prime minister and he wants to stay in the cabinet, with a big job. In the words of one source: \"It was back him now, or in five weeks' time, so best to get on board.\"\n\nThere is another reason, though, that explains why he, other MPs and ministers have climbed on board the Johnson jalopy even if they have fundamental disagreements with him.\n\nPlenty of MPs who worry about what he might do in office are joining his camp in order to stop him from veering off to the right - in the words of one, \"to anchor\" him in the middle ground. To be the Boris Johnson of City Hall in the late 2000s, not the Boris Johnson who has politically flirted with Donald Trump adviser Steve Bannon.\n\nOne minister joked that they were \"wrestling with Boris Johnson's soul\".\n\nTory members will ultimately, of course, be the ones who judge what that tells us about Boris Johnson himself. But other insiders suggest, scurrilously perhaps, an extra influence in play here too.\n• The UK's next prime minister: What you need to know\n• Do Boris Johnson's claims about his time as London mayor add up?\n\nIt's notable how much friendlier the tone of the London newspaper, the Evening Standard, has become of late towards Mr Johnson, quite a move in its stance.\n\nWho is the editor of that paper? Well of course, it's George Osborne, the former chancellor. A source said it had been made clear to Mr Johnson for several months by some of his colleagues that to make his leadership work he has to convince the middle of the Tory Party, not just the Brexit fringe, that he is up to the task. That \"includes a former chancellor giving his blessing\".\n\nOne well-placed insider detects the \"hidden hand of George Osborne working with the Wizard of Oz\" - Sir Lynton Crosby, the election strategist involved with Boris Johnson, who also ran campaigns for David Cameron and Mr Osborne over the years.\n\nCould that even mean a return for Mr Osborne one day?\n\nHe is not an MP any more of course, and is ensconced in being an editor of a paper. I'm told there have not been any conversations about any kind of return.\n\nAnd this is, in a way, the ultimate kind of froth from the Westminster bubble. But if Mr Johnson wins, to survive he will need as much support as possible from every kind of Tory.", "LONDON -- Contenders for leadership in Britain's Conservative Party jostled for attention Monday as the race narrowed into a contest to seize the mantle of challenger to front-runner Boris Johnson.\n\nWith Johnson solidly ahead after winning 114 of the 313 votes in first-round voting among party lawmakers, challengers sought to position themselves as the best alternative to the former foreign secretary. The goal is to win the coveted second slot on the postal ballot being sent to Conservative Party members nationwide -- a vote that will decide the next leader and the next prime minister.\n\n\"This is a two-horse race and we know one of the horses: Boris,\" said International Development Secretary Rory Stewart at a campaign event for political journalists. \"There is literally only one question you have to answer -- who is likely to beat Boris?\"\n\nThe contest will choose a replacement for Prime Minister Theresa May, who stepped down as party leader earlier this month after failing to secure Parliament's approval for her European Union divorce deal.\n\nThe House of Commons' 313 Conservative Party lawmakers will winnow the field of contenders in a series of leadership votes this week, with the final two names put to a postal vote of about 160,000 Conservative members nationwide. The winner is set to be announced in July.\n\nA leading figure in the 2016 campaign to leave the European Union, Johnson wants Britain to withdraw from the EU on Oct. 31, with or without a withdrawal agreement that some economists warn is needed to prevent chaos. He also threatened to withhold a 39 billion pound ($50 billion) divorce payment if the EU digs in its heels.\n\nUnlike his more polished challengers, Johnson's appeal comes in part from his rumpled suits, unruly hair and colorful -- if sometimes offensive -- turns of phrase. He has called Papua New Guineans cannibals and once compared Muslim women who wear face-covering veils to the sturdy red \"letter boxes\" on Britain's streets.\n\nThose statements also have led some to question whether he could be trusted in high office. Hoping to avoid a campaign de-railing gaffe, his team is rationing his appearances. He evaded media scrutiny for a second day Monday, skipping a series of campaign events. A day earlier, he also missed Channel 4's television debate between the candidates, prompting the broadcaster to place an empty lectern on the debate stage.\n\nWith more to lose than gain, Johnson's absence is frustrating his opponents -- all of whom want a chance to take him on directly. Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt suggested in a tweet that Johnson should step forward and face the others in public forums.\n\n\"Hopefully someone will summon up some Churchillian courage and come along too. .intothelionsden,\" Hunt said.\n\nFellow contender Michael Gove compared Boris's refusal to attend Sunday's debate or Monday's media events as \"Hamlet without the prince.\"\n\n\"And of course we all remember that at the end of 'Hamlet,' he isn't the king. . It ain't over till it's over,\" he said.\n\nMeanwhile, Johnson's bid to become Britain's next prime minister was bolstered by fresh support when Health Secretary Matt Hancock backed his candidacy. Hancock argued his former rival's \"unique personality\" would help rally support around a deal to leave the EU.\n\n\"Having considered all the options, I'm backing Boris Johnson as the best candidate to unite the Conservative Party, so we can deliver Brexit and then unite the country behind an open, ambitious, forward-looking agenda, delivered with the energy that gets stuff done,\" Hancock wrote in op-ed in The Times of London.", "Conservative leadership: Boris Johnson will never be more powerful than he is now\n\nConservative leadership: Boris Johnson will never be more powerful than he is now\n\nBoris Johnson has been kept away from the TV cameras\n\nAs it stands, Boris Johnson is set to become prime minister in a little over a month with nothing other than a catastrophic gaffe likely to stand in his way.\n\nIn last week's first round of voting, the former foreign secretary easily secured the support of the 105 MPs needed to reach the final ballot of the Conservative Party membership.\n\nIndeed, Mr Johnson's 114-vote first round win last Thursday was such a comprehensive victory that his opponents have been left scattered and wounded.\n\nIn recent days, Mr Johnson's team has kept him away from TV appearances, arguing that he needs to consolidate and improve his support among MPs.\n\nAt first glance this claim seems like a hollow excuse simply designed to keep the TV cameras at bay in case he makes a mistake.\n\nThere is perhaps some truth in this, although it would take a truly epic mistake for the former London mayor to drop out now.\n\nThe Johnson camp are right to attach huge importance to parliamentary numbers even at this stage, since their goal is to govern rather than simply attain victory in the balloting of MPs.\n\nFirstly, those around Mr Johnson know that a divided parliamentary party will send a message of disunity to Tory members in the country, possibly increasing the slim chance of an upset when the final two candidates are put to the party's grassroots.\n\nThey would love to have more than half of Tory MPs having backed Mr Johnson before the vote goes to the country, to give them the strongest possible platform to launch the campaign to win among the 160,000 Conservative members.\n\nSecondly, and more importantly, those around Mr Johnson are very conscious they do not have an electoral mandate.\n\nEven with the DUP, a Johnson administration would have a working majority of just five, meaning he will lose a House of Commons vote if just three Tory MPs rebel and vote with a united opposition.\n\nFor Mr Johnson to have the longest possible run before a general election, his team need as many Tory MPs lining up behind him to pressure colleagues to be loyal.\n\nConfidence and a successful command of the Commons are key to stop a Johnson government falling apart early on.\n\nThere is a need to minimise dissent, right from the off, since the maths in the Commons is awful.\n\nThis explains the appointment of ex-defence secretary Gavin Williamson, also a former chief whip, whose robust approach to whipping will be vital to a successful operation.\n\nSo Mr Johnson's claim that meeting MPs is more important than encountering journalists may hold a lot of truth.\n\nAs the soaraway frontrunner, Mr Johnson will never be more powerful than he is now.\n\nHe needs to use that influence if he wants to stay in office for a long time to come.", "DAVID Cameron today denied claims he's helping his old friend and rival Boris Johnson become Prime Minister.\n\nThe ex-PM was supposedly seen chatting to BoJo at an exclusive London club last week.\n\nThe claim fuelled rumours Mr Cameron is a supporter of Boris despite their fall-out over Brexit.\n\nThe Daily Mail said Mr Johnson recently met the former Tory leader at the Carlton Club, a Conservative gentlemen's club in London.\n\nBut a source close to Mr Cameron told The Sun it was \"total rubbish\" that he was backing Boris and denied that they met recently.\n\nGeorge Osborne, the ex-Chancellor who led the Remain campaign, is believed to be moving closer to BoJo.\n\nMr Cameron and Mr Johnson were at Eton and Oxford together - including being members of the notorious Bullingdon Club at the same time.\n\nThey've always had a chequered relationship as Mr Cameron believed Boris was after his job in No10.\n\nAnd Mr Johnson mocked the then-PM as \"Cameron minor\" - which is how he was known at school to distinguish him from his older brother.\n\nThe two men fell out during the Brexit campaign but are now understood to have reconciled.\n\nBy contrast, Mr Cameron has still not patched things up with his former close friend Michael Gove.\n\nThe pair haven't spoken socially since Mr Gove decided to lead the Leave campaign, while Mr Cameron backed Remain.\n\nThe former PM has been repeatedly rumoured to have his eye on a political comeback.\n\nWe pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online politics team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours", "Image copyright PA Image caption Channel 4 set up an empty podium for Boris Johnson, who declined to take part in the debate\n\nContenders to replace Theresa May as Conservative leader have clashed over delivering Brexit during a TV debate.\n\nThe MPs argued over whether a new deal could be renegotiated with the EU, and the prospect of a no-deal Brexit.\n\nBoris Johnson came under fire for not taking part in the Channel 4 debate but defended his stance, suggesting it would \"be slightly cacophonous\".\n\nHis leadership bid has been backed by Health Secretary Matt Hancock, who dropped out of the race on Friday.\n\nSome of the sharpest exchanges came over whether Parliament should be shut down - prorogued - in order to push through a no-deal Brexit by 31 October - something four of the five candidates argued against.\n\nThe UK had been due to leave the EU on 29 March, but EU leaders agreed to delay the date to October after MPs repeatedly rejected Theresa May's Brexit deal.\n\nInternational Development Secretary Rory Stewart said proroguing Parliament was a \"deeply disturbing\" option and Home Secretary Sajid Javid warned \"you don't deliver democracy by trashing our democracy\".\n\nHowever ex-Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab refused to rule it out, saying \"every time one of these candidates take an option away… we weaken our chances of getting the best deal.\"\n\nChannel 4's debate attracted an audience of 1.3 million and 7.8% of the audience share. The programme was up against Soccer Aid on ITV, Countryfile on BBC One and Top Gear on BBC Two.\n\nWho won the debate?\n\nAnalysis by BBC political correspondent Ben Wright\n\nNo stand-out winner and a debate that won't trouble the absent front-runner Boris Johnson.\n\nHis team thought there was nothing to be gained from pitching up for this blue-on-blue skirmish which was mostly good natured but repeatedly raised questions the candidates struggled to answer.\n\nHow can the next prime minister renegotiate a deal with the EU? How can it be done by October? How could the UK leave without a deal if MPs refuse?\n\nAt one end of the debate, Dominic Raab was rounded on for saying he would be prepared to try and suspend parliament if it was the only way to get the UK out without a deal at the end of October.\n\nIn the opposite corner, Rory Stewart was the only one who said a renegotiation with the EU in the next four months was a fantasy promise.\n\nAt some point this week one of the five will break out and become the challenger to Boris Johnson for the ballot of Tory members.\n\nNo-deal Brexit?\n\nThe candidates at the debate before a studio audience in east London also argued over whether a no-deal Brexit should be considered.\n\nMr Javid said no deal was the \"last thing\" he wanted, but added: \"You do plan for no deal precisely because you want a deal.\"\n\nMr Raab said Britain would be able to \"manage those risks\" associated with leaving the EU without a deal.\n\nHowever, Mr Stewart said \"I think a no-deal Brexit is a complete nonsense,\" adding \"it would be deeply damaging for our economy.\"\n\nThe candidates were united in condemnation of the Labour leader with Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt accusing Jeremy Corbyn of being \"against aspiration\".\n\nEnvironment Secretary Michael Gove argued that he was the candidate Mr Corbyn would be most scared of facing at Prime Minister's Questions.\n\nThe UK's next prime minister\n\n'Where's Boris?'\n\nMr Johnson, the front-runner in the leadership race, was represented at the debate by an empty lectern.\n\nAnd Mr Hunt attacked his failure to appear.\n\n\"Where's Boris?\" he asked, adding \"if his team won't allow him out with five fairly friendly colleagues, how is he going to deal with 27 European countries?\"\n\nMr Stewart also made a pointed dig at his absent colleague, saying he hoped \"one of us\" - referring to the MPs who had attended the debate - becomes prime minister.\n\nSpeaking to Radio 4's World at One on Friday, Mr Johnson said he was \"pretty bewildered\" by claims he was dodging scrutiny and said the public had had \"quite a lot of blue-on-blue action, frankly, over the last three years\".\n\nHe said the best time to take part was on Tuesday after the second ballot and would be at the BBC debate on Tuesday, hosted by Emily Maitlis.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Michael Gove tells Today says he'll be a \"unifying figure\"\n\nHealth Secretary Matt Hancock - who withdrew from the leadership race after the first ballot - has backed Mr Johnson \"as the best candidate to unite the Conservative Party\" as has Esther McVey, who was eliminated in the first round.\n\nWriting in the Times, Mr Hancock said Mr Johnson had a \"unique personality\", adding: \"I have confidence Boris will be a One Nation prime minister because that's how he ran London - consistently - for eight years.\"\n\nMr Gove told BBC Radio 4's Today he was \"naturally disappointed\" that Mr Hancock had chosen to endorse his rival rather than himself.\n\nWhile Mr Johnson remained the frontrunner, Mr Gove said \"we need to make sure he is tested\" and he believed he could make it to the final two as a \"strong alternative\" who was equipped to \"be prime minister from day one\".\n\nBrexit Immigration Tax Spending Health and social care Education\n\nThe TV debate also saw politicians being asked about their priorities apart from Brexit.\n\nMr Javid chose funding education and further education colleges, saying: \"We have cut back too much in that space.\"\n\nMr Raab said he wanted to improve state schools and offer more choices for young apprenticeships, while Mr Gove said children would be his top priority and emphasised the importance of protecting the environment for the future.\n\nMr Hunt told the audience \"every Conservative has two desires: cut taxes and spend more on public services.\" He also said he would focus on literacy and the social care system.\n\nMr Stewart said his central priority would be fixing adult social care, describing the issue as \"the great unfinished revolution\".\n\nBiggest weakness?\n\nAsked about their weaknesses, Mr Gove said he was impatient, while Mr Raab said he was \"a restless soul\" who \"always wanted to make things better\".\n\nMr Javid admitted to being stubborn while Mr Stewart said there were \"many things he didn't know about the world\". However, he added that \"we need leaders who listen\" and criticised \"macho posturing\".\n\nMr Hunt joked that his biggest weakness was \"getting my wife's nationality wrong\" - but on a more serious note, said in his battle with junior doctors as health secretary, he could have been \"better at communicating\" what he was trying to do.\n\nThe candidates will now go on to take part in further ballots until only two remain.\n\nThe final pair will be put to a vote of the 160,000 members of the Conservative Party from 22 June. The winner is expected to be announced about four weeks later.", "LONDON — Candidates for Britain’s next prime minister accused Boris Johnson, the presumptive front-runner, of trying to avoid scrutiny after he refused to take part in a televised debate alongside his five rivals Sunday.\n\n“Where is Boris?” Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt asked as he and four other contenders for Conservative Party leader faced questions about how exactly they would fulfill a key promise: to lead Britain’s exit from the European Union.\n\nBroadcaster Channel 4 left an empty lectern on the debate stage for Johnson as the participating candidates argued that they were more trustworthy than Johnson.\n\n“I believe I’m the candidate most trusted to get us out [of the EU] by the end of October,” Dominic Raab, a former Brexit secretary, argued.\n\nHunt said the Conservatives must choose “a prime minister that families up and down the country trust with their future.”\n\nJohnson, a former London mayor and foreign secretary, has a commanding lead after last week’s first round of voting by Tory lawmakers in the contest to replace Theresa May. who stepped down as party leader earlier this month.\n\nJohnson is admired by many Conservatives for his ability to energize voters. But others mistrust him for his record of misleading and false statements, noting that he campaigned for Brexit in 2016 on the inaccurate claim that Britain sends about $444 million a week to the EU. In 2017, as foreign secretary, he said incorrectly that a British-Iranian woman imprisoned in Iran was a journalist, damaging attempts to secure her release.\n\nThe 313 Tory lawmakers in the House of Commons are set to narrow the field of candidates in a series of votes this week, with the final two names put to a postal vote of about 160,000 Conservative members nationwide.\n\nThe winner, who will become party leader and prime minister, is due to be announced in late July. But some in the party say the membership vote could be skipped if Johnson is so far ahead that he looks unlikely to be beaten.\n\nOthers argue that would be a mistake.", "Candidates seeking to beat Boris Johnson and become Britain's next prime minister accused the Brexit-backing front-runner of trying to avoid scrutiny after he refused to take part in a televised debate alongside his five rivals Sunday.\n\n\"Where is Boris?\" Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt asked as he and four other contenders for Conservative Party leader faced questions about how exactly they would fulfil a key promise: to unblock the stalled Brexit process and lead Britain out of the European Union.\n\nBroadcaster Channel 4 left an empty lectern on the debate stage for Johnson as the participating candidates argued they had a quality that many think the absent Tory politician lacks: trustworthiness.\n\n\"I believe I'm the candidate most trusted to get us out [of the EU] by the end of October,\" Dominic Raab, a former Brexit secretary, argued.\n\nHunt said the Conservatives must choose \"a prime minister that families up and down the country trust with their future.\"\n\nJohnson, a former London mayor and foreign secretary, has a commanding lead after last week's first round of voting by Tory lawmakers in the contest to replace Theresa May. She stepped down as party leader earlier this month after failing to secure Parliament's backing for her European Union divorce deal.\n\nAn instantly recognizable figure, famous for his Latin quips and unruly blond hair, Johnson is admired by many Conservatives for his ability to energize voters. But others mistrust him for his long record of misleading and false statements, verbal blunders and erratic performance in high office.\n\nThe 313 Tory lawmakers in the House of Commons are set to narrow the field of candidates in a series of votes this week, with the final two names put to a postal vote of about 160,000 Conservative members nationwide.\n\nThe winner, who will become party leader and prime minister, is due to be announced in late July. But some in the party say the membership vote could be skipped if Johnson is so far ahead that he looks unlikely to be beaten.\n\nOthers argue that would be a big mistake. May became prime minister in 2016 without a party vote, after all her rivals dropped out of the race. Critics say a more robust contest would have exposed her flaws as a leader before she got the top job.\n\nHome Secretary Sajid Javid, who is also running, said that \"as Conservatives, we should embrace competition over coronation.\"\n\nJohnson has won support from many Brexit-backing Conservatives by vowing to \"get Brexit done,\" either by renegotiating May's rejected Brexit deal or by leaving the EU on Oct. 31 without an agreement.\n\nBut Johnson has avoided answering tough questions about his plans. The EU says it will not reopen the Brexit divorce agreement, and many economists and businesses say a no-deal exit would cause economic turmoil by ripping up the rules that govern trade between Britain and the EU.\n\nDuring Sunday's debate, the other candidates all said they would take Britain out of the European Union. But they split over how willing they would be to walk away from the EU without a deal if they could not get a new divorce agreement.\n\nEnvironment Secretary Michael Gove said he was confident that \"I can get the European Union to change their approach\" and renegotiate the divorce deal.\n\nInternational Development Secretary Rory Stewart said a no-deal Brexit would be \"deeply damaging.\"\n\nBut Raab insisted it would be better than further delay and did not rule out suspending Parliament to force through an exit if lawmakers tried to block it.\n\nThe others condemned that idea. Stewart said it was \"deeply disturbing,\" while Javid likened it to the action of a dictator.\n\nJohnson's critics say his political record is tainted by blunders and outright lies. During the country's 2016 EU membership referendum, he campaigned on the inaccurate claim that Britain sends £350 million ($590 million Cdn) a week to the EU.\n\nIn 2017, when he was foreign secretary, he said incorrectly that a British-Iranian woman imprisoned in Iran was a journalist, damaging attempts to secure her release.\n\nHis language has also frequently given offence. Johnson has called Papua New Guineans \"cannibals,\" referred to people in Commonwealth countries with the offensive term \"piccaninnies\" and last year compared Muslim women who wear face-covering veils to \"letter boxes.\"\n\nLast week, Johnson apologized for any offence his words had caused, but also claimed they had often been taken out of context.\n\nJohnson has agreed to participate in a BBC debate on Tuesday, once the field of candidates has been reduced by a second round of voting earlier in the day.", "British Conservative Party lawmaker Boris Johnson leaves his home in London, Thursday, June 13, 2019. Britain’s Conservative Party is holding an election to replace Prime Minister Theresa May, who resigned last week after failing to lead Britain out of the European Union on schedule. Former Foreign Minister Boris Johnson is currently the bookies favorite to replace May. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)\n\nLONDON (AP) — One of seven contenders to replace British Prime Minister Theresa May quit the Conservative Party leadership race on Friday, as front-runner Boris Johnson was accused by rivals of trying to dodge media scrutiny.\n\nHealth Secretary Matt Hancock said that after the first round of voting it was clear he did not have the backing to win. He came fifth in a vote Thursday among 313 Conservative lawmakers, with 20 votes.\n\nJohnson, a former foreign secretary, won Thursday’s ballot with 114 votes, more than the next three candidates combined.\n\nHancock did not say whom he planned to support.\n\nThe 40-year-old had pitched himself as the face of a younger, modernizing generation in the Conservative Party, promising to deliver an energizing blend of social liberalism and economic dynamism. But his message failed to gain much traction in a party consumed with Britain’s stalled departure from the European Union.\n\nHancock said he had run as the “candidate of the future” but found that “the party, understandably, is focused very much on the here and now and how we get through Brexit.”\n\nThe Conservative Party is holding a contest to replace Prime Minister Theresa May, who quit as party leader last week after failing to secure Parliament’s backing for her divorce deal with the EU.\n\nTory legislators will hold more elimination votes next week, with the final two contenders put to a vote of 160,000 Conservative Party members nationwide. The winner, due to be announced in late July, will become Conservative leader and prime minister.\n\nJohnson’s commanding lead makes him almost certain to be in the final two. The flamboyant former London mayor is admired by many Conservatives for his ability to energize voters, but is also widely mistrusted for his record of misleading statements, verbal blunders and haphazard performance in high office.\n\nJohnson has vowed that as prime minister he would “get Brexit done,” either by renegotiating May’s rejected Brexit deal or by leaving the EU on Oct. 31 without an agreement.\n\nBut Johnson has not answered many tough questions about his plans. The EU says it will not reopen the divorce agreement, and many economists say a no-deal exit would cause economic turmoil.\n\nAll the remaining candidates, apart from Johnson, say they will take part in TV debates on Sunday and Tuesday.\n\nJohnson signaled he was unlikely to take part in Sunday’s Channel 4 program, saying debates with “loads of candidates” could be “slightly cacophonous.”\n\nBut he said he would take part in a BBC debate on Tuesday evening, once the field of candidates has been reduced by a second round of voting.\n\nForeign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, who is in second place, said a prospective national leader should not be “hiding away from the media.”\n\nIn addition to Johnson and Hunt, those still in the race are Environment Secretary Michael Gove, ex-Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab, Home Secretary Sajid Javid and International Development Secretary Rory Stewart.\n\nFollow AP’s full coverage of Brexit and the Conservative Party leadership race at: https://www.apnews.com/Brexit"], "summary": "The first televised debate between Conservative Party candidates for Leader of the Conservative Party and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom takes place in London. Frontrunnner Boris Johnson refuses to attend."}
{"document": ["Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Protests returned to Hong Kong streets following the suspension of the extradition bill\n\nNearly two million people have taken part in a mass protest in Hong Kong against a controversial extradition bill, organisers say.\n\nIf confirmed, it would be the largest protest in Hong Kong's history. Police said turnout was 338,000 at its peak.\n\nThe masses turned out despite the suspension of the bill - which would allow extradition from Hong Kong to mainland China - on Saturday.\n\nHong Kong leader Carrie Lam on Sunday apologised for proposing the bill.\n\nMany protesters, who fear increased Chinese influence over Hong Kong, are calling on her to resign over the unrest.\n\nThey are also demanding that the bill be scrapped, not just suspended.\n\nMeanwhile, supporters of Joshua Wong - the student leader who became the face of Hong Kong's \"Umbrella Movement\" democracy protests five years ago - say he will be released from prison later on Monday.\n\nWhat happened at the protest?\n\n\"Today's march we had almost two million people,\" Jimmy Sham, from the Civil Human Rights Front protest group, told reporters late on Sunday evening.\n\nThe protest was mainly peaceful, with police officers reportedly holding back to allow the throngs of people to slowly pass through the city. This contrasted to scenes at the last previous major demonstration on Wednesday, which saw clashes between protesters and police that injured dozens.\n\nImage copyright Getty Images Image caption Protesters have been demanding Carrie Lam's resignation\n\nThe demonstration began early in the afternoon in Victoria Square, with many wearing black.\n\nMany held white flowers to mourn a protester who fell to his death on Saturday from a ledge, where hours earlier he had unfurled an anti-extradition banner.\n\nThe progress of the march was slow, as the large numbers of people blocked many streets and crowded train stations.\n\nAs darkness fell, protesters started to take over major roads and crossings and surrounded the legislative council building.\n\nThey carried placards that read \"The students did not riot\", in response to police labelling last Wednesday's student protests a riot - an offence punishable by up to 10 years in jail.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Timelapse footage shows the scale of Hong Kong protests on Sunday\n\nThere was scepticism among some protesters about Ms Lam's decision to suspend the bill.\n\n\"Carrie Lam has ignored the feelings of Hong Kongers,\" Mr Ma, a 67-year-old protester, told the BBC. He said Ms Lam had \"acted like it was no big deal\" after a reported million people marched last week.\n\n\"Secondly, we are marching for the students who were brutally treated by the police. We need to get justice for them.\"\n\nChloe Yim, 20, who had joined the protests for the first time, said: \"If Carrie sees so many people come out, and still doesn't listen - she's being an autocrat who doesn't listen to people. Hong Kong people can't accept that.\"\n\n'Too little too late'\n\nAnalysis by Helier Cheung, BBC News, Hong Kong\n\nThe government had hoped to reduce public anger by announcing a pause in the legislation on Saturday.\n\nThat has patently failed, as even bigger numbers - close to two million, according to the organisers, took to the streets.\n\nFor the chief executive, the demonstrations will have taken on a particularly personal bent, as protesters chanted \"Carrie Lam - resign!\" throughout during the day.\n\nThe government is now trying to strike a conciliatory tone - in a statement, it said it understood the protesters' views \"have been made out of love and care for Hong Kong\". It promised the chief executive would adopt a more \"sincere and humble attitude\" towards public criticism.\n\nBut this is too little, too late for many protesters, who insist they won't settle for anything less than the bill being completely withdrawn.\n\nThe scenes are reminiscent of 2003 - when half a million people protested against proposed national security legislation. The unpopular chief executive at the time, Tung Chee-hwa, resigned months later.\n\nBut even if Ms Lam resigns, there's no guarantee that protesters will be satisfied with whoever replaces her - especially as, under Hong Kong's political system, the leader is elected by a small panel filled with allies of the Beijing government.\n\nWhat is the controversy about?\n\nHong Kong is a former British colony, but was returned to Chinese rule in 1997 under a \"one country, two systems\" deal that guarantees it a level of autonomy.\n\nThe government had argued the proposed extradition bill would \"plug the loopholes\" so that the city would not be a safe haven for criminals, following a murder case in Taiwan.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The BBC's Helier Cheung on why people are taking to the streets in Hong Kong\n\nCritics have said the legislation would expose people in Hong Kong to China's deeply flawed justice system and lead to further erosion of the city's judicial independence.\n\nMany fear the law could be used to target political opponents of the Chinese state. A large-scale march, which organisers said drew more than one million people, was held last Sunday.\n\nOn Wednesday tens of thousands gathered to blockade streets around government headquarters to try to stop the second reading, or debate, of the extradition bill.\n\nThere were clashes and 22 police and 60 protesters were injured. Authorities say 11 people were arrested. The police have been accused by some rights groups of excessive force.\n\nWhy the anger at Carrie Lam?\n\nMuch of the public anger has been directed at Ms Lam, the region's elected chief executive - who is firmly supported by Beijing.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption How Hong Kong demonstrators organised protests this week\n\nPart of that anger comes from a tearful address after Wednesday's violence in which she labelled the protests \"organised riots\" – a label rejected by the hundreds of thousands of peaceful protesters.\n\nMs Lam remained hidden from public view for days, until her announcement on Saturday the she had heard the calls for her government to \"pause and think\". But she stopped short of saying the bill would be permanently shelved.\n\nOn Sunday, she followed this up with a statement apologising for \"her government's work that has led to substantial controversies and disputes in society, causing disappointment and grief among the people\".\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Carrie Lam expressed 'deep sorrow' over extradition law controversy\n\nThere has been speculation among analysts about Ms Lam's future amid the continued protests, but China's foreign ministry publicly backed her on Saturday.\n\nIs Hong Kong part of China?\n\nHong Kong was a British colony from 1841, when China ceded the island to the British after the First Opium War - which had erupted over British traders smuggling opium into China. It remained a colony until sovereignty was returned to China in 1997.\n\nIt is now part of China under a \"one country, two systems\" principle, which ensures that it keeps its own judicial independence, its own legislature and economic system.\n\nIt is what China calls a special administrative region - enjoying a great deal of autonomy that has made it a key business and media hub in the region.\n\nBut it remains subject to pressure from mainland China, and Beijing remains responsible for defence and foreign affairs.", "Beijing will not let Hong Kong's leader, Carrie Lam, step down even if she wanted to, a senior city government official close to her said on June 17, adding that a divisive extradition law she delayed on the weekend was effectively withdrawn.\n\nOpposition to the proposed law allowing extradition to mainland China has sparked the city's biggest and most violent street protests in decades over the past week.\n\nBut her dramatic gesture failed to mollify a city increasingly outraged over the prospect of legislation that lawyers and judges say risks exposing people to the mercy of a mainland justice system plagued by torture, forced confessions and arbitrary detention.\n\nThe bill, which will cover Hong Kong residents and foreign and Chinese nationals living or travelling through the city, has also sparked concern it would threaten the rule of law that underpins Hong Kong's international financial status.\n\nA crowd of what organisers said was more than two million protesters, many dressed in black, swarmed over swathes of Hong Kong island on June 16, chanting for Lam to quit.\n\nBut despite the anger, she was unlikely to go, said the government official, who declined to be identified given the sensitivity of the matter.\n\n\"It's not going to happen,\" said the official, who has been involved in meetings on the political crisis.\n\nThe turmoil in Hong Kong comes after years of resentment in the former British colony over what many residents see as increasingly repressive meddling by Beijing, despite a \"one country, two systems\" promise of autonomy that paved the way for its return to Chinese rule in 1997.\n\nNow the city's agitation has become another problem for China's leader Xi Jinping, already grappling with a trade war with the United States, a US-led clamp-down on tech giant Huawei and tension in the South China Sea.\n\n\"She's appointed by the central government, so for her to step down requires a very high level of considered discussion and deliberation at the mainland level,\" the official said.\n\nLam's departure now would only exacerbate the crisis for Beijing, the source said.\n\n\"It would create more sorts of problems than it solves, at all sorts of levels.\"\n\nWith the crowd growing ever bigger on June 16, and the chants for Lam to go echoing off the gleaming office towers of the Asian financial hub, Lam apologised, acknowledging that \"deficiencies in the government's work had led to substantial controversies and disputes in society\".\n\nThe government official said the decision to postpone the bill had been made with Beijing's consent, to the relief of many in the city administration.\n\nBut analysts said such a climb-down could undermine Xi's image as a tough, unyielding leader who has overseen a drive against corruption and dissent since he became top leader in 2012.\n\nChina's Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether Beijing would allow Lam to quit.\n\nThe foreign ministry spokesman, asked about her fate, referred reporters to a statement issued on June 15, in which the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office said the government had \"always fully affirmed\" Lam's work and \"will continue to firmly support the chief executive\".\n\nBeijing rejects accusations of meddling and Chinese state media has said \"foreign forces\" were trying to damage China by creating chaos over the bill.\n\nThe government official said the proposed law was effectively dead in the water.\n\n\"Suspending it actually means withdrawal ... it would be absolute political suicide to bring it back again,\" the official said.\n\nLam was voted in by an electoral college of Beijing-approved delegates, after Beijing rejected demands for universal suffrage in the city.\n\nThe senior official said the protests had probably damaged Lam politically in the eyes of Beijing and it was \"doubtful\" that she would seek a second term.\n\nRegina Ip, a member of the city's top Executive Council and an adviser to Lam, told Reuters she did not think Lam would resign, despite the calls from the protesters.\n\nVeteran opposition Democratic Party lawmaker James To said Lam had go.\n\n\"She has missed golden opportunities to show repentance and recover and now has lost all credibility to govern,\" he said. Subscribe to Moneycontrol Pro and gain access to curated markets data, exclusive trading recommendations, independent equity analysis, actionable investment ideas, nuanced takes on macro, corporate and policy actions, practical insights from market gurus and much more.", "Hundreds of Hong Kong people gathered outside the city’s legislature on Monday to call for the resignation of chief executive Carrie Lam, as one of her top advisers declared there was “no chance” a controversial extradition bill that sparked huge protests in the city would be reintroduced.\n\nThe protest on Monday followed a mass demonstration on Sunday against the bill that prompted Ms Lam to apologise over her handling of the proposed law, which would for the first time allow criminal suspects to be extradited from Hong Kong to China.\n\nOrganisers of Sunday’s rally claimed two million joined the march, while police estimated the number of demonstrators at 338,000, in what was one of the biggest protests in the city since its handover from British to Chinese rule in 1997.\n\n“Almost a third of Hong Kong’s population came out against the extradition bill and the chief executive has not given a proper response,” said a woman at the city’s legislature who identified herself only as Christy. She said she had been out all night protesting. “Pausing the legislation is not what we want, we want the chief executive to cancel the proposal.”\n\nMs Lam announced on Saturday that she would suspend the bill indefinitely after insisting for months that she would push it through. Her U-turn came after a week of protests that erupted into violence last Wednesday when police used tear gas and rubber bullets against demonstrators in a rare use of force in the city.\n\nBut while Monday’s protests were small compared with previous days, democracy groups have vowed to continue pushing for a full withdrawal of the bill that they say could be abused by China to seize anyone passing through the territory on potentially trumped-up charges. They also want Ms Lam’s resignation and for police to soften any charges brought against the 11 protesters arrested on Wednesday.\n\nBernard Chan, Ms Lam’s most senior adviser, told Bloomberg there was “no chance the bill will be reintroduced”.\n\nHe added that the chief executive needed to “look after Hong Kong interests as well as the [China’s] interests. You can’t look at one and not the other”.\n\nMr Chan’s comments came after he said last week that it was “impossible” to continue pursuing the controversial bill against a backdrop of violent clashes between protesters and police, in what was the first public sign of a split among the city’s leadership over the issue.\n\nThe protests outside the Legislative Council came as Joshua Wong, a leader of the 2014 pro-democracy Occupy protests – the last time mass demonstrations brought the city to a standstill – was released a month early from jail. At a press conference held outside the prison in which he was incarcerated, he joined calls for Ms Lam to resign and later tweeted that the bill should be withdrawn.\n\n“I hope people are aware there’s a new fight after the Umbrella Movement, ” he said.\n\nMr Wong has been in jail since May, after he lost an appeal against a contempt of court sentence for defying an order to clear a protest site during the pro-democracy rallies. His original three-month sentence was reduced to two months on appeal, citing his young age at the time – he turned 18 during the protests.\n\nMr Wong said there were about 20 activists still in prison in cases linked to pro-democracy protests, and he hoped there would be no more political prisoners in the territory. – Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2019", "Hong Kong, China - As a record two million people took to the streets on Sunday, the people of Hong Kong for the second time appeared to have rendered their leader a lame duck, amid calls for her resignation.\n\nLeader Carrie Lam, who was chosen in 2017 by a small committee of electors with the approval of Beijing, has made a series of spectacular political miscalculations in her handling of a legislative bill that would have amended Hong Kong's extradition laws to allow for criminal renditions to mainland China.\n\nA career bureaucrat who rose through the ranks in the British colonial administration, Lam failed to take into account the deep mistrust in Hong Kong for both China and its legal system.\n\nThe bill prompted four major protests between April and June, with one on Wednesday ending with riot police firing tear gas and rubber bullets at largely peaceful protesters.\n\nTwo record-breaking marches - on Sunday, June 16, and a week earlier - also drew a wide cross section of Hong Kong society, including many ordinary people who said they did not regularly attend demonstrations.\n\nAlthough Hong Kong returned to Chinese sovereignty in 1997, many residents still value the city's unique history, civil liberties, and strong rule of law that has attracted so many foreign companies to make Hong Kong their Asia headquarters. They also deeply value Hong Kong' autonomy from China, which was promised until 2047, but many say it has been under attack in recent years.\n\n\"Basically she is in an impossible situation to govern because she has lost the basic trust of the people, respect from the business community, and even she has lost the respect of the pro-establishment legislators,\" said Willy Lam, an adjunct professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong's Center for China Studies.\n\nLam said her immediate resignation was unlikely as there was no clear successor, but her tenure is effectively over as a leader with any clout.\n\n\"She will be given a face saving period, a kind of a grace period. She may be able to serve one to two more years or even serve out the rest of her term which runs to the middle of 2022, but she will then step down definitely. There's no hope for second term,\" he said.\n\nWhile it is unclear whether the extradition bill originated in Hong Kong or Beijing, Lam has been the public face of the bill since it was first introduced in February. Lam said on Saturday that she was deeply moved by a murder case last year, when Chan Tong-kai, a 19-year old Hong Kong man, killed his girlfriend while the pair were on holiday in Taiwan before fleeing home.\n\nHong Kong and Taiwan's government in Taipei do not share a long-term extradition agreement or formal diplomatic relations, so Chan could only be convicted for the the crime of money laundering and not murder, according to the South China Morning Post.\n\nThe legislative bill would have allowed for Hong Kong to extradite to locations where it lacks a long-term agreement on a case by case basis, including Taiwan but also former European colony Macau as well as the mainland.\n\nBeijing for its part has backed Lam's version of events and said the idea originated in Hong Kong, according to a BBC interview with Liu Xiaoming, China's ambassador to the UK.\n\nLam is in a similar predicament as Tung Che-hwa, Hong Kong's first chief executive under Chinese rule. Tung's government caused a similar political crisis when it tried to introduce national security legislation, known in Hong Kong as Article 23, that would have brought the city's laws in line with the mainland.\n\nAbout half-a-million people marched against the bill on July 1, 2003, according to protest organisers, forcing Tung to suspend the bill indefinitely. He resigned several months later, citing health reasons. David Webb, a governance activist and founder of webb-site.com, said a similar situation may be in store for Lam.\n\n\"She should resign but I don't think she will quickly because Beijing won't let her. When you're an authoritarian state you have to be seen to be infallible and not make mistakes,\" he said.\n\n\"So to have someone resign over this would look bad to them too. Unless things escalate, I think there will be some cooling off period and she will be given an excuse to leave like spending more time with her husband.\"\n\nLawyer Antony Dapiran, author of the book \"City of Protest\" about Hong Kong's 2014 democracy movement, said Lam sealed her own fate when she pushed on with the extradition bill after the million-person march June 12.\n\n\"Either she's extremely stupid, or so living in a bubble that she doesn't know the way the Hong Kong community are feeling, or the third one is her hand is forced and Beijing says 'sorry you have to go through with this now',\" he said of her initial decision to carry on with the bill. \"None of those three are particularly good options for her.\"\n\nInstead Lam went against public opinion and protest feeling escalated on Wednesday as protesters felt increasingly desperate at the thought of losing their city's civil liberties and autonomy to China.\n\nImages of riot police firing on protesters that day were carried by major news outlets around the world.\n\nWhether Lam resigns in a few weeks or a few months, the extradition bill is effectively dead, said pro-democracy legislator Claudia Mo.\n\nIn the next year if Lam fails to reintroduce debate, which is unlikely, the bill will expire, Mo said, with Lam's resignation likely ahead of upcoming legislative elections next year.", "Organisers say almost two million people participated in a new protest through Hong Kong on Saturday against a controversial extradition bill. Police officials played down the numbers, putting the figure at approximately 240,000. Protestors rammed Hong Kong’s streets in the third mass march in a week against China’s proposed new law for the former British colony. Scenes were largely peaceful after riot police clashed with protestors in angry scenes on Wednesday as tensions ran high.\n\nWhat is happening in Hong Kong? The protests are about a bill proposed by China to enable suspects to be extradited from Hong Kong to mainland China. Opponents to the legislation say suspects would face China’s opaque legal system, putting them at risk of an unfair judicial process. Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam originally supported the move but was forced to back down after widespread anger was unleashed on the streets. READ MORE: SOUTH CHINA SEA TENSIONS SOAR AS BEIJING RIVAL PHILIPPINES PURCHASES MENACING NEW PLANES\n\nShe initially delayed the bill’s progress and then later suspended the plans, apologising for its creation on Saturday. Undeterred, protestors marched again on Sunday calling for the law to be scrapped rather than suspended. Joshua Wong, the imprisoned leader of Hong Kong’s 2014 Umbrella Movement, joined demonstrators after being freed and demanded Ms Lam’s resignation. He tweeted: “Hello world and hello freedom. GO HONG KONG!! Withdraw the extradition bill. Carrie Lam step down. Drop all political persecutions.” The bill is contentious as Hong Kong has long enjoyed democratic freedoms not available in mainland China, something people do not want to see changed. READ MORE: MH370 HEARTBREAK” FAMILIES IN BEIJING WERE TOLD MALAYSIA AIRLINES PLANE WAS ‘DELAYED’\n\nIs Hong Kong part of China? How many people live in Hong Kong? Hong Kong is an island sat at the foot of China and is an autonomous territory to the mainland. When the British handed back Hong Kong to China in 1997, they did so on the understanding that it would be governed as “one country, two systems”. This means citizens were allowed to retain their democratic freedoms and judicial system for a further 50 years following the handover. READ MORE: NORTH KOREA’S SECRET WEAPON? KIM JONG-UN PREPARES TO SEND SISTER TO DMZ", "HONG KONG — The Chinese government Monday voiced strong support for Hong Kong’s embattled chief executive, Carrie Lam, a day after yet another vast street protest against her government rattled the leadership in Beijing and the local political establishment.\n\nThe Foreign Ministry issued a forceful endorsement of Lam on Monday. Beijing’s representatives in Hong Kong called in dozens of local politicians and business leaders to urge them to support her. And the Chinese state media began praising Lam even as government censors assiduously tried to block word of the Hong Kong protests from reaching the public in mainland China.\n\nBut after three huge demonstrations over eight days, and her retreat on a proposal that would have allowed Hong Kong residents to be prosecuted in China’s opaque judicial system, it was unclear how long Lam would continue to govern.\n\nThe latest protest, on Sunday, was the largest yet, with a crowd that organizers estimated at almost 2 million in a city of 7 million people. While Lam had indefinitely suspended her push for the Beijing-backed extradition bill the day before, protesters still filled the streets, calling for her to withdraw the legislation instead of suspending it and demanding that she resign.\n\nLam, a lifelong veteran of Hong Kong’s fractious politics who was appointed chief executive two years ago, has refused to bow to the protesters’ jeering calls for her to quit. But democracy advocates in Hong Kong vowed to press on.\n\n“Carrie Lam must step down,” said Joshua Wong, a student leader who, coincidentally, was released from prison Monday after serving a two-month sentence for refusing to leave a protest site in 2014 during a democracy push known as the Umbrella Movement.\n\n“More and more Hong Kong people — not only 1 million, 2 million people — will come to join our fight until we get back our basic human rights and freedom,” he said.\n\nIn addition to calling for Lam to step down and fully withdraw the bill, the protesters — emboldened and angered after her partial concession Saturday — have called for an impartial investigation into the police use of force against demonstrators and for a rescinding of the official description of clashes with police Wednesday as an illegal riot.\n\nAny resignation by Lam would prompt strong demands by democracy activists for her successor to be chosen in free and open elections. But the Communist Party leadership in Beijing, loath to allow any steps that might jeopardize one-party control on the mainland, is unlikely to let them be held.\n\nKeith Bradsher and Amy Qin and New York Times writers.", "Demonstrators hold signs during a protest to demand authorities scrap a proposed extradition bill with China, in Hong Kong, China June 9, 2019.\n\nAfter days of protests, the Hong Kong government suspended a proposed extradition bill on the weekend — a move that surprised some China watchers.\n\nThe proposed legislation would have allowed fugitives to be handed over to Beijing, fueling concerns that Hong Kong's legal system may be compromised by closer judicial ties with China.\n\nDespite the suspension, protesters turned up in force demanding the resignation of the city's Chief Executive Carrie Lam.\n\n\"This is a victory for the protesters, without question,\" said Duncan Innes-Ker, Asia regional director at the Economist Intelligence Unit, after the proposal was put on hold indefinitely — though not completely scrapped.\n\n\"However, in broader terms, the (Chinese) central government is unlikely to back off from its ongoing efforts to tighten political controls over Hong Kong,\" Innes-Ker added.\n\nHe questioned Lam's future as the leader of the territory, and criticized her \"poorly judged statements during the demonstrations\" that \"only served to inflame public anger.\"\n\nWhile Lam issued an apology through a government spokesperson on Sunday, organizers of the mass protests called said it was impersonal and a \"total insult\" to protesters.", "HONG KONG -- Protesters in Hong Kong left the streets, averting possible clashes Monday after haggling for hours with police by moving to areas near the city's government headquarters.\n\nThe demonstrators who stayed after a massive protest march the day before, demanding that Chief Executive Carrie Lam abandon a proposed extradition bill, were seen streaming Monday morning into a space outside Hong Kong's Legislative Council after police who had cleared it reopened the area. Their decision to move allowed police to reopen streets to traffic.\n\nThe activists have rejected an apology from Lam for her handling of the legislation, which has stoked fears of expanding control from Beijing in this former British colony.\n\n\"We are very angry that Carrie Lam has not responded to the demands of all the protesters, but now is the time to talk about strategy, and talk about strategy is to how about how to make the whole struggle into a long-term struggle and not a day struggle, so if Carrie Lam does not respond to the five demands by the protesters, people will come back and the struggle will continue,\" said Lee Cheuk-yan, a former legislator and activist.\n\nShortly after daybreak, the police had asked for co-operation in clearing the road but said the protesters could stay on the sidewalks.\n\nFor a time, the protesters, many in masks and other gear to guard against possible use of tear gas, responded with chants, some kneeling in front of the officers.\n\nHundreds were lying or sitting on the roads until they agreed to move to the plaza outside the government building and a spacious nearby park.\n\nActivists had called on Hong Kong residents to boycott classes and work, though it was unclear how many might heed that call.\n\nNearly 2 million of the city's 7 million people turned out on Sunday, according to estimates by protest organizers. Police said 338,000 were counted on the designated protest route in the \"peak period\" of the march. A week earlier as many as 1 million people demonstrated to voice their concern over Hong Kong's relations with mainland China in one of the toughest tests of the territory's special status since Beijing took control in a 1997 handover.\n\nThe scenes were similar to those seen nearly five years earlier, when protesters camped for weeks in the streets to protest rules that prevented the direct election of the city's chief executive, the top local official.\n\nOne of the activists arrested after those demonstrations, Joshua Wong, was released from prison Monday after serving half of a two-month jail sentence for contempt. He headed to join protesters gathered near Hong Kong's government headquarters soon afterward, and also called in a tweet for Lam to resign and for a halt to \"all political persecutions.\"\n\nAfter daybreak Monday, police announced that they want to clear the streets. Soon after, police lined up several officers deep and faced off against several hundred demonstrators on a street in central Hong Kong.\n\nThe night before, as protesters reached the march's end thousands gathered outside the city government headquarters and the office of Chief Executive Carrie Lam, who on Saturday suspended her effort to force passage of the bill.\n\nHong Kong residents worry that allowing some suspects to be sent for trial in mainland China would be another of many steps chipping away at Hong Kong's freedoms and legal autonomy. One concern is that the law might be used to send criminal suspects to China to potentially face vague political charges, possible torture and unfair trials.\n\nThe protesters are demanding that Lam scrap the proposal for good and that she step down.\n\nProtesters are also angered over the forceful tactics by police use of tear gas, rubber bullets and other forceful measures as demonstrators broke through barricades outside the city government's headquarters to quell unrest during demonstrations on Wednesday, and over Lam's decision to call the clashes a riot. That worsens the potential legal consequences for those involved.\n\nIn a statement issued late Sunday, Lam noted the demonstrations and said the government \"understands that these views have been made out of love and care for Hong Kong.\"\n\n\"The chief executive apologizes to the people of Hong Kong for this and pledges to adopt a most sincere and humble attitude to accept criticisms and make improvements in serving the public,\" it said.\n\nNot enough, said the pro-democracy activists.\n\n\"This is a total insult to and fooling the people who took to the street!\" the Civil Human Rights Front said in a statement.\n\nProtesters have mainly focused their anger on Lam, who had little choice but to carry through dictates issued by Beijing, where President Xi Jinping has enforced increasingly authoritarian rule. But some were skeptical that having Lam step down would help.\n\n\"It doesn't really matter because the next one would be just as evil,\" said Kayley Fung, 27.\n\nMany here believe Hong Kong's legal autonomy has been significantly diminished despite Beijing's insistence that it is still honouring its promise, dubbed \"one country, two systems,\" that the territory can retain its own social, legal and political system for 50 years after the handover in 1997.\n\nAfter Lam announced she was suspending the legislation to avoid more violence and allow additional debate, Chinese government officials issued multiple statements backing that decision. Lam, however, made clear she was not withdrawing it.\n\nShe has sidestepped questions over whether she should quit and also defended how the police dealt with last week's clashes with demonstrators.\n\nLam insists the extradition legislation is needed if Hong Kong is to uphold justice, meet its international obligations and not become a magnet for fugitives. The proposed bill would expand the scope of criminal suspect transfers to include Taiwan, Macau and mainland China.\n\nSo far, China has been excluded from Hong Kong's extradition agreements because of concerns over its judicial independence and human rights record.\n\nProsecutions of activists, detentions without trial of five Hong Kong book publishers and the illegal seizure in Hong Kong by mainland agents of at least one mainland businessman are among moves in recent years that have unnerved many in the city of 7 million.", "HONG KONG (AP) — The Latest on protests in Hong Kong against an extradition bill (all times local):\n\nHong Kong's police commissioner says only people who committed violence will be charged with rioting during clashes between police and protesters outside the legislature on Wednesday, in an apparent attempt to defuse widespread public anger over aggressive police tactics.\n\nStephen Lo Wai-chung on Monday defended the police response to the protests by tens of thousands of people as appropriate. It included the use of tear gas, rubber bullets and steel batons against protesters who removed barriers. He described the fracas as a riot, but said only five of 15 arrested people were accused of rioting, a serious charge that can result in a prison term of up to 10 years.\n\nAnother 17 people were arrested in the vicinity on lesser charges.\n\nProtesters in Hong Kong have gathered outside the office of the city's leader, demanding that she resign for her handling of an unpopular extradition bill.\n\nThe mostly young demonstrators blocked a street Monday near the city's waterfront as they stood outside the office of Chief Executive Carrie Lam, chanting calls for her to give up the proposed legislation.\n\nLam has apologized for the crisis and suspended work on the bill, which would allow suspects to face trial in mainland Chinese courts.\n\nProtesters are demanding that she scrap the bill and that authorities apologize for how police quelled an earlier demonstration, using tear gas, rubber bullets and other forceful means. They also want the government not to prosecute those involved, and to withdraw Lam's designation of the protest as a \"riot.\"\n\nA member of Hong Kong's Executive Council has said the city's leader plans to apologize again over her handling of a highly unpopular extradition bill.\n\nLam Ching-choi told reporters that Chief Executive Carrie Lam was sincerely sorry for mishandling the issue, which drew an estimated 2 million people into the streets in protest on Sunday.\n\nHe said Monday that the \"number does tell the story. A lot of Hong Kong people don't think the government is thinking very seriously about the present issues.\"\n\nHe said Hong Kong's leaders made a \"big mistake\" in not consulting the public before proposing the legislation.\n\nHe said, \"I believe she will communicate her apologies to the public in the near future.\"\n\nJoshua Wong, a leader in Hong Kong's 2014 Umbrella Movement demonstrations, headed to join protesters gathered near Hong Kong's government headquarters after his release from prison.\n\nAfter speaking to journalists who mobbed him as he left the correctional facility Monday, Wong laid flowers at a makeshift memorial outside a downtown shopping mall where a protester fell to his death Saturday night after hanging a banner on some scaffolding.\n\nWong's release came as protesters were still gathered near Hong Kong's government headquarters after a protest over an extradition bill promoted by Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam. Organizers said the march drew nearly 2 million people.\n\n\"Hello world and hello freedom. GO HONG KONG!! he said in a tweet. \"Withdraw the extradition bill. Carrie Lam step down. Drop all political persecutions.\"\n\nWong served half of a two-month sentence for contempt related to his involvement in the 2014 protests advocating a more democratic elections process.\n\nA former legislator says protesters are angry their demands are not getting a response from Hong Kong's leader and he sees their current mission as planning for the long term.\n\nAfter a massive demonstration on Sunday, the remaining protesters who stayed overnight agreed to get off the roads and allow traffic to return to normal in the area Monday morning. They say the suspension of the extradition bill that set off the past week's demonstrations was not enough. They want the bill to be dropped entirely and for leader Carrie Lam to resign.\n\nFormer Hong Kong legislator Lee Cheuk-yan says the activists' mission has become a long-term struggle and not a daily struggle. \"So if Carrie Lam does not respond to the five demands by the protesters, people will come back and the struggle will continue.\"\n\nJoshua Wong, a leading figure in Hong Kong's 2014 Umbrella Movement demonstrations, has vowed to join the latest protests after he was released from prison.\n\nWong's release Monday came as protesters were gathered near Hong Kong's government headquarters after a protest on Sunday that organizers said drew nearly 2 million people.\n\nHe told journalists that he needed a bit of time but that \"no matter what happens, I will join the protest soon.\"\n\nWong served half of a two-month sentence for contempt related to his involvement in the 2014 protests advocating a more democratic elections process.\n\nThe latest protests were set off by an extradition bill that would allow some criminal suspects to be sent to mainland China for trials. The legislation has been suspended but residents worry it is a sign of weakening judicial independence in Hong Kong.\n\nProtesters in Hong Kong have begun leaving the streets and gathering near the city's government headquarters.\n\nThe demonstrators who stayed after a massive protest march the day before were seen streaming Monday morning into a space outside Hong Kong's Legislative Council after police who had cleared it reopened the area.\n\nTheir decision to leave major streets allowed police to reopen them to traffic, averting the possibility of clashes similar to those that broke out June 12, resulting in about 80 people being injured.\n\nActivists were staging strikes and other smaller events Monday. There are demanding that Hong Kong Chief Executive scrap a proposed extradition bill that she has suspended under intense pressure from residents worried it would undermine legal protections in the former British colony.\n\nProtesters in Hong Kong have refused police requests to clear the streets.\n\nA policewoman using a loudspeaker asked them to cooperate Monday morning as police lined up several officers deep and faced them.\n\nA woman in black speaking for the protesters responded with her own microphone. She said they were not blocking anyone from getting to work and would leave only after Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam came to hear them out.\n\nPolice removed some of the barriers protesters had set up but refrained from using force. The protesters later put the barriers back and remained.\n\nThey are among hundreds who stayed overnight after a huge protest Sunday against a bill that raised fears about China's control of Hong Kong.\n\nHong Kong police and protesters are facing off Monday morning as authorities try to clear the streets of a few hundred people who stayed near the city government headquarters after massive demonstrations that stretched deep into the night.\n\nThe police asked for cooperation in clearing the road. Protesters responded with chants, some kneeling in front of the officers. The move came after activists rejected an apology from the city's top leader for her handling of legislation that has stoked fears of expanding control from Beijing in this former British colony.\n\nNearly 2 million of the city's 7 million people turned out on Sunday, according to estimates by protest organizers. Police said 338,000 were counted on the designated protest route in the \"peak period\" of the march.", "Beijing reiterated its backing of Hong Kong’s embattled leader Carrie Lam on Monday after a massive demonstration demanding her resignation over a controversial extradition bill.\n\nProtest organisers said some 2 million people choked Hong Kong’s streets on Sunday — despite Lam’s decision to indefinitely suspend passage of the bill a day earlier.\n\nCritics fear the Beijing-backed law will entangle people in China’s notoriously opaque and politicised courts and damage the city’s reputation as a safe business hub.\n\nAlthough Lam offered a rare concession on Saturday, she stopped short of committing to permanently scrapping the unpopular law.\n\nHer gesture was swiftly rejected by protest leaders who called on her to resign, shelve the bill entirely and apologise for police using tear gas and rubber bullets earlier in the week.\n\nBut Lam — the first woman to get the international financial hub’s top job — continues to enjoy support from the Chinese leadership.\n\n“The central government will continue to firmly support the chief executive and efforts by the government of the Special Administrative Region to govern according to law,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang told a regular briefing.\n\nLam took over as Hong Kong’s chief executive in March 2017 when a committee stacked with Beijing loyalists voted her into office.\n\nBeijing had earlier backed Lam’s decision to suspend the bill saying it was an attempt to “listen more widely” to different views and “restore calm.”\n\nBut Lu from China’s foreign ministry said the protests are “not in line with the mainstream public opinion in Hong Kong.”\n\n“Many facts have shown that foreign governments and even some politicians have been making inflammatory remarks since the decision of the Hong Kong government to start amending the extradition ordinance in February,” Lu said."], "summary": "The scheduled peaceful mass protest, despite bill suspension yesterday, of nearly 2 million people gather in Victoria Square demanding the legislation be withdrawn. If the organizers numbers are confirmed, this is the largest protest ever. Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam apologizes for proposing the bill. Police say turnout was 338,000 at its peak."}
{"document": ["• Former F1 driver on winning team for second year in a row • Second Toyota team blow race lead after error over puncture\n\nThe double Formula One world champion Fernando Alonso won the Le Mans 24 Hours race for the second year in a row on Sunday with his Toyota teammates Kazuki Nakajima of Japan and Switzerland’s Sébastien Buemi after benefiting from an error by another Toyota team, who changed the wrong tyre on their car after it suffered a puncture.\n\nShutter speeds: the cars of El Mirage – in pictures Read more\n\nThe No 8 car crew, who took the lead with an hour to go, were also crowned world endurance champions, with Nakajima driving the final stint and becoming the first Japanese to win the title.\n\nToyota’s No 7 TS050 hybrid car, crewed by Britain’s Mike Conway, Japan’s Kamui Kobayashi and Argentina’s José Maria López, led most of the way but had to stop twice at the end of the race. The first time was because the car had a puncture, and the second time was because the team had changed the wrong tyre during the initial stop. The second stop meant the car dropped to second position, which still meant a one-two finish for the Japanese manufacturer.\n\nThe winning margin, after 385 laps of the Sarthe circuit in the 87th edition of a race watched by a crowd of 252,000, came down to 16.972sec. Alonso, 37, recognised luck had played a big part in completing an unprecedented Le Mans double in a single super-season.\n\n“The main goal this weekend was to win the championship,” the Spaniard, who won his Formula One titles with Renault in 2005 and 2006, told Eurosport. “I think car seven was quicker than us for 24 hours, they really deserved the victory but today the luck decided that we have to take the trophy.\n\n“Luck sometimes plays an important part in motor sport and today we feel extremely lucky and maybe we don’t deserve it but we take it. The world championship feels right at this moment.”\n\nSign up to The Recap, our weekly email of editors’ picks.\n\nThe No 8 crew had needed only a top-seven finish to be sure of the title, with the No 7 car their sole rivals. Alonso’s former McLaren Formula One teammate Stoffel Vandoorne, a Le Mans rookie, joined him on the podium in the third-placed No 11 SMP Racing BR Engineering car shared with the Russians Vitaly Petrov and Mikhail Aleshin. That non-hybrid car finished seven laps off the pace on a sunny afternoon.\n\nThe championship was the second of Buemi’s world endurance career, after a first in 2014, and an addition to the all-electric Formula E crown the Swiss won in 2015-16.\n\nThe racing was punctuated by crashes, with the Venezuelan former F1 driver Pastor Maldonado hitting the barriers at Tertre Rouge in the No 31 Dragonspeed LMP2 after daybreak and bringing out the safety car.\n\nBefore that, the No 17 SMP that had been in third place spun out in the early hours with the Russian Egor Orudzhev at the wheel and the car proving too damaged to continue.", "Smell the burning rubber and taste the coffee to keep you awake, it's time for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. We have all the 2019 Le Mans live stream details right here.\n\n24 Hours of Le Mans 2019 - where and when If you intend to watch the 24 Hours of Le Mans from the comfort of your own home, it's being broadcast around the globe across various networks - so keep reading to see where. The main event at the Circuit de la Sarthe runs from Saturday, June 15 to Sunday, June 16, with coverage beginning at 3pm local time - that's 2pm BST, 9am ET, 6am PT, and midnight AEST.\n\nThis year sees the Circuit de la Sarthe as home to the 87th Le Mans which has cars race for, you guessed it, 24 hours straight. This year will be the biggest yet with an expanded field of 62 cars taking part in the endurance event.\n\nLast year's 24h of Le Mans winner Toyota Gazoo Racing will be defending its title having only just joined the World Endurance Championship Super Season in May 2018. With ex-Formula One driver Fernando Alonso racing for said team it's going to be a tough race to take, especially when you consider the team has already won the LMP drivers' championship.\n\nIt's not an easy win guaranteed though with Signatech Alpine Matmut and Jackie Chan DC Racing in the running.\n\nPorsche has secured the GT manufacturers championship but the GTE Am fight is still to be won the number 56 of Team Project 1 Porsche of Jorg Bergmeister, Patrick Linsey and Egidio Perfetti have a 23-point lead over the number 54 Spirit of Race Ferrari of Francesco Castellacci, Giancarlo Fisichella and Thomas Flohr in both the drivers’ and teams’ championship battle. The number number 77 Dempsey-Proton Racing Porsche, 90 TF Sport Aston Martin, number 98 Aston Martin and number 61 Clearwater Racing Ferrari are also all still in the fight.\n\nGetting a Le Mans live stream is actually pretty straightforward, and there are even some very nice options to watch it all absolutely free.\n• See how to watch every minute of the FIFA Women's World Cup\n\nGet a 24 hours of Le Mans live stream from outside your country\n\nBecause of the sheer time-span of the 24h of Le Mans race, watching options aren't that readily available. We've given you some information below if you're in the UK, US, Canada or Australia. Then, even if you have one, you'll find that it's geo-blocked when you try to watch it from abroad.\n\nSo if you're desperate to watch the Le Mans 24h but are away without a broadcast, then you could always use a VPN to access your home stream. In short, a VPN allows you to change your laptop or phone's IP address to another region. We've tested hundreds of VPNs and can recommend these as the three best VPNs currently available: 1. Express VPN (comes with a 30 day money back guarantee)\n\n This is the #1 rated best VPN in the world right now, thanks to its security and speed. You can watch on many devices at once including Smart TVs, Fire TV Stick, PC, Mac, iPhone, Android phone, iPads, tablets etc. Check out Express VPN and get 15 months for the price of 12.\n\nGood news motor racing fans – the entirety of the 24 Hours of Le Mans is being shown absolutely FREE.\n\nThe bad news...this is only in France (sorry to get your hopes up!). France.TV will be live streaming the entire 24 Hours of Le Mans 2019 via the French broadcaster's website.\n\nBut that's not the only way, so maybe you can forgive us. Some of the international broadcasters have free trials with their coverage...\n\nHow to live stream Le Mans 24 Hours 2019 in the US for FREE\n\nThis year Le Mans will be shown in the US on MotorTrend TV and the MotorTrend app, with the full 24 hours broadcast live for your viewing pleasure. That means you can enjoy the action via your laptop, mobile app or tablet.\n\nMotorTrend costs $5.99 per month subscription, or $59.99 for the year. Plus, and here's the best bit, it does a FREE 14-day trial meaning that you can sign up and watch the entire 24 Hours of Le Mans without paying a cent!\n\nWant to watch that MotorTrend stream but are away from the US while the race is on? Then check out the information above about downloading and installing a VPN to get around any geo-block.\n\nFor the first time ever, the Le Mans endurance race will be shown on Velocity - part of the Discovery network - with the full 24 hours broadcast live for your viewing pleasure. So that means you're looking at requiring cable to watch.\n\nAnd if you want to watch the broadcast in another territory, then there's always that VPN route.\n\nHow to watch Le Mans 2019 in the UK\n\nFor UK residents, the Le Mans 24 Hours will get the Eurosport treatment. That means Eurosport 1, available in lots of broadcast and streaming forms, is the channel you need for the Saturday and/or Sunday. Eurosport is available with basic Sky TV packages or with a Eurosport Player monthly (£6.99) or annual pass (£4.99/pm or single payment of £39.99) that also gives you access across loads of devices.\n\nWant to access the action but are outside the UK? Then grab a VPN service and change you IP to a UK location.\n\nHow to watch the Le Mans 24 Hours: Australia live stream\n\nAustralia is getting Le Mans 2019 via Eurosport too. That means it can be watched via the Eurosport website or through the app or, of course, via a broadcaster that offers the channel.", "LE MANS, France: Champions Toyota led the Le Mans 24 Hours sportscar race in one-two formation as dawn broke over the famed Mulsanne straight on Sunday.\n\nWith five hours remaining, 50 of the 61 cars were still running with the number seven Toyota of Britain's Mike Conway, Japan's Kamui Kobayashi and Argentina's Jose Maria Lopez out in front.\n\nThe number eight car, shared by world endurance championship leaders double Formula One world champion Fernando Alonso, Japan's Kazuki Nakajima and Switzerland's Sebastien Buemi, was a lap down.\n\nAlonso's former McLaren Formula One team mate Stoffel Vandoorne, a Le Mans rookie, was also heading for the podium in the third-placed number 11 SMP Racing BR Engineering car shared with Russians Vitaly Petrov and Mikhail Aleshin.\n\nThat non-hybrid car was some six laps off the pace as the morning brought sunshine and blue skies after some light overnight rain.\n\nThe two Toyota TS050 hybrids had started first and second after dominating qualifying for the 87th edition of the endurance classic and led smoothly through the night at the Circuit de la Sarthe.\n\nThe racing was punctuated by crashes, with Venezuelan former F1 driver Pastor Maldonado hitting the barriers at Tertre Rouge in the number 31 Dragonspeed LMP2 after daybreak and bringing out the safety car.\n\nBefore that, the number 17 SMP that had been in third place spun out in the early hours at the Karting corner with Russian Egor Orudzhev at the wheel and the car proving too damaged to continue.\n\nToyota are the only major manufacturer in the top LMP1 category and the championship battle, in a super season that includes two editions of Le Mans, is a private one between their drivers.\n\nWhatever happens, Sunday is guaranteed to see a Japanese driver win a major FIA-sanctioned world championship for the first time.\n\nAlonso, who won Le Mans last year when he was also in his final Formula One season, is departing the world endurance championship after Le Mans.\n\nThe Japanese car giant has already clinched the manufacturers' championship and is sure to take the double with the number eight car out of reach of all but car seven in the standings.", "Get ready to watch 24 Hours of Le Mans live stream online 2019. Find all channels below. Talking about one of the finest F1 racing events will bring the 24 Hours of Le Mans into the limelight. Indeed, the racing event is been running since years and the excitement of fans is truly on the rising curve. Each year when this event takes place, thousands of fans gather inside the stadium to cheer for their favorite players. Well, for the internet fanatics, we have got the best ways to watch 24 Hours of Le Mans 2019 online.\n\nRight from the Circuit de Canadian, F1 is all set to broadcast the entire event. Of course, plenty of arrangements are made for the fans whereas professional is bound to be on a good height. In terms of the official TV broadcaster, Sky Sports TV is the one who is in charge of the same.\n\nWell, the idea of the 24 Hours of Le Mans came from the year 1929 where the event was first held as an inaugural formula one world championship event. Further, Antony Noghes is the founder of the epic racing event and since then, the event is growing with time.\n\nAlso, the 2019 24 Hours of Le Mans edition will surely be quite different than the previous ones. This time, the event has got some serious competitors whereas the one who will finish first will have to deliver his sheer best.\n\nNow, if you are looking for the best channels and services to watch the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2019 online, we have got some amazing ones for you.\n\nTogether, come along as we are about to unwrap each of the channels, one by one.\n\nBest channels to watch 24 Hours of Le Mans 2019 live streaming Reddit free online\n\nOf course, in a world of internet, picking up the right and finest channels is not an easy task. It requires a lot of dedication and hard work to pick online channels that can be a perfect fit for any online user.\n\nThankfully, we have jotted down the listing of the best ones. Let us move ahead and uncover every single channel, one by one.\n\nHead for the subreddits relating to 24 Hours of Le Mans or Motorsports streams. You will find a lot of subreddits relating to Formula one racing with free links available. Check out.\n\nRegardless of any sports event, the Sky Sports company has always been to the rescue. Indeed, they offer quality streaming whereas the costing is kept at the lowest extent.\n\nIf you are the one who likes to watch 24 Hours of Le Mans 2019 online, the Sky Sports F1 can be your first ever choice. Yes, the service comes with paid and free streaming option.\n\nYou can choose anyone based on your preferences and start watching the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2019 event, the easiest way.\n\nThankfully, if there is any other no-contract service than Sky Sports, the NOW TV is a perfect option. This time,\n\nNOW TV will also broadcast the entire racing event of the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2019 online.\n\nIndeed, you will get good quality streaming whereas interruption will happen to the least extent. Still, before using the NOW TV, you will need to spend Euros 195 for an entire year which is a pretty much decent amount.\n\nStream live sports and ESPN originals on ESPN+ for only $4.99 a month. Start your 7-day free trial today!\n\nWell, other than streaming the entire event live, watching highlights can also come handy for some individuals. With Channel 4, you can watch every single match highlight of the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2019 event.\n\nAll you require is a good speed net connection and with a compatible device, you are good to go for watching the F1 Canadian racing event highlights.\n\nIf you have got money to spend on streaming services, none of the services can be better than Fubo TV. Yes, its world’s first sports streaming service provider whereas you can catch up on any sports event.\n\nHere, the basic Fubo TV plan starts from $54.99 per month that delivers quality live TV channels. Be it sports or any entertainment one, Fubo TV is the one-word answer for every internet user.\n\nAlso, the company offers support to tons of different devices. Whether you are using Fubo TV on the Amazon FireStick or on Roku, support is plenty for every single device.\n\nFurther, if you are not willing to paying upfront, you can test the Fubo TV’s 7-Days free trial period. With this, you can test their service and if things go well, you can purchase their premium subscription plans.\n\nSign up for fuboTV here!\n\nWell, willing to opt for an affordable streaming service? Bring the Sling TV into the spotlight. Since years, the company has been offering quality streaming services at a much affordable rate.\n\nEven in 2019, their basic Orange pack rate starts from $25 per month that gives access to 30 live streaming channels. Now, the channel composes of different channel options such as sports, entertainment, lifestyle and many more.\n\nFurther, in the support section, Sling TV offers support to various devices other than the Roku. Be it Android, iOS or even FireStick, Sling TV is the perfect and affordable go-to option.\n\nLast but not least, if you don’t want to pay even a single penny upfront, Sling TV has done the nicest thing for you.\n\nYou can avail the 7-Days free trial period given by Sling TV. Effectively test their services and if things go pretty well, purchase their premium subscription plans.\n\nDespite offering support to just PlayStation 4, the company has definitely expanded their reach. This time, they are offering support to other devices such as FireStick, Roku, iOS and even Android devices.\n\nBe it any latest device, you can use PlayStation Vue to stream contents, the way you like.\n\nAlso, coming down to pricing, PlayStation Vue offers plans at $45 per month. Here, with a list of 40 channels, you can effectively watch 24 Hours of Le Mans 2019 online, for sure.\n\nAdditionally, with PlayStation Vue, you will not face many lags in the entire streaming process. All you require is a faster speed net connection along with a supportable device.\n\nAfter which, you can generally buy the subscription plans of PlayStation Vue and start streaming right away.\n\nStill, if you are the one who believes in the trial method, the company delivers the same to you.\n\nWith the 5-Days free trial period, you can effectively test their service and then choose from different plan options.\n\nStill not a much popular streaming service company, Hulu TV has come a really long way. Their plans are affordable whereas the basic one starts from just $35 per month. With this, Hulu TV offers extended support to tons of different devices.\n\nBe it the older Roku or the latest Android devices, with Hulu, you can’t really miss any single match.\n\nAlso, with Hulu TV, you can’t compromise on the quality as they offer effortless qualities at minimal pricing.\n\nNo lags and just pure entertainment has always been the motto of Hulu TV. Additionally, the company also offers some days free trial period. With this, you can effectively test their services and if things go pretty well, purchase their premium plan options.\n\nIf you are an individual who believes in sheer quality delivery, watching videos on YouTube TV can be a far better choice. Despite their pricing of $40 per month, YouTube TV is the one good streaming provider that offers quality streaming, all around the year.\n\nYes, they have got their servers widespread in different locations from which you can access the contents, any time.\n\nAlso, with YouTube TV, the basic need is a good speed net connection along with a compatible device. After which, you can simply use the subscription plan and watch 24 Hours of Le Mans 2019 online.\n\nStill, you must note that the YouTube TV doesn’t really offer any free trial period. Hence, you will need to test their services and if things go well, purchase their premium subscription plans.\n\nIf you live in the regions of the Middle East and still eager to watch the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2019 online, beIN Sports is a better option. Here, you can download the beIN sports application from the app store, pay for the subscription and start streaming right away.\n\nWith beIN Sports, you can get a chance to access different packages. Be it the sports one or sports HD package, beIN Sports delivers both of them.\n\nAlso, the company offers support to tons of different devices. Be it the FireStick or Roku, beIN Sports is the one way to go to Middle East countries.\n\nFor people who live in the geo-restricted countries, streaming can be a difficult task for you. With the world’s internet censorship rising to the core, using VPN remains the only single option.\n\nWith a VPN, you can actually mask your IP Address and use any other country’s server for access.\n\nHence, we have done the hard work and brought for you the best VPN’s you can choose to watch 24 Hours of Le Mans 2019 online.\n\nThe first ever brilliant VPN company, Express VPN is the name you can trust for accessing geo-restricted content.\n\nThis VPN is offered by the British associated that has come into existence after severe research. By using the Express VPN, you can actually mask your IP address and stream contents, the easiest way.\n\nAlso, Express VPN offers a graphical and initiative interface which deliver streaming, the best possible way.\n\nAdditionally, Express VPN offers a free trial period of a few days. You can opt for the same, test and if things go pretty well, purchase their subscription plans altogether.\n\nWe recommend using ExpressVPN to easily access a variety of channels anonymously and securely. ExpressVPN offer blazing-fast VPN speeds to watch sports on all devices, the best-in-class privacy protection and unlimited premium bandwidth. Get ExpressVPN now for 49% off their 12-month package at only $6.67/month to watch NBA and NHL Playoffs, UFC, Boxing, and Game of Throneslive streams and more!\n• Bypass geo-restrictions to access:\n\n Netflix, Hulu, HBO NOW, BBC iPlayer, iTV, Sky Go (Italy), Rai TV, Crackle, Showtime, Sling TV, FX, NBC, ABC, and more\n• The only provider that unblocks Netflix not just on the VPN, but also using SmartDNS on non VPN–compatible devices such as:\n\n Apple TV, PlayStation, Xbox, and smart TVs\n\nRight after the ExpressVPN, if there is any company that is offering sheer VPN services, NordVPN is the true name. Especially, when it comes to bypassing the stringent geo-boundaries, NordVPN does a fine better job.\n\nTheir pricing despite being on the higher side offers an extensive array of support along with good features.\n\nUsing NordVPN, you can actually mask your location and access the Sky Sports to stream 24 Hours of Le Mans 2019 online.\n\nTopping the top 3 listing in VPN’s, IPVanish is yet another brilliant VPN service. Time after time, the company has evolved themselves where they are introducing new plans along with the features.\n\nEven outside the United States, you can use IPVanish to watch any sorts of content, the easiest way. Though IPVanish is an American VPN, you can use the same to access every sort of content, the easiest way.\n\nWell, only choosing the required VPN will not do the job for you. In order to use the VPN effectively, you will need to set up the VPN. Hence, let us move ahead and go through some of the best steps to set up a VPN, effectively.\n• None Research well and choose any preferred VPN.\n• None Start the VPN and login to your account with given credentials\n• None Activate the same (If Required)\n• None Connect to the nearby server and start the streaming process.\n\nAfter successfully following the above steps, you will find no issue to install and setup VPN’s, the easiest way.\n\nIt is 2019 and the world is getting filled with mobile phone users. Every day, the number is on the rising curve and for watching 24 Hours of Le Mans 2019 online on mobile, it becomes a necessity.\n\nHence, if you are eager to access contents from your mobile phone, let’s move ahead and discover the best mobile sports apps.\n\nStarting since the year 2006, the Sky Go application is doing wonders even in 2019. This time of the year, you can use the Sky Go application on every single Android Smartphone and iOS devices.\n\nHere, all you require is a good speed net connection along with a compatible device. After which, you can effectively stream the entire 24 Hours of Le Mans 2019 online.\n\nHowever, you must note that the Sky Go delivers streaming on a subscription plan basis. Hence, buy the subscription plans and then start watching sports matches, right away.\n\nDiscover everything you need to know about 24 Hours of Le Mans 2019\n\nThis time of the year, the 77th edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2019 event will take place on the 26th of May 2019.\n\nThe event will take place around the streets of Monte Carlo where famous and talent F1 drivers will take an active part in the competition.\n\nApart from the TV channels, you can also watch 24 Hours of Le Mans 2019 online through the above given online services.\n\nTalking about the time, it is all set to 3:30 PM for which you can buy your tickets and come up for this event.\n\nWell, spanning throughout an entire guide to watch 24 Hours of Le Mans 2019 online, we have come to the concluding phase.\n\nIndeed, in a world of an Internet scam, finding the right channels to watch 24 Hours of Le Mans 2019 event is not an easy task.\n\nAs of now, you have got each and everything right in front of you. Be it streaming services or using a VPN to access the 24 Hours of Le Mans event, everything is given to you.\n\nSo, what is the best ever thing you can do now? Well, go ahead, choose any of the above options and start watching 24 Hours of Le Mans 2019 online, the easiest and best possible way.", "LE MANS, France: Double Formula One world champion Fernando Alonso won the Le Mans 24 Hours sportscar race for the second year in a row on Sunday with Toyota team mates Kazuki Nakajima and Switzerland's Sebastien Buemi.\n\nThe number eight car crew, who took the lead with an hour to go, were also crowned world endurance champions with Nakajima driving the final stint and becoming the first Japanese to win the title.\n\nToyota's number seven TS050 hybrid car, crewed by Britain's Mike Conway, Japan's Kamui Kobayashi and Argentina's Jose Maria Lopez, led most of the way but suffered two late punctures and dropped to second in a one-two finish for the Japanese manufacturer.\n\nBelgian Stoffel Vandoorne - Alonso's former McLaren Formula One team mate - finished third in his debut Le Mans with Russian team mates Vitaly Petrov and Mikhail Aleshin in the number 11 SMP Racing BR Engineering car.", "LE MANS, France: The pole-sitting Toyota of Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Jose Maria Lopez led the Le Mans 24 Hour Race into the early hours of Sunday (jUN 16) as the Japanese manufacturer stayed on course for a predictable back-to-back win.\n\nAfter nine hours, they had a seven-second lead on the other Toyota hybrid of Fernando Alonso, Sebastien Buemi and Kazuki Nakajima who triumphed 12 months ago.\n\nTwo laps off the pace was the SMP Racing car of Stephane Sarrazin, Egor Orudzhev and Sergey Sirotkin.\n\nMost of the drama in the opening nine hours was down the field.\n\nThe Corvette of Swiss driver Marcel Fassler spun after contact with the Porsche of Japan's Satoshi Hoshino who is driving for the team backed by film star Patrick Dempsey and US television.\n\nAfter two, violent clashes with the safety barriers, the Corvette had to be lifted off the circuit by a crane with the crew forced to abandon.\n\nAlonso, 37, is signing off on another chapter of his storied career, hoping to add back-to-back Le Mans titles to his two Formula One world championships.\n\n\"It's always tough to race for 24 hours,\" said Alonso who is still in contention for the overall world endurance championship title this season.\n\nDespite his caution, a win for the Toyota hybrids is almost certain.\n\nFor the last two seasons, they have been the only manufacturer on the grid after Porsche and Audi pulled out of the elite LMP1 class which this year features just six other cars.", "Le Mans, France, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - APP - 16th Jun, 2019 ) :Fernando Alonso celebrated his second straight Le Mans 24 Hour race title on Sunday in a Toyota.\n\nThe two-time Formula One champion shared the driving with Sebastien Buemi and Kazuki Nakajima with whom he triumphed 12 months ago.\n\nAnother Toyota driven by Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Jose Maria Lopez, was in the lead and on course for victory only to suffer a puncture one hour from the finish.", "The 24 Hours of Le Mans is well underway, and pro photographer Jay Liu is there to capture all of the action. Jay has given us access to his full portfolio of images throughout the Le Mans weekend, freezing everything from the big speed of the hybrid Toyotas to the incredible liveries of the GTE Am class into larger than life images. I picked out a few of my favorites from the pre-race and from the first few hours of the race for you to enjoy, but you can see the rest of his work from the race right here.\n\nThere’s nothing better than a nicely composed slow shutter pan.\n\nOne of the greatest things about Le Mans is the incredible enthusiasm of the fans.\n\nDon’t forget where you are. Le Mans is a big place.\n\nYou can’t see the rest of the grid in this photo because they’re all hiding behind the #BigM8.\n\n\n\nMan, these are the liveries Ford should have been using all along. Shame.\n\nExcellent livery on the JMW Ferrari. I love bright colors and weird shapes.", "LE MANS, France: Hot favourites to defend their crown, Toyota dominated the first hour's racing as the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance race got under way on Saturday (Jun 15).\n\nMike Conway got a flying start in car No 7 from pole position, while defending champion and fellow Toyota driver Sebastien Buemi, in car No 8, was running second after the first hour in the 61-car race due to finish at 1300 GMT on Sunday.\n\nBuemi, who won last year alongside teammates Kazuki Nakajima and the Formula 1 legend Fernando Alonso, was left under no illusions about the tussle ahead as Conway broke the lap record on his fourth lap of the Circuit de Sarthe with a time of 3min 17.297sec.\n\nA win for the Toyota hybrids is almost certain, barring an accident, as they have been the only manufacturer on the grid since Porsche and Audi pulled out of the elite LMP1 class, which this year features just six other cars.", "Check out the action from Le Mans in photos"], "summary": "Toyota Gazoo Racing wins the 2019 24 Hours of Le Mans."}
{"document": ["Andy North breaks down how Gary Woodland was able to win the U.S. Open and what Woodland proved to himself. (1:41)\n\nPEBBLE BEACH, Calif. -- Gary Woodland denied Brooks Koepka's bold bid at history and made U.S. Open memories of his own Sunday with two clutch shots, a birdie putt on the final hole and that silver trophy in his hands at Pebble Beach.\n\nYeah, he's got this.\n\nKoepka, trying to match a 114-year-old record by winning his third straight U.S. Open, kept the pressure on until the very end. Woodland was just as unflappable and got better with each big moment he faced, whether it was a 3-wood from 263 yards or a lob wedge from the putting surface that will take its place with other big moments on the 17th hole of Pebble Beach.\n\nNeeding three putts to win, Woodland finished in style with a 30-foot birdie putt for a 2-under 69, giving him the lowest 72-hole score in six U.S. Opens at Pebble Beach and a three-shot victory over Koepka. He raised both arms in the air to salute the crowd, turned toward the Pacific and slammed down his fist.\n\n\"I never let myself get ahead,\" Woodland said. \"Once that went in, it all came out of me. It's special to finish it off here at Pebble Beach.\"\n\nKoepka had to settle for a footnote in history. He closed with a 68, making him the first player to score in the 60s in all four rounds at a U.S. Open without winning.\n\nBut he made Woodland earn every bit of his first major championship.\n\nClinging to a one-shot lead with more pressure than he has ever felt, Woodland seized control by going for the green on the par-5 14th hole with a 3-wood from 263 yards, narrowly clearing a cavernous bunker and setting up a simple up-and-down for a two-shot lead.\n\n\"The idea was to play for the win,\" Woodland said. \"I could have laid up. That 3-wood separated me a little bit.\"\n\nIt was the shot of the tournament, until Woodland hit one even better.\n\nHe dropped the 5-iron from his hands when it sailed well to the right on the par-3 17th, on the edge of the green with the pin 90 feet away over a hump. Up ahead on the par-5 18th, Koepka drilled a 3-iron just over the back of the green, leaving him a 50-foot chip for eagle to tie, with a birdie likely to do the trick considering what Woodland faced on the 17th.\n\nKoepka chipped to 10 feet and narrowly missed the birdie putt. Woodland, unable to hit putter and get anywhere near the hole, opted to pitch it. He clipped it perfectly just over the hump, and it checked about 12 feet from the hole and trickled out to tap-in range.\n\n\"I was just trying to get it over that hump,\" Woodland said. \"I thought it had a chance to go in, but it's not one I want over.\"\n\nThat effectively ended the U.S. Open.\n\nplay 0:52 Koepka: 'I played great, nothing I can do' Brooks Koepka says though he played great at the U.S. Open, but there was nothing he could do as he praises Gary Woodland for winning.\n\nWoodland, a 35-year-old who played basketball for one year at Washburn before taking a golf scholarship at Kansas, is immensely popular with his peers, many of whom gathered behind the 18th to celebrate his first major win with him.\n\nHis biggest moment of the year wasn't any shot he hit. He starred in a viral video with Amy Bockerstette, a 20-year-old with Down syndrome, during the Phoenix Open. Woodland invited her to play the par-3 16th, and Amy hit into a bunker, blasted onto the green and made the par putt, all the while saying, \"You got this.\" That was the message she sent Woodland on Saturday night.\n\nWoodland played conservatively down the 18th and made one last birdie that only mattered in the record book. He was aware that Tiger Woods had a 12-under 272 during his historic rout at Pebble Beach in 2000, and he topped him.\n\nThat birdie put him at 13-under 271 and earned him $2.25 million, the richest payoff in golf.\n\nThe difference was Woods won by 15 shots and was the only player under par. With a marine layer blocking the sunshine and no significant wind at Pebble Beach throughout this past week, 31 players finished under par.\n\nKoepka started four shots behind in his bid to join Willie Anderson as the only players to go back-to-back-to-back in the toughest test in golf. He made up ground quickly with four birdies in five holes.\n\n\"I felt like, 'We've got a ball game now,'\" Koepka said.\n\nHe failed to get up-and-down from a bunker for birdie on the par-5 sixth, and missed a 6-foot birdie putt on the par-3 seventh. Still, he stayed within range, just like he wanted, knowing that anything could happen on the back nine of a U.S. Open.\n\nSomething wonderful happened to Woodland.\n\n\"Gary played a hell of a round today,\" Koepka said. \"Props to him to hang in there. To go out in style like that is pretty cool.\"\n\nOf the four other players who had a shot at three straight U.S. Opens, no one came closer than Koepka. Since mid-April, he has a victory in the PGA Championship and runner-up finishes in the Masters and U.S. Open.\n\nJustin Rose was the only one who caught Woodland all day, with a birdie on the opening hole. Rose bogeyed from the bunker on No. 2 as Woodland birdied, and he never caught up. Rose fell out of the race with three bogeys in a four-hole stretch on the back nine. He shot 74 and shared third with Xander Schauffele (67), Jon Rahm (68) and Chez Reavie (71).\n\nWoods birdied six of his last 12 holes and was never a factor. He tied for 21st, 11 shots behind.", "PEBBLE BEACH – In front of Gary Woodland was a 263-yard shot to the scariest green on any par 5 at Pebble Beach, especially with a U.S. Open on the line. Behind him by one shot on the leaderboard was Brooks Koepka, the most dangerous figure in major championship golf these days.\n\nThe safe shot was to lay up on the 14th and take his chances with a wedge\n\n“The idea was to play for the win,” Woodland said.\n\nWith an extra boost of confidence from his caddie — Brennan Little, who was on the bag for Mike Weir in his Masters victory — Woodland delivered the shot of his life with a 3-wood that narrowly cleared a bunker, settled on the edge of the green and set up a birdie that gave him the cushion he needed.\n\nThe rest was pure theater — a 90-foot pitch off the 17th green he nearly holed, a 30-foot birdie putt on the final hole for a 2-under 69 and a three-shot victory that denied Koepka’s bold bid to match a century-old record with a third straight U.S. Open.\n\nWoodland’s pitch across the 17th green over a hump that checked and trickled to tap-in range effectively clinched it, taking its place with other big moments on the 17th green in the U.S. Open such as Jack Nicklaus and his 1-iron off the pin and Tom Watson’s chip-in birdie. It even got the attention of Nicklaus.\n\n“Took a lot of guts,” Nicklaus said on Twitter.\n\nWoodland had that it abundance, along with a message from an inspirational friend.\n\nUntil Sunday, when he cradled the silver trophy at Pebble Beach, Woodland got more attention from one hole in a pro-am at the Phoenix Open. He was gracious and encouraging to Amy Bockerstette, a 20-year-old with Down Syndrome and sheer optimism. Woodland invited her to hit a shot on the par-3 16th (into a bunker). He wanted to blast it out of the sand but she said, “I got this.” She hit it out to 8 feet and made the putt. The PGA Tour-produced video has more than 20 million views.\n\n“I told myself that a million times today,” Woodland said. “I’ve got this.”\n\nKoepka didn’t make it easy, keeping the pressure on Woodland until the very end.\n\nBoth represent the modern athlete in golf. Both are unflappable.\n\nNeeding three putts to win, Woodland finished in style. He raised both arms in the air to salute the crowd, turned toward the Pacific and slammed down his fist.\n\n“I never let myself get ahead,” Woodland said. “Once that went in, it all came out of me. It’s special to finish it off here at Pebble Beach.”\n\nKoepka had to settle for a footnote in history. He closed with a 68, making him the first player with all four rounds in the 60s at a U.S. Open without winning.\n\n“It was awesome to come this close to going three in a row. It’s incredible,” Koepka said. “I didn’t really think about it until I was done on 18 and realized how close I actually was to not making history, but tying it, I guess you could say. Just wasn’t meant to be this week.”\n\nDistance was no problem for Woodland on the 14th hole. It was the potential outcome.\n\n“Left is not good, right is out-of-bounds, long is not ideal and the bunker speaks for itself,” Woodland said. “So to execute that shot under the pressure, under the situation, that shot gave me the confidence. I felt better after hitting that shot on the golf course today than I had in a long, long time.”\n\nHe believes it allowed him to hit one just as good on the 17th.\n\nWoodland dropped the 5-iron from his hands when it sailed well to the right of the green with the pin 90 feet away over a hump.\n\nUp ahead on the par-5 18th, Koepka drilled a 3-iron just over the back of the green, leaving him a 50-foot chip for eagle to tie, with a birdie likely to do the trick considering what Woodland faced on the 17th. Koepka chipped to 10 feet and narrowly missed the birdie putt.\n\nWoodland, unable to hit putter and get anywhere near the hole, opted to pitch it with a 64-degree wedge. He clipped it perfectly just over the hump, and it checked about 12 feet from the hole and trickled by the pin to secure par, and effectively the U.S. Open.\n\n“I was just trying to get it over that hump,” Woodland said. “I thought it had a chance to go in, but it’s not one I want over.”\n\nWoodland played conservatively down the 18th and made one last birdie that only mattered in the record book. He was aware that Tiger Woods had a 12-under 272 during his historic rout at Pebble Beach in 2000, and he topped him.\n\nThat birdie put him at 13-under 271 and earned him $2.25 million, the richest payoff in golf.\n\nThe difference was Woods won by 15 shots and was the only player under par. With a marine layer blocking the sunshine, and no significant wind at Pebble Beach all week, 31 players finished under par.\n\nKoepka started four shots behind in his bid to join Willie Anderson as the only players to go back-to-back-to-back in the toughest test in golf. He made up ground quickly with four birdies in five holes.\n\n“I felt like, ‘We’ve got a ball game now,’” Koepka said.\n\nHe failed to get up-and-down from a bunker for birdie on the par-5 sixth, and missed a 6-foot birdie putt on the par-3 seventh. Still, he stayed within range, just like he wanted, knowing that anything could happen on the back nine of a U.S. Open.\n\n“Gary played a hell of a round today,” Koepka said. “Props to him to hang in there. To go out in style like that is pretty cool.”\n\nOf the four other players who had a shot at three straight U.S. Opens, no one came closer than Koepka. He now has a victory in the PGA Championship and runner-up finishes in the Masters and U.S. Open.\n\nJustin Rose was the only one who caught Woodland all day, with a birdie on the opening hole. Rose bogeyed from the bunker on No. 2 as Woodland birdied, and he never caught up. Rose fell out of the race with three bogeys in a four-hole stretch on the back nine. He shot 74 and shared third with Xander Schauffele (67), Jon Rahm (68) and Chez Reavie (71).\n\nWoods birdied six of his last 12 holes and was never a factor. He tied for 21st, 11 shots behind.", "With a round of 2-under 69 and a closing birdie on the 72nd hole, Gary Woodland won the 119th U.S. Open Championship by three shots over Brooks Koepka. Here’s how Woodland triumphed Sunday at Pebble Beach:\n\nWhat it means: This is Woodland’s fourth PGA Tour victory and his first major. Up one to start the day, at 11 under, he carded birdies at Nos. 2 and 3, shrugging off an opening 3 from Rose, who briefly tied the lead, and an early charge from Koepka, who circled four of his first five. Following bogeys at Nos. 9 and 12 – only his third and fourth dropped shots of the week – Woodland was right back where he started: 11 under par, the leader by one. In the fairway at the par-5 14th, he staked his claim to the trophy when he went for the green in two and carried the front bunker, setting up a birdie-4 that pushed him to minus-12, two clear of Koepka. Following pars at Nos. 15 and 16, Woodland flared his tee shot at the par-3 17th and elected to chip his ball from the putting surface over the ridge that bisects the hourglass green. He nearly holed it, setting up a kick-in par. Two up with one to play after Koepka failed to birdie No. 18, Woodland went iron-iron-wedge up par-5 finisher for a closing birdie and a three-shot win. With the victory, Woodland wins $2.25 million and locks up PGA Tour status through the 2023-24 season. He is exempt into the Masters, the PGA and The Open for the next five years and into the U.S. Open for the next 10 years.\n\nBest of the rest: If not for Woodland, Koepka would be a five-time major winner. Four back through 54 holes and trying to catch Willie Anderson as just the second man to win three consecutive U.S. Opens, Koepka birdied four of his first five holes to get within one of the lead. He bogeyed the eighth to make the turn in 32. Just when appeared poised to make a back-nine push following a birdie at No. 11, he gave a stroke right back with a bogey at the 12th. From there, he parred his way into the clubhouse, burning the edge with a final birdie bid at 18. With his 3-under 68, Koepka becomes the first player in U.S. Open history to record five straight rounds in the 60s. Sunday marks his second runner-up in a major, following his tie for second at the Masters in April. In his last six major starts, Koepka has finished first, 39th, first, second, first and second.\n\nBiggest disappointment: Just one back through 54 rounds, Rose finished six behind in a tie for third, at 7 under, with a Sunday 74. The 2013 U.S. Open champ looked poised to capture his second major when he tied the lead with a birdie at No. 1. But he followed with a bogey at No. 2 and likewise erased a birdie at the sixth with a bogey at eighth. He faded for good with bogeys at Nos. 12, 13 and 15. This marks his 10th career top-5 finish in a major.\n\nLow amateur: In his final event before he turns professional, Viktor Hovland made history. The 2018 U.S. Amateur champion at Pebble Beach finished tied for 11th in his return trip at 4 under for the week after a closing 67. His 72-hole total of 280 is the lowest score by an amateur in U.S. Open history, bettering Jack Nicklaus’ 282 at Cherry Hills in 1960. He will make his pro debut this week at the Travelers Championship.\n\nShots of the day: Woodland’s 3-wood to 14:\n\nHis chip from the green at 17:\n\nAnd his clinching birdie putt at the last:", "Gary Woodland was born in Kansas, in the city of Topeka, which translates from the original Siouan as 'a good place to dig potatoes'.\n\nIt is a recommendation Woodland has long followed. 'I come from Kansas – we're steak and potato boys,' he told Golf magazine.\n\n'I grew up on meat. The look of fish or shellfish, the smell of it, the texture, I can't stand any of it. So I've never had it and I don't ever plan on doing so.'\n\nLeaving aside the issue of where exactly he's been eating dinner on the California coast this last week – Monterey's main drag isn't called Fisherman's Wharf for nothing – Woodland's red-blooded, red meat presence reflects a growing trend in American golf.\n\nOld-fashioned Jocks. Guys who started on basketball scholarships or playing baseball and switched, in the college years, to their second sport.\n\nLike a Mister Muscle, Justin Rose stood sandwiched at Pebble Beach between two prime hunks of American beef: Woodland and the man who, more than anyone, has made this bovine blueprint work: Brooks Koepka.\n\nThe man chasing a fifth major and his third straight US Open is an influencer, the way Arnold Palmer was, the way Tiger Woods was. This new generation are the sons of Tiger in many ways, picking up on his obsession with physical fitness and strength and driving it to new levels.\n\nIt used to be that the finesse, the softness, of golf was surrendered in the battle to bulk up. These days trainers are so specialised, their clients so aware, that bodies are tuned to perfection, in all the right areas.\n\nJohnny Miller once said he became musclebound and lost his touch after chopping wood to build strength. Koepke and Woodland can rip it one minute, then feather the ball with subtlety around the greens the next.\n\nAnd as it is bringing phenomenal results, this is becoming the route to follow.\n\nWoodland's background is basketball; Koepke's baseball. His great uncle, Dick Groat, was a legendary short stop with Pittsburgh Pirates, the National League's most valuable player in 1960 and an all-star selection on eight occasions; his father pitched for West Virginia Wesleyan college, and passed that enthusiasm to his son.\n\nKoepke junior only took up golf when his involvement in contact sports was curtailed for a summer after fracturing his nose in a car accident.\n\n'If I could do it all again, I'd play baseball, 100 per cent,' said the man currently regarded as the world's greatest golfer. He spits like a baller, too, by the way.\n\nWoodland got even closer to his alternate career path. He went to Washburn University in Kansas on a basketball scholarship but wasn't good enough, and switched to golf at the University of Kansas a year later.\n\nKU, as it is known, is not the traditional grounding for professional golfers and it is no surprise that one of Woodland's most prominent supporters is the university's basketball coach Bill Self.\n\n'I first saw Gary when he played against us for Washburn,' Self recalls. 'I tell him he didn't even make our scouting report.'\n\nYet while America's new breed may have entered golf on the rebound, they have brought with them the aesthetic of more aerobic and physically competitive sports.\n\nRose, attempting to become the oldest US Open winner this century, is a lean, fit, athlete, but his progress around these links before Sunday, a triumph of touch and feel, of single shot putting and astute bunker play, could not have been more different to his playing partner Woodland, and Koepke, in the chasing pack.\n\nTheirs is big boys golf, right down to the sizable half dollar coin from 1984 that Woodland uses to mark his ball on the green. A present from his mum, apparently, from the year he was born.\n\nMany contemporaries use a modest lucky penny. Equally, Woodland elicited mild surprise yesterday by arriving at the course carrying his own bag. It's a Jock thing, a remnant of his basketball days.\n\n'The first time I played with him, we were at Lawrence Country Club in Kansas,' recalled coach Self. 'I knew he was long and had heard all this stuff. I'd been told he had the most clubhead speed ever recorded.\n\n'So we were playing number one, which is 360 yards, all carry, uphill. He drove the green and made a 15-foot putt for two. I thought, 'Oh, my God'.'\n\nKoepke's power plays attract similar sentiments. Yet Pebble Beach is one of the shorter championship courses these days and, while he started on Sunday four shots off the lead, Koepke frequently demonstrates brain to match the brawn.\n\nIt is not just about his mighty striking. Koepka's touch, and his temperament, are what has made him the whole package. The strongest mind, as well as the strongest body. Even under the pressure of chasing, he has two expressions.\n\nThe first suggests that all is in hand, the second that even if it isn't, he's not going to sweat it. It belies the enormous level of focus and effort that has got him to here. Koepka arrives for work at the course in what might be termed gymwear.\n\nHe targets his events – the majors, most obviously – with a precision more common in team sports. Everything is geared towards that one big win, that crucial six-point game.\n\nThe rest takes cares of itself. This is what allows his on course style to appear unfussy – see ball, hit ball, as the Americans call it. This influences, because it is not hard to copy. The next generation won't always be able to make it work like Koepke, but they can follow his map.\n\nGet fit, get strong, get focussed, grip it and rip it. His challenge to Woodland on Sunday began with four birdies in the first five holes – and he was within a shot, going into the back nine, when it is said major championships truly begin.\n\nAnd yet, there Rose was in the middle of all this muscle, refusing to be bullied out of it, casually juggling the ball on his club head as he waited on the tee to start the day.\n\nKoepka's bogey on eight on Sunday was his first in 36 holes, Woodland's brute force was bombing Pebble Beach's sticking-plaster sized greens as he held steady at the top, yet Rose's guile kept him in contention.\n\nAfter 54 holes he was not in the top 60 for driving accuracy, or hitting greens in regulation – but he was the best putter at the tournament by some distance. On Sunday Rose kept scrapping.\n\nNo big American beefcake was going to kick sand in his face. They may be the future; but the present was up for grabs until the last.", "PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Gary Woodland denied Brooks Koepka's bold bid at history with two clutch shots and made U.S. Open golf memories of his own, starting with that silver trophy in his hands at Pebble Beach.\n\nWoodland finished in style Sunday. He holed a 30-foot birdie putt for a 2-under 69, giving him the lowest 72-hole score in six U.S. Opens at Pebble Beach and a three-shot victory over Koepka, who was going for a third straight U.S. Open.\n\nKoepka had to settle for a footnote in history as the first player with all four rounds in the 60s at the U.S Open without winning. But he made Woodland earn every bit of his first major championship.\n\nAnd he did.\n\nClinging to a one-shot lead with more pressure than he has ever felt, Woodland seized control by going for the green on the par-5 14th hole with a 3-wood from 263 yards, narrowly clearing a cavernous bunker and setting up a simple up-and-down for a two-shot lead.\n\nEven more significant was a shot from 90 feet.\n\nWoodland hit the edge of the green on the par-3 17th all the way to the right, with the pin on the hourglass green on the other side.\n\nAhead on the 18th, Koepka's 3-iron went just over the back of the green, leaving him a chip for eagle to tie, with a birdie likely to do the trick considering what Woodland faced. Koepka chipped to just inside 10 feet and missed the putt.\n\nWoodland delivered again. Unable to use putter to get it close, he perfectly clipped a pitch over the mound, and it checked about 12 feet short of the hole and trickled down to tap-in range.\n\nThat effectively ended the U.S. Open. Woodland played conservatively down the 18th and made one last birdie that only mattered in the record book. He finished at 13-under 271, one shot better than Tiger Woods' historic rout in 2000.", "PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. (AP) — Gary Woodland denied Brooks Koepka's bold bid at history with two clutch shots and made U.S. Open memories of his own, starting with that silver trophy in his hands at Pebble Beach.\n\nWoodland finished in style Sunday. He holed a 30-foot birdie putt for a 2-under 69, giving him the lowest 72-hole score in six U.S. Opens at Pebble Beach and a three-shot victory over Koepka, who was going for a third straight U.S. Open.\n\nKoepka had to settle for a footnote in history as the first player with all four rounds in the 60s at the U.S Open without winning. But he made Woodland earn every bit of his first major championship.\n\nAnd he did.\n\nClinging to a one-shot lead with more pressure than he has ever felt, Woodland seized control by going for the green on the par-5 14th hole with a 3-wood from 263 yards, narrowly clearing a cavernous bunker and setting up a simple up-and-down for a two-shot lead.\n\nEven more significant was a shot from 90 feet.\n\nWoodland hit the edge of the green on the par-3 17th all the way to the right, with the pin on the hourglass green on the other side.\n\nAhead on the 18th, Koepka's 3-iron went just over the back of the green, leaving him a chip for eagle to tie, with a birdie likely to do the trick considering what Woodland faced. Koepka chipped to just inside 10 feet and missed the putt.\n\nWoodland delivered again. Unable to use putter to get it close, he perfectly clipped a pitch over the mound, and it checked about 12 feet short of the hole and trickled down to tap-in range.\n\nThat effectively ended the U.S. Open. Woodland played conservatively down the 18th and made one last birdie that only mattered in the record book. He finished at 13-under 271, one shot better than Tiger Woods' historic rout in 2000.\n\nThe difference was Woods won by 15 shots and was the only player under par. With a marine layer blocking the sunshine, and no significant wind at Pebble Beach all week, 31 players finished under par.\n\nKoepka closed with a 68 for his second runner-up in the majors this year, along with his second straight PGA Championship title.\n\nJustin Rose was the only one who caught Woodland, with a birdie on the opening hole. Rose bogeyed from the bunker on No. 2, and fell out of the race with three bogeys in a four-hole stretch on the back nine. He shot 74 and shared third with Xander Schauffele (67), Jon Rahm (68) and Chez Reavie (71).\n\nWoods birdied six of his last 12 holes and was never a factor.", "PEBBLE BEACH, CA. (Reuters) - Gary Woodland held his nerve to claim his first major with a three-shot victory at the U.S. Open on Sunday, bringing Brooks Koepka’s two-year reign to an end.\n\nWoodland had not managed a top-10 finish in his first 27 majors before last year’s PGA Championship, where he tied for sixth, but he handled the final round with the composure of someone who had been playing for golf’s biggest prizes his entire career.\n\nEnding his round in style with a birdie at the last, Woodland carded a two-under 69 to keep Koepka from becoming the first man in more than a century to sweep three straight U.S. Opens.\n\n“Just glad it was over,” smiled Woodland. “I didn’t let myself get ahead at all today.\n\n“Didn’t ever let myself think the tournament was over.\n\nWorld number one Koepka went down fighting, finishing with a three-under 68 to leave him three short of Woodland’s winning total of 13-under 271.\n\nJustin Rose began the day one shot back of Woodland but the Englishman crumbled on the back nine with three bogeys for a three-over 74 and a tie for third at seven-under with Xander Schauffele, Chez Reavie and Spain’s Jon Rahm.\n\nIt was a remarkable display of determination and guts by the 35-year-old Woodland, who seven times before had held a 54-hole lead in a PGA Tour event and seven times could not close the deal.\n\nAs Woodland made the turn with a two-shot lead, faint cracks in his composure began to show as Koepka trimmed the advantage to one with a birdie at 11.\n\nWith tension building with each shot, Woodland kept his cool and collected his first birdie of the back nine at the par five 14th to reclaim a two-stroke advantage and turn the U.S. Open into a two horse race.\n\nRose, who saw the red-hot putter that had come to his rescue so often during the week suddenly turn cold, had his bid for a second U.S. Open title seriously wounded with back-to-back bogeys at 12 and 13 and then killed off completely with another at 15 that dropped him five off the pace with three to play.\n\nDown to the closing two holes and a relentless Koepka had one last opportunity to put pressure on Woodland with a birdie at the 18th that would have left his opponent clinging to a one-shot lead coming home.\n\nBut Koepka watched his nine-foot putt slip by the cup, settling for a par to give Woodland some breathing room.\n\n“I hit a good putt, it just dove right across the front,” said Koepka. “Sometimes there’s just nothing you can do.\n\n“I thought it would be nice to put some pressure on him, one shot going into the last hole.\n\n“Nothing I could do. I gave it my all. I give it my all every time and sometimes it’s not meant to be.”\n\nA maiden major now within his grasp, a relaxed Woodland capped off his round in spectacular style, rolling in a 30-foot birdie at the last to trigger a standing ovation and chants of “Gary, Gary”.\n\nTiger Woods, a three-time U.S. Open winner, had ended the third round 11 shots back of the leader but still gave himself a chance of winning a 16th major on Sunday.\n\nThose slim hopes disappeared quickly when he bogeyed four of his opening five holes.\n\nWoods hit back with six birdies, including one at the 18th, for a two-under round, his lowest final round at a U.S. Open in a decade but still 11 back of winner.", "Welcome to our overage of the 2019 U.S. Open, the third of four major championships of the season, at Pebble Beach Golf Links in southern California.\n\nThe two-time defending champion of this tournament is Brooks Koepka, who also won the PGA championship last month.\n\nGary Woodland enters the final round leading at 11-under-par, one shot ahead of Justin Rose. They are paired together again Sunday, teeing off at 5:30 p.m. Koepka is one of three players at 7-under-par. Tiger Woods (even par) tees off at 2:56 p.m.", "PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — Gary Woodland has captured the U.S. Open, overcoming the back-nine pressure at Pebble Beach to hold off two-time defending champion Brooks Koepka for a three-shot victory.\n\nWoodland all but sealed his first major title when he chipped off a tight lie on the green on the 17th hole to tap-in range at a pin tucked in the back left. His par there preserved the two-shot lead.\n\nThen, he made it a three-shot edge when he knocked in a 30-foot birdie putt on 18. It pushed him to 13-under 271 — beating by one shot the score Tiger Woods posted during his 15-shot victory at Pebble in the 2000 U.S. Open.\n\nWoodland shot 2-under 69 to become the fifth player to break 70 in all four rounds of the U.S. Open.\n\nThe fourth was Koepka, who wrapped up his round of 68 a few minutes earlier. He’s the first to accomplish that feat and not win.\n\nKoepka failed in his quest to become the first player since Willie Anderson in 1905 to win three straight U.S. Opens. But this second-place finish adds to a runner-up at the Masters and his title at the PGA last month.\n\nXander Schauffele, Jon Rahm, Chez Reavie and Justin Rose finished in a four-way tie for third and 7 under.", "Anirban Lahiri ended a forgettable week as he added a six-over to his first round 74 to crash out of the 119th US Open golf championships early.\n\nThe 31-year-old Indian, playing his first Major in 2019, never really got going in either round. He was four-over after three on the first day, and on the second day he was three-over after the first two holes and never had a chance to make up for the first day 74.\n\nGary Woodland (65) at nine-under took over the lead from Justin Rose (71) at seven-under, while a slew of established stars, including two-time defending champion Brooks Koepka were lurking close by.\n\nBy the time Lahiri was through with his front nine, he was six-over 41 for the stretch and a total of nine-over.\n\nHe had two each of birdies and bogeys on back nine for an even par 36, but his total of nine-over 151 meant he was out of the weekend once again.\n\nIt was his third missed cut in as many appearances at the Major. He has made cuts in each of the other Majors, but never at the US Open.\n\nOn the second day, the event recorded 44 under-par rounds in addition to the 39 on the first day and that despite the greens firming up more than the first day.\n\nThe winds that are the hallmark of events at Pebble Beach Golf Links, more so at the U.S. Open Championships on this spectacular Monterey Peninsula layout were kind enough to allow good scoring.\n\nRose, the first round leader, shot 70 in the second to get to seven-under, but he was overtaken by a 35-year-old Kansas golfer, Woodland, who equalled Rose’s 65 from a day earlier.\n\nPlaying his last 22 holes without a bodey Woodland, who has never finished better than T-23 in eight previous U.S. Open starts, had a bogey-free 65 for a two-stroke lead over 2013 champion Rose.\n\nWoodland’s round matched the 18-hole record in U.S. Open at Pebble Beach held by Tiger Woods (2000) and Rose, from a day earlier, but his 36-hole total of 133 (9-under) bettered Woods’ mark of 134 for U.S. Opens at Pebble Beach but was three off the championship 36-hole record of 130 by Martin Kaymer in 2014 at Pinehurst.\n\nBoth Woods (70-72) at even par and T-32 and Kaymer (69-75) at T-56 also ensured weekend action, though they were some distance from Woodland and Rose.\n\n“It was huge, because I played beautifully all day. And I just didn’t want to give a shot back,” said, Woodland.\n\n“I’ve been in the situation recently, which has been a huge help. I was leading after 36 holes (2018 PGA), played with Koepka there on Saturday. Playing with Tiger on Sunday at Bellerive (2019 PGA) was a huge daily shot, (just) being in that atmosphere.”\n\nWoodland and Rose are chased by a bunch of proven stars. Louis Oosthuizen (66-70), the 2010 Open champion at St. Andrews, is three strokes back at 6-under 136, while four-time Major winner Rory McIlroy (68-69), the 2011 U.S. Open champion, and Aaron Wise (66-71), who however does not have a Major to his name, are at 137.\n\nRose said, “There’s a long way to go. And yet I couldn’t think … here and St. Andrews (for the Open Championship) would probably be the two most iconic places to lift a bit of silver. I couldn’t think of anything better. But if you don’t mind, I’m just going to wait a couple of days.”\n\nSnapping at their heels is the two-time defending champion Brooks Koepka who carded a second consecutive 69. He is tied-sixth, five strokes back, alongside the consistent Matt Kuchar, Matt Wallace, Chze Reavie and Chesson Hadley. They are all at four-under 138.\n\nKoepka on the first 36 holes, said, “I feel great. I’m excited. I’ve got a chance. That’s all you can ask for. I just need to make a few putts. Sometimes the hole just needs to open up.”\n\nWoodland, a three-time PGA Tour winner, has held a 36-hole lead in a major championship at last year’s PGA Championship at Bellerive Country Club following 64-66, but finished tied-sixth. He was also tied-eighth in last month’s PGA at Bethpage State Park.\n\nWoodland hit 14 of 18 greens and closed the day with a monster 50-footer for birdie on the par-4 ninth.\n\nRose, who closed with three consecutive birdies on Day 1, grinded out pars on the second day and he did manage a few five to eight footers for par.\n\nApart from those within a hand-shaking distance away, the leaderboard also has the likes of experienced major winner Henrik Stenson, Adam Scott, Zach Johnson, the 2010 US Open winner at Pebble Beach, Graeme McDowell, 2017 Masters winner, Sergio Garcia. They are all within six of the lead.\n\nThe cut came at 2-over 144 with 75 professionals and four amateurs making it to the weekend. The amateur contingent included 2018 U.S. Amateur champion Viktor Hovland."], "summary": "Gary Woodland wins his first major championship, finishing three shots ahead of two-time defending champion Brooks Koepka at Pebble Beach, California."}
{"document": ["Children were used as suicide bombers in a triple attack in Nigeria on Monday , Unicef has said.\n\nTwo girls and a boy carried out the bombing outside a video hall in Konduga village in north-eastern Borno State, the UN children’s charity said. Their ages are not yet known.\n\nOfficials say at least 30 people were killed and 40 injured in the attack.\n\nThe bombing is believed to have been carried out by the Boko Haram group. It has not yet commented.\n\nAccording to Unicef, five children have been used in suicide attacks since the beginning of the year.\n\nIn 2018, 48 children were used as human bombs in Nigeria, including 38 girls.\n\n“Unicef appeals to all those involved in this terrible conflict to protect children at all times and to keep them out of harm’s way,” the organisation said.\n\nFormed in Borno State, Boko Haram has waged a brutal insurgency across the north-east for a decade.\n\nAs part of the ongoing armed conflict, thousands of children have been recruited and used by armed groups as combatants and non-combatants.\n\nUnicef said girls are raped and forced to marry, with some becoming pregnant in captivity and giving birth without medical care.\n\nWhat happened in the attack?\n\nThe blast took place outside a hall as a group of people gathered to watch television.\n\nAli Hassan, leader of a self-defence group in Konduga, told AFP news agency that the owner of the hall had prevented one bomber from entering.\n\n“There was a heated argument between the operator and the bomber who blew himself up,” he said.\n\nTwo other attackers who were nearby then set off their devices.\n\nThe number of casualties was high because emergency services arrived late at the site of the blast. They were not adequately equipped to deal with such a large number of wounded people, Usman Kachalla, head of operations at the State Emergency Management Agency (Sema) told AFP.\n\nVideo halls are common across northern Nigeria. They are usually rudimentary buildings where people pay a small fee to watch football matches or films.\n\nBoko Haram has targeted them on several occasions, saying they are un-Islamic.\n\nKonduga has been targeted before. In July 2018, eight people were killed after a suicide bomber detonated explosives in a mosque.\n\nPresident Muhammadu Buhari has commiserated with the families of the victims and promised to bring the perpetrators to justice.\n\nAt least 27,000 lives have been lost and about two million people forced to flee their homes in the conflict with Boko Haram.\n\nThis latest attack came at the end of a bloody weekend in northern Nigeria. There is rising concern of insecurity in other parts of the country.\n\nOn Friday night an armed gang killed at least 34 people in the north-western state of Zamfara, which has been at the centre of a wave of attacks by bandits since the beginning of the year.\n\nThe Boko Haram insurgency has been terrorising people in the north-east for the past decade, and has been the main area of focus for Nigeria’s armed forces.\n\nBut the triple suicide bombings in Borno on Sunday reflect just how complex the security challenges are.\n\nThe government has said that Boko Haram and the rival Islamic State of West Africa Province (Iswap) group are on their last legs. But both the military and population of the north-east continue to suffer regular attacks.\n\nAlthough Boko Haram has lost a lot of the territory it held in the north-east in the last four years, it is still attacking soft targets in mosques, markets and public gatherings.\n\nCombine this with the ongoing banditry attacks in the north-west, and kidnappings across the country’s highways, and the scale of the security challenge is daunting.", "At least a dozen people were killed in an attack carried out by two Boko Haram suicide bombers at Mandareri-Sambisa ward of Konduga local government area of Borno State.\n\nA military source told Sahara Reporters that the two bombers, a male and a female, detonated their Improvised Explosive Device (IED) at the viewing center/joint opposite a clinic around 9:15 pm on Sunday, June 16, 2019.\n\nThe official casualty figure is unclear but at least 30 people are believed to also have been injured in the attack.\n\nAnother female suicide bomber whose IED failed to detonate was reportedly apprehended and handed over to the Nigerian Army.\n\nSince Boko Haram's insurgency escalated in 2009, the group has killed around 30,000 people and displaced millions in the northeast region, with its operations also extending to border countries like Cameroon, Chad and Niger.\n\nThe main faction led by Abubakar Shekau built a reputation for suicide bombings after intense military operations in 2015 and 2016 dislodged it from its Sambisa Forest stronghold.\n\nHowever, incidents of suicide bombings have since reduced as the faction has lost most of its operational strength.\n\nAnother faction, the Islamic State West African Province (ISWAP), which broke off in 2016 has grown in influence and has been carrying out savage attacks on military bases since last year.", "Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Victims are receiving medical care after an attack on a video hall\n\nAt least 30 people have been killed in a triple suicide bombing outside a video hall in north-eastern Nigeria, emergency service officials say.\n\nAnother 40 were injured in the attack in Konduga village in Borno State, the officials said.\n\nThere are conflicting report about whether the blast occurred while people were watching football or a film.\n\nMilitant Islamist group Boko Haram is being blamed for the attack. There was no immediate comment from the group.\n\nFormed in Borno State, the group has waged a brutal insurgency across the north-east for a decade.\n\nAli Hassan, leader of a self-defence group in Konduga, told AFP news agency that the owner of the hall had prevented one bomber from entering.\n\n\"There was a heated argument between the operator and the bomber who blew himself up,\" he said.\n\nTwo other attackers who were nearby then set off their devices.\n\nThe number of deaths was so high because emergency services arrived late to the site of the blast and were not adequately equipped to deal with such a large number of wounded people, Usman Kachalla, head of operations at the State Emergency Management Agency (Sema) told AFP.\n\nVideo halls are common across northern Nigeria. They are usually rudimentary buildings where people pay a small fee to watch football matches or films.\n\nBoko Haram has targeted them on several occasions, saying they are unIslamic.\n\nKonduga has been targeted before. In July 2018, eight people were killed after a suicide bomber detonated explosives in a mosque.\n\nAt least 27,000 lives have been lost and about two million people forced to flee their homes in the conflict with Boko Haram.\n\n'Daunting and complex security challenges'\n\nThis latest attack comes at the end of a bloody weekend in northern Nigeria. There is rising concern of insecurity in other parts of the country.\n\nOn Friday night an armed gang killed at least 34 people in the north-western state of Zamfara, which has been at the centre of a wave of attacks by bandits since the beginning of the year.\n\nThe Boko Haram insurgency has been terrorising people in the north-east for the past decade, and has been the main area of focus for Nigeria's armed forces.\n\nBut the triple suicide bombings in Borno on Sunday reflect just how complex the security challenges are.\n\nThe government has said that Boko Haram and the rival Islamic State of West Africa Province (Iswap) group are on their last legs. But both the military and population of the north-east continue to suffer regular attacks.\n\nAlthough Boko Haram has lost a lot of the territory it held in the north-east in the last four years, it is still attacking soft targets in mosques, markets and public gatherings.\n\nCombine this with the ongoing banditry attacks in the north-west, and kidnappings across the country's highways, and the scale of the security challenge is daunting.", "At least 30 people were killed and dozens injured in a triple suicide attack attributed to Boko Haram in northeastern Nigeria, emergency services said on Monday.\n\nThree suicide bombers set off their explosive charges on Sunday evening in front of a football broadcasting centre where dozens of people were watching a match in the city of Konduga, 38km from Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State.", "#TrackNigeria: The Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN), on Tuesday, condemned in strong terms dozens of football viewers killed at a football centre in Konduga, Borno State on Sunday evening by suspected members of Boko Haram.\n\nNorbert Okoli, the Chairman of SWAN, Enugu State Chapter, in a condolence in Enugu while speaking, described the attack as a touching one and the negative effect of the incident to development and people-involvement in football.\n\nHe said SWAN condemned the ugly incident in strong terms, and that “it is shameful and most unfortunate act.\n\nAccording to him, this incident touches on the only thing that keeps the nation united – football.\n\n“The import of the incident on the nation especially the immediate environment is monumental both physically and emotionally as the incident will gradually erase the joy of watching football matches.\n\n“It is also an established fact their Nigerians enjoy watching the `beautiful round leather game’ in group.\n\n“The social mix, integration, communication and commerce that goes with a place that host football lovers will suddenly disappear,’’ Okoli said.\n\nHe called on both the state and the Federal Government and heads of security agencies to rise up against the challenge of insurgency to bring this type and other manifestations of killings in the North East.\n\n“SWAN is also praying for the repose of the souls of those that died in the blast to paradise, while wishing those injured quick and sound recovery,’’ Okoli said.\n\nBorno State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), had on Monday confirmed that 30 persons lost their lives in the blast.\n\nIt said that 42 others were injured when three suicide bombers detonated Improvised Explosive Device in Mandarari community of Konduga Local Government Area.\n\nUsman Kachala, Borno SEMA Director Search, Rescue and Operations, told journalists at the scene of the attack on Monday, the incident occurred at about 8 p.m. on Sunday.\n\nPublic screenings of the World Cup in some parts of the country had been banned because of threats by Boko Haram.\n\nThree states, including Yobe, are under a government-imposed state of emergency following years of attacks, however, no group has claimed responsibility. (NAN)", "The Borno State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) on Monday said 30 persons lost their lives while 42 others were injured when three suspected Boko Haram suicide bombers detonated Improvised Explosive Device (IED) in Mandarari community of Konduga local government area.\n\nUsman Kachala, SEMA’s Director of Search, Rescue and Operations, who disclosed this to newsmen when he visited the scene of the attack on Monday, said the incident occurred around 8pm on Sunday.\n\nKachala said that the three suicide bombers, comprising two females and a male, detonated the IEDs in a local tea joint and film centre in the community.\n\nHe said that about 17 persons died instantly, adding that the death toll increased to 30 on Monday as a result of lack of immediate medical attention.\n\nThe SEMA Director said that his staff could not reach the spot of the incident as the military had closed the road to traffic and the hospital in Konduga did not have enough facilities to handle the situation.\n\n“When me and my team arrived Konduga early this morning, the military prevented us from gaining access to the community to assist the victims.\n\n“They told us they were given order from above not to open the road until 9am,” he lamented.\n\nNewsmen, who later visited the scene of the attacks along with SEMA team, report that dozens of the wounded victims were seen being conveyed in pick-up vans by relations to hospitals in Maiduguri, the state capital, a distance of about 80 km from their town.", "Militants have launched a triple bombing attack in northeast Nigeria killing a multitude of people in Borno State.\n\nLocal emergency services workers reported on Monday that 30 people had died in the triple blasts in the town of Konduga, 25 kilometers from the state capital Maiduguri.\n\nThey said three bombers detonated their explosives outside a location where football fans were watching a match on TV on Sunday evening.\n\nThe militants, suspected to be members of the Boko Haram terrorist organization, have carried out numerous attacks on civilian and military targets in northeast Nigeria, and elsewhere.\n\nBoko Haram Takfiri terrorist group began its deadly attacks in northeastern Nigeria in 2009.\n\nAn estimated 27,000 people have been killed in its attacks which have forced 1.8 million people to flee their homes.\n\nSince then, the terrorist activities of Boko Haram and a Daesh affiliate, which broke away in 2016 and is now considered by security experts as the stronger of the two, has extended into the neighboring countries of Niger, Chad, and Cameroon.\n\nTo make matters worse, criminal gangs have been wreaking havoc and terrorizing villagers in remote areas, as well.\n\nArmed bandits on motorcycles killed 34 people in remote villages in Nigeria's northern Zamfara state on Friday. Days before that, motorcycle-riding bandits also attacked several villages in the far northwestern Sokoto state, killing more than two-dozen of the local residents.\n\nWith the lack of a strong police force and an effective judicial system in Africa’s most populous nation, villagers have established local vigilante groups to defend civilians against militants.\n\nBut the vigilantes are themselves accused of disrupting peace and justice, engaging in extra-judicial killings.\n\nThis article has been adapted from its original source.", "At least 30 people have been killed in a triple suicide bombing carried out by ISIS-affiliated Boko Haram terrorists, including two who were female.\n\nThe jihadists targeted football fans at a hall in the village of Konduga in north-east Nigeria.\n\nThe village is in the ward of Mandarari, which has been hit by a number of deadly suicide blasts in recent years during Boko Haram's reign of terror.\n\nIn the latest attack, the terrorist struck as people gathered to watch a televised football match at about 8.50pm local time on Sunday.\n\nWitnesses said three suicide bombers - two female and one male - blew themselves up, killing and injuring dozens, the Daily Nigerian reported.\n\nA third female was apprehended after her explosives failed to detonate.\n\nShe was handed over to the Nigerian Army.\n\nA source told the Daily Trust: \"The information revealed that it was three suicide bombers, two female and a male, who detonated the IEDs, killing themselves in the process and others around a viewing centre and a joint opposite the clinic at Mandarari ward, Konduga.\"\n\nThe bombers' ages were not revealed.\n\nBoko Haram - known for kidnapping young girls and bombing markets and other public places - has used women and girls to carry out previous suicide attacks.\n\nA 2017 study by the Combating Terrorism Center at West Point and Yale University found that at least 244 attacks by Boko Haram since 2011 have involved female suicide bombers.\n\nThe use of female bombers increased after Boko Haram abducted more than 275 female students in April 2014.\n\nThe death toll from Sunday's attack initially stood at 20 before it increased to at least 30 on Monday.\n\nUsman Kachalla, head of operations at the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), said: \"The death toll from the attack has so far increased to 30.\n\n\"We have over 40 people injured.\"\n\nNigeria's Air Force launched air strikes on a Boko Haram hideout in the Sambisa forest on Sunday, aiding ground forces trying to eradicate the terror group, a military spokesman said.\n\nAir Commodore Ibikunle Daramola said: \"The operation was executed on June 16, after persistent intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions reveal heavy presence of Boko Haram terrorists (BHT) at a new camp with several structures hidden under the thick foliage of the forest.\n\n”Accordingly, the ATF dispatched an Alpha Jet to attack the location.\n\n\"Its bombs hit the target area, with devastating effects on several of the camouflaged structures, neutralising their BHT occupants.\"\n\nCivilian vigilantes have been fighting the Islamist terror group in the Mandarari region.\n\nMeanwhile in north-west Nigeria an armed gang killed at least 34 people in armed attacks on villages in the state of Zamfara.\n\nThe government has blamed the violence on bandits.\n\nWitness Shehu Shinkafi told Reuters: \"We heard gunshots and saw people running for shelter, chased by men on motorbikes.\n\n“We immediately took cover in a house nearby, and after the bandits were done with their killing spree they moved to a nearby village.\"\n\nThe gunmen fled and police arrived hours after the massacre, said witnesses.", "Suicide bombers killed at least 30 people and injured dozens more in northeastern Nigeria late Sunday, detonating the deadliest blasts this year in a region plagued by extremist violence.\n\nTwo women and a man set off explosives in a tea hall where people had gathered to watch soccer in the small town of Konduga, authorities said.\n\nNo group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, which copied a strategy of Boko Haram, the terrorist organization that has tried over the last decade to build a radical Muslim state in the country.\n\nNigerian President Muhammadu Buhari says that Boko Haram has been defeated. But analysts say the militants have maintained a stubborn grip on Borno State, where violence has claimed hundreds of lives in recent months.\n\nNigeria — Africa’s most populous nation — faces security threats throughout the country, with Islamist insurgencies persisting in the northeast as clashes continue to the south between farmers and herders. Government corruption hinders efforts to ease conflict, analysts say, siphoning off resources that could be used in the push for peace.\n\nBoko Haram, which means “Western education is forbidden,” is known for sending suicide bombers, particularly women and children, into crowded markets, bus stations and mosques. Female assailants tend to follow a disturbing pattern, according to reports: They apply makeup, wear loose clothing and strap bombs to their waists.\n\nThe group grabbed international attention five years ago after kidnapping hundreds of schoolgirls in the town of Chibok. More than 100 are still missing. Boko Haram has killed an estimated 37,000 people since 2011, according to the Council on Foreign Relations’ Global Conflict Tracker.\n\nAttacks have dropped off since the Nigerian military — with help from Benin, Cameroon, Chad and Niger — shrank Boko Haram’s operating terrain. But the group still holds some villages in the northeast, making remote places such as Konduga especially vulnerable.\n\nThe last suicide attack in the region happened in April. Two women detonated their devices near the village of Monguno, killing a soldier and a man who tried to stop them.\n\nDuring Nigeria’s presidential election in February, gunmen and suicide bombers killed eight people in the city of Maiduguri.\n\nKonduga, where roughly 13,400 people live, has grappled with suicide bombers for years from a faction of Boko Haram led by Abubakar Shekau, who has embraced indiscriminate violence in his quest for territory.\n\nEight people died there last July after a suicide bomber entered a mosque.\n\nThe Sunday blasts, which wounded 47, erupted on the same day that an armed gang killed 34 people in the northwestern state of Zamfara. Police blamed that attack on bandits.\n\nThis little-known conflict in Nigeria is now deadlier than Boko Haram\n\nThe brutal toll of Boko Haram’s attacks on civilians\n\nToday’s coverage from Post correspondents around the world\n\nLike Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news", "Thirty people were killed late Sunday in a triple suicide bombing in northeast Nigeria, emergency services reported, in an attack bearing the hallmarks of the Boko Haram jihadist group.\n\nThree bombers detonated their explosives outside a hall in Konduga, 38 kilometres (24 miles) from the Borno state capital Maiduguri, where football fans were watching a match on TV.\n\n“The death toll from the attack has so far increased to 30. We have over 40 people injured,” Usman Kachalla, head of operations at the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), said on Monday.\n\nAn earlier toll from the blasts, the bloodiest in months, gave 17 dead and 17 wounded.\n\nThe attack happened around 9:00 pm (1800 GMT), Ali Hassan, the leader of a self-defence group in the town, said.\n\nThe owner of hall prevented one of the bombers from entering the packed venue.\n\n“There was a heated argument between the operator and the bomber who blew himself up,” Hassan said by phone.\n\nTwo other bombers who had mingled among the crowd at a tea stall nearby also detonated their suicide vests.\n\nHassan said most of the victims were from outside the soccer viewing centre.\n\n“Nine people died on the spot, including the operator, and 48 were injured,” Hassan said.\n\nKachala said the high number of fatalities was because emergency responders had been unable to reach the site of the blast quickly.\n\nNor were they equipped to deal with large numbers of wounded.\n\n“Lack of an appropriate health facility to handle such huge emergency situation and the delay in obtaining security clearance to enable us deploy from Maiduguri in good time led to the high death toll,” he said.\n\nThere was no immediate claim of responsibility, but the attack bore the imprint of Boko Haram, which has led a decade-long campaign to establish a hard line Islamic state in northeast Nigeria.\n\nThe last suicide attack was in April this year when two female suicide bombers blew themselves up outside the garrison town of Monguno, killing a soldier and a vigilante and injuring another soldier.\n\nKonduga has been repeatedly targeted by suicide bombers from a Boko Haram faction loyal to longtime leader Abubakar Shekau.\n\nThe faction typically carries out suicide attacks against soft civilian targets such as mosques, markets and bus stations, often using young women and girls as bombers.\n\nThe jihadists are believed to sneak into the town from the group’s haven in nearby Sambisa forest.\n\nEight worshipers were killed when a suicide bomber attacked a mosque in the town last July.\n\nBoko Haram insurgency has claimed 27,000 lives and forced some two million to flee their homes.\n\nThe violence has spilled into neighboring Niger, Chad and Cameroon, prompting the formation of a regional military coalition to battle the insurgents."], "summary": "Three Boko Haram suicide bombers detonate their devices among a group of football fans, killing 30 people and wounding 40 others, in Konduga, Nigeria."}
{"document": ["A policeman was among the five persons killed when suspected Boko Haram bombers struck at a football viewing centre in Madari ward, Konduga local government area of Borno state on Sunday.\n\nA source who spoke to TheCable said two suicide bombers attacked the viewing centre around 8:30pm.\n\nAccording to the source, 35 persons sustained injuries in the incident and are currently being treated at an undisclosed hospital in the town.\n\nA resident said the scene had been cordoned off by security operatives but people were scared that some bombers could be hiding within Konduga.\n\nBello Danbatta, head of the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), confirmed the attack but could not give casualty figure.\n\nHe said information would be released later on Monday.\n\nAlthough the federal government has continuously claimed victory over the Boko Haram sect, the insurgents have been carrying out attacks across the north-east, particularly in Borno.", "Boko Haram terrorists and suspected Islamic State West African Province fighters have attacked troops’ location in Damasak, Borno State, injuring unconfirmed number of soldiers.\n\nThis is just as the Nigerian Army said on Sunday that the Chief of the Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, was expected in London, the United Kingdom on Monday for a global anti-terrorism conference starting on Monday.\n\nThe army was however silent on the Boko Haram attacks on troops in Borno.\n\nIt was learnt on Sunday terrorists attacked troops in Damasak at about 7pm on Saturday, although details about casualties had yet to be obtained as of press time.\n\n\n\nMeanwhile the army said Buratai would be in London at the conference, which would focus on “current and future jihadist threats and expose frontline practitioners on how to utilise practical methods” to deal with homegrown terrorists.\n\nThe acting Director, Army Public Relations, Col Sagir Musa, said, “The Chief of Army Staff has been invited to speak at the global anti-terrorism and counter-terrorism conference in London, United Kingdom, on Monday.", "Boko Haram terrorists have attacked Nigerian troops in Damasak town of Mobbar Local Government Area of Borno State.\n\nA top military source who spoke to SaharaReporters said the attack was carried out on a military base at about 7 pm on Saturday.\n\nThe insurgents launched the attack on the Special Forces Base from the Southern part of Damasak while exchanging fire with troops for about an hour.\n\nThe online newspaper had on June 14 detailed plans of an impending attack Nigerian soldiers in Damasak, Mallam Fatori, Magumeri, Gubio and Fuchimiram areas of Borno State.\n\nAccording to the report, the Boko Haram terrorists who are planning the attacks were taking refuge in Fuchimiram village, 6 kilometres West of Kareto Village where they carried out a deadly attack on June 12, 2019.\n\nThe army has yet to confirm the development.", "Boko Haram terrorists and suspected Islamic State West African Province fighters have attacked troops’ location in Damasak, Borno State, injuring unconfirmed number of soldiers.\n\nThis is just as the Nigerian Army said on Sunday that the Chief of the Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, was expected in London, the United Kingdom on Monday for a global anti-terrorism conference starting on Monday.\n\nThe army was however silent on the Boko Haram attacks on troops in Borno.\n\nIt was learnt on Sunday terrorists attacked troops in Damasak at about 7pm on Saturday, although details about casualties had yet to be obtained as of press time.\n\nMeanwhile the army said Buratai would be in London at the conference, which would focus on “current and future jihadist threats and expose frontline practitioners on how to utilise practical methods” to deal with home-grown terrorists.\n\nThe acting Director, Army Public Relations, Col Sagir Musa, said, “The Chief of Army Staff has been invited to speak at the global anti-terrorism and counter-terrorism conference in London, United Kingdom, on Monday.", "Boko Haram terrorists and suspected Islamic State West African Province fighters have attacked troops’ location in Damasak, Borno State, injuring unconfirmed number of soldiers.This is just as the Nigerian Army said on Sunday that the Chief of the Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, was expected in London, the United Kingdom on Monday for a global anti-terrorism conference starting on Monday.The army was however silent on the Boko Haram attacks on troops in Borno.It was learnt on Sunday terrorists attacked troops in Damasak at about 7pm on Saturday, although details about casualties had yet to be obtained as of press time.Meanwhile the army said Buratai would be in London at the conference, which would focus on “current and future jihadist threats and expose frontline practitioners on how to utilise practical methods” to deal with homegrown terrorists.The acting Director, Army Public Relations, Col Sagir Musa, said, “The Chief of Army Staff has been invited to speak at the global anti-terrorism and counter-terrorism conference in London, United Kingdom, on Monday.", "Mandarari, Nigeria - Mohammed Bomboi is in shock and mourning as he sits in a raffia hut less than a metre from where his friend was killed by one of three suicide bombers.\n\nLocal officials say 20 people died in this small fishing and farming village, though emergency workers in Borno state put the death toll at 30. Villagers say between 21-25 died.\n\n\"We were resting on that mat in this tent Sunday night when I heard a loud sound outside,\" Bomboi said, pointing to the sandy floor where he had slept.\n\n\"It was Boko Haram again. I saw many bodies outside as they were scattered on the road.\"\n\nOne target was a thatched hut in the centre of the village, where people gather after work to watch movies or gossip. On Sunday, a Women's World Cup football match had attracted a crowd.\n\n\"People usually come to watch matches in the viewing centre. One match was playing in the TV. We didn't know Boko Haram was watching us. My friend went to join them and he died,\" Bomboi said.\n\nBoko Haram not far\n\nThere were three suicide bombers: an adult male and two young girls who blew themselves up among those watching football and enjoying tea at a shop along Sambisa street, named for the Sambisa Forest - the notorious stronghold of Boko Haram less than 100 kilometres away.\n\nVillagers say the bombers mingled with them earlier in the evening before rushing into the crowd and detonating the explosives strapped to their bodies.\n\n\"Twenty persons were killed in all - one of them died in the hospital while the other 19 died here in the village. Thirty-eight persons were injured and are receiving treatment in the hospital,\" said Sadiq Usmobik, a police spokesman of Borno state.\n\nThe casualty figures could potentially have been higher but one of the bombers, a girl, tripped while running towards a crowd and her bomb went off early.\n\nUsman Kachalla, head of operations at the State Emergency Management Agency, put the death toll at 30.\n\nNo group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but it has been strongly linked to Boko Haram insurgents, who are known to use children in suicide bomb attacks targeting civilians in churches, mosques, markets, schools and other small gatherings.\n\nThe UN children's agency, UNICEF, did not single out Boko Haram on Monday.\n\n\"UNICEF condemns the use of children as human bombs and in any combat or non-combat roles in the conflict in northeast Nigeria,\" it said in a statement.\n\n\"This incident brings the number of children who have been reported as having been used as human bombs to five since January 2019. In 2018, 48 children - including 38 girls - were used in suicide attacks.\"\n\nAssaults by Boko Haram since 2009 have killed more than 27,000 people and forced two million to leave their homes.\n\n{articleGUID}\n\n'It was too late'\n\nSuch carnage in places such as Mandarari is not just a reflection of the ruthlessness of fighters, but also underlines the failures of the state.\n\nVillagers say fewer people would have died if emergency services arrived more quickly, or if there were better health facilities available in the area, just 40km from Maiduguri, the state capital.\n\n\"At first his injuries were not that bad. But with time they got worse,\" said Awolo Abubakar, whose 30-year-old son was caught in the attack.\n\n\"So when help came, it was too late. That's why my young son, without any children of his own, is in a grave today.\"\n\nOver the years, Boko Haram has evolved; moving into far-to-reach communities and dominating the lives of millions. The Nigerian military has been unable to establish order in the vast expanse of the country's northeast.\n\nThe attacks have forced many to leave their homes. Along the short trip between Mandarari and Maiduguri, vacated farm land and empty villages show the extent of the exodus.\n\n\"The current approach has failed. It's not enough to fight this war through the military alone. Good governance, economic policies and mass education are all part of the war the government has refused to fight. That's why Boko Haram is not ending soon,\" security analyst Nnamdi Anekwe-Chive told Al Jazeera.\n\n\"The people are disappointed in their leaders. The leaders in northern Nigeria have failed the people. It's the underdevelopment they created in the north that is helping all these crises thrive,\" he said.\n\n'Can't fight back'\n\nAnother deadly crisis has also emerged in Nigeria's northwest, with more than 300 people killed this year by bandits and kidnappers.\n\nIn Mandarari, Bomboi stands over a pile of victims' shoes partially buried in the dust. The various sizes and colours reflect the diversity of those who last wore them - children, women and men.\n\n\"Boko Haram is near here\" said Bomboi, \"and they have continued to kill this way. They keep using some to bomb us. They keep attacking our villages and we can't fight back. It has happened many times.\"\n\nThe mood in the village is not just mournful, it also anticipates the future with fear.\n\nSurvivors know by living so close to Boko Haram-controlled territory it is likely attackers will again make their way into the community, along with hundreds of others in Konduga, Bama and Gwoza - all in restive Borno state.", "A former presidential aide, Reno Omokri has taken yet another swipe at president Muhammadu Buhari over his condolence message to the families of the victims of Sunday’s suicide bombing attack in Borno.\n\nThe President in a statement on Monday assured that all perpetrators will be brought to book.\n\nHe said: I commiserate with the families of the victims of yesterday’s Viewing Center bomb blasts in Mandarari, Konduga LGA of Borno State. My deepest condolences to all those affected.\n\nWe will ensure that the perpetrators are found and brought to justice, and we will also continue to give our law enforcement agencies all the support and resources they require to prevent these attacks and keep our communities safe, the president added.\n\nOmokri in his reaction told the president that the people of Borno do not need his commiseration but rather they need action.\n\nThe former presidential aide accused the president of going to Qatar to “lie that Boko Haram was defeated.” According to him, the president lied to those who “could have helped us defeat Boko Haram.\n\nHe tweeted on Monday night thus: Dear General Buhari,\n\nBorno people don’t need COMMISERATION. They need ACTION. Last month, you went to Qatar to LIE that Boko Haram was DEFEATED. These are people that could have helped us defeat Boko Haram. But you LIED to look good to them", "Suspected Boko Haram and Islamic State West African (ISWA) Province fighters have attacked troops’ location in Damasak, Borno State.\n\nThe attack was said to have left some soldiers dead while injuring unconfirmed number of soldiers.\n\nThe army has been silent on the attack.\n\nIt was learnt on Sunday that the terrorists attacked troops in Damasak at about 7pm on Saturday, although details about casualties had yet to be obtained as of press time.\n\nRecall, the ISWA had claimed it killed over 20 soldiers in an attack on military base in Borno.", "Reno Omokri, former aide to ex-president Goodluck has reacted to President Muhammadu Buhari’s response to Boko Haram suicide bombings in Mandarari community in Borno State.\n\nBuhari on Monday night expressed sadness over the attack and sent his condolences to victims of the Borno attack.\n\nThe president wrote “I commiserate with the families of the victims of yesterday’s Viewing Center bomb blasts in Mandarari, Konduga LGA of Borno State.\n\n“My deepest condolences to all those affected.”\n\nBut, Omokri on his Twitter page condemned the President’s reaction, noting that residents of Borno do not need condolences but ‘Action’ against Boko Haram insurgents in the state.\n\nThe former presidential spokesman wrote: “Dear General Buhari, Borno people do not need COMMISERATION. They need ACTION.\n\n“Last month, you went to Qatar to lie that Boko Haram were defeated.\n\n“These are people that could have helped us defeat Boko Haram. But you LIED to look good to them.”\n\nMeanwhile, Borno State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) confirming the attack on Monday, said 30 persons lost their lives while 42 others were injured when three suspected Boko Haram suicide bombers detonated Improvised Explosive Device (IED) in Mandarari community of Konduga local government area.", "Gajiram, is the headquarters of Nganzai local government area of Borno State, about 80 kilometres from Maiduguri.\n\nOne of the leaders of the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) in Borno State, Babashehu Abdul-Gani, said the insurgents attacked the town at about 4pm but met their match in the soldiers and the members of CJTF who exchanged gunfire with them.\n\nHe said some of the CJTF were hurriedly deployed from Maiduguri to act as back up and repel the insurgents.\n\nAbdul-Gani who spoke to our correspondent at about 9pm, said: “As I am speaking to you the insurgents have been successfully repelled by the soldiers and the CJTF, in fact some of our men have to be deployed from Maiduguri.”\n\nHe claimed normalcy had returned to the town as the insurgents had been pushed back to the bush.\n\nHe could not however give details of casualties, noting that this may have to wait until the deployed men return back to Maiduguri.\n\nInformation from some of the fleeing residents of the town revealed that the insurgents came in a convoy of nine vehicles and engaged the soldiers in a shoot-out.\n\nA resident of the town, Abba Ali, who called relatives in Maiduguri, said the people of the town had to flee as the terror group engaged soldiers in a shoot-out."], "summary": "Boko Haram terrorists exchange gunfire with Nigerian troops in the Nganzai local government area of Borno State."}
{"document": ["The United States and Iran said Tuesday they were not seeking war with each other as tensions simmered between the two in the Persian Gulf and President Donald Trump vowed the U.S. would respond to any attack.\n\n\"We have a lot of things going with Iran,\" Trump told reporters as he left the White House for a campaign event in Florida. \"We'll see what happens. Let me just say this: We are very prepared.\"\n\nTrump's comments came just hours after he announced the sudden departure of acting Pentagon chief Patrick Shanahan, jolting the Defense Department only a day after he signed off on sending an additional 1,000 troops to the Middle East to counter Iran.\n\nOn a visit Tuesday to U.S. Central Command in Florida, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he was confident the U.S. is taking the necessary steps to confront any challenge from Iran. He said the military is ready to respond to any attack by Iran on U.S. interests or Iranian disruption of international shipping lanes through which much of the world's oil supplies flow.\n\nPompeo said Trump only wants to re-establish a deterrent to Iranian threats.\n\n\"President Trump does not want war, and we will continue to communicate that message, while doing the things that are necessary to protect American interests in the region,\" he told reporters.\n\nPompeo said he made the trip to meet with commanders who would be responsible for any operations in the Gulf to ensure that America's diplomatic and military efforts are coordinated \"to make sure that we're in the position to do the right thing.\"\n\nThe \"right thing,\" he said, \"is to continue to work to convince the Islamic republic of Iran that we are serious and to deter them from further aggression in the region.\"\n\nSimilarly measured sentiments of resolve came from Iran, where President Hassan Rouhani said \"we do not wage war with any nation\" but Iranians will withstand mounting U.S. pressure and prevail in the brinksmanship.\n\nIran announced on Monday that it could soon start enriching uranium to just a step away from weapons-grade levels, a challenge to Trump's assurances to allies that the U.S. withdrawal from the deal last year made the world safer.\n\nThe Pentagon responded by ordering the additional troops to the region, including security forces for added surveillance and intelligence-gathering.\n\nThe U.S. accuses Iran of attacking two tankers near the Persian Gulf; the Iranians deny responsibility. With details murky and no one owning up to the attacks, the Pentagon released new photos intended to bolster its case.\n\nIn announcing the new deployment before he resigned, Shanahan said the forces are \"for defensive purposes to address air, naval, and ground-based threats\" in the Mideast.\n\n\"The United States does not seek conflict with Iran,\" Shanahan said, describing the move as intended \"to ensure the safety and welfare of our military personnel working throughout the region and to protect our national interests.\" He said the U.S. will continue to adjust troop levels as needed.\n\nShanahan abruptly stepped down Tuesday before his formal nomination ever went to the Senate, citing a \"painful\" family situation, and Trump said Army Secretary Mark Esper would be the new acting Pentagon chief.", "WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States and Iran said Tuesday they were not seeking war with each other as tensions simmered between the two in the Persian Gulf and President Donald Trump vowed the U.S. would respond to any attack.\n\n“We have a lot of things going with Iran,” Trump told reporters as he left the White House for a campaign event in Florida. “We’ll see what happens. Let me just say this: We are very prepared.”\n\nTrump’s comments came just hours after he announced the sudden departure of acting Pentagon chief Patrick Shanahan, jolting the Defense Department only a day after he signed off on sending an additional 1,000 troops to the Middle East to counter Iran.\n\nOn a visit Tuesday to U.S. Central Command in Florida, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he was confident the U.S. is taking the necessary steps to confront any challenge from Iran. He said the military is ready to respond to any attack by Iran on U.S. interests or Iranian disruption of international shipping lanes through which much of the world’s oil supplies flow.\n\nPompeo said Trump only wants to re-establish a deterrent to Iranian threats.\n\n“President Trump does not want war, and we will continue to communicate that message, while doing the things that are necessary to protect American interests in the region,” he told reporters.\n\nPompeo said he made the trip to meet with commanders who would be responsible for any operations in the Gulf to ensure that America’s diplomatic and military efforts are coordinated “to make sure that we’re in the position to do the right thing.”\n\nThe “right thing,” he said, “is to continue to work to convince the Islamic republic of Iran that we are serious and to deter them from further aggression in the region.”\n\nSimilarly measured sentiments of resolve came from Iran, where President Hassan Rouhani said “we do not wage war with any nation” but Iranians will withstand mounting U.S. pressure and prevail in the brinksmanship.\n\nIran announced on Monday that it could soon start enriching uranium to just a step away from weapons-grade levels, a challenge to Trump’s assurances to allies that the U.S. withdrawal from the deal last year made the world safer.\n\nThe Pentagon responded by ordering the additional troops to the region, including security forces for added surveillance and intelligence-gathering.\n\nThe U.S. accuses Iran of attacking two tankers near the Persian Gulf; the Iranians deny responsibility. With details murky and no one owning up to the attacks, the Pentagon released new photos intended to bolster its case.\n\nIn announcing the new deployment before he resigned, Shanahan said the forces are “for defensive purposes to address air, naval, and ground-based threats” in the Mideast.\n\n“The United States does not seek conflict with Iran,” Shanahan said, describing the move as intended “to ensure the safety and welfare of our military personnel working throughout the region and to protect our national interests.” He said the U.S. will continue to adjust troop levels as needed.\n\nShanahan abruptly stepped down Tuesday before his formal nomination ever went to the Senate, citing a “painful” family situation, and Trump said Army Secretary Mark Esper would be the new acting Pentagon chief.", "U.S. sending 1,000 troops to Middle East amid heightened tension with Iran\n\nActing Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan cited recent tensions with Iran as a potential threat to United States interests across the region.", "US military will send an additional 1,000 troops to the Middle East as tensions build with Iran. Acting Defence Secretary Patrick Shanahan said the deployment was in response to what he described as “hostile behaviour” by Iranian forces.\n\nThe US Navy also shared new images it says link Iran to attacks last week on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman. Washington has accused Iran of blowing holes in the vessels with mines. Iran has denied the allegations.\n\nTensions were further fuelled on Monday when Iran said its stockpile of low-enriched uranium would next week exceed levels set under the 2015 nuclear agreement.\n\nIt recently stepped up production in response to the US tightening sanctions. The 2015 deal, from which the US has withdrawn, curbed Iran’s nuclear programme in exchange for the lifting of sanctions.\n\nIran’s President Hassan Rouhani said his country did not seek to wage war with any nation and had remained “loyal” to its international obligations.\n\nMeanwhile, Russia on Tuesday called for restraint to avoid escalation in the Middle East after the US said it was deploying additional troops due to heightened tensions with Iran.\n\n“We are urging all the sides to show restraint,” President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists in response to a question on the deployment.\n\n“We would prefer not to see any steps that could introduce additional tensions in the already unstable region.” Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said US plans to increase its troop presence in the Middle East were aimed at provoking armed conflict. – Agencies", "Tensions between the United States and Iran have soared in recent weeks, with Washington dispatching warships and bombers around the Persian Gulf, and Tehran threatening to resume higher uranium enrichment. The tensions come a year after President Donald Trump withdrew from Iran's 2015 nuclear accord with world powers and restored crippling sanctions.\n\nMay 5: John Bolton, the White House national security adviser and a longtime Iran hawk, announces the deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group and a bomber task force in response to \"a number of troubling and escalatory indications and warnings,\" without providing details. He threatens \"unrelenting force\" in response to any attack.\n\nMay 8: Iran vows to enrich its uranium stockpile closer to weapons-grade levels, starting July 7, if world powers fail to negotiate new terms for its nuclear deal. The U.S. responds by imposing sanctions on Iran's metal industry.\n\nMay 9: The European Union urges Iran to respect the nuclear deal and says it plans to continue trading with the country despite U.S. sanctions. Trump says he would like Iran's leaders to \"call me.\"\n\nMay 10: The U.S. says it will move a Patriot missile battery into the Middle East to counter threats from Iran.\n\nMay 12: The United Arab Emirates says four commercial ships off its eastern coast \"were subjected to sabotage operations,\" just hours after Iranian and Lebanese media outlets air false reports of explosions at a nearby Emirati port.\n\nMay 13: European foreign ministers urge the United States and Iran to show restraint, while U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo briefs his counterparts on the alleged threats from Iran. Trump warns that if Tehran does \"anything\" in the form of an attack, \"they will suffer greatly.\"\n\nMay 14: Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi rebels launch a drone attack on Saudi Arabia, striking a major oil pipeline and taking it out of service.\n\n— The New York Times reports the White House is reviewing military plans that could result in sending 120,000 U.S. troops to the Middle East if Iran attacks American forces or steps up work on nuclear weapons. Trump says it's \"fake news,\" but that he would \"absolutely\" be willing to send troops if necessary.\n\n— Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says \"no one is seeking war,\" but that it wouldn't be difficult for Iran to enrich uranium to weapons-grade levels.\n\n— A senior military officer in the U.S.-backed coalition fighting the Islamic State group says \"there's been no increased threat from Iranian-backed forces in Iraq and Syria.\" In a rare public rebuttal, U.S. Central Command says his remarks \"run counter to the identified credible threats.\"\n\nMay 15: The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad orders all nonessential government staff to leave Iraq immediately. The Netherlands and Germany say they are suspending their training of Iraqi forces.\n\nMay 16: Saudi Arabia blames Iran for the drone attack on its pipeline and an English-language newspaper close to the palace calls for the U.S. to launch \"surgical\" strikes in retaliation.\n\n—Trump says he hopes the U.S. is not on a path to war with Iran amid fears that his two most hawkish advisers could be angling for a conflict with the Islamic Republic. Asked if the U.S. was going to war with Iran, the president replied, \"I hope not\" — a day after he repeated a desire for dialogue, tweeting, \"I'm sure that Iran will want to talk soon.\"\n\nMay 19: A rocket lands near the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, without harming anyone. It's not clear who is behind the attack, but after the initial reports, Trump tweets: \"If Iran wants to fight, that will be the official end of Iran. Never threaten the United States again!\" Iran's foreign minister responded by tweeting that Trump had been \"goaded\" into \"genocidal taunts.\"\n\nMay 20: Semi-official media in Iran report that it has quadrupled its production of low-enriched uranium, which is used for civilian applications but not nuclear weapons. Iran is allowed to enrich uranium to the low level of 3.67%, but increased production could lead it to exceed the stockpile limits in the nuclear deal.\n\nMay 24: Trump says the U.S. will bolster its military presence in the Middle East with an additional 1,500 troops. He says the troops will have a \"mostly protective\" role.\n\n— Senior Pentagon officer Vice Admiral Michael Gilday says the U.S. has a high degree of confidence that Iran's Revolutionary Guard was responsible for the explosions of the four tankers in the Gulf of Oman, and that Iranian proxies in Iraq fired rockets into Baghdad.\n\nMay 31 and June 1: Saudi Arabia's King Salman hosts three high-level summits in Mecca, drawing heads of state from across the Middle East and Muslim countries to present a unified Muslim and Arab position on Iran. The monarch calls on the international community to use all means to confront Iran and accuses the Shiite power of being behind \"terrorist operations\" that targeted Saudi oil interests.\n\nJune 12: Saudi Arabia says 26 people were wounded in an attack by Yemen's Houthi rebels targeting an airport in kingdom's southwestern town of Abha. The Houthis claim they'd launched a cruise missile at the airport.", "President Trump called an oil tanker attack the U.S. has blamed on Iran \"very minor\" but said in an interview with Time Magazine he would be willing to go to war to prevent the nation from acquiring nuclear weapons., telling the magazine \"I would certainly go over nuclear weapons, and.\"Trump told the magazine the Gulf of Oman, where the attack occurred, isin years past, adding it was more relevant to Chinese and Japanese interests.\"Other places get such vast amounts of oil there,\" Trump told the magazine. \"We get very little. We have made tremendous progress in the last two and a half years in energy.\"Trump added that while he agreed with assessments blaming Iran for the attack,\"If you look at the rhetoric now compared to the days when they were signing [the 2015 nuclear deal], where it was always 'death to America, death to America, we will destroy America, we will kill America,',\" he said.The comments come after several days of the Pentagon and State Department indicating all options are on the table in response to the Thursday attack, for which Iran has denied responsibility.Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Sunday that the U.S. is looking at \"a full range of options,\", and is scheduled to visit U.S. Central Command, which oversees U.S. military operations in the Middle East, on Tuesday.Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan , meanwhile, announced Monday evening the Defense Department has authorized the deployment of about 1,000 additional troops to the region for \"defensive purposes.\"\"The recent Iranian attacks validate the reliable, credible intelligence we have received on hostile behavior by Iranian forces and their proxy groups that threaten United States personnel and interests across the region,\" he said in a statement.The U.K. and Saudi Arabia have said they agree with the U.S. assessment, but Germany's foreign minister has said the U.S. must present further evidence. The owner of one of the two ships involved in the attack has also contradicted the U.S. account.In recent months, Iran has announced it will scale back some of its commitments under the 2015 deal, with Trump withdrew the U.S. from more than a year ago.", "WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. is sending 1,000 more troops to the Middle East as tensions in the Persian Gulf mounted Tuesday over Iran’s announcement it will not comply with the international agreement that keeps it from making nuclear weapons. At the same time, Iran insisted it was not seeking war.\n\nIran’s announcement Monday that it could soon start enriching uranium to just a step away from weapons-grade levels challenged President Donald Trump’s assurances to allies that the U.S. withdrawal from the deal last year made the world a safer place.\n\nThe Pentagon responded by ordering 1,000 more troops to the Middle East, including security forces for additional surveillance and intelligence-gathering. The escalation of American military might was aimed at deterring Iran and calming allies worried about the safety of strategic shipping lanes .\n\nIran’s president, Hassan Rouhani, insisted Tuesday that while “we do not wage war with any nation,” Iranians will withstand mounting U.S. pressure and emerge victorious.\n\nAfter Trump withdrew from the deal signed by President Barack Obama, he reinstated stiff economic sanctions, leaving the European and other partners in the accord struggling to keep Iran on board.\n\nIran’s announcement that it would not abide by a limit on uranium stockpiles established under the 2015 agreement puts the U.S. in the awkward position of demanding that Iran comply with a deal that Trump derides as the worst in history.\n\n“We continue to call on the Iranian regime not to obtain a nuclear weapon, to abide by their commitments to the international community,” State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said Monday.\n\nThe U.S. accuses Iran of attacking two tankers near the Persian Gulf; the Iranians deny responsibility. With details murky and no one owning up to the attacks, the Pentagon released new photos intended to bolster its case.\n\nIn announcing the new deployment, acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said the forces are “for defensive purposes to address air, naval, and ground-based threats” in the Mideast.\n\n“The United States does not seek conflict with Iran,” Shanahan said, describing the move as intended “to ensure the safety and welfare of our military personnel working throughout the region and to protect our national interests.”\n\nHe said the U.S. will continue to adjust troop levels as needed.\n\nRussia urged restraint by all parties and worries that the additional American forces could “bring in extra tensions,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.\n\nSome supporters of the multinational nuclear deal blamed the Trump administration for Iran’s provocative announcements, saying they were predictable given the renewed U.S. pressure.\n\n“While Iran’s frustration with Trump’s reckless and irresponsible pressure campaign is understandable, we strongly urge Iran to remain in compliance with the nuclear deal,” the Arms Control Association said in a statement. “It remains in Iran’s interests to abide by the limits of the agreement.”\n\nIran has shown no willingness to negotiate another deal and has pledged not enter into talks with the United States while the administration keeps up the pressure with sanctions.\n\nAdministration officials are struggling with whether to press the remaining parties to the deal, including Britain, France and Germany, to demand that Iran stay in compliance. They must also consider whether such a stance would essentially concede that the restrictions imposed during the Obama administration are better than none.\n\nUnder the deal, Iran can keep a stockpile of no more than 660 pounds (300 kilograms) of low-enriched uranium. Behrouz Kamalvandi, spokesman for Iran’s atomic agency, said it would pass that limit June 27.\n\nA senior U.S. official said the U.S. is most concerned about any violation of the deal that would reduce the time Iran would need to produce a nuclear weapon. The deal aimed to keep that “breakout time” at one year.\n\nThe official said certain violations would not necessarily reduce that time. But other violations, such as enriching uranium to 20%, should be addressed immediately if they occur, said the official, who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.\n\nSecretary of State Mike Pompeo is expected to meet this week with the European Union’s foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, a leading deal proponent.\n\nPompeo, a leading critic of the deal while he was in Congress, has said Iranian compliance is not really an issue because the administration sees the agreement as fundamentally flawed.", "Tensions between the United States and Iran are rising due to a rash of attacks on a half-dozen oil tankers traveling through the Persian Gulf region over the past several weeks.\n\nMost recently, two tankers in the Gulf of Oman were struck by explosions on June 13. President Donald Trump has blamed Iran for the incidents, and the Pentagon released grainy video footage it says shows Iranian forces removing a limpet mine from the side of one of the ships. Iran denies any role in those attacks or the damage done to four other ships in May.\n\nThe exchange comes amid the standoff over the United States’ withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal – the landmark 2015 pact between Iran and six world powers that curtailed Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for lifting sanctions. Mr. Trump, who had been very critical of the deal, unilaterally pulled the U.S. out in May 2018. He then began a “maximum pressure” campaign against the Islamic Republic, imposing crippling sanctions in a long-shot bid to force Iran to accept a more restrictive nuclear deal with the U.S.\n\nWhat makes shipping in the Persian Gulf vulnerable to attack?\n\nThe key factor is the narrow confines of the Strait of Hormuz, an ocean chokepoint that connects the Persian Gulf to the Indian Ocean. About one fifth of the world’s oil is transported through the strait, which is bordered by Iran and the United Arab Emirates.\n\nThe strait tapers to only 21 miles across at the slimmest point, where shipping lanes in both directions shrink to just two miles wide, largely because the water is too shallow for ships with deep drafts. The V-shaped strait requires tankers to make a sharp turn at a predictable point – making them easy to target with mines, small surface ships, or shore-based missiles or aircraft.\n\nHow does the U.S. maintain security in the Gulf?\n\nThe U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet, headquartered in Bahrain, maintains a constant presence in the Persian Gulf using patrol vessels, guided-missile destroyers, and mine countermeasures vessels. It is part of a combined maritime force that brings together Gulf partners as well as European and Asian allies. The U.S. also monitors the region with satellites and aerial drones to identify threats.\n\nYet despite the continual U.S. and allied patrols, more precise reconnaissance is required to prevent what experts view as the main threat to the shipping lanes: mines.\n\n“The biggest threat is the mine threat. Not the limpet mines, but distributing mines in the water. Countermine operations are very difficult for any navy. It’s a painstaking process,” says Dr. Mike Connell, an expert on Iran and the Middle East at CNA, a research organization in Arlington, Virginia.\n\nPreventing the placement of mines in the water or directly on ships would ideally involve maritime patrol aircraft. “The problem is they can’t be everywhere,” says Dr. Connell. “To get that level of precision is difficult. The amount of area to cover takes a lot of reconnaissance assets.”\n\nHow could the U.S. bolster Gulf security?\n\nOne option is for the U.S. Navy to escort convoys of merchant ships to help defend them from attack. From its current fleet, the U.S. Navy would employ destroyers or cruisers for this job. “A convoy would assemble at a designated place to let the number of available naval escorts spread their defenses across the maximum number of vessels,” says James Holmes, J.C. Wylie Chair of Maritime Strategy at the Naval War College. The warships would provide protection against gunfire and missiles aimed at the tankers.\n\nThe U.S. Navy provided such escorts during the 1980s Tanker War, when Iraq and Iran were attacking each other’s merchant ships. The escorts could go hand-in-hand with mine-sweeping operations aimed at detecting and clearing mines from shipping lanes.\n\nHowever, the U.S. Navy has only a limited number of suitable warships available for such escort duty, making it difficult to sustain for long periods. “That’s a hole in the force structure that cries out to be filled,” says Professor Holmes.\n\nIn the meantime, U.S. allies could provide additional warships for escorting merchant ships. Saudi Arabia has stepped up security around oilfields, while the United Arab Emirates is working with shipping companies to provide increased protection, according to Reuters.", "TEHRAN, Iran — Iran will surpass the uranium-stockpile limit set by its nuclear deal in the next 10 days, an official said Monday, raising pressure on Europeans trying to save the accord a year after the U.S. withdrawal lit the fuse for the heightened tensions now between Tehran and Washington.\n\nHours later, the Pentagon announced it was sending about 1,000 additional American troops to the Middle East to bolster security in the region in the face of what U.S. officials said is a growing threat from Iran.\n\nThe announcement by Iran’s nuclear agency marked yet another deadline set by Tehran. President Hassan Rouhani already has warned Europe that a new deal needs to be in place by July 7 or the Islamic Republic would increase its enrichment of uranium.\n\nAtomic energy spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi suggested that Iran’s enrichment could reach up to 20%, just a step away from weapons-grade levels.\n\nIt appears as if Iran has begun its own maximum pressure campaign on the world after facing one from President Donald Trump’s administration that deeply cut into its sale of crude oil abroad and sent its economy into freefall. Europe has so far been unable to offer Iran a way around the U.S. sanctions.\n\nThe development follows apparent attacks last week in the Strait of Hormuz on oil tankers, assaults that Washington has blamed on Iran. While Iran has denied being involved, it laid mines in the 1980s targeting oil tankers around the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which a fifth of the world’s crude oil passes.\n\n“If this condition continues, there will be no deal” anymore, Kamalvandi said. He accused the Europeans of “killing time” as the clock runs down.\n\nRouhani, greeting France’s new ambassador to Tehran on Monday, similarly warned that time was running out on the deal.\n\n“The current situation is very critical and France and the other parties to the (deal) still have a very limited opportunity to play their historic role for saving the deal,” Rouhani said, according to his website.\n\nThe Iranian announcement appeared timed to strike just as European foreign ministers met in Luxembourg. Federica Mogherini, the European Union’s top diplomat, declined to specifically address the Iranian announcement.\n\n“At the moment, as of today, Iran is still technically compliant and we strongly hope, encourage and expect that Iran continues to comply,” Mogherini told journalists. She insisted she would await the next report on the issue from the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency.\n\nUnder terms of the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, Iran can keep a stockpile of no more than 300 kilograms (660 pounds) of low-enriched uranium. Kamalvandi said that given Iran’s recent decision to quadruple its production of low-enriched uranium, it would pass the 300-kilogram limit on Thursday, June 27.\n\nThe Vienna-based IAEA said last month that Iran remained within its stockpile limits and declined to comment on Iran’s announcement. Kamalvandi said Iran would continue to allow the U.N. to inspect its nuclear facilities for the time being.\n\nHe also raised the specter of increasing its enrichment levels, saying Iran needs 5% enriched uranium for its nuclear power plant in southern Iranian port of Bushehr and 20% enriched fuel for its Tehran research reactor.\n\nThe nuclear deal limits Iran to enriching uranium only to 3.67%, enough for power plants and other peaceful purposes.\n\nBut after America pulled out of the nuclear accord and escalated sanctions, Rouhani set a July 7 deadline for Europe to come up with better terms for the deal or Tehran would boost enrichment further. So far, a European mechanism called INSTEX to protect trade with Iran has yet to take off.\n\nThe danger, nuclear nonproliferation experts warn, is that at 20% enrichment, only a fraction of atoms need to be removed to enrich up to weapons-grade levels of 90%. Iran maintains its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, but the 2015 deal grew out of Western concerns about the program.\n\nUnder the accord, Iran agreed to limit its uranium enrichment in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. Since Trump took office, the U.S. has steadily stripped away at the accord, and he pulled America out of the deal in May 2018.\n\nHowever, Iran’s announcement that it was on the verge of surpassing the uranium-stockpile limit set by the nuclear agreement put the U.S. is the awkward position of having to push Iran to abide by the deal Trump has disparaged.\n\n“It’s unfortunate that they have made this announcement today,” State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said. “It doesn’t surprise anybody and this is why the president has often said that the JCPOA needs to be replaced with a better deal.”\n\nIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the international community should reinstate sanctions if Iran follows through on its threats, adding: “In any case, Israel will not allow Iran to obtain nuclear weapons.”\n\nTensions have risen in the region since last month. The U.S. rushed an aircraft carrier strike group and other military assets to the Middle East in response to what it said were threats from Iran. On Monday, the Pentagon said it would send additional security forces and troops for increased surveillance and intelligence gathering in the region.\n\nMeanwhile, a series of mysterious attacks have targeted oil tankers, and the U.S. blames Iranian-laid limpet mines. Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen also have launched a series of drone and missile attacks on Saudi Arabia. The Pentagon on Monday released new photos intended to bolster its case that Iran was responsible for the attacks.\n\nIran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, which the U.S. suspects in the attacks, answers only to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and operates outside of the traditional military’s control.\n\nGen. Mohammad Hossein Bagheri, the chief of the general staff of Iran’s armed forces, denied Tehran was involved in the tanker attacks, saying Monday the country only would respond in “an open, strong and severe way” if needed.\n\nBut he also reiterated Iran’s traditional stance on the Strait of Hormuz.\n\n“If we decide to block the Strait of Hormuz, we will to do it in a way that even a drop of oil won’t pass the strait,” Bagheri added.\n\nKamalvandi spoke to Iranian journalists at the country’s Arak heavy water nuclear reactor. Such reactors produce plutonium that can be used in nuclear weapons. Iran, under the nuclear deal, had reconfigured the facility to address Western concerns on that issue.\n\nHowever, Kamalvandi said the country could rebuild the facility to make it produce plutonium. He made a point to give an interview to Iranian state television, standing next to the open pit where the reactor would be in the facility.\n\nAs the camera panned down to what would be the reactor’s core, Kamalvandi stressed that piping could be replaced and the reactor could be built to make plutonium. Hard-liners opposed to the nuclear deal had constantly accused the agency of filling the entire pit with concrete.\n\n“They had previously photoshopped a picture of this place having been filled up with concrete,” Kamalvandi said.\n\nHe added: “The message that we tried to get across to Europeans today was that not much time is left for them.”", "Tensions between the United States and Iran have soared in recent weeks, with Washington dispatching warships and bombers around the Persian Gulf, and Tehran threatening to resume higher uranium enrichment. The tensions come a year after President Donald Trump withdrew from Iran's 2015 nuclear accord with world powers and restored crippling sanctions.\n\nMay 5: John Bolton, the White House national security adviser and a longtime Iran hawk, announces the deployment of the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group and a bomber task force in response to \"a number of troubling and escalatory indications and warnings,\" without providing details. He threatens \"unrelenting force\" in response to any attack.\n\nMay 8: Iran vows to enrich its uranium stockpile closer to weapons-grade levels, starting July 7, if world powers fail to negotiate new terms for its nuclear deal. The U.S. responds by imposing sanctions on Iran's metal industry.\n\nMay 9: The European Union urges Iran to respect the nuclear deal and says it plans to continue trading with the country despite U.S. sanctions. Trump says he would like Iran's leaders to \"call me.\"\n\nMay 10: The U.S. says it will move a Patriot missile battery into the Middle East to counter threats from Iran.\n\nMay 12: The United Arab Emirates says four commercial ships off its eastern coast \"were subjected to sabotage operations,\" just hours after Iranian and Lebanese media outlets air false reports of explosions at a nearby Emirati port.\n\nMay 13: European foreign ministers urge the United States and Iran to show restraint, while U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo briefs his counterparts on the alleged threats from Iran. Trump warns that if Tehran does \"anything\" in the form of an attack, \"they will suffer greatly.\"\n\nMay 14: Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi rebels launch a drone attack on Saudi Arabia, striking a major oil pipeline and taking it out of service.\n\n— The New York Times reports the White House is reviewing military plans that could result in sending 120,000 U.S. troops to the Middle East if Iran attacks American forces or steps up work on nuclear weapons. Trump says it's \"fake news,\" but that he would \"absolutely\" be willing to send troops if necessary.\n\n— Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says \"no one is seeking war,\" but that it wouldn't be difficult for Iran to enrich uranium to weapons-grade levels.\n\n— A senior military officer in the U.S.-backed coalition fighting the Islamic State group says \"there's been no increased threat from Iranian-backed forces in Iraq and Syria.\" In a rare public rebuttal, U.S. Central Command says his remarks \"run counter to the identified credible threats.\"\n\nMay 15: The U.S. Embassy in Baghdad orders all nonessential government staff to leave Iraq immediately. The Netherlands and Germany say they are suspending their training of Iraqi forces.\n\nMay 16: Saudi Arabia blames Iran for the drone attack on its pipeline and an English-language newspaper close to the palace calls for the U.S. to launch \"surgical\" strikes in retaliation.\n\n—Trump says he hopes the U.S. is not on a path to war with Iran amid fears that his two most hawkish advisers could be angling for a conflict with the Islamic Republic. Asked if the U.S. was going to war with Iran, the president replied, \"I hope not\" — a day after he repeated a desire for dialogue, tweeting, \"I'm sure that Iran will want to talk soon.\"\n\nMay 19: A rocket lands near the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, without harming anyone. It's not clear who is behind the attack, but after the initial reports, Trump tweets: \"If Iran wants to fight, that will be the official end of Iran. Never threaten the United States again!\" Iran's foreign minister responded by tweeting that Trump had been \"goaded\" into \"genocidal taunts.\"\n\nMay 20: Semi-official media in Iran report that it has quadrupled its production of low-enriched uranium, which is used for civilian applications but not nuclear weapons. Iran is allowed to enrich uranium to the low level of 3.67%, but increased production could lead it to exceed the stockpile limits in the nuclear deal.\n\nMay 24: Trump says the U.S. will bolster its military presence in the Middle East with an additional 1,500 troops. He says the troops will have a \"mostly protective\" role.\n\n— Senior Pentagon officer Vice Admiral Michael Gilday says the U.S. has a high degree of confidence that Iran's Revolutionary Guard was responsible for the explosions of the four tankers in the Gulf of Oman, and that Iranian proxies in Iraq fired rockets into Baghdad.\n\nMay 31 and June 1: Saudi Arabia's King Salman hosts three high-level summits in Mecca, drawing heads of state from across the Middle East and Muslim countries to present a unified Muslim and Arab position on Iran. The monarch calls on the international community to use all means to confront Iran and accuses the Shiite power of being behind \"terrorist operations\" that targeted Saudi oil interests.\n\nJune 12: Saudi Arabia says 26 people were wounded in an attack by Yemen's Houthi rebels targeting an airport in kingdom's southwestern town of Abha. The Houthis claim they'd launched a cruise missile at the airport.\n\nJune 13: Two oil tankers near the strategic Strait of Hormuz are hit in an alleged assault that leaves one ablaze and adrift as 44 sailors are evacuated from both vessels and the U.S. Navy rushes to assist. America later blames Iran for the attack, something Tehran denies.\n\nJune 17: Iran says it will break the uranium stockpile limit set by Tehran's nuclear deal with world powers in the next 10 days."], "summary": "Acting United States Secretary of Defense Patrick M. Shanahan authorizes the deployment of approximately 1,000 additional U.S. troops to the Middle East region \"for defensive purposes to address air, naval and ground-based threats\" amid increased tensions with Iran. The move comes four days after two oil tankers were attacked in the Gulf of Oman incident."}
{"document": ["Facebook users\n\nUse your Facebook account to login or register with JapanToday. By doing so, you will also receive an email inviting you to receive our news alerts.", "Japan's booming animation industry is in crisis -- with low pay, long hours and a huge shortage of artists -- just as its global popularity has never been higher.\n\nThree of the 10 feature films in the running for top prize at the world's most important animation festival in Annecy in France -- which ended Saturday -- are from Japan.\n\nThe country is the only real challenger to Hollywood's dominance of the labor-intensive genre.\n\nBut just as Japanese anime seemed to be threatening to loosen Pixar and Disney's grip on the popular imagination with the likes of the teen mega hit \"your name.\" and a Nintendo Super Mario movie in the pipeline, long-running structural problems are in danger of sapping its rise.\n\nWith talk of a talent shortage, its greatest star, the legendary Studio Ghibli founder Hayao Miyazaki, has come out of retirement at 78 to make \"How Do You Live?\" -- which may be released next year -- with speculation that he could take on another feature if his health holds.\n\nMiyazaki blazed an arthouse trail with such animated classics as the Oscar-winning \"Spirited Away\", \"Howl's Moving Castle\" and the fabulous \"My Neighbor Totoro\".\n\nBut Yoshiaki Nishimura, a former Miyazaki stalwart who produced the Oscar-nominated \"The Tale of The Princess Kaguya\", told AFP that the industry was struggling to \"face up to a lack of animators, bad working conditions and perhaps a lack of creativity\".\n\nHis peers also complain of low pay, a paucity of emerging young talent and burn-out in overworked animation teams who often put in 12- to 18-hour days.\n\nRising star Keiichi Hara, who showed his new film \"The Wonderland\" at Annecy after winning the jury prize there four years ago with \"Miss Hokusai\", feared for the future.\n\n\"Perhaps the biggest problem in the Japanese animation industry is that there are no more young animators,\" he warned.\n\nAyumu Watanabe -- whose beautiful \"The Children of the Sea\" was shown out of competition at the festival -- worried about visual \"standardization\" and lack of originality, not helped by the fact that \"fewer and fewer animators can draw well by hand.\"\n\nEven industry heavyweights like Mamoru Hosoda, the genius behind \"Wolf Children\", \"The Boy and the Beast\" and \"The Girl who Leapt Through Time\", have to put in punishingly long hours with relatively tiny teams.\n\nHe told AFP last year that his latest hit \"Mirai\" was inspired by his wife complaining that she was a widow to his work, calling him to account for leaving her \"to bring up my son on her own\".\n\nWatanabe said that the industry has split into two extremes: \"Big productions who can call on an incredible number of animators and at the other end of the scale, and more artistic projects that have a lot less money.\"\n\nAll eyes later this year will be on the release of \"Weathering with You\", Makoto Shinkai's fantasy follow-up to the record-breaking \"your name.\", now the highest-grossing Japanese film of all time.\n\nIts production team unveiled a sneak preview of the supernatural story at Annecy, with a high-school runaway meeting a girl who can change the weather.\n\nWith a live-action version of \"your name.\" in the works and U.S. television about to remake the cult Japanese series \"Train Man\" about an anime-obsessed youth, the genre has never been closer to the international mainstream.\n\nNishimura said that he has tried to keep the \"Ghibli style and spirit going... with a mix of hand-drawn and computer animation\" at Studio Ponoc, which he set up after Miyazaki -- a heavy smoker who was having health problems -- first hung up his pencil in 2013.\n\nIt scored its first hit in 2017 with \"Mary and the Witch's Flower\" and Nishimura premiered a series of new shorts at Annecy.\n\nFor him, the industry's woes are \"the result of an accumulation of problems over the last five to 10 years\", but he insisted his studio was trying to \"create a new environment\".\n\nAnd as the wowed audiences at Annecy for Masaaki Yuasa's touching \"Ride Your Wave\" proved, despite its problems Japanese anime can still get things very right.\n\nThe story of love, surfing and grief struck a huge cord with critics at the French festival.\n\nAmel Lacombe, whose company Eurozoom is a key French animation distributor, said the industry's travails are due to its rapid growth, and now \"we are in a period of adjustment\".\n\nShe believes that the Japanese authorities are waking up to anime's importance and global reach \"as a export force\"."], "summary": "Japanese anime developers report that the industry is in crisis, even as its popularity soars in its native country. Among the reasons are low pay, long hours, and a huge shortage of artists – just as its global popularity reaches record levels."}
{"document": ["Thirteen people died and nearly 200 were injured as of around 4 p.m. Tuesday after a 6.0-magnitude earthquake hit southwest China's Sichuan Province Monday night, local authorities said at a press conference.\n\nRescuers search for trapped people in Shuanghe Town in Changning County of Yibin City, southwest China's Sichuan Province, June 18, 2019. [Photo: Xinhua]\n\nThe earthquake hit Changning County of Yibin City at 10:55 p.m. Monday (Beijing Time). The epicenter, with a depth of 16 km, was monitored at 28.34 degrees north latitude and 104.90 degrees east longitude, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center.\n\nNine people died in Changning and four more in neighboring Gongxian County, Li Tinggen, secretary-general of the municipal government of Yibin, said at the press conference.\n\nAs of Tuesday afternoon, nearly 200 people were injured. Among them, six are in critical conditions and another 16 are severely injured.\n\nAt around 6:30 p.m., a severely injured victim was transported by a helicopter to the Sichuan provincial people's hospital for further treatment.\n\nNie Taimin, deputy director of the municipal bureau of emergency management, said the number of injured has increased as the conditions of some remote areas with poor communications were updated during the day.\n\nThe quake affected more than 140,000 people and damaged over 12,700 houses. Some 8,447 residents have been evacuated in quake-hit areas so far.\n\nMoible photo taken on June 18, 2019 shows rescuers transfering a wounded person in Shuanghe Town in Changning County of Yibin City, southwest China's Sichuan Province. [Photo: Xinhua]\n\nRESCUE CONTINUES AMID AFTERSHOCKS\n\nIn a temporary shelter in Shuanghe Township, dozens of relief tents had been set up. Each tent was about 12 square meters, with five simple beds inside and two dry powder fire extinguishers outside.\n\nOutside the tents, people were provided with free water, instant noodles, bread and other food, and power workers were offering charging services.\n\nLuo Lian, 30, was still shaken when she recalled last night's earthquake. \"We were scared to death and rushed out having no shoes on. Our legs were shaking even after we were safe,\" Luo said.\n\nOn Monday evening, Luo stayed on the third floor with her two children when the quake struck. At the beginning, she thought the shake was just an illusion. However, a stronger tremor was felt soon, as the whole house clanged and the kids began to cry.\n\nWhen Luo realized it was a quake, the electricity was cut off at her home. The mother had to run downstairs with her children in the dark.\n\nLuo was grateful that the workers in the shelter took good care of her and her children. \"Now we don't worry about the food supply. We're just afraid of the aftershocks and can't go home.\"\n\nAs of 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, a total of 17 aftershocks measuring 3-magnitude or above have been recorded in the areas.\n\nStatistics showed that more than 3,000 people joined the rescue work.\n\nPeople distribute relief materials at Shuanghe Town High School in Changning County of Yibin City, southwest China's Sichuan Province, June 18, 2019. [Photo: Xinhua]\n\nThe Ministry of Emergency Management has activated an emergency response and sent a working team to the stricken areas to provide guidance in rescue and disaster relief.\n\nThe ministry and the National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration have dispatched 5,000 tents, 10,000 folding beds and 20,000 quilts to the quake-hit areas.\n\nLi said 15 medical teams with about 60 members from Yibin's hospitals have reached the quake-hit areas.\n\nChina's armed police forces were also dispatched for rescue soon after the earthquake. Meanwhile, more than 1,800 militia members have been mobilized overnight to offer emergency relief, including on-the-spot rescue, disaster detection, and duties of vigilance, in the quake-stricken areas.\n\nSeven main roads connecting Changning and Gongxian counties with the epicenter have been cleared and reopened by Tuesday afternoon, according to Li.\n\nAs of 4 p.m. Tuesday, State Grid Sichuan Electric Power Company has mobilized 294 emergency rescue personnel and 70 vehicles to the quake areas for the power repair and temporary power supply. More than 24,000 households have regained power.\n\nPhoto taken on June 18, 2019 shows a store damaged during an earthquake in Shuanghe Town in Changning County of Yibin City, southwest China's Sichuan Province. [Photo: Xinhua]\n\nEARLY WARNING SYSTEM\n\nOn Monday night, Yibin residents received alarms 10 seconds before the quake hit, while citizens in the provincial capital Chengdu, more than 200 km away from the epicenter, got alarms about a minute before the seismic waves hit the city.\n\nEarly warnings were issued through a variety of channels, including public broadcasting system, local television stations, mobile apps and the Internet.\n\nThe early warning system was jointly built by the Institute of Care-Life, an organization that studies earthquakes in Chengdu, and local emergency management authorities.\n\nPreliminary statistics showed that 79 county-level areas in 13 cities and prefectures issued early warnings via television stations. A total of 212 schools in several cities and 101 residential communities in Chengdu received alarms in advance.\n\n\"The system was not designed to predict earthquakes,\" said Wang Tun, director of Care-Life. \"It uses the theory that radio waves travel faster than seismic waves and provides automatic warnings seconds before quake waves arrive.\"\n\nEarthquake research has found that being aware of an earthquake three seconds beforehand can save 14 percent of casualties, 10 seconds can save 39 percent of casualties and 20 seconds can save 63 percent of casualties.\n\nThe early warning system has covered an area of 2.2 million square km, providing services to about 90 percent of the population in China's quake-prone regions, according to Wang.", "A strong earthquake has rattled the Changning county of Yibin in southwest China's Sichuan province, leaving 12 dead and injuring 125 others, according to China's Ministry of Emergency Management.\n\nOn Monday evening, according to the China Earthquake Networks Centre (CENC), the earthquake's epicentre with a depth of 16 km was monitored at 28.34 degrees north latitude and 104.90 degrees east longitude.\n\nThe US Geological Survey has stated that there were two earthquakes, with a quake of magnitude 5.9 which was followed by a smaller one of 5.2 magnitudes, both at a depth of 10 km (6 miles) and centred near Changning county.\n\nChinese authorities have stated that people in nearby cities, such as Chengdu and Chongqing, also felt strong shocks. The Ministry of Emergency Management has activated an emergency response and sent a work team to the stricken areas to provide guidance in rescue and disaster relief, reported China Daily.\n\nThe National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration have also reportedly dispatched 5,000 tents, 10,000 folding beds and 20,000 quilts to the quake-hit areas.\n\nIt is reported that several aftershocks have followed. Local houses and roads, as well as power and communication facilities, suffered damages.\n\nChina's railway website has notified that due to the earthquake, some railway journeys in Sichuan, Guizhou and Yunnan provinces, have been cancelled.\n\nThe Chinese authorities have reported that the country is struck by an average of 20 earthquakes measuring 5 on the Richter scale every year. In 2008, an earthquake measuring 8.0 magnitude in Sichuan killed 87,587 people. Since 2000, more than 91,800 people have been killed by earthquakes in the country reported state media.", "Beijing, June 18 (IANS) As many as 13 people were killed and 199 others injured in a 6-magnitude earthquake that hit China’s Sichuan Province, the Ministry of Emergency Management said on Tuesday. The earthquake hit the Changning county at 10.55 p.m. on Monday.\n\nAs of 4 p.m. on Tuesday, 20 people trapped in the debris were rescued and 731 evacuated, according to the ministry, Xinhua news agency reported.\n\nSafety inspection and rescue efforts are underway, with fire-fighters rushing to the quake-hit regions to conduct rescue and search operations.\n\nThe China Earthquake Administration has deployed 80 people in the quake-hit regions for real-time monitoring and damage assessment.\n\nMeanwhile, the ministry and the National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration have dispatched 5,000 tents, 10,000 folding beds and 20,000 quilts to the quake-hit areas.\n\nThe earthquake had affected 142,832 people and destroyed 73 houses, the ministry said.", "Beijing: A 5.9 magnitude earthquake shook the southwestern Chinese province of Sichuan on Monday but there were no immediate reports of casualties, in a part of the country frequently affected by strong tremors.\n\nThe quake, with a depth of 10 km, was centred near Changning county, according to the United States Geological Survey. Chinese state media said shaking was felt in major cities in the region, including in the Sichuan provincial capital Chengdu and the metropolis of Chongqing.\n\nThe China Earthquake Administration said there were at least three aftershocks. Pictures posted by state media on their social media accounts showed cracks in some buildings and people rushing into the streets in some cities in Sichuan.\n\nA huge quake in Sichuan in May 2008 killed almost 70,000 people.", "SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Chinese officials said there were no indications that a deadly earthquake in the southwestern province of Sichuan this week was caused by excessive shale gas fracking in the region, state media reported on Wednesday.\n\nThe comments come amid speculation in online forums that fracking had contributed to the 6.0 magnitude quake that killed 13 people and injured nearly 200 on Monday.\n\nThe quake-prone Sichuan is the site of extensive fracking operations and accounts for about a third of China's total shale gas production.\n\nBut Wang Haitao, director of the China Earthquake Networks Center, said at a Tuesday press briefing that there was \"no sufficient evidence\" to suggest the quake was caused by shale gas exploration, state-owned tabloid The Global Times reported.\n\nThe paper cited a geologist with the China Earthquake Administration as saying that while U.S. scientists had found increases in seismicity near areas where there has been oil and shale gas exploration, there is no concrete scientific evidence to prove the connection.\n\nThe U.S. Geological Survey has said that fracking is the cause of only a small number of induced earthquakes in the United States, with most coming as a result of the disposal of waste fluids caused during oil production.\n\nAs many as 1,000 residents gathered outside a government building in Rongxian in Sichuan province earlier this year, blaming two recent earthquakes on shale gas exploration in the area. The county subsequently suspended fracking operations.\n\nAn April study by the Seismological Society of America also attributed a magnitude 5.7 quake in December 2018 and a magnitude 5.3 quake in January to fracking activities in the region.\n\nThe study said extensive fracking at the Changning shale gas block in Sichuan since 2010 has coincided with a dramatic increase in seismicity in the region.\n\nChinese geologists have also expressed concern that over-development of hydropower resources has undermined the seismic stability of Sichuan, with some even blaming the catastrophic Wenchuan earthquake in 2008 on the large-scale damming of the region.\n\nThis story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.\n\nYour guide to the latest cricket World Cup stories, analysis, reports, opinions, live updates and scores on https://www.firstpost.com/firstcricket/series/icc-cricket-world-cup-2019.html. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram or like our Facebook page for updates throughout the ongoing event in England and Wales.", "BEIJING (AP) — A strong earthquake hit Sichuan province in southern China late Monday night and some people were injured, officials and news reports said.\n\nThe U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake measured magnitude 5.9 and hit about 19 kilometers (12 miles) from the city of Changning in Sichuan. It was centered at a fairly shallow depth of 10 kilometers (6 miles), it said. Shallow earthquakes tend to cause more damage to buildings and infrastructure.\n\nThe USGS warned there could casualties and significant damage.\n\nThe Beijing Youth Daily said some people had been injured, but that could not be immediately confirmed. The emergency management ministry said firefighters have been sent to the area as rescuers.\n\nA 1976 earthquake centered in the northeastern city of Tangshan killed at least 250,000 people. China’s worst earthquake in recent years struck the mountainous western portion of Sichuan province in 2008, killing nearly 90,000 people. That earthquake was about 400 kilometers (250 miles) from Monday’s quake.", "BEIJING, June 18 (Xinhua) -- China has allocated an emergency funding of 50 million yuan (about 7.2 million U.S. dollars) for earthquake relief in southwest China's Sichuan Province, the country's top economic planner announced Tuesday.\n\nThe funds, within central budget plan, will be used for rebuilding infrastructure and public service facilities in the quake-affected areas, according to the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC).\n\nThirteen people died and 199 were injured so far, after a 6.0-magnitude earthquake hit Changning County of Yibin, Sichuan Province at 10:55 p.m. Monday (Beijing Time).\n\nChina's disaster relief authorities have launched a level-3 emergency response in the area, sending multiple workgroups to assist with local disaster relief work.", "A 6 magnitude earthquake shook the southwestern Chinese province of Sichuan on Monday but there were no immediate reports of casualties.\n\nThe quake, with a depth of 16 km (9.9 miles), was centered near the city of Yibin. State media said tremors were felt in other major cities nearby including Chengdu and Chongqing.\n\nThe China earthquake administration originally put the quake at a 5.8 magnitude.", "A strong earthquake that hit Sichuan province in southern China late Monday night killed 11 people and injured 122, the local government said.\n\nThe Yibin city government posted the casualty toll on its social media accounts Tuesday morning. Xinhua news agency said rescue efforts were underway in the stricken area.\n\nREAD MORE: Magnitude 7.4 earthquake hits islands off New Zealand, no tsunami threat\n\nThe magnitude 6.0 earthquake collapsed a hotel in Changning county and damaged some roads, Xinhua said. Heavy rains were falling Tuesday morning.\n\nThe Ministry of Emergency Management sent firefighting crews and other rescue personnel, Xinhua said. The ministry and the National Food and Strategic Reserves Administration have dispatched 5,000 tents, 10,000 folding beds and 20,000 quilts to the quake-hit areas.\n\nWATCH: Strong earthquake leaves some homes damaged with holes in Peru (May 2019)\n\nThe epicenter was 16 kilometres below the surface, according to the China Earthquake Networks Center. Shallow earthquakes tend to cause more damage to buildings and infrastructure.\n\nChina’s worst earthquake in recent years struck the mountainous western portion of Sichuan province in 2008, killing nearly 90,000 people. That earthquake was about 400 kilometres (250 miles) from Monday’s quake.\n\nA 1976 earthquake centred in the northeastern city of Tangshan killed at least 250,000 people.", "Firefighters rescued two people trapped under rubble after an earthquake struck Yibin in Sichuan, southwestern China, on June 17. The earthquake killed 13 people and injured about 200 injures, according to the Yibin City Emergency Management Bureau, cited by the state broadcaster. The magnitude-6.0 earthquake was followed by 77 aftershocks of magnitude 2.0 or above, the Sichuan Earthquake Administration said. Credit: China Fire Department via Storyful"], "summary": "A magnitude 5.8 earthquake hits Sichuan, China, killing 13 people and injuring 199 others."}
{"document": ["Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Hundreds of children have been admitted to hospital since the start of June\n\nMore than 100 children have now died in an outbreak of suspected encephalitis in India's Bihar state, officials say.\n\nAt least 200 patients, many of whom are below the age of 10, are still being treated at two hospitals.\n\nState officials have said that many victims had died due to hypoglycaemia, or low blood sugar.\n\nThousands of children have died of encephalitis in Bihar and neighbouring Uttar Pradesh since the first case was detected in the late 1970s.\n\nThe state has announced that it will bear the cost of treatment for all those affected.\n\nThe Indian government has said that it will \"extend all possible support\" to the state and affected families.\n\nThe outbreak since the beginning of June has seen the most number of deaths in the city of Muzaffarpur.\n\nThe disease usually occurs during the monsoon season and children are the worst affected.\n\nUntil 2005, doctors say that the the majority of deaths were caused by Japanese encephalitis, a mosquito-borne virus.\n\nBut in the past decade or so, children have been dying of other forms of viral encephalitis and the exact cause of which is unclear.\n\nThe disease causes headaches and vomiting and can lead to coma, brain dysfunction, seizure and inflammation of the heart and kidney.\n\nDoctors say children between the age of six months and 15 years are the worst affected and a fifth of the children who survive have to live with neurological weaknesses.\n\n\"It is difficult to say with certainty if children are dying due to encephalitis because there could be a number of reasons behind these deaths,\" Dr Mala Kaneria told BBC Hindi's Priyanka Dubey.\n\n\"It could also be due to malnutrition, insufficient levels of sugar and sodium or electrolyte imbalances.\"\n\nDr Kaneria added that some of these deaths could also be caused by eating lychees on an empty stomach.\n\nLychees contain toxins that inhibit the body's ability to produce glucose, which could affect young children whose blood sugar levels were already low because they were not eating dinner.\n\n'All I know is that my child was fine a day ago'\n\nBBC Hindi's Priyanka Dubey in Muzaffarpur\n\nThe thin glass door of the paediatric intensive care unit in the Shri Krishna Medical College cannot contain the sound of cries coming from inside.\n\nBabia Devi was snivelling and crying as her five-year-old daughter, Munni, lay beside her in a corner inside the special ward.\n\nHer mother, whose face is tear-stained, is convinced that her young daughter will not make it out of this hospital alive.\n\n\"The doctors have confirmed that Munni will not live. But I don't know what happened to the Munni I knew - who was healthy and playful,\" she tells me.\n\nNeither she nor the doctors know what happened - they are unsure if Munni is a victim of encephalitis.\n\n\"All I know is that she was perfectly fine a day ago,\" she says.\n\nThey rushed to the hospital from their village on Saturday after Munni awoke with burning fever.\n\n\"There has been no improvement in her condition. She hasn't opened her eyes since we got to the hospital.\"\n\nAt another hospital in Muzzaffarpur, the mood is just as sombre.\n\nFour-year-old Tamanna Khatoon lay on a bed inside the intensive care unit at Muzzaffarpur Medical College.\n\nHer mother, Ruby Khatoon, is sobbing outside the room.\n\n\"In the last two days, no child from this hospital has recovered. All of them have died,\" she says.\n\n\"Did I painstakingly bring up this girl only to watch her die like this?\"\n\nIn 2012, at least 390 people, mostly children, died in an outbreak of viral encephalitis in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh. More than 2,000 patients were admitted to hospital.\n\nAnd in 2011, more than 460 people in northern India, mostly young children, died in one of the country's worst outbreaks of encephalitis.\n\nIn 2005, a virulent outbreak of Japanese encephalitis in Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh killed 1,000 people, mostly children. This was the worst outbreak since 1978.", "More than 100 children die in India in encephalitis outbreak\n\nPATNA, India (AP) — More than 100 children have died in an encephalitis outbreak in India's eastern state of Bihar, authorities said Tuesday.\n\nBihar health secretary Sanjay Kumar said 106 children had died and more than 430 others between the ages of 4 and 10 were being treated at hospitals in Muzaffarpur district, 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of Patna, the state capital.\n\nDespite the deaths, Kumar said the mortality rate among children from encephalitis, which can cause swelling of the brain, a burning fever and vomiting, had dropped to 26.5% from 34% a year ago.\n\nYoung children are particularly vulnerable to the disease.\n\nVillagers crowded outside Sri Krishna Medical College Hospital in Muzaffarpur, where some of the sick children are being treated, to protest a visit by Bihar's chief minister, whom they accused of only coming to the area after the death toll passed 100. Left-wing political organizations also rallied in New Delhi, demanding that the Bihar government do more to prevent what has become an annual outbreak.\n\n\"This acute encephalitis syndrome has been recurring in Bihar and the government has not taken any steps. And who is dying? It is the children of the very poor,\" said Mariam Dhawale of the All India Democratic Women's Association.\n\nThousands of Indians suffer from encephalitis, malaria, typhoid and other mosquito-borne diseases each year during the summer monsoon season.", "MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 16th June, 2019) The number of children, who died as a result of acute encephalitis syndrome (AES) in Indian Bihar state, has risen to 83, local media reported on Sunday.\n\nPrevious reports said that at least 50 children had died.\n\nAccording to The Times of India, heatwave and high humidity have become the main causes of the AES outbreak.\n\nHealth experts expect the situation to aggravate further until rainfall takes place.\n\nOver 100 children are currently undergoing treatment at local hospitals.\n\nThe temperature in Bihar exceeds 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit), which is some 5 degrees above normal. According to the Patna Meteorological Center, the heatwave will continue in a number of districts of Bihar until Tuesday.", "(CNN) Scores of parents and locals gathered outside a hospital in the eastern Indian state of Bihar on Tuesday to protest the death of more than 100 children over the past three weeks.\n\nHealth authorities have confirmed that at least 109 children have died in the city of Muzaffarpur due to inflammation or infection in the brain. The fatal diagnosis is acute encephalitis, a neurological disease caused by either a virus or environmental toxins connected to the lychee fruit.\n\nProtestors were yelling for government officials, who have been trickling in to assess the situation, to leave the hospital premises.\n\nLocal media showed mothers sobbing, parents running alongside gurneys transporting their babies, and droves of parents entering the hospital premises with children in their arms, asking for help.\n\nOfficial responses -- both medical and administrative -- have been weak and delayed, some politicians say. In just two hospitals in the region, more than 400 children complaining of fever, dizziness and delirium have been admitted since the start of the year.\n\nAcute encephalitis syndrome has spread across a few districts in India, focused in pockets in the poorer states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal, which also have some of the country's hottest summers.\n\nIn 2014, nearly 117 deaths were reported in Muzaffarpur. But the death toll had dipped over the past few years.\n\n\"This year, the number [of cases] has gone up a bit,\" said Sanjay Kumar, a senior state health official. \"The heat wave has been too intense, and it has gone on for too long.\"\n\nIndian health officials and experts have been unable to accurately point to the cause of certain types of acute encephalitis syndrome and whether, as in the case of the latest India outbreak, it is viral or caused by the consumption of a toxin.\n\nResearch papers and local officials point to the presence of lychee as a factor that may have significance in understanding the cause behind the outbreak. The fruit is widely grown in and around Muzaffarpur.\n\n\"The association between litchis (or lychees) and acute encephalitis remains unclear. As with other emerging viruses, we face a multifactorial problem that seems to have litchi (or lychee) fruit production and harvest as its focal point,\" the paper says.\n\nChildren may be at a higher risk of getting infected because of lower immunity, said Dr. Neelu Desai, a pediatric neurologist in Mumbai. \"If it is virus or a toxin in something they are eating, we don't really know,\" she added.\n\nThe Indian Ministry of Health has deployed a \"high-level disciplinary team to Muzaffarpur to support the state in epidemiology research,\" according to a news release, and has announced the establishment of a research center there.\n\n\"To establish the cause of the disease, there is urgent need for an interdisciplinary, high-quality research team. The research team shall work with the children suffering from [acute encephalitis or Japanese encephalitis], looking at various aspects including periodicity, cycle of disease, environmental factors and meteorological data, besides other factors,\" said Harsh Vardhan, India's minister of health and family welfare.\n\nBihar state officials have issued warnings for the past few years across the Muzaffarpur district, advising parents to ensure that children stay hydrated and do not go to sleep on an empty stomach.\n\nKumar said that the affected children \"are from poor families, and they do not have sugar reserves, and they are also malnourished.\"\n\nBihar health authorities have confirmed that all children displayed signs of hypoglycemia -- low blood sugar -- before they died.\n\n\"The liver stores glycogen. When the sugar level goes down, the liver releases extra sugar to balance it out, but if there is no extra sugar and there are only toxins, then they get released,\" Kumar said.\n\nOfficials have blamed the severe heat wave, which has lasted for more than 30 consecutive days, as the reason behind the rise in cases but aren't sure how heat plays a role in the spread of acute encephalitis syndrome.\n\nDue to intense heat, the Bihar state government has ordered all government and private schools in the state to be shut until Monday.", "The death toll from the Acute Encephalitis Syndrome outbreak in Bihar has risen to 100, with the disease killing 83 children at the Sri Krishna Medical College in Muzzafurpur alone. A further 17 died at the city's Kejriwal Hospital.\n\nAt least 290 more children remain admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Sri Krishna Medical College. Dr SK Sahi, who is the medical superintendent at Sri Krishna Medical College, told NDTV that only the monsoon could bring respite from the disease.\n\nUnion Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, who was a doctor before he entered politics, visited Muzaffarpur yesterday to take stock of the situation. After his review, the minister said he has talked to \"every concerned individual about this issue\".\n\n\"Despite all problems and considering the seriousness of this disease, I appreciate the efforts put in by the doctors to ensure efficient treatment to everyone,\" he added.\n\nChief Minister Nitish Kumar had earlier expressed grief over the deaths and announced \"an ex gratia payment of Rs. 4 lakh to the next of the kin of those who have died\". The Chief Minister also said there is a lack of awareness on how to tackle this disease.\n\nAcute Encephalitis Syndrome is a viral disease that causes mild flu-like symptoms such as high fever, convulsions and headaches. The state health department has cited hypoglycemia, a condition caused by very low level of blood sugar, as one of the main reasons for the deaths.\n\nBihar health officials have also been struggling with a heatwave that killed over 40 people on Saturday. Most of those deaths were reported from Aurangabad, Gaya and Nawada, with 27 dying in Aurangabad alone.\n\nDr Surendra Prasad Singh, a doctor at one of Aurangabad's state-run hospital, said number of deaths in the district is likely to rise.\n\nUnion Health Minister Harsh Vardhan called the deaths in Gaya \"unfortunate\" and advised people against leaving their homes during peak hours\n\nThe country is witnessing its worst heatwave this year with four cities in north India on a record high. Delhi, Churu in Rajasthan and Banda and Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh have witnessed temperatures of 48 degrees Celsius and above.\n\nA heat wave is declared when temperature remains at 45 degrees Celsius and above for two days running. It gets a \"severe\" tag when mercury touches 47 degrees.", "Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) is group of symptoms that indicate an inflammatory condition of the central nervous system. It can be brought about by any number of virus, bacteria or even fungi - the actual reason has been elusive so far. Symptoms of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome can vary, depending on the part of the brain affected. The main symptoms include headache, fever, confusion and seizures.\n\nThis has killed more than 100 children this month in Muzzaffarpur and its surrounding districts in Bihar. According to the state health department, one of the main reasons of these deaths is hypoglycemia, a condition caused by low blood sugar levels.\n\nAlso read: 6 Foods For Neuronutrition: You Must Eat These For Good Brain Health\n\nWe spoke to Dr Sonia Lal Gupta, Senior Neurologist, Metro Hospitals, who stressed that malnourishment made children susceptible to Acute Encephalitis Syndrome.\n\n\"This condition is more common in areas like Muzzaffarpur and Bihar because the fruit lychee grows in abundance in the state at this time of the year. A study found that when malnourished children ate raw lychees and didn't have a proper meal after eating it, they suffered from Acute Encephalitis Syndrome. At night, the blood sugar in these children were found to fall drastically due to lack of food. This made many children go into coma right away. Some of them also experienced confusion and seizures. These symptoms were then diagnosed as Acute Encephalitis Eyndrome,\" explains Dr Sonia.\n\nAlso read: Stress In Middle-Age Can Impair Memory, Reduce Brain Size\n\nAccording to a study published in International Journal of Medical and Health Research (download study here), methylene cyclopropyl glycine (MCPG) in unripe lychees can cause a sudden drop in blood sugar levels. MCPG can also cause vomiting, if it is ingested in huge quantities. This poisonous compound can also cause unconsciousness, death and coma, the study states. The toxins can cause high fevers and seizures in severely malnourished children.\n\nDr Sonia says that if children who are not malnourished consumed unripe lychees, they will not develop Acute Encephalitis Syndrome. \"The study linked the disease more specifically with malnourishment. This has been found as a trend. When healthy children ate lychees, nothing happened,\" she adds. So it is posited that it is not the lychees but malnourishment that can be blamed for AES.\n\n\"To prevent acute encephalitis, it is important that children eat proper meals to avoid any rapid fall in the blood sugar levels\", says Dr Sonia.\n\nRegarding the treatment for encephalitis, it is important to know the causative factor which could be bacterial or viral. Viral encephalitis is the more common form. Supportive treatment is then provided accordingly.\n\nDisclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.", "The death toll of children due to suspected Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) in Muzaffarpur area of Bihar on Friday went up to 77. Ten more deaths were reported on Saturday, taking the toll to 77. Most of the casualties are between the age group of 1-10.\n\nDoctors claim that the deaths, due to Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES), are being caused due to excessive heat and humidity. Locally, this fever is being called ‘Chamki’.\n\nBihar CM Nitish Kumar has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 4 Lakh each to families of the children who died due to Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) in Muzaffarpur. He has also given directions to health department, district administration and the doctors to take necessary measures to fight the disease.\n\nThe State government has announced that it will open a new 100-bed ward for children, and six additional ambulances would be deployed for the government-run Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital (SKMCH).\n\nEarlier on Wednesday, a four-member team of doctors, led by Dr. Arun Sinha, visited the SKMCH, where children with symptoms of AES have been admitted. The team then issued guidelines and suggestions to local medical experts and doctors.\n\nThough the State government had previously said the cause of death of small children, mostly from poor families, was hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar levels, experts and private doctors in Muzaffarpur told The Hindu that “AES is a broader aspect of hypoglycemia”.\n\nMeanwhile, sick children with symptoms of AES continue to be admitted into the two crammed Pediatric Intensive Care Units (PICU) at SKMCH.\n\nA separate makeshift ward, too, is full with children suffering from AES symptoms.\n\nA statement from district authorities said nine children at SKMCH and five in Kejriwal hospital were in critical condition.\n\n“Doctors and nurses are doing round-the-clock duty to monitor the situation. Some of the children have also been discharged from the hospital, after getting well,” said\n\nSKMCH Principal Dr. Sunil Kumar Shahi said, “We have an in-patient bed strength of only 610, whereas the number of patients admitted is around 876. But we are managing to provide treatment to all of them.”\n\nUnion Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai on Saturday visited the Sri Krishna Medical College Hospital in Muzaffarpur and took stock of the situation. He also met the family members of the children who are undergoing treatment and assured of all central and state assistance.\n\n“The entire state is in a state of shock over the death of innocent children. We are with the family members of the affected and ready to provide any kind of assistance”, Nityanand Rai said.\n\nExperts are of the opinion that unless and until rainfall takes place, the situation will only aggravate in days to come.\n\nUnion Health Minister Harsh Vardhan will visit Bihar’s Muzaffarpur on Sunday to take stock of the situation there in view of rising cases of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) and Japanese Encephalitis (JE) there.\n\nDuring his visit, the minister will interact with the multi-disciplinary teams deployed there and address a state-level review meeting.\n\nHarsh Vardhan said that the health ministry is constantly monitoring the situation and supporting the state health authorities in managing the AES/JE cases.", "More than 100 children die in India in encephalitis outbreak\n\nPATNA, India (AP) — An encephalitis outbreak has killed more than 100 children in India's eastern state of Bihar.\n\nAuthorities say 106 children have died and 437 others between the ages of 4 and 10 are being treated in hospitals in Muzaffarpur district, 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of Patna, the state capital.\n\nVillagers crowded outside Sri Krishna Medical College Hospital in Muzaffarpur to protest that Bihar's chief minister had only visited after the death toll passed 100. Left-wing political organizations also rallied in New Delhi.\n\nThousands of Indians suffer from encephalitis, malaria, typhoid and other mosquito-borne diseases each year during the summer monsoon season.\n\nMedical experts say India's central and state governments remain unprepared for what is now an annual cycle of disease and death.", "An encephalitis outbreak has killed over 100 children in eastern India since June, officials say, with more than 430 others requiring hospitalization. The outbreak, striking children in India’s Bihar, has set off political protests outside a hospital where patients are being treated, with villagers claiming that the state’s chief minister ignored the issue until the death toll reached 100.\n\nThousands of people in India suffer from encephalitis, malaria, typhoid and other mosquito-borne diseases each year during the summer monsoon season, with children younger than 15 being the most vulnerable, according to the Associated Press. Left-wing political organizations have accused the Bihar government of not being proactive enough to prevent the illnesses.\n\n\"This acute encephalitis syndrome has been recurring in Bihar and the government has not taken any steps. And who is dying? It is the children of the very poor,\" said Mariam Dhawale of the All India Democratic Women's Association.\n\nThe mother of a 4-year-old girl hospitalized in the Muzzaffarpur Medical College’s intensive care unit said that no child recently admitted has survived or recovered from their illness.\n\nIS 'FLESH-EATING' BACTERIA HEADING TO A BEACH NEAR YOU?\n\n“In the last two days, no child from this hospital has recovered,” she told the BBC. “All of them have died. Did I painstakingly bring up this girl only to watch her die like this?”\n\nDespite the high death toll, health officials said the mortality rate among children due to encephalitis had dropped from 34 percent to 26.5 percent over the last year. Doctors also suggest related illnesses may be contributing to the fatalities, including a large number of children allegedly dying from hypoglycemia.\n\n“It’s difficult to say with certainty if children are dying due to encephalitis because there could be a number of reasons behind these deaths,” Dr. Mala Kaneria told the BBC. “It could also be due to malnutrition, insufficient levels of sugar and sodium or electrolyte imbalances.”\n\nCLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP\n\nKaneria also said the practice of eating leeches on an empty stomach could have dire consequences, as they contain toxins that affect the body’s ability to produce glucose, which could cause major health issues for younger children.\n\nThe state has announced it will cover the cost of treatment for all patients affected.\n\nThe Associated Press contributed to this report.", "More than 100 children in the Indian state of Bihar -- home to some of the country's worst health indicators - have now been killed by a brain virus potentially linked to lychees, officials said.\n\n[PATNA, India] More than 100 children in the Indian state of Bihar -- home to some of the country's worst health indicators - have now been killed by a brain virus potentially linked to lychees, officials said.\n\nThe northern state, one of India's poorest and home to almost 100 million people, is also in the throes of a major heat wave that is the country's second-longest on record and has so far claimed 78 lives.\n\nBihar has been struggling with an outbreak of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) since the start of June.\n\nEighty-five children have now died in the state's biggest government-run hospital - the Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital (SKMCH), in the city of Muzaffarpur - and 18 others at a private facility, according to municipal officials cited by the Press Trust of India.\n\nMost of the victims had suffered a sudden loss of glucose in their blood, health official Ashok Kumar Singh told AFP.\n\nSuch outbreaks have happened annually during summer months in the same districts since 1995, typically coinciding with the lychee season.\n\nSeveral years ago, US researchers had said the brain disease could be linked to a toxic substance found in the fruit.\n\nThey also said more study was needed to uncover the cause of the illness, which leads to seizures, altered mental state and death in more than a third of cases.\n\nTV channels showed distraught parents sitting next to their children, several of whom were cramped on one bed.\n\nA doctor told a local TV channel that the SKMCH was ill-equipped to handle the rush of patients, most of whom were wheeled in semi-conscious.\n\nKnown locally as Chamki Bukhar, the disease claimed a record 150 lives in 2014.\n\nOutbreaks of neurological illness have also been observed in lychee-growing regions of Bangladesh and Vietnam.\n\nMeanwhile, the state has been experiencing temperatures around 45 deg C for several days, and authorities have imposed curfew-like restrictions.\n\nSevere heat there has killed 78 people - most of them aged above 50 - across three districts since Saturday afternoon, local official Sandeep Kumar told AFP.\n\nMore than 130 others were undergoing emergency treatment for heatstroke in various hospitals.\n\nAuthorities in Gaya district - which has borne the brunt of the heat wave - invoked an Indian law to prohibit residents from going outdoors for non-essential work.\n\nThe district magistrate also banned construction work and any outdoor programme between 11.00am and 4.00pm.\n\nHeatstroke is usually caused by prolonged exposure to sun or from physical exertion in high temperatures.\n\nDaytime temperatures across large parts of India have hovered above 40 deg C for the past 32 days, just one short of a record 33-day period in 1988.\n\nTemperatures touched 50.3 deg C in the town of Churu in the northern desert state of Rajasthan recently, just below India's record of 51 deg C.\n\nHeatstroke has left more than 36 people dead in southern India in recent weeks. Large parts of India are also reeling from drought, with annual monsoon rains late in coming."], "summary": "The death toll of Indian children who have died due to an acute encephalitis syndrome outbreak reaches 100."}
{"document": ["Iran Says It Will Exceed Nuclear Deal's Limit On Uranium 'In 10 Days'\n\nEnlarge this image toggle caption Atta Kenare/AFP/Getty Images Atta Kenare/AFP/Getty Images\n\nUpdated at 11:50 a.m. ET\n\nWithin days Iran will exceed the limit on its stockpile of uranium under a 2015 nuclear deal, according to a spokesman for the country's atomic energy agency, who also said Tehran would increase uranium enrichment levels in violation of the agreement, \"based on the country's needs.\"\n\nThe remarks come amid increased tension between the U.S. and Iran, particularly after last week's attack on two tankers in the Gulf of Oman that Washington has blamed on Tehran. Iran has denied any involvement.\n\nUnder the multilateral Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action that the U.S. withdrew from a year ago, Iran can keep no more than 300 kilograms (661 pounds) of uranium enriched no higher than 3.67% — far below the 90% level considered suitable for building nuclear weapons.\n\nAt a news conference at the Arak Nuclear Complex that was carried live Monday on Iranian television, Behrouz Kamalvandi, a spokesman for the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, said that stockpile limit could be exceeded within 10 days.\n\n\"We have quadrupled the rate of enrichment and even increased it more recently, so that in 10 days it will bypass the 300 kg limit,\" Kamalvandi said.\n\nHe added that his country needs uranium enriched to 5% for its Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant, built in the 1990s with Russian help, and uranium of 20% purity to be used as fuel for the Tehran Research Reactor, which the U.S. supplied to Iran in 1967.\n\nAlthough not weapons-grade, 20% purity is generally considered \"highly enriched\" uranium, and as The Associated Press notes, \"going from 20% to 90% is a relatively quicker process, something that worries nuclear nonproliferation experts.\"\n\nEven so, Kamalvandi held out the possibility that \"there is still time ... if European countries act.\"\n\n\"Iran's reserves are every day increasing at a more rapid rate. And if it is important for them (Europe) to safeguard the accord, they should make their best efforts. ... As soon as they carry out their commitments, things will naturally go back to their original state,\" he said, according to AP.\n\nThat sentiment was echoed by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Monday. \"It's a crucial moment, and France can still work with other signatories of the deal and play an historic role to save the deal in this very short time,\" he was quoted by the Fars News Agency as saying during a meeting with France's new ambassador in Iran.\n\nReuters reports that Rouhani said the collapse of the nuclear deal would not be in the interests of the region and the world.\n\nIn response to Iran's announcement on uranium enrichment levels, National Security Council spokesman Garrett Marquis said in a statement: \"Iran's enrichment plans are only possible because the horrible nuclear deal left the their capabilities intact. President Trump has made it clear that he will never allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons. The regime's nuclear blackmail must be met with increased international pressure.\"\n\nFollowing last week's reported attack on the tankers Front Altair and Kokuka Courageous near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said \"there's no doubt\" that Iran was responsible for disabling the vessels.\n\n\"The intelligence community has lots of data, lots of evidence,\" Pompeo said on Fox News Sunday. \"The world will come to see much of it, but the American people should rest assured we have high confidence with respect to who conducted these attacks as well as half a dozen other attacks throughout the world.\"\n\nOn CBS' Face the Nation, Pompeo said the U.S. was \"considering a full range of options.\"\n\n\"We are confident that we can take a set of actions that can restore deterrence, which is our mission set,\" he said.\n\nOn Monday, Iran's armed forces chief of staff again denied the country's involvement in the attacks.\n\n\"Regarding the new incidents in the Persian Gulf ... if the Islamic Republic of Iran decides to block exports of oil through the Strait of Hormuz, it is militarily strong enough to do that fully and publicly,\" Maj. Gen. Mohammad Bagheri said, according to Fars News Agency.", "TEHRAN — Iran will surpass the uranium-stockpile limit set by its nuclear deal in the next 10 days, an official said Monday, raising pressure on Europeans trying to save the accord a year after the U.S. withdrawal lit the fuse for the heightened tensions now between Tehran and Washington.\n\nThe announcement by Iran’s nuclear agency marked yet another deadline set by Tehran. President Hassan Rouhani already has warned Europe that a new deal needs to be in place by July 7 or the Islamic Republic would increase its enrichment of uranium.\n\nAtomic energy spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi suggested that Iran’s enrichment could reach up to 20%, just a step away from weapons-grade levels.\n\nIt appears as if Iran has begun its own maximum pressure campaign on the world after facing one from President Trump’s administration that deeply cut into its sale of crude oil abroad and battered its economy. Europe has so far been unable to offer Iran a way around the U.S. sanctions.\n\nThe development follows apparent attacks last week in the Strait of Hormuz on oil tankers, assaults that Washington has blamed on Iran. While Iran has denied being involved, it laid mines in the 1980s targeting oil tankers around the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which a fifth of the world’s crude oil passes.\n\n“If this condition continues, there will be no deal” anymore, Kamalvandi said. He accused the Europeans of “killing time” as the clock runs down.\n\nRouhani, greeting France’s new ambassador to Tehran on Monday, similarly warned that time was running out on the deal.\n\n“The current situation is very critical and France and the other parties to the (deal) still have a very limited opportunity to play their historic role for saving the deal,” Rouhani said, according to his website.\n\nUnder terms of the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, Iran can keep a stockpile of no more than 660 pounds of low-enriched uranium. Kamalvandi said that given Iran’s recent decision to quadruple its production of low-enriched uranium, it would pass the limit on June 27.\n\nThe U.N.’s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, said last month that Iran remained within its stockpile limits and declined to comment on Iran’s announcement. Kamalvandi said Iran would continue to allow the U.N. to inspect its nuclear facilities for the time being.\n\nIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the international community should reinstate sanctions if Iran follows through on its threats, adding: “In any case, Israel will not allow Iran to obtain nuclear weapons.”\n\nTensions have risen in the region since last month. The U.S. rushed an aircraft carrier strike group and other military assets to the Middle East in response to what it said were threats from Iran.", "Iranian presidency, AFP | A handout picture made available by the Iranian presidential office shows Iranian President Hassan Rouhani attending events for “nuclear technology day\" in Tehran on April 9, 2019.\n\nIran said Monday it will surpass from June 27 its uranium stockpile limit set under the nuclear deal with world powers, turning up the pressure after the US walked away from the landmark pact last year.\n\n\"Today the countdown to pass the 300 kilograms reserve of enriched uranium has started and in 10 days time... we will pass this limit,\" Iran's atomic energy organisation spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi told a news conference broadcast live on state television.\n\nThe move \"will be reversed once other parties live up to their commitments,\" he added, speaking from the Arak nuclear plant southwest of Tehran.\n\nIsrael's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on the international community to immediately hit Iran with \"snapback sanctions\" should it violate the deal by surpassing the uranium stockpile limit set in the deal.\n\nSpeaking at a news conference in Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron said he \"regrets\" Iran's announcement, noting that the Islamic Republic so far still respects its obligations under the 2015 accord.\n\nOn May 8, President Hassan Rouhani said Iran would stop observing restrictions on its stocks of enriched uranium and heavy water agreed under the 2015 nuclear deal.\n\nRouhani said the move was in retaliation for the unilateral US withdrawal from the accord a year earlier, which saw Washington impose tough economic sanctions on Tehran.\n\nTensions between Tehran and Washington have escalated ever since, with the United States bolstering its military presence in the region and blacklisting Iran's Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organisation.\n\nThe United States has also blamed Iran for last week's attacks on two tankers in the Gulf of Oman, a charge Tehran has denied as \"baseless\".\n\nIran has threatened to go even further in scaling down nuclear commitments by July 8 unless remaining partners to the deal -- Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia -- help it circumvent US sanctions and especially enable it to sell its oil.\n\n\"The current situation is sensitive\" and there is still time for the deal's partners to save this agreement, Rouhani told the French ambassador to Tehran Philippe Thiebaud on Monday.\n\n\"The collapse of the JCPOA is undoubtedly not in the interest of Iran... the region and the world,\" he added, referring to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, as the deal is formally known.\n\nUnder the agreement, Iran pledged to reduce its nuclear capacities for several years and allow international inspectors inside the country to monitor its activities in return for relief from international sanctions.\n\nThe deal set a limit on the number of uranium-enriching centrifuges, and restricted its right to enrich uranium to no higher than 3.67 percent, well below weapons-grade levels of around 90 percent.\n\nIt also called on Iran to export enriched uranium and heavy water to ensure the country's reserves would stay within the production ceiling set by the agreement, yet recent US restrictions have made such exports virtually impossible.\n\nAccording to Rouhani, the ultimatum he issued last month was intended to \"save the (deal), not destroy it\".\n\nThe three European parties to the accord created a trade mechanism meant to bypass US sanctions, but their attempt was dismissed by Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as a \"bitter joke\".\n\nThe spokesman for Iran's atomic energy organisation warned further steps could be taken if world powers do not step up to help the country.\n\n\"They range from going to 3.68 percent to any other percent according to the country's needs,\" said Kamalvandi.\n\nAuthorities were still debating whether to \"redesign or revive\" the Arak reactor, he added.\n\nUranium enriched to much higher levels than Iran's current stocks can be used as the fissile core of a nuclear weapon, while heavy water is a source of plutonium, which can be used as an alternative way to produce a warhead.\n\n\"#Iran not bluffing about 60-day deadline for ceasing compliance with parts of nuclear deal,\" Ellie Geranmayeh, senior fellow at European Council on Foreign Relation said in a tweet.\n\nShe downplayed the importance of uranium and heavy water stockpiles increasing and said it would be more worrying for Europe if Iran exceeded the enrichment level allowed in the deal.\n\n\"I imagine Tehran will do this incrementally, testing Europeans at each stage.\"\n\nGermany has acknowledged the economic benefits Iran hoped for from the deal were now \"more difficult to obtain\", but has urged Iran to fully respect the \"extraordinarily important\" nuclear deal.\n\n\"A point to Europeans: if the first step took time to be done, other steps, especially increasing enrichment... need no more than a day or two,\" said Kamalvandi.", "Iran’s atomic officials said that the country will break the limit on uranium enrichment until European countries curb sanctions.\n\nIran announced Monday it would breach uranium enrichment limits in 10 days in a move that drew an accusation of \"nuclear blackmail\" from Washington, but it added that European nations still had time to save the nuclear deal by curbing sanctions.\n\nIn an announcement, Iran's Atomic Energy Organization spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi said, \"We have quadrupled the rate of enrichment (of uranium) and even increased it more recently so that in 10 days it will bypass the 300 kg limit.\"\n\n\"Iran's reserves are every day increasing at a more rapid rate,\" he told state TV, adding that \"the move will be reversed once other parties fulfill their commitments.\"\n\nIn an indication of Western concern at Iran's initiative, a White House National Security Council spokesman said the plan amounted to \"nuclear blackmail\" and must be met with increased international pressure.\n\nBritain said if Iran breached limits agreed under the deal then London would look at \"all options.\" Close U.S. ally Israel, Iran's arch foe, urged world powers to step up sanctions against Tehran swiftly should it exceed the enriched uranium limit.\n\nHowever, European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said the EU would only react to any breach if the International Atomic Energy Agency formally identified one.\n\nU.S.-Iran tensions are growing following accusations by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration that Tehran last Thursday attacked two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman, a vital oil shipping route.\n\nIran's Armed Forces Chief of Staff, Major General Mohammad Baqeri, Monday denied Tehran was behind the attacks and said if the Islamic Republic decided to block the strategic Strait of Hormuz shipping lane it would do so publicly.\n\nThe secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Ali Shamkhani, said Tehran was responsible for security in the Gulf and urged U.S. forces to leave the region, state TV said.\n\nTehran said in May it would reduce compliance with the nuclear pact it agreed with world powers in 2015, in protest at the United States’ decision to unilaterally pull out of the agreement and reimpose sanctions last year.\n\nThe accord requires Iran to curb its uranium enrichment capacity, capping Iran’s stock of low-enriched uranium at 300 kg of uranium hexafluoride enriched to 3.67 percent or its equivalent for 15 years.\n\nA series of more intrusive U.N. inspections under the deal have verified that Iran has been meeting its commitments.\n\nUrging European signatories to hasten efforts to salvage the accord, President Hassan Rouhani said its collapse would not be in the interests of the region or the world.\n\n\"It's a crucial moment, and France can still work with other signatories of the deal and play a historic role to save the deal in this very short time,\" Rouhani was quoted as saying during a meeting with France's new ambassador in Iran.\n\nKamalvandi, in a news conference at Iran's Arak heavy water nuclear reactor which has been reconfigured under the deal, said Tehran could rebuild the underground facility to make it functional. Heavy water can be employed in reactors to produce plutonium, a fuel used in nuclear warheads.", "DUBAI/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Iran announced on Monday it would soon breach limits on the amount of enriched uranium it can stockpile under a 2015 international agreement, in a new point of contention with the United States, which accused Tehran of “nuclear blackmail.”\n\nTensions between Iran and the United States are rising more than a year after President Donald Trump announced Washington was withdrawing from the nuclear deal. Fears of a confrontation increased last week when oil tankers in the Gulf were attacked.\n\nThe accord, which Iran and the other signatories have maintained following Trump’s decision, caps Iran’s stock of low-enriched uranium at 300 kg enriched to 3.67 percent.\n\nBut Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi said on Monday: “We have quadrupled the rate of enrichment (of uranium) and even increased it more recently, so that in 10 days it will bypass the 300 kg limit.”\n\n“Iran’s reserves are every day increasing at a more rapid rate,” he told state TV, adding that “the move will be reversed once other parties fulfil their commitments.”\n\nThe move further undermines the nuclear pact also signed by Russia, Britain, Germany, China and the European Union, but Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said the collapse of the deal would not be in the interests of the region or the world.\n\nA White House National Security Council spokesman said Iran’s plan amounted to “nuclear blackmail” and must be met with increased international pressure.\n\nThe nuclear deal seeks to head off any pathway to an Iranian nuclear bomb in return for the removal of most international sanctions.\n\nBritain said if Iran breached agreed limits then London would look at “all options.”\n\nIsrael, Iran’s arch foe, urged world powers to step up sanctions against Tehran swiftly should it exceed the enriched uranium limit.\n\nHowever, European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said the EU would only react to any breach if the International Atomic Energy Agency formally identified one.\n\nU.S.-Iran tensions are growing again following attacks last Thursday on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman, a vital oil shipping route. Trump’s administration has accused Iran of being behind the incidents. Iran denies having any role.\n\nIran’s armed forces chief of staff, Major General Mohammad Baqeri, on Monday denied Tehran was behind the attacks and said if the Islamic Republic decided to block the strategic Strait of Hormuz shipping lane it would do so publicly.\n\nThe secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Ali Shamkhani, said Tehran was responsible for security in the Gulf and urged U.S. forces to leave the region, state TV said.\n\nIran on Monday accused its main regional rival Saudi Arabia - a close U.S. ally - of adopting a “militaristic, crisis-based approach” for accusing Tehran of carrying out the tanker attacks.\n\nIn May, Tehran said it would reduce compliance with the nuclear pact in protest at the U.S. decision to unilaterally pull out of the agreement and reimpose sanctions.\n\nThe accord requires Iran to curb its uranium enrichment capacity, capping Iran’s stock of low-enriched uranium at 300 kg of uranium hexafluoride enriched to 3.67 percent or its equivalent for 15 years. That is far below the 90 percent needed for weapons grade uranium and also below the 20 percent level to which Iran enriched uranium before the deal.\n\nA series of U.N. inspections under the deal have verified that Iran has been meeting its commitments.\n\nIran’s Rouhani said on Monday that European nations still had time to save the accord.\n\n“It’s a crucial moment, and France can still work with other signatories of the deal and play an historic role to save the deal in this very short time,” Rouhani was quoted as saying during a meeting with France’s new ambassador in Iran.\n\nFrench President Emmanuel Macron said he regretted Iran’s announcement but that Paris would hold talks with Iran and its partners to avoid any further escalation in the region.\n\nKamalvandi, in a news conference at Iran’s Arak heavy water nuclear reactor which has been reconfigured under the deal, said Tehran could rebuild the underground facility to make it functional. Heavy water can be employed in reactors to produce plutonium, a fuel used in nuclear warheads.\n\nIn January, Iran’s nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehi told state TV that “despite pouring concrete in pipes within the core of the Arak reactor ... Iran had purchased pipes for replacement in case the West violated the deal.”\n\nMojtaba Zolnour, head of parliament’s nuclear committee, said Iran would quit the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty against the spread of nuclear weapons unless European powers saved the 2015 agreement.\n\nThe western European signatories to the deal - France, Britain and Germany - have defended it as the best way to limit Iran’s enrichment of uranium.\n\nBut Iran has repeatedly criticized delays in setting up a European mechanism that would shield trade with Iran from U.S. sanctions in an effort to save the nuclear deal.\n\nThe United States and the IAEA believe Iran had a nuclear weapons program that it abandoned. Tehran denies ever having had one.\n\nSecretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Sunday the United States did not want to go to war with Iran but would take every action necessary, including diplomacy, to guarantee safe navigation through Middle East shipping lanes.\n\nIran said on Monday it had exposed a cyber espionage network, accused the CIA of running it and that several U.S. spies had been arrested in different countries as a result.", "WASHINGTON — In a test of resolve and credibility for the United States and Iran, the two adversaries have taken steps sure to further inflame tensions in the Mideast and draw them closer to a flashpoint.\n\nIran announced it was breaking compliance with the international agreement that keeps it from making nuclear weapons and the Trump administration followed by ordering 1,000 more troops to the Middle East.\n\nThe Pentagon said Monday that the deployment includes security forces and troops for additional surveillance and intelligence-gathering. It represents an escalation of American military might aimed at deterring Iran and calming allies worried about the safety of strategic shipping lanes.\n\nRELATED: US to send 1,000 more troops to Middle East\n\nRELATED: Iran says it will break uranium stockpile limit in 10 days\n\nRELATED: US says Iran should adhere to nuclear deal Trump nixed\n\nIran soon could start enriching uranium to a step away from weapons-grade levels. That's a challenge to President Donald Trump's assurances to allies that the U.S. withdrawal from the deal last year made the world a safer place.\n\nIran's president said that while \"we do not wage war with any nation,\" the entire country \"is unanimous in confronting\" U.S. pressures. \"The end of this battle will see victory of the Iranian nation,\" Hassan Rouhani said Tuesday.\n\nIran said it would not abide by a limit on uranium stockpiles established under the 2015 agreement, which was intended to restrict the Islamic Republic's nuclear program in exchange for an easing of international sanctions.\n\nAfter Trump withdrew from the deal signed by President Barack Obama, he reinstated stiff economic sanctions, leaving the European and other partners in the accord struggling to keep Iran on board.\n\nThe U.S. now finds itself in the awkward position of demanding that Iran comply with a deal that Trump derides as the worst in history.\n\n\"We continue to call on the Iranian regime not to obtain a nuclear weapon, to abide by their commitments to the international community,\" State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said.\n\nThe U.S. accuses Iran of attacking two tankers near the Persian Gulf; the Iranians deny responsibility. With details murky and no one owning up to the attacks, the Pentagon released new photos intended to bolster its case.\n\nIn announcing the new deployment, acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said the forces are \"for defensive purposes to address air, naval, and ground-based threats\" in the Mideast.\n\n\"The United States does not seek conflict with Iran,\" Shanahan said, describing the move as intended \"to ensure the safety and welfare of our military personnel working throughout the region and to protect our national interests.\"\n\nHe said the U.S. will continue to adjust troop levels as needed.\n\nRussia urged restraint by all parties and worries that the additional American forces could \"bring in extra tensions,\" Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.\n\nSome supporters of the multinational nuclear deal blamed the Trump administration for Iran's provocative announcements, saying they were predictable given the renewed U.S. pressure.\n\n\"While Iran's frustration with Trump's reckless and irresponsible pressure campaign is understandable, we strongly urge Iran to remain in compliance with the nuclear deal,\" the Arms Control Association said in a statement. \"It remains in Iran's interests to abide by the limits of the agreement.\"\n\nIran has shown no willingness to negotiate another deal and has pledged not enter into talks with the United States while the administration keeps up the pressure with sanctions.\n\nAdministration officials are struggling with whether to press the remaining parties to the deal, including Britain, France and Germany, to demand that Iran stay in compliance. They must also consider whether such a stance would essentially concede that the restrictions imposed during the Obama administration are better than none.\n\nUnder the deal, Iran can keep a stockpile of no more than 660 pounds (300 kilograms) of low-enriched uranium. Behrouz Kamalvandi, spokesman for Iran's atomic agency, said it would pass that limit June 27.\n\nA senior U.S. official said the U.S. is most concerned about any violation of the deal that would reduce the time Iran would need to produce a nuclear weapon. The deal aimed to keep that \"breakout time\" at one year.\n\nThe official said certain violations would not necessarily reduce that time. But other violations, such as enriching uranium to 20%, should be addressed immediately if they occur, said the official, who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.\n\nSecretary of State Mike Pompeo is expected to meet this week with the European Union's foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, a leading deal proponent.\n\nPompeo, a leading critic of the deal while he was in Congress, has said Iranian compliance is not really an issue because the administration sees the agreement as fundamentally flawed.\n\nAssociated Press writer Nasser Karimi in Tehran, Iran, contributed to this report.", "The European Union hopes that Iran will keep respecting its commitments under the nuclear deal, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said on Monday in light of Tehran's plans to exceed limits on uranium enrichment and heavy water stockpiles set by the agreement\n\nBRUSSELS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th June, 2019) The European Union hopes that Iran will keep respecting its commitments under the nuclear deal, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said on Monday in light of Tehran 's plans to exceed limits on uranium enrichment and heavy water stockpiles set by the agreement\n\nThe Atomic Energy Organization of Iran said earlier in the day that Tehran would in the coming days exceed the 3.67 percent uranium enrichment limit and the 130 tonne heavy water stockpile limit that were established by the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). It at the same time added that there was still time for EU countries to act and protect Iran from US sanctions.\n\n\"So far Iran has been compliant with its nuclear commitments as we had expected it to be ... At the moment, Iran is still compliant and we strongly hope, encourage, expect that Iran continues to comply with its commitments in the JCPOA in full,\" Mogherini told journalists at a press conference in Luxembourg.\n\nShe also noted that all EU assessments regarding the Iran nuclear issue were based exclusively on the International Atomic Energy Agency's (IAEA) reports.\n\n\"Our assessment on the implementation of the nuclear deal has never been, is not and will never be based on statements but on the evaluations that the IAEA makes, on the reports that the IAEA produces and that can be done in any time. We base our assessments, our judgments on facts, on the verification mechanism that are in place and that we trust,\" Mogherini said.\n\nOn May 8, Iran announced it would partially discontinue its obligations under the JCPOA. The decision came a year after US President Donald Trump announced it was withdrawing the United States from the nuclear agreement and re-imposing wide-ranging sanctions on Iran.\n\nOn the same day, Iran gave the other nuclear deal signatories China, the European Union, France, Germany, Russia and the United Kingdom an ultimatum, saying it would in 60 days reduce some other obligations if they did not shield Tehran from Washington's sanctions.", "WASHINGTON — In a test of resolve and credibility for the United States and Iran, the two adversaries have taken steps sure to further inflame tensions in the Mideast and draw them closer to a flashpoint.\n\nIran announced it was breaking compliance with the international agreement that keeps it from making nuclear weapons and the Trump administration followed by ordering 1,000 more troops to the Middle East.\n\nThe Pentagon said Monday that the deployment includes security forces and troops for additional surveillance and intelligence-gathering. It represents an escalation of American military might aimed at deterring Iran and calming allies worried about the safety of strategic shipping lanes.\n\nRELATED: US to send 1,000 more troops to Middle East\n\nRELATED: Iran says it will break uranium stockpile limit in 10 days\n\nRELATED: US says Iran should adhere to nuclear deal Trump nixed\n\nIran soon could start enriching uranium to a step away from weapons-grade levels. That's a challenge to President Donald Trump's assurances to allies that the U.S. withdrawal from the deal last year made the world a safer place.\n\nIran's president said that while \"we do not wage war with any nation,\" the entire country \"is unanimous in confronting\" U.S. pressures. \"The end of this battle will see victory of the Iranian nation,\" Hassan Rouhani said Tuesday.\n\nIran said it would not abide by a limit on uranium stockpiles established under the 2015 agreement, which was intended to restrict the Islamic Republic's nuclear program in exchange for an easing of international sanctions.\n\nAfter Trump withdrew from the deal signed by President Barack Obama, he reinstated stiff economic sanctions, leaving the European and other partners in the accord struggling to keep Iran on board.\n\nThe U.S. now finds itself in the awkward position of demanding that Iran comply with a deal that Trump derides as the worst in history.\n\n\"We continue to call on the Iranian regime not to obtain a nuclear weapon, to abide by their commitments to the international community,\" State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said.\n\nThe U.S. accuses Iran of attacking two tankers near the Persian Gulf; the Iranians deny responsibility. With details murky and no one owning up to the attacks, the Pentagon released new photos intended to bolster its case.\n\nIn announcing the new deployment, acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said the forces are \"for defensive purposes to address air, naval, and ground-based threats\" in the Mideast.\n\n\"The United States does not seek conflict with Iran,\" Shanahan said, describing the move as intended \"to ensure the safety and welfare of our military personnel working throughout the region and to protect our national interests.\"\n\nHe said the U.S. will continue to adjust troop levels as needed.\n\nRussia urged restraint by all parties and worries that the additional American forces could \"bring in extra tensions,\" Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.\n\nSome supporters of the multinational nuclear deal blamed the Trump administration for Iran's provocative announcements, saying they were predictable given the renewed U.S. pressure.\n\n\"While Iran's frustration with Trump's reckless and irresponsible pressure campaign is understandable, we strongly urge Iran to remain in compliance with the nuclear deal,\" the Arms Control Association said in a statement. \"It remains in Iran's interests to abide by the limits of the agreement.\"\n\nIran has shown no willingness to negotiate another deal and has pledged not enter into talks with the United States while the administration keeps up the pressure with sanctions.\n\nAdministration officials are struggling with whether to press the remaining parties to the deal, including Britain, France and Germany, to demand that Iran stay in compliance. They must also consider whether such a stance would essentially concede that the restrictions imposed during the Obama administration are better than none.\n\nUnder the deal, Iran can keep a stockpile of no more than 660 pounds (300 kilograms) of low-enriched uranium. Behrouz Kamalvandi, spokesman for Iran's atomic agency, said it would pass that limit June 27.\n\nA senior U.S. official said the U.S. is most concerned about any violation of the deal that would reduce the time Iran would need to produce a nuclear weapon. The deal aimed to keep that \"breakout time\" at one year.\n\nThe official said certain violations would not necessarily reduce that time. But other violations, such as enriching uranium to 20%, should be addressed immediately if they occur, said the official, who was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.\n\nSecretary of State Mike Pompeo is expected to meet this week with the European Union's foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, a leading deal proponent.\n\nPompeo, a leading critic of the deal while he was in Congress, has said Iranian compliance is not really an issue because the administration sees the agreement as fundamentally flawed.\n\nAssociated Press writer Nasser Karimi in Tehran, Iran, contributed to this report.", "Spokesman of the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran (AEOI) Behrouz Kamalvandi was cited by the ISNA as saying on Monday that the country will break its uranium stockpile limit set by the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), also known as the Iran nuclear deal, in 10 days.\n\n\"Today we will start exceeding the enriched uranium stockpile limit of 300 kg. The process will last 10 days. In other words, we will exceed this limit on 27 June\", Kamalvandi said, as aired by state TV.\n\nSpeaking at the Arak Nuclear Plant, the official said that Iran may export heavy water, adding that the move would not constitute a violation of the nuclear deal. It may also increase uranium enrichment to up to 20 per cent for use in local reactors, he added.\n\nThe JCPOA specifies that Iran is limited to keeping 300 kilogrammes of uranium enriched up to 3.67 per cent. As part of the Iran deal, Tehran is allowed to trade any enriched uranium above that threshold on the international markets in exchange for natural uranium.\n\nKamalvandi added that European countries needed to \"act not talk\" by stepping in for Iran in order to protect the country from US sanctions.\n\nThe spokesman pointed out that the other signatories still have some time as Iranian nuclear bodies are waiting on the government's decision on the next stage of its obligations reduction under the JCPOA.\n\nThe announcement follows a report by the Tasnim News Agency that Tehran would come up with further steps towards reducing its obligations under the nuclear deal on 17 June. On Sunday, the media outlet said that Iran would signal its intention to increase its stockpiles of enriched uranium and heavy water, but did not go into further details.\n\nLast week, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani warned that Tehran would continue to suspend some of its commitments under the nuclear deal if it doesn't see some \"positive signals\" from the remaining signatories to the agreement in the immediate future.\n\n\"Obviously, Iran cannot stick to this agreement unilaterally. It is necessary that all the sides of this agreement contribute to restoring it\", Rouhani said.\n\nIran first announced that it would start suspending some of its voluntary commitments under the JCPOA within 60 days on 8 May – exactly one year after the US unilaterally pulled out from the deal and decided to reinstate all sanctions against the Islamic Republic.\n\nThe Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal, was signed in 2015 by Iran and the P5+1 nations — Russia, the US, China, France, the UK plus Germany — after years of negotiations. The multilateral accord sought to curb Iran's nuclear ambitions in exchange for the gradual lifting of economic sanctions on Tehran.", "WASHINGTON — Iran is ramping up enrichment of low-grade uranium and will pass the limit it is allowed to stockpile under the nuclear deal in 10 days, a spokesman for the Iranian atomic agency announced Monday.\n\nDuring a news conference at the Arak heavy water reactor facility, Behrouz Kamalvandi said that Iran had increased low enriched uranium production fourfold and would exceed the limit of 300 kilograms by June 27, in the latest blow to the nuclear deal agreed between Tehran and world powers in 2015.\n\n“If Iran feels that the sanctions have been reinstated or not lifted, Iran has the right to partly or on the whole suspend its commitments,” Kamalvandi said, referring to sanctions that were lifted as part of the nuclear deal but have since been reinstated by the US. The Trump administration withdrew from the pact in May 2018.\n\nHowever, he said there was still time for European countries to save the nuclear deal if they “abide by their commitments.”\n\nAfter exceeding the limit, Iran will accelerate uranium enrichment to 3.7%, Kamalvandi said — above the 3.67% mandated by the nuclear deal. Enrichment at this percentage is enough to continue powering parts of the country’s energy needs, but not enough to ever build a nuclear bomb.\n\nUnder the nuclear deal, Iran was permitted to stockpile limited amounts of enriched uranium and heavy water produced in that process, exporting any excess. Doing so has become extremely difficult after the US revoked waivers that allowed Iran to export those excess stockpiles, effectively forcing Iran to halt enrichment or ignore the limits, which it is now doing.\n\nMonday’s announcement came after President Hassan Rouhani declared in May that Iran was reducing its “commitments to the deal” but not fully withdrawing from it.\n\nRouhani said at the time that Iran would keep its excess enriched uranium and heavy water, instead of selling it to other countries.\n\nIran has reiterated that it could reverse the new measures should the remaining European signatories in the nuclear deal (France, Germany and the United Kingdom) step in and make more of an effort to circumvent US sanctions.\n\nTehran has repeatedly criticized Europe’s delay in establishing their own trade channel to Iran, and Monday’s announcement is yet another sign that the nation is growing increasingly impatient.\n\n“I think til now the Europeans have not done their part and they’ve wasted a lot of time,” Kamalvandi said during the press conference. “They have given us a lot of good words but not deeds.”\n\nThe development comes after two oil tankers were attacked in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday. The US and Saudi Arabia have blamed Iran for the attack, with Riyadh calling on the international community to take a “firm stand towards an exponential regime that supports terrorism and spreads killing and destruction.”\n\nIran has vehemently denied any involvement in the tanker incident. The country’s parliament speaker Ali Larijani accused the US of carrying out “acts of sabotage” against the two tankers in an effort to pressure Tehran, according to Iranian state-funded Press TV."], "summary": "Iran announces that within ten days, it will stop abiding by the agreement and will exceed the limit on its stockpile of uranium."}
{"document": ["Iran again threatened to stop complying with the 2015 nuclear deal Monday and surpass the maximum amount of enriched uranium it is allowed to have under the deal.\n\nThe country’s Atomic Energy Organization spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi said Iran will stop complying unless United Kingdom and France — both signatories of the 2015 deal — help it get around American sanctions, The New York Times reported.\n\nIran’s low-enriched uranium stockpile could grow beyond the deal’s limit within 10 days Kamalvandi said according to The Times, who cited Iranian news agency Tasnim.\n\nNot all enriched uranium is weapons-grade.\n\nThe maximum enrichment level allowed for Iran, 3.67 percent, is designed for nuclear power. But Kamalvandi said Iran needs 5 percent for its Bushehr nuclear power plant and 20 percent for a research reactor, Fox News reported.\n\nTwenty percent is just below the threshold for weapons.\n\nKamalvandi’s news conference in front of Iran’s Arak nuclear plant reinforced the nation’s ultimatum for European countries to move forward with a special trade channel Instex despite U.S. opposition.\n\nIranian President Hassan Rouhani said in May that Iran will disregard the nuclear deal in 60 days if the nation does not receive sanctions relief.\n\nThe 60 days will be up in early July, The Times reported.\n\nGermany, the UK and France announced the creation of Instex in January.\n\n“As long as they comply by their commitments, these will go back,” Kamalvandi said Monday according to The Times.\n\nIran’s threats of noncompliance come after Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman accused Iran on Sunday of carrying out last weeks attack on two oil tankers near the globally important Strait of Hormuz. The two powers have long been at odds.\n\nIran, the fifth largest oil producer in the world according to the Energy Information Administration, was not happy when the U.S. refused to renew waivers earlier in May for eight countries to import Iranian oil despite sanctions, The Washington Post reported.\n\nIran, the U.S. and countries including the United Kingdom and France all signed the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal, and have been searching for a new normal after President Donald Trump pulled out of the deal in May 2018.\n\nTrump railed against what he called “the military-industrial complex” when asked about potential conflict with Iran during an interview with Steve Hilton of Fox News Channel in May.\n\nA version of this article appeared on The Daily Caller News Foundation website.\n\nWe are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.", "DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran announced it will exceed the uranium stockpile limit set by Tehran's nuclear deal with world powers in the next 10 days, further escalating tensions in the Mideast.\n\nThe June 27 deadline comes ahead of another, July 7 deadline for Europe to come up with better terms for Iran to stay in the accord. If that second deadline passes without any action, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says the Islamic Republic likely will resume higher uranium enrichment.\n\nIran struck the nuclear deal in 2015 with the United States, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Russia and China. The deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, grew out of secret talks President Barack Obama's administration held with Iran after Rouhani, a relative moderate, took office.\n\nIran agreed to limit its enrichment of uranium under the watch of U.N. inspectors in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. International businesses rushed to do deals with Iran, most notably the billion-dollar sales by Airbus and Boeing Co.\n\nPresident Donald Trump, who campaigned on a promise of tearing up the deal because it didn't address Iran's ballistic missile program or its involvement in regional conflicts, withdrew America from the accord in May 2018. That halted promised international business deals and dealt a heavy blow to Iran's already anemic economy. In the time since, the Trump administration has said any country that imports Iranian crude will face U.S. sanctions.\n\nNatanz, in Iran's central Isfahan province, hosts the country's main uranium enrichment facility, located underground. Iran has one operating nuclear power plant in Bushehr, which it opened with Russia's help in 2011. Under the accord, Iran reconfigured a heavy-water reactor so it couldn't produce plutonium and agreed to convert its Fordo enrichment site — dug deep into a mountainside — into a research center. Iran said on Monday it may stop the heavy-water reactor reconfiguration. Tehran also operates an over 50-year-old research reactor in Tehran.\n\nUnder terms of the nuclear deal, Iran can keep a stockpile of no more than 300 kilograms (660 pounds) of low-enriched uranium. That's compared to the 10,000 kilograms (22,046 pounds) of higher-enriched uranium it once had. Currently, the accord limits Iran to enriching uranium to 3.67%, which can fuel a commercial nuclear power plant. Weapons-grade uranium needs to be enriched to around 90%. However, once a country enriches uranium to around 20%, scientists say the time needed to reach 90% is halved. Iran previously has enriched to 20%. Iranian officials say they've quadrupled their production of low-enriched uranium and will break the 300-kilogram limit by June 27.\n\nA centrifuge is a device that enriches uranium by rapidly spinning uranium hexafluoride gas. Under the atomic accord, Iran has been limited to operating 5,060 older-model IR-1 centrifuges. The IR-1 is based on a 1970s Dutch design that Pakistani scientist A.Q. Khan used to build Islamabad's nuclear weapons program and later sold to Iran, Libya and North Korea.\n\nIran has the technical ability to build and operate advanced versions called the IR-2M, IR-4 and IR-6 at Natanz, but is barred from doing so under the nuclear deal. Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of Iran's nuclear program, told The Associated Press in September that the IR-2M and the IR-4 can enrich uranium five times faster than an IR-1, while the IR-6 can do it 10 times faster. Western experts have suggested these centrifuges produce three to five times more enriched uranium in a year than the IR-1s.\n\nIran also mothballed many already-built centrifuges as part of the deal.\n\nFROM 'ATOMS FOR PEACE' TO STUXNET\n\nIran's nuclear program actually began with the help of the United States. Under its \"Atoms for Peace\" program, America supplied a test reactor that came online in Tehran in 1967 under the rule of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. That help ended once Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution overthrew the shah.\n\nIn the 1990s, Iran expanded its program, including buying equipment from A.Q. Khan. Among its activities, Iran \"may have received design information\" for a bomb and researched explosive detonators, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.\n\nBy August 2002, Western intelligence services and an Iranian opposition group revealed a covert nuclear site at Natanz. Iran to this day denies its nuclear program had a military dimension. Iran suspended enrichment in 2003 but resumed it three years later under hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. World powers imposed crippling U.N. sanctions in response. The Stuxnet computer virus, widely believed to be a joint U.S.-Israeli creation, soon disrupted thousands of Iranian centrifuges.\n\nA string of bombings, blamed on Israel, targeted a number of scientists beginning in 2010 at the height of Western concerns over Iran's program. Israel never claimed responsibility for the attacks, though Israeli officials have boasted in the past about the reach of the country's intelligence services. Israel last year said it seized records from a \"secret atomic archive\" in Iran.", "Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts on Tuesday said President Donald Trump is responsible for provoking the ongoing crisis with Iran as she warned that the US can't afford another \"forever war.\"\n\nThis came a day after Iran announced plans to violate the 2015 nuclear deal in the near future by increasing its uranium stockpile and ramping up enrichment of low-grade uranium. Subsequently, the Pentagon announced the US is deploying an additional 1,000 troops to the Middle East amid the tensions with Iran.\n\nIn a tweet reacting to these developments, Warren said, \"I hope Iran chooses a different path. But let's be clear: Trump provoked this crisis. He has no strategy to contain it, he's burned through our friends and allies, and now he's doubling down on military force. We can't afford another forever war.\"\n\nRead more: Trump says tanker attacks aren't worth a fight with Iran as the US military prepares for confrontation\n\nTrump withdrew from the Iran nuclear deal in May 2018 in defiance of a number of key US allies and the advice of many nuclear experts. Though relations between the US and Iran were never strong to begin with, many experts point to this decision as the catalyst for the heightened tensions that have reached a boiling point in recent weeks.\n\nLast week, two oil tankers were attacked in the Gulf of Oman. The Trump administration has blamed Iran, which has denied any responsibility.\n\nThe UK and Israel are standing behind the US and its allegations against Iran, but other US allies like Japan and Germany have asked for more evidence. Meanwhile, the UN is calling for an independent investigation into the incident.\n\nIran's Monday announcement on its plans to break from the nuclear deal was also a call for Europe to do more to pressure the US to stop hitting the Iranian economy with crippling sanctions. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said there was still time for Europe to save the nuclear deal.\n\n\"It's a crucial moment, and France can still work with other signatories of the deal and play an historic role to save the deal in this very short time,\" Rouhani said Monday.\n\nRead more: Iran just took its boldest action yet against the nuclear deal to 'blackmail' US allies and isolate Trump\n\nIndeed, Warren's critique of Trump's Iran strategy comes as the Iran nuclear deal is at risk of crumbling, which could put the Iranians a major step closer toward being a nuclear power.\n\nWarren, who is running for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020 and is rapidly rising in the polls, is among the few candidates who've spoken out on foreign policy issues in the campaign season so far. The crisis with Iran could be among the issues candidates are questioned on in the first Democratic debate in Miami later this month.\n\nTrump has said he does not want a conflict with Iran, and seems to be at odds with some of his more hawkish advisers on the issue as the situation rapidly escalates.", "DUBAI, June 18 — Iran said yesterday it would soon breach limits on how much enriched uranium it can stockpile under a 2015 agreement rejected by the United States, in a new point of contention with Washington which accused Tehran of “nuclear blackmail.”\n\nTensions between Iran and the United States are rising more than a year after President Donald Trump announced Washington was withdrawing from the nuclear deal.\n\nFears of a confrontation have mounted since last Thursday when two oil tankers in the Gulf were attacked, which the United States has blamed on Tehran. The US military yesterday released images that it says show Iran's Revolutionary Guard removing an unexploded limpet mine from one of the tankers.\n\nTwo US officials speaking on condition of anonymity told Reuters yesterday the United States is preparing to send additional troops to the Middle East in response to mounting concerns over Iran. They did not provide details on how many or the timing.\n\nOn May 24, Washington announced the deployment of 1,500 troops to the region in reaction to tanker attacks in May that it also blamed on Iran.\n\nThe 2015 accord, which Iran and the other signatories have maintained following Trump's decision, caps Iran's stock of low-enriched uranium at 300 kg enriched to 3.67 per cent.\n\nBut Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi said yesterday: “We have quadrupled the rate of enrichment (of uranium) and even increased it more recently, so that in 10 days it will bypass the 300 kg limit.”\n\n“Iran's reserves are every day increasing at a more rapid rate,” he told state TV, adding that “the move will be reversed once other parties fulfil their commitments.”\n\nThe move further undermines the nuclear pact also signed by Russia, Britain, Germany, China and the European Union, but Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said the collapse of the deal would not be in the interests of the region or the world.\n\nA White House National Security Council spokesman said Iran's plan amounted to “nuclear blackmail” and must be met with increased international pressure.\n\nThe nuclear deal seeks to head off any pathway to an Iranian nuclear bomb in return for the removal of most international sanctions.\n\nBritain said if Iran breached agreed limits then London would look at “all options.”\n\nIsrael, Iran's arch foe, urged world powers to step up sanctions against Tehran swiftly should it exceed the enriched uranium limit.\n\nHowever, European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said the EU would only react to any breach if the International Atomic Energy Agency formally identified one.\n\nTrump's administration has accused Iran of being behind the explosions on tankers in the Gulf of Oman, a vital oil shipping route.\n\nIran's armed forces chief of staff, Major General Mohammad Baqeri, yesterday denied Tehran was behind the attacks and said if the Islamic Republic decided to block the strategic Strait of Hormuz shipping lane it would do so publicly.\n\nThe secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Ali Shamkhani, said Tehran was responsible for security in the Gulf and urged US forces to leave the region, state TV said.\n\nUS Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has spoken to officials from the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, China, Kuwait, South Korea, Britain and other countries to share evidence of Iran's involvement in the attacks on the Norwegian and Japanese tankers, a senior State Department official said.\n\nIran yesterday accused its main regional rival Saudi Arabia — a close US ally — of adopting a “militaristic, crisis-based approach” for accusing Tehran of carrying out the tanker attacks.\n\nIn May, Tehran said it would reduce compliance with the nuclear pact in protest at the US decision to unilaterally pull out of the agreement and reimpose sanctions.\n\nThe accord requires Iran to curb its uranium enrichment capacity, capping Iran’s stock of low-enriched uranium at 300 kg of uranium hexafluoride enriched to 3.67 percent or its equivalent for 15 years. That is far below the 90 percent needed for weapons grade uranium and also below the 20 per cent level to which Iran enriched uranium before the deal.\n\nA series of UN inspections under the deal have verified that Iran has been meeting its commitments.\n\nIran's Rouhani said yesterday that European nations still had time to save the accord.\n\n“It's a crucial moment, and France can still work with other signatories of the deal and play an historic role to save the deal in this very short time,” Rouhani was quoted as saying during a meeting with France's new ambassador in Iran.\n\nFrench President Emmanuel Macron said he regretted Iran's announcement but that Paris would hold talks with Iran and its partners to avoid any further escalation in the region.\n\nKamalvandi, in a news conference at Iran's Arak heavy water nuclear reactor which has been reconfigured under the deal, said Tehran could rebuild the underground facility to make it functional. Heavy water can be employed in reactors to produce plutonium, a fuel used in nuclear warheads.\n\nIn January, Iran's nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehi told state TV that “despite pouring concrete in pipes within the core of the Arak reactor ... Iran had purchased pipes for replacement in case the West violated the deal.”\n\nThe United States and the IAEA believe Iran had a nuclear weapons program that it abandoned. Tehran denies ever having had one.\n\nPompeo said on Sunday the United States did not want to go to war with Iran but would take every action necessary, including diplomacy, to guarantee safe navigation through Middle East shipping lanes. — Reuters", "DUBAI/LONDON (Reuters) - Iran said on Monday it would breach internationally agreed curbs on its stock of low-enriched uranium in 10 days — a move likely to worsen already high tensions with Washington — but it added European nations still had time to save a landmark nuclear deal.\n\nIn a sign of concern at Iran’s announcement, Germany urged Tehran to meet all its obligations under the 2015 accord. Britain said if Iran breached limits agreed under the deal then London would look at “all options”.\n\nClose U.S. ally Israel, Iran’s arch foe, urged world powers to step up sanctions against Tehran swiftly should it exceed the enriched uranium limit.\n\nU.S.-Iran tensions are growing following accusations by U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration that Tehran last Thursday attacked two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman, a vital oil shipping route. Iran denies having any role.\n\nIran’s Armed Forces Chief of Staff, Major General Mohammad Baqeri, on Monday denied Tehran was behind the attacks and said if the Islamic Republic decided to block the strategic Strait of Hormuz shipping lane it would do so publicly.\n\nIran’s Atomic Energy Organization spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi said on state TV that “We have quadrupled the rate of enrichment (of uranium) and even increased it more recently, so that in 10 days it will bypass the 300 kg limit.”\n\n“Iran’s reserves are every day increasing at a more rapid rate.”\n\nTehran said in May it would reduce compliance with the nuclear pact it agreed with world powers in 2015, in protest at the United States’ decision to unilaterally pull out of the agreement and reimpose sanctions last year.\n\nThe deal seeks to head off any pathway to an Iranian nuclear bomb in return for the removal of most international sanctions.\n\nThe accord requires Iran to curb its uranium enrichment capacity, capping Iran’s stock of low-enriched uranium at 300 kg of uranium hexafluoride enriched to 3.67 percent or its equivalent for 15 years.\n\nA series of more intrusive U.N. inspections under the deal have verified that Iran has been meeting its commitments.\n\nUrging European signatories to speed up their efforts to salvage the accord, President Hassan Rouhani said its collapse would not be in the interests of the region or the world.\n\n“It’s a crucial moment, and France can still work with other signatories of the deal and play an historic role to save the deal in this very short time,” Rouhani was quoted as saying during a meeting with France’s new ambassador in Iran.\n\nKamalvandi, in a news conference at Iran’s Arak heavy water nuclear reactor which has been reconfigured under the deal, said Tehran could rebuild the underground facility to make it functional. Heavy water can be employed in reactors to produce plutonium, a fuel used in nuclear warheads.\n\nIn January, Iran’s nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehi told state TV that “despite pouring concrete in pipes within the core of the Arak reactor ... Iran had purchased pipes for replacement in case the West violated the deal.”\n\nSalehi said that only he and the country’s top authority, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had knowledge about the additional pipes.\n\nThe west European signatories to the deal - France, Britain and Germany - have defended the nuclear accord as the best way to limit Iran’s enrichment of uranium.\n\nBut Iran has repeatedly criticised delays in setting up a European mechanism that would shield trade with Iran from U.S. sanctions in an effort to save the nuclear deal.\n\nThe United States and the International Atomic Energy Agency believe Iran had a nuclear weapons programme that it abandoned. Tehran denies ever having had one.\n\nSecretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Sunday the United States did not want to go to war with Iran but would take every action necessary, including diplomacy, to guarantee safe navigation through Middle East shipping lanes.\n\nThe International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N. atomic watchdog, declined to comment. Its chief Yukiya Amano said last week that he was worried about rising tensions around Iran’s nuclear programme and he hoped they could be resolved through dialogue.\n\nChina’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok said on Monday the European Union wanted to stick to the Iran nuclear deal but that Iran needed to do the same.", "DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran announced it will exceed the uranium stockpile limit set by Tehran's nuclear deal with world powers in the next 10 days, further escalating tensions in the Mideast.\n\nThe June 27 deadline comes ahead of another, July 7 deadline for Europe to come up with better terms for Iran to stay in the accord. If that second deadline passes without any action, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says the Islamic Republic likely will resume higher uranium enrichment.\n\nIran struck the nuclear deal in 2015 with the United States, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Russia and China. The deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, grew out of secret talks President Barack Obama's administration held with Iran after Rouhani, a relative moderate, took office.\n\nIran agreed to limit its enrichment of uranium under the watch of U.N. inspectors in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. International businesses rushed to do deals with Iran, most notably the billion-dollar sales by Airbus and Boeing Co.\n\nPresident Donald Trump, who campaigned on a promise of tearing up the deal because it didn't address Iran's ballistic missile program or its involvement in regional conflicts, withdrew America from the accord in May 2018. That halted promised international business deals and dealt a heavy blow to Iran's already anemic economy. In the time since, the Trump administration has said any country that imports Iranian crude will face U.S. sanctions.\n\nNatanz, in Iran's central Isfahan province, hosts the country's main uranium enrichment facility, located underground. Iran has one operating nuclear power plant in Bushehr, which it opened with Russia's help in 2011. Under the accord, Iran reconfigured a heavy-water reactor so it couldn't produce plutonium and agreed to convert its Fordo enrichment site — dug deep into a mountainside — into a research center. Iran said on Monday it may stop the heavy-water reactor reconfiguration. Tehran also operates an over 50-year-old research reactor in Tehran.\n\nUnder terms of the nuclear deal, Iran can keep a stockpile of no more than 300 kilograms (660 pounds) of low-enriched uranium. That's compared to the 10,000 kilograms (22,046 pounds) of higher-enriched uranium it once had. Currently, the accord limits Iran to enriching uranium to 3.67%, which can fuel a commercial nuclear power plant. Weapons-grade uranium needs to be enriched to around 90%. However, once a country enriches uranium to around 20%, scientists say the time needed to reach 90% is halved. Iran previously has enriched to 20%. Iranian officials say they've quadrupled their production of low-enriched uranium and will break the 300-kilogram limit by June 27.\n\nA centrifuge is a device that enriches uranium by rapidly spinning uranium hexafluoride gas. Under the atomic accord, Iran has been limited to operating 5,060 older-model IR-1 centrifuges. The IR-1 is based on a 1970s Dutch design that Pakistani scientist A.Q. Khan used to build Islamabad's nuclear weapons program and later sold to Iran, Libya and North Korea.\n\nIran has the technical ability to build and operate advanced versions called the IR-2M, IR-4 and IR-6 at Natanz, but is barred from doing so under the nuclear deal. Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of Iran's nuclear program, told The Associated Press in September that the IR-2M and the IR-4 can enrich uranium five times faster than an IR-1, while the IR-6 can do it 10 times faster. Western experts have suggested these centrifuges produce three to five times more enriched uranium in a year than the IR-1s.\n\nIran also mothballed many already-built centrifuges as part of the deal.\n\nFROM 'ATOMS FOR PEACE' TO STUXNET\n\nIran's nuclear program actually began with the help of the United States. Under its \"Atoms for Peace\" program, America supplied a test reactor that came online in Tehran in 1967 under the rule of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. That help ended once Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution overthrew the shah.\n\nIn the 1990s, Iran expanded its program, including buying equipment from A.Q. Khan. Among its activities, Iran \"may have received design information\" for a bomb and researched explosive detonators, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.\n\nBy August 2002, Western intelligence services and an Iranian opposition group revealed a covert nuclear site at Natanz. Iran to this day denies its nuclear program had a military dimension. Iran suspended enrichment in 2003 but resumed it three years later under hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. World powers imposed crippling U.N. sanctions in response. The Stuxnet computer virus, widely believed to be a joint U.S.-Israeli creation, soon disrupted thousands of Iranian centrifuges.\n\nA string of bombings, blamed on Israel, targeted a number of scientists beginning in 2010 at the height of Western concerns over Iran's program. Israel never claimed responsibility for the attacks, though Israeli officials have boasted in the past about the reach of the country's intelligence services. Israel last year said it seized records from a \"secret atomic archive\" in Iran.", "DUBAI/LONDON (Reuters) - Iran said on Monday it would breach internationally agreed curbs on its stock of low-enriched uranium in 10 days — a move likely to worsen already high tensions with Washington — but it added European nations still had time to save a landmark nuclear deal.\n\nIn a sign of concern at Iran’s announcement, Germany urged Tehran to meet all its obligations under the 2015 accord. Britain said if Iran breached limits agreed under the deal then London would look at “all options”.\n\nClose U.S. ally Israel, Iran’s arch foe, urged world powers to step up sanctions against Tehran swiftly should it exceed the enriched uranium limit.\n\nU.S.-Iran tensions are growing following accusations by U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration that Tehran last Thursday attacked two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman, a vital oil shipping route. Iran denies having any role.\n\nIran’s Armed Forces Chief of Staff, Major General Mohammad Baqeri, on Monday denied Tehran was behind the attacks and said if the Islamic Republic decided to block the strategic Strait of Hormuz shipping lane it would do so publicly.\n\nIran’s Atomic Energy Organization spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi said on state TV that “We have quadrupled the rate of enrichment (of uranium) and even increased it more recently, so that in 10 days it will bypass the 300 kg limit.”\n\n“Iran’s reserves are every day increasing at a more rapid rate.”\n\nTehran said in May it would reduce compliance with the nuclear pact it agreed with world powers in 2015, in protest at the United States’ decision to unilaterally pull out of the agreement and reimpose sanctions last year.\n\nThe deal seeks to head off any pathway to an Iranian nuclear bomb in return for the removal of most international sanctions.\n\nThe accord requires Iran to curb its uranium enrichment capacity, capping Iran’s stock of low-enriched uranium at 300 kg of uranium hexafluoride enriched to 3.67 percent or its equivalent for 15 years.\n\nA series of more intrusive U.N. inspections under the deal have verified that Iran has been meeting its commitments.\n\nUrging European signatories to speed up their efforts to salvage the accord, President Hassan Rouhani said its collapse would not be in the interests of the region or the world.\n\n“It’s a crucial moment, and France can still work with other signatories of the deal and play an historic role to save the deal in this very short time,” Rouhani was quoted as saying during a meeting with France’s new ambassador in Iran.\n\nKamalvandi, in a news conference at Iran’s Arak heavy water nuclear reactor which has been reconfigured under the deal, said Tehran could rebuild the underground facility to make it functional. Heavy water can be employed in reactors to produce plutonium, a fuel used in nuclear warheads.\n\nIn January, Iran’s nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehi told state TV that “despite pouring concrete in pipes within the core of the Arak reactor ... Iran had purchased pipes for replacement in case the West violated the deal.”\n\nSalehi said that only he and the country’s top authority, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had knowledge about the additional pipes.\n\nThe west European signatories to the deal - France, Britain and Germany - have defended the nuclear accord as the best way to limit Iran’s enrichment of uranium.\n\nBut Iran has repeatedly criticized delays in setting up a European mechanism that would shield trade with Iran from U.S. sanctions in an effort to save the nuclear deal.\n\nThe United States and the International Atomic Energy Agency believe Iran had a nuclear weapons program that it abandoned. Tehran denies ever having had one.\n\nSecretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Sunday the United States did not want to go to war with Iran but would take every action necessary, including diplomacy, to guarantee safe navigation through Middle East shipping lanes.\n\nThe International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N. atomic watchdog, declined to comment. Its chief Yukiya Amano said last week that he was worried about rising tensions around Iran’s nuclear program and he hoped they could be resolved through dialogue.\n\nChina’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Dutch Foreign Minister Stef Blok said on Monday the European Union wanted to stick to the Iran nuclear deal but that Iran needed to do the same.", "DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) - Iran announced it will exceed the uranium stockpile limit set by Tehran's nuclear deal with world powers in the next 10 days, further escalating tensions in the Mideast.\n\nThe June 27 deadline comes ahead of another, July 7 deadline for Europe to come up with better terms for Iran to stay in the accord. If that second deadline passes without any action, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says the Islamic Republic likely will resume higher uranium enrichment.\n\nIran struck the nuclear deal in 2015 with the United States, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Russia and China. The deal, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, grew out of secret talks President Barack Obama's administration held with Iran after Rouhani, a relative moderate, took office.\n\nIran agreed to limit its enrichment of uranium under the watch of U.N. inspectors in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions. International businesses rushed to do deals with Iran, most notably the billion-dollar sales by Airbus and Boeing Co.\n\nPresident Donald Trump, who campaigned on a promise of tearing up the deal because it didn't address Iran's ballistic missile program or its involvement in regional conflicts, withdrew America from the accord in May 2018. That halted promised international business deals and dealt a heavy blow to Iran's already anemic economy. In the time since, the Trump administration has said any country that imports Iranian crude will face U.S. sanctions.\n\nNatanz, in Iran's central Isfahan province, hosts the country's main uranium enrichment facility, located underground. Iran has one operating nuclear power plant in Bushehr, which it opened with Russia's help in 2011. Under the accord, Iran reconfigured a heavy-water reactor so it couldn't produce plutonium and agreed to convert its Fordo enrichment site - dug deep into a mountainside - into a research center. Iran said on Monday it may stop the heavy-water reactor reconfiguration. Tehran also operates an over 50-year-old research reactor in Tehran.\n\nUnder terms of the nuclear deal, Iran can keep a stockpile of no more than 300 kilograms (660 pounds) of low-enriched uranium. That's compared to the 10,000 kilograms (22,046 pounds) of higher-enriched uranium it once had. Currently, the accord limits Iran to enriching uranium to 3.67%, which can fuel a commercial nuclear power plant. Weapons-grade uranium needs to be enriched to around 90%. However, once a country enriches uranium to around 20%, scientists say the time needed to reach 90% is halved. Iran previously has enriched to 20%. Iranian officials say they've quadrupled their production of low-enriched uranium and will break the 300-kilogram limit by June 27.\n\nA centrifuge is a device that enriches uranium by rapidly spinning uranium hexafluoride gas. Under the atomic accord, Iran has been limited to operating 5,060 older-model IR-1 centrifuges. The IR-1 is based on a 1970s Dutch design that Pakistani scientist A.Q. Khan used to build Islamabad's nuclear weapons program and later sold to Iran, Libya and North Korea.\n\nIran has the technical ability to build and operate advanced versions called the IR-2M, IR-4 and IR-6 at Natanz, but is barred from doing so under the nuclear deal. Ali Akbar Salehi, the head of Iran's nuclear program, told The Associated Press in September that the IR-2M and the IR-4 can enrich uranium five times faster than an IR-1, while the IR-6 can do it 10 times faster. Western experts have suggested these centrifuges produce three to five times more enriched uranium in a year than the IR-1s.\n\nIran also mothballed many already-built centrifuges as part of the deal.\n\nFROM 'ATOMS FOR PEACE' TO STUXNET\n\nIran's nuclear program actually began with the help of the United States. Under its \"Atoms for Peace\" program, America supplied a test reactor that came online in Tehran in 1967 under the rule of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. That help ended once Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution overthrew the shah.\n\nIn the 1990s, Iran expanded its program, including buying equipment from A.Q. Khan. Among its activities, Iran \"may have received design information\" for a bomb and researched explosive detonators, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.\n\nBy August 2002, Western intelligence services and an Iranian opposition group revealed a covert nuclear site at Natanz. Iran to this day denies its nuclear program had a military dimension. Iran suspended enrichment in 2003 but resumed it three years later under hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. World powers imposed crippling U.N. sanctions in response. The Stuxnet computer virus, widely believed to be a joint U.S.-Israeli creation, soon disrupted thousands of Iranian centrifuges.\n\nA string of bombings, blamed on Israel, targeted a number of scientists beginning in 2010 at the height of Western concerns over Iran's program. Israel never claimed responsibility for the attacks, though Israeli officials have boasted in the past about the reach of the country's intelligence services. Israel last year said it seized records from a \"secret atomic archive\" in Iran.", "President Hassan Rouhani said Tuesday the world \"praises\" Iran over its standoff with Washington, and that the US had broken promises by abandoning a landmark nuclear deal that Tehran had continued to honour.\n\n\"Today we are in a faceoff with America in which there is no one in the world that does not praise Iran,\" Rouhani said in a speech broadcast live on state television.\n\n\"Iran has been loyal to its signature, Iran has been loyal to international agreements, and the one standing against us today is the one that has trampled all pacts, agreements and international accords,\" he added.\n\nIran is locked in a tense standoff with the US after Washington withdrew last year from the 2015 nuclear deal and reimposed sweeping sanctions, even as its allies said Tehran had abided by the agreement's terms.\n\nTensions have escalated ever since, with Washington bolstering its military presence in the region, blacklisting Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organisation and blaming Tehran for twin attacks on tankers last week in the Gulf of Oman.\n\nRouhani announced on May 8 that Iran would stop observing some restrictions on its stocks of enriched uranium and heavy water agreed under the deal, a move he said was in retaliation for the unilateral US withdrawal.\n\nTehran has threatened to go even further in scaling down nuclear commitments unless remaining partners to the deal -- Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia -- help it circumvent US sanctions.", "Iran again threatened to stop complying with the 2015 nuclear deal Monday and surpass the maximum amount of enriched uranium it is allowed to have under the deal.\n\nThe country’s Atomic Energy Organization spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi said Iran will stop complying unless United Kingdom and France — both signatories of the 2015 deal — help it get around American sanctions, The New York Times reported.\n\nIran’s low-enriched uranium stockpile could grow beyond the deal’s limit within 10 days Kamalvandi said according to The Times, who cited Iranian news agency Tasnim.\n\nNot all enriched uranium is weapons-grade.\n\nThe maximum enrichment level allowed for Iran, 3.67 percent, is designed for nuclear power. But Kamalvandi said Iran needs 5 percent for its Bushehr nuclear power plant and 20 percent for a research reactor, Fox News reported.\n\nTRENDING: Supporters Line Up 40 Hours Early for Giant Rally Trump Predicts Will Set Records\n\nTwenty percent is just below the threshold for weapons.\n\nKamalvandi’s news conference in front of Iran’s Arak nuclear plant reinforced the nation’s ultimatum for European countries to move forward with a special trade channel Instex despite U.S. opposition.\n\nIranian President Hassan Rouhani said in May that Iran will disregard the nuclear deal in 60 days if the nation does not receive sanctions relief.\n\nThe 60 days will be up in early July, The Times reported.\n\nGermany, the UK and France announced the creation of Instex in January.\n\n“As long as they comply by their commitments, these will go back,” Kamalvandi said Monday according to The Times.\n\nIran’s threats of noncompliance come after Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman accused Iran on Sunday of carrying out last weeks attack on two oil tankers near the globally important Strait of Hormuz. The two powers have long been at odds.\n\nIran, the fifth largest oil producer in the world according to the Energy Information Administration, was not happy when the U.S. refused to renew waivers earlier in May for eight countries to import Iranian oil despite sanctions, The Washington Post reported.\n\nIran, the U.S. and countries including the United Kingdom and France all signed the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal, and have been searching for a new normal after President Donald Trump pulled out of the deal in May 2018.\n\nTrump railed against what he called “the military-industrial complex” when asked about potential conflict with Iran during an interview with Steve Hilton of Fox News Channel in May.\n\nA version of this article appeared on The Daily Caller News Foundation website.\n\nWe are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards."], "summary": "Iranian President Hassan Rouhani tells the Fars News Agency \"the time is short for Europe to save the international nuclear deal\", and calls on France to take the lead. Reuters reports that Rouhani added the collapse of the nuclear deal would not be in the interests of the region and the world."}
{"document": ["Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The Galapagos Islands are a Unesco World Heritage site\n\nEcuador has agreed to allow US military planes to operate from an airport on the Galapagos Islands, reports say.\n\nUS aircraft will be able to use San Cristobal airport, Ecuador's defence minister Oswaldo Jarrin has been quoted as saying.\n\nThey will \"fight drug trafficking\" under a deal with Ecuador's government, Mr Jarrin said.\n\nThe reported deal has prompted concerns over the potential impact on the environment and Ecuador's sovereignty.\n\nThe aircraft involved include a Boeing 777 and a Lockheed P-3 Orion, Latin American TV network Telesur reports.\n\nThe Galapagos Islands, 563 miles (906km) west of continental Ecuador, are a Unesco World Heritage site renowned worldwide for their unique array of plants and wildlife.\n\nImage copyright Getty Images Image caption A pelican spreads its wings on San Cristobal island\n\nTourists across the globe travel there to see its biodiversity, which inspired Charles Darwin's theory of evolution.\n\nLegislators in Ecuador's parliament have called on Mr Jarrin and environment minister Marcelo Mata to explain the scope of co-operation with the US in the islands.\n\nThey have asked them to elaborate on proposals to extend the runway at San Cristobal airport, daily El Universo reports.\n\nLawmaker Marcela Cevallos said the plan would be alarming for conservationists, it reported.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption New giant tortoise species discovered on Galapagos Islands\n\nOpposition congressman Carlos Viteri said the agreement with the US was \"unacceptable\" and should be prohibited if \"it intends to cede an inch of Ecuadorian territory\".\n\nUnder Article 5 of Ecuador's constitution, the country is \"a territory of peace\" and the \"establishment of foreign military bases or foreign facilities for military purposes shall not be allowed\".\n\nEcuador's former president Rafael Correa also reacted angrily, tweeting (in Spanish) that the island was \"not an aircraft carrier\" for the Americans.\n\nMr Jarrin assured critics that \"there will be no permanence of anyone\" on the island.\n\nHe said any modifications to the airfield would be paid for by the US, Telesur reported.\n\n\"Galapagos is for Ecuador our aircraft carrier, it is our natural carrier, because it assures us permanence, replenishment, interception facilities and it is 1,000 kilometres from our coasts,\" he said.\n\nThe BBC has contacted the US Department of Defense for comment.", "The Galápagos Islands are at the centre of political row in Ecuador after the government agreed to allow US anti-narcotics planes to use an airstrip on the archipelago which inspired Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution.\n\nDozens of people demonstrated outside the main government office in Quito on Monday to protest against a plan they described as a threat to the world heritage site’s unique environment – and an attack on Ecuador’s sovereignty.\n\nThe Galápagos Islands, 563 miles west of the South American continent, are renowned for their unique plants and wildlife. Unesco describes the archipelago – visited by a quarter of a million tourists every year – as a “living museum and a showcase for evolution”.\n\nEcuador’s defense minister, Oswaldo Jarrín, provoked patriotic and environmental outrage last week when he said last week that US aircraft would be able to use the airbase on San Cristóbal Island, and described the islands as a “natural aircraft carrier”.\n\nFormer Ecuadorian president Rafael Correa tweeted: “Galápagos is NOT an ‘aircraft carrier’ for gringo use. It is an Ecuadorean province, world heritage site, homeland.”\n\nCorrea – once a close ally but now a bitter enemy of his successor, Lenín Moreno – accused the government of capitulating to US pressure. Correa closed a US military base in Manta in 2008, changing the constitution to ban foreign military bases on Ecuadorean soil and in 2014 ordered all US defence department staff to leave the country.\n\nBut Ecuador’s foreign minister, José Valencia, tweeted that Jarrín’s remarks had been been intentionally distorted.\n\n“There is not nor will there be a foreign military base,” Norman Wray, president of the Galápagos government council, said in a statement last week.\n\nBut the islands’ governor did admit to a deal with the US to improve the runway at the San Cristóbal airport while allowing the “refueling of two planes monitoring illegal activities in the extensive marine reserve”. He said the US aircraft would monitor drug-trafficking and illegal fishing, particularly from foreign fishing fleets.\n\nLast week, lawmakers in Quito voted to summon Jarrín and the environment minister, Marcelo Mata, to explain the scope of the cooperation with the US on the islands, which are considered one of the last near pristine wildernesses on the planet.\n\nOpposition MP Brenda Flor said the archipelago should be considered a “living and unique laboratory which we must protect”.\n\nOn Monday, Jarrín said his “aircraft carrier” remark was a reference to the islands’ geographic location in the Pacific Ocean rather than a place where aircraft could land. Speaking to local radio, he said only one US aircraft, a Lockheed P-3 Orion, would stop off at the island airport every month for refueling, or in emergency situations.\n\n“There will not be a permanent presence, there will not be a base,” the minister said.", "Ecuador to allow US military planes to use Galapagos airport Reports claim that the Lenin Moreno administration of Ecuador has agreed that US military planes can operate from an airport in the Galapagos Islands. Ecuador's defence minister said to have made the announcement The Galapagos Islands are 906 km (563 miles) west of the coast of Ecuador. They are a UNESCO heritage site renowned worldwide for its unique array of plants and wildlife made famous first by Charles Darwin. Tourists from around the world travel to the Galapagos to observe its biodiversity. Deal concerns environmentalists Environmentalists are concerned about the impact that the military activity might have on the sensitive environment. There are also concerns about Ecuador's sovereignty. The new Moreno government has been friendly to the US. It allowed the UK to have Julian Assange arrested by the police. Assange had taken refuge in the Ecuadorean embassy in London for about seven years. He faces extradition to the US. The aircraft involved include a Boeing 777 and a Lockheed P-3 Orion, Latin American media outlet Telesur reports. Ecuadorean lawmakers also express concerns Legislators in the Ecuadorean parliament have asked Jarrin and Marcelo Mata the environment minister to indicate the scope of co-operation with the US in the use of the islands. They also want information on the proposal to extend runways at the San Cristobal airport from which the US planes will operate. Marcela Cevallos a legislator said the US plans would alarm conservationists. Carlos Viteri a member of the opposition claimed the agreement with the US was \"unacceptable\" and should be prohibited if it ceded an in inch of Ecuadorean territory. Ecuadorean constitution prohibits foreign military bases Rafael Correa, the former president, also tweeted an angry reaction to the effect that the Galapagos were not an aircraft carrier for the US. However, Mr. Jarrin assured his critics that there would be no permanence of anyone on the islands and noted that any modifications to the airfield would be paid for by the US. reports: \"US aircraft will be able to use San Cristobal airport, Ecuador's defence minister Oswaldo Jarrin has been quoted as saying. They will \"fight drug trafficking\" under a deal with Ecuador's government, Mr Jarrin said.The Galapagos Islands are 906 km (563 miles) west of the coast of Ecuador. They are a UNESCO heritage site renowned worldwide for its unique array of plants and wildlife made famous first by Charles Darwin. Tourists from around the world travel to the Galapagos to observe its biodiversity.Environmentalists are concerned about the impact that the military activity might have on the sensitive environment. There are also concerns about Ecuador's sovereignty. The new Moreno government has been friendly to the US. It allowed the UK to have Julian Assange arrested by the police. Assange had taken refuge in the Ecuadorean embassy in London for about seven years. He faces extradition to the US.The aircraft involved include a Boeing 777 and a Lockheed P-3 Orion, Latin American media outlet Telesur reports.Legislators in the Ecuadorean parliament have asked Jarrin and Marcelo Mata the environment minister to indicate the scope of co-operation with the US in the use of the islands. They also want information on the proposal to extend runways at the San Cristobal airport from which the US planes will operate. Marcela Cevallos a legislator said the US plans would alarm conservationists.Carlos Viteri a member of the opposition claimed the agreement with the US was \"unacceptable\" and should be prohibited if it ceded an in inch of Ecuadorean territory. A recent BBC article reports: \"US aircraft will be able to use San Cristobal airport, Ecuador's defence minister Oswaldo Jarrin has been quoted as saying. They will \"fight drug trafficking\" under a deal with Ecuador's government, Mr Jarrin said.The Galapagos Islands are 906 km (563 miles) west of the coast of Ecuador. They are a UNESCO heritage site renowned worldwide for its unique array of plants and wildlife made famous first by Charles Darwin. Tourists from around the world travel to the Galapagos to observe its biodiversity.Environmentalists are concerned about the impact that the military activity might have on the sensitive environment. There are also concerns about Ecuador's sovereignty. The new Moreno government has been friendly to the US. It allowed the UK to have Julian Assange arrested by the police. Assange had taken refuge in the Ecuadorean embassy in London for about seven years. He faces extradition to the US.The aircraft involved include a Boeing 777 and a Lockheed P-3 Orion, Latin American media outlet Telesur reports.Legislators in the Ecuadorean parliament have asked Jarrin and Marcelo Mata the environment minister to indicate the scope of co-operation with the US in the use of the islands. They also want information on the proposal to extend runways at the San Cristobal airport from which the US planes will operate. Marcela Cevallos a legislator said the US plans would alarm conservationists.Carlos Viteri a member of the opposition claimed the agreement with the US was \"unacceptable\" and should be prohibited if it ceded an in inch of Ecuadorean territory. Article 5 of Ecuador's constitution says the country is a \"territory of peace\" and goes on \"the establishment of foreign military bases or foreign facilities for military purposes shall not be allowed\".Rafael Correa, the former president, also tweeted an angry reaction to the effect that the Galapagos were not an aircraft carrier for the US. However, Mr. Jarrin assured his critics that there would be no permanence of anyone on the islands and noted that any modifications to the airfield would be paid for by the US. Jarrin said: \"Galapagos is for Ecuador our aircraft carrier, it is our natural carrier, because it assures us permanence, replenishment, interception facilities and it is 1,000 kilometres from our coasts.\" The US Dept. of Defense has not commented as yet.", "Ecuador: US military could use Galápagos island for flights\n\nQUITO, Ecuador (AP) — A plan by Ecuador to let the U.S. military use a Galápagos island for aircraft on anti-drug trafficking flights is drawing criticism that the agreement would damage the archipelago's unique animal and plant life.\n\nAbout 30 people protested outside the main government office in Quito on Monday, calling the plan a threat to the environment of the U.N. world heritage site as well as Ecuador's sovereignty. Protester Gloria Reinoso said she was concerned about the impact of the noise and infrastructure required to support a U.S. military presence.\n\nLast week, Defense Minister Oswaldo Jarrín said San Cristóbal island could be a staging point for American aircraft flying surveillance missions aimed at stopping drug traffickers who transport illicit cargo by sea. Jarrín said flight crews would stay a week at most on the island and would be monitored by Ecuadorian authorities.\n\nThe United States Southern Command, which is responsible for U.S. military affairs in the region, did not immediately comment.\n\nOne analyst said little information is available about the plan for the archipelago in the Pacific Ocean, which is about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) from the Ecuadorian coast. Charles Darwin developed his theory of evolution after studying the extraordinary diversity of species on the islands in the 19th century.\n\nThe United States had a base in the Galápagos during World War II and operated it without the involvement of Ecuadorian authorities.\n\nGrace Jaramillo, a political scientist at the University of British Columbia in Canada, said more needed to be known about reasons for the recent plan with the U.S. military as well as the environmental costs for \"our \"touristic jewel.\"\n\n\"What are the benefits? How was it negotiated?\" Jaramillo said.\n\nCarlos Espinosa, an analyst at the Universidad San Francisco de Quito, said it would be better to stage anti-drug flights from the South American mainland so as to safeguard Galápagos ecosystems.\n\nAnother commentator, Farid Simon, gave a different view, saying that relatively brief stopovers by U.S. planes did not mean an airport in the Galápagos would become a military base.\n\n\"We have an obligation to contribute to the fight against drug trafficking,\" Simon said.", "Ecuador: US military could use Galápagos island for flights\n\nQUITO, Ecuador (AP) — Ecuador's government says it may let the U.S. military use a Galápagos island for aircraft on anti-drug trafficking flights, drawing criticism that the agreement would damage the archipelago's unique animal and plant life.\n\nAbout 30 people protested outside the main government office in Quito on Monday, calling the plan a threat to the environment of the U.N. world heritage site as well as Ecuador's sovereignty.\n\nLast week, Defense Minister Oswaldo Jarrín said San Cristóbal island could be a staging point for American aircraft flying surveillance missions aimed at stopping drug traffickers who transport their illicit cargo by sea. Jarrín said flight crews would stay a week at most on the island and would be monitored by Ecuadorian authorities.\n\nThe U.S. military did not immediately comment.", "QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — A plan by Ecuador to let the U.S. military use a Galápagos island for aircraft on anti-drug trafficking flights is drawing criticism that the agreement would damage the archipelago's unique animal and plant life.\n\nAbout 30 people protested outside the main government office in Quito on Monday, calling the plan a threat to the environment of the U.N. world heritage site as well as Ecuador's sovereignty. Protester Gloria Reinoso said she was concerned about the impact of the noise and infrastructure required to support a U.S. military presence.\n\nLast week, Defense Minister Oswaldo Jarrín said San Cristóbal island could be a staging point for American aircraft flying surveillance missions aimed at stopping drug traffickers who transport illicit cargo by sea. Jarrín said flight crews would stay a week at most on the island and would be monitored by Ecuadorian authorities.\n\nThe United States Southern Command, which is responsible for U.S. military affairs in the region, did not immediately comment."], "summary": "Ecuador agrees to allow U.S. military planes fighting drug trafficking to operate from San Cristóbal Airport in the Galápagos Islands. National Assembly legislators call on Defense Minister Oswaldo Jarrin and Environmental Minister Marcelo Mata to explain the scope of co-operation."}
{"document": ["Image copyright AFP Image caption Video footage showed the badly damaged bus by the side of the road\n\nTwelve people were killed and dozens more injured when a passenger grabbed the steering wheel of a bus in West Java, Indonesia, causing it to crash.\n\nWitnesses said the passenger was embroiled in a row with the driver and tried to wrest control of the bus on a toll road in Majalengka on Monday.\n\nThe bus swerved into the path on oncoming traffic, colliding with two cars and causing a lorry to overturn.\n\nPolice have appealed for information from witnesses and survivors.\n\n\"In the middle of the journey, a passenger attempted to forcibly take control of the steering wheel... and the bus then lost control,\" police spokesman Atik Suswanti told AFP news agency.\n\nImage copyright AFP Image caption Cars were seriously damaged as the bus swerved across the road\n\nThe driver was among those killed and the passenger who grabbed the wheel was one of more than 40 people injured, officials said.\n\nIt was not clear how many of the casualties were on the bus.\n\nSerious road accidents are common in Indonesia.\n\nIn February 2018, 25 people were killed when a tourist bus ran off a road and overturned in West Java.\n\nThe previous July, 10 people were killed when a bus travelling from Bali to a town in East Java collided with the back of a lorry.", "JAKARTA\n• Twelve people were killed and dozens more injured in an Indonesian traffic accident early yesterday morning after a bus passenger tried to wrest control of the steering wheel following an argument with the driver, police said.\n\nThe accident happened when the coach swerved into oncoming traffic on a toll road in West Java, smashing into two cars and causing a truck to roll. Some 43 people were injured in the accident. The 29-year-old passenger was severely injured. It was not immediately clear if the bus driver survived.\n\nNEW DELHI\n• At least 100 children have died of encephalitis in India's eastern state of Bihar, where the health authorities are grappling with a surge of cases in the disease that causes the brain to swell.\n\nEighty-three children had died in the state-run Sri Krishna Medical College and Hospital in Muzaffapur, hospital superintendent Sunil Kumar Shahi said, adding that 17 more had died at a private hospital in the city. The victims were all children under the age of seven, he said.\n\nEncephalitis is a brain inflammation, mostly caused by viral infection. The risk of the disease increases during summer and rainy seasons between June and October.\n\nHealth professionals suspect the deaths to be linked to toxins present in the lychee fruit, which had been detected in urine samples of patients.\n\nMAIDUGURI (Nigeria)\n• At least 30 people have been killed in a triple suicide attack in the north-eastern Nigerian state of Borno, state officials said yesterday, in the biggest mass killing this year by suicide bombers.\n\nThe village head of Konduga, Mr Bulama Kalli, said three suicide bombers targeted a place where villagers had gathered to watch a soccer match on a large screen.\n\nNo group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack. The Boko Haram group and its Islamic State in Iraq and Syria splinter group have often carried out attacks targeting civilians and the military in Borno state.", "12 killed as passenger takes control of steering wheel in Indonesia\n\nIndonesia: In a bizarre incident 12 persons were killed and dozens injured in a mishap as a bus passenger tried to take control of the steering on Monday in Indonesia.\n\nPolice sources said the bus passenger did this following an argument with the driver.\n\nThe accident occurred at around 1:00 am Monday (1800 GMT Sunday) when the bus swerved into oncoming traffic on a road in West Java, smashing into two cars.\n\nAtik Suswanti, the head of the Majalengka police traffic unit said:”In the middle of the journey, a passenger attempted to forcibly take control of the steering wheel and the bus then lost control.”\n\nAccording to reports, a 29-year-old passenger was severely injured in the tragic mishap. It was not immediately known if the bus driver survived.\n\nRoad mishaps are common in the Southeast Asian archipelago as traffic rules regularly flouted.", "JAKARTA (AFP) - Twelve people were killed and dozens more injured in an Indonesian traffic accident on Monday (June 17) after a bus passenger tried to wrest control of the steering wheel following an argument with the driver, police said.\n\nThe accident happened at around 1am on Monday (2am Singapore) when the coach swerved into oncoming traffic on a toll road in West Java, smashing into two cars and causing a truck to roll.\n\nSome 43 people were injured in the multi-vehicle accident and rushed to hospital, police said.\n\n\"In the middle of the journey, a passenger attempted to forcibly take control of the steering wheel... and the bus then lost control,\" Atik Suswanti, the head of the Majalengka police traffic unit, told AFP.\n\nThe 29-year-old passenger was severely injured, according to authorities. It was not immediately clear if the bus driver survived.\n\nTraffic accidents are common in the South-east Asian archipelago, where vehicles are often old and poorly maintained and road rules regularly flouted.\n\nIn September, at least 21 people died when a bus plunged into a ravine in West Java's Sukabumi region.", "Twelve people were killed and dozens more injured in an Indonesian traffic accident Monday after a passenger tried to wrest control of a bus steering wheel following an argument with the driver, police said\n\nJakarta, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - APP - 17th Jun, 2019 ) :Twelve people were killed and dozens more injured in an Indonesian traffic accident Monday after a passenger tried to wrest control of a bus steering wheel following an argument with the driver, police said.\n\nThe accident happened at around 1:00 am Monday (1800 GMT Sunday) when the coach swerved into oncoming traffic on a toll road in West Java, smashing into two cars and causing a truck to roll.\n\nSome 43 people were injured in the multi-vehicle accident and rushed to hospital, police said.\n\n\"In the middle of the journey, a passenger attempted to forcibly take control of the steering wheel.\n\n.. and the bus then lost control,\" Atik Suswanti, the head of the Majalengka police traffic unit, told AFP.\n\nThe bus driver was killed, according to authorities, while the 29-year-old passenger was severely injured.\n\nTraffic accidents are common in the Southeast Asian archipelago, where vehicles are often old and poorly maintained and road rules regularly flouted.\n\nIn September, at least 21 people died when a bus plunged into a ravine in West Java's Sukabumi region.", "JAKARTA: Twelve people were killed and dozens more injured in a traffic accident in Indonesia on Monday (Jun 17) after a bus passenger tried to wrest control of the steering wheel following an argument with the driver, police said.\n\nThe accident happened at around 1am local time when the coach swerved into oncoming traffic on a toll road in West Java, smashing into two cars and causing a truck to roll.\n\nThis happened on the Cikopo-Paliman Expressway as the bus was heading to Cirebon from Jakarta, local media reported citing a police spokesperson.\n\nAbout 43 people were injured in the multi-vehicle accident and rushed to hospital, police said.\n\n\"In the middle of the journey, a passenger attempted to forcibly take control of the steering wheel ... and the bus then lost control,\" Atik Suswanti, the head of the Majalengka police traffic unit, told AFP.\n\nThe 29-year-old passenger was severely injured, according to authorities. It was not immediately clear if the bus driver survived.\n\nTraffic accidents are common in the Southeast Asian archipelago, where vehicles are often old and poorly maintained and road rules regularly flouted.\n\nIn September, at least 21 people died when a bus plunged into a ravine in West Java's Sukabumi region.", "Twelve people were killed and dozens more injured in an Indonesian traffic accident Monday after a passenger tried to wrest control of a bus steering wheel following an argument with the driver, police said.\n\nThe accident happened at around 1:00 am Monday (1800 GMT Sunday) when the coach swerved into oncoming traffic on a toll road in West Java, smashing into two cars and causing a truck to roll.\n\nSome 43 people were injured in the multi-vehicle accident and rushed to hospital, police said.\n\n“In the middle of the journey, a passenger attempted to forcibly take control of the steering wheel… and the bus then lost control,” Atik Suswanti, the head of the Majalengka police traffic unit, told AFP.\n\nThe bus driver was killed, according to authorities, while the 29-year-old passenger was severely injured.\n\nTraffic accidents are common in the Southeast Asian archipelago, where vehicles are often old and poorly maintained and road rules regularly flouted.\n\nIn September, at least 21 people died when a bus plunged into a ravine in West Java’s Sukabumi region.\n\nFor more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.", "JAKARTA; Twelve people were killed and dozens more injured in an Indonesian traffic accident Monday after a passenger tried to wrest control of a bus steering wheel following an argument with the driver, police said.\n\nThe accident happened at around 1:00 am Monday (1800 GMT Sunday) when the coach swerved into oncoming traffic on a toll road in West Java, smashing into two cars and causing a truck to roll. Some 43 people were injured in the multi-vehicle accident and rushed to hospital, police said.\n\n\"In the middle of the journey, a passenger attempted to forcibly take control of the steering wheel... and the bus then lost control,\" Atik Suswanti, the head of the Majalengka police traffic unit, told AFP. The bus driver was killed, according to authorities, while the 29-year-old passenger was severely injured.", "JAKARTA: Twelve people were killed, while 43 others were injured in a freak accident involving a bus and three other vehicles in West Java.\n\nIn the 1am accident, the bus driver was believed to have lost control of the wheels before it skidded into the opposite lane and crashed head-on with two four-wheel-drive vehicles, and a lorry.\n\nAccording to Indonesian media which quoted a police spokesman, the incident occurred at Km150 of the Cikopo-Paliman Expressway when the bus was heading to Cirebon from Jakarta.\n\nPolice were still identifying the identity of victims. – Bernama", "When people first started driving cars, they had to use a lot of manual force to get the steering wheel to turn. Now, thanks to technology, we no longer depend on brute strength to make a turn. However, things will deteriorate and wear down over time. Leaks happen with age, which is why we’ve compiled a list of the best power steering stop leak fluids to help prevent your power steering system from tightening up.\n\nTheDrive and its partners may earn a commission if you purchase a product through one of our links. Read more.\n\nThe bottle is on the smaller size and may only last a few weeks after applying it. It’s also on the more expensive side.\n\nThe solution reduces the whining and groaning noise of a steering wheel that is losing power, making it quieter. The compound is made up of high-quality additives to break down rust and works great on older cars as well. It can be purchased as a singular container or a pack of six.\n\nWhile it is more cost effective, it works best at stopping small leaks. For anything larger, you’ll want to invest in multiple or larger bottles.\n\nIt works great at any temperature or climate, so you won’t be left with clogs during winter or a sticky reservoir in the summer. It also corrodes rust and does not foam. It’s available in a 12- or 32-ounce bottle.\n\nThis fluid contains high-grade oil and a multitude of additives to strengthen it for a guaranteed smooth operation\n\nIt is not a fast-acting solution and may take days or multiple applications to properly seal leaks around the o-rings. It comes in a single 8-ounce bottle.\n\nThe liquid can be used on both diesel and gasoline engines while working to recondition hardened or worn seals.\n\nThis power steering stop leak uses BlueDevil’s ‘Pour n’ Go’ formula to make it quick and easy to fix any leak, whether large or small.\n• Prevent steering wheel lockup. Modern cars tend to all have power steering, which means you have more control over the steering wheel. In the early days of the car, steering was much more difficult with mechanical linkages that left you cranking the wheel hard when you needed to turn. The fluid powering your steering wheel keeps it loose; without it, the wheel will start to lock up and be much more difficult to control.\n• Keep yourself safe. Making sure your car is topped off with power steering stop leak and fluid means you’ll be safer on the road. There’s no risk of the steering wheel locking up on you mid-drive, preventing you from turning or stopping the car.\n• Improve performance. Checking to make sure the power steering is constantly getting fluid will help keep the car running properly. Over time, a leak will wear down your car’s power steering and could damage other parts of the car. Making sure the reservoir where the fluid is kept isn’t leaking will keep your car running smoothly.\n• Save some money. Stopping a power steering fluid leak will ultimately save you money. Catching it before it gets worse means you won’t have to take the car to the shop for a full power steering repair, and doing nothing about it may lead to other problems and leave you with a hefty cost to your power steering unit. Synthetic oils contain a lower viscosity, which makes movement smoother for car parts and reduces internal friction. They are made up of additives that help corrode rust and are typically thicker to fill leaks and get rid of dirt and grime. BlueDevil Products manufactures sealants for cars and more. It supplies more than 400 distribution centers across the U.S., Europe, Asia, and South Africa. BlueDevil started selling products in 1997 and is known for the BlueDevil Power Steering Stop Leak 00232. Headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, Prestone makes antifreeze, coolants, brake fluids, and power steering products. It’s been in business since 1927 and sells the Prestone AS262 Power Steering Fluid with Stop Leak. First founded in California in 1947 by Fred Barton, Bars now resides in Holly, Michigan. It makes high-quality stop-leak products for vehicles, including Bar’s Leaks 1630 Grey One Seal Stop\n• $5-$35: With power steering stop leak fluid, you mainly pay for the size and capacity of the container. Within this price range, anything around 12 ounces and below falls here.\n• $35 and up: This price range has larger bottles and containers that offer more solution for more applications. With power steering stop leak solution, it may be best to buy it in bulk to make sure you’ve got extra just in case you run out when you need it most. Before choosing the best power steering stop leak, you need to read the label carefully. Not all anti-leak fluids will work for every car. Many are specifically designed for certain models like Honda or Ford. Make sure to double check the fluid before buying to make sure you don’t pour the wrong power steering stop leak into your car. Additives in power steering stop leak fluids work to remove debris, neutralize acidity, and fill leaks. However, they are not a permanent solution to fixing a leak in your power steering. Over time, a leak can start again, and you’ll have to add the fluid again.\n• Frequency of Use: Before buying a particular power steering stop leak, it is important to consider how frequently you need to use it and what effect it will have on your vehicle in the long-run. Keep in mind that the power steering stop leak can be used multiple times before running out.\n• Bottle Size: If the leak is large and you’re unable to reach a mechanic, opting for a larger bottle size or more bottles is a good solution. Leaks aren’t filled or stopped instantly; they take time and several applications to be fully stopped up. This means you will use a lot of the fluid and may need more of the compound to get results.\n\nBlueDevil makes it easy to put an end to leaking power steering fluid. The solution is made up of the company’s ‘Pour ‘n Go’ formula for simple and quick application to get you back on the road faster without the steering wheel tightening up. The liquid fills the spots where leaks are frequent and improve the condition of the power steering fluid and reservoir. The formula also seals rack and pinion systems as well as differentials. A great feature about this power steering stop leak is it can be used on both diesel and gasoline engines. The liquid also works to recondition hardened or worn rubber seals, loosening them and making them more pliable. While it may be quick and simple to pour into the power steering fluid reservoir, it may take a few days until you see results. It’s not a “pour and wait a few minutes” kind of solution. You’ll need to drive your car for a few miles to see if the steering wheel continues to lock up or offers more freedom of movement. Click Here to See Prices on Amazon Best Power Steering Stop Leak Value: Prestone AS262 Power Steering Fluid with Stop Leak\n\nThis power steering stop leak fluid works great at not only preventing leaks but also stopping them from happening while you drive. It’s made up of what the manufacturer refers to as high-grade oil and a multitude of additives to strengthen it for a guaranteed no-leak, smooth operation. What we liked about this power steering stop leak is it works well in any temperature or climate; it won’t get clogged up in winter months or leave the power steering reservoir sticky in the hotter months. One of the best benefits of this compound is it corrodes rust and comes with an anti-foam agent so you don’t get that rush of foam coming back at you while filling the reservoir. It is on the less expensive side when it comes to power steering stop leaks, and that’s not always a good thing. While it does a great job at filling leaks, it works best on smaller holes. So, if you want to fill larger leaks, you’ll want to invest in more of the product. Click Here to See Prices on Amazon\n\nThis solvent-free power steering leak stop may come in a smaller container, but it does a great job at stopping leaks. It combines with gas-extracted additives with special oils to fill holes and prevent loss of power steering fluid. Another great feature of this power steering leak stop is it fights to prevent and reduce slack, squeals, and hard spots in worn rack and opinions. That gets rid of the annoying groan of your steering wheel and gives you a more pleasant time driving. The added components make it especially great for older cars since the high-quality additives break down rust and corrosion and fill leaks quickly. While the saying “great things come in small packages” makes sense with this power steering leak stop, the size of this bottle is also a bit of a negative. It may only last a few weeks, leaving you to buy more bottles that are more expensive than other brands. Click Here to See Prices on Amazon\n• Wear gloves, a mask, and protective eyewear while using a power steering stop leak. If it touches your skin, it may be difficult to clean off. However, getting it in your eye could lead to irritation or worse symptoms.\n• To see if you’ve successfully stopped a leak, leave a piece of cardboard under the car where the power steering fluid usually leaks from. After filling the reservoir with stop leak, drive the car around for a bit, then park it over the cardboard. Check the cardboard to see if any leakage took place.\n• It’s best to check the best operating temperature for different power steering stop leak fluids. Some are designed for cold temperatures, while others work better in warmer climates.\n• Check to make sure the solution you get is designed for your specific car, as mentioned above. Not all power steering stop leak products are universal. Q: Does this product act like normal power steering fluid? A: While many are a mix of power steering fluid and stop leak fluid, not all will be combined together. It’s best to get a separate bottle of power steering solution to use after pouring in the stop leak fluid. Q: Can I pour the solution directly into the power steering reservoir? A: Many products allow you to pour the liquid in without emptying the contents beforehand. However, there are some brands of power steering stop leak fluid that will have you empty the previous liquid before filling it with the new solution. Read the bottle carefully before applying. Q: Is this a permanent fix to leaks? A: While power steering stop leak fluids may seem like a permanent solution to a problem, they only last a short amount of time. To truly fix a leak for good, you will need to take the car to a mechanic to get a better understanding of the leak. If you need a great power steering stop leak fluid for your car, we recommend checking out the BlueDevil Power Steering Stop Leak 00232. You can save some cash and still get one of the best power steering stop leak solutions we found with the Prestone AS262 Power Steering Fluid with Stop Leak. What do you think about our choices for the best power steering stop leak fluids? Do you have ones you prefer? Let us know in the comments below."], "summary": "Twelve people are killed and dozens more injured when a passenger grabs the steering wheel of a bus in West Java, Indonesia, causing it to crash."}
{"document": ["(CNN) The FBI is investigating the military background and social media history of a 22-year-old man who is suspected of trying to shoot up a federal building in Dallas Monday.\n\nBrian Isaack Clyde was shot and killed by federal officers before he got a chance to enter the Earle Cabell Federal Building, authorities said.\n\nNo officers or other citizens were injured in the shooting on the south side of the building, police said. One worker sustained a superficial injury when she was taking cover, US Attorney Erin Nealy Cox said. She added that there were 300 federal workers inside the building during the shooting.\n\nClyde was taken to a hospital where he was declared dead, according to FBI special agent in charge Matthew J. DeSarno.\n\nDeSarno said at a press conference that Clyde was discharged from the Army in 2017. The US Army confirmed to CNN that Pfc. Brian Clyde served as an infantryman from August 2015 to February 2017.\n\nRead More", "Gunman opens fire outside Dallas federal courthouse, police say originally appeared on abcnews.go.com\n\nA gunman opened fire outside a federal courthouse in Dallas Monday morning, but no one aside from the gunman appeared to be injured in the incident, police said.\n\nPolice responded to what they called an active shooter incident at the Earle Cabell federal courthouse in downtown Dallas at 8:50 a.m.\n\n\"There has been an exchange of gunfire between a suspect and federal officers,\" the Dallas Police Department wrote in a post on . \"The suspect was shot and transported to an area hospital. No officers or citizens injured.\"\n\nThe federal courthouse and nearby El Centro College were immediately placed on lockdown, according to ABC affiliate WFAA.\n\nPolice bomb squad technicians were examining the suspect's car in a parking lot near the courthouse as a precaution. Dallas police said on Twitter that they were preparing to do a controlled explosion of that vehicle, but offered no further details.\n\nWitness Don Miles told WFAA that he was walking into the courthouse for a hearing when the shooting broke out and people inside the building began streaming out.\n\n\"I was walking up to the building and all of a sudden there was shooting, rapid shooting,\" Miles said. \"I didn't see anybody get shot, but I did hear all the shooting. It was like 10 to 15 shots all of a sudden, at one time.\"\n\nThe FBI, U.S. Marshals and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives responded to the scene, WFAA reported.\n\nThe shooting was being monitored by police as far away as New York.\n\n\"We continue to closely monitor the reports of an active shooter at the Earle Cabell Federal Building in Downtown Dallas, Texas,\" the New York Police Department counterterrorism unit tweeted.\n\nThis is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.", "tirc83/iStock(DALLAS) — A gunman who appeared to be wearing tactical gear and wielding an assault rifle opened fire outside a federal courthouse in Dallas Monday morning, but no one aside from the alleged shooter appeared to be injured in the incident, police said.\n\nPolice responded to what they called an active shooter incident at the Earle Cabell Federal Courthouse in downtown Dallas at 8:50 a.m.\n\n“There has been an exchange of gunfire between a suspect and federal officers,” the Dallas Police Department wrote in a post on Twitter. “The suspect was shot and transported to an area hospital. No officers or citizens injured.”\n\nThe alleged gunman, identified by federal authorities as 22-year-old Brian Isaack Clyde, was gravely wounded in the gunbattle with Federal Protective Service officers, said Matthew DeSarno, special agent in charge at Federal Bureau of Investigation Dallas/Fort Worth office. Clyde was taken to Baylor University Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, DeSarno said at a news conference.\n\nCell phone video taken by witness Lane Brown and shared with ABC News appeared to show the gunman dressed in black tactical gear, including a bulletproof vest. The video shows the shooter taking up a position outside of the courthouse, peeking around a corner and randomly pointing a rifle at people.\n\n“It looked like he was playing Call of Duty or something. He had everything on,” Brown told ABC News, referring to the first-person shooter video game. “He even took aim at a girl walking a dog. There were a couple of ladies hiding behind a car.”\n\nHe said it sounded like the gunman was firing a semiautomatic rifle.\n\nThe gunman is then seen in Brown’s video running through a nearby parking lot, where the gunbattle apparently occurred.\n\n“I saw him get shot. I saw him go down,” said Brown, who took the cell-phone video from his 10th-floor condo near the federal building. “I couldn’t actually tell from where I was at who shot him or how many times or anything, but I did see him jerk a couple of times and then he hit the ground.\n\n“It was just really frightening to see something that close and knowing that he was shooting at real people down there,” Brown said.\n\nPolice have yet to comment on a possible motive for the shooting.\n\n“At this time, we have no information indicating that there are other shooters, other threats to the community,” DeSarno said.\n\nThe federal courthouse and nearby El Centro College were immediately placed on lockdown, according to ABC affiliate WFAA-TV.\n\nPolice bomb squad technicians were examining the suspect’s car found parked on a street near the courthouse. Dallas police said on Twitter that they were preparing to do a controlled explosion of that vehicle, but offered no further details.\n\nWitness Don Miles told WFAA-TV that he was walking into the courthouse for a hearing when the shooting broke out and people inside the building began streaming out.\n\n“I was walking up to the building and all of a sudden there was shooting, rapid shooting,” Miles said. “I didn’t see anybody get shot, but I did hear all the shooting. It was like 10 to 15 shots all of a sudden, at one time.”\n\nThe FBI, U.S. Marshals and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives responded to the scene, WFAA-TV reported.\n\nThe shooting was monitored by police as far away as New York.\n\n“We continue to closely monitor the reports of an active shooter at the Earle Cabell Federal Building in Downtown Dallas, Texas,” the New York Police Department counterterrorism unit tweeted.", "A man opened fire at a federal courthouse in Dallas on Monday before he was shot and killed by federal officers, authorities said.\n\nNo officers or other citizens were injured at the shooting near the Earle Cabell Federal Building, police said.\n\nThe gunman, identified as 22-year-old Brian Isaack Clyde, was taken to a hospital where he was declared dead, according to FBI special agent in charge Matthew J. DeSarno.\n\nPolice also said a bomb squad was preparing to do a controlled explosion of the suspect’s vehicle. DeSarno said there was no indication that there are other shooters or threats.\n\nOne witness told CNN affiliate KTVT that he was walking into the courthouse when a group of people ran out and he heard about 10 to 15 gunshots in rapid succession. Don Miles, said he turned and ran across the street to safety.\n\n“It was just a whole lot of shots going on,” Miles said. “It scared me to death.”\n\nAnother witness, Herman Turner, told KTVT that the gunman was wearing fatigues and his face was covered by a mask.", "A gunman opened fire Monday morning at the federal courthouse in downtown Dallas and was killed by law enforcement, the Dallas Morning News reported.\n\nThe shooter, who was reportedly wearing a mask and combat boots, started shooting around 8:50 a.m. at the U.S. Courthouse, which prompted return fire from federal officers, according to the Dallas News.\n\nNo one else was reported to be injured.\n\nThe shooter has been identified as Brian Isaack Clyde, 22, who died at the scene before being transported to Baylor University Medical Center.\n\nDallas Morning News photographer Tom Foxx, who reportedly witnessed the incident, said the gunman carried a rifle.\n\nTRENDING: Man Killed by Police, Causing Riots in Memphis, Was Wanted for Shooting of Mississippi Man\n\nMultiple witnesses said they heard between 15 and 20 shots, reported by NBC5, who also described the shooter dressed in tactical gear.\n\nThe shooting is reportedly one block away from the shooting on July 7, 2016, where five police officers were slain by a gunman.\n\nSome are now calling for the government to address the issues of “White Male Domestic Terrorism.”\n\nBuildings around the area were evacuated or locked down while police secured the scene.\n\nThe investigation is led by agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.\n\nRELATED: Parents Can Be Prosecuted in Delaware Now for Not Safely Storing Guns\n\nA version of this article appeared on The Daily Caller News Foundation website.\n\nWe are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.", "DALLAS -- A masked gunman opened fire Monday on a federal courthouse in downtown Dallas but was fatally shot by federal officers before he could injure anyone, witnesses and authorities said.\n\nBrian Isaack Clyde, 22, was pronounced dead at a hospital after the shooting outside the Earle Cabell Federal Building.\n\nAuthorities offered no hint of his motive, but FBI agent Matthew DeSarno said there was nothing to indicate the presence of any other shooters or threats to the city.\n\nClyde opened fire about 8:40 a.m. Law enforcement authorities immediately responded, including three officers from the Federal Protective Service who were stationed at the building.\n\nAs a precaution, a bomb squad later examined a vehicle associated with the gunman and performed controlled explosions, authorities said. Two loud blasts could be heard.\n\nThe Dallas Morning News reported that one of its photographers, Tom Fox, was outside the building and saw the shooter open fire.\n\nFox said the masked man parked at a street corner, then ran and began shooting at the courthouse. The bullets shattered the glass panes in a revolving door.\n\nAn image captured by Fox showed the man wearing a balaclava and a heavy vest and carrying a rifle. Several magazines could be seen on his belt.\n\nAnother photograph from Fox showed authorities tending to a shirtless man lying on the ground in a parking lot outside the building.\n\nPolice closed off several blocks around the federal building.\n\nEd Modla said he was working from home at SoCo Urban Lofts on Monday when he heard at least 10 loud shots outside. He looked outside and saw the gunman running across Griffin Street.\n\n\"As soon as I saw the shooter, I got the hell away from the window,\" he said.\n\nHe said he took another peek from his third-floor window a few moments later and saw officers \"zeroing in\" on the suspect across the street.\n\nChad Cline, 46, who lives near the courthouse, said a message was broadcast throughout his building shortly before 9 a.m. announcing that there was an active shooter in the area and that residents should stay inside.\n\nLess than half an hour later, another message reported the potential bomb threat and said residents needed to leave.\n\nCline, his wife and their two dogs went to a coffee shop.\n\nDallas police evacuated the apartment building around 10 a.m., going door to door to make sure everyone got out.\n\nJudicial intern Thompson Du was waiting outside the courthouse Monday morning after officials kept him from going inside. Du said friends who were already nearby when the shooting occurred told him they heard shots for 45 seconds.\n\nDon Miles heard 10-15 shots as he walked up to the Commerce Street entrance for his 9 a.m. appointment.\n\nHerman Turner, 50, took the day off work to run errands at the courthouse.\n\nHe said he was on his way to get a cashier's check when he saw the gunman run from the courthouse door near Main and Griffin streets, plant himself in the middle of the road and begin firing an assault rifle back at the building.\n\nThe shooting happened a block from the site of the July 7, 2016, ambush where five police officers -- four Dallas officers and a Dallas Area Rapid Transit officer -- were killed by a gunman.\n\nInformation for this article was contributed by Jake Bleiberg, Jamie Stengle, Diana Heidgerd and Clarice Silber of The Associated Press; and by Sara Coello, Jennifer Emily, Charles Scudder and Dave Tarrant of The Dallas Morning News.", "A gunman has died after opening fire at the Earle Cabell Federal Courthouse in Downtown Dallas Monday morning, the FBI told reporters. The heavily armed, masked suspect was shot in an “exchange of gunfire” with federal officers, according to the Dallas Police Department. He was the only person wounded in the attack, and was later “transported to an area hospital,” the police department tweeted.\n\nThe FBI and local reports identified the suspect as Brian Isaack Clyde, 22. Officials say he died on the scene.\n\n“Law enforcement responded immediately and I want to assure the community, especially our downtown community, that the community is safe,” said Erin Nealy Cox, U.S. Attorney for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas, at a press briefing Monday morning.\n\nA Dallas photographer, Tom Fox, was at the location when the shooting took place, taking several photos before being questioned by the FBI, according to the .\n\nA bomb squad also examined the suspected shooter’s vehicle. The Associated Press and several local news outlets report they later detonated a device in the vehicle in a controlled explosion. Dallas police have handed the case over to federal officials.\n\n“As soon as I saw the shooter I got the hell away from the window,” witness Ed Modla told the Dallas .", "Whenstaff photographer Tom Fox got up on Monday morning, he likely didn't expect to be at the epicenter of an attempted mass shooting.According to the, a gunman identified by authorities as Brian Issack Clyde, 22, opened fire on the downtown Dallas federal courthouse. As he approached the door of the building, Fox was standing right outside – in a video shot from a nearby building by witness Tim Brown, you can see Fox hiding behind a pillar as Clyde shoots at the door and wall of the courthouse before retreating to a parking lot across the street. He was carrying more than five 30-round magazines of ammunition.Clyde was shot by law enforcement personnel and died at the scene. Miraculously, no one else has been reported injured as of press time. After the shooting, authorities detonated a suspicious device found in the 2003 Nissan Altima that Clyde drove to the courthouse.The incident took place shortly before Dallas' new mayor, Eric Johnson, and new city council were sworn in for their first day on the job, and only one block away from the site of the July 7, 2016 shooting in which four Dallas police officers and one Dallas Area Rapid Transit officer were killed.Before his Facebook profile was shut down, reporter Dana Branham scraped it for as much information about Clyde as possible, but he left behind no manifesto nor other obvious evidence that would point to a motive. Clyde was not previously under investigation by law enforcement.", "DALLAS, Texas -- Police said a person has been shot after exchanging gunfire with federal officers outside a federal courthouse in downtown Dallas.A bomb squad is examining the vehicle of the person who was shot while exchanging gunfire with federal officers, according to officials.Police said the suspect in the shooting Monday morning outside the Earle Cabell Federal Building has been taken to a hospital and that no one else was injured.The Dallas Morning News reports that one of its photographers outside the building witnessed a gunman opening fire. A photograph shows authorities tending to a man lying on the ground in a parking lot outside the building.The window panes in a revolving door of courthouse were broken afterward.", "DALLAS (AP) — A masked gunman opened fire Monday on a federal courthouse in downtown Dallas before being fatally shot in an exchange of gunfire with federal officers, witnesses and authorities said.\n\nBrian Isaack Clyde, 22, was pronounced dead at a hospital following the shooting outside the Earle Cabell Federal Building. Authorities offered no hint of his motive, but FBI agent Matthew DeSarno said there was nothing to indicate the presence of any other shooters or threats to the city.\n\nClyde opened fire about 8:40 a.m., and law enforcement immediately responded, including three officers from the Federal Protective Service who were stationed at the building.\n\nA bomb squad later examined a vehicle associated with the gunman as a precaution and performed controlled explosions, authorities said. Two loud blasts could be heard.\n\nThe Dallas Morning News reported that one of its photographers, Tom Fox, was outside the building and witnessed the shooter opening fire.\n\nFox said he was outside the building when a masked man parked at the corner of two downtown streets. He said the man ran and began shooting at the courthouse, cracking the glass of the door. The window panes in a revolving door were broken.\n\nA photograph posted on the newspaper’s website showed authorities tending to a shirtless man lying on the ground in a parking lot outside the building.\n\nPolice closed off several blocks around the federal building.\n\nChad Cline, 46, who lives near the courthouse, told The Associated Press that a message was broadcast throughout his building shortly before 9 a.m. announcing that there was an active shooter in the area and that residents should stay inside.\n\nLess than half an hour later, another message said there was a potential bomb threat and that residents needed to leave. He, his wife and their two dogs went to a coffee shop.\n\nAssociated Press writer Diana Heidgerd contributed to this report."], "summary": "A gunman opens fire on Dallas police before being shot and killed near a federal building."}
{"document": ["Police on Monday arrested a man suspected of stabbing a police officer multiple times in Osaka Prefecture the previous day and stealing his pistol, an incident that came just days before the prefecture hosts the Group of 20 summit set to be attended by several world leaders.\n\nYujiro Iimori, 33, is alleged to have stabbed the officer, Suzunosuke Kose, 26, with a knife multiple times at a police box in the city of Suita, before fleeing the scene at around 5:40 a.m. on Sunday. He was carrying the gun when he was detained in the nearby city of Minoo, police said. Kose remains in critical condition.\n\nIimori denied the charges, saying, “It is not something I have done,” according to police. “It is because my disease got worse and because the people around me became bitter.”\n\nHe was carrying a mental disability certificate, investigators said.\n\nThe violent incident comes as police step up security in the nearby city of Osaka, which will host next week’s Group of 20 summit. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Monday that he takes the incident seriously.\n\n“We will boost security as we are expecting the G20 summit next week,” he said, adding that the incident has left residents greatly concerned.\n\nWhile Osaka police officials are relieved that the suspect has been arrested, they remain troubled that a police officer had his weapon stolen ahead of the G20 summit, adding that identifying measures to stop similar incidents is an urgent task.\n\nPolice departments across the country have been introducing new holsters designed to prevent officers from being disarmed. Since Kose was using an older-style holster, Osaka Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura said he will ask the central government to allocate budget to replace such holsters with the new style as soon as possible.\n\nIimori was put on a nationwide wanted list early Monday.\n\nThe gun was loaded with five bullets when it was stolen, but only four were found in it when Iimori was arrested, police said.\n\nNo injuries or damage has been reported since the gun was stolen but several people living near the police box where the incident occurred said they heard a sound like gunfire about 20 minutes after the attack. Police are investigating whether it was the sound of the gun being fired.\n\nIimori was apprehended in a mountain forest in Minoo, north of Suita, at around 6:35 a.m. Monday, after images of a person resembling him were recorded on security cameras.\n\nWhen found by police, Iimori was lying on a wooden bench with a backpack under his head. The pistol was inside a plastic bag under the bench, according to police.\n\nAuthorities had been contacted by Iimori’s father, who said the suspect shown in surveillance camera footage, released by police, appeared to be his son, investigative sources said. The father said his son had been living in Tokyo until shortly before the stabbing.\n\nA man resembling the person in the footage had stayed at a hotel in Suita on Friday, the sources added.\n\nKose was apparently attacked after two fellow officers left the police box to respond to an emergency call reporting a break-in at a home. Police had received a call at around 5:30 a.m. from a man at a public pay phone at Kandaimae Station, claiming that his apartment had been ransacked by a burglar.\n\nImages from multiple security cameras taken immediately after the call showed a man running toward the police box.\n\nThe two senior police officers rushed to the apartment on motorcycles, ahead of Kose. As Kose was preparing to follow the two at around 5:40 a.m., he was stabbed seven times with a 15-centimeter cooking knife. One of the stab wounds was to the left side of his chest.\n\nHe is believed to have been attacked just as he climbed onto his motorcycle, not having had time to draw his gun to defend himself. The motorcycle was found overturned close to where Kose was found bleeding near the police box. The reported break-in later proved to be a false report.\n\nOne of Kose’s stab wounds showed that the knife blade, which passed through a gap in his bulletproof vest, penetrated his lung and reached his heart, according to investigative sources. The suspect bought a jacket and a pair of trousers at an Aeon supermarket some 5 kilometers from the police box shortly after 9 a.m. Sunday, just after it had opened for the day.\n\nAn employee at the supermarket made an emergency call to police after noticing that the customer’s hand was bloodstained.\n\nThe stabbing shocked locals, forcing supermarkets and libraries to close and public events, including flea markets, to be canceled.\n\nPolice had called on residents to lock their doors and refrain from venturing outside.\n\nIimori, a resident of Shinagawa Ward in Tokyo, had been working part-time as a cleaner at a golf practice range in adjacent Ota Ward since November, according to his co-workers. His father works as an executive at Kansai Television Co.\n\nOn June 10, he applied for leave, complaining of a mental health problem. Iimori initially planned to take three days off, but later told his boss that it would be difficult for him to go back to work before the end of June.\n\nOn Saturday afternoon, Iimori telephoned his boss and said that he would likely be able to start working again around June 25.\n\nAccording to former classmates and a Facebook account believed to be his, Iimori graduated from Komazawa University in Tokyo after studying at elementary, junior high and high schools in Suita.\n\nBetween April and September 2009 Iimori had worked as a seaman apprentice in the Maritime Self-Defense Force. During that time he worked aboard a destroyer but never handled pistols while on duty, according to a Defense Ministry source.\n\nIn a statement, Takahisa Ishida, head of the Osaka Prefectural Police Department, said, “We apologize for the great worry we have caused local residents and appreciate the information that has been offered to investigators.”\n\nSome locals expressed relief following the arrest of the suspect.", "A police officer was stabbed and his pistol was stolen in the northern Osaka Prefecture city of Suita, authorities said Sunday, with the male suspect who fled the scene yet to be apprehended.\n\nThe 26-year-old officer, Suzunosuke Kose, was found at a koban (police box) with serious injuries and a knife embedded in the left side of his chest. Emergency services were notified of the incident at around 5:40 a.m., according to police.\n\nKose was apparently attacked after two fellow officers left the police box to respond to an emergency call reporting a home break-in. A pay phone about 800 meters south of the police box was used for the call, which the police said was a false report.\n\nThe suspect, who is facing robbery and attempted murder charges, is thought to be around 30 years old and is about 170-180 centimeters tall.\n\nSurveillance camera footage showed a man loitering around the police box, which is located in front of Hankyu Railway's Senriyama Station, about an hour before the incident. The police released footage of the man.\n\nThe gun was loaded with five bullets when it was stolen.\n\nThe incident shocked local residents and led some nearby universities to cancel open campus events.\n\n\"The police officers here were all nice. I hope the suspect will be caught before the gun is used,\" a 49-year-old woman said.\n\nOsaka Gov Hirofumi Yoshimura tweeted a warning to Suita residents, asking them to be especially mindful of children's safety. He also said that schools in the northern Osaka area had been instructed to cancel events and club activities for the day.\n\nThe incident happened at a time when the prefectural police have been stepping up security in the nearby city of Osaka where a meeting of leaders from the Group of 20 major economies will be held late this month.\n\nPolice departments in Japan have been introducing new pistol holsters designed to prevent officers from being disarmed following a series of serious incidents in which there was a struggle for a firearm.\n\nKose was using an older-style holster and a clip that was meant to keep his pistol attached to a cable had come off, according to the police.\n\nThe incident in Suita is the latest in a string of similar attacks on police in Japan.\n\nIn January, a university student armed with a knife and hammer slightly injured an officer at a police station in Toyama. The student, who was arrested on the spot, told investigators he tried to steal a gun so he could use it to commit suicide.\n\nIn June last year, a former member of the Self-Defense Forces stabbed to death an officer at a police box in Toyama, stole his handgun and fatally shot a security guard at a nearby school.", "A police officer was stabbed and his pistol was stolen in the northern Osaka Prefecture city of Suita, authorities said Sunday, with the male suspect who fled the scene yet to be apprehended.\n\nThe 26-year-old officer Suzunosuke Kose was found at a police box with a knife embedded in the left side of his chest and other stab wounds. Emergency services were notified of the incident at around 5:40 a.m., according to police.\n\nKose was apparently attacked after two fellow officers on duty left the police box to respond to an emergency call reporting a home break-in. The police believe that it was a false report.\n\nThe suspect, who is facing potential robbery and attempted murder charges, is thought to be in his 30s and is about 170-180 centimeters tall.\n\nSurveillance camera footage showed a man loitering around the police box, which is located in front of Hankyu Railway’s Senriyama Station, about an hour before the incident.\n\nThe gun was loaded with five bullets when it was stolen.\n\nSchools in the northern Osaka area have been instructed to cancel events and club activities, Osaka Gov. Hirofumi Yoshimura said on Twitter.\n\nThe incident happened at a time when the prefectural police have been stepping up security in the nearby city of Osaka where a meeting of leaders from the Group of 20 major economies will be held late this month.\n\nPolice departments in Japan have been introducing new pistol holsters designed to prevent officers from being disarmed following a series of serious incidents in which there was a struggle for a firearm.\n\nKose was using an older-style holster, according to the police.\n\nIn January, a university student armed with a knife and hammer slightly injured an officer at a police station in the city of Toyama. The student, who was arrested on the spot, told investigators he tried to steal a gun so he could use it to commit suicide.\n\nAlso in Toyama in June last year, a former member of the Self-Defense Forces stabbed an officer to death at a police box, stole his handgun and fatally shot a security guard at a nearby school.", "OSAKA (TR) – Osaka Prefectural Police have arrested a man for allegedly stabbing a police officer and stealing his gun in Suita City on Sunday, reports Fuji News Network (June 17).\n\nAt around 5:30 a.m. Yujiro Iimori, 33, allegedly used a knife to stab 26-year-old officer Suzunosuke Kose at the Senriyama Police Box. He then stole the officer’s gun, containing five rounds of ammunition, before fleeing the scene.\n\nKose is currently unconscious in a hospital, police said.\n\nAfter police publicly released security camera footage showing the suspected perpetrator, Iimori’s father contacted police, believing the person was his son.\n\nAt around 6:30 a.m. on Monday, officers apprehended Iimori in Mino City on suspicion of attempted murder. The gun, which contained four bullets, was also retrieved from the suspect.\n\nThe stabbing took place after two colleagues responded to call about a break-in. Police later determined that the call, which turned out to be fake, was made from public phone located about 800 meters from the police box, police said.\n\nPolice are now seeking a motive for the crime.", "OSAKA (THE YOMIURI SHIMBUN/ASIA NEWS NETWORK) - A man was arrested on Monday (June 17) morning on suspicion of attempted murder over the stabbing of a police officer in Suita, Osaka Prefecture, the previous day.\n\nFollowing the attack on the officer, whose handgun was also stolen, police found a man suspected of fleeing the scene in a nearby city in Osaka Prefecture. The suspect was identified as part-time worker Yujiro Iimori, 33, of Shinagawa Ward, Tokyo. Iimori had the handgun with him when Osaka prefectural police arrested him.\n\nAccording to police, Iimori denied the allegation of attempted murder. They will further investigate his possible motives and other elements of the case.\n\nIimori is suspected of attempting to murder on-duty policeman Suzunosuke Kose, 26, by stabbing him in the chest in a parking space of the Senriyama police box in Suita at about 5.38am on Sunday, police said. Iimori is also suspected of stealing officer Kose's handgun, loaded with five bullets.\n\nOfficer Kose is unconscious and in critical condition.\n\nIn response to questioning, Iimori reportedly said: \"That's not something I did. I think it happened because my illness got worse and the people around me got worse.\"\n\nIimori has remained silent on the subject of his identity and refuses to sign a written record of the questioning.\n\nAccording to the prefectural police, Iimori has received psychosomatic treatment and was issued a mental disorder certificate. The police will examine whether Iimori can be held criminally responsible.\n\nIimori lives with his parents in a condominium in Shinagawa Ward, and once lived in Suita. Some information suggests that he served in the Maritime Self-Defence Force from April to September 2009.\n\nInvestigators found Iimori lying on a bench in a forest in Minoo, Osaka Prefecture, and arrested him at 6.34am on Monday. The bench is about 8km north of the police box. When arrested, Iimori had approximately ¥100,000 (S$1,266) in cash and his driver's licence. There was a plastic bag underneath the bench containing the police handgun.\n\nThere were signs that one bullet out of five had been fired. At about 6am on Sunday, immediately after the attack, an explosive sound was heard in a residential area near the police box. Police are investigating the possibility that Iimori fired the gun while fleeing from the scene.\n\nA suspicious man was recorded wandering around by a security camera at the Senriyama police box before the attack, and the prefectural police released a screen grab from the footage.\n\nIimori's father, an executive at Kansai Television, contacted the police, saying, \"(The man in the screen grab) looks like my son.\"\n\nA hotel in Suita also reported to police that a guest who stayed there last Friday night appeared to be the man in the image.\n\nBased on such tips, the prefectural police concluded Iimori was involved in the attack and obtained an arrest warrant early Monday. The police also put Iimori on a nationwide wanted list.\n\nThe police collected security video footage from a wide range of areas in a bid to track Iimori's movements, and determined that a man who appeared to be Iimori was heading toward the forest in Minoo at about 8pm on Sunday. The police combed the forest after daybreak on Monday.\n\nOsaka prefectural police chief Takahisa Ishida issued a statement saying: \"I am sorry we caused fear among the people in the prefecture. We will try to ascertain the whole picture of the case and proceed with police activities for the peace and safety (of the public).\"", "Japanese police on Monday arrested a man suspected of stabbing a police officer in the chest and stealing his gun near Osaka, just days before world leaders fly into the city for a G-20 summit.\n\n[TOKYO] Japanese police on Monday arrested a man suspected of stabbing a police officer in the chest and stealing his gun near Osaka, just days before world leaders fly into the city for a G-20 summit.\n\nThe 33-year-old suspect, who denies the charges, was in possession of an ID document showing he was mentally disabled, an Osaka regional police detective told AFP.\n\nThe police officer, 22, is still in a coma, the detective added. His gun was found later with one bullet missing.\n\nThe incident, a rare case of violent crime in Japan, hit national headlines due to the proximity of the attack to the G-20, which will be held in the western city on June 28 and 29.\n\n\"We have not yet studied what impact this will have on the G-20 security plan,\" Takahisa Ishida, chief of the Osaka police, told local media.\n\nUS President Donald Trump, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping will be among the leaders jetting in for the summit, with tens of thousands of aides in tow.\n\nMore than 25,000 police officers will reportedly be mobilised to provide security in Osaka during the summit meetings.\n\n\"We will do our best on security measures ahead of the G-20 next week,\" top government spokesman Yoshihide Suga told reporters on Monday when asked about the incident.\n\nA recent meeting of G-20 finance ministers in the western city of Fukuoka was held under extremely high security, with areas around the meeting in total lockdown.", "A man suspected of stabbing a police officer and stealing his pistol in Osaka Prefecture on Sunday morning has been apprehended, police said Monday.\n\nYujiro Iimori, the 33-year-old suspect, allegedly stabbed officer Suzunosuke Kose, 26, with a knife at a police box in Suita and fled the scene around 5:40 a.m., the police said.", "A police officer stands guard on Sunday in front of a police box in Osaka Prefecture, where an officer was stabbed and had his pistol stolen earlier in the day. Photo: Kyodo", "Police officers investigating the site where a police officer was found stabbed and the officer's gun, loaded with several bullets, was stolen, in Suita, Osaka prefecture, western Japan, on June 16, 2019.\n\nTOKYO - A Japanese police officer was stabbed several times in the chest with a kitchen knife and had his loaded handgun stolen while on patrol on Sunday (June 16) morning in the western city of Suita, in a rare case of violent crime in Japan, public broadcaster NHK reported.\n\nThe attack, which police believe may have been pre-meditated, sparked a manhunt with police using loudspeakers at a railway station to warn people to be on alert.\n\nThe stabbing comes two weeks before Japan hosts a leaders' summit of the Group of 20 major economies in the neighbouring city of Osaka. It also follows an incident last month in which a knife-wielding middle-aged man killed a girl and an adult, injuring another 17 people near Tokyo.\n\nViolent crime is relatively rare in Japan but occasional high-profile incidents have shocked the nation.\n\n\"It's scary that a handgun was stolen. I want this to be resolved quickly,\" a male neighbour said.\n\n\"A kindergarten's open day was cancelled due to this incident. My kids cannot go out. It's scary,\" another man said.\n\nThe 26-year-old police officer was found lying on the ground with a kitchen knife stabbed in his left chest around 5.30am local time on Sunday (4.30am Singapore time), reported NHK.\n\nHe was attacked in front of a police box, as he likely followed two officers after a telephone call reporting a theft.\n\nPolice suspect the attack may have been premeditated, as nothing else was stolen and a security camera showed a man, who appeared in his 30s, hanging around the police box about an hour before the stabbing, said NHK.", "Police on Tuesday sent a man suspected of stabbing a police officer and stealing his gun in Osaka Prefecture to prosecutors, one day after his arrest.\n\nThe police said Yujiro Iimori, 33, who is charged with attempted murder and robbery, attacked Suzunosuke Kose, 26, with a knife at 5:38 a.m. Sunday at a police box in the city of Suita.\n\nThe knife used in the attack had a blade as long as 15 centimeters. The police said it penetrated Kose's lung, reaching his heart. Kose was reportedly stabbed at least seven times and remains in a coma.\n\nWhile Iimori has denied the allegations, he also blamed the incident on his illness, according to investigators. He is a holder of a mental disability certificate.\n\nThe police said about 10 minutes before the attack, someone, who gave the name of one of Imori's former classmates, called in a report of a home break-in.\n\nThe police suspect it was Iimori making a false report in an attempt to lure police officers from the police box, according to investigative sources.\n\nIimori had contacted a junior high school classmate through Facebook and asked for his address before the incident, the sources said.\n\nAbout three and a half hours after the stabbing, a man with blood on his hands purchased clothes and shoes at a nearby shopping mall. Fingerprints left on the shoebox, which was left at the mall, and those on a knife cover found at the crime scene matched, according to the sources.\n\nIimori was arrested early Monday after the police found him on a bench on a mountain trail, not far from the crime scene and in possession of the stolen pistol.\n\nThe gun contained five bullets when stolen, but only four when it was retrieved, the police said. There were signs the gun had been fired and residents near the police box reported hearing an explosive sound about 20 minutes after the attack.\n\nIimori was wearing a light blue cap, a dark red jacket, navy pants and shoes at the time of his arrest. But security camera footage shows him walking around the police box just before the attack wearing a white cap.\n\nThe police suspect Iimori changed into different clothing as he fled and are now searching for the clothes and shoes he had on earlier."], "summary": "A man identified as Yujiro Iimori, who allegedly stabbed and robbed a police officer of his gun, is arrested in Osaka, Japan. He presents a mental health certificate as defense."}
{"document": ["Supreme Court Hands Democrats A Win On Racial Gerrymandering In Virginia\n\nEnlarge this image toggle caption Jacquelyn Martin/AP Jacquelyn Martin/AP\n\nLegislative districts in Virginia that the Supreme Court previously said were racially gerrymandered have to remain in their redrawn form, the court said Monday, giving Democrats in the state a victory.\n\nThe majority decision was written by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who noted that because the entirety of state government wasn't suing to keep the fight going — the case was brought by the state's GOP-controlled House — then it is throwing the case out.\n\n\"In short, Virginia would rather stop than fight on,\" Ginsburg wrote. \"One House of its bicameral legislature cannot alone continue the litigation against the will of its partners in the legislative process.\"\n\nThe court previously decided that 11 districts in the state were sorted by race and they had to be redrawn. They were redrawn, and then the state's GOP-controlled House intervened to take it to the Supreme Court.\n\nThe case was 5-4, but not along the usual conservative-liberal lines. Instead, the majority in this case was Ginsburg with liberal justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan, as well as conservatives Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch.\n\nFor the number of cases remaining, the court appeared to be clearing out the underbrush Monday. It decided four cases, and none of them in a major way. It also punted a controversial Oregon cake-shop case — dealing with gay rights vs. religious freedom — sending it back to a lower court.\n\nAnd it did nothing yet on Trump administration appeals of lower-court rulings that his administration violated the law on DACA, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. The court could deal with it by the end of the term, possibly next week.\n\nThis now leaves 20 undecided cases — 11 of which could be major decisions — and just one scheduled decision day remaining: June 24.\n\nThe court's schedule, however, is all but certain to change, adding more decision days next week.", "Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings.\n\nWASHINGTON — The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday tossed out a lawsuit in Virginia over political boundaries for its state Legislature.\n\nBy a 5-4 vote — but not strictly along the usual conservative/liberal divide — the court said Virginia's House of Delegates did not have the legal right to carry on a fight over the map once state officials bowed out.\n\nThe dispute arose after the last census when the Republican-controlled Legislature redrew the district lines for the Virginia Senate and the House of Delegates. In response to a lawsuit, a federal court declared the map invalid, concluding that it unconstitutionally sorted voters based on race. A redrawn map was seen as more favorable to Democrats.\n\nVirginia's attorney general declined to appeal, and the House of Delegates picked up the fight. But the Supreme Court said a single house of the Legislature had no authority to do so.\n\n\"The House observes that Virginia gives redistricting authority to the 'General Assembly.' True enough,\" Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote. But, she said, \"One house of its bicameral legislature cannot alone continue the litigation against the will of its partners in the legislative process.\"\n\nShe was joined by two of the court's other liberals, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan, but also by two of the court's most conservative members, Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch.\n\n\"It's unfortunate that House Republicans wasted millions of taxpayer dollars and months of litigation in a futile effort to protect racially gerrymandered districts, but the good news is that this fall's elections will take place in constitutionally drawn districts,\" Herring said.\n\nEric Holder, the former U.S. attorney general during the Obama administration, called the decision \"an important victory for African Americans in Virginia who have been forced since 2011 to vote in racially gerrymandered districts that unfairly diluted their voting power.\"\n\n\"With a new, fair map in place, all Virginians will now — finally — have the opportunity this fall to elect a House of Delegates that actually represents the will of the people,\" Holder said.\n\nMonday's decision will have no practical effect, because the Supreme Court had earlier allowed elections to proceed using the redrawn map that the House of Delegates opposed.", "The Supreme Court on Monday threw out a challenge to Virginia’s state legislative maps, keeping in place a new map that boosts Democratic chances of retaking the Virginia House of Representatives in 2019.\n\nIn a short 5-4 decision, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote that Virginia’s Republican-controlled House did not have the authority to appeal a lower-court ruling that 11 state legislative districts were racially gerrymandered by Republicans and needed to be redrawn. Neither the state senate nor the Virginia attorney general joined the appeal, making it invalid, the justices found. “One House of its bicameral legislature cannot alone continue the litigation against the will of its partners in the legislative process,” Ginsburg wrote. In a strange bedfellow lineup, Ginsburg was joined in the majority by Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Clarence Thomas, and Neil Gorsuch. Justice Samuel Alito dissented, joined by John Roberts, Stephen Breyer, and Brett Kavanaugh.\n\nIn 2018, a three-judge federal district court in Virginia ruled that Republicans illegally concentrated black voters into a small number of predominately African American districts in order to make the surrounding districts whiter and more favorable to Republicans. “Race predominated over traditional districting factors,” the majority ruled.\n\nThe court ordered a nonpartisan redistricting expert to draw new districts for 2019 legislative elections, which one analysis found could shift six seats to the Democrats. Democrats are currently only one seat away from taking control of the state house and senate, which would give them control over the redistricting process in 2021, when new lines are drawn.\n\nRepublicans in the Virginia House hired Thomas Hofeller, the Republican gerrymandering mastermind who was a key figure behind the Trump administration’s decision to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census, to defend their maps, but the federal court disagreed with his conclusions.\n\nBecause this case was decided on technical grounds, it may not shed any light on the other high-profile voting cases before the Supreme Court, as the justices weigh the fate of partisan gerrymandering and the census citizenship question.\n\n*This post has been corrected to note which justices joined the majority opinion", "Supreme Court Justices Split Along Unexpected Lines In Three Cases\n\nWith less than two weeks left in the U.S. Supreme Court term, the justices handed down four decisions on Monday. Defying predictions, three were decided by shifting liberal-conservative coalitions.\n\nHere, in a nutshell, are the results, and the fascinating shifting votes:\n\nBy a 7-to-2 vote, the court reaffirmed its 100-year-old rule declaring that the state and federal governments may each prosecute a person separately for the same crime, without violating the Constitution's double-jeopardy clause. Dissenting were the court's leading liberal justice, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and one of its most conservative justices, Neil Gorsuch.\n\nRacial gerrymandering case thrown out with a mix of liberals, conservatives\n\nSpurning pleas from Virginia Republicans, the court let stand decisions by the lower courts finding that 11 state house districts were racially gerrymandered in violation of the Constitution. The Supreme Court said the Republican-dominated state House had no legal standing to appeal to the Supreme Court on its own when the state senate and the state attorney general had decided against appealing.\n\nJustice Ginsburg wrote the opinion for the 5-to-4 majority. She was joined by conservative Justices Gorsuch and Clarence Thomas, and liberal Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan. Dissenting were conservative Justices Samuel Alito, Brett Kavanaugh, and Chief Justice John Roberts, as well as liberal justice Stephen Breyer.\n\nUranium ban upheld again with an ideological mix\n\nThe court upheld Virginia's ban on Uranium mining. By a 6-to-3 vote, the justices said that the state law was not superseded by the federal Atomic Energy Act (AEA).\n\nWriting for the court majority, Justice Gorsuch said the AEA gives the federal government the authority to regulate nuclear safety, but not the authority to regulate mining itself. Fellow conservatives Thomas and Kavanaugh joined the Gorsuch opinion in full, but liberal Justices Ginsburg, Sotomayor, and Kagan agreed only with his bottom line. They refused to sign on to Gorsuch's broad language about matters that they said \"sweep well beyond the confines of this case.\"\n\nDissenting were Chief Justice Roberts and Justices Breyer and Alito.\n\nThe only classic conservative-liberal split on Monday came in a case testing whether a private corporation that runs a public access TV channel in New York City is a public forum that, like a public park, cannot discriminate against speakers.\n\nThe court, by a 5-to-4 vote, concluded that the public access channel here was owned by Time Warner, not by the city. And because it was privately owned, the channel could not be sued for refusing to air a movie.\n\nJustice Kavanaugh wrote the decision for the five conservative justices, declaring that \"[M]erely hosting speech by others is not a traditional, exclusive public function.\"\n\nTherefore, channel operators cannot be sued for violating the First Amendment guarantee of free speech. At first blush, at least, the decision would seem to preclude First Amendment lawsuits against private platform operators, like Twitter and Facebook, though Kavanaugh warned that the decision should not be read \"too broadly.\"\n\nDissenting were the court's four liberal justices.\n\nOn Thursday, the court is expected to hand down more of the 20 remaining decisions on its docket. Among those are the three blockbuster cases of the term:\n• The American Legion v. American Humanist Association: A case from Maryland that tests whether a giant World War I memorial in the shape of a Latin cross is, as the challengers maintain, a symbol of Christianity that violates the Constitution's ban on establishment of religion. The objectors are seeking its removal to private property and an end to taxpayer funding of the cross.\n• Rucho v. Common Cause (North Carolina) Lamone v. Benisek (Maryland): Cases from North Carolina and Maryland that test whether there is any constitutional limit to extreme partisan gerrymandering that serves to entrench one-party domination of congressional seats in states that are more narrowly divided.\n• Department of Commerce v. New York: State and local governments are challenging the Trump administration's plan to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census. The Census Bureau's own experts have warned that adding the question will lead to a serious under count of the population.\n\nThese three decisions (and 17 others) remain in the wings.", "WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court dismissed the challenge to a lower court's findings that some of Virginia's legislative districts were racially gerrymandered, saying Monday that House Republicans did not have legal standing to challenge the decision.\n\nThe decision could give an advantage to the state's Democrats. All 140 seats in the legislature are on the ballot this fall, and the GOP holds two-seat majorities in both the House (51-49) and the Senate (21-19).\n\nDemocrats have been hoping that a wave of successes in recent Virginia elections will propel them to control of the legislature for the first time since 1995.\n\nThe party that controls the General Assembly in 2021 will oversee the next statewide redistricting effort, following next year's census — potentially cementing an advantage in future elections.\n\nPrimaries were held last week in the new districts.\n\nThe case split the court. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote the majority opinion in the 5- 4 case, saying that House Republican leaders could not challenge the court ruling because they did not represent the commonwealth.\n\nThe state's attorney general declined to continue the case, Ginsburg wrote.\n\n\"The State of Virginia would rather stop than fight on,\" she wrote. \"One House of its bicameral legislature cannot alone continue the litigation against the will of its partners in the legislative process.\"\n\nShe was joined in an unusual alignment by Justices Clarence Thomas, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Neil Gorsuch.\n\nJustice Samuel Alito Jr. dissented, saying he saw no support \"for the proposition that Virginia law bars the House from defending, in its own right, the constitutionality of a districting plan.\" He was joined by Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. and Justices Stephen Breyer and Brett Kavanaugh.\n\nBecause the state did not draw a new map after the decision by the panel of judges in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, the judges had an outside expert draw a new map.\n\nIt realigns a total of 26 House districts as it remedies the 11 under court order. Six Republican delegates would find themselves in districts with a majority of Democratic voters, according to an analysis by the nonpartisan Virginia Public Access Project.\n\nHouse Republicans pointed out that the political boundaries they drew in 2011 won support from most Democratic legislators, including Gov. Ralph Northam and Attorney General Mark Herring, who were then state senators. They noted that the plan was approved by the Justice Department under President Barack Obama.\n\nMark Herring, the state attorney general, has argued that only his office has standing to represent the state in such a case, and it has opted not to appeal. The Trump administration filed a friend-of-the-court brief that essentially agrees with that position, saying that the House of Delegates as an institution has no inherent interest in the shape of its districts or who gets elected to represent them.\n\nNot surprisingly, Virginia Democrats and Republicans had opposite reactions.\n\n\"Today's Supreme Court ruling is a victory for democracy and voting rights in our Commonwealth,\" Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam said in a written statement. \"When we corrected racially gerrymandered districts earlier this year, we righted a wrong — as I have always said, voters should choose their representatives, not the other way around. I am pleased that this fall, every Virginian, no matter who they are or where they live, will cast their ballots in fair and constitutional districts.\"\n\nAdam Kincaid, executive director of the National Republican Redistricting Trust, said the decision will have effects beyond Virginia.\n\n\"The broader implications of this holding will reverberate across the states, touching virtually every area of politically charged law,\" he said in a statement. \"The Court has sown to the winds of expediency and will reap a whirlwind of partisan mischief as state attorneys general pick and choose which laws they will defend and which they will disregard on behalf of those plaintiffs with which they are politically or ideologically aligned.\"\n\nHouse Speaker Kirk Cox, R-Colonial Heights, said he was \"disappointed\" with the ruling and noted that it hinged on the question of the chamber's standing rather than the merits of what he described in a written statement as a \"constitutionally enacted redistricting plan.\"\n\nHe blamed the state's attorney general for declining to defend the maps, which, he noted, had been passed in 2011 \"with an overwhelming majority.\"\n\nThe Supreme Court has already considered the 2011 legislative map once. It told a lower court to consider whether some of the districts for the Virginia House of Delegates were racially gerrymandered, by grouping black voters together in a way that left white candidates able to prevail elsewhere. As a practical matter, such a result would benefit Republicans.\n\nThe case is Virginia House of Delegates v. Bethune-Hill.", "On Monday, the Supreme Court handed down their decision in Virginia House of Delegates v. Bethune-Hill, shutting down the Virginia GOP’s last ditch effort to rig the upcoming state legislative election taking place this November.\n\nIn 5-4 decision, the justices held that the House of Delegates has no standing to appeal the decision made by the lower court. The vote broke along unusual lines, with Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg writing for a majority with Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Clarence Thomas, and Neil Gorsuch, and Justice Samuel Alito writing a dissent joined by Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Stephen Breyer and Brett Kavanaugh.\n\nThe case stemmed from a challenge to the GOP-drawn House of Delegates legislative map in Virginia, which residents challenged as an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. 12 of the 100 districts contained a voting base that was more than 55 percent African-American, raising concerns that lawmakers deliberately crammed as many black voters into as few districts as possible so they could not have as many representatives as their presence in the population.\n\nA district court previously ruled all 12 of the districts unconstitutional, but the Supreme Court in 2017 approved one of them and told the lower court to use a different standard to review the other 11. The district court once again found the remaining 11 unconstitutional, and ordered a new map to be drawn. Democratic state Attorney General Mark Herring refused to defend the GOP’s gerrymander, leading the legislature to hire its own lawyers — which the Supreme Court today ruled was not allowed.\n\nThe decision was not altogether surprising, as the new state legislative map is already in place and primaries have already been held. The Supreme Court typically does not intervene in elections halfway through the process, so it is likely the justices would have issued their opinion sooner if they had wanted to rule in favor of the GOP.\n\nThe ruling is a huge victory for Virginia Democrats, who will now be competing with a fair map that will have considerably more competitive districts. Democrats only need to swing two seats in the state Senate and House of Delegates to win control of either chamber. Winning both would give them their only legislature in a Southern state, and leave the Minnesota Senate as the only GOP-controlled legislative chamber in a state President Donald Trump lost.\n\nThe Supreme Court is scheduled to decide three more major voting rights cases this term: Rucho v. Common Cause, which concerns a Republican partisan gerrymander in North Carolina, Lamone v Benisek, which concerns a Democratic partisan gerrymander in Maryland, and Department of Commerce v. New York, which will decide whether the Trump administration can interrogate people about citizenship while conducting the 2020 Census.", "WASHINGTON — Virginians will elect members of the House of Delegates this year using a map seen as favorable to Democrats as a result of a ruling Monday by the U.S. Supreme Court.\n\nThe political boundaries are important because Republicans currently control the House by a slim majority. Only four states are having legislative elections this year. Virginia is the only one where Democrats have a chance of flipping control of the House and Senate.\n\nThe high court’s 5-4 decision was perhaps telegraphed by the fact that the justices previously allowed election planning to go forward with the new map. Virginia held its primary last week, and the November general election will be the last time the state uses this map because legislative districts will need to be redrawn to account for results from the 2020 census.\n\nThe justices let stand a lower court decision putting the new map in place, saying the Republican-controlled state House did not have a right to represent the state’s interests in an appeal to the Supreme Court. The state could have decided to bring the case but did not, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote.\n\n“One House of its bicameral legislature cannot alone continue the litigation against the will of its partners in the legislative process,” she wrote. The four justices joining her were Clarence Thomas, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Neil Gorsuch, a lineup that included conservatives and liberals. Dissenting were Chief Justice John Roberts and justices Samuel Alito, Stephen Breyer and Brett Kavanaugh.\n\nThe case stemmed from a map drawn by Republican lawmakers in 2011, after the last census, and used in the four elections since. Democratic voters sued in 2014, accusing Republicans of packing black voters into certain districts to make surrounding ones whiter and more Republican.\n\nA lower court ruled 2-1 last year that the previous map drawn by lawmakers improperly factored race into drawing 11 of the 100 House districts. After lawmakers failed to reach an agreement on a redistricting plan, the lower court chose a new map from a series of proposals submitted by a special master.\n\nVirginia Attorney General Mark Herring, a Democrat, called the ruling a “big win for democracy in Virginia.”\n\n“It’s unfortunate that House Republicans wasted millions of taxpayer dollars and months of litigation in a futile effort to protect racially gerrymandered districts,” he said in a statement.\n\nThe lawsuit challenging the original House lines was backed by the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, led by former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder. The group targets elections for governors and state legislators, court cases or ballot initiative to give Democrats more control during the next round of congressional redistricting after the 2020 Census.\n\n“With a new, fair map in place, all Virginians will now – finally – have the opportunity this fall to elect a House of Delegates that actually represents the will of the people,” Holder said in a statement.\n\nHouse Republicans said they are disappointed by the ruling and criticized the “shadowy organization funded by out-of-state interests” that funded the lawsuit. But Republicans said they still expect to maintain their majority based on their track record of “common sense” leadership.\n\n“Today’s ruling from SCOTUS will make victory in November even sweeter,” the House GOP caucus tweeted, adding in a statement: “We are confident that voters will opt for the leadership and results we have delivered over chaos, embarrassment, and unchecked Democratic control of state government.”\n\nThe case is Virginia House of Delegates v. Bethune-Hill, 18-281.", "Zolnierek/iStock(WASHINGTON) — A narrowly-divided Supreme Court on Monday dismissed an appeal from Virginia’s Republican-controlled House of Delegates which sought to reinstate the state’s legislative districts map after it was struck down for improper racial gerrymandering.\n\nA lower court held that 11 state legislative districts represented unconstitutional racial gerrymanders. The state attorney general, a Democrat, declined to challenge the lower court decision.\n\nOn Monday, in a 5-4 decision, the court said the House of Delegates lacked standing to bring the case.\n\n“The House, as a single chamber of a bicameral legislature, has no standing to appeal the invalidation of the redistricting plan separately from the state of which it is a part,” wrote Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg for the majority.\n\n“This is likely good news for the Democratic Party in Virginia – it means that the Republican-drawn map at issue in this case cannot be used in the 2019 Virginia state elections,” said ABC News legal analyst Kate Shaw.\n\nVirginia’s Democratic Gov. Ralph Northam said the ruling means the state’s new electoral map, drawn by a court-appointed overseer, will stand.\n\n“Today’s Supreme Court ruling is a victory for democracy and voting rights in our Commonwealth,” said Governor Ralph Northam. “When we corrected racially gerrymandered districts earlier this year, we righted a wrong—as I have always said, voters should choose their representatives, not the other way around.”\n\nThe decision also impacts the electoral landscape in Virginia, a key swing state, on the eve of the 2020 presidential election.\n\nAll seats in the Virginia legislature are on the ballot in November. The outcome will determine party control of the state chambers headed into the 2020 census and next redistricting – the chance to reshape Assembly and congressional maps for a decade.\n\nVirginia has been ranked as one of the most gerrymandered states in the country with districts drawn in many cases specifically to minimize the electoral influence of black Democratic voters, according to the nonpartisan Princeton Gerrymandering Project.\n\nLast year, a lower court sided with the challengers to Virginia’s map, ruling that the state assembly failed to conduct a “holistic analysis” of racial considerations unique to each district. It ordered that a new map be drawn before the 2019 elections.\n\nDefenders of the map insist race did not predominate other race-neutral considerations.\n\nThe high court’s ruling features an atypical vote alignment, with Justices Clarence Thomas, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Neil Gorsuch joining Ginsburg in the majority, while Chief Justice John Roberts, Justices Samuel Alito, Stephen Breyer and Brett Kavanaugh dissent.\n\n“The Virginia House of Delegates exists for a purpose: to represent and serve the interests of the people of the Commonwealth,” Alito wrote in the dissent. “The invalidation of the House’s redistricting plan and its replacement with a court-ordered map would cause the House to suffer a ‘concrete’ injury” and give it grounds for bringing an appeal.", "WASHINGTON (AP) — Virginians will elect members of the House of Delegates using a map seen as favorable to Democrats, according to ruling Monday by the Supreme Court.\n\nThe 5-4 decision was perhaps telegraphed by the fact that the justice previously allowed election planning to go forward with the new map.\n\nVirginia held its primary last week, and the November general election will be the last time the state uses this map because legislative districts will need to be redrawn to account for results from the 2020 census.\n\nThe political boundaries are important because Republicans currently control the House by a 51-49 margin.\n\nThe justices let stand a lower court decision putting in place the new map, saying Republicans in the state House did not have right to appeal to the Supreme Court.\n\nThe state could have decided to bring the case but did not, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote.\n\n“One House of its bicameral legislature cannot alone continue the litigation against the will of its partners in the legislative process,” she wrote.\n\nThe four justices who joined her were Clarence Thomas, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Neil Gorsuch, a lineup that included conservatives and liberals.\n\nDissenting were Chief Justice John Roberts and three other justices — Samuel Alito, Stephen Breyer and Brett Kavanaugh.\n\nThe case stemmed from a map drawn by Republican lawmakers in 2011, after the last census, and used in the four elections since.\n\nDemocratic voters sued in 2014, accusing Republicans of packing black voters into certain districts to make surrounding ones whiter and more Republican.\n\nA lower court ruled 2-1 last year that the previous, legislative-crafted map improperly factored race into the drawing of 11 of the 100 House districts.\n\nAfter lawmakers were unable to reach an agreement on a redistricting plan, the lower court chose a new map from a series of proposals submitted by a special master.\n\nThe case is VA House of Delegates v. Bethune-Hill, 18-281.", "The constitutional law of partisan gerrymandering is one of the major issues facing the U.S. Supreme Court in its current term. But today it dealt with a politically significant case involving the older issue of racial gerrymandering — and did so in a manner that avoided the merits of the controversy. A lower court’s ruling that a Republican-drawn state legislative map represented an unconstitutional racial gerrymander was sustained by a 5-4 SCOTUS majority on grounds that the GOP-controlled House of Delegates (whose district lines were subsequently modified by court order) did not have standing to file an appeal over the wishes of the state’s Democratic attorney general, Mark Herring.\n\nVirginia Republicans claimed the lower court ruling contradicted an earlier preclearance of the legislative map by Barack Obama’s Justice Department when it was first drawn up in 2011. But in an opinion written by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the Court majority held that “[u]nder Virginia law, authority and responsibility for representing the State’s interests in civil litigation rest exclusively with the State’s Attorney General.” So Herring’s predictable decision to accept a ruling benefiting Virginia Democrats was, in this view, the final word on the subject. An unusual coalition on the Court provided the majority: Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch, along with Ginsburg’s usual allies Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan, concurred with the decision. Samuel Alito wrote a dissent suggesting that this decision damaged the Virginia legislature’s essential integrity, and he was joined in that dissent by Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Stephen Breyer and Brett Kavanaugh.\n\nThe timing of this decision is significant. Republicans hold a two-seat majority in the House of Delegates which the revised district lines imperiled in the state’s off-year elections this November (placing six GOP incumbents in majority-Democratic districts). If Democrats can flip the House (and also the state Senate, where Republicans also have a narrow majority), they will gain trifecta control over Virginia’s post-2020 redistricting process. Had Republicans prevailed at SCOTUS, Virginia’s legislative elections might have been thrown into chaos: Primaries using the revised lines were held just last week.\n\nSo Virginia’s GOP was essentially dealt a technical knockout by SCOTUS, and looking forward, we know that states with divided partisan control need to look to their own laws to determine which elected officials have the right to conduct litigation on their behalf."], "summary": "The U.S. Supreme Court rules, in a 5–4 decision, the Virginia legislative districts that the court previously said were racially gerrymandered, have to remain in their redrawn form. Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch make up the majority, not the usual conservative-liberal grouping."}
{"document": ["Charges against a central figure in the controversy that surrounded Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's 2018 trip to India have been stayed.\n\nJaspal Atwal was charged last May with uttering threats against Gurvinder Singh Dhaliwal, host of a daily Punjabi-language talk show.\n\nAtwal was charged with one count of uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm in the alleged incident, which is said to have occurred on April 23, 2018, according to documents filed in a Surrey, B.C., court.\n\nAtwal has always denied the charges.\n\nThe B.C. Prosecution Service wrote in an emailed statement it decided to drop proceedings against Atwal on June 7 after further information was received by the prosecutor in the case.\n\n\"After reviewing this information and the rest of the file materials, the prosecutor concluded the charge approval standard could no longer be met,\" the statement said.\n\nA stay of proceedings can occur if it is determined there isn't a likelihood of conviction, or if public interest would not be served by prosecuting. Crown prosecutors can decide to reinstate charges within one year of staying proceedings.\n\nSophie Gregoire Trudeau with Jaspal Atwal at an Indian film industry event in Mumbai during Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's official visit to India in February 2018. (Supplied by Jaspal Atwal)\n\nAtwal, a Canadian of Indian descent, was previously convicted of attempted murder for trying to assassinate Indian cabinet minister Malkiat Singh Sidhu while he was visiting Vancouver Island in 1986. Atwal served time in prison and was later released on parole.\n\nDuring Justin Trudeau's 2018 visit to India, Atwal turned up at an official event and got an invitation to another at the Canadian High Commission in Delhi.", "The charges against the man once at the centre of controversy stemming from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s ill-fated trip to India have been stayed.\n\nJaspal Singh Atwal was charged in May 2018 with uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm in connection to an incident involving a Punjabi radio host in Surrey, B.C on April 23, 2018.\n\nOn Monday, the B.C. Prosecution Service (BCPS) confirmed those charges were stayed on June 7, citing further information received by Crown.\n\nREAD MORE: Jaspal Atwal to plead not guilty to charges of threatening radio host in B.C.\n\n“After reviewing this information and the rest of the file materials the prosecutor concluded the charge approval standard could no longer be met,” a spokesperson said in a statement. “In these circumstances a stay of proceedings is the appropriate course of action.”\n\nThe BCPS would not go into detail about what that information was or where it came from, but did say it made the possibility of conviction in the case unlikely.\n\nAtwal pleaded not guilty to the charges when they were announced. At the time, his lawyer, Marvin Stern, said he intended to “vehemently deny” the allegations.\n\nThe former Sikh separatist militant was previously convicted of trying to assassinate an Indian cabinet minister in B.C. in 1986.\n\nHe became a central figure in Trudeau’s troubled visit to India in February 2018 after he was spotted mingling with members of the Canadian government delegation at an event in Mumbai.\n\nAtwal was also invited to a second event in New Delhi, but his invitation was rescinded after media exposed his identity to the public.\n\nREAD MORE: Jaspal Atwal lawyer says media has ‘obsession’ with client, criticizes reporter for asking questions\n\nThe nature of Atwal’s relationship with Trudeau, his family and the Liberal government sparked weeks of calls from the opposition for a proper explanation.\n\nAt one time, a government spokesperson tried to suggest Atwal was cleared to attend the events in an attempt by factions in India to embarrass Trudeau, but that claim was never backed up.\n\nAtwal was also the subject of a bizarre press conference in B.C. shortly after the India controversy broke, where Atwal read from a prepared statement explaining his presence at the events.\n\nThe press conference became heated when Atwal’s lawyer Rishi Gill was challenged on why his client wouldn’t take direct questions from the media.\n\nGlobal News has reached out to Gill and Stern for comment.", "Atwal, 64, was at centre of controversy in 2018 over his attendance at prime minister's reception in India\n\nPhoto: FacebookJaspal Atwal, far left, with Liberal Surrey MPs Randeep Sarai, second from left, and Sukh Dhaliwal, right in a 2015 Facebook post.\n\nThe Surrey man who was at the centre of an international brouhaha involving his attendance at Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s reception in India in 2018 will not have his day in court.\n\nJaspal Atwal, 64, was set to appear in Surrey provincial court on an unrelated matter on Monday, charged with one count of uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm, but the charge has been stayed.\n\n“It has always been our position that no threats were ever made. We set it down for trial and the Crown took the position they weren’t able to prove the charge and directed a stay of proceeding,” Atwal’s lawyer, Marvin Stern, told the Now-Leader.\n\nBeing charged with a crime is a “stressful situation,” he noted, “and it seems this one got a fair bit of media attention and that’s always a stressful situation as well so he’s happy to have it behind him.”\n\nThe stayed charge stemmed from an incident that was alleged to have occurred in Surrey on April 23, 2018.\n\nIn an unrelated matter, Atwal had been found guilty of trying to assassinate an Indian cabinet minister in 1986. That fact caused a ruckus in February of 2018 when he was invited to attend a reception with Trudeau, through Surrey-Centre Liberal MP Randeep Sarai’s office, and was photographed with the prime minister’s wife, Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, as well as Infrastructure Minister Amarjeet Sohi and Sonia Sidhu, Liberal MP for Brampton South.\n\nSarai stepped down as chairman of the Liberal Pacific Caucus over the affair.\n\nREAD ALSO UPDATE: Embattled Surrey MP Sarai steps down as caucus chair\n\nREAD ALSO EXCLUSIVE: Surrey MP Randeep Sarai speaks out for the first time since Atwal controversy\n\ntom.zytaruk@surreynowleader.comLike us on Facebook Follow us on Instagram and follow Tom on Twitter", "SURREY, B.C.—The BC Prosecution Service says it won’t pursue a charge of uttering threats against the man who sparked a political firestorm when he attended an event during Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s state visit to India last year. The prosecution service says it has directed a stay of proceedings for Jaspal Atwal on a charge unrelated to Trudeau’s state visit.\n\nAtwal’s lawyer Marvin Stern said in May 2018 that a charge of uttering threats was laid against his client following an alleged argument in April. Atwal was convicted of trying to kill an Indian cabinet minister during a visit to Vancouver Island in 1986, but has said he has since renounced terrorism. Critics said he should never have received an invitation to the state event in Mumbai, where he was photographed in February 2018 with Trudeau’s wife, Sophie Gregoire Trudeau.\n\nThe prosecution service says the stay was directed in court on June 7 after receiving new information and determined the charge approval standard could no longer be met. It says in a statement that the standard requires Crown counsel to consider whether there is a substantial likelihood of conviction and whether the public interest requires a prosecution. Read more: Jaspal Atwal, man at centre of Trudeau controversy, charged in B.C. for uttering threats “As new information is received, Crown counsel continue to evaluate whether the evidentiary standard is met or the public interest continues to require a prosecution. If, at any stage, this standard is no longer met, the prosecution cannot proceed and a stay of proceedings is entered,” the service says.\n\nStern said Atwal has denied the allegation lodged by a radio broadcaster from the outset. “It’s unfortunate it’s taken this long to straighten out,” Stern said.", "CBC reports that Trudeau called the Chinese Premier Li in January but the latter wouldn’t take the call. Since then Freeland has been trying to at least get a hold of the foreign minister Wang Yi, but he won’t answer either. She is now reduced to publicly pleading for a chance to talk to the Chinese in a meeting or at least over the phone:\n\n…if Chinese officials are listening to us today , let me repeat that I would be very, very keen to meet with Minister Wang Yi or to speak with him over the phone at the earliest opportunity.\n\nThe conservative opposition says it’s worrying that Trudeau can’t get a call with his “counterpart” in Beijing but that is just it. Trudeau is not his counterpart. Li is the premier of an independent nation, but Trudeau is a stooge for the US. By nabbing Huawei’s founder’s daughter for Washington he proved as much. If the Chinese want something from Canada they may as well talk to Trump directly. Until Trudeau shows Ottawa can decide things for itself what is there to talk about?\n\nBeijing ignored a personal attempt by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau earlier this year to arrange a conversation with China’s premier in order to intervene on behalf of Canadians detained in China, CBC News has learned.\n\n“You are reaching out to Prime Minister Li Keqiang,” begins a Jan. 11 briefing note to Trudeau, drafted in preparation for that phone call.\n\nLi is China’s head of government and its chief administrator, overseeing the day-to-day operations of the nation. (China’s premier is also referred to as ‘prime minister’.)\n\nTrudeau’s office confirms that the prime minister requested the meeting, but China ignored and ultimately rejected his request.\n\nA spokesperson for the Prime Minister’s Office said Trudeau requested the call prior to a sentencing hearing for Robert Schellenberg, a Canadian man accused of drug smuggling in China.\n\n“In advance of the January 14 sentencing hearing for Robert Schellenberg, the Prime Minister requested a call with Premier Li Keqiang, so that he could personally advocate for clemency in this case as well as reinforce our repeated call for the immediate release of Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor,” said PMO spokesperson Chantal Gagnon in a statement.\n\nBusinessman Michael Spavor and former diplomat Michael Kovrig were detained separately in December, shortly after Canada arrested Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver on a U.S. extradition warrant.\n\nTrudeau has condemned the detention of the Canadians as “arbitrary.”\n\nFollowing the rejection of Trudeau’s request for phone conversation with Li, a Chinese court sentenced Schellenberg to death in a sudden retrial, escalating an already tense situation.\n\nThe heavily redacted 10-page briefing note prepared in advance of the call — dubbed “Outreach to Prime Minister Li Keqiang of China” — provides the first public glimpse into Trudeau’s behind-the-scenes efforts to engage the Chinese government directly. It involved the highest level of Canada’s bureaucracy and was led by Greta Bossenmaier, Trudeau’s national security and intelligence adviser.\n\nThe note, marked “secret”, was obtained by CBC News under the federal Access to Information Act.\n\nIt outlines preparations that took place as the diplomatic rift between the two countries deepened.\n\nTrudeau and Li last met in late 2018 at the ASEAN summit in Singapore, something the prime minister’s advisers saw as an opening for discussion.\n\n“It was a pleasure to see you in Singapore in November. It was a good opportunity to review the many important mutually beneficial areas of cooperation,” say the suggested introductory talking points prepared for Trudeau and listed in the briefing note.\n\nThe Chinese Embassy in Ottawa and the Chinese Foreign Ministry in Beijing did not immediately respond to CBC News’ request for comment about Trudeau’s request.\n\nRoland Paris, a former foreign policy adviser to the prime minister, said the documents suggest the rejection is all part of China’s strategy.\n\n“If indeed China refused to arrange this call, then it would be consistent with China having frozen communications between our two countries, including at very high levels,” said Paris, now an associate professor of public and international affairs at the University of Ottawa.\n\n“Canada is stuck in an extremely difficult situation with very little leverage, and our relations with China will probably remain frozen, at least until Ms. Meng’s extradition hearing is resolved.”\n\nIn the weeks following the rebuffed call, Trudeau and Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland held dozens of high-level discussions with foreign heads of government, ministers and diplomats in an effort to rally an international coalition of countries to publicly speak out in support of the detained Canadians.\n\nAt home, Trudeau has been under increasing pressure, particularly from Conservatives, to reach out to the Chinese leadership.\n\n“I actually think that by picking up the phone and having that kind of conversation, we might be able to defuse the situation,” Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer said.\n\nToday, Conservative deputy leader Lisa Raitt said the snub by Beijing only proves that Trudeau isn’t “taken seriously on the world stage.”\n\n“It’s pretty serious when your prime minister can’t get a phone call with another world leader,” she said. “If he can’t get a phone call with the premier of China, that’s just going to show them how ineffectual he is.”\n\nLast week, the prime minister said he was considering “engaging directly” with Chinese President Xi Jinping as tensions between Canada and China continue to smoulder.\n\n“I look forward to being at the G20 in a few weeks as an opportunity to engage with a number of world leaders with whom we have either good working relationships or challenges,” Trudeau said June 6, speaking about the upcoming gathering in Japan. “The opportunity to engage with the Chinese president directly is certainly something that we are looking at.”\n\nThe G20 will meet in Osaka at the end of the month.\n\nFreeland said she repeatedly tried and failed to get a meeting with her counterpart, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.\n\n“It’s very clear that this is a very difficult moment in the relationship between Canada and China,” she told CBC Radio last month.\n\n“I have sought repeatedly a meeting with Wang Yi, the foreign minister, my counterpart. Thus far that meeting hasn’t happened. But if Chinese officials are listening to us today, let me repeat that I would be very, very keen to meet with Minister Wang Yi or to speak with him over the phone at the earliest opportunity.”", "Raptors fans at Nathan Phillips Square cheered when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took the stage at the championship parade rally — a contrast to the booing that erupted when Premier Doug Ford was introduced.\n\nTrudeau received a better reaction from Raptors General Manager Masai Ujiri, too. When Ujiri saw Trudeau, they had a tight embrace and quick, intimate conversation.\n\nThe Prime Minister also had a chat with Kyle Lowry while standing around the Larry O’Brien championship trophy.\n\nAt the parade rally, Trudeau spoke briefly. His voice was hoarse as he screamed, \"World champions!\"\n\n“What we saw here was the country coming together and that’s what we celebrate,” he said.\n\nHe asked the team for one favour. “We want to do it again next year.”", "As one major national pollster recently put it, with just 18 weeks until Canadians cast their ballots in a hotly-contested parliamentary vote, Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party is “running out of time” to recover their deficit in the polls to the opposition Conservative Party.\n\nWhile recent surveys have shown Team Trudeau narrowing the gap against Andrew Scheer’s surging Tories, the party will need every seat they can get if they hope to win a second term this fall.\n\nBut in two critical seats that the Liberal Party won back in 2015, the party is facing an uphill battle, not against the Conservatives, but against two who until very recently were their own.\n\nJody Wilson-Raybould and Jane Philpott were once two of Justin Trudeau’s most esteemed cabinet ministers until earlier this year, when both left the government amidst the SNC-Lavalin scandal that has engulfed the Liberal Party.\n\nJUSTIN TRUDEAU DEALT ANOTHER BLOW AS LIBERAL ALLIES ARE SWEPT OUT OF POWER IN ALBERTA ELECTIONS\n\nWilson-Raybould says that Trudeau and his senior aides inappropriately pressured her as Attorney-General to intervene in a criminal case against the Montréal-based engineering and construction giant. Philpott, a close ally of Wilson-Raybould’s, stepped down as Trudeau’s right-hand woman in solidarity with her.\n\nBoth women were kicked out of the Liberal Party’s parliamentary caucus in early April, but they remained in the House of Commons as independents: Wilson-Raybould as the MP for Vancouver-Granville, a leafy and prosperous district lying immediately to the south of the city’s downtown, and Philpott as the MP for Markham-Stouffville, which spans two towns in Toronto’s dense northern suburbs.\n\nThe two confirmed last month that they plan to seek re-election as independents, potentially denying the Liberals of two seats that could prove decisive on the floor of Parliament after the election.\n\nAlready, members of the local Liberal Party association in Wilson-Raybould’s district have resigned from the party so they can support her independent bid for re-election. A poll commissioned for Maclean’s magazine showed Wilson-Raybould leading all four of the major party candidates in Vancouver-Granville — the former Liberal was three points ahead of her former party’s candidate, and a full eleven points ahead of the Conservative Party.\n\nThe poll suggested that Wilson-Raybould was drawing support from voters of each of the country’s major parties, not just onetime Liberals — her former party was down 18 points from their result in 2015, the same as the New Democratic Party, while the Conservatives were down 9 points in the district from their result four years ago.\n\nDespite Wilson-Raybould’s progressive ideological leanings — and her repeated declaration to the press that she does not want the Conservative Party’s Andrew Scheer to oust Justin Trudeau as Prime Minister — she is respected by many Conservatives, including those who once fiercely opposed her reforms to the country’s criminal code while she was Justice Minister.\n\nOne Conservative Party member who lives in Wilson-Raybould’s district, speaking to Fox News on the condition of anonymity, said that her entire family planned to vote for the former Liberal MP over their own party’s candidate this fall.\n\nIn Philpott’s Ontario district, her odds of winning seem significantly less high — but she could well prove a spoiler that hands Markham-Stouffville to the Conservatives.\n\nJUSTIN TRUDEAU HIT WITH SECRET RECORDING OF AIDE PRESSING FOR END OF CORRUPTION CASE AGAINST CANADIAN COMPANY\n\nA Maclean’s poll showed the former minister in third place with the support of 19% of voters in the district, but with the Liberal Party holding a reduced lead of just five points over the Tories, a stronger performance for Philpott could result in the opposition gaining the seat come election day.\n\nComplicating the electoral map for the Liberals even further is the slow but steady rise of the Green Party.\n\nIn a recent special election on British Columbia’s Vancouver Island, the party won only its second seat ever. While the incumbents in the seat were the New Democrats and not Justin Trudeau’s Liberals, it was his party that lost the most support compared to four years earlier — down from second to fourth place.\n\nThe party, led at a federal level by wonkish environmentalist Elizabeth May, looks poised to pick up as many as ten new seats this fall, according to a recent polling projection by 338 Canada.\n\nWhile some of those seats are currently held by New Democrats or Conservatives, the lion’s share of them are held by Liberals.\n\nCLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS APP\n\nThe Liberal Party can only afford to lose seven seats in October’s vote if they are to hold onto their majority in Parliament. Any further seat losses after that would plunge the country into minority government — where no party holds a majority, and with independent and Green MPs potentially holding the balance of power. What would come next is anyone’s guess."], "summary": "Criminal charges are stayed against Jaspal Atwal, the central figure of controversy that surrounded Justin Trudeau's trip to India. He was charged in May 2018 with uttering threats against a Punjabi radio host."}
{"document": ["Four people were shot near Nathan Phillips Square where the Toronto Raptors, along with millions of people, celebrating the team winning the NBA Title on Monday.\n\nToronto police said officers were called to the scene on Bay and Albert streets, near the southeast corner of the Square, at approximately 3:45 p.m.\n\nREAD MORE: Millions of fans flood downtown Toronto for Raptors victory parade\n\nA spokesperson originally told Global News one of the victims was a woman. No other details about the victims’ identities were released.\n\nHowever, later police said officers located two victims with serious but non-life-threatening injuries.\n\nWATCH: Videos show moment crowd flees after gunshots ring out during Toronto Raptors victory parade\n\n​\n\nToronto police initially said two people had been shot, but Toronto police chief, Mark Saunders later told reporters that number had been upgraded to four.\n\n“We know that there are four victims right now that have gunshot wounds,” said Saunders in a scrum at the scene. “None of them are life-threatening at this point in time, but I’m grateful that the resolve to this situation was as quick as it was.”\n\nWATCH: Toronto police take down suspect at the scene of a shooting near the Raptors parade\n\nPolice said they had three people in custody and recovered two firearms.\n\nOn Tuesday, Saunders said neither of the firearms recovered were the one that was fired during the incident.\n\nHe also said they are looking for another person of interest – a man who is described as being between five-foot-nine and six feet tall with short light brown hair and a heavy build. At the time, he was wearing a white button down T-shirt and was last seen running westbound on Queen Street.\n\nWATCH: Toronto Police Chief Mark Saunders confirmed Monday that four people were shot during the Raptors championship parade.\n\nVideo captured by Twitter user @Shamaplan showed several people running full speed in one direction, as officers ran to the scene of the incident.\n\nFans were told to stay calm and politicians, including Ontario Premier Doug Ford, Mayor John Tory, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau all stayed in place on stage.\n\nSome in the crowd said they had not heard any shots but rushed from the area as others panicked.\n\nOne 25-year-old woman said she had been watching the speeches at the rally when friends pushed her to the side.\n\nWATCH: People flee scene of shooting near Nathan Phillips Square during Raptors championship parade\n\nShe said they started ducking and were then stampeded.\n\nMike Mudidi said he was enjoying the celebrations when he heard screams behind him that someone had pulled out a gun.\n\nHe says he grabbed his buddies’ hands and ran.\n\nSome who stayed behind huddled near pillars in Nathan Phillips Square\n\nThe festivities were put on hold while several people, including Raptors coach Nick Nurse and broadcaster Matt Devlin spoke to the crowd, in an effort to keep them calm.\n\nWATCH: Toronto police responded on Monday to a suspected shooting near the Raptors victory parade site.\n\n\n\nREAD MORE: Overcrowding becomes issue as millions of fans turn up for Raptors championship parade\n\nThe celebration resumed shortly after.\n\nThe city estimated over two million people were on-hand to witness the parade and subsequent rally, which was meant to wrap up by 2 p.m., but was delayed due to how many people lined the streets.\n\n—With files from The Canadian Press and Kayla McLean\n\nSHOOTING:\n\nNathan Phillip's Square\n\n-Bay St and Albert St\n\n-Police have located 2 victims\n\n-Injuries serious but not life threatening\n\n-2 people in custody\n\n-2 firearms recovered\n\n-Investigating\n\n^dh — Toronto Police OPS (@TPSOperations) June 17, 2019\n\nAlex is shaking profusely as he tells me he heard three gunshots near Nathan Phillips Square. @globalnewsto pic.twitter.com/oZhqJ7MvVg — Kamil Karamali (@KamilKaramali) June 17, 2019\n\nSHOOTING AT THE RAPTORS CHAMPIONSHIP PARADE. I RAN TO MY COUSIN’S OFFICE!!!! IT’S CHAOS pic.twitter.com/TQXBEngChf — RAPTORS ARE NBA CHAMPS (@shamaplan) June 17, 2019\n\nSHOOTING:\n\nNathan Phillip's Square\n\n-Reports of woman shot\n\n-People running from area\n\n-Police/EMS are on scene\n\n-Unknown what the injuries are#GO112676\n\n^dh — Toronto Police OPS (@TPSOperations) June 17, 2019", "The odds of a NBA Finals rematch between Golden State and Toronto occurring in 2020 were already slim due to the long-term injuries suffered by Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson in the 2019 NBA Finals.\n\nGolden State's path to its sixth straight final got even tougher Saturday, when ESPN.com's Adrian Wojnarowski reported the Los Angeles Lakers agreed to a trade for Anthony Davis.\n\nA depleted lineup combined with the assumed resurgence of the Lakers behind Davis and LeBron James makes Golden State's chances of even making the NBA Finals next year slim.\n\nThe first major move has not been made in the Eastern Conference yet, so as of now Toronto appears to be in good shape to defend its title, but that depends on the status of Kawhi Leonard.\n\nEven before the Lakers secured a deal to acquire Davis, Golden State's championship quest was going to be tough during the 2019-20 campaign.\n\nInstead of boasting multiple superstars on their roster, the Warriors will be led by Stephen Curry and a cast of players hoping to make up for the production of Durant and Thompson.\n\nOf the two injured stars, Thompson is expected to be back for the long-term future, as his father Mychal Thompson told Connor Letourneau of the San Francisco Chronicle there is \"no question\" he will re-sign with the Warriors.\n\nThat leaves Curry, Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala and a cast of depth options to produce for a long stretch of the regular season against teams like the Lakers, Houston, Portland and others who will be out for blood.\n\nOf course, there is always the chance the Warriors make it into the playoffs and benefit from a healthy Thompson, but that is a scenario that seems far-fetched at the moment.\n\nFor the first time in six years, the Warriors will be viewed as a significant underdog to even make the NBA Finals, but they can't be fully counted out because of their championship DNA.\n\nOver in the East, Toronto's championship chances could be reliant on the free-agent status of Leonard, who is expected to hit the open market July 1.\n\nThere is always a chance the Raptors convince Leonard to come back and lay the foundation for a dynasty in the East.\n\nToronto's pitch to Leonard will include a roster already built to win a championship and a road to the NBA Finals that avoids the Lakers and the other loaded teams in the West.\n\nToronto proved it could beat the best teams in the East on its path to the 2019 NBA Finals, and the only massive upgrade that might be made by Milwaukee or Philadelphia is the Sixers gaining Jimmy Butler's commitment for the long term.\n\nEven if Leonard leaves, the Raptors have plenty of strong pieces in place, including Kyle Lowry, Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet and a healthy OG Anunoby.\n\nReaching the 2020 NBA Finals will be a more difficult task without Leonard, but Toronto appears to be in better position than Golden State in that situation.\n\nGiven all the hurdles in Golden State's path and Toronto possibly playing without Leonard, a rematch of the 2020 NBA Finals seems unlikely to happen.\n\nIf one or both teams fail to qualify for the NBA Finals, it will mark the first time since 2011 and 2012 in which two different matchups take place in back-to-back years in the championship series.", "TORONTO (AP) — Toronto police say 2 people shot and wounded at rally for NBA champion Raptors; 2 people arrested .", "Toronto police say 2 people shot and wounded at rally for NBA champion Raptors; 2 people arrested\n\nTORONTO (AP) — Toronto police say 2 people shot and wounded at rally for NBA champion Raptors; 2 people arrested .", "The Toronto Raptors claimed their first NBA title on the Golden State Warriors' floor—the last game at Oracle Arena. In October, many would have viewed that scenario as a pipe dream, but the underdogs knocked off a reeling champion.\n\nThe Warriors only saw 12 minutes of Kevin Durant because of calf and Achilles injuries. Klay Thompson missed Game 3 with a hamstring ailment and tore his ACL in Game 6. Still, Steve Kerr's group pushed for a rare three-peat, but the Raptors had a little more firepower.\n\nWe saw stellar performances and jaw-dropping highlights throughout the 2019 NBA Finals, with two heavyweight clubs going shot-for-shot down the stretch in multiple games. Let's take a look at the biggest moments from the championship series between the Raptors and Warriors.\n\nIn past NBA Finals, we have watched LeBron James smash layups against the glass in defining moments. This time, Most Improved Player candidate Pascal Siakam put an exclamation point on his outstanding Game 1 performance with a block on Draymond Green.\n\nSiakam shadowed Green all the way to the hoop and timed his leap perfectly to reject the shot. At the time, Toronto led Golden State 103-92 with six minutes and 11 seconds left in regulation. The Raptors forward finished with 32 points, eight rebounds, five assists and two blocks.\n\nStephen Curry nearly turned over the ball with a reckless pass to Shaun Livingston, but the Warriors maintained possession and found Andre Iguodala all alone behind the three-point line. He had enough time to set his stance and knock down a triple to seal the victory.\n\nAt that moment, the Warriors held a two-point lead, but a long miss could have sparked a fast-break opportunity at the buzzer on the other end. Iguodala had a little more time to drain the shot clock, but critics can't argue against a big bucket in the clutch.\n\nDanny Green put together his best performance in Game 3; he shot all 10 attempts behind the three-point line and made six of them.\n\nDuring the Western Conference Final, the Warriors routinely erased the Portland Trail Blazers' first-half leads in the third quarter. Green didn't allow that to happen with the series tied. He scorched the net on three shots beyond the arc during the third frame of the contest.\n\nKawhi Leonard didn't have to carry the entire weight of the Raptors across the finish line in the championship series. He earned the 2019 NBA Finals MVP, but his supporting cast provided significant help along the way.\n\nWith that said, Leonard took over Game 4. He shot 11-of-22 from the field, 5-of-9 behind the three-point line and dominated the Warriors down the stretch. The three-time All-Star reached his spots on the court and scored 36 points—his highest total in the series.\n\nLeonard's open three-pointer in the corner brought a rise out of Raptors' fans back at Jurassic Park in Toronto as the club went up 3-1 in the series.\n\nDurant tore his Achilles early in the second quarter of Game 5, which put the Splash Brothers back in the spotlight. Right on cue, Curry and Thompson scored the last nine points to extend the series.\n\nCurry led the team in scoring for this contest (31 points), but Thompson had a more efficient night from three-point land, hitting 7-of-13. His final triple kept the Warriors alive for a three-peat.\n\nOn paper, Fred VanVleet lists as the Raptors' backup point guard, but he's the unsung hero of the 2019 NBA Finals. He received an MVP vote from ESPN's Hubie Brown. Leonard deserved the honors, but the 25-year-old played a vital role in the closeout game.\n\nVanVleet averaged 14 points in the series, but he saved his best performance for Game 6, scoring 22 points, which included a perfect 5-of-5 at the free-throw line and 5-of-11 from three-point territory.\n\nHis last triple put the Raptors into a 104-101 lead, and Toronto held on to the advantage for the remainder of the game. He became a major player in a crucial moment, putting his stamp on the series with a career high in points.", "Thousands took to the streets in Toronto to celebrate their home team winning the NBA title, and belt out their national anthem in pride on Monday.\n\nCarrying flags and donning Raptors gear, the crowd came together to sing “O, Canada!” en masse.\n\nThe Toronto Raptors won four out of six games against the Golden State Warriors to capture the franchise’s first NBA championship, winning the final game against the Bay Area team 114-110 last Thursday night.\n\nThe NBA reported Friday that 56% of the Canadian population watched at least some part of the NBA Finals, with an average viewership of 8 million for title-winning victory in Game 6.\n\nCanadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also joined in on the festivities, shaking hands and taking pictures with fellow fans.\n\nHave a tip we should know? tips@mediaite.com", "Two people were shot and another two were arrested near the Toronto Raptors NBA championship victory parade, which was attended by thousands, police confirmed.\n\nShots rang out Monday afternoon at Bay St. and Albert St. on the eastern side of Nathan Phillips Square in Toronto, after which people were seen fleeing the event. Two shooting victims were transported to the hospital with “serious” but non-life-threatening injuries, according to a Toronto Police spokesman. Two firearms were also recovered at the scene.\n\nA motive wasn’t immediately clear ― and a Toronto Fire Services spokesperson told HuffPost that the shooting was unrelated to the festivities ― but it sent crowds of people scattering. Witnesses said they saw people getting trampled.\n\n“We tried our best to escape,” witness Andrew Brown-Kerr told The Toronto Star. “We saw a lady get trampled, a pregnant woman fall. We saw some kids getting trampled and parents trying to protect them.”\n\nCanadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was in attendance at the event. Though the ceremony was briefly delayed, it resumed shortly after the shots rang out before 4 p.m., The Star reported.\n\nThousands packed out the square to celebrate the Toronto Raptors’ NBA championship win, and the square was reportedly at capacity.\n\nThis has been updated throughout.", "After a historic NBA season that ended in the Toronto Raptors winning the NBA Championship for the first time in franchise history, the Championship Parade will get commence at 10 a.m. today with hundreds of thousands of fans set to join the celebrations.\n\nThe parade route will begin at Exhibition Place’s Princes’ Gates, before heading east on Lakeshore Boulevard, north onto York Street and University Avenue and finally heading east on Queen Street to Nathan Phillips Square for a celebration rally at 12:30 p.m.\n\nIf you've been wondering who will be marching, here's a list of people and floats participating in the parade this morning.\n• Following a motorcade of police vehicles and two broadcast trucks, Toronto Raptors fans, represented by Superfan Nav Bhatia, will serve as the Honorary Parade Marshall.\n• Toronto Raptors parade float towed by Ford F-250 carrying MLSE Board of Directors and spouses.\n• Larry Tanenbaum, Chairman of the Board, MLSE and Chairman, NBA Board of Governors\n\nFor those unable to attend the Raptors Championship Parade in person can catch all the action starting at 10 a.m. on TV or online.", "The Toronto Police Department confirmed a shooting occurred Monday near Nathan Phillips Square in Toronto, where the Toronto Raptors are celebrating their 2019 NBA championship:\n\nPolice said two victims suffered \"serious but not life-threatening\" injuries and there are two people in custody.\n\nAccording to Stephanie Smyth of CP24, police said one of the victims was a woman and were asking for fans to remain calm to avoid a stampede in the square:\n\nThe Toronto Star's Jennifer Pagliaro shared a video overlooking the celebration that appears to show fans running away from the scene.\n\nThe Toronto Sun's Antonella Artuso and CBC's Meagan Fitzpatrick shared a look at Nathan Phillips Square from ground level as word of the shooting spread (warning: video contains profanity):\n\nAccording to Reuters' Tyler Choi, an estimated 2 million people traveled to downtown Toronto for the parade and victory rally. Sportsnet's Faizal Khamisa reported some fans were camping out Sunday night in preparation for the event.\n\nThe city of Toronto tweeted at 11:59 a.m. ET that Nathan Phillips Square was at capacity and no more fans would be permitted in the area.\n\nThe Raptors won their first-ever championship after defeating the Golden State Warriors Thursday in six games in the 2019 NBA Finals.\n\nToronto FC were the last major sports champions in the city when they won an MLS Cup in 2017.", "This is just sad you can’t have a nice celebration without people acting crazy. 4 people were shot and wounded at a Toronto Raptors parade. 3 people have been arrested\n\nDroves of Raptors fans ran from the shooting in a stampede from the City Hall square, which was packed with tens of thousands of people. An estimated 1.5 million fans earlier packed downtown Toronto for a parade for the Raptors, raising concerns about safety and overcrowding.\n\nToronto Police Chief Mark Saunders said four people suffered gunshot wounds but added that none of the injuries were life-threatening. Others suffered minor injuries as they tried to get away from the shooting, said Saunders, who asked for witnesses and people who might have video to come forward and help investigators.\n\n“We do have people arrested with firearms, and that’s the start of the investigation,” Saunders said.\n\nAsked if it was a targeted shooting or terrorism-related, police spokeswoman Allison Sparkes said the investigation was ongoing.\n\nDuring a speech from one of the team owners, the host of the rally interrupted the proceedings to alert the crowd to an emergency and asked for calm. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Toronto Mayor John Tory, NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard and other Raptors players were onstage at the time.\n\n“I want to make sure everyone stays calm,” said the host, sportscaster Matt Devlin. “This is serious. Everyone stay calm. … There is an emergency being dealt with.”\n\nThose onstage remained in place, and speeches resumed shortly after.\n\n“I hope all those injured in today’s shooting have a speedy recovery, and I’d like to thank the Toronto police for acting so quickly,” Trudeau tweeted. “We won’t let this act of violence take away from the spirit of today’s parade.”\n\nMike Mudidi said he was enjoying the celebrations when he heard screams behind him that someone had pulled out a gun. He said he froze as people started running in all directions.\n\n“I just grabbed my buddies’ hands and ran,” he said.\n\nRaptors fan Phil D’Souza said the violence left a bad taste in his mouth, and he questioned whether he would attend a similar event in the future.\n\n“You couldn’t see the shooter, but it was that kind of chaos where you’re just expecting to see somebody coming around the corner. It was that kind of vibe,” D’Souza said.\n\nAnother fan said the stampede was scary.\n\n“When you see a bunch of people coming at you, you don’t know what to do, whether to run or not. You don’t want to get stampeded over,” Sam Sunday said.\n\nTory, the mayor, thanked police for their quick response.\n\n“It is disappointing and I’m sure a source of anger for more than just me that anyone would carry a gun and discharge it at what was otherwise a joyous celebration,” Tory said in a statement. “I hope those found responsible will be held to account to the full extent that the law permits. I want to commend and thank the millions of other people who happily and peacefully celebrated our beloved Toronto Raptors.”\n\nTory previously urged every city resident to come celebrate the Raptors’ first championship and declared Monday as “We The North Day,” borrowing from the franchise’s slogan.\n\n“Toronto, more than a million of us flooded the streets today to celebrate our Raptors,” city councilman Joe Cressy tweeted. “People of all every age, every race, every religion — our City. As awful as the shooting was and terrifying for many in the crowd afterwards, don’t let it take away from our moment.”\n\nFans withstood packed conditions to attend the parade. Nicolas Caramanna, 21, said the crowd started to get rowdy shortly after he arrived at 9 a.m.\n\n“I’m really hot and tired, but I’m going to stick around,” he said. “When else am I going to get a chance to do this?”\n\nMany others chose to miss school or work. Cypher Sabanal, 15, said his mom let him skip class to attend the celebration.\n\nJohn Moreira called in sick to work so he could be part of Toronto’s first celebration of this magnitude since the Blue Jays won the World Series in 1993.\n\n“I told my boss I wanted to be at the parade and he said there wasn’t much he could do if I called in sick, so that’s exactly what I did,” the 31-year-old said.\n\nAs the parade inched forward — discernibly behind schedule — a number of Raptors could not help but marvel at the fan response.\n\n“It’s been amazing,” Leonard said. “Thank you, Toronto, thank you, Canada, for the support. We did it.”\n\nSeveral fans were seen carrying signs imploring Leonard to re-sign with the Raptors. He will be a free agent this summer.\n\nKyle Lowry, the team’s longest-tenured player, hoisted the Larry O’Brien Trophy while his teammates smoked cigars.\n\n“This is unbelievable,” he said."], "summary": "Four people are shot and injured at a parade celebrating the 2019 NBA Finals in Toronto."}
{"document": ["Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Court footage from 2015: Mohammed Morsi greets lawyers and supporters from behind bars\n\nEgypt's former President Mohammed Morsi, ousted by the military in 2013 after one year in office, has collapsed in a courtroom and died, officials say.\n\nA top figure in the now-banned Islamist movement Muslim Brotherhood, Morsi had just spoken from a cage at a hearing on charges of espionage. State TV said the cause of death was a heart attack.\n\nMorsi, who was 67, had been in custody since his removal after mass protests.\n\nThe Muslim Brotherhood said the death was a \"full-fledged murder\".\n\nActivists and his family had long said Morsi was not receiving treatment for serious health problems such as high blood pressure and diabetes, and was constantly being held in solitary confinement.\n\nWhat happened in court?\n\nMorsi collapsed moments after addressing the court in Cairo over charges of espionage related to suspected contacts with the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, which had close ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.\n\nHe spoke for some five minutes from a soundproof glass cage which officials said was designed to prevent him from disrupting proceedings. Morsi was pronounced dead in hospital at 16:50 local time (14:50 GMT) and an initial report showed no signs of recent injuries on the body, Egypt's public prosecutor said.\n\nLast month, his family said authorities had repeatedly denied access to him and that they knew little about the state of his health. During his time in prison, Morsi was allowed only three visits from relatives and was denied access to his lawyers or a doctor, according to human rights group Amnesty International.\n\nHis son Abdullah told the Reuters news agency he did not know the location of the body and that authorities were refusing to allow Morsi to be buried in his native Nile Delta province of Sharqiya.\n\nMorsi, who became Egypt's first democratically elected leader in 2012, had already been sentenced to more than 45 years in prison in three separate trials, including for leading an outlawed group, detention and torture of anti-government protesters and leaking state secrets.\n\nHe had always rejected the authority of the courts, and his supporters denounced the trials as politically motivated and attempts to give legal cover to a coup based on unreliable witnesses and scant evidence.\n\nA death certain to inflame passions\n\nThe death of a leader, remembered by many as Egypt's first democratically elected president, is certain to inflame passions among his supporters and allies in Egypt and beyond. Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been quick to describe him as a martyr. Others are certain to do the same.\n\nThere has long been concern about the politicised trials which have kept him in prison, as well as his conditions of confinement. Morsi had a history of ill-health.\n\nBut last year, a British parliamentary panel reported he was being kept in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day, which they concluded could be classified as torture. They warned this could lead to premature death.\n\nHis sudden collapse comes at a time when the United States, reportedly at the request of Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi, is working to designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a foreign terrorist organisation. The death of one its most senior figures will deepen the anger and anxiety in this global Islamist movement.\n\nWhat has the reaction been?\n\nThe Muslim Brotherhood's political arm, the Freedom and Justice party, said Morsi's death amounted to an \"assassination\", and urged supporters to gather at the funeral and demonstrate outside Egyptian embassies around the world.\n\n\"They placed him in [solitary] confinement throughout his detention which exceeded five years, prevented medicine and provided poor food... They prevented doctors and lawyers and even communicating with his family. They deprived him from the simplest human rights.\"\n\nTurkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who was a close ally, blamed Egypt's \"tyrants\" for the death while the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, another ally, expressed his \"deep sorrow\".\n\nCrispin Blunt MP, who led a panel of British MPs who had warned about Morsi's health, called for a \"reputable independent international investigation\", and said Egypt's government had a \"duty to explain his unfortunate death\".\n\nAmnesty's deputy director for the Middle East and North Africa Magdalena Mughrabi said: \"[Morsi] was held in solitary confinement for almost six years, placing a considerable strain on his mental and physical wellbeing... [H]e was effectively cut off from the outside world.\"\n\nHuman Rights Watch Middle East director Sarah Leah Whitson said Morsi's death was \"terrible but entirely predictable\".\n\nWho was Morsi?\n\nBorn in the village of El-Adwah in 1951, Morsi studied Engineering at Cairo University in the 1970s before moving to the US to complete a PhD.\n\nHe was chosen as the Muslim Brotherhood's presidential candidate for the 2012 election after the movement's preferred choice was forced to pull out. During his turbulent year in office, Morsi was accused of mounting an Islamist coup and mishandling the economy.\n\nImage copyright Getty Images Image caption Morsi was ousted by the army in 2013 after mass protests\n\nPublic opposition to his government grew and millions of anti-government protesters took to the streets across Egypt to mark the first anniversary of the day he took office, on 30 June 2013.\n\nThree days later, the army suspended the constitution, announced an interim government ahead of new elections and detained Morsi, who denounced the move as a coup. Abdul Fattah al-Sisi, then army chief, was elected president in 2014 and re-elected last year in polls rights groups called \"farcical\".\n\nAfter Morsi's removal, authorities launched a crackdown on his supporters and other dissent, and hundreds of people have been killed and tens of thousands others detained in conditions often described as being in violation of their human rights.", "Cairo (CNN) Ousted Egyptian President Mohamed Morsy collapsed and died in a Cairo court Monday, soon after making a final statement in his trial on espionage charges.\n\nEgypt's first democratically elected leader, Morsy, 67, had just been led back to a soundproof glass cage inside the courtroom when he fell unconscious, Egypt's public prosecution office said in a statement.\n\n\"He spoke 7 minutes just before the trial session adjourned,\" Morsy's lawyer Abdel Moneim Abdel Maqsoud told CNN. \"A minute after, we saw fuss in the court glass box, we could hear the defendants screaming, Dr. Morsi has fallen,\" said Abdel Maqsoud, who is also the lead lawyer for the banned Muslim Brotherhood movement.\n\nMorsy had closed his final statement by quoting a verse of a poem that read, \"My country is dear even if it oppressed me and my people are honorable even if they were unjust to me,\" Abdel Maqsoud said.\n\nEgypt's state-run Al Ahram online reported that the former leader suffered a heart attack. He was pronounced dead after arriving at hospital at 4:50 p.m. (10:50 a.m. ET), the prosecutor's office said. No apparent injuries were found on his body, it added.\n\nOn Monday evening, Turkey's president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, reacted to the news, calling Morsy a \"brother\" and a \"martyr,\" according to state-run news agency Anadolu.\n\nErdgoan also tweeted about Morsy's death, saying he had \"conducted one of the biggest democratic struggles of the history.\"\n\nMorsy was buried in Nasr City, a district in eastern Cairo, alongside other senior figures of the Muslim Brotherhood, his wife Naglaa Mahmoud said on her Facebook page on Tuesday.\n\nEgyptian authorities barred Morsy's relatives from burying his body in his home province of Sharqiya, Mahmoud said. Family members were allowed to attend the burial, she said.\n\nAccording to Islamic law and Egyptian tradition, the deceased should be buried as soon as possible. Muslim burial rites are commonly performed the same day or within 24 hours of death.\n\nA polarizing figure\n\nA strict Islamist who was educated in southern California, Morsy was voted into power in June 2012 following the 2011 Arab Spring uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak's longstanding rule\n\nA senior member of the Muslim Brotherhood, Morsy had campaigned on appealing to the broadest possible audience.\n\nBut, during his year in power, critics say he became an authoritarian leader who forced through a conservative agenda.\n\nIn 2013, Morsy and the political wing of the Muslim Brotherhood movement were ousted in a coup, with the Muslim Brotherhood banned by the government after the military seized power and declared it a terrorist organization.\n\nThe Muslim Brotherhood is a religious and political group founded on the belief that Islam is not simply a religion, but a way of life. The group advocates moving away from secularism and returning to the rules of the Quran as a basis for healthy families, communities and states.\n\nThe Brotherhood has branches in 70 countries , but not all of the branches operate under the same identity. In Egypt , the group has been part of the political scene for more than 80 years.\n\nThe movement officially rejects the use of violent means to secure its goals. However, offshoots of the group have been linked to attacks in the past, and critics blame the Brotherhood for sparking troubles elsewhere in the Middle East.\n\nIn August 2013, roughly 1,000 Egyptians -- many of them Morsy supporters -- were killed during protests against the military government.\n\nSupporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsy demonstrate in Cairo in November 2013.\n\nFollowing his ouster, Morsy was tried en masse with Mohamed Badie -- the spiritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood -- as well as more than 100 alleged members of the outlawed group, according to state media.\n\nIn 2015, he was sentenced to death over a jailbreak during the 2011 uprising and to life in prison on espionage charges after being convicted of conspiring with Palestinian group Hamas, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard and other foreign organizations.\n\nBoth of those sentences were widely criticized as political grandstanding.\n\nMorsy was also handed a 25-year prison sentence for leaking state secrets to Qatar, and had received an additional 15-year sentence for other, lesser, charges.\n\nIn 2016, Morsy's death sentence and life sentence were overturned\n\n'Cruel, inhuman treatment'\n\nAbdel Maqsoud said Morsy had not been allowed to see his lawyers or communicate with the outside world or his family, and that he had been detained in solitary confinement before his death.\n\nMorsy's son, Abdullah, said the family was denied permission to visit him. \"The family was able to see him only three times since 2013,\" Abdullah told CNN.\n\nLast year, in a report from a panel commissioned by Morsy's family and made up of British Parliamentarians said that the conditions of his detention \"would constitute cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment,\" and \"could meet the threshold for torture in accordance (with) Egyptian and International law.\" The panel wrote that Morsy is receiving inadequate medical care \"which is likely to lead to premature death.\"\n\nOn Monday, Human Rights Watch (HRW) called Morsy's death \"entirely predictable\" accusing the government of failing to allow him adequate medical care while he was in prison.\n\n\"At the very least, the Egyptian government committed grave abuses against Morsy by denying him prisoners' rights that met minimum standards,\" said Sarah Leah Whitson, the group's Middle East and North Africa director.\n\nThe Egyptian government said HRW's statement and reporting was \"nothing but political exploitation in the name of human rights\" and a \"new ethical low.\"\n\nAmnesty International said in a tweet that an investigation into Morsy's death and the conditions of his detention was an \"urgent requirement,\" citing Egypt's \"proven track record of holding prisoners in solitary confinement for long periods and in harsh conditions.\"\n\nIn a statement on Monday, the Muslim Brotherhood said it held Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and his regime \"accountable for the killing of the elected legitimate president, politically and criminally,\" and demanded an independent review into the circumstances of Morsy's death.\n\nThe group has called for demonstrations outside Egyptian embassies around the world at 10 p.m. local time (4 p.m. ET).\n\nEgyptian state media Al-Ahram reported Monday that Morsy was regularly examined by doctors and \"was treated in accordance with the law while in detention.\"", "Ousted former Egyptian Islamist president Mohamed Morsi died on Monday after he fainted in court following a hearing, state television reported.\n\nMorsi, a top figure in the Muslim Brotherhood who was the first democratically elected president in Egypt's modern history, had been in jail since he was toppled by the military in 2013 after mass protests against his rule.\n\nState television said Morsi, who was 67, was in court for a hearing on charges of espionage emanating from suspected contacts with the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas.\n\nMorsi was serving a 20-year prison sentence for a conviction arising from the killing of protesters during demonstrations in 2012 and a life sentence for espionage in a case related to the Gulf state of Qatar.", "The former Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi, the first ever freely elected leader of the country, collapsed while on trial in a Cairo court today and died, sparking condemnation over his treatment during years in jail.\n\nMorsi, 67, was elected after the Arab Spring uprisings and served for a year until 3 July 2013 when he was deposed in a military coup led by the then defence minister, and now president, Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. He has been held in jail since his ousting.\n\nDuring a trial on espionage charges today Morsi was granted permission to address the court in Cairo, which he did for 25 minutes from the cage in which he was held in, becoming emotional at times, before he said he felt tired and…", "Egyptian state TV reports that the former president collapsed during a court hearing. He was then rushed to a hospital in Cairo where he died.\n\n“He was speaking before the judge for 20 minutes then became very animated and fainted,” a judicial source said. “He was quickly rushed to the hospital where he later died.”\n\nMorsi served as President of Egypt from June 2012 but was ousted by a military coup in July 2013.\n\nHe was subsequently imprisoned and was standing trial on espionage charges.", "Mohamed El-Shahed, AFP | Mohamed Morsi pictured in June 2016 during his trial on espionage charges at a court in Cairo.\n\nMohammed Morsi, Egypt's first democratically-elected president who was ousted by the military in 2013, has died after collapsing in court, state TV said on Monday.\n\nEgypt's public broadcaster said the 67-year-old former president was attending a session in his trial on espionage charges when he blacked out and then died. His body was taken to a hospital, it said.\n\n\"He was speaking before the judge for 20 minutes then became very animated and fainted. He was quickly rushed to the hospital where he later died,\" a judicial source told AFP.\n\nMorsi, who hailed from Egypt's largest Islamist group, the now outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, was elected president in 2012 in the country's first free elections following the ouster the year before of longtime leader Hosni Mubarak.\n\nThe military ousted Morsi in 2013 after massive protests and crushed the Brotherhood in a deadly crackdown, arresting Morsi and many others of the group's leaders.\n\nTurkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who had forged close ties with Morsi, paid tribute to the former president, calling him a \"martyr.\"\n\n\"May Allah rest our Morsi brother, our martyr's soul in peace,\" Erdogan said.\n\nThe Islamist leader had been in prison since his ouster, accused of spying for Iran, Qatar and militant groups such as Hamas in the Gaza Strip. He was also accused of plotting terror acts.\n\nThe years following Morsi's overthrow have seen a surge in bombings and shootings targeting security forces, particularly in the restive northern Sinai Peninsula, a stronghold of the Islamic State group.", "Mohamed Morsi, Egypt’s first democratically elected president, collapsed in court and died Monday while facing trial, state television reported.\n\nMorsi, 67, died of an apparent heart attack, according to Egyptian media reports. He had been imprisoned since 2013, when his elected government was overthrown in a military coup led by the country’s then military leader, Abdel Fatah al-Sissi, who is now president.\n\nMorsi, a top leader of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood party, was on trial on a range of charges, including espionage and inciting violence.\n\nToday’s coverage from Post correspondents around the world\n\nLike Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news", "Egypt’s ousted president Mohammed Morsi collapsed and died in court on Monday during a court session, state TV said.\n\nMorsi was the fifth president of Egypt from June 2012 until July 2013, when General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi removed him from office in the 2013 Egyptian coup d’état after the June 2013 Egyptian protests.", "Former Egyptian president Mohamed Mursi has died in court, state television reported on Monday.\n\nIt said Mursi had fainted after a court session and died afterwards.\n\nMursi, a top figure in the Muslim Brotherhood, was toppled by the military in 2013 after mass protests against this rule. He had been serving a seven-year sentence for falsifying his candidacy application for the 2012 presidential race.\n\nIn March 2018, a panel of British politicians and lawyers warned that Morsi’s prison conditions were poor and could lead to his early death.\n\nMorsi had also complained about being denied treatment for diabetes.\n\nAn engineer by profession, Morsi’s short time in office marked Egypt’s brief experiment with democracy. As analysts began to tout his tenure as a success for the Arab spring, the army struck effectively snatching the country back from civilian", "Egypt’s former president, Mohammed Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood leader who rose to office in the country’s first free elections in 2012 and was ousted a year later by the military, collapsed in court during a trial and died, state TV and his family said. State TV, citing a medical source, said Morsi died from a sudden heart attack, the Reuters news agency reports.\n\nMorsi had been Egypt’s elected president following the death of Hosni Mubarak in 2012, but was deposed after a military coup in 2013 that installed General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi into power.\n\nEgyptian state TV says the 67-year-old Morsi was attending a court session Monday in his trial on espionage charges when he blacked out and then died before he could be taken to a hospital. Morsi had just addressed the court, speaking from the glass cage he was kept in during sessions and warning that he had “many secrets” he could reveal, a judicial official said.\n\nA few minutes afterward, he collapsed, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the press. Morsi’s son, Ahmed, confirmed the death of his father in a Facebook post.\n\nMorsi, a leader of Egypt’s largest Islamist group, the now outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, was elected president in 2012 in the country’s first free elections following the ouster the year before of longtime leader Hosni Mubarak. The military ousted Morsi in 2013 after massive protests and crushed the Brotherhood in a major crackdown, arresting Morsi and many others of the group’s leaders. Morsi had been imprisoned since his arrest and was previously sentenced to death for his alleged role in a mass prison break that took place during the 2011 uprising that toppled Mubarak.\n\nMohammed Sudan, leading member of the Muslim Brotherhood in London, described Morsi’s death as “premediated murder” saying that the former president was banned from receiving medicine or visits and there was little information about his health condition. Monday’s session was part of a retrial, being held inside Cairo’s Tura Prison, on charges of espionage with the Palestinian Hamas militant group.\n\n“He has been placed behind glass cage (during trials). No one can hear him or know what is happening to him. He hasn’t received any visits for a months or nearly a year. He complained before that he doesn’t get his medicine. This is premediated murder. This is slow death.”\n\nThe judicial official said Morsi had asked to speak to the court during the session. The judge permitted it, and Morsi gave a speech saying he had “many secrets” that, if he told them, he would be released, but he added that he wasn’t telling them because it would harm Egypt’s national security. A spokesman for the Interior Ministry did not answer calls seeking comment.\n\nMorsi, a leader of Egypt’s largest Islamist group, the now outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, was elected president in 2012 in the country’s first free elections following the ouster the year before of longtime leader Hosni Mubarak. The military ousted Morsi in 2013 after massive protests and crushed the Brotherhood in a major crackdown, arresting Morsi and many others of the group’s leaders. Morsi had been imprisoned since his arrest and was previously sentenced to death for his alleged role in a mass prison break that took place during the 2011 uprising that toppled Mubarak.\n\nMohammed Sudan, leading member of the Muslim Brotherhood in London, described Morsi’s death as “premediated murder” saying that the former president was banned from receiving medicine or visits and there was little information about his health condition. Monday’s session was part of a retrial, being held inside Cairo’s Tura Prison, on charges of espionage with the Palestinian Hamas militant group.\n\n“He has been placed behind glass cage (during trials). No one can hear him or know what is happening to him. He hasn’t received any visits for a months or nearly a year. He complained before that he doesn’t get his medicine. This is premediated murder. This is slow death.”\n\nThe judicial official said Morsi had asked to speak to the court during the session. The judge permitted it, and Morsi gave a speech saying he had “many secrets” that, if he told them, he would be released, but he added that he wasn’t telling them because it would harm Egypt’s national security. A spokesman for the Interior Ministry did not answer calls seeking comment.\n\nHe has been sentenced to 20 years after being convicted of ordering Brotherhood members to break up a protest against him, resulting in deaths. An earlier death sentence was overturned. Multiple cases are still pending.\n\nMorsi was held in a special wing in the sprawling Tora detention complex nicknamed Scorpion Prison. Rights groups say its poor conditions fall far below Egyptian and international standards."], "summary": "Former Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi, who was ousted in a coup in 2013 and has been detained in jail since then, dies after fainting during an espionage court hearing."}
{"document": ["Oil Tankers Attacked Near Oman Are Now in U.A.E. Waters\n\n(Bloomberg) -- Damaged oil tankers that were attacked in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday are now near the United Arab Emirates ports of Kalba and Fujairah.\n• Front Altair arrived in the early hours of Monday morning, according to tanker tracking data compiled by Bloomberg. Operator Frontline said it would assess the vessel’s condition and consider a ship-to-ship transfer of its cargo.\n• Kokuka Courageous was towed by the USS Bainbridge to the same area on Saturday, according to a Fifth Fleet spokesman and the data.\n\nThe attacks have heightened fears of more assaults on commercial vessels after four ships were targeted off the coast of the United Arab Emirates last month. The U.S. deployed naval and air force assets to the region in response to the elevated risk.\n\nIranian forces were likely responsible for Thursday’s strikes, according to a report from DNK, the insurer of one of the ships. The Norwegian insurer raised its risk assessment for the region and said anti-ship missiles fired from a naval asset were probably used in the attacks.\n\nTo contact the reporter on this story: Verity Ratcliffe in Dubai at vratcliffe1@bloomberg.net\n\nTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Nayla Razzouk at nrazzouk2@bloomberg.net, Mohammed Aly Sergie", "US military says new images show Iran links to Gulf of Oman tanker blasts\n\nUS military says new images show Iran links to Gulf of Oman tanker blasts\n\nThe US military has released new images it says show Iran's Revolutionary Guard were behind the attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman last week.\n\nThe Pentagon said the photos, taken from a Navy helicopter, show Iranian forces removing an unexploded mine from the side of the Japanese-owned Kokuka Courageous.\n\nOther photos show a large hole on the side of the Courageous, above the water line, that officials say appears to have been caused by another mine.\n\nThe Pentagon released the photos to bolster its claim that Iran was responsible for the attacks.\n\n\"Iran is responsible for the attack based on video evidence and the resources and proficiency needed to quickly remove the unexploded limpet mine,\" the US military's Central Command said in a statement.\n\nIran insists the US has no hard evidence about its alleged involvement in the 13 June attacks on two ships in the Strait of Hormuz.\n\nForeign Secretary Jeremy Hunt has said the UK's own assessment was that Iran was behind the planting of limpet mines on the tankers.\n\nDespite British and US intelligence findings, Germany and others insisted on Monday it needed a clearer picture before wading into a row which could have serious implications in the Middle East.\n\nIt comes as Iran said it will pull out of the world's nuclear non-proliferation treaty if the EU fails to save another deal struck in 2015 on its nuclear programme.\n\nMojtaba Zolnour said: \"There is not much time left until the end of the 60 days ultimatum given by Iran to the Europeans to save the (2015) deal,\" he said.\n\n\"After that Iran will suspend implementation of the non-proliferation treaty.\"\n\nThe 2015 nuclear deal between Iran, the US, the UK, France, China, Russia and Germany, called the JCPOA, reduced Iran's stockpile of uranium by 98% to 300kg (660lbs), and said that quantity must not be exceeded until 2031.\n\nHowever, the US unilaterally pulled out of the agreement last year and reimposed sanctions.", "The Strait of Hormuz has become a key battleground in the stand-off between the United States and Iran, with claims and counter-claims on either side of an argument ostensibly about oil.\n\nHere, the Press Association examines the background to the recent issues in this part of the Middle East.\n\n– What is alleged to have happened, and why is it in the news?\n\nOn June 13, two US oil tankers near the Strait of Hormuz were attacked in an assault that left one ablaze and adrift as 44 sailors were evacuated from both vessels. The US Navy rushed to assist.\n\nUS President Donald Trump was unequivocal in apportioning blame for the attacks, telling Fox News: “Iran did it.”\n\nIran has denied involvement in the tanker attacks and has accused America of promoting an “Iranophobic” campaign, although it has used mines in the past against commercial traffic around the crucial Strait of Hormuz, which is connected to the Gulf of Oman.\n\n– What is the situation as it stands?\n\nTensions between the United States and Iran have ratcheted up several notches in recent weeks, with Washington dispatching warships and bombers around the Persian Gulf, and Tehran threatening to break the uranium stockpile limit set by its nuclear deal with world powers by the end of the month.\n\nThese increased strains come a year after Mr Trump withdrew from Iran’s 2015 nuclear accord with world powers and restored crippling sanctions.\n\nIn turn, this prompted Iran to say it would not negotiate another deal with Washington.\n\nThe relationship between the two received a further blow in April this year when Mr Trump said other countries would face sanctions if they imported oil from Iran.\n\n“They are a nation of terror, and we will not put up with it,” he said of Iran.\n\nThe US has beefed up its presence in the Gulf region by moving its aircraft carrier, the Abraham Lincoln, into position.\n\n– Why is the Strait so important?\n\nIts size belies its importance as one of the most important and strategic waterways in the world, linking the Middle East’s crude oil producers with key markets around the globe.\n\nThe Strait falls between the southern coast of Iran and the most northerly tip of Oman, a distance of around 20 miles at these pinch points.\n\nIt has two shipping lanes, each around two miles wide. Between one-fifth and one-sixth of the world’s oil moves through the strait – around 17 million barrels per day – a significant quantity of the valuable commodity.\n\n– Where do different countries stand?\n\nThere is a clear divide, separated by the body of water. Countries to the south, such as Saudi Arabia, UAE and Qatar, are all US allies. Iran, obviously, is not.\n\nThe UK – the Government at least – has sided with the Americans, joining Saudi Arabia and the US in blaming Iran for the oil tanker attacks.\n\nForeign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said Britain was urging all sides in the dispute to “de-escalate” in order to avoid a slide into armed conflict.\n\nHis comments came after Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said Britain should not be fuelling a military escalation in the Gulf without “credible evidence” Iran was behind the attacks.\n\n– What could happen next?\n\nAny impasse on oil leaving the Strait could have wide-ranging consequences.\n\nThe tanker attacks caused oil prices to soar amid heightened fears of a conflict in the region causing major disruption to world supplies.\n\nThe Trump administration has ordered 1,000 more troops into the Middle East, although Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has repeated Tehran is not seeking to wage war on any nation.\n\n– Will British troops be sent?\n\nAt the moment, no. There are already an undisclosed number of British service personnel in the Middle East, predominantly from the Royal Navy. There is a joint base at Ducm in Oman, with a Combined Maritime Forces base in Manama, Bahrain.\n\nHMS Montrose has also been in the region since the spring as part of a three-year deployment supporting counter-terror and anti-smuggling work.\n\nIt is not believed the Ministry of Defence is due to dispatch any further troops to the region in the wake of the tanker attacks.", "GENEVA, June 18 (Reuters) - Iran will not wage war against any nation, President Hassan Rouhani said on Tuesday, a day after the United States announced the deployment of more troops to the Middle East amid rising tensions between Tehran and Washington.\n\nFears of a confrontation between Iran and the United States have mounted since attacks on two oil tankers at the entrance to the Gulf on Thursday, which Washington has blamed on Tehran.\n\n\"Iran will not wage war against any nation,\" Rouhani said in a speech broadcast live on state TV. \"Those facing us are a group of politicians with little experience.\"\n\nHe added, \"Despite all of the Americans' efforts in the region and their desire to cut off our ties with all of the world and their desire to keep Iran secluded, they have been unsuccessful.\"\n\nActing U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan announced on Monday the deployment of about 1,000 more troops to the Middle East for what he said were defensive purposes citing concerns about a threat from Iran.", "WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump said on Tuesday the United States was very prepared with regard to Iran, as tensions ramped up after attacks on several oil tankers and Tehran’s announcement it would step up uranium enrichment.\n\n“We’re very prepared for Iran. We’ll see what happens,” Trump told reporters.\n\nOn Monday, the United States announced it would deploy about 1,000 more troops to the Middle East, citing concerns about a threat from Iran.\n\nU.S. officials have blamed Iran for attacks last week on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman and attacks on four tankers in May off the coast of the United Arab Emirates. Iran has denied any involvement.\n\n“If you look at what they’ve done. And I’m not just talking about over the last week. I’m talking about over a long period of years. They’ve been a nation of terror,” Trump said.\n\nIran said on Monday it would soon breach limits on how much enriched uranium it can stockpile under a 2015 nuclear agreement.\n\nTrump withdrew the United States from deal last year and imposed sanctions on Iran.\n\nIn an interview with Time magazine published on Tuesday, Trump said he was prepared to take military action to stop Iran from getting a nuclear bomb, but left open whether he would back the use of force to protect oil supplies in the Gulf.", "GENEVA/DUBAI (Reuters) - President Hassan Rouhani said on Tuesday Iran would not wage war against any nation, sounding a note of restraint after the United States announced more troop deployments to the Middle East.\n\nFears of a confrontation between Iran and its long-time foe the United States have mounted since Thursday when two oil tankers were attacked near the strategic Strait of Hormuz shipping lane, which Washington blamed on Tehran.\n\nIran denied involvement in the attacks and said on Monday it would soon breach limits on how much enriched uranium it can stockpile under a 2015 nuclear deal, which had sought to limit its nuclear capabilities.\n\nExceeding the uranium cap at the heart of the accord would prompt a diplomatic crisis, forcing the other signatories, which include China, Russia and European powers, to confront Iran.\n\nThe standoff drew a call for caution from China. Its top diplomat warned that the world should not open a “Pandora’s Box” in the Middle East, as he denounced U.S. pressure on Iran and called on it not to drop out of the landmark nuclear deal.\n\nIn a speech, Rouhani dismissed U.S. efforts to isolate Iran as unsuccessful and suggested the U.S. administration of President Donald Trump was inexperienced in international affairs.\n\nBut he said Iran did not seek conflict.\n\n“Iran will not wage war against any nation,” Rouhani said in a speech broadcast live on state TV. “Despite all of the Americans’ efforts in the region and their desire to cut off our ties with all of the world and their desire to keep Iran secluded, they have been unsuccessful.”\n\nOn Monday, Iranian officials made several assertive comments about security, including the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, Ali Shamkhani, who said Tehran was responsible for security in the Gulf and urged U.S. forces to leave the region.\n\nActing U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan on Monday announced the deployment of about 1,000 more troops to the Middle East for what he said were defensive purposes, citing concerns about a threat from Iran.\n\nThe new U.S. deployment is in addition to a 1,500-troop increase announced last month in response to tanker attacks in May. Washington previously tightened sanctions, ordering all countries and companies to halt imports of Iranian oil or be banished from the global financial system.\n\nIran’s announcement on Monday that it would soon breach limits on how much enriched uranium it can stockpile under the deal was denounced by a White House National Security Council spokesman as “nuclear blackmail.”\n\nThe move further undermines the nuclear pact, but Rouhani said on Monday the collapse of the deal would not be in the interests of the region or the world.\n\nThe nuclear deal seeks to head off any pathway to an Iranian nuclear bomb in return for the removal of most international sanctions.\n\nSpeaking in Beijing, Chinese State Councillor Wang Yi said the United States should not use “extreme pressure” to resolve issues with Iran.\n\nWang told reporters China, a close energy partner of Iran, was “of course, very concerned” about the situation in the Gulf and with Iran, and called on all sides to ease tension.\n\n“We call on all sides to remain rational and exercise restraint, and not take any escalatory actions that irritate regional tensions, and not open a Pandora’s box,” Wang said.\n\n“In particular, the U.S. side should alter its extreme pressure methods,” Wang said. “Any unilateral behavior has no basis in international law. Not only will it not resolve the problem, it will only create an even greater crisis.”\n\nWang also said the Iran nuclear deal was the only feasible way to resolve its nuclear issue, and urged Iran to be prudent.\n\nEuropean Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said the EU would only react to any breach if the International Atomic Energy Agency formally identified one.\n\nThe Trump administration says the deal, negotiated by Democratic President Barack Obama, was flawed as it is not permanent, does not address Iran’s missile program and does not punish it for waging proxy wars in other Middle East countries.", "GENEVA (Reuters) - Iran will not wage war against any nation, President Hassan Rouhani said on Tuesday, a day after the United States announced the deployment of more troops to the Middle East amid rising tensions between Tehran and Washington.\n\nFears of a confrontation between Iran and the United States have mounted since attacks on two oil tankers at the entrance to the Gulf on Thursday, which Washington has blamed on Tehran.\n\n“Iran will not wage war against any nation,” Rouhani said in a speech broadcast live on state TV. “Those facing us are a group of politicians with little experience.”\n\nHe added, “Despite all of the Americans’ efforts in the region and their desire to cut off our ties with all of the world and their desire to keep Iran secluded, they have been unsuccessful.”\n\nActing U.S. Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan announced on Monday the deployment of about 1,000 more troops to the Middle East for what he said were defensive purposes citing concerns about a threat from Iran.", "Speaking on Tuesday at the opening ceremony of Salam Terminal-Gallery of Imam Khomeini Airport City, President Hassan Rouhani said, “The people of Iran will disappoint the enemies by being hopeful and fervent, preventing them from reaching their goals”.\n\n“Despite all hardships and pressures that the enemies have imposed on us with the aim of convincing our people that the country’s development has stopped and the people are hopeless about the future, we are witnessing new developments in the economy of the country every day,” he said.\n\nThe President also said, “This war will end with the Iranian nation’s victory, because the other side is not a nation, but a group of inexperienced politicians; and we do not wage war against any nation”.\n\n“On this side, it is not just a group of authorities, but the entire Iranian nation. The enemies’ sanctions are directly against each and every individual, and the lower classes,” said Rouhani.\n\nHe also continued, “The enemies will never win this war against the Iranian nation, the proof of it is the completion of great projects in the entire country, today being the glorious Salam terminal”.\n\n“Today, despite sanctions and pressures, our airplanes and air industry are working; this is normal for a country that has no problem buying airplanes and parts and maintenance, but in our country, we are doing that under pressures and many problems, therefore, we need to thank our air industry for working round the clock,” he said.\n\nThe President also went on to say, “After the nuclear deal was struck and the atmosphere we made in our international relations, we could import some modern airplanes, which was one of our people’s wishes”.\n\nHe said, “Today, the United States is standing against the Iranian nation despite all international regulations, but all people at work in our air industry sectors have kept this industry moving, and we thank them for their hard work”.\n\nStating that the real fight against the enemies and those who do not want Iran to progress, is to open major projects, he said, “Today, we need to practically stand up to our enemies, one of the ways is working hard for economic prosperity”.\n\nOn tourism as a key goal of the government, President Rouhani said, “Development of the country’s air industry is the best and easiest way for the development of the tourism industry”.\n\nIn the recent years, good developments have been made in maritime sectors and ports, he said, continuing, “Good capacities have been created in these sectors”.\n\n“Today, we are able to provide other countries with services in many technical and engineering fields, in a way that officials of foreign countries state in bilateral meetings that the Iranian companies’ quality and pace are so much better than other countries,” he said.\n\nDr. Rouhani also referred to the United States’ vain attempts to cut off Iran’s relations with the world, saying, “Despite the United States’ efforts, the Iranian officials excel in all international summits and the Islamic Republic of Iran has good relations with other countries”.\n\nThe President continued, “Iran has been loyal to its international commitments and agreements, and it was the other side that violated all agreements and regulations. Right now, everyone in the world considers the US administration as a government that violates its commitments and promises”.", "Iran is not seeking to wage war against any nation, the country’s president has said while at the same time stressing that Iranians will withstand mounting US pressure and emerge victorious.\n\nThe remarks by President Hassan Rouhani came after Iran announced it was breaking compliance with the nuclear deal with world powers and the Trump administration ordered 1,000 more troops to the Middle East.\n\n“We do not wage war with any nation,” Mr Rouhani said, speaking during the inauguration of a new terminal at Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport that will raise its capacity from eight million to 13 million passengers a year.\n\n“The entire Iranian nation is unanimous in confronting” US pressures, Mr Rouhani said.\n\n“The end of this battle will see victory of the Iranian nation.”\n\nHe added that despite the US withdrawal last year from Tehran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, Iran had remained “loyal to its commitments, to … international agreements”.\n\nBut on Monday, Iran’s nuclear agency announced it will surpass the uranium stockpile limits set by its 2015 nuclear deal in the next 10 days, raising pressure on Europeans trying to save the accord a year after the US withdrawal.\n\nHours later, the Pentagon announced it was sending about 1,000 additional American troops to the Middle East to bolster security in the region in the face of what US officials said was a growing threat from Iran.\n\nThe announcement by Iran’s nuclear agency marked yet another deadline set by Tehran.\n\nMr Rouhani has already warned Europe that a new deal needs to be in place by July 7 or the Islamic Republic would increase its enrichment of uranium.\n\nThe developments indicate Iran has begun its own maximum pressure campaign after facing one from President Donald Trump that deeply cut into its sale of crude oil abroad and sent its economy into freefall.\n\nEurope has so far been unable to offer Iran a way around the US sanctions.\n\nThe escalation follows apparent attacks last week near the Strait of Hormuz on oil tankers, assaults that Washington has blamed on Iran.\n\nWhile Iran has denied being involved, it laid mines in the 1980s targeting oil tankers around the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which a fifth of the world’s crude oil passes.", "Iran will not wage war against any nation, Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said on Tuesday in a speech broadcast live on state TV.\n\nFears of a confrontation between Iran and the United States have mounted since attacks on two oil tankers at the entrance to the Persian Gulf on Thursday that Washington has blamed on Tehran.\n\n\"Iran will not wage war against any nation,\" Rouhani said. \"Those facing us are a group of politicians with little experience.\"\n\n\"Despite all of the Americans' efforts in the region and their desire to cut off our ties with all of the world and their desire to keep Iran secluded, they have been unsuccessful.\"\n\nActing U.S. Defence Secretary Patrick Shanahan announced on Monday the deployment of about 1,000 more troops to the Middle East for what he said were defensive purposes, citing concerns about a threat from Iran.\n\nU.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Tuesday that the United States will maintain its pressure campaign on Iran and continue to deter aggression in the region but does not want the conflict with Tehran to escalate.\n\n\"We have been engaged in many messages, even this moment right here, communicating to Iran that we are there to deter aggression,\" Pompeo told reporters at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida.\n\nU.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters Tuesday that the troops are in the region 'to deter aggression.' (Piroschka Van De Wouw/Reuters)\n\nThe Chinese government's top diplomat, meanwhile, warned that the world should not open a \"Pandora's Box\" in the Middle East, as he denounced U.S. pressure on Iran and called on Tehran not to drop out of a landmark nuclear deal.\n\nSpeaking in Beijing after meeting Syria's foreign minister, Chinese State Councillor Wang Yi said the United States should not use \"extreme pressure\" to resolve issues with Iran.\n\n\"We call on all sides to remain rational and exercise restraint, and not take any escalatory actions that irritate regional tensions, and not open a Pandora's box,\" Wang said.\n\n\"In particular, the U.S. side should alter its extreme pressure methods.\"\n\nWang also said that the Iran nuclear deal was the only feasible way to resolve its nuclear issue, and he urged Iran to be prudent. U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from the 2015 deal more than a year ago.\n\n\"We understand that relevant parties may have different concerns but first of all the comprehensive nuclear deal should be properly implemented,\" he added. \"We hope that Iran is cautious with its decision-making and not lightly abandon this agreement.\"\n\nChina and Iran have close energy ties, and China has been angered by U.S. threats against countries and companies that violate U.S. sanctions by importing Iranian oil, including Chinese firms.\n\nChina has had to walk a fine line as it has also been cultivating relations with Iran's regional rival, Saudi Arabia, the Asian giant's top oil supplier.\n\nIran's foreign minister has visited China twice this year already. Saudi Arabia's crown prince has also visited Beijing this year."], "summary": "In response to accusations by the United States that Iran is responsible for last week's attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman, and the subsequent increased U.S. military presence in the region, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says \"Iran will not wage war against any nation\"."}
{"document": ["(CNN) Dozens of people were killed and many others were injured when armed men attacked two villages in central Mali, the government said Tuesday.\n\nIn what the authorities are calling a \"terrorist\" incident, gunmen attacked the villages of Gangafani and Yoro in the Mopti region of Mali near the border with Burkina Faso, killing at least 38 people, according to an early government estimate.\n\nThe government responded to the Monday attack by sending a military unit to the area to investigate the incident and track down the perpetrators.\n\nIn a separate attack, a military patrol was ambushed by armed men in Banguimalam, according to the government statement.", "At least 14 people were killed in an attack on two ethnic villages in central Mali, local officials said Tuesday.\n\nMonday's attacks on Ganfafani and Yoro villages near the border with left \"14 people dead according to a provisional toll\", said\n\nA military source said as many as 40 people may have been killed.", "At least 14 people were killed in an attack on two ethnic Dogon villages in centre of Mali, local officials said Tuesday, in the latest in a cycle of violence in the fragile Sahel country.\n\nNo group immediately claimed responsibility for Monday’s attack but Mali has seen a spate of massacres this year between ethnic Dogon and Fulani communities.\n\nThe attacks on Ganfafani and Yoro villages near the border with Burkina Faso left “14 people dead according to a provisional toll”, said local judicial official Boubacar Sidiki Samake.\n\nA Mali military source said as many as 40 people may have been killed.\n\nGoundjou Poudiougou, a local community official, said around a dozen bodies had been counted in both villages.\n\n“They are terrorists because they killed and then disembowelled some bodies and burned crops,” Poudiougou said.\n\nEarlier this month, a massacre on another Dogon village, Sobane Da, killed 35 people, stirring fears of tit-for-tat attacks in a region with an ethnic patchwork.\n\n“This time is the same as Sobane Da: People and animals targetted,” said Adama Dionko, a spokesman for the Mali’s Dogon association.\n\nPresident Ibrahim Boubacar Keita has appealed for an end to the revenge violence after he visited the site of the Sobane Da massacre.\n\nBut despite military help from France and the UN, Mali’s government is struggling to calm violence that began in the north of the country in 2012, sparked by radical Islamist and Tuareg militias.\n\nEarlier this year, in the bloodiest raid, 160 Fulani were killed in an attack on a village by suspected militiamen from a rival ethnic group.\n\nEthnic violence in central Mali surged after a predominantly Fulani jihadist group led by preacher Amadou Koufa emerged in 2015.\n\nThe UN peacekeeping mission in Mali, MINUSMA, said in May it had recorded nearly 500 deaths in attacks on Fulanis in the central regions of Mopti and Segou since January 2018.\n\nArmed Fulanis caused 63 deaths among civilians in the Mopti region over the same period, it said.\n\nThe Fulani are primarily cattle breeders and traders, while the Bambara and Dogon ethic groups are traditionally sedentary farmers.\n\nUnrest in the volatile central region coincides with an ongoing jihadist campaign that the Mali government is struggling to contain.", "Bamako, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 19th Jun, 2019 ) :At least 14 people were killed in an attack on two ethnic Dogon villages in central Mali, local officials said Tuesday.\n\nNo group immediately claimed responsibility for Monday's attack but Mali has seen a spate of violence this year between ethnic Dogon and Fulani communities.\n\nThe attacks on Ganfafani and Yoro villages near the border with Burkina Faso left \"14 people dead according to a provisional toll\", said local judicial official Boubacar Sidiki Samake.\n\nA Mali military source said as many as 40 people may have been killed.\n\nGoundjou Poudiougou, a local community official, said a dozen bodies had been counted in both villages.\n\nEarlier this year 130 people were killed in an attack on a village by suspected militiamen from a rival ethnic group.\n\nJihadist raids remain a persistent threat in Mali, but in the centre of the country, an ethnic mosaic, attacks have had a bloody impact on groups that have a history of rivalry.", "Alwaght- Scores of people have been killed and many more wounded in attacks on two ethnic Dogon villages in central Mali, the government said Tuesday.\n\nNo group immediately claimed responsibility for Monday's attacks but Mali has seen a spate of massacres this year between ethnic Dogon and Fulani communities.\n\n\"The terrorist attacks on Monday evening targeted the villages of Gangafani and Yoro... not far from the border with Burkina Faso. The official provisional toll is 38 dead and numerous people wounded,\" the Malian government said in a statement.\n\n\"Defense and security forces have been dispatched to the location to protect the population and their property and to track down the assailants of these attacks,\" the statement added, revising upwards an earlier toll of 14 dead..\n\nGoundjou Poudiougou, a local community official, said around a dozen bodies had been counted in both villages.\n\n\"They are terrorists because they killed and then disemboweled some bodies and burned crops,\" Poudiougou said.\n\nEarlier this month, a massacre on another Dogon village, Sobane Da, killed 35 people, stirring fears of tit-for-tat attacks in a region with an ethnic patchwork.\n\n\"This time is the same as Sobane Da: People and animals targeted,\" said Adama Dionko, a spokesman for Mali's Dogon association.\n\n\"We demand the state give us more security.\"\n\nMali's armed forces also reported, on Twitter, that an army patrol Tuesday was ambushed at Gossi in the north of the country and suffered both \"human and material losses\".\n\nPresident Ibrahim Boubacar Keita has appealed for an end to the revenge attacks after he visited the site of the Sobane Da massacre.\n\nBut despite military help from France and the United Nations, Mali's government is struggling to calm violence that began in the north of the country in 2012, sparked by radical Tuareg militias.\n\nEarlier this year, in the bloodiest raid, 160 Fulani were killed in an attack on a village by suspected militiamen from a rival ethnic group.\n\nEthnic violence in central Mali surged after a predominantly Fulani extremist group led by preacher Amadou Koufa emerged in 2015.\n\nThe UN peacekeeping mission in Mali, MINUSMA, said in May it had recorded nearly 500 deaths in attacks on Fulanis in the central regions of Mopti and Segou since January 2018.\n\nArmed Fulanis caused 63 deaths among civilians in the Mopti region over the same period, it said.\n\nThe Fulani are primarily cattle breeders and traders, while the Bambara and Dogon ethic groups are traditionally sedentary farmers.\n\nUnrest in the central region coincides with an ongoing jihadist campaign that the Mali government is struggling to contain.", "Dozens of people are reported killed after a new attack on two villages in central Mali, a part of the country experiencing a dire security situation amid an increase in tit-for-tat ethnic violence.\n\nA local mayor told Reuters News Agency on Tuesday that unidentified gunmen on motorbikes attacked the villages of Yoro and Gangafani 2 the previous evening, killing at least 41 civilians.\n\nThe victims of the raids were mostly ethnic Dogons, according to Issiaka Ganame, the mayor of Yoro, where 24 people were killed. Another 17 died in Gangafani 2.\n\n\"About 100 unidentified armed men circulating on motos all of a sudden invaded Yoro and fired on the population,\" Ganame said.\n\n\"Then they descended on the village of Gangafani 2, which is about 15km away.\"\n\nSeparately, local judicial official Boubacar Sidiki Samake told the AFP news agency that Monday's attacks in the two villages near the border with Burkina Faso had left \"14 people dead according to a provisional toll\".\n\nA Malian military source said as many as 40 people may have been killed.\n\nNo other information was immediately available.\n\nThe attack on the two villages compounds a desperate security situation in central Mali, where ethnic militias regularly slaughter civilians from rival groups.\n\nThe tit-for-tat violence in recent months has largely pitted Dogon hunters against Fulani herders. Attackers believed to be Fulani raided a Dogon village last week, killing at least 35 people.\n\nIn March, suspected Dogon militiamen killed more than 150 Fulani in two villages in central Mali, one of the worst acts of bloodshed in the country's recent history.\n\nAt least 488 Fulani civilians died in attacks carried out in the central regions of Mopti and Segou between January 1, 2018, and May 16, 2019, according to the United Nations mission in Mali (MINUSMA). In the same period, armed Fulanis had \"caused 63 deaths\" among civilians in the Mopti region.\n\nPresident Ibrahim Boubacar Keita's government has vowed to disarm the militias but has struggled to do so.\n\nOn Tuesday, two labour unions representing civil servants called on state administrators in the Mopti region, where most of the attacks have occurred, to leave their posts and decamp to the regional capital due to death threats.\n\n\"President Keita said he was going to disarm all the militias. We take note and await the disarmament of the militias and implementation of protection measures,\" said Ousmane Christian Diarra, secretary-general of the National Syndicate of Civil Administrators.\n\nCentral Mali has in the past few years been overrun by fighters with links to al-Qaeda.\n\nViolence by fighter groups has worsened almost every year since it first started in Mali in 2012 when rebel fighters and allied Tuareg rebels took over the north and advanced towards the capital, Bamako, until a French-led intervention pushed them back the following year.\n\nGroups linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIS) used central and northern Mali as a launch pad for growing numbers of attacks across the Sahel region and stoke tensions among different communities, despite the presence of thousands of French and regional troops, as well as UN peacekeepers.", "Earlier in the day Reuters reported citing a local mayor that unidentified gunmen on motorbikes attacked two villages in central Mali, killing at least 41 people.\n\nAt the same time, according to AFP report citing unnamed local officials, at least 14 people were killed in attacks against two Dogon villages.\n\nThe attacks on Ganfafani and Yoro villages left \"14 people dead according to a provisional toll\", local judicial official Boubacar Sidiki Samake said as cited by AFP.", "Michele Cattani, AFP | Malian soldiers on patrol in the central region of the country in October 2018.\n\nUnidentified gunmen on motorbikes attacked two villages in central Mali, killing at least 41 people in a part of the country where ethnic reprisal attacks have surged in recent months, a local mayor told FRANCE 24's correspondent in Bamako.\n\nThe attacks on Monday evening on the villages of Yoro and Gangafani compound a dire security situation in central Mali, where ethnic militias have stepped up attacks on civilians from rival groups and Islamist militants are also active.\n\nThe victims of Monday's raids were mostly ethnic Dogons, said Issiaka Ganame, the mayor of Yoro, where 24 people were killed. Another 17 died in Gangafani, the mayor told FRANCE 24's Christelle Pire.\n\nAn unnamed military source quoted by AFP gave a lower toll of at least 20 killes.\n\nThe tit-for-tat violence in recent months has largely pitted Dogon hunters against Fulani herders.\n\nLast week, gunmen raided a Dogon village in central Mali, killing at least 35 people according to a government toll and more than twice as many according to local officials.\n\nIn March, suspected Dogon militiamen killed more than 150 Fulani in two villages in central Mali, one of the worst acts of bloodshed in the country's recent history.\n\nLast month, the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali, MINUSMA, announced it had recorded \"at least 488 deaths\" in attacks on Fulanis in the central regions of Mopti and Segou since January 2018.\n\nArmed Fulanis \"caused 63 deaths\" among civilians in the Mopti region over the same period, it said.\n\nThe Fulani are primarily cattle breeders and traders, while the Bambara and Dogon are traditionally sedentary farmers.\n\nLocated in the heart of the Sahel, Mali is one of the world's poorest countries.\n\nUnrest in the volatile central region coincides with an ongoing jihadist campaign that the Mali government is struggling to contain, despite military support from France and UN peacekeepers.", "At least 38 people were killed and several others sustained in an attack carried out by unidentified gunmen in Gangafani and Yoro villages in central Mali, authorities said on Tuesday.\n\nThe government responded to the incident by sending a military unit to the area to track down the perpetrators and investigate the incident, reported\n\nAccording to media reports, the victims of the attacks on two villages belonged to ethnic Dogons group.\n\nThere was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. However, members of the ethnic groups in the country often clash over access to land and water.\n\nIn a similar attack recently, at least 95 people were killed by unidentified gunmen in a village inhabited by the Dogon ethnic group in\n\nThe Dogans accuse of having ties with local jihadist groups, while claim that provides arms to Dogans to attack them.", "BAMAKO — Unidentified gunmen on motorbikes attacked two villages in central Mali, killing at least 41 people in a part of the country where ethnic reprisal attacks have surged in recent months, a local mayor said on Tuesday.\n\nThe attacks on Monday evening on the villages of Yoro and Gangafani 2 compound a dire security situation in central Mali, where ethnic militias regularly slaughter civilians from rival groups and Islamist militants are also active.\n\nThe victims of Monday’s raids were mostly ethnic Dogons, said Issiaka Ganame, the mayor of Yoro, where 24 people were killed. Another 17 died in Gangafani 2.\n\n“About 100 unidentified armed men circulating on motos all of a sudden invaded Yoro and fired on the population,” Ganame told Reuters. “Then they descended on the village of Gangafani 2, which is about 15 km (9 miles) away.”\n\nThe tit-for-tat violence in recent months has largely pitted Dogon hunters against Fulani herders. Attackers believed to be Fulani raided a Dogon village last week, killing at least 35 people.\n\nIn March, suspected Dogon militiamen killed more than 150 Fulani in two villages in central Mali, one of the worst acts of bloodshed in the country’s recent history.\n\nPresident Ibrahim Boubacar Keita’s government has vowed to disarm the militias but has struggled to do so. The groups are looked to for security by local communities who do not trust the government to protect them.\n\nOn Tuesday, two labour unions representing civil servants called on state adminstrators in the Mopti region, where most of the attacks have occurred, to leave their posts and decamp to the regional capital due to death threats.\n\n“President Keita said he was going to disarm all the militias. We take note and await the disarmament of the militias and implementation of protection measures,” said Ousmane Christian Diarra, secretary-general of the National Syndicate of Civil Administrators.\n\nFrench forces intervened in Mali, a former French colony, in 2013 to push back a jihadist advance from the north. But the militants have since regrouped and use northern and central Mali as launchpads to stage attacks across the region and stoke tensions among different communities."], "summary": "Forty one people are killed in an attack in the Yoro and Gangafani villages in Mali, one week after 35 are killed in another attack. The attackers, riding motorcycles, targeted primarily Dogon villages."}
{"document": ["FILE PHOTO: The Google logo is pictured at the entrance to the Google offices in London, Britain January 18, 2019. REUTERS/Hannah McKay/File Photo\n\n(Reuters) - Alphabet Inc’s Google announced on Tuesday it would set aside $750 million in land and $250 million in financing to spur developers in the San Francisco Bay Area to build at least 20,000 homes and rehabilitate other housing over the next decade.\n\nGoogle, which told Reuters it has 45,000 employees in the region, has been the target of local activists who for several years have said the company’s growth and high salaries have contributed to rising rents and housing shortages. They have called on Google and other Silicon Valley tech companies to invest in affordable housing and rethink expansions.\n\nGoogle said housing had reached a “crisis point” in the Bay Area but declined to comment on whether its announcement in a blog post on Tuesday was a response to pressure from community activists, who plan to demonstrate Wednesday outside Alphabet’s annual shareholder meeting.\n\nActivist group Silicon Valley Rising called Google’s announcement “a great step in the right direction.”\n\nIn January, Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg’s philanthropy in partnership with other groups said they planned to raise $500 million to build or preserve more than 8,000 homes in the Bay Area over 10 years. And Microsoft Corp pledged $500 million toward addressing homelessness and developing affordable housing in the Seattle region.\n\nGoogle told Reuters it would lease land valued at $750 million, and largely zoned for offices or shops, to construct mostly apartments and some for-sale homes for a total of at least 15,000 units.\n\nIt declined to elaborate on why the space is no longer needed for offices.\n\nThe $250 million would go toward equity and debt investments in projects preserving existing affordable housing or constructing at least 5,000 new affordable units for people of various income levels. Google said it would prioritize developments near transportation hubs by its offices.\n\nGoogle has already proposed 5,700 new homes at one of its developments in Mountain View, California adding that it is also in discussions with the cities of Sunnyvale and San Jose.", "Alphabet Inc's Google announced on Tuesday it would set aside US$750 million in land and US$250 million in financing to spur developers in the San Francisco Bay Area to build at least 20,000 homes and rehabilitate other housing over the next decade.\n\nREUTERS: Alphabet Inc's Google announced on Tuesday it would set aside US$750 million in land and US$250 million in financing to spur developers in the San Francisco Bay Area to build at least 20,000 homes and rehabilitate other housing over the next decade.\n\nGoogle, which told Reuters it has 45,000 employees in the region, has been the target of local activists who for several years have said the company's growth and high salaries have contributed to rising rents and housing shortages. They have called on Google and other Silicon Valley tech companies to invest in affordable housing and rethink expansions.\n\nGoogle said housing had reached a \"crisis point\" in the Bay Area but declined to comment on whether its announcement in a blog post https://www.blog.google/inside-google/company-announcements/1-billion-investment-bay-area-housing on Tuesday was a response to pressure from community activists, who plan to demonstrate Wednesday outside Alphabet's annual shareholder meeting.\n\nActivist group Silicon Valley Rising called Google's announcement \"a great step in the right direction.\"\n\nIn January, Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg's philanthropy in partnership with other groups said they planned to raise US$500 million to build or preserve more than 8,000 homes in the Bay Area over 10 years. And Microsoft Corp pledged US$500 million towards addressing homelessness and developing affordable housing in the Seattle region.\n\nGoogle told Reuters it would lease land valued at US$750 million, and largely zoned for offices or shops, to construct mostly apartments and some for-sale homes for a total of at least 15,000 units.\n\nIt declined to elaborate on why the space is no longer needed for offices.\n\nThe US$250 million would go towards equity and debt investments in projects preserving existing affordable housing or constructing at least 5,000 new affordable units for people of various income levels. Google said it would prioritise developments near transportation hubs by its offices.\n\nGoogle has already proposed 5,700 new homes at one of its developments in Mountain View, California adding that it is also in discussions with the cities of Sunnyvale and San Jose.", "\n• Google announced a $1 billion investment to ease the housing crisis in the San Francisco Bay Area, pledging to add about 20,000 homes to the region over the next decade.\n• Google plans to convert at least $750 million of its own land into real estate to support 15,000 residential housing units.\n• About 7,000 people are homeless in San Francisco, while Silicon Valley companies have drawn fire for exacerbating a shortage of affordable housing in the region.\n\nCriticized for pushing out poorer residents, Google on Tuesday announced a $1 billion investment to ease the housing crisis in the San Francisco Bay Area and to add about 20,000 homes to the region over the next decade.\n\nAs part of that effort, the internet company plans to convert at least $750 million of its own land, currently zoned for office or commercial space, to support 15,000 homes, according to a blog post from Google CEO Sundar Pichai. The technology giant will also establish a $250 million investment fund to incentivize developers to build an additional 5,000 affordable housing units.\n\n\"We hope this plays a role in addressing the chronic shortage of affordable housing options for long-time middle and low-income residents,\" Pichai wrote.\n\nGoogle joins other technology companies that have pledged to help create more affordable housing around Silicon Valley, where home prices have skyrocketed as the tech sector has grown. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and other local companies in January said they will raise $500 million to help fight the Bay Area housing crisis.\n\nGoogle can easily afford the $1 billion it is earmarking for local housing — as of March 31 it was sitting on a pile of cash and securities worth $113 billion. The initiative could also soothe frustration with the company over what some see as a widening divide in Silicon Valley between highly paid tech employees and everyone else.\n\nExperts have long criticized Silicon Valley tech companies for driving up real estate prices, contributing to an affordable housing crisis that is pushing middle- and low-income out of the Bay Area. Median home prices in San Francisco have surged 45%, from $936,000 to nearly $1.4 million, just in the past five years, according to Zillow. Meanwhile, about 7,000 people in San Francisco are homeless.\n\n\"For several months, we have encouraged Google to make a bold commitment to address our region's affordable housing challenge,\" San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo said in a statement.\n\n\"We look forward to working with Google to ensure today's announcement manifests into housing that will benefit thousands of San Jose residents struggling under the burden of high rents,\" he added.\n\nPichai said the company will start construction immediately to make homes available in the next few years. The company is already looking to free up land for housing in Mountain View, Calif., where Google-parent Alphabet is based, and it's in \"productive conversations\" with cities Sunnyvale and San Jose to do the same.", "Google on Tuesday pledged to commit more than $1 billion to help address the severe housing crisis in the region that includes its headquarters and Silicon Valley.\n\nChief executive Sundar Pichai announced the initiative, saying the internet colossus wants to be “a good neighbor” in the area bursting with technology companies.\n\nThe move comes with Silicon Valley firms under pressure over the spike in real estate prices, lack of affordable housing and growing homeless problem in the San Francisco Bay region.\n\nThe region has attracted thousands of highly paid tech workers that has strained the housing supply and led to an explosion in prices.\n\nPichai said Google had previously invested in housing in areas where it has operations.\n\n“Today we’re announcing an additional $1 billion investment in housing across the Bay Area,” Pichai said in a blog post.\n\nThe largest chunk of this would be to “repurpose” over the next 10 years for housing some $750 million of Google’s land, most of which is currently zoned for office or commercial space.\n\n“This will enable us to support the development of at least 15,000 new homes at all income levels in the Bay Area, including housing options for middle and low-income families,” he said.\n\n“We hope this plays a role in addressing the chronic shortage of affordable housing options for long-time middle and low income residents.”\n\nGoogle, the largest unit of the Alphabet holding company, also pledged a $250 million investment fund providing incentives to build at least 5,000 affordable housing units across the market.\n\nAn additional $50 million will be funneled through the company’s philanthropic arm Google.org to nonprofits focused on homelessness and displacement, adding to some $18 million in grants given over the past five years.\n\n“In the coming months, we’ll continue to work with local municipalities to support plans that allow residential developers to build quickly and economically,” Pichai said.\n\n“Our goal is to get housing construction started immediately, and for homes to be available in the next few years.”\n\nEarlier this year, companies and organizations, including one started by Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, pledged some $500 million for affordable housing in the same region in response to a plea from Governor Gavin Newsom.\n\nMicrosoft, based in the northwestern city of Seattle, has pledged $500 million for a similar initiative.", "Google says it wants to ease the housing problem in the San Francisco Bay Area, where the tech giant has been headquartered for the past two decades. The search giant on Tuesday said it's pledging $1 billion to help build a total of 20,000 homes in the region over the next 10 years.\n\nThe allocation comes as Google and other tech giants face criticism for contributing to higher rents in the Bay Area. Google, which was founded in Mountain View, California, 20 years ago, has also been aggressively expanding in the area. The company has major real estate developments underway in nearby San Francisco, San Jose and Sunnyvale.\n\n\"Across the region, one issue stands out as particularly urgent and complex: housing,\" Google CEO Sundar Pichai wrote in a blog post. \"The lack of new supply, combined with the rising cost of living, has resulted in a severe shortage of affordable housing options for long-time middle- and low-income residents.\"\n\nGoogle said it'll repurpose $750 million worth of its land, which is currently zoned for commercial and office space, to build 15,000 residential homes. That will include housing for mid- and lower-income people, the company said. Google will also create a $250 million investment fund that provides incentives to real estate developers for building 5,000 affordable homes in the region. Google said it wants housing construction to begin immediately.\n\nGoogle is also facing intense scrutiny more broadly as a company, so a pledge to help ease the housing crisis could also be an attempt to help improve public sentiment. In the past few years, Google has been accused of censorship, helping to distribute disinformation and not taking a strong enough stance against sexual harassment in the workplace.\n\nOn Tuesday, Gov. Gavin Newsom welcomed Google's vow to help with housing.\n\n\"Google recognizes that it has an important role to play in addressing California's cost crisis,\" Newsom said in a statement. \"I hope today's announcement inspires other companies -- big and small -- to make similar direct investments in housing affordability throughout our state.\"\n\nEverything announced at WWDC: Get the latest on the new Mac Pro, iOS 13, Dark Mode for iPhone and more. What Amazon's one-day shipping means for you: Amazon to decrease standard shipping time for Prime members from two days to one.", "MOUNTAIN VIEW (dpa-AFX) - Google said that it would commit $1 billion to ease the housing crisis in the San Francisco Bay Area, and add about 20,000 homes to the region over the next decade.\n\n\n\nAs part of its effort, the company plans to convert at least $750 million of its own land, currently zoned for office or commercial space, to support the development of at least 15,000 new homes, according to a blog post from Google CEO Sundar Pichai.\n\n\n\nThe technology giant will also establish a $250 million investment fund to incentivize developers to build at least 5,000 affordable housing units across the market.\n\n\n\n'We hope this plays a role in addressing the chronic shortage of affordable housing options for long-time middle and low-income residents,' Pichai wrote.\n\n\n\nGoogle will give $50 million in grants through Google.org to nonprofits focused on the issues of homelessness and displacement.\n\n\n\nCopyright RTT News/dpa-AFX", "The main Google campus in Mountain View, California. Google plans to create a US$250 million investment fund to provide incentives for developers to create more affordable homes.\n\nBACK in 1998, Google paid just US$1,700 a month to rent its first office - half a home, including the garage, in Silicon Valley.\n\nAfter two decades of extraordinary growth by tech companies like Google, real estate prices in the area have skyrocketed, fuelling a shortage of affordable housing and exacerbating inequality.\n\nA small one-bedroom apartment near the company's current headquarters now costs about US$3,500 a month.\n\nNow Google, saying it wants to be a \"good neighbour\", has plans to provide some relief. On Tuesday, it pledged to invest US$1 billion in land and money to build homes.\n\nThe company plans to repurpose at least US$750 million worth of commercially zoned land it owns over the next 10 years, Google's chief executive officer Sundar Pichai, said. Google would work with local governments to allow developers to lease the land to build homes.\n\nIn addition, Google plans to create a US$250 million investment fund to provide incentives for developers to create more affordable homes in the area, Mr Pichai said.\n\nAlthough the details are not final, Google said the fund might provide loans or make investments in projects that were geared towards building affordable housing. The announcement is the latest attempt by tech industry leaders to tackle a problem they helped create but until recently had left largely unaddressed.\n\nGoogle, Facebook, Apple and a host of startups have concentrated wealth in and around San Francisco and Seattle, attracting workers to those areas from across the world.\n\nBut the housing supply has not kept pace. As a result, buying or renting a home in those regions has become prohibitive for people outside the technology industry.\n\nIn January, Microsoft announced that it would allocate US$500 million to help provide affordable housing in the Seattle area.\n\nThat same month, a group of Bay Area philanthropists, including Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook's chief executive, also pledged to donate US$500 million to protect and expand affordable housing in the area.\n\nGoogle's US$1 billion is not a donation, since the company will likely still make money off leases to developers or low-interest loans. Mr Pichai referred to them as a \"US$1 billion investment\". But Google may make far less money from the investments than if executives put the money in its core business.\n\nThe shortage of available land in Silicon Valley has made it difficult to increase the supply of housing. Google estimates the fund and the repurposed land could spur the building of at least 20,000 homes in the Bay Area.\n\n\"We hope this plays a role in addressing the chronic shortage of affordable housing options for longtime middle- and low-income residents,\" Mr Pichai wrote in a blog post.\n\nGoogle made its announcement a day before the annual shareholder meeting for its parent company, Alphabet. In the past, the company has been criticised at those meetings for not doing enough to ease the housing problems in the area.\n\nGoogle recently proposed plans to add new offices in Mountain View, where it has its headquarters, and in nearby San Jose.\n\nIn those development projects, the company has pushed for a mix of office and retail space along with residential properties, a departure from the sprawling office parks that are common throughout Silicon Valley.\n\nSince 2005, California has added 308 housing units for every 1,000 new residents, about half the level of New York, according to the McKinsey Global Institute. That long-term shortage has only been worsened by the growth of tech: During the past eight years, the Bay Area has added about 676,000 jobs and 176,000 housing units.\n\nThe result has been punishing rent increases, rising homelessness and campers parked on Silicon Valley side streets. California now has not only some of the highest wages in the country but also the nation's highest poverty rate once the cost of living is figured in.\n\nJust a few hours before Google's announcement, the National Low Income Housing Coalition put out a report that showed Bay Area counties account for five of the six most expensive places to live in the country.\n\nIn Santa Clara County, which includes Mountain View, a worker would have to earn US$54.60 an hour to afford a two-bedroom apartment.\n\nDespite its obvious and long-standing housing shortage, the state has struggled to find a political solution. Gavin Newsom, the new governor, campaigned on an audacious promise to push policies that would lead to the construction of 3.5 million new homes by 2025 - California is on pace to build about 1 million - but nothing that has happened in the Legislature suggests that goal will be even close to met. NYTIMES", "Google has a $1 billion plan to put a dent in the Bay Area housing crisis.\n\nThe company announced a sweeping new plan Tuesday to contribute $1 billion to build as many as 20,000 new homes in the San Francisco Bay Area over the next 10 years.\n\nThe bulk of that investment will come not from Google parent Alphabet's multibillion-dollar cash reserves, but from a promise to rezone its own land in order to build residential housing.\n\n\"Over the next 10 years, we’ll repurpose at least $750 million of Google’s land, most of which is currently zoned for office or commercial space, as residential housing,\" Google CEO Sundar Pichai write in a blog post. \"This will enable us to support the development of at least 15,000 new homes at all income levels in the Bay Area, including housing options for middle and low-income families.\"\n\nAdditionally, Pichai says Google will put up $250 million in incentives to get developers to build 5,000 units of affordable housing throughout the Bay Area. The company will donate an additional $50 million to local organizations that fight homelessness.\n\nGoogle isn't the first tech company to throw money at the housing crisis in the Bay Area, where the cost of living is so high six-figure salaries are considered \"low income.\" Mark Zuckerberg's nonprofit Chan Zuckerberg Initiative is leading an initiative to raise $500 million to build 8,000 Bay Area homes in the next decade.\n\nBut, as the San Jose Mercury News notes, Google's ambitious plan is the \"largest single commitment from a tech company to fight the housing shortage that threatens to stall the economic engine of Silicon Valley.\"\n\nThat said, the success will of Google's new investment will depend on other factors, like cooperation from local governments to approve Google's new zoning plans. And while Pichai notes that the company is already working with the city of Mountain View and having \"productive conversations\" with San Jose, the company could still encounter roadblocks from other cities or local organizations before its housing dreams are realized.", "The San Francisco Bay Area is in a state of flux with exorbitant rent hikes and an increase in homelessness potentially caused, in part, by technology companies which have made the area their home.\n\nRecent estimates suggest that the average renter must make $127,000 a year in order to secure a modest two-bedroom home in the area, and Zumper -- a platform which tracks rent patterns -- estimates that it can cost as much as $3,700 a month for a one-bedroom apartment.\n\nRent is rising and San Franciscans that are not on high salaries are suffering.\n\nAs reported by the San Francisco Chronicle, there seems to be no end to the pressure on renters in sight, and Google's proposed expansion in San Jose and Sunnyvale may cost renters an additional $235 million annually due to increased rent prices in the future.\n\nSee also: Google Pixel 4: Official picture, Project Soli, leaks, and launch date\n\nA lack of rent control and subsidized housing has caused a crisis for renters and may also have contributed to the area's increasing rates of homelessness. When it comes to the latter, the Bay Area Council Economic Institute estimates that it would cost up to $12.7 billion to resolve homelessness in the Bay Area today.\n\nThat's a lot of money to find, but Google, in part, is willing to foot some of the bill.\n\nThe tech giant, headquartered in Mountain View, Calif., will invest $1 billion to improve the housing situation across the Bay Area, Google CEO Sundar Pichai said in a blog post on Tuesday.\n\nPichai says that over the next decade, land belonging to the company once earmarked for commercial developments will be repurposed for residential housing. The executive says that the development of at least 15,000 homes \"at all income levels\" will be made possible through this move alone, which may also \"play a role in addressing the chronic shortage of affordable housing options for long-time middle and low-income residents.\"\n\nAn additional 5,000 homes are planned through a $250 million investment fund aimed at developers willing to create affordable housing in the area.\n\nCNET: 2 billion people will need this tech by 2050\n\n\"In the coming months, we'll continue to work with local municipalities to support plans that allow residential developers to build quickly and economically,\" Pichai says. \"Our goal is to get housing construction started immediately, and for homes to be available in the next few years.\"\n\nGoogle also intends to give away $50 million in grants to non-profit organizations working with the homeless and those that have been displaced in the area.\n\n\"Our goal is to help communities succeed over the long term, and make sure that everyone has access to opportunity, whether or not they work in tech,\" the CEO added. \"Solving a big issue like the housing shortage will take collaboration across business, government and community organizations, and we look forward to working alongside others to make the Bay Area a place where everyone who lives here can thrive.\"\n\n20,000 homes will not be enough to resolve the crisis in the Bay Area but it is a start. However, a ten-year plan may not affect the plight of current residents -- one of which is Yolanda Chavez, a renter in San José.\n\nTechRepublic: How to escape your failed virtual machine deployment\n\nIn an open letter to Pichai published on Medium, Chavez said that she was worried \"Google is going to force me out of my home,\" and after 16 years of renting in the area, she has had to sublet both a bedroom and her living room to make ends meet -- and the prospect of Google's expansion in San José is of concern.\n• Google launches Chrome extension for flagging bad URLs to the Safe Browsing team\n\n\n\nHave a tip? Get in touch securely via WhatsApp | Signal at +447713 025 499, or over at Keybase: charlie0", "SAN FRANCISCO — Google is pledging $1 billion to help fight the housing crisis in the San Francisco Bay Area.\n\nThe company announced Tuesday it will repurpose at least $750 million of the land it already owns in the Bay Area for residential housing. In a blog post, Google CEO Sundar Pichai said the land — most of which is currently zoned for commercial or industrial use — will be used to create at least 15,000 new homes at different income levels, including for middle and low-income residents.\n\nGoogle will also create a $250 million investment fund to incentivize developers to build at least 5,000 affordable housing units in the area.\n\nA shortage of affordable housing across the Bay Area is pushing out middle and low-income workers like teachers and restaurant employees. Critics say the influx of tech companies such as Google and Facebook, and their well-paid workers, have contributed to the ongoing housing crisis. In San Francisco alone, more 7,000 people are homeless, according the the city’s most recent survey.\n\n“We hope this plays a role in addressing the chronic shortage of affordable housing options for long-time middle and low income residents,” said Pichai wrote in a blog post.\n\nGoogle.org, the company’s philanthropic division, will give an additional $50 million in grants to nonprofits focused on homelessness and displacement.\n\nPichai said the company’s goal was to start construction immediately and make homes available within the next few years. Google is working with the city government in Mountain View and talking to Sunnyvale and San Jose’s government about quickly rezoning the land — all cities within Silicon Valley.\n\n“Across all of this, our goal is to help communities succeed over the long term, and make sure that everyone has access to opportunity, whether or not they work in tech,” said Pichai.\n\nThe housing issue has received national attention and was a topic of major debate during the last California state election. In November, voters passed the largest corporate tax increase in San Francisco’s history — an issue that pitted Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff against Twitter and Square CEO Jack Dorsey. Benioff accused Dorsey and other tech leaders who opposed the ballot measure of not giving enough back to the city where their companies are headquartered.\n\nCalifornia Governor Gavin Newsom has also called on tech companies to do more to fight the housing crisis.\n\nGoogle, one of the biggest employers in the Bay Area, has given $18 million in grants to address homelessness over the past five years, the company said. The investment comes as more private tech companies are getting involved in regional housing issues.\n\nIn January, Microsoft pledged to invest $500 million to make homes in Seattle, where it’s based, more affordable. That same month, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced Facebook and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative were partnering with local companies and organizations to raise over $500 million to help fight the housing crisis."], "summary": "Google announces that it is setting aside $750 million in land and $250 million in financing to encourage developers in the San Francisco area to build and rehabilitate housing, in order to ease the homeless crisis in a region where Google has 45,000 employees."}
{"document": ["An aerial photo shows Boeing 737 MAX airplanes parked on the tarmac at the Boeing Factory in Renton, Washington, U.S. March 21, 2019.\n\nBoeing on Tuesday won its first order for 737 Max planes since the jets were grounded worldwide in March after two fatal crashes. The vote of confidence from British Airways' parent sent shares of the manufacturer sharply higher.\n\nInternational Consolidated Airlines Group, or IAG, signed a letter of intent at the Paris Air Show to order 200 Boeing 737 Max planes. Boeing won't post the planes on its monthly order tally until the agreement is finalized.\n\nAviation authorities grounded the Boeing 737 Max worldwide after two crashes within five months killed a total of 346 people. Boeing and airlines are awaiting approval from regulators to resume flights with the jets, but officials have said they have no firm timeline so far.\n\nBoeing shares surged 5.4% to close at $373.96, outpacing the broader market and leading the Dow Jones Industrial Average higher. It was their biggest one-day percentage gain in almost five months.\n\nIAG will use the jets order, which includes the 737 Max 8 and the larger Max 10 that Boeing is developing, for short-haul flights across its airlines, which also include Iberia, Aer Lingus and low-cost carriers Vueling and Level. The group's narrowbody fleet is mostly A320s made by Boeing's chief rival, Airbus.\n\n\"We have every confidence in Boeing and expect that the aircraft will make a successful return to service in the coming months having received approval from the regulators,\" said IAG CEO Willie Walsh.\n\nBoeing cut production of the 737 Max, its best-selling aircraft ever, by one-fifth and suspended deliveries of the planes after they were grounded.\n\nThe surprise order is welcome news for Boeing, which entered the air show hamstrung by the fallout from the crashes. It faces several investigations and lawsuits, customer airlines that have had to cut flights during the peak summer travel season due to the planes' grounding, and passengers who may be too skittish to fly the 737 Max once regulators give it a green light.\n\nThe order would be worth $24 billion at list prices, Boeing said, but airlines often receive discounts. The planes that IAG is planning to buy would be delivered between 2023 and 2027.", "PARIS — Boeing is selling its 737 Max planes again.\n\nThe company announced at the Paris Air Show on Tuesday that International Airlines Group, the parent company of British Airways and other carriers, signed a letter of intent for 200 Boeing 737 aircraft.\n\nBoeing said it's the first sale of the jet since the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines 737 Max in March. Another 737 Max crashed in Indonesia last year, and the planes are now grounded amid an investigation into problematic software.\n\nRELATED: Report: Boeing open to new 737 MAX branding after deadly crashes\n\nRELATED: Boeing says 'sorry' for Max crashes, seeks renewed trust\n\nThe letter of intent is subject to final agreement but is a vote of confidence in Boeing as it struggles to win back trust. The planes would be delivered between 2023 and 2027 to airlines owned by IAG.\n\nThe combination of 737-Max 8 and 737-Max 10 planes would cost $24 billion at list prices, though companies usually strike deals for discounts.\n\nIAG expressed confidence that regulators will allow amended Max jets to fly again soon. The Ethiopian Airlines and Lion Air crashes killed 346 people.\n\nAnalysts had predicted that Boeing might try to announce some Max orders at the air show to demonstrate that the plane - one of Boeing's most popular models - still has support.\n\nAfter a lackluster start to the Paris Air Show, Boeing's orders picked up Tuesday. It announced a deal with Korean Air and Air Lease Corporation for a total of 30 long-range 787 jets, and worth $6.3 billion at list prices.\n\nAirbus also announced several orders Tuesday, including from IAG.", "LE BOURGET, France, June 18, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- One of the world's largest airline groups announced today it plans to build its future fleet with the Boeing 737 MAX with an intention to purchase 200 MAX jets. International Airlines Group (IAG) and Boeing [NYSE: BA] said the two companies have been in discussions regarding the opportunity and signed a letter of intent at the Paris Air Show in a deal that would be valued at more than $24 billion, per list prices.\n\nIAG is the parent company of Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia, Vueling and LEVEL that fly more than 113 million passengers a year combined. The group has been a long-time operator of Boeing twin-aisle airplanes. Earlier this year, IAG group committed to and finalized a major order for Boeing's newest long-haul model, the 777X, to complement its fleet of current-generation 777s and new 787 Dreamliners. In the single-aisle segment, IAG and its affiliates used to operate Classic 737 aircraft. Today, its fleet is almost exclusively Airbus A320 family aircraft. IAG CEO Willie Walsh has said the group would consider the 737 MAX as part of diversifying its future fleet to spur competition.\n\n\"We're very pleased to sign this letter of intent with Boeing and are certain that these aircraft will be a great addition to IAG's short-haul fleet,\" said Willie Walsh, IAG chief executive. \"We have every confidence in Boeing and expect that the aircraft will make a successful return to service in the coming months having received approval from the regulators.\"\n\nIn selecting the 737 MAX, IAG says it will fly a combination of the 737 MAX 8, which seats up to 178 passengers in a two-class configuration, and the larger 737 MAX 10 jet, which can accommodate as many as 230 passengers. The airline did not disclose a specific split between the two MAX models, though it anticipates deploying the aircraft at a number of the group's airlines including Vueling and LEVEL.\n\nWhen a final agreement is reached, it will be posted to Boeing's Orders & Deliveries website.\n\n\"We are truly honored and humbled by the leadership at International Airlines Group for placing their trust and confidence in the 737 MAX and, ultimately, in the people of Boeing and our deep commitment to quality and safety above all else,\" said Boeing Commercial Airplanes President & CEO Kevin McAllister. \"We are delighted that the IAG team recognized the superior qualities of the 737 MAX and has indicated an intention to return to the Boeing 737 family. We look forward to building on our long-standing partnership with IAG for many years to come.\"\n\nThe 737 MAX incorporates the latest technology CFM International LEAP-1B engines, Advanced Technology winglets and other improvements to deliver the highest efficiency, reliability and passenger comfort in the single-aisle market. The 737 MAX is 14 percent more fuel-efficient than today's most efficient Next-Generation 737s, and 20 percent better than the original Next-Generation 737s when they entered service.\n\nIAG is one of the world's largest airline groups with 582 aircraft flying to 268 destinations, carrying 113 million passengers in 2018.\n\nBoeing is the world's largest aerospace company and leading provider of commercial airplanes, defense, space and security systems, and global services. The company supports commercial and government customers in more than 150 countries. Boeing employs more than 150,000 people worldwide and leverages the talents of a global supplier base. Building on a legacy of aerospace leadership, Boeing continues to lead in technology and innovation, deliver for its customers and invest in its people and future growth.", "CHICAGO (dpa-AFX) - Boeing Co. (BA) said that International Airlines Group plans to buy 200 Boeing 737 MAX Airplanes. The two companies signed a letter of intent at the Paris Air Show in a deal that would be valued at more than $24 billion, per list prices. The purchase would include 737 MAX 8 and MAX 10 jets.\n\n\n\nIn selecting the 737 MAX, IAG said it will fly a combination of the 737 MAX 8, which seats up to 178 passengers in a two-class configuration, and the larger 737 MAX 10 jet, which can accommodate as many as 230 passengers. \n\n\n\nThe airline did not disclose a specific split between the two MAX models, though it anticipates deploying the aircraft at a number of the group's airlines including Vueling and LEVEL.\n\n\n\nCopyright RTT News/dpa-AFX", "PARIS (AP) — Boeing is selling its 737 Max planes again.\n\nThe company announced at the Paris Air Show on Tuesday that International Airlines Group, the parent company of British Airways and other carriers, signed a letter of intent for 200 Boeing 737 aircraft.\n\nBoeing said it's the first sale of the jet since the crash of an Ethiopian Airlines 737 Max in March. Another 737 Max crashed in Indonesia last year, and the planes are now grounded amid an investigation into problematic software.\n\nThe letter of intent is subject to final agreement but is a vote of confidence in Boeing as it struggles to win back trust. The planes would be delivered between 2023 and 2027 to airlines owned by IAG.", "Boeing announces preliminary deal to sell 737 Max planes for first time since Ethiopian Airlines crash\n\nPARIS (AP) — Boeing announces preliminary deal to sell 737 Max planes for first time since Ethiopian Airlines crash.", "So much for the 737 MAX hangover.\n\nAfter a quiet Day 1 at the Paris Air Show, Boeing announced a trio of deals Wednesday that stunned the aviation sector. The aircraft manufacturer has new orders lined up from airline customers on three continents for its widebody 787 Dreamliner and its beleaguered narrowbody 737 MAX.\n\nThe deal haul carries a potential value of $31.8 billion if you go by list prices. (There are always discounts). Analysts had been voicing concern about the poor early showing for Boeing at the biennial show, the most prestigious in the industry, chalking up the slow deal flow to the woes of its workhorse model, the 737 MAX. On the eve of the show, CEO Dennis Muilenburg told the press Boeing had no timetable for the 737 MAX to take to the skies again. The global fleet of roughly 400 has been grounded since the fatal March crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302.\n\nThe announcement of yesterday’s deal with International Airlines Group couldn’t have come at a more opportune moment. IAG, the sixth largest airline group in the world with carriers such as Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia and Vueling, signed a letter of intent to buy 200 737 MAX planes, carrying a list price of $24 billion. Boeing shares skyrocketed more than 5 percent on Tuesday.\n\nAt a press conference, IAG CEO Willie Walsh, shrugged off the plane’s uncertain future. “We’re partnering with the Boeing brand,” he said. “That’s the brand that I’m doing business with. That’s the brand that I’ve worked with for years. And it’s a brand that I trust.”\n\nSitting beside him, Kevin McAllister, CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, looked as if he wanted to hug Walsh. “We can’t thank you enough for the confidence you place in the 737 MAX family, and in all of us,” he replied, beaming.\n\nIndustry observers point out that it’s a fairly safe hedge for IAG as deliveries aren’t planned until 2023 and 2027, which should give Boeing plenty of time to work through the flight trials and inspections regulators around the world are demanding. Boeing also announced separate deals with Korean Air and Air Lease Corporation on the delivery of 787 Dreamliners worth a combined $7.8 billion at list price.\n\nBoeing rival Airbus stole the show on Day 1 when it said Air Lease Corp. had ordered 27 of its new longer-range, narrow-body model, the A321XLR. While the price tag was less of an eye-catcher, that deal may be the most significant commercial aviation news of the Paris Air Show. There’s huge global demand for narrow-body, long-range aircrafts like A321XLR. The new Airbus model has a range of 4,700 nautical miles with 30% less fuel-burn per seat, an important industry metric.\n\nThis morning, Airbus added Australia’s Qantas to its customer list for the new long-distance aircraft. Qantas and Airbus announced a deal for 10 new A321XLR models, part of a 36-plane deal. Airbus’s shares took a nice jump on Monday as news came in from Le Bourget air field, north of Paris. The stock was down this morning.\n\nAnalysts, meanwhile, are still hoping to hear more about Boeing’s answer to the A321XLR.\n\n—A red flag to investors: The stock market may be hitting the “triple top”\n\n—The Renault deal is dead, but Fiat Chrysler still needs a partner\n\n—Many economists think the next recession will be before the 2020 election\n\n—The S&P 500 has performed far worse under Trump than Obama\n\n—Listen to our new audio briefing, Fortune 500 Daily\n\nDon’t miss the daily Term Sheet, Fortune‘s newsletter on deals and dealmakers.", "The chief executive of Boeing said the company made a “mistake” in handling a problematic cockpit warning system in its 737 Max jets before two crashes killed 346 people and he promised transparency as the aircraft maker works to get the grounded plane back in flight.\n\nBoeing CEO Dennis Muilenburg told reporters in Paris before the industry-wide air show that Boeing’s communication with regulators, customers and the public “was not consistent. And that’s unacceptable.”\n\nThe U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has faulted Boeing for not telling regulators for more than year that a safety indicator in the cockpit of the top-selling plane didn’t work as intended.\n\nPilots also have expressed anger that Boeing did not inform them about the new software that’s been implicated in the crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia.\n\nHe expressed confidence that the Boeing 737 Max would be cleared to fly again later this year. The model has been grounded worldwide for three months, and regulators need to approve Boeing’s long-awaited fix to the software.\n\nMuilenburg called the crashes of the Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines jets a “defining moment” for Boeing, but said he thinks the result will be a “better and stronger company.”\n\nSpeaking ahead of the Paris Air Show, Muilenburg said Boeing is facing the event with “humility” and focused on rebuilding trust.\n\nIn the United States, Boeing has faced scrutiny from members of Congress and the FAA over how it reported the problem involving a cockpit warning light.\n\nALSO READ | Boeing 737 Max 8: List of countries that have grounded the jumbo aircraft\n\nThe company discovered in 2017 that a warning light designed to alert pilots when sensors measuring the angle of a plane’s nose might be wrong only worked if airlines had purchased a separate feature.\n\nThe angle-measuring sensors have been implicated in the Lion Air crash in Indonesia and the Ethiopian Airlines crash in March. The sensors malfunctioned, alerting software to push the noses of the planes down. The pilots were unable to take back control of the planes.\n\nBoeing told the FAA of what it learned in 2017 after the Indonesia crash in October. Boeing and the FAA have said the warning light wasn’t critical for flight safety.\n\nMuilenburg forecast a limited number of orders at the Paris show, the first major air show since the crashes, but said it was important to attend to talk to customers and others in the industry.\n\nHe also announced that Boeing is raising its long-term forecast for global plane demand, notably amid sustained growth in Asia.\n\nALSO READ | Ethiopian pilot pleaded for training weeks before Boeing 737 Max crash", "LE BOURGET, June 19 — US aircraft giant Boeing got a welcome vote of confidence in its beleaguered 737 MAX plane yesterday when International Airlines Group, owner of British Airways, said it wanted to buy 200 of the planes.\n\nThe companies said they had signed a letter of intent for the purchase, the first since the 737 MAXs were grounded in March after two of them crashed within six months of each other, killing 346 people.\n\nAt list prices the order would be worth US$24 billion (RM100 billion), but IAG, whose airlines also include Iberia, Vueling and Aer Lingus, noted that it had negotiated “a substantial discount.”\n\nIt was a coup for Boeing since up to now IAG has been a longtime client of Airbus for its single-aisle jets, used on some of its most popular routes.\n\n“We have every confidence in Boeing and expect that the aircraft will make a successful return to service in the coming months having received approval from the regulators,” IAG’s chief Willie Walsh said in a statement.\n\nWalsh isn’t a stranger to Boeing, however, having started his career as a pilot flying 737-200s, the precursor to the MAX.\n\nThe deal came as a surprise to aviation executives at the Paris Air Show this week, where many firms are still reeling from the industry-wide fallout of the accidents.\n\nBoeing is battling to regain the trust of passengers, pilots and regulators after a 737 operated by Indonesia’s Lion Air crashed last October, followed by an Ethiopian Airlines jet in March.\n\nExecutives apologised again as the air show opened Monday for its handling of the disasters, vowing a thorough review of its production processes as it seeks a fix for the anti-stall system suspected of causing the crashes.\n\n“Our priority is doing everything to get this plane safely returned to service. It is a pivotal moment for all of us,” Boeing’s head of commercial aircraft Kevin McAllister said at the Paris Air Show on Monday.\n\nBoeing officials have faced a barrage of questions over the 737 MAX disasters, thought to be caused by a faulty MCAS anti-stall system.\n\nCritics accuse Boeing of failing to sufficiently test a system that used just one sensor to determine if the 737 was at risk of stalling, and of failing to adequately inform and train pilots.\n\nReports also suggest that US safety regulators allowed Boeing engineers to self-certify the system, prompting worries of insufficient oversight.\n\nThe company has promised a software fix that will now include two sensors, though some regulators may require the company to provide three, to avoid any uncertainty in case of divergent readings.\n\n“We are very confident that the three layers of protection we are planning with the software update will prevent anything like this happening again,” McAllister said.\n\nYet it remains unclear when the 737 MAX will fly again, with Alexandre de Juniac, director general of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), warning that certification might not come before August.\n\nSome airlines aren’t taking any chances, with American Airlines recently cancelling all its 737 MAX flights through September 3.\n\nBoeing now has 140 737 MAXs parked on its tarmac waiting for delivery, and has had to reduce monthly production to 42 planes from 52 previously. — AFP", "PARIS (Reuters) - Boeing’s grounded 737 MAX jet received a boost on Tuesday after British Airways-owner IAG signed a letter of intent to order 200 of the planes and said it was confident that it would return to service in the coming months.\n\nBoeing said the deal had a value of more than $24 billion at list prices.\n\nIAG said the mix of 737-8 and 737-10 aircraft, to be delivered between 2023 and 2027, would be powered by CFM Leap engines and used across a number of its airlines including British Airways, Vueling and Level.\n\nThe MAX 737 was grounded in March following two deadly crashes, and Boeing has been working on a software fix to get the jet back flying by the end of the year.\n\nIAG Chief Executive Willie Walsh said he had experienced Boeing’s MCAS anti-stall software in person, adding it was “very helpful to see it in operation” and to “understand the changes” that Boeing was proposing.\n\n“It gave me confidence both in terms of the aircraft and the changes that Boeing introduced,” he said at the announcement of the deal at the Paris Airshow.\n\nBoeing shares rose 2% on the announcement. The company is working towards a certification flight with regulators soon.\n\nBoeing commercial airplanes boss Kevin McAllister said the decision of when the MAX flies again was in the hands of the regulators."], "summary": "Boeing sells 200 of its 737 MAX planes to International Airlines Group, the first sale of the controversial airliners since two fatal crashes and subsequent worldwide groundings earlier this year."}
{"document": ["When border crossings between Venezuela and Colombia reopened, it came as a relief for Venezuelans desperate to cross over and get food, medicine and other things they can't find at home.\n\nBut an increase in police numbers means the journey now carries even greater risks for those without the right papers.\n\nAl Jazeera's Alessandro Rampietti reports.", "UN on Monday called on the international community to strengthen their support to countries like Peru, Colombia and Ecuador, which shared the burdens of the refugee flow from Venezuela.\n\n\"WE NEED TO STRENGTHEN OUR SUPPORT\"\n\n“To date, the Regional Response Plan for Refugees and Migrants from Venezuela, remains severely under-funded, with close to 79 percent of funding requirements (US$ 580 million) still unmet,” the UN said in a statement.\n\nAdding that the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, sent additional teams to the border between Peru and Ecuador to support the authorities, it said over 15,000 Venezuelan migrants entered Peru this week.\n\nReferring to the thousands of Venezuelans crossing the borders at northwestern Tumbes province of Peru, the head of UNHCR in Peru, Federico Agusti said that people are facing more and more vulnerable situations.\n\n“Some have been walking for 30 or 40 days through various countries in the region. We see people suffering from malnutrition or dehydration and people with medical problems. There are more and more families with children,” said Agusti. “The total number of Venezuelan refugees and migrants in the country now stands at about 800,000. In total, to date, Peru has received over 280,000 asylum applications by Venezuelan citizens and given temporary residence permits to over 390,000,” it added."], "summary": "Colombian authorities deport Venezuelan refugees in the border town of Cúcuta; in response, the Venezuelan government restricts movement of Colombians into the country."}
{"document": ["The Trump administration went to court this week to argue that migrant children detained at the United States-Mexico border do not require basic hygiene products like soap and toothbrushes in order to be in held in \"safe and sanitary\" conditions. Trump's team also argued that requiring minors to sleep on cold concrete floors in crowded cells with low temperatures similarly fulfilled that requirement.\n\nArguing in a 9th district San Francisco court about the conditions that they must hold migrant children in, the administration said that they did not violate a precedent set by a landmark 1985 class action lawsuit which established guidelines for the way minors held in federal immigration detention must be treated. The case, Jenny Lisette Flores v. Edwin Meese, created rules around the timely release of migrant minors to their parents, and said that those not released must be kept in facilities that are \"safe and sanitary.\"\n\nBut on Tuesday, the Justice Department's Sarah Fabian claimed that the ruling did not list specific requirements like \"toothbrushes\" or \"towels,\" to establish a sanitary condition.\n\n\"One has to assume it was left that way and not enumerated by the parties because either the parties couldn't reach agreement on how to enumerate that or it was left to the agencies to determine,\" Fabian said to the three Clinton-appointed federal judges on the court.\n\n\"You're really going to stand up and tell us that being able to sleep isn't a question of safe and sanitary conditions?\" U.S. Circuit Judge Marsha Berzon asked Fabian.\n\nOther judges also expressed outrage.\n\n\"Are you arguing seriously that you do not read the agreement as requiring you to do anything other than what I just described: cold all night long, lights on all night long, sleeping on concrete and you've got an aluminum foil blanket?\" U.S. Circuit Judge William Fletcher asked Fabian. \"I find that inconceivable that the government would say that that is safe and sanitary.\"\n\nStill, Fabian said that the Trump administration plans to apply for a motion of reconsideration and continue to appeal the ruling.\n\n\"Have you considered whether you might go back and consider whether you really want to continue this appeal?\" replied Berzon. \"There doesn't seem to be a whole lot left of it, considering that life has moved on now. I just feel like we're litigating ancient history at this point.\"\n\nAt least seven migrant children have died in U.S. custody since late 2018 when the president began his policy of detaining them separately from their families. John Sanders, the acting commissioner of Customs and Border Protection warned today that his agency would need at least another $4.6 billion in emergency funding to prevent more deaths.\n\nIn an interview with the Associated Press, Sanders said that \"The death of a child is always a terrible thing, but here is a situation where, because there is not enough funding … they can't move the people out of our custody.\"\n\nThe exact number of children who had died under the care of the federal government is unknown because of a law that does not require various agencies to report deaths.\n\nThis week, the ACLU found a migrant teenager in the care of Texas border control nursing her prematurely-born baby without any proper medical care.", "In this Sept. 10, 2014, file photo, detained immigrant children line up in the cafeteria at the Karnes County Residential Center, a detention center for immigrant families, in Karnes City, Texas.\n\nA federal appeals court in San Francisco on Tuesday appeared inclined to uphold a lower court order that gave details on the minimum necessities that must be provided to undocumented immigrant children being held by the government.\n\nThe order was issued in 2017 by U.S. District Judge Dolly Gee of Los Angeles, who is overseeing a 1997 agreement, known as the Flores settlement, concerning the conditions for holding immigrant children.\n\nThe settlement requires \"safe and sanitary\" conditions, including access to drinking water, food, toilets and adequate temperature control.\n\nIn 2017, after reviewing claims of substandard conditions, Gee ordered officials to provide soap, toothbrushes and showers and to end an alleged practice of having children sleep on concrete floors under an aluminum blanket in cold, noisy and constantly lighted rooms.\n\nThe U.S. Justice Department is asking the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to strike down the order, claiming that it adds new requirements that go beyond the 1997 settlement.\n\nJustice Department attorney Sarah Fabian argued before a three-judge appeals panel that Gee \"in fact expanded the terms of the agreement.\"\n\nImmigration attorney Peter Schey, who helped to negotiate the 1997 agreement on behalf of undocumented Salvadoran teenager Jenny Flores, argued that the requirements were a reasonable interpretation of \"safe and sanitary\" conditions.\n\nThe panel took the case under submission and will issue a written ruling at a later date.\n\nAll three judges on the panel questioned Fabian as to why the requirements in Gee's order shouldn't be considered necessities.\n\nJudge William Fletcher said, \"If you're putting people in a crowded room to sleep on a concrete floor with an aluminum blanket on top and lights on all night long, no one could argue this is safe and sanitary.\"\n\nJudge Wallace Tashima said, \"It's within anyone's understanding that if you don't have a toothbrush, soap and blanket, it's not safe and sanitary.\"\n\nThe Flores agreement also requires that undocumented immigrant children be released to a relative or family friend or placed in a licensed care program within 20 days.\n\nThe current case is one of several legal disputes about the interpretation of the settlement that have gone through the court system.\n\nCopyright Bay City News", "FILE – In this June 26, 2018, file photo, protesters carry signs and chant slogans in front of Federal Courthouse in Los Angeles. A panel of appeals court judges in California will hear arguments in the long-running battle between advocates for immigrant children and the U.S. government over conditions in detention and holding facilities near the southwest border. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel,File)\n\nSAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A U.S. government lawyer on Tuesday said a longstanding settlement agreement requiring sanitary conditions for detained immigrant children may not necessarily mean a toothbrush and soap must be provided for shorter stays.\n\nSarah Fabian, senior litigation counsel for the Department of Justice, told a three judge-panel at the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco the agreement doesn’t list items that must be provided in border facilities.\n\n“There’s fair reason to find those things may be part of safe and sanitary,” she told the panel during an exchange over the conditions in facilities for immigrant children caught crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.\n\nOne of the judges then asked whether there could be an instance when a person didn’t need a toothbrush and soap for days. She said possibly for shorter term stays.\n\nThe hearing focused on the U.S. government’s appeal of a federal judge’s 2017 ruling that U.S. authorities breached the agreement after young immigrants caught on the border said they had to sleep in cold, overcrowded cells and were given inadequate food and dirty water.\n\nIn its appeal, the Department contends the judge’s order is imposing “new substantive requirements” for the detention of immigrant children that aren’t laid out in the 1997 settlement. Advocates disagreed, saying the agreement requires youth be held in “safe and sanitary” facilities, which should include basic hygiene items and sufficient food and water.\n\nDuring the hearing, Fabian said the agreement was vague about what is required to determine a facility is safe and sanitary.\n\nImmigrant advocate Peter Schey provided dictionary definitions for the terms and noted problems in Customs and Border Protection facilities have persisted since the ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Dolly Gee, who has since appointed an independent monitor to evaluate conditions.\n\nThe issues date back years but mirror more recent allegations about the facilities amid a rise in the number of children and families, mostly from Central America, arriving on the southwest border. Five children have died since late last year after being detained by the Border Patrol and a 17-year-old Guatemalan girl was found last week in a wheelchair with her premature baby at a border facility.\n\nThe settlement between advocates for young immigrants and the U.S. government says children should be held in facilities that meet certain standards and released as soon as is reasonably possible, which has been considered to be about 20 days.", "Panel hears case on conditions for young migrants on border\n\nSAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A U.S. government lawyer says a settlement agreement requiring sanitary conditions for detained immigrant children may not necessarily mean a toothbrush and soap must be provided for shorter stays.\n\nSarah Fabian, senior litigation counsel for the Department of Justice, told a three judge-panel Tuesday at the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco the agreement doesn't list items that must be provided in border facilities.\n\nShe was responding to a judge's question about whether there could be an instance when a person didn't need a toothbrush or soap for days.\n\nThe hearing focused on the Department's appeal of a 2017 court ruling finding authorities breached the longstanding agreement after young immigrants caught on the southwest border said they had to sleep in cold, overcrowded cells.", "The Trump administration’s defense of conditions at its shelters for immigrant minors — it argues it is not legally required to provide all of them with such items as soap, toothbrushes and sleeping accommodations — drew an incredulous response from federal appeals court judges Tuesday at a hearing in San Francisco.\n\nThe administration is appealing a federal judge’s June 2017 ruling that immigration officials were violating a 1997 court settlement requiring unaccompanied minors in federal custody to be kept in safe and sanitary conditions before being released to relatives or sponsors as promptly as possible. U.S. District Judge Dolly Gee of Los Angeles found that youths held in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas were being denied basic necessities and appointed a monitor to oversee compliance.\n\nThe administration denied violating the settlement and argued in court papers that nothing in the 1997 agreement required officials “to provide minors, in all situations, with sleeping accommodations, toothbrushes, toothpaste, showers, soap, towels and dry clothes,” as long as the facilities were safe and sanitary. A panel of the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals was clearly unconvinced.\n\n“It’s within everybody’s common understanding that if you don’t have a toothbrush, you don’t have soap, you don’t have a blanket, those are not safe and sanitary,” Judge A. Wallace Tashima told Justice Department lawyer Sarah Fabian.\n\n“Those things may be part of ‘safe and sanitary,’ “ depending on the length of a minor’s confinement, Fabian replied. But she said Gee had “expanded the terms of the agreement” by imposing new conditions.\n\n“You’re really going to stand up and tell us that not being able to sleep isn’t a question of safe and sanitary conditions?” asked a second judge, Marsha Berzon.\n\nJudge William Fletcher, the third panel member, said Gee found evidence that minors were kept overnight in crowded, chilly rooms, sleeping on concrete floors with aluminum-foil blankets with the lights kept on all night.\n\n“No one would argue that this is safe and sanitary,” Fletcher said.\n\nFabian didn’t disagree, but contended the settlement gave immigration officials some leeway in housing minors. There are “challenges in interpreting a very old agreement” that was reached before the current Department of Homeland Security and its immigration agencies were even established, she said.\n\nPlaintiffs’ lawyer Peter Schey of the nonprofit Center for Human Rights and Constitutional Law said court enforcement of the agreement was essential.\n\n“Once a month a kid is dying in (U.S. Customs and Border Protection) custody,” he said.\n\nThe court heard an hour of arguments and will rule at a later date."], "summary": "A three-judge panel of federal appeal court judges from the ninth circuit hears arguments concerning a 2017 ruling that U.S. authorities breached the Flores Settlement Agreement's order on holding undocumented immigrant children in \"safe and sanitary\" conditions. The Department of Justice is seeking relief because the order imposes “new substantive requirements” for the detention of immigrant children that aren’t laid out in the settlement. The panel will issue a ruling at a later date."}
{"document": ["BOGOTÁ, Colombia—Venezuela’s political opposition welcomed funds from private donors and foreign governments as the movement to remove authoritarian leader Nicolás Maduro gained momentum earlier this year, with money earmarked to help hundreds of Venezuelan soldiers who defected to neighboring Colombia.\n\nBut now, accusations that two opposition activists pilfered tens of thousands of dollars from those funds are threatening to become an embarrassment for a coalition that is heavily dependent on the largess of dozens of countries,...", "Venezuelan Opposition Leader Juan Guaidó Faces A Corruption Scandal Of His Own\n\nVenezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó is under scrutiny over allegations that two of his representatives in neighboring Colombia misappropriated money meant to support Venezuelan security forces.", "CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela's U.S.-backed opposition on Monday came under increasing scrutiny for a case in which two activists allegedly misappropriated funds designated to help Venezuelan security forces who deserted and crossed into Colombia.\n\nOpposition leader Juan Guaidó said his diplomatic representative in Colombia will on Tuesday provide Colombian investigators with information about an opposition probe of the case. Guaidó, who is trying to topple Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, says anyone found guilty of wrongdoing must be punished.\n\nStill, the alleged theft was a blow to an opposition movement that frequently accuses Maduro and his associates of large-scale corruption, contributing to the economic and humanitarian crisis that Venezuela has endured for years.\n\nMaduro was quick to highlight the alleged opposition theft, saying it shows Guaidó's camp cannot be trusted.\n\n\"Corruption isn't new in the opposition,\" he said. \"The evidence is coming out.\"\n\nHundreds of Venezuelan security forces heeded an opposition call to leave their posts in February, around the time that Guaidó tried to deliver U.S.-provided aid from Colombia and Brazil into neighboring Venezuela. The attempt collapsed when Venezuelan forces loyal to Maduro blocked aid trucks and clashes broke out.\n\nMany of the Venezuelan security forces who fled into Colombia ended up in limbo, staying in hotels and other lodgings with no means of supporting themselves. Working with Colombian authorities, the Venezuelan opposition set up a plan to provide food and shelter for deserters and any family members who had joined them.\n\nHumberto Calderón Berti, the top opposition envoy in Colombia, has said he started an internal investigation into the alleged corruption two months ago after a tip from Colombian intelligence. He will present the results of the probe to the Colombian attorney general's office, according to Guaidó.\n\nThe two suspects in the case were removed from their jobs after the internal investigation started, according to the Venezuelan opposition. They are currently in Colombia.\n\nIn January, Guaidó declared that he was the rightful leader of Venezuela and that Maduro's re-election last year was a sham. The United States led dozens of countries in recognizing Guaidó's claim, and imposed sanctions on Venezuela's already deteriorating oil industry.\n\nMaduro has defied the pressure, maintaining the support of Venezuela's military leadership as well as allies Cuba and Russia.", "CARACAS, Venezuela — Venezuela's opposition is coming under scrutiny for a case in which two activists allegedly misappropriated funds designated to help Venezuelan security forces who deserted and crossed into Colombia.\n\nOpposition leader Juan Guaidó said Monday that his diplomatic representative in Colombia will on Tuesday provide Colombian investigators with information about an opposition probe of the case. Guaidó, who is trying to topple Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, says anyone found guilty of wrongdoing must be punished.\n\nMaduro, who is frequently accused by the opposition of large-scale corruption, says the opposition case shows that Guaidó's camp cannot be trusted.\n\nHundreds of Venezuelan security forces heeded an opposition call to leave their posts in February, around the time that Guaidó led a failed attempt to deliver aid across the border into Venezuela.", "Venezuelan state media attacked President Juan Guaidó on Monday after he called for an investigation into claims two of his subordinates embezzled money meant for the housing and feeding of Venezuelan military defectors.\n\nGuaidó legally became president of Venezuela in January. Dictator Nicolás Maduro remains in control of the military, however, as well as the presidential palace and state media.\n\nThe allegations broke last week after the Latin American news outlet the PanAm Post reported that two of Guaidó’s government officials, Rossana Barrera and Kevin Rojas, had allegedly used funds intended to cover the cost of the troops’ hotels in the Colombian border city of Cúcuta for personal purchases.\n\nBoth of the accused are senior members of Popular Will, the socialist political party to which Guaidó belongs, whom Guaidó personally appointed to control funds meant to aid soldiers who ceased to take orders from Maduro and fled to Cúcuta. The Post cited unnamed Colombian intelligence officials as the sources for their claim.\n\n“We will investigate this deeply,” Guaido said during a speech to supporters in the state of Mérida this weekend. “Every cent of public funds should be sacred, and that is something we have to learn as a society.”\n\nThe Maduro regime quickly weaponized the scandal. Maduro Communication Minister Jorge Rodríguez accused Guaidó’s camp of spending an additional $800,000 on private aircraft in February as they were trying to organize the entry of humanitarian aid into the country.\n\n“This is the photo of Camilo Daza airport in Cúcuta on the afternoon of February 22nd. On plane hire alone, the far-right spent more than $800,000 that day,” he wrote. “Where did the money come from? From the money Venezuela needs to operate our children.”\n\nRodríguez did not corroborate his claim with any evidence, save for a photo of the alleged plane.\n\nOn Monday, Rodríguez also suggested that the U.S. Department of Justice should open a probe into the board of the U.S.-based Venezuelan oil refinery Citgo for its role in allowing Guaidó’s government to take control of the company. Last month, Maduro personally accused Juan Guaidó of stealing the company’s profits for personal use.\n\n“Mr. Juan Guaidó, acting together with imperialism [the United States], has stolen Citgo from us,” Maduro said during a live Periscope broadcast last month. “And I am asking, what have they done with the money? Where is the Citgo money? They have stolen the Citgo money from us. And the products meant for our oil refineries were stolen from us, too,” Maduro said.\n\nThe range of allegations against Guaidó’s entourage will likely further disappoint the Venezuelan people, many of whom believed that he was the man to remove the Maduro from power and begin a transition to democracy. Since his appointment in January by the National Assembly as the country’s interim president, Guaidó has failed to wrench control of the military from the socialist regime.\n\nGuaidó’s team has recently engaged in several rounds of negotiations with the regime in Sweden and Norway, despite widespread opposition to them doing so. However, such talks have ended without agreement after the Maduro regime repeatedly refused to hold any free elections in the near future."], "summary": "Partially-recognized Interim President of Venezuela Juan Guaidó and Venezuelan Ambassador to Colombia Humberto Calderón Berti request that the Colombian government investigate two administrators of their own alliance on suspicion of embezzling US$100,000."}
{"document": ["WASHINGTON -- Jabbing at the press and poking the eye of the political establishment he ran against in 2016, President Donald Trump officially kicked off his reelection campaign Tuesday with a grievance-filled Florida rally that focused more on settling scores than laying out his agenda for a second term.Addressing a crowd of thousands at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida, Trump complained he had been \"under assault from the very first day\" of his presidency by a \"fake news media\" and \"illegal witch hunt\" that had tried to keep him and his supporters down.And he painted a disturbing picture of what life would look like if he loses in 2020, accusing his critics of \"un-American conduct\" and telling the crowd that Democrats \"want to destroy you and they want to destroy our country as we know it.\"The apocalyptic language and finger-pointing made clear that Trump's 2020 campaign will probably look a whole lot like his improbably successful run three years ago. While Trump's campaign has tried to professionalize, with shiny office space and a large and growing staff, and despite two-and-a-half years occupying the Oval Office as America's commander-in-chief, Trump nonetheless remained focused on energizing his base and offering himself as a political outsider running against Washington.And he appeared eager for a rerun of 2016, spending considerable time focused on former Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, whose name elicited \"Lock her up!\" chants, even though she is not on the ballot.\"I have news for Democrats who want to return us to the bitter failures and betrayals of the past. We are not going back. We are going on to victory,\" Trump said.Trump spoke fondly of his 2016 run, calling it \"a defining moment in American history.\" And he said he had fundamentally upended Washington, staring down \"a corrupt and broken political establishment\" and restoring a government \"of, for and by the people.\"Of course, Trump never really stopped running. He officially filed for re-election on January 20, 2017, the day of his inauguration, and held his first 2020 rally in February, 2017, in nearby Melbourne, Florida. He has continued holding his signature \"Make America Great Again\" rallies in the months since.Trump is hoping to replicate the dynamics that allowed him to capture the Republican Party and then the presidency in 2016 as an insurgent intent on disrupting the status quo.But any president is inherently an insider. Trump has worked in the White House for two-and-a-half years, travels the skies in Air Force One and changes the course of history with the stroke of a pen or the post of a tweet.That populist clarion was a central theme of his maiden political adventure, as the businessman-turned-candidate successfully appealed to disaffected voters who felt left behind by economic dislocation and demographic shifts. And he has no intention of abandoning it, even if he is the face of the institutions he looks to disrupt.He underscored that on the eve of the rally in the must-win swing state of Florida, returning to the hard-line immigration themes of his first campaign by tweeting that, next week, Immigration and Customs Enforcement \"will begin the process of removing the millions of illegal aliens who have illicitly found their way into the United States.\" That promise, which came with no details and sparked Democratic condemnation, seemed to offer a peek into a campaign that will largely be fought along the same lines as his first bid, with very few new policy proposals for a second term.Early Democratic front-runner Joe Biden said Tuesday that Trump's politics are \"all about dividing us\" in ways that are \"dangerous - truly, truly dangerous.\"But those involved in the president's reelection effort believe that his brash version of populism, combined with his mantra to \"Drain the Swamp,\" still resonates, despite his administration's cozy ties with lobbyists and corporations and the Trump family's apparent efforts to profit off the presidency.Advisers believe that, in an age of extreme polarization, many Trump backers view their support for the president as part of their identity, one not easily shaken. They point to his seemingly unmovable support with his base supporters as evidence that, despite more than two years in office, he is still viewed the same way he was as a candidate: the bomb-throwing political rebel.Trump and those who spoke before him also tried to make the case that Trump had made good on his 2016 promises, including cracking down on illegal immigration and boosting jobs.\"He said he'd make America great again and that's exactly what we've done,\" Vice President Mike Pence said in his introduction.On Monday, a boisterous crowd of thousands of Trump supporters, many of them in red hats, began gathering outside the Amway Center arena in Orlando, where the campaign had organized a festival with live music and food trucks.They spent Tuesday braving downpours and listening to a cover band playing Southern rock standards such as Lynyrd Skynyrd's \"Sweet Home Alabama\" at an outdoor \"45 Fest\" the campaign organized to energize the crowd. Vendors sold water, as well as pins, hats and T-shirts with slogans including \"Trump 2020\" and \"ICE ICE Baby,\" a reference to the law enforcement agency tasked with enforcing immigration laws. In the high-80s heat, some women wore \"Make American Great Again\" bathing suits.\"Trump has been the best president we've ever had,\" said Ron Freitas, a retired Merchant Marine and registered Democrat from the Orlando area who sat in a lawn chair. Freitas said he was sure Trump would prevail over whomever his Democratic opponent was.Alex Fuentes, a municipal diesel mechanic, wore a shirt that said \"Make Democrats cry again.\" He said he was an Iraq veteran who twice voted for Barack Obama but parted company with Democrats such as Hillary Clinton, mostly over foreign policy.\"There's a lot of minorities that are hidden Trump supporters,\" Fuentes said.Close by, hundreds of anti-Trump protesters clapped and took photos when a 20-foot (6-meter) blimp of a snarling Trump baby in a diaper was inflated. The blimp looks like the one that flew in London during Trump's recent state visit but is not the same one.\"The goal is to get under his skin,\" said Mark Offerman, the blimp's handler.Protester Shaun Noble wore a rainbow-colored sign that said \"Super, Callous, Fragile, Racist, Sexist, Nazi, POTUS.\"Noble's mother was at the Trump rally while he was at the anti-Trump protest.\"It's really caused a divide in our relationship,\" Noble said. \"But it's my right to believe what I want to believe in, and it's her right to believe what she wants to believe.\"", "Read: Trump is kicking off his reelection campaign 29 days into his presidency\n\nThe president continued to host sporadic campaign-style rallies over the next year. Then, in March 2018, while House Republicans were scrambling to hold back a Democratic wave, Trump decided to pitch in for the effort by … announcing his new slogan for the 2020 race. Only it was the same slogan he’d previewed to the Post in January 2017. (This did not prevent the media from dutifully reporting he had unveiled a new slogan.)\n\nTwo months later, in May 2018, Trump once again presented the slogan as a brand-new reveal. “By the way, this is the first, for Indiana,” he said. “Our new slogan for 2020. You know what it is? ‘Keep America Great.’ Because we’re doing so well that in another two years, when we start the heavy campaign, ‘Make America Great Again’ wouldn’t work out too well.” Reporters once again gave him credit for novelty. Six months later, Trump’s allies were whomped at the polls. Meanwhile, his reelection campaign has rolled on, with Orlando its latest stop.\n\nWhen Trump went to Florida in February 2017, I identified the rally as an example of the “permanent campaign”—a notion dating to the 1980s and since ensconced, in which officeholders maintain some of the methods and tactics of the campaign while remaining in office, from rallies to poll testing. It’s a staple for every president now. Bill Clinton, the president most associated with the permanent campaign, had the earliest “official” launch in recent memory, according to NPR—but Trump will edge him by three days.\n\nBut labeling Trump’s rally a part of the permanent campaign turned out not to be prescient so much as an egregious understatement. The point of a campaign launch used to be to signal that the period of governing—of passing legislation and enacting policy—was largely wrapping up, and that the focus would shift back to electoral politics. In the permanent-campaign paradigm, a president would run a policy track and a politics track in parallel.\n\nRead: ‘Keep America Great’ and the power of the small lie\n\nTrump has fully unified them. He can’t turn back to campaigning from governing, because he never really bothered to start governing in the first place. With the exception of cutting taxes and especially building a wall on the Mexican border, he’s never shown much interest in learning how the levers of power work or in using them. Whereas Barack Obama held rallies in early 2009 to support the passage of his health-care bill, Trump held rallies in early 2017 for the purpose of being reelected nearly four years later.\n\nThe problem with skating from crisis to crisis with few accomplishments to show for it is that eventually the public becomes fatigued. There are signs of growing public boredom with Trump. A newsy, blockbuster interview with George Stephanopoulos this past weekend drew disappointing ratings. The New York Times publisher A. G. Sulzberger has noted declining reader interest in political news. The president’s outlandish remarks generally make a smaller splash than they once did. He seems to have tried to compensate for that by tweeting more, but the result is something like inflation in a market flooded with currency: Every tweet is less valuable.", "Senator and 2020 contender criticized Trump for not discussing the climate emergency at his ‘Keep America Great’ campaign launch", "US President Donald Trump formally launched his 2020 re-election campaign on Tuesday in front of a large crowd in Orlando, Florida.\n\n\"We are going to keep making America great again and then we will indeed keep America great,\" Trump said as he attacked his opponents and the media.\n\n\"We are going to keep it better than ever before and that is why I stand before you tonight to officially launch my campaign for a second term as president of the United States,\" Trump told the crowd at an arena in Orlando.\n\nThe announcement comes amid calls for impeachment, continuing congressional probes into his presidency and administration and deepening divisions over his hardline immigration policies. But Trump's speech also comes as the economy continues to grow and the Republican president maintains deep support among his base.\n\nAlthough Tuesday's speech is being billed as the official beginning of Trump's 2020 bid, the businessman-turned-politician filed the paperwork officially announcing his bid within hours of his inauguration on January 20, 2017. He has since held campaign-style rallies throughout the United States.\n\nOn Tuesday, Trump's attacks against socialism and his doubling down on conservative stances on nationalism, abortion, family, the judiciary and guns were positively received by the loyalist crowd, who often erupted in \"USA\" and \"Make America Great\" chants throughout the event.\n\nPeople sit in the stands with a flag before a rally for US President Donald Trump at the Amway Center in Orlando, Florida,[Carlo Allegri/Reuters]\n\nTwo-and-a-half years into his tenure, Trump sees plenty of positive factors, led by a growing economy with low unemployment.\n\n\"If the economy stays strong, he is very likely to get re-elected,\" said Trump confidant Newt Gingrich, a former Republican speaker of the US House of Representatives.\n\nTrump touted the economy throughout Tuesday's speech, saying \"it's soaring to incredible new heights\".\n\nThe US president also received a large round of applause when he brought his tax cuts, saying, \"we've done so much ... with the biggest tax cut in history.\"\n\nBut according to an Associated Press fact check, Trump's tax cuts are nowhere close to the biggest in US history.\n\nIt's a $1.5 trillion tax cut over 10 years. As a share of the total economy, a tax cut of that size ranks 12th, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. Former President Ronald Reagan's 1981 cut is the biggest, followed by the 1945 rollback of taxes that financed World War II.\n\nPeek into this campaign\n\nDespite the packed crowd at the Orlando arena on Tuesday, Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election, coupled with a presidential style marked by name-calling and eye-popping tweets, has undermined some Americans' confidence in Trump before the November 2020 election.\n\nTrump also has stirred division with his hardline policies on immigration and unsettled business and farm groups with his use of tariffs in trade disputes with China and some allies.\n\nAs he left the White House on Tuesday for Florida, Trump said that a mass roundup of undocumented immigrants would start next week. He did not elaborate, and rights groups and Democrats have accused the president of sowing fear in the run-up to his re-election launch.\n\nDemonstrators march on Brooklyn Bridge during 'Keep Families Together' march to protest Trump administration's immigration policy in New York [File: Shannon Stapleton/Reuters]\n\nSpeaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, the top Democratic elected official, said in a statement on Tuesday, \"the President’s new threat of a mass deportation dragnet is an act of utter malice and bigotry, designed solely to inject fear in our communities.\"\n\nAnalysts say Trump's rhetoric just before Tuesday's rally seemed to offer a peek into a campaign that will largely be fought along the same lines as his first bid, with very few new policy proposals for a second term.\n\nDuring Tuesday's rally, Trump continued to rail against irregular immigration, repeatedly returning to the topic throughout his speech, including throwing out claims about undocumented immigrants without providing evidence.\n\nTrump must defend presidential record\n\nThose involved in the president's re-election effort believe Trump's mantra to \"Drain the Swamp\", still resonates, despite his administration's cosy ties with lobbyists and corporations and the Trump family's apparent efforts to profit off the presidency.\n\n\"He's still not viewed as a politician,\" said Jason Miller, Trump's 2016 senior communications adviser. \"Voters don't define him by the party label, they define him by his policies and his message of shaking up the status quo in Washington. That's the biggest reason he was able to win blue states in 2016.\"\n\n\n\nBut Democrats cite a string of broken promises in Trump's first term, from lowering medicine prices to closing corporate tax loopholes and stopping plant closures, as well as his crackdowns on women's rights and immigrants.\n\n\n\nIn a media call on Tuesday, Democratic Party officials focused on his moves to weaken the signature healthcare law of his Democratic predecessor, Barack Obama, without providing an alternative.\n\n\n\n\"The thing that is working to our advantage is that this president now has a record to run on,\" said Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez.\n\nUnlike in 2016, Trump must now defend his presidential record, which includes a number of controversial policies, from his trade war with China to his handling of the US relationship with Saudi Arabia following the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi and the mounting death toll in the Saudi-UAE war in Yemen.\n\nThere have also been increased calls from some Democrats, who control the House of Representatives, to begin impeachment proceedings over potential obstruction of justice during Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.\n\nTrump, who has repeatedly called the investigation a witch-hunt, again accused Democrats of wanting a \"re-do\" because they didn't like the results of the probe.\n\n\n\nIn parts of an ABC interview published last week, Trump said he would see nothing wrong in accepting damaging information on a political opponent in the coming 2020 presidential elections if it were offered by a foreign government.\n\n\n\nHe later attempted walked back on those comments a bit, saying \"of course\" he'd look at damaging information offered, but he would alert the FBI if the information was \"bad\".\n\n\n\nSo far, Democratic leadership has urged caution over impeachment talk, instead, focusing on a myriad of congressional probes into the president, his administration and his businesses.\n\nUphill battle?\n\nBut Trump is eager to use the power of his office to further his case for re-election. Last month in Louisiana, he promised voters a new bridge if he won, and in the pivotal Florida Panhandle, he pledged new disaster relief money would flow in a second Trump term.\n\nTrump advisers also point to his popularity among white working-class voters, who consider themselves \"forgotten Americans\" left behind and mocked by elite insiders. For those voters, many of whom in 2016 cast their first ballots in decades, Trump remains the embodiment of their outsider grievances, their anger stoked by his clashes with political foes and the rest of government - even when his party controls it.\n\nAdvisers believe that, in an age of extreme polarisation, many Trump backers view their support for the president as part of their identity, one not easily shaken. They point to his seemingly unmovable support with his base supporters as evidence that, despite more than two years in office, he is still viewed the same way he was as a candidate in 2016.\n\nSupporters turn out hours before US President Donald Trump is to appear at a rally to officially announce his 2020 re-election bid at the Amway Center [Joe Raedle/Getty Images/AFP]\n\nIn Florida on Tuesday, Trump supporters began lining up for the president's rally a full day in advance, local media reported.\n\n\"It was like a big Trump party,\" Maureen Bailey, who slept in a tent with her twin sister, told Reuters news agency.\n\nLocal Democratic Party officials planned a \"Win With Love\" rally a few blocks from the Trump rally.\n\nTrump will so far face one Republican challenger, former Massachusetts governor Bill Weld, who has little name-recognition among Americans.\n\nRival Democrats have more than 20 presidential contenders vying for the nomination.\n\nA Quinnipiac University poll, released on Tuesday, showed Trump trailing the early Democratic frontrunner, former Vice President Joe Biden, by nine percentage points in Florida, which has been a key state for presidential candidates for decades.\n\nSenator Bernie Sanders and Senator Elizabeth Warren, the more progressive candidates, are also ahead of Trump in Florida.\n\nTrump has blasted the poll numbers, pointing to his 2016 election victory, which was not predicted by the majority of polling data.", "MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th June, 2019) US President Donald Trump officially launched his 2020 White House re-election campaign at a rally in Orlando, Florida on Tuesday.\n\n\"Tonight I stand before you to officially launch my campaign for a second term as president of the United States,\" Trump said.", "US President Donald Trump is en route to officially launch his 2020 campaign in what he’s promised will be a “wild” appearance, in Orlando, Florida.\n\nAccording to presidential advisers, Mr Trump will use his time on stage to make the case that the first 2.5 years of his administration have been about “promises made” and “promises kept”. He’s expected to point to the strong US economy and the actions he’s taken on issues including taxes, military spending and judicial appointments, the Washington Post reports.\n\nMr Trump hopes to keep his foothold in a state that delivered 29 electoral votes on his way to the White House in 2016. The President carried Florida by about a percentage point in 2016. Last year, Republicans won closely contested statewide races for governor and the US Senate there.\n\nOrlando is at the centre of the Interstate 4 corridor, stretching from Tampa to Daytona Beach, in the nation’s largest swing state. Mr Trump will be joined by first lady Melania Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, several members of his family and 2016 campaign staff.\n\nThe rally comes after both public and leaked internal campaign polls showed him trailing major Democratic rivals, including Joe Biden. The President deemed the polls “fake” and insisted he was “winning big” before three of five pollsters — including one polling firm formerly owned by Kellyanne Conway, the president’s adviser and former campaign manager — were fired from his re-election campaign.\n\nMr Trump said his campaign launch would be a “wild” political spectacle.\n\n“People have never seen anything like it (unless you play a guitar). Going to be wild — See you later,” he wrote in a tweet.\n\nCampaign advisers predict Mr Trump will seek to connect his first term to the goals he hopes to achieve with four more years as president.\n\nSome supporters started lining up on Monday to attend the event in the Amway Centre arena, which holds some 18,500 people.\n\nA boisterous crowd of thousands of supporters has since gathered outside.\n\nA cover band on a stage played southern rock standards such as Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Sweet Home, Alabama. Vendors for blocks around sold water as well as pins, hats and T-shirts with slogans including “Trump 2020” and “ICE ICE Baby”. In the summer heat, some women wore “Make America Great Again” bathing suits.\n\nTo Mr Trump, Republican enthusiasm is at its highest. But the political event is also drawing critics.\n\nProtesters have gathered at a nearby gay bar where a mariachi band and a drag queen will perform in what organisers say will be a public rebuttal to the President’s policies.\n\nProtest organiser Ida Eskamani said the massacre of 49 people at the gay Pulse club three years ago was a turning point for Orlando community leaders in embracing ideas of diversity and tolerance. The club closed after the shooting, and a planned memorial is in development on the site.\n\nThe “Baby Trump” blimp is expected to make an appearance at the event after organisers raised money to bring it from south Florida. However, the blimp will stay at the bar, located about three blocks from the arena, due to presidential airspace restrictions, Ms Eskamani said.\n\nThe chairman of the local Republican Party said Mr Trump was fighting for all Americans.\n\nOrange County Republican Executive Committee chairman Charles Hart said “for them to say Donald Trump doesn’t like gay people is wrong”.\n\n“For them to say Donald Trump doesn’t like Hispanics is wrong,” Mr Hart continued.\n\nThe Trump administration has recently moved to revoke newly won healthcare protections for transgender people, restrict their presence in the military and withdraw federal guidance that trans students should be able to use bathrooms of their choice.\n\nThe city is also home to a large Puerto Rican population. Opponents blame the Republican President for holding up disaster aid to Puerto Rico over a feud with Democratic leaders on the island.\n\nOrlando’s hometown newspaper said on Tuesday in an editorial it wouldn’t endorse Mr Trump.\n\n“Some readers will wonder how we could possibly eliminate a candidate so far before an election and before knowing the identity of his opponent,” the Orlando Sentinel wrote. “Because there’s no point pretending we would ever recommend that readers vote for Trump.” The editorial went on to say it had “enough of the chaos, the division, the schoolyard insults, the self-aggrandisement, the corruption, and especially the lies”.", "WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump captured the Republican Party and then the presidency in 2016 as an insurgent intent on disrupting the status quo. As he mounts his bid for reelection, Trump is offering himself as the outsider once again - but it's a much more awkward pitch to make from inside the Oval Office.Trump is set to formally announce his 2020 bid on Tuesday at a rally in Orlando, Florida, where advisers said he aims to connect the dots between the promise of his disruptive first-time candidacy and his goals for another term in the White House. His promises to rock the ship of state are now more than an abstract pledge, though, complicated by his tumultuous 29 months at its helm.Any president is inherently an insider. Trump has worked in the Oval Office for two years, travels the skies in Air Force One and changes the course of history with the stroke of a pen or the post of a tweet.\"We're taking on the failed political establishment and restoring government of, by and for the people,\" Trump said in a video released by his campaign Monday to mark his relaunch. \"It's the people, you're the people, you won the election.\"That populist clarion was a central theme of his maiden political adventure, as the businessman-turned-candidate successfully appealed to disaffected voters who felt left behind by economic dislocation and demographic shifts. And he has no intention of abandoning it, even if he is the face of the institutions he looks to disrupt.He underscored that on the eve of the Orlando rally, returning to the hardline immigration themes of his first campaign by tweeting that \"Next week ICE will begin the process of removing the millions of illegal aliens who have illicitly found their way into the United States.\" That promise, which came with no details and sparked Democratic condemnation, seemed to offer a peek into a campaign that will largely be fought along the same lines as his first bid, with very little new policy proposals for a second term.Those involved in the president's reelection effort believe that his brash version of populism, combined with his mantra to \"Drain the Swamp,\" still resonates, despite his administration's cozy ties with lobbyists and corporations and the Trump family's apparent efforts to profit off the presidency.\"He's still not viewed as a politician,\" said Jason Miller, Trump's 2016 senior communications adviser. \"Voters don't define him by the party label, they define him by his policies and his message of shaking up the status quo in Washington. That's the biggest reason he was able to win blue states in 2016.\"Democrats, though, predict Trump won't be able to get away with the outsider branding.\"How can you say: Forget about the last two years, he is an outsider, he is bashing down doors,\" said Karine Jean-Pierre, a former senior Obama campaign official now at MoveOn.org. \"People's lives are harder because of what he has done as president. Voters are paying their attention and are not going to buy it.\"Republicans working with the Trump campaign but not authorized to speak publicly about internal conversations said campaign advisers believe that Trump is still perceived as a businessman and point to his clashes with the Washington establishment - including Congress, the so-called Deep State and members of his own party - as proof that he is still an outsider rather than a creature of the Beltway. Helping further that image, Trump advisers believe, is that his main Democratic foils are all career politicians: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, former Vice President Joe Biden and, yes, Hillary Clinton.\"He promised that he'd go to Washington and shake things up, and he certainly has,\" said Trump campaign manager Tim Murtaugh.Still, it's not as though Trump is running from Washington. If anything, he's wrapping himself in the trappings and authorities of his office. Last week, Trump granted behind-the-scenes access to his limousine, Marine One helicopter and Air Force One for an hourlong ABC News special meant to highlight the singular advantage he has over his rivals - that he already has the job they want.And Trump is eager to use the power of the office to further his case for reelection. Last month in Louisiana, he promised voters a new bridge if he wins, and in the pivotal Florida Panhandle, he pledged new disaster relief money would flow in a second Trump term.Trump advisers also point to his popularity among white working-class voters, who consider themselves \"forgotten Americans\" left behind and mocked by elite insiders. For those voters, many of whom in 2016 cast their first ballots in decades, Trump remains the embodiment of their outsider grievances, their anger stoked by his clashes with political foes and the rest of government (even when his party controls it).Advisers believe that, in an age of extreme polarization, many Trump backers view their support for the president as part of their identity, one not easily shaken. They point to his seemingly unmovable support with his base supporters as evidence that, despite more than two years in office, he is still viewed the same way he was as a candidate: the bomb-throwing political rebel.Americans acknowledge Trump is a change agent, but they are divided in their views of that change. Early this year, a CNN poll found about three-quarters of Americans saying Trump has created significant changes in the country, and they split about evenly between calling it change for the better and change for the worse. More recently, a March poll from CNN showed 42% of Americans think Trump can bring the kind of change the country needs.", "Fans of US President Donald Trump camped out since Monday in hopes of getting a good seat as he officially launched his 2020 \"Keep America Great\" re-election campaign with Vice President Mike Pence in Orlando, Florida on Tuesday evening.\n\nIn fact, Trump filed his campaign with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) on January 20, 2017 — the day he took the oath of office — and began campaigning shortly thereafter. Tuesday, however, is being billed as the official start of his 2020 re-election bid.\n\nRead more: The Donald Trump effect: Core supporters hungry for more\n\nThe site of the announcement is key, as Florida is a must-win state for anyone looking to win the race. It is also a key battleground state, and votes in the past have often been to close to call - as was famously the case in the year 2000, when an inability to find a winner in Florida let to the Supreme Court handing the presidency to George W. Bush.\n\nTrump has spent more than 100 days in Florida since he became president, holding rallies, fundraisers, and visiting his properties in the \"Sunshine State,\" requiring public money to beef up security at places like Mar-A-Lago, which was equipped as the White House.\n\nOn the ground in Orlando\n\nDW's Alexandra von Nahmen was on the ground in Orlando and spoke with a number of the president's supporters. All voiced their support for him and spoke about the issues that were important to them.\n\n\"We support President Trump because he has fulfilled everything he promised to do. He is a man of his word. And that's a wonderful thing to see,\" Gustavo Ortega told DW.\n\nOrtega says the president has delivered on the economy and jobs. But he adds: \"What we love about him is that he is not a politician. That's basically what sets him apart from everybody else.\"\n\nTrump's claims over what he has done about the economy remain controversial, not only because he inherited a strong economy from his predecessor Barack Obama, but because his policies such as increased tariffs have hurt most the Americans he promised to champion, such as farmers and factory workers. Tariffs have also seen foreign and domestic companies alike nix plans to expand and provide more jobs in the US.\n\nRead more: Opinion: Trump hasn't been all bad for the EU\n\nRecent media reports on leaked internal poll numbers showing Trump trailing Democratic challengers in several key states led the president to fire three pollsters on Monday. Trump responded to the unfavorable facts by claiming that such polls don't exist, calling the news \"fake\" and then denying the importance of voter surveys.\n\nThose assertions are reminiscent of Richard Nixon's famous claims that a \"great silent majority\" of Americans supported him despite broad and vocal opposition to his policies in the late 1960s.\n\nThat sentiment was echoed by Orlando resident and Trump supporter Eduard Whelan Portilla:\"Trump voters don't identify themselves in polls and they don't put out yard signs. They are afraid of Democrats breaking them and throwing stones at their houses. So there is a tremendous amount of secret support for Trump.\"\n\nAsked about the chances of Trump being re-elected, Portilla said, \"It is going to happen again, because the news media and the Democrats are a bunch of fools.\"\n\nTrump fans are fervent in their support, even in the face of the president's contradictory statements and actions. One rally-goer, Blake Marnell from San Diego, embodies that devotion. Sporting a \"Make America Great Again\" cap and a brick-patterned suit, Marnell arrived in Orlando at midnight and slept just two hours to be in a front row.\n\nSpeaking of his suit, Marnell says: \"I support barriers at America's southern border to keep illegal narcotics and human trafficking out. As a whole, America needs to take care of itself before it worries about taking care of some of the other things we have been involved with over the last 20 years in term of wars in the Middle East and things like that. We definitely have to deal with some issues here in America first.\"\n\nHe, too, is confident that Trump will be re-elected, \"I believe that the American people, when they examine the issues, will actually decide to vote for him because he has been the most effective president we've ever had.\"\n\nHowever, sheriffs at the US-Mexico border, including Republicans, have consistently maintained that a border-length wall is neither helpful in curbing illegal immigration nor a realistic project.\n\nLaureen Vartanian and her sister Maureen Bailey drove an hour from their hometown of Port Orange to arrive in Orlando at 6:30 a.m. on Monday morning in hopes of scoring a front-row seat, \"We wanted to see our president up close,\" says Vartanian. \"We went to other rallies. But this is a historical event. It is an honor and we love him and what he has done for our country.\"\n\nBailey echoed a claim that Trump has often made, saying, \"He has done more for his country than any president in the last 50 years.\"\n\nEach evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.", "United States President Donald Trump launched his 2020 re-election campaign on Tuesday amid chants of “USA, USA” at a rally in Orlando in Florida, AFP reported.\n\n“We did it once and we’re going to do it again – and this time we’re going to finish the job,” he said, while promising over 20,000 supporters an “earthquake at the ballot box”. “Our economy is the envy of the world.”\n\nTrump told the crowd he will “keep America great again”. “Oh we will keep it so great,” he said. “Better than ever before. And that is why tonight I stand before you to officially launch my campaign for a second term as president of the United States.”\n\nThe president also encouraged the crowd to boo journalists covering the event, calling them “fake news.” He then accused the Democrats of seeking to “rip your country apart.”\n\n“Just think what this angry left-wing mob would do if they were in charge of this country,” Reuters quoted him as saying. “Imagine if we had a Democrat president and a Democrat Congress in 2020. They would shut down your free speech, use the power of the law to punish their opponents.”\n\nTrump said his Democratic opponents would radically change the US and that they would seek to legalise migrants coming across the southern border so they could vote and boost the Democratic political base. Trump had warned of the threat of illegal immigration and promised a crackdown during his 2016 presidential campaign as well.\n\nTrump, who has been accused by opponents of wide-ranging corruption, told the crowd that together they had formed “a great political movement” that had “stared down a broken and corrupt political establishment.”\n\nEarly poll numbers show that Trump faces a difficult race, but his re-election fight is marked by soaring growth, low unemployment, and confidence in the loyalty of his right-wing base. A wide range of polls show Trump lagging far behind Democratic frontrunner Joe Biden, who is campaigning on a promise to return the country to what he portrays as the calmer days of former President Barack Obama, under whom he served as vice president.", "Midway through the speech officially launching his 2020 reelection campaign Tuesday night, President Donald Trump joked about his campaign staff. \"They cost a fortune, and they never give me any ideas,\" he said, adding that he was \"kidding.\"\n\nJudging by his speech, it might be truer than he let on.\n\nTrump in his speech in Orlando, Florida, broke little new ground -- not just relative to the dozens of political rallies he's already held since his inauguration, but also relative to his 2016 campaign. It was very much a Greatest Hits rally, replete with grievances against the media and Democrats. It referenced Hillary Clinton more than Trump's would-be 2020 opponents.\n\nThat said, there were a few interesting and newish lines that stuck out. Below are the ones I've isolated.\n\nFor much of his presidency, Trump has been allergic to blaming Vladimir Putin for Russia's 2016 election interference or even talking about said interference. But someone has apparently prevailed upon Trump to at least allude to the sanctions that were imposed on that country in response.\n\nWhile hailing his achievements, Trump noted that he \"built up the military, imposed sanctions on Russia,\" and that he supported countries that compete with Russia.\n\nIt was a brief, fleeting mention that he didn't expound upon -- nor did he reference how much he resisted those sanctions, both when Congress passed them in 2017 and in response to the poisoning of Sergei Skripal in Britain. Trump also offered similar lines a couple times last month.\n\nIf nothing else, though, it suggested that he and his campaign feel the need for him to argue he hasn't given Russia a complete pass. Until recently, Trump basically relied upon everyone else around him to make that case.\n\nPerhaps one of the most long-lasting changes brought on by the Trump presidency is the remaking of the judiciary, both at the Supreme Court and in the lower courts.\n\nAnd Trump made that a key element of his speech, both alluding to the large number of judges confirmed and speaking at some length about Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation to the Supreme Court.\n\nTrump, of course, seized upon the grievance-related aspects of the Kavanaugh fight, accusing the justice's opponents of trying to destroy his family. So even where Trump has a legitimate and extensive victory, it all comes back to how nefarious his opponents are.\n\n3. 'People who refuse to concede an election'\n\nOne conspicuous line that Trump didn't dwell upon but seems likely to make a return is when Trump alluded to Democrats \"who refuse to concede an election\" and suggested they were sore losers.\n\nTrump appeared to be referring to Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, D, who has not conceded her loss to Gov. Brian Kemp, R, and has argued that minority votes were suppressed. Abrams has also said she still might run for president in 2020.\n\nLeft unsaid: Trump's repeated threats during the 2016 election to not concede if he lost because of potential rampant voter fraud that hadn't yet taken place. That's not hugely different from the case Abrams has made.\n\nEven as he was launching his 2020 campaign, Trump suggested he still hadn't landed on a slogan. He called 2016's \"Make America Great Again\" the \"greatest theme in the history of politics,\" but he also said it might be \"Keep America Great.\"\n\nAt one point, he invited the crowd to applaud for which slogan they thought he should run on. It wasn't clear which one they preferred.\n\nDuring his 2016 campaign, Trump appealed to would-be black supporters by arguing, \"What the hell do you have to lose?\" It didn't earn him an unusual level of support for a GOP candidate.\n\nSince then, he has pointed to a historically low black unemployment rate, and yet his approval rating among African Americans remains extremely low.\n\nOn Tuesday, though, Trump offered something somewhat new, pointing to the criminal justice reform bill that was passed through Congress with bipartisan support. He alluded to \"crime policies that so unfairly affected the African-American community -- so unfair.\"\n\nThe true target of the line, though, may not have been elusive black Republican voters. It seemed more likely it was the leading 2020 Democratic candidate, former Vice President Joe Biden, whose support for Bill Clinton's crime bill has become a hot-button issue in the Democratic primary."], "summary": "U.S. President Donald Trump's speech at a rally in Orlando, Florida is billed as the official launch of his re-election campaign for the 2020 United States presidential election. He previously filed on January 20, 2017 paperwork with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) officially announcing his bid for the 2020 presidential election."}
{"document": ["The Latest: UK prime minister pool cut to 4, Johnson at top\n\nLONDON (AP) — The Latest on Conservative Party voting to pick Britain's next prime minister (all times local):\n\nThe contest to become Britain's next prime minister is down to four candidates, with Boris Johnson building on his commanding lead in a Conservative Party vote.\n\nJohnson gained 143 of 313 votes cast by Conservative lawmakers Wednesday in their third round of voting.\n\nHe's being chased by Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, Environment Secretary Michael Gove and Home Secretary Sajid Javid.\n\nInternational Development Secretary Rory Stewart, a longshot candidate who energized the race, received the fewest votes and drops out.\n\nTwo more votes are scheduled for Thursday to whittle the field down to two. The final two contenders will go to a by-mail ballot of all 160,000 Conservative Party members nationwide.\n\nThe winner is due to be announced in late July, and will replace Theresa May as party leader and prime minister.\n\nBritain's Conservative Party is set to kick one more candidate out of the contest to become the country's next prime minister, as rivals scramble to catch front-runner Boris Johnson.\n\nThe five-strong field will be narrowed in elimination votes by Tory lawmakers Wednesday and Thursday, with the two top candidates going to a runoff of party members across the country.\n\nOne of the remaining candidates, International Development Secretary Rory Stewart, says he is talking to Environment Secretary Michael Gove about combining forces. He says the question is \"who is best able to politely and respectfully defeat Boris Johnson.\"\n\nForeign Secretary Jeremy Hunt and Home Secretary Sajid Javid are also in the race.\n\nThe winner, due to be announced in late July, will replace Theresa May as Conservative leader and prime minister.\n\nFollow AP's full coverage of Brexit and the Conservative Party leadership race at: https://www.apnews.com/Brexit", "Brexit campaigner Boris Johnson took a step closer to becoming Britain’s next prime minister on Tuesday, winning 40 percent of votes in the second round of a contest on a firm promise to leave the European Union by Oct. 31.Johnson, the face of the official Brexit campaign in the 2016 referendum, won 126 out of 313 votes and so goes through to a third ballot between 1400 GMT and 1600 GMT on Wednesday with four other candidates who won 33 votes or more. The former foreign minister was far ahead of the rest of the pack, stretching a lead which, for many, makes Johnson the all but inevitable victor to replace Prime Minister Theresa May and take on Britain’s so far ill-fated Brexit negotiations. At a sometimes ill-tempered BBC debate, Johnson repeated his pledge that he would take Britain out of the EU by Oct. 31, again saying the only way to do so was to prepare for a so-called no deal exit and concentrate on winning a new trade deal.\n\nSEE ALSO :Who wants to be Britain's next prime minister?\n\n“We must come out on the 31st of October because, otherwise I am afraid we face a catastrophic loss of confidence in politics,” Johnson said. “October 31 is eminently feasible. Let me just say if we now say that we have a deadline that is not a deadline and we allow October 31 to come and go as March came and went and April came and went I think the public will look upon us with increasing mystification.” With Johnson so far ahead, the race is on for second place, with Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, Environment Secretary Michael Gove, International Development Secretary Rory Stewart and Home Secretary Sajid Javid all trying to prove they would be his toughest challenger. The remaining five will now face votes until the race is whittled down to two candidates, who will face a postal ballot of the Conservative Party’s largely pro-Brexit members. A new prime minister should be chosen by the end of July. At the debate, the four other candidates - after former Brexit minister Dominic Raab was knocked out - tried to test Johnson, a former London mayor who has so far been relatively silent in the campaign, even avoiding an earlier debate.\n\nSEE ALSO :Race to replace UK's May gets underway\n\nAlmost three years since Britain voted to leave the EU, the country, parliament and both main parties are deeply divided over how, when and even whether Brexit should happen. With a simple message similar to the soundbites he used in the 2016 referendum campaign, Johnson, who unlike other politicians is better known by his first name, has managed to persuade much of his party that only he can rescue it from electoral disaster by delivering Brexit. But he has attracted criticism from his rivals for promising to cut income tax for high earners. In Tuesday’s debate, Johnson was also taken to task for past comments in which he offended Muslims, women and others.\n\nSEE ALSO :Taking aim at Johnson, PM hopefuls make Brexit case\n\n“In so far as my words have given offence over the last 20 or 30 years when I’ve been a journalist and people have taken those words out of my articles and escalated them... of course I am sorry for the offence they have caused,” he said. His rise towards Downing Street is the latest twist in an eventful career for a man whose quick wit and eccentric style have helped him shrug off a series of scandals, including getting sacked from the party’s policy team while in opposition for lying about an extra-marital affair. That and other episodes earned him the tabloid nickname “Bonking Boris”. But where others would have floundered, Johnson became increasingly popular, culminating in his two victories in usually left-leaning London’s mayoral contests in 2008 and 2012. After helping to win the Brexit referendum for the Leave side in 2016, Johnson’s bid to succeed David Cameron as prime minister was scuppered when his close ally Gove abruptly deserted him and announced his own candidacy. The betrayal by Gove, whose parting shot was to say that “Boris cannot provide the leadership or build the team for the task ahead”, stopped Johnson’s march on Downing Street in 2016, allowing May to win the top job.\n\nSEE ALSO :Johnson gets further boost in race to become British prime minister\n\nBut her failure to get a divorce deal ratified by the British parliament destroyed her premiership.\n\nFor the latest news in entertainment check out Sde.co.ke and Pulser.co.ke , for everything sports visit Gameyetu.co.ke and ladies we have you covered on Evewoman", "Tory leadership contender Rory Stewart has revealed he is in talks with Environment Secretary Michael Gove about “combining forces” in the battle to be next prime minister.\n\nThe International Development Secretary said discussions centred on who would be best placed to challenge Boris Johnson in the run-off between the last two candidates left standing.\n\nMr Stewart told the BBC: “We are talking about combining forces because it’s clear that Boris is going into the last round.\n\n“And the question is ‘who is best placed to sit on stage with Boris Johnson, and who is best placed to ask the testing questions that need to be asked?'”\n\nMr Stewart said he and Mr Gove would need to discuss how to get a Brexit deal through, adding: “We would have to agree to compromise and if neither of us were prepared to budge on our analysis of the situation then, of course, we couldn’t combine as a team.”\n\nHowever, Mr Stewart’s camp made clear that if he did form a pact with Mr Gove, it would be the International Development Secretary who would want to remain in the race.\n\nA campaign spokeswoman said: “Clearly at some point people will need to combine teams.\n\n“But any team that gets combined, Rory wants to lead it. Rory’s in this to win.”\n\nA Gove campaign source said: “We are in it to win it and we would obviously welcome the support of any candidate that wanted to drop out and support us.”\n\nMr Stewart nearly doubled his backing to 37 votes in Tuesday’s second ballot of Tory MPs, leaving him just four votes behind Mr Gove.\n\nThe move came as fellow leadership hopeful Jeremy Hunt took a swipe at Mr Johnson’s Brexit stance, insisting his rival has an unclear policy and suggesting he is not trusted in Brussels.\n\nThe Foreign Secretary said he was “not entirely sure” what the front-runner in the race to become the next prime minister believes when it comes to when Britain will leave the EU.\n\nIn a televised debate on Tuesday evening, Mr Johnson said the October 31 deadline for Brexit must be met, warning that otherwise there would be a “catastrophic loss of confidence in politics”.\n\nBut Mr Hunt accused the former foreign secretary of lacking clarity on whether he guaranteed delivering Brexit by the end of October.\n\nHe told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “Well, I am not entirely sure what he believes on this, having listened to him last night.\n\n“You have to think these things through because prime ministers have to make these judgments.”\n\nMr Hunt, who came second in the second Tory leadership ballot on Tuesday, also said he was best placed to cut a deal with Brussels on Brexit, saying: “We need a negotiator.”\n\nHe said a negotiator has three qualities: “The first is it has to be someone the other side trust, because you don’t do a deal with somebody you don’t trust.\n\n“Secondly, it has got to be someone who doesn’t blink. And thirdly, it has got to be somebody who is prepared to walk away.\n\n“Now, the danger is that if we choose the wrong person now, we will have no trust, no negotiation, no deal, and possibly, if we have an election, no Brexit.”\n\nAnother candidate will face the axe on Wednesday afternoon – with Mr Johnson, Mr Hunt, Mr Gove, Mr Stewart and Sajid Javid battling it out for the top job.\n\nThe first debate on Tuesday night is unlikely to have swayed many MPs’ minds, ending with no clear winner after a fractious debate taking in Brexit, Islamophobia and climate change.\n\nHowever, Mr Gove claimed he “won the debate” on BBC Newsnight, “because I had the most detailed answers and I have a clear plan to how we can deliver Brexit and make sure we get all the benefits of life outside the European Union”.\n\nAs the candidate who currently has the fewest number of backers, there are rumours Mr Javid could drop out, but supporter Stephen Crabb told the BBC his favoured candidate had performed well in the debates and was not about to quit.\n\n“Did Sajid Javid look like a man who’s about to throw in the towel or about to be knocked out of the contest?” Mr Crabb said.\n\n“He fought tonight, I thought he gave – in a difficult format – he gave a good display of what he can offer the country.”\n\nDuring the BBC debate, Mr Johnson’s rivals had rounded on him over his ambition to give people earning more than £50,000 a tax cut.\n\nJust hours after winning the second round of voting among Tory MPs – which saw Mr Raab eliminated – Mr Johnson faced his opponents in a TV studio for the first time, having ducked the previous televised debate.\n\nHe came under fire for his tax plans, and was also taken to task over his comments comparing veiled Muslim women to “letterboxes” and “bank robbers”.", "The revelation was made by LBC radio’s political commentator Theo Usherwood on Nigel Farage’s LBC show just minutes after Rory Stewart was dropped from the competition in a shock twist. Mr Usherwood said: “Team Boris wants to get rid of Michael Gove. And I think we could see that move tomorrow lunchtime.\n\n“This is where tactical voting is going to start in earnest. “So they already got rid of one that they wanted to get rid of which was Rory Stewart. “They now need to target Gove. “And given the numbers involved it doesn’t require that much of a shift given that we can expect some of the Rory Stewart voters to go to Sajid Javid and others will go to Jeremy Hunt.\n\n“We could easily expect it would take seven or eight Boris Johnson supporters to simply go and tick the box for Sajid Javid, with the uplift from a few of Rory Stewart’s supporters. “And he could supplant Michael Gove tomorrow lunchtime in third place. “And if that happens that will be a victory for Boris.\n\nRory Stewart's hopes of becoming the next prime minister were dashed after his support collapsed in the third round of voting by Tory MPs. The International Development Secretary secured just 27 votes - down 10 from Tuesday's second ballot - as Boris Johnson again took a commanding lead in the race to Number 10. Former foreign secretary Mr Johnson appears assured of being one of the two candidates who will face a vote by 160,000 Tory members to choose the next party leader and prime minister after extending his lead over nearest rival Jeremy Hunt. Mr Johnson received 143 votes, up from 126 on Tuesday, with Mr Hunt on 54, up from 46. Michael Gove was in third place, up 10 from 41 to 51 votes, while Sajid Javid picked up five extra votes to reach 38.", "Rory Stewart has topped a poll for the best performance in the BBC leadership debate.\n\nAlthough the International Development Secretary was judged to have given the most impressive performance by the general public, Tory voters put him in third place after Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt.\n\nBut one in three of all viewers (35%) believed Mr Stewart made the biggest splash in the debate, according to a YouGov poll, despite front-runner Mr Johnson making his first appearance.\n\nMr Johnson impressed 21% of all viewers, putting him in second place with all viewers, followed by Jeremy Hunt with 14%.\n\nMichael Gove mustered 9% support, Sajid Javid got 5% and the remaining 16% of the audience could not pick a candidate who outshone the others.\n\nChris Curtis, political research manager at YouGov, said the poll showed Mr Stewart was popular with the general public mainly because of his support among Remain voters.\n\nHe said: “Amongst the public as a whole, there are quite a lot of Remain voters and their preferred candidate is Rory Stewart – about 57% support him.\n\n“But while Remain voters make up a large chunk of the general population, they are a small chunk of Tory voters and an even smaller chunk of Tory members.\n\n“So it looks like Rory Stewart has done a good job of appealing to people who don’t matter in this race, unfortunately.\n\n“People think he is charismatic and interesting but if you charismatically and interestingly say things your electorate disagrees with it will not get you very far.”\n\nJust over one in three (34%) viewers who were Conservative voters gave Mr Johnson the top spot, one in five (20%) preferred Mr Hunt and 18% backed Mr Stewart.\n\nMr Curtis said higher support for Mr Johnson among Conservative voters again reflected the audience’s view on Brexit.\n\n“The main thing that is driving the difference between support for candidates among the general public and among Tory voters is the issue of Brexit,” he said.\n\n“Boris is the candidate who among Leave voters and the Conservative Party membership is seen as most in line with their position on Brexit.\n\n“Whether that is leaving with no deal if we have to, or making sure the UK leaves the EU on October 31, Boris is seen as the most likely to be able to do that.”\n\nSimilar to the overall picture, some 12% of Tory voters thought Mr Gove performed best and Mr Javid again brought up the rear on 5%.\n\nThe next Conservative leader will be chosen by the 130,000 members of the Conservative Party, and not by the general public.", "Boris Johnson's procession towards Downing Street gathered pace today as Matt Hancock backed him - amid claims he has already started promising Cabinet jobs.\n\nThe Health Secretary dropped out on Friday after a disappointing result in the first round ballot, but has now put himself in the running to be the next Chancellor by endorsing the favourite.\n\nThe support of a former Remainer and Cabinet heavyweight will further reinforce Mr Johnson’s status as PM-in-waiting.\n\nDespite snubbing the first Tory leadership TV debate last night, he is increasingly looking unstoppable - with rivals squabbling over who will come second.\n\nChancellor Philip Hammond will not survive the changeover to a Johnson regime, meaning the prized spot at No11 is up for grabs.\n\nTreasury chief secretary Liz Truss has been pushing hard for the job, having backed Mr Johnson from the start.\n\nHowever, allies of Mr Johnson said he had been ‘inspired’ by Mr Hancock’s campaign and it is understood the pair spoke several times over the weekend.\n\nMr Hancock said he ‘wholeheartedly endorsed’ Mr Johnson who he said can ‘bring the party and country together’ by ‘dominating the centre ground’.\n\nHe praised Mr Johnson’s ‘disciplined campaign’ and argued he is ‘almost certain’ to be the next PM.\n\n‘We need to unite behind him with a strong team that can bring the party together and then bring the country together,’ he told The Times.\n\n‘I have repeatedly argued for a strategy of defeating the danger of Farage by delivering Brexit and defeating the danger of Corbyn by dominating the centre ground thereafter. That is Boris’s plan and I wholeheartedly endorse it.’\n\nIt is a blow to Michael Gove who was vying for Mr Hancock’s endorsement.\n\n‘Boris is keen to have a big Remainer on his team, it shows he has the full breadth of the party behind him’, said one pro-Boris MP.\n\nMr Hancock quit the race after securing just 20 votes in the first round with an admission that the party was not looking for the ‘candidate of the future’ but ‘a candidate for the unique circumstances we face right now’.\n\nMr Johnson’s team insisted no offers of a job in a future cabinet had been discussed. Mr Hancock is seen as a potential chancellor or business secretary in a Johnson administration.\n\nIt came as Mr Johnson’s campaign was buoyed by a poll showing voters believe he is the only leadership candidate who can win the next election. The YouGov poll for the Sunday Times showed the Brexit Party was now ahead of both the Tories and Labour.\n\nIt put Nigel Farage’s party on 24 per cent, three points ahead of Labour and the Tories on 21 per cent with the Lib Dems close behind on 19 per cent. A total of 47 per cent think Mr Johnson can see off Jeremy Corbyn and Nigel Farage and only 22 per cent disagree.\n\nJust 15 per cent say his nearest rival, Jeremy Hunt, can win the Tories another term in power. It also suggested Mr Johnson was the only candidate who would persuade voters to turn to the Tories. Some 22 per cent said they were more likely to vote Tory if he was leader.\n\nNone of his rivals scored more than 8 per cent. But 59 per cent of voters said they wouldn’t buy a used car from Mr Johnson.\n\nThe endorsement comes despite Mr Hancock having turned his fire on Mr Johnson in the early stages of the contest over his attacks on business.\n\nMr Johnson reportedly said ‘f*** business’ in fury at the CBI and other business groups trying to spread scaremongering stories about No Deal.\n\nMr Hancock argued Mr Johnson had the ‘wrong attitude’ and told the BBC’s Today programme that it was vital for the Tories to ‘back business and not bash business’.\n\n‘We need to support businesses because they’re the ones who create the jobs.’\n\nYesterday Mr Johnson fuelled rumours of an early general election after footage emerged of him saying he would ‘get Brexit done and get ready for an election’.\n\nThe comments came at hustings with party members on Saturday, but Mr Johnson’s team furiously denied the claim. They said he had repeatedly ruled out an early election and argued he was referring to the election in 2022.\n\nMr Johnson also won the endorsement of former work and pensions secretary Esther McVey and former Scotland Yard boss Bernard Hogan-Howe – now a cross-bench peer – who described him as a ‘really great mayor’ of London.", "There were no fireworks, no memorable lines. Indeed, he was strangely anonymous for a man who has built his reputation on his charisma. At times he came across as defensive, as when he appeared to ditch his policy on tax cuts for the affluent. At other moments, over the expansion of Heathrow Airport and the incidence of Islamophobia in Britain, he waffled badly. He was on stronger ground over Brexit, particularly when he said that Britain \"must come out of the EU by October 31, otherwise we face a catastrophic loss of confidence in politics\". But even here, he did not spell out in any convincing detail a plan to overcome the twin obstacles of the Irish border and a House of Commons which refuses to contemplate a no-deal.\n\nBoris may have done himself little harm with this debate. His position as the overwhelming favourite is impregnable. Last night's event was little more than a prelude to a coronation, not a game-changer. Nevertheless, he cannot have won many converts with his pedestrian appearance. The other four candidates fulfilled their now familiar roles. Jeremy Hunt was calm and reassuring, giving his best answer on mental health policy. But, as always, he was slightly bland, unable to assert authority.\n\nMichael Gove was eager and eloquent, but like Boris, lacked a plausible plan on the delivery of Brexit. Sajid Javid has grown in stature during the contest as he loses some of his woodenness as a performer, though his determination to mention his background at every opportunity is becoming tiresome. Inevitably, the most interesting contributor was the insurgent Rory Stewart, who started as a no-hoper but has emerged as a genuine threat to the much bigger names through his unorthodox campaign. Overall, it was a poor debate that told us little, and provided hardly any scrutiny of either character or policy.", "A secret vote among Tory lawmakers on Tuesday saw former Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab drop out of the race for party leader and gaffe-prone Boris Johnson extend his lead over the remaining four rivals.\n\nJohnson, who served as London mayor and foreign secretary in Theresa May's government, won 126 out 313 votes on Tuesday. This was 12 more votes than in the first poll held last Thursday.\n\nThe Tory lawmakers were set to hold several more votes to trim the candidate list down to two names. Some 160,000 members of the UK Conservative party will then decide on the next party leader, who is virtually guaranteed to become next prime minister.\n\nJohnson has a strong public profile based on his career as a political columnist and his leading role in the 2016 campaign to leave the European Union. He also has deep ties inside the Tory party establishment as a son of a Conservative party politician and alumni of Eton and Oxford. Johnson attended the two elite schools together with former prime minister David Cameron.\n\nJohnson's flamboyant personality has helped him shrug off multiple scandals during his time in the public eye, including lying about an extramarital affair, flippant descriptions of Africans, gays, and Muslim women, and jokes about \"dead bodies\" in Libya.\n\nThe 54-year-old politician said he was ready to take the UK out of the EU by October 31 deadline, whether or not a deal was in place. He also threatened to withhold €44 billion ($50 billion) in divorce payments that the UK owes the EU.\n\nThe latest score puts Johnson far ahead his closest rival, Jeremy Hunt. Hunt, who succeeded Johnson as foreign secretary and picked up 46 of Tory lawmakers' votes on Tuesday. He is followed by Environment Minister Michael Gove with 41, Internal Development Minister Rory Stewart with 37, and Home Secretary Sajid Javid, who only managed to meet the 33-vote threshold allowing him to continue the race.\n\nRaab was eliminated after scoring only 30 votes.\n\nModerate Rory Stewart, who was dubbed as an outsider in the race, boosted his score by 18 votes compared to his last week's score. Stewart is the only candidate who is openly in favor of trying to save the divorce deal negotiated by the current prime minister Theresa May.\n\nOn Tuesday, he accused Johnson of peddling \"fairy tales\" about solving the Brexit issue.\n\nA new prime minister should be voted in by the end of July.\n\nEvery evening, DW sends out a selection of the day's news and features. Sign up here.", "Rory Stewart said he was “never confident” but “always hopeful” as he battled to remain in the contest to be the next prime minister.\n\nAs Tory MPs vote for the second time, candidates need to secure 33 votes to survive, and Mr Stewart said he believed he had that number “if everybody does what they say”.\n\nInternational Development Secretary Mr Stewart, who managed just 19 votes last week, and Home Secretary Sajid Javid, who got 23, were locked in a fight to reach the threshold.\n\nMr Javid said he was “quietly confident” of making it through, adding that he was “looking forward to the debate this evening” – the remaining candidates will appear on the BBC at 8pm.\n\nThe Home Secretary, the state educated son of a bus driver, urged colleagues to back him to prevent the contest looking like “a debate at the Oxford Union”.\n\nMr Javid, the only candidate left in the race not to have gone to Oxford University, said it would not be “healthy” for the party if all the candidates left in the contest had similar backgrounds.\n\nHe told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “If we end up in a situation where the final two, three, four even, are people from similar backgrounds with similar life experiences, it will look like a debate at the Oxford Union and I just don’t think that’s healthy for the Tory Party.”\n\nThe Home Secretary joked that his style was “less Homer’s Iliad and more Homer Simpson”.\n\nIn a sign that the contest is becoming more personal, a former aide to Mr Javid claimed Mr Stewart’s supporters were targeting the Home Secretary’s backers “urging them to vote for Rory so we can offer ‘something different’ in final two”.\n\nFurther votes on Wednesday and Thursday will see two candidates selected for the final ballot of Tory members, with frontrunner Boris Johnson almost certain to be one of them.\n\nOn Twitter, Mr Javid’s ex-special adviser Nick King added: “Saj’s dad was an immigrant. Saj went to his local comp and an FE College. Rory went to Eton and Balliol just like Boris.”\n\nMr Stewart, who has been forced to deny allegations that he had been a spy for MI6, suggested the claims about his background were the result of a rival “getting a bit rattled”.\n\nHis campaign has gathered momentum and won the backing of de facto deputy prime minister David Lidington, but he faces a difficult task to overhaul the vote tallies of rivals.\n\nMr Johnson, the clear winner in the first round of voting, will face his first televised showdown of the campaign when he appears at the BBC debate later.\n\nHe has secured even more pledges of support – including former leadership rival Andrea Leadsom – since winning 114 votes last week.\n\nForeign Secretary Jeremy Hunt and Environment Secretary Michael Gove were the only other candidates to secure more than 33 votes in the first round.\n\nFormer Brexit secretary Dominic Raab, who got 27 votes, said he too was now “quietly” confident of reaching 33.\n\nIn a new campaign video, Mr Raab said his love of karate and boxing had “been pretty good in terms of preparing me for other big moments”.\n\nHe highlighted the importance of education, saying “everyone should have the opportunity to go as far as their talents can take them”.\n\nMrs Leadsom gave her backing to Mr Johnson on Tuesday morning, telling LBC he was the “best placed to get us out of the EU at the end of October” and an “election winner”.\n\nMeanwhile, Mr Gove, who came third in the first ballot with 37 votes, used a Times article to say the final two candidates should “believe in Brexit” and be able to deliver it and unite the Tory party.\n\nIn an apparent reference to Mr Johnson and Mr Stewart, he said: “It would be a mistake to put forward two candidates to the final round who will polarise our party.”", "Rory Stewart has crashed out of the Tory leadership debate after saying \"dark arts\" were being used against his campaign.\n\nThe MP for Penrith and the Border accused rivals of “dark arts” and even offered backers city status as he waged a dramatic fight to stay in the race.\n\nThe surprise star was forced to tour the Commons tearoom in a last-minute bid to scoop up support.\n\nBut it wasn't enough and he lost ten MPs overnight securing just 27 supporters.\n\nSpeaking after the result Mr Stewart said: \"I am so moved and inspired by the support I have received over the last few weeks - it has given me a new faith in politics, a new belief in our country.\n\n\"I didn't get enough MPs to believe today - but they will. I remain deeply committed to you and to this country.\"\n\nHe also said he wouldn't endorse another candidate in the race - despite admitting being in talks with Michael Gove today.\n\nWith voting under way he told the Mirror he’d picked up just two of Dominic Raab ’s 30 supporters - including one in a text at 3am.\n\nMeanwhile he feared he would lose one of his own backers after his performance in Tuesday’s BBC debate.\n\nThat left the risk that Sajid Javid - who finished just four MPs behind Mr Stewart on Tuesday - would overtake him and knock him out.\n\nThat proved the case as Mr Javid raced ahead of the MP.\n\nWith every vote crucial, Mr Stewart even offered to give Southend in Essex city status if he became Prime Minister.\n\nHe said he “certainly hoped” he’s won over Southend West MP David Amess - and even offered to do the same for other MPs.\n\nHe said: “More towns, definitely definitely. Anyone who wants to vote for me... anyone can be a city.”\n\nIt wasn’t clear if he was joking.\n\nHe said: ”There's the dark arts. Gavin Williamson’s proxy votes, which we don’t know about. He has people who have 5 or 10 proxy votes. So some very interesting things could happen. We don’t know.\"\n\nMr Williamson declined to comment on the \"dark arts\" claims.\n\nMr Stewart's outsider race for Number 10 has certainly brought colour to the Tory leadership race otherwise dominated by Boris Johnson.\n\nThe No 10 hopeful presented himself as an outsider who could both deliver Brexit and transform the Conservatives.\n\nHe has captured the public imagination by taking to the streets to talk to ordinary Britons rather than just his fellow Tory MPs.\n\nAnd he has not shied away from comparisons with Jeremy Corbyn ’s campaigning style in his attempts to shake up his party.\n\nStewart has made honesty the central theme of his campaign and used bizarre analogies involving bins to attack his rivals on Brexit.\n\nA maverick at heart, while Tory rivals confessed to taking cocaine and marijuana, he admitted to smoking opium at an Iranian wedding.\n\nAnd while he insists he is Conservative to his core - during the Thatcher years he was a Labour member.\n\nBut in many ways, 46-year-old is as establishment as they come.\n\nBorn in Hong Kong, he grew up in the Far East and in a grand house in the Scottish Borders and was schooled at Eton, before doing his gap year in his father’s Black Watch regiment.\n\nHe studied politics, philosophy and economics at Balliol College in Oxford, and spent a summer tutoring Princes William and Harry, with whom he has kept in touch.\n\nStewart’s life however, took an adventurous twist when he became a diplomat himself, working in Indonesia and the Balkans after university, earning the nickname “Florence of Belgravia”.\n\nRumours have always swirled about whether he followed his father - who rose to number 2 in MI6 - into the intelligence services.\n\nAlthough he denied this week he had ever been a spy, he has done little to discourage speculation by admitting if he had been, the law would prevent him answering the question honestly.\n\nAfter leaving the Foreign Office in 2000 he went off grid and walked 6,000 miles across Asia before serving as a deputy governor in Iraq following the 2003 invasion and then teaming up with Prince Charles to set up a charity in Afghanistan.\n\nThere he met his American wife Shoshana Clark - at the time married to somebody else - and sold the rights to his life story to Brad Pitt, with Orlando Bloom lined up to play him.\n\nThe project reportedly stalled when he became a Tory MP.\n\nHis election for Penrith and The Border was not without controversy after he referred to his constituents as “primitives who hold up their trousers with string”.\n\nAs Prisons Minister, he promised to quit if he failed to reduce the level of drugs and violence in prison within a year - but was moved to International Development Secretary just before the time was up.\n\nStewart is described by his supporters as “a disruptor” - doing to Boris Johnson what he has done to others.\n\nBut that race is over."], "summary": "Boris Johnson leads the second Tory MP leadership ballot. Dominic Raab is eliminated after coming in last. Jeremy Hunt, Michael Gove, Sajid Javid, and Rory Stewart all advance to tomorrow's third round."}
{"document": ["Defenseless: Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan stepped down from consideration for the full post today, an announcement shortly followed by reports of a brutal family incident from several years ago. Fred Kaplan examines the newly haphazard circumstances at the Pentagon and in Iran, and explains why Shanahan’s replacement isn’t about to help set things straight anytime soon.\n\nBig Muddy: Record high water levels in the Mississippi have plagued New Orleans for months on end, testing the city’s intricate levee infrastructure and trying local river pilots. Henry Grabar took a trip to the Big Easy to paint the ominous scene—“a log floating downriver through New Orleans (and there are quite a few of them at the moment) is traveling at an easy jog, past banks of submerged willow trees bobbing in the current”—as hurricane season looms.\n\nIt’s time: On Wednesday, a House Judiciary subcommittee will hold a hearing on reparations for slavery, at which luminaries such as Ta-Nehisi Coates and Danny Glover are expected to testify. Four scholars on the subject had a meaningful conversation on what they would like to see happen at the hearing, why reparations are important and necessary, and what sort of changes need to take place in American society for this long-overdue justice to happen.\n\nDystopia realized: Hollywood sci-fi flicks have often served as prescient visions of technological terror. But sometimes, the very movies that warn us about the horrifying possibilities of modern tech can also inspire someone to bring that technology to life, all caution disregarded. This is what happened with the Will Smith film Enemy of the State—the surveillance equipment shown in the movie inspired a scientist to make something similar, which was then used in U.S. operations in the Middle East. Arthur Holland Michel tells a morbid tale of fiction becoming reality.\n\nFor fun: Is this the worst argument anyone has ever made against socialism?\n\nAll because the red menace forced Luntz to take the stairs,\n\nNitish", "Editor's note; The video above is from May 30, 2019, showing Shanahan commenting on reports about a request to hide the USS John McCain from President Trump during his visit to Japan.\n\nActing Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan has removed his name from consideration for the permanent position, President Donald Trump announced on Twitter Tuesday. Trump will have his third defense secretary in less than six months, and it comes as the U.S. faces increasing tensions with Iran.\n\n\"Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan, who has done a wonderful job, has decided not to go forward with his confirmation process so that he can devote more time to his family,\" Trump Tweeted.\n\nTrump said Secretary of the Army Mark Esper will be the new Acting Secretary of Defense.\n\nUSA TODAY reported Tuesday that the FBI has been looking into a domestic violence incident between Shanahan and his former wife from nine years ago. Each of them reportedly told police they had been punched by the other. Shanahan reportedly said he \"never laid a hand on\" her.\n\nIt's immediately unclear if this revelation played role in Shanahan's departure from Trump's cabinet. It's an episode which likely would have been brought up during his confirmation hearings.\n\n\"Our story is not dissimilar to those of the many families facing the difficult challenges that come when a loved one struggles with substance abuse and other emotional issues as is the case with my former-wife,\" he wrote.\n\nEsper will be the third defense secretary -- confirmed or acting -- in the first 2 1/2 years of the Trump Administration. James Mattis held the position until Dec. 31, 2018. Mattis initially announced he would leave\n\nSecretary of the Army Mark Esper speaks during a House Armed Services Committee budget hearing for the Departments of the Army and Air Force on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, April 2, 2019. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)\n\nThis is a story. Check back for updates.", "WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan is withdrawing his nomination to lead the Pentagon.\n\nThe abrupt announcement came in a tweet from the president, who said Shanahan had done \"a wonderful job\" but would step aside to \"devote more time to his family.\"\n\nThe president added that the Secretary of the Army, Mark Esper, will be the new acting secretary.\n\n\"I know Mark, and have no doubt he will do a fantastic job!\" Trump said in a second tweet on the subject.\n\nThe post atop the Pentagon has not been filled permanently since Gen. James Mattis retired in January following policy differences with Trump.\n\nTrump announced in May that he would nominate Shanahan but the formal nomination process in the Senate had been inexplicably delayed\n\nShanahan, a former Boeing executive, has been leading the Pentagon as acting secretary since Jan. 1, a highly unusual arrangement for arguably the most sensitive Cabinet position.\n\nIn his tenure at the department he's had to deal with a wide array of international hotspots, ranging from missile launches by North Korea to the sudden shift of military ships and aircraft to the Middle East to deal with potential threats from Iran.\n\nShanahan, 56, had extensive of experience in the defense industry but little in government. In more than four months as the acting secretary, he focused on implementing the national defense strategy that was developed during Mattis' tenure and emphasizes a shift from the resources and tactics required to fight small wars against extremist groups to what Shanahan calls \"great power\" competition with China and Russia.", "Editor's note; The video above is from May 30, 2019, showing Shanahan commenting on reports about a request to hide the USS John McCain from President Trump during his visit to Japan.\n\nActing Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan is resigning and pulling his name from consideration for the permanent job, President Donald Trump announced on Twitter Tuesday. Trump will have his third defense secretary in less than six months and it comes as the U.S. faces increasing tensions with Iran.\n\n\"Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan, who has done a wonderful job, has decided not to go forward with his confirmation process so that he can devote more time to his family,\" Trump Tweeted.\n\nTrump said Secretary of the Army Mark Esper will be the new Acting Secretary of Defense.\n\nTrump announced in May that he would nominate Shanahan but the formal nomination process in the Senate had been inexplicably delayed.\n\nUSA TODAY reported Tuesday that the FBI has been looking into a domestic violence incident between Shanahan and his former wife from nine years ago. Each of them reportedly told police they had been punched by the other. Shanahan reportedly said he \"never laid a hand on\" her.\n\n\"Our story is not dissimilar to those of the many families facing the difficult challenges that come when a loved one struggles with substance abuse and other emotional issues as is the case with my former-wife,\" Shanahan reportedly wrote in a statement Monday night.\n\nShanahan addressed the issue again Tuesday in announcing his resignation, indicating it likely would have been brought up during his confirmation.\n\n\"After having been confirmed for Deputy Secretary less than two years ago, it is unfortunate that a painful and deeply personal family situation from long ago is being dredged up and painted in an incomplete and therefore misleading way in the course of this process. I believe my continuing in the confirmation process would force my three children to relive a traumatic chapter in our family's life and reopen wounds we have worked years to heal. Ultimately, their safety and well-being is my highest priority,\" Shanahan wrote.\n\nShanahan, a former Boeing executive, has been leading the Pentagon as acting secretary since Jan. 1, a highly unusual arrangement for arguably the most sensitive Cabinet position.\n\nIn his tenure at the department he's had to deal with a wide array of international hotspots, ranging from missile launches by North Korea to the sudden shift of military ships and aircraft to the Middle East to deal with potential threats from Iran.\n\nShanahan, 56, had extensive of experience in the defense industry but little in government. In more than four months as the acting secretary, he focused on implementing the national defense strategy that was developed during Mattis' tenure and emphasizes a shift from the resources and tactics required to fight small wars against extremist groups to what Shanahan calls \"great power\" competition with China and Russia.\n\nEsper will be the third defense secretary -- confirmed or acting -- in the first 2 1/2 years of the Trump Administration. James Mattis held the position until Dec. 31, 2018. Mattis initially announced he would leave\n\nSecretary of the Army Mark Esper speaks during a House Armed Services Committee budget hearing for the Departments of the Army and Air Force on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, April 2, 2019. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)", "FILE – In this Feb. 14, 2019 file photo, acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan speaks about the situation in the Persian Gulf region during a meeting with Portuguese Minister of National Defense Joao Cravinho, at the Pentagon. President Donald Trump announced on June 18 that Shanahan will not move forward with the confirmation process to be Defense Secretary. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)\n\nWASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan is withdrawing his nomination to lead the Pentagon.\n\nThe abrupt announcement came in a tweet from the president, who said Shanahan had done “a wonderful job” but would step aside to “devote more time to his family.”\n\nThe president added that the Secretary of the Army, Mark Esper, will be the new acting secretary.\n\n“I know Mark, and have no doubt he will do a fantastic job!” Trump said in a second tweet on the subject.\n\nThe post atop the Pentagon has not been filled permanently since Gen. James Mattis retired in January following policy differences with Trump.\n\nTrump announced in May that he would nominate Shanahan but the formal nomination process in the Senate had been inexplicably delayed\n\nShanahan, a former Boeing executive, has been leading the Pentagon as acting secretary since Jan. 1, a highly unusual arrangement for arguably the most sensitive Cabinet position.\n\nIn his tenure at the department he’s had to deal with a wide array of international hotspots, ranging from missile launches by North Korea to the sudden shift of military ships and aircraft to the Middle East to deal with potential threats from Iran.\n\nShanahan, 56, had extensive of experience in the defense industry but little in government. In more than four months as the acting secretary, he focused on implementing the national defense strategy that was developed during Mattis’ tenure and emphasizes a shift from the resources and tactics required to fight small wars against extremist groups to what Shanahan calls “great power” competition with China and Russia.", "President Donald Trump announced he is pulling the nomination of Acting Pentagon chief Patrick Shanahan – following revelations about years-old domestic violence claims involving Shanahan and his former wife.\n\n'Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan, who has done a wonderful job, has decided not to go forward with his confirmation process so that he can devote more time to his family,' Trump wrote on Twitter Tuesday.\n\n'I thank Pat for his outstanding service and will be naming Secretary of the Army, Mark Esper, to be the new Acting Secretary of Defense. I know Mark, and have no doubt he will do a fantastic job!' the president wrote.\n\nTrump's tweet followed revelations that federal authorities are investigating a nine-year old domestic violence claim against Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan, whose formal nomination to the post has been delayed for more than a month.\n\nThe accusation stems from an incident where Shanahan's wife was charged following a drunken brawl that ended up on the sidewalk outside their family home – although the charges were later dropped.\n\nTrump's move leaves the Pentagon with yet another 'acting' head, as the nation continues to wage wars abroad amid new tensions with Iran.\n\nShanahan, a former Boeing executive who has been serving in his position on an acting basis without Senate confirmation, got in a heated dispute with his former wife that turned violent, according to a police report and a prolonged divorce battle in court.\n\nThe alleged domestic violence took place in August, 2010, and ended up outside the then-couple's Seattle home after police were called.\n\nAccording to a police report on the incident, Patrick Shanahan was seated on a sidewalk outside the couple's home and had a black eye and a bloody nose after the incident.\n\nKimberley 'appeared to be intoxicated,' according to the officer. When he asked her for a description of what hapenned that night, she repeatedly kept 'referring to the past,' according to the officer.\n\nKimberley Shanahan said Patrick Shanahan struck her 'several times' in the stomach, but the officer didn't notice any visible marks. She was arrested and charged with domestic violence, after the officer determined she was the 'primary aggressor,' in part because she had blood stains on her forearm.\n\nShanahan said he 'never laid a hand on' his former wife, USA Today reported.\n\nThe acting Pentagon chief told the paper the incident 'is not dissimilar to those of the many families facing the difficult challenges that come when a loved one struggles with substance abuse and other emotional issues. I wish nothing but the best for her and regret that my children's privacy has been violated and they are being forced to relive a tragic situation that we have worked so hard as a family to put behind us.'\n\nSaid Shanahan: 'Though my marriage ended in sorrow and disappointment, I never laid a hand on my then-wife and cooperated fully in a thorough law enforcement investigation that resulted in her being charged with assault against me—charges which I had dropped in the interest of my family.\n\nThe incident played out through the couple's lengthy divorce proceedings. Each acknowledged they had been drinking. Kimberley now goes by Kimberley Jordinson.\n\nThe delay in confirmation comes amid rising tensions in the Middle East, with the U.S. dispatching an additional 1,000 troops to the region amid attacks on oil tankers that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo attributes to Iran, which is ramping up its uranium enrichment.\n\nShanahan's replacement, Esper, spent years as an executive at major defense contractor Raytheon. He also attended West Point, got a doctorate in public policy, and served as a high level Senate aide. He served as an infantry officer and was awarded the bronze star.\n\nAmid the delay in Shanahan's formal nomination, Senators were being told of delays in the background check, Yahoo News reported earlier Tuesday.\n\nTrump elevated him after former Defense Secretary James Mattis resigned with a letter that provided a stunning rebuke.\n\n'My views on treating allies with respect and also being clear-eyed about both malign actors and strategic competitors are strongly held,' Mattis wrote the president.\n\n'Because you have the right to have a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects, I believe it is right for me to step down from my position,' he added.\n\nHe is just the latest official to depart the White House known for tumultuous turnover and vetting problems.\n\nLast week, Trump announced that White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders was leaving.\n\nThe history of an alleged domestic violence incident, despite the complicated circumstances and the initial conclusion that he was his wife was primarily responsible, may have been untenable due to an earlier White House departure.\n\nFormer Staff Secretary Rob Porter, a key aide to Trump who controlled what paper made it to the president's desk, left his position after it was revealed that two ex-wives had accused him of domestic violence.\n\nPorter denied the charges, which emerged during an FBI check into his background, but ended up leaving his position.\n\nWatchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, blasted Trump's new acting Pentagon head.\n\n'In Patrick Shanahan, President Trump had an acting Secretary of Defense whose decisions were overshadowed by his previous senior position at Boeing. His successor will likewise risk being tainted by his previous work for a major defense contractor,' the group wrote in a statement.\n\n'Esper joined the government following years as a top lobbyist for Raytheon. Already this week, Raytheon has won multiple government contracts worth hundreds of millions of dollars. While Esper may not have had sway over these types of deals as Secretary of the Army, as acting Secretary of Defense he will have potential influence over such deals, as well as over the controversial proposed merger of Raytheon and UTC to become the second largest defense company in the US. His ethics agreement—and his ability to follow it—will be something we will be watching closely,' it said.\n\nThe company proposed the merger with UTC last month. Trump told CNBC he was a 'little concerned' the defense giant could harm competition.\n\nThe police reports and hundreds of pages of divorce proceedings had the potential to turn Shanahan's required confirmation hearings into a spectacle.\n\nSupreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh's own televised hearing featured accusations of underage drinking and accusations of sexual misconduct and misconduct that Kavanaugh forcefully denied.\n\nThere were other issues yet to be fully aired. In addition to the incident with his wife that resulted in Shanahan saying he saw stars and suffered a black eye, his son was arrested for allegedly hitting his mother with a baseball bat, the Washington Post reported.\n\nShanahan told the paper: 'Bad things can happen to good families ... and this is a tragedy, really.' He said bringing up the incident 'will ruin my son's life.'\n\nIn a bizarre incident he now regrets, Shanahan wrote a letter defending his son, William Shanahan, in a vicious beating incident involving Shanahan's ex wife.\n\nThe November 2011 attack knocked Kimberley unconscious and lying in a pool of blood, according to the Post, which cited court and police records and resulted in a fractured skull.\n\nShanahan now says he regrets writing the memo he sent to the brother of his ex wife.\n\n'Use of a baseball bat in self-defense will likely be viewed as an imbalance of force,' Shanahan wrote hours after the incident. 'However, Will's mother harassed him for nearly three hours before the incident.'\n\nShanahan explained this week: 'That document literally was, I sat down with [my son] right away, and being an engineer at an aerospace company, you write down what are all of the mitigating reasons something could have happened. You know, just what's the list of things that could have happened?'", "Editor's note; The video above is from May 30, 2019, showing Shanahan commenting on reports about a request to hide the USS John McCain from President Trump during his visit to Japan.\n\nActing Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan is resigning and pulling his name from consideration for the permanent job, President Donald Trump announced on Twitter Tuesday. Trump will have his third defense secretary in less than six months and it comes as the U.S. faces increasing tensions with Iran.\n\n\"Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan, who has done a wonderful job, has decided not to go forward with his confirmation process so that he can devote more time to his family,\" Trump Tweeted.\n\nTrump said Secretary of the Army Mark Esper will be the new Acting Secretary of Defense.\n\nTrump announced in May that he would nominate Shanahan but the formal nomination process in the Senate had been inexplicably delayed.\n\nUSA TODAY reported Tuesday that the FBI has been looking into a domestic violence incident between Shanahan and his former wife from nine years ago. Each of them reportedly told police they had been punched by the other. Shanahan reportedly said he \"never laid a hand on\" her.\n\n\"Our story is not dissimilar to those of the many families facing the difficult challenges that come when a loved one struggles with substance abuse and other emotional issues as is the case with my former-wife,\" Shanahan reportedly wrote in a statement Monday night.\n\nShanahan addressed the issue again Tuesday in announcing his resignation, indicating it likely would have been brought up during his confirmation.\n\n\"After having been confirmed for Deputy Secretary less than two years ago, it is unfortunate that a painful and deeply personal family situation from long ago is being dredged up and painted in an incomplete and therefore misleading way in the course of this process. I believe my continuing in the confirmation process would force my three children to relive a traumatic chapter in our family's life and reopen wounds we have worked years to heal. Ultimately, their safety and well-being is my highest priority,\" Shanahan wrote.\n\nShanahan, a former Boeing executive, has been leading the Pentagon as acting secretary since Jan. 1, a highly unusual arrangement for arguably the most sensitive Cabinet position.\n\nIn his tenure at the department he's had to deal with a wide array of international hotspots, ranging from missile launches by North Korea to the sudden shift of military ships and aircraft to the Middle East to deal with potential threats from Iran.\n\nShanahan, 56, had extensive of experience in the defense industry but little in government. In more than four months as the acting secretary, he focused on implementing the national defense strategy that was developed during Mattis' tenure and emphasizes a shift from the resources and tactics required to fight small wars against extremist groups to what Shanahan calls \"great power\" competition with China and Russia.\n\nEsper will be the third defense secretary -- confirmed or acting -- in the first 2 1/2 years of the Trump Administration. James Mattis held the position until Dec. 31, 2018. Mattis initially announced he would leave\n\nSecretary of the Army Mark Esper speaks during a House Armed Services Committee budget hearing for the Departments of the Army and Air Force on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, April 2, 2019. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)", "President Donald Trump has announced that acting Secretary of Defence Patrick Shanahan is withdrawing his nomination to lead the Pentagon.\n\nThe abrupt announcement came in a tweet from the president, who said Mr Shanahan had done “a wonderful job” but would step aside to “devote more time to his family”.\n\nThe president added that the Secretary of the Army, Mark Esper, will be the new acting secretary.\n\n“I know Mark, and have no doubt he will do a fantastic job!” President Trump said in a second tweet on the subject.\n\nThe post at the Pentagon has not been filled permanently since Gen James Mattis retired in January following policy differences with President Trump.\n\nPresident Trump announced in May that he would nominate Mr Shanahan, but the formal nomination process in the Senate had been inexplicably delayed.\n\nMr Shanahan, a former Boeing executive, has been leading the Pentagon as acting secretary since January 1, a highly unusual arrangement for arguably the most sensitive Cabinet position.\n\nIn his tenure at the department, he has had to deal with a wide array of international hotspots, ranging from missile launches by North Korea to the sudden shift of military ships and aircraft to the Middle East to deal with potential threats from Iran.\n\nMr Shanahan, 56, had extensive of experience in the defence industry but little in government.\n\nIn more than four months as the acting secretary, he focused on implementing the national defence strategy that was developed during Mr Mattis’ tenure and emphasises a shift from the resources and tactics required to fight small wars against extremist groups to what Mr Shanahan calls “great power” competition with China and Russia.", "President Donald Trump announced he is pulling the nomination of Acting Pentagon chief Patrick Shanahan – following revelations about years-old domestic violence claims involving Shanahan and his former wife.\n\n'Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan, who has done a wonderful job, has decided not to go forward with his confirmation process so that he can devote more time to his family,' Trump wrote on Twitter Tuesday.\n\n'I thank Pat for his outstanding service and will be naming Secretary of the Army, Mark Esper, to be the new Acting Secretary of Defense. I know Mark, and have no doubt he will do a fantastic job!' the president wrote.\n\nTrump's tweet followed revelations that federal authorities are investigating a nine-year old domestic violence claim against Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan, whose formal nomination to the post has been delayed for more than a month.\n\nThe accusation stems from an incident where Shanahan's wife was charged following a drunken brawl that ended up on the sidewalk outside their family home – although the charges were later dropped.\n\nTrump's move leaves the Pentagon with yet another 'acting' head, as the nation continues to wage wars abroad amid new tensions with Iran.\n\nShanahan, a former Boeing executive who has been serving in his position on an acting basis without Senate confirmation, got in a heated dispute with his former wife that turned violent, according to a police report and a prolonged divorce battle in court.\n\nThe alleged domestic violence took place in August, 2010, and ended up outside the then-couple's Seattle home after police were called.\n\nAccording to a police report on the incident, Patrick Shanahan was seated on a sidewalk outside the couple's home and had a black eye and a bloody nose after the incident.\n\nKimberley 'appeared to be intoxicated,' according to the officer. When he asked her for a description of what hapenned that night, she repeatedly kept 'referring to the past,' according to the officer.\n\nKimberley Shanahan said Patrick Shanahan struck her 'several times' in the stomach, but the officer didn't notice any visible marks. She was arrested and charged with domestic violence, after the officer determined she was the 'primary aggressor,' in part because she had blood stains on her forearm.\n\nShanahan said he 'never laid a hand on' his former wife, USA Today reported.\n\nThe acting Pentagon chief told the paper the incident 'is not dissimilar to those of the many families facing the difficult challenges that come when a loved one struggles with substance abuse and other emotional issues. I wish nothing but the best for her and regret that my children's privacy has been violated and they are being forced to relive a tragic situation that we have worked so hard as a family to put behind us.'\n\nSaid Shanahan: 'Though my marriage ended in sorrow and disappointment, I never laid a hand on my then-wife and cooperated fully in a thorough law enforcement investigation that resulted in her being charged with assault against me—charges which I had dropped in the interest of my family.\n\nThe incident played out through the couple's lengthy divorce proceedings. Each acknowledged they had been drinking. Kimberley now goes by Kimberley Jordinson.\n\nThe delay in confirmation comes amid rising tensions in the Middle East, with the U.S. dispatching an additional 1,000 troops to the region amid attacks on oil tankers that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo attributes to Iran, which is ramping up its uranium enrichment.\n\nShanahan's replacement, Esper, spent years as an executive at major defense contractor Raytheon. He also attended West Point, got a doctorate in public policy, and served as a high level Senate aide. He served as an infantry officer and was awarded the bronze star.\n\nAmid the delay in Shanahan's formal nomination, Senators were being told of delays in the background check, Yahoo News reported earlier Tuesday.\n\nTrump elevated him after former Defense Secretary James Mattis resigned with a letter that provided a stunning rebuke.\n\n'My views on treating allies with respect and also being clear-eyed about both malign actors and strategic competitors are strongly held,' Mattis wrote the president.\n\n'Because you have the right to have a Secretary of Defense whose views are better aligned with yours on these and other subjects, I believe it is right for me to step down from my position,' he added.\n\nHe is just the latest official to depart the White House known for tumultuous turnover and vetting problems.\n\nLast week, Trump announced that White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders was leaving.\n\nThe history of an alleged domestic violence incident, despite the complicated circumstances and the initial conclusion that he was his wife was primarily responsible, may have been untenable due to an earlier White House departure.\n\nFormer Staff Secretary Rob Porter, a key aide to Trump who controlled what paper made it to the president's desk, left his position after it was revealed that two ex-wives had accused him of domestic violence.\n\nPorter denied the charges, which emerged during an FBI check into his background, but ended up leaving his position.\n\nWatchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, blasted Trump's new acting Pentagon head.\n\n'In Patrick Shanahan, President Trump had an acting Secretary of Defense whose decisions were overshadowed by his previous senior position at Boeing. His successor will likewise risk being tainted by his previous work for a major defense contractor,' the group wrote in a statement.\n\n'Esper joined the government following years as a top lobbyist for Raytheon. Already this week, Raytheon has won multiple government contracts worth hundreds of millions of dollars. While Esper may not have had sway over these types of deals as Secretary of the Army, as acting Secretary of Defense he will have potential influence over such deals, as well as over the controversial proposed merger of Raytheon and UTC to become the second largest defense company in the US. His ethics agreement—and his ability to follow it—will be something we will be watching closely,' it said.\n\nThe company proposed the merger with UTC last month. Trump told CNBC he was a 'little concerned' the defense giant could harm competition.\n\nThe police reports and hundreds of pages of divorce proceedings had the potential to turn Shanahan's required confirmation hearings into a spectacle.\n\nSupreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh's own televised hearing featured accusations of underage drinking and accusations of sexual misconduct and misconduct that Kavanaugh forcefully denied.\n\nThere were other issues yet to be fully aired. In addition to the incident with his wife that resulted in Shanahan saying he saw stars and suffered a black eye, his son was arrested for allegedly hitting his mother with a baseball bat, the Washington Post reported.\n\nShanahan told the paper: 'Bad things can happen to good families ... and this is a tragedy, really.' He said bringing up the incident 'will ruin my son's life.'", "WASHINGTON — The Latest on Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan’s decision to step down (all times local):\n\nActing Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan is citing a “painful” family situation as he steps down from the position before his formal nomination has even been sent to the Senate.\n\nPresident Donald Trump announced Shanahan’s departure in a tweet, and said Army Secretary Mark Esper would be the new acting Pentagon chief.\n\nShanahan says he believes “continuing in the confirmation process would force my three children to relive a traumatic chapter in our family’s life.” He is not providing specifics, but court records show a volatile family history around the time of his 2011 divorce.\n\nHis withdrawal from one of the most critical roles in the government comes at a time of escalating tensions in the Middle East.\n\nTop Senate Democrats say Patrick Shanahan’s sudden withdrawal Tuesday from consideration as defense secretary shows the shortcomings of White House vetting for key Trump administration jobs.\n\nSenate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer says “this Shanahan fiasco shows what a shambles, what a mess” the administration’s national security policy is.\n\nSenators say they were largely unaware of allegations around Shanahan’s family situation when he was confirmed as deputy defense secretary in 2017.\n\nRepublican Lindsey Graham says he had heard “rumors” of potential problems.\n\nDemocrat Richard Blumenthal is raising the possibility of “deliberate concealment” of Shanahan’s past. He is calling for an investigation by the Defense Department’s inspector general.\n\nArmed Services Committee Chairman James Inhofe of Oklahoma is defending the vetting process. He says Trump called him shortly before publicly announcing Shanahan’s withdrawal.\n\nActing Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan says he stepped down before his formal nomination ever went to the Senate over a “painful” family situation that would hurt his children and reopen “wounds we have worked years to heal.”\n\nPresident Donald Trump announced Shanahan’s departure in a tweet, and said that Army Secretary Mark Esper would be the new acting Pentagon chief.\n\n“It is unfortunate that a painful and deeply personal family situation from long ago is being dredged up and painted in an incomplete and therefore misleading way in the course of this process,” Shanahan said in a statement. “I believe my continuing in the confirmation process would force my three children to relive a traumatic chapter in our family’s life and reopen wounds we have worked years to heal. Ultimately, their safety and well-being is my highest priority.”\n\nHe provided no other details.\n\nPresident Donald Trump says Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan is withdrawing his nomination.\n\nTrump tweeted Tuesday that Shanahan had done “a wonderful job” but would step aside to “devote more time to his family.”\n\nThe president added that the Secretary of the Army, Mark Esper, will be the new acting secretary.\n\nThe post atop the Pentagon has not been filled permanently since Gen. James Mattis retired in January.\n\nCopyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed."], "summary": "Patrick Shanahan, who has been acting Secretary of Defense since January 1, has withdrawn his name from consideration as Secretary \"... to devote more time to his family\", President Trump said. Secretary of the Army Mark Esper will be the acting Secretary of Defense. There are allegations of domestic violence against Mr. Shanahan."}
{"document": ["U m trecho do chat privado entre Sergio Moro e o procurador Deltan Dallagnol revela que o ex-juiz discordou de investigações sobre o ex-presidente Fernando Henrique Cardoso na Lava Jato porque, nas palavras dele, não queria “melindrar alguém cujo apoio é importante”. O diálogo ocorreu em 13 de abril de 2017, um dia depois do Jornal Nacional ter veiculado uma reportagem a respeito de suspeitas contra o tucano. Naquele dia, Moro chamou Deltan Dallagnol em um chat privado no Telegram para falar sobre o assunto. O juiz dos processos da Lava Jato em Curitiba queria saber se as suspeitas contra o ex-presidente eram “sérias”. O procurador respondeu acreditar que a força-tarefa – por meio de seu braço em Brasília – propositalmente não considerou a prescrição do caso de FHC e o enviou ao Ministério Público Federal de São Paulo, segundo ele, “talvez para [o MPF] passar recado de imparcialidade”.\n\nÀ época, a Lava Jato vinha sofrendo uma série de ataques, sobretudo de petistas e outros grupos de esquerda, que a acusavam de ser seletiva e de poupar políticos do PSDB. As discussões haviam sido inflamadas meses antes, quando o então juiz Moro aparecera sorrindo em um evento público ao lado de Aécio Neves e Michel Temer, apesar das acusações pendentes de corrupção contra ambos.\n\nSérgio Moro, Aécio Neves, Geraldo Alckmin e Michel Temer na cerimônia de premiação “Brasileiros do Ano”, da Revista ISTOÉ, em 2016. Foto: Diego Padgurschi/Folhapress\n\n\n\nMoro – 09:07:39 – Tem alguma coisa mesmo seria do FHC? O que vi na TV pareceu muito fraco? Moro – 09:08:18 – Caixa 2 de 96? Dallagnol – 10:50:42 – Em pp sim, o que tem é mto fraco Moro – 11:35:19 – Não estaria mais do que prescrito? Dallagnol – 13:26:42 – Foi enviado pra SP sem se analisar prescrição Dallagnol – 13:27:27 – Suponho que de propósito. Talvez para passar recado de imparcialidade Moro – 13:52:51 – Ah, não sei. Acho questionável pois melindra alguém cujo apoio é importante\n\n\n\nFHC foi citado na Lava Jato pelo menos nove vezes (1, 2, 3, 4 e 5, 6, 7, 8 e 9). Caso fossem investigados e comprovados, nem todos os possíveis crimes cometidos pelo ex-presidente estariam prescritos. Naquele dia, antes de responder a Moro, Dallagnol encaminhou a dúvida do juiz para um chat em grupo chamado Conexão Bsb-CWB, no qual estavam procuradores das duas cidades. Foi de Brasília, onde o caso tramitava, que ele recebeu a resposta de que a documentação foi encaminhada a São Paulo sem a análise sobre a prescrição.\n\n\n\nDallagnol – 11:42:54 – Caros o fato do FHC é só caixa 2 de 96? Não tá prescrito? Teve inquérito? Sérgio Bruno Cabral Fernandes – 11:51:25 – Mandado pra SP Sérgio Bruno Cabral Fernandes –11:51:44 – Não analisamos prescrição Dallagnol – 13:26:11 –\n\n\n\nA acusação que Dallagnol classificou como “recado de imparcialidade” já era de conhecimento interno do Ministério Público desde o final de 2016, graças à delação de Emílio Odebrecht, que afirmou que deu “ajuda de campanha” a FHC para as eleições vitoriosas de 1994 e 1998. “Ajuda de campanha eu sempre dei a todos eles. E a ele também dei. E com certeza teve a ajuda de caixa oficial e não oficial”, afirmou o empresário, falando sobre caixa dois. “[E]u dava e dizia que era para atender mesmo. Então vai fulano de tal lhe procurar, como eu dizia também para Marcelo, e eles então operacionalizavam. Ele me pediu. Todos eles.” O valor dos pagamentos não foi divulgado. O depoimento permaneceu em segredo de justiça até abril de 2017, quando foi enviado para ser investigado pela Procuradoria da República de São Paulo e virou notícia. Mas já nasceu morto: os fatos estavam prescritos, e a investigação não poderia terminar em uma denúncia formal. Foi arquivada pela Justiça três meses depois. Essas revelações sugerem mais uma vez a parcialidade na Lava Jato, que tanto Moro quanto a força-tarefa negam veementemente. Na nota oficial divulgada pela força-tarefa em resposta à primeira série de reportagens do Intercept no último domingo, por exemplo, eles insistiram que seu trabalho sempre foi movido pela “imparcialidade da atuação da Justiça”. Em entrevista ao Estadão na semana passada, o ministro Moro disse que não via “[n]enhum viés político nas mensagens que me foram atribuídas.” Mas, aqui, Moro estava explicitamente preocupado com investigações da Lava Jato contra um apoiador político de seu trabalho. E Dallagnol admitiu acreditar que outros procuradores da força-tarefa passaram adiante uma investigação que sabidamente não resultaria em processo, a fim de fabricar uma falsa percepção pública de “imparcialidade”, sem, no entanto, colocar FHC em risco. As conversas agora reveladas fazem parte de um lote de arquivos secretos enviados ao Intercept por uma fonte anônima (leia nosso editorial e entenda). Os arquivos publicados até agora mostram, entre outras coisas, que a Lava Jato sempre teve muita preocupação com sua imagem pública e seguia conselhos informais do então juiz Moro, o que é ilegal.\n\n‘Porra bomba isso’\n\nEm 2016, FHC ainda apareceria em outras três delações. Em uma delas, ele apareceu na boca do operador ligado ao MDB Fernando Baiano, por causa do suposto beneficiamento da empresa de um filho do ex-presidente, Paulo Henrique Cardoso, em contratos com a petroleira. Foto: Antonio Scorza/AFP/Getty Images\n\nPara os procuradores, era importante incluir o PSDB no rol de investigados para acalmar o ânimo dos críticos. Eles já falavam sobre isso muito antes de Moro alertar Dallagnol sobre evitar “melindrar” FHC. Em uma conversa no dia 17 de novembro de 2015, o procurador Roberson Pozzobon mandou uma sugestão em um grupo do Telegram chamado FT MPF Curitiba 2: investigar, num mesmo procedimento, pagamentos da Odebrecht aos institutos de Lula e FHC. “Assim ninguém poderia indevidamente criticar nossa atuação como se tivesse vies partidário”, justificou Pozzobon. “A da LILS vocês já sabem os indícios para a investigação, mas vejam essa fratura expostas da Fundação iFHC”, disse ao grupo. Nesse caso – diferentemente daquele que virou notícia na imprensa sobre caixa dois nos anos 1990 –, os pagamentos ao iFHC aos quais Pozzobon se referia não estariam prescritos, caso fossem propina. Depois de comentar sobre o instituto de FHC, Pozzobon postou duas imagens no grupo. A primeira é uma troca de e-mails de 2014 entre a secretária de FHC e dois interlocutores: um representante da Associação Petroquímica e Química da Argentina, a Apla, identificado como Manuel Diaz, e um empresário do ramo cultural, Pedro Longhi. A secretária fala para verificarem com a Braskem – empresa do ramo petroquímico controlada pela Odebrecht – qual a “melhor maneira para [a empresa] fazer a doação [para o iFHC]”.\n\nA secretária dá duas opções para o que ela chama de “doação”. Uma delas seria fazer uma doação direta, ou seja, depositar dinheiro na conta bancária do instituto. A outra seria a contratação de um serviço não especificado. “Não podemos citar que a prestação de serviço será uma palestra do presidente”, afirmou. Manuel respondeu que poderia fazer doação direta. Poucos dias depois, Helena Gasparian, então assessora de FHC, enviou outro e-mail à Braskem dizendo que o ex-presidente não iria comparecer ao evento.\n\nA segunda imagem encaminhada por Pozzobon era de um laudo da Polícia Federal daquele mesmo ano, que mostrava que a Odebrecht havia feito pagamentos mensais que somaram R$ 975 mil ao iFHC entre dezembro de 2011 e de 2012.\n\nOs policiais federais que fizeram o relatório explicaram que não foram atrás desses pagamentos ao iFHC porque os dados da Braskem não foram colocados à disposição deles. Mas ressaltaram: “É possível que outros pagamentos tenham sido feitos e não tenham sido encontrados” por causa das limitações dos dados ou caso tenham sido feitos por “meio de triangulação entre Grupo Odebrecht, o contratante do serviço (exemplo do evento APLA) e o Instituto Fernando Henrique Cardoso”. Após enviar as imagens, Pozzobon sugeriu ao grupo aprofundar a investigação sobre as doações. Ao contrário da investigação referente aos recursos recebidos nos anos 90, esses fatos, se investigados, não estariam prescritos e poderiam apontar caixa dois em campanhas do PSDB. Os procuradores reagiram com empolgação:\n\n\n\nPaulo Galvão – 20:35:08 – porra bomba isso Roberson – 20:35:20 – MPF Pois é!!! Roberson – 20:35:39 – O que acha da ideia do PIC? Roberson – 20:35:47 – Vai ser massa! Paulo Galvão – 20:35:51 – Acho excelente sim Robinho Roberson – 20:36:47 – Legal! Se os demais tb estiverem de acordo, faço a portaria amanha cedo Roberson – 20:38:08 – Acho que vale até uma BA na Secretaria da iFHC que mandou o email. Ela é secretária da Presidencia! Laura Tessler – 20:38:36 – Sensacional esse email!!!! Roberson – 20:38:48 – Mais, talvez pudessemos cumprir BA nos três concomitantemente: LILS, Instituto Lula e iFHC\n\n\n\nA euforia durou pouco, e os procuradores começaram a ponderar que o caso teria chance de ser enquadrado apenas como crime tributário – e que os argumentos de defesa de FHC poderiam também ser usados por Lula. O argumento: Lula também poderia alegar que os pagamentos feitos ao Instituto Lula e à LILS, sua empresa de palestras, não escondiam propinas ou caixa dois.\n\n\n\nDiogo – 21:44:28 – Mas será q não será argumento pra defesa da lils dizendo q eh a prova q não era corrupção? Welter – 21:51:24 – 149967.ogg Roberson – 22:07:24 – Pensei nisso tb. Temos que ter um bom indício de corrupção do fhc/psdb antes Dallagnol – 22:14:24 – Claro Dallagnol – 22:18:00 – Será pior fazer PIC, BA e depois denunciar só PT por não haver prova. Doação sem vinculação a contrato, para influência futura, é aquilo em Que consiste TODA doação eleitoral\n\n\n\nQuase um ano e meio depois dessa conversa, o fim do sigilo da delação de Marcelo Odebrecht, filho de Emílio, mostraria que o esquema de remessa de dinheiro aos institutos de FHC e de Lula tinha um modus operandi semelhante. A Fundação FHC – ex iFHC – disse ao Intercept que os valores recebidos foram regularmente contabilizados e que “não tem conhecimento de qualquer investigação ou denúncia do MPF tendo por base as doações feitas pela Odebrecht”.\n\n‘Dará mais argumentos pela imparcialidade’\n\nNa época em que foi citado na delação de Emílio Odebrecht, Fernando Henrique Cardoso disse que não tinha “nada a temer” e defendeu a operação Lava Jato. Foto: Mauricio Lima/AFP/Getty Images\n\nNo ano seguinte às conversas do procuradores, em 2016, FHC ainda apareceria em outras três delações (1, 2, 3). Em uma delas, ele apareceu na boca do operador ligado ao MDB Fernando Baiano, por causa do suposto beneficiamento da empresa de um filho do ex-presidente, Paulo Henrique Cardoso, em contratos com a petroleira. Em junho, o caso do filho de FHC foi mencionado no chat FT MPF Curitiba 3. A preocupação dos procuradores era, novamente, criar a percepção pública de imparcialidade da Lava Jato:\n\n\n\nDallagnol – 09:54:59 – Viram do filho do FHC? Dallagnol – 09:55:01 – http://pgr.clipclipping.com.br/impresso/ler/noticia/6092614/cliente/19 Dallagnol – 09:56:20 – Creio que vale apurar com o argumento de que pode ter recebido benefícios mais recentemente, inclusive com outros contratos … Dará mais argumentos pela imparcialidade… Esses termos já chegaram, Paulo? Esse já tem grupo? Paulo Galvão – 10:00:38 – Chegaram vários do Cervero, mas não sei se esse especificamente desceu Paulo Galvão – 10:00:59 – Nos temos de qq forma todos os depoimentos na pasta Dallagnol – 10:24:20 – Algum grupo se voluntaria? Eu acho o caso bacanissimo, pelo valor histórico. E recebendo naquela época pode ter lavagem mais recente pela conversão de ativos ou outro método como compra subfaturada de imóvel o que é mto comum…. Seria algo para analisar Paulo Galvão – 10:26:33 – Deixa ver antes se desceu. Pode ter sido mandado p outro lugar, como os que foram p o rio (e isso é um dos temas q eu quero tratar na reunião)\n\n\n\nTrês dias depois, no mesmo grupo, o assunto voltou a ser discutido.\n\n\n\nPaulo Galvão – 11:42:39 – Mas vejo que, sobre o filho do FHC, é um termo que ficou no STF por conta do Delcídio e teria vindo para cá por cópia. É o mesmo termo que trata da GE, lembrando que a GE protocolou petição querendo colaborar e está fazendo investigação interna Dallagnol – 12:04:38 – se veio pra cá, é nosso Dallagnol – 12:04:40 – se veio pra cá com cópia, é nosso Dallagnol – 12:04:46 – se pensaram em mandar pra cá, é nosso tb\n\n\n\nNós perguntamos ao Ministério Público Federal do Paraná, sede da força-tarefa da Lava Jato, quais são os ex-presidentes investigados e em que fase está cada um dos procedimentos. Também questionamos quais fatos envolvendo os ex-presidentes foram mandados para outros órgãos. Eles não responderam aos questionamentos e se limitaram a enviar as notas já divulgadas pela instituição, que dizem que não há ilegalidade nas trocas de mensagens reveladas pelo Intercept. Em uma conversa com os procuradores Paulo Galvão e Carlos Fernando Santos Lima, em 20 de maio do ano passado, no entanto, Deltan Dallagnol relembrou quais foram os ex-presidentes investigados pela operação. Dilma Rousseff e FHC são os únicos que ficam de fora:\n\n\n\nDallagnol – 01:46:42 – CF, só tem 2 (ex) presidentes presos: Lula e Humala no peru Dallagnol – 01:48:12 – Opa o Jorge Glas no equador tb Dallagnol – 01:48:38 – No BR, vou considerar como investigados Temer, Collor, Sarey e Lula Dallagnol – 01:49:07 – (excluindo Dilma e FHC – não lembro de investigações sobre eles fora o que tá bem sigiloso da dilma, sem conclusão)\n\n\n\nAntes da publicação desta reportagem, o Intercept procurou as assessorias do ministro Sergio Moro, do MPF no Paraná e em São Paulo, da Procuradoria Geral da República e da Fundação Fernando Henrique Cardoso, antigo iFHC. A PGR disse que não vai se manifestar. A força tarefa da Lava Jato em São Paulo informou que “não cuidou de caso relativo a Fernando Henrique Cardoso. Desdobramento oriundo da Operação Lava Jato, relativo ao ex-presidente, veio para São Paulo junto com outros casos da ‘lista do Facchin’ e foi distribuído para uma procuradora que não integra o grupo”. O órgão afirmou que está esperando resposta da procuradora responsável pelo caso, mas confirma que a única investigação envolvendo FHC é a que foi arquivada. A assessoria de Moro respondeu que ele “não comenta supostas mensagens de autoridades públicas colhidas por meio de invasão criminosa, que podem ter sido adulteradas e editadas e que sequer foram encaminhadas previamente para análise. Cabe esclarecer que o caso supostamente envolvendo o ex-presidente Fernando Henrique Cardoso nunca passou pelas mãos do Ministro, então juiz da 13ª Vara Federal de Curitiba, sendo encaminhado diretamente pelo Supremo Tribunal Federal a outros fóruns de justiça. Então, nenhuma interferência do então juiz seria sequer possível e nenhuma foi de fato feita”. Já o MPF do Paraná, em um segundo contato, afirmou que “a divulgação de supostos diálogos obtidos por meio absolutamente ilícito, agravada por um contexto de sequestro de contas virtuais, torna impossível aferir se houve edições, alterações, acréscimos ou supressões no material alegadamente obtido.” Para o MPF, os diálogos inteiros podem ter sido “forjados pelo hacker”. Eles disseram também que “um hackeamento ilegal traz consigo dúvidas inafastáveis quanto à sua autenticidade, o que inevitavelmente também dará azo à divulgação de fake news”, dizendo que há uma “uma agenda político-partidária” nas reportagens. O Intercept reafirma que as reportagens da série são publicadas assim que produzidas, editadas e checadas dentro de princípios editoriais rigorosos, e que o material é autêntico. Na época em que foi citado na delação de Emílio Odebrecht, Fernando Henrique Cardoso disse que não tinha “nada a temer” e defendeu a operação Lava Jato. “O Brasil precisa de transparência. A Lava Jato está colaborando no sentido de colocar as cartas na mesa”, afirmou. Ao Intercept, o ex-presidente disse, por meio de sua assessoria, que não teve conhecimento de nenhum inquérito ou denúncia relacionados à delação de Cerveró. Também afirmou desconhecer as menções sobre seu filho e a compra de votos nas eleições – por isso, “não sabe se teriam resultado em investigação ou denúncia”. A única confirmada pelo ex-presidente foi a investigação que terminou arquivada. Após a divulgação da primeira leva de reportagens sobre as mensagens secretas da Lava Jato, FHC fez uma defesa pública de Moro: “O vazamento de mensagens entre juiz e promotor da Lava-Jato mais parece tempestade em copo d’água. A menos que haja novos vazamentos mais comprometedores…”, disse.\n\nAs conversas na íntegra\n\nCHAT FT MPF CURITIBA 2\n\n17 de novembro de 2015 Roberson – 20:29:48 – Meus caros, o que acham de instaurarmos um PIC para investigar, no mesmo procedimento, pagamentos efetuados pelo Grupo Odebrecht (e outras cartelizadas) ao LULA (via LILS e INSTITUTO) e ao FHC (via Fundação iFHC)? Assim ninguém poderia indevidamente criticar nossa atuação como se tivesse vies partidário, poderíamos oficiar todas as empreiteiras contratantes, verificar padrões indevidos, etc.\n\nRoberson – 20:30:32 – A da LILS vocês já sabem os indícios para a investigação, mas vejam essa fratura expostas da Fundação iFHC:\n\nRoberson – 20:30:52 –\n\n\n\nRoberson – 20:31:16 –\n\n\n\nRoberson – 20:32:12 – Email da iFHC “GOSTARIA QUE VOCES VERIFICASSEM COM A BRASKEM QUAL A MELHOR MANEIRA PARA FAZER A DOAÇÃO. TEMOS AS SEGUINTES OPÇOES:\n\nRoberson – 20:32:20 – DOAÇÃO DIRETA\n\nRoberson – 20:32:51 – A ELABORAÇÃO DE UM CONTRATO, POREM NÃO PODEMOS DIZER QUE A PRESTAÇÃO DE SERVIÇOS SERÁ UMA PALESTRA DO PRESIDENTE\n\nRoberson – 20:33:43 – E ai???? Querem mais baton na cueca?\n\nPaulo Galvão – 20:35:08 – porra bomba isso\n\nRoberson – 20:35:20 – Pois é!!!\n\nRoberson – 20:35:39 – O que acha da ideia do PIC?\n\nRoberson – 20:35:47 – Vai ser massa!\n\nPaulo Galvão – 20:35:51 – Acho excelente sim Robinho\n\nRoberson – 20:36:47 – Legal! Se os demais tb estiverem de acordo, faço a portaria amanha cedo\n\nRoberson – 20:38:08 – Acho que vale até uma BA na Secretaria da iFHC que mandou o email. Ela é secretária da Presidencia!\n\nLaura Tessler – 20:38:36 – Sensacional esse email!!!!\n\nRoberson – 20:38:48 – Mais, talvez pudessemos cumprir BA nos três concomitantemente: LILS, Instituto Lula e iFHC\n\nPaulo Galvão – 20:39:04 – De quando é esse email?\n\nRoberson – 20:39:12 – Uma prova reforça a outra\n\nPaulo Galvão – 20:39:24 – Questão é, FHC estamos investigando crime tributário apenas?\n\nRoberson – 20:39:28 – Outubro de 2014!!!!!!!!!!!!!\n\nRoberson – 20:39:52 – Provavelmente por isso a mençao de que não poderia ser palestra do FHC\n\nPaulo Galvão – 20:39:52 – Vamos pedir a fiscal, ver se o dinheiro saiu para alguma campanha\n\nPaulo Galvão – 20:40:16 – Pq se ficou lá e só crime tributário? Ou teria que achar uma obra do psdb para dizer que é propina\n\nRoberson – 20:41:52 – Sim, esse aprofundamento é essencial\n\nPaulo Galvão – 20:42:28 – Mas a ideia é excelente. Despolitizar\n\nPaulo Galvão – 20:42:40 – Se bem q vc votou na Dilma hahaha\n\nRoberson – 20:43:48 – MPF hahaha\n\nDiogo – 21:44:28 – Mas será q não será argumento pra defesa da lils dizendo q eh a prova q não era corrupção?\n\nWelter Prr – 21:51:24 – [áudio acidental]\n\nRoberson – 22:07:24 – Pensei nisso tb. Temos que ter um bom indício de corrupção do fhc/psdb antes\n\nDallagnol – 22:14:24 – Claro\n\nDallagnol – 22:18:00 – Será pior fazer PIC, BA e depois denunciar só PT por não haver prova. Doação sem vinculação a contrato, para influência futura, é aquilo em Que consiste TODA doação eleitoral Email da iFHC “GOSTARIA QUE VOCES VERIFICASSEM COM A BRASKEM QUAL A MELHOR MANEIRA PARA FAZER A DOAÇÃO. TEMOS AS SEGUINTES OPÇOES:DOAÇÃO DIRETAA ELABORAÇÃO DE UM CONTRATO, POREM NÃO PODEMOS DIZER QUE A PRESTAÇÃO DE SERVIÇOS SERÁ UMA PALESTRA DO PRESIDENTEE ai???? Querem mais baton na cueca?porra bomba issoPois é!!!O que acha da ideia do PIC?Vai ser massa!Acho excelente sim RobinhoLegal! Se os demais tb estiverem de acordo, faço a portaria amanha cedoAcho que vale até uma BA na Secretaria da iFHC que mandou o email. Ela é secretária da Presidencia!Sensacional esse email!!!!Mais, talvez pudessemos cumprir BA nos três concomitantemente: LILS, Instituto Lula e iFHCDe quando é esse email?Uma prova reforça a outraQuestão é, FHC estamos investigando crime tributário apenas?Outubro de 2014!!!!!!!!!!!!!Provavelmente por isso a mençao de que não poderia ser palestra do FHCVamos pedir a fiscal, ver se o dinheiro saiu para alguma campanhaPq se ficou lá e só crime tributário? Ou teria que achar uma obra do psdb para dizer que é propinaSim, esse aprofundamento é essencialMas a ideia é excelente. DespolitizarSe bem q vc votou na Dilma hahahaMPF hahahaMas será q não será argumento pra defesa da lils dizendo q eh a prova q não era corrupção?Pensei nisso tb. Temos que ter um bom indício de corrupção do fhc/psdb antesClaroSerá pior fazer PIC, BA e depois denunciar só PT por não haver prova. Doação sem vinculação a contrato, para influência futura, é aquilo em Que consiste TODA doação eleitoral\n\nCHAT FT MPF CURITIBA 3\n\n3 de junho de 2016 Dallagnol – 09:54:59 – Viram do filho do FHC?\n\nDallagnol –09:55:01 – http://pgr.clipclipping.com.br/impresso/ler/noticia/6092614/cliente/19\n\nDallagnol – 09:56:20 – Creio que vale apurar com o argumento de que pode ter recebido benefícios mais recentemente, inclusive com outros contratos … Dará mais argumentos pela imparcialidade… Esses termos já chegaram, Paulo? Esse já tem grupo?\n\nPaulo Galvão – 10:00:38 – Chegaram vários do Cervero, mas não sei se esse especificamente desceu\n\nPaulo Galvão – 10:00:59 – Nos temos de qq forma todos os depoimentos na pasta\n\nDallagnol – 10:24:20 – Algum grupo se voluntaria? Eu acho o caso bacanissimo, pelo valor histórico. E recebendo naquela época pode ter lavagem mais recente pela conversão de ativos ou outro método como compra subfaturada de imóvel o que é mto comum…. Seria algo para analisar\n\nPaulo Galvão – 10:26:33 – Deixa ver antes se desceu. Pode ter sido mandado p outro lugar, como os que foram p o rio (e isso é um dos temas q eu quero tratar na reunião)\n\nP.N.I. – 11:06:56 – http://noticias.uol.com.br/politica/ultimas-noticias/2016/06/03/deputado-do-conselho-de-etica-pagou-r-92-mil-a-empresa-ligada-a-filha-de-cunha.htm\n\nP.N.I.. – 11:07:52 – Castor. Esse fato já era do nosso conhecimento? Ele tem alguma relevância?\n\nDiogo – 11:09:52 – pra denúncia nao pq ela se restringe aos gastos do cartão de crédito com dinheiro da conta secreta do exterior.\n\nDiogo – 11:10:03 – contudo, é fato relevante para continuidade das investigações\n\nDiogo – 11:10:13 – mormente se este serviço nao foi prestado\n\nDallagnol – 14:23:53 – http://m.folha.uol.com.br/poder/2016/06/1777768-secretaria-de-temer-integrou-articulacao-criminosa-diz-pgr.shtml?mobile\n\nDallagnol – 17:03:07 – SUPRIMIDO\n\nPaulo Galvão – 17:52:53 – divisão de tarefas atualizada na pasta: L:\\CRIME\\Deltan\\FT-procuradores\\COORDENACAO\\Divisao de tarefas\n\nPaulo Galvão – 17:57:32 – lá tem uma versão sem as novas frentes, que estou passando p toda a assessoria\n\nP.N.I.. – 17:57:32 – lá tem uma versão sem as novas frentes, que estou passando p toda a assessoria\n\nP.N.I.. – 18:10:15 – Pelo que entendi da mensagem do moro, ele tornou sem efeito a requisição do Mauat.\n\nWelter Prr – 18:22:06 – Da lei Rounet?\n\nWelter Prr – 18:22:15 – Rouanet?\n\nPaulo Galvão – 18:43:06 – quem tem pendências com Bsb, por favor me encaminhe a relação inbox p eu atualizar a nossa lista de demandas semana que vem\n\nPaulo Galvão –18:43:23 – Eles deram abertura para a gente minutar a petição de desmembramento do Pedro Correa por aqui\n\nPaulo Galvão –19:24:38 – http://www.correiobraziliense.com.br/app/noticia/politica/2016/06/03/internas_polbraeco,534870/moro-barra-ofensiva-da-pf-sobre-os-100-maiores-da-lei-rouanet.shtml\n\nAthayde – 19:45:03 – [imagem não encontrada]\n\nOrlando SP – 19:50:00 – Realmente, light\n\nDallagnol – 21:42:18 – Caros, há uma programação de que sub vai represetnar a lava jato no STJ até dezembro. O problema está em dezembro… será a SUPRIMIDO\n\nDallagnol – 21:42:28 – ANEXO SUPRIMIDO\n\nDallagnol – 21:42:35 – bom termos essa pauta do subs do stj\n\nP.N.I.. – 21:59:01 – Mestre, tudo bem? Vc acha que consegue me ajudar com isso? Abração! http://istoe.com.br/o-acerto-de-r-12-milhoes/ O acerto de R$ 12 milhões Em acordo de delação, Marcelo Odebrecht revela que a presidente Dilma cobrou pessoalmente doação de campanha para pagar via caixa dois o marqueteiro João Santana e o PMDB em 2014\n\nP.N.I.. – 22:05:34 – SUPRIMIDO\n\nP.N.I.. – 22:05:48 – Disse que não há nada disso.\n\nP.N.I.. – 22:06:33 – Mas aqui sinto cheiro do Mauat, que se tornou amiguinho do MO.\n\nDallagnol – 23:00:04 – [imagem não encontrada] 4 de junho de 2016 Isabel Groba – 07:39:57 – Alguém vai hoje ou amanhã na FT? Eu precisava que fosse ligado o computador que eu uso para fazer acesso remoto.\n\nP.N.I.. – 08:29:53 – “Queda a jato Há ministros caindo por causa da Lava-Jato. Mas tem um que deverá cair nas próximas horas por causa de um jato. Isto mesmo: um jato. Trata-se de Fábio Osório, advogado-geral da União, que provocou um fuzuê ao tentar embarcar esta semana para Curitiba, na Base Aérea. Negado o pedido, Osório deu uma carteirada nos oficiais da Aeronáutica, dizendo ter status de ministro de Estado. A confusão chegou ao gabinete do presidente. Para complicar ainda mais a situação de Osório, Temer descobriu que Toffoli só revogou a sua decisão de demitir o presidente da EBC nomeado por Dilma porque o advogado-geral da União, que deveria fazer a defesa do governo, estava nessa fatídica viagem a Curitiba. Agora, até o padrinho do advogado, o ministro Eliseu Padilha, está pedindo sua cabeça ao presidente.”\n\nJerusa Viecilli – 08:37:58 –\n\nP.N.I.. – 08:47:50 – http://m.oantagonista.com/posts/13-governadores-e-36-senadores\n\nP.N.I.. – 08:48:18 – A informação é bem precisa\n\nWelter Prr – 08:50:24 – Alguém está de sacanagem. A questão do vazamento vai ter que ser preliminar na reunião de segunda\n\nPaulo Galvão – 11:50:19 – http://veja.abril.com.br/blog/radar-on-line/congresso/mpf-pede-medidas-duras-contra-renan-juca-sarney-e-cunha/\n\nAthayde – 11:55:34 – A regra hj sao os vazamentos…\n\nDallagnol – 12:05:44 – http://m.gaucha.com.br/noticia-aberta/ministro-da-agu-nega-saida-e-diz-que-sofre-retaliacoes-no-governo-168328.html\n\nP.N.I.. – 12:43:58 – http://www.gazetadopovo.com.br/vida-publica/mpf-alerta-projetos-de-lei-sao-a-nova-estrategia-para-abafar-a-lava-jato-aqiei02udtdk1rqjjpr3souvw\n\nWelter Prr – 14:15:19 – ANEXO SUPRIMIDO\n\nWelter Prr – 14:39:37 – O Globo: Temer decide demitir chefe da Advocacia-Geral da União http://glo.bo/1TOW9PJ\n\nWelter Prr – 14:40:07 – Ministerio de breves\n\nJerusa Viecilli – 14:40:29 –\n\nJerusa Viecilli – 14:40:39 – Teu amigao, Welter! Hehehe\n\nWelter Prr – 14:41:02 – Bah\n\nWelter Prr – 14:41:25 – Amigao e tanto\n\nWelter Prr – 14:43:03 – Ele se mostrou rápido demais\n\nDallagnol – 14:49:00 – Onde isso?\n\nDallagnol – 14:49:10 –\n\nWelter Prr – 14:52:03 – Na AGU\n\nDallagnol – 16:31:25 – Caracaxá\n\nDallagnol – 20:54:51 – http://m.oantagonista.com/posts/a-verdadeira-briga-do-agu\n\nDallagnol – 20:55:28 – Dizendo que Fabio veio a CWB falar com a FT-LJ… Houve algo relacionado a ele ou com a AGU nessa semana?\n\nDallagnol – 20:57:03 – O julgamento da apelação da OAS não era para ter sido na última quarta!\n\nDallagnol – 20:57:04 – ?\n\nP.N.I. – 20:58:46 – Próxima\n\nRoberson – 21:05:05 – Ele estava na cerimônia do prêmio da Ajufe e conversou conosco\n\nJerusa Viecilli – 21:06:16 – Comigo não!!!\n\nRoberson – 22:20:11 – Kkkkk É vero! A Je ficou só fuzilando ele com os olhos. Acho, inclusive, que foi o princípio da queda\n\nDallagnol – 22:28:32 – http://politica.estadao.com.br/blogs/coluna-do-estadao/aumento-do-judiciario-contraria-novo-lider/ 5 de junho de 2016 Jerusa Viecilli – 08:54:32 – http://josiasdesouza.blogosfera.uol.com.br/2016/06/05/moro-proferiu-105-condenacoes-stf-nenhuma/\n\nAthayde – 09:58:49 – http://m.folha.uol.com.br/poder/2016/06/1778355-medo-de-grampos-leva-politicos-a-esconder-celulares-e-tirar-ternos.shtml\n\nLaura Tessler – 10:08:26 – http://m.economia.estadao.com.br/noticias/geral,arrastada-pela-lava-jato-odebrecht-demite-50-mil-e-ve-divida-ir-a-r-110-bi,10000055278\n\nDallagnol – 11:56:05 – Um dos assuntos mais comentados do tt\n\nDallagnol – 11:56:07 – http://m.folha.uol.com.br/poder/2016/06/1778352-para-pf-gravacao-mostra-lider-tucano-sergio-guerra-sabotando-cpi.shtml\n\nDallagnol – 14:27:12 – Curitiba promete dias curitibanos\n\nDallagnol – 14:27:17 – [imagem não encontrada]\n\nDallagnol – 14:28:02 – Aeroporto fechado agora\n\nDallagnol – 14:28:18 – Quem aposta que amanhã vamos e não vamos a BSB? rs\n\nDallagnol – 14:47:02 – Pessoal da Brigada está preocupado com a notícia de que a série da PF dirá que “a PF que investiga”. A nota fala do juiz é da PF, ignorando MP:\n\nDallagnol – 14:47:12 – [imagem não encontrada]\n\nDallagnol – 15:08:34 – SUPRIMIDO\n\nOrlando SP – 15:33:36 – SUPRIMIDO\n\nOrlando SP – 15:34:07 – SUPRIMIDO\n\nOrlando SP – 15:34:49 – SUPRIMIDO\n\nPaulo Galvão – 16:03:45 – [imagem não encontrada]\n\nPaulo Galvão – 16:04:00 – SUPRIMIDO\n\nJulio Noronha – 20:28:07 – Falando de “mídia independente”:\n\nJulio Noronha – 20:28:16 – [imagem não encontrada]\n\nJulio Noronha – 20:28:17 – [imagem não encontrada]\n\nJulio Noronha – 20:28:18 – [imagem não encontrada]\n\nJulio Noronha –20:28:18 – [imagem não encontrada]\n\nLaura Tessler – 20:30:29 – aposto que é só coincidência!!!\n\nDallagnol – 21:11:07 – Que absurdo!! Isso valeria ACPs em outros locais… 6 de junho de 2016 Diogo – 00:49:28 – SUPRIMIDO\n\nDiogo – 00:50:13 – Ia ser engraçado pq este cara batia na lava jato.. Mas como a lava jato começou a pegar o pmdb ele ia ter Q apoia lá\n\nP.N.I.. – 06:46:27 – http://m.folha.uol.com.br/poder/2016/06/1778556-preferida-para-chefiar-pf-delegada-e-elogiada-por-atuacao-na-lava-jato.shtml\n\nDallagnol – 07:07:00 – Que tal a FTLJ fazer uma moção de apoio a ela como capacitada etc para ser DG, sem mencionar lista triplice?\n\nOrlando SP – 07:20:31 – Aí dá para fazer, inclusive podendo expressamente falar q independentemente de lista, a SUPRIMIDO é um nome excelente pará tal cargo.\n\nOrlando SP – 08:17:31 – De outro lado, deve haver uma dúzia aguardando para ser o escolhido, q ficarão bem contrariados. Temer não cometerá este erro primário de colocar alguém desvinculado do MJ e dele próprio na PF. Ele não é amador\n\nP.N.I.. – 10:52:46 – Creio que cada um no seu quadrado. Gosto da SUPRIMIDO, mas me sinto entrando em discussão de uma questão que vai além da simples simpatia. Pode ser um passo maior que a perna por parte dela. Além disso é um assunto de outra corporação.\n\nP.N.I.. – 10:52:52 – http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/06/06/opinion/brazils-gold-medal-for-corruption.html?referer=https://www.google.com.br/\n\nPaulo Galvão – 11:41:26 – 304396.odt\n\nPaulo Galvão – 11:41:46 – Segue petição de desmembramento do acordo do Cerveró – deixo p o grupo responsável analisar\n\nPaulo Galvão – 11:42:39 – Mas vejo que, sobre o filho do FHC, é um termo que ficou no STF por conta do Delcídio e teria vindo para cá por cópia. É o mesmo termo que trata da GE, lembrando que a GE protocolou petição querendo colaborar e está fazendo investigação interna\n\nDallagnol – 12:04:38 – se veio pra cá, é nosso\n\nDallagnol – 12:04:40 – se veio pra cá com cópia, é nosso\n\nDallagnol – 12:04:46 – se pensaram em mandar pra cá, é nosso tb\n\nDELTAN DALLAGNOL E SERGIO MORO\n\n13 de abril de 2017 Moro – 09:07:39 – Tem alguma coisa mesmo seria do FHC? O que vi na TV pareceu muito fraco?\n\nMoro – 09:08:18 – Caixa 2 de 96?\n\nDallagnol – 10:50:42 – Em pp sim, o que tem é mto fraco\n\nMoro – 11:35:19 – Não estaria mais do que prescrito?\n\nDallagnol – 13:26:42 – Foi enviado pra SP sem se analisar prescrição\n\nDallagnol – 13:27:27 – Suponho que de propósito. Talvez para passar recado de imparcialidade\n\nMoro – 13:52:51 – Ah, não sei. Acho questionável pois melindra alguém cujo apoio é importante\n\nCHAT CONEXÃO BSB-CWB\n\n13 de abril de 2017 Dallagnol – 11:42:54 – Caros o fato do FHC é só caixa 2 de 96? Não tá prescrito? Teve inquérito?\n\nSergio Bruno Mpdft – 11:51:25 – Mandado pra SP\n\nSergio Bruno Mpdft – 11:51:44 – Não analisamos prescrição\n\nDallagnol – 13:26:11 –\n\nDELTAN DALLAGNOL, PAULO GALVÃO E CARLOS FERNANDO SANTOS LIMA", "Proof that, as suspected, Sergio Moro and Operation Lava Jato was protecting high profile centre-right politicians such as US-backed former President Fernando Henrique Cardoso, is yet another smoking gun, and more vindication for those who voiced concerns over the anti-corruption operation, its underhand methods, political motives, and US involvement since it began in 2014.\n\nIn its latest leak of conversations between Moro and the Lava Jato task force, the Intercept reveals that they pretended to investigate ex-President Fernando Henrique Cardoso, while ignoring evidence that his own foundation collected illegal donations from Odebrecht subsidiary Braskem.\n\nReferring to Cardoso (FHC) Sérgio Moro said in the leaked conversations, “we can’t offend someone who’s support is so important.”\n\nIn addition, Sérgio Moro’s wife Rosangela used to work for Flavio Arns, a high ranking member of Fernando Henrique Cardoso’s PSDB party in Paraná. Lava Jato’s political alignment to PSDB was common knowledge as early as 2015, yet both domestic and anglophone media continued to ignore or even dismss outright any notion of political motivation or bias. Commentators from Reuters, Bloomberg and elsewhere seized on any example of Lava Jato investigation of a PSDB politician, regardless of consequence or actual punishment, as proof that the anti-corruption operation was impartial. That Lava Jato prosecutors deliberately staged such investigations as if to appear impartial, makes international corporate media complicit in that deceit.\n\nIn early 2015, there was a forgotten incident which was once thought trivial but now seems far more consequential than it was considered at the time. At this point propaganda, domestic and international, for the coming coup to bring down Dilma Rousseff and the Workers Party was in full flow, and Sergio Moro’s Lava Jato was simply untouchable.\n\nThe overarching narrative being pushed was that simply the PT (Workers Party) WAS the party of corruption, and was being intentionally made synonymous with it. Serious analysts knew this wasn’t accurate, but given they had been in Government for 12 years, it was difficult to argue in their defence without appearing to defend corruption itself.\n\nAt this time a Reuters article was published, featuring quotes from former President Cardoso, in which he admitted that the Petrolão as it was called, the corruption scheme between Brazil’s 51% state owned oil company Petrobras, and its national construction sector, had begun in 1997, under his government and pre-dated Lula and the Workers Party taking office on January 1 2003.\n\nThis admission ran counter to the narrative being built, namely that the Workers Party was “a criminal enterprise” with sole responsibility for Petrobras related corruption cases.\n\nThe article was by then Reuters Brazil bureau chief Brian Winter, who had also previously ghostwritten Cardoso’s autobiography, ‘The Accidental President of Brazil’, published in 2007.\n\nSomeone noticed that the Portuguese version of the text contained an editors note: “Podemos tirar, se achar melhor” (we can take that out if you think best) following the paragraph containing Cardoso’s admission. The story went viral and was considered evidence of censorship and bias at Reuters at a crucial time for the country, with what many already identified as a coup d’état brewing.\n\nWinter would claim it was a simple misunderstanding, and media colleagues leapt to his defence.\n\nA matter of weeks later the Reuters chief would leave the news agency to join Wall Street lobby and Think Tank AS/COA (Americas Society/Council of the Americas), which would become a de-facto international PR agency for Lava Jato and Sergio Moro, with whom Winter has a personal friendship.\n\nPrivatisation of Petrobras has been a US foreign policy goal for decades, and it was indeed part privatised under Cardoso in the 1990s. One of AS/COA’s principal patrons is Chevron, who according to leaked State Department cables worked with PSDB’s José Serra, the US-backed presidential candidate in 2002 and 2010, to lobby for a breaking of the so called pré-sal law. The law, introduced during Lula’s second mandate was intended to protect the sovereignty of Brazil’s vast offshore sub salt oil discoveries by enforcing Petrobras involvement in their exploration. Following Rousseff’s impeachment in 2016, with Serra in government the pré-sal law was soon gone. Three years earlier, in June 2013, documents leaked by Edward Snowden had revealed that Petrobras and the Rousseff government were the target of massive US espionage, at a level befitting an official enemy rather than friendly nation.\n\nThe propaganda around Lava Jato and Brazil’s long coup of 2013-18 was an integral feature of it, and the promotion of Sergio Moro by AS/COA, which is funded by some of the biggest corporate beneficiaries of the rapid neoliberalisation that followed Rousseff’s removal, was no accident. Its corporate members Boeing, Chevron, Exxon-Mobil, Monsanto and Microsoft have all gained enormously from the illegitimate removal of an elected president and rigging of the 2018 election through the imprisonment of her would be successor, former President Lula, by Sergio Moro’s operation Lava Jato.\n\nNow under Bolsonaro and his Chicago Boy economy minister Paulo Guedes, and as a direct result of operation Lava Jato, the spectre of Petrobras privatisation is looming larger than ever.\n\nAs a US correspondent in Brazil confided in 2013, “There is an unwritten understanding among foreign correspondents that the US wants PSDB in power”. The calculus which saw them bet on Lava Jato and refusing to accept the 2014 election result had the desired effect of removing Rousseff and the PT from government, and they took power for the first time since 2002 as part of Temer’s post-coup government, yet tragicomically the PSDB themselves – having as MST’s Jose Pedro Stedile put it “lost their US rearguard” with the defeat of Hillary Clinton in 2016 – went on to be a political casualty of the 2018 election. Their candidate Geraldo Alckmin fell to below 5% of the vote, and the party lost a large number of congressional seats.\n\nIt is argued that PSDB could’ve simply sat out Dilma Rousseff’s second mandate and, without the tumult of the impeachment and the institutional and economic damage it (and Operation Lava Jato itself) caused, could have comfortably won the 2018 election. We will never know.\n\nWhat we do know is that the active role of US media professionals in propagandising the destruction of Brazil’s democracy is becoming more clear by the week, and the absence of ethics evident at supposedly neutral foreign news agencies in the country is a spiralling journalistic disgrace.\n\nIf you value the work Brasil Wire does, please help keep us running with a donation. Our editorial independence relies on our readers support. Amount to donate in $USD 0 1000", "Brazil's Moro says 'nothing to hide' about leaked messages\n\nRIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazilian Justice Minister Sergio Moro said Wednesday there is nothing improper about alleged conversations he had with prosecutors when he was a crusading anti-corruption judge.\n\n\"There is nothing to hide. Sensationalism is being created around the news,\" Moro said in voluntary testimony at a Senate hearing.\n\nThe online news site The Intercept has published leaked documents and text messages it said show the former judge offering guidance to prosecutors in investigations that led to the conviction and jailing of ex-President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. The conviction helped block da Silva from seeking the presidency again in October's election.\n\nOn Wednesday, Moro said that a \"criminal group\" was aiming to \"invalidate convictions for corruption and money laundering, hinder investigations that can reach powerful people or simply attack Brazilian institutions.\"\n\nHe also said that he couldn't confirm the authenticity of the messages because they had been erased from his cell phone and could have been \"totally or partially doctored.\"\n\n\"Disguised behind hacker attacks and sensationalist publications, there is an attack on the achievements of Brazilian society in the last five years,\" the former magistrate said.\n\nHe said the \"Car Wash\" investigation, which put da Silva behind bars, had allowed $675 million to be returned to the coffers of Brazilian state oil company Petrobras.\n\nOn Tuesday, The Intercept published a new report with information from an anonymous source that it claims show Moro did not agree with an investigation of former Brazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardoso because the ex-leader supported his graft probe.\n\nA statement from Cardoso's office said there were no allegations of corruption against him.\n\nBrazil's federal police are currently looking into a series of attacks made on the cell phones of Moro and several Car Wash prosecutors.\n\nMoro said Wednesday that conversations between the parties of a trial are common in the \"Brazilian legal tradition\" and don't show interference.\n\n\"There is no illegality or ethical deviation in the published messages,\" he said.\n\nLawyers for da Silva have previously said that Moro's was not sufficiently impartial.", "RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazil’s justice minister on Saturday questioned the authenticity of leaked personal messages published by a news website that appear to show him when he was still a judge improperly advising prosecutors in a case against former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.\n\nThe Intercept posted purported chats between then-judge Sergio Moro and ex-prosecutor Carlos Dos Santos Lima in which Moro offers strategy advice to the prosecutor in the corruption case against da Silva. According to the website, the conversation suggests Moro acted “as an informal coordinator” of the prosecution in the judicial process that led to da Silva’s conviction for receiving a beachfront apartment as a bribe.\n\nThe website said Moro at one point suggested the prosecutors release a statement highlighting contradictions in da Silva’s declaration.\n\nThe conviction ended da Silva’s 2018 presidential run and Moro went on to become justice minister in President Jair Bolsonaro’s government.\n\nA statement from the Justice Ministry, led by Moro, said it did not recognize the authenticity of the messages. It said the messages were leaked because of a “criminal invasion by hackers.”\n\nIt reiterated that “the supposed material must be presented to an independent authority for certification.”\n\nMoro and prosecutors deny any wrongdoing, but the Brazilian Bar Association has called for the suspension of the minister and others pending an inquiry.\n\nOn Thursday, Bolsonaro offered words of support for his justice minister, saying Moro’s accomplishments in the sprawling Car Wash investigation have “no price.”\n\nLaunched in 2014, Car Wash has looked into billions of dollars in contracts with oil-giant Petrobras and ended the careers of some of the most prominent business and political figures in the South American nation.\n\nIn an interview recorded earlier this week in Curitibia, where da Silva has been held in a federal prison since April 7, 2018, Brazil’s former president said the leaked communications between the members of the Car Wash task force and then-judge Moro demonstrate what he has been saying all along.\n\n“I take advantage now to tell you that I’m happy because the country is finally going to know the truth. I always said that Moro is a liar,” da Silva said.\n\nCopyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.", "Under the Brazilian judicial system, the judge and the prosecution are required to operate independently to ensure a fair trial. Yet Moro interfered directly on the case by dictating the prosecutors’ media strategy.\n\nA new leaked conversation by The Intercept shows current Supreme Justice Minister Sergio Moro while serving as a judge in the Car Wash (Lava Jato), directed the prosecutors’ media strategy against former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.\n\n“The defense already put on their little show,” Moro quickly messaged a senior prosecutor in the Operation Car Wash task force, Carlos Fernando dos Santos Lima, right after questioning Lula for more than five hours, bracing for media’s take on the hearing.\n\nUnder the Brazilian judicial system, the judge and the prosecution are required to operate independently to ensure a fair trial. Yet Moro interfered directly on the case by dictating the prosecutors’ media strategy.\n\n“Maybe, tomorrow, you should prepare a press release explaining the contradictions between his testimony and the rest of the evidence or with his previous testimony,” he ordered Dos Santos.\n\nImmediately the prosecutor messaged his media team suggesting a dramatic shift in the team’s typical communications strategy. Up until that point, they had not commented publicly on the trial proceedings. As the press aides advise against, the chief prosecutor of the Car Wash task force, Deltan Dallagnol, comes in to support the plan.\n\nThe next day all major Brazilian news outlet copied the exact statement pushing Moro’s agenda to the public about the alleged \"contradictions\" in Lula's answers.\n\nAnother leak revealed on Tuesday, Moro chats with Dallagnol trying to prevent the task force from investigating right-wing former president Fernando Henrique Cardoso, while ignoring evidence that his foundation collected bribes from Odebrecht's subsidiary Braskem. The then-judge asks about the “seriousness” of investigations by the Federal Public Ministry (MPF) regarding the former head of state, telling Dallagnol he doesn’t want to \"spoil someone whose support is important.\"\n\nAll this comes as Brazil now is facing a political earthquake as The Intercept Brazil published on Sunday an extensive and hard-hitting exposé on the alleged political motivations behind Operation Car Wash against Lula, and unethical involvement of current Supreme Minister of Justice, Moro.\n\nThe documents were released in a three-part series where according to The Intercept, it is proven, based on leaked documents and Telegram messages between prosecutors and Moro that the “apolitical” and “unbiased” team spent hours internally plotting how to prevent the return to power by Lula and his party. As well as the lack of hard and documented evidence to establish a case against the former head of state.", "RIO DE JANEIRO — Brazilian Justice Minister Sergio Moro says there is nothing improper about alleged conversations he had with prosecutors when he was a crusading anti-corruption judge.\n\nMoro voluntarily attended a Senate hearing Wednesday and said: “There is nothing to hide. Sensationalism is being created around the news.”\n\nThe online news site The Intercept has published leaked documents and text messages it says show the judge offering guidance to prosecutors in investigations that led to the conviction and jailing of former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.\n\nThe conviction helped block da Silva from seeking the presidency again in October’s election.\n\nMoro also said that a “criminal group” was aiming to “invalidate convictions for corruption and money laundering, hinder investigations that can reach powerful people or simply attack Brazilian institutions.”", "Former judge argues messages leaked by investigative journalists are illegal and should not be taken into account.\n\nBrazil's Justice and Public Security Minister Sergio Moro testified Wednesday in front of the Senate in Brasilia to try to discredit information revealed by The Intercept that shows the former federal judge advised prosecutors and illegally interfered in the case against former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.\n\n\"Obviously I have nothing to hide. The idea was to come here to clarify about sensationalism being created about this news,\" Moro said at the beginning of his appearance before the Senate Wednesday morning. Moro did not categorically deny authenticity of the information leaked to The Intercept, but argued it could have been altered.\n\nOn June 9, The Intercept disclosed private telegram conversations between Judge Moro and Deltan Dallagnol, the main state prosecutor of the Car Wash corruption scandal showing that the two colluded to convict Lula on bribery charges. Moro later had the Workers' Party leader thrown in jail without due process in April 2018.\n\nThe evidence against Moro, released in a three-part series by The Intercept, showed Moro went to great lengths to prevent imprison Lula and prevent him from running in the 2018 presidential elections.\n\n“Over the course of more than two years, Moro suggested to the prosecutor that his team change the sequence of who they would investigate; insisted on less downtime between raids; gave strategic advice and informal tips; provided the prosecutors with advance knowledge of his decisions; offered constructive criticism of prosecutorial filings; and even scolded Dallagnol ... as if the prosecutor worked for the judge,” the report reads of Moro who presided over the Lula's case and the far-reaching Car Wash corruption case.\n\n\n\nDuring the Senate's Constitution and Justice Commission hearing, Minister Moro said that even if the telegram messages were true, they didn't indicate he had violated any laws.\n\n\"They try to create a situation of scandal, which is nonexistent in the end,\" declared the Justice Minister, who was appointed to the newly-created, high-power position by President Jair Bolsonaro when he entered office in January.\n\nMoro tried to convince senators that what is really important is the \"criminal invasion\" of his and other authorities' cell phones with the aim to end the Car Wash investigation and weaken Brazilian institutions.\n\nAccording to him, the investigative journalists' information should not be taken into account because it comes from an \"organized criminal group\" that might involve foreign agents.\n\nMoro made similiar claims during Tuesday press conference when PT Senator Humberto Costa told him that he was not a victim of media sensationalism and asked him to resign because \"you stripped the vote from millions of Brazilians.\"\n\nThe PT lawmaker said the judicial minister, while presiding over Lula's case in 2018, \"changed prosecutors, directed operations, selected who should be persecuted, and broke laws and ethics codes.\"", "BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazilian Justice Minister Sergio Moro said on Wednesday he has nothing to hide regarding allegedly leaked personal messages with prosecutors from his time as the judge leading the bribery trial that jailed former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.\n\nMoro has come under intense pressure after messages published by news website The Intercept allegedly show he advised prosecutors to influence public opinion against the leftist leader.\n\nIn Senate committee testimony on Wednesday, Moro said some of the messages attributed to him may have been deliberately doctored to generate a scandal and invalidate convictions in the “Car Wash” graft and political bribery investigation.\n\nHe said organized crime was behind the hacking seeking to undermine continuing investigations.\n\n“They are doing this to undermine the anti-corruption drive, which was not something I or prosecutors achieved, but which Brazilian society achieved,” Moro told senators. “I have nothing to hide.”\n\nMoro said he always acted within the law during the Car Wash investigations, and that anyone convicted of corruption was done so for no other reason than they were guilty of corruption.\n\nMoro was picked for justice minister by right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro, who won the presidency after Lula was barred from running because of his conviction. Moro has said he will not resign, and Bolsonaro has said there is “no chance, zero” of Moro being forced out.", "Brazil's justice minister hit back Wednesday at allegations he conspired to keep jailed leftist icon Luis Inacio Lula da Silva out of the 2018 presidential race, saying he was the victim of \"revenge\" over his anti-corruption drive.\n\nSergio Moro, the powerful judge behind the so-called Car Wash probe that rocked Brazilian politics, denied \"any kind of ethical deviation\" when he testified before a Senate committee.\n\nHe said a criminal organization was behind alleged leaks of text messages to The Intercept investigative website, which published text messages purportedly showing Moro conspiring with Car Wash prosecutors to keep Lula out of the election.\n\nBlasting the report as \"sensationalist,\" Moro said a criminal gang had hacked cell phones \"with the aim of overturning convictions for corruption or money laundering.\"\n\nMoro told the Senate's Constitution and Justice Committee he \"does not recognize the authenticity of the messages\" attributed to him, which he said \"may have been partially or completely altered.\"\n\n\"I thought that coming out of the magistrature and assuming a ministerial position, that revenge -- attacks on my job as a judge that faced up to corruption by applying the law -- would end, but apparently I was wrong.\"\n\nThe judge who won fame when he oversaw Brazil's vast Car Wash probe that upended the country's politics by uncovering large-scale looting of state oil company Petrobras, has faced calls to step down over the report.\n\nLula was favorite to win the election before he was jailed by Moro for taking bribes and money laundering. Moro subsequently became justice minister after the triumph of eventual winner Jair Bolsonaro.\n\nMoro, a hero to many Brazilians fed up with corruption, has remained defiant since The Intercept published the first tranche of what it said was an \"enormous trove\" of documents earlier this month.\n\nIn the leaked group chats, Car Wash prosecutors expressed \"serious doubts\" over the evidence against Lula and spoke openly of wanting to prevent his Workers' Party from winning the 2018 presidential election that Lula was widely expected to win.\n\nMoro repeatedly \"overstepped the ethical lines that define the role of a judge\" by offering prosecutors advice and tips for \"new avenues of investigation,\" The Intercept said.\n\nBut Moro told the Senate that in the Brazilian justice system -- where the investigating magistrate also later sits as a judge in the case -- \"it is not unusual for a judge to have conversations with a lawyer, a prosecutor, or the police.\"", "BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazilian Justice Minister Sergio Moro said on Wednesday that he has nothing to hide regarding allegedly leaked personal messages with prosecutors from when he was the judge leading the bribery trial that jailed former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.\n\nMoro told a Senate committee in Brasilia that some of the messages attributed to him could have been doctored and that he suspects organized crime is behind the alleged hacking. Moro said he always acted according to the law when he was overseeing the landmark “Car Wash” corruption probe."], "summary": "Another batch of text messages between Brazilian judge Sérgio Moro and Operation Car Wash's prosecutors are leaked. The messages state that Moro advised lead prosecutor Deltan Dallagnol and the other prosecutors to halt any investigations on Fernando Henrique Cardoso, former President of Brazil and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's political rival. Moro is quoted as saying the investigations would \"offend someone whose support is important\"."}
{"document": ["Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Li Ka-Shing\n\nHong Kong's richest man Li Ka-Shing has pledged to pay the tuition fees for a class of Chinese university students through his charitable foundation.\n\nThe Li Ka-Shing Foundation will fund Shantou University's 2019 incoming class for up to five years.\n\nMr Li, aged 90, is worth $30.4bn (£24.2bn) according to Forbes.\n\nLast month billionaire Robert F Smith made a similar move, saying he would pay the loans of a US college class.\n\nThe Li Ka-Shing Foundation will cover full tuition for four to five years for undergraduates, starting with the incoming class of 2019 at Shantou University, in the Guangdong province of China.\n\nThe move will cost 100m Chinese yuan ($14.4m; £11.5m) a year.\n\n\"The Foundation hopes this scheme can alleviate financial burdens for families and encourage the pursuit of personal interests and further learning to better prepare graduates for the challenges of an increasingly complex global economy,\" the foundation said in a statement.\n\n'Superman'\n\nMr Li, who has a rags-to-riches story after starting work sweeping factory floors as a young boy, was ranked 28th on Forbes rich list in 2019.\n\nHe retired from his business empire last year, handing over the reins to his eldest son Victor Li.\n\nThe Li family's CK Hutchison Holdings and CK Asset Holdings groups are involved in sectors including retail, telecoms and power.\n\nMr Li was one of the first Hong Kong tycoons to invest in mainland China, and property accounts for a big part in his wealth.\n\nThe billionaire was knighted by the UK in 2000, and earned the nickname \"Superman\" for his business and investment success.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The moment a billionaire cleared a whole class's student debt\n\nMr Li's generosity comes on the heels of a similar move by American philanthropist Robert F Smith.\n\nLast month the billionaire tech investor shocked graduating students in Atlanta, Georgia, by telling them he would pay off all of their student loans.\n\nNearly 400 students stand to benefit from the pledge to wipe out their debt, thought to be worth $40m.", "Hong Kong’s richest man Li Ka-shing has promised to pay tuition fees for a class of Chinese university students. His charitable foundation will fund Shantou University’s 2019 incoming class for up to five years. Li’s pledge will cost 100m Chinese yuan (£11.5m) a year. The 90-year old is worth $30.04bn (£23.8bn) according to Forbes.The foundation said in a statement: “The Foundation hopes this scheme can alleviate financial burdens for families and encourage the pursuit of personal interests and further learning to better prepare graduates for the challenges of an increasingly complex global economy.” Li’s move is similar to that of US billionaire Robert F Smith who said last month he would pay off the tuition debt of the 2019 class of Morehouse College. Li announced his retirement as chair of conglomerate CK Hutchison Holdings last year, passing the mantle to his son Victor Li. Li started as a factory apprentice at 13 and has been nicknamed “Superman” for his business success. He was knighted by the UK in 2000.", "Hong Kong tycoon Li Ka-shing waves goodbye to journalists after announcing his retirement as chairman of CK Hutchison Holdings Ltd at a news conference in Hong Kong, China March 16, 2018. REUTERS/Bobby Yip\n\nHong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing announced June 16 that he would fund up to 5 years of tuition for Shantou University's incoming class.\n\nBefore he retired in 2018, Li ran CK Hutchison Holdings and CK Asset Holdings, the two massive conglomerates that he built in Asia's most famous rags-to-riches story. Li now focuses on his charitable foundation, the Li Ka Shing Foundation, and has pledged one-third of his wealth to philanthropy.\n\nWhile he is no longer the richest man in Asia, the 91-year-old still ranks as the 28th-richest person in the world and has a current estimated net worth of $30.3 billion.\n\nOften called \"Superman\" and Asia's answer to Warren Buffet by the media, Li has an incredible and inspiring life story. He went from dropping out of school as a child to support his family to becoming the first person of Chinese origin to buy one of the British-built Hong Kong companies that dominated the city since its colonial days.\n\nChristi Danner contributed reporting to an earlier version of this story.", "\n• Li Ka-Shing, the richest man in Hong Kong, announced on June 16 that his foundation will cover the entire cost of the tuition for Shantou University’s incoming class for up to five years.\n• The pledge will cost him $14.4 million a year, according to the BBC.\n• Li’s announcement comes a month after American billionaire Robert F. Smith pledged to pay off the Morehouse College class of 2019’s student loans and a year after The Home Depot co-founder Ken Langone began paying the tuition of every student at NYU’s medical school.\n\nShantou University’s incoming class won’t have to pay a cent in tuition thanks to Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-Shing.\n\nThe Li Ka-Shing Foundation announced June 16 that it will cover the class’ tuition for up to five years as a part of an ongoing initiative to make higher education more accessible in China.\n\nSometimes called “Superman,” the 90-year-old billionaire has a net worth of $30.4 billion, according to Forbes, making him the wealthiest man in Hong Kong. Li, who was born in China but moved to Hong Kong in 1940 to escape a Japanese invasion, began his career as a factory worker. He built his fortune as a real-estate developer and major investor in port operator and cell phone carrier CK Hutchison Holdings. Li retired from the conglomerate in May 2018, but still serves as a senior advisor.\n\nRead more: Hong Kong’s richest man retired at 89 years old – here’s his incredible rags-to-riches life story\n\nThis is not the first time Li has worked with Shantou University. He served as the school’s honorary president before passing the torch to his son Richard Li Tzar Kai in June 2018. The school currently has 10,056 undergraduates, who are each charged $8,690 for tuition according to its website.\n\n“The Foundation hopes this scheme can alleviate financial burdens for families and encourage the pursuit of personal interests and further learning to better prepare graduates for the challenges of an increasingly complex global economy,” the Li Ka Shing Foundation said in a statement.\n\nLi’s announcement comes a month after American billionaire Robert F. Smith pledged to pay off the student loans of all 400 members of Morehouse College’s class of 2019. Last year, The Home Depot co-founder Ken Langone pledged to pay the tuition of every student at New York University’s medical school.", "It’s Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing’s turn now to support university students, a month after US tycoon Robert F. Smith vowed to pay off loans of undergraduates in an American college.\n\nThe Li Ka-shing Foundation said it will pay tuition for all undergraduates in the incoming class of 2019 for four to five years at Shantou University in Guangdong, the southern Chinese province Li came from as a refugee to Hong Kong decades ago. The foundation has committed to an annual grant of 100 million yuan ($14.5 million) to the university, it said in a June 16 statement.\n\nThe pledge by the city’s richest man, who turned a plastic flower business into a global empire spanning ports and property to telecommunications and retailing, is part of the philanthropic work his foundation has been doing globally. Since 1980, his organization has donated more than HK$25 billion ($3.2 billion) to health care, education and religious causes, most of it in the greater China region, according to its website.\n\nThe foundation has also supported reforms at Shantou University with grants of more than HK$10 billion.\n\nLi, whose net worth is about $30 billion, retired in May 2018 and handed the top position at the family-controlled conglomerate to his eldest son Victor Li. Victor has stepped in as chairman of the group’s flagship companies CK Hutchison Holdings Ltd. and CK Asset Holdings Ltd., while the father, now 90, remains a senior adviser to his business empire.\n\nThe grant comes weeks after Smith, founder of Vista Equity Partners, stunned students at Morehouse College by vowing to pay off the student loans of every member of the class of 2019. The school told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution it will cost an estimated $40 million to retire the debt of the graduating class, which totals about 400 students.", "Li Ka-Shing, who is Hong Kong's richest man, has vowed to pay an entire university class' tuition fees for the next five years.\n\nThe 90-year-old billionaire has taken the financial burden off of students' shoulders. The Li Ka-Shing Foundation will carry Shantou University's 2019 incoming class' study fees for up to 2024, BBC reported.\n\nLegit.ng learned the move will cost Ka-Shing $14.4 million (which is more than N4 billion) a year.\n\nKa-Shing is reportedly worth $30.4 billion - an estimated N10.944 billion. In a statement, the foundation said it hoped that the scheme would help lift the financial burdens for families, as well as motivate the students to focus on their studies.\n\nREAD ALSO: Regina Daniels: Video of actor schooling her on danger of cheating goes viral\n\nREAD ALSO:Personal letter from the Editor-in-Chief of Legit.ng (former NAIJ.com)\n\nAccording to reports, Ka-Shing retired from his business empire in 2018, leaving his oldest son in charge.\n\nThe family owns CK Hutchison Holdings and CK Asset Holdings, groups that operate in the retail, telecoms and power sectors.\n\nKa-Ching was not born rich; he worked as a cleaner as a young boy, sweeping the floors in a factory.\n\nMeanwhile, Nigerian macho-men can learn a few things from billionaire Bill Gates, American business magnate best recognized as the founder of Microsoft Corporation, who has been married to his lovely wife Melinda, for 25 years.\n\nIn a recent media interview, Melinda who co-founded the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the world's largest private charitable organisation with her husband in 2000, revealed the secret to their long-lasting and happy marriage.\n\nHELLO! NAIJ.com (naija.ng) upgrades to Legit.ng We keep evolving to serve our readers better.\n\nJare Ijalana: The most beautiful girl in the world is from Nigeria | Legit TV\n\nCLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM: General", "Billionaire’s foundation funds tuition fee waiver in first for Chinese university", "The Aptos High School faculty and administration are very proud of the Class of 2019. Our Aptos Mariners will be attending excellent universities and colleges, as well as pursuing futures in the military and the trades. We are proud of the hard work, diligence, and resilience demonstrated by the Class of 2019.\n\nAs always, Aptos High maintains a very high graduation rate and the efforts of this year’s graduating class was celebrated at the commencement ceremony June 6th at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds. We are proud to celebrate the following:\n\nAnd 56% of the Class of 2019 with GPAs of 3.0 or above!\n\nLastly, we are thrilled to announce the Valedictorian and Salutatorians from the Class of 2019.\n\nThese four students all have GPAs well above 4.0, combined have taken 48 AP classes, been active or leaders in many AHS clubs, competed as varsity athletes, on the Mock Trial Team or ROV Robotics Team throughout high school, and together have completed over 600 hours of service to their community and community organizations.\n\nWith pride and enthusiasm, we acknowledge their intellect, passion, and dedication. Way to go, Mariners!", "Ann Arbor — The University of Michigan is expected to set tuition rates on Thursday for the 2019-20 academic year.\n\nThe rates, approved by the Board of Regents, will affect current tuition, which is $15,262 a year.\n\nSo far, about half of the state's universities have approved tuition increases, said Daniel Hurley, CEO of the Michigan Association of State Universities.\n\nAll have stayed below the three tuition caps that have been proposed by the Michigan House and Senate, and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, as the state budget is being developed. The governor’s budget recommendation and the House set a tuition cap of 3.2% while the Senate recommended a 4.4% cap, Hurley said.\n\nTuition will be discussed Friday during the governing board meetings of Michigan State University and Wayne State University.\n\nHowever, MSU already set tuition last year when it developed a two-year budget, according to spokeswoman Emily Guerrant. Undergraduate tuition will not increase for the coming academic year."], "summary": "Li Ka-shing, \"Hong Kong's richest man\", pledges to pay, via his charitable foundation, the tuition fees of the Shantou University's 2019 incoming class for up to five years."}
{"document": ["Gain a global perspective on the US and go beyond with curated news and analysis from 600 journalists in 50+ countries covering politics, business, innovation, trends and more.", "UN: Venezuelans now file 1 in 5 of all new asylum claims\n\nLIMA, Peru (AP) — When Johan Álvarez was unable to provide more than one meal a day for his young family he knew it was time to leave Venezuela.\n\nWith his wife and infant son, the 25-year-old embarked on a lengthy journey by bus through three nations to reach Peru earlier this year.\n\nNow they are among a growing swell of Venezuelans asking to be recognized as refugees.\n\nA United Nations report released Wednesday finds that Venezuelans represent the largest group worldwide filing new asylum claims. Those fleeing the troubled South American nation made more than one in five of all asylum requests in 2018, higher than the number of claims made by people escaping Afghanistan and Syria.\n\nBut Venezuela is not in the midst of war and many foreign governments are reluctant to recognize the migrants as refugees.\n\nOn a recent overcast day in Peru's capital, Álvarez filed into a line with about a hundred other Venezuelan arrivals filing for asylum, hoping his family's tale of hunger back home would be enough to earn them refugee status.\n\n\"It's not a war of arms,\" he said. \"But it is a war of survival.\"\n\nAs Venezuela's crisis drags on, the number fleeing is rising by alarming numbers. The United Nations estimates there are now 4 million Venezuelans living abroad — a quarter of whom have fled since November. The Organization of American States estimates the number could reach 7.5 million by the end of 2020.\n\nThe widely used definition of refugee is someone who has fled his or her homeland because of persecution, war or violence. Asylum claimants typically have to show that they cannot return due to a well-founded fear of persecution because of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular group.\n\nBut a more encompassing definition in the 1984 Cartagena Declaration includes people fleeing hunger and poverty resulting from the breakdown of rule of law — conditions which a much wider group of Venezuelans are experiencing.\n\nTo date, more than 460,000 Venezuelans have sought asylum, including nearly 350,000 in 2018 alone, according to the U.N. A large number of those claims are being filed in Peru, where some 800,000 Venezuelans now reside.\n\nLast year, Peru received 192,500 claims — an astoundingly high number that has created a backlog. Just over 1,000 Venezuelans have gotten their asylum requests approved. Worldwide, only about 21,000 Venezuelans have been recognized as refugees to date.\n\nThe U.N. report released Wednesday notes the Venezuela migration crisis has increasingly taken on the \"characteristics of a refugee situation\" and says it is clear that international protection considerations \"are applicable to the majority of Venezuelans.\" Such protections could spare them from deportation.\n\n\"People fleeing Venezuela are doing so in increasingly complex circumstances,\" said Federico Agusti, the U.N. refugee agency's representative in Peru. \"It's not just a humanitarian crisis. The reason they had to leave is because their life was in danger.\"\n\nDavid Smolansky, a Venezuela opposition leader who himself escaped in a journey through the jungle of Brazil, is now the coordinator of a migrant working group led by the Washington-based Organization of American States. He has been traveling throughout the Americas encouraging nations to apply the Cartagena Declaration, which was signed by several of the Latin American nations where Venezuelans are now arriving.\n\n\"If you give them refugee status, it will guarantee protection,\" he said. \"I think it will create a commitment from the international community to cooperate more.\"\n\nAccepting a broader definition of who constitutes a refugee is particularly relevant in Colombia, where large numbers of Venezuelans have fled.\n\nDespite taking in an estimated 1.3 million Venezuelans, neighboring Colombia has received just 2,729 asylum claims, according to U.N. data. Many migrants are discouraged from applying because the process can take as long as two or three years. Others have been told only strict cases of political persecution or desertion will be acknowledged.\n\nGabriel Valles is one of those hoping his seemingly shoo-in case in Venezuela's neighboring country will be accepted.\n\nThe 32-year-old systems engineer and opposition activist spent more than two years in a Venezuelan high-security detention center run by the government's feared intelligence agency that is located five levels underground and known as \"The Tomb.\"\n\nThere were no windows and the lights were almost always kept on, he recalled.\n\nThe only way he could tell if it might be day or night was by the hum of a metro line that ran nearby. If trains were passing by more frequently, he reasoned, it must be daytime.\n\n\"I always asked myself if the people who took the Caracas metro had any idea that below them exists a place where people are jailed,\" he said.\n\nHe was transferred to another jail before being released after nearly four years behind bars, and he later applied for asylum in Colombia.\n\nValles currently has permission to work and live in the country for 90 days. Even though it can be repeatedly renewed, he said companies have been reluctant to hire him, not having any guarantee that he will have legal status for more than three months.\n\nMany of his compatriots are in even more dire straits: Over a third of Venezuelans in Colombia have no legal status, which often forces them to take low-paying and even abusive jobs on the black market.\n\n\"Venezuelans in Colombia should be treated as refugees,\" he said. \"For many reasons other than whether or not there is an armed conflict.\"\n\nSeveral nations, including Colombia, continue to forcibly remove migrants despite the dangers they might face back home, while other countries are confronting a myriad of additional issues.\n\nThe United States has received some 81,800 asylum requests from Venezuelans and President Donald Trump recently said his administration is considering granting legal temporary protective status to thousands of Venezuelans who have fled.\n\nBut Niels Frenzen, a law professor and director of the University of South California's immigration clinic, said the TPS push faces an uphill battle because of the political conundrum it creates for Trump and his tough-on-immigration stance.\n\n\"You have these opposing political desires, at least in the current U.S. government,\" he said.\n\nIn Peru, the number of asylum applications is soaring partly because it has become easier to make requests. At the border, Venezuelans can submit their documents for refugee status, which is one of the only ways they can enter after the implementation of new requirements that made it impossible to cross without a passport.\n\nFor Álvarez, applying for such status was his best option.\n\nHe said his wages working at a liquor store in Venezuela only provided his family with enough money to eat once a day in the afternoon. When his newborn son became anemic and malnourished, they decided to flee.\n\n\"I felt like my stomach was consuming itself,\" he said.\n\nA relative living abroad sent him $450 for the lengthy journey to Lima, where he now works at a candle factory. Though he earns just $329 a month, he said his family eats three times a day.\n\nReturning to Venezuela, he said, would be the equivalent of returning to a nation at war.\n\n\"The war is with those who sell food, with the hospitals, with the government,\" he said. \"I want refugee status because I'm looking for a future for my son.\"", "Despite populist rhetoric in the West, the real refugee crisis is playing out in developing countries, which hosts most of the record 70.8 million displaced people who have fled war and persecution, the United Nations said on Wednesday (June 19).\n\nHalf of the worlds forcibly displaced are children and the 2018 total is the highest in nearly 70 years, doubling that of 20 years ago, the U.N. refugee agency said in its annual flagship report, Global Trends.\n\nBut the figure is “conservative”, as it does not include most of the 4 million Venezuelans who have fled abroad since 2015, it said.\n\nThis is because Venezuelans do not need visas or to lodge asylum claims to stay in most host countries. If the outflow continues, a total of 5 million Venezuelans could have left by year-end, it added.\n\nFilippo Grandi, U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees urged for a political solution in the country.\n\nVenezuelans arriving mainly in Colombia, Peru and Ecuador formed the second biggest flow of newly displaced abroad last year, after Syrians fleeing to Turkey after eight years of war, the agency said.\n\nU.S. President Donald Trump has made reducing illegal migration along the border with Mexico one of his signature policy pledges.", "GENEVA: More than 70 million people were counted last year as displaced from their homes, a record that underestimates the real number of refugees and asylum seekers, the UN said on Wednesday.\n\nIn its annual global trends report, the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) described the figure of 70.8 million at the end of 2018 as \"conservative\", particularly because the number of people who fled Venezuela’s devastating crisis is undercounted.\n\nAt the end of 2017, by comparison, 68.5 million people were counted as being forcibly displaced by violence or persecution. The UNHCR attributed the increase partly to surging displacement in Ethiopia caused by inter-ethnic conflict, and in Venezuela, where thousands are fleeing every day amid an economic collapse that has triggered shortages of basic food and medicine.\n\nAn estimated 3.3 million people have left Venezuela since the start of 2016, according to the UN. UNHCR head Filippo Grandi told reporters in Geneva the figure of 70.8 million only includes Venezuelans who had officially applied for asylum -- roughly half a million people.\n\nOverall, the number of displaced people in the world has doubled over the last 20 years and now exceeds the population of Thailand. The trend, Grandi said, continues to go in \"the wrong direction\". According to Amnesty International, a refugee is a person who flees their home country and cannot or will not return due to conflict or fear of persecution.\n\nThe report lists 41.3 million internally displaced people (IDPs), 25.9 million refugees, and 3.5 million asylum seekers -- those awaiting a decision on their bid for official refugee protection.\n\nThe countries with the most internally displaced people -- fleeing within their own countries -- are Syria, wracked by conflict since 2011 and Colombia, plagued by decades of violence, said the UNHCR.\n\nThe group of refugees, it added, included 5.5 million Palestinians scattered across several countries, notably Lebanon and Jordan. The best solution for a refugee is to be able to return home once their country stabilises, but Grandi noted that 20 percent have been in exile for more than two decades.\n\n\"We have become almost unable to make peace,\" the UNHCR chief said. \"It is true there are new conflicts, new situations producing refugees..., but the old ones never get resolved,\" he added. \"When is the last conflict that you remember was resolved?\"\n\nThe UNHCR has at times sought to push back against the phrase \"migrant crisis\", especially as it has been applied to an influx of people into Europe via the Mediterranean sea. The agency has argued that while mass migration does pose serious challenges, it can be managed, particularly by wealthier nations. Grandi praised Germany for its acceptance of migrants and its efforts to \"demystify\" the notion that migration is unmanageable, \"even when the numbers are very big.\"", "Around 70.8 million people were forcibly displaced worldwide as a result of persecution, conflict, violence or human rights violations in 2018, according to a UN refugee agency report. This is the highest number that the UN has reported regarding the refugee crisis to date.\n\nWhile the global refugee population has exceeded the previous year's estimate by 2.3 million, this year's Global Trends report indicates that the total number of refugees worldwide exceeds the population of Thailand. It also stated that 37,000 people were forced to flee their homes every day in 2018.\n\nSimilar to last year's data, children accounted for every second refugee in the world, accounting up to half of the total refugee population in 2018. Around 111,000 children were alone and without their families. Uganda reported that around 2,800 refugee children aged five or below or separated from their families.\n\nThe report highlighted the recent political crisis in Venezuela as a major concern, according to the UN body. It cited the estimate of four million Venezuelans who have left their country and attributed it as the world's biggest current displacement crisis.\n\nMore than 67 per cent of all refugees worldwide came from five countries: Syrian Arab Republic (6.7 million), Afghanistan (2.7 million), South Sudan (2.3 million), Myanmar (1.1 million) and Somalia (0.9 million)\n\nIt revealed over half a million new refugee registrations and asylum applications had originated from the Syrian Arab Republic (Syria) in 2018. People from Venezuela accounted for the second-largest new international displacements in 2018 with 341,800 asylum applications. These were followed by Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and South Sudan as well as the massive flow of Rohingya refugees to Bangladesh at the end of 2017.\n\nAs the language around refugees and migrants are often divisive, the UN High Commissioner for Refugee Filippo Grandi said, \"generosity and solidarity by communities who are hosting a large number of refugees need to be acknowledged.\"\n\nThe report suggested that one-third of the total global refugee population (6.7 million people) were in the least developed countries while developed countries hosted 16 per cent of refugees.\n\nIn India, 195,891 refugees resided in the country with 11,967 pending cases of asylum seekers, last year.\n\nDue to the Rohingya refugee crisis, Bangladesh hosted 906,600 people from Myanmar in 2018. Other countries with sizable populations of refugees from Myanmar were Malaysia (114,200), Thailand (97,600) and India (18,800).", "More than 70 million people worldwide are fleeing war, persecution and conflict, the highest number ever recorded, according to the UN Refugee Agency.\n\nThe latest UNHCR Global Trends report warns that the number of people forcibly displaced has doubled over the past 20 years, with numbers significantly increasing from 43.3 million in 2009 to 70.8 million in 2018.\n\nWhile most of the increase has been driven by the Syrian war, conflict in other areas such as Iraq, Yemen, the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Sudan combined with the massive flow of Rohingya refugees to Bangladesh has contributed to this rise, notes the report. In Ethiopia, more than 1.5 million people became displaced last year because of ethnic clashes in the south and west of the country, most of them within their own country.\n\nBy the end of 2018, an estimated 4 million Venezuelans had fled violence, insecurity, food and medical shortages and fear of persecution in their home country. Colombia and Peru have accepted the highest number of Venezuelans but many have also travelled to Brazil, Ecuador, Chile and the Caribbean islands. An estimated 5,000 people continue to leave the country each day while 5 million are expected to have left by the end of 2019, UNHCR has warned.\n\nForcibly displaced people are made up of three groups – refugees, asylum seekers and internally displaced people, those displaced within their own country.\n\nThe number of refugees worldwide grew by 500,000 in 2018 to 25.9 million people, the highest number ever recorded. A refugee is a person who is forced to flee their country because of conflict, war or persecution. Nearly half the world’s refugees are children while an estimated 111,000 are alone and without their families.\n\nMore than two-thirds of the world’s refugees come from just five countries – Syria (6.7 million) followed by Afghanistan (2.7 million), South Sudan (2.3 million), Myanmar (1.1 million) and Somalia (900,000).\n\nThe world’s poorest countries hosted one-third of all refugees worldwide in 2018 compared with countries in the developed world where 16 per cent of refugees live, underlines the report. For the fourth consecutive year Turkey hosted the largest number of refugees worldwide with 3.7 million people residing within its borders. It was followed by Pakistan (1.4 million); Uganda (1.2 million); Sudan (1.1 million) and Germany (1.1 million). In Lebanon, where the overall population is just over 6 million, one in six people in the country are refugees.\n\nAccording to the report, just 593,800 refugees were able to return home in 2018, less than 3 per cent of the refugee population.\n\nAsylum seekers – people who live outside their country of origin and are receiving protection but are awaiting the outcome of their claim to refugee status – made 1.7 million claims for protection in 2018 with the United States the largest recipient of individual applications.\n\nThe US was followed by Peru where 192,500 (predominantly Venezuelans) applied for asylum; Germany (161,900); France (114,500); and Turkey (83,800). By the end of 2018 about 3.5 million people were waiting a decision on their asylum application.", "At least 80 Venezuelans have lost their lives or went missing after three boats capsized in the Caribbean Sea during the months of April and May, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said in a press release on Tuesday\n\nUNITED NATIONS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th June, 2019) At least 80 Venezuelans have lost their lives or went missing after three boats capsized in the Caribbean Sea during the months of April and May , the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said in a press release on Tuesday.\n\n\"More than 80 Venezuelans have died or disappeared in the Caribbean Sea the past two months in three shipwrecks reported by NTN24 and other media outlets and confirmed by the Venezuelan authorities,\" the release said.\n\nThe IOM said in the release that an estimated 51 to 67 Venezuelans disappeared on April 23 and May 16 after two boats heading toward Trinidad and Tobago capsized.\n\nIn addition, at least 21 Venezuelans went missing after a third boat heading to Curacao disappeared on June 8, the IOM added.\n\nThe IOM explained that relatives of the missing testified the trips had been organized by smugglers who utilize boats that surpass their transport capacity and are likely to capsize.\n\nThe United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said earlier in the month that some four million Venezuelans have left the country.\n\nOf the nearly four million citizens who have left Venezuela as a result of the political and economic crisis in the country, some 110,000 of them reside in the Caribbean region, according to the IOM.", "Geneva: Developing countries, not rich Western nations, are bearing the brunt of the world's refugee crisis and are hosting most of the record 70.8 million displaced people who have fled war and persecution, the United Nations said on Wednesday.\n\nThe 2018 total is the highest in nearly 70 years and sadly, half of the world's forcibly displaced are children, the UN refugee agency said in its annual flagship report, Global Trends.\n\nBut the global figure, which comprises 25.9 million refugees, 41.3 million people uprooted within their homelands, and 3.5 million asylum-seekers, is \"conservative\", it said.\n\nThat is because it does not include most of the 4 million Venezuelans who have fled abroad since 2015 as they do not need visas or to lodge asylum claims to stay in most host countries. If the outflow continues, a total of 5 million Venezuelans could have left by year-end, it said.", "More than 70 million people were displaced from their homes as of the end of 2018 ― the highest number recorded by the United Nations Refugee Agency, UNHCR.\n\nIn a report released Wednesday, the U.N. refugee agency put the number of those who have been uprooted by war, persecution and other factors at 70.8 million ― twice as many as 20 years ago and over 2 million more than in 2017.\n\nThe new figure included nearly 26 million refugees, about 41 million people “internally displaced” ― forced to leave their homes but still living within their country’s borders ― and 3.5 million asylum seekers or people awaiting decisions on their application for sanctuary in another country.\n\n“What we are seeing in these figures is further confirmation of a longer-term rising trend in the number of people needing safety from war, conflict and persecution,” U.N. high commissioner for refugees Filippo Grandi said in a news release.\n\nHe noted that the “language around refugees and migrants” is “often divisive,” and urged the world’s nations to “redouble our solidarity with the many thousands of innocent people who are forced to flee their homes each day.”\n\nVenezuelans wait to pass immigration control at the Ecuador-Peru border -- late last week. Economic and political turmoil in Venezuela has spurred en exodic from that country -- contributing to the world's overall displacement trend.\n\nSyrians were again the largest population of displaced people, with 13 million people displaced by the country’s years-long war, according to the UNHCR report.\n\nMore than 3 million Venezuelans also were displaced as of last year amid the country’s economic and political crisis ― the biggest exodus in the region’s recent history, per UNHCR.\n\nAs in previous years, the U.S. received the largest number of asylum applicants of any country in 2018, with more than 250,000 such claims ― about half of which were made by people from Central America and Mexico.\n\nUnder the Trump administration’s recent “remain in Mexico” policy, thousands of asylum seekers looking for safety in the U.S. have been forced to wait in Mexico as their claims are processed. Advocates have raised concerns about the dangerous conditions in border cities such as Tijuana and Ciudad Juárez, where more asylum seekers will now have to wait.\n\n“Any human being that claims to be fleeing from war, conflict and persecution certainly has a right to have his or her story heard, and must be allowed to access safe territory and efficient asylum procedures that are fair,” UNHCR spokesperson Christopher Boian told HuffPost, speaking about the broader issue of record numbers of displaced people worldwide.\n\n“If you want to contemplate if this has major implications for the future of humanity, consider that fact,” he said. “This will have repercussions for a long time to come.”", "The UN high commissioner for refugees' yearly Global Trends report found that 71 million people were forcibly displaced at the end of 2018 - the highest number in the organisation's almost 70-year history.\n\nIt was an increase of more than two million from the previous year and an overall total that would amount to the world's 20th most populous country.\n\nAlmost two-thirds of those uprooted from their homes were internally displaced people who have not left their homelands, the UNHCR said.\n\nLaunching the report in Berlin on Wednesday, the high commissioner, Filippo Grandi, said the new figures are \"worrying\".\n\nOf the 25.9 million refugees, nearly 20 percent were Palestinians under the care of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency.\n\nAbout 13.6 million people were newly displaced in 2018 - including 2.8 million who sought protection abroad and 10.8 million who were left in their own countries, according to the UNHCR."], "summary": "The UN predicts that over five million Venezuelans, over 15% of the nation's population, will have left the country by the end of 2019 since the start of the crisis in Venezuela—the total at the end of 2018 was 3.3 million. One million have left the country since November, with a daily average of 5,000 departures. Additionally, over 20% of all worldwide UN asylum requests are from Venezuelans; 350,000 applied in 2018 alone."}
{"document": ["Millions of people are turning to water tank trucks in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu as house and hotel taps run dry because of an acute water shortage caused by drying lakes and depleted groundwater.\n\nState Rural Development Minister S.P. Velumani said on Wednesday that the drought followed a 62 per cent shortfall in monsoon rains last year compared to 2017.\n\nPeople are lining up for water cans in the state capital, Chennai.\n\nHotels in the southeastern city of 4.6 million are rationing water for guests amid searing heat.\n\nA shepherd walks with his livestock at the dried out Puzhal reservoir on the outskirts of Chennai. Water levels in the city's four main reservoirs have fallen to some of their lowest levels in decades. (Arun Sankar/AFP/Getty Images)\n\nAll four reservoirs that supply Chennai, known as the Detroit of south Asia for its flourishing automobile industry, have run dry this summer, largely because of poor monsoon rains last year.\n\nChennai is one of 21 cities that a government think-tank warned last year could run out of ground water by 2020. This year's monsoon is delayed, further compounding problems across a swath of western and central India.\n\nWater storage levels in the city's four major reservoirs were one-hundredth of what they were this time last year — and at a mere 0.2 per cent of capacity, according to state government data.\n\nPeople in New Delhi are also being forced to rely on tankers delivering water amid a searing heat wave. (Anushree Fadnavis/Reuters)\n\nSome companies have asked employees to work from home. Some restaurants are closing early and even considering not serving lunch if the water scarcity worsens.\n\nGauri Shankar, general manager of Hotel Deccan Plaza in Chennai, said two tank trucks bring water to the hotel every day from a town 60 kilometres away at a cost of 4,000 rupees ($76) each.\n\n\"Even a water tanker is proving difficult to get in the city. We are getting our supply because we entered into a contract with a supplier in September as the water taps started going dry,\" Shankar said by phone.\n\nWomen fetch water from an opening made by residents at a dried-up lake in Chennai. (P. Ravikumar/Reuters)\n\nTop elected official K. Palaniswami said the state has diminishing groundwater supplies and has asked other states for spare water until October's monsoon rains.\n\nMonsoons reach different parts of India at different times.\n\nNorthern and eastern India have experienced heat waves with temperatures soaring to 48 Celsius amid a delayed monsoon. At least 90 people have died due to heat stroke in the eastern state of Bihar since June, according to the state disaster management department.\n\nThis year's monsoon arrived in the southern state of Kerala a week late and slowly started moving to other parts of country.\n\nIndia is facing a 43 per cent shortfall in monsoon rains across the country because of its late arrival, according to the India Meteorological Department.\n\nMeteorologists said monsoon rains usually cover two-thirds of the country by mid-June. However, they currently have reached less than half that area. But the monsoon's progress is expected to pick up in the next 10 days.", "\n• Chennai, India’s sixth largest city, is suffering from an acute water storage after a historic drought. Many of the region’s reservoirs are almost completely dry.\n• Residents have been forced to line up for hours for tanked-in water or have attempted to collect water from holes dug in lake beds.\n• Satellite images and photos on the ground have captured what it’s like living through the drought and its effect on the city’s water supplies.\n\nResidents of Chennai (formerly Madras) in southern India are running out of water.\n\nSince 2017, due to low rainfall and a failed monsoon season, nearly all of Chennai’s four major water bodies are drying up, India Today reported.\n\nThe crisis means that the majority of Chennai has depended heavily on water trucked in by the government.\n\nThese photos show the effects of the drought from the sky and on the ground for the over 6 million people who live in the area.\n\nChennai is in crisis after its four main water reservoirs ran completely dry. Drought has been an issue in the area for years, but conditions have gotten dire in the last few months.\n\nOn June 14, the Puzhal reservoir on Chennai’s outskirts dried out. This tower measures the amount of water in the reservoir.\n\nIn 2018 before the drought, this was the size of the Puzhal reservoir.\n\nBut during the drought it looked like this. The Copernicus Sentinel satellite captured this image on June 15, 2019.\n\nSome restaurants and dozens of hotels were forced to temporary close due to the lack of water. Chennai’s water authority cut the entire city’s piped water supply by 40%.\n\nThousands of people were forced to wait in line for hours every day so they could fill cans and containers with water.\n\nAnd it wasn’t just Puzhal that was affected. Here is Chembarambakkam Lake in 2018.\n\nAnd here it is on July 20, 2019.\n\nResidents even tried to get any water they could from openings in dried up lake beds.\n\nOr used muddy water from the dregs of Chennai’s reservoirs.\n\nThe drying out of Chennai’s lakes and surrounding bodies of water caused a buildup of dead fish.\n\nOn June 20, it finally began to rain. But according to a 2018 government think tank report, more than 600 million people face “acute” water shortages, and 21 Indian cities, including Chennai, are likely to run out of groundwater by 2020.", "Millions of people are turning to water tank trucks in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu as house and hotel taps run dry in an acute water shortage caused by drying lakes and depleted groundwater.\n\nState Rural Development Minister S.P. Velumani said Wednesday that the drought follows a 62% shortfall in monsoon rains last year compared to 2017.\n\nPeople are lining up for water cans in the state capital of Chennai.\n\nTop elected official K. Palaniswami said the state has diminishing groundwater supplies and has asked other states for spare water until October's monsoon rains.\n\nMonsoons reach different parts of India at different times.\n\nNorthern and eastern India have experienced heatwaves with temperatures soaring to 48 Celsius (118 Fahrenheit) amid a delayed monsoon.", "With a historic drought underway in neighbouring India, the fear that Pakistan will face a similar situation soon is very real. Hundreds of villages in India have been evacuated after temperatures in Delhi hit 48C. Up to 90 percent of those living in villages just 250 miles from India’s commercial capital, Mumbai, have been left deserted as well, as hand pumps and tubewells have run dry. Three-fourths of the crops cultivated in Karnataka and Maharashtra have been hit by drought and crop failure. Officials say that the situation is worse than the 1972 famine that affected 25 million people in the state. Water tankers have been supplying water to villages to keep life going, but one must wonder for how long that can continue. It is estimated that 43 percent of India was experiencing drought by the end of May. There is no water left in 35 major dams while water levels are below 8 percent in 1,000 smaller dams. Groundwater, which provides 40 percent of India’s water, is depleting so fast that 21 major cities in that country could run out of water by 2020.\n\nIs what is happening across the border a scenario that Pakistan is moving headfirst into? There is little doubt that Pakistan too has been facing a water crisis for decades. Hydrologists claim that Pakistan’s groundwater level is falling a meter every year due to extraction for drinking and for agriculture. Falling water tables is a situation that we need to avoid at all costs. Groundwater is the final defence in the face of any fall in rainfall, and long periods of drought. Instead, we have a situation where the groundwater we have is being polluted by untreated sewage. Pakistan is reported to have the world’s fourth largest groundwater aquifer, which can be a permanent defence against drought, but instead the country contributes to nine percent of the global use of groundwater. This means that the Indus Basin aquifer is the second most ‘overstressed’ groundwater basis in the world.\n\nGroundwater provides 60 percent of the water requirement in agriculture, 90 percent for drinking use and 100 percent in industry. What this essentially means is that Pakistan is estimated to be removing 10 bcm more groundwater than is being replenished each year. Much of the problem is down to poor irrigation management, where over 60 percent water is lost in the application process. There appears to be no framework or laws to deal with the extraction of groundwater in Pakistan, despite the fact that the National Water Policy 2018 committed to passing laws on the use of groundwater. In Pakistan, the signs of water stress are everywhere. Pakistan needs to act before we get to a position like that of India’s, where entire villages have been evacuated to save them from drought.", "\n• Chennai, India's sixth largest city, is suffering from an acute water storage after a historic drought. Many of the region's reservoirs are almost completely dry.\n• Residents have been forced to line up for hours for tanked-in water or have attempted to collect water from holes dug in lake beds.\n• Satellite images and photos on the ground have captured what it's like living through the drought and its effect on the city's water supplies.\n\nResidents of Chennai (formerly Madras) in southern India are running out of water.\n\nSince 2017, due to low rainfall and a failed monsoon season, nearly all of Chennai's four major water bodies are drying up, India Today reported.\n\nThe crisis means that the majority of Chennai has depended heavily on water trucked in by the government.\n\nThese photos show the effects of the drought from the sky and on the ground for the over 6 million people who live in the area.", "More than 600 million people dependent on agriculture have been adversely affected by drought conditions across swathes of India.\n\nSoaring temperatures since early June, averaging about 45 degrees, have stifled most of the country, while the progress of the annual monsoon rains, which normally bring relief from the searing heat and are a vital source of water, has been the slowest in 12 years.\n\nAn estimated 43 per cent of the country is affected by drought.\n\nAccording to countrywide news reports, hundreds of villages and small towns in states including Uttar Pradesh in the east, Rajasthan and Maharashtra in the west and Andhra Pradesh in southern India are surrounded by parched farmland and have been deserted.\n\nThe country’s meteorological department predicts a deficient monsoon that in all likelihood may not be able to resuscitate some 91 life-sustaining reservoirs across India, where water levels in some cases are hovering at about 30 per cent capacity.\n\nThe federal government, however, has played down reports of water shortages. Addressing a press conference in New Delhi on Monday, water resources minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat said media reports of the water crisis were exaggerated.\n\nHe said there was adequate water in dams and reservoirs in the northern Himalayan state of Himachal Pradesh and the crisis was “not as bad as created by the media”.\n\nBut the reality is starkly at variance with the minister’s assessment and palpably evident everywhere else. Cities have seen queues of people with plastic drums, buckets, kitchen utensils and empty bottles at municipal water distribution points.\n\nA recent report by the National Institute for Transforming India, or NITI Aayog, headed by prime minister Narendra Modi, said that 21 cities, including Delhi, Bangalore and Chennai, are expected to run out of groundwater by 2020.\n\n“Critical groundwater resources that account for 40 per cent of India’s water supply are being depleted at unsustainable rates,” the NITI Aayog analysis warned.\n\nIt affirmed that climate change, deficient rainfall, extended summers and rising populations across India were collectively making it impossible for urban municipalities to meet rising water demands.\n\nThe NITI Aayog report also forecast that by 2030 India’s water requirements would double and the resultant water scarcity could trim 6 per cent off its annual gross domestic product. It would also seriously affect food security.\n\nThe southern city of Chennai – formerly Madras – is at present the worst afflicted by the water crisis. The port city, which is India’s sixth largest, with a population of about 5 million, requires 800 million litres of water daily, but is able to provide only 525 million – and that too is reducing rapidly.\n\nMany of its private offices have asked their employees to work from home until they figure out ways to mitigate the water scarcity, whilst numerous small hotels and restaurants have temporarily shut down.\n\n“Chennai is now in panic mode,” city resident Syed Altaf told the NDTV news channel on Tuesday. It took at least four days to get access to a water tanker now, whereas earlier it had taken just a few hours, he added.\n\nFarming activist Devinder Sharma said decades of unplanned exploitation of groundwater resources and poor monsoon rains in consecutive years had turned vast portions of central and western India into an arid dust bowl. He predicted that the agriculturally rich northern Punjab state too would become a “desert region” within two decades, if exploitation of underground water resources continued at the prevailing rate.", "Millions of people are turning to water tank trucks in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu as house and hotel taps run dry because of an acute water shortage caused by drying lakes and depleted groundwater.\n\nState Rural Development Minister S.P. Velumani said on Wednesday that the drought followed a 62% shortfall in monsoon rains last year compared to 2017.\n\nPeople are lining up for water cans in the state capital of Chennai.\n\nSome companies have asked employees to work from home. Some restaurants are closing early and even considering not serving lunch if the water scarcity worsens.\n\nGauri Shankar, general manager of Hotel Deccan Plaza in Chennai, said two tank trucks bring water to the hotel every day from a town 60 kilometers (40 miles) away at a cost of 4,000 rupees ($57) each.\n\n“Even a water tanker is proving difficult to get in the city. We are getting our supply because we entered into a contract with a supplier in September as the water taps started going dry,” Shankar said by phone.\n\nChennai is India’s sixth-largest city with an estimated population of 10 million. It is a major destination for medical tourism, and Tamil Nadu state is a car manufacturing hub.\n\nTop elected official K. Palaniswami said the state has diminishing groundwater supplies and has asked other states for spare water until October’s monsoon rains.\n\nMonsoons reach different parts of India at different times.\n\nNorthern and eastern India have experienced heatwaves with temperatures soaring to 48 Celsius (118 Fahrenheit) amid a delayed monsoon. At least 90 people have died due to heat stroke in the eastern state of Bihar since June, according to the state disaster management department.\n\nThis year’s monsoon arrived in the southern state of Kerala a week late and slowly started moving to other parts of country.\n\nIndia is facing a 43% shortfall in monsoon rains across the country because of its late arrival, according to the India Meteorological Department.\n\nMeteorologists said monsoon rains usually cover two-thirds of the country by mid-June. However, they currently have reached less than half that area. But the monsoon’s progress is expected to pick up in the next 10 days.", "Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Tuesday accused the media of “creating an illusion” of water scarcity in the state, even as the Madras High Court criticised his government for alleged mismanagement of water resources.\n\nPalaniswami said the state is largely dependent on groundwater to meet its requirements till the onset of the northeast monsoon in October. He said drought and deficient monsoon had depleted groundwater levels but claimed that the problem was not as big as it was being made out, PTI reported.\n\nHe said people should understand the situation and cooperate. “The media should not create an illusion of water scarcity using some stray incidents,” Palaniswami said. “All steps are being taken to supply water. The severe drought and deficient monsoon [in the previous years] has led to depletion in groundwater levels. But drinking water is being supplied through tankers. People are using this water to even wash clothes.”\n\nPalaniswami claimed that steps were being taken to ensure the supply of drinking water in Chennai with efforts to augment it from Veeranam lake in Cuddalore district.\n\nMeanwhile, the Madras High Court asked the state government to give a detailed report about the number of lakes and reservoirs in the state, PTI reported. The court was hearing a petition seeking the removal of encroachments in the feeding channel from Palar river to Udayendram lake in Vellore.\n\nThe court asked authorities for details of the steps taken for the removal of encroachments. The bench also noted that lakes had become smaller because of encroachment of some water bodies.\n\nThe court said that the water scarcity in the state did not happen in a day and that the government knew very well that this was coming, The News Minute reported. The judges said zero water management efforts were made by the government.\n\nTamil Nadu and its capital Chennai are faced with an acute water crisis that has triggered instances of violence and has forced establishments to find new ways to conserve water. The Porur Lake in Chennai, which is considered one of the main sources of water for the city, is almost at its lowest-ever level and the Chennai Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board is now banking on water from desalination plants and stone quarries in Kanchipuram district, India Today reported.\n\nThe water crisis has affected almost every sector, including information technology, hospitals and restaurants. Some IT companies in Chennai have asked employees to work from home, The News Minute reported last week. At some IT offices, bathrooms only on alternate floors are operational. Hospitals have also been trying to conserve water by postponing non-essential surgeries. Several hotels in the city have decided to not serve meals for lunch to reduce the use of water, according to The Hindu.", "A government-backed report has announced that the India is suffering from the worst water crisis in its history.\n\nDemand is growing, but supply is running short. Experts predict that 21 cities will run out of groundwater supply by 2020 — that includes Delhi, which is home to nearly 19 million people.\n\nMeanwhile, the water that is available is often contaminated by chemicals or other pollution.\n\nCities are growing quickly, and infrastructure to deliver sanitation is lagging behind population growth. The country's growing agricultural sector is also a problem, sucking up drinkable water for crops and farm animals.\n\nMeanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has promised that piped water will reach all Indian households by 2024. He made the announcement on Saturday among a slew of other promises off the back of his convincing re-election victory in May.\n\n\"There are multiple causes, both climate and anthropogenic, and it's important to remember that both of those are important,\" said Veena Srinivasan, a fellow at Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment where she leads the Water, Land and Society Programme. She spoke to Good Morning Europe on Tuesday.\n\n\"Of course, the drought itself is caused by a deficit in precipitation, and climate change certainly has something to do with the changing precipitation patterns. But I think it's important for us to realise as a country that we can't absolve ourselves from the crisis that we ourselves have precipitated with mismanagement, and specifically by overextracting groundwater. One of the things that the Green Revolution did was to make groundwater a possibility for millions of Indian farmers, and then allow them to rise out of poverty. But what we didn't put in place was controls to make sure it wasn't overextracted, which is why we now have a crisis when in years when we don't have precipitation to fall back on.\"\n\nCape Town experienced a highly publicised water crisis in the middle of 2017, that saw severe water restrictions imposed. But it's difficult to compare one crisis to another, says Srinivasan.\n\n\"Drought in general is a problem globally. What has happened in a lot of the western countries is they aren't dependent on agriculture for their economies and for a large fraction of their population. It's still the developing world where agriculture is the major mainstay of the vast majority of the population in terms of livelihood. And so what happens in a lot of the developed world, is when there's a drought, you're able to displace the crisis by importing fruits and vegetables from other parts of the world that may not currently be suffering from drought. And so, you hear a lot about Europe buying asparagus from South America, for example. But I think that's very different from India, where even if wealthier people were able to buy imported grain and vegetables, the larger problem is what do you do with 600 million people whose way of life and income depends on groundwater which has now disappeared.\"\n\nThe estimate of 600 million farmers in India is the equivalent of 50 per cent of the country's entire population, creating a cycle of water use and water shortage that puts the entire system at risk.\n\n\"We need to remember that 70 per cent of farmers and 600 million people are dependent on agriculture for a way of life. And without rain and without irrigation, there is no livelihood for 600 million people. And that could precipitate a major crisis, both in terms of security and conflict, but also what are 600 million people going to do if there's nothing for them to do in villages? And so I think that we cannot understate the severity and the magnitude of this crisis.\"", "FLAGSTAFF (AP) — Arizona is out of drought for the first time in nearly 10 years.\n\nThe mosaics of yellow, orange and red that highlight the location and intensity of drought in Arizona disappeared this past week from the U.S. Drought Monitor, a map produced by the National Drought Migration Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.\n\nAnd while that sounds promising, experts said it’s not a sign that all is well with water in the state or that people aren’t grappling with long-term drying trends.\n\n“For meteorologists, that’s a statement of where we are now, but it’s not a statement of the future, of where we’re going,” said Brian Klimowski, who heads the National Weather Service in Flagstaff. “It looks like we’re headed in a good direction and should maintain the status for a while, but the weather can be quite fickle.”\n\nThe map is updated every Thursday, factoring in precipitation, temperatures and impacts on the land from the week before.\n\nNationwide, about 4% of the U.S. is in moderate to extreme drought, one of the smallest footprints since the drought monitor was created 20 years ago. Conditions across much of the West also have improved over the past year.\n\nNevada and Utah are free of drought. New Mexico has improved, but still has a large pocket of moderate, long-term drought along the western part of the state. Some ranchers in eastern New Mexico reported hauling water for livestock and poorer conditions for crops and pasture grass.\n\nAbove-average snow and rainfall, along with cooler temperatures into the spring helped lift Arizona out of short-term drought. Reservoirs that people rely on for drinking water and recreation have been rising quickly. Still, the melting mountain snowpack won’t fill all of them, including Lake Mead on the Arizona-Nevada border that both states heavily rely on for drinking water and agriculture.\n\nCity planners, federal and tribal governments and ranchers use the map to respond to drought or determine who is eligible for drought relief. It doesn’t give an indication of long-term water supplies.\n\nThe latest map is a stark change from this time last year when all of Arizona was in drought, most of it in the two most severe categories. Back then, dozens of horses died after getting stuck in a muddy stock pond in search of water on the Navajo Nation. The U.S. Forest Service also had banned the public from large swaths of four forests to lessen the chance of big wildfires.\n\nNow, most of Arizona remains free of restrictions on campfires, smoking and target shooting. The Tonto National Forest east of metro Phoenix is the exception, implementing the first stage of restrictions last week, while a 63-square-mile wildfire is burning.\n\nThe drought conditions should hold until heavy rain starts falling next month during the monsoon season, said state climatologist Nancy Selover.\n\n“It’s cause for celebration because it means the wildlife situation on the rangeland is doing better at this point, the forest is still wet so there’s probably a little less danger for wildfires,” she said. “So we’re hopeful we’ll get another wet winter.”\n\nBut experts still are advising caution.\n\n“For one thing, the Southwest U.S. is a desert,” said Richard Heim, a meteorologist with the NOAA. “You don’t want to waste any water at any time.”\n\nThe last time Arizona was free of drought on the map was in late 2000 and into 2002, followed by an intense period of drought. More than one-third of Arizona was in extreme drought — the second-highest level — in July 2002. The state’s longest stretch of drought was from August 2009 until last week, according to the drought monitor.\n\nA small portion of the Navajo Nation in northeastern Arizona, representing less than 5% of the state, remains abnormally dry."], "summary": "Millions of people in southeast India face water shortages due to drought and depleted groundwater."}
{"document": ["By Mari Yamaguchi\n\nThe requested article has expired, and is no longer available. Any related articles, and user comments are shown below.\n\n© Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.", "TOKYO - The Japanese coast guard says its patrol boats have been pushing back hundreds of North Korean boats trying to poach in fishing grounds rich with squid off Japan’s northern coast.\n\nCoast Guard officials said Tuesday they have forced more than 300 North Korean boats out of Japan’s exclusive economic zone near Yamatotai since May.", "The Japanese coast guard says its patrol boats have been pushing back hundreds of North Korean boats trying to poach in fishing grounds rich with squid off Japan's northern coast.\n\nCoast Guard officials said Tuesday they have forced more than 300 North Korean boats out of Japan's exclusive economic zone near Yamatotai since May.\n\nThe patrol boats used water cannons on 50 North Korean boats that ignored warnings.\n\nCoast Guard footage obtained Tuesday showed North Korean crewmen on a wooden boat abandon a fishing rope after being sprayed water.\n\nJapanese authorities have stepped up patrols in the area as North Korean poaching has surged in recent years.\n\nExperts say Pyongyang's campaign to boost fish harvests has increased poaching by North Korean boats.", "TOKYO (AP) - The Japanese coast guard says its patrol boats have been pushing back hundreds of North Korean boats trying to poach in fishing grounds rich with squid off Japan's northern coast.\n\nCoast Guard officials said Tuesday they have forced more than 300 North Korean boats out of Japan's exclusive economic zone near Yamatotai since May.\n\nThe patrol boats used water cannons on 50 North Korean boats that ignored warnings.\n\nCoast Guard footage obtained Tuesday showed North Korean crewmen on a wooden boat abandon a fishing rope after being sprayed water.\n\nJapanese authorities have stepped up patrols in the area as North Korean poaching has surged in recent years.\n\nExperts say Pyongyang's campaign to boost fish harvests has increased poaching by North Korean boats.\n\nIn this late May, 2019, image from video provided by Japan Coast Guard, Japan Coast Guard patrol boat sprays water to a North Korean fishing boat after the fishing boat didn't ignore the warning to evacuate in the waters near Yamatotai, Japan. Japanese Coast Guard says its patrol boats have been pushing back hundreds of North Korean poachers swarming toward fishing grounds off Japan's northern coast.(Japan Coast Guard via AP)\n\nIn this late May, 2019, photo provided by Japan Coast Guard, Japan Coast Guard patrol vessel approaches a North Korean fishing boat to warn them to leave the waters near Yamatotai, Japan. Coast Guard officials said Tuesday, June 18, they have forced more than 300 North Korean poachers out of Japan's exclusive economic zone since May near Yamatotai rich with squid. (Japan Coast Guard via AP)\n\nThis late May, 2019, photo provided by Japan Coast Guard shows two North Korean fishing boats leaving the waters near Yamatotai, Japan. Coast Guard officials said Tuesday, June 18, they have forced more than 300 North Korean poachers out of Japan's exclusive economic zone since May near Yamatotai rich with squid. (Japan Coast Guard via AP)", "The Japanese coast guard said Tuesday its patrol boats have been pushing back hundreds of North Korean boats trying to poach in fishing grounds rich with squid off Japan's northern coast.\n\nMore than 300 North Korean boats have been forced out of Japan's exclusive economic zone near Yamatotai since May, the coast guard said in a statement.\n\nThe Japanese patrol boats also used water cannons on 50 North Korean boats that ignored warnings.\n\nCoast guard footage showed North Korean crewmen on a wooden boat abandon a fishing rope after being sprayed water.\n\nJapanese authorities have stepped up patrols in the area as North Korean poaching has surged in recent years.\n\nExperts say the growing number of poachers may be related Pyongyang's campaign to boost fish harvests to obtain dietary protein as the nation struggles to achieve food self-sufficiency and to overcome health problems caused by poor diets. To reach their quotas, fishermen from the North may be taking more risks and venturing farther from their usual waters, often violating Japan's 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone, experts say.\n\nFisheries officials have said they believe that scores of dilapidated wooden boats that have washed ashore in northern Japan in a seasonal influx in recent years could be part of those poachers that fail to return home due to accidents or bad weather.\n\nA record 225 of the so-called \"ghost boats\" washed up on northern Japanese coasts last year, more than twice the number recorded in the previous year, according to the coast guard.\n\n© Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.", "The Japanese coast guard revealed on Tuesday they have pushed out over 300 North Korean fishing boats attempting to poach squid from within their territorial waters.\n\nCoast guard officials said in a statement that as many as 300 North Korean vessels have been identified and pushed out from within Japanese fishing waters since May. In around 50 cases, Japanese patrol boats deployed water cannons against boats that ignored warnings.\n\nAll the reported incidents took place within the 200-square mile Yamatotai fishing region off of Japan’s northern coast, famous for its rich squid population that drives Japan’s fishing industry.\n\nCoast guard officials confirmed that another 225 abandoned North Korean vessels had washed ashore onto Japanese beaches last year, likely a result of accidents or bad weather.\n\nThe Japanese coast guard has been forced to increase the number of territorial water patrols in recent years amid a surge in North Korean poaching. Experts believe the surge in poaching is likely an effort by Pyongyang to boost their food harvests to help feed a population that remains chronically malnourished.\n\nA United Nations report released last month warned that North Korea’s economy remained in dire shape as a result of crippling U.S.-led sanctions, leaving citizens to bribe regime officials in order to access basic living essentials. The communist regime strictly regulates the food supply to ensure that those highest in the nation’s songbun caste system do not experience declines in their quality of life, at the expense of everyone else in the country.\n\n“The rights to food, health, shelter, work, freedom of movement and liberty are universal and inalienable, but in North Korea, they depend primarily on the ability of individuals to bribe State officials,” said Michelle Bachelet, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, in her report.\n\nA recent joint report by the U.N. and the World Food Program found that the communist state had been forced to cut food rations after experiencing its worst harvest in ten years.\n\n“This new food security assessment…has found that following the worst harvest in 10 years, due to dry spells, heat waves and flooding, 10.1 million people suffer from severe food insecurity, meaning they do not have enough food till the next harvest,” said WFP spokesman Herve Verhoosel.\n\nBoth reports were angrily rejected by Pyongyang, who described them as “politically motivated for sinister purposes”.\n\n“Such reports are nothing more than fabrication … as they are always based on the so-called testimonies of ‘defectors’ who provide fabricated information to earn their living or are compelled to do so under duress or enticement,” North Korean officials said in a statement.\n\nFollow Ben Kew on Facebook, Twitter at @ben_kew, or email him at bkew@breitbart.com"], "summary": "The Japanese coast guard says its patrol boats have been pushing back hundreds of North Korean boats trying to poach in fishing grounds rich with squid off Japan's northern coast."}
{"document": ["(CNN) Four people will be charged with murder and causing the crash of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, five years after the plane was shot down in eastern Ukraine killing 298 people, international investigators said Wednesday.\n\nThe Joint Investigation Team (JIT) said it would issue national and international arrest warrants for the four suspects. Three Russians, Igor Girkin, Sergey Dubinskiy and Oleg Pulatov, were named, along with Ukrainian Leonid Kharchenko.\n\nThe flight was on its way from Amsterdam to the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur in July 2014, when it was shot out of the sky over territory held by pro-Russian separatists.\n\nAccording to investigators, Girkin is a former colonel of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB), Dubinskiy was employed by Russia's military intelligence agency GRU and Pulatov was a former soldier of the Russian special forces, Spetsnaz-GRU.\n\nUkraine's Kharchenko had no military background, but is believed to have led a combat unit in Donetwsk in July 2014.\n\nRead More", "Three Russians and one Ukrainian to stand trial for murder in Netherlands over shooting down of MH17 flight", "FILE – In this Tuesday, Oct. 13, 2015 file photo, the reconstructed wreckage of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 is put on display during a press conference in Gilze-Rijen, central Netherlands. Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 broke up high over Eastern Ukraine killing all 298 people on board. Any suspects in the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight 17 over Ukraine in 2014 will be prosecuted in the Netherlands, the Dutch government announced Wednesday July 5, 2017. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, File)\n\nTHE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The Latest on the probe into the downing of flight MH17 (all times local):\n\nDutch National Police chief Wilbert Paulissen says three Russians and one Ukrainian have been charged with murder over the downing of flight MH17 in July 2014 with the loss of 298 lives.\n\nHe identified Russians Igor Girkin, Sergei Dubinsky and Oleg Pulatov, along with Ukrainian Leonid Kharchenko, as suspects in the downing of the plane, and announced that their trial would start in March 2020.\n\nAll passengers and crew on board the flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur were killed on July 17, 2014, when a missile shattered the Boeing 777 in midair sending debris and bodies raining down onto farms and fields of sunflowers.\n\nThe mother of one of the victims says at least four suspects are to be tried for murder over the 2014 downing of Malaysia Flight 17.\n\nSilene Fredriksz-Hoogzand, whose son Bryce and his girlfriend Daisy Oehlers were among the dead, expressed relief that five years after the plane was blown out of the sky above conflict-torn eastern Ukraine, someone was being held accountable.\n\nShe told reporters that the trial would start on March 9, 2020. Investigators briefed the families Wednesday morning before they were due to give a news conference.\n\nAll 298 passengers and crew on board the flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur were killed on July 17, 2014, when a missile shattered the Boeing 777 in midair sending debris and bodies raining down onto farms and fields of sunflowers.\n\nAn international team of investigators building a criminal case against those responsible in the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 is set to announce progress in the probe, nearly five years after the plane was blown out of the sky above conflict-torn eastern Ukraine.\n\nAll 298 passengers and crew on board the flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur were killed on July 17, 2014, when a missile shattered the Boeing 777 in midair sending debris and bodies raining down onto farms and fields of sunflowers.\n\nUkraine’s deputy minister for foreign affairs, Olena Zerkal, told Interfax-Ukraine news agency Tuesday that the investigators will name four suspects. Prosecutors declined to comment on her statements.\n\nThe families of those killed will be informed of developments Wednesday ahead of a news conference by investigators.", "The court case over the crash of the Malaysia Airlines plane will start in the Netherlands in March 2020.\n\nOf the passengers who died, 196 were Dutch and 38 Australian. Any trial is likely to be in the Netherlands where the majority of the victims came from. (Photo: AP)\n\nNieuwegein: Dutch prosecutors are to put four people on trial for murder next year over the shooting down of flight MH17 over Ukraine, in which 298 people were killed, relatives said on Wednesday.\n\nThe court case over the crash of the Malaysia Airlines plane will start in the Netherlands in March 2020, according to family members who were briefed ahead of an announcement by international investigators due about 1100 GMT.\n\nThe identities of the four people to be charged were not immediately available but a Ukrainian minister and reports said on Tuesday they included at least one senior Russian officer.\n\nThe airliner travelling between Amsterdam and Kuala Lumpur was torn apart in mid-air after being hit by a missile over territory in eastern Ukraine held by pro-Russian separatists on July 17, 2014, investigators say.\n\n\"There is a court case on March 9 2020 against four people for murder,\" Silene Fredriksz, whose son and daughter-in-law were killed in the disaster, told reporters.\n\n\"I am happy that the trial is finally going to start and that the names have been announced. It's a start. I'm satisfied.\"\n\nThe charges come nearly a year after the international probe into the crash said the BUK missile which hit the Boeing 777 had originated from a Russian military brigade based in the southwestern city of Kursk.\n\nAsked if she personally blamed anyone for the crash, Fredriksz said: \"Mr (Russian President Vladimir) Putin.\n\n\"Because he made this possible. He created this situation. He is the main responsible person.\"\n\nRussia has vehemently denied all involvement in the shooting down of MH17. On Wednesday it complained of being excluded from the probe despite \"proactively\" trying to be involved.\n\n\"You know our attitude towards this investigation. Russia had no opportunity to take part in it even though it showed initiative from... the very first days of this tragedy,\" Putin's spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.\n\nUkraine's deputy foreign minister Olena Zerkal said on Tuesday that four people would be named over MH17 and senior Russian army officers were involved.\n\nZerkal said the transfer of weapons like the BUK anti-aircraft missile system \"is impossible without the (Russian) top brass's permission\".\n\nDutch media have named several suspects including the head of the 53rd anti-aircraft brigade, the Russian unit identified by the probe last year.\n\nThe Joint Investigation Team (JIT) probing the attack includes Australia, Belgium, Malaysia, the Netherlands and Ukraine.\n\nThe Netherlands and Australia said in May last year that they formally \"hold Russia responsible\" for the disaster, after the findings on the origin of the missile were announced.\n\nOf the passengers who died, 196 were Dutch and 38 Australian. Any trial is likely to be in the Netherlands where the majority of the victims came from.\n\nThe suspects could be tried in absentia as Russia does not extradite its nationals for prosecution, said Dutch broadcaster RTL, quoting anonymous sources.\n\n\"After five years, it is finally clear that justice will be done. This is very important for surviving relatives,\" Piet Ploeg, president of a Dutch victims' association who lost three family members on MH17, told AFP.\n\nInvestigative website Bellingcat on Wednesday named a series of Ukrainian separatists that it said were linked to the downing of MH17, based on phone intercepts previously revealed by the Dutch-led team.\n\nThe Dutch safety board said in 2015 that the plane had been hit by a BUK missile, with the JIT reaching the same conclusion in 2016.\n\nThen in May 2018 the JIT said MH17 was shot down by a BUK missile from Russia's 53rd brigade, but that they were still searching for suspects.\n\nThey showed videos and animation of the BUK launcher as part of a Russian military convoy, using video clips found on social media and then checked against Google Maps, as it travelled from Kursk to eastern Ukraine.\n\nRussia insisted last year that the missile was fired by Kiev's forces, adding that it was sent to Ukraine in the Soviet era.\n\nThe war in eastern Ukraine and the MH17 disaster continue to plague relations between Russia and the West.\n\nSince 2014, some 13,000 people have been killed. Kiev and its Western backers accuse Russia of funnelling troops and arms to back the separatists. Moscow has denied the claims despite evidence to the contrary.", "Three Russians and a Ukrainian will face murder charges for the July 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine in which 298 people were killed, in a trial to start in the Netherlands next March, an investigation team said on Wednesday.\n\nThe suspects are likely to be tried in absentia, however, as the Netherlands has said Russia has not co-operated with the investigation and is not expected to hand anyone over.\n\nThe Dutch-led international team tasked with assigning criminal responsibility for the plane's destruction named the four suspects as Russians Sergey Dubinsky, Oleg Pulatov and Igor Girkin, and Ukrainian Leonid Kharchenko. It said international arrest warrants for the four have been issued.\n\nMH17 was shot out of the sky on July 17 2014, over territory held by pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine as it was flying from Amsterdam to the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur. Everyone on board was killed.\n\nMost of those on board were Dutch. The joint investigation team formed by Australia, Belgium, Malaysia, the Netherlands and Ukraine found that the plane was shot down by a Russian missile.\n\nLast year Russian President Vladimir Putin called MH17's downing a \"terrible tragedy\" but said that Moscow was not to blame and that there are other explanations for what happened.\n\nThe governments of the Netherlands and Australia have said they hold Russia legally responsible.", "NIEUWEGEIN, THE NETHERLANDS: Three Russians and a Ukrainian will face murder charges for the July 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine in which 298 people were killed.\n\nThe trial will start in the Netherlands next March, an investigation team said yesterday.\n\nThe suspects are likely to be tried in absentia, however, as the Netherlands has said Russia has not cooperated with the investigation and is not expected to hand anyone over.\n\nThe Dutch-led international team tasked with assigning criminal responsibility for the plane's destruction named the four suspects as Russians Igor Girkin, Sergey Dubinsky and Oleg Pulatov, and Ukrainian Leonid Kharchenko. It said international arrest warrants for the four have been issued.\n\nMH17 was shot out of the sky on July 17, 2014, over territory held by pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine as it was flying from Amsterdam to the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur. Everyone on board was killed.\n\nThe joint investigation team formed by Australia, Belgium, Malaysia, the Netherlands and Ukraine found that the plane was shot down by a Russian missile. Last year, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow was not to blame.\n\nThe Netherlands and Australia have said they hold Russia legally responsible.\n\nAsked if she expected the suspects to attend the trial, Ms Silene Fredriksz, whose son Bryce was on the plane with his girlfriend Daisy, said: \"No. No, I don't think so. But I don't care. I just want the truth, and this is the truth.\"", "Nieuwegein, Netherlands (AP) — Mother of victim says at least 4 suspect to be tried in the 2014 downing of Malaysia Flight 17, trial opening March 2020.", "Three Russians and one Ukrainian have been charged with murder in the Netherlands over the downing of flight MH17 in July 2014 with the loss of 298 lives.\n\nThree Russians and one Ukrainian have been charged with murder in the Netherlands over the downing of flight MH17 in July 2014 with the loss of 298 lives.\n\nFour charged in Netherlands over shooting down of plane over Ukraine\n\nDutch National Police chief Wilbert Paulissen identified Russians Igor Girkin, Sergei Dubinsky and Oleg Pulatov, along with Ukrainian Leonid Kharchenko, as suspects in the downing of the plane in Ukrainian air space, and announced that their trial would start in March 2020.\n\nThere are no plans to seek the extradition of the four.\n\nAll passengers and crew on board the flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur were killed on July 17 2014, when a missile shattered the Boeing 777 in midair sending debris and bodies raining down onto farms and fields of sunflowers.\n\nOne of the named murder suspects denied Ukrainian separatists shot down the plane.\n\nGirkin told The Associated Press by phone on Wednesday that “the insurgents did not shoot it down”.\n\nAn international investigation team looking into the plane crash has blamed it on a Russian missile that was shot from separatist-held territory.\n\nGirkin, a Russian national, was a military chief of the Russia-backed rebels in the area at the time and was named by the investigators as one of the key suspects.\n\nThe international team investigating the downing of the flight will not ask Russia and Ukraine to extradite the four suspects.\n\nProsecutor Fred Westerbeke said that the team realises that the constitutions of both countries prohibit that.\n\n“In the short term we will ask Russia to hand the summons to the suspects who are in the Russian Federation,” he said.\n\nSilene Fredriksz-Hoogzand, whose son Bryce was among the dead, expressed relief that five years after the plane was blown out of the sky above conflict-torn eastern Ukraine, a trial could finally start next year.\n\n“This is what we hoped for,” Ms Fredriksz-Hoogzand said.\n\n“This is a start of it. It is a good start.”\n\nShe added that she did not expect any of them to appear for the trial, due to begin on March 9.", "The suspects are likely to be tried in absentia, however, as the Netherlands has said Russia has not cooperated with the investigation and is not expected to hand anyone over.\n\nThree Russians and a Ukrainian will face murder charges for the July 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine in which 298 people were killed, in a trial to start in the Netherlands next March, an investigation team said on Wednesday.\n\nUkrainian rescue servicemen look through the wreckage of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 on July 20, 2014 in Grabovo, Ukraine.\n\nThe Dutch-led international team tasked with assigning criminal responsibility for the plane's destruction named the four suspects as Russians Sergey Dubinsky, Oleg Pulatov and Igor Girkin, and Ukrainian Leonid Kharchenko.\n\nIt said international arrest warrants for the four have been issued. MH17 was shot out of the sky on July 17, 2014, over territory held by pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine as it was flying from Amsterdam to the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur. Everyone on board was killed.\n\nMost of those on board were Dutch. The joint investigation team formed by Australia, Belgium, Malaysia, the Netherlands and Ukraine found that the plane was shot down by a Russian missile.\n\nLast year Russian President Vladimir Putin called MH17's downing a \"terrible tragedy\" but said that Moscow was not to blame and that there are other explanations for what happened.\n\nThe governments of the Netherlands and Australia have said they hold Russia legally responsible.\n\nAsked if she expected the suspects to attend the trial, Silene Fredriksz, whose son Bryce was on the plane with his girlfriend Daisy, said: \"No. No, I don't think so. But I don't care. I just want the truth, and this is the truth.\"\n\nMoscow has said it does not trust the investigation.\n\n\"Russia was unable to take part in the investigation despite expressing an interest right from the start and trying to join it\", Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters earlier on Wednesday.", "Three Russians and a Ukrainian will face murder charges for the July 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine in which 298 people were killed, an investigation team said on Wednesday. The trial is scheduled for next March in the Netherlands.\n\nThe suspects are likely to be tried in absentia as the Netherlands has said Russia has not cooperated with the investigation and is not expected to hand anyone over.\n\nThe Dutch-led international team tasked with assigning criminal responsibility for the plane’s destruction named the four suspects as Russians Sergey Dubinsky, Oleg Pulatov and Igor Girkin, and Ukrainian Leonid Kharchenko.\n\nInternational arrest warrants for the four have been issued.\n\nMH17 was shot out of the sky on July 17, 2014, over territory held by pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine as it was flying from Amsterdam to the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur. Everyone on board was killed.\n\nMost of those on board were Dutch. The joint investigation team formed by Australia, Belgium, Malaysia, the Netherlands and Ukraine found that the plane was shot down by a Russian missile.\n\n“Absolutely unfounded accusations are being made against the Russian side, aimed at discrediting Russia in the eyes of the international community,” the foreign ministry said."], "summary": "Four people, three Russians and a Ukrainian, will be charged with murder for the crash that killed 298 people on July 17, 2014. The trial is to be held on March 9, 2020 and take place in Badhoevedorp, Netherlands."}
{"document": ["NXIVM Leader Keith Raniere Found Guilty Of All Charges In Sex Cult Case\n\nEnlarge this image toggle caption Elizabeth Williams/AP Elizabeth Williams/AP\n\nUpdated at 5:30 p.m. ET\n\nThe leader of NXIVM, a group that espoused a philosophy of self-improvement but was accused of recruiting, grooming and even branding an inner circle of female sex slaves, was found guilty Wednesday by a federal jury in Brooklyn, N.Y.\n\nKeith Raniere, who was known as \"Vanguard,\" was convicted on all charges, including sex trafficking, forced labor conspiracy, human trafficking and multiple counts of racketeering — including sexual exploitation of a child.\n\nRaniere, 58, faces up to life in prison. His sentencing is set for Sept. 25.\n\nFollowing the verdict, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Richard Donoghue called Raniere \"a modern-day Svengali.\"\n\n\"This trial has revealed that Raniere, who portrayed himself as a savant and a genius, was in fact, a massive manipulator, a conman and crime boss of a cult-like organization involving sex trafficking, child pornography, extortion compelled abortions, branding degradation and humiliation,\" Donoghue told reporters.\n\nHe said Raniere's crime spree — which \"ruined marriages, careers, fortunes and lives\" — had finally ended \"and his victims will finally see justice.\"\n\nThroughout the trial prosecutors argued NXIVM was a criminal enterprise that operated largely in secrecy. The Albany, N.Y.-based group operated across the U.S. and in several other countries. Its devotees included an actress, an heiress and a 15-year-old girl; several of its high-ranking members have also been charged.\n\nThroughout the six-week trial, several women offered disturbing details of their experience with Raniere in what they said they initially believed was a women's empowerment group. They testified that he ultimately blackmailed dozens of women into joining a secret society of \"slaves\" and \"masters\" called \"DOS\" or the \"Vow,\" that operated as a sex cult under a pyramid-scheme system in which they turned over a trove of damning \"collateral\" and often were left financially indebted to him.\n\nDuring closing arguments Monday, prosecutor Moira Penza told the jurors that to the outside world, Raniere's inner circle had tried to construct an image of him as a \"humanitarian, leader, mentor, guru.\"\n\n\"You saw him for what he was, a conman, a predator, a crime boss,\" Penza said, adding that Raniere had \"tapped into a never-ending flow of women and money\" and calling him a \"crime boss with no limits and no checks on his power.\"\n\nNewer members believed NXIVM to be a self-improvement business that offered pricey coaching and training workshops based on its philosophy of \"a new ethical understanding\" that enables \"humanity to rise to its noble possibility,\" as the group described on its now defunct website, according to court documents.\n\nBut Penza accused Raniere of building a personal fiefdom through abuse and control. He and the women in the organization's top ranks used \"tactics that destroyed his victim's sense of self and ability to trust,\" she said.\n\nHe also ordered female slaves to be branded. Several of the women who belonged to the inner circle of DOS had a NXIVM symbol seared into their flesh with a cauterizing pen — a process that took between 20 to 30 minutes to complete — while another woman was told to film the so-called ceremony. The women later learned the symbol contained Raniere's initials.\n\nThe actress Allison Mack, best know for her role on the television series Smallville, pleaded guilty for her role as a \"master\" in the cult, often recruiting women who would ultimately be coerced into having sex with Raniere.\n\nAs one of Raniere's top lieutenants, Mack sought to gather \"collateral\" — embarrassing or potentially criminal material — from other followers, that top NXIVM leaders could potentially leverage to keep dissenters from defecting and exposing the inner workings of the group.\n\nShe was convicted in April of racketeering and racketeering conspiracy. Mack will be sentenced in September.\n\nAgnifilo, argued throughout the trial that his client had committed no crimes and his directives were meant to spur their personal growth.\n\nIn closing arguments Tuesday, defense attorneys said Raniere had no criminal intent and that there was no sex trafficking by DOS because the sexual encounters were consensual and there was no commercial aspect to them.\n\nRaniere did not testify in the case and his attorneys did not call any witnesses.\n\nIn an emailed statement, Agnifilo told NPR, \"Keith maintains his innocence and we do intend to appeal.\"", "A verdict has been reached in the trial of Keith Raniere.\n\nOn Wednesday afternoon, a jury in a Brooklyn federal court found the co-founder of NXIVM guilty of all counts including racketeering, racketeering conspiracy, wire fraud conspiracy, forced labor conspiracy, sex trafficking, sex trafficking conspiracy and attempted sex trafficking. The jury also found that the government proved all charged racketeering acts.\n\nThe jury began deliberating at 9:25 local time meaning a verdict was reached in a matter of hours. Keith faces up to life behind bars.\n\n\"Over the last seven weeks, this trial has revealed that Raniere, who portrayed himself as a savant and a genius, was in fact, a master manipulator, a con man and the crime boss of a cult-like organization involved in sex trafficking, child pornography, extortion, compelled abortions, branding, degradation and humiliation,\" Richard P. Donoghue, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said in a statement after the verdict. \"His crimes, and the crimes of his co-conspirators, ruined marriages, careers, fortunes and lives. The evidence proved that Raniere was truly a modern day Svengali.\"\n\nDuring the trial, group members came forward and alleged they were pressured to have sex with Keith. While the defendant pleaded not guilty, he did not testify in the case and his defense attorney did not call any witnesses.", "The former spiritual leader of a purported upstate New York self-improvement group that's been called a cult and a pyramid scheme has been found guilty on seven counts including sex trafficking, racketeering and conspiracy charges, CBS New York reported. Jurors began deliberating the case against Keith Raniere Wednesday morning and announced they had reached a verdict about four hours later.\n\nThey were handed the case following a trial in Brooklyn federal court that has given a disturbing inside look inside the group, NXIVM.\n\nSince early May, jurors have been hearing testimony from what prosecutors say are former \"sex slaves\" who spoke about the torment of being branded with Raniere's initials — their \"supreme master,\" often referred to as \"Vanguard.\" The women said they were duped into a joining a secretive NXIVM sub-sect known as DOS under the pretenses that it was a women's empowerment group. But, they said they were forced by other women who were their \"masters\" to turn over \"collateral,\" including nude photographs, and groomed for sex with Raniere.\n\nDuring closing arguments this week, Assistant U.S. Attorney Moira Penza recounted testimony that Raniere had some of his brainwashed female followers starved, forced one to have sex with another woman and confined a third to a room for nearly two years for defying his orders. The jury has also seen alleged child pornography involving a teenage girl prosecutors say Raniere coerced into sex.\n\nPenza on Monday called Raniere a \"con man\" and a \"crime boss\" who used the organization to \"tap into a never-ending flow of women and money.\" DOS, she said, was formed \"to satisfy the defendant's desire for sex, power and control.\"\n\nBut attorneys for Raniere, 58, say he had no criminal intent and that his sexual encounters with female followers were consensual.\n\nRaniere's lawyer Marc Agnifilo said Raniere had a \"disgusting lifestyle,\" the New York Daily News reported, but that the government has not proven its case that he is guilty of sex trafficking, racketeering and conspiracy. Agnifilo argued that the so-called collateral wasn't meaningful because it was never released.\n\nRaniere stood trial alone after five former members of his inner circle negotiated plea deals, including TV actress Allison Mack and Seagram liquor heiress Clare Bronfman. Last year, after a New York Times exposé on the group and reports that investigators were interviewing some women who had defected from DOS, Raniere fled to Mexico. He was found staying with Mack and other women in a luxury villa and taken into custody on a U.S. warrant.\n\nMack was initially indicted on sex trafficking charges for allegedly recruiting women into DOS, but pleaded guilty to racketeering in April, admitting she collected \"collateral\" from two women at Raniere's direction and threatened to make it public if they didn't perform \"so-called acts of love.\"\n\nBronfman, who bankrolled Raniere and his program of intense self-improvement classes, admitted she harbored someone who was living in the U.S. illegally for unpaid \"labor and services\" and that she committed credit card fraud on behalf of Raniere. Both Bronfman and Mack, who await sentencing, said they wanted to help people through NXIVM and apologized for their actions.\n\n \n\n Raniere faces life in prison.\n\nThis story was first published to CBSNews.com on June 19, 2019 at 2:54 p.m.", "Keith Raniere has been found guilty of numerous charges related to his role as the founder and leader of NXIVM, the ostensible self-help company that was actually a cult.\n\n\n\nRaniere was found guilty on seven counts, including racketeering, racketeering conspiracy, wire fraud conspiracy, forced labor conspiracy, sex trafficking, sex trafficking conspiracy and attempted sex trafficking. Though he didn’t testify in the case, Raniere’s attorney argued that his relationships with his followers consensual.\n\nNot so, said Richard Donoghue, the U.S. attorney for the eastern district of New York, who told reporters that Raniere was “truly a modern day Svengali” whose “crimes, and the crimes of his co-conspirators, ruined marriages, careers, fortunes and lives:”\n\nRaniere’s guilty verdict marks the closing of at least one chapter of the sprawling NXIVM case, which is bizarre, scary and sad all at once. Its reach included Smallville actress Allison Mack and Seagram’s liquor heiress Clare Bronfman, both of whom were also part of an inner group run by Raniere called DOS, which was said to enslave and abuse young women in a litany of horrific ways. \n\n\n\nRaniere will be sentenced on September 25, and faces life in prison. Nancy Salzman, president of NXIVM, has a sentencing hearing scheduled for July 10. Bronfman, who served as NXIVM’s financier, has a hearing July 25.", "Prosecutors in on Wednesday found the of an alleged \"sex cult,\" Keith Raniere, guilty on seven charges including\n\nThe founder of an American self-help company called NXIVM, Raniere had pleaded not guilty to all the charges which are racketeering, racketeering conspiracy, wire fraud conspiracy, forced labour conspiracy, sex trafficking, conspiracy and attempted sex trafficking, according to\n\nProsecutors believe that secretly housed a sex cult, which women were lured into. During a six-week long testimony at Brooklyn federal court, witnesses told a 16-person jury that they were pressured into having sex with Raniere and were \"ceremonially\" branded with the founder's initials in their lower bodies.\n\nRaniere's attorney, Marc Agnifilo, called their relationship with him as \"consensual\" during the proceedings. The secret group in the company was called \"DOS\" or \"The Vow\".\n\nWitnesses have also claimed that they were blackmailed into silence due to damaging personal information with their \"masters.\"\n\nlabelled NXIVM's founder as a \" boss\" during her closing arguments on Monday. \"The defendant tapped into a never-ending flow of women and money. (He was) a boss with no limits and no checks on his power,\" quoted Penza as saying.\n\nAgnifilo, on the other hand, maintained that no crimes were committed. \"You may find him repulsive, disgusting and offensive. We don't convict people in this country for being repulsive or offensive,\" Agnifilo said. \"Unpopular ideas aren't criminal. Disgusting ideas aren't criminal,\" the said.\n\nRaniere is scheduled to be sentenced on September 25 and could be awarded life in prison. He has been in custody since his arrest in last year.", "Keith Raniere, former leader of purported self-help group NXIVM, has been convicted on federal charges for his role in what prosecutors describe as a “sex cult.”\n\nOn Wednesday, a jury found Raniere guilty on seven charges, including sex trafficking, racketeering and forced labor conspiracy, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of New York. The Associated Press reports that the jury took less than five hours to deliberate after a trial which lasted for about six weeks. Sentencing is to take place on Sept. 25.\n\n“This trial has revealed that Raniere, who portrayed himself as a savant and a genius, was in fact a massive manipulator, a con man and the crime boss of a cult-like organization involved in sex trafficking, child pornography, extortion, compelled abortions, branding, degradation and humiliation,” Richard Donoghue, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, told reporters outside of the Brooklyn federal court house. “Keith Raniere’s crime spree has ended and his victims will finally see justice.”\n\nRaniere is one of several group members who have been charged since the New York first broke the NXIVM story in 2017, where it reported that an exclusive group existed within NXIVM and members were required to offer naked photographs as “collateral” in case they revealed the group’s existence. Raniere left to Mexico shortly after the story was published. He was arrested in March 2018 and deported back to the U.S. for trial.\n\n“These serious crimes against humanity are not only shocking, but disconcerting to say the least, and we are putting an end to this torture today,” the FBI said in a statement released March 2018.\n\nProsecutors alleged Raniere coerced and blackmailed women into sleeping with him, branded women with his initials, had sex with a 15-year-old, took photos of her and confined another woman to a bedroom for 700 days, according to the AP.\n\nOthers have been convicted for roles in NXIVM’s illicit behavior including Allison Mack, an actress who appeared in ; Clare Bronfman, an heiress to the Seagram liquor company; and mother-daughter duo Nancy and Lauren Salzman. Raniere co-founded NXIVM with Nancy Salzman in 1998.", "LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — The man accused of leading a sex cult that was said to have enslaved women was found guilty on all Wednesday.\n\nKeith Raniere will be sentenced in September on the multiple sex trafficking and racketeering verdicts.\n\nIt took jurors just a couple of hours to decided on a guilty verdict.\n\nRaniere led a group called NXIVM that was promoted as a self-help organization,.\n\nAccording to prosecutors, the group was actually a sex slave operation led by Rainiere.\n\nProsecutors said Rainiere and others, including “Smallville” actress Allison Mack, would recruit women and convince them to turn over nude photos and admit embarrassing details about themselves that Rainiere would then use as blackmail.\n\nDaughter of actress Catherine Oxenberg’s was among one of Rainiere’s victims.\n\nOxenberg has since released a book about the group and spoke with CBSLA last year about the ordeal of seeing her daughter sucked into the cult.\n\nAccording to the book, Rainiere brainwashed women, forced them to starve, brand themselves with his initials, and have sex with him.\n\nOxenberg was at the courthouse Wednesday when the verdict was read and called her daughter to report the news.\n\n“She’s in shock and I’m in shock as well because this has been kind of a culmination of a year and a half of such an incredible fight,” Oxenberg told reporters.\n\nU.S. Attorney Richard Donoghue told reporters, “This trial has revealed that Rainiere, who portrayed himself as a savant and a genius, was, in fact, a massive manipulator, a con-man, and the crime boss of a cult-like globalization, involving sex trafficking, child pornography, extortion, compelled abortions, branding, degradation, and humiliation ”\n\nRaniere could spend the rest of his life in prison.\n\nHis sentencing is set for Sept. 25.", "Keith Raniere, the founder of the Nvixm sex cult, was convicted on racketeering and sex trafficking charges on Wednesday.\n\nThe jurors deliberated for about five hours before returning with guilty verdicts on all seven counts, including racketeering and forced labor conspiracy charges. He is set to be sentenced on Sept. 25, and faces the possibility of life in prison.\n\n“Keith Raniere’s crime spree has ended and his victims will finally see justice,” said Richard Donoghue, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York, in a press conference outside court. “His crimes and the crimes of his co-conspirators, ruined marriages, careers, fortunes, and lives.”\n\nRaniere was arrested in March 2018 and accused of using a network of self-help groups to lure women into his sex cult. The actress Allison Mack, best known for appearing on “Smallville,” pleaded guilty in April for her role as a recruiter for the cult.\n\nThe trial lasted nearly six weeks, and included testimony from several of the women involved. The trial included allegations that Raniere had coerced the women into a form of sexual slavery. Some women were tattooed with Raniere’s initials. His defense team argued that the women made “adult choices” to participate in the group.", "THE LEADER OF a sex cult in New York has been found guilty on charges of sex trafficking, extortion and conspiracy.\n\nKeith Raniere was the leader of Nxivm, a purported life coaching group that prosecutors said extorted money from followers and enabled him to sexually exploit female devotees.\n\nA jury in federal court in Brooklyn took less than five hours to find Keith Raniere guilty on all counts of sex-trafficking and other charges accusing him of coercing women into sex.\n\n“Raniere was truly a modern-day Svengali,” Brooklyn US attorney Richard Donoghue said outside court, calling him a manipulator who “ruined marriages, careers, fortunes and lives.”\n\nHis lawyer Marc Agnifilo said Raniere plans to appeal the verdict. His sentencing is scheduled for 25 September.\n\n“Keith maintains his innocence. It’s a very sad day for him,” Agnifilo said. “I think he’s not surprised but he maintains that he didn’t mean to do anything wrong.”\n\nRaniere (58) once had an international following including a number of famous faces through his cult-like group Nxivm.\n\nHis adherents included Smallville actress Allison Mack, heiress to the Seagram drinks fortune Clare Bronfman, and a daughter of TV actress Catherine Oxenberg of Dynasty fame.\n\n“This was a very frightening group,” Oxenberg said after the verdict. Her daughter India left NXIVM after her mother became an outspoken critic of it.\n\n“I had to save a child who was caught in the grips of this cult, so I wasn’t going to stop until I succeeded,” Oxenberg said.\n\nProsecutors had told jurors that Raniere was known as ‘Vanguard’ and revered as “the smartest man in the world” among some followers.\n\nA sorority made up of some NXIVM members, sometimes called The Vow, was created “to satisfy the defendant’s desire for sex, power and control,” assistant US attorney Moira Penza said in closing arguments.\n\nAmong the more damning allegations against Raniere were that he had some women branded with his initials and that he started having sex with a follower when she was 15-years old.\n\nProsecutors said he took a series of nude photos of the teen that were shown at trial to the eight women and four men who comprised the jury.\n\nRaniere kept the photos stashed in his private study as “a trophy” of “his sexual conquest,” Penza said.\n\nThe defense argued Raniere was a genuine believer in unconventional means for self-improvement and that all his sexual encounters with female followers of Nxivm were consensual.\n\nHis behavior could be seen as “repulsive and offensive, but we don’t convict people in this country for being repulsive or offensive,” Agnifilo said in his closings.\n\nWith reporting from Associated Press.", "WASHINGTON -- The United States has again placed Russia among a list of countries, including South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo, that it says are doing little to stop human trafficking within their borders.\n\n \n\n In its annual Trafficking In Persons Report released on June 20, the State Department said Russian trafficking prosecutions are low despite reports of thousands of cases and that the country still lacks a national strategy to fight the problem.\n\n \n\n “The number of victims identified by the [Russian] government remained negligible and authorities routinely deported potential forced labor victims without screening for signs of explanation and prosecuted sex trafficking victims for prostitution offenses,” the report said.\n\n \n\n Russia and Belarus were the only European countries in the so-called Tier 3 list of nations that do not meet minimum standards to stop trafficking and are “not making significant efforts” to do so. China, North Korea, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Papua New Guinea were among others.\n\n \n\n Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called trafficking “a global issue that requires a global response” and said it occurs right in the center of Washington.\n\n \n\n The report said that Russia did take some steps last year to address trafficking issues, including cutting the number of forced North Korean laborers, firing officials complicit in forced labor, and returning children from Syria and Iraq.\n\n \n\n Russia has reported the number of North Koreans working in labor camps run by Pyongyang on its territory had declined last year from 30,000 to 11,500. The report said many of these individuals are subject to forced labor and called on the Russian government to end its labor agreements with North Korea.\n\n \n\n The report cites a nongovernmental organization as stating that “tens of thousands” of trafficking-related cases were reported to law enforcement last year, but many are filed under different crimes, masking the size of the problem.\n\n \n\n Russia’s Investigative Committee reported only 14 trafficking investigations in 2018 compared with 19 in the previous year, the report said. The country’s Supreme Court reported 21 convictions on trafficking charges, compared with 27 a year earlier. Some of the investigations and prosecutions involved baby-selling, the report said.\n\n \n\n The government does not provide funding or programs for trafficking victims, leaving the problems of sheltering and helping them squarely on the shoulders of NGOs.\n\n \n\n However, as the government has taken steps to limit the activities of NGOs, including labeling two of them as “foreign agents,” the last dedicated trafficking shelters closed in 2015 due to a lack of funding, the report said.\n\n \n\n The state has cooperated with NGOs in busting trafficking rings, most notably during the World Cup held in Russia in 2018, the report said. As a result, 40 Nigerian citizens lured to Russia with promises of work during the international sporting event were freed.\n\n \n\n Russia has as many as 12 million foreign workers -- many from Central Asian countries like Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan -- and they sometimes fall victim to forced labor, abuse, and sex trafficking.\n\n \n\n The Russian government allowed Kyrgyzstan to appoint representatives to inspect companies employing migrant labor and law enforcement carried out scheduled and unannounced visits of such firms.\n\n \n\n “While these raids took place with some regularity, the use of undocumented or forced labor remained widespread due to complacency and corruption,” the State Department said."], "summary": "NXIVM leader Keith Raniere is found guilty of seven charges, including human trafficking, sex trafficking, sexual exploitation of a child, forced labor conspiracy, and racketeering."}
{"document": ["HOW MUCH DID PRINCE KNOW?\n\nSaudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and other senior officials should be investigated over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi given credible evidence against them, a U.N. rights investigator said on Wednesday.Khashoggi's death stirred widespread disgust and hurt the image of the prince, previously admired in the West for pushing to end the kingdom's oil dependence and easing social restrictions including by allowing women to drive.In Riyadh, a minister rejected the report as having nothing new and containing \"baseless allegations.\"After the killing, some Western executives pulled out of an investment forum in Riyadh. But big investors have pushed ahead with deals this year in a sign that an effort by the kingdom to return to business as usual is making headway.Callamard also urged states to widen sanctions to include the crown prince and his assets abroad, unless the man seen by many as the de facto Saudi ruler can prove no responsibility.\"The people directly implicated in the murder reported to him, so there is a reporting line there that needs to be further investigated,\" she told reporters.Khashoggi, a critic of the prince and a Washington Post columnist, was last seen at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on Oct. 2 where he was to receive papers ahead of his wedding.His body was dismembered and removed from the building, the Saudi prosecutor has said, and his remains have not been found.\"What needs to be investigated is the extent to which the crown prince knew or should have known of what would have happened to Mr. Khashoggi, whether he directly or indirectly incited the killing ... whether he could have prevented the execution when the mission started and failed to do so,\" Callamard told reporters.Saudi Arabia's minister of state for foreign affairs, Adel al-Jubeir, was dismissive.\"The report of the rapporteur in the human rights council contains clear contradictions and baseless allegations which challenge its credibility,\" he tweeted.The Saudi public prosecutor has indicted 11 suspects, including five who could face the death penalty.Callamard said the Saudi trial should be suspended, citing concerns over secrecy and potential miscarriage of justice.Instead, a follow-up international criminal probe should be launched, she said, urging U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to establish one. His spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, said Guterres does not have the authority to do so without a mandate from an inter-governmental body.The U.N. Human Rights Council, where Saudi Arabia is among the 47 member states, opens a three-week session on Monday.Khashoggi's Turkish fiancée, who had been waiting outside the consulate, called on the United States to increase pressure.\"Washington has chosen not to use its strong ties and leverage with Riyadh to get the Saudis to reveal the truth about Jamal's murder and to ensure those responsible are held accountable,\" Hatice Cengiz wrote in a New York Times op-ed.Critics have accused President Donald Trump of letting the Saudis off the hook, but a senior official told Reuters this month it remains a \"very hot issue\".Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said those responsible for the murder will pay the price.The U.N. report published excerpts of what it calls conversations inside the consulate shortly before Khashoggi arrived there and during his final moments.Assessments of the recordings by intelligence officers in Turkey and elsewhere suggested Khashoggi may have been injected with a sedative and then suffocated, the report said.Reacting to the report, Human Rights Watch criticized what it called the Saudi \"intolerance of dissent and climate of impunity\" that enabled the murder.Callamard said that states should invoke universal jurisdiction in the case. Asked if there could be arrests abroad, she said: \"If and when the responsibility of those individuals has been proven, including the responsibilities of a level that warrant arrest, absolutely.\"Judicial authorities in countries that recognize universal jurisdiction for serious offences can investigate and prosecute those crimes no matter where they were committed.", "A Saudi hit squad that butchered Jamal Khashoggi referred to the writer as a 'sacrificial animal', it has been revealed.\n\nA UN report published yesterday stated the journalist was drugged with a sedative and suffocated with a plastic bag.\n\nInvestigators also said they found 'credible evidence' that Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, was behind the killing.\n\nAn audio recording of Khashoggi's final moments appeared to reveal how his killers discussed cutting his body into pieces before accosting the dissident writer, who died amid 'sounds of a struggle'.\n\nThe revelations also included audio transcripts showing the Saudi agents involved referring to Khashoggi as a 'sacrificial animal'.\n\nWestern allies faced renewed pressure to suspend arms sales to the kingdom in the wake the further allegations and alleged involvement at the highest echelons of the Saudi hierarchy. Analysts say the kingdom now faces a 'new crisis'.\n\nThe allegations, strongly rejected by Riyadh, are also likely to increase anti-Saudi sentiment in the US Congress despite the prince enjoying President Donald Trump's backing.\n\nSaudi Arabia has sought to move on from the scandal triggered by Khashoggi's murder, but the UN expert's report implicating its crown prince has heaped pressure back on the kingdom, analysts say.\n\n'A new crisis cycle is open,' Joseph Bahout, non-resident fellow at Carnegie Endowment, said on Twitter.\n\n'Another round of international embarrassment for [Saudi Arabia] is starting now.'\n\nUN special rapporteur Agnes Callamard's report, released yesterday, insists there is 'credible evidence' to warrant further investigation and financial sanctions against Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman over Khashoggi's murder last October.\n\nThe 101-page document, which details the dissident's murder by Saudi agents at the country's Istanbul consulate, has cast a renewed spotlight on the case just as the de facto ruler appeared to be emerging from the scandal.\n\nBritain today said it would suspend issuing new Saudi licenses for the sale of arms that might be used in the kingdom's four-year bombing campaign in Yemen.\n\nThe decision was not directly linked to the report, but came after a British court ordered the government to 'reconsider' the sales because of their humanitarian impact.\n\nThe UN expert's report is unlikely to challenge Prince Mohammed's position at home, where his grip on power 'appears absolute', said Hussein Ibish, a scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington.\n\n'The bigger concern, I have no doubt, is the growing anti-Saudi sentiment in US Congress,' said.\n\nThis week, US lawmakers launched a new attempt to block Trump's bid to sell $8.1 billion-worth of arms to Saudi Arabia and other Arab allies.\n\nLast month, the president bypassed the usual process of seeking a congressional green light for the sales, citing risks from Iran -- a common foe of Riyadh and Washington.\n\n'As long as [the Saudis] have strong relations with the White House they will probably be okay, but the growing tensions with Congress are a very bad sign,' said Ibish.\n\n'Riyadh's relationship with Washington is not optional from a Saudi point of view. It's essential.'\n\nWhile Callamard's report did not offer definitive evidence linking Prince Mohammed to Khashoggi's murder, it said it was 'inconceivable' such a large-scale operation could be implemented without him being aware.\n\nThe report quoted audio recordings, apparently picked up by Turkish listening devices, of Saudi officials discussing dismembering his body even before Khashoggi entered the consulate to collect a Saudi document allowing him to wed his Turkish fiancee.\n\nKhashoggi's remains have so far not been found and yesterday his fiance, Hatice Cengiz, wrote in a piece for the New York Times stating that politicians in Washington should have done more to leverage their power to bring his killers to justice.\n\nThe report said there was evidence that the crime scenes, including the consulate, had been 'thoroughly, even forensically, cleaned' following the killing, indicating a cover up.\n\nSaudi Arabia has placed 11 unnamed suspects on trial for the murder.\n\nBut the report said the murder involved a 15-man team that flew to Istanbul on two jets in a mission that required 'significant government coordination, resources and finances'.\n\nThe Saudi minister of state for foreign affairs, Adel al-Jubeir, has dismissed the report, saying that it was riddled with 'clear contradictions' and 'unfounded allegations'.\n\nDiplomats from the UN Security Council's permanent members -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States -- as well as Turkey are allowed to attend the trial proceedings of the 11 suspects, Jubeir said.\n\nThe proceedings are held entirely in Arabic, diplomatic sources said.\n\nThe diplomats are not allowed to bring interpreters and are usually summoned at short notice, the sources added.\n\nThe incident had tarnished the reputation of Prince Mohammed - a self-styled reformer seeking to modernise the conservative petro-state.\n\nThe kingdom had been attempting to turn the page on it, in hopes of winning back foreign investment and resetting ties with Western allies.\n\nGlobal business titans and CEOs attended a financial conference in Riyadh in April, suggesting they were keen to resume ties with the wealthy kingdom as the impact of the killing appeared to subside.\n\nThe report could however 'increase the reputational risks for US entities doing business with Saudi Arabia', Ryan Bohl, from the US geopolitical think tank Stratfor said.\n\nPrince Mohammed also faces overseas critics, including some Saudi citizens who have sought exile in Western capitals.\n\n'This UN report will put winds into their sails and give them an opportunity to build up their public support,' Bohl said.", "A Saudi hit squad that butchered Jamal Khashoggi referred to the writer as a 'sacrificial animal', it has been revealed.\n\nA UN report published yesterday stated the journalist was drugged with a sedative and suffocated with a plastic bag.\n\nInvestigators also said they found 'credible evidence' that Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, was behind the killing.\n\nAn audio recording of Khashoggi's final moments appeared to reveal how his killers discussed cutting his body into pieces before accosting the dissident writer, who died amid 'sounds of a struggle'.\n\nThe revelations also included audio transcripts showing the Saudi agents involved referring to Khashoggi as a 'sacrificial animal'.\n\nWestern allies faced renewed pressure to suspend arms sales to the kingdom in the wake the further allegations and alleged involvement at the highest echelons of the Saudi hierarchy. Analysts say the kingdom now faces a 'new crisis'.\n\nThe allegations, strongly rejected by Riyadh, are also likely to increase anti-Saudi sentiment in the US Congress despite the prince enjoying President Donald Trump's backing.\n\nSaudi Arabia has sought to move on from the scandal triggered by Khashoggi's murder, but the UN expert's report implicating its crown prince has heaped pressure back on the kingdom, analysts say.\n\n'A new crisis cycle is open,' Joseph Bahout, non-resident fellow at Carnegie Endowment, said on Twitter.\n\n'Another round of international embarrassment for [Saudi Arabia] is starting now.'\n\nUN special rapporteur Agnes Callamard's report, released yesterday, insists there is 'credible evidence' to warrant further investigation and financial sanctions against Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman over Khashoggi's murder last October.\n\nThe 101-page document, which details the dissident's murder by Saudi agents at the country's Istanbul consulate, has cast a renewed spotlight on the case just as the de facto ruler appeared to be emerging from the scandal.\n\nBritain today said it would suspend issuing new Saudi licenses for the sale of arms that might be used in the kingdom's four-year bombing campaign in Yemen.\n\nThe decision was not directly linked to the report, but came after a British court ordered the government to 'reconsider' the sales because of their humanitarian impact.\n\nThe UN expert's report is unlikely to challenge Prince Mohammed's position at home, where his grip on power 'appears absolute', said Hussein Ibish, a scholar at the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington.\n\n'The bigger concern, I have no doubt, is the growing anti-Saudi sentiment in US Congress,' said.\n\nThis week, US lawmakers launched a new attempt to block Trump's bid to sell $8.1 billion-worth of arms to Saudi Arabia and other Arab allies.\n\nLast month, the president bypassed the usual process of seeking a congressional green light for the sales, citing risks from Iran -- a common foe of Riyadh and Washington.\n\n'As long as [the Saudis] have strong relations with the White House they will probably be okay, but the growing tensions with Congress are a very bad sign,' said Ibish.\n\n'Riyadh's relationship with Washington is not optional from a Saudi point of view. It's essential.'\n\nWhile Callamard's report did not offer definitive evidence linking Prince Mohammed to Khashoggi's murder, it said it was 'inconceivable' such a large-scale operation could be implemented without him being aware.\n\nThe report quoted audio recordings, apparently picked up by Turkish listening devices, of Saudi officials discussing dismembering his body even before Khashoggi entered the consulate to collect a Saudi document allowing him to wed his Turkish fiancee.\n\nKhashoggi's remains have so far not been found and yesterday his fiance, Hatice Cengiz, wrote in a piece for the New York Times stating that politicians in Washington should have done more to leverage their power to bring his killers to justice.\n\nThe report said there was evidence that the crime scenes, including the consulate, had been 'thoroughly, even forensically, cleaned' following the killing, indicating a cover up.\n\nSaudi Arabia has placed 11 unnamed suspects on trial for the murder.\n\nBut the report said the murder involved a 15-man team that flew to Istanbul on two jets in a mission that required 'significant government coordination, resources and finances'.\n\nThe Saudi minister of state for foreign affairs, Adel al-Jubeir, has dismissed the report, saying that it was riddled with 'clear contradictions' and 'unfounded allegations'.\n\nDiplomats from the UN Security Council's permanent members -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States -- as well as Turkey are allowed to attend the trial proceedings of the 11 suspects, Jubeir said.\n\nThe proceedings are held entirely in Arabic, diplomatic sources said.\n\nThe diplomats are not allowed to bring interpreters and are usually summoned at short notice, the sources added.\n\nThe incident had tarnished the reputation of Prince Mohammed - a self-styled reformer seeking to modernise the conservative petro-state.\n\nThe kingdom had been attempting to turn the page on it, in hopes of winning back foreign investment and resetting ties with Western allies.\n\nGlobal business titans and CEOs attended a financial conference in Riyadh in April, suggesting they were keen to resume ties with the wealthy kingdom as the impact of the killing appeared to subside.\n\nThe report could however 'increase the reputational risks for US entities doing business with Saudi Arabia', Ryan Bohl, from the US geopolitical think tank Stratfor said.\n\nPrince Mohammed also faces overseas critics, including some Saudi citizens who have sought exile in Western capitals.\n\n'This UN report will put winds into their sails and give them an opportunity to build up their public support,' Bohl said.", "Saudi sovereignty over handling of case is not matter of bargaining\n\nSaudi Foreign Minister Adel Al Jubeir Image Credit: AFP\n\nRiyadh: Saudi Arabia Wednesday said a report by a UN investigator on the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi last year was full of baseless allegations.\n\n“The report of the rapporteur at the [UN] Human Rights Council includes clear contradictions and baseless allegations that strike at its credibility,” Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel Al Jubeir said.\n\nHe added that the Saudi courts are independently handling the case, saying the kingdom’s sovereignty over the case is not a matter of bargaining. “The current trials in the case of the citizen Jamal Khashoggi are attended by representatives of the embassies of the five permanent member countries at the Security Council, in addition to Turkey and Saudi rights organisations,” Al Jubeir said.\n\n“We strongly reject any attempt to touch the kingdom’s leadership, push the case out of the track of justice in the kingdom, or affect it in any form,” he said in a string of tweets.\n\nSaudi investigations and trial in the case are underway, the Saudi official said.", "A Saudi minister on Wednesday slammed as “unfounded” a UN expert report calling for those involved in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi to be held accountable.\n\n“It is not new. The (UN) report reiterates what has already been published and circulated in the media,” Adel al-Jubeir, Saudi minister of state for foreign affairs, said on Twitter.\n\n“The report… contains clear contradictions and unfounded allegations, casting doubt on its credibility.”", "RIYADH (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia’s minister of state for foreign affairs rejected on Wednesday a U.N. report that said there is credible evidence that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and other high-level officials are liable for the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.\n\n“Nothing new...,” tweeted Adel al-Jubeir. “The report of the rapporteur in the human rights council contains clear contradictions and baseless allegations which challenge its credibility.”", "A Saudi minister has slammed as \"unfounded\" a report by a United Nations expert who called for those involved in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi to be held accountable.\n\n\"It is not new. The [UN] report reiterates what has already been published and circulated in the media,\" Adel al-Jubeir, Saudi minister of state for foreign affairs, said on Twitter on Wednesday.\n\n\"The report of the rapporteur in the human rights council contains clear contradictions and baseless allegations which challenge its credibility.\"\n\nThe report by Agnes Callamard, the UN special rapporteur for extrajudicial, summary and arbitrary executions, said there was \"credible evidence\" linking Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) to Khashoggi's killing in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October.\n\nShe said it was clear the \"execution of Mr Khashoggi was the responsibility of the state of Saudi Arabia,\" and called on UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to launch a formal international criminal probe into the case.\n\nSaudi Arabia has repeatedly denied the involvement of the crown prince.\n\nSaudi officials initially denied Khashoggi's killing at the consulate, saying he had left the premises. The kingdom changed its narrative several times before later acknowledging he was killed, blaming \"rogue\" security agents.\n\nThe Saudi public prosecutor indicted 11 unnamed suspects in November, including five who could face the death penalty on charges of ordering and committing the crime.\n\nBut Callamard called for the trial to be suspended, citing concerns over secret hearings and a potential miscarriage of justice.\n\nIn a series of tweets, al-Jubeir said that Saudi judicial authorities in the country are the only ones \"competent to deal with this case and exercise their powers in complete independence\".\n\n\"We vehemently reject any attempt to undermine the leadership of the kingdom, or derail the case from the course of justice or influence it in any way,\" he added.\n\nCallamard on Wednesday told Al Jazeera: \"There is little doubt in my mind that the killing was premeditated. It was planned.\"\n\nKhashoggi, a critic of MBS's policies, entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2 to pick up documents required for his second marriage.\n\nHis fiancee, Turkish national Hatice Cengiz, was waiting outside the consulate but the journalist never emerged from the building.\n\nCallamard also said there was \"credible evidence, warranting further investigation of high-level Saudi officials' individual liability, including the crown prince's.\"\n\nAccording to CIA assessments, the crown prince was the mastermind behind Khashoggi's death.\n\nLater, the US Senate adopted a resolution naming MBS as \"responsible\" for the murder.", "RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s minister of state for foreign affairs rejected on Wednesday a U.N. report that said there is credible evidence that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and other high-level officials are liable for the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.\n\n“Nothing new…,” tweeted Adel al-Jubeir. “The report of the rapporteur in the human rights council contains clear contradictions and baseless allegations which challenge its credibility.”\n\nEarlier, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and other senior Saudi officials should be investigated over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi since there is credible evidence they are liable for his death, a U.N. rights investigator said on Wednesday.", "RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — A Saudi minister on Wednesday slammed as “unfounded” a UN expert report calling for those involved in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi to be held accountable.\n\n“It is not new. The [UN] report reiterates what has already been published and circulated in the media,” Adel al-Jubeir, Saudi minister of state for foreign affairs, said on Twitter.\n\n“The report… contains clear contradictions and unfounded allegations, casting doubt on its credibility.”\n\nGet The Times of Israel's Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Free Sign Up\n\nThe report by Agnes Callamard, the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, said there was “credible evidence” linking Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to Khashoggi’s murder inside the kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul last October.\n\nCallamard said it was clear “the execution of Mr. Khashoggi was the responsibility of the state of Saudi Arabia,” while calling on UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to initiate a formal international criminal investigation into the case.\n\nSaudi prosecutors have absolved the crown prince of responsibility.\n\nJubeir reiterated that the kingdom’s “competent” judicial authorities were holding trials of several people arrested over the killing.\n\nThe kingdom’s public prosecutor last November indicted 11 unnamed suspects, including five who could face the death penalty over the murder.\n\nDiplomats from the UN Security Council’s permanent members — Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States — as well as Turkey and Saudi human rights organizations are allowed to attend the legal proceedings, Jubeir said.\n\nThe proceedings are held entirely in Arabic, diplomatic sources have told AFP.\n\nThe diplomats are not allowed to bring interpreters and are usually summoned at short notice, the sources added.\n\nCallamard, an independent human rights expert who does not speak for the UN, said probes by Saudi Arabia and Turkey “failed to meet international standards regarding the investigation into unlawful deaths.”\n\nHer report specifically came across evidence that the crime scenes were “thoroughly, even forensically, cleaned” by the Saudis, in what “may amount to obstructing justice.”\n\nCallamard said Prince Mohammed must have been aware of the cover-up efforts.\n\nThe UN expert also insisted that any international sanctions over Khashoggi’s killing “ought also to include the crown prince and his personal assets abroad.”", "RIYADH: A Saudi minister on Wednesday slammed as \"unfounded\" a UN expert report calling for those involved in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi to be held accountable.\n\n\n\n\"It is not new. The (UN) report reiterates what has already been published and circulated in the media,\" Adel al-Jubeir, Saudi minister of state for foreign affairs, said on Twitter.\n\n\"The report... contains clear contradictions and unfounded allegations, casting doubt on its credibility.\"\n\nThe report by Agnes Callamard, the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, said there was \"credible evidence\" linking Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to Khashoggi´s murder inside the kingdom´s consulate in Istanbul last October.\n\nCallamard called on UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to initiate a formal international criminal investigation into the case.\n\nJubeir reiterated that the kingdom´s \"competent\" judicial authorities were holding trials of several people arrested over the killing.\n\nThe kingdom´s public prosecutor last November indicted 11 unnamed suspects, including five who could face the death penalty over the murder.\n\nDiplomats from the UN Security Council´s permanent members -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States -- as well as Turkey and Saudi human rights organisations are allowed to attend the legal proceedings, Jubeir said."], "summary": "Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir says that the UN's report on the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi is unfounded, saying it has \"clear contradictions and baseless allegations.\""}
{"document": ["Jeremy Hunt will go head to head with Boris Johnson in the race to be Britain’s next prime minister, after beating Michael Gove by just two votes in the fifth and final round of voting by Conservative MPs\n• Jeremy Hunt and Boris Johnson are final two in Tory leadership race", "LONDON, June 20 — Boris Johnson, the front-runner in the race to become Britain’s next prime minister, increased his support among lawmakers in the fourth round of the Conservative Party leadership contest today.\n\nJohnson got 157 out of 313 votes. Environment minister Michael Gove came second with 61 votes, overtaking Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, who got 59 votes.\n\nInterior minister Sajid Javid was fourth with 34 votes and was eliminated from the contest. Two votes were declared invalid.\n\nA fifth ballot later today will determine the final two candidates. Then Conservative Party grassroots members will decide who will become leader, and Britain’s next prime minister, by the end of July. — Reuters", "LONDON (Reuters) - Boris Johnson got a fresh boost in the race to become Britain’s prime minister on Tuesday when a another former rival in the race backed him to lead the country out of its Brexit crisis.\n\nHours before the six contenders were due to be whittled down by the party’s lawmakers, Andrea Leadsom declared her support for Johnson, the clear favorite.\n\n“He is the best placed to get us out of the EU at the end of October,” Leadsom, a former leader of the House of Commons who was eliminated from the contest last week, told LBC radio. “Secondly, I do believe he is an election winner.”\n\nOn Monday, health minister Matt Hancock, who quit the race on Friday, also backed Johnson, despite their contrasting views on Brexit.\n\nJohnson, a former London mayor and foreign minister, says he will take Britain out of the European Union by Oct. 31 whether or not there is a deal with Brussels to smooth the transition, potentially setting up a fight with parliament.\n\nSterling fell to its lowest level against the U.S. dollar in nearly six months as investors worried about the prospect of a big Brexit shock to the world’s fifth-biggest economy.\n\n“It looks like Boris Johnson is going to be the next prime minister unless there is a big surprise and that indicates a looming confrontation with the European Union,” said Lee Hardman, a FX strategist at MUFG in London.\n\nA Bank of England policymaker said he was worried about the risk of capital flight which had grown since the Brexit referendum three years ago.\n\n“Right now the stock of foreign funding is potentially more flighty than it was in 2016,” Anil Kashyap, a member of the BoE’s Financial Policy Committee, told lawmakers.\n\nAnalysts have also said the scale of promises for more spending or tax cuts by many leadership contenders threaten to break Britain’s existing budget targets.\n\nJohnson has promised to cut income tax for high earners while foreign minister Jeremy Hunt says he would slash corporation tax. Environment minister Michael Gove suggests replacing Value Added Tax with a “lower, simpler” sales tax.\n\nCandidates who do not receive the backing of more than 33 of the 313 Conservative lawmakers in Tuesday’s vote will be eliminated. If all candidates have more than 32 votes, the one with the fewest is eliminated.\n\nJohnson won the support of 114 Conservative lawmakers in the first round of the leadership contest. The result of Tuesday’s second round of voting is due around 1700 GMT.\n\nThe candidates who survive the second round of voting were due to participate in a televised debate at 1900 GMT.\n\nJohnson opted not to appear in a first debate on Sunday and stayed away from question-and-answer sessions in parliament that the other five candidates attended on Monday.\n\nHis rivals kept up their calls on Johnson to spell out his plans for Brexit in more detail.\n\n“What I find alarming and I want to try to clarify as soon as possible, hopefully in these debates this evening, is that half the people in his campaign have got the impression that he intends to leave on Oct. 31 with no deal,” Rory Stewart, Britain’s aid minister, told BBC radio.\n\n“And the other half seem to have got the impression that he’s going for the softest of soft Brexits. The only way that we are going to have stability in our government, or our party or our country, is if people trust us.”\n\nJohnson’s rivals hope that during Tuesday’s debate he will commit more of the gaffes that have marked his career.\n\nBut, barring a major upset, he looks set to make the final two in the race. The mainly pro-Brexit Conservative Party members will cast the deciding votes in July.", "LONDON, June 19 (Reuters) - Rory Stewart, a contender to succeed British Prime Minister Theresa May, said he is in talks with his rival Michael Gove about teaming up to block Boris Johnson's bid to become the country's next leader.\n\nJohnson, the frontrunner and a strong supporter of leaving the European Union, won by far the most votes in the second round of the contest to lead the Conservative Party on Tuesday.\n\nStewart told the BBC: \"We are talking about combining forces because it is clear that Boris is going into the last round and the question is who is best placed to sit on a stage with Boris Johnson and who is best placed to ask the testing questions that need to be asked?\"\n\nStewart, the international development minister, had the biggest increase in support from lawmakers in the second round of the contest after a campaign appealing to voters through social media and walking tours.\n\nA spokeswoman for Stewart said he speaks with other candidates \"all the time\" and accepts that at some point they will need to combine teams.\n\n\"But any team that combines, Rory wants to lead it,\" the spokeswoman said. \"He is the only one with a chance to beat Boris in the final two and to provide the clearest choice.\n\n\"Rory's in this to win, whether on his own or with other people coming behind him, and go all the way to the final two and Number 10.\"\n\nFive candidates remain in the race to succeed May. One will be eliminated later on Wednesday. The final result is expected in July. (Reporting By Andrew MacAskill; editing by Stephen Addison)", "Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Rory Stewart knocked out of contest\n\nFour men are left in the race to be next prime minister after Rory Stewart was knocked out.\n\nThe international development secretary was eliminated after coming last with 27 votes, 10 fewer than last time.\n\nHe said his warnings about a no-deal Brexit \"probably proved to be truths people weren't quite ready to hear\".\n\nBoris Johnson topped the vote again with 143 votes, 17 more than last time. Jeremy Hunt came second with 54, Michael Gove got 51 and Sajid Javid 38.\n\nA fourth round of voting will take place on Thursday.\n\nMr Stewart started as a rank outsider in the race but gained support on the back of an unusual campaign strategy.\n\nTouring the country for pop-up meetings, which were promoted and recorded on social media, he drew large crowds and won the backing of several senior cabinet ministers.\n\nHe had accused other candidates, including Mr Johnson, of lacking realism over Brexit and making undeliverable promises.\n\nAfter his elimination, he tweeted that he had been \"inspired\" by the support he received which had rekindled his faith and belief in politics.\n\nMr Stewart's vote tally fell from Tuesday - following a live BBC TV debate in which he summed up his own performance as \"lacklustre\".\n\nThere have also been suggestions of tactical voting - \"dark arts\" as he called them - with candidates lending votes to others in order to help eliminate certain rivals.\n\nOne MP supporting Mr Stewart claimed he had been \"let down\" by \"thieving, mendacious, lying\" colleagues who had switched.\n\nFollowing his exit, Mr Stewart - MP for Penrith and The Border - told the BBC he was \"disappointed\" and believed his party \"didn't seem ready to hear his message\" about Brexit and the need to seek out the centre ground.\n\nHe said his arguments during the campaign that an alternative Brexit deal was not on offer from the EU, and a no deal would be catastrophic, were \"probably truths people were not quite ready to hear, but I still think they are truths\".\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Stewart: Tories 'not ready' for no-deal warnings\n\nHe defended his attacks on Mr Johnson, saying the gravity of the situation meant it was right to warn that the frontrunner risked \"letting down\" his supporters over Brexit.\n\n\"These are the times to ask these questions, but I agree they are uncomfortable questions,\" he said.\n\n\"People felt they were exposing divisions in the party they were not comfortable with.\n\n\"My conclusion is that you don't unify a family or a party by pretending to agree when you disagree. You unify through honesty and trust.\"\n\nMr Stewart, who has ruled out serving under Mr Johnson because of their differences over Brexit, added \"I appear to have written my cabinet resignation letter.\"\n\nHe said he had not decided who to now support.\n\nHome Secretary Mr Javid, who leapfrogged Mr Stewart in Wednesday's poll after gaining five votes on his second round tally, thanked Mr Stewart for his contribution to the campaign.\n\nMr Javid said he was pleased to make it through into the next round, adding that he could provide \"constructive competition\" to frontrunner Boris Johnson if he made it into the final two.\n\n\"People are crying out for change, if we don't offer change ourselves, they'll vote for change in the form of Corbyn - and I can be that agent of change\", he said.\n\nReacting to his third consecutive second place, Mr Hunt said the \"stakes were too high to allow someone to sail through untested\".\n\nLiam Fox, who is backing Foreign Secretary Mr Hunt, said the surviving candidates were the four most experienced men in the field and this is what people expected all along.\n\nTory MP Johnny Mercer, who is backing Mr Johnson, insisted there was \"no complacency\" despite his large lead, telling BBC News \"there is still work to do\".\n\nEducation Secretary Damian Hinds said Mr Gove had \"closed the gap\" on Mr Hunt in second place and was gaining momentum.\n\nHe said the environment secretary had the experience, the vision and the plan to deliver Brexit that could unite the country.\n\nUnless another candidate drops out, there will be a fifth ballot on Thursday evening to determine the final two candidates who will go forward into a run-off of the party's 160,000 or so members.\n\nThe winner will be announced in the week of 22 July.", "This week in Tories: The contest to replace Theresa May as leader of the Conservative Party—and therefore prime minister—has come down to the final two. The overwhelming favorite is former foreign secretary and leading Brexit campaigner Boris Johnson. He’ll be up against current foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt, whose Brexit position is a bit more vague.\n\nLast time we checked in, the leadership contest was down to seven. Matt Hancock dropped out of the race on Friday. In subsequent rounds of voting by MPs held this week, the lowest vote-getters were eliminated: Dominic Raab, Rory Stewart, Sajid Javid, and then Michael Gove were all dismissed in that order. Johnson and Hunt will now face off in a postal vote among the U.K.’s roughly 160,000 Conservative party members—not to be confused with Conservative Party voters—with the winner due to be announced the week of July 22.\n\nThe contest was not without accusations of skullduggery.\n\nJohnson has held a commanding lead throughout the process, but the changes in vote totals from round to round suggested that some MPs who supported him were voting tactically, boosting the campaigns of candidates they viewed as weaker opponents. In the last round, for instance, Johnson won only 3 of Javid’s 34 votes—fewer than expected—suggesting that some Johnson backers were boosting Hunt, who as a former Remainer might be a weaker candidate in the final round than Gove.\n\nThere’s also a narrative that Johnson was seeking revenge on Gove, who derailed his last leadership bid in 2016. While entertaining, it’s not clear that any of this matters much given Johnson’s overwhelming lead in the polls. Naturally, everyone’s being very chill about it:\n\nThis week in what does it all mean?: Since he entered the race, Johnson has been adamant that the U.K. will absolutely, positively, no doubt about it, not ask the EU for another Brexit extension. “If I get in we’ll come out, deal or no deal, on October the 31st,” he has said.\n\nYeah, but what does he really think?\n\nJohnson’s position has appeared to be softening a bit in the past few days, particularly after the hardest of the hard Brexiteers—Dominic Raab and Andrea Leadsom—were eliminated from the race. In a TV debate on Tuesday night, Johnson avoided Gove’s attempts to pin him down on the question of whether he would leave without a deal rather than try to delay, saying only that “Oct. 31 is eminently feasible.”\n\nI suppose how you interpret that depends on your definition of “eminently.” Johnson wants to reopen debate with Brussels on the withdrawal agreement that May negotiated; in particular, he wants to take out the controversial “Irish backstop” which critics fear could leave the U.K. in a permanent customs union with Europe. European leaders say they’re not interested in negotiating about this. But even assuming they’re more flexible than they’re letting on, it will almost certainly require more time than they’ve allotted. Parliament won’t even be back from its summer recess until September. EU leaders are also making noises about the possibility that they won’t be willing to grant another Brexit delay, but it seems likely they will if the alternative is no-deal.\n\nAnother possibility is that Johnson could just negotiate some cosmetic changes to May’s withdrawal agreement and then ram it through Parliament via sheer momentum and charisma. But given that Johnson found the agreement so distasteful that he resigned from the Cabinet over it, this would also be a pretty big flip-flop.\n\nIf Johnson is secretly trying to avoid no-deal he’s dug himself a pretty deep political hole to get out of.\n\nThis week in Brussels: EU leaders are meeting in Brussels Thursday, and for once it’s not about Brexit. In the wake of the recent European elections, they’re gathered for talks on filling the union’s top positions, including president of the European Commission, president of the European Council, and president of the European parliament. (These are all different things.) Because this is the EU, the process for filling these positions is vague, complicated, drawn out, and involves a passive aggressive dispute between France and Germany. In this case, Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel are at odds over the who should replace Luxembourg’s Jean-Claude Juncker as president of the EU Commission (basically the EU’s civil service), the body’s most powerful job. Under the informal spitzenkandidat system that has governed the past few contests, the job has gone to the “lead candidate” of the bloc with the most seats in the European Parliament.\n\nThis time, that’s Manfred Weber of the center-right European People’s Party, who is also a member of Merkel’s party in Germany. Macron argues that spitzenkandidat is not a real thing. This could go on for a while.", "Sajid Javid has become the latest candidate to exit the Conservative party leadership race, with the home secretary coming last in the fourth round of voting by Tory MPs, behind Boris Johnson, Michael Gove and Jeremy Hunt.\n\nWith all 313 MPs again casting votes, Mr Johnson was once more the clear winner, on 157 votes, with Mr Gove overtaking Nr Hunt into second place, with 61 votes to 59. Mr Javid was fourth on 34 votes. Two ballots were spoiled.\n\nThe focus now shifts to a fifth and final round of votes, in which the final two will be selected, who will be put to a vote of Conservative party members. In effect, this will be a run-off between Mr Gove and Mr Hunt for the right to face Mr Johnson. The result will come at 6pm.\n\nThe final two will then undertake a long series of hustings events with party members around the country before the winner takes over from Theresa May as Tory leader and prime minister on July 22nd.\n\nThe result is something of a blow for Mr Hunt, with backers of the foreign secretary seeking to immediately rally support for him. Penny Mordaunt, the defence secretary, said Mr Hunt being in the final two would avoid the drama of a new showdown between Mr Johnson and Mr Gove, who fell out over the 2016 leadership battle.\n\n“That doesn’t necessarily mean the best entertainment for journalists, but for people who are going to focus on the issues, the policies, and set out a vision for the party,” she said.\n\nA source in the Hunt camp said: “Boris and Michael are great candidates but we have seen their personal psychodrama before: it’s time to offer the country someone the EU will actually talk to.”\n\nOne of the challenges for Mr Johnson will be to convince Tory members he is serious about making Brexit happen on October 31st.\n\nOn Thursday Mr Johnson was formally endorsed by London’s Evening Standard, edited by the remain-backing former chancellor George Osborne, with an editorial in the newspaper predicting that Mr Johnson would end up persuading the Commons to “vote for a repacked version of the existing deal”.\n\nIn a verdict unlikely to go down well among hard Brexiters – or Mr Johnson’s camp – the editorial noted that he had pointedly not completely guaranteed an exit on October 31st, and was the candidate with the most room to manoeuvre.\n\nTheresa May is travelling to Brussels for a European council summit and will miss the second vote. She has entrusted a proxy vote to Charles Walker, the acting co-chair of the 1922 Committee of backbench Tories, which is organising the contest.\n\nDuring the two-hour voting process, Mr Javid arrived with a series of MPs who have supported him and they posed for a photo in the corridor near committee room 14, where the voting took place. Mr Javid told reporters only that he was “hopeful” of progressing.\n\nHis exit from the race follows that of Rory Stewart, the international development minister, in the third round of voting on Wednesday. – Guardian", "Sajid Javid said a day in which he remained in the Tory leadership contest \"got so much better\" thanks to a letter he received from his daughter.\n\nThe Home Secretary, who finished fourth in the third round of voting as Rory Stewart was knocked out of the race, arrived home to find a letter from 10-year-old Maya, one of his four children.\n\nMaya wrote: \"I am writing this letter because I am proud of you for doing so well for coming this far to being prime-minister.\n\n\"I love you so much and belive in you and you have to belive in yourself too all you need to become pm is passion, love, confedence and sportsmanship. Thats all you need.\n\n\"if you don't come pm me and your lovely family will be proud and be greatfull that we have shuch an amazing dad/husband. Love you so much!\n\nMr Javid launched his leadership campaign earlier this month with a video that showed his family waving him off as he left for work in the morning.\n\nHe shared the letter from Maya via Twitter, writing: \"A long but exciting day just got so much better... came home to this from my 10yr old. Whatever happens next, I will be happy.\"\n\nThe next two rounds of the leadership contest will take place on Thursday, with another two contenders being knocked out of the race.\n\nMr Javid finished fourth in Wednesday's third round with 38 votes from fellow Tory MPs, 13 behind Michael Gove in third place.", "British Conservative party leadership contender Boris Johnson gets in a car as he leaves his home in south London, Tuesday, June 18, 2019. Contenders for leadership in Britain’s ruling Conservative Party to become the next Prime Minister, jostled for attention Monday as the race narrowed into a contest to seize the mantle of challenger to front-runner Boris Johnson. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)\n\nLONDON (AP) — The Latest on the voting to elect Britain’s next prime minister (all times local):\n\nThe five men competing to be Britain’s next prime minister are taking part in a televised debate where they traded barbs about who will get Britain out of the European Union fastest.\n\nFront-runner Boris Johnson said during the Tuesday night debate that if Brexit doesn’t happen on the scheduled date of Oct. 31 there would be a “catastrophic loss of confidence in politics.”\n\nBoth Johnson and fellow contender Sajid Javid said they would opt to leave the EU without an agreement if Parliament hadn’t ratified a divorce deal by then.\n\nThe debate came just hours after Conservative Party lawmakers voted for a second time to winnow to field of candidates competing to replace Theresa May as party leader and British prime minister.\n\nMichael Gove said a no-deal Brexit would cause “economic turbulence” but he wouldn’t rule it out. Jeremy Hunt said “it should only be a very, very last resort.”\n\nGove and Hunt both said they’d delay Brexit for a short time if needed to secure a deal.\n\nThe fifth contender, Rory Stewart, said “there would never be no-deal” if he was prime minister because it would be too damaging to the economy.\n\nBoris Johnson has increased his lead in the race to become Britain’s next prime minister, as one of his rivals was eliminated from the contest.\n\nFive contenders in all were still in the running after a second-round ballot of Conservative lawmakers on Tuesday.\n\nFormer Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab failed to reach the threshold of 33 votes needed to go on to the next round.\n\nTory lawmakers will vote again Wednesday and, if needed, on Thursday. The final two contenders will go to a by-mail ballot of all 160,000 Conservative Party members nationwide.\n\nThe winner will replace Theresa May as party leader and prime minister.\n\nConservative lawmakers in Britain are voting on who should become the party’s next leader and Britain’s next prime minister.\n\nSix contenders, including front-runner Boris Johnson, remained before the vote on Tuesday. At least one will be eliminated in that vote.\n\nAll those aiming to replace Prime Minister Theresa May vow they will succeed where May failed and lead Britain out of the European Union, though they differ about how they plan to break the country’s Brexit deadlock.\n\nJohnson, a former foreign secretary, gained backing from 114 of the 313 Tory legislators in the first round of voting.\n\nIn Tuesday’s vote, the lowest-placed contender will drop out, along with any who fail to get at least 33 votes.Further rounds of voting are set for Wednesday and Thursday if needed. The final two contenders will go to a postal ballot of about 160,000 Conservative Party members nationwide.\n\nThe winner, due to be announced in late July, will become party leader and prime minister.\n\nFollow AP’s full coverage of Brexit and the Conservative Party leadership race at: https://www.apnews.com/Brexit", "Boris Johnson's supporters are plotting to 'humiliate' Michael Gove and derail his leadership campaign today.\n\nMr Gove has never been forgiven for betraying Mr Johnson in the 2016 leadership contest.\n\nAnd now MPs loyal to Mr Johnson are plotting the environment secretary's downfall, with one Johnson supporter saying they want him 'humiliated,' as reported by The Telegraph.\n\nIt comes as Bojo's team have also approached Sajid Javid - who came fourth in the ballot yesterday - to become chancellor, according to allies of the home secretary.\n\nYesterday, maverick leadership hopeful Rory Stewart was dramatically booted from the contest after coming last with just 27 votes - down from 37 on Monday - leaving four hopefuls left to fight it out.\n\nMr Johnson picked up support from Dominic Raab, who was evicted in the previous round, to increase his tally again from 126 to 143 - tightening his grip on the keys to Downing Street.\n\nWhile Hunt came second with 54 votes, Gove came third with 51, and Javid on 38.\n\nFinishing a disappointing fourth, Mr Javid insisted last night he was still in the race to become Prime Minister.\n\nBut Mr Johnson's team have already approached the home secretary and offered 'all sorts of jobs up to that of chancellor', if he drops out the race and backs Boris, as reported by The Times.\n\nThe remaining candidates not named Johnson are now desperately vying for Rory Stewart's backers, with pressure being put on them to support Mr Hunt to leave Mr Gove isolated.\n\nJohnson supporters are thought to believe that facing Mr Hunt in the final two would be easier than taking on Mr Gove.\n\nMany of Johnson's team have a 'visceral hatred' for the environment secretary and were directly accused by Mr Stewart of dirty tricks yesterday.\n\nSpeaking ahead of the vote, he told reporters the former defence secretary Gavin Williamson, who is organising Mr Johnson's campaign, was encouraging Johnson-supporting MPs to lend their votes to other candidates to manipulate the contest in a bid to determine who he would face in the final run-off.\n\nHe told reporters: 'There's also the dark arts. Gavin Williamson's proxy votes, which we don't know about.\n\n'There are dark arts in politics and they're done with proxy votes, they're not done with someone saying 'would you please vote for this person'.'\n\nSome Tory MPs last night said they suspected the Johnson camp of lending support to Mr Stewart in Tuesday's vote in order to get rid of Brexiteer rival Dominic Raab."], "summary": "Rory Stewart is eliminated after coming in fifth place in today's third round voting. The front runner remains Boris Johnson. Jeremy Hunt, Michael Gove, and Sajid Javid came in second, third, and fourth respectively. A fourth round will be taken tomorrow."}
{"document": ["WASHINGTON ― House Democrats passed a nearly $1 trillion appropriations bill on Wednesday, complete with funding for the military, health programs and the Energy Department. But 11 lines in the 667-page bill could literally be the difference between war and peace, life and death: a repeal of the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force.\n\nThree weeks after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, lawmakers overwhelmingly ― 420-1 in the House, 98-0 in the Senate ― approved the 2001 AUMF. The text of the resolution is incredibly broad. Congress gave the president the authority to use “all necessary and appropriate force” to go after the “nations, organizations, or persons” who were involved in the 9/11 terrorist attacks. But there’s more.\n\nThe resolution also gave the president the authority to go after anyone who “harbored” those people, “in order to prevent any future acts of international terrorism against the United States.”\n\nNot many lawmakers anticipated that, 18 years later, the United States would still be using the 2001 AUMF to justify military action all over the globe. Three different presidents have used the AUMF for more than three dozen different military engagements in 14 different countries.\n\nAnd now, with President Donald Trump and his administration strongly signaling they would use the 2001 AUMF to justify a new war with Iran, the newish Democratic majority controlling the House is taking its most serious steps to repeal the war authority.\n\nIncluded in the base text of the appropriations bill is a provision that would repeal the 2001 AUMF eight months after the legislation is enacted. It is a significant development in Congress trying to restrain Trump and many of his most hawkish advisers’ thirst for war. And it’s the first time the House has passed a repeal of the 2001 AUMF.\n\nBut this bill is almost certainly not the bill that will make it to Trump’s desk. This is the first serve in an appropriations pingpong match between the Democratic House and the Republican Senate. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) ― much less Trump ― is unlikely to accept such a repeal, and there’s serious doubt among Democrats that their leadership would risk a shutdown over Senate Republicans refusing to repeal the 2001 war authority.\n\n“We are not the party of shutdowns,” Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) told HuffPost this week. “That is not our position.”\n\nIf Democrats aren’t willing to risk a shutdown over repealing this 2001 military authorization, however, then they’re almost already giving up the game. They may have found a gambit that could potentially limit the president’s ability to go to war with Iran, but they face stiff opposition to a full-scale AUMF repeal not just from McConnell and Trump but also national security adviser John Bolton and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. And even if they do plan to give up on repealing the 2001 war authority, they could still face stiff opposition in pursuing a middle-of-the-road approach.\n\nThe Trump administration is serious about a potential war with Iran. Bolton even said Monday that Congress would be making “a big mistake if they doubted the president’s resolve on this.”\n\nA Generational Divide On War?\n\nMuch has been made of the generational divide among House Democrats. The top three leaders are in their late 70s and have collectively been in Congress for 94 years, while many of the newest Democratic members are three generations younger and still setting up district offices.\n\nThat means some of the newest members of Congress grew up with the Iraq War in the background of their high school and college years. Many of them opposed the invasion and saw politicians ― many of whom are now colleagues ― send their friends off to war. Despite the situation, Democrats swear there is no division.\n\n“I think Democrats are pretty united,” Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) told HuffPost last week.\n\nRemember the 420-1 vote in the House to approve the 2001 AUMF? Lee was the one member who voted no.\n\nShe has led the fight from the very beginning to repeal the authorization, and Lee genuinely believes Democrats of all ages and all congressional tenures are with her. “We have to remember,” Lee said, “I believe it’s only 20% of Congress serving today served in 2001.”\n\nTom Williams via Getty Images Speaker Nancy Pelosi (left) and Rep. Barbara Lee walk through the Capitol. Lee has led the fight to repeal the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force, which the House passed Wednesday.\n\nOver the course of more than two dozen interviews with Democratic lawmakers of varying tenures, a generational divide on repealing the 2001 war authority never emerged.\n\n“Very few are on a different page,” said Budget Chairman John Yarmuth (D-Ky.), who is 71 and has been in Congress for the last 12 years.\n\n“There’s possibly some different points of view, but I’ve not seen it on generational grounds,” said Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas), who’s been in Congress since 1995.\n\n“I don’t think there’s any divide on that situation at all,” freshman Rep. Gil Cisneros (D-Calif.), 48, said.\n\nSome freshman members did say they felt there was a new push within their class to repeal the 2001 AUMF, citing how many of them came of age during the early 2000s.\n\nHaley Stevens of Michigan, recalled being in college at American University, walking into the student center and seeing on TV that the United States was going to war.\n\n“When I look back ― I’m no longer a college kid now; I’m a member of Congress,” Stevens said. “But I remember it very viscerally, and it’s something to remember about our responsibility now in Congress ... around the decisions that we make, around the bills that we’re trying to pass.”\n\nAnd freshman Rep. Colin Allred (D-Texas) recounted watching President George W. Bush’s State of the Union address after 9/11 ― when he was a freshman at Baylor University ― and hearing Bush mention for the first time “weapons of mass destruction.”\n\n“Iraq is certainly in the back our minds since they are looking like they’re trying to rely on the same authorization of use of military force,” he said.\n\nRep. Andy Kim (D-N.J.), who worked on President Barack Obama’s national security team, said the Iraq War played a critical role in shaping his life and was a “big reason” why he entered the foreign policy field. But he also said he was aware that there were risks in drawing parallels too closely between different conflicts ― which is another reason why members feel a new AUMF is warranted.\n\n“I want to draw from my personal experiences, but not impose my memories upon current circumstances. They’re always going to be different,” he said. “And we can always just be thinking about this war as fighting the last war.”\n\nBut it’s not just freshmen who seem to be thinking about the mistakes of Iraq.\n\nAs Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.), who’s been in Congress since 2013, told HuffPost: “I don’t think anybody wants to blunder into or be manipulated into a war and have no choices.”\n\nThat is why, as the Trump administration provides classified briefings on Iran’s aggression and its nuclear program, there’s been strong pushback from members ― both Democratic and Republican.\n\nI don’t think anybody wants to blunder into or be manipulated into a war and have no choices. Rep. Mark Takano (D-Calif.)\n\nSome members who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the classified briefings said conversations were often combative, and it was concerning how strong some officials were “playing to the drumbeat of war.”\n\nBecause of the threat of war with Iran, which would likely be an even more serious and bloody engagement than the war with Iraq that killed more than 4,000 Americans and wounded another 32,000, members say it’s more incumbent upon them than ever to repeal the 2001 AUMF.\n\nThe Iran Gambit\n\nWith potential strikes against Iran looming, Democrats and some Republicans have been trying not only to repeal the 2001 AUMF but also specifically block action against Iran.\n\nDuring a recent markup of the National Defense Authorization Act, members debated an amendment that would clarify that the 2001 AUMF could not be used to justify “kinetic” military action in Iran.\n\n“‘Kinetic action’ is things that go boom,” Rep. John Garamendi (D-Calif.) told HuffPost, adding that it meant bombs, missiles, guns and other lethal force weapons.\n\nThere was an effort to include the amendment in the bill that came out of the Armed Services Committee, but the authors ― Reps. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.), Anthony Brown (D-Md.), Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) and Garamendi ― decided to withdraw it after Democrats and Republicans expressed concern about the language.\n\nChairman Adam Smith (D-Wash.) assured the members they would get a floor vote on a similar amendment when the annual defense bill comes to the floor in mid-July, and Rules Chairman Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) confirmed to HuffPost on Tuesday that he plans to make such an amendment in order for debate.\n\nWhile the members were disappointed they couldn’t get the amendment adopted during the markup, there are benefits to a floor vote. It will put every member on the record about the president needing to come to Congress for a new authorization if he wants to strike Iran.\n\n“The thing that was important and should not be missed in that debate was that Republicans wanted a restriction on the use of force,” noted Garamendi, who’s been one of the Democrats most forcefully pushing to repeal the 2001 AUMF for years, along with Lee and McGovern.\n\nGaramendi even said he was willing to shut down the government over the fight to repeal the 2001 AUMF.\n\nBut there are also drawbacks to such an amendment.\n\nDemocrats who spoke on the condition of anonymity expressed concern that leadership would use the language specifically blocking war with Iran to justify Democrats caving on the 2001 authority repeal.\n\nEssentially, the House could pass the NDAA with a provision prohibiting the use of the 2001 AUMF to go to war with Iran, and then Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) could make the case that Democrats had already restrained the Trump administration’s biggest target for war, and therefore could agree to pass the final spending deal with the Senate even if it didn’t include the AUMF repeal.\n\nUsing the 2001 AUMF to justify war with Iran is a legally tenuous case, but it’s one for which the Trump administration has already been laying the groundwork. If Democrats could effectively block the possibility of an unauthorized war with Iran, that would be a significant win.\n\nIt would not, however, preclude Trump’s ability to wage dozens of other military actions, or stop him from a first strike under the War Powers Resolution if he deemed it a “national emergency” ― a term he’s already shown a willingness to define loosely.\n\nDemocrats may be willing to gamble that, by taking away the administration’s top target for war, they could theoretically run out the clock on his presidency without additional military conflict. But it’s a question each member has to ask themselves.\n\n“You have so well described the great Washington parlor game,” one Democratic member said after we laid out this theory. “This is what everybody loves to do, and that is to hypothesize over all of the players.”\n\nThis member thought the theory was wrong, that Pelosi was genuinely aiming to repeal the 2001 AUMF and that Democrats would fight for it, even if it meant risking a shutdown.\n\nBut either way, there is something holding up this repeal.\n\nBipartisan Obstacles\n\nMcConnell is always a barrier for Democrats. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and other Senate Democrats have tried for years to repeal the 2001 war authority, and they’ve run up against McConnell every time.\n\nThe Kentucky Republican signaled earlier this year that, far from restricting the president’s ability to go to war with Iran, he’s concerned America is not doing enough to curb the Islamic republic. One of the few rebukes McConnell has issued Trump was when the president abruptly pulled out of Syria at the end of last year. McConnell introduced a resolution urging caution and citing America’s interest in countering Iran.\n\nTrump himself doesn’t seem very warm to the idea of restricting his war abilities. He rattled his own saber on Twitter in May when he wrote, “If Iran wants to fight, that will be the official end of Iran. Never threaten the United States again!” And his allies in Congress, like Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), have shown an outright eagerness to take on the country.\n\n“Unprovoked attacks on commercial shipping warrant a retaliatory military strike,” Cotton said on “Face the Nation” last weekend, after explosions damaged two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman. “The president has the authorization to act to defend American interests.”\n\nPart of the lesson from Iraq is that when you go looking for a specific answer, you will find it. The nature of intelligence is that you will sometimes have conflicting reports. Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.)\n\nSome Democratic members are concerned that the Trump administration is either deliberately pushing the country into a war with Iran ― similar to what happened with Iraq ― or that the president and his team are so mismanaging and escalating the situation that they will stumble into a conflict they can’t control.\n\nMoulton, who is running for president and is one of the only members of Congress who has been in combat, said some of the characters involved are the same as with Iraq: John Bolton, a draft-dodging president and the Cheney family.\n\n“Dick Cheney was pushing us towards war with Iraq,” Moulton said. “Liz Cheney, in the House, is pushing us towards war.” (Rep. Liz Cheney is the daughter of the former vice president and is the No. 3 Republican in the GOP conference.)\n\nMoulton saw similarities not only with Iraq but also an earlier war, saying that the Trump administration looked as if it wanted to justify action with a “Gulf of Tonkin-type incident,” referring to the hyped-up incident between a U.S. destroyer and some North Vietnamese boats that led to the Vietnam War.\n\nFreshman Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.), who was once a CIA officer, mentioned how lawmakers should have learned the lesson of faulty intelligence by now. “Part of the lesson from Iraq is that when you go looking for a specific answer, you will find it,” Spanberger said. “The nature of intelligence is that you will sometimes have conflicting reports.”\n\nBut it’s more than Republicans advocating for war, or at least not wanting to rein in their president.\n\nCongress has failed for years to repeal this authority. Even though Democrats had unified control of the House, Senate and White House from 2009 to 2011, repealing the 2001 AUMF was not a priority. Even later into Obama’s presidency, after his administration had repeatedly used the 2001 AUMF to justify new military engagements, he was only willing to repeal a 2002 AUMF specifically for Iraq. He wanted to leave his options open on the broader 2001 authority.\n\n“If you give a president the power,” Lee said, “whether it’s a Democrat or Republican, if Congress has abdicated our responsibility to the executive, they’ll use it.”\n\nWhen HuffPost repeatedly pressed Lee as to why Democrats hadn’t already repealed the 2001 AUMF in their first six months of power, Lee kept saying we’d have to ask other members.\n\n“I guess there’s some resistance somewhere. Some resistance somewhere, we don’t know where, but I think that sooner or later, this is going to break through,” she said.\n\nKhanna also indicated he thought Democrats were less unified on repealing the AUMF than many other members let on.\n\n“There’s still work to be done to convince folks that we need a foreign policy of restraint and that the interventionism of the last 20 years has made us less safe and has been a blunder in many places,” he said, though he did say a more restrained foreign policy was “gaining ground” among both parties.\n\n“Whether it’s become the prevailing majority, that remains to be seen,” he said.\n\nEither way, Democrats have the ability to at least show voters they’re serious about repealing this authority.\n\nThe appropriations package that included the AUMF repeal passed Wednesday 226-203, with every Republican opposed to the bill. In the House at least, Republicans can’t stop Democrats from demonstrating their values on war. And Republicans acknowledge that.\n\nRep. Peter King (R-N.Y.), perhaps the most hawkish member of Congress ― so hawkish that he doesn’t believe the president even needs an AUMF for military action ― told HuffPost that the democratic process plays a part in decisions about war.\n\n“Elections have consequences,” King said. “We lost the election, is the reality.”", "As the United States escalates tensions with Iran, House Democrats are sending President Donald Trump a message: If he wants to take any military action, he has to get permission from Congress first.\n\nThe House voted Wednesday to repeal the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF), which was passed in the days after 9/11, and gave President George W. Bush the authority to go to war with al-Qaeda and any related organization. For the past 18 years, presidents of both parties have used this same 2001 congressional war authorization as justification for wars all over the Middle East.\n\nThe vote is particularly significant now, as Trump administration officials briefed Congress Wednesday on what they said are connections between Iran and al-Qaeda. Trump’s administration has been escalating tensions with Iran, leading to mounting concern on Capitol Hill that the administration is itching for war.\n\nThis week, the United States announced plans to send an additional 1,000 troops to the Middle East to counter Iran, after blaming the country for attacking oil tankers that belonged to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Japan, and Norway. Iran denies any involvement in the attacks. The Trump administration has called an Iranian strike on Americans in the Middle East “imminent,” and Iran has indicated that it may stop abiding by the 2015 nuclear arms deal (which Trump removed the United States from in 2018).\n\nThis is the first time the House has successfully passed a repeal of the 2001 AUMF since it was enacted. The provision was attached to a government funding bill for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education. It was an amendment brought forward by Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), who notably was the only House lawmaker to vote against the war authorization in 2001 — a decision some have hailed as prescient.\n\nThis bill is unlikely to go anywhere in the Senate, where Republicans led by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell hold the power. No House Republicans voted for the funding bill. That said, a bipartisan group of lawmakers has fought against Trump on war powers already once this year — over the war in Yemen.\n\nAnd there are already rumblings that the same coalition is ready to take a stand on Iran.\n\nCongress has been fighting Trump on war powers\n\nSecretary of State Mike Pompeo and Trump’s administration have been notably vague about whether they have plans to use the 2001 war authorization to launch military action against Iran. Asked about it on CBS Sunday, Pompeo said “we always have the authorization to defend American interests,” but wouldn’t say if he was confident the 2001 AUMF would allow for the executive branch to launch military action in Iran.\n\nBut members of Congress, both Republican and Democrat, have been increasingly wary of ceding war powers — which under the Constitution is granted to Congress — to the executive branch.\n\nIn April, Congress passed a historic War Powers Resolution, led by Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) directing Trump to remove troops involved in “hostilities” in Yemen, a Saudi-led war that’s killed more than 50,000 and left tens of millions in need of humanitarian aid. Trump vetoed it, citing his commitment to the US’s long-standing alliance with the Saudis.\n\nSince then, Trump has escalated tensions with Iran and sidestepped Congress to unilaterally authorize $8 billion in arms sales, including to Saudi Arabia and its allies. It’s prompted a show of bipartisanship in Congress.\n\nIn April, a group of bipartisan senators led by Sens. Tom Udall (D-NM), Rand Paul (R-KY), and Dick Durbin (D-IL) introduced the Prevention of Unconstitutional War with Iran Act of 2019, which would require Trump seek authorization from Congress before beginning any military engagements with the country.\n\nIn March, Sens. Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Todd Young (R-IN) introduced a bipartisan bill to repeal the 1991 and 2002 war authorizations against Iraq.\n\nMore recently, Young (R-IN) and Chris Murphy (D-CT), both members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, announced a bill aimed at forcing legislators to vote on sending weapons and military aid to Saudi Arabia.\n\nAnd in the House, Reps. Thomas Massie (R-KY) and Andy Levin (D-MI) have brought up the AUMF Clarification Act, to make clear that the Trump administration can use neither the 2001 AUMF nor the 2002 Iraq AUMF in order to justify military action in Iran.\n\nFor now, the Trump administration is being tight-lipped about its specific plans in the Middle East. But members of Congress have a long list of war powers proposals at the ready, and seem prepared to work across to aisle to ensure the president cannot unilaterally decide to start a conflict with Iran.", "House Democrats voted to repeal 2001's Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) on Wednesday, which originally gave then-President George W. Bush the power to go to war with al-Qaeda and any related organization after 9/11, and could now justify a new war with Iran, reports Vox.\n\nThe big picture: The repeal is in direct response to allegations by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that Iran has ties to al-Qaeda, according to the New York Times. Bipartisan legislators are nervous that the Trump administration is closing in on war with Iran as tensions with the Gulf nation continue to escalate, says Vox."], "summary": "The House Democrats vote to repeal the Authorization for Use of Military Force Against Terrorists, which is used to authorize war."}
{"document": ["U.S. Should Not Go To War Against Iran Over A Drone, Parsi Says\n\nNPR's Rachel Martin talks to Trita Parsi, founder of the National American Council, about reports the U.S. authorized airstrikes against Iran, after the downing of an unmanned drone, then canceled it.\n\nWe are following reports that the Trump administration authorized airstrikes against Iran and pulled those same airstrikes back. Trita Parsi is founder and president of the National Iranian American Council. His latest book is titled \"Losing An Enemy: Obama, Iran, And The Triumph Of Diplomacy.\"\n\nTrita, you were here yesterday. You are with us again this morning because developments are unfolding quickly. What do you make of these reports now that President Trump ordered airstrikes against Iran, and then - planes were in the air already - he ordered that they come back?\n\nTRITA PARSI: Well, we don't know exactly why he ordered them not to come back. But we do know that Pompeo, Bolton and Haspel have been pushing him to react militarily to the downing of the drone, which the military of the United States has warned very likely will lead to a much larger military confrontation. They have made their case to Trump as to why the United States should go to war over a drone. I would like to see them try to make that case to the American people and tell American people why their sons and daughters, fathers and mothers need to die because a drone was shot down.\n\nMARTIN: Do you think this emboldens Iran?\n\nPARSI: I think Trump thinks that this probably serves as a warning - that he was very close to doing it and he can do it. And as a result, it has a deterring effect. Whether that is the case or not, we will have to see how the Iranians react over the next 24 or so hours. I thought it was interesting that the Iranians are saying that there was another manned airplane along with the drone, and they chose not to shoot that down. That may indicate that Trump's warnings that a single American dying would be a redline for the U.S. - and the Iranians respected that.\n\nMARTIN: Right. This came down in a statement. And Iran saying again that there wasn't just a manned aircraft that was flying near this drone, it had 35 people onboard. And they're wanting some kind of credit for using restraint. But at the same time, Trita - in the same statement, they say they took out that U.S. drone because - and I'm quoting here - \"we intended to send a message to American terrorists in the region.\" That doesn't sound like placating language.\n\nPARSI: That is by no means placating language. We have to remember, though, that they are still insisting that the drone was in Iranian airspace. And if it was in Iranian airspace, I don't think we should be surprised if they were to shoot it down, just as much as the U.S. should - would shoot down any Iranian drones in American airspace.\n\nI think it would be really valuable to actually have a proper investigation of what really occurred here. That, in and of itself, has a defusing effect. It causes more time to be added to the clock and puts restraint on all sides, which is exactly what we need at this moment.\n\nMARTIN: And you say investigate because there is still dispute over whether or not Iran shot this drone down because it was flying over its sovereign airspace or whether, as the U.S. argues, it was over international waters.\n\nWhat happens if President Trump changes his mind again and moves forward with strikes? I mean, does that - would something like that change Iran's behavior? Is there precedent to show that Iran would would alter its aggressive posture in the Gulf and beyond in response to something like that?\n\nPARSI: Well, I think we have to take a second look at the context here because I'm not entirely in agreement that it is the Iranians who have escalated the situation towards this. This whole entire situation has come about because Donald Trump chose to walk out of the nuclear deal. He took a resolved issue and unresolved it. We had a conflict that was close to war a couple of years ago. It got resolved. He unresolved it, and we are now back at the brink of war.\n\nBut if Trump does take military action, particularly if the reporting is correct that it would lead to hundreds of deaths on the Iranian side, I fear that that will cause the Iranians to respond accordingly. And then we will have a full war.\n\nMARTIN: Trita Parsi, thank you for joining us. He talked to us on Skype. He's the author of the book \"Losing An Enemy: Obama, Iran, And The Triumph Of Diplomacy.\"\n\nPARSI: Thank you so much.", "President Donald Trump declared Thursday that \"Iran made a very big mistake\" in shooting down a U.S. drone, increasing tensions and talk of possible open conflict in a test of wills over America's pullout from an international nuclear agreement and its economic sanctions that are crippling Tehran's economy.\n\nIran and its proxies have been pushing back against the Trump administration's \"maximum pressure\" campaign, raising fears that a miscalculation could trigger armed conflict. Iran has been blamed by the U.S. for recent attacks on other nations' shipping vessels, but the downing of the huge drone was the first direct Iranian assault against the United States.\n\nRELATED: Iran shoots down US drone in latest incident of increasing tensions\n\nAmerican and Iranian officials are disputing the circumstances of the incident. Iran's Revolutionary Guard said it shot down the drone over Iranian airspace. The U.S. military is calling the downing an \"unprovoked attack\" and said it occurred over international airspace in the Strait of Hormuz.\n\nTrump has said repeatedly that the U.S. does not want war in the Mideast, yet members of Congress reacted quickly with that possibility as background.\n\nThe Senate's top Democrat called the downing of the American drone \"deeply concerning\" and accused the administration of not having an Iran strategy and keeping Congress and the American people in the dark.\n\n\"The president needs to explain to the American people why he's driving us toward another endless conflict in the Middle East,\" said Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York.\n\nHouse Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she doesn't think Trump wants war with Iran and the American people have \"no appetite\" for it either.\n\nShe said the U.S. needs to be \"strong and strategic\" about protecting its interests and \"cannot be reckless.\"\n\nTalking tougher, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina called Iran a \"murderous regime\" and blamed Tehran for the current tension. Graham, who spoke with Trump by telephone Thursday morning, said the Iranians have rebuffed the president's willingness to negotiate by refusing to respond to a letter from Trump that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe recently hand-delivered.\n\n\"Not only did the Iranians give a provocative oral response, but they also attacked a Japanese oil tanker at the same time,\" Graham said, referring to the attack on Kokuka Courageous, a Japanese tanker carrying Saudi methanol that was traveling in the Gulf of Oman. Iran has denied involvement.\n\nAs for the possibility of Iran developing nuclear weapons, Graham said it's imperative that the U.S. clearly tell the Iranians that any attempt to increase uranium enrichment will be seen as a \"hostile act against the United States and our allies in Israel and will not go unanswered.\" Graham added that if a U.S. military response is necessary, it should be focused on Iranian naval assets and oil refineries, which are the economic lifeblood of the country.\n\nIran has quadrupled its production of low-enriched uranium and threatened to boost its enrichment closer to weapons-grade levels, trying to pressure Europe for new terms to the 2015 nuclear deal that Iran struck with the U.S. and other world powers.\n\nIn recent weeks, the U.S. has sped an aircraft carrier to the Mideast and deployed additional troops alongside the tens of thousands already in the region. From Yemen, the Houthis have launched bomb-laden drones into neighboring Saudi Arabia. The administration insists those steps were taken as a deterrent to intelligence reports of Iranian plots to attack the U.S. and its allies in the region.\n\nWhite House press secretary Sarah Sanders said Trump was briefed Wednesday night and again Thursday morning about the new incident. She said the administration also would keep in touch with lawmakers on Capitol Hill where lawmakers have demanded briefings on the U.S. conflict with Iran.", "U.S. Navy photo by Erik Hildebrandt(WASHINGTON) — President Donald Trump said Thursday that the Iranian shootdown of an American drone may have not have been intentional, but a “mistake” by someone “stupid.”\n\nTrump spoke following a meeting with his top national security advisers after Iran, in what appeared to have been a major provocation, shot down what the U.S. military said was an unarmed and unmanned U.S. RQ-4A Global Hawk drone flying in international airspace over the Gulf of Oman near the Strait of Hormuz.\n\nShortly before, Trump had tweeted that “Iran made a very big mistake” after a top Iranian commander warned Iran was “ready for war.”\n\nWhen asked early afternoon whether the U.S. would strike back during an Oval Office meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Trump said: “You’ll soon find out.”\n\nBut at the same time, he said, “I find it hard to believe it was intentional if you want to know the truth.”\n\n“It could have been somebody who was loose and stupid that did it,” he said.\n\n“I would imagine it was a general or somebody who made a mistake in shooting the drone down,” Trump said. “Fortunately, that drone was unarmed. It was not — there was no man in it, it was in international waters but we didn’t have a man or woman in the drone, we had nobody in the drone. Would have made a big, big difference.”\n\n“I have a feeling — and I may be wrong and I may be right but I’m right a lot — that it was a mistake made by somebody that shouldn’t have been doing what they do,” he said. “I think they made a mistake and I’m not just talking about the country made a mistake somebody under the command of the country made a mistake.”\n\n“It was a very foolish move,” he said. Nevertheless, he said, “This country will not stand for it.”\n\nEarlier, the president did not respond when ABC News asked him for a comment as he walked into the West Wing late Thursday morning. A White House official confirmed he was headed into a meeting with Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.\n\nA U.S. official confirmed to ABC News that the U.S. Navy was working to recover the drone in a debris field the official said was located in international waters near the Strait of Hormuz. At a short, mid-day Pentagon briefing, a U.S. military official speaking from the region reiterated that the drone was shot down in international airspace.\n\nThe commander of U.S. Air Forces Central Command, Lt. Gen. Joseph Guastella, said the American drone was flying over the Gulf of Oman near the Strait of Hormuz on a surveillance mission near previous tanker attacks when it was shot down by a surface-to-air missile fired from a location in the vicinity of Goruk, Iran.\n\nCalling the shootdown an “unprovoked attack,” Guastella said it was “an attempt to disrupt our ability to monitor the area following recent threats to international shipping and free flow of commerce.” He said the drone was operating “at high-altitude approximately 34 kilometers from the nearest point of land on the Iranian coast” when it was shot down, falling into international waters.\n\nThe incident was sure to trigger serious discussions within the Trump administration about how to respond to a direct attack on a U.S. military asset that goes beyond recent attacks in the Middle East that the U.S. has blamed on Iran.\n\nMid-morning Thursday, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said that President Trump has “been kept up to date” and was briefed both Thursday morning and Wednesday night. She said the White House would “keep in touch with members on the Hill.”\n\nTop congressional leaders from both parties and chairs and ranking members of the Intelligence, Foreign Affairs and Armed Services Committees were all receiving a closed-door classified intelligence briefing from Trump administration officials at the Capitol.\n\nHouse Speaker Nancy Pelosi told reporters that at least 20 of the top lawmakers on Capitol Hill were invited to attend the exclusive briefing.\n\n“I think it’s a dangerous situation,” Pelosi said. “We have to be strong and strategic about how we protect our interests. We also cannot be reckless in what we do. So, it would be interesting to see what they have to say, whether the – I don’t think the President wants to go to war. there’s no appetite for going to war in our country.”\n\nA close ally of the president’s, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., when asked how the U.S. should respond, answered, “With firmness, and resolve. The only way Iran changes its behavior is that if they believe Americans will put options on the table that will create pain for the regime.”\n\nGraham said he had spoken with the president.\n\n“I talked to him last night. He had a meeting last night. He believes that we’re going into a we’re getting into a bad space, that his options are running out, that he’s not going to be intimidated to redo a nuclear deal. That was terrible. He’s not going to relieve sanctions because the Iranians are worse than they been. The Iranian deal was to get them to change their behavior, the nuclear deal. They did everything but change their behavior, Graham told reporters.\n\n“I think what President Trump believes is that this regime is spoiling for a fight but they understand how a conflict would end, it would end badly for them. He does want to try and get a better deal but not this way,” he said.\n\nThere was a National Security Council meeting at the White House earlier Thursday morning to discuss Iran, an administration official said, which Shanahan and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford attended. Another White House meeting was to take place Thursday afternoon, which U.S. officials said Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Paul Selva and Pompeo would attend, officials said.\n\nGen. Hossein Salami, commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, offered a strongly worded threat to the U.S. after the drone was downed.\n\n“Shooting down the American spy drone had a clear, decisive, firm and accurate message,” he said, translated from Farsi. “The message is that the guardians of the borders of Islamic Iran will decisively respond to the violation of any stranger to this land. The only solution for the enemies is to respect the territorial integrity and national interests of Iran.”\n\n“We do not intend to engage in war with any country, but we are completely ready for the war. Today’s incident is a clear sign of this accurate message,” Salami added.\n\nEarlier, Iranian state media had quoted Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as saying it had downed the drone when it entered Iranian airspace near the Kouhmobarak district north of the Strait of Hormuz.\n\n“Iranian reports that the aircraft was over Iran are false,” said CENTCOM spokesperson Navy Capt. Bill Urban in a statement on Thursday morning. “This was an unprovoked attack on a U.S. surveillance asset in international airspace.”\n\nUrban said the RQ-4A Global Hawk, which “provides real-time intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions (ISR) over vast ocean and coastal regions,” was shot down by an Iranian surface-to-air missile system while operating in international airspace over the Strait of Hormuz at approximately 11:35 p.m. GMT on June 19.\n\nThe incident is not the first time in recent days that Iran has targeted an American drone off its coast.\n\nLast Thursday, Iran attempted to shoot down an MQ-9 Reaper that was surveilling the attack on one of two tankers in the Gulf of Oman. The United States has blamed Iran for being responsible for the attacks on the two tankers — a claim Iran has denied.\n\n“According to our assessment, a modified Iranian SA-7 surface-to-air missile attempted to shoot down a U.S. MQ-9, at 6:45 a.m. local time, June 13, over the Gulf of Oman, to disrupt surveillance of the IRGC attack on the M/T Kokuka Courageous,” CENTCOM spokesperson Lt. Col. Earl Brown said in a statement to ABC News on Saturday.\n\n“Subsequent analysis indicates that this was a likely attempt to shoot down or otherwise disrupt the MQ-9 surveillance of the IRGC attack on the M/T Kokuka Courageous,” Brown said.\n\nIn early May, the Pentagon rushed the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and a B-52 bomber task force to the Middle East to deter possible attacks by Iran or Iranian-backed groups on U.S. forces and U.S. interests in the region.", "WASHINGTON, June 20 (Reuters) - A U.S. military drone has been shot down in international airspace over the Strait of Hormuz by an Iranian surface-to-air missile, a U.S. official said on Thursday, speaking on condition of anonymity.\n\nThe official said the drone was a U.S. Navy MQ-4C Triton. No further details were immediately available, including the time of the shoot-down.\n\nThe aircraft's manufacturer, Northrop Grumman, says on its website that the Triton can fly for over 24 hours at a time, at altitudes higher than 10 miles, with an operational range of 8,200 nautical miles. (Reporting by Phil Stewart)", "Iran says it shot down American drone; U.S. Army denies Iran’s state news agency says the drone – identified as ‘RQ-4 Global Hawk’ – was shot down when it entered the country’s airspace over the province of Hormozgan.\n\nThe U.S. military spokesman: ‘No U.S. aircraft were operating in Iranian airspace today.\n\nThe U.S. military did not fly over Iranian airspace on Wednesday, the U.S. military said, after a news website run by Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards said a U.S. “spy” drone was shot down over the southern Iranian province of Hormozgan\n\n“No U.S. aircraft were operating in Iranian airspace today,” Navy Captain Bill Urban, a spokesman for the U.S. military’s Central Command, said shortly before midnight on Wednesday.\n\n“It was shot down when it entered Iran’s airspace near the Kouhmobarak district in the south,” the Guards’ website added.\n\nThe RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned aircraft system (UAS) can fly at high altitudes for more than 30 hours, gathering near-real-time, high-resolution imagery of large areas of land in all types of weather, maker Northrop Grumman says on its website.\n\nUrban declined further comment. The U.S. military has in recent days confirmed an attempt by Iran to shoot down a U.S. drone last week as well as a successful shootdown of one on June 6 by Iran-aligned Houthi forces in Yemen.\n\nTension between Iran and the United States has spiked since last year when President Donald Trump exited a 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and major powers and reimposed sanctions on the country.\n\nConcerns about a military confrontation between Iran and the United States have mounted since attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman last week and four tankers off the United Arab Emirates on May 12, both near the Strait of Hormuz, a major conduit for global oil supplies.\n\nThe United States and its regional ally Saudi Arabia have blamed Iran for the incidents. Iran has denied responsibility.\n\nTo counter Iran’s threats, the U.S. military has sent forces, including aircraft carriers, B-52 bombers and troops to the Middle East. However, Trump said he does not seek war with Iran.\n\nIran said last week that it was responsible for the security of the Strait of Hormuz, calling on American forces to exit the Gulf.\n\nIn protest at Trump’s “maximum pressure”, in May Tehran said it would start enriching uranium at a higher level unless other European signatories to the deal protected its economy from the U.S. sanctions within 60 days.\n\nState news agency IRNA even identified the drone as an “RQ-4 Global Hawk", "President Donald Trump on Friday described a nail-biting decision to call off an imminent attack on Iran in order to avoid disproportionate casualties, but the account is already facing scrutiny from aides around him and military analysts questioning the sequence of events he laid out in tweets and statements.\n\nEarly in the day, the president said he called off the counterattack at the last minute because it would kill 150 people in retaliation for the downing of an unmanned surveillance drone. “We were cocked & loaded to retaliate last night on 3 different sights when I asked, how many will die,” he tweeted.\n\nBut administration officials said Trump was told earlier Thursday how many casualties could occur if a strike on Iran was carried out, and that he had given the green light to prepare for the operation Thursday morning.\n\nThe confusion reinforced concerns about the Trump administration’s credibility at a time when key U.S. allies are already questioning its narrative about Iran’s culpability for a recent spate of attacks on oil tankers.\n\nThe decision has divided his top advisers with senior Pentagon officials opposing the decision to strike and national security adviser John Bolton strongly supporting it.\n\nIran said Friday that the United States had “no justification” for a retaliatory strike and vowed to respond “firmly” to any U.S. military action.\n\nTrump’s morning tweets appeared to gloss over the fact that he was the one, as commander in chief, who had ordered the retaliation against Iran in the first place.\n\nTrump administration officials, who like others spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive national security decisions, said the president approved the strikes after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps earlier in the day shot down the Navy RQ-4 Global Hawk, a move Trump described as a “very big mistake.”\n\nBut he later changed his mind, the officials said.\n\nThe commander of the Revolutionary Guard’s aerospace division said Friday that Iran had sent “warnings” to the drone before shooting it down. In an interview with Iran’s state-controlled broadcaster, Brig. Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh said a final warning was sent at 3:55 a.m. local time Thursday.\n\n“When it did not redirect its route and continued flying toward and into our territory, we had to shoot it at 4:05 a.m.,” he said. “Our national security is a red line.”\n\nHe said Iran refrained from also shooting down a U.S. P-8 patrol aircraft, with 35 people on board, that he asserted had accompanied the drone into Iranian airspace. His claim could not immediately be verified.\n\nA senior U.S. defense official said Friday morning that the Pentagon had Navy assets poised to strike in Iran if directed, including ships accompanying the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln. Those attacks could have included airstrikes with jets, or — more likely — Tomahawk cruise missiles, the official said.\n\nTrump’s initial tweets suggested that he had canceled his own order: “10 minutes before the strike I stopped it,” he said. But in an interview with NBC’s Chuck Todd for “Meet the Press,” the president said he hadn’t given final approval to any strikes and that no planes were in the air.\n\n“Nothing was green lighted until the very end because things change,” Trump said in the interview.\n\nIn his Twitter posts Friday morning, Trump wrote that “sanctions are biting & more added last night.” However, the Treasury Department did not add any new sanctions against Iran on Thursday night.\n\nThere was also confusion about how the United States and Iran were communicating during the crisis at a time when the two adversaries have very few diplomatic contacts.\n\nThe Reuters news agency reported Friday that Iranian officials said they received a message from Trump through Oman overnight warning that a U.S. attack was imminent.\n\nWhen asked about the report, a senior U.S. administration official said the United States never sent a message to Iran via the Omanis. The country at the eastern corner of the Arabian Peninsula has long been an interlocutor between the West and Iran, but not on this occasion, the official said.\n\n“It is a complete lie and propaganda from Iran,” the official said.\n\nEarlier Friday, the head of Iranian media services also told NBC News that the Reuters report was inaccurate. He said such a message from the United States was never sent and the content of the messages is also false.\n\nThe Federal Aviation Administration late Thursday barred U.S.-registered aircraft from operating over the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman, due to an increase in military activities and political tensions that it said might “place commercial flights at risk.”\n\nSeveral U.S. and international carriers said that they had either canceled flights over Iranian airspace or were taking steps to avoid the Strait of Hormuz.\n\nThe day’s events have left lawmakers in both parties confused about whether the United States remains on the precipice of a military conflict or if an imminent crisis had been averted.\n\nHouse Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., said Friday that she was not informed of Trump’s plans to strike Iran but described the latest events as a “dangerous, high-tension situation.”\n\nWhile Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., expressed confidence in the president, several hawks in Congress said the only appropriate response would be a swift military counter-strike.\n\n“They’re trying to break our will and intimidate us to come to the negotiating table,” Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said of the Iranians.\n\nTrump’s comments on Thursday also left room for questions about how his administration planned to respond to Iran. Immediately following the drone’s downing, he tweeted that “Iran made a mistake.”\n\nBut Trump said he found it “hard to believe” that the attack on the drone “was intentional” on the part of Iran’s top officials. He also noted that the aircraft was unmanned. “There was no man or woman in it,” he said. “It would have made a big difference” if a plane carrying people had been shot down. “It would have made a big, big difference.”\n\nIran’s strike on the U.S. drone Thursday followed a number of recent incidents, including attacks on tankers, that American officials have depicted as part of an Iranian effort to hurt the United States and its allies in the region. The United States has continued its “maximum pressure” campaign against a country the Trump administration has identified as its main adversary in the Middle East.\n\nTehran has responded with defiance to the campaign, which was launched after Trump withdrew the United States from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and has included designating the Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist group and taking steps to cut off Iranian oil sales.\n\nOn Thursday, the European Union said officials from Germany, Britain, France, Russia, China and Iran would meet next week to discuss strategies to salvage the nuclear pact despite renewed U.S. sanctions and Tehran’s threat to exceed limits on its uranium stockpiles.\n\nSaudi Arabia’s deputy defense minister said Friday on Twitter that he met with Brian Hook, the State Department’s special representative for Iran, in Riyadh “to explore the latest efforts to counter hostile Iranian acts.”\n\nHook called Friday for measures to “de-escalate” the tense situation with Iran. He told a news conference in the Saudi capital, “Our diplomacy does not give Iran the right to respond with military force; Iran needs to meet our diplomacy with diplomacy and not military force,” Reuters reported. “It’s important we do everything we can to de-escalate.”\n\nThe Revolutionary Guard’s top commander, Maj. Gen. Hossein Salami, called the downing of the drone “a clear message to America.”\n\nThe done incident occurred the week after two tankers, one Japanese and one Norwegian, were attacked in the Gulf of Oman. The Trump administration has blamed Iran for both incidents, at least one of which is said to have been carried out by use of limpet mine similar to devices previously displayed at Iranian military parades. Iran has denied involvement, calling the accusation “a lie.”\n\nThe tanker incidents were similar to an attack on a tanker off the United Arab Emirates in May. The U.S. military also accused Iran of firing a modified SA-7 surface-to-air missile at an MQ-9 Reaper drone over the Gulf of Oman as it surveilled the attack on the Japanese ship.\n\nAlso this month, Centcom said Houthi rebels shot down an MQ-9 over Yemen using an SA-6 surface-to-air missile in an attack that “was enabled by Iranian assistance.”\n\nThe latest incident came just days before acting defense secretary Patrick Shanahan was due to step down. Shanahan, who this week withdrew from his confirmation process after news media, including The Washington Post, published reports about past family strife, is handing responsibility for the military to Mark Esper, who now serves as Army secretary.\n\nIt is unclear how the turnover at the top of the Pentagon will affect an internal debate about how to respond to what officials say is an attempt to strike American interests. Some defense officials have voiced concerns that officials led by national security adviser John Bolton, who has publicly advocated regime change in Iran in the past, may be creating conditions in which war is inevitable.\n\nTrump has previously authorized targeted strikes in the Middle East, including on government-controlled air bases in Syria. He was elected in 2016 promising to end American involvement in conflicts in the region.\n\nAt the same time, the Pentagon remains concerned about the potential for Iranian attacks on U.S. military personnel, especially those stationed in Iraq. During a visit to Baghdad last month, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo sought to relay a message for Iranian leaders that even one American death would result in a U.S. counterattack.\n\nA U.S. official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said U.S. naval assets were trying to recover pieces of the drone.\n\nThe strike on the RQ-4 is much more significant than the recent attacks on Reapers. Each Global Hawk, which has a wingspan of 131 feet, is worth more than $100 million and is packed with sensors and able to fly at altitudes of more than 55,000 feet to observe broad areas for periods that can stretch longer than a day.\n\nThe Global Hawk downed on Thursday was an older “demonstrator” model, according to another U.S. official, that had been transferred from the Air Force to the Navy to carry out a mission known as Broad Area Maritime Surveillance. The Pentagon has since begun testing a newer cousin, the MQ-4C Triton. Neither version carries weapons.\n\nHudson and Ryan reported from Washington. Cunningham reported from Dubai. The Washington Post’s Josh Dawsey, Dan Lamothe, William Branigin, Damian Paletta, and Karoun Demirjian in Washington contributed to this report.", "Iran shooting down US drone was a big mistake - Trump\n\nIranian state television said Islamic Revolution Guards Corps shot down a US spy drone over Iranian airspace\n\nIran has said it had recovered parts of a US spy drone in its territorial waters, after downing the aircraft in a missile strike described by US President Donald Trump as a \"big mistake.\"\n\nUnder pressure to respond to the high-stakes incident in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, where a series of tanker attacks have sent tensions soaring with Iran, Mr Trump initially struck a combative tone.\n\n\"Iran made a very big mistake!\" he tweeted in response to news Iran had shot down the Global Hawk surveillance aircraft, which the Pentagon says was above international waters at the time.\n\n\"This country will not stand for it, that I can tell you,\" he repeated later at the White House.\n\nBut as the overnight incident whipped up fears of open conflict between the United States and its declared foe Iran, sending crude oil prices up more than six percent, President Trump moved swiftly to dial tensions back down, suggesting the drone may have been shot in error.\n\nMr Trump said: \"I find it hard to believe it was intentional, if you want to know the truth,\n\n\"I think that it could have been somebody who was loose and stupid that did it\".\n\nThe president's mixed message left the world unsure what Washington's next move would be.\n\n\"You will find out,\" President Trump said, when asked about possible retaliation.\n\nIn Tehran, however, the message came loud and clear.\n\nForeign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif announced that parts of the drone had been recovered in Iranian territorial waters, as Tehran moved to bring the incident before the United Nations.\n\nIranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif\n\n\"We don't seek war, but will zealously defend our skies, land & waters,\" Mr Zarif said.\n\nThe Pentagon denounced the strike as an \"unprovoked attack\" in international air space, claiming the navy drone was some 34 kilometers from Iran when destroyed by a surface-to-air missile.\n\nBut the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said it brought the drone down as it was \"violating Iranian air space\" over the waters of Hormozgan province.\n\nMr Zarif provided coordinates to back the claim.\n\n\"At 00:14 US drone took off from UAE in stealth mode & violated Iranian airspace,\" Mr Zarif tweeted.\n\n\"It was targeted at 04:05 at the coordinates (25°59'43\"N 57°02'25\"E) near Kouh-e Mobarak\n\n\"We've retrieved sections of the US military drone in OUR territorial waters where it was shot down.\"\n\nAt 00:14 US drone took off from UAE in stealth mode & violated Iranian airspace. It was targeted at 04:05 at the coordinates (25°59'43\"N 57°02'25\"E) near Kouh-e Mobarak.\n\n\n\nWe've retrieved sections of the US military drone in OUR territorial waters where it was shot down. pic.twitter.com/pJ34Tysmsg — Javad Zarif (@JZarif) June 20, 2019\n\nIn a letter addressed to the UN Security Council and Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Iran protested against a \"dangerous and provocative act by the US military forces against the territorial integrity of the Islamic Republic of Iran.\"\n\nThe drone downing came as Iran was already accused by Washington of carrying out explosions on oil tankers in the congested Hormuz area.\n\nTehran denies being behind the attacks but has frequently threatened to block the sea lanes used by shipping to move much of the world's oil exports.\n\nThe commander of the US Naval Forces Central Command, Sean Kido, said that a mine allegedly used in one of the attacks matched Iranian weaponry and that incriminating fingerprints had also been collected.\n\nPresident Trump has repeatedly said he does not favor war with Iran unless it is to stop the country getting a nuclear weapon, something Iranian leaders insist they are not pursuing.\n\nBut critics of the Trump administration say his policy of \"maximum pressure\" , including crippling economic sanctions, abandonment of a complex international deal to regulate Iran's nuclear activities, and deployment of extra sea, air and land forces to the region, make war ever more likely.\n\nIn Washington, talk of war has become part of the already heated atmosphere as Donald Trump's reelection fight starts to gain traction.\n\nA key Republican ally of Mr Trump, Senator Lindsey Graham, said the president's \"options are running out.\"\n\nAsked if he believed the countries were nearing conflict, he replied: \"I think anybody would believe that we're one step closer.\"\n\n\"They shot down an American asset well within international waters trying to assess the situation. What are you supposed to do?\"\n\nOne of President Trump's biggest opponents, the Democratic speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, warned that \"there's no appetite for wanting to go to war in our country.\"\n\nIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanayahu blasted \"Iranian aggression\" and said \"Israel stands by the United States.\"\n\nBut Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has close relations with Iran's leadership, said that US military retaliation against Iran \"would be a disaster for the region.\"\n\nVladimir Putin with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R)\n\nDonald Trump was elected in part on promises to end US involvement in wars in the Middle East, but the president has at the same time made clear his unquestioning support for Iran's big rivals in the region, Israel and Saudi Arabia.\n\nMr Trump's arrival in the White House, alongside veteran Mideast hawks like his national security adviser John Bolton, has seen a sharp deterioration in relations with Tehran.\n\nDonald Trump began last May by abandoning and effectively wrecking a 2015 international agreement on bringing Iran in from the diplomatic cold in exchange for verified controls on its nuclear industry.\n\nThat has prompted Iran to threaten it will stop observing restrictions agreed to under the deal on enrichment of uranium.\n\nThe threat has been seen as an effort to pressure European governments that want to save the nuclear deal to push back against Washington.\n\nThe US State Department called that \"extortion.\"", "Trump confirms he called off attack on Iran, citing potential casualties\n\nDUBAI, United Arab Emirates - President Donald Trump ordered an attack on Iran on Thursday in retaliation for the downing of a surveillance drone in the Strait of Hormuz but called the operation off just before it was due to occur because it would have caused extensive casualties, he said Friday.\n\nIn a series of morning tweets, Trump said he called off strikes on three Iranian sites minutes before they were to be launched because he was informed of the likely loss of life among Iranians.\n\n\"We were cocked & loaded to retaliate last night on 3 different sights when I asked, how many will die,\" Trump tweeted. \"150 people, sir, was the answer from a General. 10 minutes before the strike I stopped it.\"\n\nSuch a death toll was \"not proportionate to shooting down an unmanned drone,\" Trump wrote, adding: \"I am in no hurry, our Military is rebuilt, new, and ready to go, by far the best in the world. Sanctions are biting & more added last night. Iran can NEVER have Nuclear Weapons, not against the USA, and not against the WORLD!\"\n\nIran said Friday the United States had \"no justification\" for a retaliatory strike and vowed to respond \"firmly\" to any U.S. military action.\n\nTrump administration officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive national security decisions, said the president approved the strikes after Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps earlier in the day shot down a Navy RQ-4 Global Hawk operating off Iran's southern coast, a move Trump described as a \"very big mistake.\"\n\nBut he later changed his mind, the officials said. The decision was first reported by the New York Times.\n\nTrump's Friday morning tweets appeared to gloss over the fact that he was the one, as commander in chief, who had ordered the retaliatory strike against Iran in the first place.\n\nThe commander of the Revolutionary Guard's aerospace division said Friday that Iran had sent \"warnings\" to the drone before shooting it down. In an interview with Iran's state-controlled broadcaster, Brig. Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh said a final warning was sent at 3:55 a.m. local time Thursday.\n\n\"When it did not redirect its route and continued flying toward and into our territory, we had to shoot it at 4:05 a.m.,\" he said. \"Our national security is a red line.\"\n\nHe also said that a U.S. P-8 patrol aircraft, with 35 people on board, had accompanied the drone into Iranian airspace. His claim could not immediately be verified.\n\n\"We could have downed it, too,\" Hajizadeh said of the plane, the Fars News Agency reported. \"But we did not do it.\"\n\nIranian state television Friday published images that it said showed pieces of the drone recovered from the debris field. The photographs, which showed large fragments of what appeared to be an aircraft, could not be independently authenticated.\n\nIranian officials told the Reuters news agency Friday that Tehran received a message from Trump through Oman overnight warning that a U.S. attack was imminent.\n\n\"Trump said he was against any war with Iran and wanted to talk to Tehran about various issues,\" Reuters quoted one official as saying. \"He gave a short period of time to get our response.\" The official added that it was up to Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, to decide whether to respond.\n\nIran's permanent mission to the United Nations did not immediately reply to request for comment.\n\nThe Federal Aviation Administration late Thursday barred U.S.-registered aircraft from operating over the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman, due to an increase in military activities and political tensions that it said might \"place commercial flights at risk.\"\n\nSeveral U.S. and international carriers said that they had either canceled flights over Iranian airspace or were taking steps to avoid the Strait of Hormuz.\n\nThe aborted operation to strike Iran capped a day in which news of the drone's downing heaped fuel on already heightened fears that the United States and Iran were on a course toward a military conflict as each side blamed the other for the incident.\n\nTehran and Washington gave conflicting accounts of what occurred when the drone with an airliner's wingspan crashed into the sea. While Iran said the aircraft had entered its airspace, the U.S. Central Command denied that assertion, characterizing the incident as an \"unprovoked attack\" over one of the world's most important commercial waterways.\n\nIn remarks alongside visiting Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the White House, Trump condemned the shoot-down but also appeared to tamp down speculation that a counterstrike might be in the works, saying the drone may have been shot down without the knowledge of Iranian leaders.\n\n\"I'm not just talking about the country made a mistake. I'm talking about somebody under the command of that country made a mistake,\" Trump said at the White House. \"I find it hard to believe it was intentional\" on the part of Iran's top officials, the president said.\n\nTrump was noncommittal about a U.S. counterattack. \"Let's see what happens,\" he said. \"This is a new fly in the ointment - what happened, shooting down the drone - and this country will not stand for it.\"\n\nThe White House invited a bipartisan group of top congressional leaders to a meeting Thursday afternoon to discuss the situation.\n\nAmong those invited were Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and the chairmen and ranking minority party members of the House and Senate Intelligence and Armed Services committees.\n\n\"We had a good briefing,\" McConnell said, adding that he could confirm that an unmanned aerial vehicle \"was fired on from Iranian soil and it was in international waters. And beyond that I think the administration is engaged in what I would call measured responses.\"\n\nSchumer said he cautioned that \"these conflicts have a way of escalating.\"\n\n\"The president may not intend to go to war here, but we're worried that he and the administration may bumble into a war,\" he said. \"One of the best ways to avoid bumbling into war, a war that nobody wants, is to have a robust open debate and for Congress to have a real say. We learned that lesson in the run-up to Iraq\" in 2003.\n\nAfter the White House meeting, Pelosi held a closed-door session with Democratic lawmakers to brief them on the developments. \"We know that the high-tension wires are up there, and we must do everything we can not to escalate the situation, but also to make sure that our personnel in the region are safe,\" she said.\n\nThursday's strike followed a number of recent incidents, including attacks on oil tankers, that American officials have depicted as part of an Iranian effort to hurt the United States and its allies in the region. The United States has continued its \"maximum pressure\" campaign against a country the Trump administration has identified as its main adversary in the Middle East.\n\nTehran has responded with defiance to the campaign, which was launched after Trump withdrew the United States from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and has included designating the Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist group and taking steps to cut off Iranian oil sales.\n\nOn Thursday, the European Union said officials from Germany, Britain, France, Russia, China and Iran would meet next week to discuss strategies to salvage the nuclear pact despite renewed U.S. sanctions and Tehran's threat to exceed limits on its uranium stockpiles.\n\nSaudi Arabia's deputy defense minister said Friday on Twitter that he met with Brian Hook, the State Department's special representative for Iran, in Riyadh \"to explore the latest efforts to counter hostile Iranian acts.\"\n\nThe Revolutionary Guard's top commander, Maj. Gen. Hossein Salami, called the downing of the drone \"a clear message to America.\"\n\n\"Our borders are Iran's red line, and we will react strongly against any aggression,\" Salami said in remarks carried by Iranian state television. \"Iran is not seeking war with any country, but we are fully prepared to defend Iran.\"\n\nNearly a quarter of the world's traded oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz, which connects Middle East energy producers to markets around the globe.\n\nLt. Gen. Joseph Guastella, head of U.S. air forces in the Middle East, told reporters at the Pentagon that the Global Hawk was flying at high altitude in the vicinity of recent tanker attacks and was not at any time any closer than 21 miles to the nearest point on Iran's coast.\n\nGuastella said the aircraft did not leave international airspace and was brought down by a Republican Guard surface-to-air missile fired from an area close to Goruk, Iran.\n\n\"This dangerous and escalatory attack was irresponsible and occurred in the vicinity of established air corridors between Dubai, UAE, and Muscat, Oman, possibly endangering innocent civilians,\" he said. Guastella did not take questions, and the Pentagon did not make anyone else available to discuss the tensions.\n\nThe Global Hawk incident occurred the week after two tankers, one Japanese and one Norwegian, were attacked in the Gulf of Oman. The Trump administration has blamed Iran for both incidents, at least one of which is said to have been carried out by use of limpet mine similar to devices previously displayed at Iranian military parades. Iran has denied involvement, calling the accusation \"a lie.\"\n\nThe tanker incidents were similar to an attack on a tanker off the United Arab Emirates in May. The U.S. military also accused Iran of firing a modified SA-7 surface-to-air missile at an MQ-9 Reaper drone over the Gulf of Oman as it surveilled the attack on the Japanese ship.\n\nAlso this month, Centcom said Houthi rebels shot down an MQ-9 over Yemen using an SA-6 surface-to-air missile in an attack that \"was enabled by Iranian assistance.\"\n\nThe latest incident came just days before acting defense secretary Patrick Shanahan was due to step down. Shanahan, who this week withdrew from his confirmation process after news media, including The Washington Post, published reports about past family strife, is handing responsibility for the military to Mark Esper, who now serves as Army secretary.\n\nIt is unclear how the turnover at the top of the Pentagon will affect an internal debate about how to respond to what officials say is an attempt to strike American interests. Some defense officials have voiced concerns that officials led by national security adviser John Bolton, who has publicly advocated regime change in Iran in the past, may be creating conditions in which war is inevitable.\n\nTrump has previously authorized targeted strikes in the Middle East, including on government-controlled air bases in Syria. He was elected in 2016 promising to end American involvement in conflicts in the region.\n\nAt the same time, the Pentagon remains concerned about the potential for Iranian attacks on U.S. military personnel, especially those stationed in Iraq. During a visit to Baghdad last month, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo sought to relay a message for Iranian leaders that even one American death would result in a U.S. counterattack.\n\nTrump appeared to tamp down the likelihood of an immediate military response as he highlighted the fact that the Global Hawk was unmanned. \"We had nobody in the drone,\" he said. \"It would have made a big difference, let me tell you.\"\n\nSen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., tweeted, \"When it comes to the Middle East, there are seldom good choices.\"\n\n\"But in some instances, failing to act can prove to be the most dangerous choice of all,\" he said.\n\nA U.S. official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said U.S. naval assets were trying to recover pieces of the drone.\n\nThe strike on the RQ-4 is much more significant than the recent attacks on Reapers. Each Global Hawk, which has a wingspan of 131 feet, is worth more than $100 million and is packed with sensors and able to fly at altitudes of more than 55,000 feet to observe broad areas for periods that can stretch longer than a day.\n\nThe Global Hawk downed on Thursday was an older \"demonstrator\" model, according to another U.S. official, that had been transferred from the Air Force to the Navy to carry out a mission known as Broad Area Maritime Surveillance. The Pentagon has since begun testing a newer cousin, the MQ-4C Triton. Neither version carries weapons.\n\nAccording to a Republican Guard statement, the U.S. drone took off from a base in the \"southern Persian Gulf\" and was heading toward Iran's Chabahar port \"in full secrecy, violating the rules of international aviation.\"\n\n\"While returning to the western Hormuz Strait's region, the drone violated Iran's airspace and engaged in information-gathering and spying,\" the statement said.\n\nAt its narrowest, the Strait of Hormuz is just 21 nautical miles wide, and ships passing through it must enter the territorial waters of Iran and Oman. Under the rule of the shah in 1959, Iran extended its territorial waters to 12 nautical miles and declared that it would recognize only \"innocent passage\" through the area, essentially excluding warships engaging in activities deemed hostile. Oman also claimed a 12-mile territorial limit in 1972 and later demanded that foreign warships obtain permission to pass through its waters.\n\nThe United States does not recognize any restrictions on transit through the strait.", "Trump says 'Iran made a very big mistake' after US military confirms it shot down American drone\n\nJun 20, 2019, 10:27 AM ETChris Kaufman/The Appeal-Democrat via AP, FileWatchIran says it's 'ready for war'In a major provocation, Iran shot down an unarmed and unmanned U.S. RQ-4A Global Hawk drone while it was flying in international airspace over the Strait of Hormuz Thursday, U.S. Central Command confirmed in a statement.Add Iran as an interest to stay up to date on the latest Iran news, video, and analysis from ABC News.Add InterestPresident Donald Trump tweeted Thursday morning that \"Iran made a very big mistake.\"Iran made a very big mistake!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 20, 2019 The incident is sure to trigger serious discussions within the Trump administration about how to respond to a direct attack on a U.S. military asset that goes beyond recent attacks in the Middle East that the U.S. has blamed on Iran.Mid-morning Thursday, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said that President Trump has \"been kept up to date\" and was briefed both Thursday morning and Wednesday night. She said the White House would “keep in touch with members on the Hill” but would not confirm any White House meetings on Iran.Gen. Hossein Salami, commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, offered a strongly worded threat to the U.S. after the drone was downed.\"Shooting down the American spy drone had a clear, decisive, firm and accurate message,\" he said, translated from Farsi. \"The message is that the guardians of the borders of Islamic Iran will decisively respond to the violation of any stranger to this land. The only solution for the enemies is to respect the territorial integrity and national interests of Iran.\"Koichi Kamoshida/Getty ImagesA full-scale model of The RQ-4 Global Hawk unmanned plane is displayed during a presentation at PiO Exhibition Center on March 24, 2010 in Tokyo, Japan. more + \"We do not intend to engage in war with any country, but we are completely ready for the war. Today’s incident is a clear sign of this accurate message,\" Salami added.Earlier, Iranian state media had quoted Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as saying it had downed the drone when it entered Iranian airspace near the Kouhmobarak district north of the Strait of Hormuz.\"Iranian reports that the aircraft was over Iran are false,\" said CENTCOM spokesperson Navy Capt. Bill Urban in a statement on Thursday morning. \"This was an unprovoked attack on a U.S. surveillance asset in international airspace.\"Urban said the RQ-4A Global Hawk, which \"provides real-time intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions (ISR) over vast ocean and coastal regions,\" was shot down by an Iranian surface-to-air missile system while operating in international airspace over the Strait of Hormuz at approximately 11:35 p.m. GMT on June 19.Sepahnews via APIn this undated photo released by Sepahnews, the website of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, Gen. Hossein Salami speaks in a meeting in Tehran, Iran. more + The incident is not the first time in recent days that Iran has targeted an American drone off its coast.Last Thursday, Iran attempted to shoot down an MQ-9 Reaper that was surveilling the attack on one of two tankers in the Gulf of Oman. The United States has blamed Iran for being responsible for the attacks on the two tankers -- a claim Iran has denied.\"According to our assessment, a modified Iranian SA-7 surface-to-air missile attempted to shoot down a U.S. MQ-9, at 6:45 a.m. local time, June 13, over the Gulf of Oman, to disrupt surveillance of the IRGC attack on the M/T Kokuka Courageous,\" CENTCOM spokesperson Lt. Col. Earl Brown said in a statement to ABC News on Saturday.Chris Kaufman/The Appeal-Democrat via AP, FileIn a Monday, June 30, 2008, file photo, Beale Air Force Base Airmen work on an RQ-4 Global Hawk into its hangar at Beale Air Force Base in Yuba County, Calif. more + \"Subsequent analysis indicates that this was a likely attempt to shoot down or otherwise disrupt the MQ-9 surveillance of the IRGC attack on the M/T Kokuka Courageous,\" Brown said.In early May, the Pentagon rushed the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and a B-52 bomber task force to the Middle East to deter possible attacks by Iran or Iranian-backed groups on U.S. forces and U.S. interests in the region.", "Lolita C. Baldor and Deb Riechmann, The Associated Press \n\n \n\n\n\nWASHINGTON -- The United States abruptly called off preparations for a military strike against Iran over the downing of a U.S. surveillance drone, a U.S. official said, while Iran claimed Friday it had issued several warnings before shooting down the drone over what it said was Iranian territory.\n\nThe Trump administration offered no immediate public account of the thinking behind the last-minute halt in U.S. preparations for retaliation, amid days of escalating tensions between the two countries. A U.S. official, who was not authorized to discuss the operation publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, said the targets would have included radars and missile batteries.\n\nThe swift reversal was a stark reminder of the serious risk of military conflict between U.S. and Iranian forces as the Trump administration combines a \"maximum pressure\" campaign of economic sanctions with a buildup of American forces in the region. As tensions mounted in recent weeks, there have been growing fears that either side could make a dire miscalculation that led to war.\n\nOn Friday, the head of Iran's Revolutionary Guard's aerospace division told Iranian state television that Iran had warned a U.S. military surveillance drone several times before launching a missile at it.\n\nGen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh made the comments standing in front of what Iranian authorities described as pieces of the U.S. Navy RQ-4A Global Hawk drone.\n\nHajizadeh told state TV: \"Unfortunately they did not answer.\"\n\nHe added Iran collected the debris from its territorial waters. The U.S. military says that the drone was in international airspace over the Strait of Hormuz when it was shot down.\n\nThe New York Times separately reported that President Donald Trump had approved the strikes Thursday night, but then called them off. The newspaper cited anonymous senior administration officials.\n\nAsked earlier in the day about a U.S. response to the attack, Trump said, \"You'll soon find out.\"\n\nAccording to the official who spoke to The Associated Press, the strikes were recommended by the Pentagon and were among the options presented to senior administration officials.\n\nIt was unclear how far the preparations had gone, but no shots were fired or missiles launched, the official said.\n\nThe military operation was called off around 7:30 p.m. Washington time, after Trump had spent most of Thursday discussing Iran strategy with top national security advisers and congressional leaders.\n\nThe downing of the U.S. drone -- a huge, unmanned aircraft -- over the Strait of Hormuz prompted accusations from the U.S. and Iran about who was the aggressor. Iran insisted the drone violated Iranian airspace; Washington said it had been flying over international waters.\n\nTrump's initial comments on the attack were succinct. He declared in a tweet that \"Iran made a very big mistake!\" But he also suggested that shooting down the drone -- which has a wingspan wider than a Boeing 737 -- was a foolish error rather than an intentional escalation, suggesting he may have been looking for some way to avoid a crisis.\n\n\"I find it hard to believe it was intentional, if you want to know the truth,\" Trump said at the White House. \"I think that it could have been somebody who was loose and stupid that did it.\"\n\nTrump, who has said he wants to avoid war and negotiate with Iran over its nuclear ambitions, cast the shootdown as \"a new wrinkle ... a new fly in the ointment.\" Yet he also said \"this country will not stand for it, that I can tell you.\"\n\nHe said the American drone was unarmed and unmanned and \"clearly over international waters.\" It would have \"made a big, big difference\" if someone had been inside, he said.\n\nBut fears of open conflict shadowed much of the discourse in Washington. As the day wore on, Trump summoned his top national security advisers and congressional leaders to the White House for an hour-long briefing in the Situation Room. Attendees included Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, national security adviser John Bolton, CIA Director Gina Haspel, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford, acting Defence Secretary Patrick Shanahan and Army Secretary Mark Esper, whom Trump has said he'll nominate as Pentagon chief.\n\nPompeo and Bolton have advocated hardline policies against Iran, but Rep. Adam Schiff, the chairman of the House intelligence committee, said \"the president certainly was listening\" when congressional leaders at the meeting urged him to be cautious and not escalate the already tense situation.\n\nOn Capitol Hill, leaders urged caution, and some lawmakers insisted the White House must consult with Congress before taking any actions.\n\nHouse Speaker Nancy Pelosi said no specific options for a U.S. response were presented at the meeting. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said, \"The administration is engaged in what I would call measured responses.\" And late Thursday, House Republicans on the Foreign Affairs, intelligence and Armed Services committees issued a statement using the same word, saying, \"There must be a measured response to these actions.\"\n\nThe Trump administration has been putting increasing economic pressure on Iran for more than a year. It reinstated punishing sanctions following Trump's decision to pull the U.S. out of an international agreement intended to limit Iran's nuclear program in exchange for relief from earlier sanctions.\n\nCiting Iranian threats, the U.S. recently sent an aircraft carrier to the Persian Gulf region and deployed additional troops alongside the tens of thousands already there. All this has raised fears that a miscalculation or further rise in tensions could push the U.S. and Iran into an open conflict 40 years after Tehran's Islamic Revolution.\n\nThe paramilitary Guard, which answers only to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said it shot down the drone at 4:05 a.m. Thursday when it entered Iranian airspace near the Kouhmobarak district in southern Iran's Hormozgan province. Kouhmobarak is about 1,200 kilometres (750 miles) southeast of Tehran.\n\nTaking issue with the U.S. version of where the attack occurred, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted that his country had retrieved sections of the military drone \"in OUR territorial waters where it was shot down.\" He said, \"We don't seek war but will zealously defend our skies, land & waters.\"\n\nAir Force Lt. Gen. Joseph Guastella, commander of U.S. Central Command air forces in the region, disputed that contention, telling reporters that the aircraft was 34 kilometres (21 miles) from the nearest Iranian territory and flying at high altitude when struck by a surface-to-air missile. The U.S. military has not commented on the mission of the remotely piloted aircraft that can fly higher than 10 miles in altitude and stay in the air for over 24 hours at a time.\n\n\"This attack is an attempt to disrupt our ability to monitor the area following recent threats to international shipping and free flow of commerce,\" he said.\n\nLate Thursday, the Federal Aviation Administration barred American-registered aircraft from flying over parts of the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman and several major airlines from around the world on Friday began rerouting their flights to avoid the area, including British Airways, Australia's Qantas, Germany's Lufthansa and the Dutch carrier KLM.\n\nDemocratic leaders in particular urged the president to work with U.S. allies and stressed the need for caution to avoid any unintended escalation.\n\nSen. Chuck Schumer of New York said he told Trump that conflicts have a way of escalating and \"we're worried that he and the administration may bumble into a war.\"\n\nAssociated Press writers Jill Colvin, Lisa Mascaro and Matthew Lee in Washington, Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and AP video producer Padmananda Rama contributed to this report."], "summary": "Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps shoots down an American RQ-4 Global Hawk spy drone after it allegedly violates Iranian airspace."}
{"document": ["US official tells AP that US drone was shot down by an Iranian missile in international airspace over Strait of Hormuz\n\nDUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — US official tells AP that US drone was shot down by an Iranian missile in international airspace over Strait of Hormuz.", "US official tells AP that US drone was shot down by an Iranian missile in international airspace over Strait of Hormuz\n\nDUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — US official tells AP that US drone was shot down by an Iranian missile in international airspace over Strait of Hormuz.", "US official tells AP that US drone was shot down by an Iranian missile in international airspace over Strait of Hormuz\n\nDUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — US official tells AP that US drone was shot down by an Iranian missile in international airspace over Strait of Hormuz.", "US official tells AP that US drone was shot down by an Iranian missile in international airspace over Strait of Hormuz\n\nDUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — US official tells AP that US drone was shot down by an Iranian missile in international airspace over Strait of Hormuz.", "US official tells AP that US drone was shot down by an Iranian missile in international airspace over Strait of Hormuz\n\nDUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — US official tells AP that US drone was shot down by an Iranian missile in international airspace over Strait of Hormuz.", "US official tells AP that US drone was shot down by an Iranian missile in international airspace over Strait of Hormuz\n\nDUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — US official tells AP that US drone was shot down by an Iranian missile in international airspace over Strait of Hormuz.", "US official tells AP that US drone was shot down by an Iranian missile in international airspace over Strait of Hormuz\n\nDUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — US official tells AP that US drone was shot down by an Iranian missile in international airspace over Strait of Hormuz.", "US official tells AP that US drone was shot down by an Iranian missile in international airspace over Strait of Hormuz\n\nDUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — US official tells AP that US drone was shot down by an Iranian missile in international airspace over Strait of Hormuz.", "US official tells AP that US drone was shot down by an Iranian missile in international airspace over Strait of Hormuz\n\nDUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — US official tells AP that US drone was shot down by an Iranian missile in international airspace over Strait of Hormuz.", "US official tells AP that US drone was shot down by an Iranian missile in international airspace over Strait of Hormuz\n\nDUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — US official tells AP that US drone was shot down by an Iranian missile in international airspace over Strait of Hormuz."], "summary": "An anonymous American official says the incident occurred in international airspace, and not over Iranian territory."}
{"document": ["WASHINGTON — A U.S. official said the military made preparations Thursday night for limited strikes on Iran in retaliation for the downing of a U.S. surveillance drone, but approval was abruptly withdrawn before the attacks were launched.\n\nThe official, who was not authorized to discuss the operation publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, said the targets would have included radars and missile batteries.\n\nThe New York Times reported that President Donald Trump had approved the strikes, but then called them off. The newspaper cited anonymous senior administration officials.\n\nThe White House on Thursday night declined requests for information about whether Trump changed his mind.\n\nAccording to the official who spoke to the AP, the strikes were recommended by the Pentagon and were among the options presented to senior administration officials.\n\nIt was unclear how far the preparations had gone, but no shots were fired or missiles launched.\n\nThe military operation was called off around 7:30 p.m. Washington time, after Trump had spent most of Thursday discussing Iran strategy with top national security advisers and congressional leaders.\n\nAsked earlier in the day about a U.S. response to the attack, he said, “You’ll soon find out.”\n\nTrump declared that “Iran made a very big mistake” by shooting down the U.S. drone over the Strait of Hormuz. But he also suggested that shooting down the drone was a foolish error rather than an intentional escalation of the tensions that have led to rising fears of open military conflict.\n\n“I find it hard to believe it was intentional, if you want to know the truth,” Trump said at the White House. “I think that it could have been somebody who was loose and stupid that did it.”\n\nOn Capitol Hill, leaders urged caution to avoid escalation, and some lawmakers insisted the White House must consult with Congress before taking any actions.\n\nSecretary of State Mike Pompeo and national security adviser John Bolton have advocated hardline policies against Iran, but Rep. Adam Schiff, the chairman of the House intelligence committee, said “the president certainly was listening” when congressional leaders at the meeting urged him to be cautious and not escalate the already tense situation.\n\nHouse Speaker Nancy Pelosi said no specific options for a U.S. response were presented at the more than hour-long meeting. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said, “The administration is engaged in what I would call measured responses.” And late Thursday, House Republicans on the Foreign Affairs, intelligence and Armed Services committees issued a statement using the same word, saying, “There must be a measured response to these actions.”\n\nThe downing of the huge, unmanned aircraft , which Iran portrayed as a deliberate defense of its territory rather than a mistake, was a stark reminder of the risk of military conflict between U.S. and Iranian forces as the Trump administration combines a “maximum pressure” campaign of economic sanctions with a buildup of American forces in the region.", "WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald said on Friday he had aborted a military strike on Iran because such a response to Tehran’s downing of an unmanned U.S. surveillance drone would have caused a disproportionate loss of life.\n\nIn a series of early morning tweets, Trump said U.S. economic sanctions against Iran were having an impact and more were imposed late on Thursday following the destruction of the U.S. drone by an Iranian surface-to-air missile.\n\n“We were cocked and loaded to retaliate last night on 3 different sights (sic) when I asked, how many will die. 150 people, sir, was the answer from a General,” Trump tweeted.\n\n“Ten minutes before the strike I stopped it, not proportionate to shooting down an unmanned drone. I am in no hurry, our military is rebuilt, new, and ready to go, by far the best in the world.”\n\nEarlier on Friday, Iranian officials told Reuters that Tehran had received a message from Trump warning that a U.S. attack on Iran was imminent but saying that he was against war and wanted talks on a range of issues.\n\nNews of that message, delivered through Oman overnight, came shortly after the New York Times reported that Trump had called off air strikes targeting Iranian radar and missile batteries at the last minute.\n\n“In his message, Trump said he was against any war with Iran and wanted to talk to Tehran about various issues,” one of the officials told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.\n\n“He gave a short period of time to get our response but Iran’s immediate response was that it is up to Supreme Leader (Ayatollah Ali) Khamenei to decide about this issue.”\n\nA second Iranian official said: “We made it clear that the leader is against any talks, but the message will be conveyed to him to make a decision.\n\n“However, we told the Omani official that any attack against Iran will have regional and international consequences.”\n\nKhamenei has the last say on all state matters and has ruled out any talks with Washington while Tehran is under sanctions.\n\nIran shot down the drone after weeks of festering tension amidst a spate of attacks on oil tankers in the Gulf region.\n\nIn his initial response on Thursday, Trump said he was not eager to escalate a stand-off with Iran over its nuclear and ballistic missile activities and support for proxies in various Middle East conflicts.\n\nHe said the unmanned drone might have been shot down in error by someone who was acting “loose and stupid,” though added: “This country will not stand for it.”\n\nThe incident aggravated global fears of direct military confrontation between the longtime foes, and oil prices rose a further $1 per barrel to above $65.50 on Friday due to worries about possible disruptions to crude exports from the Gulf.\n• FAA bans U.S. airlines from flying over parts of Iranian airspace\n• Donald Trump promises help with Canadian detainees in China as Justin Trudeau visits D.C.\n• Iran says it won’t wage war, Russia tells U.S. to stop stoking tensions", "DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- President Donald Trump ordered an attack on Iran on Thursday in retaliation for the downing of a surveillance drone in the Strait of Hormuz but called the operation off just before it was due to occur because it would have caused extensive casualties, he said Friday.\n\nIn a series of morning tweets, Trump said he called off strikes on three Iranian sites minutes before they were to be launched because he was informed of the likely loss of life among Iranians.\n\n\"We were cocked & loaded to retaliate last night on 3 different sights when I asked, how many will die,\" Trump tweeted. \"150 people, sir, was the answer from a General. 10 minutes before the strike I stopped it.\"\n\nSuch a death toll was \"not proportionate to shooting down an unmanned drone,\" Trump wrote, adding: \"I am in no hurry, our Military is rebuilt, new, and ready to go, by far the best in the world. Sanctions are biting & more added last night. Iran can NEVER have Nuclear Weapons, not against the USA, and not against the WORLD!\"\n\nIran said Friday the United States had \"no justification\" for a retaliatory strike and vowed to respond \"firmly\" to any U.S. military action.\n\nTrump administration officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive national security decisions, said the president approved the strikes after Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps earlier in the day shot down a Navy RQ-4 Global Hawk operating off Iran's southern coast, a move Trump described as a \"very big mistake.\"\n\nBut he later changed his mind, the officials said. The decision was first reported by the New York Times.\n\nThe commander of the Revolutionary Guard's aerospace division said Friday that Iran had sent \"warnings\" to the drone before shooting it down. In an interview with Iran's state-controlled broadcaster, Brig. Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh said a final warning was sent at 3:55 a.m. local time Thursday.\n\n\"When it did not redirect its route and continued flying toward and into our territory, we had to shoot it at 4:05 a.m.,\" he said. \"Our national security is a red line.\"\n\nHe also said that a U.S. P-8 patrol aircraft, with 35 people on board, had accompanied the drone into Iranian airspace. His claim could not immediately be verified.\n\n\"We could have downed it, too,\" Hajizadeh said of the plane, the Fars News Agency reported. \"But we did not do it.\"\n\nA senior U.S. defense official, speaking on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the subject, said Friday morning that the Pentagon had Navy assets poised to strike in Iran if directed, including ships accompanying the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln. Those attacks could have included airstrikes with jets, or - more likely - Tomahawk cruise missiles, the official said.\n\nAmong the ships that could have been involved were the guided-missile cruiser USS Leyte Gulf and the destroyer USS Bainbridge, the official said. Both vessels can carry Tomahawk missiles.\n\nThe official said he could not say whether Iran considered shooting down a Navy P-8 Poseidon surveillance plane with a few dozen U.S. service members aboard before ultimately striking an unmanned RQ-4 over the Gulf of Oman. However, the official said, a P-8 was flying in the region that night.\n\nIranian state television Friday published images that it said showed pieces of the drone recovered from the debris field. The photographs, which showed large fragments of what appeared to be an aircraft, could not be independently authenticated.\n\nIranian officials told the Reuters news agency Friday that Tehran received a message from Trump through Oman overnight warning that a U.S. attack was imminent.\n\n\"Trump said he was against any war with Iran and wanted to talk to Tehran about various issues,\" Reuters quoted one official as saying. \"He gave a short period of time to get our response.\" The official added that it was up to Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, to decide whether to respond.\n\nIran's permanent mission to the United Nations did not immediately reply to request for comment.\n\nThe Federal Aviation Administration late Thursday barred U.S.-registered aircraft from operating over the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman, due to an increase in military activities and political tensions that it said might \"place commercial flights at risk.\"\n\nSeveral U.S. and international carriers said that they had either canceled flights over Iranian airspace or were taking steps to avoid the Strait of Hormuz.\n\nThe aborted operation to strike Iran capped a day in which news of the drone's downing heaped fuel on already heightened fears that the United States and Iran were on a course toward a military conflict as each side blamed the other for the incident.\n\nTehran and Washington gave conflicting accounts of what occurred when the drone with an airliner's wingspan crashed into the sea. While Iran said the aircraft had entered its airspace, the U.S. Central Command denied that assertion, characterizing the incident as an \"unprovoked attack\" over one of the world's most important commercial waterways.\n\nIn remarks alongside visiting Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the White House, Trump condemned the shoot-down but also appeared to tamp down speculation that a counterstrike might be in the works, saying the drone may have been shot down without the knowledge of Iranian leaders.\n\n\"I'm not just talking about the country made a mistake. I'm talking about somebody under the command of that country made a mistake,\" Trump said at the White House. \"I find it hard to believe it was intentional\" on the part of Iran's top officials, the president said.\n\nTrump was noncommittal about a U.S. counterattack. \"Let's see what happens,\" he said. \"This is a new fly in the ointment - what happened, shooting down the drone - and this country will not stand for it.\"\n\nThe White House invited a bipartisan group of top congressional leaders to a meeting Thursday afternoon to discuss the situation.\n\nAmong those invited were Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and the chairmen and ranking minority party members of the House and Senate Intelligence and Armed Services committees.\n\n\"We had a good briefing,\" McConnell said, adding that he could confirm that an unmanned aerial vehicle \"was fired on from Iranian soil and it was in international waters. And beyond that I think the administration is engaged in what I would call measured responses.\"\n\nSchumer said he cautioned that \"these conflicts have a way of escalating.\"\n\n\"The president may not intend to go to war here, but we're worried that he and the administration may bumble into a war,\" he said. \"One of the best ways to avoid bumbling into war, a war that nobody wants, is to have a robust open debate and for Congress to have a real say. We learned that lesson in the run-up to Iraq\" in 2003.\n\nAfter the White House meeting, Pelosi held a closed-door session with Democratic lawmakers to brief them on the developments. \"We know that the high-tension wires are up there, and we must do everything we can not to escalate the situation, but also to make sure that our personnel in the region are safe,\" she said.\n\nThursday's strike followed a number of recent incidents, including attacks on oil tankers, that American officials have depicted as part of an Iranian effort to hurt the United States and its allies in the region. The United States has continued its \"maximum pressure\" campaign against a country the Trump administration has identified as its main adversary in the Middle East.\n\nTehran has responded with defiance to the campaign, which was launched after Trump withdrew the United States from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and has included designating the Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist group and taking steps to cut off Iranian oil sales.\n\nOn Thursday, the European Union said officials from Germany, Britain, France, Russia, China and Iran would meet next week to discuss strategies to salvage the nuclear pact despite renewed U.S. sanctions and Tehran's threat to exceed limits on its uranium stockpiles.\n\nSaudi Arabia's deputy defense minister said Friday on Twitter that he met with Brian Hook, the State Department's special representative for Iran, in Riyadh \"to explore the latest efforts to counter hostile Iranian acts.\"\n\nThe Revolutionary Guard's top commander, Maj. Gen. Hossein Salami, called the downing of the drone \"a clear message to America.\"\n\n\"Our borders are Iran's red line, and we will react strongly against any aggression,\" Salami said in remarks carried by Iranian state television. \"Iran is not seeking war with any country, but we are fully prepared to defend Iran.\"\n\nNearly a quarter of the world's traded oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz, which connects Middle East energy producers to markets around the globe.\n\nLt. Gen. Joseph Guastella, head of U.S. air forces in the Middle East, told reporters at the Pentagon that the Global Hawk was flying at high altitude in the vicinity of recent tanker attacks and was not at any time any closer than 21 miles to the nearest point on Iran's coast.\n\nGuastella said the aircraft did not leave international airspace and was brought down by a Republican Guard surface-to-air missile fired from an area close to Goruk, Iran.\n\n\"This dangerous and escalatory attack was irresponsible and occurred in the vicinity of established air corridors between Dubai, UAE, and Muscat, Oman, possibly endangering innocent civilians,\" he said. Guastella did not take questions, and the Pentagon did not make anyone else available to discuss the tensions.\n\nThe Global Hawk incident occurred the week after two tankers, one Japanese and one Norwegian, were attacked in the Gulf of Oman. The Trump administration has blamed Iran for both incidents, at least one of which is said to have been carried out by use of limpet mine similar to devices previously displayed at Iranian military parades. Iran has denied involvement, calling the accusation \"a lie.\"\n\nThe tanker incidents were similar to an attack on a tanker off the United Arab Emirates in May. The U.S. military also accused Iran of firing a modified SA-7 surface-to-air missile at an MQ-9 Reaper drone over the Gulf of Oman as it surveilled the attack on the Japanese ship.\n\nAlso this month, Centcom said Houthi rebels shot down an MQ-9 over Yemen using an SA-6 surface-to-air missile in an attack that \"was enabled by Iranian assistance.\"\n\nThe latest incident came just days before acting defense secretary Patrick Shanahan was due to step down. Shanahan, who this week withdrew from his confirmation process after news media, including The Washington Post, published reports about past family strife, is handing responsibility for the military to Mark Esper, who now serves as Army secretary.\n\nIt is unclear how the turnover at the top of the Pentagon will affect an internal debate about how to respond to what officials say is an attempt to strike American interests. Some defense officials have voiced concerns that officials led by national security adviser John Bolton, who has publicly advocated regime change in Iran in the past, may be creating conditions in which war is inevitable.\n\nTrump has previously authorized targeted strikes in the Middle East, including on government-controlled air bases in Syria. He was elected in 2016 promising to end American involvement in conflicts in the region.\n\nAt the same time, the Pentagon remains concerned about the potential for Iranian attacks on U.S. military personnel, especially those stationed in Iraq. During a visit to Baghdad last month, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo sought to relay a message for Iranian leaders that even one American death would result in a U.S. counterattack.\n\nTrump appeared to tamp down the likelihood of an immediate military response as he highlighted the fact that the Global Hawk was unmanned. \"We had nobody in the drone,\" he said. \"It would have made a big difference, let me tell you.\"\n\nSen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., tweeted, \"When it comes to the Middle East, there are seldom good choices.\"\n\n\"But in some instances, failing to act can prove to be the most dangerous choice of all,\" he said.\n\nA U.S. official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said U.S. naval assets were trying to recover pieces of the drone.\n\nThe strike on the RQ-4 is much more significant than the recent attacks on Reapers. Each Global Hawk, which has a wingspan of 131 feet, is worth more than $100 million and is packed with sensors and able to fly at altitudes of more than 55,000 feet to observe broad areas for periods that can stretch longer than a day.\n\nThe Global Hawk downed on Thursday was an older \"demonstrator\" model, according to another U.S. official, that had been transferred from the Air Force to the Navy to carry out a mission known as Broad Area Maritime Surveillance. The Pentagon has since begun testing a newer cousin, the MQ-4C Triton. Neither version carries weapons.\n\nAccording to a Revolutionary Guard statement, the U.S. drone took off from a base in the \"southern Persian Gulf\" and was heading toward Iran's Chabahar port \"in full secrecy, violating the rules of international aviation.\"\n\n\"While returning to the western Hormuz Strait's region, the drone violated Iran's airspace and engaged in information-gathering and spying,\" the statement said.\n\nAt its narrowest, the Strait of Hormuz is just 21 nautical miles wide, and ships passing through it must enter the territorial waters of Iran and Oman. Under the rule of the shah in 1959, Iran extended its territorial waters to 12 nautical miles and declared that it would recognize only \"innocent passage\" through the area, essentially excluding warships engaging in activities deemed hostile. Oman also claimed a 12-mile territorial limit in 1972 and later demanded that foreign warships obtain permission to pass through its waters.\n\nThe United States does not recognize any restrictions on transit through the strait.\n\nRyan and Lamothe reported from Washington. The Washington Post’s William Branigin in Washington contributed to this report.", "US President Donald Trump said on Friday he aborted a military strike on Iran because he it could have killed 150 people, a disproportionate response to Tehran’s downing of an unmanned US surveillance drone, Reuters reports.\n\nTrump said the plan was to hit three different sites in response to the drone’s downing on Thursday, which Tehran said took place over its territory and which Washington said occurred in international airspace over the Strait of Hormuz.\n\nThe drone incident aggravated fears of direct military confrontation between the longtime foes, and oil prices rose a further $1 per barrel to above $65.50 on Friday due to worries about possible disruptions to crude exports from the Gulf.\n\nIn a series of early morning tweets, Trump said he was in no hurry to launch a strike and that US economic sanctions designed to force Iran to curb its nuclear and missile programs and its involvement in regional wars were having an effect.\n\nHe also said the United States imposed additional sanctions against Iran on Thursday night following the destruction of the Global Hawk drone by an Iranian surface-to-air missile, but it was not immediately clear what those economic penalties may have been.\n\nREAD: Trump makes sudden U-turn and calls off military strike on Iran\n\n“Ten minutes before the strike I stopped it, not proportionate to shooting down an unmanned drone. I am in no hurry, our military is rebuilt, new, and ready to go, by far the best in the world,” Trump tweeted.\n\nWhite House national security adviser John Bolton, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and CIA Director Gina Haspel, along with the rest of Trump’s team, favoured a retaliatory strike, said a Trump administration official who asked not to be named.\n\nEarlier on Friday, Iranian officials told Reuters that Tehran had received a message from Trump warning that a US attack on Iran was imminent but saying that he was against war and wanted talks on a range of issues.\n\nNews of that message, delivered through Oman overnight, came shortly after the New York Times reported that Trump had called off air strikes targeting Iranian radar and missile batteries at the last minute.\n\n“In his message, Trump said he was against any war with Iran and wanted to talk to Tehran about various issues,” one of the officials told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.\n\n“He gave a short period of time to get our response but Iran’s immediate response was that it is up to Supreme Leader (Ayatollah Ali) Khamenei to decide about this issue.”\n\nA second Iranian official said: “We made it clear that the leader is against any talks, but the message will be conveyed to him to make a decision.\n\n“However, we told the Omani official that any attack against Iran will have regional and international consequences.”\n\nKhamenei has the last say on all state matters and has ruled out any talks with Washington while Tehran is under sanctions.\n\nIran shot down the drone after weeks of festering tension amidst a spate of attacks on oil tankers in the Gulf region.\n\nREAD: Trump says hard to believe Iran shooting down of US drone was intentional\n\nIn his initial response on Thursday, Trump said he was not eager to escalate a stand-off with Iran over its nuclear and ballistic missile activities and support for proxies in various Middle East conflicts.\n\nHe said the unmanned drone might have been shot down in error by someone who was acting “loose and stupid”, though added: “This country will not stand for it.”\n\nIn a sign that the United States may be interested in pursuing diplomacy for now, it asked the U.N. Security Council to meet on Iran behind closed-doors on Monday, diplomats said.\n\n“We will brief the council on the latest developments with regard to Iran and present further information from our investigation into the recent tanker incidents,” the US mission to the United Nations said in a note to council colleagues, seen by Reuters.", "U.S. President Donald Trump appeared to downplay Iran’s shootdown of a U.S. drone, saying it likely was an error by “a general or somebody,” as both sides said they had evidence to prove the location of the craft when it was hit by a surface-to-air missile.\n\n \n\n Trump’s remarks to reporters at the White House on June 20 came hours after he had taken a harsher tone, writing in a tweet that “Iran made a very big mistake.”\n\n \n\n He was then asked whether the United States would strike Iran in retaliation, \"You'll soon find out,\" he said.\n\n \n\n In his later comments, the U.S. president said that \"I think probably Iran made a mistake -- I would imagine it was a general or somebody that made a mistake in shooting that drone down.\"\n\n \n\n \"We had nobody in the drone. It would have made a big difference, let me tell you, it would have made a big, big difference\" if the aircraft had carried a pilot, Trump said as he met Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the White House.\n\n \n\n \"It's hard to believe it was intentional, if you want to know the truth,\" he added. He suggested it could have been carried out by someone who was acting \"loose and stupid\" and characterized the incident as \"a new wrinkle...a new fly in the ointment.\"\n\n \n\n Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) early on June 20 said it had shot down a U.S. \"spy\" drone that had turned off its tracking equipment as it flew over the southern province of Hormozgan -- saying the flight was a clear crossing of \"our red line.\"\n\n \n\n Iran's Foreign Ministry has condemned what it called a “provocative” incursion of the country’s airspace.\n\n \n\n But the U.S. military said the surveillance aircraft had been flying over the Strait of Hormuz in international waters when it was shot down.\n\n \n\n Late on June 20, the Pentagon released an image it said showed the flight path for the drone, but it did not immediately provide a detailed explanation of the photo.\n\n \n\n Iran, meanwhile, said it has \"irrefutable evidence\" that the drone was in its airspace at the time.\n\n \n\n \"The evidence is clear and irrefutable, especially since some remains from the drone were found in Iranian waters,\" Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said.\n\n \n\n Despite the rising tensions, U.S. officials, including Trump, and Iranian leaders have insisted they do not want to start a military conflict in the Persian Gulf.\n\n \n\n U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said on June 20 he was worried that Trump could \"bumble\" into a war with Iran. He added that there must be a public debate and a congressional decision on funding before any military operation could be launched.\n\n \n\n \"I told the president that these conflicts have a way of escalating,\" Schumer told reporters after meeting with officials at the White House.\n\n \n\n \"The president may not intend to go to war here, but we're worried that he and the administration may bumble into a war.”\n\n \n\n Recent attacks on oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman and near the Strait of Hormuz have also heightened tensions in the region, with Washington and its ally Saudi Arabia blaming Iran for the incidents. Tehran denies any involvement.\n\nWith reporting by RFE/RL's Radio Farda, Reuters, dpa, and AFP", "DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- President Donald Trump ordered an attack on Iran on Thursday in retaliation for the downing of a surveillance drone in the Strait of Hormuz but called the operation off just before it was due to occur because it would have caused extensive casualties, he said Friday.\n\nIn a series of morning tweets, Trump said he called off strikes on three Iranian sites minutes before they were to be launched because he was informed of the likely loss of life among Iranians.\n\n\"We were cocked & loaded to retaliate last night on 3 different sights when I asked, how many will die,\" Trump tweeted. \"150 people, sir, was the answer from a General. 10 minutes before the strike I stopped it.\"\n\nSuch a death toll was \"not proportionate to shooting down an unmanned drone,\" Trump wrote, adding: \"I am in no hurry, our Military is rebuilt, new, and ready to go, by far the best in the world. Sanctions are biting & more added last night. Iran can NEVER have Nuclear Weapons, not against the USA, and not against the WORLD!\"\n\nIran said Friday the United States had \"no justification\" for a retaliatory strike and vowed to respond \"firmly\" to any U.S. military action.\n\nTrump administration officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive national security decisions, said the president approved the strikes after Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps earlier in the day shot down a Navy RQ-4 Global Hawk operating off Iran's southern coast, a move Trump described as a \"very big mistake.\"\n\nBut he later changed his mind, the officials said. The decision was first reported by the New York Times.\n\nThe commander of the Revolutionary Guard's aerospace division said Friday that Iran had sent \"warnings\" to the drone before shooting it down. In an interview with Iran's state-controlled broadcaster, Brig. Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh said a final warning was sent at 3:55 a.m. local time Thursday.\n\n\"When it did not redirect its route and continued flying toward and into our territory, we had to shoot it at 4:05 a.m.,\" he said. \"Our national security is a red line.\"\n\nHe also said that a U.S. P-8 patrol aircraft, with 35 people on board, had accompanied the drone into Iranian airspace. His claim could not immediately be verified.\n\n\"We could have downed it, too,\" Hajizadeh said of the plane, the Fars News Agency reported. \"But we did not do it.\"\n\nA senior U.S. defense official, speaking on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the subject, said Friday morning that the Pentagon had Navy assets poised to strike in Iran if directed, including ships accompanying the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln. Those attacks could have included airstrikes with jets, or - more likely - Tomahawk cruise missiles, the official said.\n\nAmong the ships that could have been involved were the guided-missile cruiser USS Leyte Gulf and the destroyer USS Bainbridge, the official said. Both vessels can carry Tomahawk missiles.\n\nThe official said he could not say whether Iran considered shooting down a Navy P-8 Poseidon surveillance plane with a few dozen U.S. service members aboard before ultimately striking an unmanned RQ-4 over the Gulf of Oman. However, the official said, a P-8 was flying in the region that night.\n\nIranian state television Friday published images that it said showed pieces of the drone recovered from the debris field. The photographs, which showed large fragments of what appeared to be an aircraft, could not be independently authenticated.\n\nIranian officials told the Reuters news agency Friday that Tehran received a message from Trump through Oman overnight warning that a U.S. attack was imminent.\n\n\"Trump said he was against any war with Iran and wanted to talk to Tehran about various issues,\" Reuters quoted one official as saying. \"He gave a short period of time to get our response.\" The official added that it was up to Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, to decide whether to respond.\n\nIran's permanent mission to the United Nations did not immediately reply to request for comment.\n\nThe Federal Aviation Administration late Thursday barred U.S.-registered aircraft from operating over the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman, due to an increase in military activities and political tensions that it said might \"place commercial flights at risk.\"\n\nSeveral U.S. and international carriers said that they had either canceled flights over Iranian airspace or were taking steps to avoid the Strait of Hormuz.\n\nThe aborted operation to strike Iran capped a day in which news of the drone's downing heaped fuel on already heightened fears that the United States and Iran were on a course toward a military conflict as each side blamed the other for the incident.\n\nTehran and Washington gave conflicting accounts of what occurred when the drone with an airliner's wingspan crashed into the sea. While Iran said the aircraft had entered its airspace, the U.S. Central Command denied that assertion, characterizing the incident as an \"unprovoked attack\" over one of the world's most important commercial waterways.\n\nIn remarks alongside visiting Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the White House, Trump condemned the shoot-down but also appeared to tamp down speculation that a counterstrike might be in the works, saying the drone may have been shot down without the knowledge of Iranian leaders.\n\n\"I'm not just talking about the country made a mistake. I'm talking about somebody under the command of that country made a mistake,\" Trump said at the White House. \"I find it hard to believe it was intentional\" on the part of Iran's top officials, the president said.\n\nTrump was noncommittal about a U.S. counterattack. \"Let's see what happens,\" he said. \"This is a new fly in the ointment - what happened, shooting down the drone - and this country will not stand for it.\"\n\nThe White House invited a bipartisan group of top congressional leaders to a meeting Thursday afternoon to discuss the situation.\n\nAmong those invited were Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., and the chairmen and ranking minority party members of the House and Senate Intelligence and Armed Services committees.\n\n\"We had a good briefing,\" McConnell said, adding that he could confirm that an unmanned aerial vehicle \"was fired on from Iranian soil and it was in international waters. And beyond that I think the administration is engaged in what I would call measured responses.\"\n\nSchumer said he cautioned that \"these conflicts have a way of escalating.\"\n\n\"The president may not intend to go to war here, but we're worried that he and the administration may bumble into a war,\" he said. \"One of the best ways to avoid bumbling into war, a war that nobody wants, is to have a robust open debate and for Congress to have a real say. We learned that lesson in the run-up to Iraq\" in 2003.\n\nAfter the White House meeting, Pelosi held a closed-door session with Democratic lawmakers to brief them on the developments. \"We know that the high-tension wires are up there, and we must do everything we can not to escalate the situation, but also to make sure that our personnel in the region are safe,\" she said.\n\nThursday's strike followed a number of recent incidents, including attacks on oil tankers, that American officials have depicted as part of an Iranian effort to hurt the United States and its allies in the region. The United States has continued its \"maximum pressure\" campaign against a country the Trump administration has identified as its main adversary in the Middle East.\n\nTehran has responded with defiance to the campaign, which was launched after Trump withdrew the United States from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal and has included designating the Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist group and taking steps to cut off Iranian oil sales.\n\nOn Thursday, the European Union said officials from Germany, Britain, France, Russia, China and Iran would meet next week to discuss strategies to salvage the nuclear pact despite renewed U.S. sanctions and Tehran's threat to exceed limits on its uranium stockpiles.\n\nSaudi Arabia's deputy defense minister said Friday on Twitter that he met with Brian Hook, the State Department's special representative for Iran, in Riyadh \"to explore the latest efforts to counter hostile Iranian acts.\"\n\nThe Revolutionary Guard's top commander, Maj. Gen. Hossein Salami, called the downing of the drone \"a clear message to America.\"\n\n\"Our borders are Iran's red line, and we will react strongly against any aggression,\" Salami said in remarks carried by Iranian state television. \"Iran is not seeking war with any country, but we are fully prepared to defend Iran.\"\n\nNearly a quarter of the world's traded oil passes through the Strait of Hormuz, which connects Middle East energy producers to markets around the globe.\n\nLt. Gen. Joseph Guastella, head of U.S. air forces in the Middle East, told reporters at the Pentagon that the Global Hawk was flying at high altitude in the vicinity of recent tanker attacks and was not at any time any closer than 21 miles to the nearest point on Iran's coast.\n\nGuastella said the aircraft did not leave international airspace and was brought down by a Republican Guard surface-to-air missile fired from an area close to Goruk, Iran.\n\n\"This dangerous and escalatory attack was irresponsible and occurred in the vicinity of established air corridors between Dubai, UAE, and Muscat, Oman, possibly endangering innocent civilians,\" he said. Guastella did not take questions, and the Pentagon did not make anyone else available to discuss the tensions.\n\nThe Global Hawk incident occurred the week after two tankers, one Japanese and one Norwegian, were attacked in the Gulf of Oman. The Trump administration has blamed Iran for both incidents, at least one of which is said to have been carried out by use of limpet mine similar to devices previously displayed at Iranian military parades. Iran has denied involvement, calling the accusation \"a lie.\"\n\nThe tanker incidents were similar to an attack on a tanker off the United Arab Emirates in May. The U.S. military also accused Iran of firing a modified SA-7 surface-to-air missile at an MQ-9 Reaper drone over the Gulf of Oman as it surveilled the attack on the Japanese ship.\n\nAlso this month, Centcom said Houthi rebels shot down an MQ-9 over Yemen using an SA-6 surface-to-air missile in an attack that \"was enabled by Iranian assistance.\"\n\nThe latest incident came just days before acting defense secretary Patrick Shanahan was due to step down. Shanahan, who this week withdrew from his confirmation process after news media, including The Washington Post, published reports about past family strife, is handing responsibility for the military to Mark Esper, who now serves as Army secretary.\n\nIt is unclear how the turnover at the top of the Pentagon will affect an internal debate about how to respond to what officials say is an attempt to strike American interests. Some defense officials have voiced concerns that officials led by national security adviser John Bolton, who has publicly advocated regime change in Iran in the past, may be creating conditions in which war is inevitable.\n\nTrump has previously authorized targeted strikes in the Middle East, including on government-controlled air bases in Syria. He was elected in 2016 promising to end American involvement in conflicts in the region.\n\nAt the same time, the Pentagon remains concerned about the potential for Iranian attacks on U.S. military personnel, especially those stationed in Iraq. During a visit to Baghdad last month, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo sought to relay a message for Iranian leaders that even one American death would result in a U.S. counterattack.\n\nTrump appeared to tamp down the likelihood of an immediate military response as he highlighted the fact that the Global Hawk was unmanned. \"We had nobody in the drone,\" he said. \"It would have made a big difference, let me tell you.\"\n\nSen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., tweeted, \"When it comes to the Middle East, there are seldom good choices.\"\n\n\"But in some instances, failing to act can prove to be the most dangerous choice of all,\" he said.\n\nA U.S. official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said U.S. naval assets were trying to recover pieces of the drone.\n\nThe strike on the RQ-4 is much more significant than the recent attacks on Reapers. Each Global Hawk, which has a wingspan of 131 feet, is worth more than $100 million and is packed with sensors and able to fly at altitudes of more than 55,000 feet to observe broad areas for periods that can stretch longer than a day.\n\nThe Global Hawk downed on Thursday was an older \"demonstrator\" model, according to another U.S. official, that had been transferred from the Air Force to the Navy to carry out a mission known as Broad Area Maritime Surveillance. The Pentagon has since begun testing a newer cousin, the MQ-4C Triton. Neither version carries weapons.\n\nAccording to a Revolutionary Guard statement, the U.S. drone took off from a base in the \"southern Persian Gulf\" and was heading toward Iran's Chabahar port \"in full secrecy, violating the rules of international aviation.\"\n\n\"While returning to the western Hormuz Strait's region, the drone violated Iran's airspace and engaged in information-gathering and spying,\" the statement said.\n\nAt its narrowest, the Strait of Hormuz is just 21 nautical miles wide, and ships passing through it must enter the territorial waters of Iran and Oman. Under the rule of the shah in 1959, Iran extended its territorial waters to 12 nautical miles and declared that it would recognize only \"innocent passage\" through the area, essentially excluding warships engaging in activities deemed hostile. Oman also claimed a 12-mile territorial limit in 1972 and later demanded that foreign warships obtain permission to pass through its waters.\n\nThe United States does not recognize any restrictions on transit through the strait.\n\nRyan and Lamothe reported from Washington. The Washington Post’s William Branigin in Washington contributed to this report.", "Washington — US President Donald Trump said on Friday he had aborted a military strike on Iran because such a response to Tehran's downing of an unpiloted US surveillance drone would have caused a disproportionate loss of life.\n\nIn a series of early morning tweets, Trump said US economic sanctions against Iran were having an effect and more were imposed late on Thursday following the destruction of the US drone by an Iranian surface-to-air missile.\n\nTrump said the plan was to hit three different sites in response to the drone's downing, and that he was told 150 people would have died.\n\n\"Ten minutes before the strike I stopped it, not proportionate to shooting down an unmanned drone. I am in no hurry, our military is rebuilt, new, and ready to go, by far the best in the world,\" Trump tweeted.\n\nEarlier on Friday, Iranian officials said that Tehran had received a message from Trump warning that a US attack on Iran was imminent but saying that he was against war and wanted talks on a range of issues.\n\nNews of that message, delivered through Oman overnight, came shortly after the New York Times reported that Trump had called off air strikes targeting Iranian radar and missile batteries at the last minute.\n\n\"In his message, Trump said he was against any war with Iran and wanted to talk to Tehran about various issues,\" one of the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity.\n\n\"He gave a short period of time to get our response but Iran's immediate response was that it is up to Supreme Leader [Ayatollah Ali] Khamenei to decide about this issue.\"\n\nA second Iranian official said: \"We made it clear that the leader is against any talks, but the message will be conveyed to him to make a decision. However, we told the Omani official that any attack against Iran will have regional and international consequences.\"\n\nKhamenei has the last say on all state matters and has ruled out any talks with Washington while Tehran is under sanctions.\n\nIran shot down the drone after weeks of festering tension amid a spate of attacks on oil tankers in the Gulf region.\n\nIn his initial response on Thursday, Trump said he was not eager to escalate a stand-off with Iran over its nuclear and ballistic missile activities and support for proxies in various Middle East conflicts.\n\nHe said the unpiloted drone might have been shot down in error by someone who was acting \"loose and stupid\", though added: \"This country will not stand for it.\"\n\nThe incident aggravated global fears of direct military confrontation between the longtime foes, and oil prices rose a further $1 per barrel to above $65.50 on Friday due to worries about possible disruptions to crude exports from the Gulf.", "Trump says hard to believe Iranian shooting down of U.S. drone was intentional\n\nU.S. President Donald Trump played down Iran’s downing of a U.S. military surveillance drone on Thursday, saying he suspected it was shot by mistake and “it would have made a big difference” to him had the remotely controlled aircraft been piloted.", "Washington (CNN) President Donald Trump downplayed the dramatic escalation in tensions with Iran Thursday, after the downing of a US drone near the Persian Gulf sparked fears that tensions with Tehran could spill over into confrontation.\n\nCalling the shootdown \"a new wrinkle, a new fly in the ointment,\" Trump told reporters in the Oval Office he finds it \"hard to believe it was intentional.\"\n\nEarlier in the day, Trump had tweeted that \"Iran made a very big mistake!\" as he and his national security officials huddled to weigh possible responses. Some lawmakers called for restraint and others warned Iran should prepare for \"severe pain.\"\n\nTrump's ominous -- if vague -- tweet came after Iran's Revolutionary Guard said it had shot down an \"intruding American spy drone\" after it entered into the country's territory Thursday. Trump told reporters later Thursday morning that the drone had been over international waters. Asked if the US would respond or go to war, Trump said, \"you'll find out.\"\n\n'Hard to believe'\n\nBut he also appeared to want to lower the temperature.\n\n\"Probably Iran made a mistake. I would imagine it was a general or somebody who made a mistake in shooting that drone down,\" Trump said during an exchange with CNN's Kaitlan Collins.\n\n\"I find it hard to believe it was intentional. I think it could've been somebody that was loose and stupid,\" Trump said, noting that the drone was unarmed and had no pilot. \"It was a very foolish move, that I can tell you.\"\n\nTrump assured that the situation is \"all going to work out.\" And with the 2020 elections looming, he picked up a refrain from his first campaign, telling reporters: \"I want to get out of these endless wars, I campaign on that.\"\n\nThe drone incident has caused the volatile situation in the region to deteriorate even further -- and comes as lawmakers on the Hill are expressing alarm that the administration may try to find a way to declare war on Tehran without consulting Congress.\n\nIran made a very big mistake! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 20, 2019\n\nTrump has tightened sanctions on Iran after withdrawing from the Obama-era nuclear deal last year, targeting the country's crucial oil sector in May. The President has also sent a Navy strike group to the region and announced this week the deployment of 1,000 troops to the Mideast \"for defensive purposes.\"\n\nAn official told CNN that Trump was attending the meeting to mull responses to Iran's action this morning, along with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Vice President Mike Pence.\n\nA second US official told CNN that outgoing Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan and incoming Acting Defense Secretary Mark Esper were both expected to attend. National security adviser John Bolton was also expected to meet with Pentagon officials today.\n\nAbout an hour after Trump's tweet on Tehran's \"mistake,\" Iranian foreign minister Javad Zarif sent his own tweet, saying: \"The US wages #EconomicTerrorism on Iran, has conducted covert action against us & now encroaches on our territory. We don't seek war, but will zealously defend our skies, land & waters. We'll take this new aggression to #UN & show that the US is lying about international waters.\"\n\nZarif provided no explanation about the covert activities.\n\nThe White House sent officials to brief Republican and Democratic leaders, as well as senior members of Congress, on the latest development. Senior aides on the Hill told CNN that congressional leaders would also get a second briefing in the White House Situation Room later Thursday.\n\nLeaving the Capitol Hill briefing, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi told CNN, \"we have to de-escalate. That's what we have to do. The high tension wires are up in the region. We must de-escalate.\"\n\nThe US wages #EconomicTerrorism on Iran, has conducted covert action against us & now encroaches on our territory.\n\n\n\nWe don't seek war, but will zealously defend our skies, land & waters.\n\n\n\nWe'll take this new aggression to #UN & show that the US is lying about international waters — Javad Zarif (@JZarif) June 20, 2019\n\nBefore the briefing, Pelosi had told reporters that \"it's a dangerous situation\" in Iran.\n\n\"I don't think the President wants to go to war. There's no appetite for going to war in our country,\" she said.\n\nIn contrast, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina issued a fiery warning after the briefing.\n\n\"Iran needs to get ready for severe pain,\" Graham said. \"We are a lot closer today than yesterday. God knows what tomorrow brings.\"\n\nAt the same time, Trump has sought to calm nerves, and continues to privately express wariness at wading into another foreign conflict.\n\n\"Don't worry about a thing,\" Trump told interviewer Sean Hannity on Fox News on Wednesday evening. \"Everything's under control.\"\n\nThursday's developments will put Trump's assertion to the test.\n\n'An unprovoked attack'\n\nLt. Gen. Joseph Guastella, commander of the US Air Forces Central Command, told reporters the Iranian shoot-down of the drone was \"an unprovoked attack on a US surveillance asset that had not violated Iranian airspace at any time during its mission. This attack is an attempt to disrupt our ability to monitor the area following recent threats to international shipping and the free flow of commerce.\"\n\nWhile Iran has said the shootdown occurred in Iranian airspace, Guastella said that is \"categorically false.\"\n\n\"The aircraft was over the Strait of Hormuz, and fell into international waters,\" Guastella said. When it was shot down, the drome \"was operating at high altitude, approximately 34 kilometers from the nearest point of land on the Iranian coast,\" he said.\n\n\"This dangerous and escalatory attack was irresponsible and occurred in the vicinity of established air corridors between Dubai, UAE, and Muscat, Oman, possibly endangering innocent civilians,\" Guastella said.\n\nFor Trump, the situation will provide a test of his willingness to engage Iran after weeks of escalation, including attacks on oil tankers in the Gulf that the administration has blamed on Iran and which Tehran categorically denies.\n\nTrump has raised the prospect of talks with Iran more than once -- striking a more conciliatory note that his senior security officials. In May, Trump said that if Iran called, \"we would certainly negotiate, I only want them to call if they're ready.\"\n\nEarlier in the month, he had said that what Tehran \"should be doing is calling me up,\" and on May 16 Trump said that he not only hoped the two countries don't go to war, but that he was sure \"Iran will want to talk soon.\"\n\nIn meetings with his national security team over the past several weeks, Trump has maintained his skepticism toward going to war with Iran, telling advisers he isn't interested in sending American troops into another engagement in the Middle East.\n\nHe has also told his team that regime change should not be in the cards -- a position he reiterated during a news conference in Japan at the end of May.\n\nThat stance has sometimes been at odds with other members of his national security team, including Bolton and Pompeo. Both have offered hawkish warnings to Iran over its behavior.\n\nImpetus for escalation\n\nOfficials said Trump is not overly concerned with the rhetoric coming from his team, despite frustrations earlier this spring that his advisers appeared to be getting out ahead of him.\n\nDespite efforts by Pompeo and the Pentagon to demonstrate Iran's malign activities by releasing evidence they claim shows Iran was behind the tanker attacks, the White House posture in response to these incidents has been less urgent.\n\nOne official said that is primarily because the President has not viewed these latest incidents as being enough of a trigger for escalation with Iran.\n\nIt wasn't yet clear whether the downing of the US spy drone would provide further impetus for escalation. A second official said Trump, while keeping a close eye on the situation, has not voiced a firm view of how he wants to proceed going forward -- instead asking for options without stating what his preferred end goal might be.\n\n'A question mark'\n\nIn an interview with Time magazine this week, Trump laid out in greater specificity what kind of provocation would justify military action in his mind.\n\n\"I would certainly go over nuclear weapons ... and I would keep the other a question mark,\" Trump said.\n\nA second source with knowledge of the situation told CNN that the administration believes Iran is targeting oil tankers in an effort to \"impact the oil market\" and provoke Trump over an issue that they know he cares about.\n\n\"With mines placed above the water, they knew this wasn't going to have a lot of collateral damage,\" the source said. \"It's symbolic, and it was to affect the markets, but it hasn't had much effect.\"", "Image copyright IRIBNEWS Image caption Iranian TV published pictures of what it says was the wreckage of the US drone\n\nPresident Donald Trump has said the US military was \"cocked and loaded to retaliate\" against Iran, but he changed his mind 10 minutes before planned strikes.\n\nAttacks on three sites were planned in response to the shooting down of a US unmanned drone this week.\n\nMr Trump said he had called off strikes after being told 150 people would die.\n\nHe tweeted: \"10 minutes before the strike I stopped it, not proportionate to shooting down an unmanned drone.\"\n\nThe late reversal was first reported by the New York Times on Thursday night. The newspaper said the operation had been \"in its early stages\" when Mr Trump stood the US military down.\n\n\"I am in no hurry,\" Mr Trump said on Friday. \"Our military is rebuilt, new, and ready to go, by far the best in the world.\"\n\nMr Trump said Iran had downed the drone on Monday, despite an earlier US military statement that the incident happened at 23:35 GMT on Wednesday (04:05 Iran time on Thursday).\n\nOn Friday, the president told NBC News that he decided not to give final approval to the planned strikes because of the predicted death toll.\n\n\"I didn't like it. I didn't think it was proportionate,\" he said.\n\nTehran says the unmanned US aircraft entered Iranian airspace early on Thursday morning. The US maintains it was shot down in international airspace.\n\nTensions have been escalating between the two countries, with the US recently blaming Iran for attacks on oil tankers operating in the region. Iran has announced it will soon exceed international agreed limits on its nuclear programme.\n\nLast year, the US unilaterally pulled out of a 2015 nuclear deal aimed at curbing Iran's nuclear activities.\n\n\"Iran can NEVER have nuclear weapons,\" Mr Trump said in his tweets on the aborted strikes - also revealing that increased economic sanctions against Iran were \"added last night\".\n\nThe US has now asked the United Nations Security Council to meet on Monday to discuss Iran, Reuters news agency reports.\n\nWhat had been planned?\n\nIn its initial report, The New York Times said that as late as 19:00 local time (23:00 GMT) on Thursday, US military and diplomatic officials had still expected the strikes to take place on agreed targets, including Iranian radar and missile batteries.\n\n\"Planes were in the air and ships were in position, but no missiles had been fired when word came to stand down,\" the newspaper reported, citing an unnamed senior administration official.\n\nBut Mr Trump refuted this report on Friday, telling NBC that no planes were in the air.\n\nThe strikes had been set to take place just before dawn on Friday to minimise risk to the Iranian military or to civilians, the New York Times report added.\n\nTweeting on Friday, Mr Trump said three sites had been targeted.\n\nImage copyright EPA Image caption The US military identified the drone downed on Thursday as a US Navy RQ-4A Global Hawk (file photo)\n\nThe Associated Press quoted a US official as saying the strikes had been recommended by the Pentagon and had been among options presented to senior administration officials.\n\nAccording to the New York Times, top Pentagon officials warned a military response could result in a spiralling escalation with risks for US forces in the region.\n\nThe operation was called off after President Trump spent most of Thursday discussing Iran with his national security advisers and congressional leaders, AP reports.\n\nUS Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and National Security Advisor John Bolton had pushed for a hardline stance, but congressional leaders urged caution, the agency says.\n\nImage copyright EPA/PTV Image caption Iran released footage purportedly showing the launch of an Iranian surface-to-air missile to shoot down the US drone\n\nSeparately, Reuters quoted two Iranian officials as saying Tehran had received a message from Mr Trump through Oman overnight warning about an imminent US attack.\n\nThat report was later denied by a spokesman for Iran's national security council, who said there was no truth to it and no message was sent.\n\nWhat does Iran say?\n\nAn official warned that \"any attack against Iran will have regional and international consequences\".\n\n\"When you violate Iranian territorial space, then we defend,\" Seyed Sajjadpour, one of Iran's Deputy Foreign Ministers, told the BBC.\n\nHe also said it was clear that there were members of Donald Trump's administration who were intent on overthrowing Iran's government.\n\nWhat other reaction has there been?\n\nIn the US, Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said America had no appetite for war with Iran, while the leading candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, Joe Biden, called Mr Trump's Iran strategy a \"self-inflicted disaster\".\n\nRussian President Vladimir Putin said a war would be a \"catastrophe with unpredictable consequences\".\n\nUN Secretary General Antonio Guterres urged all parties to exercise maximum restraint.\n\nThe US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued an emergency order on Thursday evening prohibiting US airlines from operating in an overwater area of Tehran-controlled airspace nearby in response.\n\nAirlines from other countries, including Britain's British Airways, the Dutch carrier KLM, Emirates, and Qantas of Australia, have also said they will re-route their flights to avoid parts of Iran.\n\nPresident Trump's decision to order – and then abort – an attack still sends a powerful message to Tehran.\n\nThe two countries came to the brink of direct conflict. But in this complex game of signalling, just what message will the Iranian leadership receive?\n\nIt, after all, had sent a significant warning of its own by downing an unmanned US reconnaissance drone.\n\nMr Trump initially appeared to play down the incident – but then apparently came the orders for a US retaliatory strike. That was followed by a last-minute change of heart.\n\nThe danger now is that Iran receives mixed messages that convey uncertainty and lack of resolve. This might encourage some in Tehran to push back at the Americans even harder.\n\nThere appears to be no diplomatic \"off-ramp\" in this crisis.\n\nUS economic sanctions are hitting home. Tehran is under pressure. Escalation remains an ever-present danger.\n\nWhat happened with the drone?\n\nIran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced its air force had shot down a US \"spy\" drone on Thursday morning after the unmanned aircraft violated Iranian airspace near Kuhmobarak in the southern province of Hormozgan.\n\nIRGC commander-in-chief Maj-Gen Hossein Salami said the drone's downing was a \"clear message\" to the US that Iran's borders were \"our red line\".\n\nHowever, US military officials maintain the drone was in international airspace over the Strait of Hormuz at the time.\n\nIranian officials say two warnings were issued 10 minutes before the drone was shot down.\n\nAmir Ali Hajizadeh, a high-ranking officer in the IRGC, said another military aircraft, carrying 35 passengers, had been flying close to the drone. \"We could have shot down that one too, but we did not,\" he said.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Why does the Strait of Hormuz matter?\n\nThe shooting down of the drone followed accusations by the US that Iran had attacked two oil tankers with mines last Thursday just outside the Strait of Hormuz, in the Gulf of Oman."], "summary": "U.S. President Donald Trump, when asked about the strike, says it is \"hard to believe it was intentional\". He later approves retaliatory military attacks against Iranian missile and radar facilities, but subsequently changes his mind."}
{"document": ["WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department said on Thursday it had filed a lawsuit aimed at stopping Quad/Graphics Inc from buying LSC Communications, two of the biggest companies that print books, magazines and catalogs.\n\nThe Justice Department’s Antitrust Division said the two companies were each other’s biggest rivals, citing internal documents that refer to a price war and a “two-horse race between LSC and Quad.”\n\nThe $1.4 billion deal was announced in October 2018.\n\n“American publishers and retailers rely on Quad and LSC to print and distribute billions of magazines, catalogs and books each year,” said Makan Delrahim, an assistant attorney general in the Antitrust Division. “If this deal were allowed to proceed, Quad would dominate the markets for magazine, catalog and book printing services and be able to raise prices.”\n\nLSC Communications said in a statement the Justice Department “has reached the wrong conclusion in its assessment of the transaction,” adding that it will join Quad “in vigorously defending the lawsuit in court.”\n\nQuad’s chief executive, Joel Quadracci, said the company is “fully committed to defending the DOJ’s lawsuit in court.”\n\nIn its complaint, filed in federal court in Illinois, the Justice Department said Quad and LSC were the only realistic option for many publishers because of their complex printing equipment. It cited at least one bidding war between the two that resulted in the offer of a $10 million signing bonus.\n\nThe complaint also noted that executives of the two companies had complained about the competition, with one lamenting that a publisher was “exploiting the fact that LSC [and] Quad[‘s] CEO’s want to beat each other into oblivion.”", "WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department said on Thursday it had filed a lawsuit aimed at stopping Quad/Graphics Inc from buying LSC Communications, two of the biggest companies which print books, magazines, and catalogs.\n\nThe Justice Department’s Antitrust Division said that the two companies were each other’s biggest rivals, citing internal documents that refer to a price war between them and a “two-horse race between LSC and Quad.”\n\nThe $1.4 billion deal was announced in October 2018.\n\n“American publishers and retailers rely on Quad and LSC to print and distribute billions of magazines, catalogs, and books each year,” said Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “If this deal were allowed to proceed, Quad would dominate the markets for magazine, catalog, and book printing services and be able to raise prices.”\n\nIn its complaint, filed in federal court in Illinois, the Justice Department said that Quad and LSC were the only realistic option for many publishers because of their complex printing equipment. It cited at least one bidding war between the two that resulted in the offer of a $10 million signing bonus.\n\nThe complaint also noted that executives of the two companies had complained about the competition, with one lamenting that a publisher was “exploiting the fact that LSC [and] Quad[‘s] CEO’s want to beat each other into oblivion.”\n\nA spokeswoman for Quad declined comment; no one from LSC was immediately available for comment.", "Law360 (June 20, 2019, 10:00 PM EDT) -- The U.S. Department of Justice on Thursday sued Quad/Graphics Inc. to halt the printing company’s planned $1.4 billion acquisition of a competitor, LSC Communications Inc., arguing the combined businesses would have too much market power. The two printing companies are each other’s “#1 competitor,” and a merger would leave customers seeking printing services with essentially only one option, prosecutors argued. “If this deal were allowed to proceed, Quad would dominate the markets for magazine, catalog, and book printing services and be able to raise prices and reduce quality at the expense of publishers, retailers, and, ultimately, American consumers,” Makan Delrahim of...\n\nIn the legal profession, information is the key to success. You have to know what’s happening with clients, competitors, practice areas, and industries. Law360 provides the intelligence you need to remain an expert and beat the competition.\n• Access to case data within articles (numbers, filings, courts, nature of suit, and more.)\n• Access to attached documents such as briefs, petitions, complaints, decisions, motions, etc.\n• Create custom alerts for specific article and case topics and so much more!\n\nTRY LAW360 FREE FOR SEVEN DAYS", "WASHINGTON, June 20 (Reuters) - The Justice Department said on Thursday that it had filed a lawsuit aimed at stopping Quad/Graphics Inc from buying LSC Communications .\n\nThe $1.4 billion deal was announced in October 2018. Both companies print books, magazines, and catalogues. (Reporting by Diane Bartz Editing by Susan Thomas)", "The Printing Machine Market is expected to have a highly positive outlook over the forecast period 2018-2026 according to a Printing Machine Market research report. The Printing Machine report stresses the most recent advancements, development, new chances, and lethargic traps. It gives a comprehensive position of the Printing Machine. The Printing Machine research report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the Global Printing Machine Industry for 2018-2026. The report enlists several important factors, starting from the basics to advanced market intelligence which plays a crucial part in strategizing. Printing Machine manufacturers and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the Printing Machine industry.\n\nPrinting Machine Market report provides key statistics on the market status of the Printing Machine Market manufacturers and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the Printing Machine Market Industry. The Printing Machine Market Report also presents the vendor landscape and a corresponding detailed analysis of the major vendors operating in the market.\n\nAdvanced Vision Technology Ltd., Agfa Graphics, Bobst, Dover Corp., Eastman Kodak Company Goss International Americas, LLC. MITSUBISHI Heavy Industries LTD., MINO Group Co. LTD., MISHIMA Co. LTD., and Sakurai Graphics Systems Corporation.\n\nPrinting Machine Market Reports cover complete modest outlook with the market stake and company profiles of the important contestants working in the global market. The Printing Machine Market offers a summary of product Information, production analysis, technology, product type, considering key features such as gross, gross margin, gross revenue, revenue, cost.\n\nLastly, this report covers the market Outlook and its growth prospects over the coming years, the Report also brief deals with the product life cycle, comparing it to the significant products from across industries that had already been commercialized details the potential for various applications, discussing about recent product innovations and gives an short summary on potential regional market.\n\nWhy this is Important Report to you? It helps:\n• To analyze and study the Global Printing Machine Market capacity, production, value, consumption, status Focuses on the Key Printing Machine manufacturers, to study the capacity, production, value, market share and development plans in future.\n• Focuses on the global key manufacturers, to define, describe and analyze the market competition landscape, SWOT analysis.\n• To define, describe and forecast the market by type, application, and region.\n• To analyze the global and key regions market potential and advantage, opportunity, and challenge, restraints, and risks.\n• To identify significant trends and factors driving or inhibiting market growth.\n• To analyze the opportunities in the market for stakeholders by identifying the high growth segments.\n• To analyze competitive developments such as expansions, agreements, new product launches, and acquisitions in the Printing Machine Market\n• To strategically profile the key players and comprehensively analyze their growth strategies.\n• It provides a forward-looking perspective on different factors driving or restraining Market growth.\n• It provides a six-year forecast assessed on the basis of how the Market is predicted to grow.\n• It provides pin point analysis of changing competition dynamics and keeps you ahead of competitors.\n• It helps in making informed business decisions by having complete insights and by making an in-depth analysis of Market segment\n\nAbout Coherent Market Insights:\n\n Coherent Market Insights is a prominent market research and consulting firm offering action-ready syndicated research reports, custom market analysis, consulting services, and competitive analysis through various recommendations related to emerging market trends, technologies, and potential absolute dollar opportunity."], "summary": "The Antitrust Division of the U.S. Justice Department files a lawsuit against two large printing companies contemplating a merger. If the deal is allowed to proceed, the filings claim, the combined company would dominate the market for printing magazines, catalogs and books."}
{"document": ["Image copyright AFP Image caption Pictures from the scene showed volunteers forming a human chain to help survivors\n\nAt least 44 people have been killed in India after a bus plunged into a gorge, officials say.\n\nDozens more were injured in the accident on Thursday in the Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh, a mountainous northern state.\n\nAt least 60 people were on board when the packed bus veered off the road. Some passengers had been on the vehicle's roof.\n\nIndia's Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted that he was \"deeply saddened\".\n\nThe bus rolled off the road at a sharp and steep bend, then fell into a deep ravine.\n\nOfficials initially said at least 25 people had been killed. They then revised the figure, saying 19 more had died of their injuries.\n\nPictures from the scene showed the bus lying crumpled beside a stream, and a human chain of volunteers helping the survivors.\n\nImage copyright AFP Image caption The bus crashed from a steep mountain road\n\nKullu police chief Shalini Agnihotri told AFP news agency that many of the victims were women and children returning from work and school.\n\nRoad accidents are a frequent occurrence in India, and rugged Himachal Pradesh state recorded more than 30,000 between 2009 and 2018.\n\nAccording to the Times of India, more than 11,000 people were killed and around 54,000 injured there during that period.", "At least 25 passengers were killed and 35 injured Thursday after their vehicle fell in a gorge in a mountainous region of India's northern Himachal Pradesh state, officials said\n\nShimla, India, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - APP - 20th Jun, 2019 ) :At least 25 passengers were killed and 35 injured Thursday after their vehicle fell in a gorge in a mountainous region of India 's northern Himachal Pradesh state, officials said.\n\nThe private bus was filled with more than 60 people, some of them sitting on the roof, when it plunged into a 150-metre (500-foot) deep gorge in Kullu district of the Himalayan state.\n\nKullu police chief Shalini Agnihotri told AFP that authorities launched a rescue operation immediatly and moved the injured to hospitals.\n\nShe said the toll could rise further.", "SHIMLA, India: At least 25 passengers were killed and 35 injured on Thursday after their vehicle fell in a gorge in a mountainous region of India’s northern Himachal Pradesh state, officials said.\n\nThe private bus was filled with more than 60 people, some of them sitting on the roof, when it plunged into a 150-metre deep gorge in Kullu district of the Himalayan state.\n\nKullu police chief Shalini Agnihotri told AFP that authorities launched a rescue operation immediately and moved the injured to hospitals. She said the toll could rise further.\n\nLocal media showed the mangled remains of the bus near a stream at the bottom of the gorge as locals made human chains to help survivors cross it.", "SHIMLA: At least 25 passengers were killed and 35 injured Thursday after their vehicle fell in a gorge in a mountainous region of India´s northern Himachal Pradesh state, officials said.\n\nThe private bus was filled with more than 60 people, some of them sitting on the roof, when it plunged into a 150-metre (500-foot) deep gorge in Kullu district of the Himalayan state. Kullu police chief Shalini Agnihotri told AFP that authorities launched a rescue operation immediatly and moved the injured to hospitals. She said the toll could rise further.", "At least 25 passengers were killed and 35 injured Thursday after their vehicle fell in a gorge in a mountainous region of India's northern Himachal Pradesh state, officials said.\n\nThe private bus was filled with more than 60 people, some of them sitting on the roof, when it plunged into a 150-metre (500-foot) deep gorge in Kullu district of the Himalayan state.\n\nKullu police chief Shalini Agnihotri told AFP that authorities launched a rescue operation immediately and moved the injured to hospitals.\n\nShe said the toll could rise further.\n\nLocal media showed the mangled remains of the bus near a stream at the bottom of the gorge as locals made human chains to help survivors cross it.\n\nThe Himalayan state is prone to deadly accidents owing to its rugged terrain, with speeding and over-crowding adding to the safety hazards.\n\nAt least 15 people were killed in April after their bus fell into a gorge in a nearby district.\n\nIn India an average of 150,000 people die in road accidents each year.", "SHIMLA, India: At least 44 people were killed when a bus in India's mountainous state of Himachal Pradesh plunged into a gorge on Thursday (Jun 20), officials said.\n\nAnother 28 were undergoing treatment, many of them for critical injuries, after the private, overcrowded vehicle veered off the road and fell into a 150m gorge in Kullu district of the northern Himalayan state.\n\nOfficials had given an initial toll of at least 25 dead but later said 19 others succumbed to injuries.\n\nKullu police chief Shalini Agnihotri told AFP the injured were taken to the nearest hospitals where they died during treatment.\n\nMany of the victims were women and children coming back from work and school, she said.\n\nThe bus was carrying more than 60 passengers, a large number of them on the roof, when it lost control at a sharp curve and rolled down the steep mountain before perching on the edge of a stream.\n\nPictures from the scene showed the mangled remains of the colourful bus on the rocky edge of the water as volunteers made human chains to help survivors cross it.\n\nAgnihotri said an investigation has been opened to determine the cause of the crash.\n\nThe Himalayan state is prone to deadly accidents owing to its rugged terrain, with speeding and overcrowding adding to the safety hazards.\n\nAt least 15 people were killed in April after their bus fell into a gorge in a nearby district.\n\nIn India an average of 150,000 people die in road accidents each year.\n\nA separate crash on Thursday left three children dead and four feared drowned after their van plunged into a canal in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, officials said.\n\nAnother 22 people either swam to safety or were rescued by locals.", "At least 44 people were killed when a bus in India’s mountainous state of Himachal Pradesh plunged into a gorge on Thursday, officials said.\n\nAnother 28 were undergoing treatment, many of them for critical injuries, after the private vehicle veered off the road and fell into a 150-metre (500-foot) gorge near Banjar in Kullu district of the northern Himalayan state.\n\nOfficials had given an initial toll of at least 25 dead but later said 19 others succumbed to injuries.\n\nKullu police chief Shalini Agnihotri said the injured were taken to the nearest hospitals where they died during treatment. Many of the victims were women and children coming back from work and school, she said.\n\nThe bus was carrying more than 60 passengers, a large number of them on the roof, when it lost control at a sharp curve and rolled down the steep mountain before perching on the edge of a stream.\n\nPictures from the scene showed the mangled remains of the colourful bus on the rocky edge of the water as volunteers made human chains to help survivors cross it.\n\nAgnihotri said an investigation has been opened to determine the cause of the crash.\n\nThe Himalayan state is prone to deadly accidents owing to its rugged terrain, with speeding and overcrowding adding to the safety hazards.\n\nAt least 15 people were killed in April after their bus fell into a gorge in a nearby district.\n\nIn India an average of 150,000 people", "At least 25 people were killed and 35 injured after a bus fell into a deep gorge in Banjar area of Himachal Pradesh’s Kullu district on Thursday, PTI reported.\n\nHowever, there is no clarity yet on how many people were travelling in the bus. Superintendent of Police Shalini Agnihotri told ANI that the private bus was carrying 50 people of which 25 were injured. She said rescue operations were going on.\n\nAccording to reports, several people were sitting on top of the bus. Most of the passengers were college students on their way back home after taking admission in institutions, reported Dainik Jagran. According to the newspaper, most of the injured passengers are from Seraj, which is Chief Minister Jairam Thakur’s constituency.", "A woman attends to her injured child receiving treatment at a hospital in Kullu, in the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. Photo: AP", "MUMBAI (Reuters) - At least 44 people were killed and 35 injured when a bus plunged off a road in Himachal Pradesh on Thursday, a government official said.\n\n“Around 78 to 80 people were on board the bus,” said Akshay Sood, a senior civil servant in Kullu district, where the accident took place.\n\nAll passengers on the bus had now been rescued and accounted for, and the injured people were being administered medication, Sood said, adding that the death toll could still rise.\n\nIndian roads are among the world’s deadliest, with nearly 148,000 people killed in more than 460,000 accidents in 2017, according to government data.\n\nPrime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his dismay over the accident.\n\n“Deeply saddened by the bus accident in Kullu. Condolences to the families of those who lost their lives. I hope the injured recover soon,” Modi’s office said in a tweet."], "summary": "At least 44 people are killed when a bus carrying at least 60 plunges into a gorge in the Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh, a mountainous northern Indian state."}
{"document": ["Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived Thursday for a two-day state visit to North Korea, where he’s expected to talk with leader Kim Jong Un about the stalled negotiations with Washington over North Korea’s nuclear weapons.\n\nChina’s official Xinhua news agency reported that Xi was accompanied by his wife, Peng Liyuan, and several Communist Party officials. Xi, who took office in 2013, is the first Chinese president to visit North Korea in 14 years.\n\nThe summit comes as both Xi and Kim are locked in separate disputes with the United States — Xi over trade and Kim over his nuclear weapons.\n\nA Xinhua commentary said China could play a unique and constructive role in breaking the cycle of mistrust between North Korea and the U.S. so they can work out a roadmap to achieve denuclearization.\n\nAdvertisement\n\nThe U.S. is demanding that North Korea abandon its nuclear weapons development before international sanctions are lifted. North Korea is seeking a step-by-step approach in which a step toward its denuclearization would be matched by a concession from the U.S., notably a relaxation of economic sanctions.\n\nChina backs what it calls a “suspension for suspension” proposal. The Xinhua said both sides “need to have reasonable expectations and refrain from imposing unilateral and unrealistic demands.”\n\nExperts say Xi will likely endorse North Korea’s calls for an incremental disarmament process.\n\nChinese and North Korea media have said Xi would stay in Pyongyang for two days. His meeting with Kim would their fifth summit since Kim entered nuclear diplomacy with the U.S. and South Korea early last year.\n\nAdvertisement\n\nIn an essay published in both countries’ official media before his trip, Xi praised North Korea for moving in the “right direction” by politically resolving issues on the peninsula. He did not mention Kim’s nuclear diplomacy with the U.S. in the article, much of which focused on lauding the neighbors’ seven-decade relationship. Xi said his visit will “strengthen strategic communication and exchange” between the traditional, though sometimes strained, allies.\n\nThe nations fought together in the 1950-53 Korean War against the U.S., South Korea and their allies, but there has been friction in recent years, especially over the North’s relentless push for nuclear weapons.", "BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived Thursday morning for a two-day state visit to North Korea, where he is expected to talk with leader Kim Jong Un about the stalled negotiations with Washington over North Korea's nuclear weapons.\n\nA photo posted by Chinese state broadcaster CCTV on its mobile app showed a large welcoming contingent including a military band at the airport in Pyongyang, the North Korean capital.\n\nChina's Xinhua News Agency said that Xi was accompanied by his wife, Peng Liyuan, and several Communist Party officials. He is the first Chinese president to visit North Korea in 14 years.\n\nALSO READ: Russia and China block UN from saying North Korea violated sanctions\n\nThe summit comes as both Xi and Kim are locked in separate disputes with the United States — Xi over trade and Kim over his nuclear weapons.\n\nA Xinhua commentary said China could play a unique and constructive role in breaking the cycle of mistrust between North Korea and the U.S. so they can work out a roadmap to achieve denuclearization.\n\nThe U.S. is demanding that North Korea abandon its nuclear weapons development before international sanctions are lifted. North Korea is seeking a step-by-step approach in which a step toward its denuclearization would be matched by a concession from the U.S., notably a relaxation of economic sanctions.\n\nALSO READ: China's Xi Jinping to visit North Korea this week ahead of G20 Summit\n\nChina backs what it calls a \"suspension for suspension\" proposal. Xinhua said both sides \"need to have reasonable expectations and refrain from imposing unilateral and unrealistic demands.\"\n\nA former North Korean diplomat who defected in 2016 said he thinks Kim wants to give Xi a message to deliver to President Donald Trump when the two meet at next week's G-20 summit in Japan.\n\nThae Yong Ho, speaking at a news conference in Tokyo, said that Kim may offer some kind of compromise on his country's nuclear facilities to set up a third summit with the U.S. president. Thae was in Japan to promote the Japanese translation of his book.\n\nU.S.-North Korea talks have been stalled since Kim and Trump met for the second time in February in Hanoi, Vietnam.\n\nExperts say Xi will likely endorse North Korea's calls for an incremental disarmament process.\n\nChinese and North Korea media have said Xi would stay in Pyongyang for two days. His meeting with Kim would be their fifth summit since Kim entered nuclear diplomacy with the United States and South Korea early last year.\n\nIn an essay published in both countries' official media before his trip, Xi praised North Korea for moving in the \"right direction\" by politically resolving issues on the peninsula. He did not mention Kim's nuclear diplomacy with the U.S. in the article, much of which focused on lauding the neighbors' seven-decade relationship. Xi said his visit will \"strengthen strategic communication and exchange\" between the traditional, though sometimes strained, allies.\n\nThe nations fought together in the 1950-53 Korean War against the United States, South Korea and their allies, but there has been friction in recent years, especially over the North's relentless push for nuclear weapons.", "The Latest: China's Xi arrives in North Korea to meet Kim\n\nBEIJING (AP) — The Latest on Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to North Korea (all times local):\n\nChinese state media say President Xi Jinping has arrived in North Korea for first visit since taking office in 2013.\n\nThe Xinhua News Agency says Xi arrived shortly before 11 a.m. Thursday. During the two-day state visit, he's expected to talk with leader Kim Jong Un about reviving talks with Washington over North Korea's nuclear weapons.\n\nChina's official Xinhua news agency reported that Xi was accompanied by his wife, Peng Liyuan, and several Communist Party officials. He would be the first Chinese president to visit North Korea in 14 years.\n\nThe summit comes as both Xi and Kim are locked in separate disputes with the United States — Xi over trade and Kim over his nuclear weapons.\n\nChinese state media say President Xi Jinping has departed for his state visit to North Korea, which he has said will strengthen the countries' strategic ties.\n\nXinhua news agency said Xi left Thursday morning and was accompanied by his wife, Peng Liyuan, and several Communist Party officials. He's expected to have talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, including about his nuclear program as talks have stalled with the U.S.\n\nExperts say Xi will likely endorse North Korea's calls for an incremental disarmament process in which every action Pyongyang takes it met with U.S. concessions on sanctions and security issues.", "Chinese state media say President Xi Jinping has departed for his state visit to North Korea.", "Chinese President Xi Jinping was greeted by cheering crowds as he arrived in Pyongyang for talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.\n\nIn footage broadcast on Chinese television, the two leaders were seen being driven through the North Korean capital.\n\nIt is the first Chinese state visit to North Korea since 2005.", "Chinese state media say President Xi Jinping has departed for his state visit to North Korea\n\nBEIJING (AP) — Chinese state media say President Xi Jinping has departed for his state visit to North Korea.", "Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday met North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in the first Chinese state visit to Pyongyang in 14 years. This is the fifth meeting of the two leaders in the last 15 months but the first one in North Korea, BBC reported.\n\nXi’s two-day visit to North Korea was announced three days ago. Thousands of people gathered on the streets to welcome the Chinese president on Thursday morning with crowds waving flowers and banners as his convoy passed, The Guardian reported.\n\nThe Chinese president and Kim are expected to deliberate on economic matters and the stalled discussions over North Korea’s nuclear programme. Both China and North Korea are in separate conflicts with the United States over trade disputes and nuclear weapons, respectively.\n\nThe Chinese president lauded North Korea’s initiative towards denuclearisation, and said that he hoped that the country would resume talks with the United States and make progress. In March, North Korea had promised further negotiations with the United States despite both countries failing to reach a deal at the Hanoi summit in Vietnam. Talks between United States President Donald Trump and Kim in Vietnam had abruptly ended following a disagreement over sanctions imposed on Pyongyang.\n\nKim said that his country was waiting for a desired response in the nuclear talks. “North Korea would like to remain patient, but it hopes the relevant party will meet halfway with North Korea to explore resolution plans that accommodate each other’s reasonable concerns,” AP quoted the North Korean leader as saying.\n\nMeanwhile, Trump on Tuesday had said that he had spoken to the Chinese president and that teams from the two countries would resume trade talks before the leaders meet on the sidelines of the G20 summit later this month. This comes after a month-long standoff between the two nations that have been imposing trade sanctions on each other.", "BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Pyongyang on Thursday accompanied by a clutch of senior officials, including the head of the state economic planner, as Beijing looks to bolster North Korea and perhaps jumpstart stalled talks with Washington. Xi will be in North Korea for two days, becoming the first Chinese leader to visit the reclusive country in 14 years, and could bring fresh support measures for its floundering, sanctions-bound economy.\n\nNeighbour China is the North`s only major ally, and the visit comes amid renewed tension on the Korean peninsula as the United States seeks to persuade Pyongyang to give up its nuclear weapons. \"Comrade Xi Jinping is visiting...in the face of crucial and grave tasks due to complex international relations, which clearly shows the Chinese party and the government place high significance on the friendship,\" the North`s official Rodong Sinmun newspaper said.\n\nThe trip highlights two-way ties that \"never waver despite any headwinds,\" and strengthens \"blood ties\" between the two peoples, it added in a frontpage commentary. Xi is expected to hold summits with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and pay tribute at the Friendship Tower, which commemorates Chinese troops who fought together with North Koreans during the 1950-53 Korean War.\n\nXi and Kim will meet just a week before a G20 summit in Osaka where Xi and US President Donald Trump are due to meet in a bid to reset ties poisoned by a bitter trade dispute. The timing of Xi`s visit to North Korea was no accident, said Li Zhonglin, a North Korea expert at China`s Yanbian University.\n\nChina could be hoping to play a role in coaxing the North and the United States to resume talks after this year`s failed Kim-Trump summit in Hanoi, he added. \"President Xi`s visit to North Korea can play a positive role in bringing about a third US-North Korea summit,\" Li said. \"China wants a breakthrough.\"\n\nKim has already visited Xi in China four times since last year, and China has praised North Korea and the United States for trying to resolve their issues through dialogue rather than threats of force or military posturing. While China has signed up to United Nations sanctions for the North`s repeated nuclear and missile tests, saying it is enforcing them fully, despite some US doubts, it has suggested sanctions relief for the country.\n\nChina, engaged in a bitter trade war with the United States, has also defended its \"normal\" trade and business ties with North Korea. This week, in a rare honour, afforded a foreign leader, Xi wrote in the Rodong Sinmun that China supported North Korea`s \"correct direction\" in politically resolving issues on the Korean peninsula.\n\nChina has also suggested the tough sanctions on the North could be eased if it abides by UN resolutions. With fuel imports limited and most major exports banned, the international sanctions appear to be hurting the North`s economy. State media say the drought has hit North Korea, with international aid groups reporting food production has dropped dramatically amid poor harvests.\n\nXi`s entourage includes China`s two top diplomats and He Lifeng, head of the National Development and Reform Commission, Chinese state media said in a brief report. China may step up people-to-people exchanges to provide economic help without overtly breaking sanctions and as a way to extend humanitarian aid without offending North Korean pride, said Leif-Eric Easley, who studies northeast Asian security ties at Ewha Woman's University in the South Korean capital of Seoul.\n\n\"More experts may travel from China to support North Korea`s technical capacity building, and more Chinese tourist arrivals will help North Korea deal with its shortfall in foreign currency under sanctions.\"", "Chinese state media say President Xi Jinping has arrived in North Korea for first visit since taking office in 2013.", "Chinese state media say President Xi Jinping has arrived in North Korea for first visit since taking office in 2013\n\nBEIJING (AP) — Chinese state media say President Xi Jinping has arrived in North Korea for first visit since taking office in 2013."], "summary": "Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives in North Korea for a two-day state visit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un."}
{"document": ["ARAUCA/CUCUTA, Colombia (Reuters) - Venezuela’s crisis is spilling across the border into Colombia as Marxist rebels and right-wing paramilitaries recruit migrants to strengthen their ranks, according to five Colombian military commanders.\n\nFILE PHOTO: People walk along a pathway near the Colombian-Venezuelan border on the outskirts of Cucuta, Colombia June 10, 2019. REUTERS/Juan Pablo Bayona/File Photo\n\nViolence still simmers in Colombia despite a 2016 peace deal with leftist FARC rebels, meant to end five decades of conflict. Dissident FARC fighters, the rebel National Liberation Army (ELN), right-wing paramilitaries and drug-trafficking gangs are battling each other and the military.\n\nKeen for recruits, these armed groups are targeting Venezuelans as they traverse the porous 2,219-km (1,380-mile)frontier at illegal border crossings, according to the military officials, human rights officials and migrants themselves.\n\nFive military commanders told Reuters that as many as 30% of insurgents in Colombia’s eastern border region are Venezuelans, willing to take up arms in return for food and pay.\n\n“Recruitment of Venezuelans is happening,” said Colonel Arnulfo Traslavina, military commander of a special unit battling armed groups in Colombia’s eastern border state of Arauca. “The ranks of illegal armed groups are increasing. It’s a major threat to Colombia.”\n\nNationwide, an estimated 10% of fighters are Venezuelan, the commanders said. Their estimates were based on information from informants, deserters, captured rebels and residents.\n\nReuters was not able to independently verify these figures.\n\nThe head of Colombia’s military and government spokesman on this issue, General Luis Fernando Navarro, told Reuters that armed groups were targeting Venezuelans because they were easier to recruit than Colombians.\n\nAt the last official count by military intelligence in May, there were 2,296 FARC dissident combatants and 2,402 fighters from the ELN in Colombia. Including their urban offshoots, the two groups total nearly 8,400 members.\n\nRebel numbers are small compared with the 250,000 combat troops in the armed forces but Colombia’s rugged jungle terrain - spread across a country the size of France and Spain - makes it difficult for the military to tackle small, mobile units of fighters.\n\nThe military officers say they had interrogated some Venezuelans who had defected from armed groups and identified Venezuelan nationals killed in combat. They did not provide a total number for Venezuelan casualties.\n\nReuters was not able independently to confirm the information provided by the commanders or speak directly to any Venezuelans who had been recruited by an armed group.\n\nSeveral Venezuelan migrants told Reuters they had been approached by armed groups for recruitment on entering Colombia.\n\n“They said I’d get clothes, food, money, accommodation, a cell phone,” said Gregorio, a 20-year-old Venezuelan migrant who said he was asked to join an unspecified group in the mountains as soon as he waded across the Tachira River onto Colombian soil.\n\n“I was tempted, but scared... I’d been told there were bad people offering such things and I didn’t want to join,” said Gregorio, who declined to give his second name for fear of reprisals.\n\nAn estimated 1.3 million Venezuelan migrants have settled in Colombia in recent years, fleeing shortages of food, electricity and water as the South American nation has seen its economy unravel amid a bloody political confrontation.\n\nMost Venezuelans do not come to Colombia to enlist in insurgent groups but with almost nothing in their pockets, the prospect of food and shelter is enticing, said Deisson Marino, human rights ombudsman for the border region of Arauca.\n\n“They end up enrolled in a war that has nothing to do with them,” said Marino, whose job involves traveling to remote areas and speaking to victims of the conflict and armed groups.\n\nRECRUITING IN VENEZUELA\n\nColombia’s Defense Minister Guillermo Botero has said the military has more than doubled operations against armed groups since President Ivan Duque took office in August, looking to tackle a rise in illicit drug production and trafficking. Colombia is the world’s largest producer of cocaine.\n\n“The ELN has been retreating - at least its leadership - to Venezuela where it’s recruiting for greater strength, to attack us,” Botero said recently.\n\nA FARC dissident, who asked not to be identified, told Reuters the group was also present on Venezuelan soil and was recruiting Venezuelans.\n\nThe Venezuelan information ministry - which handles media enquiries for the government - did not respond to a request for comment about the conscription of Venezuelans by Colombia’s armed groups.\n\nVenezuela’s government has acknowledged that the ELN and dissident FARC are present on its territory. It has said it does not support the groups or tolerate their presence, and that its troops pursue them as they would any other illegal group.\n\nRepresentatives of the ELN did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The FARC, which became a political party after the peace deal and kept its former acronym, has publicly expelled the armed dissidents.\n\nSince it was founded in 1964, the ELN has funded itself from kidnapping, drug trafficking and extortion but is increasingly making money from illegal migration, the officials said.\n\nMilitary officials and rights workers say the ELN and colectivos - shadowy irregular armed groups in Venezuela affiliated with President Nicolas Maduro’s Socialist Party - control most of the crossing points into Colombia and demand payment from migrants and traders.\n\nPICKING COCA\n\nArmy Colonel Rodolfo Morales, head of the army’s 30th Brigade in the border town of Cucuta, said migrants were also being drafted by drug trafficking groups to pick coca, the raw material for cocaine.\n\nAntonio, another Venezuelan migrant who declined to give his second name, said that after crossing the border he was offered money by unidentified men to go into the jungles around Tibu - a border town around 115 km north of Cucuta in the dangerous Catatumbo region - to pick coca leaves.\n\n“I’d rather go hungry than go with them,” said the 33-year old from the central Venezuelan state of Carabobo.\n\nColombia’s right-wing paramilitary groups, which battled the ELN and FARC for decades, are also recruiting migrants, the military officials said.\n\nThe paramilitaries were behind most of the 260,000 killings that occurred during the nation’s half-century conflict and never fully demobilized under a 2006 peace agreement.\n\nSlideshow (2 Images)\n\nEddinson, 26, a migrant from Venezuela’s coastal state of Aragua, said he and three other Venezuelans were approached by armed men who identified themselves as paramilitaries as they trekked through the mountains of Santander province near the border.\n\nEddinson said the leader of the eight armed men - who were dressed in khaki uniforms - tried to recruit them.\n\n“He said that training would last six months. We’d be given salaries according to rank,” said Eddinson, adding that he and the other Venezuelans declined the offer. “He told us that we’d know our start date but not when we could leave.”"], "summary": "The Colombian military reveals that dissident FARC groups, in spite of a 2016 treaty, have been recruiting Venezuelan migrants at illegal border crossings, strengthening their numbers and increasing attacks."}
{"document": ["(CNN) A Florida city is paying $600,000 in Bitcoins to a hacker who took over local government computers after an employee clicked on a malicious email link three weeks ago.\n\nRiviera Beach officials voted this week to pay 65 Bitcoins to the hacker who seized the city's computer systems, forcing the local police and fire departments to write down the hundreds of daily 911 calls on paper, CNN affiliate WPEC reported.\n\nThe 65 Bitcoins, which equals $600,000, will come from the city's insurance, officials said.\n\nOnce the payment is made, they hope to get access to data encrypted by the hacker. Even with the plans to pay the ransom, the city said, an investigation is under way.\n\nRiviera Beach has a population of 35,000 and is about 80 miles from Miami.\n\nRead More", "City officials in Riviera Beach surprised residents and even government experts on Wednesday, after they announced they are ready to pay 65 bitcoin, or $600,000 in ransom, to a hacker.\n\nThe problem began several weeks ago, when a city employee opened an email that contained malware and which quickly took down the city’s computer system.\n\nNow, Councilor Douglas Lawson says that city leaders need to put the situation behind them and “restore normalcy to our city.”\n\nHe adds that the city’s insurance should cover most of the ransom payment, but taxpayers will be responsible for the $18,000 deductible.\n\nAccording to cyber security expert and former CIA agent Lisa Ruth, paying the ransom could set a problematic precedent and encourage other hackers.\n\nRuth explains, “It creates this opportunity for more targeting that could really cost you a lot in the long run. My concern for Riviera Beach is that they are now on the top of the list for that hacker or for other hackers because they know you’ve made that payment once.”\n\nIt could take several more weeks for the City of Riviera Beach to have its systems fully functioning again.\n\nIn the meantime, payment processing features remain unavailable, and dispatchers are having to record 911 call information by hand.\n\nCity spokesperson Rose Anne Brown says that the city has reserved about $900,000 to buy new computer equipment and upgrade security systems, in order to avoid another attack.", "The city council for Riviera Beach, Florida, voted this week to pay more than $600,000 to a ransomware gang so city officials could recover data that has been locked and encrypted more than three weeks ago.\n\nThe city's decision, as reported by CBS News, came after officials came to the conclusion that there was no other way to recover the city's files.\n\nCity will also pay $941,000 for new computers\n\nAccess to Riviera City data has been locked since May 29, this year, when a Riviera Beach police department employee opened an email and unleashed ransomware on the city's network.\n\nThe ransomware locked files and shut down all the city's services. Operations have been down ever since, with the exception of 911 services, which were able to continue to operate, although limited.\n\nThe city's website, email server, billing system, and everything else has been down ever since, with all city communications being done in person, over the telephone, or via posters.\n\nThe city has been having a hard time recovering from the incident ever since.\n\nCity officials held a first meeting on June 3 when they authorized $941,000 for 310 new desktop and 90 laptop computers and other hardware so that the city could rebuild its IT infrastructure following the incident.\n\nInitially, the city didn't plan on paying criminals, but it became apparent in recent weeks that they wouldn't be able to regain access to all their past data, which hadn't been properly backed up.\n\nOn Monday this week, city officials met again, and with a unanimous vote of 5-0, they gave the go-ahead to the city's insurer to pay 65 bitcoins (~$603,000) to the crooks holding their network for ransom.\n\nThe vote lasted only two minutes, local news outlet The Palm Beach Post reported.\n\nThe city of Riviera Beach is a suburb north of Palm Beach, Florida. Last year, another Palm Beach suburb -- Palm Springs -- also paid a ransomware demand, but lost two years of data, nevertheless.\n\nIn March, earlier this year, officials in Jackson County, Georgia, also agreed to an astronomical ransomware demand, paying hackers $400,000 to regain access to their files.\n\nHowever, Riviera City won't be the victim who paid the largest ever ransom demand, though. This \"honor\" goes to South Korean web hosting firm Internet Nayana, which paid 1.3 billion won ($1.14 million) worth of bitcoins to a hacker following a ransomware attack in June 2017.\n• New Echobot malware is a smorgasbord of vulnerabilities\n• Scranos malware has returned with new attacks and nasty upgraded features\n• New Plurox malware is a backdoor, cryptominer, and worm, all packed into one\n• More than 3B fake emails sent daily as phishing attacks persist TechRepublic\n• Game of Thrones has the most malware of any pirated TV show CNET", "Everyone knows that crime doesn’t pay, or at least that’s what we’re all led to believe. For hackers who broke into the computer systems of a Florida city a few weeks back, crime seems to be paying rather well, and the local government has agreed to pay the hefty sum of $600,000 to regain access to its own files.\n\nAs AP reports, the saga began three weeks ago when a hacker or team of hackers gained access to the government computer systems of Riviera Beach, Florida. The hackers encrypted the city’s files, holding them for ransom and demanding a huge chunk of cash. This week, the city council voted unanimously to pay the hackers in order to regain access to the files.\n\nThis is a classic case of ransomware, where a hacker gains access to a computer or computer system via some underhanded means — sometimes sketchy links in emails or malware-laced downloads — and holds the owner’s most important files for ransom. It’s a growing trend, and hackers are increasingly targeting large companies and governments who they believe will fork over huge sums of money to regain control of their files.\n\nIn the case of Riviera Beach, the city’s records weren’t the only aspects of their computer systems that were compromised. The city also reportedly had issues with its email and payment system, and even local emergency dispatchers were locked out of their computers.\n\nThe hackers, hoping to cover their tracks as best they can, demanded to be paid via cryptocurrency. In this case, $600,000 worth of bitcoin. A spokesperson for the city said that they are proceeding with the payment on the advice of consultants, but there’s still no guarantee that the city will be able to retrieve its files.\n\nWhile ransomware attacks do often result in payment and then the return of file access, some hackers choose to go an even darker route and refuse to unlock the encrypted files after being paid. In some cases, the files are lost forever.", "The small city of Riviera Beach, Florida, has agreed to pay attackers over $600,000 three weeks after its systems were crippled by ransomware.\n\nThe city council has authorised its insurance company to pay 65 bitcoins to the cybercriminals who infected their system on 29 May 2019.\n\nThe Palm Beach Post reported that an employee in the City Police Department infected machines across its network by opening an email.\n\nThe attack on the city, a suburb of West Palm Beach with a population of 35,000, took all its operations offline. Email went down and officials had to resort to hand-printed cheques to pay employees. 911 dispatchers were also unable to enter calls into computer systems, said reports.\n\nOn 5 June 2019 the City posted a terse online notice reporting a ‘data security event’. No further updates appeared on its website or Twitter account.\n\nCouncillors had already authorized $941,000 to pay for 310 new desktop computers and 90 laptops after the attack, expediting an already overdue refresh of old equipment.\n\nIn paying the ransom, the council is relying on advice from external security consultants, said spokesperson Rose Anne Brown, adding that there was no guarantee the files would be restored.\n\nWaiting to make the payment has cost Riviera Beach even more money. On 30 May 2019, the day after the infection, the ransom equated to $540,765 at Bitcoin’s closing price (via CoinMarketCap). As of yesterday, 20 June 2019, it amounted to $619,265. Bitcoin’s volatility can make an already tense situation even more problematic for victims.\n\nCoveware, which advises companies on ransomware recovery, said in its Q1 2019 report that 96% of companies paying a ransom received a working decryption tool, but the recovery success rate varied according to the type of ransomware used. GandCrab’s attackers issued the decryption tool reliably (their system was automated), while Dharma was much riskier. On average, decryption tools recovered 93% of the decrypted data, again varying by ransomware type.\n\nEmail phishing – the technique that nobbled Riviera Beach – accounted for 30.4% of ransomware infections during Q1, Coveware added.\n\nThis attack follows a ransomware attack on the City of Baltimore, which refused to pay its attackers 13 bitcoins (worth about US $100,000 at the time). The attack will ultimately cost over $18m, including lost or deferred revenue due to slowed payments.\n\nSuccessful attacks on local governments in the US demonstrate a need for better cybersecurity. In 2016, the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) surveyed 2,423 local US governments and got 411 responses. It found that only 34% had a formal, written breach recovery plan and only 48% had a formal, written cybersecurity plan. The biggest barrier to effective cybersecurity was a lack of funds.\n\nThis isn’t the only cyberattack this month on a Florida community. The State’s Lake City suffered a malware infection on 10 June 2019, which used three attack methods in concert. The attack, which was not followed by a ransom demand, took down city email systems, landline phones and credit card services according to a statement from the City. Two days later, it was recovering from the attack and had emails back online.", "FORT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami/AP) — An act of cyber hacking has cost a Florida city hundreds of thousands of dollars.\n\nRiviera Beach, Florida agreed to pay $600,000 in ransom to hackers who took over its computer system, the latest in thousands of attacks worldwide aimed at extorting money from governments and businesses.\n\nThe Riviera Beach City Council voted unanimously this week to pay the hackers’ demands, believing the Palm Beach suburb had no choice if it wanted to retrieve its records, which the hackers encrypted. The council already voted to spend almost $1 million on new computers and hardware after hackers captured the city’s system three weeks ago.\n\nThe hackers apparently got into the city’s system when an employee clicked on an email link that allowed them to upload malware. Along with the encrypted records, the city had numerous problems including a disabled email system, employees and vendors being paid by check rather than direct deposit and 911 dispatchers being unable to enter calls into the computer. The city says there was no delay in response time.\n\nSpokeswoman Rose Anne Brown said Wednesday that the city of 35,000 residents has been working with outside security consultants, who recommended the ransom be paid. She conceded there are no guarantees that once the hackers received the money they will release the records. The payment is being covered by insurance. The FBI on its website says it “doesn’t support” paying off hackers, but Riviera Beach isn’t alone: many government agencies and businesses do.\n\n“We are relying on their (the consultants’) advice,” she said. The hackers demanded payment in the cryptocurrency bitcoin. While it is possible to trace bitcoins as they are spent, the owners of the accounts aren’t necessarily known, making it a favored payment method in ransomware attacks.\n\nNumerous governments and businesses have been hit in the United States and worldwide in recent years. Baltimore refused to pay hackers $76,000 after an attack last month. The U.S. government indicted two Iranians last year for allegedly unleashing more than 200 ransomware attacks, including against the cities of Atlanta and Newark, New Jersey. The men, who have not been arrested, received more than $6 million in payments and caused $30 million in damage to computer systems, federal prosecutors have said.\n\nThe federal government last year also accused a North Korean programmer of committing the “WannaCry” attack that infected government, bank, factory and hospital computers in 150 countries. He is also believed to have stolen $81 million from a Bangladesh bank. He also remains in his home country.\n\nThe FBI had no comment Wednesday on the Riviera Beach attack, but said 1,493 ransomware attacks were reported last year with victims paying $3.6 million to hackers — about $2,400 per attack. Some of those were against individuals.\n\nTom Holt, a Michigan State University criminal justice professor, said hackers often attack common and known vulnerabilities in computer systems. He said organizations’ technology managers need to examine their systems for such flaws and teach their employees not to open suspicious email or click suspect links. The FBI says businesses also need to back up their data regularly on secure computers.\n\nHolt said most attacks originate outside the U.S., making them difficult to police. He said many victims wind up like Riviera Beach: They pay their attacker because it is likely the only way to retrieve lost data.\n\n“They might not pay the initial ransom that was suggested, but they may work with a third-party provider to negotiate the ransom down,” Holt said.\n\nHe said in almost all cases, the attackers decrypt the computers after payment, allowing the victims to retrieve their data. He said the WannaCry attacks were an exception — the hackers took the money but often didn’t release the data.", "RIVERA BEACH CITY, Fla. — Rivera Beach City agreed to pay $600,000 in Bitcoin to hackers who took over its computer system.\n• Hackers got into the city's computer system\n• Thousands of ransom hacker attacks across the U.S\n• No guarantee the city will get the records back\n\nRecently, there have been thousands of attacks worldwide aimed at extorting money from governments and businesses.\n\nThe Riviera Beach City Council voted unanimously this week to pay the hackers' demands, believing the Palm Beach suburb had no choice if it wanted to retrieve its records back from the hacker.\n\nThe hackers got into the city's system when an employee clicked on an email link that allowed them to upload malware.\n\nAlong with the encrypted records, the city had numerous problems including a disabled email system, employees and vendors being paid by check rather than direct deposit and 911 dispatchers being unable to enter calls into the computer.\n\nThe council already voted to spend almost $1 million on new computers and hardware after hackers captured the city's system three weeks ago.\n\nSpokeswoman Rose Anne Brown said the city of 35,000 residents has been working with outside security consultants, who recommended the ransom be paid.\n\nShe claimed that there are no guarantees that once the hackers receive the money that they’ll release the records.\n\nBrown said they’re relying on the security consultants’ advice. The hacker specifically demanded payment in cryptocurrency bitcoin because the owner of the bitcoin account can’t always be identified.\n\nNumerous government agencies and businesses in the U.S have been attacked by hackers in exchange for ransom money.\n\nThe U.S. government indicted two Iranians last year for allegedly unleashing more than 200 ransomware attacks that cost $30 million in damages, but the pair have not been arrested yet.\n\nOfficials say even with the plans to pay the ransom, an investigation is under way.", "In brief: Ransomware victims are often advised not to pay money to unlock their files, usually because there’s no guarantee the hackers will oblige. But the council of one Florida city has voted to hand over more than $600,000 in the hope of getting back data that has been encrypted for more than three weeks.\n\nAccording to The Palm Beach Post, the attack on Riviera Beach, Florida, a small city north of West Palm Beach, was launched on May 29 when a police department employee opened an email attachment containing the ransomware. It spread to other IT systems, locking down the city's website, email server, billing system, and others, even affecting 911 dispatch operations.\n\nOn June 3, city officials agreed to spend $941,000 on 310 new desktops and 90 laptops to rebuild its IT systems, but as the original data hadn’t been backed up, a unanimous 5-0 vote took place this week that will see the council’s insurance carrier pay the hackers 65 Bitcoin, around $592,000.\n\nCity spokeswoman Rose Anne Brown told the New York Times that Riviera Beach was working with law enforcement and security consultants, and that it is “well on our way to restoring the city system.”\n\nWe’ve seen numerous US cities hit with ransomware attacks in recent times. Jackson County paid hackers $400,000 to regain access to its systems back in March, and the attack on Baltimore, which didn’t pay the $76,000 ransom, still cost the city $18 million in damages. We’ve also seen instances in Albany, San Diego, and Sarasota, along with those on several hospitals.", "A city in Florida has decided to pay $600,000 to the hackers behind a ransomware attack that's locked down the local government's data.\n\nOn Monday, the city council of Riviera Beach voted unanimously to let the city's insurer pay 65 bitcoins to the hackers. Why the council authorized the payment wasn't discussed at the emergency hearing. But the city is hoping to recover municipal files the hackers encrypted during the ransomware attack.\n\nAccording to The Palm Beach Post, the attack occurred back on May 29 when a police department employee opened an email containing the malicious code. The attack quickly spread to the rest of Riviera Beach's IT systems, taking them all offline.\n\nIn response, Riviera Beach has already spent $941,600 in upgrading the city's IT systems, which has involved purchasing 310 desktops and 90 laptops to replace its old legacy hardware. The city, which is home to 35,000 residents, has also been cooperating with law enforcement on the investigation.\n\nRansomware attacks generally work by encrypting your computer's files and then forcing you to pay up to get them back. However, the FBI recommends against giving into the hackers' demands. One reason why is because you may end up receiving nothing in return. Paying the hackers can also incentivize them to strike again.\n\nIn this case, it isn't clear if paying the ransom released the city's data. But a Riviera Beach spokesperson told The New York Times: \"We are well on our way to restoring the city system.\" During Monday's emergency meeting, the city's interim IT manager said that Riviera Beach had already restored the city's website and access to email, along with several finance-related systems.\n\nThe incident occurs after the city of Baltimore was also hit with a ransomware attack that shut down local government computers. Since 2013, at least 169 ransomware-related incidents have affected state and local governments, according to the security firm Recorded Future. A common way the attacks can strike is by exploiting unpatched software and using emails containing malicious attachments.", "A prosthetic ear was found at a Florida public beach. Do you know the owner?\n\nPolice are hoping to reunite a person with a lost artificial ear that was found at a Florida public beach.\n\nThe Holmes Beach Police Department posted on Facebook that a prosthetic ear was found on Manatee Public Beach.\n\nPlease contact the police department at 941-708-5807 if you know the owner.\n\nThis story originally published to heraldtribune.com, and was shared to other Florida newspapers in the GateHouse Media network."], "summary": "Riviera Beach, Florida, is paying $600,000 to a hacker who took over local government computers three weeks ago."}
{"document": ["Las actas de las Juntas Receptoras de Votos serán verificadas. (Foto Prensa Libre: Hemeroteca PL) Fotografa. Erick Avila: 16/06/2019\n\nMúltiples protestas se han reportado en varios departamentos en contra de los resultados de las votaciones y los magistrados del TSE han decido hacer una evaluación total del conteo de votos.\n\nJulio Solórzano, presidente del TSE, indicó durante la reunión con fiscales de los partidos políticos que el pleno acordó “revisar acta por acta” a partir del lunes por las inconsistencias evidentes.\n\nCon la medida se tendrán que verificar las miles de actas de las Juntas Receptoras de Votos.\n\nFiscal del partido Productividad y Trabajo dice que revisó 21 mil 791 mesas y todas presentaban errores. Además de revisar las actas pide que retorne a sus labores el Director del Registro de Ciudadanos. #DecisiónLibre2019 pic.twitter.com/jkOkFl7li2 — Dulce Rivera (@drivera_gtv) June 20, 2019\n\n#DecisiónLibre2019 El presidente del TSE, Julio Solórzano indicó durante la reunión con fiscales de los partidos políticos que el pleno acordó revisar acta por acta a partir del lunes por las inconsistencias evidentes. pic.twitter.com/9kLq2W6Wt3 — Manuel Hernández (@mhernandez_pl) June 20, 2019\n\nLa candidata de la Unidad Nacional de la Esperanza, Sandra Torres encabezó en el balotaje que disputará con el candidato del partido Vamos, Alejandro Giammattei.\n\nEn los últimos días se han reportado manifestaciones en varios departamentos por inconformidad en el conteo de votos en las elecciones a alcalde. Pero también algunos señalan posibles errores en la elección presidencial.\n\nLos magistrados decidieron que revisarán cada una de las actas para que coincida con el sistema informático.\n\n*Con información de Dulce Rivera y Manuel Hernández\n\nContenido relacionado:\n\n>El TSE gestionó las elecciones más deslucidas desde 1985\n\n>Torres y Giammattei a la cabeza de votaciones\n\n>Partido oficial es el mayor perdedor de las elecciones presidenciales", "The winner of a national office should have nationwide support\n\nThe latest enthusiasm from progressive pundits and activists for replacing the American system of self-government is to abolish the Electoral College and choose presidents by national popular vote. As with all such enthusiasms — expanding the Supreme Court, abolishing the filibuster and the Senate itself, lowering the voting age to 16, letting convicted felons and illegal aliens vote, adding D.C. and Puerto Rico as states, automatic voter registration, abolishing voter ID, etc. — the scarcely concealed argument is that changing the rules will help Democrats and progressives win more.\n\nAlso as with all such enthusiasms, Democratic presidential contenders have been unable to resist its siren song. Multiple prominent Democratic senators, including Kirsten Gillibrand (N.Y.), Minority Whip Dick Durbin (Ill.), and Dianne Feinstein (Calif.), the ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, are introducing a proposal this week in the Senate to make it happen, the second such proposal by Senate Democrats this month. As radical an idea as this is, its support in high places demands to be taken seriously.\n\nThe Electoral College has been with us since the Founding, and in its present form since the election of 1804. Some of the reasons for its creation may be obsolete now, and the original concept of the electors themselves as important actors in the presidential selection process has long since left us. But the fundamental system of electing presidents by 50 simultaneous statewide elections (plus D.C.) rather than a raw national popular vote has long served America well. It isn’t going anywhere, and it shouldn’t.\n\nUniting the States of America\n\n What would American politics look like without the Electoral College? Changing our current system would unsettle so many of the assumptions and incentives that drive presidential politics that the outcomes could easily be unpredictable. But first, consider the immediate changes.\n\nThe core function of the Electoral College is to require presidential candidates to appeal to the voters of a sufficient number of large and smaller states, rather than just try to run up big margins in a handful of the biggest states, cities, or regions. Critics ignore the important value served by having a president whose base of support is spread over a broad, diverse array of regions of the country (even a president as polarizing as Donald Trump won seven of the ten largest states and places as diverse as Florida, Pennsylvania, Arizona, West Virginia, Wisconsin, North Carolina, and Texas).\n\nIn a nation as wide and varied as ours, it would be destabilizing to have a president elected over the objections of most of the states. Our American system as a whole — both by design and by experience — demands the patient building of broad, diverse political coalitions over time to effect significant change. The presidency works together with the Senate and House to make that a necessity. The Senate, of course, is also a target of the Electoral College’s critics, but eliminating the equal suffrage of states requires the support of every single state. A president elected without regard to state support is more likely to face a dysfunctional level of opposition in the Senate.\n\nConsider an illustrative example. Most of us, I think, would agree that 54 percent of the vote is a pretty good benchmark for a decisive election victory — not a landslide, but a no-questions-asked comfortable majority. That’s bigger than Donald Trump’s victory in Texas in 2016; Trump won 18 states with 54 percent or more of the vote in 2016, Hillary Clinton won 10 plus D.C., and the other 22 states were closer than that. Nationally, just 16 elections since 1824 have been won by a candidate who cleared 54 percent of the vote — the last was Ronald Reagan in 1984 — and all of them were regarded as decisive wins at the time.\n\nPicture a two-candidate election with 2016’s turnout. The Republican wins 54 percent of the vote in 48 states, losing only California, New York, and D.C. That’s a landslide victory, right? But then imagine that the Republican nominee who managed this feat was so unpopular in California, New York, and D.C. that he or she loses all three by a 75 percent–to–25 percent margin. That 451–87 landslide in the Electoral College, built on eight-point wins in 48 states, would also be a popular-vote defeat, with 50.7 percent of the vote for the Democrat to 49.3 percent for the Republican. Out of a total of about 137 million votes, that’s a popular-vote margin of victory of 1.95 million votes for a candidate who was decisively rejected in 48 of the 50 states.\n\nWho should win that election? This is not just a matter of coloring in a lot of empty red land on a map: each of these 48 states is an independent entity that has its own governor, legislature, laws, and courts, and sends two senators to Washington. The whole idea of a country called the United States is that those individual communities are supposed to matter.\n\nThis scenario is extreme, but the problem is not: elections where some places are overwhelmingly for or against a candidate while the rest of the country is competitive. The most extreme example happened in 1860: Abraham Lincoln won 18 of the 33 states (all the free states except New Jersey), giving him 59 percent of the Electoral College. Across the states he won, Lincoln got 54 percent of the popular vote, just as in our example above. In the two states that gave electoral votes to Stephen Douglas (New Jersey, which split its votes between Lincoln and Douglas, and Missouri), however, Lincoln won just 26 percent, and he was not even on the ballot elsewhere: He got just 0.9 percent in the eleven states carried by Vice President John Breckinridge and 0.7 percent in the three states carried by John Bell.\n\nLincoln won a popular plurality with just under 40 percent of the vote, and it is true that 1860 is a unique case. But the point is that the Electoral College works against a united regional minority, such as the antebellum South, that seeks to impose its will on the majority regions of the country simply by virtue of superior unity.\n\nIn the case of the South, that unity persisted long after the Civil War. Well into the 20th century, in elections still within living memory, states in the “Solid South” voted in far greater lockstep than elsewhere. Democrats won Mississippi, for example, with over 82 percent of the vote in every election from 1892 to 1944, clearing 90 percent eight times. Franklin D. Roosevelt won the eleven states of the old Confederacy with 81 percent of the vote in 1932 and 1936, 78 percent in 1940, and 72 percent in 1944. But 94 percent of the vote in Mississippi and 81 percent in Alabama counted no more than Tom Dewey’s winning 50–49 in Ohio and Wisconsin in 1944, or Wendell Willkie carrying Michigan by three-tenths of a point in 1940. That’s a good thing if you think a single, radicalized region of the country shouldn’t be given disproportionate power in choosing a national leader.\n\nOne of the reasons we are having this argument right now is that more than 13 percent of Hillary’s voters lived in a single state, California — the highest proportion for any candidate since Dewey in his home state (New York, then the nation’s most populous) in 1944, and higher than any winning candidate since 1868, when only 34 states voted (a few ex-Confederate states were still not allowed to participate). Hillary’s 4.2-million-vote margin in California more than accounted for her 2.9-million-vote plurality nationally. That one-party unity in the largest state, out of step with the rest of America, explains more about the popular/electoral vote split than the small states do. In the smallest states (those with 5 or fewer electoral votes, including D.C.), Trump got 30 electoral votes to Hillary’s 29. The real Democratic grievance is not that small states get a voice, but that big, closely divided states such as Florida, North Carolina, and Ohio get a say instead of being swamped by a few big outliers.\n\nMaking It Work\n\n That’s just how the vote tallies matter. But of course, replacing the Electoral College would change how votes are courted and how they are tabulated.\n\nThe immediate question is what happens when no candidate gets a majority of the national popular vote (i.e., more than 50 percent). Senator Jeff Merkley (D., Ore.), the author of one proposal, ducks the issue, claiming incorrectly that “we have now seen two elections where the majority of voters supported a candidate who did not become the President.” The proposed constitutional amendment authored by (D., Hawaii) and joined by Gillibrand, Durbin, and Feinstein states: “The pair of candidates having the greatest number of votes for President and Vice President shall be elected.”\n\nIn 49 elections since 1824, the voters have returned a popular-vote majority 31 times. Those elections have not been the problem: In only one of them (1876) did an arguable winner of a majority fail to win the Electoral College. I say “arguable” because Democratic New York governor Samuel Tilden’s 1876 race against Republican Ohio governor Rutherford B. Hayes was marred by force and fraud throughout the South that left many of the vote tallies in question, and one state won by Hayes (Colorado) held no popular vote at all because it had been admitted to the Union that year and was not ready for a statewide election.\n\nIn the other 18 elections, an Electoral College majority went to the winner of a plurality of the national popular vote 14 times. Those winners, all below 50 percent of the popular vote, include the first election of some very big names in American history: Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, Harry Truman, James K. Polk, Richard Nixon. Three Democrats won the presidency twice without ever winning a popular majority: Bill Clinton, Woodrow Wilson, and Grover Cleveland. Several of those winners fell far short of a majority, usually when there was a strong third-party candidate: 39.7 percent for Lincoln in 1860, 41.8 percent for Wilson in 1912, 43.4 percent for Nixon in 1968, 43.0 percent for Clinton in 1992. Yet the system legitimized them as the victors.\n\nThe Constitution currently provides that if no candidate wins a majority of the Electoral College, the president is chosen by the House of Representatives, with one vote per state. The one time that happened under the current voting system, in 1824, was a fiasco: the popular-vote winner (though in some states there was no popular vote), Andrew Jackson, was shut out when the third-place finisher, House speaker Henry Clay, threw his support to John Quincy Adams and was rewarded by becoming Adams’s secretary of state (then considered a stepping-stone to the presidency). That sort of deal is completely routine in parliamentary systems, but the American people rebelled and in 1828 chose Jackson by a clear majority after four years of a hobbled presidency. If the House were to choose presidents by the same method when there is no popular majority, George W. Bush and Donald Trump would still have won their elections, since the Republicans controlled of a majority of House caucuses at the time of each election. But the Democrats are proposing a system in which the president needs to win neither a popular majority nor a majority of the states. The Schatz amendment’s only fallback provision is that Congress can provide for resolving a popular vote tie.\n\nIf we think of the Electoral College as a way of ensuring a decisive result in the absence of a national popular majority, and election by the House as the fallback only when both of those options fail, it makes a lot more sense. Splits between the popular vote and Electoral College winners will practically always be very rare when one candidate gets a popular majority; 1876 aside, those splits have only happened when neither candidate mustered a majority. Hillary Clinton won 48 percent of the vote; had she won another 2.7 million votes away from Trump and the third-party candidates to get to 50 percent, the odds are good that she would have won the election. The combined margin of her defeats in the eight closest states — Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Florida, Arizona, Iowa, North Carolina, and Georgia — was just 813,700 votes.\n\nAssuming that “national popular vote” means that even a plurality will do, what happens if the national popular vote is really close? We’ve had four elections (1880, 1884, 1960, and 1968) in which the popular-vote margin was less than a percentage point but the clear Electoral College outcome made it academic to reexamine the national vote totals. National Review’s editorial defending the Electoral College neatly summarizes the practical problems that would come swiftly to the fore:\n\nAll the various controversies over voting — who’s eligible, how do we check eligibility, how are votes counted and recounted, how quickly are they tabulated, what paper trail is created — have the advantage of being contained today within individual states, so that the states where election systems are dominated by one party can’t do more in a presidential race than deliver their own state. The diversity of state electoral systems and eligibility rules was a concern all the way back to the creation of the Electoral College in 1787, and overhauling the system would also create immense pressure to nationalize those systems, at the cost of much expense and controversy. That, too, is what progressives aim for: the Schatz amendment introduces a new rule that ties the right to vote in presidential elections to state requirements for voting for the state legislature, and federalizes in a stroke many aspects of election management: “The times, places, and manner of holding such elections and entitlement to inclusion on the ballot shall be determined by Congress.” There is no reason to think this would be worth the effort just to deal with the four cases in 231 years when a popular-vote plurality loser won an Electoral College majority.\n\nMoreover, the Schatz amendment also grants de facto backdoor statehood to Puerto Rico and other territories for purposes of voting in presidential elections: “The President and Vice President shall be elected by the people of the several States, the territories, and the district constituting the seat of government of the United States.” This is entirely unprecedented, and would fundamentally alter the nature of territorial status as it has existed since 1787.\n\nIn fact, moving to a national popular vote could spell the end of popular-majority presidents. The 50-state system is a barrier to entry for third-party candidates with niche appeal, but a national popular-vote system could create quite different incentives. Michael Brendan Dougherty has elaborated on the destabilizing effect that Electoral College reform, especially combined with other proposals, could have on our existing two-party system. While some may view this as a good thing — everyone has their favorite grievances with the co-opting and polarizing two-party system — parliamentary systems with a profusion of parties tend to have a lot more parties that are openly extremist on the far right and far left. Allen Guelzo notes, more broadly, how the case against the Electoral College tends to ignore the experiences of other nations:\n\nAs Jonah Goldberg observes, “no Western European country has a unified leader directly elected by the people.” Jonah continues:\n\nThe primary system in both parties today is still a state-by state system, and in the Democratic party it yielded a winner in 2008 (Barack Obama) who had not received the most votes nationally in the primaries, but went on to win a popular majority in the general election. It also answers a common argument that the Electoral College causes a lot of places to be ignored: The primary process still gives many of these same voters a big voice. Northeastern blue-state Republicans played a pivotal role in nominating Trump; rural red-state African-American southerners played a decisive role in nominating Obama.\n\nExpand the House\n\n Finally, there is a solution available (admittedly, one with broad-reaching effects of its own) that would reduce the incidence of popular-vote/Electoral College splits without requiring a constitutional amendment and without doing violence to two centuries of American practice or eliminating the role of the states. That solution is to expand the size of the House of Representatives.\n\nThe House began with 65 members, but the Founding Fathers expected that it would expand over time, with the addition of new states and the growth of population. The first census increased the total to 99, and the House grew steadily until it was frozen at 435 members in 1911. The Constitution puts a minimum size on House districts (30,000 people), but today the average district is more than 20 times that, exceeding 700,000 people per district.\n\nThat matters to the Electoral College because every state gets one electoral vote per House district, plus two for its two senators. In the early 1800s, it was common for only the newest state to have just three electoral votes, but today there are seven such states, plus D.C. Doubling the size of the House to 870 members would instantly increase all the states (but not D.C.) to a minimum of four electoral votes and would cut the “extra” electoral votes (those corresponding to Senators) almost in half, from 19 percent of the Electoral College to 10 percent. Based on the Census Bureau’s 2018 population estimates, doubling the House would, without any other changes, raise the four largest states from 28.4 percent to 30.6 percent of the Electoral College, while reducing the 15 smallest states and D.C. from 10.6 percent to 8.8 percent. That’s a fairer way of rebalancing the Electoral College without depriving the small states of a voice.\n\nExpanding the House would affect many other things besides the Electoral College, of course: seniority, campaign finances, gerrymandering, even the physical capacity of the Capitol. So this is a remedy that shouldn’t be approached without serious thought for its other consequences. Moreover, the chief obstacle to doing so is that the people most opposed are the current members of the House. But if Democrats are serious about a realistic movement to improve the presidential election system, rather than just venting their anger at the fact that they have won a popular-vote majority only twice since 1976, they could use their new House majority to push for expanding the chamber in time for the drawing of new districts in 2022 and the presidential election of 2024.", "Abuja – International Observers on Wednesday called for early electoral reforms ahead of the 2023 general elections in Nigeria.\n\nThe observers made the call at an Electoral Reform Roundtable organinsed by the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room and the Kofi Annan Foundation in Abuja.\n\nMr Alan Doss, the President of the Kofi Annan Foundation, said the call became imperative in order to achieve a strong and sustainable democracy and that early preparations were the best ways to realise it.\n\nAccording to him, democracy is more than an election held every four years.\n\n“Transparent governance, independent institutions, popular participation and a free press are vital ingredients of a vibrant democracy which starts with elections,” he said.\n\nHe said that the electoral process should not only be free, fair and effective but also regarded as such, not just by a court of law but in the court of public opinion.\n\n2019 Polls: Nigeria must enforce electoral laws – IRI/ NDI(Opens in a new browser tab)\n\n“From our own experience at the foundation working with countries around the world, we know that electoral reform is tough and is therefore best undertaken early in the electoral cycle.\n\n“Electoral reform is not the exclusive responsibility of the electoral commission, even though it plays a central role; there are many stakeholders involved.\n\n“Ultimately, electoral reform, like all reforms, requires political will; with so many urgent issues requiring attention, electoral reform can easily slip off the political agenda.\n\n“Nevertheless, what could be more important than ensuring the legitimacy of the very system upon which government rests?’’\n\nThe president urged Nigeria to build momentum in favour of electoral reform, adding that the continued success of Nigeria’s democracy was, therefore, a strategic priority for all Africa.\n\nHe also urged the nation to work on the challenges of the 2019 elections, adding that every electoral cycle exposed problems and concerns that needed to be addressed to sustain public confidence in the system.\n\nThe Charge d’Affairs of the Embassy of Switzerland in Nigeria, Mrs Anne-Beatrice Bullinger, said that a strong democracy needed a continued, vibrant and multi-stakeholder engagement, and that was why the embassy supported the programme.\n\nAccording to Bullinger, politics is too important to be left to politicians alone, hence the need to engage all to strengthen democracy.\n\nShe said that democracy allowed transfer of power to happen peacefully through institutional mechanisms rather than through violent conflict, adding that credible and legitimate elections were the cornerstone of a true democracy.\n\nShe said that Nigeria had come a long way and enjoyed a very vibrant political culture, yet many challenges remained.\n\nAccording to her, politics had been trivialised and used to create exacerbated fault lines at the expense of serving the higher interests of the nation.\n\nBullinger said that while no elections were perfect, the exercise remained the key foundation of democratic legitimacy.\n\nShe said while the intensity of the recently concluded elections settled down, an inclusive and sustained dialogue should be engaged to address concerns and to constructively work toward necessary reforms.\n\nMr Mohammed Chambas, Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS), said the 2019 elections deprived a lot of women participation.\n\nChambas said that this made Nigeria one of the countries with the lowest women participation in politics in spite of the dynamic number of women in the country.\n\nHe said that UNOWAS would continue to work with Nigeria toward increased number of women, youths and persons living with disabilities.\n\nMr Clement Nwankwo ,Convener, Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room, said that the round-table was convened to know what happened with the elections and work toward improving the electoral process and not to portray Nigeria in bad light.\n\nNwankwo said that the aim of the exercise was also to share the knowledge garnered from observing the elections and take lessons from it to improve election and sanitise the electoral process for better elections.\n\nHe said that electoral reform should start immediately and urged President Buhari to continue from where the 8th Assembly stopped and sign the Electoral Act.\n\nHe commended the European Union and the Swiss Government for their support to Nigeria’s democracy. (NAN)", "The Government is riding roughshod over New Zealand’s conventions on electoral law by advancing changes ahead of the triennial Justice Select Committee Inquiry and without any consultation with the Opposition, National’s Electoral Law Spokesperson Nick Smith says.\n\n“The Government is rushing changes in electoral law to advantage its own re-election. It is defying long standing conventions that electoral law changes are made on cross party basis through the triennial Justice Committee Inquiry.\n\n“It is also outrageous that it has only consulted the three parties in the Government. This is the sort of conduct we expect from banana republics and not a respected long standing democracy like New Zealand.\n\n“National respected these conventions under the Bolger/Shipley and Key/English Governments, consulting all parties on Government electoral law changes before Cabinet decisions were made.\n\n“This Government announcement makes a mockery of the Justice Select Committee electoral law inquiry. These are the very issues before the committee and subject to public submissions, officials’ advice and external discussion.\n\n“We only found out these Cabinet decisions through questioning at today’s estimates hearing on the Budget highlighting the sneaky process by which they are being advanced. The committee had to abandon its consideration today on the electoral law inquiry having now had the key issues pre-determined.\n\n“The Minister cannot complain that the committee’s work is taking some time when it is he who wrote last December wanting the terms of reference extended and Labour members who wanted local electoral law included.\n\n“The Government’s changes go against the recommendations of the Electoral Commission in areas like allowing an election day same day enrolment and voting. The commission advised such a change should not be implemented for 2020. The Government is ignoring this advice so as to advantage its own re-election.\n\n“National does not know the detail of many of the changes proposed, such as the policy to make it easier for New Zealanders to vote from overseas. Given such votes favour Government parties and the appalling process, these changes are also likely to be designed to give them an electoral advantage.\n\n“These electoral law changes set a dangerous precedent and highlights the vulnerability of our democracy. National has been exploring the need to entrench the Electoral Act requiring a super-majority in parliament or referendum to make changes. Today’s announcement reinforces the need for this sort of reform.”", "I am the granddaughter of a suffragette. As such, I am offended by the very notion that my vote in a presidential election might not count.\n\nThe fact that I might be disenfranchised in favor of a system that values geography and the vote of politically appointed state electors over my personal ballot is offensive to everything my grandmother and her suffragist sisters fought for. It is for this reason I favor abolishing the Electoral College.\n\nThe Electoral College was based on elitist notions that only the few educated (and at the time white) men could be tasked with the important job of electing the president. The “mob” could not be trusted to make a wise decision. It was also based on practical considerations of the vastness of our nation and the inability at the time to coordinate a massive popular election.\n\nThe education of the populace, suffrage won by all citizens regardless of gender or race, and modern technology have rendered those considerations moot.\n\nThe Electoral College has never been the ideal scheme for electing a president. In fact, it started to unravel in the third presidential election when Adams was elected president and Jefferson his vice president, even though they were from rival parties.\n\nThe U.S. Constitution has been tweaked two times to try to fix it, but there have been five misfires — four times when the winner of the popular vote did not win the presidency and one tie that threw the decision to the House of Representatives. The most recent misfire occurred in 2016 when the votes of nearly 3 million people were disregarded.\n\nWhen misfires happen, trust in government falters and civic engagement declines. It is difficult for a president to claim a mandate when the people know that an election victory was the function of Electoral College math, and not the true will of the majority. It is even harder to convince people their votes matter when history has shown they might not.\n\nTo those that argue that the Electoral College levels the playing field between small states and larger ones, the fact is that the most populated states still have an advantage under the current system due to their larger number of electors.\n\nThe National Popular Vote Initiative is a creative solution that will ensure that the winner of the popular vote is the one who is elected president.\n\nThe Constitution leaves it up to the states to decide how their Electoral College electors will operate. The National Popular Vote Initiative is an interstate compact that provides that signatories to the agreement will direct all of their state electors to vote for the winner of the popular vote nationwide. The practical impact of this is to render the electoral college obsolete.\n\nThe compact will not go into effect until states representing 270 votes (the number required to elect a president) have signed on. To date 16 jurisdictions, representing 196 electoral votes, have joined. They are: California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington.\n\nFundamentally the question is, should “we the states” elect our president, or should it be “we the people?” Consistent with the notion of one person, one vote, I side with the people.\n\nHana Callaghan is the director of the Government Ethics Program at the Markkula Center for Applied Ethics at Santa Clara University and is the author of the new book, “Campaign Ethics, A Field Guide.”", "It is a common misconception that America is a democracy. But we are not. We are a republic.\n\nThe differences are not well understood, but they are important. In a democracy, the majority rules. In a republic, we are governed first and foremost by a set of principles that are intended to ensure liberty and justice for even the minority, regardless of what the majority is calling for. For the sake of argument, let’s assume that the wolves are California and New York whereas Idaho and about 35 other less populated states are the sheep. In a democracy, lamb chops will be served for dinner regardless of the justice of that decision.\n\nThere is a movement gaining momentum in this country to abolish the electoral college in favor of a purely popular vote. And why not? Might makes right. Isn’t that fair? Well, what if you are in the minority — do not your values, beliefs and voice also matter? They do in this republic, but they do not in a pure democracy. When last I checked, 15 states and D.C. have decided that they will award their electoral votes to whichever presidential candidate gets the most popular votes in the nation. If enough states accept this “mini-coup,” we will essentially abolish the republic and the mob will rule when it comes to deciding who is president.\n\nNow most of the time that might be fine, but our founding fathers understood very well how human nature works and ensured that those in a minority still had a say. The electoral college was that vehicle. It awards the states one vote for every congressman a state has, plus one vote for each senator. Congressmen are assigned to a state based on its population, but every state, no matter how small, has two senators. That means that even a state like Idaho has as much voice in the Senate as California or New York. The electoral college does much the same thing when it comes to deciding who is president. California still has way more electoral college votes in total, but we get a little more voice than the population of Idaho would dictate if we went by just the popular vote alone.\n\nThere are times in history when 51 percent of the people chose to do something unwise or unjust. An Austrian political philosopher once observed that the crucifixion of Jesus was a democratic event. Our founders understood human nature and made sure all Americans had a voice when they designed the electoral college. The electoral college is critical because passions always run high in the high-stakes game of presidential politics. The majority voice still holds most of the power in an election, but our electoral college system ensures that the majority cannot totally run roughshod over the rights of the rest of the people in Idaho. Let’s make sure Idaho and the rest of the flyover states keep their voice.", "Guatemala will audit election returns after fraud allegations in the wake of last Sunday's presidential and legislative elections, the country's Supreme Electoral Court (TSE) announced Thursday\n\nGuatemala City, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - APP - 21st Jun, 2019 ) :Guatemala will audit election returns after fraud allegations in the wake of last Sunday's presidential and legislative elections, the country's Supreme Electoral Court (TSE) announced Thursday.\n\nTSE president Julio Solorzano told journalists in the Central American country that he had ordered an audit of certified returns from each ballot box to \"clarify disagreements.\" Speaking at a news conference, Solorzano said the process would begin on Monday. The audit would include municipal and congressional elections held in tandem with the presidential vote.\n\nCenter-left former first lady Sandra Torres leads in the presidential polls with 25.7 percent of the vote, ahead of conservative Alejandro Giammattei, with 14 percent.\n\nBoth had been expected to contest the August 11 run-off round before Thursday's announcement.\n\nThe leftist Movement for the Liberation of Peoples -- whose candidate Thelma Cabrera came fifth in the presidential race -- denounced \"evident electoral fraud.\" Solorzano said he had invited Cabrera and her party to the court to check her complaint.\n\nThe tumultuous campaign to succeed outgoing President Jimmy Morales saw two leading candidates barred from taking part in the election and the country's top electoral crimes prosecutor flee the country after threats.\n\nDisturbances broke out Thursday in several municipalities where mayoral candidates rejected the results.\n\nA lawmaker from Morales' FCN-Nacion party, Estuardo Galdamez, went on social media to condemn electoral fraud and said the country was on the brink of becoming a \"dictatorship\" under Torres' Unity of Hope party.\n\nThe Organization of American States (OAS) welcomed the TSE decision, which it said was aimed at \"providing greater transparency and certainty in the electoral process, especially in relation to local and legislative elections.\" The TSE had on Wednesday rejected allegations of fraud in the legislative poll.\n\nThe OAS, which sent an observer mission to the polls led by former Costa Rican president Luis Guillermo Solis, had signed off on the election and in its statement Thursday rejected allegations of fraud, despite reporting errors.\n\n\"The mission received complaints of vote buying and observed possible voter transport, as well as errors in the digitalization of ballots,\" it said.\n\n\"However, these actions in no way change the popular will reflected in the results of the presidential contest.\"\"The important thing now is to conclude the process, clear all doubts and begin to focus on implementing the recommendations so that the process of the second round is better than the first.\"One person died and nine police officers were wounded in disturbances that followed the polls last Sunday.", "Prof. Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, Vice-Chancellor, University of Lagos (UNILAG), on Thursday urged the Federal Government to provide a viable and effective ecosystem for the conduct of free and fair elections in Nigeria.\n\nOgundipe made the plea at the Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM) 2019 Colloquium with the theme: “Democracy and the Electoral Process: The Nigerian Challenge” in Lagos.\n\nSpeaking as the Guest Speaker, he said that the growth and stability of democracy was largely dependent on the capability and efficiency of the country to conduct violence-free elections.\n\nThe vice-chancellor also urged the electoral commission to begin early preparations for the electoral processes to prevent unforeseen circumstances that might disrupt and hamper the process.\n\n“From the foregoing, though the conduct of elections may not equate to the growth of democratic process due to availability of other features of democracy, elections largely contribute to operation and survival of democracy in any given country.\n\nINEC insists on card reader, discards incident form(Opens in a new browser tab)\n\n“Preparations for next elections must begin now and not one year to the election as this might lead to issues such as postponement, unavailability of materials, among others,” he said.\n\nOgundipe said that the 1993 elections had always been viewed as the freest and fairest elections in the political history of Nigeria with the import and consequences beyond the election and electoral process.\n\nHe said that the 2015 elections were keenly contested between the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) under conditions that threatened national stability.\n\n“Going forward this year, we celebrated 20 years of unbroken democratic rule, but the last two elections nearly pushed the nation into turmoil and violence that threatened the country’s integration and stability,” he said.\n\nThe vice-chancellor outlined challenges of conducting elections and democracy in Nigeria to include: activities of violence, killing, voters intimidation, ballot box snatching and manipulation on the basis of religion and ethnicity.\n\nHe listed others as: poverty, literacy level particularly among rural dwellers, inefficient transportation system, corrupt electoral personnel, technology hitches, media inflammatory statement and weak confidence in the electoral tribunal.\n\nOgundipe recommended the strengthening of electoral legal framework, professional competence and administrative capacity building and increased engagement with stakeholders to tackle the challenges of electoral processes.\n\nHe called for the adoption of technology transparency and effectiveness, the need to fight poverty and speedy activities of the National Orientation Agency (NOA) to coordinate strategies for awareness of citizen’s rights in democracy.\n\n“It is imperative for our government to look into the establishment of an institution that will operate as a monitoring group for the electoral commission, political parties and contesting candidates.\n\n“The electoral commission and security institutions must be trained to be professional and impartial in discharging their operations and in contributing to democratic stability in the nation.\n\n“In addition, the Nigerian judicial system needs to be reformed in order to discharge its duties without bias and respect for individuals, ” he said.\n\nOgundipe appreciated the commitment of the institute to the establishment of a viable platform to discuss national issues and policies by the Colloquium.\n\nThe President of the institute, Prof. Olukunle Iyanda, proffered professional and transparent management as solution to addressing the negative characteristics akin to Nigerian electoral process.\n\nIyanda, also the former Rector, The Polytechnic, Ibadan in Oyo State, suggested that elections could be conducted in a peaceful atmosphere devoid of inter and intra-party rivalry and activities within the Nigerian political structure.\n\nHe suggested elections should be conducted in such a way that both the winner and loser would accept results as an expression of the will of the people.\n\nIyanda reiterated the institute’s commitment to addressing and educating the Nigerian populace on matters of pertinent importance and value to the wellbeing of its citizens.\n\n“Indeed, the period of election is one that threatens and undermines the unity of the country in such a way that one may wish that the country can do away with elections.\n\n“But elections are sine qua non of a democratic system; and so, they cannot be wished away.\n\n“The best we can do is to find a way of reducing, through professional and transparent management, the negative consequences that accompany the processes.", "Despite recent polls pointing to a tough re-election battle, Trump 2020 campaign manager Brad Parscale believes an “electoral landslide” is at hand for the president.\n\nSpeaking with CBS News, Parscale told Major Garrett that the president will again win Florida, where he officially launched his campaign for re-election with a rally Tuesday night in Orlando.\n\n“I think [he’ll have] even more electoral points than he did last time,” said Parscale.\n\nIn 2016, Trump scored narrow victories over Hillary Clinton in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania, propelling him to 306 electoral votes despite losing the popular vote. – read more", "The attention of the Daily Observer is drawn to a story carried in its June 18, 2019 edition headlined, NEC, Students Engage on Electoral Reform”. According to the story written by contributor Samuka Konneh, students from various high schools were, over the weekend, engaged in debates centered around electoral reform. The debates were organized by the Youth Media Action with support from USAID.\n\nThe Daily Observer welcomes this development and highlights such as a wake-up call to the National Elections Commission to strengthen its civic education and awareness program on measures being undertaken to advance electoral reform. It is also a wake-up call to the National Legislature to speed up the passage of relevant legislations to enhance the reform process.\n\nOf key concern to the Daily Observer is the conduct of the national census which is a constitutional requirement relevant to the conduct of democratic elections. Based on a review of current arrangements, this newspaper is of the view, supported by evidence that some counties are underrepresented at the national legislature, while others are over-represented.\n\nSuch anomalies can rightly be attributed that Electoral Districts currently in use are an aberration ushered into existence during the transitional period and maintained during the 2011 elections, are a source of much of the electoral disputes seen in recent time.\n\nThe trucking of voters from one area to the next, for example, is facilitated by the Electoral District arrangement, which has no population threshold unlike the constituency arrangement which has a defined population and does not lend easily to trucking arrangements.\n\nAccording to Article 80 “c and d” of the Constitution of Liberia, elections are to be conducted on a constituency basis. It emphasizes that every citizen has the right to be registered in a constituency and that such citizen may change his constituency as may be prescribed by the Legislature.\n\nArticle c & d read as follows below:\n\n(c): “Every Liberian citizen shall have the right to be registered in a constituency, and to vote in public elections only in the constituency where registered, either in person or by absentee ballot; provided that such citizen shall have the right to change his voting constituency as may be prescribed by the Legislature. (d): Each constituency shall have an approximately equal population of 20,000, or such number of citizens as the legislature shall prescribe in keeping with population growth and movements as revealed by a national census; provided that the total number of electoral constituencies in the Republic shall not exceed one hundred.\n\nIt can be recalled that during the 2011 electoral period, several formal the requests from the National Elections Commission (NEC) to have the Legislature pass a new threshold limit for constituencies went unheeded in violation of Article 80 c & d of the Constitution. According to the Constitution, after the conduct of a national census, the country is to be divided into constituencies for planning and development purposes in addition to the holding of elections.\n\nFor example, according to the 2008 population and housing census, Bong county with a population of 333,481 is divided into six electoral districts with six representatives accordingly. However, based on the unrevised 20,000 threshold figure spelt out in the 1986 Constitution, Bong County should actually be apportioned into 16 Constituencies with a total of 16 representatives.\n\nOn the other hand, Nimba with a population figure of 462,026 should actually be apportioned into 23 constituencies as per the unrevised 20,000 threshold figure. Currently Nimba is divided into 7 electoral districts with no defined population figure, which suggests that Nimba, like Montserrado, is grossly underrepresented at the National Legislature.\n\nThe Daily Observer has previously pointed to these shortcomings as potential threats to the country’s fledging democracy and should be addressed forthwith to forestall future conflicts over representation such as can be observed in clamorings for county status for Lower Bong.\n\nThe Daily Observer further notes that unscrupulous and greedy politicians are chiefly to blame for having maintained such an anomalous situation in 2010. Some key figures in the Legislature at the time argued that seats be assigned arbitrarily to counties with low population densities on grounds that those counties with low populations had most of their people residing in Monrovia who had migrated there in search of a better life.\n\nAs flawed as this formula was, Liberians were somehow forced to accept it. The opportunity to revise it came in 2011 in the aftermath of the 2008 national census but was conveniently ignored by President Sirleaf who was to later go to court to have referendum results annulled because her proposal to amend the absolute majority requirement was rejected.\n\nBut such actions had implications for the future and the 2017 elections showed just that. The 2017 Final Report of the European Union Election Observation Mission to Liberia (EUEOM) on the Presidential and House of Representatives elections, noted the following:\n\nIn this regard, this newspaper reiterates its call to the National Legislature to realize the urgency of this matter and should accordingly move to address the issue of representation, which is inextricably linked to the conduct of a national census to enhance the apportioning of constituencies and thus, reduce the potential for conflict arising from concerns over adequate representation or the lack of it."], "summary": "After days of disagreements, allegations of electoral fraud and several inconsistencies with the preliminary results of the general election held last Sunday, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal orders a new review of the electoral records and restarts the count."}
{"document": ["British Conservative party leadership and prime minister contender Boris Johnson leaves his home in south London, Thursday June 20, 2019. The race to become Britain’s next prime minister is down to the final four on Wednesday, as Boris Johnson stretched his lead among Conservative lawmakers and upstart Rory Stewart was eliminated from the contest. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)\n\nLONDON (AP) — The Latest on choosing Britain’s next prime minister (all times local):\n\nBoris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt will compete to become Britain’s next prime minister in a runoff vote by members of the governing Conservative Party.\n\nJohnson, a former U.K. foreign secretary, and Hunt, who holds that office now, are the last candidates standing after a series of elimination votes by Conservative lawmakers. Home Secretary Sajid Javid and Environment Secretary Michael Gove were culled from the race on Thursday.\n\nJohnson got 160 of the votes cast by 313 Tory lawmakers in the final round, and is strong favorite to win the ballot of some 160,000 party members.\n\nHunt, who got 77 votes, will seek to halt Johnson’s momentum by picking away at Johnson’s plans for Brexit as the two speak to meetings of party members across the country.\n\nThe winner is due to be announced in late July, and will replace Theresa May as party leader and prime minister.\n\nThe contest to become Britain’s next prime minister is down to its final three candidates, with Environment Secretary Michael Gove and Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt chasing front-runner Boris Johnson for a spot in a deciding runoff.\n\nJohnson gained 157 of 313 votes cast by Conservative lawmakers Thursday in their fourth round of voting. Gove received 61, leapfrogging Hunt, who has been in second place until now but got 59.\n\nHome Secretary Sajid Javid came fourth with 34 votes and drops out.\n\nA second vote Thursday will select the final two contenders, who will go to a by-mail ballot of all 160,000 Conservative Party members nationwide.\n\nThe winner is due to be announced in late July, and will replace Theresa May as party leader and prime minister.\n\nBritain’s governing Conservatives were set to pick two candidates who will square off to become the country’s next prime minister.\n\nTory lawmakers will vote to eliminate two contenders from a four-strong field that includes ex-foreign minister and London mayor Boris Johnson, current Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, Environment Secretary Michael Gove and Home Secretary Sajid Javid.\n\nJohnson has a commanding lead after three rounds of voting that cut the list from an initial 10 contenders. The three others are battling to join him in a runoff to be decided by 160,000 Conservative Party members nationwide.\n\nAll the candidates are vowing to lead Britain out of the European Union, a challenge that defeated outgoing Prime Minister Theresa May. She quit as Conservative leader earlier this month after failing to win Parliament’s backing for her Brexit deal.\n\nThe winner of the contest, due to be announced the week of July 22, will become Conservative leader and prime minister.\n\nFollow AP’s full coverage of Brexit and the Conservative Party leadership race at: https://www.apnews.com/Brexit", "LONDON - Ringing a bell seemed a safe photo opportunity for Jeremy Hunt as he sought to show London was ready to host a problem-free Olympic Games in 2012. But the bell broke apart, its base flying into a group of onlookers, just missing one of them. “My goodness me!” Hunt said, leaping into the crowd to make sure everyone was OK before telling stunned journalists, “You got a little more TV there than you were expecting!”\n\nHunt, who is now vying to become leader of Britain’s Conservative Party and the country’s next prime minister, took it well — tweeting the video to his followers. The gaffe turned into a viral smash, typifying what many consider Hunt’s biggest strength: an ability to seem human when a camera is nearby. It’s a skill desperately needed by the Conservatives, whose current leader, Prime Minister Theresa May, is known for being wooden and occasionally robotic, sticking to message even if it means repeating a single sentence over and over again. Hunt will need that ability to connect with voters if he is to win the leadership contest.\n\nHunt, 52, finished a distant second behind Boris Johnson in Thursday’s vote of Conservative Party lawmakers, but his 77 votes, to Johnson’s 160, were enough to get to the final round. The two men will now face the party’s 160,000 members, with pollsters forecasting Johnson is likely to win because of his uncompromising stance that Britain must leave the EU on Oct. 31. Hunt, who backed the losing “remain” side during the 2016 referendum on EU membership, has a more nuanced position on Brexit. He says he will negotiate a better withdrawal deal and lead the U.K. out of the bloc.\n\nJust before the final, he pledged to put his put his “heart & soul” into giving Johnson the contest of his life. “In politics today,” he said on Twitter, “the unexpected often happens.” Hunt has held a variety of Cabinet posts during his 14 years in Parliament and has been foreign secretary since Johnson resigned the post last July because of differences over Brexit. Regarded as well-versed in making the bureaucracy work, he managed to resolve a heated contract dispute with doctors in the National Health Service during his time as health secretary.\n\nBut despite his ability to get a message across, critics doubt he is flashy enough to excite the electorate. A graduate of Oxford, Hunt was a businessman who co-founded Hotcourses, which produces guidebooks to help students looking to study abroad. The company was sold to Australia’s IDP Education for 30 million pounds ($37 billion) in 2017, making Hunt one of Britain’s wealthiest politicians. He also set up a charity to help AIDS orphans in Africa.\n\nElected to the House of Commons in 2005, Hunt first rose to national attention when he was appointed Secretary of Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport ahead of the 2012 London Olympics. The success of the Games earned him promotion to the politically fraught role of Health Secretary, where he successfully negotiated a contract with young doctors in the service after months of acrimony. He met his wife, Lucia Guo, a native of China, while she was working for the University of Warwick to recruit students. They now have three children. Her background became the subject of one of Hunt’s most embarrassing blunders in public office. When meeting a Chinese delegation, Hunt accidentally described her as being Japanese — embarrassing given the long rivalry between the two countries. Hunt again returned to self-effacing humour to dampen embarrassment afterward. “Rule 1 as a new Foreign Sec: when reflecting in English with the Chinese on a conversation you had with them in Japanese about your Chinese wife, don’t get any of those mixed up!” he said on Twitter. “Apologies to the long-suffering Mrs H...!” He later posted a picture of himself in a florist shop in Paris on his way home after the gaffe saying he was choosing a present for “Mrs. H.” Follow AP’s full coverage of Brexit and the Conservative Party leadership race at: https://www.apnews.com/Brexit", "Most of today's front pages are covered with the news that the Tory leadership race is down to Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt.\n\nThe Scotsman: Johnson vs Hunt- In four weeks' time one of these men will be our next Prime Minister.\n\nThe Herald: It's Hunt v Johnson: Now the real fight for No 10 begins.\n\nThe Times of Scotland: Dirty battle for No 10.\n\nThe Guardian: It's Johnson versus Hunt. But was the result fixed?\n\nAnd finally the P&J: Singer mauled in savage dog attack 'lucky to be alive'.\n\nDownload: The STV News app is Scotland's favourite and is available for iPhone from the App store and for Android from Google Play. Download it today and continue to enjoy STV News wherever you are.", "Brexit campaigner Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt, once an opponent of leaving the European Union who has now promised to exit with a deal, are the final two in the race to replace Prime Minister Theresa May.\n\n \n\n Despite a series of scandals in the past and criticism about his attention to detail, Johnson has dominated the race since May announced a month ago that she would step down after failing to get her Brexit deal ratified by parliament.\n\n \n\n In a fifth and final ballot of Conservative lawmakers, which eliminated Environment Secretary Michael Gove, Johnson was again way out in front: he won 160 out of 313 votes against Hunt's 77. One ballot paper was rejected.\n\n \n\n Johnson, 55, who served as London mayor for eight years, has cast himself as the only candidate who can deliver Brexit on October 31 while fighting off the electoral threats of Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party and Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Party.\n\n \n\n Johnson has increased his share of the vote of Conservative lawmakers at each of the four ballots so far: 114 out of 313 votes in the first ballot on June 13, 126 on June 18, 143 on Wednesday, and 157 and 160 on Thursday.\n\n \n\n Gove was third with 75. Interior minister Sajid Javid was knocked out in the fourth round earlier on Thursday.\n\nNow around 160,000 Conservative Party grassroots members will vote on who will be their leader - and Britain's next prime minister - by the end of July.\n\n \n\n Johnson has pledged to leave the European Union on October 31 with or without a deal. The EU has said it will not renegotiate the divorce deal that May agreed last year and the British parliament has indicated it will block a no-deal exit.\n\n \n\n He has not addressed how he will solve that riddle.", "Britain's next prime minister will be a man in his 50s who went to Oxford University — either Boris Johnson or Jeremy Hunt, the two finalists selected today in a race to lead the governing Conservative Party.\n\nJohnson, a flamboyant former foreign secretary and ex-mayor of London, topped a ballot of 313 Conservative lawmakers with 160 votes — more than half the total — and is runaway favourite to become the party's next leader. He has led in all five voting rounds of a contest that began last week with 10 contenders.\n\nHunt, Britain's current foreign secretary, came a distant second with 77 votes and will join Johnson in a runoff decided by 160,000 party members across the country. Hunt edged out Environment Secretary Michael Gove, who got 75 votes, after Home Secretary Sajid Javid was eliminated earlier in the day.\n\nMany in the party doubt that anyone can beat Johnson, a quick-witted, Latin-spouting extrovert admired for his ability to connect with voters, but mistrusted for his erratic performance in high office and his long record of inaccurate, misleading and sometimes offensive comments.\n\n\"Boris will say absolutely anything in order to please an audience,\" historian Max Hastings told the BBC on Thursday. \"Boris would have told the passengers on the Titanic that rescue was imminent.\"\n\nHunt, who has held several senior government posts including culture secretary and health secretary, is considered an experienced, competent minister, but unexciting. He has billed himself as the \"serious\" candidate, in implicit contrast to Johnson.\n\nHe will try to halt Johnson's momentum by picking away at his plans for Brexit as the two speak to meetings of party members across the country over the next few weeks.\n\nBoth Johnson and Hunt vow they will lead Britain out of the European Union, a challenge that defeated May. She quit as Conservative leader earlier this month after failing to win Parliament's backing for her Brexit deal.\n\nBrexit, originally scheduled to take place on March 29, has been postponed twice amid political deadlock in London. The candidates differ on how they plan to end the impasse.\n\nJohnson, a leading figure in the 2016 campaign to leave the European Union, has won backing from the party's die-hard Brexiteers by insisting the UK must leave the bloc on the rescheduled date of October 31, with or without a divorce deal to smooth the way.\n\nHe also is supported by some Tory moderates who claim he has the skills to unite the party and win back voters from rival parties on both the left and the right.\n\nHunt backed the losing \"remain\" side in the referendum, but now says he is determined to go through with Brexit. He says his past in business, running an educational publishing firm, gives him an edge in negotiations.\n\nCritics say neither candidate has a realistic plan. The EU is adamant that it won't reopen the Brexit agreement it struck with May's government, which has been rejected three times by Britain's Parliament.\n\nHe also said there was \"enormous hostility to any further extension\" of the Brexit deadline among the other 27 EU leaders.\n\nMany economists and businesses warn that leaving the EU without a deal on divorce terms and future relations would cause economic turmoil as tariffs and other disruptions are imposed on trade between Britain and the EU.\n\n\"The question to the candidates is not 'What is your plan?' but 'What is your Plan B?'\" Hammond said in extracts from a speech he is giving later Thursday.", "COMBO FILE – In this file four-photo combo image of various recent dates, showing the contenders still placed to become leader of the Conservative Party, Wednesday June 19, 2019, with from left: Michael Gove, Boris Johnson, Jeremy Hunt, Sajid Javid. Rory Stewart has dropped out of the contest Wednesday. Britain’s Conservative Party will continue to hold elimination votes until the final two contenders will be put to a vote of party members nationwide, with the winner due to replace Prime Minister Theresa May as party leader and prime minister. (AP FILE Photo combo)\n\nLONDON (AP) — Britain’s next prime minister will be a man in his 50s who went to Oxford University — either Boris Johnson or Jeremy Hunt, the two finalists selected Thursday in a race to lead the governing Conservative Party.\n\nJohnson , a flamboyant former foreign secretary and ex-mayor of London, topped a ballot of 313 Conservative lawmakers with 160 votes and is runaway favorite to become the party’s next leader. He has led in all five voting rounds of a contest that began last week with 10 contenders.\n\nHunt , Britain’s current foreign secretary, came a distant second with 77 votes and will join Johnson in a runoff decided by 160,000 party members across Britain.\n\nJohnson tweeted that he was honored to have gotten more than half the votes cast by party lawmakers. He said “I look forward to getting out across the U.K. and to set out my plan to deliver Brexit, unite our country, and create a brighter future for all of us.”\n\nHunt said on Twitter that he knew he was the underdog “but in politics surprises happen.”\n\nThe winner of the runoff, due to be announced the week of July 22, will become the new Conservative leader and the country’s next prime minister, replacing Theresa May.\n\nHunt edged out Environment Secretary Michael Gove, who got 75 votes, after Home Secretary Sajid Javid was eliminated earlier Thursday.\n\nThe result spares Johnson a showdown with Gove, his former ally-turned-archrival. The two men jointly led the “leave” campaign in Britain’s 2016 EU membership referendum, but Gove scuttled Johnson’s subsequent bid to become prime minister by deciding to run for the job himself, in a race ultimately won by May.\n\nThis time around, many in the party doubt that anyone can beat 55-year-old Johnson, a quick-witted, Latin-spouting extrovert admired for his ability to connect with voters, but mistrusted for his erratic performance in high office and his long record of inaccurate, misleading and sometimes offensive comments.\n\n“Boris will say absolutely anything in order to please an audience,” historian Max Hastings told the BBC on Thursday. “Boris would have told the passengers on the Titanic that rescue was imminent.”\n\nHunt, who has been culture secretary and health secretary, is considered an experienced, competent minister, but unexciting. The 52-year-old politician bills himself as the “serious” candidate, in an implicit contrast to Johnson. He will try to halt Johnson’s momentum by picking away at his rival’s plans for Brexit as the two speak to party members at meetings across the country over the next few weeks.\n\nBoth Johnson and Hunt vow they will lead Britain out of the European Union, a challenge that defeated May. She quit as Conservative leader earlier this month after failing to win Parliament’s backing for her Brexit deal.\n\nBrexit, originally scheduled to take place on March 29, has been postponed twice amid political deadlock in London.\n\nJohnson has won backing from the party’s die-hard Brexiteers by insisting the U.K. must leave the bloc on the rescheduled date of Oct. 31, with or without a divorce deal to smooth the way.\n\nHe also is supported — somewhat paradoxically — by some Tory moderates who claim Johnson has the skills to unite the party and win back voters from rival parties on both the left and the right.\n\n“The essence of Boris Johnson is a unifier,” he said.\n\nHunt backed the losing “remain” side in the referendum, a disadvantage in a party whose rank-and-file members are overwhelmingly pro-Brexit. Hunt now insists he is determined to go through with Brexit and says his past in business, running an educational publishing firm, gives him the experience to negotiate with the EU.\n\nHunt says he would seek another postponement of Brexit if that is needed to secure a deal, but only for a short time.\n\nCritics say neither candidate has a realistic plan. The EU is adamant that it won’t reopen the Brexit agreement it struck with May’s government, which has been rejected three times by Britain’s Parliament.\n\nIrish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said Thursday that “the withdrawal agreement is not going to be reopened.”\n\nHe also said there was “enormous hostility to any further extension” of the Brexit deadline among the other 27 EU leaders.\n\nMany economists and businesses warn that leaving the EU without a deal on divorce terms and future relations would cause economic turmoil as tariffs and other disruptions are imposed on trade between Britain and the EU.\n\nU.K. Treasury chief Philip Hammond warned that a no-deal Brexit would put Britain’s prosperity at risk and leave the economy “permanently smaller.”\n\n“The question to the candidates is not ‘What is your plan?’ but ‘What is your Plan B?'” Hammond said in extracts from a speech he was giving Thursday night.\n\nFollow AP’s full coverage of Brexit and the Conservative Party leadership race at: https://www.apnews.com/Brexit", "LONDON (AP) — Ringing a bell seemed a safe photo opportunity for Jeremy Hunt as he sought to show London was ready to host a problem-free Olympic Games in 2012. But the bell broke apart, its base flying into a group of onlookers, just missing one of them.\n\n\"My goodness me!\" Hunt said, leaping into the crowd to make sure everyone was OK before telling stunned journalists, \"You got a little more TV there than you were expecting!\"\n\nHunt, who is now vying to become leader of Britain's Conservative Party and the country's next prime minister, took it well — tweeting the video to his followers.\n\nThe gaffe turned into a viral smash, typifying what many consider Hunt's biggest strength: an ability to seem human when a camera is nearby. It's a skill desperately needed by the Conservatives, whose current leader, Prime Minister Theresa May, is known for being wooden and occasionally robotic, sticking to message even if it means repeating a single sentence over and over again.\n\nHunt will need that ability to connect with voters if he is to win the leadership contest.\n\nHunt, 52, finished a distant second behind Boris Johnson in Thursday's vote of Conservative Party lawmakers, but his 77 votes, to Johnson's 160, were enough to get to the final round. The two men will now face the party's 160,000 members, with pollsters forecasting Johnson is likely to win because of his uncompromising stance that Britain must leave the EU on Oct. 31.\n\nHunt, who backed the losing \"remain\" side during the 2016 referendum on EU membership, has a more nuanced position on Brexit. He says he will negotiate a better withdrawal deal and lead the U.K. out of the bloc.\n\nJust before the final, he pledged to put his put his \"heart & soul\" into giving Johnson the contest of his life.\n\n\"In politics today,\" he said on Twitter, \"the unexpected often happens.\"\n\nHunt has held a variety of Cabinet posts during his 14 years in Parliament and has been foreign secretary since Johnson resigned the post last July because of differences over Brexit. Regarded as well-versed in making the bureaucracy work, he managed to resolve a heated contract dispute with doctors in the National Health Service during his time as health secretary.\n\nBut despite his ability to get a message across, critics doubt he is flashy enough to excite the electorate.\n\nA graduate of Oxford, Hunt was a businessman who co-founded Hotcourses, which produces guidebooks to help students looking to study abroad. The company was sold to Australia's IDP Education for 30 million pounds ($37 billion) in 2017, making Hunt one of Britain's wealthiest politicians. He also set up a charity to help AIDS orphans in Africa.\n\nElected to the House of Commons in 2005, Hunt first rose to national attention when he was appointed Secretary of Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport ahead of the 2012 London Olympics. The success of the Games earned him promotion to the politically fraught role of Health Secretary, where he successfully negotiated a contract with young doctors in the service after months of acrimony.\n\nHe met his wife, Lucia Guo, a native of China, while she was working for the University of Warwick to recruit students. They now have three children.\n\nHer background became the subject of one of Hunt's most embarrassing blunders in public office. When meeting a Chinese delegation, Hunt accidentally described her as being Japanese — embarrassing given the long rivalry between the two countries. Hunt again returned to self-effacing humor to dampen embarrassment afterward.\n\n\"Rule 1 as a new Foreign Sec: when reflecting in English with the Chinese on a conversation you had with them in Japanese about your Chinese wife, don't get any of those mixed up!\" he said on Twitter. \"Apologies to the long-suffering Mrs H...!\"\n\nHe later posted a picture of himself in a florist shop in Paris on his way home after the gaffe saying he was choosing a present for \"Mrs. H.\"\n\nFollow AP's full coverage of Brexit and the Conservative Party leadership race at: https://www.apnews.com/Brexit", "\n• Sajid Javid was eliminated from the race to replace Theresa May as Conservative Party leader and prime minister.\n• The home secretary fell out in the fourth round of voting after losing support from Conservative MPs.\n• The race for second place behind Boris Johnson is now between Jeremy Hunt and Michael Gove.\n\nLONDON – Sajid Javid has been eliminated from the race to replace Theresa May as Conservative Party leader and prime minister.\n\nThe home secretary received fewer votes than his three rivals in a secret ballot on Thursday morning, with support consolidating around Jeremy Hunt and Michael Gove, the two candidates who colleagues believe are best-placed to take on Boris Johnson in the final two.\n\nBoris Johnson once again topped the poll, winning 157 votes from Conservative MPs, while Michael Gove jumped into sceond place with 61 votes. Hunt, who placed second in the first three rounds of voting, placed third with 59 votes.\n\nTwo of the votes were spoilt ballots.\n\nA fourth and final round of voting will take place on Thursday evening, where the third-placed candidate will be knocked out. The result is due at around 18.15 GMT.\n\nOne from the remaining two candidates will then be selected as the next Conservative leader in July by the party’s 160,000-or-so members.\n\nThe winner will be announced on July 22.\n\nJavid, who was seen as an outsider in the leadership race, played a prominent role in the contest, winning plaudits for making all other candidates agree to hold an independent inquiry into Islamophobia in the party if they become prime minister.\n\nHe was appointed as Home Secretary in 2018, and has also served as Business Secretary and Culture Secretary.", "'If you want the top job you've got to turn up for the interview': Hunt challenges Johnson to more TV debates\n\n'If you want the top job you've got to turn up for the interview': Hunt challenges Johnson to more TV debates\n\nJeremy Hunt has challenged rival Tory leadership contender Boris Johnson to debate him on TV\n\nJeremy Hunt has challenged Boris Johnson to get involved in more televised debates - and sooner, saying \"if you want the top job you've got to turn up for the interview\".\n\nThe Tory leadership hopeful said it would make a \"mockery\" of the contest if the two contenders did not appear in a debate before voting begins next month.\n\nSome 160,000 Conservative Party members will be able to vote via postal ballot before the new prime minister is announced in late July.\n\nIn a letter addressed to Mr Johnson, the current foreign secretary said he was \"concerned\" Mr Johnson had only committed to one TV debate.\n\nHe continued it would do the country a \"disservice\" if the leadership hopefuls \"hid away\" until voting was over.\n\n\"So my challenge to you is this: let's have live televised debates right at the start of this contest, and specifically at least two in the next two weeks before members receive their ballot papers.\n\n\"I will debate you anytime anywhere on live TV.\"\n\nThe final two candidates are expected to take part in a head-to-head ITV debate on 9 July hosted by Julie Etchingham.\n\nSky News also is hosting a debate shortly, moderated by Kay Burley, which Mr Hunt has agreed to take part in - but which Mr Johnson has not yet agreed to.\n\n\"If the party want him to go out to battle against Nigel Farage, Jeremy Corbyn, 27 EU countries, then surely it's not such a big deal to go out against a friendly foreign secretary,\" Mr Hunt said.\n\nHe continued: \"This is the biggest job in the country, the most important position in the land.\n\n\"If you want the top job you've got to turn up for the interview.\"\n\nMr Hunt and Mr Johnson will be taking part in 16 hustings events in every region across the UK in a bid to win over Tory members.\n\nThe first will be held in Birmingham today and will see the candidates taking questions from members and putting forward their cases.\n\nHowever Mr Hunt argued that hustings do not provide the same \"rigorous scrutiny\" as appearing on news programmes.\n\nIn an earlier debate on Channel 4, an empty podium was reserved for Mr Johnson after the former foreign secretary chose not to attend.\n\nMr Johnson was present for a later debate hosted by the BBC which was fielded by Emily Maitlis.\n\nA recent survey by the ConservativeHome website, polling Tory party members, found Mr Johnson remained the clear frontrunner.\n\nHe was the preferred next leader by 62% of those asked, compared to 11% for Mr Gove.\n\nIn a head-to-head choice between the pair, Mr Johnson beat Mr Hunt by 72% to 26%.\n\nEarlier on Friday, police were called out to the home of Mr Johnson and his partner Carrie Symonds after neighbours reportedly heard a loud altercation involving screaming.", "Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt will compete in UK Conservative runoff to become Britain's next prime minister.\n\nLONDON (AP) — Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt will compete in UK Conservative runoff to become Britain's next prime minister."], "summary": "Home Secretary Sajid Javid is eliminated after coming in fourth place in the fourth round of voting. Boris Johnson remains the front runner, with Michael Gove and Jeremy Hunt coming in second and third place respectively."}
{"document": ["LONDON (Reuters) - British Conservative lawmakers voted on Thursday in the fifth round of the contest to replace Prime Minister Theresa May.\n\nAround 160,000 Conservative Party grassroots members will now vote on who will be their leader by the end of July.\n\nFollowing are the results:\n\n- Michael Gove was eliminated from the contest\n\nThird round of voting on June 19\n\nSecond round of voting on June 18\n\nFirst round of voting on June 13", "13:49\n\nIn April, in one of its regular surveys of Conservative party members, the ConservativeHome specifically asked how they would vote faced with a choice between Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt.\n\nJohnson won by a landslide, beating Hunt almost two to one (61% to 33%).\n\nJohnson v Hunt Photograph: ConservativeHome\n\nIt is only a survey, and this time there will be a campaign, hustings, and debates, but this is probably a fair guide as to what the party thinks at the moment. It shows the scale of the challenge facing Hunt.\n\nThat’s all from me for tonight.\n\nMy colleague Kevin Rawlinson is taking over now.", "LONDON (Reuters) - British Conservative lawmakers voted on Thursday in the fifth round of the contest to replace Prime Minister Theresa May.\n\nAround 160,000 Conservative Party grassroots members will now vote on who will be their leader by the end of July.\n\nFollowing are the results:\n\n- Michael Gove was eliminated from the contest\n\nThird round of voting on June 19\n\nSecond round of voting on June 18\n\nFirst round of voting on June 13", "Conservative Members of Parliament filled out a fifth ballot late Thursday as Johnson, the frontrunner, gained 160 votes, while Hunt garnered 77 and Gove a close 75.\n\nHunt called himself \"the underdog\" on social media, but has promised to deliver Brexit.\n\nAlthough British pundits asserted that with Johnson’s wide lead in each round of balloting he would do a deal with the second place winner to become prime minister, it was announced that the 160,000 Conservative members will vote for who fills the next top job.\n\nBritish television station ITV announced that Johnson and Hunt would go head-to-head in a televised debate scheduled for 9 July. Johnson said on social media he was looking forward to \"a debate of ideas\".\n\nThe voter's choice will decide who takes over from caretaker Prime Minister Theresa May in late July.", "will face in a run-off to become Britain's next after a final ballot of MPs on Thursday, with the winner tasked with guiding the country through\n\nIn the fifth round of voting, former Johnson secured the support of 160 out of 313 Conservative lawmakers, while his successor and rival Hunt won 77.\n\nJohnson, a former mayor, said he was \"deeply honoured\" to have such emphatic backing from his colleagues.\n\n\"I look forward to getting out across the UK and to set out my plan to deliver Brexit, unite our country, and create a brighter future for all of us,\" he tweeted.\n\nMichael Gove, who with Johnson had led the successful 2016 referendum campaign to leave the European Union, was narrowly eliminated after winning 75 votes.\n\nThe contest to replace as will now move to around 160,000 grassroots members, with the winner installed in Downing Street before the end of July.\n\nBoth Johnson and Hunt have promised to take Britain out of the EU as quickly as possible, with the current exit date -- after two delays -- set for October 31.\n\nBoth say they want to renegotiate the deal May has already struck with Brussels, which parliament has rejected three times, but are prepared to walk away if necessary.\n\nHowever, the EU has repeatedly said it will not change the text and the tough talk of \"no deal\", particularly from Johnson, has sparked frustration across the bloc.\n\nAs the result was announced in the House of Commons, May attended her final formal EU summit in Brussels, where the bloc's leaders warned her successors what to expect.\n\n\"Some of my colleagues have lost their patience,\" said Irish\n\nHunt has suggested he might delay for a short time if a deal with was close, and Johnson has refused to guarantee leaving on October 31.\n\nBut Varadkar said there was \"enormous hostility\" to a delay, saying it might only be acceptable to facilitate a snap election or even a second referendum.\n\nLuxembourg's Xavier Bettel, one of Britain's most vocal critics, warned no alternative deal was on the table.\n\nMay announced her resignation last month after it became clear she had lost the support of her Conservative MPs and could not get her Brexit deal through parliament.\n\nJohnson was the frontrunner from the start and despite his history of gaffes, has barely put a foot wrong in the campaign.\n\nCritics say this is because he has limited his public and media appearances, ducking one of two live television debates.\n\nBoth he and Hunt must now face the scrutiny of members at 16 hustings around Britain.\n\nBoth men have been accused of failing to explain how they will break the Brexit deadlock in just a few short months.\n\nBusiness leaders are deeply alarmed by any talk of \"no deal\", which the warned on Thursday was a rising risk.\n\nJohnson is a divisive figure, accused of populist rhetoric and a lack of attention to detail that led to an underwhelming two years as Britain's\n\nBut he has wooed Conservative MPs with a promise that only he has the big personality to break the Brexit deadlock and, if necessary, win a snap election.\n\nThe smooth-talking Hunt is a more traditional foreign minister, although his supporters insist that beneath his easy manner is a\n\nCritics accuse him of an inconsistent approach on Brexit, simultaneously warning of the perils of \"no deal\" while refusing to take it off the table. Responding to the result, Hunt tweeted: \"I'm the underdog -- but in surprises happen as they did today.\n\n\"I do not doubt the responsibility on my shoulders -- to show my party how we deliver Brexit and not an election, but also a turbo-charged economy and a country that walks tall in the world.", "Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt will battle to become the next Prime Minister after Michael Gove was eliminated from the Tory leadership contest.\n\nIn the final round of voting by MPs Mr Gove was narrowly pipped to the post by Mr Hunt, who won two votes more than his rival and his place on the final ballot with Mr Johnson.\n\nThe race now enters its final stage before the party selects who will be its next leader and the country’s next Prime Minister.\n\nWhat has happened so far?\n\nThe race to select the next Prime Minister officially launched on 10 June, after Theresa May stood down as Conservative party leader the week earlier.\n\nBoris Johnson, Jeremy Hunt, Michael Gove, Dominic Raab, Andrea Leadsom, Matt Hancock, Esther McVey, Sajid Javid, Rory Stewart and Mark Harper all accrued enough supporters to be able to enter the race.\n\nMrs Leadsom, Ms McVey and Mr Harper were eliminated in the first ballot after failing to win enough support to meet the threshold required.\n\nAnd Matt Hancock, who came sixth in the first vote, announced he was standing down and backing Mr Johnson.\n\nIn the second ballot, Mr Raab became the next candidate to be eliminated and he also threw his weight behind Mr Johnson.\n\nOn Wednesday, International Development Secretary Rory Stewart scored the lowest number of votes in the third ballot and was also knocked out the race.\n\nAnd Sajid Javid, Home Secretary, became the seventh candidate to exit the contest after winning the fewest votes in the Thursday lunchtime ballot.\n\nWhat happens now?\n\nNow that there are only two contenders remaining, Conservative Campaign Headquarters (CCHQ) will begin the membership hustings process for party members to decide between the final two candidates.\n\nWork will be under way immediately and the party will aim for the hustings to take place in all 12 regions of the UK over the course of the next four weeks.\n\nDuring this time there are more live TV debates planned on BBC and Sky.\n\nThe BBC announced plans to hold a Question Time special with Fiona Bruce as well as a one-to-one interview with the final candidates and presenter Andrew Neil.\n\nSky News also announced plans for a head-to-head leadership debate between the final two in front of an audience of Conservative Party members.\n\nWhen will we know who is Prime Minister?\n\nDuring the month of hustings, in which the candidates will seek to persuade party members to back them, the choice will be put to a postal ballot.\n\nThis will mean that the entire party membership of 160,000 people will have a vote to decide which candidate they prefer.\n\nThe results will be counted and a new leader will be announced during the week beginning 22 July.\n\nAfter this point, the victor will visit the Queen, who will ask them to form a Government and will formally replace Mrs May as Prime Minister.", "Tory leadership contest down to Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt following latest vote\n\nBoris Johnson has propelled further towards becoming the next British Prime Minister, securing 160 votes out of 313 in the fifth leadership ballot of Conservative Party MPs.\n\nBut he still has a battle ahead against Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, who secured 77 votes — two more than Environment Minister Michael Gove — to move forward as Mr Johnson's final rival in the contest.\n\nThe two men will now hit the hustings to convince the 160,000 members of the Conservative Party that they are the best person to lead the party, and by default the nation.\n\nThe party members will cast postal votes next month, with the final result to be revealed during the week of July 22.\n\nThe former London mayor said he was \"deeply honoured\" to secure more than half of the vote in the final ballot.\n\n\"Thank you to everyone for your support!\" he tweeted shortly after the result.\n\nMr Hunt claimed the underdog tag but said surprises happen in politics \"as they did today\".\n\n\"I do not doubt the responsibility on my shoulders — to show my party how we deliver Brexit and not an election, but also a turbo-charged economy and a country that walks tall in the world,\" he tweeted.\n\nMr Johnson's team had favoured facing Mr Hunt, who is seen as a weaker political opponent to Mr Gove.\n\nMr Hunt has said he would prefer the UK leave the European Union with a Brexit deal in place but may be willing to extend the October 31 deadline.\n\nMr Johnson is a staunch supporter of Brexit and has pledged to stick to the October 31 deadline with or without a deal in place.\n\nBut his critics are sceptical.\n\nInternational Development Secretary Rory Stewart, who failed to make it through to the third round in the leadership battle, has condemned Mr Johnson's refusal to face media scrutiny.\n\n\"He is certainly a celebrity,\" Mr Stewart said when asked if Mr Johnson is the UK's version of Donald Trump.\n\nComparisons have been drawn between Mr Trump and Mr Johnson's style when it comes to dealing with the press, their political incorrectness and their past personal indiscretions.\n\nLast year, Mr Johnson compared Muslim women wearing veils to letter boxes in his weekly newspaper column, and when he was Foreign Secretary in 2017 he incorrectly told MPs that a British Iranian charity worker jailed in Iran was a journalist, jeopardising her chance of release.\n\nRichard Ratcliffe, the husband of the imprisoned woman, Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, is concerned by what damage Mr Johnson could do in high office.\n\nHe spoke to the ABC from outside the Iranian embassy in London, where he is well into the first week of a hunger strike to draw attention to his imprisoned wife's plight.\n\n\"Actually, government is about looking after things and protecting ordinary people.\"", "Johnson, 55, who served as London mayor for eight years, has cast himself as the only candidate who can deliver Brexit on October 31 while fighting off the electoral threats of Nigel Farage's Brexit Party and Jeremy Corbyn's Labour.\n\nJohnson has increased his share of the vote of Conservative MPs at each of the ballots so far: 114 out of 313 votes in the first ballot on June 13, 126 on June 18, 143 on Wednesday, and 157 and 160 on Thursday.\n\nGove was third with 75. Interior minister Sajid Javid was knocked out in the fourth round earlier on Thursday.\n\nBetting markets gave Johnson a 92% probability of becoming prime minister and Hunt just 7%.\n\n\"I look forward to getting out across the UK and to set out my plan to deliver Brexit, unite our country, and create a brighter future for all of us,\" Johnson said.\n\nHunt, once an opponent of leaving the European Union who has now promised to exit with a deal, cast himself as the underdog.\n\n\"In politics surprises happen as they did today,\" he said. \"I do not doubt the responsibility on my shoulders - to show my party how we deliver Brexit and not an election, but also a turbo-charged economy and a country that walks tall in the world.\"\n\nNow about 160,000 Conservative Party grassroots members will vote on who will be their leader — and Britain's next prime minister — by the end of July.\n\nJohnson has pledged to leave the European Union on October 31 with or without a deal. The EU has said it will not renegotiate the divorce deal that May agreed to in 2018 and the British parliament has indicated it will block a no-deal exit.\n\nHe has not addressed how he will solve that riddle.\n\nThe rise of Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson — known as simply \"Boris\" - to pole position for leading the world's fifth largest economy, is the grandest twist so far in a career that has morphed from journalism via TV-show fame, comedy and scandal into the brinkmanship of Britain's Brexit crisis.\n\nBorn in New York, Johnson was educated at Eton, Britain's most exclusive school, and at Balliol College, Oxford. He began his career at a management consultancy in the City of London but dropped out after a week.\n\nHe then turned to journalism but was sacked from The Times newspaper for making up quotes.\n\nHired by The Daily Telegraph, Johnson infuriated European officials and delighted then-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher by lampooning the European Economic Community establishment with a host of sometimes misleading reports from Brussels.\n\nAfter entering politics, Johnson was sacked from the Conservative Party’s policy team while in opposition for lying about an extra-marital affair.\n\nBut his charismatic oratory and disarmingly self-deprecating confidence allowed him to survive both gaffes and scandal. He won two terms as London mayor from 2008 to 2016.\n\nIn 2016, he became one of the most recognisable faces of the Brexit campaign which won the referendum with 52% of the votes cast versus 48% for staying in."], "summary": "In the fifth round of voting, Gove is controversially eliminated. The party membership run-off vote will be between Johnson and Hunt."}
{"document": ["On Thursday, Moore claimed the 2017 election was \"fraudulent\" and left Alabama voters \"tired\" of \"dirty politics.\" The Alabama secretary of State's office did not immediately respond to a request to comment on whether any evidence backed Moore's accusation that a disinformation campaign cost him the 2017 election.\n\nMoore said \"the people of Alabama are not only angry, but they're going to act on that anger.\"\n\nDuring the Senate special election, the former judge denied several allegations that he made inappropriate advances on teens when he was in his 30s. On Thursday, he again called them \"false claims\" and \"false information.\"\n\nThe Senate Republican campaign arm has distanced itself from Moore. Even Trump — who backed the ex-judge in 2017 as he ran a pro-Trump campaign — urged him not to run for Senate again. Trump endorsed him against Jones in 2017.\n\nIn a tweet last month, the president argued that \"Roy Moore cannot win, and the consequences will be devastating.\" On Thursday, Moore denied that he had acted against the president's wishes.\n\n\"I'm not going against President Trump at all. I support President Trump,\" he said, adding that he thinks Trump is \"being pushed\" by the Senate Republican campaign arm.\n\nNational Republican groups warned that Moore's entry into the race could derail the GOP's efforts to win the seat.\n\nIn a statement Thursday, the Senate Leadership Fund — a super PAC aligned with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell — said \"we believe most Alabama Republicans realize that nominating Roy Moore would be gift wrapping this Senate seat for [Senate Minority Leader] Chuck Schumer.\" The National Republican Senatorial Committee pointed CNBC to a statement made last month by its chairman, Sen. Todd Young of Indiana.\n\n\"The people of Alabama rejected Roy Moore not too long ago,\" he told the AP at the time. \"I with my Republican colleagues always want to be supportive of the most conservative candidate who can actually win a race, and I don't see that anything has changed in the state of Alabama since the last election.\"\n\nRepublican Rep. Bradley Byrne, the apparent mainstream GOP favorite, has jumped into the Republican primary. So has former college football coach Tommy Tuberville.\n\nAn early poll in April found Moore leading the Republican primary field with 27% of support. Still, much could change in the race before voters head to the polls in the spring.\n\nIn a statement, Byrne campaign manager Seth Morrow said, \"Bradley is a fighter who has won contested primaries before.\" He added that \"our campaign will win and defeat Doug Jones in 2020.\"\n\nJones' campaign tweeted that he would face either \"extremist Roy Moore or an extremist handpicked by Mitch McConnell.\"\n\nMoore has faced punishment more than once for how he has interpreted the law based on his religious beliefs. He was suspended in 2003 for refusing a judge's order to remove a Ten Commandments monument from the state Supreme Court building.\n\nThen in 2017, he lost an appeal to end another suspension after he argued Alabama should uphold its ban on same-sex marriage.\n\nMoore ran unsuccessfully for statewide office before the 2017 election. He lost GOP gubernatorial primaries in both 2006 and 2010.\n\nAsked Thursday what he would do differently to win in 2020, Moore said he would \"like to make more personal contact with people.\"\n\n— CNBC's Brian Schwartz contributed to this report.\n\nSubscribe to CNBC on YouTube.", "The Latest: Roy Moore announces another run for US Senate\n\nMONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — The Latest on Roy Moore's decision on whether to run for U.S. Senate (all times local):\n\nAlabama Republican Roy Moore has announced he is running for U.S. Senate again in 2020 after failing to win the seat two years ago amid sexual misconduct accusations.\n\nMoore announced his campaign Thursday, seeking an eventual rematch against Democratic Sen. Doug Jones. The announcement upends an election viewed by Republicans as a top priority in 2020 and ignores President Donald Trump's warning that he \"cannot win.\"\n\nIn 2017, Moore narrowly lost the special election to fill the seat that had belonged to Jeff Sessions. He faced allegations of sexual misconduct with teenagers decades ago.\n\nThe former Alabama chief justice has a following among evangelical voters after defying federal court orders regarding same-sex marriage and the public display of the Ten Commandments.\n\nAlabama Republican Roy Moore will announce if he is running for U.S. Senate in 2020.\n\nMoore lost the 2017 special election to Democratic Sen. Doug Jones amid allegations of past sexual misconduct with teenagers. Moore denied the allegations.\n\nPresident Donald Trump last month appeared to discourage Moore from entering the race. Trump tweeted that Moore \"cannot win\" and said Republicans need to retake the seat in the once reliably red state.\n\nCongressman Bradley Byrne, former Auburn University football coach Tommy Tuberville and state legislator Arnold Mooney have already announced GOP primary bids.\n\nA former Alabama chief justice, Moore maintains a following among some evangelical voters because of his stances against same-sex marriage and for the public display of the Ten Commandments.", "MONTGOMERY, Ala. (CBS) -- Embattled former judge and one-time Senate candidate Roy Moore is throwing his hat back into the ring and running for Senate in Alabama, looking to defeat incumbent Doug Jones. Moore, a Republican, narrowly lost to Jones in a 2017 special election to fill former Attorney General Jeff Sessions' vacant Senate seat.\n\n\"Yes, I will run for the United States Senate in 2020,\" Moore said Thursday, announcing his candidacy for next year's election. \"Can I win? Yes, I can win.\"\n\nDuring his Thursday press conference, Moore said he would continue to \"stand up for the U.S. Constitution, stronger border security\" and the \"right to keep and bear arms.\"\n\nTaking a page out of President Trump's book, Moore also lambasted Democrats for carrying out what he claimed was \"evidence of intent to disrupt a state senate race.\" He said such \"collusion\" by Democratic operatives in Washington, D.C. would not be tolerated and claimed that Jones was the \"beneficiary of election hacking.\"\n\nMoore's campaign was widely condemned by both Republicans and Democrats after numerous women came forward with detailed claims of sexual misconduct against Moore when he was a judge. Moore denied any wrongdoing.\n\nMoore's troubled past\n\nOnce the chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, Moore has been removed from the bench twice. The first removal came after he defied a federal judge's order to remove a Ten Commandments monument from the state judicial building. Then, after he was elected again, a judicial discipline panel permanently suspended Moore in 2016, ruling that he urged probate judges to deny marriage licenses to same-sex couples in defiance of the federal courts.\n\nMoore later faced off against Luther Strange in the Alabama primary. Despite video surfacing of Moore saying at a speech shortly before the primary that \"we have blacks and whites fighting, reds and yellows fighting, Democrats and Republicans fighting, men and women fighting,\" Moore defeated Strange, who had been endorsed by President Trump.\n\nBut it was the multitude of sexual misconduct allegations that further tarnished his less-than-glowing career, leading to his narrow loss in the 2017 special election. Several women came forward during Moore's campaign alleging he had touched or kissed them inappropriately when they were teens and he was an adult.\n\nMoore repeatedly denied he ever made unwanted sexual advances to teenage girls, chalking up the accusations to \"dirty politics.\"\n\n\"We see malicious and false attacks which reflect the immorality of our time,\" Moore said at a rally in the final days of his campaign.\n\nMoore's chances\n\nDespite his second shot at the Senate, Moore has been dealt an early blow by Mr. Trump, who suggested last month Moore can't win the Senate seat.\n\n\"Republicans cannot allow themselves to again lose the Senate seat in the Great State of Alabama,\" the president tweeted. \"This time it will be for Six Years, not just Two. I have NOTHING against Roy Moore, and unlike many other Republican leaders, wanted him to win. But he didn't, and probably won't. ... If Alabama does not elect a Republican to the Senate in 2020, many of the incredible gains that we have made during my Presidency may be lost, including our Pro-Life victories. Roy Moore cannot win, and the consequences will be devastating....Judges and Supreme Court Justices!\"\n\nMr. Trump endorsed Moore's 2017 campaign, despite the sexual misconduct allegations. The RNC had been reluctant to back him, but eventually conceded and threw their support behind him. Mr. Trump even recorded a robocall and tweeted on the day of the election \"Vote Roy Moore!\"\n\nIn an interview with CBS News Washington correspondent Major Garrett at Mr. Trump's reelection campaign launch in Orlando this week, Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale said, \"Look, we'd be — hav[ing] the best candidate [in] Alabama would be the best thing we could have,\" but refused to say if that candidate could be Moore.\n\nMoore, meanwhile, has been confident in his second attempt at political office. The candidate, who said back in March we was \"seriously considering\" another run, tweeted late last month that if he did indeed run, he would beat Jones.\n\nA poll of Alabama Republicans in April showed Moore leading with 27%, with Reps. Mo Brooks, Bradley Byrne and Gary Palmer trailing just behind him.\n\nBut the Republican Party continues to minimize Moore's political ambitions, painting the Alabaman as underperforming Mr. Trump in each county by an average of 10 points, according to a Republican strategist.\n\nRepublicans are also reportedly wary that Moore's second shot could potentially boost Democratic turnout. African American voters, who make up a sizable portion of the Alabama Democratic party, voted overwhelmingly for Jones 96 percent to four percent, and African American voters made up three in ten voters in 2017, according to a CBS News exit poll.\n\nWith his win, defeating Moore by a margin of just over 21,000 votes, Jones became the first Democrat to win a Senate seat in the deeply red state since 1992.\n\nThe Republican primary is set for March 3, 2020. GOP Rep. Bradley Byrne and former Auburn football coach Tommy Tuberville have already announced they'll be running, and more Republican candidates could jump in.\n\nIn a statement released shortly after Moore's announcement, Byrne's campaign manager called the Republican Congressman \"a fighter who has won contested primaries before and we are ready to win this fight.\"\n\n\"We already have more than 200 strong conservatives across the state on our Grassroots Leadership Team. We've had over 600 volunteers sign up since we announced. Our campaign will win and defeat Doug Jones in 2020.\" Seth Morrow, Byrne Campaign Manager, added in a statement to CBS.\n\nAlabama's Secretary of State John Merrill has filed papers with the Federal Election Commission but will not decide if he is running until the end of June.\n\nAsked what he'd like to do differently this time around, Moore told reporters on Thursday: \"I would like to make more personal contact with people.\"", "To the disdain of national Republicans and against the advice of President Trump, controversial Alabama Judge Roy Moore announced Thursday he will run again for the Senate in 2020, after losing a winnable race for the GOP as allegations of sexual assault and misconduct against teen girls surfaced from decades ago.\n\nThose multiple accusations — which Moore has stridently denied — led to the Christian nationalist candidate losing the December 2017 special election to Democrat Doug Jones by 1.5 percentage points, just over a year after Trump carried Alabama by 28 points.\n\nBut in a news conference in Montgomery, which opened with both prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance, the former Alabama chief justice was defiant, blaming “false flag” attacks from Democrats spreading misinformation for his narrow loss.\n\nInstead, he said, the multiple accusations from women that Moore had pursued them romantically as teenagers when he was in his 30s had “little impact” on the outcome and rather that Washington Republicans were too afraid of his staunch conservatism and adherence to the Constitution.\n\n“Yes I will run for the United States Senate in 2020,” Moore said. “Can I win? Yes, I can. Not only can I, they know I can. That’s why there’s such opposition.”\n\nWhen asked what he would do differently during this campaign, Moore said that he “would like to make more personal contact with people.”\n\nThe news from Moore that he is running again was quickly met with heavy pushback by national Republicans, who had long urged him not to run again for fear his candidacy would endanger their chance at flipping Democrats’ most vulnerable Senate seat next year. Moore wasn’t their first choice in 2017 either, as many lined up behind Luther Strange, the Republican who had been appointed to fill the remainder of former Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ term, but Moore would go on to beat Strange, the former Alabama attorney general, in a runoff by more than 9 points.\n\nThe National Republican Senatorial Committee, whom Moore specifically blamed during his announcement as plotting a “smear campaign” against him, re-upped the statement that NRSC Chairman Todd Young, R-Ind., issued last month and reiterated that “the people of Alabama rejected Roy Moore not too long ago.”\n\n“I with my Republican colleagues always want to be supportive of the most conservative candidate who can actually win a race, and I don’t see that anything has changed in the state of Alabama since the last election,” Young told The Associated Press in May. “We’ll actively work to make sure that the most conservative, electable Republican is our nominee.”\n\nTrump himself — who had stood behind Moore despite the sexual assault allegations as other groups like the NRSC abandoned him — also echoed similar sentiments last month, tweeting that he holds “NOTHING against Roy Moore, and unlike many other Republican leaders, wanted him to win,” but “Roy Moore cannot win, and the consequences will be devastating….Judges and Supreme Court Justices!”\n\nThe Senate Leadership Fund, which is allied with GOP leadership, said in a statement that another nomination of Moore would be an electoral disaster.\n\n“We believe most Alabama Republicans realize that nominating Roy Moore would be gift wrapping this Senate seat for Chuck Schumer,” said SLF communications director Jack Pandol. “It remains to be seen whether Moore can escape his baggage without his candidacy collapsing under its own weight, regardless of what groups on the outside do.”\n\nSenate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., told reporters at the Capitol Thursday, “Well, we’ll be opposing Roy Moore vigorously.”\n\nThere will be plenty of other candidates for Alabama voters to choose from, including possibly Sessions, who hasn’t ruled out a comeback bid after being ousted from the Department of Justice. Rep. Bradley Byrne, Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill and former Auburn head football coach Tommy Tuberville are among those already seeking the GOP nomination to take on Jones.\n\nThe argument Moore intends to make seems to focus on the influence an anti-Moore group called Project Birmingham had on the election. The Washington Post broke the story about some of the group’s controversial tactics, which included “creation of fake accounts to deliver misleading messages on Facebook” to help buoy Jones. It was similar to tactics Russians used to disrupt the 2016 presidential election, but this time it was Americans behind such a scheme, bankrolled by an Internet billionaire. Jones has decried the group’s tactics and called for a federal investigation into them.\n\nBut even before those details emerged, Moore refused to concede the race and made unfounded allegations of voter fraud that were roundly rejected in court following his defeat.\n\nMoore has long been a divisive figure in Alabama, even before the 2017 race. He had only narrowly won his judicial elections before and had been twice removed from the bench, first for refusing to remove a statue of the Ten Commandments he’d had erected in the state judiciary building. Later, he was reelected to the court, but then suspended after he ordered Alabama judges to ignore the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2015 ruling that legalized same-sex marriage.\n\nMoore also previously lost two GOP primary races for governor.", "(Reuters) - Alabama Republican Roy Moore, whose 2017 U.S. Senate bid was derailed by allegations of decades-old sexual misconduct involving teenage girls, said on Thursday he would run again for the seat next year, defying his party’s leadership.\n\nThe prospect of a rematch between Moore – a conservative former judge who cultivated controversy even before the salacious allegations against him – and U.S. Senator Doug Jones – widely considered the most vulnerable Democratic incumbent in 2020 – had gotten pushback from Republican Party leaders, including President Donald Trump.\n\n“If Alabama does not elect a Republican to the Senate in 2020, many of the incredible gains that we have made during my Presidency may be lost,” Trump wrote on Twitter last month. “Roy Moore cannot win, and the consequences will be devastating!”\n\nMoore, 72, embraced his status as an outsider on Thursday, criticizing Republicans in Washington for trying to influence the Alabama race. He did not go after Trump, however, saying the president was pushed by party leadership to oppose him.\n\n“Yes, I can win,” Moore said. “Not only can I, they know I can. That’s why there’s such opposition.”\n\nTrump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., tweeted that Moore was “going against my father and doing a disservice to all conservatives across the country in the process.”\n\nDemocrats need a net gain of three seats in 2020 to win a majority in the 100-seat Senate, a task made easier if Jones can hang onto his seat in a state that Trump won in 2016 by nearly 30 percentage points.\n\nJones became the first Democratic senator from Alabama in decades when he narrowly won a special election after Moore was accused of pursuing sexual relationships with teenagers when he was in his 30s, including one girl as young as 14. He has denied all the allegations.\n\nThat race was to fill the seat held by Jeff Sessions, who became U.S. attorney general. The November 2020 election is for a full six-year term.\n\nSeveral other Republicans, including former Auburn University head football coach Tommy Tuberville and U.S. Representative Bradley Byrne, have announced they will challenge Jones.\n\nRepublican leaders wasted little time making it clear they disfavored Moore’s candidacy.\n\nMoore still enjoys a base of support among evangelical voters. He was twice ousted as the state’s chief judge – once for refusing a federal court order to remove a Ten Commandments monument from the judicial building and once for barring same-sex marriages despite the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling legalizing them.\n\nIn announcing his bid, Moore returned to the fiery rhetoric for which he is known, insisting his actions in both cases were justified and promising to put God at the center of his campaign.\n\nIn 2017, before the sexual misconduct allegations came to light, Moore won his party’s nomination over establishment-backed Republican incumbent Luther Strange. A super PAC affiliated with McConnell spent millions of dollars boosting Strange’s candidacy, and Trump appeared at a rally on Strange’s behalf.\n\nSome Republicans abandoned Moore after the accusations became public, and the party’s Senate campaign arm cut ties with his campaign. But Trump endorsed Moore and sought to cast doubt on the veracity of the allegations against him.\n\nAlabama’s other U.S. senator, Republican Richard Shelby, told reporters on Thursday ahead of the news conference that he would not support a Moore candidacy.\n\nA Moore campaign could prove to be a “headache” for Republicans running for office elsewhere, according to Zac McCrary, an Alabama-based Democratic pollster.\n\n“Mitch McConnell and Republicans across the country don’t want to spend the next year and a half answering questions about Roy Moore,” McCrary said.", "“If you think about just the data from the past cycle, he’s a few thousand votes from being a United States senator,” said Mayor Walt Maddox of Tuscaloosa, the Democratic nominee for governor last year.\n\nMr. Moore’s rivals in the primary include Representative Bradley Byrne, whose 2010 campaign for governor fizzled out in a bruising primary (though he did garner more support than Mr. Moore in that race), and Tommy Tuberville, the former head football coach at Auburn University. John H. Merrill, a Republican who was re-elected last year as the Alabama secretary of state, is expected to announce his decision about a Senate campaign as soon as this month.\n\nFor his part, Mr. Moore has been on and off the national stage for decades, mostly because of his support for the public display of the Ten Commandments — a stand that contributed to his first removal from the Alabama Supreme Court — and his opposition to same-sex marriage, which played a role in what was effectively his second ouster from the high court. He has also drawn attention and criticism for his views on Islam and Sept. 11, and his uncertain command of some policy issues.\n\nThat history, along with the sexual misconduct allegations that surfaced in 2017, gives Mr. Moore’s rivals openings that they could exploit. They are also seeking something that Mr. Moore is unlikely to win for now: a presidential endorsement.\n\nThe sway of Mr. Trump, who won 62 percent of the vote in Alabama in 2016, could be influential but perhaps not decisive. In 2017, Mr. Trump endorsed another Republican candidate, Luther Strange, before Mr. Strange lost to Mr. Moore in a primary runoff. Only after Mr. Moore’s victory did the White House and the broader Republican establishment embrace him with an enthusiasm that proved uneven.\n\nBut with Mr. Jones seen as vulnerable next year, Republicans’ pre-emptive response to Mr. Moore’s 2020 bid tilted toward the hostile. Mr. Trump, in two tweets on May 29, wrote that Republicans could not afford to lose another Alabama Senate race and predicted that another campaign by Mr. Moore would stall.\n\n“Roy Moore cannot win, and the consequences will be devastating,” he wrote.\n\nOne of Mr. Trump’s sons, Donald Trump Jr., was even more unstinting in his criticism: “You’re literally the only candidate who could lose a GOP seat in pro-Trump, pro-USA ALABAMA.” He added, “It’s time to ride off into the sunset, Judge.”", "What they’re saying: President Trump, who backed Moore in his previous run, tweeted last month that \"Republicans cannot allow themselves to again lose the Senate seat in the Great State of Alabama,\" adding that Moore \"cannot win.\"\n• In response, Moore told Politico: The president doesn’t control who votes for the United States Senate in Alabama.\"\n• Sen. Richard Shelby, the senior senator from Alabama, also said that he believes a Moore run could hand the election to Jones. In response, Moore tweeted that if \"Senator Richard Shelby would have stayed out of the 2017 race, Doug Jones would not be in the Senate now.\"\n• In a response to Moore's announcement, the Mitch McConnell-backed Senate Leadership Fund said on Thursday: \"We believe most Alabama Republicans realize that nominating Roy Moore would be gift wrapping this Senate seat for Chuck Schumer.\"\n\nThe big picture: The GOP's majority in the Senate has had major implications over the past two years, as judicial nominations — including two to the Supreme Court — have often been decided by a handful of votes. Now, with an aging SCOTUS and a number of judicial seats remaining vacant, the fate of just one Senate spot holds serious consequences.\n\nWhat to watch: Moore is entering an already crowded field, with seven other Republicans already registered to run for the primary.\n\nGo deeper: Roy Moore sees uptick in polls ahead of 2020 Senate race", "Former Judge Roy Moore announced Thursday he’ll run for the US Senate seat in Alabama again following his failed bid in 2017 after three women alleged he sexually abused them when they were teenagers decades ago.\n\nIn his announcement, Moore wondered why “there’s such a fear” over his candidacy, asking if it’s because of his conservative positions and religious views.\n\n“I think there was so much opposition because they don’t want the truth in Washington,” said Moore of his last race. “I think they want to continue the status quo.”\n\nThe Senate Republicans’ official campaign organization views a Moore candidacy as the only thing that can come between them and defeating Democratic Sen. Doug Jones, their best pickup opportunity in the country. Rep. Bradley Byrne, former Auburn University football coach Tommy Tuberville, and state Rep. Arnold Mooney have already announced their campaigns. Secretary of State John Merrill will soon announce his plans.\n\nIn 2017, Moore won the GOP nomination for a special election despite the Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC aligned with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, spending millions of dollars against him and for then-Sen. Luther Strange, who had been appointed to fill former Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ seat.\n\n“We believe most Alabama Republicans realize that nominating Roy Moore would be gift wrapping this Senate seat for Chuck Schumer,” said SLF communications director Jack Pandol in a statement. “It remains to be seen whether Moore can escape his baggage without his candidacy collapsing under its own weight, regardless of what groups on the outside do.”\n\nDuring the general election, Moore earned the high-profile support of President Donald Trump and Alabama Republican congressmen. But the National Republican Senatorial Committee cut ties with his campaign following the sexual assault allegations and then-NRSC chairman, Sen. Cory Gardner of Colorado, pledged to never support Moore again. Moore has denied the allegations and claimed that there was a “political conspiracy” against him.\n\nMoore lost to Jones, a Democrat and former US attorney, by fewer than 2 points in a state that Trump won by 27.\n\nSince then, he has lost the support of Republicans, including Trump’s. On Thursday, the President’s son, Donald Trump Jr., said on Twitter, “I can assure everyone that by running, Roy Moore is going against my father and he’s doing a disservice to all conservatives across the country in the process.”\n\nLast month, Trump tweeted that Moore “cannot win” and the consequences of another loss would be “devastating.”\n\n“I have NOTHING against Roy Moore, and unlike many other Republican leaders, wanted him to win,” tweeted Trump. “But he didn’t, and probably won’t.”\n\nIn his press conference, Moore said he supports Trump and that the President will support him when he advances to the general election.\n\nMoore has long been a controversial figure in the state. He was twice elected as Alabama chief justice but was removed both times, for installing a giant statue of the Ten Commandments in the state judicial building and for ordering lower court judges to refuse to marry same-sex couples.\n\n“We have every right to recognize God,” Moore said. “That’ll be a main factor in my race.”\n\nSeveral Alabama Republicans in Congress dismissed Moore’s candidacy. Rep. Mo Brooks has come out in favor of Mooney. Sen. Richard Shelby, Rep. Gary Palmer, and Rep. Mike Rogers have all said Moore will lose.\n\n“I strongly believe after going through the experience in 2017 that we need a better nominee,” Byrne told CNN last month. “We need somebody that can defeat Doug Jones and somebody that we can all feel good about voting for.”", "Alabama Republican Roy Moore announces another run for U.S. Senate in 2020 after losing amid misconduct allegations\n\nMONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama Republican Roy Moore announces another run for U.S. Senate in 2020 after losing amid misconduct allegations.", "Roy Moore’s announcement Thursday that he would once again run for the U.S. Senate in Alabama sent a shudder through the Republican Party and raised a question: Could the GOP have avoided this scenario by uniting early around a credible consensus candidate?\n\nMoore is a former state Supreme Court chief justice who last appeared on the scene in the winter of 2017, when he was the Republican nominee for the Senate in a special election. His candidacy crashed and burned amid charges of sexual misconduct involving minors from earlier in his career, and Moore’s loss to Doug Jones marked the first time Alabama had sent a Democrat to the Senate in 20 years.\n\nYet now Moore is back for, well, more. He called the accusations against him “false” and cited the confirmation hearings for Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh — which featured allegations of sexual assault against the judge — as an event that will make voters more skeptical of the charges against him.\n\n“If they didn’t see through it then, they saw through it with Kavanaugh,” Moore said. “I’m in the race.”\n\nMoore will be able to count on support from some number of hardcore supporters who view the allegations against him as politically motivated, or made up, or irrelevant, and he is helped by the absence of a clear consensus candidate in the Republican Party. There are two Republicans who have already declared: Rep. Bradley Byrne, from the state’s southwest corner, and former Auburn football coach Tommy Tuberville.\n\nBut Alabama insiders say neither of those two candidates are formidable enough to easily defeat Moore, especially in a primary in which 50.1 percent or more will be needed to avoid a runoff.\n\nTwo other politicians seen as credible — Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth and Rep. Gary Palmer — have declined to run. Ainsworth shut the door definitively two months ago, but Palmer has not.\n\n“I would hope that there would be stronger viable candidates. Gary Palmer would be the preference,” said Hatton Smith, a Republican businessman who has chaired fundraising efforts for mainstream candidates in the past.\n\nHowever, even Palmer and Ainsworth are likely not strong enough to have cleared the field, other Alabama Republicans said.\n\nWhen Jones beat Moore in 2017, Smith said it was a case of “good over evil” and said he looked forward to Republicans finding a candidate who could beat Jones in 2020. But Smith told Yahoo News in an interview Thursday that if Moore were again the Republican nominee in 2020, he and many other Republicans he knows would vote for Jones again, as they did in 2017.\n\n“There will be a lot of mobilization of people who are Republicans who will not vote for Moore under any circumstances, and you can count me as leading the opposition,” Smith said.\n\nBecause of this, Moore’s entrance into the race is good news for Jones, who is probably the most vulnerable incumbent senator of any in the entire country. Jones’s best hope of being reelected rests on a rematch with Moore, according to one knowledgeable Alabama Republican.\n\nThat view is shared by an Alabama Democratic leader, who called the Moore candidacy a “great opportunity” for Democrats.\n\n“Roy Moore doesn’t represent Alabama values, which is why he was rejected by a bipartisan group of Democrats, Republicans and Independents in 2017,” the state House minority leader Anthony Daniels told Yahoo News. “If we want to create opportunity for all Alabamians we need senators like [Doug Jones], not people who will embarrass our state and chase away job creators, like Moore.”\n\nTrump, who had backed Moore the last time he ran for Senate even after the sexual misconduct allegations surfaced, has recently tried to wave Moore off from a run. In late May the president tweeted that “if Alabama does not elect a Republican to the Senate in 2020, many of the incredible gains that we have made during my Presidency may be lost.”\n\n“Roy Moore cannot win, and the consequences will be devastating,” Trump said.\n\nDonald Trump Jr., the president’s son, has been even more scathing. “If you actually care about #MAGA more than your own ego, it’s time to ride off into the sunset, Judge,” Trump Jr. said.\n\nOne person close to Trump said it’s unclear whether the president will continue to criticize Moore, but another Alabama Republican insider said that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., will advocate for Trump to push Moore out of the race."], "summary": "Roy Moore announces that he will run for U.S. Senate again in Alabama, defying the wishes of Donald Trump and the Republican Party."}
{"document": ["Update: The purchaser of the Black Strat and the Martin D-35 was Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay. Thew New York Post reports Irsay spent $5.245 million at the auction yesterday, accounting for approximately 24% of its total sales. He celebrated the purchases on Twitter: “The incomparable David Gilmour.. the greatest ‘phrasing’ guitarist in the world!! Honored to bring The Black Strat to the public. The most expensive guitar EVER purchased. And for charity!!!”\n\nOriginal story: If you’re one of the well-heeled bidders who spent hundreds of thousands of dollars at a guitar auction today, it’s time to have a cigar.\n\nDavid Gilmour’s guitar collection set several auction records when nearly 130 instruments went up for bid at Christie’s in New York today. The former Pink Floyd frontman’s most iconic instrument, the so-called Black Strat, fetched $3,975,000, well above the estimated range of $100,000 to $150,000. Other big-ticket items included a 1954 Fender Stratocaster with the serial number 0001, which was used on the recording of “Another Brick in the Wall Part 2” went for over $1.8 million, a 1958 Gretsch White Penguin went for $447,000, and a 1955 Gibson Goldtop Les Paul, also used on “Another Brick” sold for $447,000. Christie’s declared all to be “world auction records.”\n\nAn acoustic 1969 Martin D-35, which Gilmour has used as his main acoustic in the studio since 1971, went for a little over $1 million, surpassing a record set by a Martin owned by Eric Clapton. A 1974 Electric Console stele guitar that Gilmour used on live performances of “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” went for $300,000 (it was estimated at $2,000). The 1976 Ovation Custom Legend he used to demo “Comfortably Numb” on went for $399,000. The guitar Gilmour played at Live Aid, a 1983 Fender Strat, went for $187,500. A 1984 Fender Stratocaster that George Harrison once played went for $212,500, while a 1986 Strat that Ringo Starr played went for $100,000. And Gilmour’s primary guitar for recording and performing between 1988 and 2005, the “Red Strat,” went for $615,000.\n\nThe auction’s final total was $21,490,750. It lasted eight hours, and bidders from 66 countries around the world participated.\n\n“I’m both sad with losing some of the instruments and relieved to get this thing dealt with and that it will be doing some good,” Gilmour told Rolling Stone in January. “If I need a particular guitar, I’ll go out and buy another one. They are the tools of my trade. They have given me music, but in the end, they are the tools that I use.”\n\nInterest in the auction was so high that online viewing maxed out early. The instruments had been shown at the auction house’s showrooms in London and Los Angeles earlier in the year before heading to New York. Before the auction was half over, Christie’s had logged over $10 million in total sales.\n\nThe auction’s centerpiece, the Black Strat, has a unique history, which is why it was so desirable. Gilmour purchased it at the instrument shop Manny’s in New York in May 1970 to replace another Strat that was stolen. Over the years, he made many modifications to it, changing its pickups, switches, inputs, tuners, and neck in the quest for the perfect sound. He played the instrument on nearly all of Pink Floyd’s iconic recordings from 1970 to 1983, including Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, Animals, and The Wall. In the mid Eighties, Fender introduced a new line of Stratocasters and Gilmour picked up the Red Strat, retiring the Black Strat and loaning it to the Hard Rock Cafe. It was displayed in the restaurant chain’s Dallas location until 1997. Gilmour started using it again live for Pink Floyd’s reunion with Roger Waters in 2005 at Live 8. He continued to record with it on his solo albums, but Fender wound up making a replica of it in 2006 that he liked.\n\n“You know something? For me, I can let go of it,” Gilmour told Rolling Stone. “It’s going to bring a lot of people to have a look at this sale, and it’s going to do that job. It’s a lovely guitar. … I did my ‘Comfortably Numb’ solo on it. The notes for the beginning of ‘Shine On You Crazy Diamond’ fell out of it one day. It’s on so much stuff, but Fender have made replica ones that they sell, and I have two or three of those that are absolutely perfect. One of those might be my future guitar of choice or even, horror of horror, maybe I’ll even change the color.”\n\nA day before the auction, Gilmour revealed that the money from the auction would benefit ClientEarth, which funds environmental lawyers and experts in the fight against climate change. “The global climate crisis is the greatest challenge that humanity will ever face, and we are within a few years of the effects of global warming being irreversible,” he said in a statement. “We need a civilized world that goes on for all our grandchildren and beyond in which these guitars can be played and songs can be sung.”\n\nIn an interview with Rolling Stone at the time the auction was announced, Gilmour underscored that the sale should not be interpreted as a step toward retirement. Instead, he said, he was merely cleaning house. “Retiring is not a hard and fast thing for me in my life,” he said. “I don’t really have to retire. I don’t have to say those words. I don’t have to state that have retired or anything like that. If I retire, it will be a quiet, unnoticeable process at some point. But I’m not at that moment.”", "The David Gilmour Guitar Collection sells for $21.5 million\n\nBidders from all over the world compete to buy guitars from the personal collection of the Pink Floyd singer and songwriter, including ‘The Black Strat’, which realises $3,975,000\n\nThe David Gilmour Guitar Collection, the largest and most comprehensive sale of guitars ever offered at auction, told the story of one of the world’s most influential guitarists. The 126 lots, which included iconic instruments played by Gilmour on Pink Floyd’s greatest tracks as well as his solo albums, totalled $21,490,750 — the most valuable musical instruments sale in auction history — with proceeds being donated to ClientEarth. In the months leading up to the auction, over 12,000 fans attended the tour stops in London, Los Angeles and New York to get up-close to the guitars played by the Pink Floyd guitarist, singer and songwriter. In excess of 500,000 people viewed the content around the sale on Christies.com, and more than 2,000 bidders from 66 countries registered for the sale, which took place at Christie’s Rockefeller Center HQ.\n\nFans view David Gilmour’s guitars at Christie’s Rockefeller Center HQ in New York\n\nOn the day of the auction, the unprecedented level of interest was evident in the queues that snaked around the block and the fact a second saleroom had to be opened up to accommodate the crowds. The lucky ones who made it inside witnessed some extraordinary results. The best, however, was saved until last when ‘The Black Strat’, which was integral to the recording of Pink Floyd albums The Dark Side Of The Moon (1973), Wish You Were Here (1975), Animals (1977) and The Wall (1979), sold for $3,975,000 — a new world record for a guitar at auction.\n\nThe clamour to own a piece of rock history was evident from the very first lot — a 1966 solid-body Fender Stratocaster bought by Gilmour in 1970. Carrying an estimate of $10,000-15,000, it sold for $423,000. Immortalised for its part in legendary Pink Floyd tracks Wish You Were Here and Shine on You Crazy Diamond, Gilmour’s Martin D-35 was the next instrument to the block. The acoustic had an estimate of $10,000-20,000 but sold for $1,095,000 — a new world auction record for a C.F. Martin guitar. The opening riff on Wish You Were Here was actually composed on another Martin acoustic, a D12-28 12-string guitar that Gilmour bought from a friend in 1974. The instrument was estimated at $5,000-10,000 but realised $531,000.\n\nLot 20, the star’s 1954 White Fender Stratocaster #0001 (estimate: $100,000-150,000), was used on several recordings, including Another Brick in the Wall (Parts 2 and 3). It sold for $1,815,000, which was, for a couple of hours at least, a new world record for a Fender Stratocaster. Further highlights included a 1955 Gibson Les Paul, famous for Gilmour’s guitar solo on Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2). Estimated at $30,000-50,000, it sold for $447,000, a new auction record for a Gibson Les Paul, surpassing the previous record set for Les Paul’s own 1954 Les Paul Custom. A little later, an incredibly rare Gretsch White Penguin 6134 purchased by Gilmour in 1980 for his private collection, also realised $447,000 — a new auction record for a Gretsch.\n\nOn the eve of the sale David Gilmour announced on social media that proceeds would be donated to the charity ClientEarth. ‘The global climate crisis is the greatest challenge that humanity will ever face,’ he wrote, ‘and we are within a few years of the effects being irreversible. ‘As Greta Thunberg, the 16-year-old Swedish climate activist, said in a speech earlier this year, “Either we choose to go on as a civilisation, or we don't”. The choice really is that simple and I hope that the sale of these guitars will help ClientEarth in their cause to use the law to bring about real change. We need a civilised world that goes on for all our grandchildren and beyond in which these guitars can be played and songs can be sung.’\n\nSign up today Christie's Online Magazine delivers our best features, videos, and auction news to your inbox every week Subscribe", "NEW YORK, N.Y. — Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour auctioned off his guitar collection for $21.5 million this week.\n\nAccording to Christie’s Auction House, “The Black Strat” went for a record-breaking $3.9 million.\n\nGilmour announced on social media that all of the proceeds would be donated to the charity ClientEarth, whose mission is to help fight climate change.\n\n“The global climate crisis is the greatest challenge that humanity will ever face, and we are within a few years of the effects being irreversible,” he wrote in his post.\n\nClient Earth CEO James Thorton said in a press release that they are extremely grateful for the generous contribution. “This is a truly humbling and extraordinary gift, which goes beyond our wildest expectations. It’s difficult to express just how deeply grateful we are to David for choosing ClientEarth as the beneficiary of this historic auction,” said Thorton. I am pleased to announce that all the proceeds from the #GilmourGuitars Sale at @ChristiesInc in New York tomorrow will be donated to the charity @ClientEarth. (1/5) pic.twitter.com/uFJ1CvA6QK", "A guitar heard on iconic Pink Floyd albums sold for a record $3.975 million at auction Thursday, and Jim Irsay is the instrument's new owner.\n\nThe Indianapolis Colts owner picked up three items at the David Gilmour Guitar Collection auction at Christie's New York salesroom:\n• A 1969 black Fender Stratocaster known as \"The Black Strat\" for $3.975 million.\n• The travel case used for \"The Black Strat\" for $175,000.\n\nIrsay's $5.245 million in purchases made up 24% of the auction's $21.491 million in sales. Gilmour, who became a member of Pink Floyd in 1967, sold more than 120 guitars, amplifiers and the travel case.\n\nGilmour announced Wednesday he is donating all proceeds from the auction to ClientEarth, an environmental law organization with an announced mission of fighting climate change.\n\nLarry C. Hall, vice president of special projects for the Colts, sat in the front row at Christie’s and served as Irsay’s proxy during bidding.\n\n“There was incredible energy in the room,” Hall told IndyStar, mentioning that applause greeted the sale of each of the 127 items.\n\nBefore the auction, Christie's projected a sale price of $100,000 to $150,000 for \"The Black Strat.\" The instrument's $3.975 million price shattered expectations and eclipsed a previous auction record of $2.7 million — paid in 2005 for a Stratocaster to raise funds for Asian tsunami relief. That guitar was signed by Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Pete Townshend, Jeff Beck, Gilmour and other musicians.\n\n“It was a major purchase, obviously,” Hall said of Gilmour’s Stratocaster. “But knowing those funds are going to charity, via David Gilmour, warms my and Jim Irsay’s heart.”\n\n\"The incomparable David Gilmour ... the greatest 'phrasing' guitarist in the world!! Honored to bring The Black Strat to the public. The most expensive guitar EVER purchased. And for charity!!!\"\n\nGilmour played the guitar during the recording of Pink Floyd albums \"The Dark Side of the Moon\" (1973); \"Wish You Were Here\" (1975); \"Animals\" (1977); and \"The Wall\" (1979).\n\nHe played the Martin D-35 acoustic guitar on the title track of \"Wish You Were Here.\"\n\nThe guitars are the latest additions to Irsay's instrument collection, which already boasted an orange 1963 Gretsch guitar once owned by John Lennon (purchased for $530,000 in 2015) and the \"Yellow Cloud\" guitar played by Prince (purchased for $137,500 in 2016).\n\nThree items from Irsay's collection are on display at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art as part of an exhibit titled \"Play It Loud: Instruments of Rock & Roll.\"\n\nThe show, which runs April 8 to Oct. 1, includes Jerry Garcia's \"Tiger\" guitar (purchased by Irsay for $957,000 in 2002); the Stratocaster Bob Dylan played when \"going electric\" at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival (purchased for $965,000 in 2013); and the bass drum head used by Ringo Starr when the Beatles debuted on \"The Ed Sullivan Show\" in 1964 (purchased for $2.125 million in 2015).\n\nIndianapoLIST: Obsessed with Indianapolis? Subscribe to our newsletter\n\nCall IndyStar reporter David Lindquist at 317-444-6404. Follow him on Twitter: @317Lindquist.", "The Pink Floyd legend's The David Gilmour Guitar Collection, made auction history as the largest sale of the musical instrument took place at Christie's at the Rockefeller Center in New York.\n\nOut of the 75-year-old musician's 126 guitars, the 1969 Black Fender Stratocaster went for a record-breaking $3,975,000.\n\nThe Black Strat was used on the progressive rock group's classic albums 'The Wall', 'Wish You Were Here' and 'Dark Side of The Moon', and Gilmour's solo records, most recently 2015's 'Rattle That Lock'.\n\nPrior to the sale, guitar legend Eric Clapton's collection held the record for the biggest guitar sale in the world, making $5,072,350 in 1999 and $7,438,624 in 2004, a combined total of $12,510,974.\n\nElsewhere, Gilmour's acoustic Martin D-35 was bought for $1,095,000 -- a record for the C.F. Martin guitar makers.\n\nThe 'Comfortably Numb' hitmaker used the distinctive instrument on 1975's 'Wish You Were Here' and 'Shine on You Crazy Diamond'.\n\nThe 1954 White Fender Stratocaster #0001 from 'Another Brick in the Wall (Parts 2 and 3)' sold for $1,815,000, which until the Black Strat went under the hammer, had set a record for Fender Stratocaster.\n\nAnd a 1955 Gibson Les Paul and rare Gretsch White Penguin 6134 made $447,000 each for the charity ClientEarth, which Gilmour chose to donate all the proceeds made at the auction to.\n\nThe environmental and political activist said: ''The global climate crisis is the greatest challenge that humanity will ever face, and we are within a few years of the effects of global warming being irreversible.\n\n''As Greta Thunberg, the 16-year-old Swedish climate activist said in a speech earlier this year, 'Either we choose to go on as a civilisation, or we don't'.\n\n''The choice really is that simple, and I hope that the sale of these guitars will help ClientEarth in their cause to use the law to bring about real change.\n\n''We need a civilised world that goes on for all our grandchildren and beyond in which these guitars can be played and songs can be sung.''\n\nClientEarth CEO James Thornton commented: ''This is a truly humbling and extraordinary gift, which goes beyond our wildest expectations.\n\n''It's difficult to express just how deeply grateful we are to David for choosing ClientEarth as the beneficiary of this historic auction.\n\n''The law is one of the most powerful tools we have to tackle the world's increasing environmental problems.\n\n''This gift is a phenomenal boost to our work using the law to tackle climate change and protect nature.\n\n''It will allow us to play an even greater role in addressing the climate crisis and securing a healthy planet for future generations.''\n\nAn impressive 12,000 fans were able to check out the guitars at locations in London, Los Angeles and New York before the sale and 500,000 people viewed the sought-after instruments on Christies.com.\n\nWhilst 2,000 bidders from 66 countries registered their interest to place a bid.\n\nThe auction had to be delayed by one hour because of the number of people trying to enter the Rockefeller Center.", "Pink Floyd star David Gilmour sells guitar collection for nearly £17m at auction to fight climate change\n\nPink Floyd star David Gilmour sells guitar collection for nearly £17m at auction to fight climate change\n\nHis guitar collection sold for a total of nearly £17m at auction\n\nPink Floyd star David Gilmour has sold his guitar collection for a record amount at auction, raising money to fight against climate change.\n\nThe 73-year-old singer and guitarist sold more than 120 instruments for a total of almost £17m.\n\nHis 1969 Black Fender Stratocaster alone fetched £3.1m, setting a world auction record for any guitar.\n\nThe Black Strat was used on albums including The Wall, Wish You Were Here and Dark Side of the Moon.\n\nMore than 2,000 bidders from 66 countries registered for the sale, which was held at auction house Christie's in Rockefeller Centre in New York.\n\nThe auction house said it delayed the start of the sale by one hour after an \"unprecedented number of bidders\" turned up, leading a second saleroom to be opened up to accommodate the crowds.\n\nChristie's said Gilmour's collection was the most valuable sale of musical instruments in auction history, beating a previous record held by Eric Clapton.\n\nGilmour was raising funds for ClientEarth, a charity made up of environmental lawyers.\n\nThe British musician said the current climate emergency was the \"greatest challenge that humanity will ever face\" and warned against the \"irreversible\" effects of climate change.\n\nHe said: \"The choice really is that simple, and I hope that the sale of these guitars will help ClientEarth in their cause to use the law to bring about real change.\n\n\"We need a civilised world that goes on for all our grandchildren and beyond in which these guitars can be played and songs can be sung.\"\n\nClientEarth's chief executive James Thornton said the money was a \"truly humbling and extraordinary gift\" and would be a \"phenomenal boost\" to the charity's work.\n\nOne of the top lots at auction was Gilmour's 1954 White Fender Stratocaster which was played on Another Brick in the Wall and sold for £1.43m.\n\nGilmour admitted he was sad to lose the instruments.\n\nHe said: \"These guitars have been very good to me and many of them have gifted me pieces of music over the years.\n\n\"They have paid for themselves many times over, but it's now time that they moved on.\"\n\n::Listen to the Backstage podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or Spreaker\n\nAt the height of their popularity in the 1970s, Pink Floyd consisted of guitarist Gilmour, Nick Mason on drums, Roger Waters on bass and vocals, and Richard Wright on keyboard.\n\nThey are one of the best-selling groups ever.", "Colts owner Jim Irsay already owns a collection of guitars and musical instruments probably unrivaled outside the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.\n\nNow, he's adding a really choice piece - the 1969 black Fender Stratocaster (aka \"The Black Strat\") played by Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour on iconic albums such as \"The Dark Side of the Moon\" and \"The Wall.\"\n\nSuch a rarity didn't come cheap - Irsay paid $3.975 million for the guitar at the Christie's New York auction Thursday. That's an auction record for a guitar. But as owner of the Colts (estimated value: $2.4 billion), Irsay can afford some really expensive toys. As Pink Floyd noted in their 1973 hit, \"Money,\" \"Get a good job with good pay and you're OK … Think I'll buy me a football team.\"\n\nWhile the auction officials had estimated the guitar would fetch somewhere between $100,000 and $150,000, some serious bidders drove the price up. Irsay shared his joy after his winning bid.\n\n\"The incomparable David Gilmour ... the greatest 'phrasing' guitarist in the world!!\" Irsay tweeted. \"Honored to bring The Black Strat to the public. The most expensive guitar EVER purchased. And for charity!!!\"\n\nGilmour, regarded as one of the greatest guitar players in rock history, auctioned off 120 of his guitars to benefit ClientEarth, an environmental organization. Irsay bought two more pieces from Gilmour's collection - a 1969 Martin D-35 acoustic guitar ($1.095 million) and the case for \"The Black Strat\" ($175,000).\n\nIrsay's collection includes around 200 guitars, with instruments played by Elvis, John Lennon, Prince, Bob Dylan and others. He even employs a caretaker for his collection. And Irsay's always on the lookout for other iconic items; earlier this year he purchased Lennon's \"Sgt. Pepper\" piano for an estimated $719,000.", "Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay shelled out a record amount of money in order to get his hands on a David Gilmour guitar.\n\nAccording to the Indianapolis Star's David Lindquist, Irsay dropped $3.975 million on \"The Black Strat,\" a 1969 black Fender Stratocaster, at an auction on Thursday. The guitar belonged to Gilmour, a member of the rock band Pink Floyd.\n\nThe previous auction record was $2.7 million, per Lindquist.\n\nThat hefty purchase was only part of Irsay's haul, though. He also took home a 1969 Martin D-35 acoustic guitar for $1.095 million and the travel case for \"The Black Strat\" for $175,000. All in all, he shelled out $5.245 million, which, according to Lindquist, made up 24 percent of the auction's sales.\n\nIrsay let it be known ahead of the auction that he had his eyes on \"The Black Strat.\" While calling Gilmour the \"greatest 'phrasing' guitarist in the world,\" the 60-year-old Colts owner noted the auction was for charity:\n\nMeanwhile, he will be sending Gilmour a special piece of memorabilia:", "Colts owner Jim Irsay hasn’t spent all his cap space on this year’s football team.\n\nBut he just dropped nearly $4 million for a single guitar.\n\nAccording to David Lindquist of the Indianapolis Star, Irsay spent $3.975 million for the 1969 Fender Stratocaster which David Gilmour played on several Pink Floyd albums including “Dark Side of the Moon” and “The Wall.”\n\nIrsay also bought Gilmour’s 1969 Martin D-35 acoustic guitar (which he played on “Wish You Were Here”) for $1.095 million, and a travel case for “The Black Strat” for $175,000.\n\nThat $5.245 million was part of more than $21 million from an auction of Gilmour’s guitars which benefitted ClientEarth, an environmental law organization which tries to fight climate change.\n\nIrsay has long collected rock memorabilia, and has previously bought guitars played by John Lennon, Prince, Jerry Garcia, and Bob Dylan.\n\nWhat he hasn’t bought as many of lately is players, as the Colts have a league-high $55 million in cap space at the moment, after an offseason which saw them add some parts but make no major splashes.", "June 21 (UPI) -- The auction of David Gilmour's guitar collection netted more than $21 million, which the legendary Pink Floyd guitarist is donating to efforts to battle climate change, Christie's announced.\n\nThe auction house said the 8-hour auction Thursday drew bidders from more than 66 countries. The collection of more than 120 guitars earned $21,490,750.\n\nA Fender black Stratocaster set a worldwide auction record for a guitar, earning $3.97 million, blowing past its $150,000 estimate. Gilmour used the so-called Black Strat on Pink Floyd albums The Dark Side of the Moon (1973), Wish You Were Here (1975), Animals (1977) and The Wall (1979).\n\n\"It became my main guitar, the one I used pretty much on everything unless there was a reason to want a different sound,\" Gilmour said of the guitar.\n\nGilmour said he was \"blown away\" by the results of the auction.\n\nHe's donating all the proceeds from the sale to ClientEarth, a charity that funds legal battles fighting climate change.\n\n\"This is a truly humbling and extraordinary gift, which goes beyond our wildest expectations,\" ClientEarth CEO James Thornton said. \"It's difficult to express just how deeply grateful we are to David for choosing for choosing ClientEarth as the beneficiary of this historic auction.\n\n\"This gift is a phenomenal boost to our work and will allow us to play an even greater role in addressing the climate crisis and securing a healthy planet for future generations.\""], "summary": "David Gilmour auctions 120 guitars of his personal collection, raising $21.5 million, including $3.975 million for The Black Strat, his most iconic guitar."}
{"document": ["The New Orleans Pelicans take Duke forward Zion Williamson with the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NBA draft and Zion is overcome with emotions afterward. (3:03)\n\nNEW YORK -- Welcome to the NBA, Zion Williamson.\n\nThe superstar forward out of Duke was selected No. 1 overall by the Pelicans in Thursday night's NBA draft at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, confirming what had been inevitable once New Orleans won the draft lottery last month.\n\nWilliamson, a generational talent because of his combination of size, strength, speed and skill, was the dominant force in college basketball last season. As a freshman, he averaged 22.6 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.1 steals and 1.8 blocks, all while shooting 68% from the field as he wowed with one spectacular highlight play after another en route to being named the Wooden Award winner as the nation's top player.\n\nFirst and foremost There have been 53 No.1 draft picks in the common draft era, and only 10 have won an NBA championship with the team that drafted them. Zion Williamson will look to become the 11th: Player Team Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Bucks Tim Duncan Spurs Kyrie Irving Cavaliers LeBron James Cavaliers Magic Johnson Lakers Hakeem Olajuwon Rockets David Robinson Spurs Cazzie Russell Knicks Bill Walton Trail Blazers James Worthy Lakers -- ESPN Stats & Information\n\n\"I don't think it's feelings I can really describe,\" Williamson said. \"You know, as a little kid you say you want to go to the NBA. People basically say, you've got to have a Plan B because the chances of doing it is just little to none. For me to be selected No. 1, I mean, I can't dream it no better than that.\"\n\nWilliamson immediately steps in as the centerpiece for a new-look Pelicans team that agreed to trade star big man Anthony Davis to the Los Angeles Lakers last week. Williamson said he was excited about the challenge of turning things around in the Big Easy, and of partnering with Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram, two of the players who will come in the Davis trade.\n\n\"What excites me the most is the fact that they're young and they're close to my age so they can help me a lot more, like how to deal with this transition,\" Williamson said. \"I think we can build something over there.\"\n\nLike Williamson, the second and third picks also went according to plan. Murray State point guard Ja Morant went second to the Memphis Grizzlies, and Williamson's teammate at Duke, swingman RJ Barrett, went third to the New York Knicks.\n\nMorant, an explosive athlete with a solid 3-point shooting stroke, led the Racers to the second round of the NCAA tournament, averaging 24.5 points and 10.0 assists while going from a mid-first-round pick before the season began to the clear No. 2 prospect entering draft night, according to ESPN's Jonathan Givony and Mike Schmitz.\n\nState of Murray's game: Very good Murray State's Ja Morant was the first college player to average 20 points and 10 assists in a season. The sophomore guard had 14 games with 20 points and 10 assists in 2018-19. No other player had more than three such games: Player Times School Ja Morant 14 Murray St. Cassius Winston 3 Michigan St. Josh Sharkey 3 Samford Colbey Ross 3 Pepperdine -- Assists became official stat in 1983-84 -- ESPN Stats & Information\n\nMorant steps in to a Grizzlies team that on Tuesday agreed to trade point guard stalwart Mike Conley to the Utah Jazz for forwards Jae Crowder and Kyle Korver, the No. 23 pick Thursday night and a protected future first-round pick. Memphis later used that No. 23 pick to trade up to No. 21 and select Gonzaga's Brandon Clarke.\n\n\"It's been crazy,\" Morant said. \"Obviously a wild moment for me, coming from my story, what I've been through to get to this point. I'm just very excited to be able to accomplish my dream.\"\n\nBarrett, meanwhile, had been hoping to join the Knicks all along. Barrett's mother, who is from Brooklyn, met his father, Rowan, while she was a track star and he was a basketball star at St. John's in Queens.\n\n\"It would mean a lot,\" Barrett, who was born in Canada, said Wednesday of getting the chance to play for the Knicks. \"My late grandfather, rest in peace, he was the biggest Knicks fan. He'd always tell me I'd play for the Knicks. It would mean a lot to me.\"\n\nWhen he got his wish, the crowd at Barclays Center exploded in cheers, and Barrett -- resplendent in a pink suit and black shirt -- walked onto the stage as the crowd chanted his name. Barrett cried into his father's shoulder after his selection.\n\n\"That was crazy. That was one of the reasons why I was crying, because [my grandfather and I] used to watch the Knicks growing up and he would always tell me I was going to be a Knick,\" Barrett said. \"I'm sad he can't be here to see it. But I'm just very happy, man.\"\n\nThe presumptive No. 1 pick entering the college basketball season, Barrett's star was surpassed by the comet that is Williamson. Still, the 6-foot-7 forward was seen as a part of the three-player tier considered a cut above the rest of the draft prospects after averaging 22.6 points, 7.6 rebounds and 4.3 assists at Duke last season.\n\nNow he'll get a chance to prove he's up to the challenge he wanted to take on: reviving the Knicks, who had the league's worst record in 2018-19.\n\nThe real excitement at the draft began with the No. 4 pick, which still technically belonged to the Los Angeles Lakers but has been traded twice in the past week. First, it was sent to the Pelicans on Saturday as part of the Lakers' package for Davis. Then, a couple of hours before the draft began, it changed hands again, going to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for the Nos. 8 (Texas center Jaxson Hayes), 17 (Virginia Tech guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker) and 35 (Brazilian guard Didi) picks in this year's draft, plus a protected first-rounder from Cleveland next year.\n\nAtlanta made that move to take Virginia forward De'Andre Hunter -- and that's precisely what the Hawks did (via the Lakers) adding the rangy forward to an intriguing young core that includes Trae Young, Kevin Huerter and John Collins.\n\nplay 0:35 Zion: Going No. 1 in the draft 'didn't feel real' Zion Williamson expresses his thoughts on being selected No. 1 overall by the Pelicans.\n\nHunter, who was named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year last season, will shore up an Atlanta team that struggled on defense last season, posting the fourth-worst defensive efficiency in the league. No player under contract with the Hawks for next season ranked in the top 150 in ESPN's defensive plus-minus this past season.\n\nThe move marks the second year in a row that Atlanta general manager Travis Schlenk has made a big move in the lottery. Last year, it was to trade down two spots to select Young, while also acquiring the No. 10 pick in this year's draft -- which turned out to be forward Cam Reddish from Duke.\n\n\"I didn't know they were going to trade up to the fourth pick,\" Hunter said. \"I know they were trying to do something to get earlier in the draft. I mean, it was just a decision between me and my agents. Atlanta was the one place I did work out for.\"\n\nWith Hunter off the board, that left the Cleveland Cavaliers with the chance to take Vanderbilt point guard Darius Garland with the fifth pick. Despite being in the middle of lots of trade discussions leading up to the selection, the Cavaliers wound up hanging onto it and taking Garland, an intriguing prospect who played only five games for the Commodores last season before suffering a season-ending knee injury. Those five games are the second fewest by a college player drafted in the top 10 since the one-and-done era began in 2006.\n\nPoints taken RJ Barrett might have been overshadowed by Zion Williamson in their one season at Duke, but he still scored the fifth-most points by a freshman in Division I history: Year Player Points 1989 Chris Jackson 965 2007 Kevin Durant 903 2018 Trae Young 876 2008 Michael Beasley 866 2019 RJ Barrett 860 -- ESPN Stats & Information\n\nThat put the Minnesota Timberwolves on the clock, after they had traded forward Dario Saric and the No. 11 pick (North Carolina guard Cam Johnson) to Phoenix to move up five slots to No. 6. With the pick, Minnesota (via Phoenix) took Texas Tech forward Jarrett Culver, who entered the draft fresh off leading the Red Raiders to within a few bounces of winning this year's national championship.\n\nCulver's selection cleared the way for the Chicago Bulls, picking seventh, to fill a need at point guard by taking North Carolina's Coby White, who could immediately step into the team's starting spot as a rookie next season.\n\nFrom there, New Orleans took Hayes (via Atlanta) -- giving the Pelicans another athletic, young big to pair with Williamson -- before the Washington Wizards selected Japanese forward Rui Hachimura from Gonzaga ninth and the Hawks, with their second pick in the top 10, took Reddish, the third player of the night from Duke.\n\nThe only other time since 1966, the common draft era, that one school has had three players selected in the top 10 was in 2007, when Al Horford (third), Corey Brewer (seventh) and Joakim Noah (ninth) all were selected out of Florida.\n\nJohnson's surprise selection at No. 11 gave the ACC a record with six lottery picks from a single conference. Johnson, 23, is older than his future teammate Devin Booker, who is set to enter his fifth NBA season and is still just 22.\n\nRounding out the lottery, the Charlotte Hornets and Miami Heat took back-to-back Kentucky Wildcats at Nos. 12 and 13 -- forward PJ Washington and guard Tyler Herro -- and the Boston Celtics grabbed Indiana swingman Romeo Langford at No. 14.", "NEW YORK — The New Orleans Pelicans have selected Duke star Zion Williamson with the first pick in the 2019 NBA Draft.\n\nWilliamson was expected to be taken with the first pick.\n\nIn his lone season at Duke, Williamson averaged 22.6 points per game and 8.9 rebounds per game.", "Zion Williamson is selected with the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft by the New Orleans Pelicans.", "New Orleans Pelicans select Duke forward Zion Williamson with No. 1 pick in NBA draft\n\nNEW YORK (AP) — New Orleans Pelicans select Duke forward Zion Williamson with No. 1 pick in NBA draft.", "Zion Williamson taken first by New Orleans Pelicans in 2019 NBA Draft\n\nZion Williamson taken first by New Orleans Pelicans in 2019 NBA Draft\n\nZion Williamson was selected by the New Orleans Pelicans with the first pick in the 2019 NBA Draft\n\nIt's official! Zion Williamson is the No 1 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft.\n\n\"I dreamed about this since I was four,\" Williamson said on Thursday as he was picked by the New Orleans Pelicans.\n\nThe Pelicans selected the Duke power forward with the top selection, finalising a decision considered a foregone conclusion since the draft lottery last month.\n\nThe 6ft 7in, 285lbs Williamson wore a cream-coloured suit jacket and sat with family members as he heard his name called at Brooklyn's Barclays Center.\n\n\"I don't know what to say,\" Williamson said, breaking down into tears in an interview with ESPN immediately following the pick. \"I didn't think I'd be in this position. My mom sacrificed a lot for me. I wouldn't be here without her.\n\n\"She put her dreams aside for mine. She always looked out for the family first before herself.\"\n\nWilliamson, the college basketball player of the year, dominated in his only season at the collegiate level. He averaged 22.6 points, 8.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game while making 33 starts. He added 2.1 steals and 1.8 blocks per game with an elite combination of size and athleticism.\n\nThe Spartanburg, South Carolina, native immediately will become the face of the Pelicans' franchise. New Orleans went 33-49 last season and recently agreed to a blockbuster deal to send center Anthony Davis to the Los Angeles Lakers for a package of players and picks.\n\n\"I'm going to do anything to win. I'm just going to do anything to win,\" Williamson said.\n\nThe Memphis Grizzlies also quickly addressed a positional need by taking Murray State's Ja Morant with the No 2 pick. The Grizzlies agreed to trade Mike Conley, their longtime point guard, to Utah a day earlier.\n\nThey got a good replacement in Morant, who led Division I with 10 assists per game as a sophomore while averaging 24.5 points.\n\n\"I have some big shoes to fill in Mike Conley,\" Morant said. \"He's a great player. I wish him the best. Like I said before, it just means the Grizzlies see a lot in me.\"\n\nRJ Barrett then made it two Duke freshmen within the top-three picks when the New York Knicks took the guard who actually edged out Williamson to lead the Atlantic Coast Conference in scoring.\n\nKnicks fans hoped they would get Williamson after finishing with the worst record in the league but seemed happy to end up with Barrett, loudly cheering and chanting \"RJ! RJ!\" when the pick was announced.\n\n\"That was great,\" Barrett said. \"I'm glad that the city wants me here as much as I want to be here.\"\n\nDe'Andre Hunter of national champions Virginia was taken fourth but will not be teaming up with Williamson. The Pelicans acquired the rights to the pick in the Davis deal but agreed to trade it shortly before the draft to Atlanta. The original trade cannot be official until July 6, so Hunter was outfitted with a Lakers hit and the draft board behind the stage listed the pick as belonging to the Lakers.\n\nThe Cleveland Cavaliers then took Vanderbilt guard Darius Garland, who played in just five games because of a knee injury.\n\nThen it was another pick who will not be playing for the team that made it, with Jarrett Culver taken at No 6 by Phoenix with a pick that the Suns agreed to trade to Minnesota for the No 11 pick.\n\nThat turned out to be Cameron Johnson, the second North Carolina player to be drafted after Chicago took Coby White at No 7.\n\nKentucky then had two straight picks, with PJ Washington going 12th to Charlotte and Tyler Herro 13th to Miami.\n\nDuke did even better by placing three in the top 10. Cam Reddish went 10th to the Hawks, making the Blue Devils the only team to pull off that feat since Florida placed Al Horford third, Corey Brewer seventh and Joakim Noah ninth after winning the 2007 national championship.\n\nThe trades caused some confusion in Barclays Center beyond just players wearing hats of teams whose uniforms they won't wear. A brief \"Brooklyn! Brooklyn!\" chant broke out when the Nets were on the clock at No 17, but the Nets had already agreed to deal that pick to Atlanta in yet another trade that won't become official until July 6.\n\nNickeil Alexander-Walker, Brandon Clarke and Mfiondu Kabengele followed Barrett into the NBA, giving Canada its best showing with four first-round picks. The overall record for draft picks from outside the US was set when France had five players selected in 2016.", "Williamson was overcome with emotion after NBA Commissioner Adam Silver finally announced he had been selected by the New Orleans Pelicans.\n\nWith tears in his eyes, he told draft broadcaster ESPN, \"I don't know what to say. I didn't think I'd be in this position. My mom sacrificed a lot for me. I wouldn't be here without my mom.\"\n\nWilliamson choked up as he talked about his mother.\n\n\"She put her dreams aside for mine,\" he said.\n\nWhen asked what he would say to his new team and city, Williamson said, \"Let's dance. Let's dance.\" In his lone season at Duke, Williamson was the biggest draw men's college basketball had seen in years. Listed at 6 feet, 7 inches tall and 285 pounds, Williamson was a hoops highlight reel -- not just with his explosive dunks but with his all-around game. And also when he blew apart one of his shoes during a game against North Carolina. Williamson led Duke to the Elite Eight at the NCAA tournament, averaging 22.6 points and 8.9 rebounds. The Pelicans had only a 6% chance to land the top pick after a 33-49 season but beat the odds. The Memphis Grizzlies took Murray State point guard Ja Morant with the No. 2 pick. \"It means a lot,\" Morant said. \"Obviously it means that Memphis sees a lot in me. I'm grateful and thankful to them for drafting me. I'm very excited to play in Memphis.\" Duke freshman R.J. Barrett was picked third by the New York Knicks and his collegiate team Cam Reddish was selected by the Atlanta Hawks with the 10th pick, making the Blue Devils the second program to have three players taken in the top 10 of the same draft (Florida, 2007). Full coverage of the NBA draft is on Bleacher Report", "Zion Williamson smiled his way through nearly half an hour of questions, trying to portray himself like any player just hoping to be drafted.\n\nSuddenly, a tall, thin newcomer pushed his way to the front of the shoulder-to-shoulder swarm surrounding Williamson and shot down that idea.\n\n“What does it feel like,” Duke teammate RJ Barrett asked, “to be the best prospect since LeBron James?”\n\nWilliamson has similar hype. Soon, he can start showing whether he has the game to match.\n\nThe powerhouse power forward will almost certainly be doing it in the uniform of the New Orleans Pelicans, who hold the No. 1 pick Thursday night at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.\n\nNBA teams are discouraged from announcing who they will pick, and the Pelicans confirmed nothing to Williamson when he visited recently.\n\n“They just told me that maybe they’ll draft me and I’m a good player or something,” Williamson said.\n\nIt would be one of the biggest surprises anyone in the NBA conjured up in years if the Pelicans passed on a player whose combination of size, speed and skill calls to mind James and few others. Listed at 6-foot-7 and 285 pounds, Williamson averaged 22.6 points and 8.9 rebounds while shooting 68 per cent from the field and joining Kevin Durant and Anthony Davis as the only freshmen to be voted national player of the year by The Associated Press.\n\nHis sledgehammer slams were good for college, but Williamson wants to be known for more than his above-the-rim game in the pros. In fact, he isn’t eager to take part in the Slam Dunk Contest.\n\nInstead, he’s been improving his three-point shot, and Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski noted that Williamson was previously a perimeter player before bulking up and becoming a force around the basket.\n\n“He’s still only 18 years old,” Krzyzewski said on his SiriusXM radio show. “And as good of an athlete – he’s a top percentile athlete in the world, not just in the game of basketball. He’s that level of young man.”\n\nNo wonder Pelicans fans are so eager to get him. Williamson said he found New Orleans to be welcoming when he walked around the city, and the locals should love him even more now after the team agreed over the weekend to trade Davis to the Lakers to play with James.\n\n“The city seems very excited if I come there,” Williamson said.\n\nMemphis has the No. 2 pick and an apparent opening at point guard for Murray State’s Ja Morant after agreeing to trade Mike Conley to Utah on Wednesday. Barrett is hoping he’ll go to the New York Knicks with the third pick, and whoever lands at No. 4 is set to be Williamson’s teammate because the Lakers included the pick in the package for Davis.\n\nTeams drafting beyond that should feel confident about their chances for success after a season in which the Toronto Raptors won the NBA title with a roster featuring no lottery picks, and Giannis Antetokounmpo emerged as an MVP finalist after being taken with the No. 15 pick in 2013. So, drafting smart seems more important than drafting high.\n\nStill, the season-long attention on Williamson dwarfed nearly everything else, so all eyes will be on him Thursday night as he walks onto the stage to greet commissioner Adam Silver. Williamson called himself a simple guy, so maybe he won’t wear the type of flashy suit that it is the usual draft-night dress code; the striped sweater he wore Wednesday was certainly plain enough.\n\n“For his size, he can get everywhere he wants on the floor,” said De’Andre Hunter of national champion Virginia. “He’s just a very strong, dominant player.”\n\nWilliamson doesn’t seem caught up in the hype, seeing himself more as a team player than franchise saviour. He wasn’t expecting to be the No. 1 option at Duke and isn’t lobbying for the job in New Orleans.\n\n“I don’t really look at the expectations,” Williamson said. “I just want to win at the end of the day and I’m just going to try to be the best version of myself, and whatever the team needs me to do I’m going to be willing to do it.”\n\nBut his standards are high, responding to a question about his goals by saying they include “MVP, Rookie of the Year and eventually possibly Defensive Player of the Year. Hall of Famer.”\n\nNot even James has done all that.", "Pelicans take Zion Williamson with No. 1 pick in draft\n\nNEW YORK — The New Orleans Pelicans selected Zion Williamson with the No. 1 pick Thursday night, going with the Duke force who is considered one of the most exciting prospects in years.\n\nThe 6-foot-7, 285-pounder compiled a career worth of highlights into just one season, becoming the third freshman to be voted player of the year by The Associated Press.\n\nHis assault on the rims made him a favorite of college basketball fans, but his game is more than just dunks. Williamson averaged 22.6 points and 8.9 rebounds while shooting 68% from the field.\n\nWearing a white suit, he hugged members of his family and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver after his name was called first at Barclays Center.\n\nWilliamson will step into an open position in New Orleans, which recently agreed to trade All-Star Anthony Davis, the last freshman to win the AP award, to the Los Angeles Lakers.\n\nThe Memphis Grizzlies also quickly addressed a positional need by taking Murray State's Ja Morant with the No. 2 pick. The Grizzlies agreed to trade Mike Conley, their longtime point guard, to Utah a day earlier.\n\nThey got a good replacement in Morant, who led Division I with 10 assists per game as a sophomore while averaging 24.5 points.\n\nRJ Barrett then made it two Duke freshmen within the top-three picks when the New York Knicks took the guard who actually edged out Williamson to lead the Atlantic Coast Conference in scoring. Knicks fans hoped they would get Williamson after finishing with the worst record in the league but seemed happy to end up with Barrett, loudly cheering and chanting \"RJ! RJ!\" when the pick was announced.", "Metarie, LA (AP) – The Pelicans have officially begun the Zion Williamson era — just days after agreeing to trade away their last No. 1 overall draft choice.\n\nBased on the celebrating crowd jammed into a downtown promenade on Thursday night, it appeared Pelicans fans couldn’t have been happier to move on from Anthony Davis — who requested a trade last January — and welcome their newest hope to transform New Orleans from a languishing small market franchise into an NBA contender.\n\nWilliamson smiled broadly and shook his head as he watched video footage of fans in New Orleans leaping and hollering in approval of his drafting by the Pelicans.\n\nWilliamson, who starred one season at Duke, was widely seen as the top pro prospect to enter any NBA draft since the Pelicans took Davis first overall in 2012. And because of an unlikely NBA draft lottery victory last month, the Pelicans had the right to select Williamson first overall.\n\nDavid Griffin, the Pelicans new executive vice president of basketball operations, said he understood why fans would be energized by Williamson.\n\n“He’s got this magnetic personality and he makes everybody see such star quality that you immediately say, ‘He’s the one,’” Griffin said. “Obviously, physically, he’s been touched by the hand of God to play this game. He’s a population of one. Nobody’s ever been exactly quite like him.”\n\nGriffin, who was a team headquarters, paused to compose himself while describing his reaction to seeing video of Williamson in New York, crying just after being drafted, when in a TV interview the 6-foot-7, 285-pound 19-year-old credited his mother’s sacrifices for his success as an athlete.\n\n“When you see that kid on that stage — who lives for that stage — be incapable of formulating thoughts other than how grateful he is, that impacts you in a really powerful way,” Griffin said. “That’s why we love him.”\n\nBut Griffin also sought to temper immediate expectations, asserting that Williamson “is not somebody who is supposed to be the savior of this franchise. This is a 19-year-old kid who is going to spend this year learning how to play winning basketball.”\n\n“This is Jrue Holiday’s team,” Griffin added, referring to the Pelicans’ accomplished combo guard. “Zion is going to be part of learning how to win at a really high level, and at some point if there’s a time that the baton gets passed in terms of who’s expected to carry us to win games, it will. That’s not now.”\n\nNew Orleans added to its rookie class with Texas center Jaxson Hayes. The Pelicans had made a deal with Atlanta for the rights to the eighth overall pick right before the draft. The Hawks made the selection, though Hayes is heading to New Orleans. That same trade also landed Virginia Tech wing player Nickeil Alexander-Walker at No. 17, a pick technically made by Brooklyn for the Pelicans.\n\nWilliamson was just the second freshman to be a consensus national player of the year, along with Kevin Durant with Texas in 2007.\n\nWhile Williamson has yet to exhibit consistent outside shooting, he has displayed a dominant mix of power, quickness and skill that has convinced scouts of his extraordinary promise as a pro.\n\nHe averaged 22.6 points per game at Duke and also was voted to the ACC’s All-Defensive Team after averaging 8.9 rebounds, 2.12 steals and 1.8 blocked shots per game.\n\nThe Pelicans moved on from the Davis era last weekend when they agreed to a trade sending “the Unibrow” to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for point guard Lonzo Ball, forward Brandon Ingram, shooting guard Josh Hart and three first round picks, including this year’s fourth overall choice.\n\nHowever, a person familiar with situation said shortly before the draft that Atlanta acquired the No. 4 pick from the Pelicans in exchange for the No. 8, No. 17 and No. 35 overall picks, along with a protected first-round pick from Cleveland in 2020 that Atlanta had.\n\nThe person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal — like the Davis deal days before it — can’t be finalized until at least until July 6 when the new NBA league year begins.\n\nSo Atlanta drafted Hayes for New Orleans and the Nets took Alexander-Walker for the Pelicans via the Hawks.\n\nThe 6-11, 220-pound Hayes played one season at Texas, averaging 10 points, five rebounds and 2.2 blocks.\n\nAlexander-Walker played two seasons for the Hokies and averaged 16.2 points per game last season.\n\nNew Orleans also sent Atlanta the No. 57 pick, a future second-round pick and forward Solomon Hill. The Pelicans created more salary cap space by unloading the nearly $12.8 million owed to Hill next season. New Orleans also saved about $2.2 million by moving their second first-round pick down from fourth to eighth.\n\nThe second-round pick New Orleans got from Atlanta yielded Brazilian Macros Louzada Silva at 35th overall. The Pelicans traded their own 39th pick to Golden State for 2021 and 2023 second rounders, as well as cash considerations.", "Pelicans take Zion Williamson with No. 1 pick in NBA draft\n\nNEW YORK (AP) — The New Orleans Pelicans selected Zion Williamson with the No. 1 pick Thursday night, going with the Duke force who is considered one of the most exciting prospects in years.\n\nThe 6-foot-7, 285-pounder compiled a career worth of highlights into just one season, becoming the third freshman to be voted player of the year by The Associated Press.\n\nHis assault on the rims made him a favorite of college basketball fans, but his game is more than just dunks. Williamson averaged 22.6 points and 8.9 rebounds while shooting 68% from the field.\n\nWearing a white suit, he hugged members of his family and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver after his name was called first at Barclays Center.\n\nWilliamson will step into an open position in New Orleans, which recently agreed to trade All-Star Anthony Davis, the last freshman to win the AP award, to the Los Angeles Lakers.\n\nThe Memphis Grizzlies also quickly addressed a positional need by taking Murray State's Ja Morant with the No. 2 pick. The Grizzlies agreed to trade Mike Conley, their longtime point guard, to Utah a day earlier.\n\nThey got a good replacement in Morant, who led Division I with 10 assists per game as a sophomore while averaging 24.5 points.\n\nRJ Barrett then made it two Duke freshmen within the top-three picks when the New York Knicks took the guard who actually edged out Williamson to lead the Atlantic Coast Conference in scoring. Knicks fans hoped they would get Williamson after finishing with the worst record in the league but seemed happy to end up with Barrett, loudly cheering and chanting \"RJ! RJ!\" when the pick was announced.\n\nWilliamson and Barrett both were in tears — Barrett had said he wouldn't be and Williamson said he didn't know how he'd react.\n\nDe'Andre Hunter of national champion Virginia was taken fourth but won't be teaming up with Williamson. The Pelicans acquired the rights to the pick in the Davis deal but agreed to trade it shortly before the draft to Atlanta. The original trade can't be official until July 6, so Hunter was outfitted with a Lakers hit and the draft board behind the stage listed the pick as belonging to the Lakers.\n\nThe Cleveland Cavaliers then took Vanderbilt guard Darius Garland, who played in just five games because of a knee injury."], "summary": "Zion Williamson of Duke University is selected first by the New Orleans Pelicans."}
{"document": ["No terrorist group has immediately claimed responsibility for the Friday attack on the mosque, according to the Iraqi media.\n\nTen people died and thirty more sustained injuries as a result of an explosion in Imam Mahdi's mosque in the Baladiyat district of the Iraqi capital, the Baghdad Today media outlet reported citing its security sources.\n\nAccording to the local media, a terrorist wearing a suicide belt had conducted the attack.\n\nThe site where the blast took place has been cordoned off by security services.\n\nThere are conflicting reports on the death toll; the local media outlet Baghdad Informer reports that the explosion resulted in the death of seven people.\n\n7 killed in blast at Shiite mosque in eastern Baghdad: police sources – The Daily Star https://t.co/fxrAJ0HnEi pic.twitter.com/ZfOJkolkZB — Baghdad Informer (@baghdadinformer) 21 июня 2019 г.\n\n​The blast comes after two projectiles were launched the day before in the Iraqi province of Basra, according to Iraqi security services. The city is home to a number of foreign and Iraqi oil companies and fields.", "Several people have been killed in a blast at a Shia Muslim mosque in Iraq's capital, Baghdad, according to police and security sources.\n\nThe explosion hit the Imam Mahdi al-Muntadhar mosque in Baladiyat neighbourhood during Friday prayers, near the massive and densely-populated district of Sadr City.\n\nThe attacker was wearing an explosive-laden belt targetting the mosque, Police Captain Ahmed Khalaf told Anadolu Agency.\n\nHe said 10 people were killed and dozens wounded, while other news agencies' reports quoting unidentified security sources put the death toll to at least seven.\n\nThere was no immediate claim of responsibility.\n\nIraq has witnessed a rare period of relative calm in recent months after decades of back-to-back conflict, including years of sectarian violence that regularly saw dozens killed in explosions in Baghdad.\n\nIn 2017, Iraq declared victory against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIS) group, which had also carried out mass attacks against civilians in the capital.\n\nThe improved security situation has led officials to dismantle the concrete blast walls, barbed wire and checkpoints that had become ubiquitous in Baghdad.\n\nLast month, at least eight people were killed and 15 wounded in a suicide bombing at a market in eastern Baghdad.\n\nIn November, explosions in several Shia-majority districts killed six people, most of them civilians.", "At least 10 people were killed and dozens wounded on Friday when a suicide bomber targeted a Shia mosque in Iraq’s capital, Baghdad, according to a local security source.\n\nThe attack, carried out by an unknown assailant wearing an explosive belt, targeted a mosque in the Al-Baladiyat district of eastern Baghdad, Police Captain Ahmed Khalaf told Anadolu Agency.\n\nFollowing the attack, ambulances transported 10 bodies and about 30 injured victims of the blast to hospitals, he added.", "(Hatha al-Youm | Iraq News )- ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – An explosion rocked a Shia Muslim mosque in Baghdad on Friday, resulting in at least 20 casualties and conflicting reports on the nature of the device used in the attack.The blast occurred inside the Imam Mahdi mosque in the predominantly Shia neighborhood of al-Baladiyat in the eastern suburbs of Baghdad, a security source told Kurdistan 24. Worshippers had just finished their Friday prayers and were about to leave the site when the bomb detonated.Bombings that target religious buildings, once common in the bloody sectarian conflict in the years that followed the 2003 toppling of Saddam Hussein's regime, are now rare in Iraq.The exact number of deaths was not immediately clear, but a witness told Kurdistan 24 that the explosion was \"violent,\" and that at least 20 people were lying on the ground, covered with blood.Local media Alsumaria reported that the attack was carried out by a “suicide bomber” that had killed at least seven people and injured 20 others in the attack. According to other outlets, however, the bomber had used an improvised explosive device (IED).No group has yet claimed responsibility.In previous decades, the building was known as the Mosque of Abdul Rahman al-Kubaisi. After the fall of the former government in 2003, Shia groups took it over and turned it into an establishment exclusive to their sect of Islam, renaming it the Imam Mahdi al-Muntadhar Mosque.On Thursday, at least four people were wounded when a suicide bomber tried to detonate his vest at a cafeteria in Khanaqin, about 175 kilometers (108 miles) north of Baghdad.“The attacker, a young man, attempted to blow himself up at the cafeteria, but he failed,” a source told Kurdistan 24.Editing by John J. Catherine", "Two people were killed and nine were injured ina suicide bomb blast in Iraq. The sicide bomber exploded at ta Shiite Mosque in the eastern Baghdad. The balst occured in the Imam Mahdi al-Muntadhar mosque in Baladiyat in Sadar City.\n\nOne suicide bomber wearing a belt of explosives tried to enter the mosque but was stopped by the guards and then he detonated outside the mosque building. No militant organization has claimed responsibility.", "At least 10 people were killed and dozens wounded on Friday when a suicide bomber targeted a Shia mosque in Iraq’s capital, Baghdad, according to a local security source.\n\nThe attack, carried out by an unknown assailant wearing an explosive belt, targeted a mosque in the Al-Baladiyat district of eastern Baghdad, Police Captain Ahmed Khalaf told Anadolu Agency.\n\nNO CLAIM OF RESPONSIBILITY FOR DEADLY ATTACK\n\nFollowing the attack, ambulances transported 10 bodies and about 30 injured victims of the blast to hospitals, he added.\n\nThe attack -- taking place amid traditional Friday prayers -- is regarded as the most violent of its kind in Baghdad in some months .\n\nAs of around noon GMT, there was no claim of responsibility for the attack.", "Suicide blast at mosque in Baghdad kills two\n\nBAGHDAD: A suicide explosion at a Shiite mosque in eastern Baghdad killed two civilians and wounded nine people on Friday, two Iraqi police officers told AFP.\n\nThe blast hit the Imam Mahdi al-Muntadhar mosque in Baladiyat, near the massive and densely-populated district of Sadr City. “At least one attacker wearing a belt of explosives tried to enter the building but was stopped by the guards, and detonated himself outside,” one officer told AFP. “Two civilians were killed and nine people were wounded,” the source said. The second officer confirmed the details and toll for the attack. At the scene, security forces quickly deployed to cordon off the site, an AFP photographer at the mosque said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.", "A suicide explosion at a Shiite mosque in eastern Baghdad killed two civilians and wounded nine people on Friday, two Iraqi police officers told AFP.\n\nThe blast hit the Imam Mahdi al-Muntadhar mosque in Baladiyat, near the massive and densely-populated district of Sadr City.\n\n\"At least one attacker wearing a belt of explosives tried to enter the building but was stopped by the guards, and detonated himself outside,\" one officer told AFP.\n\n\"Two civilians were killed and nine people were wounded,\" the source said.\n\nThe second officer confirmed the details and toll for the attack.\n\nAt the scene, security forces quickly deployed to cordon off the site, an AFP photographer at the mosque said.\n\nThere was no immediate claim of responsibility.\n\nIraq has witnessed a rare period of relative calm in recent months after decades of back-to-back conflict, including years of sectarian violence that regularly saw dozens killed in explosions in Baghdad.\n\nIn 2017, Iraq declared victory against the Islamic State jihadist group, which had also carried out mass attacks against civilians in the capital.\n\nThe improved security situation has led officials to dismantle the concrete blast walls, barbed wire and checkpoints that had become ubiquitous in Baghdad.\n\nLast month, at least eight people were killed and 15 wounded in a suicide bombing at a market in eastern Baghdad.\n\nIn November, explosions in several Shiite-majority districts killed six people, most of them civilians.", "A bomb blast killed seven people at a Shiite Muslim mosque in eastern Baghdad on Friday and wounded more than 20, police sources said.\n\nThe explosion took place in the Baladiyat neighborhood. A senior police source said that either a suicide belt or improvised explosive device had been used in the attack, for which there was no immediate claim of responsibility.\n\nThe source said the death toll was expected to rise with many of those wounded in serious condition.\n\nIt was a rare attack on a Shi'ite place of worship in the Iraqi capital.\n\nBaghdad's security improved significantly with the defeat of Daesh in 2017 and bomb attacks of any kind in the city have been rare since then.", "(Hatha al-Youm | Iraq News )-A number of people were killed and wounded in a blast that hit a mosque in east of Baghdad, a security source said on Friday.In statements to Alsumaria news channel, the source added that the blast took place via an explosive belt.Security forces cordoned off the scene of the explosion, he noted."], "summary": "Ten civilians are killed when a suicide bomber detonates his explosive belt in a crowd of worshippers at a Shia mosque in eastern Baghdad, Iraq."}
{"document": ["SEOUL/CHICAGO (Reuters) - Delta Air Lines bought a small stake in Korean Air Lines Co’s parent company and said it wants to increase it to 10%, giving a boost to the management of South Korea’s top carrier that seeks to thwart a local activist fund’s challenge.\n\nShares of the parent, Hanjin Kal Corp, tumbled 15 percent on Friday, as Delta’s move dashed investor hopes of a battle to control the family-run group that had driven up shares since the death of patriarch Cho Yang-ho in April.\n\nKorean Air, which has a joint venture with Delta since last year, said on Friday it believes Delta’s 4.3 percent stake buy intends to ensure the ‘stable management” of the company and support for its leadership.\n\nShould the No. 2 U.S. carrier raise its stake to 10% in Hanjin Kal, the airline’s founding family and its allies will have a total stake of 39%, versus the 16% stake held by the activist fund, Korea Corporate Governance Improvement (KCGI).\n\n“Delta played a role as a white knight for Hanjin,” said Choi Nam-gon, an analyst at Yuanta Securities.\n\n“Now it would be impossible for KCGI to take control of the group. The stake buy removes the chance of a management battle at Hanjin Group,” he said.\n\nKCGI said in a statement that if Delta’s investment decision intends to “simply defend the management rights of the controlling family members, this would go against the honor and principles that it has built so far.”\n\nIt proposed Delta, backed by U.S. investor Warren Buffett, work together to eliminate inefficiencies and improve management transparency at the Hanjin Group.\n\nKorean Air shares fell 2.6% and its budget affiliate Jin Air Co Ltd rose 0.2% in the wider market that was down 0.3%.\n\nKOREAN AIR SUCCESSOR\n\nKorean Air has been plagued in recent years by a series of scandals involving its founding family members.\n\nIn April, the tycoon suddenly died at age 70, just weeks after shareholders decided to end his 27-year tenure on the airline’s board, in a show of growing shareholder activism in Asia’s fourth-biggest economy that has long been dominated by family-owned conglomerates.\n\nThe group subsequently appointed his only son Walter Cho, 43, as CEO and chairman, but the company has yet to inform regulators about a definitive succession plan. He and his two sisters have small stakes in Hanjin Kal, in which the late Cho has a 17.8% stake.\n\nAgainst that backdrop, KCGI raised its stake to nearly 16%, fueling speculation about an impending ownership battle at the conglomerate.\n\nDelta Chief Executive Ed Bastian said earlier this month he had “a lot of confidence” in Walter Cho, noting their friendship had gone back 20 years.\n\n“The investment demonstrates Delta’s commitment to the success of its joint venture with Korean Air,” Delta said in a statement. The venture includes 290 U.S. destinations and over 80 in Asia.\n\nThe U.S. airline did not disclose how much it paid for the 4.3% stake. It also did not say who it bought the stake from or when it may raise it to 10 percent.\n\nFILE PHOTO: A Delta Air Lines flight is pushed put of its gate at the airport in Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S., January 12, 2018. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo\n\nAtlanta-based Delta has been growing internationally both through joint ventures - which allow airlines to coordinate fares and schedules while building a presence in new markets - and direct equity investments, which help airlines align their respective strategies.\n\nDelta also owns stakes in Grupo Aeromexico, Air France KLM, China Eastern, Brazil’s Gol and Virgin Atlantic, and has been negotiating a stake in Alitalia.\n\nShares in Delta closed down 0.7% at $55.97 in New York on Thursday.", "(Reuters) - Delta Air Lines said on Thursday it has acquired 4.3% stake in Korean Air Lines Co Ltd’s parent company Hanjin Kal Corp.\n\nThe No.2 U.S. airline also intends to raise its stake to 10% in the company over time, after receiving regulatory approval, the company said.\n\nOwnership discussions with family members have been ongoing at Korean Air Lines and its majority-owned company Hanjin Kal after their patriarch’s sudden death in April raised questions about the future of the airline and its parent.\n\nHanjin Kal has been led by 43-year-old Walter Cho since the death of his father Cho Yang-ho, who was the former chairman. However, it has yet to inform regulators about the officials who are going to lead the group, which has diversified businesses including hotels, logistics and budget airlines.\n\nCho’s widow, two daughters and son hold stakes in Hanjin Kal.\n\nThe late tycoon died at the age of 70 following chronic illness, just weeks after shareholders decided to end his 27-year tenure on the airline’s board.\n\nThe change at the top comes soon after a local activist fund raised its stake in Hanjin Kal to nearly 16%, bringing the group’s ownership structure to wider attention. The Cho family has 17.8% stake in Hanjin, while its academic foundations own 29%.\n\nBoth Delta and Korean Air are members of the SkyTeam alliance and have a joint venture operating flights between Asia to the United States.\n\nA spokesman at Korean Air, the flagship unit of Hanjin Kal, declined to comment.", "Delta Air Lines’ move to purchase a stake in Korean Air's parent company is expected to strengthen the control of the Cho family over the company. Delta announced June 20 it had acquired a 4.3% share in Korean Air parent Hanjin KAL and intends to increase its stake to 10%. Korean Air believes “Delta acquired Hanjin KAL stakes to support our leadership,” the airline told ATW. The Cho family and its interests hold about 29% of Hanjin KAL, more than any other ...", "(Reuters) - Delta Air Lines said on Thursday it plans to buy 4.3% stake in Korean Air’s parent company Hanjin Kal Corp.\n\nDelta intends to raise its stake to 10% in the company over time, after receiving regulatory approval.\n\nReporting by Rachit Vats in Bengaluru; Editing by James Emmanuel", "CHICAGO/SEOUL (Reuters) - Delta Air Lines bought a 4.3% stake in Korean Air Lines Co’s parent company and said it wants to raise it to 10%, giving a boost to the management of South Korea’s top carrier that seeks to thwart a local activist fund’s challenge.\n\nShares of the parent, Hanjin Kal Corp, slumped 8% on Friday, as Delta’s move dashed investor expectations of a battle to control the family-run group that has driven up shares since the death of patriarch Cho Yang-ho in April.\n\nKorean Air, which has a joint venture with Delta, said on Friday that the stake buy intends to ensure the ‘stable management” of the company and support its leadership.\n\nShould the No. 2 U.S. carrier raise its stake to 10% in Hanjin Kal, the airline’s founding family and its allies will have a total stake of 39%, versus the 16% stake held by the activist fund, Korea Corporate Governance Improvement (KCGI).\n\n“Delta played a role as a white knight for Hanjin,” Choi Nam-gon, an analyst at Yuanta Securities, said, noting that the share purchase was done despite the sharp share price rises of Hanjin Kal in recent months.\n\n“Now it would be impossible for KCGI to take control of the group. The stake buy removes the chance of a management battle at Hanjin Group,” he said.\n\nKorean Air shares fell 3% and its budget affiliate Jin Air Co Ltd slipped 0.7% in the wider market that was down 0.2% as of 0202 GMT.\n\nIn April, the tycoon suddenly died at age 70, just weeks after shareholders decided to end his 27-year tenure on the airline’s board, in a show of growing shareholder activism in Asia’s fourth-biggest economy that has long been dominated by family-owned conglomerates.\n\nThe group subsequently appointed his only son Walter Cho, 43, as CEO and chairman, but the company has yet to inform regulators about a definitive succession plan. He and his two sisters have small stakes in Hanjin Kal, in which the late Cho has a 17.8% stake.\n\nAgainst that backdrop, KCGI raised its stake to nearly 16%, fueling speculation about an impending ownership battle at the conglomerate.\n\nKCGI did not have immediate comments on Delta’s stake buy.\n\nDelta Chief Executive Ed Bastian said earlier this month he had “a lot of confidence” in Walter Cho, noting their friendship had gone back 20 years.\n\nKorean Air has been plagued in recent years by a series of scandals involving its founding family members. Cho’s eldest daughter, Heather Cho, made headlines in 2014 when she lost her temper over the way she was served nuts in first class and ordered the Korean Air plane to return to its gate at a New York airport.\n\nIn April 2018, Cho’s youngest daughter Emily Cho faced a storm of public criticism for allegedly throwing a drink at a business meeting attendee.\n\nBoth resigned from their senior positions at the airline in the wake of the scandals. The younger Cho recently returned to the group as an executive at Hanjin Kal.\n\nDelta’s stake buy comes as the U.S. airline is expanding across Asia. It has said it sees Seoul’s Incheon International Airport, the hub of Korean Air, as a gateway for more destinations across the continent.\n\nIt did not disclose how much it paid for the 4.3% stake, worth about $88 million as of Thursday’s price. It also did not say who it bought the stake from or when it may raise it to 10 percent.\n\nThe two firms formed a joint venture last year that includes 290 U.S. destinations and over 80 in Asia. Atlanta-based Delta is growing internationally both through joint ventures - which allow airlines to coordinate fares and schedules while building a presence in new markets - and direct equity investments, which help airlines align their respective strategies.\n\nDelta also owns stakes in Grupo Aeromexico, Air France KLM, China Eastern, Brazil’s Gol and Virgin Atlantic, and has been negotiating a stake in Alitalia.\n\nShares in Delta closed down 0.7% at $55.97 in New York on Thursday.", "CHICAGO/SEOUL (Reuters) - Delta Air Lines Inc said on Thursday it had acquired a 4.3% stake in joint-venture partner Korean Air Lines Co Ltd’s parent company with a view toward expanding across Asia.\n\nAtlanta-based Delta is growing internationally both through joint ventures - which allow airlines to coordinate fares and schedules while building a presence in new markets - and equity investments, which help airlines align their respective strategies.\n\nThe No. 2 U.S. carrier said it intended to increase its stake in Hanjin Kal Corp, which owns about 30% of Korean Air, to 10% over time, after receiving regulatory approval.\n\nIt did not disclose how much it paid for the 4.3% stake, worth about $88 million, according to current market prices.\n\nDelta’s stake purchase was intended to ensure its partner’s “stable management rights”, Korean Air said in a statement.\n\nHanjin Kal shares fell as much as 7.1% on Friday. Korean Air fell 1.4 percent and its budget affiliate Jin Air Co Ltd rose 0.2 percent in the wider market that was down 0.2% as of 1225 GMT.\n\nDelta has said it sees Seoul’s Incheon International Airport, the hub of Korean Air, as a gateway for more destinations across Asia.\n\nThe two airlines are members of the SkyTeam alliance and formed a joint venture last year that includes 290 U.S. destinations and over 80 in Asia. This year, Delta launched routes to Seoul and Osaka in partnership with Korean Air, Hanjin Kal’s flagship unit.\n\n“Long term, the partnership and the joint venture is strong in terms of size and there’s no reason to think it can’t grow substantially into the future,” Delta Chief Executive Ed Bastian said at an aviation summit earlier this month in Seoul.\n\nDelta also owns stakes in Grupo Aeromexico, Air France KLM, China Eastern, Brazil’s Gol and Virgin Atlantic, and has been negotiating a stake in Alitalia.\n\nDelta’s investment follows the sudden death in April of Cho Yang-ho, the patriarch of Hanjin Kal and Korean Air, which raised questions about the future of both.\n\nSince the death of his father, 43-year-old Walter Cho has led Korean Air as CEO and chairman, but the company has yet to inform regulators about a definitive succession plan.\n\nThe late tycoon died at age 70, just weeks after shareholders decided to end his 27-year tenure on the airline’s board. Cho’s widow, two daughters and Walter Cho all hold stakes in Hanjin Kal.\n\nAt the Seoul conference, Bastian said he had “a lot of confidence” in Walter Cho, noting their friendship had gone back 20 years.\n\nHanjin Kal’s ownership structure has come under scrutiny since a local activist fund raised its stake to nearly 16%. The Cho family and its academic foundations own 29%, including the late Cho’s 17.8% stake.\n\nIf Delta raises its stake to 10% in Hanjin Kal, with diversified businesses including hotels, logistics and budget airlines, it would become the third biggest shareholder.\n\nKorean Air grows its own food for cabin meals and also owns hotels and a limousine service\n\nShares in Delta closed down 0.7% at $55.97 in New York on Thursday.", "Delta bets on Korean Air, buys stake in its top shareholder\n\nATLANTA (AP) — Delta Air Lines says it's buying a 4.3% stake in Korean Air's largest shareholder to strengthen its joint venture with the Asian carrier.\n\nDelta said Thursday it invested in Hanjin-KAL and plans to increase its equity stake to 10%. The investment needs regulatory approval.\n\nHanjin KAL owns 30% of Korean Air, according to FactSet.\n\nDelta isn't saying how much it paid for the stock.\n\nThe two airlines launched a joint venture last year, selling seats on each other's flights and sharing the revenue. Delta CEO Ed Bastian says it's already one of his airline's most successful partnerships.\n\nBoth carriers belong to SkyTeam, one of three alliances among global airlines. Atlanta-based Delta is the second-biggest U.S. carrier by revenue, behind only American Airlines.", "Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines has purchased a stake in Korean Air's parent company, helping shore up the family that owns the firm against the building threat from activist shareholders\n\nSeoul, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - APP - 21st Jun, 2019 ) :Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines has purchased a stake in Korean Air's parent company, helping shore up the family that owns the firm against the building threat from activist shareholders.\n\nDelta acquired a 4.3% stake in Hanjin KAL it said Thursday, adding that it could increase the position to 10 percent \"after receiving regulatory approval\".\n\nThe stake acquisition comes a year after the two airlines launched a joint venture, providing access to nearly 300 destinations in the US and 80 spots in Asia.\n\nIt is a boost for Hanjin KAL's new chairman Walter Cho and will help the airline \"defend its management rights against any attacks of activist hedge funds\", a Korean Air official was quoted as saying by South Korean's Yonhap news Agency.\n\nThey include the Korea Corporate Governance Improvement (KCGI) fund that owns a nearly 16-percent stake in the company and is demanding larger returns and more transparency.\n\nIn April, Cho took control of Hanjin KAL from his father Cho Yang-ho, who was kicked off the board by shareholders backed by activist funds just days before he died.\n\nThe acquisition sent shares in Hanjin KAL tumbling 15 percent Friday. Shares in Korean Air, South Korea's flag carrier, also dropped 2.6 percent.", "SEOUL. Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines has purchased a stake in Korean Air’s parent company, helping shore up the family that owns the firm against the building threat from activist shareholders.\n\nDelta acquired a 4.3% stake in Hanjin KAL, it said on Thursday, adding that it could increase the position to 10 per cent “after receiving regulatory approval”.\n\nThe stake acquisition comes a year after the two airlines launched a joint venture, providing access to nearly 300 destinations in the US and 80 spots in Asia.\n\nIt is a boost for Hanjin KAL’s new chairman Walter Cho and will help the airline “defend its management rights against any attacks of activist hedge funds”, a Korean Air official was quoted as saying by South Korean’s Yonhap News Agency.\n\nThey include the Korea Corporate Governance Improvement (KCGI) fund that owns a nearly 16-percent stake in the company and is demanding larger returns and more transparency.\n\nIn April, Cho took control of Hanjin KAL from his father Cho Yang-ho, who was kicked off the board by shareholders backed by activist funds just days before he died.\n\nThe acquisition sent shares in Hanjin KAL tumbling 15 per cent Friday. Shares in Korean Air, South Korea’s flag carrier, also dropped 2.6 per cent.", "Delta Air Lines has a cookie cutter recipe for foreign alliances by typically placing equity and then establishing a deep partnership, often a joint-venture. American Airlines followed with a deal involving China Southern, and United Airlines into Azul.\n\nBut Delta is not merely replicating this pattern by indirectly investing in Korean Air, which it already has a JV with. Instead, the investment is a vote of confidence in Korean Air’s new leader, Cho Won-tae (Walter), and the wider if embattled Cho dynasty as they come under growing threat from an activist shareholder.\n\nThat also makes Delta’s investment defensive. The activist is gaining ground in numbers but without a concrete alternative vision for Korean Air. Delta’s investment gives more breathing room to the Cho family as they adjust to the April death of patriarch Cho Yang-ho, sort out resulting succession planning and address legal cases. The family has control of Korean Air through various ownership stakes, but the activist shareholder can still press for change.\n\nDelta announced on June 20 it bought 4.3% of Hanjin-KAL, a major shareholder of Korean Air. Delta intends to raise this amount to 10% subject to regulatory approvals. The value of the transaction for existing shares was undisclosed, but Delta is highly profitable and its investments have generally been accepted by analysts.\n\nThe investment is relatively costly considering Hanjin-KAL shares are at a record peak in recent history. Shares in June have been hovering around 40,000 won (US$35), more than double the 16,000 won ($14) price in July 2018. Just in April, shares were below 30,000 won ($26).\n\nThe Cho family owns approximately 29% of Hanjin-KAL. Their lack of majority ownership has been picked at by Korea Corporate Governance Improvement Fund (KCGI), which last November disclosed it amassed a 9% stake in Hanjin-KAL, causing shares to rise in anticipation of airline reform. KCGI has gradually grown its stake, reaching 15.98% in May, according to regulatory filings. Despite KCGI's success in stake growth, it failed to bring major change at a Hanjin-KAL shareholder meeting. It succeeded in rejecting Cho Yang-ho's re-appointment as Korean Air chairman, but this was symbolic.\n\nNew chairman Walter Cho said in June that “If needed, amid the rapidly changing industry trend, I will seek business change through discussion with board members.” He was not specifically referencing KCGI, but their growing presence is unmistakable. The Korea Herald speculated Korean Air is “in all-out efforts to defend its management rights” from KCGI. Korean Air was accused earlier this year of pressuring employee shareholders to have a proxy vote for them at the shareholder meeting.\n\nCho said KCGI are “one of the shareholders” and that so far this year “we have not met them privately, nor did they ask us to meet. The last time we met was last year.”\n\nAs KCGI makes ground, the Cho family’s stake is not guaranteed under the status quo. The family’s 29% stake includes 17.8% held by the late Cho, who died in April. Korea’s high inheritance tax could amount to upwards of 170 billion won ($147 million) for the late Cho’s estate, according to some analyst estimates.\n\nKCGI has gained support from other shareholders by leveraging a string of Cho family scandals that have dominated headlines in Korea – and sometimes abroad, such as the infamous 2014 “nut rage” incident onboard a Korean Air A380 at New York JFK. Other scandals range from illegally importing luxury goods, circumventing employment visa process for Filipino workers, throwing a cup of water, and claims of embezzlement.\n\nKCGI’s underlying issue is the less sensationalist claim Korean Air has been under-performing due to Cho family management, the heart of a chaebol. The activists want more independent management and for associated companies to be sold off.\n\nThere are questions what Delta gains from the investment – after all, Delta already has a joint-venture with Korean Air. In contrast, Delta bought Singapore Airlines’ 49% stake in Virgin Atlantic in order to partner with Virgin, and Delta bought into China Eastern to deepen their partnership and hopefully later form a JV.\n\nDelta spent a few years courting Korean Air for the JV, sometimes deploying heavy-handed tactics by restricting codeshares and frequent flyer benefits. At one point, it was thought Delta may be unwilling to partner with Korean Air unless equity was involved.\n\nCEO Ed Bastian said in March about investments more broadly, as quoted by Reuters: “What we have found is that by making an investment into these businesses we can get actually inside the board room and help to start shape the strategy.”\n\nKorean Air is finding the JV to better than expected. Korean Air's 2018 Americas performance showed a 6.5% yield improvement and 3.7ppt load factor increase on a 2.5% ASK reduction, despite the JV only launching in May 2018.\n\nBastian said in a statement announcing the Hanjin-KAL equity: “This is already one of our fastest-integrating and most successful partnerships, and experience tells us this investment will further strengthen our relationship as we continue to build on the value of the joint venture.” The JV’s fast integration may be due to Delta and Korean aligning systems prior to final approval and kick-off.\n\nThere is seemingly little risk for Delta’s investment. The wider Hanjin-KAL portfolio shows more benefit, such as the company’s majority stake in Jin Air, the low-cost carrier that is effectively the budget sister of Korean Air but not owned by Korean Air.\n\nJin Air had been performing well until growth was suspended because the airline was found to have as a director Cho Hyun-min (Emily), who was born in the United States. An unusual but forgotten quirk of Korean law prohibits foreign-born directors, a requirement not often found in other jurisdictions. Korean authorities considered the drastic punishment of cancelling Jin Air's license, but they ultimately let Jin Air continue business, and permitted Hanjin to retain ownership.\n\nWalter Cho has had an unusually early high-profile start for an aviation executive. He hosted this month's IATA annual general meeting in Seoul, which had been planned by his late father. At the AGM, he was appointed a member of the IATA Board of Governors. This week Cho started fleet renewal with a tentative order for 30 Boeing 787s, which even after typical discounts is a figure in the billions of dollars.\n\nThe Delta investment and underlying vote of confidence could solidify Cho, and not his sisters, as successor to his father and Hanjin.\n\nCho is the eldest child, the only son and had long been groomed by his father in Korean Air’s high-level strategy. In contrast, his sisters were given senior role in periphery areas: Hyun-ah (Heather) for in-flight services and Emily in marketing and Jin Air.\n\nYet the daughters excelled, with Heather running what is considered aviation’s best in-flight duty free offering by far while Emily revitalised marketing and pushed for Jin Air’s growth before the family fully appreciated the dual-brand benefits from having a LCC.\n\nKorean media have been speculating about a family succession dispute between Walter and his sisters. At the IATA AGM, Walter said succession negotiations were “going well.” He said of his late father: “He has frequently said keeping the family in harmony is to protect the company.”"], "summary": "Korean Air confirms that US carrier Delta Air Lines has acquired a 4.3% stake in Korean Air's parent company Hanjin Kal, which may help Hanjin resist pressure from an activist shareholder."}
{"document": ["Myanmar authorities ordered telecoms companies to shut down internet services in conflict-torn western Myanmar, a leading operator said on Saturday, amid heightening tensions in the region, where government troops are fighting ethnic rebels.\n\nTelenor Group said the Ministry of Transport and Communications directed all telecoms companies to “temporarily” suspend internet services in eight townships in Rakhine and neighbouring Chin states, citing “disturbances of peace and use of internet activities to coordinate illegal activities”.\n\nThe shutdown went into effect late on Friday, the statement said.\n\n“Telenor Myanmar has been asking for further clarification on the rationale for the shutdown and emphasized that freedom of expression through access to telecom services should be maintained for humanitarian purposes,” the group said.\n\nA spokesman for the transport and communications ministry declined to comment, referring questions to another spokesman who did not answer phone calls.\n\nRakhine state came to global attention after about 730,000 Rohingya Muslims crossed into Bangladesh fleeing a military crackdown in response to militant attacks in 2017.\n\nUN investigators have called for senior military officers to be prosecuted over allegations of mass killings, gang rapes and arson. The military denies widespread wrongdoing.\n\nMore recently, civilians have been caught up in clashes between the military and the Arakan Army, an insurgent group that recruits from the mainly Buddhist ethnic Rakhine population and is fighting for greater autonomy for the state.\n\nSince November, the fighting has displaced tens of thousands of people across a large part of central and northern Rakhine and part of neighbouring Chin, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.\n\nMuch of the region is off-limits to journalists and most humanitarian agencies.\n\nTun Ther Sein, a regional lawmaker from Mrauk-U township, in central Rakhine, told Reuters by phone the internet connection had been slow for two days before disappearing on Friday.\n\n“People can inform us about what is happening on the ground and also send photos with the help of the internet,” he said.\n\n“Now that has been shut down.”", "YANGON (Reuters) - Myanmar authorities ordered telecoms companies to shut down internet services in conflict-torn western Myanmar, a leading operator said on Saturday, amid heightening tensions in the region, where government troops are fighting ethnic rebels.\n\nTelenor Group said the Ministry of Transport and Communications directed all telecoms companies to “temporarily” suspend internet services in eight townships in Rakhine and neighbouring Chin states, citing “disturbances of peace and use of internet activities to coordinate illegal activities”.\n\nThe shutdown went into effect late on Friday, the statement said.\n\n“Telenor Myanmar has been asking for further clarification on the rationale for the shutdown and emphasized that freedom of expression through access to telecom services should be maintained for humanitarian purposes,” the group said.\n\nA spokesman for the transport and communications ministry declined to comment, referring questions to another spokesman who did not answer phone calls.\n\nRakhine state came to global attention after about 730,000 Rohingya Muslims crossed into Bangladesh fleeing a military crackdown in response to militant attacks in 2017.\n\nU.N. investigators have called for senior military officers to be prosecuted over allegations of mass killings, gang rapes and arson. The military denies widespread wrongdoing.\n\nMore recently, civilians have been caught up in clashes between the military and the Arakan Army, an insurgent group that recruits from the mainly Buddhist ethnic Rakhine population and is fighting for greater autonomy for the state.\n\nSince November, the fighting has displaced tens of thousands of people across a large part of central and northern Rakhine and part of neighbouring Chin, according to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.\n\nMuch of the region is off-limits to journalists and most humanitarian agencies.\n\nTun Ther Sein, a regional lawmaker from Mrauk-U township, in central Rakhine, told Reuters by phone the internet connection had been slow for two days before disappearing on Friday.\n\n“People can inform us about what is happening on the ground and also send photos with the help of the internet,” he said. “Now that has been shut down.”", "YANGON, June 22 (Reuters) - Myanmar authorities ordered telecoms companies to shut down internet services in conflict-torn western Myanmar, a leading operator said on Saturday, amid heightening tensions in the region, where government troops are fighting ethnic rebels.\n\nTelenor Group said the Ministry of Transport and Communications directed all telecoms companies to \"temporarily\" suspend internet services in eight townships in Rakhine and neighbouring Chin states, citing \"disturbances of peace and use of internet activities to coordinate illegal activities\".\n\nThe shutdown went into effect late on Friday, the statement said.\n\n\"Telenor Myanmar has been asking for further clarification on the rationale for the shutdown and emphasized that freedom of expression through access to telecom services should be maintained for humanitarian purposes,\" the group said.\n\nA spokesman for the transport and communications ministry declined to comment, referring questions to another spokesman who did not answer phone calls.\n\nRakhine state came to global attention after about 730,000 Rohingya Muslims crossed into Bangladesh fleeing a military crackdown in response to militant attacks in 2017.\n\nU.N. investigators have called for senior military officers to be prosecuted over allegations of mass killings, gang rapes and arson. The military denies widespread wrongdoing.\n\nMore recently, civilians have been caught up in clashes between the military and the Arakan Army, an insurgent group that recruits from the mainly Buddhist ethnic Rakhine population and is fighting for greater autonomy for the state.\n\nSince November, the fighting has displaced tens of thousands of people across a large part of central and northern Rakhine and part of neighbouring Chin, according to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.\n\nMuch of the region is off-limits to journalists and most humanitarian agencies.\n\nTun Ther Sein, a regional lawmaker from Mrauk-U township, in central Rakhine, told Reuters by phone the internet connection had been slow for two days before disappearing on Friday.\n\n\"People can inform us about what is happening on the ground and also send photos with the help of the internet,\" he said. \"Now that has been shut down.\" (Reporting by Shoon Naing Editing by Ros Russell)", "YANGON — Myanmar authorities ordered telecoms companies to shut down internet services in conflict-torn western Myanmar, a leading operator said on Saturday, amid heightening tensions in the region, where government troops are fighting ethnic rebels.\n\nTelenor Group said the Ministry of Transport and Communications directed all telecoms companies to “temporarily” suspend internet services in nine townships in Rakhine and neighboring Chin states, citing “disturbances of peace and use of internet activities to coordinate illegal activities.”\n\nAt a press conference on Saturday, a military spokesman said the army had no information about the shutdown.\n\n“We didn’t do it. We don’t know about that,” said Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun.\n\nThe shutdown went into effect late on Friday, the Telenor statement said.\n\n“Telenor Myanmar has been asking for further clarification on the rationale for the shutdown and emphasized that freedom of expression through access to telecom services should be maintained for humanitarian purposes,” the group said.\n\nA spokesman for the transport and communications ministry declined to comment, referring questions to another spokesman who did not answer phone calls.\n\nRakhine state came to global attention after about 730,000 Rohingya Muslims crossed into Bangladesh fleeing a military crackdown in response to militant attacks in 2017.\n\nU.N. investigators have called for senior military officers to be prosecuted over allegations of mass killings, gang rapes and arson. The military denies widespread wrongdoing.\n\nMore recently, civilians have been caught up in clashes between the military and the Arakan Army, an insurgent group that recruits from the mainly Buddhist ethnic Rakhine population and is fighting for greater autonomy for the state.\n\nSince November, the fighting has displaced tens of thousands of people across a large part of central and northern Rakhine and part of neighboring Chin, according to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.\n\nMuch of the region is off-limits to journalists and most humanitarian agencies.\n\nTun Ther Sein, a regional lawmaker from Mrauk-U township, in central Rakhine, told Reuters by phone the internet connection had been slow for two days before disappearing on Friday.\n\n“People can inform us about what is happening on the ground and also send photos with the help of the internet,” he said. “Now that has been shut down.” (Reporting by Shoon Naing Editing by Ros Russell)", "Myanmar's Ministry of Transport and Communications ordered all mobile phone operators to suspend internet data in nine townships\n\nAdvertising Read more\n\nYangon (AFP)\n\nAn unprecedented shutdown of mobile data across swathes of Myanmar's restive Rakhine state entered a third day Sunday, blocking villagers from the internet in areas where the army is accused of abuses in its battle with ethnic rebels.\n\nMyanmar's Ministry of Transport and Communications (MoTC) ordered all mobile phone operators on Friday to suspend internet data in nine townships across Rakhine and neighbouring Chin State.\n\n\"As a basis for its request, the MoTC has referenced disturbances of the peace and internet services to coordinate illegal activities,\" Telenor Myanmar said in a statement.\n\nThe decree was made under the Telecommunications Law, hitting all mobile operators for an unspecified period.\n\nMyanmar's army is fighting ethnic Rakhine rebels who want greater autonomy from the central state. The Rakhine are Buddhists and are also fighting in northern Chin state which borders their homeland.\n\nThe Rakhine accuse the army of committing abuses -- including arbitrary arrests -- against them, while the military confirmed it shot dead six Rakhine detainees in late April.\n\nCivilians have been killed in crossfires and shellings, even while taking refuge in monasteries.\n\nVillagers in Rakhine said the mobile data ban had cut them off from the outside world, where few have personal computers and most people share information on the violence through social media.\n\n\"We have no internet at all. We use the internet to share information through (messaging app) Viber,\" Kyaw Soe Moe, head of Inn Din village in Rathedaung told AFP.\n\nLocal authorities have also been hit by the blanket shutdown.\n\nA police officer in Mrauk U town, home to Rakhine temples but also the seat of ferocious fighting in recent months, said that communication was being hampered.\n\n\"We have to use the phone, SMS and fax to report back to our headquarters. Fighting is still on going here every day,\" the officer who did not want to be named told AFP.\n\nRakhine is also home to the remaining Rohingya Muslim population, many confined to squalid camps.\n\nAround 740,000 of the stateless group were driven into Bangladesh in a 2017 army crackdown.\n\nburs-apj/jv/rox\n\n? 2019 AFP", "YANGON: Myanmar authorities ordered telecoms companies to shut down Internet services in conflict-torn western Myanmar, a leading operator said on Saturday, amid heightening tensions in the region, where government troops are fighting ethnic rebels.\n\nTelenor Group said the Ministry of Transport and Communications directed all telecoms companies to \"temporarily\" suspend Internet services in nine townships in Rakhine and neighbouring Chin states, citing \"disturbances of peace and use of Internet activities to coordinate illegal activities\".\n\nThe shutdown went into effect late on Friday (Jun 21), the statement said.\n\n\"Telenor Myanmar has been asking for further clarification on the rationale for the shutdown and emphasised that freedom of expression through access to telecom services should be maintained for humanitarian purposes,\" the group said.\n\nAt a press conference on Saturday, a military spokesman said the army had no information about the shutdown.\n\n\"We didn't do it. We don't know about that,\" said Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun.\n\nRakhine state came to global attention after about 730,000 Rohingya Muslims crossed into Bangladesh fleeing a military crackdown in response to militant attacks in 2017.\n\nUN investigators have called for senior military officers to be prosecuted over allegations of mass killings, gang rapes and arson. The military denies widespread wrongdoing.\n\nMore recently, civilians have been caught up in clashes between the military and the Arakan Army, an insurgent group that recruits from the mainly Buddhist ethnic Rakhine population and is fighting for greater autonomy for the state.\n\nSince November, the fighting has displaced tens of thousands of people across a large part of central and northern Rakhine and part of neighbouring Chin, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.\n\nMuch of the region is off-limits to journalists and most humanitarian agencies.\n\nTun Ther Sein, a regional lawmaker from Mrauk-U township, in central Rakhine, told Reuters by phone the Internet connection had been slow for two days before disappearing on Friday.\n\n\"People can inform us about what is happening on the ground and also send photos with the help of the Internet,\" he said. \"Now that has been shut down.\"", "YANGON: Myanmar authorities ordered telecoms companies to shut down Internet services in conflict-torn western Myanmar, a leading operator said on Saturday, amid heightening tensions in the region, where government troops are fighting ethnic rebels.\n\nTelenor Group said the Ministry of Transport and Communications directed all telecoms companies to \"temporarily\" suspend Internet services in nine townships in Rakhine and neighbouring Chin states, citing \"disturbances of peace and use of Internet activities to coordinate illegal activities\".\n\nThe shutdown went into effect late on Friday (Jun 21), the statement said.\n\n\"Telenor Myanmar has been asking for further clarification on the rationale for the shutdown and emphasised that freedom of expression through access to telecom services should be maintained for humanitarian purposes,\" the group said.\n\nAt a press conference on Saturday, a military spokesman said the army had no information about the shutdown.\n\n\"We didn't do it. We don't know about that,\" said Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun.\n\nRakhine state came to global attention after about 730,000 Rohingya Muslims crossed into Bangladesh fleeing a military crackdown in response to militant attacks in 2017.\n\nUN investigators have called for senior military officers to be prosecuted over allegations of mass killings, gang rapes and arson. The military denies widespread wrongdoing.\n\nMore recently, civilians have been caught up in clashes between the military and the Arakan Army, an insurgent group that recruits from the mainly Buddhist ethnic Rakhine population and is fighting for greater autonomy for the state.\n\nSince November, the fighting has displaced tens of thousands of people across a large part of central and northern Rakhine and part of neighbouring Chin, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.\n\nMuch of the region is off-limits to journalists and most humanitarian agencies.\n\nTun Ther Sein, a regional lawmaker from Mrauk-U township, in central Rakhine, told Reuters by phone the Internet connection had been slow for two days before disappearing on Friday.\n\n\"People can inform us about what is happening on the ground and also send photos with the help of the Internet,\" he said. \"Now that has been shut down.\"", "YANGON (Reuters) - Myanmar authorities ordered telecoms companies to shut down internet services in conflict-torn western Myanmar, a leading operator said on Saturday, amid heightening tensions in the region, where government troops are fighting ethnic rebels.\n\nTelenor Group said the Ministry of Transport and Communications directed all telecoms companies to “temporarily” suspend internet services in eight townships in Rakhine and neighboring Chin states, citing “disturbances of peace and use of internet activities to coordinate illegal activities”.\n\nThe shutdown went into effect late on Friday, the statement said.\n\n“Telenor Myanmar has been asking for further clarification on the rationale for the shutdown and emphasized that freedom of expression through access to telecom services should be maintained for humanitarian purposes,” the group said.\n\nA spokesman for the transport and communications ministry declined to comment, referring questions to another spokesman who did not answer phone calls.\n\nRakhine state came to global attention after about 730,000 Rohingya Muslims crossed into Bangladesh fleeing a military crackdown in response to militant attacks in 2017.\n\nU.N. investigators have called for senior military officers to be prosecuted over allegations of mass killings, gang rapes and arson. The military denies widespread wrongdoing.\n\nMore recently, civilians have been caught up in clashes between the military and the Arakan Army, an insurgent group that recruits from the mainly Buddhist ethnic Rakhine population and is fighting for greater autonomy for the state.\n\nSince November, the fighting has displaced tens of thousands of people across a large part of central and northern Rakhine and part of neighboring Chin, according to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.\n\nMuch of the region is off-limits to journalists and most humanitarian agencies.\n\nTun Ther Sein, a regional lawmaker from Mrauk-U township, in central Rakhine, told Reuters by phone the internet connection had been slow for two days before disappearing on Friday.\n\n“People can inform us about what is happening on the ground and also send photos with the help of the internet,” he said. “Now that has been shut down.”", "Myanmar authorities have ordered telecoms companies to shut down internet services in conflict-torn Rakhine amid heightening tensions in the region, where government troops are fighting ethnic rebels.\n\nTelenor Group said the Ministry of Transport and Communications directed all telecoms companies to \"temporarily\" suspend internet services in nine townships in Rakhine and neighbouring Chin states, citing \"disturbances of peace and use of internet activities to coordinate illegal activities\".\n\nThe shutdown went into effect late on Friday, the statement said.\n\nThe western Rakhine state came to global attention after about 730,000 Rohingya Muslims crossed into Bangladesh fleeing a military crackdown in response to militant attacks in 2017.\n\nUN investigators have called for senior military officers to be prosecuted over allegations of mass killings, gang rapes and arson.\n\nMore recently, civilians have been caught up in clashes between the military and the Arakan Army, an insurgent group that recruits from the mainly Buddhist ethnic Rakhine population and is fighting for greater state autonomy.\n\nSince November, the fighting has displaced tens of thousands of people across a large part of central and northern Rakhine and part of neighbouring Chin.", "YANGON, June 22 — Myanmar authorities ordered telecoms companies to shut down internet services in conflict-torn western Myanmar, a leading operator said today, amid heightening tensions in the region, where government troops are fighting ethnic rebels.\n\nTelenor Group said the Ministry of Transport and Communications directed all telecoms companies to “temporarily” suspend internet services in nine townships in Rakhine and neighbouring Chin states, citing “disturbances of peace and use of internet activities to coordinate illegal activities”.\n\nAt a press conference today, a military spokesman said the army had no information about the shutdown.\n\n“We didn’t do it. We don’t know about that,” said Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun.\n\nThe shutdown went into effect late on Friday, the Telenor statement said.\n\n“Telenor Myanmar has been asking for further clarification on the rationale for the shutdown and emphasized that freedom of expression through access to telecom services should be maintained for humanitarian purposes,” the group said.\n\nA spokesman for the transport and communications ministry declined to comment, referring questions to another spokesman who did not answer phone calls.\n\nRakhine state came to global attention after about 730,000 Rohingya Muslims crossed into Bangladesh fleeing a military crackdown in response to militant attacks in 2017.\n\nUN investigators have called for senior military officers to be prosecuted over allegations of mass killings, gang rapes and arson. The military denies widespread wrongdoing.\n\nMore recently, civilians have been caught up in clashes between the military and the Arakan Army, an insurgent group that recruits from the mainly Buddhist ethnic Rakhine population and is fighting for greater autonomy for the state.\n\nSince November, the fighting has displaced tens of thousands of people across a large part of central and northern Rakhine and part of neighbouring Chin, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.\n\nMuch of the region is off-limits to journalists and most humanitarian agencies.\n\nTun Ther Sein, a regional lawmaker from Mrauk-U township, in central Rakhine, told Reuters by phone the internet connection had been slow for two days before disappearing on Friday.\n\n“People can inform us about what is happening on the ground and also send photos with the help of the internet,” he said. “Now that has been shut down.” — Reuters"], "summary": "Myanmar's Ministry of Transport and Communications orders mobile phone companies and internet providers to suspend service in nine townships in Rakhine State."}
{"document": ["No survivors in crash on the North Shore of Oahu after plane burst into flames\n\nThis article is more than 2 months old\n\nThis article is more than 2 months old\n\nEleven passengers and crew were killed on Friday evening when their plane crashed near an airfield in Hawaii, authorities said.\n\nThe twin-engine King Air plane, with eleven people onboard, went down soon after take off from Dillingham Airfield, on Oahu’s North Shore, and there were no survivors, the Hawaii Department of Transportation said.\n\n“Upon arrival, we saw the plane fully engulfed in fire,” Honolulu fire chief Manuel Neves told reporters. “The first crews on scene extinguished the fire.”\n\nNeves said the crashed occurred near the perimeter fencing of the small airport.\n\n“They’re quite a ways away from the runway,” he said.\n\nThe plane was used in a sky dive operation, and Neves said some family members of those on board waited at the airport for the plane to return. The debris field was relatively small, about 50ft by 50ft, he said.\n\n“In my 40 years as a firefighter here in Hawaii, this is the most tragic aircraft incident what we’ve had,” he said.\n\nNames, ages and genders of the deceased were not immediately released. Neves said many details were still not known about the flight. He said witnesses had said the plane was inbound to the airport when the crash occurred but that was not confirmed.\n\n", "This post was originally published on this site\n\nU.S. NEWS 9 killed as sky diving plane crashes in Hawaii https://linewsradio.com/9-killed-as-sky-diving-plane-crashes-in-hawaii/ http://abcnewsradioonline.com/national-news/\n\niStock(OAHU, Hawaii) — Nine people were killed when a sky diving plane crashed on the island of Oahu Friday, the deadliest civilian plane accident in the U.S. since 2015.\n\nThe twin-engine King Air plane crashed Friday at about 6:30 p.m. local time and killed everyone on board, according to the Hawaii Department of Transportation.\n\n“With extreme sadness HDOT reports there were 9 souls on board the King Air twin engine plane that went down near Dillingham Airfield with no apparent survivors,” the DOT tweeted.\n\n“There’s nothing left of the plane,” Honolulu Fire Chief Manuel P. Neves told reporters at the airport.\n\nDillingham Airfield is located on the northwest coast of Oahu, the opposite side from the state’s capital of Honolulu. The airfield is used for both military and civilian aircraft.\n\n“I am closely following the tragic developments out of Dillingham Airfield this evening,” Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell said in a tweet. “At this time our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of the victims.”\n\n“There was a fire close to the fence line. We extinguished the fire, so luckily because it was accessible we could get to the fire right away,” Neves said. “We’re collecting information; it was a sky-dive aircraft.”\n\n“We have witnesses that say it was inbound so we’re not sure right now [whether it left the airfield], we’re gathering information,” he added.\n\nThere were family members of those on the plane who were waiting at the airfield, Neves said.\n\n“It is very difficult,” he said. “In my 40 years as a firefighter here in Hawaii, this is the most tragic aircraft incident that we’ve had. We’ve had some helicopters with the military, but this is a civilian plane that went down with that many people on board.”\n\nOne man who was hiking in the area of the airfield said he saw fire trucks, police and helicopters rush to the scene. When he got closer to the scene, he spoke to a couple who saw the plane take off.\n\n“I talked to a couple on my way from the other side [of the airport]; they said they saw the plane, it looks like it was taking off and it looked a little wobbly and that’s the last they could see of it,” eyewitness Jonathan Keating said.\n\nThe crash is the deadliest in the U.S. for a civilian plane since nine people were killed in Akron, Ohio, in November 2015. There have been two more recent military plane crashes with at least as many casualties: a C-130 crash in Georgia in May 2018 that killed nine people and a C-130 crash in Mississippi in July 2017 that killed 16.\n\nSixteen people were also killed in a hot air balloon accident in Texas in July 2016.", "There were no survivors in the crash of the King Air plane near a small airport, Hawaii Department of Transportation spokesman Tim Sakahara said.\n\nHONOLULU — A skydiving plane crashed and burst into flames just after takeoff from a small seaside airfield on the island of Oahu, killing 11 people, officials said Saturday.\n\nAuthorities initially reported that nine people died in the crash Friday evening and that three of them were customers of a skydiving company and six were employees.\n\nBut the Hawaii Department of Transportation tweeted Saturday that officials later “confirmed there were 11 people on board the plane” and no survivors. The twin-engine Beechcraft King Air plane took off from Dillingham Airfield on the north shore of the island.\n\nThe plane turned around after it took off and appeared to be heading back to the airfield when it skimmed over some trees and crashed near the airfield’s perimeter fence, witness Steven Tickemeyer told KHON television news.\n\n“We showed up a couple minutes after, and the whole plane was engulfed in flames,” he said.\n\nThe plane was operated by the Oahu Parachute Center skydiving company and the ratio of employees to customers aboard suggested that tandem jumps may have been planned in which the customers would have jumped while attached to experienced skydivers, Tim Sakahara, a spokesman for the Hawaii Department of Transportation, told reporters.\n\nThe site of the crash was “quite a ways away from the runway” and some family members of those aboard were at the airport when the plane went down at about 6:30 p.m., said Honolulu Police Chief Manuel Neves.\n\n“In my 40 years as a firefighter here in Hawaii, this is the most tragic aircraft incident that we’ve had,” Neves said.\n\nThe plane was engulfed in flames when firefighters made it to the crash site about an hour drive from Honolulu, Neves said. The victims were not identified.\n\nTwo Federal Aviation Administration inspectors went to the crash site Friday and investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board that will investigate the crash were expected to arrive Saturday evening, said safety board spokesman Eric Weiss.\n\nThe plane with two turboprop engines was manufactured in 1967, FAA records said.\n\nThe phone for Oahu Parachute Center went unanswered Saturday.\n\nOn its web site, the company says the jumps that it offers on Hawaii are “a magical experience. There really is no better place in the world to skydive.” Its tandem jumps are listed for prices ranging from $170 to $250.\n\nVideos from the company’s Facebook page show jumps from the same Beechcraft King Air that crashed, with customers strapped to employees and dropping from a side door of the aircraft from 10,000 feet (3,000 meters) or higher, with the Pacific Ocean and the Oahu’s green mountains far below.\n\nDillingham Airfield is used mostly for skydiving and glider flights. Hawaii shares the airfield with the Army, which uses it for helicopter night-vision training.", "A skydiving plane crashed and burst into flames just after takeoff from a small seaside airfield on the island of Oahu, killing 11 people, officials said Saturday.\n\nAuthorities initially reported that nine people died in the crash Friday evening and that three of them were customers of a skydiving company and six were employees.\n\nBut the Hawaii Department of Transportation tweeted Saturday that officials later \"confirmed there were 11 people on board the plane\" and no survivors. The twin-engine Beechcraft King Air plane took off from Dillingham Airfield on the north shore of the island.\n\nThe plane was operated by the Oahu Parachute Center skydiving company and the ratio of employees to customers suggested that tandem jumps may have been planned in which the customers would have jumped while attached to experienced skydivers, Tim Sakahara, a spokesman for the Hawaii Department of Transportation, told reporters.\n\nNeves described the site of the crash near the airport's perimeter as being \"quite a ways away from the runway\" and said that some family members of those aboard were at the airport when the plane went down at about 6:30 p.m.\n\n\"In my 40 years as a firefighter here in Hawaii, this is the most tragic aircraft incident that we've had,\" Neves said.\n\nThe plane was engulfed in flames when firefighters made it to the crash site about an hour drive from Honolulu, Neves said. The victims were not identified.\n\nTwo Federal Aviation Administration inspectors went to the crash site Friday and investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board that will investigate the crash were expected to arrive Saturday evening, said safety board spokesman Eric Weiss.\n\nThe plane with two turboprop engines was manufactured in 1967, FAA records said.\n\nThe phone for Oahu Parachute Center went unanswered Saturday.\n\nOn its web site, the company says the jumps that it offers on Hawaii are \"a magical experience. There really is no better place in the world to skydive.\" Its tandem jumps are listed for prices ranging from $170 to $250.\n\nVideos from the company's Facebook page show jumps from the same Beechcraft King Air that crashed, with customers strapped to employees and dropping from a side door of the aircraft from 10,000 feet (3,000 meters) or higher, with the Pacific Ocean and the Oahu's green mountains far below.\n\nDillingham Airfield is used mostly for skydiving and glider flights. Hawaii shares the airfield with the Army, which uses it for helicopter night-vision training.\n\nSelsky reported from Bend, Oregon. Associated Press writer Caleb Jones in Honolulu and David Koenig in Dallas contributed to this report.", "A small, twin-engine plane used for skydiving crashed in the Hawaiian island of Oahu on Friday, killing all 11 people aboard, authorities said. The Federal Aviation Administration initially believed there were nine people on board but have since revised that number. Names and ages of the victims weren’t immediately released.\n\nThe King Air plane burst into flames upon hitting the ground near the Dillingham Airfield around 6:30 p.m. local time. The airfield will remain closed until further notice, officials said.\n\nAll nine passengers were pronounced dead at the scene, officials said. There were six employees and three customers on the flight, said Tim Sakahara of Hawaii’s Department of Transportation, citing preliminary information. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating.\n\nHonolulu Fire Chief Manuel Neves said family members of those onboard were nearby and likely witnessed the plane go down. “It is very difficult. In my 40 years as a firefighter here in Hawaii, this is the most tragic aircraft incident we’ve had,” Neves said in a news conference.\n\nWitnesses said the plane appeared to have problems during takeoff, noticing that it was unsteady on the runway. “We saw big smoke. We saw a big fire and firemen trying to put it out — crazy,” witness Justin Kepa told CBS affiliate KGMB.\n\nHonolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell said he was closely monitoring developments of the crash. “At this time our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of the victims,” Caldwell tweeted.\n\nThe crash on Friday is considered one of the deadliest in Hawaii’s modern history. In 1981, 11 people were killed when a twin-engine plane crashed into Pearl Harbor. And in 1992, nine people died when a tour aircraft crashed into a mountainous area at Haleakala, KGMB reported, citing FAA records.", "Audrey McAvoy And Andrew Selsky, The Associated Press \n\n \n\n\n\nHONOLULU - - A skydiving plane crashed and burst into flames just outside a small seaside airport on the island of Oahu, killing six employees of the company that operated the flight and three of its customers, officials said.\n\nPreliminary information gathered by the Federal Aviation Administration indicated that the Friday evening crash of the twin-engine Beechcraft King Air plane happened as it took off from Dillingham Airfield on the north shore of the island, FAA spokesman Greg Martin said in a statement Saturday.\n\nSome witnesses reported that the plane crashed as it was inbound to the airport, said Honolulu Fire Chief Manuel Neves, cautioning that those reports had not been confirmed.\n\nThe plane was operated by the Oahu Parachute Center skydiving company and the ratio of employees to customers suggested that tandem jumps may have been planned in which the customers would have jumped while attached to experienced skydivers, Tim Sakahara, a spokesman for the Hawaii Department of Transportation, told reporters.\n\nNeves described the site of the crash near the airport's perimeter as being “quite a ways away from the runway” and said that some family members of those aboard were at the airport when the plane went down at about 6:30 p.m.\n\n“In my 40 years as a firefighter here in Hawaii, this is the most tragic aircraft incident that we've had,” Neves said.\n\nThe plane was engulfed in flames when firefighters made it to the crash site about an hour drive from Honolulu, Neves said. The victims were not identified.\n\nTwo FAA inspectors went to the crash site Friday and investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board that will investigate the crash were expected to arrive Saturday evening, said safety board spokesman Eric Weiss.\n\nThe plane with two turboprop engines was manufactured in 1967, FAA records said.\n\nThe phone for Oahu Parachute Center went unanswered Saturday.\n\nOn its website, the company says the jumps that it offers on Hawaii are “a magical experience. There really is no better place in the world to skydive.” Its tandem jumps are listed for prices ranging from $170 to $250.\n\nVideos from the company's Facebook page show jumps from the same Beechcraft King Air that crashed, with customers strapped to employees and dropping from a side door of the aircraft from 10,000 feet (3,000 metres) or higher, with the Pacific Ocean and the Oahu's green mountains far below.\n\nSelsky reported from Bend, Oregon. Associated Press writer Caleb Jones in Honolulu and David Koenig in Dallas contributed to this report.", "Nine people died in a fiery crash of a small airplane used in a sky dive operation, officials in Hawaii said.\n\nThere were no survivors after the twin engine King Air plane crashed Friday night near Dillingham Airfield, on Oahu’s North Shore, Hawaii Department of Transportation spokesman Tim Sakahara said.\n\n“Upon arrival, we saw the plane fully engulfed in fire,” Honolulu Fire Chief Manuel Neves told reporters on the scene. “The first crews on scene extinguished the fire.”\n\nNeves said the crashed occurred near the perimeter fencing of the small airport. “They’re quite a ways away from the runway,” he said.\n\nThe plane was used in a sky dive operation, and Neves said some family members of those on board waited at the airport for the plane to return.\n\nWATCH: Five foreign tourists killed in plane crash in Honduras\n\nThe debris field was relatively small, about 50 feet (15 meters) by 50 feet (15 meters), he said.\n\n“In my 40 years as a firefighter here in Hawaii, this is the most tragic aircraft incident what we’ve had,” he told reporters at the scene, about an hour’s drive north of Honolulu.\n\nCrews with Honolulu Emergency Services said it assisted with death pronouncements of the nine after receiving the call at 6:26 p.m. local time, agency spokeswoman Shayne Enright said.\n\nREAD MORE: 2 dead after small plane crashes near Whitehorse International Airport\n\nNames, ages and genders of the deceased have not been released.\n\nNeves said many details are still not known about the flight. But he says witnesses have said the plane was inbound to the airport when the crash occurred but that has not been confirmed.\n\nOfficials initially reported that six people had been on board.", "Nine people have been killed after a light aircraft crashed in Hawaii\n\nThere appeared to be no survivors after the twin-engine King Air plane went down near Dillingham Airfield, the Hawaii Department of Transportation said.\n\nThey tweeted: “With extreme sadness HDOT reports there were 9 souls on board the King Air twin engine plane that went down near Dillingham Airfield with no apparent survivors.”\n\nPictures show a plume of smoke rising following the horror crash.\n\nAn official told Hawaii News Now: “Right now, the initial report is that there were nine souls on board. There's no survivors.\"\n\nThe Honolulu Fire Department said they received reports of a plane crash at about 6.30pm yesterday.\n\nThe cause of the crash was not immediately clear.\n\nOfficials earlier reported that six people were on board the plane.", "The Latest: 9 killed when plane used in sky dives crashes\n\nHONOLULU (AP) — The Latest on a fatal plane crash in Hawaii (all times local):\n\nHonolulu's fire chief says the plane that crashed Friday night, killing nine people on board was an aircraft used in a sky dive operation.\n\nFire chief Manuel Neves says there were no survivors in the crash near Dillingham Airfield on Oahu's North Shore. The plane was fully engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived.\n\nHe says some family members stayed at the airport while the flight took off. Names of the victims have not been released.\n\nNeves said many details are still not known about the flight. But he says witnesses have said the plane was inbound to the airport when the crash occurred but that has not been confirmed.\n\nAuthorities in Hawaii are investigating after nine people were killed in a small plane crash.\n\nThe crash occurred Friday evening on the North Shore of Oahu. Officials say there were no survivors in the crash at Dillingham Airfield.\n\nHonolulu Police Chief Manuel Neves said the plane was fully engulfed in flames when crews arrived. The crash was far from the airfield's runway, near perimeter fencing.\n\nOther details of the crash weren't immediately known.\n\nNames of the victims have not been released.", "A skydiving plane crashed after take off from a small airport on the Hawaiian island of Oahu, killing all 11 people on board, officials said Saturday.\n\nThe Hawaii Department of Transportation tweeted that officials \"confirmed there were 11 people on board the plane that went down soon after takeoff from Dillingham Airfield with no survivors.\"\n\nEarlier, authorities had said that nine people were onboard the twin-engine Beechcraft King Air plane when it crashed at about 6:30 p.m. local time (04:30 UTC) on Friday.\n\nThe plane was manufactured in 1967 and operated by Oahu Parachute Center skydiving company.\n\nThose onboard were believed to have been both employees and customers. The company offers tandem skydives in which the customer is attached to the employee.\n\nOn its website, the company encourages customers to \"experience the beauty Hawaii\" from over 10,000 feet (3,000 meters) at 120 mph (193 kph).\n\nEach evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here."], "summary": "A Beechcraft King Air sky diving operation plane crashes near Dillingham Airfield on Oahu, Hawaii, killing all eleven people onboard."}
{"document": ["Facebook users\n\nUse your Facebook account to login or register with JapanToday. By doing so, you will also receive an email inviting you to receive our news alerts.", "The Defense Ministry said on Thursday that Russian bombers had violated southern Japanese airspace, prompting Air Self-Defense Force fighters to scramble and escort the planes out of the area.\n\nTwo Tu-95 bombers entered Japanese airspace near Minamidaito Island in Okinawa Prefecture for about three minutes from around 8:55 a.m. on Thursday, the ministry said.\n\nOne of them re-entered, flying near Hachijo Island in the Izu island chain, south of Tokyo, for around two minutes just past 10:20 a.m., the ministry said, adding that there were no dangerous maneuvers.\n\nThe two bombers were spotted flying southward from the Sea of Japan through the Tsushima Strait between Japan’s southwest and South Korea in the morning, and then later turning north over waters near Okinawa Prefecture, the ministry said.\n\nThe government lodged a “stern protest” with Russia, according to the Japanese Foreign Ministry.\n\nThe Russian Defense Ministry denied a violation had occurred, Russia’s Tass news agency reported, citing the ministry as saying the “flight was carried out in strict compliance with the international rules” and “without any violations of the borders of other states.”\n\nTwo ASDF fighters “escorted” the bombers during parts of the over 14-hour flight of the Russian aircraft, according to the Tass report.\n\nIn September 2015, what appeared to be a Russian aircraft violated northern Japanese airspace off the Nemuro Peninsula on Hokkaido, according to Japan’s Defense Ministry. The area is near Kunashiri Island and the Habomai islet group, two of four Russian-controlled islands that are claimed by Japan.", "June 21 (UPI) -- Russian bombers violated Japanese airspace, prompting a scramble of fighter planes to escort them away, Japan's defense ministry said.\n\nTwo Tu-95 bombers entered Japanese airspace near Minamidaito Island in Okinawa Prefecture on Thursday morning for about three minutes, and one later re-entered the airspace for about two minutes near Hachijo Island in the Izu island chain, the ministry said. It added no dangerous maneuvers were observed.\n\nThe planes were later seen flying southward from the Sea of Japan through the Tsushima Strait between Japan and South Korea in the morning.\n\nA \"stern protest\" against Russia was lodged over the incident, the Japanese Foreign Ministry later said. Russia insisted that the planes did not violate Japan's airspace but flew over international waters during a 14-hour flight.\n\n\"Two strategic bombers Tupolev-95MS of Russia's Aerospace Force flew a routine mission in the airspace over the international waters of the Sea of Japan and the East China and South China seas as well as the western part of the Pacific Ocean,\" the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement on Friday. \"The flight was carried out in strict compliance with the international rules of using international airspace, without any violations of the borders of other states.\"\n\nJapan did not report the number of fighter planes it used to divert the Russian planes.\n\nA report by Japan's Defense Ministry said its fighter jets had scrambled nearly 1,000 times against foreign aircraft approaching Japanese airspace in the year ending on March 31. Over 340 incidents involved Russian aircraft and 638 involved Chinese planes, it said.", "Japan’s Ministry of Defense (MoD) reports that two nuclear-capable Russian Tupolev Tu-95MS strategic bombers have violated the country’s airspace off the Japanese island of Minamidaitō southeast of Okinawa and off Hachijō island in the Philippine Sea on June 20.\n\nAccording to the MoD, a total of three Tu-95MS bombers conducted a long-range patrol along the eastern and western rims of the Japanese archipelago circumventing all major islands — Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu–in the course of the flight.\n\nIt is unclear whether the Russian bombers were accompanied by fighter aircraft during today’s long-range aerial patrol. Given the distance flown it is likely that the Tu-95MSs received midair refueling while on their mission.\n\nJapan Air Self Defense Force (JASDF) reportedly scrambled fighter jets to intercept the Russian military aircraft. In response to the Japanese allegations, the Russian MoD claimed later that there were no border violations during the flight operation.\n\nRussian strategic bombers periodically circumvent the Japanese archipelago during long-range patrols. Russia only resumed regular long-range aerial patrols in East Asia in 2014 following an over a decade-long hiatus that began in the 1990s.\n\nThe Russian MoD usually refers to these flight operations as “routine flights” conducted in “strict accordance with international rules of using airspace, without any violations of the borders of other countries.”\n\nThe last reported violation of Japanese airspace by a Russian military aircraft took place in September 2015 off the South Kuril Islands, located in the Sea of Okhotsk in the Northwest Pacific. The island chain has been subject to a long-standing territorial dispute between Russia and Japan.\n\nThe JASDF conducted 343 scrambles against Russian military aircraft in fiscal year 2018, which ended this March. This constitutes a decline in comparison to fiscal year 2017, when the service scrambled fighter jets to intercept Russian military planes 390 times.\n\nIn February 2019, JASDF fighters intercepted four Tu-95MS strategic bombers and four Sukhoi Su-35S (Flanker-E+) multirole fighter jets flying in two separate formations over the east and west coasts of Japan.\n\nThe last reported JASDF scramble against Russian military took place on May 3 when two Tupolev Tu-142MZ maritime reconnaissance and anti-submarine warfare aircraft, conducting a long-range patrol in the Sea of Japan and East China Sea, were intercepted by Japanese fighter jets.\n\nThe increased Russian operational tempo in East Asia has led to a number of accidents this year.\n\n“A pair of Su-34 fighter-bombers crashed into the Sea of Japan after reportedly colliding with each other off the coast in Russia’s Far East on January 18 (…),” I reported in February of this year.“Additionally, a Russian Air Force Tupolev Tu-22M3 supersonic bomber crashed at Olenegorsk airbase, in Russia’s northwestern region of Murmansk killing three crew members, on January 22.”\n\nThe Tu-95MS is an improved version of the older Tu-95, a Soviet-era four-engine, long-range, turboprop, strategic bomber that can be armed with stand-off missiles including the Kh-101/Kh-102 (nuclear variant) air-launched cruise missile or the Kh-55 subsonic air-launched cruise missile.", "Japanese F-2 and F-15 fighters shadowed Russian Tu-95MS strategic bombers during certain stages of the latter's planned flight over the Pacific Ocean, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Thursday\n\nMOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 20th June, 2019) Japanese F-2 and F-15 fighters shadowed Russian Tu-95MS strategic bombers during certain stages of the latter's planned flight over the Pacific Ocean, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Thursday.\n\nEarlier in the day, Japanese media reported that the a Russian bomber had twice illegally crossed the border of the Japanese airspace.\n\n\"Two Tu-95MS strategic bombers of the Russian Aerospace Forces carried out a planned flight over the neutral waters of the Sea of Japan, East China Sea, South China Sea and western part of the Pacific Ocean .\n\n.. During certain stages of the route the Russian planes were shadowed by Japanese F-2 and F-15 fighters,\" the ministry said in a statement adding that the flight lasted for more than 14 hours.\n\nThe ministry stressed that the flight was carried out in full accordance with international law, and the rules for the use of airspace over neutral waters, without illegal crossing the Japanese airspace borders.", "The Japanese military says its fighter jets were forced to scramble after two Russian military aircraft violated its airspace.\n\nThe Defense Ministry said in a statement on June 20 that two Russian TU-95 bombers approached southern Japanese islands, including Kyushu, from the north before heading north toward the Japanese mainland.\n\nThe ministry said one of the bombers violated Japanese airspace twice over the Daito Islands near Okinawa and near Hachijo Island, south of the capital, Tokyo.\n\nThe two aircraft then flew along northeastern Japan and the island of Hokkaido before returning to Russia, the ministry said.\n\nThe Russian military did not immediately comment on the report.\n\nA recent report by the Japanese ministry said its fighter jets had scrambled nearly 1,000 times against foreign aircraft approaching its airspace in the past fiscal year ending on March 31.\n\nMore than 340 incidents involved Russian aircraft and 638 involved Chinese planes, it said.\n\nU.S., NATO, and Russian militaries regular report incidents of foreign aircraft violating or coming near their airspace, forcing planes to scramble in defense. No shooting incidents have been reported.", "The U.S. Air Force’s newest KC-46A Pegasus air refueling tanker completed testing with Air Force's largest plane, the C-5M Super...", "June 20 (UPI) -- The commander of U.S. Forces Japan told Japan's defense minister during their first meeting since both assumed their current roles that the two nations are facing a \"greater number of challenges\" in the region.\n\nJapan's Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya and Lt. Gen Kevin B. Schneider, the USFJ commander since February, reaffirmed the strength of the U.S.-Japan Alliance \"and the importance of U.S. and Japanese forces working together closely in pursuit of a free and open Indo-Pacific\" during a meeting Wednesday at Yokoto Air Base.\n\nThe two men also spoke to reporters, but didn't take any questions.\n\nIt was Iwaya's first visit to USFJ headquarters since assuming his position in October 2018.\n\nIwaya also visited the headquarters of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force's Air Defense Command, and later had lunch with a group of senior leaders from Air Defense Command and USFJ.\n\nSchneider said the United States is committed to ensuring the readiness of U.S. forces stationed in Japan through rigorous and realistic training and exercises.\n\nBut, he added, \"there are also a greater number of challenges that we both must contend with, which puts greater emphasis on training and readiness and the ability to respond to whatever situations may arise.\"\n\nThe leaders said they discussed ways to further enhance bilateral cooperation despite complex regional security challenges.\n\n\"I believe that Yokota Air Base is well and truly a symbol of our ironclad alliance, hosting some of our key commands like Air Defense Command, USFJ and 5th Air Force,\" Iwaya said. \"I'd like to extend my heartfelt respect for your work as you have been dedicating yourself not only to the peace and stability in this country, but also the region on behalf of U.S. forces.\"\n\nSchneider said that he is \"convinced that the alliance between our two nations has never been stronger.\"\n\nThe nations are strategically aligned, he said, \"which provides great benefits to stability, security and strength, not only for our two nations, but the entire region.\"\n\nSchneider also said he's committed to ensuring the readiness of 54,000 U.S. military personnel stationed in Japan through rigorous and realistic training and exercises.\n\nThe United States and Japan conducted the biennial Keen Sword exercise, which involved 10,000 American personnel and 47,000 Japanese troops, last October and November. The two nations' forces trained in realistic simulations of multiple mission areas to improve response capabilities in crisis situations.\n\nLast January, the Iron Fist 2019 multilateral training event included the certification of Japan's first amphibious assault force.\n\nJapan's military has also become increasingly involved in the protection of U.S. carriers and aircraft since the passage of a law in 2015 that allows Tokyo's self-defense forces to operate overseas.\n\nAn analysis of Japanese military documents shows self-defense force activities involving U.S. warships and aircraft rose steadily beginning in 2017, Tokyo Shimbun reported in March.\n\nJapan's defense budget will grow to $47 billion in fiscal 2019 -- the fifth consecutive year of increases. Japan already has the seventh-largest defense budget in the world, and it's about 1 percent of the gross domestic product. Conversely, China and the United States spend between 2 percent and 3 percent of their gross domestic products annually on defense.\n\nIn January, the U.S. State Department approved Japan's $2.15 billion purchase of two land-based Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense systems.\n\nAnd in April, the State Department approved the sale of anti-ballistic missiles to Japan, including up to 56 SM-3 Block IB interceptor missiles, with missile canisters, technical assistance and support at an estimated cost of $1.150 billion.\n\nIwaya on Monday apologized to Akita Gov. Norihisa Satake for errors in the ministry's geographical survey to select the northeastern prefecture as a candidate for hosting the missile defense system.\n\nNumerical mistakes were found in the elevation angles of mountains in the geographical survey calculated based on map data from Google Earth. Iwaya said the ministry will conduct an on-site survey and possibly utilize experts to correct the figures.", "The Russian Defence Ministry said Thursday that a Russian Tu-95MS tagged Japanese fighters at certain stages of Russia's planned flight over the Pacific Ocean.\n\n\"Two Tu-95MS strategic bombers of the Russian Aerospace Forces carried out a planned flight over the neutral waters of the Sea of Japan, East China Sea, South China Sea and western part of the Pacific Ocean ... During certain stages of the route the Russian planes were shadowed by Japanese F-2 and F-15 fighters,\" the ministry said in a statement adding that the flight lasted for more than 14 hours.\n\nThe ministry stressed that the flight was carried out in full accordance with international law, and the rules for the use of airspace over neutral waters, without illegal crossing the Japanese airspace borders.\n\nThe NHK broadcaster reported Thursday that fighters of the Japan Self-Defence Forces took off to shadow the Russian plane, which had allegedly entered Japan's airspace.\n\nThe incidents occurred near Okinawa and the island of Hachijo-jima in the southern part of Japan, the Kyodo news agency reported.\n\nRussian strategic and long-range aircraft regularly carry out flights over the Arctic region, Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean and the Black Sea. The Russian Defenсe Ministry has repeatedly said that all flights of Russian military aircraft are carried out in full accordance with international law, and the rules for the use of airspace over neutral waters.", "A general-purpose Ground Self-Defense Force helicopter made a crash landing Friday at Tachikawa Air Base in western Tokyo, breaking off the tail in the process, officials said.\n\nThe UH1J helicopter was coming in to land when the pilot lost control at around 10 a.m., according to the Ground Self-Defense Force. At least two people were aboard but there were no injuries, officials said.\n\nDespite the severity of the accident, no fire broke out."], "summary": "Japan's Defense Ministry says Russian Air Force bombers violated southern Japanese airspace, prompting Japan Air Self-Defense Force fighters to scramble and escort the planes out of the area."}
{"document": ["Saudi Arabia 'wants to avoid war with Iran at all costs'\n\nSaudi Arabia 'wants to avoid war with Iran at all costs'\n\nSaudi Arabia's foreign minister has told Sky News his country wants to avoid war with Iran at all costs.\n\nAdel Al-Jubeir denied suggestions by Iran that Saudi Arabia was trying to provoke a war.\n\nHe said: \"That is ridiculous. We have made it clear and so has the US. The escalation has come from the Iranian side with their aggressive behaviour.\n\n\"We are trying to avoid a war at all costs. We are consulting with our friends and allies to see what options and steps can be taken.\n\n\"Iran has to understand that its aggressive behaviour cannot be sustained.\"\n\nAdvertisement\n\nSaudi foreign minister - full interview\n\nHe said that tougher sanctions on Iran could be implemented and added: \"The burden is on Iran to reduce its aggression and act like a normal country.\"\n\nThe US was considering a response to an Iranian missile strike that brought down a US Navy drone over the Strait of Hormuz which Iran has threatened to close.\n\nMr Al Jubeir said: \"Closing the Strait of Hormuz is going to generate a very, very strong reaction.\n\n\"When you interfere with international shipping it has an impact on the supply of energy, it has an impact on the price of oil which has an impact on the world economy.\"\n\nDonald Trump has warned that Iran has made a \"very big mistake\" after its military shot down a US surveillance drone.\n\nThe downing of the drone came a day after Washington announced it was sending another 1,000 troops to the Middle East in response to what it described as \"hostile behaviour\" by Iranian forces.\n\nThe US has blamed Iran for attacks on tankers and cargo ships in the Gulf of Oman and Strait of Hormuz, a major transit route for global oil supplies.\n\nOn Wednesday the US navy released pictures of pieces of mines recovered after the attacks which it said \"strikingly\" resemble those belonging to Iran.\n\nOfficials showed debris and a magnet recovered, they said, from the tanker Kokuka Courageous to reporters at the US navy's 5th Fleet base near Fujairah, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).\n\nIran's Revolutionary Guard left them behind when they removed an unexploded limpet mine after the attack, the officials claimed.\n\nTehran has denied any involvement.\n\nTensions between the two countries have increased since Mr Trump last year withdrew America from the 2015 international nuclear deal and reimposed sanctions on Iran.", "Saudi Arabia 'wants to avoid war with Iran at all costs'\n\nSaudi Arabia 'wants to avoid war with Iran at all costs'\n\nSaudi foreign minister Adel al-Jubeir has told Sky News the Saudi government wanted to 'avoid war at all costs' with Iran\n\nSaudi Arabia's foreign minister has told Sky News his country wants to avoid war with Iran at all costs.\n\nAdel Al-Jubeir denied suggestions by Iran that Saudi Arabia was trying to provoke a war with Iran.\n\nHe said: \"That is ridiculous. We have made it clear and so has the US. The escalation has come from the Iranian side with their aggressive behaviour.\n\n\"We are trying to avoid a war at all costs. We are consulting with our friends and allies to see what options and steps can be taken.\n\n\"Iran has to understand that its aggressive behaviour cannot be sustained.\"", "Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel al-Jubeir said on Thursday that the international community is determined to push back against “aggressive” behavior of Iran, adding that Saudi Arabia does not want war with Iran.", "Saudi Arabia’s minister of state for foreign affairs says it is determined to push back against what it considers the aggressive behaviour of its regional rival, Iran, According to Bbc.com.\n\nAdel al-Jubeir told the BBC’s Lyse Doucet that the kingdom was consulting with allies to see what steps could be taken and was trying to “send a message very clearly to the Iranians that this behaviour is not acceptable and must stop”.\n\nIran has denied that it was behind suspected mine attacks last week on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman, as well as a missile strike on a Saudi airport claimed by Yemen’s rebel Houthi movement.", "LONDON, June 20 (Reuters) - Iran has created a grave situation and jeopardised global oil supplies with its aggressive behaviour, Saudi Arabia's minister of state for foreign affairs said on Thursday, adding that the kingdom was consulting with allies on next steps.\n\nThe United States and Saudi Arabia are among countries that have blamed Iran for attacks on oil tankers near the Strait of Hormuz, a major transit route for global oil supplies. Tehran has denied involvement.\n\n\"I think the situation is very grave because of the aggressive behaviour of Iran,\" Adel al-Jubeir told reporters in London.\n\n\"When you interfere with international shipping it has an impact on the supply of energy, it has an impact on the price of oil which has an impact on the world economy. It essentially affects almost every person on the globe.\" (Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge; writing by Alistair Smout; editing by Stephen Addison)", "The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia does not seek a military confrontation with Iran, but is committed to work with its allies to stop Iran's \"aggressive\" behaviour, Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir has said.\n\n\"I think the situation is very grave because of the aggressive behaviour of Iran,\" al-Jubeir said, speaking to reporters in London on Thursday.\n\n\"When you interfere with international shipping, it has an impact on the supply of energy, it has an impact on the price of il whcih has an impact on the world economy. It essentially affects almost every person on the globe,\" the foreign minister said, reiterating Riyadh's previous charges about Iranian involvement in the tanker attacks.\n\nAl-Jubeir challenged claims made by the Iranian side and by others that some other power was trying to drag the US into a war with Iran.\n\nThe diplomat also reiterated that Riyadh and its allies were still contemplating \"various options\" regarding how to respond to Iran. He warned that any attempt to close the Strait of Hormuz would generate a \"very, very strong reaction.\" Iranian officials have previously warned that the strategic strait, through which an estimated one third of the world's seaborne oil supplies are transported, might be closed in the event of aggression against Tehran.\n\nTensions in the Middle East escalated again last week following an attack on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman on June 13. The United States, Saudi Arabia, and other powers almost immediately blamed Iran for the attacks. Tehran has vehimently denied the claims. Last week, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said that US claims didn't contain \"a shred of factual or [even] circumstantial evidence,\" and alleged that the tanker incident was an attempt by the US and its Saudi, Emirati and Israeli allies to engage in \"sabotage diplomacy\" to \"cover up its economic terrorism against Iran.\"\n\nLast week's incident was the second alleged sabotage attack in a month. On May 12, four tankers, including two Saudi ships, one Emirati vessel and one Norwegian tanker, were hit in similar attacks off the coast of the UAE. The US and its allies blamed those attacks on Iran, as well.\n\nRelations between Saudi Arabia and Iran have been rocky for decades. The regional powers, informally seen as the leaders of the Sunni and Shia sects of Islam, respectively, have accused one another of waging proxy wars in countries across the region, from Yemen to Syria. In 2016, Riyadh severed all diplomatic ties to Tehran after Iranian activists attacked Saudi diplomatic missions in the Islamic Republic in protest of Saudi authorities' decision to execute a prominent Saudi Shiite cleric.", "Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies have expressed grave concerns over the recent string of sabotage attacks on oil tankers off the UAE coast and the Gulf of Oman, and accused Iran of involvement in the attacks.\n\nTehran has vehemently denied the claims, and accused the US and its allies of escalating the crisis in the region.\n\nThe Kingdom of Saudi Arabia does not seek a military confrontation with Iran, but is committed to working with its allies to stop Iran’s “aggressive” behavior, Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir has said.\n\n“I think the situation is very grave because of the aggressive behavior of Iran,” al-Jubeir said, speaking to reporters in London on Thursday.\n\n“When you interfere with international shipping, it has an impact on the supply of energy, it has an impact on the price of oil which has an impact on the world economy. It essentially affects almost every person on the globe,” the foreign minister said, reiterating Riyadh’s previous charges about Iranian involvement in the tanker attacks.\n\n\n\n After a major oil pipeline in Saudi Arabia was struck by armed drones, war with Iran now seems possible. Alex explains that, because war with Iran may lead to terror attacks on U.S. soil, President Trump must make the right decision for the American people.\n\nAl-Jubeir challenged claims made by the Iranian side and by others that some other power was trying to drag the US into a war with Iran, suggesting this was a ‘ridiculous’ assertion to make.\n\nThe diplomat also reiterated that Riyadh and its allies were still contemplating “various options” regarding how to respond to Iran in protecting regional waterways. He warned that any attempt to close the Strait of Hormuz would generate a “very, very strong reaction.” Iranian officials have previously warned that the strategic strait, through which an estimated one-third of the world’s seaborne oil supplies are transported, might be closed in the event of aggression against Tehran.\n\nTensions in the Middle East escalated again last week following an attack on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman on 13 June. The United States, Saudi Arabia, and other powers almost immediately blamed Iran for the attacks. Tehran has vehemently denied the claims. Last week, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said that US claims didn’t contain “a shred of factual or [even] circumstantial evidence,” and alleged that the tanker incident was an attempt by the US and its Saudi, Emirati and Israeli allies to engage in “sabotage diplomacy” to “cover up its economic terrorism against Iran.”\n\nLast week’s incident was the second alleged sabotage attack in a month. On 12 May, four tankers, including two Saudi ships, one Emirati vessel and one Norwegian tanker, were hit in similar attacks off the coast of the UAE. The US and its allies blamed those attacks on Iran, as well.\n\nRelations between Saudi Arabia and Iran have been rocky for decades. The regional powers, seen as the leaders of the Sunni and Shia sects of Islam, respectively, have accused one another of waging proxy wars in countries across the region, from Yemen to Syria. In 2016, Riyadh severed all diplomatic ties to Tehran after Iranian activists attacked Saudi diplomatic missions in the Islamic Republic in protest of Saudi authorities’ decision to execute a prominent Saudi Shiite cleric.\n\n\n\n Footage released by the US reveals what appear to be Iranian ships removing a mine from the side of one of the oil tankers in the middle of the night. Matt Bracken joins Alex to break down exactly why he believes the mine was produced by the Iranian government.", "LONDON: Halting weapons sales to Saudi Arabia will only benefit Iran, Adel Al-Jubeir said Wednesday, after the British government announced it would suspend issuing new licenses for the sale of arms to the Kingdom.\n\nThe UK’s International Trade Secretary Liam Fox announced the decision in parliament after a court ordered the government to “reconsider” the sales because of their humanitarian impact in Yemen.\n\nFox said he disagreed with the judgement and would seek permission to appeal.\n\nMinister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel Al-Jubeir said the deployment of weapons in Yemen was legitimate.\n\n“The decision by the court in the UK has to do with procedures for licensing, not any wrongdoing that took place,” Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel Al-Jubeir told reporters in London.\n\n“The coalition is an ally of the West and the coalition is fighting a legitimate war at the behest of a legitimate government to stop Iran and its proxies from taking over a strategically important country - so the only beneficiary of a cut-off of weapons to the coalition is going to be Iran.”\n\nThe court ruling does not halt Britain's arms exports but means the granting of new licences will be paused.\n\nLeading British defence firm BAE Systems said it would continue to support the UK government “in providing equipment, support and training under government to government agreements between the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia.”\n\nSaudi Arabia is part of the Arab coalition fighting to support the internationally recognized government in Yemen which was driven from the capital Sanaa in 2014 by Iran-backed militants.\n\nSaudi Arabia accounted for 43 percent of Britain's global arms sales in the past decade, Reuters reported.\n\nThe legal action against the British government was brought by the Campaign Against the Arms Trade.\n\nMeanwhilw, a State Department official said the US must stand with Saudi Arabia as a key security partner, when asked about the Thursday's court ruling in the UK.\n\n Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs Clarke Cooper said both the US and Britain had long-standing bilateral ties to Saudi Arabia.\n\n \"They are carrying a significant amount of equity to protect US interests and US persons, and it is incumbent upon us to stand shoulder to shoulder with our partners, especially when they are on the front line for our interests,\" he said."], "summary": "Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia Adel Al-Jubeir says Iran \"has to understand that its aggressive behaviour cannot be sustained\" and that his country is \"trying to avoid a war at all costs\"."}
{"document": ["Donald Trump approved but then scrapped strikes against Iranian targets on Thursday, according to reports, after Iran shot down a US drone in what the president termed a \"big mistake.\"The US was planning to hit \"a handful of Iranian targets, like radar and missile batteries\" on Thursday …Read more via The Telegraph – http://bit.ly/2J2rOAb Get more World News", "President Donald Trump said Friday that he called off an attack on Iran just as the US was \"cocked & loaded\" to strike because he decided there would be too many deaths for a proportionate response to the downing of a US drone earlier this week.\n\n\"We were cocked & loaded to retaliate last night on 3 different sights (sic) when I asked, how many will die. 150 people, sir, was the answer from a General,\" Trump tweeted. \"10 minutes before the strike I stopped it.\"\n\nCausing so many casualties, Trump tweeted, would not have been \"proportionate to shooting down an unmanned drone.\"\n\nTrump added that he is in \"no hurry,\" touted the US military as \"by far the best in the world\" and said he had imposed new sanctions against Iran \"last night.\"\n\nIt was unclear what sanctions Trump was referring to. CNN has reached out to the Treasury Department and National Security Council for comment. It's also unclear why the President only learned of the casualty estimates after he had first ordered the attack and minutes before the US strikes were to hit their targets.\n\nThe US has been in a standoff with Iran, with US military or diplomatic responses having the potential to provoke further escalation from Tehran. Iran's downing of the drone earlier Thursday has left the President caught between Republicans demanding a response and congressional Democrats warning that Trump -- and the Iran policy hardliners on his national security staff, who welcome the confrontation -- could lose control of the situation and lead the US into war.\n\nThe US military targets were a limited set of Iranian radars and missile batteries, said a US official with direct knowledge of the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the information. No US weapons had been launched when the decision was made to call off the strikes, which were first reported by The New York Times.\n\nMilitary and diplomatic officials were expecting a strike as late as 7 p.m. ET on Thursday after intense debate among Trump's top national security officials and congressional leaders at the White House, multiple senior administration officials involved in or briefed on the deliberations told the Times. The strike had been scheduled for just before dawn on Friday in Iran to minimize the risk to civilians and the Iranian military, and military officials received word shortly after then that the strike was off, at least temporarily, the Times reported.\n\nOn Friday, Seyed Abbas Mousavi, a spokesman for Iran's Foreign Ministry said his country \"responds to diplomacy with diplomacy, respect with respect, and to war with decisive defense.\"\n\nEarlier Thursday, before the reports surfaced, a senior White House official told CNN that Trump and national security adviser John Bolton were engaged in an ongoing debate about how to handle Iran.\n\nTrump had moved to ease tensions with Tehran by striking a starkly different tone from Bolton and other senior security aides. Calling the shootdown \"a new wrinkle, a new fly in the ointment,\" Trump told reporters in the Oval Office he finds it \"hard to believe it was intentional.\"\n\nEarlier in the day, Trump had tweeted that \"Iran made a very big mistake!\" as he and his national security officials huddled to weigh possible responses. Some lawmakers called for restraint and others warned Iran should prepare for \"severe pain.\"\n\nRetired Army Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling, a CNN military analyst, told CNN's Don Lemon Thursday on \"CNN Tonight\" that disagreement within the administration about whether to attack is not unusual for a White House.\n\n\"That's something that occurs at any strategic decision level,\" Hertling said, \"when you're mitigating risk or you're attempting to understand what the risk might be based on the processes of war gaming and determining what your objectives are.\"\n\nThe US claims the drone was in international airspace over the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most vital shipping routes, while Iran says the drone was over its territory.\n\nIran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps on Friday released the first images of what it says are pieces of the drone, state media outlet IRIB reported.\n\nAmir Ali Hajizadeh, the commander of the aerospace force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, said some parts of the downed American drone were recovered from Iranian territorial waters near the Kooh Mubarak area, Iran's Tasnim news agency reports. He said the drone was issued a final warning 10 minutes before it was downed.\n\nEarlier Thursday, the Federal Aviation Administration issued a notice that it was prohibiting US flights over the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman due to rising tensions. Airlines that operate flights in the region said Friday that they would adjust their operations.\n\nReports of the aborted attack drew swift reaction from Democrats angling to challenge Trump in 2020.\n\nDemocratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts tweeted that \"there is no justification\" for escalating tensions with Iran.\n\n\"Donald Trump promised to bring our troops home. Instead he has pulled out of a deal that was working and instigated another unnecessary conflict,\" she wrote. \"There is no justification for further escalating this crisis -- we need to step back from the brink of war.\"\n\nRep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, an Iraq War veteran, tweeted that war with Iran is \"HIGHLY likely unless Trump swallows his pride & returns to the Iran nuclear agreement he tore up,\" referring to the Obama-era pact.", "President Donald Trump on Friday reacted on Twitter to reports that he ordered a military strike on Iran for shooting down an American drone, but then reversed his decision after the plan was underway, saying he called off the attack with just 10 minutes to spare because he was concerned about potential casualties.\n\nInterested in Iran? Add Iran as an interest to stay up to date on the latest Iran news, video, and analysis from ABC News. Add Interest\n\nIn a series of tweets, he said, \"We were cocked & loaded to retaliate last night on 3 different sights when I asked, how many will die. 150 people, sir, was the answer from a General. 10 minutes before the strike I stopped it, not ... proportionate to shooting down an unmanned drone. I am in no hurry, our Military is rebuilt, new, and ready to go, by far the best in the world. Sanctions are biting & more added last night. Iran can NEVER have Nuclear Weapons, not against the USA, and not against the WORLD!\"\n\n....proportionate to shooting down an unmanned drone. I am in no hurry, our Military is rebuilt, new, and ready to go, by far the best in the world. Sanctions are biting & more added last night. Iran can NEVER have Nuclear Weapons, not against the USA, and not against the WORLD! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 21, 2019\n\nSources told ABC News the reversal Thursday night was against the advice of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and National Security Adviser John Bolton.\n\nThe plan and reversal was first reported by The New York Times.\n\nA senior level administration source briefed on the plan says it would have escalated the situation quickly had it been carried out. Officials feared the attack could have caused hundreds of civilian casualties.\n\nTrump elaborated on his decision in an excerpt of an interview with NBC News' Chuck Todd that aired Friday afternoon.\n\nTrump said \"nothing was green-lighted until the very end because things change\" and that he never gave a final warning.\n\nHe said planes were not yet in the air but as the plan got close to needing final approval -- \"to a point you would not turn back, you could not turn back\" -- he said he was asked: “Sir, we are ready to go, we would like a decision.”\n\n\"And I said, “I want to know something before you go. How many people would be killed, in this case Iranians?” he told Todd.\n\nWhen told approximately 150 could die, Trump said he thought, \"I didn't like it. I didn't think it was proportionate.\"\n\nAP Photo/Evan Vucci\n\nHouse Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Friday, answering a reporter's question, said she had not been informed of the impending strike.\n\nJ. Scott Applewhite/AP\n\nLater, in a statement, she said, \"We are in an extremely dangerous and sensitive situation with Iran. We must calibrate a response that de-escalates and advances American interests, and we must be clear as to what those interests are.\n\n\"During our meeting with the President at the White House, Congressional Leaders stressed the necessity that we work with our allies and not strengthen the hand of Iran's hardliners. Democratic Leaders emphasized that hostilities must not be initiated without the approval of Congress,\" Pelosi said.\n\nSenate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer was not informed, either, a source said.\n\nIran shot down a U.S. drone early Thursday, claiming it had flown into the country's airspace. The U.S. government claims it was operating in international airspace.\n\nAP\n\nOn Friday, Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency reported that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ aerospace commander, Brig. Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, had told reporters that while Iran was intercepting the drone it shot down Thursday, there was an American P-8 spy plane flying nearby with 35 crew members on board that also violated Iran’s airspace. He said they could have shot it down, too, but did not.\n\nOn Thursday, Trump called the decision to shoot down the drone a \"mistake\" made by somebody in Iran he labeled \"loose and stupid\" when speaking to reporters following a discussion with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.\n\nThe comments came following a morning meeting with his top national security advisers over the downing of what the U.S. military said was an unarmed and unmanned U.S. RQ-4A Global Hawk drone flying over the Gulf of Oman near the Strait of Hormuz.\n\nShortly before, Trump had tweeted that \"Iran made a very big mistake\" after a top Iranian commander warned Iran was \"ready for war.\"\n\nTop politicians from the Senate and House, including Pelosi and Schumer, met with administration officials about the downed drone Thursday afternoon.\n\n\"The president may not intend to go to war here, but we're worried that he and the administration may bumble into a war,\" Schumer said.\n\nPelosi called it a \"dangerous situation\" and cautioned the president that the U.S. \"cannot be reckless in what we do.\"\n\nGen. Hossein Salami, commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, offered a strongly worded threat to the U.S. after the drone was downed.\n\n\"Shooting down the American spy drone had a clear, decisive, firm and accurate message,\" he said, translated from Farsi. \"The message is that the guardians of the borders of Islamic Iran will decisively respond to the violation of any stranger to this land. The only solution for the enemies is to respect the territorial integrity and national interests of Iran.\"\n\nThe United States called for closed consultations at the U.N. Security Council on Monday to discuss \"the situation in the Middle East,\" a UNSC diplomat confirmed to ABC News. A second diplomat said they will specifically discuss Iran.\n\nABC News' Luis Martinez, Elizabeth McLaughlin, Somaye Malekian, John Parkinson, Mariam Khan and Conor Finnegan contributed to this report.", "President Donald Trump has said “Iran made a very big mistake” in shooting down a US drone, increasing tensions and talk of possible open conflict.\n\nIran and its proxies have been pushing back against the Trump administration’s “maximum pressure” campaign, raising fears that a miscalculation could trigger armed conflict.\n\nIran has been blamed by the US for recent attacks on other nations’ shipping vessels, but the downing of the huge drone was the first direct Iranian assault against the United States.\n\nAmerican and Iranian officials are disputing the circumstances of the incident.\n\nIran’s Revolutionary Guard said it shot the drone down over Iranian airspace.\n\nThe US military is calling the downing an “unprovoked attack” and said it occurred over international airspace in the Strait of Hormuz.\n\nA senior US military official said Iran shot the unmanned aircraft down over international waters in an attempt to disrupt American efforts to monitor the Persian Gulf area.\n\nAir Force Lieutenant General Joseph Guastella said the downing of the drone followed recent threats to international shipping commerce in the region that the US had blamed on Iran.\n\nThe commander of US Central Command air forces in the region disputed Iranian claims that the drone was over Iranian air space.\n\nHe told reporters on Thursday that the aircraft was at high altitude and at least 34 kilometres from Iranian territory when it was shot over the Gulf of Oman.\n\nMeanwhile, Mr Trump later sought to play down Iran’s actions, saying it might have been a mistake executed by someone just being “loose and stupid”.\n\nMr Trump told reporters that the downing of the drone was a “new wrinkle” in escalating tensions between the US and Iran, a “fly in the ointment”.\n\nHe was coy about whether the US would respond, saying only that “you’ll find out”.\n\nHe said he had a feeling that it was a mistake, that a “general or somebody” made a mistake in shooting the drone down.\n\nBut he added that Iran had made a “big mistake” and that the US “will not stand for it”.\n\nMr Trump’s words appear to signal that there may not be an immediate US response to the incident.\n\nThe president has said repeatedly that the US does not want war in the Middle East, yet members of Congress reacted quickly with that possibility as background.\n\nThe Senate’s top Democrat called the downing of the American drone “deeply concerning” and accused the administration of not having an Iran strategy and keeping Congress and the American people in the dark.\n\n“The president needs to explain to the American people why he’s driving us toward another endless conflict in the Middle East,” Senator Chuck Schumer said.\n\nHouse Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she did not think Mr Trump wanted war with Iran and the American people had “no appetite” for it either.\n\nShe said the US needed to be “strong and strategic” about protecting its interests and “cannot be reckless”.\n\nRepublican Senator Lindsey Graham called Iran a “murderous regime” and blamed Tehran for the current tension.\n\nMr Graham, who spoke with Mr Trump by telephone on Thursday morning, said the Iranians had rebuffed the president’s willingness to negotiate by refusing to respond to a letter from Mr Trump recently hand-delivered by Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe.\n\n“Not only did the Iranians give a provocative oral response, but they also attacked a Japanese oil tanker at the same time,” Mr Graham said, referring to the attack on Kokuka Courageous, a Japanese tanker carrying Saudi methanol that was travelling in the Gulf of Oman.\n\nIn recent weeks, the US has sent an aircraft carrier to the Middle East and deployed additional troops alongside the tens of thousands already in the region.\n\nWhite House press secretary Sarah Sanders said Mr Trump was briefed Wednesday night and again Thursday morning about the new incident.\n\nShe said the administration would also keep in touch with lawmakers on Capitol Hill who have demanded briefings on the US conflict with Iran.", "Trump says Iran made 'big mistake' in downing US drone\n\nWASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump declared Thursday that \"Iran made a very big mistake\" in shooting down a U.S. drone, increasing tensions and talk of possible open conflict in a test of wills over America's pullout from an international nuclear agreement and its economic sanctions that are crippling Tehran's economy.\n\nIran and its proxies have been pushing back against the Trump administration's \"maximum pressure\" campaign, raising fears that a miscalculation could trigger armed conflict. Iran has been blamed by the U.S. for recent attacks on other nations' shipping vessels, but the downing of the huge drone was the first direct Iranian assault against the United States.\n\nAmerican and Iranian officials are disputing the circumstances of the incident. Iran's Revolutionary Guard said it shot down the drone over Iranian airspace . The U.S. military is calling the downing an \"unprovoked attack\" and said it occurred over international airspace in the Strait of Hormuz.\n\nTrump has said repeatedly that the U.S. does not want war in the Mideast, yet members of Congress reacted quickly with that possibility as background.\n\nThe Senate's top Democrat called the downing of the American drone \"deeply concerning\" and accused the administration of not having an Iran strategy and keeping Congress and the American people in the dark.\n\n\"The president needs to explain to the American people why he's driving us toward another endless conflict in the Middle East,\" said Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York.\n\nHouse Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she doesn't think Trump wants war with Iran and the American people have \"no appetite\" for it either.\n\nShe said the U.S. needs to be \"strong and strategic\" about protecting its interests and \"cannot be reckless.\"\n\nTalking tougher, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina called Iran a \"murderous regime\" and blamed Tehran for the current tension. Graham, who spoke with Trump by telephone Thursday morning, said the Iranians have rebuffed the president's willingness to negotiate by refusing to respond to a letter from Trump that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe recently hand-delivered.\n\n\"Not only did the Iranians give a provocative oral response, but they also attacked a Japanese oil tanker at the same time,\" Graham said, referring to the attack on Kokuka Courageous, a Japanese tanker carrying Saudi methanol that was traveling in the Gulf of Oman. Iran has denied involvement.\n\nAs for the possibility of Iran developing nuclear weapons, Graham said it's imperative that the U.S. clearly tell the Iranians that any attempt to increase uranium enrichment will be seen as a \"hostile act against the United States and our allies in Israel and will not go unanswered.\" Graham added that if a U.S. military response is necessary, it should be focused on Iranian naval assets and oil refineries, which are the economic lifeblood of the country.\n\nIran has quadrupled its production of low-enriched uranium and threatened to boost its enrichment closer to weapons-grade levels, trying to pressure Europe for new terms to the 2015 nuclear deal that Iran struck with the U.S. and other world powers.\n\nIn recent weeks, the U.S. has sped an aircraft carrier to the Mideast and deployed additional troops alongside the tens of thousands already in the region. From Yemen, the Houthis have launched bomb-laden drones into neighboring Saudi Arabia. The administration insists those steps were taken as a deterrent to intelligence reports of Iranian plots to attack the U.S. and its allies in the region.\n\nWhite House press secretary Sarah Sanders said Trump was briefed Wednesday night and again Thursday morning about the new incident. She said the administration also would keep in touch with lawmakers on Capitol Hill where lawmakers have demanded briefings on the U.S. conflict with Iran.", "US President Donald Trump reportedly approved a missile strike on Iran but changed his mind while the planes were in the air.\n\nTrump allegedly made the decision following an intense meeting at the White House involving national security top brass. It was made in response to Iran shooting down a US done on Thursday. However, Trump was said to have backed down on the decision following advice from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and John Bolton, according to sources. At this stage, it is not yet known why the president reversed the action.\n\nIt comes just a day after Trump launched his reelection campaign in Florida. During a speech at the event, he warned that Iran had made 'a very big mistake' by shooting down the drone. When asked by a reporter if he planned a retaliatory strike against Iran, Trump said: \"You'll soon find out\". At a subsequent press conference, the 45th President of the United States again addressed the issue, saying that he did not believe Iran's actions were intentional.\n\nThe averted strike was in response to the downing of the surveillance RQ-4 Global Hawk which Iran says was flying in its airspace - a claim the US denied. Tensions have been rising between the two states since Trump's administration accused Tehran of attacking tankers in the Gulf last week. The Revolutionary Guard said: \"It was shot down when it entered Iran's airspace near the Kouhmobarak district in the south.\" Brigadier General Hossein Salami, commander in chief of the Revolutionary Guards, warned against any further aggression and claimed the drone's downing carried a \"clear message\" to Iran's arch-enemy - the US.\n\nHe added: \"We do not intend to engage in war with any country, but we are completely ready for the war.\" The US military said the drone was shot down 17 miles from Iran. Navy Captain Bill Urban, a spokesman for the US military's Central Command, claimed no US aircraft were flying over Iran. He said: \"Iranian reports that the aircraft was over Iran are false. This was an unprovoked attack on a US surveillance asset in international airspace.\"", "DUBAI (REUTERS) – Iranian officials told Reuters on Friday (June 21) that Teheran had received a message from US President Donald Trump through Oman overnight warning that a US attack on Iran was imminent.\n\nThey spoke shortly after the New York Times reported that Trump had approved military strikes against Iran on Friday in retaliation for the downing of a US surveillance drone, but called off the attacks at the last minute.\n\n“In his message, Trump said he was against any war with Iran and wanted to talk to Teheran about various issues...He gave a short period of time to get our response but Iran’s immediate response was that it is up to Supreme Leader (Ayatollah Ali) Khamenei to decide about this issue,” one of the officials told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.\n\nA second Iranian official said: “We made it clear that the leader is against any talks, but the message will be conveyed to him to make a decision...However, we told the Omani official that any attack against Iran will have regional and international consequences.”\n\nIranian state television on Friday showed what it said were retrieved sections of the US military drone it brought down. Amirali Hajizadeh, head of the Revolutionary Guards aerospace division, said on the programme that the debris was proof that the drone had been over Iranian territorial waters when it was shot down by the Guards.\n\nThe Fars news agency said on Friday Iran has told the United States via the Swiss ambassador that Washington will be responsible for the consequences of any military action against Iran.\n\nBecause Washington and Teheran have no formal diplomatic ties, the Swiss ambassador in Teheran represents American interests in the Islamic Republic. The Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported that Iran’s foreign ministry, which summoned the ambassador, had told the envoy that Iran was not pursuing war with the United States.\n\nAfter weeks of rising tension amid a spate of attacks on oil tankers in the Gulf, Iran said on Thursday it had shot down an unmanned US military surveillance drone, fanning fears of an overt military confrontation between the longtime adversaries.\n\nThe New Times quoted a senior administration official as saying, US warplanes took to the air and ships were put in position for a retaliatory attack only for an order to come to stand down, without any weapons being fired.\n\nTargets had included Iranian radar and missile batteries, the paper cited senior administration officials involved in, or briefed on, the deliberations, as saying.\n\nThe strikes were set for early in the day to minimise risk to the Iranian military or to civilians, the Times added.\n\nIt was unclear if attacks on Iran might go ahead later, it added, nor was it known whether Trump had changed his mind or whether his administration had become concerned about logistics or strategy.", "The planes were ready — their deadly cargo poised for delivery within a half-hour.\n\nUS President Donald Trump had been given a series of options Thursday night on how to respond to Iran’s downing of an unmanned American surveillance drone. Senior military advisers zeroed in on a plan to launch strikes on a trio of sites within Iran, and it was up to Trump to give the final go-ahead.\n\nIf the planes took off, Trump later recounted to NBC, they would soon be at “a point where you wouldn’t turn back or couldn’t turn back.”\n\nTrump’s decision point came at the culmination of a tense 24 hours inside the West Wing after the drone went down.\n\nHow would he make his decision? “My gut,” he told legislators.\n\nWhen the military officers came looking for the president’s final go-ahead, Trump said he had one last question.\n\n“‘I want to know something before you go,’“ Trump recounted. “‘How many people will be killed?’“\n\nThis account is based on information from more than a dozen legislators, congressional aides, administration officials and others, some of whom spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.\n\nHours earlier, a model of a proposed new Air Force One was perched on the coffee table in the Oval Office. Its Trump-designed red, white and blue color scheme glistened under the Oval Office lights.\n\nSeated behind the plane were Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, whose visit to Washington on Thursday to discuss trade and tariffs was suddenly upstaged by the rising tensions in the Middle East. With reporters peppering Trump with a cacophony of questions about how he would respond to Tehran, the president took a moment to extoll the virtues of the new presidential plane. “It’s going to be terrific,” he declared.\n\nBut what to do about Iran?\n\n“You’ll find out. You’ll find out,” Trump said. “They made a very big mistake.”\n\nThe president, who had just come from a briefing on the incident, seemed to telegraph what he had learned, declaring, “I find it hard to believe it was intentional, if you want to know the truth.”\n\n“I think that it could have been somebody who was loose and stupid that did it.”\n\nOver a year earlier, Trump had defied most of the United States’ allies by pulling out of the Iran nuclear deal and strengthening sanctions on the regime, choking the Iranian economy and pushing Tehran to escalate tensions. Trudeau, who largely looked on in silence while Trump fielded questions, used his brief remarks to highlight the need for close coordination among nations.\n\n“We look forward to discussing with our closest ally — their perspectives on this — and how we can move forward as an international community,” the Canadian prime minister said.\n\nTrump, for his part, made no mention of alliances.\n\nTrudeau’s meeting later that afternoon with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was abruptly cancelled when McConnell was summoned to the White House for a briefing on Iran.\n\nBut there was a glaring omission on the invitation list for briefing top congressional leaders and national security committee chairmen.\n\nThe heads of the House and Senate foreign relations committees were quickly added once the White House was reminded the panels have jurisdiction over the War Powers Act, according to a congressional aide familiar with the situation.\n\nOnce assembled, the lawmakers around the table made their case, one by one. Trump seemed eager to hear their opinions, even those of House Democrats who have launched a slew of investigations into the president.\n\n“These conflicts have a way of escalating,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer told the president. Even if Trump didn’t intend to go to war, Schumer said, he could “bumble” into one.\n\nThe legislators saw “a commander in chief who struggled with the issue,” said Republican Sen. Jim Risch of Idaho, the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee. “It was painful for him.”\n\nDemocrats made the case for caution, for partnering with allies, for taking a breath to de-escalate, as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi would put it later. Intelligence Committee Chairman Rep. Adam Schiff told the administration it could not continue to rely on the war authorizations approved by Congress after the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks.\n\nWhite House reporters and photographers trained their eyes on a West Wing side door where the legislators would emerge, looking for any clues to what had transpired. When the legislators did turn up, there was a perplexing image: Schumer pumped his arms skyward in a celebratory “raise the roof” gesture while Pelosi cheerfully clapped.\n\nHad the Democrats talked the president out of war? Had some sort of deal been struck?\n\nNeither. It turned out Schumer had just relayed the happy news that his elderly mother had been released from the hospital.\n\n“We left with the idea the president was going to consider some options,” Pelosi said.\n\nTelevisions across the White House were tuned, as usual, to Fox News. Tucker Carlson’s image flickered on the screen as he made his case earlier in the week against going to war with Iran.\n\nCarlson was making a similar case to Trump in private, according to a White House official and a Republican close to the West Wing.\n\nTrump had been soliciting a wide array of opinions about Iran after a pair of tankers were damaged a week earlier near the Strait of Hormuz, an incident U.S. officials blamed on the Iranians. The president was growing frustrated with his national security adviser John Bolton’s advocacy for a strike, the officials said.\n\nThe attack on the drone put the military option on the table.\n\nBut when Trump asked his question Thursday about how many Iranians could die in the strikes, the answer gave him pause. He was told 150 Iranian lives were at stake.\n\n“I thought about it for a second,” Trump told NBC, “and I said: ‘You know what? They shot down an unmanned drone, plane, whatever you want to call it. And here we are sitting with 150 dead people that would have taken place probably within a half an hour after I said go ahead.’ And I didn’t like it. I didn’t think, I didn’t think it was proportionate.”\n\nThe president, long opposed to being drawn into a military conflict in the Middle East and in particular with an unpredictable foe like Iran, played up the drama of the moment. He tweeted Friday morning that the military had been “cocked and loaded” and that the weaponry was only 10 minutes away from being deployed.\n\nAs the day went on, a sense of normalcy returned to the White House.\n\nOn Friday afternoon, lawmakers filtered into the White House south lawn for the annual congressional picnic — just steps away from the windowless, basement Situation Room where security officials had debated what could come next.\n\nRisch’s prediction: “There’s going to be something more proportional, obviously, and I suspect it’s going to be not kinetic action.”", "WASHINGTON/DUBAI (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump approved military strikes against Iran on Friday in retaliation for the downing of a U.S. surveillance drone, but called off the attacks at the last minute, the New York Times reported.\n\nAfter weeks of rising tension amid a spate of attacks on oil tankers in the Gulf, Iran said on Thursday it had shot down an unmanned U.S. military surveillance drone, fanning fears of an overt military confrontation between the longtime adversaries.\n\nIn response, the New York Times quoted a senior administration official as saying U.S. warplanes took to the air and ships were put in position for a retaliatory attack only for an order to come to stand down, without any weapons being fired.\n\nTargets had included Iranian radar and missile batteries, the paper cited senior administration officials involved in, or briefed on, the deliberations, as saying.\n\nThe strikes were set for early in the day to minimize risk to the Iranian military or to civilians, the Times added.\n\nIt was unclear if attacks on Iran might go ahead later, it added, nor was it known whether Trump had changed his mind or whether his administration had become concerned about logistics or strategy.\n\nTehran said the unarmed Global Hawk surveillance drone was on a spy mission over its territory, but Washington said it was shot down over international airspace in the Strait of Hormuz.\n\nTrump said initially the downing of the drone could have been carried out by someone who was acting “loose and stupid,” adding that he suspected it was shot down by mistake.\n\n“We had nobody in the drone. It would have made a big difference, let me tell you, it would have made a big, big difference” if the aircraft had been piloted, Trump said as he met Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in the Oval Office.\n\nThe destruction of the drone compounded tensions escalating in the Gulf region, a critical artery for global oil supplies, where six oil tankers have been damaged by explosions in the past six weeks.\n\nIran has denied involvement in the tanker attacks, but global jitters about a new Middle East conflagration disrupting oil exports have triggered a jump in crude prices.\n\nSaudi Arabia, Washington’s main Gulf ally, said Iran had created a grave situation with its “aggressive behavior” and the kingdom was consulting other Gulf Arab states on next steps.\n\nTensions with Iran flared with Trump’s withdrawal last year from a 2015 nuclear accord with Iran, and have worsened as Washington imposed fresh sanctions to throttle Tehran’s vital oil trade. Iran retaliated earlier this week with a threat to breach limits on its nuclear activities imposed by the deal.\n\nThe U.S. sanctions have hammered Iran’s economy, scuttling its oil exports and barring it from the dollar-dominated global finance system. That has undone the promise of trade rewards from the 2015 deal designed to curb its nuclear ambitions.\n\nIranian state media said the “spy” drone was brought down over the southern Iranian province of Hormozgan, which is on the Gulf, with a locally made 3 Khordad missile.\n\nLieutenant General Joseph Guastella, the top U.S. Air Force commander in the Middle East, told reporters the drone was shot down at high altitude about 34 km (21 miles) from the nearest point of land on the Iranian coast.\n\nU.S. Central Command later posted a tweet here that included a map of what Guastella called the drone's flight path showing it WAS outside Iran's territorial waters. \"This was an unprovoked attack on a U.S. surveillance asset that had not violated Iranian airspace at any time,\" he added.\n\nIndependent confirmation of the drone’s location when it was brought down was not immediately available.\n\nThe Trump administration is pursuing a campaign to isolate Iran and press it towards concessions on its nuclear and missile programs and involvement in regional conflicts.\n\nWashington said on Monday it would deploy about 1,000 more troops, along with Patriot missiles and manned and unmanned surveillance aircraft, to the Middle East on top of a 1,500-troop increase announced after attacks on Gulf tankers in May.\n\nTrump has dispatched forces including aircraft carriers, B-52 bombers and troops over the past few weeks. Iran said last week it was responsible for the security of the Strait of Hormuz, calling on American forces to leave the Gulf.\n\nIn the United States, House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the top Democrat in Congress, said Washington had no appetite for war with Iran and should “do everything in our power to de-escalate.”\n\nAfter a White House briefing for lawmakers, Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, told reporters he was worried Trump “may bumble into a war”. Schumer said he and his fellow Democrats believed congressional approval was needed to fund any conflict with Iran.\n\nBut Trump’s fellow Republican, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, told reporters: “The administration is engaged in what I called measured responses.”\n\nWhile U.S. rhetoric against Iran has sharped, European states - fellow signatories of the nuclear deal with Iran - have been more cautious, saying more evidence is needed to pinpoint responsibility for the tanker strikes.\n\nThey have sought to keep the nuclear deal alive despite the U.S. pullout, but Tehran has told them and other world powers who signed the accord that they must rein in Trump’s aggressive stance towards Iran or it too will bow out of the deal.", "WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump declared Thursday that \"Iran made a very big mistake\" in shooting down a U.S. drone.\n\nWhite House press secretary Sarah Sanders says Trump was briefed Wednesday night and again Thursday morning about the incident. She says the administration also will keep in touch with lawmakers on Capitol Hill.\n\nTrump made his comment on Twitter in midmorning.\n\nAmerican and Iranian officials are disputing the circumstances of the incident.\n\nIran's Revolutionary Guard said it shot down the drone over Iranian airspace. The U.S. military is calling the downing an \"unprovoked attack\" and said it occurred over international airspace in the Strait of Hormuz."], "summary": "Trump administration officials say that President Donald Trump ordered the United States Armed Forces to conduct military strikes against targets of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran in retaliation for downing an American surveillance drone the day prior, and that he changed his mind hours later and ordered an immediate stop to the operation while American warplanes were in the air and warships were in position."}
{"document": ["", "June 21 (UPI) -- Thousands of Iranian Americans rallied outside the U.S. State Department and White House in Washington, D.C., on Friday to push for a regime change and increased sanctions on Tehran.\n\nThe event, organized by the Organization of Iranian American Communities, included appearances by former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, former Vice Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army Gen. Jack Keane, former Sen. Robert Torricelli, D-N.J., and Adam Ereli, former deputy spokesman for the State Department ambassador.\n\nMaryam Rajavi, president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, spoke from Europe by video feed. She presented a 10-point plan to push democracy in Iran.\n\n\"Yes, the disgraceful demonization campaign against the Iranian Resistance in the pro-appeasement media seeks to perpetuate the narrative that the people of Iran are better off with the theocratic rule of the mullahs; There is no alternative, and don't even think or talk about it,\" she said.\n\n\"Their conclusion is: The religious fascism must be appeased and there are no other options.\"\n\nIn addition for increased sanctions on the Iranian regime, demonstrators called for the United States to designate the Ministry of Intelligence and Security as a foreign terrorist organization.", "Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings.\n\nEscalating tensions between Tehran and Washington have rattled Sarah Sakha, 23, an Iranian American who recently graduated from college in the U.S. and got a job at a nonprofit in New York.\n\nShe fears for the safety of relatives and friends in Iran, and worries that few Americans recognize the perils of another military conflict in the Mideast and about what she describes as \"Iraq 2.0.\"\n\nAlarmed by the flurry of news alerts, she has broken down crying at work.\n\n\"The constant emotional stress and terror I feel as a first-generation Iranian American is undeniable,\" Sakha said. \"I think it's especially terrifying how things can change overnight, literally.\"\n\nSakha is among nearly 500,000 people in the U.S. of Iranian ancestry, many of whom are closely following developments as Washington and Tehran head toward a possible clash.\n\nPresident Donald Trump on Friday said the U.S. was \"cocked and loaded\" to retaliate against Iran for downing a U.S. surveillance drone. But he said he called off the strike minutes before it was set to launch when he heard 150 civilians could die, he said.\n\nIn an interview with NBC News' Chuck Todd on Friday, Trump said a plan was \"ready to go subject my approval.\"\n\nAs the crisis mounts, several Iranian American civic organizations and advocacy groups are on high alert, with some calling for the U.S. and Iranian governments to exercise caution before the situation spirals into violence.\n\nThe National Iranian American Council, a Washington-based group that advocates for improved relations between the two countries, pleaded for \"restraint.\"\n\n\"Both Trump and his inner circle and Iran’s leadership should recognize that the U.S. and Iran have entered an escalation spiral. Adding fuel to the fire risks stoking this crisis to the point of no return,\" Jamal Abdi, the group's president, said in a statement.\n\n\"The night is always darkest before the dawn. We urge all leaders to put their countries’ best interests in mind and firmly step away from the path to war,\" Abdi added.\n\nThe American Iranian Council, a public policy group that focuses on diplomacy surrounding Iran, released a similar statement this week, faulting both the U.S. and Iran for stoking tensions.\n\n\"AIC calls on both countries to immediately cease their aggressive and escalating rhetoric,\" the group said in a statement.\n\nIt was not immediately clear whether any major Iranian American advocacy groups planned to organize aid to families in Iran, many of whom have been separated from loved ones in the U.S. by the Trump administration's travel ban or struggled under tough economic sanctions on their country.\n\nDealing with the icy relationship between the U.S. and Iran is nothing new for many Iranian Americans. They saw the nuclear accords under President Barack Obama give way to more openly hostile rhetoric from Trump, who has accused the Iranian regime of doing \"bad, bad things.*\n\nAli Ghambari, founder of the Iranian American Community Alliance, a Seattle-based nonprofit, said he would not be surprised if American groups provided financial assistance to Iranian nationals during a hypothetical conflict.\n\nGhambari, 60, who has lived in the U.S. since 1979, said he was grateful that Trump was \"not moving fast\" on a standoff with Iran. He added that he would prefer a diplomatic resolution.\n\nBut not all Iranian Americans were averse to the U.S. taking a hard line against Iran.\n\nAt a gathering in front of the White House on Friday, dozens of Iranian Americans rallied for regime change in Tehran, with some calling for the overthrow of the ruling government.\n\nAhmad, an Iranian-American man who did not want to provide his full name because of concerns about his family's safety, said he blamed the Iranian regime for the deaths of his brothers, including one he says was tortured in state prison.\n\nHe said he did not expect that will be a war. But the U.S., he added, will \"have to take firm action.\"", "Reparations for African-Americans And Native Americans — How to Do", "No to Reparations for African-Americans", "Thousands of Iranian-Americans took to the streets of Washington, DC, on Friday to march and voice their support for those seeking regime change in Iran, an issue that past presidential administrations have seemed to avoid.\n\nThe bi-partisan Free Iran Rally, which began at the U.S. State Department and concluded outside of the White House, was run by the Organization of Iranian American Communities – USA and featured many prominent political voices.\n\nProminent speakers at the event included retired four-star general and former Vice Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army General Jack Keane, former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, former Sen. Robert Torricelli, California Republican Congressman Tom McClintock, and Democrat California Congressman Brad Sherman.\n\nThe rally attendees were also addressed by a pre-recorded message from Maryam Rajavi, the president-elect of the National Council of Resistance to Iran.\n\n“When the mullahs are not held accountable and do not pay a price for their actions, they become more emboldened and intensify their belligerence,” Rajavi stated in her address. “Launching Katyusha missiles in Mosul and Basra and the missile attack against a U.S. drone are very telling examples of this fact.”\n\nAs he took to the stage, Gen. Keane commended the Trump administration’s ability to “put Iran on notice.”\n\n“2018 was a major turning point for Iran. The U.S. pulled out of the nuclear deal and for the first time in 39 years, put Iran on notice,” Keane stated as he addressed the crowd. “Using proxies must stop. Building ballistic missiles must stop. Spreading terrorism must stop. And you must stop repressing your people.”\n\n“The U.S. has imposed the toughest sanctions against the Iranian regime in 39 years,” Keane continued. “The U.S. designated the IRGC as a terrorist organization … Iran’s economy is in recession. The currency is devaluing. Unemployment is skyrocketing. There’s a food shortage. And the people of Iran are correctly blaming the mullahs.”\n\nHe added, “There has never been a time when an American president has been so committed to fundamental change in Iran.”\n\nKeane went on to list some of the regime’s terroristic behavior towards U.S. troops in the Middle East.\n\nBoth United States Reps. McClintock and Sherman offered their support for regime change in Iran.\n\n“As the tyranny of the mullahs has become more extreme, the international resistance has become more resolute,” McClintock said. “Iran has been oppressed and plundered by a gang of thugs who have appointed themselves as the rulers of the country. Their claim to power is illegitimate and their time is approaching. Their desperation is showing at home and abroad.”\n\nSherman stated that the fight for regime change would be a chapter “written by Iranians.”\n\n“We stand in solidarity with brave Iranians who are fighting for a new chapter in the history of this great nation. This chapter will be written by Iranians,” Sherman explained. “This regime may be on its last legs. It is acting with desperation to distract people from its corruption.”\n\nIn his speech, former New Jersey Sen. Robert Torricelli claimed that mullahs cannot be changed.\n\n“Terrorists don’t reform,” Torricelli stated firmly. “The reality is the mullahs will never change, they will develop nuclear weapons, they will spread terror. We need regime change and we need it now.”\n\nFormer Gov. Bill Richardson commended the organizations fighting for regime change and highlighted the struggles they face around the world.\n\n“We need a new regime, and that regime is you, the MEK, the NCRI, the alternative,” Richardson said. “It’s a strong organization, with a lot of confidence and commitment and leadership abilities.”\n\nHe added, “You take risks. The MEK takes risks, being targeted in Europe, in America, for freedom, for democracy.”\n\nAlso in attendance for the rally were Iranian-American youth, who showed their support for the Mujahedin Khalq (MEK).\n\n“We are the voices of the Iranian youth being silenced by the Iranian regime. We will not be silenced. The Iranian regime is the only country in the world that continues to execute children,” said Sadaf Mirzai. “We stand with the leader of the Iranian Resistance Massoud Rajavi, who has inspired my generation.”\n\nIn an interview with Breitbart News, Delaram Ahmady, a young Iranian-American whose father was imprisoned in Iran for seven years due to his support for the MEK, discussed how regime change is need.\n\nAfter her father was released from prison, Ahmady says her father faced “constant harassment,” and he eventually decided to move his family to America.\n\nAhmady, who considers herself “lucky” to have escaped from the regime, also discussed the recent executions of her father’s cellmates and said she has a “responsibility” to “show solidarity with the people of Iran.”\n\n“The chances of regime change, I think, are definitely growing as the years go on,” Ahmady said in regards to Iran. “The youth are becoming more empowered, they’re becoming more organized.”\n\nAfter the speeches concluded, the Iranian-Americans in attendance began their march to the White House. Along the path, chants of “Down with terrorist regime in Iran” and “Rajavi yes, mullahs no; they are terrorists, they must go” could be heard ringing from the streets.\n\nPowerful signage at the event included phrases like “STOP Executions in Iran” and “Designate Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.”\n\nWrongful executions, which have drastically grown over the years, have been a focal point for many of those seeking regime change in Iran."], "summary": "Iranian Americans protest outside the State Department as tensions increase."}
{"document": ["U.S. President Donald Trump and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman are seen during the G20 summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina November 30, 2018. REUTERS/Marcos Brindicci\n\nWASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump spoke on Friday to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman about Middle East stability and the oil market, the White House said, after tensions with Iran prompted a rise in oil prices.\n\n“The two leaders discussed Saudi Arabia’s critical role in ensuring stability in the Middle East and in the global oil market. They also discussed the threat posed by the Iranian regime’s escalatory behavior,” White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said in a statement.\n\nThe phone call took place in the wake of Iran’s shooting down of an unmanned U.S. drone in the Gulf region, which prompted Trump to prepare but ultimately hold back from launching a retaliatory attack.\n\nThere was no word from the White House statement on whether Trump raised with the crown prince the death last October of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.\n\nA 100-page report by the U.N. special rapporteur on extrajudicial executions, Agnes Callamard, earlier this week accused Saudi Arabia of a “deliberate, premeditated execution” and said the crown prince should be investigated for it.", "During the Iran hostage crisis, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini famously proclaimed, “America can’t do a damn thing against us.”\n\nForty years later, tensions between the longtime enemies are flaring again — but when it comes to oil markets, now it’s Iran whose options are limited.\n\nThe rapid pace of escalation over the past couple of weeks, culminating in an Iranian drone shootdown and President Donald Trump’s last-minute reversal of a military strike order, means uncertainty is high.\n\nBut Iran experts and market analysts said the Islamic Republic was acting out of desperation to try to gain leverage — and that any major attempt to disrupt the flow of oil would likely last just days or weeks before incurring massive retaliation.\n\nOil prices have hopped up over the past couple of days, with Brent crude, a key benchmark, rising past $65 per barrel. But that’s short of their springtime highs.\n\nThat’s the good news for Trump, whose comments suggest he is acutely aware of the historic link between presidential approval ratings and the price of gasoline at the pump.\n\nHere’s the bad news: One major reason oil isn’t surging over the recent Iran tensions is the concern in the markets about U.S.-China trade tensions and the possibility of a global economic downturn, which sent prices plunging in May.\n\nSeveral recent incidents have spooked the industry: Explosions damaged six oil tankers, for which the U.S. blamed Iran. Rocket strikes near ExxonMobil staff housing in Iraq injured three. And last month, the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen attacked a major Saudi oil pipeline.\n\n“They’re lashing out,” said Phil Flynn, a senior market analyst at Price Futures Group. “I think they’re desperate. I think they’re angry.”\n\nBut doing something bigger, like closing the narrow Strait of Hormuz, which accounts for one-fifth of petroleum liquids consumption worldwide? That would probably backfire on Iran, experts said, provoking a major response and uniting the world in opposition even if it were able to inflict short-term pain.\n\n“It wouldn’t be Armageddon. It wouldn’t be irreparable harm” for the rest of the world, said Eugene Gholz, an associate professor of political science at Notre Dame who focuses on military and oil capabilities in the strait. “That one good shot would be annoying. It wouldn’t be catastrophe.”\n\nChoking off the Strait of Hormuz, or staging a major attack or cyberattack on an oil facility, would certainly disrupt crucial oil supplies. The U.S. and others might have to redirect Gulf oil through other pipelines, or tap the Energy Department’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve, to make up for the shortfall.\n\nMore likely, experts said, is that Iran and the U.S. try to de-escalate or that Iran continues small-scale, asymmetrical attacks under the cover of plausible deniability.\n\nIran has been trying to rattle the U.S. from a position of serious economic harm thanks to the Trump administration’s maximum pressure campaign.\n\n“They’re trying to get a repositioning on the state of negotiations, because they are boxed in,” said Frank Verrastro, a senior vice president at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.\n\nIran’s end goals may include gaining better leverage, projecting strength to its people, and demonstrating that the U.S. can’t play with fire without getting burned. It could also be trying to plug the oil-dependent holes in the national budget after oil prices’ recent tumble.\n\nTrump’s decision last month to end all waivers to sanctions on Iranian oil aimed to slash its exports to zero — after the initial round of sanctions had already sliced exports by close to 2 million barrels a day.\n\nCompounding Iran’s financial troubles is the steep discount at which it has to sell its oil these days. “If they feel that they’re getting cheated because they’re not getting the full amount for their oil because of the sanctions, then one way to address that is to raise the price of oil,” said Michael Rubin, a resident scholar at the conservative American Enterprise Institute.\n\nAnother reason the price of oil hasn’t skyrocketed, as Trump suggested in a recent interview, is the emergence of the U.S. as a major shale producer.\n\n“We have made tremendous progress in the last two and a half years in energy, and when the pipelines get built, we’re now an exporter of energy,” he told Time magazine this week. “So we’re not in the position that we were in, that we used to be in, in the Middle East.”\n\nThe U.S. surpassed Russia and Saudi Arabia last year to become the No. 1 crude producer in the world, and it’s expected to pump more than 8.5 million barrels of shale output a day by next month.\n\nBut some experts warned that oil markets may not have factored in enough risk of a major future escalation — such as Iran killing a U.S. service member or seriously ramping up its nuclear activity.\n\n“There are many people in the market who say, ‘We always have Middle East tension, everybody’s always warring and yet it doesn’t materialize,’” said Helima Croft, global head of commodity strategy at RBC Capital Markets. “They can’t differentiate why it’s different this time.”\n\nDamaging Iranian attacks on the flow of oil could yet lay in wait, and they have already increased shipping costs.\n\nBut as prices remain well below $70 or $80 a barrel, Iran is looking weaker as a market disruptor, said Amy Myers Jaffe, director of the program for energy security and climate change at the Council on Foreign Relations.\n\n“The United States is in a much stronger position. Less countries care about what happens in Iran’s energy sector. No one’s relying on their gas. They’re basically isolated,” she said. “We’ve demonstrated both to the Iranians and globally that maybe they’re not as important as they think.\"", "Oil prices spiked on Thursday after Iran shot down a U.S. drone over the vital oil shipping lane, the Strait of Hormuz, in the latest escalation of the U.S.-Iran standoff in the Middle East that increased concerns about a possible military confrontation.\n\nOil prices were rising by some 4 percent earlier on Thursday after news of the downed drone broke, but oil further spiked, with the U.S. benchmark WTI Crude jumping 6 percent, after U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted “Iran made a very big mistake!”\n\nAs of 12:22 p.m. EDT on Thursday, WTI Crude was soaring 5.47 percent at $56.92, while Brent Crude was surging by 4.09 percent at $64.35.\n\nEarly on Thursday, the price of oil jumped after Iran said that its Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) shot down a “US-made Global Hawk spy drone” on its southern coast near the vital oil chokepoint, the Strait of Hormuz. Later in the day, the IRGC said that it shot down the drone after “the unmanned aircraft was targeted after violating Iran’s airspace over the Southern coasts,” Iran’s Fars news agency reports.\n\nThe United States confirmed that its drone was shot down, with the U.S. Central Command saying that it “can confirm that a U.S. Navy Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (or BAMS-D) ISR aircraft was shot down by an Iranian surface-to-air missile system while operating in international airspace over the Strait of Hormuz at approximately 11:35 p.m. GMT on June 19, 2019.”\n\nThe latest incident comes after the U.S. blamed Iran for the attacks on two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman near the Strait of Hormuz last week.\n\nOn Thursday, oil prices spiked on the latest escalation of tension, while a dovish Fed signaling rate cuts ahead boosted equity markets and hit the U.S. dollar, which in turn propped up commodities, including oil.\n• None How To Buy Gold For $3 An Ounce", "U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Tuesday, June 11, 2019.\n\nPresident Donald Trump said Saturday that his administration was moving forward with additional sanctions on Iran and he would discuss tensions between the U.S. and the Islamic Republic at Camp David with his advisors this weekend.\n\n\"We are moving forward with additional sanctions on Iran,\" Trump told reporters as he was departing for Camp David. \"They're going on slowly and in some cases pretty rapidly.\"\n\nTrump's comments come after he called off strikes against the Islamic Republic over concerns that a military response would kill scores of people.\n\n\"We want to be proportionate,\" Trump told reporters Saturday.\n\nLongstanding tensions between the U.S. and Iran have reached a boiling point in recent weeks with the two countries nearly coming to blows.\n\nIran shot down a U.S. military surveillance drone with a surface-to-air missile, one week after two oil tankers were rocked by explosions in the Gulf of Oman near the Strait of Hormuz, the world's busiest sea lane for oil shipments.\n\nTehran said the surveillance drone had violated its airspace, while the U.S. claimed the unmanned aircraft was operating in international airspace. Washington has also blamed Iran for the attacks on the two oil tankers, a charge Tehran strongly denies.\n\n\n\n \"This is not about the straits,\" Trump said, referring to the Strait of Hormuz. \"This is about Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.\"\n\n\n\nTrump last year pulled out of an international agreement, negotiated by the Obama administration, that limited Iran's nuclear program. His administration has slapped expansive sanctions back on Iran in an attempt to force the Islamic Republic to make greater concessions.", "is an act of war\n\nIran is pushing US President Donald Trump to the edge of the abyss, raising the level of tensions to new heights in the Middle East. After the sabotage of four tankers at al-Fujairah and the attack on the Aramco pipeline a month ago, and last week's attack on two tankers in the Gulf of Oman, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC - now categorized by the USA as a terrorist body) yesterday shot down a US Navy drone , sending two clear messages.; the embarrassing attack came a week after Trump launched his electoral campaign.According to well-informed sources, Iran rejected a proposal by US intelligence - made via a third party - that Trump be allowed to bomb one, two or three clear objectives,, so that both countries could appear to come out as winners and Trump could save face. Iran categorically rejected the offer and sent its reply:Furthermore, Iran would love to see Trump fail to win a second term, and will do everything to help oust him from the White House at the end of his mandate in 2020.Moreover,Iran's allies have increased their level of readiness and alert to the highest level; they will participate in the war from the moment it begins if necessary.Sources confirmed that, in case of war,, not by targeting tankers but by hitting the sources of oil in every single Middle Eastern country,Trump is trying to find a way out and calm tensions, stopping short of doing anything to ease the sanctions on Iran. It was the US President who triggered the current crisis by revoking the JCPOA nuclear deal at Benjamin Netanyahu's request.This is why Iran refused to go along with a scenario which would make Trump look like a winner by bombing locations in Iran, claiming he had destroyed the exact locations from which the missile was fired against his drone.Trump seems oblivious of the fact that economic embargo; by unilaterally blocking the export of Iranian oil and so crippling Iran's economy, Trump has already declared war on Iran.In response to the latest incidents, the US sent only limited reinforcements to the Middle East last week. According to sources, these forces were composed of several drone teams and a strike force capable of intervening in case of future attacks on oil tankers. The downing of the drone was Iran's message to the US that nothing is off limits: all gloves are off.The US media claim that President Trump approved military strikes against Iran but revoked the order hours later. What actually happened - according to the source - is the following:Iran was informed in advance by a third party of a proposal by US intelligence that Iran selects one or two or three empty locations for the US to bomb. This was intended to make everyone happy by saving face for all concerned. Iran refused to play along with this charade, which was ultimately designed to save face for Trump.Iran also does not want war,. As long as Iran is blocked from selling its oil, Iran and Trump will continue their danse macabre on the edge of the abyss.Iran's economy is under attack by Trump's embargo on Iranian oil exports. Trump refuses to lift the embargo and wants to negotiate first. Trump, unlike Israel and the hawks in his administration, is trying to avoid a shooting war. Netanyahu has reiterated his desire for war with Iran -- and is meeting with his Arab allies to help bring it about. As Ha'aretz described Netanyahu's Iran dilemma last month, the goal is to get Trump to go to war without putting Israel on the front line.It is Trump's desire to avoid war that makes him susceptible to Iranian pressure. Trump will be in an even more critical position domestically if Iranian missiles target Middle Eastern oil.Sources acknowledge that the future is uncertain and potentially very dangerous for the region and the global economy, since Iran will definitely not stop in its plans to halt all oil tanker navigation if its own oil cannot be exported.Iran and the US are already at war economically.Otherwise, there may be no escape from a regional and global catastrophe.", "U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday he aborted a military strike to retaliate for Iran's downing of an unmanned U.S. drone because it could have killed 150 people, and signaled he was open to talks with Tehran.\n\nAn Iranian surface-to-air missile destroyed a U.S. Global Hawk surveillance drone on Thursday. Tehran said the drone was shot down over its territory and Washington said it occurred in international airspace over the Strait of Hormuz.\n\nThe incident aggravated fears of a direct military clash between the longtime foes. Oil futures rose more than 1% to above $65 per barrel on Friday over worries about possible disruptions to crude exports from the Gulf.\n\nTrump's decision to cancel what he said was a planned attack on three sites suggests he wants a diplomatic solution to end weeks of festering tensions with Iran, which Washington accuses of a spate of attacks on oil tankers in the Gulf region.\n\n\"I'm not looking for war, and if there is, it'll be obliteration like you've never seen before. But I'm not looking to do that,\" Trump told NBC News in an interview aired on Friday night.\n\nIranian sources told Reuters that Trump had warned Tehran via Oman that a U.S. attack was imminent, but had said he was against war and wanted talks. Washington also requested a closed-door U.N. Security Council meeting on Monday.\n\nThe State Department denied the Reuters report. \"Reports that a message was passed last night to the Iranians via an Omani back channel are completely false. These reports are pure Iranian propoganda,\" department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said on Twitter.\n\nIn a series of early-morning tweets, Trump said he was in no hurry to launch a strike and that U.S. economic sanctions designed to force Iran to curb its nuclear and missile programs and its involvement in regional wars were having an effect.\n\n\"We were cocked & loaded to retaliate last night,\" Trump tweeted.\n\n\"Ten minutes before the strike I stopped it, not proportionate to shooting down an unmanned drone. I am in no hurry, our military is rebuilt, new, and ready to go, by far the best in the world,\" Trump tweeted.\n\nTypically, the U.S. military would seek to target Iranian facilities that could be connected to the shooting down of the American drone. The military would not seek to inflict casualties and although Iranian military casualties could occur in an attack, forecasts such as 150 are normally only rough estimates.\n\nWhite House national security adviser John Bolton, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and CIA Director Gina Haspel, along with the rest of Trump's team, favored a retaliatory strike, a senior Trump administration official said.\n\n\"There was complete unanimity amongst the president's advisers and DOD (Department of Defense) leadership on an appropriate response to Iran's activities. The president made the final decision,\" said the official.\n\nTrump's decision drew mixed reviews in Washington, with some people criticizing him for flinching while others, notably senior Democrats, praised what they saw as restraint.\n\n\"A strike of that amount of collateral damage would be very provocative, and I'm glad the president did not take that,\" House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the top Democrat in Congress, told reporters.\n\nHowever, Michael Makovsky, a former Pentagon official who heads the Jewish Institute for National Security of America, a think tank that favors strong U.S.-Israeli security ties, said Trump was undermining U.S. credibility.\n\n\"Trump has given the impression he lost his nerve,\" Makovsky said in a statement.\n\nIran's destruction of the U.S. drone was the latest among ever more serious incidents in the Gulf region, a critical artery for global oil supplies, since mid-May.\n\nThere have also been explosions on six oil tankers that the U.S. suspects Iran or its proxies of carrying out. Iran has denied any involvement.\n\nAfter interviewing Trump for NBC's \"Meet the Press\" program, NBC correspondent Chuck Todd said Trump had said he had no preconditions for talks with Iran and was willing to speak to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani or Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.\n\nU.S. forces are preparing to evacuate nearly 400 people working for Lockheed Martin Corp and Sallyport Global from an Iraqi military base north of Baghdad over potential security threats, Iraqi military sources said on Friday.\n\nThe sources did not give any details about the threats. Three bases hosting U.S. forces in Iraq have been attacked in the past week with no claims of responsibility. Local officials blamed Iran-backed Shi'ite militias for one of the incidents.\n\nTrump on Friday spoke with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman about Middle East stability and the oil market, the White House said.\n\nGerman Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Friday she and fellow EU leaders \"are concerned about the situation and support diplomatic negotiations, a political solution for a very tense situation.\"\n\nSome global airlines are re-routing flights to avoid Iran-controlled airspace over the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman, they said on Friday after the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration barred U.S. air carriers from the area.\n\nNews of the Trump message to Iran, delivered through Oman overnight, broke shortly after the New York Times reported that Trump had called off air strikes targeting Iranian radar and missile batteries at the last minute.\n\n\"In his message, Trump said he was against any war with Iran and wanted to talk to Tehran about various issues,\" one Iranian official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.\n\n\"He gave a short period of time to get our response, but Iran's immediate response was that it is up to Supreme Leader Khamenei to decide about this issue.\"\n\nA second Iranian official said: \"We made it clear that the leader is against any talks, but the message will be conveyed to him to make a decision.\n\n\"However, we told the Omani official that any attack against Iran will have regional and international consequences.\"\n\nKhamenei has the last say on all state matters and has ruled out any talks with Washington while Tehran is under sanctions.\n\nTrump's decision in May to tighten sanctions to try to eliminate Iran's oil exports led to the latest tensions. In May 2018, Trump unilaterally withdrew Washington from a 2015 accord between Iran and major powers under which Tehran curtailed its path to building a nuclear bomb in return for sanctions relief.\n\nMike Pompeo visit to India: US secretary of state will assure India on H-1B visa cap, says official\n\nIndia becomes investment darling for sovereign wealth and pension funds as US-China trade war deepens", "Kristof: US-Iran tensions may get even scarier\n\nAnother Middle East war is the last thing we need.\n\nPresident Donald Trump and Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, both say they don’t want a war. But, feeding off each other, they are each behaving recklessly in ways that increase the risk of conflict.\n\nSo we’re facing a very real crisis, without good face-saving exit ramps for either Trump or Khamenei. This could get scarier.\n\nIf the escalation continues, Iranian proxies could strike Americans in Iraq, Syria and other countries, and there is also a risk of Hezbollah firing rockets at Israel to trigger a new Israel-Lebanon war. Oil flows could be interrupted, and the global economy affected. This could get very messy.\n\nAmerican hard-liners have had a dangerous obsession with Iran for years, egged on by Saudi Arabia and Israel. In 2002, in the run-up to the Iraq War, Newsweek quoted a British official as saying: “Everyone wants to go to Baghdad. Real men want to go to Tehran.”\n\nTrump and his aides are right that Iran is repressive, destabilizing and untrustworthy, and it shouldn’t be trusted with nuclear weapons. (Of course, the same is true of Saudi Arabia under Trump’s buddy, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.)\n\nIn 2015, President Barack Obama achieved a nuclear deal that verifiably kept Iran from developing a nuclear weapon for 15 years or more. It was an imperfect compromise, but it made Iran less worrying for years to come.\n\nThen along came Trump, blowing up the nuclear deal and starting a campaign of “maximum pressure” on Iran’s economy.\n\nQuite predictably, Iran responded in two ways.\n\nFirst, Iran warned that it would violate terms of the nuclear deal. Alarmed and flailing about, Washington this week had the gall to call on Iran to adhere to the nuclear pact that Trump has savaged.\n\nSecond, Iran was probably behind attacks on oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman. It’s not impossible that Iran is being framed, but even knowledgeable Democrats believe the Trump administration is correct about Iran’s responsibility.\n\nBoth the nuclear production and the attacks on tankers underscore the way Trump’s retreat from diplomacy has made the world more perilous. But they both are measured provocations: If you want to damage a tanker, you put the limpet mine below the water line rather than above it, and Iran’s violations of the Iran pact won’t put it close to a bomb soon.\n\nTrump described the damage to the tankers as “very minor,” and he seems to recognize the danger of escalation. But he has sent an additional 2,500 U.S. troops to the region, and there have been calls for striking Iran. If the U.S. does, then of course Iran will respond.\n\nBrett McGurk, a national security expert and former presidential envoy, warned that given the failure of the administration’s Iran policy so far, “Trump may soon be boxed in: Either back down or resort to military tools.”\n\nIt’s troubling that the administration is also conflating Shiite Iran with the Sunni Taliban. Members of Congress fear that this is meant to give Trump legal cover to attack Iran under the 2001 authorization for the use of military force against al-Qaida and its offshoots.\n\nReflecting the administration’s propensity to inhabit a fantasyland, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has offered a ridiculous 12-point plan that essentially called for Iran to roll over and surrender.", "President Donald Trump is playing host to members of Congress and their families at the annual White House congressional picnic after a tense 24 hours involving Iran.\n\nTrump did not mention Iran’s downing of a U.S. drone or the retaliatory strikes he scrapped. Rather, he focused on legislation that passed during his watch and on the state of the economy.\n\nTrump says the crowd was blessed to be gathered during “a truly exciting time in America, in American history.”\n\nThe White House says about 200 lawmakers were expected to attend.\n\nTrump canceled last year’s picnic as lawmakers and the White House struggled over immigration. He said then the “timing doesn’t feel right.”\n\nTrump put a happier face on events Friday, saying “so many great things are happening for our country.”", "Dharmendra Pradhan expresses India’s oil price concern to Saudi Arabia as war clouds hover over Iran: Almost a day after Brent oil jumped up to 6% following the speculations of a US military attack on Iran, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Friday discussed the situation with Saudi Minister of Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources HE Dr Khalid Al-Falih. In a telephonic conversation, Pradhan expressed concerns over the developments in the Strait of Hormuz that has affected the crude oil prices. The Indian Oil minister also discussed further strengthening cooperation in the hydrocarbon sector to enhance the strategic partnership that exists between India and Saudi Arabia.\n\nThe two ministers also discussed the recent geopolitical developments impacting crude oil prices. While conveying his concerns over rising crude oil prices, Pradhan sought the active role of Saudi Arabia within OPEC and in the OPEC Plus discussions for keeping oil prices at a reasonable level.\n\nPradhan has also spoken about Saudi Arabia’s interests in India’s energy sector to further bolster bilateral ties. He further gave a review of Saudi’s progress in its investments in India’s refining and petrochemical sectors. The two ministers then agreed to expedite the implementation of various initiatives to transform the hydrocarbon engagement from a buyer-seller one into a comprehensive one.\n\nBrent oil was trading $65 a barrel after US President Donald Trump first ordered and then abruptly pulled back military strikes against Iran in retaliation for downing an American surveillance drone. The incident had escalated the tensions between the regions affecting the international market.", "US President Donald Trump spoke on Friday to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman about Middle East stability and the oil market, the White House said, after tensions with Iran prompted a rise in oil prices.\n\n“The two leaders discussed Saudi Arabia’s critical role in ensuring stability in the Middle East and in the global oil market. They also discussed the threat posed by the Iranian regime’s escalatory behavior,” White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said in a statement."], "summary": "U.S. President Donald Trump spoke to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman about Middle East stability and the oil market, the White House says, after tensions with Iran prompt a rise in oil prices."}
{"document": ["Image copyright Conservative Party Image caption Chris Davies was first elected in 2015\n\nA by-election will be held in Brecon and Radnorshire after 10,005 people signed a petition to remove the constituency's Tory MP, Chris Davies.\n\nMr Davies was convicted of a false expenses claim in March.\n\nA total of 19% of the constituency's electorate signed the petition, almost double the 10% threshold to trigger a by-election.\n\nConfirming his intention to stand again, Mr Davies said he \"looked forward to regaining\" voters' trust.\n\n\"I am naturally disappointed with the result,\" he said.\n\n\"What happened was my fault and no-one else's.\"\n\nMr Davies is the third MP to have faced a recall petition and the second to be unseated through the process.\n\nMembers of the local Brecon and Radnorshire Conservative association are expected to meet during the next week to discuss whether Mr Davies will be their candidate.\n\nTory leadership candidate Jeremy Hunt said: \"Whatever the rights and wrongs of his expenses claim, I have only ever known Chris Davies as a decent and honest man and a very diligent local MP.\"\n\nThe recall petition was triggered after Mr Davies's conviction for an offence relating to how photographs for his constituency office were invoiced.\n\nImage caption The result was posted on a noticeboard in the constituency on Friday\n\nMr Davies had tried to split the cost of £700 worth of pictures between two office budgets by creating fake invoices, when he could have claimed the amount by other means.\n\nHe was fined £1,500 in April and told to carry out 50 hours of community service.\n\n\"I sincerely apologise to all the people of Brecon and Radnorshire - and now it is absolutely right that they have their say,\" Mr Davies said.\n\nHe told BBC Wales he had \"no indication\" the party would stop him from standing and claimed the two Tory leadership candidates, who he spoke to on the phone on Friday, had been \"very supportive\" of him.\n\nAsked if there was any question in their minds as to whether he should represent the party at the by-election, Mr Davies said: \"None at all.\"\n\nMr Davies has been MP for Brecon and Radnorshire since the 2015 general election, when he beat incumbent Liberal Democrat Roger Williams with a majority of 5,102.\n\nIn the 2017 snap election Chris Davies's majority rose to 8,038.\n\nThe Liberal Democrats and Labour have already selected candidates for the by-election, while the Brexit Party will also be taking part.\n\nLiberal Democrat prospective candidate for Brecon and Radnorshire, and the party's Welsh leader, Jane Dodds said: \"Thousands of residents across Brecon and Radnorshire have taken the chance to demand better than a Westminster politics that fails to take their concerns seriously.\"\n\nA spokesman for Welsh Labour, which has selected Brecon town councillor Tom Davies, said: \"The recall result is another huge blow to Chris Davies' credibility to serve as member of Parliament. This is a mess all of his making.\"\n\nHe said the Tories \"must not drag their feet\" and call \"an immediate by-election\".\n\nBrecon and Radnorshire is within the county of Powys, where the Brexit Party came top in May's European Parliament elections.\n\nThe Brexit Party's chairman Richard Tice said: \"The sheer scale of the vote to force a recall and a by-election shows how strongly the level of dissatisfaction with politics in the country is rising up the agenda.\"\n\nRecall petitions are launched when MPs receive a custodial or suspended sentence, are barred from the Commons for 10 sitting days or are convicted of providing false information about their expenses.\n\nWhat happens next?\n\nIt will be for the Conservatives to kick-start the next stage of the process - known as \"moving the writ\" - by making a request to the House of Commons Speaker. This usually happens within three months of a vacancy arising.\n\nOnce MPs have agreed the writ is issued to the constituency's returning officer.\n\nThe by-election is then held within 21 to 27 days from the issuing of the writ.\n\nIt means a new Conservative PM is likely to be in place shortly before the by-election.\n\nImage caption The Brecon and Radnorshire constituency includes Builth Wells\n\nWelsh politics expert Roger Scully said that the fact that nearly 20% of the constituency had signed the petition meant it was \"very unlikely\" Mr Davies would be the Conservative candidate.\n\n\"He would be standing clearly in the face of considerable public hostility in his own constituency,\" the Cardiff University professor said.\n\n\"If they put resources into it it should be a very winnable by-election for the Liberal Democrats and perhaps their first real bit of good news in Wales for some years.\"\n\nIt is unclear if Plaid Cymru will be fielding a candidate, and a spokesman on Friday suggested it may be open to a pact with other parties in favour of a further EU referendum.\n\n\"In last month's European elections many voters broke the habit of a lifetime by choosing to back pro-People's Vote parties, rather than the Conservatives or Labour,\" the spokesman said.\n\n\"Ensuring those of us who want to see a fresh referendum work together, at every possible level, to deliver this aim is crucial. We will explore options for how we can work together, across party lines, to deliver this in the upcoming Brecon and Radnorshire by-election.\"\n\nThe current state of parties in Parliament Number of MPs with each group in the House of Commons\n\nAnalysis by Felicity Evans, BBC Wales political editor\n\nThis is a big deal, with implications way beyond the constituency boundaries of Brecon and Radnorshire.\n\nWhen the Conservative Party elects our new prime minister at the end of July, we know he will face the same arithmetic Theresa May did when she tried to steer a Brexit course through the House of Commons - no majority and very little wiggle room.\n\nThe victor will not want his honeymoon bubble punctured immediately by a difficult by-election and possible defeat.\n\nTraditionally this is fertile ground for the Liberal Democrats. Jane Dodds will want to prove her party's resurgence in recent elections can continue here.\n\nBut off the back of their strong showing in the European Parliament elections, will the Brexit Party be able to push through, having failed to do so in the Peterborough by-election?\n\nAnd, after Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price's musing on possible electoral pacts with other anti-Brexit parties, will he offer a deal to try to maximise the chances of a pro-referendum MP getting elected?\n\nThe Conservative Party now faces a tricky strategic decision over candidate selection, before heading into an even more tricky by-election campaign.", "Following the conviction of Tory MP Chris Davies and a subsequent recall petition, his constituency of Brecon & Radnorshire will face a by election. 10,005 constituents signed the petition, accounting for 19% of the constituency and almost double the 10% requirement. The Government commands a Commons majority of just five, and nationally the Tory party is polling in fourth place…\n\nThe seat was held by the Lib Dems from 1997 until 2015. The Tories currently have an 8,000 majority but with the Brexit Party splitting the vote and a classic Labour squeeze, it’s very easy to see this seat returning to the Lib Dems. Tight Parliamentary arithmetic will become even tighter…", "A petition to recall Conservative MP Chris Davies has secured the signatures of more than 10% of registered voters in his Brecon and Radnorshire constituency, forcing a by-election for the seat in which he could stand.", "A petition which could unseat convicted MP Chris Davies will close to voters in his constituency on Thursday.\n\nMr Davies, 51, will face a by-election if 10% of the electorate in the Brecon and Radnorshire constituency sign the petition.\n\nThe Conservative MP was convicted for faking expenses claims after he admitted to submitting two false expenses invoices for landscape photographs to decorate his new office in 2015.\n\nHe was fined £1,500, ordered to pay £2,500 towards legal costs and told to carry out 50 hours of community service.\n\nThe recall petition opened on May 9 and Mr Davies’ constituents have had six weeks to sign it before it closes at 5pm on June 20.\n\nIf 10% of constituents sign – around 5,600 people – he will be forced out of his seat and a by-election will be called, in which he will be allowed to stand for re-election.\n\nThe verification of the petition and count will take place at 10am on Friday at County Hall in Llandrindod Wells, Powys.\n\nThe Petition Officer will notify House of Commons Speaker John Bercow of the outcome before the result is made public.\n\nRecall petitions are launched when MPs receive a custodial sentence, including suspended sentences, are barred from the Commons for 10 sitting days or are convicted of providing false information about their expenses.\n\nPeterborough’s former Labour MP Fiona Onasanya became the first MP to be unseated from the Commons in a recall petition in May after she was jailed for perverting the course of justice.", "A petition to recall Conservative MP Chris Davies has secured enough signatures to force a by-election.\n\nMore than 10% of registered voters in his Brecon and Radnorshire constituency demanded he be sacked.\n\nThis has now forced a by-election, although he can stand again for re-election.\n\nMr Davies, 51, was convicted of faking expenses claims after he admitted to submitting two false expenses invoices for landscape photographs to decorate his new office in 2015.\n\nHe was fined £1,500, ordered to pay £2,500 towards legal costs and told to carry out 50 hours of community service.\n\nThe recall petition opened on May 9 and closed last night.\n\nThe results were announced early on Thursday morning.\n\nRecall petitions are launched when MPs receive a custodial sentence, including suspended sentences, are barred from the Commons for 10 sitting days or are convicted of providing false information about their expenses.\n\nPeterborough’s former Labour MP Fiona Onasanya became the first MP to be unseated from the Commons in a recall petition in May after she was jailed for perverting the course of justice.\n\nThis story is breaking and will be updated.", "Britain’s political parties will soon be fighting another by-election (special election) after Welsh Conservative Chris Davies was unseated by his own constituents in a recall petition, the second successful use of the removal mechanism ever.\n\nChris Davies, who represented the Brecon and Radnorshire constituency until today had pleaded guilty for submitting false expenses claims earlier this year. His conviction for the offence was followed by a recall petition which has now succeeded.\n\nHis seat had previously been held by the Liberal Democrats, who will particularly target the seat, despite Davies having secured a strong majority of 8,038 for the Conservatives in 2018. Their candidate for the forthcoming election said of the Davies: “Thousands of residents across Brecon and Radnorshire have taken the chance to demand better than a Westminster politics that fails to take their concerns seriously.\n\n“Now we have a golden opportunity to do things differently. The clear choice in this by-election is between the Conservatives, whose chaos and infighting is letting our communities down, and a better future for our area with the Welsh Lib Dems.”\n\nThe Liberal Democrats have been enjoying a period of unusually high support given their position as the only major UK political party who campaign on a fully anti-Brexit, pro-European Union platform. Indeed, their European Union election campaign manifesto was titled ‘Bollocks to Brexit’.\n\nThe position of opposing Brexit is a minority opinion in the United Kingdom, however, and the only national political party fully supporting a full Brexit is enjoying even higher support — the Brexit Party. Nigel Farage’s new political force has been at the top of the Westminster general election polls for three weeks.\n\nBrexit Party Chairman Richard Tice said of Davies’ removal by voters: “The sheer scale of the vote to force a recall and a by-election shows how strongly the level of dissatisfaction with politics in the country is rising up the agenda. The Brexit Party will be contesting the forthcoming by-election.\n\n“It is clear that people of this county want to change politics for good.”\n\nThe party may enjoy a boost in Brecon and Radnorshire, given the area voted to leave the European Union in the 2016 Brexit referendum, as did Wales as a whole. Nathan Gill, a Brexit Party Euro-MP for Wales said of the forthcoming special election: “This is a great opportunity for the people of Brecon and Radnorshire, who voted to Leave the EU in the 2016 Referendum and confirmed that vote in the recent European Elections where they voted overwhelmingly for the Brexit Party to elect a Brexit Party MP and make history.”\n\nThe 2015 recall law provides that if a tenth of the voters in an MP’s constituency sign a petition of removal, that member is forced to stand down. In Davies’ case, almost double that number signed the petition which was handed to local government auditors for verification and counting this week.\n\nThe last use of the recall was in Peterborough, where Labour’s pro-Europe Fiona Onasanya was convicted of perverting the course of justice and subsequently removed.", "A by-election will be held in Brecon and Radnorshire after 10,005 people signed a petition to remove the constituency's Conservative MP, Chris Davies.\n\nMr Davies had been convicted of a false expenses claim in March.\n\nA total of 5,303 names were needed to trigger a fresh poll.\n\nMr Davies is the third MP to face a recall petition and the second to be unseated through the process, following Fiona Onasanya in Peterborough.\n\nRecall petitions are launched for a number of reasons including when MPs are convicted of providing false information about their expenses.\n\nMr Davies' conviction related to when he was setting up his constituency office following the 2015 general election.\n\nHe had tried to split the cost of £700 worth of photographs between two office budgets by creating fake invoices, when he could have claimed the amount by other means.\n\nThe politician had made an \"unreserved apology\" following his sentencing at Southwark Crown Court in April, when he was fined £1,500 and told to carry out 50 hours of community service.\n\nMr Davies has been MP for Brecon and Radnorshire since the 2015 general election, where he beat incumbent Liberal Democrat Roger Williams with the constituency's largest majority since 1983.\n\nThe constituency is within the county of Powys, where the Brexit party came top in May's European Parliament elections.\n\nLiberal Democrat prospective candidate for Brecon and Radnorshire, and the party's Welsh leader, Jane Dodds said: \"Thousands of residents across Brecon and Radnorshire have taken the chance to demand better than a Westminster politics that fails to take their concerns seriously.\"\n\nA spokesman for Welsh Labour said: \"The recall result is another huge blow to Chris Davies' credibility to serve as Member of Parliament. This is a mess all of his making.\"\n\nHe said the Tories \"must not drag their feet\" and call \"an immediate by-election\".\n\nWhat happens next?\n\nIt will be for the Conservatives to kick-start the next stage of the process - known as \"moving the writ\" - by making a request to the House of Commons Speaker. This usually happens within three months of a vacancy arising.\n\nOnce MPs have agreed the writ is issued to the constituency's returning officer.\n\nThe by-election is then held within 21 to 27 days from the issuing of the writ.\n\nThe executive of the local Brecon and Radnorshire Conservative party is expected to meet over the weekend to discuss whether Mr Davies will stand.\n\nIt will then make a recommendation to the party's constituency members. If they decide to open the selection up, a process to find a new candidate will begin.\n\nThe Liberal Democrats and Labour have already selected candidates. The Brexit Party will also be taking part.", "Conservative MP Chris Davies has lost his seat in the House of Commons after 19% of registered voters in his constituency signed a petition to remove him.\n\nMr Davies, 51, was convicted for faking expenses claims after submitting two false expenses invoices for landscape photographs to decorate his new office.\n\nSome 10,005 people signed the petition, well above the 10% threshold – 5,303 people – needed for a recall.\n\nThe result, confirmed by House of Commons Speaker John Bercow, means a by-election will be called for the Brecon and Radnorshire constituency which Mr Davies could stand in.\n\nHe has been MP for Brecon and Radnorshire since the 2015 general election, where he beat incumbent Liberal Democrat Roger Williams with the constituency’s largest majority since 1983.\n\nIn 2017, he held a majority of more than 8,000 in a constituency where just over 41,000 people voted.\n\nBut in April he was fined £1,500, ordered to pay £2,500 towards legal costs and told to carry out 50 hours of community service after admitting submitting two false expenses invoices.\n\nThe recall petition opened on May 9 and Mr Davies’s constituents had six weeks to sign it before it closed at 5pm on June 20.", "A by-election will be held in Brecon and Radnorshire after 10,005 people signed a petition to remove the constituency's Conservative MP, Chris Davies.\n\nMr Davies had been convicted of a false expenses claim in March.\n\nA total of 5,303 names were needed to trigger a fresh poll.\n\nMr Davies is the third MP to face a recall petition and the second to be unseated through the process, following Fiona Onasanya in Peterborough.\n\nRecall petitions are launched for a number of reasons including when MPs are convicted of providing false information about their expenses.\n\nMr Davies' conviction related to when he was setting up his constituency office following the 2015 general election.\n\nHe had tried to split the cost of £700 worth of photographs between two office budgets by creating fake invoices, when he could have claimed the amount by other means.\n\nThe politician had made an \"unreserved apology\" following his sentencing at Southwark Crown Court in April, when he was fined £1,500 and told to carry out 50 hours of community service.\n\nMr Davies has been MP for Brecon and Radnorshire since the 2015 general election, where he beat incumbent Liberal Democrat Roger Williams with the constituency's largest majority since 1983.\n\nThe constituency is within the county of Powys, where the Brexit party came top in May's European Parliament elections.\n\nLiberal Democrat prospective candidate for Brecon and Radnorshire, and the party's Welsh leader, Jane Dodds said: \"Thousands of residents across Brecon and Radnorshire have taken the chance to demand better than a Westminster politics that fails to take their concerns seriously.\"\n\nA spokesman for Welsh Labour said: \"The recall result is another huge blow to Chris Davies' credibility to serve as Member of Parliament. This is a mess all of his making.\"\n\nHe said the Tories \"must not drag their feet\" and call \"an immediate by-election\".\n\nWhat happens next?\n\nIt will be for the Conservatives to kick-start the next stage of the process - known as \"moving the writ\" - by making a request to the House of Commons Speaker. This usually happens within three months of a vacancy arising.\n\nOnce MPs have agreed the writ is issued to the constituency's returning officer.\n\nThe by-election is then held within 21 to 27 days from the issuing of the writ.\n\nThe executive of the local Brecon and Radnorshire Conservative party is expected to meet over the weekend to discuss whether Mr Davies will stand.\n\nIt will then make a recommendation to the party's constituency members. If they decide to open the selection up, a process to find a new candidate will begin.\n\nThe Liberal Democrats and Labour have already selected candidates. The Brexit Party will also be taking part.\n\nIt is unclear if Plaid Cymru will be fielding a candidate, and a spokesman on Friday suggested it may be open to a pact with other parties who favour of a further referendum.\n\n\"In last month's European elections many voters broke the habit of a lifetime by choosing to back pro-People's Vote parties, rather than the Conservatives or Labour,\" a spokesman for the party said.\n\n\"Ensuring those of us who want to see a fresh referendum work together, at every possible level, to deliver this aim is crucial. We will explore options for how we can work together, across party lines, to deliver this in the upcoming Brecon and Radnorshire by-election.\"", "A Tory MP convicted over fake expense claims has been unseated by a petition triggering a by-election.\n\nChris Davies politician was ousted after nearly a fifth of registered voters in his Brecon and Radnorshire constituency signed a petition to oust him.\n\nThe 51-year-old was convicted for faking expenses claims after submitting two false expenses invoices for landscape photographs to decorate his new office.\n\nSome 10,005 signatures were secured, well above the 10% threshold - 5,303 - needed for a recall.\n\nHe has been MP for the Welsh seat since the 2015 general election, where he beat incumbent Liberal Democrat Roger Williams with the constituency's largest majority since 1983.\n\nIn 2017, he held a majority of more than 8,000 in a constituency where just over 41,000 people voted.\n\nBut in April he was fined £1,500, ordered to pay £2,500 towards legal costs and told to carry out 50 hours of community service after admitting submitting two false expenses invoices.\n\nThe recall petition opened on 9 May and Mr Davies's constituents had six weeks to sign it before it closed on 20 June.\n\nA spokesman for Welsh Labour said: \"The recall result is another huge blow to Chris Davies' credibility to serve as member of parliament. This is a mess all of his making.\n\n\"The Conservatives must not drag their feet. They should listen to the wishes of the voters of Brecon and Radnorshire, call an immediate by-election and let the people hold them to account.\"\n\nThe leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, Jane Dodds, who will stand for the party in the by-election, said: \"Thousands of residents across Brecon and Radnorshire have taken the chance to demand better than a Westminster politics that fails to take their concerns seriously.\n\n\"Now we have a golden opportunity to do things differently. The clear choice in this by-election is between the Conservatives, whose chaos and infighting is letting our communities down, and a better future for our area with the Welsh Lib Dems.\""], "summary": "Chris Davies, Member of the UK Parliament for the Welsh constituency of Brecon and Radnorshire, is removed from his position following a successful recall petition in the wake of his conviction for fraudulent expense claims. A by-election will be held to replace Davies."}
{"document": ["Ethiopia's army chief of staff Seare Mekonnen (pictured above, right) was shot dead by his bodyguard just hours after an attempted coup in Amhara state left the regional president and another top adviser dead, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed's office confirmed on Sunday.\n\nEarlier, PM Ahmed announced the government had put down a coup attempt in the autonomous Amhara state in the country's north.\n\nIn his TV address, the premier said that the botched coup was led by a very high-ranking regional military official and others within the country's military. Billene Seyoum, a spokeswoman for PM Ahmed, later said the coup attempt was orchestrated by General Asamnew Tsige, the region's head of security.\n\nState media also reported that both the head of Amhara's regional government, Ambachew Mekonnen, and his advisor, were killed, during the coup attempt.\n\nDescribing the circumstances of General Mekonnen's death, PM's press secretary Seyoum said that he was shot dead by his bodyguard just hours after an attempted coup in Amhara left the regional president and another top adviser dead.\n\nSeyoum told journalists a \"hit squad\" led by Amhara's security chief Tsige burst into a government meeting on Saturday afternoon, wounding regional president Ambachew Mekonnen and another top official, who both died of their wounds.\n\nLater that evening in what appeared a \"coordinated attack\", army chief Seare Mekonnen, and a retired general who was visiting him, were killed by his bodyguard, said Billene.\n\nEarlier, PM Ahmed said that General Mekonnen \"was shot by people who are close to him,\" adding that the regional government officials were in a meeting when a coup attempt occurred.\n\nThe premier said Mekonnen had been shot while trying to fend off the attackers.\n\nEarly on Sunday, Brigadier General Tefera Mamo, the head of special forces in Amhara, said on TV: \"Most of the people who attempted the coup have been arrested, although there are a few still at large.\"\n\nAt the time, no details were given about who was behind the coup attempt in the northern state, led by regional president Ambachew Mekonen.\n\n\"The coup attempt in Amhara regional state is against the constitution and is intended to scupper the hard won peace of the region,\" the government said in a statement. \"This illegal attempt should be condemned by all Ethiopians and the federal government has full capacity to overpower this armed group.\"\n\nResidents in the region's capital, Bahir Dar, reported hearing gunshots in the city.\n\nThe US embassy issued alerts about gunfire in the country's capital, Addis Adaba, and violence around Bahir Dar.\n\nInternet and media access has reportedly been limited across the country. Internet and cybersecurity monitor group NetBlocks reported nationwide internet access was at 2% of normal levels.\n\nA former army intelligence officer, Abiy took office in April 2018 following three years of protests that forced Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn to resign.\n\nHe has since implemented economic reforms, opened up political space and prosecuted officials accused of human rights abuses. He also established relations with neighboring Eritrea.\n\nHowever, ethnic tensions that were kept in check by the iron-fist of past rulers has lead to deadly violence.\n\nEvery evening, DW sends out a selection of the day's news and features. Sign up here.", "Seare Mekonnen, chief of staff of the Ethiopian army, has been shot dead alongside Ambachew Mekonnen, regional governor of Amhara, amid a reported coup attempt in the northern region.\n\nAccording to Reuters, the two were killed in separate attacks after a general tried to seize control of power in Amhara.\n\nThe army chief and another retired general were reportedly shot dead by the former’s bodyguard during a meeting in his official’s home in Addis Ababa.\n\nSeare was shot dead alongside his adviser in Bahir Dar, Amhara’s capital, on Saturday evening, according to a statement from the office of Abiy Ahmed, the prime minister.\n\nBillene Seyoum, the PM’s spokesman, was quoted as telling journalists a “hit squad” led by Asaminew Tsige, Amhara’s security chief, invaded a meeting where the governor was and shot him dead.\n\n“Several hours later in what seems like a coordinated attack, the chief of the staff of the national security forces Seare Mekonnen was killed in his home by his bodyguard in Addis Ababa,” Seyoum was quoted to have said.\n\nThe bodyguard is said to have been apprehended while Asaminew is still on the loose.\n\nIn a TV broadcast shortly after the incident, the PM urged Ethiopians to unite in the face of “evil forces” set on dividing the country.", "ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — Ethiopia’s army chief of staff has been shot, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced on television Sunday as the government said it had thwarted an attempted coup in a regional state of this Horn of Africa nation.\n\nAbiy took to national television in the early hours of the morning dressed in military fatigues and announced that army chief Seare Mekonnen had been shot, an AFP correspondent said. His condition was unknown.\n\nThe internet was cut in Ethiopia, and more details were not immediately available.\n\nGet The Times of Israel's Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Free Sign Up\n\nThe United States embassy issued alerts about reported gunfire in the capital Addis Ababa, and violence around Amhara’s main city Bahir Dar.\n\n“The embassy is aware of reports of gunfire in Addis Ababa. Chief of mission personnel are advised to shelter in place,” the embassy said in one of its two alerts.\n\nEarlier, Abiy’s office announced that an attempted coup had taken place in Amhara, one of nine autonomous regions in the country.\n\nA statement from his office did not give details on who was believed responsible for the attack, the latest blow to his efforts to stabilize and reform the Horn of Africa nation.\n\n“The coup attempt in Amhara regional state is against the constitution and is intended to scupper the hard won peace of the region,” said the statement.\n\n“This illegal attempt should be condemned by all Ethiopians and the federal government has full capacity to overpower this armed group.”\n\nNo details were given of the targets of the attack in the second-most populous state in the country, headed by regional president Ambachew Mekonen.\n\nA journalist in the regional capital Bahir Dar told AFP shooting had begun shortly after sunset and continued for several hours before calming.\n\nSince coming to power in April 2018 after two years of anti-government unrest, Abiy has been hailed for his efforts to end the iron-fisted rule of his predecessors.\n\nHe has embarked on economic reforms, allowed dissident groups back into the country, sought to crack down on rights abuses and arrested dozens of top military and intelligence officials\n\nHe also sealed a peace deal with neighboring Eritrea, a longtime foe.\n\nBut he has battled a surge in tensions between ethnic groups in the diverse country — usually over land and resources — leading to deadly violence in the nation of more than 100 million people.\n\nOver a million people have been displaced by the ethnic clashes, which analysts attribute to multiple causes, such as the weakening of the once all-powerful ruling EPRDF and different groups trying to take advantage of opportunities presented by the political transition.\n\nThe coup attempt comes a year after a grenade explosion at a rally Abiy was addressing left two people dead.", "The internet has been cut in Ethiopia after the army’s chief of staff was shot.\n\nPrime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced the shooting on television on Sunday as the government said it had thwarted an attempted coup in a regional state of this Horn of Africa nation.\n\nAbiy took to national television in the early hours dressed in military fatigues and announced that army chief Seare Mekonnen had been shot, an AFP correspondent said. His condition was unknown.\n\nThe internet was cut nationwide in Ethiopia, and more details were not immediately available.\n\nThe US embassy issued alerts about reported gunfire in the capital Addis Ababa, and violence around Amhara’s main city Bahir Dar.\n\n“The embassy is aware of reports of gunfire in Addis Ababa. Chief of mission personnel are advised to shelter in place,” the embassy said in one of its two alerts.\n\nEarlier, Abiy’s office announced that an attempted coup had taken place in Amhara, the second-largest of nine autonomous regions which takes up much of the north of the country, and borders Sudan.\n\nA statement from his office did not give details on who was believed responsible for the attack, the latest blow to his efforts to stabilise and reform the Horn of Africa nation.\n\n“The coup attempt in Amhara regional state is against the constitution and is intended to scupper the hard won peace of the region,” said the statement.\n\n“This illegal attempt should be condemned by all Ethiopians and the federal government has full capacity to overpower this armed group.”\n\nNo details were given of the targets of the attack in the second-most populous state in the country, headed by regional president Ambachew Mekonen.\n\nA journalist in the regional capital Bahir Dar told AFP shooting had begun shortly after sunset and continued for several hours before ceasing.\n\nAbiy came to power in April 2018 after two years of anti-government protests which began in the Oromia region but also swept Amhara — whose people make up about 30 percent of the population and are the second largest ethnic group after the Oromo.\n\nAbiy has been hailed for his efforts to end the iron-fisted rule of his predecessors.\n\nHe has embarked on economic reforms, allowed dissident groups back into the country, sought to crack down on rights abuses and arrested dozens of top military and intelligence officials\n\nHe also sealed a peace deal with neighbouring Eritrea, a long-time foe.\n\nBut he has battled a surge in tensions between ethnic groups in the diverse country – usually over land and resources – leading to deadly violence in the nation of more than 100 million people.\n\nOver a million people have been displaced by the ethnic clashes, which analysts attribute to multiple causes, such as the weakening of the once all-powerful ruling EPRDF and different groups trying to take advantage of opportunities presented by the political transition.\n\nAmong clashes in other regions, dozens of people have been killed in the last few months in violence between residents of northern Benishangul Gumuz and Amhara states.\n\nThe coup attempt comes a year after a grenade explosion at a rally Abiy was addressing left two people dead.", "ADDIS ABABA — Ethiopia’s army chief of staff and the head of the northern state of Amhara were killed in two separate but related attacks when a general tried to seize control of Amhara in an attempted coup, the prime minister’s office said on Sunday.\n\nAmhara state president Ambachew Mekonnen and his adviser were shot dead and the state’s attorney general was wounded in the regional capital of Bahir Dar on Saturday evening, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s office said in a statement.\n\nIn a separate attack the same night, Ethiopia’s army Chief of Staff Seare Mekonnen and a retired general were both shot dead in Seare’s home in Addis Ababa by his bodyguard. The two attacks were linked, the statement said, without giving details.\n\nAbiy’s office named Amhara state security head General Asamnew Tsige as responsible for the foiled coup, without giving details of his whereabouts. Asamnew was released from prison last year after receiving an amnesty for a similar coup attempt, according to media reports.\n\nAbiy took office just over a year ago and embarked on unprecedented reforms in Ethiopia, Africa’s second-most populous country and one of its fastest-growing economies.\n\nBut the premier’s shake-up of the military and intelligence services has earned him powerful enemies, while his government is struggling to rein in powerful figures in Ethiopia’s myriad ethnic groups fighting the federal government and each other for greater influence and resources.\n\nU.S. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Tibor Nagy, said the attacks were probably prompted by disaffection over Abiy’s rise to power and his sweeping reforms.\n\n“There are vestiges of the old regime in power. Some of the elites are very unhappy with some of the reforms that… Abiy is taking for a variety of reasons including, I’m sure, some ill-gotten gains,” Nagy told reporters in Pretoria, South Africa.\n\n“It’s certainly not clear sailing for him (Abiy) from now on. He has an incredible number of issues he has to deal with,” said Nagy, a former U.S. ambassador to Ethiopia.\n\nThe shooting in Bahir Dar occurred when the state president – an ally of Abiy – was holding a meeting to decide how to put a stop to the open recruitment of ethnic Amhara militias by Asamnew, one Addis-based official told Reuters.\n\nAsamnew had advised the Amhara people to arm themselves in preparation for fighting against other groups, in a video spread on Facebook a week earlier and seen by a Reuters reporter.\n\nAbiy donned military fatigues to announce the attempted coup on state television on Saturday evening. Residents of Bahir Dar, about 500 kilometers (300 miles) northwest of Addis, said there was at least four hours of gunfire on Saturday evening and some roads had been closed off.\n\n“The situation in the Amhara region is currently under full control by the Federal Government in colloboration with the regional government,” Abiy said in Sunday’s statement.\n\nThe U.S. Embassy tweeted it had heard reports of gunfire in Addis Ababa on Saturday night, and some residents told Reuters they heard six shots in a suburb near the country’s Bole International Airport around 9:30 p.m. local time.\n\nThe capital was quieter than usual on Sunday, with fewer cars or pedestrians on the streets.\n\nBrigadier General Tefera Mamo, the head of special forces in Amhara, told state television that “most of the people who attempted the coup have been arrested, although there are a few still at large.”\n\nHe did not give details about Asamnew.\n\nSince taking power, Abiy has released political prisoners, removed bans on political parties and prosecuted officials accused of gross human rights abuses, but his government is battling ethnic bloodshed once held in check by the state’s iron grip.\n\nNow some of Ethiopia’s ethnic groups are disputing the boundaries of the country’s nine federal states, or arguing that they too should have regional governments, claims that threaten the dominance of other groups.\n\nAmhara is home to Ethiopia’s second largest ethnic group of the same name and their native tongue, Amharic, is also the country’s official language.\n\nAnti-government protests that lasted three years and eventually forced former prime minister Hailemariam Desalegn to resign in 2018 had begun in the neighboring state of Oromia but quickly spread to Amhara.\n\nDemonstators were angered by grievances over land rights, political and economic marginalization – issues that Abiy is now racing to address.\n\n“He (Abiy) seems to be dismantling the EPRDF (ruling coalition) and is entertaining thoughts of altering the architecture of federalism, but he hasn’t given any clear direction he’s heading in,” said Matt Bryden, the head of regional thinktank Sahan Research.\n\n“That uncertainty is creating a lot of competition and … driving a lot of the friction and violence.”\n\nAbiy also changed many senior security officials when he came to power, Bryden said, creating more uncertainty that allowed armed groups that would once have been quashed to flourish.\n\nAbiy’s changes have not gone unchallenged. A year ago, he survived a grenade attack that killed two people at a rally. In October, hundreds of soldiers marched on his palace demanding more pay. He defused the situation by doing push-ups with them but later accused them of trying to derail reforms.\n\nThe internet was down across Ethiopia on Sunday, although the government made no statement about this. Authorities have cut off the internet several times previously for security and other reasons.\n\nEthiopia is due to hold parliamentary elections next year, although the electoral board warned earlier this month that they were behind schedule and that instability could cause a problem for polling. Several opposition groups have called for the elections to be held on time anyway.", ", the office of Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said.Spokeswoman Billene Seyoum told journalists a \"hit squad\"burst into a meeting in the state offices of Amhara's capital, Bahir Dar, on Saturday and shot regional government President Ambachew Mekonnen and his adviser Ezez Wassie.The men were \"gravely injured in the attack and later died of their wounds,\" she said.\"Several hours later, in what seems like a coordinated attack, the chief of the staff of the national security forces Seare Mekonnen was killed in his home by his bodyguard in Addis Ababa.\", Billene added.The bodyguard has been apprehended while Asaminew is still on the loose, sources said.Al Jazeera's Leah Harding, reporting from Addis Ababa, said Abiy called those responsible \"mercenaries\".\"The army intelligence general said the coup was meant to create chaos and division in the military. He said the military now has control over the situation ... and he reiterated that there are no divisions within the military,\" Harding reported.\"This is particularly important because.\"Analysts said the incident showed the seriousness of the political crisis in Ethiopia, where efforts by Abiy to loosen the iron-fisted grip of his predecessors and push through reforms have unleashed a wave of unrest.\"These tragic incidents, unfortunately, demonstrate the depth of Ethiopia's political crisis,\" said International Crisis Group analyst William Davison.\"It is now critical that actors across the country do not worsen the instability by reacting violently or trying to exploit this unfolding situation for their own political ends,\" the expert said.Residents of Bahir Dar said late on Saturday there was gunfire in some neighbourhoods and some roads had been closed off.The US embassy issued alerts about reported gunfire in Addis Ababa and violence around Bahir Dar.Early on Sunday, Brigadier General Tefera Mamo, the head of special forces in Amhara, told state television that \"most of the people who attempted the coup have been arrested, although there are a few still at large.\"Since coming to power last year,He has released political prisoners, lifted bans on political parties and prosecuted officials accused of gross human rights abuses, but his government is battling mounting violence., including Amhara, where the regional government was led by Ambachew Mekonnen.\"Since Abiy Ahmed took power and the country moved towards democratisation ... there have been different forms of mobilisations, by different actors, particularly nationalists.\" Awol Allo, a lecturer in law at Keele University, told Al Jazeera.\"[In] Amhara regional state, there is this feeling that they were marginalised, and these individuals that were suspected to be behind the coup recently said that Amhara people have never been subordinated.. so there is this sense of grievance and victimhood that is driving the nationalist movements,\" he added.Ethiopia is due to hold a national parliamentary election next year. Several opposition groups have called for the polls to be held on time despite the unrest and displacement.", "ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — Ethiopia’s government foiled a coup attempt in a region north of the capital, Addis Ababa, and the country’s military chief was shot dead, the prime minister said Sunday.\n\nThe failed coup in the Amhara region was led by a high-ranking military officer and others within the military, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, wearing military fatigues, announced on the state broadcaster early Sunday.\n\nIn a related development, the head of Ethiopia’s military was shot dead in the capital, a spokesman for the prime minister announced Sunday.\n\nGen. Seare Mekonnen was killed by his bodyguard at his residence in Addis Ababa, said Nigussu Tilahun at a press conference Sunday morning. A retired army general visiting the army chief at the time was also killed in the same attack late on Saturday, said the spokesman.\n\nThe attack followed the violence in Amhara, where soldiers allegedly led by a renegade brigadier raided a meeting of the regional government and killed officials including the region’s president.\n\nMost of the perpetrators of the attack in Bahir Dar, capital of Amhara, have been apprehended and others are being hunted down, said the spokesman.\n\nThe attack in Bahir Dar and the assassination of the army chief are linked, he said.\n\nThe U.S. Embassy reported gunfire in the capital Saturday and urged people to be careful.\n\nIn Bahir Dar residents told The Associated Press they could still hear gunshots late Saturday. Ethiopia’s internet appeared to be shut down on Sunday.\n\nThe attempted coup in Amhara is the latest challenge to Abiy, who was elected last year as a reform-minded young leader.\n\nAbiy has captured the imagination of many with his political and economic reforms, including the surprise acceptance of a peace agreement with bitter rival Eritrea, the opening of major state-owned sectors to private investment and the release of thousands of prisoners including opposition figures once sentenced to death.\n\nAlong the way he has faced some challenges. In June 2018, only months in office, an attempt to hurl a grenade at Abiy caused a deadly explosion at a massive rally in support of the sweeping changes in Ethiopia. Nine police officials were arrested over that incident, state media reported.\n\nIn October rebellious Ethiopian soldiers protested over pay, causing a security incident in the capital. Ethiopia’s army is one of the largest in Africa.\n\nThe country is a key regional security ally for the United States and others in the restive Horn of Africa region.", "Ethiopia’s army chief of staff, General Seare Mekonnen and at least three other senior officials have been killed during a coup attempt by an army general in the northern state of Amhara, state television said on Sunday.\n\nAmhara’s state president Ambachew Mekonnen and his advisor were also killed, according to state media, which named the region’s security head, General Asamnew Tsige, as the orchestrator of the attempted coup.\n\nPrime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government faces growing pressure from regional strongmen, including in Amhara, a flashpoint in growing ethnic violence in Ethiopia.\n\nThe shooting occurred when federal officials were meeting the state president – an ally of Abiy – to discuss how to rein in the open recruitment of ethnic militias by Asamnew, one Addis-based official told Reuters.\n\nA week earlier, Asamnew had openly advised the Amhara people, one of Ethiopia’s larger ethnic groups, to arm themselves, in a video spread on Facebook and seen by a Reuters reporter.\n\nEthiopia, a nation of 100 million people, is struggling to contain widespread ethnic violence that has displaced around 2.4 million people, according to the United Nations.\n\nAbiy donned military fatigues to announce on state television late on Saturday that there had been an attempted coup in Amhara’s capital Bahir Dar earlier that day and that Ethiopia’s Chief of Staff General Seare Mekonnen was among the casualties.\n\n“He was shot by people who are close to him,” Abiy said.\n\nSeare had been shot dead by his bodyguard, state media reported on Sunday. Most of the perpetrators had been arrested, a general in charge of special forces in Amhara told state media on Sunday.\n\nSince coming to power last year, Abiy has tried to spearhead political reforms in the Horn of Africa nation. Three years of political violence led to the unprecedented resignation of Abiy’s predecessor, Hailemariam Desalegn.\n\nAbiy has released political prisoners, removed bans on political parties and prosecuted officials accused of gross human rights abuses, but his government is battling mounting violence.\n\nEthnic bloodshed – long held in check by the state’s iron grip – has flared up in many areas, including Amhara, where the regional government was led by Mekonnen.\n\nOn Saturday, the U.S. Embassy said that it was aware of reports of gunfire in Addis Ababa, and some residents told Reuters about hearing six shots ring out in a suburb near the country’s Bole International Airport around 9:30 p.m. local time on Saturday. The government did not immediately return calls seeking comment.\n\nPeople in many parts of Ethiopia reported being unable to access the Internet beginning late Saturday although the government has not stated whether it had cut it off. Authorities have cut off the internet several times in the past for security and other reasons.\n\nEarly on Sunday, Brigadier General Tefera Mamo, the head of special forces in Amhara, told state television that “most of the people who attempted the coup have been arrested, although there are a few still at large.”\n\nResidents in Amhara’s capital Bahir Dar said late on Saturday there was gunfire in some neighborhoods and some roads had been closed off.\n\nEthiopia is due to hold a national parliamentary election next year. Several opposition groups have called for the polls to be held on time despite the unrest and displacement.", "Ethiopia's army chief of staff has been shot, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced on television Sunday as the government said it had thwarted an attempted coup in a regional state of this Horn of Africa nation.\n\nAbiy took to national television in the early hours of the morning dressed in military fatigues and announced that army chief Seare Mekonnen had been shot, an AFP correspondent said. His condition was unknown.\n\nThe internet was cut in Ethiopia, and more details were not immediately available.\n\nThe United States embassy issued alerts about reported gunfire in the capital Addis Ababa, and violence around Amhara's main city Bahir Dar.\n\n\"The embassy is aware of reports of gunfire in Addis Ababa. Chief of mission personnel are advised to shelter in place,\" the embassy said in one of its two alerts.\n\nEarlier, Abiy's office announced that an attempted coup had taken place in Amhara, one of nine autonomous regions in the country.\n\nA statement from his office did not give details on who was believed responsible for the attack, the latest blow to his efforts to stabilise and reform the Horn of Africa nation.\n\n\"The coup attempt in Amhara regional state is against the constitution and is intended to scupper the hard won peace of the region,\" said the statement.\n\n\"This illegal attempt should be condemned by all Ethiopians and the federal government has full capacity to overpower this armed group.\"\n\nNo details were given of the targets of the attack in the second-most populous state in the country, headed by regional president Ambachew Mekonen.\n\nA journalist in the regional capital Bahir Dar told AFP shooting had begun shortly after sunset and continued for several hours before calming.\n\nSince coming to power in April 2018 after two years of anti-government unrest, Abiy has been hailed for his efforts to end the iron-fisted rule of his predecessors.\n\nHe has embarked on economic reforms, allowed dissident groups back into the country, sought to crack down on rights abuses and arrested dozens of top military and intelligence officials\n\nHe also sealed a peace deal with neighbouring Eritrea, a longtime foe.\n\nBut he has battled a surge in tensions between ethnic groups in the diverse country -- usually over land and resources -- leading to deadly violence in the nation of more than 100 million people.\n\nOver a million people have been displaced by the ethnic clashes, which analysts attribute to multiple causes, such as the weakening of the once all-powerful ruling EPRDF and different groups trying to take advantage of opportunities presented by the political transition.\n\nThe coup attempt comes a year after a grenade explosion at a rally Abiy was addressing left two people dead.", "Ethiopia's army chief and the president of a key region have been shot dead in a wave of violence highlighting the political instability in the country as Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed tries to push through reforms.\n\nThe latest unrest in the Horn of Africa nation flared on Saturday afternoon in Amhara, one of nine autonomous regions, when a \"hit squad\" attacked a meeting of top officials, Abiy's office said Sunday.\n\nSpokeswoman Billene Seyoum told journalists the attack was led by Amhara's security chief Asaminew Tsige, and resulted in regional president Ambachew Mekonnen and another top official being shot.\n\nThe men were \"gravely injured in the attack and later died of their wounds,\" she said.\n\n\"Several hours later in what seems like a co-ordinated attack, the chief of the staff of the national security forces Seare Mekonnen was killed in his home by his bodyguard\" in the capital Addis Ababa, she added.\n\nAlso shot dead was a retired general who had been visiting him, Billene added.\n\nThe bodyguard has been apprehended while Asaminew is still on the loose, sources said.\n\nThe link between the two attacks were not immediately clear.\n\nThe internet has been cut nationwide since Saturday evening, after being severed for much of the previous week.\n\nA journalist in the regional capital Bahir Dar told AFP shooting had begun shortly after sunset and continued for several hours before ceasing.\n\nThe United States embassy issued alerts about reported gunfire in the capital Addis Ababa, and violence around Amhara's main city Bahir Dar.\n\nAn analyst said Saturday's incident showed the seriousness of the political crisis in Ethiopia, where efforts by Abiy to loosen the iron-fisted grip of his predecessors and push through reforms has unleashed a wave of unrest.\n\n\"These tragic incidents unfortunately demonstrate the depth of Ethiopia's political crisis,\" said International Crisis Group analyst William Davison.\n\n\"It is now critical that actors across the country do not worsen the instability by reacting violently or trying to exploit this unfolding situation for their own political ends,\" the expert said.\n\nAmhara in Ethiopia's northern highlands, is the homeland of the ethnic group by the same name, and is the birthplace of many of its emperors as well as the national language Amharic.\n\nThe Amhara are the second-largest ethnic grouping after the Oromo, and both spearheaded two years of anti-government protests which led to the resignation of former prime minister Hailemariam Desalegn.\n\nAbiy, an Oromo, took power in April 2018 and has been lauded for a string of efforts to reform a nation which has known only the authoritarian rule of emperors and strongmen.\n\nHe has embarked on economic reforms, allowed dissident groups back into the country, sought to crack down on rights abuses and arrested dozens of top military and intelligence officials\n\nHe also sealed a peace deal with neighbouring Eritrea, a longtime foe.\n\nHowever the loosening of the reins has also unleashed a wave of unrest.\n\nEthiopia's 1995 constitution, written by the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF) after it unseated the Derg military junta in 1991, partitioned the country into nine autonomous regions with borders following ethnic lines.\n\nThe EPRDF itself is a coalition of four parties from Oromia, Amhara, Tigray and the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region.\n\nObservers say that Abiy's plans to hold an election in 2020 has stirred up resentment in local politics, with other regional parties contesting the hold of those within the EPRDF, and seen a rise in ethno-nationalism.\n\nAt the same time, longstanding tensions in a country of more than 80 ethnic groups have burst into the open, often over land and resources in Africa's second most-populous nation.\n\nOver a million people have been displaced by ethnic clashes, which analysts attribute to multiple causes, such as the weakening of the once all-powerful ruling EPRDF and different groups trying to take advantage of opportunities presented by the political transition.\n\nIn other regions, dozens of people have been killed in the last few months in clashes between residents of northern Benishangul Gumuz and Amhara states.\n\nThe security chief Asaminew, accused of being behind the attack in Amhara, was in 2018 released from prison after being held over a 2009 coup plot by the armed opposition group Ginbot 7 and Davison described him as an Amhara hardliner.\n\nThe coup attempt comes a year after a grenade explosion at a rally Abiy was addressing left two people dead."], "summary": "An attempted coup in Ethiopia's Amhara state leaves several people dead, including the regional president Ambachew Mekonnen and the Chief of Staff of the Ethiopian National Defense Force, General Se'are Mekonnen."}
{"document": ["Anger growing over poor standards in construction boom that has transformed Sihanoukville into tourist and gambling hub\n\nThis article is more than 2 months old\n\nThis article is more than 2 months old\n\nSeven people including five Chinese nationals have been charged with criminal offences over the collapse of a building in Cambodia that has left 28 dead.\n\nWhere does your plastic go? Global investigation reveals America's dirty secret Read more\n\nThree days after the unfinished building in Sihanoukville collapsed, the Chinese owner of the site, Chen Kun, and construction supervisor, Deng Xing Gui, were charged at Preah Sihanouk provincial court with involuntary manslaughter, causing unintentional injuries and damage.\n\nThree other Chinese people were charged with conspiracy over the collapse, along with a Vietnamese and a Cambodian.\n\nThe charges carry a penalty of up to three years in jail and the trial will take place against a backdrop of mounting concern in the country about lax building standards involving Chinese construction companies.\n\nThe unfinished, seven-storey building collapsed early on Saturday on top of dozens of construction workers who slept each night on the second floor.\n\nFacebook Twitter Pinterest Rescue workers search for victims in the debris a day after an under-construction building collapsed in Sihanoukville. Photograph: Sun Rethy Kun/AFP/Getty Images\n\nThe condominium was being built in the thriving seaside town, which has been transformed in recent years by a mainly Chinese-led building boom catering to tourists who flock to newly established casinos.\n\nHopes of finding any more survivors had faded on Monday when two people were cut free from the tangled wreckage and carried out alive.\n\n“I heard the sound of rescuers, I called for help but they didn’t hear me,” Ros Sitha, one of the two found alive on Monday, told Agence France-Presse.\n\n“There was a dead body near me. I didn’t have water to drink,” the forty-one year old said from his hospital bed. “I am so lucky to survive.”\n\nAuthorities on Monday put the death toll at 28 with at least 25 injured.\n\nOne of the survivors, Nhor Chandeun, said he and his wife were sleeping when they heard a loud noise and felt the building vibrate then begin falling down. They were trapped for 12 hours before rescuers found them.\n\nThe government’s labour ministry said 30 workers were at the site when the building collapsed, but Nhor Chandeun said there were about 55 to 60 people inside the building.\n\nCambodian prime minister Hun Sen visited the site late on Sunday. Pictures released by the provincial authorities showed him in front of the collapsed building talking to several government ministers involved in the rescue.\n\nDistraught relatives at a local hospital said around a dozen people were believed to be still entombed in the concertinaed floors of the building.\n\n“I lost my husband and my nephew,” Khim Pov, 47, said while her son – who was able to crawl out from the debris – received treatment. “I don’t have any hope my husband has survived. The bodies being pulled out have been flattened.”\n\nFacebook Twitter Pinterest Earthmovers clear debris in Sihanoukville. Photograph: Sun Rethy Kun/AFP/Getty Images\n\nThe Chinese news agency Xinhua reported that Seng Loth, a spokesman for Cambodia’s ministry of land management, planning, and construction, said the collapsed building had been erected without permission.\n\n“It was an unlicensed project, and the provincial authorities had warned the developer twice, but they ignored the warnings,” he told Xinhua.\n\nThe Chinese embassy in Phnom Penh released a statement on Monday which said it “supports a thorough investigation of the accident and necessary measures by competent Cambodian authority in accordance with the law”.\n\nIt said the embassy was greatly saddened by the collapse and had reached out to Chinese enterprises in Cambodia to mobilise personnel as well as heavy equipment such as excavators to clear the rubble.\n\nAssociated Press and Agence France-Presse contributed to this report.\n\n\n\n\n\n", "Police say building under construction collapses in Cambodia's city of Sihanoukville, killing 3 and trapping dozens\n\nPHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — Police say building under construction collapses in Cambodia's city of Sihanoukville, killing 3 and trapping dozens.", "Rescue workers recover a body from the rubble of a collapsed building in Preah Sihanouk province, Cambodia Saturday, June 22, 2019.\n\nRescue workers recover a body from the rubble of a collapsed building in Preah Sihanouk province, Cambodia Saturday, June 22, 2019. Nokorwat News via AP\n\nCambodian rescuers combing through the rubble of a collapsed seven-story building recovered the bodies of 17 construction workers and pulled out 24 injured, as authorities questioned four Chinese who were involved with the project.\n\nConstruction workers said the unfinished building in the coastal city of Sihanoukville doubled as their housing, with the crew spending nights on the second floor.\n\nNhor Chandeun and his wife were asleep when at around 4 a.m. Saturday they heard a loud noise and the building crumbled on top of them.\n\n\"All the workers were asleep,\" the 31-year-old said from a hospital in the city. \"A moment before the building collapsed it was vibrating and then it was falling down. But it was too quick to escape.\"\n\nThe Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training said that 30 workers were at the site when the building collapsed, but Nhor Chandeun said there were about 55-60 people inside the building.\n\nYun Min, the governor of Preah Sihanouk province, said the building was owned by a Chinese investor who leased land for a condominium - one of many Chinese projects in the thriving beach resort.\n\nProvincial authorities said in a statement that four Chinese nationals involved in the construction have been detained while an investigation into the collapse is carried out.\n\nOfficials said 1,000 people were taking part in the rescue operation that continued overnight into Sunday morning.\n\nNhor Chandeun and his wife were trapped for 12 hours before rescuers found them.\n\n\"My wife and I kept calling for help,\" he said. \"We were shouting and shouting but there was no sound replying to us and we presumed that we would die under the rubble.\"\n\n\"Fortunately the rescuers found me in time,\" he added.", "A seven-storey building has collapsed in Cambodia, killing three people with others reported missing\n\nCambodia (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / Online - 22nd June, 2019) A seven-storey building has collapsed in Cambodia, killing three people with others reported missing.The under-construction building in the coastal city of Sihanoukville was owned by a Chinese company.\"We have pulled out a body and we see two more bodies still stuck between debris,\" provincial governor Yun Min.In recent years, Sihanoukville has been transformed by the construction of Chinese hotels and casinos.The three confirmed dead were all Cambodian - two workers and a translator.Reports vary on the number of people missing as rescue efforts continue.Information Minister Khieu Kanharith said that \"more than 30\" were unaccounted for, while the labour ministry said it could be fewer than 10.\n\nThe provincial governor said 20 had been rescued and that about 50 workers would usually be on site at that time.A reason for the collapse has not yet been given, but the city police chief said a Chinese woman was being \"detained for questioning\".The once-small fishing village saw a boom in tourism in the 2000s, mostly Western backpackers and holidaymakers.The last three years has seen the area change beyond recognition, with the construction of dozens of casinos catering almost solely to Chinese tourists.Cambodia has notoriously lax labour laws, putting construction workers at risk.The International Labour Organization has highlighted the \"exposure of workers to constant safety and health hazards\" on building sites.", "A seven-story building under construction collapsed in Cambodia's coastal city of Sihanoukville early Saturday, killing seven workers and injuring 21, authorities said.\n\nProvincial authorities said in a statement that four Chinese nationals involved in the construction have been detained while an investigation into the collapse is carried out.\n\nRescue work at the site was underway to find out if any more workers were trapped in the rubble, said the city police chief, Maj. Thul Phorsda. Workers could be seen using saws to cut steel beams and excavators to move piles of rubble from the site.\n\nThe Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training said that 30 workers were at the site when the building tumbled around 4 a.m. Police and provincial authorities said they were unsure how many people were working on the building.\n\nIt wasn't immediately clear what caused the collapse.\n\nYun Min, the governor of Preah Sihanouk province, said the building was owned by a Chinese investor who leased land for a condominium — one of many Chinese projects in the thriving beach resort.\n\nInformation Minister Khieu Kanharith said on his official Facebook page that the Cambodian workers were using the unfinished structure as their sleeping quarters. The building was about 70% to 80% completed.\n\nSihanoukville was once a sleepy fishing community before being claimed first by Western backpackers, and then wealthy Russians.\n\nChinese investment has flooded in in recent years, spurring a construction boom in a resort town known for its casinos which pull in mainland tourists.\n\nThere are around 50 Chinese-owned casinos and dozens of hotel complexes under construction.\n\nBetween 2016 and 2018, $1 billion was invested by Chinese government and private businesses in the Preah Sihanouk province, according to official statistics.\n\nCambodia, one of Southeast Asia's poorest countries, has notoriously lax safety laws and labor protections. Accidents are common at its building sites.", "PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — Police say building under construction collapses in Cambodia’s city of Sihanoukville, killing 3 and trapping dozens.\n\nCopyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.", "In this photo provided by Cambodia National Police, backhoes work near a site of a collapse in Preah Sihanouk province, Cambodia Saturday, June 22, 2019. A seven-story building under construction collapsed, killing at least a few workers, authorities said. (Cambodia National Police via AP)\n\nPHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — A seven-story building under construction collapsed in Cambodia’s coastal city of Sihanoukville early Saturday, killing seven workers and injuring 21, authorities said.\n\nProvincial authorities said in a statement that four Chinese nationals involved in the construction have been detained while an investigation into the collapse is carried out.\n\nRescue work at the site was underway to find out if any more workers were trapped in the rubble, said the city police chief, Maj. Thul Phorsda.\n\nThe Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training said that 30 workers were at the site when the building tumbled around 4 a.m.Police and provincial authorities said they were unsure how many people were working on the building.\n\nIt wasn’t immediately clear what caused the collapse.\n\nYun Min, the governor of Preah Sihanouk province, said the building was owned by a Chinese investor who leased land for a condominium — one of many Chinese projects in the thriving beach resort.\n\nInformation Minister Khieu Kanharith said on his official Facebook page that the Cambodian workers were using the unfinished structure as their sleeping quarters. The building was about 70% to 80% completed.", "At least seven people died Saturday when an under-construction building owned by a Chinese company collapsed at a Cambodian beach resort, officials said, as rescuers scoured the giant rubble heap for survivors.\n\nThe building went down before sunrise in the casino-resort town Sihanoukville in southwestern Cambodia, a rapidly developing tourist hotspot awash with Chinese investments.\n\nFour people have been arrested in connection with the accident, including the Chinese building owner, the head of the construction firm and the contractor. A Cambodian landowner has also been held at provincial headquarter for questioning.\n\nThe seven-storey building was almost 80 percent complete when it crashed down early Saturday, the deadliest such accident in recent years in Cambodia.\n\n\"Now the death toll from the building collapse is seven,\" Sihanoukville city police chief Thul Phorsda said, after officials earlier pinned the number of dead at three.\n\nAt least 21 people were reported injured -- several critically -- and at least three of the dead were Cambodian, including two workers and a translator.\n\nRescue workers in hard hats pulled people from a mountain of concrete, wood and twisted metal.\n\nMedical workers attended to a shirtless injured man as concerned crowds built up around the site, while scores of soldiers and police joined the search for survivors.\n\n\"Teams continue to search for more victims,\" a provincial official statement said, adding that an investigation into the accident had been launched.\n\nThere was no confirmation of precisely how many people were at the building at the time of the collapse, though earlier officials said 30 people were feared trapped.\n\nAround 50 workers would normally have been on the site at the time, Preah Sihanouk governor Yun Min said.\n\nThe building belonged to a Chinese national who rented the land from a Cambodian owner. The construction firm and contractor were both Chinese-owned as well.\n\nSihanoukville was once a sleepy fishing community before being claimed first by Western backpackers, and then wealthy Russians.\n\nChinese investment has flooded in in recent years, spurring a construction boom in a resort town known for its casinos which pull in mainland tourists.\n\nThere are around 50 Chinese-owned casinos and dozens of hotel complexes under construction.\n\nBetween 2016 and 2018, $1 billion was invested by Chinese government and private businesses in the Preah Sihanouk province, according to official statistics.\n\nCambodia, one of Southeast Asia's poorest countries, has notoriously lax safety laws and labour protections. Accidents are common at its building sites.", "At least seven people died after an under-construction structure being built by a Chinese firm collapsed at a Cambodian beach resort on Saturday, AFP reported. The building collapsed before sunrise in Sihanoukville town, a tourist hotspot in southwestern Cambodia.\n\n“Now the death toll from the building collapse is seven,” Sihanoukville city police chief Thul Phorsda said. Police officers had earlier put the toll at three.\n\nAt least 21 people were wounded, and several of them are in a critical condition. At least three of the deceased are Cambodians – two workers and a translator. “Teams continue to search for more victims,” a provincial official statement said.\n\nThere is no report on how many people were inside the building at the time it collapsed, Preah Sihanouk Governor Yun Min said. Police officers had earlier said that 30 people may be trapped in the debris.\n\nAn investigation has been launched into the incident and four people have been arrested so far. This includes the Chinese building owner, the head of the construction firm, the contractor, and a Cambodian landowner.", "Phnom Penh [Cambodia], Jun 23 (ANI): At least 17 people were killed and 24 others sustained injuries after a seven-storey under-constructed building collapsed in southwestern Cambodia's Preah Sihanouk province, authorities said on Sunday.\n\nThe incident took place in the wee hours of Saturday in the coastal town of Sihanoukville. About 40-50 construction workers were sleeping at the construction site when the building collapsed, reported Xinhua news agency.\n\nSeng Loth, a spokesman for the Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning, and Construction, told Xinhua news agency that the project was unlicensed and the provincial authorities had warned the developer twice about the project.\n\nIn a Facebook post late on Saturday, Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen expressed his condolences to the bereaved families and those injured in the incident.\n\nThe rescue work is underway. Police have initiated an investigation into the matter. (ANI)"], "summary": "A seven-story building collapses in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, killing at least 28 people and wounding 25 others."}
{"document": ["RIYADH, June 21 (Reuters) - U.S. Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook met Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman in Riyadh on Friday, the minister tweeted.\n\nThey discussed recent attacks in the region which the United States and Saudi Arabia blame on Iran and Iran denies being behind. Prince Khalid affirmed Saudi support for the U.S. campaign to pressure Tehran.\n\nAccording to the New York Times, President Donald Trump approved military strikes on Friday against Iran in retaliation for the downing of an unmanned $130-million surveillance drone, but pulled back from launching them.\n\nThe Global Hawk drone was shot down by an Iranian surface-to-air missile.\n\nThe U.S. says the unarmed drone was flying over international waters but Iran says it was on a spy mission over its territorial waters.\n\nThe United States and Saudi Arabia are among countries that have blamed Iran for attacks on oil tankers near the Strait of Hormuz, a major transit route for global oil supplies. (Reporting by Maher Chmaytelli; ; editing by John Stonestreet)", "RIYADH, June 21 (Reuters) - U.S. Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook met Saudi Arabian Deputy Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman in the Red Sea port city of Jeddah on Friday, the minister tweeted.\n\nThey discussed recent attacks in the region which the United States and Saudi Arabia blame on Iran and Iran denies being behind. Prince Khalid affirmed Saudi support for the U.S. campaign to pressure Tehran.\n\nAccording to the New York Times, President Donald Trump approved military strikes on Friday against Iran in retaliation for the downing of an unmanned, $130-million surveillance drone, but pulled back from launching them.\n\nThe Global Hawk drone was shot down by an Iranian surface-to-air missile.\n\nThe U.S. says the unarmed drone was flying over international waters in the Strait of Hormuz but Iran says it was on a spy mission over its territorial waters.\n\nThe United States and Saudi Arabia are among countries that have blamed Iran for attacks on oil tankers near the Strait of Hormuz, a major transit route for global oil supplies. (Reporting by Stephen Kalin and Maher Chmaytelli Editing by John Stonestreet/Mark Heinrich)", "(Hatha al-Youm | Iraq News )-US Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook met SaudiArabia’s Deputy Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman in Riyadh on Friday,the minister tweeted.They discussed recent attacks in the region which the UnitedStates and Saudi Arabia blame on Iran and Iran denies being behind. PrinceKhalid affirmed Saudi support for the US campaign to pressure Tehran.According to the New York Times, President Donald Trumpapproved military strikes on Friday against Iran in retaliation for the downingof an unmanned $130-million surveillance drone, but pulled back from launchingthem.The Global Hawk drone was shot down by an Iraniansurface-to-air missile.The US says the unarmed drone was flying over internationalwaters but Iran says it was on a spy mission over its territorial waters.The United States and Saudi Arabia are among countries thathave blamed Iran for attacks on oil tankers near the Strait of Hormuz, a majortransit route for global oil supplies.", "RIYADH, June 21 (Reuters) - U.S. Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook met Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman in Riyadh on Friday, the minister tweeted.\n\nThey discussed recent attacks in the region which the United States and Saudi Arabia blame on Iran and Iran denies being behind. Prince Khalid affirmed Saudi support for the U.S. campaign to pressure Tehran.\n\nAccording to the New York Times, President Donald Trump approved military strikes on Friday against Iran in retaliation for the downing of an unmanned $130-million surveillance drone, but pulled back from launching them.\n\nThe Global Hawk drone was shot down by an Iranian surface-to-air missile.\n\nThe U.S. says the unarmed drone was flying over international waters but Iran says it was on a spy mission over its territorial waters.\n\nThe United States and Saudi Arabia are among countries that have blamed Iran for attacks on oil tankers near the Strait of Hormuz, a major transit route for global oil supplies. (Reporting by Maher Chmaytelli; ; editing by John Stonestreet)", "RIYADH (Reuters) - U.S. Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook met Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman in Riyadh on Friday, the minister tweeted.\n\nThey discussed recent attacks in the region which the United States and Saudi Arabia blame on Iran and Iran denies being behind. Prince Khalid affirmed Saudi support for the U.S. campaign to pressure Tehran.\n\nAccording to the New York Times, President Donald Trump approved military strikes on Friday against Iran in retaliation for the downing of an unmanned $130-million surveillance drone, but pulled back from launching them.\n\nThe Global Hawk drone was shot down by an Iranian surface-to-air missile.\n\nThe U.S. says the unarmed drone was flying over international waters but Iran says it was on a spy mission over its territorial waters.\n\nThe United States and Saudi Arabia are among countries that have blamed Iran for attacks on oil tankers near the Strait of Hormuz, a major transit route for global oil supplies.", "RIYADH, June 21 (Reuters) - U.S. Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook met Saudi Arabia´s Deputy Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman in Riyadh on Friday, the minister tweeted.\n\nThey discussed recent attacks in the region which the United States and Saudi Arabia blame on Iran and Iran denies being behind. Prince Khalid affirmed Saudi support for the U.S. campaign to pressure Tehran.\n\nAccording to the New York Times, President Donald Trump approved military strikes on Friday against Iran in retaliation for the downing of an unmanned $130-million surveillance drone, but pulled back from launching them.\n\nThe Global Hawk drone was shot down by an Iranian surface-to-air missile.\n\nThe U.S. says the unarmed drone was flying over international waters but Iran says it was on a spy mission over its territorial waters.\n\nThe United States and Saudi Arabia are among countries that have blamed Iran for attacks on oil tankers near the Strait of Hormuz, a major transit route for global oil supplies. (Reporting by Maher Chmaytelli; ; editing by John Stonestreet)", "RIYADH (Reuters) - U.S. Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook met Saudi Arabian Deputy Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman in the Red Sea port city of Jeddah on Friday, the minister tweeted.\n\nThey discussed recent attacks in the region which the United States and Saudi Arabia blame on Iran and Iran denies being behind. Prince Khalid affirmed Saudi support for the U.S. campaign to pressure Tehran.\n\nAccording to the New York Times, President Donald Trump approved military strikes on Friday against Iran in retaliation for the downing of an unmanned, $130-million surveillance drone, but pulled back from launching them.\n\nThe Global Hawk drone was shot down by an Iranian surface-to-air missile.\n\nThe U.S. says the unarmed drone was flying over international waters in the Strait of Hormuz but Iran says it was on a spy mission over its territorial waters.\n\nThe United States and Saudi Arabia are among countries that have blamed Iran for attacks on oil tankers near the Strait of Hormuz, a major transit route for global oil supplies.", "RIYADH, June 21 (Reuters) - U.S. Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook met Saudi Arabia´s Deputy Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman in Riyadh on Friday, the minister tweeted.\n\nThey discussed recent attacks in the region which the United States and Saudi Arabia blame on Iran and Iran denies being behind. Prince Khalid affirmed Saudi support for the U.S. campaign to pressure Tehran.\n\nAccording to the New York Times, President Donald Trump approved military strikes on Friday against Iran in retaliation for the downing of an unmanned $130-million surveillance drone, but pulled back from launching them.\n\nThe Global Hawk drone was shot down by an Iranian surface-to-air missile.\n\nThe U.S. says the unarmed drone was flying over international waters but Iran says it was on a spy mission over its territorial waters.\n\nThe United States and Saudi Arabia are among countries that have blamed Iran for attacks on oil tankers near the Strait of Hormuz, a major transit route for global oil supplies. (Reporting by Maher Chmaytelli; ; editing by John Stonestreet)", "Iran’s downing of U.S. drone keeps Strait of Hormuz in spotlight: Here’s what you need to know\n\nThe Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most sensitive oil-transportation choke point, remains in focus, after U.S. and Iranian officials on Thursday said Iran shot down a U.S. military drone near the waterway.\n\n“This event is raising fears Iran and the U.S. are headed toward a military confrontation that would have serious price consequences for energy. There is too much dangerous activity going on in the Strait of Hormuz,” said Phil Flynn, senior market analyst at Price Futures Group, in a note.\n\nIt is the latest in a string of incidents near the waterway that have contributed to rising fears of a U.S.-Iran military conflict that could disrupt the flow of crude oil from the Middle East. It comes less than a week after a pair of oil tankers were attacked near the coast of Iran which the U.S. blamed on Tehran.\n\nHere’s a look at the Strait of Hormuz and why it is so important to the global crude-oil market.\n\nWhere is the Strait of Hormuz?\n\n The Strait of Hormuz is a narrow waterway that links the Persian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.\n\nAt its narrowest point, the waterway is only 21 miles wide, and the width of the shipping lane in either direction is just 2 miles, separated by a two-mile buffer zone.\n\nWhy is it important?\n\n Oil tankers carrying crude from ports on the Persian Gulf must pass through the strait. Around 21 million barrels of oil a day flowed through it in 2018, equivalent to roughly a third of global seaborne oil trade and about 21% of global petroleum liquids consumption, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said Thursday.\n\nCan the strait be bypassed?\n\n Not easily. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates operate the only pipelines capable of shipping crude outside the Persian Gulf and the additional pipeline capacity to circumvent the strait, the EIA said. At the end of 2018, the total available crude-oil pipeline capacity for both countries combined was estimated at 6.5 million barrels a day. With 2.7 million barrels a day moving through the pipelines that year, around 3.8 million barrels a day of unused capacity would have been available to bypass the strait, the EIA said (see table below).\n\nWhat’s the latest?\n\n Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a paramilitary that answers solely to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khameini, said it shot down the drone when it entered Iranian airspace near the Kouhmobarak district in southern Iran’s Hormozgan Province, the Associated Press reported. Kouhmobarak is around 1,200 kilometers southeast of Tehran and near the Strait of Hormuz. The U.S. military confirmed an unmanned drone was shot down by an Iranian surface-to-air missile in what it said was an unprovoked attack in international airspace, The Wall Street Journal reported.\n\nPresident Donald Trump, in a tweet, said, “Iran made a very big mistake!”\n\nAsked if the U.S. planned a retaliatory strike, Trump told reporters, “You will soon find out.” But Trump added that he had a “big, big feeling” that Iran accidentally shot down the drone and that someone “loose and stupid” was responsible.\n\nThe downing of the drone and last week’s tanker attacks follow a May incident that saw four tankers damaged in what Gulf authorities deemed “sabotage.” The incidents follow the U.S. decision to reimpose sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program, with Washington moving this spring to end waivers for several importers of Iranian crude. Military bases housing U.S. forces in Iraq have also come under rocket attack in the past week\n\nOil futures, which were already set to get a lift from the Federal Reserve’s signal that it is prepared to deliver a rate cut as early as next month, rallied sharply to set June highs. Brent crude BRNQ19, +0.92% the global benchmark, ended 4.3% higher at $64.45 a barrel, while the U.S. standard-bearer, West Texas Intermediate crude US:CLN19 jumped 5.4% to end at $56.65 a barrel.\n\nStock-market investors largely shrugged off the incident, with the S&P 500 SPX, +0.95% rising to an all-time high Thursday in a rally attributed to the Fed’s dovish tilt on rates, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average DJIA, +0.94% DJIA, +0.94% advanced nearly 250 points, or 0.9%.\n\nThe U.S. in May announced it was sending an aircraft carrier group, bombers and a Patriot antimissile battery to counter what the Trump administration said were “clear indications” that Iran and its proxies were preparing to possibly attack U.S. forces in the region. That was in addition to the existing presence of the Bahrain-based U.S. Fifth Fleet.\n\nCould Iran close the strait?\n\n The Fifth Fleet’s presence has long cast doubt on Iran’s ability to close the waterway, analysts said.\n\nThe U.S. naval presence would make it extremely difficult for Iran to choke off traffic, but the country “has the strategic depth to stage one-off attacks on vessels, not just in the critical chokepoints but also in the region’s relatively open waters,” said Helima Croft, global head of commodity strategy at RBC Capital Markets said, in a May research note.\n\nIs war likely?\n\n Iran’s leadership appears comfortable taking large risks in its engagements, targeting U.S. forces directly rather than sticking to deniable, low-level attacks against third-party targets, said Henry Rome, analyst at Eurasia Group, in a note. The death of U.S. service members would be almost certain to force Trump’s hand, he said.\n\nThe U.S., however, appears unlikely to retaliate militarily for the downing of the drone, he said.\n\n“Today’s attack underscores our decision to raise the probability of war between the U.S. and Iran to 40%, but war is still not base case,” said Henry Rome, analyst at Eurasia Group, in a note. The political-risk consulting firm earlier this week raised its estimate of the probability of a U.S.-Iran military confrontation over the next six months to 40% from 30%.\n\n Source: MarketWatch", "LONDON: Saudi Arabia’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel Al-Jubeir has said that if Iran closes the Strait of Hormuz there will be a “very, very strong reaction.”\n\nIn a press meeting with Arab and international media outlets on the sidelines of his official visit to London, Al-Jubeir said that “calm is required in the region, but we cannot reach that end as Iran’s hostile behavior has inflicted a great deal of harm.”\n\nHe stressed that the Kingdom did not want a war with Iran but that the international community was determined to confront aggressive Iranian behavior.\n\nAl-Jubeir affirmed that the Kingdom was consulting with allies to secure water corridors and was exploring several options. He said that there was sufficient evidence to blame Iran over the recent attacks on oil tankers.\n\nIranian hostilities on maritime navigation affected the world, he said. The attacks on four oil tankers off UAE’s Fujairah port and two tankers in the Gulf of Oman were acts of sabotage which Iran was accused of being involved in. He called on Iran to change its hostile behavior, stop supporting terrorism and return to being a normal state.\n\nAl-Jubeir said that it was absurd to imagine that any party was trying to drag major powers into a war with Iran.\n\nOn a judgment issued by the UK Supreme Court to review the licenses to sell arms to Saudi Arabia, Al-Jubeir explained that the British ruling on arms sales is procedural and an internal matter."], "summary": "Saudi Arabia's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Adel Al-Jubeir says if Iran closes the Strait of Hormuz, there will be a \"very, very strong reaction\"."}
{"document": ["US President Donald Trump has vowed to impose fresh sanctions on Iran and said military action was still \"on the table\" as tensions continued to rise in the Gulf following the downing of an unmanned US drone by Iranian forces.\n\nTrump's threat on Saturday came as Tehran warned Washington that \"one bullet towards Iran\" would cause its interests across the Middle East to go up in flames.\n\nFrictions between the United States and Iran have been at fever pitch since Thursday when Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) downed a US surveillance drone.\n\nWashington claims the incident happened in international airspace, but Tehran said the drone was shot down over its territory. Trump said the US planned retaliatory attacks on Iran, but he called them off because 150 people could have been killed.\n\nSpeaking in Washington, DC, before heading to the US presidential retreat at Camp David, where he said he would deliberate on Iran, Trump said his administration intended to pile economic pressure on Tehran.\n\n\"We are putting additional sanctions on Iran,\" Trump told reporters. \"In some cases, we are going slowly, but in other cases, we are moving rapidly.\"\n\nMilitary action was \"always on the table\", he said, but added that he was open to quickly reaching a deal with Iran that he said would bolster the country's flagging economy.\n\n\"We will call it 'Let's make Iran great again',\" Trump said.\n\nHe also said \"we very much appreciate\" a decision by the IRGC not to shoot down a US spy plane carrying more than 30 people.\n\nLater on Saturday, Trump said the new US sanctions will be announced on Monday.\n\n\"We are putting major additional Sanctions on Iran on Monday,\" Trump tweeted, adding: \"I look forward to the day that Sanctions come off Iran, and they become a productive and prosperous nation again - The sooner the better!\"\n\nProtesters hold signs spelling out 'No War' outside the White House [Jacquelyn Martin/ AP]\n\n'Powder keg'\n\nAl Jazeera's John Hendren, reporting from Washington, DC, said Trump's comments appear to be aimed at defusing the festering frictions.\n\n190620195154700\n\n\"Let's make Iran great again does not sound very bellicose. It's a different tune for Trump to be singing. There is a sense of relief here in the US that we are not in the middle of a major conflict.\"\n\nWorries about a confrontation between Iran and the US have mounted despite Trump saying he has no appetite for war.\n\nTehran has also said it is not seeking a war but has warned of a \"crushing\" response if attacked.\n\n\"Firing one bullet towards Iran will set fire to the interests of America and its allies\" in the region, armed forces general staff spokesman Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi told the Tasnim news agency.\n\n\"If the enemy - especially America and its allies in the region - make the military mistake of shooting the powder keg on which America's interests lie, the region will be set on fire,\" Shekarchi warned.\n\nIran's Foreign Minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, published a map on Twitter with detailed coordinates which he said showed the drone was flying over the Islamic Republic's territorial waters.\n\nBut a Pentagon spokeswoman, Commander Rebecca Rebarich, said on Saturday: \"We stand by where we said the aircraft was operating in international airspace.\"\n\n190622100239743\n\nIran's Foreign Ministry summoned a United Arab Emirates envoy on Saturday because the UAE allowed the drone to be launched from a US military base on its territory, the Fars news agency reported.\n\nA day earlier, Iran had summoned Swiss Ambassador Markus Leitner to lodge its protest over the alleged drone violation. Switzerland looks after the US interests in Iran. Tehran and Washington have had no diplomatic relations since 1979.\n\nCall for diplomacy\n\nTensions in the region began to worsen significantly when Trump pulled out of a 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six powers and reimposed sanctions on the country. The sanctions had been lifted under the pact in return for Tehran curbing its nuclear programme.\n\nThe US and its ally Saudi Arabia have also blamed Iran for attacks on two oil tankers last week in the Gulf of Oman and on four tankers off the UAE on May 12.\n\nBoth incidents happened near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a major conduit for global oil supplies.\n\nIran has denied any involvement in those incidents, but world powers are calling for calm and sending in envoys for talks to try to lower the tensions as the dispute has pushed the oil prices up.\n\nThe United Kingdom's Minister of State for the Middle East, Andrew Murrison, would visit Tehran on Sunday to raise concerns about \"Iran's regional conduct and its threat to cease complying with the nuclear deal\", the Foreign & Commonwealth Office said.\n\nGerman Chancellor Angela Merkel also called for a political resolution of the crisis, adding: \"That is what we are working on.\"\n\n190621053107153\n\nIran has threatened to breach the deal if the European signatories to the agreement fail to salvage it by shielding Tehran from US sanctions.\n\n\"The Europeans will not be given more time beyond July 8 to save the deal,\" said Abbas Mousavi, a spokesman for Iran's Foreign Ministry, referring to its deadline of 60 days announced in May.\n\nSeparately, Iran has executed a former contract employee of the aerospace organisation of the Ministry of Defence on charges of spying for the American agency CIA, the IRIB news agency reported on Saturday.\n\nJalal Hajizavar was convicted by a military court after an investigation which discovered documents and spying equipment at his home, the report said.", "Jonathan Lemire, Lisa Mascaro and Deb Riechmann, The Associated Press \n\n \n\n\n\nWASHINGTON -- U.S. President Donald Trump said Saturday he's still considering military action against Iran after it downed an unmanned U.S. military aircraft, saying the use of force is \"always on the table until we get this solved.\"\n\nDays after initially saying he found it \"hard to believe\" the shoot-down was intentional, Trump accused Iran of \"knowingly\" targeting the plane. He reiterated that he aborted a planned military strike set for Thursday after learning approximately 150 Iranians would be killed.\n\n\"I don't want to kill 150 Iranians. I don't want to kill 150 of anything or anybody unless it's absolutely necessary,\" he told reporters as he left the White House for the Camp David presidential retreat. Meetings about Iran were on the agenda, Trump said.\n\nTrump said \"we very much appreciate\" a decision by Iran's Revolutionary Guard not to shoot down a U.S. spy plane carrying more than 30 people, though he said the downing of the drone was \"probably intentional.\"\n\n\"But regardless, they targeted something without a person in it, without a man or woman, and certainly without anybody from the United States in it. So, we want to be proportionate,\" Trump said.\n\nThe president's comments came as Iran summoned the United Arab Emirates' top envoy to Tehran to protest the neighbouring Arab nation's decision to allow the U.S. to use a base there to launch the drone that Iran says entered its airspace, state media reported Saturday.\n\nIran issued a \"strong protest\" to the UAE diplomat, saying Iran does not tolerate the facilitation of foreign forces that violate its territory, the report by the official IRNA news agency said.\n\nThe U.S. said its RQ-4A Global Hawk was shot down Thursday over international waters in the Strait of Hormuz, not inside Iranian airspace.\n\nThe shoot-down by elite Iranian Revolutionary Guard forces marked the first time the Islamic Republic directly attacked the American military amid mounting tensions over Tehran's unraveling nuclear deal with world powers.\n\nThe two countries disputed the circumstances leading up to an Iranian surface-to-air missile bringing down the drone, an unmanned aircraft with a wingspan larger than a Boeing 737 jetliner and costing over $100 million.\n\nBritish diplomat Andrew Murrison planned to visit Iran on Sunday and call for the \"urgent de-escalation in the region and raise U.K. and international concerns about Iran's regional conduct\" during talks with Tehran's government, Britain's Foreign Office said in a statement Saturday.\n\n\"At this time of increased regional tensions and at a crucial period for the future of the nuclear deal, this visit is an opportunity for further open, frank and constructive engagement with the government of Iran,\" the statement said.\n\nThe announcement came a day after Trump said he had called off military strikes on Iran minutes before they were to be carried out Thursday because it would have been out of proportion to the shoot-down of an unmanned American surveillance drone.\n\n\"I didn't like the idea of them knowingly shooting down an unmanned drone and then we kill 150 people. I didn't like it,\" Trump said Saturday.\n\nTrump said U.S. sanctions on Iran have turned the country into an \"economic mess.\" He said Iran will never be a wealthy nation again if its leadership remains intent on having nuclear weapons.\n\n\"The fact is we're not going to have Iran have a nuclear weapon,\" Trump said. \"And when they agree to that, they are going to have a wealthy country, they're going to be so happy and I'm going to be their best friend.\"\n\nThe drone incident immediately heightened the crisis already gripping the wider region, which is rooted in Trump withdrawing the U.S. a year ago from Iran's 2015 nuclear deal and imposing crippling new sanctions on Tehran.\n\nRecently, Iran quadrupled its production of low-enriched uranium to be on pace to break one of the deal's terms by next week, while threatening to raise enrichment closer to weapons-grade levels on July 7 if Europe doesn't offer it a new deal.\n\nIn Iraq, security measures were increased at one of the country's largest air bases, which houses American trainers, a top Iraqi air force commander said Saturday. The U.S. military said operations at the base were going on as usual and there were currently no plans to evacuate personnel.\n\nThe stepped-up Iraqi security measures at Balad air base, just north of the capital of Baghdad, come amid the sharply rising tensions in the Middle East between the U.S. and Iran.\n\nOn Friday, Iran summoned Swiss Ambassador Markus Leitner to hear Iran's protest over the alleged violation. Switzerland looks after U.S. interests in Iran. Tehran and Washington have had no diplomatic relations since 1979.\n\nIran said the U.S. drone was a \"very dangerous provocation.\"", "Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Trump: \"Let's make Iran great again\"\n\nThe US will impose \"major\" additional sanctions on Iran in a bid to prevent the country obtaining nuclear weapons, President Donald Trump says.\n\nHe said economic pressure would be maintained unless the leadership in Tehran changed course.\n\n\"We're putting additional sanctions on,\" he told reporters. \"In [some] cases we are moving rapidly.\"\n\nIt comes after Iran announced it would exceed internationally agreed limits on its nuclear programme.\n\nThe limit on its stockpile of enriched uranium was set under a 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. In return, relevant sanctions were lifted, allowing Iran to resume oil exports - the government's main source of revenue.\n\nBut the US pulled out of the deal last year and reinstated sanctions. This triggered an economic meltdown in Iran, pushing the value of its currency to record lows and driving away foreign investors.\n\nIran has responded by scaling back its commitments under the nuclear deal.\n\n\"If Iran wants to become a prosperous nation... it's OK with me,\" Mr Trump said. \"But they're never going to do it if they think in five or six years they're going to have nuclear weapons.\"\n\n\"Let's make Iran great again,\" he added, echoing his campaign slogan from the 2016 presidential election.\n\nIn a later tweet, Mr Trump said the \"major additional sanctions\" would come into force on Monday.\n\nPresident Trump may have had second thoughts about carrying out a military strike against Iran, but he is set to toughen economic sanctions - the very policy that has helped bring the two countries to the brink of war.\n\nIran's economy is suffering badly and it is threatening to breach some of the terms of the nuclear agreement it reached with the major powers.\n\nMr Trump is also calling for negotiations with Iran. Earlier this month, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo offered talks with no conditions, save that Iran start behaving like \"a normal nation\".\n\nBut Tehran dismissed this as \"wordplay\". Mr Trump's new sanctions will do nothing to reduce these tensions.\n\nA diplomatic \"off-ramp\" in this crisis seems as elusive as ever.\n\nHow have US sanctions hit Iran?\n\nThe reinstatement of US sanctions last year - particularly those imposed on the energy, shipping and financial sectors - caused foreign investment to dry up and hit oil exports.\n\nThe sanctions bar US companies from trading with Iran, but also with foreign firms or countries that are dealing with Iran.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The BBC's James Landale went to Tehran's Grand Bazaar see what people think of the stringent sanctions\n\nThis has led to shortages of imported goods and products that are made with raw materials from abroad, most notably babies' nappies.\n\nThe plunging value of the rial has also affected the cost of locally produced staples such as meat and eggs, which have soared in price.\n\nIran has responded to the economic pressure by violating some of the nuclear deal's commitments. It has also accused European countries of failing to live up to their promises of protecting Iran's economy from US sanctions.\n\nWhat is the bigger picture?\n\nPresident Trump's announcement that additional sanctions will be imposed on Iran comes at a time of escalating tensions between the two countries.\n\nOn Thursday, an unmanned US drone was shot down by Iranian forces in the Gulf.\n\nIran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said the drone's downing was a \"clear message\" to the US that Iran's borders were \"our red line\".\n\nBut US military officials maintain the drone was in international airspace over the Strait of Hormuz at the time.\n\nAmir Ali Hajizadeh, a high-ranking officer in the IRGC, said another military aircraft, carrying 35 passengers, had been flying close to the drone. \"We could have shot down that one too, but we did not,\" he said.\n\nThe shooting down of the drone followed accusations by the US that Iran had attacked two oil tankers with mines just outside the Strait of Hormuz.\n\nMr Trump has said he does not want war with Iran, but warned it it would face \"obliteration\" if conflict broke out.", "Washington: US President Donald Trump on Saturday said he will impose additional sanctions against Iran in an effort to prevent Tehran from obtaining nuclear weapons, adding that military action was still a possibility.\n\nTrump, who was speaking to reporters at the White House, made his comments after recently calling off military action against Iran to retaliate for the downing of a US military drone.\n\n\"We are putting additional sanctions on Iran,\" Trump said. \"In some cases we are going slowly, but in other cases we are moving rapidly.\"\n\nTrump said he would be Iran's \"best friend\" and that the Islamic republic could be a \"wealthy\" country if it renounced nuclear weapons.\n\n\"We're not going to have Iran have a nuclear weapon,\" Trump told reporters as he prepared to depart for Camp David for meetings on the situation with Iran. \"When they agree to that, they're going to have a wealthy country. They're going to be so happy, and I'm going to be their best friend. I hope that happens. Let's make Iran great again.\"\n\nTrump disclosed on Friday that he called off a US military strike on Iran at the last minute, saying it would be a disproportionate response to Thursday's downing of the unmanned US aircraft over the Strait of Hormuz.\n\n\"Everyone was saying I'm a war-monger, and now they say I'm a dove,\" Trump said on Saturday as he was peppered with questions about the Iran drama.\n\n\"I think I am neither, if you want to know the truth. I'm a man with common sense, and that's what we need in this country, is common sense.\"", "Washington, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 23rd Jun, 2019 ) :President Donald Trump said Saturday that the United States would impose \"major\" new sanctions on Iran in two days, just hours after saying he would be the Islamic republic's new \"best friend\" if they were to renounce nuclear arms.\n\nTensions between the United States and Iran have soared this week after Tehran downed a US surveillance drone.\n\nTrump said Friday that he called off retaliatory military strikes at the last minute because the response was not \"proportionate.\"But he had brandished the threat of sanctions ever since, and has now set a timetable.\n\n\"We are putting major additional Sanctions on Iran on Monday,\" Trump tweeted, while adding: \"I look forward to the day that Sanctions come off Iran, and they become a productive and prosperous nation again - The sooner the better!\"", "As tensions flare with Iran, Israel could strike first\n\n(THE CONVERSATION) Iran shot down a U.S. drone on June 19, further escalating tensions between Iran and its adversaries.\n\nRelations with Iran have been worsening for months. In early May, one year after the United States withdrew from the nuclear deal negotiated in 2015 between Iran, the U.S., the European Union and five other countries, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said that his country may also withdraw from the agreement, which limits its ability to develop nuclear weapons in exchange for lifting sanctions.\n\nIn June, Rouhani announced that Iran will restarturanium enrichment, which could put the country on track to develop a nuclear weapon within a year. Rouhani’s government insists its uranium will go to civilian nuclear power, not weapons.\n\nAs a “deterrent” to Iran, the United States is sending an additional 1,000 troops to the Middle East.\n\nThe U.S. is not the only country considering a military response in Iran.\n\n“Israel will not allow Iran to obtain nuclear weapons,” said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on June 17. Netanyahu also said Iran must be punished for violating the nuclear agreement.\n\nIsrael, which has faced threats to its national security since its founding as a Jewish homeland in the Middle East in 1948, is known to take aggressive, preventive action to protect itself – including by launching preemptive strikes on neighboring nations it perceives as threatening.\n\nIf international relations with Iran grow more volatile, Israel could take dramatic, unilateral action against its neighbor and longtime adversary.\n\nI’m an international security scholar who studies Israel’s proactive use of its military to prevent nuclear buildup in the Middle East.\n\nIsrael has a counterproliferation policy, called the Begin Doctrine, which allows it to wage preventive strikes against enemies with weapons of mass destruction programs. Using the Begin Doctrine as a justification for preemptive strikes, the Israeli government has for decades quietly decimated nuclear and chemical facilities across the Middle East.\n\nWhen President Saddam Hussein’s potential nuclear military ambitions raised concerns in 1981, the Israeli government destroyed an Iraqi nuclear reactor in a surprise attack called Operation Opera.\n\n“On no account shall we permit an enemy to develop weapons of mass destruction against the people of Israel,” a government release stated at the time. “We shall defend the citizens of Israel in good time and with all the means at our disposal.”\n\nIn 2007, Israel responded to Syria’s failure to report its uranium processing by striking a nuclear reactor in the Deir ez-Zor region. The United States, which was reportedly informed ahead of the attack, made no effort to stop Israel.\n\nIsrael has also been accused of sponsoring the assassinations of at least four Iranian nuclear scientists since 2010. The incidents have never been fully investigated, and Israel has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility for the targeted killings.\n\nIsrael has also deterred nuclear proliferation in the Mideast using less lethal, more high tech strategies.\n\nIn 2008 and 2009, Israel used computer malware called Stuxnet to disrupt Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. The program infected the software that controlled centrifuge speed at the Natanz nuclear plant, alternately speeding up and slowing down the machines that produce enriched uranium to cripple production of the material. The Obama administration secretly supported the cyberattacks.\n\nThough the United States, United Nations and other world powers officially condemned some of these unprovoked Israeli military aggression, other preemptive Israeli attacks have been met with silence from the international community.\n\nThe international community may even appreciate Israel’s role as a nuclear nonproliferation watchdog in the Middle East, my research suggests. Israel has never been punished for attacking its neighbors’ weapons programs.\n\nDecades after Israel’s 1981 attack on Iraq’s nuclear plant, President Bill Clinton called it “a really good thing.”\n\n“It kept Saddam Hussein from developing nuclear power,” he said at the 2005 Davos World Economic Forum.\n\n“But it’s not clear to me they have that option in Iran,” he added.\n\nThat was 14 years ago. In 2005, Iran was just beginning its nuclear buildup.\n\nToday, Israel’s government seems strong in its belief that it has the option to strike Iran.\n\nIran’s Islamic fundamentalist government is openly hostile to Israel. Citing fears that Iran would use nuclear weapons against Israel, Netanyahu has warned, “Iranian acquisition of nuclear weapons would be infinitely more costly than any scenario you can imagine to stop it.”\n\nHe told Iran and other adversaries not to “test” Israel.\n\nIf the nuclear deal ruptures further and Iran does restarting uranium enrichment, Israel might launch targeted airstrikes against it.\n\nHistory suggests other countries are unlikely to actively deter Israeli military aggression in the guise of nuclear nonproliferation.\n\nThe Trump administration has expressed anti-Iranian sentiment and is a staunch backer of Netanyahu’s government.\n\nAnd while European powers will recognize preemptive Israeli strikes on nuclear facilities as a violation of international law and of the sovereignty of Israel’s neighbors, they also see Iran’s nuclear program as a grave global security concern.\n\nA nuclear Iran could escalate ongoing Middle East conflicts into nuclear exchanges, and, as some commentators say, spur other regional powers like Saudi Arabia and Egypt to develop nuclear weapons themselves.\n\nOf course, potential Israeli attacks on Iran present their own serious risks. Because most of Iran’s reactors are in full operations, air strikes may mean cutting off the power supply to Iranian citizens and could release large amounts of radioactive contaminants into the air.\n\nIran, a militarily well-equipped country, would surely retaliate against any Israeli attacks. That, too, would trigger a conflict that would spiral throughout the Middle East.\n\nOf course, Israel faced similar dangers when it went after the weapons programs of Syria, Iraq and other neighbors.\n\nIf history is any guide, Israel may strike Iran while the world quietly watches.\n\nThis article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article here: http://theconversation.com/as-tensions-flare-with-iran-israel-could-strike-first-119146.", "The U.S. warned Iran on Sunday that it should not mistake as \"weakness\" President Donald Trump's last-minute decision to not militarily retaliate for Tehran's shoot-down of an unmanned U.S. drone near the Strait of Hormuz.\n\n\"Neither Iran nor any other hostile actor should mistake U.S. prudence and discretion for weakness,\" U.S. national security adviser John Bolton said in Jerusalem ahead of a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.\n\n\"No one has granted them a hunting license in the Middle East,\" Bolton said of Iran. \"Our military is rebuilt new and ready to go.\"\n\nBolton's warning came hours after Trump, without providing any details, said he plans to impose \"major\" new sanctions against Iran on Monday.\n\nTrump announced the move Saturday on Twitter, saying, \"Iran cannot have Nuclear Weapons,\" and that the sanctions would be dropped as soon as the country becomes \"a productive and prosperous nation again.\"\n\nBolton said existing sanctions against Tehran already are having a sharp effect on the Tehran economy.\n\n\"Sanctions are biting,\" he said. \"Iran can never have nuclear weapons — not against the U.S.A. and not against the world.\"\n\nTrump spoke with reporters at the White House before leaving for Camp David outside Washington for a meeting with top administration officials, at one point saying as soon as Tehran agreed to renounce nuclear weapons, \"I’m going to be their best friend.\"\n\nTrump's tone was much softer on Saturday after a week of intense actions between the U.S. and Iran.\n\nConcern about a potential armed confrontation between the U.S. and Iran has been growing since U.S. officials recently blamed Tehran for mine attacks on two oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz, allegations Tehran denies, and Iran’s downing of an unmanned U.S. drone on Thursday.\n\nOn Friday, Trump said that he had canceled late Thursday a retaliatory strike against several Iranian targets.\n\nHe tweeted that the United States was \"cocked & loaded to retaliate last night on 3 different sights when I asked, how many will die. 150 people, sir, was the answer from a General. 10 minutes before the strike I stopped it,\" Trump tweeted, saying the action would have been disproportionate.\n\nWorld powers have called for calm after the incidents.\n\nGerman Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday urged for a political resolution of the crisis. \"That is what we are working on,\" she told Reuters.\n\nOn Sunday, Britain's Middle East minister, Andrew Murrison, will travel to Tehran for talks with Iranian officials.\n\nBritain's Foreign Office said Murrison would call for \"urgent de-escalation in the region.\" He will also discuss Iran's threat to cease complying with the nuclear deal that the United States pulled out of last year.\n\nJames Phillips, a senior researcher at the conservative Washington-based Heritage Foundation, said he believes the immediate risk of a U.S.-Iran conflict has passed.\n\n\"It's probably over as far as the incident goes with the shoot down of the drone. But, I think if there are further provocations, the president will respond in a strong and effective manner,\" he said.\n\nPhillips also said he does not expect Tehran to accept U.S. calls for negotiations while Trump continues a \"maximum pressure campaign\" of sanctions on Iran. \"I doubt that Tehran will be serious until it sees who wins the next presidential election,\" he said.\n\nThe U.S. announced this week it was authorizing another 1,000 troops — including a Patriot missile battery and additional manned and unmanned reconnaissance aircraft to bolster defenses at U.S. positions in Iraq and Syria.", "This satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows the oil tanker Front Altair off the coast of Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, Monday, June 17, 2019. New satellite photos released Monday show two oil tankers apparently attacked in the Gulf of Oman last week. The U.S. alleges Iran used limpet mines to strike the two tankers. Iran has denied being involved. (Satellite image ©2019 Maxar Technologies via AP)\n\nWASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. and Iran edged toward a flashpoint Monday as Tehran announced it was breaking compliance with the accord that keeps it from making nuclear weapons and the Trump administration followed by ordering 1,000 more troops to the Middle East.\n\nThe Pentagon said the deployment includes security forces and troops for additional surveillance and intelligence gathering in the region. While the number is small, it represents an escalation of U.S. military might aimed at deterring Iran and calming allies worried that transit through key shipping lanes could be in jeopardy.\n\nTehran’s announcement earlier Monday means it could soon start to enrich uranium to just a step away from weapons-grade levels, challenging President Donald Trump’s assurances to allies that the U.S. withdrawal from the deal last year made the world a safer place.\n\nThe developments are bound to inflame tensions in the Middle East and pose a test of resolve and credibility for both adversaries.\n\nIran said it would break a limit on uranium stockpiles established by the 2015 agreement with world powers that was intended to restrict the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program in exchange for an easing of international sanctions.\n\nAfter Trump withdrew from the agreement, signed by his predecessor, he reinstated punishing economic sanctions, leaving the European and other partners in the accord struggling to keep Iran on board.\n\nOn Monday, the U.S. administration found itself in the awkward position of demanding that Iran comply with a nuclear accord that the president derided as the worst deal in history.\n\n“We continue to call on the Iranian regime not to obtain a nuclear weapon, to abide by their commitments to the international community,” State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus told reporters.\n\nThe move comes as Washington accuses Iran of attacking two tankers near the Persian Gulf and the Iranians deny responsibility. With details murky and no one owning up to the attacks, the Pentagon released new photos intended to bolster its case that Iran carried out the attacks.\n\nThe State Department spokeswoman said Iran’s uranium announcement amounted to “extortion” and a “challenge to international norms,” as well as to the 2015 agreement known formally as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.\n\n“It’s unfortunate that they have made this announcement today,” Ortagus said. “It doesn’t surprise anybody and this is why the president has often said that the JCPOA needs to be replaced with a better deal.”\n\nTrump appeared to say the deal should not be violated in a tweet: “Iran to defy Uranium Stockpile Limits.”\n\nIn announcing the new deployment, Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said the forces are “for defensive purposes to address air, naval, and ground-based threats in the Middle East.”\n\n“The United States does not seek conflict with Iran,” Shanahan said. “The action today is being taken to ensure the safety and welfare of our military personnel working throughout the region and to protect our national interests.” He added that the U.S. will continue to adjust troop levels as needed.\n\nOn the unravelling of the multinational nuclear deal, some of its supporters blamed the Trump administration for Iran’s provocative announcements, saying they were predictable given the renewed U.S. pressure.\n\n“While Iran’s frustration with Trump’s reckless and irresponsible pressure campaign is understandable, we strongly urge Iran to remain in compliance with the nuclear deal,” the Arms Control Association said in a statement. “It remains in Iran’s interests to abide by the limits of the agreement and to fully cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency’s more intrusive monitoring and verification.”\n\nIran has shown no willingness to negotiate another deal and vowed not enter into talks with the United States while the administration maintains its “maximum pressure” campaign of sanctions.\n\nAdministration officials found themselves Monday grappling with whether to press the remaining parties to the deal, including Britain, France and Germany, to demand that Iran stay in compliance. They must also consider if such a stance would essentially concede that the restrictions imposed during the Obama administration, while short of ideal, are better than none.\n\nUnder the deal, Iran can keep a stockpile of no more than 660 pounds (300 kilograms) of low-enriched uranium. Behrouz Kamalvandi, spokesman for Iran’s atomic agency, said it would pass that limit June 27.\n\nA senior U.S. official said the administration is most concerned about any violation of the deal that would reduce the breakout time that Iran would need to produce a nuclear weapon. The deal aimed to keep the breakout time at one year.\n\nThe official said certain violations, while they should be not accepted, would not necessarily reduce that time. But other violations, such as enriching uranium to 20%, should be addressed immediately if they occur, the official said. The official was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.\n\nThe official said it would be up to the Europeans to decide if Iran was in violation of the deal and whether to initiate a dispute resolution mechanism that could bring the Iranians back into compliance. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is expected to meet this week with E.U. foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, a leading deal proponent, at which this issue is likely to be raised.\n\nPompeo, who was a leading critic of the deal while he was in Congress, has said in the past that Iranian compliance is not really an issue as the administration sees the agreement as fundamentally flawed because over time it eases many limits on Iran’s nuclear activities.\n\nYet, just last week, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N.’s nuclear watchdog accused Iran of violating a provision of the deal that relates to advanced centrifuges and called on the Europeans to ensure that Iran remains in compliance.", "President Donald Trump said Saturday that the United States will place additional sanctions on Iran in a bid to force Tehran to the bargaining table and warned that possible military action against Iran is still \"on the table.\"\n\nSpeaking to reporters before leaving on an Iran-focused working trip to Camp David, Trump said previous sanctions had squeezed Iran hard already and he will add more financial pressure.\n\n\"Iran right now is an economic mess,\" he said on the South Lawn of the White House. \"They are going through hell, the sanctions are hitting them hard.\"\n\nHe vowed that \"a lot more sanctions\" will be enacted. But he did not elaborate on the nature of the additional measures.\n\nAfter a week of crises in the Persian Gulf, with a purported attack by Iranian forces on oil tankers and the downing of an unmanned U.S. drone by elite Iranian Revolutionary Guard forces, Trump mixed conciliatory gestures toward Iran with warnings of harsh retaliation if Tehran's leadership mount any more military attacks on U.S. interests.\n\nWhile saying \"many people\" agree with his last-minute decision not to attack Iranian sites on Thursday in retaliation for Iran shooting down the U.S. drone, he said that did not mean he was turning soft.\n\n\"Now if the leaders of Iran behave badly, then it is going to be a very, very bad day for them, but hopefully they are smart, and hopefully they are for their people and not themselves,\" he said. \"And hopefully we can get Iran back onto an economic track that is fantastic.\"\n\nIf they did, he said, Iran would become a wealthy nation, \"which would be a wonderful thing — but if they are going to be foolish, that will never happen.\"\n\nPart of the olive branch toward Iran included praise that the Iranian forces that destroyed the drone did not attack a nearby U.S. military plane carrying, which he said was carrying 38 people.\n\n\"They didn't shoot it down, and I think that was a very wise decision, and I think that is something we very much appreciate,\" Trump said.\n\nThe president also said his national security adviser, John Bolton, was \"definitely a hawk,\" noting his support in the past for the invasion of Iraq by former President George W. Bush.\n\n\"John Bolton is doing a very good job, but he takes generally a tougher posture,\" Trump said. \"But I have others who don't take that posture. But the only one that matters is me, because I will listen to everyone and I want people on both sides. Having people on both sides is very important.\"\n\nTrump also criticized his predecessor, former President Barack Obama, for a multinational agreement with Iran that lifted some sanctions on Tehran while limiting Iran's nuclear weapons ambitions.\n\nThe president said the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, or JCPOA, which would have delayed Iran's ability to build a weapon, was flawed, and claimed that it did not allow widespread international inspection of sites for producing nuclear material.\n\n\"Most primary sites you couldn't go to, you couldn't inspect,\" he claimed. \"We haven't seen them in years.\"\n\nIn April, a quarterly report by the International Atomic Energy Agency, which handles the inspections, said its inspectors have had access to all the places in Iran they have needed to visit. That was also confirmed by IAEA chief Yukiya Amano.\n\nTrump also said that any talks with Iran would bar outright their ability to make any nuclear weapons, not simply delay that possibility.\n\nAllowing Iran to ever be able to make a nuclear weapon, Trump said, \"is unacceptable.\"\n\nIran Timeline: A history of democracy, U.S. and British intervention, and a cleric-controlled autocracy\n\nTimeline:: How tension escalated between US, Iran\n\n\"We will start over,\" he said of any talks with Tehran. \"We could have a deal with them very quickly if they want. it is up to them.\n\nIn holding out the benefits for Iran of a new deal, he echoed appeals he has made to North Korea for reaping economic rewards through cooperation.\n\n\"If Iran wants to become a wealthy national again, become a prosperous nation, call it, \"let's make Iran great again.\"\n\nIn that scenario, the president said, \"I am going to be their best friend.\"", "WASHINGTON, June 23 — Trump vows new Iran sanctions, Tehran warns US against attack\n\nUS President Donald Trump yesterday pledged to hit Iran with “major” new sanctions as Tehran warned Washington that any attack would see its interests across the Middle East go up in flames.\n\nThe war of words heated up after Trump had pulled back from military action against Iran in response to its downing of a US reconnaissance drone.\n\nThat incident, which came after a series of attacks on tankers in the congested shipping lanes out of the Gulf that the US has blamed on Iran, exacerbated already tense relations between the two countries.\n\nIran has denied responsibility for those attacks.\n\nTrump, who spent yesterday huddling with his advisors at Camp David, initially told reporters that he was keen to be Iran’s “best friend” — if the country agreed to renounce nuclear weapons.\n\n“When they agree to that, they’re going to have a wealthy country. They’re going to be so happy, and I’m going to be their best friend,” he told reporters.\n\nIran has denied seeking a nuclear weapon and says its program is for civilian purposes.\n\nA multinational accord reached by Tehran and world powers in 2015 sought to curb Iran’s nuclear ambitions in exchange for sanctions relief.\n\nBut Trump left that agreement more than a year ago and has imposed a robust slate of punitive economic sanctions designed to choke off Iranian oil sales and cripple its economy — one he now plans to expand.\n\n“We are putting major additional Sanctions on Iran on Monday,” tweeted Trump, who has also deployed additional troops to the Middle East.\n\n“I look forward to the day that Sanctions come off Iran, and they become a productive and prosperous nation again – The sooner the better!”\n\nAdded Secretary of State Mike Pompeo: “When the Iranian regime decides to forgo violence and meet our diplomacy with diplomacy, it knows how to reach us. Until then, our diplomatic isolation and economic pressure campaign against the regime will intensify.”\n\nBut lest anyone think he was entirely ruling out military action, Trump tweeted Saturday evening that “I never called the strike against Iran ‘BACK,’ as people are incorrectly reporting, I just stopped it from going forward at this time!”\n\nA top Iranian military official warned Washington against any strikes.\n\n“Firing one bullet towards Iran will set fire to the interests of America and its allies” in the region, armed forces general staff spokesman Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi told the Tasnim news agency.\n\n“If the enemy — especially America and its allies in the region — make the military mistake of shooting the powder keg on which America’s interests lie, the region will be set on fire,” Shekarchi warned.\n\nFollowing his comments, Iran said it had executed a man, a contractor for the defense ministry’s aerospace organization, who had been convicted of spying for the United States.\n\nAfter the downing Thursday of the Global Hawk surveillance aircraft, Trump said the United States had been “cocked & loaded” to strike Iran.\n\nBut at the last minute, he said he pulled back as the response would not have been “proportionate.”\n\nThe US president subsequently said he did not want war with Iran, but if it came to pass, there would be “obliteration like you’ve never seen before,” according to excerpts of an interview with NBC conducted on Friday.\n\nTehran insists that the drone violated its airspace — something Washington denies — but a commander of the elite Revolutionary Guards, Brigadier General Amir Ali Hajizadeh, told state news agency IRNA that the violation could have been an accident.\n\n“Nonetheless, this was an act of trampling international aviation laws by a spy aircraft,” Hajizadeh added.\n\nThe Pentagon released a map of the drone’s flight path, indicating it avoided Iranian waters, but Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif yesterday published maps showing the aircraft inside Iranian territory.\n\n“There can be no doubt about where the vessel was when it was brought down,” he wrote on Twitter.\n\nAfter the drone was downed, Trump secretly authorized US Cyber Command to carry out a retaliatory cyber attack on Iran, The Washington Post reported yesterday.\n\nIt crippled computers used to control rocket and missile launches, according to the Post, while Yahoo News said a spying group responsible for tracking ships in the Gulf was targeted.\n\nIran’s foreign ministry said it had summoned the charge d’affaires of the United Arab Emirates, from where the US drone launched, to protest its decision to “put its installations at the disposal of foreign forces for aggression.”\n\nThe US Federal Aviation Administration has barred American civilian aircraft from the area “until further notice,” and several major non-US airlines were altering flight paths to avoid the sensitive Strait of Hormuz. — AFP"], "summary": "The United States announces \"major\" sanctions against Iran to prevent them from obtaining nuclear weapons."}
{"document": ["Mauritania's ruling party candidate Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, a former general and defense minister, won the country's presidential election with 52% of the vote, the electoral commission announced Sunday.\n\nGhazouani's nearest rival, prominent anti-slavery activist Biram Dah Abeid, came in second with 18.58% of the vote. Sidi Mohamed Ould Boubacar, who is backed by the country's biggest Islamist party, came in third with 17.87%.\n\nAs Ghazouani won an absolute majority in the first round of the presidential election, the top two contenders will not face off in a runoff election.\n\nEarlier on Sunday, Ghazouani declared himself the winner of the Saturday polls. Mauritania's government also declared victory for the former general and congratulated him.\n\nOpposition candidates reject results\n\nSpeaking at a news conference with three other candidates, Boubacar said that \"multiple irregularities ... eliminated any credibility\" of the election in the West African desert nation.\n\n\"We reject the results of the election and we consider that they in no way express the will of the Mauritanian people,\" he said, vowing that the opposition would use \"every legal means\" to challenge them.\n\nOpposition candidates had earlier said they would contest the results if the ruling party won the first round of the election outright.\n\n\"This seems like a coup d'etat,\" Abeid said at a press conference, representing himself and the other opposition leaders. \"We are united and will lead the contestation [of the results].\"\n\nWatch video 02:00 Share A peaceful transfer of power in Mauritania? Send Facebook google+ Whatsapp Tumblr linkedin stumble Digg reddit Newsvine Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/3KrdN A peaceful transfer of power in Mauritania?\n\nFavored candidate\n\nVoters in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania went to the polls on Saturday to elect a new president as Mohammed Ould Abdel Aziz prepares to step aside after serving two five-year elected terms.\n\nSome 1.5 million people in the West African state were entitled to vote in the presidential election.\n\nEconomic issues dominated the election campaign, with the outgoing president largely credited with stabilizing the country after seizing power in a 2008 coup. Abdel Aziz was later elected as president in 2009 and 2014 in a vote boycotted by the main opposition parties.\n\nRead more: Mauritania poll returns incumbent as opposition boycotts vote\n\nAbdel Aziz backed Ghazouani, who was heavily tipped to win the presidential election.\n\nLocated on the northwest African coast, Mauritania gained independence from French rule in 1960, but unelected military governments largely ruled the country in the decades to follow.\n\nAnti-slavery activist Biram Dah Abeid said he might contest the results\n\nContinuity and security\n\nGilles Yabi, the founder of the West African think tank WATHI, told Reuters that if Ghazouani secured a victory, he would probably carry forward his predecessor's policies, but Yabi added: \"Ghazouani is someone who is very discreet. It could well happen that the change is not merely cosmetic.\"\n\nGhazouani once headed the country's domestic security service and was chief of staff to Abdel Aziz from 2008 to 2018.\n\nRead more: Mauritania votes in controversial constitutional referendum\n\nThe favored candidate campaigned on themes of continuity, solidarity and security.\n\n\"There are only two choices — either going backwards, towards extremism, waste and instability, or your candidate, who will continue what has been achieved to build a stable and developed state,\" the 62-year-old told his supporters on Thursday.\n\nDecline in attacks\n\nA Western ally, Mauritania had been in the grip of extremist violence until recently. In the past few years, the government has been able to bring down the levels of conflict.\n\nAl-Qaida documents seized from Osama bin Laden's hideout in the Pakistani city of Abbottabad indicated that the Islamist group had discussed a possible peace deal with Mauritanian authorities in 2010, a year prior to bin Laden's killing by US forces.\n\nAuthorities denied that such a deal existed and claimed that intelligence work and the rehabilitation of imprisoned jihadis caused a decline in Islamist attacks.\n\nRead more: Mauritania journalist sentenced to death for apostasy\n\nIn Mauritania, slavery's last bastion Born into bondage Schweda was born a slave in Mauritania's north-eastern Sahara along with her brother, Matallah. Overcoming virtually insurmountable odds, Matallah succeeded in freeing her and her nine children from slavery in March 2013.\n\nIn Mauritania, slavery's last bastion Gritty capital Twenty-five years of drought have transformed Mauritania from a nomadic to an urban society. The transition has not been easy, and with an unemployment rate of 40 percent, many Mauritanians survive on less than one dollar a day.\n\nIn Mauritania, slavery's last bastion Making do Shantytowns have sprung up on the outskirts of Nouakchott, where many former slaves, and those who left the drought-ridden countryside in search of opportunity, build homes from scrap metal and other found items.\n\nIn Mauritania, slavery's last bastion Nationwide repression Slavery in Mauritania is not unique to the countryside. Mbarka was born into slavery and lived her life serving a wealthy family in Nouakchott. She was freed in 2011 with the assistance of well-known anti-slavery activist Biram Abeid and IRA, the abolitionist organization he leads.\n\nIn Mauritania, slavery's last bastion Bringing freedom Messaoud Boubacar (left) of the anti-slavery NGO SOS Esclaves was instrumental in the freeing of Matallah (right) and the subsequent liberation of his sister and her nine children. Both are members of a 'slave caste,' known as the Hratine, and are descended from black African ethnic groups along the Senegal River who were subjugated by white Arab Berbers.\n\nIn Mauritania, slavery's last bastion 'Slave caste' The Hratine often suffer from discrimination as they are at the very bottom of the social and economic ladder. There are no reliable figures for the number of Hratine. Human rights groups estimate that 10 to 20 percent of Mauritania's 3.5 million people are slaves.\n\nIn Mauritania, slavery's last bastion Fatherless society \"In slavery fathers are irrelevant, their presence is not a factor,\" says Massaoud Boubacar of SOS Esclaves. \"There is no role for the father, because the master owns the women, and when the women give birth the master owns the children, which he might sell or do with as he pleases.\"\n\nIn Mauritania, slavery's last bastion Seeking justice Eleven year-old Yarg (right) is one of the very few former slaves in Mauritania to have successfully had his former master convicted for the crimes committed against him. The man was sentenced to two years in prison for a crime that should have resulted in a five-to 10-year-minimum sentence.\n\nIn Mauritania, slavery's last bastion Poverty gap Mauritania is one of the richest countries in West Africa in terms of fish stocks and mineral wealth, but the riches earned from these resources have not been shared by the general populace.\n\nIn Mauritania, slavery's last bastion Struggle for survival Matallah's family - here his wife and child - live in grinding poverty, like many Hratine and former slaves. Despite the challenges, they have retained their dignity and an uncommon positivity that a brighter future may be in store for them. Author: Robert Asher and Safa Faki, Nouakchott\n\n\n\nrs,shs/jm (Reuters, AFP)\n\nEvery evening, DW sends out a selection of the day's news and features. Sign up here.", "Mauritanians took to the polls on Saturday, voting for a successor to President Mohammed Ould Abdel Aziz, who since seizing power in a 2008 coup positioned himself as an ally of the West in the fight against Islamist militants.\n\nPolls in the Northwest African country opened at 7 a.m. (0700 GMT).\n\nAbdel Aziz is stepping aside after serving the maximum two five-year elected terms and has thrown his support behind Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, 62, a former general and defence minister.\n\nAbdel Aziz could however maintain significant influence behind the scenes. He said on Thursday that he had not ruled out running again in five years when his term limits would reset.\n\nGilles Yabi, the founder of West African think tank WATHI, said Ghazouani was favoured to win the election and would likely continue to rule in Abdel Aziz’s mould, but that he could still surprise.\n\n“Ghazouani is someone who is very discreet. It could well happen that the change is not merely cosmetic,” Yabi said.\n\nFive other candidates are on the ballot. Former prime minister Sidi Mohamed Ould Boubacar, who is backed by Mauritania’s biggest Islamist party, has drawn large crowds on the campaign trail and is considered Ghazouani’s main rival.\n\nGhazouani has campaigned on economic and security progress under Abdel Aziz. The economy is growing and will receive a boost when a large offshore gas field starts producing early next decade.\n\nTourists are also starting to return for desert tours after years of staying away following a series of kidnappings in 2009.\n\nIn recent years, Mauritania has been spared attacks by jihadist militants linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State that have devastated other countries in West Africa’s Sahel region, including neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso.\n\nAl Qaeda documents seized from Osama bin Laden’s Pakistan hideout in 2011 indicated the group’s leaders had discussed a possible peace deal the previous year with Mauritania’s government that would involve prisoner releases and payments.\n\nMauritania’s government denied that any such deal existed and has credited its success preventing Islamist attacks to intelligence work and rehabilitation of imprisoned jihadists.\n\nThe opposition candidates, who include a prominent campaigner against slavery in the country, have tried to tap into dissatisfaction among young people over stagnating salaries and poor health care.\n\nIf no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, the election will go to a second round next month.", "Mauritania's ruling party candidate Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, a former general and defense minister, won the country's presidential election with 52% of the vote, the electoral commission announced Sunday,\n\nGhazouani's nearest rival, prominent anti-slavery activist Biram Dah Abeid came in second with 18.58% of the vote. Sidi Mohamed Ould Boubacar, who is backed by the country's biggest Islamist party, came in third with 17.87%.\n\nAs Ghazouani won an absolute majority in the first round of the presidential election, the top two contender’s will not face off in a runoff election.\n\nEarlier on Sunday, Ghazouani declared himself the winner of the Saturday polls. Mauritania's government also declared victory for the former general and congratulated him.\n\nSpeaking at a news conference with three other candidates, Boubacar said that \"multiple irregularities ... eliminated any credibility\" of the election in the West African desert nation.\n\n\"We reject the results of the election and we consider that they in no way express the will of the Mauritanian people,\" he said, vowing that the opposition would use \"every legal means\" to challenge them.\n\nOpposition candidates had earlier said they would contest the results if the ruling party won the first round of the election outright.\n\n\"This seems like a coup d'etat,\" Abeid said at a press conference, representing himself and the other opposition leaders. \"We are united and will lead the contestation [of the results].\"\n\nVoters in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania went to the polls on Saturday to elect a new president as Mohammed Ould Abdel Aziz prepares to step aside after serving two five-year elected terms.\n\nSome 1.5 million people in the West African state were entitled to vote in the presidential election.\n\nEconomic issues dominated the election campaign, with the outgoing president largely credited with stabilizing the country after seizing power in a 2008 coup. Abdel Aziz was later elected as president in 2009 and 2014 in a vote boycotted by the main opposition parties.\n\nAbdel Aziz backed Ghazouani, who was heavily tipped to win the presidential election.\n\nLocated on the northwest African coast, Mauritania gained independence from French rule in 1960 but non-elected military governments largely ruled the country in the decades which followed.\n\nGilles Yabi, the founder of West African think tank WATHI, told Reuters that if Ghazouani secured a victory, he would probably carry forward his predecessor's policies but added: \"Ghazouani is someone who is very discreet. It could well happen that the change is not merely cosmetic,\" Yabi said.\n\nGhazouani once headed the country's domestic security service and was chief of staff to Abdel Aziz from 2008 to 2018.\n\nThe favored candidate campaigned on themes of continuity, solidarity and security.\n\n\"There are only two choices — either going backwards, towards extremism, waste and instability, or your candidate, who will continue what has been achieved to build a stable and developed state,\" the 62-year-old told his supporters on Thursday.\n\nA Western ally, Mauritania had been in the grip of extremist violence until recently. In the past few years, the government has been able to bring down the levels of conflict.\n\nAl-Qaida documents seized from Osama bin Laden's hideout in the Pakistani city of Abottabad indicated that the Islamist group had discussed a possible peace deal with Mauritanian authorities in 2010, a year prior to bin Laden's killing by US forces.\n\nAuthorities deny that such a deal existed and claimed that intelligence work and rehabilitation of imprisoned jihadists caused a decline in Islamist attacks.\n\nRead more: Mauritania journalist sentenced to death for apostasy\n\nEvery evening, DW sends out a selection of the day's news and features. Sign up here.", "Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, a former general and defense minister, had secured 50.72% of the vote with just over half of the votes counted, the electoral commission data showed on Sunday.\n\nGhazouani's nearest rival, Sidi Mohamed Ould Boubacar, who is backed by the country's biggest Islamist party, has 18.47% of the vote so far. Biram Dah Abeid, a black slavery campaigner, was third with 18.24%.\n\nEarlier on Sunday, Ghazouani declared himself the winner of the Saturday polls. \"There is only 20% left (to count), but that will not change the final result,\" Ghazouani reportedly told his supporters.\n\nVoters in the Islamic Republic of Mauritania went to the polls on Saturday to elect a new president as Mohammed Ould Abdel Aziz prepares to step aside after serving two five-year elected terms.\n\nSome 1.5 million people in the West African state were entitled to vote in the presidential election.\n\nEconomic issues dominated the election campaign, with the outgoing president largely credited with stabilizing the country after seizing power in a 2008 coup. Abdel Aziz was later elected as president in 2009 and 2014 in a vote boycotted by the main opposition parties.\n\nAbdel Aziz has backed Ghazouani, who is heavily tipped to win the presidential election.\n\nLocated on the northwest African coast, Mauritania gained independence from French rule in 1960 but non-elected military governments largely ruled the country in the decades which followed.\n\nGilles Yabi, the founder of West African think tank WATHI, told Reuters that if Ghazouani secured a victory, he would probably carry forward his predecessor's policies but added: \"Ghazouani is someone who is very discreet. It could well happen that the change is not merely cosmetic,\" Yabi said.\n\nGhazouani once headed the country's domestic security service and was chief of staff to Abdel Aziz from 2008 to 2018.\n\nThe favored candidate campaigned on themes of continuity, solidarity and security.\n\n\"There are only two choices — either going backwards, towards extremism, waste and instability, or your candidate, who will continue what has been achieved to build a stable and developed state,\" the 62-year-old told his supporters on Thursday.\n\nGhazouani's main challenger Boubacar, who was prime minister between 1992 and 1996 and head of a transitional government between 2005 and 2007.\n\nBoubacar is hoping to win enough votes to push the election to a July 6 runoff.\n\nAccording to a poll conducted by the Mauritanian Center for Strategic Studies and Research (CMERS), nearly 30% people favored Ghazouani while 23% said they would vote for Boubacar.\n\nA Western ally, Mauritania had been in the grip of extremist violence until recently. In the past few years, the government has been able to bring down the levels of conflict.\n\nAl-Qaida documents seized from Osama bin Laden's hideout in the Pakistani city of Abottabad indicated that the Islamist group had discussed a possible peace deal with Mauritanian authorities in 2010, a year prior to bin Laden's killing by US forces.\n\nAuthorities deny that such a deal existed and claimed that intelligence work and rehabilitation of imprisoned jihadists caused a decline in Islamist attacks.\n\nRead more: Mauritania journalist sentenced to death for apostasy\n\nEvery evening, DW sends out a selection of the day's news and features. Sign up here.", "Mauritanian voters are headed to the polls in the country’s first election without an incumbent presidential candidate since the 2008 coup.\n\nPolling stations opened Saturday at 8am across the Sahara Desert nation and will remain open until 7pm local time.\n\nPresident Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz is stepping down, as is mandated by the constitution, after his two five-year terms. His ruling Union for the Republic (UPR) party has put forth former defense minister Mohamed Ould Ghazouani as its candidate.\n\nOpposition candidates say that Ghazouani would not affect any change from the last administration – change they say is desperately needed.\n\n“I think there needs to be a true changeover, because the state today of my country is catastrophic. The economic situation is extremely serious, as are our societal problems,” Sidi Mohammed Ould Boubacar, a former prime minister and leading opposition candidate supported by the Tewassoul party, told VOA.\n\nBoubacar is one of five opposition candidates running to replace the UPR. Other candidates include well-known anti-slavery activist Biram Dah Abeid, who has promised a national inquiry into the country’s cases of modern slavery.\n\nThough voters are mobilized by the wide range of candidates, many are wary that the National Electoral Commission, which earlier this year refused appeals to employ foreign observers, may not hold fair elections.\n\nAccording to a Gallup poll, 64% of Mauritanians do not have faith in the honesty of the elections.\n\nWhen asked who they believe will win the election, many voters VOA spoke with in Nouakchott preceded their answer with “If the state doesn’t cheat…”.\n\nThe country’s last elections in 2014 were heavily criticized for being unfair and were boycotted by many opposition parties. Then-incumbent President Aziz won by 84%.\n\nMauritania has had five military coups since it gained independence from France in 1960.", "Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, government candidate and frontrunner, has claimed victory in the first round of Mauritania’s presidential election.\n\nThe 62-year-old former head of the domestic security service made the claim in the early hours of Sunday in the presence of current president Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, his supporters and journalists.\n\nA source at the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) said Ghazouani had won 50.56 percent of the votes after 80 percent of the votes had been counted following Saturday’s election.\n\n“There is only 20 percent left (to count), but that will not change the final result,” Ghazouani reportedly told supporters.\n\nThe CENI source said leading opposition candidates Sidi Mohamed Ould Boubacar, a former prime minister, and Biram Ould Dah Ould Abeid had each garnered about 18 percent with the count continuing.\n\nBoth men had complained of balloting irregularities and the expulsion of representatives from some polling stations. However CENI said no major problems had been reported.\n\nGhazouani — who campaigned on the themes of continuity, solidarity and security for the vast largely desert nation — served as Abdel Aziz’s chief of staff from 2008 to last year.\n\nThe outgoing president is a general who originally came to power in a 2008 coup, won elections a year later and was again elected in 2014 in polls boycotted by the opposition.\n\nThe ballot is the first in Mauritania’s coup-strewn history that looks set to see an elected president complete his mandate and transfer power to an elected successor, but the opposition has raised concerns that it could perpetuate a government dominated by military figures.", "NOUAKCHOTT - Mauritanian voters went to the polls Saturday in the country’s first election without an incumbent presidential candidate since the 2008 coup.\n\nPolling stations closed at 7 p.m. across the Sahara Desert nation, and preliminary results are expected late in the evening.\n\nThough voters were mobilized for these elections, seen as significant in the country’s democratic history, many are wary that the Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI), which earlier this year refused appeals to employ foreign observers, may not hold fair elections.\n\nAmerican embassy staff were among those in Nouakchott surveying polling stations across the capital.\n\n“We’ve got 10 teams who have been out ever since the polls opened at 7 this morning, doing observations in various polling stations throughout the city,” U.S. Ambassador to Mauritania Michael Dodman told VOA.\n\n“We’ll wait and see what the results are, we’ll wait and see what the experts … have to say. And we just hope that it all moves forward peacefully, quickly, and that this transfer of power really is a positive step for Mauritanian democracy,” he added.\n\nAlong with American embassy staff, local observers went to polling stations across the capital Saturday.\n\nLocal lawyer Fatimata M’Baye told VOA that she noticed some irregularities, namely that some voters were turned away and were told they needed to provide their voter registration number and not just an identification. M’Baye says that these numbers are only available online, and some people were unable to retrieve them in time to vote.\n\n“I think these are questions that should have been addressed before election day,” M’Baye said, adding that she thinks the issue is more negligence by the CENI as opposed to obstruction.\n\n“I think that in the future, the CENI needs to be much better prepared to allow the Mauritanian people to vote in peace,” she said.\n\nAccording to a Gallup poll, 64% of Mauritanians do not have faith in the honesty of the elections.\n\nWhen asked who they believe will win the election, many voters VOA spoke with in Nouakchott preceded their answer with “If the state doesn’t cheat. ...\"\n\nPresident Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz is stepping down, as is mandated by the constitution, after his two five-year terms. His ruling Union for the Republic (UPR) party has put forth former Defense Minister Mohamed Ould Ghazouani as its candidate.\n\nOpposition candidates say that Ghazouani would not affect any change from the last administration -- change they say is desperately needed.\n\n“I think there needs to be a true changeover, because the state today of my country is catastrophic. The economic situation is extremely serious, as are our societal problems,” Sidi Mohammed Ould Boubacar, a former prime minister and leading opposition candidate supported by the Tewassoul party, told VOA.\n\nBoubacar is one of five opposition candidates running to replace the UPR. Other candidates include well-known anti-slavery activist Biram Dah Abeid, who has promised a national inquiry into the country’s cases of modern slavery.\n\nThe country’s last elections in 2014 were heavily criticized for being unfair and were boycotted by many opposition parties. Then-incumbent President Aziz won by 84%.\n\nMauritania has had five military coups since it gained independence from France in 1960.", "For the first time since Mauritania's independence, its citizens will vote for a successor to a democratically-elected president, though a government insider campaigning on a message of continuity is tipped to win.\n\nPolls opened at 7am Saturday in the election to replace President Mohammed Ould Abdel Aziz, 62, who since seizing power in a 2008 coup has positioned himself as an ally of the West in the fight against Islamist militants.\n\nLocated on the northwest African coast and bordered to the east by the Sahara Desert and south by Senegal, the country of fewer than five million people gained independence from France in 1960.\n\nAbdel Aziz is stepping aside after serving the maximum two five-year elected terms and has thrown his support behind Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, 62, a former general and defence minister.\n\nAbdel Aziz could however maintain influence behind the scenes, and has not ruled out running again in five years when his term limits reset.\n\nGilles Yabi, founder of West African think tank WATHI, said Ghazouani would likely continue to rule in Abdel Aziz's mould, but could still surprise.\n\n\"Ghazouani is someone who is very discreet. It could well happen that the change is not merely cosmetic,\" Yabi said.\n\nFive candidates besides Ghazouani are on the ballot. Former prime minister Sidi Mohamed Ould Boubacar, backed by Mauritania's biggest Islamist party, has drawn large crowds on the campaign trail and is considered Ghazouani's rival.\n\nGhazouani has campaigned on the progress made under Abdel Aziz on economic and security issues. Gross domestic product is growing and will receive a boost when a large offshore gas field starts producing next decade.\n\nTourists are also starting to return for desert tours after years of staying away following a series of kidnappings in 2009.\n\nIn recent years, Mauritania has been spared the attacks by jihadist militants linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State that have devastated other countries in West Africa's Sahel region, including neighbouring Mali and Burkina Faso.", "For the first time since Mauritania’s independence, its citizens voted on Saturday for a successor to a democratically-elected president, though a government insider campaigning on a message of continuity is heavily tipped to win.\n\nPolls opened at 7 am (0700 GMT) in the election to replace President Mohammed Ould Abdel Aziz, 62, who since seizing power in a 2008 coup has positioned himself as an ally of the West in the fight against ISIS extremist group.\n\nLocated on the northwest African coast and bordered to the east by the Sahara Desert, the country of fewer than 5 million people gained independence from colonial power France in 1960.\n\nAbdel Aziz is stepping aside after serving the maximum two five-year elected terms and has thrown his support behind 62-year-old Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, a former general and defense minister.\n\nAbdel Aziz could maintain significant influence behind the scenes. He said on Thursday that he had not ruled out running again in five years when his term limits would reset.\n\nIn the capital Nouakchott’s wealthy Tevragh Zeina neighborhood, more than 100 voters queued calmly in a dusty school courtyard to cast their ballots.\n\n“I thank God that everything is going well,” said Abderrahime Sidi, 35, after voting. “We hope that the results will be consistent with the expectations of all Mauritanians.”\n\nGilles Yabi, the founder of West African think tank WATHI, said Ghazouani was the clear favorite and would likely continue to rule in Abdel Aziz’s mould, but that he could still surprise.\n\n“Ghazouani is someone who is very discreet. It could well happen that the change is not merely cosmetic,” Yabi said.\n\nFive candidates besides Ghazouani are on the ballot. Former Prime Minister Sidi Mohamed Ould Boubacar, who is backed by Mauritania’s biggest Islamist party, has drawn large crowds on the campaign trail and is considered Ghazouani’s main rival.\n\nBoubacar and another opposition candidate, Mohamed Ould Maouloud, told reporters at their polling places that they were concerned about potential fraud. They have pointed to the absence of international observers and the printing of ballot papers by a company with ties to the ruling party.\n\nElection authorities said there were no political considerations in awarding the contract.\n\nGhazouani has campaigned on the progress made under Abdel Aziz on economic and security issues. Gross domestic product is growing and will receive an extra boost when a large offshore gas field starts producing early next decade.\n\nTourists are also starting to return for desert tours after years of staying away following a series of kidnappings in 2009.\n\nIn recent years, Mauritania has been spared the attacks by extremist militants linked to al-Qaeda and ISIS that have devastated other countries in West Africa’s Sahel region, including neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso.\n\nAl-Qaeda documents seized from Osama bin Laden’s Pakistan hideout in 2011 indicated the group’s leaders had discussed a possible peace deal the previous year with Mauritania’s government that would involve prisoner releases and payments.\n\nThe government denied any such deal existed and has credited its success preventing extremist attacks to intelligence work and rehabilitation of imprisoned extremists.\n\n“The security and stability of the country must be the priority in choosing the president we need,” Abdel Aziz told reporters after casting his ballot.\n\nThe opposition candidates, who include a prominent campaigner against slavery in the country, have tried to tap into dissatisfaction among young people over stagnating salaries and poor health care.\n\nPolls are scheduled to close at 7 pm If no candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, the election will go to a second round next month.", "Mauritanians hit the polls on Saturday in presidential elections that will see outgoing Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz step down after reaching his term limit making it the country's first peaceful transfer of power.\n\n11 years ago Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz seized power in a 2008 coup claiming he did so to prevent a return to repressive military rule.\n\nAccording to the constitution the president is barred from seeking another term, making Aziz one of the few leaders in recent years across the continent to respect term limits and not try to change the constitution.\n\nThe country has a history of coups – five in total – starting from its independence from France in 1960. From then, military rulers took charge of the country until Aziz took over in 2008.\n\nBut while many are applauding the country's peaceful transfer of power, many hope to see certain issues take centre stage with the next head of state.\n\nNamely race, security and an end to human rights abuses\n\nIn a nation of 4.5 million people, tens of thousands of people still live in slavery despite the practice being banned by the government for decades.\n\nBut anyone who dares to speak up against slavery, discrimination or other human rights abuses is at risk of arbitrary arrest, “unlawful detention and even torture” said Kine Fatim Diop, a West Africa campaigner for Amnesty International.\n\nMeet the candidates\n\nThe successor of choice by the out-going president is the former defense minister Mohamed Ould el Ghazouani.\n\nHe was chosen by the ruling majority as a presidential candidate after his retirement.\n\nHis electoral campaign has been concentrated on his security credentials and Aziz's record on fighting Islamic extremists.\n\nKane Hamidou Baba, from the 'Living Together' coalition is representing parties backed by Mauritanians of sub-Saharan African descent.\n\nThe anti-slavery activist Biram Dah Abeid, who was elected to Parliament in September from his prison cell, has been campaigning on a platform that Mauritania is not making enough progress towards ending forced labour including slavery.\n\nSidi Mohamed Ould Boubacar, twice a former prime minister is supported by the opposition Islamist party.\n\nMohamed Ould Maouloud is a candidate from the opposition Coalition for Change along with Mohamed Lemine El Mourteji El Wafi who have been appealing to the support of younger Mauritanians.\n\nIrregularities\n\nAuthorities had refused an opposition request for foreign observers at the elections.\n\nThat raised alarm among the opposition who have warned of potential vote fraud and accused the National Electoral Commission (CENI) of being bias.\n\nIf no candidate receives a majority of votes, a run-off election will take place next Saturday."], "summary": "Voters in Mauritania head to the polls to elect a new president. The election would be the country's first democratic transition of power, as incumbent president Mohammed Ould Abdel Aziz prepares to step down after having served two terms."}
{"document": ["Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Greenpeace activist says Mark Field actions 'over the top'\n\nMark Field has been suspended as a Foreign Office minister after grabbing a female Greenpeace activist at a black-tie City dinner.\n\nThe MP has apologised for confronting Janet Barker and marching her away as protesters interrupted a speech by Chancellor Philip Hammond.\n\nMs Barker suggested Mr Field \"go to anger management classes\" but said she did not intend to complain to police.\n\nMr Field said he had been \"genuinely worried\" she may have been armed.\n\nBBC home affairs correspondent Daniel Sandford said there were also \"very serious questions to be asked\" about security, as a \"large number\" of protesters had apparently managed to \"walk through\" to the event at London's Mansion House.\n\nFootage of the incident involving Mr Field has been widely shared on social media, with several Labour politicians calling for him to be sacked.\n\nA Downing Street spokeswoman said Prime Minister Theresa May had \"seen the footage\" and \"found it very concerning\".\n\nShe added that Mr Field had \"referred himself to both the Cabinet Office and the Conservative Party. He will be suspended as a minister while investigations take place.\"\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Climate change protesters interrupt Chancellor Philip Hammond's speech\n\nClimate change protesters - wearing suits, red dresses and sashes with \"climate emergency\" written on them - entered Mansion House on Thursday night, as Mr Hammond was beginning his speech on the state of the economy.\n\nOne of them began reading an alternative speech.\n\nAs Ms Barker walked past his table, Mr Field stood up, stopped her and pushed her against a column.\n\nThe Conservative MP for the Cities of London and Westminster then put a hand on the back of her neck and led her out of the room.\n\n'We were polite'\n\nMs Barker told the BBC the purpose of the protest had been to speak to \"men who are in power, the bankers, the investors that are continuing to invest into fossil fuels\".\n\n\"We were polite with people and said: 'We're here to deliver a message',\" she said.\n\nCity of London Police said they were looking into \"a number of third-party reports of a possible assault\".\n\n\"He certainly manhandled me in a way in which was very disagreeable,\" she said.\n\nAsked if she felt Mr Field's actions amounted to criminal assault, Ms Barker said: \"No, I don't think so. I don't want this to turn into a mud-slinging match.\"\n\nThe activist, who travelled from her home in Wales to take part in Thursday's protest, said: \"350 people were there and only one person reacted that way.\n\n\"It's more the behaviour of that individual. I want him to reflect on what he did and not do it again. Maybe he should go to anger management classes.\"\n\nImage caption Protesters dressed in black tie and red dresses crowded into the building\n\nImage caption The City of London Corporation is to review security after protesters walked into Mansion House\n\nImage copyright PA Image caption Chancellor Philip Hammond eventually completed his speech\n\nBefore his suspension, Mr Field told ITV News that guests had \"understandably felt threatened\" and he had \"instinctively reacted\" when Ms Barker rushed past.\n\n\"There was no security present and I was, for a split second, genuinely worried she might have been armed,\" Mr Field said.\n\nHe added: \"I deeply regret this episode and unreservedly apologise to the lady concerned for grabbing her, but in the current climate I felt the need to act decisively to close down the threat to the safety of those present.\"\n\n'Over-reaction'\n\nLabour's shadow women and equalities minister Dawn Butler tweeted: \"This is horrific... [Mark Field] must immediately be suspended or sacked.\"\n\nBut Mr Field was defended by some of his colleagues, with Conservative MP Johnny Mercer tweeting: \"He panicked, he's not trained in restraint and arrest, and if you think this is 'serious violence' you may need to recalibrate your sensitivities.\"\n\nAnother Conservative MP, Bob Stewart, told BBC Radio 4's World at One that Mr Field had \"probably\" placed his hand on Ms Barker's neck because if he had \"touched her anywhere else he'd probably have been deemed highly inappropriate\".\n\nConservative leadership contender Jeremy Hunt, who, as Foreign Secretary, is Mr Field's boss, said: \"Mark has issued a full and unreserved apology. He recognised that what happened was an over-reaction.\n\n\"In his interest and in the interest of the lady involved we need a proper [Cabinet Office] inquiry and that's what going to happen.\"\n\nThe City of London Corporation said it was investigating how security had been breached at Mansion House, adding it would be \"reviewing arrangements for future events\".", "A British government minister has been suspended after he was caught on video pushing a female Greenpeace activist, then grabbing her by the neck and marching her out of a banquet in London. Dozens of climate-change protesters gatecrashed a speech from Chancellor Philip Hammond on Thursday and refused to leave. Mark Field took it upon himself to grab one of the female activists and Greenpeace has now accused him of assault. “I deeply regret this episode and unreservedly apologize to the lady concerned for grabbing her,” said the lawmaker, saying he feared she may have been “armed.” Greenpeace climate campaigner Areeba Hamid told the BBC the unnamed activist was “in shock” over the incident, and said it was “quite ludicrous” for Field to suggest that she might have had a weapon. Prime Minister Theresa May said the footage was “very concerning” and suspended Field from his ministerial duties.", "LONDON: A British minister was suspended on Friday after he was filmed physically removing a climate change protester from a dinner in London.\n\nMark Field accosted the female activist as she walked towards finance minister Phillip Hammond, pushing her against a column before frogmarching her out of the room.\n\nPrime Minister Theresa May's office said it had suspended the junior Foreign Office minister. \"The prime minister has seen the footage and she found it very concerning,\" Downing Street said.\n\n\"He will be suspended as a minister while investigations take place.\" Police said they were following up on a \"small number\" reports of an assault.\n\nGreenpeace activist Areeba Hamid said she was \"shocked at the footage of an elected MP and government minister assaulting one of our peaceful protesters\".\n\nField told ITV that he \"deeply\" regretted his actions, saying that \"in the confusion many guests understandably felt threatened and when one protester rushed past me towards the top table\".\n\n\"There was no security present and I was for a split-second genuinely worried she might have been armed.\"\n\nThe Conservative politician has referred himself to the Cabinet Office for investigation. London Mayor Sadiq Khan called Field's actions \"unacceptable\" and urged him to \"consider his position\".\n\nLabour MP Jess Phillips called the footage \"so, so awful\" while fellow Labour MP Dawn Butler said it was \"horrific\" and called for Field to be sacked or suspended.\n\nBut Tory MP Peter Bottomley argued that \"the woman clearly was trying to create a fuss\" and that \"most viewers would say it's good that she didn't succeed\". Greenpeace said 40 of its activists had interrupted the event.", "United Kingdom Prime Minister Theresa May on Friday suspended senior politician Mark Field after a video showed him manhandling a protestor at an event in London, BBC reported. The assault took place on Thursday when Field, who is Britain’s minister of state for Asia and the Pacific, was at a black-tie event.\n\nField attacked a demonstrator from Greenpeace United Kingdom when she had interrupted a speech by Chancellor Philip Hammond. Field said he had reacted instinctively. “There was no security present and I was for a split-second genuinely worried she might have been armed,” ITV quoted Field as saying. “As a result, I grasped the intruder firmly in order to remove her from the room as swiftly as possible.”\n\nField said he has referred himself to the Cabinet for an inquiry into the incident, and apologised to the woman. “I deeply regret this episode and unreservedly apologize to the lady concerned for grabbing her, but in the current climate I felt the need to act decisively to close down the threat to the safety of those present,” he added.\n\nAt Thursday’s event, dozens of activists showed up wearing red suits, red dresses with sashes that said “climate emergency”, and then refused to leave. The video shows Field getting up from his chair and stopping a female protestor by pushing her against a pillar. He was also seen grabbing her by the neck and escorting her out of the room while the woman says “it was a peaceful protest”.\n\nGreenpeace tweeted on Friday that the activist was doing fine. “She’s had a good sleep and is doing fine,” Greenpeace UK said. “We’re looking after her. Thanks so much for your love and concern everyone. We’re sharing positive messages with her.”\n\nA spokesperson of the prime minister said that Field will remain suspended while the investigation is on. “The Prime Minister has seen the footage and found it very concerning,” a spokesperson told CNN. “The police have said they are looking into reports over this matter and Mark Field has also referred himself to both the Cabinet Office and Conservative Party.”\n\nThe spokesperson further added that the Cabinet Office’s propriety and ethics team would investigate whether there had been a violation of the ministerial code. The London Police said that it was looking into “a number of third-party reports of a possible assault” against the minister.\n\nOpposition party leaders condemned Field’s actions with some calling for his resignation. “It is truly shocking to see this kind of behaviour from an MP,” Independent quoted London Mayor Sadiq Khan as saying. “Violence against women is endemic in our society and this behaviour is unacceptable. He should consider his position.”\n\nHowever, some Conservative MPs defended their colleague. “I think there’s no reason to criticise Mark Field...Of course it wasn’t an assault, it was a reversal of direction,” said politician Sir Peter Bottomley.", "Greenpeace accused British minister Mark Field of assault after the Conservative politician was filmed physically removing a climate change protester from a dinner in the City of London.\n\n\n\nField accosted the female activist as she walked towards finance minister Phillip Hammond, pushing her against a column at Mansion House before holding her by the neck and frogmarching her out of the room.\n\nGreenpeace activist Areeba Hamid said she was \"shocked at the footage of an elected MP and government minister assaulting one of our peaceful protesters.\"\n\nField told ITV that he \"deeply\" regretted his actions, saying that \"in the confusion many guests understandably felt threatened and when one protester rushed past me towards the top table.\n\n\"There was no security present and I was for a split-second genuinely worried she might have been armed.\"\n\nThe junior Foreign Office minister has referred himself to the Cabinet Office for investigation.\n\n\n\nLabour MP Jess Phillips called the footage \"so, so awful\" while fellow Labour MP Dawn Butler said it was \"horrific\" and called for Field to be sacked or suspended.\n\nBut Tory MP Peter Bottomley argued that \"the woman clearly was trying to create a fuss\" and that \"most viewers would say it´s good that she didn´t succeed.\"\n\nGreenpeace later said 40 of its activists had interrupted the event.", "A spokeswoman for UK Prime Minister Theresa May said that Mark Field, a senior foreign policy official, has been suspended from his job pending an investigation into his disturbing encounter with an intruder at a posh bankers dinner.\n\n\"The prime minister has seen the footage and she found it very concerning,\" the spokeswoman said on Friday.\n\nA woman, one of a few dozen Greenpeace protesters who interrupted a speech by Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond, was passing behind Field's chair as he suddenly stood up and grabbed her by the neck to march her away.\n\nMark Field, who has been serving as Minister of State for Asia and the Pacific at the Foreign Office since 2017, later explained that he acted so out of security concerns.\n\n\"There was no security present and I was for a split-second genuinely worried she might have been armed,\" he said. \"As a result I grasped the intruder firmly in order to remove her from the room as swiftly as possible.\"\n\nSeveral Labour and Tory lawmakers have called on the government to sack Field, while outraged activists launched an online petition demanding the same, which has racked up over 8,000 signatures as of the writing.\n\nFollowing public backlash, he went on to refer himself to the Cabinet Office to investigate whether he had breached the minsiterial code of conduct.", "A minister has been suspended after he was filmed manhandling a Greenpeace protester at a dinner at Mansion House last night.\n\nThe Prime Minister’s Spokesman confirmed that he would be suspended while investigations take place into the incident.\n\nThe Foreign Office minister came in for criticism after he physically removed a climate change protester from a dinner.\n\nSeveral protesters interrupted the black-tie event as Chancellor Philip Hammond gave a speech.\n\nMr Field referred himself to the Cabinet Office for investigation and apologised ‘unreservedly’ to the protester.\n\nHe said: ‘In the confusion many guests understandably felt threatened and when one protester rushed past me towards the top table I instinctively reacted.\n\n‘There was no security present and I was for a split-second genuinely worried she might have been armed.\n\n‘As a result I grasped the intruder firmly in order to remove her from the room as swiftly as possible.’\n\nA Number 10 spokeswoman said: ‘The Prime Minister has seen the footage and she found it very concerning.\n\n‘The police have said they are looking into reports over this matter and Mark Field has also referred himself to both the Cabinet Office and the Conservative Party.\n\n‘He will be suspended as a minister while investigations take place.’\n\nDuring the dinner, dozens of Greenpeace activists sought to draw attention to the climate crisis.\n\nA group of protesters, mostly wearing red and wearing sashes with the words ‘climate emergency’, tried to ‘drown out’ Hammond.\n\nGreenpeace UK said: Instead of assaulting peaceful women protesters, Mark Field would be better off spending his time tackling the climate emergency.’\n\nThey tweeted: ‘Update on Greenpeace activist at the Mansion house peaceful protest: She’s had a good sleep and is doing fine. We’re looking after her. Thanks so much for your love and concern everyone. We’re sharing positive messages with her.’\n\nMPs responded with shock to the footage.\n\nDawn Butler MP tweeted: ‘I’m sure I’m not the only one who is wondering why no one intervened. So much violence does not seem justified. An investigation needs to take place as soon as possible.’\n\nHowever, Johnny Mercer MP said: ‘Honestly? Try being in our shoes in the current environment. He panicked, he’s not trained in restraint and arrest, and if you think this is ‘serious violence’, you may need to recalibrate your sensitivities. Calm down, move on, and be thankful this wasn’t worse.’", "A minister has been suspended after he was filmed manhandling a Greenpeace protester at a dinner at Mansion House last night.\n\nThe Prime Minister’s Spokesman confirmed that he would be suspended while investigations take place into the incident.\n\nThe Foreign Office minister came in for criticism after he physically removed a climate change protester identified this morning as Janet Barker.\n\nSeveral protesters interrupted the black-tie event as Chancellor Philip Hammond gave a speech.\n\nMrs Barker revealed that ‘[staff] at the venue did not ask them for any identification documents before allowing them in.\n\n‘More than 40 people tried to get in but a few were locked out when the security staff realised what was happening.\n\n‘The men in the group were accepted as guests but the women were later challenged as to why they were there.’\n\nMrs Barker, a rabbit wool knitter and support worker who lives in rural Wales according to MailOnlinesaid that she expected some resistance but ‘not being pushed against a pillar and being held at the back of the neck.’\n\nHer husband added on Facebook: ‘All fine, she’s taking down the government one Tory at a time.’\n\nMr Field referred himself to the Cabinet Office for investigation and apologised ‘unreservedly’ to the protester.\n\nHe said: ‘In the confusion many guests understandably felt threatened and when one protester rushed past me towards the top table I instinctively reacted.\n\n‘There was no security present and I was for a split-second genuinely worried she might have been armed.\n\n‘As a result I grasped the intruder firmly in order to remove her from the room as swiftly as possible.’\n\nA Number 10 spokeswoman said: ‘The Prime Minister has seen the footage and she found it very concerning.\n\n‘The police have said they are looking into reports over this matter and Mark Field has also referred himself to both the Cabinet Office and the Conservative Party.\n\n‘He will be suspended as a minister while investigations take place.’\n\nDuring the dinner, dozens of Greenpeace activists sought to draw attention to the climate crisis.\n\nA group of protesters, mostly wearing red and wearing sashes with the words ‘climate emergency’, tried to ‘drown out’ Hammond.\n\nGreenpeace UK said: Instead of assaulting peaceful women protesters, Mark Field would be better off spending his time tackling the climate emergency.’\n\nThey tweeted: ‘Update on Greenpeace activist at the Mansion house peaceful protest: She’s had a good sleep and is doing fine. We’re looking after her. Thanks so much for your love and concern everyone. We’re sharing positive messages with her.’\n\nMPs responded with shock to the footage.\n\nDawn Butler MP tweeted: ‘I’m sure I’m not the only one who is wondering why no one intervened. So much violence does not seem justified. An investigation needs to take place as soon as possible.’\n\nHowever, Johnny Mercer MP said: ‘Honestly? Try being in our shoes in the current environment. He panicked, he’s not trained in restraint and arrest, and if you think this is ‘serious violence’, you may need to recalibrate your sensitivities. Calm down, move on, and be thankful this wasn’t worse.’", "Mark Field has been suspended as a Foreign Office minister after grabbing a female Greenpeace activist at a black-tie City dinner.\n\nThe MP has apologised for confronting Janet Barker and marching her away as protesters interrupted a speech by Chancellor Philip Hammond.\n\nBut he said he had been “genuinely worried” she may have been armed.\n\nMs Barker told the BBC Mr Field should “reflect on what he did” and suggested he “go to anger management classes”.\n\n“He certainly manhandled me in a way in which was very disagreeable,” she said, but added that she did not intend to complain to the police.\n\nBBC home affairs correspondent Daniel Sandford said there were also “very serious questions to be asked” about security, as a “large number” of protesters had apparently managed to “walk through” to the event at London’s Mansion House.\n\nFootage of the incident involving Mr Field has been widely shared on social media, with several Labour politicians calling for him to be sacked.\n\nA Downing Street spokeswoman said Prime Minister Theresa May had “seen the footage” and “found it very concerning”.\n\nShe added that Mr Field had “referred himself to both the Cabinet Office and the Conservative Party. He will be suspended as a minister while investigations take place.”\n\nClimate change protesters – wearing suits, red dresses and sashes with “climate emergency” written on them – entered Mansion House on Thursday night, as Mr Hammond was beginning his speech on the state of the economy.\n\nOne of them began reading an alternative speech.\n\nAs Ms Barker walked past his table, Mr Field stood up, stopped her and pushed her against a column.\n\nThe Conservative MP for the Cities of London and Westminster then put a hand on the back of her neck and led her out of the room.", "A senior British politician has been suspended after a video emerged of him tackling a female Greenpeace activist, grabbing her neck and pushing her up against a pillar during the speech by the Chancellor Philip Hammond in London last night.\n\nMark Field, MP for Cities of London and Westminster has been suspended as a Foreign Office minister while police investigate. He claimed that he felt threatened by the protester and was worried she might have been armed.\n\nField has since apologised to the protester and referred himself to the Cabinet Office.\n\nOutgoing PM Theresa May has seen the video and No10 spokeswoman confirmed: “The Prime Minister has seen the footage and she found it very concerning.”\n\nOpposition MP and Shadow Women & Equalities Secretary Dawn Butler described Field’s actions as “horrific”. However some colleagues leapt to his defence with MP Johnny Mercer tweeting, “Honestly? Try being in our shoes in the current environment. He panicked, he’s not trained in restraint and arrest, and if you think this is ‘serious violence’, you may need to recalibrate your sensitivities. Calm down, move on, and be thankful this wasn’t worse.”\n\nOpposition MP Tonia Antoniazzi tweeted: “Mark Field should resign and be arrested. I don’t care in what order.\n\n“No one who reacts like this to a peaceful protest should be sitting in our parliament.”\n\nGreenpeace campaigner Areeba Hamid told the BBC the activist was \"in shock\" but was encouraged by the \"outpouring of support\" online.\n\nHamid said: \"I think Mark Field should have a long hard stare at himself and think whether that behaviour is in keeping with someone in public office.\"\n\nThe female activist was one of several Greenpeace members protesting over climate change at the annual dinner where the Chancellor and senior politicians meet with London financiers and business grandees."], "summary": "British Foreign Office Minister Mark Field is suspended for assaulting a Greenpeace activist."}
{"document": ["The Trump administration today released the economic portion of its long-delayed Mideast peace plan, calling for an investment of about $50 billion to lift up Palestinians economically.\n\nAbout $28 billion would go to the West Bank and Gaza and billions more to Jordan, Lebanon and Egypt, which have absorbed Palestinian refugees and dealt with other ramifications of the conflict for decades.\n\nBut the rollout Saturday does not include the political portion of the plan, and so doesn’t address the most critical questions in the conflict, such as whether the Palestinians will get an independent state and the status of Palestinian refugees, the city of Jerusalem, and Jewish settlements in the West Bank.\n\nPalestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday reaffirmed his opposition to an economic peace workshop that the U.S. is organizing next week in Bahrain.\n\nFocusing on economic issues between Israel and the Palestinians \"is unacceptable before the political situation is discussed,\" Abbas told top officials of his Fatah party.\n\nWith no official participation at the meeting next week from the two main protagonists, Israel and the Palestinians, and scant enthusiasm from others — plus continued uncertainty and strong doubts over the plan's political vision and the distraction of potential U.S.-Iran conflict — expectations are decidedly low.\n\nSpeaking about the broader U.S. plan, Abbas said it \"will not pass because it ends the Palestinian cause.\"\n\nThe Palestinian President said the American scheme adopts Israel's visions and neglects the longstanding two-state solution, especially after Washington last year recognized contested Jerusalem as Israel's capital.\n\nThe economic part of the plan for Palestinians that the White House released Saturday includes a $5 billion “transportation network” to connect the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, which could include a rail line; a built-up Palestinian tourism industry, with roughly $1 billion in investments; and a total of 179 projects total, including for electricity, water, telecom and health care. Of these, 147 projects are in the Palestinian territories and the rest in neighboring countries.\n\nThe plan is for the money to come from donor nations, along with investors, which is the focus of the economic summit in Manama, Bahrain, on Tuesday and Wednesday. Neither Palestinian nor Israeli officials are attending.\n\nThe White House predicts that within 10 years, the economic plan will double Palestinian GDP, create more than 1 million jobs, cut the poverty rate by half, and reduce Palestinian unemployment to “nearly single digits.”\n\nThe political portion of the plan will be released later. The administration had intended to release it shortly after the economic plan, but the Israeli political crisis prompted the most recent delay. The administration now is expected to wait until after Israel’s elections in September before releasing the rest of the plan.\n\nIt was unclear why the White House, after working for more than two years to build up anticipation for the plan, released the first part of it quietly on Saturday with little fanfare, rather than on a weekday when news consumption is higher. The timing was also unusual in that was announced on Saturday, the Sabbath day in Israel that is also observed by both Jared Kushner and Jason Greenblatt, Trump’s envoy overseeing the peace plan under Kushner.\n\nThe White House said on Twitter, “Generations of Palestinians have lived under adversity and loss, but the next chapter can be defined by freedom and dignity. Today, we're unveiling Peace to Prosperity: the most ambitious international effort for the Palestinian people to date.\"", "TEL AVIV -- The Trump administration's Middle East peace plan would marshal $50 billion in investments over 10 years for the Palestinian territories and neighbors Jordan, Egypt and Lebanon, administration officials said Saturday.\n\nThe economic portion of the peace plan is aimed at demonstrating what could be possible if the Israelis and Palestinians agree to the Trump administration's yet-to-be revealed political plan on borders, refugees and security. Its targets include doubling the Palestinian GDP, slashing Palestinian unemployment rates of 17.6% in the West Bank and 52% in Gaza to nearly single digits, and cutting the Palestinian poverty rate by 50%.\n\nThe Trump administration is hosting a conference in Bahrain on Tuesday and Wednesday to solicit feedback for the blueprint, including from Gulf Arab states that the administration hopes will be among the biggest donors of economic aid.\n\nThe economic blueprint makes no mention of some of the most difficult issues of the conflict, including the status of refugees, Jerusalem, or borders. Potential solutions for those issues won't be revealed until November, after Israel's elections in September.\n\n\"First lift the siege of Gaza, stop the Israeli theft of our land, resources & funds, give us our freedom of movement & control over our borders, airspace, territorial waters etc. Then watch us build a vibrant prosperous economy as a free & sovereign people,\" Hanan Ashrawi, a senior Palestinian official, said on Twitter.\n\nThe Israeli prime minister's office didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.\n\nReleasing the economic plan months ahead of the political vision represented another unconventional step in the peace process for the Trump administration, which hasn't said it would put forward a plan for a Palestinian state alongside Israel, a linchpin of U.S. policy in the region for decades.\n\n\"Our thought was that it was better to put the economic plan first. It's less controversial. Let's let people study it, give feedback. Let's try to finalize if we can all agree on what that could look like in the event of a peace agreement,\" said President Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser on the peace effort, Jared Kushner said in an interview with Reuters published Saturday.\n\nThe blueprint didn't make clear that it would lead to a state for the Palestinians, saying it would \"empower the Palestinian people to build the society that they have aspired to establish for generations.\"\n\nWith the absence of any serious talks on the horizon, it is unlikely that donor countries or investors will pledge money to the effort soon.\n\nMiddle Eastern officials have played down the significance of the conference in recent days, and the gathering has been further cast into doubt with the announcement last week that there would be no Israeli or Palestinian government representation. The White House said it decided to not invite the Israeli government to keep the focus away from politics after Palestinian officials said they would boycott the event.\n\nOfficials from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Morocco will be part of the gathering, as well as representatives from the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund and businesspeople from Israel, the Palestinian territories, the Middle East and Europe. According to draft schedules, Colony Capital Chief Executive Thomas Barrack Jr. and Blackstone Group Chief Executive Stephen Schwarzman will be among those appearing on panels at the event.", "WASHINGTON — White House senior adviser Jared Kushner is to formally unveil the first part of his Middle East peace plan during a Bahrain conference next week, outlining a path for development of the fragile economies of the Palestinian territories and three neighboring Arab countries.\n\nThe following are some facts about the “economic vision,” drawn from White House documents reviewed by Reuters and described exclusively by Kushner and his aides, who are hoping to gain traction for their proposals during the June 25-26 gathering:\n\n– Donor nations and investors would contribute about $50 billion, with $28 billion going to the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and Gaza, $7.5 billion to Jordan, $9 billion to Egypt and $6 billion for Lebanon. The White House hopes wealthy Gulf states will be among the biggest donors. Kushner told Reuters the United States would also consider contributing.\n\n– Money raised through this international effort would be placed in a newly created fund to boost the economies of the Palestinian areas and those three countries. It would be administered by a multinational development bank. The funds would be managed by an appointed board of governors who would determine allocation based on project proposals.\n\n– $15 billion of the total would come from grants, $25 billion in subsidized loans, and about $11 billion would come in through private capital.\n\n– 179 economic development projects would be funded, including 147 for the West Bank and Gaza, 15 for Jordan, 12 for Egypt, and 5 for Lebanon.\n\n– The projects include infrastructure, water, power, telecommunications, tourism and medical facilities, among others.\n\n– Tens of millions of dollars would be set aside for several projects intended to draw closer connections between the Gaza Strip and Egypt’s Sinai through services, infrastructure and trade.\n\n– Power lines from Egypt into Gaza would be upgraded and rehabilitated to increase the flow of electricity. It also proposes exploring ways to better use existing Egyptian industrial zones to promote trade between Egypt, Gaza, the West Bank and Israel, but does not identify the zones. – Further proposals for Egypt are to “support port expansion and business incentives for the Egyptian trade hub near the Suez Canal,” as well as to develop Sinai tourism facilities near the Red Sea. – The plan touts for Palestinian areas the “potential to transform into a successful global tourism destination,” and proposes $950 million in grants and loans to develop the Palestinian tourism industry. It seeks to “repair and restore historical and religious sites and beachfront areas.”\n\n– If carried out, the plan would double Palestinian gross domestic product in 10 years, create more than 1 million jobs in the West Bank and Gaza, reduce unemployment to single digits and the poverty rate by 50 percent, according to the documents and officials.\n\n– Kushner is taking a two-phased approach to the Trump Middle East peace plan. The next phase will be the much more sensitive political part, which deals with some of the core issues of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The timing for that remains unclear.\n\n– Kushner wants to get feedback on his plan from the various finance ministers and investment institution representatives who will attend the workshop and gauge what tweaks might be needed to gain it broader support.", "TEL AVIV -- The Trump administration's Middle East peace plan would marshal $50 billion in investments over 10 years for the Palestinian territories and neighbors Jordan, Egypt and Lebanon, administration officials said Saturday.\n\nThe economic portion of the peace plan is aimed at demonstrating what could be possible if the Israelis and Palestinians agree to the Trump administration's yet-to-be revealed political plan on borders, refugees and security. Its targets include doubling the Palestinian GDP, slashing Palestinian unemployment rates of 17.6% in the West Bank and 52% in Gaza to nearly single digits, and cutting the Palestinian poverty rate by 50%.\n\nThe Trump administration is hosting a conference in Bahrain on Tuesday and Wednesday to solicit feedback for the blueprint, including from Gulf Arab states that the administration hopes will be among the biggest donors of economic aid.\n\nThe economic blueprint makes no mention of some of the most difficult issues of the conflict, including the status of refugees, Jerusalem, or borders. Potential solutions for those issues won't be revealed until November, after Israel's elections in September.\n\n\"First lift the siege of Gaza, stop the Israeli theft of our land, resources & funds, give us our freedom of movement & control over our borders, airspace, territorial waters etc. Then watch us build a vibrant prosperous economy as a free & sovereign people,\" Hanan Ashrawi, a senior Palestinian official, said on Twitter.\n\nThe Israeli prime minister's office didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.\n\nReleasing the economic plan months ahead of the political vision represented another unconventional step in the peace process for the Trump administration, which hasn't said it would put forward a plan for a Palestinian state alongside Israel, a linchpin of U.S. policy in the region for decades.\n\n\"Our thought was that it was better to put the economic plan first. It's less controversial. Let's let people study it, give feedback. Let's try to finalize if we can all agree on what that could look like in the event of a peace agreement,\" said President Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser on the peace effort, Jared Kushner said in an interview with Reuters published Saturday.\n\nThe blueprint didn't make clear that it would lead to a state for the Palestinians, saying it would \"empower the Palestinian people to build the society that they have aspired to establish for generations.\"\n\nWith the absence of any serious talks on the horizon, it is unlikely that donor countries or investors will pledge money to the effort soon.\n\nMiddle Eastern officials have played down the significance of the conference in recent days, and the gathering has been further cast into doubt with the announcement last week that there would be no Israeli or Palestinian government representation. The White House said it decided to not invite the Israeli government to keep the focus away from politics after Palestinian officials said they would boycott the event.\n\nOfficials from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Morocco will be part of the gathering, as well as representatives from the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund and businesspeople from Israel, the Palestinian territories, the Middle East and Europe. According to draft schedules, Colony Capital Chief Executive Thomas Barrack Jr. and Blackstone Group Chief Executive Stephen Schwarzman will be among those appearing on panels at the event.\n\nThe U.S. would place funds raised for the effort into a fund administered by a multinational development bank, according to the plan. The blueprint calls for funds for 179 economic development projects, mostly in the West Bank and Gaza but also in Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon. They include water, power, tourism, medical facilities and telecommunications projects.\n\nThe blueprint pledges to open the West Bank and Gaza to regional and global markets by investing in transportation and infrastructure, providing financial and technical assistance at key crossing points and constructing new ports of entry. It also calls for funds to develop a transportation corridor directly connecting the West Bank and Gaza through a major road and a modern rail line.\n\nThe proposals seem out of reach for now. Palestinian government officials, who would need to be part of any peace discussion, have refused to talk to Trump administration officials for almost two years after the U.S. recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital. They have repeatedly rejected the Bahrain conference and have urged Arab states to do the same.\n\nAnd the World Bank has repeatedly concluded that Israeli constraints on movement, access and trade \"continue to be the main impediment to economic growth in the Palestinian territories.\"\n\nIsraelis are increasingly dismissive of two states. The violent Palestinian uprising known as the second intifada that followed the 1993 Oslo Accords convinced many Israelis that a broader pact with the Palestinians was untenable. A decade of stability and prosperity, as well as improved ties with Persian Gulf Arab neighbors, has convinced many that the status quo works.\n\nSome officials involved in former peace efforts said no matter how ambitious the Trump blueprint is, it misses the key sticking point that has dogged years of negotiations.\n\n\"The problem is not the money to build the road; the problem is the Palestinian people don't have freedom. They need a state. They need permission to make their own decisions,\" said Hady Amr, who was the Obama administration's deputy Israeli-Palestinian negotiations envoy from 2014 to 2017 and focused on economic issues.", "WASHINGTON: White House senior adviser Jared Kushner is to formally unveil the first part of his Middle East peace plan during a Bahrain conference next week, outlining a path for development of the fragile economies of the Palestinian territories and three neighbouring Arab countries.\n\n The following are some facts about the “economic vision,” drawn from White House documents reviewed by Reuters and described exclusively by Kushner and his aides, who are hoping to gain traction for their proposals during the June 25-26 gathering:\n• Donor nations and investors would contribute about $50 billion, with $28 billion going to the Palestinian territories of the West Bank and Gaza, $7.5 billion to Jordan, $9 billion to Egypt and $6 billion for Lebanon. The White House hopes Gulf states will be among the biggest donors. Kushner said the United States would also consider contributing.\n• Money raised through this international effort would be placed in a newly created fund to boost the economies of the Palestinian areas and those three countries. It would be administered by a multinational development bank. The funds would be managed by an appointed board of governors who would determine allocation based on project proposals.\n• $15 billion of the total would come from grants, $25 billion in subsidised loans, and about $11 billion would come in through private capital.\n• 179 economic development projects would be funded, including 147 for the West Bank and Gaza, 15 for Jordan, 12 for Egypt, and 5 for Lebanon.\n• The projects include infrastructure, water, power, telecommunications, tourism and medical facilities, among others.\n• Tens of millions of dollars would be set aside for several projects intended to draw closer connections between the Gaza Strip and Egypt’s Sinai through services, infrastructure and trade.\n• Power lines from Egypt into Gaza would be upgraded and rehabilitated to increase the flow of electricity. It also proposes exploring ways to better use existing Egyptian industrial zones to promote trade between Egypt, Gaza, the West Bank and Israel, but does not identify the zones.\n• Further proposals for Egypt are to “support port expansion and business incentives for the Egyptian trade hub near the Suez Canal,” as well as to develop Sinai tourism facilities near the Red Sea. — Reuters", "The White House released a $50 billion package to help the Palestinian economy Saturday and to pave the way for its highly anticipated Middle East peace plan.\n\nThe infrastructure and investment plan, which aims to create at least one million jobs for Palestinians through a mix of public and private financing, comes ahead of a two-day “Peace to Prosperity” conference in Bahrain next week.\n\n“For too long the Palestinian people have been trapped in inefficient frameworks of the past,” said White House senior adviser Jared Kushner. “The Peace to Prosperity plan is a framework for a brighter, more prosperous future for the Palestinian people and the region and a vision of what is possible if there is peace.”\n\nThe 10-year plan would fund projects worth $27.5 billion in the West Bank and Gaza, and would direct $9.1 billion, $7.4 billion and $6.3 billion for Palestinians in Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon, respectively. It includes proposals for health care, education, power, water, high-tech industry, tourism, and agriculture.\n\n“Generations of Palestinians have lived under adversity and loss, but the next chapter can be defined by freedom and dignity,” the White House said, calling the plan “the most ambitious international effort for the Palestinian people to date.”\n\nPalestinian leaders, angered by what they and their supporters see as blatant U.S. bias toward Israel, want nothing to do with the workshop and will not participate. The Palestinians have called for mass demonstrations against the conference on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.\n\n“The plan cannot pass because it ends the Palestinian cause,” Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Saturday. “We are not going to attend this workshop, the reason is that the economic situation should not be discussed before a political situation, so long as there is no political situation, we do not deal with any economic situation.”\n• This article is based on wire-service reports.", "The White House on Saturday unveiled the economic portion of its Middle East peace plan, calling for $50 billion dollars in investments for Palestine and neighboring Arab states.\n\nThe plan, which has been long-promised and faced a number of delays, calls for increased infrastructure projects between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, with a stated goal to \"empower the Palestinian people to build a better future for themselves and their children.\"\n\nDonald Trump's administration has touted the plan and called \"Peace to Prosperity\" as \"the most ambitious and comprehensive international effort for the Palestinian people to date.\"\n\nThe plan is expected to be formally released by its architect, White House senior adviser and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, at the economic conference in Bahrain hosted by the US this week.\n\nIt plans to create one million jobs for Palestinians and calls for a mix of private and public funding, however, faces heavy skepticism with doubts on the plan's political vision and the US being distracted with heightened tensions with Iran.\n\nWithin 10 years, the plan aims to double Palestine's Gross Domestic Product (GPD) by calling for $27 billion dollars in projects in the West Bank and Gaza, as well as $9.1 billion, $7.4 billion and $6.3 billion for Palestinians in Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon. The plan also calls for a high-speed rail service to be created, offering a modern transportation system for Palestinians. It, however, can only be implemented if a political solution is agreed upon by Palestinians, Israelis, and other actors in the negotiations.", "Israel could solve the Palestinian problem in its favor if it makes friends with the Arab states in wake of the new multibillion US investment plan, and before the political solution is even offered, a West Bank professor told RT.\n\nThe so-called “opportunity of the century,” which US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, presented to media on Saturday, is entitled to create a million jobs in the West Bank and Gaza, while doubling Palestine’s GDP in 10 years. It would be achieved through donors, mainly the Gulf States, pouring $50 billion into the West Bank and Gaza as well as into Jordan, Egypt and Lebanon where several million Palestinian refugees are staying.\n\nThere’s, however, nothing new about such a plan, Saad Nimr, professor of political science at Birzeit University, told RT.\n\n“During Shimon Peres as a Prime Minister in Israel (1995-96), he tried that approach of talking economic ease to the Palestinians instead of talking about a political solution,” but no results were achieved.\n\nNimr reminded of a World Bank report, which said that Palestine would earn $5.5 billion extra every year if it had access to the Mediterranean and Dead Sea, which is now blocked by Israel.\n\n“The whole issue is a political issue. Give us our freedom and we are able to live equally, normally and in prosperity in Palestine.”\n\nThe Palestinians are rejecting the US plan because “the only purpose for the Americans is Israel’s prosperity,” the professor said.\n\nFor years, the Arab countries were saying that they will only normalize relations with Israel after it withdraws from all land occupied in 1967, including the West bank, Gaza Strip, Golan Heights and Jerusalem, he said.\n\nTrump and his team want to start with normalization and only then talk about the political solution for the Palestinians. But, at the end of the day, [this approach] will leave us only with Israel and everyone will start pressurizing us to give up our own rights, like the right of return, the right of a state within the 1967 borders and the right that our capital will be Jerusalem.\n\nImproving relations with the Arab states, especially those in the Gulf, had been Israel’s goal for a long time. “They have a huge potential economically from the Israeli point of view. Now, the Israelis can imagine a huge market for their products; the investment; the money coming into Israel. All that would make Israel absolutely prosperous, while ending the issue of Palestine. It’s a win-win for Israel, absolutely,” Nimr said.\n\nThink your friends would be interested? Share this story!", "RAMALLAH, West Bank — The Palestinian leader, Mahmoud Abbas, on Sunday dismissed a new effort by the Trump administration to encourage investment of more than $50 billion to jump-start the Palestinian and regional economies in hopes of building a foundation for a future peace.\n\nIn a rare meeting with foreign journalists at his headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Mr. Abbas, the Palestinian Authority president, said the plan, set to be kicked off this week at a conference in Bahrain, was ill-begotten and bound to fail.\n\nThe Trump administration released its economic plan over the weekend to set the stage for a workshop on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Palestinian leadership called for a boycott of the conference, and Palestinian officials will not attend. Most Palestinian businesspeople who were invited appear to be staying away.\n\n“We need the money and, really, we need assistance,” said Mr. Abbas, who presides over a divided Palestinian polity that has long depended on the largess of donor nations and that is in perpetual financial crisis. “But before everything, there is a political solution.”", "Reuters reports: The Trump administration’s $50 billion Middle East economic plan calls for creation of a global investment fund to lift the Palestinian and neighboring Arab state economies, and construction of a $5 billion transportation corridor to connect the West Bank and Gaza, according to U.S. officials and documents reviewed by Reuters.\n\nThe “peace to prosperity” plan, set to be presented by President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner at an international conference in Bahrain next week, includes 179 infrastructure and business projects, according to the documents. The approach toward reviving the moribund Israeli-Palestinian peace process was criticized by the Palestinians on Saturday.\n\nThe economic revival plan would take place only if a political solution to the region’s long-running problems is reached."], "summary": "The Trump administration releases a $50 billion plan that calls for investment in Palestine's economy."}
{"document": ["A Yemeni rebel attack on a civilian airport in southern Saudi Arabia killed a Syrian national and wounded 21 other civilians, a Riyadh-led coalition said, in a new escalation following a series of strikes on the site.\n\nThe attack on Abha airport, which the coalition said left a McDonalds outlet at the site littered with shattered glass and damaged 18 vehicles, comes amid spiralling regional tensions with Iran.\n\nThe escalation of attacks by Iran-aligned Huthi rebels on Saudi cities threatens a hard-won U.N.-sponsored ceasefire deal for the Red Sea port city of Hodeida, war-ravaged Yemen's main conduit for humanitarian aid.\n\n\"A terrorist attack by the Iran-backed Huthi militia on Abha airport... killed a Syrian resident and wounded 21 civilians,\" the coalition said in a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency.\n\nThe wounded -- from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, India and Bangladesh -- also included three women and two children who had been taken to hospital for treatment, the coalition said.\n\nIt did not provide details on how the airport was attacked, but Iran-aligned Huthi rebels have repeatedly struck the civilian facility this month with drones and missiles.\n\nEarlier on Sunday, the rebels' Al-Masirah TV said they had targeted Abha and Jizan airports in the south of the kingdom with drones.\n\nThe coalition did not confirm the attack on Jizan airport.\n\nAbha airport authorities said on Twitter that air traffic had resumed and operatons were running normally, without saying how long they were disrupted.\n\nOn June 12, a rebel missile attack on Abha airport wounded 26 civilians, drawing promises of \"stern action\" from the coalition.\n\nHuman Rights Watch denounced the strike as an apparent \"war crime\", urging the Huthis to immediately stop all attacks on civilian infrastructure in Saudi Arabia.\n\nThe latest raids come amid spiralling regional tensions after Washington -- a key ally of Riyadh -- accused Iran of shooting down a U.S. drone and carrying out attacks on oil tankers in the strategic Gulf of Oman.\n\nSaudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Britain and the US, in a joint statement published on Saudi state media on Sunday, voiced alarm over escalating regional tensions and the \"dangers posed by Iranian destabilising activity.\"\n\nSaudi Arabia has repeatedly accused Iran of supplying sophisticated weapons to Huthi rebels, a charge Tehran denies.\n\nFollowing recent attacks, Saudi state media have reported an intensification of coalition air raids on rebel positions in the northern Yemeni province of Hajjah and the Huthi-held capital Sanaa.\n\nThe coalition intervened in support of the Yemeni government in 2015 when President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi fled into Saudi exile as the rebels closed in on his last remaining territory in and around second city Aden.\n\nSince then, the conflict has killed tens of thousands of people, many of them civilians, relief agencies say.\n\nIt has triggered what the U.N. describes as the world's worst humanitarian crisis, with more than 24 million Yemenis -- more than two-thirds of the population -- in need of aid.\n\nOn Thursday the Saudi campaign in Yemen suffered a double blow as U.S. lawmakers voted to block Trump's arms sales to Riyadh, just hours after Britain temporarily suspended similar sales.", "CAIRO — A Syrian resident of Saudi Arabia has died from his wounds in an attack on Saudi’s Abha airport on Sunday, Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya TV said on Sunday, citing its own correspondent.\n\nYemen’s Houthi movement earlier said on its channel Al-Masirah TV it had targeted Abha and Jizan airports in southern Saudi Arabia with drones. (Reporting by Mohamed El-Sherif; Editing by Alison Williams)", "A Yemeni rebel attack on a civilian airport in southern Saudi Arabia killed a Syrian national and wounded seven civilians Sunday, a Riyadh-led coalition said, the latest in a series of strikes on the site.\n\n\"A terrorist attack by the Iranian-backed Huthi militia took place at Abha international airport, through which thousands of civilian passengers... pass daily,\" the military coalition said.\n\n\"A Syrian national died and seven civilians were wounded,\" it added, in a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency.\n\nThe coalition did not provide details on how the airport was attacked, but Iran-aligned Huthi rebels have repeatedly struck the civilian facility this month with drones and missiles.\n\nEarlier on Sunday, the rebels' Al-Masirah TV said they had targeted Abha and Jizan airports in the south of the kingdom with drones.\n\nAbha airport authorities said on Twitter that air traffic had resumed and was functioning normally, without offering further details.\n\nOn June 12, a rebel missile attack on the international airport in the southwestern city of Abha wounded 26 civilians, drawing promises of \"stern action\" from the coalition.\n\nHuman Rights Watch denounced last week's strike as an apparent \"war crime\", urging the Huthis to immediately stop all attacks on civilian infrastructure in Saudi Arabia.\n\nThe attacks come amid heightened regional tensions with Iran, which Saudi Arabia has repeatedly accused of supplying sophisticated weapons to the rebels.\n\nSaudi state media have reported an intensification of coalition air raids on rebel positions in the northern Yemeni province of Hajjah and the Huthi-held capital Sanaa.\n\nThe coalition intervened in support of the Yemeni government in 2015 when President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi fled into Saudi exile as the rebels closed in on his last remaining territory in and around second city Aden.\n\nSince then, the conflict has killed tens of thousands of people, many of them civilians, relief agencies say.\n\nIt has triggered what the UN describes as the world's worst humanitarian crisis, with more than 24 million Yemenis -- more than two-thirds of the population -- in need of aid.\n\nOn Thursday the Saudi campaign in Yemen suffered a double blow as US lawmakers voted to block Trump's arms sales to Riyadh, just hours after Britain temporarily suspended similar sales.", "A Yemeni rebel attack on a civilian airport in southern Saudi Arabia killed a Syrian national and wounded 21 other civilians Sunday, the Riyadh-led coalition said, in a new escalation following a series of strikes on the site.\n\nThe attack on Abha Airport, which the coalition said left a McDonalds outlet at the site littered with shattered glass and damaged 18 vehicles, comes amid spiraling regional tensions with Iran.\n\nThe escalation of attacks by Iran-aligned Houthi rebels on Saudi cities threatens a hard-won UN-sponsored ceasefire deal for the Red Sea port city of Hodeida, war-ravaged Yemen's main conduit for humanitarian aid.\n\n\"A terrorist attack by the Iran-backed Houthi militia on Abha airport... killed a Syrian resident and wounded 21 civilians,\" the coalition said in a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency.\n\nThe wounded -- from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, India and Bangladesh -- also included three women and two children who had been taken to hospital for treatment, the coalition said.\n\nIt did not provide details on how the airport was attacked, but Iran-aligned Houthi rebels have repeatedly struck the civilian facility this month with drones and missiles.\n\nEarlier on Sunday, the rebels' Al-Masirah TV said they had targeted Abha and Jizan airports in the south of the kingdom with drones.\n\nThe coalition did not confirm the attack on Jizan airport.\n\nAbha Airport authorities said on Twitter that air traffic had resumed and operations were running normally, without saying how long they were disrupted.\n\nOn June 12, a rebel missile attack on Abha airport wounded 26 civilians, drawing promises of \"stern action\" from the coalition.\n\nHuman Rights Watch denounced the strike as an apparent \"war crime\", urging the Houthis to immediately stop all attacks on civilian infrastructure in Saudi Arabia.\n\nThe latest raids come amid spiraling regional tensions after Washington -- a key ally of Riyadh -- accused Iran of shooting down a US drone and carrying out attacks on oil tankers in the strategic Gulf of Oman.\n\nSaudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Britain and the U.S., in a joint statement published on Saudi state media on Sunday, voiced alarm over escalating regional tensions and the \"dangers posed by Iranian destabilizing activity\".\n\nSaudi Arabia has repeatedly accused Iran of supplying sophisticated weapons to Huthi rebels, a charge Tehran denies.\n\nFollowing recent attacks, Saudi state media have reported an intensification of coalition air raids on rebel positions in the northern Yemeni province of Hajjah and the Houthi-held capital Sanaa.\n\nThe coalition intervened in support of the Yemeni government in 2015 when President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi fled into Saudi exile as the rebels closed in on his last remaining territory in and around second city Aden.\n\nSince then, the conflict has killed tens of thousands of people, many of them civilians, relief agencies say.\n\nIt has triggered what the U.N. describes as the world's worst humanitarian crisis, with more than 24 million Yemenis -- more than two-thirds of the population -- in need of aid.\n\nOn Thursday the Saudi campaign in Yemen suffered a double blow as U.S. lawmakers voted to block Trump's arms sales to Riyadh, just hours after Britain temporarily suspended similar sales.", "RIYADH (Reuters) - Yemen’s Houthi movement launched an attack on Abha civilian airport in southern Saudi Arabia on Sunday that killed one person and wounded 21 others, the Saudi-led coalition battling the group in Yemen said.\n\nHouthi-run Al-Masirah TV earlier said that the Iran-aligned movement had targeted Abha and Jizan airports in the south of the kingdom with drones attacks.\n\n“A terrorist attack by the Iran-backed Houthi militia targeted Abha airport, killing a Syrian resident and wounding 21 civilians,” the coalition said in a statement carried on Saudi state television.\n\nIt did not confirm an attack on Jizan airport.\n\nSaudi-owned Al Arabiya TV said a suspected drone hit the parking lot in Abha airport, which is about 200 km (125 miles) north of the Yemen border and serves domestic and regional routes.\n\nSaudi state TV said flights had resumed at the airport, where operations were now running normally.\n\nEarlier this month, a Houthi missile hit Abha airport in a strike that wounded 26 people.\n\nThe Western-backed Sunni Muslim coalition led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates intervened in Yemen in 2015 to try to restore the internationally recognized government that was ousted from power in Sanaa by the Houthis in late 2014.\n\nThe Iran-aligned Houthis have stepped up missile and drone attacks on Saudi cities in the past month amid rising tension between Iran and Gulf Arab states allied to the United States.\n\nRiyadh has accused Iran of supplying the Houthis with the weapon used in the June 13 attack on Abha airport. Tehran and the Houthis deny coalition charges that Iran supplies the Houthis with missiles and drones.\n\n“DESTABILIZING ACTIVITY”\n\nThe Saudi-led military coalition has targeted Houthi military sites around the capital Sanaa and Hodeidah port city.\n\nSaudi Arabia, the UAE, Britain and the United States, in a joint statement published by the Saudi Embassy in Washington on Sunday, voiced concern about the escalation in Houthi attacks - without any mention of the latest drone launches.\n\nThe quartet also voiced concern about “dangers posed by Iranian destabilizing activity” to peace and security both in Yemen and the broader region, citing attacks on oil tankers in Gulf waters.\n\nTehran has denied involvement in the tanker attacks, which no one has claimed responsibility for.\n\nThe escalation in violence threatens a U.N.-sponsored deal for a ceasefire and troop withdrawal from Hodeidah, which became the focus of the war last year when the coalition tried to seize the port, the Houthis’ main supply line and a lifeline for millions of Yemenis.\n\nThe quartet’s statement called on all Yemeni parties to engage constructively with U.N. special envoy Martin Griffiths to accelerate implementation of the agreement.\n\nThe deal, reached at peace talks in Sweden last December, had stalled for months before the Houthis unilaterally withdrew from three Red Sea ports in Hodeidah. The Saudi-led alliance has yet to verify the redeployment or meet it by pulling back pro-coalition troops massed on the outskirts of Hodeidah.", "A Yemeni rebel attack on a civilian airport in southern Saudi Arabia killed a Syrian national and wounded seven civilians Sunday, a Riyadh-led coalition said, the latest in a series of strikes on the site.\n\n“A terrorist attack by the Iranian-backed Huthi militia took place at Abha international airport, through which thousands of civilian passengers… pass daily,” the military coalition said.\n\n“A Syrian national died and seven civilians were wounded,” it added, in a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency.\n\nThe coalition did not provide details on how the airport was attacked, but Iran-aligned Huthi rebels have repeatedly struck the civilian facility this month with drones and missiles.\n\nEarlier on Sunday, the rebels’ Al-Masirah TV said they had targeted Abha and Jizan airports in the south of the kingdom with drones.\n\nAbha airport authorities said on Twitter that air traffic had resumed and was functioning normally, without offering further details.\n\nOn June 12, a rebel missile attack on the international airport in the southwestern city of Abha wounded 26 civilians, drawing promises of “stern action” from the coalition.\n\nHuman Rights Watch denounced last week’s strike as an apparent “war crime”, urging the Huthis to immediately stop all attacks on civilian infrastructure in Saudi Arabia.\n\nThe attacks come amid heightened regional tensions with Iran, which Saudi Arabia has repeatedly accused of supplying sophisticated weapons to the rebels.\n\nSaudi state media have reported an intensification of coalition air raids on rebel positions in the northern Yemeni province of Hajjah and the Huthi-held capital Sanaa.\n\nThe coalition intervened in support of the Yemeni government in 2015 when President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi fled into Saudi exile as the rebels closed in on his last remaining territory in and around second city Aden.\n\nSince then, the conflict has killed tens of thousands of people, many of them civilians, relief agencies say.\n\nIt has triggered what the UN describes as the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, with more than 24 million Yemenis — more than two-thirds of the population — in need of aid.\n\nOn Thursday the Saudi campaign in Yemen suffered a double blow as US lawmakers voted to block Trump’s arms sales to Riyadh, just hours after Britain temporarily suspended similar sales.", "Flights at Abha airport were disrupted for several hours before returning to normal.\n\nEight of those wounded in missile attack at Abha airport were admitted to hospital\n\nA Yemeni rebel missile attack on an airport in southwestern Saudi Arabia wounded 26 civilians on Wednesday, the Saudi-led coalition fighting the rebels said.\n\nYemen's Huthi rebels, who have faced persistent coalition bombing since March 2015 that has exacted a heavy civilian death toll, have stepped up missile and drone attacks across the border in recent weeks.\n\nEight of those wounded at Abha airport were admitted to hospital, coalition spokesman Turki al-Malki said.\n\nThe other 18 were discharged after receiving first aid, he added in a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency.\n\nThe Huthi rebels said earlier that they had launched a missile at the airport in the Saudi mountain resort city.\n\nFlights were disrupted for several hours before returning to normal.\n\nAbha, capital of Asir province, lies high in the lush Asir mountains and is a popular getaway for Saudis seeking escape from the searing summer heat of Riyadh or Jeddah.\n\nMalki said an unidentified \"projectile\" hit the airport which is used by thousands of passengers a day.\n\nHe said at least one Indian was among three women wounded along with two Saudi children.\n\nMalki described the incident as a \"terrorist attack\" on a civilian target which could be considered a \"war crime.\"\n\nHe said the coalition would \"take stern action\" to deter the rebels and protect civilians.\n\nOn Monday, Saudi air defences intercepted two rebel drones headed for Khamis Mushait.\n\nThe city, not far east of Abha, houses a major airbase that has been one of the main launchpads for the coalition's bombing campaign in Yemen.\n\nLast month, the Saudi air force shot down a rebel drone that targeted Jizan airport on the Red Sea coast close to the Yemeni border, the coalition said.\n\nThe rebel attacks come as SPA reported the coalition was intensifying air raids on rebel positions in the northern Yemeni province of Hajjah.\n\nFor all the latest business news from the UAE and Gulf countries, follow us on Twitter and Linkedin , like us on Facebook and subscribe to our YouTube page, which is updated daily.", "The US ambassador to Saudi Arabia John Abizaid strongly condemned on Monday what he called the \"cowardly attack\" that targeted Abha International Airport.\n\nOn the official Twitter page of the US Mission to Saudi Arabia, Abizaid sent condolences to “the families and friends of those injured or killed in this outrageous attack on civilians.”\n\nThe Arab Coalition said on Sunday that the Iranian-backed Houthi militia launched an attack targeting Saudi Arabia’s Abha International Airport.\n\nThe coalition spokesman Col. Turki al-Maliki said one Syrian national was killed and seven others were injured.\n\nEarlier, Saudi Arabia, UAE, UK and the US released a joint statement expressing their concern over escalating tensions in the region and the dangers posed by Iran’s destabilizing activities in Yemen and the broader region.\n\nIn a joint statement, the quartet condemned Iran’s recent actions in the region, including attacks on the oil tankers off Fujairah in the UAE on May 12 and in the Gulf of Oman on June 13.", "(Hatha al-Youm | Iraq News )- A Syrian resident of Saudi Arabia has died from his wounds in an attack on Saudi's Abha airport on Sunday, Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya TV said on Sunday,citing its own correspondent.Yemen's Houthi movement earlier said on its channel Al-Masirah TV it had targeted Abha and Jizan airports in southern Saudi Arabia with drones.", "A Yemeni rebel attack on a civilian airport in southern Saudi Arabia killed a Syrian national and wounded 21 other civilians Sunday, a Riyadh-led coalition said, in a new escalation following a series of strikes on the site.\n\nThe attack on Abha airport, which the coalition said left a McDonalds outlet at the site littered with shattered glass and damaged 18 vehicles, comes amid spiralling regional tensions with Iran.\n\nThe escalation of attacks by Iran-aligned Huthi rebels on Saudi cities threatens a hard-won UN-sponsored ceasefire deal for the Red Sea port city of Hodeida, war-ravaged Yemen's main conduit for humanitarian aid.\n\n\"A terrorist attack by the Iran-backed Huthi militia on Abha airport... killed a Syrian resident and wounded 21 civilians,\" the coalition said in a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency.\n\nThe wounded -- from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, India and Bangladesh -- also included three women and two children who had been taken to hospital for treatment, the coalition said.\n\nIt did not provide details on how the airport was attacked, but Iran-aligned Huthi rebels have repeatedly struck the civilian facility this month with drones and missiles.\n\nEarlier on Sunday, the rebels' Al-Masirah TV said they had targeted Abha and Jizan airports in the south of the kingdom with drones.\n\nThe coalition did not confirm the attack on Jizan airport.\n\nAbha airport authorities said on Twitter that air traffic had resumed and operatons were running normally, without saying how long they were disrupted.\n\nOn June 12, a rebel missile attack on Abha airport wounded 26 civilians, drawing promises of \"stern action\" from the coalition.\n\nHuman Rights Watch denounced the strike as an apparent \"war crime\", urging the Huthis to immediately stop all attacks on civilian infrastructure in Saudi Arabia.\n\nThe latest raids come amid spiralling regional tensions after Washington -- a key ally of Riyadh -- accused Iran of shooting down a US drone and carrying out attacks on oil tankers in the strategic Gulf of Oman.\n\nSaudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Britain and the US, in a joint statement published on Saudi state media on Sunday, voiced alarm over escalating regional tensions and the \"dangers posed by Iranian destabilising activity\".\n\nSaudi Arabia has repeatedly accused Iran of supplying sophisticated weapons to Huthi rebels, a charge Tehran denies.\n\nFollowing recent attacks, Saudi state media have reported an intensification of coalition air raids on rebel positions in the northern Yemeni province of Hajjah and the Huthi-held capital Sanaa.\n\nThe coalition intervened in support of the Yemeni government in 2015 when President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi fled into Saudi exile as the rebels closed in on his last remaining territory in and around second city Aden.\n\nSince then, the conflict has killed tens of thousands of people, many of them civilians, relief agencies say.\n\nIt has triggered what the UN describes as the world's worst humanitarian crisis, with more than 24 million Yemenis -- more than two-thirds of the population -- in need of aid.\n\nOn Thursday the Saudi campaign in Yemen suffered a double blow as US lawmakers voted to block Trump's arms sales to Riyadh, just hours after Britain temporarily suspended similar sales."], "summary": "Houthis launch a drone strike that kills a Syrian and wounds 21 more. The attack takes place at the Abha International Airport, which was attacked two weeks ago with a ballistic missile."}
{"document": ["CAIRO (Reuters) - Eight people were wounded in a suspected drone attack on Saudi Arabia’s Abha airport, Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya TV said on Sunday, citing its own correspondent.\n\nEarlier, Yemen’s Houthi movement said they had targeted Abha and Jizan airports in southern Saudi Arabia with drone attacks, the group’s Al-Masirah TV said.", "DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Saudi Arabia says one person has been killed and seven others wounded in an attack by Yemeni rebels on an airport in the kingdom’s south.\n\nThe spokesman of the Saudi-led coalition at war in Yemen against the rebel Houthis was quoted in the state-run Saudi Press Agency as saying the airport in Abha was struck shortly after 9 p.m. local time on Sunday.\n\nCol. Turki al-Maliki did not say what type of weapon was used in the attack. The Saudi Press Agency reported that a Syrian resident of Saudi Arabia had been killed.\n\nA Houthi spokesman, Yahia al-Sarie, said earlier Sunday the rebels had launched drone attacks on Saudi airports in Abha and Jizan.\n\nThe attack comes less that two weeks after the airport in Abha was attacked by a Houthi cruise missile, wounding 26 passengers inside.", "RIYADH (Reuters) - Yemen’s Houthi movement launched an attack on Abha civilian airport in southern Saudi Arabia on Sunday that killed one person and wounded 21 others, the Saudi-led coalition battling the group in Yemen said.\n\nHouthi-run Al-Masirah TV earlier said that the Iran-aligned movement had targeted Abha and Jizan airports in the south of the kingdom with drones attacks.\n\n“A terrorist attack by the Iran-backed Houthi militia targeted Abha airport, killing a Syrian resident and wounding 21 civilians,” the coalition said in a statement carried on Saudi state television.\n\nIt did not confirm an attack on Jizan airport.\n\nSaudi-owned Al Arabiya TV said a suspected drone hit the parking lot in Abha airport, which is about 200 km (125 miles) north of the Yemen border and serves domestic and regional routes.\n\nSaudi state TV said flights had resumed at the airport, where operations were now running normally.\n\nEarlier this month, a Houthi missile hit Abha airport in a strike that wounded 26 people.\n\nThe Western-backed Sunni Muslim coalition led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates intervened in Yemen in 2015 to try to restore the internationally recognized government that was ousted from power in Sanaa by the Houthis in late 2014.\n\nThe Iran-aligned Houthis have stepped up missile and drone attacks on Saudi cities in the past month amid rising tension between Iran and Gulf Arab states allied to the United States.\n\nRiyadh has accused Iran of supplying the Houthis with the weapon used in the June 13 attack on Abha airport. Tehran and the Houthis deny coalition charges that Iran supplies the Houthis with missiles and drones.\n\nThe Saudi-led military coalition has targeted Houthi military sites around the capital Sanaa and Hodeidah port city.\n\nSaudi Arabia, the UAE, Britain and the United States, in a joint statement published by the Saudi Embassy in Washington on Sunday, voiced concern about the escalation in Houthi attacks - without any mention of the latest drone launches.\n\nThe quartet also voiced concern about “dangers posed by Iranian destabilizing activity” to peace and security both in Yemen and the broader region, citing attacks on oil tankers in Gulf waters.\n\nTehran has denied involvement in the tanker attacks, which no one has claimed responsibility for.\n\nThe escalation in violence threatens a U.N.-sponsored deal for a ceasefire and troop withdrawal from Hodeidah, which became the focus of the war last year when the coalition tried to seize the port, the Houthis’ main supply line and a lifeline for millions of Yemenis.\n\nThe quartet’s statement called on all Yemeni parties to engage constructively with U.N. special envoy Martin Griffiths to accelerate implementation of the agreement.\n\nThe deal, reached at peace talks in Sweden last December, had stalled for months before the Houthis unilaterally withdrew from three Red Sea ports in Hodeidah. The Saudi-led alliance has yet to verify the redeployment or meet it by pulling back pro-coalition troops massed on the outskirts of Hodeidah.", "Houthis kill 1, wound 7 in attack on airport in Saudi Arabia\n\nDUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Saudi Arabia says one person has been killed and seven others wounded in an attack by Yemeni rebels on an airport in the kingdom's south.\n\nThe spokesman of the Saudi-led coalition at war in Yemen against the rebel Houthis was quoted in the state-run Saudi Press Agency as saying the airport in Abha was struck shortly after 9 p.m. local time on Sunday.\n\nCol. Turki al-Maliki did not say what type of weapon was used in the attack. The Saudi Press Agency reported that a Syrian resident of Saudi Arabia had been killed.\n\nA Houthi spokesman, Yahia al-Sarie, said earlier Sunday the rebels had launched drone attacks on Saudi airports in Abha and Jizan.\n\nThe attack comes less that two weeks after the airport in Abha was attacked by a Houthi cruise missile, wounding 26 passengers inside.", "DUBAI, United Arab Emirates >> U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held talks Monday with the Saudi king and crown prince after days of mounting tensions following the downing of a U.S drone last week and after President Donald Trump pulled back from the brink of retaliatory military strikes on Iran.\n\nIran’s naval commander, meanwhile, warned that Iranian forces would not hesitate to act again and shoot down more U.S. surveillance drones that violate Iranian airspace.\n\nThe U.S. denies the drone, valued at more than $100 million, violated Iranian airspace. Trump said he backed away from planned strikes after learning that 150 people would be killed but that military action remained an option.\n\nPompeo today held separate talks with King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the Saudi port city of Jiddah to discuss the escalation with Iran.\n\nPompeo wrote on Twitter that he had a “productive meeting” with King Salman and discussed “heightened tensions in the region and the need to promote maritime security” in the Strait of Hormuz near the Persian Gulf, through which roughly a fifth of the world’s traded oil passes.\n\nFrom the kingdom, Pompeo will travel to neighboring United Arab Emirates, another close U.S. ally. The regional stops, made on his way to India, may be aimed at reassuring Washington’s Sunni Gulf Arab allies that the White House remains committed to maintaining pressure on Shiite Iran following Trump’s last-minute about-face, which likely raised questions about U.S. willingness to use force against the Islamic Republic.\n\nIn what it says are defensive moves, the U.S. has built up its military presence around the Persian Gulf in recent weeks.\n\nIran’s naval commander, Rear Adm. Hossein Khanzadi issued a warning to Washington that Tehran is capable of shooting down other American spy drones that violate Iranian airspace. Khanzadi spoke Monday during a meeting with a group of defense officials in Iran.\n\n“We confidently say that the crushing response can always be repeated, and the enemy knows it,” Khanzadi was quoted as saying by the semi-official Tasnim news agency.\n\nTensions have been escalating since Trump last year withdrew the U.S. from a global nuclear deal with Iran and re-imposed economic sanctions on Iran. A fresh round of U.S. sanctions is to be announced later on Monday in a bid to force the Iranian leadership into talks.\n\nIran has decried the U.S. sanctions, which essentially bar Iran from selling its oil internationally, as “economic terrorism.”\n\nBefore boarding his flight to Saudi Arabia, Pompeo described the sanctions as a way to deny Iran “the resources to foment terror, to build out their nuclear weapon system, to build out their missile program.”\n\nThe hastily arranged Saudi visit by Pompeo, considered a hard-liner in the Trump administration, and the upcoming stop in the UAE come as both countries have expressed alarm over Iran’s military reach.\n\nSaudi Arabia and the U.S. have accused Iran of being behind attacks on oil tankers near the Persian Gulf over the past several weeks, while the UAE has been urging diplomacy to avert a wider conflict.\n\nOn the eve of Pompeo’s visit to the kingdom, Yemen’s Iranian-allied rebels attacked a Saudi airport near the Saudi-Yemen border, killing a Syrian resident and wounding 21 other civilians, the Saudi military said.\n\nThe Houthi rebels claimed they used bomb-laden drones in the attack on the Abha airport, the second in less than two weeks. Drones were also used to attack a Saudi oil pipeline last month.\n\nSaudi Arabia has been at war with the rebel Houthis in Yemen for more than four years. The Houthis say the attacks targeting the kingdom are a response to relentless Saudi airstrikes on Yemen that have killed thousands.\n\nBefore his departure to Saudi Arabia, Pompeo said talks will include discussion on “how we can build out a global coalition, a coalition not only throughout the Gulf states, but in Asia and in Europe… to push back against the world’s largest state sponsor of terror,” referring to Iran.\n\nBut even as Pompeo delivered his tough talk, he echoed Trump in saying the U.S. is prepared to negotiate with Iran, without preconditions, in a bid to ease tensions.\n\n“They know precisely how to find us,” Pompeo said.\n\nThroughout the recent crisis, Trump has wavered between bellicose language and actions toward Iran and a more accommodating tone, including an offer for negotiations. Iran has said it is not interested in a dialogue with Trump.\n\nTrump initially said Iran had made a “very big mistake” and that it was “hard to believe” that shooting down the drone last Thursday was not intentional. But he also said over the weekend that he appreciated Iran’s decision to not shoot down a manned U.S. spy plane carrying 30 people.\n\nIranian President Hassan Rouhani has blamed the United States’ “interventionist military presence” for fanning the flames.\n\nU.S. military cyber forces on Thursday launched a strike against Iranian military computer systems, according to U.S. officials. The cyberattacks disabled Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps computer systems that controlled its rocket and missile launchers, the officials said.\n\nIran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said Sunday the U.S. “conducted a cyber operation contrary to international law.”", "One person was killed and seven people were injured in a suspected drone attack on Saudi Arabia's Abha airport by Yemeni rebels this evening.\n\nThe Saudi government confirmed the attacks on Twitter, saying the person who died from their wounds was a Syrian resident.\n\nThe spokesman of the Saudi-led coalition at war in Yemen against the rebel Houthis was quoted in the state-run Saudi Press Agency as saying the airport in Abha was struck shortly after 9pm local time.\n\nCol. Turki al-Maliki did not say what type of weapon was used in the attack.\n\nEarlier this month, a Houthi missile hit Abha civilian airport, which is about 125 miles north of the Yemen border and serves domestic and regional routes, in a strike that wounded 26 people.\n\nThe Western-backed Sunni Muslim coalition led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates intervened in Yemen in 2015 to try to restore the internationally recognised government that was ousted from power in Sanaa by the Houthis in late 2014.\n\nThe Iran-aligned Houthis have stepped up missile and drone attacks on Saudi cities in the past month amid rising tension between Iran and Gulf Arab states allied to the United States.\n\nRiyadh has accused Iran of supplying the Houthis with the weapon used in the June 13 attack on Abha airport. Tehran and the Houthis deny coalition charges that Iran supplies the Houthis with missiles and drones.\n\nThe Saudi-led military coalition has targeted Houthi military sites around the capital Sanaa and Hodeidah port city.\n\nSaudi Arabia, the UAE, Britain and the United States, in a joint statement published by the Saudi Embassy in Washington on Sunday, voiced concern about the escalation in Houthi attacks - without any mention of the latest drone launches.\n\nThe quartet also voiced concern about 'dangers posed by Iranian destabilising activity' to peace and security both in Yemen and the broader region, citing attacks on oil tankers in Gulf waters.\n\nTehran has denied involvement in the tanker attacks, which no one has claimed responsibility for.\n\nThe escalation in violence threatens a U.N.-sponsored deal for a ceasefire and troop withdrawal from Hodeidah, which became the focus of the war last year when the coalition tried to seize the port, the Houthis' main supply line and a lifeline for millions of Yemenis.\n\nThe quartet's statement called on all Yemeni parties to engage constructively with U.N. special envoy Martin Griffiths to accelerate implementation of the agreement.\n\nThe deal, reached at peace talks in Sweden last December, had stalled for months before the Houthis unilaterally withdrew from three Red Sea ports in Hodeidah.\n\nThe Saudi-led alliance has yet to verify the redeployment or meet it by pulling back pro-coalition troops massed on the outskirts of Hodeidah.", "Houthis kill 1, wound 7 in attack on airport in Saudi Arabia\n\nDUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Saudi Arabia says one person has been killed and seven others wounded in an attack by Yemeni rebels on an airport in the kingdom's south.\n\nThe spokesman of the Saudi-led coalition at war in Yemen against the rebel Houthis was quoted in the state-run Saudi Press Agency as saying the airport in Abha was struck shortly after 9 p.m. local time on Sunday.\n\nCol. Turki al-Maliki did not say what type of weapon was used in the attack. The Saudi Press Agency reported that a Syrian resident of Saudi Arabia had been killed.\n\nA Houthi spokesman, Yahia al-Sarie, said earlier Sunday the rebels had launched drone attacks on Saudi airports in Abha and Jizan.\n\nThe attack comes less that two weeks after the airport in Abha was attacked by a Houthi cruise missile, wounding 26 passengers inside.", "RIYADH (Reuters) - Yemen’s Houthi movement launched an attack on Abha civilian airport in southern Saudi Arabia on Sunday that killed one person and wounded 21 others, the Saudi-led coalition battling the group in Yemen said.\n\nHouthi-run Al-Masirah TV earlier said that the Iran-aligned movement had targeted Abha and Jizan airports in the south of the kingdom with drones attacks.\n\n“A terrorist attack by the Iran-backed Houthi militia targeted Abha airport, killing a Syrian resident and wounding 21 civilians,” the coalition said in a statement carried on Saudi state television.\n\nIt did not confirm an attack on Jizan airport.\n\nSaudi-owned Al Arabiya TV said a suspected drone hit the parking lot in Abha airport, which is about 200 km (125 miles) north of the Yemen border and serves domestic and regional routes.\n\nSaudi state TV said flights had resumed at the airport, where operations were now running normally.\n\nEarlier this month, a Houthi missile hit Abha airport in a strike that wounded 26 people.\n\nThe Western-backed Sunni Muslim coalition led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates intervened in Yemen in 2015 to try to restore the internationally recognized government that was ousted from power in Sanaa by the Houthis in late 2014.\n\nThe Iran-aligned Houthis have stepped up missile and drone attacks on Saudi cities in the past month amid rising tension between Iran and Gulf Arab states allied to the United States.\n\nRiyadh has accused Iran of supplying the Houthis with the weapon used in the June 13 attack on Abha airport. Tehran and the Houthis deny coalition charges that Iran supplies the Houthis with missiles and drones.\n\nThe Saudi-led military coalition has targeted Houthi military sites around the capital Sanaa and Hodeidah port city.\n\nSaudi Arabia, the UAE, Britain and the United States, in a joint statement published by the Saudi Embassy in Washington on Sunday, voiced concern about the escalation in Houthi attacks - without any mention of the latest drone launches.\n\nThe quartet also voiced concern about “dangers posed by Iranian destabilizing activity” to peace and security both in Yemen and the broader region, citing attacks on oil tankers in Gulf waters.\n\nTehran has denied involvement in the tanker attacks, which no one has claimed responsibility for.\n\nThe escalation in violence threatens a U.N.-sponsored deal for a ceasefire and troop withdrawal from Hodeidah, which became the focus of the war last year when the coalition tried to seize the port, the Houthis’ main supply line and a lifeline for millions of Yemenis.\n\nThe quartet’s statement called on all Yemeni parties to engage constructively with U.N. special envoy Martin Griffiths to accelerate implementation of the agreement.\n\nThe deal, reached at peace talks in Sweden last December, had stalled for months before the Houthis unilaterally withdrew from three Red Sea ports in Hodeidah. The Saudi-led alliance has yet to verify the redeployment or meet it by pulling back pro-coalition troops massed on the outskirts of Hodeidah.", "Yemen’s Houthi movement launched an attack on Abha civilian airport in southern Saudi Arabia on Sunday that killed one person and wounded 21 others, the Saudi-led coalition battling the group in Yemen said. Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV earlier said that the Iran-aligned movement had targeted Abha and Jizan airports in the south of the kingdom with drones attacks.\n\n“A terrorist attack by the Iran-backed Houthi militia targeted Abha airport, killing a Syrian resident and wounding 21 civilians,” the coalition said in a statement carried on Saudi state television.\n\nIt did not confirm an attack on Jizan airport.\n\nSaudi-owned Al Arabiya TV said a suspected drone hit the parking lot in Abha airport, which is about 200 km (125 miles) north of the Yemen border and serves domestic and regional routes. Saudi state TV said flights had resumed at the airport, where operations were now running normally. Earlier this month, a Houthi missile hit Abha airport in a strike that wounded 26 people.\n\nThe Western-backed Sunni Muslim coalition led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates intervened in Yemen in 2015 to try to restore the internationally recognised government that was ousted from power in Sanaa by the Houthis in late 2014.\n\nThe Iran-aligned Houthis have stepped up missile and drone attacks on Saudi cities in the past month amid rising tension between Iran and Gulf Arab states allied to the United States. Riyadh has accused Iran of supplying the Houthis with the weapon used in the June 13 attack on Abha airport. Tehran and the Houthis deny coalition charges that Iran supplies the Houthis with missiles and drones.\n\n“DESTABILISING ACTIVITY”\n\n The Saudi-led military coalition has targeted Houthi military sites around the capital Sanaa and Hodeidah port city.\n\n Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Britain and the United States, in a joint statement published by the Saudi Embassy in Washington on Sunday, voiced concern about the escalation in Houthi attacks – without any mention of the latest drone launches.\n\nThe quartet also voiced concern about “dangers posed by Iranian destabilising activity” to peace and security both in Yemen and the broader region, citing attacks on oil tankers in Gulf waters. Tehran has denied involvement in the tanker attacks, which no one has claimed responsibility for.\n\nThe escalation in violence threatens a U.N.-sponsored deal for a ceasefire and troop withdrawal from Hodeidah, which became the focus of the war last year when the coalition tried to seize the port, the Houthis’ main supply line and a lifeline for millions of Yemenis.\n\nThe quartet’s statement called on all Yemeni parties to engage constructively with U.N. special envoy Martin Griffiths to accelerate the implementation of the agreement.\n\nThe deal, reached at peace talks in Sweden last December, had stalled for months before the Houthis unilaterally withdrew from three Red Sea ports in Hodeidah. The Saudi-led alliance has yet to verify the redeployment or meet it by pulling back pro-coalition troops massed on the outskirts of Hodeidah.", "DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) - Saudi Arabia says one person has been killed and seven others wounded in an attack by Yemeni rebels on an airport in the kingdom's south.\n\nThe spokesman of the Saudi-led coalition at war in Yemen against the rebel Houthis was quoted in the state-run Saudi Press Agency as saying the airport in Abha was struck shortly after 9 p.m. local time on Sunday.\n\nCol. Turki al-Maliki did not say what type of weapon was used in the attack. The Saudi Press Agency reported that a Syrian resident of Saudi Arabia had been killed.\n\nA Houthi spokesman, Yahia al-Sarie, said earlier Sunday the rebels had launched drone attacks on Saudi airports in Abha and Jizan.\n\nThe attack comes less that two weeks after the airport in Abha was attacked by a Houthi cruise missile, wounding 26 passengers inside."], "summary": "Houthis warn of worse attacks if Saudi Arabia continues its escalation and aggression in Yemen."}
{"document": ["N'Djamena (AFP) - At least 11 Chadian soldiers were killed in an attack blamed on Boko Haram jihadists at Lake Chad, the latest in a surge of attacks in the region, authorities said on Sunday.\n\n\"The Chadian army lost 11 men including three officers... and six soldiers were wounded,\" the regional authority told AFP.\n\nIt added that Chadian forces killed \"26 Boko Haram members\" in fighting at Tchoukoutalia after the soldiers recovered cattle that the militants had seized.\n\nBoko Haram militants have been waging a decade-long insurgency in northwest Nigeria, but the conflict has spilled into the Lake Chad region where Nigeria borders Niger, Chad and Cameroon.\n\nSecurity sources earlier said seven Chadian soldiers and a guard were killed in the ambush that happened on Friday in Mbomouga in Chad's Ngouboua area.\n\nSince 2018, Boko Haram has carried out at least nine attacks on Chad. But the jihadist group has stepped up attacks outside Nigeria after a period of calm last year.\n\nLast month, militants killed four people in an attack on a Cameroonian island on Lake Chad and Boko Haram killed another 13 villagers in eastern Chad.\n\nIn March jihadists killed at least 23 Chadian soldiers in an attack on an army post in the group's deadliest attack on the country's military.\n\nSince 2015, troops from Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria have been grouped into a mixed, multi-national force in a bid to help fight Islamist militants.", "N'djamena: At least 11 Chadian soldiers were killed in an attack blamed on Boko Haram jihadists at Lake Chad, the latest in a surge of attacks in the region, authorities said on Sunday.\n\n\"The Chadian army lost 11 men including three officers... and six soldiers were wounded,” the regional authority told AFP.\n\nIt added that Chadian forces killed \"26 Boko Haram members\" in fighting at Tchoukoutalia after the soldiers recovered cattle that the militants had seized.\n\nBoko Haram militants have been waging a decade-long insurgency in northwest Nigeria, but the conflict has spilled into the Lake Chad region where Nigeria borders Niger, Chad and Cameroon.\n\nSecurity sources earlier said seven Chadian soldiers and a guard were killed in the ambush that happened on Friday in Mbomouga in Chad's Ngouboua area.\n\nSince 2018, Boko Haram has carried out at least nine attacks on Chad. But the jihadist group has stepped up attacks outside Nigeria after a period of calm last year. Last month, militants killed four people in an attack on a Cameroonian island on Lake Chad and Boko Haram killed another 13 villagers in eastern Chad.\n\nIn March jihadists killed at least 23 Chadian soldiers in an attack on an army post in the group's deadliest attack on the country's military.\n\nSince 2015, troops from Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria have been grouped into a mixed, multi-national force in a bid to help fight Islamist militants.", "At least 11 Chadian soldiers were killed in an attack blamed on Boko Haram jihadists at Lake Chad, the latest in a surge of attacks in the region, authorities said on Sunday.\n\n“The Chadian army lost 11 men including three officers… and six soldiers were wounded,” the regional authority told AFP.\n\nIt added that Chadian forces killed “26 Boko Haram members” in fighting at Tchoukoutalia after the soldiers recovered cattle that the militants had seized.\n\nBoko Haram militants have been waging a decade-long insurgency in northwest Nigeria, but the conflict has spilled into the Lake Chad region where Nigeria borders Niger, Chad and Cameroon.\n\nWhy local food production is inevitable with rising population – Alhaji Zanna(Opens in a new browser tab)\n\nSecurity sources earlier said seven Chadian soldiers and a guard were killed in the ambush that happened on Friday in Mbomouga in Chad’s Ngouboua area.\n\nSince 2018, Boko Haram has carried out at least nine attacks on Chad. But the jihadist group has stepped up attacks outside Nigeria after a period of calm last year.\n\nLast month, militants killed four people in an attack on a Cameroonian island on Lake Chad and Boko Haram killed another 13 villagers in eastern Chad.\n\nIn March jihadists killed at least 23 Chadian soldiers in an attack on an army post in the group’s deadliest attack on the country’s military.\n\nSince 2015, troops from Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria have been grouped into a mixed, multi-national force in a bid to help fight Islamist militants.", "Seven Chadian soldiers and a local guard were killed in a Boko Haram jihadist ambush in Lake Chad, the latest in a surge of attacks in the region, security sources said on Sunday.\n\nBoko Haram militants have been waging a decade-long insurgency in northwest Nigeria, but the conflict has spilled into Lake Chad where Nigeria borders Niger, Chad and Cameroon.\n\nSecurity sources said the seven Chadian soldiers and the guard were killed in an ambush on Friday in Mbomouga in Chad’s Ngouboua area, and another 13 people were wounded.\n\n“The Boko Haram forces lost six of their people and left behind two weapons,” one security source said.\n\nAmong the soldiers killed was a gendarme colonel, the source said. Another source said three army officers were killed in the attack.\n\nThe attack came as Multinational Joint Task Force, involving Nigerian and Chadian troops neutralised 42 Boko Haram terrorists in clearance operation in Cross-Kauwa-Baga-Doron-Naira villages in Lake Chad area. One Chadian soldier was killed while 10 other soldiers were wounded.\n\nSince 2018, Boko Haram has carried out at least nine attacks on Chad. But the jihadist group has stepped up attacks outside Nigeria after a period of calm last year.\n\nLast month, militants killed four people in an attack on a Cameroonian island on Lake Chad and Boko Haram killed another 13 villagers in eastern Chad.\n\nIn March jihadists killed at least 23 Chadian soldiers in an attack on an army post in the group’s deadliest attack on the country’s military.\n\nSince 2015, troops from Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria have been grouped into a mixed, multi-national force in a bid to help fight Islamist militants.", "Seven Chadian soldiers and a local guard were at the weekend killed in a Boko Haram ambush in...", "N'Djamena, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 23rd Jun, 2019 ) :Seven Chadian soldiers and a local guard were killed in a Boko Haram ambush in Lake Chad, the latest in a surge of attacks in the region, security sources said on Sunday.\n\nBoko Haram militants have been waging a decade-long insurgency in northwest Nigeria, but the conflict has spilled into Lake Chad where Nigeria borders Niger, Chad and Cameroon.\n\nSecurity sources said the seven Chadian soldiers and the guard were killed in an ambush on Friday in Mbomouga in Chad's Ngouboua area, and another 13 people were wounded.\n\n\"The Boko Haram forces lost six of their people and left behind two weapons,\" one security source said.\n\nAmong the soldiers killed was a gendarme colonel, the source said.\n\nAnother source said three army officers were killed in the attack.\n\nSince 2018, Boko Haram has carried out at least nine attacks on Chad. But the jihadist group has stepped up attacks outside Nigeria after a period of calm last year.\n\nLast month, militants killed four people in an attack on a Cameroonian island on Lake Chad and Boko Haram killed another 13 villagers in eastern Chad.\n\nIn March jihadists killed at least 23 Chadian soldiers in an attack on an army post in the group's deadliest attack on the country's military.\n\nSince 2015, troops from Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria have been grouped into a mixed, multi-national force in a bid to help fight militants.", "The army has released photos from its latest attempt to clear out Boko Haram on June 21.\n\nTroops of Sectors 2 and 3 of the Multinational Joint Task Force, comprising Nigerians and Chadians, embarked on clearance operation at Cross Kaura, Baga and Doron Naira villages.\n\nThe clearance was meant to disrupt Boko Haram’s supplies and lines of communication.\n\nAt least 42 Boko Haram members were killed and several others wounded.\n\nOne Chadian soldier was also killed in the fighting and 12 other soldiers wounded.\n\nThe photos shows bodies stacked into the back of a military van\n\nAs part of our drive to keep improving the content of our newspaper, we are conducting a readership survey to enable us serve you better.\n\nKindly take two minutes of your time to fill in this questionnaire.\n\nThank you for your time. Click here to begin", "Comments over military operations in the North- East and other parts of Nigeria, took centre stage throughout last week in reaction to what the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Yusuf Buratai said as reason behind the resurgence of Boko Haram attacks in the region. He shifted the blame to troops and commanders in the frontline; but his position has attracted lots of reactions from within the military hierarchy, security experts and academia, with many of them saying the General only scratched the surface.\n\nThe fight against the Boko Haram insurgents in the North-East which started in July, 2009 will clock ten years next month; but over the years, many reasons have been given as to why the protracted war has not ended.\n\nShortly after he took over on May 29, 2015, President Muhammadu Buhari changed the service chiefs and gave them until December 2015 to crush Boko Haram.\n\nThose appointed include General Abayomi Gabriel Olonisakin as Chief of Defence Staff, Lt. General Tukur Yusuf Buratai as Chief of Army Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar as Chief of Air Staff and Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas as Chief of Naval Staff.\n\nHowever, while their major mandate four years ago was bringing the Boko Haram war to an end, the last two years saw almost all the six geopolitical zones of the country having one security challenge or the other.\n\nBut those saddled with the responsibility of taming the crisis always give excuses or shift blames; the most recent was last week when General Buratai blamed the troops fighting in the North-East over their inability to end the Boko Haram crisis.\n\nBefore then, General Buratai had in May this year accused “defeated politicians” of being behind the security challenges bedeviling other parts of Nigeria. He levelled the accusation in Maiduguri when he received the House Committee on Army led by its Chairman, Remande Shawulu, at the Theatre Command.\n\n“The myriad of security challenges we are facing now in the North West, North Central and other parts of the country, I want to believe and rightly so, is the fall-out of the just concluded general elections.\n\n“There are several political interests, politicians in particular not happy with their defeat and therefore trying to take revenge, sponsoring some of these criminal activities,” he said.\n\nAnd last week, General Buratai said apathy among the younger generation of soldiers caused recent setbacks in fighting operations. He said this in his speech at the Army Headquarters Transformational Leadership Workshop for midlevel officers/soldiers in Abuja.\n\nBuratai said, “It is unfortunate, but the truth is that almost every setback the Nigerian Army has had in our operations in recent times can be traced to insufficient willingness to perform assigned tasks, or simply insufficient commitment to a common national/military cause by those at the frontlines.\n\n“Many of those on whom the responsibility for physical actions against the adversary squarely falls are yet to fully take ownership of our common national or service cause,” he added.\n\nHe said the Nigerian Army has had successes over the years in the grooming of military leaders, and that this is evident in the many successes that it achieved in operations as well as the performance of troops in international/multinational operations.\n\n“But we all know that professional capacity is not a sufficient condition to succeed in a task; willingness to perform the task is equally necessary,” he added.\n\nHowever, responding to Buratai’s charge, some soldiers fighting in the North East gave Daily Trust on Sunday detailed accounts, apart from civilian casualties, of casualties they suffered during confrontations with terrorists in recent times, and wondered why they should be accused of apathy.\n\nOne of the soldiers said, “I will only give you a rundown of what happened to our colleagues recently to appreciate what we are talking about. There was an attack in Gajiram on June 17, over 20 soldiers were killed and several others injured. Before then, Kareto was attacked on June 12, many soldiers were killed, including the commanding officer, a Lieutenant Colonel and several others injured.\n\n“Magumeri was attacked on May 3 and 15 soldiers were killed including a Captain and a Lieutenant and several others injured. It was Gajiganna on May 10, where over 15 soldiers were killed and several others injured. Gubio was attacked on May 20 and over 15 soldiers were killed and several others injured. Borgozo was under siege on May 13, a Lieutenant Colonel and two soldiers were killed by Boko Haram. Sabon Gari was attacked on April 26, where over 10 soldiers were killed and several others injured.\n\n“Do you think soldiers would allow the Boko Haram to be killing them like chicken simply because of apathy?” the soldier asked. “I think you have responsibility to do a thorough investigation and find out the reasons.”\n\nIn response to Daily Trust on Sunday’s request for his reaction to Buratai’s statement on troop’s apathy, Executive Secretary, Centre for Crisis Communication [CCC] Air Commodore Yusuf Anas said as the Chief of Army Staff, nobody knows the army better than Buratai.\n\nHowever, he said judging the state of mind of fighting troops, one must take cognizance of factors relating to the welfare of troops, logistics, morale of troops, and rotation of troops in the frontlines. Also speaking, chairman of the Abuja chapter of ASIS International, Kabir Adamu, said the COAS’ comments oversimplified a complex matter. Adamu said often, Forward Operating Bases around the Lake Chad Region are being attacked because of failure in strategic planning to ensure their safety. He said lack of proper communication, equipment and strategic planning were to blame for the recent setback.\n\nAn officer who served in the North East but was later transferred out of the region also gave an explanation as to why the military is facing serious setback. Speaking off record, the officer said those accusing the troops on ground should have the courage to speak on issues relating to capacity. He said, “There’s enough intelligence as to where, what, when, who, how and all the activities of the BH/ISWAP but we lack the platforms to clear them. We are only in defence, they come to us.” He said the armoured vehicles in use are still the over flogged ones that were imported between 2014/15. “Only 40 MRAPs from South Africa, 15 T-72 tanks from Ukraine and some APCs from Turkey did the wonders of 2014/15,” he said.\n\nDaily Trust on Sunday recalls that Jordanian King Abdullah had during a meeting with President Buhari, promised 200 assorted MRAPs for Nigeria but it is not clear if the support has been received. “Not to my knowledge if the consignment had been received; but imagine if 200 armoured vehicles are with our soldiers,” the officer said. “It was a press release by the presidency during a visit by PMB to Jordan, that King Abdallah has donated 200 Armoured Fighting Vehicles to Nigeria. It was a mere press release, not that the AFVs were on ground. Still, there is no record of any delivery to Nigeria since September 2017,” he said.\n\nHe also said such vehicles serve the defensive and offensive purposes for troops at the same time, saying troops wouldn’t have been killed if Nigeria had procured many of them. “But most importantly, there is political blackmail in the execution of the war against Boko Haram,” the officer said.\n\n“All the successes recorded by the past government in terms of procurement of equipment and areas recovered have been condemned. Arms procurement contracts were cancelled and tagged with corruption. Now we are losing territories, equipment and recording daily fatalities but the government is ashamed to go through the process it condemned. Meanwhile, it’s the fastest and most effective process,” he said.\n\nHe said most fighting equipment are not bought off the shelf. “You have to place the order, and some of the equipment take years to be produced. And if there is an embargo on your country, you will not be allowed to buy the weapons even if you have the money,” he said. Someone with ample knowledge of military operations added that blame game is another reason that is aggravating the setbacks in the North East. “You can never solve a problem when you don’t believe it exists or you believe it’s created/caused by others. You tend to divert your attention to something. However, I believe the blame game is part of the problem,” he said.\n\nAccording to him, “There is also lack of cooperation and synergy among security agencies. Every agency wants to outdo the other, so they operate in isolation of each other and look for individual credit. This is closely related to rivalry between the service chiefs; it is well known to all and sundry.\n\n“There is also low morale. The welfare of the troops is below average standard in all aspects, be it feeding, operations allowances, handling of death benefits etc. All these are affecting the morale and fighting spirit of the troops. Another serious issue is corruption. Those in charge of giving direction concentrate on none-core military ventures just to find a way of siphoning money. Such monies expended could buy a few platforms for a standard fighting battalion.\n\n“And the military leaders in a bid to maintain their offices, shy away from telling political leaders the true situation. We lack equipment, yet they won’t tell Buhari,” he said. Asked what is the way forward, he said, “Unless and until we accept that BH is a formidable force, we lack capacity, and monies meant for procurement are strictly used for such purposes, then we are not", "PARIS (AP) — A Chadian rebel leader is among three people detained in France in an investigation into allegations of crimes against humanity.\n\nThe Paris prosecutor’s office and the national gendarmerie confirmed the arrest Monday of Mahamat Nouri and the two others in three separate locations around France on allegations of crimes against humanity for acts committed in Chad and Sudan between 2005 and 2010. The prosecutor’s office said France opened an investigation in 2017.\n\nNouri launched a failed coup against Chadian leader Idriss Deby in 2008 and was sentenced to death in absentia that year. His rebels freely crossed the border between Chad and Sudan’s Darfur region. In a 2016 interview with the French magazine Paris Match, Nouri said he went into exile in Qatar and was denied asylum in France.", "Police in Borno on Friday, confirmed the arrest of two “high profile’’ Boko Haram commanders believed to have participated in attacks on security locations in Nigeria and Cameroon.\n\nThe Commissioner of Police in the state, Mohammed Aliyu, made this known in Maiduguri while briefing newsmen.\n\nAliyu said that one of the suspects, Ali Ibrahim, was arrested on Jan. 6, at about 1 p.m. by Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS) personnel at Dikwa low-cost estate in Maiduguri metropolis.\n\nHe said that during preliminary investigation conducted by men of the command, the suspect confessed to have been part of many attacks on security locations in which military weapons were carted away.\n\n“He claimed to have escaped from one of their camps in Cameroun Republic after denouncing membership.”\n\nAliyu said that the command also apprehended one Umar Abatcha, another Boko Haram member who escaped to Lagos and was arrested when he returned on May 13, at Bulabulin area of Maiduguri.\n\n“During interrogation, the suspect confessed to be a member of Boko Haram and claimed that he returned to Maiduguri thinking that nobody will recognise him,” he said.\n\nThe suspects said that they were conscripted to join the group by their friends.\n\nAbacha, popularly known as “Skely” in Gwange Sabon Layi in Maiduguri, said that he was forced to pick up arm to fight with the terrorists, adding that his first assignment was killing a teacher and three of his close friends.\n\nHe said that he ran away when he was tired of everything he was doing.\n\nOn his part, Ibrahim said he spent four years with the group at Banki and carried out attacks in the shores of Lake Chad and Cameroon.\n\n“I beg for forgiveness for all the crimes and atrocities I was forced to commit while I was with Boko Haram,” he said."], "summary": "Twenty-six Boko Haram militants and 11 Chadian soldiers are killed in an ambush after the soldiers recover cattle that the militants had seized. Nine Chadian soldiers are injured."}
{"document": ["A bus passes a sign marking the entrance to Mrauk-U township in western Myanmar's Rakhine state in an undated photo.\n\nFierce fighting erupted Sunday between the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army (AA) in two townships in western Myanmar’s volatile Rakhine state, with disputed reports of military casualties on both sides, spokesmen for the warring armies said, while state lawmakers submitted an emergency proposal to petition the central government to restore regional internet service after it was cut off as a security measure.\n\nThe morning clash occurred on a mountain range near Ghahtar Taung Dam, northeast of Kyauk Kyar village in Mrauk-U township, when Myanmar troops attacked the AA from helicopters.\n\nArakan troops, who seek greater autonomy in the state, ambushed a Myanmar military column of about 100 soldiers, resulting in a loss of lives, AA spokesman Khine Thukha said.\n\n“The enemy lost more than 20 [soldiers], and many of them were injured,” he said. “The Myanmar Army has been shelling continuously throughout the day.”\n\nTwo AA soldiers were injured during the clash, he added.\n\nRFA could not independently confirm the AA’s claim about casualties among Myanmar troops.\n\nMyanmar military spokesman Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun confirmed the clash on Sunday, but denied any casualties among government troops.\n\n“There was a battle yesterday morning between Kyauktaw and Mrauk-U,” he said. “It occurred while our troops were maintaining security in the area. We had no causalities, but we seized two weapons from [the AA] side.”\n\nThe fighting that took place northeast of Kyauk Kyar village prompted hundreds of civilians to flee their homes, said Tun Thar Sein, a lawmaker representing the township in the Rakhine state parliament.\n\n“Some returned home after the fighting stopped, but others did not and continued to stay at the Buddhist monastery in [neighboring] Kyauktaw [township's] Ywamabyin village,” he said. “There must be around 300.”\n\nDuring a separate skirmish in Minbya township on Sunday, Myanmar troops captured an AA outpost, Zaw Min Tun said, though RFA could not independently confirm this.\n\n\"There was a battle near Khamaung Wa village in Minbya township,\" he said. \"We overran an AA outpost. I don't know exactly if helicopters were used. They probably could have been. A [dead] body and three guns were seized during the search.\"\n\nKhine Thukha said the Myanmar Army launched the offensive in the same area where clashes occurred on June 21 and 22.\n\n“Two helicopters came and bombed,” he said. “We didn’t have any causalities in the fighting, but we don’t know about the enemy.”\n\nRockets hit military tugboat\n\nOn Saturday, three AA rockets hit a Myanmar Navy tugboat moored at the mouth of Satyokya Creek in Rakhine state’s capital Sittwe, reportedly killing two soldiers and injuring another, military spokesman Zaw Min Tun told the online journal The Irrawaddy,\n\nPolice have arrested six civilians in connection with the attack, including two young men from a displaced persons camp at Kayuchaung Monastery and four others from the compound where the rockets were fired, said state lawmaker Aye Thein who represents Sittwe township.\n\n“The two young men are Soe Naing Linn and Maung Kyan Thu,” he said. “The others are Aung Naing Win and three of his family members who guard the compound.”\n\nThe arrested boys’ aunt, Hla Hla Nu, told RFA that her nephews went to the creek to go fishing.\n\n“These two kids went to the creek for fishing at nightfall,” she said. “They returned to the refugee camp in the monastery around 10 p.m. The next morning around 10 a.m. five policemen in plainclothes from the No. 1 Myoma Police Station came and took the boys away. They said they needed to question them.”\n\nA CCTV security camera recorded the two boys returning from their outing, Hla Hla Nu said.\n\nThey are now being questioned at the district police commander’s office following an interrogation at the police station, she added.\n\nDeputy Commander Maung Maung Soe from Rakhine State Police told RFA that police are questioning the pair according to criminal procedures, but that he didn’t know the exact number of people being held for questioning.\n\nAuthorities also rounded up for questioning Sunday night more than 30 laborers working at the compound from which the AA rockets were fired, but released them the next morning, one of those detained said.\n\n“Around 6 p.m. last night, we were taken to the police station,” said the laborer who declined to be identified out of fear of repercussions. “They interrogated us at the police station. They said it was about the explosion. They recorded our answers. They asked many questions about the explosion. We had to sleep at the station. They released us this morning around 8 a.m.”\n\nAA spokesman Khine Thukha told RFA on Sunday that Arakan fighters launched the attack because the boat was being used to transport reinforcements for military troops in the region.\n\nHe also said that the civilians detained by authorities were not involved with the ethnic army.\n\n“The people who have been rounded up are all civilians,” he said. “None of them have connections to us. As usual, the Myanmar military is carrying out arbitrary arrests to charge civilians in retaliation after they lost their soldiers. None of the people they have arrested belong to the AA.”\n\nZaw Min Tun said the attack has hindered the military from ensuring the safety of vessels that use the public waterway.\n\n“We are taking care of security in the city,” he said. “The attack occurred on the waterway that enters into Sittwe city. It is the area commonly used by passenger boats. This attack is a hindrance for our work on securing safety in public transportation.”\n\nLawmakers attend a legislative session of the Rakhine state parliament in Sittwe, capital of western Myanmar's Rakhine state, Feb. 20, 2019. Credit: RFA\n\nInternet service cut in Rakhine\n\nMeanwhile, the Rakhine state parliament on Monday submitted an urgent motion to appeal to the central government for the resumption of internet service in eight townships after it was temporarily shut down earlier this week because of the fighting, two lawmakers said.\n\nLawmakers will discuss the motion on Wednesday.\n\nMyanmar’s Ministry of Transport and Communications ordered telecommunication providers to disconnect internet service in Ponnagyun, Kyauktaw, Maungdaw, Buthidaung, Rathedaung, Mrauk-U, Minbya, and Myebon townships in Rakhine state and in Paletwa township in neighboring Chin State, where the national army is engaged in armed conflict with the AA.\n\nSome township residents reported that they have only had telephone services since June 21.\n\nYanghee Lee, the U.N. special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar, said the cutoff of mobile data networks in nine townships could affect monitoring in the conflict areas of Rakhine and Chin states.\n\n“As there is no media access and serious restrictions on humanitarian organizations in the conflict-affected area, the entire region is in a blackout,” Lee said in a statement issued Monday.\n\n“I fear for all civilians there, cut off and without the necessary means to communicate with people inside and outside the area,” she added.\n\nRakhine state lawmaker Hla Thein Aung who represents Minbya township and who submitted the motion said the service disruption could lead to more violence in the region.\n\n“The shutdown of internet services can lead to even more violence and human rights violations,” he said. “We are deeply concerned and terrified as the government has ordered an information blackout instead of improving access to information in a time of conflict.”\n\nState parliamentarian Tun Thar Sein said the internet cutoff has prevented lawmakers from communicating with the communities they represent and state offices from doing business.\n\n“The internet shutdown hinders communications between parliament members and their constituencies,” he said. “It also has caused losses in businesses and government offices because they have had to use fax machines instead.”\n\nSoe Thein, permanent secretary of Ministry of Transport and Communications, said the reason for the shutdown is the lack of rule of law in the conflict zone.\n\n“The security in these townships is deteriorating,” he told RFA at a press conference on June 22. “It impacts the well-being of local civilians. For these reasons, the government has closed the internet service.”\n\n“Besides, this is not a complete blackout,” he said. “Conversational communication can still carry on since SMS and phone services remain operational.”\n\nThe central government will restore internet service once the region becomes secure and stable, he added.\n\nZaw Min Oo, chief external relations officer of Mytel, one of the operators that cut off internet services in Rakhine state, said the government’s order is in accordance with Myanmar’s telecommunications law.\n\n“We don’t have the intention of disagreeing with the order,” he said. “This issue is already covered in the contract since we received our [operating] license. The telecommunications law also dictates that the government may shut down the services if necessary, so it is doing it according to the procedures.”\n\nLaborer dies in army custody\n\nIn a related development, one of several laborers detained by Myanmar forces on June 20 at temple construction site in Mrauk-U township on suspicion of having ties to the AA has died in detention, his relatives said.\n\nNay Myo Tun, 23, from Pauktaw Byin village, was detained with a handful of others working on a building project at a local Buddhist temple in Mrauk-U’s Waitharli village.\n\n“People told us that Nay Myo Tun’s body was sent to Kyauktaw Hospital,” said a relative of the dead man who requested anonymity out of fear of retribution. “That’s how we learned he was dead.”\n\n“Nobody contacted us to let us know about his death,” the relative said. “He was not an AA member, and we couldn’t see him when he was being detained.”\n\nZaw Min Tun said government forces cannot always contact the relatives of those who die in custody.\n\n“We can contact families in time for some cases, but not for others,” he said. “It might be because of security reasons that we do not contact families. According to our procedures, we [first] have to open a case and get an autopsy. We definitely do these things.”\n\nGovernment soldiers also detained about 14 other workers digging stones at a road construction site near Pauktaw Byin village on June 20.\n\nThe Myanmar military released eight of the men on Sunday, though the remainder are still in detention and under investigation at Kyauktaw Myoma Police Station on suspicion of having ties to the AA, which has denied that they are associated with the rebel army.\n\nSince hostilities between the Myanmar Army and the AA escalated in late 2018, government soldiers have detained more than 90 civilians on suspicion of having ties to the AA. Three dozen are still under investigation, while 45 have been charged and three sentenced, the military said at a press conference on June 22.\n\n\n\nReported by Kyaw Htun Naing, Thet Su Aung, Kyaw Thu, and Zin Mar Win for RFA’s Myanmar Service. Translated by Nandar Chann, Ye Kaung Mying Maung, and Khet Mar. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.", "There was an unnoticed report in the media that said that the Arakan Army – its increasing strength, growing popular acceptance of its military role should be of national and international concern. National concern- because a new front is being opened in the West near Bangladesh and Indian border and second with the disturbed condition in the Rakhine the possibility of the seven hundred thousand Rohingyas of retuning to Northern Rakhine becomes even more remote as the refugees would after all look for security besides anything else.\n\nIt was unfortunate that following the incident in the beginning of the year of the Arakan Army attacking four security posts, the Suu Kyi’ Government gave orders to go all out to crush the Arakan Army. Repeatedly statements from the Government side as also from Tatmadaw have said that they will not allow Arakan Army any space in Rakhine but they could go back to Laiza the Headquarters of the KIA where they were trained.( Brig Gen Zaw Min in a press conference on 28th May).\n\nThe Myanmar Army has taken some heavy casualities in the recent times. The Chief of Western Command has been replaced with another General Maj. Gen. Phone Myat. The Army has been authorized to use helicopter gunships and more civilian casualties can be expected.\n\nThe insurgency has also spread to Chin area in Paletwa. There was a major incident on 26th May. In another major incident five high ranking military officers including two Battalion commanders were killed when the boats in which they were travelling in the Kaladan river were ambushed. On 12th June , closer to Paletwa itself, fierce fighting took place, resulting in over 750 civilians fleeing the urban areas of the townships for fear of being trapped. The fighting is not getting restricted to Rakhine but spreading to Chin areas too.\n\nWith ceasefire in force in all other areas and with large reinforcements sent to Rakhine area-yet it has not been easy for Myanmar army to clear the area of the Insurgents of the Arakan Army. In fact, a military solution is already out of reach right now with the AA already well entrenched in Rakhine State.\n\nIt is said that the Arakan Army is well equipped and trained and many observers feel that they could carry on for three years without outside help. Thereafter they will have to find fresh supply lines all the way to Laiza and beyond.Therefore, their dream of attaining “Rakhita” by 2020”- that is the Arakan dream may be a long time goal but at any rate not by 2020. It is also to be noted that except for vocal support none of the members of the Northern alliance or the seven party FPNCC led by the UWSA group would come to the rescue of the AA in the near future. This will not be allowed by China too, their mentor and on whose support the entity is thriving. AA is also aware of this situation. While it can rapidly expand its territory in Rakhine and beyond to some extent in the Chin area, their objective of getting self-determination and greater autonomy on their own by 2020 appears doubtful.\n\nGen. Gun Maw of KIA when he spoke to the media during the Wa celebrations said that there is a need to negotiate by the Myanmar Government. Rather than insisting that the AA should not enter Rakhine State, the Myanmar Government according to him should negotiate with the Arakan Army. These are perhaps the sentiments of other members of the seven-party alliance too.\n\nSince both the Myanmar Army and the Arakan Army cannot attain the objectives in the near term, the best way is to negotiate and go first for a cease fire.\n\nIt has come to light that the Myanmar Government has opened a channel with the Arakan Army for negotiations. This initiative must have been taken with full approval of Myanmar Army too. The Government has has issued a guarantee of the safety of the Arakan Army Representatives to meet the Government officials in Government controlled areas. It had proposed locations in Myitkyina, Lashio and Yangon while the Arakan Army in turn has suggested Pangshang, Muisse on the Chinese border or even in Kunming , Yunnan China. (Thus China will also get involved if it has not done so already with its Kyaukphyu project for an opening to the Indian Ocean!)\n\nThe Arakan Army is said to be concerned about the safety of its leaders because of the ongoing clashes. But the Director General of the President’s Office told the reporters in May end that the Tatmadaw will guarantee their safety. With total lack of trust between the Tatmadaw and the AA, may be a location outside Myanmar may suit both sides.\n\nIf Myanmar Government is sincere in starting a dialogue with the Arakan Representatives, it should first review the case of U Aye Maung , former chief of the ANP who has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for treason. With Rakhine State voting overwhelmingly for local ethnic candidates, the wisdom of posting an outsider from NLD as Chief Minister will also have to be reviewed. It is believed that Representatives of the Army and its proxies the USDP are already moving for an amendment to empower the Regional and State Legislators to appoint State and regional Ministers!\n\nFirst is the safety of the Indian multi modal Kaladan project from Sittwe through Paletwa to the border of Mizoram State. Twan Mrat Naing the Head of the Arakan Army in an interview during the Wa State (UWSA) celebrations, said that they welcomed investments in Rakhine area and that he does not oppose the Kaladan Project. This is contrary to an Indian report that there is a danger to the Indian Kaladan multi modal project. The Indian report made other claims that the Indian Army had jointly worked with Myanmar Army in operation Sunrise 1 and Sunrise 2. This has been quickly denied and dismissed by the Spokesman of Myanmar Army.\n\nSecond is that with the intensification of fighting between Myanmar Army and the AA and the fighting coming close to Paletwa township and the Chin area the border between India and Myanmar gets destabilized. A large number of refugees are said to have already moved into India. Civilians are bound to move wherever there is safety no matter where the borders are!\n\nOne offshoot of the situation in Rakhine is that the Myanmar Army has since dispersed most of the Indian insurgent groups operating from the Taga Area. It is interesting to note that the Hkmati District Court has sentenced on 15th May about 24 Assam and Meitei Rebels for two years from staging a rebellion against the Indian Government! Those sentenced belonged to various groups like MPA, KYKL, PLA Prepak. PRP of Kangleipak. Several senior leaders of NSCN of Khaplong groups are also in the custody of the Myanmar Army.\n\nIt has just come to light that the seven members of FPNCC met at Panshang on the 19th June and decided to seek cease fire individually with the Myanmar Army. This fits in with another move to delink political dialogue from the ceasefire . If both these initiatives happen, then there could be some peace and stability in the area paving the way for economic development and unhindered by insurgency.", "The following article is written by a Myanmar writer who preferred to remain anonymous for security reasons.\n\nOn 21 June the government of Myanmar disabled the internet indefinitely in select locations in the states of Rakhine and Chin allegedly to maintain peace and order in these areas.\n\nTelenor, Ooredoo, Myanmar Post and Telecommunication (MPT), and MyTel companies were ordered by the government to cut off the internet in eight locations in the Rakhine state of western Myanmar and one location in the Chin state of northern Myanmar. Voice calls and SMS remain in operation. As of this writing, the internet is still disabled and there is no announcement as to when services will be restored.\n\nThe Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Transport and Communications, U Soe Thein, explained that the measure is meant to “maintain security, peace, and order.” Rakhine state and the southern part of Chin state have been the sites of clashes between the Myanmar military and the Rakhine ethnic armed group Arakan Army (AA) since 2015.\n\nFormed in 2009 to demand self-determination in the region, the AA frequently clashed with the Myanmar military and the encounters intensified after August 2015. The most recent fighting broke out in April 2019.\n\nRakhine state is a multi-ethnic western region of Myanmar with a predominantly Buddhist Rakhine population of around 4 million. Meanwhile, the Rohingya, who are Muslim ethnic minorities living in the state, are estimated to have a population of one million. The Myanmar government does not recognize Rohingya as an ethnic people of Myanmar and many of them are not granted citizenship.\n\nRakhine state came under international attention again when the Myanmar military launched a ‘clearance operation’ against the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) following the attacks made by the latter on 25 August 2017. This conflict with the ARSA resulted in dozens of killings and the burning of Rohingya villages which forced tens of thousands of people to escape and seek refuge in the neighboring country of Bangladesh.\n\nUnder the Telecommunication Law Article 77 (2017), the Myanmar government has the power to work together with service providers to control or stop communication services for the public good. Maung Saungkha from the Myanmar Freedom of Speech Organization, Athan, said that disabling the internet is not a new phenomenon in Myanmar, citing as an example the government's decision to disable access to the internet in response to the anti-government protests of 2007 (which came to be known as the Saffron Revolution). Saungkha warned that disabling mobile data and internet connections could be a prelude to more human rights violations, urging the civilian government not to be an accomplice in rights violations and to lift the internet restriction to allow people to share information about their situation.\n\nThere is no particular reason provided by the government as to why the internet needed to be disabled at this specific moment. Local advocates see the measure as a tactic to restrict local communication or prevent the latest ground information on the situation of the war from getting out. While voice calls and SMS messages can be intercepted, end-to-end encrypted internet messaging apps are more difficult to monitor. In a recent press conference, an army spokesperson denied knowing the details about the order restricting access to the internet.\n\nOn 24 June, three days after the cut-off started, a group of civil society organisations based in Myanmar's second capital city Yangon, published a joint public statement calling the government to lift internet restrictions in the affected areas and review the existing laws making such restrictive measures possible. In addition, the Rakhine State Parliament put forward an urgent request to the Union Parliament to immediately lift the restrictions.\n\nAlthough the local news agency Narinjara regularly reports news of civilian casualties and even the government's arrests of civilians accused of being connected with the Arakan Army (AA), the Rakhine clashes are still underreported by the national media. The region is also inaccessible to many mainstream media networks because of government orders to control information about the armed clashes and military operations, especially those involving the Rohingya in the past. This partly explains why disabling the internet in a major region in the country for days has received only minor coverage in the media and elicited little reaction from the public.", "June 23 (UPI) -- An internet shutdown in Myanmar's troubled Rakhine State is drawing concern from activists who spoke to an international news service.\n\nLaura Haigh, an Amnesty International researcher on Myanmar, told The National the area is already off limits for international workers.\n\n\"The shutdown is deeply concerning -- not least as it's taking place in an area where access for journalists and humanitarian workers is heavily restricted,\" Haigh said.\n\nThe mobile internet shutdown began on Friday and hit nine townships. Calls and texts can still be sent, but communication through mobile apps has been blocked, according to the report.\n\nCompanies in Myanmar are requesting an explanation.\n\nNorwegian firm Telenor Myanmar has asked for the reasons for the shutdown.\n\n\"Freedom of expression through access to telecoms services should be maintained for humanitarian purposes, especially during times of conflict,\" Telenor Myanmar had said.\n\nThe shutdown came a day before a Myanmar navy vessel located north of Sittwe, the capital of Rakhine State, was attacked, according to The National.\n\nThe group has clashed with Burmese security forces, and are also antagonistic toward the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army. They have accused the group of terrorism.\n\nThe U.S. Congress has been building a response to the slaying of Rohingya in Myanmar with a bipartisan bill to impose sanctions on the Myanmar military.\n\nThe Burma United through Rigorous Military Accountability Act would ban U.S. military assistance to Burma until reforms take place, the Daily Star of Bangladesh reported.\n\nThe mass exodus of Rohingya began after the Myanmar military responded to an initial attack from a group called the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army on Aug. 25, 2017.\n\nStories of mass violence shook the world in recent years but the Rohingya have been the target of persecution before, including in 1978 and 1992, when there were other mass extrusions of the population.\n\nViolence forced 700,000 Rohingya Muslims to flee across the border.\n\nThe Rakhine, who make up the Arakan Army, share similar culture with Rohingya, but traditions are becoming increasingly divided.", "An unprecedented shutdown of mobile data across swathes of Myanmar's restive Rakhine state entered a third day Sunday, blocking villagers from the internet in areas where the army is accused of abuses in its battle with ethnic rebels.\n\nMyanmar's Ministry of Transport and Communications (MoTC) ordered all mobile phone operators on Friday to suspend internet data in nine townships across Rakhine and neighboring Chin State.\n\n\"As a basis for its request, the MoTC has referenced disturbances of the peace and internet services to coordinate illegal activities,\" Telenor Myanmar said in a statement.\n\nThe decree was made under the Telecommunications Law, hitting all mobile operators for an unspecified period.\n\nMyanmar's army is fighting ethnic Rakhine rebels who want greater autonomy from the central state. The Rakhine are Buddhists and are also fighting in northern Chin state which borders their homeland.\n\nThe Rakhine accuse the army of committing abuses -- including arbitrary arrests -- against them, while the military confirmed it shot dead six Rakhine detainees in late April.\n\nCivilians have been killed in crossfires and shellings, even while taking refuge in monasteries.\n\nVillagers in Rakhine said the mobile data ban had cut them off from the outside world, where few have personal computers and most people share information on the violence through social media.\n\n\"We have no internet at all. We use the internet to share information through (messaging app) Viber,\" Kyaw Soe Moe, head of Inn Din village in Rathedaung told AFP.\n\nLocal authorities have also been hit by the blanket shutdown.\n\nA police officer in Mrauk U town, home to Rakhine temples but also the seat of ferocious fighting in recent months, said that communication was being hampered.\n\n\"We have to use the phone, SMS and fax to report back to our headquarters. Fighting is still on going here every day,\" the officer who did not want to be named told AFP.\n\nRakhine is also home to the remaining Rohingya Muslim population, many confined to squalid camps.\n\nAround 740,000 of the stateless group were driven into Bangladesh in a 2017 army crackdown.", "International telecommunications company Telenor group has said Myanmar’s Ministry of Transport and Communications has ordered all mobile phone operators to temporarily shut down internet services in nine townships in the state of Rakhine and neighbouring Chin.\n\n“The directive, which makes references to the Myanmar’s Telecommunication Law, does not specify when the shutdown will end,” read the statement issued on Friday. “As basis for its request, the MoTC has referenced disturbances of peace and use of internet services to coordinate illegal activities.”\n\nThe company said that it has asked for more clarification about the rationale for the shutdown. It also said “freedom of expression through access to telecoms services should be maintained for humanitarian purposes, especially during times of conflict”.\n\nThe local unit of Telenor has put forward arguments to ensure proportionality and limitations to the scope and time of the shutdown, the telecom operator added. “Telenor Group believes in open communication,” it said, adding that it was working on restoring communications fast.\n\nHowever, an unidentified military spokesman said at a press conference on Saturday that the Army had no information about the shutdown, Reuters reported. “We didn’t do it,” Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun was quoted as saying. “We do not know about that.”\n\nThis comes amid increasing tensions in the region as Myanmar military has vowed to continue cracking down on ethnic rebels in the two states.\n\nOn June 18, a report by the United Nations on its own conduct in Myanmar had highlighted that the government “appeared to exploit the diverse narratives that they were hearing from different UN entities to play one against another”, and forward its own agenda. Myanmar has denied widespread wrongdoing and reiterated that the 2017 military campaign across hundreds of villages in northern Rakhine state against Rohingya Muslims was carried out in response to attacks by insurgents from the ethnic group. The agency had also condemned its own “obviously dysfunctional performance” over the past decade, and said there was a “systemic failure” in its foundational mandate to protect human rights.\n\nMore than seven lakh Rohingya Muslims fled to Bangladesh in August 2017 as the Myanmar Army began to retaliate after attacks by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, an insurgent group, on police posts and a military base. Most of them now live in refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar in the country’s southeast coast. In February, Bangladesh requested India to help with the early repatriation of the Rohingya to Rakhine province.\n\nA number of the Rohingya also sought refuge in India. However, since May 2018, at least 2,000 of them have reportedly left for Bangladesh. Rohingya refugees face open hostility in India, from both the society and the state. India followed through with its threat on October 4, deporting seven Rohingya refugees to Myanmar despite opposition from human rights organisations. Five more were deported on January 4. None of them were granted citizenship rights in Myanmar even though the Centre had assured the Supreme Court they would be accepted as Myanmarese nationals.", "An Ordinance to protect the public health, safety, and general welfare by establishing regulations relating to the operation, control, maintenance, and management of cemeteries owned, controlled, or operated by the Charter Township of Monroe, in Monroe County, Michigan; to provide penalties for the violation of said Ordinance, and to repeal all Ordinances or parts of Ordinances in conflict therewith.\n\nThis Ordinance will be known and cited as the Monroe Charter Township “Cemetery Ordinance.”\n\nThe Monroe Charter Township Board recognizes and concludes that the proper and reasonable maintenance, appearance, and use of the cemetery or cemeteries owned or controlled by the Township is an important function of the government of the Township. It is also important that burials, disinterments, and other matters associated with a municipal cemetery are handled in a respectful and proper way in order to promote the safety, public health, and general welfare of the community. The Township Board finds that the adoption and enforcement of this Ordinance is in the best interests of the property owners and residents of the Township.\n\nAny word or term not defined herein will be considered to be defined in accordance with the Code, or if not defined in the Code, will be in accordance with its common or standard definition.\n\n2.3 Definitions. For the purpose of this Ordinance, the following definitions will apply:\n\n(a) “Authorized Township Official” means the Township Supervisor, Township Clerk, or the Township Sexton.\n\n(b) “Cemetery Plot” means an area in a Township cemetery sufficient to accommodate one burial space for one deceased person. It will consist of a land area at least thirty-eight (38) inches wide and ninety-six (96) inches in length, subject to Section 13.1 (Exceptions).\n\n(c) “Eligible Purchaser” means any resident or taxpayer of the Township on their own behalf or on behalf of his or her immediate family members.\n\n(e) “Township Cemetery” or “cemetery” means any cemetery owned, operated and/or controlled by the Township.\n\n(f) “Township Sexton” The Township Board will appoint a Township Sexton or Sextons, who will serve at the discretion of the Township Board. The Township Sexton may be a Township employee or independent contractor for the Township at the discretion of the Township Board.\n\n(g) “Cemetery Deed Form” means that certain Cemetery Deed Form M-206 granting a right to a specifically designated Cemetery Plot, granting a right to burial in such Cemetery Plot.\n\n(a) Eligible Purchaser. After the effective date of this Ordinance, any Cemetery Plot will be sold by the Township to an Eligible Purchaser, or to those acting as an agent for an Eligible Purchaser, and pursuant to a Cemetery Deed Form.\n\n(b) Permit for Burial. The sale of a Cemetery Plot grants a right of burial only and does not convey any other title or right to the Cemetery Plot sold.\n\n(c) Non-transferrable. Each Cemetery Plot will be assigned the name of the specific Eligible Purchaser who will be interred in that Cemetery Plot upon death. No other person may be buried in the Cemetery Plot, as the Cemetery Deed Form and the resulting burial permit are not transferable. In order to effectuate a transfer, an Eligible Purchaser must convey the Cemetery Plot back to the Township and repurchase the Cemetery Plot in the name of another Eligible Purchaser, pursuant to this Cemetery Ordinance.\n\n(d) Limitations or Restrictions. The Supervisor or Clerk will have the authority to place a limit on the number of Cemetery Plots sold to a particular person, as well as such person’s family and relatives. Furthermore, the Township will have the absolute right and discretion to determine whether a particular Cemetery Plot or plots will be sold to a specific person and where such Cemetery Plot or plots will be located and within which Township Cemetery. Such decision will be based upon reasonable factors, including, but not limited to, the number of vacant Cemetery Plots available and whether family or relatives of the person seeking to purchase a Cemetery Plot or plots are buried adjacent or nearby the Cemetery Plot or plots requested.\n\n(e) Indigent Burials. The Township Board may set aside a portion of a Township cemetery or cemeteries for the burial of indigent persons.\n\nThe Township may repurchase any Cemetery Plot from the owner for a price set by the Township Board, upon the written request of said owner or his or her legal heirs or representatives. If an Eligible Purchaser wishes to transfer his or her ownership rights to another Eligible Purchaser, the Township will repurchase the Cemetery Plot for the original purchase price and resell the same Cemetery Plot to the other Eligible Purchaser for the then-current fee.\n\nThe Township will have the right to correct any errors that may be made concerning interments, Disinterments, or in the description, transfer or conveyance of any Cemetery Plot, either by canceling the permit for a particular vacant Cemetery Plot or plots and substituting and conveying in lieu thereof another vacant Cemetery Plot or plots in a similar location within the cemetery at issue or by refunding the money paid for the Cemetery Plot to the purchaser or the successor of the purchaser. In the event that an error involves the interment of the remains of any person, the Township will have the right to remove and transfer the remains so interred to another Cemetery Plot in a similar location in the same Township cemetery in accordance with law.\n\nThe owner of every Cemetery Plot will be responsible for notifying the Township whenever that person’s mailing address changes.\n\nThe purchase price for each Cemetery Plot will cost the sum of $ 500.00 for a Township resident or $2,000 for a non-resident of the Township. The Township Board may waive some or all fees for the burial of indigent persons at their discretion.\n\nThe Township may charge reasonable fees for the opening and closing of any Cemetery Plot, before and after a burial, including fees for the interment of ashes. 2019 Fees are as follows:\n\n4.3. Changes to Purchase Price, Fees, or Charges.\n\nThe Township Board may, by resolution, periodically establish or alter the purchase price or any fees to accommodate increased costs and needed reserve funds for cemetery maintenance and acquisition.\n\n5.1 Rules and Regulations Regarding Markers or Memorials.\n\n(a) All markers and memorials must be comprised of stone or other equally durable composition and will face the same direction as the markers and memorials around them.\n\n(b) The footing or foundation upon which any marker or memorial must be placed will be provided by a certified monument company or constructed by the Township, or such person(s) as may be designated by the Township Board. Fees for such work will be set from time to time by resolution of the Township Board, payable to the Township.\n\nExcept for monuments that existed in a Township cemetery before the effective date of this Ordinance, no monument will be allowed or erected in a cemetery. For purposes of this Ordinance, “monument” will be defined as any marker, memorial, statue or similar item which exceeds thirty (30) inches in height above normal ground level or which has a ground surface area exceeding thirty (30) inches in width (or forty-eight (48) inches in width for a double marker), with an overall height of no more than thirty (30) inches above ground level, including the foundation. Only one (1) marker or memorial will be permitted per Cemetery Plot, or one marker or memorial in total where two adjoining plots share that one marker or memorial. Markers will be no more than thirty (30) inches in width (or forty-eight (48) inches in width for a double marker), with an overall height of no more than thirty (30) inches above ground level, including the foundation. Individual markers for cremains will be flush with the ground and will be no more than twelve (12) inches by twenty-four (24) inches in size.\n\n(a) The maintenance, repair, and upkeep of a cemetery memorial, marker, urn, monument or similar item (including any monument or memorial that was in place before this Ordinance became effective) is the responsibility of the heirs or family of the person buried at the Cemetery Plot. Further, it is the responsibility of the heirs or the family of the person buried at the Cemetery Plot to keep the surface of all graves in an orderly and neat-appearing manner within the confines of the Cemetery Plot and in accordance with this Ordinance. The Township has no responsibility or liability regarding the repair, maintenance or upkeep regarding any such marker, memorial, urn or similar item.\n\n(b) If any memorial, marker, urn, monument or similar item (including any monument or memorial that was in place before this Ordinance became effective) becomes unsightly, broken, moved off its proper site, dilapidated, or a safety hazard, the Township will have the right, at the expense of the owner of the Cemetery Plot, to correct the condition or remove the same. The Township will make reasonable attempts to contact the owner of the Cemetery Plot before any such work begins.\n\n(a) Only one (1) person may be buried in a Cemetery Plot, except for a parent and infant child or two (2) children buried at the same time, when approved in writing by the Township Supervisor or Clerk.\n\n(b) The Township will be given at least forty-eight (48) hours’ prior notice of any funeral to allow for the opening of the Cemetery Plot. No Cemetery Plot will be opened or closed except under the direction and control of the Township Sexton or other Township Official. This will not apply to any grave opening, disinterment, or similar matter done pursuant to a valid court order or under the supervision and direction of local or state health department authorities, provided that the Township Sexton will be given at least forty-eight (48) hours’ prior notice of when such grave opening or closing will occur.\n\n(c) The appropriate permit or form issued by the Township for the Cemetery Plot involved, together with appropriate identification of the person to be buried therein and the burial-transit permit will be presented to either the Township Sexton or the Township Clerk (or designated Township official) prior to interment. Where such permit or form has been lost or destroyed, the Township Clerk must be satisfied, from his or her records, that the deceased person to be buried in the Cemetery Plot is an authorized and appropriate person for that space before any interment is commenced or completed.\n\n(d) No winter burials will occur without the prior consent of a Township Official.\n\n(e) All burials will be within a standard concrete vault, which must meet all applicable laws, installed or constructed in each Cemetery Plot before interment. Vaults of other suitable materials may be allowed at the discretion of a Township Official.\n\n(f) Cremains may be buried in a container approved by the Township in a Cemetery Plot.\n\n(a) No digging up of an occupied Cemetery Plot (“Disinterment”) may occur until and unless any and all permits, licenses and written authorizations required by law for such disinterment or digging up of an occupied grave have been obtained from any applicable state or county agency, governmental unit or official, and a copy of the same has been filed with the Township.\n\n(b) The Township Board will have the authority to refuse to allow a Disinterment, unless the Disinterment is ordered by a court of competent jurisdiction.\n\n(c) The Township will be given at least forty-eight (48) hours’ prior notice of Disinterment. No Cemetery Plot will be opened or closed except under the direction and control of the Township Sexton or other Township Official.\n\nThe following rules and regulations will apply to the maintenance of any Cemetery Plot:\n\n(a) Flower pots, urns and grave blankets may be placed and maintained at the head stones of graves no earlier than May 1 and must be removed no later than October 1 of each year. Decorations will be permitted for holidays falling outside of these dates, but only for one (1) week prior and one (1) week following the holiday. Veteran flags and flag holders will be governed by the Veteran’s Administration rules and guidelines.\n\n(b) No grading, leveling or excavating within a cemetery will be allowed without the prior permission of the Township Sexton or the Township Clerk. Furthermore, no tree, shrub, landscaping or similar plantings will occur outside of an urn without the prior permission of the Township Sexton or the Township Clerk.\n\n(c) The Township reserves the right to remove or trim any existing trees, plants, or shrubs located within a cemetery in the interest of maintaining proper appearance and the use of the cemetery, or if planted in violation of this Ordinance.\n\n(d) Mounds, bricks, blocks, and any borders that hinder the free use of a lawn mower or other gardening apparatus are prohibited.\n\n(e) Any Township Official will have the right and authority to remove and dispose of any and all growth, emblems, displays, containers and other items that through decay, deterioration, damage or otherwise become or are unsightly, a source of litter or a maintenance problem.\n\n(f) Surfaces other than earth or sod are prohibited.\n\n(g) All refuse of any kind or nature including, but not limited to, dried flowers, wreaths, papers and plastic flower containers must be removed from the cemetery within 14 days after a burial.\n\n(h) No glass containers or items are allowed.\n\nEvery person who enters, remains in, and travels within a Township cemetery does so at their own risk. The Township is not responsible for any injury, accident or other calamity that might occur to any person present in a Township cemetery. Furthermore, the Township is not responsible for any damage or vandalism to, theft of or deterioration of any burial monument, headstone, flower urn or other item placed at or near a Cemetery Plot, burial site or anywhere in a Township cemetery. The purchaser or transferee of any Cemetery Plot or the equivalent (and all subsequent transferees, assigns, heirs, or beneficiaries) hereby releases, waives, indemnifies and holds harmless the Township for, from and against any injury, damages, causes of action, claims, costs and expenses associated with, relating to and/or involving the Cemetery Plot or similar right, any headstone, monument or similar items, and any matter related to the cemetery involved. Such waiver, release and hold harmless provision will apply not only to the Township, but also as to the Township Sexton and any Township employee, officer, official or agent.\n\nA Cemetery Plot sold after the effective date of this Ordinance and remaining vacant for forty (40) years or more from the date of sale will result in a forfeiture of the Cemetery Plot, if:\n\n(a) The Township Clerk sends a notice by first-class mail to the last known address of the last owner of record informing him/her of the expiration of the 40-year period, provided that the notice explicitly states that the owner’s rights to Cemetery Plot will be forfeited if he/she does not respond indicating his or her desire to retain the rights to the Cemetery Plot (i) within sixty (60) days; and (ii) in writing to the Township Clerk; and\n\n(b) If the owner of the Cemetery Plot at issue, or his or her heirs or legal representatives, does not respond in writing within the sixty (60) day time frame to confirm that the owner desires to retain the Cemetery Plot in question, the ownership of the Cemetery Plot will automatically revert to the Township.\n\nThe Township Clerk will maintain records concerning all burials, Cemetery Plots, issuance of burial permits and any other records of the Township related to Township cemeteries, and the same will be open to public inspection at all reasonable business hours.\n\nUnless otherwise specified by the Township Board by resolution, all Township cemeteries will be closed from dusk until dawn. During those hours of darkness, no person is allowed in the Township cemetery, with the exception of a Township Official, a person accompanied by the a Township Official, or any law enforcement or firefighting official when engaged in the lawful duties of any such office or position.\n\nThe following prohibitions will apply within any Township cemetery:\n\n(a) No person will destroy, deface, apply graffiti to or otherwise injure any cemetery property, or any monument, sign, tree, or other lawful item located within a Township cemetery.\n\n(b) No person will disturb the peace or unreasonably annoy, harass or disturb any other person who is lawfully present on the grounds of any Township cemetery.\n\n(c) There will be no headstones, ornaments, vases, plastic flowers, fences, benches, trellises, statues, signs or any other item placed, kept, installed or maintained in a cemetery except those expressly allowed by this Ordinance.\n\n(d) There will be no digging, grading, or mounding in the cemetery unless expressly authorized by this Ordinance.\n\n(e) No automobile, truck or any vehicle is permitted in the Cemetery except on designated roads or drives. No recreational vehicles, including snowmobiles or four-wheelers are permitted in the Cemetery.\n\n(f) There will be no gathering of persons in excess of 50 people without prior Township approval (except during or incidental to a funeral occurring concurrent with burial).\n\n(g) There will be no possession or consumption of any alcoholic beverage or intoxicating substance in the cemetery.\n\n(h) There will be no picnicking or consumption of food without prior Township \n\n approval.\n\n(i) There will be no music, playing of any radio, or the use of any amplification device or similar item, except pursuant to a military ceremony or a funeral.\n\n(j) There will be no solicitation or peddling of services or goods or any signs or placards advertising any goods or services.\n\n(k) There will be no littering or dumping.\n\n(l) There will be no interference with or disruption of a lawful funeral or funeral procession.\n\n(m) There will be no private signs, lighting, moving displays or changeable copy on a sign.\n\n(n) There will be no fires, candles or open flames.\n\n(o) No children under twelve (12) years of age will be allowed in any Township cemetery unless accompanied by an adult and are properly supervised by an adult.\n\n(p) There will be no domestic animals of any kind allowed within the \n\n cemetery grounds. However, this prohibition will not apply to animals assisting handicapped persons.\n\n(q) No firearms or archery arrows will be discharged or shot except that military or other veterans’ organizations may carry arms for the purpose of firing over the grave at the burial of a member.\n\n(r) No person will engage in any fight, quarrel or disturbance.\n\n(s) Cremains will not be scattered or dispersed in a Township Cemetery.\n\nExceptions may be made with written permission by the Township Supervisor or Clerk to any regulation or requirement under this Cemetery Ordinance (i) to the requirements of the size of a Cemetery Plot to accommodate infant burial or the burial of cremains; (ii) the definition of Eligible Purchaser, where a person discloses sufficient personal reason for burial within the Township through previous residence in the Township or relationship to persons interred in the Township cemetery involved.\n\nThe Township Board will have the authority to render binding interpretations regarding any of the clauses, provisions or regulations contained in this Ordinance and any rule or regulation adopted pursuant to this Ordinance, as well as their applicability. The Township Board (or its designee) is also authorized to waive application of the strict letter of any provision of this Ordinance or any rules or regulations promulgated under this Ordinance where practical difficulties in carrying out the strict letter of this Ordinance or any rules or regulations related thereto would result in hardship to a particular person or persons or the public. Any such waiver, however, must be of such a character as it will not impair the purposes and intent of this Ordinance.\n\nAny party aggrieved by any interpretation or decision made by the Township Sexton or any Township Official, agent or contractor pursuant to this Ordinance, as well as any matter relating to a Township cemetery, rights to a Cemetery Plot, or other matter arising pursuant to this Ordinance, will have the right to appeal that determination/decision or matter to the Township Board. Any such appeal will be in writing and will be filed with the Township within thirty (30) days of the date of the decision, determination or other matter being appealed from. The Township will give the aggrieved party who filed the written appeal with the Township at least ten (10) days’ prior written notice of the meeting at which the Township Board will address the matter unless an emergency is involved, in which case the Township will utilize reasonable efforts to notify the aggrieved party who filed the appeal of a special or emergency meeting of the Township Board at which the matter will be addressed. Pursuant to any such appeal, the decision of the Township Board will be final. The Township Board may set a fee or fees for any such appeal from time to time by resolution.\n\nAny monument, marker, planting, trellis, personal item, urn, flowers or foliage (whether real or artificial), structure, flag (except for lawful veterans flags), or other item that has been placed, installed, left or maintained in any Township cemetery in violation of this Ordinance, any Township rule or regulation regarding Township cemeteries, or any county, state or federal law, statute or regulation may be removed by the Township from the Township cemetery at any time and destroyed or disposed of by the Township without any prior notice to, permission from, or liability or obligation to the person or persons who left, installed, maintained or kept such item in the Township cemetery. No such item (including, but not limited to, a monument, marker, planting, trellis, personal item, urn, flowers or foliage, structure, flag, or similar item) can be installed, placed, maintained or kept in a Township cemetery unless expressly authorized by this Ordinance or a written rule or policy of the Township. Even if such an item is authorized to be installed, kept, maintained or left in a Township cemetery, the Township will still have the discretion to remove any such item at any time and dispose of the same without prior notice to, consent from or liability to the person or persons who installed, maintained or left such item in a Township cemetery.\n\nA violation of this Ordinance (or of any rule or regulation adopted pursuant to this Ordinance) constitutes a municipal civil infraction. Any person who violates, disobeys, omits, neglects or refuses to comply with any provision of this Ordinance, or any permit or approval issued hereunder, or any amendment thereof, or any person who knowingly or intentionally aids or abets another person in violation of this Ordinance, will be in violation of this Ordinance and will be responsible for a civil infraction. The civil fine for a municipal civil infraction will be not less than one hundred dollars ($100) for the first offense and not less than two hundred dollars ($200) for subsequent offenses, in the discretion of the court, in addition to all other costs, damages, expenses and remedies provided by law. For purposes of this section, “subsequent offense” means a violation of the provisions of this Ordinance committed by the same person within twelve (12) months of a previous violation of the same provision of this Ordinance or similar provision of this Ordinance for which said person admitted responsibility or was adjudged to be responsible. Each day during which any violation continues will be deemed a separate offense.\n\nA violation of any permit or permit condition issued pursuant to this Ordinance will also constitute a violation of this Ordinance.\n\nThe provisions of this Ordinance are severable and should any provision, section or part thereof be declared to be invalid or unconstitutional by any court of competent jurisdiction, such decision will only affect the particular provision, section or part thereof involved in such decision and will not affect or invalidate the remainder of this Ordinance, which will continue in full force and effect.\n\nAll Ordinances or parts thereof that are in conflict in whole or in part with any of the provisions of this Ordinance are hereby repealed to the extent of such conflict, except that terms defined herein for purposes of interpretation, administration, and endorsement of this Ordinance only will in no way, manner or form repeal, modify or otherwise change the definition of any such terms as used in other Ordinances of the Charter Township of Monroe.\n\nThis Ordinance will become effective thirty (30) days after its publication, or publication of a summary thereof, in a newspaper in general circulation within Monroe Charter Township.\n\nThis Ordinance was adopted at a Regular Meeting of the Monroe Charter Township Board of Trustees held on June 18, 2019 with Five (5) Board Members being present and Five (5) voting in favor.", "YANGON - First came a death threat, then an arrest warrant. Now, Aung Marm Oo is in hiding, having narrowly escaped capture by slipping away from his brother’s apartment just hours before it was raided by officers from Special Branch, Myanmar’s feared police intelligence unit.\n\nHazards like this are all too common for journalists who step out of line in Rakhine state, a region already ravaged by a recent alleged genocide of the Rohingya minority, and where ethnic Rakhine rebels are now fighting the military for more autonomy.\n\nAung Marm Oo is the founder and executive director of Development Media Group (DMG), a news outlet based in the state capital Sittwe that has reported on human rights abuses during recent clashes between the rebel Arakan Army (AA) and the Myanmar military.\n\nHe is one of 52 journalists to face prosecution under various repressive laws since Myanmar’s first democratically elected civilian government in decades came to power in 2016.\n\nHis case is a reminder that little has changed for the country’s journalists despite the release in an amnesty last month of Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, two Reuters reporters who were jailed after exposing a massacre of 10 Rohingya muslims.\n\nIt has also fueled criticism of the country’s leader, former human rights icon Aung San Suu Kyi, for failing to repeal laws that are routinely used to stifle independent journalism.\n\nSpeaking with VOA via email, Aung Marm Oo said that he is “hiding now in a safe and undisclosed location,” and has no intention of handing himself in any time soon. “I dare not even think about my personal security at the hands of Special Branch and the army,” he said.\n\nHe has evaded police since early May, when authorities charged him under a widely criticized law that criminalizes contact with groups deemed illegal by the government. The AA is one such group, but in order to do their jobs properly reporters often have little choice but to contact its members for information and comment.\n\nThe police have not disclosed exactly how Aung Marm Oo is alleged to have breached section 17/2 of the Unlawful Associations Act, which carries up to five years in prison. VOA was unable to reach police spokesperson Myo Thu Soe for comment.\n\nNickey Diamond, a Myanmar human rights specialist with advocacy group Fortify Rights, said Aung Marm Oo is being targeted because his publication’s coverage of the conflict in Rakhine “has made the military scared.”\n\n“Targeting Aung Marm Oo is a warning to all independent media reporting on the Rakhine situation,” he added.\n\nShortly after filing the charges, officers summoned two senior reporters from DMG and questioned them about an article published in January to mark the first anniversary of a crackdown against a demonstration in Rakhine in which police killed seven protesters.\n\nMyint Kyaw, secretary of the Myanmar Journalists Network, said there was no sign that DMG’s reporters had made contact with the AA while working on the report. “I don’t see any evidence that they breached the Unlawful Associations Act,” he told VOA.\n\nMaung Sangkha, executive director of Athan, a group supporting freedom of expression in Myanmar, said, “The military can sue any media agency under that law for communicating with any ethnic armed organization… MPs should try to abolish it as soon as possible.”\n\nAung San Suu Kyi’s party, the National League for Democracy, has a supermajority in parliament that means lawmakers could get rid of the act without any meaningful opposition.\n\nBut Aung San Suu Kyi refuses to do so because she agrees with the military that the law gives the authorities an “upper hand” over rebel groups, according to Myint Kyaw.\n\nShe has also failed to overturn other repressive legislation, including anti-defamation laws that carry prison sentences, because she sees them as valuable tools to use against her party’s own critics, activists believe.\n\nIt is not just harsh laws that pose a risk to reporters, especially in Rakhine state and other conflict-hit areas.\n\nIn 2017 a journalist who had covered Rakhine for a formerly exiled media outlet survived being stabbed by unidentified attackers in Sittwe. And in 2016 a small bomb exploded outside the office of Root Investigative Agency, another media outlet based in Sittwe, though no one was injured.\n\nAbout a month before authorities filed charges against Aung Marm Oo, DMG received an email from an address that contained both the Myanmar word for patriot and the word Tatmadaw, the local name for Myanmar’s military.\n\nThe email warned DMG “to stand by the one and only army, the Tatmadaw. Otherwise we will not guarantee the lives of your journalists.”\n\n“They will face a situation similar to U Ko Ni,” it added, referring to a constitutional lawyer and close aide to Aung San Suu Kyi who was assassinated in 2017.\n\nIf previous cases are anything to go by, whoever sent the threat will likely go unpunished while those they threatened will continue to live in fear of arrest.", "YANGON - Myanmar has cut off Internet services in Rakhine state, said an official on Friday, as the fighting between the government troops and an ethnic Buddhist rebel group intensified over the past months. The Ministry of Transport and Communication directed all mobile service providers to temporarily block Internet access in eight townships in northern Rakhine state and one in adjacent Chin state, with the ban went into effect late Thursday, according to permanent secretary Soe Thein."], "summary": "Twenty Myanmar soldiers and two Arakan Army insurgents are killed in clashes in Mrauk-U Township, Rakhine State."}
{"document": ["SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Venezuelans seeking refuge in Chile can request a “democratic responsibility visa” at any Chilean consulate in the world, and not just in their homeland where the visa has been available until now, Chile’s foreign ministry said on Saturday.\n\nThe visa can be requested as of Monday. It will allow Venezuelans fleeing their crisis-hit country to stay in Chile for one year, and can be extended for an additional 12 months, a statement posted on the ministry’s website said.\n\n“We have instructed that all Chilean consulates in the world also begin to be able to offer visas of democratic responsibility,” Chilean Foreign Minister Teodoro Ribera was quoted as saying in local press reports on Saturday.\n\nThe minister added that for Chile the “real solution” would be for “the rule of law be restored” in Venezuela. Chile is part of the 12-nation Lima Group of Western states pushing for the resignation of Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro. Opponents accuse Maduro, a socialist, of being a dictator.\n\nIn another policy change, the interior ministry announced that Chile will immediately start requiring tourist visas for Venezuelan visitors who plan to stay in the country for short periods. Previously, Venezuelans could arrive without tourist visas and stay for 90 days.\n\nVenezuela’s economic collapse has unleashed the biggest migratory crisis in recent South American history.\n\nThis week about 200 migrants, the vast majority Venezuelans, were stranded on the border between Peru and Chile trying to enter Chilean territory after a change of regulations in Peru slowed their movement.", "SANTIAGO — Venezuelans seeking refuge in Chile can request a “democratic responsibility visa” at any Chilean consulate in the world, and not just in their homeland where the visa has been available until now, Chile’s foreign ministry said on Saturday.\n\nThe visa can be requested as of Monday. It will allow Venezuelans fleeing their crisis-hit country to stay in Chile for one year, and can be extended for an additional 12 months, a statement posted on the ministry’s website said.\n\n“We have instructed that all Chilean consulates in the world also begin to be able to offer visas of democratic responsibility,” Chilean Foreign Minister Teodoro Ribera was quoted as saying in local press reports on Saturday.\n\nThe minister added that for Chile the “real solution” would be for “the rule of law be restored” in Venezuela. Chile is part of the 12-nation Lima Group of Western states pushing for the resignation of Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro. Opponents accuse Maduro, a socialist, of being a dictator.\n\nVenezuela’s economic collapse has unleashed the biggest migratory crisis in recent South American history.\n\nThis week about 200 migrants, the vast majority Venezuelans, were stranded on the border between Peru and Chile trying to enter Chilean territory after a change of regulations in Peru slowed their movement. (Reporting by Natalia Ramos Writing by Hugh Bronstein; Editing by Tom Brown)", "Venezuelan migrants wait at an immigration control point on the Ecuador-Peru border, before the end of a special visa program and tightened entry requirements that demand passports, in Tumbes, Peru, June 14, 2019. Peru unexpectedly became the country with the second-highest number of asylum requests globally last year. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)\n\nLIMA, Peru (AP) — When Johan Álvarez was unable to provide more than one meal a day for his young family he knew it was time to leave Venezuela.\n\nWith his wife and infant son, the 25-year-old embarked on a lengthy journey by bus through three nations to reach Peru earlier this year.\n\nNow they are among a growing swell of Venezuelans asking to be recognized as refugees.\n\nA United Nations report released Wednesday finds that Venezuelans represent the largest group worldwide filing new asylum claims. Those fleeing the troubled South American nation made more than one in five of all asylum requests in 2018, higher than the number of claims made by people escaping Afghanistan and Syria.\n\nBut Venezuela is not in the midst of war and many foreign governments are reluctant to recognize the migrants as refugees.\n\nOn a recent overcast day in Peru’s capital, Álvarez filed into a line with about a hundred other Venezuelan arrivals filing for asylum, hoping his family’s tale of hunger back home would be enough to earn them refugee status.\n\n“It’s not a war of arms,” he said. “But it is a war of survival.”\n\nAs Venezuela’s crisis drags on, the number fleeing is rising by alarming numbers. The United Nations estimates there are now 4 million Venezuelans living abroad — a quarter of whom have fled since November. The Organization of American States estimates the number could reach 7.5 million by the end of 2020.\n\nThe widely used definition of refugee is someone who has fled his or her homeland because of persecution, war or violence. Asylum claimants typically have to show that they cannot return due to a well-founded fear of persecution because of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership in a particular group.\n\nBut a more encompassing definition in the 1984 Cartagena Declaration includes people fleeing hunger and poverty resulting from the breakdown of rule of law — conditions which a much wider group of Venezuelans are experiencing.\n\nTo date, more than 460,000 Venezuelans have sought asylum, including nearly 350,000 in 2018 alone, according to the U.N. A large number of those claims are being filed in Peru, where some 800,000 Venezuelans now reside.\n\nLast year, Peru received 192,500 claims — an astoundingly high number that has created a backlog. Just over 1,000 Venezuelans have gotten their asylum requests approved. Worldwide, only about 21,000 Venezuelans have been recognized as refugees to date.\n\nThe U.N. report released Wednesday notes the Venezuela migration crisis has increasingly taken on the “characteristics of a refugee situation” and says it is clear that international protection considerations “are applicable to the majority of Venezuelans.” Such protections could spare them from deportation.\n\n“People fleeing Venezuela are doing so in increasingly complex circumstances,” said Federico Agusti, the U.N. refugee agency’s representative in Peru. “It’s not just a humanitarian crisis. The reason they had to leave is because their life was in danger.”\n\nDavid Smolansky, a Venezuela opposition leader who himself escaped in a journey through the jungle of Brazil, is now the coordinator of a migrant working group led by the Washington-based Organization of American States. He has been traveling throughout the Americas encouraging nations to apply the Cartagena Declaration, which was signed by several of the Latin American nations where Venezuelans are now arriving.\n\n“If you give them refugee status, it will guarantee protection,” he said. “I think it will create a commitment from the international community to cooperate more.”\n\nAccepting a broader definition of who constitutes a refugee is particularly relevant in Colombia, where large numbers of Venezuelans have fled.\n\nDespite taking in an estimated 1.3 million Venezuelans, neighboring Colombia has received just 2,729 asylum claims, according to U.N. data. Many migrants are discouraged from applying because the process can take as long as two or three years. Others have been told only strict cases of political persecution or desertion will be acknowledged.\n\nGabriel Valles is one of those hoping his seemingly shoo-in case in Venezuela’s neighboring country will be accepted.\n\nThe 32-year-old systems engineer and opposition activist spent more than two years in a Venezuelan high-security detention center run by the government’s feared intelligence agency that is located five levels underground and known as “The Tomb.”\n\nThere were no windows and the lights were almost always kept on, he recalled.\n\nThe only way he could tell if it might be day or night was by the hum of a metro line that ran nearby. If trains were passing by more frequently, he reasoned, it must be daytime.\n\n“I always asked myself if the people who took the Caracas metro had any idea that below them exists a place where people are jailed,” he said.\n\nHe was transferred to another jail before being released after nearly four years behind bars, and he later applied for asylum in Colombia.\n\nValles currently has permission to work and live in the country for 90 days. Even though it can be repeatedly renewed, he said companies have been reluctant to hire him, not having any guarantee that he will have legal status for more than three months.\n\nMany of his compatriots are in even more dire straits: Over a third of Venezuelans in Colombia have no legal status, which often forces them to take low-paying and even abusive jobs on the black market.\n\n“Venezuelans in Colombia should be treated as refugees,” he said. “For many reasons other than whether or not there is an armed conflict.”\n\nSeveral nations, including Colombia, continue to forcibly remove migrants despite the dangers they might face back home, while other countries are confronting a myriad of additional issues.\n\nThe United States has received some 81,800 asylum requests from Venezuelans and President Donald Trump recently said his administration is considering granting legal temporary protective status to thousands of Venezuelans who have fled.\n\nBut Niels Frenzen, a law professor and director of the University of South California’s immigration clinic, said the TPS push faces an uphill battle because of the political conundrum it creates for Trump and his tough-on-immigration stance.\n\n“You have these opposing political desires, at least in the current U.S. government,” he said.\n\nIn Peru, the number of asylum applications is soaring partly because it has become easier to makerequests. At the border, Venezuelans can submit their documents for refugee status, which is one of the only ways they can enter after the implementation of new requirements that made it impossible to cross without a passport.\n\nFor Álvarez, applying for such status was his best option.\n\nHe said his wages working at a liquor store in Venezuela only provided his family with enough money to eat once a day in the afternoon. When his newborn son became anemic and malnourished, they decided to flee.\n\n“I felt like my stomach was consuming itself,” he said.\n\nA relative living abroad sent him $450 for the lengthy journey to Lima, where he now works at a candle factory. Though he earns just $329 a month, he said his family eats three times a day.\n\nReturning to Venezuela, he said, would be the equivalent of returning to a nation at war.\n\n“The war is with those who sell food, with the hospitals, with the government,” he said. “I want refugee status because I’m looking for a future for my son.”", "SANTIAGO (Reuters) - Venezuelans seeking refuge in Chile can request a \"democratic responsibility visa\" at any Chilean consulate in the world, and not just in their homeland where the visa has been available until now, Chile's foreign ministry said on Saturday.\n\nThe visa can be requested as of Monday. It will allow Venezuelans fleeing their crisis-hit country to stay in Chile for one year, and can be extended for an additional 12 months, a statement posted on the ministry's website said.\n\n\"We have instructed that all Chilean consulates in the world also begin to be able to offer visas of democratic responsibility,\" Chilean Foreign Minister Teodoro Ribera was quoted as saying in local press reports on Saturday.\n\nThe minister added that for Chile the \"real solution\" would be for \"the rule of law be restored\" in Venezuela. Chile is part of the 12-nation Lima Group of Western states pushing for the resignation of Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro. Opponents accuse Maduro, a socialist, of being a dictator.\n\nVenezuela's economic collapse has unleashed the biggest migratory crisis in recent South American history.\n\nThis week about 200 migrants, the vast majority Venezuelans, were stranded on the border between Peru and Chile trying to enter Chilean territory after a change of regulations in Peru slowed their movement.\n\nThis story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.\n\nYour guide to the latest cricket World Cup stories, analysis, reports, opinions, live updates and scores on https://www.firstpost.com/firstcricket/series/icc-cricket-world-cup-2019.html. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram or like our Facebook page for updates throughout the ongoing event in England and Wales.", "A Venezuelan migrant carrying her son, stands on the Pan-American Highway outside an immigration office in an attempt to cross from Ecuador into Peru moments after stricter entry requirements went into effect, in Tumbes, Peru, Saturday, June 15, 2019. With its relatively stable economy and flexible immigration laws, Peru has become a main destination for millions of Venezuelans escaping hyperinflation, medical shortages and political repression at home. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)\n\nAGUAS VERDES, Peru (AP) — Dozens of riot police stood guard at Peru’s northern border on Saturday, hours after new entry measures requiring Venezuelan migrants to hold a passport and humanitarian visa took effect.\n\nMore than 9,000 Venezuelans entered the country with just their national ID cards on Friday, the highest number ever recorded by Peruvian immigration authorities.\n\nPeru’s Foreign Minister Néstor Popolizio told the radio station RPP on Saturday that the mandatory humanitarian visa for migrants was a “beneficial” measure that would help Venezuelans obtain permission to work legally for 183 days.\n\nHe said that some exceptions would still be allowed for “minors who only have birth certificates and are in transit to Peru to meet up with their parents, adults in transit to meet their families, adults in extremely vulnerable positions and the elderly.”\n\nHe also acknowledged that securing a passport in Venezuela is difficult, but said that “the majority” already enter with such a document.\n\nAccording to Peruvian authorities, more than 820,000 Venezuelans have settled in Peru since 2016 of which 270,000 have sought refugee status.\n\nPeruvian President Martín Vizcarra has said the new entry requirements will make immigration “safer and more orderly” and that the large influx of Venezuelan immigrants was making it harder for Peruvians to find jobs.\n\nBut human rights groups in the country have criticized the move, describing it as an attempt to lessen the numbers of needy people who are entering.\n\nStephanía Robles and her five-year-old son were two of the last migrants to come into the Andean country with just their IDs on Saturday.\n\n“(I came) to look for a better life, my husband is in Peru in the city of Trujillo. My sisters are in Lima,” the 30-year-old said.", "Venezuelan migrants rest while another group stands in line to enter am immigration office in Tumbes, Peru, Friday, June 14, 2019. Venezuelan citizens are rushing to enter Peru before the implementation of new entry requirements on migrants fleeing the crisis-wracked South American nation. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)\n\nAGUAS VERDES, Peru (AP) — Tired and thirsty, Betania Ramírez crossed into Peru on Friday with her 1-year-old girl in her arms and her 8-year-old boy beside her.\n\nRamírez has no friends or relatives in Peru, and some of her luggage was stolen as she crossed two countries in cargo trucks and on foot from her home in western Venezuela. But as she finished the latest leg of her 1,500-mile (2,414-kilometer) journey, she was grateful she had made it to her destination on time – just hours before Peru started imposing stricter entry requirements on Venezuelan migrants and refugees.\n\n“We are now in God’s hands,” Ramirez said, after passing through a border post in the region of Tumbes. “We walked down country roads, we slept on the streets, we got robbed, but thankfully I did not get sexually assaulted.”\n\nWith its relatively stable economy and flexible immigration laws, Peru has become a main destination for millions of Venezuelans escaping hyperinflation, medical shortages and political repression at home. But on Saturday, the South American nation will begin demanding passports and visas from Venezuelan migrants — requirements that many will not be able to meet.\n\nThe new demands have prompted thousands of poor migrants like Ramírez to make a desperate dash for the Peruvian border, where they can still enter before the weekend begins by presenting national ID cards.\n\nOn Thursday, the U.N.’s refugee agency said 5,400 Venezuelans entered Peru through the Tumbes crossing — almost three times the daily average.\n\nThe agency was “supporting and complementing the efforts of Peruvian authorities as we face the largest number of Venezuelan people coming to Peru so far,” said UNHCR Information Officer Regina de la Portilla.\n\nBut at daybreak on Friday, hundreds were already standing in new lines outside the border post or sleeping on the sidewalk as they waited for immigration officials to check their IDs.\n\n“My daughter came to Peru a year ago, and she sent for me,” said Leyda Murillo, an elderly migrant who was waiting in the queue. “You can’t find medicines in Venezuela, and people are dying, that’s why I decided to leave my country.”\n\nMany more migrants were still on their way to the Peruvian border, making one last push through Colombia and Ecuador to arrive before the requirements were implemented.\n\nMarianni Luzardo, a mother of two, was in the Ecuadorean city of Tulcan on Thursday, which is some 500 miles (805 kilometers) away from Peru’s northern border. She said it took her 16 hours to cross the Colombian-Ecuador border due to the large numbers of Venezuelans heading south.\n\n“In Venezuela it is almost impossible to get a passport,” Luzardo said. “We need to get to Peru soon.”\n\nAccording to Peruvian authorities, more than 820,000 Venezuelans have settled in Peru since 2016 of which 270,000 have sought refugee status.\n\nPeruvian President Martín Vizcarra has said that the new entry requirements will make immigration “safer and more orderly” and that the large influx of Venezuelan immigrants was making it harder for Peruvians to find jobs.\n\nBut human rights groups in the country have criticized the move, describing it as an attempt to lessen the numbers of needy people who are entering the country.\n\nIn a letter published earlier this week, Miguel Cabrejos, the president of Peru’s Catholic Bishops Conference, warned that the requirements “present an imminent danger” to migrants who might be tempted to enter the country illegally. Meanwhile, Amnesty International said they will not be enough to stop desperate people from trying to cross the border, noting that passports were prohibitively expensive and take months to process in Venezuela.\n\nA poll conducted in the Peruvian capital of Lima in April found that two-thirds of residents had a negative perception of Venezuelan migrants.\n\nBut that idea has been strongly disputed by Venezuelans, some of whom have opened their own businesses.\n\n“Venezuelans here work very hard,” said Jorge Macchia, a street vendor who sells empanadas in the streets of Lima and noted that his family has been affected by new requirements.\n\n“My wife and my two daughters are on their way to Peru,” he said. “But I’m not sure if they will make it on time.”"], "summary": "Chile is extending its offer of \"democratic responsibility\" visas, allowing Venezuelans to live in the country for up to two years, so that they may be applied for from any Chilean embassy or consulate in the world instead of just in Venezuela. However, Chile border control now also demands visas upon entry for Venezuelans, a tightening of the previous 90-day free period. The move should aid Venezuelans trying to travel through other Latin American nations that have changing restrictions."}
{"document": ["Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Ekrem Imamoglu and his supporters celebrate in Istanbul\n\nTurkey's ruling AK Party has lost control of Istanbul after a re-run of the city's mayoral election, delivering a stinging blow to President Erdogan.\n\nWith nearly all ballots counted, main opposition party candidate Ekrem Imamoglu had a lead of 775,000 votes, a huge increase on the margin of 13,000 he achieved in the earlier election.\n\nThat victory in March was annulled after the AKP alleged irregularities.\n\nThe result ends 25 years of AKP rule in Istanbul.\n\nThe AKP's candidate, former Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, conceded to his opponent.\n\nOn Twitter, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan wrote: \"I congratulate Ekrem Imamoglu who has won the election based on preliminary results.\"\n\nMr Erdogan had previously said that \"whoever wins Istanbul, wins Turkey\". He has ruled the country since 2003 both as prime minister and now president, becoming the most powerful leader since Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the modern Turkish republic.\n\nIn his victory speech, Mr Imamoglu, of the Republican People's Party (CHP), said the result marked a \"new beginning\" for both the city and the country. He said his supporters had \"fixed democracy\".\n\n\"We are opening up a new page in Istanbul,\" he said. \"On this new page, there will be justice, equality, love.\"\n\nImage copyright Reuters Image caption Ekrem Imamoglu hailed the result as a \"new beginning\" for the city\n\nHe added that he was willing to work with Mr Erdogan, saying: \"Mr President, I am ready to work in harmony with you.\"\n\nWith 99% of votes counted, Mr Imamoglu had 54% of the vote and Mr Yildirim 45%.\n\nThe vultures are already circling for Mr Erdogan. His predecessor as president is preparing to launch a breakaway party, as is a former prime minister. That will bleed support from the president's now-declining voter base.\n\nAs Mr Erdogan's authoritarianism has grown, his inner circle has shrunk. He does not have an obvious heir - his son-in-law, the current finance minister, has little of his charisma.\n\nThe party Mr Erdogan founded and has built up could be crippled without him.\n\nWhispers will now grow louder about the beginning of the president's end. But even if it comes - and nobody here underestimates his ability to bounce back - unpicking a quarter of a century of Erdoganism would take far longer.\n\nRead more from Mark\n\nWho were the candidates?\n\nMr Imamoglu, 49, is the mayor of Istanbul's Beylikduzu district but his name was barely known before he ran in the March election.\n\nImage copyright EPA Image caption Binali Yildirim is an Erdogan loyalist\n\nMr Yildirim was a founding member of Mr Erdogan's AKP and was prime minister from 2016 until 2018, when Turkey became a presidential democracy and the role ceased to exist.\n\nHe was elected Speaker of the new parliament in February and before that served as minister of transportation and communication.\n\nWhy was the previous result annulled?\n\nMr Imamoglu's victory of 13,000 votes in March was not enough for Mr Yildirim to accept defeat.\n\nThe ruling party alleged that votes were stolen and many ballot box observers did not have official approval, leading the election board to demand a re-run of the vote.\n\nCritics argue that pressure from President Erdogan was behind the decision.\n\nWhy is Istanbul important?\n\nIt is Turkey's largest city, with a population of 15 million, not far short of a fifth of the country's 80 million, and is also the nation's business hub. The lira, down 10% this year, rose on news of the result.\n\nIstanbul is also close to Mr Erdogan's heart - his political career rose there as his AKP took power in the city a quarter of a century ago and he himself served as mayor from 1994 to 1998.\n\nIstanbul accounts for just short of a third of Turkey's GDP. It has a $4bn (£3.14bn) municipal budget which spawns lucrative contacts. The AKP has now lost control of it.\n\nPart of Mr Imamoglu's campaign was to allege the squandering of public money by the AKP.\n\nAlthough less conservative as a whole than the AKP's rural heartland, Istanbul still has conservative districts such as Fatih, but Mr Imamoglu also won there and in Mr Erdogan's own childhood district of Beyoglu.\n\nIstanbul, Izmir and Ankara are all now in opposition hands.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Supporters and opponents of Istanbul's new mayor explain why they think Ekrem Imamoglu won\n\nJubilation on the streets\n\nBy Cagil Kasapoglu, BBC Turkish, Istanbul\n\nHundreds of supporters of Mr Imamoglu gathered in his stronghold, Besiktas. The cautious optimism that was prevalent during the early stages of vote counting gave way to a mood of total jubilation.\n\nHopeful youngsters celebrated and proudly waved Turkish flags. Others held banners with pictures of Atatürk on them. Some even wore masks of Mr Imamoglu.\n\nMany of these young people have only ever known President Erdogan's AKP in government.\n\nFor them, this is an opportunity to push for change across the country.\n\n\"Many young people desperately want to leave Turkey,\" Ayca Yilmaz, a 22-year-old university student told me. \"But now, we might consider staying here. We are hopeful once again.\"", "Ekrem İmamoğlu, mayoral candidate of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), was leading with 54% of votes versus 45% for ruling AK Party (AKP) candidate, with more than 99% of ballots opened.\n\nThe election was Istanbul’s second in three months after results of an initial March vote were scrapped.\n\nIn his victory speech in Istanbul’s Beylikdüzü district, İmamoğlu thanked Istanbul’s citizens.\n\n\"We are starting a new page in Istanbul. On this new page, there will be justice, equality, love; while misspending (of public funds), pomp, arrogance and the alienation of the other will end. Today 16 million Istanbulites have refreshed our belief in democracy,\" İmamoğlu told supporters.\n\n\"I thank them all from my heart. You have shown the world that Turkey still protects its democracy. And we have shown other countries who try to go down the road we were choosing that it is no road at all.\"", "Ruling AK Party's Yıldırım congratulates CHP's İmamoğlu on lead in preliminary results of Istanbul do-over election.\n\nMore details to come...", "Turkey's main opposition party appeared headed for victory on Sunday in a re-run of Istanbul's mayoral election, dealing one of the biggest blows to President Erdoğan during his 16 years in power.\n\nWatch Euronews journalist Enis Günaydın's explain the municipal elections in the video player above\n\nThe Turkish leader congratulated opposition candidate Ekrem Imamoglu on Sunday for winning the election according to unofficial results.\n\nTurkey's AK Party candidate for Istanbul mayor Binali Yıldırım admitted on Sunday his opposition rival Ekrem İmamoğlu was ahead for now, offering his congratulations and saying he hoped İmamoğlu would serve the city well.\n\nYıldırım, speaking minutes after Turkish broadcasters said Imamoglu had 53.6% of the votes after nearly 95% of the ballots had been opened, said the election showed that Turkey's democracy was functioning perfectly.\n\nReacting to early results, İmamoğlu hailed a \"new beginning\" for Istanbul and said he was ready to work with President Erdoğan to serve the city.\n\nIstanbul voted in Ekrem İmamoğlu of the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) on March 31, but the Supreme Electoral Council annulled the vote after the ruling AKP party alleged that there were irregularities.\n\nIn March, İmamoğlu won the election in Istanbul by a slim margin of just 24,000 votes in a city of more than 10 million voters. Just 18 days after taking the seat, the governor of Istanbul took over İmamoğlu's seat as acting mayor.\n\nWho are the candidates?\n\nİmamoğlu was previously mayor in one of Istanbul's districts. He is supported by the Pro-Kurdish HDP, the Islamist SP and the Good Party, another ultra-nationalist party founded by former members of MHP. İmamoğlu says he will be more transparent and be more cautious on spending.\n\nYıldırım was Turkey's last prime minister before the country transitioned to a fully presidential system. He is backed by the ultra-nationalist party MHP. Yıldırım promised Istanbul residents solutions for the heavy traffic.\n\nBetween 1994 and 1998, Erdoğan was mayor of Istanbul. Erdoğan has said that the party ruling Istanbul is the party ruling Turkey.\n\nThe election will be pivotal in determining the extent of the Erdoğan's grip on power in the country. Roughly a fifth of Turkey's population lives in Istanbul.\n\nPolls have closed at 4 pm Central European Time on Sunday.", "Ekrem Imamoglu waves to his supporters following his victory in Istanbul.\n\nEkrem Imamoglu waves to his supporters following his victory in Istanbul.\n\nTURKEY’S PRESIDENT RECEP Tayyip Erdogan suffered a bruising defeat yesterday as the opposition candidate in Istanbul’s controversial mayoral election won a significant victory.\n\nEkrem Imamoglu had won the first mayoral vote in March by a slim margin of 13,000 votes over Erdogan’s chosen candidate, Binali Yildirim.\n\nYildirim had contested that result and a new election was ordered.\n\nWith some 99 percent of ballots counted by Sunday night, Imamoglu was winning by more than 775,000 votes – 54 percent, with Yildirim on 45 percent, according to Turkey’s state news agency Anadolu.\n\n“It was not a single group or party, but the whole of Istanbul and Turkey that won this election,” Imamoglu said in his victory speech.\n\n“Mr President, I am ready to work in harmony with you. I convey from here my request to meet with you in the shortest time possible,” he added.\n\nCritics had accused Erdogan of refusing to give up control of Istanbul, Turkey’s economic powerhouse and a crucial source of patronage for Islamic conservatives since he won the mayorship himself a quarter of a century ago.\n\nThe Turkish leader conceded defeat this time, writing on Twitter: “I congratulate Ekrem Imamoglu who has won the election based on preliminary results.”\n\nImamoglu, a little-known district mayor at the start of the year, ran a positive campaign under the slogan: “Everything will be fine.”\n\nThe defeat is a significant one for Erdogan’s ruling AKP party, which has been in power in Turkey since 2002 and remains the most popular political force nationwide.\n\n“It’s a colossal defeat for Yildirim but also Erdogan. His gamble (in calling for a replay of the election) backfired,” said Berk Esen, an assistant professor of international relations at Ankara’s Bilkent University.\n\nIt comes as an economic slump and rising prices have dented the president’s reputation for economic stewardship, with the AKP also losing the capital Ankara in March.\n\n“The AKP elites will probably try to de-emphasise the election and act like it’s no big deal,” said Esen.\n\nErdogan has already played down the importance of the re-run, saying last week that the choice of mayor was “only a change in the shop window” since the AKP controls almost two-thirds of the city’s districts.\n\nFor many conservatives, Erdogan remains a hero who has brought prosperity and fiercely defended the country’s interests since taking over in 2003.", "Binali Yildirim, the AKP candidate for the Istanbul Mayoral re-election, conceded defeat before the declaration of elections results Sunday.\n\nMore than 99 percent of the votes have been counted and the results give a big lead for the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu gained 54 percent of the votes while Yildirim gained 45 percent of votes.\n\nIn the initial March 31 vote, Ekrem İmamoğlu secured a narrow victory over the candidate of President Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) in Turkey’s largest city, after more than two decades of the ruling party controlling the city.\n\nTurkey's President Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly declared that “whoever wins Istanbul wi ns Turkey.” Istanbul, the country's biggest city, is key for the president because there it was where his political career started by being the mayor of Istanbul between 1994 -1998. Losing Istanbul for the ruling party, which has been in power since 2001, would have a significant impact on the AKP's standing in the country's political sphere.\n\nIn March, İmamoğlu secured 48.8 percent of the vote to Yildirim's 48.55 percent. On May 6, Supreme Electoral Board (YSK) decided to cancel and renew the vote. The decision came after the president's party, the Justice and Development Party (AKP), filed a complaint to the top election board requesting a re-run on the grounds that some officials supervising the elections were not civil servants as required by law. Since then, most of Turkey’s opposition parties dropped out of the mayoral race to pool votes for İmamoğlu.", "Residents have been voting in the rerun of Istanbul's mayoral polls after the March 31 election was annulled.\n\nPolling stations in Turkey's largest city opened at 0500 GMT and will close at 1400 GMT, with nearly 11 million registered voters eligible to cast ballots.\n\nWhile 32 candidates are listed on ballot papers, including 17 independents, the real race is between the ruling Justice and Development Party (AK Party) candidate, Binali Yildirim, and opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) candidate Ekrem Imamoglu.\n\nIn the March 31 election, Imamoglu won by a razor-thin margin taking 48.8 percent of the vote to Yildirim's 48.55 percent.\n\nThe win for CHP saw power shift in Istanbul from the AK Party for the first time in 17 years, though Imamoglu was Istanbul's mayor for only 18 days.\n\nTurkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the head of the AK Party and former Istanbul mayor himself, had campaigned vigorously for his candidate, and his party protested the outcome.\n\nThe AK Party also lost to the opposition in the cities of Ankara and Izmir.\n\nThe Supreme Electoral Council (YSK) declared a rerun would be held after the AK Party filed an \"extraordinary objection\" to the vote count citing \"illegal wrongdoings\".\n\nAward-winning Turkish writer and journalist Mustafa Akyol told Al Jazeera the rerun is a \"scandal\" for Turkish democracy.\n\n\"The government couldn't present any credible reason for it, other than that it was a very close call, and they thought they could win in a rerun by mobilising more voters,\" Akyol said.\n\n\"The fact that the Supreme Electoral Council [not all, but the majority of its members] complied with this scheme showed, once again, that the independent judiciary is fading away.\"\n\nAs voters slowly came out of their houses on Sunday morning to cast their ballots, Atilay, an AK Party supporter took time to smoke a cigarette outside his local polling station in the inner city suburb of Tarlabsi.\n\nAtilay, who requested his last name be withheld, said there were serious problems with the last election in March, and the issues will be fixed with this rerun.\n\n\"Everybody had their accusations about the last election, I don't know who was right,\" Atilay said.\n\nHe said he continues to vote for AK Party candidates because of the long list of infrastructure projects and investments made in Istanbul over the last 20 years, citing new metro lines and the Marmaray tunnel which runs under the Bosphorus connecting the European and Asian sides of the city.\n\nThese projects are a common explanation for why AK Party supporters around Istanbul support Yildirim.\n\nThey say Erdogan's experience in previous positions of power, including as Turkey's prime minister, has shown that he \"keeps his promises\".\n\nAtilay's friend Turgay, 60, said he stands proudly with the opposition in this election and chimed in with a tongue-in-cheek comment.\n\n\"It's very clear what they [AK Party] have done for the last two decades,\" Turgay said, requesting his last name not be used.\n\nHe echoed the same changes in the capital as Atilay, but attempted to link the substantial spending within the Istanbul municipality to Turkey's faltering economy.\n\nDuring his brief tenure as mayor, Imamoglu learned that Istanbul had a debt of $4.5bn, which he swiftly announced to the public.\n\nThis figure pushed him to more fervently campaign against \"a system of extravagance\" and the inequality of wealth distribution in Istanbul.\n\nTurgay is certain Imamoglu will win today's election and looks forward to the \"big\" difference he will make for Istanbul.\n\n\"It's going to be a big explosion when Imamoglu wins,\" Turgay said.\n\n\"Everything is going to be beautiful,\" he said, echoing CHP's campaign slogan.\n\nSpanning across 39 districts of Istanbul, 31,342 ballot boxes have been distributed, from which the count of votes is expected to start around 1600 GMT.\n\nThe opposition has gathered thousands of lawyers from across the country to monitor polling stations and various independent and citizen-run organisations have launched platforms to cross-check the ballot counts.", "The ruling Justice and Development Party's (AK Party) candidate in the controversial rerun of Istanbul's mayoral election has conceded defeat after initial results showed the opposition leading the vote.\n\nThe state-run Anadolu news agency said on Sunday that the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) candidate Ekrem Imamoglu was leading with 53.69 percent of the vote, compared with AK Party's Binali Yildirim's 45.4 percent, with more than 95 percent of ballots counted.\n\n\"According to the result as of now, my competitor Ekrem Imamoglu is leading the race. I congratulate him and wish him good luck,\" Yildirim said.\n\nCHP's projected win in the Istanbul election ends the 17 year rule by the AK Party in Turkey's largest city and commercial hub.\n\nThe Istanbul mayoral election was first held on March 31, when Imamoglu secured 48.8 percent of the vote, while the AK Party's Yildirim held 48.55 percent, granting Imamoglu the title of mayor with a razor-thin margin.\n\nThe AK Party proceeded to file an 'extraordinary objection' to the results, leading the Supreme Electoral Council (YSK) to annul the results and schedule Sunday's rerun.\n\nThe Istanbul election has become far bigger than any local vote, as the rerun put into question the country's democracy and threatened the AK Party's stronghold on power over the last two decades.\n\nTurkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan - who served as Istanbul's mayor in the 1990s - has famously said: \"whoever loses Istanbul loses Turkey.\n\nErdogan cast his vote on Sunday amid high security in Uskudar, a predominately conservative district on the city's Asian side.\n\nBilkent University Assistant Professor of International Relations, Berk Esen, described it as being a \"major personal blow for Erdogan.\n\n\"It has marked the beginning of the end for the Turkish style presidency and become difficult for the AKP machine to sustain itself without the corrupt use of Istanbul resources,\" he said.\n\nAfter AK Party mayoral candidate Yildirim cast his vote today he addressed a gathered crowd with a statement seemingly pointing to the pressure felt by his party.\n\n\"If we ever made any wrongdoing to any rival or brother in Istanbul, I would like to ask for their forgiveness and blessing,\" Yildirim expressed.\n\nVoting in Beylikduzu in west Istanbul, CHP's Imamoglu said Istanbul will vote with the rule of law, justice and democracy at the forefront of their minds.\n\n\"In the name of our democracy, in the name of Istanbul and in the name of legitimacy of all future elections of our country, today my people will make the most accurate decision,\" Imamoglu said.\n\nTo ensure no \"illegal wrongdoings\" were made in Istanbul's mayoral rerun, various independent mechanisms have been erected in order to monitor the voting and counting process.\n\nFor example, at the call of CHP, lawyers from across Turkey volunteered their time to travel to Istanbul in order to counter election fraud.\n\nOne lawyer was appointed to each voting booth erected in nearly 2,000 polling stations across the city.\n\nEsen told Al Jazeera this is a very important for Turkish politics, as the vote counting process has not been very accurate and fair in previous elections.\n\n\"It's important for the opposition party to organise and mobilise supporters not only to come out and vote but also observe the counting process to make sure no votes will be stolen,\" Esen said.\n\n\"Lawyers … would be able to make sure that the ruling party will not be able to cancel the result on a mere technicality.\"\n\nSince the state-run Anadolu Agency became the outlet to distribute live election results to the media in 2014, the voluntary Vote and Beyond (Oy ve Otesi) organisation has been trying to ensure \"transparent and accountable elections.\"\n\nAfter controversy surrounded Anadolu Agency's release of data in the March 31 election, in which is ceased broadcasting at 11pm when Imamoglu came into the lead, Vote and Beyond launched a new mobile application to post live updates.\n\nThe data is sourced from volunteers at each polling station recording \"minutes\" of the counts.\n\nA group of citizen journalists who founded the group Dokuz8, also in 2014, have also released live updates of the vote counting.", "In Rerun Of Istanbul's Mayoral Election, Opposition Candidate Wins Again\n\nAfter results of the March election were annulled, in which the opposition party won, residents voted again on Sunday in what is widely being seen as a referendum on Turkey's president.", "For Istanbul, Sunday night marked the end of an era.\n\nEver since President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan kick-started his political rise by becoming the city's mayor in 1994, Istanbul was firmly in the hands of his conservative movement. When the city finally slipped from his grasp in March — with opposition candidate Ekrem İmamoğlu winning the mayoral election — Erdoğan successfully lobbied for a rerun of the vote.\n\nYet this rerun, held on Sunday, served only to strengthen Istanbul's desire for change: Not only did İmamoğlu win again, but he won by an even greater margin.\n\nIn March, İmamoğlu had beaten Binali Yıldırım, the candidate of Erdoğan's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), by just 13,000 votes in a city of 10 million voters. He increased that lead to nearly 800,000 votes on Sunday, according to preliminary results. İmamoğlu's decisive second victory — scoring 54.21 percent versus Yıldırım's 45 percent — prompted the AKP candidate to concede shortly after initial results were published. Erdoğan also admitted defeat, congratulating İmamoğlu.\n\nAs Istanbul nurses a hangover from Sunday's euphoric celebrations, here are five takeaways from the election rerun.\n\nThe cancellation of the March 31 result alarmed Turkish democrats and Ankara's Western allies. The reason for the annulment — alleged irregularities — made little sense: Voters cast four ballots within one envelope in the March election, electing a mayor as well as other municipal officials. But election authorities, under pressure from the government, only canceled the mayoral vote.\n\nMany feared that the rerun would deliver a death knell to Turkey's ailing democracy after years of authoritarian crackdowns and consolidation of power under Erdoğan. Elections in Turkey have generally been considered unfair, but still competitive — and are seen as the only real means of effecting change, as reflected in consistently high turnout. If an opposition victory could simply be annulled, however, the last vestiges of democracy in Turkey would fall away.\n\nBut voters did not take kindly to the cancellation decision and punished the AKP at the ballot box, with many canceling their holidays and traveling back to the city in droves to do so. That may not reverse the damage done to Turkey's democracy, but it preserves hopes that it can yet be restored.\n\nThe president's name wasn't on the ballot, but it might as well have been. Erdoğan turned the March election and the rerun into a referendum on his rule, describing the mayoral vote as a matter of survival.\n\nThe result, then, is a crushing defeat for Erdoğan. The decision to call for a rerun monumentally backfired on the AKP; rather than undoing İmamoğlu's victory, it helped him to score the biggest electoral victory of any Istanbul mayor in 35 years — his 54 percent surpassing the 48 percent of his predecessor Kadir Topbas and eclipsing Erdoğan's 1994 result of 25 percent.\n\nİmamoğlu, a member of the strenuously secular Republican People's Party (CHP), even won in Fatih, arguably Istanbul's most conservative district.\n\nBut losing Istanbul goes beyond matters of personal pride and popularity. The economy of Turkey's largest city accounts for almost a third of the country's GDP and its vast municipal budget funds lucrative infrastructure contracts, which the AKP has doled out to government-friendly companies as part of the patronage network that forms a key pillar of its support.\n\nOver the past few years, Turkey has grown increasingly polarized, with multiple fault lines dividing the country. During recent election campaigns, Erdoğan has played into these divisions — calling Kurdish politicians terrorists to attract the votes of Turkish ultra-nationalists or pitting the secularist \"elite\" against the \"will of the people,\" for example.\n\nAhead of the Istanbul rerun, Erdoğan and the AKP tried to tear down İmamoğlu with the same strategy: painting him as in league with terrorists and coup plotters, calling him a Greek, comparing him to Egyptian strongman Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. But nothing stuck.\n\nİmamoğlu, meanwhile, refused to hit back with similar rhetoric. Instead, he turned to \"radical love\" — the name given to the CHP's communications strategy, which recommends eschewing ideological debates and avoiding verbal attacks against Erdoğan or his supporters.\n\nWhile Erdoğan campaigned on fear, casting Turkey as a country facing numerous threats from terrorists, plotters and foreign powers, İmamoğlu exuded calm optimism. His campaign slogan — \"Everything will be all right\" — encapsulated the opposition's upbeat message, which proved a hit with voters.\n\n4. The AKP is showing signs of decay ...\n\nThis year's municipal elections mark the first significant dent in the AKP's hold over Turkey since it rose to power 17 years ago. Aside from a short-lived loss of its parliamentary majority in 2015, which was undone with snap elections, the ruling party has not tasted defeat in a long time.\n\nFollowing the March municipal elections and Sunday's rerun, however, the opposition is in charge of Turkey's three largest cities — Istanbul, the capital Ankara and the secular stronghold Izmir — and has demonstrated that the AKP can be beaten, despite the odds being stacked firmly in favor of the government.\n\nGrumbles from within the party have become louder amid discontent over the election annulment and economic policies, with Turkey in the throes of a recession. Persistent rumors of AKP moderates splitting to form a separate party have so far not come to fruition, but analysts believe the loss of Istanbul could widen the cracks within the AKP.\n\n5. ... but remains firmly in charge for now\n\nFollowing Sunday's opposition victory, some commentators were quick to describe the result as the beginning of the end for Erdoğan and the AKP. Yet the party still remains firmly in charge, with Erdoğan governing as an all-powerful executive president after constitutional changes were implemented last summer.\n\nErdoğan therefore holds the power to end İmamoğlu's mayoralty at any moment. In Turkey's Kurdish southeast, the government replaced several mayors with state trustees, though that move would be more difficult to pull off in Istanbul. But the AKP could obstruct İmamoğlu's work as mayor, as the ruling party retains a majority of Istanbul's districts and seats in the city council.\n\nThe president also has time on his side. Had he not moved presidential and parliamentary elections forward last year, Turkey would now be steering toward a twin vote in November, with the opposition able to build on its Istanbul momentum until then. As things stand, Turkey will not hold any elections until 2023, the centenary of the Turkish republic's founding.\n\nBut surprise elections aren't unusual in Turkey — and some are already eyeing a rematch: İmamoğlu, his supporters say, could be the ideal candidate to challenge Erdoğan for the presidency one day."], "summary": "The re-run Istanbul mayoral election concludes with a victory for opposition leader Ekrem İmamoğlu and defeat for the ruling AK Party."}
{"document": ["(CNN) Tens of thousands of Czechs filled Prague's Letna Plain park on Sunday, taking part in what its organizers described as \"the biggest protest since the fall of Communism.\"\n\nThey were demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Andrej Babis , a controversial politician accused of fraud and collaborating with the Communist-era secret police, and his justice secretary Marie Benesova.\n\nThe billionaire tycoon has been dubbed the \"Czech Trump\" by some Czech media outlets because of his vast business empire and populist leanings.\n\nA crowd that was estimated by organizers to be around 250,000 people took over the plain overlooking Prague's historical center, the site of the mass protests that ultimately led to the fall of the country's Communist regime three decades ago.\n\nA no confidence vote called for by opposition parties has been scheduled for Wednesday.\n\nA series of speakers denounced Babis and called for his departure. Several speakers also criticized the country's President Milos Zeman , and urged those in attendance to take steps to protect democracy.\n\nBabis' role in the European Union's failure to agree a net zero carbon emission target was also mentioned by one of the speakers. A plan to set the goal for 2050 was vetoed by four countries, including the Czech Republic, at a summit on Thursday.\n\nBabis told Czech media on Sunday that while he respected people's right to have an opinion, he didn't understand the reasons behind the protests.\n\nThe demonstration was part of a series of anti-Babis protests that have been going on for weeks.\n\nBabis has been accused of fraud related to EU subsidies received by his former agricultural business empire. An investigation ended in the police proposing criminal charges against him. Prosecutors are now deciding whether to indict the Prime Minister. He has denied the accusations.\n\nSeparately, the European Commission is investigating whether Babis had a conflict of interest because of his role as the PM and the owner of a major business receiving EU funding.\n\nA draft report by the commission, leaked to Czech media earlier this month, said Babis' business should not have access to EU funding, and suggested that the money it had received in the past might need to be returned by the Czech Republic.\n\nThe Commission said it would not comment on ongoing audits. The Czech Finance Ministry confirmed it had received a preliminary audit report, but would not comment further.\n\nProtesters in Prague are demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Andrej Babis.\n\nBabis rejected the allegations and said the audit was \"an attack on the Czech Republic.\" Apart from the resignations of Babis and Benesova, the protesters are also demanding that Babis' business empire Agrofert stop receiving subsidies, tax breaks, investment incentives and public tenders.\n\nIn addition to being Prime Minister and an agricultural tycoon, Babis is also the owner of Mafra, a major Czech publishing house that owns two of the nation's biggest daily newspapers. The protesters want to see him sell his stake in the media.\n\nThey are also asking lawmakers to push for new safeguards for the country's justice system.\n\nProtesters at Letna Plain on November 25, 1989. Three decades later, the plain was again filled with demonstrators.\n\nWho is Babis?\n\nBabis is a divisive figure in the Czech Republic. The billionaire tycoon first stormed into Czech politics in 2012 and became Prime Minister in 2017. His populist ANO movement then received nearly 30% of the vote -- almost three times more than the conservative party ODS that came in second.\n\nAnother Babis controversy relates to his alleged role as a secret agent for the Communist-era secret police, the StB. The Slovak-born politician was identified as an agent operating under the codename \"Bures\" by historians using archival documents.\n\nBabis has rejected the claims and sued for defamation, but in 2018, a court in Slovakia dismissed his complaints, ruling that he was not wrongly identified as an agent in the archival documents.\n\n\"We think it unacceptable that ... 29 years after the Velvet Revolution, an StB agent would be the Prime Minister of our country. We will not pretend that that is normal, we demand his resignation,\" the organizers of the protests said.\n\nDespite the controversies, Babis continues to be relatively popular among Czech voters. ANO was the clear winner in the recent European Parliament elections, securing 21% of the vote.\n\nThe organizers have already called for more protests.", "Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Massive protest against Czech Republic's PM\n\nHundreds of thousands of protesters have taken to the streets of Prague demanding that PM Andrej Babis resign.\n\nMr Babis is facing a criminal investigation over alleged fraud, and is also the subject of an EU conflict-of-interest investigation. He denies the allegations.\n\nOrganisers say about 250,000 people attended the rally. The figure could not be verified.\n\nIt is said to be the largest protest since the fall of communism in 1989.\n\nWho was marching?\n\nThe protest was organised by the Million Moments for Democracy group. The movement has grown from a small student initiative into a mass movement.\n\nImage copyright Reuters Image caption Protesters gathered in Prague for the latest in a series of protests\n\nIt has organised a number of protests this year. The last major rally was on 5 June when 120,000 people marched in the capital.\n\nAt the rally, Mikulas Minar, the head of the protest group, told AFP news agency: \"Judging from the aerial photos, it looks like we're about 250,000. We'll see how many more will arrive.\"\n\nWhat are the allegations against Babis?\n\nThe prime minister is facing a criminal investigation in the Czech Republic for alleged abuse of €2m in EU subsidies over 10 years ago.\n\nPolice say they are investigating accusations that Mr Babis hid his ownership of a farm and conference centre known as \"Stork Nest\" (Capi hnizdo in Czech) so that it could qualify for an EU subsidy designed to help small businesses.\n\nThe billionaire is also the subject of an EU conflict-of-interest investigation over his Agrofert conglomerate, which he transferred to two trust funds shortly before he came to power in 2017.\n\nHowever a European Commission draft report leaked earlier this month found that Mr Babis was still profiting from the group. The report determined that he should return about 451m Czech koruna (€17.5m; £15.5m) in subsidies.\n\nImage copyright Reuters Image caption The prime minister has denied all the claims made against him\n\nMr Babis has dismissed all of the allegations as baseless and politically motivated.\n\nA day after police advised that the state prosecutor file charges against him, the minister of justice was changed.\n\nDemonstrators argue that the new Minister of Justice, Marie Benesova, is too close to Mr Babis.\n\nThe 71-year-old previously voted against a request from the police to strip Mr Babis of parliamentary immunity.\n\nHow has the prime minister reacted?\n\nMr Babis branded the EU report as \"an attack on the Czech Republic\" and has refused to return any subsidies.\n\nHe said: \"The Czech Republic will certainly not have to return any subsidies. There is no reason for that because I do not violate Czech nor European legal rules regarding conflict of interest.\"\n\nMr Babis has also refused to step down.", "Prague set to see biggest protests since Velvet Revolution\n\nPRAGUE (AP) — Prague won't have seen anything like this since the protests of 1989 which brought down the communist regime in what was then Czechoslovakia.\n\nSome 400,000 have signed a petition calling on Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis to step down over fraud allegations and subsidies paid to his former companies. And hundreds of thousands are expected at a rally in Prague on Sunday to urge the populist billionaire to stand down.\n\nThe businessman turned populist politician is standing firm, though and points to record low unemployment rate.", "FILE – In this Tuesday, June 4, 2019, file photo, a woman takes a selfie as protesters gather at the Venceslas Square in downtown Prague, Czech Republic. Prague won’t have seen anything like this since the protests of 1989 which brought down the communist regime in what was then Czechoslovakia. Some 400,000 have signed a petition calling on Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis to step down over fraud allegations and subsidies paid to his former companies. And hundreds of thousands are expected at a rally in Prague on Sunday, June 23, 2019 to urge the populist billionaire to stand down. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek, File)\n\nPRAGUE (AP) — Prague won’t have seen anything like this since the protests of 1989 which brought down the communist regime in what was then Czechoslovakia.\n\nSome 400,000 have signed a petition calling on Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis to step down over fraud allegations and subsidies paid to his former companies. And hundreds of thousands are expected at a rally in Prague on Sunday to urge the populist billionaire to stand down.\n\nThe businessman turned populist politician is standing firm, though and points to record low unemployment rate.\n\n“The Czech Republic is doing well,” Babis recently said. “We are the best in the region and the entire Europe. If you want to invest, it’s the best place (to do it), it’s a place for the future.”\n\nThe protest at Letna Park is set to be the biggest demonstration against the government since 1989’s Velvet Revolution and concludes a wave of rallies across the country.\n\n“It’s interesting but also it’s a shame that our political situation is in such a state that something like this has to happen,” Benjamin Roll, a member of the student group behind the protest — Million Moments for Democracy — told The Associated Press.\n\n“On the other hand, I’m glad that we are succeeding in mobilizing the civil society and that I see is the most important task of our group,” the 24-year student of protestant theology said.\n\nOpposition to Babis has been fueled recently by the appointment of a new justice minister at a time when prosecutors have to decide whether to indict Babis over alleged fraud involving European Union funds.\n\nThe protesters fear the minister might undermine the independence of the country’s legal system, in the way it has been in some other countries in Central and Eastern Europe, such is Poland. The minister, Marie Benesova, is a close ally of Babis and has voted against a police request to strip Babis of parliamentary immunity to face investigation.\n\n“The opponents of Babis are certain that he’s a threat for democracy,” Josef Mlejnek, an analyst from Prague’s Charles University told The Associated Press.\n\nA preliminary European Union report leaked in May concluded that Babis might face a conflict of interest over EU subsidies involving his former business empire.\n\nBabis denies any wrongdoing and has attacked the EU for trying to destabilize the Czech Republic.\n\nBabis is also facing allegations he collaborated with the secret police during the pre-1989 days and criticism of his power-sharing deal with the Communist Party.\n\nIt’s not the first time that Babis has been on the defensive. After all, he was fired as finance minister in 2017 over unexplained business dealings. At the time, the lower house of parliament approved a resolution alleging that Babis had “repeatedly lied” to the public and “misused his media” empire to damage his opponents.\n\nLike other populist leaders around the world, the scandals do not appear to have damaged Babis electorally. His centrist ANO (YES) movement won a landslide in the 2017 parliamentary elections — part of the anti-establishment wave that swept through Western democracies at the time.\n\nHis popularity has shown few signs of being dented since. Babis’ group won the European Parliament elections in the Czech Republic in May.\n\n“People have experienced that their economic situation is getting better, and those belong to the supporters of the ANO movement, mostly the pensioners from small towns,” Mlejnek said.\n\nMlejnek said the protests are a sign of long-term divisions in Czech society.\n\n“Those who protest are mostly supporters of the democratic opposition parties,” Mlejnek said. “And the other part of the society ignores (the protests) or is critical of them.”\n\nWhat happens next is unclear.\n\n“If Andrej Babis retains his popular support, he will be in a position not to give in,” Mlejnek said.", "An enormous demonstration against the Czech prime minister, Andrej Babiš, took place at Prague’s Letná Plain on Sunday late afternoon and evening. Organisers said around a quarter of a million people were in attendance, which would make it the biggest event of its kind in the city since the fall of communism almost three decades ago.\n\nMany protestors carried Czech and European Union flags along with signs, some of which bore the names of cities and towns around the Czech Republic.\n\nSunday’s protest was the latest in a series that began in late April calling on Mr. Babiš to stand down and for the removal of his appointment as justice minister, Marie Benešová. She got the job just one day after police recommended that Mr. Babiš face criminal charges over the alleged abuse of EU subsidies.\n\nThe series of protests has been organised by the civic group Million Moments for Democracy.\n\nANO leader Babiš denies all the accusations against him, which he says are part of a political campaign.", "PRAGUE, Czech Republic - Prague won’t have seen anything like this since the protests of 1989 which brought down the communist regime in what was then Czechoslovakia. Some 400,000 have signed a petition calling on Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis to step down over fraud allegations and subsidies paid to his former companies. And hundreds of thousands are expected at a rally in Prague on Sunday to urge the populist billionaire to stand down.\n\nThe businessman turned populist politician is standing firm, though and points to record low unemployment rate. “The Czech Republic is doing well,” Babis recently said. “We are the best in the region and the entire Europe. If you want to invest, it’s the best place (to do it), it’s a place for the future.” The protest at Letna Park is set to be the biggest demonstration against the government since 1989’s Velvet Revolution and concludes a wave of rallies across the country.\n\n“It’s interesting but also it’s a shame that our political situation is in such a state that something like this has to happen,” Benjamin Roll, a member of the student group behind the protest — Million Moments for Democracy — told The Associated Press. “On the other hand, I’m glad that we are succeeding in mobilizing the civil society and that I see is the most important task of our group,” the 24-year student of protestant theology said. Opposition to Babis has been fueled recently by the appointment of a new justice minister at a time when prosecutors have to decide whether to indict Babis over alleged fraud involving European Union funds.\n\nThe protesters fear the minister might undermine the independence of the country’s legal system, in the way it has been in some other countries in Central and Eastern Europe, such is Poland. The minister, Marie Benesova, is a close ally of Babis and has voted against a police request to strip Babis of parliamentary immunity to face investigation. “The opponents of Babis are certain that he’s a threat for democracy,” Josef Mlejnek, an analyst from Prague’s Charles University told The Associated Press.\n\nA preliminary European Union report leaked in May concluded that Babis might face a conflict of interest over EU subsidies involving his former business empire. Babis denies any wrongdoing and has attacked the EU for trying to destabilize the Czech Republic.\n\nBabis is also facing allegations he collaborated with the secret police during the pre-1989 days and criticism of his power-sharing deal with the Communist Party. It’s not the first time that Babis has been on the defensive. After all, he was fired as finance minister in 2017 over unexplained business dealings. At the time, the lower house of parliament approved a resolution alleging that Babis had “repeatedly lied” to the public and “misused his media” empire to damage his opponents. Like other populist leaders around the world, the scandals do not appear to have damaged Babis electorally. His centrist ANO (YES) movement won a landslide in the 2017 parliamentary elections — part of the anti-establishment wave that swept through Western democracies at the time. His popularity has shown few signs of being dented since. Babis’ group won the European Parliament elections in the Czech Republic in May. “People have experienced that their economic situation is getting better, and those belong to the supporters of the ANO movement, mostly the pensioners from small towns,” Mlejnek said. Mlejnek said the protests are a sign of long-term divisions in Czech society.", "Hundreds of thousands of protesters have taken to the streets of the Czech capital Prague demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Andrej Babis.\n\nHe is currently facing a criminal investigation over alleged fraud and is also the subject of an EU conflict-of-interest investigation.\n\nOrganisers say 250,000 people attended the rally, however this has not been confirmed.", "A major demonstration against the Czech prime minister, Andrej Babiš, is set to take place at Prague’s Letná Plain on Sunday early evening. The protest follows a series of similar events calling on Mr. Babiš to stand down and for the removal of his appointment as justice minister, Marie Benešová. She got the job just one day after police recommended that Mr. Babiš face criminal charges over the alleged abuse of EU subsidies.\n\nDemonstrators are also incensed by the fact that a preliminary European Commission audit found Mr. Babiš to be still in control of the Agrofert conglomerate he founded, despite placing it in trust funds.\n\nThe protests have been organised by the civic group Million Moments for Democracy.\n\nThe ANO leader denies all the accusations against him, which he says are part of a political campaign.", "PRAGUE — An estimated 250,000 people marched Sunday in the Czech Republic's biggest anti-government protest since the communist era, demanding that Prime Minister Andrej Babiš resign.\n\nThe demonstration in a park near downtown Prague was the latest in a string of protests against the embattled prime minister over issues including the recent appointment of Marie Benešova, his close ally, as justice minister, one day after Czech police recommended the prime minister be charged with subsidy fraud involving €2 million in EU funds. Many protesters presume Benešova will not pursue criminal charges against Babiš.\n\nThe location of the protest was symbolic: On November 25, 1989, four days before a half-century of communist rule officially ended, some 800,000 people congregated at the same spot to demand the end of the regime.\n\nThe protests against Babiš have been growing in size, with one rally held earlier this month amassing more than 100,000 people, crowded into the historic Wenceslas Square, another Prague site closely linked to the Velvet Revolution.\n\nBut if the growing scale of the demonstrations is worrying Babiš, he isn't letting on. When asked to comment on the protesters and their demands, the Czech prime minister told POLITICO in a text message: “It has been 30 years since the Velvet Revolution and the level of democracy in our country is very high. Demonstrations are part of [the] democratic system in the Czech Republic; people can demonstrate against me or the government and I respect their right to do so.”\n\nProtesters waved Czech flags and signs reading “Resign,” “Babiš, the biggest crook in Czech politics since 1989” and, in English, “Dear EU, Don’t Feed the Oligarch.”\n\nOne of the demonstrators, Pavel Stojaspal, a 21-year-old student from the southern Czech city of Uherské Hradiště, said, \"Babiš thinks just because he was elected once, he can now do whatever he wants.\" He added that he doesn’t expect the protests to change the prime minister, \"but I hope that it will change the opinion of his voters.\"\n\nIn addition to the street protests, the Czech prime minister is also feeling pressure from the EU.\n\nA preliminary European Commission audit leaked recently to Czech media found that Babiš, one of the richest men in the Czech Republic, had breached conflict-of-interest rules in connection with subsidies paid to his Agrofert holding company.\n\nIf the preliminary findings are confirmed by the official report, the Czech Republic may have to return €17.5 million to the EU.\n\nOther demands listed by the organizers, a group calling itself A Million Moments for Democracy, include the resignation of Justice Minister Benešová, the guarantee of an independent judiciary and the end of subsidies, tax relief, investment incentives and government contracts for Agrofert.\n\nAnother demonstration has been tentatively scheduled for November 16, if Babiš' minority government is still in place then. Opposition parties have scheduled a vote of confidence in the government for Wednesday.", "PRAGUE, Czech Republic — Hundreds of thousands of people rallied Sunday in Prague to urge Prime Minister Andrej Babis to resign, assembling from across the Czech Republic for the capital's biggest anti-government protest since the 1989 pro-democratic Velvet Revolution that brought down the communist regime.\n\nThe demonstration at Letna Park, a site of massive gatherings that significantly contributed to the fall of communism in what 30 years ago was Czechoslovakia, was the largest from two months of street protests opposing Babis.\n\nThe protesters of 2019 said they didn't come to overthrow the current political system but to defend it.\n\nThey consider Babis, a populist billionaire, as a threat to democracy, including the independence of the country's legal system."], "summary": "Hundreds of thousands take to the streets of Prague to demand the resignation of Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš in the country's biggest protest since the Velvet Revolution in 1989."}
{"document": ["Ethiopia's prime minister says his government has foiled a coup attempt in a region outside the capital, some dead\n\nADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — Ethiopia's prime minister says his government has foiled a coup attempt in a region outside the capital, some dead.", "Ethiopian security forces have killed the man accused of leading a failed coup d'etat over the weekend.\n\nGeneral Asamnew Tsige allegedly led the coup attempt in the northern Amhara region and he was shot on Monday near the state capital Bahir Dar, the prime minister's press secretary, Negussu Tilahun, told Reuters news agency.\n\nTilahun declined to give any other details.\n\nThe failed putsch on Saturday led to the killing of four senior officials, including the army chief of staff.\n\nAsamnew was on the run with some of his supporters while other plotters were arrested.\n\nThe reasons behind the attempted coup in the state remain unclear, although it may have been a reaction from Asamnew to a plan by state officials to rein him in after they were alarmed by reports of his ethnic rhetoric and recruitment of militias.\n\nAccording to a government spokeswoman, Billene Seyoum, a \"hit squad\" led by Asamnew burst into a meeting in the state offices in Bahir Dar and shot dead regional government President Ambachew Mekonnen and his adviser Ezez Wassie.\n\n\"Several hours later, in what seems like a coordinated attack, the chief of staff of the national security forces, Seare Mekonnen, was killed in his home by his bodyguard in Addis Ababa,\" Seyoum said.\n\nAsamnew had told the Amhara people to arm themselves and prepare for fighting against other groups, in a video spread on Facebook a week earlier.\n\nHe had been released from prison last year after receiving an amnesty for a similar coup attempt.\n\nAccess to the internet appeared to be blocked across Ethiopia on Monday, users reported. The streets of the capital Addis Ababa appeared calm.\n\nPrime Minister Abiy Ahmed has pushed through sweeping changes since coming to power in April last year, making peace with Eritrea, reining in the security services, releasing political prisoners and lifting bans on some outlawed separatist groups.\n\nThe reforms in Africa's second-most populous country have won him widespread international praise.\n\nBut his shake-up of the military and intelligence services has earned him powerful enemies at home, while his government is struggling to contain figures in Ethiopia's myriad ethnic groups fighting the federal government and each other for greater influence and resources.\n\nMonday was a national day of mourning following Saturday's coup attempt.", "Ethiopia’s army general accused of leading a failed coup in the restive northern region of the horn of Africa nation was killed Monday in a firefight with security forces.\n\nBrig. Gen. Asamnew Tsige was killed on the outskirts of Bahir Dar, capital of the restive northern Amhara region.\n\nForces had been hunting down Asamnew since Saturday, when soldiers loyal to him killed the regional governor of the Amhara government and his advisor.\n\nThe regional attorney general, wounded in that attack, died Monday.\n\nMeanwhile, It was a sombre Monday as the country held a national day of mourning. It was grieving the brutal death of the chief of the national army staff and a regional leader, killed in what the authorities have described as an “attempted coup d‘état” against the government of the northwestern region.", "ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) - Ethiopian security is hunting for the leader of the failed coup in the northern Amhara region where security is tight, as well as in the capital, Addis Ababa.\n\nAn internet shutdown remains in force across the country, following the assassinations of Amhara's governor and an adviser in the regional capital, Bahir Dar, Saturday. Later in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's military chief was shot dead by his own bodyguard who also killed a visiting retired general.\n\nPrime Minister Abiy Ahmed said that Brig. Gen. Asamnew Tsige masterminded the plot. Ethiopian officials said that Asamnew has not yet been arrested.\n\nEthiopian military have set up checkpoints in the capital and in the Amhara region.\n\nFlags are flying at half-mast Monday which has been declared a day of national mourning following the four killings.\n\nIn this image made from video, Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announces a failed coup as he addresses the public on television, Sunday, June 23, 2019. The failed coup in the Amhara region was led by a high-ranking military official and others within the country's military, the prime minister told the state broadcaster. (ETV via AP)", "The suspected ringleader of Saturday's failed coup attempt in Ethiopia's Amhara region has been shot dead by police, state media report.\n\nBrig-Gen Asaminew Tsige was killed on the outskirts of Amhara's capital, Bahir Dar, the reports added.\n\nEthiopia's army chief Gen Seare Mekonnen was killed while trying to foil the coup, the government said.\n\nPrime Minister Abiy Ahmed has urged Ethiopians to unite against \"evil\" forces set on dividing the country.\n\nFlags are flying at half-mast after he declared a day of mourning to mark the deaths of loyalists.\n\nGen Seare and Amhara governor Ambachew Mekonnen, who was also killed on Saturday, were seen as close allies of the prime minister.\n\nA heavy contingent of pro-government forces has been deployed in Bahir Dar and the federal capital, Addis Ababa.\n\nThe internet has been shut across the country, days after services resumed following an unexplained blackout of more than a week.\n\nThe US state department has warned its staff in Addis Ababa to stay inside.\n\nEthnic violence has hit Amhara and other parts of Ethiopia in recent years.\n\nSince his election last year, Mr Abiy has transformed Ethiopia.\n\nHe has moved to end political repression by releasing political prisoners, removed bans on opposition political parties, overseen the prosecution of officials accused of human rights abuses and also restored diplomatic relations with Ethiopia's long-time enemy, Eritrea.\n\nMr Abiy survived a grenade attack at a rally a year ago on Sunday, which killed two people and left more than 100 injured.\n\nAfrica's oldest independent country, Ethiopia is also the continent's second most populous after Nigeria, with 102.5 million inhabitants from more than 80 different ethnic groups.\n\nA transfer hub for long-haul air travel, it has one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, but a vast number of young Ethiopians are without work.", "ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) – Ethiopia’s army chief of staff and the regional president of the northern state of Amhara were killed in two related attacks when a general tried to seize control of Amhara in an attempted coup, the prime minister’s office said on Sunday.\n\nAmhara state president Ambachew Mekonnen and his advisor were shot dead and the state’s attorney general was wounded in Amhara’s capital of Bahir Dar on Saturday evening, according to a statement from the office of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.\n\nIn a separate attack the same night, Ethiopia’s army Chief of Staff Seare Mekonnen and another retired general were shot dead in Seare’s home in Addis Ababa by his bodyguard. The two attacks were linked, the statement said, without giving details.\n\nAbiy’s office named Amhara state security head General Asamnew Tsige as responsible for the foiled coup, without giving details of his whereabouts. Asamnew was released from prison last year, having been given an amnesty for a similar coup attempt, according to media reports.\n\nAbiy took office just over a year ago and embarked on unprecedented reforms in Ethiopia, Africa’s second-most populous country and one of its fastest-growing economies.\n\nBut the premier’s shake-up of the military and intelligence services has earned him powerful enemies, while his government is struggling to rein in powerful figures in Ethiopia’s myriad ethnic groups fighting the federal government and each other for greater influence and resources.\n\nThe shooting in Bahir Dar occurred when the state president – an ally of Abiy – was holding a meeting to decide how to put a stop to the open recruitment of ethnic Amhara militias by Asamnew, one Addis-based official told Reuters.\n\nAsamnew had advised the Amhara people to arm themselves in preparation for fighting against other groups, in a video spread on Facebook a week earlier and seen by a Reuters reporter.\n\nAbiy donned military fatigues to announce the attempted coup on state television on Saturday evening. Residents of Bahir Dar, about 500 kilometers (311 miles) northwest of Addis, said there was at least four hours of gunfire on Saturday evening and some roads had been closed off.\n\n“The situation in the Amhara region is currently under full control by the Federal Government in colloboration with the regional government,” Abiy said in the statement on Sunday.\n\nThe U.S. Embassy tweeted it had heard reports of gunfire in Addis Ababa on Saturday night, and some residents told Reuters they heard six shots in a suburb near the country’s Bole International Airport around 9:30 p.m. local time.\n\nThe capital was quieter than usual on Sunday, with fewer cars or pedestrians on the streets.\n\nEarlier Brigadier General Tefera Mamo, the head of special forces in Amhara, told state television that “most of the people who attempted the coup have been arrested, although there are a few still at large.”\n\nHe did not give details about Asamnew.\n\nSince coming to power, Abiy has released political prisoners, removed bans on political parties and prosecuted officials accused of gross human rights abuses, but his government is battling ethnic bloodshed once held in check by the state’s iron grip.\n\nNow some of Ethiopia’s ethnic groups are disputing the boundaries of the country’s nine federal states, or arguing that they too should have regional governments, claims that threaten the dominance of other groups.\n\nAmhara is home to Ethiopia’s second largest ethnic group of the same name and their native tongue, Amharic, is also the country’s official language. The anti-government protests that\n\nlasted three years and eventually forced former prime minister Hailemariam Desalegn to resign in 2018 had begun in the neighbouring state of Oromia but quickly spread to Amhara.\n\nDemonstators were angered by grievances over land rights, political and economic marginalisation – issues that Abiy is now racing to address.\n\n“He (Abiy) seems to be dismantling the EPRDF (ruling coalition) and is entertaining thoughts of altering the architecture of federalism, but he hasn’t given any clear direction he’s heading in,” said Matt Bryden, the head of regional thinktank Sahan Research.\n\n“That uncertainty is creating a lot of competition and … driving a lot of the friction and violence.”\n\nAbiy had also changed many senior security officials when he came to power, Bryden noted, creating more uncertainty that allowed armed groups that would once have been quashed to flourish.\n\nAbiy’s changes have not gone unchallenged. A year ago, he survived a grenade attack that killed two people at his rally. In October, hundreds of soldiers marched on his palace demanding more pay. He defused the situation by doing push ups with them but later said they were trying to derail reforms.\n\nThe internet was down across Ethiopia on Sunday, although there was no statement on this from the government. Authorities have cut off the internet several times previously for security and other reasons.\n\nEthiopia is due to hold parliamentary elections next year, although the electoral board warned earlier this month that they were behind schedule and that instability could cause a problem for polling. Several opposition groups have called for the elections to be held on time anyway.\n\nAdditional reporting by Katharine Houreld; Writing by Elias Biryabarema and Katharine Houreld; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky", "ADDIS ABABA: The man accused of trying to seize control of Ethiopia’s northern Amhara region was shot dead on Monday, a senior government official said, and a number of other plotters have been arrested.\n\n The government accused General Asamnew Tsige of masterminding gun attacks on Saturday night that killed five people including the national army’s chief of staff and Amhara’s state president.\n\n Asamnew was shot on Monday near Amhara’s capital Bahir Dar, the prime minister’s press secretary, Negussu Tilahun,said. He declined to give any other details.\n\n The reasons behind the attempted coup in the state remain unclear, although it may have been a reaction from Asamnew to a plan by state officials to rein him in after they were alarmed by reports of his ethnic rhetoric and recruitment of militias.\n\n Saturday’s violence unfolded in two separate attacks.\n\n Army chief of staff Seare Mekonnen and a retired general were shot by Seare’s bodyguard at his residence in the national capital Addis Ababa.\n\n Amhara state president Ambachew Mekonnen and an adviser were killed in the region’s main city Bahir Dar. Amhara’s attorney general was also shot, and died of his wounds on Monday, state media reported.\n\n Access to the internet appeared to be blocked across Ethiopia, users reported. The streets of Addis Ababa appeared calm on Monday.\n\n Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has pushed through sweeping changes since coming to power in April last year, making peace with Eritrea, reining in the security services, releasing political prisoners and lifting bans on some outlawed separatist groups.\n\n The reforms in Africa’s second-most populous country have won him widespread international praise.\n\n But the premier’s shake-up of the military and intelligence services has earned him powerful enemies at home, while his government is struggling to contain powerful figures in Ethiopia’s myriad ethnic groups fighting the federal government and each other for greater influence and resources.\n\n The shooting in Bahir Dar at the weekend occurred when the state president – an ally of Abiy – was holding a meeting to decide how to stop Asamnew’s open recruitment of ethnic Amhara militias, one Addis-based official told Reuters.\n\n Asamnew had told the Amhara people to arm themselves and prepare for fighting against other groups, in a video spread on Facebook a week earlier. Amhara is home to Ethiopia’s second largest ethnic group and gives its name to the state language, Amharic.\n\n Asamnew himself was released from prison last year after receiving an amnesty for a similar coup attempt.\n\n William Davison, an Ethiopia analyst at global think-tank Crisis Group, said more information was needed on the attack on Seare.\n\n — Reuters", "Ethiopia hunts for plotter of failed coup in Amhara region\n\nADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — Ethiopian security is hunting for the leader of the failed coup in the northern Amhara region where security is tight, as well as in the capital, Addis Ababa.\n\nAn internet shutdown remains in force across the country, following the assassinations of Amhara's governor and an adviser in the regional capital, Bahir Dar, Saturday. Later in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's military chief was shot dead by his own bodyguard who also killed a visiting retired general.\n\nPrime Minister Abiy Ahmed said that Brig. Gen. Asamnew Tsige masterminded the plot. Ethiopian officials said that Asamnew has not yet been arrested.\n\nEthiopian military have set up checkpoints in the capital and in the Amhara region.\n\nFlags are flying at half-mast Monday which has been declared a day of national mourning following the four killings.", "Ethiopia says plotter of failed coup is killed by military\n\nADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — The Ethiopian army brigadier general accused of leading a failed coup against a regional government has been killed in a firefight with the security forces, a spokesman for the Ethiopian prime minister's office said Monday.\n\nBrig. Gen. Asamnew Tsige was killed on the outskirts of Bahir Dar, capital of the restive northern Amhara region, Nigussu Tilahun told The Associated Press.\n\nEthiopian forces had been hunting down Asamnew since soldiers loyal to him on Saturday attacked a meeting of the Amhara government, killing the regional governor and his adviser.\n\nThat attack was followed hours later by the assassination in Addis Ababa of the chief of Ethiopia's military and a retired army general by a bodyguard.\n\nAn internet shutdown remains in force across Ethiopia following the Saturday killings.\n\nEthiopian military have set up checkpoints in the capital and in the Amhara region.\n\nFlags are flying at half-mast Monday which has been declared a day of national mourning following the four killings.", "Ethiopia's prime minister says his government has foiled a coup attempt in a region outside the capital, some dead\n\nADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — Ethiopia's prime minister says his government has foiled a coup attempt in a region outside the capital, some dead."], "summary": "The Attorney General of Ethiopia's Amhara Region, Migbaru Kebede, dies after having been wounded during the coup attempt two days earlier. Asaminew Tsige, the general suspected to be behind the coup attempt, had been reportedly killed by security forces."}
{"document": ["ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — The Latest on unrest in Ethiopia. (all times local):\n\nA spokesman for Ethiopia's prime minister says the head of the country's military has been shot dead in the capital, Addis Ababa.\n\nNigussu Tilahun told reporters Sunday that Gen. Seare Mekonnen was killed by his bodyguard at his residence in Addis Ababa. He said a retired army general visiting the army chief at the time was also killed in the same attack late on Saturday.\n\nHe said the attack followed a violent incident in the Amhara region, outside Addis Ababa, where soldiers allegedly led by a renegade brigadier raided a meeting of the regional government and killed officials including the region's president.\n\nHe said most of the perpetrators of the attack in Bahir Dar, capital of Amhara, have been apprehended and others are being hunted down.\n\nHe said the attack in Bahir Dar and the assassination of the army chief are linked.\n\nEthiopia's government foiled a coup attempt in a region outside the capital, Addis Ababa, the country's prime minister said in a televised address late Saturday.\n\nThe failed coup in the Amhara region was led by a high-ranking military official and others within the country's military, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed told the state broadcaster.\n\nSome people had been killed and others wounded in the operation, Abiy said in his address without giving details.\n\nThe U.S. Embassy reported gunfire in the capital Saturday and urged people to be careful.\n\nIn Bahir Dar, capital of Amhara, residents told The Associated Press they could still hear gunshots late Saturday. Ethiopia's internet appeared to be shut down on Sunday.\n\nThe attempted coup in Amhara is the latest challenged to Abiy, who was elected last year as a reform-minded young leader.\n\nAbiy has captured the imagination of many with his political and economic reforms, including the surprise acceptance of a peace agreement with bitter rival Eritrea, the opening of major state-owned sectors to private investment and the release of thousands of prisoners including opposition figures once sentenced to death.\n\nAlong the way he has faced some challenges. In June 2018, only months in office, an attempt to hurl a grenade at Abiy caused a deadly explosion at a massive rally in support of the sweeping changes in Ethiopia. Nine police officials were arrested over that incident, state media reported.\n\nIn October rebellious Ethiopian soldiers protested over pay, causing a security incident in the capital. Ethiopia's army is one of the largest in Africa.\n\nThe country is a key regional security ally for the United States and others in the restive Horn of Africa region.", "ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — Ethiopia's government foiled a coup attempt in a region north of the capital, Addis Ababa, and the country's military chief was shot dead, the prime minister said Sunday.\n\nThe failed coup in the Amhara region was led by a high-ranking military officer and others within the military, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, wearing military fatigues, announced on the state broadcaster.\n\nIn a related development, the head of Ethiopia's military was shot dead in the capital not long after the attack in Amhara, during which soldiers attacked a building in which a meeting of regional officials was taking place, Nigussu Tilahun, spokesman for the prime minister, told a news conference Sunday. The regional president and at least two other officials were among the victims of that attack, he said.\n\nThe violent attack in Bahir Dar, capital of Amhara, was linked to the subsequent assassination of army chief Gen. Seare Mekonnen, who was shot dead by a bodyguard at his residence in Addis Ababa. A retired army general visiting the army chief at the time was also killed in the same attack, said the spokesman.\n\n\"There is a link between the two attacks,\" Nigussu said.\n\nThe attack in Bahir Dar was allegedly led by a renegade brigadier who had recently been pardoned by Ethiopia's prime minister after being jailed for some offenses. Most of the perpetrators of the attack in Bahir Dar have been apprehended and others are being hunted down, said the spokesman.\n\nThe U.S. Embassy reported gunfire in the capital Saturday and urged people to be careful.\n\nIn Bahir Dar residents told The Associated Press they could still hear gunshots late Saturday. Ethiopia's internet appeared to be shut down on Sunday.\n\nThe attempted coup in Amhara is the latest challenge to Abiy, who was elected last year as a reform-minded young leader.\n\nAbiy has captured the imagination of many with his political and economic reforms, including the surprise acceptance of a peace agreement with bitter rival Eritrea, the opening of major state-owned sectors to private investment and the release of thousands of prisoners including opposition figures once sentenced to death.\n\nAlong the way he has faced some challenges. In June 2018, only months in office, an attempt to hurl a grenade at Abiy caused a deadly explosion at a massive rally in support of the sweeping changes in Ethiopia. Nine police officials were arrested over that incident, state media reported.\n\nIn October rebellious Ethiopian soldiers protested over pay, causing a security incident in the capital. Ethiopia's army is one of the largest in Africa.\n\nThe country is a key regional security ally for the United States and others in the restive Horn of Africa region.", "ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — Ethiopia's government foiled a coup attempt in a region north of the capital, Addis Ababa, and the country's military chief was shot dead, the prime minister said Sunday.\n\nThe failed coup in the Amhara region was led by a high-ranking military officer and others within the military, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, wearing military fatigues, announced on the state broadcaster.\n\nIn a related development, the head of Ethiopia's military was shot dead in the capital not long after the attack in Amhara, during which soldiers attacked a building in which a meeting of regional officials was taking place, Nigussu Tilahun, spokesman for the prime minister, told a news conference Sunday. The regional president and at least two other officials were among the victims of that attack, he said.\n\nThe violent attack in Bahir Dar, capital of Amhara, was linked to the subsequent assassination of army chief Gen. Seare Mekonnen, who was shot dead by a bodyguard at his residence in Addis Ababa. A retired army general visiting the army chief at the time was also killed in the same attack, said the spokesman.\n\n\"There is a link between the two attacks,\" Nigussu said.\n\nThe attack in Bahir Dar was allegedly led by a renegade brigadier who had recently been pardoned by Ethiopia's prime minister after being jailed for some offenses. Most of the perpetrators of the attack in Bahir Dar have been apprehended and others are being hunted down, said the spokesman.\n\nThe U.S. Embassy reported gunfire in the capital Saturday and urged people to be careful.\n\nIn Bahir Dar residents told The Associated Press they could still hear gunshots late Saturday. Ethiopia's internet appeared to be shut down on Sunday.\n\nThe attempted coup in Amhara is the latest challenge to Abiy, who was elected last year as a reform-minded young leader.\n\nAbiy has captured the imagination of many with his political and economic reforms, including the surprise acceptance of a peace agreement with bitter rival Eritrea, the opening of major state-owned sectors to private investment and the release of thousands of prisoners including opposition figures once sentenced to death.\n\nAlong the way he has faced some challenges. In June 2018, only months in office, an attempt to hurl a grenade at Abiy caused a deadly explosion at a massive rally in support of the sweeping changes in Ethiopia. Nine police officials were arrested over that incident, state media reported.\n\nIn October rebellious Ethiopian soldiers protested over pay, causing a security incident in the capital. Ethiopia's army is one of the largest in Africa.\n\nThe country is a key regional security ally for the United States and others in the restive Horn of Africa region.", "ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — The Latest on unrest in Ethiopia. (all times local):\n\nA spokesman for Ethiopia’s prime minister says the head of the country’s military has been shot dead in the capital, Addis Ababa.\n\nNigussu Tilahun told reporters Sunday that Gen. Seare Mekonnen was killed by his bodyguard at his residence in Addis Ababa. He said a retired army general visiting the army chief at the time was also killed in the same attack late on Saturday.\n\nHe said the attack followed a violent incident in the Amhara region, outside Addis Ababa, where soldiers allegedly led by a renegade brigadier raided a meeting of the regional government and killed officials including the region’s president.\n\nHe said most of the perpetrators of the attack in Bahir Dar, capital of Amhara, have been apprehended and others are being hunted down.\n\nHe said the attack in Bahir Dar and the assassination of the army chief are linked.\n\nEthiopia’s government foiled a coup attempt in a region outside the capital, Addis Ababa, the country’s prime minister said in a televised address late Saturday.\n\nThe failed coup in the Amhara region was led by a high-ranking military official and others within the country’s military, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed told the state broadcaster.\n\nSome people had been killed and others wounded in the operation, Abiy said in his address without giving details.\n\nThe U.S. Embassy reported gunfire in the capital Saturday and urged people to be careful.\n\nIn Bahir Dar, capital of Amhara, residents told The Associated Press they could still hear gunshots late Saturday. Ethiopia’s internet appeared to be shut down on Sunday.\n\nThe attempted coup in Amhara is the latest challenged to Abiy, who was elected last year as a reform-minded young leader.\n\nAbiy has captured the imagination of many with his political and economic reforms, including the surprise acceptance of a peace agreement with bitter rival Eritrea, the opening of major state-owned sectors to private investment and the release of thousands of prisoners including opposition figures once sentenced to death.\n\nAlong the way he has faced some challenges. In June 2018, only months in office, an attempt to hurl a grenade at Abiy caused a deadly explosion at a massive rally in support of the sweeping changes in Ethiopia. Nine police officials were arrested over that incident, state media reported.\n\nIn October rebellious Ethiopian soldiers protested over pay, causing a security incident in the capital. Ethiopia’s army is one of the largest in Africa.\n\nThe country is a key regional security ally for the United States and others in the restive Horn of Africa region.", "ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia -- Ethiopia's government foiled a coup attempt in a region north of the capital, Addis Ababa, and the country's military chief was shot dead, the prime minister said Sunday.\n\nThe failed coup in the Amhara region was led by a high-ranking military officer and others within the military, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, wearing military fatigues, announced on the state broadcaster.\n\nIn a related development, the head of Ethiopia's military was shot dead in the capital not long after the attack in Amhara, during which soldiers attacked a building in which a meeting of regional officials was taking place, Nigussu Tilahun, spokesman for the prime minister, told a news conference Sunday. The regional president and at least two other officials were among the victims of that attack, he said.\n\nThe violent attack in Bahir Dar, capital of Amhara, was linked to the subsequent assassination of army chief Gen. Seare Mekonnen, who was shot dead by a bodyguard at his residence in Addis Ababa. A retired army general visiting the army chief at the time was also killed in the same attack, said the spokesman.\n\n\"There is a link between the two attacks,\" Nigussu said.\n\nThe attack in Bahir Dar was allegedly led by a renegade brigadier who had recently been pardoned by Ethiopia's prime minister after being jailed for some offences. Most of the perpetrators of the attack in Bahir Dar have been apprehended and others are being hunted down, said the spokesman.\n\nThe U.S. Embassy reported gunfire in the capital Saturday and urged people to be careful.\n\nIn Bahir Dar residents told The Associated Press they could still hear gunshots late Saturday. Ethiopia's internet appeared to be shut down on Sunday.\n\nThe attempted coup in Amhara is the latest challenge to Abiy, who was elected last year as a reform-minded young leader.\n\nAbiy has captured the imagination of many with his political and economic reforms, including the surprise acceptance of a peace agreement with bitter rival Eritrea, the opening of major state-owned sectors to private investment and the release of thousands of prisoners including opposition figures once sentenced to death.\n\nAlong the way he has faced some challenges. In June 2018, only months in office, an attempt to hurl a grenade at Abiy caused a deadly explosion at a massive rally in support of the sweeping changes in Ethiopia. Nine police officials were arrested over that incident, state media reported.\n\nIn October rebellious Ethiopian soldiers protested over pay, causing a security incident in the capital. Ethiopia's army is one of the largest in Africa.\n\nThe country is a key regional security ally for the United States and others in the restive Horn of Africa region.", "It was a sombre Monday for Ethiopia as the country held a national day of mourning.\n\nEthiopia was grieving the brutal death of the chief of the national army staff and a regional leader, killed in what the authorities have described as an “attempted coup d‘état” against the government of the northwestern region.\n\nThe office of Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said that an “orchestrated coup attempt occurred on Saturday night against the President of the Amhara regional government”, one of Ethiopia’s nine autonomous regions, and the second most populous in the country.\n\nAmhara regional ‘s president, Ambachew Mekonnen, and one of his advisors were killed in an attack in Bahir Dar, the region’s capital.\n\nIn a separate attack, but which, according to the authorities, appears to be “coordinated”, the Chief of Staff of the Ethiopian Armed Forces, General Seare Mekonnen, was killed by his bodyguard at his home in Addis Ababa.\n\nThe Amharas are Ethiopia’s second largest ethnic group after the Oromos. Both ethnic groups have been at the forefront of two years of demonstrations that have shaken the country.\n\nAbiy Ahmed, of Oromo decent, has worked to democratize the country, legalizing dissident groups and improving press freedom.\n\nBut with the relaxed rule comes the liberal acts of ethnic tensions, often involving land and resources, that have led to violence in Ethiopia", "ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) — The Latest on unrest in Ethiopia. (all times local):\n\nA spokesman for Ethiopia's prime minister says the head of the country's military has been shot dead in the capital, Addis Ababa.\n\nNigussu Tilahun told reporters Sunday that Gen. Seare Mekonnen was killed by his bodyguard at his residence in Addis Ababa. He said a retired army general visiting the army chief at the time was also killed in the same attack late on Saturday.\n\nHe said the attack followed a violent incident in the Amhara region, outside Addis Ababa, where soldiers allegedly led by a renegade brigadier raided a meeting of the regional government and killed officials including the region's president.\n\nHe said most of the perpetrators of the attack in Bahir Dar, capital of Amhara, have been apprehended and others are being hunted down.\n\nHe said the attack in Bahir Dar and the assassination of the army chief are linked.\n\nEthiopia's government foiled a coup attempt in a region outside the capital, Addis Ababa, the country's prime minister said in a televised address late Saturday.\n\nThe failed coup in the Amhara region was led by a high-ranking military official and others within the country's military, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed told the state broadcaster.\n\nSome people had been killed and others wounded in the operation, Abiy said in his address without giving details.\n\nThe U.S. Embassy reported gunfire in the capital Saturday and urged people to be careful.\n\nIn Bahir Dar, capital of Amhara, residents told The Associated Press they could still hear gunshots late Saturday. Ethiopia's internet appeared to be shut down on Sunday.\n\nThe attempted coup in Amhara is the latest challenged to Abiy, who was elected last year as a reform-minded young leader.\n\nAbiy has captured the imagination of many with his political and economic reforms, including the surprise acceptance of a peace agreement with bitter rival Eritrea, the opening of major state-owned sectors to private investment and the release of thousands of prisoners including opposition figures once sentenced to death.\n\nAlong the way he has faced some challenges. In June 2018, only months in office, an attempt to hurl a grenade at Abiy caused a deadly explosion at a massive rally in support of the sweeping changes in Ethiopia. Nine police officials were arrested over that incident, state media reported.\n\nIn October rebellious Ethiopian soldiers protested over pay, causing a security incident in the capital. Ethiopia's army is one of the largest in Africa.\n\nThe country is a key regional security ally for the United States and others in the restive Horn of Africa region.", "On Saturday, the office of the nation's prime minister reported that a failed coup attempt against the head of the Amhara state had occurred, Reuters reported.\n\n\"There was an organized coup attempt in Bahir Dar but it failed\", Negussu Tilahun, a spokesman for Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed told state TV on Saturday, referring to the regional capital of the Amhara state, according to Reuters.\n\nAhmed took to national television on Sunday to address the situation, AFP reported.\n\nThe embassy of the United States in the African country issued an alert about reported gunfire in the capital of Addis Ababa.\n\n\"The Embassy is aware of reports of violence in and around the city of Bahir Dar. Chief of Mission personnel are temporarily prohibited from traveling to Bahir Dar and the Amhara region\", the statement said.\n\nThe news comes amid ongoing instability in parts of the the African country. Ahmed took power last year after three years of protests forced his predecessor to step down.\n\nIn May, several dozen people were killed as a result of ethnic clashes in the western region of the Amhara state, according to local media.\n\nAmhara was at the centre of anti-government protests in 2015 and much of 2016. The region protested against political and economic disenfranchisement, put upon them by the Tigrayan minority, which reportedly controls the ruling coalition party.", "ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - The man accused of trying to seize control of Ethiopia's northern Amhara region was shot dead on Monday, a senior government official said, and a number of other plotters have been arrested.\n\nThe government accused General Asamnew Tsige of masterminding gun attacks on Saturday night that killed five people including the national army's chief of staff and Amhara's state president.\n\nAsamnew was shot on Monday near Amhara's capital Bahir Dar, the prime minister's press secretary, Negussu Tilahun, told Reuters. He declined to give any other details.\n\nThe reasons behind the attempted coup in the state remain unclear, although it may have been a reaction from Asamnew to a plan by state officials to rein him in after they were alarmed by reports of his ethnic rhetoric and recruitment of militias.\n\nArmy chief of staff Seare Mekonnen and a retired general were shot by Seare's bodyguard at his residence in the national capital Addis Ababa.\n\nAmhara state president Ambachew Mekonnen and an adviser were killed in the region's main city Bahir Dar. Amhara's attorney general was also shot, and died of his wounds on Monday, state media reported.\n\nAccess to the internet appeared to be blocked across Ethiopia, users reported. The streets of Addis Ababa appeared calm on Monday.\n\nPrime Minister Abiy Ahmed has pushed through sweeping changes since coming to power in April last year, making peace with Eritrea, reining in the security services, releasing political prisoners and lifting bans on some outlawed separatist groups.\n\nThe reforms in Africa's second-most populous country have won him widespread international praise.\n\nBut the premier's shake-up of the military and intelligence services has earned him powerful enemies at home, while his government is struggling to contain powerful figures in Ethiopia's myriad ethnic groups fighting the federal government and each other for greater influence and resources.\n\nThe shooting in Bahir Dar at the weekend occurred when the state president - an ally of Abiy - was holding a meeting to decide how to stop Asamnew's open recruitment of ethnic Amhara militias, one Addis-based official told Reuters.\n\nAsamnew had told the Amhara people to arm themselves and prepare for fighting against other groups, in a video spread on Facebook a week earlier. Amhara is home to Ethiopia's second largest ethnic group and gives its name to the state language, Amharic.\n\nAsamnew himself was released from prison last year after receiving an amnesty for a similar coup attempt.\n\nWilliam Davison, an Ethiopia analyst at global think-tank Crisis Group, said more information was needed on the attack on Seare.\n\n\"It doesn't appear to have been a concerted national coup attempt. It's not obvious what the motivations were for anyone to assassinate the chief of staff, or whether he had any connections to the violence in Bahir Dar,\" he said. \"More detail is needed on that aspect.\"\n\nLong-simmering ethnic tensions in Amhara and other areas has surged since Abiy's reforms. At least 2.4 million people have fled fighting, according to the United Nations.\n\nEthiopia will observe a day of national mourning on Monday, parliament speaker Tagesse Chafo said on state television.\n\nEthiopia is due to hold parliamentary elections next year, although the electoral board warned earlier this month that they were behind schedule and that instability could cause a problem for polling.", "Brigadier General Asamnew Tsige was killed on the outskirts of the city of Bahir Dar, on Monday, 24 June, two days after he led an abortive coup to take over his native Amhara region.\n\nEthiopian forces had been hunting down Asamnew since soldiers loyal to him killed the regional governor Dr Ambachew Mekonnen and his adviser Ezez Wasie.\n\nA few hours later the Chief of Staff of the Ethiopian Army General Seare Mekonnen was assassinated by a bodyguard.\n\n​Flags are flying at half mast in the capital, Addis Ababa, and the internet remains shutdown across Ethiopia as Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed attempts to make sure the ethnic tensions behind the weekend’s incidents do not erupt again.\n\nMr Ahmed, 42, a former army intelligence officer, donned a combat uniform again on Sunday, 23 June, as he made an appeal for calm on Ethiopian television.\n\nEthiopia, a nation of 110 million people, has seen phenomenal rates of economic growth in recent years but the boom has not stopped growing ethnic tensions between different tribes, which have led to violence which has displaced 2.4 million people.\n\n​Ethiopia - once known as Abyssinia - is a patchwork of different tribes which have always been held together by strong rulers.\n\nA dynasty of emperors ruled the country for centuries - apart from a brief period of Italian colonial rule under Mussolini’s fascist regime - until Haile Selassie was deposed in 1974 and killed the following year.\n\nHe was replaced by a hardline communist regime known as The Derg, which was led by Colonel Mengistu Haile Mariam.\n\nThey ruled with an iron hand and stamped down on any attempts to whip up ethnic tensions between the various groups.\n\nBut after the collapse of the Soviet Union, The Derg was defeated militarily by Eritrean separatists and by the EPRDF, a rebel alliance made up of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), the Amhara Democratic Party, the Oromo Democratic Party and the Southern Ethiopian People’s Democratic Movement.\n\n​The TPLF - which hailed from the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia - was the most dominant clique and its leader, Meles Zenawi, was Prime Minister of Ethiopia from 1995 until his death in 2012.\n\nEritrea was granted independence in 1993 and while it remained impoverished and insular, Ethiopia sucked in foreign investment from China and elsewhere and recorded rising living standards in the first decade of the 21st century.\n\n​Zenawi died suddenly in 2012 and was replaced by Hailemariam Desalegn, who hailed from the Wolayta tribe in southern Ethiopia.\n\nDesalegn maintained similar policies to Zenawi and the Ethiopian economy continued to boom but he freed political prisoners - including Brig. Gen. Tsige - and loosened the EPRDF’s grip on power.\n\n​As the country’s population has grown, competition for resources including water, land and housing, has triggered increasing numbers of flashpoints between different ethnic groups.\n\nOromo nationalists, who claimed they had been oppressed under Zenawi, have become increasingly truculent in recent years and now the Amhara are flexing their muscles. Brig. Gen. Tsige had been stoking up Amhara resentments with the Gumuz tribe, which had led to several deaths earlier this year.\n\n​He was said to be recruiting an Amhara militia and many of those involved in the weekend’s events were said to be militiamen.\n\nAccording to the World Population Review, the largest ethnic group in Ethiopia is the Oromos, who make up 34 percent of the population.\n\n​The Amhara make up 27 percent while the remainder are Somali (6.2 percent), Tigrayan (6.1 percent) and various smaller tribes, many of them in southern Ethiopia.\n\nAbiy Ahmed is an Oromo but he remains chairman of the EPRDF and is conscious of the dangers of letting the simmering Ethiopian pot of ethnicities boil over.\n\nThe next few days and months will show whether he is capable of keeping the lid on those ethnic tensions."], "summary": "Men in camouflage kill 50 in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia (Reuters)"}
{"document": ["Two Eurofighter military jets have crashed in the northeastern German state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, said Germany's air force, the Luftwaffe.\n\nBoth pilots ejected and one of the pilots was found alive, hanging in a tree canopy after deploying his parachute.\n\nThe other pilot was pronounced dead; police found human remains in the area.\n\nThe pilots were part of a trio of Eurofighters flying a mission out of Laage, near Rostock on Monday.\n\nThey were part of the Tactical Air Force Wing 73, known as \"Steinhoff,\" a fighter wing that specializes in general air defense and is the chief training center for pilots of the Eurofighter Typhoon in Germany.\n\nAfter the crash, two plumes of smoke could be seen about 10 kilometers apart\n\nRead more: Only 4 of Germany's 128 Eurofighter jets combat ready — report\n\nThe aircraft collided shortly before 2 p.m. local time (1200 UTC) near Lake Müritz, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) north of Berlin.\n\n'Today is a day of mourning'\n\nDefense Minister Ursula von der Leyen has announced there would be an investigation into the incident.\n\n\"Today is a day of mourning and anguish over the loss of our soldier,\" she told journalists after visiting the crash site with state Interior Minister Lorenz Caffier. \"We share in the grief of the relatives.\"\n\nWitnesses shared video footage of smoke billowing from two sites reportedly about 10 kilometers apart. Reports emerged that the wreckage had caused fires but that the flames had been extinguished.\n\nAt least part of the wreckage fell on the area of Malchow, with police warning locals not to approach. The Luftwaffe said the aircraft were not carrying ammunition.\n\naw, dv/rc (AFP, dpa, AP)\n\nBundeswehr struggles with faulty defense equipment Faulty tanks and grounded helicopters — today in the German military Frustrated soldiers and a defense system struggling to repair its way into a fully functioning military. And a new defense minister who will have to regain confidence from army representatives.\n\nBundeswehr struggles with faulty defense equipment Defective helicopters Ageing helicopters have proved a big hurdle for the German military. The Bundeswehr has grounded all its 53 Tiger helicopters, after engineers said technical faults needed attention. Defense services were also forced to recall 22 Sea Lynx anti-submarine helicopters in 2014, confirming newspaper reports of malfunction.\n\nBundeswehr struggles with faulty defense equipment Manufacturing fault The Eurofighter is the German military's most modern fighter jet. As a result of a manufacturing error, only four of the 128 planes were in action in 2018. A pilot was killed in June 2019 when two Eurofighters collided in the northeastern state of Mecklenburg- Western Pomerania, prompting fresh calls for further restriction on the plane's use.\n\nBundeswehr struggles with faulty defense equipment Let's replace it... as soon as we make a decision Tornado fighters have been flying for over 40 years. CDU plans to replace the ageing planes were thrown into question by the center left SPD in February 2019. But some officials claim flying the Tornado after 2030 could cost Germany around €8 billion ($9 billion) in repair costs.\n\nBundeswehr struggles with faulty defense equipment Not making any tracks New Puma tanks for the German tanks came into use in 2018. Only 27 of the 71 Pumas were immediately ready for deployment — which prompted a fresh backlash against then Defense Secretary Ursula von der Leyen.\n\nBundeswehr struggles with faulty defense equipment Glitches at sea New F125 frigates — but they are't ready yet. German plans to replace the old frigates stalled in 2018, due to there not being enough spare parts to make them seaworthy. Officials also said Germany would have to soon stop signing up to NATO and UN missions in the same year — the country just did not have enough ships spare.\n\nBundeswehr struggles with faulty defense equipment Headache for AKK? She has not been in the job long, but Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer has inherited a huge problem. Old equipment being grounded is now a regular and pressing occurrence. Former Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen signed a deal to develop a \"Future Combat Air System\" in June — which is scheduled to replace Germany's air force by 2040. Author: Sven Pöhle / db\n\n\n\nDW sends a daily selection of hard news and quality journalism. Sign up here.", "Two Eurofighter Typhoon fighters of the German Air Force (Luftwaffe) on Monday crashed into each other during a combat training mission killing one of the pilots. The unarmed Typhoons crashed over a lake in Nossentiner Hutte in the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte district of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany.\n\nAccording to the BBC, one Typhoon jet crashed into a forest near the village of Jabel after the mid-air collision and the other crashed near a village about 10 km (6 miles) away, the interior ministry in the German state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania said. A third pilot in another Typhoon fighter witnessed the two jets collide and also reported seeing two parachutes.\n\nGerman police cordoned off the crash area immediately as rescue teams rushed to the lake. A German Air Force spokesperson of the Steinhoff Tactical Air Force Wing 73 squadron in Laage where the two ill-fated jets were based said both pilots had ejected but one of them died while the other was found alive stuck in a tree, according to the sun.co.uk. The crash took place at around 2 pm local time (5:30 pm Indian Standard Time). \n\n\n\nAn eyewitness claimed that a wing of one of the jets was shattered due to the impact while others added that they saw two ejector seats shooting out from the Typhoons.\n\nAccording to European defence experts, it is the seventh fatal crash of the Eurofighter Typhoon since the aircraft entered active service with the air forces of European countries in August 2003. But Monday's crash is the first time two Typhoons, capable of flying at 1,550 miles per hour (2,495 kmph), have crashed into each other.\n\nThe £125 million supersonic twin-engine, canard-delta wing, multirole fighter has 13 external points to carry weapons. The jet is in service with United Kingdom's Royal Air Force, German Air Force, Italian Air Force (Aeronautica Militare), Spanish Air Force (Ejercito del Aire), Austrian Air Force, Kuwait Air Force, Royal Air Force of Oman, Qatar Air Force and Royal Saudi Air Force.", "Two Eurofighter jets belonging to the German Air Force have crashed in the Müritz area in the German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern following a mid-air collision.\n\nThe incident occurred when three Eurofighters from the Taktisches Luftwaffengeschwader 73 (TLG73) ‘Steinhoff’ were taking part in an air combat mission. TLG73 ‘Steinhoff’ is a fighter wing of the German Air Force.\n\nIn an official Twitter post, the airforce’s Team Luftwaffe stated that two of the three jets were involved in the collision and the pilots managed to eject from the jets using parachutes. However, only one of them survived the crash. The other pilot was declared dead by the airforce.\n\nThe third pilot witnessed the collision and confirmed that the two pilots deployed their parachutes to eject from the aircraft.\n\n\n\nAt this stage, the cause of the collision remains unclear. Team Luftwaffe noted that the Eurofighters, based at Laage military base, were not armed.\n\n\n\nGermany Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen rushed to the site of the accident. Von der Leyen said: “I thank all the forces for helping us in this hour of need. And I thank the people for their prudence in accompanying this terrible event.”\n\nRescue teams attended to the pilot who safely ejected from the fighter jet and was found in the canopy of a tree.\n\nThe crash comes days after various stakeholders of the Eurofighter programme signed contracts to study the long-term evolution of the aircraft.\n\nThe multirole Eurofighter Typhoon is manufactured by a consortium of Airbus, BAE Systems and Leonardo under a multinational collaboration among the UK, Germany, Italy and Spain.\n\nOther countries operating the fighter aircraft include Austria, Italy, the UK, Spain and Saudi Arabia.", "Two Eurofighter jets crash after mid-air collision in Germany\n\nTwo Eurofighter jets crash after mid-air collision in Germany\n\nTwo Eurofighter warplanes have collided in mid-air and crashed in Germany - with both pilots managing to use their ejector seats.\n\nThe German air force confirmed its jets crashed near the Laage military base in the eastern state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.\n\n\"Together with a third Eurofighter they were flying an Air Combat Mission,\" the German force tweeted.\n\n\"The pilot of the third Eurofighter observed the collision and reported that two parachutes descended to the ground.\"\n\nThe crash reportedly happened shortly before 2pm local time (1pm UK time) near Lake Muritz, about 62 miles north of Berlin.\n\nFootage posted online showed two plumes of smoke at separate crash sites, while it was reported there were forest fires on the ground.\n\nPolice in Neubrandenburg said one of the pilots was found alive in a forest, while the search is continuing for the other pilot.\n\nPolice warned the public not to approach potentially dangerous wreckage from the planes and firefighters were deployed to tackle blazes caused by the crash.\n\nThe German air force said the jets were based in Laage, near the Baltic sea port of Rostock.", "Pilot killed after two Eurofighter jets collide in mid-air and crash in Germany\n\nPilot killed after two Eurofighter jets collide in mid-air and crash in Germany\n\nBoth pilots had ejected from their aircraft but only one survived\n\nA pilot has been killed after two Eurofighter warplanes collided in mid-air and crashed in Germany.\n\nA second pilot managed to parachute to safety before the German air force jets crashed near the Laage military base in the eastern state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern on Monday.\n\nBoth pilots had ejected from their aircraft, according to a third pilot who witnessed the accident.\n\nOne of the pilots was later rescued from the top of a tree but the other was found dead on the ground.\n\n\"This is a sad day for our air force,\" German defence minister Ursula Von Der Leyen told reporters near the crash site.\n\n\"We lost a soldier in a flight accident. Our thoughts are with his family and his comrades.\"\n\nThe jets collided about 20 minutes after they took off, the defence minister added.\n\nAn armed forces spokesman said it was too early to say anything about the circumstances of the crash, and recovery\n\nteams were searching for the black box flight recorders.\n\nThe crash reportedly happened shortly before 2pm local time (1pm UK time) near Lake Muritz, about 62 miles north of Berlin.\n\nFootage posted online showed two plumes of smoke at separate crash sites, while it was reported there were forest fires on the ground.\n\nPolice warned the public not to approach potentially dangerous wreckage from the planes and firefighters were deployed to tackle blazes caused by the crash.\n\nThe German air force said the jets were based in Laage, near the Baltic sea port of Rostock, which trains all pilots flying Germany's 140 Eurofighters.", "Two Eurofighter warplanes have crashed in northeast Germany after a mid-air collision but both pilots ejected.\n\nA third pilot saw two parachutes descending to the ground after the crash in Mecklenburg Western Pomerania state.\n\nOstseewelle radio reported that the two Eurofighter jets collided shortly before 2 p.m. on Monday near Lake Mueritz, about 100 kilometres north of Berlin.\n\nThe jets, belonging to the German armed forces, crashed near the Laage military base in the eastern state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern on Monday, the German air force said on Twitter.\n\n“Together with a third Eurofighter they were flying an Air Combat Mission,” the German force tweeted.\n\n“The pilot of the third Eurofighter observed the collision and reported that two parachutes descended to the ground.”\n\nPolice in Neubrandenburg said one of the pilots was found alive in a forest. The search is continuing for the other pilot.\n\nOstseewelle radio, which first reported the crash, posted a video sent in by one of its listeners which showed two plumes of smoke rising from separate crash sites at some distance from each other.\n\nBoth pilots of the Eurofighters — made by Airbus, BAE Systems and Leonardo — had been able to activate their ejection seats, a spokesman from the air force’s Squadron 73 said.\n\nPolice warned the public not to approach potentially dangerous wreckage from the planes. Firefighters were deployed to tackle any blazes caused by the crash.", "German police have found a body near a crash site in the north-east of the country after two Eurofighter Typhoon jets operated by the military collided during a training exercise.\n\nBoth pilots ejected after the collision, which took place at about 2pm on Monday over Lake Drewitz in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, about 175km (109 miles) north-west of Berlin.\n\nOne of the pilots was found alive, hanging in a tree canopy. Public broadcaster NDR later reported the second pilot had died. Police confirmed only that they had discovered a body.\n\nThe two planes went to ground about 10km apart, one inside a forest and the other on a field on the edge of some woodland.\n\nAccording to Germany’s air force, the pilots were part of a trio of Eurofighters flying a mission out of Laage, near Rostock.\n\nAll three planes were part of the Tactical Air Force Wing 73 – known as Steinhoff – a fighter wing that specialises in general air defence and is the chief training centre for Eurofighter pilots in Germany.\n\nThe pilot of the third Eurofighter witnessed the collision and said he had seen two parachutes ejected from the planes.\n\nIn a press statement, the Luftwaffe denied rumours that the two jets had been armed with explosives, but nonetheless told the public to stay away from the crash sites.\n\nGermany’s defence minister, Ursula von der Leyen, of Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union, and Lorenz Caffier, the interior minister of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, are expected to give a statement near the crash site later this afternoon.", "Two German Air Force jets collided today while flying over a remote part of northern Germany, landing around six miles apart and causing forest fires.\n\nEmergency services rushed to Fleesensee lake, near Malchow, where the crash happened between two Luftwaffe Eurofighter jets during an aerial combat exercise.\n\nThe pilots of each plane were able to eject, according to an Air Force spokesman who added one of them is still yet to be found. It is not clear whether the pilots ejected before or after impact.\n\nSince the spokesman's announcement, at around 3.15 pm local time, one of the pilots was located alive and is in the care of emergency services.\n\n'Together with a third Eurofighter they were flying an Air Combat Mission,' the German force tweeted. 'The pilot of the third Eurofighter observed the collision and reported that two parachutes descended to the ground.'\n\nEurofighters are made by Airbus, British company BAE Systems and also Leonardo.\n\nSVZ in Germany reported that wreckage from the planes fell into inhabited areas over the north shore of the lake.\n\nPolice confirmed this, tweeting that people should stay away from 'dangerous debris' that has fallen in and around the municipality of Malchow.\n\nBoth aircraft belonged to the Air Force Squadron 73 'Steinhoff'. One went down in a wooded area in Schwerin near the village Jabel, according to the Interior Ministry.\n\nThe other went down south of the village Nossentiner, around six miles away. This is where one pilot was found alive.\n\nDistressing pictures from the scene show thick plumes of smoke billowing into the air over the Fleesensee lake - which is in the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte district in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany.\n\nReports state that the jets - based on the north coast of Germany close to Rostock - plummeted to the ground after they collided. It is not yet known the number of people injured in the incident, if any.\n\nWitnesses told local media that the crash, which was at around 2 pm local time, caused a loud bang.\n\nOne person said that a wing broke away from the main body of one of the planes.\n\nAttention has now turned to the search for the one remaining missing pilot and the forest fires caused as a result of the crash.\n\nThere is a large contingent of emergency responders at the scene according to reports.\n\nTeam Luftwaffe confirmed the news on their official Twitter page and also stated that the pilots were able to eject.\n\nA third pilot witnessed and reported the crash, stating that he saw two parachutes deployed.\n\nInterior Minister Lorenz Caffier (CDU) will fly to the scene to survey damage, according to his spokesman.\n\nOn 12 October 2017, a Spanish Air Force Eurofighter het crashed near its base at Los Llanos Albacete, Spain, when returning from the military parade for the Spanish National Day.\n\nCaptain Borja Aybar García, 34, died as a result of the incident.", "A pilot has been killed after two Eurofighter jets collided mid-air in northern Germany.\n\nThe jets were taking part in an air combat mission with a third Eurofighter plane, the German air force said.\n\nBoth pilots ejected successfully and parachuted to the ground. One was later found alive in a forest, police officers said.\n\nBut officers told broadcaster N-TV that the other pilot had been killed.\n\nThe pilot of the third jet observed and reported the collision, the German air force said.\n\nA third pilot saw two parachutes descending to the ground after the crash in Mecklenburg Western Pomerania state.\n\nOstseewelle radio reported that the two Eurofighter jets collided shortly before 2pm (10pm AEST) on Monday near Lake Mueritz, about 100 kilometres north of Berlin.\n\nThe jets, belonging to the German armed forces, crashed near the Laage military base in the eastern state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern on Monday, the German air force said on Twitter.\n\n“Together with a third Eurofighter they were flying an Air Combat Mission,” the German force tweeted.\n\n“The pilot of the third Eurofighter observed the collision and reported that two parachutes descended to the ground.”\n\nPolice in Neubrandenburg said one of the pilots was found alive in a forest. The search is continuing for the other pilot.\n\nOstseewelle radio, which first reported the crash, posted a video sent in by one of its listeners which showed two plumes of smoke rising from separate crash sites at some distance from each other.\n\nBoth pilots of the Eurofighters — made by Airbus, BAE Systems and Leonardo — had been able to activate their ejection seats, a spokesman from the air force’s Squadron 73 said.\n\nPolice warned the public not to approach potentially dangerous wreckage from the planes. Firefighters were deployed to tackle any blazes caused by the crash.", "TWO German Air Force fighter jets have collided over a remote part of the north of the country.\n\nEmergency services have raced to northern Fleesensee, near Malchow, following the crash, which is believed to have involved a pair of Eurofighters.\n\nIt is the first time two of the £125 million Typhoons have been lost in a single incident.\n\nPictures show smoke billowing into the sky above the Mecklenburg-Vorpommern region.\n\nThe number of injuries is not yet known.\n\nA spokesman for Air Force squadron in nearby Laage said both pilots had hit the ejector seat but were yet to be found.\n\nThe smash happened at around 2pm local time (1pm BST).\n\nOne said a wing broke away from the first jet's main fuselage.\n\nOthers said they saw the ejector seats shoot out from the fighters.\n\nWe pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368 . We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours."], "summary": "Two German Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon fighter jets collide in mid-air and crash near Lake Müritz in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Both pilots are able to eject before the crash, but only one survives."}
{"document": ["Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Al-Hol camp in north-eastern Syria is home to thousands of IS family members\n\nThe UN says tens of thousands of Islamic State fighters and family members being held in Iraq and Syria must be tried or released.\n\nHuman rights chief Michelle Bachelet also called on countries to take responsibility for their citizens and take them back if not charged.\n\nThe last IS strongholds fell in March and some 55,000 people are being held, including thousands of foreigners.\n\nBut many nations have shown reluctance to bring their citizens back.\n\nThe countries fear prosecutions of IS fighters may be difficult and public opinion is often strongly against repatriation.\n\nSome countries have also refused to recognise the children of IS members born in Syria and Iraq as citizens, despite their parents having nationality.\n\nMs Bachelet said that children in particular had suffered \"grievous violations\" of their human rights.\n\nWhat has Ms Bachelet said?\n\nThe UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said there should be no doubt about what must happen to those being detained.\n\n\"Accountability through fair trials protects societies from future radicalisation and violence,\" she said, adding that continuing to detain individuals not suspected of crimes was not acceptable.\n\nShe added: \"Foreign family members should be repatriated, unless they are to be prosecuted for crimes in accordance with international standards.\"\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The BBC speaks to two British militants who were members of the so-called \"IS Beatles\"\n\nMs Bachelet highlighted in particular the plight of children born to IS fighters, reported to number about 29,000.\n\n\"States should provide the same access to nationality for children born to their nationals in conflict zones as is otherwise applicable.\n\n\"To inflict statelessness on children who have already suffered so much is an act of irresponsible cruelty,\" she said.\n\nWho are the captives and where are they being held?\n\nA vast number are at al-Hol camp in north-eastern Syria, which has seen a huge increase since the collapse of the last IS strongholds in Syria.\n\nAbout 1,000 foreign IS fighters were captured by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces but several hundred have already been transferred to Iraq for trial. Those remaining are mostly family members.\n\nThe UN says there are about 29,000 children of foreign IS fighters in Syria, 20,000 of them from Iraq, but overall there are about 50 nationalities.\n\nFrance, Russia, Morocco, Saudi Arabia and the Netherlands have taken back some children. Australia also confirmed it had evacuated six children from a \"bleak and complicated'' situation at a Syrian refugee camp.\n\nBut many nations have shown unwillingness to allow repatriation.\n\nResearchers estimate that more than 40,000 foreigners from 80 countries joined IS in Iraq and Syria between April 2013 and June 2018.\n\nIraq has offered to try all foreign fighters captured in Syria. Several Frenchmen are among those so far sentenced to death since being transferred.\n\nWhat is al-Hol like?\n\nMs Bachelet said conditions there were \"deeply substandard\".\n\nThe camp has seen an increase from 11,000 people to more than 70,000 following the collapse of the last IS bastion at Baghouz.\n\nThe BBC's Quentin Sommerville visited in April and said it appeared \"ready to burst\".\n\nImage caption A child in al-Hol. The fate of many is uncertain\n\nHe said hundreds of children brought from Baghouz had died and the rest were at risk from sickness and disease.\n\nIraq was preparing camps on the other side of the border to take back its citizens but the fate of other women and children remained unanswered, he reported.", "Human Rights Chief Bachelet: Islamic State Captives 'Must be Tried or Freed' – BBC News\n\nThe UN says tens of thousands of Islamic State fighters and family members being held in Iraq and Syria must be tried or released.\n\nHuman rights chief Michelle Bachelet also called on countries to take responsibility for their citizens and take them back if not charged.\n\nThe last IS strongholds fell in March and some 55,000 people are being held, including thousands of foreigners.\n\nBut many nations have shown reluctance to bring their citizens back.\n\nThe countries fear prosecutions of IS fighters may be difficult and public opinion is often strongly against repatriation…", "GENEVA (Reuters) - U.N. human rights chief Michelle Bachelet said on Monday that 55,000 captured Islamic State fighters, including foreigners, and their families detained in Syria and Iraq should face fair prosecution or be freed.\n\nStates “must assume responsibility for their nationals” and should not inflict statelessness on fighters’ children who have already suffered so much, Bachelet also told the U.N. Human Rights Council as it opened a three-week session in Geneva.\n\nThe 55,000 include alleged foreign fighters from nearly 50 countries and 11,000 family members held at the al-Hol camp in northeastern Syria “in deeply sub-standard conditions”, she said.\n\nAuthorities in northeast Syria have been urging Western countries to take back citizens who joined Islamic State and their relatives after the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) captured the group’s last enclave this year.\n\n“Foreign family members should be repatriated unless they are to be prosecuted for crimes in accordance with international standards. Children, in particular, have suffered grievous violations of their rights - including those who may have been indoctrinated or recruited by ISIL to perpetrate violent acts,” Bachelet said.", "GENEVA — U.N. human rights chief Michelle Bachelet said on Monday that 55,000 captured Islamic State fighters, including foreigners, and their families detained in Syria and Iraq should face fair trials or be freed.\n\nStates “must assume responsibility for their nationals” and should not inflict statelessness on fighters’ children who have already suffered so much, Bachelet also told the U.N. Human Rights Council as it opened a three-week session in Geneva.\n\nThe 55,000 include suspected foreign fighters from nearly 50 countries and 11,000 family members held at the al-Hol camp in northeastern Syria “in deeply sub-standard conditions,” she said.\n\n“Accountability through fair trials protects societies from future radicalisation and violence,” Bachelet said. “And the continuing detention of individuals not suspected of crimes, in the absence of (a) lawful basis and regular independent judicial review, is not acceptable,” Bachelet said.\n\nAuthorities in northeast Syria have been urging Western countries to take back citizens who joined Islamic State and their relatives after the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) captured the group’s last enclave this year.\n\n“Foreign family members should be repatriated unless they are to be prosecuted for crimes in accordance with international standards. Children, in particular, have suffered grievous violations of their rights – including those who may have been indoctrinated or recruited by ISIL to perpetrate violent acts,” Bachelet said.\n\nFew countries have seemed willing to take back their citizens, who may be hard to prosecute, and the issue has led to fierce debate in their home countries where there is little public sympathy for the families of jihadists.\n\nThe United States, France and the Netherlands have each repatriated a small number of women or children from northeast Syria, but many others remain there.\n\nSome children born during the conflict have been left stateless.\n\n“To inflict statelessness on children who have already suffered so much is an act of irresponsible cruelty’,” Bachelet said. “I urge all states to assume responsibility for their nationals, and to work together to provide resources to help the relevant authorities and actors in Syria and Iraq to address urgent humanitarian needs,” she said.", "GENEVA (Reuters) - U.N. human rights chief Michelle Bachelet said on Monday that 55,000 former Islamic State fighters, including foreigners, and their families detained in Syria and Iraq should face fair prosecution or be freed.\n\nStates “must assume responsibility for their nationals” and should not inflict statelessness on fighters’ children who have already suffered so much, Bachelet told the U.N. Human Rights Council as it opened a three-week session in Geneva.", "(Hatha al-Youm | Iraq News )-UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet said on Monday that 55,000 former ISIS fighters, including foreigners, and their families detained in Syria and Iraq should face fair prosecution or be freed.States “must assume responsibility for their nationals” and should not inflict statelessness on fighters’ children who have already suffered so much, Bachelet told the UN Human Rights Council as it opened a three-week session in Geneva.", "Thousands Of ISIS Fighters Must Be Tried Or Let Go, U.N. Rights Chief Says\n\nThe U.N.'s human rights chief says there are only two options for dealing with the tens of thousands of suspected ISIS fighters currently detained in Syria and Iraq: They must be either tried or let go, and their families cannot be detained indefinitely.\n\nSome 55,000 suspected ISIS fighters and their family members have been swept up and detained since ISIS was effectively toppled and lost control of its territory, the U.N. says.\n\n\"It must be clear that all individuals who are suspected of crimes — whatever their country of origin, and whatever the nature of the crime — should face investigation and prosecution, with due process guarantees,\" U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said. She also warned that flawed trials \"can only serve the narrative of grievance and revenge.\"\n\n\"And the continuing detention of individuals not suspected of crimes, in the absence of lawful basis and regular independent judicial review, is not acceptable,\" Bachelet added.\n\nThe U.N. official highlighted the ISIS detainee issue during her remarks at a session of the Human Rights Council, saying it was not receiving the attention it deserves.\n\nAs an example, Bachelet cited the al-Hol camp in northeastern Syria, where some 11,000 people who are believed to be the wives and children of foreign ISIS fighters are living in what she called \"deeply sub-standard conditions.\"\n\n\"Foreign family members should be repatriated, unless they are to be prosecuted for crimes in accordance with international standards,\" Bachelet added.\n\nNPR's Jane Arraf recently visited the al-Hol camp, where she was told that at least 200 children have died either on the way there or in the camp, oftentimes of malnutrition or hypothermia.\n\n\"We are continuously dealing with cases of malnutrition,\" Massoud Ramo of the Kurdish Red Crescent told NPR.\n\nMany countries have appeared reluctant to repatriate their own citizens who were detained in Syria and Iraq.\n\nThe U.K. is perhaps the most dramatic example, as it has stripped a young woman named Shamima Begum of her citizenship. Begum was 15 when she ran away to Syria with two friends to join the Islamic State, and she has since said she wants to return to the U.K. When she was found in the al-Hol camp in northern Syria, Begum said two of her children had died, and a third has since passed away.\n\n\"Despite the complexity of these challenges, rendering people stateless is never an acceptable option,\" said Bachelet.\n\nThe U.N. rights expert was particularly critical of making children stateless, saying, \"To inflict statelessness on children who have already suffered so much is an act of irresponsible cruelty.\"\n\nOther countries have taken different approaches. To date, the U.S. has returned three American women and 10 children from northern Syria.\n\nWhen the U.S. repatriated the latest group earlier this month, NPR's Ruth Sherlock cited a State Department spokesperson who said that \"appeals [lodged] by alleged American citizens to return to the U.S. are being looked at on a case-by-case basis.\"", "GENEVA — Thousands of relatives of former foreign fighters in the Islamic State group should be repatriated, the U.N. human rights chief said Monday, insisting children in particular have suffered “grievous violations” of their rights — a challenge to European and other countries that have been reticent about taking back jihadis and their kin.\n\nMichelle Bachelet said more than 55,000 suspected Islamic State fighters and their families have been detained in Iraq and Syria. Most are in the custody of the Iraqi government and the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, and the fighters come from some 50 countries. More than 11,000 relatives are being held at the Al Hol camp in northeastern Syria alone.\n\nBachelet appealed to the relevant countries to uphold their responsibilities under international law, even with regard to members of an extremist group infamous for beheadings and other grave violence. Many European countries have been reluctant to take back their nationals, led by France, which saw more of its citizens join Islamic State than any other European country.\n\n“Foreign family members should be repatriated, unless they are to be prosecuted for crimes in accordance with international standards,” Bachelet told the Human Rights Council as it opened its summer session. “Children, in particular, have suffered grievous violations of their rights — including those who may have been indoctrinated or recruited by (Islamic State) to perpetrate violent acts.”\n\nBachelet said some existing cases haven’t met international standards, noting that Iraq has sentenced to death more than 150 men and women in trials “which have not afforded adequate due process guarantees.”\n\nThe U.S. has been urging European countries to bring back their nationals and put them on trial but most EU countries have refused. Russia and Kazakhstan have been most active at repatriating foreign fighters and their families.\n\nEarlier Monday, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that eight children of two slain Islamic State group fighters had been removed from Syria to an unspecified location before planned repatriation to Australia. It would mark the country's first organized repatriation from the conflict zone.", "Thousands of relatives of suspected foreign ISIL/Da'esh terrorist fighters should be repatriated, the U.N. human rights chief said Monday, adding that children in particular have suffered \"grievous violations\" of their rights\n\nUNITED NATIONS, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - APP - 24th Jun, 2019 ) :Thousands of relatives of suspected foreign ISIL/Da'esh terrorist fighters should be repatriated, the U.N. human rights chief said Monday, adding that children in particular have suffered \"grievous violations\" of their rights.\n\n\"Foreign family members should be repatriated, unless they are to be prosecuted for crimes in accordance with international standards,\" Michelle Bachelet, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said in her opening speech at the UN Human Rights Council, which started its annual summer session in Geneva.\n\nShe said more than 55,000 suspected ISIL fighters and their families have been detained in Iraq and Syria.\n\nBachelet warned countries against revoking the citizenship of people who went to fight for ISIL in Syria or Iraq.\n\n\"Rendering people stateless is never an acceptable option,\" she said, adding that some countries have made efforts to repatriate some nationals.\n\nMany European countries have been reluctant to take back their nationals.\n\n\"While the majority of these individuals are Syrian or Iraqi, they also include alleged foreign fighters from nearly 50 countries,\" Ms. Bachelet said, noting that at least 11,000 suspected family members of foreign ISIL fighters are still being held at Al Hol camp in north-eastern Syria, \"in deeply sub-standard conditions\".\n\nCiting estimates by UN Children's Fund, UNICEF, that there are 29,000 children of foreign fighters in Syria, the High Commissioner added that two-thirds of them originally came from Iraq and most were not even 12 years old.\n\nThousands more children have been born to foreign families during the years of conflict, she noted, before appealing to States to give them nationality, or else risk fuelling a \"narrative of grievance and revenge\".\n\nIn Iraq, \"well over\" 150 men and women have been sentenced to death under anti-terror laws after trials where due process guarantees were not provided, Ms. Bachelet stressed, before insisting that States of origin \"should make all efforts to ensure that they will be treated in accordance with international law\".\n\n\"Children, in particular, have suffered grievous violations of their rights � including those who may have been indoctrinated or recruited by ISIL to perpetrate violent acts,\" Ms. Bachelet insisted, before the 47-Member Council.\n\n\"The Primary consideration must be their rehabilitation, protection and best interests.\" According to a report published by the Office of the High Commissioner last year for the United Nations Counter-Terrorism Implementation Task Force, more than 40,000 people from 110 countries are estimated to have joined ISIL by October 2017, while at least 5,600 had also returned home.\n\nHighlighting that family members were being detained \"although they are not being held for prosecution\", Bachelet said that many also risked \"revenge attacks\" and were \"unwanted\" by their former communities.\n\nDespite the complex challenges involved in repatriating these families amid concerns that they pose a potential terror risk, stripping them of their nationality so that they can never return home \"is never an acceptable option\", she maintained.\n\nMoreover, doing the same to children \"who have already suffered so much is an act of irresponsible cruelty\", the High Commissioner insisted, adding that stateless children often get no education, health care access \"or other basic elements of dignity\".\n\nTo date, \"a few\" countries have attempted to repatriate some foreign nationals, Ms. Bachelet said, in reference to the French grandparents of children being held in Syria or Iraq.\n\nMore Member States could tackle the issue of foreign fighters and their families in line with technical advice prepared by the High Commissioner's office (OHCHR), she said, before urging them to work with Syrian and Iraqi authorities to address urgent humanitarian needs.\n\nOver the next three weeks, as in previous sessions, the Human Rights Council is set to examine some 100 reports by UN-appointed independent rights experts and committees, according to the UN.\n\nThere will also be dialogues on the human rights situations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Myanmar and Sudan, along with a detailed update on Friday 5 July, by the High Commissioner on her recent official visit to Venezuela.\n\nMany other human rights themes are also on the table, including women's enjoyment of their rights in the context of work, old age and climate change; targeted surveillance and the private surveillance industry; mental health; and other essential areas of political, civil, economic, social and cultural rights.", "Tens of thousands of captured IS group fighters and their families should be repatriated, UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet said Monday, challenging France and other European countries that have been reticent to see combatants return.\n\nBachelet said that 55,000 captured Islamic State (IS) group fighters, including foreigners, and their families detained in Syria and Iraq should face fair trials or be freed.\n\nStates “must assume responsibility for their nationals” and should not inflict the “irresponsible cruelty” of statelessness on fighters’ children who have already suffered so much, Bachelet told the UN Human Rights Council as it opened a three-week session in Geneva.\n\nThe 55,000 include suspected foreign fighters from nearly 50 countries and 11,000 family members held at the al-Hol camp in northeastern Syria “in deeply sub-standard conditions”, she said.\n\n“Accountability through fair trials protects societies from future radicalisation and violence,” Bachelet said. “And the continuing detention of individuals not suspected of crimes, in the absence of [a] lawful basis and regular independent judicial review, is not acceptable,” Bachelet said.\n\nAuthorities in northeast Syria have been urging Western countries to take back citizens who joined the IS group and their relatives after the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) captured the group’s last enclave this year.\n\n“Foreign family members should be repatriated unless they are to be prosecuted for crimes in accordance with international standards. Children, in particular, have suffered grievous violations of their rights including those who may have been indoctrinated or recruited by ISIL [another acronym for IS group] to perpetrate violent acts,” Bachelet said.\n\nFew states have seemed willing to take back their citizens, who may be hard to prosecute, and the issue has led to fierce debate in their home countries where there is little public sympathy for the families of jihadists.\n\nThe United States, France and the Netherlands have each repatriated a small number of women or children from northeast Syria, but many others remain stranded and some children born during the conflict have been left stateless.\n\nEarlier on Monday, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that eight children of two slain IS group fighters had been removed from Syria to an unspecified location before planned repatriation to Australia. It would mark the country's first organised repatriation from the conflict zone.\n\nGroups of French children were returned to France earlier this month, along with at least three adults who were immediately detained for questioning. A dozen Frenchmen have been sentenced to death in Iraq.\n\n“I urge all states to assume responsibility for their nationals, and to work together to provide resources to help the relevant authorities and actors in Syria and Iraq to address urgent humanitarian needs,” Bachelet said."], "summary": "United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet says the tens of thousands of Islamic State fighters and family members being held in Iraq and Syria must be tried or released, and calls on countries to take responsibility for their citizens and take them back if not charged."}
{"document": ["Half a kilo of explosives was brought to Paris in a diplomatic suitcases in order to carry out a terror attack, before being foiled by French authorities, it was reported in the British media.\n\n\n\nThe British newspaper \"Independent in Arabic\" quoted an intelligence source as saying that in 2018 Iran had delivered half a ton of TATP explosives in diplomatic packages to a civilian plane that was supposed to be transferred to Paris to carry out an attack in the city.\n\nAccording to the report, the plane arrived from Tehran to Geneva in June 2018, following an Iranian plan to carry out a terrorist attack during a meeting of the Iranian opposition. According to a report based on intelligence sources, the attack was supposed to be carried out by an Iranian intelligence official who worked at the Iranian embassy in Austria since 2014, but French intelligence thwarted the attack after the authorities arrested a Belgian couple of Iranian origin who had the explosives in their car on their way to Paris.A Western intelligence source said the intelligence official visited Tehran on July 20, 2018, where he received TATP explosives. On June 22, he transferred explosives in a civilian plane from Tehran to Austria on flight OS872, when the material was delivered in a diplomatic suitcase aboard the Airbus A320. The plane had 240 passengers.The source added that the transfer of the explosives into a civilian plane constitutes a clear and blatant blow to all international treaties related to security in international aviation, for if it enters into strong pockets of air, the plane would explode in the air. The source referred to the Russian plane that exploded shortly after taking off from the Sharm el-Sheikh airport in Egypt three years ago, and all 244 passengers aboard were killed by an explosive charge weighing half a kilogram of TNT.According to the intelligence source, the material seized by the Belgian couple in Iran and its transfer to a terrorist attack on a civilian plane is a dangerous violation of international conventions. According to the source, Iran frequently uses civilian aircraft and civilian airlines to transport explosives, weapons and ballistic missiles, as well as funds to Hezbollah in Lebanon and elsewhere in the world.\n\nvar cont = `Join Jerusalem Post Premium Plus now for just $5 and upgrade your experience with an ads-free website and exclusive content. Click here>>\n\n\n\n`; document.getElementById(\"linkPremium\").innerHTML = cont; (function (v, i){ });", "Dear Reader, As you can imagine, more people are reading The Jerusalem Post than ever before. Nevertheless, traditional business models are no longer sustainable and high-quality publications, like ours, are being forced to look for new ways to keep going. Unlike many other news organizations, we have not put up a paywall. We want to keep our journalism open and accessible and be able to keep providing you with news and analysis from the frontlines of Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World.\n\nHalf a ton of explosives was brought to Paris in a diplomatic suitcases in order to carry out a terror attack, before being foiled by French authorities, it was reported in the British media.\n\n\n\nThe British newspaper \"Independent in Arabic\" quoted an intelligence source as saying that in 2018 Iran had delivered half a ton of TATP explosives in diplomatic packages to a civilian plane that was supposed to be transferred to Paris to carry out an attack in the city.\n\nAccording to the report, the plane arrived from Tehran to Geneva in June 2018, following an Iranian plan to carry out a terrorist attack during a meeting of the Iranian opposition. According to a report based on intelligence sources, the attack was supposed to be carried out by an Iranian intelligence official who worked at the Iranian embassy in Austria since 2014, but French intelligence thwarted the attack after the authorities arrested a Belgian couple of Iranian origin who had the explosives in their car on their way to Paris.A Western intelligence source said the intelligence official visited Tehran on July 20, 2018, where he received TATP explosives. On June 22, he transferred explosives in a civilian plane from Tehran to Austria on flight OS872, when the material was delivered in a diplomatic suitcase aboard the Airbus A320. The plane had 240 passengers.The source added that the transfer of the explosives into a civilian plane constitutes a clear and blatant blow to all international treaties related to security in international aviation, for if it enters into strong pockets of air, the plane would explode in the air. The source referred to the Russian plane that exploded shortly after taking off from the Sharm el-Sheikh airport in Egypt three years ago, and all 244 passengers aboard were killed by an explosive charge weighing half a kilogram of TNT.According to the intelligence source, the material seized by the Belgian couple in Iran and its transfer to a terrorist attack on a civilian plane is a dangerous violation of international conventions. According to the source, Iran frequently uses civilian aircraft and civilian airlines to transport explosives, weapons and ballistic missiles, as well as funds to Hezbollah in Lebanon and elsewhere in the world.\n\nJoin Jerusalem Post Premium Plus now for just $5 and upgrade your experience with an ads-free website and exclusive content. Click here>>"], "summary": "The British newspaper Independent in Arabic quotes an intelligence source as saying that in 2018 Iran had delivered half a ton of TATP explosives in diplomatic packages to a civilian plane that was supposed to be transferred to Paris to carry out an attack in the city."}
{"document": ["CLEVELAND, Ohio — The man accused of fatally stabbing the mother of serial killer Michael Madison and the stabbing of three sleeping children will be jailed on $2 million bond.\n\nJalen Plummer, 18, is charged with aggravated murder in the Saturday stabbing death of his 62-year-old grandmother, Diane Madison. He is also charged with felonious assault for stabbing his 10-year-old sister, 12-year-old brother and 10-year-old cousin as they slept, according to police and court records.\n\nDiane Madison was found dead inside their home on Chicasaw Avenue near East 200th Street in the city’s North Shore-Collinwood neighborhood.\n\nCleveland Municipal Judge Lauren Moore set Plummer’s bond during his first court appearance on Monday.\n\nThe stabbings happened about 12:15 a.m. Saturday, police said. The three children ran from the home to a neighbor’s house. A neighbor called 911.\n\nThey were all taken to University Hospital’s Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital.\n\nA 10-year-old girl and her 12-year-old cousin required surgery, court records say. All three children are still hospitalized, according to court records.\n\nPolice found Plummer covered in blood in a shower inside the home, court records say. He was treated at MetroHealth for injuries to his fingers and palms, according to police.\n\nDuring Michael Madison’s trial, defense attorneys said that Diane Madison abused her son throughout his childhood. His attorneys said she stuffed food down his throat and forced him to vomit, she beat him with an extension cord and scalded him with hot water. One of her boyfriends beat him so bad that the boy lost hearing in one ear.\n\nMichael Madison was sentenced to death in 2016 for strangling deaths of 18-year-old Shirrellda Terry, 28-year-old Shetisha Sheeley and 38-year-old Angela Deskins between October 2012 and July 2013.\n\nProsecutors said he was inspired by East Cleveland serial killer Anthony Sowell to keep his victim’s bodies stashed nearby.\n\nMadison is in Chillicothe Correctional Institution while awaiting a decision by the Ohio Supreme Court for his mandatory appeal for all death-penalty convictions.\n\nOhio Gov. Mike DeWine in February ordered a moratorium on executions until a new method can be developed and deemed constitutional by courts.\n\nTo comment on this story, go to the cleveland.com crime and courts comments section.", "An 18-year-old man fatally stabbed Diane Madison, 62, and wounded three children in Madison’s home shortly after midnight in Cleveland, according to NBC4. Madison is the mother of 35-year-old Michael Madison, a serial killer now on death row for the murder of three women. He was arrested at his mother’s home in 2013. In Sunday’s incident, the 18-year-old allegedly stabbed Madison in her bedroom—then found two 10-year-old girls and a 12-year-old boy sleeping in the house and stabbed them multiple times. The two girls fled the house and asked neighbors for help. The boy was found hiding in the home. The children are expected to survive. The suspect, whose name was not released, was arrested at the scene.", "CLEVELAND - A woman was found dead and three children injured early Saturday morning after a man entered their home and stabbed them, Cleveland police said.\n\nThe suspect, 18-year-old Jaylen Latrell Plummer, entered the home where Diane Madison, 62, and three children -- two 10-year- olds and a 12-year-old -- slept and began stabbing them in their bedrooms, police said.\n\nMadison is the mother of serial killer Michael Madison, according to WJW, based on confirmation from his former attorney.\n\nMichael Madison was sentenced to death in 2016, after being convicted of killing three women and wrapping their bodies in garbage bags.\n\nDiane Madison was pronounced dead at the scene Saturday. Two of the children were able to run to a neighbor's home and call for help, police said. Officers found the third child hiding in the house. The three young victims were taken to a children's hospital.\n\nPolice said they found and arrested Plummer in the home's shower. He had wounds on his hands and fingers and also had to be treated at a hospital.\n\nWOIO reported that Michael Madison had barricaded himself inside his mother's home -- the house where Saturday's stabbings took place -- before his arrest in 2013.", "A man has been accused of killing a Cleveland woman and injuring three children in a knife attack.\n\nThe suspect, 18-year-old Jaylen Latrell Plummer, allegedly entered the home of 62-year-old Diane Madison, mother of infamous Cleveland serial killer Michael Madison, and fatally stabbed her while she was sleeping, WKYC3 reported.\n\nAfter allegedly killing the 62-year-old, Plummer made his way through the house and found three sleeping children, a 12-year-old boy and two 10-year-old girls, and reportedly stabbed them multiple times.\n\nAuthorities say the boy hid in the house while the two girls managed to escape and get help from a neighbour to call the police. Plummer remained inside the house where police found him with cuts on his hands. He was then arrested.\n\nThe children were taken to hospital and their condition is currently unknown.\n\nNeighbours spoke to WKYC3 about the incident and Diane’s personality. One neighbour named Timothy Galasky said Diane was “very quiet, peaceful lady, kept to herself,” adding, the situation was “sad.”\n\n“It just makes you wonder what he was thinking what was the motive and what was his mindset and why,” said Galasky.\n\nDiane’s son, Michael, was convicted in 2013 for the murders of three women. He’s currently on death row.\n\nThe stabbing is still under investigation.", "The mother of a serial killer behind the slayings of three women in Ohio was fatally stabbed early Saturday morning in an attack at her home in Cleveland that also injured three children, according to officials.\n\nThe Cleveland Police Department said the incident happened around 12:15 a.m. at a home on Cleveland's east side.\n\nThe suspect, identified as 18-year-old Jaylen Latrell Plummer, alleged entered the home and starting stabbing Diane Madison, 62, and three other children -- two 10-year-old's and a 12-year-old, as they were sleeping in their bedrooms, according to police.\n\nMISSOURI OFFICER SHOT WHILE RESPONDING TO CALL HAS DIED, SUSPECT IN CUSTODY: POLICE\n\nTwo of the children were able to get out of the house and run to a neighbor’s house, where they called the police, FOX8 reported.\n\nPolice said that after stabbing the children, Plummer got in the shower where he was discovered and arrested by arriving officers. The 18-year-old had to take to the hospital for treatment for multiple cuts to his hands.\n\nMadison was discovered dead at the scene and had sustained multiple stab wounds. She is the mother of notorious serial killer Michael Madison, according to FOX8.\n\nMichael Madison was sentenced to death in 2016 after being convicted of killing three women and wrapping their bodies in garbage bags.\n\nThe bodies of 38-year-old Angela Deskins, 28-year-old Shetisha Sheeley, and 18-year-old Shirellda Terry were found in July 2013 near the East Cleveland apartment building where Madison lived. Madison told police he strangled two of them but couldn't remember killing the third.\n\nCuyahoga County Prosecutor Timothy J. McGinty had described Madison as a trophy keeper who was inspired by the earlier case of Cleveland serial killer Anthony Sowell, who was convicted in the deaths of 11 women.\n\nMadison's attorney never contested his guilt at trial. The defense instead had focused on saving his life by presenting evidence that Madison suffered lasting psychological damage from abuse as a youngster.\n\nOne of the children stabbed in Saturday's early-morning rampage is Michael's child, FOX8 reported.\n\nAll three of the children were taken to a children's hospital and were expected to survive their injuries, WOIO reported.\n\nCLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS APP\n\nPlummer is the grandson of Diane Madison, and the brother of two of the children who were stabbed in the attack, according to FOX8.\n\nOfficials have not said what may have motivated the stabbing spree. In a court appearance on Monday, Plummer entered a not guilty plea and a judge ordered he be held on a $2 million bond, FOX8 reported. He is scheduled to appear in court again on July 8.\n\nFox News' Cristina Corbin and The Associated Press contributed to this report.", "Police in Ohio have arrested an 18-year-old man who they say stabbed to death his grandmother - who was the mother of a local serial killer - and injured three young relatives in a nighttime attack at the woman's home in Cleveland.\n\nCleveland police have identified the deceased victim as 62-year-old Diane Madison. She succumbed to her wounds at the scene on Saturday.\n\nDiane Madison was the mother of Michael Madison, a convicted sex offender who was found guilty in 2016 of murdering three women and sentenced to death.\n\nThe murder suspect, 18-year-old Jalen Plummer, was arraigned early Monday morning on charges of aggravated murder and felonious assault, and had his bond set at $2million, reported Cleveland.com.\n\nPlummer is accused of repeatedly stabbing his 12-year-old brother, 10-year-old sister and 10-year-old cousin, who were all taken to Rainbow Babies and Children Hospital for treatment.\n\nOne of the young victims is Michael Madison's child, reported Fox 8 Cleveland.\n\nPolice say Plummer entered the bedrooms of the sleeping children at the residence in the 19000 block of Chickasaw Avenue at around 12.15am on Saturday.and began stabbing them.\n\nThe two girls managed to flee and ask neighbors for help. Officers found the boy hiding inside the home.\n\nPolice were were called to the scene found the 18-year-old suspect covered in blood in the shower inside his grandmother's house. Plummer was then taken to a hospital to be treated for cuts to his hand.\n\nMichael Madison - who registered as a sex offender in 2002 when he was sentenced to four years in prison for attempted rape - was apprehended at his mother's home in East Cleveland July 2013 after a two-hour standoff.\n\nHis arrest came after the decomposing bodies of Angela Deskins, 38, Shetisha Sheeley, 28, and 18-year-old Shirellda Terry were found wrapped in garbage bags secured with tape near his apartment.\n\nMadison said at the time he admired local serial killer Anthony Sowell, known as the Cleveland Strangler, who remains on death row in Ohio for the murders of 11 women.\n\nDuring his trial, Madison's defense lawyers told the jury his mother, Diane, abused him as a child.", "A teen stabbed a serial killer’s mother to death then slashed three children, including the killer’s daughter, as they slept, police say.\n\nAuthorities say Jaylen Latrell Plummer, 18, killed Diane Madison, 62, and stabbed the two ten-year-old girls and a 12-year-old boy on Saturday in Cleveland, Ohio.\n\nMadison is the mother of Michael Madison, now 41, who was sentenced to death in 2016 after he was convicted of killing three women and wrapping their bodies in garbage bags.\n\nOne of the victims injured was Michael Madison’s child, Fox News reported. Plummer is reportedly related to the victims. Authorities say he is Diane Madison’s grandson and two of his victims were his brothers. The children were taken to Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital.\n\nAuthorities say two of the children were able to run for help during the attack.\n\nPlummer appeared in court on Monday with bandages wrapped around his hands and pleaded not guilty to murder.\n\nPolice say they found him in the shower at his home with cuts on his hands.They have not yet released a motive and he is being held on $2 million bond.\n\nDuring Michael Madison’s trial, his lawyers said his mother abused him while he was a child. They accused her of forcing food down his throat before making him vomit, Cleveland.com reported.\n\nDefense lawyers also claimed she beat him with an extension cord, scalded him with boiling water, and let one of her boyfriends beat him so badly he lost his hearing.\n\nMichael Madison was sentenced to execution for the strangling deaths of Shirrellda Terry, 18, Shetisha Sheeley, 28, and Angela Deskins, 38.\n\nAs Madison was sentenced, Terry’s father, Van Terry, lunged at the convicted killer, leaping over a desk and incited chaos in the courtroom before he was subdued by authorities and bystanders.", "Home of Diane Madison, the mother of Cleveland serial killer, Michael Madison, was stabbed to death. Three children injured.\n\nCLEVELAND (AP) — An 18-year-old has pleaded not guilty to fatally stabbing his grandmother and injuring three children in an attack at a Cleveland home.\n\nA judge on Monday ordered that Jalen Plummer be held on a $2 million bond. Plummer pleaded not guilty to charges including aggravated murder. Court records don’t indicate whether he has an attorney.\n\nPolice say he entered the bedrooms of his sleeping siblings and cousin and stabbed them early Saturday.\n\nAuthorities say his 10-year-old sister, 12-year-old brother and 10-year-old cousin were stabbed multiple times and taken to a hospital for treatment.\n\nCleveland media outlets say she is the mother of Michael Madison, a Cleveland man convicted of killing three women in 2013 and hiding their bodies in garbage bags.\n\nMichael is currently on death row for killing three women, according to WKYC.", "(CNN) — A woman who was found stabbed to death in her bed in a Cleveland home was the mother of serial killer Michael Madison.\n\nThe woman was found dead and three children injured early Saturday after an attacker entered their home around 12:15 a.m. and stabbed them in their bedrooms, Cleveland police said.\n\nThe woman was identified as Diane Madison, 62. Her son’s former attorney confirmed she is the mother of Michael Madison, who has been on death row since 2016 for the killing of three women, CNN affiliate WEWS reported.\n\nThe injured children were two 10-year-olds and a 12-year-old, police said. Two of them ran to a neighbor’s home to call for help, and the third hid inside the house until police arrived.\n\nJaylen Latrell Plummer, 18, was arrested after being found in a shower in the home. He had wounds on his hands, police said.\n\nWOIO reported that Michael Madison had barricaded himself inside his mother’s home — the house where Saturday’s stabbings took place — before his arrest in July 2013. The house is on the northeast edge of Cleveland, one block from the suburb of Euclid.\n\nMadison, now 41, was convicted of the killings of Shirellda Terry, Shetisha Sheeley and Angela Deskins. The women’s bodies were found wrapped in plastic bags near an East Cleveland garage he was leasing.\n\nIn a dramatic moment during court proceedings, Shirellda Terry’s distraught father, Van Terry, leaped over a table in an apparent attempt to attack Madison. As a court officer held Terry off, Madison grinned and taunted him.", "CLEVELAND, Ohio - 18-year-old Jaylen Latrell Plummer is scheduled to face a judge Monday in the death of Diane Madison.\n\nPolice say Plummer went into Madison's home on Chickasaw Ave. around 12:15 a.m. Saturday and started stabbing three children in their sleep.\n\nThe children, ages 10 and 12, are being treated at Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital.\n\nPolice say officers found Plummer in the shower at the home.\n\nTwo of the children were able to run for help during the attack.\n\nMadison is the mother of serial killer Michael Madison.\n\nThe FOX 8 I-Team confirms one of the children stabbed is Michael's child.\n\nMadison was convicted of aggravated murder in the deaths of three women whose bodies were found near Madison’s East Cleveland apartment in July 2013."], "summary": "Diane Madison, the mother of American serial killer Michael Madison, is stabbed to death in her home. Three children are also injured. Her grandson Jalen Plummer is arrested and charged with aggravated murder and felonious assault."}
{"document": ["El ministro de Defensa, José Huerta, falleció la mañana del lunes, a los 71 años, a causa de un paro cardíaco. Ocurrió cuando se encontraba en el distrito de El Cenepa, provincia de Condorcanqui, región Amazonas .\n\nDe acuerdo con un comunicado difundido por el Ministerio de Defensa, José Huerta Torres sufrió un desvanecimiento mientras hacía una visita de inspección al Puesto Integral de Vigilancia y Control Territorial N° 4 (PIVCT 4) en la provincia de Condorcanqui, frontera con Ecuador.\n\nEl titular de Defensa se encontraba acompañado por miembros del Comando Conjunto de las Fuerzas Armadas y del Ejército.\n\nHuerta Torres \"recibió los primeros auxilios y fue traslado en helicóptero al Hospital de Santa María de Nieva, donde recibió la atención de emergencia\", indica el informe. Lamentablemente, dejó de existir al promediar las 10:00 de la mañana.\n\nCon profundo pesar, expresamos nuestras más sentidas condolencias por el repentino fallecimiento del ministro de Defensa, José Huerta Torres, mientras trabajaba incansablemente por el país, al que amaba profundamente y al que le otorgó hasta el último minuto de su vida. pic.twitter.com/4hiXjHBGuH — MINDEF PERU (@MindefPeru) 24 de junio de 2019\n\nAPOYÓ CAMPAÑA DEL MINISTERIO DE LA MUJER\n\n\n\nLa semana pasada, el titular de Defensa había expresado su respaldo total a los miembros del Ejército que habían participado en una campaña del Ministerio de la Mujer y Poblaciones Vulnerables.\n\n\"Estas prendas no denigran para nada el uniforme de las Fuerzas Armadas. No se denigra, es parte de una campaña [...] Esa es mi opinión como ministro de Estado y acá no va a haber persona que vaya a ser castigada, sancionada ni cuestionada por esta situación\", dijo sobre las críticas por el uso de un mandil rosa por parte del alto mando del Ejército.\n\nJosé Huerta era viceministro de Políticas para la Defensa cuando fue nombrado como titular del ministerio por el presidente Martín Vizcarra en abril del 2018.", "Ministro de Defensa de Perú.\n\n(CNN Español) — José Huerta Torres, ministro de Defensa de Perú, falleció este lunes de un paro cardiaco, reporta la agencia Andina.\n\n\n\nHuerta Torres estaba en la selva en actividades de su cargo, dice Andina.\n\nEl ministro tenía 71 años.\n\nEl presidente de Perú, Martín Vizcarra, tuiteo un mensaje para la familia de Huerta Torres:\n\nLamento profundamente el fallecimiento del ministro de Defensa José Huerta, quien nos ha dejado sirviendo a su Patria. Esta es una noticia dolorosa y que nos apena profundamente. Mis sentidas condolencias a la familia. — Martín Vizcarra (@MartinVizcarraC) June 24, 2019\n\nPor su parte, el presidente del Consejo de Ministros de Perú, Salvador del Solar, lamentó la muerte en su cuenta de Twitter:", "Peruvian Defense Minister Jose Huerta, a retired general, died Monday of a heart attack during a visit to military bases, the government announced. He was 71.\n\nTwo days of national mourning were declared in honor of Huerta, who passed away after arriving in Santa Maria de Nieva, a town in Peru's Amazonas region, state media said.\n\nHe collapsed as he was boarding a helicopter.\n\nPresident Martin Vizcarra paid tribute to Huerta's service to the nation, and called the news of his death \"painful.\"\n\nHuerta was given full military honors when a coffin bearing his remains was flown back to the capital Lima. Lawmakers observed a moment of silence.\n\nHuerta assumed office just nine days after Vizcarra took over from former president Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, who stepped down in March last year.\n\nMonday and Tuesday were designated as official days of mourning. The country's flag will be flown at half-staff on all public buildings, military bases and police barracks.", "Boyle Heights -- A street party -- complete with music and poetry -- was held on Saturday to celebrate the naming of the intersection of East 1st and Chicago streets in honor of Dolores Huerta, the 89-year-old civil rights and labor leader who co-founded the United Farm Workers union.\n\nL.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti, Councilman Jose Huizar, who initiated naming the intersection in honor of Huerta, and L.A. County Supervisor Hilda Solis flanked Huerta as she helped reveal the signs reading \"Dolores Huerta Square.\"\n\nThe signs were installed at the intersection where the Stockton Community Services Organization, a family services agency, once had an office. Huerta worked as an organizer for the organization before founding the farm workers union with Cesar Chavez."], "summary": "The Defense Minister of Peru, José Huerta, suddenly dies of cardiac arrest while worked."}
{"document": ["Image copyright NASA/JPL-CALTECH/MSSS Image caption The Curiosity rover carries an onboard lab to measure the chemistry of the atmosphere\n\nThe American space agency's Mars rover Curiosity has recorded its largest measurement yet of methane.\n\nThe robot frequently \"sniffs\" the Red Planet for the gas but has never before seen so high a concentration - of 21 parts per billion (ppb).\n\nThe observations are fascinating because on Earth, methane is produced in large part by living things.\n\nThat's not necessarily the case on Mars; geological processes are very capable of making it as well.\n\nNonetheless, the latest data will heighten interest in the topic.\n\nThrough the course of its mission, Curiosity has noticed a number of spikes in methane, and it senses a background level that appears to have a seasonal pattern to it.\n\nBut although the robot's big onboard chemistry lab - the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument - can detect the gas's presence, it can say nothing about the source.\n\n\"With our current measurements, we have no way of telling if the methane source is biology or geology, or even ancient or modern,\" said SAM Principal Investigator Paul Mahaffy from Nasa's Goddard Spaceflight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.\n\nThe issue of methane at Mars is a little confusing at the moment, to say the least.\n\nWhile Curiosity continues to measure some spikes, and one of these has been confirmed by the European Mars Express satellite in orbit at the planet - another spacecraft, supposedly with much better sensitivity, has seen nothing.\n\nThis probe, known as the Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO), started observing the planet's atmosphere in April 2017. It should be able to detect methane at concentrations in the parts per trillion.\n\nQuite why it cannot see what Curiosity sees is therefore a major puzzle.\n\nOne suggestion is that there is some kind of destruction mechanism that removes a methane spike in the lower atmosphere very rapidly - before the joint European-Russian TGO can get over Curiosity's operation site at Gale Crater.\n\nBut if this process exists, scientists are at a loss currently to explain it.\n\nNasa controllers commanded Curiosity to run a further air-sampling experiment over the weekend. The results were expected back on Earth on Monday.\n\nFor context, the concentration of methane in Earth's atmosphere is 1,865ppb. So the quantities at Mars, whatever their source, are still very small.\n\nThe primary emitters of methane on Earth are from wetlands, livestock, biomass and fossil-fuel burning, landfill and rice paddies.\n\nThe term \"parts per billion by volume\" (ppbv, or ppb for short) means that in a given volume of air, some billionths of that volume will constitute the gas of interest.\n\nOne of the geological processes that can produce methane is \"serpentinisation\", which yields the gas at the end of a chain of reactions when water comes into contact with certain rock minerals.\n\nDr Mahaffy's statement about historic methane is an important one, too. Even though Curiosity sees the gas today, it is quite possible the original source is ancient and is only now being released into the atmosphere, perhaps because some store below ground has become disturbed.\n\nOn Earth, methane can be held in ice under the seafloor or in permafrost regions on land for a very long time before it breaks out into the air.", "Curiosity, NASA's Mars rover, has had a busy weekend. After detecting the highest levels of methane yet seen on Mars last weekend, NASA put a pause on the rover's other science activities to follow up on the discovery. On Monday, data from Curiosity's subsequent experiment filtered back to NASA and the spike in methane levels had disappeared, dropping to background levels.\n\n\"A plume came and a plume went,\" said Paul Mahaffy, principal investigator overseeing Curiosity's Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument, during a NASA town hall event at the Astrobiology Science Conference on Monday. \"We're very confident of the measurement.\"\n\nAs the news of Curiosity's startling finding broke over the weekend, many suggested the high methane could hint at the possibility of life on Mars. Methane is an important molecule on Earth and many living organisms excrete it, including microbes.\n\nMahaffy explained that Curiosity had detected an unusually high level of methane last Wednesday during a routine experiment which tests the concentration of molecules in the atmosphere. The data came back on Thursday and showed a methane level of 21 parts per billion -- around three times higher than had ever been seen before. Thus, Curiosity's weekend plans were scrapped to run the experiment again.\n\n\"The methane plume went away ... it's back down now to below 1 part per billion,\" Mahaffy said, noting the measurement is consistent with what has previously been seen on Mars. NASA cautioned as the news broke over the weekend that the methane detection appears to be from a \"transient plume\" and Curiosity is not outfitted with the appropriate instruments to tell us whether the plume is biological or geological in origin.\n\nWhat does that mean for life on Mars? Well, not a lot. Although the original finding was confirmed, we're no closer to discovering its source right now -- that will be up to some of the spacecraft orbiting the Red Planet and future Mars missions. Moreover, the methane spike is certainly an unusual phenomenon but it has been seen by scientists before.\n\n\"The methane mystery continues,\" said Ashwin Vasavada, Curiosity's project scientist at NASA, in a statement. \"We're more motivated than ever to keep measuring and put our brains together to figure out how methane behaves in the Martian atmosphere.\"\n\nUsing CRISPR to resurrect the woolly mammoth: Bringing extinct species back from the dead is now on the table thanks to the gene-editing technology. Building a rocket in a garage to take on SpaceX and Blue Origin: Gilmour Space Technologies is a plucky startup in the new space race.", "NASA’s Curiosity rover has been exploring the red planet for almost seven years, spending most of its time analyzing the geology and taking selfies. However, it also has some instruments that can detect possible signs of life on Mars. The agency reports that Curiosity just detected an unusually high concentration of methane, a gas that we associate with biological processes.\n\nCuriosity has an instrument called the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM), a tunable laser spectrometer capable of measuring atmospheric composition. Data from last week showed a methane concentration of 21 parts per billion units by volume (ppbv). That’s more than double what NASA might expect to find on a typical Martian day.\n\nThe SAM cannot, however, tell us about the origin of that methane. On Earth, many living organisms release methane, including microbial life. That’s why the presence of methane is considered a potential indicator of life. That’s not the only way to produce methane, though. There are geological processes involving water and certain minerals that can also produce methane. Still, the detection was high enough that the Curiosity team has put other experiments on hold to gather additional data.\n\nData from Mars shows that methane concentrations cycle seasonally, which may suggest pockets of methane exist below the surface. These reservoirs may be ancient, reflecting past conditions on Mars. Spikes in methane concentration are also common, but the Curiosity team knows very little about what causes them. NASA is currently running more tests to see how the methane concentration changes over time. Whatever Curiosity finds will help us better understand the atmosphere of Mars — a lack of methane could be just as interesting as another high reading. Meanwhile, the ExoMars orbiter has detected almost no methane in the atmosphere during a current test.\n\nWhile Curiosity can provide us some useful data on methane concentrations, the upcoming Mars 2020 rover will take this work and run (roll) with it. This robot uses the same overall design as Curiosity but will focus more on astrobiology with a suite of instruments keyed to detect biosignatures. It also has more durable wheels that should carry it even farther than Curiosity. This rover could help us determine if life ever existed on Mars or if it still does. Mars 2020 will launch next summer, arriving on Mars in early 2021.\n• ExoMars Detects Almost No Methane on Mars in Surprise Result", "In a finding that has renewed talk about the possibility of life on Mars, NASA said Sunday that its Curiosity rover had detected \"unusually high\" levels of methane on the Red Planet.\n\nMethane is an odorless, colorless gas that can be produced by simple geological processes as well as by microbes and other living organisms, so the new methane spike doesn't definitively prove that life exists or once existed on Mars.\n\n\"While increased methane levels measured by @MarsCuriosity are exciting, as possible indicators for life, it’s important to remember this is an early science result,\" Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for the science mission directorate at NASA headquarters in Washington, said in a tweet on Saturday.\n\nNASA said Curiosity scientists needed more time to analyze the new findings and to conduct additional methane observations. A spokesperson for the agency declined a request for more information.\n\nCuriosity has detected methane many times since its arrival on Mars in 2012, but this is the most the rover has ever detected: 21 parts per billion by volume. That's three times higher than the previous record, Nature reported, though far below atmospheric methane levels on Earth.\n\nMajor sources of methane on Earth include the production and distribution of fossil fuels; cattle and other domestic livestock, which produce methane during the digestive process; and the decomposition of waste in landfills and wastewater treatment plants.\n\nThe rover's laser spectrometer device detected the methane while the car-size rover was parked at the Teal Ridge site within Gale Crater, a 96-mile-wide dry lake bed that was created millions of years ago by an asteroid impact. Curiosity was sent to the crater in part because its watery past makes it a likely spot to find evidence of past life on Mars.\n\nPreviously, Curiosity detected carbon-containing molecules in ancient sediments on Mars as well as seasonal shifts in the levels of atmospheric methane. In a commentary on those discoveries published last June in the journal Nature, Inge Loes ten kate, an astrobiologist at Utrecht University in the Netherlands, called the discoveries \"breakthroughs in astrobiology.\"\n• Apollo moon rocks may unlock more secrets about our solar system\n\nSIGN UP FOR THE MACH NEWSLETTER AND FOLLOW NBC NEWS MACH ON TWITTER, FACEBOOK, AND INSTAGRAM.", "In a finding that has renewed talk about the possibility of life on Mars, NASA's Curiosity rover has detected \"unusually high\" levels of methane on the Red Planet.\n\nMethane is an odorless, colorless gas that can be produced by simple geological processes as well as by microbes and other living organisms, so the new methane spike doesn't definitively prove that life exists or once existed on Mars.\n\n\"While increased methane levels measured by @MarsCuriosity are exciting, as possible indicators for life, it’s important to remember this is an early science result,\" Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for the science mission directorate at NASA headquarters in Washington, said in a tweet on Saturday.\n\nNASA said Curiosity scientists needed more time to analyze the new findings and to conduct additional methane observations. A spokesperson for the agency declined a request for more information.\n\n\"It's interesting, but we should wait a bit to be sure the data are confirmed,\" Dorothy Oehler, a senior scientist with the Planetary Science Institute in Tucson, Arizona, said of the methane spike in an email to NBC News MACH. Methane seeps from certain types of rocks on Earth and the same types exist on Mars, she said, \"so while we cannot exclude a microbial origin for the methane peaks on Mars, that would not be necessary to explain the detections to date.\"\n\nCuriosity has detected methane many times since its arrival on Mars in 2012, but this is the most the rover has ever detected: 21 parts per billion by volume. That's three times higher than the previous record, Nature reported, though far below atmospheric methane levels on Earth.\n\nMajor sources of methane on Earth include the production and distribution of fossil fuels; cattle and other domestic livestock, which produce methane during the digestive process; and the decomposition of waste in landfills and wastewater treatment plants.\n\nThe rover's laser spectrometer device detected the methane while the car-size rover was parked at the Teal Ridge site within Gale Crater, a 96-mile-wide dry lake bed that was created millions of years ago by an asteroid impact. Curiosity was sent to the crater in part because its watery past makes it a likely spot to find evidence of past life on Mars.\n\nPreviously, Curiosity detected carbon-containing molecules in ancient sediments on Mars as well as seasonal shifts in the levels of atmospheric methane. In a commentary published last June in the journal Nature, Inge Loes ten kate, an astrobiologist at Utrecht University in the Netherlands, called those discoveries \"breakthroughs in astrobiology.\"\n• Apollo moon rocks may unlock more secrets about our solar system\n\nSIGN UP FOR THE MACH NEWSLETTER AND FOLLOW NBC NEWS MACH ON TWITTER, FACEBOOK, AND INSTAGRAM.", "NASA's Mars rover, Curiosity, has detected the largest amount of methane yet measured during its seven years on the Red Planet. It's a particularly riveting discovery because the methane levels discovered by the rover are about three times higher than previous detections, leading to some speculation the gas may be biological in origin.\n\nA report by the New York Times on Saturday first revealed the curious finding after obtaining an internal email from Ashwin Vasavada, a project scientist on the mission. On Sunday, NASA released a statement confirming the discovery, explaining how Curiosity's Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) suite of instruments had detected methane at 21 parts per billion units by volume -- much higher than ever before.\n\nMethane is an important molecule for microbes on Earth and its detection on another planet has led to speculation that tiny microbes are (or were) puffing gas out at such a rate that NASA's intrepid rover can spot them.\n\nScientists have detected hints of methane on the surface of Mars in the past, including as far back as the Viking missions in the 1970s. Thus, the discovery of more methane doesn't necessarily mean we've stumbled upon life. Spikes in Mars' methane levels aren't unusual, with a study reporting last June on seasonal variations in the molecule's atmospheric concentration.\n\nThomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of NASA's science mission directorate, has cautioned against jumping straight to the E.T. solution on Twitter, noting methane can be created by geological processes. And sadly, as far as we know, rocks are not living beings.\n\nImportantly, Curiosity now has some extra work to do, with a follow-up experiment being conducted over the weekend \"to gather more information on what might be a transient plume.\" NASA notes these unusual methane spikes have been picked up before, but we're not really sure how long they last or what might be causing them. Results from the additional experiment may reach us by as early as Monday, according to the Times.\n\nHowever, the agency notes Curiosity does not contain instruments which can definitively say where the methane may have come from.\n\n\"With our current measurements, we have no way of telling if the methane source is biology or geology, or even ancient or modern,\" said Paul Mahaffy, SAM principal investigator, in a statement.\n\nGood science relies on follow-up and repeat findings before confirmation, so while it's easy to get excited by the potential for signs of life, a lot more work needs to be done before we can truly confirm the presence of any tiny, underground martian friends.", "Recent readings on Mars have detected a gas that could be a sign of microbes living on the planet today.\n\nIn a measurement taken on Wednesday, NASA's Curiosity rover discovered high amounts of methane, a gas that on Earth is usually produced by living things, in the Martian air. The data arrived back on Earth on Thursday, and by Friday, scientists working on the mission were discussing the news, which has not yet been announced by NASA.\n\n\"Given this surprising result, we've reorganized the weekend to run a follow-up experiment,\" Ashwin Vasavada, the project scientist for the mission, wrote to the science team in an email that was obtained by The New York Times.\n\nThe mission's controllers sent new instructions to Curiosity on Friday to follow up on the readings, bumping the rover's scheduled tests. The results of these observations are expected back on Earth Monday.\n\nPeople have long been fascinated by the possibility of life on Mars. But NASA's Viking landers in the 1970s photographed a desolate landscape. Two decades later, planetary scientists thought Mars might have been warmer, wetter and more habitable in its youth some 4 billion years ago. Now, they are entertaining the notion that if life ever did arise on Mars, its microbial descendants could have migrated underground and persisted.\n\nSunlight and chemical reactions would break apart methane molecules in Mars' atmosphere within a few centuries, suggesting that methane detected by Curiosity was released recently.\n\nOn Earth, microbes known as methanogens thrive in places lacking oxygen, such as rocks deep underground and the digestive tracts of animals, and they release methane as waste. However, geothermal reactions devoid of biology can also generate methane.\n\nIt is also possible that the methane is ancient, trapped inside Mars for millions of years but escaping intermittently through cracks.\n\nScientists first detected methane on Mars a decade and a half ago using measurements from Mars Express, an orbiting spacecraft built by the European Space Agency, as well as from telescopes on Earth. However, those findings were at the edge of the detection power of these tools, and many researchers thought the methane might just be a mirage of mistaken data.\n\nWhen Curiosity arrived on Mars in 2012, it looked for methane and found less than 1 part per billion in the atmosphere. In 2013, it detected a sudden spike, up to 7 parts per billion, that lasted several months.\n\nThe measurement last week found 21 parts per billion of methane, or three times the 2013 spike.\n\nEven before this discovery, the mystery of methane has been deepening.\n\nCuriosity scientists developed a technique that enabled the rover to detect even tinier amounts of methane with its existing tools. The gas seems to rise and fall with the red planet's seasons. A new analysis of old Mars Express readings confirmed Curiosity's 2013 findings. One day after Curiosity reported a spike of methane, the orbiter, passing over Curiosity's location, also measured a spike.\n\nBut the Trace Gas Orbiter, a newer European spacecraft launched in 2016 with more sensitive instruments, did not detect any methane at all in its first batch of scientific observations last year.\n\nMarco Giuranna, a scientist at the National Institute for Astrophysics in Italy, who leads the Mars Express orbiter's methane measurements, said scientists on the Curiosity, Mars Express and Trace Gas Orbiter missions had been discussing the latest findings. He confirmed he had been told of the reading of 21 parts per billion but added that the finding was preliminary.", "NASA's Curiosity Mars rover has found the largest amount of methane ever measured during its mission on the Red Planet -- about 21 parts per billion units by volume (ppbv), the US space agency said.\n\nOne ppbv means that if you take a volume of air on Mars, one billionth of the volume of air is methane, according to the US space agency.\n\nThe finding came from the rover's Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) tunable laser spectrometer.\n\nIt is exciting because microbial life is an important source of methane on Earth, but methane can also be created through interactions between rocks and water, NASA said in a statement.\n\nCuriosity does not have instruments that can definitively say what the source of the methane is, or even if it is coming from a local source within Gale Crater or elsewhere on the planet.\n\n\"With our current measurements, we have no way of telling if the methane source is biology or geology, or even ancient or modern,\" said SAM Principal Investigator Paul Mahaffy of NASA's Goddard Spaceflight Center in the US.\n\nThe Curiosity team has detected methane many times over the course of the mission.\n\nPrevious papers have documented how background levels of the gas seem to rise and fall seasonally.\n\nThey have also noted sudden spikes of methane, but the science team knows very little about how long these transient plumes last or why they are different from the seasonal patterns.\n\nThe SAM team has organised a different experiment to gather more information on what might be a transient plume.\n\nWhatever they find -- even if it is an absence of methane -- will add context to the recent measurement, NASA said.\n\nCuriosity's scientists need time to analyse these clues and conduct many more methane observations.\n\nThey also need time to collaborate with other science teams, including those with the European Space Agency's Trace Gas Orbiter, which has been in its science orbit for a little over a year.\n\nCombining observations from the surface and from orbit could help scientists locate sources of the gas on the planet and understand how long it lasts in the Martian atmosphere.\n\nThat might explain why the Trace Gas Orbiter's and Curiosity's methane observations have been so different, according to NASA.", "NASA’s Curiosity rover encountered something new on the Red Planet last week and the results could potentially have implications for life on Mars.\n\nThe rover’s tunable laser spectrometer, called SAM, which stands for Sample Analysis at Mars, detected the largest amount of methane ever measured during its mission.\n\nThe reading indicated 21 parts per billion units by volume or ppbv. That means of the volume of air on Mars is being assessed, one billionth of the volume of air is methane, the agency said.\n\nSo why is this unusually large amount of methane so interesting? On Earth, microbial life is a key source of methane. But the agency also warned that expectations of life should be managed due to the fact that interactions between rocks and water can also create methane, and Mars has water and an abundance of rocks.\n\n“With our current measurements, we have no way of telling if the methane source is biology or geology, or even ancient or modern,” said SAM Principal Investigator Paul Mahaffy of NASA’s Goddard Spaceflight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.\n\nThe origin of the methane won’t be evident right away because the rover doesn’t have any instruments that can trace or determine the source. Right now, they can’t even be sure that the methane is coming from a spot in the Gale Crater where Curiosity is located or emerged from elsewhere on Mars.\n\nThis isn’t the first time methane has been detected on Mars by Curiosity. Over the course of its mission since landing in August 2012, Curiosity has detected methane many times and studies have been written about how the gas levels actually appear to rise and fall depending on the season.\n\nCuriosity has also picked up on spikes of methane, which occur suddenly, but scientists haven’t been able to determine how long the spikes last or why they differ from the known seasonal ups and downs.\n\nThe team behind the spectrometer sent an experiment to the rover over the weekend to determine if this is due to a spike, which would appear as a transient plume. Even if no more methane is detected, that could provide more information about the event that was measured.\n\nThe science team for Curiosity will take time to study the measurements and prepare for more detections.\n\nThey will also reach out to other science teams. The European Space Agency, which launched the Trace Gas Orbiter last year, will be a key collaborator. Their orbiter has yet to detect methane. The two agencies can match up measurements from orbit and the surface.\n\nThe two different locations could help scientists determine where gas is originating on the planet and how long it can last in the atmosphere.\n\nIn June 2018, organic matter was found on Mars in soil samples taken from 3 billion-year-old mudstone in the Gale crater by the Curiosity rover. The rover also detected methane in the Martian atmosphere.\n\nThe search for life outside Earth focuses on the building blocks of life as we know it, which includes organic compounds and molecules — although these can exist without life. Organic matter can be one of several things: a record detailing ancient life, a food source for life or something that exists in the place of life.\n\nNo matter its purpose, these work as “chemical clues” for researchers studying Mars.\n\nMethane is considered the simplest organic molecule. It’s present in other places in our solar system that could host life, like Saturn and Jupiter’s moons Enceladus, Europa and Titan. And if life does exist elsewhere, it may be very different or even form differently from how we understand life on Earth.\n\nOver six years, Curiosity has used its Tunable Laser Spectrometer to measure methane in the atmosphere at the Gale Crater. Before, researchers couldn’t understand why the little bit of methane detected in the Martian atmosphere varied. With six years of data from a single location, they now have answers.\n\nThere is a seasonal variation to the methane that repeats, which means the methane is being released from the Martian surface or from reservoirs beneath the surface. The methane could even be trapped in water-based crystals beneath the surface.\n\nMethane is a strong greenhouse gas, and it could have supported a climate that sustained lakes on Mars. That could even be happening beneath the surface now. The release of methane is an active process on Mars, which could suggest new things about what’s unfolding on the Red Planet.\n\nDetecting this organic molecule in the atmosphere, combined with the finding of organic compounds in the soil, has strong implications about potential life on Mars in its past.\n\nThe Gale Crater was probably habitable 3.5 billion years ago, based on what Curiosity has shown us. Then, the conditions would have been comparable to Earth. This is also when life was evolving on our own planet.\n\nKnowing that these molecules and compounds were present, then, gives new strength to the idea that life originated or existed on Mars and that more work by the Martian rovers can uncover the past.", "NASA's Curiosity Rover has detected the highest ever levels of methane in the course of its mission on Mars, an exciting discovery because the gas could point to the existence of microbial life.\n\nBut the methane could also be produced as a result of interactions between rocks and water.\n\nCuriosity's Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) tunable laser spectrometer detected the reading -- 21 parts per billion units by volume (ppbv) -- sometime last week, NASA said Sunday.\n\n\"With our current measurements, we have no way of telling if the methane source is biology or geology, or even ancient or modern,\" said Paul Mahaffy of NASA's Goddard Spaceflight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.\n\nThe Curiosity team has caught whiffs of methane many times over since Curiosity touched down on the Martian surface in 2012.\n\nOne leading theory is that the methane is being released from underground reservoirs created by ancient life forms.\n\nThough Mars has no active volcanoes like on Earth, it is possible that methane is being released from geological processes, involving reactions of carbon from carbonate rocks or carbon dioxide, with hydrogen from liquid water.\n\nAt the right temperatures these reactions produce methane.\n\nPast papers have documented how background levels of the colorless, odorless gas seem to rise and fall seasonally.\n\nThe team have also noted sudden spikes in methane, but cannot say how long these temporary plumes last or why they differ from the seasonal patterns.\n\nResearchers organized a new experiment over the weekend to gather more information about the latest spike, a suspected transient plume, in order to add context to the measurement.\n\n\"Curiosity's scientists need time to analyze these clues and conduct many more methane observations,\" the team said.\n\n\"They also need time to collaborate with other science teams, including those with the European Space Agency's Trace Gas Orbiter, which has been in its science orbit for a little over a year without detecting any methane.\"\n\nCombining readings from the surface and from orbit could help them pinpoint the source of the gas and understand how it interacts with the planet's atmosphere, which is about a hundred times thinner than Earth's and 95 percent carbon dioxide.\n\n\"That might explain why the Trace Gas Orbiter's and Curiosity's methane observations have been so different.\""], "summary": "NASA announces that its Curiosity rover has detected the largest ever measurement of methane on Mars."}
{"document": ["A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket has the Australian Bureau of Meteorology on board at takeoff this afternoon, a far cry from our pioneering meteorology days which are now on sale.\n\nThe Bureau of Meteorology, Australia tweeted the department’s collective excitement as staff counted down to launch of the rocket carrying four NASA Technology missions.\n\n“Everyone loves a @NASA space launch and BOM is on board the @SpaceX rocket scheduled to take off 4.30pm AEST today,” the Aussies tweeted.\n\n“The #COSMIC2 mission will deliver 6 new satellites, helping us better forecast storms & tropical cyclones.”\n\nThe launch is a far cry from the pioneering days of weather forecasting in Queensland, when the likes of Queensland Government meteorologist Clement Lindley Wragge recruited schoolboy Inigo Owen Jones as assistant in 1888.\n\nMORE: The house with a hidden bunker\n\nFormer Lord Mayor to become auctioneer\n\nFarmers apparently loved Jones long-range weather forecasts, even if his colleagues didn’t — based off his studies of sunspot cycles — and he went on to run privately run Crohamhurst Observatory, located just an hour north of Brisbane.\n\nHis observatory — which is directly west of Pelican Waters — has been transformed since the pre-war days when he set it up, with 131 Crohamhurst Road, Crohamhurst, now a 1.33 hectare site with five bedrooms.\n\nThe property, which is on the market for offers in the mid $700,000s, was being marketed by Mark Emsden and Mark Stevens of Cube Real Estate as “Queensland’s historic weather observatory plus a four bedroom home”.\n\n“The building at the front is the original Weather Observatory, built in 1935, still containing numerous in-ground meteorological devices,” was how they listed it.\n\n“Heritage listed, you will own your own little slice of Queensland history, nationally recognised for long-range weather forecasting.”\n\nIt harks back to a different era and is not a bad spot at all if you wish to look to the heavens, or even try to spot satellites passing in the night sky.\n\nAccording to BOM, the rocket launch Tuesday would be a “significant advance in the world’s ability to forecast and monitor weather and climate”.\n\nThe COSMIC-2 mission was expected to bring major benefits to Australia, including better storm forecasting, especially in warm, tropical areas near the equator, according to BOM chief data officer Dr Anthony Rea.\n\n“The Bureau’s technical experts will be working closely with our international partners to ensure the successful deployment of the COSMIC-2 satellites and monitoring them from the Bureau’s ground station in Middle Point, Northern Territory,” he said.\n\nTuesday’s SpaceX launch was broadcast live from 4pm via http://nasa.gov/nasalive, and came just three or so hours after the Expedition 59 Soyuz returned to Earth successfully with a three-person crew off the International Space Station.\n\nExpedition 59/Soyuz Commander Oleg Kononenko of the Russian space agency Roscosmos — who was on board with NASA Flight Engineer Anne McClain and David Saint-Jacques of the Canadian Space Agency, saw a massive load of 4G though he told media it was “a soft landing”.\n\nSo what kind of weather do modern day scientists and explorers like?\n\nAccording to Commander Kononenko: “As far as the weather is concerned, whenever you come back from space, we are happy to see any kind of weather”.", "Canadian David Saint-Jacques, Russian Oleg Kononenko and American Anne McClain have landed in Kazakhstan in a Soyuz capsule after the 6½-hour return trip to Earth from the International Space Station.\n\nThe spacecraft undocked from the space station without incident from the orbiting laboratory at 7:25 p.m. ET Monday before landing in the steppes of Kazakhstan at 10:47 p.m.\n\nThe crew were in good health, NASA TV reported.\n\nCBC's Chris Brown, reporting just metres from the landing site, said about 200 people were around the capsule, including health officials. The landing appeared to go off perfectly, with the capsule and its parachute appearing in the sky over central Kazakhstan exactly on time. The sound of the parachute deploying was heard a couple of seconds later.\n\nA team works to move the Soyuz MS-11 capsule from the remote landing site, near Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan. The capsule carried Anne McClain, David Saint-Jacques and Oleg Kononenko back to Earth from the International Space Station. (Corinne Seminoff/CBC)\n\nSaint-Jacques appeared nauseous\n\nThe capsule landed upright, though it looked like it had been blowtorched from the heat generated by re-entry, Brown said.\n\n\n\nThe three crew members were pulled out of the capsule one by one before being offered fruit and fluids, as well as access to a satellite phone.\n\nTouchdown! <a href=\"https://twitter.com/AstroAnnimal?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@AstroAnnimal</a>, <a href=\"https://twitter.com/Astro_DavidS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@Astro_DavidS</a> and Oleg Kononenko of <a href=\"https://twitter.com/roscosmos?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@Roscosmos</a> have completed a 204-day space station mission right on time with a landing at 10:47pm ET. <a href=\"https://t.co/mZzxaYxR0F\">https://t.co/mZzxaYxR0F</a> <a href=\"https://t.co/lKHcUbcgbL\">pic.twitter.com/lKHcUbcgbL</a> —@Space_Station\n\nOf the three crew members, Saint-Jacques appeared to be faring the worst. \"David smiled but it was a forced one, because he was extremely nauseous,\" Brown said, adding that he seemed otherwise healthy. That was in contrast to McClain, who appeared exuberant and said she was ready to do it all again.\n\nThe astronauts were put on camping chairs in the sun just by the capsule for a respite and initial medical checks.\n\n'Gravity is not my friend'\n\nJust before his helicopter took off on its way to a local airport, Saint-Jacques told CBC News: \"Gravity is not my friend,\" and \"I need to learn to walk again.\" He said the first thing that struck him after more than 200 days in space was the smell of the grass.\n\nSaint-Jacques spoke to CBC News after landing on Earth:\n\nCanadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques and two of his crewmates landed in Kazakhstan after a 6½-hour return trip to Earth from the International Space Station. 0:21\n\nThe married father of three young children said he was looking forward to seeing his family again. Véronique Morin, Saint-Jacques's wife, told CBC News she \"felt like his anchor on Earth\" while he was aboard the ISS.\n\n\"It's a technical challenge to go to space, but it's also a challenge for families coping with the absence and the demands of the mission. But it's been a success, and on our side we can say mission accomplished.\"\n\nMorin discusses the upcoming family reunion with Saint-Jacques:\n\nVéronique Morin discusses the return of her husband David Saint-Jacques from the ISS and how she and their children fared while he was in space. 5:29\n\nKononenko, meanwhile, was asked if he was enjoying the weather and replied he was \"happy to see any kind of weather.\"\n\nSaint-Jacques, a native of Saint-Lambert, Que., set a record for the longest single spaceflight by a Canadian at 204 days, and Canadian officials lauded Saint-Jacques's accomplishment shortly after his return.\n\n\"Not only did his journey on the International Space Station show our youth the rewards that come with dreaming big and reaching for the stars, but the scientific research David conducted will also push the limits of our understanding of the universe, as well as human health in space and on Earth,\" Innovation and Science Minister Navdeep Bains said in a statement.\n\nWelcome back to earth David Saint-Jacques. We are so glad that you are safely back. Congratulations on a remarkable job on board he International Space Station (ISS) during six months. 204 days in space. Well done, <a href=\"https://twitter.com/Astro_DavidS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@Astro_DavidS</a>! —@GGJuliePayette\n\nTook part in hours-long spacewalk\n\nSaint-Jacques' mission began ahead of schedule on Dec. 3, when he was part of the first crewed Soyuz mission following a rocket mishap last October that forced a spacecraft carrying two astronauts to abort and make an emergency landing.\n\nThe 49-year-old took part in a six-and-a-half hour spacewalk in April and a \"cosmic catch\" of SpaceX Dragon cargo using Canadarm2 — the first time a Canadian astronaut has operated the robotic arm to perform the feat.\n\nThe Soyuz MS-11 capsule carrying the ISS crew heads in for a landing. (Alexander Nemenov/AFP/Getty Images)\n\nThe engineer, astrophysicist and family doctor also oversaw science experiments and had discussions with kids across the country during his mission.\n\nIn the last news conference Saint-Jacques held before his trip home, he said he was spending his final hours in orbit running through the re-entry procedure and doing last-minute technical checks on equipment. \"It's hard to believe. It's been a very full mission,\" he said Wednesday.\n\nRecovery a priority for CSA\n\nSaint-Jacques told reporters he's aware of the physical challenges that await after six months in zero gravity, including blood circulation problems, muscle pains and an elongated spine that will return to normal. It could mean trouble walking and moving around for awhile.\n\nA search and rescue team works at the landing site Tuesday. (Alexander Nemenov/Reuters)\n\nSaint-Jacques' recovery is first and foremost on the minds of Canadian Space Agency officials.\n\n\"A big aspect for us here at the agency is to prepare his return in the next few weeks — rehabilitation, physical reconditioning, adapting back to life at 1G,\" said Gilles Leclerc, the agency's director of space exploration.\n\nSaint-Jacques is expected to take part in a news conference on Friday from Houston and will return to Canada in mid-July to visit the agency, just south of Montreal.\n\nAs for the next mission, Leclerc said negotiations are underway to have another member of the corps serve aboard the International Space Station before 2024.", "Russian space agency rescue team help Russian cosmonaut Оleg Kononenko, center, to get from the capsule shortly after the landing of the Russian Soyuz MS-11 space capsule about 150 km (80 miles) south east of the Kazakh town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan, Tuesday, June 25, 2019. Three astronauts safely returned to Earth on Tuesday after spending more than six months aboard the International Space Station. (Alexander Nemenov/Pool Photo via AP)\n\nMOSCOW (AP) — Three astronauts safely returned to Earth on Tuesday after spending more than six months aboard the International Space Station.\n\nThe Soyuz capsule with astronauts from Canada, Russia and the United States landed in the steppes of Kazakhstan at 8:47 a.m. (0247GMT), less than a minute ahead of the scheduled time, on Tuesday after a 3 ½ hour flight from the orbiting lab.\n\nTwo of the astronauts had completed their maiden flights: Anne McClain of the United States and David Saint-Jacques of Canada. The expedition commander Oleg Kononenko of Russia has ended his fourth space mission. All three spent 204 days in space.\n\nAmericans Nick Hague and Christina Koch and Russia’s Alexey Ovchinin remain aboard the space station.\n\nThe space veteran Kononenko who was the first one to have been extracted from the capsule looked visibly tired and pale. McClain and Saint-Jacques were more energetic and gave a thumbs-up to the recovery team who greeted the three with applause.\n\nThe astronauts were put on camping chairs in the sun just by the capsule for a respite and initial medical checks.\n\nWhen asked by a reporter on site if he liked the weather Kononenko said he was “happy to see any kind of weather” after spending over 200 days in space.\n\nThe crew is expected to be taken to a local airport and fly to their home bases.", "David Saint-Jacques returned to Earth on Monday after more than six months aboard the International Space Station. The native of Saint-Lambert, Que., has set a record for the longest single spaceflight by a Canadian at 204 days.\n\nHe was among three astronauts that safely returned to Earth after spending more than six months aboard the International Space Station.\n\nThe Soyuz capsule with the astronauts from Canada, Russia and the United States landed in the steppes of Kazakhstan at 8:47 a.m. (02:47 GMT), less than a minute ahead of the scheduled time, after a 3 1/2 hour flight from the orbiting lab.\n\nTwo of the astronauts had completed their maiden flights: Anne McClain of the United States and Saint-Jacques.\n\nThe expedition commander Oleg Kononenko of Russia has ended his fourth space mission.\n\nAll three spent 204 days in space.\n\nAmericans Nick Hague and Christina Koch and Russia’s Alexey Ovchinin remain aboard the space station.", "Three astronauts safely returned to Earth on Tuesday after spending more than six months aboard the International Space Station.\n\nThe Soyuz capsule with astronauts from Canada, Russia and the United States landed in the steppes of Kazakhstan at 8:47 a.m. (0247GMT), less than a minute ahead of the scheduled time, on Tuesday after a 3 ½ hour flight from the orbiting lab.\n\nTwo of the astronauts had completed their maiden flights: Anne McClain of the United States and David Saint-Jacques of Canada. The expedition commander Oleg Kononenko of Russia has ended his fourth space mission. All three spent 204 days in space.\n\n \n\n\n\nAmericans Nick Hague and Christina Koch and Russia's Alexey Ovchinin remain aboard the space station.\n\nThe space veteran Kononenko who was the first one to have been extracted from the capsule looked visibly tired and pale. McClain and Saint-Jacques were more energetic and gave a thumbs-up to the recovery team who greeted the three with applause.\n\nThe astronauts were put on camping chairs in the sun just by the capsule for a respite and initial medical checks.\n\nWhen asked by a reporter on site if he liked the weather Kononenko said he was \"happy to see any kind of weather\" after spending over 200 days in space.\n\nThe crew is expected to be taken to a local airport and fly to their home bases.", "MOSCOW — A Soyuz spacecraft carrying astronauts from Canada, Russia and the United States has undocked from the International Space Station and is headed back to Earth.\n\nThe Soyuz separated without incident from the orbiting laboratory at 2325 GMT (7:25 p.m. EDT) Monday. It is to land in the steppes of Kazakhstan about 3 1/2 hours later.\n\nThe capsule is carrying two astronauts who are completing their first flights: Anne McClain of the United States and David Saint-Jacques of Canada. Also aboard is expedition commander Oleg Kononenko, who is ending his fourth space mission. All three spent 204 days in space.\n\nAmericans Nick Hague and Christina Koch and Russia's Alexey Ovchinin remain aboard the space station.", "MOSCOW (AP) — Three astronauts have safely returned to Earth after spending more than six months aboard the International Space Station.\n\nThe Soyuz capsule with astronauts from Canada, Russia and the United States landed in the steppes of Kazakhstan at 8:47 a.m. (0247GMT), less than a minute ahead of the scheduled time, on Tuesday after a 3 ½ hour flight from the orbiting lab.\n\nTwo of the astronauts had completed their maiden flights: Anne McClain of the United States and David Saint-Jacques of Canada. The expedition commander Oleg Kononenko of Russia has ended his fourth space mission. All three spent 204 days in space.\n\nAmericans Nick Hague and Christina Koch and Russia's Alexey Ovchinin remain aboard the space station.", "Three astronauts have safely returned to Earth after spending more than six months aboard the International Space Station.\n\nThree astronauts have safely returned to Earth after spending more than six months aboard the International Space Station.\n\nThree astronauts return to Earth after six months aboard International Space Station\n\nThe Soyuz capsule with astronauts from Canada, Russia and the United States landed in the steppes of Kazakhstan at 8.47am local time (1.47am Irish time) on Tuesday, less than a minute ahead of the scheduled time, after a three-and-a-half-hour flight from the orbiting lab.\n\nTwo of the astronauts had completed their maiden flights - Anne McClain of the United States and David Saint-Jacques of Canada.\n\nThe expedition commander Oleg Kononenko of Russia has ended his fourth space mission. All three spent 204 days in space.\n\nAmericans Nick Hague and Christina Koch and Russia's Alexey Ovchinin remain aboard the space station.\n\nSpace veteran Mr Kononenko, who was the first one to be extracted from the capsule, looked visibly tired and pale.\n\nMs McClain and Mr Saint-Jacques were more energetic and gave a thumbs-up to the recovery team who greeted the three with applause.\n\nThe astronauts were put on camping chairs in the sun just by the capsule for some respite and initial medical checks.\n\nWhen asked by a reporter on site if he liked the weather, Mr Kononenko said he was \"happy to see any kind of weather\" after spending over 200 days in space.\n\nThe crew is expected to be taken to a local airport before flying to their home bases.", "Three astronauts have safely returned to Earth after spending more than 200 days aboard the International Space Station.\n\nThe Soyuz MS-11 capsule with astronauts from Canada, Russia and the United States parachuted into the steppes of Kazakhstan at 8.47am local time (1.47am BST) on Tuesday, less than a minute ahead of the scheduled time, after a three-and-a-half-hour flight from the orbiting lab.\n\nTwo of the astronauts had completed their maiden flights, Anne McClain of the U.S. and David Saint-Jacques of Canada, and expedition commander Oleg Kononenko of Russia ended his fourth space mission.\n\n'It takes about 3.5 hours between undocking from the space station to landing in Kazakhstan. It's been described as a roller coaster or a washing machine - dynamic, but also a precise and highly choreographed process,' McClain wrote on Twitter.\n\nThe Soyuz MS-11 was lowered by parachute and used braking thrusters to land safely as the crew were met by Russian forces, as well as medical teams from NASA and the Canadian Space Agency.\n\nAmericans Nick Hague and Christina Koch and Russia's Alexey Ovchinin remain aboard the space station, while another three-man crew awaits departure.\n\nSpace veteran Kononenko, who was the first one to be extracted from the capsule, looked visibly tired and pale.\n\nMcClain and Saint-Jacques were more energetic and gave a thumbs-up to the recovery team who greeted the three with applause.\n\nThe astronauts were put on camping chairs in the sun just by the capsule for some respite and initial medical checks as they adjusted to gravity.\n\nWhen asked by a reporter on site if he liked the weather, Kononenko said he was 'happy to see any kind of weather' after spending 204 days in space.\n\nThe crew will be flown by helicopter to the Kazakh town of Karaganda for a welcoming ceremony before the Russian cosmonaut flies back to Star City near Moscow and McClain and Saint-Jacques fly back to Houston.\n\nThe astronauts had taken part in experiments and space walks while aboard the ISS, Collect Space reported.\n\nKononenko has now stayed for 737 days in space, making him the sixth in the world for most time spent away from the Earth.", "A Soyuz spacecraft carrying a Russian cosmonaut and two astronauts from the United States and Canada has returned back to Earth.\n\n \n\n Expedition commander Oleg Kononenko of Roscosmos, NASA astronaut Anne McClain, and Canadian Space Agency’s David Saint-Jacques touched down on the steppes of southeastern Kazakhstan on June 25 after spending 204 days in space.\n\n \n\n It was Kononenko’s fourth space mission.\n\n \n\n Russia's Aleksei Ovchinin and two U.S. astronaut, Nick Hague and Christina Koch, remain aboard the International Space Station.\n\n \n\n The trio is to be joined by Andrew Morgan of NASA, Luca Parmitano of the European Space Agency, and Aleksandr Skvortsov of Roscosmos in July.\n\n \n\n In October 2018, a Soyuz spacecraft that Hague and Ovchinin were riding in failed two minutes into its flight, activating a rescue system that allowed their capsule to land safely.\n\n \n\n That accident was the Russian space program's first aborted crew launch since 1983, when two Soviet cosmonauts safely jettisoned after a launch pad explosion.\n\nBased on reporting by AFP and AP"], "summary": "Soyuz MS-11 returned to Earth, landing in Kazakhstan, from the International Space Station carrying Canadian David Saint-Jacques, American Anne McClain and Russian Oleg Kononenko. The astronauts and cosmonaut spent 204 days aboard the ISS, a record for Canada."}
{"document": ["Italian snowboarder Michela Moioli and skier Sofia Goggia dab after giving a presentation to the IOC\n\nMilan and Cortina d'Ampezzo have been announced as the hosts of the 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympics.\n\nThe International Olympic Committee (IOC) voted for Italy's joint bid ahead of Stockholm, Sweden.\n\nSkating sports and ice hockey will be held in Milan, while most alpine skiing events will take place in the resort of Cortina.\n\nOther snow sports will be held in other venues in the Italian Alps, including Bormio and Livigno.\n\nThe 2026 Winter Olympics will take place from 6 to 22 February and the 2026 Winter Paralympics will be held from 6 to 15 March.\n\nMilan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics: 6-22 February, 2026 Winter Paralympics: 6-15 March, 2026\n\nCortina previously hosted the Winter Olympics in 1956, while Turin staged the 2006 edition of the Games.\n\nThere were only two candidates left after four other bidders - the Swiss city of Sion, Japan's Sapporo, Graz in Austria and the Canadian city Calgary, which hosted in 1988 - had earlier dropped out of the race with concerns over the event's size and cost.\n\nIOC president Thomas Bach opens the envelope announcing Milan-Cortina has won the bid\n\nThe results showed Milan-Cortina had received 47 out of the 82 votes cast.\n\nSweden has never hosted a Winter Games before and the wait goes on after its Stockholm-Are bid - based around the capital and its largest ski resort, but also including Latvian city Sigulda - received 34 votes. There was one abstention/blank vote.\n\nIOC president Thomas Bach said: \"Congratulations to Milan-Cortina. We can look forward to an outstanding and sustainable Olympic Winter Games in a traditional winter sports country.\n\n\"The passion and knowledge of Italian fans, together with experienced venue operators, will create the perfect atmosphere for the best athletes in the world.\"\n\nDelighted members of the winning delegation shouted \"Italia, Italia\" as the decision was announced.", "The 2026 Winter Olympics will be staged at the Italian venue of Milan/Cortina d'Ampezzo after beating off a bid from Stockholm/Are in Sweden, the International Olympic Committee said Monday.\n\nThe Games will run from February 6-22 in 2026. Italy has twice previously hosted the Winter Olympics -- in 1956 in Cortina d'Ampezzo and 2006 in Turin.\n\nSweden has only hosted the Summer Olympics, in 1912 in Stockholm. IOC members gave the Italian bid the nod by 47 votes to 34.\n\n\"It's a historic day and a victory of all Italians,\" said Italy's interior minister Matteo Salvini.\n\n\"Thank you to those who believed in it from the beginning, especially in the municipalities and regions, and tough luck for those who gave up and who did not believe.\"\n\nSalvini estimated that the Games will generate five billion euros ($5.69 billion) and create 20,000 jobs.\n\n\"Congratulations to Milan/Cortina d'Ampezzo. We can expect a great and memorable Winter Games in a country with a tradition of winter sports,\" said IOC president Thomas Bach.\n\n\"The passion and knowledge of the Italian fans, combined with the experience of organising events, will create a perfect atmosphere for the best athletes in the world.\"\n\nOn the road to the 2026 decision, bids from Calgary, Graz in Austria, Japan's Sapporo and Sion in Switzerland fell by the wayside, mainly because of concerns over the cost or a lack of popular support.\n\nA bid by the Turkish ski resort of Erzurum was ruled out by the IOC in October 2018.\n\nThe bid by Stockholm and the Are ski area -- which hosted the World Ski Championships in February -- had appeared to be running out of steam a few months ago due to a lack of funding commitments before the government swung behind it.\n\nThe 2022 Winter Olympics will be staged in Beijing. AFP SSC SSC SSC", "For the first time, the Olympic Games will feature two different cities as hosts in its official name. Milan-Cortina will share the glory in northern Italy for the 2026 Winter Olympics, and will be the Games’ fourth appearance in the country. Milan-Cortina beat out Stockholm-Åre for hosting duties Monday as officials convened in Switzerland. Unlike previous Olympics, the bids for 2026 were split among regional hosts rather than individual cities. The decision was effectively between northern Italy and Sweden/Latvia as the International Olympic Committee eased restrictions for hosts to bid together, in an attempt to have the Games use more pre-existing venues and ease the financial burden and eliminate white-elephant venues. Milan will be the base for the 2026 Games, and towns in between Milan and Alpine ski resort Cortina d’Ampezzo will also host some events. Italy hosted the Winter Games in Cortina in 1956 and in Turin in 2006, as well as the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. The IOC reported Italy had 83 percent of public support and Sweden 55 percent in favor of hosting the Games in March.", "The 2026 Winter Olympics will take place in Italy after Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo were selected as hosts.\n\nThe Milan-Cortina bid saw off the challenge of Stockholm-Are in a vote at an International Olympic Committee meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland on Monday.\n\nThe Italian bid received 47 votes to the Swedish effort's 34, the IOC said, easily clearing the 41-vote threshold to win.\n\nCortina staged the 1956 Games, while Italy last held the Winter Olympics in 2006, when Turin was the venue.\n\n\"Congratulations to Milan-Cortina. We can look forward to an outstanding and sustainable Olympic Winter Games in a traditional winter sports country,\" IOC President Thomas Bach said in a statement.\n\n\"The passion and knowledge of Italian fans, together with experienced venue operators, will create the perfect atmosphere for the best athletes in the world.\n\n\"The Olympic Winter Games Milan-Cortina 2026 will feature iconic venues and beautiful settings, combining the attractions of a modern European metropolis with a classic Alpine environment.\"\n\nSeveral cities had previously dropped out of the running, even though the IOC relaxed rules over financial guarantees and government support for 2026.\n\n\"We have lowered the cost and complexity of developing Games projects, which now serve the long-term development goals of the host communities and have sustainability and legacy at their hearts,\" Bach added. \"This has led to a significantly reduced organization budget and the use of 93 percent existing or temporary competition venues.\"\n\nBeijing will stage the 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympics.", "The 2026 Winter Olympics will be held in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo after their joint bid beat off competition from Stockholm and Are.\n\nThe 2026 Winter Olympics and Paralympics will take place in Italy after Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo were announced as hosts.\n\nThe Milan-Cortina bid saw off the challenge of Stockholm-Are in a vote at an International Olympic Committee meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland on Monday.\n\nCortina staged the 1956 Games, while Italy last held the Winter Olympics in 2006, when Turin was the venue.\n\n“Congratulations to Milan-Cortina. We can look forward to an outstanding and sustainable Olympic Winter Games in a traditional winter sports country,” IOC President Thomas Bach said in a statement.\n\n“The passion and knowledge of Italian fans, together with experienced venue operators, will create the perfect atmosphere for the best athletes in the world.\n\n“The Olympic Winter Games Milan-Cortina 2026 will feature iconic venues and beautiful settings, combining the attractions of a modern European metropolis with a classic Alpine environment.”\n\nThe vote count was 47-34 in favour of Milan-Cortina, with one abstention.\n\nSeveral cities had previously dropped out of the running, even though the IOC relaxed rules over financial guarantees and government support for 2026.\n\n“We have lowered the cost and complexity of developing Games projects, which now serve the long-term development goals of the host communities and have sustainability and legacy at their hearts,” Bach added.\n\n“This has led to a significantly reduced organisation budget and the use of 93 per cent existing or temporary competition venues.”\n\nBeijing in China will stage the 2022 Winter Olympic and Paralympics.", "Italian bid of Milan-Cortina voted by IOC members to host 2026 Winter Olympics\n\nLAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — Italian bid of Milan-Cortina voted by IOC members to host 2026 Winter Olympics.", "MILAN, Italy - Milan-Cortina has won the right to host the 2026 Winter Olympics after the International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach announced the decision Monday.\n\nIOC officials voted between the Italian bid and one from the Swedish city of Stockholm-Are.\n\nThe announcement marks the Winter Olympics' return to Europe, with the event having been hosted by Pyeongchang, South Korea in 2018 and the Chinese city of Beijing staging the Games in 2022.\n\nItaly has twice hosted Winter Olympics in the past -- Cortina in 1956 and Turin in 2006 -- but it will be the first held in Milan.\n\nThe bidding process has been criticized for the small number of cities on the ballot paper. It's the second time that only two bids have contested the final vote since Russia spent approximately $51 billion on venues and infrastructure for Sochi 2014.\n\nAccording to the IOC, there were 47 votes in favor of the Italian bid versus 34 votes for the Swedish bid.\n\n\"We can look forward to outstanding and sustainable Olympic Winter Games in a traditional winter sports country,\" said Bach, after revealing the decision.\n\n\"The passion and knowledge of Italian fans, together with experienced venue operators, will create the perfect atmosphere for the best athletes in the world.\n\n\"The Olympic Winter Games Milan-Cortina 2026 will feature iconic venues and beautiful settings, combining the attractions of a modern European metropolis with a classic Alpine environment.\"\n\nThe 2026 Games are scheduled to take place from February 6-22, while the Winter Paralympics will be from March 6-15.\n\nFormer US skier Lindsey Vonn, an Olympic champion in 2010 and two-time bronze medalist, had announced her support for the Milan-Cortina bid before the vote took place.\n\n\"I'm really hoping that Cortina gets the 2026 Olympics,\" Vonn said in an Instagram video on the official page of the Italian bid. \"I've had so many great memories on that track.\n\n\"It's an amazing place, incredibly beautiful and everyone is incredible passionate about winter sports. So please vote for Cortina and hopefully I'll be there on the sidelines.\"\n\nMikaela Shiffrin, who won gold medals at the 2014 and 2018 Games, expressed her excitement that the Games were going to be held in Italy.\n\n\"I just want to say congratulations to Milan-Cortina for winning the 2026 Olympic Winter Games,\" Shiffrin said on Instagram.\n\n\"Cortina is one of the best tracks that we race at and I am so excited to be competing there hopefully again in 2026 at the Olympics.\"", "Lausanne, June 24 - Milan-Cortina got the 2026 Winter Olympics Monday beating Stockholm-Aare in a vote by the the International Olympic Committee (IOC). It will be 20 years since the last Winter Olympics in Italy, in 2006 in Turin. Premier Giuseppe Conte tweeted \"we are proud of this great result! \"Italy has won: a whole country that has worked united and compact with the ambition of realising and offering to the world a memorable sporting event. #2026Olympics #MilanCortina. Foreign Minister Enzo Moavero Milanesi said \"great satisfaction for the assignation of the 2026 Olympics!. \"It's an extremely important result for Italy, the fruit of excellent teamwork, to which the foreign ministry and its diplomatic network are proud to have contributed\". Deputy Premier Matteo Salvini said that \"Italy, the future and sport win: my thanks to those who believed immediately, especially in the towns and regions, and a pity for those who gave up. \"There will be at least five billion euros in added value, 20,000 jobs, as well as so many new roads and sports facilities: with the winter Olympics we will confirm to the world our excellence and our capacities\". President Sergio Mattarella applauded at length Cortina-Milan's Olympic win.", "Northern Italy was chosen Monday as the site of the 2026 Winter Olympics, with hosting to be shared by the economic and fashion capital of Milan and the ski resort of Cortina d’Ampezzo, as the International Olympic Committee desperately tries to curb waning interest, spiraling costs and white elephant competition venues associated with the games. The Italian bid was chosen over the only other candidate, a dual bid between Stockholm and the ski resort of Are, Sweden, in a vote of 47-34 by IOC delegates. Northern Italy had been expected to win, given that there was much broader public support there and a greater willingness by government officials to offer financial guarantees.\n\nWhile both bids offered countries where winter sports thrive and where there is experience hosting major events – Cortina hosted the 1956 Winter Olympics — the candidacies struggled at times to become convincing choices. And for the second bidding process in a row, the Winter Games ended up with only two finalists after five other potential candidates withdrew or were deemed insufficiently prepared. With fewer cities willing to bankroll the billions needed to operate the Winter Games, the 2026 finalists reflected the IOC’s effort at reform by allowing Olympic hosting to be shared by different cities, different regions and even different countries. The Swedish bid, for instance, planned to hold the bobsled, luge and skeleton events across the Baltic Sea in Sigulda, Latvia, where a refrigerated track already exists. But Stockholm, the Swedish capital, never seemed fully committed, even though the operation of the games was to use no public money beyond security and the maintenance of existing infrastructure and sports venues.\n\nStockholm had dropped out of the bidding for the 2022 Winter Games for financial reasons — those Olympics were awarded to Beijing — and only slightly more than half of Sweden’s population had supported the 2026 bid. Stockholm officials had declined to sign the official IOC hosting contract, leaving it to Are, its co-host, if the bid was successful. It seemed, too, for a time that an Italian bid might not materialize. Nine months ago, a proposed bid among Milan, Cortina and Turin, which hosted the 2006 Winter Olympics, fell apart in a political squabble among the cities’ mayors. Italy’s sports minister declared the bid dead. It was an embarrassing moment for Italy. Rome had dropped out of bidding for the 2020 and 2024 Summer Games because of financial concerns and political opposition. But the Italian bid for the 2026 Winter Games was recast, and it prevailed Monday in a vote by IOC delegates in Lausanne, Switzerland, where the Olympic committee is headquartered. The IOC’s polling showing that more than 80% of Italians supported the candidacy. The initial operating budget is projected at $1.7 billion, but these costs always rise, often significantly. The IOC has pledged to contribute $925 million to organizers from television rights, corporate sponsorships, ticket sales and merchandising. Italy has proposed to spread the 2026 Games among several cities between Milan and Cortina, which are about 250 miles apart. The opening ceremony will be held at Milan’s San Siro soccer stadium, which hosted the 1990 soccer World Cup, and the closing ceremony is scheduled to take place in an amphitheater in Verona.\n\nThe costs of hosting the Winter Games drew a jaw-dropping reaction when Russia spent $51 billion to construct and operate the 2014 Olympics in the Black Sea resort of Sochi. The 2022 Games were awarded to Beijing almost by default as a number of potential host cities withdrew. The only other remaining bidder, Almaty, Kazakhstan — located in a former Soviet republic that gained its independence in 1991 — built only mixed public support for the games, lacked name recognition and had no real experience hosting major international sporting events. Still Almaty narrowly lost by a vote of 44-40. That left Beijing, which hosted the 2008 Summer Games but which does not have much of a winter sports history. It will use some existing arenas from 2008, including the Bird’s Nest stadium. But upon winning the 2022 bid, Beijing officials said they would also rely on an extensive artificial snow-making operation and a high-speed train project that would link Beijing with clusters of venues in the mountains as far as 100 miles away. Bidding for the 2026 Games experienced a similarly withered field of candidates as public interest flagged or rose in opposition in Calgary, Alberta; Sion, Switzerland; Graz, Austria; and Sapporo, Japan. The IOC did not consider a bid by Erzurum, Turkey, as sustainable.", "Italy's winning bid to host the 2026 Winter Olympics highlighted the growing gap between the north and the south of the country.\n\nMilan and Cortina d'Ampezzo won the vote Monday to stage the Games as International Olympic Committee members voted 47-34 for the long-favored bid over Stockholm-Are from Sweden.\n\nIt is the third time an Olympic Games will be held in the north of Italy after Turin hosted in 2006 and Cortina staged in 1956 and comes shortly after two Rome bids for the Summer Games had to be scrapped.\n\nRome, which hosted the Olympics in 1960, was forced to end its bid for the 2024 Games because of staunch opposition from the city mayor. And in 2012, then-premier Mario Monti scrapped the city's candidacy for the 2020 edition because of financial concerns.\n\n\"Milan and Rome are so different,\" Milan mayor Giuseppe Sala said. \"But the most important thing is that the basic structure of services are different: in terms of public transport, in terms of waste collection, in terms of medicine and so on.\"\n\nThe 2026 Games will be held in two of the wealthiest regions of Italy — and indeed Europe.\n\nThey serve as a contrast to Italy's underdeveloped south, where youth unemployment runs 50 percent or higher, and the jobless rate among all ages is nearly double that in the north.\n\nWhile Rome is Italy's actual capital, Milan is the nation's business and financial capital as well as one of the world's leading fashion hubs.\n\nMilan has grown significantly over the past decade and was further boosted by hosting the Expo World Fair in 2015.\n\nExpos, which are held every five years, can last up to six months and cost millions of dollars to host, but can also help put a city on the global map by bringing in international visitors and attention — much like hosting an Olympics.\n\n\"We made a progress in the last 20 years which is impressive and we had the opportunity with Expo to test (the progress),\" continued Sala, who was the man responsible for delivering the Expo.\n\n\"My hope is that we will see an improvement in Rome because we love Rome ... Milan is more solid at the end of the day.\"\n\n\"Simple,\" he said, speaking in English. \"The mayor of Milan and the mayor of Cortina gave me faith and the mayor of Rome did not give me faith. This is the true.\"\n\nAn emotional Malago was close to tears at the winner's news conference.\n\nThe 60-year-old said it goes some way to easing the pain of the bid being scrapped in Rome — his home city.\n\n\"There is no personal sense of revenge but just the really great win of a Olympic commitee of which I have the honor to be president,\" Malago said. \"I think in life you have to risk things, responsibly, and our courage was rewarded.\n\n\"The wound has closed completely but if you lift up the shirt you'll see the scar. The scar will always remain because Rome remains my city.\""], "summary": "The 2026 Winter Olympics are selected to be held in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy."}
{"document": ["Seven Egyptian policemen were killed in an attack claimed by the ISIL armed group in restive North Sinai.\n\nEgypt's interior ministry said the attack late Tuesday near the regional capital El Arish targeted an \"assembly centre\" for police, adding that an officer was among the dead.\n\nFour fighters, including a suicide bomber, also died during clashes following the attack, the ministry said.\n\nThe Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group claimed responsibility, saying it carried out simultaneous raids on military positions in El Arish, according to a statement carried on the group's Amaq website.\n\nSecurity sources said the assailants used about 10 four-wheel drive vehicles in coordinated attacks at four sites.\n\nNorth Sinai has long been a stronghold of armed groups and Egyptian authorities launched an offensive against them last year.\n\nEgypt is currently on high alert as it hosts football's Africa Cup of Nations, although none of the games are taking place in Sinai.\n\nA month before the tournament kicked off, a tourist bus was hit by a roadside bomb near the Pyramids of Giza, wounding 17 people including South African tourists and Egyptians.\n\nA similar attack in December killed three Vietnamese tourists and their Egyptian tour guide.\n\nEgypt has battled an insurgency in northern Sinai since the 2011 uprising that toppled long-time autocrat Hosni Mubarak.\n\nAttacks intensified in 2013 after the army deposed Mohammed Morsi, the first democratically elected president of Egypt.\n\nAfter his removal, Morsi was detained and tried in several cases. He died last week at the age of 67 after suddenly collapsing inside a courtroom in Cairo.", "EL-ARISH, Egypt (AP) — Militants attacked three police checkpoints in the restive northern Sinai Peninsula late Tuesday, killing at least six policemen and wounding eight other officers, security officials said.\n\nThe officials said at least four militants were killed, including a suicide bomber who set off his explosives at one of the checkpoints attacked in the coastal city of al-Arish late Tuesday. The officials agreed to provide the details only if not quoted by name because they were not authorized to brief the media.\n\nNo group claimed responsibility for the attacks, although they bore the hallmarks of the Islamic State group.\n\nEgypt's government has been battling Islamist militants centered in northern Sinai. The insurgency intensified after the military ousted an elected but divisive Islamist president amid mass protests in 2013.", "Seven police officers have been killed in a militant attack in restive northern Sinai Peninsula, Egypt's Interior Ministry said Wednesday.\n\nThe attack near the regional capital El-Arish targeted an \"assembly center\" for police, according to the ministry.\n\nNorthern Sinai has long been a center of insurgents and Egyptian authorities last year launched an offensive against the militants.\n\nEgypt's government has been battling militants centered in northern Sinai. The insurgency intensified after the military in 2013 ousted Egypt's first and only democratically elected President Mohammed Morsi, who died last week in a courtroom.", "Seven Egyptian police officers were killed in clashes in northern Egypt, the country’s interior ministry said on Wednesday, According to Thenational.ae.\n\nFour militants were also killed in the fighting near the city of Arish, in the north of the Sinai Peninsula, on Tuesday night.\n\nISIS carried out simultaneous attacks, according to a statement by the group’s Amaq news agency, and security sources told Reuters that the militants used at least 10 vehicles.\n\nThe UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation condemned the attack, which was claimed by ISIS.\n\n“The UAE expresses its vehement condemnation of these criminal acts and its principled rejection of all acts of violence and terrorism,” the statement said.\n\n”Such cowardly, terrorist acts will not weaken the resolve of Egyptian people to continue their fight against terrorism, which has no country, religion or ethics,” the ministry said.\n\n“This terrorist act is completely incompatible with all religious and humanitarian values and principles,” it added.\n\nEgyptian security forces have been battling Islamist militants in the Sinai Peninsula for years and launched a counter-insurgency campaign in the area in February 2018.\n\nEarlier this month militants attacked a checkpoint in North Sinai, an assault that left eight security personnel dead according to the interior ministry.", "Seven police officers have been killed in a militant attack in restive North Sinai, Egypt's interior ministry said Wednesday\n\nCairo, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - APP - 26th Jun, 2019 ) :Seven police officers have been killed in a militant attack in restive North Sinai, Egypt's interior ministry said Wednesday.\n\nThe attack near the regional capital El-Arish targeted an \"assembly centre\" for police, according to the ministry.\n\nNorth Sinai has long been a centre of insurgents and Egyptian authoritieslast year launched an offensive against the militants.", "At least seven Egyptian policemen, including one officer, have been killed in terrorist attacks at different checkpoints in the North Sinai city of Arish.\n\nThe country’s Interior Ministry said this in a statement on Wednesday.\n\n“Four terrorists have been killed, including a suicide bomber who set off his explosives at one of the checkpoints attacked,’’ the statement said.\n\nIt added that security forces had frustrated terrorist attacks that took place in southern and western Arish on Tuesday night.\n\nSome explosive devices, automatic weapons, hand-made bombs were seized, according to the statement.\n\nNo group has claimed responsibility for the attacks, yet.\n\nEgypt’s government has been battling Islamist militants centred in northern Sinai since the military ousted the Islamist leader, Mohamed Morsi, who died on June 17 after collapsing in court.\n\nSome Islamist groups, including the Sinai-based Islamic State that claimed responsibility of most of the previous attacks, had pledged revenge for his death.", "Seven Egyptian police officers and four militants were killed in a clash in the north of the Sinai Peninsula, the interior ministry said on Wednesday.\n\nThe clash took place late on Tuesday when militants attacked forces stationed southwest of the city of Arish, the ministry said in a statement.\n\nIslamic State claimed the attack, saying it had carried out simultaneous raids on military positions in Arish, according to a statement carried on the group's Amaq news agency.", "Seven police officers have been killed in a militants attack in restive North Sinai, Egypt's interior ministry said Wednesday\n\nCairo, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - APP - 26th Jun, 2019 ) :Seven police officers have been killed in a militants attack in restive North Sinai, Egypt's interior ministry said Wednesday.\n\nThe attack near the regional capital El-Arish targeted an \"assembly centre\" for police, according to the ministry.\n\nFour assailants died \"during clashes\" following the attack, one when he detonated an explosives belt, it said.\n\nNorth Sinai has long been a centre of insurgents and Egyptian authorities last year launched an offensive against the militants.\n\nHundreds of militants have been killed along with dozens of soldiers, according to official figures which cannot be verified as Sinai is largely cut off to journalists.\n\nEgypt is currently on high alert as it hosts the Africa Cup of Nations, although none of the games are taking place in Sinai.\n\nA month before the tournament kicked off, a tourist bus was hit by a roadside bomb near the famed pyramids of Giza.\n\nA similar attack in December killed three Vietnamese holidaymakers and an Egyptian tour guide.\n\nThe country's security forces and Christian minority have also been targeted by militant attacks.", "CAIRO - Egypt has raised the death toll from the previous night’s attack in a restive northern part of Sinai, saying seven policemen were killed, including an officer.\n\nA local affiliate of the Islamic State group on Wednesday claimed responsibility for the attack.\n\nThe Interior Ministry says an officer was among the seven killed.\n\nPreviously, security officials said the militants attacked three police checkpoints in the coastal city of al-Arish late on Tuesday.\n\nThey also said eight policemen were wounded and that four militants were killed, including a suicide bomber after his explosives were set off. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief reporters.", "CAIRO (Reuters) - Seven Egyptian police officers and four militants were killed in a clash in the north of the Sinai Peninsula, the interior ministry said on Wednesday.\n\nThe clash took place late on Tuesday when militants attacked forces stationed southwest of the city of Arish, the ministry said in a statement.\n\nIslamic State claimed the attack, saying it had carried out simultaneous raids on military positions in Arish, according to a statement carried on the group’s Amaq news agency.\n\nSecurity sources said the militants had used more than 10 four-wheel vehicles in coordinated attacks at four sites.\n\nEgyptian security forces have been battling Islamist militants in the Sinai Peninsula for years and launched a counter-insurgency campaign in the area in February 2018.\n\nEarlier this month militants attacked a checkpoint in North Sinai, an assault that left eight security personnel dead according to the interior ministry."], "summary": "Suspected ISIL militants attack checkpoints and an assembly center in the Egyptian city of Arish. Seven police officers are killed, along with a civilian. Four militants also died, including one that blew himself up."}
{"document": ["Source: Xinhua| 2019-06-27 00:36:35|Editor: Mu Xuequan\n\nVideo Player Close\n\nABUJA, June 26 (Xinhua) -- Twenty-two local farmers were killed following an attack by terror group Boko Haram who invaded a village in Nigeria's northeastern state of Borno, security sources said on Wednesday.\n\nThe Boko Haram fighters attacked the group of farmers on Monday in Ngamgam village, about 50 km east of Damasak town in Mobbar local government area of the state, one military official told Xinhua.\n\nDozens of people including women and children fled with bullet wounds, most of them seeking refuge in the nearby Damasak town, as the gunmen went on the rampage.\n\nUsman Bala, head of the government-backed Civilian Joint Task Force, a militia group, said the Boko Haram members came in large numbers on foot and surrounded the village before unleashing terror on the farming community.\n\nBala said up to 18 bodies were first recovered at Ngamgam as of Tuesday morning during search and rescue operation by locals, but later on, four more bodies were found hit by bullets.\n\nBoko Haram, which launched attacks in Nigeria's northeast a decade ago, is known for its agenda to maintain a virtual caliphate in the most populous African country.", "JUST IN: Boko Haram attacks Borno village, kills 20 farmers.Sources just told Daily Trust that Boko Haram insurgents attacked Ngamgam settlement about 50km east of Damasak, Mobbar Local Government Area, Borno state and killed 20 farmers on their farms. The incident which happened yesterday, …Read more via Daily Trust – https://ift.tt/2NeG1Qa Get More Nigeria Metro News", "No fewer than 29 persons were killed in two Borno villages when suspected Boko Haram insurgents attacked the villages on Monday.\n\nIn the deadlier of the two attacks, the terrorist group attacked Ngamgam in Mobbar Local Government of Borno State and killed 20 farmers.\n\nNgamgam is about 50 kilometres, east of Damasak, the secretariat of Mobbar, which is a border town between Nigeria and Niger Republic, another country in the Lake Chad Basin troubled by Boko Haram and its sister organisation, Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP).\n\nA security source told THISDAY that: “We have an information that reveals that on 25 June, 2019, suspected members of the deadly terrorist group attacked Ngamgam settlement about 50 kilometres east of Damasak and killed 20 farmers in their farms.”\n\nThe source said the killing led to mass exodus of people from the village into Damasak.\n\nIn the second attack on Monday, the insurgents were alleged to have attacked a village in Guzamala Local Government Area of the troubled state, the birthplace of Boko Haram, killing nine persons and carting away food stuffs and livestock.\n\nA chieftain of the Civilian Joint Task Force in Borno State, Abba-Aji Kalli, confirmed the attack.", "Boko Haram insurgents have attacked Ngamgam settlement about 50km east of Damasak, Mobbar Local Government Area, Borno state, and killed 20 farmers on their farms.\n\nThe incident which happened yesterday, according to the sources, resulted in the mass exodus of people from the settlement to Damasak.", "Sources just told Daily Trust that Boko Haram insurgents attacked Ngamgam settlement about 50km east of Damasak, Mobbar Local Government Area, Borno state and killed 20 farmers on their farms.\n\nThe incident which happened yesterday, according to the sources, resulted in the mass exodus of people from the settlement to Damasak.\n\nAs part of our drive to keep improving the content of our newspaper, we are conducting a readership survey to enable us serve you better.\n\nKindly take two minutes of your time to fill in this questionnaire.\n\nThank you for your time. Click here to begin", "Troops of the Nigerian Army killed three Boko Haram terrorists when the group attempted to attack Mafa in Mafa local government area of Borno State on Monday, June 24, 2019.\n\nIn a statement signed by the Acting Director of Army Public Relations, Colonel Sagir Musa, he disclosed that the terrorists had attempted to infiltrate Mafa for food and logistics when they were intercepted by troops of the 112 Task Force Battalion.\n\n\"During the failed attack, terrorists in 5 gun trucks and several motor cycles were seen,\" he disclosed.\n\nTroops recovered two gun trucks mounted with anti-aircraft guns, as well as a motorcycle after the terrorists retreated.\n\n\"The General Officer Commanding (GOC), 7 Division and Commander Sector 1 Operation Lafiya Dole, Brigadier General Abdulmalik Bulama Biu had since visited the conflict location with reinforcement,\" Col. Musa disclosed.\n\nHe said aggressive clearance operations in recent days has seen troops record tremendous successes in the fight against terrorism and insurgency in the northeast.\n\nTroops recently rescued 95 people being used as farm labourers by Boko Haram terrorists in Borno.\n\nSince Boko Haram's insurgency escalated in 2009, it has killed around 30,000 people and displaced millions in the northeast region, with its operations also extending to border countries like Cameroon, Chad and Niger.\n\nEven though the powers of the Abubakar Shekau-led main faction of Boko Haram has been on the wane in the past couple of years, another faction, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), has grown in influence and carried out several savage attacks on military bases since last year.", "The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, said in Maiduguri yesterday that the military is massively re-strategizing to counter the resurgence of Boko Haram.\n\nThe COAS was commenting on the rising concern over the resurgence at a news conference jointly addressed by him and Governor Babagana Umara Zulum of Borno State.\n\nBetween January and now, records showed that more than 40 different attacks were launched by the two factions of the Boko Haram in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states, leading to the death of hundreds of people, including troops and civilians.\n\nZulum had expressed grave concern over reports he said he received that the military was withdrawing troops from Gajiram and Kareto in Nganzai and Mobbar local government areas of the state.\n\nSources said thousands of civilians who recently went back to their communities, after living in IDP camps in Maiduguri for years, had started relocating to the state capital out of fear because of the recent activities of the insurgents.\n\nBuratai told the Borno governor that the military was only re-strategizing to launch a massive counter-resurgence, assuring him that the military would not abandon any community in the captivity of Boko Haram.\n\nGovernor Zulum had implored the military to provide adequate security to farmers against the insurgents roaming in the bush, to enable them cultivate their farms.\n\nThe governor also asked the military to provide security along access roads leading to all local government headquarters in the state to facilitate the economic recovery as well as strengthen the capacity of the civilian JTF and hunters to assist the military in the Boko Haram war.\n\nHe appealed to the military to remove its ban against fish and cattle business by civilians; as well as facilitate the return of people to Kukawa, Cross Kauwa and Baga displaced by Boko Haram, December 2018.\n\nDaily Trust reports that though there were five routes that lead to Maiduguri from some local government areas and neighbouring states, it is only the Damaturu- Maiduguri road that commuters could drive through during some hours of the day without military escort.\n\nThe other roads: Maiduguri- Damboa- Gombe; Maiduguri- Konduga- Biu- Mubi (in Adamawa State); Maiduguri- Dikwa- Gamboru-Ngala- Cameroon border; and Maiduguri- Monguno- Baga (shores of the Lake Chad) are not freely accessible by travellers without military escorts.\n\nSimilarly, the military had restricted civilians from fish and cow businesses in some parts of Borno, especially in the fringes of Lake Chad over allegations that some of the businessmen were being used by Boko Haram elements.\n\nFish and cow merchants had severally alleged that instead, some security operatives had ventured into the businesses and in some cases were civilians were allowed to buy the commodities, they were being charged a lot of money in form of levies.\n\nBuratai debunks statement on troops’ non commitment to fight Boko Haram\n\nGeneral Buratai also yesterday during the joint press conference with Borno governor debunked statement attributed to him that troops were not committed to fighting Boko Haram.\n\nThe COAS said most of the reports were exaggerated by the media, describing it as “mere propaganda.”\n\nAccording to him, “There is no way when you’re in conflict, you don’t have casualty, we have casualties. When necessary we give out these figures, the problem is that most of our journalists are not contented with what the military gives.\n\n“They believe that the figure is far more than that. Up till today, people are still quoting the Metele attack of last year to be 300; some 400 and some 500 of our men killed.\n\n“We have given out the correct figures but some are still quoting the wrong figure because they don’t want to believe us,” he said.\n\nHe said that the journalists believed more on the figure being given through hearsay, warning that the press must be careful when reporting issues of National security.\n\n“We have to be very careful, national security, defence and security are not issues you just talk about and if you go along that way, you will be the victim and first victim for that matter because National Security is not a matter of joke and it’s not a matter of blame game.\n\n“You should not blame the military for whatever set back or problem; it’s a collective responsibility. Some newsmen went to the extent of distorting facts by quoting me out of context.\n\n“War against insurgency is a collective one, it is for all but some journalists are fond of promoting Boko Haram insurgents.\n\n“War against terrorism is a global war, if you support terrorism, it will one day consume you,” he warned.\n\n“Military operations are different from mere activities of may be, vigilante or even the paramilitary or other forces.\n\n“You don’t just give out information because you want to give out information because somebody is interested.\n\n“Military operation activities or even personnel are all classified, they are not for public consumption unless if they are absolutely necessary to gain confidence as well as to promote our own collective efforts in securing our country,” the COAS said.\n\nBuratai had at a leadership transformational workshop for middle cadre officers and soldiers in Abuja on June 18 said that some setbacks in operations in recent times stemmed from “insufficient commitment” by those at the frontlines.", "At least 20 people were killed in an attack of the Boko Haram militant group on a village in Nigeria, local media reported on Wednesday\n\nMOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 26th June, 2019) At least 20 people were killed in an attack of the Boko Haram militant group on a village in Nigeria , local media reported on Wednesday.\n\nInsurgents attacked Ngamgam village about 50 kilometers (31 miles) east from the Damasak city in the Nigerian state of Borno on Tuesday, killing 20 farmers and causing other inhabitants to flee their homes, the Daily Trust newspaper wrote.\n\nThis is not the first attack on Borno this month. On June 17, as many as 30 people were killed and 42 others sustained injuries in triple bomb explosion.\n\nFor more than a decade, Boko Haram has been leading a violent warfare, which includes terror attacks and abductions, seeking to eliminate the Western system of education and establish Sharia law in Nigeria. In 2015, the group pledge allegiance to the Islamic State terrorist organization (banned in Russia). In addition to Nigeria, it is confronted by the governments of Cameroon, Chad and Niger.", "#TrackNigeria Governor Babagana Zullum of Borno on Monday assured that the state government would spend its last kobo to support the military and strengthen Civilian JTF and hunters, to eliminate terrorism.\n\nZullum gave the promise when he received the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, who visited him in Maiduguri.\n\nHe vowed that the state government would rise to the challenge of defending the people by supporting the military in terms of intelligence and logistics.\n\n“The chief of army staff, count on me.\n\n“Believe me, the government of Borno state will spend its last Kobo in ensuring that our civilian JTF and hunters are strengthened.\n\n“We cannot afford a situation whereby two persons (terrorists) come with motorcycle or vehicle, ransacking town and killing hundreds of people,’’ he said.\n\nThe governor maintained that security was everybody’s business and not only a military affair.\n\nHe commended the military, particularly the army for their efforts so far in dealing with terrorists, noting that it was “very difficult to deal with an enemy you do not see.’’\n\n“People do not understand; it very difficult.\n\n“Considering the land mass of Borno state, about 76, 000kms; it is not easy.’’\n\nHe pleaded that military operation should be followed with a stabilisation mechanism, saying “once an area has been liberated, there is the need for the government and military to work out modalities for reconstruction, rehabilitation and resettlement’’.\n\nHe added that this should be done with the support of the military and paramilitary organisations\n\n“Without this, an area liberated can be taken over by insurgents.’’\n\nThe governor also pointed out that to achieve success in the fight against terrorism, the root causes of Boko Haram must be addressed.\n\nHe listed some of them as unemployment, endemic poverty, high illiteracy, poor socio-economic infrastructure and climate change.\n\n“Right now, over 80 per cent of our population (Borno), including the youth and able bodied men, are unemployed.\n\n“The situation is catastrophic, and unless we address the root causes of these problems, I think we cannot make any meaningful progress,’’ he said.\n\nZullum said that the mainstay of the state’s economy was agriculture but regretted that over 90 per cent of the population did not have access to farmland due insurgency.\n\n“The area under cultivation in the last 10 years is less than that of the last two years.\n\n“We are getting some significant improvement. This year, 2019, we are also getting more significant improvement.\n\n“One area that the people of Borno wish to collaborate with the military and the police is to have access to their farmland,’’ he said.\n\nEarlier, Buratai had congratulated the governor on his election and assured that the military was working out solution to insecurity in the state and the North-East.\n\nBuratai also said that the military was moving into the stabilization phase in the region and pleaded for more support. (NAN)", "Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State on Monday assured that the state government would spend its last kobo to support the military and strengthen Civilian JTF and hunters, to eliminate terrorism.\n\nZulum gave the promise when he received the Chief of Army Staff, Lt.- Gen. Tukur Buratai, who visited him in Maiduguri.\n\nHe vowed that the state government would rise to the challenge of defending the people by supporting the military in terms of intelligence and logistics.\n\n“The chief of army staff, count on me.\n\n“Believe me, the government of Borno State will spend its last kobo in ensuring that our civilian JTF and hunters are strengthened.\n\n“We cannot afford a situation whereby two persons (terrorists) come with motorcycle or vehicle, ransacking town and killing hundreds of people,’’ he said.\n\nThe governor maintained that security was everybody’s business and not only a military affair.\n\nHe commended the military, particularly the army for their efforts so far in dealing with terrorists, noting that it was “very difficult to deal with an enemy you do not see.’’\n\n“People do not understand; it very difficult.\n\n“Considering the land mass of Borno State, about 76, 000 km; it is not easy.’’\n\nHe pleaded that military operation should be followed with a stabilisation mechanism, saying “once an area has been liberated, there is the need for the government and military to work out modalities for reconstruction, rehabilitation and resettlement’’.\n\nHe added that this should be done with the support of the military and paramilitary organisations\n\n“Without this, an area liberated can be taken over by insurgents.’’\n\nThe governor also pointed out that to achieve success in the fight against terrorism, the root causes of Boko Haram must be addressed.\n\nHe listed some of them as unemployment, endemic poverty, high illiteracy, poor socio-economic infrastructure and climate change.\n\n“Right now, over 80 per cent of our population (Borno), including the youth and able bodied men, are unemployed.\n\n“The situation is catastrophic, and unless we address the root causes of these problems, I think we cannot make any meaningful progress,’’ he said."], "summary": "Boko Haram militants open fire on farmers in Borno State, killing 22."}
{"document": ["(Reuters) - Drugmaker AbbVie Inc said on Tuesday it would acquire Allergan Plc for about $63 billion, giving AbbVie control over the lucrative wrinkle treatment Botox and buying time to seek new growth before its blockbuster arthritis treatment Humira loses U.S. patent protection.\n\nAbbVie has long been under pressure to diversify its portfolio and its shares have lost more than a third of their value since January 2018 over concerns about Humira.\n\nThe world’s top-selling drug brought in sales of $20 billion last year. But it now faces competition from cheaper versions in Europe and a 2023 expiration of its patents in the United States, by far the most profitable market.\n\nAbbVie Chief Executive Richard Gonzalez said the company was able to buy Allergan because of the massive amount of cash that Humira generates. A U.S. corporate tax overhaul under the Trump administration, which helped companies bring back revenue earned overseas, also helped, he said.\n\n“Humira is buying the assets that replace it over the long term,” said Gonzalez, who plans to lead the combined company and remain chairman and CEO through 2023.\n\nChief among those assets is Allergan’s Botox, an injection of a purified form of botulinum toxin that paralyzes muscles, smoothing frown lines and wrinkles in the forehead and around the eyes. It is also approved to treat chronic migraine headaches, overactive bladder and other medical uses.\n\nBut when used as a cosmetic treatment, patients must pay for Botox out of pocket, buffering it from the pricing pressure that health insurers and government health agencies have put on prescription medicines. Gonzalez said he does not expect a biosimilar version of Botox “for a long, long time, if ever.”\n\nBotox had 2018 sales of about $3.6 billion, with $1.55 billion coming from cosmetic uses. Both therapeutic and cosmetic Botox are expected to keep growing, with analysts forecasting total 2019 sales of $3.9 billion and reaching nearly $6 billion by 2025, according to Refinitiv data.\n\n“We believe the increasing concern about AbbVie’s growth potential following the U.S. Humira biosimilar competition in 2023 will be partially alleviated with the increased portfolio of assets that Allergan brings,” said Morningstar analyst Damien Conover.\n\nThe deal, coming months after Bristol-Myers Squibb Co agreed to buy Celgene Corp for $74 billion, also highlights renewed interest in major acquisitions by the pharmaceutical industry.\n\nShares of other specialty drugmakers and potential targets Mylan NV, Bausch Health Co Inc and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd rose, with Teva up 7.6%.\n\nAbbVie shares were down 15.7% at $66.11, while Allergan shares were up 26.7% at $164.20.\n\nFILE PHOTO: The Allergan logo is seen in this photo illustration in Singapore November 23, 2015. REUTERS/Thomas White/File Photo\n\nMAJOR ACQUISITION NEEDED\n\nAbbVie’s board decided about a year ago that the company needed a major acquisition ahead of Humira’s U.S. patent expiration, Gonzalez said.\n\nHe said he first approached Allergan CEO Brent Saunders six or seven weeks ago. In late April, Saunders traveled to Chicago for a meeting and returned a few weeks later to discuss valuation.\n\nAbbVie was looking for a partner with $10 billion to $15 billion in durable revenue that was not expected to decline. Allergan 2019 sales are forecast to be about $15 billion.\n\nThe motivation for this deal differs significantly from AbbVie’s unsuccessful bid in 2014 to buy Irish drugmaker Shire Plc. At that time, AbbVie was looking to take advantage of lower corporate tax rates in Europe, Gonzalez said.\n\nAllergan, formerly based in California, itself was part of a tax “inversion” deal, after European generic drugmaker Actavis bought Allergan for $66 billion in 2015 and adopted the Botox-maker’s name, moving its headquarters to Dublin.\n\nThe combined AbbVie and Allergan will be based in AbbVie’s home of North Chicago.\n\n“The fact that we had tax reform (in the United States) allowed us … to take the company back to the U.S. It reinforces the benefit of tax reform,” Gonzalez told reporters.\n\nALLERGAN ISSUES\n\nThe deal follows a string of acquisitions for Allergan under Saunders, who will join AbbVie’s board. Over the last decade, Saunders remade Allergan into one of the world’s biggest pharmaceutical companies, but also saddled it with debt, leaving it less able to invest in research and development\n\nHis efforts culminated in a proposed $160 billion purchase by Pfizer Inc. But Pfizer walked away from the transaction in 2016 after the Obama administration cracked down on U.S. companies’ ability to rebase in countries with lower tax rates.\n\nAllergan has since struggled to find new growth. Its shares have lost around half their value and shareholders have pressured Saunders to break up or sell the company. Activist investor David Tepper also ran a campaign urging Allergan to hire an independent chairman.\n\nUnder terms of the deal, Allergan shareholders will receive 0.8660 AbbVie shares and $120.30 in cash for each share held, for a total of $188.24 per Allergan share, a premium of 45% to the stock’s Monday close. Including debt, the deal values Allergan at $83 billion.\n\nThe transaction is expected to add 10% to AbbVie’s adjusted earnings per share over the first full year following the close, the companies said.\n\nFILE PHOTO: A screen displays the share price for drugmaker AbbVie on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange July 18, 2014. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo\n\nAbbVie said it expects annual pretax savings and other cost reductions of at least $2 billion in its third year after the deal closes in early 2020. Some cost savings are likely to come cuts to Allergan’s research and development operations.\n\n“This is yet another transaction driven by diversification, scale and low borrowing costs, rather than portfolio or top line synergies,” SVB Leerink analyst Geoffrey Porges said in a note.\n\nMorgan Stanley and PJT Partners were financial advisers to AbbVie, while Kirkland & Ellis provided legal advice. JPMorgan Chase & Co was Allergan’s financial adviser, and its legal counsel were Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz and Arthur Cox.", "Humira maker AbbVie is set to acquire Botox maker Allergan in another move toward consolidation for the pharmaceutical industry.\n\nThe deal calls for North Chicago, Illinois-based AbbVie to pay cash and stock worth about $63 billion for Dublin-based Allergan.\n\nTogether, the companies have projected 2019 revenue of about $48 billion, including AbbVie's haul from the Humira, a rheumatoid arthritis treatment that qualifies as the world's best-selling drug.\n\nTheir combination comes after failed attempts on behalf of both companies to pull off big acquisitions during the Obama administration, when federal regulators were closely scrutinizing mergers that involved foreign entities for the sake of tax benefits.\n\nAllergan, for example, was set to be acquired by Pfizer in 2016 before that deal was scuttled.\n\nAllergan spun off from Abbott Laboratories in 2013. More recently, the company had been expected to consider a potential split amid looming competition for wrinkle treatment Botox, according to Mizuho Securities analyst Irina Koffler.\n\nAbbVie CEO and Chairman Richard Gonzalez will lead the combined company. Allergan CEO and Chairman Brent Saunders will serve on the combined company's board.\n\nMost American car of the year:: It's a Jeep again, but Honda is close behind\n\nThe two companies estimated they will save about $2 billion annually by the third year of their combination, including cost cuts.\n\n\"With our enhanced growth platform to fuel industry-leading growth, this strategy allows us to diversify AbbVie's business while sustaining our focus on innovative science and the advancement of our industry-leading pipeline well into the future,\" Gonzalez said in a statement.\n\nThe deal comes as the latest in a string of acquisitions for the pharmaceutical industry. Other companies making deals recently have included Bristol-Myers Squibb and Eli Lilly.", "AbbVie Inc is nearing a deal to buy Botox-maker Allergan PLC for more than US$60 billion, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter.\n\nREUTERS: Drugmaker AbbVie Inc said on Tuesday it would buy Botox-maker Allergan Plc for about US$63 billion, grabbing control of by far the biggest name in medical aesthetics to help reduce its reliance on blockbuster arthritis treatment Humira.\n\nAbbVie has been under pressure to diversify its portfolio as Humira, the world's best-selling drug, faces competition from cheaper versions in Europe.\n\nAllergan Chief Executive Officer Brent Saunders put together the current version of the company through a series of deals to roll up several pharmaceutical firms in 2014, and has run the company since then.\n\nHe built his reputation as a dealmaker, but his company has struggled since Pfizer Inc walked away from a US$160 billion deal to buy Allergan in 2016. Allergan's shares have lost around half their value since then.\n\nSaunders has been under pressure over the last year to break up the company, with activist investor David Tepper running a campaign to urge Allergan to hire an independent chairman.\n\nAllergan shareholders will receive 0.8660 AbbVie shares and US$120.30 in cash for each share held, for a total consideration of US$188.24 per Allergan share, a premium of 45per cent to the stock's Monday close.\n\nAbbVie shares were trading down 10.5per cent at US$70.50, while Allergan shares were up nearly 28.4per cent in early trading.\n\nMaxim Jacobs, director of research for North America at Edison Investment Research, said the deal provides AbbVie with a set of assets to help diversify away from Humira at a very reasonable price.\n\n\"In return, Allergan shareholders get a decent premium to what has been an outrageously low stock price,\" Jacobs said.\n\nAbbVie will continue to be incorporated in Delaware as AbbVie Inc and will be led by Richard Gonzalez as chairman and chief executive officer.\n\nSaunders and another member of Ireland-based Allergan's board will join AbbVie's board upon completion of the transaction.\n\nThe deal is expected to add 10per cent to adjusted earnings per share over the first full year following the close, the companies said.", "PARIS: US biopharmacy company AbbVie said on Tuesday it had agreed to buy Allergan , the maker of Botox, in a stock and cash operation worth about $63 billion.The offer represents a 45 per cent premium over Monday's share price of Irish-registered Allergan, whose management recommended the operation to shareholders.The deal, which AbbVie CEO Richard Gonzalez called \"transformational\", is to close early in 2020.The combined companies will generate around $48 billion in revenues this year, AbbVie said.\"Combining Allergan's diversified on-market product portfolio with AbbVie's growth platform and deep expertise in R&D, commercial strength and international footprint will create a leading biopharmaceutical company,\" it said.The new company would boost earnings per share by 10 per cent in its first year, the US company predicted.AbbVie's main areas of expertise are immunology, oncology, virology and neuroscience.Allergan, best known for the hugely popular cosmetic treatment Botox, specialises in the areas of medical aesthetics, eye care, central nervous system and gastroenterology.Its portfolio also includes Humira, a best-selling treatment for rheumatoid arthritis.", "Drugmaker AbbVie said Tuesday it would buy Botox maker Allergan for about $63 billion, grabbing control of by far the biggest name in medical aesthetics to help reduce its reliance on blockbuster arthritis treatment Humira.\n\nAllergan chief executive officer Brent Saunders put together the current version of the company through a series of deals to roll up several pharmaceutical firms in 2014, and has run the company since then.\n\nHe built his reputation as a dealmaker, but his company has struggled since Pfizer walked away from a $160 billion deal to buy Allergan in 2016. Allergan’s shares have lost around half their value since then.\n\nSaunders has been under pressure over the last year to break up the company, with activist investor David Tepper running a campaign to urge Allergan to hire an independent chairman.\n\nAllergan shareholders will receive 0.8660 AbbVie shares and $120.30 in cash for each share held, for a total consideration of $188.24 per Allergan share, a premium of 45% to the stock’s Monday close.\n\nAbbVie shares were trading down 10.5% at $70.50, while Allergan shares were up nearly 28.4% in early trading.\n\nMaxim Jacobs, director of research for North America at Edison Investment Research, said the deal provides AbbVie with a set of assets to help diversify away from Humira at a very reasonable price.\n\n“In return, Allergan shareholders get a decent premium to what has been an outrageously low stock price,” Jacobs said.\n\nAbbVie will continue to be incorporated in Delaware as AbbVie Inc. and will be led by Richard Gonzalez as chairman and chief executive officer.\n\nSaunders and another member of Ireland-based Allergan’s board will join AbbVie’s board upon completion of the transaction.\n\nThe deal is expected to add 10% to adjusted earnings per share over the first full year following the close, the companies said.", "By Tom Murphy, The Associated Press\n\nFacing competition for the world’s top-selling drug, AbbVie will spend about $63 billion to buy Botox maker Allergan as it attempts to spur future growth.\n\nThe specialty drugmaker said Tuesday that the addition of Allergan’s established product lineup will help AbbVie shore up revenue as near-identical biosimilar drugs start to eat away at sales of its global blockbuster immune disorder treatment Humira.\n\nAllergan was long based in Orange County until it was acquired in 2014 by Actavis Plc for $66 billion. Its base shifted to Dublin, Ireland, though the company still maintains a large research and development division in Irvine.\n\nHumira logged in a staggering $20 billion in sales last year accounting for about 61 percent of AbbVie’s total revenue. But global sales of the drug slipped in the first quarter due to competition, and Humira could face biosimilars in the United States — by far its largest market — by 2023.\n\nAbbVie Chairman and CEO Richard Gonzalez told analysts Tuesday that the deal essentially involves Humira “buying the assets that replace it over the long term.”\n\n“It really serves a purpose to eliminate any reliance on Humira,” he said.\n\nIndustry analysts had been anticipating a move by AbbVie.\n\n“We are unsurprised by the timing and the target of the deal given (AbbVie’s) Humira patent cliff,” wrote Citi analyst Andrew Baum.\n\nShares of AbbVie are down 16% over the past year and shares of Allergan, with sales growth down over the past three quarters, have fallen 24%.\n\nAbbVie will pay $120.30 in cash and a portion of AbbVie stock for each Allergan share. That amounts to $188.24 per share, or a 45% premium to Allergan’s closing price Monday.\n\nGonzalez will remain chairman and CEO at AbbVie. Two members of Allergan’s board, including chairman and CEO Brent Saunders, will join AbbVie’s board once the deal closes.\n\nAbbVie shareholders will own 83% of the specialty drug company combination after the deal’s completion, while Allergan shareholders will have a 17% stake.\n\nRegulators and Allergan shareholders still have to approve the deal.\n\nGonzalez told investors Tuesday that the deal does not come with a lot of risk for his company because of Allergan’s product portfolio.\n\nAbbVie examined Allergan’s portfolio “product by product” and Gonzalez said they were particularly impressed with the job Allergan has done with Botox, which he said is unlikely to face similar competition.\n\n“They’ve lost some share, but it’s relatively modest,” he said. “They’ve done an excellent job protecting the brand.”\n\nThe pharmaceutical industry has been consolidating and that, according to some experts, has the potential to boost prices.\n\n“When drug companies merge, the first place they look for cost savings is in research and development because it is expensive and the payoffs are uncertain,” said Erik Gordon, a professor at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business who follows the pharmaceutical industry.\n\nThat could also create future competition, however, when other companies with a higher risk tolerance push for new drug discoveries.\n\nShares of Allergan, based in Dublin, Ireland, soared 21 percent Tuesday, while AbbVie Inc., based in North Chicago, Illinois, tumbled 15 percent.", "(Reuters) - Drugmaker AbbVie Inc said on Tuesday it would buy Botox-maker Allergan Plc for about $63 billion, grabbing control of the biggest name in medical aesthetics to help reduce its reliance on blockbuster arthritis treatment Humira.\n\nAbbVie has been under pressure to diversify its portfolio as Humira, the world’s best-selling drug, is already in competition with cheaper versions in Europe and faces expiration of its patents in 2023 in the United States, its most important market.\n\nHumira, which brought in revenue of about $20 billion last year, reported the first fall in quarterly sales in years in the January-March period.\n\nAbbVie CEO Richard Gonzalez said the company was well positioned to buy Allergan because of the massive amount of cash that Humira generates.\n\n“Humira is buying the assets that replace it over the long term,” said Gonzalez, who will lead the combined company and remain chairman and chief executive through 2023.\n\nAllergan Chief Executive Officer Brent Saunders, who put together the current version of his company through a series of deals to roll up several pharmaceutical firms in 2014, will join AbbVie’s board upon completion of the deal.\n\nSaunders built his reputation as a dealmaker, but Allergan has struggled since Pfizer Inc walked away from a $160 billion deal in 2016. Allergan’s shares have lost around half their value since then.\n\nHe has been under pressure over the last year to break up or sell the company, with activist investor David Tepper running a campaign to urge Allergan to hire an independent chairman.\n\nInvestors have also questioned Saunders’ growth plans beyond acquisitions and the quality of the company’s drug pipeline.\n\nOn a conference call, Gonzalez said the deal was not a pipeline-driven transaction, and AbbVie executives downplayed the role Allergan’s experimental drugs would play in the combined company.\n\nShares of AbbVie have also languished, losing more than a third of their value from highs hit in January 2018 over concerns about competition to Humira.\n\nThe deal, which comes months after Bristol-Myers Squibb Co agreed to buy Celgene Corp in a $74 billion transaction, will redomicile Dublin-based Allergan to the United States.\n\nAbbVie and Allergan senior management had been discussing a possible deal since late April, the companies said.\n\nAllergan remains an industry leader in aesthetics, and is likely to be the cornerstone of AbbVie’s valuation, SVB Leerink analyst Geoffrey Porges said in a note.\n\n“This is yet another transaction driven by diversification, scale and low borrowing costs, rather than portfolio or top line synergies,” Porges said.\n\nAllergan shareholders will receive 0.8660 AbbVie shares and $120.30 in cash for each share held, for a total consideration of $188.24 per Allergan share, a premium of 45% to the stock’s Monday close. Including debt, the deal values Allergan at $83 billion.\n\nAbbVie shares were down 14% at $67.54, while Allergan’s stock was up 27.60% at $165.13 in morning trading. Shares of other specialty pharmaceutical companies also moved higher.\n\nMylan NV, Bausch Health Co Inc and Teva Pharmaceutical Ltd were all up 2% to 4%.\n\nAbbVie’s offer price is a far cry from Pfizer’s all-stock offer for Allergan that valued the Ireland-based drugmaker at $363.63 per share in 2015.\n\nAbbVie said it expects annual pretax savings and other cost reductions of at least $2 billion in its third year, after the deal closes in early 2020.\n\nThe transaction is expected to add 10% to adjusted earnings per share over the first full year following the close, the companies said.\n\nThe deal was a better-than-expected outcome for Allergan as investors and analysts were expecting a split, Cantor Fitzgerald analyst Louise Chen wrote in a note, adding that it is unlikely that anyone else will step in and bid for Allergan at this point.", "AbbVie Inc. has agreed to pay US$63 billion for rival drugmaker Allergan Plc, the latest huge merger in a pharmaceutical sector rapidly being reshaped by deals.\n\nAbbVie said it will pay US$188.24 a share for Allergan, a 45 per cent premium to Allergan’s closing price on Monday. Allergan shares rose 31 per cent to US$169.95 in pre-market trading in the U.S. early Tuesday.\n\nThe takeover offers a solution to long-standing challenges both companies have grappled with. AbbVie finally gets a set of products big enough to diversify its revenue from Humira, the top-selling rheumatoid arthritis injection that dominates its sales. And Allergan’s shareholders will get a profitable exit after a four-year slide in the stock.\n• Bausch Health looks to make first acquisition in more than three years\n\nThe deal is also evidence that even the world’s biggest drugmakers believe they can get bigger. In January, Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. announced a US$74-billion deal for Celgene Corp., and Japan’s Takeda Pharmaceutical Co. earlier this year completed a US$62-billion takeover of Shire Plc. A combined AbbVie and Allergan will have sales of about US$48-billion, the companies said in a statement, making it one of the biggest drugmakers in the world.\n\nThe large mergers have begun to attract the notice of antitrust authorities. On Monday, Bristol-Myers said it had agreed to divest one of Celgene’s biggest products, the psoriasis pill Otezla, in order to appease regulators at the U.S. Federal Trade Commission. While there are not major areas of overlap between Allergan and AbbVie, the deal is almost certain to get a similar look from governments that have begun to look more closely at the takeovers.\n\nAllergan holders will receive 0.8660 AbbVie shares and US$120.30 in cash for each share they hold. AbbVie will take on Allergan’s debt, which totaled about US$24 billion at the end of the first quarter.\n\nTwo Allergan directors, including Chief Executive Officer Brent Saunders, will join AbbVie’s board after the purchase is completed, according to the statement.\n\nSaunders had spent months turning over options for Allergan as the drugmaker’s stock price dropped from a 2015 peak of almost US$340. Those options included selling off the company’s gastrointestinal drugs or women’s health unit, which would have left the company more focused on its profitable medical aesthetics line that includes the wrinkle treatment Botox.\n\nAbbVie said it expects at least US$2 billion in annual pretax synergies and other cost reductions in year three of the deal. About half of that will come from optimizing the research and early-stage portfolio of products and cuts in overlapping R&D resources, while the rest will come from sales, general and administrative expenses and costs for manufacturing, supply chain and procurement.\n\nThe deal is expected to close in early 2020, the companies said.\n\nMorgan Stanley & Co. acted as AbbVie’s financial adviser and Kirkland & Ellis LLP and McCann FitzGerald were legal advisers. JPMorgan Chase & Co. was AbbVie’s financial adviser, and Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz and Arthur Cox gave legal advice.", "Facing competition for the world’s top-selling drug, AbbVie is jumping on this year’s pharmaceutical merger bandwagon with a $63 billion bid for Botox maker Allergan that is meant to spur future growth.\n\nSpecialty drugmaker AbbVie said Tuesday that adding Allergan’s aesthetics products and eye care and other medicines will help AbbVie shore up revenue as near-identical biosimilar drugs start to slash sales of its blockbuster immune disorder treatment, Humira.\n\nHumira logged a staggering $20 billion in sales last year, or about 61% of AbbVie’s revenue. That dangerous dependence on one drug forced AbbVie to make a big move. Allergan’s management likewise has been under pressure to reverse a long stock plunge, from $340 per share in July 2015 to about $130 this week.\n\nThe combination could solve those problems for AbbVie Inc., based in North Chicago, Ill., and Allergan, which is based in Dublin on paper but operates from headquarters in Madison, N.J. The acquisition should also mean Allergan officially moves back home, after having switched its legal headquarters to Ireland in a tax-saving strategy.\n\nThe deal follows a familiar formula: Snap up a smaller drugmaker to boost revenue and cut jobs and other costs in the short term, while acquiring potential new drugs in testing that will improve results and accelerate growth down the road.\n\nThat consolidation has the potential to boost prices, said Erik Gordon, a professor at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business who follows the pharmaceutical industry.\n\nAbbVie has repeatedly hiked Humira’s monthly list price, from $1,524 in 2009 to $5,174 this year, to squeeze extra billions from it.\n\nAbbVie Chairman and CEO Richard Gonzalez told analysts Tuesday that the deal essentially involves Humira “buying the assets that replace it over the long term.”\n\nThose include Botox, which saw sales jump 50% last year to $3.5 billion, dry eye blockbuster Restatis and medicines for dermatology and gastrointestinal disorders.\n\nHumira, which treats rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis and colitis, saw sales slip in the first quarter due to growing biosimilar competition overseas. It will face at least a half-dozen biosimilar competitors in the United States — by far its largest market — in 2023.\n\nGonzalez said AbbVie examined Allergan’s portfolio “product by product” and was particularly impressed with the job Allergan has done with Botox. Along with reducing wrinkles temporarily, Botox is approved to treat a growing number of medical conditions, including migraines and muscle spasms.\n\nIndustry analysts had been anticipating a move by AbbVie.\n\n“We are unsurprised by the timing and the target of the deal given (AbbVie’s) Humira patent cliff,” wrote Citi analyst Andrew Baum.\n\nMorningstar analyst Damien Conover wrote that the deal will partially alleviate worries about Humira. He believes AbbVie also is taking advantage of Allergan’s low stock price.\n\nreadFull Shares of AbbVie are down 16% over the past year and shares of Allergan have fallen 24%, amid declining sales growth over the past three quarters and the failure of an experimental depression drug in March. AbbVie will pay $120.30 in cash and a portion of AbbVie stock for each Allergan share. That amounts to $188.24 per share, or a 45% premium to Allergan’s closing price Monday. Gonzalez will remain chairman and CEO at AbbVie. Allergan Chairman and CEO Brent Saunders, plus a second Allergan board member, are to join AbbVie’s board. Regulators and Allergan shareholders still have to approve the deal — hardly a slam-dunk, as regulators have been increasingly tough on pharma deals. In early March, Swiss drugmaker Roche won a bidding war for gene therapy company Spark Therapeutics. But its $4.8 billion deal, expected to close at the end of this month, has been held up repeatedly by information requests from the Federal Trade Commission and its British counterpart. In the biggest deal this year, Bristol-Myers Squibb is trying to complete its $74 billion deal for Celgene, a New Jersey neighbor also focused on cancer therapies. Bristol-Myers recently said the deal might not close until next year. Linda A. Johnson and Tom Murphy are Associated Press writers.", "AbbVie is buying Botox maker Allergan in a cash-and-stock deal valued at around $63 billion.\n\nThe maker of the blockbuster immune disorder treatment Humira said Tuesday that it will pay $120.30 in cash and a portion of AbbVie stock for each Allergan share. That amounts to $188.24 per share, or a 45% premium to Allergan's closing price Monday.\n\nShares of Allergan Plc, based in Dublin, Ireland, jumped nearly 30% before the opening bell.\n\nAbbVie shareholders will own 83% of the specialty drug company combination after the deal's completion while Allergan shareholders will have a 17% stake.\n\nRegulators and Allergan shareholders still have to approve the deal.\n\nShares of AbbVie Inc., based in North Chicago, Illinois, sank 10%."], "summary": "AbbVie, the Illinois-based pharmaceutical company best known for Humira, announces its plan to purchase Allergan, the maker of Botox, for about $63 billion."}
{"document": ["Image copyright Boston Globe via Getty Images\n\nSan Francisco has become the first US city to ban sales of e-cigarettes until their health effects are clearer.\n\nOfficials on Tuesday voted to ban stores selling the vaporisers and made it illegal for online retailers to deliver to addresses in the city.\n\nThe Californian city is home to Juul Labs, the most popular e-cigarette producer in the US.\n\nJuul said the move would drive smokers back to cigarettes and \"create a thriving black market\".\n\nSan Francisco's mayor, London Breed, has 10 days to sign off the legislation, but has indicated she will. The law would begin to be enforced seven months from that date, although there have been reports firms could mount a legal challenge.\n\nAnti-vaping activists say firms deliberately target young people by offering flavoured products. Not only is more scientific investigation into the health impact needed, critics say, but vaping can encourage young people to switch to cigarettes.\n\nEarlier this year the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the national regulator, issued proposed guidelines giving companies until 2021 to apply to have their e-cigarette products evaluated.\n\nA deadline had initially been set for August 2018, but the agency later said more preparation time was needed.\n\nSan Francisco's City Attorney, Dennis Herrera, who campaigned for a ban, praised the move and said it was necessary because of an \"abdication of responsibility\" by the FDA in regulating e-cigarettes.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Smoking v vaping: Watch lab test results\n\nAccording to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of US teenagers who admitted using nicotine products rose about 36% last year, something it attributed to a growth in e-cigarette use.\n\nUnder federal law, the minimum age to buy tobacco products is 18 years, although in California and several other states it is 21.\n\nImage copyright Getty Images\n\nJuul previously said it supported cutting vaping among young people but only in conjunction with tougher measures to stop them accessing regular cigarettes.\n\nThe company's small device, just longer than a flash drive, has about 70% of the US vaping market.\n\nSan Francisco's ban would \"drive former adult smokers who successfully switched to vapor products back to deadly cigarettes\", said Juul spokesman Ted Kwong. It would also stop adult smokers switching and create a \"thriving black market\".\n\n\"We have already taken the most aggressive actions in the industry to keep our products out of the hands of those underage and are taking steps to do more.\"\n\nTraditional tobacco products will \"remain untouched by this legislation, even though they kill 40,000 Californians every year,\" he said.\n\nJuul, 35%-owned by Marlboro maker Altria Group, has already withdrawn popular flavours such as mango and cucumber from retail stores and closed its social media channels on Instagram and Facebook.", "San Francisco voted to ban e-cigarettes in the first legislation of its kind in the United States.\n\nSupervisors approved a measure banning the sale and distribution of e-cigarettes in an effort to curb the rise of youth vaping. The measure will now go for final approval to San Francisco Mayor London Breed, who said she will sign the legislation, and stores in the city will be required to remove e-cigarettes from their shelves.\n\nAfter decades of decline in youth cigarette smoking, the rise of vaping has led to a major boost in nicotine use for people under the age of 21.\n\nSan Francisco is home to Juul, with more than a 50% share of the market making it the biggest producer of e-cigarettes in the country. Juul markets itself as a smoking alternative for adults seeking to quit, but San Francisco supervisor Shamann Walton, who co-authored the legislation, sees it as a continuation of big tobacco.\n\n“We spent a few decades fighting big tobacco in the form of cigarettes,” Walton said. “Now we have to do it again in the form of e-cigarettes.”", "Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings.\n\nSan Francisco became the first major U.S. city to ban e-cigarettes after city supervisors unanimously passed the measure in a final vote Tuesday. The ban will go into effect 30 days after the mayor signs the ordinance.\n\nSan Francisco's Board of Supervisors approvedan ordinance to prohibit the sale of electronic cigarettes in the city until marketing for the devices are approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The board voted unanimously last week to approve the bill but a city ordinance in San Francisco requires two readings before it can be put into effect.\n\nThe measure specifically singled out the use of electronic cigarettes for presenting \"significant public health consequence\" to minors.\n\nA Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study from February stated that about 4.9 million middle and high school students were vaping in 2018, up from 3.6 million the year before. CDC Director Robert R. Redfield said when the study released that the country must help keep kids safe from a preventable health risk.\n\n“The skyrocketing growth of young people’s e-cigarette use over the past year threatens to erase progress made in reducing youth tobacco use,\" Redfield said. \"It’s putting a new generation at risk for nicotine addiction.\"\n\nThe new measure passed along with a similar ordinance that bans the sale, manufacture and distribution of e-cigarettes on city property. San Francisco's newest measures expand on a 2014 measure which banned the sale of such devices where the sales of traditional tobacco products are already prohibited.\n\nSupervisor Shamann Walton, who co-sponsored the ordinance, said in a statement Tuesday that the ban is until the FDA completes appropriate clinical trials and issues standards on e-cigarettes.\n\n\"As of now the FDA has not made a ruling on the safety and all health issues associated with e-cigarettes,\" Walton said. \"In addition, the Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to never allow companies that sell, manufacture or distribute tobacco products, to lease any city property.\"\n\nE-cigarette company Juul, which is based in San Francisco, frames vaping as a healthier alternative to smoking tobacco. Juul has said it has taken steps to deter children from using its products.\n\nJuul spokesman Ted Kwong said in a statement Tuesday that the city's ban will \"create a thriving black market instead of addressing the actual causes of underage access and use.\" The company said it has taken steps to enhance its age verification process online and shut down its Facebook and Instagram accounts to restrict underage access.\n\n\"We are proposing a comprehensive set of new city regulations that require mandatory electronic scanning of IDs to verify age and ID validity to avoid human error, restrictions on bulk purchases to discourage unauthorized resale or sharing of products, city permits for all online vapor product retailers who wish to do business here, and increased restrictions on marketing for vapor products to name a few,\" Kwong said.\n\nSan Francisco's measure also sets the stage for a November ballot fight over e-cigarettes. Juul has already contributed $500,000 to the Coalition for Reasonable Vaping Regulation, which is set to gather signatures to put an initiative on the issue before voters.\n\nThe American Vaping Association also opposes San Francisco's proposal, saying adult smokers deserve access to less hazardous alternatives.", "The ban will come into force next year\n\nSan Francisco is to ban the sale of e-cigarettes because of increasing use of the nicotine devices by teenagers.\n\nThe ban on sale and distribution will begin next year and remain in place until e-cigarettes are approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).\n\nWhile other cities and states in the US have already taken steps to limit the sale of vaping devices, such as raising the age for buying nicotine products to 21, none has introduced rules as draconian as those in San Francisco.\n\nUS government data from 2018 showed a 78% increase in e-cigarette use among US high school students, with San Francisco based company Juul the main beneficiary. It is now the dominant e-cigarette maker in the US.\n\nProducers had originally been given until 2018 to submit applications to the FDA to sell products - this was then pushed back to 2022, before being revised again to 2021 because of concerns over the increase in teenage use.\n\nSan Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera said the ban was necessary because of what he called an \"abdication of responsibility\" by the FDA in regulating e-cigarettes.\n\n\"This lack of clarity is causing tremendous confusion at the same time that a whole new generation of young people are getting addicted to nicotine,\" he said. \"The explosion in youth use and the health risks to young people are undeniable.\"\n\nReacting to the ban Juul said it had already taken steps to reduce the appeal of e-cigarettes for teenagers by cutting some flavours and shutting its Facebook and Instagram accounts.\n\nAnd company spokesman Ted Kwong said the San Francisco ban might actually do more harm than good.\n\nHe claimed prohibition \"will drive former adult smokers who successfully switched to vapor products back to deadly cigarettes, deny the opportunity to switch for current adult smokers, and create a thriving black market instead of addressing the actual causes of underage access and use.\"\n\nE-cigarettes are generally thought to be safer than traditional cigarettes which kill up to half of all lifetime users.\n\nPublic Health England says they are 95% less harmful than smoking tobacco. However this has been disputed by some experts who say the long-term effects of e-cigarettes have yet to be evaluated.", "San Francisco is 1st major US city to ban e-cigarettes\n\nSAN FRANCISCO (AP) — San Francisco became the first major U.S. city to ban the sale of electronic cigarettes after supervisors gave the measure its second and final vote Tuesday.\n\nBackers say they hope the legislation will curb underage use of e-cigarettes, but critics say the ban will make it harder for adults to purchase an alternative to regular cigarettes.\n\nSan Francisco is a city that celebrates its marijuana culture, but it appears deeply opposed to other vices. Last year, voters approved a ban on the sale of flavored tobacco and in 2016, a tax on sugar-sweetened drinks.\n\nE-cigarette maker Juul Labs, which is based in San Francisco, says it is opposed to youth vaping.\n\nThe company is working on a ballot initiative that would regulate but not ban e-cigarette sales.", "San Francisco is on the verge of a vote that would ban the sale and distribution of e-cigarettes. The vaping company, Juul, is based there, but city leaders say they need to protect teenagers.\n\nThe country's biggest e-cigarettes company, Juul Labs, calls San Francisco home. That has not stopped the city's board of supervisors from taking up a vote tomorrow. It is considering a bill to ban the sale of e-cigarettes. Reporter Laura Klivans of member station KQED has the story.\n\nLAURA KLIVANS, BYLINE: Fifteen-year-old Abbey Chaitin has lived in San Francisco her whole life. She doesn't really see the draw of using e-cigarettes, which her friends just call vaping.\n\nABBEY CHAITIN: Because I've noticed how addicted my peers have become to, like, vaping.\n\nKLIVANS: She sits on her bed in her purple room. There's a \"Breakfast Club\" poster on the wall, and you can see San Francisco's summer fog out her window. She told me the majority of her friends have tried vaping, and a few are now hooked.\n\nCHAITIN: I'll see them in class, like, fidgeting or - like, they need it to focus, to function.\n\nKLIVANS: Last year, one in five high school seniors reported vaping in the past month. That's almost double the number who reported vaping the year before. Even eighth-graders are vaping in record numbers.\n\nSHAMANN WALTON: We're going to fight hard to stop that.\n\nWALTON: We spent a few decades fighting big tobacco in the form of cigarettes. And now we have to do it again in the form of e-cigarettes.\n\nKLIVANS: The proposed law would ban selling e-cigarettes in the city and delivering them to San Francisco addresses. That means you couldn't even order them online. In California, it's illegal for anyone under 21 to buy tobacco products, both regular and e-cigarettes. Still, Walton says vaping devices are common in the city's middle and high schools. He points out that nicotine, no matter how you ingest it, can harm a young person's developing brain.\n\nWALTON: And now we're just trading one nicotine addiction for another.\n\nKLIVANS: Juul's vaping device, also called a Juul, was introduced in 2015. The company now controls 70% of the vaping market. Company officials say they also want to keep e-cigarettes away from young people. They say they've made it harder for underage buyers to purchase Juul off their website, and Juul shut down its accounts on Facebook and Instagram.\n\nBut the company argues banning e-cigarettes will mean adults who want to quit smoking regular cigarettes will have a harder time. San Francisco resident Jay Friedman agrees. The software engineer used to smoke a pack a day for 20 years.\n\nJAY FRIEDMAN: E-cigarettes have really gotten me down to smoking, like, two or three a day.\n\nKLIVANS: Friedman supported a ban on flavored tobacco that city voters passed last year.\n\nFRIEDMAN: I feel like it was a good step to get rid of the fruit flavors for kids, but this feels like maybe a step too far.\n\nKLIVANS: He says if e-cigarettes are banned, he would try to quit nicotine altogether, but...\n\nFRIEDMAN: There would be a point and a moment of weakness where I'd just end up buying a pack of smokes again. And then it's just a slippery slope from there.\n\nKLIVANS: City supervisors worry that for every adult that might benefit, dozens of young people could become addicted. Small businesses in San Francisco are concerned the ban will hurt their bottom line.\n\nKLIVANS: Miriam Zouzounis and her family own this convenience store near downtown San Francisco, Ted's Market.\n\nMIRIAM ZOUZOUNIS: When people come and want to purchase something at the store and we don't have that exact item that they want, they're not going to buy the rest of the items that they might on that trip - a drink or a sandwich - if we don't have their type of tobacco product.\n\nKLIVANS: She says sales from e-cigarettes are at least $200 to $300 a day. And as a board member of the Arab American Grocers Association, she believes laws like this mostly affect immigrant-owned businesses.\n\nIf passed, the ban would go into effect early next year. But 15-year-old Abbey Chaitin thinks it won't make much of a difference.\n\nCHAITIN: People my age can find a way around that if they really need to.\n\nKLIVANS: Meanwhile, Juul is collecting signatures for a ballot initiative to override the ban in November.\n\nKELLY: And this story is part of a reporting partnership with NPR News, KQED and Kaiser Health News.", "San Francisco has become the first major US city to ban the sale of electronic cigarettes after officials gave the measure its second and final vote.\n\nSupporters said they hope the legislation will curb underage use of e-cigarettes, but critics say the ban will make it harder for adults to purchase an alternative to regular cigarettes.\n\nSan Francisco is a city that celebrates its marijuana culture but appears deeply opposed to other vices.\n\nVoters last year approved a ban on the sale of flavoured tobacco, and in 2016 a tax on sugar-sweetened drinks.\n\nE-cigarette maker Juul Labs, based in San Francisco, said it is opposed to youth vaping.\n\nThe company is working on a ballot initiative that would regulate but not ban e-cigarette sales.–PA", "San Francisco is expected to become the first city in the country to ban the sale of electronic cigarettes in an effort to combat teen vaping, which is at an all time high nationwide. The city’s board of supervisors passed measures banning the sale of e-cigarettes and flavored tobacco on Tuesday.\n\nThe ban is composed of two ordinances: the first prohibits the sale, manufacturing and distribution of tobacco products, including e-cigarettes, on city property.\n\nThe second prohibits the sale of e-cigarettes or flavored products that do not have marketing approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ― something no e-cigarette manufacturer has submitted as of 2018, according to Truth Initiative, a nonprofit that advocates to end tobacco use.\n\nThe San Francisco measures would ban both in-store purchase and online purchases of e-cigarettes being shipped to the city. Any retailers that continue selling these products would receive a $1,000 fine or other penalties. However, the ordinances would not bar the use of these e-cigarettes by people 21 years old and older. (California bars e-cigarette sales for anyone under 21)\n\n“It doesn’t ban e-cigarettes outright. It simply says that if a tobacco product is required to have FDA approval to be on the market, it can’t be sold in San Francisco until it receives that approval,” City Attorney Dennis Herrera said in a statement earlier this month. “That’s just common sense.”\n\nHerrera said this ban wouldn’t be necessary if the federal government had stopped e-cigarettes from coming to the market until they were reviewed by the FDA. “If the federal government is not going to act to protect our kids, San Francisco will,” he said.\n\nA San Francisco cashier displays a packet of tobacco-flavored Juul pods. San Francisco supervisors voted to ban all sales of electronic cigarettes in an effort to crack down on youth vaping, making it the first U.S. city to do so.\n\nThis blanket ban seems to be targeted at major e-cigarette brand Juul Labs, since it comes on the heels of the company’s rapid expansion.\n\nJuul Labs is based in San Francisco, and it bought a new building last Tuesday ― the same day the board of supervisors held a preliminary vote on the e-cigarette ban.\n\n“The prohibition of vapor products for all adults in San Francisco will not effectively address underage use and will leave cigarettes on shelves as the only choice for adult smokers, even though they kill 40,000 Californians every year,” Juul executives said in a statement about the ordinance.\n\nJuul is currently facing investigations and scrutiny over its possible role in the rise of tobacco use among minors. Last Thursday, House Democrats requested internal documents from Juul as part an investigation into teen vaping. In March, North Carolina filed a lawsuit against Juul, alleging it misrepresented the dangers of its nicotine products and that they were designed and marketed toward young people.\n\nSan Francisco Mayor London Breed has 10 days to decide whether to sign the ban into law, but has already voiced her support. The law would not take effect until January 2020. This gives e-cigarette manufacturers seven months from the signing date to get their products FDA-certified.", "San Francisco is on the verge of a vote that would ban the sale and distribution of e-cigarettes. The vaping company, Juul, is based there, but city leaders say they need to protect teenagers.", "SAN FRANCISCO: San Francisco will become the first major city in the United States to ban the sale of e-cigarettes as officials look to control the rapid uptick in teenage use of nicotine devices made by companies such as Juul Labs Inc.\n\nThe San Francisco Board of Supervisors approved the ordinance on Tuesday (Jun 25), banning the sale and distribution of e-cigarettes until they have approval from the US Food and Drug Administration.\n\nStates and cities across the United States have already moved to ban flavored e-cigarettes and raise the legal age for purchasing tobacco products to 21, but San Francisco's new approach is the most far-reaching yet.\n\nNo other major cities have proposed a similar hardline ban, though San Francisco's move could lead others to consider it.\n\nThe city council in Beverly Hills, California, this month approved a ban on the sale of tobacco products beginning 2021, though it carved out exceptions for some cigar lounges and hotels.\n\nJuul, which is based in San Francisco and has grown to be the dominant e-cigarette maker in the United States, has been at the center of the debate. As its sales soared over the last two years, so did its popularity among teenagers.\n\nFederal data last year showed a 78 per cent increase in e-cigarette use among U.S. high schoolers, and state and local lawmakers have been grappling with how to regulate Juul and other similar products.\n\nSan Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera, who spearheaded the ordinance earlier this year, praised the move and said it was necessary because of what he called an \"abdication of responsibility\" by the FDA in regulating e-cigarettes.\n\nE-cigarettes have existed in a regulatory gray area for years. Its makers originally faced a 2018 deadline to submit applications to the FDA to sell products, but the deadline was pushed back to 2022.\n\nAmid the surge in teenage use, the FDA in March moved up that deadline to 2021. A separate court case from anti-tobacco groups may force the FDA to set an earlier deadline.\n\n\"This lack of clarity is causing tremendous confusion at the same time that a whole new generation of young people are getting addicted to nicotine,\" Herrera told Reuters.\n\n\"The explosion in youth use and the health risks to young people are undeniable.\"\n\nSan Francisco Supervisor Shamann Walton, who sponsored the ordinance, said he has been constantly hearing from young people about e-cigarettes and \"how readily available they are in schools, the fact that they're easily hidden from educators.\"\n\nAfter Tuesday's vote, Juul spokesman Ted Kwong said the ban \"will drive former adult smokers who successfully switched to vapor products back to deadly cigarettes, deny the opportunity to switch for current adult smokers, and create a thriving black market instead of addressing the actual causes of underage access and use.\"\n\nHe said the company has already taken steps to prevent underage use and has proposals of its own to prevent sales to minors in the city.\n\nJuul, in which Marlboro maker Altria Group has a 35per cent stake, has pulled popular flavors such as mango and cucumber from retail store shelves and shut down its social media channels on Instagram and Facebook.\n\nFDA spokesman Michael Felberbaum declined to comment on the San Francisco ban, but said the agency is \"committed to continuing to tackle the troubling epidemic of e-cigarette use among kids,\" including limiting access to flavored e-cigarettes and cracking down on companies and retailers who sell to minors.\n\nE-cigarettes are generally thought to be safer than traditional cigarettes, which kill up to half of all lifetime users, according to the World Health Organization, but the long-term health effects of the nicotine devices remain largely unknown.\n\nBruce Colbert, who was at a tobacco retailer called the Smoke Shop in San Francisco, said the ordinance will harm people like him who are trying to stop smoking cigarettes.\n\n\"You can get high. You can get drunk, too. But you can't vape to cut back on your cigarettes,\" he said.\n\n\"Either I go back to smoking cigarettes full time, or go across the Bay and go somewhere else. No big deal.\"\n\nSan Francisco city officials last year approved a ban on flavoured tobacco and e-cigarette liquids, a move upheld by voters.\n\nJuul last month filed paperwork in San Francisco for another ballot measure that experts say would make the flavor ban and Tuesday's e-cigarette ban unenforceable.\n\nJuul spokesman Kwong disagreed that the ballot initiative would affect the flavor ban, but said it would supersede the e-cigarette ordinance approved on Tuesday.\n\nThe ballot measure, if approved, would put in place regulations favored by Juul, which it says would \"ensure that underage access and use is addressed comprehensively but adults aren't driven back to cigarettes.\"\n\nThe e-cigarette ban will go into effect early next year, according to the city attorney's office, and will apply to both online and brick-and-mortar sales in San Francisco.\n\nCity officials also passed a separate ordinance prohibiting the manufacture and distribution of all tobacco products on city property."], "summary": "San Francisco becomes the first U.S. city to ban the sale of electronic cigarettes (vapes) until the health effects of using them are better understood. Juul, the largest producer of e-cigarettes in the United States, which is based in the city, condemns the ban saying the move will drive people back to tobacco smoking and will create a black market."}
{"document": ["Zimbabwe has had a bumpy time with its currency over the years. Now things suddenly appear simpler on paper, but in reality, they are much more complicated. On Monday, the country's central bank announced that, effective immediately, foreign currencies would no longer be legal tender. No more British pound, US dollar, South African rand or Botswanan pula. Not only that, but their use within the country's border will be a punishable offense.\n\nAccording to the government in Harare, from now on only two things will be accepted in the southern Africa country of 16 million people: so-called bond notes and coins, and the Real Time Gross Settlement dollars (RTGS), which are only available electronically.\n\nThough Zimbabwe's president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, has repeatedly said he wants to reintroduce a new national currency, the end to the country's multicurrency system came quite suddenly.\n\nIt was only in 2009 that Zimbabwe's local dollar was officially replaced by the US dollar to bring much needed stability to the economy. For most of the last decade the dollar was indeed a stabilizing hand, but recently the country was running out of the greenbacks as more was being spent on imports. Inflation was creeping up.\n\nGood for business?\n\nThe latest announcement came as official inflation is hovering around 100%. Though well down from the unimaginable hyperinflation reached a decade ago that led to the downfall of the country's domestic currency, it's still high enough to cause pain to ordinary workers and businesses across the country.\n\nWatch video 03:19 Share Zimbabwe land redistribution Send Facebook google+ Whatsapp Tumblr linkedin stumble Digg reddit Newsvine Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/3JvNy Zimbabwe farmers urge overhaul of landownership policies\n\nNot surprisingly, many on the ground were caught off guard and are skeptical, not least because of the country's financial history. Christopher Mugaga, chief executive officer of the Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce, thinks these sudden changes are bad for businesses already suffering from uncertainty and will not solve the currency problem or put a stop to a parallel economy of different black market prices.\n\n\"The negative impact of such a move might include a shortage of commodities in the shops. Business people might not necessarily want to sell in RTGS openly,\" which would only lead to a growth in the black market. Inflation cannot be simply ignored or taken away, he added.\n\nWhere's the 'zollars'?\n\nThe clumsily named RTGS was originally meant as an interim stopgap alongside the American dollar. It was first implemented in 2016 near the end of Robert Mugabe's 37-year reign when the government started to pay with the electronic currency because of a lack of US dollars.\n\nDemonstrators in Zimbabwe's capital, Harare, holding bags full of worthless cash in 2016\n\nAt the time, the central bank claimed that RTGSs were equal to the US dollar, but bank withdrawals were only given in bond notes, a type of paper currency, and not in actual dollars. The exchange rate on the street was not one-to-one, as many Zimbabweans looking for bucks on the black market found out.\n\nWith the economy lagging, the government finally devalued the currency by 60% in February. Since then it has fallen further. Blocking the use of foreign currency is a last-ditch effort to get a handle on the black market and stabilize the economy.\n\nYet this step just adds confusion to an already jumbled economy. Many people are paid in the Zimbabwean RTGS, but prices are still quoted in US dollars, especially for all imports. Some food, fuel and other imported goods are in short supply at the moment.\n\nTaking back control\n\nJane Kawanza, who runs information and technology shops in Harare that are reliant on imports, expressed disappointment at the government's decision. \"Our local currency is not stable — that means prices have to be marked up on a daily basis. And that's not good for business.\"\n\n\"If you have many branches, if you are a big business, it means you have to put high margins on your goods to avoid increasing prices on a daily basis. That is a huge disadvantage to the consumers because goods are going to be overpriced,\" she added.\n\nFor the moment, customers can pay with the official bond notes and coins or via mobile payment systems. These payments fall within the official government system and exchange rates. Nonetheless, many on the street are still buying and selling in US dollars or South African rands — and getting better deals — although it is no longer allowed. These two competing systems punish big chain stores that are afraid of going against government regulations and let smaller merchants deal under the radar. So far Harare has not gone after this parallel economy.\n\nIn any case, the government must prove that its new currency is trustworthy. This can only be done by getting inflation under control and restoring price stability. But going by the country's track record, it will be an uphill battle to convince the people of Zimbabwe to let go of the mighty US dollar and again reach for something more homemade.", "HARARE - Zimbabwe has declared its interim currency, the RTGS dollar, the country’s sole legal tender with effect from Monday, according to a government notice published on Monday.\n\n“The British pound, United States dollar, South African rand Botswana pula and any other foreign currency whatsoever shall no longer be legal tender alongside the Zimbabwe dollar in any transactions in Zimbabwe,” the notice said.\n\nThe RTGS (Real Time Gross Settlement) dollar was introduced by the government on 22 February as the first step towards a new currency by year-end.\n\nHowever, by last week it had plunged 60% against the US dollar and some Zimbabweans complain that many goods and services are still priced in foreign currencies, mainly the dollar and the rand.\n\nZimbabwe adopted the US dollar as its official currency in 2009, when most Zimbabweans had already ditched the hyperinflation-wrecked Zimbabwe Dollar.\n\nAnalysts fear the same situation repeating itself with the interim currency. In May year-on-year inflation soared to 75.86% and fuel prices have been climbing steadily, up more than 150% since the beginning of the year.", "GOVERNMENT has outlawed the use of multiple currencies through new regulations that compel all forms of transacting to be done in local currency, now formally known as Zimbabwe dollar.\n\nThrough Statutory Instrument (SI) 142 of 2019, known as Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (Legal Tender) Regulations, the Government abolished the use of British pound, United States dollar, South African rand, Botswana pula and any other foreign currencies, as legal tender.\n\nPrior to the latest development, Zimbabwe used a basket of currencies collectively referred to as the multicurrency system, which was adopted in 2009 when the country scrapped its domestic currency.\n\nUntil today (Monday) payments in Zimbabwe could be made in any of the approved currencies that included the US dollar, British pound, South African rand, Botswana pula and RTGS dollar.\n\n“Accordingly, the Zimbabwe dollar, with effect from 24th June, 2019, but subject to subsection 3, be the sole legal tender in Zimbabwe in all transactions,” Statutory Instrument 142 says.\n\nThe new Zimbabwe dollar will have same boundaries, extent in space, time, or meaning as the RTGS dollars, which entails all bond notes and approved forms of electronic money in Zimbabwe.\n\n“For the avoidance of doubt, it is declared that references to the Zimbabwe dollar are conterminous with references to the following;\n\n“The bond notes and coins referred to in section 44B, the electronic currency prescribed for purposes of section 44C of the Act, that is to say the RTGS dollar.\n\n“The above mentioned bond notes and RTGS dollars are at par with the Zimbabwe dollar, that is to say each bond note unit and each RTGS dollar is equivalent to a Zimbabwe dollar and each 100th part of a RTGS dollar is equivalent to a Zimbabwean cent.”", "In a bid to defend its fledgeling new currency against black market speculation, Zimbabwe‘s Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube has outlawed the use of the US dollar and a host of other foreign currencies in local transactions.\n\nIn 2009, Zimbabwe allowed the US dollar and other foreign currencies to be used as legal tender in the country after hyperinflation decimated the value of the Zimbabwean dollar.\n\nEarlier this year, to pave the way towards ending so-called “dollarisation”, the country laid the foundations for a new Zimbabwean dollar by introducing an interim currency, the Real Time Gross Settlement dollar (RTGS) or “zollar”.\n\nBut since its launch in February, the RTGS has struggled amid black market speculation that has seen its value slide sharply against the US dollar.\n\nMonday’s government decree values the RTGS at par with the Zimbabwe dollar and mandates it be used as the country’s sole legal tender for local transactions with immediate effect.\n\n“The British pound, United States dollar, South African rand, Botswana pula and any other foreign currency whatsoever shall no longer be legal tender alongside the Zimbabwe dollar in any transactions in Zimbabwe,” read the decree.\n\nBut some believe the measure will not arrest the decline of the RTGS.\n\n“I think its ridiculous measure,” said Eddie Cross, an economist and founding member of the Movement for Democratic Change, the main opposition party in Zimbabwe.\n\n“The exchange rate will run and this is completely out of sync. For heaven’s sake, this is economic sabotage. I hope people will not go on the street tomorrow. This is just catastrophic,” Cross told Al Jazeera.\n\nIndependent economist Victor Bhoroma said businesses with debts denominated in foreign currencies could see the cost of servicing those obligations soar.\n\n“It means that all debts contracted in USD are now payable in the local currency,” Bhoromoa told Al Jazeera. “All products and services that were being indexed in USD (ie, insurance and property) since it was legal tender will now be indexed in local Zimbabwean dollar.”\n\nBhoroma warned that this could trigger a spate of defaults and litigation against both businesses and the government. He added that businesses are unlikely to use the official exchange rate to price their products, “which negatively impact supply as producers adopt a wait and see attitude”.\n\nSince taking over as finance minister, Ncube has hinted at currency reforms and the introduction of a full-fledged currency.\n\nMonday’s decree is believed to be part of those reform efforts. But some economists are sceptical whether it can stop the country from gravitating back towards foreign currencies.\n\n“Definitely, it is an attempt to stop redollarisation,” said Bhoromoa. “However dollarisation has many levels. Zimbabwe will still be in de-facto dollarisation as long as inflation levels for the Zimbabwean dollar are very high and in the absence of confidence in government institutions.”", "Harare, Zimbabwe | AFP | Zimbabwe announced on Monday that it would abandon the use of foreign currencies which replaced the local dollar that was swiped out by hyperinflation ten years ago.\n\nThe crisis-hit country is facing another bout of sharply rising prices, with official inflation now at nearly 100 per cent — the highest since the hyperinflation era.\n\nZimbabwe’s central bank said in a statement that official legal tender would be only the two local currencies — bond notes and “RTGS” — that were introduced as US dollar banknotes dried up.\n\nThe US dollar, South African rand and other foreign currencies “shall no longer be legal tender alongside the Zimbabwe dollar in any transactions in Zimbabwe,” the bank said.\n\n“Bond notes and RTGS dollars are at par with the Zimbabwe dollar.”\n\nBond notes were introduced in 2014, while electronic RTGS (Real Time Gross Settlement) dollars came earlier this year.\n\nPresident Emmerson Mnangagwa has promised to introduce a proper national currency soon.\n\nBond notes and RTGS dollars have in theory been worth the same as US dollars, but have fallen sharply in value.\n\nZimbabwe’s economy has been in ruins since hyperinflation peaked at 500 billion percent in 2009 under president Robert Mugabe.\n\nMnangagwa’s efforts to attract investment and create jobs have struggled since he came to power in 2017.", "Zimbabwe made its interim currency the country’s sole legal tender on Monday, ending a decade of dollarisation and taking a another step towards relaunching the Zimbabwean dollar.\n\nThe central bank also hiked its overnight lending rate to 50% from 15% as a part of a set of measures to protect the RTGS dollar introduced in February.\n\n“The march towards full currency reform is part of our transitional stabilisation programme,” Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube said in a video posted on Twitter.\n\n“This move is really beginning to restore full monetary policy.”\n\nZimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who replaced longtime leader Robert Mugabe after an army coup in November 2017, is trying to repair an economy ruined by hyperinflation and a long succession of failed economic interventions.\n\nBut a hoped-for economic turnaround is yet to materialise, and many Zimbabweans are distrustful of Mnangagwa’s promises.\n\nMnangagwa’s government last month agreed a staff-monitored programme with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) whereby the fund will help Zimbabwe implement coherent economic policies.\n\nAnalysts are sceptical that the latest currency reforms will be a quick fix for the deep problems that have constrained economic growth in the southern African country.\n\n“Zimbabwe will have to show results before people are convinced,” said Jee-A Van Der Linde, an economist at South Africa-based NKC African Economics.\n\nVan Der Linde said banning the use of currencies such as the U.S. dollar and South African rand could create panic since Zimbabwe did not have large foreign-currency reserves to back the RTGS dollar.\n\nThere was nothing standing in the way of the Zimbabwean central bank printing money as it had done in the past, he added.\n\nThe central bank said in a statement on Monday that it had put in place letters of credit worth $330 million to secure imports for important goods such as fuel.\n\nIt would also try to boost liquidity on the interbank forex market by removing a cap on margins for banks and making sure that more than 50% of the foreign currency that Zimbabwean companies have to surrender ends up on the interbank market.\n\nZimbabwe abandoned its own dollar in 2009 after years of hyperinflation had destroyed trust in the local unit.\n\nMnangagwa said this month that Zimbabwe must reintroduce its own currency by the end of the year.\n\nThe IMF has said Zimbabwe should quickly allow the RTGS dollar to float freely, allow exporters to sell dollars at the interbank rate rather than surrender them to the central bank, and raise interest rates to curb inflation.\n\nThe RTGS dollar has been hitting new lows on the black market in recent days.\n\nIt was trading between 11 and 12 against the U.S. dollar on the unofficial market on Monday versus a level of around 6 on the official interbank market.\n\nMany Zimbabweans complain that goods and services are still priced in other currencies.\n\nWhile more than 80% of Zimbabweans earn RTGS dollars, goods ranging from bricks to groceries have their prices pegged in U.S. dollars.\n\nInflation raced to 97.85% in May, eroding salaries and savings and causing Zimbabweans to fear a return to the hyperinflation era a decade ago.", "HARARE – Zimbabwe is looking to mop up as much as ZWL1.2 billion from the local market by the end of this week through direct transfer of balances from local finance institutions to the central bank while also imposing a 90 day period for the disposal of dual listed securities or shares purchased by investors.\n\nThe struggling southern African country introduced a new Zimbabwe dollar (ZWL) currency on Monday, effectively ruling out usage of South African rand, US Dollar and Botswana Pula as legal tender. Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube said having a local currency will help Zimbabwe stagger back to recovery.\n\nAs part of measures to support the new currency and to strengthen the interbank market for foreign currency, Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe governor, John Mangudya said the central bank was putting a “vesting period of 90 days on disposal of dual listed securities or shares purchased by investors on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange”.\n\nDual listed companies such as Old Mutual have been accused of inflaming parallel market exchange rates which have spiraled out of control. Treasury officials have also accused other large corporates of illegal currency dealings on the informal markets where the local currency has been drastically losing value.\n\nIn addition to this, the RBZ governor has also directed local banks that include units of Standard Bank, Nedbank and Standard Chartered to transfer account balances to the central bank.\n\nThis will help mop up as much as ZWL1.2 billion, with experts saying this was meant to deal with excess liquidity on the market. ZWL1.2 billion is equivalent to about US$190.5 million using the official interbank exchange rate of 1:6.3 against the US Dollar as of Monday evening.\n\nBanks in Zimbabwe have been directed to “transfer to the Reserve Bank the RTGS$/ZWL$s that they are holding as counterpart funds for the foreign currency historical or legacy debt that Government, through the Reserve Bank, is assuming at the rate of 1:1.\n\nEarlier this year, Zimbabwe officially floated the exchange rate but economists say the central bank is still partially controlling the exchange rate. The IMF has said that it is supportive of the economic reforms, which include currency reforms, that Zimbabwe is undertaking and IMF managing director, Christine Lagarde has approved a Staff Monitored Program for Harare.\n\n“This measure is expected to mop around ZLW$1.2 billion from the market by the end of this week. (The RBZ also adjusted) the interest rate on the Reserve Bank overnight window upwards from the current 15 percent per annum to 50 percent per annum in line with inflation trends,” added Mangudya in a statement released late on Monday.\n\nThe central bank has also sought to remove administrative limits on the operation of bureaux de change and on the cap on margins for banks around interbank foreign exchange transactions.\n\nThe central bank will also increase “supply of foreign currency into interbank foreign market by ensuring that at least 50% of the surrender portion of foreign currency is sold” to the interbank market.\n\n“This will be supplemented by the use of Letters of Credit (LCs) for the importation of essential commodities that include fuel, cooking oil, and wheat. The Bank has put in place LCs amounting to US$330 million for this purpose.”", "Zimbabwe has banned the use of foreign currencies in a step to reintroduced its own dollar, causing widespread fears the country will slide again into hyperinflation.\n\nPresident Emmerson Mnangagwa said today that the crisis-hit country was returning to normal as it moved to end its foreign currency system that has been in operation for a decade.\n\nThe country has a multi-currency system, including US dollars and South African rand since 2009, when the old Zimbabwe dollar was rendered worthless by hyperinflation as the economy collapsed.\n\nBut yesterday the central bank announced the British pound, United States dollar, South African rand Botswana pula as well as any other foreign currency, would no longer be legal tender.\n\nIn a step towards the introduction of a new currency, the bank said that US dollars and the rand would be replaced by two local parallel currencies - 'bond notes' and electronic RTGS dollars, which will be known as 'Zimbabwe dollars'.\n\nBond notes were introduced in 2014, while electronic RTGS (Real Time Gross Settlement) dollars came in earlier this year.\n\nBoth were in theory worth the same as US dollars, but trade far below the greenback in value.\n\nIn response to the announcement Zimbabwe's largest labour body today threatened mass protests over the government's decision.\n\nMnangagwa's government claimed the move was an important step towards removing economic imbalances.\n\nBut many Zimbabweans are distrustful after a long succession of failed economic interventions.\n\nZimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) president Peter Mutasa told a press conference: 'If the government does not reverse this ruinous policy immediately and announce US dollar salary payments, we will immediately mobilise workers for mass action.\n\n'The ZCTU has not moved from its position that the short-term solution is to dollarise and, as such, we are going into the tripartite negotiating forum (with government and business) to demand US dollar salary payments,' Mutasa added.\n\nIn January, the ZCTU led nationwide protests against a 150 per cent fuel price increase, triggering a violent crackdown by the army and police, which left at least 12 people dead, according to rights groups.\n\nMost Zimbabwean businesses and residents do not yet fully grasp the change, as they had been mainly using U.S. dollars to avoid the rapidly devaluing local bond note.\n\nMost traders pegged their prices on the dollar, resulting in prices in local currency changing, as much as several times a day in response to rising black market dollar rates.\n\nWith banks experiencing widespread shortages of cash, businesses have been forced to resort to the illegal street market to get foreign currency in order to restock. Zimbabwe's industry has been in the doldrums for more than a decade and the country imports most basic items.\n\nInflation is close to 98 er cent, according to official figures, the highest since the 2009 collapse of the local currency.\n\nZimbabweans took to social media to voice their concerns immediately after the announcement by Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube.\n\nSome posted pictures of the old 1 trillion dollar notes and the piles of worthless cash the country was left with during the previous disastrous economic policies.\n\nMnangagwa replaced former leader Robert Mugabe after an army coup in November 2017, but a hoped-for economic turnaround has not materialised.\n\nIn February, Mnangagwa's government introduced the RTGS dollar as a transitional unit before relaunching the Zimbabwean dollar.\n\nMonday's announcement created widespread confusion and criticism as the new Zimbabwe dollar has not yet been launched, and Zimbabweans have little faith in the economic record of the ZANU-PF government.\n\n'What we have done is going back to normalcy,' Mnangagwa told reporters.\n\n'Normalcy is that a country must have its own currency. We were living in an abnormal situation. We should actually be congratulating ourselves for taking this step.'\n\nThe country have recently endured another bout of sharply rising prices, with official inflation now at nearly 100 per cent - the highest since the hyperinflation era when it hit 500 billion per cent.", "Zimbabwe has banned the use of foreign currencies in a step to reintroduced its own dollar, causing widespread fears the country will slide again into hyperinflation.\n\nPresident Emmerson Mnangagwa said today that the crisis-hit country was returning to normal as it moved to end its foreign currency system that has been in operation for a decade.\n\nThe country has a multi-currency system, including US dollars and South African rand since 2009, when the old Zimbabwe dollar was rendered worthless by hyperinflation as the economy collapsed.\n\nBut yesterday the central bank announced the British pound, United States dollar, South African rand Botswana pula as well as any other foreign currency, would no longer be legal tender.\n\nIn a step towards the introduction of a new currency, the bank said that US dollars and the rand would be replaced by two local parallel currencies - 'bond notes' and electronic RTGS dollars, which will be known as 'Zimbabwe dollars'.\n\nBond notes were introduced in 2014, while electronic RTGS (Real Time Gross Settlement) dollars came in earlier this year.\n\nBoth were in theory worth the same as US dollars, but trade far below the greenback in value.\n\nIn response to the announcement Zimbabwe's largest labour body today threatened protests over the government's decision.\n\nMnangagwa's government claimed the move was an important step towards removing economic imbalances.\n\nBut many Zimbabweans are distrustful after a long succession of failed economic interventions.\n\nZimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) president Peter Mutasa told a press conference: 'If the government does not reverse this ruinous policy immediately and announce US dollar salary payments, we will immediately mobilise workers for mass action.\n\n'The ZCTU has not moved from its position that the short-term solution is to dollarise and, as such, we are going into the tripartite negotiating forum (with government and business) to demand US dollar salary payments,' Mutasa added.\n\nIn January, the ZCTU led nationwide protests against a 150 per cent fuel price increase, triggering a violent crackdown by the army and police, which left at least 12 people dead, according to rights groups.\n\nMnangagwa replaced longtime leader Robert Mugabe after an army coup in November 2017, but a hoped-for economic turnaround has not materialised.\n\nIn February, Mnangagwa's government introduced the RTGS dollar as a transitional unit before relaunching the Zimbabwean dollar.\n\nMonday's announcement created widespread confusion and criticism as the new Zimbabwe dollar has not yet been launched, and Zimbabweans have little faith in the economic record of the ZANU-PF government.\n\n'What we have done is going back to normalcy,' Mnangagwa told reporters.\n\n'Normalcy is that a country must have its own currency. We were living in an abnormal situation. We should actually be congratulating ourselves for taking this step.'\n\nThe country have recently endured another bout of sharply rising prices, with official inflation now at nearly 100 per cent - the highest since the hyperinflation era when it hit 500 billion per cent.\n\nZimbabweans took to social media to voice their concerns immediately after the announcement.\n\nSome posted pictures of the old 1 trillion dollar notes and the piles of worthless cash the country was left with during the previous disastrous economic policies.", "HARARE, Zimbabwe — Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Tuesday praised the re-introduction of the Zimbabwe dollar as the sole legal tender in the troubled country as a \"return to normalcy.\"\n\nZimbabwe had for 10 years used the U.S. dollar and other foreign currencies after the Zimbabwean currency was dogged by hyperinflation.\n\nMnangagwa said it is the right time to scrap the use of foreign currencies, saying Zimbabwe's economy is \"now functional\" enough to adopt the usage of a single, local currency.\n\n\"We were living in an abnormal situation. We should actually be congratulated for taking this step,\" he told reporters at a press conference on the sidelines of a wildlife summit in the resort town of Victoria Falls.\n\n\"What we have done is we have gone back to normalcy,\" he said. \"Normalcy is that the country must have its own currency.\"\n\nMnangagwa said the possession of foreign currency is not outlawed, but people will not be able to use it to buy items locally.\n\nFinance Minister Mthuli Ncube on Monday announced the Zimbabwe dollar as the sole legal tender. Before Ncube's notice, Zimbabweans were using a multi-currency system dominated by the U.S. dollar after abandoning its own currency in 2009.\n\nZimbabwe later introduced a local currency called the bond note in 2016 to trade alongside the dollar, the British pound, the South African rand and other currencies. This bond note has now become the Zimbabwe dollar.\n\nMost Zimbabwean businesses and residents do not yet fully grasp the change, as they had been mainly using U.S. dollars to avoid the rapidly devaluing local bond note.\n\nMost traders pegged their prices on the dollar, resulting in prices in local currency changing, as much as several times a day in response to rising black market dollar rates.\n\nWith banks experiencing widespread shortages of cash, businesses have been forced to resort to the illegal street market to get foreign currency in order to restock. Zimbabwe's industry has been in the doldrums for more than a decade and the country imports most basic items.\n\nInflation is close to 98%, according to official figures, the highest since the 2009 collapse of the local currency."], "summary": "The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe announces that, effective immediately, foreign currencies such as the United States dollar or South African rand will no longer be legal tender in the country, and that any use of foreign currency within Zimbabwe will be a punishable offense."}
{"document": ["El Instituto de Economía y Desarrollo Empresarial (IEDEP) de la Cámara de Comercio de Lima (CCL) identificó un total de 957 mil 26 peruanos pertenecientes a la población vulnerable con mayor riesgo a ser nuevamente pobres si sus ingresos se redujeran en un 7% en promedio.\n\nCabe mencionar que el año pasado, la población vulnerable alcanzó los 10 millones 900 mil de peruanos, representando el 34,2% de la población total. Además, el Banco Mundial define como clase vulnerable a las personas con un rango de ingreso diario que oscila entre 4 dólares y 10 dólares, medidos en paridad de poder de compra (ppc), pasando a moneda nacional serían los hogares con ingresos entre 777 soles y 1.942 soles al mes.\n\nDe este grupo de peruanos, el 63% vive en zonas urbanas y se encuentra asentada en gran parte en las regiones de Lima con 19,2%, Cajamarca con 8,4%, Puno con 7,2%, Piura con 6,9% y Cusco con 6,3%.\n\nPor otro lado, el 95% de este subgrupo labora en condición de informalidad principalmente en los sectores agropecuarios con 44,6% y Comercio con 18,6%, actividades que se caracterizan por tener baja productividad. Además, el nivel educativo superior solo alcanza al 12% de los mayores de 15 años de edad, muy por debajo del promedio de toda la clase vulnerable.\n\nCCL\n\nEn ese sentido, el director ejecutivo del IEDEP, César Peñaranda indica que si el país contara con una situación económica favorable con altas tasas de crecimiento con la última década, aumentaría la posibilidad de que un porcentaje de la clase vulnerable pasara a la clase media.\n\nAdemás, indicó que estima que 805 mil 105 personas las que podrían sumarse a la clase media si sus ingresos monetarios netos aumentaran en 3% en promedio. Este conjunto vive predominantemente en la zona urbana (88%). Según regiones, las más representativas donde se ubican estos grupos son Lima (35,4%), La Libertad (8,3%), Lambayeque (5,8%), Ica (5,7%) y Piura (5,7%).\n\nEn esa línea, la informalidad laboral en esta clase media potencial también es alta con 77,5%, pero inferior respecto a aquella en riesgo de caer en pobreza.", "[PDF] Download Frommer's EasyGuide to Lima, Cusco and Machu Picchu Ebook | READ ONLINE \n\n \n\nRead book => http://epicofebook.com/?book=1628874341 \n\nDownload Frommer's EasyGuide to Lima, Cusco and Machu Picchu read ebook Online PDF EPUB KINDLE \n\n \n\nFrommer's EasyGuide to Lima, Cusco and Machu Picchu pdf download \n\nFrommer's EasyGuide to Lima, Cusco and Machu Picchu read online \n\nFrommer's EasyGuide to Lima, Cusco and Machu Picchu epub \n\nFrommer's EasyGuide to Lima, Cusco and Machu Picchu vk \n\nFrommer's EasyGuide to Lima, Cusco and Machu Picchu pdf \n\nFrommer's EasyGuide to Lima, Cusco and Machu Picchu amazon \n\nFrommer's EasyGuide to Lima, Cusco and Machu Picchu free download pdf \n\nFrommer's EasyGuide to Lima, Cusco and Machu Picchu pdf free \n\nFrommer's EasyGuide to Lima, Cusco and Machu Picchu pdf Frommer's EasyGuide to Lima, Cusco and Machu Picchu \n\nFrommer's EasyGuide to Lima, Cusco and Machu Picchu epub download \n\nFrommer's EasyGuide to Lima, Cusco and Machu Picchu online \n\nFrommer's EasyGuide to Lima, Cusco and Machu Picchu epub download \n\nFrommer's EasyGuide to Lima, Cusco and Machu Picchu epub vk \n\nFrommer's EasyGuide to Lima, Cusco and Machu Picchu mobi \n\nDownload Frommer's EasyGuide to Lima, Cusco and Machu Picchu PDF - KINDLE - EPUB - MOBI \n\nFrommer's EasyGuide to Lima, Cusco and Machu Picchu download ebook PDF EPUB book in english language \n\n[DOWNLOAD] Frommer's EasyGuide to Lima, Cusco and Machu Picchu in format PDF \n\nFrommer's EasyGuide to Lima, Cusco and Machu Picchu download free of book in format PDF \n\n#book #readonline #ebook #pdf #kindle #epub", "TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTHI) - The Terre Haute Chamber of Commerce is the Indiana Chamber of the Year.\n\nThe honor comes from the Indiana Chamber Executive Association.\n\nThe association said the Terre Haute Chamber has shown growth and regional leadership.\n\nThe chamber is focusing on the four pillars to benefit the community.\n\nThose pillars are advocacy for impact, advancing business development, promoting quality of life, and providing excellent service to its members.\n\nRetiring President David Haynes said this is a great way to celebrate his time with the chamber.\n\n\"I think it tells our community, our chamber members, that things are good at the Terre Haute Chamber of Commerce,\" Haynes said.\n\nKristin Craig will take over as chamber president on July 1.\n\nShe is currently the vice president.", "Mal Garnett has been appointed as the new president of the Lancaster and District Chamber of Commerce.\n\nThe appointment, announced at the Chamber’s annual meeting, sees Mal replacing Alistair Eagles, who had presided over the presidency for the last two years.\n\nMal, who runs Apparatus Marketing, said: “I am honoured to have become president after Alistair. He has taken the Chamber to new heights and seen the membership increase significantly in his two years at the helm.\n\n“This area is on the cusp of achieving something pretty special. Not only do we have Lancaster University’s Health Innovation Hub nearing completion and the Lancaster Quarter bubbling away, but we also have the very real prospect of a world-famous ecological and environmental development, in the form of the Eden Project, getting closer to reality in Morecambe. This will really put us on the international map.”\n\nChamber chief executive officer Vicky Lofthouse added: “It is great to see the Chamber’s board strengthened with a more diverse business base and the appointment of Mal as president. I’d also like to thank outgoing President Alistair Eagles for his two years of great service as president, and his continuing support as an ambassador member of the Chamber.”", "EL PASO — Local Chambers from across the state of Texas convened Tuesday, June 18 for the Texas Chamber of Commerce Executives (TCCE) annual excellence awards.\n\nThe awards honor organizations for exceptional efforts in marketing, communications and media outreach. Awards are judged in seven separate categories: outstanding chamber map, outstanding brochure, outstanding magazine or directory, excellence in print or electronic newsletter, outstanding chamber website, excellence in social media marketing and communications, and outstanding marketing campaign.\n\nThe Alice Chamber of Commerce received four place awards. Those categories were for outstanding chamber marketing for budgets under $250,000, excellence in print or electronic newsletter for budgets under $250,000, outstanding chamber social media campaigns for budgets under $250,000, and brochures for budgets under $250,000.\n\nThe Alice Chamber of Commerce also received a second place for business directories for budgets under $250,000.\n\n“This is an extremely tough competition,” said Aaron Cox, TCCE Chairman. “Rest assured that the chambers that won these awards faced stiff competition from their fellow chambers of commerce. It truly means Alice is the best in 2019 when it comes to promoting its business community.”\n\nThe overall competition had more than 200 entries from which the best were judged by panels of experts.\n\n“One of the primary responsibilities for a chamber is to promote the organization, community and that chamber’s members,” said Cox. “By winning these awards the Alice Chamber of Commerce can be held up as an example of the best at promoting the chamber, its businesses and providing excellent information to people in Alice.”\n\nTCCE is the professional society of chamber of commerce executives and professional staff in the state of Texas. Established in 1908, TCCE remains a strong, viable organization and the longest standing association of chamber of commerce professionals in the nation.\n\nAs a private not-for-profit 501 (c)(6) TCCE operates with the primary goal of serving its membership by providing excellence in professional development, networking, resource and idea exchange opportunities and grassroots advocacy information and coordination. Through its publications and other resources TCCE provides operational guidance and leadership to chambers across the state.", "The Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) and Dalian Fujian Chamber of Commerce, China Tuesday inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at expansion of trade and economic ties between Pakistan and China in different sectors including Food, Gems and jewelry, construction materials, electoro mechanical and valve production and sales, real estate development and renovation projects\n\nRAWALPINDI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th Jun, 2019 ):The Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) and Dalian Fujian Chamber of Commerce, China Tuesday inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at expansion of trade and economic ties between Pakistan and China in different sectors including Food, Gems and jewelry, construction materials, electoro mechanical and valve production and sales, real estate development and renovation projects.\n\nPresident Dalian Fujian Chamber, Ms Liao Meiying and President RCCI Malik Shahid Saleem signed and exchange the documents at a ceremony held here.\n\nMs Liao Meiying said both organizations committed for encouraging and supporting small and medium-sized enterprises as they were a significant contributor to the wider economy.\n\n\"We are looking forward for joint ventures in different sectors mainly construction and beautification.\n\n\" She said this MoU would serve as a platform to strengthen the linkages between the trader's communities of the both countries.\n\nShe also appreciated RCCI efforts and its active role for promoting trade ties between Pakistan and China through exhibitions.\n\nOn the occasion, RCCI President Malik Shahid Saleem termed MoU a great success and said Pakistan's economy offered great potential to Chinese investors for joint ventures and investments. He said that China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) offered great investment opportunities and we considered it as a big game changer for the entire South Asia region.\n\nThe both countries could take a huge benefit from this emerging opportunity, he added.", "Launched today, UltraServe Commerce delivers affordable and low-risk digital commerce solutions for B2B, B2C and Marketplaces, plus the ability to easily customize, extend and innovate for future needs\n\nSYDNEY, June 25, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- UltraServe, digital commerce experts, today launches its latest breakthrough, UltraServe Commerce, the pay-as-you-consume digital commerce platform for enterprise. Delivered via the AWS Marketplace, UltraServe Commerce eliminates many barriers to entry traditionally associated with launching digital commerce initiatives by reducing upfront costs, risk and time.\n\nWith just a few clicks, UltraServe Commerce empowers organizations to deliver outstanding customer experiences by combining native enterprise-grade digital commerce features with a highly customizable framework.\n\nUltraServe Chief Revenue Officer Paul McClure said traditional enterprise-grade digital commerce solutions forced midsize organizations to make significant compromises when selecting a platform that met their business requirements. \"UltraServe Commerce eliminates these compromises by delivering enterprise-grade digital commerce capabilities in a simple and more consumable way,\" he said. \"UltraServe Commerce helps organizations realize the full potential of their digital commerce investment in the shortest possible time with the least amount of upfront cost and risk.\"\n• Enterprise-grade features and capabilities – Out of the box, UltraServe Commerce delivers enterprise-grade commerce capabilities including storefront, product catalog, merchandising, shopping cart, check-out, search, offers and promotions for both B2C and B2B use-cases. UltraServe Commerce also provides Marketplace, Order Management System (OMS), Product Information Management (PIM) and Content Management System (CMS) modules to significantly reduce the need for third-party technologies and integrations.\n• Reduced administrative overheads -- Managed from an easy-to-use admin interface or REST APIs, UltraServe Commerce reduces the administrative overheads traditionally required for vendor management, product management, order management, customer service and digital experience capabilities such as advanced marketing, catalog management, content management and targeted promotions.\n• A unique commercial model -- By decoupling development and testing environments from production environments, UltraServe Commerce lets organizations consume resources on-demand, enabling them to develop and innovate without the need to sign upfront term-based contracts.\n• Eliminated unplanned downtime -- backed by industry-leading 99.999% availability Service Level Agreements (SLAs), out-of-the box Disaster Recovery and 24x7x365 Global Support, UltraServe ensures your site is always available to transact business.\n• Amazon Web Services (AWS) – Delivered exclusively on AWS and based on the AWS Well Architected framework, UltraServe Commerce adheres to the operational excellence, security, reliability, performance efficiency, and cost optimization standards aligned with AWS best practices.\n• New Relic APM -- With integrated Application Performance Management, the UltraServe Commerce platform provides real-time insights and visibility into your environments so you can identify and fix problems faster and deliver delightful experiences for your customers.\n• Broadleaf – Access the powerful Broadleaf Commerce application used by leading global brands to deliver tailored B2C & B2B experiences offered via Software as a Service (SaaS) by UltraServe.\n\n\"Using UltraServe Commerce, within a day, our build team created a fully functional B2C/B2B e-commerce store for clients and prospects. The auto-provisioning process is streamlined, and when digging under the hood we got a genuine appreciation for the cutting-edge technology that makes it all possible,\" says The Playhouse Group CEO Luke Goldsworthy. \"The licensing of UltraServe Commerce has flipped the old school method of making large upfront investments for rigid, locked in models, to testing a flexible SaaS product in a consumable way. UltraServe Commerce delivers cost-effective non-production environments before moving to a commercial agreement at launch, making for a very compelling Total Cost of Ownership calculation.\"\n\n\"New Relic is proud to partner with UltraServe, continuing our tradition of delivering seamless and outstanding customer experiences to help them scale for their biggest day,\" said New Relic Group Vice President for JPAC Greg Taylor. \"The alliance gives UltraServe Commerce clients the ability to gain a long-lasting edge over their rivals by using best-in-class technologies such as New Relic's APM solution.\"\n• To learn more about UltraServe Commerce, read the data sheet\n• To learn more about pricing and start your free trial today, visit the UltraServe Commerce product page\n• To learn more about UltraServe and AWS, visit the AWS and UltraServe partner page\n\nUltraServe are digital commerce experts focused on delivering high performing digital commerce outcomes for customers globally. UltraServe designs, implements and manages digital commerce solutions for some of the worlds most recognized brands.\n\nTo learn more about UltraServe or for inquiries please contact sales@ultraserve.co or visit www.ultraserve.co", "The 8th Annual Taste of Doral™, placing Doral’s vast gastronomical landscape on South Florida’s culinary map, is happening now through July 31.\n\nLaunched by the Doral Chamber of Commerce, Taste of Doral™ is a fine-dining program that takes place all month, showcasing specially priced lunches and dinners at the chamber’s member restaurants throughout the city. In fact, each day a different restaurant from the surrounding area is featured on www.atasteofdoral.com so you won’t miss a bite.\n\nAccording to Doral Chamber CEO Manny Sarmiento, Doral is home to more than 200 “mom-and-pop” restaurants, as well as myriad franchised restaurant establishments.\n\n“The eclectic list of restaurants includes cuisines from all over the world as well as several options for health conscious consumers. So even if you typically have a hard time finding a restaurant that suits your taste, well, this is definitely your opportunity,” he says.\n\nSince its launch, Taste of Doral™ has been recognized in media outlets such as: WSVN-7 News’s “Bite with Belkys” and “El Show de Fernando” on AmericaTeve as well as multiple news publications.\n\n“From fine wine and fine dining, to exquisite meals, entertainment and the best ice cream anywhere, Doral is the new must-visit destination for the best of the best in dining and entertainment destinations,” Sarmiento added.\n\nAbout The Chamber:\n\n The Doral Chamber of Commerce was created in 2008 to meet the needs of the thriving business community of small- to medium-sized companies in the City of Doral and surrounding areas.\n\nThe chamber is a 501 (c)(6) non-profit, community professional service organization, operated by Manny Sarmiento, CEO and Co-Founder of the Doral Chamber, and Carmen Lopez, Vice President and Co-Founder. They provide members and the business community in general with networking and educational opportunities in traditional learning and online environments that together enhance the operational, marketing, and business development skills needed for success in today’s business world.\n\nFor Information:\n\n For general info about the Doral Chamber of Commerce, and/or to get a list of participating restaurants, menus, and sponsors at www.atasteofdoral.com www.atasteofdoral.com, or call 305-477-7600 ext. 600.", "Launched today, UltraServe Commerce delivers affordable and low-risk digital commerce solutions for B2B, B2C and Marketplaces, plus the ability to easily customize, extend and innovate for future needs\n\nSYDNEY, June 25, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- UltraServe, digital commerce experts, today launches its latest breakthrough, UltraServe Commerce, the pay-as-you-consume digital commerce platform for enterprise. Delivered via the AWS Marketplace, UltraServe Commerce eliminates many barriers to entry traditionally associated with launching digital commerce initiatives by reducing upfront costs, risk and time.\n\nUltraServe Chief Revenue Officer Paul McClure said traditional enterprise-grade digital commerce solutions forced midsize organizations to make significant compromises when selecting a platform that met their business requirements. \"UltraServe Commerce eliminates these compromises by delivering enterprise-grade digital commerce capabilities in a simple and more consumable way,\" he said. \"UltraServe Commerce helps organizations realize the full potential of their digital commerce investment in the shortest possible time with the least amount of upfront cost and risk.\"\n• Enterprise-grade features and capabilities - Out of the box, UltraServe Commerce delivers enterprise-grade commerce capabilities including storefront, product catalog, merchandising, shopping cart, check-out, search, offers and promotions for both B2C and B2B use-cases. UltraServe Commerce also provides Marketplace, Order Management System (OMS), Product Information Management (PIM) and Content Management System (CMS) modules to significantly reduce the need for third-party technologies and integrations.\n• Reduced administrative overheads -- Managed from an easy-to-use admin interface or REST APIs, UltraServe Commerce reduces the administrative overheads traditionally required for vendor management, product management, order management, customer service and digital experience capabilities such as advanced marketing, catalog management, content management and targeted promotions.\n• Amazon Web Services (AWS) - Delivered exclusively on AWS and based on the AWS Well Architected framework, UltraServe Commerce adheres to the operational excellence, security, reliability, performance efficiency, and cost optimization standards aligned with AWS best practices.\n• New Relic APM -- With integrated Application Performance Management, the UltraServe Commerce platform provides real-time insights and visibility into your environments so you can identify and fix problems faster and deliver delightful experiences for your customers.\n• Broadleaf - Access the powerful Broadleaf Commerce application used by leading global brands to deliver tailored B2C & B2B experiences offered via Software as a Service (SaaS) by UltraServe.\n\n\"Using UltraServe Commerce, within a day, our build team created a fully functional B2C/B2B e-commerce store for clients and prospects. The auto-provisioning process is streamlined, and when digging under the hood we got a genuine appreciation for the cutting-edge technology that makes it all possible,\" says The Playhouse Group CEO Luke Goldsworthy. \"The licensing of UltraServe Commerce has flipped the old school method of making large upfront investments for rigid, locked in models, to testing a flexible SaaS product in a consumable way. UltraServe Commerce delivers cost-effective non-production environments before moving to a commercial agreement at launch, making for a very compelling Total Cost of Ownership calculation.\"\n\n\"New Relic is proud to partner with UltraServe, continuing our tradition of delivering seamless and outstanding customer experiences to help them scale for their biggest day,\" said New Relic Group Vice President for JPAC Greg Taylor. \"The alliance gives UltraServe Commerce clients the ability to gain a long-lasting edge over their rivals by using best-in-class technologies such as New Relic's APM solution.\"\n\nUltraServe are digital commerce experts focused on delivering high performing digital commerce outcomes for customers globally. UltraServe designs, implements and manages digital commerce solutions for some of the worlds most recognized brands."], "summary": "The Chamber of Commerce of Lima warns that just under a million Peruvians are at risk of returning to poverty."}
{"document": ["Una persona falleció y al menos 21 resultaron intoxicadas luego de almorzar durante una reunión por el aniversario de una iglesia en el distrito de Sorochuco, provincia de Celendín, departamento de Cajamarca.\n\n► Cajamarca: adultos mayores aprenden a leer y escribir con aplicativo móvil\n\n\n\nLos miembros de la Iglesia Adventista del Séptimo Día se reunieron el sábado y disfrutaron de una olla común preparada con arroz, yuca y carne de carnero.\n\nSin embargo, el domingo recién comenzaron a sentir los primeros síntomas de la intoxicación, por lo que más de 20 personas fueron llevadas al hospital regional, donde fueron atendidas, informó RPP Noticias.\n\nUna mujer identificada como María Magdalena Atalaya (65) falleció cuando era trasladada al centro de salud.\n\nFamiliares de los asistentes al almuerzo indicaron a medios locales que para esta celebración se mataron a seis carneros. Varias muestras de los alimentos consumidos han sido trasladados a Lima para los análisis correspondientes.\n\n“Las autoridades del hospital nos dijeron que se han enviado muestras a Lima y pronto se sabrá cuáles fueron las consecuencias. Probablemente fue la carne de carnero. Mi esposa e hijo estuvieron en ese almuerzo y ahora están un poco mejor, pero hay otros familiares cercanos que están siendo traídos de emergencia”, dijo uno de los familiares de los afectados.\n\n\n\nSíguenos en Twitter como @PeruECpe\n\n", "Wheelhouse packs them in for lunch"], "summary": "One woman dies and 21 people are affected after eating lunch in a Seventh-day Adventist church in the district of Sorochuco, department of Cajamarca, in Peru. The causes of the poisoning are not yet clear."}
{"document": ["As Democrats prep for debate in Florida, a 17,000-acre fire burns in the Everglades\n\nOn Wednesday, the first Democratic debate will take place in Miami, Florida. The candidates will engage in what is sure to be a heated conversation about issues ranging from gun control to abortion rights. As all eyes turn to Miami, another fiery event is developing nearby.\n\nSeventeen thousand acres and counting of public lands are aflame in the Florida Everglades, thanks to a brush fire sparked by an errant lightning bolt on Sunday night. Smoke from the fire has floated over the cities of Coral Springs and Parkland, prompting officials to send out advisories warning residents to stay inside.\n\nAccording to the region’s Local 10 news, no firefighting crews have been called to combat the flames as of Monday afternoon; officials said they’re monitoring how the fire moves over the next eight to 10 hours. So far, none of the blaze has been contained. Rain is not in the forecast until Wednesday.\n\nFlorida isn’t the only state in the U.S. dealing with the fiery fallout of mismanaged forests and rising temperatures. Last week, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan announced plans to outfit five community buildings in her city to help residents deal with the impending smoke season. And California is facing an increased risk of wildfires this summer thanks to a wet winter that helped spawn new brush (aka kindling, once hot weather dries the brush out).\n\nThe average wildfire season is 78 days longer than it was in 1970, a side effect of climate change that should surely be a topic of conversation at the Democratic debates. Alas, the Democratic National Convention announced this month that it will not be hosting a climate-themed debate — a request made by various climate activist groups and presidential hopeful Jay Inslee. Maybe the smoke from the fire in the Everglades will convince the committee to change its mind.", "This story was originally published by Grist and appears here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration.\n\nOn Wednesday, the first Democratic debate will take place in Miami, Florida. The candidates will engage in what is sure to be a heated conversation about issues ranging from gun control to abortion rights. As all eyes turn to Miami, another fiery event is developing nearby.\n\nSeventeen thousand acres and counting of public lands are aflame in the Florida Everglades, thanks to a brush fire sparked by an errant lightning bolt on Sunday night. Smoke from the fire has floated over the cities of Coral Springs and Parkland, prompting officials to send out advisories warning residents to stay inside.\n\nAccording to the region’s Local 10 news, no firefighting crews have been called to combat the flames as of Monday afternoon; officials said they’re monitoring how the fire moves over the next eight to 10 hours. So far, none of the blaze has been contained. Rain is not in the forecast until Wednesday.\n\nFlorida isn’t the only state in the U.S. dealing with the fiery fallout of mismanaged forests and rising temperatures. Last week, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan announced plans to outfit five community buildings in her city to help residents deal with the impending smoke season. And California is facing an increased risk of wildfires this summer thanks to a wet winter that helped spawn new brush (aka kindling, once hot weather dries the brush out).\n\nThe average wildfire season is 78 days longer than it was in 1970, a side effect of climate change that should surely be a topic of conversation at the Democratic debates. Alas, the Democratic National Convention announced this month that it will not be hosting a climate-themed debate—a request made by various climate activist groups and presidential hopeful Jay Inslee. Maybe the smoke from the fire in the Everglades will convince the committee to change its mind.", "", "This story was originally published by Grist and appears here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration.\n\nOn Wednesday, the first Democratic debate will take place in Miami, Florida. The candidates will engage in what is sure to be a heated conversation about issues ranging from gun control to abortion rights. As all eyes turn to Miami, another fiery event is developing nearby.\n\nSeventeen thousand acres and counting of public lands are aflame in the Florida Everglades, thanks to a brush fire sparked by an errant lightning bolt on Sunday night. Smoke from the fire has floated over the cities of Coral Springs and Parkland, prompting officials to send out advisories warning residents to stay inside.\n\nAccording to the region’s Local 10 news, no firefighting crews have been called to combat the flames as of Monday afternoon; officials said they’re monitoring how the fire moves over the next eight to 10 hours. So far, none of the blaze has been contained. Rain is not in the forecast until Wednesday.\n\nFlorida isn’t the only state in the U.S. dealing with the fiery fallout of mismanaged forests and rising temperatures. Last week, Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan announced plans to outfit five community buildings in her city to help residents deal with the impending smoke season. And California is facing an increased risk of wildfires this summer thanks to a wet winter that helped spawn new brush (aka kindling, once hot weather dries the brush out).\n\nThe average wildfire season is 78 days longer than it was in 1970, a side effect of climate change that should surely be a topic of conversation at the Democratic debates. Alas, the Democratic National Convention announced this month that it will not be hosting a climate-themed debate—a request made by various climate activist groups and presidential hopeful Jay Inslee. Maybe the smoke from the fire in the Everglades will convince the committee to change its mind.", "The Sawgrass Fire in the Florida Everglades has almost doubled in the course of one day. It now covers 32,000 acres.\n\nThe brush fire is just south of Interstate 75. Smoke from the blaze is also drifting across the state, causing poor air quality and low visibility, especially in Broward, Palm Beach and Collier counties.\n\nThe fire has covered 32,000 acres so far. (Photo: FL Dept. of Agriculture & Consumer Services/Twitter)\n\nThe last official update reported that the fire is 30% contained.\n\n\n\nWeather conditions over the past few weeks in Florida have been dry and even warmer than normal. This has created good conditions for a brush fire to spread.\n\nAccording to the Florida Forest Service, the fire was likely started by a lightning strike and began around 6 p.m. on June 23.\n\nThe National Weather Service (NWS) is asking residents in the area to observe Wildfire Smoke Safety precautions.\n\nOfficials working to stop the spread of the fire. (Photo: Florida Forest Service: Wildfire/Forestry/Twitter)\n\nOfficials and firefighters from all over the state are working to stop the fire. Thunderstorms are projected for the area starting Wednesday.\n\nThe hope is that the rain will help contain the fire, though if strong winds prevail instead of the rain, it could cause more harm than good.\n\nThe wildfire in the Florida Everglades has spread to 32,000 acres, and officials are using all the resources they can to contain it.", "A massive blaze was burning Monday in the Florida Everglades, consuming more than 15,000 acres in less than a day, authorities said.\n\nLightning sparked the brush fire in western Broward County Sunday at 6:30 p.m. and flames had consumed 15,500 acres by 11:50 a.m. on Monday, the Florida Forest Service said, according to NBC 2.\n\nVideo posted by the local outlet show clouds of thick black smoke lined by a wall of flames moving across sawgrass.\n\n“It’s going to keep burning until we get rain,” Scott Peterich, wildlife mitigation specialist with the Florida Forest Service’s Everglades District, told the South Florida Sun Sentinel.\n\nThere is no rain in the weather forecast for the area.\n\nThe cities of Coral Springs and Parkland advised people with respiratory issues to stay indoors due to the smoke.\n\nPeterich said winds may change by Monday afternoon, and push the smoke north toward Palm Beach County and away from the US 27 highway.\n\nNo injuries have been reported from the inferno.", "Large brush fire continues to blaze in the Florida Everglades\n\nA very large brush fire is burning for the second straight day in the Florida Everglades.\n\nThe fire is burning about five miles west of US-27 and more than a mile north of I-75.\n\nThe Florida Forest Service says lightning started the fire on Sunday night.\n\nAt last update, approximately 31,500 acres were burning.\n\nOfficials said the fire was 30% contained as of Monday night.", "BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. - A large brush fire was burning Monday in the Florida Everglades in west Broward County.\n\nThe fire, which currently consumes 15,500 acres, is situated less than four miles west of Highway U.S. 27 and about a mile north of Interstate-75.\n\nStay with Local10.com and Local 10 for the latest on this breaking news information.", "WEST BROWARD, FLA. (WSVN) - The Florida Forest Service said over 30,000 acres of land have burned in the Everglades near Interstate 75 after catching fire on Sunday night.\n\nThe brush fire erupted in the Florida Everglades north of Alligator Alley near Weston, just after 6:30 p.m. Sunday and has continued it’s fiery streak days later.\n\nAs of Tuesday afternoon, the fire had burned an estimated 31,500 acres of land and is about 30% contained, according to the Florida Forest Service.\n\n7SkyForce HD flew over the scene where thick, heavy gray smoke could be seen billowing out into the sky.\n\nOfficials said the flames started after lightning struck the area.\n\nCopyright 2019 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.", "WEST BROWARD, FLA. (WSVN) - The Florida Forest Service said over 30,000 acres of land have burned in the Everglades near Interstate 75, temporarily forcing part of Alligator Alley to be shut down.\n\nThe brush fire erupted in the Florida Everglades north of Alligator Alley near Weston, just after 6:30 p.m. Sunday and has continued it’s fiery streak days later.\n\n“This area is about 165,000 acres total. It’s surrounded by canals,” said Scott Peterich with the Florida Forest Service, “and we’re wanting to keep it in this area.”\n\nAs of Tuesday afternoon, the fire had burned an estimated 33,500 acres of land and is about 40% contained, according to the Florida Forest Service.\n\n7SkyForce HD flew over the scene where thick, heavy gray smoke could be seen billowing out into the sky.\n\n“We were cruising across the state to have some fun, and we saw the fire on the way,” said a witness at the scene, “had to check it out, never had a chance to see this place.”\n\nOfficials said the flames started after lightning struck the area.\n\nPeople with respiratory issues are advised to stay away from the scene of the wildfire.\n\nFlorida Highway Patrol temporarily closed the westbound lanes of Alligator Alley from U.S. Route 27 in Broward County to State Road 29 in Collier County, just after 5 p.m., due to poor visibility. Officials said U.S. 41 is an alternate route.\n\nThe roadway was reopened at 5:24 p.m. after FHP said rain in the area helped improve visibility. Troopers will remain in the area overnight to monitor conditions.\n\nCopyright 2019 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed."], "summary": "A brush fire burns at least 32,000 acres of land in the Florida Everglades amid near record-breaking temperatures."}
{"document": ["Aya Batrawy and Nasser Karimi, The Associated Press \n\n \n\n\n\nDUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was in Saudi Arabia on Monday in a hastily arranged visit amid mounting tensions between Washington and Tehran as Iran's navy chief warned Iranian forces wouldn't hesitate to shoot down more U.S. surveillance drones from their skies.\n\nThe downing of the drone, valued at more than US$100 million, saw the United States pull back from the brink of a military strike on Iran after President Donald Trump last week called off strikes in retaliation.\n\nIran's naval commander, Rear Adm. Hossein Khanzadi, threatened Washington, saying that Tehran is capable of shooting down other American spy drones that violate Iranian airspace.\n\n\"We confidently say that the crushing response can always be repeated, and the enemy knows it,\" Khanzadi was quoted as saying by the semi-official Tasnim news agency during a meeting with a group of defence officials.\n\nTensions have been mounting since Trump last year withdrew the U.S. from a global nuclear deal with Iran and began pressuring Tehran with economic sanctions. A fresh round of Iran sanctions is to be announced Monday in a bid to force the Iranian leadership into talks. Iran has decried the U.S. sanctions, which essentially bar Iran from selling its oil internationally, as \"economic terrorism.\"\n\nPompeo, considered a hard-liner in the Trump administration, met with Saudi King Salman in the Saudi city of Jiddah. From Saudi Arabia, Pompeo will be heading to Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates, another close U.S. ally and partner.\n\nSaudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are alarmed by Iran's military reach and are working to limit its influence in the region.\n\nOn the eve of Pompeo's visit to the kingdom, Yemen's Iranian-allied rebels attacked a Saudi airport near the Saudi-Yemen border, killing a Syrian resident and wounding 21 other civilians, the Saudi military said.\n\nThe Houthi rebels claimed they used bomb-laden drones in the attack on the Abha airport, the second in less than two weeks.\n\nSaudi Arabia has been at war with the rebel Houthis in Yemen for more than four years. The Houthis say the attacks targeting the kingdom are a response to relentless Saudi airstrikes on Yemen that have killed thousands.\n\nBefore his departure to the kingdom, Pompeo said he wants to build a global coalition against Iran.\n\n\"We'll be talking with them about how to make sure that we are all strategically aligned, and how we can build out a global coalition, a coalition not only throughout the Gulf states, but in Asia and in Europe, that understands this challenge as it is prepared to push back against the world's largest state sponsor of terror,\" Pompeo said about Iran.\n\nBut even as Pompeo delivered his tough talk, he echoed Trump and Vice-President Mike Pence in saying the U.S. is prepared to negotiate with Iran, without preconditions, in a bid to ease tensions.\n\n\"They know precisely how to find us,\" Pompeo said.\n\nTrump initially said Iran had made a \"very big mistake\" and that it was \"hard to believe\" that shooting down the drone last Thursday was not intentional. But he also said over the weekend that he appreciated Iran's decision to not shoot down a manned U.S. spy plane, and he opined about eventually becoming Iran's \"best friend\" if Tehran ultimately agrees to abandon its drive to build nuclear weapons and he helps the country turn around its crippled economy.\n\nIran has long said its nuclear program is for purely for peaceful energy purposes.\n\nTrump's national security adviser, John Bolton, stepped in during a visit to Jerusalem Sunday with a blunt warning, saying Iran should not \"mistake U.S. prudence and discretion for weakness\" after Trump called off the military strike.\n\nTrump said he backed away from the planned strikes after learning that about 150 people would be killed, but he said the military option remained on the table.\n\nA longtime Iran hawk, Bolton emphasized that the U.S. reserved the right to attack at a later point.\n\n\"No one has granted them a hunting license in the Middle East. As President Trump said on Friday our military is rebuilt, new and ready to go,\" Bolton said during an appearance with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, himself a longtime and outspoken Iran critic.\n\nOn Sunday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani blamed the United States' \"interventionist military presence\" for fanning the flames.\n\nPompeo, who addressed reporters from the tarmac before he boarded his airplane in Washington, declared the goal of his talks with the Saudi kingdom and the UAE is to deny Iran \"the resources to foment terror, to build out their nuclear weapon system, to build out their missile program.\"\n\nU.S. military cyber forces on Thursday launched a strike against Iranian military computer systems, according to U.S. officials. The cyberattacks disabled Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps computer systems that controlled its rocket and missile launchers, the officials said.\n\nIran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said Sunday the U.S. \"conducted a cyber operation contrary to international law.\"\n\nThroughout the recent crisis, Trump has wavered between bellicose language and actions toward Iran and a more accommodating tone, including a plea for negotiations. Iran has said it is not interested in a dialogue with Trump. His administration is aiming to cripple Iran's economy and force policy changes by re-imposing sanctions, including on Iranian oil exports.\n\nKarimi reported from Tehran, Iran. Associated Press writers Darlene Superville in Washington, Aron Heller in Jerusalem, and Matthew Lee in Manama, Bahrain, contributed to this report.", "Pompeo arrives in Saudi Arabia as Iran threatens US drones\n\nDUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived Monday in Saudi Arabia in a hastily arranged visit amid mounting tensions between Washington and Tehran as Iran's navy chief warned Iranian forces wouldn't hesitate to shoot down more U.S. surveillance drones from their skies.\n\nThe downing of the drone, valued at more than $100 million, saw the United States pull back from the brink of a military strike on Iran after President Donald Trump last week called off strikes in retaliation.\n\nIran's naval commander, Rear Adm. Hossein Khanzadi, threatened Washington, saying that Tehran is capable of shooting down other American spy drones that violate Iranian airspace.\n\n\"We confidently say that the crushing response can always be repeated, and the enemy knows it,\" Khanzadi was quoted as saying by the semi-official Tasnim news agency during a meeting with a group of defense officials.\n\nTensions have been mounting since Trump last year withdrew the U.S. from a global nuclear deal with Iran and began pressuring Tehran with economic sanctions. A fresh round of Iran sanctions is to be announced Monday in a bid to force the Iranian leadership into talks. Iran has decried the U.S. sanctions, which essentially bar Iran from selling its oil internationally, as \"economic terrorism.\"\n\nPompeo, considered a hard-liner in the Trump administration, is expected to meet with Saudi King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the Saudi city of Jiddah, before heading to Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates, another close U.S. ally and partner.\n\nSaudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are alarmed by Iran's military reach and are working to limit its influence in the region.\n\nOn the eve of Pompeo's visit to the kingdom, Yemen's Iranian-allied rebels attacked a Saudi airport near the Saudi-Yemen border, killing a Syrian resident and wounding 21 other civilians, the Saudi military said.\n\nThe Houthi rebels claimed they used bomb-laden drones in the attack on the Abha airport, the second in less than two weeks.\n\nSaudi Arabia has been at war with the rebel Houthis in Yemen for more than four years. The Houthis say the attacks targeting the kingdom are a response to relentless Saudi airstrikes on Yemen that have killed thousands.\n\nBefore his departure to the kingdom, Pompeo said he wants to build a global coalition against Iran.\n\n\"We'll be talking with them about how to make sure that we are all strategically aligned, and how we can build out a global coalition, a coalition not only throughout the Gulf states, but in Asia and in Europe, that understands this challenge as it is prepared to push back against the world's largest state sponsor of terror,\" Pompeo said about Iran.\n\nBut even as Pompeo delivered his tough talk, he echoed Trump and Vice President Mike Pence in saying the U.S. is prepared to negotiate with Iran, without preconditions, in a bid to ease tensions.\n\n\"They know precisely how to find us,\" Pompeo said.\n\nTrump initially said Iran had made a \"very big mistake\" and that it was \"hard to believe\" that shooting down the drone last Thursday was not intentional. But he also said over the weekend that he appreciated Iran's decision to not shoot down a manned U.S. spy plane, and he opined about eventually becoming Iran's \"best friend\" if Tehran ultimately agrees to abandon its drive to build nuclear weapons and he helps the country turn around its crippled economy.\n\nIran has long said its nuclear program is for purely for peaceful energy purposes.\n\nTrump's national security adviser, John Bolton, stepped in during a visit to Jerusalem Sunday with a blunt warning, saying Iran should not \"mistake U.S. prudence and discretion for weakness\" after Trump called off the military strike.\n\nTrump said he backed away from the planned strikes after learning that about 150 people would be killed, but he said the military option remained on the table.\n\nA longtime Iran hawk, Bolton emphasized that the U.S. reserved the right to attack at a later point.\n\n\"No one has granted them a hunting license in the Middle East. As President Trump said on Friday our military is rebuilt, new and ready to go,\" Bolton said during an appearance with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, himself a longtime and outspoken Iran critic.\n\nOn Sunday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani blamed the United States' \"interventionist military presence\" for fanning the flames.\n\nPompeo, who addressed reporters from the tarmac before he boarded his airplane in Washington, declared the goal of his talks with the Saudi kingdom and the UAE is to deny Iran \"the resources to foment terror, to build out their nuclear weapon system, to build out their missile program.\"\n\nU.S. military cyber forces on Thursday launched a strike against Iranian military computer systems, according to U.S. officials. The cyberattacks disabled Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps computer systems that controlled its rocket and missile launchers, the officials said.\n\nIran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said Sunday the U.S. \"conducted a cyber operation contrary to international law.\"\n\nThroughout the recent crisis, Trump has wavered between bellicose language and actions toward Iran and a more accommodating tone, including a plea for negotiations. Iran has said it is not interested in a dialogue with Trump. His administration is aiming to cripple Iran's economy and force policy changes by re-imposing sanctions, including on Iranian oil exports.\n\nKarimi reported from Tehran, Iran. Associated Press writers Darlene Superville in Washington, Aron Heller in Jerusalem, and Matthew Lee in Manama, Bahrain, contributed to this report.", "DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived Monday in Saudi Arabia in a hastily arranged visit amid mounting tensions between Washington and Tehran as Iran’s navy chief warned Iranian forces wouldn’t hesitate to shoot down more U.S. surveillance drones from their skies. The downing of the drone, valued at more than $100 million, saw the United States pull back from the brink of a military strike on Iran after President Donald Trump last week called off strikes in retaliation.\n\nIran’s naval commander, Rear Adm. Hossein Khanzadi, threatened Washington, saying that Tehran is capable of shooting down other American spy drones that violate Iranian airspace. “We confidently say that the crushing response can always be repeated, and the enemy knows it,” Khanzadi was quoted as saying by the semi-official Tasnim news agency during a meeting with a group of defence officials. Tensions have been mounting since Trump last year withdrew the U.S. from a global nuclear deal with Iran and began pressuring Tehran with economic sanctions. A fresh round of Iran sanctions is to be announced Monday in a bid to force the Iranian leadership into talks. Iran has decried the U.S. sanctions, which essentially bar Iran from selling its oil internationally, as “economic terrorism.”\n\nPompeo, considered a hard-liner in the Trump administration, is expected to meet with Saudi King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the Saudi city of Jiddah, before heading to Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates, another close U.S. ally and partner. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are alarmed by Iran’s military reach and are working to limit its influence in the region. On the eve of Pompeo’s visit to the kingdom, Yemen’s Iranian-allied rebels attacked a Saudi airport near the Saudi-Yemen border, killing a Syrian resident and wounding 21 other civilians, the Saudi military said. The Houthi rebels claimed they used bomb-laden drones in the attack on the Abha airport, the second in less than two weeks. Saudi Arabia has been at war with the rebel Houthis in Yemen for more than four years. The Houthis say the attacks targeting the kingdom are a response to relentless Saudi airstrikes on Yemen that have killed thousands.\n\nBefore his departure to the kingdom, Pompeo said he wants to build a global coalition against Iran. “We’ll be talking with them about how to make sure that we are all strategically aligned, and how we can build out a global coalition, a coalition not only throughout the Gulf states, but in Asia and in Europe, that understands this challenge as it is prepared to push back against the world’s largest state sponsor of terror,” Pompeo said about Iran.\n\nBut even as Pompeo delivered his tough talk, he echoed Trump and Vice-President Mike Pence in saying the U.S. is prepared to negotiate with Iran, without preconditions, in a bid to ease tensions. “They know precisely how to find us,” Pompeo said. Trump initially said Iran had made a “very big mistake” and that it was “hard to believe” that shooting down the drone last Thursday was not intentional. But he also said over the weekend that he appreciated Iran’s decision to not shoot down a manned U.S. spy plane, and he opined about eventually becoming Iran’s “best friend” if Tehran ultimately agrees to abandon its drive to build nuclear weapons and he helps the country turn around its crippled economy. Iran has long said its nuclear program is for purely for peaceful energy purposes. Trump’s national security adviser, John Bolton, stepped in during a visit to Jerusalem Sunday with a blunt warning, saying Iran should not “mistake U.S. prudence and discretion for weakness” after Trump called off the military strike. Trump said he backed away from the planned strikes after learning that about 150 people would be killed, but he said the military option remained on the table. A longtime Iran hawk, Bolton emphasized that the U.S. reserved the right to attack at a later point. “No one has granted them a hunting license in the Middle East. As President Trump said on Friday our military is rebuilt, new and ready to go,” Bolton said during an appearance with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, himself a longtime and outspoken Iran critic. On Sunday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani blamed the United States’ “interventionist military presence” for fanning the flames. Pompeo, who addressed reporters from the tarmac before he boarded his airplane in Washington, declared the goal of his talks with the Saudi kingdom and the UAE is to deny Iran “the resources to foment terror, to build out their nuclear weapon system, to build out their missile program.” U.S. military cyber forces on Thursday launched a strike against Iranian military computer systems, according to U.S. officials. The cyberattacks disabled Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps computer systems that controlled its rocket and missile launchers, the officials said. Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said Sunday the U.S. “conducted a cyber operation contrary to international law.”", "U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived Monday in Saudi Arabia in a hastily arranged visit amid mounting tensions between Washington and Tehran as Iran's navy chief warned Iranian forces wouldn't hesitate to shoot down more U.S. surveillance drones from their skies.\n\nThe downing of the drone, valued at more than $100 million, saw the United States pull back from the brink of a military strike on Iran after President Donald Trump last week called off strikes in retaliation.\n\nIran's naval commander, Rear Adm. Hossein Khanzadi, threatened Washington, saying that Tehran is capable of shooting down other American spy drones that violate Iranian airspace.\n\n\"We confidently say that the crushing response can always be repeated, and the enemy knows it,\" Khanzadi was quoted as saying by the semi-official Tasnim news agency during a meeting with a group of defense officials.\n\nTensions have been mounting since Trump last year withdrew the U.S. from a global nuclear deal with Iran and began pressuring Tehran with economic sanctions. A fresh round of Iran sanctions is to be announced Monday in a bid to force the Iranian leadership into talks. Iran has decried the U.S. sanctions, which essentially bar Iran from selling its oil internationally, as \"economic terrorism.\"\n\nPompeo, considered a hard-liner in the Trump administration, is expected to meet with Saudi King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the Saudi city of Jiddah, before heading to Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates, another close U.S. ally and partner.\n\nSaudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are alarmed by Iran's military reach and are working to limit its influence in the region.\n\nOn the eve of Pompeo's visit to the kingdom, Yemen's Iranian-allied rebels attacked a Saudi airport near the Saudi-Yemen border, killing a Syrian resident and wounding 21 other civilians, the Saudi military said.\n\nThe Houthi rebels claimed they used bomb-laden drones in the attack on the Abha airport, the second in less than two weeks.\n\nSaudi Arabia has been at war with the rebel Houthis in Yemen for more than four years. The Houthis say the attacks targeting the kingdom are a response to relentless Saudi airstrikes on Yemen that have killed thousands.\n\nBefore his departure to the kingdom, Pompeo said he wants to build a global coalition against Iran.\n\n\"We'll be talking with them about how to make sure that we are all strategically aligned, and how we can build out a global coalition, a coalition not only throughout the Gulf states, but in Asia and in Europe, that understands this challenge as it is prepared to push back against the world's largest state sponsor of terror,\" Pompeo said about Iran.\n\nBut even as Pompeo delivered his tough talk, he echoed Trump and Vice President Mike Pence in saying the U.S. is prepared to negotiate with Iran, without preconditions, in a bid to ease tensions.\n\n\"They know precisely how to find us,\" Pompeo said.\n\nTrump initially said Iran had made a \"very big mistake\" and that it was \"hard to believe\" that shooting down the drone last Thursday was not intentional. But he also said over the weekend that he appreciated Iran's decision to not shoot down a manned U.S. spy plane, and he opined about eventually becoming Iran's \"best friend\" if Tehran ultimately agrees to abandon its drive to build nuclear weapons and he helps the country turn around its crippled economy.\n\nIran has long said its nuclear program is for purely for peaceful energy purposes.\n\nTrump's national security adviser, John Bolton, stepped in during a visit to Jerusalem Sunday with a blunt warning, saying Iran should not \"mistake U.S. prudence and discretion for weakness\" after Trump called off the military strike.\n\nTrump said he backed away from the planned strikes after learning that about 150 people would be killed, but he said the military option remained on the table.\n\nA longtime Iran hawk, Bolton emphasized that the U.S. reserved the right to attack at a later point.\n\n\"No one has granted them a hunting license in the Middle East. As President Trump said on Friday our military is rebuilt, new and ready to go,\" Bolton said during an appearance with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, himself a longtime and outspoken Iran critic.\n\nOn Sunday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani blamed the United States' \"interventionist military presence\" for fanning the flames.\n\nPompeo, who addressed reporters from the tarmac before he boarded his airplane in Washington, declared the goal of his talks with the Saudi kingdom and the UAE is to deny Iran \"the resources to foment terror, to build out their nuclear weapon system, to build out their missile program.\"\n\nU.S. military cyber forces on Thursday launched a strike against Iranian military computer systems, according to U.S. officials. The cyberattacks disabled Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps computer systems that controlled its rocket and missile launchers, the officials said.\n\nIran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said Sunday the U.S. \"conducted a cyber operation contrary to international law.\"\n\nThroughout the recent crisis, Trump has wavered between bellicose language and actions toward Iran and a more accommodating tone, including a plea for negotiations. Iran has said it is not interested in a dialogue with Trump. His administration is aiming to cripple Iran's economy and force policy changes by re-imposing sanctions, including on Iranian oil exports.\n\nKarimi reported from Tehran, Iran. Associated Press writers Darlene Superville in Washington, Aron Heller in Jerusalem, and Matthew Lee in Manama, Bahrain, contributed to this report.", "DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was in Saudi Arabia on Monday in a hastily arranged visit amid mounting tensions between Washington and Tehran as Iran's navy chief warned Iranian forces wouldn't hesitate to shoot down more U.S. surveillance drones from their skies.\n\nThe downing of the drone, valued at more than $100 million, saw the United States pull back from the brink of a military strike on Iran after President Donald Trump last week called off strikes in retaliation.\n\nIran's naval commander, Rear Adm. Hossein Khanzadi, threatened Washington, saying that Tehran is capable of shooting down other American spy drones that violate Iranian airspace.\n\n\"We confidently say that the crushing response can always be repeated, and the enemy knows it,\" Khanzadi was quoted as saying by the semi-official Tasnim news agency during a meeting with a group of defense officials.\n\nTensions have been mounting since Trump last year withdrew the U.S. from a global nuclear deal with Iran and began pressuring Tehran with economic sanctions. A fresh round of Iran sanctions is to be announced Monday in a bid to force the Iranian leadership into talks. Iran has decried the U.S. sanctions, which essentially bar Iran from selling its oil internationally, as \"economic terrorism.\"\n\nPompeo, considered a hard-liner in the Trump administration, met with Saudi King Salman in the Saudi city of Jiddah. From Saudi Arabia, Pompeo will be heading to Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates, another close U.S. ally and partner.\n\nSaudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are alarmed by Iran's military reach and are working to limit its influence in the region.\n\nOn the eve of Pompeo's visit to the kingdom, Yemen's Iranian-allied rebels attacked a Saudi airport near the Saudi-Yemen border, killing a Syrian resident and wounding 21 other civilians, the Saudi military said.\n\nThe Houthi rebels claimed they used bomb-laden drones in the attack on the Abha airport, the second in less than two weeks.\n\nSaudi Arabia has been at war with the rebel Houthis in Yemen for more than four years. The Houthis say the attacks targeting the kingdom are a response to relentless Saudi airstrikes on Yemen that have killed thousands.\n\nBefore his departure to the kingdom, Pompeo said he wants to build a global coalition against Iran.\n\n\"We'll be talking with them about how to make sure that we are all strategically aligned, and how we can build out a global coalition, a coalition not only throughout the Gulf states, but in Asia and in Europe, that understands this challenge as it is prepared to push back against the world's largest state sponsor of terror,\" Pompeo said about Iran.\n\nBut even as Pompeo delivered his tough talk, he echoed Trump and Vice President Mike Pence in saying the U.S. is prepared to negotiate with Iran, without preconditions, in a bid to ease tensions.\n\n\"They know precisely how to find us,\" Pompeo said.\n\nTrump initially said Iran had made a \"very big mistake\" and that it was \"hard to believe\" that shooting down the drone last Thursday was not intentional. But he also said over the weekend that he appreciated Iran's decision to not shoot down a manned U.S. spy plane, and he opined about eventually becoming Iran's \"best friend\" if Tehran ultimately agrees to abandon its drive to build nuclear weapons and he helps the country turn around its crippled economy.\n\nIran has long said its nuclear program is for purely for peaceful energy purposes.\n\nTrump's national security adviser, John Bolton, stepped in during a visit to Jerusalem Sunday with a blunt warning, saying Iran should not \"mistake U.S. prudence and discretion for weakness\" after Trump called off the military strike.\n\nTrump said he backed away from the planned strikes after learning that about 150 people would be killed, but he said the military option remained on the table.\n\nA longtime Iran hawk, Bolton emphasized that the U.S. reserved the right to attack at a later point.\n\n\"No one has granted them a hunting license in the Middle East. As President Trump said on Friday our military is rebuilt, new and ready to go,\" Bolton said during an appearance with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, himself a longtime and outspoken Iran critic.\n\nOn Sunday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani blamed the United States' \"interventionist military presence\" for fanning the flames.\n\nPompeo, who addressed reporters from the tarmac before he boarded his airplane in Washington, declared the goal of his talks with the Saudi kingdom and the UAE is to deny Iran \"the resources to foment terror, to build out their nuclear weapon system, to build out their missile program.\"\n\nU.S. military cyber forces on Thursday launched a strike against Iranian military computer systems, according to U.S. officials. The cyberattacks disabled Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps computer systems that controlled its rocket and missile launchers, the officials said.\n\nIran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said Sunday the U.S. \"conducted a cyber operation contrary to international law.\"\n\nThroughout the recent crisis, Trump has wavered between bellicose language and actions toward Iran and a more accommodating tone, including a plea for negotiations. Iran has said it is not interested in a dialogue with Trump. His administration is aiming to cripple Iran's economy and force policy changes by re-imposing sanctions, including on Iranian oil exports.\n\nKarimi reported from Tehran, Iran. Associated Press writers Darlene Superville in Washington, Aron Heller in Jerusalem, and Matthew Lee in Manama, Bahrain, contributed to this report.", "(AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was in Saudi Arabia on Monday in a hastily arranged visit amid mounting tensions between Washington and Tehran as Iran’s navy chief warned Iranian forces wouldn’t hesitate to shoot down more U.S. surveillance drones from their skies.\n\n The downing of the drone, valued at more than $100 million, saw the United States pull back from the brink of a military strike on Iran after President Donald Trump last week called off strikes in retaliation.\n\n Iran’s naval commander, Rear Adm. Hossein Khanzadi, threatened Washington, saying that Tehran is capable of shooting down other American spy drones that violate Iranian airspace.\n\n “We confidently say that the crushing response can always be repeated, and the enemy knows it,” Khanzadi was quoted as saying by the semi-official Tasnim news agency during a meeting with a group of defense officials.\n\n Tensions have been mounting since Trump last year withdrew the U.S. from a global nuclear deal with Iran and began pressuring Tehran with economic sanctions. A fresh round of Iran sanctions is to be announced Monday in a bid to force the Iranian leadership into talks. Iran has decried the U.S. sanctions, which essentially bar Iran from selling its oil internationally, as “economic terrorism.”\n\n Pompeo, considered a hard-liner in the Trump administration, met with Saudi King Salman in the Saudi city of Jiddah. From Saudi Arabia, Pompeo will be heading to Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates, another close U.S. ally and partner.\n\n Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are alarmed by Iran’s military reach and are working to limit its influence in the region.\n\n On the eve of Pompeo’s visit to the kingdom, Yemen’s Iranian-allied rebels attacked a Saudi airport near the Saudi-Yemen border, killing a Syrian resident and wounding 21 other civilians, the Saudi military said.\n\n The Houthi rebels claimed they used bomb-laden drones in the attack on the Abha airport, the second in less than two weeks.\n\n Saudi Arabia has been at war with the rebel Houthis in Yemen for more than four years. The Houthis say the attacks targeting the kingdom are a response to relentless Saudi airstrikes on Yemen that have killed thousands.\n\n Before his departure to the kingdom, Pompeo said he wants to build a global coalition against Iran.\n\n “We’ll be talking with them about how to make sure that we are all strategically aligned, and how we can build out a global coalition, a coalition not only throughout the Gulf states, but in Asia and in Europe, that understands this challenge as it is prepared to push back against the world’s largest state sponsor of terror,” Pompeo said about Iran.\n\n But even as Pompeo delivered his tough talk, he echoed Trump and Vice President Mike Pence in saying the U.S. is prepared to negotiate with Iran, without preconditions, in a bid to ease tensions.\n\n “They know precisely how to find us,” Pompeo said.\n\n Trump initially said Iran had made a “very big mistake” and that it was “hard to believe” that shooting down the drone last Thursday was not intentional. But he also said over the weekend that he appreciated Iran’s decision to not shoot down a manned U.S. spy plane, and he opined about eventually becoming Iran’s “best friend” if Tehran ultimately agrees to abandon its drive to build nuclear weapons and he helps the country turn around its crippled economy.\n\n Iran has long said its nuclear program is for purely for peaceful energy purposes.\n\n Trump’s national security adviser, John Bolton, stepped in during a visit to Jerusalem Sunday with a blunt warning, saying Iran should not “mistake U.S. prudence and discretion for weakness” after Trump called off the military strike.\n\n Trump said he backed away from the planned strikes after learning that about 150 people would be killed, but he said the military option remained on the table.\n\n A longtime Iran hawk, Bolton emphasized that the U.S. reserved the right to attack at a later point.\n\n “No one has granted them a hunting license in the Middle East. As President Trump said on Friday our military is rebuilt, new and ready to go,” Bolton said during an appearance with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, himself a longtime and outspoken Iran critic.\n\n On Sunday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani blamed the United States’ “interventionist military presence” for fanning the flames.\n\n Pompeo, who addressed reporters from the tarmac before he boarded his airplane in Washington, declared the goal of his talks with the Saudi kingdom and the UAE is to deny Iran “the resources to foment terror, to build out their nuclear weapon system, to build out their missile program.”\n\n U.S. military cyber forces on Thursday launched a strike against Iranian military computer systems, according to U.S. officials. The cyberattacks disabled Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps computer systems that controlled its rocket and missile launchers, the officials said.\n\n Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said Sunday the U.S. “conducted a cyber operation contrary to international law.”\n\n Throughout the recent crisis, Trump has wavered between bellicose language and actions toward Iran and a more accommodating tone, including a plea for negotiations. Iran has said it is not interested in a dialogue with Trump. His administration is aiming to cripple Iran’s economy and force policy changes by re-imposing sanctions, including on Iranian oil exports.\n\n ___\n\n Karimi reported from Tehran, Iran. Associated Press writers Darlene Superville in Washington, Aron Heller in Jerusalem, and Matthew Lee in Manama, Bahrain, contributed to this report.", "DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held talks Monday with the Saudi king and crown prince after days of mounting tensions following the downing of a U.S drone last week and after President Donald Trump pulled back from the brink of retaliatory military strikes on Iran.\n\nIran’s naval commander, meanwhile, warned that Iranian forces wouldn’t hesitate to act again and shoot down more U.S. surveillance drones that violate Iranian airspace.\n\nThe U.S. denies the drone, valued at more than $100, million violated Iranian airspace. Trump said he backed away from planned strikes after learning that 150 people would be killed but that military action remained an option.\n\nWATCH: Possibility of war with the U.S. leaves Iranians ‘rattled’\n\nOn Monday, Pompeo held separate talks with King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the Saudi port city of Jiddah to discuss the escalation with Iran.\n\nPompeo wrote on Twitter that he had a “productive meeting” with King Salman and discussed “heightened tensions in the region and the need to promote maritime security” in the Strait of Hormuz near the Persian Gulf, through which roughly a fifth of the world’s traded oil passes.\n\nFrom the kingdom, Pompeo will travel to neighboring United Arab Emirates, another close U.S. ally. The regional stops, made on his way to India, may be aimed at reassuring Washington’s Sunni Gulf Arab allies that the White House remains committed to maintaining pressure on Shiite Iran following Trump’s last-minute about face, which likely raised questions about U.S. willingness to use force against the Islamic Republic.\n\nIn what it says are defensive moves, the U.S. has built up its military presence around the Persian Gulf in recent weeks.\n\nIran’s naval commander, Rear Adm. Hossein Khanzadi issued a warning to Washington that Tehran is capable of shooting down other American spy drones that violate Iranian airspace. Khanzadi spoke Monday during a meeting with a group of defense officials in Iran.\n\n“We confidently say that the crushing response can always be repeated, and the enemy knows it,” Khanzadi was quoted as saying by the semi-official Tasnim news agency.\n\nTensions have been escalating since Trump last year withdrew the U.S. from a global nuclear deal with Iran and re-imposed economic sanctions on Iran. A fresh round of U.S. sanctions is to be announced later on Monday in a bid to force the Iranian leadership into talks.\n\nIran has decried the U.S. sanctions, which essentially bar Iran from selling its oil internationally, as “economic terrorism.”\n\nBefore boarding his flight to Saudi Arabia, Pompeo described the sanctions as a way to deny Iran “the resources to foment terror, to build out their nuclear weapon system, to build out their missile program.”\n\nThe hastily arranged Saudi visit by Pompeo, considered a hard-liner in the Trump administration, and the upcoming stop in the UAE come as both countries have expressed alarm over Iran’s military reach.\n\nSaudi Arabia and the U.S. have accused Iran of being behind attacks on oil tankers near the Persian Gulf over the past several weeks, while the UAE has been urging diplomacy to avert a wider conflict.\n\nOn the eve of Pompeo’s visit to the kingdom, Yemen’s Iranian-allied rebels attacked a Saudi airport near the Saudi-Yemen border, killing a Syrian resident and wounding 21 other civilians, the Saudi military said.\n\nThe Houthi rebels claimed they used bomb-laden drones in the attack on the Abha airport, the second in less than two weeks. Drones were also used to attack a Saudi oil pipeline last month.\n\nSaudi Arabia has been at war with the rebel Houthis in Yemen for more than four years. The Houthis say the attacks targeting the kingdom are a response to relentless Saudi airstrikes on Yemen that have killed thousands.\n\nBefore his departure to Saudi Arabia, Pompeo said talks will include discussion on “how we can build out a global coalition, a coalition not only throughout the Gulf states, but in Asia and in Europe… to push back against the world’s largest state sponsor of terror,” referring to Iran.\n\nBut even as Pompeo delivered his tough talk, he echoed Trump in saying the U.S. is prepared to negotiate with Iran, without preconditions, in a bid to ease tensions.\n\n“They know precisely how to find us,” Pompeo said.\n\nThroughout the recent crisis, Trump has wavered between bellicose language and actions toward Iran and a more accommodating tone, including an offer for negotiations. Iran has said it is not interested in a dialogue with Trump.\n\nTrump initially said Iran had made a “very big mistake” and that it was “hard to believe” that shooting down the drone last Thursday was not intentional. But he also said over the weekend that he appreciated Iran’s decision to not shoot down a manned U.S. spy plane carrying 30 people.\n\nIranian President Hassan Rouhani has blamed the United States’ “interventionist military presence” for fanning the flames.\n\nU.S. military cyber forces on Thursday launched a strike against Iranian military computer systems, according to U.S. officials. The cyberattacks disabled Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps computer systems that controlled its rocket and missile launchers, the officials said.\n\nIran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said Sunday the U.S. “conducted a cyber operation contrary to international law.”\n\nAssociated Press writers Nasser Karimi in Tehran, Iran, Darlene Superville in Washington, Aron Heller in Jerusalem, and Matthew Lee in Manama, Bahrain, contributed to this report.", "DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was in Saudi Arabia on Monday in a hastily arranged visit amid mounting tensions between Washington and Tehran as Iran's navy chief warned Iranian forces wouldn't hesitate to shoot down more U.S. surveillance drones from their skies.\n\nThe downing of the drone, valued at more than $100 million, saw the United States pull back from the brink of a military strike on Iran after President Donald Trump last week called off strikes in retaliation.\n\nIran's naval commander, Rear Adm. Hossein Khanzadi, threatened Washington, saying that Tehran is capable of shooting down other American spy drones that violate Iranian airspace.\n\n\"We confidently say that the crushing response can always be repeated, and the enemy knows it,\" Khanzadi was quoted as saying by the semi-official Tasnim news agency during a meeting with a group of defense officials.\n\nTensions have been mounting since Trump last year withdrew the U.S. from a global nuclear deal with Iran and began pressuring Tehran with economic sanctions. A fresh round of Iran sanctions is to be announced Monday in a bid to force the Iranian leadership into talks. Iran has decried the U.S. sanctions, which essentially bar Iran from selling its oil internationally, as \"economic terrorism.\"\n\nPompeo, considered a hard-liner in the Trump administration, met with Saudi King Salman in the Saudi city of Jiddah. From Saudi Arabia, Pompeo will be heading to Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates, another close U.S. ally and partner.\n\nSaudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are alarmed by Iran's military reach and are working to limit its influence in the region.\n\nOn the eve of Pompeo's visit to the kingdom, Yemen's Iranian-allied rebels attacked a Saudi airport near the Saudi-Yemen border, killing a Syrian resident and wounding 21 other civilians, the Saudi military said.\n\nThe Houthi rebels claimed they used bomb-laden drones in the attack on the Abha airport, the second in less than two weeks.\n\nSaudi Arabia has been at war with the rebel Houthis in Yemen for more than four years. The Houthis say the attacks targeting the kingdom are a response to relentless Saudi airstrikes on Yemen that have killed thousands.\n\nBefore his departure to the kingdom, Pompeo said he wants to build a global coalition against Iran.\n\n\"We'll be talking with them about how to make sure that we are all strategically aligned, and how we can build out a global coalition, a coalition not only throughout the Gulf states, but in Asia and in Europe, that understands this challenge as it is prepared to push back against the world's largest state sponsor of terror,\" Pompeo said about Iran.\n\nBut even as Pompeo delivered his tough talk, he echoed Trump and Vice President Mike Pence in saying the U.S. is prepared to negotiate with Iran, without preconditions, in a bid to ease tensions.\n\n\"They know precisely how to find us,\" Pompeo said.\n\nTrump initially said Iran had made a \"very big mistake\" and that it was \"hard to believe\" that shooting down the drone last Thursday was not intentional. But he also said over the weekend that he appreciated Iran's decision to not shoot down a manned U.S. spy plane, and he opined about eventually becoming Iran's \"best friend\" if Tehran ultimately agrees to abandon its drive to build nuclear weapons and he helps the country turn around its crippled economy.\n\nIran has long said its nuclear program is for purely for peaceful energy purposes.\n\nTrump's national security adviser, John Bolton, stepped in during a visit to Jerusalem Sunday with a blunt warning, saying Iran should not \"mistake U.S. prudence and discretion for weakness\" after Trump called off the military strike.\n\nTrump said he backed away from the planned strikes after learning that about 150 people would be killed, but he said the military option remained on the table.\n\nA longtime Iran hawk, Bolton emphasized that the U.S. reserved the right to attack at a later point.\n\n\"No one has granted them a hunting license in the Middle East. As President Trump said on Friday our military is rebuilt, new and ready to go,\" Bolton said during an appearance with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, himself a longtime and outspoken Iran critic.\n\nOn Sunday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani blamed the United States' \"interventionist military presence\" for fanning the flames.\n\nPompeo, who addressed reporters from the tarmac before he boarded his airplane in Washington, declared the goal of his talks with the Saudi kingdom and the UAE is to deny Iran \"the resources to foment terror, to build out their nuclear weapon system, to build out their missile program.\"\n\nU.S. military cyber forces on Thursday launched a strike against Iranian military computer systems, according to U.S. officials. The cyberattacks disabled Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps computer systems that controlled its rocket and missile launchers, the officials said.\n\nIran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said Sunday the U.S. \"conducted a cyber operation contrary to international law.\"\n\nThroughout the recent crisis, Trump has wavered between bellicose language and actions toward Iran and a more accommodating tone, including a plea for negotiations. Iran has said it is not interested in a dialogue with Trump. His administration is aiming to cripple Iran's economy and force policy changes by re-imposing sanctions, including on Iranian oil exports.\n\nKarimi reported from Tehran, Iran. Associated Press writers Darlene Superville in Washington, Aron Heller in Jerusalem, and Matthew Lee in Manama, Bahrain, contributed to this report.", "DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was in Saudi Arabia on Monday in a hastily arranged visit amid mounting tensions between Washington and Tehran as Iran's navy chief warned Iranian forces wouldn't hesitate to shoot down more U.S. surveillance drones from their skies.\n\nThe downing of the drone, valued at more than $100 million, saw the United States pull back from the brink of a military strike on Iran after President Donald Trump last week called off strikes in retaliation.\n\nIran's naval commander, Rear Adm. Hossein Khanzadi, threatened Washington, saying that Tehran is capable of shooting down other American spy drones that violate Iranian airspace.\n\n\"We confidently say that the crushing response can always be repeated, and the enemy knows it,\" Khanzadi was quoted as saying by the semi-official Tasnim news agency during a meeting with a group of defense officials.\n\nTensions have been mounting since Trump last year withdrew the U.S. from a global nuclear deal with Iran and began pressuring Tehran with economic sanctions. A fresh round of Iran sanctions is to be announced Monday in a bid to force the Iranian leadership into talks. Iran has decried the U.S. sanctions, which essentially bar Iran from selling its oil internationally, as \"economic terrorism.\"\n\nPompeo, considered a hard-liner in the Trump administration, met with Saudi King Salman in the Saudi city of Jiddah. From Saudi Arabia, Pompeo will be heading to Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates, another close U.S. ally and partner.\n\nSaudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are alarmed by Iran's military reach and are working to limit its influence in the region.\n\nOn the eve of Pompeo's visit to the kingdom, Yemen's Iranian-allied rebels attacked a Saudi airport near the Saudi-Yemen border, killing a Syrian resident and wounding 21 other civilians, the Saudi military said.\n\nThe Houthi rebels claimed they used bomb-laden drones in the attack on the Abha airport, the second in less than two weeks.\n\nSaudi Arabia has been at war with the rebel Houthis in Yemen for more than four years. The Houthis say the attacks targeting the kingdom are a response to relentless Saudi airstrikes on Yemen that have killed thousands.\n\nBefore his departure to the kingdom, Pompeo said he wants to build a global coalition against Iran.\n\n\"We'll be talking with them about how to make sure that we are all strategically aligned, and how we can build out a global coalition, a coalition not only throughout the Gulf states, but in Asia and in Europe, that understands this challenge as it is prepared to push back against the world's largest state sponsor of terror,\" Pompeo said about Iran.\n\nBut even as Pompeo delivered his tough talk, he echoed Trump and Vice President Mike Pence in saying the U.S. is prepared to negotiate with Iran, without preconditions, in a bid to ease tensions.\n\n\"They know precisely how to find us,\" Pompeo said.\n\nTrump initially said Iran had made a \"very big mistake\" and that it was \"hard to believe\" that shooting down the drone last Thursday was not intentional. But he also said over the weekend that he appreciated Iran's decision to not shoot down a manned U.S. spy plane, and he opined about eventually becoming Iran's \"best friend\" if Tehran ultimately agrees to abandon its drive to build nuclear weapons and he helps the country turn around its crippled economy.\n\nIran has long said its nuclear program is for purely for peaceful energy purposes.\n\nTrump's national security adviser, John Bolton, stepped in during a visit to Jerusalem Sunday with a blunt warning, saying Iran should not \"mistake U.S. prudence and discretion for weakness\" after Trump called off the military strike.\n\nTrump said he backed away from the planned strikes after learning that about 150 people would be killed, but he said the military option remained on the table.\n\nA longtime Iran hawk, Bolton emphasized that the U.S. reserved the right to attack at a later point.\n\n\"No one has granted them a hunting license in the Middle East. As President Trump said on Friday our military is rebuilt, new and ready to go,\" Bolton said during an appearance with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, himself a longtime and outspoken Iran critic.\n\nOn Sunday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani blamed the United States' \"interventionist military presence\" for fanning the flames.\n\nPompeo, who addressed reporters from the tarmac before he boarded his airplane in Washington, declared the goal of his talks with the Saudi kingdom and the UAE is to deny Iran \"the resources to foment terror, to build out their nuclear weapon system, to build out their missile program.\"\n\nU.S. military cyber forces on Thursday launched a strike against Iranian military computer systems, according to U.S. officials. The cyberattacks disabled Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps computer systems that controlled its rocket and missile launchers, the officials said.\n\nIran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said Sunday the U.S. \"conducted a cyber operation contrary to international law.\"\n\nThroughout the recent crisis, Trump has wavered between bellicose language and actions toward Iran and a more accommodating tone, including a plea for negotiations. Iran has said it is not interested in a dialogue with Trump. His administration is aiming to cripple Iran's economy and force policy changes by re-imposing sanctions, including on Iranian oil exports.\n\nKarimi reported from Tehran, Iran. Associated Press writers Darlene Superville in Washington, Aron Heller in Jerusalem, and Matthew Lee in Manama, Bahrain, contributed to this report.", "U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, left, walks with Saudi Foreign Minister Ibrahim Abdulaziz Al-Assaf, as Pompeo arrives in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Monday, June 24, 2019. Pompeo is conducting consultations during a short tour of the Middle East, including visits to Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)\n\nDUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held talks Monday with the Saudi king and crown prince after days of mounting tensions following the downing of a U.S drone last week and after President Donald Trump pulled back from the brink of retaliatory military strikes on Iran.\n\nIran’s naval commander, meanwhile, warned that Iranian forces would not hesitate to act again and shoot down more U.S. surveillance drones that violate Iranian airspace.\n\nThe U.S. denies the drone, valued at more than $100 million, violated Iranian airspace. Trump said he backed away from planned strikes after learning that 150 people would be killed but that military action remained an option.\n\nOn Monday, Pompeo held separate talks with King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in the Saudi port city of Jiddah to discuss the escalation with Iran.\n\nPompeo wrote on Twitter that he had a “productive meeting” with King Salman anddiscussed “heightened tensions in the region and the need to promote maritime security” in the Strait of Hormuz near the Persian Gulf, through which roughly a fifth of the world’s traded oil passes.\n\nFrom the kingdom, Pompeo will travel to neighboring United Arab Emirates, another close U.S. ally. The regional stops, made on his way to India, may be aimed at reassuring Washington’s Sunni Gulf Arab allies that the White House remains committed to maintaining pressure on Shiite Iran following Trump’s last-minute about face, which likely raised questions about U.S. willingness to use force against the Islamic Republic.\n\nIn what it says are defensive moves, the U.S. has built up its military presence around the Persian Gulf in recent weeks.\n\nIran’s naval commander, Rear Adm. Hossein Khanzadi issued a warning to Washington that Tehran is capable of shooting down other American spy drones that violate Iranian airspace.Khanzadi spoke Monday during a meeting with a group of defense officials in Iran.\n\n“We confidently say that the crushing response can always be repeated, and the enemy knows it,” Khanzadi was quoted as saying by the semi-official Tasnim news agency.\n\nTensions have been escalating since Trump last year withdrew the U.S. from a global nuclear deal with Iran and re-imposed economic sanctions on Iran. A fresh round of U.S. sanctions is to be announced later on Monday in a bid to force the Iranian leadership into talks.\n\nIran has decried the U.S. sanctions, which essentially bar Iran from selling its oil internationally, as “economic terrorism.”\n\nBefore boarding his flight to Saudi Arabia, Pompeo described the sanctions as a way to deny Iran “the resources to foment terror, to build out their nuclear weapon system, to build out their missile program.”\n\nThe hastily arranged Saudi visit by Pompeo, considered a hard-liner in the Trump administration,and the upcoming stop in the UAE come as both countries have expressed alarm over Iran’s military reach.\n\nSaudi Arabia and the U.S. have accused Iran of being behind attacks on oil tankers near the Persian Gulf over the past several weeks, while the UAE has been urging diplomacy to avert a wider conflict.\n\nOn the eve of Pompeo’s visit to the kingdom, Yemen’s Iranian-allied rebels attacked a Saudi airport near the Saudi-Yemen border, killing a Syrian resident and wounding 21 other civilians, the Saudi military said.\n\nThe Houthi rebels claimed they used bomb-laden drones in the attack on the Abha airport, the second in less than two weeks. Drones were also used to attack a Saudi oil pipeline last month.\n\nSaudi Arabia has been at war with the rebel Houthis in Yemen for more than four years. The Houthis say the attacks targeting the kingdom are a response to relentless Saudi airstrikes on Yemen that have killed thousands.\n\nBefore his departure to Saudi Arabia, Pompeo said talks will include discussion on “how we can build out a global coalition, a coalition not only throughout the Gulf states, but in Asia and in Europe… to push back against the world’s largest state sponsor of terror,” referring to Iran.\n\nBut even as Pompeo delivered his tough talk, he echoed Trump in saying the U.S. is prepared to negotiate with Iran, without preconditions, in a bid to ease tensions.\n\n“They know precisely how to find us,” Pompeo said.\n\nThroughout the recent crisis, Trump has wavered between bellicose language and actions toward Iran and a more accommodating tone, including an offer for negotiations. Iran has said it is not interested in a dialogue with Trump.\n\nTrump initially said Iran had made a “very big mistake” and that it was “hard to believe” that shooting down the drone last Thursday was not intentional. But he also said over the weekend that he appreciated Iran’s decision to not shoot down a manned U.S. spy plane carrying 30 people.\n\nIranian President Hassan Rouhani has blamed the United States’ “interventionist military presence” for fanning the flames.\n\nU.S. military cyber forces on Thursday launched a strike against Iranian military computer systems, according to U.S. officials. The cyberattacks disabled Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps computer systems that controlled its rocket and missile launchers, the officials said.\n\nIran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said Sunday the U.S. “conducted a cyber operation contrary to international law.”\n\nAssociated Press writers Nasser Karimi in Tehran, Iran, Darlene Superville in Washington, Aron Heller in Jerusalem, and Matthew Lee in Manama, Bahrain, contributed to this report."], "summary": "Iran's special advisor to the parliament speaker, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, says Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain are \"toying with regional security by giving territories to a foreign power\"."}
{"document": ["Gov. J. B. Pritzker takes in the applause before signing a bill that legalizes adult-use cannabis in the state of Illinois at Sankofa Cultural Arts and Business Center in Chicago. Illinois becomes the 11th to legalize the adult-use of recreational marijuana. (AP Photo/Amr Alfiky)\n\nGov. J. B. Pritzker takes in the applause before signing a bill that legalizes adult-use cannabis in the state of Illinois at Sankofa Cultural Arts and Business Center in Chicago. Illinois becomes the 11th to legalize the adult-use of recreational marijuana. (AP Photo/Amr Alfiky)\n\nSPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Illinois’ new governor delivered on a top campaign promise Tuesday by signing legislation making the state the 11th to approve marijuana for recreational use in a program offering legal remedies and economic benefits to minorities whose lives critics say were damaged by a wayward war on drugs.\n\nLegalization in Illinois also means that nearly 800,000 people with criminal records for purchasing or possessing 30 grams of marijuana or less may have those records expunged, a provision minority lawmakers and interest groups demanded. It also gives cannabis-vendor preference to minority owners and promises 25% of tax revenue from marijuana sales to redevelop impoverished communities.\n\nGov. J.B. Pritzker, whose election last year gave Democrats complete control over state government again after four years under GOP predecessor Bruce Rauner, signed the bill in Chicago amid a bevy of pot proponents, including the plan’s lead sponsors, Rep. Kelly Cassidy and Sen. Heather Steans, both Chicago Democrats.\n\n“Today, we’re hitting the ‘reset’ button on the war on drugs,” Cassidy said.\n\nResidents may purchase and possess up to 1 ounce (30 grams) of marijuana at a time. Non-residents may have 15 grams. The law provides for cannabis purchases by adults 21 and older at approved dispensaries, which, after they’re licensed and established, may start selling Jan. 1, 2020. Possession remains a crime until Jan. 1, a spokesman for Senate Democrats said.\n\n“The war on cannabis has destroyed families, filled prisons with nonviolent offenders, and disproportionately disrupted black and brown communities,” Pritzker said. “Law enforcement across the nation has spent billions of dollars to enforce the criminalization of cannabis, yet its consumption remains widespread.”\n\nOn the campaign trail, Pritzker claimed that, once established, taxation of marijuana could generate $800 million to $1 billion a year. He said dispensary licensing would bring in $170 million in the coming year alone. But Cassidy and Steans have dampened that prediction, lowering estimates to $58 million in the first year and $500 million annually within five years.\n\nCarrying the psychoactive ingredient THC, marijuana was effectively outlawed in the U.S. in 1937 and in the 1970s was declared a drug with no medicinal purpose and high potential for abuse.\n\nBlacks have been most susceptible since then to “Just say ‘No‴-era crackdowns. Pritzker quoted a 2010 statistic from the American Civil Liberties Union that while blacks comprise 15% of Illinois’ population, they account for 60% of cannabis-possession arrests.\n\nPeoria Democratic Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth summarized marijuana’s recent history as one where “white men would get rich and black men would get arrested.” The plan addresses those concerns with the criminal-record scrubbing by giving preference to would-be marijuana vendors in areas of high poverty and records of large numbers of convictions. And 25% of tax proceeds must be reinvested in impoverished communities, while 20% is dedicated to substance-abuse treatment programs.\n\n“What we are doing here is about reparations,” Gordon-Booth said. “After 40 years of treating entire communities like criminals, here comes this multibillion-dollar industry, and guess what? Black and brown people have been put at the very center of this policy in a way that no other state has ever done.”\n\nPolice organizations are wary, concerned about enforcing driving under the influence laws and arguing technology for testing marijuana impairment needs more development. Law enforcement organizations fearing black-market impacts were successful in killing an earlier provision that would have allowed anyone to grow up to five marijuana plants at home for personal use. Police said they’d have difficulty enforcing that, so the bill was amended to allow five plants to be maintained only by authorized patients under the state’s medical marijuana law. They previously could not grow their own.\n\nTen other states and the District of Columbia have legalized smoking or eating marijuana for recreational use since 2012, when voters in Colorado and Washington state approved ballot initiatives. This year began with promising proposals in New York and New Jersey , but both fizzled late this spring. Despite a statewide listening tour on the issue by Pennsylvania’s lieutenant governor last winter, the idea never took flight.\n\nVermont and Michigan last year were the latest states to legalize marijuana. Vermont did so through the Legislature — the first time it wasn’t done through a ballot initiative — but while it allows residents to grow small amounts for themselves, it didn’t establish a statewide distribution system like Illinois did, licensing dispensaries. Other states license dispensaries too, but not all.\n\nIllinois’ 55 medical-cannabis dispensaries get first crack at licenses to sell under the new law because they’re proven business concerns, Cassidy said. They may apply to dispense recreational pot at their current stores and for a license for a second location, meaning the state could have 110 recreational pot outlets by the time sales start Jan. 1. In October, the application period for 75 more dispensaries opens. No more would be allowed to open after that until the state conducts a review of the rollout.\n\n___\n\nThe bill is HB1438.\n\nOnline: https://bit.ly/2Xv5bxM\n\n___\n\nFollow AP’s complete marijuana coverage: https://apnews.com/Marijuana\n\n___\n\nFollow Political Writer John O’Connor at https://twitter.com/apoconnor .", "ILLINOIS — Illinois is now the 11th state in the United States to legalize the purchase and possession of recreational marijuana.\n\nDemocratic Gov. JB Pritzker signed a bill Tuesday that allows adults 21 and over in the state to buy and possess small amounts of the drug.\n\nAdults will be able to purchase and possess 30 grams of cannabis, five grams of cannabis concentrate, and cannbis-infused products containing no more than 500 milligrams of THC. Nonresidents will be able to purchase half of each of those amounts.\n\nUnder the law, medical patients would be permitted to buy marijuana seeds and grow up to five plants at home, so long as the plants are kept out of public view.\n\nEmployers can still enforce a zero-tolerance or drug free workplace.\n\nThe measure, which passed the Illinois General Assembly earlier this month, also pardons individuals with nonviolent convictions for amounts of cannabis up to 30 grams.\n\nState’s attorneys or individuals can petition a court to vacate convictions for possession up to 500 grams.\n\n“In the past 50 years, the war on cannabis has destroyed families, filled prisons with nonviolent offenders and disproportionately disrupted black and brown communities,” Pritzker said Tuesday at the bill signing ceremony in Chicago.\n\nPritzker, who campaigned for legalizing marijuana, said the legislation brings an “overdue change to our state.”\n\n“Signing this bill into law won’t undo the injustices of the past or make whole the lives that were interrupted. We can’t turn the clock back — but we can turn the page,” Pritzker said.\n\nAccording to the Marijuana Policy Project, around 770,000 cannabis-related cases are eligible for expungement.\n\nThe measure establishes a grant program — the Restore, Reinvest, and Renew Program — to help communities affected by the War on Drugs and a $30 million low-interest loan program for qualified applicants who wish to start a licensed cannabis business.\n\nIllinois will charge a 10% tax on cannabis products with a THC level at or below 35%, a 20% tax on all cannabis infused products and 25% tax on cannabis with a THC level above 35%.\n\nDemocratic state Sen. Heather Steans, the bill’s chief sponsor, also argued Tuesday that the state will be able to improve safety by “providing safe products and doing good public education why they (children) should not have access.”\n\nThe law goes into effect in January 1, 2020.", "Illinois has become the 11th state in the country to legalize the recreational use and purchase of marijuana.\n\nDemocratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker, who was elected last year, signed the bill into law on Tuesday, fulfilling a key campaign promise. The state joins 10 others and the District of Columbia in allowing recreational use. The legislation takes effect on Jan. 1, 2020.\n\nThe new law allows Illinois residents age 21 and older to possess up to 30 grams of cannabis flower, 5 grams of concentrate and 500 milligrams of THC in products such as edibles.\n\nIt also will expunge the records of 800,000 people with criminal records as a result of purchasing or possessing 30 grams or less of marijuana. It earmarks a quarter of the tax revenue from the sale of cannabis to redevelop impoverished communities in the state and gives vendor preference to minority owners.\n\n\"Legalizing adult-use cannabis brings an important and overdue change to our state, and it's the right thing to do,\" Pritzker said in a statement. \"This legislation will clear the cannabis-related records of nonviolent offenders through an efficient combination of automatic expungement, gubernatorial pardon and individual court action.\"\n\nAlthough 10 other states have approved the recreational use of marijuana — Alaska, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, Oregon, Vermont and Washington – several others have decriminalized and/or approved cannabis for medical use.", "Illinois has become the 11th state to legalize recreational marijuana.\n\nGovernor JB Pritzker, who advocated for legalization in his 2018 campaign, signed a marijuana legalization bill on Tuesday. The bill allows recreational possession and sales starting on January 1st, 2020.\n\n“As the first state in the nation to fully legalize adult-use cannabis through the legislative process, Illinois exemplifies the best of democracy: a bipartisan and deep commitment to better the lives of all of our people,” said Gov. JB Pritzker. “Legalizing adult-use cannabis brings an important and overdue change to our state, and it’s the right thing to do. This legislation will clear the cannabis-related records of nonviolent offenders through an efficient combination of automatic expungement, gubernatorial pardon and individual court action. I’m so proud that our state is leading with equity and justice in its approach to cannabis legalization and its regulatory framework. Because of the work of the people here today and so many more all across our state, Illinois is moving forward with empathy and hope.”\n\nHouse Bill 1438 promotes equity and invests in the communities that suffered through the war on drugs, serving as a model for the legalization and decriminalization of cannabis.", "SPRINGFIELD – Recreational marijuana use and possession will be legal in Illinois beginning Jan. 1, 2020, after Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Tuesday in Chicago signed a bill supporters said is the “most equity-centric” legalization effort in the nation.\n\n“This legislation lives true to the promise to bring justice, equity and opportunity throughout our state,” Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton said. “By including components focused on repairing the harm caused by the failed war on drugs and decades of policies that caused mass incarceration — Illinois is a national leader with policy that’s a national model.”\n\nThe legalization effort made Illinois the 11th state in the U.S. to legalize marijuana but the first to pass a comprehensive legalization package through the legislature rather than a ballot initiative.\n\n“As the first state in the nation to fully legalize adult-use cannabis through the legislative process, Illinois exemplifies the best of democracy: a bipartisan and deep commitment to better the lives of all of our people,” Pritzker said during a signing ceremony at the Sankofa Cultural Arts and Business Center. “Legalizing adult-use cannabis brings an important and overdue change to our state, and it’s the right thing to do.”\n\nBeginning Jan. 1, the law will allow for the possession of up to 30 grams of marijuana per Illinois resident over the age of 21. Residents will also be able to possess up to 5 grams of cannabis concentrate and 500 milligrams of tetrahydrocannabinol – or THC – contained in a cannabis-infused product. Non-residents can possess half those amounts.\n\nRegistered medical marijuana patients will be allowed to grow up to five cannabis plants in their home and possess more than 30 grams of marijuana if it is grown and secured in their residence.\n\nThe new law also includes expungement measures for those with low-level marijuana arrests and convictions. Roughly 700,000 records are eligible for expungement under the Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act, Pritzker said.\n\n“One of the things that we wanted to make sure we accomplished with legalization was ensuring we put social equity at the center and the heart of our efforts, acknowledging that while we normalize and legalize something that is happening across the country, that we tie the direct nexus to the communities that the prohibition has hurt the most,” said Sen. Toi Hutchinson, D-Olympia Fields.\n\nPritzker said those with arrests for less than 30 grams will have their records cleared through local law enforcement and the Illinois State Police, and those with convictions up to that amount will have their records referred to the Prisoner Review Board, which will make an expungement recommendation to the governor.\n\nThose convicted of possessing between 30 and 500 grams could petition the courts for expungement through a more complex “motion to vacate” process.\n\nMarijuana offenses connected to violent crime are ineligible for the automatic expungement processes, but the individual or state’s attorney can still file a motion with the court to vacate conviction.\n\n“This legislation recognizes that to move forward and create a new cannabis industry, we have to mend the historic inequalities that have torn communities apart,” said Esther Franco-Payne, executive director of Cabrini Green Legal Aid. “Expunging the records of hundreds of thousands of people and making social equity at the center of this bill will change lives and revitalize communities.”\n\nThe measure directs 25% of legalization revenues to a newly-established Restore, Reinvest and Renew grant program to “help communities most disproportionately impacted by the war on drugs,” Pritzker said.\n\nThe bill also creates a $30 million low-interest loan program to defray the start-up costs associated with entering the licensed cannabis industry and establishes a “social equity applicant” status for licensing aimed at generating more minority participation in the legalized industry.\n\nThe new law also establishes a DUI Cannabis Task Force; regulates advertising, packaging and location of cannabis businesses near public spaces, including schools and parks; and allows local governments to regulate the location of a cannabis business and home grow.\n\nLegalization will generate revenue through a 7% tax on the gross receipts from the sale of marijuana by a cultivator and an excise tax on the purchaser. Marijuana with a THC level at or below 35% would pay a 10% tax, while products over that amount of THC would be taxed at 25%. A 20% tax would apply to marijuana-infused products.\n\nThe tax does not apply for marijuana purchased by licensed medicinal patients.\n\nThe Illinois Department of Revenue projects that this industry will generate more than $57 million in tax revenue and licensing fees in fiscal year 2020. In tax revenue alone, legalization is expected to generate $140.5 million in fiscal year 2021; $253.5 million in FY22; $323.5 million in FY23; and $375.5 million in FY24.\n\nLegalization is expected to generate as much as $500 million each year when the industry is fully mature. For the first year, most of the revenue is expected to come from licensing fees for marijuana cultivators, processors, transporters and sellers.\n\nAfter regulatory expenses are accounted for, the bill dedicates 35% of legalization revenues to the general revenue fund; 20% to address substance abuse, prevention and mental health concerns; 10% to pay down the bill backlog; 8% to local governments to support crime prevention programs and interdiction efforts relating to the illegal cannabis market and driving under the influence of cannabis; and 2% for a public education campaign and analysis of the public health impacts of legalization.", "The Latest on recreational marijuana legalization in Illinois (all times local):\n\nGov. J.B. Pritzker has signed legislation making Illinois the 11th state in the nation to legalize recreational marijuana.\n\nThe Democrat signed legislation Tuesday in Chicago allowing residents to purchase and possess up to 1 ounce (30 grams) of marijuana at a time. Non-residents could have up to 15 grams.\n\nIllinois joins 10 other states and the District of Columbia in allowing recreational use. It's been essentially illegal for the past 80 years and since 1970 has been federally banned as a narcotic.\n\nBut Pritzker made legalization a main tenet of his campaign for governor last fall.\n\nNearly two dozen states have pursued legalization in the past two years. Efforts in New York and New Jersey fizzled this spring. Pennsylvania officials proposed it but it never got off the ground.\n\nThe governor of Illinois plans to make the state the 11th in the nation to legalize recreational marijuana use.\n\nGov. J.B. Pritzker has scheduled a legislation-signing ceremony Tuesday morning in Chicago. His staff listed the event on his schedule released late Monday night.\n\nThe law would allow residents to purchase and possess up to 1 ounce (30 grams) of usable marijuana at a time. Nonresidents could have 15 grams. Up to five privately home-grown plants would be allowed for personal use, but only for patients approved for the existing medical marijuana program.\n\nTen states and the District of Columbia allow recreational use. Legislation to legalize it in New York and New Jersey this spring fizzled. Discussions in Pennsylvania never got off the ground.", "CHICAGO (WLS) -- A historic morning in Illinois as Governor Pritzker upholds his campaign promise, signing recreational marijuana, or the Cannabis Regulation and Taxation Act (CRTA) into law That means anyone 21 and over will soon be able to purchase and possess marijuana.Supporters say it will be a game-changer for revenue in the state, while opponents say it makes the state more dangerous.Tuesday morning, the governor put pen to paper here in the Austin neighborhood, legalizing the recreational use of marijuana and its commercial sale in the state.\"As the first state in the nation to fully legalize adult-use cannabis through the legislative process, Illinois exemplifies the best of democracy: a bipartisan and deep commitment to better the lives of all of our people,\" said Gov. JB Pritzker. \"Legalizing adult-use cannabis brings an important and overdue change to our state, and it's the right thing to do. This legislation will clear the cannabis-related records of nonviolent offenders through an efficient combination of automatic expungement, gubernatorial pardon and individual court action. I'm so proud that our state is leading with equity and justice in its approach to cannabis legalization and its regulatory framework. Because of the work of the people here today and so many more all across our state, Illinois is moving forward with empathy and hope.\"The Democratic-controlled general assembly overwhelmingly approved the bill last month.The bill makes Illinois the 11th state to legalize cannabis and the second to legalize the cannabis possession through the legislative process. The signing of the bill also makes Illinois the first to legalize retail sales legislatively.\"My office is proud to have helped develop this historic legislation, which will provide conviction relief to hundreds of thousands of Illinois residents in the most extensive and equitable way possible,\" said Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx. \"The time for justice is now, especially for communities of color who have long been disproportionately impacted by low-level cannabis convictions and the failed war on drugs. We look forward to continuing our efforts to ensure the broadest relief possible under this revolutionary law.\"Starting in the New Year, Illinois residents 21 and older will be able to purchase up to 30 grams of cannabis flower, edibles totaling no more than 500mg of THC and five grams of cannabis concentrate products. Non-residents can purchase half those amounts.People will not be allowed to grow their own pot plants unless they are medical marijuana patients.People who have been convicted of some low-level marijuana crimes could be also be pardoned, but that's only if those convictions are not linked to a violent crime.Pritzker hoping this new law will end part of the war on drugs that led to thousands of arrests and low level drug convictions.The overview of the bill is said to create a $30 million low-interest loan program, social equity applicant status for licensing, and expunge roughly 700,000 records.Lawmakers said revenue from the state's marijuana industry will be re-invested in communities that have been hit hard by the war on drugs.Opponents, however, believe legalization will only lead to increased addiction, drivers who are high and overdoses.Illinois has already decriminalized the possession of small amounts of marijuana but the federal ban remains in place.Opponents said they're talking to federal law enforcement officials and attorneys to determine their next steps.", "Illinois on Tuesday became the 11th state to legalize the sale and use of recreational marijuana for adults, a major victory for cannabis advocates who incorporated social justice initiatives into the measure.\n\nWith Gov. JB Pritzker's signature, the new law is the first of its kind passed by a state legislature and signed by a governor, and capped off a legislative year in which legalization efforts sputtered in New York and New Jersey despite heavy pressure from proponents. With more than 12 million residents, Illinois is now the second-most populous state to permit recreational cannabis, behind only California. Regulators will spend the next few months developing a system for taxing and testing cannabis, and will launch sales Jan. 1, 2020.\n\n“This is a major milestone for the movement to end marijuana prohibition in the United States. It is the clearest sign yet that lawmakers are catching up with the people on this issue,” said Mason Tvert, who helped create Colorado’s first-in-the-nation cannabis system in 2014. “A strong and steadily growing majority of Americans support legalization, and observers have wondered when it would start translating into major victories in state legislatures. Illinois just answered that question.\"\n\nMarijuana remains illegal at the federal level, but federal prosecutors have since 2014 generally ignored marijuana sales in 10 states that had already legalized personal use: Alaska, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Oregon, Nevada, Vermont and Washington, along with the District of Columbia.\n\nIn all of those states but Vermont, voters themselves directly approved legalization. And Vermont's legislatively-approved measure permits only personal growing and use, not sales.\n\nThe new Illinois law lets resident adults buy and possess up 30 grams of cannabis \"flower,\" along with marijuana-infused foods known as edibles, and small amounts of highly concentrated extracts. Non-residents could buy half the amount.\n\nThe law also establishes a system for taxing and regulating marijuana, and consumers would pay up to 34.75% tax on their purchases, depending on potency. Regulators would give preference points to members of minority groups seeking to get business licenses, and state-certified labs would test products for potency and contaminants, a growing concern among users. Backers say the measure will create jobs in communities around the state, an argument made by Canadian officials when they legalized marijuana nationally last year.\n\nMoney raised by the new taxes would first be dedicated to expunging an estimated 770,000 minor cannabis-related cases. Expungement has long been a goal of marijuana-legalization advocates, who argue the federal government's so-called War on Drugs disproportionately targeted minorities. Other states have similar provisions, usually added after the fact, but Illinois' law is the first to contain such a sweeping expungement provision from the start. Any tax money left over after would be used to support drug-treatment and enforcement programs, improve mental health counseling access, and bolster the state's general fund.\n\nSocial justice has become a key component of legalization efforts, but lawmakers in both New York and New Jersey got bogged down in exactly how their programs would work, and ultimately failed to reach consensus on how to proceed.\n\nKris Krane, a member of the marijuana trade group National Cannabis Industry Association, said Illinois' move will likely pave the way for more legislative legalization.\n\n\"The very narrow defeats in New York and New Jersey show just how difficult this process is, even when you seemingly have a legislative consensus for legalization,\" said Kane, who is also the president of cannabis company 4Front Ventures. \"Unfortunately, legislators getting caught up in the minutiae of how to legalize ultimately results in more arrests and prosecutions in those states.\"\n\nSam Dorf, chief growth officer of multi-state marijuana company Verano Holdings, said he thinks the Illinois measure provides a framework for other state legislatures, especially when it comes to controlling growth and limiting oversupply, which can be diverted to the black market.\n\n\"We believe this legislation sets up a strong, well-regulated program that will be successful and serve as a model for New York, New Jersey and other states that are considering legalization,\" he said.\n\nTvert, who now works for Denver-based cannabis-industry firm VS Strategies, said Ohio, North Dakota and Minnesota could be among the next states to pursue legalization, especially since Illinois' Legislature took the plunge into sales: \"This should serve as a reminder that support for cannabis legalization is not confined to the coasts. Illinois is the second state in the Midwest to end marijuana prohibition and efforts appear to be picking up steam in the region.\"", "SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Illinois' new governor delivered on a top campaign promise today by signing legislation that makes the state the 11th to legalize small amounts of marijuana for recreational use and the second to approve it through the Legislature rather than the ballot box.\n\nLegalization in Illinois also means that nearly 800,000 people with criminal records for purchasing or possessing 30 grams of marijuana or less may have those records expunged, a provision minority lawmakers and interest groups demanded. It also gives cannabis-vendor preference to minority owners and promises 25 percent of tax revenue from marijuana sales to redevelop impoverished communities.\n\nGov. J.B. Pritzker, whose election last year gave Democrats complete control over state government again after four years under GOP predecessor Bruce Rauner, signed the bill in Chicago amid a bevy of lawmakers and pot proponents.\n\nUnder the measure, residents can purchase and possess up to 1 ounce (30 grams) of marijuana at a time. Nonresidents could have up to 15 grams. The law provides for cannabis purchases by adults 21 and older at approved dispensaries, which, after they're licensed and established, may start selling Jan. 1, 2020. That means possession remains a crime until Jan. 1, a spokesman for Senate Democrats said.", "SPRINGFIELD, Illinois— Illinois’ new governor delivered on a top campaign promise Tuesday by signing legislation legalizing small amounts of marijuana for recreational use, making the state the 11th to do so and the first to implement a statewide cannabis marketplace designed by legislators.\n\nLegalization in Illinois also means that nearly 800,000 people with criminal records for purchasing or possessing 30 grams of marijuana or less may have those records expunged, a provision minority lawmakers and interest groups demanded. It also gives cannabis-vendor preference to minority owners and promises 25% of tax revenue from marijuana sales to redevelop impoverished communities.\n\nGov. J.B. Pritzker, whose election last year gave Democrats complete control over state government again after four years under GOP predecessor Bruce Rauner, signed the bill in Chicago amid a bevy of lawmakers and pot proponents.\n\nUnder the measure, residents can purchase and possess up to 1 ounce (30 grams) of marijuana at a time. Non-residents could have up to 15 grams. The law provides for cannabis purchases by adults 21 and older at approved dispensaries, which, after they’re licensed and established, may start selling Jan. 1, 2020. That means possession remains a crime until Jan. 1, a spokesman for Senate Democrats said.\n\n“In the past 50 years, the war on cannabis has destroyed families, filled prisons with nonviolent offenders, and disproportionately disrupted black and brown communities,” Pritzker said. “Each year, law enforcement across the nation has spent billions of dollars to enforce the criminalization of cannabis. … Yet its consumption remains widespread.”\n\nOn the campaign trail, Pritzker claimed that, once established, taxation of marijuana could generate $800 million to $1 billion a year in taxes. He initially estimated that in the budget year that begins July 1, dispensary licensing would bring in $170 million. But the lawmakers who sponsored the plan, Sen. Heather Steans and Rep. Kelly Cassidy, both Chicago Democrats, have dampened that prediction, lowering estimates to $58 million in the first year and $500 million annually within five years.\n\nThe marketplace portion of the Illinois law also addresses what critics have complained is the decades-long war on drugs’ disproportionate impact on minority communities. Pritzker said that while blacks comprise 15% of Illinois’ population, they count for 60% of cannabis-possession arrests.\n\n In addition to providing criminal-record scrubbing for past low-level offenders, the law gives preference to would-be marijuana vendors in areas of high poverty and records of large numbers of convictions. And portions of tax proceeds must be reinvested in impoverished communities.\n\n Police organizations are wary, concerned about enforcing driving under the influence laws and arguing technology for testing marijuana impairment needs more development. Law enforcement organizations were successful in killing an earlier provision that would have allowed anyone to grow up to five marijuana plants at home for personal use. Police said they’d have difficulty enforcing that, so the bill was amended to allow five plants to be maintained only by authorized patients under the state’s medical marijuana law. They previously could not grow their own.\n\nTen other states and the District of Columbia have legalized smoking or eating marijuana for recreational use since 2012, when voters in Colorado and Washington state approved ballot initiatives. Vermont and Michigan last year were the latest states to legalize marijuana. Vermont did so through the Legislature, the first time it wasn’t done through a ballot initiative, but didn’t establish a statewide marketplace as Illinois did.\n\n Other initiatives have failed. Promising proposals in New York and New Jersey fizzled late this spring. Despite a statewide listening tour on the issue by Pennsylvania’s lieutenant governor last winter, the idea never took flight."], "summary": "Illinois becomes the 11th U.S. state to legalize the recreational use of cannabis. The bill, signed into law by Governor of Illinois J. B. Pritzker, will also remove criminal records for purchasing or possessing 30 grams or less of cannabis."}
{"document": ["Facebook users\n\nUse your Facebook account to login or register with JapanToday. By doing so, you will also receive an email inviting you to receive our news alerts.", "Authorities in Ibaraki Prefecture said Monday they would start issuing partnership certificates for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender couples from July 1, in an effort to address inequalities with legally married couples.\n\nA total of 22 municipalities across the country have launched similar systems to recognize partnerships between members of sexual minorities since the wards of Shibuya and Setagaya in Tokyo began issuing them in 2015, but Ibaraki will be the first of the nation’s 47 prefectures to do so.\n\n“This is a matter of human rights, and we must work swiftly in order to eliminate discrimination and prejudice,” said Ibaraki Gov. Kazuhiko Oigawa at a news conference.\n\nTo be recognized, applicants must be at least 20 years old and live in the prefecture, as well as meeting other requirements, according to Ibaraki Prefectural Government.\n\nWhile the certificates are not legally binding, they will allow the couples to rent at prefecture-run housing or giving consent for surgeries at the Ibaraki Prefectural Central Hospital, among other situations in which they have historically faced difficulties.\n\nIn November, Ibaraki created a comprehensive plan for promoting diversity, and in March its assembly passed an ordinance that bans discrimination against sexual minorities — the second prefectural authority to do so after Tokyo.\n\nMembers from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, who make up the largest faction in the prefectural assembly, were reluctant to introduce the partnership system, claiming that public understanding of such moves is not yet adequate. But Ibaraki went ahead with the policy after launching in April a study group on support for LGBT people. The group urged Oigawa to introduce the plan in a report issued earlier this month.\n\nIn addition, the prefecture is set to review gender categories on a variety of documents and establish a consultation service on LGBT issues. It will also conduct a survey on LGBT issues.\n\nEarlier this month, major opposition parties submitted to the Diet a bill that would permit same-sex marriage — just weeks after the government of Taiwan became the first in Asia to legalize gay marriage.\n\nThe bill, which adopts neutral language — with the terms “party of marriage” used in place of “husband” and “wife” — is unlikely to go far in the Diet, where the ruling LDP has barely budged on moves to advance civil rights for LGBT people.", "Ibaraki Prefecture said Monday it would start issuing partnership certificates for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender couples from July 1.\n\nSmaller municipalities have launched similar systems for recognizing partnerships of sexual minorities since Tokyo's Shibuya and Setagaya wards started them in 2015, but Ibaraki will be the first among Japan's 47 prefectures to do so.\n\n\"This is a matter of human rights, and we must work swiftly in order to eliminate discrimination and prejudices,\" said Ibaraki Gov Kazuhiko Oigawa at a press conference.\n\nTo be recognized, applicants must both be at least 20 years old and live in the prefecture, among other requirements, according to the Ibaraki government.\n\nWhile the certificate is not legally binding, it will allow the couples the ability to rent at prefecture-run housing or giving consent for surgeries at the Ibaraki Prefectural Central Hospital, among other situations in which they have historically faced difficulties.\n\nIbaraki created in November a comprehensive plan for promoting diversity, and its assembly passed in March an ordinance that bans discrimination against sexual minorities, the second such case among Japan's prefectures after Tokyo.\n\nWhile members from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, who make up the largest faction in the prefectural assembly, were reluctant to introduce the partnership system, the Ibaraki government made the move after launching in April a study group for supporting LGBT people. The group urged Oigawa to introduce the plan in a report earlier this month.", "Although the countrywide legalization of same-sex marriage remains a far-off reality in Japan, local governments are taking the lead in working toward greater equality for LGBT people, despite the lack of action at the national level.\n\nToday marked a new milestone in the progress of LGBT rights in Japan, as Ibaraki prefecture said that next month it will start issuing partnership certificates for gay and transgender couples, the first prefectural-level government in Japan to do so. It follows similar moves by 22 other municipal governments, beginning with the wards of Shibuya and Setagaya in Tokyo in 2015. So far this year, 13 local governments have adopted the policy, including most recently Kanuma city in Tochigi prefecture and Miyazaki city. Others will officially implement the policy in the coming weeks, including the city of Kitakyushu in Fukuoka prefecture.\n\nIbaraki was also the second prefecture after Tokyo to pass an ordinance that bans discrimination against sexual minorities earlier this year (link in Japanese).\n\nA same-sex partnership does not give couples the same rights as married couples, but it does allow for partners to make medical decisions for a significant other and live together in public housing.\n\nAya Kamikawa, a transgender assembly member for Tokyo’s Setagaya ward, tweeted that the move by Ibaraki was significant based on population size. Until now, the biggest area by population to issue same-sex partnership certificates was Osaka city, which has 2.7 million inhabitants; Ibaraki has almost 3 million, she said.\n\nThe legalization of same-sex marriage at the national level is still a distant reality in Japan, as the Liberal Democratic Party, which advocates conservative family values, looks set to remain in power for years to come. Those values, however, have increasingly clashed with those of younger generations, who are overwhelmingly receptive of same-sex relationships. Tokyo hosting the Olympics in 2020 has also drawn global attention to Japan’s track record on LGBT rights, namely its position as the only G7 country that doesn’t have marriage equality.\n\nIn February, 13 same-sex couples filed the country’s first lawsuit challenging the ban on gay marriage, arguing that it is unconstitutional. Earlier this month, opposition parties submitted the country’s first ever same-sex-marriage bill, which is very unlikely to make headway in the legislature. Kanako Otsuji of the Constitutional Democratic Party, the first openly gay member of parliament, told Reuters that the government was “totally out of synch” with popular opinion on gay marriage. At a local level, sexual minorities are becoming more visible: in April, the first transgender person was elected to a prefectural assembly, in Hokkaido.\n\nAnother major battle in the fight for LGBT equality in Japan is over the law regarding transgender people. In January, the supreme court upheld a requirement that transgender people must be sterilized if they want to have their gender changed on official documents, rejecting an appeal by a transgender man who said such a law was unconstitutional. Groups such as Human Rights Watch have called the law an affront to international medical standards and treats transgender people as mentally ill.", "A new policy adopted by the Philadelphia Police Department outlines how officers should interact with transgender and nonbinary individuals.\n\nUnder Directive 4.15, announced Tuesday, officers are required to record a person’s chosen name and pronouns, regardless of the information on their identification. Officers are also instructed to transport and house transgender people who are in custody separately from other incarcerated people “whenever possible” as well as allow trans people to express their preference for the gender of the officer who searches them.\n\nTransgender and nonbinary people “have historically faced humiliating, hurtful treatment during their interactions with law enforcement,” a statement released by the city of Philadelphia said. “The new PPD policy aims to provide clear instructions to personnel in order to prevent such incidents in Philadelphia.”\n\nA recent report from the National Center for Transgender Equality revealed that as of May, most of the 25 largest police departments in the United States had not adopted policies that protect transgender people. None of the departments studied explicitly required regular training on transgender interaction policies nor did they require officers to “respectfully record the name currently being used by the individual.” Only nine of the 25 departments included gender identity in their nondiscrimination policies.\n\n“Philly’s new policy is one of the strongest policies put in place by any city in the nation and is a tremendous step forward in ensuring transgender and gender-expansive people are treated with respect by law enforcement,” said Jason Landau Goodman, executive director of the Pennsylvania Youth Congress, a statewide LGBTQ advocacy organization. “As we recognize the 50th anniversary of Stonewall, we must move forward to make sure the most vulnerable are protected.”\n\nThough Philadelphia’s transgender policy marks progress, Gillian Bransetter, a spokesperson for the National Center for Transgender Equality, said in an emailed statement that the police must continue to work to “heal the mistrust between law enforcement and minority communities, including the transgender community.”\n\nAccording to NCTE’s 2015 U.S. Transgender Survey, 58 percent of transgender people who interacted with police in the previous year reported that they were mistreated and faced verbal harassment, misgendering, physical assault and/or sexual assault. More than half of the survey’s transgender respondents said they would be afraid to ask the police for help.\n\n“The Department continues to fall short on key areas, including restrictions to prevent officer sexual misconduct, collaboration with immigration enforcement, instructing officers not to police the public restroom use of transgender people or others who don't conform to gender stereotypes, use of condoms as evidence of a crime, and most importantly, strong civilian oversight,” Bransetter wrote. “As the recent revelations about biased social media posts from numerous current and former local officers illustrate, Philadelphia, like most cities, still has much to do to reduce the role of police in people's daily lives.”\n\nMore than 70 Philadelphia officers were recently placed on administrative duty as internal affairs investigated whether any of their posted content — some of which were anti-trans comments — violated the department's social media policy, and last week, 10 of the city’s police recruits resigned after they tried to cheat on an open-book exam.\n\n“The fact that this new policy is not guidance, but is an actual policy makes a huge difference,” Goodman said. “Officers could lose jobs if they don’t adhere to the policy, which encourages accountability in their interactions with the public.”", "Charles Keidan and Rebecca Steinfeld won their legal battle for the right to have a civil partnership at the Supreme Court last year VICTORIA JONES/PA\n\nAll couples will be given the option of having a civil partnership in Scotland under new proposals.\n\nLegislation will be introduced in the Scottish parliament after the summer recess to ensure same-sex couples and mixed-sex couples have the same choices on marriage or a civil partnership.\n\nThe Scottish government held a consultation on whether civil partnerships should be scrapped or extended to mixed-sex couples. It follows a ruling in the Supreme Court in London last year that declared the UK Civil Partnership Act 2004 was not compatible with the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) on equality grounds as it prevented mixed-sex couples from entering into civil partnerships.\n\nAfter the consultation, the Scottish government decided that making civil partnerships available to all would be the…"], "summary": "Ibaraki Prefecture says it will start issuing partnership certificates for lesbian, gay and transgender couples starting July 1. It would be the first such prefectural policy in the history of Japan."}
{"document": ["The world’s most powerful operating rocket took flight again early on Tuesday morning.\n\nSpaceX’s Falcon Heavy blasted off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 2:30 a.m. Eastern time, its powerful boosters lighting up the Space Coast with fiery trails, and later creating loud sonic booms as two of its flaming launch vehicles touched down successfully on landing pads at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.\n\nIt was the third trip for Falcon Heavy. The first test launch occurred in 2018 and the second in April when it carried a Saudi telecommunications satellite to orbit. This time it carried 24 satellites for the Defense Department and other customers, and Mr. Musk called it SpaceX’s “most difficult launch ever.” The mission’s completion could lead to additional business from the United States government for Falcon Heavy.\n\n[Sign up to get reminders for space and astronomy events on your calendar.]\n\nOne of SpaceX’s major selling points for those who need to go to space — including the United States military, NASA and private companies — is the cost-effectiveness of the company’s reusable rockets. SpaceX has landed and used many of its rockets again, including the two side boosters of this Falcon Heavy, which came back from space in April. This was the first time the Defense Department has allowed its hardware to be launched aboard a previously used rocket.\n\nThose twin boosters landed upright and intact on landing pads at Cape Canaveral. But minutes later, the rocket’s center booster fared more poorly.", "If you would like to see more articles like this please support our coverage of the space program by becoming a Spaceflight Now Member . If everyone who enjoys our website helps fund it, we can expand and improve our coverage further.\n\nSpaceX’s third Falcon Heavy rocket took off from the Kennedy Space Center in a predawn launch Tuesday, delivering two dozen research and weather observation spacecraft into orbit on a marathon three-and-a-half mission for the U.S. Air Force.\n\nThe mission included the successful landing of the Falcon Heavy’s two side boosters back at Cape Canaveral, and a SpaceX recovery boat netted part of the rocket’s payload fairing for the first time after trying for more than a year.\n\nSpaceX’s fairing recovery boat, recently renamed from “Mr. Steven” to “Ms. Tree,” is fitted with a giant net to catch the rocket’s fairing shell as it descends under a parafoil. The payload fairing protects satellites from aerodynamic friction during the first few minutes of launch, then jettisons in two halves in a clamshell-like fashion to lighten the rocket’s load once it has climbed into the rarefied upper atmosphere.\n\nSince early 2018, SpaceX has tried using the fast-moving boat to steer underneath a fairing. But the efforts chalked up a series of near-misses, prompting engineers to evaluate reusing fairings that fell into the sea, which require more refurbishment after exposure to salt water.\n\nBut Tuesday’s catch shows there is promise for SpaceX’s preferred method of recovery.\n\nSpaceX has outfitted its fairings with avionics, thrusters and steerable parachutes to make a soft landing. The company wants to reuse the fairing, eyeing it as the next step in reducing launch costs after proving the landing and reuse of Falcon booster stages.\n\nElon Musk, SpaceX’s founder and CEO, told reporters last year that the fairing costs around $6 million. Musk has identified the payload fairing as the next component that could be recovered and reused, following SpaceX’s pioneering achievement in landing and re-flying first stage boosters.\n\nSpaceX eventually aims to catch both halves of the fairing.\n\nThe U.S. military’s Space Test Program booked the mission, named STP-2, on SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy to exercise the launcher and gauge its suitability to loft high-value national security payloads. The mission also offered a ride to space for a suite of backlogged research satellites.\n\nThe intricate series of orbital maneuvers, and the long duration of the launch sequence, prompted SpaceX chief executive to Elon Musk to label it the most difficult launch in the company’s history.\n\n“It’s been a bit of a marathon, but when you finish a marathon, you really feel good,” said John Insprucker, principal integration engineer at SpaceX, after the final satellite payload separated from the rocket. “We’ve had an outstanding mission tonight. We lifted off from 39A, turned night into day with the Falcon Heavy, over 5 million pounds of thrust.”\n\n“The center core went downrange, and we knew it was going to be the toughest mission ever for a center core,” Insprucker said on SpaceX’s launch webcast. “We did get the visibility of the drone ship camera, but we just missed the drone ship, “Of Course I Still Love You.” However, the side cores made up for that with a great return to Landing Zones 1 and 2.”\n\n“The second stage went into orbit,” Insprucker said. We did four burns of the second stage, all of them were right on target. We did 24 of 24 payload separations, and then the icing on the cake tonight was the ability to get one half of the payload fairing, as we were targeting, into the net above the ocean on our recovery ship known as ‘Ms. Tree.'”\n\nThe Air Force confirmed in a tweet Tuesday afternoon that all of the payloads launched by the Falcon Heavy were alive and transmitting signals.\n\n“All satellites are on orbit and have made contact!” the Air Force Space and Missile Systems tweeted.\n\nRunning three hours late after a ground system hydraulic held up the countdown Monday night, the Falcon Heavy lit its 27 Merlin main engines at rocketed into a moonlit sky at 2:30 a.m. EDT (0630 GMT) Tuesday.\n\nThe Falcon Heavy’s three boosters drove the rocket off the pad with some 5.1 million pounds of thrust, more than any other launcher currently in service, and steered the vehicle toward the east.\n\nThe window-ratting launch was the first nighttime takeoff by a Falcon Heavy, coming after two daytime departures SpaceX’s heavy-lifter in February 2018 and on April 11.\n\nAround two-and-a-half minutes into the launch, the side boosters shut down and separated from the Falcon Heavy’s center core to begin a series of propulsive maneuvers guiding the twin rockets back to Landing Zone 1 and Landing Zone 2 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, around 9 miles (15 kilometers) south of pad 39A.\n\nSpeeding back from the edge of space, the rockets reignited their engines for a re-entry braking burn, and a final maneuver to slow for nearly simultaneous landings at Cape Canaveral.\n\nA pair of double sonic rooms echoed across Florida’s Space Coast as the rockets returned.\n\nTuesday morning’s mission was the first time SpaceX has landed two rocket boosters at the same time at night. The side boosters both flew on the previous Falcon Heavy mission with the Arabsat 6A commercial communications satellite in April, when they also landed back at Cape Canaveral.\n\nAfter release of the side boosters, the Falcon Heavy’s brand new center core throttled up its engines to full power. The core stage operated at partial power for the first couple of minutes of the mission to conserve fuel.\n\nAround three-and-a-half minutes after liftoff, the core stage turned off its engines and separate to begin its own controlled descent to SpaceX’s offshore drone ship positioned nearly 770 miles (1,240 kilometers) east of Cape Canaveral.\n\nLive video transmitted from the drone ship showed the core stage narrowly missed landing. The recovery vessel was parked farther downrange than for any previous SpaceX mission, and the Falcon Heavy’s core stage came down faster than any booster before.\n\nBefore Tuesday’s launch, Musk gave 50-50 odds of recovering the center core intact.\n\nThe core stage from the inaugural Falcon Heavy launch in February 2018 crashed on landing, and the center booster from the second Falcon Heavy mission in April made a successful touchdown, but tipped over before it could be secured for return to port.\n\nThe booster and fairing recoveries were just the start of the Falcon Heavy’s mission Tuesday. The rocket’s second stage, powered by a single Merlin engine, ignited four times on the lengthy flight.\n\nThe first burn heaved the mission’s 8,157-pound (3,700-kilogram) payload stack into low Earth orbit, where 13 spacecraft deployed from adapters on the Falcon Heavy’s upper stage.\n\nThe first orbital target for the STP-2 mission ranged in altitude between about 186 miles (300 kilometers) and 534 miles (860 kilometers). The first orbit had an inclination, or tilt, of 28.5 degrees to the equator.\n\nThe first of the payloads to release from the Falcon Heavy will be Oculus-ASR, a microsatellite developed by students at Michigan Technological University in partnership with the Air Force Research Laboratory. Oculus-ASR will test the ability of ground-based observers to determine the orientation and configuration of a satellite in orbit using unresolved imagery. It will also release a pair of small spherical masses to help calibrate instruments that track orbiting space objects.\n\nTwelve CubeSats also ejected from carrier modules on the upper stage.\n\nThe Naval Research Laboratory’s Tether Electrodynamics Propulsion CubeSat Experiment, or TEPCE, mission consists of two CubeSats that will be connected by a nearly 3,300-foot (1-kilometer) electrically conducting tether. The experiment will test the tether’s ability to provide electrodynamic propulsion in space, which future missions could use in place of conventional rocket fuel.\n\nThe FalconSat 7 satellite, a toaster oven-sized CubeSat developed at the U.S. Air Force Academy, next deployed from the rocket. FalconSat 7 will test a deployable optical solar telescope structure in orbit, a device that could be used on future military reconnaissance and surveillance missions.\n\nThe Falcon Heavy then released the ARMADILLO CubeSat developed at the University of Texas at Austin. ARMADILLO carries a dust detector to characterize the population of tiny space debris objects in low Earth orbit.\n\nThe U.S. Naval Academy’s PSAT 2 and BRICSAT 2 CubeSats, each carrying amateur radio payloads, then separated form the rocket. Then the rocket deployed a Prometheus CubeSat for U.S. Special Operations Command.\n\nNASA’s two Enhanced Tandem Beacon Experiment, or E-TBEx, CubeSats were next to separate from the rocket. The CubeSats will transmit radio signals down to receiving stations on Earth for scientists to examine how the transmissions are perturbed by disturbances in the ionosphere, a layer in the upper atmosphere through which GPS navigation and satellite communication signals must traverse to reach users on the ground.\n\nThe final satellites to separate in the STP-2 mission’s first orbit were the Launch Environment Observer and StangSat CubeSats, which recorded telemetry and environmental data inside their deployer box during launch. The LEO CubeSat was built by students at Cal Poly, and StangSat comes from students at Merritt Island High School in Florida.\n\nWith the first batch of satellites away, a second firing by the Falcon Heavy’s upper stage engine propelled the rocket into a circular orbit around 447 miles (720 kilometers) above Earth, with an inclination at 24 degrees, closer to the equator.\n\nGeorgia Tech’s suitcase-sized Prox-1 microsatellite was the first spacecraft to deploy in the STP-2 mission’s second orbit. Prox-1, also funded through an Air Force Research Laboratory grant, will test proximity operations and in-orbit inspection techniques after releasing a daughter satellite July 1 named LightSail 2, a crowd-funded CubeSat from the Planetary Society designed to demonstrate the propulsion capability of a solar sail, which harnesses pressure from sunlight for thrust.\n\nA satellite named NPSAT 1 developed at the Naval Postgraduate School next separated from the Falcon Heavy. NPSAT 1 carries two instruments from the Naval Research Laboratory to measure electron cloud densities in Earth’s ionosphere, a layer high above Earth that affects long-range radio communications. Engineers will also use the microsatellite to test a radiation-tolerant computer processor, experimental solar cells, and low-cost memory devices, rate sensors and a commercial digital camera.\n\nThe next event was the deployment of the Orbital Test Bed spacecraft built by General Atomics. The Orbital Test Bed, or OTB, mission hosts several payloads, including the Deep Space Atomic Clock experiment from NASA, which will test a new type of hyper-accurate atomic clock that could make it easier for deep space probes to navigate.\n\nAnother package attached to the OTB satellite carries the cremated remains of 152 people, including the late astronaut Bill Pogue and space journalist and historian Frank Sietzen. The payload, called “Heritage Flight” and arranged by Celestis, will remain in orbit with the OTB spaceraft for around 25 years.\n\nNASA’s Green Propellant Infusion Mission also separated in the 447-mile-high orbit. Built by Ball Aerospace with a propulsion system from Aerojet Rocketdyne, the mission will test a new type of non-toxic “green” propellant that could be used on future satellites to replace hydrazine, a caustic fuel commonly used on spacecraft because it can be stored for years at room temperature.\n\nRead our full story discussing NASA’s experiments on the STP-2 launch for details on the Deep Space Atomic Clock and the Green Propellant Infusion Mission.\n\nThe Falcon Heavy upper stage then maneuvered into the proper orientation for separation of six identical satellites for the Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere, and Climate-2, or COSMIC-2, mission.\n\nThe COSMIC-2 satellites, each about the size of a standard kitchen oven, will form a weather observation network collecting data on temperature, pressure, density and water vapor at various layers in Earth’s atmosphere. The COSMIC-2 mission was developed by an international consortium of institutions led by NOAA, the U.S. government’s weather agency, and Taiwan’s National Space Organization, with instrument contributions from the Air Force.\n\nTelemetry data radioed from the Falcon Heavy rocket confirmed all six COSMIC-2 satellites separated as planned, setting the stage for the final phase of the STP-2 mission.\n\nThe rocket’s Merlin upper stage engine reignited two more times to target a unique orbit between 3,728 miles (6,000 kilometers) and 7,456 miles (12,000 kilometers) in altitude, with an inclination of 42 degrees to the equator.\n\nThe fourth burn set a record for a SpaceX mission. No previous Falcon 9 or Falcon Heavy launch had fired its upper stage engine more than three times.\n\nAt 6:04 a.m. EDT (1004 GMT), more than three-and-a-half hours after liftoff, the Falcon Heavy deployed the mission’s final payload — the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Demonstration and Science Experiments, or DSX, spacecraft.\n\nThe DSX satellite will fly in a slot region between the Van Allen radiation belts with instruments to measure the effects of very low frequency radio waves on space radiation, space weather conditions and the impact of radiation on electronics and spacecraft materials.\n\n“The space domain has never been more important to our nation than it is today,” said Maj. Gen. William Cooley, commander of the Air Force Research Laboratory. “The DSX satellite experiment will greatly increase our understanding of the environment spacecraft operate in and will give us the knowledge to build even better satellites to protect and defend our space assets. I am immensely proud of the AFRL scientists, engineers, and technicians that conceived and built the DSX satellite.”\n\nIn addition to the Air Force experiments, DSX hosts NASA hardware to measure how radiation can corrupt spacecraft memory devices and damage electrical circuits.\n\nWith DSX off of the rocket, the Falcon Heavy’s upper stage was to be “passivated,” or put into a safe configuration, by dumping the rocket’s leftover propellant overboard. The passivation milestone was expected to mark the end of the full STP-2 launch sequence, which was expected to last between six and seven hours.\n\nTuesday morning’s launch was designed to exercise the Falcon Heavy to its limits, allowing SpaceX and the Air Force to collect data to ensure the rocket is ready to lift the military’s most expensive national security payloads into orbit.\n\n“Volume-wise, the payloads take up about a third, maybe a little more than a third, of their payload fairing,” said Mike Marlow, the STP-2 mission manager at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico, in a conference call with reporters before the launch. “But performance-wise, because we’re going to three different orbits, it takes up all of the Falcon Heavy’s performance, actually.”\n\nThe satellites on-board the STP-2 mission, while unique and valuable, are all experimental. The Air Force holds launch vehicles assigned to carry operational reconnaissance, communications and navigation payloads to a higher standard.\n\nThe Air Force announced the Falcon Heavy was certified after its inaugural flight last year, making it eligible to win contracts to launch the military’s most critical operational satellites. The Air Force signed the contract for the STP-2 mission with SpaceX in December 2012 as a purely experimental mission.\n\nSince last year’s certification milestone, the Air Force has awarded SpaceX two launch contracts for missions codenamed AFSPC-44 and AFSPC-52, which are scheduled for launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in late 2020 and early 2021.\n\nThe STP-2 mission will now be the third certification flight for the Falcon Heavy as the Air Force prepares to entrust the launcher with more important payloads.\n\n“What we’re doing now is what we call the spaceflight worthiness process,” said Col. Robert Bongiovi, director of the launch enterprise systems directorate at the Air Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center.\n\n“This launch, STP-2, is the third certification flight. It’s one of many sets of data and reviews that we do with SpaceX and any contractor that we’re certifying for (and) doing non-recurring design and validation on … to get to the point where (we) can certify that that launch vehicle is ready to launch the critical national security payloads that we’ll be launching on those two missions,” Bongiovi said before the STP-2 mission.\n\nThe Air Force will also use the experience gained from the STP-2 mission to help certify reused rocket hardware for national security missions. The Air Force’s launches with SpaceX, to date, have all used newly-built Falcon 9 boosters.\n\n“The launch was originally just an opportunity to characterize the launch vehicle for future use by the National Security Space Launch program, but now it is the Air Force’s first launch using previously-flown rocket hardware,” Bongiovi said.\n\nWith Tuesday’s Falcon Heavy flight, SpaceX has re-flown a Falcon booster 24 times since March 2017, all successfully.\n\n“The use of the previously-flown hardware is providing critical insight into reusability and quality assurance that will allow us to provide space access to the warfighter in a more cost-effective and expedient manner, and I really appreciate the efforts of our industry partner SpaceX to make this happen,” Bongiovi said.\n\nIn the AFSPC-52 launch contract announced last year, the Air Force agreed to pay SpaceX $130 million for a Falcon Heavy mission. The Delta 4-Heavy rocket, the biggest vehicle the fleet of SpaceX rival United Launch Alliance, sells for about $300 million per flight.\n\nIf SpaceX convinces the Air Force to certify reused rockets for national security missions, the price of a Falcon Heavy mission could further fall.\n\n“The reason that we’re excited about this, and about having previously-flown hardware on (STP-2) is that we’ve been able to fo follow along as we’ve done recovery and refurbishment of those boosters,” Bongiovi said.\n\nThe STP-2 mission was originally supposed to launch with all-new boosters, but the Air Force and SpaceX agreed late last year to change plans and fly reused side boosters.\n\nSTP-2 was supposed to launch on the second Falcon Heavy mission, but the contract modification pushed the STP-2 launch behind the launch of the Arabsat 6A telecom satellite in SpaceX’s queue.\n\nThe boosters from the Arabsat 6A mission were among the most “gently-used” in SpaceX’s inventory, Air Force officials said. They encountered relatively benign aerodynamic forces and structural loads on their descent back to Florida’s Space Coast in April.\n\nThe Air Force’s launch contract with SpaceX for the STP-2 mission was previously valued at $185 million, according to Lt. Col. Ryan Rose, chief of the small launch and targets division at Kirtland Air Force Base.\n\nThe launch is now costing the Air Force around $160 million, and a “big factor” in the cost reduction was the military’s agreement to fly the STP-2 mission with reused rocket boosters, Bongiovi said.\n\nWith STP-2 in the books, SpaceX is gearing up for a pair of Falcon 9 launches from Florida’s Space Coast in July.\n\nOne of the flights, set for July 21, will launch a Dragon cargo capsule on a resupply mission to the International Space Station.\n\nSpaceX is preparing different Falcon 9 rocket to launch the Amos 17 communications satellite as soon as late July for Spacecom Ltd. of Israel. A target launch date for that mission has not been announced.\n\nMeanwhile, Air Force launch teams will turn their attention to three missions in July.\n\nThe Air Force is supporting an atmospheric abort test of NASA’s Orion crew capsule scheduled for July 2 at Cape Canaveral. A test version of the Orion spacecraft will blast off aboard a converted Air Force Peacekeeper missile to demonstrate the capsule’s ability to escape from a launch failure.\n\nAir Force communications and navigation satellites are set for launch from Florida’s Space Coast on July 12 and July 25 aboard United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 and Delta 4 rockets.", "ORLANDO – Twenty-four satellites, including four NASA science missions, a tiny sail that may one day visit another solar system and the ashes of 152 dead loved ones — all contained in the bowels of the world’s most powerful rocket — streaked to space early Tuesday morning.\n\nThe third successful launch of SpaceX’s mighty Falcon Heavy, and its first at night, took off from Kennedy Space Center’s launch complex 39A at 2:30 a.m., marking one of the most complex and technically challenging missions in the company’s history.\n\nThe mission was pushed back from an 11:30 p.m. takeoff time Monday while the teams worked to complete additional ground system checkouts.\n\nSpaceX CEO Elon Musk tweeted late Monday night as he waited for liftoff that “waiting for Falcon Heavy to launch means high cortisol levels,” adding that the mission was SpaceX’s “toughest rocket launch ever.”\n\nFor one, there were the logistics: The three-booster Falcon Heavy had to perform four upper-stage engine burns to get the diverse payload into three separate orbits, depending on the requirements of each satellite.\n\nThen it had to land its two side boosters at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station’s Landing Zones 1 and 2, which it did successfully about eight minutes after launch. The boosters were reused from a previous mission in April, making it the first time that a Falcon Heavy had flown with refurbished parts.\n\nThe center core booster zipped back down to Earth 11 minutes after takeoff at a speed four “times faster than a rifle bullet,” Musk tweeted. \n\n Prior to the launch, he put the odds of the core landing at about 50% because of the speed at which it was coming in.\n\nMusk’s warnings turned out to be right: The core missed its mark, landing in the Atlantic Ocean just off SpaceX’s drone ship, Of Course I Still Love You, which was stationed more than 700 miles off the coast of Florida, about twice the typical distance.\n\nOn the payload side, SpaceX was delivering to space a diverse set of spacecraft, from Department of Defense military satellites to crafts containing some of the ashes of deceased family members.\n\nThe ride-sharing mission, put together by the Air Force’s Space and Missile Systems Center, included advanced research and development satellites from multiple DoD research labs, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NASA and several universities.\n\nAmong the most notable missions for NASA included a Deep Space Atomic Clock, a first-of-its kind device that could help spacecraft travelling in deep space perform their own navigation without the lag time of waiting for instructions from Earth, and a new green propellant that would be less toxic, easier to handle and more efficient than the current hydrazine propellant used on rockets.\n\nAlso hitching a ride was the Planetary Society’s crowdfunded LightSail 2, a small spacecraft powered by sunlight that may hold the key to missions to other solar systems.\n\nThe Bill Nye-led Planetary Society will test out the sail in Earth orbit to prove whether it could be viably propelled by solar power, offering a solution to interstellar travel.\n\n“If someone really decides it’s worth doing and sends spacecraft to another star system, the solar sails are really the only way to go,” Nye told Florida Today.\n\nFor the 152 people whose cremated remains flew aboard Falcon Heavy Tuesday morning, a cosmic send-off was the only way to go, too.\n\n The remains flew to space through a service provided by private company Celestis, which offers the unique spaceflight-themed memorials.\n\nThey run from $2,495 to $12,500 depending on the trajectory of the ashes, whether they return to Earth or go into Earth orbit, lunar orbit or deep space. The ashes are placed in coin-sized capsules and packed together inside the spacecraft.\n\nTuesday’s mission was Celestis’ 16th to space, known as the “Heritage Flight.”\n\nIt sent a number of space enthusiasts into the cosmos, some well-known in the space community – including NASA astronaut William Pogue, “Star Trek” actor James Doohan, and planetary scientists Eugene Shoemaker and Eric De JonG – as well as fans from other backgrounds, including sculptor and painter Luise Kaish, a key figure in the New York art scene of the late 20th century.\n\nLike the others whose remains flew to space Tuesday, it was Kaish’s “wish that her ashes travel into space,” her obituary reads. “Not simply into orbit, or to the moon. But into deep space. The realm of infinity.”", "SpaceX launched its heftiest rocket with 24 research satellites Tuesday, a middle-of-the-night ride share featuring a deep space atomic clock, solar sail, a clean and green rocket fuel test bed, and even human ashes.\n\nIt was the third flight of a Falcon Heavy rocket, but the first ordered by the military.\n\nThe U.S. Defence Department mission, dubbed STP-2 for Space Test Program, is expected to provide data to certify the Falcon Heavy — and reused boosters — for future national security launches. It marked the military's first ride on a recycled rocket.\n\nBoth side boosters landed back at Cape Canaveral several minutes after liftoff, just as they did after launching in April. But the new core booster missed an ocean platform, not unexpected for this especially difficult mission, SpaceX noted.\n\nNASA signed up for a spot on the rocket, along with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Air Force Research Laboratory, the Planetary Society and Celestis Inc., which offers memorial flights into space.\n\nSpaceX successfully launches its Falcon Heavy rocket from Cape Canaveral, Fla., on June 25.\n\nAn astronaut who flew on NASA's first space station back in the 1970s, Skylab's Bill Pogue, had some of his ashes on board, along with more than 150 other deceased people. Pogue died in 2014.\n\nSpaceX said the mission was one of its most challenging launches. The satellites needed to be placed in three different orbits, requiring multiple upper-stage engine firings. It would take several hours to release them all.\n\nThe Deep Space Atomic Clock by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory is a technology demo aimed at self-flying spacecraft. Barely the size of a toaster oven, the clock is meant to help spacecraft navigate by themselves when far from Earth. NASA also was testing a clean and green alternative to toxic rocket and satellite fuel.\n\nThe Planetary Society's LightSail crowd-funded spacecraft will attempt to become the first orbiting spacecraft to be propelled solely by sunlight. It's the society's third crack at solar sailing: The first was lost in a Russian rocket failure in 2005, while the second had a successful test flight in 2015.\n\n\"Hey @elonmusk et al, thanks for the ride!\" tweeted Bill Nye, the society's CEO.\n\nThe Air Force Research Laboratory had space weather experiments aboard, while NOAA had six small atmospheric experimental satellites for weather forecasting.\n\nThe Falcon Heavy is the most powerful rocket in use today. Each first-stage booster has nine engines, for a total of 27 firing simultaneously at liftoff from NASA's Kennedy Space Center.\n\nThe first Falcon Heavy launch was in February 2018. That test flight put SpaceX founder Musk's red Tesla convertible into an orbit stretching past Mars.", "SpaceX marked another milestone early this morning as the company's Falcon Heavy megarocket successfully lofted two dozen research satellites into orbit. This was the Falcon Heavy's The stunning #SpaceX Falcon Heavy STP-2 launch 'nebula' captured from the roof of #NASA's Vehicle Assembly Building––525ft up. \n\n\n\nFrom @erikkuna for @SuperclusterHQ \n\n\n\nCongrats to @SpaceX & @elonmusk on a thrilling launch#spaceisforeveryone pic.twitter.com/wnNssxRyvV — Supercluster (@SuperclusterHQ) June 25, 2019 With the successful launch of the Department of Defense research satellites, the Air Force is expected to provide data to certify the Falcon Heavy—and reused boosters—for future national security launches. This launch also marked the first time the military hitched a ride on a recycled rocket. Both side boosters landed successfully back at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, right next door to KSC, while the center core booster just missed its landing on the SpaceX drone ship, Of Course I Still Love You, stationed in the Atlantic Ocean hundreds of miles from the launch site, according to The center core booster missing its landing on the drone ship was not that much of a surprise for SpaceX engineers because the mission required higher-than-normal speeds due to the payload. As it was, the drone ship was twice as far from shore as it would normally be in the launch of a Falcon 9 rocket. In another milestone for the commercial space company, SpaceX caught half of the fairing or nose cone using the Mr. Steven is stationed in the Pacific, as SpaceX will attempt to catch and recover the fairing this mission. pic.twitter.com/A7aBSJoFfc — SpaceX (@SpaceX) December 3, 2018 The fairing halves each have a set of guidance systems and parachutes, as they re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere at multiple times the speed of sound. In the December 2018 video, SpaceX showed what the fairing-catching boat looked like and explained its purpose. As SpaceX explained last week, this launch was particularly difficult due to the satellites onboard needing to be injected into three distinct orbits. This meant the expulsion of the satellites had to be precisely timed. The maneuvers required that the rocket's second-stage booster fire four times, with the final deployment scheduled to occur about 3.5 hours after launch. The rocket blasted off from Launch Pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida three hours into its launch window, taking to the night sky at 2:30 a.m. EDT on June 25 (0630 GMT).This was the Falcon Heavy's first night launch and third launch, overall. The mission was part of the U.S. Air Force's Space Test Program (STP-2) and carried payloads for universities, NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the nonprofit organization The Planetary Society.With the successful launch of the Department of Defense research satellites, the Air Force is expected to provide data to certify the Falcon Heavy—and reused boosters—for future national security launches. This launch also marked the first time the military hitched a ride on a recycled rocket.Both side boosters landed successfully back at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, right next door to KSC, while the center core booster just missed its landing on the SpaceX drone ship, Of Course I Still Love You, stationed in the Atlantic Ocean hundreds of miles from the launch site, according to Space.com. The center core booster missing its landing on the drone ship was not that much of a surprise for SpaceX engineers because the mission required higher-than-normal speeds due to the payload. As it was, the drone ship was twice as far from shore as it would normally be in the launch of a Falcon 9 rocket.In another milestone for the commercial space company, SpaceX caught half of the fairing or nose cone using the high-speed boat, Miss Tee. The boat is equipped with a huge \"catchers mitt\" net and was successful in snaring the fairing half in a net strung up above the boat’s deck, CEO Elon Musk confirmed in a tweet. The fairing is the bulbous nose cone on top of the rocket.The fairing halves each have a set of guidance systems and parachutes, as they re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere at multiple times the speed of sound. In the December 2018 video, SpaceX showed what the fairing-catching boat looked like and explained its purpose.As SpaceX explained last week, this launch was particularly difficult due to the satellites onboard needing to be injected into three distinct orbits. This meant the expulsion of the satellites had to be precisely timed. The maneuvers required that the rocket's second-stage booster fire four times, with the final deployment scheduled to occur about 3.5 hours after launch.", "SpaceX launched its heftiest rocket with 24 research satellites Tuesday, a middle-of-the-night rideshare featuring a deep space atomic clock, solar sail, a clean and green rocket fuel testbed, and even human ashes. It was the third flight of a Falcon Heavy rocket, but the first ordered by the military. The Defense Department mission is expected to provide data to certify the Falcon Heavy _ and reused boosters _ for future national security launches. It marked the military’s first ride on a recycled rocket.\n\nBoth side boosters landed back at Cape Canaveral several minutes after liftoff, just as they did after launching in April. But the new core booster missed an ocean platform, not unexpected for this especially difficult mission, SpaceX noted.\n\nAlso read: Mega clean-up drive in pacific ocean! Initiative to clear 1.8 trillion pieces of plastic relaunched\n\n\n\n“It was a long shot,” tweeted SpaceX founder and chief executive Elon Musk. SpaceX did manage for the first time to catch the fairing, or nose cone, in a giant net on an offshore boat. The California-based company is trying to recover and reuse as many rocket parts as possible _ rather than letting the pieces sink in the ocean _ to drive down launch costs.\n\nNASA signed up for a spot on this Falcon Heavy, along with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Air Force Research Laboratory, the Planetary Society and Celestis Inc., which offers memorial flights into space.\n\nAn astronaut who flew on NASA’s first space station back in the 1970s, Skylab’s Bill Pogue, had a bit of his ashes on board, along with more than 150 other deceased people. Pogue died in 2014.\n\nMusk said it was “our toughest rocket launch ever.” The satellites needed to be placed in three different orbits, requiring multiple upper-stage engine firings. It took several hours to release them all.\n\nThe Deep Space Atomic Clock by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory is a technology demo aimed at self-flying spacecraft. Barely the size of a toaster oven, the clock is meant to help spacecraft navigate by themselves when far from Earth. NASA also was testing a clean and green alternative to toxic rocket and satellite fuel.\n\nThe Planetary Society’s LightSail crowd-funded spacecraft will attempt to become the first orbiting spacecraft to be propelled solely by sunlight. It will be released next week from its temporary perch on a spacecraft and opened a week later.\n\n“Our #LightSail2 is up and on its way,” tweeted Bill Nye, the society’s chief executive officer.\n\nIt’s the society’s third crack at solar sailing: The first was lost in a Russian rocket failure in 2005, while the second had a successful test flight in 2015.\n\nThe Air Force Research Laboratory had space weather experiments aboard, while NOAA had six small atmospheric experimental satellites for weather forecasting.\n\nThe Falcon Heavy is the most powerful rocket in use today. Each first-stage booster has nine engines, for a total of 27 firing simultaneously at liftoff from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.\n\nThe first Falcon Heavy launch was in February 2018. That test flight put Musk’s red Tesla convertible into an orbit stretching past Mars.", "CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is calling Monday night’s launch at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station of its Falcon Heavy rocket the most \"difficult launch ever,\" and one of the company's most challenging missions to date.\n\nThis will be the third mission and first nighttime launch of a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, which is the largest operational rocket in use today.\n\n\"Onboard autonomous navigation; you can think of a self-driving spacecraft. It's one of the top technologies we need to send humans to places like Mars,\" a NASA official said.\n\nREAD MORE: Aboard Falcon Heavy: Six 'weather eyes' to close gap in weather, climate data\n\nThe four-hour launch window starts at 11:30 p.m. and goes until 3:30 a.m. Tuesday.\n• Gunman at large after 2 men shot in Orange County\n• Man stabbed in toe by hypodermic needle under bed in Florida hotel, attorney says\n• Study: High levels of arsenic found in bottled water sold at popular stores\n\nAfter the launch, the rocket’s center core will attempt to land on a drone ship on the Atlantic and side boosters will attempt to land back at the Cape, producing a sonic boom.\n\nNASA officials explained that in addition to Department of Defense satellites on board, there will be four NASA payloads, which are part of the Space Test Program 2 mission.\n\nThe payloads include new technologies to improve how spacecraft propel and navigate.\n\nThe first is NASA’s Deep Space Atomic Clock, which works like a GPS for orbiting satellites.\n\nCurrently, spacecraft flying beyond Earth don't have a GPS system, and DSAC will help spacecraft navigate autonomously.\n\nThere will also be NASA science missions to help better understand the nature of space and how it impacts technology on spacecraft and the ground.\n\nOfficials are predicting a 70% chance of favorable weather for liftoff.\n\nNot near a TV? Click here to watch WFTV newscasts live", "WASHINGTON - SpaceX launched its Falcon Heavy rocket on Tuesday from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, carrying 24 experimental satellites in what Elon Musk’s rocket company called one of the most difficult launches it has attempted.\n\nThe craft blasted off to cheers from onlookers at 2:30 a.m. (0630 GMT) after a three-hour delay from the original launch time late Monday.\n\nThe boosters separated safely as the craft began its six-hour mission to deploy the satellites.\n\nThe two-side booster rockets returned safely to Earth, landing on adjacent Air Force landing pads, but the rocket’s center booster missed its mark, crashing in the Atlantic ocean.\n\nMusk, who predicted trouble with landing the center booster on SpaceX’s drone ship in the Atlantic, said on Twitter early Tuesday, “It was a long shot.”\n\nThe mission, dubbed Space Test Program 2 (STP-2), is the third for the Falcon Heavy rocket, which SpaceX describes as the most powerful launch system in the world.\n\nIt was commissioned by the US Department of Defense, the key contractor for commercial space companies such as SpaceX.\n\nThe company is putting satellites into orbit for agencies including NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), defense department laboratories, universities and a non-profit organization, SpaceX said.\n\nThe mission is one of the most challenging in SpaceX history, with four separate upper-stage engine burns and three separate orbits to deploy satellites, the company said on its website.\n\nThe payloads on the satellites Falcon Heavy is putting into orbit include an atomic clock NASA is testing for space navigation, another testing new telescope technologies, and a solar sail project part-funded by the Planetary Society, a non-profit organisation headed by Bill Nye, “The Science Guy” on television presentations.\n\nThe LightSail is a crowdfunded project that aims to become the first spacecraft in earth orbit propelled solely by sunlight, the society, which has championed solar propulsion for decades, says on its website.\n\nFalcon Heavy is the most powerful operational rocket in the world “by a factor of two,” SpaceX says on its website. It has the ability to lift into orbit nearly 64 metric tons - more than a 737 jetliner loaded with passengers, crew, luggage and fuel.\n\nOnly the Saturn V moon rocket, last flown in 1973 from the same launch pad, delivered more payload to orbit, it says.", "CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket launched from Kennedy Space Center early Tuesday morning in the program's most challenging mission to date.\n\nThe rocket's main engines illuminated the dark sky at 2:30 a.m. The three-and-a-half hour Department of Defense mission featured 24 spacecraft deployments, three orbit insertions, and 20 individual separation events.\n\nThere was one hiccup: The rocket's center core failed to land on the Of Course I Still Love You drone ship stationed hundreds of miles off the coast, as planned. The core was lost as it approached the ship.\n\nFamous science educator Bill Nye attended the launch. Nye acts as CEO of an organization aiming to use photons from the sun as a way to propel spacecraft.\n\nHere are 16 shots that capture the launch.\n\nThe launch of SpaceX Falcon Heavy Launched from Pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center 2:30 a.m. Tuesday morning. With 24 satellites onboard the heavy-lift rocket, the Falcon Heavy will generate four separate burns during its second stage and deploy the dozens of spacecraft into three separate orbits, making this one of SpaceX's most challenging launches. Two of the boosters landed back at the lading zone at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station but the center core booster failed to land on the drone ship stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. Approximate 518 second time exposure off the launch and landing viewed from Washington Ave. in Cape Canaveral. (Photo: MALCOLM DENEMARK/FLORIDA TODAY)", "On Tuesday afternoon—a little more than 12 hours after the launch of a Falcon Heavy rocket from Kennedy Space Center in Florida—the US Air Force's Space & Missile Systems Center declared that all had gone well with the complicated mission. \"All satellites are on orbit and have made contact,\" the Air Force unit tweeted.\n\nSpaceX had a lot on its plate with Tuesday morning's launch, which occurred at 2:30am ET (06:30 UTC). Once again, the company recovered the two side-mounted Falcon 9 first stage boosters at a landing site along the Florida coast. But for the second time out of three Falcon Heavy launches, SpaceX was unable to land the center core on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean. This is perhaps understandable because, due to mission requirements, the center core used in Tuesday's launch had to shed more energy than any previous launch—its attending drone ship was positioned more than 1,200km away from the launch site.\n\nMore favorably for SpaceX, the company succeeded in catching one half of a payload fairing for the first time. SpaceX did so with its rebranded Ms. Tree ship, which sports a large catcher's mitt-like netting. \"Ms. Tree caught the Falcon fairing!!\" company founder Elon Musk shared on Twitter. For a few years, the company has been experimenting with various approaches to capturing the payload fairing halves, which split apart after a rocket reaches orbit to allow the payload access to space.\n\nEach fairing half has some onboard capacity to control its descent through Earth's atmosphere, and a complete payload fairing is valued at about $6 million. SpaceX has said it intends to fly \"used\" payload fairings on a Falcon 9 launch later this year. But for all of the progress SpaceX continues to make with reusable launch, the biggest news from Tuesday morning's Falcon Heavy mission is that the Air Force has apparently come away satisfied with the performance of SpaceX and its heavy-lift rocket.\n\nFor its first payload to fly on the Falcon Heavy rocket, the armed service did not choose one of its ultra-expensive, classified satellites used for observation or military communications. Rather, it flew a rideshare mission that included 24 different satellites that entailed military, NASA, and NOAA-sponsored military and civil experiments. The Falcon Heavy rocket's upper stage had to place the satellites into three different orbits, completing a complicated sequence of four Merlin vacuum engine firings over the course of three hours.\n\nAdditionally, the Falcon Heavy's side-mounted boosters flying Tuesday were Falcon 9 rocket first stages that had each flown once before. In a previous life (April), they had been side boosters on the Falcon Heavy Arabsat-6A mission. Air Force officials said Tuesday's launch (known as Space Test Program-2) would provide insight into the SpaceX booster recovery and refurbishing process, potentially allowing future National Security Space missions to fly on previously flown rockets.\n\n\"This was a momentous launch for NASA, NOAA, and the DOD,\" said Col. Dennis Bythewood, program executive officer for Space Development. \"The SpaceX Falcon Heavy allows the Air Force to begin using previously flown rocket technology to further reduce the cost of launch. This mission demonstrated SMC's continuing commitment to leverage the most innovative technologies to deliver cost-effective space capabilities.\"\n\nAll of this bodes well for SpaceX as the Air Force works through bids from SpaceX, United Launch Alliance, Blue Origin, and Northrop Grumman to win lucrative launch contracts from 2022 to 2026. The Air Force is only expected to pick two winners, and SpaceX has just shown that it can do the kinds of missions the Air Force wants to do, for a lower price, with a rocket that exists today."], "summary": "SpaceX successfully launches and deploys 24 satellites, including LightSail 2, Green Propellant Infusion Mission, and the Deep Space Atomic Clock, into orbit via its Falcon Heavy rocket. Falcon Heavy's sideboosters both returned safely to their landing pads at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, while the rocket's center booster failed to land on a droneship in the Atlantic Ocean, exploding in the sea."}
{"document": ["QUETTA, Pakistan (Reuters) - A police constable was killed and five people injured in Pakistan on Wednesday, following a gun battle with Taliban militants at a police housing and training complex, security officials said.\n\nThree militants wearing suicide vests attempted to storm the complex in the restive southwestern province of Baluchistan when confronted by guards at the entrance.\n\n“Police personnel deployed at the gate killed one of the suicide bombers,” senior police officer Abdul Rehman Luni told Reuters.\n\n“The other two blew themselves up inside the police complex,” he said, adding that a senior constable was killed in the attack, and five wounded people were taken to hospital.\n\nThe attack was claimed by the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, also known as the Pakistani Taliban, in a statement sent to journalists.\n\nMilitary cordoned off the area after the attack.\n\nThe walled complex comprises police residences and training facilities and is heavily guarded in a province where attacks on security officials are common.\n\nIslamist militant groups and separatists fighting the central government are active in mineral-rich Baluchistan, with frequent attacks on gas and transport infrastructure and security posts.\n\nBaluchistan’s coastal city of Gwadar is a strategic port on the Arabian Sea that is being developed as part of the $60-billion China Pakistan Economic Corridor, part of China’s Belt and Road infrastructure project.\n\nIn May, gunmen from the Balochistan Liberation Army insurgent group dressed as military officers stormed a luxury five-star hotel in Gwadar, killing three security guards, an employee, and a naval official in the ensuing gunbattle.", "Islamabad: Three suicide bombers attacked a police training centre in Pakistan's restive southwestern Balochistan province on Wednesday, triggering a shootout that killed security personnel and the attackers, police said. Four police personnel were injured in the attack that took place when the policemen were busy taking an examination and the assailants ambushed the main gate of the Police Lines area in Balochistan's Loralai district. However, nobody has claimed responsibility for the attack but Baloch nationalists and Taliban rebels often carry out such strikes against the security forces.\n\nThe Pakistan Army, in a statement, said that one attacker was killed on the gate while two succeeded to enter the building. \"The suicide bombers were effectively singled out by the police at the main gate. One suicide bomber was killed by a police guard at the entry point, while two others managed to get inside the premises,? the statement said.\n\n\"In exchange of fire, one (of the remaining) suicide bomber exploded himself and the other was killed by security forces,\" the army said, adding that a police head constable was also killed in the exchange of fire. Soldiers of the Frontier Corps have cordoned the area off, it said.\n\nMohsin Hassan Butt, Balochistan Inspector General of Police, told the media that the attackers were wearing suicide vests. The injured policemen have been shifted to hospital, the Dawn reported. The process of clearing the area has begun and security has been beefed up in and around Loralai in the aftermath of the attack.\n\nCondemning the attack, Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan Alyani said, \"the police force fought bravely against the terrorists. The swift and effective action taken by the police today shows that our security agencies are well prepared.\"\n\nLoralai has witnessed a rise in terror attacks in the past few months. On January 30, terrorists attacked a police recruitment centre in the area, killing nine policemen and injuring 21 people. On January 1, terrorists attacked the training centre of the Frontier Corps in the cantonment area of Loralai. The armed forces shot dead 4 attackers and 4 security personnel were killed while resisting them at the entrance of the training centre.", "Authorities in Pakistan say three suicide bombers assaulted a regional police headquarters in a southwestern district Wednesday, triggering a firefight that killed a security officer and the assailants.\n\nTwo policemen were also wounded in the attack in Loralai, a remote town in Baluchistan province.\n\nThe early morning militant raid began with a suicide bomber detonating his explosives at the entry gate, enabling his partners to storm the high-security building, a local police official told VOA requesting anonymity.\n\nPolice guards inside the compound swiftly engaged the attackers and the ensuing shootout killed one bomber while the other blew himself up, the official explained.\n\nThe outlawed Pakistani Taliban militant group in a message to reporters claimed credit for plotting the attack but gave no other details.\n\nSecurity forces and civilian targets routinely come under attack in Baluchistan, a natural resource-rich region. The province has been the scene of a low-level insurgency being waged by ethnic Baluch separatist groups.\n\nMilitants linked to a local affiliate of the Islamic State terrorist group also operate in the province and routinely carry out of attacks against security targets as well as the minority Shi’ite Hazara community which is mostly based in the provincial capital of Quetta.\n\nBaluchistan is home to several Chinese-funded multi-billion dollar infrastructure projects and Pakistani authorities have deployed specially trained forces in the region to protect them as well as Chinese nationals working on them.\n\nLast month, several heavily-armed suicide bombers stormed a luxury hotel in the Chinese-run strategic port of Gwadar in the province. That attack killed four hotel employees and a member of the Pakistani navy. Baluch insurgents took responsibility for the violence, saying it is aimed at China’s economic cooperation projects with Pakistan.", "Three suspected terrorists have stormed a police station in Pakistan's Balochistan Province, sparking a gun battle that killed an officer and the assailants, authorities say.\n\n \n\n District police chief Jawad Tariq says at least one police officer was also wounded in the June 26 attack in Loralai district.\n\n \n\n Tariq says two suicide bombers detonated their vests and a third assailant was killed by police shortly after coming under attack.\n\n \n\n In a brief statement, the Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility but gave no further details.\n\n \n\n Balochistan has been the scene of a low-level insurgency by separatists demanding more autonomy and a greater share in the region's natural resources, such as gas and oil.\n\n \n\n Pakistani militants also have a presence in Balochistan bordering Afghanistan.\n\nBased on reporting by AP and dpa", "One policeman and three suicide bombers were killed in an attack on a police station in Pakistan’s Balochistan province on Wednesday.\n\nThe attack took place in the morning when three suicide bombers tried to enter the police station in the Loralai city, the media wing of Pakistan’s armed forces, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said in a statement.\n\nWhile one attacker was shot dead by the police at the entrance to the complex, other two managed to enter the centre, Geo News reported. “In the exchange of fire one suicide bomber (of the remaining two) exploded himself and the other was killed by security forces,” the ISPR said.\n\nOne policeman was killed and two other officers were wounded in the attack.\n\nA police recruitment centre in the same city was attacked in January claiming 12 lives and wounding 21 others.\n\nBalochistan, the largest and least populated state of Pakistan, has witnessed frequent attacks by separatist groups, armed Islamist forces and organised crime networks, making it one of the nation’s most unstable and insecure regions. In July last year, 149 people were killed in an attack in the province during a poll-related rally. It was one of the worst attacks in the history of the Asian country.", "One suicide bomber was killed at the gate, while two others were killed inside the premises by security forces.\n\nIslamabad (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News – 26th June, 2019) At least one policeman was killed while two others were wounded as three suicide bombers attacked police installation in Loralai, Balochistan.\n\nSecurity sources said that one suicide bomber was killed at the gate, while two others were killed inside the premises by security forces.\n\nThe operation has now been concluded.\n\nInter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) in its statement said that of the two bombers who entered the facility, one was killed and the other blew himself up in an exchange of fire with security forces.\n\nThe terrorists stormed the police lines where the B-One examination for police inductions was underway.\n\nEarlier in January, three armed suicide bombers attempted to enter the DIG police office compound in Loralai where the candidates were present for enrolment in Balochistan Police.\n\nThe policemen on duty responded and shot one of the bombers at the entry of DIG complex, who blew himself up. The other two bombers started indiscriminate firing and got into one of the side rooms. As a result nine persons, including three policemen, five civil employees of police and one civilian candidate embraced 'Shahadat' (martyrdom), while 21 others, including 12 policemen and nine civilian candidates got injured.\n\nFrontier Corps (FC) Balochistan and Army troops were called in. During the clearance operation, the remaining two suicide bombers were shot dead and the area was cleared.\n\nAround 800 candidates present in the compound for enrolment in police were safely evacuated by the security forces.", "Director British Consul Sindh and Balochistan Miehael Houlgate called on Governor Balochistan Amanullah Khan Yasinzai at Governor House on Tuesday\n\nQUETTA, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 25th Jun, 2019 ) :Director British Consul Sindh and Balochistan Miehael Houlgate called on Governor Amanullah Khan Yasinzai at Governor House on Tuesday.\n\nChanging of economic n the region, ongoing development projects in province, promotion of education, skill training of youth came under discussion during meeting, said press release issued here.\n\nGovernor Balochistan Amanullah Khan Yasinzai said Balochistan has rich natural resources in mineral sector beside it has unique geographical location, adding it is a difficult task to maintain the situation of peace owing to long borders in province while the peace situation has been improved in Balochistan by our security forces after rendering lot of sacrifices for creating better environment of development in the area.\n\nDirector Mieheal Holugate briefed the Balochistan Governor about provision of education facilities including latest training, imparting standard education, research knowledge and other cooperating in different fields of educational institutions for youth of province.\n\nGovernor Balochistan appreciated the efforts of Director Mieheeal Houlgate for supporting youth in educational sectors in the area and assured him for cooperating in this regard.", "Governor Balochistan Amanullah Khan Yasinzai strongly condemned the attack on Police Lines in Loralai area of Balochistan on Wednesday and expressed sorrow over the martyrdom of policeman and injured victims\n\nQUETTA, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Jun, 2019 ) : Governor Amanullah Khan Yasinzai strongly condemned the attack on Police Lines in Loralai area of Balochistan on Wednesday and expressed sorrow over the martyrdom of policeman and injured victims.\n\nHe said solid measures were imperative to prevent such incidents so that peace and stability could be established in the province.\n\nThe governor expressed satisfaction over the performance of police and security forces for timely action as three suicide bombers were killed during exchange of fire thus saving precious lives.", "RAWALPINDI: Three terrorists were killed after an attack on the Police Lines area in Balochistan’s Loralai district, ISPR said Wednesday. “Three suicide bombers attempted to target police. The suicide bombers were effectively checked by the police at the entry gate. One suicide bomber was killed by the police at entry point while two others managed to get inside Police Line and were killed,” it added. During the exchange of fire, one suicide bomber blew himself up while the other was killed by security forces. Constable Allah Nawaz was martyred while two others were wounded.", "Balochistan National Party (BNP-M) President Sardar Akhtar Mengal on Wednesday said that committee constituted to resolve issues of Balochistan should prepare its report within two months\n\nISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Jun, 2019 ) : Balochistan National Party (BNP-M) President Sardar Akhtar Mengal on Wednesday said that committee constituted to resolve issues of Balochistan should prepare its report within two months.\n\nHe stated this while addressing here in National Assembly after passage of a motion to constitute a special committee headed by Speaker. The Speaker is authorized to make nominations in the Committee, look into the issues of Balochistan and give recommendations to resolve them.\n\nAfter passage of this motion, BNP Parliamentary Leader in National Assembly said, \"I made a request to the all political parties to constitute a parliamentary committee to look into the issue of Balochistan; we want to solve the issue of Balochistan issue through democratic way\".\n\nAkhtar Mengal said that he had desire that people of country should be apprised about the problems of Balochistan through people's representatives.\n\n\"We are ready to work day and night with the committee to resolve the issues of Balochistan\" he concluded."], "summary": "In Pakistan three suicide bombers attempted to storm a police housing complex in the southern Balochistan province. One of them was killed by guards, while the two others entered and blew themselves up, killing a senior constable and wounding five others. The Pakistani Taliban has claimed responsibility (Reuters)"}
{"document": ["Canada will continue to command a NATO mission in Iraq for a second year until November 2020, Defense Minister Harjit Sajjan announced Wednesday.\n\nBrigadier-General Jennie Carignan, who will soon be promoted to the rank of major-general, is to take over the command this fall of some 580 NATO troops including 250 from Canada, and others from non-NATO partners such as Australia, Sweden, and Finland.\n\nShe has previously deployed to Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Golan Heights, and Afghanistan.\n\nThe non-combat, advisory, and training mission look to bolster Iraq’s military and security capabilities, including in areas of medical aid, armored vehicle maintenance, countering improvised explosive devices and civil-military planning.\n\nNATO’s advisory activities are centered in Baghdad, while training is carried out at Iraqi military schools in the Baghdad area, Taji and Besmaya.\n\nThe hope, outgoing commander Canadian Major General Dany Fortin said this month, is to make Iraq’s military self-sustainable to try to avoid a repeat of 2014 when ISIS seized large areas of Iraq and Syria.\n\nLast Update: Wednesday, 26 June 2019 KSA 19:43 - GMT 16:43", "OTTAWA — Canada will lead a NATO training mission in Iraq until November 2020 after the federal government approved an extension to the operation.\n\nNews of the extension comes as Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan and his counterparts from other NATO countries are in Brussels to discuss the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.\n\nCanada has 850 military personnel in Iraq and the surrounding region involved in that effort against ISIL, including 250 who are training the Iraqi military as part of the NATO mission.\n\nThe extremist group remains a threat despite having lost of all its territory in Iraq and Syria, where it continues to conduct suicide bombings and other insurgent attacks.\n\nCanada has been leading the NATO training mission since last July and was set to hand over the reins to another country at the end of this month, but will now lead until November 2020.\n\nBrig.-Gen. Jennie Carignan, who upon promotion to major-general in the coming days will become Canada's highest-ranked female army officer, will assume command of the NATO mission from Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin.\n\n\"Our message is clear: Canada is ready to lead and stand with our allies,\" Sajjan said in a statement.\n\n\"We know that combating threats to global stability reinforces security and prosperity at home and this is why we are happy to work with NATO and continue our command role of NATO mission Iraq.\"\n\nThe extension is only the latest involving the Canadian military in Iraq. The federal government previously promised to keep the other 600 troops in the region until March 2021.\n\nAmong them are special-forces soldiers and medical personnel in Iraq, trainers in Jordan and Lebanon, and crews with transport planes in Kuwait.", "OTTAWA — Canada will lead a NATO training mission in Iraq until November 2020 after the federal government approved an extension to the operation.\n\nNews of the extension comes as Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan and his counterparts from other NATO countries are in Brussels to discuss the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.\n\nCanada has 850 military personnel in Iraq and the surrounding region involved in that effort against ISIL, including 250 who are training the Iraqi military as part of the NATO mission.\n\nThe extremist group remains a threat despite having lost of all its territory in Iraq and Syria, where it continues to conduct suicide bombings and other insurgent attacks.\n\nCanada has been leading the NATO training mission since last July and was set to hand over the reins to another country at the end of this month, but will now lead until November 2020.\n\nBrig.-Gen. Jennie Carignan, who upon promotion to major-general in the coming days will become Canada’s highest-ranked female army officer, will assume command of the NATO mission from Maj.-Gen. Dany Fortin.\n\n“Our message is clear: Canada is ready to lead and stand with our allies,” Sajjan said in a statement.\n\n“We know that combating threats to global stability reinforces security and prosperity at home and this is why we are happy to work with NATO and continue our command role of NATO mission Iraq.”\n\nThe extension is only the latest involving the Canadian military in Iraq. The federal government previously promised to keep the other 600 troops in the region until March 2021.\n\nAmong them are special-forces soldiers and medical personnel in Iraq, trainers in Jordan and Lebanon and crews with transport planes in Kuwait.\n\nWhile most of Canada’s effort in Iraq involves working with Iraqi government forces, officials for Iraq’s semi-independent Kurdish region have said they would also welcome Canadian military assistance.\n\nCanadian special forces trained and advised the Kurdish peshmerga forces for three years in defending their region against ISIL before working together to free large swathes of territory from ISIL’s grasp.\n\nBut Canada suspended and then ended its work with the peshmerga after an outbreak of violence between them and Iraqi government forces in October 2017 over control of oil-rich territory in the north of the country.\n• A Canadian soldier died in a parachute exercise — now his parents want answers\n• Barbara Kay: Congratulations, women, on being eligible for the draft!", "OTTAWA -- Canada will lead a NATO training mission in Iraq until November 2020 after the federal government approved an extension to the operation.\n\nNews of the extension comes as Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan and his counterparts from other NATO countries are in Brussels to discuss the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.\n\nCanada has 850 military personnel in Iraq and the surrounding region involved in that effort against ISIL, including 250 who are training the Iraqi military as part of the NATO mission.\n\nThe extremist group remains a threat despite having lost of all its territory in Iraq and Syria, where it continues to conduct suicide bombings and other insurgent attacks.\n\nCanada has been leading the NATO training mission since last July and was set to hand over the reins to another country at the end of this month, but will now lead until November 2020.\n\nThe extension is only the latest involving the Canadian military in Iraq after the federal government promised to keep the other 600 troops in the war-ravaged country until March 2021.", "Canada has 850 military personnel in Iraq and the surrounding region involved in that effort against ISIL\n\nCanadian Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan fields questions at the opening news conference of the Halifax International Security Forum in Halifax on Friday, Nov. 16, 2018. The Canadian Press/Andrew Vaughan\n\nCanada will lead a NATO training mission in Iraq until November 2020 after the federal government approved an extension to the operation.\n\nREAD MORE: Committee calls on Canada to co-operate with NATO to respond to Russia in Arctic\n\nNews of the extension comes as Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan and his counterparts from other NATO countries are in Brussels to discuss the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.\n\nCanada has 850 military personnel in Iraq and the surrounding region involved in that effort against ISIL, including 250 who are training the Iraqi military as part of the NATO mission.\n\nThe extremist group remains a threat despite having lost of all its territory in Iraq and Syria, where it continues to conduct suicide bombings and other insurgent attacks.\n\nCanada has been leading the NATO training mission since last July and was set to hand over the reins to another country at the end of this month, but will now lead until November 2020.\n\nThe extension is only the latest involving the Canadian military in Iraq after the federal government promised to keep the other 600 troops in the war-ravaged country until March 2021.\n\nLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.", "(Hatha al-Youm | Iraq News )- ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Canada’s defense minister announced on Wednesday that the country would extend its current NATO training mission in Iraq until November 2020.The announcement comes as Defense Minister Harjit Sajjan is in Brussels, Belgium, where he is holding meetings with other defense ministers from NATO countries on the ongoing fight against the so-called Islamic State in the region.“Canada remains steadfast in our support to NATO,” a statement by the Canadian Armed Forces read.It added that its mission in Iraq is meant “to support stability and security in the Middle East” and “assist Iraq in strengthening its military schools and institutions and advancing Security Sector Reform.”The statement noted that the current head of the mission, Major-General Dany Fortin, would transfer command to Brigadier-General Jennie Carignan in the fall of 2019.Canada has been leading the NATO training mission in Iraq since July 2018, which reflects the efforts of United States President Donald Trump to have American allies bear more of the burden of common defense.The mission builds on past NATO efforts to train Iraqi forces as they work to prevent the re-emergence of the Islamic State and other terror groups.Earlier in June, a former Canadian commander in Iraq said the Islamic State continues to pose a threat in the Middle East and across the world despite its territorial defeat in Iraq and Syria.Brig.-Gen. Colin Keiver, who previously served as Commander Joint Task Force Impact between June 2018 to May 2019, made the comments in an interview with The Canadian Press.“Da’esh or ISIS in Iraq or northeast Syria has been defeated in the sense that they are no longer a quasi-state,” Keiver said, referring to the terror group’s former de-facto capitals in Iraq’s Mosul and Syria’s Raqqa.“They no longer hold any ground, but they are absolutely still alive and well in the background,” he added.Related Article: ISIS ‘alive and well’ in Iraq and other regions, Canadian general warnsDespite Baghdad having declared a military defeat against the terror group in 2017, the Islamic State continues to wreak havoc across parts of the country, especially in formerly liberated areas and even places it never controlled.Indeed, senior Kurdistan Region officials have often called on all sides to address the underlying causes which led to the rise of the Islamic State so its ideology can be effectively defeated once and for all.Sajjan reiterated that point in an interview with Kurdistan 24 in February ahead of meetings with other defense ministers at NATO headquarters in Brussels.He underlined that the Global Coalition and its partners must analyze what caused the emergence of the Islamic State and address “some of those root causes as well.”", "Canada will lead the training mission of NATO in Iraq until November 2020 after the Federal government approved the extension of the operation.\n\nNews of the extension came against the backdrop of the fact that the Minister of defence harjit Sajjan and his colleagues from other NATO countries in Brussels to discuss fight against Islamic state of Iraq and the Levant.\n\nIn Iraq and surrounding regions placed 850 canadian troops involved in combat operations against ISIS, including 250 military experts who trained the Iraqi military in the framework of the NATO mission.\n\nThe extremist group remains a threat, despite the fact that she had lost all of its captured territory in Iraq and Syria, where its suicide bombers continue to make explosions, and do not stop insurgent attacks.\n\nCanada heads the training mission of NATO since July last year and had to hand over the reins to another country at the end of this month, but will now lead up to November 2020.\n\nThe extension of the operation – this is another initiative with the canadian military in Iraq after the Federal government promised to maintain the presence of a contingent of 600 troops in the war-torn country until March 2021.", "will continue to command a mission in for a second year until November 2020, announced Wednesday.\n\nJennie Carignan, who will soon be promoted to the rank of major-general, is to take over the command this fall of some 580 troops including 250 from Canada, and others from non- partners such as Australia, and\n\nShe has previously deployed to Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Golan Heights, and\n\nThe non-combat, advisory and training mission looks to bolster Iraq's and security capabilities, including in areas of medical aid, armoured vehicle maintenance, countering improvised and civil- planning.\n\nNATO's advisory activities are centered in Baghdad, while training is carried out at Iraqi schools in the area, Taji and Besmaya.\n\nThe hope, outgoing Canadian said this month, is to make self-sustainable to try to avoid a repeat of 2014, when the Islamic State group seized large areas of and", "Canada will stick around an extra year to command the NATO training mission in Iraq — and has appointed a woman who saw combat in Afghanistan to lead it, Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan announced Wednesday.\n\nRoughly 250 Canadian soldiers provide headquarters, security and transport services for the other alliance nations helping the Iraqi government rebuild its defence institutions and military.\n\nThe extended command will last until November 2020. Sajjan, speaking at a NATO defence ministers meeting in Brussels today, said Brig.-Gen. Jennie Carignan will be promoted to major-general and take over the command this fall.\n\nCarignan currently is the 2nd Canadian Division and Joint Task Force East commander, based in eastern Quebec.\n\nIn a statement, Sajjan described Carignan as \"an accomplished leader.\" He also expressed delight at the extension and cited it as a demonstration of Canada's leadership and commitment to a stable, peaceful and prosperous Iraq.\n\nOne of the few\n\nCarignan is one of fewer than a dozen women currently serving at the general officer rank in the Canadian military. She has served in a number of top staff posts, including chief of staff of the army.\n\nShe was the commanding officer of 5 Combat Engineer Regiment and led a task force of engineers in Kandahar in 2010.\n\nCarignan enlisted in 1986 and is considered a trailblazer for Canadian women serving in combat roles. Over the last three decades, the military has opened more and more jobs to women that previously had been restricted to men.\n\nShe has been quoted in multiple interviews about her experiences and the challenges of gender integration in the ranks.\n\nCarignan also has been at the forefront of commentary on the military's attempt to stamp out sexual misconduct in the ranks. She recently penned an online opinion article for the Department of National Defence's army news section.\n\nIn that opinion piece, published Dec. 17, 2018, Carignan wrote the military has accepted inappropriate conduct in the ranks for too long:\n\n\"We tolerated these behaviours in the past as being 'part of the culture.' In fact, these behaviours should never have become part of our culture.\"\n\nAccording to many within the army, Carignan has a tough-as-nails reputation and no qualms about firing subordinates who fail to meet expectations.\n\nThere are roughly 580 NATO trainers on the ground in Iraq, including the Canadian contingent, says a defence department backgrounder.\n\nThe trainers focus on educating Iraqi military instructors, who in turn train their own forces in bomb disposal, armoured vehicle maintenance, civilian-military planning and medical care.\n\nThe alliance also advises the Iraqi defence ministry on institutional reform.\n\nCanada maintains a separate contingent of special forces troops in northern Iraq, who advise and assist local security forces in counter-terrorism operations against pockets of Islamic State extremists. While they've been defeated on the battlefield, Islamic State is still conducting a guerrilla-style campaign of terror and hit-and-run attacks.", "OTTAWA—Canada’s defence minister is calling for calmer heads to prevail as a war of words between the U.S. and Iran threatens to turn into a war of bullets and bombs. Such a conflict could easily spill over into Iraq and the surrounding region, where around 850 Canadian soldiers are deployed as part of the war against Daesh, also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.\n\n“What we would like to see is de-escalation of this and bring it back from a military conversation and back into the diplomatic sphere,” Harjit Sajjan said in an interview with The Canadian Press from Brussels Thursday, where he was concluding two days of meetings with counterparts from across NATO. The dispute revolves around U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from an agreement his predecessor Barack Obama signed with Iran that limits Iran’s nuclear program in return for the lifting of sanctions. Iran has since been accused of attacking several oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman and is on the verge of stockpiling more uranium than the agreement allowed. The U.S. has imposed new sanctions and launched a cyberattack on an Iranian militia.\n\nThe two sides appeared close to blows last week after Iran shot down a U.S. military drone. Trump said he nearly ordered retaliatory strikes against the country but reversed course after advisers told him those would kill 150 Iranians.\n\nFears nonetheless persist over the potential for a conflict, which would almost certainly have ramifications across the broader Middle East — including in neighbouring Iraq, where Iran has a sizable influence. Part of that influence comes from Iran’s support for various Shia Muslim militia groups, which helped defeat the Sunni Daesh but owe their allegiance more to Tehran than Baghdad and could be a threat to western forces if war broke out. While Sajjan expressed confidence about the safety of Canadian military personnel in the region, “nonetheless, from the military side, we’ll be closely monitoring things to make sure our people remain safe.” The federal government this week announced Canada will lead a NATO training mission in Iraq until November 2020. That mission involves 250 Canadian Forces members who are working with Iraqi security forces.\n\nCanada has another 600 troops in Iraq and across the region, including special-forces soldiers, medical personnel and helicopter crews in the country, air-transport crews in Kuwait and more trainers in Lebanon and Jordan. Those troops are scheduled to stay in the area until March 2021.\n\nWhile most of Canada’s effort in Iraq involves working with Iraqi government forces, officials for Iraq’s semi-independent Kurdish region have said they would also welcome Canadian military assistance. Canadian special forces trained and advised the Kurdish peshmerga forces for three years in defending their region against Daesh before working together to free large swathes of territory from Daesh’s grasp. But Canada suspended and then ended its work with the peshmerga after an outbreak of violence between them and Iraqi government forces in October 2017 over control of oil-rich territory in the north of the country. While Canada continues to have a good relationship with the Iraqi Kurds, Sajjan said the Canadian military has shifted its focus to working with Iraqi government forces. “We worked with the (Kurds) very closely when it came to the defence of that region because that’s where it was needed,” he said. “Now the support is actually needed within the Mosul region and the capacity-building that we’re doing with (the Iraqi military). So the work that we’re doing is situation-dependent.”"], "summary": "Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan announces that Canada will continue to command a NATO mission in Iraq for a second year until November 2020."}
{"document": ["CLOSE\n\nSecretary of State Mike Pompeo, left, is greeted by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani at the Presidential Palace in Kabul on June 25, 2019, during an unannounced visit. At right is Afghan Chief Executive Officer Abdullah Abdullah. (Photo: Jacquelyn Martin, AP)\n\nTwo U.S. service members were killed in Afghanistan on Wednesday, the American-led NATO mission in Afghanistan said in a statement.\n\nThe identities of the soldiers were being withheld pending notification of next of kin. The statement did not offer any details surrounding the circumstances of their deaths.\n\nA spokesman for the Taliban, Zabihullah Mujahid, said the two service members were killed in an ambush in eastern Wardak Province, the New York Times reported.\n\nThe deaths occurred one day after an unannounced visit to Kabul, the Afghan capital, by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.\n\nMeanwhile, the U.S. is holding direct talks with the Taliban in Doha, the Qatari capital. The seventh round of the talks are scheduled to begin on Saturday.\n\n\"We've made clear to the Taliban that we're prepared to remove our forces. I want to be clear, we've not yet agreed on a timeline to do so,\" Pompeo told reporters during an unannounced stop in Afghanistan on Tuesday. The presence of troops in Afghanistan is \"conditions-based, he said.\n\nThe Taliban refuse to talk directly with the Afghan government, which it considers a puppet of the U.S.\n\nMore than 2,400 U.S. service personnel have died in Afghanistan since the U.S.-led coalition invaded the country after the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the U.S. The coalition sought to crush the Taliban and hunt down al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden.\n\nThe U.S. makes up the overwhelming majority of 14,000 coalition troops in Afghanistan. About 100,000 troops were stationed there at the height of the war.\n\nRead or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2019/06/26/aghan-war-2-u-s-service-members-killed-possible-taliban-ambush/1569137001/", "KABUL, Afghanistan — Two United States soldiers were killed during a military operation in eastern Afghanistan on Wednesday, bringing to nine the total number of American military fatalities in the country this year.\n\nA statement released by the American-led NATO mission in Afghanistan confirmed the two deaths but did not provide further details.\n\nZabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman, said the two service members were killed in an ambush in eastern Wardak Province.\n\nThe deaths came just days before the next round of talks between the Taliban and the United States. The new round is scheduled to start on Saturday in Doha, the Qatari capital.", "Two U.S. service members were killed in Afghanistan on Wednesday, the American-led NATO mission in Afghanistan said in a statement.\n\nThe identities of the soldiers were being withheld pending notification of next of kin. The statement did not offer any details surrounding the circumstances of their deaths.\n\nA spokesman for the Taliban, Zabihullah Mujahid, said the two service members were killed in an ambush in eastern Wardak Province, The New York Times reports.\n\nThe deaths occurred one day after an unannounced visit to Kabul, the Afghan capital, by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.\n\nMeanwhile, the U.S. is holding direct talks with the Taliban in Doha, the Qatari capital. The seventh round of the talks are scheduled to begin on Saturday.\n\n\"We've made clear to the Taliban that we're prepared to remove our forces. I want to be clear, we've not yet agreed on a timeline to do so,\" Pompeo told reporters during an unannounced stop in Afghanistan on Tuesday. The presence of troops in Afghanistan is \"conditions-based, he said.\n\nThe Taliban refuses to talk directly with the Afghan government, which it considers a puppet of the U.S.\n\nMore than 2,400 U.S. service personnel have died in Afghanistan since the U.S.-led coalition invaded the country after the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the U.S. The coalition sought to crush the Taliban and hunt down al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden.\n\nThe U.S. makes up the overwhelming majority of 14,000 coalition troops in Afghanistan. About 100,000 troops were stationed there at the height of the war.", "Two US service members were killed in Afghanistan on Wednesday, NATO said, the latest international casualties as the US and the Taliban prepare for a new round of talks.\n\nNATO's Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan gave no further details, but the deaths came less than 24 hours after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo made an unannounced visit to Kabul and said he hopes for a peace deal with the Taliban \"before September 1\".\n\n\"In accordance with US Department of Defense policy, the names of the service members are being withheld until 24 hours after notification of next of kin is complete,\" NATO said in a statement.\n\nThe Taliban claimed in a statement they killed two American soldiers in an ambush in Sayed Abad district of southern Wardak province on Wednesday, but there was no immediate confirmation from NATO whether it was the same attack.\n\nThe blast brings to nine the number of US service members killed in Afghanistan so far this year, compared to 12 killed in all of 2018.\n\nIn his visit with President Ashraf Ghani, Pompeo said peace was Washington's \"highest priority\". Last September the US began a fresh push to bring the Taliban to the negotiating table to end America's longest war.\n\nThe next round of talks between the Taliban and the US are set to begin on June 29 in Doha.\n\nThe talks have centered on four issues: counter-terrorism, the foreign troop presence, an intra-Afghan dialogue, and a permanent ceasefire.\n\nUS officials have previously said they are hoping for a deal before the upcoming Afghan presidential elections, which have already been delayed twice and are now set for September.\n\nThe US now has some 14,000 troops in Afghanistan -- down from a peak of around 100,000 -- most of them deployed to train and advise Afghan counterparts.\n\nNearly 2,300 American soldiers have died and more than 20,400 have been wounded in the country since a US-led coalition ousted the Taliban in 2001.", "KABUL (Reuters) - The United States and Afghanistan on Tuesday denounced a Taliban warning that Afghan media will be targeted unless they stop broadcasting what the group called “anti-Taliban statements”.\n\nRadio stations, TV channels and other media organisations had one week to stop transmitting “anti-Taliban advertisements”, the group’s military commission said in a statement on Monday.\n\n“Those who continue doing so will be recognised by the group as military targets who are helping the Western-backed government of Afghanistan,” it said, adding “reporters and staff members will not remain safe”.\n\nPresident Ashraf Ghani’s office condemned the threats by the insurgent group, which has previously targeted reporters and employees of media organisations.\n\n“Freedom of expression and attacks on media organizations is in contradiction to human and Islamic values,” Ghani’s office said in a statement.\n\nThe warning comes as Taliban leaders prepare for a seventh round of peace talks with U.S. officials aimed at finding a political settlement to end the 18-year-old war in Afghanistan.\n\nThe next round of talks is scheduled to begin on June 29 in Doha.\n\nJohn Bass, the U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, said the Taliban should stop threatening Afghan journalists.\n\n“More violence, against journalists or civilians, will not bring security and opportunity to Afghanistan, nor will it help the Taliban reach their political objectives,” Bass said on Twitter.\n\nAfghanistan was the deadliest country in the world to be a journalist in 2018, with 13 deaths according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). The International Federation of Journalists said 16 journalists were killed last year.\n\nWith the international media presence in Afghanistan sharply reduced since the withdrawal of international troops in 2014, domestic media outlets have filled the gap but their work has become increasingly difficult.\n\nIn 2016, a Taliban suicide bomber rammed his car into a bus carrying employees of Tolo TV, the country’s largest private broadcaster, killing seven journalists.\n\nThe Taliban said it killed the employees because Tolo was producing propaganda that supported the occupation of Afghanistan by the United States and its allies in their war against the insurgents.", "Two United States servicemen were killed during a military operation in Afghanistan on Wednesday, bringing to nine the number of American military fatalities in the country this year.\n\nThe two, part of a Special Forces team, was killed by small-arms fire in southern Uruzgan province, American defense officials said. The soldiers were engaged in a fierce firefight with Taliban militants, with combatants only yards apart at one point, one of the defense officials said.\n\nThe deaths occurred one day after an unannounced visit to Kabul, the Afghan capital, by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.\n\nThe U.S. goal in Afghanistan “is reconciliation, to reduce the level of violence, to reduce the level of risk to Afghans broadly and the risk to American service members,” he said. “So, I think what you’ll see is a continued push by the United States to achieve the reconciliation, the reduction in risk that the president set out as the mission set for the State Department and for the United States government.”\n\nMeanwhile, the U.S. is holding direct talks with the Taliban in Doha, the Qatari capital. The seventh round of the talks is scheduled to begin on Saturday.\n\n“We’ve made clear to the Taliban that we’re prepared to remove our forces. I want to be clear, we’ve not yet agreed on a timeline to do so,” Pompeo told reporters during an unannounced stop in Afghanistan on Tuesday. The presence of troops in Afghanistan is “conditions-based, he said.\n\nThe two deaths Wednesday bring this year’s total of U.S. troop deaths in Afghanistan to 10, according to iCasualties, a website that tracks casualties of U.S. forces in Afghanistan and Iraq.\n\nIn April, three U.S. service members and a contractor were killed in car-bomb attack outside Bagram airfield, the largest U.S. military base in the country. The Taliban claimed responsibility for that attack.", "KABUL, Afghanistan — Two American service members were killed in Afghanistan on Wednesday, the U.S. military said, a day after an unannounced visit to the country by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.\n\nThe military did not immediately provide any details of the deaths but indicated that the service members were killed in combat. The Taliban insurgent group claimed responsibility, saying the two Americans were slain in an ambush in Wardak province, about 60 miles southwest of Kabul.\n\nThe deaths were reported three days ahead of a seventh round of U.S.-Taliban talks scheduled for June 29 in Qatar.\n\n“The names of the service members killed in action are being withheld until 24 hours after notification of next of kin is complete,” the U.S.-led NATO mission in Afghanistan said in a statement.\n\nSpeaking to reporters Wednesday in New Delhi, called the deaths “tragic,” adding: “I think this drives home the need for us to be successful” in negotiating an end to Afghanistan’s decades of violence.\n\nThe U.S. goal in Afghanistan “is a reconciliation, to reduce the level of violence, to reduce the level of risk to Afghans broadly and the risk to American service members,” he said. “So, I think what you’ll see is a continued push by the United States to achieve the reconciliation, the reduction in risk that the president set out as the mission set for the State Department and for the United States government.”\n\nIn his brief visit to Kabul on Tuesday, Pompeo met President Ashraf Ghani, Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah and former president Hamid Karzai to discuss the need for a peaceful settlement to end nearly 18 years of warfare in Afghanistan involving the United States.\n\n“Afghans yearn for peace and we share their desire to end the conflict,” he wrote on Twitter after the visit. “Peace would offer Afghans and the wider region a different future, one which we are ready to support.”\n\nPompeo said in Kabul that the U.S. government hopes to reach a peace deal before Sept. 1.\n\nTaliban fighters continue waging war, targeting Afghan government and foreign forces across the country despite engaging in a wide range of negotiations with U.S. officials and Afghan power brokers.\n\nBut the Taliban has refused to meet directly with Ghani’s government, disparaging him as a “stooge” of the Americans.\n\nThe two deaths Wednesday bring this year’s total of U.S. troop deaths in Afghanistan to 10, according to iCasualties, a website that tracks casualties of U.S. forces in Afghanistan and Iraq.\n\nIn April, three U.S. service members and a contractor were killed in car-bomb attack outside Bagram airfield, the largest U.S. military base in the country. The Taliban claimed responsibility for that attack.\n\nMore than 2,400 U.S. service personnel have died in Afghanistan since American forces intervened in the country after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, which were carried out by the al-Qaeda terrorist organization then based in Afghanistan under Taliban protection. Before U.S. airstrikes helped Afghan resistance forces drive the Taliban from Kabul in November 2001, the country had been beset by almost continuous warfare since the late 1970s, including a decade-long occupation by Soviet forces in the 1980s.", "The U.S. military did not immediately provide any details about the deaths, which occurred a day after a visit to Afghanistan by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.\n\nBut the Taliban claimed responsibility, saying the two were killed in an ambush.\n\nThis is a developing story. It will be updated.", "\n• Master Sgt. Micheal Riley and Sgt. James Johnston were killed in a close-range firefight in Afghanistan, The New York Times reported.\n• The deaths occurred days before the US is scheduled to attend peace talks with the Taliban.\n\nTwo Army soldiers were killed in close firefight in Afghanistan on June 25, the Pentagon said. The soldiers were fighting Taliban militants, according to The New York Times.\n\nThe Pentagon identified the two soldiers as Master Sgt. Micheal B. Riley, 32, of the 2nd Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne), at Fort Carson, Colorado and Sgt. James G. Johnston, 24, of the 79th Ordnance Battalion (Explosive Ordnance Disposal), 71st Ordnance Group, in Fort Hood, Texas.\n\nThe two soldiers died in southern Uruzgan province, the Pentagon said in an emailed statement. The New York Times reported that Zabihullah Mujahid, a spokesman for the Taliban, reported the location as eastern Wardak province.\n\nThus far in 2019, there have been nine servicemember fatalities in Afghanistan, according to the Iraq Coalition Casualty Count. The deaths of Riley and Johnston occurred just before a round of peace talks between the US and the Taliban is scheduled to take place in Doha, Qatar starting June 29.\n\nRiley was from Heilbronn, Germany and joined the Army in 2006. The Green Beret veteran earned several awards during his service was on his sixth deployment, according to a release from the US Army Special Operations Command, including the Bronze Star, NATO Medal, and National Defense Service Medal.\n\n“Mike was an experienced Special Forces noncommissioned officer and the veteran of five previous deployments to Afghanistan. We will honor his service and sacrifice as we remain steadfast in our commitment to our mission,” Col. Lawrence G. Ferguson, commander of the 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne), said in a statement provided to INSIDER.\n\nJohnston was “the epitome of what we as Soldiers all aspire to be: intelligent, trained, always ready,” according to Lt. Col. Stacy M. Enyeart, commander of 79th Ordnance Battalion (Explosive Ordnance Disposal). He joined the Army in 2013 and earned a Bronze Star Medal, a Purple Heart, and an Army Commendation Medal, among awards.\n\nThe two soldiers were deployed with Operation Freedom’s Sentinel, part of NATO’s Operation Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan. There are currently about 14,000 American troops in Afghanistan focused primarily on supporting Afghan forces, according to the New York Times.\n\nNATO’s Resolute Support mission did not respond to a request for more information regarding the circumstances of their deaths on Thursday.", "Two United States service members were killed in Afghanistan on June 26, the US military announced Tuesday.\n\nTheir names have been withheld pending next of kin notifications and no more information is known about them at this stage, including how they died.\n\nThe US has had a military presence in Afghanistan since October 7, 2001, during which time more than 2,000 US military personnel have been killed.\n\nThe new fatalities came as US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced there had been “real progress” in Afghan peace talks with the Taliban, during an unannounced visit to the country on Tuesday.\n\nPompeo told reporters that the US government was prepared to remove American troops from the country.\n\n“We’ve made clear to the Taliban that we’re prepared to remove our forces, I want to be clear, we’ve not yet agreed on a timeline to do so,” he said Tuesday.\n\nOfficials have previously told CNN that the Trump administration has instructed the US military to begin drawing up plans for a substantial drawdown of US personnel in Afghanistan.\n\nThe two deaths bring the total number of US service members killed in Afghanistan in 2019 to nine.\n\nOverall, the US has about 14,000 troops in Afghanistan, where they primarily advise Afghan forces who are battling the Taliban."], "summary": "Two U.S. Troops are killed in an ambush by the Taliban in Wardak Province, Afghanistan."}
{"document": ["Four men with suspected ties to the Islamic State (IS) group were arrested in Nicaragua after crossing illegally from Costa Rica, officials say.\n\nThe identities of three of the men matched those in an alert attributed to US officials saying three suspected jihadists were in Central America.\n\nThere were fears they could have plans to try to enter the US, reports said.\n\nThe four, aged between 26 and 41, included two Egyptians and two Iraqis. They have been deported to Costa Rica.\n\nThe men entered Nicaragua through an unauthorised crossing point known as La Guasimada near the southern municipality of Cárdenas, Nicaraguan police said (in Spanish).\n\nThey were detained on Tuesday morning local time and deported in the evening.\n\nMohamed Ibrahim, 33, and Mahmoud Samy Eissa, 26, both from Egypt, and Iraqi national Ahmed Ghanim Mohamed Al Jubury, 41, arrived in Costa Rica on 9 June, according to their immigration documents given to police.\n\nThat date matched the information released in a warning by US Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) published by local media.\n\nWhen the three entered Costa Rica from Panama, there was no information about possible risks they could pose, Costa Rica's immigration authorities were quoted by La Nación newspaper as saying (in Spanish).\n\nThe fourth man was named as 29-year-old Mustafa Ali Mohamed Yaoob from Iraq, who had registered in Costa Rica on 13 June.\n\nThe four were being held at a detention facility and would be deported to their countries, La Nación added. No date has been set yet.", "MANAGUA, NICARAGUA (REUTERS) - Four men with suspected ties to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militant group were captured on Tuesday (June 25) by members of the Nicaraguan armed forces after entering the country illegally from Costa Rica, Nicaraguan police said.\n\nThe identities of three of the men matched those of suspects featured in an alert attributed to US Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) warning that three possible terrorists had recently arrived in Central America.\n\nIn a statement, Nicaraguan police said two of the men were Egyptian nationals and the other two were Iraqi. The four were due to be deported back to Costa Rica, it added.\n\nThe Egyptians were named as Mohamed Ibrahim, 33, and Mahmoud Samy Eissa, 26, while the Iraqis were Ahmed Ghanim Mohamed Al Jubury, 41 and Mustafa Ali Mohamed Yaoob, 29.\n\nThe first three men were named in the HSI alert published by Mexican media on Monday, which identified them as possible members of ISIS headed for the United States.\n\nQuestioned on the HSI alert on Tuesday, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said his government was aware of the search for the suspects and was dealing with the matter.\n\nUS Homeland Security officials could not immediately be reached for comment by Reuters.\n\nThe three men who featured in the HSI alert were registered in Costa Rica on June 9, according to the Nicaraguan statement.\n\nThat date matched the information as the HSI statement.\n\nThe fourth suspect, Mohamed Yaoob, was registered in Costa Rica on June 13, the statement said.\n\nThe men entered Nicaragua through an unauthorised crossing point known as La Guasimada in the Cardenas municipality on the southwestern border with Costa Rica, Nicaraguan police said.\n\nAfter arresting the men at around 10am, the army handed them over to national police for investigation, whereupon they were taken to migration authorities for deportation via the Penas Blancas border crossing, the statement said.\n\nThe four men were delivered to Costa Rican migration authorities at around 7pm, Nicaragua's government said.", "MANAGUA (Reuters) - Four men with suspected ties to the Islamic State militant group were captured on Tuesday by members of the Nicaraguan armed forces after entering the country illegally from Costa Rica, Nicaraguan police said.\n\nIn a statement, Nicaraguan police said two of the men were Egyptian nationals and the other two were Iraqi. The four were due to be deported back to Costa Rica, it added.\n\nThe men entered the country through an unauthorized crossing point known as La Guasimada in the Cardenas municipality on Nicaragua’s southwestern border with Costa Rica, police said.\n\nAfter capturing the men at around 10 a.m., the army handed over the suspects to national police for further investigation, whereupon they were taken to migration authorities for deportation via the Penas Blancas border crossing, the statement said.\n\nIt was not immediately clear what evidence Nicaraguan authorities had to link the men to Islamic State, or whether the four had already been deported.\n\nThe Egyptians were named as Mohamed Ibrahim, 33, and Mahmoud Samy Eissa, 26, while the Iraqis were Ahmed Ghanim Mohamed Al Jubury, 41 and Mustafa Ali Mohamed Yaoob, 29.\n\nThe men had temporary transit passes issued by Costa Rica, Nicaraguan police said. All but one of the passes were dated June 9, with Mohamed Yaoob’s paperwork issued on June 13, the statement said.", "Four men with suspected ties to the Islamic State militant group were captured on Tuesday by members of the Nicaraguan armed forces after entering the country illegally from Costa Rica, Nicaraguan police said.The identities of three of the men matched those of suspectsIn a statement, Nicaraguan police said two of the men were Egyptian nationals and the other two were Iraqi. The four were due to be deported back to Costa Rica, it added.The Egyptians were named as Mohamed Ibrahim, 33, and Mahmoud Samy Eissa, 26, while the Iraqis were Ahmed Ghanim Mohamed Al Jubury, 41 and Mustafa Ali Mohamed Yaoob, 29.The first three men were named in the HSI alert published by Mexican media on Monday, which identified them as possible members of Islamic State headed for the United States.Questioned on the HSI alert on Tuesday, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said his government was aware of the search for the suspects and was dealing with the matter.U.S. Homeland Security officials could not immediately be reached for comment by Reuters.The fourth suspect, Mohamed Yaoob, was registered in Costa Rica on June 13, the statement said.The men entered Nicaragua through an unauthorized crossing point known as La Guasimada in the Cardenas municipality on the southwestern border with Costa Rica, Nicaraguan police said.After arresting the men at around 10 a.m., the army handed them over to national police for investigation, whereupon they were taken to migration authorities for deportation via the Penas Blancas border crossing, the statement said.The four men were delivered to Costa Rican migration authorities at around 7 p.m., Nicaragua's government said.", "MANAGUA (Reuters) - Four men with suspected ties to the Islamic State militant group were captured on Tuesday by members of the Nicaraguan armed forces after entering the country illegally from Costa Rica, Nicaraguan police said.\n\nIn a statement, Nicaraguan police said two of the men were Egyptian nationals and the other two were Iraqi. The four were due to be deported back to Costa Rica, it added.", "MANAGUA (Reuters) - Four men with suspected ties to the Islamic State militant group were captured on Tuesday by members of the Nicaraguan armed forces after entering the country illegally from Costa Rica, Nicaraguan police said.\n\nIn a statement, Nicaraguan police said two of the men were Egyptian nationals and the other two were Iraqi. The four were due to be deported back to Costa Rica, it added.\n\nThis story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.\n\nYour guide to the latest cricket World Cup stories, analysis, reports, opinions, live updates and scores on https://www.firstpost.com/firstcricket/series/icc-cricket-world-cup-2019.html. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram or like our Facebook page for updates throughout the ongoing event in England and Wales.", "MEXICO CITY (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 26th June, 2019) Nicaragua's National Police reported on Tuesday about the arrest of four foreigners suspected of having links to the Islamic State terrorist group (IS, outlawed in Russia).\n\nThe suspects were detained during the operation of the Nicaraguan armed forces in Rivas municipality after entering the country illegally from Costa Rica, the police said in a statement.\n\nAccording to the police, two of the arrested suspects are Egyptian nationals named Mohamed Ibrahim, 33, and Mahmoud Samy Eissa, 26, while the other two are from Iraq identified as Ahmed Ghanim Mohamed Al Jubury, 41 and Mustafa Ali Mohamed Yaoob, 29.\n\nEarlier this week, media reported that the US Department of Homeland Security had warned Mexican authorities of two alleged IS members, who could have crossed into Mexico from Central America. The notification contained the Names the two Egyptians mentioned above. The US authorities believed that the United States could be the final destination of these suspects.\n\nAfter identification of these individuals and relevant operational activities, all four detainees were taken to the main migration administration of the country for subsequent extradition to Costa Rica, from where they had come to Nicaragua.", "Four suspected members of the Islamic State were arrested when they crossed the border from Costa Rica into Nicaragua, according to the Nicaraguan National Police.\n\nThe four men, two Iraqis and two Egyptians, crossed an illegal entry point into the Central American country before police arrested them at about 10 a.m. Tuesday, according to a press release.\n\nThe crossing worried local authorities that the men were trying to make their way north to the United States, the BBC reported.\n\nNicaraguan authorities identified the men as Egyptians Mohamed Ibrahim, 33, and Mahmoud Samy Eissa, 26, and Iraqis Ahmed Ghanim Mohamed Al Jubury, 41, and Mustafa Ali Mohamed Yaoob, 29.", "Four suspected members of the Islamic State were arrested when they crossed the border from Costa Rica into Nicaragua, according to the Nicaraguan National Police.\n\nThe U.S. Department of Homeland Security had warned about three of the suspected ISIS members who might be trying to make their way north to the United States, the BBC reported.\n\nThe four men, two Iraqis and two Egyptians, crossed an illegal entry point into the Central American country before police arrested them at about 10 a.m. Tuesday, according to a press release.\n\nNicaraguan authorities identified the men as Egyptians Mohamed Ibrahim, 33, and Mahmoud Samy Eissa, 26, and Iraqis Ahmed Ghanim Mohamed Al Jubury, 41, and Mustafa Ali Mohamed Yaoob, 29.\n\nThree of the men matched the identities of suspects named in a U.S. Homeland Security alert, Reuters reports.\n\nThe alert warned “that three possible terrorists had recently arrived in Central America,” according to Reuters.\n\nThe Homeland Security Investigations alert warned the men were suspected ISIS terrorists making their way to the United States, Reuters reports.\n\nThree of the men had been in Costa Rica since June 9, according to Nicaraguan authorities, and the fourth since June 13.\n\nNicaraguan authorities deported the men back to Costa Rica Tuesday evening, the BBC reported.", "Four men with suspected ties to the Islamic State (IS) group were arrested in Nicaragua after crossing illegally from Costa Rica, officials say.\n\nThe identities of three of the men matched those in an alert attributed to US officials saying three suspected jihadists were in Central America.\n\nThere were fears they could have plans to try to enter the US, reports said.\n\nThe four, aged between 26 and 41, included two Egyptians and two Iraqis. They have been deported to Costa Rica..."], "summary": "Four men with ties to ISIL are arrested in Nicaragua."}
{"document": ["A man walks on steps covered in rainbow colors for Pride Month at Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park on June 15, 2019 in New York City\n\nAdvertising Read more\n\nNew York (AFP)\n\nFour million people and a sea of rainbow flags: that is what organizers of New York's \"World Pride\" parade expect this week for events marking the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, which launched the gay rights movement in the United States.\n\nMany want the vast gathering to act as a show of strength for the LGBT community at a time when homophobia is again on the rise in the country.\n\nThe six-day festival will feature concerts, exhibitions, movie screenings, theatre shows and workshops as the city pays homage to those who took part in the 1969 Stonewall riots, a week-long protest against the police's constant harassment of the New York gay community at the time.\n\nJust a year after the riots in June 1970, New York staged its first ever Gay Pride parade celebrating the diversity of the LGBT community, an event that would spread to other cities and eventually around the world, even though homosexuality remains banned and punished in a number of countries.\n\n\"What we did was end invisibility. People know who we are now. You can't try to create myths anymore. They know who we are,\" said Mark Segal, 68, who was at the riots outside the Stonewall Inn in 1969.\n\n\"They know us. They turn on TV, they see us. They read about us in their newspapers... We're not invisible anymore. You can't erase us anymore. That chance ended long ago,\" he said.\n\n- Grace Jones and Madonna -\n\nWorld Pride 2019 will officially kick off on Wednesday with a benefit concert in Brooklyn hosted by Whoopi Goldberg and featuring Cyndi Lauper and Chaka Khan as headliners.\n\nOn Friday, a large crowd will gather outside Greenwich Village's Stonewall Inn where on June 28, 1969 hundreds of gay and transgender people pushed back against the latest police raid on the establishment, sparking six days of unrest.\n\nThe weekend celebrations will feature concerts by Madonna and Grace Jones, with the festivities winding up with a giant World Pride Parade on 5th Avenue. It will be the sixth edition of World Pride, which began in Rome in 2000 and brought together droves of LGBT people from across the world.\n\nNew York's Gay Pride is regularly one of the largest such events globally, but for this year's milestone anniversary, authorities expect an additional two to three million visitors to attend.\n\n- Extremist threat -\n\n\"It's going to be huge,\" said Cathy Renna, spokeswoman for the organizers of the parade, which is renowned for its risque and outlandish costumes.\n\nThat means the police will be out in force, protecting a community which saw 49 of its members gunned down in a shooting in the Pulse gay bar in Orlando, Florida three years ago, and fears that prejudice is on the rise.\n\n\"Our thinking changed after the Pulse night club attack,\" said John Miller of New York's counter-terrorism police force, who noted the \"increasing threat from right-wing extremists who could also have been targeting the LBGTQ community.\"\n\nMany in the gay community blame President Donald Trump for fueling extremist sentiment.\n\nA new survey published Monday revealed that the number of Americans aged 18 to 34 who said they are comfortable interacting with LGBT people had dropped to 45 percent in 2018 from 53 percent a year earlier. The number was 63 percent in 2016.\n\n\"These numbers are very alarming and signal a looming crisis in discrimination,\" the head of the Harris Poll, John Gerzema, told USA Today newspaper.\n\n\"It's even more important to be here in the current political climate,\" said Jessica Inserra, 42, a Los Angeles-based comedian celebrating in New York.\n\n- Too big? -\n\nIf proof was needed that Gay Pride is no longer a small, niche event but a massive draw to the wider public, one needs look no further than the corporations lining up to sponsor it and the celebrities, politicians and members of the police and fire services who are joining the parade.\n\nSome 70 global giants are sponsoring this year's event, from L'Oreal to Macy's and Danone to Morgan Stanley, bumping the parade's budget up to $12 million, spokeswoman Cathy Renna said.\n\nBut to some activists the whole event is bloated, and a far cry from the original rebellious spirit of the early Gay Prides.\n\nThey are organizing a rival parade, dubbed the Queer Liberation March, which is stripped of celebrities and sponsors and expected to draw tens of thousands of participants.\n\n\"Pride is not for sale,\" said Bill Dobbs, one of the alternative march's organizers. \"It has lost its direction.\"\n\nRenna, however, said the sheer size of the festival showed how far the movement has come.\n\n\"I don't long for the battle days when there were 5,000 people marching and we could get beat up,\" she said.\n\n\"The fact that four million people are going to show up is, to me, one of the most powerful statements we could make.\"\n\n? 2019 AFP", "As the annual Gay Pride Parade gets ready to hit the New York City streets, take a look back at the festive parades of years past.", "NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York City will host 4 million visitors this week to celebrate World Pride for both a celebration of advancements in LGBTQ rights and a call to action in the face of anti-LGBTQ policies enacted by U.S. President Donald Trump.\n\nNew York has been designated the site for World Pride this year to mark the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising on June 28, 1969. The annual gay pride parade on Sunday will coincide with parades in cities around the world.\n\nThe opening ceremony takes place on Wednesday with a benefit concert at a Brooklyn arena, and festivities conclude Sunday night with a concert on the Manhattan waterfront featuring Madonna.\n\nThe anniversary commemorates the moment when patrons of a gay bar in New York City’s Greenwich Village called the Stonewall Inn rose up in defiance of police harassment, leading to a national and worldwide movement for equal rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and other queer people.\n\nLGBTQ people will celebrate their many accomplishments toward equality in the five decades since, including winning the constitutional right to same-sex marriage through a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in 2015.\n\nBut advocates are also alarmed about losing those gains.\n\nThe Trump administration has banned transgender people from the U.S. military, cut funding for HIV and AIDS research, supported the right of medical providers and adoption agencies to deny services to LGBTQ people, and aborted plans to gather data about sexual orientation and gender identity in the 2020 census.\n\n“I don’t know what we have to celebrate. Right now I would love to feel that I have more pride than I have at present,” said Larry Kramer, the playwright and founder of Act Up, which fights for AIDS research and legislation.\n\nDespite advances in civil rights, 32 states lack non-discrimination protections against LGBTQ people, according to the Human Rights Campaign, and 1.1 million Americans and 37 million people worldwide live with HIV/AIDS, according to U.S. government statistics.\n\n“Today our biggest problem is our inability to be united and to fight back in a strong way,” Kramer, 84, told Reuters in an interview.\n\nTrump issued a statement of solidarity on June 1 to begin Pride Month, saying his administration has launched a global campaign to decriminalize homosexuality, while rolling back protections at home.\n\n“Trump alternates between saying we’ll be good to you and then dismantling all sorts of programs,” said Richard Wandel, a longtime gay rights activist.", "New York City will host 4 million visitors this week to celebrate World Pride for both a celebration of advancements in LGBTQ rights and a call to action in the face of anti-LGBTQ policies enacted by U.S. President Donald Trump.\n\nNew York has been designated the site for World Pride this year to mark the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising on June 28, 1969. The annual gay pride parade on Sunday will coincide with parades in cities around the world.\n\nThe opening ceremony takes place on Wednesday with a benefit concert at a Brooklyn arena, and festivities conclude Sunday night with a concert on the Manhattan waterfront featuring Madonna.\n\nThe anniversary commemorates the moment when patrons of a gay bar in New York City's Greenwich Village called the Stonewall Inn rose up in defiance of police harassment, leading to a national and worldwide movement for equal rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and other queer people.", "June is Pride Month, and here in New Hampshire, the LGBTQ community has a lot to celebrate. Not only are we observing the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots in New York City, which birthed the modern-day LGBTQ rights movement, but we are also commemorating the 10-year anniversary of same-sex marriage in the Granite State, which was legalized ten years ago this month.\n\nToday, it’s very hard to imagine a state in this country without marriage equality, or one where sexual orientation is not a protected status. Or where LGBTQ pride isn’t just felt, it’s purchased. Over the last decade, Pride has become synonymous with corporations making their logos more colorful and marketing rainbow tote bags to consumers. But its origin, which dates back to 1969 after decades of strife, is much darker than a celebration, and it’s not about businesses looking for the queer dollar: Pride was a protest that fundamentally changed LGBTQ activism.\n\nIt starts in the 1940s with World War II, a war that gave many men and women generous room to explore their same-sex affections. Facing the day-to-day uncertainty of war, members of both sexes adopted more masculine and feminine roles for entertainment and pleasure. In the years following the war, America began its dream anew by purchasing prefabricated homes, stylish cars, and gearing up for the Red Scare. Although known for spreading fear about potential Communist threats, the Red Scare also targeted anyone perceived to be homosexual, and removed them from government jobs and military service by order of President Eisenhower.\n\nThe 1950s and '60s brought the rise of McCarthyism, conversion therapy, and anti-LGBTQ sentiments. Seeking safety, some LGBTQ Americans found sanctuary in bigger cities. The Stonewall Inn, located in New York City’s Greenwich Village, was a mafia-owned bar that catered to marginalized communities with watered down drinks and payouts to the NY police department.\n\nBut on June 27, 1969, a group of trans people of color – who existed in violation of NYC’s crossdressing ordinance – fought back against their arrest and constant mistreatment. The police lost control of the bar’s patrons in this routine raid, and what happened next would make history. The hundreds of people in the bar quickly turned into thousands in the streets in a demonstration against police abuse. The police eventually barricaded themselves inside the Stonewall Inn for hours to hide from the protesters. The protests continued for several nights.\n\nThe Stonewall Riots are what Pride originally commemorated. Over the years, it has led to the establishment of nationwide Pride events that unapologetically, fiercely, and proudly remember the riots through public celebrations of the LGBTQ community.\n\nHere in New Hampshire, one of the nation’s smallest states, there will be a whopping six pride celebrations in the month of June this year. This includes outdoor festivals in Concord, Claremont, Portsmouth, Conway, Nashua, and Manchester, as well as Rochester’s yearly celebration in August.\n\nThis is wonderful, and I’m as excited as any gay that there are so many opportunities to go enjoy my community in beautiful weather. But I urge everyone to remember the history of Pride and those who have still not been liberated. There are too many people in the community who helped birth the LGBTQ movement and yet who are unable to take part in Pride celebrations.\n\nWe must remember the gender non-conforming. People of color. Those who are undocumented. The incarcerated. People with physical disabilities. The financially insecure. And those that have passed on years before their time.\n\nAs Pride month wraps up, we need to hold space for those whom this celebration is still inaccessible. As a white transgender woman who has some level of passing privilege, I encourage all who participate to take inventory of their own privilege and actively think about who or what is missing from the picture: How can someone be pulled in? Is this my time to share, or is it time to uplift someone else? At this event for LGBTQ people, were voices of our community explicitly centered? Do I celebrate Pride in a way that negates others' lived experiences or presumes my experience reflects that of others?\n\nI hope that years from now, we look back and think to ourselves that we can’t imagine how in the past, not every member of the LGBTQ community was fully integrated and thriving here in the Granite State. I hope we still celebrate and remember the origins of celebrating Pride. But it’s going to take some work. Who’s with me?\n\nPalana Belken is the Trans Justice Organizer for the American Civil Liberties Union of New Hampshire.", "In this Wednesday, March 27, 2019, photo, a participant checks in as she arrives for a meeting of the Reclaim Pride Coalition at the Church of the Village in New York. Activists who believe New York City’s annual LGBTQ Pride march has become too commercialized are staging an alternative march the same day. The two marches through Manhattan streets will take place Sunday, June 30, the last day of a month of celebrations marking the 50th anniversary of the 1969 Stonewall uprising. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)\n\nNEW YORK (AP) — One of the biggest celebrations of LGBT pride in New York City history will culminate Sunday with not one, but two processions through the streets of Manhattan, after dissidents who believe the annual parade has become too commercialized decided to split off with their own march.\n\nBoth parades cap a month of events marking the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising, when patrons of a Greenwich Village gay bar fought back against a police raid and sparked a new era of gay activism and visibility.\n\nSome 150,000 people are expected to participate in the NYC Pride March, with hundreds of thousands more lining the streets to watch as New York hosts WorldPride for the first time.\n\nOrganizers of the insurgent Queer Liberation March say they expect 10,000 or more at their event, which they say will have a protest vibe.\n\nThe main Pride march, the dissidents say, has strayed too far from its roots as a ragtag liberation demonstration celebrating an act of resistance. They complain that today’s march is dominated by corporate floats and is too heavily policed by the same department that raided the Stonewall in 1969.\n\nPolice Commissioner James O’Neill apologized this month for the Stonewall raid, but organizers of the alternative march deemed the apology too little, too late.\n\nThe upstart queer march is scheduled to start at 9:30 a.m. at the Stonewall Inn and end with a rally in Central Park.\n\nThe larger NYC Pride March will step off at noon with corporate sponsors including T-Mobile, MasterCard and Delta Air Lines. It will also pass by the Stonewall Inn before concluding in the Chelsea neighborhood. A related closing ceremony in Times Square will feature a performance by Melissa Etheridge.\n\nThere are 677 contingents marching in the larger parade, each of which had to register months in advance. Police barricades will keep marchers separate from the throngs of cheering spectators, as they do at other large New York City gatherings like the St. Patrick’s Day Parade.\n\nThose barricades are one of the things that have upset participants in the Liberation March, who say anyone will be welcome to join their procession.\n\n“In the original marches, the whole point was that anybody could join in,” said one of the organizers, Ann Northrop. “You could walk off the sidewalks and into the street and everybody was welcome, and that no longer applies.”\n\nReclaim Pride supporters also claim that the presence of so many corporate floats in premier spots forces grassroots contingents to the back of the line.\n\nCharles King, the CEO of Housing Works, an AIDS advocacy organization that’s handling the finances for the Reclaim Pride Coalition, said marchers from his group were placed so far back last year it was completely dark by the time they finished parading.\n\n“The question is, what is this about?” King said. “Is this about our liberation? Or is this just one more commercial activity, like the Macy’s (Thanksgiving) parade?”\n\nAnd, backers of the Liberation March say, the NYC Pride March can simply be too festive, letting celebration drown out anger over continued bigotry toward LGTBQ people.\n\n“I love Pride. I first marched in Pride in 1979. But I think that right now there is more than a celebration that needs to be had for the Pride parade,” said Tom Viola, executive director of the theater world charity Broadway Cares Equity Fights AIDS, which has donated $25,000 to the Queer Liberation March. “We need to acknowledge not only our victories; we need to mourn our losses, and we need to take a strong stand against those who would diminish or demean us.”\n\nBut the main march has grown much too large to be staged without security precautions or corporate support, said Cathy Renna, a spokeswoman for NYC Pride.\n\nNYC Pride’s annual budget for the march and some two dozen other Pride month events is about $12 million, including mandatory payments to the police department.\n\n“The reality is that those sponsors and partners help the march happen and help make it free for tens of thousands of people,” Renna said.\n\n“I’m not nostalgic for the bad old days, to be totally honest,” she said. “The reason we’re having these discussions is because so many people have come out. Because there’s been so much progress. Are we begrudging that?”\n\nSupporters note that the main Pride parade still has a notable protest element. Past marches have seen colorfully costumed dancers sharing the route with groups protesting violence against transgender people or a lack of AIDS funding.\n\n“This is a debate that has existed for as long as Pride has existed,” said James Fallarino, a member of the executive board of Heritage of Pride, which stages the main march. “Our community has had to deal with a lot in the last 50 years, and we have always found a way to unleash our anger while at the same time celebrating who we are and our diversity and our unapologetic pride.”\n\nActivists also staged an alternative New York City march in 1994, accusing official parade organizers of downplaying the AIDS crisis, among other issues.\n\nThe staggered start times should allow people to participate in both marches, which is what Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum plans to do.\n\n“I believe there are many different ways to express the feelings that we have at this particular moment in history 50 years after Stonewall,” said Kleinbaum, the pastor of Congregation Beit Simchat Torah, which serves the LGBT Jewish community, and a grand marshal of the Pride parade in 2007.\n\nKleinbaum said her congregation will have a presence at each march Sunday.\n\n“I think there’s room for both,” she said, “and we need to not create circular firing squads.”", "Gearing up for what’s on track to become one of the biggest NYC Pride celebrations to date, Pride Island has secured a star-powered lineup for its third-annual concert.\n\nThe two-day festival at Manhattan’s Pier 97 will mark the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots with help from LGBTQ icons Grace Jones and Madonna. They’ll be joined by some international drag queens, ballroom stars and pop performers who are sure to bring the realness.\n\n\"We’re planning an action-packed weekend of live performances that will build upon the excitement of what Pride attendees know as Pride Island, for our biggest and most inclusive year yet,” Pride Island director Jose Ramos said in a statement.\n\nThe first Pride Island hit Pride Week in 2017 and marked a change from the traditional “Dance on the Pier” party that was held during the Pride March for nearly three decades. A spike in popularity and attendance helped transform it into an annual LGBTQ festival. The festival, previously held at Pier 26, moved to Pier 97 at Hudson River Park in 2018 to prep for the larger-than-average crowd expected for the historic 2019 Pride March.\n\n\"I couldn’t be more excited to perform in front of my LGBTQIA+ friends and the community that’s supported me for so many years during WorldPride 2019,\" 70-year-old Grace Jones said in a statement. Jones, who’s been an LGBTQ icon for decades, headlines the festival on Saturday, while “Vogue” star Madonna is set for Sunday, after the march.\n\nGet to know the performers before they hit Pride Island.\n\nThe supermodel, actress and singer is considered one of today's greatest gay icons.\n\nThe Harlem-born R&B artist is behind the popular “WTP” track featuring ballroom house queens that’s racked up nearly 3 million views on YouTube since its 2018 release.\n\nOne of the most famous queens in Brazil, Pabllo Vittar became the first Grammy-nominated drag queen at the 2018 Latin Grammy Awards. She received a nod for \"Sua Cara,” a track released that same year with Major Lazer.\n\nThe pop singer that topped Spotify playlists in 2018 with her breakout song “Heart to Break” has garnered a solid LGBTQ fan base. In a 2018 interview with HuffPost, the singer said she hopes her music attracts fans, rather than her transgender identity. “I just hate the idea of using my identity as a tool,” she said. A Pride Island release describes her style as somewhere between ‘90s American pop and ‘80s European disco.\n\nAfro-Latina performer Amara La Negra broke into the spotlight last year with a little help from “Love & Hip Hop: Miami.” She appeared on the series and opened up about her struggle to find a place in the music industry where she could celebrate her culture.\n\nThe New York City DJ has played residencies at some of the most notable local clubs, from The Pyramid Club to BoyBar and the shuttered Limelight.\n\nThe DJ is set to spin “classic dance floor hits,” according to a release.\n\nThe NYC DJ released a sampling of his Pride Island set on SoundCloud.\n\nThe singer who helped the city’s underground ballroom culture find its place in the mainstream spotlight in the ‘80s with the release of “Vogue” will “perform a couple of songs” to close out Pride Island following the Pride March. She most recently performed a surprise set at the Stonewall Inn on New Year’s Eve, during which she spoke out about spreading love. “If we truly look and we truly take the time to get to know one another, we would find that we all bleed the same color and we all need to love and be loved,” Madonna told the crowd.", "It’s been one heck of a Pride Month in NYC, and we haven’t even reached its pièce de résistance: the parade. The NYPD finally apologized for the 1969 Stonewall raid, Pose returned for Season 2, and Taylor Swift dove headfirst into allyship with an anti-“shade” single and a political plea. July is right around the corner now, but the party’s far from over: There are still a host of Pride events on the horizon, supreme among them the NYC Pride March.\n\nThe Pride March is a time to celebrate queer identities, increase visibility of the community, and demand full and continued equality for LGBTQIA+ people. Part protest, part party, it’s the grand finale of Pride in New York City -- and this year, the whole world is watching.\n\nFor the first time, WorldPride has made its way to the US -- NYC, to be specific -- and the timing is no coincidence. 2019 marks the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots in Greenwich Village, often considered the catalyst of the modern gay rights movement, and the world wants to join the celebration. With WorldPride in town through the end of the month, the NYC Pride March is elevated from an already-huge Pride tradition to the world’s most significant Pride event this year.\n\nOn the last Sunday in June, people from around the world will flood Manhattan to sing some songs, wave some flags, and shed light on the important issues facing the LGBTQIA+ community. However you identify, this historic celebration is one of 2019’s can’t miss events. Here’s everything you need to know about the 50th annual NYC Pride March.", "BROOKLYN - The stars are as bright as the Rainbow Carpet at Barclays Center Wednesday night.\n\nIt was the Opening Ceremony for World Pride 2019. Only five other cities have hosted World Pride. New York is the first American city to do so.\n\nA-listers like Billy Porter walked the Rainbow Carpet. The Tony and Grammy award winner dazzled in another one of his show-stopping outfits.\n\n“Pride is always a time when the community comes together,” said Porter. “Right now, we have to remember our strength in numbers and our strength in unity.”\n\nPorter is one of many celebrities who participated in a benefit concert. Proceeds go to several organizations: the Ali Forney Center, Immigration Equality and SAGE. The groups support and advocate for the LGBTQIA+ movement.\n\n“Opening ceremony is a once in a lifetime event to kick off World Pride,” said David Studinski, the co-chair of NYC Pride.\n\nThe host of tonight’s event was Whoopi Goldberg, while the show was headlined by Cyndi Lauper\n\n“Sometimes it’s a little scary to think how you’ll be received when you come out but just know the greatest thing you can ever do is choose yourself,” said actress Angelica Ross, when asked what advice she would give young people today wrestling with coming out.\n\nNew York City was awarded World Pride this year, in large part because June 2019 coincides with the 50th Anniversary of the riots at the Stonewall Inn when police raided the bar. The uprising is considered the birth of the modern gay rights movement.\n\n“I’m unbelievably grateful to be here tonight to be an openly transgender black woman living my best life and I know people died for me to have the right to stand here tonight,” said actress Laverne Cox\n\nWorld Pride culminates on Sunday with the Pride March. Millions are expected on the parade route. Just as there is an opening ceremony, the closing ceremony will be in Times Square Sunday evening.", "Folkestone Pride faced its fair share of teething problems, but this year the organisers think they have learned from past mistakes.\n\nLast year’s LGBT+ event was marred by confusion due to last-minute date and venue changes, but under new management Folkestone Pride promises to make a spectacular return for 2019.\n\nThere are more and more pride parades and festivals popping up across Kent, with Dover set to host its first ever Pride this summer.\n\nAnd this year, Folkestone is harnessing star power as vocalist of synth pop band Hot Chip, Joe Goddard, will be performing at the official Pride after party.\n\nFabulous Pride events in Kent in 2019 sure to unleash your inner queen\n\nHannah Revill, a 40-year-old mum of two who is 'born and bred Folkestone', is one of the organisers behind Folkestone Pride and thinks they have something different to offer in comparison to other festivals.\n\nShe explained: \"Pride started three years ago, and for a first year it was really great, we had about 1,000 people marching through the town.\n\n\"There was a lovely atmosphere and it had the potential to grow and get a lot better.\n\n\"We're in year three now, there have been a few changes along the way, it's under new management and we have a broad spectrum of people on the committee.\n\n\"We've got a nice mixed bag of people who can represent and support the different aspects of what gay pride is really for.\"\n\nDiscussing last year's slightly chaotic Pride and the improvements made in 2019, she said: \"It's just more organised, there's more responsibility given to people - we're working together better as a team and we are playing everyone to their strengths.\n\n\"We're trying to put on a festival which supports and represents all people, and we had to get the right people on the job.\n\n\"You get teething problems at the start sometimes, but you have to get it wrong to get it right.\n\n\"There was a bit of a restoration of faith issue but I think we are exceeding expectations.\"\n\nMs Revill says the LGBT+ community in Folkestone seems to fly under the radar, with people having to travel out of the town to attend pride events in other towns and cities.\n\nBut with the advent of pride, as well as plans to revitalise the town's night life, she hopes to see the LGBT+ community as well as younger people staying in the town and spending there money here.\n\nPride is more important than ever in 2019 This year is a significant one for Pride events and the LGBTQ+ movement. It is 50 years since the Stonewall riots, also called the Stonewall uprising. The series of riots which followed a raid by police on a gay bar in New York on June 28, 1969 was a defining moment in the fight for equality at a time when the solicitation of homosexual relations was illegal in New York City and many other places. A year later, the first Pride marches took place in the US. Now each year, the month of June is celebrated as Pride Month across the world, marking the anniversary of the Stonewall riots and Pride festivals take place across the world in the summer months.\n\nAnd in future, she hopes to see Folkestone Pride expand into a weekend-long event, incorporating other venues such as the Harbour Arm as well as the Leas.\n\nShe added: \"People are leaving the town to go to these things, we have people here and such a beautiful town, which I think makes our pride slightly different.\n\n\"Why should people have to leave the town to go and celebrate? It's nice for people to have something on their doorstep.\n\n\"I'm passionate about making something for people so they don't feel they've got nothing here for them.\n\n\"The way we can look out on the Leas, this could be more of a boutique festival although we are hoping to grow bigger. We've got the wonderful scenery and backdrop, it will look amazing.\"\n\nFor more information visit the Pride Facebook event or website."], "summary": "New York City begins the 50th Annual World Pride festival, expecting to draw four million people over six days."}
{"document": ["US President Donald Trump charged on Wednesday that Germany is “delinquent” in its contributions to NATO, accusing the US ally of stinting on defense while it pays Russia billions of dollars for energy.\n\n“So Germany is paying Russia billions and billions of dollars for energy, okay,” he said in a wide-ranging interview with Fox Business News.\n\n“So they are giving Russia billions of dollars yet we are supposed to protect Germany and Germany is delinquent! Okay?” he said.\n\nLast Update: Wednesday, 26 June 2019 KSA 16:04 - GMT 13:04", "US President Donald Trump charged Wednesday that Germany is \"delinquent\" in its contributions to NATO, accusing the US ally of stinting on defense while it pays Russia billions of dollars for energy\n\nWashington, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - APP - 26th Jun, 2019 ) :US President Donald Trump charged Wednesday that Germany is \"delinquent\" in its contributions to NATO , accusing the US ally of stinting on defense while it pays Russia billions of Dollars for energy.\n\n\"So Germany is paying Russia billions and billions of dollars for energy, okay,\" he said in a wide-ranging interview with Fox business news.\n\n\"So they are giving Russia billions of dollars yet we are supposed to protect Germany and Germany is delinquent! okay?\" he said.", "US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that China wants a trade deal with the United States because its economy is weakening.\n\n\"China's economy is going down the tubes -- they want to make a deal,\" Trump said in an interview with Fox Business News.\n\nHe also charged that Germany is \"delinquent\" in its contributions to NATO, accusing the US ally of stinting on defense while it pays Russia billions of dollars for energy.\n\n\"So Germany is paying Russia billions and billions of dollars for energy, okay,\" he said in the interview.\n\n\"So they are giving Russia billions of dollars yet we are supposed to protect Germany and Germany is delinquent! okay?\" he said.\n\nGet Breaking news, live coverage, and Latest News from India and around the world on NDTV.com. Catch all the Live TV action on NDTV 24x7 and NDTV India. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagram for latest news and live news updates.", "MWAPE MWENYA, Lusaka\n\n AFTER the United Kingdom and United States of America, Germany was the third country to establish diplomatic relations with Zambia following its independence on October 24, 1964.\n\n However, at that time, there were two Germanies – the Germany Democratic Republic (East Germany) and Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany), and both had embassies in Lusaka.\n\n The East Germany embassy was located near the Chinese Embassy while that of West Germany was situated near the United Nations buildings on Alick Nkhata. The current Germany Embassy is on Haile Selassie Avenue, established following the German re-unification when the German Democratic Republic became part of the Federal Republic of Germany and Berlin re-united into a single city following the collapse of the Iron Curtain. http://epaper.daily-mail.co.zm/", "President Donald Trump has reiterated his promise to slap additional tariffs on China if a trade deal is not reached, saying that he was \"happy\" with things as they are and that China needed the deal more than the US did since its economy was hit hard by the existing restrictions.\n\n\"I would do additional tariffs, very substantial additional tariffs, if that doesn't work, if we don't make a deal,\" Trump said. \"China's economy is going down the tubes - they want to make a deal,\" he stressed, speaking to Fox News Business on Wednesday morning.\n\nThe president said that the US could hold off on fresh tariffs if a deal is reached at the G20 meeting. The new tariffs could amount to a 10 percent tax on all Chinese imports into the United States, rather than the 25 percent figure mentioned earlier, Trump clarified.\n\nTrump confirmed that the US side has been talking to its Chinese counterparts on the trade issue over the past few days.\n\nAccording to the president, it was 'okay' with him if the US-China trade tensions impacted the world oil market.\n\nIn the interview, Trump also took a shot at Vietnam, another major US trade partner, saying US negotiators have been talking to Vietnamese officials over Hanoi's approach to trade with the US, which Trump said is even 'worse than China.'\n\nThe US and China were thrust into a tit-for-tat tariff spat in mid-2018, when the Trump administration slapped a 25 percent tariff on $50 billion worth of Chinese goods. Since then, the economic superpowers hit one another with several more rounds of tariffs, with Trump recently threatening to put import duties on the remaining estimated $300 billion of Chinese goods coming to the US unless a deal can be worked out. At a campaign rally last week, Trump promised that the US would hammer out a fair trade deal with Beijing or walk away completely.\n\nTurning to the subject of NATO defence, the US president accused Germany of being \"delinquent\" on its NATO defence spending obligations while spending \"billions and billions\" on Russian energy.\n\n\"So Germany is paying Russia billions and billions of dollars for energy, okay?\" Trump said. \"So they are giving Russia billions of dollars yet we are supposed to protect Germany and Germany is delinquent, okay?\" he added.\n\nTrump has repeatedly accused Germany and other NATO countries of failing to pay their fair share for the alliance and commit to the 2 percent of GDP defence spending figures outlined by the alliance. Germany's defence budget for 2019 is expected to amount to $49 billion, or about 1.2 percent of the country's GDP.", "Trump on Wednesday aired a new complaint about Japan, Washington's closest ally in Asia, lamenting the U.S.' decades-old defense pact with the country as one-sided and unfair.\n\nThe U.S. president said the more than 60-years-old treaty was one-sided to the disadvantage of Washington as the Japanese military had no obligation to come to U.S. defense.\n\n\"If Japan is attacked, we will fight World War III. We will go in and protect them with our lives and with our treasure,\" he said, referring to the U.S.' guaranteed protection and aid to the east Asian country if it ever comes under attack.\n\n\"But if we're attacked, Japan doesn't have to help us. They can watch it on a Sony television,\" he told the Fox Business Network during a telephone interview.\n\nHis remarks came just hours before he headed to the country for the G-20 summit.\n\nThis isn't the first time Trump has bemoaned military agreements with Japan. According to Bloomberg, he recently spoke privately about withdrawing from the defense treaty with Japan as he is of the view that the post-WWII pact treated the U.S. unfairly.\n\nHowever, Trump has not taken any steps in this regard and sources have said such a move is highly unlikely.\n\nTrump's recent dig was a part of a wider policy of fixing what he says is a system rigged against the U.S. He is currently deeply engaged in his \"America First\" agenda that demands two-way agreements in foreign policy and international trade.\n\n\"Almost all countries in this world take tremendous advantage of the United States. It's unbelievable,\" he said in the lengthy interview.\n\nCasting his eye over the wider landscape, Trump also lashed out at close partners Vietnam and Germany.\n\nVietnam is \"even worse than China\" when it comes to unfair trading practices, he said. Vietnam is the \"single worst abuser.\"\n\nHe described Germany — part of the bedrock of the U.S. alliance with western Europe — as \"delinquent\" for not paying enough to NATO's budget.\n\n\"So Germany is paying Russia billions and billions of dollars for energy, okay,\" he said. \"So they are giving Russia billions of dollars yet we are supposed to protect Germany and Germany is delinquent! Okay?\"", "WASHINGTON: A single, censorious tweet by US President Donald Trump has cast a shadow on his upcoming meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the G20 Summit in Osaka, Japan, highlighting the uncertainty in bilateral ties subjected to temperamental quirks of a leader obsessed with trade at the expense of broader strategic vision.\"I look forward to speaking with Prime Minister Modi about the fact that India, for years having put very high Tariffs against the United States, just recently increased the Tariffs even further. This is unacceptable and the Tariffs must be withdrawn!\" Trump tweeted as he headed out to Japan where leaders of the world's 19 most economically weighty countries and the EU are meeting in an annual get-together.Trump's continued pique over trade issues with India overshadowed efforts by his secretary of state Mike Pompeo who, during a stopover in New Delhi, emphasized the strategic dimension of US-India ties while suggesting differences in trade issues are something that can be lived with when they cannot be overcome.But Trump has consistently undercut his cabinet officials' effort to continue a stable US foreign policy and maintain good ties with allies and partners, with petulant outbursts over relatively trivial issues such as tariffs on Harley Davidson motorcycles, while, in the eyes of analysts, ignoring the big picture.In an oblique swipe at Trump's messaging, which some commentators saw as a pressure tactic before his meeting with Modi, India's new external affairs minister S Jaishankar tweeted, \"India-US relations are guided by the Big Picture- the Vision set out by our leaders,PM Modi & President Trump in 2017. Specific issues will arise & they will be considered within the Framework of this Big Picture. We agreed to filter out the noise & work on our solid relationship.\"However the Trump who purportedly set the \"Big Picture Vision\" is a frequent victim of the Trump who has an obsessive compulsive disorder when it comes to trade. He has repeatedly twitted Modi over Twitter on trade issues even while affirming their friendship even though India is a relatively minor trading partner of the United States.That friendship will be put to test when the two leaders meet bilaterally in Osaka in an engagement for which schedulers appear to have left a 40-minute slot, sandwiched between a 20-minute trilateral meeting between Trump, Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe , and another bilateral with German Chancellor Angela Merkel In fact, along with India, Japan and Germany were also subjected to a Trump twitter-lashing ahead of the summit. He complained that under existing treaty provisions, if the United States were attacked, Japan would only \"watch it on a Sony television,\" and he called Germany a security freeloader.\"Let me start off with general statement -- almost all countries in this world take tremendous advantage (of the US}\", Trump complained during a phone interview on Fox Business. Many U.S analysts and historians have pointed out that the Trump either does not know or ignores historical events relating to World War Two that compelled Germany and Japan to accept US security umbrella.The President's critics also pointed out that in contrast with his rants against allies and partners, Trump refrained from any criticism of Russia and its leader Vladimir Putin, who are accused of manipulating the 2016 US Presidential election to favor Trump, and Saudi Arabia, whose leader is said to be responsible for the death of a dissident columnist and who has close business ties with the Trump family.Trump's critique of India's tariff hike ignored, willfully or otherwise, the basis for it: New Delhi raised raised tariff's on 28 categories of imports in retaliation to the US increasing tariffs on aluminum and steel, and its revocation of a preferential trade status for more than $5 billion in imports from India.", "A bullish President Donald Trump warned China of an even deeper trade war Wednesday ahead of a G20 summit where he will meet President Xi Jinping, saying China’s remaining imports are “ripe” for tariffs. Markets are anxiously watching the Trump-Xi meeting, due Saturday, for a breakthrough in the dispute pitting the world’s two largest economies against each other.\n\nInsisting that a strong negotiating hand means he has no need to give way, Trump did not especially seek to calm those nerves.\n\n“China’s economy is going down the tubes — they want to make a deal,” Trump said in an interview with Fox Business News just hours before taking off for the summit in Osaka, Japan.\n\nTrump has already hit $200 billion of Chinese imports with levies in an effort to force Beijing into intellectual property protection and other reforms of a trading system that Washington says gives China huge unfair advantages.\n\nOn Wednesday, the president strongly indicated he was ready to slap tariffs on all remaining Chinese imports — more than $300 billion worth.\n\n“You have another $325 billion that I haven’t taxed yet — it’s ripe for taxing, for putting tariffs on,” he told Fox.\n\nAccording to Trump, it’s China that’s feeling all the pain.\n\n“What is happening is people are moving out of China. Companies are moving out of China, by the way, some are coming back to the United States because they don’t want to pay the tariff,” he told Fox Business News.\n\nTrump did say that a previous threat to tax this remaining segment at 25 percent could be changed to a less harsh 10 percent.\n\nThe two sides said they were close to a deal before talks broke down in May.\n\n“We were about 90 percent of the way there,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told CNBC television, saying he was looking forward to the Trump-Xi talks but stressing there would be no “deal for having the sake of a deal.”\n\n“I hope the message that we want to hear is that they want to come back to the table,” Mnuchin said.\n\nTrump’s aggressive attempt to rewrite the rules with China are part of a wider policy of fixing what he says is a system rigged against the United States.\n\n“Almost all countries in this world take tremendous advantage of the United States. It’s unbelievable,” he said in the lengthy interview.\n\nCasting his eye over the wider landscape, Trump also lashed out at close partners Vietnam, Germany and Japan.\n\nVietnam is “even worse than China” when it comes to unfair trading practices, he said. Vietnam is the “single worst abuser.”\n\nHe described Germany — part of the bedrock of the US alliance with western Europe — as “delinquent” for not paying enough to NATO’s budget.\n\n“So Germany is paying Russia billions and billions of dollars for energy, okay,” he said. “So they are giving Russia billions of dollars yet we are supposed to protect Germany and Germany is delinquent! Okay?”\n\nTrump aired a similar complaint about Japan, Washington’s closest ally in Asia, which has been under the protection of a US military umbrella since its defeat in World War II.\n\n“If Japan is attacked, we will fight World War III. We will go in and protect them with our lives and with our treasure,” he said. “But if we’re attacked, Japan doesn’t have to help us. They can watch it on a Sony television.”", "President Donald Trump flew to the G20 summit Wednesday with a final diplomatic broadside, warning that China is \"ripe\" for new tariffs and accusing some of the closest US allies of being freeloaders.\n\nAir Force One took off on a fiercely hot day from Washington and Trump seemed to promise heat of his own when he meets leaders of the G20 countries in Osaka, Japan, before stopping over in South Korea.\n\nDeclaring that he enjoys a strong hand in the trade war with China, he made clear he'll be in no mood to give much ground when he holds closely watched talks with President Xi Jinping on Saturday.\n\n\"China's economy is going down the tubes -- they want to make a deal,\" Trump said in an interview with Fox Business Network.\n\nTrump has already hit $200 billion of Chinese imports with levies in an effort to force Beijing into intellectual property protection and other reforms of a trading system that Washington says gives China huge unfair advantages.\n\nThe president indicated he was also ready to slap tariffs on all remaining Chinese imports -- more than $300 billion worth.\n\n\"You have another $325 billion that I haven't taxed yet -- it's ripe for taxing, for putting tariffs on,\" he told Fox.\n\nAccording to Trump, it's China that's feeling all the pain, while the US side is benefiting from the situation.\n\n\"What is happening is people are moving out of China. Companies are moving out of China, by the way, some are coming back to the United States because they don't want to pay the tariff,\" he told Fox Business Network.\n\nTrump did say that a previous threat to tax this remaining segment at 25 percent could be changed to a less harsh 10 percent.\n\nThe two sides said they were close to a deal before talks broke down in May.\n\n\"We were about 90 percent of the way there,\" Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told CNBC television, saying he was looking forward to the Trump-Xi talks but stressing there would be no deal for \"the sake of a deal.\"\n\n\"I hope the message that we want to hear is that they want to come back to the table,\" Mnuchin said.\n\nTrump's aggressive attempt to rewrite the rules with China are part of a wider policy of fixing what he says is a system rigged against the United States.\n\n\"Almost all countries in this world take tremendous advantage of the United States. It's unbelievable,\" he said in the lengthy Fox interview.\n\nCasting his eye over the wider landscape, Trump also lashed out at close partners Vietnam, Germany and Japan.\n\nVietnam is \"even worse than China\" when it comes to unfair trading practices, he said. Vietnam is the \"single worst abuser.\"\n\nHe described Germany -- part of the bedrock of the US alliance with western Europe -- as \"delinquent\" for not paying enough to NATO's budget.\n\n\"So Germany is paying Russia billions and billions of dollars for energy, okay,\" he said. \"So they are giving Russia billions of dollars yet we are supposed to protect Germany and Germany is delinquent! Okay?\"\n\nTrump aired a similar complaint about Japan, Washington's closest ally in Asia, which has been under the protection of a US military umbrella since its defeat in World War II.\n\n\"If Japan is attacked, we will fight World War III. We will go in and protect them with our lives and with our treasure,\" he said. \"But if we're attacked, Japan doesn't have to help us. They can watch it on a Sony television.\"\n\nSpeaking to reporters at the White House, Trump remained coy on expectations for his meeting at the G20 with Russia's President Vladimir Putin.\n\nTrump has been criticized for what opponents see as an oddly opaque relationship between the two leaders and he did little to dispel the controversy.\n\n\"I'll have a very good conversation with him,\" Trump told reporters. \"What I say to him is none of your business.\"\n\nOn another intrigue-filled front, Trump said he would not be meeting with North Korea's strongman leader Kim Jong Un, but said \"I may be speaking to him in a different form.\"\n\nTrump has held two summits with Kim in a bid to persuade him to let go of his nuclear arsenal and end his country's isolation. So far, the policy has had little success.", "Madame Angela Merkel – the head of Europe’s strongest economy, of the leader of the European Union, said that there was strong evidence that Iran attacked the two tankers in the Gulf of Oman. Ten days ago, German Foreign Minister, Heiko Maas, travelled to Tehran, officially to “save” the Nuclear Deal (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action – JCPoA), but in reality, to ‘negotiate’ with Tehran ways so Germany and by association other EU members, might still do business with Iran, against some “concessions” by Iran, in order to appease Washington.\n\nIran’s President Rouhani reacted quickly. FM Maas got the cold shoulder and was dismissed. And rightly so. Maas was not really representing Germany – but the United States. Iran gave the EU an “ultimatum” of 60 days to stick to their commitments on trading with Iran according to the Nuclear Deal – despite the US reneging on it – or else, Iran may bypass some of the conditions under the JCPOA accord. The EU – not being independent and her member countries having lost all sovereignty by submitting to the dictate first from Brussels, second from the tyranny of Washington, didn’t like the ultimatum, and said so in a joint statement. They added a weak and meek phrase, “We call on countries not party to the JCPoA to refrain from taking any actions that impede the remaining parties’ ability to fully perform their commitments;” not even daring calling the country by name, for whom the statement was destined, i.e. the US of A.\n\nGermany’s position is as absurd as it has ever been since Merkel and the entire Bundestag accepted the sanctions imposed by Washington on Russia in 2014 – and replicated them along with the rest of the EU – even to their own detriment and to the detriment of the entire EU. Chancellor Merkel and apparently the entire Bundestag, again, go along with Washington’s equally absurd and false accusation that Iran has attacked the two tankers, one Japanese owned, the other Norwegian. The latter belonging to a close friend of Iran’s, and the Japanese one, hardest hit – exactly at the time when Japan’s PM Shinzō Abe, was visiting the Ayatollah in Tehran to discuss how to maintain the Nuclear Deal – trading – despite the sanctions and threats of Washington, hence, a friendly visit.\n\nA blind person can see that these were two false flags – so thinly masked, with badly fabricated US ‘video evidence’ that even according to CIA and US military brass did not deliver conclusive evidence. In fact, none at all. Madame Merkel – why do you not first ask the obvious question “Cui bono?”— Who benefits? Certainly not Iran – but the aggressor, the US which has been planning and preparing for war with Iran for decades, ever since the first Iraq war under Father Bush, in 1991. At the 2003 invasion of Iraq – Bolton openly expressed his dreams to demolish Iran. He and Pompeo are liars and war criminals, who run the White House and pretend to run the Pentagon – and who act in impunity. Their power seems limitless. Trump – seems to be a mere puppet.\n\nGetting Merkel on board of the flagrant US lie that Iran was attacking two tankers in the Gulf of Oman, is a strategic hit, enhancing the lies’ credibility and, thus, making a US attack on Iran more palatable to the rest of the world. Yet, apparently this was not enough. The Pentagon sent an unmanned high-altitude Global Hawk drone into Iranian airspace, a provocation Iran could not resist and shot the drone down, but not before sending warning signals, about which today nobody talks. The world shouldn’t know that Iran had the noblesse to warn the US about the drone being in their airspace. As can be expected the White House gnomes deny that the drone was invading Iranian airspace, but pretend it was in international air space, when it was shot down.\n\nThis raised the ante for Washington to launch an attack on Iran. All was planned to be carried from Thursday to Friday (20 to 21 June), and at last minute Trump stopped it. Is it true? – It could be, because somebody a bit ‘higher up’ than Trump and his warrior minions, must have realized the danger that such an attack may pose to the rest of the world – or actually that it could trigger a nuclear conflict. However, that the attack plan was stopped doesn’t mean it was canceled. Maybe it was just postponed.\n\nIn the meantime, the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has ordered all US airlines to avoid the Gulf of Oman and the Gulf of Hormuz. And, as could be expected, the airlines of Washington’s “true” puppet allies have followed suit, i.e. Australia’s Qantas Airways Ltd, Singapore Airlines Ltd, Germany’s Lufthansa, British Airways, Air France and its Dutch KLM affiliate, as well as Malaysia Airlines, said they were re-routing flights to avoid the area. Others may follow under direct or tacit pressure of the US. The Japanese airline ANA said they were considering alternative routings. Effectively, the US was able to declare a no-fly zone over a significant area of Iran.\n\nLet’s make no mistake, all the visible key figures at the helm of the White House – are run in the back by Israel, by Netanyahu and the Chosen People he represents, those who also run Wall Street and the western world’s banking and financial system. Israel would like to see Iran in rubbles, or better, in eternal chaos, the goal that was set for Iraq, Afghanistan and that the US was and still is dreaming for Syria. This bunch of evil elite pulls the strings and hopes to soon pull just ONE string for global hegemony, under a ONE World Order.\n\nBack to Germany. Instead of jumping off the sinking ship of Washington and its faithful entourage of the willing, as rats would do, and as the vast majority of the German people would prefer, let alone German and European business, Madame Merkel and apparently all her circles, including Berlin’s Parliament, follow the US flagrant lie propaganda. Why? – Well, this is the deal: There are many ways to “buy” top politicians, with threats or with money or by outright inflicting fear through ‘proxy-assassinations’.\n\nOnce Germany is on board – the rest of Europe will follow suit. In that case, Washington – Trump and consortia – think they have Iran totally strangled, by blocking all trade and all financial transactions, plus confiscating Iranian assets abroad – on top of imposing stiff tariffs, so that Iran can no longer afford importing vital goods for manufacturing – or for sheer survival from the west. Once a country is weak, it can be taken over easily. So, the western, AngloZionist thinking goes.\n\nIran – her Fifth-Columnists aside – is strong and has already proven that it is detaching from the west. Even trying to adhere and fight for the Nuclear Deal which the west, i.e. Europe is incapable of respecting for lack of backbone, is a waste of time. To demonstrate that Iran has alternatives, Mr. Rouhani was attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on 13 and 14 June 2019, by invitation of China, the leader of the 8-member “club”.\n\nSCO stands for promoting peace, trade and a non-aggressive defense strategy (the antidote to the NATO-type military aggression). As of now, Mr. Rouhani is an observer for his country, Iran which is in an advanced stage in the process of entering the SCO as a full member. This could happen later this year or in 2020. Iran would recover her sovereignty, her economic potential and would – and will – be able to detach from the west, pretty much as did Russia and China, the two super-powers under constant assaults of sanctions, denigration and false accusations.\n\nTurkey – is in a similar situation. If Turkey is admitted by the SCO – also very likely – their NATO exit will be imminent. What that will mean for the rest of NATO, at this point we can only guess and dream of, especially since there is an ever-stronger people’s movement throughout Europe to exit NATO. It is particularly strong in Italy and paradoxically also in Germany. The vast majority of Germans want to exit NATO, but the government doesn’t listen. “So far” doesn’t listen. The German anti-NATO movement has been gaining strength ever since the anti-nuclear energy protests in the early seventies which were followed and intensified in the late 1970’s early 1980s against nuclear arms stockpiled in Germany by the US, particularly those stored at the US Air Force base of Ramstein, near Kaiserslautern.\n\nThe “so-far” is a precursor to a break with NATO, as the pressure against the USAF base Ramstein, against NATO, is mounting, and that, when Madame Merkel decides firmly to go with the sinking ship – risking to pull Germany and her people down the drain for sheer senseless and outdated obedience to the succumbing tyrant. How absurd!\n\nWhile Iran is making smart moves, gradually away from western economics, from trading with the west – and moving eastwards – where the future is – Germany backtracks, literally into the orbit of a dying beast, into what is ever-more detectible – a decaying empire.\n\nWhen will Germany wake up? When the first bombs fall on her cities – a WWI and WWII redux? Except this time, it may not be just the falling of conventional bombs. It may be nuclear meeting nuclear at Ramstein. Madame Merkel, your obligation to the people who apparently elected you is larger than you think and larger than yourself – and much larger than whatever goes on in your mind to follow a defeated warrior and rogue nation into hell."], "summary": "U.S. President Donald Trump states that Germany is \"delinquent\" on NATO defense, saying, \"So they are giving Russia billions of dollars yet we are supposed to protect Germany and Germany is delinquent! Okay?\" (Al Arabiya)"}
{"document": ["A BRAZILIAN soldier has been arrested for allegedly trying to smuggle cocaine aboard the military convoy of president Jair Bolsonaro.\n\nThe airforce sergeant was found carrying 39 kilogrammes of the Class A drug at Sevilla airport yesterday.\n\nThe narcotics were found hidden inside an Embraer 190 aircraft being used by the Brazilian Air Force to transport military personnel who were accompanying Bolsonaro on his trip to Japan.\n\nThe plane, which the Brazilian president would use as a backup, made a stop in Sevilla from Brasilia.\n\nInvestigators believe the final destination of the cocaine was Spain and that the sergeant – and probably other soldiers from the same unit – were bribed to accept the batch on the official plane.\n\nBolsonaro and his closest advisers travelled to Osaka on an Airbus 319 and had stopped over in Lisbon.\n\nThe controversial leader, who famously labelled himself a proud homophobe, said on Twitter that he would work in full collaboration with Spanish police.\n\nThe sergeant suspect is being held by the Guardia Civil in the Andalucian capital and will be brought before a judge on Thursday.\n\nHe did not have diplomatic immunity.\n\nThe embarrassing event comes after Bolsonaro has vowed to crack down on drugs in Brazil.\n\nHe promised to ramp up the military’s role in the drug war by giving security forces more power to shoot and kill armed criminals and is making it easier for everyday citizens to buy guns.", "The Spanish police arrested the military officer as he was traveling in a reserve plane that was accompanying President Bolsonaro to Japan.\n\nSpanish security forces arrested President Jair Bolsonaro's military entourage at the Sevilla airport for possession of 39 kilos of cocaine in his suitcase.\n\n\"Today in the morning the Defense Minister informed me of the arrest of an aeronautical officer carrying narcotics. I ordered the Defense Minister to collaborate immediately for early clarification of the facts,\" President Bolsonaro tweeted.\n\nThe 39-year-old army was traveling on an official plane that was making a reconnaissance trip before the Brazilian president boarded another plane to attend the G20 summit in Japan on Wednesday. Once the incident in Seville was made public, Bolsonaro altered his travel plans.\n\n\"Brazil's president changed Tuesday night the route of his trip to Tokyo... After taking off in Brasilia, Bolsonaro had to stop in Seville; however, late in the evening, his agenda showed Lisbon as the fight plan's new scale. The president's press office did not explain the reason for the change,\" El Pais, a Spanish newspaper, reported.\n\nThrough his Twitter account, Bolsonaro also defended the Brazilian army's \"ethics and morality\" and said that \"if the military officer's participation in this crime is proven, he will be tried and condemned.\"\n\n\"In Bolsonaro's delegation, the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) plane with 39 kg of cocaine is making Brazilians lose patience. Brazilian military was arrested in Spain transporting 39 kilos of cocaine in a FAB plane which was the reserve vehicle of the Bolsonaro's delegation to the G20.\"\n\nBolsonaro's statement contrasts with some facts because it is not the first time that Brazilian air force members have taken advantage of their status to traffic drugs.\n\n\"In April, the Brazilian Military Superior Court ordered the expulsion of a lieutenant colonel for being involved in trafficking 33 kilos of cocaine,\" El Pais recalled and added that the official was convicted for integrating a \"cocaine trafficking international specialized network\" which used military aircraft.\n\nBolsonaro and his government received a massive backlash as Brazilians took to social media to reject such actions by members of the right-wing government referring to the scandal as \"cocaine affair\" ​​​​​​​the news of which surfaced just a few hours after the country's Supreme Court rejected two habeas corpus requests for the freedom of former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, while delaying the ruling on one until August.\n\n\"Justice Minister Sergio Moro or President Bolsonaro must explain how a member of the military was trafficking drugs in a presidential reserve plane. And as a public servant, Moro has an obligation to provide the details of his agenda in the U.S.,\" said Jean Wyllys, the former socialist senator and gay-rights activist who was forced to leave Brazil after death threats he received from far-right paramilitary groups.\n\n\"Brazil has become a country so sui generis that while its justice minister was talking about the fight against drugs at the DEA, the presidential plane was trafficking cocaine in Spain,\" said Maufalavigna, a Brazilian man from Sao Paulo.\n\n\"While Lula remains as a prisoner of justice without any evidence against him, 39 kilos of cocaine travel in a soldier's bag inside a Bolsonaro plane,\" La Nave Comunica commented.​​​​​", "A Brazilian Air Force officer travelling with President Jair Bolsonaro for G20 summit in Tokyo was arrested late on Tuesday in Spain after being caught with 39 kilograms of cocaine stuffed in his suitcase.\n\nThe Brazilian Air Force plane was stopped in Seville, Spain, during security check the airman was being found with 39 kilograms of cocaine in 37 bags inside his small suitcase.\n\nThe officer was identified as 38-year-old Sergeant Silva Rodrigues, according to CNN affiliate Record TV.\n\nBrazil President Jair Bolsonaro who was travelling on separate plane on Tuesday through his Twitter asked Air Force officer to cooperate with Spain authorities and if found guilty, the officer will ”be judged and convicted by law.”", "RIO DE JANEIRO/MADRID (Reuters) - Spanish police have arrested a member of the Brazilian Air Force who carried three bags full of cocaine on a military plane to Seville hours before President Jair Bolsonaro’s was scheduled to take a stopover there, police and officials said on Wednesday.\n\nThe Brazilian Air Force said in a statement the airman was arrested on suspicion of drug trafficking and the case was also being investigated by the country’s military police.\n\nA Spanish police source told Reuters officers discovered 39 kg (85.98 lb) of the drug in three pieces of luggage, which they checked on Tuesday while the plane was waiting to continue its journey to Tokyo.\n\nVarious media outlets in Spain and Brazil said the man, a sergeant, was part of an Air Force group supporting Bolsonaro’s trip to Japan for this week’s G20 meeting, but neither Brazilian nor Spanish officials could immediately confirm that.\n\nIn a tweet, Bolsonaro said he had been informed of Tuesday’s arrest by the defense minister and ordered “immediate cooperation with Spanish police”, but made no reference to his itinerary, which has since been modified.\n\nBolsonaro’s original official itinerary listed Seville as a stopover on Tuesday night, but the latest published version mentioned Lisbon.", "A crew member from a Brazilian military plane used to arrange travel for the president was arrested in Spain with a bagful of cocaine in his luggage. The Brazilian leader said the man was not from “his team.”\n\nThe Air Force service member was arrested by Spain’s Civil Guard on Tuesday at Seville airport, where the plane stopped before flying to Osaka for the upcoming G20 summit. According to El Pais, the illegal cargo was found inside a bag of Sergeant Manoel Silva Rodrigues, during a mandatory check. Spanish customs authorities discovered 37 packages of cocaine each weighing over a kilo, or about 39kg in total, which the Brazilian reportedly didn’t even bother to properly hide before trying to enter the country.\n\nThe failed smuggler was arrested while the rest of the crew left for Japan the same afternoon. The aircraft will be used as a backup plane for President Jair Bolsonaro after the end of the G20 summit.\n\nSpanish law enforcement is now trying to establish the intended destination of the narcotics. The Brazilian Defense Ministry pledged to cooperate with the investigation.\n\nThe Brazilian president denounced the arrested person. “Although not related to my team, yesterday’s episode in Spain is unacceptable,” he tweeted, adding that an attempt to use government transport for drug trafficking was “disrespect to our country.”\n\nThe plane with Bolsonaro on board, which was scheduled to land in Seville before flying to Japan, slightly changed its course after the incident. Lisbon was used for a stopover instead, with the president’s office offering no explanation for the change.\n\nThe scandal may be particularly embarrassing for the president, whose administration enacted tougher policies on drug-related crimes earlier this month, which were passed by the parliament in May. The new rules raise the minimum penalty for traffickers and require users to undergo rehabilitation regardless of their wishes as long as a family member agrees to it. Bolsonaro, who was elected on a law-and-order platform, is an avowed critic of drug liberalization.\n\nIf you like this story, share it with a friend!", "RIO DE JANEIRO/MADRID — Spanish police have arrested a member of the Brazilian Air Force who carried three bags full of cocaine on a military plane to Seville hours before President Jair Bolsonaro’s was scheduled to take a stopover there, police and officials said on Wednesday.\n\nThe Brazilian Air Force said in a statement the airman was arrested on suspicion of drug trafficking and the case was also being investigated by the country’s military police.\n\nA Spanish police source told Reuters officers discovered 39 kg (86 lbs) of the drug in three pieces of luggage, which they checked on Tuesday while the plane was waiting to continue its journey to Tokyo.\n\nThe suspect was supporting Bolsonaro’s trip to Japan for this week’s G20 meeting, Vice President Hamilton Mourao told journalists in Brasilia. The airman had been assigned to remain in Spain and embark on the president’s plane for the final leg of his return trip.\n\n“Obviously, given the quantity of the drug he was carrying, he didn’t buy it on the corner and bring it, right? He was working as a mule. A well qualified mule, so to speak,” said Mourao.\n\nBolsonaro’s original official itinerary listed Seville as a stopover on Tuesday night, but an updated version cited Lisbon.\n\nIn a tweet, Bolsonaro said he had been informed of Tuesday’s arrest by the defence minister and ordered “immediate cooperation with Spanish police.”", "A Brazilian Air Force officer travelling on the entourage of the President of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, to Japan, has been arrested in Spain after he was caught with 39 kilogrammes of cocaine.\n\nMr Bolsonaro and his entourage were going to Japan for a two-day G20 summit starting on Friday in Osaka.\n\nAccording to CNN, the officer identified as Sergeant Silva Rodrigues was arrested on Tuesday in Seville, Spain, when the backup plane travelling to Osaka made a stop-over.\n\n“The Defense Ministry informs that, on Tuesday, June 25th, an Air Force officer suspected of transporting narcotic substances was detained in the Seville airport in Spain.\n\n“We are investigating the facts and are launching a military police inquiry.”\n\nPresident Bolsonaro, who was travelling on a separate plane at the time of Mr Rodrigues’ arrest, through his Twitter handle @jairbolsonaro said he had instructed the Defense Ministry to cooperate with the Spanish authorities.\n\nHe said if the officer is found guilty, he would “be judged and convicted by law.”\n\nAlso in a statement on Wednesday, the country’s Vice-President, Hamilton Mourao, described the officer as a qualified drug mule.\n\n“It’s obvious that, given the amount of drugs he had on him, that he didn’t just buy them around the corner and take them with him,” Mr Mourao told reporters on camera in Brasilia.\n\n“He was working as a qualified drug mule, let’s put it that way,” he said.\n\nFollowing his career records as reported by Brazilian media, Mr Rodrigues had accompanied three Brazilian presidents during 29 journeys in the past. At the time of filing this report, he was still with the Spanish authorities.", "An Air Force sergeant arrested by Spanish police over allegedly trying to smuggle three bags full of cocaine into Spain was part of the Jair Bolsonaro's G20 plane entourage, Brazilian officials have confirmed.\n\nA Spanish police source told Reuters the sergeant was arrested after officers discovered 39 kilograms of cocaine in three pieces of luggage, which police checked on Tuesday while the plane was waiting to continue its journey to Japan for the G20 Summit.\n\nBrazil's Air Force said the sergeant worked as cabin crew on a support aircraft and was not on Mr Bolsonaro's presidential plane.\n\nVice-President Hamilton Mourao confirmed the sergeant was supporting Mr Bolsonaro's trip to Japan for this week's G20 meeting and had been assigned to remain in Spain before embarking on the president's plane for the final leg of his return trip.\n\n\"Obviously, given the quantity of the drug he was carrying, he didn't buy it on the corner and bring it, right? He was working as a mule. A well-qualified mule, so to speak,\" said Mr Mourao.\n\nOn Twitter, Mr Bolsonaro said he had been informed of the arrest by the Defence Minister and ordered \"immediate cooperation with Spanish police.\"\n\nThe Brazilian Government says it is cooperating with Spanish investigators and has opened its own probe.\n\nThe head of Brazil's security cabinet, general Augusto Heleno, said it was \"bad luck\" that the incident occurred at such an inopportune moment.", "A crew member from. The Brazilian leader said the man was not from \"his team.\"The Air Force service member was arrested by Spain's Civil Guard on Tuesday at Seville airport, According to El Pais, the illegal cargo was found inside a bag of Sergeant Manoel Silva Rodrigues, during a mandatory check. Spanish customs authorities discovered 37 packages of cocaine each weighing over a kilo, or about 39kg in total, which the Brazilian reportedlyThe failed smuggler was arrested while the rest of the crew left for Japan the same afternoon. The aircraft will be used as a backup plane for President Jair Bolsonaro after the end of the G20 summit.Spanish law enforcement is now trying to establish the intended destination of the narcotics. The Brazilian Defense Ministry pledged to cooperate with the investigation.The Brazilian president denounced the arrested person. \"Although not related to my team, yesterday's episode in Spain is unacceptable,\" he tweeted, adding that an attempt to use government transport for drug trafficking was \"disrespect to our country.\"The plane with Bolsonaro on board, which was scheduled to land in Seville before flying to Japan, slightly, with the president's office offering no explanation for the change.The scandal may be particularly embarrassing for the president, whose administration enacted tougher policies on drug-related crimes earlier this month, which were passed by the parliament in May. The new rules raise the minimum penalty for traffickers and require users to undergo rehabilitation regardless of their wishes as long as a family member agrees to it. Bolsonaro, who was elected on a law-and-order platform, is an avowed critic of drug liberalization.", "Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s trip to Japan for the G20 summit has begun with an embarrassing episode, as a crewman in his advance party is accused of carrying cocaine in his luggage. Police arrested the crewman in Seville, Spain, where his Brazilian Air Force jet had a stopover on its way to Japan.\n\nSpanish authorities say the crewman, identified by Brazilian and Spanish media as Sgt. Manoel Silva Rodrigues, was carrying 39 kilos of cocaine — 86 pounds. According to Spanish news outlet ABC, the drug was divided into 37 blocks — and the crewman told Civil Guard agents that he was carrying cheese. Rodrigues was taken into custody on Tuesday.\n\nThe president followed on a separate jet, which reportedly altered its route after Rodrigues’ arrest to avoid Seville and instead stop in Lisbon, Portugal, according to Brazilian news outlet Folha de S. Paulo.\n\nRodrigues serves as a flight steward who has worked internationally dozens of times, including trips with three different Brazilian presidents, according to Folha. In a note about the arrest, Brazil’s air force says that when Bolsonaro returns to Brazil, his plane will not pass through Seville but through Seattle in the U.S.\n\nResponding to the news on Twitter, Bolsonaro stressed that the cocaine arrest was not related to his personal team. But he called it “unacceptable,” and he demanded an investigation and severe punishment.\n\n“We will not tolerate such disrespect to our country!” the president said.\n\nAs NPR’s Philip Reeves reports from Rio de Janeiro, the presence of narcotics on a Brazilian military plane is a blow to the president with hard-line policies on law and order.\n\n“Bolsonaro was elected on a promise of cracking down on crime — especially Brazil’s rampant cocaine industry,” Reeves says. “The president’s also a former army captain, who often praises his military for its professionalism.”\n\nThe discovery of the large cache of illegal drugs has raised security concerns about the president’s travel protocols, as well as questions about who the crewman might have been working with.\n\nVice President Hamilton Mourão said it’s clear that the crewman was working with smugglers.\n\n“It’s obvious that, given the quantity of the drug he was bringing, he didn’t buy it on the corner and bring it, right?” Mourão told journalists in Brasilia. “He was working as a mule. A well qualified mule, let’s say.”"], "summary": "An unnamed Brazilian Air Force sergeant is arrested in Seville for smuggling 39 kilograms of cocaine inside an Embraer E190 airliner. The aircraft, now grounded, was being used as a backup plane during President Bolsonaro's official visit to Japan, connecting in the Spanish city."}
{"document": ["The Supreme Court said Wednesday it has rejected lower and high court decisions to hold a retrial for a 92-year-old woman who served 10 years in prison over the 1979 murder of her former brother-in-law in Kagoshima Prefecture.\n\nAll five Supreme Court judges made the unanimous decision on Tuesday to dismiss the retrial of Ayako Haraguchi after the district court granted the retrial request and the high court upheld the decision.\n\nIt is the first time since 1975 that the top court has rejected a retrial decision made by a district court and upheld by a high court.\n\nBoth the Kagoshima District Court and the Miyazaki branch of the Fukuoka High Court had agreed to a retrial in June 2017 and March 2018, respectively. Prosecutors appealed both decisions.\n\nThe defense submitted a forensic report that said there was a high chance that the death of her former brother-in-law, Kunio Nakamura, 42, was caused by an accident. Confessions by her relatives were not credible as they may have been influenced by investigative authorities, they said.\n\nHowever, the Supreme Court said the previous testimonies were trustworthy, while the new evidence supporting an accidental death had no probative value as the forensics experts had not personally seen the body.\n\n“This is not acceptable,” head defense lawyer Masami Mori said at a news conference Wednesday after the verdict. “I feel regret and am at a loss for words whenever I think about proving her innocence while she is alive.”\n\nThe 92-year-old has consistently denied any wrongdoing.\n\nHaraguchi was arrested in October 1979 along with three other family members, including her husband at the time, on suspicion of strangling Nakamura with a towel and abandoning his body in a cattle barn beside his home in the town of Osaki earlier that month.\n\nIn 1980, the district court found Haraguchi guilty of killing Nakamura on the grounds that her sister-in-law said Haraguchi proposed the murder to her husband, suggesting she had been unhappy about Nakamura’s conduct. Her sentence was finalized in 1981.\n\nHer husband was sentenced to eight years in prison. Haraguchi later divorced him and he died in 1993. The Supreme Court also rejected Tuesday a request for his retrial submitted by a relative.\n\nHaraguchi filed a request for her retrial in 1995 and again in 2010, but both were subsequently rejected. This was her third attempt."], "summary": "In a unanimous decision, the Supreme Court of Japan rejects retrial for a 92-year-old woman, Ayako Haraguchi, who had already served 10 years in prison for the 1979 murder of her former brother-in-law."}
{"document": ["The government has, for the first time, placed right-wing extremist groups on its list of outlawed terrorist organizations, adding the names of Blood & Honour and Combat 18.\n\nAnnounced in the government’s Canada Gazette, the action came after the Canadian Security Intelligence Service said in a report on Friday it had increased its “posture” on the far right.\n\nBlood & Honour was described by the government as “an international neo-Nazi network whose ideology is derived from the National Socialist doctrine of Nazi Germany.”\n\nCombat 18 is the armed branch of Blood & Honour and has conducted murders and bombings, the government said in the description of the group on the Public Safety Canada website.\n\nWATCH: How a former neo-Nazi leader left a life of violent extremism\n\nCanadian Anti-Hate Network chair Bernie Farber called the groups “extremely violent neo-Nazi organizations” and said he hoped other far right groups would be criminalized as well.\n\n“I’m hoping this is just the beginning and that there will be more, but this is a really good first start for Canada,” he said.\n\nListing terrorist groups makes it easier to prosecute supporters and helps counter terrorism financing, according to the government.\n\nREAD MORE: Trump warns of ‘obliteration’ after Iran slams ‘idiotic’ new U.S. sanctions\n\nAlso placed on the terrorist list Wednesday were three Shia militant groups supported by Iran: the Al-Ashtar Brigades, Harakat al-Sabireen and the Fatemiyoun Division.\n\nAccording to the government, the Al-Ashtar Brigades “aims to overthrow Bahrain’s Sunni monarchy.” Harakat al-Sabireen has operated in the Gaza Strip since 2014, the government said.\n\nWATCH: Calgary anti-racism advocate says terrorism list doesn’t go far enough\n\nFatemiyoun Division is fighting in Syria and is “comprised mainly of Afghan refugees recruited from Iran and Afghanistan.” It is “directed by Iran’s Qods Force, which, along with Hizballah also provides support and training.”\n\nThe Iranian-backed Shia groups were designated as terrorist groups by Canada at a time of heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington following Iranian attacks on ships and the downing of a U.S. drone.\n\nWATCH: Canadian Armed Forces members linked to six hate groups\n\nBut the addition of the first right-wing extremist groups to the terrorist list could have the biggest impact since Blood & Honour has a Canadian branch with a website.\n\n“This was an obvious one, low-hanging fruit, if you will, because of their international reputation for extremism, for violence, for terrorist activity,” said Prof. Barbara Perry, who studies hate and extremism.\n\nThe suspect arrested over the June 2 killing of German pro-refugee politician Walter Lübcke was reportedly linked to Combat 18, which uses the slogan, “whatever it takes!”\n\nBlood & Honour was founded in the United Kingdom in 1987 and “grew during the 1990s, establishing branches throughout Europe by the end of the decade,” the listing said.\n\n“B&H attacks have occurred in North America and in several EU-member states. In January 2012, four B&H members in Tampa, Florida, were convicted of the 1998 murder of two homeless men who were killed because the group considered them ‘inferior.’”\n\nREAD MORE: Canada is facing a growing threat from right-wing white supremacists and neo-Nazis\n\nB&H and C18 members also firebombed a building occupied mostly by Romani families, including children, in Aš, Czech Republic in February 2012, according to the listing.\n\nIn its annual report released Friday, CSIS described right-wing extremism as “driven by hatred and fear” and comprising “a complex range of individuals, subcultures and online communities.”\n\n“These individuals and groups cultivate grievances on issues as varied as gender, race, religion, sexual orientation and immigration,” the report said.\n\nSocial media had allowed the far right to spread its ideology and inspire attacks, it said.\n\n“CSIS has increased its posture to gain a better understanding of the landscape in Canada, gain insight into the key players and assess the nature of the current threat environment.”\n\nStewart.Bell@globalnews.ca", "The federal government has added two far-right groups to its list of terrorist entities, signalling the growing risk of violence posed by neo-Nazi and other extremist organizations in Canada.\n\nThe two groups, Blood & Honour and Combat 18, have a presence in Canada, according to the Department of Public Safety.\n\nAccording to the listing, Blood & Honour, founded in the United Kingdom in 1987, is an “international neo-Nazi network whose ideology is derived from the National Socialist doctrine of Nazi Germany.” The listing describes Combat 18 as the “armed branch” of Blood & Honour and says the group has “carried out violent actions, including murders and bombings.”\n\nMembers of Blood & Honour participated in the 1998 murder of two homeless men in Florida and the firebombing of a building occupied by Romani families in the Czech Republic in 2012, the federal government said.\n\nFollowing this listing, it is now an offence to “knowingly participate in or contribute to, directly or indirectly, any activity” of either Blood & Honour or Combat 18.\n\nThree Iran-backed Shia groups – Al-Ashtar Brigades, Fatemiyoun Division and Haraka al-Sabireen – have also been added to the list.\n\nThe new listings demonstrate the evolution of the threat of terrorism in Canada.\n\n“The principal terrorist threat to Canada continues to stem from individuals or groups who are inspired by violent ideologies and terrorist groups, such as Daesh or al-Qaida (AQ). Canada also remains concerned about threats posed by those who harbour right-wing extremist views,” says the 2018 Public Report on the Terrorism Threat to Canada.\n\nPublic Safety Minister Ralph Goodale announced the listings Wednesday along with new measures for dealing with extremist groups in Canada, including a $1-million fund to help internet companies detect the presence of terrorist content online and remove the material quickly from their servers.\n\nIn addition, the federal government will work with Facebook, Google, Twitter and Microsoft to hold a youth summit on countering violent extremism online. The date for the event has yet to be determined.", "OTTAWA — Canada’s official list of terrorist organizations now includes a white supremacist neo-Nazi organization and its “armed branch,” marking the first time that right-wing extremist groups have appeared on the list.\n\nThe move comes as the country’s national security agencies have increasingly identified right-wing extremism as a threat to Canadian security in their public reports. The updated list also includes three new groups described as Iranian-backed Shia militants.\n\nPublic Safety Minister Ralph Goodale announced the updated list on Wednesday in Regina, along with new measures to help prevent the spread of extremist content online.\n\n“At the same time as the internet has helped to build a more open, connected world, it has also increasingly become a tool for terrorism and violent extremism,” said a Public Safety Canada news release. “We must take coordinated action to prevent social media and other online platforms from being used as tools to incite, publish and promote terrorism, violence, and hatred.”\n\nThe Criminal Code list of terrorism entities now includes Blood and Honour, “an international neo-Nazi network whose ideology is derived from the National Socialist doctrine of Nazi Germany,” according to Public Safety Canada’s website. “Through their armed branch, Combat 18 (C18), the group has carried out violent actions, including murders and bombings.”\n\nThe listing says the group was founded in the United Kingdom in 1987 and established branches throughout Europe by the end of the 1990s. It says attacks have occurred in North America and Europe, including a February 2012 firebombing in the Czech Republic that targeted a building occupied by Roma families. It also says four Blood & Honour members in Tampa, Florida were convicted of murdering two homeless men they considered “inferior.”\n\nBlood and Honour is active in Canada, and its members and events are closely monitored by anti-hate activists. In 2011, two B.C. men identified as Blood and Honour members were charged over an alleged series of attacks on visible minorities, including setting a Filipino man on fire, but the charges were later stayed or resulted in acquittals. In 2012 and 2013 there were numerous court cases in Calgary and Edmonton involving Blood and Honour members, some of whom were convicted on weapons and assault charges.\n\nThe RCMP identified both Blood and Honour and Combat 18 as right-wing extremist groups in its 2017 Terrorism and Violent Extremism Awareness Guide, and said they were active in Ontario, Quebec and Alberta. “The various divisions of Blood & Honour organize concerts and white pride rallies that bring together skinheads and other neo-Nazi supporters,” the guide says. “Many acts of violence are attributed to members affiliated to the group.”\n\nOfficially listing a group as a terrorism entity allows authorities to seize the group’s property, prevent financial institutions from doing business with the group, and prosecute people who “knowingly participate in or contribute to, directly or indirectly, any activity” of the group. “This participation is only an offence if its purpose is to enhance the ability of any terrorist group to facilitate or carry out a terrorist activity,” Public Safety Canada’s website says.\n\nThe other new entries to the official terrorism list announced on Wednesday are the Al-Ashtar Brigades, Harakat al-Sabireen and the Fatemiyoun Division. All are Shia militant groups supported by Iran, according to Public Safety Canada, and operate in Bahrain, the Gaza Strip, and Syria, respectively.\n\nGoodale’s announcement also included a $1-million grant to the United Nations’ Tech Against Terrorism initiative “to create a digital repository that will notify smaller companies when new terrorist content is detected, which will support them in quickly removing it.” He said the government will also help organize a youth summit to “bring young people together to learn about violent extremism and terrorism online, and develop effective tools to push back against this content and discourage its sharing.”\n\nThe commitments are part of Canada’s response to the Christchurch Call to Action, a vow to take action against the spread of extremist content online. It was made at a meeting of world leaders in Paris last month in response to a mass shooting at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, that killed 51 people.", "The Liberal government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has added two international neo-Nazi groups to Canada’s list of outlawed terrorist organizations as part of new measures to combat online hate, Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale announced Wednesday.\n\nBlood & Honour and Combat 18, which have a presence in Canada, are the first far-right extremism groups to be included on Ottawa’s terror list, Goodale said.\n\n“This is an important step in Canada’s efforts to combat violent extremism in all forms,” Goodale said at a news conference in Regina, Saskatchewan.\n\n“It will help facilitate the laying of terrorism charges against perpetrators and supporters of terrorism and it will also help block the flow of financial resources to terrorist groups when such groups use Canada’s financial system.”\n\nAccording to the government list of terrorist entities, Blood & Honour (B&H) is an international neo-Nazi network whose ideology is derived from the National Socialist doctrine of Nazi Germany.\n\nWhile B&H mostly deals with propaganda, notably by organizing concerts to galvanize supporters and recruit new ones, Combat 18 (C18) represents the armed wing of the movement and has conducted attacks, including bombings and murder, in North America and across Europe.\n\nThe number 18 in the group’s name stands for Adolf Hitler and corresponds to the numerical position of the letters “A” and “H” in the alphabet.\n\nIn January 2012, four B&H members in Tampa, Florida, were convicted of the 1998 murder of two homeless men who were killed because the group considered them “inferior,” according to the federal list.\n\nIn February 2012, members of B&H and C18 firebombed a building occupied mostly by Romani families, including children, in Aš, Czech Republic.\n\nB&H was founded in the United Kingdom in 1987 and grew during the 1990s, establishing branches throughout Europe by the end of the decade.\n\nThree other groups linked to the Iranian regime — Al-Ashtar Brigades (AAB), Fatemiyoun Division (FD) and Harakat al-Sabireen (HaS) — also have been added to the list.\n\nGoodale also announced $1 million in funding for a United Nations initiative called Tech Against Terrorism, which helps the global information technology industry tackle terrorist exploitation of its tech and supports smaller companies in protecting their users and reputations.\n\nThe money will be used to create a digital repository that will notify smaller social media and Internet companies when new terrorist content is detected to help them in quickly removing it, Goodale said.", "The violent neo-Nazi group Blood & Honour was banned from Facebook on Thursday, after it was placed on Canada’s list of terrorist organizations.\n\nThe Blood & Honour Facebook page went down two hours after Global News asked the social media company why it remained online.\n\nFacebook removed the page for violating its community standards and banned the group. Blood & Honour was also banned from Instagram.\n\nREAD MORE: Canada adds neo-Nazi groups Blood & Honour, Combat 18 to list of terror organizations\n\nA half-dozen Canadian Facebook pages were taken down in April as part of a crackdown on extremist content in the wake of the New Zealand mosque killings.\n\nThe latest action came a day after the government announced it had added Blood & Honour, and its armed branch Combat 18, to Canada’s watch list of terrorist entities.\n\n“Individuals and organizations who spread hate, attack, or call for the exclusion of others on the basis of who they are have no place on our services,” a Facebook spokesperson said.\n\nOn Facebook, the neo-Nazi group had been advertising t-shirts and hoodies bearing images of firearms and logos such as “hate crew” and “Terror Machine Combat 18.”\n\nWATCH: (June 26, 2019) Calgary anti-racism advocate says terrorism list doesn’t go far enough\n\nBut while the Facebook page was removed, the website of Blood & Honour and Combat 18 was seemingly unaffected by the government action.\n\nRCMP Staff Sgt. Tania Vaughan said the service provider of the website would be required to shut it down if it was hosted in Canada.\n\nREAD MORE: Goodale pledges $1M to UN extremism fund but mum on forcing content removal\n\n“If a website is hosted outside Canada, the RCMP can work with the host country’s law enforcement to determine whether they can provide assistance in shutting down the website,” she said.\n\nBlood & Honour and Combat 18 are the first right-wing extremist groups to be added to Canada’s terrorist list, making it illegal to deal with their assets.\n\nThey are part of an international neo-Nazi network that has conducted attacks in North America and Europe.\n\nA report by Alberta’s Organization for the Prevention of Violence said Blood & Honour had emerged in the province a decade ago from the Aryan Nations.\n\nBut it said that while its membership had peaked at 60 to 70 in 2016-2017, it was unable to expand out of southern Alberta and was in decline.\n\nIt also has a presence in other provinces, including Ontario.\n\nAlso placed on the terrorist list Wednesday were three Shia militant groups supported by Iran: the Al-Ashtar Brigades, Harakat al-Sabireen, and the Fatemiyoun Division.", "OTTAWA - For the first time, Canada has placed right-wing extremist groups on the national list of terrorist organizations.\n\nBlood & Honour, an international neo-Nazi network, and its armed branch, Combat 18, have been added to the roster, opening the door to stiff criminal sanctions.\n\nThey join more than 50 other organizations on the list including al-Qaida, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, Boko Haram and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.\n\nA group on Canada's terrorist list may have their assets seized, and there are serious criminal penalties for helping listed organizations carry out extremist activities.\n\nBlood & Honour, founded in Britain in 1987, has established branches throughout Europe, executing violent attacks there and in North America.\n\nIn its listing notice, Public Safety Canada says members of Blood & Honour and Combat 18 firebombed a building occupied mostly by Romani families, including children, in the Czech Republic in 2012.\n\nIn addition, four Blood & Honour members in Tampa, Fla., were convicted in 2012 of the 1998 murder of two homeless men who were killed because the group considered them “inferior,” the department says.\n\nThe listings are recognition of the growing concern about the presence and influence of far-right groups in Canada.\n\nIn its latest public report, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service said it is increasingly preoccupied by the violent threat posed by those looking to support or engage in violence that is racially motivated, ethno-nationalist, anti-government or misogynist in nature.\n\nThe Liberal government also added three organizations aligned with the Iranian regime - Al-Ashtar Brigades, Fatemiyoun Division and Harakat al-Sabireen - to the terrorist roster.\n\n“Whatever the source or the orientation of violent extremism, it is all the product of the same depraved mentality,” Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said in Regina.\n\nGoodale announced up to $1 million in federal funding to create a digital repository meant to help smaller online companies prevent dissemination of extremist content.\n\nTerrorists and other extremists are misusing cyberspace for their causes, he said.\n\n“They are exploiting social media and other online platforms to spread dangerous propaganda, recruit new members, and promote and incite violence and hatred. More and more on the internet, toxic rhetoric is breaking into the mainstream. It's open and it's brazen.”\n\nCanada will also support a youth summit on countering violent online activity.\n\nThe event will bring young people together to learn about violent extremism and terrorism online, and develop tools to push back against this content and discourage its sharing, Public Safety Canada said.\n\nRepresentatives from technology companies, including Twitter, Facebook, Microsoft and Google, will help shape the event and work directly with young people to develop ideas.", "OTTAWA—Canada has added two far-right extremist groups to its list of terrorist entities for the first time.\n\nPublic Safety Minister Ralph Goodale announced that \"Blood & Honour\" and \"Combat 18\" — two neo-Nazi groups — have been added to Canada's list of terrorist entities.\n\nBlood & Honour is an international neo-Nazi network founded in the United Kingdom in the late 1980s, according to the government's listing. Combat 18 is their \"armed branch,\" which has \"carried out violent actions, including murders and bombings.\"\n\n\"The impacts of terrorist and extremist content online are increasingly reaching the real world, bringing with them abhorrent violence and carnage,\" Goodale said in a statement.\n\n\"Today, the Government of Canada has taken new steps to tackle hatred and violence online, and carry out our commitments made in the Christchurch Call to Action.\"\n\nThe move to list far-right groups alongside terrorist organizations like Daesh and Al Qaeda sends a signal to both extremists here in Canada as well as the country's law enforcement and intelligence agencies, according to former CSIS analyst Jessica Davis.\n\n\"It really puts extreme right groups in Canada on notice that they're no longer going to get a pass … in terms of the kind of activities they're engaged in and the groups that they've been linked to,\" Davis, the president of Insight Threat Intelligence and an expert in far-right extremism, told the Star Wednesday.\n\n\"(It also) has some real life implications for their financial transactions. So groups and individuals that are closely linked to those groups are prohibited from basically transacting with the Canadian financial sector once they've been listed. So they won't be able to fundraise…or moving any money internationally.\"\n\nRight-wing extremism has been a growing concern for Canadian law enforcement and intelligence agencies since 2017, when a gunman killed six worshippers at a Quebec City mosque. Evidence at Alexandre Bissonnette's trial suggested he was inspired by far-right voices online.\n\nBefore that shooting, Canada's domestic intelligence agency — the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) — had abandoned their long-running investigation into far-right groups operating in Canada. That investigation has since been reopened.", "OTTAWA—Canada has added two far-right extremist groups to its list of terrorist entities for the first time. Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale announced that “Blood & Honour” and “Combat 18” — two neo-Nazi groups — have been added to Canada’s list of terrorist entities.\n\nBlood & Honour is an international neo-Nazi network founded in the United Kingdom in the late 1980s, according to the government’s listing. Combat 18 is their “armed branch,” which has “carried out violent actions, including murders and bombings.” “The impacts of terrorist and extremist content online are increasingly reaching the real world, bringing with them abhorrent violence and carnage,” Goodale said in a statement. “Today, the Government of Canada has taken new steps to tackle hatred and violence online, and carry out our commitments made in the Christchurch Call to Action.”\n\nThe move to list far-right groups alongside terrorist organizations like Daesh and Al Qaeda sends a signal to both extremists here in Canada as well as the country’s law enforcement and intelligence agencies, according to former CSIS analyst Jessica Davis. “It really puts extreme right groups in Canada on notice that they’re no longer going to get a pass … in terms of the kind of activities they’re engaged in and the groups that they’ve been linked to,” Davis, the president of Insight Threat Intelligence and an expert in far-right extremism, told the Star Wednesday. “(It also) has some real life implications for their financial transactions. So groups and individuals that are closely linked to those groups are prohibited from basically transacting with the Canadian financial sector once they’ve been listed. So they won’t be able to fundraise…or moving any money internationally.” Right-wing extremism has been a growing concern for Canadian law enforcement and intelligence agencies since 2017, when a gunman killed six worshippers at a Quebec City mosque. Evidence at Alexandre Bissonnette’s trial suggested he was inspired by far-right voices online. Before that shooting, Canada’s domestic intelligence agency — the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) — had abandoned their long-running investigation into far-right groups operating in Canada. That investigation has since been reopened.\n\nIn a statement, the National Council of Canadian Muslims called the listing of neo-Nazi groups a “first step toward countering white supremacist and far-right extremism” in Canada. “The threat these groups have posed to minority communities in Canada cannot be understated,” said NCCM executive director Mustafa Farooq in a statement.\n\n“At the same time, we recognize much more needs to happen to actually counter these groups and keep our communities safe.” Alex Boutilier is an Ottawa-based reporter covering national politics. Follow him on Twitter: @alexboutilier", "OTTAWA: Canada on Wednesday placed far right organizations on its terror watch list for the first time, after intelligence services said they had raised their level of vigilance on two groups.\n\n\n\nPublic Safety Canada published an update to its \"Listed Terrorist Entities\" that included \"Blood & Honour\" and its armed branch, \"Combat 18.\"\n\nThe two groups are described as international neo-Nazi networks \"whose ideology is derived from the National Socialist doctrine of Nazi Germany.\"\n\nFounded in Britain in 1987, Blood & Honour has carried out violent acts \"including murders and bombings\" via Combat 18, the Canadian statement said.\n\n\"B&H attacks have occurred in North America and in several EU-member states,\" the statement read, referring to the 2012 conviction of four B&H members in Florida for the 1998 murder of two homeless men.\n\nIt also mentioned the 2012 firebombing of a building in the Czech Republic \"occupied mostly by Romani families, including children.\"\n\nThere are 60 groups on Canada´s \"Listed Terrorist Entities,\" mostly jihadist groups but also violent nationalist groups and leftist guerrillas.\n\nThe addition of the neo-Nazi groups to the list comes after Friday´s publication of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service´s 2018 report.\n\n\"Canada has experienced several violent attacks since 2014, perpetrated by individuals influenced in whole or in part by right-wing extremism,\" the report said.\n\nIt mentioned the shooting of three police officers in Moncton in 2014, a shooting at the Islamic Cultural Centre of Quebec City in 2017 and a 2018 van attack in Toronto.", "In a Wednesday news release, Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada said Blood & Honour and Combat 18 have been added to the government’s list of terrorist entities.\n\nEDMONTON—The federal government has added two neo-Nazi groups — both of which have had a significant presence in Alberta — to its list of terrorist entities, the first time far-right extremist organizations have made the list.\n\nJohn McCoy, executive director of the Organization for the Prevention of Violence, an Alberta-based group that researches hate-motivated violence, described Blood & Honour and Combat 18 as violent neo-Nazi groups that have had a significant presence in Calgary for years.\n\n“The impacts of terrorist and extremist content online are increasingly reaching the real world, bringing with them abhorrent violence and carnage. Today, the Government of Canada has taken new steps to tackle hatred and violence online,” said Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Minister Ralph Goodale in a statement.\n\nThe change is part of Canada adopting the Christchurch Call to Action, an initiative by the New Zealand government to eliminate terrorist and violent extremist content online in the wake of the Christchurch mosque shootings that left 51 people dead.\n\nHe called the labelling of the extremist groups as terrorist entities precedent setting.\n\nBlood & Honour is an international network of loosely-affiliated neo-Nazi gangs based in the United Kingdom. Having originally emerged from the 1980s skinhead music scene, the group has been linked to violent incidents in Alberta and abroad. Public Safety Canada lists two violent incidents carried out by Blood & Honour members on its website.\n\n“I think Christchurch was a wake-up call for western governments around the world,” he said in reference to why he believes governments are taking right-wing extremism more seriously.\n\n“It’s something we should take seriously,” McCoy said.\n\nIn Alberta, the group was founded as Aryan Guard in 2006 before later changing their name to Blood & Honour. Combat 18 is an affiliated group that subscribes to the idea of “leaderless resistance,” McCoy said. Leaderless resistance is a concept that advocates for acts of political violence without any call to action or centralized leadership so as to shield the movement’s actual leaders from law enforcement.\n\nA website that claims to represent Blood and Honour Canada, also listed there as Club 28, called the group a “culturally in-tune organization” that aims to “raise awareness of issues concerning our unique and combined European cultures and heritage.”\n\nA Facebook page for 28 Events, which lists the same website as its home page, organized a Canada Day Campout with a Blood & Honour logo in Alberta as recently as June 2018.\n\nAccording to a recent report on hate-motivated violence by the Organization for the Prevention of Violence, Blood & Honour peaked in Alberta at roughly 60-70 members between 2016-17. The report notes the group tried to soften its image to appeal to a new generation of white nationalists on the internet during that period.\n\nThe group was successful in expanding and establishing a foothold in Calgary and southern Alberta, McCoy said. The report says Calgary became an “epicentre” for violent, white power skinheads, neo-Nazis and white nationalists between 2006 and 2017. The highest level of violence was between 2008 and 2012.\n\n“During these years there were roughly 10 noteworthy incidents of violence. This included serious assaults on immigrants and visible minorities in Calgary and Edmonton, at least five homicides, and periodic bouts of in-fighting between supremacist groups involving assaults, attempted murder and the use of explosives,” the report said.\n\nFor unknown reasons, the group never successfully expanded in the provincial capital, McCoy said.\n\n“There’s not much of a presence in Edmonton, historically or today,” he said. “They would come up for events from Calgary and definitely had people sort of within their network. But they had trouble, for whatever reason, establishing a formal presence in Edmonton.”\n\nThe groups’ membership tends to fluctuate based on the presence of capable leadership, McCoy said. In Alberta, the groups have seen a significant decline in recent years.\n\nFaisal Khan Suri, president of the Alberta Muslim Public Affairs Council, which has urged the federal government to add far-right extremist groups such as the Three Percenters to their list of terrorist entities, welcomed the news about Blood & Honour and Combat 18.\n\n“It’s definitely good to see that the first step has been taken so that we can eradicate our society of such extremist groups,” Suri said.\n\nBut he emphasized that it’s a first step — he said many neo-Nazi groups associate with each other and when one becomes inactive, another picks up where the last one left off.\n\nHe said stemming the tide of hate online is an “ever-growing battle.”\n\n“It has to be a very rigorous and continuous effort.”\n\nIn the news release, the government also announced funding for a partnership with a group called Tech Against Terrorism to create a digital repository of terrorist content, as well as with the Youth Summit on Countering Violent Extremism Online.\n\nOmar Mosleh is an Edmonton-based reporter covering inner-city issues, affordable housing and reconciliation. Follow him on Twitter: @OmarMosleh"], "summary": "Canada's government adds Neo-Nazi groups Blood & Honour and Combat 18 to its list of designated terrorist organizations. It is the first time that extreme far-right groups have been designated as terrorist in Canada. Three Shia militant groups, including the Iranian-backed Al-Ashtar Brigades are also banned."}
{"document": ["Members of the media gather for a walk-through of the stage set-up for the first democratic debate, Wednesday, June 26, 2019. Ten presidential candidates, led by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, are set to converge on the debate stage on the first night of Democratic debates to offer their pitches to the American people and attempt a breakout moment for their campaigns. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)\n\nWASHINGTON (AP) — Sixty seconds for answers, a television audience of millions and, for some candidates, a first chance to introduce themselves to voters.\n\nThe back-to-back Democratic presidential debates beginning Wednesday are exercises in competitive sound bites featuring 20 candidates hoping to oust President Donald Trump in 2020. The participants range widely in age, sex and backgrounds and include a former vice president, six women and a pair of mayors.\n\nThe challenge: Convey their plans for the nation, throw a few elbows and sharpen what’s been a blur of a race so far for many Americans.\n\nSen. Elizabeth Warren’s task is to harness her campaign’s momentum to convince voters that she has what it takes to defeat Trump. As the sole top-tier candidate on stage Wednesday, she could have the most to lose.\n\nThe Massachusetts senator and former Harvard professor is known for her many policy plans and a mastery of classical, orderly debate. But presidential showdowns can be more “Gladiator”-style than the high-minded “Great Debaters.”\n\nThis is no time for a wonky multipoint case for “Medicare for All,” student debt relief or the Green New Deal.\n\nSo, one challenge for Warren, 70, is stylistic. Look for her to try to champion her progressive ideas — and fend off attacks from lesser-known candidates — with gravitas, warmth and the brevity required by the format.\n\n“Preparing for the debates is trying to learn to speak in 60 seconds or less,” she said in Miami, ahead of a visit she live-streamed to a migrant detention center in Homestead, Florida.\n\nAnother obstacle is to do so without alienating the moderate voters any Democrat would need in a general election to beat Trump.\n\nBeing the front-runner on stage conveys a possible advantage: If the others pile on Warren, she gets more time to speak because the candidates are allowed 30 extra seconds for responses.\n\nThere may be some familiar faces across the rest of the stage, such as New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, 50, or former Texas congressman Beto O’Rourke, 46. But a few names probably won’t ring any bells at all.\n\nThese virtual strangers to most Americans may be enjoying their first — and maybe last — turn on the national stage, so they have the least to lose.\n\nTake John Delaney, 56, a former member of the House from Maryland. Look for him to try to make an impression by keeping up his criticism of Warren’s plans.\n\nOr Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan, 45, who sits on the powerful House Appropriations Committee. He has likened the Democratic primary to “speed dating with the American people.”\n\nFor several of the candidates onstage Wednesday, the forum is about finding the breakout moment — a zinger, a burn — that stays in viewers’ minds, is built for social media and generates donations, the lifeblood of campaigns.\n\nIn 2015, Republican presidential candidate Carly Fiorina won applause and a short surge for her response to Trump, who had been quoted in Rolling Stone as criticizing Fiorina’s face.\n\n“Look at that face,” Trump was quoted as saying. “Would anyone vote for that?”\n\nAsked on CNN to respond, Fiorina evenly replied: “I think women all over this country heard very clearly what Mr. Trump said.”\n\nFor candidates such as O’Rourke, a breakthrough moment on Wednesday is critical to revitalizing a campaign that has faded. The 10 White House contenders have two hours on stage that night and up until the curtain rises on the star-studded second debate the next day to make their mark. Former Vice President Joe Biden, 76, and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, 77, headline Thursday’s debate and are certain to take up much of the spotlight.\n\nAn “oops” moment can be politically crippling to any presidential campaign.\n\nJust ask Energy Secretary Rick Perry, the former Texas governor who, in a 2011 debate, blanked on the third agency of government he had said would be “gone” if he became president.\n\n“Commerce, Education and the, uh, what’s the third one there?” Perry said.\n\n“Oops,” he finished. Perry’s campaign, already struggling, never recovered.\n\nThere’s simply no time for an in-depth discussion of issues. But the migrant crisis would be an apt topic, even in shorthand. Dominating the news in the hours before the showdown were vivid news reports and images of the toll of the administration’s policy on children, especially.\n\nExpect at least a mention, or perhaps the appearance, of a bracing photo of the bodies of a migrant father and his 23-month-old daughter face-down along the Rio Grande.\n\nIn addition to Warren, other candidates were visiting the migrant center in Homestead, Florida, while they were in Miami for the debates.\n\nThis is the Democrats’ night.\n\nBut Trump has dominated the political conversation since that escalator ride four years ago, and he loathes being upstaged. It’s worth asking: Will he tweet during the debates? And if he does, will NBC and the moderators ignore him or respond in real time?\n\nNBC News executive Rashida Jones said the focus will be on the candidates and the issues.\n\n“Beyond that, it has to rise to a certain level,” she said.\n\nDuring Wednesday’s debate, Trump will be on Air Force One on his way to the Group of 20 summit in Osaka, Japan. The plane’s cable televisions are usually turned to Fox News, which is not hosting the debates. For the second debate, Trump will be beginning meetings at the G-20.\n\nTrump told Fox Business Network on Wednesday that he’d watch because “it’s part of my life” but that “It just seems very boring. … That’s a very unexciting group of people.”", "Ten presidential candidates, led by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, will converge on the debate stage on Wednesday on the first night of Democratic debates to offer their pitches to voters and attempt a breakout moment for their campaigns.\n\nFor many of the White House hopefuls, it will be the highest-profile opportunity yet to offer their vision for the country and, if for just two hours, chip into a political news cycle often dominated by President Donald Trump. Given the massive field , the debate will be split over two nights , with 10 other candidates — including former Vice President Joe Biden and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders — appearing Thursday.\n\nBut on opening night, Warren will take center stage. The Massachusetts senator's constant stream of policy proposals has helped her campaign gain ground. Strategists say that Warren, widely viewed as a talented debater, is well positioned to showcase her strengths.\n\n\"I don't think anyone else on that night has her level of skill and her level of experience in this format,\" said Maria Cardona, a Democratic strategist. \"I think she should look at this as an opportunity to really shine and come out of the first night as the one that is dominating the conversation.\"\n\nYet Warren could still face challenges. The other candidates on stage Wednesday aren't as well known and could use the moment to take aggressive stances against Warren in an effort to find a breakout moment.\n\n\"She's liable to have a target on her back and a lot of people potentially coming after her on that stage,\" said Charles Chamberlain, the chairman of the progressive political action committee Democracy for America. \"But on the other hand, that will let people see how she handles attacks and can fend them off.\"\n\nAsked whether she felt the pressure of effectively being the front-runner during the first debate, Warren shrugged off her center-stage position.\n\n\"This is just a chance to be able to talk to people all across this country about how this government works better and better and better for a thinner and thinner slice at the top, and it's just not working for the rest of America, she told reporters after her Tuesday rally in Miami. \"2020's our chance to change that.\"\"\n\nBeyond Warren, the candidates who will debate on Wednesday are Sens. Cory Booker of New Jersey and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, Reps. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii and Tim Ryan of Ohio and former Reps. Beto O'Rourke of Texas and John Delaney of Maryland, along with Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio and ex-Obama housing secretary Julián Castro.\n\nOne split that could emerge Wednesday centers on \"Medicare for All,\" the single-payer health plan introduced by Sanders and supported by Warren and others. But some candidates are not fully on board, preferring more incremental reforms. Delaney has been especially vocal in his criticism.\n\nWith so many White House hopefuls on stage, it could be difficult to dive too deep on any given issue. NBC News, which is hosting the debate, said candidates will have 60 seconds to answer questions and 30 seconds for follow-ups. They will be allowed closing statements but no openers.\n\nAll the candidates are competing ahead of a major fundraising deadline that will have lasting implications. The end of the second fundraising quarter on Sunday gives candidates a chance to make a splash with strong numbers ahead of the mid-July deadline to report that information to the Federal Election Commission.\n\nA strong debate performance could fuel more donations, which is critical to the candidates' ability to participate in future debates. The Democratic National Committee is enforcing more stringent requirements for participating in the presidential primary debates this fall, so candidates who are struggling to gain a foothold may not have another similar opportunity on a nationally televised stage unless they are able to significantly boost their standing in the polls and fundraising numbers.\n\n\"For some of them, this might be their best opportunity to land a blow,\" said Joel Payne, a Democratic strategist.\n\nThe debate will unfold as many Democratic voters are just beginning to tune in.\n\nOnly 35% of registered Democrats say they're paying close attention to the campaign, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Two-thirds say they're paying some or no attention.\n\n\"People may have heard (the candidates') names, but they couldn't pick them out and don't know much about them,\" said Jesse Ferguson, a veteran Democratic strategist. \"None of them are going to seal the deal in the first debate, but they need to get people interested enough to want to learn more.\n\nThe debate's second night on Thursday features more of the leading Democrats in the race. Biden will stand at center stage with Sanders at his left and Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana, at his right. The former vice president has come under fire from fellow Democrats after recently recalling that the Senate was once a more civil place, pointing to his work with two segregationist former senators.\n\nSeveral of the candidates went to Florida early to raise money or court voters in the critical battleground state. Buttigieg held two Florida fundraisers on Monday night and stayed in Florida for debate prep. Warren, meanwhile, was in the state Tuesday to campaign for her new proposal to boost election security .\n\nNot to be outdone, Vice President Mike Pence was also in Miami on Tuesday to launch \"Latinos for Trump\" as part of an effort to engage Latino voters for 2020. The Trump campaign said it was running ads in Wednesday's Miami Herald and El Nuevo Herald touting the president's achievements on behalf of Latinos.\n\nAssociated Press writers Sara Burnett in Chicago, David Bauder in New York, Alexandra Jaffe in Miami and Elana Schor in Washington contributed to this report.", "As a national furor unfolded over the harsh conditions immigrant children are being subjected to in the U.S., Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren climbed a step ladder and waved at teenagers being held behind a chain-link fence covered with a mesh screen.\n\n\"These children pose no threat to people here in the United States of America,\" the Massachusetts senator told reporters when she was back on solid ground, \"and yet they are locked up here for weeks, for months, because our government is following a policy of inflicting maximum pain on families that flee here trying to build a better life.\"\n\nWarren is one of nearly a dozen White House hopefuls who transformed the nation's largest child migrant detention center into a must-stop destination on the campaign trail. With presidential debates Wednesday and Thursday in nearby Miami, candidates were eager to visit Homestead to turn the facility into a symbol of the Trump administration's harsh treatment of young migrants.\n\nThat treatment could become a galvanizing issue for Americans following the drownings earlier this week of a Salvadoran man and his toddler daughter, captured by a journalist in a searing photograph.\n\nPresident Donald Trump on Wednesday blamed Democrats for the deaths, saying their party refuses to fund his immigration priorities and change laws for entering the country. Democrats accuse the Republican president of preventing families from seeking asylum and of holding migrant children in filthy conditions, such as the ones found last week by a team of lawyers at a border facility in Clint, Texas.\n\nWarren, unveiling her plan to ban private detention providers, last week called out Caliburn International, the private company behind the Homestead site, for recently appointing former White House chief of staff John Kelly as a board member. The year before Trump was sworn in, Kelly had served on the boards of the private equity firm that created Caliburn. In 2017, he became the first official to say publicly that the Trump administration was considering separating children from their parents to deter families from journeying north. Warren and other lawmakers have urged investigations into the latest no-bid contract awarded to one of the company's subsidiaries for $341 million.\n\nThe teens at the Homestead facility are mostly fleeing gang violence or poverty. Although many traveled to the U.S. without family, they have described in court documents the devastation of being taken from aunts, uncles or older siblings before ending up in custody of the Department of Health and Human Services. Last year, a now-defunct policy implemented by the Trump administration led to more than 2,700 children being separated from parents, causing mass outrage.\n\nNone of the candidates has been allowed into the Homestead facility, which holds about 2,500 children.\n\nHealth and Human Services spokeswoman Evelyn Stauffer said in an email that members of Congress are welcome to tour the facility but that there's a minimum two-week notice required, a policy she said had been in place since 2015.\n\nMinnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar stopped by on Wednesday afternoon, and California Rep. Eric Swalwell visited on Monday. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and former Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke scheduled campaign stops Thursday, and six others, including South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, announced Friday visits.\n\nProtesters have had a regular presence outside the facility. Drenched in sweat from the intense heat, protesters on Wednesday shouted \"Homes Instead!\" A mother showed up with her three young children, two of whom sat in a stroller and held signs that read \"Close the camps.\"\n\nRepublicans accused the Democratic candidates of trying to score cheap political points with the pilgrimages to Homestead, saying they should be focused on crafting solutions to problems with the nation's immigration system.\n\n\"If Democrats actually cared about the migrant children instead of using them for political purposes, they would close the loopholes,\" Republican National Committee spokesman Steve Guest said.\n\nFederal lawmakers and immigrant rights advocates have called for the detention center to be shut down, saying it is holding children for too long in \"prison-like\" conditions. A Clinton-era settlement generally bars the government from holding children longer than 20 days, but some children at Homestead said they had been there for months.\n\nCaliburn said in a statement that it operates temporary shelters to protect \"vulnerable, unaccompanied young people\" and provide them with services including classes, recreation and medical care, \"not private prisons or detention centers.\"\n\n\"Those who suggest otherwise are intentionally creating a false and deceptive description to mislead the public and score political points,\" the company said.\n\nImmigrant advocates express concerns the facility is not licensed by the state. The Florida Department of Children and Families does not conduct regular inspections, saying it has no jurisdiction because the property stands on federal grounds. The federal government has waived child abuse and neglect checks on employees.\n\nA motion filed last month in a federal court included dozens of testimonials from children who complain they cry because they miss their families and are allowed only limited phone calls. They are obligated to follow numerous strict rules, such as no touching or hugging friends, or risk prolonging their detention or facing deportation.\n\nAdvocates wrote some of the testimonials on poster board and planted them in a grassy area outside the facility on Wednesday, giving the appearance of campaign yard signs.\n\nA boy who told lawyers he had been there for four months said he had been punched in the face by another child and had not seen a doctor. A girl told attorneys she and her sister were at the same facility but in separate areas and could see each other only once a week. Another teen was not allowed to make phone calls to family members on his 17th birthday. And many children described frustration at the process of reunification, saying they could not understand why it was taking so long to be released when they had relatives in the U.S.\n\nSwalwell said he stopped by Homestead to show the children that officials are working to close down such facilities.\n\n\"These children are not forgotten; these children are thought about, heard about, every single day,\" Swalwell said. \"And inside Congress there are more people than not who want to close these camps. We just need a president that would never allow a camp like this to exist in the first place.\"", "Democratic presidential candidates will descend on Miami this week for the first pair of debates with many hoping to do what only few so far have achieved: score a breakout moment.", "(CNN) - The first 2020 Democratic presidential debates are here, giving the 20 qualifying candidates the best opportunity to break through the crowded field in front of a national audience.\n\nThis is the first time that candidates will be able to draw contrasts with their rivals in a face-to-face setting.\n\nHere is how to watch:\n\nWhen are the first debates?\n\nThe first pair of Democratic debates is taking place on Wednesday and Thursday in Miami from 9 to 11 p.m. EDT on NBC.\n\nGet ready for the debates all day on CNN.com and then stay with us for real-time news, analysis and fact-checking during and after the debates. CNN will have live TV programming starting at 11 p.m. EDT breaking down the biggest moments and story lines from the first debates.\n\nWhat are the lineups?\n\nThree Democratic hopefuls -- Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, Rep. Seth Moulton of Massachusetts and Mayor Wayne Messam of Miramar, Florida -- did not qualify for the first contests. Former Rep. Joe Sestak of Pennsylvania entered the race too late to qualify for this initial set of debates.\n\nHow were the debate stages decided?\n\nCandidates had to qualify for the first debates by either receiving at least 1% support in three polls from an approved list of pollsters or receiving campaign contributions from 65,000 unique donors, including 200 donors each from 20 different states.\n\nNBC divided the 20 qualifying candidates into two groups: those with polling averages at 2% or higher and those whose polling averages are under 2%. NBC then did a random selection, dividing up the top tier and lower tier into the two nights.\n\nWhat are the rules for the debates?\n\nCandidates have one minute to respond to questions and 30 seconds for follow-ups, according to NBC News. Each two-hour debate will be divided into five parts with four commercial breaks.\n\nCandidates will not have the opportunity to make opening remarks but will be given time for closing statements.\n\nCatch up on the candidates\n• 'Every one of the decisions is her decision:' Inside Elizabeth Warren's policy factory\n• What's behind Elizabeth Warren's rise? This wall of letters at her campaign HQ offers some clues\n• Elizabeth Warren's rise opens a new chapter in the progressive primary\n• Elizabeth Warren flew out of DC's most notorious airport gate. Here's what happened.\n• Beto O'Rourke is polling worse than ever\n• Cory Booker steps into the spotlight with forceful rebuke of Joe Biden\n• Cory Booker is using an Oscar-nominated documentary to boost his 2020 bid\n• Can love and unity beat Trump in 2020? Cory Booker wants to find out\n• Iowa Democrats have struggled to organize Latinos. Julián Castro is trying to change that.\n• Julián Castro on new policing plan: 'The system is broken'\n• Tulsi Gabbard won't say whether Syria's Assad is a war criminal\n• Tulsi Gabbard once touted working for anti-gay group that backed conversion therapy\n• Gabbard says deploying to the Middle East changed her views on LGBT rights\n• Jay Inslee calls out Joe Biden on combating climate change: 'We have to live in the real world here'\n• Klobuchar lists actions she would take in first 100 days as president\n• Amy Klobuchar's novel pitch for the Democratic nomination: Pragmatism\n• Amy Klobuchar defends her staff treatment, says toughness needed when dealing with Putin\n• The math is against Bill de Blasio 2020\n• John Delaney booed by California Democrats after criticizing 'Medicare for All'\n• Tim Ryan: I'm going to fight for the Americans Trump abandoned\n• 'Barack picked him for a reason': South Carolina voters stand by Joe Biden after comments about segregationist senators\n• 'He's going to have to earn it': Can Joe Biden hold on to his place as Democratic front-runner?\n• Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren clash escalates in contest for progressive champion\n• Bernie Sanders unveils plan to cancel all $1.6 trillion of student loan debt\n• Bernie Sanders makes the case for democratic socialism as Trump attacks and moderate Democrats worry\n• Kamala Harris touts prosecutor past as a strength: 'I know how to take on predators'\n• Kamala Harris unveils immigration plan to expand deferred action, use executive action to provide pathway to citizenship\n• Kirsten Gillibrand is campaigning by living her best life. So why aren't voters responding?\n• Kirsten Gillibrand embraces Fox News host calling her not 'very polite'\n• With viral speech as his introduction, Sen. Michael Bennet tests the waters in Iowa\n• Michael Bennet links conservation with global warming in new climate plan\n• Marianne Williamson moves to Des Moines in bid for the Iowa caucuses\n• Marianne Williamson apologizes, says she misspoke in calling vaccines 'draconian'\n• Swalwell: \"I'm running for president to stop the shootings\"\n• Andrew Yang announces he will pay a second voter $1,000 a month\n• Andrew Yang: We're undergoing the greatest economic transformation in our history\n• Hickenlooper knocks DC politicians: They just spend their time 'pointing fingers'\n• John Hickenlooper didn't mean to forget who you are: How face blindness has affected his political career", "The field of Democrats hoping to face off against President Trump in the 2020 presidential election is, um, crowded—but of course, it’s also diverse and exciting. So far, more than *20* candidates have thrown their hats in the ring, and now we’re finally getting the chance to watch ’em duke it out on the debate stage. (From the comfort of your own couch, with a glass of wine in hand, obvi.) Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the first Democratic presidential candidates debate.\n\nSo, when and where is the debate taking place?\n\nIt’s all happening on Wednesday, June 26, and Thursday, June 27, from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. EST in Miami, Florida, at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts. Since there’s a crazy number of candidates in the running, the Democratic National Committee has decided—for the first time ever—to hold the debate over the course of two nights.\n\nAccording to The New York Times, the lineups were “randomly decided” so that the top-tier candidates weren’t grouped together on a single night. However, some people aren’t convinced that the lineups were chosen at random, given that 4 out of the 5 top polling candidates are featured on night two. If you’re in that camp, don’t worry, there are 11 more debates to look forward to!\n\nIf you still have network television (or you’re currently kicking it at your parents’ house, no shame), you can catch the debates on NBC, Telemundo, or MSNBC. Luckily, you can also stream the debates for free through a ton of sites. Here are your options:\n\nCool, okay, so who’s debating who?\n\nThe first night of debates—Wednesday, June 26—will include the following qualifying candidates, in the order that they’ll be standing in onstage:\n\nAnd here’s the lineup for night two (Thursday, June 27):\n\nGotcha. Anything else I need to know?\n\nIt hasn’t been confirmed which specific issues each candidate will be asked about, but we do know that every candidate will have 60 seconds to answer the question and then another 30 seconds to respond to any follow-up questions.\n\nIf you’re still unsure what each candidate is all about, check out the handy guide below:", "Democrats aren’t going to struggle to frame the relatively strong U.S. economy in a way that helps them win back the White House, according to some progressive activists who talked strategy in Miami on Thursday as the party held its first presidential debates.\n\nMarcos Vilar, executive director of the Florida-based Alianza for Progress, promised to push back whenever President Donald Trump visits the Sunshine State and talks up low unemployment and economic growth.\n\n“We’re not going to let him come by and say, ‘Oh, the economy’s great.’ Why? Because our people that are working — most families that are living in Central Florida today that are Latino, African American — are struggling to pay their rent. They’re struggling to pay for health care. They’re struggling because all of a sudden they’re hit with an unexpected tax payment,” Vilar said, referring to the many people who were accustomed to receiving refunds at tax time but didn’t get one this year following the Trump administration’s tax overhaul.\n\nHis remarks came at a briefing for reporters about how some progressive groups are working in Florida and other swing states to win the 2020 presidential election and other races.\n\n“If you have stocks SPX, +0.38% and are a Wall Street investor, you’re doing fine. But if you’re an ordinary person that’s just paying their bills and stretching check to check, that is a very difficult situation still for most of our families,” Vilar also said.\n\nJustin Myers, CEO of For Our Future, said progressive organizers will need to keep talking to voters about economic issues like the tax overhaul’s flaws, and he sounded confident overall about campaigning on them.\n\n“We are on solid footing when you’re talking to the average middle-class or low-income voter that just isn’t reaping the rewards of this economy,” said Myers, whose group is supported mostly by unions and liberal billionaire Tom Steyer’s environmental organization and boasts an $80 million budget for 2020.\n\nFor their part, Republican activists were quick to mention the job market as they protested outside the Democratic debate venue in Miami and voiced support for the president.\n\n“He’s done so much for the American people with jobs and trying to work on peace,” said Jayne Smithers of Orlando while wearing a “Trump 2020” hat. “Then you have the Democrats, who want socialism, which is very destructive to us.”", "The Democratic candidates are descending on Florida this week, but the state may not play a significant role in selecting the party's nominee.\n\nFlorida has been a pivotal battleground in recent presidential election cycles and will be again this year, with President Donald Trump unlikely to win a second term if he does not win the state.\n\nFlorida’s significance in presidential primary contests is less assured.\n\nThe Democratic presidential candidates descend on Florida for their first debate this week, but what role the state will play in selecting the nominee won’t be known for months.\n\nThis may be the most attention Florida gets during the primary cycle if the contest is essentially over by the time Floridians vote, or it could be the prelude to a big Sunshine State showdown in March.\n\nFlorida has been influential in each of the last three GOP presidential primaries, partly because state lawmakers moved the primary date up in 2008 and 2012 in a bid to boost the state's clout. Having two Floridians — U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio and former Gov. Jeb Bush — running for president in 2016 also brought attention on the state during that primary race, and Rubio ended up making his last stand in Florida.\n\nThe state also had a competitive primary on the Democratic side in 2016, with both Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders campaigning here. But there's no guarantee the 2020 Democratic contest will still be in full swing when Florida votes.\n\n\"Florida's potential for influence in the 2020 nomination process is certainly less than it was four years ago when a couple of favorite son candidates were running or eight or 12 years ago when the Legislature and the Presidential Preference Primary Date Selection Committee opted to break the national party rules, thrusting the Sunshine State primary into January,\" said Josh Putnam, a lecturer in the Department of Public and International Affairs at the University of North Carolina Wilmington who writes the FrontloadingHQ blog. \"But just because the potential is less does not mean that Florida cannot or will not be relevant to the resolution of the Democratic presidential nomination race. Much obviously depends on the steps in the sequence leading up to the Florida primary.\"\n\nFlorida’s primary will be held on March 17, six weeks after the first voters caucus in Iowa on Feb. 3. The state's primary falls in the middle of the nominating calendar, but far enough back that the states with earlier contests could effectively decide the race before it gets to Florida, or set it on a course that Florida voters are unlikely to alter. On the other hand, Florida’s primary could be decisive if the race is still competitive.\n\nFlorida had a similar primary date in 2016, and both the Democratic and GOP nominating contests were still active when the state voted. Florida voters had a say in selecting both nominees.\n\nBecause there is such a large field of Democratic candidates this year, some experts believe it will take time to winnow the field. They expect a drawn-out primary contest, something that also is more likely because Democrats award delegates proportionally, allowing candidates to stay in the game, even if they don’t win a state. There is even talk of a brokered convention.\n\nBut there are some changes to the primary calendar that could cull the candidate field before Florida votes and diminish the state’s importance this cycle.\n\nBy the time state residents voted, both Trump and Hillary Clinton had built momentum with early victories and were the clear frontrunners, but they hadn’t locked anything up. Winning Florida boosted both of the eventual nominees and, in the GOP race, helped winnow the field.\n\nTrump’s victory in Florida was the final blow for Rubio. The Florida win — combined with a number of other wins on the same day — also gave Trump a big delegate advantage that the president never surrendered.\n\nMeanwhile, Clinton cruised to victory over Sanders in Florida and added to the momentum she already had established after a string of southern primary wins.\n\nFlorida was relevant in both races. The state also received plenty of attention during the 2016 presidential primary process because of Rubio and Bush.\n\nIn fact, Florida's current March 17 primary date is a legacy of those campaigns. State lawmakers moved Florida's primary to the beginning of the winner-take-all series of GOP primary contests in the hopes that a Florida candidate would be more likely to win the state and benefit from a winner-take-all scenario.\n\nThat didn't happen, although the state still ended up being influential.\n\nBut every primary contest plays out differently, and there is no guarantee that Florida will have a big role in a 2020 Democratic contest. A candidate could consolidate support before Florida votes, with some political observers arguing that changes in the primary calendar make that more likely.\n\nCalifornia — a heavily Democratic super state — now votes before Florida and could help narrow the field. Ohio and North Carolina — two other large states — also will vote before Florida.\n\nThere will be two sets of Super Tuesday contests — California, North Carolina and a number of other states vote March 3, while Ohio and Michigan are among a group of states voting on March 10 — next year that will occur before Florida’s primary and could knock out candidates who are still standing after the four early states vote.\n\nFlorida has flirted with an earlier primary date with mixed results. The GOP-controlled Legislature moved Florida’s 2008 primary up to Jan. 29 to try to make the state more influential in the process.\n\nFormer U.S. Sen. John McCain won Florida’s GOP presidential primary in 2008 after receiving a late endorsement from former Gov. Charlie Crist. McCain’s Florida win, which came on the heels of winning South Carolina, helped him build momentum for a strong showing on Super Tuesday that sealed his nomination.\n\nBut Florida was ignored by the Democratic candidates in 2008 after the Democratic National Committee stripped the state of its delegates — and asked the candidates not to campaign here — as a penalty for moving the primary up so early in the calendar.\n\nFlorida lawmakers kept the early primary date in 2012 and the state again played an important role in the GOP nominating contest. After losing South Carolina to Newt Gingrich, Mitt Romney rebounded with a big win in Florida and went on to secure the nomination.\n\nUniversity of South Florida political science professor emeritus Susan MacManus believes the state is still likely to play a key role in picking the Democratic presidential nominee next year.\n\nWith more than 20 candidates on the Democratic side, MacManus said it will take time to narrow the field. She predicts the nominating contest will be a prolonged one. If that happens, Florida could “seal the deal,” MacManus said.\n\n“There’s so many candidates and there’s just no consensus,” MacManus said in arguing the contest is unlikely to wrap up early.\n\nPutnam has argued that California’s move to earlier on the primary calendar may not be as decisive as some have speculated.\n\n“Absent that clear frontrunner running away with the nomination ... the 2020 race is unlikely to see the race run its course by early March,” he wrote on his blog. “That is even more true in light of the fact that the field of Democrats seeking the nomination looks like it will be quite large. There will be some winnowing in February, but it remains to be seen just how much the field will have shrunk by a Super Tuesday that includes California. There are and will be too many moving parts shifting between now and that point in the cycle.”\n\nThe GOP also had a large field of candidates in 2016. Most were gone by the time Floridians voted, but Trump, Rubio, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and former Ohio Gov. John Kasich were still in the race.\n\nFlorida Gulf Coast University political science professor Peter Bergerson believes Florida may be less relevant in the 2020 presidential primary than in 2016.\n\n“My guess is that Florida is going to be an afterthought almost,” Bergerson said.\n\nBergerson noted that campaigning in California requires an extensive paid media effort, which will be extremely expensive.\n\nCandidates who invest in the California primary — and other early primaries — and lose will struggle to raise money and continue on to Florida.\n\n“What happens is people are going to run out of money,” Bergerson said. “The early poll, the one that makes a big difference is the money poll. If people are willing to put money behind the candidate, that’s one of the things to look for.”\n\nOf course, money is one reason why the candidates always will take an interest in Florida. As a big state with a lot of wealthy donors, the Democrats will spend plenty of time here trying to raise money.\n\n“Even if you don’t expect to win here, you can raise money here, and that’s another factor,” MacManus said. “They’re going to come here and try to reach niche audiences and raise money from those groups and hope their campaigns catch fire.”\n\nIf the race is still competitive by the time Floridians vote, candidates who are better known and better financed will have an advantage. Like California, Florida is a big state, and reaching voters here is expensive.\n\nFormer Vice President Joe Biden has been leading in the early Florida polls and has the advantage of strong name recognition.\n\nBiden also fits the profile of the type of moderate candidate Florida Democrats traditionally have supported. But last year Democrats nominated progressive firebrand Andrew Gillum for governor, showing there may be an opening for some of the more liberal presidential candidates if they can build momentum in earlier primary contests.\n\n“I think with Florida’s racial and ethnic diversity, some of the progressives might catch fire and give Biden a more competitive race than he might have had,” MacManus said.\n\nThis story originally published to heraldtribune.com, and was shared to other Florida newspapers in the GateHouse Media network.", "White House hopefuls in Miami for the Democratic debates are trekking to nearby Homestead, Florida, to visit a large migrant detention facility.\n\nThe stops are intended to draw attention to President Donald Trump’s immigration policies, which have seen migrant children separated from their families. Homestead is about 40 miles southwest of Miami and is a spot where the U.S. is detaining migrant teens.\n\nMassachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren visited the site Wednesday, with Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar planning a stop later in the afternoon.\n\nFormer Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke is scheduled to visit the site on Thursday.\n\nAnd on Friday, California Sen. Kamala Harris, former housing secretary Julian Castro, former U.S. Rep. John Delaney and Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, all plan to visit.\n\nTen presidential candidates, led by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, are set to meet on the debate stage for the first night of Democratic debates to offer their pitches to voters and attempt a breakout moment for their campaigns.\n\nFor many of the White House hopefuls, Wednesday’s debate will be the highest-profile opportunity yet to offer their vision for the country.\n\nGiven the massive field, the debate will be split over two nights, with 10 other candidates — including former Vice President Joe Biden and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders — appearing Thursday.\n\nWarren, the sole top-tier candidate at Wednesday’s debate, will take center stage. But she could still face challenges. The other candidates aren’t as well known and could use the moment to make an aggressive move to stand out.\n\n—Meet the 2020 Democratic presidential candidates you’ve (probably) never heard of\n\n—Issues that divide 2020 candidates going into the first Democratic debate\n\n—The 2019 Democratic debate clashes you won’t get to see\n\n—What to know About the 2019 Democratic debate: start time, schedule, format", "WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on the Democrats’ first 2020 presidential debates later this month (all times local): 12:45 p.m. NBC has announced how it will divvy up the 20 Democratic candidates for the first…\n\nWASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on the Democrats’ first 2020 presidential debates later this month (all times local):\n\nNBC has announced how it will divvy up the 20 Democratic candidates for the first debate of the 2020 election campaign, which will be held over two nights in Miami later this month.\n\nThe lineup for the first two-hour session on June 26 features Elizabeth Warren, Cory Booker, Beto (BET’-oh) O’Rourke, Amy Klobuchar (KLOH’-buh-shar), Julián Castro, Bill de Blasio (dih BLAH’-zee-oh), John Delaney, Tulsi Gabbard, Tim Ryan and Jay Inslee.\n\nThe lineup for the next night features Bernie Sanders, Kamala (KAH’-mah-lah) Harris, Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg (BOO’-tuh-juhj), Michael Bennet, Marianne Williamson, Eric Swalwell, Kirsten Gillibrand (KEER’-sten JIHL’-uh-brand), Andrew Yang and John Hickenlooper.\n\nThe Democratic National Committee says it divided the candidates at random but ensured that contenders considered front-runners would not be stacked on one night to avoid the impression that one night was more important than the other.\n\nThe Democratic National Committee has announced that 20 candidates have qualified for the party’s first presidential debates later this month.\n\nMontana Gov. Steve Bullock and U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton of Massachusetts were the only major candidates out of the two dozen Democratic hopefuls who failed to meet the polling or grassroots fundraising measures required to get a debate spot.\n\nTwo lesser-known candidates, former Sen. Mike Gravel of Alaska and Miramar, Florida, Mayor Wayne Messam, also missed the cutoff, announced Thursday.\n\nThe campaign’s opening debates, set for June 26-27 in Miami, will offer a prime opportunity for many White House hopefuls to reshape a race defined in recent weeks by former Vice President Joe Biden’s domination of national and many early state polls.\n\nCopyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed."], "summary": "The first of two Democratic Party debates for the nomination of the party's nominee in the 2020 United States presidential election is held in Miami, Florida."}
{"document": ["Europe is preparing for a heat wave, which may become a record for all time of observations.\n\nThe peak is expected 26 – 28 June. Under forecasts of weather forecasters, on the territory from Spain to Poland, the temperature will rise by between 11 and 17 degrees above normal: about 35-40C.\n\nIn large cities filled with asphalt and concrete, the figures could be even higher, according to\n\nExperts note that the early June heat is especially dangerous, as people have not had time to adapt to the scorching sun after the cold months. At risk: the elderly, patients with chronic diseases, and homeless.\n\nInstalled: European heat in 2003 led to the deaths of 70,000 people. The hot summer last year, only in Germany was estimated to have caused thousands of additional deaths.\n\nIn 2019 the most extreme weather expects Western and Central Europe, according to meteorologists. Perhaps in some regions of Spain and France within three days will hold the forty-degree heat.\n\nAccording to the forecasts, on Friday, June 28, the temperature in Madrid will rise to 40.6 degree – this will be the highest figure ever registered.\n\nIn Paris is expected to 37 degrees combined with high humidity, aggravating the situation. Experts are almost certain that France will set a new national record heat (+45C), beating the previous high set in 2003 (+44.1 per degree).\n\nNew records may also be recorded in Austria (+38,6 C), Germany (+38.5 C.) and Switzerland (+37,2 C).\n\nIn England and Ireland, the heat is not so intense, but the temperature in some areas will significantly exceed the norm. In the South of Sweden and in Denmark of a possible heat wave to 32 degrees Celsius.\n\nExperts attribute the heat coming with two anticyclones, one located near Greenland, the other over North-East Europe.\n\nIn the coming days they will come together and block the cyclone to the South, which could bring into the European territory of cool air masses.\n\nThe combination of zones of high and low pressure will lead to the fact that the plume of hot air from Spain and from the Sahara desert will head to mainland Europe and the United Kingdom.\n\nExperts warn that, in addition to heat, in several countries the possibility of strong thunderstorms.\n\nAccording to scientists, in the XXI century, Europe experienced the hottest five year periods from 1500 year: 2002, 2003, 2010, 2016 and 2018.\n\nThey warn that further warming phenomena such as the extreme heat will be more frequent.\n\nNote, the heat affects not only people, but animals. The inhabitants of the Berlin zoo save a shower and icy treats.", "France’s national weather service issued its highest-level danger alert as it warned that parts of the country could expect temperatures to reach an “exceptional peak” on Friday amid a record-setting heatwave in Europe.\n\nMeteo France raised the hazardous weather warning to “red” on Thursday – the highest level – for the Marseille and Montpellier areas in southeastern France, forecasting hazardous temperatures of 42C-45C (107F-113F).\n\nIt was the first red alert Meteo France has activated since a four-level weather “vigilance” system was introduced following an estimated 15,000 heat-related deaths in France during a 2003 summer heatwave.\n\n“A heatwave of this amplitude so early in the year, in June, is exceptional,” Meteo France meteorologist France Christelle Robert said.\n\n“We should expect more intense and frequent heatwaves with climate change, because it will accentuate the extremes.”\n\nThe Italian health ministry said seven cities, including Florence, Rome and Turin, were already at Italy’s highest heat warning level on Thursday.\n\nOn Friday, 16 cities would be under alerts for high temperatures.\n\nThe Italian authorities have instructed people to avoid being outside during the hottest hours of the day and to stay away from areas with a lot of vehicle traffic to prevent ozone exposure.\n\nIn France, a red extreme weather warning advises extra precautions for children and older people and cautions that even those in good health are at risk of heat stroke.\n\nMost of the rest of France remained on the next highest “orange” alert.\n\nIn Paris and other big cities, including Marseille, authorities banned older cars as high heat exacerbates air pollution.\n\nAmid the blistering weather in Europe, hundreds of firefighters struggled to contain a wildfire in northeastern Spain that forced the evacuation of 53 residents.\n\nFirefighters said temperatures over 30C (86 F), low humidity and high winds had fanned the flames.\n\nIn the Czech Republic, where a new June temperature record was set this week, gorillas and polar bears at Prague’s zoo kept cool by eating their own version of sorbet.\n\nZookeepers presented the animals with big blocks of frozen water with ingredients to suit their tastes.", "A man enjoys the sunrise on the Drachenberg over Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, June 26, 2019. Temperatures of up to 38 degrees are expected in the German capital. (Kay Nietfeld/dpa via AP)\n\nBERLIN (AP) — Torrid weather gripped large parts of western and central Europe on Wednesday, setting new June temperature records in Germany and the Czech Republic and forcing drivers to slow down on some sections of the famously speedy German autobahns.\n\nAuthorities imposed speed limits on some autobahns due to concerns the high heat would cause expressway surfaces to buckle. Some French schools stayed closed as a precaution due to worrying hot weather.\n\nGerman weather agency Deutscher Wetterdienst said a preliminary reading showed the mercury reached 38.6 degrees Celsius (101.5 F) in Coschen, near the Polish border. That’s a tenth of a degree higher than the previous national record for June, set in 1947 in southwestern Germany.\n\nThe Czech Hydro-Meteorological Institute said the temperature reached 38.5 Celsius (101.3 F) in Doksany — a Czech Republic high for the month. New daily records were set at some 80% of local measuring stations.\n\nAnd it’s about to get even hotter.\n\nAuthorities have warned that temperatures could top 40 degrees Celsius (104 F) in parts of continental Europe in the coming days as a plume of dry, hot air moves north from Africa.\n\nThe transport ministry in Germany’s eastern Saxony-Anhalt state said it has imposed speed limits of 100 kph or 120 kph (62 mph or 75 mph) on several short stretches of highway until further notice. (same as autobahn above?)\n\nThose stretches usually don’t have speed limits, but officials worry they couldcrack in the heat and endanger drivers.\n\nProfessor Hannah Cloke, a natural hazards researcher at Britain’s University of Reading, said the heat along with a build-up of humidity was a “potentially lethal combination.”\n\n“Children, the elderly and people with underlying health conditions are particularly at risk,” she said.\n\nPrecautionary measures also were taken in France, where temperatures up to 39 degrees Celsius (102 Fahrenheit) are forecast for the Paris area later in the week.\n\nSimilarly baking conditions are expected in much of the country, from the Pyrenees in the southwest to the German border in the northeast.\n\nBecause such high temperatures are rare in France, most homes and many buildings do not have air conditioning.\n\nIn Paris on Wednesday authorities banned older cars from the city for the day as the heat aggravates pollution problems.\n\nRegional authorities estimated the measure, targeting vehicles including gasoline cars from 2005 or older and diesel cars from 2010 or older, affects nearly 60% of vehicles circulating in the Paris region. Violators face fines.\n\nFrench charities and local officials were providing extra help for the elderly, the homeless and the sick this week, remembering that some 15,000 people, many of them elderly, died in France during a 2003 heat wave.\n\nPrime Minister Edouard Philippe cited the heat wave as evidence of climate destabilization and vowed to step up the government’s fight against climate change.\n\nThe scorching heat was felt on the streets of Vienna, too.\n\n“We’re slightly below 35 degrees (Celsius) right now,” said Wolfgang Fasching, driver of one of the city’s traditional horse-drawn carriages. “At 35 degrees we go home because then the horses in Vienna get time off due to excessive heat.”\n\nWith temperatures in Milan forecast to hit 40 C, an aid group said it was preparing to distribute 10,000 bottles of free water to the homeless and other needy people. The Civil Protection service in Rome also planned to distribute water to people at risk during the hottest hours of the day.\n\nAbout half of Spain’s provinces are on alert for high temperatures, which are expected to rise as the weekend approaches.\n\nThe northeastern city of Zaragoza was forecast to be the hottest on Wednesday at 39 C, building to 44 C on Saturday, according to the government weather agency AEMET.\n\nSome tourists sought relief in Madrid’s green spaces. “It is pretty hot right now, we are dealing with it by trying to stay in the shade here in the park,” said Victoria Poliak from San Diego, California.", "Hundreds of firefighters are struggling to contain a wildfire that continues to spread over heavily forested hills in the northeastern Spanish region of Catalonia. Firefighters said Thursday that the blaze was not under control.\n\n\"We're at a moment when the blaze is getting bigger,\" Miquel Buch, the regional interior minister, told local media.\n\nAt least 4,000 hectares (10,000 acres) have burned so far, and around 50 people have been evacuated. The regional government estimated that the fire could expand to 20,000 hectares.\n\nBuch said what is estimated to be the worst wildfire to hit the region in 20 years could have been sparked by improperly stored chicken manure that combusted in extreme temperatures at a farm in the village of Torre de l'Espanyol.\n\nFirefighters said the steep terrain, winds, and temperatures nearing 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) were making the blaze difficult to control.\n\n\"It's complicated. We won't get it stabilized today,\" regional firefighting chief Manuel Pardo told Spanish public television. There have been no reports of any casualties from the fire.\n\nOn Thursday, France's weather service, Meteo France, said it recorded the country's highest-ever temperature for the month of June, at 42 degrees Celsius (107.6 Fahrenheit) in Grospierres, a village in the country's southeast.\n\nThe highest temperature ever recorded in France was 44.1 degrees Celsius (111.4 Fahrenheit), which was measured in southern France during a 2003 heat wave that killed thousands of people.\n\nMeteo France said temperatures in parts of southern France could climb to between 42 and 45 degrees Celsius on Friday.\n\nFrance's weather service said Thursday four administrative regions in the country's south had been placed on red alert, with outdoor sports events and festivals to be postponed. Parents would be allowed to keep their children home from school.\n\nThe red alert is the first issued by French authorities for a dangerous heat wave, affecting the cities of Marseille, Nimes, Montpellier and Avignon.\n\nRead more: Climate change sets the world on fire\n\n\"This heat wave is unprecedented in France. It is exceptional in its intensity,\" French Health Minister Agnes Buzyn said.\n\nFrench authorities extended restrictions on vehicles, already imposed in Paris and Lyon, to Marseille and Strasbourg in an effort to curb air pollution.\n\nThe French electrical grid operator, RTE, said that electricity demand on Thursday was nearing the summer record seen two years ago, as people keep air conditioners running at full blast.\n\nRead more: Germany sweats through hottest June day ever\n\nParts of Spain and Italy are also expected to top 40 degrees on Friday. The Italian Health Ministry said Thursday that seven cities, including Florence, Rome and Turin, were at Italy's highest heat warning level. On Friday, 16 cities in Italy will be under heat alerts.\n\nMeteorologists blame a weather pattern that is funneling hot air from the Sahara northward for scorching temperatures so early in the European summer.\n\nGermany on Thursday enjoyed a reprieve from the extreme heat after record-breaking temperatures were recorded in parts of the country earlier in the week. However, the mercury is expected to climb to over 40 degrees Celsius in central Germany over the weekend.\n\nEvery evening, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.", "A man enjoys the sunrise on the Drachenberg over Berlin, Germany, Wednesday, June 26, 2019. Temperatures of up to 38 degrees are expected in the German capital. (Kay Nietfeld/dpa via AP)\n\nBERLIN (AP) — Torrid weather gripped large parts of western and central Europe on Wednesday, setting new June temperature records in Germany and the Czech Republic and forcing drivers to slow down on some sections of the famously speedy German autobahns.\n\nAuthorities imposed speed limits on some autobahns due to concerns the high heat would cause expressway surfaces to buckle. Some French schools stayed closed as a precaution due to worrying hot weather.\n\nGerman weather agency Deutscher Wetterdienst said a preliminary reading showed the mercury reached 38.6 degrees Celsius (101.5 F) in Coschen, near the Polish border. That’s a tenth of a degree higher than the previous national record for June, set in 1947 in southwestern Germany.\n\nThe Czech Hydro-Meteorological Institute said the temperature reached 38.5 Celsius (101.3 F) in Doksany — a Czech Republic high for the month. New daily records were set at some 80% of local measuring stations.\n\nAnd it’s about to get even hotter.\n\nAuthorities have warned that temperatures could top 40 degrees Celsius (104 F) in parts of continental Europe in the coming days as a plume of dry, hot air moves north from Africa.\n\nThe transport ministry in Germany’s eastern Saxony-Anhalt state said it has imposed speed limits of 100 kph or 120 kph (62 mph or 75 mph) on several short stretches of highway until further notice. (same as autobahn above?)\n\nThose stretches usually don’t have speed limits, but officials worry they couldcrack in the heat and endanger drivers.\n\nProfessor Hannah Cloke, a natural hazards researcher at Britain’s University of Reading, said the heat along with a build-up of humidity was a “potentially lethal combination.”\n\n“Children, the elderly and people with underlying health conditions are particularly at risk,” she said.\n\nPrecautionary measures also were taken in France, where temperatures up to 39 degrees Celsius (102 Fahrenheit) are forecast for the Paris area later in the week.\n\nSimilarly baking conditions are expected in much of the country, from the Pyrenees in the southwest to the German border in the northeast.\n\nBecause such high temperatures are rare in France, most homes and many buildings do not have air conditioning.\n\nIn Paris on Wednesday authorities banned older cars from the city for the day as the heat aggravates pollution problems.\n\nRegional authorities estimated the measure, targeting vehicles including gasoline cars from 2005 or older and diesel cars from 2010 or older, affects nearly 60% of vehicles circulating in the Paris region. Violators face fines.\n\nFrench charities and local officials were providing extra help for the elderly, the homeless and the sick this week, remembering that some 15,000 people, many of them elderly, died in France during a 2003 heat wave.\n\nPrime Minister Edouard Philippe cited the heat wave as evidence of climate destabilization and vowed to step up the government’s fight against climate change.\n\nThe scorching heat was felt on the streets of Vienna, too.\n\n“We’re slightly below 35 degrees (Celsius) right now,” said Wolfgang Fasching, driver of one of the city’s traditional horse-drawn carriages. “At 35 degrees we go home because then the horses in Vienna get time off due to excessive heat.”\n\nWith temperatures in Milan forecast to hit 40 C, an aid group said it was preparing to distribute 10,000 bottles of free water to the homeless and other needy people. The Civil Protection service in Rome also planned to distribute water to people at risk during the hottest hours of the day.\n\nAbout half of Spain’s provinces are on alert for high temperatures, which are expected to rise as the weekend approaches.\n\nThe northeastern city of Zaragoza was forecast to be the hottest on Wednesday at 39 C, building to 44 C on Saturday, according to the government weather agency AEMET.\n\nSome tourists sought relief in Madrid’s green spaces. “It is pretty hot right now, we are dealing with it by trying to stay in the shade here in the park,” said Victoria Poliak from San Diego, California.", "Huge wildfire in Spain as heatwave roasts Europe - but 'worst is still to come'\n\nHuge wildfire in Spain as heatwave roasts Europe - but 'worst is still to come'\n\nHundreds of firefighters have struggled to contain a major wildfire in northeastern Spain on a day that has seen temperatures continue to soar across most of Europe.\n\nFrance followed Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic in breaking its temperature record for June after an \"enormous reservoir\" of hot air from the Sahara engulfed the continent, which has seen a blaze spanning 5,500 hectares break out on hilly terrain near the Ebro River about 75 miles (121km) west of Barcelona.\n\nThe Spanish military has sent a unit of 120 specialists to help local firefighters battle the flames, which have sent thick plumes of smoke high into the air above the Catalonia region.\n\nMiquel Buch, the local interior minister, said 20,000 hectares were under threat in what was the worst fire in the area in two decades, with a deposit of improperly stored chicken manure at a farm in Torre de l'Espanyol believed to have combusted due to the high temperatures and started the fire.\n\nSpanish television showed horses and sheep left helpless as the fire engulfed the farm they were being kept on, and five roads have been closed to traffic.\n\nThe apocalyptic scenes came amid temperatures of close to 44C (111.2F), and the mercury also hit 41.8C (107.2F) in a southern region of France called Montclus.\n\nIt surpassed the previous national June record of 41.FC (106F), set on 21 June 2003.\n\nFrench authorities have imposed restrictions on vehicles in Paris, Lyon, Marseille and Strasbourg in a bid to curb air pollution during the heatwave, and some schools have closed and postponed summer exams.\n\nNorthern parts of the country have been placed on drought alert, with water supplies to businesses, farmers and residents restricted, and there is also a ban on the transportation of animals over fears for their safety.\n\nIn the south, four regions have been placed on red alert - the highest crisis level - with 76 on orange.\n\nVigiMeteoFrance tweeted that 42.3C (108.1F) had been recorded in Grospierres - the highest June temperature on record for France. The highest the country has ever recorded is 44.1C (111.4F), which could be beaten tomorrow.\n\nHealth minister Agnes Buzyn said the heatwave was \"unprecedented\" and \"exceptional in its intensity\".\n\nCalls to the emergency services are also up, with Jerome Saloman, head of national public health, reporting that four drownings had been recorded since the start of the week - directly linked to the heatwave as people try to cool off.\n\nHe added: \"Calls to the emergency services are on the rise nationwide. We are seeing the beginning of a clear impact of the heatwave.\n\n\"For us the worst is still to come.\"\n\nGrid operator RTE said electricity demand on Thursday was close to a summer record seen two years ago, as people turned on fans and coolers to full blast for relief from the scorching heat.\n\nTemperatures have also soared close to 40C (104F) in other European countries, although there has been some relief for northern Germany, where the heat slipped to 21C (69.8F) in Berlin on Thursday - down from 37C (98.6F).\n\nAccording to the Met Office, there have been temperatures of 38C (100.4F) in Milan, Italy, 35C (95F) in the Hungarian capital of Budapest, 34C (93.2F) in the Austrian capital of Vienna, and 33C (91.4F) in Bern, Switzerland.\n\nThat makes them all hotter than Athens in Greece, which so often sets the standards for European heatwaves, as well as traditionally warm cities elsewhere in the world like Tokyo in Japan and Los Angeles in the US.\n\nSky's Europe correspondent Mark Stone has been in Paris and said the extreme conditions had some worried.\n\nHe said: \"We're used to temperature records being broken year on year almost, but it usually happens in August.\n\n\"The problem and the concern that analysts have about this temperature is that we've got a heatwave in June, which is very, very early, and because it's so early the humidity is much higher.\"\n\nOn Wednesday, a number of countries across the continent broke their June records.\n\nGerman weather agency Deutscher Wetterdienst reported a preliminary reading of 38.6C (101.5F) in Coschen, near the border with Poland - a tenth of a degree celsius higher than the previous national record for June in 1947 in southwestern Germany.\n\nRadzyn in Poland also recorded a new national high of 38.2C (100.76F), while Doksany in the Czech Republic experienced 38.9C (102.02F).\n\nThe heatwave is expected to continue into Friday and the weekend, when forecasters have said it will make its presence felt in earnest in the UK.\n\nNorthern Ireland, Scotland and Wales have already seen their highest temperatures of the year so far, but central and eastern England looks set to be even hotter on Saturday, with 34C (93.2F) on the cards for some.\n\nFor those at Glastonbury, Sky's weather producer Joanna Robinson has said the temperature record for the annual music festival could well be broken too.\n\nIt currently stands at 31.2C (88.2F), which was seen in 2017.", "Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Simon King explains the causes behind the heatwave\n\nA heatwave affecting much of Europe is expected to intensify further with countries - including France, Spain and Switzerland - expecting temperatures above 40C (104F) later on Thursday.\n\nOn Wednesday, Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic recorded their highest temperatures for June.\n\nMeteorologists say hot air drawn in from northern Africa is responsible.\n\nThe heat is expected to rise further in many countries over the next three days, meteorologists warn.\n\nBy early afternoon, temperatures had reached 37C in Turin in Italy, 39C in the Spanish city of Zaragoza, and 39C in Avignon in southern France.\n\nIn Spain, 11 provinces in the east and centre of the country are set to experience temperatures above 40C.\n\nIn parts of the north-east, they may reach 45C on Friday.\n\nImage copyright AFP Image caption Firefighters are battling huge blazes in Catalonia\n\nHundreds of firefighters are battling wildfires in Catalonia, described by the regional government as some of the worst in 20 years.\n\nAt least 4,000 hectares (10,000 acres) are affected, but officials said that in the intense heat the area could increase to 20,000ha.\n\nThirty people have been evacuated and five roads have been closed.\n\nTemperatures are expected to top 40C in Italy too, particularly in central and northern regions. Several cities, including Rome, have issued the highest heat warnings.\n\nImage copyright AFP Image caption Milan also expects the mercury to top 40C on Thursday\n\nOn Thursday morning the body of a 72-year-old homeless Romanian man was found near Milan's central train station. Officials say the heat may have been a factor in his death.\n\nPhilip Trackfield, a British tourist in Rome, told the BBC: \"Last night at the Spanish steps it was 41C. It's exhausting when you're trying to do all the sights.\"\n\nMeanwhile the whole of France - where a heatwave in 2003 was blamed for 15,000 deaths - is now on orange alert, the second-highest warning level.\n\nIn Paris, fountains and sprinklers connected to hydrants have been set up. Some schools have delayed important exams and even closed.\n\nIn Toulouse, where temperatures are expected to reach 41C on Thursday, charities have been handing out water to homeless people.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption BBC colleagues in hot countries give their tips for staying cool\n\nThe heat is also affecting France's 72,000-strong prison population. François Bes, a prison monitor, told BFMTV that many detainees had described their cells as \"ovens\".\n\n\"It's impossible to create a draught because by definition prisoners can't open the doors,\" he was quoted as saying. One major prison near Paris, Fresnes, has decided to hose down the yard to cool it, BFMTV reports.\n\nHow hot was Wednesday?\n\nTemperatures have been climbing in recent days. On Wednesday, Coschen in Brandenburg peaked at 38.6C - a new German record for June.\n\nRadzyn in Poland and Doksany in the Czech Republic also recorded new national highs, with temperatures hitting 38.2C and 38.9C respectively.\n\nEven in the high-altitude Alps, temperatures topped 30C in places. Parts of Austria recorded their local all-time highest temperatures on Wednesday.\n\nThe Swiss cities of Geneva, Bern, and Zurich are all predicted to reach record temperatures of 39C or 40C.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption A coati eating iced fruit in a Rome zoo\n\nOn Wednesday a swimming pool in the French city of Grenoble was shut down despite the heatwave, after a row over the use of a full-body Islamic burkini swimsuit, the mayor said.\n\nWhile the UK will avoid the worst heat, parts of the country - including London - are expected to see temperatures top 30C on Saturday.\n\nIs climate change to blame?\n\nLinking a single event to global warming is complicated.\n\nWhile extreme weather events like heatwaves occur naturally, experts say these will happen more often because of climate change.\n\nRecords going back to the late 19th Century show that the average temperature of the Earth's surface has increased by about one degree since industrialisation.\n\nA climatology institute in Potsdam, Germany, says Europe's five hottest summers since 1500 have all been in the 21st Century.\n\nScientists are concerned that rapid warming linked to human use of fossil fuel has serious implications for the stability of the planet's climate.", "Hundreds of firefighters are struggling to contain a wildfire that continues to spread over heavily forested hills in the northeastern Spanish region of Catalonia. Firefighters said Thursday that the blaze was not under control.\n\n\"We're at a moment when the blaze is getting bigger,\" Miquel Buch, the regional interior minister, told local media.\n\nAt least 4,000 hectares (10,000 acres) have burned so far, and around 50 people have been evacuated. The regional government estimated that the fire could expand to 20,000 hectares.\n\nBuch said what is estimated to be the worst wildfire to hit the region in 20 years could have been sparked by improperly stored chicken manure that combusted in extreme temperatures at a farm in the village of Torre de l'Espanyol.\n\nFirefighters said the steep terrain, winds, and temperatures nearing 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) were making the blaze difficult to control.\n\n\"It's complicated. We won't get it stabilized today,\" regional firefighting chief Manuel Pardo told Spanish public television. There have been no reports of any casualties from the fire.\n\nOn Thursday, France's weather service, Meteo France, said it recorded the country's highest-ever temperature for the month of June, at 42 degrees Celsius (107.6 Fahrenheit) in Grospierres, a village in the country's southeast.\n\nThe highest temperature ever recorded in France was 44.1 degrees Celsius (111.3 Fahrenheit), which was measured in southern France during a 2003 heat wave that killed thousands of people.\n\nMeteo France said temperatures in parts of southern France could climb to between 42 and 45 degrees Celsius on Friday, which could break the high temperature record. Parts of Spain and Italy are also expected to top 40 degrees.\n\nFrance's weather service said Thursday four administrative regions in the country's south had been placed on\n\nred alert, with outdoor sports events and festivals to be postponed. Parents would be allowed to keep their children home from school.\n\nThe red alert is the first issued by French authorities for a dangerous heat wave, affecting the cities of Marseille, Nimes, Montpellier and Avignon.\n\nRead more: Climate change sets the world on fire\n\n\"This heat wave is unprecedented in France. It is exceptional in its intensity,\" French Health Minister Agnes Buzyn said.\n\nFrench authorities extended restrictions on vehicles, already imposed in Paris and Lyon, to Marseille and Strasbourg in an effort to curb air pollution.\n\nThe French electrical grid operator, RTE, said that electricity demand on Thursday was nearing the summer record seen two years ago, as people keep air conditioners running at full blast.\n\nRead more: Germany sweats through hottest June day ever\n\nMeteorologists blame a blast of hot air from northern Africa for scorching temperatures so early in the European summer.\n\nGermany on Thursday enjoyed a reprieve from the extreme heat after record-breaking temperatures were recorded in parts of the country earlier in the week. However, the mercury is expected to climb in central Europe over the weekend.\n\nEvery evening, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.", "Hundreds of firefighters are struggling to contain a wildfire that continues to spread over heavily forested hills in the northeastern Spanish region of Catalonia. Firefighters said Thursday that the blaze was not under control.\n\n\"We're at a moment when the blaze is getting bigger,\" Miquel Buch, the regional interior minister, told local media.\n\nAt least 4,000 hectares (10,000 acres) have burned so far, and around 50 people have been evacuated. The regional government estimated that the fire could expand to 20,000 hectares.\n\nBuch said what is estimated to be the worst wildfire to hit the region in 20 years could have been sparked by improperly stored chicken manure that combusted in extreme temperatures at a farm in the village of Torre de l'Espanyol.\n\nFirefighters said the steep terrain, winds, and temperatures nearing 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) were making the blaze difficult to control.\n\n\"It's complicated. We won't get it stabilized today,\" regional firefighting chief Manuel Pardo told Spanish public television. There have been no reports of any casualties from the fire.\n\nOn Thursday, France's weather service, Meteo France, said it recorded the country's highest-ever temperature for the month of June, at 42 degrees Celsius (107.6 Fahrenheit) in Saint-Julien-de-Peyrolas, a village in the Rhone Valley in the country's southeast.\n\nMeteo France said temperatures in the region could reach between 42 and 45 degrees Celsius tomorrow. Parts of Spain and Italy are also expected to top 40 degrees.\n\nFrance's weather service said Thursday four administrative regions in the country's south had been placed on red alert, schools would be closed and outdoor sports and festivals would be postponed.\n\nThe red alert is the first issued by French authorities for a dangerous heat wave, affecting the cities of Marseille, Nimes, Montpellier and Avignon.\n\nRead more: Climate change sets the world on fire\n\n\"This heat wave is unprecedented in France. It is exceptional in its intensity,\" French Health Minister Agnes Buzyn said.\n\nFrench authorities extended restrictions on vehicles, already imposed in Paris and Lyon, to Marseille and Strasbourg in an effort to curb air pollution.\n\nThe French electrical grid operator, RTE, said that electricity demand on Thursday was nearing the summer record seen two years ago, as people keep air conditioners running at full blast.\n\nRead more: Germany sweats through hottest June day ever\n\nMeteorologists blame a blast of hot air from northern Africa for scorching temperatures so early in the European summer.\n\nGermany on Thursday enjoyed a reprieve from the extreme heat after record-breaking temperatures were recorded in parts of the country earlier in the week. However, the mercury is expected to climb in central Europe over the weekend.\n\nEvery evening, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.", "Dr. Jeff Masters ·\n\nAbove: A zookeeper (unseen) spills water on Asian elephants on June 25, 2019 at the zoo of Berlin. Temperatures hit 33°C (91.4°F) in the German capital on Tuesday. Europeans are baking in what forecasters are warning will likely be record-breaking temperatures for June with the mercury set to hit 40°C (104°F) as summer kicks in on the back of a wave of hot air from North Africa. Image credit: Tobias Schwarz/AFP/Getty Images.\n\nA ferociously hot airmass from the Sahara Desert has moved northward into Western Europe and will bring a dangerous heat wave unprecedented for June for the remainder of the week. All-time national heat records for June are likely to fall in multiple countries, and some nations may challenge all-time heat records set during the great heat wave of 2003, which killed over 70,000 people.\n\nAs of 11 am EDT Tuesday (5 pm local time in France), the temperature in Paris had soared to 32.4°C (90.5°F), making Tuesday the first of a string of five days likely to have high temperatures in excess of 90°F. The WU forecast for Paris calls for high temperatures of 93 – 98°F Wednesday through Saturday.\n\nAs of 11 am EDT Tuesday, Carpentras, France had recorded a high temperature of 38.4°C (101.1°F). This falls 3°C short of the highest fully reliable June temperature in France of 41.5°C (106.7°F) on June 21, 2003 at Lézignan-Corbières, according to Etienne Kapikian (Météo-France). Other June readings as high as 42.2°C are less reliable, Kapikian said. The June heat record for France is likely to fall on Wednesday or Thursday in southern portions of the nation.\n\nWildfire danger is predicted to steadily increase during week, reaching the “Extreme” level by the weekend over portions of France, Italy, Portugal, Germany, Poland, Sweden, and the Czech Republic, according the Copernicus Emergency Management Service. The European Union is already well above recent norms for hectares burned & number of fires ignited in 2019.\n\nAnother aspect to watch as the #Europe heatwave unfolds this week is the wildfire risk. The European Union is already well above recent norms for hectares burned & number of fires ignited YTD. pic.twitter.com/EiUSFgidN6 — Steve Bowen (@SteveBowenWx) June 24, 2019\n\nAn unusually early heat wave\n\nMuch like the eastern U.S., Europe tends to get its hottest temperatures of the year later in the summer, in July and especially toward August. All-time national records, some of which may be challenged this week, include:\n\nAustria: 40.5°C (104.9°F), August 8, 2013\n\n40.5°C (104.9°F), August 8, 2013 Belgium: 38.8°C (101.8°F), July 2, 2015\n\n38.8°C (101.8°F), July 2, 2015 Czech Republic: 40.4°C (104.7°F), August 20, 2012\n\n40.4°C (104.7°F), August 20, 2012 Denmark: 36.4°C (97.5°F), August 10, 1975\n\n36.4°C (97.5°F), August 10, 1975 France: 44.1°C (111.4°F), August 12, 2003\n\n44.1°C (111.4°F), August 12, 2003 Germany: 40.3°C (104.5°F), July 5 and August 7, 2015\n\n40.3°C (104.5°F), July 5 and August 7, 2015 Liechtenstein: 37.4°C (99.3°F), August 13, 2003\n\n37.4°C (99.3°F), August 13, 2003 Luxembourg: 39.9°C (103.8°F), August 8, 2003\n\n39.9°C (103.8°F), August 8, 2003 Netherlands: 38.6°C (101.5°F), August 23, 1944\n\n38.6°C (101.5°F), August 23, 1944 Switzerland: 39.7°C (103.5°F), July 7, 2015\n\nSome of these all-time June records are even more likely to tumble:\n\nAustria: 38.6°C (101.48°F), June 20, 2013\n\n38.6°C (101.48°F), June 20, 2013 Belgium: 38.7°C (101.7°F), June 27, 1947\n\n38.7°C (101.7°F), June 27, 1947 Czech Republic: 38.2°C (100.8°F), June 22, 2000\n\n38.2°C (100.8°F), June 22, 2000 Denmark: 35.5°C (95.9°F), June 29, 1947\n\n35.5°C (95.9°F), June 29, 1947 France: 41.5°C (106.7°F), June 21, 2003\n\n41.5°C (106.7°F), June 21, 2003 Germany: 38.5°C (101.3°F), June 27, 1947\n\n38.5°C (101.3°F), June 27, 1947 Luxembourg: 36.1°C (97.0°F), June 22, 2017\n\n36.1°C (97.0°F), June 22, 2017 Netherlands: 38.4°C (101.1°F), June 29, 1947\n\n38.4°C (101.1°F), June 29, 1947 Switzerland: 37.3°C (99.1°F), June 21, 2003\n\nThe airmass (at 850 hPa) in France may be > 30°C this week.\n\n\n\nTo get perspective how anomalous it is, here's ERA5 T850 maximum for any month and for June. Clearly an all-time record (at least for 41 years), and totally unheard of for June.#heatwave pic.twitter.com/YAhXExbUUO — Mika Rantanen (@mikarantane) June 25, 2019\n\nEarly-season heat waves are especially dangerous\n\nHeat waves are especially dangerous when they occur early in the summer, before people have had time to adapt to the seasonal heat. A 2015 report from the World Meteorological Organization and World Health Organization on heatwaves and health notes:\n\n“Heatwave timing appears to have a notable effect on the level of mortality. Heatwaves occurring early in the summer have been shown to be associated with greater impacts on mortality in the same population than later heatwaves of comparable or higher temperatures (Hajat et al., 2002; Kinney et al., 2008; Anderson and Bell, 2011). The impact of high temperatures later in the summer is sometimes diminished after an early heatwave.\n\n“In Europe, heatwaves occurring in June result in relatively high mortality compared to later in the summer, while most high-mortality events in southern Asia appear to occur early in the summer before the summer monsoon.\"\n\nFigure 1. Heat forecast from Tuesday, June 25, 2019 from The Weather Company. The most widespread anomalous heat, with temperatures more than 12°C (22°F) above average (pink colors), are predicted on Wednesday and Thursday.\n\nEurope’s heat wave history\n\nThe hottest summers since 1500 AD in Europe were 2018, 2010, 2003, 2016, 2002. Europe’s deadliest heat-wave catastrophe occurred in the first two weeks of August 2003. Great Britain saw its first 100°F readings in more than 300 years of recordkeeping, and all-time national heat records were also set in France, Switzerland, Luxembourg, and Leichtenstein.\n\nAccording to statistics from EM-DAT, the 2003 European heat wave was the deadliest in world history, with over 70,000 deaths. Hardest-hit were Italy (20,089 deaths), France (19,490 deaths), and Spain (15,090 deaths). Below is the list of top ten deadliest heat waves in world history as compiled by EM-DAT (which uses direct deaths for their statistics, and not excess mortality):\n\n\n\nThe 10 Deadliest Heat Waves in World History\n\n1) Europe, 2003: 71,310\n\n2) Russia, 2010: 55,736|\n\n3) France/Belgium, 2015: 3,685\n\n4) India/Pakistan, 2015: 3,477\n\n5) Europe, 2006: 3,418\n\n6) India, 1998: 2,541\n\n7) U.S. and Canada, 1936: 1,693\n\n8) India/Pakistan/Bangladesh, 2003: 1,472\n\n9) U.S., 1980: 1,260\n\n10) India, 2002: 1,030\n\nA landmark 2004 study led by Peter Stott (University of Reading) found that human-produced climate change made heat waves on par with the European disaster of 2003 about four times more likely to occur.\n\nData show that the normally eastward atmospheric summer circulation of the NH mid-latitudes has slowed down, including the jet stream. This favors more hot-and-dry conditions over the continent and is likely linked to Arctic warming. Coumou et al. 2015: https://t.co/wsQbn8l5VP pic.twitter.com/VqaIp3rNVS — Stefan Rahmstorf (@rahmstorf) June 24, 2019\n\nBob Henson contributed to this post, and thanks go to Maximiliano Herrera for providing European national weather records."], "summary": "Germany, Poland and the Czech Republic record their highest ever recorded temperatures for June amid a heat wave in Western and Central Europe."}
{"document": ["(CNN) Tunisia's 92-year-old president was rushed to a military hospital after suffering a \"severe health crisis\" on Thursday, shortly after two suicide attacks struck the capital Tunis.\n\nPresident Beji Caid Essebsi was \"taken seriously ill and transferred to the military hospital in Tunis,\" the Tunisian presidency said in a post on Facebook Thursday.\n\nThe announcement came as police were securing the site of two suicide bombings that targeted security forces in Tunis, killing at least one person and injuring several others.\n\nAll of those wounded in the explosions were in stable condition Thursday evening, the director of Charles Nicolle Hospital told state-run TAP news agency.\n\nISIS claimed responsibility for the attacks, but did not offer any evidence, in a statement published by the group's affiliated media wing, Amaq news agency. CNN cannot independently verify its claim.\n\nRead More", "Two suicide blasts rocked the Tunisian capital on Thursday killing at least one police officer and wounding several people.\n\nThe first blast involved a suicide bomber who targeted a police patrol on Tunis’ central Charles de Gaulle street, not far from the French embassy.\n\nOne police officer was killed, while another was injured, according to the interior ministry. Three civilians were also wounded.\n\nBody parts were strewn on the road around the police car, an AFP news agency correspondent reported.\n\nA loud explosion was heard throughout the surrounding neighbourhood.\n\nA second attacker blew himself up shortly afterwards on a base of the national guard in the capital’s al-Qarjani district, the interior ministry said. Four security personnel were wounded in that attack.\n\n“At 11am (10:00 GMT) an individual blew himself up outside the back door” of the base, interior ministry spokesman Sofiene Zaag told AFP.\n\nNo immediate claim of responsibility was made for either blast.", "A suspected double suicide bombing in the Tunisian capital on Thursday killed a police officer and injured at least eight others, security sources told Efe.\n\nThe first blast occurred before midday when an apparent suicide bomber hit a police patrol vehicle on the corner of Rue Charles de Gaulle and Avenue de France in downtown Tunis, an area of the city busy with pedestrians and not far from the heavily-guarded French embassy.\n\n\"There was a huge explosion which rocked the whole street. People fled running in all directions,\" an eye-witness told Efe just meters from the entrance of the city's medina, a tourist hotspot.\n\nMinutes after the explosion, the interior ministry confirmed there had been a fatality.\n\n\"One of the two seriously injured officers has died,\" the ministry said. \"Three civilians have been hospitalized with injuries of varying degrees of gravity,\" it added.\n\nSecurity services quickly cordoned off the scene of the attack and ushered onlookers away to clear a path for ambulances.\n\nBody parts belonging to the alleged bomber were strewn across the road.\n\nWithin three hours the area had largely returned to normal.\n\nShortly after the first blast, a second bomber attacked the police's counter-terror department in the Al Gorjani neighborhood of the city, resulting in four casualties, security sources said.\n\n\"An investigation has been opened to clarify the circumstances behind the attacks,\" the ministry said. No group was yet to claim responsibility for the bombings.\n\nState TV reported a third attack in the coastal city of Sousse, one of the holiday hotspots in the North African country, but the news was later dismissed as false.\n\nIt was the first attack to hit the Tunisian capital since Oct. 2018, when a 20-year-old detonated an explosive being carried in a bag near a police patrol vehicle on Habib Bourguiba Avenue, which is also near the French embassy, injuring 15.\n\nPolice later said the bomber on that occasion had come from a rural area of the country and had linked up with groups affiliated to the Islamic State terror organization.\n\nThat was the most serious attack in the country since 2015, when a spate of three attacks in Sousse killed 72 people – 60 foreign tourists and 12 members of the presidential guard.\n\nThose attacks, which prompted a massive drop in Tunisia's tourism, one of the country's principal economic pillars, were claimed by a group claiming IS affiliation\n\nTunisia is considered the fourth-largest exporter of foreign extremists joining the Islamic State terror organization in Iraq and Syria behind Russia, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan.\n\nFurthermore, since the 2011 revolution, which triggered a wave of pro-democracy protests across North Africa and the Middle East in what came to be known as the Arab Spring, several extremist groups have been embroiled in a low-intensity conflict with state security. The groups are largely confined to the Kasserine mountains on the Algerian border.\n\nTunisia's instability has also been tested by the situation on its border with Libya, which is embroiled in a complex civil war of its own.\n\nThursday's attacks come just four months after presidential and legislative elections, which were seen as a crucial test for the country's democratic system.EFE-EPA", "Twin suicide attacks targeting security forces have struck Tunisia’s capital, killing a patrol officer and injuring at least eight people.\n\nOne attacker detonated explosives in a busy commercial district near the French embassy in Tunis shortly before 11am on Thursday, apparently targeting a police patrol.\n\nOne of the officers died from his injuries and another was injured, along with three bystanders.\n\nA second bomber struck at an entrance to the anti-terrorism brigade on the outskirts of the city at about the same time.\n\nFour officers were hospitalised with injuries.\n\nTunisia has been struck repeatedly by terror attacks.\n\nIn October, a female suicide bomber struck the city centre, killing only herself.", "June 28 (UPI) -- Two suicide bomb attacks ripped through the Tunisian capital of Tunis killing at least one person and injuring eight others as its president was rushed to a military hospital due to a \"severe health condition.\"\n\nThe Islamic State terrorist organization claimed responsibility for the dual attacks, the Washington Post reported.\n\nThe first suicide bomb exploded Thursday morning, targetting a security patrol on Charles De Gaulle Avenue in the tourist-friendly city center, killing a police officer and wounding other officers and bystanders, the Interior Ministry said in a statement.\n\nA second blast occurred about a half hour later near the judicial police directorate, injuring six police officers.\n\nThe National Defense Ministry said that terrorists attempted to destroy a transmitting radio station almost 200 miles away on Mount Orbata, but failed, the state-run Tunis Afrique Presse reported.\n\n\"The military units present on the scene responded immediately forcing the terrorists to flee to the mountains,\" the department said in a release.\n\nPrime Minister Youssef Chahed visited said the attacks had \"failed.\"\n\n\"They reflect the desperation of terrorists after the successful security and military operations conducted during the month of Ramadan,\" he said.\n\nReps. Alcee Hastings (D-Fla.) and David Shweikert (D-Ariz.), co-chairs of the Congressional Tunisia Caucus, said in a joint statement that they were \"saddened\" to learn of the attacks and that they will continue to \"stand shoulder to shoulder with Tunisia during this time of grief.\"\n\n\"Terrorism cannot be allowed to take hold anywhere,\" they said. \"We all must unequivocally condemn these terrorist attacks as the heinous and cowardly acts of violence that they represent.\"\n\nMeanwhile, President Beji Caid Essebsi, 92, was rushed to the hospital Thursday due to a \"severe health condition,\" the presidency said on Facebook.\n\nLater in the day, the presidency said he was \"stable\" and undergoing tests.\n\nThe suicide attacks are the first since October when a female suicide bomber attacked police on Habib Bourguiba Avenue.", "The Tunisian capital has been rocked by two suicide bomb attacks, killing one police officer. The first struck a police car, while a short time later a second targeted a police station.\n\nThe first explosion, which occurred on central Charles de Gaulle Street near the French Embassy, killed one officer and injured at least one other cop and three civilians, according to the Interior Ministry. The second bomber blew themselves up near a police station in Al-Qarjani district.\n\nBody parts were strewn across the streets while civilians and emergency services rushed to evacuate the injured.\n\nThere has been no immediate claim of responsibility but Tunisia has been battling militant groups operating in the border region with Algeria since 2011. Islamic State also perpetrated a gun attack against civilians and tourists at a resort in Port El Kantaoui in 2015, killing 38 people.\n\nThursday’s attacks come during peak tourist season and several months ahead of elections.\n\nThink your friends would be interested? Share this story!", "Tunis - Two suicide bombers attacked police and the national guard in the Tunisian capital on Thursday, wounding at least nine people including several civilians, the interior ministry said.\n\nOne attack on the main street of Tunis wounded three civilians and two police personnel, the interior ministry said.\n\nBody parts were strewn in the road around a police car on Habib Bourguiba avenue near the old city, according to an AFP correspondent.\n\n\"It was a suicide attack, which took place at 10:50\" (0950 GMT), on Habib Bourguiba, Interior Ministry spokesman Sofiene Zaag told AFP.\n\nThe suicide bomber did not kill anyone \"but five (are) wounded - three civilians and two police officers\", Zaag added.\n\nThe second attack targeted a base of the national guard in the capital and wounded four security personnel, the ministry said.\n\n\"At 11:00 am (1000 GMT) an individual blew himself up outside the back door\" of the base, wounding four security personnel, Zaag said.\n\nCivil protection units and police rapidly deployed to Habib Bourguiba avenue, where the interior ministry is located.\n\nPeople initially fled in panic, before some crowded around the scene of the attack, expressing anger against the authorities. Shops and offices were closed by police.\n\nOn October 29 last year an unemployed graduate blew herself up near police cars on the same street, killing herself and wounding 26 people, mostly police officers, according to the interior ministry.", "TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) - Twin suicide attacks targeting security forces struck Tunisia’s capital on Thursday, injuring at least nine people.\n\nOne attacker detonated explosives in a busy commercial district near the French embassy shortly before 11 a.m., apparently targeting a police patrol. At least five people were injured, including two officers.\n\nAt nearly the same time, a second bomber struck at an entrance to the anti-terrorism brigade on the outskirts of the city. Four officers were hospitalized with injuries.\n\nTunisia has been struck repeatedly by terror attacks. In October a female suicide bomber struck the city center, killing only herself.", "People are prevented to enter a security area after an explosion in Tunis, Thursday June 27, 2019. The Tunisian Interior ministry said one police officer has died in the suicide bombing targeting a police patrol in a busy commercial street in central Tunis. (AP Photo/Riadh Dridi)\n\nTUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — Twin suicide bombings targeting security forces struck Tunisia’s capital on Thursday, killing a patrol officer and injuring at least eight people.\n\nTunisia has been struck repeatedly by terror attacks, threatening the country’s relative political stability in the region. Thursday’s bombings came as the country’s 92-year-old president, who had been released from a brief hospitalization less than a week ago, was rushed again to the hospital after being struck with a “serious illness.”\n\nThe Islamic State group claimed responsibility for Thursday’s attacks through its Aamaq news agency. It was unclear whether it was an opportunistic claim.\n\nOne attacker detonated explosives in a busy commercial district near the French embassy shortly before 11 a.m., apparently targeting a police patrol. One of the officers died from his injuries, and another was injured along with three bystanders.\n\nAt nearly the same time, a second bomber struck at an entrance to the anti-terrorism brigade on the outskirts of the city. Four officers were hospitalized with injuries.\n\nThe Islamic State group was behind Tunisia’s deadliest extremist attacks, which struck at the heart of Tunisia’s tourism sector in 2015. One at the Bardo Museum in Tunis killed 22 people, and another three months later killed 38 people in the coastal city of Sousse.\n\nIn the aftermath, travel agencies pulled out and foreign governments issued warnings for citizens planning to go to Tunisia. Tourism has partially bounced back since Tunisia’s government increased security around popular destinations.\n\nTourism Minister Rene Trabelsi sought to reassure visitors after Thursday’s bombings, saying police were investigating aggressively.\n\nIn an interview with The Associated Press, Trabelsi said he did not think the first attack was tied to the French Embassy nearby but had targeted Tunisian police.\n\n“This attack against national security agents…has nothing to do with tourists,” he said.\n\nThe minister said he had a “message to tourists: have a good holiday and come to Tunisia. Tunisia is a country that fights these terrorists.”\n\nThe U.S. State Department currently lists Tunisia at the same risk level as France in terms of danger for travelers.\n\nUntil Thursday, it had been a while since Tunisia had an episode of serious violence. A female suicide bomber struck the center of Tunis in October, killing only herself.\n\nMehdi el Arem in Tunis, Lori Hinnant and Angela Charlton in Paris contributed.", "Two suicide bombers attacked police and the national guard in the Tunisian capital on Thursday, wounding at least nine people including several civilians, the interior ministry said.\n\nOne attack on the main street of Tunis wounded three civilians and two police personnel, the interior ministry said.\n\nBody parts were strewn in the road around a police car on Habib Bourguiba avenue near the old city, according to an AFP correspondent.\n\n\"It was a suicide attack, which took place at 10:50\" (0950 GMT), on Habib Bourguiba, Interior Ministry spokesman Sofiene Zaag told AFP.\n\nThe suicide bomber did not kill anyone \"but five (are) wounded -- three civilians and two police officers\", Zaag added.\n\nThe second attack targeted a base of the national guard in the capital and wounded four security personnel, the ministry said.\n\n\"At 11:00 am (1000 GMT) an individual blew himself up outside the back door\" of the base, wounding four security personnel, Zaag said.\n\nCivil protection units and police rapidly deployed to Habib Bourguiba avenue, where the interior ministry is located."], "summary": "Twin blasts from suicide bombers, kill one police officer and wound nine others in Tunis."}
{"document": ["DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The Latest on tensions between the U.S. and Iran and in the Persian Gulf (all times local):\n\nSaudi Arabia says it has shot down a drone launched into the kingdom by Yemen’s Iranian-allied Houthi rebels.\n\nMilitary spokesman Col. Turki al-Maliki announced the shootdown of the drone Tuesday night near the southern Saudi city of Khamis Mushait.\n\nAl-Maliki criticized the Houthis for targeting civilian areas with their bomb-laden drones. A Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis in Yemen since March 2015 has been criticized internationally for its airstrikes in Yemen killing civilians.\n\nThe Houthi drone attacks have picked up amid tensions between Iran and the U.S. in the Persian Gulf as Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers unravels.\n\nA Yemen drone attack Sunday night on an airport in Abha, which has been struck repeatedly by the Houthis in recent days, killed one person and wounded seven.\n\nPresident Donald Trump says Iran still takes his threats seriously even after he decided against approving strikes in retaliation for Tehran’s downing of a more than $100 million American surveillance drone over the Strait of Hormuz.\n\nTrump told reporters in the Oval Office that when the Iranians are ready to talk, they will contact him.\n\nIran, however, warned earlier Tuesday that new U.S. sanctions targeting its supreme leader and other top officials meant “closing the doors of diplomacy” between Tehran and Washington amid the heightened tensions.\n\nEarlier in the day, Trump tweeted that an Iranian attack on any U.S. interest will be met with “great and overwhelming force ... overwhelming will mean obliteration.”\n\nFrance’s President Emmanuel Macron has spoken by phone with his Iranian counterpart in what his office says is an effort to avoid a “dangerous escalation” of tensions in the Persian Gulf.\n\nThe French leader spoke on Tuesday with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, but his office didn’t provide details of the conversation.\n\nMacron will be joining other world leaders at the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan, which starts Friday. High on the list will be discussing Iran’s unraveling nuclear deal and the buildup of U.S. forces in the region.\n\nMacron said on Monday that he’ll meet with President Donald Trump at the summit.\n\nFrance has said U.S. calls for building a coalition to counter Iran are “disturbing,” as European powers are trying to save the deal.\n\nU.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says the U.S. is hopeful that a peace agreement to bring an end to 17 years of war in Afghanistan can be reached before Sept. 1.\n\nPompeo was in the Afghan capital of Kabul on Tuesday to meet the country’s leaders. The war there is America’s longest running.\n\n“I hope we have a peace deal before Sept. 1 that’s certainly our mission set,” Pompeo told reporters in Kabul on Tuesday before leaving for Delhi.\n\nPompeo is on a tour of the Middle East and Asia in an effort to build a broad, global coalition to pressure Iran that includes Asian and European countries.\n\nPompeo’s visit to Afghanistan comes just days before the next round of U.S. talks with the Taliban in Doha, where they maintain a political office.\n\nPresident Donald Trump says an Iranian attack on any American interest will be met with “great and overwhelming force” and in some areas, “overwhelming will mean obliteration.”\n\nTrump issued the threat in a tweet Tuesday. It came after Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said the White House is “afflicted by mental retardation.” Trump called that a “very ignorant and insulting statement.”\n\nThe latest verbal volleys between Tehran and Washington followed the U.S. decision on Monday to levy financial sanctions Iran’s supreme leader and his associates.\n\nRouhani said in a televised address that the decision meant the “certain failure” of the White House pressure campaign against Iran.\n\nTrump says Iranian leaders spend their money on supporting militant groups and don’t care about the Iranian people who are suffering under economic sanctions.\n\nFrance’s top diplomat has warned Iran that breaking the 2015 nuclear deal is a “grave error,” and the “wrong answer” to pressure from the United States.\n\nForeign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian also called the U.S. initiative to build a global coalition to counter Iran “disturbing.”\n\nHe said European diplomats are working to avoid further escalation of the tensions between the U.S. and Iran.\n\nFrance, Germany, the United Kingdom and other European countries are trying to save the 2015 nuclear deal, which the U.S. pulled out of.\n\nIran has said it will break out of the deal’s limit on its stockpiles of low-enriched uranium by Thursday, following the re-imposition of heavy U.S. sanctions.\n\nFrance has reiterated its call for de-escalation and dialogue between the U.S. and Iran, as world leaders prepare for the Group of 20 summit.\n\nGovernment spokeswoman Sibeth Ndiaye said French diplomats had several high-level contacts in the past weeks with Iranian and American officials looking for ways to ease the tensions.\n\nFrance’s President Emmanuel Macron will meet with President Donald Trump at the G20 summit in Japan that starts Friday.\n\nSo far, France hasn’t commented on U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s meetings with Gulf Arab allies about building a global coalition to counter Iran.\n\nU.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton says “the United States would very much like to get rid of foreign forces from Syria,” an apparent reference to Iranian troops there.\n\nBolton’s comments Tuesday at a press conference in Jerusalem came after his Russian counterpart urged the United States and Israel to show “restraint” toward Iran.\n\nThe high-profile trilateral security summit focused on Iranian involvement in conflicts across the region, particularly in neighboring Syria.\n\nDifferences between the sides quickly emerged. Israel has long called for Iranian forces to be removed from its northern front and Bolton says the Iranian forces are “a problem in Syria.”\n\nThe Russian envoy, Nikolai Patrushev, responded by saying that Iran had fought against terrorists on Syria’s soil and was “stabilizing the situation” there.\n\nThe summit comes amid escalating tensions between the U.S. and Iran in the Persian Gulf.\n\nRussia’s national security adviser says Russian intelligence has determined that Iran shot down an American drone last week over Iranian airspace.\n\nNikolai Patrushev’s assessment contradicts U.S. claims that the aircraft was downed in international airspace over the Strait of Hormuz.\n\nPatrushev spoke to reporters after a three-way meeting with his Russian and Israeli counterparts in Jerusalem. He said Iran has not briefed Russia about the incident but that the Russian Defense Ministry has concluded the drone had entered Iranian airspace.\n\nHe says: “We have not seen any proof otherwise.”\n\nPresident Donald Trump called off a planned U.S. reprisal in response to the shoot-down just minutes before it was to take place but has imposed new sanctions on Iran.\n\nU.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton says “all options remain on the table” if Iran exceeds the uranium enrichment limit under the 2015 deal.\n\nBolton spoke at a press conference after a high-profile trilateral security summit in Jerusalem on Tuesday.\n\nHe was responding to a question about whether a military strike was still an option if Iran crosses the 300-kilogram stockpile threshold outlined in the atomic accord. Bolton says it would be “a very serious mistake for Iran to ignore those limits.”\n\nIran says it will possess over 300 kilograms of low-enriched uranium by Thursday, in violation of the deal. Europe separately faces a July 7 deadline imposed by Tehran to offer a better deal or Iran will begin enriching its uranium closer to weapons-grade levels.\n\nBolton, a longtime Iran hawk, says it “should give up their pursuit of deliverable nuclear weapons.”\n\nRussia’s national security adviser has rebuffed U.S. and Israeli attempts to isolate Iran and is urging both countries to show “restraint” toward the Islamic Republic.\n\nNikolai Patrushev spoke at a three-way meeting Tuesday with his Israeli and American counterparts in Jerusalem. He says attempts to present Iran “as the main threat to regional security” or to equate it to international terrorist groups are “not acceptable.”\n\nHe added that “Iran is contributing a lot to fighting terrorists on the Syrian soil and stabilizing the situation there.”\n\nIsrael’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, earlier called for the three countries to agree on expelling foreign forces from neighboring Syria. He says Israel will not allow Iran to establish a permanent military presence there.\n\nPatrushev called on Israel and the U.S. to encourage a political settlement in Syria.\n\nIran’s president is mocking President Donald Trump, going so far as to say that the White House is “afflicted by mental retardation.”\n\nThe comments by Hassan Rouhani came after the Trump administration sanctioned Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Monday.\n\nRouhani said the decision meant the “certain failure” of the White House’s efforts. He also criticized U.S. officials for wanting to sanction Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.\n\nIran’s president says the new U.S. sanctions targeting the Islamic Republic’s supreme leader and others are “outrageous and idiotic.”\n\nThe comments by Hassan Rouhani come a day after the Trump administration sanctioned Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his associates.\n\nRouhani says the decision meant the “certain failure” of the White House’s efforts. He spoke in a live television address on Tuesday.\n\nRouhani also criticized U.S. officials for wanting to sanction Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.\n\nAn exasperated Rouhani said: “You sanction the foreign minister simultaneously with a request for talks?”\n\nIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel, the United States and Russia have a common objective to remove Iranian forces from Syria.\n\nNetanyahu says that doing so will “create a more stable Middle East.” He spoke at a meeting of the three countries’ national security advisers on Tuesday.\n\nIran and Russia have played a key role in backing Syrian President Bashar Assad and helping him overcome rebel forces in his country’s civil war. Netanyahu has long warned that Iran now looks to leverage that influence into establishing a military foothold along Israel’s northern front.\n\nThe three-way summit in Jerusalem with the American and Russian officials was expected to focus on Iranian involvement in conflicts across the region, particularly in neighboring Syria.\n\nIt comes amid escalating tensions between the U.S. and Iran in the Persian Gulf.\n\nU.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton says President Donald Trump is open to real negotiations and “all that Iran needs to do is walk through that open door”\n\nBolton spoke at a high-profile trilateral security summit in Jerusalem on Tuesday.\n\nHe says American envoys are surging across the region in hopes of finding a path out of escalating tensions between the U.S. and Iran but that the silence of the Islamic Republic has been “deafening.”\n\nBolton says: “There is simply no evidence that Iran has made the strategic decision to renounce nuclear weapons.”\n\nHis comments alongside his Israeli and Russian counterparts come after Iran slammed the Trump administration over new U.S. sanctions targeting its supreme leader. Iran’s Foreign Ministry says the measures spell a “permanent closure” to diplomacy between the U.S and Iran.\n\nIran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman says the new U.S. sanctions targeting the Islamic Republic’s supreme leader and other top officials mean the “permanent closure” of diplomacy between Tehran and Washington.\n\nThat’s according to a report carried by the state-run IRNA news agency on Tuesday, quoting the spokesman, Abbas Mousavi.\n\nMousavi says the “fruitless sanction on Iran’s leadership and the chief of Iranian diplomacy mean the permanent closure of the road of diplomacy with the frustrated U.S. administration.”\n\nTrump enacted new sanctions Monday targeting Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. U.S. officials also say they plan sanctions against Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.\n\nThis comes amid heightened tensions between Iran and the U.S. over its unraveling nuclear deal and as Iran last week shot down a U.S. military surveillance drone.\n\nCopyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.", "The spokesperson of the Arab Coalition said forces were able to intercept and down a drone in Yemeni airspace after it was launched by the Houthis north of Sanaa toward Saudi Arabia.\n\nArab Coalition spokesperson Col. Turki al-Maliki said that the interception of the drone took place at 10:20 pm local time.\n\n“The Houthi terrorists continue to launch drones to carry out hostile and terrorist acts by targeting civilians and public facilities, and that none of their targets have been achieved. They have been destroyed and shot down,” al-Maliki said in a statement carried out by Saudi Press Agency.\n\n“We affirm the continued implementation of deterrent measures against these terrorist militias and the neutralization of Houthi capabilities with all rigor and in accordance with international humanitarian law and its customary rules,” he added.\n\nLast Update: Thursday, 27 June 2019 KSA 00:20 - GMT 21:20", "MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 27th June, 2019) The Saudi-led coalition, supporting the Yemeni government, has downed a drone launched by the rebel Houthi movement into Saudi Arabia, media have reported, citing the coalition's spokesman, Col. Turki Maliki.\n\nThe drone had been launched from the north of the Yemeni capital of Sanaa and intercepted at 10:20 p.m.\n\n(19:20 GMT) on Wednesday in the Yemeni airspace, Maliki said, as cited by the Saudi Press Agency.\n\nMaliki pointed out that the Houthis had repeatedly launched drones to attack civilians and civilian infrastructure, while the Saudi forces had intercepted them before they had reached the targets.\n\nThe coalition and the Houthis have been exchanging attacks amid a violent conflict in Yemen.\n\nThe conflict has been underway since 2015 and has sparked a humanitarian disaster in the country.", "Wednesday, 26 June, 2019 - 04:30Arab Coalition Spokesman Colonel Turki al-Maliki. File photoRiyadh - Asharq Al-AwsatThe Coalition for the Support of Legitimacy in Yemen has said that the Royal Saudi Air Defense Forces intercepted and downed a drone launched by the Houthi terrorist militias towards a residential area in southwestern Saudi Arabia.Coalition Spokesman Colonel Turki al-Maliki said the drone was aimed at a populated area in Khamis Mushayt.He did not report any damage or casualties, in a statement released by the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).He accused the Houthis of deliberately targeting civilians and civilian installations.Maliki stressed that the coalition will continue to take deterrent measures against the insurgents in line with international humanitarian law.", "The drone had been launched from the north of the Yemeni capital of Sanaa and intercepted at 10:20 p.m. (19:20 GMT) on Wednesday in the Yemeni airspace, Maliki said, as cited by the Saudi Press Agency.\n\nMaliki pointed out that the Houthis had repeatedly launched drones to attack civilians and civilian infrastructure, while the Saudi forces had intercepted them before they had reached the targets.\n\nThe coalition and the Houthis have been exchanging attacks amid violent conflict in Yemen.\n\nThe conflict has been underway since 2015 and has sparked a humanitarian disaster in the country.", "Saudi Arabia announced the downing of a drone launched by Yemen’s Houthi rebels toward a residential area, local sources said Wednesday.\n\nThe Saudi Press Agency reported that Arab coalition spokesman Col. Turki al-Maliki said the country’s air defense forces intercepted the drone in the southwestern city of Khamis Mushait.\n\nThe Saudi-led coalition also confirmed a missile attack on June 12 by Houthis on Abha International Airport which injured 26 civilians.\n\nYemen has been beset by violence and chaos since 2014, when Houthi rebels overran much of the country, including the capital Sanaa.\n\nThe crisis escalated in 2015 when a Saudi-led military coalition launched a devastating air campaign aimed at rolling back Houthi territorial gains.\n\nThis article has been adapted from its original source.", "Yemen's Houthis launched an attack on Abha civilian airport in southern Saudi Arabia on Sunday that killed one person and wounded 21 others, the Saudi-led coalition battling the group in Yemen said.\n\nHouthi-run Al-Masirah TV earlier said that the rebels had targeted Abha and Jizan airports in the south of the kingdom with drone attacks.\n\n\"A terrorist attack by the Iran-backed Houthi militia targeted Abha airport, killing a Syrian resident and wounding 21 civilians,\" the coalition said in a statement carried on Saudi state television.\n\nIt did not confirm an attack on Jizan airport, the Reuters news agency reported.\n\nSaudi-owned Al Arabiya TV said a suspected drone hit the parking lot in Abha airport, which is about 200km north of the Yemen border and serves domestic and regional routes.\n\nSaudi state TV said flights had resumed at the airport, where operations were now running normally.\n\nEarlier this month, a Houthi missile hit Abha airport in a strike that wounded 26 people.\n\nThe Western-backed coalition led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) intervened in Yemen in 2015 to try to restore the internationally recognised government that was ousted from power in Sanaa by the Houthis in late 2014.\n\nThe Saudi-led coalition has continued its campaign of air strikes against Houthi-held areas which has caused thousands of deaths since 2015.\n\nThe Houthis have stepped up missile and drone attacks on Saudi cities in the past month amid rising tension between Iran and Gulf Arab states allied to the United States.\n\nRiyadh has accused Iran of supplying the Houthis with the weapon used in the 13 June attack on Abha airport. Tehran and the Houthis deny coalition charges that Iran supplies the Houthis with missiles and drones.\n\nThe coalition has targeted Houthi military sites around the capital Sanaa and Hodeidah port city.\n\nSaudi Arabia, the UAE, Britain and the US, in a joint statement published by the Saudi Embassy in Washington on Sunday, voiced concern about the escalation in Houthi attacks - without any mention of the latest drone launches.\n\nThe quartet also voiced concern about \"dangers posed by Iranian destabilising activity\" to peace and security both in Yemen and the broader region, citing attacks on oil tankers in Gulf waters.\n\nTehran has denied involvement in the tanker attacks, which no one has claimed responsibility for.\n\nOn Twitter, some Saudis expressed frustration over the latest attack on Abha airport and called it \"an act of terrorism\".\n\nOthers mourned the death of the Syrian resident killed in the attack.\n\nThe escalation in violence threatens a UN-sponsored deal for a ceasefire and troop withdrawal from Hodeidah, which became the focus of the war last year when the coalition tried to seize the port, the Houthis' main supply line and a lifeline for millions of Yemenis.\n\nThe quartet's statement called on all Yemeni parties to engage constructively with UN special envoy Martin Griffiths to accelerate implementation of the agreement.\n\nThe deal, reached at peace talks in Sweden last December, had stalled for months before the Houthis unilaterally withdrew from three Red Sea ports in Hodeidah last month.\n\nThe Saudi-led alliance has yet to verify the redeployment or meet it by pulling back pro-coalition troops massed on the outskirts of Hodeidah.", "(UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 27th Jun, 2019) RIYADH, 26th June 2019 (WAM) - The spokesman for the coalition forces, \"Coalition for the Support of Legitimacy in Yemen,\" Colonel Turki al-Maliki said that, at 10:20 pm today, the Coalition Air Forces managed to intercept and downed a drone in Yemeni airspace after it was launched by the Houthi terrorist militia from the north of Sana'a towards the Kingdom.\n\nColonel al-Maliki was quoted by Saudi Press Agency, SPA, as saying that the Houthi terrorist criminal tool continues to launch drones to carry out hostile and terrorist acts by targeting civilians and civilian installations, and that none of their targets have been achieved.\n\n\"They have been destroyed and shot down. We affirm the continued implementation of deterrent measures against these terrorist militias and the neutralisation of Houthi capabilities with all rigor and in accordance with international humanitarian law and its customary rules,\" he said.", "DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) – The Latest on developments in the Persian Gulf region amid rising tensions between Iran and the U.S. (all times local):\n\n \n\n 2:20 p.m.\n\n \n\n Iran’s foreign ministry has warned the United States over violating Iranian airspace after the Revolutionary Guard shot down a U.S drone earlier in the day.\n\n \n\n A ministry spokesman, Abbas Mousavi, is quoted by the semi-official Tasnim news agency as saying that Iran cannot condone the “illegal trespassing and invading of the country’s skies by any kind of foreign flying object.”\n\n \n\n Iran’s Revolutionary Guard says it shot down the American drone over Iranian airspace, while U.S. officials say it happened over international airspace in the Strait of Hormuz.\n\n \n\n Mousavi expressed Iran’s “strong objection” and added that the “invaders will bear full responsibility.”\n\n\n\n\n\n \n\n 12:45 p.m.\n\n \n\n Saudi Arabia says Yemen’s Houthi rebels have fired a rocket into the kingdom targeting a desalination plant, but that no one was wounded and the rocket caused no damage.\n\n \n\n The state-run Saudi Press Agency on Thursday reported the attack, quoting military spokesman Col. Turki al-Maliki. The attack took place late Wednesday night.\n\n \n\n The Iranian-backed Houthis through their Al-Masirah satellite channel claimed that they targeted a power plant in Jizan in Saudi Arabia.\n\n \n\n White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders earlier said President Donald Trump had been “briefed on the reports of a missile strike in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”\n\n \n\n It wasn’t immediately clear why the U.S. would brief Trump over the incident if it caused no damage.\n\n \n\n The attack comes amid heightened tensions between Iran and the U.S. over Tehran’s collapsing nuclear deal with world powers.\n\n\n\n\n\n 10:40 a.m.\n\n \n\n The commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard says the shooting down of a U.S. drone has sent “a clear message” to America.\n\n \n\n Gen. Hossein Salami said also says that Iran does “not have any intention for war with any country, but we are ready for war.”\n\n \n\n His speech was carried live on Iranian state television on Thursday, shortly after U.S. and Iranian officials acknowledged the shooting down of the drone.\n\n \n\n The Guard says it shot down the American drone over Iranian airspace, while U.S. officials told The Associated Press the downing happened over international airspace in the Strait of Hormuz.\n\n \n\n The different accounts could not be immediately reconciled.\n\n\n\n\n\n 10:25 a.m.\n\n \n\n A U.S. official says that an Iranian surface-to-air missile shot down a U.S. drone flying in international airspace over the Strait of Hormuz.\n\n \n\n The official spoke to The Associated Press on Thursday on condition of anonymity as the information had yet to be cleared for release to the public.\n\n \n\n Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said Thursday it shot down a U.S. drone amid heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington over its collapsing nuclear deal.\n\n \n\n It said the U.S. drone was flying in Iranian airspace, contradicting the U.S. official.\n\n \n\n The reported downing of the RQ-4 Global Hawk comes after the U.S. military previously alleged Iran fired a missile at another drone last week that responded to the attack on two oil tankers near the Gulf of Oman. The U.S. blames Iran for the attack on the ships, something Tehran denies.", "Saudi air defenses intercepted a Yemeni rebel drone targeting a residential area in the kingdom's south on Tuesday, a Riyadh-led military coalition said, as the Iran-linked militia step up attacks across the border.\n\nA coalition spokesman said the drone was aimed at a populated area in Khamis Mushait, which houses a major airbase used as a launchpad for the coalition's bombing campaign in Yemen.\n\nHe did not report any damage or casualties, in a statement released by Saudi state media.\n\nThe Huthi rebels earlier claimed drone attacks on aircraft hangars and military positions at two airports in the nearby cities of Abha and Jizan.\n\nThe coalition did not confirm those attacks.\n\nThe rebels, who have faced persistent coalition bombing since March 2015 which has exacted a heavy civilian death toll, have stepped up missile and drone attacks across the border in recent weeks.\n\nA Huthi drone attack on Abha's civilian airport killed a Syrian national and wounded 21 others on Sunday, the coalition said.\n\nOn June 12, a rebel missile attack on Abha airport wounded 26 civilians, drawing promises of \"stern action\" from the coalition.\n\nHuman Rights Watch denounced that attack as an apparent \"war crime\".\n\nThe latest raids come amid spiralling regional tensions after Washington -- a key ally of Riyadh -- accused Iran of shooting down a US drone over international waters and of carrying out attacks on oil tankers in the strategic Gulf of Oman.\n\nSaudi Arabia has repeatedly accused Iran of supplying sophisticated weapons to Huthi rebels, a charge Tehran denies.\n\nFollowing recent attacks, Saudi state media have reported an intensification of coalition air raids on rebel positions in the northern Yemeni province of Hajjah and the Huthi-held capital Sanaa.\n\nThe coalition intervened in support of the Yemeni government in 2015 when President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi fled into Saudi exile as the rebels closed in on his last remaining territory in and around the second city Aden.\n\nSince then, the conflict has killed tens of thousands of people, many of them civilians, relief agencies say."], "summary": "Arab Coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki says that his forces intercept and down a drone in Yemeni airspace after its launch toward Saudi Arabia by Houthis north of Sanaʽa."}
{"document": ["An Antonov An-24RV of Angara Airlines hit a building following a runway excursion on landing at Nizhneangarsk Airport, Russia.\n\nThe aircraft had departed Ulan-Ude for Nizhneangarsk. While en route one of the engines reportedly failed.\n\nDuring landing rollout on runway 22 at Nizhneangarsk Airport, the aircraft veered off the right side of the runway and travelled across grass until it impacted a building of a sewage treatment plant. A fire erupted. The captain and flight engineer were died and 22 passengers were injured.\n\nAccident investigation:\n\nInvestigating agency: MAK Status: Investigation ongoing\n\nClassification:\n\nSources:\n\nPhotos\n\n\n\naccident date:\n\ntype: Antonov An-24RV\n\nregistration: RA-47366 accident date:type: Antonov An-24RVregistration: RA-47366\n\naccident date:\n\ntype: Antonov An-24RV\n\nregistration: RA-47366 accident date:type: Antonov An-24RVregistration: RA-47366\n\nVideo, social media\n\nMap\n\nnot display the exact flight path.\n\nDistance from Ulan-Ude Airport to Nizhneangarsk Airport as the crow flies is 462 km (289 miles).\n\nAccident location: Approximate; accuracy within a few kilometers. This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. The line between the airports doesdisplay the exact flight path.Distance from Ulan-Ude Airport to Nizhneangarsk Airport as the crow flies is 462 km (289 miles).Accident location: Approximate; accuracy within a few kilometers.\n\nThis information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Networks opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.", "Two people have been killed and seven injured when an Antonov AN-24 passenger plane made an emergency landing at a regional airport in Russia's Buryatia republic in Siberia.\n\nThere were 46 people, including four crew, on board the plane, which was en route from the regional capital of Ulan-Ude to Nizhneangarsk.\n\nThe area's emergency situations ministry said the plane over-shot the runway after landing, hit a small building and caught fire.\n\nThe flight was operated by Russian regional airline Angara, media reported.", "MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 28th June, 2019) Indian businessmen and the heads of the country's states intend to visit Russia's Far East ahead of the 5th Eastern Economic Forum (EEF), scheduled to take place in the Russian Far Eastern city of Vladivostok from September 4-6, the press service of Russian Deputy Prime Minister and Presidential Plenipotentiary Envoy to the Far Eastern Federal District Yury Trutnev said in a statement on Thursday following his talks with Indian Ambassador to Russia Bala Venkatesh Varma.\n\n\"Venkatesh Varma stated the readiness of the businessmen and the heads of Indian states to visit Russia's Far East ahead of the Eastern Economic Forum. He asked for assistance in arranging the meetings of the Indian delegations with the Far East governors and representatives of the Russian business community. Yury Trutnev, in turn, confirmed the readiness of the Russian side to facilitate the arrangement of such visits,\" the statement said.\n\nTrutnev believes that the Indian track is likely to become one of the main ones at the EEF-2019, with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi being among the event's participants, the statement added.\n\nAccording to the Russian deputy prime minister, many Indian businesses and entrepreneurs expressed interest in investing in Russia's Far East at a meeting with him in Mumbai last week.\n\nThis year's EEF is expected to focus on the national program for the Far East's development. The first EEF was held in 2015 at Russian President Vladimir Putin's initiative. The forum is aimed at encouraging national and international investments in Russia's Far East and boosting wider cooperation in the Asia-Pacific Region.", "June 27 (UPI) -- A Russian passenger plane attempting to make an emergency landing missed the runway and crashed into a building, killing two crew members, authorities said.\n\nThe Angara Airlines' AN-32 aircraft, with 42 passengers and four crew on board, was preparing to land at around 10 a.m. Thursday at Nizhneangarsk Airport when one of its engines failed, Russia's state-run TASS reported.\n\nThe Ministry of Emergency Situations said that on landing the plane \"turned around and crashed into a sewage treatment plant. The plane caught fire.\"\n\nTwenty-two people were injured, including seven people who were hospitalized while 14 others received medical assistance at the crash site, medical services said.\n\nThe East Siberian Investigation Department said it has opened a criminal investigation into the crash on the grounds that air traffic safety and operations rules may have been violated.", "An Angara Airlines Antonov An-24, en route from Ulan-Ude, skidded off the runway after an emergency landing at Nizhneangarsk Airport (Republic of Buryatia, Russia) at 10:24 a.m. local time June 27.\n\nThe aircraft (registration number RA-47366) collided with an airport infrastructure building and caught fire. The first pilot and the board engineer were killed, the airline said. Forty-three passengers, the co-pilot and the flight attendant were evacuated. Fourteen passengers were taken to a hospital, according to Russia's Investigative Committee.\n\nThe Federal Air Transport Agency said pilots reported engine failure while descending. Russian authorities have started an investigation.\n\nIrkutsk-based Angara Airlines was founded in 2000 and operates regional flights in Siberia. Its commercial fleet includes Antonov An-148s, An-24s, An-26-100s and An-2s. The airline carried 396,548 passengers last year.", "MOSCOW — Two people were killed and seven injured when an Antonov An-24 passenger plane made an emergency landing on Thursday at an airport in Russia’s Buryatia region in Siberia, the area’s emergency situations ministry said.\n\nThe plane carrying 48 people, including 5 crew members, overshot the runway after landing, hit a small building and caught fire, regional authorities said.\n\nThe aircraft took off from the regional capital of Ulan-Ude and flew to Nizhneangarsk, where it was forced to make an emergency landing when one of its engines failed, they said.\n\nVideo shot by a passenger from a plane window showed the aircraft coming into land on the runway before rolling into a field and then suddenly violently halting with passengers screaming onboard.\n\nRegional authorities said a pilot and technician had been killed in the accident, but all the passengers had been safely evacuated before a fire destroyed the plane.\n\nThe flight was operated by Russian regional airline Angara, media reported.", "An American Airlines flight heading to Dallas-Fort Worth returned to Reno shortly after takeoff and made a safe emergency landing after issues with the landing gear and a tire.\n\nRENO — An American Airlines flight heading to Dallas-Fort Worth returned to Reno shortly after takeoff and made a safe emergency landing after issues with the landing gear and a tire.\n\nAmerican Airlines says Flight 1266 took off from Reno-Tahoe International Airport around 1 a.m. Tuesday and circled the airport for about an hour to burn off fuel before landing safely about 2:30 a.m.\n\nNo injuries were reported on the plane carrying 169 passengers and crew members.\n\nAirport spokesman Brian Kulpin tells the Reno Gazette Journal that the Boeing 737-800 reported it had “blown a tire” and had an issue with the landing gear.\n\nHe says some runways had been closed briefly but have reopened and airport operations are back to normal.", "Moscow: A Russian passenger plane overshot the runway, crashed into a building and caught fire at an airport in Siberia on Thursday, killing two crew members, officials said.\n\nThe small An-24 aircraft, travelling from Ulan-Ude in Siberia, was attempting an emergency landing at Nizhneangarsk Airport, the regional government of Buryatia said.\n\nBut the plane went 100 metres off the tarmac and \"crashed into a waste treatment facility building\".\n\n\"The plane caught fire,\" it said on its official Instagram account.\n\nTwo crew members were killed and 43 passengers, including a child, survived.\n\nInvestigators launched a probe into possible violation of air safety regulations, the transport investigators of Eastern Siberia said in a statement.\n\nThe plane belonged to regional Angara airline and was on a regular flight.", "MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A Delta Airlines flight was diverted to Memphis early Friday morning because of a medical emergency on board.\n\nFlight 923 was heading from Sacramento, California to Atlanta, Georgia when it made the unexpected stop in the Bluff City around 5 a.m.\n\nMemphis firefighters were sent to the airport to help.\n\nThere’s no word on that patient’s condition.\n\nThe airline released a statement saying the flight has already left the airport to continue its journey to Georgia."], "summary": "Angara Airlines Flight 200 crashes on landing at Nizhneangarsk Airport, Far East Russia, killing two of the 47 people on board."}
{"document": ["LOS ANGELES — The first Democratic presidential debates of the 2020 campaign are taking place Wednesday and Thursday — July 26 and 27, 2019 — in Miami and will be telecast on NBC-affiliated broadcast and cable stations.\n\nThe debates, sanctioned by the Democratic National Committee and each featuring 10 candidates, will begin at 6 p.m. on both days and be televised by NBC, MSNBC and Telemundo. The debates will also be streamed by NBCNews.com, MSNBC.com, NBC News NOW, NoticiasTelemundo.com, and on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.\n\nUnder rules set by the DNC, candidates needed to either register 1% support in three qualified polls or have 65,000 unique donors to their campaign, with a minimum of 200 donors in at least 20 states, to qualify for the debate.\n\nThe 20 candidates who qualified were divided into two groups of 10 in a drawing Friday.\n\nIn an effort to avoid grouping lesser-known candidates together on one night and high-profile candidates on the other, candidates were divided into two groups — those who polled on average at or above 2% through June 12 and those who polled on average below 2% through midnight on Wednesday. A random draw then took place, to create two groupings of 10.\n\n“The purpose of that is to be consistent with our principle of trying to be fair to everybody but also, it gets to the point of your question, so that we have maximum eyeballs both nights,” DNC chairman Tom Perez told MSNBC’s Hallie Jackson before the draw.\n\nThe candidates position on the stage at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in Miami was determined by their standings in qualifying public polling through June 12.\n\nTop polling candidates were placed at the center positions, with lower polling contenders being placed closer to the edges of the stage. Candidates who were tied in the polls were ranked based on the overall number of qualifying polls.\n\nMassachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke will be in the middle Wednesday.\n\nStanding from left to right will be New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio; Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan; former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro; New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker; Warren; O’Rourke; Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar; Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard; Washington Gov. Jay Inslee; and former Maryland Rep. John Delaney.\n\nThis will be the first time more than one woman has been on stage for a presidential primary debate.\n\n“NBC Nightly News” anchor Lester Holt, “Today” anchor Savannah Guthrie and “Noticias Telemundo” anchor Jose Diaz-Balart will moderate the first hour. Holt will also appear in the second hour, which “Meet the Press” moderator Chuck Todd and MSNBC host Rachel Maddow will moderate.\n\nCandidates will have 60 seconds to answer questions and 30 seconds to respond to follow-ups.\n\nDemocratic Party organizations and campaigns are also conducting viewing parties at five sites in Los Angeles County for Wednesday’s debate.\n\nThe 6 p.m. watch parties will be held at:\n\nA second 10-candidate debate will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday, with watch parties set for the following locations:", "Ten presidential candidates, led by Senator Elizabeth Warren, will converge on the stage on the first night of Democratic debates to offer their pitches to voters and attempt a defining moment for their campaigns.\n\nFor many of the White House hopefuls, it will be the highest-profile opportunity yet to offer their vision for the country and, if for just two hours, chip into a political news cycle often dominated by President Donald Trump.\n\nGiven the massive field, the debate will be split over two nights, with 10 other candidates, including former vice president Joe Biden and Vermont senator Bernie Sanders, appearing on Thursday.\n\nBut on Wednesday’s opening night, Ms Warren will take centre stage.\n\nThe Massachusetts senator’s constant stream of policy proposals has helped her campaign gain ground.\n\nStrategists say that Ms Warren, widely viewed as a talented debater, is well positioned to showcase her strengths.\n\n“I don’t think anyone else on that night has her level of skill and her level of experience in this format,” said Maria Cardona, a Democratic strategist.\n\n“I think she should look at this as an opportunity to really shine and come out of the first night as the one that is dominating the conversation.”\n\nYet Ms Warren could still face challenges.\n\nThe other candidates on stage Wednesday are not as well known and could use the moment to take aggressive stances against Ms Warren in an effort to make an impression.\n\n“She’s liable to have a target on her back and a lot of people potentially coming after her on that stage,” said Charles Chamberlain, the chairman of the progressive political action committee Democracy for America.\n\n“But on the other hand, that will let people see how she handles attacks and can fend them off.”\n\nAsked whether she felt the pressure of effectively being the front-runner during the first debate, Ms Warren shrugged off her centre-stage position.\n\n“This is just a chance to be able to talk to people all across this country about how this government works better and better and better for a thinner and thinner slice at the top, and it’s just not working for the rest of America, she told reporters after her Tuesday rally in Miami.\n\nBeyond Ms Warren, the candidates who will debate on Wednesday are Senators Cory Booker of New Jersey and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, Representatives Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii and Tim Ryan of Ohio and former representatives Beto O’Rourke of Texas and John Delaney of Maryland, along with Washington governor Jay Inslee, New York mayor Bill de Blasio and Julian Castro, housing secretary during Barack Obama’s presidency.\n\nOne split that could emerge on Wednesday centres on Medicare For All, the single-payer health plan introduced by Mr Sanders and supported by Ms Warren and others.\n\nBut some candidates are not fully on board, preferring more incremental reforms.\n\nMr Delaney has been especially vocal in his criticism.\n\nWith so many White House hopefuls on stage, it could be difficult to dive too deep on any given issue.\n\nNBC News, which is hosting the debate, said candidates will have 60 seconds to answer questions and 30 seconds for follow-ups.\n\nThey will be allowed closing statements but no openers.\n\nAll the candidates are competing ahead of a major fundraising deadline that will have lasting implications.\n\nThe end of the second fundraising quarter on Sunday gives candidates a chance to make a splash with strong numbers ahead of the mid-July deadline to report that information to the Federal Election Commission.\n\nA strong debate performance could fuel more donations, which is critical to the candidates’ ability to participate in future debates.\n\nThe Democratic National Committee is enforcing more stringent requirements for participating in the presidential primary debates this autumn, so candidates who are struggling to gain a foothold may not have another similar opportunity on a nationally televised stage unless they are able to significantly boost their standing in the polls and fundraising numbers.\n\n“For some of them, this might be their best opportunity to land a blow,” said Joel Payne, a Democratic strategist.\n\nThe debate will unfold as many Democratic voters are just beginning to tune in.\n\nOnly 35% of registered Democrats say they are paying close attention to the campaign, according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.\n\nTwo-thirds say they are paying some or no attention.\n\n“People may have heard (the candidates’) names, but they couldn’t pick them out and don’t know much about them,” said Jesse Ferguson, a veteran Democratic strategist.\n\n“None of them are going to seal the deal in the first debate, but they need to get people interested enough to want to learn more.”\n\nThe debate’s second night on Thursday features more of the leading Democrats in the race.\n\nMr Biden will stand at centre stage with Mr Sanders at his left and Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana, at his right.\n\nThe former vice president has come under fire from fellow Democrats after recently recalling that the Senate was once a more civil place, pointing to his work with two segregationist former senators.\n\nSeveral of the candidates went to Florida early to raise money or court voters in the critical battleground state.\n\nMr Buttigieg held two Florida fundraisers on Monday night and stayed in Florida for debate preparation.\n\nMs Warren, meanwhile, was in the state on Tuesday to campaign for her new proposal to boost election security.\n\nNot to be outdone, Vice President Mike Pence was also in Miami on Tuesday to launch Latinos For Trump as part of an effort to engage Latino voters for 2020.\n\nThe Trump campaign said it was running ads in Wednesday’s Miami Herald and El Nuevo Herald touting the president’s achievements on behalf of Latinos.", "The second Democratic presidential candidate debate for the 2020 election will be held Thursday night in Miami.\n\nThe first was held Wednesday night in Miami -- read about it and see highlights here.\n• NBC will broadcast the debates live from 9-11 p.m. both nights.\n• There are 10 participants scheduled to debate on both nights.\n• These participants (see below) were selected in a drawing last week at NBC News' headquarters in New York.\n• NBC says podium placements started with top polling candidates beginning at the center positions and lower polling contenders being placed closer to the edges of the stage. Candidates who were tied in the polls were ranked based on the overall number of qualifying polls, according to NBC News.\n• Here's what happened Wednesday night in the first Democratic debate.\n\nYou may also watch it live streaming here:\n\nHere are the Thursday night debate participants:\n\nHere is who participated Wednesday night:", "MIAMI (AP) — The Latest on the Democratic presidential debates (all times local):\n\nThe urgency with which to address changes in the world's climate has emerged as somewhat of a unifying topic at the first Democratic presidential debate.\n\nWashington Gov. Jay Inslee called his state's progress on the issue the \"gold standard.\" He said Wednesday that he's the only member of the massive Democratic field to make tackling the problem his top priority.\n\nAsked how he'd win over voters worried about possible government overreach in climate-related restrictions, former Texas congressman Beto O'Rourke pledged to help communities including the debate host city Miami, an area \"on the front lines of climate change today.\"\n\nFormer Obama-era Cabinet secretary Julián Castro vowed a recommitment to the Paris Climate Accord, while former Maryland Rep. John Delaney noted he was alone in introducing a bipartisan carbon tax bill in Congress.\n\nElizabeth Warren's campaign trail refrain is that she has \"a plan for it.\" That apparently extends to Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, who refused to hold a hearing for President Barack Obama's last Supreme Court nominee.\n\nWarren was asked during Wednesday's Democratic presidential debate if she has a plan for dealing with the Kentucky Republican, who prides himself in blocking Democrats' legislative priorities.\n\nShe answered, \"I do,\" drawing cheers from the audience.\n\nThe Massachusetts senator says energized Democrats have to \"stay on the front lines,\" even after the 2020 presidential election is decided.\n\nShe says pressure must be applied both from activists on the outside and leaders on the inside \"to make sure this Congress reflects the will of the people.\"\n\nThe Democratic presidential candidates are talking in very personal terms about gun violence and how to curb it.\n\nSen. Cory Booker of New Jersey said at Wednesday's debate that he lives in a neighborhood where shootings are common. He supports gun licensing and says, \"This is not about policy. This is personal.\"\n\nSen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts says the toughest questions she's gotten on the campaign trail are from kids who ask how she'd keep them safe. Warren says the U.S. should \"double-down\" on research into what works to reduce gun violence.\n\nNew York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (dih BLAH'-zee-oh) talked about raising a black son and trying to keep him safe, including from police.\n\nWednesday's debate is taking place in Miami, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) from the high school in Parkland, Florida, where a gunman killed 17 people last year.\n\nThe second hour of the first Democratic presidential debate has been derailed by technical difficulties.\n\nAs debate moderators Rachel Maddow and Chuck Todd took over Wednesday for the next round of the debate, the 10 candidates on stage were unable to hear the question Todd was trying to ask about the federal government's role in getting guns off the street.\n\nFollowing back-and-forth confusion, Todd announced the debate would head to a commercial break.\n\nPresident Donald Trump tweeted that debate hosts NBC and MSNBC \"should be ashamed of themselves for having such a horrible technical breakdown in the middle of the debate.\"\n\nTrump is en route to Osaka, Japan, for the Group of 20 summit.\n\nThe first hour of the first Democratic presidential debate of the 2020 cycle passed with hardly a mention of the man whom the 10 candidates on stage hope to face next November.\n\nMinnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar was first to utter President Donald Trump's name, saying a few minutes into the debate, that Trump \"sits in the White House and gloats\" while the economy isn't working for everyone.\n\nShe also briefly referenced him again as the debate headed into its second hour. Responding to a question about U.S. tensions with Iran, Klobuchar said, \"I don't think we should conduct foreign policy in our bathrobe at 5 in the morning.\"\n\nOther candidates invoked the president's name in making their arguments on immigration.\n\nTrump was en route to Japan for the G-20 summit as the two-night event got underway. He has weighed in once so far on the debate, tweeting, \"BORING!\"\n\nThis item has been corrected to show that Klobuchar uttered Trump's name a few minutes into the debate, not 16 minutes into the debate.\n\nSen. Cory Booker is alone at the Democratic presidential debate in calling it a \"mistake\" to sign onto the 2015 nuclear accord with Iran.\n\nThe New Jersey senator was the only one of the 10 candidates on stage in Miami on Wednesday not to raise his hand when asked if he supported the deal. Under the agreement, Iran agreed to limit its enrichment of uranium and submit to U.N. inspections in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions.\n\nPressed to explain his rationale, Booker said as president he would \"do the best I can to secure this country.\"\n\nPresident Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the accord in May 2018 and has imposed increasingly tough sanctions to pressure Iran into a better deal. The U.S. has threatened sanctions against countries that trade with Iran.\n\nThe Democratic presidential candidates are decrying the Trump administration's tough immigration policies, saying the president is to blame for the deaths of an immigrant father and his toddler daughter found lying face-down after drowning in the Rio Grande.\n\nAt Wednesday's debate, former Obama administration housing chief Julián Castro says a photo of the family \"is heartbreaking\" and \"should piss us all off.\" He also attacked fellow Texan Beto O'Rourke for not supporting fully decriminalizing the act of crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally.\n\nNew Jersey Sen. Cory Booker spoke briefly in Spanish to further chastise Trump's policies, O'Rourke, a former congressman, took a question in Spanish and answered it, saying, \"We are going to treat everyone with respect.\"\n\nNew York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (dih BLAH'-zee-oh) says the economy hasn't been hurt by immigrants. He says corporations are to blame.\n\nQuestions over private health insurance have provoked the first clash of the Democratic presidential debate.\n\nFormer Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke was explaining Wednesday why he supported a plan known as \"Medicare for America\" and not \"Medicare for All,\" saying he wants people who are happy with their current health insurance plan to keep it.\n\nWhen pressed if he wanted to fully replace private insurance, O'Rourke said: \"No.\" That prompted New York Mayor Bill de Blasio (dih BLAH'-zee-oh) to jump in from across the stage, saying, \"Private insurance is not working.\"\n\nO'Rourke started to respond that people unhappy could choose Medicare, but de Blasio shot back, \"Why are you defending private insurance?\"\n\nThe debate over how to handle private health insurance is emerging as a dividing line in the first 2020 Democratic debate.\n\nOnly Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (dih BLAH'-zee-oh) raised their hands when asked if they would abolish private health insurance entirely in favor of a government-run plan.\n\nWarren went on to note that she supports a \"Medicare for All\" plan proposed by fellow hopeful Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.\n\nThe issue opened into a debate among many of the 10 candidates on stage on the first of two back-to-back debate nights. De Blasio later interrupted Rep. Beto O'Rourke's answer on how he'd handle health insurance by declaring that the current system is \"not working.\"\n\nPresident Donald Trump is skipping the opening minutes of the first Democratic debate to greet service members at Alaska's Elmendorf Air Force Base.\n\nTrump told troops as the debate was starting Wednesday: \"I had my choice between you and them. And I chose you.\"\n\nAir Force One is refueling at the air base as Trump travels to Osaka, Japan, for meetings with world leaders at the Group of 20 summit. Asked how his opposition will fare, Trump says, \"I think they're all going to do very poorly.\"\n\nFormer Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke showed off his fluent Spanish while answering his first question of the Democratic presidential debate.\n\nO'Rourke said Wednesday in English at the debate in Miami that \"this economy has got to work for everyone\" and that, right now, it isn't. Then he switched to Spanish, saying in that language that \"we need to include everyone\" in a booming national economy.\n\nO'Rourke, who hails from the Texas-Mexico border city of El Paso, spoke in Spanish at length, then switched back to English. He said the Trump administration has focused on helping the wealthy and large corporations over everyday Americans — echoing similar sentiments of the other Democrats on stage.\n\nSen. Elizabeth Warren started off the first Democratic presidential debate answering a question about her policy driven campaign and how it may affect what is seen as a good economy.\n\nWarren said Wednesday: \"Who is this economy really working for?\" She says, \"It's doing great for a thinner and thinner slice at the top.\"\n\nThe Massachusetts senator says the economy is working well for \"giant oil companies\" and those who want to invest in private prisons, but not for those struggling and Americans facing the effects of climate change.\n\nThe second question of the night went to Sen. Amy Klobuchar on her criticism of the concept of free college.\n\nThe first debate of the 2020 Democratic presidential race is kicking off with a two-hour event featuring 10 candidates, including three senators, a mayor and several current or former members of Congress.\n\nSen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts is center stage for Wednesday's debate in Miami because she leads the night's field in polling. She is flanked by former Rep. Beto O'Rourke of Texas and Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey. At the far ends are New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and former Rep. John Delaney of Maryland, who are polling at the bottom of the group.\n\nThe candidates will get right to it. NBC says they will be allowed to give closing statements but no openings.\n\nTen other candidates will meet Thursday for the second debate night.\n\nThe chairman of the Democratic National Committee is firing up the crowd at his party's first presidential primary debate — and previewing some lines of attack that candidates will use against President Donald Trump.\n\nTom Perez said Wednesday that the planet is under threat from unchecked climate change and that justice itself has been threatened under the current administration.\n\nHe says the Trump White House is nothing but a long trail of \"broken promises\" and corruption. There was long applause when Perez said immigrant children shouldn't be separated from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border.\n\nTen Democrats hoping to deny Trump a second term will kick off two nights of back-to-back debates shortly. They entered the stage and waved to the audience before the debate began.\n\nJohn Hickenlooper's struggle to get noticed in the crowded presidential primary field was on full display when a staffer at the first Democratic debate mistook him for a member of the press.\n\nThe former Colorado governor was entering the Miami debate hall Wednesday when a security guard asked if he was there to pick up his media credentials.\n\nA reporter for National Public Radio who witnessed the exchange tweeted that Hickenlooper responded: \"I'm a candidate.\"\n\nBut Hickenlooper may have gotten the last laugh with a jab at President Donald Trump, who was a reality TV star before he entered politics.\n\nHickenlooper quipped on Twitter: \"Last time, we elected the most famous candidate. Let's try something new.\"\n\nHickenlooper will join nine other candidates Thursday night for the second of two debates.\n\nWhite House hopefuls in Miami for the Democratic debates are trekking to nearby Homestead, Florida, to visit a large migrant detention facility.\n\nThe stops are intended to draw attention to President Donald Trump's immigration policies, which have seen migrant children separated from their families. Homestead is about 40 miles southwest of Miami and is a spot where the U.S. is detaining migrant teens.\n\nMassachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren visited the site Wednesday, with Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar planning a stop later in the afternoon.\n\nFormer Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke is scheduled to visit the site on Thursday.\n\nAnd on Friday, California Sen. Kamala Harris, former housing secretary Julian Castro, former U.S. Rep. John Delaney and Pete Buttigieg (BOO'-tuh-juhj), the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, all plan to visit.\n\nTen presidential candidates, led by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, are set to meet on the debate stage for the first night of Democratic debates to offer their pitches to voters and attempt a breakout moment for their campaigns.\n\nFor many of the White House hopefuls, Wednesday's debate will be the highest-profile opportunity yet to offer their vision for the country.\n\nGiven the massive field, the debate will be split over two nights, with 10 other candidates — including former Vice President Joe Biden and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders — appearing Thursday.\n\nWarren, the sole top-tier candidate at Wednesday's debate, will take center stage. But she could still face challenges. The other candidates aren't as well known and could use the moment to make an aggressive move to stand out.", "MIAMI (AP) — The Democrats' second presidential debate in two nights features most of the 2020 class' strongest competitors — according to early polling, at least — none with more to lose than former Vice President Joe Biden, who has party establishment backing but faces an increasingly restive and liberal base.\n\nThe second 10 candidates face each other and the nation Thursday night in a prime-time confrontation sure to underscore differences along lines of race, gender, generation and ideology that are starting to shape the party's winding search for a nominee to take on President Donald Trump.\n\nBiden, who is 76, will stand at center stage, shoulder-to-shoulder with the fellow septuagenarian who is his ideological opposite: Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. The 77-year-old self-described democratic socialist has pulled his party to the left on key issues, calling for a political revolution that would transform the private health care system into a government-run one and mandate a redistribution of wealth.\n\nSanders' appeal relies on emotion, often anger. Biden preaches pragmatism and relative moderation.\n\nAnd they represent only two of ten views on the stage Thursday night.\n\nThe showdown takes place in Florida, a general election battleground that could well determine whether Trump wins a second term next year. In Florida, as in the nation more broadly, immigration has defined much of the political debate.\n\nThis week several Democrats visited a facility where hundreds of immigrant children are being held near the debate site.\n\nThursday night's participants had the benefit of having seen 10 other Democrats the previous night. More than 15 million people watched the first contest, according to Nielsen Fast National Data. The viewership exceeded every presidential primary debate in the 2008 and 2012 elections.\n\nTogether, the debates are the first high-profile step in a presidential primary process expected to stretch deep into next year.\n\nThe leading candidates, including Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren who debated Wednesday night, have shown little interest in attacking their Democratic brethren directly at the start of a marathon campaign. But an effort to undermine either Biden or Sanders, from any number of directions, wouldn't be a shock.\n\nSouth Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg and California Sen. Kamala Harris are among the better known candidates in the next tier. Also on stage: Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Michael Bennet of Colorado, former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper, New York businessman Andrew Yang, California Rep. Eric Swalwell and author and social activist Marianne Williamson.\n\nIf nothing else, Thursday's slate highlights the diversity of the Democratic Party's 2020 class.\n\nButtigieg, a 37-year-old gay former military officer, is four decades younger than Sanders, and has been framing his candidacy as a call for generational change in his party. Harris is the only African American woman to qualify for the presidential debate stage. Any of the three women featured Thursday night would be the first ever elected president.\n\nYet Biden and Sanders have received far more attention and shown higher standing than their less-experienced rivals. The party will have to decide whether it wants a candidate based on resume over aspiration.\n\nThe overall Democratic presidential field is so large that the Democratic National Committee split the candidates into two groupings through a random drawing. Thursday's gathering marks the second wave of the first round.\n\nOn Wednesday, Warren stood out — on her own at times — in calling for \"fundamental change\" across the nation's economy and government to address a widening gap between the rich and the middle class.\n\n\"I think of it this way. Who is this economy really working for? It's doing great for a thinner and thinner slice at the top,\" Warren declared shortly before raising her hand as one of the only Democrats on stage willing to abolish her own private health insurance in favor of a government-run plan. \"Health care is a basic human right, and I will fight for basic human rights.\"\n\nWhile Trump is the ultimate target of many Democratic voters, the president wasn't a major feature for most of Wednesday's affair.\n\nWashington Gov. Jay Inslee was one of the few to attack the Republican president, calling him \"the biggest threat to the security of the United States.\"\n\nInstead of Trump, Democrats leaned into the issue that helped deliver the party the House majority last year: Health care. All supported the concept of providing universal health care, but they differed on how to reach that goal.\n\nThat same dynamic will be on display Thursday as well.\n\nSanders literally wrote the \"Medicare for All\" plan for universal health care that serves as a rallying cry for many liberals. Biden supports universal health care, but favors a softer approach that would give Americans the choice to join a government-run insurance program known as the \"public option.\"\n\nWhile the difference may be modest — especially compared to the Republican fight against universal health care coverage of any kind — it has left Biden vulnerable to liberal attacks that he's not willing to embrace bold change.\n\nIndeed, Biden's candidacy represents a throwback of sorts to the values that defined the tenure of President Barack Obama, whom he served as vice president. While some liberals were frustrated that Obama didn't fight for more dramatic change in Washington, Biden often associates himself with a focus on civility and lack of drama from the White House in contrast to Trump's turbulent first term.\n\nIn the early months of the 2020 presidential campaign, that has been enough — especially as Democratic voters make clear that their most significant factor in picking a nominee has less to do with ideology than electability. And so far, many believe Biden is best-positioned to deny Trump a second term.\n\nStill, Biden has faced friendly fire from Democrats in recent weeks for his positions on abortion, his record on criminal justice, and his willingness to work with Republicans, even Southern senators who were openly racist.\n\nTrump is spending the night in Asia for trade talks.\n\nHe had little to say from afar Wednesday night other than calling the first Democratic debate \"BORING!\" on social media.\n\nIn recent weeks, Trump has focused almost solely on Biden, whom he calls \"Sleepy Joe.\"", "The Knight Concert Hall at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County is shown, Friday, June 21, 2019, in Miami. The Democratic Presidential Debates are scheduled to take place June 26 and 27, with 10 candidates competing each night. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)\n\nMIAMI (AP) — The Latest on the Democratic presidential debates (all times local):\n\nThe scene following Wednesday night’s debate was chaotic as the candidates dispersed into the spin room to try to frame the conversation following the main event.\n\nNew York Mayor Bill de Blasio, former Housing Secretary Julian Castro, Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, former John Delaney Rep. John Delaney and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar all appeared in person among the crowds of reporters gathered.\n\nCastro, de Blasio and Booker, who each had standout moments during the debate, were mobbed by dozens of cameras and print reporters as they entered the room. Castro and de Blasio took victory laps, each telling reporters he was happy with how he drove the conversation.\n\nOther campaigns, including a handful representing candidates not debating till Thursday, sent surrogates and advisers to drive talking points to the media.\n\nBill de Blasio is making no apologies for his aggressive style during the first Democratic debate.\n\nThe New York mayor says Democrats shouldn’t “be afraid to mix it up” and argues it’s a “giant turnoff to the voters” when politicians mince their words.\n\nDe Blasio notably went after former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke for his opposition to eliminating private insurance in favor of nationalized health care.\n\nDe Blasio faces an uphill battle to secure the nomination.\n\nBut after the debate he chalked up his pugilism to frustration with his rivals. He says many of them said things that didn’t “fit the values of the party” and he is vowing to “call ’em out.”\n\nThe Democratic presidential candidates have concluded the first 2020 debate emphasizing the promise of America.\n\nThe 10 candidates ended the night Wednesday by boiling down their stump speeches into answers that included why they were best positioned to beat President Donald Trump and how the primary is a battle for the soul of the Democratic Party.\n\nFighting poverty, combating climate change and the proper role of government were prominent features of the concluding comments of the first debate of the 2020 cycle.\n\nThursday will be the second night of debates. It, too, will feature 10 candidates, including front-runners former Vice President Joe Biden and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. California Sen. Kamala Harris and South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg will also appear.\n\nThe 2020 Democratic presidential hopefuls have given a range of answers about what they see as the greatest threat facing the U.S., including China, climate change and President Donald Trump.\n\nThe most common answer at Wednesday’s debate was China, mentioned by Sen. Amy Klobuchar, ex-Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro, Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan and former Maryland Rep. John Delaney. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (dih BLAH’-zee-oh) said Russia because the country “is trying to undermine our democracy.”\n\nMassachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker and former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke said climate change. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, who’s made climate change the emphasis of his campaign, pointed instead to Trump.\n\nRep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii said nuclear war, which also got a mention from Delaney. Klobuchar also said Iran.\n\nThe urgency with which to address changes in the world’s climate has emerged as somewhat of a unifying topic at the first Democratic presidential debate.\n\nWashington Gov. Jay Inslee called his state’s progress on the issue the “gold standard.” He said Wednesday that he’s the only member of the massive Democratic field to make tackling the problem his top priority.\n\nAsked how he’d win over voters worried about possible government overreach in climate-related restrictions, former Texas congressman Beto O’Rourke pledged to help communities including the debate host city Miami, an area “on the front lines of climate change today.”\n\nFormer Obama-era Cabinet secretary Julián Castro vowed a recommitment to the Paris Climate Accord, while former Maryland Rep. John Delaney noted he was alone in introducing a bipartisan carbon tax bill in Congress.\n\nElizabeth Warren’s campaign trail refrain is that she has “a plan for it.” That apparently extends to Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, who refused to hold a hearing for President Barack Obama’s last Supreme Court nominee.\n\nWarren was asked during Wednesday’s Democratic presidential debate if she has a plan for dealing with the Kentucky Republican, who prides himself in blocking Democrats’ legislative priorities.\n\nShe answered, “I do,” drawing cheers from the audience.\n\nThe Massachusetts senator says energized Democrats have to “stay on the front lines,” even after the 2020 presidential election is decided.\n\nShe says pressure must be applied both from activists on the outside and leaders on the inside “to make sure this Congress reflects the will of the people.”\n\nThe Democratic presidential candidates are talking in very personal terms about gun violence and how to curb it.\n\nSen. Cory Booker of New Jersey said at Wednesday’s debate that he lives in a neighborhood where shootings are common. He supports gun licensing and says, “This is not about policy. This is personal.”\n\nSen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts says the toughest questions she’s gotten on the campaign trail are from kids who ask how she’d keep them safe. Warren says the U.S. should “double-down” on research into what works to reduce gun violence.\n\nNew York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (dih BLAH’-zee-oh) talked about raising a black son and trying to keep him safe, including from police.\n\nWednesday’s debate is taking place in Miami, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) from the high school in Parkland, Florida, where a gunman killed 17 people last year.\n\nThe second hour of the first Democratic presidential debate has been derailed by technical difficulties.\n\nAs debate moderators Rachel Maddow and Chuck Todd took over Wednesday for the next round of the debate, the 10 candidates on stage were unable to hear the question Todd was trying to ask about the federal government’s role in getting guns off the street.\n\nFollowing back-and-forth confusion, Todd announced the debate would head to a commercial break.\n\nPresident Donald Trump tweeted that debate hosts NBC and MSNBC “should be ashamed of themselves for having such a horrible technical breakdown in the middle of the debate.”\n\nTrump is en route to Osaka, Japan, for the Group of 20 summit.\n\nThe first hour of the first Democratic presidential debate of the 2020 cycle passed with hardly a mention of the man whom the 10 candidates on stage hope to face next November.\n\nMinnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar was first to utter President Donald Trump’s name, saying a few minutes into the debate, that Trump “sits in the White House and gloats” while the economy isn’t working for everyone.\n\nShe also briefly referenced him again as the debate headed into its second hour. Responding to a question about U.S. tensions with Iran, Klobuchar said, “I don’t think we should conduct foreign policy in our bathrobe at 5 in the morning.”\n\nOther candidates invoked the president’s name in making their arguments on immigration.\n\nTrump was en route to Japan for the G-20 summit as the two-night event got underway. He has weighed in once so far on the debate, tweeting, “BORING!”\n\nThis item has been corrected to show that Klobuchar uttered Trump’s name a few minutes into the debate, not 16 minutes into the debate.\n\nSen. Cory Booker is alone at the Democratic presidential debate in calling it a “mistake” to sign onto the 2015 nuclear accord with Iran.\n\nThe New Jersey senator was the only one of the 10 candidates on stage in Miami on Wednesday not to raise his hand when asked if he supported the deal. Under the agreement, Iran agreed to limit its enrichment of uranium and submit to U.N. inspections in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions.\n\nPressed to explain his rationale, Booker said as president he would “do the best I can to secure this country.”\n\nPresident Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the accord in May 2018 and has imposed increasingly tough sanctions to pressure Iran into a better deal. The U.S. has threatened sanctions against countries that trade with Iran.\n\nThe Democratic presidential candidates are decrying the Trump administration’s tough immigration policies, saying the president is to blame for the deaths of an immigrant father and his toddler daughter found lying face-down after drowning in the Rio Grande.\n\nAt Wednesday’s debate, former Obama administration housing chief Julián Castro says a photo of the family “is heartbreaking” and “should piss us all off.” He also attacked fellow Texan Beto O’Rourke for not supporting fully decriminalizing the act of crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally.\n\nNew Jersey Sen. Cory Booker spoke briefly in Spanish to further chastise Trump’s policies, O’Rourke, a former congressman, took a question in Spanish and answered it, saying, “We are going to treat everyone with respect.”\n\nNew York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (dih BLAH’-zee-oh) says the economy hasn’t been hurt by immigrants. He says corporations are to blame.\n\nQuestions over private health insurance have provoked the first clash of the Democratic presidential debate.\n\nFormer Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke was explaining Wednesday why he supported a plan known as “Medicare for America” and not “Medicare for All,” saying he wants people who are happy with their current health insurance plan to keep it.\n\nWhen pressed if he wanted to fully replace private insurance, O’Rourke said: “No.” That prompted New York Mayor Bill de Blasio (dih BLAH’-zee-oh) to jump in from across the stage, saying, “Private insurance is not working.”\n\nO’Rourke started to respond that people unhappy could choose Medicare, but de Blasio shot back, “Why are you defending private insurance?”\n\nThe debate over how to handle private health insurance is emerging as a dividing line in the first 2020 Democratic debate.\n\nOnly Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (dih BLAH’-zee-oh) raised their hands when asked if they would abolish private health insurance entirely in favor of a government-run plan.\n\nWarren went on to note that she supports a “Medicare for All” plan proposed by fellow hopeful Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.\n\nThe issue opened into a debate among many of the 10 candidates on stage on the first of two back-to-back debate nights. De Blasio later interrupted Rep. Beto O’Rourke’s answer on how he’d handle health insurance by declaring that the current system is “not working.”\n\nPresident Donald Trump is skipping the opening minutes of the first Democratic debate to greet service members at Alaska’s Elmendorf Air Force Base.\n\nTrump told troops as the debate was starting Wednesday: “I had my choice between you and them. And I chose you.”\n\nAir Force One is refueling at the air base as Trump travels to Osaka, Japan, for meetings with world leaders at the Group of 20 summit. Asked how his opposition will fare, Trump says, “I think they’re all going to do very poorly.”\n\nFormer Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke showed off his fluent Spanish while answering his first question of the Democratic presidential debate.\n\nO’Rourke said Wednesday in English at the debate in Miami that “this economy has got to work for everyone” and that, right now, it isn’t. Then he switched to Spanish, saying in that language that “we need to include everyone” in a booming national economy.\n\nO’Rourke, who hails from the Texas-Mexico border city of El Paso, spoke in Spanish at length, then switched back to English. He said the Trump administration has focused on helping the wealthy and large corporations over everyday Americans — echoing similar sentiments of the other Democrats on stage.\n\nSen. Elizabeth Warren started off the first Democratic presidential debate answering a question about her policy driven campaign and how it may affect what is seen as a good economy.\n\nWarren said Wednesday: “Who is this economy really working for?” She says, “It’s doing great for a thinner and thinner slice at the top.”\n\nThe Massachusetts senator says the economy is working well for “giant oil companies” and those who want to invest in private prisons, but not for those struggling and Americans facing the effects of climate change.\n\nThe second question of the night went to Sen. Amy Klobuchar on her criticism of the concept of free college.\n\nThe first debate of the 2020 Democratic presidential race is kicking off with a two-hour event featuring 10 candidates, including three senators, a mayor and several current or former members of Congress.\n\nSen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts is center stage for Wednesday’s debate in Miami because she leads the night’s field in polling. She is flanked by former Rep. Beto O’Rourke of Texas and Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey. At the far ends are New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and former Rep. John Delaney of Maryland, who are polling at the bottom of the group.\n\nThe candidates will get right to it. NBC says they will be allowed to give closing statements but no openings.\n\nTen other candidates will meet Thursday for the second debate night.\n\nThe chairman of the Democratic National Committee is firing up the crowd at his party’s first presidential primary debate — and previewing some lines of attack that candidates will use against President Donald Trump.\n\nTom Perez said Wednesday that the planet is under threat from unchecked climate change and that justice itself has been threatened under the current administration.\n\nHe says the Trump White House is nothing but a long trail of “broken promises” and corruption. There was long applause when Perez said immigrant children shouldn’t be separated from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border.\n\nTen Democrats hoping to deny Trump a second term will kick off two nights of back-to-back debates shortly. They entered the stage and waved to the audience before the debate began.\n\nJohn Hickenlooper’s struggle to get noticed in the crowded presidential primary field was on full display when a staffer at the first Democratic debate mistook him for a member of the press.\n\nThe former Colorado governor was entering the Miami debate hall Wednesday when a security guard asked if he was there to pick up his media credentials.\n\nA reporter for National Public Radio who witnessed the exchange tweeted that Hickenlooper responded: “I’m a candidate.”\n\nBut Hickenlooper may have gotten the last laugh with a jab at President Donald Trump, who was a reality TV star before he entered politics.\n\nHickenlooper quipped on Twitter: “Last time, we elected the most famous candidate. Let’s try something new.”\n\nHickenlooper will join nine other candidates Thursday night for the second of two debates.\n\nWhite House hopefuls in Miami for the Democratic debates are trekking to nearby Homestead, Florida, to visit a large migrant detention facility.\n\nThe stops are intended to draw attention to President Donald Trump’s immigration policies, which have seen migrant children separated from their families. Homestead is about 40 miles southwest of Miami and is a spot where the U.S. is detaining migrant teens.\n\nMassachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren visited the site Wednesday, with Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar planning a stop later in the afternoon.\n\nFormer Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke is scheduled to visit the site on Thursday.\n\nAnd on Friday, California Sen. Kamala Harris, former housing secretary Julian Castro, former U.S. Rep. John Delaney and Pete Buttigieg (BOO’-tuh-juhj), the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, all plan to visit.\n\nTen presidential candidates, led by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, are set to meet on the debate stage for the first night of Democratic debates to offer their pitches to voters and attempt a breakout moment for their campaigns.\n\nFor many of the White House hopefuls, Wednesday’s debate will be the highest-profile opportunity yet to offer their vision for the country.\n\nGiven the massive field, the debate will be split over two nights, with 10 other candidates — including former Vice President Joe Biden and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders — appearing Thursday.\n\nWarren, the sole top-tier candidate at Wednesday’s debate, will take center stage. But she could still face challenges. The other candidates aren’t as well known and could use the moment to make an aggressive move to stand out.", "President Trump attacked 2020 White House candidate Joe Biden ahead of Wednesday’s first Democratic primary debate, assailing the onetime vice president’s role in passing the 1994 Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act.\n\nAboard Air Force One, en route to Osaka, Japan, for the G-20 summit, Trump tweeted criticism of Biden for his past, hard-line stance on criminal justice reform. The president was referencing Biden’s key role in passing legislation that critics say has unfairly led to the mass incarceration of minorities.\n\nCANDIDATE KRYPTONITE: AT MIAMI DEBATES, LEADING 2020 DEMS COULD BE SNAGGED BY THESE PITFALLS\n\n“Ever since the passage of the Super Predator Crime Bill, pushed hard by @JoeBiden, together with Bill and Crooked Hillary Clinton, which inflicted great pain on many, but especially the African American Community, Democrats have tried and failed to pass Criminal Justice Reform,” Trump said. “They came to me asking for help, and I got Criminal Justice Reform passed, with help from both Republicans and Democrats. Many said that nobody but President Trump could have done this. All previous administrations failed. Please ask why THEY failed to the candidates!”\n\nBiden is set to take the stage alongside nine other candidates on Thursday in Miami for the second of this week’s two primary debates. Some critics have called him out of step with an increasingly progressive Democratic Party.\n\nTrump is not alone in his criticisms of Biden.\n\nCLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS APP\n\nNew York City Mayor Bill de Blasio and Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., have both blasted their party rival over his input on the bill.\n\nFor his part, Biden has continued to defend his stance, even after then-President Bill Clinton admitted he “made the problem worse” in an apology in 2015.", "The URL has been copied to your clipboard\n\nThe code has been copied to your clipboard.\n\nThe Election 2020 circus has rolled into Miami, as 20 Democratic party candidates prepare to face off for two nights of debates marking the official start of the attempt to deny President Donald Trump a second term. VOA's Congressional correspondent Katherine Gypson reports from Miami.", "Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., seemed irked Wednesday when an MSNBC anchor pressed him on whether he would concede the race for the Democratic nomination if he weren’t the frontrunner before the party’s convention in 2020.\n\n“Are you asking that of every candidate?” Sanders asked, interrupting MSNBC anchor Kasie Hunt. Hunt asked specifically if he would “take the risk” of giving President Trump an “advantage” in the election by not conceding.\n\n“Well, right now we are planning to win the Democratic nomination,” Sanders told Hunt. He went on to claim that “poll after poll” showed him beating Trump by nine or 10 points.\n\n“We’re going to beat Trump — we’re going to win the Democratic nomination,” he said.\n\nSanders’ 2020 run came just a few years after he battled former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton for the nomination. He has come to represent the more progressive side of the party, challenging more establishment candidates like former Vice President Joe Biden.\n\nWhile Biden has continually led Sanders in polling, Sanders was able to mostly stay in second place ahead of more than 20 other candidates.\n\nCLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP\n\nAccording to the RealClearPolitics average, Sanders grabbed 16.9 percent of the support for the Democratic nomination. That was substantially lower than Biden’s 32 percent and just a few points ahead of Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.\n\nSanders’ comments came just before the first night of Democratic primary debates in Miami, Florida. Because of the Democratic field’s many candidates, the first debate is split into two nights. Warren will be among candidates debating during the first night while Sanders and Biden will take the stage Thursday on the second night.", "MIAMI — Joseph R. Biden Jr. repeatedly found himself on the defensive in the Democratic debate on Thursday over his record as well as his personal views, with the most searing moment of the night, and the primary campaign to date, coming when Senator Kamala Harris confronted him over his comments on working with segregationists in the Senate.\n\nMr. Biden, the Democratic front-runner who was participating in his first major debate in seven years, was at times halting and meandering, but also forceful in pushing back on criticism of his record. Those attacks included a call for the 76-year-old former vice president to “pass the torch” to a younger generation, as well as questions about his positions on immigration and abortion, and his enthusiasm for working with Republicans.\n\nBut the most dramatic exchange was over not only policy — but also personal history. Peering down the stage to look at Mr. Biden directly, Ms. Harris assailed him for remarks he made this month invoking his work in a Senate that included a pair of notorious segregationists. She then went further, recalling that he had also opposed school busing in the 1970s.\n\n“There was a little girl in California who was a part of the second class to integrate her public schools and she was bused to school every day,” Ms. Harris said. “And that little girl was me.”"], "summary": "The second of two Democratic Party debates for the nomination of the party's nominee in the 2020 United States presidential election is held in Miami, Florida."}
{"document": ["Why did this happen?\n\nPlease make sure your browser supports JavaScript and cookies and that you are not blocking them from loading. For more information you can review our Terms of Service and Cookie Policy.", "A minority Social Democrat government will lead Denmark after agreement was reached earlier this week with three allied parties on the left of the Danish parliament.\n\nThe government includes 11 members of parliament who have previous experience as ministers, and two new ministers who are not elected MPs.\n\nThe two ministers from outside of parliament are Joy Mogensen, lord mayor of Roskilde; and Jeppe Kofod, who is a member of the European parliament.\n\nKofod, who will take over as foreign minister, was interviewed by The Local prior to the European elections in May. Mogensen will serve as Minister for Culture and Ecclesiastical Affairs.\n\nREAD ALSO: The Local's interview with new Danish foreign minister Jeppe Kofod\n\nMattias Tesfaye, who was the Social Democrats’ spokesperson on immigration in opposition, takes the post of Minister for Immigration and Integration from the outgoing Inger Støjberg.\n\nOther key appointments include Nicolai Wammen as finance minister and Nick Hækkerup, who will be Minister of Justice, taking over respectively from Kristian Jensen and Søren Pape Poulsen, two high-profile figures in the previous government.\n\nDan Jørgensen, a former minister for food and the environment, will be Denmark’s new Minister for Climate and Energy.\n\n“We have committed to a 70 percent CO2 emissions reduction by 2030. We will be one of the most ambitious countries in the world in this area. It will be a huge job,” Jørgensen said.\n\nThe full list of new ministers can be found on the Danish government's website.\n\nREAD ALSO: What you need to know about Denmark's new government agreement", "Denmark's Social Democrat leader has announced she will form a minority government after reaching an agreement with three left and centre-left parties, weeks after a general election.\n\n\"Now we have reached the goal... we have shown that when Danes vote as they have done, a new majority can turn their hopes into actions,\" said Mette Frederiksen, who at 41 is set to become the country's youngest-ever prime minister.\n\nDenmark has become the third Nordic country this year to form a leftist government.\n\nWhile the new left-leaning government is unlikely to fundamentally change Denmark's economic policy, Frederiksen has promised to increase welfare spending after years of austerity.\n\nA bloc of five left-leaning opposition parties led by Frederiksen's Social Democratic Party won a majority in a June 5 election, prompting centre-right leader Lars Lokke Rasmussen to resign as prime minister.\n\n\"It is with great pleasure I can announce that after three weeks of negotiations, we have a majority to form a new government,\" she said.\n\nAgeing populations have prompted Nordic governments to chip away at the cradle-to-grave welfare state, but the June 5 election showed clear support among Danish voters for leftist parties. It also dealt a blow to right-wing nationalists, who lost more than half of their votes compared with 2015.\n\nWhile the leftist opposition bloc received a convincing majority, support for the Social Democratic Party declined slightly compared with the 2015 vote. But it remained the country's biggest party.\n\nDespite differences among left-leaning parties over issues such as welfare and immigration, Frederiksen got their backing to form a one-party minority government, a common arrangement in Denmark.\n\nFrederiksen's Social Democrats will have to rely on the Socialist People's Party, the Red-Green Alliance and the Social-Liberal Party - formerly headed by European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager - to pass laws in the 179-seat parliament.\n\nThe four parties agreed to soften some tough measures on immigration, including abandoning a plan by the previous government to hold foreign criminals on a tiny island.\n\nThe parties also said they agreed on a plan to allow more foreign labour, on further measures to eliminate rising inequality and on a plan to create a binding law on the reduction of emissions.\n\nFollowing spending cuts by successive governments to reduce the public deficit, which has resulted in an erosion of traditional welfare services, the Social Democrats campaigned for an increase in spending and making businesses and the wealthy pay more toward welfare through higher taxes.\n\nMany Danes, who like counterparts in other Nordic states pay some of the highest taxes in the world to underpin their welfare system, worry that further austerity will erode the universal healthcare, education and elderly services long seen as a given.", "Denmark's Social Democrat leader has announced she will form a minority government after reaching an agreement with three left and centre-left parties after weeks of negotiations.\n\n\"Now we have reached the goal... we have shown that when Danes vote as they have done, a new majority can turn their hopes into actions,\" said Mette Frederiksen, who at 41 years old will become Denmark's youngest ever prime minister.\n\nIn a country where minority governments are the norm, the negotiations centred around conflicting demands on climate, economic and immigration policy.\n\nFrederiksen said she will present the 18-page agreement on Wednesday, with the new government expected to be unveiled on Thursday.\n\nThe three-week negotiations were the longest in Denmark since 1988.\n\n\"It is a political document, one of the first in the world, that really defines green ambitions,\" she said, highlighting one of key concerns among voters and left-wing parties.\n\n\"We will develop a climate plan, a binding law on climate and reduce greenhouse emissions by 70 per cent.\"\n\nThe opposition Social Democrats won a June 5 general election as expected with 25.9 percent of votes, ousting Liberal prime minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen after several of his key allies suffered scathing losses at the polls.\n\nWith the backing of the three allies, the Social Democrats will hold a majority of 91 of 179 seats in parliament, while the right-wing won 79.\n\nThe Social Democrats adopted much of the far-right's hardline ideology and rhetoric on immigration, like most other parties in Denmark, pulling the rug out from under the far-right.\n\nBut under the agreement, the future government will welcome refugees using a quota system and abandon a plan to place migrants pending deportation on an uninhabited island.\n\nThe daily Politiken newspaper said Frederiksen had managed to keep some room for manoeuver in her agreement, with \"all disagreements duly omitted\".\n\nBut it added that retirement, housing and defence were likely to emerge as potential disputes.", "Social Democrats in Denmark get support to form new govt\n\nCOPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Three left-wing parties in Denmark are backing the center-left Social Democrats to form a one-party minority government.\n\nThe 18-page deal would make the Social Democrats' leader, 41-year-old Mette Frederiksen, the country's youngest prime minister after the left-leaning party won the June 5 election.\n\nThe Social Democrats won by embracing restrictive immigration policies, a pragmatic tactic that involved returning to the party's anti-migrant roots after two decades of relatively more liberal policies. Denmark's largest party has been in the opposition for the past four years.\n\nDespite differences over welfare and immigration, the left-leaning parties want to back Frederiksen, who is expected to form a government in the next few days. Minority Cabinets are common in Denmark.\n\nThe deal came late Tuesday after 21 days of talks with the Social People's Party, the Red Green Unity List and the centrist Social Liberals.\n\nFrederiksen said the deal identified several goals, including promoting integration in Denmark; basing immigration on \"common sense;\" reversing the previous government's decision not to accept any refugees under a U.N. quota system; fighting plastic pollution; and reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 70% ahead of 2030.\n\nThe U.N. refugee agency has made deals with countries, including Denmark, to take in refugees. Since 1989, Denmark has accepted about 500 such refugees every year.\n\nThe four Danish parties also agreed to drop plans to put rejected asylum-seekers and foreigners convicted of crimes on a tiny island that formerly housed facilities for researching contagious animal diseases. They also would reverse some austerity measures in health care and education.\n\nThe June 5 elections for Denmark's 179-seat Folketing, or Parliament, dealt a blow to the populist, anti-immigration Danish People's Party, which had been supporting Denmark's center-right prime minister, who resigned. Former Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen failed to keep a majority in parliament after his allies saw their vote share plunge to 8.7% in the June election from 21.1% in 2015.", "Mette Frederiksen of The Danish Social Democrats address the media after finalizing the government negotiations shortly after midnight at Christiansborg Castle in Copenhagen, Denmark, early Wednesday June 26, 2019. Frederiksen announced that The Danish Social Democrats will form a minority government backed by three other left-wing parties. (Mads Claus Rasmussen/Ritzau Scanpix via AP)\n\nCOPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Three left-wing parties in Denmark are backing the center-left Social Democrats to form a one-party minority government.\n\nThe deal would make the Social Democrats’ leader, 41-year-old Mette Frederiksen, the country’s youngest prime minister after the left-leaning party won the June 5 election.\n\nThe Social Democrats won by embracing restrictive immigration policies, a pragmatic tactic that involved returning to the party’s anti-migrant roots after two decades of relatively more liberal policies. Denmark’s largest party had been in the opposition for the past four years.\n\nDespite differences over welfare and immigration, the left-leaning parties want to back Frederiksen, who is expected to form a government in the next few days. Minority Cabinets are common in Denmark.\n\nFrederiksen admitted it would be a “tough and difficult task.”\n\n“These are four very different parties, and no doubt parties with major disagreements on several political issues,” she said late Tuesday after 21 days of talks with the Social People’s Party, the Red Green Unity List and the centrist Social Liberals.\n\nFrederiksen said the deal identified several goals, including promoting integration in Denmark and reversing the previous government’s decision not to accept any refugees under a U.N. quota system.\n\nThe U.N. refugee agency has made deals with countries, including Denmark, to take in refugees. Since 1989, Denmark has accepted about 500 such refugees every year.\n\nThe government also wants to fight plastic pollution and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 70% ahead of 2030, a goal praised by Greenpeace.\n\nThe four Danish parties also agreed to drop plans to put rejected asylum-seekers and foreigners convicted of crimes on a tiny island that formerly housed facilities for researching contagious animal diseases. They also would reverse some austerity measures in health care and education.\n\nInger Stoejberg, the outgoing immigration minister known for being a hardliner, criticized the Social Democrats for striking a deal that compromised their self-declared tough immigration stance. They had promised “a strict immigration policy” but “one can’t trust” them, she said.\n\nThe June 5 elections for Denmark’s 179-seat Folketing, or Parliament, dealt a blow to the populist, anti-immigration Danish People’s Party, which had been supporting Denmark’s center-right prime minister, who resigned. Former Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen failed to keep a majority in parliament after his allies saw their vote share plunge to 8.7% in the June election from 21.1% in 2015.", "Three left-wing parties in Denmark are backing the centre-left Social Democrats to form a one-party minority government.\n\nThe deal would make the Social Democrats’ leader, 41-year-old Mette Frederiksen, the country’s youngest prime minister after the left-leaning party won the June 5 election.\n\nThe Social Democrats won by embracing restrictive immigration policies, a pragmatic tactic that involved returning to the party’s anti-migrant roots after two decades of relatively more liberal policies. Denmark’s largest party had been in the opposition for the past four years.\n\nDespite differences over welfare and immigration, the left-leaning parties want to back Frederiksen, who is expected to form a government in the next few days. Minority Cabinets are common in Denmark.\n\nFrederiksen admitted it would be a “tough and difficult task.”\n\n“These are four very different parties, and no doubt parties with major disagreements on several political issues,” she said late Tuesday after 21 days of talks with the Social People’s Party, the Red Green Unity List and the centrist Social Liberals.\n\nFrederiksen said the deal identified several goals, including promoting integration in Denmark and reversing the previous government’s decision not to accept any refugees under a UN quota system.\n\nThe UN refugee agency has made deals with countries, including Denmark, to take in refugees. Since 1989, Denmark has accepted about 500 such refugees every year.\n\nThe government also wants to fight plastic pollution and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 70 per cent ahead of 2030, a goal praised by Greenpeace.\n\nThe four Danish parties also agreed to drop plans to put rejected asylum-seekers and foreigners convicted of crimes on a tiny island that formerly housed facilities for researching contagious animal diseases. They also would reverse some austerity measures in health care and education.\n\nInger Stoejberg, the outgoing immigration minister known for being a hardliner, criticized the Social Democrats for striking a deal that compromised their self-declared tough immigration stance. They had promised “a strict immigration policy” but “one can’t trust” them, she said.\n\nThe June 5 elections for Denmark’s 179-seat Folketing, or Parliament, dealt a blow to the populist, anti-immigration Danish People’s Party, which had been supporting Denmark’s centre-right prime minister, who resigned. Former Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen failed to keep a majority in parliament after his allies saw their vote share plunge to 8.7 per cent in the June election from 21.1 per cent in 2015.\n\nOur Morning Update and Evening Update newsletters are written by Globe editors, giving you a concise summary of the day’s most important headlines. Sign up today.", "Denmark's Social Democrat leader has announced she will form a after reaching an agreement with three left and centre-left parties after weeks of negotiations.\n\n\"Now we have reached the goal... we have shown that when Danes vote as they have done, a new majority can turn their hopes into actions,\" said Mette Frederiksen, who will become in a country where minority governments are the norm.\n\nThe opposition won a June 5 as expected, ousting Lars Lokke Rasmussen's after several of his key allies suffered scathing losses at the polls.\n\nFrederiksen said she will present the 18-page agreement on Wednesday, with the new government expected to be unveiled on Thursday.\n\n\"It is a political document, one of the first in the world, that really defines green ambitions,\" she said.\n\n\"We will develop a climate plan, a binding law on climate and reduce greenhouse emissions by 70 per cent.", "Opposition leader Mette Frederiksen from The Danish Social Democrats leaves after casting her vote during the Danish Parliamentary Election 2019, in Copenhagen, Wednesday 5 June 2019. (Liselotte Sabroe/Ritzau Scanpix via AP)\n\nCOPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — The latest on Denmark’s general election (all times local):\n\nThe leader of Denmark’s Social Democrats says voters have decided a new direction and a new government in the country’s general elections.\n\nA nearly complete preliminary count from Wednesday’ voting suggests left-leaning parties made gains that if confirmed by final returns would put the Social Democrats back in power after four years in opposition.\n\nParty leader Mette Frederiksen says that “tonight we have gotten a victory” for the center-left. The Social Democrats and four other left-leaning parties appear headed to having 91 seats in the new parliament, one more than a majority.\n\nThe Social Democrats are emerging as parliament’s biggest party. It got 26.1% of the votes Wednesday, after a campaign in which the party’s leaders vowed a tough stance against immigration.\n\nDenmark’s center-right prime minister has conceded defeat in general elections where results show left-leaning parties making large gains that will likely put the Social Democrats back in power after four years in opposition.\n\nPrime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen says he will resign Thursday from the post he has held since 2015. His Liberal Party is getting 23.4% of the votes in Wednesday’s elections, which is an improvement. But a huge loss by the populist Danish People’s Party means he will no longer muster a majority in the 179-seat Folketing.\n\nLoekke Rasmussen says his government will continue as caretaker, and adds that he will recommend a governing coalition with the Social Democrats and his Liberal Party.\n\nExit polls in Denmark say that the opposition bloc that includes the center-left Social Democrats will get the most votes in the general election.\n\nThe polls by broadcaster DR mean that the Social Democrats, which took a tougher stance on immigration, are on course to return to power after four years in opposition.\n\nThe party led by Mette Frederiksen got 25.3% of the vote, according to the exit polls and would be supported by other left-leaning parties that also made gains. Together they will get 90 seats – which is a majority.\n\nThe center-right side would only get 75 seats in the 179-seat parliament. The remaining four seats are held by lawmakers on the Faeroe Islands and Greenland — two Danish semi-autonomous territories.\n\nAnd unlike in other European countries, far-right populists aren’t on the rise. Denmark’s second-largest party, the populist Danish People’s Party, which has been supporting the minority government, got 9.8% compared to 21.1% in 2015, according to the DR exit polls.\n\nThe DR exit polls were based on 4,550 people who were interviewed after casting their ballots.\n\nPolling stations across Denmark have opened in a general election to renew the 179-seat Folketing at the end of its four-year term.\n\nUnlike in other European countries, far-right populists don’t seem to be on the rise here, and the center-left Danish Social Democrats may come back to power after four years in opposition, albeit on a tough immigration line.\n\nThe five-party so-called red bloc that includes the Social Democrats faces a center-right blue bloc that is losing steam and is splintered into eight parties, of which three are newcomers, including two openly anti-Muslim groups.\n\nThe Social Democrats, Denmark’s largest party, have “a positive feeling about this election,” said Nicolai Wammen, the party’s No. 2 official, while warning against calling it a done deal.", "Social Democrat Mette Frederiksen became Denmark's youngest ever prime minister Wednesday after finalizing the support of three other leftist parties to form government.\n\nFrederiksen, 41, will lead a one-party minority government backed by the Socialist People’s Party, the Red-Green Alliance and the Social-Liberal Party.\n\nA left-wing opposition bloc won a majority at Denmark's June 5 election, ending the rule of former conservative Prime Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, but it took three weeks for Frederiksen to secure majority support for her new government.\n\n\"It is with great pleasure I can announce that after three weeks of negotiations, we have a majority to form a new government,\" she said, according to Reuters.\n\nThe June 5 left-wing electoral victory signalled Danish voters' rejection of austerity politics. The Social Democrats, who lost ground compared to the 2015 election but still hold the largest vote share, campaigned on a platform of higher taxes to bolster the welfare system.\n\nIn her bid for the prime ministership, Frederiksen mediated disagreement among the leftists on issues such as immigration and welfare. She rose to prominence with a pro-welfare, anti-immigration stance. But the new governing bloc will soften slightly on immigration, including allowing more foreign labor and reversing government plans to hold foreign criminals off-shore. Binding emissions targets were also part of the new government agreement.\n\nDenmark's Social Democrats join their Finnish and Swedish counterparts in securing electoral victories in 2019."], "summary": "The social democrat Frederiksen Cabinet is formed in Denmark."}
{"document": ["Australian scientists have pinpointed, in a world-first, the precise location of a mysterious burst of radio waves that originated in another galaxy.\n\nCSIRO researchers discovered the pulse of energy using a radio telescope in Western Australia and two other telescopes on two continents.\n\nThe combination of hi-tech equipment enabled the scientists to determine the unidentified bursts had come from a Milky Way-sized galaxy 3.6 billion light years away from Earth.\n\nAustralian scientists have pinpointed, in a world-first, the precise location of a mysterious burst of radio waves that originated in another galaxy 3.6 billion light years away. (Supplied - CSIRO)\n\nThe question now – especially for those who believe in the possibility of alien life - is how the waves are being produced, and by what.\n\n“This is the big breakthrough that the field has been waiting for since astronomers discovered fast radio bursts in 2007,” CSIRO lead author Dr Keith Bannister said in a statement today.\n\n\"If we were to stand on the Moon and look down at the Earth with this precision, we would be able to tell not only which city the burst came from, but which postcode – and even which city block.”\n\nCSIRO researchers discovered the pulse of energy using a radio telescope in Western Australia and two other telescopes on two continents. (Supplied - CSIRO)\n\nSince 2007, 85 bursts of radio waves have been detected coming across the universe – including “repeaters” that suggest multiple pulses coming from the same location.\n\nDespite that, scientists have never been able to geo-locate the origins of radio wave bursts, which last less than a millisecond.\n\nThe CSIRO’s Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP), which is located in Murchison north-east of Geraldton in the WA outback, pinpointed the strange sound – known as FRB 180924 – to a galaxy that has only been named as DES J214425.25−405400.81.\n\nThe question now – especially for those who believe in the possibility of alien life - is how the waves are being produced, and by what. (Supplied - CSIRO)\n\nChile’s Very Large Telescope and Gemini South telescope, as well as Hawaii’s Keck telescope, were then used by the researchers to map and measure the distance the radio wave had travelled.\n\n“It comes from a massive galaxy that is forming relatively few stars,” Dr Adam Deller, from the Swinburne University of Technology, said in a statement.\n\n“This suggests that fast radio bursts can be produced in a variety of environments, or that the seemingly one-off bursts detected so far by ASKAP are generated by a different mechanism to the repeater.”\n\nThe exact cause or meaning of the radio waves are yet to be determined, however scientists have said that being able to pinpoint their geo-location in the universe is a major step towards figuring that out.\n\nThe exact cause or meaning of the radio waves are yet to be determined, however scientists have said that being able to pinpoint their geo-location in the universe is a major step towards figuring that out. (Supplied - CSIRO)\n\n“These bursts are altered by the matter they encounter in space,” Dr Jean-Pierre Macquart from Curtin University said in a statement.\n\n“Now we can pinpoint where they come from, we can use them to measure the amount of matter in intergalactic space.”\n\nThe scientists involved in the discovery hope that could mean they will be able to understand what may lie in galaxies as far away as the one emitting the radio waves.", "A radio signal coming from a galaxy billions of light-years away has been discovered by scientists. What is producing the signal—a fast radio burst, or FRB—is unknown.\n\nFRBs are radio signals that last just a few milliseconds. What causes them is not known, because it has been impossible to work out where they came from. They were first identified decades ago, but they are normally found in data long after the event has happened.\n\nPinpointing the source of an FRB is a bit like seeing a bright camera flash in a very dark room—and then trying to find the camera in the dark. On top of that, the room is potentially billions of light-years in size.\n\nScientists have identified dozens of FRBs and most appear to be one-off events. This led them to speculate that they could be produced some cataclysmic event, such as a neutron star collapsing into a black hole.\n\nHowever, the mystery deepened in 2016 when researchers discovered an FRB that appeared to be repeating. This discovery—known as FRB 121102—meant that, at least in this case, a one-off event could not explain it. Since then, researchers have been able to trace back these radio signals to the star-forming region of a dwarf galaxy three billion light-years away, and are now working to determine the cause. One of the most popular theories is that the bursts are coming from a recently-formed magnetar—a spinning neutron star with an extremely high magnetic field.\n\nBut by repeating, FRB 121102 is an anomaly. For the vast majority of FRBs, scientists do not know where they come from or what is causing them.\n\nIn a study published in the journal Science, an international team of researchers has announced they have discovered where a single FRB came from—a galaxy over four billion light-years away. The burst, named FRB 18092, was first identified in September, 2018 using the 36-antenna Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) radio telescope.\n\nAfter the initial event, the team, led by Keith Bannister of Australia's Commonwealth Science and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), used the tiny differences in the time it took for the light from the signal to reach various telescope antennas to zoom in on the where the FRB came from.\n\nNot only were they able to trace it to the galaxy it came from, they were also able to find its position within the galaxy—in the \"galactic suburbs.\" \"It's a very average galaxy,\" study author Ryan Shannon, from Australia's Swinburne University of Technology, told Newsweek. \"The burst comes from the outskirts of it, away from the center of the galaxy.\"\n\nThe galaxy where FRB 18092 came from is very different to that of FRB 121102. \"If anything the galaxy has an old stellar population,\" Shannon said. \"This is in contrast to the repeater which has a young stellar population.\"\n\nThe team does not know what celestial event caused the burst, and finding that the\n\ntwo known FRB locations are very different raises even more questions: \"Astronomers providing explanations for fast radio bursts will need to take pause given this discovery,\" Shannon said. \"A lot of the theory of what causes FRBs is built around the first repeater, its host galaxy and environment. The fact that the hosts are so different means that if there is only one source, there would need to be a re-think of the theory. If not....there could be different ways to produce the bursts.\"\n\nHe also said that given there are thousands of FRBs in the sky every day, a single catastrophic event may not be sufficient to explain these mystery signals: \"It would need to be a catastrophic event that occurs relatively regularly.\"\n\nHowever, he added: \"It's hard to rule out magnetars, as they are the only objects we know of that have the power to produce the intense radio pulses we see from FRBs. There's been a second channel proposed to form magnetars—the merger of white dwarf stars. These would be found in the outskirts of old galaxies.\"\n\nThe discovery has been welcomed by astronomers. Jason W. T. Hessels, from the University of Amsterdam, who was not involved in the study, said it was a \"seminal result.\" He told Newsweek: \"To understand the physical origin(s) of FRBs, and whether there are multiple types of FRB generators, we absolutely need precision localisations that unambiguously identify the host galaxies of these sources. The fact that this FRB is in a host galaxy that is quite unlike the dwarf galaxy of the first repeater, FRB 121102, indeed suggests that they could be from different types of objects, and that repeating and non-repeating FRBs come from physically distinct source types. However, more precision localisations are needed for us to build up a clear picture of what's going on.\"\n\nPaul Scholz, from Canada's Dominion Radio Astrophysical Observatory, who was also not involved, told Newsweek: \"The second localization presented in [the study] is different from FRB 121102 in almost every way: the source is not repeating, it was found to be in a large galaxy with an old population of stars, and most of the other pieces of evidence that support the young magnetar theory aren't present.\n\n\"This means that either 1) this FRB is caused by a different type of source than FRB 121102, or 2) the source that causes both FRBs is the same, but can occur in both dwarf galaxies with young recently-formed stars and massive galaxies with older, evolved stars. (1) would mean that there are multiple phenomena that can generate FRBs and (2) would limit the types of phenomena that could cause FRBs to those that can occur in both young and old environments.\n\n\"To disentangle these two possibilities we'll need to build up more host galaxy identifications, so I'm looking forward to further results from ASKAP and other telescopes that can provide these precise localizations.\"\n\nShannon said the team hopes to find even more bursts. If they are able to trace more FRBs back to their host galaxies, they will be able to start finding similarities that could help solve the mystery. Should they find out what is causing these radio signals, it may open up a new way for scientists to study the universe, he added.", "For the first time, a single burst of cosmic radio waves has been traced to its point of origin: in this case, a galaxy about 3.6 billion light-years from Earth.\n\nThese radio bursts are only millisecond-long radio flashes, and such rapid bursts themselves aren’t rare in space. But finding out where they came from is incredibly difficult.\n\nPeople love to believe that they’re from an advanced extraterrestrial civilization, and this hypothesis hasn’t been ruled out entirely by researchers at Breakthrough Listen, a scientific research program dedicated to finding evidence of intelligent life in the universe.\n\nAstronomers were able to pin down the source of a repeating fast radio burst in 2017. But single radio bursts are harder to pinpoint because they don’t reoccur.\n\nThe single radio burst, dubbed FRB 180924, was discovered by the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder radio telescope, or ASKAP, in Western Australia.\n\nThree of the largest telescopes around the world — Keck, Gemini South and the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope — were able to image the burst. The findings of this observation were published Thursday in the journal Science.\n\nFast radio bursts, often referred to as FRBs, were first discovered by astronomers in 2007. The quest to discover more radio bursts since then has uncovered 85, including a couple that repeat from the same location.\n\n“This is the big breakthrough that the field has been waiting for since astronomers discovered fast radio bursts,” said Keith Bannister, lead study author and principal research engineer at CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency.\n\nBecause the bursts are so short and hard to track, Bannister’s team found a way to freeze and save data collected by the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder in a fraction of a second after the telescope detects a burst.\n\nData from the detection was used to create a map showing the point of origin. The burst came from a galaxy about the size of our own, 3.6 billion light-years away. It’s on the outskirts of that galaxy.\n\n“If we were to stand on the Moon and look down at the Earth with this precision, we would be able to tell not only which city the burst came from, but which postcode — and even which city block,” Bannister said.\n\n“We identified the burst’s home galaxy and even its exact starting point, 13,000 light-years out from the galaxy’s centre in the galactic suburbs,” Adam Deller, an author of the study and an associate professor at the Swinburne University of Technology’s Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing, said in a statement.\n\nCompared with the origin point of the repeating fast radio burst detected in 2017, this single source origin is very different.\n\nThe repeating burst came from a small galaxy full of forming stars. The single burst came from a massive galaxy that has low rates of star formation.\n\n“This suggests that fast radio bursts can be produced in a variety of environments, or that seemingly one-off bursts detected so far by ASKAP are generated by a different mechanism to the repeater,” Deller said.\n\nOf course, the biggest mystery of fast radio bursts in space endures: Why do they happen? But knowing where they come from is a giant step in the right direction of understanding them.\n\nThe bursts can act like a signature for decoding the space between star systems.\n\n“These bursts are altered by the matter they encounter in space,” said Jean-Pierre Macquart, study author and associate professor at the Curtin Institute for Radio Astronomy., in a statement “Now we can pinpoint where they come from, we can use them to measure the amount of matter in intergalactic space.”", "According to New Scientist, it was only by pure luck that all 36 Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) antennas were pointed in the same direction when it flashed. That gave the researchers involved a way to combine data from all of them and to figure out that the burst, called FRB 180924, came from a galaxy 3.6 billion light-years away from us. They even determined a more specific point of origin, which is around 13,000 light-years away from that galaxy's center.\n\n\"If we were to stand on the Moon and look down at the Earth with this precision\" Keith Bannister, the study's lead author explained, \"we would be able to tell not only which city the burst came from, but which postcode -- and even which city block.\"\n\nFast radio bursts are a fairly new discovery. We only found out about their existence in 2007, so we still barely know anything about them -- some even believe that they're from an intelligent extraterrestrial civilization. By knowing where they come from, we get nearer to figuring out how and why they happen. The burst scientists traced two years ago was from a small galaxy with rapid star formation, but 180924 came from a much larger one that mostly has older stars.\n\nWe still don't know what that means exactly, but as Adam Deller (team member and one of the study's authors) said: \"This suggests that fast radio bursts can be produced in a variety of environments, or that seemingly one-off bursts detected so far by ASKAP are generated by a different mechanism to the repeater.\" It may take a long time, but we're bound to find out more about cosmic bursts as scientists look more closely into them. They believe that fast radio bursts could ultimately help us learn what's in between galaxies, after all, and that they could give us a more complete picture of our universe.", "A mysterious burst of fast, cosmic radio waves has been traced to a galaxy about 3.6 billion light-years from Earth.\n\nThe significant discovery was made by an Australian-led international team of scientists using three of the world’s largest telescopes, The Independent reported. The findings were published Thursday in the journal Science.\n\nScientists first discovered fast radio bursts, known as FRBs, in 2007, said lead study author Keith Bannister, of Australia’s national science agency.\n\nThe source of a repeating fast radio burst was tracked in 2017, CNN reported. A single FRB hadn’t been tracked to its source until now.\n\nScientists tracked the single radio burst, named FRB 180924, to a galaxy about the same size as our own, 3.6 billion light-years away. It was discovered by the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder radio telescope, or ASKAP, in Western Australia.\n\n“If we were to stand on the Moon and look down at the Earth with this precision, we would be able to tell not only which city the burst came from, but which postcode and even which city block,” Bannister said.\n\nThe repeating burst detected in 2017 came from a small galaxy full of forming stars. The single burst came from a large galaxy with little star formation.\n\n\"This suggests that fast radio bursts can be produced in a variety of environments, or that seemingly one-off bursts detected so far by ASKAP are generated by a different mechanism to the repeater,\" said Adam Deller, an author of the study and an associate professor at the Swinburne University of Technology's Centre for Astrophysics and Supercomputing.\n\nThe question of what causes the bursts still remains. But tracking their source brings scientists one step closer to understanding them.", "Three and a half billion years ago, a mysterious object on the edge of a distant galaxy spewed forth an intensely bright, vanishingly brief burst of radio energy that shot across the universe.\n\nThat pulse of energy — known to its fans in the astronomy community as a fast radio burst (FRB) — passed through a wilderness of gas, dust and empty space on its multi-billion-year journey, slowly stretching and changing color as it moved. Then, for less than a millisecond in 2018, that burst zapped past a special telescope in Earth's Australian outback, giving scientists a rare opportunity to shake hands with one of the most mysterious forms of energy in the universe.\n\nIt's the first time that astronomers have successfully tracked a one-off FRB back to its origins across space and time, according to the authors of a study published today (June 27) in the journal Science. Understanding where FRBs come from allows scientists to probe the vast tracts of matter between their host galaxies and Earth, and maybe even locate undiscovered pockets of protons and neutrons thought to be lurking between galaxies.[The 12 Strangest Objects in the Universe]\n\n\"These bursts are altered by the matter they encounter in space,\" study co-author Jean-Pierre Macquart, a researcher at the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) said in a statement. \"Now we can pinpoint where they come from, we can use them to measure the amount of matter in intergalactic space.\"\n\nSince the phenomenon was discovered in 2007, astronomers have observed about 85 FRBs and pinpointed the origins of only one other — a repeating flash that pulsed 9 times from a tiny, star-forming galaxy over about six months in 2016. Pinpointing the source of a one-off FRB, which can last for a fraction of a millisecond, has proved exceedingly difficult, until now.\n\nIn their new study, the researchers detected the lone FRB using an array of 36 satellites called the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) telescope. When an FRB passes the array, each satellite picks up the burst's signal a fraction of a millisecond apart. Using these subtle time differences, the researchers were able to figure out which direction the burst came from, and approximately how far it traveled.\n\nThe ASKAP observations pointed to a Milky-Way-size galaxy about 3.6 billion light-years away from Earth. With some help from several other large telescopes around the world, the researchers zoomed in on this galaxy to learn that it was relatively old and not forming many new stars.\n\nAccording Adam Deller, an astrophysicist at Swinburne University of Technology in Australia and co-author of the new study, the properties of this distant galaxy sit in stark contrast to the galaxy that created a repeating fast-radio burst that was detected in 2016.\n\n\"The burst we localized and its host galaxy look nothing like the 'repeater' and its host,\" Deller said in the statement. \"It comes from a massive galaxy that is forming relatively few stars. This suggests that fast radio bursts can be produced in a variety of environments.\"\n\nWhile the repeating FRB detected a few years ago was likely created by a neutron star or supernova explosion (common engines of star formation in active galaxies), this individual burst could have been caused by something else entirely, the researchers wrote.\n\nWhat else, exactly? Nobody knows yet — but radioactive belches from supermassive black holes or the engines of alien spacecraft have not been ruled out. Only by pinpointing more FRBs will researchers be able to unravel this cosmic mystery. Fortunately, the authors of the new study wrote, now that they've got one under their belt, finding the next one should be a little easier.", "The Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) radio telescope, located at CSIRO’s Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory in Western Australia. (Photo: CSIRO / Dragonfly Media)\n\nAn astronomical breakthrough has been made, and it may help us understand the evolution of the universe.\n\nAstronomers have made history by detecting the precise location of a powerful, superfast, burst of cosmic radio waves some four billion light-years from Earth.\n\nFast radio bursts are bright, powerful blasts of radio energy that travel across vast intergalactic expanses. When they reach Earth they are often only electromagnetic whispers which last milliseconds and require sensitive radio telescopes to detect.\n\nThe first fast radio bursts were discovered only in 2007 and since then experts have managed to observe only 85 of them. In just one millisecond they emit as much energy as the Sun in 80 years. If one burst in the Sun, it would pop all the popcorn in the Solar System out as far as Neptune.\n\nNo one had been able to successfully determine a precise location in the universe of any of these fast radio bursts. Until now.\n\nThe Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) radio telescope in Western Australia, of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), was able to pinpoint such a location. The results were published in the peer review journal Science on the evening of Thursday 27 June.\n\nThe team made a high-resolution map showing that the burst originated in the outskirts of a Milky Way-sized galaxy about four billion light-years away from us. This galaxy is forming few new stars. The fast radio burst happened on the outskirts of this galaxy, 13,000 light-years from its centre.\n\nDue to this, the team developed new technology to freeze and save ASKAP data less than a second after a burst arrives at the telescope. ASKAP is a 36-dish radio telescope, spread over 6km, but it works as one massive telescope. (Watch the video here.)\n\nThe burst had to travel a different distance to each dish, reaching them all at a slightly different time.\n\n“From these tiny time differences – just a fraction of a billionth of a second – we identified the burst’s home galaxy and even its exact starting point, 13,000 light-years out from the galaxy’s centre in the galactic suburbs,” a team member, Dr Adam Deller of Swinburne University of Technology said.\n\nThe secret is in this time difference: Astronomers compare the time of arrival of the fast radio burst, at each dish using the raw data (which is truly astronomical) – they measure the difference in arrival time to around 1/10th of a nanosecond. First, a custom-designed ASKAP “beamformer” hardware averaged the data down to one billion measurements per second, slow enough that a dedicated computer can search in real-time. When the fast radio burst happened, the software detected it within 0.5 seconds, stopped the search, and downloaded raw data from each dish.\n\nThis enabled the team to measure the position of the fast radio burst with a precision of 1/50,000th of a degree. Or the width of a human hair 200m away.\n\nThe team said they found one fast radio burst in 600 trillion measurements. It is not that fast radio bursts are rare, according to the team there are about 2,000 per day. The problem is the radio telescopes can cover only a small fraction of the sky\n\n“If we were to stand on the Moon and look down at the Earth with this precision, we would be able to tell not only which city the burst came from, but which postcode – and even which city block.”\n\nThree optical telescopes, the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope in Chile, the Keck telescope in Hawaii and the Gemini South telescope in Chile were also used to link image to the galaxy.\n\nPreviously two other fast radio bursts were known to “repeat” themselves. When experts looked at the same place they saw them again.\n\nDr Jean-Pierre Macquart, from the Curtin University node of the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research, said:\n\n“These bursts are altered by the matter they encounter in space. Now we can pinpoint where they come from, we can use them to measure the amount of matter in intergalactic space.”\n\nOne unanswered question is: What is the cause of fast radio bursts? It is as yet an unsolved cosmic mystery. It can’t be predicted in advance and by the time experts realise they are happening the event has passed.\n\nAstronomers are pondering another question: How does the universe produce a radio burst that is thousands of times brighter than all the radio emission from the rest of its entire host galaxy – and switch it on and off within a millisecond? This is the next discovery waiting.\n\nBy observing many fast radio bursts astronomers would be able to determine what causes them, but also use them as a tool to investigate the cosmic web. This is a network of filaments of dark matter between galaxies and galaxy clusters, important in the understanding of the evolution of the universe.\n\nThe distribution of galaxies and matter in the universe is not random. Galaxies are organised, even today, in an enormous cosmic web. This web has dense regions made up of galaxy clusters and groups, sparsely populated regions devoid of galaxies, as well as the filaments that link dense regions, according to a previous study in the Astrophysical Journal.\n\nAccording to the article in Science if many fast radio bursts are mapped, then the cosmic web and its intergalactic material can finally be studied properly.\n\nThe South African economy is choking harder than the Proteas. Although to be choking you have to actually be eating and the Proteas seem to be on some sort of juice cleanse-like fast…*\n\nBack to the economy: In the first quarter the GDP dive-bombed by a whopping 3.2%. The sense of futility can paralyse us into inaction and moaning. But it’s times like these that call for effort and action, no matter how small. Yes, South Africa is hurting. Yes the ravaged economy is evident everywhere you look. But you can make a difference, in your own personal way and by supporting independent media like Daily Maverick. We’ve pledged to continue the fight through producing incisive and impactful investigations and analysis, the same way we have done every day for the last decade.\n\nBy becoming a Maverick Insider you can help us keep doing what we do, so that you and others who can’t afford it, can keep reading the truth. For whatever amount you choose, you can support DM and it only takes a minute.\n\n*Proteas, you know we love you. We’d just love you more if you won occasionally...", "Scientists have, for the first time, pinpointed the source of a mysterious one-off pulse of cosmic energy known as a fast radio burst.\n\nFast radio bursts (FRBs) have perplexed researchers for years, appearing as fleeting signals from the distant universe that can’t yet be explained definitively.\n\nIt’s thought that these brief flashes may come from black holes or neutron stars, though some have even speculated they may be of alien origin.\n\nWhile scientists recently were able to trace the origin of a repeating FRB, which pulsed numerous times over a span of months, finding the source of a single burst that lasts less than a millisecond is far more challenging.\n\nIn a remarkable breakthrough, an Australian-led team with the Gemini South telescope in Chile says they’ve traced a single FRB to a galaxy roughly 3.6 billion light-years away.\n\n‘It is especially challenging to pinpoint FRBs that only flash once and are gone,’ says Keith Bannister of Australia’s Commonwealth Science and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), who led the Australian team.\n\nThe one-off FRB, known as FRB 180924, was spotted in September 2018 using the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) radio telescope.\n\nThis radio telescope array has 36 antennas working together as a single instrument to scour the skies for FRBs.\n\nBy calculating the minute differences in the amount of time light reaches each of the 36 antennas, the team says it was able to trace the burst back to its home.\n\n‘From these tiny time differences — just a fraction of a billionth of a second — we identified the burst’s home galaxy,’ said team member Adam Deller, of Swinburne University of Technology.\n\nThe team then further analyzed the distance and other characteristics using Gemini South telescope, along with the W.M. Keck Observatory and European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (VLT).\n\n‘The Gemini South data absolutely confirmed that the light left the galaxy about 4 billion years ago,’ said Nicolas Tejos of Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso, who led the Gemini observations.\n\n‘When we managed to get a position for FRB 180924 that was good to 0.1 arcsecond, we knew that it would tell us not just which object was the host galaxy, but also where within the host galaxy it occurred,’ said Deller.\n\n‘We found that the FRB was located away from the galaxy’s core, out in the ‘galactic suburbs.”’\n\nThe breakthrough could be a step toward finally understanding what gives rise to FRBs in the first place, the researchers say.\n\nIt could also lead to more efficient ways of pinpointing their origins.\n\n‘Much like gamma-ray bursts two decades ago, or the more recent detection of gravitational wave events, we stand on the cusp of an exciting new era where we are about to learn where fast radio bursts take place,’ said team member Stuart Ryder of Macquarie University, Australia.\n\n‘Ultimately though, our goal is to use FRBs as cosmological probes, in much the same way that we use gamma ray bursts, quasars, and supernovae.’", "Astronomers have located the origins of a one-off burst of cosmic radio waves in space for the first time.\n\nA powerful shiver of waves which travelled around 3.6 billion light years from a Milky Way-sized galaxy was pinpointed by researchers using new technology, according to results in the journal Science.\n\n‘This is the big breakthrough that the field has been waiting for since astronomers discovered fast radio bursts in 2007,’ said lead author Keith Bannister, from Australia’s national science agency.\n\n‘If we were to stand on the Moon and look down at the Earth with this precision, we would be able to tell not only which city the burst came from, but which postcode and even which city block,’ he added.\n\nThe discovery was made by an Australian-led international team using a new radio telescope belonging to the Commonwealth\n\nAstronomers, who used three of the world’s largest optical telescopes in their inquiries, hope the breakthrough will move them closer to discovering the causes of fast radio bursts, which remain unknown.\n\nSince 2007, just 85 cosmic radio wave bursts have been detected.\n\nMost are ‘one-offs” but a small amount are ‘repeaters’ which recur in the same place.\n\nTwo years ago, astronomers found a “repeater” home galaxy but this is the first time they have exactly located a ‘one-off’ ripple.\n\nThe technology used in the discovery was the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) radio telescope.\n\nTeam member Adam Deller, of Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, added: ‘The burst we localised and its host galaxy look nothing like the ‘repeater’ and its host.\n\n‘It comes from a massive galaxy that is forming relatively few stars.\n\n‘This suggests that fast radio bursts can be produced in a variety of environments, or that the seemingly one-off bursts detected so far by ASKAP are generated by a different mechanism to the repeater.’", "Fast-Radio Bursts (FRBs) are one of the most puzzling phenomena facing astronomers today. Essentially, FRBs are brief radio emissions from distant astronomical sources whose cause remains unknown. In some cases, FRBs that have been detected that have been repeating, but most have been one-off events. And while repeating sources have been tracked back to their point of origin, no single events have ever been localized.\n\nUntil now. Using the Australian Square Kilometer Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) and other radio telescopes from around the world, an Australian-led team of astronomers managed to confirm the distance to an intense radio burst that flashed for just a thousandth of a second. The constitutes the first non-repeating FRB to be traced back to its source, which in this case was a galaxy located 4 billion light-years away.\n\nSince the first FRB was discovery in 2007 (the “Lorimer Burst”), radio astronomers have been eagerly waiting for a chance to observe more. To date, forty events have been detected (most of which were retrieved from archival data) and a handful traced back to their sources. And yet, astronomers still don’t know what causes them, with theories ranging from rapidly rotating neutron stars and black holes to alien radio signals.\n\nDetecting FRBs is rather challenging since most last for only a millisecond and tracing them back to their source is even more difficult. In this case, the FRB (known as FRB 180924) was a single burst that disappeared as suddenly as it appeared – unlike others that can flash multiple times over an extended period. The results were published in a study that recently appeared in Science.\n\nThe pulse was first spotted by researchers at ASKAP in 2018 during a dedicated search by the array’s 36 radio telescopes antennas. The researchers then used the minuscule differences in time that it took for the signal to reach the different antennas in the array to localize the source of the pulse. From these differences, they were able to determine the burst’s home galaxy.\n\nAs Adam Deller – a researcher from Swinburne University of Technology and a lead author on the study – explained:\n\n“When we managed to get a position for FRB 180924 that was good to 0.1 arcsecond, we knew that it would tell us not just which object was the host galaxy, but also where within the host galaxy it occurred. We found that the FRB was located away from the galaxy’s core, out in the ‘galactic suburbs.’”\n\nThe team then enlisted the help of researchers from the Gemini South Telescope and the ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile and the W.M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii to observe the galaxy and determine its distance and other characteristics. The Gemini telescope was especially helpful since it was designed with these sorts of observations in mind.\n\nThis is because the 8.1-meter (~26.5 ft) Gemini South Telescope was designed to provide images of superior quality and depth in the optical and infrared wavelengths. Nevertheless, it was the combined efforts of these three observatories and their advanced suite of instruments that made the localization of the galaxy possible.\n\nNicolas Tejos, a researcher from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso in Chile, led the Gemini observations. As he explained in a Gemini Observatory press statement:\n\n“The Gemini South data absolutely confirmed that the light left the galaxy about 4 billion years ago… ASKAP gave us the two-dimensional position in the sky, but the Gemini, Keck, and VLT observations locked down the distance, which completes the three-dimensional picture.”\n\nKnowing where an FRB of this type occurs in a galaxy is important to astronomers because it allows them to get some hint of what the progenitor might have been. Thus far, most origin theories involve a massive, compact object (i.e. a neutron star or black hole), so knowing where an FRB occurs within a galaxy can tell astronomers whether it is the formation, evolution, or collision/destruction of these objects that causes the radio burst.\n\nBy knowing where within a galaxy FRBs occur, astronomers also hope to be able to place constraints on what could be causing them. As Stuart Ryder, a researcher from Macquarie University and a member of the research team, expressed, the study of FRBs is on the cutting-edge field of astronomical research:\n\n“Much like gamma-ray bursts two decades ago, or the more recent detection of gravitational wave events, we stand on the cusp of an exciting new era where we are about to learn where fast radio bursts take place. Ultimately though, our goal is to use FRBs as cosmological probes, in much the same way that we use gamma-ray bursts, quasars, and supernovae.”\n\nSuch a map, according to Ryder, could help resolve the ongoing “missing baryon problem”. This refers to the gap between the observed amount of baryons (the subatomic building blocks of matter) in the Universe and what theoretical models predict. At present, standard models of cosmology predict that they are likely located in the warm-hot intergalactic medium (WHIM), but all attempts to find them have so proved unsuccessful.\n\nBut by pinpointing where FRBs originate, and how fast their light has traveled, astronomers might be able to gauge the density of the intervening material between Earth and the radio sources. With a large enough sample, astronomers could also create a 3D cross-sectional map of where baryons are located between galaxies and in what kinds of concentrations.\n\nThanks to the combined efforts of all the researchers and observatories involved, FRB 180924 is the second FRB signal to have been localized. However, the other signal (FRB 121102) was a repeating signal that flashed more than 150 times. While both types of signals are relatively rare, single FRBs are much more common than repeating ones. The discovery of FRB 180924, therefore, could lead to vastly-improved methods of localization.\n\nThe ability to locate FRBs, especially non-repeating ones, will also go a long way towards determining their exact cause. As Evan Keane – Project Scientist and the holder of the MERAC Prize for Observational Astrophysics because of his groundbreaking work on FRBs – said in a related SKA press release:\n\n“In order to fully exploit the potential of FRBs as cosmological probes, it’s essential to be able to localize them this precisely, and ASKAP has done just that for the first time. It’s an amazing step for FRB science. The ultimate goal will be to go deeper in redshift and localize thousands of FRBs, this is where SKA will come in.”\n\nAstronomy sure has been heating up in recent years. Between the explosion in exoplanets discoveries, the first-time detection of gravitational waves, the first-ever image of a black hole, and now the study of FRBs, there scarcely seems to be a field that is not experiencing a revolution! One can only imagine where it will all lead…\n\nBe sure to check out this video that explains how FRB 180924 was detected and localized, courtesy of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO):"], "summary": "Scientists announce, through the Science journal, that they discover the source of a fast radio burst for the first time. FRB 180924, a non-repeating FRB which was detected in September 2018 using the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder, originates from a large galaxy known as DES J214425.25−405400.81 located 3.6 billion light-years from Earth."}
{"document": ["“We will be flying initially over dunes and then into rugged terrain,” said Elizabeth Turtle, who will lead the mission for the lab as its principal investigator. “We will take images with both downward-looking cameras along the ground track underneath Dragonfly as we fly over the surface, as well as forward-looking cameras, so we’ll be able to look out toward the horizon as well.”\n\n[Sign up to get reminders for space and astronomy events on your calendar.]\n\nTitan has long intrigued planetary scientists. On Christmas Day 2004, NASA’s Cassini spacecraft sent a probe, Huygens, to the moon’s surface. It landed in one piece, revealing a world analogous to a primordial Earth — Dr. Turtle described it as, “eerily familiar on such a different and exotic world.” Rather than water, Titan’s seas are filled with liquid methane.\n\nIn addition to a camera, Dragonfly will carry an assortment of scientific instruments: spectrometers to study Titan’s composition; a suite of meteorology sensors; and even a seismometer to detect titanquakes when it lands on the ground. Drills in the landing skids will collect samples of the Titan surface for onboard analysis.\n\n“Titan is an incredibly unique opportunity scientifically,” Dr. Turtle said in an interview in April before NASA’s announcement. “Not only is it an ocean world — an icy satellite with a water ocean in its interior — but it is the only satellite with an atmosphere. And the atmosphere at Titan has methane in it, which leads to all sorts of rich organic chemistry happening at even the upper reaches of the atmosphere.”", "The Dragonfly drone will make multiple flights over Titan, and explore the moon's surface during periodic landings.Credit: Johns Hopkins APL\n\nNASA will send a dual-quadcopter drone to hop across the surface of Titan, Saturn’s largest moon, the agency announced on 27 June. Named Dragonfly, the mission will launch in 2026 and arrive at Titan in 2034.\n\n“Dragonfly is really a Mars-rover-sized drone that we’ll be able to fly from place to place on Titan,” says Elizabeth Turtle, a planetary scientist at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, who leads the mission.\n\nThe nuclear-powered Dragonfly can fly tens of kilometres in less than an hour, allowing it to cover ground much faster than a wheeled rover could. Over the course of a two-year mission, the drone could traverse hundreds of kilometres.\n\nHydrocarbon-rich clouds in Titan’s atmosphere rain methane and ethane onto the moon’s surface. The liquid collects in lakes and seas, which NASA’s Cassini spacecraft saw glimmering in sunlight in at various points from 2009 to 2017. Some of the lakes grow and shrink as seasons change on Titan.\n\nDragonfly will study the atmosphere as it flies around, and touch down for extended stays on the moon's surface. The drone will explore areas where methane- and ethane-rich lakes recently dried up — and in the process, might have left behind residue rich with organic compounds like those that may have existed on early Earth before life arose. \"Titan has all of the key ingredients needed for life,\" says Lori Glaze, head of NASA's planetary sciences division.\n\nHop, skip and a jump\n\nIn 2005, the European Space Agency’s Huygens probe became the first spacecraft to land on Titan. It measured the temperature, pressure, and density of Titan’s atmosphere during its descent, and sent back pictures of the rugged, rocky landscape for 72 minutes after it touched down.\n\nDragonfly beat out a proposed mission to return a sample from Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, which the European Space Agency’s Rosetta spacecraft explored between 2014 and 2016. The Comet Astrobiology Exploration SAmple Return (CAESAR) project is led by Steve Squyres, a planetary scientist at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. It would bring back at least 80 grams of material from 67P’s nucleus, by far the largest sample ever taken from a comet. NASA’s Stardust mission gathered about a microgram of dust from Comet Wild 2 in 2004.\n\nDragonfly is part of NASA's New Frontiers programme, which selects its planetary-science missions from proposals submitted by researchers that are subject to price limits. Dragonfly’s cost is capped at US$850 million in 2015 dollars — not including the mission's launch vehicle.\n\nThe three prior New Frontiers missions are New Horizons, which flew past Pluto in 2015 and a smaller rock in the outer Solar System earlier this year; Juno, which has been orbiting Jupiter since 2016; and OSIRIS-REx, which is circling the asteroid Bennu and will collect a sample of it next year to fly back to Earth.", "NASA will fly a billion-dollar quadcopter to Titan, Saturn’s methane-rich moon\n\nThe siren call of Titan could not be ignored. NASA’s next billion-dollar mission, called Dragonfly, will be an innovative quadcopter to explore Titan, Saturn’s largest moon, the agency announced today. The craft will soar and hover over the icy moon’s surface—and land on it—in a search for the conditions and chemistry that could foster life.\n\nThe mission—led by Elizabeth “Zibi” Turtle, a planetary scientist at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland, and also managed by APL—will launch in 2026. It represents a calculated risk for the agency, embracing a new paradigm of robotic exploration to be used on a distant moon. “Titan is unlike any other place in the solar system, and Dragonfly is like no other mission,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, NASA’s associate administrator for science in Washington, D.C., while announcing the mission’s selection. “The science is compelling. It’s the right time to do it.”\n\nTitan is veiled by a nitrogen atmosphere and larger than Mercury. It is thought to harbor a liquid ocean beneath its frozen crust of water ice. NASA’s Cassini spacecraft studied Titan during its historic campaign, and, in 2005, dropped the short-lived Huygens probe into Titan’s atmosphere.\n\nThe surface it saw had many geologic features similar to those found on Earth, including plateaus, dune-filled deserts, and, at its poles, liquid seas and rivers. But on Titan, where temperatures average a frigid 94 K, the “rocks” are made of water ice and the seas are filled with ethane and methane, hydrocarbons that are gases on Earth. The moon’s stew of organic molecules and water, many scientists believe, could have resulted in reactions to create amino acids and the bases used to build DNA’s double helix. It’s as if Titan has been conducting experiments on life formation for millions of years, Turtle says. “Dragonfly is designed to go pick up the results of those experiments and study them.”\n\nDragonfly is an inspiring selection, adds Lindy Elkins-Tanton, a planetary scientist at Arizona State University in Tempe and principal investigator of Psyche, NASA’s mission to a metallic asteroid. “Titan might truly be the cradle for some kind of life—and whether life has emerged or not, Titan’s hydrocarbon rivers and lakes, and its hydrocarbon snow, makes it one of the most fantasylike landscapes in our solar system.”\n\nGiven Titan’s complex surface, a lander at a single site would not be able to say much about the moon’s chemistry. Dragonfly leverages the advances in computing and aircraft design that have led to the explosion of hovering drones on Earth. It will carry eight rotor blades, on the top and bottom of each of four arms. It is, in effect, a movable lander, capable of shunting kilometers between sampling sites every 16 Earth days. Titan’s dense air and low gravity will allow the 300-kilogram, sedan-size copter, which will be powered by a radioactive generator, to hover with 38 times less power than needed on Earth.\n\nThe timing of Dragonfly’s arrival, in 2034 during Titan’s long northern winter, ruled out a landing near the north pole, home to the moon’s evocative methane seas; those sites would leave it unable to radio home. Instead, the quadcopter will explore the moon’s vast equatorial deserts, which are likely fed by a grab bag of material from all over the moon. (“The largest zen garden in the solar system,” Turtle says.) It will search especially for impact craters or ice volcanoes, energetic processes that could provide a spark—and the liquid water—needed for nascent organic chemistry. During its nearly 3-year primary mission, after traveling 175 kilometers in a series of flights lasting up to 8 kilometers each, Dragonfly will ultimately reach the 80-kilometer-wide Selk impact crater, its primary target. The impact that created Selk was large enough to melt Titan’s water-ice crust and liberate oxygen, priming reactions that are recorded in its outcrops.\n\nDragonfly won’t be equipped with a robotic arm, like the recent Mars rovers. Its exploration will first be guided by an instrument on its belly that will bombard the ground with neutron radiation, using the gamma rays this attack releases to differentiate between basic terrain types, such as ammonia-rich ice or carbon-rich sand dunes. Its two landing skids will also each carry a rotary-percussive drill capable of taking samples and feeding them through a pneumatic tube to a mass spectrometer that can analyze their composition. The sampling system represented a risk for the mission; NASA scientists were concerned Titan’s hydrocarbon-rich atmosphere could clog it, Zurbuchen says. “It’s the oil spill version of an atmosphere.” Over the past 2 years, after extensive testing with “pathological” materials and a redesign, Turtle says, the agency’s fears were allayed.\n\nBeyond Titan’s surface, Dragonfly will also target its atmosphere and interior. During flight, it can collect measurements, much like instruments mounted on a balloon would. And it is also equipped with a seismometer that could use vibrations induced on the moon by its tidal lock with Saturn to gauge the ocean hidden beneath its crust, which scientists have suggested could be made up of ammonia-water or water and sulfate. Ultimately, the quadcopter’s explorations may be able to last up to 8 years after landing before its nuclear power source peters out.\n\nThe cost-capped New Frontiers program, with $850 million set for the mission and some $150 million for launch, is the largest planetary exploration line that NASA opens to outside competition and leadership. A significant factor in Dragonfly’s selection, Zurbuchen adds, was APL’s ability to deliver the Parker Solar Probe, now on a mission to explore the sun that's on time and under budget. Dragonfly went head-to-head with one other finalist, the Comet Astrobiology Exploration Sample Return, which would have sampled primordial ice from a comet and returned it for study on Earth.", "NASA’s first observations of Titan date back to the Voyager missions that toured the outer planets and moons in the 1970s and ’80s. The spacecraft’s cameras couldn’t penetrate Titan’s atmosphere, the thickest in the solar system. The moon looked like a marble the color of mustard, so smooth and featureless that it felt almost defiant, guarded against these flying objects from another land.\n\nA European spacecraft arrived on Titan in 2005. From beneath the haze, the Huygens probe captured photographs and beamed them back to Earth. The views felt at once alien and familiar. “Suddenly we get a picture of gullies, which we didn’t know existed,” Jonathan Lunine, who has studied Titan since the early 1980s, once told me about the moment the images arrived. “I screamed when I saw those.” On Earth, flowing water carves gullies into rocky landscapes. On Titan, methane is responsible.\n\nThe tour didn’t last. Huygens exhausted its batteries in less than three hours. But astronomers still had eyes on Titan. Huygens was dropped off by Cassini, a NASA spacecraft that remained in orbit around Saturn until 2017, occasionally swinging by the moon to collect data and pictures.\n\nCassini provided evidence for the methane lakes there. Scientists had long predicted their existence, but they were full of surprises. Titanian lakes are calm and textureless, with only a few ripples here and there. The kind of waves rolling across Lake Michigan are nowhere to be found, and scientists are still trying to figure out why.\n\nWhen Cassini ran out of fuel, NASA faced an uncomfortable scenario. A dead spacecraft is impossible to control, and scientists worried that Cassini would tumble into Titan and scatter itself across the surface, possibly contaminating life—if any existed. To protect the hazy moon, engineers deliberately shoved Cassini into Saturn, a gaseous planet incapable of hosting life.\n\nDragonfly will search for signs of life, ancient and present. In Titan’s atmosphere, spacecraft have detected carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, ethane, and other elements on which life on Earth depends. They’ve even found a compound that could interact with the methane and ethane to create cell-like membranes. Scientists suspect that Titan might even have water—real, actual H2O—lurking beneath its surface.\n\n“These ingredients that we know are necessary for the development of life as we know it are sitting on the surface of Titan,” says Zibi Turtle, the principal investigator for the mission and a planetary scientist at Johns Hopkins University’s Applied Physics Laboratory. “They’ve been doing chemistry experiments, basically, for hundreds of millions of years, and Dragonfly is designed to go pick up the results of those experiments and study them.”\n\nAfter decades of orbiters, rovers, and landers, the thought of a little drone buzzing around an alien world is refreshing, almost unimaginable. According to the Dragonfly team, the spacecraft could cover tens of miles in an hour. Thanks to Titan’s fleecy atmosphere and low gravity, bouncing around is quite easy. (If astronauts joined Dragonfly, they could don winged suits and flap around the terrain, coasting alongside the robot.)", "Something to look forward to: Yesterday, NASA shared the details of its next big mission to explore our Solar System, called Dragonfly. A drone lander mission to Titan, Saturn's largest moon which the space agency says is unlike any other place in our Solar System and is similar to how the Earth was in its early days.\n\nThe richly organic world of Titan is the next destination for NASA's newly announced Dragonfly mission. The drone powered by 8 rotors will begin its flight in 2026 and land on Saturn's moon in 2034 after travelling a distance of 840 million miles. Taking advantage of Titan's dense atmosphere, which is 4 times denser than Earth, the rotorcraft will fly to dozens of locations helped by 13 years worth of data from the Cassini spacecraft that met its fate 2 years ago.\n\nThe drone will look for \"prebiotic chemical processes common on both Titan and Earth,\" and marks the first time in NASA's history in which it'll be using a multi-rotor vehicle for scientific study on another planet. It will also \"become the first vehicle ever to fly its entire science payload to new places for repeateable and targeted access to surface materials.\"\n\nThe fourth mission selected as part of the agency's NEW Frontiers program that includes the New Horizon mission to Pluto and the Kuiper Belt, Jupiter's Juno and the Bennu orbiting OSIRIS-REx, is being led by Elizabeth Turtle of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory. These programs are capped at $1 billion each and selected from a competition held among multiple government and academic institutions.\n\nUpon landing on Titan's surface, the drone will spend 2.7 years as part of its baseline mission in which it will \"explore diverse environments from organic dunes to the floor of an impact crater where liquid water and complex organic materials key to life once existed together for possibly tens of thousands of years.\"\n\nDuring its baseline mission, Dragonfly will be capable of flying over Titan's surface at about 20mph (32.1 km/h) reaching altitudes of up to 2 miles (3.2 km), where a single day goes by in about 16 Earth days. Upon reaching a low-altitude impact crater called Selk, the baseline mission will conclude. \"We know this area quite well, there's a lot of data from different instruments in this region,\" says Elizabeth. \"We will take images with both downward-looking cameras along the ground track underneath Dragonfly as we fly over the surface, as well as forward-looking cameras, so we’ll be able to look out toward the horizon as well.\"\n\nTitan's atmosphere is nitrogen-based like Earth but unlike our home, it has clouds and rain of methane. \"The moon's weather and surface processes have combined complex organics, energy, and water similar to those that may have sparked life on our planet.\"\n\nAppreciating the New Frontiers program for its transformation in the understanding of our Solar System, director of NASA's Planetary Science Division, Lori Glaze, highlighted achievements of the previous and on-going missions with Dragonfly which will \"add Titan to the list of enigmatic worlds NASA will explore.\"", "Before it ended in 2017, the Cassini mission flew by Titan while studying Saturn. The data provided by the Hyugens probe, which was part of the Cassini mission, suggested that Titan was the perfect candidate for further exploration.\n\n\"It's the first drone lander and it can fly over 100 miles through Titan's thick atmosphere,\" said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine in a statement. \"Titan is most comparable to early Earth. Dragonfly's instruments will help evaluate organic chemistry and the chemical signatures of past or present life. We will launch Dragonfly to explore the frontiers of human knowledge for the benefit of all humanity.\"\n\nThe New Frontiers program has also included the Juno mission to Jupiter, the New Horizons probe that visited Pluto in 2015 and distant Kuiper Belt Object Ultima Thule on January 1.\n\nThe ultimate goal is for Dragonfly to visit Celt Crater, where they believe that important ingredients for life mixed together when something impacted Titan.\n\nTitan is similar chemically to Earth before life evolved, the agency said. They want to explore sand dunes on Titan to determine if they're made of the same organic discovered in the atmosphere. \"It's the science that motivates us to do this exciting and difficult mission,\" said Thomas Zurbuchen, NASA's associate administrator for Science at the agency's Headquarters in Washington. \"Titan has the key ingredients for life,\" said Lori Glaze, director of NASA's Planetary Science Division. \"It has complex organic molecules and the energy required for life. We will have the opportunity to observe processes similar to what happened on early Earth when life formed and potentially conditions that could harbor life today. We can look for biosignatures.\" Once Dragonfly lands, it will spend two and a half years flying around Titan. It only has propellers, with skids to land, but no wheels to allow it to roam over the surface. It will launch in 2026, but won't reach Titan until the 2034 because Saturn is so far from us.", "Nasa to fly a drone to Saturn’s moon Titan in search of signs of life", "NASA announced the latest mission in its New Frontiers program, called Dragonfly, which will explore Saturn’s largest moon, Titan. It’s the only moon in our solar system that has an atmosphere.\n\nBefore it ended in 2017, the Cassini mission flew by Titan while studying Saturn. The data provided by the Hyugens probe, which was part of the Cassini mission, suggested that Titan was the perfect candidate for further exploration.\n\n“It’s the first drone lander and it can fly over 100 miles through Titan’s thick atmosphere,” said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine in a statement. “Titan is most comparable to early Earth. Dragonfly’s instruments will help evaluate organic chemistry and the chemical signatures of past or present life. We will launch Dragonfly to explore the frontiers of human knowledge for the benefit of all humanity.”\n\nThe New Frontiers program has also included the Juno mission to Jupiter, the New Horizons probe that visited Pluto in 2015 and distant Kuiper Belt Object Ultima Thule on January 1.\n\nThe ultimate goal is for Dragonfly to visit an impact crater, where they believe that important ingredients for life mixed together when something hit Titan in the past, possibly tens of thousands of years ago.\n\nTitan is similar chemically to Earth before life evolved, the agency said. They want to explore sand dunes on Titan to determine if they’re made of the same complex organic material discovered in the atmosphere.\n\n“It’s the science that motivates us to do this exciting and difficult mission,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, NASA’s associate administrator for Science at the agency’s Headquarters in Washington.\n\n“Titan has the key ingredients for life,” said Lori Glaze, director of NASA’s Planetary Science Division. “It has complex organic molecules and the energy required for life. We will have the opportunity to observe processes similar to what happened on early Earth when life formed and potentially conditions that could harbor life today. We can look for biosignatures.”\n\nOnce Dragonfly lands, it will spend two and a half years flying around Titan. It only has propellers, with skids to land, but no wheels to allow it to roam over the surface.\n\nIt will launch in 2026, but won’t reach Titan until the 2034 because Saturn is so far from us.\n\nDragonfly will also explore Titan’s atmosphere, surface properties, subsurface ocean and liquid on the surface.\n\nTitan isn’t exactly known for being hospitable.\n\nLarger than both our own moon and the planet Mercury, Titan is unique in our solar system. It is the only moon with clouds and a dense atmosphere of nitrogen and methane, which gives it a fuzzy orange appearance.\n\nIts atmospheric pressure is 60% greater than Earth’s, meaning it exerts the kind of pressure you feel at the bottom of a swimming pool, according to NASA. And the surfaceof Titan is minus 290 degrees Fahrenheit.\n\nSo it would make sense that the potential for life on Titan would have to look a little different than our planet. But Titan’s atmosphere may not be much different than that of primordial Earth’s — and life found a way here.\n\nIt may not be like the alien life in science fiction, but in 2017 researchers confirmed the presence of something that may lead to life on Titan, according to a study published Friday in the journal Science Advances.\n\nVinyl cyanide is a complex organic molecule capable of forming cell membrane-like spheres. While it may sound toxic, this chemical would be right at home on Titan, where significant quantities of it have been detected through data from the Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA), a group of radio telescopes in Chile.\n\nTitan also has Earth-like liquid bodies on its surface, but the rivers, lakes and seas are made of liquid ethane and methane, which form clouds and cause liquid gas to rain from the sky.\n\nThe surface temperature is so cold that the rivers and lakes were carved out by methane, the way rocks and lava helped to form features and channels on Earth.\n\nThese methane pools on the surface are the kind of environment that could help vinyl cyanide molecules link together to form cell-like membranes, not unlike the basis for organisms on Earth.\n\n“The presence of vinyl cyanide in an environment with liquid methane suggests the intriguing possibility of chemical processes that are analogous to those important for life on Earth,” said Maureen Palmer, lead study author and researcher at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.\n\nThe ALMA data confirmed what previous studies and simulations, like one from Cornell University in 2015, had predicted about the potential presence of this molecule on Titan.\n\n“Researchers definitively discovered the molecule, vinyl cyanide. That is our best candidate for a ‘protocell’ that might be stable and flexible in liquid methane,” said Jonathan Lunine, a Cornell professor who participated in the 2015 study. “This is a step forward in understanding whether Titan’s methane seas might host an exotic form of life.”\n\nTitan is also believed to have an internal liquid water ocean, like those on Europa, one of Jupiter’s moons, and Enceladus, another of Saturn’s moons. Earlier this year, NASA announced that Europa and Enceladus’ oceans have some or most of the ingredients necessary for life as we know it.\n\nBut how does Titan compare? First of all, it’s bigger than Europa and Enceladus. It’s also entirely unique in its possession of a dense atmosphere, which has obscured the observations that researchers have tried to make of Titan. And Titan doesn’t have confirmed active geysers on its surface like those other moons.\n\nGiven its complex chemistry, it’s safe to say that Titan isn’t hospitable to humans. But it is attractive to researchers.\n\n“Saturn’s moon, Enceladus, is the place to search for life like us, life that depends on — and exists in — liquid water,” Lunine said. “Titan, on the other hand, is the place to go to seek the outer limits of life — can some exotic type of life begin and evolve in a truly alien environment, that of liquid methane?”", "We're going to Titan, and we're going in style. NASA announced on Thursday its next great solar system exploration mission. \"Dragonfly\" involves an ambitious plan to send a rotorcraft -- essentially a large drone -- to Saturn's moon, Titan. The flying vehicle will be designed to touch down in multiple locations, from dunes to the floor of an impact crater carrying out science missions to look for the building blocks of life.\n\nTitan is an icy land of wonder and intrigue, home to massive methane lakes and mysterious disappearing islands. It's the second largest moon in the solar system. NASA calls it an analogue to the very early Earth and at least one NASA engineer has suggested we look to Titan for a future human colony.\n\n\"Dragonfly will visit a world filled with a wide variety of organic compounds, which are the building blocks of life and could teach us about the origin of life itself,\" said NASA's Thomas Zurbuchen.\n\nDragonfly will aim for a 2.7-year initial mission, with dozens of landing sites on the menu. \"Dragonfly marks the first time NASA will fly a multirotor vehicle for science on another planet; it has eight rotors and flies like a large drone,\" NASA said.\n\nNASA engineers are gearing up Dragonfly to cover more than 108 miles (around 175 kilometers) of Titan's surface. That would make it one of the most accomplished interplanetary robots, nearly doubling the distance which all of the Mars rovers (combined!) have traveled to date.\n\nThe Titan mission is made possible in part by NASA's dearly departed Cassini spacecraft, which studied Titan while it was investigating Saturn. Cassini helped NASA scientists delve into potential Titan landing sites.\n\nNASA plans to launch Dragonfly in 2026, which would put it on track to arrive at Titan in 2034. The mission is part of the agency's New Frontiers program, which includes the New Horizons mission to Pluto (and beyond) and the Juno mission to Jupiter.\n\nThe program originally selected two finalists for the next New Horizons mission in December 2017. The unlucky second finalist was the Comet Astrobiology Exploration Sample Return (Caesar) mission, which aimed to send a spacecraft to the comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko and return a sample to Earth.\n\nThe comet was the destination of the European Space Agency's Rosetta spacecraft, which rendezvoused with the space rock in 2014. It even landed a smaller spacecraft, Philae, on the surface, providing us with some stunning images.\n\nTitan is a worthy target because it is really strange but its atmosphere and environment contains molecules that could have kick-started life as we know it. That doesn't mean we will find a race of purple Titans on the icy moon -- and certainly not any particularly mad ones, either -- but it may tell us a thing or two about how life starts.\n\n\"Visiting this mysterious ocean world could revolutionize what we know about life in the universe,\" said NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine.\n\nUpdate, 7:13 p.m.: Adds more context about New Horizons mission.", "NASA selected the next mission in its New Frontiers program today: a drone that will fly on Saturn’s moon Titan in 2034. Dragonfly, as the eight-rotored craft is called, will aim to investigate the distant world’s strange geology—a previous probe glimpsed rivers of liquid methane flowing on the surface—and to search for signs of alien life.\n\nThe idea is for Dragonfly to launch from Earth in 2026, and then zip past Venus and make two flybys of Earth to pick up speed for the long trip to Saturn. Dragonfly won’t enter orbit before heading to the surface—it’ll be a precisely aimed shot at the edge of the Selk crater, just north of Titan’s equator. Once inside Titan’s thick atmosphere, Dragonfly will drift downward for hours under a series of parachutes until it’s about 1km above the surface. It will then cut away and fly off in search of a good landing site.\n\nRadio signals take over an hour to make a one-way trip between Saturn and Earth, which means Dragonfly will have to fly autonomously. NASA officials are confident it can do so reliably because of the remarkable advances in autonomous flight and hazard-detection capability achieved by drones on Earth in recent years. It helps a great deal that Titan has been well-scouted by the Cassini mission, which orbited Saturn from 2004 until 2017 and landed a probe on Titan’s surface (the most distant landing ever to take place).\n\nThe drone will have 8 rotors stacked in 4 pairs, and will be designed to be able to fly even if one rotor fails. Each rotor will be about a meter long. Because of Titan’s dense (over 4 times denser than Earth’s) atmosphere and low gravity, it takes about 40 times less power to fly there than on Earth. Not that conditions are hospitable in all ways. It will also be cold: about minus 180 degrees Celsius (minus 290 degrees Fahrenheit).\n\nThe initial landing spot has been carefully chosen. The Selk crater region will be in a direct line of site from Earth, so Dragonfly will be able to communicate with NASA’s Deep Space Network antennas in California, Spain, and Australia without a relay satellite. That makes the mission both simpler and cheaper. Dragonfly will have a foldable antenna to transmit images and scientific data back to Earth after landing on sand dunes that Zibi Turtle of the Applied Physics Laboratory at Johns Hopkins University, who will head the mission, describes as “the largest zen gardens in the solar system.\"\n\nSolar power wouldn’t work well, because of the distance from the Sun and Titan’s hazy atmosphere, so Dragonfly will carry a generator that uses heat from the radioactive decay of about 4kg of plutonium to create electricity. That won’t be enough to effectively power the 8 rotors, so the generator will charge a battery that will in turn power the drone’s engines.\n\nThe initial plan is for a few dozen flights over the course of a bit more than two and a half years. Dragonfly will be able to hop short distances if it lands in an awkward place. But the exploratory flights will be up to five miles each, in a “leapfrog” pattern that will let it scout out good landing sites before committing to them.\n\nDragonfly will be more than just a joyride—it’s out to settle a number of scientific debates. It will carry a seismometer that can listen for tremors and help determine how thick the ice shell over Titan’s liquid water ocean is. It will have meteorological instruments and cameras. Cassini also found some evidence that suggests Titan may play host to “cryovolcanoes”—mountains of ice that spew some mixture of water, methane and ammonia into the atmosphere. Dragonfly will try to figure out whether or not such eruptions indeed happen.\n\nThen there’s the big question: is there now, or has there ever been, life on Titan? Dragonfly will carry a suite of scientific instruments meant to address this question.\n\nOne instrument will shoot pulses of neutrons into Titan’s surface to ascertain how much carbon, nitrogen, hydrogen, and oxygen lie below. This pulsed-neutron generator will kick up radiation that will then be detected by two pairs of redundant spectrometers. If those spectrometers find hints of something interesting, two on-board drills will get to work. A sort of vacuum cleaner will suck up the drill cuttings (and other types of samples), which will be examined more closely, especially for purines and pyrimidines—the bases that make up DNA—and for amino acids.\n\nGetting all of these instruments to work reliably in an atmosphere literally dripping with methane will be difficult. But, Turtle says, they are reusing lots of components that have already been functioning on Mars for years. “Titan is a very Earth-like place, despite the fact that the materials are different,” she says. Just how Earth-like? That’s what Dragonfly aims to find out."], "summary": "NASA awards $1 billion to the Dragonfly mission, which will use a dual-quadcopter drone to explore Titan for signs of life."}
{"document": ["England found the ‘wow factor’. They seized the moment, embraced the pressure, showed no sign of fear and gloriously are in a World Cup semi-final. And, wow, what a goal to confirm it – a goal worthy of winning the trophy itself.\n\nIt was fitting it was claimed by their outstanding player – Lucy Bronze – and apt also that with it she helped send her nation to Lyon, where she plays her club football and where she has dreamt of this, for a last-four meeting against either the United States or hosts France.\n\nThe wow factor was everywhere. From Bronze’s remarkable thunderbolt of a strike to the reaction in the stands – with the TV cameras inevitably scanning to a beaming David Beckham, who had flown in with his daughter Harper – to the scenes back home at Glastonbury where this semi-final against Norway was shown on the big screens. The England camp had been laid low by a virus but now there is just World Cup fever. The “bad ass women”, as Neville said they told him they wanted to be, are delivering. It will be England’s second successive World Cup semi-final, having reached that stage in 2015, and having also reached the same stage at the European Championships two years ago. Can they go all the way?\n\nThis was a wonderfully brave attacking performance that was summed up by the unstoppable Bronze. It allowed Phil Neville’s side to dare to dream.\n\nThe head coach had talked about stepping up “10-15 per cent” but England surpassed that by two or three fold. They gave away chances but in Steph Houghton they had a colossus of a captain who shrugged aside her ankle injury and repelled everything.", "England hammered Norway 3-0 on Thursday evening to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup for a second tournament in a row.\n\nThe Lionesses got off to the perfect start when Jill Scott tapped home Lucy Bronze’s cutback inside three minutes after a miss-kick from Ellen White, before a wonderful team move was finished off by White - taking her joint top of the World Cup goalscoring charts - five minutes before half time.\n\nBronze then put the icing on the victory with a fabulous strike from a well-worked free-kick in the 57th minute, with Nikita Parris even having penalty saved well by Norway keeper Ingrid Hjelmseth after England captain Steph Houghton was pushed in the box late on.\n\nEngland will now face the winners of the match between France and USA in the last four and will fancy their chances after such an impressive showing in Le Havre.\n\nThe tournament’s fastest goal – timed at 126 seconds – put England on course for victory as veteran Scott finished after great work from Bronze to create the opening.\n\nNorway responded well, though, and put England under pressure, but England showed far superior quality in front of goal, with White thundering an effort against the post on the end of a sumptuous pass from Parris.\n\nLyon forward Parris was again the creator for White, this time the 30-year-old could not miss from six yards, with the goal meaning White is now England’s top goalscorer at Women’s World Cups.\n\nAfter the break, England continued in the ascendancy, rounding off the win with Bronze’s thunderbolt of a strike from fully 25 yards, after Beth Mead had caught the Norwegians napping, with Parris unable to make the margin of victory more emphatic from 12 yards in the latter stages.\n\nIt is coming home, right? England’s triumph in the SheBelieves Cup certainly raised hopes of success in France this summer ahead of the World Cup, but four wins from four prior to their quarter-final clash ensured a nation expected. Now, having put a talented Norway side to the sword in emphatic fashion, World Cup glory is still very much on England fans’ minds. USA and France are still favourites, but England are starting to hit top gear, and with such an array of attacking talent, can anyone stop them?\n\nLucy Bronze. Houghton was a colossus at the back, but the award goes to the best right-back in this tournament, hands down. Her set-up play for the opener was superb, showing a great burst of pace before laying a perfect pass back for Scott. Bronze remained a threat on the right all match, before getting on the scoresheet herself in spectacular fashion.\n\n3’ - GOOOOOAAAALLLLLL!!!!!! England 1-0 Norway. What a start from England as Jill Scott steers home the opener. The fastest goal of the tournament so far gives England the advantage. Superb work from Lucy Bronze to burst to the byline, she pulled it back for White, who miss kicked, but veteran Scott was on hand to steer the ball into the bottom corner.\n\n20’ - CHAAAAAANCE! Scott slides a nice pass into Nikita Parris, who cuts inside, with defenders committing themselves, but the Manchester City forward slices over the top with the goal at her mercy.\n\n29’ - POST! So close to a second for England. The lofted pass to White from Parris is superb, the England striker takes her time and fires a powerful strike for goal, but sees her effort come out off the post.\n\n38’ - SAVE! Lovely move from England. White feeds Kirby, who clips a perfect cross onto the head of Parris, but her downward header is well saved.\n\n40’ - GOOOOOALLLLL!!!! England 2-0 Norway. White is on hand to convert from close range to double England's lead. Lovely swift move from England. Parris is again the danger as she is put clean through, only this time she elects to square for White, who slots home with ease. White now leads the scoring charts in this tournament, and now has more Women's World Cup goals than any other England player.\n\n47’ - CHANCE! Graham Hansen is there, on the end of a knockdown, six yards out, unmarked, looking set to get Norway back into the match, but Houghton recovers brilliantly to make the tackle and save England.\n\n57’ - GOOOOOOOOAAAALLLLLL!!!!! England 3-0 Norway. WHAT. A. GOAL. Bronze thunders into the net to surely put England in the last four. A training ground routine caught Norway out, Mead slotted the ball into the path of Bronze, who unleashed a thunderous strike from fully 25 yards that flew into the net. Game over?\n\n66’ - OFF THE LINE! Awful pass from Bright puts Bardsley in trouble, Utland nips in, leaves Bardsley on the floor, fires for goal, but Houghton is back on the line to clear, heroically.\n\n82’ - PENALTY TO ENGLAND! Houghton is pushed to the floor and the referee points to the spot.\n\n83’ - SAVED! Parris, who missed her last penalty, sees another penalty saved! Good job it matters little!\n• Ellen White is the first England player ever to score five goals in a single Women’s World Cup\n• White is the second English player to score in four consecutive FIFA World Cup appearances after Gary Lineker between 1986 and 1990 - she is the first English player to do so in a single edition.\n• Jill Scott (2007, 2011 and 2019) is only the second ever player to score in three separate Women's World Cup tournaments for the Lionesses, after Fara Williams (2007, 2011 and 2015).\n• Lucy Bronze is the first England player to both score and assist a goal in the same Women's World Cup game since Jill Scott against New Zealand in 2011.", "The 2019 Women’s World Cup has arrived with 24 of the finest teams on the planet in France to battle for supremacy.\n\nEngland are being led into the competition by Phil Neville and are dark horse contenders in the competition.\n• Sport on TV in 2019 calendar: How to watch every major event live on TV and online\n\nDefending champions USA are the favourites to triumph with France and Germany joining the Lionesses in the chasing pack.\n\nFans will be able to tune in to every match with live, free and uninterrupted coverage throughout the tournament.\n\nRadioTimes.com has rounded up everything you need to know about how to watch the Women’s World Cup.\n\nWhat channel is the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2019 on?\n\nFans can tune in to watch the Women’s World Cup for free across a range of BBC platforms.\n\nFor TV viewers, BBC1, BBC2, BBC4 and the Red Button will all boast live coverage throughout the tournament.\n\nYou can also live stream every match via BBC iPlayer on a range of devices including laptops, smartphones and tablets.\n\nFor specific details on which fixtures are available to watch, check out the comprehensive fixture list below.\n\nAll kick-offs are in UK time. All games on BBC iPlayer.", "England's World Cup goal-scoring star Ellen White will secure a life-changing bonus if the team win the World Cup.\n\nWhite and team-mate Millie Bright are on course to become overnight millionaires as the two members of Phil Neville's team signed to adidas.\n\nThe company have pledged to match the bonuses paid to their representatives in France's 2018 World Cup-winning team, including Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba.\n\nWhite's fifth tournament goal in the 3-0 win over Norway puts her level with Alex Morgan of the USA in the race for the Golden Boot. Adidas, who sponsor the award, will also pay the same prize money to the woman's winner as they did to Harry Kane for clinching the men's equivalent last summer.\n\nNeville's players will get a bonus of around £50,000 from the FA if they lift the trophy. But the sums that White, 30, and Bright, 25, stand to collect from their kit sponsor would be on another level. White, who recently joined Manchester City from Birmingham City, is thought to earn around £60,000 a year.\n\nMost of Neville's players are signed to Nike, with Nikita Parris among several others with Puma. Toni Duggan, one of the Nike players, said of the adidas prize-money before the tournament: 'It's irrelevant to me. When you sign a contract that's your deal, everyone has different deals. I'm happy for the girls with adidas. I hope we win it and they get the money.'\n\nThe unprecedented levels of domestic interest in the England team saw a record-breaking peak UK TV audience of 7.6million tune in on BBC One to watch England beat Norway 3-0 on Thursday night and reach the semi-final.\n\nThat was 38.6 per cent of the available audience and beat the previous best for a women's game of 6.9m for England's win over Cameroon on Sunday. The average audience was 6.8m.\n\nNeville and his players flew to Lyon on Friday, where temperatures are expected to reach 37C this weekend. Tickets for their semi-final on Tuesday are already going for more than £300 each on secondary sites.\n\nParris has rejected suggestions she might talk to a psychologist after missing a second penalty at the World Cup against Norway.\n\nThe 25-year-old said: 'Talk to the psychologist for what? The keeper made a fantastic save. I need to practise on the training pitch.'", "LE HAVRE, France (AP) — Lucy Bronze helped set up the first two goals before completing England's 3-0 victory over Norway with a powerful shot of her own Thursday night, sending the team into its second straight Women's World Cup semifinal.\n\nAfter finishing third at the last tournament four years ago, England will now face either France or the United States on Tuesday in its quest for a first women's final.\n\nIt is likely to prove far tougher for the world's third-ranked team than dispatching a team still featuring players who aren't professionals.\n\nEngland took less than three minutes to take the lead, with Bronze muscling her way down the right flank before cutting the ball back. Ellen White missed a shot but Jill Scott was primed to strike in off the post.\n\nWhite did get her fifth goal of the tournament in the 40th minute. Played in by Bronze, Nikita Parris spotted White racing between the Norway center backs to receive the pass and sweep into the net.\n\nIt was a clever routine that led to the third in the 57th minute. With England preparing to take a free kick on the left flank, Norway was expecting it to be swung into the penalty area. But Beth Mead spotted Bronze arriving at the edge of the penalty area unmarked and the right back connected first-time and raised it high into the roof of the net with a fierce shot.\n\nNodding in approval from the stands was David Beckham, who high-fived Sue Campbell, the head of women's soccer in England.\n\nWhile Beckham never made it past a quarterfinal as a player for the England men's team, the Lionesses are now in their third successive semifinal after also making the final four at the 2017 European Championship.\n\nCopyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.", "Le Havre, France: A stunning strike by Lucy Bronze helped England to a 3-0 quarter-final win over Norway in Le Havre on Thursday as Phil Neville’s team eased into the last four of the women’s World Cup.\n\nDavid Beckham, a former colleague of Neville’s for Manchester United and England, was among the crowd of more than 21,000 at the Stade Oceane to see midfield stalwart Jill Scott open the scoring inside three minutes, becoming just the second English player to score at three separate women’s World Cups.\n\nEllen White then grabbed her fifth goal of the tournament five minutes prior to half-time and Bronze made sure of the victory with a rising shot high into the net as the hour mark approached.\n\nEngland were so comfortable towards the end that they could even afford to squander a penalty, with Nikita Parris having her late spot-kick saved.\n\nThere were striking similarities between Bronze’s effort here and her goal that gave England a 2-1 win over the same opponents a round earlier at the 2015 World Cup in Canada.\n\nThe Lionesses went out of that tournament in the semi-finals and also fell in the last four at Euro 2017. Now they will hope to go a step further, although a daunting challenge awaits against hosts France or holders the United States in Lyon next Tuesday.\n\nNorway had declared ambitions of leaving France with a medal to show for their efforts, but after ousting Australia on penalties in the last round, this was a step too far for them.\n\nIt is impossible not to wonder how different things might have been in this game had the class of Ada Hegerberg been available to Martin Sjogren’s team.\n\nThey could not recover after falling behind to Scott’s early goal, with Bronze charging forward down the right and cutting the ball back from the byline for the Manchester City midfielder to side-foot in off the far post after White had miskicked.\n\nIt was a landmark goal for Scott, who first found the net for her country against Argentina at the 2007 World Cup.\n\nEngland looked like scoring every time they came forward in the first half, with White hitting the post and Parris having a header saved by Ingrid Hjelmseth before the second goal came on 40 minutes.\n\nYet again the left side of the Norwegian defence was badly exposed as Parris teed up White to convert from inside the six-yard box and join Australia’s Sam Kerr and Alex Morgan of the USA at the top of the World Cup scorers’ chart.\n\nAny hopes Norway had of a second-half comeback were doused in the 57th minute when Bronze was fouled by Ingrid Syrstad Engen on another charge forward from right-back.\n\nNorway had chances to grab a consolation but England stood firm to secure a fourth straight clean sheet, although they missed the chance to score a fourth goal from the spot with seven minutes left.\n\nCaptain Steph Houghton was shoved over in the box by Chelsea’s Maria Thorisdottir, but Parris - who had a penalty saved in the group-stage win over Argentina on the same ground - saw her kick from 12 yards kept out by Hjelmseth diving high to her right.", "\n• Megan Rapinoe was asked whether she was looking forward to going to the White House if the US Women’s National Team (USWNT) wins the Women’s World Cup.\n• “Psssh,” she said in an interview tweeted on Tuesday. “I’m not going to the f—— White House.”\n• The video appears to follow criticism from Donald Trump, who told The Hill earlier this week that it is not appropriate that Rapinoe protests during the national anthem by not singing.\n• CNN, meanwhile, says Trump’s White House appears to ignore sporting successes achieved by women’s teams, particularly in WNBA and NCAA basketball.\n• The USWNT plays host nation France in a much-anticipated Women’s World Cup quarterfinal on June 28, and for Rapinoe it is a case of “championship or bust, always.”\n\nMegan Rapinoe pulled no punches when she was asked if she was “excited” about going to the White House should the US Women’s National Team (USWNT) win the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup.\n\n“Psssh,” she said in an interview tweeted by Eight by Eight magazine on Tuesday. “I’m not going to the f—— White House.”\n\nThe US team co-captain added: “No, I’m not going to the White House. We’re not gonna be invited. I doubt it.”\n\nRapinoe’s interview appears to follow criticism from Donald Trump, who was asked if it was appropriate that Rapinoe protests the national anthem by not singing along.\n\n“No,” he told The Hill. “I don’t think so.” Trump, however, did add: “I love watching women’s soccer. They’re really talented.”\n\nBut, according to CNN, Trump’s White House “doesn’t seem to invite women’s sports champions.”\n\nTrump has held office for more than two years, the report says, and is yet to host a women’s championship sports team despite success stories in WNBA and NCAA women’s basketball.\n\nRead more: Sam Kerr fires warning to Australian women’s team critics after wild, come from behind win over Brazil: ‘We’re back, so suck on that one’\n\nThe USWNT won the 2015 Women’s World Cup and has been swashbuckling its way through the 2019 tournament after devastating Thailand 13-0 in its opening match, then beating Chile 3-0 and Sweden 2-0 to complete a flawless group performance.\n\nThe team conceded its first goal in the competition in the June 24 quarterfinal against Spain, but still won 2-1.\n\nFor Rapinoe, it’s a case of “championship or bust, always” as the USWNT is focused on retaining the Women’s World Cup trophy in France this summer.\n\n“We have a great burden of expectation but I think that also brings out the best in you and we just expect to win every single game. So if we’re down 2-0 with 10 minutes left, we expect to win that game. We’ve been in those situations before and its just sort of ingrained in us.”\n\nThe USWNT plays host nation France in a much-anticipated quarterfinal on June 28. The semifinals take place next week, ahead of the tournament final on July 7.", "England beat Norway 3-0 on Thursday to book their place in the semi-finals of the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup in France.\n\nMidfielder Jill Scott got Phil Neville's side off to the perfect start by side-footing the Lionesses in front from Lucy Bronze's cut-back inside three minutes.\n\nEngland doubled their lead five minutes before half-time. Again the danger came down the right flank, with Nikita Parris setting up Ellen White to sweep home from close range.\n\nThe Lionesses wrapped up a comfortable win with their third goal just before the hour mark. Beth Mead cut a free-kick back to Bronze, who fired a powerful shot past goalkeeper Ingrid Hjelmseth.\n\nEngland made just one change to their team, with Demi Stokes coming in for Alex Greenwood, while Norway stuck with the same starting XI that beat Australia in the last 16:\n\nThe Lionesses took the lead in the opening minutes after Bronze raced past Ingrid Engen down the right flank and cut the ball back inside the penalty area. White swung at the ball and missed, but it travelled through to Scott, who wrote her name into the history books:\n\nEngland's best play throughout the half came down their right side, with Bronze and Parris causing Norway all sorts of problems.\n\nParris fired an effort wide when well placed after 20 minutes and then set up White, who saw her effort smash against the woodwork and fly away to safety (UK only):\n\nThe second goal arrived before half-time and again came from good work out wide. Bronze and Parris combined to tee up White, who tucked home from close range:\n\nNorway had a chance to pull one back at the start of the second half due to some poor defending by the Lionesses. However, Steph Houghton was just able to nick the ball off Caroline Graham Hansen when the latter looked certain to score.\n\nEngland sealed the win just before the hour mark. Mead cut a free-kick back to Bronze just outside the penalty area, and the latter smashed a superb shot into the roof of the net:\n\nThe Lionesses became a little sloppy after the third goal and could have conceded. Houghton was forced to clear off her own line, while goalkeeper Karen Bardsley made smart saves from Lisa-Marie Utland and Isabell Herlovsen to preserve her clean sheet.\n\nEngland wasted a chance to extend their advantage in the final 10 minutes after being awarded a penalty for a push on Houghton. However, Parris saw her spot-kick saved by a diving Hjelmseth.\n\nIt was a dominant performance by the Lionesses, who made it five wins from five at the tournament and are now just a game away from a first ever appearance at a World Cup final.\n\nEngland progress to the semi-finals and will play the winner of Friday's quarter-final clash between hosts France and holders USA.", "Forty-five minutes into England’s Women’s World Cup campaign, there was a fear the Lionesses could peak too early.\n\nA dream first-half performance against Scotland in their Group D opener ended with the scoreline reading 2-0 in their favour, with the flicks and tricks coming out much earlier than anticipated.\n\nHowever, the following 45 minutes would quash any of those fears.\n\nEngland’s performance dropped, Scotland came back into the game, pulled a goal back and threatened to claim a point.\n\nPhil Neville’s side are now four games into their campaign, with four wins to their name and a quarter-final clash with Norway next in line.\n\nBut none of those wins have been particularly convincing.\n\nAfter their 2-1 success over Scotland, a 1-0 win against Argentina did the job and a 2-0 victory over Japan saw them finish the group stage with nine points, the display similar to that in their first game.\n\nStylish, energetic and very comfortable for 60 minutes, before wilting and threatening to cave in the final 30 minutes. It’s a theme that continued in the last-16 victory over Cameroon.\n\n“The great thing about where we are, three matches and three victories into the World Cup, is that there is much more still to come,” Lucy Bronze wrote in her column for the Metro before that game.\n\n“Just because we’ve not been at our best yet is no reason for concern. I remember watching the USA at the last World Cup and thinking, ‘they’re not really firing’.\n\n“But they went on to be unstoppable, so you don’t want to exceed your potential too early in a tournament.”\n\nEngland, in a way, are victims of their own success.\n\nThe exciting displays – in wins over Japan and Brazil, and a 2-2 draw with the USA - that helped them claim the 2019 SheBelieves Cup back in March set the bar high.\n\nThe emphasis on wanting to play good football puts Neville’s team further under the microscope, but the findings will be that this team have shown in glimpses what they are capable of.\n\n“We do just need our game management to be better over the 90 minutes,” Faye White, who won 90 caps for England, said.\n\n“I think we’ve shown that we can take chances and make chances, but it is just about being solid defensively when we are challenged more.\n\n“There’s been some good performances, certainly first half against Scotland and even Argentina, but we’ve lost our way a little bit when teams have stepped up and started to fight back.\"\n\nThat needs to change for their next outing. Norway are their toughest opponent yet and, with the USA or France waiting on the other side, scraping a win would not be the best practice for such a heavyweight challenge.\n\n“In terms of system, physicality and technically, they tick every box,” Neville said.\n\n“They have a spirit, togetherness and tactical system that is hard to play against.”\n\nThat combination helped them edge out Australia on penalties in the last 16, after beating South Korea and Nigeria in the groups and giving France a run for their money in a 2-1 defeat.\n\nBut England are more than confident that they can raise their game to the level needed for a World Cup quarter-final.\n\n“We’ve never had more belief than we do today. We are the most prepared team, the most resilient team, we know our strengths inside and out and have gained and gathered momentum.\n\n“This is by far the best team I’ve been a part of in my England career.”\n\nTechnically speaking, the best England team so far was the one Bardsley helped finish third at the World Cup four years ago – but this team is certainly capable of surpassing that achievement.\n\nCapable, however, is the key word.\n\n“I’m very excited because we haven’t met our full potential yet and we have a very good chance of doing that [against Norway],” Bardsley added.\n\nEngland may not have to be at their very best to beat Norway, a team that were wasteful against Australia and should have beaten them comfortably with the amount of chances they had in Nice.\n\nBut they will have to be better than they have been so far – and for the full 90 minutes, too.", "England sent out a warning to their rivals as they stormed into the women's World Cup semi-finals with an impressive 3-0 victory against Norway.\n\nEngland sent out a warning to their rivals as they stormed into the women's World Cup semi-finals with an impressive 3-0 victory against Norway.\n\nEllen White scored her fifth goal of the tournament in between Jill Scott's opener and a Lucy Bronze screamer from the edge of the area as Phil Neville's side set up a mouthwatering clash with either holders the United States or hosts France.\n\nEngland were devastating on their right flank with Bronze and Nikita Parris, who missed a late penalty, tormenting their opponents throughout as Norway suffered physically.\n\nEngland got away with some sloppiness in defence but the Lionesses will hope to improve on their third place from 2015.\n\nThey took the lead after only three minutes when Bronze burst down the right flank and cut in from the byline. White swung and missed but Scott slotted the ball home off the post for the fastest goal of the tournament so far.\n\nEngland dominated possession and Parris fired over the crossbar before White came closer when she rattled the upright after a quick throw-in.\n\nFor all their superiority and Norway's lack of inspiration, the Lionesses were still vulnerable to a comeback.\n\nHowever, doubled the tally five minutes before the break, White tapping in from Parris's cross from inside the area.\n\nParris's pace was too much too handle for Norway, but England put themselves in a dangerous situation when goalkeeper Karen Bardsley's poor first touch trying to control a back pass almost saw her dispossessed in front of goal.\n\nBut the contest was all but over in the 57th minute when the unmarked Bronze unleashed a rising shot that flew into the roof of the net from Beth Mead's free kick.\n\nHoughton made sure there was no late setback for England by clearing Lisa-Marie Utland's shot off the goal-line as Norway finally hit their stride.\n\nParris saw her penalty saved by Ingrid Hjelmseth seven minutes from time - the first player to miss two penalties at the same women's World Cup having failed against Argentina in the group stage - but England had wrapped up the win by then."], "summary": "Ellen White becomes England's all-time leading FIFA Women's World Cup Final goalscorer with the team's second goal against Norway in the 2019 Women's World Cup quarterfinal win."}
{"document": ["Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 29) — The death toll in the twin blasts at a military camp in Sulu province has risen to eight, authorities said Saturday.\n\nMajor Arvin Encinas, spokesperson of the military's Western Mindanao Command (WesMinCom), told CNN Philippines among the dead were three soldiers, three civilians, and two suspected suicide bombers. At least 12 soldiers and 10 civilians were hurt, WesMinCom chief Major General Cirilito Sobejana said.\n\nTwin explosions rocked the headquarters of the 1st Brigade Combat Team at Sitio Tanjung, Barangay Kajatian in Indanan town around noon Friday.\n\nAuthorities are investigating the attack, and are eyeing the involvement of the Abu Sayyaf group, which is notorious for bombings and kidnappings in the province.\n\nAn initial probe showed that one of the two suspected bombers detonated an explosive while being checked prior to entry at the military camp. The other suspect dashed inside, was shot, but was still able to detonate another explosive, Encinas said. He explained the camp was open for \"civilian friends.\"\n\nIn an interview with CNN Philippines, Sobejana said that they are looking into the similarities with the Jolo cathedral blasts last January.\n\n\"There was a similarity, only that the bombing five months ago at the Jolo cathedral, the first bomb exploded inside the cathedral itself and the succeeding was coming from outside. This time the first explosion happened just in front of the gate, and when the gate was opened another person broke through and the explosion took place at the middle of the camp,\" Sobejana said.\n\nHe added that the improvised explosive devices (IEDs) used in both attacks were of the same kind.\n\n\"Other than we're looking at the same scenario, the signature IEDs were also the same,\" he said.\n\nAFP condemns twin blasts at Sulu military camp | https://t.co/sDo55hwVGt pic.twitter.com/pvEe5OBPgT — CNN Philippines (@cnnphilippines) June 29, 2019\n\nIn a separate statement, Presidential Peace Adviser Carlito Galvez strongly condemned the attack, but asked that judgment be withheld until the investigation is completed.\n\n\"Reports suggest that the two civilians who died in the attack were the possible perpetrators. However, let us all hold our judgment until the investigation being conducted by authorities is completed,\" Galvez said.\n\nHe added that the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Unity and Reconciliation stand in solidarity with the people of Sulu.\n\nFollowing the incident, Metro Manila police chief, Maj. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar placed the region under full alert at 6 p.m. on Friday as a preemptive move.", "MANILA (Reuters) - An explosion at a military base in the restive southern Philippines on Friday killed five people, including three soldiers, and wounded nine others in what Islamic State said was an attack by its suicide bombers.\n\nFILE PHOTO: Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte attends a session of the ASEAN Summit in Bangkok, Thailand, June 22, 2019. REUTERS/Jorge Silva/File Photo\n\nThe military said the blast occurred at around noon at a base on Jolo island, a stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf, a splintered militant network notorious for kidnapping and piracy and for its pledge of allegiance to Islamic State.\n\nIslamic State said via its Amaq news agency that its fighters had infiltrated the base strapped with explosives and killed or wounded 100 soldiers. It posted an image of two young men standing beside a black Islamic State flag, wearing what appeared to be vests designed to hold explosives.\n\nNeither the claim nor the authenticity of the photograph could be immediately verified.\n\nThe incident will be a major setback for Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte’s goal of wiping out Abu Sayyaf, for which he has created a special infantry division on Jolo to be comprised of 4,500 troops by 2022.\n\nThere was no immediate comment from Duterte’s office.\n\nThe army provided few details of what took place, but vowed a thorough investigation and to respond “with formidable resolve”.\n\n“Ground troops continue to establish the circumstances and identify the perpetrators behind this inhumane attack,” said Cirilito Sobejana, chief of the Western Mindanao Command. “We will intensify our offensives to crush terrorist groups.”\n\nClashes between troops and Abu Sayyaf have intensified in the wake of a January bombing of a Jolo church that killed 21 people and wounded close to 100, among them soldiers and civilians. Islamic State also claimed responsibility for that assault.\n\nDuterte has maintained martial law across the Mindanao region to curb Islamic State’s influence and the decades of banditry by Abu Sayyaf, which is known for its brutality and for posting videos of captives begging for their lives, and for beheading those for whom ransom demands are not met.\n\nA Dutch wildlife photographer held hostage by Abu Sayyaf since 2012 was killed last month by his captors when he tried to escape during a firefight with troops, according to the military, which said six rebels were killed.", "An explosion at a military base in the restive southern Philippines on Friday killed five people, including three soldiers, and wounded nine others in what ISIS said was an attack by its suicide bombers.\n\nThe military said the blast occurred at around noon at a base on Jolo island, a stronghold of Abu Sayyaf, a splintered militant network notorious for kidnapping and piracy and for its pledge of allegiance to ISIS.\n\nISIS said via its Amaq news agency that its fighters had infiltrated the base strapped with explosives and killed or wounded 100 soldiers. It posted an image of two young men standing beside a black ISIS flag, wearing what appeared to be vests designed to hold explosives.\n\nNeither the claim nor the authenticity of the photograph could be immediately verified.\n\nThe incident will be a major setback for Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's goal of wiping out Abu Sayyaf, for which he has created a special infantry division on Jolo to comprise 4,500 troops by 2022.\n\nThere was no immediate comment from Duterte's office.\n\nThe army provided few details of what took place, but vowed to conduct a thorough investigation and to respond \"with formidable resolve.\"\n\n\"Ground troops continue to establish the circumstances and identify the perpetrators behind this inhumane attack,\" said Cirilito Sobejana, chief of the Western Mindanao Command. \"We will intensify our offensives to crush terrorist groups.\"\n\nClashes between troops and Abu Sayyaf have intensified in the wake of a January bombing of a Jolo church that killed 21 people and wounded close to 100, among them soldiers and civilians. Islamic State also claimed responsibility for that assault.\n\nDuterte has maintained martial law across the Mindanao region to curb Islamic State's influence and the decades of banditry by Abu Sayyaf, which is known for its brutality, for posting videos of captives begging for their lives, and for beheading those for whom ransom demands are not met.\n\nA Dutch wildlife photographer held hostage by Abu Sayyaf since 2012 was killed last month by his captors when he tried to escape during a firefight with troops, according to the military, which said six rebels were killed.", "COTABATO CITY, Philippines — The Bangsamoro police and the military are cooperating in identifying the real plotters of Friday’s deadly bombing of an Army base in Indanan town in Sulu.\n\nThree soldiers, three civilians and the two couriers of the improvised explosive device used in the attack perished in the incident.\n\nThe Regional Police Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao said Saturday 22 others, 10 of them Army personnel, were injured in the explosion.\n\nBrig. Gen. Marni Marcos, director of PRO-BARMM, told reporters Saturday he has directed the Sulu provincial police to enlist the help of traditional leaders and local officials in identifying the culprits.\n\n“Our investigators are doing their best to put closure to that incident,” Marcos said.\n\nLocal officials said the two men who brought the home-made bomb that went off inside the camp of the 1st Brigade Combat Team in Tanjung in Indanan town in Sulu were hardcore members of the Abu Sayyaf.\n\nThe Abu Sayyaf operates in the fashion of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria.\n\nOne of the sources said the attack was to avenge the deaths of more than 20 Abu Sayyaf bandits killed in encounters with pursuing units of the Armed Forces in the past three months.\n\nMajor Gen. Cirilito Sobejana of the Western Mindanao Command said Saturday military intelligence agents are now working along with police probers in trying to determine who could have masterminded the bombing.\n\nSobejana said all units of WestMinCom in Sulu are now guarding against a possible repeat of the atrocity.\n\nSulu, which is inside BARMM’s core territory, is touted as the most dangerous province in the country.\n\nThe island province is now the main bastion of the Abu Sayyaf, which has a reputation for beheading captives kidnapped outside if ransom demands are not met.\n\nSobejana said he will focus his leadership of WestMinCom on addressing the security problems besetting Sulu comprehensively.\n\n“We need the help of local government units there. The military and the police cannot succeed in addressing these concerns without the support of local officials and leaders of different sectors there,” Sobejana said.", "MANILA — Two suspected Muslim militant suicide attackers detonated bombs in an army camp in the southern Philippines on Friday, killing three soldiers, two civilians and themselves, military officials said.\n\nTwelve other soldiers were wounded in the “inhumane” attack by suspected Abu Sayyaf gunmen on the headquarters of an army brigade combat team in southern Sulu province’s Indanan town, officials said. About 300 newly deployed soldiers were based in the combat camp, they said.\n\nThe military has deployed large numbers of troops to predominantly Muslim Sulu to bolster a months-long offensive against remnants of the Abu Sayyaf, which is listed by the United States and the Philippines as a terrorist organization for bombings, ransom kidnappings and beheadings.\n\nMilitary officials initially provided sketchy details of the noontime attack and refused to confirm that suicide attackers were involved as an investigation was under way. The Associated Press, however, saw an initial military report that blamed two suicide bombers for the deadly assault.\n\nRegional military commander Maj. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana called the attack inhumane. “We will intensify our offensives to crush terrorist groups that hamper the stability and development in Sulu,” he said in a statement.\n\nAbu Sayyaf militants have largely thrived on ransom kidnappings and extortion. although defense officials say they may have received foreign funds, including from the Islamic State, to finance attacks.\n\nJim Gomez is an Associated Press writer.", "JOLO, Philippines (AP) — An Abu Sayyaf commander aligned with the Islamic State group most likely plotted the suicide attacks on an army camp in the volatile southern Philippines by two militants whose identities remain unknown, a Philippine official said Saturday.\n\nInterior Secretary Eduardo Ano cited intelligence as showing Hajan Sawadjaan most likely harbored the two suicide bombers and plotted Friday’s attack in an army camp that killed three soldiers, two civilians and themselves. The military says 22 other soldiers and civilians were wounded.\n\nThe Islamic State group claimed in a statement that two of its fighters carried out the attack with explosive belts but overstated the military casualties at about 100. It posted what it claimed was a picture of the two young-looking militants before the attack, wearing what appeared to be explosive vests and standing beside a black IS-style flag with lush foliage in the backdrop.\n\nAno and other security officials have previously blamed Sawadjaan, who is based in the jungles of Sulu province’s mountainous Patikul town, for the Jan. 27 suicide bombing of a Roman Catholic cathedral during a Mass that killed 23 people in Sulu’s capital town of Jolo. He is also the suspected mastermind of a July 31, 2018, explosion of a bomb-laden van that killed its driver, reportedly a foreign jihadist with Moroccan blood, and 10 other people in nearby Basilan province.\n\nThe Associated Press has seen a captured militant’s video of the foreign jihadist, who used the nom de guerre Abu Kathir Al-Maghribi, with Sawadjaan and his men in a jungle encampment before the foreign militant died in last year’s blast in Basilan.\n\nPhilippine officials vowed to hunt down and destroy Sawadjaan and his men.\n\n“We’ve monitored Sawadjaan’s group training suicide bombers before they were deployed. So we will go to the source and destroy his camp,” Ano said.\n\n“If these bandits have not learned from the terrorists who were annihilated in Marawi, then this time they will,” said presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo, referring to the southern city where Philippine troops quelled a five-month siege two years ago and killed hundreds of Islamic State group-linked militants and their commanders.\n\nIn Friday’s attack, military officials said one militant tried to enter the camp but set off his explosive when he was stopped, killing three soldiers at the gate. The second militant dashed into the camp but was shot by other soldiers. He yelled “Allahu akbar,” or “God is great,” before detonating the bomb that he carried, damaging vehicles in a parking lot.\n\nIf the two attackers turn out to be Filipinos, they would be the first known local suicide attackers in the country’s south, a prospect deemed unlikely by some Filipino officials in the past. The southern region has been the scene of decades-long minority Muslim unrest in the largely Roman Catholic nation.\n\n“Philippine authorities were always deluding themselves to think that somehow it was impossible culturally for Filipinos to become suicide bombers,” said Jakarta-based terrorism analyst Sidney Jones. “This isn’t about culture, it’s about indoctrination, and no one is culturally ‘immune.'”\n\nThe suicide attacks underscore an effort by Islamic State group supporters in the region, especially in the Philippines, to show that despite the brutal group’s battle setbacks in the Middle East, “their commitment to the caliphate remains and their fight will continue,” Jones said.\n\nBattle setbacks have reduced the number of Abu Sayyaf armed fighters to less than 400 but they have remained a national security threat. Mostly based in impoverished Sulu and outlying islands, the group has been blacklisted as a terrorist band by the United States and the Philippines for bombings, ransom kidnappings and beheadings.\n\nAssociated Press journalists Jim Gomez in Manila and Maamoun Youssef in Cairo contributed to this report.", "Philippines Insurgency Update: Suspected Suicide Bombings in Philippine Army Camp Kills 7 by Jim Gomez – Associated Press\n\nTwo suspected Muslim militant suicide attackers detonated bombs in an army camp in the southern Philippines on Friday, killing three soldiers, two civilians and themselves, military officials said.\n\nTwelve other soldiers were wounded in the \"inhumane\" attack by suspected Abu Sayyaf gunmen on the headquarters of an army brigade combat team in southern Sulu province's Indanan town, officials said. About 300 newly deployed soldiers were based in the combat camp, they said.\n\nThe military has deployed large numbers of troops to predominantly Muslim Sulu to bolster a months-long offensive against remnants of the Abu Sayyaf, which is listed by the United States and the Philippines as a terrorist organization for bombings, ransom kidnappings and beheadings.\n\nMilitary officials initially provided sketchy details of the noontime attack and refused to confirm that suicide attackers were involved as an investigation was underway. The Associated Press, however, saw an initial military report that blamed two suicide bombers for the deadly assault…", "ZAMBOANGA CITY, Philippines — The new leadership of the military's Western Mindanao Command will rest the weight of its campaign in Sulu, considered among the remaining problem areas in Mindanao, its outgoing commander Lt. Gen. Arnel dela Vega said.\n\nDela Vega, who opted for early retirement from the service, will be replaced by Maj. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana in a change of command ceremony on Friday.\n\nDela Vega said security concerns have already been addressed in most of Westmincom’s area of responsibility, including areas in Central Mindanao, Lanao del Sur, and Zamboanga peninsula, Basilan, and Tawi-Tawi.\n\n\"As of now we can say the remaining problem is Sulu. Basilan has become a template for good governance, development and security, the same thing with Central Mindanao like the area of Maguindanao, Sultan Kudarat, North Cotabato and even part of Lanao del Sur,\" Dela Vega said.\n\n\"As of now we can say the remaining problem is Sulu,\" he said, citing the continuous threat of the Abu Sayyaf group.\n\nHe said the military can now focus on directly pinning down the Abu Sayyaf group now that the terrorists no longer have captives.\n\nRELATED: New infantry division to help beat Abu Sayyaf in Sulu\n\nDela Vega said the new leadership will be trying to engage further with their counterparts in the security forces of Malaysia and Indonesia, saying most of the kidnappings in the past three years happened outside Philippine waters. The captives, though, were brought to the Abu Sayyaf in Sulu.\n\n\"So in that regard, we are trying to coordinate closely and collaborate with our Indonesian and Malaysian counterparts especially we have trilateral cooperative agreement with those two countries to prevent, if not stop, the kidnapping in their areas and eventually bring the victims in our area,\" Dela Vega said.\n\nDela Vega said Gen. Sobejana intends to finish the fight against the Abu Sayyaf group through the implementation of National Task Force 70, which is based on Executive Order No. 70 directing the active participation local government units in directly combating extremism.\n\nThe EO 70 calls on local governments to engage in ending the local communist armed conflict and preventing and countering violent extremism.\n\n\"So we keep on telling our elected officials, especially the local chief executives that they really need to take the lead role and make use of the available security forces to form part of the overall campaign to neutralize and defeat the different threat groups,\" Dela Vega said.\n\n\"What I want it should be the local government units must lead and we will support especially in the formulation and implementation of peace and order and public safety plans.\"", "JOLO, Philippines — A Philippine official says an Abu Sayyaf commander aligned with the Islamic State group most likely plotted the suicide attacks on an army camp in the volatile south by two militants, whose identities remain unknown.\n\nInterior Secretary Eduardo Ano cited intelligence Saturday as showing Hajan Sawadjaan most likely harboured the two suicide bombers and plotted Friday’s attack in an army camp that killed three soldiers, two civilians and themselves. The military says 22 other soldiers and civilians were wounded.\n\nSawadjaan is based in the jungles of southern Sulu province.\n\nThe Islamic State group said in a statement two of its fighters carried the attack with explosive belts but overstated the military casualties at about 100.\n\nAno said it remains unclear if the non-Arabic male attackers were Filipinos or foreigners.", "Two suspected Muslim militant suicide attackers detonated bombs in an army camp in the southern Philippines on Friday, killing three soldiers, two civilians and themselves, military officials said.\n\nTwelve other soldiers were wounded in the \"inhumane\" attack by suspected Abu Sayyaf gunmen on the headquarters of an army brigade combat team in southern Sulu province's Indanan town, officials said.\n\nAbout 300 newly deployed soldiers were based in the combat camp, they said.\n\nThe military has deployed large numbers of troops to predominantly Muslim Sulu to bolster a months-long offensive against remnants of the Abu Sayyaf, which is listed by the United States and the Philippines as a terrorist organisation for bombings, ransom kidnappings and beheadings.\n\nMilitary officials initially provided sketchy details of the noontime attack and refused to confirm that suicide attackers were involved as an investigation was underway.\n\nThe Associated Press, however, saw an initial military report that blamed two suicide bombers for the deadly assault.\n\nRegional military spokesman Maj. Arvin Encinas later acknowledged two suspected militants detonated the bombs in a rare suicide attack at the camp.\n\nTwo military officers, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss details of the attack, also corroborated Encinas' account.\n\n\"We will intensify our offensives to crush terrorist groups that hamper the stability and development in Sulu,\" he said in a statement.\n\nOne of the militants tried to enter the camp but was accosted by two soldiers at the gate. The militant managed to detonate his bomb, killing himself, the two soldiers who stopped him outside the gate and a third soldier behind the gate, which was damaged by the powerful blast, Encinas and the two military officers said.\n\n\"They saw that first suspect but he still managed to detonate the IED he was carrying,\" Encinas told reporters, referring to an improvised explosive device or homemade bomb.\n\nThe second militant dashed into the camp but was shot by other soldiers, who went on alert after hearing the first explosion.\n\nHe yelled \"Allahu akbar\" or \"God is great\" before setting off the bomb that he carried, damaging vehicles in a parking lot, one of the military officers said.\n\nThe attackers were young, perhaps age 18 to 20, the officer said, adding it was not immediately clear if they were Filipinos or foreigners.\n\nIn addition to the three soldiers and two suicide bombers, two villagers were killed at the scene of the attack, army spokesman Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala said.\n\nBattle setbacks have reduced the number of Abu Sayyaf armed fighters to less than 400 but they have remained a national security threat. They were the main suspects in a Jan. 27 bombing of a Roman Catholic cathedral during a Mass that killed 23 people in Sulu's capital town of Jolo.\n\nThe cathedral attack by two suspected suicide bombers sparked the military offensive against the Abu Sayyaf, some commanders of which have pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group.\n\nAbu Sayyaf militants have largely thrived on ransom kidnappings and extortion. although defense officials say they may have received foreign funds, including from the Islamic State group, to finance attacks.\n\nAfter their last known hostage, Dutch birdwatcher Ewold Horn, was killed by his captors during a clash with troops in May, the militants no longer hold any hostages in their jungle bases in Sulu for the first time in years due to constant offensives and tightened security. That caused the militants to become more desperate, military officials said."], "summary": "Two suicide bombers detonate their devices in Sulu, Philippines, killing four soldiers and two civilians. ISIL claims responsibility."}
{"document": ["Smoke and fire rise following reported Syrian government forces' bombardment on the town of Khan Sheikhun in the southern countryside of Idlib province, on June 6, 2019\n\nAdvertising Read more\n\nBeirut (AFP)\n\nNearly 100 combatants were killed on Friday in clashes between fighters loyal to Syria's government, rebels and jihadists in northwestern Syria, a war monitor said.\n\nStarting at dawn on Friday morning -- and after bombing by the regime -- fighting in northern Hama province killed 51 government loyalists and allied militiamen, and 45 among the rebels and jihadists, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.\n\nThe clashes continued in the afternoon, the Britain-based Observatory said.\n\nBacked by its ally Moscow, Damascus has since late April intensified bombardment of much of Idlib province and the parts of neighbouring Hama, Aleppo and Latakia where Syria's former Al-Qaeda affiliate Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) holds sway.\n\nFighting has meanwhile taken place on the ground in parts of these anti-regime areas, particularly in northern Hama.\n\nSyria's official SANA news agency also reported bombardment on Friday.\n\n\"Units of the army today carried out massive bombing at dawn.... on positions of the terrorist Al-Nusra Front in (and) around the villages of Jibine and Tal Maleh,\" SANA said, referring to positions held by HTS.\n\nThe bombardment led to \"the destruction of the terrorists' fortifications and their lines of defence\", it added.\n\nThey took place in response to attacks against the villages and cities in Hama, the news agency said.\n\nIdlib and parts of neighbouring Hama, Aleppo and Latakia provinces were supposed to be protected by a buffer zone under an September agreement between Russia and Turkey.\n\nBut the region has come under increased bombardment by the regime and its Russian ally since HTS seized most of Idlib at the start of the year.\n\nThe Turkish defence ministry said Friday a Turkish soldier was killed and three others were wounded the day before by fire from Syrian government forces against a Turkish observation post in Idlib province.\n\nSince late April, air strikes have killed 490 civilians, according to the Observatory, while fighting has killed 682 pro-regime forces and 821 rebels and jihadists.\n\nThe flare-up has also displaced 330,000 others, according to the United Nations, sparking fears of one of the worst humanitarian disasters in Syria's eight-year war.\n\nThe conflict in Syria has killed more than 370,000 people and displaced millions since it erupted in 2011 with the brutal repression of protests against President Bashar al-Assad.\n\n? 2019 AFP", "Three jihadists admitted to butchering two Scandinavian backpackers in an...", "Around 100 soldiers lost their life in North-west Syria in the fight between the pro-Syrian government army and rebels. This was revelaed by the monitoring agency. The England based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights claimed that the fighting in the northern Hama province has killed 51 pro-government soldiers and 45 rebels.\n\nThe Syrian government which is supported by Russia has intensified the attack and air strikes against the rebels and jihadists fighting against the Bashar Al Assad’s regime. The Syrian government has intensified its attacks in Idlib province and the parts of neighbouring Hama, Aleppo and Latakia where Syria’s former Al-Qaeda affiliate Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.\n\nAccording to the Observatory, since April of this year around 490 civilians were killed in the air strikes. Apart from thisaround 682 pro-government forces and 812 rebellions killed in the fighting. The civil war in Syria has killed more than 370,000 people and displaced millions since it started in 2011.", "BEIRUT: Nearly 100 combatants were killed on Friday in clashes between fighters loyal to Syria’s government, rebels and Jihadists in northwestern Syria, a war monitor said.\n\nStarting at dawn on Friday morning -- and after bombing by the regime -- fighting in northern Hama province killed 51 government loyalists and allied militiamen, and 45 among the rebels and Jihadists, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.\n\nThe clashes continued in the afternoon, the Britain-based Observatory said. Backed by its ally Moscow, Damascus has since late April intensified bombardment of much of Idlib province and the parts of neighbouring Hama, Aleppo and Latakia where Syria’s former Al-Qaeda affiliate Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) holds sway.\n\nFighting has meanwhile taken place on the ground in parts of these anti-regime areas, particularly in northern Hama. Syria’s official Sana news agency also reported bombardment on Friday.\n\n\"Units of the army today carried out massive bombing at dawn.... on positions of the terrorist Al-Nusra Front in (and) around the villages of Jibine and Tal Maleh,\" Sana said, referring to positions held by HTS.\n\nThe bombardment led to \"the destruction of the terrorists’ fortifications and their lines of defence\", it added. They took place in response to attacks against the villages and cities in Hama, the news agency said.\n\nIdlib and parts of neighbouring Hama, Aleppo and Latakia provinces were supposed to be protected by a buffer zone under an September agreement between Russia and Turkey. But the region has come under increased bombardment by the regime and its Russian ally since HTS seized most of Idlib at the start of the year.\n\nThe Turkish defence ministry said on Friday a Turkish soldier was killed and three others were wounded the day before by fire from Syrian government forces against a Turkish observation post in Idlib province."], "summary": "Nearly 100 people are killed in clashes between the Syrian Army, rebels and jihadists in northwestern Syria. 51 government troops and allied militiamen, and 45 rebel fighters and jihadists are among the dead."}
{"document": ["Video\n\nDemolition experts have blown up what remains of the Morandi bridge in the Italian city of Genoa nearly a year after the structure collapsed.\n\nThousands of people were evacuated ahead of explosions to bring down two large towers consisting of about 4,500 tonnes of concrete and steel.\n\nForty-three people were killed when part of the bridge, and cars travelling along it, fell 45m (148ft) last August.\n\nRead more: Genoa bridge towers blown up as thousands evacuated", "Genoa Bridge Is Demolished, Erasing An Artifact Of Deadly Collapse\n\nNearly a year after a long stretch of the Morandi bridge collapsed in Genoa, Italy, a demolition team blew up the structure's remaining pylons Friday morning in a spectacular sight that local leaders say will help the city heal.\n\nThe collapse last August killed 43 people. Since then, the bridge that was once an icon of the city has served mainly as a reminder of the tragedy.\n\nAhead of the demolition, several thousand residents were evacuated from nearby apartment buildings and officials gathered under clear, sunny skies for a ceremony to mark the bridge's destruction.\n\nThe explosions shot spikes of dust and rubble high into the air. As charges detonated along the bridge's remaining span, blasts buckled the mammoth concrete pylons, quickly sending the whole structure crashing down and covering it with a shroud of dust.\n\nOn the ground, hydrants had been opened to spray water to try to reduce the amount of dust in the air, according to Italy's La Repubblica newspaper.\n\n\"The demolition of the east stump of Ponte Morandi has symbolic value,\" the Liguria regional President Giovanni Toti said. \"It means that this skyline that reminds us every day of the tragedy of 14 August will no longer be there and that Genoa enters its future.\"\n\nIt was a sign, Toti said, that Genoa is overcoming the devastating effects of the bridge collapse.\n\nThe bridge was a vital connection in Genoa, carrying the A10 highway that emerges from a long mountain tunnel in the west and runs to the port city on the Mediterranean. The roadway is a key link between France and Italy — and it was particularly busy last August, when travelers were using it to reach holiday destinations.\n\nSpanning a dry riverbed, railroad tracks and industrial areas, the Morandi bridge was built in the 1960s. Investigators believe poor maintenance or engineering flaws may have caused it to fail. The viaduct's steel rods were found to have badly deteriorated in the seaside air.\n\nGenoa plans to rebuild the bridge with the help of star architect Renzo Piano — a native of the city who has waived his normally steep fee to help his hometown rebuild. When Mayor Marco Bucci announced last December, he said construction would likely take 12 months.\n\nThe design for the new bridge echoes nautical elements, with pillars that are curved like a ship's bow. Its key focal point are 43 sail-like posts, to commemorate those who lost their lives when the old bridge gave way.", "A series of controlled explosions have seen the remains of a collapsed viaduct in northern Italy go up in a puff of dust, clearing the city of a painful reminder of the tragic collapse that killed 43 people.\n\nThe two towers of the 1.2 kilometer-long Morandi motorway bridge in the northern Italian port town of Genoa were brought down in only six seconds.\n\nThe footage of the controlled demolition shows cannons shooting water over the steel and concrete structure the moment the explosives went off to prevent the dust clouds from covering the city. The demolition was followed by applause from those who flocked to witness authorities finally wiping the tragic reminder away from Genoa’s conscience.\n\nThe bridge used to connect the city with southern France. A section of it collapsed in August 2018 due to heavy rain. The collapse sent dozens of cars tumbling some 50 metres to the ground. Dozens died in the tragedy and many more were injured. It also made access to Genoa’s busy sea port rather more difficult, with travelers having to spend hours on a detour since the collapse.\n\nEarlier this week Italy’s Infrastructure Minister Danilo Toninelli laid the first stone of a new viaduct that will replace the now-demolished one.", "The two remaining towers of the motorway bridge in the Italian city Genoa that collapsed nearly a year ago killing 43 people were demolished on Friday to make way for a new structure, authorities said\n\nGenoa, Italy, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - APP - 28th Jun, 2019 ) :The two remaining towers of the motorway bridge in the Italian city Genoa that collapsed nearly a year ago killing 43 people were demolished on Friday to make way for a new structure, authorities said.\n\nThe remains of the 4,500-tonne Morandi bridge were detonated at 9:37 am (0737 GMT) and took just seven seconds to collapse in a cloud of dust, city authorities said.\n\nNearly 4,000 residents had been evacuated ahead of the demolition, and water tanks were placed around the towers to prevent the spread of dust.\n\nSome 400 security forces were also deployed to the area.", "Rome [Italy], June 29 (ANI): The two remaining towers of Morandi Bridge in central Genoa were blown up in a controlled explosion on Friday, nearly a year after the structure collapsed in a disaster killing 43 people.\n\nDemolition experts brought down the two remaining towers of the highway bridge in dramatic fashion just after 9:30 a.m. (local time), preparing for reconstruction of the grim structure, CNN reported.\n\nAuthorities here at the dawn on Friday, evacuated around 3,500 residents in the area to avoid potential contamination, The New York Times reported.\n\n\"To my knowledge, it is the first time that this kind of work has been done in so little time and in a city centre, at least in Italy,\" said Vittorio Omini, a demolition expert.\n\nThe lethal collapse last year in August became subject of a criminal inquiry. Nearly 600 people, residing close to the bridge, lost their homes in the collapse and were relocated with the financial support of 'Autostrade per l'Italia' (Highways for Italy), the private company that operated the bridge.\n\n\"We couldn't wait for this day to come,\" said Yosanda Lala, a co-owner of a pizzeria near the so-called red zone, the blocks of apartment buildings adjacent to the bridge, many of which have been partly demolished.\n\nHe said, \"We can't even deliver our pizza to the customers on the other side of the river,\" adding, \"It takes over an hour to get there.\"\n\nResidents and shopkeepers told The New York Times that the demolition would be just the first step in a long process of returning to normalcy.\n\nFriday's explosion was attended by Italy's Interior Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, Matteo Salvini. Residents and shopkeepers said the demolition would be just the first step in a long process of returning to normalcy.\n\nBuilt in the 1960s, the Morandi Bridge was a vital link of the A10 highway that connects northwestern Italy to France, across the Polcevera river in central Genoa. It was one of the busiest bridges in the country, carrying freight and tourists to and from the port city. (ANI)", "SIENA, ITALY—The two remaining towers of a highway bridge in central Genoa that collapsed last year, killing 43 people, were demolished Friday, clearing the city’s skyline of a grim landmark and preparing for the reconstruction of a vital urban transport link. The sound of three low, ominous sirens broadcast on national television preceded the detonation.\n\nExperts set a series of controlled explosions that in less than a minute brought down the nearly 300-foot-tall concrete towers that supported the 1960s structure, known as the Morandi Bridge for its designer, famed engineer Riccardo Morandi. Its collapse Aug. 14 has become the subject of a criminal inquiry as well as a symbol of Italy’s failure to maintain its aging infrastructure and of shortcomings in how it has privatized roadways. More than 1,300 pounds of explosives were mostly packed into the towers’ pylons. Demolition experts had prepared the site by creating lagoons to keep enormous clouds of concrete dust from spreading across the neighbourhood. The top politicians in Italy’s populist government — vice prime ministers Matteo Salvini of the League and Luigi Di Maio of the Five Star Movement — did not miss the chance to be part of the day. They both viewed the momentous demolition from another bridge near the site, surrounded by a swarm of local politicians and authorities.\n\n“To my knowledge, it is the first time that this kind of work has been done in so little time and in a city centre, at least in Italy,” said Vittorio Omini, a demolition expert and owner of one of the companies that engineered the explosion as well as the dismantling of hundreds of feet of bridge deck and pylons that withstood last summer’s collapse.\n\nAbout 600 nearby residents lost their homes in the collapse and were relocated with the financial support of Autostrade per l’Italia, or Highways for Italy, the private company that operated the bridge. The reconstruction of the bridge, which kicked off Tuesday with the first pouring of concrete in the presence of Danilo Toninelli, Italy’s infrastructure and transportation minister, is already the subject of a dispute. The new bridge has been designed by one of the city’s favorite sons, architect Renzo Piano, and a consortium of Italian contractors have pledged to complete construction in 12 months — a schedule that has drawn much skepticism.", "SIENA, Italy — The two remaining towers of a highway bridge in central Genoa that collapsed last year, killing 43 people, were demolished on Friday, clearing the city’s skyline of a grim landmark and preparing for the reconstruction of a vital urban transport link.\n\nThe sound of three low, ominous sirens broadcast on national television preceded the detonation.\n\nExperts set a series of controlled explosions that in less than a minute brought down the nearly 300-foot-tall concrete towers that supported the 1960s structure, known as the Morandi Bridge for its designer, the famed engineer Riccardo Morandi. Its collapse last Aug. 14 has become the subject of a criminal inquiry, as well as a symbol of Italy’s failure to maintain its aging infrastructure and of shortcomings in how it has privatized roadways.\n\nMore than 1,300 pounds of explosives were mostly packed into the towers’ pylons. Demolition experts had prepared the site by creating lagoons to keep enormous clouds of concrete dust from spreading across the neighborhood.\n\nThe top politicians in Italy’s populist government — vice prime ministers Matteo Salvini of the League and Luigi Di Maio of the Five Star Movement — did not miss the chance to be part of the day. They both viewed the momentous demolition from another bridge near the site, surrounded by a swarm of local politicians and authorities.", "Dust rises as the remaining spans of the Morandi bridge are demolished in today's planned expolosion, Source: LUCA ZENNARO/PA Images\n\nTHE TWO REMAINING towers of the motorway bridge in the Italian city Genoa that collapsed nearly a year ago killing 43 people has been demolished to make way for a new structure.\n\nThe remains of the 4,500-tonne Morandi bridge were detonated at 9:37 am and took just seven seconds to collapse in a cloud of dust.\n\nNearly 4,000 residents had been evacuated ahead of the demolition, and water tanks were placed around the towers to prevent the spread of dust.\n\nSome 400 security forces were also deployed to the area.\n\nLocals and officials including Deputy Prime Ministers Matteo Salvini and Luigi Di Maio witnessed the blast.\n\nThe pair had spent several days at the site when it collapsed in bad weather on 14 August 2018.\n\nThe disaster threw the spotlight on Italy’s creaking infrastructure. Salvini suggested EU budget spending demands from Brussels had limited Italy’s ability to maintain it.\n\nThe dismantling of the bridge’s remains started in February.\n\nAhead of the demolition, residents expressed relief that the eyesore would finally be gone but were also concerned about the possible consequences of the detonation.\n\nThe bridge ”is high, it is big, it is full of iron, it is super heavy… I don’t know what will happen when it falls. Apart from the dust it will cause, I am worried about the impact,” local Francesco Russo said yesterday.\n\nWith the demolition over, officials are now waiting for the arrival of a ship transporting the first parts of a new bridge, the construction of which is scheduled to begin next year.\n\nThe government has promised that the new steel and concrete motorway bridge, designed by Italian architect Renzo Piano, will be open for traffic in April 2020.", "Demolition experts brought down the two remaining towers of the highway bridge in dramatic fashion just after 9:30 a.m. local time (3:30 a.m. ET), making way for a new structure to be built on the site.\n\n4,000 people were evacuated from their homes to clear the area, AFP reported, and explosives were attached to the legs and body of the bridge, which went down in about seven seconds in a flurry of smoke.\n\nWater tanks were on hand to prevent the spread of dust after the explosion.\n\nItaly's Interior Minister and Deputy Prime Minister, Matteo Salvini, attended the explosion, and crowds of locals watched from a safe distance.\n\nFor 10 months, the remains of the structure have stood awkwardly on the outskirts of Italy's sixth-largest city, a painful reminder of tragedy for thousands of its residents. The concrete viaduct collapsed in torrential rain in August 2018 after its cable stays gave way, throwing vehicles to the ground and killing scores of travelers. A picture taken on August 14, 2018 after the bridge collapsed. The incident shocked Italy and prompted a fierce debate about the safety of the country's infrastructure. Built in the 1960s, the Morandi Bridge was a vital link of the A10 highway that connects northwestern Italy to France, across the Polcevera river in central Genoa. It was one of the busiest bridges in the country, carrying freight and tourists to and from the port city.", "A spectacular planned explosion on Friday (overnight NZT) knocked down the remaining spans and supporting pillars of the Italian bridge that collapsed last year with the loss of 43 lives.\n\nThe blast in Genoa at 9:37am local time triggered a huge cloud of grayish dust as the pillars and roadbed leaned inward, then crumbled like a sandcastle.\n\nIn a few seconds, the Morandi Bridge was history, with debris falling into the riverbed under what had been a key link between the high-speed highway leading to the French Riviera and another highway linking Genoa, a major port city, to Milan.\n\nMinutes before the blast, sirens sounded a final warning. Some 3,500 people who live nearby had been evacuated as a precaution in the two days prior.\n\nBefore leaving, many had covered windows and doors with plastic sheeting in a bid to prevent dust from infiltrating their homes.\n\nOther homes, directly beneath one of the bridge's spans, had been evacuated immediately after the Aug. 14, 2018, collapse. Those apartment buildings will be eliminated as part of the replacement bridge's construction.\n\nAhead of the planned blast, fire hoses sprayed water to reduce dust triggered by the blast. Still, the cloud of dust and debris seemed to darken the sunny sky. Frightened dogs barked at the noise.\n\nProsecutors are considering possible design flaws or poor maintenance as they search for the cause of the deadly collapse during heavy vacation holiday traffic.\n\nWorld-famed architect Renzo Piano, a Genoa native, has designed a replacement bridge, that will feature 43 lamps dotting the span in tribute to those who lost their lives when a stretch of roadbed gave way, plunging into the dry riverbed below, during a fierce thunderstorm. Traffic on the bridge was very heavy that day, the eve of Italy's chief summer holiday, Ferragosto.\n\nGenoa Mayor Mario Bucci said engineers will check to see if the nearby apartment buildings are still sound after the explosion. If they give the all-clear, residents will be allowed to return to their homes."], "summary": "Demolition experts implode the Ponte Morandi viaduct in Genoa, Italy, ten months after a partial collapse that killed 43 people."}
{"document": ["PORT HURON, Mich. - A train derailed inside the St. Clair River international tunnel in Port Huron, officials said.\n\nNo injuries have been reported, Port Huron City Manager James Freed said.\n\nThere's no threat to public safety, Freed said.\n\nResidents are asked to avoid the area.\n\nThe scene of a train derailment in the St. Clair River international tunnel in Port Huron on June 28, 2019. (Port Huron City Manager James Freed)\n\nThe scene of a train derailment in the St. Clair River international tunnel in Port Huron on June 28, 2019. (Port Huron City Manager James Freed)\n\nCopyright 2019 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit - All rights reserved.", "PORT HURON, Mich. (WXYZ) — St. Clair County says 19 rail cars are still inside the St. Clair River international tunnel following a trail derailment inside the tunnel last week.\n\nAccording to the county, CN crews are working to remove the cars from the international rail tunnel. So far, they have removed five cars from the American side and 17 cars from the Canadian side.\n\nWhen the trail derailed on Friday morning, 40 cars went off the tracks and spilled 13,700 gallons of sulfuric acid. At the time, the company said the acid was contained to the site of the derailment and posed no danger to public safety.\n\nThey are working to drain the liquid and as it accumulates in the sump retention area, draining continues. Air monitoring at the site and around the perimeter continues and shows no danger to public health, public safety, drinking water or water ways.\n\n\"Due to varying stages of the wreckage, contents and weight, a plan has to be developed for the removal of each railcar along with the equipment needed to do so,\" the county said in a press release.\n\nAccording to the county, there are more than 150 people working on the American site 24 hours a day to resolve the situation. At this time, there is no timeline for completion.", "A freight train has derailed in an international tunnel connecting Michigan and Canada.\n\nCity manager James Freed says the Friday morning wreck involved about 30 to 40 of the train’s cars and caused “significant damage” to the track in Port Huron. It was not clear when the tunnel would reopen. No injuries were reported.\n\nSarnia Police say that a rail car carrying sulphuric acid was breached in the tunnel. They say they have been told that the sulphuric acid was contained.\n\nPolice also said that the public is not currently at any risk of harm.\n\nREAD MORE: Hail, funnel clouds wreak havoc, cause train derailment in Southern Manitoba\n\nThe train was headed into Michigan at the time of the derailment, which was reported about 5:45 a.m. to Port Huron officials.\n\nThe tunnel beneath the St. Clair River connects Port Huron to Sarnia, Ontario. It’s operated by Canadian National Railway.\n\nRailway spokesman Jonathan Abecassis says the cause of the derailment is under investigation.\n\nFreed says thousands of train cars pass through the tunnel daily. He says trains are being rerouted to a crossing in Detroit.\n\nTransport Canada said on Twitter that it was sending an investigator to the scene, noting “should any safety deficiencies be identified, the department will take appropriate action.”", "PORT HURON, Mich. — A freight train has derailed in an international tunnel connecting Michigan and Canada.\n\nCity manager James Freed says the Friday morning wreck involved about 30 to 40 of the train's cars and caused \"significant damage\" to the track in Port Huron. It was not clear when the tunnel would reopen. No injuries were reported.\n\nThe train was headed into Michigan at the time of the derailment, which was reported about 5:45 a.m. to Port Huron officials.\n\nThe tunnel beneath the St. Clair River connects Port Huron to Sarnia, Ontario, and is operated by Canadian National Railway. Freed says trains are being rerouted to a crossing in Detroit.\n\nHe calls the tunnel an \"economic driver\" for the area and says thousands of train cars pass through it each day.", "PORT HURON, MI -- Between 30 to 40 train cars derailed Friday morning in a tunnel between Michigan and Canada leading to the tunnel being closed for an unknown amount of time, according to the Associated Press.\n\nCity manager James Freed says the derailment caused “significant damage” to the track and it is unclear when the track will reopen. The train was traveling to Michigan when it derailed around 5:45 a.m. Friday morning.\n\nThe tunnel beneath the St. Clair River connects Port Huron to Sarnia, Ontario, and is operated by Canadian National Railway, according to the AP. Freed said that thousands of train cars pass through the tunnel each day and the tunnel is an economic driver for the area.\n\nWhile the tunnel is closed, trains are being rerouted to a crossing in Detroit. No injuries have been reported as a result of the accident, nor was a cause of the derailment given.", "A CN train derailed inside the Port Huron-to-Sarnia rail tunnel under the St. Clair River Friday morning, with one rail car leaking sulfuric acid.\n\nThe rail company said in a statement that about 40 cars derailed in the tunnel, which connects Michigan to Ontario, in “various positions” while “at least one car with dangerous goods is involved.”\n\nCN said in a statement Friday afternoon, a car containing about 52,000 litres of sulfuric acid has leaked as a result of the derailment.\n\n“The sulfuric acid is contained to the site of the derailment and poses no danger to public safety or to the St. Clair River,” company spokesperson Jonathan Abecassis said. “CN is collaborating with the Municipality of Sarnia and St-Clair County as well as the Municipality of Port Huron.”\n\nSarnia’s Aamjiwnaang First Nation Emergency Planning said in a statement at least two derailed cars were carrying new vehicles which are blocking the Canadian side of the tunnel. Diesel and other motor vehicle fluids have spilled inside the tunnel, according to the agency.\n\nAccording to Port Huron City Manager James Freed, no injuries have been reported and there’s no threat to public safety as a result of the train derailment.\n\nFreed said U.S. Homeland Security and Emergency Management agencies have been briefed on the incident.\n\nCN also noted there were no fires or injuries reported at the scene of the derailment, adding the cause of the situation is under investigation.\n\nTransportation Safety Board of Canada said Friday afternoon, the agency will dispatch a team to Sarnia to assist in the investigation.\n\nCN said trains are being rerouted, while there’s no estimation as to when the tunnel will reopen to traffic.", "(AP) — A freight train has derailed in an international tunnel connecting Michigan and Canada.\n\nCity manager James Freed says the Friday morning wreck involved about 30 to 40 of the train’s cars and caused “significant damage” to the track in Port Huron. It was not clear when the tunnel would reopen. No injuries were reported.\n\nThe train was headed into Michigan at the time of the derailment, which was reported about 5:45 a.m. to Port Huron officials.\n\nThe tunnel beneath the St. Clair River connects Port Huron to Sarnia, Ontario. It’s operated by Canadian National Railway.\n\nRailway spokesman Jonathan Abecassis says the cause of the derailment is under investigation.\n\nFreed says thousands of train cars pass through the tunnel daily. He says trains are being rerouted to a crossing in Detroit.", "City manager James Freed says the Friday morning wreck involved about 30 to 40 of the train’s cars and caused “significant damage” to the track in Port Huron. It was not clear when the tunnel would reopen. No injuries were reported.\n\nPORT HURON, Mich. - A freight train has derailed in an international tunnel connecting Michigan and Canada.\n\nThe train was headed into Michigan at the time of the derailment, which was reported about 5:45 a.m. to Port Huron officials.\n\nThe tunnel beneath the St. Clair River connects Port Huron to Sarnia, Ontario. It’s operated by Canadian National Railway.\n\nRailway spokesman Jonathan Abecassis says the cause of the derailment is under investigation.", "A freight train has derailed in an international tunnel connecting Michigan and Canada. (WDIV)\n\nPORT HURON, Mich. (AP) — About 13,700 gallons of sulfuric acid has spilled from one of about 40 freight train cars that derailed in an international tunnel connecting Michigan and Canada.\n\nCanadian National Railway spokesman Jonathan Abecassis says the chemical has been contained Friday at the site and poses no threat to public safety.\n\nAbecassis said the derailment occurred about 4:30 a.m. Friday and is under investigation. No injuries were reported.\n\nThe tunnel beneath the St. Clair River connects Port Huron to Sarnia, Ontario. The train was in Port Huron at the time of the derailment.\n\nPort Huron City Manager James Freed said the wreck caused “significant damage” to the track. It was not clear when the tunnel would reopen.\n\nFreed said trains are being rerouted to a crossing in Detroit.", "Detroit — A train derailment in the St. Clair Tunnel could take days to repair, according to officials from the Port Huron Fire Department.\n\nThe derailment occurred just before 6 a.m. Friday morning, Port Huron Fire Department Chief Corey Nicholson said.\n\nNicholson said approximately 40 cars are off the track in the middle of the tunnel. Because of the number of cars and significant damage to the rail tracks, it could take several days to have the tunnel functioning again.\n\nOfficials said there were no injuries in the accident and there is no threat to public safety in the surrounding area. Since the derailment occurred inside the tunnel, U.S. and Canadian officials will work jointly on the clean-up and investigation.\n\nThe train was heading to the United States from Canada. The cause of the derailment is currently unknown. More information will be available as clean-up continues.\n\nThe St. Clair Tunnel runs below the St. Clair River and connects Sarnia, Ontario, to Port Huron, Michigan. The tunnel is operated by Canadian National, one of Canada's largest rail transport companies."], "summary": "A train hauling 40 cars derails in the St. Clair Tunnel between Port Huron, Michigan and Sarnia, Ontario, spilling 13,700 gallons of sulfuric acid and closing the tunnel for several days."}
{"document": ["VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - The Vatican asked China’s communist government on Friday to stop intimidating Catholic clergy who want to remain unequivocally loyal to the pope and refuse to sign ambiguous official registration forms.\n\nFILE PHOTO: A believer prays outside St. Joseph's Church, a government-sanctioned Catholic church, in Beijing, China, October 1, 2018. REUTERS/Thomas Peter/File Photo\n\nThe request, contained in Vatican guidelines to clergy in mainland China, was the latest hiccup in relations between the Holy See and Beijing since the two sides signed a historic and disputed pact on the naming of bishops last September.\n\nUnder Chinese law, priests and bishops must register with the state. They also must sign a form accepting the principle of independence, autonomy and self-administration of the Church in China.\n\nSome have refused, fearing that it could jeopardize their fidelity to the pope as their religious leader and the independence of the local Church on doctrinal matters.\n\nCatholics in China are emerging from more than half a century of division which saw them split between a state-backed “official” Church and a “non-official” underground Church that remained loyal to Rome.\n\nSome divisions have begun to dissipate slowly since the September agreement, which gives the pope final say in the appointment of bishops. But the registration process has caused difficulties for those emerging from the non-official Church.\n\nIn the guidelines, the Vatican called for a registration procedure “that is more respectful of Catholic doctrine, and thus of the consciences of those involved”.\n\nIt added: “The Holy See asks that no intimidatory pressures be applied to the ‘non official’ Catholic communities, as, unfortunately, has already happened.”\n\nThe guidelines, requested by some Chinese bishops, said clergy should demand to include a sentence affirming that Catholic doctrine would be respected.\n\nIf authorities do not permit that, the priest or bishop, before signing, should take a stand orally before a government authority, preferably with a witness present.\n\nSeptember’s landmark deal between the Vatican and China has split Catholics there and around the world, with some critics of the pope saying he has caved in to the Communist government.\n\nThe deal’s most outspoken critic has been Cardinal Joseph Zen, the former archbishop of Hong Kong.\n\nChina’s constitution guarantees religious freedom, but since President Xi Jinping took office six years ago, the government has tightened restrictions on religions seen as a challenge to the authority of the ruling Communist Party.\n\nChina has been following a policy it calls the “Sinicisation” of religion, trying to root out foreign influences and enforce obedience to the Communist Party.", "Dear Reader, As you can imagine, more people are reading The Jerusalem Post than ever before. Nevertheless, traditional business models are no longer sustainable and high-quality publications, like ours, are being forced to look for new ways to keep going. Unlike many other news organizations, we have not put up a paywall. We want to keep our journalism open and accessible and be able to keep providing you with news and analysis from the frontlines of Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World.\n\nThe Vatican asked China's communist government on Friday to stop intimidating Catholic clergy who want to remain unequivocally loyal to the pope and refuse to sign ambiguous official registration forms. \n\n\n\nThe request, contained in Vatican guidelines to clergy in mainland China, was the latest hiccup in relations between the Holy See and Beijing since the two sides signed a historic and disputed pact on the naming of bishops last September.\n\nUnder Chinese law, priests and bishops must register with the state. They also must sign a form accepting the principle of independence, autonomy and self-administration of the Church in China.Some have refused, fearing that it could jeopardize their fidelity to the pope as their religious leader and the independence of the local Church on doctrinal matters.Catholics in China are emerging from more than half a century of division which saw them split between a state-backed \"official\" Church and a \"non-official\" underground Church that remained loyal to Rome.Some divisions have begun to dissipate slowly since the September agreement, which gives the pope final say in the appointment of bishops. But the registration process has caused difficulties for those emerging from the non-official Church.In the guidelines, the Vatican called for a registration procedure \"that is more respectful of Catholic doctrine, and thus of the consciences of those involved.\"It added: \"The Holy See asks that no intimidatory pressures be applied to the 'non official' Catholic communities, as, unfortunately, has already happened.\"The guidelines, requested by some Chinese bishops, said clergy should demand to include a sentence affirming that Catholic doctrine would be respected.If authorities do not permit that, the priest or bishop, before signing, should take a stand orally before a government authority, preferably with a witness present.September's landmark deal between the Vatican and China has split Catholics there and around the world, with some critics of the pope saying he has caved in to the Communist government.The deal's most outspoken critic has been Cardinal Joseph Zen, the former archbishop of Hong Kong.China's constitution guarantees religious freedom, but since President Xi Jinping took office six years ago, the government has tightened restrictions on religions seen as a challenge to the authority of the ruling Communist Party. China has been following a policy it calls the \"Sinicisation\" of religion, trying to root out foreign influences and enforce obedience to the Communist Party.\n\nJoin Jerusalem Post Premium Plus now for just $5 and upgrade your experience with an ads-free website and exclusive content. Click here>>", "In a new chapter in its relations with the Chinese government, the Vatican has issued guidelines for how bishops and priests in China can register with civil authorities while urging that “no intimidatory pressures” be put on underground Catholics in the country.\n\nIn an unsigned statement released on Friday, the Vatican said bishops in China had requested advice on how to fulfill the new requirement to civilly register with the government.\n\nThe revised Regulations on Religious Affairs announced in 2017 and implemented on February 1, 2018, require all ministers to be registered, but also makes other requirements, such as forbidding religious worship or instruction for those under 18 and greatly curtailing missionary activity.\n\nIn addition, clergy must be aligned with one of five officially recognized organizations for religion in China, which for Catholics is the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association, a creature of the Communist government which the Vatican has always maintained is incompatible with Catholic doctrine.\n\nThis requirement has meant Catholics loyal to the pope have not been able to register in the past — China’s estimated 10-12 million Catholics have historically been almost evenly divided between members of the “patriotic” Church and the “underground” Church loyal to Rome.\n\nLast year, the Vatican and the Chinese government signed a provisional agreement on the appointment of bishops, which included the Vatican recognizing the bishops of the state-approved Church.\n\nIn the July 28 statement, the Holy See said the “complex reality of China and the fact that there does not appear to be a uniform praxis with regard to the application of the regulations for religious affairs” make it “particularly difficult” to issue uniform instructions to clergy about civil registration.\n\n1) the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China formally guarantees religious freedom;\n\n2) the Sep. 22, 2018, Provisional Agreement between the Holy See and China on the appointment of bishops recognized the particular role of the Successor of Peter, and this “logically leads the Holy See to understand and interpret the “independence” of the Catholic Church in China not in an absolute sense, namely as separation from the Pope and the Universal Church, but rather relative to the political sphere, as happens everywhere in the world in the relations between the Universal Church and the particular Churches”;\n\n3) the context of the current relations between China and the Holy See are different than when the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association was established in the 1950s; and\n\n4) over the years, many bishops who were ordained without papal permission have asked for and received reconciliation with Rome, and now all Chinese bishops are in communion with the universal Catholic Church.\n\nThe note said that given these facts, a priest or bishop can register civilly, but should be careful to safeguard his conscience if the text of the declaration “does not appear respectful of the Catholic faith.”\n\nIn that case, the cleric should “specify in writing, upon signing, that he acts without failing in his duty to remain faithful to the principles of Catholic doctrine.” The Vatican document said if it is impossible to do this in writing, the cleric should make the declaration orally, and, if possible, in the presence of witnesses. It added, “it is appropriate that the applicant then certify to his proper Ordinary with what intention he has made the registration.”\n\n“The registration, in fact, is always to be understood as having the sole aim of fostering the good of the diocesan community and its growth in the spirit of unity, as well as an evangelization commensurate to the new demands of Chinese society and the responsible management of the goods of the Church. At the same time, the Holy See understands and respects the choice of those who, in conscience, decide that they are unable to register under the current conditions,” the statement continued.\n\n“It is important, then, that also the lay faithful not only understand the complexity of the situation, described above, but in addition accept with an open heart the anguished decision taken by their Pastors, whatever it may be,” the Vatican said.\n\n“In any case, until such time as a modality for the civil registration of the clergy that is more respectful of Catholic doctrine, and thus of the consciences of those involved, is established through a frank and constructive dialogue between the two Parties, as agreed, the Holy See asks that no intimidatory pressures be applied to the ‘non official’ Catholic communities, as, unfortunately, has already happened,” the statement said.\n\nThe Vatican was referring to the ongoing harassment by the Chinese government against Christian communities.\n\nAccording to Andrea Tornielli, the Editorial Director for the Vatican’s Dicastery for Communication, the Holy See’s latest document is “clearly based on a realistic outlook on the current situation and the persisting difficulties.”\n\n“Reading between the lines of this latest Note of the Holy See, we can see the supreme law of the salus animarum, the salvation of souls, and the commitment to cooperating for the unity of Chinese Catholic communities, through the eyes of the Gospel, showing closeness and understanding for what the Chinese faithful have endured and continue to endure,” he said in statement.\n\nHowever, Tornielli denied the Vatican was in a state of “naivety.”\n\nThe Holy See, as written in the Note, is aware of the limitations and the ‘intimidatory pressures’ faced by many Chinese Catholics, but it wants to show that we can look beyond and walk forwards without compromising the fundamental principles of ecclesiastical communion.”\n\nAccording to the 2018 U.S. State Department report on International Religious Freedom, the state of religious freedom has gotten worse since the new regulations went into effect last year.\n\n“Authorities continued to arrest Christians and enforce more limitations on their activities, including requiring Christian churches to install surveillance cameras to enable daily police monitoring, and compelling members of house churches and other Christians to sign documents renouncing their Christian faith and church membership,” the report, released June 21 said. “An ongoing campaign of church closings continued during the year, and authorities removed crosses and other Christian symbols from churches, with Henan Province a particular focus area of such activity.”\n\nCrux is dedicated to smart, wired and independent reporting on the Vatican and worldwide Catholic Church. That kind of reporting doesn’t come cheap, and we need your support. You can help Crux by giving a small amount monthly, or with a onetime gift. Please remember, Crux is a for-profit organization, so contributions are not tax-deductible.", "VATICAN CITY: The Vatican on Friday (Jun 28) called on Beijing to stop putting pressure on worshippers who choose to belong to China's unofficial underground church loyal to the Vatican.\n\nChina's roughly 12 million Catholics are divided between a government-run association, whose clergy are chosen by the atheist Communist Party, and an unofficial underground church loyal to the Vatican.\n\n\"The Holy See asks that no intimidatory pressures be applied to the 'non-official' Catholic communities, as, unfortunately, has already happened,\" the Vatican said in a statement Friday.\n\nBeijing and the Vatican severed diplomatic relations in 1951.\n\nAlthough ties have improved as China's Catholic population grows and the Vatican intensifies efforts to restore relations, tensions remain.\n\nThe law in China requires priests and bishops not only register but also align with the country's official church, the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association.\n\n\"Priests are asked to subscribe to texts which are incompatible with the doctrine of the Catholic Church, creating struggles of conscience,\" according to Andrea Tornielli, editorial director for Vatican communications.\n\n\"They are asked to accept the principle of independence, autonomy and self-management of the Church in China,\" he added - a problem for worshippers loyal to the pope.\n\nThe Vatican said bishops and priests could refuse on freedom of conscience grounds.\n\nA document published Friday said those registering could ask for a sentence to be added affirming the independence of the Roman Catholic Church.\n\n\"At the same time, the Holy See understands and respects the choice of those who, in conscience, decide that they are unable to register under the current conditions,\" it said.\n\nTornielli said the Vatican was \"aware of the limitations\" faced by many Chinese Catholics.\n\n\"But it wants to show that we can look beyond and walk forwards without compromising the fundamental principles of ecclesiastical communion.\"\n\nAn agreement struck in September on the appointment of bishops paved the way for a rapprochement, with both Beijing and the Holy See now to have a say in appointing Catholic bishops in the Communist country, the world's most populous.\n\nBut the accord was forged despite a clampdown on religious worship in China, where churches were destroyed in some regions and several church-run kindergartens closed last year. Authorities have also cracked down on Bible sales.", "VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The Vatican has told bishops and priests in China that they must follow their own consciences in deciding whether to register with the government, and it urged Catholics in the country not to judge them for the choices they make.\n\nThe problem, the Vatican said, is that registration almost always requires the bishop or priest to accept “the principle of independence, autonomy and self-administration of the church in China,” which could be read as a denial of one’s bonds with the pope and the universal church.\n\nReleasing the “pastoral guidelines of the Holy See concerning the civil registration of clergy in China” June 28, the Vatican acknowledged that acceptance of the independence of the church in China comes despite “the commitment assumed by the Chinese authorities,” in an agreement with the Vatican in September, to respect Catholic doctrine.\n\nDeciding whether to register with the government, which is the only way to be able to minister openly, is a choice that is “far from simple,” the guidelines said.\n\n“All those involved — the Holy See, bishops, priests, religious men and women and the lay faithful — are called to discern the will of God with patience and humility on this part of the journey of the church in China, marked, as it is, by much hope but also by enduring difficulties.”\n\nThe guidelines assured Chinese clergy that the Vatican “continues to dialogue with the Chinese authorities” to find “a formula that, while allowing for registration, would respect not only Chinese laws but also Catholic doctrine.”\n\nIn the meantime, however, the guidelines said, “if a bishop or a priest decides to register civilly, but the text of the declaration required for the registration does not appear respectful of the Catholic faith, he will specify in writing, upon signing, that he acts without failing in his duty to remain faithful to the principles of Catholic doctrine.”\n\n“Where it is not possible to make such a clarification in writing, the applicant will do so at least orally and, if possible, in the presence of a witness,” and then communicate that to his bishop, it said.\n\nRegistration, the Vatican said, has “the sole aim of fostering the good of the diocesan community and its growth in the spirit of unity,” as well as allowing for evangelization and “the responsible management of the goods of the church.”\n\nThe Vatican also said it “understands and respects the choice of those who, in conscience, decide that they are unable to register under the current conditions.”\n\nCommenting more generally on the registration requirement, the Vatican said the Chinese constitution “formally guarantees religious freedom” and the provisional agreement the Vatican and China signed in September recognizes the special role of unity with the pope in the Catholic faith.\n\nTherefore, it said, the Vatican interprets the “independence” of the Catholic Church in China “not in an absolute sense,” for example as independent of the pope and the wider church, “but rather relative to the political sphere, as happens everywhere in the world.”\n\n“To affirm that for the Catholic identity there can be no separation from the successor of Peter does not mean making the local church an alien body in the society and the culture of the country in which she lives and works,” the Vatican said.\n\nCopyright ©2019 Catholic News Service / U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Send questions about this site to cns@catholicnews.com"], "summary": "The Vatican asks China's communist government to stop intimidating Catholic clergy who want to remain unequivocally loyal to the pope and refuse to sign ambiguous official registration forms."}
{"document": ["BAGHDAD (Reuters) - More than 200 demonstrators broke into the courtyard of Bahrain’s Embassy in Baghdad and took down the kingdom’s flag on Thursday night to protest a U.S.-led meeting in Bahrain on Israeli-Palestinian peace.\n\nPolice used live rounds to disperse the crowd, police sources told Reuters, with no injuries reported.\n\n“We used our vehicle loudspeakers to encourage protesters to leave the compound,” a police officer stationed near the embassy said. “After they refused, police had to fire into the air.”\n\nOne protester, who identified himself as a member of the Islamic Resistance Groups, a term usually used by Iranian-backed Shiite militias, said they wanted to send a strong statement.\n\n“We took down the Bahraini flag to send a clear message to all those who participated in the Bahrain conference, that we strongly reject normalizing relations with the Zionist occupiers and will never abandon our support of Palestinians,” said the protester, who identified himself as Abu Murtadha al-Moussawi. “We are ready to fight for this.”\n\nBahrain recalled its ambassador to Iraq for consultations on Thursday after the protests.\n\n“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Bahrain condemns the attack on the Embassy of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the Republic of Iraq by the demonstrators (which) led to sabotage in the embassy building,” a statement on the ministry’s website said.\n\nThe kingdom also summoned the charge d’affaires of the Embassy of Iraq in Manama on Friday to protest the “sabotage” of the embassy’s building in Baghdad, a second statement from the Bahraini foreign ministry said.\n\n“The foreign ministry welcomes the two statements from the Iraqi government... and insists on the importance of holding the perpetrators accountable,” the statement added.\n\nIraq condemned the protesters, and expressed “its deep regret” over the security breach at the embassy.\n\n“The government of Iraq affirms its absolute rejection of any acts which threaten diplomatic missions, their safety and the security of their personnel,” said in a statement.\n\nRelated Coverage Bahrain recalls ambassador to Iraq over embassy attack: statement\n\nThe two-day conference in Manama was aimed at rallying support for a $50 billion investment plan in the Palestinian Territories as the first part of a broader White House political plan to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.\n\nThe plan has met broad disdain from Palestinians and others in the Arab world although regional U.S. allies such as Saudi Arabia discreetly support it. Neither the Israeli nor Palestinian governments attended the meeting.", "BAGHDAD (Reuters) - More than 200 demonstrators broke into the courtyard of Bahrain’s Embassy in Baghdad and took down the kingdom’s flag on Thursday night to protest a U.S.-led meeting in Bahrain on Israeli-Palestinian peace.\n\nPolice used live rounds to disperse the crowd, local police sources told Reuters, with no injuries reported.\n\n“We used our vehicle loudspeakers to encourage protesters to leave the compound,” a police officer stationed near the embassy said. “After they refused, police had to fire into the air.”\n\nOne protester, who identified himself as a member of the Islamic Resistance Groups, a term usually used by Iranian-backed Shiite militias, said the protest was meant as a strong statement.\n\n“We took down the Bahraini flag to send a clear message to all those who participated in the Bahrain conference, that we strongly reject normalizing relations with the Zionist occupiers and will never abandon our support of Palestinians,” said the protester, who identified himself as Abu Murtadha al-Moussawi. “We are ready to fight for this.”\n\nBahrain recalled its ambassador to Iraq for consultations on Thursday after the protests.\n\n“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Bahrain condemns the attack on the Embassy of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the Republic of Iraq by the demonstrators (which) led to sabotage in the embassy building,” a statement on the ministry’s website said.\n\nThe two-day conference in Manama was aimed at rallying support for a $50 billion investment plan in the Palestinian Territories as the first part of a broader White House political plan to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.\n\nThe plan has met broad disdain from Palestinians and others in the Arab world although regional U.S. allies such as Saudi Arabia discreetly support it. Neither the Israeli nor Palestinian governments attended the meeting.", "(Hatha al-Youm | Iraq News )- A crowd has entered the Bahrain embassy in Baghdad in protest of the economical summit regarding Arab – Israeli peace talks. U.S & Israeli flags were burned. Palestinian flags were raised, June 27, 2019. Photo: Twitter/@thestevennabilBAGHDAD,— More than 200 demonstrators broke into the courtyard of Bahrain’s Embassy in Baghdad and took down the kingdom’s flag on Thursday night to protest a U.S.-led meeting in Bahrain on Israeli-Palestinian peace.Police used live rounds to disperse the crowd, police sources told Reuters, with no injuries reported.“We used our vehicle loudspeakers to encourage protesters to leave the compound,” a police officer stationed near the embassy said. “After they refused, police had to fire into the air.”One protester, who identified himself as a member of the Islamic Resistance Groups, a term usually used by Iranian-backed Shiite militias, said they wanted to send a strong statement.“We took down the Bahraini flag to send a clear message to all those who participated in the Bahrain conference, that we strongly reject normalizing relations with the Zionist occupiers and will never abandon our support of Palestinians,” said the protester, who identified himself as Abu Murtadha al-Moussawi. “We are ready to fight for this.”Bahrain recalled its ambassador to Iraq for consultations on Thursday after the protests.“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Bahrain condemns the attack on the Embassy of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the Republic of Iraq by the demonstrators (which) led to sabotage in the embassy building,” a statement on the ministry’s website said.The Iraqi government condemned the protesters, and expressed “its deep regret” over the security breach at the embassy.“The government of Iraq affirms its absolute rejection of any acts which threaten diplomatic missions, their safety and the security of their personnel,” said in a statement.The two-day conference in Manama was aimed at rallying support for a $50 billion investment plan in the Palestinian Territories as the first part of a broader White House political plan to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.The plan has met broad disdain from Palestinians and others in the Arab world although regional U.S. allies such as Saudi Arabia discreetly support it. Neither the Israeli nor Palestinian governments attended the meeting.Copyright © 2019, respective author or news agency, ReutersComments Comments", "RIYADH — Bahrain recalled its ambassador to Iraq for consultations on Thursday after demonstrators broke into the courtyard of the kingdom’s embassy in Baghdad and took down the flag to protest a U.S.-led meeting in Bahrain on Israeli-Palestinian peace.\n\n“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Bahrain condemns the attack on the Embassy of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the Republic of Iraq by the demonstrators (which) led to sabotage in the embassy building,” said a statement on the ministry’s website.", "BAGHDAD, June 27 (Reuters) - More than 200 demonstrators broke into the courtyard of Bahrain's Embassy in Baghdad and took down the country's flag on Thursday night, to protest a U.S.-led meeting in Bahrain on Israeli-Palestinian peace.\n\nPolice used live rounds to disperse the crowd, local police sources told Reuters, with no injuries reported.\n\n\"We used our vehicle loudspeakers to encourage protesters to leave the compound,\" a police officer stationed near the embassy said. \"After they refused, police had to fire into the air.\"\n\nOne protester, who identified himself as a member of the Islamic Resistance Groups, a term usually used by Iranian-backed Shiite militias, said the protest was a \"clear message\".\n\n\"We took down the Bahraini flag to send a clear message to all those who participated in the Bahrain conference, that we strongly reject normalising relations with the Zionist occupiers and will never abandon our support of Palestinians,\" said the man who identified himself as Abu Murtadha al-Moussawi. \"We are ready to fight for this.\"\n\nThe two-day conference in Manama was aimed at rallying support for a $50 billion investment plan in the Palestinian Territories as the first part of a broader White House political plan to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.\n\nBut the plan has met broad disdain from Palestinians and others in the Arab world although regional U.S. allies such as Saudi Arabia discreetly support it. Neither the Israeli nor Palestinian governments attended the meeting. (Reporting by Ahmed Rasheed; Writing by Raya Jalabi; Editing by Sandra Maler)", "BAGHDAD: Bahrain said it had recalled its envoy to Iraq after protesters upset by Manamas's hosting of an American Middle East peace conference torched its flag in Baghdad.\n\n\n\nSome 200 protesters also burned Israeli flags while hoisting the flags of Iraq and Palestine in a demonstration outside Bahrain's embassy in the Iraqi capital, a police official said.\n\nIraqi security forces broke up the rally and protesters did not enter the embassy compound, the official said.\n\nBut the government of Bahrain said it had \"decided to recall its ambassador... for consultations\" and held Baghdad responsible for its embassy security, according to a statement from its official news agency.\n\nIt condemned the incident as an \"attack\" which it said had led to \"damaging acts in the embassy building.\"\n\nUS President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner on Wednesday launched a long-awaited Middle East initiative with a two-day conference in Bahrain, where leaders touted his plan to jumpstart Palestinians' economy.\n\nBut the Palestinian Authority boycotted the conference, accusing the unabashedly pro-Israel Trump administration of trying to force its solution on them.\n\nTrump has taken a series of landmark steps to benefit Israel including recognizing bitterly divided Jerusalem as the Jewish state's capital in 2017, which led the Palestinian Authority to cut off formal contact.", "DOHA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 28th June, 2019) The Bahraini Foreign Ministry has recalled the country's ambassador to Iraq, Salah Maliki, for consultations in the wake of an attack on its embassy in Baghdad, the state-run BNA news agency reported on Friday.\n\nOn Thursday, demonstrators reportedly stormed the embassy in protest against Bahrain hosting the US-led peace conference on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which was attended by Israeli politicians and media outlets.\n\nThe protesters have broken into the embassy premises, where they took down the Bahraini flag and installed the Palestinian flag instead of it.", "Bahrain said on Thursday it had recalled its envoy to Iraq after protesters stormed its embassy in Baghdad and took down its flag to protest a US-sponsored conference in Manama on Israeli-Palestinian peace.\n\nSome 200 protesters also burned Israeli flag while hoisting the flags of Iraq and Palestine in a demonstration outside Bahrain's embassy in the Iraqi capital, a police official said.\n\n\"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Bahrain condemns the attack on the Embassy of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the Republic of Iraq by the demonstrators (which) led to sabotage in the embassy building,\" said a statement on the ministry's website.\n\nThe government of Bahrain said it had \"decided to recall its ambassador ... for consultations\" and held Baghdad responsible for its embassy security, according to a statement from its official news agency.\n\nIraqi security forces broke up the rally and protesters could only enter the embassy courtyard.\n\nUS President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner on Wednesday launched a long-awaited Middle East initiative with a two-day conference in Bahrain, where leaders touted his plan to jumpstart Palestinians' economy.\n\nBut the Palestinian Authority boycotted the conference, accusing the unabashedly pro-Israel Trump administration of trying to force its solution on them.\n\nOn Wednesday, the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) reiterated its rejection of the $50bn plan - part of a so-called “deal of the century” - saying the proposal's lack of political vision guarantees its failure.\n\nThe statement said the US wanted to sell a \"mirage of economic prosperity\" which would only perpetuate the Palestinians' \"captivity\".\n\nIt accused the White House of using the workshop as cover for Israel's efforts to achieve normal relations with Arab states and increase its illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.\n\nTrump has taken a series of landmark steps to benefit Israel including recognising bitterly divided Jerusalem as the Jewish state's capital in 2017, which led the Palestinian Authority to cut off formal contact.", "MANAMA - Bahrain said on Thursday it had recalled its envoy to Iraq after protesters stormed its embassy in Baghdad and took down its flag to protest a US-sponsored “workshop” in Manama on Palestine.\n\nSome 200 protesters also burned a Israeli flag while hoisting the flags of Iraq and Palestine in a demonstration outside Bahrain’s embassy in the Iraqi capital, a police official said.\n\n“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Bahrain condemns the attack on the Embassy of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the Republic of Iraq by the demonstrators (which) led to sabotage in the embassy building,” said a statement on the ministry’s website. The government of Bahrain said it had “decided to recall its ambassador ... for consultations” and held Baghdad responsible for its embassy security, according to a statement from its official news agency.\n\nIraqi security forces broke up the rally and protesters could only enter the embassy courtyard. On Friday, the Iraqi ministry of foreign affairs issued a statement on its website condemning the protesters’ actions, saying it was committed to protecting foreign missions in Iraq.\n\nIt also said the Iraqi authorities had arrested several of the protesters, without specifying the number of those detained.\n\n“We affirm our commitment to the inviolability of diplomatic missions, the need to ensure that their security is not threatened, and that the security of embassies are not violated,” said the statement.\n\n“We have arrested a number of the instigators … and have taken measures to protect the Bahraini embassy against any intrusion… and to prevent any breach of security,” it added.\n\nUS President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner on Wednesday launched a long-awaited Middle East initiative with a two-day conference in Bahrain, where leaders touted his plan to jumpstart Palestinians’ economy.\n\nBut the Palestinian Authority boycotted the conference, accusing the unabashedly pro-Israel Trump administration of trying to force its solution on them. On Wednesday, the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) reiterated its rejection of the $50bn plan - part of a so-called “deal of the century” - saying the proposal’s lack of political vision guarantees its failure.\n\nThe statement said the US wanted to sell a “mirage of economic prosperity” which would only perpetuate the Palestinians’ “captivity”.\n\nIt accused the White House of using the workshop as cover for Israel’s efforts to achieve normal relations with Arab states and increase its illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank.\n\nTrump has taken a series of landmark steps to benefit Israel including recognising bitterly divided Jerusalem as the Jewish state’s capital in 2017, which led the Palestinian Authority to cut off formal contact.", "Bahrain has condemned the storming of its embassy in Baghdad and recalled its ambassador, accusing the Iraqi government of failing to provide proper protection for the diplomatic compound.\n\nNot all Iraqis welcomed Bahrain’s foreign minister's call for peaceful co-existence with the state of Israel, which Khalid bin Ahmed al Khalifa made Wednesday as the Kingdom hosted a conference to peddle the US' Israeli-Palestinian peace plan.\n\nCondemning Donald Trump’s so-called ‘deal of the century’, hundreds of protesters took to the streets, accusing Gulf nations of being “Arab Zionists who have sold their Arab identity for a failed deal.”\n\nAt around 10:00pm local time, the crowd reached the Bahrain embassy in Baghdad before people began to climb over walls. Soon after, the mob began to burn Israeli and American flags inside the compound's garden, as others waved Palestinian banners to show solidarity with their struggle against Israeli occupation.\n\nWhile the diplomatic building itself was not stormed, the crowd did manage to place a Palestinian flag on top of it, AP reports. By midnight, Iraqi security forces had cleared out the scene after clashing with protesters. At least 54 people were arrested, Iraqi interior minister Yassin al-Yassiry told al-Sumaria.\n\nBahrain immediately condemned the violence and recalled its envoy for consultations, stressing that Baghdad has a responsibility to protect the embassy. “Bahrain condemns the attack on the Embassy of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the Republic of Iraq by the demonstrators (which) led to sabotage in the embassy building,” the ministry of foreign affairs said. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates also denounced the violence.\n\nIn turn, Baghdad expressed “deep regret” over the incident. “The government of Iraq affirms its absolute rejection of any acts which threaten diplomatic missions, their safety and the security of their personnel,” it said in a statement.\n\nThink your friends would be interested? Share this story!"], "summary": "More than 200 demonstrators break into the courtyard of Bahrain's embassy in Baghdad and take down the kingdom's flag to protest a U.S.-led meeting in Bahrain on the Israeli–Palestinian peace process."}
{"document": ["RIO DE JANEIRO — Argentina can look forward to a mouthwatering Copa America semi-final clash with Brazil after delivering a much-improved display to beat Venezuela 2-0 in the quarter-finals in their first game at the Maracana since losing the 2014 World Cup final.\n\nStriker Lautaro Martinez scored for the second game running to put Argentina in front in the 10th minute with a clever back-heeled finish, diverting in a shot from Sergio Aguero following a corner swung in by captain Lionel Messi.\n\nLionel Scaloni’s side had to weather a series of attacks from Venezuela in the second half and it took a strong save from Franco Armani to prevent Ronald Hernandez from levelling.\n\nSubstitute Giovani Lo Celso scored Argentina’s badly-needed second goal in the 74th minute, passing a loose ball into an empty net after another shot from Aguero squirmed through the hands of Venezuela goalkeeper Wuilker Farinez.\n\nLo Celso’s tap-in sealed a therapeutic win for Argentina in their first game back at the iconic Maracana stadium since their 1-0 extra-time defeat to Germany, which began a cycle of three consecutive losses in major finals.\n\n“We knew it wasn’t going to be easy and we’re happy to have reached the semi-finals. Even though we made it hard for ourselves, here we are,” Argentina striker Aguero told reporters.\n\n“Argentina-Brasil causes a lot of excitement around the world, it’s a game you don’t get to play every day but we’ve got here and we’ll try to do as well as possible.”\n\nArgentina had scraped into the last eight with a nervy 2-0 win over Qatar in their final group-stage game after losing to Colombia and drawing with Paraguay, but they expected a sterner test from Venezuela.\n\nVenezuela once lost 11-0 to Argentina in the 1975 Copa America but they have made remarkable advances in recent years despite a backdrop of political turmoil, reaching the 2017 under-20 World Cup final under current coach Rafael Dudamel.\n\nThey were unbeaten in their last three games with Argentina which included a resounding 3-1 win in a friendly in March, and captain Tomas Rincon said ahead of the game it was time his side “made a statement”.\n\nBut they failed to live up to the hype and barely got into Argentina’s area before halftime.\n\n“We weren’t at the level we’re capable of, we struggled to get into the game and we couldn’t offer the physical and mental intensity that was needed,” said Dudamel.\n\n“We worked hard but we needed to have cooler heads, we spent a lot of energy on battling for the ball but didn’t manage to create much. We leave here feeling bitter but we know we did ourselves proud.”\n\nArgentina could have got a second goal early in the second period when Martinez galloped onto a through ball from Leandro Paredes but his shot clipped the crossbar.\n\nVenezuela then took the initiative with a spell of sustained pressure but Argentina showed a resilience and sense of maturity that was lacking in their shabby displays in the group stage.\n\nTheir reward is a first Copa America clash with eternal rivals Brazil since the 2007 final, which they lost 3-0.\n\nThe tournament hosts edged Paraguay in a penalty shootout following a goalless draw on Thursday. (Reporting by Richard Martin Editing by Toby Davis)", "RIO DE JANEIRO: Argentina can look forward to a mouthwatering Copa America semi-final clash with Brazil after delivering a much-improved display to beat Venezuela 2-0 in the quarter-finals in their first game at the Maracana since losing the 2014 World Cup final.\n\nStriker Lautaro Martinez scored for the second game running to put Argentina in front in the 10th minute with a clever back-heeled finish, diverting in a shot from Sergio Aguero following a corner swung in by captain Lionel Messi.\n\nLionel Scaloni's side had to weather a series of attacks from Venezuela in the second half and it took a strong save from Franco Armani to prevent Ronald Hernandez from levelling.\n\nSubstitute Giovani Lo Celso scored Argentina's badly-needed second goal in the 74th minute, passing a loose ball into an empty net after another shot from Aguero squirmed through the hands of Venezuela goalkeeper Wuilker Farinez.\n\nLo Celso's tap-in sealed a therapeutic win for Argentina in their first game back at the iconic Maracana stadium since their 1-0 extra-time defeat to Germany, which began a cycle of three consecutive losses in major finals.\n\n\"We knew it wasn't going to be easy and we're happy to have reached the semi-finals. Even though we made it hard for ourselves, here we are,\" Argentina striker Aguero told reporters.\n\n\"Argentina-Brasil causes a lot of excitement around the world, it's a game you don't get to play every day but we've got here and we'll try to do as well as possible.\"\n\nArgentina had scraped into the last eight with a nervy 2-0 win over Qatar in their final group-stage game after losing to Colombia and drawing with Paraguay, but they expected a sterner test from Venezuela.\n\nVenezuela once lost 11-0 to Argentina in the 1975 Copa America but they have made remarkable advances in recent years despite a backdrop of political turmoil, reaching the 2017 under-20 World Cup final under current coach Rafael Dudamel.\n\nThey were unbeaten in their last three games with Argentina which included a resounding 3-1 win in a friendly in March, and captain Tomas Rincon said ahead of the game it was time his side \"made a statement\".\n\nBut they failed to live up to the hype and barely got into Argentina's area before halftime.\n\n\"We weren't at the level we're capable of, we struggled to get into the game and we couldn't offer the physical and mental intensity that was needed,\" said Dudamel.\n\n\"We worked hard but we needed to have cooler heads, we spent a lot of energy on battling for the ball but didn't manage to create much. We leave here feeling bitter but we know we did ourselves proud.\"\n\nArgentina could have got a second goal early in the second period when Martinez galloped onto a through ball from Leandro Paredes but his shot clipped the crossbar.\n\nVenezuela then took the initiative with a spell of sustained pressure but Argentina showed a resilience and sense of maturity that was lacking in their shabby displays in the group stage.\n\nTheir reward is a first Copa America clash with eternal rivals Brazil since the 2007 final, which they lost 3-0.\n\nThe tournament hosts edged Paraguay in a penalty shootout following a goalless draw on Thursday.", "Argentina is through to the Copa America semifinals, setting up a massive showdown against its South American rival Brazil on Tuesday. Taking on Venezuela in the quarters at the Maracana on Friday, Argentina got goals from Lautaro Martinez and Giovani Lo Celso to beat the Vinotinto 2-0.\n\nCoach Lionel Scaloni once again went with Lionel Messi, Lautaro Martinez and Sergio Aguero up front, and the Manchester City man helped set up both of the goals. Martinez scored 10 minutes in by redirecting an Aguero shot with a clever back heel to score his second goal in as many games, with this also being the winning goal:\n\nThe second half saw Venezuela look like the stronger side as it threatened time and time again, but the team could only register one shot on goal before Lo Celso killed the game off with 16 minutes remaining. Argentina had 17 shots, seven of which were on target.\n\nMessi and company started the cup with a 2-0 loss to Colombia and a 1-1 draw with Paraguay but have since turned the corner to make the last four.\n\nBrazil edged Paraguay in penalty kicks on Thursday night 4-3, while the other semifinal will be between the winner of Colombia and Chile taking on the winner of Uruguay and Peru. You can stream all Copa America matches via fuboTV (Try for free).", "Here is all you need to know about the blockbuster EU-Mercosur trade deal\n\nIn this July 14, 2017 file photo, Argentina's Foreign Minister Jorge Faurie attends a meeting at the Itamaraty Palace, in Brasilia, Brazil. The Argentine Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Friday, June 28, 2019, that South America’s Mercosur trade bloc has struck a “strategic association” trade deal with the European Union, clinched in the Belgian capital of Brussels following two decades of negotiations. The Mercosur bloc includes Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. Image Credit: AP\n\nAlso in this package Canada takes a first step toward ratifying trade deal with US, Mexico\n\nEurope and South America's leading customs union struck a free-trade deal after 20 years of talks, notching up a major win in a global market-opening drive that counters the protectionism of US President Donald Trump.\n\nTop European Union officials reached a breakthrough in free-trade negotiations with counterparts from the Mercosur group of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay, paving the way for an agreement to expand goods shipments worth almost 90 billion euros ($102 billion) a year. The pact is slated to be among the EU's biggest.\n\nBoth sides settled longstanding differences over Mercosur demands for greater access to the EU agricultural market, including for beef and sugar, and European calls for South America to lower automotive-import barriers.\n\nBringing to an end two decades of talks, the deal struck on Friday in Brussels follows groundbreaking European free-trade accords with Canada and Japan and adds political momentum to EU negotiations with Australia and New Zealand. It comes as government heads from the Group of 20 leading economies meet in Japan with the focus on Trump's trade war with China and planned meeting on Saturday with his Chinese counterpart.\n\nEurope is fighting to uphold a 70-year-old global commercial order threatened by Trump's \"America First\" agenda, which has sparked US tariff battles against strategic allies and rivals alike, rattled the foundations of the World Trade Organization and darkened the economic outlook.\n\nThe EU, the world's largest trading bloc with more than 500 million consumers, is also seeking to underscore its commercial clout as the UK prepares to leave by October 31. While Brexit will force Britain to take charge of its own trade policy for the first time in almost 50 years, the country hopes to piggyback on the market-opening pacts already struck by the EU.\n\nLatin Celebrations\n\nThe deal is the largest and most complex ever struck by Mercosur and South American governments were quick to celebrate its signing.\n\n\"Together, Mercosur and the EU represent a quarter of the global economy and now Brazilian producers will have access to this enormous market,\" Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro wrote on Twitter. \"Great day!\"\n\nA press statement released by the Brazilian economy ministry said that the deal would result in an increase in GDP of $87.5 billion over the next 15 years, a number that could rise to $125 billion.\n\n'The Mercosur-EU deal is much more than a trade agreement,' said Argentine Foreign Affairs Minister Jorge Faurie. 'It's a strategic advance in Argentina's position on the global stage that strengthens the commercial agenda of both our country and our bloc.'\n\nKey facts about the blockbuster EU-Mercosur trade deal\n\nTaking into account the GDP of all the countries concerned, the agreement concluded by the EU in 2018 with Japan is slightly larger (19.5 trillion euros) than that with Mercosur (18 trillion euros).\n\nBut in terms of population, the EU-Mercosur agreement is bigger, involving 770 million people, ahead of the EU-Japan's deal covering 630 million.\n\nThe EU and Mercosur exchange 88 billion euros in goods annually, with a balance very slightly in favour of the Europeans (+2.5 billion euros).\n\nThese exchanges place Mercosur between India and Canada, in 10th place among the EU's main trading partners.\n\nBut the trade remains modest compared with the 675 billion euros exchanged each year by Europeans with the United States, their main partner.\n\nThe EU is Mercosur's largest trading partner after China.\n\nAdvantages\n\nThe agreement is set to eliminate South American tariffs against the EU that are still very high in some key industrial sectors: 35 percent in the clothing and automotive sector - which are at the heart of the agreement - or 14 percent in the pharmaceutical industry.\n\nIn agriculture, these customs duties are now high for spirits (35 percent), dairy products (28 percent), chocolate (20 percent) or wine (20 percent).\n\nThe agreement also aims to protect European geographical indications on products such as Cognac or Manchego cheese. These goods often exist in the Americas because of historical links between the two regions.\n\nThe EU is also counting on the agreement to improve access to the South American market for services (telecommunications, transport or financial services).\n\nEU concessions\n\nThe EU will have to open its market to beef, ethanol, sugar and poultry exports from the Mercosur nations - these are all crucial sectors for the South Americans, but also very sensitive for European producers who have strongly opposed the trade deal.\n\nTo protect its market, the EU is setting up quotas: politically sensitive imports will not be taxed when they arrive in Europe up to a certain threshold, above which customs duties will again be applied.\n\nThese quota thresholds were also imposed on Canada and Japan.\n\nEnvironment\n\nLike all the agreements recently signed by the EU, this one includes a chapter on sustainable development.\n\nAccording to the commission, this chapter will cover areas such as \"forest conservation, wildlife trade and respect for workers' rights\".\n\nDespite these non-binding commitments, several NGOs have expressed concern, particularly because of the \"ecological situation in Brazil\" since the inauguration in January of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.\n\nBolsonaro is pursuing a policy that favours agribusiness, a major business in his country's economy, but which, according to activists is destroying the Amazonian forest.\n\nUnknowns\n\nThe agreement negotiated by the commission with Mercosur must now be approved by all 28 member states, which is not an easy task in Europe, where public opinion increasingly questions the benefits of free trade and its impact on the climate, even in traditionally trade-friendly countries.\n\nIn 2016, Belgium alone almost ruined the signing of the highly controversial CETA trade agreement with Canada. But the desire to make the EU a champion of free trade against US President Donald Trump-led protectionism could work in favour of the deal.", "RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Argentina beat Venezuela 2-0 on Friday and will face Brazil in the Copa América semifinals.\n\nLionel Messi failed to impress against Venezuela but Argentina gave its most solid performance in four matches\n\nBrazil and Argentina will face off on Tuesday at Belo Horizonte’s Mineirão Stadium. The Brazilians advanced on Thursday after beating Paraguay on penalties after a goal less draw in Porto Alegre.\n\nBrazilian and Argentine fans at Maracanã Stadium hinted at how intense the atmosphere will be on Tuesday. The Brazilians jokingly sang about Messi’s lack of titles for his national team, while Argentines poked fun by singing Diego Maradona is better than Pelé.\n\nStriker Lautaro Martínez scored from a back heel kick after 10 minutes, deflecting a shot by Sergio Agüero from the edge of the box.\n\nAnother blocked shot by Agüero led to midfielder Giovani Lo Celso doubling the lead in the 74th.\n\nLo Celso, who entered just a few minutes before, just pushed the ball into the empty net to seal Argentina’s win in front of 50,000 fans.\n\n“Brazil will be a very tough rival, and that isn’t only because they will play at home,” Lautaro said.\n\n“We had an amazing first half. We are showing that in every match we give it all.”\n\nArgentina, back for the first time in the stadium where it lost the 2014 World Cup final 1-0 to Germany, was the only team trying to score in the beginning of the quarterfinal and managed to do so when Lautaro converted its third clear chance.\n\nVenezuela’s first opportunity came only after 40 minutes, with a header by defender Jhon Chancellor.\n\nThe story of the match didn’t change much in the second half, with a slower Argentina still enjoying the best chances.\n\nAt 71 minutes, shortly before Lo Celso scored Argentina’s second, Venezuela striker Ronald Hernández was stopped by goalkeeper Franco Armani in the key save of the match.\n\nVenezuela played without its two starting central defenders, Yordan Osorio and Mikel Villanueva. Osorio had a fever and Villanueva suffered from muscular problems. They were replaced by Chancellor and Jose Rosales.", "Argentina delivered a much-improved performance to beat Venezuela 2-0 in the Copa America quarter-finals and set up a mouth-watering meeting with Brazil.\n\nLautaro Martínez scored for the second game running to put Argentina in front in the 10th minute with a clever back-heeled finish, diverting in a shot from Sergio Agüero following a corner swung in by captain Lionel Messi.\n\nLionel Scaloni’s side had to weather a series of attacks from Venezuela in the second half and it took a strong save from Franco Armani to prevent Ronald Hernández from equalising.\n\nSubstitute Giovani Lo Celso scored Argentina’s badly-needed second goal in the 74th minute, passing a loose ball into an empty net after another shot from Agüero squirmed through the hands of Venezuela goalkeeper Wuilker Faríñez.\n\nLo Celso’s tap-in sealed a therapeutic win for Argentina in their first game back at the Maracanã since their 1-0 defeat to Germany in the 2014 World Cup final, which began a cycle of three consecutive losses in major finals. They had scraped into the last eight with a nervy 2-0 win over Qatar in their final group-stage game after losing to Colombia and drawing with Paraguay, but they expected a sterner test from Venezuela.\n\nVenezuela once lost 11-0 to Argentina in the 1975 Copa America but they have made remarkable advances in recent years despite a backdrop of political turmoil, reaching the 2017 Under-20 World Cup final under current coach Rafael Dudamel.\n\nBut they failed to live up to the hype and barely got into Argentina’s area before half-time.\n\nThe victors’ reward is a first Copa America clash with rivals Brazil since the 2007 final, which they lost 3-0. The tournament hosts edged Paraguay in a penalty shootout following a goalless draw on Thursday.", "PORTO ALEGRE, Brazil — After escaping an embarrassing elimination, Brazil is trying to find the right balance for the rest of the Copa América at home.\n\nBrazil has been playing solidly on defense from the start, but has struggled in attack against teams with tight defensive systems.\n\nIt was the case against Paraguay on Thursday in their quarterfinal in Porto Alegre, where Brazil needed a penalty shootout to advance after being held to 0-0 despite playing most of the second half with an extra man.\n\nWithout the injured Neymar, Brazil has already endured difficulties against Bolivia and Venezuela in the group stage, drawing boos from the local fans. The exception was the match against Peru in the final group game, when Brazil scored early to open up the defense en route to a comfortable 5-0 rout.\n\nThat victory oosted the team’s confidence and raised hopes that coach Tite had found a solution to end the attacking slump. But despite playing with the same attackers who impressed against Peru, including youngsters Gabriel Jesus and Everton, the team struggled to find the net again.\n\n“The ball wasn’t reaching the forwards,” Tite said. “They defended very well in the first half. We made some adjustments and started creating more opportunities, and after the red card we tried to take advantage of that.”\n\nBrazil pressed nearly full-time after gaining the man advantage in the 58th minute, but couldn’t find a way to break the Paraguayan defense and a good performance by goalkeeper Roberto “Gatito” Fernández.\n\nTite said the poor field at Arena Grêmio also didn’t help his more technical attacking players.\n\nBrazil’s defense — led by Dani Alves, Filipe Luis and Thiago Silva — was solid again, and is yet to concede a goal after four matches. Colombia, which plays Chile in the other quarterfinal on Friday, is the only other team yet to concede.\n\nNext up for Brazil will be Lionel Messi’s Argentina or Venezuela, which meet on Friday in Rio de Janeiro.\n\nBrazil also suffered against Venezuela in the group stage, being held to a scoreless draw in Salvador.\n\nArgentina could theoretically give Brazil a better matchup in the semifinals, as it’s not likely to play as defensively as Venezuela did in the group stage.\n\n“(Argentina) is a team with great individual quality,” said Tite, who is under pressure to win the tournament at home a year after Brazil’s World Cup elimination in the quarterfinals.\n\nCoach Dunga, Tite’s predecessor, was fired in 2016 after Brazil’s elimination in the Copa América.\n\n“It’s part of the job as a coach, (this pressure) it’s inevitable,” Tite said. “The most important thing is to keep working normally.”\n\nCopyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.", "Argentina booked their place in the Copa America semi-final with a comfortable 2-0 win over Venezuela on Friday night, setting up a mouthwatering clash with Brazil in the next round.\n\nArgentina began the game on top and needed just ten minutes to get themselves in the ascendancy. A corner from Lionel Messi found Sergio Aguero, and his strike towards goal ended feet of Martinez, who steered home with a delightful flick to put Argentina ahead.\n\nVenezuela struggled to get going and often resorted to scrappy fouls to try halt Argentina's momentum. It took around 40 minutes for them to have their first real opportunity of the game, but Jhon Chancellor's header barely tested Franco Armani.\n\nMartinez should have added to his tally after the break, but it wasn't necessary. Venezuela simply could not create anything of note, with Tottenham Hotspur man Juan Foyth looking particularly impressive in defence.\n\nTheir best chance came after 71 minutes, as right-back Ronald Hernandez's effort asked a question of Armani, but Argentina were always comfortable, and even more so after Giovani Lo Celso added a second.\n\nAguero's effort was not dealt with by Venezuela goalkeeper Wuilker Farinez, who palmed the ball back to the feet of the onrushing Lo Celso, who slotted home into the back of the net to end any hopes of a Venezuelan comeback.\n\nWith the game now all but decided, Argentina remained in control and saw the game out with relative ease, almost adding to their lead from a number of half-chances,\n\nThe win sees them set up what will almost certainly be an enthralling semi-final against Brazil, who secured their place in the last four with a penalty shootout victory over Paraguay on Friday.\n\nArgentina remain on track to reach a second consecutive Copa America final, and they will be keen to go one step further this year and lift the trophy when all is said and done.", "BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Argentina said on Friday that the Mercosur trade bloc clinched a “strategic association” trade deal with the European Union.\n\nThe deal was agreed in Brussels after more than 20 years of negotiations, the Argentine government said in a statement. The Mercosur trade bloc consists of Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay.", "FILE – In this July 14, 2017 file photo, Argentina’s Foreign Minister Jorge Faurie attends a meeting at the Itamaraty Palace, in Brasilia, Brazil. The Argentine Foreign Ministry said in a statement Friday, June 28, 2019, that South America’s Mercosur trade bloc has struck a “strategic association” trade deal with the European Union, clinched in the Belgian capital of Brussels following two decades of negotiations. The Mercosur bloc includes Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres, File)\n\nBUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — South America’s Mercosur bloc and the European Union struck a free-trade deal Friday after two decades of negotiations that concluded amid global trade tensions and rising protectionism.\n\nThe agreement announced by both sides came as trade talks between the EU and the United States have stalled with the Trump administration threatening to impose tariffs on all autos, a major European export to the U.S.\n\n“In the midst of international trade tensions, we are sending today a strong signal with our Mercosur partners that we stand for rules-based trade,” European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said following the clinching of the deal in the Belgian capital of Brussels.\n\nJuncker described the pact with the bloc made up of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay as “an historic moment” that came 20 years after talks were launched. It shows the European bloc is determined to remain a flag-bearer of the global trade system at a time when it is being challenged by a Trump administration skeptical of free trade.\n\nArgentina’s Foreign Ministry said the agreement “will mean the integration of a market of some 800 million people, nearly a fourth of the world’s gross domestic product and more than $100 billion in bilateral trade of goods and services.”\n\nThe ministry said the deal also is aimed at strengthening political and cultural ties with the EU, improving access to goods, services and investments by reducing restrictions and easing access to technology and raw materials.\n\nJuncker said the deal would remove most tariffs on EU exports to Mercosur, saving more than 4 billion euros ($4.5 billion) worth of duties each year, four times as much as Europe’s pact with Japan.\n\nThe commission, which negotiates trade deals on behalf of the 28-nation EU, said the agreement is particularly important for industrial sectors like cars and car parts, machinery, chemicals, pharmaceuticals as well as clothing and footwear. Mercosur hopes to benefit with more exports of agricultural products including beef, poultry and sugar.\n\nThe EU’s farm and food sector also stands to gain, particularly products like chocolates, wine and spirits.\n\n“The basics of this deal have been quite clear for some time. It’s cars and machinery and agriculture. But in the past, politics have stood in the way. Particularly in Brazil, which has had a very protectionist policy focusing on domestic production,” said Jacob Funk Kirkegaard, senior fellow, at the Peterson Institute for international economics.”And at the same time, the Europeans have been very protective of their agricultural sector.”\n\nThe commission said the deal, which still must be ratified by the legislatures of all the countries involved, will also ease border checks and cut red tape.\n\nThe agreement brings to 15 the number of pacts the EU has concluded since 2014, most recently with Canada and Japan, and comes as the bloc pushes ahead with international trade deals.\n\nBrazilian President Jair Bolsonaro called it one “of the most important trade agreements of all times.”\n\nThe Brazilian government said the deal would boost Latin America’s largest economy by slashing tariffs for some agricultural products like orange juice, fruit and instant coffee, and expanding access via quotas for beef, ethanol and sugar.\n\n“Brazilian companies will benefit from the elimination of tariffs on exports of 100 percent of industrial products. That will equalize the conditions of competition with other partners that already have free trade agreements with the EU,” it said.\n\nThe deal is “a game changer in Latin America as a whole, which historically has been very protectionist,” Kirkegaard said. “This could herald in a new era for Mercosur.”\n\nNegotiations began on June 28, 1999, but have taken a long, torturous path marked by breaks and frustrations, as the countries’ different sensitivities and priorities were taken into account.\n\nBut EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstrom said the talks gathered momentum early this year, aided in part by a new Brazilian government that made the deal one of its priorities, and were pushed over the line by intensive negotiations over the last three days in Brussels.\n\n“This is a landmark agreement,” Malmstrom told reporters in Brussels, flanked by negotiators and senior officials.\n\n“With this deal we are showing that we believe that trade is a good thing. It brings people and companies together, and we send a loud and clear message in support of open, sustainable, mutually beneficial, rule-based trade.”\n\nCook reported from Brussels. Associated Press writers Almudena Calatrava in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Carson Gardiner and Yesica Fisch in Rio de Janeiro and Chris Rugaber in Washington contributed to this report."], "summary": "Argentine Foreign Minister Jorge Faurie announces that the European Union and Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay achieved a breakthrough in free-trade talks after 20 years."}
{"document": ["The United States on Friday imposed sanctions on the son of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro for serving in his father’s “illegitimate regime.”\n\nThe action freezes any assets Nicolas Ernesto Maduro Guerra has in the United States and bars American individuals or institutions from doing business with the 29-year-old.\n\n“Maduro relies on his son Nicolasito and others close to his authoritarian regime to maintain a stranglehold on the economy and suppress the people of Venezuela,” US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in announcing the action.\n\n“Treasury will continue to target complicit relatives of illegitimate regime insiders profiting off of Maduro’s corruption.”\n\nThe latest US action comes as Maduro moves to consolidate his hold on power after what Caracas called a failed coup attempt by opposition leader Juan Guaido.\n\nGuaido, the leader of the opposition-controlled National Assembly, is recognized by the United States and more than 50 other countries as Venezuela’s acting president.\n\nIn targeting Maduro’s son, the Treasury noted that he was a member of the pro-government Constituent Assembly, which Maduro has used to sideline the National Assembly.\n\nThe US statement slammed the Constituent Assembly as having been “created through an undemocratic process instigated by Maduro’s government to subvert the will of the Venezuelan people.”\n\nIt also said Maduro Guerra “has profited from Venezuelan mines along with Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores,” and engaged in propaganda and censorship efforts on behalf of his father’s government.\n\nThe US had previously sanctioned the Venezuelan president and eight members of the Constituent Assembly, as part of a wide-ranging effort that has also targeted the government’s oil revenues and access to international financial markets.\n\nThe new sanctions came in a week of simmering tensions.\n\nOn Thursday, the US government announced indictments of two Venezuelans on money laundering charges, including Maduro’s former electric power minister and another top ministry official.\n\nThe country’s electrical grid was hit with major, days-long outages in March, another sign of crumbling infrastructure and services that have contributed to a mass migration of Venezuelans.\n\nOn Wednesday, the Venezuelan government said it foiled a plot to assassinate Maduro, who accused the United States, Colombia and Chile of complicity.\n\nAt least six of the alleged plotters were arrested, Communications Minister Jorge Rodriguez said.\n\nMaduro has claimed to have been a target of assassination plots before, including an apparent attempt to blow up a drone near him at a military parade in August 2018.\n\nHis former intelligence chief, Christopher Figuera, arrived in Washington this week after fleeing Venezuela in May following Guaido’s failed attempt to spark a military uprising on April 30.\n\nFiguera told the Washington Post he had plotted with Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino and Supreme Court chief Maikel Moreno to oust Maduro during the uprising, but they got cold feet.\n\nIvan Simonovis, a former Venezuelan national police chief who fled house arrest in Caracas where he was being held on murder charges, surfaced in Washington this week to talk to US lawmakers about “criminal activities” of the Maduro government. He backed up many of Figuera’s allegations.\n\nSimonovis told AFP in an interview in Miami that Maduro senior has the choice of leaving or being overthrown. Asked if there is, in fact, a drive afoot to remove Maduro, Simonovis demurred.\n\n“At this point, there are very high level political decisions. I am simply part of the ‘how’ in that decision, not the ‘whether.'”", "The Trump administration is slapping economic sanctions against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro's son in its latest effort to unseat the South American country's socialist regime.\n\nNicolás Maduro Guerra heads the Corps of the Special Inspectors of the Presidency and is a member of the pro-government National Constituent Assembly.\n\nA senior administration official told reporters Friday that the sanctions against Maduro Guerra are part of ongoing efforts to root out examples of corruption throughout the Caracas government. The officials said the administration will target those institutions and clamp down on their \"corrupt finances.\"\n\n\"The point that we're trying to make is that Maduro's corruption is so endemic throughout the entire region and all of the institutions in Venezuela, largely with the exception of the National Assembly, that we are going to broadly, as we can find all examples of corruption and choking some of those corrupt finances.\"\n\nTreasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Maduro relies on his son, \"Nicolasito\" and others \"to maintain a stranglehold on the economy and suppress the people of Venezuela.\" He noted the National Constituent Assembly's efforts to rewrite the Venezuelan constitution and dissolve state institutions\n\n\"Maduro's regime was built on fraudulent elections, and his inner circle lives in luxury off the proceeds of corruption while the Venezuelan people suffer,\" Mnuchin said.\n\nPresident Donald Trump raised the crisis in Venezuela in a bilateral meeting with the president of Brazil during the G20 economic conference in Osaka, Japan. The senior administration officials said Trump has a broad agenda, but expects Trump will discuss Venezuela with most – if not all – of the world leaders.\n\n\"That is because the president has not lost focus on Venezuela,\" the official said. \"This is still a major priority for this president and this is something that the president wants to see resolved in the short term because the people of Venezuela are suffering every day.\"\n\nThe Trump administration has already imposed sanctions on more than 150 Maduro officials and members of his inner circle, including Venezuela's first lady, Cilia Flores. The administration has also taken action against the state-owned oil company, PDVSA, and mining company, MINERVIN.\n\nVenezuela's former intelligence chief, Cristopher Figuera, who fled the country after backing a failed uprising against President Nicolas Maduro, accused Maduro Guerra earlier this month of running an illicit scheme involving the sale of gold to Venezuelan's central Bank.\n\n\"I quickly realized that Maduro is the head of a criminal enterprise, with his own family involved,\" Figuera told the Washington Post.\n\nTwo years ago, Maduro Guerra threatened to \"take the White House\" if Trump followed through with threats of using military force in Venezuela.\n\n\"If the U.S. soils the homeland, the rifles would come to New York and take the White House,\" Maduro Guerra said according to reports in Venezuelan media.\n\nVenezuela has been stuck in political limbo since Juan Guaidó, the head of democratically-elected National Assembly, announced in January that it was his constitutional duty to assume the presidency.\n\nMore than 50 countries, including the United States, most of Latin America and a large part of Europe, have since recognized Guaidó as president.\n\nDespite being home to some of the world's largest oil reserves, Venezuelan has fallen into a life-threatening economic and humanitarian crises that has caused more than four million Venezuelans to flee in search of food, medicine and shelter.\n\nUnder the Treasury's order, Maduro Guerra's assets in the United States will be frozen, and U.S. banks and institutions are barred from doing business with him. The Treasury department said the administration will consider lifting sanctions for those who \"take concrete and meaningful actions to restore democratic order.\"", "The United States on Friday imposed sanctions on the son of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro for serving in his father's \"illegitimate regime.\"\n\nThe action freezes any assets Nicolas Ernesto Maduro Guerra has in the United States and bars American individuals or institutions from doing business with the 29-year-old.\n\n\"Maduro relies on his son Nicolasito and others close to his authoritarian regime to maintain a stranglehold on the economy and suppress the people of Venezuela,\" US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in announcing the action.\n\n\"Treasury will continue to target complicit relatives of illegitimate regime insiders profiting off of Maduro's corruption.\"\n\nThe latest US action comes as Maduro moves to consolidate his hold on power after what Caracas called a failed coup attempt by opposition leader Juan Guaido.\n\nGuaido, the leader of the opposition-controlled National Assembly, is recognized by the United States and more than 50 other countries as Venezuela's acting president.\n\nIn targeting Maduro's son, the Treasury noted that he was a member of the pro-government Constituent Assembly, which Maduro has used to sideline the National Assembly.\n\nThe US statement slammed the Constituent Assembly as having been \"created through an undemocratic process instigated by Maduro's government to subvert the will of the Venezuelan people.\"\n\nIt also said Maduro Guerra \"has profited from Venezuelan mines along with Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores,\" and engaged in propaganda and censorship efforts on behalf of his father's government.\n\nThe US had previously sanctioned the Venezuelan president and eight members of the Constituent Assembly, as part of a wide-ranging effort that has also targeted the government's oil revenues and access to international financial markets.\n\nThe new sanctions came in a week of simmering tensions.\n\nOn Thursday, the US government announced indictments of two Venezuelans on money laundering charges, including Maduro's former electric power minister and another top ministry official.\n\nThe country's electrical grid was hit with major, days-long outages in March, another sign of crumbling infrastructure and services that have contributed to a mass migration of Venezuelans.\n\nOn Wednesday, the Venezuelan government said it foiled a plot to assassinate Maduro, who accused the United States, Colombia and Chile of complicity.\n\nAt least six of the alleged plotters were arrested, Communications Minister Jorge Rodriguez said.\n\nMaduro has claimed to have been a target of assassination plots before, including an apparent attempt to blow up a drone near him at a military parade in August 2018.\n\nHis former intelligence chief, Christopher Figuera, arrived in Washington this week after fleeing Venezuela in May following Guaido's failed attempt to spark a military uprising on April 30.\n\nFiguera told the Washington Post he had plotted with Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino and Supreme Court chief Maikel Moreno to oust Maduro during the uprising, but they got cold feet.\n\nBoth Padrino and Moreno remain in office.\n\nIvan Simonovis, a former Venezuelan national police chief who fled house arrest in Caracas where he was being held on murder charges, surfaced in Washington this week to talk to US lawmakers about \"criminal activities\" of the Maduro government. He backed up many of Figuera's allegations.\n\nSimonovis told AFP in an interview in Miami that Maduro senior has the choice of leaving or being overthrown. Asked if there is, in fact, a drive afoot to remove Maduro, Simonovis demurred.\n\n\"At this point, there are very high level political decisions. I am simply part of the 'how' in that decision, not the 'whether.'\"", "Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Nicolas Ernesto Maduro Guerra (left) alongside his father and First Lady Cilia Flores\n\nThe United States has announced new sanctions against the son of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.\n\nNicolás Ernesto Maduro Guerra, 29, known as Nicolasito, is a member of the pro-government Constituent Assembly.\n\nJuan Guaidó, who is seen by the US as the country's legitimate leader, heads up a rival parliament that has been side-lined by the government.\n\nThe sanctions will freeze any US assets Nicolasito has and bars US firms and individuals from working with him.\n\nAnnouncing the move on Friday, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said they were punishing him for serving his father's \"illegitimate regime\".\n\n\"Maduro's regime was built on fraudulent elections, and his inner circle lives in luxury off the proceeds of corruption while the Venezuelan people suffer,\" Mr Mnuchin said in a statement.\n\n\"Maduro relies on his son Nicolasito and others close to his authoritarian regime to maintain a stranglehold on the economy and suppress the people of Venezuela.\"\n\nThe statement also accused the president's son of engaging in propaganda and censorship on behalf of the government.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Juan Guaidó on how the political crisis may develop\n\nHe joins dozens of other Venezuelans already under economic sanctions.\n\nThe US has been ramping up pressure since it recognised Juan Guaidó as the country's legitimate leader.\n\nSince he declared himself interim president in January, Mr Guaidó has won the backing of more than 50 countries, but has struggled to take power.\n\nMr Maduro has largely retained the support of his military and key allies including Russia and China.\n\nEarlier this week, the Venezuelan government claimed it had foiled an international-backed \"fascist\" plot to assassinate Mr Maduro - a claim Mr Guaidó dismissed.\n\nVenezuela has been in severe economic crisis for several years - struggling with hyperinflation, high unemployment and chronic shortages of food and medicine.\n\nSome four million people have fled the country since 2015, according to the UN.", "The United States Department of Treasury slapped sanctions against the son of the disputed Venezuelan president after it accused him of carrying out numerous crimes to bolster his father's interests.\n\nIn serving the sanction, the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) has blocked any property or entities owned in the U.S. by Nicolas Maduro's son, Nicolas “Nicolasito” Ernesto Maduro Guerra (Maduro Guerra), and added that any known assets owned \"directly or indirectly\" by him should be reported to them.\n\n“Maduro’s regime was built on fraudulent elections, and his inner circle lives in luxury off the proceeds of corruption while the Venezuelan people suffer,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement. \"Maduro relies on his son Nicolasito and others close to his authoritarian regime to maintain a stranglehold on the economy and suppress the people of Venezuela.\"\n\nThe department has accused Maduro Guerra of engaging in propaganda and censorship efforts, pressuring the Venezuelan National Armed Forces to deny humanitarian aid, and leading the National Constituent Assembly, which the feds say sought to rewrite the Venezuelan constitution and dissolve the country's state institutions.\n\nMaduro became the 46th President of Venezuela beginning in 2013 after the death of Hugo Chavez. Despite the country's descent into chaos, Maduro was sworn in for a second term in January of this year in a decision widely condemned by world powers, including the United States, Canada and Brazil. Juan Guaido, who led the opposition of Maduro, has since been recognized by those countries and several others as the rightful leader of Venezuela, while Maduro's regime continues to interfere politically and socially in the region.\n\nConsistent blackouts, lack of food and water and major medical shortages have defined the last few months in Venezuela, and Maduro's military has attempted to block humanitarian aid from other countries as thousands have fled the nation. Maduro has previously accused the United States of leading a \"coup d'etat\" to undermine his authority and take control of Venezuela's oil reserves.\n\nFACE OF VENEZUELA CRISIS: FOX NEWS GOES INSIDE CAMP TAKING IN REFUGEES FLEEING MADURO REGIME\n\nOn Thursday, the OFAC also sanctioned two more Maduro officials who they say \"continue to engage in significant corruption and fraud to the detriment of the people of Venezuela.\" Those individuals are: Luis Alfredo Motta Dominguez, the former minister of Electric Power and president of the National Electric Corporation, and Eustiquio Jose Lugo Gomez, the Deputy Minister of Finance, Investments, and Strategic Alliances for the Ministry of Electric Power.\n\nCLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP\n\n“The people of Venezuela entrusted their public officials to provide fundamental civic services, like water and electricity,\" Mnuchin said of the additional sanctions. \"The illegitimate Maduro regime exploits the public trust by plundering Venezuelan assets, enriching themselves, and watching idly as basic public systems needlessly and catastrophically fail.”", "The United States has introduced sanctions against the son of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, the US Department of the Treasury announced on its website on Friday\n\nWASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 28th June, 2019) The United States has introduced sanctions against the son of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, the US Department of the Treasury announced on its website on Friday.\n\n\"MADURO GUERRA, Nicolas Ernesto (Latin: MADURO GUERRA, Nicolás Ernesto), Caracas, Capital District, Venezuela; DOB 21 Jun 1990; Gender Male; Cedula No. 19398759 (Venezuela) (individual) [VENEZUELA],\" the Treasury Department said.", "WASHINGTON: The United States on Friday (Jun 28) imposed sanctions on the son of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro for serving in his father's \"illegitimate regime.\"\n\n\"Maduro relies on his son Nicolasito and others close to his authoritarian regime to maintain a stranglehold on the economy and suppress the people of Venezuela,\" US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in announcing the action.\n\n\"Treasury will continue to target complicit relatives of illegitimate regime insiders profiting off of Maduro?s corruption,\" he said.\n\nThe action freezes any assets Nicolas Ernesto Maduro Guerra has in the United States and bars American individuals or institutions from doing business with him.\n\nThe latest US action comes as Maduro moves to consolidate his hold on power after a failed coup attempt by opposition leader Juan Guaido.\n\nGuaido, the leader of the opposition-controlled National Assembly, is recognized by the United States and more than 50 other countries as Venezuela's acting president.\n\nIn targeting Maduro's son, the Treasury noted that he was a member of the pro-government Constituent Assembly, which Maduro has used to sideline the National Assembly.\n\nIt also said that Maduro Guerra \"has profited from Venezuelan mines along with Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores,\" and engaged in propaganda and censorship efforts on behalf of his father's government.", "The United States (US) has announced new sanctions against the son of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.\n\nNicolas Ernesto Maduro Guerra, 29, also known as Nicolasito, is a member of the pro-government Constituent Assembly.\n\nJuan Guaido, who has been recognised by the US as Venezuela’s legitimate leader, heads up a rival parliament that has been side-lined by the Maduro government.\n\nThe sanctions will freeze any US assets Nicolasito has and bars American companies and individuals from doing business with him.\n\nUS Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, who announced the sanctions yesterday, made it clear that Nicolasito is being punished for serving his father's \"illegitimate regime\".\n\n\"Maduro's regime was built on fraudulent elections, and his inner circle lives in luxury off the proceeds of corruption while the Venezuelan people suffer,\" Mnuchin said in a statement.\n\n\"Maduro relies on his son Nicolasito and others close to his authoritarian regime to maintain a stranglehold on the economy and suppress the people of Venezuela\", he added.\n\nThe statement also accused the president's son of engaging in propaganda and censorship on behalf of the government.\n\nNicolasito joins dozens of Venezuelans already under economic sanctions.\n\nThe US has ramped up pressure on the Maduro administration since it recognised Guaido as the country's legitimate leader.\n\nSince declaring himself interim president in January, Guaido has won the backing of more than 50 countries.\n\nHe has, however, struggled to wrest power from Maduro.\n\nWe want to hear from you! Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169, email us at editors@gleanerjm.com or onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com.", "June 28 (Reuters) - The Trump administration turned up the pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Friday by targeting his son Nicolas \"Nicolasito\" Maduro with sanctions, the U.S. Treasury Department said.\n\nThe new sanctions are the latest twist in six months of efforts to oust Maduro, whose 2018 re-election was deigned as illegitimate by the United States and most Western nations.\n\nMaduro's son has been involved in propaganda and censorship, has profited from Venezuelan mines, and helped pressure the military to keep humanitarian aid out of the country, the Treasury Department said.\n\n\"Maduro relies on his son Nicolasito and others close to his authoritarian regime to maintain a stranglehold on the economy and suppress the people of Venezuela,\" Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement.\n\n\"Treasury will continue to target complicit relatives of illegitimate regime insiders profiting off of Maduro´s corruption,\" said Mnuchin, who is in Osaka, Japan, with President Donald Trump for a G20 summit.\n\nTrump has thrown his support behind opposition leader Juan Guaido, a member of Venezuela's National Assembly, who invoked the country's constitution in January to declare himself interim president.\n\nMaduro, who is backed by China, Russia and Turkey, has retained the support of the country's military and other institutions, and calls Guaido a Washington puppet.\n\nThe new sanctions come as Trump holds a series of meetings with world leaders on the sidelines of the G20.\n\nTrump raised the subject of Venezuela with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who backs Maduro, and Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, a Guaido supporter, on the first day of the summit.\n\nAsked whether momentum had been lost in efforts to oust Maduro, Trump told reporters: \"No, not at all. Things take time.\"\n\nOn the second day of the G20, he is scheduled to speak with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Chinese President Xi Jinping, both of whom support Maduro.\n\n\"Venezuela is going to come up at most of the conversations the president has out there. That's because the president has not lost focus on Venezuela,\" a senior U.S. administration official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.\n\nMore information will be released in coming weeks about the younger Maduro's \"direct role in corruption,\" the administration official said, declining to give further details.\n\nMaduro appointed his son the head of the Corps of Inspectors of the Presidency and he also is a member of Venezuela´s National Constituent Assembly, a pro-Maduro legislative superbody created by the government in 2017 to override the opposition-controlled National Assembly.\n\nThe United States does not regard the National Constituent Assembly as legitimate and has previously sanctioned other people involved in the body.\n\nThe Treasury designation means that any assets held by the younger Maduro in the United States will be frozen - and will make it difficult for him to move money through the international banking system.\n\nThe senior administration official declined comment on whether the younger Maduro has assets in the United States.\n\nThe Trump administration is continuing to work on sanctions for other individuals connected to Maduro, including magistrates on Venezuela´s supreme court who have not yet been designated, the official said.\n\n\"We will continue to target corruption and squeeze the Maduro regime until it no longer has funds with which to prop itself up,\" the official said. (Reporting by Roberta Rampton Editing by Bill Trott)", "US slaps sanctions on son of Venezuelan leader Maduro\n\nWASHINGTON: The United States on Friday imposed sanctions on the son of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro for serving in his father´s “illegitimate regime.” “Maduro relies on his son Nicolasito and others close to his authoritarian regime to maintain a stranglehold on the economy and suppress the people of Venezuela,” US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in announcing the action. “Treasury will continue to target complicit relatives of illegitimate regime insiders profiting off of Maduro´s corruption,” he said. The action freezes any assets Nicolas Ernesto Maduro Guerra has in the United States and bars American individuals or institutions from doing business with him. The latest US action comes as Maduro moves to consolidate his hold on power after a failed coup attempt by opposition leader Juan Guaido. Guaido, the leader of the opposition-controlled National Assembly, is recognized by the United States and more than 50 other countries as Venezuela´s acting president."], "summary": "The United States announces sanctions on Nicolás Maduro Guerra, the son of disputed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, accusing him of engaging in propaganda on behalf of the government."}
{"document": ["OSAKA, Japan — With a smirk and a finger point, President Donald Trump dryly told Russia's Vladimir Putin \"Don't meddle in the election\" in their first meeting since the special counsel concluded that Moscow extensively interfered with the 2016 campaign.\n\nThe tone of the president's comment did little to silence questions about Trump's relationship with Russia in the aftermath of special counsel Robert Mueller's conclusion that he could not establish a criminal conspiracy between Trump's campaign and Russia.\n\nThe moment at the Group of 20 summit in Osaka echoed one of the most defining moments of Trump's presidency in Helsinki, Finland. There, he pointedly did not admonish Putin about election interference and did not side with U.S. intelligence agencies over his Russian counterpart.\n\nTrump and Putin traded brief remarks Friday, the first time they sat together since Helsinki, about issues they planned to discuss when a reporter asked Trump if he would warn Putin not to meddle in the 2020 election.\n\n\"Of course,\" the president replied. Then he turned to Putin and facetiously said, \"Don't meddle in the election.\" He playfully repeated the request while pointing at Putin, who laughed.\n\nTrump said he enjoyed a \"very, very good relationship\" with Putin and said \"many positive things are going to come out of the relationship.\" The Kremlin says Putin has invited Trump to visit Russia next year to mark the 75th anniversary of the allied victory in World War II.\n\nPutin has repeatedly dismissed the Mueller report's conclusion that Russia had systemically interfered in the 2016 U.S. election, telling the Financial Times earlier this week that it was \"mythical interference.\"\n\nPutin said that what really happened was that Trump saw changes in American society and took advantage of them.\n\nPutin, who has highlighted national populist movements in Europe and America, told the newspaper that he thinks liberalism — the main political ideology in the West since the end of World War II — is dead.\n\nHe praised Trump for trying to stop the flow of migrants and drugs from Mexico.\n\n\"This liberal idea presupposes that nothing needs to be done — that migrants can kill, plunder and rape with impunity because their rights as migrants have to be protected,\" Putin said in the FT interview.\n\n\"Every crime must have its punishment. The liberal idea has become obsolete. It has come into conflict with the interests of the overwhelming majority of the population.\"\n\nWhile Trump has long placed a premium on establishing close personal ties with Putin, his administration has increased sanctions and other pressures on the Russian government.\n\nThe United States and Russia also are on opposing sides of the escalating crisis with Iran, which shot down an American drone last week. Trump nixed a possible retaliatory air strike and stressed Friday that \"there's no rush\" to ease tensions with Tehran.\n\nAt a summit last November in Argentina, Trump didn't meet with Putin after Russia seized two Ukrainian vessels and their crew in the Sea of Azov. Those crew members remain detained, yet Trump opted to forge ahead with the Osaka meeting. Trump said Friday alongside Putin that the fate of the sailors had yet to be discussed.\n\nThe leaders also have announced their withdrawal from a key arms control pact, the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. It is set to terminate this summer, raising fears of a new arms race. Another major nuclear agreement, the New Start Treaty, is set to expire in 2021 unless Moscow and Washington negotiate an extension.\n\nThe White House said after Friday's meeting that the leaders agreed to keep talking about a \"21st century model of arms control,\" which Trump said needs to include China. In addition to Iran, the two leaders also discussed Syria, Venezuela and Ukraine. The U.S. and Russia are on opposing sides on those three issues too.\n\nBut the backdrop of U.S.-Russia relations remains Moscow's 2016 election interference.\n\nThough the meeting occurred in the early morning hours back in the United States, some were quick to denounce the president's comments. Michael McFaul, who was U.S. ambassador to Russia under Barack Obama, tweeted that he found Trump's conduct \"depressing.\"\n\n\"Trump's admiration and appeasement of Putin is so bizarre,\" he wrote. \"I can't think of one concrete U.S. interest that has been advanced by Trump's behavior.\"\n\nThe sit-down with Putin came amid a gauntlet of negotiations on international crises and trade wars. The president is to meet on Saturday with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Trump said he believed there was \"a very good chance\" they could make progress toward ending their trade dispute.\n\nTrump also is keeping an eye on the race to replace him back home. Ten Democrats met in Miami, Florida, as part of the first debates of the 2020 presidential race.\n\n\"I just passed a television set on the way here. I saw that health care and maximum health care was given to 100% of the illegal immigrants coming into our country by the Democrats,\" Trump said, telling German Chancellor Merkel during their meeting that a debate the previous night \"wasn't very exciting.\"\n\n\"So I look forward to spending time with you rather than watching,\" he said. Merkel did not react.\n\nLater, while meeting with Brazil's president Jair Bolsonaro, Trump segued from a discussion on the crisis in Venezuela to declare that he had heard a rumor that the Democratic Party will change its name to the Socialist Party. \"I'm hearing that, but let's see if they do it,\" Trump said.\n\nThere have been no such rumors.", "After months of negative news for the government of President Mauricio Macri, and his aspirations for re-election, it seems as if fate is beginning to turn around. With the electoral season in full swing, the final registration of candidacies came down to the wire. With the announcement of Senator Miguel Ángel Pichetto as his running-mate a few weeks ago, and the confirmation of Renewal Front leader Sergio Massa’s return to Kirchnerism, both markets and poll numbers have moved favorably for the president. With the three major electoral alliances already in the books, the major battlelines have been drawn.\n\nLeaked polling numbers from political consultancy firm Isonomía made the rounds on social media a few weeks ago, indicating solid gains for Macri. According to the figures, which were part of a private study that Isonomía did not publish but the authenticity of which it confirmed, indicated President Macri’s approval ratings jumped from to 43 percent, from 33 percent in previous surveys, while his disapproval figures dropped from 65 percent to 57 percent. What makes Isonomía’s figures all that more relevant is it was the same firm that had released the fateful April 18th report indicating Cristina Fernández de Kirchner would take the election in a runoff, sparking a run on the peso and a spike in the riesgo país index which measures the spread between Argentine sovereign bonds and their US counterparts.\n\nAnother key insight for the government’s political aspirations is Fernández de Kirchner’s own figures which have been slumping since announcing Alberto Fernández as the presidential candidate on her ticket. If the election were the day of the surveys, 36 percent of the electorate would support the former two-term president, compared with 34 percent for Macri. In April, the spread showed a nine percentage points differential, giving Fernandez de Kirchner a clear lead. If the runoff were the day of the surveys, though, the Fernández-Fernández ticket was still projected to win by two points with 45 percent of the vote, with 12 percent still undecided or unwilling to vote for either candidate.\n\nAs expected, the last few weeks have been positive for the government, but continue to indicate that the situation will be extremely fluid. While the initial reaction to Fernández de Kirchner’s decision to take a supporting role as the vice-presidential candidate did not appear to hurt her chances, the final deflation of the “third way” supposedly represented by the Alternativa Federal (Federal Alternative) coalition has set up an electoral campaign marked by polarization between macristas and cristinistas, and a progressive move toward the center by both major parties. As Massa sided with the Kirchnerites and Pichetto with Macri, Alternativa Federal was hollowed out from the inside, with former Economy minister Roberto Lavagna teaming up with Salta province governor, Juan Manuel Urtubey, a Peronist.\n\nYet, as the market looked on positively at Pichetto’s candidacy, and the dollar-peso exchange rate remained under control, Macri had reasons to celebrate. The latest inflation figures, for the month of May, showed further deceleration from 3.4 percent to 3.1 percent, a trend which is expected to continue. While it is too early to speak of green shoots, certain macroeconomic indicators could point toward a tepid recovery.\n\nThis article was originally published in The Buenos Aires Times, Argentina's only English-language newspaper.", "Less than 24 hours after President Trump fired FBI Director James Comey, the man who was leading an active investigation into Trump-Russia ties during the 2016 U.S. presidential election, the commander in chief took it upon himself to welcome Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak into the Oval Office.\n\nAccording to Politico, “The meeting was Lavrov’s first in the White House since 2013—and came after several years of the Obama administration’s flat-out refusal to grant him an Oval Office audience, two former senior White House officials told me. ‘The Russians were begging us for years to do that,’ one of the former officials said. ‘They were constantly pushing for it and we were constantly saying no.’”\n\nKislyak, meanwhile, is a Russian spymaster whose clandestine meetings with Trump officials during the presidential campaign helped lead to the termination of former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn and the alleged recusal of Jeff Sessions from the FBI’s Trump-Russia probe (*alleged because FBI Director Comey’s firing reportedly came at the behest of Sessions).\n\nEnter The Daily Show host Trevor Noah: “All of this madness is happening because of the Trump campaign’s possible ties to Russia: firings, hearings, recusals, emails about Borscht recipes—all because of Russia. So, if you were Donald Trump right now, what’s the one thing you would stay away from?”\n\nYes, Russia—and more specifically, Kislyak, “the specific guy who got Michael Flynn fired and made Jeff Sessions have to recuse himself from the Russia investigation,” Noah continued. “If there’s one person you don’t want any more ties to, it’s this guy. He is the kiss of death. But as we all know, no one tells Donald Trump who he can kiss.”\n\nDespite all the controversy, Trump brought the Sergeys into the Oval Office anyway. And Lavrov even trolled the President during a presser, feigning shock at Trump’s firing of FBI Director Comey in front of a gaggle of reporters.\n\n“For Lavrov, just having this meeting and the photo-op itself is a big demonstration to the world and to the Russian people that Russia is back, and that isolation has failed, irrespective of whether anything gets agreed,” Alexander Vershbow, former ambassador to Russia under President George W. Bush, told Politico.\n\n“You all may think this is shady, but Trump doesn’t answer to us. He answers to a higher power,” added Noah.\n\nIt was none other than Vladimir Putin who convinced Trump to receive the Sergeys. “He chose to receive him because Putin asked him to,” a White House spokesman told Politico of Trump’s Lavrov meeting. “Putin did specifically ask on the call when they last talked.”\n\nMy goodness. “You know, it’s starting to feel less like Putin’s blackmailing Trump, and more like he has Trump hypnotized,” joked Noah. “And Donald Trump might be crazy, but it turns out he’s not stupid. He knew that this would look bad, so he didn’t allow any American journalists into the room: no photos, no documentation, no pics. So it didn’t happen, right? There’s just one little problem.”\n\nIt turns out that while President Trump didn’t allow U.S. press into the Oval Office, he did allow a Russian state news media photographer for TASS in to take photos—apparently believing that they would not share them online. It bears repeating: The President of the United States allowed a spymaster and his photographer into the White House Oval Office with cameras and electronic equipment.\n\nSure enough, the photos ended up online, and according to CNN, “The Russians used the photos to troll the White House in its social media posts Wednesday. The Russian Foreign Ministry posted a photo of a smiling US President shaking hands with Lavrov on Twitter, adding strange and ironic optics to the questions already swirling around the White House over Comey's firing.”\n\nCNN also quoted an angry White House official who said of the Oval Office visit, “They tricked us,” adding, “That’s the problem with the Russians—they lie.”\n\n“Wow! The Russians lied?! Oh, bless your soul, Trump. I can’t believe how innocent Trump’s people are: The Russians lied to us! When has that ever happened before? They said they wouldn’t take the pictures, but they did! How are you shocked that they lied?” asked Noah. “Was Trump standing there like, ‘Sergei! Why did you release those pictures? You even pinky swore!’ ‘Oh, I thought that was just one of your normal fingers.’”\n\n“I’m sorry, like, Russia is owning Donald Trump so hard right now, it’s embarrassing,” Noah continued. “It’s like watching the Harlem Globetrotters: did he have to dunk on him and pull his pants down, man?”", "President Donald Trump shakes with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during a meeting on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Osaka, Japan, Friday, June 28, 2019. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)\n\nOSAKA, Japan (AP) — The Latest on President Donald Trump’s trip to Asia (all times local):\n\nPresident Donald Trump and China’s Xi Jinping are meeting Saturday in Osaka, Japan, as the trade war between two economic titans faces a critical junction.\n\nBoth the U.S. and China are signaling a desire to de-escalate the year-long conflict, yet seem unwilling to compromise.\n\nThe meeting will take place on the sidelines of the international Group of 20 summit.\n\nTrump is also meeting Saturday with Saudi Arabia’s Mohammad Bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.\n\nDemocrats are criticizing an off-handed comment President Donald Trump made about election meddling during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of a summit in Japan.\n\nAfter a reporter asked Trump if he was going to warn Russia not to meddle in the U.S. election, Trump turned to Putin and jokingly said: “Don’t meddle in the election.”\n\nThe Senate’s top Democrat, Chuck Schumer, says the joke is on America and Putin is the only one laughing. Schumer says Trump is giving Russia a green light to interfere again in 2020.\n\nThe Kremlin says President Vladimir Putin has invited President Donald Trump to visit Russia next year.\n\nPutin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Friday that the Russian leader wants Trump to attend festivities marking the 75th anniversary of the World War II victory.\n\nPeskov says Trump reacted “positively” to the invitation at the two leaders’ meeting on the sidelines of the Group of 20 nations’ summit in Osaka. Peskov says a formal invitation would be sent shortly.\n\nThe Kremlin spokesman says that during their meeting, Trump and Putin discussed ways to improve economic times, arms control, China, Syria and Turkey.\n\nPresident Donald Trump is joking with Russian President Vladimir Putin about interfering in U.S. elections.\n\nAfter a reporter at an international summit in Japan asked Trump if he was going to warn Russia not to meddle in the U.S. election, Trump turned to Putin and jokingly said: “Don’t meddle in the election.”\n\nThe off-handed comment came during the two leaders’ first meeting since special counsel Robert Mueller concluded that Russia extensively interfered with the 2016 campaign.\n\nPresident Donald Trump has promised Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro that he will visit the South American country.\n\nTrump said Friday that Brazil has many of the world’s assets and he looks forward to the trip. He didn’t say when it would be.\n\nBolsonaro, dubbed the “Trump of the Tropics” after he emulated Trump to win election last year, told Trump he supports his re-election. The leaders met on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Osaka, Japan.\n\nTrump answered several questions about his meeting Saturday with Chinese President Xi Jinping and said he thinks it will be productive. The U.S. and China are locked in a trade war.\n\nTrump says he hasn’t promised to hold off on new tariffs on Chinese goods.\n\nWhite House senior adviser Ivanka Trump will speak about women’s economic empowerment at a special event during the Group of 20 summit in Japan.\n\nThe White House says President Donald Trump’s daughter plans to speak Saturday at an event being held a summit session on women’s participation in the workforce. She was invited by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, host of the summit in Osaka, and will appear with Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, with whom she has worked closely on the issue.\n\nPresident Trump is also expected to attend.\n\nIvanka Trump will discuss how the Trump administrations recently launched initiative on Women’s Global Development and Prosperity will marshal government and private support to empower women economically around the world.\n\nPresident Donald Trump says he’ll discuss trade and disarmament issues with Russian President Vladimir Putin.\n\nThe two are meeting Friday on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Osaka, Japan. It’s their first meeting since a federal investigation in the United States documented extensive evidence of Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. It’s also their first time face-to-face since a Helsinki summit last July in which Trump refused to side with U.S. intelligence agencies over his Russian counterpart.\n\nPutin has denied meddling in the election.\n\nTrump jokingly said to Putin: “Don’t meddle in the election,” after a reporter asked if he will deliver that warning to Putin about the 2020 U.S. election.\n\nPresident Donald Trump says German Chancellor Angela Merkel is a “fantastic person” and he’s “glad to have her as a friend.”\n\nTrump commented Friday as he and Merkel met on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Japan. Merkel said last year that she won’t seek a fifth term as chancellor and Trump has complained outside of her presence that Germany is taking advantage of the U.S. on support for NATO.\n\nThe president says he and Merkel “have many things to talk about” but he didn’t indicate whether he’d raise the NATO issue.\n\nMerkel said she wants to discuss Iran, counterterrorism and West Africa.\n\nPresident Donald Trump says he and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi have become “great friends” and the two countries “have never been closer.”\n\nThe two heads of state met Friday in Osaka, Japan, on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit.\n\nThe president has complained about trade with India and says it will be among the issues they discuss. Modi said he wants to discuss Iran, 5G communications networks, bilateral relations and defense relations. The prime minister also thanked Trump for expressing his “love toward India” in a letter recently delivered by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.\n\nTrump and Modi met separately following a three-way meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.\n\nPresident Donald Trump is meeting jointly with the leaders of India and Japan.\n\nThe three leaders did a group fist bump as they posed for a photo Friday’s meeting on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Osaka, Japan.\n\nTrump says it’s a “great honor” to be at the meeting and congratulated Modi on his recent re-election.\n\nDespite his recent complaints about India and Japan, Trump forecast a “positive” discussion with his counterparts.\n\nAbe says India, the U.S., and Japan are the “foundation of the peace and prosperity in the region.”\n\nPresident Donald Trump is opening his participation in the Group of 20 summit by meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the summit host.\n\nTrump recalled Friday that he’d been in Japan last month, joking that “we just left Japan and now I’m back.”\n\nHe recalled presenting an award to the winner of a sumo wrestling champion during the May visit and claimed “everybody’s talking about it all over the world.”\n\nTrump says he and Abe will discuss trade, military and other issues during their meeting on the sidelines of the summit, which is being held in Osaka, Japan.\n\nPresident Donald Trump is under pressure to take a firm stand against election interference Friday when he holds his first meeting with Russia’s Vladimir Putin since the special counsel found extensive evidence of Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. election.\n\nU.S. officials are on high alert for more interference next year.\n\nTrump said in advance he expected a “very good conversation” with Putin but told reporters that “what I say to him is none of your business.”\n\nHis aides have grown worried that Trump could use the meeting to once again attack Robert Mueller’s probe on the world stage, particularly since the special counsel now has a date to testify before Congress next month.", "President Donald Trump and President Vladimir Putin met for the first time since the conclusion of former special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia probe. During the chat on Friday (June 28), Trump made a joke about Putin’s country meddling in the election.\n\nAt his first meeting with Putin since Robert Mueller’s Russia probe concluded, Trump made light of the robust evidence showing Russia engaged in a “sweeping and systematic” campaign to disrupt the election in Trump’s favor.\n\nAfter he was asked by reporter whether he will talk to Putin about election interference — a topic he failed to mention himself, Trump responded: “Yes, of course I will.”\n\nBut he didn’t stop there. He turned to Putin, seated next to him, smiling and pointing his finger in the Russian president’s direction, and said jokingly, “Don’t meddle in the election, president. Don’t meddle in the election.” Putin, after appearing to hear the translation, laughed while Trump grinned.\n\nThe outlet notes that this is just the latest of winking nods President Trump has made towards Russia and President Putin in regards to the perception that the former business mogul is far more connected to the nation and its leadership than expected.\n\nPresident Donald Trump Jokes With Russian President Vladimir Putin About Election Meddling was originally published on hiphopwired.com", "With a smirk and a finger point, President Donald Trump dryly told Russia’s Vladimir Putin “Don’t meddle in the election” in their first meeting since the special counsel concluded that Moscow extensively interfered with the 2016 campaign.\n\nThe tone of the president’s comment did little to silence questions about Trump’s relationship with Russia in the aftermath of special counsel Robert Mueller’s conclusion that he could not establish a criminal conspiracy between Trump’s campaign and Russia.\n\nThe moment at the Group of 20 summit in Osaka echoed one of the most defining moments of Trump’s presidency in Helsinki, Finland. There, he pointedly did not admonish Putin about election interference and did not side with U.S. intelligence agencies over his Russian counterpart.\n\nTrump and Putin traded brief remarks Friday, the first time they sat together since Helsinki, about issues they planned to discuss when a reporter asked Trump if he would warn Putin not to meddle in the 2020 election.\n\n“Of course,” the president replied. Then he turned to Putin and facetiously said, “Don’t meddle in the election.” He playfully repeated the request while pointing at Putin, who laughed.\n\nTrump said he enjoyed a “very, very good relationship” with Putin and said “many positive things are going to come out of the relationship.”\n\nLater in the evening, the Kremlin said Putin had invited President Donald Trump to visit Russia next year.\n\nPutin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters Friday that the Russian leader wants Trump to attend festivities marking the 75th anniversary of the World War II victory.\n\nPeskov says Trump reacted “positively” to the invitation and that a formal invitation would be sent shortly.\n\nThe spokesman said Trump and Putin used their meeting to discuss ways to improve economic times, arms control, China, Syria and Turkey.\n\nPutin has repeatedly dismissed the Mueller report’s conclusion that Russia systemically interfered in the 2016 U.S. election, telling the Financial Times earlier this week that it was “mythical interference.”\n\nPutin said that what really happened was that Trump saw changes in American society and took advantage of them.\n\nPutin, who has highlighted national populist movements in Europe and America, told the newspaper that he thinks liberalism — the main political ideology in the West since the end of World War II — is dead.\n\nHe praised Trump for trying to stop the flow of migrants and drugs from Mexico.\n\n“This liberal idea presupposes that nothing needs to be done — that migrants can kill, plunder and rape with impunity because their rights as migrants have to be protected,” Putin said in the FT interview.\n\n“Every crime must have its punishment. The liberal idea has become obsolete. It has come into conflict with the interests of the overwhelming majority of the population.”\n\nWhile Trump has long placed a premium on establishing close personal ties with Putin, his administration has increased sanctions and other pressures on the Russian government.\n\nThe United States and Russia also are on opposing sides of the escalating crisis with Iran, which shot down an American drone last week. Trump nixed a possible retaliatory airstrike and stressed Friday that “there’s no rush” to ease tensions with Tehran.\n\nAt a summit last November in Argentina, Trump didn’t meet with Putin after Russia seized two Ukrainian vessels and their crew in the Sea of Azov. Those crew members remain detained, yet Trump opted to forge ahead with the Osaka meeting. Trump said Friday alongside Putin that the fate of the sailors had yet to be discussed.\n\nThe leaders also have announced their withdrawal from a key arms control pact, the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. It is set to terminate this summer, raising fears of a new arms race. Another major nuclear agreement, the New Start Treaty, is set to expire in 2021 unless Moscow and Washington negotiate an extension.\n\nThe White House said after Friday’s meeting that the leaders agreed to keep talking about a “21st century model of arms control,” which Trump said needs to include China. In addition to Iran, the two leaders also discussed Syria, Venezuela and Ukraine. The U.S. and Russia are on opposing sides on those three issues too.\n\nBut the backdrop of U.S.-Russia relations remains Moscow’s 2016 election interference.\n\nThough the meeting occurred in the early morning hours back in the United States, some were quick to denounce the president’s comments. Michael McFaul, who was U.S. ambassador to Russia under Barack Obama, tweeted that he found Trump’s conduct “depressing.”\n\n“Trump’s admiration and appeasement of Putin is so bizarre,” he wrote. “I can’t think of one concrete U.S. interest that has been advanced by Trump’s behavior.”\n\nThe sit-down with Putin came amid a gauntlet of negotiations on international crises and trade wars. The president is to meet on Saturday with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Trump said he believed there was “a very good chance” they could make progress toward ending their trade dispute.\n\nTrump also is keeping an eye on the race to replace him back home. Ten Democrats met in Miami, Florida, as part of the first debates of the 2020 presidential race.\n\n“I just passed a television set on the way here. I saw that health care and maximum health care was given to 100 percent of the illegal immigrants coming into our country by the Democrats,” Trump said, telling German Chancellor Merkel during their meeting that a debate the previous night “wasn’t very exciting.”\n\n“So I look forward to spending time with you rather than watching,” he said. Merkel did not react.\n\nLater, while meeting with Brazil’s president Jair Bolsonaro, Trump segued from a discussion on the crisis in Venezuela to declare that he had heard a rumor that the Democratic Party will change its name to the Socialist Party. “I’m hearing that, but let’s see if they do it,” Trump said.\n\nThere have been no such rumors.", "Los presidentes de Brasil y Estados Unidos dieron un mensaje que se interpretó como un apoyo electoral Crédito: Twitter Bolsonaro\n\nComentar Me gusta Me gusta Compartir E-mail Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Guardar 28 de junio de 2019 • 16:54\n\n-¿Cómo puede ayudar Estados Unidos a Brasil?, preguntó Donald Trump, con una media sonrisa.\n\n-Es mejor ayudar a la Argentina para que no vuelva el populismo y eso va a beneficiar a Brasil, fue la respuesta del presidente Jair Bolsonaro.\n\nLa conversación entre los presidentes Trump y Bolsonaro, que pudo reconstruir LA NACION en base a la información que circulaba entre la delegación argentina, no deja dudas: preocupados ante un eventual regreso del kirchnerismo, los principales líderes del mundo, socios de la Argentina, apuestan por la continuidad del presidente Mauricio Macri.\n\nOtro mandatario que fue explícito en el mismo sentido fue el chileno, Sebastián Piñera, que además avisó que estará presente en la cumbre de Jefes de Estado del Mercosur, que se desarrollará en la ciudad de Santa Fe los días 15, 16 y 17 del mes próximo.\n\nBolsonaro y Piñera ya hicieron manifestaciones públicas a favor de la reelección de Macri. Hace 20 días, el mandatario brasileño, por ejemplo, le pidió al pueblo argentino votar en octubre \"con la razón y no con la emoción, como lo hicimos en Brasil, donde hubo gran responsabilidad para decidir el futuro del país\".\n\nTrump, Bolsonaro y Piñera se suman a los esfuerzos que hicieron los presidentes Emmanuel Macron (Francia), Angela Merkel (Alemania), Pedro Sánchez (España) y el presidente de la Comisión Europea, Jean Claude Juncker, entre otros, para sellar la firma del acuerdo de libre comercio entre el Mercosur y la Unión Europea (UE), una negociación que duró dos décadas y que se cristalizó hoy.\n\nMacri, presidente pro-témpore del Mercosur, y Juncker podrían presentar el acuerdo -estaba en evaluación realizar una conferencia de prensa- tras la reunión que mantendrán cerca de las 23 de la Argentina (a las 11 de la mañana del sábado en Japón).\n\n\"¡Trato hecho! Un momento histórico. En medio de las tensiones comerciales internacionales, estamos enviando una fuerte señal de que defendemos el comercio basado en normas. El mayor acuerdo comercial de la Unión Europea ha concluido. Resultado positivo para el medio ambiente y los consumidores\", celebró el mandamás europeo vía redes sociales.\n\nMacri era \"pura emoción\" hace unas horas, en la madrugada de Osaka. Después de llamado del canciller Jorge Faurie y del ministro de Producción, Dante Sica, no soltó el teléfono. Los mensajes y llamados se multiplicaron por decenas.\n\n\"Después de 20 años, es un milagro haber conseguido el acuerdo\", se sinceró, según pudo reconstruir LA NACION, el Presidente ante uno de sus funcionarios.\n\nEs que el acuerdo, que crea un mercado de bienes y servicios de 800 millones de consumidores y casi una cuarta parte del PBI mundial, representa para el Gobierno, y para el Presidente en particular, un hito. La \"inserción inteligente\" en el mundo fue uno de los ejes de la gestión macrista. El logro, anticiparon desde la Casa Rosada, será parte del mensaje oficial en la campaña.\n\nEl respaldo de los principales líderes del G-20, entre ellos Trump, Merkel, Macron y del primer ministro japonés, Shinzo Abe, fue determinante para que el Fondo Monetario Internacional (FMI) le otorgue a la Argentina el préstamo más importante de su historia.\n\n\"Se mueve como un primus inter pares\", describieron testigos del paso del mandatario argentino por el centro de convenciones en Osaka. Según los integrantes de la delegación argentina, Macri se mueve con \"naturalidad\" y habla con \"todos\".", "President Donald Trump says is ‘in no hurry’ for a deal with China\n\nU.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that while his meeting with China’s President Xi Jinping was far better than expected, he was “in no hurry” to cut a trade deal.", "OSAKA, Japan — With a smirk and a finger point, President Donald Trump dryly told Russia’s Vladimir Putin “Don’t meddle in the election” in their first meeting since the special counsel concluded that Moscow extensively interfered with the 2016 campaign.\n\nThe tone of the president’s comment did little to silence questions about Trump’s relationship with Russia in the aftermath of special counsel Robert Mueller’s conclusion that he could not establish a criminal conspiracy between Trump’s campaign and Russia.\n\nThe moment at the Group of 20 summit in Osaka echoed one of the most defining moments of Trump’s presidency in Helsinki, Finland. There, he pointedly did not admonish Putin about election interference and did not side with U.S. intelligence agencies over his Russian counterpart.\n\nTrump and Putin traded brief remarks Friday, the first time they sat together since Helsinki, about issues they planned to discuss when a reporter asked Trump if he would warn Putin not to meddle in the 2020 election.\n\n“Of course,” the president replied. Then he turned to Putin and facetiously said, “Don’t meddle in the election.” He playfully repeated the request while pointing at Putin, who laughed.\n\nTrump said he enjoyed a “very, very good relationship” with Putin and said “many positive things are going to come out of the relationship.”\n\nPutin has repeatedly dismissed the Mueller report’s conclusion that Russia had systemically interfered in the 2016 U.S. election, telling the Financial Times earlier this week that it was “mythical interference.”\n\nPutin said that what really happened was that Trump saw changes in American society and took advantage of them.\n\nPutin, who has highlighted national populist movements in Europe and America, told the newspaper that he thinks liberalism — the main political ideology in the West since the end of World War II — is dead.\n\nHe praised Trump for trying to stop the flow of migrants and drugs from Mexico.\n\n“This liberal idea presupposes that nothing needs to be done — that migrants can kill, plunder and rape with impunity because their rights as migrants have to be protected,” Putin said in the FT interview.\n\n“Every crime must have its punishment. The liberal idea has become obsolete. It has come into conflict with the interests of the overwhelming majority of the population.”\n\nWhile Trump has long placed a premium on establishing close personal ties with Putin, his administration has increased sanctions and other pressures on the Russian government.\n\nThe United States and Russia also are on opposing sides of the escalating crisis with Iran, which shot down an American drone last week. Trump nixed a possible retaliatory air strike and stressed Friday that “there’s no rush” to ease tensions with Tehran.\n\nAt a summit last November in Argentina, Trump didn’t meet with Putin after Russia seized two Ukrainian vessels and their crew in the Sea of Azov. Those crew members remain detained, yet Trump opted to forge ahead with the Osaka meeting. Trump said Friday alongside Putin that the fate of the sailors had yet to be discussed.\n\nThe leaders also have announced their withdrawal from a key arms control pact, the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. It is set to terminate this summer, raising fears of a new arms race. Another major nuclear agreement, the New Start Treaty, is set to expire in 2021 unless Moscow and Washington negotiate an extension.\n\nThe White House said after Friday’s meeting that the leaders agreed to keep talking about a “21st century model of arms control,” which Trump said needs to include China. In addition to Iran, the two leaders also discussed Syria, Venezuela and Ukraine. The U.S. and Russia are on opposing sides on those three issues too.\n\nBut the backdrop of U.S.-Russia relations remains Moscow’s 2016 election interference.\n\nThough the meeting occurred in the early morning hours back in the United States, some were quick to denounce the president’s comments. Michael McFaul, who was U.S. ambassador to Russia under Barack Obama, tweeted that he found Trump’s conduct “depressing.”\n\n“Trump’s admiration and appeasement of Putin is so bizarre,” he wrote. “I can’t think of one concrete U.S. interest that has been advanced by Trump’s behavior.”\n\nThe sit-down with Putin came amid a gauntlet of negotiations on international crises and trade wars. The president is to meet on Saturday with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Trump said he believed there was “a very good chance” they could make progress toward ending their trade dispute.\n\nTrump also is keeping an eye on the race to replace him back home. Ten Democrats met in Miami, Florida, as part of the first debates of the 2020 presidential race.\n\n“I just passed a television set on the way here. I saw that health care and maximum health care was given to 100% of the illegal immigrants coming into our country by the Democrats,” Trump said, telling German Chancellor Merkel during their meeting that a debate the previous night “wasn’t very exciting.”\n\n“So I look forward to spending time with you rather than watching,” he said. Merkel did not react.\n\nLater, while meeting with Brazil’s president Jair Bolsonaro, Trump segued from a discussion on the crisis in Venezuela to declare that he had heard a rumor that the Democratic Party will change its name to the Socialist Party. “I’m hearing that, but let’s see if they do it,” Trump said.\n\nThere have been no such rumors.", "OSAKA, June 28 US President Donald Trump might have infamously fallen “in love” with North Korea’s leader, but he seemed to have room in his heart for another during a meeting today with Brazilian leader Jair Bolsonaro.\n\nRight-wing leader Bolsonaro has often been compared to the US leader and even nicknamed the “Trump of the tropics”.\n\nAnd the two leaders had nothing but praise for each other during face-to-face talks, held on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Japan’s Osaka — a reunion of sorts after their first meeting in March at the White House.\n\n“He is a special man, doing very well, very much loved by the people of Brazil,” Trump said, smiling broadly.\n\nFor his part, Bolsonaro told the US president: “I have been a great admirer of you for quite some time, even before your election.”\n\n“I support Trump, I support the United States, I support your re-election,” he added.\n\nThe Brazilian ex-army captain may be a relatively rare ally for Trump at a G20 meeting expected to be one of the most fractious in years with disputes over trade, climate change and Middle East tensions on the agenda.\n\nLike Trump, Bolsonaro is considered a climate change sceptic, and the Brazilian also subscribes to the US leader’s love of social media.\n\nHe immortalised their encounter in a photo posted on his official Twitter account, showing him posing alongside Trump in the US leader’s characteristic pose: a jaunty thumbs up. -AFP"], "summary": "U.S. President Donald Trump and Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro officially endorse the re-election campaign of Mauricio Macri."}
{"document": ["Man charged with murder, kidnapping of missing Utah student Mackenzie Lueck\n\nMackenzie Lueck, 23, was last seen June 17 after arriving on a flight at the Salt Lake City airport and taking a Lyft to a park where she appeared to meet someone.", "(CNN) -- Investigators have executed a search warrant at a house in connection to missing college student Mackenzie Lueck, according to the Salt Lake City Police Department.\n\nSalt Lake City Police Assistant Chief Tim Doubt said that authorities would release more information in the case on Thursday morning after searching the home in the Fairpark neighborhood on Wednesday night. According to CNN affiliate KSL, officials were still searching the house Thursday.\n\nLueck, a 23-year-old senior at the University of Utah, has been missing since the morning of June 17, when she was dropped off by a Lyft in a park where she met another individual, according to police.\n\nLueck had flown into the Salt Lake City International Airport after attending a family funeral in California and exited the airport's departure area sometime after 2 a.m.\n\nImages taken from the airport's surveillance footage, show Lueck walking through the airport and rolling her luggage past a baggage carousel.\n\nAccording to police, Lueck then took a Lyft to Hatch Park in North Salt Lake City. The Lyft driver dropped her off and went to pick up other riders.\n\n\"Mackenzie was met at Hatch Park by an individual in a vehicle,\" Doubt told reporters on Monday. \"The Lyft driver left Mackenzie at the park with that person and stated that Mackenzie did not appear to be in any type of distress.\"\n\nPolice cannot confirm the make or model of the car. The identity of the driver remains unknown, Doubt said.\n\nLyft confirmed that Lueck's route showed no irregularities and ended at the destination she entered. The driver continued providing rides immediately after dropping her off, the rideshare company said. \"We are actively assisting law enforcement with their investigation.\"\n\nLueck missed a flight to Los Angeles the morning of June 23 and a midterm exam. Her sorority sister Ashley Fine told KSL that was out of character because Lueck is \"extremely dedicated.\"\n\n\"She would never miss her midterms or anything like that,\" Fine said.", "A very sad end to a statewide search for missing University of Utah student Mackenzie Lueck. During a police conference update today, Ms. Lueck was identified as a murder victim. A suspect has been arrested.\n\n(Via NBC) Salt Lake City police on Friday arrested and charged a man with the murder of missing University of Utah student Mackenzie Lueck.\n\nAyoola Ajayi, 31, is charged with aggravated murder, aggravated kidnapping, obstruction of justice and desecration of body, authorities announced.\n\nSalt Lake City police Chief Mike Brown said he personally telephoned Lueck’s parents in Southern California to tell them their 23-year-old daughter was dead.\n\n“This is one of the most difficult phone calls I have ever made as both Greg and his wife, Diana, are devastated, are heartbroken by this news,” Brown said.\n\nThe announcement came after SWAT officers in full tactical gear swarmed an apartment complex at about 9:20 a.m. MT at 1028 S.W. Temple. (read more)", "One person has been taken into custody Friday morning in relation to the disappearance of University of Utah student Mackenzie Lueck, Salt Lake City police announced.\n\nFurther details on the arrest – which came a day after police finished searching a home whose owner they identified as a person of interest — were not immediately available.\n\nLueck, 23, was last seen meeting an unknown individual around 3 a.m. on June 17 near a park in Salt Lake City after being dropped off by a Lyft driver.\n\nSalt Lake City police are expected to reveal more about the arrest at a press conference at 1:30 p.m. ET\n\nThis is a developing news story. Please check back for updates…", "(CNN) — Police have filed an aggravated murder charge against a man who allegedly killed missing Utah college student Mackenzie Lueck, authorities said Friday.\n\nThe suspect, identified by Salt Lake City Police Chief Mike Brown as Ayoola Ajayi, also faces charges of aggravated kidnapping, obstruction of justice and desecration of a body.\n\nLueck had not been seen since the early morning hours of June 17, when she took a Lyft to a park in North Salt Lake City, according to police.\n\nTheir investigation showed Lueck and Ajayi’s phones were both in the park within less than a minute of each other, Brown said. This was approximately the same time that Lueck’s phone stopped receiving data or location services.\n\nOn Wednesday, as detectives searched Ajayi’s home and property, Ajayi’s neighbors told police they saw him using gasoline to burn something in his backyard on June 17 and June 18, according to Brown.\n\n“A forensic excavation of the burn area was conducted, which resulted in the finding of several charred items that were consistent with personal items of Mackenzie Lueck,” Brown told reporters.\n\nPolice also discovered charred material that was determined to be female human tissue, he said. The DNA of the human tissue was found to be consistent with Lueck’s DNA profile.\n\nLueck, a 23-year-old University of Utah student, flew in to Salt Lake City International Airport from a family funeral in California and texted her parents at 1 a.m. when she landed.\n\nAirport surveillance footage showed her rolling her luggage past a baggage carousel in the early morning hours.\n\nShe then took a Lyft to Hatch Park in North Salt Lake City, where she was last seen.\n\n“Mackenzie was met at Hatch Park by an individual in a vehicle,”\n\nSalt Lake City Police Assistant Chief Tim Doubt told reporters Monday that the Lyft driver “stated that Mackenzie did not appear to be in any type of distress.”\n\nThe rideshare company confirmed the route Lueck took and the app said that it showed no irregularities.\n\n“We recognize how scary this must be for those who know and love Ms. Lueck,” Lyft said. “The safety of our community is fundamental to Lyft and we are actively assisting law enforcement with their investigation.”\n\nLueck’s Instagram account has been active since she disappeared. An account bearing the name “Kenzie Lueck” followed another Instagram user on or about Wednesday, CNN verified. That user has not replied to CNN’s request for comment.\n\nIt’s possible another individual accessed Lueck’s account and is responsible for the activity.\n\nThe account belongs to Lueck, her sorority sister Kennedy Stoner confirmed. Lueck’s friends have shared information regarding the account’s activity with Salt Lake City police, Stoner said.\n\nInvestigators have been looking into the account’s activity, along with the rest of the case’s “digital footprint,” Brown confirmed Thursday.\n\n“This is a digital forensic investigation,” he said. “This is covering computers, cell phones, IP addresses, URLs, texting apps.”\n\nLueck’s family and friends told police that it was unusual for them to have not heard from her.\n\nShe was scheduled to fly to Los Angeles on June 23 but missed the flight.\n\nFriend and sorority sister Ashley Fine told CNN affiliate KSL that Lueck also has missed exams.\n\n“She’s extremely dedicated. She would never miss her midterms or anything like that,” Fine told the Salt Lake City TV station. “She hasn’t been home. She didn’t show up to work, or anything.”\n\nBrown spoke to her father and said he could “feel the heartache and the pain and the suffering in his voice as we spoke.”\n\n“And my commitment to Greg was we would do everything within our power, the Salt Lake City Police Department, to bring Mackenzie home,” Brown said. “And that is our charge and that we are committed to do.”", "SALT LAKE CITY, Utah -- Salt Lake City police took a person into custody Friday as the search continued for missing Southern California college student MacKenzie Lueck, authorities said.Police did not immediately release details of an arrest or the identity of the person being held. Investigators are expected to provide more information at a morning news conference.On Thursday, Salt Lake City Police Chief Mike Brown said the owner of a home that was served a search warrant the previous evening was a person of interest in the case. He did not identify that individual by name.Brown said multiple items of evidence were reviewed by detectives during the search and the items are in the process of being tested and analyzed.Brown went on to say police are searching for a mattress and box spring that were given away from the home around the time Lueck disappeared.Lueck, a 23-year-old from El Segundo, California, has been missing for more than a week since she flew back to school in Utah.The University of Utah student flew back to Southern California earlier this month for her grandmother's funeral. When she returned to Salt Lake City on Monday, June 17, she texted her mother to say she had landed safely.Since that text, she hasn't been heard from.Police say she took a Lyft from the airport, but did not go home, instead meeting someone at a park in North Salt Lake.Her phone has been off since then and she's missed her exams. Her friends and family have not heard from her. She was also supposed to return to Southern California last weekend for a wedding.Investigators say the Lyft driver provided other rides immediately after dropping her off. The driver and the company are cooperating with the investigation.", "In this image made from a June 2019 Salt Lake City International Airport video provided by the Salt Lake City Police Department shows Mackenzie Lueck, a missing University of Utah student at the airport in Salt Lake City. Police are serving search warrants and hunting for any clues about the mysterious disappearance of Lueck, including basic details about a person she met when she was last seen. (Salt Lake City Police Department via AP)\n\nSALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Police on Tuesday issued a public appeal for a person last seen with a University of Utah student before she disappeared more than a week ago.\n\nMackenzie Lueck was last seen being dropped off at a Salt Lake City park at about 3 a.m. on June 17 by a Lyft driver who took her there from the airport after she returned from visiting family in California, authorities said.\n\nSalt Lake City assistant Police Chief Tim Doubt also released new photos of Lueck from immediately before her disappearance showing her after getting off a flight wearing black sweat pants and a light-colored sweater, carrying a small black backpack, large blue purse and brown suitcase.\n\nShe did not appear to talk to anyone at the airport, he said.\n\nHe appealed for the person, whose gender is unknown, who met the 23-year-old student at the park to contact authorities. “We have exhausted all avenues of determining that information, and want to ask this person to please call us,” he said.\n\nInvestigators have served several search warrants and are asking for tips about the woman’s whereabouts or any additional phones or social media accounts she may have had.\n\nThe park where she was left by the Lyft driver is located eight miles (13 kilometers) from her apartment. Police have said she didn’t seem distressed when she met up with the person.\n\nPolice say they don’t have evidence of foul play, but are worried because it’s unusual for her to “go off the grid.” She has missed classes and was not on a planned flight to California last Sunday.\n\nPolice have said the Lyft driver has been cleared in her disappearance.\n\nBefore her disappearance, Lueck had encountered Salt Lake City police a handful of times, once for a speeding ticket in 2015, another in connection with an assault in 2018 and a third time when she claimed lost property earlier this year, Doubt said. He refused to say whether she was a witness or victim in the assault, but said all of the previous cases are closed and none are considered connected with her disappearance.\n\nLueck is a part-time student in her senior year majoring in kinesiology and pre-nursing. She has been a student at the university since 2014 and is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.", "SALT LAKE CITY, Utah -- A neighbor near the house that was searched in connection with the disappearance of University of Utah student said she smelled gasoline and something burning there.\n\nTeresa Draheim said her neighbor, whose home police searched Wednesday, lit a fire in his yard recently. And she said she smelled gasoline.\n\nAuthorities have spoken with the owner of the residence in the Fairpark neighborhood, Salt Lake City Police Chief Mike Brown told reporters Thursday. Brown did not identify the homeowner, who is not in police custody.\n\n\"Multiple items of evidence\" were found Wednesday when investigators searched the home, Brown told reporters. Investigators are looking for a mattress and box spring that were given away from the Fairpark home last week, Brown said. He asked that whoever took them contact the Salt Lake City Police Department.\n\nUniversity of Utah student Mackenzie Lueck has not been seen since June 17.\n\nShe was dropped off by a Lyft driver at park where she met some else, and the 23-year-old's friends and family have not heard from her.\n\nThe university student's disappearance is surrounded by mystery, and yet police say that day she did not seem troubled.\n\nLueck flew in to Salt Lake City International Airport from a family funeral in California and texted her parents at 1 a.m. when she landed.\n\nAirport surveillance footage showed her rolling her luggage past a baggage carousel in the early morning hours.\n\nShe then took a Lyft to Hatch Park in North Salt Lake City, where she was last seen.\n\n\"Mackenzie was met at Hatch Park by an individual in a vehicle,\" Salt Lake City Police Assistant Chief Tim Doubt told reporters Monday. \"The Lyft driver left Mackenzie at the park with that person and stated that Mackenzie did not appear to be in any type of distress.\"\n\nDetectives have been canvassing the area around the park and looking for video surveillance.\n\nAuthorities have not been able to track Lueck through her phone, which they believe has not been on since June 17.\n\nInvestigators may not have location tracking, but Brown said investigators are examining the case's \"digital footprint.\"\n\n\"This is a digital forensic investigation,\" he said. \"This is covering computers, cellphones, IP addresses, URLs, texting apps.\"\n\nThe Lyft driver confirmed the route Lueck took and the app said that it showed no irregularities.\n\n\"We recognize how scary this must be for those who know and love Ms. Lueck,\" Lyft said. \"The safety of our community is fundamental to Lyft and we are actively assisting law enforcement with their investigation.\"\n\nLueck's family and friends have not heard from her since the day she landed, police said. And they say it is unusual.\n\nLueck was scheduled to fly to Los Angeles on June 23 but missed the flight.\n\nFriend and sorority sister Ashley Fine told CNN affiliate KSL that Lueck also has missed exams.\n\n\"She's extremely dedicated. She would never miss her midterms or anything like that,\" Fine told the Salt Lake City TV station. \"She hasn't been home. She didn't show up to work, or anything.\"\n\nBrown spoke to her father and said he could \"feel the heartache and the pain and the suffering in his voice as we spoke.\"\n\n\"And my commitment to Greg was we would do everything within our power, the Salt Lake City Police Department, to bring Mackenzie home,\" Brown said. \"And that is our charge and that we are committed to do.\"", "SALT LAKE CITY -- A man has been arrested on suspicion of the kidnapping and aggravated murder of 23-year-old MacKenzie Lueck, a college student from Southern California who had gone missing in Utah, authorities announced Friday.At a morning news conference, Salt Lake City Police Chief Mike Brown named 31-year-old Ayoola Ajayi as the suspect taken into custody by a police SWAT team. Ajayi, who had previously been considered a person of interest in the case, was also accused of desecration of a body and obstruction of justice.Charred tissue was recovered that contains DNA consistent with samples found on Lueck's belongings, Brown said.\"This is one of the most difficult phone calls I've ever made,\" Brown said after he told the victim's parents about the arrest. \"We are devastated and heartbroken by this news.\"A search warrant was served Wednesday at the suspect's home, where investigators said multiple items of evidence were discovered and reviewed by detectives.They also removed a vehicle from the home. Police have also been searching for a mattress given away from the residence last week.Lueck, an El Segundo native, flew to California for a funeral before returning to Utah, police said.She disappeared after taking a Lyft June 17 from the airport Salt Lake City International Airport to Hatch Park. Police said she met an unidentified person at 3 a.m. The University of Utah senior was never seen again.Her family reported her missing on June 20 and became more concerned after she missed a planned flight back to Los Angeles last weekend.", "A Salt Lake City man was arrested Friday morning on suspicion of murder and kidnapping, among other offenses, in connection with the disappearance of Mackenzie Lueck, police officials said.\n\nAt approximately 9:20 a.m., Ayoola Ajayi, 31, was arrested on suspicion of aggravated murder, aggravated kidnapping, desecration of a body and obstruction of justice, Salt Lake City Police Chief Mike Brown said at a press conference held Friday morning.\n\nAjayi will be booked into Salt Lake County Jail, officials said.\n\nAccording to Brown, Ajayi is the subject investigators identified as a person of interest in the case Thursday.\n\nMORE: Salt Lake City police identify person of interest in Mackenzie Lueck case\n\nIn the hours prior to her disappearance June 17, Lueck, 23, landed at the Salt Lake City Airport around 2 a.m. and traveled to Hatch Park where she met another individual around 3 a.m.\n\nLueck reportedly left the park with that person, officials said.\n\n\"...(All) communication ceased from Mackenzie at 3 a.m.,\" Brown said.\n\n\"Investigations of Mackenzie's phone records show that her last communications were with the arrested person,\" Brown said.\n\nMORE: Timeline of missing student Mackenzie Lueck's movements in Salt Lake City before disappearance\n\nAccording to police, the 31-year-old suspect said he communicated with Lueck via text message but had not done so after 6 p.m. on June 16.\n\n\"Investigations of both the arrested person's and Mackenzie's phone records show the locations of their phones to be at Hatch Park within less than a minute of each other,\" Brown said.\n\n\"This was the same time as Mackenzie's phones stopped receiving any further data or location services on June 17 at approximately 3 a.m.,\" Brown said.\n\nInvestigators served a search warrant of Ajayi's Salt Lake City residence on Wednesday where female human tissue was reportedly located, Brown said.\n\nMORE: Salt Lake City police search house as part of investigation into Mackenzie Lueck disappearance\n\nDuring the service of the search warrant, the suspect's neighbors reportedly told police they had seen the suspect burning items in his backyard using gasoline on June 17 and 18.\n\nAfter excavation of a location in the backyard that had recently been dug up, investigators located the human tissue along with several charred items which Brown said were \"consistent with personal items of Mackenzie Lueck.\"\n\n\"A DNA profile of that human tissue was obtained through forensic testing by the Utah State Lab,\" Brown said. \"That DNA profile was compared and is consistent with the DNA profile obtained through further forensic testing of personal items of Mackenzie Lueck.\"\n• None Police release last known photos of missing college student Mackenzie Lueck in plea for information\n• None Missing Utah college student Mackenzie Lueck last seen in a park at 3 a.m.\n• None University of Utah student Mackenzie Lueck took a Lyft to meet someone at a park. Now she's missing"], "summary": "Salt Lake City police arrest a man for murder in connection to the search for missing University of Utah student Mackenzie Lueck."}
{"document": ["Charlottesville, Virginia (CNN) James A. Fields Jr., the man who drove into a crowd of counterprotesters in Charlottesville's \"Unite the Right\" rally two years ago, leaving one woman dead, was sentenced Friday to life in prison in his federal hate crimes case.\n\nFields plead guilty to 29 federal hate crimes in March as part of an agreement that eliminated the death penalty as a possible punishment. Under the punishment imposed by US Judge Michael F. Urbanski, Fields will serve his sentence without the possibility of parole.\n\nBefore sentencing Fields addressed the judge and said, \"I'd like to apologize. I apologize to my mother for putting her through all of this. Every day I think about my actions and how this could have gone differently. I'm sorry.\"\n\nFields, 22, wore a gray and white jumpsuit in court and was mostly expressionless during the morning testimony. When he apologized, he did not face victims who were in the courtroom.\n\nFields was 20 when he attended the August 2017 demonstrations in Charlottesville and joined white nationalists, neo-Nazis and other groups opposed to the city's decision to remove a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. During a day of violent clashes, he drove his vehicle into a crowd of counterprotesters, killing Heather Heyer, a 32-year-old paralegal, and injuring more than two dozen people.\n\nAfter court adjourned, Heyer's mother, Susan Bro, told reporters that Fields' apology was simply a last-ditch effort to get a reduced sentence.\n\n\"He's the least sincere person I've ever met,\" Bro said, adding that she's glad he was sentenced to life in prison. She said he probably deserved the death penalty \"but it wouldn't accomplish anything.\"\n\nBro said she hopes this sentence sends a message to other people in hate groups.\n\n\"You don't get away with it there are serious consequences to this,' she said. \"Theoretically, he caused a lot of harm to the white supremacist movement, for that I'm glad.\"\n\nJames Fields Jr. pleaded guilty in a plea deal that eliminated the death penalty as a possible punishment.\n\nVideo of attack played in court\n\nThomas Cullen, US attorney for the Western District of Virginia, said the sentence was \"an acceptable and appropriate outcome in this case.\"\n\n\"One of the factors a court has to consider is will this sentence achieve a deterrence effect on the community at large,\" he said after court ended. \"Sending someone to prison for manifesting in a violent way those racist and violent views will send a message.\"\n\nBefore sentencing, Urbanski heard testimony from prosecution witnesses and the defense. Prosecutors, seeking a sentence of life in prison, went over details of the attack, including playing video of the car going into the crowd.\n\nUrbanski directly addressed the victims in the courtroom after the video played: \"I have to turn away, just watching is terrifying. I cannot imagine the trauma you all have sustained. ... I want to thank you for your courage. To all the victims I wish you grace and peace.\"\n\nA video of the car attack was shown in court Friday before sentencing.\n\n'It's a crime of premeditation'\n\nFields' publicly appointed defense attorney, Lisa Lorish, argued before sentencing that life in prison was excessive and violated Fields' Eighth Amendment rights. His lawyer said the court should not give Fields a life sentence because of his age, history of mental illness and childhood trauma and to show that no one is defined by their worst moments.\n\n\"Incarceration alone will never be able to account for the harm that this community experienced,\" she said.\n\nShe also asked that Fields be sent to a federal prison in Kentucky, so his mother would be able to visit him.\n\nThe judge acknowledged Fields suffers from mental health issues and noted he received treatment for years but voluntarily gave up that treatment when he turned 18.\n\n\"It's a crime of premeditation,\" the judge said.\n\nUrbanski said Heyer's death was \"a loss that will remain with her family forever.\"\n\n\"Many of these victims are young people who will suffer for years to come,\" he said. \"To all the victims, I wish you grace and peace.\"\n\nUS District Judge Michael Urbanski said the car attack was \"a crime of premeditation.\"\n\nFields was convicted of other charges in state court\n\nAccording to the federal indictment , Fields took to social media before the rally on August 12, 2017, and \"expressed and promoted his belief that white people are superior to other races and peoples; expressed support of the social and racial policies of Adolf Hitler and Nazi-era Germany, including the Holocaust; and espoused violence against African Americans, Jewish people and members of other racial, ethnic and religious groups he perceived to be non-white.\"\n\nThe day before the rally, as Fields prepared to leave his home in Maumee, Ohio, to travel to Charlottesville, he got a text from a family member urging him to be careful, the indictment says.\n\n\"We're not the ones who need to be careful,\" Fields responded, attaching a photo of Hitler, according to the indictment.\n\nOnce in Charlottesville, Fields joined protesters who had gathered to denounce the removal of a Confederate statue from a city park in \"chants promoting or expressing white supremacist and other racist and anti-Semitic views,\" the indictment says.\n\nLater, as Fields drove along the streets of Charlottesville in his Dodge Challenger, he encountered a crowd of racially and ethnically diverse people chanting and carrying signs promoting equality, the indictment says.\n\n\"Fields rapidly accelerated, through a stop sign and across a raised pedestrian mall, and drove directly into the crowd. Fields's vehicle stopped only when it struck another vehicle near the intersection of Fourth and Water Streets. Fields then rapidly reversed his car and fled the scene,\" according to the indictment.\n\nMany of the individuals gathered in the street when Fields mowed them down \"were chanting and carrying signs promoting equality and protesting against racial and other forms of discrimination,\" according to the indictment on the hate crime charges.", "James Alex Fields Jr. at the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, on Aug. 12, 2017.\n\nEze Amos / Reuters file", "CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - The man convicted of federal hate crimes in Charlottesville will learn his sentence in a federal court Friday.\n\nJames Fields Jr. previously pleaded guilty to plowing his car into a crowd of protesters during the 2017 Unite the Right rally.\n\nAs part of a plea agreement, prosecutors agreed to not seek the death penalty against Fields.\n\nThe prosecution is looking to have him spend life in prison.\n\n10 News' Magdala Louissant will be at that hearing in Charlottesville.", "CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - An avowed white supremacist who drove his car into a crowd of anti-racism protesters during a white nationalist rally in Virginia has been sentenced to life in prison on hate crime charges.\n\nJames Alex Fields Jr. of Maumee, Ohio, was sentenced Friday after pleading guilty in March to federal hate crime charges in an attack that killed one person and injured more than two dozen others.\n\nHe will be sentenced next month on separate state charges.\n\nFields apologized before the judge handed down his sentence.\n\nThe \"Unite the Right\" rally on Aug. 12, 2017, drew hundreds of white nationalists to Charlottesville to protest the planned removal of a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.\n\nFields admitted deliberately driving his car into counterprotesters who showed up to demonstrate against the white nationalists.\n\nThe case stirred racial tensions around the country.\n\nCopyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.", "June 28 (UPI) -- An Ohio man received life in prison on federal hate crimes charges Friday for driving his car into a crowd full of counterprotesters during a Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Va., in 2017.\n\nJames Alex Fields Jr., 22, received life sentences on 29 counts of hate crimes, 27 of which he will serve concurrently. The sentences will also be served concurrently with his pending sentencing on state charges.\n\nHe pleaded guilty to one count of a hate crime act that resulted in the death of Heather Heyer and 28 counts of hate crime acts that caused bodily injury and involved an attempt to kill. Fields, a self-avowed white supremacist, said he drove his car into the crowd with the intention of killing people protesting against a white supremacist rally Aug. 12, 2017.\n\nFields apologized for his actions during Friday's hearing.\n\n\"Every day I think about how things could have gone different and how I regret my actions,\" he said.\n\nHeyer's mother and father said they forgave Fields.\n\n\"I would like to see him find meds that help heal his mind,\" mother Susan Bro said. \"I would like to see him grow from a white supremacist into someone who can help bring others away from white supremacy.\"\n\n\"I want the court and Mr. Fields to know that after everything we've heard today that I forgive you,\" father Mark Heyer said.\n\nA Virginia jury found Fields guilty of state charges of first-degree murder, five counts of aggravated malicious wounding, three counts of malicious wounding and one count of hit-and-run in December. The panel recommended life in prison.\n\nFields is scheduled to be sentenced on the state charges July 15.", "The neo-Nazi fanatic who rammed his car into a group of counter-protesters at a white supremacist rally in Virginia in 2017 was sentenced to life in prison Friday.\n\nJames Alex Fields Jr. of Maumee, Ohio, was sentenced after pleading guilty in March to federal hate crime charges in the Aug. 12, 2017, Charlottesville attack that left 32-year-old Heather Heyer dead and more than two dozen others injured.\n\nFields is slated to be sentenced next month on state charges.", "The Latest on the sentencing of a man who deliberately drove his car into a crowd of counterprotesters at a white nationalist rally (all times local):\n\nAn avowed white supremacist who drove his car into a crowd of anti-racism protesters during a white nationalist rally in Virginia has been sentenced to life in prison on hate crime charges.\n\nJames Alex Fields Jr. of Maumee, Ohio, was sentenced Friday after pleading guilty in March to federal hate crime charges in an attack that killed one person and injured more than two dozen others.\n\nHe will be sentenced next month on separate state charges.\n\nFields apologized before the judge handed down his sentence.\n\nThe “Unite the Right” rally on Aug. 12, 2017, drew hundreds of white nationalists to Charlottesville to protest the planned removal of a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.\n\nFields admitted deliberately driving his car into counterprotesters who showed up to demonstrate against the white nationalists.\n\nThe case stirred racial tensions around the country.\n\nThe mother of a woman who died when an avowed white supremacist rammed his car into a crowd of counterprotesters in Charlottesville, Virginia, says she wants James Alex Fields Jr. to spend the rest of his life in prison but hopes he also can get the help he needs.\n\nSpeaking during Fields’ sentencing hearing Friday, Susan Bro said she hopes Fields “can heal someday and help others heal.”\n\nHer testimony was one of more than a dozen statements given by survivors and witnesses to the 2017 attack.\n\nFields appeared stoic, stared straight ahead and didn’t look at any of the victims.\n\nRosia Parker said she was standing feet away from Bro’s daughter Heather Heyer when Heyer was struck. Looking directly at Fields, she remarked that he “could have done anything else but what you did.”\n\n“So, yeah, you deserve everything that you get.”\n\nProsecutors have told a judge that an avowed white supremacist responsible for a deadly car attack in Charlottesville, Virginia, was “like a kid at Disney World” during his high school trip to a German concentration camp.\n\nFBI Special Agent Wade Douthit read grand jury testimony Friday from a high school classmate of James Alex Fields Jr. The classmate said Fields appeared happy when touring the Dachau camp and remarked, “This is where the magic happened.”\n\nThe statement provoked audible gasps from a packed courtroom crowd that included dozens of people who were injured and the mother of a woman who was killed when Fields deliberately drove his car into a group of counterprotesters at a white nationalist rally in 2017.\n\nThe testimony came during Fields’ sentencing hearing. Prosecutors have asked for life in prison. The defense has asked for an unspecified time that is less than life.\n\n(This item has been edited to correct the spelling of Dachau).\n\nFederal prosecutors are asking a judge to give a life sentence to a man convicted of hate crimes for plowing his car into a crowd demonstrating against a white nationalist rally two years ago in Virginia.\n\nBut lawyers for James Alex Fields Jr. will argue the 22-year-old man deserves some leniency because he had a traumatic childhood and a history of mental illness.\n\nProsecutors argue that Fields deserves life in prison for killing a woman and injuring dozens of others when he deliberately drove into the anti-racist demonstrators on Aug. 12, 2017.\n\nFields’ lawyers argue that a sentence shorter than life is appropriate because of Fields’ young age and his struggles with mental illness.", "Associated Press reports that James Alex Fields Jr., the white supremacist who drove his car into a crowd of anti-racism protesters at the Charlottesville, Virginia, Unite the Right rally, killing one person and injuring more than two dozen others, was sentenced to life in prison Friday.\n\nFields previously admitted to deliberately driving his car into anti-racism protesters at the rally ⁠— creating the case that sparked racial tensions across the United States. USA Today reports that the 22-year-old, who will be sentenced next month on separate state charges, apologized to the judge before he was sentenced.\n\n“I apologize for the hurt and loss I’ve caused,” he said. “Every day I think about how things could have gone differently and how I regret my actions. I’m sorry.”\n\nBut Fields did not look at any victims during his trial. Prosecutors also played jailhouse phone call recordings between Fields and his mother in 2018, in which he told her he hopes he can “get that insanity thing,” shedding doubt on his remorse.\n\nDuring the case, prosecutors told a judge that Fields acted like “like a kid at Disney World” during his high school trip to a German concentration camp.\n\n“This is where the magic happened,” Fields reportedly said at the time.\n\nAt one point, Susan Bro, the mother of the woman, Heather Heyer, who died from Fields’ car, said she hopes Fields gets life in prison. But she also said she hopes he “can heal someday and help others heal.”\n\n“I want to publicly forgive him. It is not me, it is Christ in me,” he said.\n\n“I’ve tried to just leave him in the hands of justice,” Susan said.\n\nWhite supremacy has reportedly been on the rise. As The Inquisitr previously reported, Facebook began permanently banning members of U.K. far-right groups and leaders, including the British National Party (BNP), Britain First, and the English Defense League (EDL). YouTube is also cracking down on hateful and supremacist content, per The Inquisitr, as well as “borderline content,” which includes videos that push bogus medical cures and promote flat Earth theories.\n\nBoth Facebook and YouTube have come under fire for being slow to ban abusive and extremist content. But the reaction to some of their bans has been negative, with many conservatives and right-wing commentators claiming that the platforms are biased against their values.", "CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) — An avowed white supremacist who drove his car into a crowd of counterprotesters during a white nationalist rally in Virginia was sentenced to life in prison Friday on hate crime charges.\n\nJames Alex Fields Jr. of Maumee, Ohio, had pleaded guilty in March to the 2017 attack that killed one person and injured more than two dozen others. In exchange, prosecutors dropped their request for the death penalty. His attorneys asked for a sentence less than life. He will be sentenced next month on separate state charges.\n\nBefore the judge handed down his sentence, Fields, accompanied by one of his lawyers, walked to a podium in the courtroom and spoke.\n\n“I apologize for the hurt and loss I’ve caused,” he said, later adding, “Every day I think about how things could have gone differently and how I regret my actions. I’m sorry.”\n\nFields’ comment came after more than a dozen survivors of and witnesses to the attack delivered emotional testimony about the physical and psychological wounds they had received as a result of the events that day.\n\nThe “Unite the Right” rally on Aug. 12, 2017, drew hundreds of white nationalists to Charlottesville to protest the planned removal of a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee.\n\nThe case stirred racial tensions around the country.\n\nFields was charged with 29 hate crime counts and one count of “racially motivated violent interference.” He pleaded guilty to 29 of the counts.\n\nIn a sentencing memo filed in court last week, Fields’ lawyers asked U.S. District Judge Michael Urbanski to consider a sentence of “less than life.”\n\n“No amount of punishment imposed on James can repair the damage he caused to dozens of innocent people. But this Court should find that retribution has limits,” his attorneys wrote.\n\nFields faces sentencing in state court on July 15. A jury has recommended life plus 419 years.\n\nLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for all the latest news, weather and sports.", "FILE - This undated file photo provided by the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail shows James Alex Fields Jr. A sentencing hearing has been moved up for the self-avowed white supremacist convicted of federal hate crimes for plowing his car into a crowd of anti-racism protesters at a 2017 white nationalist rally in Virginia. Fields was originally scheduled to be sentenced July 3, 2019. A notice filed in court says the hearing has been moved to June 28. (Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail via AP, File)\n\nFILE - This undated file photo provided by the Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail shows James Alex Fields Jr. A sentencing hearing has been moved up for the self-avowed white supremacist convicted of federal hate crimes for plowing his car into a crowd of anti-racism protesters at a 2017 white nationalist rally in Virginia. Fields was originally scheduled to be sentenced July 3, 2019. A notice filed in court says the hearing has been moved to June 28. (Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail via AP, File)\n\n(AP) – An avowed white supremacist who drove his car into a crowd of anti-racism protesters during a white nationalist rally in Virginia has been sentenced to life in prison on hate crime charges.\n\nJames Alex Fields Jr. of Maumee, Ohio, was sentenced Friday after pleading guilty in March to federal hate crime charges in an attack that killed one person and injured more than two dozen others. He will be sentenced next month on separate state charges. Fields apologized before the judge handed down his sentence.\n\nThe “Unite the Right” rally on Aug. 12, 2017, drew hundreds of white nationalists to Charlottesville to protest the planned removal of a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. Fields admitted deliberately driving his car into counterprotesters who showed up to demonstrate against the white nationalists. The case stirred racial tensions around the country."], "summary": "James A. Fields Jr. is sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to 29 hate crimes for driving his car into a crowd of protestors, killing one and injuring 28, at the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia."}
{"document": ["Four convicts to be put to death after president announced end to 42-year-old moratorium\n\nThis article is more than 2 months old\n\nThis article is more than 2 months old\n\nSri Lanka has hired two executioners as it prepares to put four prisoners convicted of drug offences to death in what would be its first use of capital punishment for more than 40 years.\n\nThe executioners were picked from among 100 applicants who responded to an advertisement calling for male Sri Lankans aged between 18 and 45 with “excellent moral character” and “mental strength”.\n\nThe prisons department began the recruitment process in March after the last executioner quit in 2014, citing stress after seeing the gallows for the first time. Another, hired last year, never turned up for work.\n\nPresident Maithripala Sirisena announced on Wednesday an end to a moratorium on the death penalty in force since 1976, a move political analysts said was meant to boost his chances of re-election if he stands again later this year.\n\nLocal and international rights groups, as well as the former colonial ruler Britain, Canada, the EU and UN have raised concerns about the south Asian nation’s restoration of capital punishment.\n\n“The recruitment process is finalised and two [executioners] have been selected. The two need to go through final training which will take about two weeks,” prisons spokesman Thushara Upuldeniya said.\n\nThe prisons commissioner, TMJW Thennakoon, declined to provide details of the four convicts whose death penalties the president approved.\n\nOn Friday, a Sri Lankan journalist filed public interest litigation seeking to stop any executions, arguing that people’s rights were being violated. A court hearing will be held on 2 July, and Thennakoon pledged there would be no executions for the next seven days.\n\nA spokesman for the UN office on drugs and crime said on Thursday international drug control conventions could not be used to justify the use of the death penalty for drug-related offences alone.\n\nSri Lanka advertises for two hangmen as country resumes capital punishment Read more\n\n“Application of the death penalty may also impede international cooperation in fighting drug trafficking as there are national laws that [bar] the exchange of information and extradition with countries which may impose capital punishment for the offences concerned,” the spokesman said.", "Prison officials in Sri Lanka Thursday said they were yet to receive the documents related to President Maithripala Sirisena's signed death warrants to hang four drug convicts.\n\nPresident Sirisena on Wednesday signed the death warrants to hang four drug convicts, ending a four-decade-long moratorium on the capital punishment in Sri Lanka. The last execution in Sri Lanka was 43 years ago.\n\nA senior prison official told reporters they have not received any written instructions for the hanging until Thursday morning.\n\n\"The president's secretary must write to the secretary to the ministry of Justice and Prison Reforms. Then the ministry secretary must intimate in writing to the Commissioner General of Prisons,\" said the official who did not want to be named.\n\nHe said the four convicts would be informed in writing of their death sentence and if they are currently housed in any other prison, then they would have to be brought to the Welikada prison in the capital Colombo.\n\nSirisena said Wednesday he was committed to bringing back capital punishment for drug offenders, months after vowing a tougher line on spiralling narcotics-related crime.\n\nThis was despite Sri Lanka having become a party to the UN moratorium on death penalty and voting in favour of the moratorium just six months back.\n\nThe international condemnation of decision to resume capital punishment has been coming since the President made his announcement.\n\nThe British government in a statement condemned the move, saying the decision would have implications on many areas including counter-terrorism cooperation.\n\nThe decision would hamper Sri Lanka's reputation as a tourist destination, the statement added. The decision will require us to review our technical assistance programme on relevant policing, defense and other security issues, it said.\n\nSirisena's signing of death warrants came during the ongoing 'Drug Prevention' week from June 23 to July 1.\n\nAll of Sirisena's predecessors as Presidents had refused to sign the death warrants to carry out capital punishment. The death sentences have been commuted to life terms which usually lasts 20 years.\n\nThe last hanging came in June 1976 when Siripala alias Maru Sira, a noted criminal was hanged for murder and Sri Lanka's last hangman quit in 2014 without ever having to execute anyone, citing stress after seeing the gallows for the first time. Another hangman hired last year never turned up for work.\n\nJustice Ministry in March said there were over 450 prisoners in Sri Lankan jails, including five women. Out of that at least 48 are drug convicts. While 30 of them appealed against their death sentence, 18 of them could be hanged, officials said.\n\nSri Lanka in March advertised to recruit two hangmen to carry out executions. There were over 100 applications received by February 25 deadline, officials said.\n\nThe New York-based rights group Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in April that some 1299 Sri Lankan prisoners, including 84 women are on death row.\n\n\"Imposing the death penalty for drug offences would violate Sri Lanka's human rights obligations,\" the HRW said.\n\nSirisena said he would sign death warrants only for the drug convicts. PTI CORR MRJ AKJ MRJ", "President Maithripala Sirisena reinstated the death penalty to boost his chances for in the upcoming election.\n\nOne day after reinstating the death penalty in Sri Lanka, two executions have been hired, prison authorities confirmed Friday.\n\nThe pair were chosen from 100 applicants, aged between 18 and 45 years, who eagerly awaited the execution of four prisoners convicted for drug offences.\n\n“The recruitment process is finalised and two (hangmen) have been selected. The two need to go through final training which will take about two weeks,” prisons spokesman Thushara Upuldeniya said.\n\nMore than 40 years have past since the last state-sanctioned execution was performed. On Wednesday, President Maithripala Sirisena announced an end to a moratorium on the death penalty in force since 1976, a move political analysts said was meant to boost his chances of re-election if he stands again later this year.\n\n“I signed the document to execute the drug offenders not with hatred and cruelty towards anyone, but to save the nation and the future generation from the drug menace, which is our worst social catastrophe,” Sirisena said.\n\nA spokesman for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said on Thursday international drug control conventions cannot be used to justify the use of the death penalty for drug-related offences alone.\n\n“Application of the death penalty may also impede international cooperation in fighting drug trafficking as there are national laws that (bar) the exchange of information and extradition with countries which may impose capital punishment for the offences concerned,” the UNODC spokesman said.", "World Cup 2019, Sri Lanka Vs South Africa: Predicted Playing 11 and Key Players for Sri Lanka\n\nIt will be a match with varied objectives when Sri Lanka take on South Africa in Match 35 of the ICC Cricket World Cup at Chester-le-Street, Durham. Sri Lanka need to win this match to stay alive in the tournament while South Africa will look to 'play for their pride'.\n\nSouth Africa have had a tournament to forget with them only being able to register one win against Afghanistan. In the last match against Pakistan, South Africa were below-par in all departments and went on to lose by 49 runs. It is also a telling fact that no South African has scored a hundred so far in the World Cup.\n\nOn the other hand, Sri Lanka, who were expected to struggle, have done far better than those expectations. Their best match/moment of the tournament came against England as they produced one of the most unexpected results of the tournament. Skipper Dimuth Karunaratne has managed his troops very well and helped them play to their full potential. Also, their fast bowling attack has impressed one and all with their variations and clever planning.\n\nNow, Sri Lanka are in a position where if they can win their remaining games, there will be a good chance to qualify for the semi-finals. This will give a lot of hope to the side and they will want to continue their winning run against South Africa.\n\nSo, let's have a look at Sri Lanka's predicted playing 11.\n\nSri Lanka's openers, Dimuth Karunaratne and Kusal Perera have been the team's two most reliable and confident batsmen. This is also backed up by the fact that they have scored the most runs for Sri Lanka in this World Cup. Their rapid start against Australia gave a lot of hope for an upset but the middle order couldn't capitalise on the platform.\n\nAvishka Fernando played such a cracking knock against England that everyone started to wonder how this talented batsman hadn't played before this. Fernando played Jofra Archer's pace effortlessly and looked set for a big score. However, he fell in a soft fashion and that will be an area the youngster will look to improve upon.\n\nMeanwhile, Kusal Mendis hasn't been able to fulfil his potential so far and that has hurt Sri Lanka's middle order. He played a decent knock to stabilise Sri Lanka's inning against England. The island nation will hope that is the start of good times to come.\n\nThe experienced Angelo Mathews acts as the glue in Sri Lanka's middle-order. In the last match, Mathews' laboured 85 off 115 balls drew a lot of criticism initially but in the end, it proved to be a match-winning knock on a slow track.\n\nSri Lanka have the luxury of a good bunch of all-rounders. The 38-year Jeevan Mendis looks set to keep his place despite not having a great game against England. On the other hand while de Silva is more of a batsman, he has developed his off-spin bowling to the extent that Sri Lanka now use him as their primary tweaker. Perera and Udana fill in the dual role of finishers and seam bowling.\n\nLasith Malinga's best years may be past him but as they say 'Class is permanent'. Malinga showed his class against England as his trademark yorkers and slower deliveries were used to pick up 4 important wickets.\n\nPartnering him with the new ball would be Suranga Lakmal who looks set to return to the playing 11 after Nuwan Pradeep was laid low with fever ahead of the match.\n\nDimuth Karunaratne- Sri Lanka handed over the reins to skipper Dimuth Karunaratne at the very last moment but now it looks like the best decision that they have taken for a while. Prior to the World Cup, Sri Lanka were considered rank outsiders and it has taken a lot of effort for Karunaratne to bring the best out of his players.\n\nThey still only have a chance of progressing to the semi-finals but this is already been a positive tournament for the Lankans. Also, the question marks over whether his batting would be suitable for modern ODI cricket seems to have toned down due to his promising performances in the World Cup. This has been a remarkable turnaround for someone who had not played in this format after the 2015 World Cup.\n\nLasith Malinga- Be it the IPL final or the games against Afghanistan and England in this World Cup, Sri Lanka's most-celebrated player, Lasith Malinga has stood up and taken his fans on a flashback journey. He is not swinging the ball at 145 kph anymore but his skills are still as young as ever.", "June 29 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka fast bowler Nuwan Pradeep has been ruled out of the rest of the World Cup after contracting chickenpox with selectors calling up Kasun Rajitha as a replacement, the International Cricket Council said on Saturday.\n\nRajitha, 26, has played six one-day internationals for Sri Lanka, taking five wickets, and made his ODI debut against South Africa in August last year. He is expected to feature in Sri Lanka's next match against West Indies on Monday.\n\nFollowing Friday's loss to South Africa, Sri Lanka must win their final two group games, against West Indies and India, and hope other results go their way if they are to reach the semi-finals. (Reporting by Simon Jennings in Bengaluru Editing by Christian Radnedge)", "Sri Lanka fast bowler Nuwan Pradeep has been ruled out of the rest of the World Cup after contracting chickenpox with selectors calling up Kasun Rajitha as a replacement, the International Cricket Council said on Saturday.\n\nREUTERS: Sri Lanka fast bowler Nuwan Pradeep has been ruled out of the rest of the World Cup after contracting chickenpox with selectors calling up Kasun Rajitha as a replacement, the International Cricket Council said on Saturday.\n\nRajitha, 26, has played six one-day internationals for Sri Lanka, taking five wickets, and made his ODI debut against South Africa in August last year. He is expected to feature in Sri Lanka's next match against West Indies on Monday.\n\nFollowing Friday's loss to South Africa, Sri Lanka must win their final two group games, against West Indies and India, and hope other results go their way if they are to reach the semi-finals.", "Sri Lanka will take on South Africa in the 35th match of the World Cup at the Riverside Ground, Durham. Sri Lanka will look to keep their hopes alive for qualifying in the semi-final. They are at the seventh spot in the points table. On the other hand, South Africa will look to improve their performance in the World Cup.\n\nWhen and where is Cricket World Cup, ICC world cup 2019, Sri Lanka vs South Africa live, Sri Lanka vs South Africa live streaming what time will the match begin?\n\nSri Lanka vs South Africa match will take place at the Riverside ground on June 28 at 3 PM IST.\n\nWhich TV channel will show live coverage of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 Sri Lanka vs South Africa match?\n\nSri Lanka vs South Africa match can be seen on the StarSports Network in both standard and HD formats. For the English commentary, viewers can tune to StarSports 1 and for the Hindi commentary, they can tune to StarSports 1 Hindi.\n\nHow to watch Sri Lanka vs South Africa match online?\n\nSri Lanka vs South Africa match can be streamed online through Hotstar. One needs to have a premium subscription to watch the full match. For all the written match updates and score, readers can subscribe to the NewsX.com.\n\nWhat is the venue for Sri Lanka vs South Africa?\n\nSri Lanka vs South Africa match is scheduled to be held at the Riverside ground and the match is expected to be a nail-biter.\n\nThe line-up for Sri Lanka vs South Africa match:", "CHESTER-LE-STREET, England, June 28 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka's fast start was halted by seamer Dwaine Pretorius as South Africa rallied to limit their opponents to 203 all out at the innings break of their crucial Cricket World Cup clash at the Riverside Ground on Friday.\n\nVictory would keep Sri Lanka´s semi-final hopes alive and, after overcoming the loss of captain Dimuth Karunaratne in the first ball of the innings, Kusal Perera (30) and Avishka Fernando (30) raced to 67 inside the first 10 overs.\n\nBut Pretorius (3-25 in 10 overs) picked up both wickets and slowed the run-rate, as South Africa took control of the innings against a nervous Sri Lanka side who retreated into their shell.\n\nSouth Africa, who have already been eliminated from the World Cup, have won 16 of their last 18 meetings with Sri Lanka, including a 5-0 clean-sweep at home in March. (Reporting by Nick Said; editing by Ken Ferris)", "Sri Lanka are 170 for 7 with 8.1 overs left", "COLOMBO: The European Union has criticized Sri Lanka 's move to resume executions, saying it would directly contradict the country's commitment to maintain a 43-year moratorium on death penalty at the UN General Assembly last year.The EU said in a statement on Thursday that Sri Lanka's planned executions will send the wrong signals to the international community and investors. It said it will monitor Sri Lanka's commitments to international conventions upon which hinges a preferential trade deal with the country.Sri Lanka has a lucrative market access to the EU through the generalized scheme of preferences plus. The concessions were withdrawn over alleged abuses immediately after a long civil war, which ended in 2009. President Maithripala Sirisena 's government took steps toward reforms and commitments on human rights to secure the program back on being elected to office in 2015.But Sirisena said this week he had signed the death warrants for four drug convicts and they would be executed soon.Sirisena told a school function on Friday that he had decided to resume executions to save the youth from narcotics and that he has explained his position to UN chief Antonio Gutteres during a telephone conversation on Thursday night.Sri Lanka last executed a prisoner in 1976.\"The death penalty is a cruel, inhuman and a degrading punishment, and the EU unequivocally opposes its use in all circumstances and all cases,\" the EU statement said. \"While the Sri Lankan authorities have cited the need to address drug-related offences, studies show that the death penalty fails to act as a deterrent to crime.\"Sri Lanka has been grappling with drug-related crimes for years and is believed to be used by the peddlers as a transit hub.In April, police publicly destroyed 770 kilograms (1,695 pounds) of drugs seized in 2016 and 2017. Police have seized 731 kilograms (1,608 pounds) of heroin , 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds) of cocaine and 1,607 kilograms (3,535 pounds) of marijuana so far this year."], "summary": "For the first time in 43 years, Sri Lanka hires executioners to reinstate the death penalty."}
{"document": ["TOKYO, June 27 (Reuters) - A Nigerian man died in a Japanese immigration detention center this week, an official said on Thursday, bringing to an end a hunger strike an activist group said was intended to protest against his being held for more than three years.\n\nAn inside view of a shared cell is seen at the East Japan Immigration Center in Ushiku, Ibaraki prefecture, Japan, March 19, 2015. REUTERS/Yuya Shino\n\nIt was the 15th death since 2006 in a system widely criticized over medical standards, the monitoring of detainees and how guards respond to a medical emergency.\n\nThe man, in his 40s, died on Monday in the southern city of Nagasaki after he lost consciousness and was taken to hospital, said a detention center official who declined to be identified.\n\nHe did not give a cause of death.\n\nRINK, a group supporting detainees at the center, told Reuters the Nigerian had been on hunger strike to protest his lengthy detention.\n\nAnother 27 foreigners are on hunger strike at a detention center in Ushiku, northeast of Tokyo, said a separate group supporting detainees at that facility.\n\nSome of them have gone without food for 47 days, said Kimiko Tanaka, a spokeswoman for the group.\n\nShe said a 23-year-old Iranian man who sought asylum more than two years ago has lost weight and is using a wheelchair.\n\nTwo other men at Ushiku have been detained for five years, she said.\n\n“The reality of a lengthy detention is nothing but a human rights violation,” Tanaka said.\n\nAn official at the national immigration agency confirmed there are hunger strikers at the Ushiku center, but he did not say how many. Authorities are providing medical care and trying to persuade them to eat, he added.\n\nImmigration is a contentious issue in Japan, where ethnic and cultural homogeneity are deeply rooted.\n\nJapan held about 1,500 detainees as of June 2018, according to the latest public data, nearly half of them for more than six months.\n\nSome 604 were asylum seekers whose applications were rejected, while the rest were held for various immigration infractions such as overstaying visas.", "A Nigerian, yet-to-be-identified, has died in a Japanese immigration detention centre, bringing to an end a hunger strike an activist group said was intended to protest against his being held for more than three years, an official said, yesterday.\n\n Sources said that his death was the 15th death since 2006 in a system widely criticised over medical standards, the monitoring of detainees and how guards respond to a medical emergency.\n\n The man, in his 40s, died last Monday, in the southern city of Nagasaki after he lost consciousness and was taken to hospital, a detention centre official said.\n\n He did not give a cause of death.\n\n The RINK, a group supporting detainees at the centre, said the Nigerian had been on hunger strike to protest his lengthy detention.\n\n Another 27 foreigners are on hunger strike at a detention centre in Ushiku, northeast of Tokyo, a separate group supporting detainees at that facility said.\n\n Some of them have gone without food for 47 days, a spokeswoman for the group, Kimiko Tanaka, said.", "A Nigerian man detained at a Japanese immigration detention center has reportedly died after embarking on a hunger strike for several days to protest his lengthy detention.\n\nThe man, who was said to be in 40s died on Monday, June 24, 2019, in the southern city of Nagasaki after he lost consciousness.\n\nAccording to Reuters, a detention center official who declined to be identified did not give any reason for the death of the Nigerian man.\n\nBut RINK, a group supporting detainees at the detention center made it known that the Nigerian had been on hunger strike to protest his lengthy detention.\n\nReuters reports that the death of the Nigerian man was 15th death since 2006 in a system widely criticized over medical standards, the monitoring of detainees and how guards respond to a medical emergency in Japan.\n\nAnother group supporting detainees said another 27 foreigners are on hunger strike at a detention center in Ushiku, northeast of Tokyo, Reuters reports.\n\nA spokeswoman for the group, Kimiko Tanaka said some of the detainees at the centre have gone without food for 47 days.\n\nShe said one of them, a 23-year-old Iranian man, who according to her sought asylum over two-years ago has lost weight and is now using a wheelchair, adding that there are two other men at the centre who have been detained for more than five years.\n\nShe said, “The reality of a lengthy detention is nothing but a human rights violation,”\n\nConfirming the claim about hunger strikers inn the Ushiku detention centre, an official at the national immigration agency said authorities are providing medical care and trying to persuade them to eat.", "In 2015, a baby named Alpha became the face of children living in immigration detention in Canada. Even though he was born here and, therefore, a Canadian citizen, he spent years in an immigration detention facility in Toronto with his mother as her refugee claim slouched its way through the system.\n\nReports on his case came around the same time that Canadian research revealed how children held in detention, even for short periods of time, experienced negative psychological impacts that lasted well after they were released.\n\nWATCH: U.S. immigration lawyer says migrant children in ‘degrading and inhumane conditions’ at Texas facility\n\nPublic outcry and persistent advocacy over children in detention prompted significant government policy changes within a couple years that have significantly reduced the number of children held in immigration detention in Canada and reinforced it as a measure of last resort.\n\nIn 2014-15 there were 232 minors held in immigration detention, according to the Canada Border Services Agency, which can detain people if someone’s identity is in question, if they are suspected to be a threat to public safety, or if they’re considered a flight risk. That number has dropped every year since. The data for 2018-19 so far shows that 113 minors have been held in detention — a 51 per cent drop in less than five years.\n\nAs thousands of migrant babies and children are being held in squalid detention facilities in the U.S. and separated from their families, experts say the Canadian experience provides a template for how the number of detained children can be reduced. Many flaws still remain in Canada’s immigration detention regime, they say, but the last few years have shown that it is possible to improve the system.\n\nREAD MORE: Is it OK to call migrant detention centres concentration camps?\n\nFor Rachel Kronick, a professor of psychiatry at McGill University who has researched children held in immigration detention in Canada, the detention of children for any period of time can have negative impacts on them and on the community on a broader level. Her work helped inform the Canadian response to addressing minors held in immigration detention, and she is alarmed by the ongoing situation in the U.S.\n\n“The U.S. is setting kids up for physical and mental health problems and an inability to integrate,” Kronick told Global News.\n\n“They’re creating such demeaning, dehumanizing and cruel conditions for children and families that they are breaking down the social fabric not just of these communities of migrants but of the United States itself.”\n\nKronick’s research on children in detention, released in 2015, was based on interviews with 20 families who were held in immigration holding centres in Toronto and Laval, Que. Her research found that many of the children had developed depressive symptoms, including anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder, while in detention. Some also developed “selective mutism” due to the climate of fear. These symptoms often continued after the children were released, the research found.\n\nAt the time, when the Conservatives were in power, CBSA said it housed children only as a last resort but had no plans to reduce the numbers. Three years earlier, former Conservative immigration minister Jason Kenney said: “Anyone can leave immigration detention any time they want — they just have to leave Canada.”\n\nResearchers and activists continued to slam the system they described as cruel and arbitrary through reports and demonstrations. And after the Liberal government was elected in the fall of 2015, they had a listening ear.\n\nBut concerning activity involving detained migrant children continued. In 2016, it was revealed that a Syrian teen who crossed alone into Canada from the U.S. was held in isolation for three weeks in the Toronto immigration facility. In the end, he was allowed to stay in Canada, but advocates pointed to his case as another reason why Canada should cease detaining migrant children altogether.\n\n“I heard in that period of time, at the beginning of 2016, from a number of the advocacy groups, as well as the UN High Commission for Refugees, and there were concerns about migration, refugees generally, and certainly about children,” Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale told Global News in a phone interview. “And so we went to work on that within the Canadian system.”\n\nIn November 2017, Goodale released a directive to the CBSA on “keeping children out of Canada’s immigration detention system and keeping families together.” It states that CBSA is to keep children out of detention by seeking alternatives to detention such as in-person reporting, bonds and community supervision.\n\nThe directive followed a 2016 spending promise, which included $138 million to improve the immigration detention facilities that house adults and children in Toronto, Laval and Vancouver.\n\nStill, many advocates continue to protest the efforts as expanding the detention regime rather than ending it altogether.\n\n“We want to end prisons, not make them more pleasant,” Sam Hoffman of Ni Frontières, Ni Prisons told the Montreal Gazette at a protest against the Laval immigration facility in February.\n\nREAD MORE: Immigrant parents frantic over 7-year-old daughter in U.S. government custody\n\nJanet Cleveland is also a researcher at McGill University. She has conducted research on the psychological impacts of detention on asylum seekers. She said that she was heartened by the Canadian government’s willingness to improve the situation for minors in detention, and that it may not have occurred under a different government.\n\nCleveland pointed to the U.S., which has policies in place to protect the best interests of the child, but those appear to be disregarded by the Trump administration.\n\n“There was a period of time when the U.S. had much better policies, at least concerning children, particularly unaccompanied minors. They had a policy guideline back in the late ’90s stating they had to be held in safe and sanitary conditions,” she said.\n\nChildren, at least, were not detained for long periods but were moved relatively quickly into the community.\n\n“It was far from perfect. But they had been able to do that even despite very large numbers of migrants and refugee claimants arriving,” said Cleveland.\n\n“And at the moment, it’s a deliberate choice. It’s not that they’re unable to do better.”\n\nREAD MORE: How Canadians can help children separated from parents by U.S. border officials\n\nGoodale would not speak to the situation in the U.S., but said that “the Canadian system is working well” and that the ultimate goal would be to reduce the number of children in detention to zero.\n\n“In four years, we have managed to cut [the numbers] in half so if we could get to the point where it’s zero, that would be terrific,” he said.\n\nCleveland said that while the situation for children in detention in Canada has improved, she believes they should not be detained at all. And the detention of adults in immigration facilities and in provincial jails is also concerning — especially as many are held indefinitely.\n\nREAD MORE: Supreme Court decision ‘opens the door’ to further challenges of immigration detention\n\nCBSA data shows that thousands of asylum seekers continue to be detained in Canada, hundreds of whom are held in provincial jails alongside convicted criminals.\n\nAnd there are still no numbers on how many children living in the community in Canada are separated from their parents when they are placed under an immigration hold. This type of separation can also lead to serious psychological harms for children and families.\n\n“We don’t have the same kinds of numbers as the U.S. but we have had a very sharp increase in refugee claimants in the last few years,” said Cleveland. “And the detention numbers have remained very low, particularly for children. That’s a really strong argument in favour of continuing those kinds of policies.”"], "summary": "A Nigerian man dies in a Japanese immigration detention center this week, an official says. It ends a hunger strike that an activist group said was intended to protest against him being held for more than three years."}
{"document": ["Almost three out of four Americans say weather disasters are worsening, and most of those people blame global warming to some extent", "Atmosphere Atelier is currently closed while undergoing renovations and construction. The store is looking to remodel several features in the shop and will reopen once renovations are completed.\n\nCollete Kaplan, owner of Atmosphere Atelier, said the renovations include the addition of a dressing room, new lighting and space for more display. The renovated shop is expected to reopen in early July.\n\nAtmosphere Atelier specializes in low-key luxury apparel and artisanal lifestyle home goods. The boutique features mostly out-of-country artisanal pieces. Customers can also find home goods as well as clothing and furniture.\n\nKaplan boasts a classic, elegant collection of furniture, home items and clothing. She specifically focuses on high-residential pieces and designs. Kaplan’s unique style and design perspective and expertise are evident in Atmosphere Atelier’s one-of-a-kind home and clothing selections.\n\nA full collection of Atmosphere Atelier’s products can be found on its website. The store’s Los Olivos location showcases a majority of the store’s items.", "A greenhouse also called as glasshouse is a structure with walls and roof made mainly of transparent material such as glass, which is used for growth of plants under regulated and controlled climatic conditions. Greenhouses enables production of crops at a time of year when they can’t be grown outdoors. Vegetables such as tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuces, zucchini, eggplants, spinach, pumpkins and fruits such as strawberries, melons, flowers such as roses, lilac, petunias herbs, geraniums, snapdragons, and marijuana are majorly produced under cover. In domestic greenhouses, the glass used is typically 3mm ‘horticultural glass’ grade, which is good quality glass without air bubbles (which can produce scorching on leaves by acting like lenses). Tomatoes are widely grown in greenhouses, followed by cucumbers.\n\nPlastics majorly used in construction of greenhouse are polyethylene film and multiwall sheets of polycarbonate material, or Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) acrylic glass. Commercial glass greenhouses are constructed with high-tech production facilities for vegetables or flowers. The glass greenhouses are equipped with screening installations, cooling and lighting, heating, and may be automatically controlled by a computer. Greenhouses protect the crops from various diseases, especially those which are soil born and tumble onto plants in the rain. Major advantage of greenhouse produce is season extension. Protected crops are less likely to get damaged by wind, rain, and hail so the percentage of marketable products is higher.\n\nMajor driver for greenhouse produce market growth is increasing demand for more intensive production of crops due to limited land, water, and labor. Regional governments are taking initiatives to develop new greenhouse production units. For instance, according to the Russian Federation Ministry of Agriculture, in 2016, 160 ha area of modern greenhouses were built in Russia.\n\nGreenhouse production is more expensive than producing the same crop in the open field. Important factors determining costs of greenhouse production are depreciation of the structure and equipment, energy, labor, and variable costs such as plant material and fertilizer. According to the article published in an International Journal of Environmental Sciences, in 2013, comparison of the selling price of an open field and greenhouse cultivated tomatoes concluded that the selling price of greenhouse grown tomatoes was US$ 0.22 more than the open field grown tomatoes. Such factors are major challenges for growth of the market over the forecast period.\n\nAccording to global greenhouse produce market analysis, North America held the dominant position in the market in 2017, owing to high presence of vegetables and fruits manufacturers in the region, which are estimated to maintain dominance in market throughout the forecast period.\n\nIncreasing disposable income is expected to propel demand of greenhouse produce in the Asia, Latin American and Eastern Europe. Shandong is a leader in protected cultivation in China. Shandong has the largest surface area of greenhouses in China. The protected area totaled over 973,000 ha (including 300,000ha solar greenhouses and the rest of different sized tunnels) in 2015.\n\nBased on product type, vegetables segment is projected to gain significant traction over the forecast period. Advances in plant biotechnology, transportation conditions such as plant cultivation friendly vehicle with inbuilt temperature control facilities, and marketing strategies such as advertisement and promotions are the major drivers for growth of floriculture industry and hence flowers segment is estimated to be the fastest growing segment in the global greenhouse produce market. According to United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) the US flower and ornamental plant market was valued at wholesale at US $4370 million in 2015.\n\nVarious trends and technologies are incorporated by manufacturers to increase the yield and to produce energy efficient greenhouses. For instance, in China, tunnels will be upgraded into solar greenhouses and solar greenhouse will be upgraded into glass greenhouses. According to Opportunity Report Horticulture in Shandong Province-2017, by Netherlands Enterprise Agency, there are several Venlo greenhouse projects on their way in China’s Dongying and Dezhou cities.\n\nKey players in global greenhouse produce market are Greenhouse Produce Company LLC, GGS Structures Inc., Four Seasons Greenhouse and Nursery, Inc., Devry Greenhouse Ltd, Loch’s Greenhouse, Elk River Greenhouse and Vegetable Farms, Mikes Greenhouse Produce Inc, Mitchell’s Greenhouse and Produce LLC, and Venlo AP HOLLAND Group. These key players are either designer, manufacturer or installer of domestic and commercial greenhouse structure.", "HOUSTON, June 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Greenhouse Day Spa is pleased to announce the celebrated opening of its new seven-room luxury boutique spa, offering the highest quality customized massage services and facials. Situated in a River Oaks area neighborhood, the Spa specializes in several organic skin care lines, including Yonka, an exclusive French brand made from essential oils, fruit and plant extracts and marine active ingredients, and Sorella Apothecary, a botanically based, professional line balancing the best of both science and nature.\n\nDarcey Matthews, founder and owner of the Spa, said, \"Located in the heart of Houston, a city without defined seasons, The Greenhouse Day Spa provides a distinctive opportunity to explore the cadence and renewal of each time of the year. With nature as our guide, our trained therapists and estheticians use organic herbs, natural oils, and unique botanicals to create a variety of signature treatments to compliment the individuality of each season. The Greenhouse Day Spa experience is personalized and truly unique, where you can rediscover your essential self, while being pampered in an elegant, comfortable and relaxed atmosphere.\n\n\"I am proud to support other women-owned businesses that were built on enthusiasm and perseverance, by highlighting a different entrepreneur each month. I have always been passionate about creating a spa environment that is dedicated to focusing the mind, nurturing the body and uplifting the spirit. We encourage you to visit The Greenhouse Day Spa to escape the demands of everyday life and indulge in an hour or an entire day of pampering,\" concluded Matthews.\n\nThe Greenhouse Day Spa provides a number of spa package options for individuals and groups to enjoy, including deluxe therapies such as facials, massages, waxing and body treatments. Each individual service and treatment package is designed for the discovery of one's potential for true balance and wellness and the restoration of their inner spirit.\n\nAbout The Greenhouse Day Spa:\n\nThe Greenhouse Day Spa provides services intended to be restorative, relaxing, and, most importantly, therapeutic. It adheres to the principles of the International Spa Association which defines a spa as a place devoted to enhancing the overall well-being through a variety of professional services encouraging the renewal of mind, body and spirit. The Greenhouse Day Spa uses organic herbs, natural oils and unique botanicals in its signature treatments to compliment the individuality of each season. To book an appointment, or to learn more about the services of The Greenhouse Day Spa, please visit www.thegreenhousedayspa.com/. You can also connect with us on Facebook and Instagram.\n\nAbout Darcey Matthews:\n\nUnderstanding the stresses that daily life can have on one's mind, body and spirit, Darcey Matthews followed her passion to design an elegant, comfortable spa experience as a reprieve from life's demands. Darcey's professional career as a corporate executive exposed her to international cultures where she came to appreciate the diverse and individual needs for personal rejuvenation. She has brought her professional knowledge and personal experiences to The Greenhouse Day Spa by offering customized spa services to the uniquely diverse Houston community. More information is available at www.thegreenhousedayspa.com/\n\nContact:\n\nDarcey Matthews, Founder and Owner \n\nThe Greenhouse Day Spa\n\n2412 Woodhead Street, Houston, TX 77019\n\nFor appointments, please call 713.485.4444\n\nFor questions regarding services, treatments, and packages, please email\n\ninfo@thegreenhousedayspa.com.", "The United Kingdom passed a law on Thursday that prescribes cutting greenhouse gas emissions in the country to net zero by 2050, the UK government said, adding that it, thus, became the first major economy to legislate lowering its contribution to global warming\n\nLONDON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 27th June, 2019) The United Kingdom passed a law on Thursday that prescribes cutting greenhouse gas emissions in the country to net zero by 2050, the UK government said, adding that it, thus, became the first major economy to legislate lowering its contribution to global warming.\n\n\"The UK today became the first major economy in the world to pass laws to end its contribution to global warming by 2050. The target will require the UK to bring all greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050, compared with the previous target of at least 80% reduction from 1990 levels,\" the government said in a statement.\n\nAccording to the statement, the initiative to reach \"net zero\" target by 2050 was proposed by the Committee on Climate Change, the UK independent climate advisory body.\n\nLondon has already managed to reduce emissions by 42 percent in comparison with the year of 1990, while growing the economy by 72 percent, the government stated.\n\nThe statement added that the government expected the number of workers employed in the environmental sectors of economy to grow to 2 million people alongside the value of exports from the low carbon economy to increase to 170 billion Pounds ($216 million) a year by 2030, the statement said.\n\n\"Net zero\" implies offsetting any emissions of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere by such measures as planting more trees or using technology like carbon capture and storage."], "summary": "The House of Representatives of the Netherlands passes the final bill of the climate agreement. The goal of the accord is to have the level of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere in 2030 the same as the level of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere in 1990."}
{"document": ["PRAGUE, Czech Republic - France's national weather service issued its highest-level danger alert Thursday as it warned that parts of the country could expect temperatures to reach an “exceptional peak” Friday amid a record-setting heat wave in Europe.\n\nMeteo France raised the hazardous weather warning to “red,” the highest level, for the Marseille and Montpellier areas in southeastern France, forecasting hazardous temperatures of 42-45 degrees Celsius (107-113 F) on Friday.\n\nIt was the first red alert Meteo France activated since a four-level weather “vigilance” system was introduced following an estimated 15,000 heat-related deaths in France during a 2003 summer heat wave.\n\n“A heat wave of this amplitude so early in the year, in June, is exceptional,” Meteo France meteorologist France Christelle Robert said. “We should expect more intense and frequent heat waves with climate change, because it will accentuate the extremes.”\n\nThe Italian Health Ministry said seven cities, including Florence, Rome and Turin, already were at Italy's highest heat warning level Thursday. On Friday, 16 cities will be under alerts for high temperatures.\n\nItalian authorities instructed people to avoid being outside during the hottest hours of the day and to stay away from areas with a lot of vehicle traffic to prevent ozone exposure.\n\nIn France, a red extreme weather warning advises extra precautions for children and older people and cautions that even those in good health are at risk of heat stroke.\n\nMost of the rest of France remained on the next-highest “orange” alert. In Paris and other big cities, including Marseille, authorities banned older cars since high heat exacerbates air pollution.\n\nAmid the blistering weather in Europe, hundreds of firefighters struggled to contain a wildfire in northeastern Spain that forced the evacuation of 53 residents.\n\nFirefighters said temperatures over 30 degrees Celsius (86 F), low humidity and high winds fanned the flames.\n\nMiquel Buch, the regional interior minister, said authorities suspect the Catalonia region's worst fire in two decades started when the heat caused improperly stored chicken manure to combust at a farm.\n\nIn the Czech Republic, where a new June temperature record was set this week, were set this week, gorillas and polar bears at Prague's zoo kept cool by eating their own version of sorbet.\n\nZookeepers have presented the animals with big blocks of frozen water in a form that suits them, and with ingredients to suit their tastes.\n\nThe gorillas had two blocks with a mixture of fruits inside, including pieces of orange, apple, pear, kiwi, carrot, pineapple and mango, hanging from ropes in their outdoor enclosure.\n\nThe zoo's eight Western lowland gorillas stuck to a clear hierarchy. Richard, the dominant male, had a chunk of ice for him own. The other seven have to share one among them all.\n\nThe three polar bears get an icy block each. Fish is the main ingredient.", "France recorded its all-time highest temperature on Friday amid a blistering heat wave that has been baking most of Europe all week.\n\nThe temperature rose to 45.1 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit) in the southern village of Villevieille, state weather forecaster Meteo France said in a statement.\n\nIt was the second time in one day that France's heat record was broken, coming shortly after a temperature of 44.3 degrees Celsius was recorded in the town of Carpentras.\n\nPrior to Friday, the previous record was 44.1 degrees Celsius, which was also logged in southern France, during a heat wave in August 2003 that killed thousands of people.\n\nMeteo France warned that the new record could still be topped in the current heatwave.\n\nFrance's national weather service also activated its highest-level heat alert for the first time on Friday, putting four regions near Marseille and Montpellier under special watch.\n\nThousands of schools have closed across France, as they could not guarantee safe conditions for students.\n\nThe heat has caused dangerous conditions all across Europe and has been blamed for at least two deaths in Spain.\n\nAccording to police, a 93-year-old man near the city of Valladolid collapsed in the street and died due to the heat.\n\nA 17-year-old died of heatstroke near the southern city of Cordoba shortly after jumping into a pool to cool off after working all day in the fields, regional health authorities said.\n\nA major wildfire that broke out in northeastern Spain continued to burn out of control for a third straight day.\n\nHundreds of firefighters are working to contain the blaze, which is believed to have started in a pile of chicken dung. The fire in the Catalan province of Tarragona has also destroyed an estimated 6,500 hectares (16,061 acres) of forest so far.\n\nCatalonia's interior minister, Miquel Buch, told reporters that the high temperatures and strong winds were complicating firefighting efforts.\n\nTemperatures to last through weekend\n\nIn Berlin, police have been taking out water cannons — which are typically used against rioters — and using them on trees in the German capital in an effort to cool them off.\n\nGermany's national weather service on Friday said temperatures in June were \"4.4 degrees higher than the internationally recognized reference period of 1961 to 1990.\"\n\nAt least 16 cities in Italy have also been put on alert, with civil security services reportedly distributing water to tourists visiting historical sites in Rome.\n\nForecasters say the heat will continue through the weekend and into early next week.\n\nDW sends a daily selection of hard news and quality journalism. Sign up here.", "PARIS (AP) — Schools are dousing kids with water and nursing homes are equipping the elderly with hydration sensors as France and other nations battle a record-setting heat wave baking much of Europe.\n\nSeveral people have died around the continent in incidents that authorities are linking to the exceptional weather. A major wildfire raged Friday in Spain, sparked when a pile of chicken dung spontaneously combusted in the heat.\n\nSeveral countries have reported record temperatures this week, and France hit its all-time heat record Friday: 45.1 C (113 F) in the small southern town of Villevieille, according to French media.\n\nThe French national weather service activated its highest-level heat danger alert for the first time, putting four regions around Marseille and Montpellier in the south of the country under special watch Friday.\n\nThose schools that stayed open worked to keep kids cool. Teachers at the Victor Hugo Primary School in Colombes near Paris abandoned suffocating classrooms and are keeping children outside all day, spraying them with water and organizing quiet activities in the shade.\n\n“I make them go in the playground with books, in the shade, they must stay seated,” said teacher Valerie Prevost. “We tell them to dampen their caps, to drink regularly.”\n\nAbout 4,000 schools closed because they couldn’t ensure safe conditions, and local authorities canceled many end-of-school-year carnivals.\n\nSome criticized the government for going overboard, but Prime Minister Edouard Philippe defended the efforts after 15,000 people died in a heat wave in 2003 that woke France up to the risks.\n\n“This heat wave is exceptional by its intensity and its earliness,” he told reporters.\n\n“Measures have been taken for the most vulnerable people,” he said “But given the intensity of the heat wave, it’s the entire population who must be careful today … both for oneself and for loved ones and neighbors.”\n\nItaly put 16 cities under alerts for high temperatures, and civil security services distributed water to tourists visiting famed sites around Rome under a scorching sun.\n\nHeat was blamed for the deaths of two people in Spain, private news agency Europa Press reported Friday.\n\nAn 80-year-old man collapsed and died in the street in Valladolid, in northwest Spain, the agency said, and a 17-year-old boy died in the southern city of Cordoba after diving into a swimming pool and losing consciousness.\n\nFour people have drowned so far in France this week, and a 12-year-old girl drowned in a river near Manchester, England. France’s health minister and British police warned people to swim only in authorized areas.\n\nFrance has also seen an uptick in so-called street-pooling, or illegally opening fire hydrants. A 6-year-old child is in life-threatening condition after being hit by water shooting from a cracked-open fire hydrant in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis, broadcaster France-Info reported.\n\nMore than 600 firefighters and six water-dropping aircraft were battling the worst fire in two decades in the Catalonia region Friday, as Spain is forecast to endure the peak of its heat wave, with temperatures expected to exceed 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit).\n\nIn Berlin, a police unit turned water cannons — usually used against rioters — on city trees, to cool them down.\n\nBarry Hatton in Lisbon, Danica Kirka in London and Catherine Gaschka in Colombes, France, contributed.\n\nCopyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.", "Girls wearing swimsuits sit along the Canal de l’Ourcq in Paris, Friday, June 28, 2019. Schools are spraying kids with water and nursing homes are equipping the elderly with hydration sensors as France and other nations battle a record-setting heat wave baking much of Europe. (AP Photo/Lewis Joly)\n\nPARIS (AP) — Thousands of schools were closed, outdoor events canceled and volunteers were visiting the elderly at home as France and other nations battle a record-setting heat wave baking much of Europe.\n\nSeveral people have died around the continent in incidents that authorities are linking to the weather. A major wildfire raged Friday in Spain, sparked when a pile of chicken dung spontaneously combusted in the heat.\n\nSeveral countries have reported record temperatures this week, and France hit its all-time heat record Friday: 45.9 C (114.6 F) in the small southern town of Gallargues-le-Montueux, according to French media.\n\nThe French national weather service activated its highest-level heat danger alert for the first time, putting four regions around Marseille and Montpellier in the south of the country under special watch Friday.\n\nAbout 4,000 schools were closed because they couldn’t ensure safe conditions.\n\nLocal authorities canceled several cultural and sport events and many end-of-school-year carnivals.\n\nCity halls were also sending volunteers to visit elderly people at home to ensure they had fans and water.\n\nIn Issy-Les-Moulineaux, a southwest Paris suburb, Jean-Jacques Emerjian, 87, and his wife Marie-France, 80 were relieved to see the Red Cross volunteers.\n\nMarie-France Emerjian said “with my handicapped husband I am worried because I don’t have someone who can come right away (to help). He fell the other night and I couldn’t get him up and I was scared. He had a malaise, he fainted.”\n\nIn the northern Paris suburb of Saint-Denis, the Salvation Army day center, which allows migrants living in the streets to take showers, also provided them with lots of bottled water.\n\nParis city hall estimates that about 1,000-2,000 migrants currently live in makeshift camps, which are particularly exposed to the heat.\n\nSome criticized the government for going overboard, but Prime Minister Edouard Philippe defended the efforts after 15,000 people died in a heat wave in 2003 that woke up France to the risks.\n\n“This heat wave is exceptional by its intensity and its earliness,” he told reporters.\n\n“Measures have been taken for the most vulnerable people,” he said “But given the intensity of the heat wave, it’s the entire population who must be careful today … both for oneself and for loved ones and neighbors.”\n\nItaly put 16 cities under alerts for high temperatures, and civil security services distributed water to tourists visiting famed sites around Rome under a scorching sun.\n\nHeat was blamed for the deaths of two people in Spain, private news agency Europa Press reported Friday.\n\nAn 80-year-old man collapsed and died in the street in Valladolid, in northwest Spain, the agency said, and a 17-year-old boy died in the southern city of Cordoba after diving into a swimming pool and losing consciousness.\n\nFour people have drowned so far in France this week, and a 12-year-old girl drowned in a river near Manchester, England. France’s health minister and British police warned people to swim only in authorized areas.\n\nFrance has also seen an uptick in so-called street-pooling, or illegally opening fire hydrants. A 6-year-old child is in life-threatening condition after being hit by water shooting from a cracked-open fire hydrant in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis, broadcaster France-Info reported.\n\nMore than 200 firefighters dealt with dozens of fires in the Gard region, in southeastern France, and a highway was closed for safety reasons.\n\nMore than 600 firefighters and six water-dropping aircraft were battling the worst fire in two decades in the Catalonia region Friday, as Spain is forecast to endure the peak of its heat wave, with temperatures expected to exceed 40 C (104 F).\n\nIn Berlin, a police unit turned water cannons — usually used against rioters — on city trees, to cool them down.\n\nThe World Meteorological Organization said Friday that temperature records for this time of year have been broken in Germany, France, Spain, Switzerland and Austria.\n\nSpeaking in Geneva, WMO spokeswoman Clare Nullis said Earth is set to experience its five warmest years on record from 2015-2019. The WMO says that increasing greenhouse gas concentrations will fuel global heat and climate change.\n\n“It’s hitting the poorest and most vulnerable but it will ultimately hit everybody,” Nullis said.\n\nIn Paris, near the presidential palace, about 100 students organized a street protest to urge authorities to take immediate action on climate change. The action ended without police violence.\n\nFrench President Emmanuel Macron presents himself as a champion of fighting climate change, but environmental organizations say that France doesn’t do enough to limit the impact of global warming.\n\nThe heat wave is caused by warm air rising across Europe from north Africa. Hot temperatures are expected to last until Sunday when a cold front will arrive on the continent.\n\nBarry Hatton in Lisbon, Danica Kirka in London, Catherine Gaschka in Colombes, France, and Jeffrey Schaeffer in Issy-Les-Moulineaux, France contributed.", "Paris city hall estimates that about 1,000-2,000 migrants currently live in makeshift camps, which are particularly exposed to the heat.\n\nSome criticized the government for going overboard, but Prime Minister Edouard Philippe defended the efforts after 15,000 people died in a heat wave in 2003 that woke up France to the risks.\n\n\"This heat wave is exceptional by its intensity and its earliness,\" he told reporters.\n\n\"Measures have been taken for the most vulnerable people,\" he said \"But given the intensity of the heat wave, it's the entire population who must be careful today ... both for oneself and for loved ones and neighbours.\"\n\nItaly put 16 cities under alerts for high temperatures, and civil security services distributed water to tourists visiting famed sites around Rome under a scorching sun. Highs Friday and through the weekend were forecast to be about 36.\n\nHeat was blamed for the deaths of two people in Spain, private news agency Europa Press reported Friday.\n\nAn 80-year-old man collapsed and died in the street in Valladolid, in northwest Spain, the agency said, and a 17-year-old boy died in the southern city of Cordoba after diving into a swimming pool and losing consciousness. Friday's high was to be 39 and 41 Saturday in Cordoba. Temperatures are expected to stay in the high 30s next week.\n\nFour people have drowned so far in France this week, and a 12-year-old girl drowned in a river near Manchester, England. France's health minister and British police warned people to swim only in authorized areas.\n\nFrance has also seen an uptick in so-called street-pooling, or illegally opening fire hydrants. A six-year-old child is in life-threatening condition after being hit by water shooting from a cracked-open fire hydrant in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis, broadcaster France-Info reported.\n\nMore than 200 firefighters dealt with dozens of fires in the Gard region, in southeastern France, and a highway was closed for safety reasons.\n\nMore than 600 firefighters and six water-dropping aircraft were battling the worst fire in two decades in the Catalonia region Friday, as Spain is forecast to endure the peak of its heat wave, with temperatures expected to exceed 40 C.\n\nIn Berlin, a police unit turned water cannons — usually used against rioters — on city trees, to cool them down. Temperatures there were forecast to hit 38 Sunday before dropping next week.\n\nThe World Meteorological Organization said Friday that temperature records for this time of year have been broken in Germany, France, Spain, Switzerland and Austria.\n\nSpeaking in Geneva, WMO spokesperson Clare Nullis said Earth is set to experience its five warmest years on record from 2015-2019. The WMO says that increasing greenhouse gas concentrations will fuel global heat and climate change.\n\n\"It's hitting the poorest and most vulnerable but it will ultimately hit everybody,\" Nullis said.\n\nIn Paris, near the presidential palace, about 100 students organized a street protest to urge authorities to take immediate action on climate change.\n\nFrench President Emmanuel Macron presents himself as a champion of fighting climate change, but environmental organizations say that France doesn't do enough to limit the impact of global warming.\n\nThe heat wave is caused by warm air rising across Europe from North Africa.", "Paris – Schools are dousing kids with water and nursing homes are equipping the elderly with hydration sensors as France and other nations battle a record-setting heat wave baking much of Europe.\n\nSeveral people have died around the continent in incidents that authorities are linking to the exceptional weather. A major wildfire raged Friday in Spain, sparked when a pile of chicken dung spontaneously combusted in the heat.\n\nSeveral countries have reported record temperatures this week, and France hit its all-time heat record Friday: 111 degrees in the southern town of Carpentras, according to French media.\n\nThe French national weather service activated its highest-level heat danger alert for the first time, putting four regions around Marseille and Montpellier in the south of the country under special watch Friday.\n\nThose schools that stayed open worked to keep kids cool. Teachers at the Victor Hugo Primary School in Colombes near Paris abandoned suffocating classrooms and are keeping children outside all day, spraying them with water and organizing quiet activities in the shade.\n\n“I make them go in the playground with books, in the shade, they must stay seated,” said teacher Valerie Prevost. “We tell them to dampen their caps, to drink regularly.”\n\nAbout 4,000 schools closed because they couldn’t ensure safe conditions, and local authorities canceled many end-of-school-year carnivals.\n\nSome criticized the government for going overboard, but Prime Minister Edouard Philippe defended the efforts after 15,000 people died in a heat wave in 2003 that woke France up to the risks.\n\n“This heat wave is exceptional by its intensity and its earliness,” he told reporters.\n\n“Measures have been taken for the most vulnerable people,” he said “But given the intensity of the heat wave, it’s the entire population who must be careful today … both for oneself and for loved ones and neighbors.”\n\nItaly put 16 cities under alerts for high temperatures, and civil security services distributed water to tourists visiting famed sites around Rome under a scorching sun.\n\nHeat was blamed for the deaths of two people in Spain, private news agency Europa Press reported Friday.\n\nAn 80-year-old man collapsed and died in the street in Valladolid, in northwest Spain, the agency said, and a 17-year-old boy died in the southern city of Cordoba after diving into a swimming pool and losing consciousness.\n\nFour people have drowned so far in France this week, and a 12-year-old girl drowned in a river near Manchester, England. France’s health minister and British police warned people to swim only in authorized areas.\n\nFrance has also seen an uptick in so-called street-pooling, or illegally opening fire hydrants. A 6-year-old child is in life-threatening condition after being hit by water shooting from a cracked-open fire hydrant in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis, broadcaster France-Info reported.\n\nMore than 600 firefighters and six water-dropping aircraft were battling the worst fire in two decades in the Catalonia region Friday, as Spain is forecast to endure the peak of its heat wave, with temperatures expected to exceed 104 Fahrenheit.\n\nIn Berlin, a police unit turned water cannons – usually used against rioters – on city trees, to cool them down.\n\nBarry Hatton in Lisbon, Danica Kirka in London and Catherine Gaschka in Colombes, France, contributed.", "Europe is coming heat waves. In Belgium, Austria, Spain, Hungary – is expected to 30 to 40°C. To record the heat prepares and France. Thursday in the center of the country the air can warm up to 42-45°C in Paris – up to 40°C in the shade, Stormnews reports citing euronews.\n\nAccording to the forecasts of meteorologists, in France can be beaten temperature record, which was established on 12 August 2003 and is 44.1°C.\n\nBut there are more pessimistic forecasts. According to them, on 27-28 June the temperature in the North and East of the country may rise to 48°C. the Heat caused by the wave of hot air from Africa and Spain and a strong anticyclone over the Atlantic ocean, will last at least six days, according to RFI.\n\nThe so-called “heat wave” (canicule) will cover almost the whole territory of France except Brittany. As explained by the representatives of Météo France, “heat wave is an episode of high temperatures day and night over a long period”, that is more than three days. The expected heat much faster than the average temperature readings for the second half of June.\n\nMétéo France said that after 1947, the heat in the period from 18 to 28 June were observed only in 2005. But now it is expected that the heat wave will be much more intense, unprecedented for June. This is due to the receipt in atmosphere of very hot air masses from the Maghreb and Spain.\n\nIn Paris, introduced the third of the four level plan to prepare for the heat. His power created after the heat of 2003, when record temperatures in the country killed 15 thousand people.\n\nIn anticipation of the heat the city of Paris announced the third of four possible severity levels. This means that will be mobilized additional capacity of medical institutions and organizations such as the Red Cross. In addition, be included a Vermeil, which involves placing the most vulnerable persons (infants and elderly) in refrigerated spaces such as Department stores, supermarkets and public buildings, said RFI.\n\nIn the nation’s capital next week will be day open parks and gardens: there the temperature is usually several degrees lower than on the streets. Municipal service will also install additional fountains of water and to arrange temporary pools in residential areas of the city. The homeless will distribute free bottles of chilled water.\n\nIn addition, the authorities fear of power outages and transportation problems. Adverse weather conditions can lead to serious air pollution.", "Girls wearing swimsuits sit along the Canal de l’Ourcq in Paris, Friday, June 28, 2019. Schools are spraying kids with water and nursing homes are equipping the elderly with hydration sensors as France and other nations battle a record-setting heat wave baking much of Europe. (AP Photo/Lewis Joly)\n\nPARIS (AP) — Thousands of schools were closed, outdoor events canceled and volunteers were visiting the elderly at home as France and other nations battle a record-setting heat wave baking much of Europe.\n\nSeveral people have died around the continent in incidents that authorities are linking to the weather. A major wildfire raged Friday in Spain, sparked when a pile of chicken dung spontaneously combusted in the heat.\n\nSeveral countries have reported record temperatures this week, and France hit its all-time heat record Friday: 45.9 C (114.6 F) in the small southern town of Gallargues-le-Montueux, according to French media.\n\nThe French national weather service activated its highest-level heat danger alert for the first time, putting four regions around Marseille and Montpellier in the south of the country under special watch Friday.\n\nAbout 4,000 schools were closed because they couldn’t ensure safe conditions.\n\nLocal authorities canceled several cultural and sport events and many end-of-school-year carnivals.\n\nCity halls were also sending volunteers to visit elderly people at home to ensure they had fans and water.\n\nIn Issy-Les-Moulineaux, a southwest Paris suburb, Jean-Jacques Emerjian, 87, and his wife Marie-France, 80 were relieved to see the Red Cross volunteers.\n\nMarie-France Emerjian said “with my handicapped husband I am worried because I don’t have someone who can come right away (to help). He fell the other night and I couldn’t get him up and I was scared. He had a malaise, he fainted.”\n\nIn the northern Paris suburb of Saint-Denis, the Salvation Army day center, which allows migrants living in the streets to take showers, also provided them with lots of bottled water.\n\nParis city hall estimates that about 1,000-2,000 migrants currently live in makeshift camps, which are particularly exposed to the heat.\n\nSome criticized the government for going overboard, but Prime Minister Edouard Philippe defended the efforts after 15,000 people died in a heat wave in 2003 that woke up France to the risks.\n\n“This heat wave is exceptional by its intensity and its earliness,” he told reporters.\n\n“Measures have been taken for the most vulnerable people,” he said “But given the intensity of the heat wave, it’s the entire population who must be careful today … both for oneself and for loved ones and neighbors.”\n\nItaly put 16 cities under alerts for high temperatures, and civil security services distributed water to tourists visiting famed sites around Rome under a scorching sun.\n\nHeat was blamed for the deaths of two people in Spain, private news agency Europa Press reported Friday.\n\nAn 80-year-old man collapsed and died in the street in Valladolid, in northwest Spain, the agency said, and a 17-year-old boy died in the southern city of Cordoba after diving into a swimming pool and losing consciousness.\n\nFour people have drowned so far in France this week, and a 12-year-old girl drowned in a river near Manchester, England. France’s health minister and British police warned people to swim only in authorized areas.\n\nFrance has also seen an uptick in so-called street-pooling, or illegally opening fire hydrants. A 6-year-old child is in life-threatening condition after being hit by water shooting from a cracked-open fire hydrant in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis, broadcaster France-Info reported.\n\nMore than 200 firefighters dealt with dozens of fires in the Gard region, in southeastern France, and a highway was closed for safety reasons.\n\nMore than 600 firefighters and six water-dropping aircraft were battling the worst fire in two decades in the Catalonia region Friday, as Spain is forecast to endure the peak of its heat wave, with temperatures expected to exceed 40 C (104 F).\n\nIn Berlin, a police unit turned water cannons — usually used against rioters — on city trees, to cool them down.\n\nThe World Meteorological Organization said Friday that temperature records for this time of year have been broken in Germany, France, Spain, Switzerland and Austria.\n\nSpeaking in Geneva, WMO spokeswoman Clare Nullis said Earth is set to experience its five warmest years on record from 2015-2019. The WMO says that increasing greenhouse gas concentrations will fuel global heat and climate change.\n\n“It’s hitting the poorest and most vulnerable but it will ultimately hit everybody,” Nullis said.\n\nIn Paris, near the presidential palace, about 100 students organized a street protest to urge authorities to take immediate action on climate change. The action ended without police violence.\n\nFrench President Emmanuel Macron presents himself as a champion of fighting climate change, but environmental organizations say that France doesn’t do enough to limit the impact of global warming.\n\nThe heat wave is caused by warm air rising across Europe from north Africa. Hot temperatures are expected to last until Sunday when a cold front will arrive on the continent.\n\nBarry Hatton in Lisbon, Danica Kirka in London, Catherine Gaschka in Colombes, France, and Jeffrey Schaeffer in Issy-Les-Moulineaux, France contributed.", "A couple holds an umbrella to protect from the sun Thursday, June 27, 2019 at the Louvre museum in Paris. (AP Photo/Kamil Zihnioglu)\n\nPRAGUE (AP) — France’s national weather service issued its highest-level danger alert Thursday as it warned that parts of the country could expect temperatures to reach an “exceptional peak” Friday amid a record-setting heat wave in Europe.\n\nMeteo France raised the hazardous weather warning to “red,” the highest level, for the Marseille and Montpellier areas in southeastern France, forecasting hazardous temperatures of 42-45 degrees Celsius (107-113 F) on Friday.\n\nIt was the first red alert Meteo France activated since a four-level weather “vigilance” system was introduced following an estimated 15,000 heat-related deaths in France during a 2003 summer heat wave.\n\n“A heat wave of this amplitude so early in the year, in June, is exceptional,” Meteo France meteorologist France Christelle Robert said. “We should expect more intense and frequent heat waves with climate change, because it will accentuate the extremes.”\n\nThe Italian Health Ministry said seven cities, including Florence, Rome and Turin, already were at Italy’s highest heat warning level Thursday. On Friday, 16 cities will be under alerts for high temperatures.\n\nItalian authorities instructed people to avoid being outside during the hottest hours of the day and to stay away from areas with a lot of vehicle traffic to prevent ozone exposure.\n\nIn France, a red extreme weather warning advises extra precautions for children and older people and cautions that even those in good health are at risk of heat stroke.\n\nMost of the rest of France remained on the next-highest “orange” alert. In Paris and other big cities, including Marseille, authorities banned older cars since high heat exacerbates air pollution.\n\nAmid the blistering weather in Europe, hundreds of firefighters struggled to contain a wildfire in northeastern Spain that forced the evacuation of 53 residents.\n\nFirefighters said temperatures over 30 degrees Celsius (86 F), low humidity and high winds fanned the flames.\n\nMiquel Buch, the regional interior minister, said authorities suspect the Catalonia region’s worst fire in two decades started when the heat caused improperly stored chicken manure to combust at a farm.\n\nIn the Czech Republic, where a new June temperature record was set this week, were set this week, gorillas and polar bears at Prague’s zoo kept cool by eating their own version of sorbet.\n\nZookeepers have presented the animals with big blocks of frozen water in a form that suits them, and with ingredients to suit their tastes.\n\nThe gorillas had two blocks with a mixture of fruits inside, including pieces of orange, apple, pear, kiwi, carrot, pineapple and mango, hanging from ropes in their outdoor enclosure.\n\nThe zoo’s eight Western lowland gorillas stuck to a clear hierarchy. Richard, the dominant male, had a chunk of ice for him own. The other seven have to share one among them all.\n\nThe three polar bears get an icy block each. Fish is the main ingredient.", "Girls wearing swimsuits sit along the Canal de l’Ourcq in Paris, Friday, June 28, 2019. Schools are spraying kids with water and nursing homes are equipping the elderly with hydration sensors as France and other nations battle a record-setting heat wave baking much of Europe. (AP Photo/Lewis Joly)\n\nPARIS (AP) — Thousands of schools were closed, outdoor events canceled and volunteers were visiting the elderly at home as France and other nations battle a record-setting heat wave baking much of Europe.\n\nSeveral people have died around the continent in incidents that authorities are linking to the weather. A major wildfire raged Friday in Spain, sparked when a pile of chicken dung spontaneously combusted in the heat.\n\nSeveral countries have reported record temperatures this week, and France hit its all-time heat record Friday: 45.9 C (114.6 F) in the small southern town of Gallargues-le-Montueux, according to French media.\n\nThe French national weather service activated its highest-level heat danger alert for the first time, putting four regions around Marseille and Montpellier in the south of the country under special watch Friday.\n\nAbout 4,000 schools were closed because they couldn’t ensure safe conditions.\n\nLocal authorities canceled several cultural and sport events and many end-of-school-year carnivals.\n\nCity halls were also sending volunteers to visit elderly people at home to ensure they had fans and water.\n\nIn Issy-Les-Moulineaux, a southwest Paris suburb, Jean-Jacques Emerjian, 87, and his wife Marie-France, 80 were relieved to see the Red Cross volunteers.\n\nMarie-France Emerjian said “with my handicapped husband I am worried because I don’t have someone who can come right away (to help). He fell the other night and I couldn’t get him up and I was scared. He had a malaise, he fainted.”\n\nIn the northern Paris suburb of Saint-Denis, the Salvation Army day center, which allows migrants living in the streets to take showers, also provided them with lots of bottled water.\n\nParis city hall estimates that about 1,000-2,000 migrants currently live in makeshift camps, which are particularly exposed to the heat.\n\nSome criticized the government for going overboard, but Prime Minister Edouard Philippe defended the efforts after 15,000 people died in a heat wave in 2003 that woke up France to the risks.\n\n“This heat wave is exceptional by its intensity and its earliness,” he told reporters.\n\n“Measures have been taken for the most vulnerable people,” he said “But given the intensity of the heat wave, it’s the entire population who must be careful today … both for oneself and for loved ones and neighbors.”\n\nItaly put 16 cities under alerts for high temperatures, and civil security services distributed water to tourists visiting famed sites around Rome under a scorching sun.\n\nHeat was blamed for the deaths of two people in Spain, private news agency Europa Press reported Friday.\n\nAn 80-year-old man collapsed and died in the street in Valladolid, in northwest Spain, the agency said, and a 17-year-old boy died in the southern city of Cordoba after diving into a swimming pool and losing consciousness.\n\nFour people have drowned so far in France this week, and a 12-year-old girl drowned in a river near Manchester, England. France’s health minister and British police warned people to swim only in authorized areas.\n\nFrance has also seen an uptick in so-called street-pooling, or illegally opening fire hydrants. A 6-year-old child is in life-threatening condition after being hit by water shooting from a cracked-open fire hydrant in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis, broadcaster France-Info reported.\n\nMore than 200 firefighters dealt with dozens of fires in the Gard region, in southeastern France, and a highway was closed for safety reasons.\n\nMore than 600 firefighters and six water-dropping aircraft were battling the worst fire in two decades in the Catalonia region Friday, as Spain is forecast to endure the peak of its heat wave, with temperatures expected to exceed 40 C (104 F).\n\nIn Berlin, a police unit turned water cannons — usually used against rioters — on city trees, to cool them down.\n\nThe World Meteorological Organization said Friday that temperature records for this time of year have been broken in Germany, France, Spain, Switzerland and Austria.\n\nSpeaking in Geneva, WMO spokeswoman Clare Nullis said Earth is set to experience its five warmest years on record from 2015-2019. The WMO says that increasing greenhouse gas concentrations will fuel global heat and climate change.\n\n“It’s hitting the poorest and most vulnerable but it will ultimately hit everybody,” Nullis said.\n\nIn Paris, near the presidential palace, about 100 students organized a street protest to urge authorities to take immediate action on climate change. The action ended without police violence.\n\nFrench President Emmanuel Macron presents himself as a champion of fighting climate change, but environmental organizations say that France doesn’t do enough to limit the impact of global warming.\n\nThe heat wave is caused by warm air rising across Europe from north Africa. Hot temperatures are expected to last until Sunday when a cold front will arrive on the continent.\n\nBarry Hatton in Lisbon, Danica Kirka in London, Catherine Gaschka in Colombes, France, and Jeffrey Schaeffer in Issy-Les-Moulineaux, France contributed."], "summary": "Amid a continental heat wave, France records its highest ever temperature of 45.9 °C (114.6 °F) in Gallargues-le-Montueux."}
{"document": ["Schools are dousing kids with water and nursing homes are equipping the elderly with hydration sensors as France and other nations battle a record-setting heat wave baking much of Europe.\n\nSeveral people have died around the continent in incidents that authorities are linking to the exceptional weather. A major wildfire raged Friday in Spain, sparked when a pile of chicken dung spontaneously combusted in the heat.\n\nSeveral countries have reported record temperatures this week, and France hit its all-time heat record Friday: 44.3 C (111 F) in the southern town of Carpentras, according to French media.\n\nThe French national weather service activated its highest-level heat danger alert for the first time, putting four regions around Marseille and Montpellier in the south of the country under special watch Friday.\n\nThose schools that stayed open worked to keep kids cool. Teachers at the Victor Hugo Primary School in Colombes near Paris abandoned suffocating classrooms and are keeping children outside all day, spraying them with water and organizing quiet activities in the shade.\n\n\"I make them go in the playground with books, in the shade, they must stay seated,\" said teacher Valerie Prevost. \"We tell them to dampen their caps, to drink regularly.\"\n\nAbout 4,000 schools closed because they couldn't ensure safe conditions, and local authorities cancelled many end-of-school-year carnivals.\n\nSome criticized the government for going overboard, but Prime Minister Edouard Philippe defended the efforts after 15,000 people died in a heat wave in 2003 that woke France up to the risks.\n\n\"This heat wave is exceptional by its intensity and its earliness,\" he told reporters.\n\n\"Measures have been taken for the most vulnerable people,\" Philippe said. \"But given the intensity of the heat wave, it's the entire population who must be careful today ... both for oneself and for loved ones and neighbours.\"\n\nItaly put 16 cities under alerts for high temperatures, and civil security services distributed water to tourists visiting famed sites around Rome under a scorching sun.\n\nFour people have drowned so far in France this week, and a 12-year-old girl drowned in a river near Manchester, England. France's health minister and British police warned people to swim only in authorized areas.\n\nFrance has also seen an uptick in so-called street-pooling, or illegally opening fire hydrants. A six-year-old child is in life-threatening condition after being hit by water shooting from a cracked-open fire hydrant in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis, broadcaster France-Info reported.\n\nHeat was blamed for the deaths of two people in Spain, private news agency Europa Press reported Friday. An 80-year-old man collapsed and died in the street in Valladolid, in northwest Spain, the agency said, and a 17-year-old boy died in the southern city of Cordoba after diving into a swimming pool and losing consciousness.\n\nFirefighters and aircraft battled for a third straight day to contain a major wildfire that started in a pile of chicken dung in northeastern Spain.\n\nAuthorities said more than 700 firefighters, eight helicopters and six water-dropping aircraft aimed to slow the fire's progress until nightfall, when cooler temperatures might give them an advantage.\n\nA stiff breeze was driving the flames in the direction of Lleida, 30 kilometres away, though officials said the city wasn't considered to be under threat.\n\nTemperatures in the area of the fire reached 41 C as parts of Europe recorded their hottest June temperatures in recent memory due to hot air moving north from Africa.\n\nTemperatures were forecast to drop from Saturday.\n\nAuthorities said the fire is the Catalonia region's worst fire in two decades and 20,000 hectares of hilly terrain are at risk. By Friday, an estimated 6,000 hectares had burned.", "(CNN) Firefighters in Spain are battling a major wildfire that probably started after a heap of manure self-ignited amid the intense European heat wave.\n\nAround 10,000 acres of forest and other vegetation were affected by the blaze near Tarragona in the country's north-east, according to the Catalan regional government.\n\nTrees burn during the forest fire west of Tarragona on June 27.\n\nAuthorities said the fire likely began when an \"improperly managed\" pile of manure self-combusted in the heat , causing sparks.\n\nSpontaneous ignitions can occur when flammable materials, such as piles of hay, compost or manure heat up to a temperature high enough to cause combustion, according to the US National Park Service.\n\nResidents gather to observe a forest fire raging near Maials in the northeastern region of Catalonia on June 27, 2019.\n\nAs of early afternoon, the fire was still not under control and 53 people have been evacuated from the area.\n\nRead More", "A 17-year-old died in the early hours of this morning in hospital in the southern city of Cordoba after suffering heat exhaustion while he worked in the countryside. Officials said he collapsed after feeling dizzy and jumping into the swimming pool at the property where he was working. The unnamed teenager, who was from the village of Castro del Rio in Cordoba province which is famed for its olive oil and furniture made from olive oil, died at 1.25am today at Cordoba’s Reina Sofia Hospital.\n\nThe regional Junta de Andalucia government said it “regretted the youngster’s death and sent its condolences to his family and friends for their loss” in a statement.\n\nThe death of an 80-year-old man in Valladolid, northern Spain, has also been blamed on the heat.\n\nHe had been walking to the dentist’s when he collapsed around 6pm yesterday/on Thursday in the city centre.\n\nPolice sources said they believed he had been wearing too many clothes for the 37 degrees Celsius (98.6 Fahrenheit) temperature at the time.\n\nREAD MORE: Spain weather forecast: Red alert issued for 7 areas as heatwave sends temperatures to 43C", "Temperatures in France are expected to reach a record-breaking high on Friday, as Europe continues to endure a sweltering heat wave which sparked an out-of-control wildfire in Spain.\n\nGovernments warned citizens to take extra precautions, with the week-long heat wave causing a build-up of pollution and fears of an increase in emergency calls across Europe.\n\nFrench meteorologists have forecast temperatures that may exceed 45 degrees Celsius on Friday, a high never seen in mainland France.\n\nThe current record was set in August 2003 in the southern region of Montpellier and Nimes, when the thermometer hit 44.1 degrees Celsius.\n\n“To beat this record so early in the year would be exceptional,” said meteorologist Christelle Robert.\n\nThe average maximum temperature recorded Wednesday in France of 34.9 C was already a record for the month of June, said state weather forecaster Meteo France.\n\nFrench President Emmanuel Macron warned that such extreme weather is likely to become more frequent as a result of global warming.\n\n“We will need to change our set-up, our way of working, build differently,” he said, stressing a necessary “adaption of society and its habits.”\n\nFrench Health Minister Agnes Buzyn on Thursday said people had to be prepared for the peak of the heat wave and expressed irritation that some appeared not to be listening to advice.\n\nShe complained about parents leaving their children in the car and joggers exercising in the midday heat.\n\nA forest fire in Torre del Espanol in Spain’s northeastern Catalonia region raged out of control, devouring land despite the efforts of hundreds of firefighters.\n\nCatalonia’s forest agent service said the fire likely began when an “improperly managed” pile of manure at a chicken farm self-combusted in the extreme heat.\n\nSome 350 firefighters backed by around 230 soldiers and 15 aerial tanker aircrafts were at the scene of the blaze on Thursday.\n\n“The situation is critical,” said fire service chief Antonio Ramos. “We haven’t seen a fire like this (in the region) in 20 years.”\n\nWith temperatures expected to reach up to 42 C on Friday, Spain has issued a “red level” warning to its population.\n\nIn the Italian city of Milan, a 72-year-old homeless man was found dead at the main train station after falling ill due to the heat wave, the local authorities said.\n\nAs Germans attempted to cool off amid scorching temperatures, at least four people died in bathing accidents in different parts of the country on Wednesday.\n\nSome areas of the country were experiencing water shortages and some residents in the North Rhine-Westphalia state were told to only use drinking water for vital purposes or face a €1,000 ($1,137) fine.\n\nThere has been no coordinated shutdown of schools but some have closed in parts of France, while others advised parents to keep children at home.\n\nIn Paris, Lyon, Marseille and Strasbourg, authorities have banned the most-polluting cars from the roads.\n\nResidents of the French city of Grenoble were unable to use two municipal swimming pools despite the record temperatures, due to a row sparked by use of the full-body Islamic burkini swimsuit.\n\nLifeguards had asked for the shutdown after Muslim women clad in burkinis had gone to swim in defiance of a municipal ban.", "A forest fire in Spain raged out of control on Thursday amid a Europe-wide heatwave, devouring land despite the efforts of hundreds of firefighters who worked through the night, local authorities said.\n\nThe blaze broke out on Wednesday afternoon in Torre del Espanol in the northeastern region of Catalonia and by Thursday it had destroyed more than 4,000 hectares (10,000 acres), the region's interior minister Miquel Buch said.\n\n\"The difficulties are such that we can't talk about a fire that is under control or in the extinction phase, but rather that we're at a moment when the blaze is getting bigger,\" he told Catalan radio.\n\nThe wildfires in Catalonia are among the worst it has seen in 20 years, the regional government said, adding that around 30 people had been evacuated from farmhouses in the affected area.\n\nIn a statement, the regional government warned the fire could eventually devour 20,000 hectares in what presented an \"extreme risk.\"", "MADRID — A major wildfire in northeastern Spain is raging out of control for a third straight day.\n\nSeveral hundred firefighters are at the blaze in the Catalonia region Friday as Spain is forecast to endure the peak of a recent heat wave, with temperatures expected to exceed 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit).\n\nOfficials say cooler overnight temperatures allowed crews to slow the fire’s advance, but authorities say it is the region’s worst fire in two decades and 20,000 hectares (50,000 acres) are at risk.\n\nMiquel Buch, the regional interior minister, is asking people to exercise extreme caution in forested areas.\n\nHe says fire services are at full stretch “and we can’t allow another wildfire to break out.”\n\nSome 500 people were evacuated to a school gym. Others were told to stay indoors.", "TORRE DEL ESPANOL, Spain: Hundreds of firefighters on Thursday battled an out-of-control wildfire in Spain that authorities believe started after a heap of manure self-ignited amid a European heatwave.\n\nThe blaze, which broke out Wednesday afternoon in Torre del Espanol in the northeastern region of Catalonia, has so far affected more than 6,500 hectares (16,000 acres), the regional government said, an area about 19 times the size of Central Park.\n\nThe flames raging across a hilly area roughly 80 kilometres (50 miles) inland from the Mediterranean coastal town of Tarragona could eventually devour 20,000 hectares in what was presented as an \"extreme risk\", a statement said.\n\nSome 350 firefighters backed by around 230 soldiers and 15 aerial tanker aircraft were at the scene of the blaze, the worst in Catalonia in 20 years in terms of the amount of land charred.", "MADRID (AP) - Hundreds of firefighters are struggling to contain a wildfire in northeastern Spain that has spread over 5,500 hectares (13,590 acres) and forced the evacuation of 53 residents.\n\nA Spanish military unit with 120 specialists has joined local firefighters, who had worked overnight to control the blaze that is raging in difficult hilly terrain near the Ebro River.\n\nMiquel Buch, the regional interior minister, said Thursday 20,000 hectares are under threat in what is the worst fire in the Catalonia region in two decades.\n\nBuch says authorities suspect the cause of the outbreak was a deposit of improperly stored manure.\n\nFirefighters say that high temperatures and a drop in humidity will likely fan the flames.\n\nThe burned landscape after a wildfire in Torre de l'Espanyol, near Tarragona, Spain, Thursday, June 27, 2019. The Catalonia region of Spain has seen its biggest forest fire this year, with more than 1,200 hectares (3,000 acres) believed to have been burned and hundreds of people evacuated.(AP Photo/Jordi Borras)\n\nA burned farm tractor lays destroyed after a wildfire swept through Torre de l'Espanyol, near Tarragona, Spain, Thursday, June 27, 2019. The Catalonia region of Spain has seen its biggest forest fire this year, with more than 1,200 hectares (3,000 acres) believed to have been burned and hundreds of people evacuated. (AP Photo/Jordi Borras)\n\nSmoke rises from the burned landscape after a wildfire in Torre de l'Espanyol, near Tarragona, Spain, Thursday, June 27, 2019. The Catalonia region of Spain has seen its biggest forest fire this year, with more than 1,200 hectares (3,000 acres) believed to have been burned and hundreds of people evacuated. (AP Photo/Jordi Borras)\n\nLocal villagers overlooked a burned landscape after a wildfire in Torre de l'Espanyol, near Tarragona, Spain, Thursday, June 27, 2019. The Catalonia region of Spain has seen its biggest forest fire this year, with more than 1,200 hectares (3,000 acres) believed to have been burned and hundreds of people evacuated.(AP Photo/Jordi Borras)", "MADRID (AP) - A major wildfire in northeastern Spain is raging out of control for a third straight day.\n\nSeveral hundred firefighters are at the blaze in the Catalonia region Friday as Spain is forecast to endure the peak of a recent heat wave, with temperatures expected to exceed 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit).\n\nOfficials say cooler overnight temperatures allowed crews to slow the fire's advance, but authorities say it is the region's worst fire in two decades and 20,000 hectares (50,000 acres) are at risk.\n\nMiquel Buch, the regional interior minister, is asking people to exercise extreme caution in forested areas.\n\nHe says fire services are at full stretch \"and we can't allow another wildfire to break out.\"\n\nSome 500 people were evacuated to a school gym. Others were told to stay indoors.\n\nFirefighters try to extinguish a wildfire in Palma d'Ebre, near Tarragona, Spain, Thursday, June 27, 2019. Authorities suspect the cause of the outbreak was a deposit of improperly stored manure. Firefighters say that high temperatures and a drop in humidity will likely fan the flames. (AP Photo/Jordi Borras)\n\nFirefighters try to extinguish a wildfire in Palma d'Ebre, near Tarragona, Spain, Thursday, June 27, 2019. Authorities suspect the cause of the outbreak was a deposit of improperly stored manure. Firefighters say that high temperatures and a drop in humidity will likely fan the flames. (AP Photo/Jordi Borras)\n\nFirefighters try to extinguish a wildfire in Palma d'Ebre, near Tarragona, Spain, Thursday, June 27, 2019. Authorities suspect the cause of the outbreak was a deposit of improperly stored manure. Firefighters say that high temperatures and a drop in humidity will likely fan the flames. (AP Photo/Jordi Borras)", "The burned landscape after a wildfire in Torre de l'Espanyol, near Tarragona, Spain, Thursday, June 27, 2019. The Catalonia region of Spain has seen its biggest forest fire this year, with more than 1,200 hectares (3,000 acres) believed to have been burned and hundreds of people evacuated.(AP Photo/Jordi Borras) (Source: Jordi Borras)"], "summary": "In Spain, authorities report two deaths connected to the extreme heat. The worst wildfire in 20 years burns more than 5,000 hectares at the south of Province of Tarragona, in Catalonia."}
{"document": ["Rio de Janeiro: The idea that Venezuela could compete in South America has long been considered absurd. They were the whipping boys of the continent and wherever they travelled — from Santiago to Bogota — they carried that reputation like a chain around their necks. It was never a question of losing, but simply how many they would be conceding on the day? Argentina, Brazil and other traditional teams had little time for the Venezuelans.\n\nToday, the regional minnows no longer roll over that easily. In one of the stand-out results of the Copa America group stages, the Venezuelans drew 0-0 with hosts Brazil, and that scoreline was no coincidence. The genesis of Venezuela’s rise is twofold: in 1996 Conmebol reformatted World Cup qualifying in South America by introducing the ten-team marathon format. It meant competitive football for the smaller nations and a chance to benefit from playing the big boys on a regular basis. Ecuador and Peru have played in the World Cup since.\n\nVenezuelans are still dreaming of a ticket to the big time, but they have shown intelligence by not forcing the issue. A fast-track ticket to the World Cup doesn’t exist in South America. Instead, they have focused on developing their youth development, copying the models of Argentina and Uruguay, who have been successful in bringing through new generations. In 2017, Venezuela finished runners-up in the U-20 World Cup in South Korea, falling to a single English goal in the final. It was a huge achievement: the U-20 level is of paramount importance in a continent that can’t compete with Europe’s riches. The win also proved that Rafael Dudamel was ready to take the next step and lead the senior national team.\n\nDuring his playing days, Dudamel was a goalkeeper and he was often on the wrong end of South American strikers. In 1993 he conceded seven times at home against Bolivia. Three years later, Ivan Zamorano scored five against Venezuela’s number one in a 6-0 win for Chile. The Venezuela coach can count on a good goalkeeper in Wuilker Farinez, pace on the wings and a powerful striker in Salomon Rondon. In March the centre forward was a scourge in Venezuela’s 3-1 friendly against Argentina, their opponent in the quarter-finals.\n\nA mature performance from Dudamel’s team exposed Argentina’s defensive fragility. It was a hugely encouraging result for Venezuela and yet Dudamel offered to resign after the game. In isolation that would have been a very bizarre move, but not so in the politically-charged environment of Venezuelan football. Antonio Ecarri, the Spanish representative for self-and-US declared president Juan Guido, had visited the dressing room before kick-off and that had reeled Dudamel.\n\n“Everything has been politicised,” Dudamel said. “I am the manager of a team that represents the whole country. We have received the ambassador's visit, with respect, because we are the Venezuelan team that covers the whole country. In Rancagua, we also attended a meeting with Mr [Nicolas] Maduro's ambassador, but the visit has been used, sadly, for other purposes.”\n\nIn the past Rondon, Roberto Rosales, and captain Tomas Rincon have all criticized the Maduro regime, but at the Copa America, the players and staff have been under strict orders to not talk politics and weigh into a sensitive domestic and international issue. Wuilker did slightly defy that order, stating that ‘the situation in Venezuela is an incentive to perform well and keep on improving.’\n\nThe regime has been keen on utilizing football as a propaganda tool. In 2007, Hugo Chavez, Maduro’s predecessor, staged the Copa America in Venezuela for the first time. State oil company PDSVA sponsors the national team, but in times of economic and humanitarian crisis, PDSVA has struggled to comply with its obligation towards Dudamel’s team.\n\nBut on Friday his charges will be focused on what could become a landmark moment in Venezuela’s football history. Indeed, South American football has progressed so that the mere suggestion of a competitive Venezuela against Lionel Messi and Argentina can’t be ridiculed anymore. Argentina endured a torrid group stage, but remain favorites to prevail in the last eight. The last time Messi visited the Maracana, Germany defeated Argentina in the final of the 2014 World Cup. Since that fateful July day, Argentina have regressed. That is the reality Messi and Co face, along with the vast improvement of their opponents.\n\nYour guide to the latest cricket World Cup stories, analysis, reports, opinions, live updates and scores on https://www.firstpost.com/firstcricket/series/icc-cricket-world-cup-2019.html. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram or like our Facebook page for updates throughout the ongoing event in England and Wales.", "RIO DE JANEIRO, June 28 (Reuters) - Argentina delivered a much-improved performance to beat Venezuela 2-0 in the Copa America quarter-finals on Friday and set up a mouthwatering last-four meeting with Brazil.\n\nStriker Lautaro Martinez scored for the second game running to put Argentina in front in the 10th minute with a clever back-heeled finish, diverting in a shot from Sergio Aguero following a corner swung in by captain Lionel Messi.\n\nLionel Scaloni's side had to weather a series of attacks from Venezuela in the second half and it took a strong save from Franco Armani to prevent Ronald Hernandez from levelling.\n\nSubstitute Giovani Lo Celso scored Argentina's badly-needed second goal in the 74th minute, passing a loose ball into an empty net after another shot from Aguero squirmed through the hands of Venezuela goalkeeper Wuilker Farinez. (Reporting by Richard Martin Editing by Toby Davis)", "Argentina, Brasil, Chile y Canadá difundieron desde la Cumbre del G20, reunida en Osaka, Japón, una declaración de condena contra el \"régimen ilegítimo\" de Nicolás Maduro y formularon un llamado a la comunidad internacional para que se garantice el respeto a los derechos humanos del pueblo venezolano.\n\nEl documento también se expide en favor de una solución de la crisis a través de \"una transición democrática y pacífica\", y reclama la liberación de todos los presos políticos, informa un comunicado de la Presidencia de la Nación.\n\nLa declaración de los cuatro países fue difundida al término de una reunión que mantuvieron en el Centro Internacional de Convenciones, de Osaka, sede de la Cumbre del G20, los presidentes Mauricio Macri y Sebastián Piñera, y el primer ministro de Canadá, Justin Trudeau. Fue firmada también por el presidente de Brasil, Jair Bolsonaro, aunque no participó de la reunión.\n\nEn declaraciones a la prensa tras el encuentro, el presidente Macri advirtió que \"más allá de la buena voluntad y las muestras de diálogo propuestas, Maduro aprovecha\" esos intentos de mediación \"para quedarse en el poder y así generar más pobreza, hambruna y corrupción\".\n\nNewsletters Clarín Qué pasó hoy | Te contamos las noticias más importantes del día, y que pasará mañana cuando te levantes De lunes a viernes por la tarde. Recibir newsletter\n\n\n\n\n\nEl texto completo\n\nDeclaración del Grupo Lima en Osaka\n\n\n\nLos líderes de Argentina, Brasil, Canadá y Chile, miembros del Grupo Lima, comprometidos con el restablecimiento pacífico de la democracia constitucional en Venezuela, se reunieron hoy en Osaka en el marco del G20.\n\nDurante la reunión, los líderes condenaron fuertemente la represión y la sistemática violación de los derechos humanos de los venezolanos por parte del régimen ilegítimo de Nicolás Maduro.\n\nInstaron a la comunidad internacional, al sistema de las Naciones Unidas y su Secretaria General a fortalecer las medidas para proteger a los venezolanos y alivianar las consecuencias de la crisis humanitaria causada por las acciones del régimen de Nicolás Maduro.\n\nLos líderes se comprometieron a trabajar con la comunidad internacional en redoblar los esfuerzos para resolver la crisis en Venezuela, cuyo impacto se está sintiendo en toda la región.\n\nFinalmente, llamaron a un compromiso internacional fuerte y unificado para respaldar los derechos humanos del pueblo venezolano, incluyendo la liberación de todos los presos políticos; y se comprometieron a trabajar dentro del Grupo Lima, y con todos socios internacionales dispuestos, hacia una transición democrática y pacífica en Venezuela.", "Argentina will take on Brazil next week for a place in the Copa America final after defeating Venezuela on Friday night.\n\nLautaro Martinez scored the opening goal of the game in the 10th minute of the match at the prestigious Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro.\n\nThe Inter Milan forward, who also scored in the final group match against Qatar, brilliantly flicked home Sergio Aguero’s shot to give his team the lead.\n\nGiovani Lo Celso then doubled Argentina’s advantage in the second half after coming on as a substitute.\n\nThe Real Betis midfielder tapped him from close range after a bad error from Venezuela goalkeeper Wuilker Farínez.\n\nArgentina were favourites to win this tie, despite their unconvincing group-stage performances.\n\nBut their nerves were eased thanks to Martinez’s early strike.\n\nIt was a brilliant piece of improvisation from the 21-year-old, who now has six goals in six international appearances this year.\n\nMartinez has stepped up and taken responsibility with Lionel Messi not as his majestic best.\n\nThe Barcelona legend would have delighted fans prior to kick off by singing the national anthem - he doesn’t usually - but his performance wasn’t up to his usual standards.\n\nMartinez almost doubled Argentina’s advantage early in the second half after being played through on goal by Leandro Paredes but hit the woodwork.\n\nArgentina head coach Lionel Scaloni raised eyebrows by taking off Martinez for Angel Di Maria with 25 minutes left to play.\n\nSubstituting his team's biggest goal threat with the tie so delicately poised risked backfiring.\n\nHowever, Lo Celso's 74th-minute tap-in made sure La Albiceleste advanced to the final four.\n\nArgentina and Brazil will now meet in Belo Horizonte on Tuesday.\n\nThe winners of that tie will either take on Colombia or Chile, who go head-to-head in Sao Paulo, or Uruguay or Peru, who play in the final quarter-final in Salvador.", "Venezuela 0-2 Argentina: Lautaro Martinez scores again to set up Brazil semi-final showdown\n\nArgentina beat Venezuela 2-0 in the Copa America quarter-finals on Friday and set up a mouthwatering last-four meeting with Brazil.\n\nStriker Lautaro Martinez scored for the second game running to put Argentina in front in the 10th minute with a clever back-heeled finish, diverting in a shot from Sergio Aguero following a corner swung in by captain Lionel Messi.\n\nLionel Scaloni's side had to weather a series of attacks from Venezuela in the second half and it took a strong save from Franco Armani to prevent Ronald Hernandez from levelling.\n\nSubstitute Giovani Lo Celso scored Argentina's badly-needed second goal in the 74th minute, passing a loose ball into an empty net after another shot from Aguero squirmed through the hands of Venezuela goalkeeper Wuilker Farinez.\n\nLo Celso's tap-in sealed a therapeutic win for Argentina in their first game back at the iconic Maracana stadium since their 1-0 extra-time defeat to Germany in the 2014 World Cup final, which began a cycle of three consecutive losses in major finals.", "Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)\n\nClick to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)\n\nClick to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)\n\nClick to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)\n\nAnother day, another round of penalty kicks in the Copa America in Brazil.\n\nChile won the 2015 and 2016 versions of the tournament, beating Argentina in penalties both times, and kept the possibility of three-match open for July.\n\nA handball denied Chile a goal in regulation, and it sat 0-0 in regulation.\n\nClub Leon’s William Tesillo’s fifth round effort was the first miss of the shootout, and Alexis Sanchez rolled in the ensuing kick to keep the champs alive.\n\nChile gets the winner of Uruguay and Peru, who kickoff at 3 p.m. ET on Saturday.\n\nLionel Messi admits he hasn’t been in top form during this Copa America, but Argentina is now two wins from helping him lift his first true international prize.\n\n“It has not been my best Copa America,” Messi said, according to AS. “The pitches are really very difficult. They’re not conducive to good football. They’re in bad condition.”\n\nLautaro Martinez scored a clever redirection and Spurs target Giovani Lo Celso also bagged one as La Albiceleste set up a meeting with Brazil in the semifinals.", "OSAKA, Japan, June 29, 2019 /CNW/ - \"The leaders of Argentina, Brazil, Canada and Chile, members of the Lima Group, reiterated their commitment to the peaceful restoration of constitutional democracy in Venezuela today in Osaka on the margins of the G20.\n\nDuring their meeting, Lima Group leaders strongly condemned the repression and systematic violation of human rights of Venezuelans by the illegitimate regime of Nicolás Maduro.\n\nThey urged the international community, the United Nations system, and its Secretary-General to strengthen measures to protect Venezuelans and alleviate the consequences of the humanitarian crisis, caused by the actions of the Maduro regime.\n\nThe leaders committed to working with the international community in redoubling efforts to resolve the crisis in Venezuela. They called upon those countries that still support the Maduro regime to consider the adverse impact that their support has on the Venezuelan people and throughout the region.\n\nFinally, they called for a strengthened and unified international commitment to uphold the human rights of the Venezuelan people, including the freeing of all political prisoners; and pledged to work within the Lima Group and with all willing international partners towards a democratic and peaceful transition in Venezuela.\"\n\nThis document is also available at http://pm.gc.ca", "Venezuela claimed is derailed an attempted coup that would have also led to the assassination of Nicolas Maduro.\n\nThe socialist regime accused the United States, Colombia and Chile of colluding to remove an under-pressure Maduro last weekend.\n\nThe embattled leader of the oil-rich South American nation is facing popular backlash at home over a failing economy and spiraling inflation, as well as increasing international isolation.\n\nThe far-left leader is embroiled in a power struggle with Juan Guaido, the man the United States and scores of other countries recognize as Venezuela's legitimate interim president.\n\nIn a speech broadcast nationwide Wednesday, an agitated Maduro denounced a 'fascist attempt to assassinate me' -- and lashed out at Colombian President Ivan Duque saying his 'complicity' was 'evident.'\n\nMaduro warned that he would be 'ruthless in a revolutionary counter-offensive against an attempted fascist coup -- ruthless!'\n\nMaduro, his wife Celia Flores, and top Socialist Party official Diosdado Cabello were to be assassinated, along with other figures, the government said. In his speech, Maduro briefly referred to an 'Israeli group' he said was to carry out the killing.\n\nVenezuelan Communications Minister Jorge Rodriguez said the alleged coup involved active duty and retired military officers.\n\n'We were in all the meetings to plan the coup d'Etat. We were in all the conferences,' he said, suggesting informers had infiltrated the alleged plotters - at least six of whom had been detained.\n\nIn his televised speech, Rodriguez also accused opposition leader Juan Guaido of planning 'a bloodbath.'\n\nGuaido for his part dismissed the coup claims as fiction, saying the media had 'lost count' of how many times the same accusations had been repeated.\n\nRecognized by the United States and more than 50 other countries as interim president, Guaido said he would continue to call on the armed forces to abandon Maduro.\n\nAccording to the United Nations, over 4 million Venezuelans have abandoned their homeland. The number of refugees and migrants has increased by one million since November 2018.\n\nLatin American countries have opened their borders to their Venezuelan neighbors.\n\nColombia has taken in about 1.3 million, followed by Peru, with 768,000, Chile 288,000, Ecuador 263,000, Brazil 168,000, and Argentina 130,000.\n\nMexico and countries in Central America and the Caribbean are also hosting significant numbers of refugees and migrants from Venezuela.\n\nOn Friday, the United States imposed sanctions on Maduro's son Nicolas Ernesto Maduro Guerra for serving in his father's 'illegitimate regime.'\n\nThe action freezes any assets the 29-year-old has in the United States and bars American individuals or institutions from doing business with him.\n\nRussia, one of the regime's most important allies, said Wednesday that it had rotated out a team of military 'technicians' it had sent to Venezuela to ensure the maintenance of military equipment and provide training to the Venezuelan military.\n\nRodriguez accused Colombia's Duque of being closely involved in the alleged plot, and implicated Chilean President Sebastian Pinera and US National Security Advisor John Bolton.\n\nWithout referring directly to the charge, Colombia's foreign minister, Carlos Holmes Trujillo, said his country would 'continue to act through political and diplomatic means' in Venezuela.\n\nRodriguez presented testimony from one of the detainees -- Lieutenant Carlos Saavedra, whose 'confession' revealed the plan envisaged the takeover of three military bases, including La Carlota air base in Caracas.\n\nThe plotters hoped to spring Raul Baduel, a former defense minister under late president Hugo Chavez, from jail to proclaim him president, Rodriguez said.\n\nMaduro demoted Baduel last year as part of a purge of senior military officers. Also purged was general Antonio Rivero, allegedly another leader of the coup bid.\n\nMaduro said he would seek the arrest and extradition from the Dominican Republic of a third former general, Eduardo Baez, who was also accused of involvement.\n\nThe head of the National Assembly, Guaido proclaimed himself Venezuela's interim president in January on the grounds Maduro's 2018 re-election was illegitimate.\n\nVenezuelan authorities recently said that 17 people had been charged with attempting a coup on April 30, during Guaido's failed attempt to inspire a military uprising.\n\nOnly some 30 military personnel joined Guaido, and the revolt fizzled after two days of deadly clashes.\n\nSeveral people close to Guaido have since been detained, though not the lawmaker himself.\n\nRodriguez accused Maduro's former intelligence chief Cristopher Figuera -- who has defected to the United States -- of seeking 'hundreds of thousands of dollars' for supporting the abortive uprising.\n\nIn a series of shock claims made to US media, Figuera said members of Maduro's family and his government were engaged in money laundering and corruption, and alleged that Hezbollah cells were allowed to operate in Venezuela and raise funds.\n\nOn Wednesday Ivan Simonovis, a former Venezuelan national police chief who fled house arrest in Caracas where he was being held on murder charges, was in Washington to talk to US lawmakers about 'criminal activities' of the Maduro government. He backed up many of Figuera's allegations.\n\nWashington has imposed crippling sanctions on Maduro's government, holding the president responsible for the collapse of the Latin American oil giant, which has seen millions flee amid widespread shortages of basic goods and medicines.", "MEDELLIN, Colombia: Members of the Organization of American States (OAS) ended two days of meetings on Friday without a clear plan for increasing pressure on embattled Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, despite a majority vote to recognise a representative from the country's opposition.\n\nThe oil-rich country's economic and political crisis has dominated recent OAS meetings, with some member states denouncing Maduro as a dictator and others continuing to back him.\n\nOAS Secretary General Luis Almagro had said the group would seek to ramp up pressure on Maduro during this week's session in Medellin, Colombia and even debate eventual sanctions.\n\nBut the member states were divided by the presence of a representative sent by Veneuzela's opposition leader Juan Guaido, who argued that Maduro's 2018 re-election was illegitimate. In January, Guaido invoked the constitution to assume an interim presidency.\n\nUruguay withdrew from the assembly on Thursday in protest. The OAS permanent council approved the delegation in April but member states did not vote on it until Friday when 20 countries including Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Chile, Ecuador, the United States and Peru backed recognition until Venezuela holds its next elections.\n\nEight countries voted against recognising the delegation, while six abstained. Bolivia, Mexico and Nicaragua have expressed dismay at the opposition's presence.\n\n\"Colombia voted with enthusiasm for this declaration,\" said Colombian foreign minister Carlos Holmes Trujillo. \"The only objective that we all seek is for our Venezuelan brothers to finally be able to vote freely for the government they want.\"\n\nThe leader of the opposition delegation said the Venezuelan people need a voice at the OAS.\n\n\"Our delegation is grateful for this support of our people,\" Julio Borges said during the meeting. \"We can only tackle the Venezuelan tragedy in one way - giving a voice to the Venezuelan people.\"\n\nGuaido tweeted that the vote was a great victory for the cause of Venezuelan democracy.\n\nMaduro announced Venezuela's withdrawal from the OAS in 2017 and has accused the Washington-based group of being a U.S. pawn.\n\nVenezuela, home to the world's largest oil reserves, has been in political limbo as shortages of food and medicine have led millions to flee.\n\nThe number of Venezuelan migrants abroad could double by the end of next year to 8 million, the OAS said in a report on Friday.\n\nThe assembly also approved a resolution supporting a peaceful solution to Nicaragua's political crisis, which has rolled on for more than a year amid protests against President Daniel Ortega.", "SAO PAULO (AP) — After producing some uninspiring soccer in the group stage and quarterfinals, the Copa América reaches the last four with a blockbuster matchup between host Brazil and Lionel Messi’s Argentina.\n\nIt will be the “Superclásico de las Américas” deciding one of the finalists, and the “Clásico del Pacífico” the other as two-time defending champion Chile takes on surprising Peru, which on Saturday ousted continental powerhouse Uruguay from the decisive stage of the South American competition.\n\nPeru eliminated Uruguay in a lackluster quarterfinal round in which three of the four matches ended in penalty shootouts after scoreless draws, with the exception being Argentina’s 2-0 win over Venezuela.\n\nThe quality of soccer in the group stage also disappointed, with a series of poor performances even by the favorites. Brazil struggled and was booed by the home crowd in a couple of matches, while Argentina barely escaped early elimination. Uruguay and Colombia were among the teams that impressed the most, but both failed to advance past the last eight.\n\nBad field conditions at several of the stadiums in Brazil also didn’t help, with Messi and several other players and coaches loudly complaining.\n\n“The ball looks like a rabbit,” Messi said.\n\nWith expensive tickets and uninteresting matchups early on, many games had extremely low attendances. The smallest crowd came to the match between Ecuador and guest team Japan at the 62,000-capacity Mineirão Stadium, when only about 2,100 fans paid for tickets. The final attendance was 7,623 because of gratuity entrances.\n\nThere were no tickets left for Tuesday’s much-anticipated game between Brazil and Argentina, the longtime South American rivals who will arrive in Belo Horizonte under heavy pressure to succeed. Playing at home, only the title will satisfy Brazil fans and ease the pressure on coach Tite, while failure for Argentina will extend the team’s winless run without a trophy with Messi in the squad.\n\n“Argentina will always be Argentina, even if it’s not going through a good moment,” Brazil defender Thiago Silva said. “We have a lot of respect for them.”\n\nThe high-profile match will take place at the Mineirão, the same venue where Brazil was stunned 7-1 by Germany in the World Cup semifinals in 2014.\n\n“Nobody will forget what happened then. That match against Germany was horrible for us,” Silva said. “But that was a different situation. Now we are facing Argentina and we need to focus on playing our game. We will need to be careful because it’s a team that has the best player in the world.”\n\nBrazil’s last match at the Mineirão was against Messi and Argentina in qualifying for the 2018 World Cup, and that time the hosts easily won 3-0 with one of the goals scored by Neymar, who missed this year’s Copa América because of an ankle injury.\n\nBrazil, seeking its first South American title since 2007, is unbeaten against Argentina in official matches at home.\n\n“They have players who can make the difference up front,” Messi said of Brazil after Argentina defeated Venezuela to reach the semifinals. “We thought we would finish first in the group and be on the other side of the draw, but we are in semifinals and only the best teams are here.”\n\nArgentina needs to get past Brazil to keep alive its hopes of ending a 26-year title drought for the senior squad. It lost the last two Copa América finals on penalty shootouts against Chile, which will face Peru on Wednesday at the Arena Grêmio in Porto Alegre.\n\nLed by Manchester United forward Alexis Sánchez, Chile will be trying to reach its third straight Copa América final and win its third continental title. It can become the first nation to win three consecutive Copa titles since Argentina in the late 1940s.\n\nPeru, led by veteran striker Paolo Guerrero, also is a two-time South American champion, but its last title was in 1975. It reached the semifinals in two of the last three tournaments, finishing third both in 2011 and 2015.\n\n“We are used to being the underdogs,” Guerrero said. “We’ve showed that we have heart and courage.”\n\nGuerrero and Chile’s Eduardo Vargas are the Copa América’s all-time leading scorers among active players with 12 goals each."], "summary": "In Osaka, Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Canada jointly issue a statement condemning the Venezuelan government. The statement's author, Argentine President Mauricio Macri, indicated that it was meant to \"show that beyond good faith and dialogue, Maduro takes advantage of that to create more poverty, famine and corruption in Venezuela\"."}
{"document": ["Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption German sea captain Carola Rackete is arrested in Lampedusa after migrant rescue in Mediterranean\n\nItaly's far-right interior minister, Matteo Salvini, has accused the captain of a ship carrying rescued migrants of trying to sink a police boat.\n\nCarola Rackete was arrested at the Italian port of Lampedusa after a two-week stand-off with police at sea.\n\nHer vessel, Sea-Watch 3, was banned from docking, but it eventually entered the port on Friday night.\n\nOn Saturday, Mr Salvini called Ms Rackete a \"rich, white, German woman\" who had committed \"an act of war\".\n\n\"She tried to sink a police launch with officers on board at night,\" he said. \"They say 'we're saving lives', but they risked killing these human beings who were doing their job, it's clear from the videos.\"\n\nMr Salvini added: \"A vessel weighing hundreds of tonnes tried to ram... a police launch with officers aboard, who managed to get out of the way to save their lives. That's a criminal act, an act of war.\"\n\nMs Rackete could face a 10-year jail term if convicted of attacking a police boat.\n\nShe had rescued 53 migrants off the coast of Libya on 12 June, who were drifting on an inflatable raft in the Mediterranean sea.\n\nImage copyright Reuters Image caption Carola Rackete was led off Sea-Watch 3 without handcuffs\n\nAfter docking in the Italian port, the 31-year-old German was filmed being led away by police.\n\nSome 13 migrants have been taken in by the authorities for health reasons, while Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte told the G20 summit that several EU countries had agreed to take in the 40 remaining migrants.\n\nImage copyright EPA Image caption Matteo Salvini accused Ms Rackete of \"an act of war\"\n\nMr Salvini wants clarity on \"numbers, timelines and means\" before he allows them off the ship, interior ministry sources told AFP news agency.\n\nHe previously said the migrants could only disembark if they headed straight to the Netherlands, where the Sea-Watch 3 is registered, or to Germany.\n\nMs Rackete said Sea-Watch had tried to co-operate with the authorities, engaging with Italy, Germany, Malta and France and opening contacts with the European Commission.\n\nHowever, after two weeks in limbo, the German charity Sea-Watch said the boat was forced to enter Italian waters, as there was no other option left to ensure the migrants' safety.\n\nWho is Carola Rackete?\n\nThe \"rich, white, German woman\" who riled Mr Salvini has a nautical degree and studied environmental sciences in the UK.\n\nThe 31-year-old has taken part in expeditions, both for research organisations and for the environmental group Greenpeace.\n\nMs Rackete later joined Sea Watch, a non-governmental association that carries out rescue missions in the Mediterranean.\n\nImage copyright Getty Images Image caption Carola Rackete was taken away in a police car on 29 June\n\nNow a left-wing hero, she has very little social media presence, except for posting video updates of the rescue mission on Twitter in recent weeks.\n\nIn the latest one, she said: \"I have decided to enter the harbour, which is free at night, on my own.\"\n\nSea Watch chairman Johannes Bayer expressed support for Ms Rackete's actions and tweeted that he was \"proud of our captain\".", "Lampedusa(Italy): Italian police arrested on Saturday the German captain of a migrant-rescue ship at the centre of a standoff with the Italian government, after she docked at the island port of Lampedusa.\n\nThe Dutch-flagged Sea-Watch 3, operated by German charity Sea-Watch, has been at sea for more than two weeks with 40 rescued Africans on board. The Africans were allowed to disembark and were taken to a reception centre on the island.\n\nAfter waiting in international waters for an invitation from Italy or an EU state to accept the ship, captain Carola Rackete decided this week to sail for the southern Italian island of Lampedusa but was blocked by Italian government vessels.\n\nBut in the early hours of Saturday morning, Rackete entered the port where the ship docked amid a heavy police presence.\n\nLive television video showed the 31-year old German being taken off Sea-Watch 3 by tax police and driven away amid applause and barracking from bystanders gathered at the port.\n\nShe has been arrested for \"resisting a war ship\", a charge which, according to media reports, carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison.\n\nItaly's right-wing interior minister, Matteo Salvini, who is taking a tough line against migrant rescue ships, previously said he would only allow Rackete to dock when other European Union states agree to immediately take the migrants.\n\n\"Outlaw arrested. Pirate ship seized. Big fine on foreign NGO. Migrants all redistributed in other European countries. Mission completed,\" Salvini said in a tweet on Saturday.\n\nHe said Sea-Watch 3, which had not been given permission to dock, had put at risk tax police by squashing one of their motor launches against the port front as it tried to stop the docking.\n\nSalvini, who criticised the Netherlands saying it had given the ship a flag and then washed its hands of the matter, told RAI radio that Italy had been given assurances by five European countries they would take the migrants.\n\nHe did not name the countries but media reports said France, Germany, Luxembourg, Finland and Portugal had agreed.\n\nFrance's interior minister, Christophe Castaner, said in a statement that the French authorities would take in 10 of the migrants.\n\nSpeaking at the G20 summit in Osaka, Premier Giuseppe Conte said that, as a lawyer, he recognised there were grounds for possible criminal charges but said it was up to judges to apply the law. \"But laws are laws whether you like them or not,\" he said.\n\nRackete, who has become a symbol of defiance for challenging Salvini's authority, is already under investigation for breaking Italy's beefed up laws against non-government rescue ships.\n\nA Foreign Office source said on Saturday under Italian laws Sea-Watch 3 would be seized, adding it faced a fine of 20,000 euros ($22,700) which, if not paid, could reach 50,000 euros.\n\nMigration policy has been among the sources of tension between Italy and EU neighbour France.\n\nCastaner used his statement to criticise unilateral moves by Italy and defend French and EU support for Italy in handling migrant arrivals.\n\n\"It is false to say that the EU has not shown solidarity towards Italy in this context,\" he said.", "MILAN (Reuters) - Italian police arrested on Saturday the German captain of a migrant-rescue ship at the centre of a standoff with the Italian government after she docked at the port of Lampedusa.\n\nThe Dutch-flagged Sea-Watch 3, operated by German charity Sea-Watch, has been at sea for more than two weeks with 40 rescued Africans on board.\n\nAfter waiting in international waters for an invitation from Italy or an EU state to accept the ship, captain Carola Rackete decided this week to sail for the southern Italian island of Lampedusa but was blocked by Italian government vessels.\n\nBut in the early hours of Saturday, Rackete entered the port where the ship docked amid a heavy police presence.\n\nLive television video showed Rackete being taken off the Sea Watch by tax police and driven away.\n\nRAI state TV said she had been arrested for “resisting a war ship” which, RAI said, carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison.\n\nThe migrants remain on board the ship.\n\nMatteo Salvini, Italy’s interior minister and head of the right-wing League party, had previously said he would only allow Rackete to dock when other EU states agree to immediately take the migrants.\n\nEven then, he said, Italian authorities would seize the ship and prosecute its captain for assisting people-smugglers, he said.\n\nPremier Giuseppe Conte told reporters at the G20 summit in Osaka on Friday three or four European countries were willing to take part in the redistribution of the migrants.\n\nRackete is already under investigation for breaking Italy’s beefed up laws against non-government rescue ships.", "ROME (Reuters) - Italian prosecutors have put the German captain of a rescue ship under investigation for allegedly aiding people-smugglers, raising the stakes in a standoff that is preventing the boat coming ashore with 40 rescued migrants from Africa.\n\nAfter two weeks stranded at sea off southern Italy, captain Carola Rackete, 31, has become a symbol of defiance in Italian media for challenging Interior Minister Matteo Salvini’s policy of closing ports to non-government rescue ships.\n\nA prosecutor in Sicily, southern Italy, said on Friday that Rackete had been put under investigation as a formality, under recently beefed-up laws that seek to prevent rescue ships from disembarking migrants in the country.\n\nAsked about the investigation, Rackete said she had not been advised of that and she could not comment on “rumors”.\n\nSalvini says Rackete and her crew of the Sea Watch are “pirates” who are helping criminal gangs to smuggle Africans into Europe. The migrants set off in flimsy boats from Libya in the expectation they will be rescued and taken to nearby Italy.\n\nAsked about the Italian minister’s criticism, Rackete responded sharply: “To be honest I haven’t read the comments, I really don’t have time. I have 40 people to take care of ... Mister Salvini might just get in line.”", "BERLIN — High-level support and almost three-quarters of a million dollars in donations poured in Sunday for the German captain of a migrant rescue ship who was arrested after she defied repeated orders to stay out of Italy and struck a police boat while bringing 40 people to port.\n\nCarola Rackete remained under house arrest a day after her ship, the Sea-Watch 3, rammed the Italian border police motorboat that was blocking the entry to the port at Italy’s Lampedusa island.\n\nRackete, 31, “had no intention of hurting anyone” and only wanted to get her passengers to land, Italian lawyer Salvatore Tesoriero said.\n\nThe Sea-Watch 3 picked up the migrants adrift in the Mediterranean Sea off Libya on June 12 and had been in a standoff with Italian authorities for weeks before the captain decided to force the issue, reportedly saying she feared some of her passengers might harm themselves.\n\n“Whoever saves lives isn’t a criminal,” two German TV personalities wrote in an appeal for contributions to help support Rackete and Sea-Watch, the German nonprofit group that owns the rescue ship. More than 24,000 donors responded, giving over $745,390 as of Sunday evening.\n\nRackete could face up to 10 years in prison, if she is convicted of resisting a warship, a charge that refers to plowing into the border police motorboat. She also could be fined up to $58,000 under a recent law designed to strengthen Italian government policies targeting private migrant rescue vessels.\n\nThe Sea-Watch 3 entered Lampedusa’s port 17 days after it picked up 53 migrants off Libya; 13 of the rescued passengers were allowed to disembark earlier for medical reasons.\n\n“Italy is at the heart of the European Union, a founding state of the European Union,” Steinmeier told German public broadcaster ZDF in an interview late Sunday. “And that’s why we can expect a country like Italy to deal with such a case differently.”\n\nHis comments were met with a swift retort from Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini, who earlier called the Sea-Watch 3 captain a “criminal” who committed an “act of war” by ignoring orders to keep out of Italy’s waters.\n\n“We ask the German president to keep busy with what’s happening in Germany and possibly invite his fellow citizens to avoid breaking Italian laws, risking the killing of Italy’s law enforcement forces,” Salvini said in a tweet Sunday evening.\n\nNo one was injured when Sea-Watch 3 struck the border police vessel, but Italian authorities said some officers had to scramble out of the way and the motorboat’s side was damaged.\n\nItalian Premier Giuseppe Conte said Rackete could have sailed to many other ports in the Mediterranean to seek permission to dock. He accused the captain of carrying out “political blackmail…using 40 people.”\n\nSome in Germany agreed with the Italian government’s position.\n\nPetr Bystron, a foreign policy spokesman for the far-right Alternative for Germany party, said Rackete was “a common criminal.” Speaking to German daily newspaper Welt, Bystron said she should have taken the rescued migrants to Africa or the Netherlands, since the ship sailed under the Dutch flag.\n\nAt Italy’s insistence, five fellow European Union nations including Germany said they would take the remaining 40 migrants who landed on Lampedusa.", "MILAN (AP) — Two more migrants have been evacuated from a German rescue ship overnight for medical reasons, leaving 40 passengers who were saved off Libya 16 days ago still blocked offshore by Italy's refusal to let them disembark.\n\nSea-Watch 3 captain Carola Rackete has twice defied direct orders from port authorities, first not to enter Italian waters and second in her attempted approach to the port of Lampedusa, Italy's southernmost island. Law enforcement who boarded the ship Thursday evening asked for patience, saying a resolution appeared near, but none came overnight.\n\nIt is the latest stand-off between Italy's hard-line interior minister and humanitarian rescue ships that the populist government accuses of aiding migrant traffickers. The EU has urged Italy to bring the migrants to land.", "The captain of a migrant rescue ship has been arrested at the Italian port of Lampedusa after a two-week stand-off with police at sea.Carola Rackete’s vessel, Sea-Watch 3, was carrying …Read more via BBC News – https://ift.tt/2XcSCmJ Get more World News", "related media assets (image or videos) available. Click to see the gallery.\n\n3 related media assets (image or videos) available. Click to see the gallery.\n\nROME: The young German captain of a migrant-rescue ship stranded off Italy dismissed threats of arrest and personal criticism from the country's far right interior minister on Friday (Jun 28), saying her main priority was the safety of 40 rescued Africans.\n\nAfter two weeks at sea, the dreadlocked 31-year-old, Carola Rackete has become a symbol of defiance for challenging the authority of minister Matteo Salvini, known as \"Il Capitano\" at home for closing ports to non-government rescue ships.\n\nSpeaking to reporters from her ship, the Sea Watch, via a Skype connection, Rackete said she was forced to enter Italian waters due to the worsening condition of the migrants plucked by her crew from international seas off Libya on Jun 12.\n\n\"The need which we have on board is psychological...The necessity to go into port is to prevent any harm or any self-harm which people might be contemplating,\" she said.\n\nRackete, a conservationist who has served on cruise ships and on a Greenpeace vessel in the past, has drawn strong support from Italy's pro-immigration opposition parties and also felt the sting of Salvini's ever-busy Twitter account.\n\nShe says she now devotes her time to rescuing migrants as a reaction to her privileged upbringing.\n\n\"My life was easy ... I am white, German, born in a rich country and with the right passport,\" she said in comments provided by Germany's Sea Watch, a charity that has been running rescue operations in the Mediterranean since 2014.\n\n\"When I realized it, I felt a moral obligation to help those who did not have the same opportunities as me.\"\n\nIn a stream of tweets, the latest on Friday, Salvini has called her a pirate and outlaw, and drawn attention to her motivation for captaining a rescue vessel.\n\n\"The lady has said 'I have to volunteer because I was born white, rich and German'. But not everybody who is white, rich and German have to come and break Italy's balls. Help the kids in Germany!\"\n\nOn Friday, Salvini also compared her with an earlier rescue volunteer from another charity, a man who sported a red mohawk and was reported to have called the minister a \"fascist\".\n\nITALY WANTS EU HELP WITH MIGRANTS\n\nSalvini says he will only allow Rackete to dock when other EU states agree to immediately take the migrants once ashore, and even then Italian authorities would seize the ship and prosecute its captain for assisting people-smugglers.\n\nHowever, a European Commission official was quoted by Italian news agency AGI on Friday as saying the allocation of migrants among EU nations needed to be worked out and that in the meantime the ship must be allowed to dock.\n\nAfter waiting in international waters for an invitation from Italy or another EU state to accept the Sea Watch, Rackete decided this week to sail for the southern Italian island of Lampedusa but was blocked by Italian government vessels.\n\nOn board the ship, sitting off Lampedusa, Rackete responded sharply when asked to comment on Salvini's criticisms.\n\n\"To be honest I haven't read the comments, I really don't have time. I have 40 people to take care of ... Mister Salvini might just get in line.\"\n\nRackete is already under investigation for breaking Italy's beefed up laws against non-government rescue ships. A prosecutor in southern Italy added that it was a formality once the Sea Watch had entered Italian waters.\n\nSea Watch spokesman Ruben Neugebauer said the group hoped Rackete would be allowed to dock later on Friday or Saturday and that it was a disgrace for Europe that it was taking so long.\n\n\"We are really proud of our captain that doesn't hesitate to even take personal consequences for doing exactly the right thing, for following the law of the sea and for bringing these people to safety,\" Neugebauer told Reuters TV in Berlin.\n\nSea Watch asked the European Court of Human Rights to force Italian authorities to allow the ship to dock, but the request was rejected. Instead, the court ruled that Italy should provide all necessary assistance to those aboard.\n\nIn a tweet on Friday, Rackete said she was ready to face the consequences of Italian law. Once informed that she was under investigation, she tweeted: \"I will deal with everything with the support of lawyers and Sea Watch, now I just want people to be put ashore.\"", "Italian police arrested on Saturday the German captain of a migrant-rescue ship at the centre of a standoff with the Italian government after she docked at the island port of Lampedusa.\n\nThe Dutch-flagged Sea-Watch 3, operated by German charity Sea-Watch, has been at sea for more than two weeks with 40 rescued Africans on board. The Africans were allowed to disembark and were taken to a reception centre on the island.\n\nAfter waiting in international waters for an invitation from Italy or an EU state to accept the ship, captain Carola Rackete decided this week to sail for the southern Italian island of Lampedusa but was blocked by Italian government vessels.\n\nBut in the early hours of Saturday morning, Rackete entered the port where the ship docked amid a heavy police presence.", "MILAN (AP) - Two more migrants have been evacuated from a German rescue ship overnight for medical reasons, leaving 40 passengers who were saved off Libya 16 days ago still blocked offshore by Italy's refusal to let them disembark.\n\nSea-Watch 3 captain Carola Rackete has twice defied direct orders from port authorities, first not to enter Italian waters and second in her attempted approach to the port of Lampedusa, Italy's southernmost island. Law enforcement who boarded the ship Thursday evening asked for patience, saying a resolution appeared near, but none came overnight.\n\nIt is the latest stand-off between Italy's hard-line interior minister and humanitarian rescue ships that the populist government accuses of aiding migrant traffickers. The EU has urged Italy to bring the migrants to land.\n\nIn this image taken late Thursday, June 27, 2019 and made available Friday, June 28, 2019, a migrant on a stretcher is carried onto an Italian Coast Guard boat from the German Sea-Watch 3 rescue ship in Italian waters off the Sicilian island of Lampedusa, southern Italy. The German captain Carola Rackete brought the ship into Italian waters without permission out of necessity, citing both the psychological state of the rescued passengers and the worsening humanitarian conditions on board. (Till Egen/Sea-Watch.org via AP)\n\nIn this image taken late Thursday, June 27, 2019 and made available Friday, June 28, 2019, a migrant on a stretcher is carried onto an Italian Coast Guard boat from the German Sea-Watch 3 rescue ship in Italian waters off the Sicilian island of Lampedusa, southern Italy. The German captain Carola Rackete brought the ship into Italian waters without permission out of necessity, citing both the psychological state of the rescued passengers and the worsening humanitarian conditions on board. (Till Egen/Sea-Watch.org via AP)"], "summary": "Carola Rackete, the captain of a migrant rescue ship, is arrested in Italy for docking without authorization after Italy closed its ports to rescue organizations."}
{"document": ["Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Angela Merkel seen shaking during ceremony in Berlin\n\nGerman Chancellor Angela Merkel has said she is \"fine\" following two bouts of shaking in public that have sparked concerns about her health.\n\nSpeaking at the G20 summit in Osaka, she said she was convinced that \"this reaction will disappear just as it has arisen\", German news agency DPA said.\n\nAsked what lay behind it and whether she had seen a doctor, she said she had \"nothing in particular to report\".\n\nOn Thursday she was seen shaking for two minutes at a ceremony in Berlin.\n\nThe chancellor, who turns 65 next month, gripped her arms until she became steadier. She was offered a glass of water but did not drink it.\n\nThe previous incident - which she later blamed on dehydration - saw her shaking while standing next to Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky in hot sunshine.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption 18 June: Mrs Merkel was seen trembling and later said she had been dehydrated\n\nIn 2017 she had an earlier bout of shaking in hot weather on a visit to Mexico as she was attending a military honours ceremony.\n\nReports said that subsequent medical checks had found nothing to be wrong.\n\nIn Osaka, Mrs Merkel has been attending G20 sessions and holding bilateral meetings with leaders such as US President Donald Trump, Russia's Vladimir Putin and Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan.\n\nGovernment spokesman Steffen Seibert tweeted a video of her making a speech covering topics such as extremism, women's empowerment and climate change. It showed her standing and speaking in a relaxed manner.\n\nMrs Merkel is now in her fourth term as chancellor, a role she began in November 2005. She has said she will leave politics when her current term ends in 2021.\n\nShe has a reputation for remarkable stamina - during intensive late-night discussions at EU summits, for example.\n\nShe has been in good health while in office, and even worked from home after a knee operation in 2011; she suffered a fall while skiing in 2014. Her absences were only brief on those occasions. Her mother died earlier this year.", "German leader Merkel says 'I'm fine' after shaking at events\n\nBERLIN (AP) — German Chancellor Angela Merkel says she understands reporters' questions surrounding her health after two incidents this month in which she was seen shaking at public events, but insisted: \"I'm fine.\"\n\nMerkel said Saturday at the end of the Group of 20 summit in Japan that included a long-distance flight and grueling negotiations with other world leaders that \"I'm convinced, just as this reaction occurred it will go away again.\"\n\nThe 64-year-old appeared unsteady and was seen shaking at a ceremony in Berlin on Thursday. Last week, Merkel's whole body shook as she stood outside in hot weather alongside Ukraine's president. Merkel said afterward that she was fine after drinking three glasses of water, which she \"apparently needed.\"", "Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel, center, speaks to China’s President Xi Jinping, left, and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, second right, during a family photo session in front of Osaka Castle at the G-20 summit, Friday, June 28, 2019, in Osaka, Japan. (Tomohiro Ohsumi/Pool Photo via AP)\n\nBERLIN (AP) — German Chancellor Angela Merkel says she understands reporters’ questions surrounding her health after two incidents this month in which she was seen shaking at public events, but insisted: “I’m fine.”\n\nMerkel said Saturday at the end of the Group of 20 summit in Japan that included a long-distance flight and grueling negotiations with other world leaders that “I’m convinced, just as this reaction occurred it will go away again.”\n\nThe 64-year-old appeared unsteady and was seen shaking at a ceremony in Berlin on Thursday. Last week, Merkel’s whole body shook as she stood outside in hot weather alongside Ukraine’s president. Merkel said afterward that she was fine after drinking three glasses of water, which she “apparently needed.”", "BERLIN (AP) — German Chancellor Angela Merkel says she understands reporters' questions surrounding her health after two incidents this month in which she was seen shaking at public events, but insisted: \"I'm fine.\"\n\nMerkel said Saturday at the end of the Group of 20 summit in Japan that included a long-distance flight and grueling negotiations with other world leaders that \"I'm convinced, just as this reaction occurred it will go away again.\"\n\nThe 64-year-old appeared unsteady and was seen shaking at a ceremony in Berlin on Thursday. Last week, Merkel's whole body shook as she stood outside in hot weather alongside Ukraine's president. Merkel said afterward that she was fine after drinking three glasses of water, which she \"apparently needed.\"\n\nCopyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.", "OSAKA (AFP) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrived on Friday (June 28) at the Group of 20 meeting in Osaka amid fears over her health after she suffered a second public bout of uncontrollable shaking in just over a week.\n\nDr Merkel's plane touched down in the western Japanese city with a German government spokesman stressing: \"She is doing well. Nothing is wrong.\"\n\nThe German leader, who turns 65 next month, sparked renewed fears for her health on the eve of the summit, as she began to tremble at a speech given by the German president in Berlin. The shaking lasted around two minutes, according to a DPA photographer present.\n\nA previous bout of uncontrollable shaking last week was blamed on dehydration on a hot summer's day.\n\nOfficials sought to play down the fears over her health.\n\nGovernment spokesman Steffen Seibert said she would not cancel any of her engagements in the coming days, which promise to be hectic.\n\nDr Merkel is to participate in the two-day G-20 gathering and numerous bilateral meetings. These include what is shaping up to be a fractious tete-a-tete with United States President Donald Trump, who called Germany \"delinquent\" before he left for Osaka.\n\nShe flies from Osaka straight to a crunch European Union summit on Sunday, where leaders will seek to clinch agreement on who will lead the bloc's institutions.\n\nFrequently hailed as Europe's most influential leader and the world's most powerful woman, Dr Merkel has enjoyed relatively robust health during a long career at Germany's helm.\n\nShe has said she will leave politics at the end of her term in 2021.", "BERLIN (AP) - German Chancellor Angela Merkel says she understands reporters' questions surrounding her health after two incidents this month in which she was seen shaking at public events, but insisted: \"I'm fine.\"\n\nMerkel said Saturday at the end of the Group of 20 summit in Japan that included a long-distance flight and grueling negotiations with other world leaders that \"I'm convinced, just as this reaction occurred it will go away again.\"\n\nThe 64-year-old appeared unsteady and was seen shaking at a ceremony in Berlin on Thursday. Last week, Merkel's whole body shook as she stood outside in hot weather alongside Ukraine's president. Merkel said afterward that she was fine after drinking three glasses of water, which she \"apparently needed.\"\n\nChancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) takes part in the presentation of the appointment and dismissal certificate as Federal Minister of Justice to Katarina Barley (SPD) and the new Federal Minister of Justice Christine Lambrecht (SPD) by Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Bellevue Castle in Berlin, Germany, Thursday, June 27, 2019. (Kay Nietfeld/dpa via AP)\n\nChancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) takes part in the presentation of the appointment and dismissal certificate as Federal Minister of Justice to Katarina Barley (SPD) and the new Federal Minister of Justice Christine Lambrecht (SPD) by Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Bellevue Castle in Berlin, Germany, Thursday, June 27, 2019. (Kay Nietfeld/dpa via AP)\n\nGerman Chancellor Angela Merkel, left, looks at her watch as Russian President Vladimir Putin visits her for the talks during a meeting on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Osaka, western Japan, Saturday, June 29, 2019. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, Pool)", "OSAKA, Japan — German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday said she had \"nothing special to report\" about her health.\n\nMerkel was seen shaking at two separate public events — during a state visit from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on June 18 and at the swearing-in of Germany's new justice minister on Thursday. The shaking stopped on both occasions when she started walking.\n\nAsked during a press conference on the sidelines of the G20 summit whether she had seen a doctor and whether she could explain what was going on, Merkel said: \"I understand your question but I have nothing to report. I'm fine.\"\n\n\"I’m convinced that as this reaction has occurred, it will also go away again,\" she added.", "German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said she understands reporters' questions surrounding her health after two incidents this month in which she was seen shaking at public events, but insisted: 'I'm fine.'\n\nMrs Merkel said at the end of the Group of 20 summit in Japan which included a long-distance flight and gruelling negotiations with other world leaders: 'I'm convinced, just as this reaction occurred it will go away again.'\n\nThe 64-year-old appeared unsteady and was seen shaking at a ceremony in Berlin on Thursday.\n\nThe health scare came just hours before she was due to board the plane for Japan, sparking new questions about her health.\n\nA German government spokesman said Merkel would not cancel any appointments in the next two days - saying 'The chancellor is well.'\n\nMerkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert later tweeted she was on the way to Osaka for the G20 summit, and that 'numerous bilateral talks with other leaders are planned'.\n\nThe 64-year-old chancellor's arms and body could be seen noticeably trembling as she met Germany's President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.\n\nFor around two minutes, she continually folded her arms in an apparent attempt to stop her hands and body from violently juddering.\n\nClose-up footage showed the difficulty she was having trying to keep the quivering under control as she gripped her arms together.\n\nAnd last week, her whole body shook as she stood outside in hot weather alongside Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelensky.\n\nMrs Merkel said afterwards that she was fine after drinking three glasses of water, which she 'apparently needed'.\n\nToday, the German chancellor was pictured at the G20 summit in Osaka speaking with French president Emmanuel Macron.\n\nAnd she also greeted Turkish president Recep Tayipp Erdogan.\n\nWhat was causing Angela Merkel to shake? German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been seen shaking twice in two weeks. Two weeks ago, she blamed dehydration for her trembling as she stood in the sun in Berlin next to Ukraine's new president Volodymyr Zelensky. And last week, her spokesman claimed she was 'fine' after footage showed her shaking while standing next to president Frank-Walter Steinmeier. Dr Sarah Brewer, a GP and medical director of Healthspan, told MailOnline Merkel's shaking could be caused by having an over-active thyroid. The condition is 10 times more likely to strike women than men, according to the NHS. Dr Brewer added that shaking could be a side effect of some medication. The US National Library of Medicine lists 17 different drugs that can cause the shakes, including caffeine, antibiotics, antidepressants, alcohol or nicotine. Experts are divided over the suspected cause of Angela Merkel's mysterious shakes. One said the jolts were 'not a sign' of Parkinson's, which is often associated with tremors (stock) Shaking, which is uncontrollable, can also be a sign of low blood sugar - a serious complication often seen in diabetic patients. The shakes can also be caused by a fever, fear, stress or a medical condition called essential tremor. The neurological disease strikes up to four per cent of people over the age of 40 in the UK, data suggests. It is unclear how common it is in Germany. After watching the footage of Merkel shaking the first time, Peter Garrard, a professor at St George's, University of London, said her symptoms 'seem to fit with a diagnosis of orthostatic tremor' - a rare neurological condition. When asked again today, he told MailOnline: 'I still think it’s orthostatic tremor.' The disorder, previously referred to as Shaky Legs Syndrome - according to orthostatictremor.org, tends to strike people in their sixties. Merkel is 64. Patients often suffer with tremors in one or more parts of their body, which is often worse when they stand. The progressive disorder generally causes 'shaky' or 'frozen' legs, which usually disappear when the patient sits, walks or lies down. Stress can make the shakes worse, which then becomes a vicious cycle as tremors cause the patient to become increasingly uneasy. Or the tremors, which can last just a few seconds, can come on for no apparent reason. Over time, the condition can cause fatigue, pain and immobility. There is no cure but drugs like Clonazepam can ease the symptoms. Walking aids like scooters, sticks or even wheelchairs in extreme cases, may eventually be required. Dr Mike Fitzpatrick, a GP, told The Telegraph the body often shakes when fighting an infection. This helps to raise the body's temperature to 'kill' an invading bacteria or virus. 'Rigors tend to last a few minutes and then once the heat is generated, you’d be right back to normal,' he said. However, Dr Philippa Kaye, a London-based GP, told MailOnline that she would hope any infection Merkel may have had 'would have been treated by now'. What experts say definitely aren't causing Merkel to shake Parkinson's - Ley Sander, a professor of neurology at University College London told MailOnline the shakes Mrs Merkel had was definitely 'not a sign' of Parkinson's - a condition often associated with tremors. Dehydration - Dr Paul Jarman, a consultant neurologist at University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, told MailOnline: 'What I can say for sure is that it was not due to dehydration.' The NHS does not list shivering as a known symptom of dehydration - when the body loses more fluid than it takes in.", "The well-being of the 64-year-old German chancellor, who has been leading Europe’s largest economy for years, has become a topic of speculation after being spotted trembling during two public events over the last month. Officials stated that one of the incidents was caused by dehydration, while the other was \"psychologically driven”.\n\nOne Western nation’s leading secret service is sure that German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s health issues are “associated with a neurological problem”, the German tabloid Bild reports. The outlet claims that the hunt for the chancellor’s medical records has surely started as foreign intelligence agencies have mobilised their efforts to gain insights into the matter.\n\nMerkel, who has repeatedly been proclaimed the world’s most powerful woman during her time as chancellor, has recently attempted to stop the speculations about her health issues, fuelled by the two shaking episodes, stating \"I have nothing special to report. But I'm fine”.\n\n\"I'm convinced that just as this reaction has appeared, so too it will pass”, Merkel told reporters on the sidelines of the second day of the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan.\n\nHowever, as The Daily Mail pointed out, she “appeared at times to have been sidelined” and strayed away from confronting other heads of state.\n\nAngela Merkel was spotted shaking on 18 June when she greeted newly elected Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, which prompted debates about the German head of state’s condition. The bout was explained by dehydration.\n\nAbout a weak after the first episode, speculations flared up again when she was observed shaking during a ceremony for outgoing Justice Minister Katarina Barley on 27 June. Officials, however, insisted that \"the chancellor is well\" and said that the recent bout was \"psychologically driven”.", "Osaka, 29 June 2019 (dpa/MIA) – German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Saturday she was feeling fine, two days after she experienced a second bout of severe shaking in public, raising fresh concerns about her health.\n\n“I’m certain that just as this reaction surfaced, it will pass again,” Merkel said during a press conference on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan.\n\nMerkel, 64, was asked by journalists if she could explain the shaking and if she had consulted a doctor about it.\n\nShe answered that while she could understand the questions she had “nothing particular to report – other that I’m doing well.”\n\nOn Thursday, just hours before she was due to leave for the summit, Merkel experienced a public bout of severe shaking in Berlin.\n\nThe bout occurred at a ceremony at the official residence of President Frank-Walter Steinmeier during the appointment of Justice Minister Christine Lambrecht. Merkel shook for around two minutes, during which she kept folding her arms.\n\nJust over a week earlier, Merkel was seen shaking as she stood alongside the new Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at an event in Berlin. She said later that she had failed to drink enough during the hot weather at the time.\n\nTwo German newspapers, the Stuttgarter Zeitung and the Stuttgarter Nachrichten, on Friday cited government sources describing the second bout of shaking was “psychological”.\n\n“The memory of the incident in the previous week led to the situation today, that is to say it was a psychologically occurring process,” they reported."], "summary": "German Chancellor Angela Merkel says she's \"fine\" following two bouts of shaking in public that have sparked concerns about her health."}
{"document": ["Attack comes as new round of talks betwee­n US and Taliba­n entere­d second day in Qatar\n\nKANDHAR: Taliban bombers targeting a district centre in southern Afghanistan have killed at least 19 people, including eight election workers, officials said on Sunday.\n\nThe attack comes as a new round of talks between the United States and the Taliban to end the 18-year long war in Afghanistan entered a second day in Qatar.\n\nThe militants rammed four armoured vehicles packed with explosives into a government compound in Maruf district late Saturday, a police spokesperson in southern Kandahar province said.\n\n“Unfortunately 11 policemen were martyred and 27 more injured,” Qasim Afghan told AFP.\n\nEight election workers who were stationed at the centre to register voters ahead of the presidential polls in September were also killed in the attack, said Zabiullah Sadaat, a spokesperson for Afghanistan’s Independent Election Commission (IEC).\n\nAfghanistan’s twice-delayed presidential election is now slated for September 28.\n\nThe Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, with a spokesperson tweeting that their fighters had captured the district centre, killing 57 security forces.\n\nAfghanistan’s interior ministry however rejected the claim, saying in a statement that the militants had been beaten back and 25 insurgents killed.\n\nAfghan President Ashraf Ghani condemned the “barbaric and unforgivable” attacks, which are the latest in a relentless wave of assaults by the Taliban, who now hold sway over about half of the country and regularly target government forces.\n\nThe insurgents killed at least 25 members of a pro-government militia in an attack in northern Baghlan province on Saturday.\n\nThe violence comes amid stepped-up efforts by the United States to find a negotiated end to America’s longest war, with Washington and the Taliban opening a fresh round of negotiations in Doha on Saturday.", "In Afghanistan, around 19 people including 11 policemen and 8 election workers were killed and 27 people were injured in a bomb attack by the Taliban militants. The fatal incident occurred in Maruf district in the southern Kandahar province on Saturday. The Taliban has claimed responsibility.\n\nThe Taliban militants rammed four armored vehicles packed with explosives into a government compound.\n\nThe election workers were stationed at the district center to register voters ahead of the presidential polls in September. The presidential election is slated on September 28.\n\nThe Taliban’s spokesperson has claimed that their fighters have taken control of the Maruf district and killed 57 government soldiers and arrested 11 others. But the government has declined the Taliban’s claims.", "KANDAHAR, Afghanistan: Taliban bombers targeting a district centre in southern Afghanistan have killed at least 19 people, including eight election workers, officials said on Sunday.\n\nThe attack comes as a new round of talks between the United States and the Taliban to end the 18-year long war in Afghanistan entered a second day in Qatar. The militants rammed four armoured vehicles packed with explosives into a government compound in Maruf district late Saturday, a police spokesman in southern Kandahar province said.\n\nEight election workers who were stationed at the centre to register voters ahead of the presidential polls in September were also killed in the attack, said Zabiullah Sadaat, a spokesman for Afghanistan’s Independent Election Commission (IEC).\n\nAfghanistan’s twice-delayed presidential election is now slated for September 28. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, with a spokesman tweeting that their fighters had captured the district centre, killing 57 security forces.\n\nAfghanistan’s interior ministry however rejected the claim, saying in a statement that the militants had been beaten back and 25 insurgents killed. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani condemned the \"barbaric and unforgivable\" attacks, which are the latest in a relentless wave of assaults by the Taliban, who now hold sway over about half of the country and regularly target government forces.\n\nThe insurgents killed at least 25 members of a pro-government militia in an attack in northern Baghlan province on Saturday. The violence comes amid stepped-up efforts by the US to find a negotiated end to America’s longest war, with Washington and the Taliban opening a fresh round of negotiations in Doha on Saturday.", "Kandahar: Taliban bombers targeting a district centre in southern Afghanistan have killed at least 19 people, including eight election workers, officials said on Sunday.\n\nThe attack comes as a new round of talks between the United States and the Taliban to end the 18-year long war in Afghanistan entered a second day in Qatar.\n\nThe militants rammed four armoured vehicles packed with explosives into a government compound in Maruf district late Saturday, a police spokesman in southern Kandahar province said.\n\n\"Unfortunately 11 policemen were martyred and 27 more injured,\" Qasim Afghan told AFP.\n\nEight election workers who were stationed at the centre to register voters ahead of the presidential polls in September were also killed in the attack, said Zabiullah Sadaat, a spokesman for Afghanistan's Independent Election Commission (IEC).\n\nAfghanistan's twice-delayed presidential election is now slated for September 28.\n\nThe Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, with a spokesman tweeting that their fighters had captured the district centre, killing 57 security forces.\n\nAfghanistan's interior ministry however rejected the claim, saying in a statement that the militants had been beaten back and 25 insurgents killed.\n\nAfghan President Ashraf Ghani condemned the \"barbaric and unforgivable\" attacks, which are the latest in a relentless wave of assaults by the Taliban, who now hold sway over about half of the country and regularly target government forces.\n\nThe insurgents killed at least 25 members of a pro-government militia in an attack in northern Baghlan province on Saturday.\n\nThe violence comes amid stepped-up efforts by the United States to find a negotiated end to America's longest war, with Washington and the Taliban opening a fresh round of negotiations in Doha on Saturday.​", "Taliban bombers targeting a district center in southern Afghanistan have killed at least 19 people, including eight election workers, according to officials.\n\nThe attack comes as a new round of talks between the United States and the Taliban to end the 18-year long war in Afghanistan entered a second day in Qatar.\n\nThe militants rammed four armored vehicles packed with explosives into a government compound in Maruf district late Saturday, a police spokesman in southern Kandahar province said.\n\n“Unfortunately 11 policemen were martyred and 27 more injured,” Qasim Afghan tells AFP.\n\nEight election workers who were stationed at the center to register voters ahead of the presidential polls in September were also killed in the attack, says Zabiullah Sadaat, a spokesman for Afghanistan’s Independent Election Commission (IEC).\n\nAfghanistan’s twice-delayed presidential election is now slated for September 28.\n\nThe Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, with a spokesman tweeting that their fighters had captured the district center, killing 57 security forces.\n\nAfghanistan’s interior ministry however rejected the claim, saying in a statement that the militants had been beaten back and 25 insurgents killed.", "KANDAHAR, Afghanistan: Taliban bombers targeting a district centre in southern Afghanistan have killed at least 19 people, including eight election workers, officials said on Sunday.\n\nThe attack comes as a new round of talks between the United States and the Taliban to end the 18-year long war in Afghanistan entered a second day in Qatar. The militants rammed four armoured vehicles packed with explosives into a government compound in Maruf district late Saturday, a police spokesman in southern Kandahar province said. “Unfortunately 11 policemen were martyred and 27 more injured,” Qasim Afghan said.\n\nEight election workers who were stationed at the centre to register voters ahead of the presidential polls in September were also killed in the attack, said Zabiullah Sadaat, a spokesman for Afghanistan’s Independent Election Commission (IEC).\n\nAfghanistan’s twice-delayed presidential election is now slated for September 28. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, with a spokesman tweeting that their fighters had captured the district centre, killing 57 security forces.\n\nAfghanistan’s interior ministry however rejected the claim, saying in a statement that the militants had been beaten back and 25 insurgents killed. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani condemned the “barbaric and unforgivable” attacks, which are the latest in a relentless wave of assaults by the Taliban, who now hold sway over about half of the country and regularly target government forces. The insurgents killed at least 25 members of a pro-government militia in an attack in northern Baghlan province on Saturday.\n\nThe violence comes amid stepped-up efforts by the United States to find a negotiated end to America´s longest war, with Washington and the Taliban opening a fresh round of negotiations in Doha on Saturday.", "KANDAHAR: Taliban bombers targeting a district centre in southern Afghanistan have killed at least 19 people, including eight election workers, officials said on Sunday.The attack comes as a new round of talks between the United States and the Taliban to end the 18-year long war in Afghanistan entered a second day in Qatar.The militants rammed four armoured vehicles packed with explosives into a government compound in Maruf district late Saturday, a police spokesman in southern Kandahar province said.\"Unfortunately 11 policemen were martyred and 27 more injured,\" Qasim Afghan told AFP.Eight election workers who were stationed at the centre to register voters ahead of the presidential polls in September were also killed in the attack, said Zabiullah Sadaat, a spokesman for Afghanistan's Independent Election Commission (IEC).Afghanistan's twice-delayed presidential election is now slated for September 28.The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, with a spokesman tweeting that their fighters had captured the district centre, killing 57 security forces.Afghanistan's interior ministry however rejected the claim, saying in a statement that the militants had been beaten back and 25 insurgents killed.Afghan President Ashraf Ghani condemned the \"barbaric and unforgivable\" attacks, which are the latest in a relentless wave of assaults by the Taliban, who now hold sway over about half of the country and regularly target government forces.The insurgents killed at least 25 members of a pro-government militia in an attack in northern Baghlan province on Saturday.The violence comes amid stepped-up efforts by the United States to find a negotiated end to America's longest war, with Washington and the Taliban opening a fresh round of negotiations in Doha on Saturday.", "KANDAHAR, Afghanistan: Taliban bombers targeting a district centre in southern Afghanistan have killed at least 19 people, including eight election workers, officials said on Sunday.\n\nThe attack comes as a new round of talks between the United States and the Taliban to end the 18-year long war in Afghanistan entered a second day in Qatar. The militants rammed four armoured vehicles packed with explosives into a government compound in Maruf district late Saturday, a police spokesman in southern Kandahar province said. “Unfortunately 11 policemen were martyred and 27 more injured,” Qasim Afghan said.\n\nEight election workers who were stationed at the centre to register voters ahead of the presidential polls in September were also killed in the attack, said Zabiullah Sadaat, a spokesman for Afghanistan’s Independent Election Commission (IEC).\n\nAfghanistan’s twice-delayed presidential election is now slated for September 28. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, with a spokesman tweeting that their fighters had captured the district centre, killing 57 security forces.\n\nAfghanistan’s interior ministry however rejected the claim, saying in a statement that the militants had been beaten back and 25 insurgents killed.\n\nAfghan President Ashraf Ghani condemned the “barbaric and unforgivable” attacks, which are the latest in a relentless wave of assaults by the Taliban, who now hold sway over about half of the country and regularly target government forces. The insurgents killed at least 25 members of a pro-government militia in an attack in northern Baghlan province on Saturday.\n\nThe violence comes amid stepped-up efforts by the United States to find a negotiated end to America’s longest war, with Washington and the Taliban opening a fresh round of negotiations in Doha on Saturday.", "Kandahar, Afghanistan, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 30th Jun, 2019 ) :Taliban bombers targeting a district centre in southern Afghanistan have killed at least 19 people, including eight election workers, officials said on Sunday.\n\nThe attack comes as a new round of talks between the United States and the Taliban to end the 18-year long war in Afghanistan entered a second day in Qatar.\n\nThe militants rammed four armoured vehicles packed with explosives into a government compound in Maruf district late Saturday, a police spokesman in southern Kandahar province said.\n\n\"Unfortunately 11 policemen were martyred and 27 more injured,\" Qasim Afghan told AFP.\n\nEight election workers, who were stationed at the centre to register voters ahead of the presidential polls in September, were also killed in the attack, said Zabiullah Sadaat, a spokesman for Afghanistan's Independent Election Commission (IEC).\n\nAfghanistan's twice-delayed presidential election is now slated for September 28.\n\nThe Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, with a spokesman tweeting that their fighters had captured the district centre, killing 57 security forces.\n\nAfghanistan's interior ministry, however, rejected the claim, saying in a statement that the militants had been beaten back and 25 insurgents killed.\n\nAfghan President Ashraf Ghani condemned the \"barbaric and unforgivable\" attacks, which are the latest in a relentless wave of assaults by the Taliban, who now hold sway over about half of the country and regularly target government forces.\n\nThe insurgents killed at least 25 members of a pro-government militia in an attack in northern Baghlan province on Saturday.\n\nThe violence comes amid stepped-up efforts by the United States to find a negotiated end to America's longest war, with Washington and the Taliban opening a fresh round of negotiations in Doha on Saturday.", "Kandahar: Taliban bombers targeting a district centre in southern Afghanistan have killed at least 19 people, including eight election workers, officials said on Sunday.\n\n\n\nThe attack comes as a new round of talks between the United States and the Taliban to end the 18-year long war in Afghanistan entered a second day in Qatar.\n\nThe militants rammed four armoured vehicles packed with explosives into a government compound in Maruf district late Saturday, a police spokesman in southern Kandahar province said.\n\n\"Unfortunately 11 policemen were martyred and 27 more injured,\" Qasim Afghan told AFP.\n\nEight election workers who were stationed at the centre to register voters ahead of the presidential polls in September were also killed in the attack, said Zabiullah Sadaat, a spokesman for Afghanistan´s Independent Election Commission (IEC).\n\nAfghanistan´s twice-delayed presidential election is now slated for September 28.\n\nThe Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, with a spokesman tweeting that their fighters had captured the district centre, killing 57 security forces.\n\nAfghanistan´s interior ministry however rejected the claim, saying in a statement that the militants had been beaten back and 25 insurgents killed.\n\nAfghan President Ashraf Ghani condemned the \"barbaric and unforgivable\" attacks, which are the latest in a relentless wave of assaults by the Taliban, who now hold sway over about half of the country and regularly target government forces.\n\nThe insurgents killed at least 25 members of a pro-government militia in an attack in northern Baghlan province on Saturday.\n\nThe violence comes amid stepped-up efforts by the United States to find a negotiated end to America´s longest war, with Washington and the Taliban opening a fresh round of negotiations in Doha on Saturday."], "summary": "Four humvees packed with explosives controlled by suicide bombers kill 23, including eight election workers, in the province of Kandahar. The Taliban claimed 57 were killed."}
{"document": ["KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Huge crowds marched on Sudan’s defense ministry on Sunday demanding the ruling military hand over power to civilians, and the authorities said at least seven people were killed and scores injured in protests nationwide.\n\nIn the biggest demonstrations since a deadly raid by security forces on a protest camp in central Khartoum three weeks ago, tens of thousands of residents took to the streets in several parts of the Sudanese capital.\n\nIn two areas near the presidential palace and in the upscale eastern neighborhood of Riyadh, they were met by security forces firing barrages of tear gas, witnesses said.\n\nThe deputy head of Sudan’s ruling military council, General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as Hemedti, said unknown snipers were shooting at civilians and soldiers.\n\nSeven people were killed and 181 wounded, 27 of them by live fire, in protests nationwide, the state news agency reported, citing a Health Ministry undersecretary.\n\nThe official said 10 of those injured were members of regular forces, including three conscripts of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), led by Hemedti, who were injured by gunfire. The remaining seven were injured by stones hurled by demonstrators, he added.\n\nA doctor’s group linked to the opposition said at least five protesters were killed and dozens injured during demonstrations in several cities. Reuters could not verify those accounts.\n\nSudan’s military overthrew president Omar al-Bashir in April after months of demonstrations against his rule.\n\nOpposition groups kept up those demonstrations as they pressed the military to hand over power to civilians. But talks broke down after members of the security services raided the sit-in protest camp outside the defense ministry on June 3.\n\nThe Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) opposition coalition called for a million people to demonstrate on Sunday - the 30th anniversary of the coup that brought Bashir to power, and the African Union’s deadline for Sudan’s military rulers to hand over to civilians or face further sanctions.\n\nDemonstrators hold Sudanese flag as they march on the streets demanding the ruling military hand over to civilians, in Khartoum, Sudan, June 30, 2019. REUTERS/Umit Bektas\n\n“WE WILL NOT RETREAT”\n\nIn another part of Khartoum, thousands blocked the main multi-lane highway that leads to the airport as they marched toward the home of a protester who was killed in January.\n\nProtesters waved the Sudanese flag and chanted “civilian, civilian” and “blood for blood,” as Sudan beefed up security across the capital.\n\n“We came out once again for the revolution and we will not retreat until they handover power to a civilian authority,” protester Hassan Ahmed told Reuters.\n\nThe Transitional Military Council had warned a day earlier that the opposition coalition would bear the responsibility for any loss of life or damage resulting from Sunday’s protests.\n\nMembers of one of the main opposition groups - the Sudanese Professionals’ Association - said the security services raided its headquarters on Saturday night as it was about to give a news conference.\n\nSlideshow (15 Images)\n\nThe United Nations has said it has received reports that more than 100 protesters were killed and many more injured during the June 3 raid on the protest camp.\n\nMilitary leaders have denied ordering a raid on the camp and said a crackdown on criminals nearby had spilled over.\n\nThe council has said some officers had been detained for presumed responsibility, and that it still intends to hand over power after elections.\n\nMediators led by the African Union and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed have been trying to broker a return to direct talks.", "Tens of thousands of Sudanese protesters took to the streets on Sunday to call for an immediate transition to civilian rule, in the biggest mass demonstrations since dozens were gunned down at the beginning of the month.\n\nThe “millions march” was organised across the country to mark 30 years since ousted President Omar al-Bashir came to power during a military coup.\n\nThree hours into Sunday’s protests, Sudanese doctors had already reported the first casualty, saying a demonstrator was killed after being shot in the chest in the town of Atbara, in Sudan’s northeast. There were also reports of shooting and tear gas being used by security forces in capital, Khartoum.\n\nOn June 3rd, fighters from the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) used violence to disperse a massive weeks-long sit-in by thousands of civilians in front of the military headquarters in Khartoum. Activists said some bodies were subsequently thrown into the Nile.\n\nMore than 100 people were killed and more than 700 injured, according to Amnesty International. Doctors present said both women and men were also victims of sexual violence.\n\nThe internet in Sudan has been blocked since the crackdown, but activists still found ways to spread word of Sunday’s protest, including with graffiti, announcing details through megaphones and by distributing leaflets.\n\nOthers, who found ways to get around the internet blockade, posted rallying messages online.\n\n“The Sudanese revolution is proof that our language, culture and goals are the same: resistance, and we will win,” wrote Ahmad Mahmoud, one of the protesters, on Facebook.\n\nThe attempt to cut communication between Sudanese people and the outside world failed, Mr Mahmoud added, as evidenced by the #blueforsudan campaign, which saw people all over the world change their social media profiles to blue in solidarity with Sudan’s protesters.\n\nLast week, Amnesty International secretary general Kumi Naidoo called on Sudan’s transitional authorities not to use violence against civilians again, and to uphold the Sudanese people’s rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association. “Since the bloody crackdown earlier this month, there has been an alarming regression on human rights,” Mr Naidoo said. “This includes an ongoing internet shutdown, attacks on the media and the refusal to allow opposition groups to organise public forums, as well as the continued dispersal of peaceful protesters using unnecessary and excessive force. This clampdown clearly points to the return of the repressive days associated with al-Bashir . . .\n\n“The rest of the world has seen very clearly the passion with which Sudanese people are campaigning for their human rights. The world is watching.”\n\nOn Saturday, Sudan’s ruling military council warned Sudanese citizens not to take part in the protests, saying the opposition would be responsible if anyone was killed. Al-Bashir was ousted in a military coup on April 11th, following months of protests, and is now facing trial on charges of “possessing foreign currency and acquiring suspicious and illicit wealth”. However, protesters argue his regime continues to control the country.", "Sudan: At least 10 killed as protesters return to the streets\n\nSudan: At least 10 killed as protesters return to the streets\n\nProtesters are demanding the military hand power over to civilians\n\nAt least 10 people have been killed and more than 180 wounded across Sudan as protesters returned to the streets to call for the ruling military council to hand power to the people.\n\nIn the biggest demonstrations since a deadly raid by security forces on a protest camp in Khartoum three weeks ago, tens of thousands of people took to the streets in several parts of the Sudanese capital.\n\nIn two areas near the presidential palace and in the eastern neighbourhood of Riyadh, they were met by security forces firing barrages of tear gas, witnesses said.\n\nA senior military official said unknown snipers had shot at civilians and paramilitary soldiers during the demonstration.\n\nGeneral Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, who is the deputy head of the Transitional Military Council (TMC), in a televised statement: \"There are snipers shooting at people, they shot three members of RSF and five or six citizens.\"\n\nHe added: \"We are upset and we want to get things under control.\"\n\nThe general gave no more information on the affiliation of the gunmen, and if anyone had died.\n\nSudanese activist Nazim Sirraj said three further bodies had been discovered on Monday near a school in Omdurman, the twin city of Khartoum.\n\nHe said they had been shot.\n\n\n\nVideo clips showed demonstrators running away from security forces in the streets of Khartoum and seeking shelter, AP said.\n\nTroops and riot police on a highway leading to Khartoum's international airport allowed some protesters to pass through but a protest leader said security forces used tear gas to disperse people in Omdurman and the district of Bahri in the capital. Tens of thousands had taken to the streets in cities across the country earlier repeating their call for civilian rule nearly three months after the army forced out dictator Omar al Bashir.\n\nThe marches marked the 30th anniversary of the Islamist-backed coup that brought Bashir to power in 1989, toppling Sudan's last elected government.\n\nBashir was removed by the military in April amid mass protests against his rule, but the calls for the military to hand over power completely have continued.\n\nOn Sunday, protesters chanted anti-military slogans like \"Burhan's council, just fall\", referring to General Abdel-Fattah Burhan, head of the military council.\n\nMuch of the protesting has been co-ordinated by the Sudan Professionals' Association (SPA), made up of a people with jobs that often require years in education, like teachers, lawyers and engineers.\n\nTalks between the two sides over a power-sharing agreement collapsed earlier this month following a crackdown from the authorities.\n\nIn the following weeks, at least 128 people across the county have been killed, according to protest organisers.\n\nSudanese authorities say 61 have died, including three from security forces.\n\nEfforts by the African Union and Ethiopia have been under way to bring about an end to the crisis and reach a deal over setting up a new transitional government.\n\nThe military council said Friday it was ready to resume \"immediate, serious and honest\" talks but the Forces for Declaration of Freedom and Change, which represents the protesters, said talks could only begin once those in power have officially approved the AU-Ethiopian proposal.", "Tens of thousands of protesters rallied across Sudan on Sunday against the ruling generals as demonstrators marched on the presidential palace in Khartoum, in the biggest mass demonstration since a deadly crackdown on demonstrators.The \"million-man\" march is seen as a test for protest organisers whose push for civilian rule has been hit by the June 3 raid on a Khartoum sit-in and a subsequent internet blackout that has curbed their ability to mobilise support. Dozens of demonstrators were killed and hundreds wounded when armed men in military fatigues stormed the sit-in outside army headquarters, shooting and beating protesters who had camped there since April 6. On Sunday, police fired several rounds of tear gas on crowds approaching the presidential palace after organisers called for a march on the building that houses offices of the ruling transitional military council, an AFP correspondent reported.\n\nSEE ALSO :Sudan leaders face pressure for transfer to civilian rule\n\n\"We call on our revolutionary people in the capital to go to the republican palace... to seek justice for the martyrs and for an unconditional transfer of power to civilians,\" the Sudanese Professionals Association that first launched protests against now ousted ruler Omar al-Bashir said on Twitter. Police also fired tear gas at protesters in the northern Khartoum district of Bahri and in Mamura and Arkweit, in the capital's east, as thousands of protesters chanted \"Civilian rule! Civilian rule!\", witnesses said. Elsewhere, security forces used tear gas to disperse protests in the capital's twin city of Omdurman and the eastern town of Gadaref. The latest demonstrations come at a time when Ethiopia and the African Union (AU) are jointly mediating between the protesters and generals. The European Union, several Western nations and rights groups called on the generals to avoid any violence.\n\nSEE ALSO :Sudan protest leaders to unveil civilian ruling body\n\nMen and women flashing victory signs and carrying Sudanese flags flooded the streets of Al-Sahafa neighbourhood of Khartoum. \"We are here for the martyrs of the (June 3) sit-in. We want a civilian state that guarantees our freedom. We want to get rid of military dictatorship,\" said Zeinab, 23, as onlookers cheered and motorists honked horns. \"No one gave a mandate to the military council, all the people are against the council,\" said another protester who shouted out: \"I'm the next martyr.\" Marchers also passed by the homes of those killed on June 3. Others chanting \"Blood for blood, we don't want compensation\" took to the streets of the Jabra district, while rallies were also under way in other neighbourhoods of the capital.\n\nSEE ALSO :Sudan protest leaders to unveil civilian ruling body today\n\nOn the road to airport, security forces moved to block off crowds of demonstrators, an AFP correspondent reported. Thousands also protested in the cities of Port Sudan, Al-Obied, Madani and Khasma el-Girba, witnesses said.The feared paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) were deployed in pick-up trucks mounted with machineguns in several Khartoum squares and many shops stayed shut. RSF chief General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo had warned he would not tolerate any \"vandalism\" at the protests.\n\nSEE ALSO :Sudan transition gets murky as AU deadline for power hand over nears\n\n\"There are vandals, there are people who have an agenda, a hidden agenda, we don't want problems,\" Dagalo, who is also the ruling military council's deputy chief, said Saturday. In the run-up to the protest many Sudanese said they feared new violence. \"I expect large numbers... and it's very possible that security forces will use force,\" said Mustafa, 25. Another demonstrator, Talal, 29, said: \"Even if only a few rallies take place in Khartoum, they will break the barrier of fear and more people will take to the streets\" in coming days. About 130 people have been killed since the crackdown, the majority of them on that day, according to doctors close to the alliance. The health ministry says 61 people died nationwide on June 3. The military council insists it did not order the dispersal of the sit-in, but acknowledged \"excesses\" after orders were given to purge a nearby area allegedly notorious for drug peddling. The council has warned it would hold the alliance \"entirely responsible if any soul is lost\" in Sunday's protests.Tensions remain high since the June 3 raid, which followed the collapse of talks over who should lead a new governing body -- a civilian or soldier. Ethiopia and the AU have proposed a blueprint for a civilian-majority body, which the generals say could be a basis for resuming talks. Protesters had initially gathered at the military headquarters to seek the army's support in ousting Bashir. They kept up their sit-in to demand civilian rule after the generals deposed the president on April 11. Demonstrators' \"right to peacefully protest and express their views on 30 June, or on any other date, remains key,\" the European Union said. Amnesty International's Secretary General Kumi Naidoo said the military council \"must not allow the country to slide back into yet more repression.\" \"The world is watching.\"\n\nFor the latest news in entertainment check out Sde.co.ke and Pulser.co.ke , for everything sports visit Gameyetu.co.ke and ladies we have you covered on Evewoman", "Death toll from clashes at Sudan rallies climbs to 10\n\nKHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) — A leading Sudanese activist says at least 10 people were killed in clashes with security forces during mass demonstrations demanding a transition to civilian rule.\n\nNazim Sirraj told The Associated Press on Monday that three bodies were found next to a school in Omdurman, the twin city of the capital, Khartoum, after the rallies the day before. He says the three were shot dead.\n\nAuthorities said late Sunday that at least seven people were killed and nearly 200 wounded during the demonstrations. The ruling military council blamed protest leaders for the deaths after they diverted the routes of their marches.\n\nThe protesters are calling on the military to hand over power to civilians following the coup that ousted longtime autocrat Omar al-Bashir in April.", "KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) — Sudan’s ruling military acknowledged that security forces committed violations when they moved in to disperse protesters at a sit-in camp outside military headquarters in Khartoum last week, and a major human rights organization said Friday the need for an outside investigation was more urgent than ever in light of the admission.\n\nThe spokesman for the ruling military council, Gen. Shams Eddin Kabashi, told reporters at a news conference late Thursday that an investigation was underway and that several military officers were already in custody for alleged “deviation” from the action plan set by military leaders.\n\n“We feel sorry for what happened,” said Kabashi. “We will show no leniency and we will hold accountable anyone, regardless of their rank, if proven to have committed violations.”\n\nKabashi did not elaborate on the violations beyond describing them as “painful and outrageous.” Over 100 people were killed in the capital and across Sudan in a sweeping crackdown last week, according to protest organizers. Protesters also said more than 40 bodies were pulled from the Nile River in Khartoum and taken away by security forces.\n\nIn response, Amnesty International called Friday for an international probe.\n\n“Following this admission, it is now more urgent than ever, in the interest of accountability and transparency, that the military authorities allow international scrutiny and investigations by the U.N. and African Union into the escalating human rights violations under their watch,” said Sarah Jackson, Amnesty’s deputy regional director for East Africa, the Horn and the Great Lakes.\n\nThe dispersal of the sit-in was a violent turn in the standoff between the protesters and the military, which removed President Omar al-Bashir from power in April after a months-long popular uprising against his 30-year rule. Kabashi admitted that the members of the transitional military council had convened the night before the sit-in was dispersed and agreed to drive protesters away.\n\nForces for the Declaration of Freedom and Change, a coalition of political groups representing the protesters, also insisted on an international investigation — a demand Kabashi strongly rejected.\n\nOn Thursday, U.N. Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict Pramila Patten expressed “grave concern” over reports of mass rapes of protesters and female medical personnel by security forces and militias.\n\nHuman Rights Watch urged the Sudanese military to restore access to the internet, which has been blocked since the start of the clampdown. Kabashi ruled that out, alleging the use of social media has posed a threat to national security. Sudanese protesters have relied heavily on social media to post video depicting violence perpetrated by security forces, mobilize rallies and coordinate dissent.\n\nSeparately, Kabashi dismissed the death toll announced by the Sudanese Doctors Central Committee, a group associated with the protesters, as misleading. The group has said 108 people were killed and more than 500 wounded. The military-controlled Health Ministry later put the death toll at 61.\n\nFollowing last week’s violence, Ethiopia stepped up its diplomatic efforts to mediate the crisis. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed visited Khartoum, held several rounds of separate talks with the generals and pro-democracy forces and appointed a special envoy.\n\nKabashi said Ethiopian mediators did not put forward any proposal that could ease disagreements but have only sought to encourage both parties to resume direct talks.\n\nIn the wake of the military crackdown, talks between the military and protesters were suspended and the FDFC held a three-day general strike and a campaign of civil disobedience. Leaders of the protest movement said earlier they would not sit down with the generals until they acknowledged last week’s “massacre,” allowed the formation of an international commission to investigate the killings of protesters, restored internet services, adhered to previous deals struck before the breakdown in talks and send paramilitary troops back to their barracks.\n\nWhile admitting the military’s responsibility for the killings, Kabashi insisted the question of deploying troops is a military affair that no one should tamper with.", "Sudan Military: Protesters Responsible for Any Violence at Sunday Rally\n\nSudan’s ruling military council held on Saturday the protest movement responsible for any outbreak of violence during rallies on Sunday.\n\n \n\n \"The country is going through a serious crisis, and we will hold the Alliance for Freedom and Change entirely responsible if any soul is lost in the march,” it said in a statement.\n\n \n\n Sunday's mass rally will be the first attempt to mobilize protesters after a June 3 crackdown on a protest camp outside the military headquarters in Khartoum.\n\n \n\n The violent dispersal of the sit-in came after talks between the generals and protest leaders collapsed over who should lead a new governing body -- a civilian or a soldier. The generals have resisted a transfer of power to a civilian administration.\n\n \n\n Ethiopia and the African Union have mediated between the two sides and proposed a 15-member civilian-majority body to govern the country during a three-year transition period.\n\n \n\n The generals said Friday the proposal could be a base to resume talks with protesters, although they expressed \"some observations\", a spokesman said.\n\n \n\n About 130 people have been killed since the June 3 crackdown, according to doctors close to the protest movement. The health ministry said 61 people were killed.\n\n \n\n On Saturday, deputy head of the military council General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo insisted the generals had no intention of holding on to power.\n\n \n\n \"The military council is just a guarantor,\" he said.\n\n \n\n \"We are saying we want a civilian government, a government of competences, of independents. This is not political talk...This is true.\"\n\n \n\n Dagalo, widely known by his nickname Himeidti, commands the feared paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, which have been heavily deployed in Khartoum since the crackdown on protesters.\n\n \n\n He justified the heavy presence of security forces in the capital.\n\n \n\n \"The military forces who are deployed in Khartoum are there for the security of the people, not to disturb them,\" he said. \"There are vandals, there are people who have an agenda, a hidden agenda, we don't want problems.\"", "Five protesters were killed today during mass demonstrations that rocked Sudan as tens of thousands of people marched against the ruling generals.\n\nTens of thousands of protesters rallied across the north African nation against the army bosses that currently governs as organisers called for a march on the presidential palace in Khartoum, in the biggest mass demonstration since a deadly crackdown on demonstrators.\n\nThe 'million-man' march is being seen as a test for protest organisers whose push for civilian rule has been hit by the June 3 raid on a Khartoum sit-in and a subsequent internet blackout that has curbed their ability to mobilise support.\n\nThis evening a doctors committee linked to the protest movement said five demonstrators had been killed in the protests.\n\n'The death of four martyrs in the city of Omdurman on the road of our victorious revolution brings the number of martyrs to five' in Sunday's protests, the committee said, after it reported earlier that a protester was shot dead in the town of Atbara.\n\n'There are several seriously wounded by the bullets of the military council militias in hospitals of the capital and the provinces,' it added.\n\nDozens of demonstrators were killed and hundreds wounded when armed men in military fatigues stormed the sit-in outside army headquarters, shooting and beating protesters who had camped there since April 6.\n\nToday police fired tear gas in the northern Khartoum district of Bahri and in Mamura and Arkweit, in the capital's east, as thousands of protesters chanted 'Civilian rule! Civilian rule!', witnesses said.\n\nSecurity forces also used tear gas against demonstrators in the capital's twin city of Omdurman and the eastern town of Gadaref, witnesses said.\n\nProtesters chanted anti-military slogans like 'Burhan's council, just fall', according to video clips circulated online. Gen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan is head of the military council.\n\nVideo clips showed protesters running away from security forces in the streets of Khartoum and seeking shelter from clouds of tear gas.\n\nOn a highway leading to Khartoum's international airport, a convoy of troops and riot police allowed some demonstrators to pass through as they headed toward the house of a protester who was killed earlier this month.\n\nThe protester's mother was standing outside and joined the demonstration. They waved Sudanese flags and chanted slogans calling for civilian rule.\n\nDespite clouds of tear gas and a large deployment of the feared paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), cheering crowds thronged the avenues of the capital.\n\nWrapped in large Sudanese flags, protesters whistled, cheered and chanted the slogans of the uprising.\n\n'Civilian! Civilian!' they shouted, accompanied by a pulsing cacophony of car horns.\n\n'Free revolutionaries, we will finish the job.'\n\nMarchers also passed the homes of some people killed since protests broke in December after the government tripled the price of bread.\n\nThe mother of Mahjoub al-Taj and dozens of demonstrators stood in a small dusty courtyard named in honour of her son.\n\n'We are all Mahjoub,' they chanted in unison.\n\nSome 133 people have been killed since the June 3 crackdown, the majority of them on that day, according to reports from doctors close to the protest movement.\n\nThe health ministry says 61 people died nationwide on June 3.\n\nThe military council insists it did not order the dispersal of the sit-in, but acknowledged 'excesses' after orders were given to purge a nearby area allegedly notorious for drug peddling.\n\nThe latest demonstrations come at a time when Ethiopia and the African Union (AU) are jointly mediating between the protesters and generals.\n\nThe European Union, several Western nations and rights groups have called on the generals to avoid any violence.\n\nMen and women flashing victory signs and carrying Sudanese flags flooded the streets of Al-Sahafa neighbourhood of Khartoum, an AFP correspondent reported.\n\n'We are here for the martyrs of the (June 3) sit-in. We want a civilian state that guarantees our freedom. We want to get rid of military dictatorship,' said Zeinab, 23, as onlookers cheered and motorists honked horns.\n\n'No one gave a mandate to the military council, all the people are against the council,' said another protester who shouted out: 'I'm the next martyr.'\n\nOthers chanting 'Blood for blood, we don't want compensation' took to the streets of the Jabra district, witnesses said, while rallies were also under way in other neighbourhoods of the capital.\n\nOn the road to airport, security forces moved to block off crowds of demonstrators, an AFP correspondent reported.\n\nThe Sudanese Professionals Association, the group that first launched protests against now ousted ruler Omar al-Bashir, urged supporters to march on the presidential palace in Khartoum.\n\n'We call on our revolutionary people in the capital to go to the republican palace... to seek justice for the martyrs and for an unconditional transfer of power to civilians,' the SPA said in a statement on Twitter.\n\nThousands also protested in the cities of Port Sudan, Al-Obied, Madani and Khasma el-Girba, witnesses said.\n\nThe feared paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) were deployed in pick-up trucks mounted with machineguns in several Khartoum squares and many shops were shut.\n\nRSF chief General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo warned he would not tolerate any 'vandalism' at the protests.\n\n'There are vandals, there are people who have an agenda, a hidden agenda, we don't want problems,' Dagalo, who is also the ruling military council's deputy chief, said Saturday.\n\nIn the run-up to the protest many Sudanese said they feared new violence.\n\n'I expect large numbers... and it's very possible that security forces will use force,' said Mustafa, 25.\n\nAnother demonstrator, Talal, 29, said: 'Even if only a few rallies take place in Khartoum, they will break the barrier of fear and more people will take to the streets' in coming days.'\n\nThe umbrella protest movement, the Alliance for Freedom and Change, said demonstrators in Khartoum and its twin city of Omdurman would also march to the homes of some of the protesters killed on June 3.\n\nThe Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) opposition coalition called for a million people to turn out on Sunday - the 30th anniversary of the coup that brought Bashir to power in 1989, and the African Union's deadline for the military rulers to hand over to civilians or face further sanctions.\n\nA senior member of Sudan's military leadership said unknown snipers had shot at three paramilitary soldiers and at least six demonstrators today.\n\nAbout 130 people have been killed since the crackdown, the majority of them on that day, according to doctors close to the alliance.\n\nThe health ministry says 61 people died nationwide on June 3.\n\nThe military council insists it did not order the dispersal of the sit-in, but acknowledged 'excesses' after orders were given to purge a nearby area allegedly notorious for drug peddling.\n\nThe council has warned it would hold the alliance 'entirely responsible if any soul is lost' in Sunday's protests.\n\nTensions remain high since the June 3 raid, which followed the collapse of talks over who should lead a new governing body -- a civilian or soldier.\n\nEthiopia and the AU have proposed a blueprint for a civilian-majority body, which the generals say could be a basis for resuming talks.\n\nProtesters had initially gathered at the military headquarters to seek the army's support in ousting Bashir.\n\nThey kept up their sit-in to demand civilian rule after the generals deposed the president on April 11.\n\nDemonstrators' 'right to peacefully protest and express their views on 30 June, or on any other date, remains key,' the European Union said.\n\nAmnesty International's Secretary General Kumi Naidoo said the military council 'must not allow the country to slide back into yet more repression.'", "KHARTOUM/CAIRO (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 30th June, 2019) The security forces of Sudanese Transitional Military Council (TMC), which is now ruling the country, encircled on Saturday the venue of the press conference of the opposition Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA), and some journalists could not attend the event because of this, the association said.\n\n\"TMC armed forces have stormed the SPA headquarters and prevented a press conference which was scheduled for 7 pm today. We strongly condemn this repressive behavior, which reflects the extent TMC fears the determination of the Sudanese people,\" the SPA said on Twitter.\n\nThe rally on Sunday will be a strong response to this \"barbaric and brutal conduct,\" the association added.\n\nMonths of anti-government protests in Sudan culminated in a military coup on April 11.\n\nThen-President Omar Bashir, who had been in power for 30 years, was overthrown and then imprisoned. The TMC came to power and pledged to hold a new election within two years. However, the protests have continued, with demonstrators demanding that the military hand over power to a civilian government.\n\nThe situation in the capital of Sudan and in the whole country sharply deteriorated on June 3, when the Sudanese military dispersed part of the protest tent camp in Khartoum, killing more than 100 civilians. The opposition responded with a strike and actions of civil disobedience and called for the transfer of power to a civilian government as soon as possible.", "KHARTOUM: Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets across Sudan Sunday chanting “civilian rule, civilian rule” as police fired tear gas in Khartoum, amid international calls for restraint to avoid a new deadly crackdown.\n\nThe planned “million-man” march is being seen as a test for protest organisers whose movement has been hit by a June 3 raid on a Khartoum sit-in and a subsequent internet blackout that has curbed their ability to mobilise support.\n\nDozens of demonstrators were killed and hundreds wounded when armed men in military fatigues stormed the sit-in outside army headquarters, shooting and beating protesters who had camped there since April 6.\n\nOn Sunday, police fired tear gas in the northern Khartoum district of Bahari and in Mamura and Arkweit, in the capital´s east, as thousands of protesters chanted “Civilian rule! Civilian rule!”, witnesses said.\n\nSecurity forces also fired tear gas at demonstrators in the eastern town of Gadaref, a witness said. The latest demonstrations come at a time when Ethiopia and the African Union (AU) are jointly mediating between the protesters and generals.The European Union, several Western nations and rights groups have called on the generals to avoid any violence.\n\nThousands of men and women, flashing victory signs and carrying Sudanese flags, flooded the streets of Al-Sahafa neighbourhood of Khartoum, an AFP correspondent reported. “We are here for the martyrs of the (June 3) sit-in. We want a civilian state that guarantees our freedom. We want to get rid of military dictatorship,” said Zeinab, 23, as travellers in vehicles cheered them and motorists honked their horns in support as they drove by.\n\n“No one gave a mandate to the military council, all the people are against the council,” said another protester, who did not reveal his name, as he chanted “I’m the next martyr.”Others took to the streets of Jabra neighbourhood in Khartoum, with many chanting revolutionary slogans, witnesses said, while rallies were under way in other districts. Thousands also launched protests in the cities of Port Sudan, Al-Obied, Madani and Khasma el-Girba, witnesses said.\n\nThe feared paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) deployed in pick-up trucks mounted with machineguns in several Khartoum squares and many shops were shut, an AFP correspondent said.\n\nRSF chief General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo warned he would not tolerate any “vandalism” at the protests.In the run-up to the protest—the first major rallies since the crackdown—many Sudanese said they feared new violence.\n\nTensions remain high since the June 3 raid, which followed the collapse of talks over who should lead a new governing body—a civilian or soldier. Ethiopia and the AU have proposed a blueprint for a civilian-majority body, which the generals say could be a basis for resuming talks."], "summary": "Ten people are killed in Sudan during clashes between the Sudanese military and civilian protesters."}
{"document": ["Two government officials died on Sunday in what government minister Saleh al-Gharib described as an assassination effort.\n\nAl-Gharib's convoy came under fire as it passed through the mountain village of Qabrshmoun, near the capital, Beirut.\n\nRead more: Syrian refugees risk journey home amid dire situation in Lebanon\n\nThe minister, who escaped unharmed, said the incident appeared to have been aimed at increasing tension in the Mount Lebanon area.\n\nAl-Gharib, a minister of state for refugee affairs and a member of the Druze ethnic group, said the incident had been \"an armed ambush and a clear assassination attempt.\"\n\nHowever, the Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) said the shooting started after al-Gharib's guards opened fire \"randomly\" at a group of people who were blocking the road.\n\nThe shooting took place after supporters of the PSP — led by another Druze politican, Walid Jumblatt — gathered to close roads and stop a visit to the area by Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil, a party colleague of al-Gharib.\n\nWatch video 01:34 Share Lebanon braces for austerity, in exchange for aid Send Facebook google+ Whatsapp Tumblr linkedin stumble Digg reddit Newsvine Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/3IZFy Lebanon braces for austerity, in exchange for aid\n\nAccording to Lebanon's Naharnet online news site, Lebanese Democratic Party sources said the assassination effort was aimed at Bassil. The sources said the gunmen did not know the convoy belonged to al-Gharib.\n\nThe Druze — who make up a large part of the population in the Aley district where the incident took place — follow an offshoot of Shiite Islam, but are bitterly divided over the war in neighboring Syria. Some, including al-Gharib, support the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, while others are opposed to the administration in Damascus.\n\nRead more: The Druze: The Middle East's most persecuted people?\n\nSome of the worst fighting during Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil took place in the Mount Lebanon area, where tensions remain high decades later.\n\nLebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri called security chiefs and officials from the rival parties, urging them to restore calm after the incident.\n\nSince January, Lebanon has been governed by a national unity cabinet which includes al-Gharib's Free Patriotic Movement and the PSP, as well as other parties from across the political divide.\n\nrc/aw (AP, Reuters)\n\nEach evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.", "Gunmen have opened fire on the convoy of a Lebanese minister in a mountain village near Beirut, killing two of his guards and wounding another, in what he called an assassination attempt.\n\nSaleh al-Gharib, the minister of state handling refugee issues, told local TV he was heading to the mountain village of Qabr Shamoun when his convoy came under fire on Sunday.\n\n\"What happened was an armed ambush and a clear assassination attempt,\" al-Gharib said in an interview with Lebanon's al-Jadeed TV.\n\nGharib is a member of a party allied with Hezbollah and supportive of the Syrian government, and has close ties with pro-Syrian Druze leader Talal Arslan.\n\n\"Despite bloodshed, we are working to calm the situation,\" al-Gharib told Lebanese newspaper Annahar.\n\nLebanese state news agency NNA reported that the violence erupted in 30km southeast of Beirut, where followers of the Lebanese Progressive Socialist Party (PSP), a vocal critic of the Syrian government, had blocked a road to prevent Foreign Minister Jubran Bassil, an ally of the Syria-allied Hezbollah movement, from visiting the area.\n\n\n\nAs al-Gharib's convoy tried to pass, an argument followed by shooting took place between both sides, leaving three bodyguards and a PSP follower injured, NNA added.\n\n\n\nTwo of the three bodyguards later died of injuries at the hospital.\n\nThe PSP said in a statement that al-Gharib's guards opened fire \"randomly\" at a group of people who were closing the road to prevent Bassil from passing.\n\n190627124719360\n\nIt said a PSP supporter was wounded in the shooting, and that others who had weapons opened fire at al-Gharib's convoy, killing two of his guards.\n\nThe PSP is led by Druze leader Walid Jumblatt. Like most Lebanese, the Druze are fiercely divided over the war in neighboring Syria, with some supporting President Bashar al-Assad's government and others aligned with the opposition.\n\nLebanese President Michel Aoun called for the country's Higher\n\nDefence Council to meet on Monday to discuss the incident.\n\nThe Lebanese army sent reinforcements to the area.\n\nThe area, where the incident took place near the city of Aley, is loyal to anti-Damascus Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, whose Progressive Socialist Party denied any involvement in the incident.", "Gunmen have opened fire on the convoy of a Lebanese minister in a mountain village near Beirut, killing two of his guards and wounding another, in what he called an assassination attempt.\n\nSaleh al-Gharib, the minister of state handling refugee issues, told local TV he was heading to the mountain village of Qabr Shamoun when his convoy came under fire on Sunday.\n\nIn an interview with Lebanon's al-Jadeed TV, Gharib, who is a member of a party allied with Hezbollah and supportive of the Syrian government, said \"what happened was an armed ambush and a clear assassination attempt\".\n\nIt was not clear who opened fire, but the area was tense as supporters of a party opposed to the Syrian government closed roads to prevent Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil from touring the region.\n\nThe Lebanese army sent reinforcements to the area.\n\nThe Lebanese are fiercely divided over the civil war in neighbouring Syria. Al-Gharib is close to pro-Syrian Druze leader, Talal Arslan.\n\nThe area, where the incident took place near the city of Aley, is loyal to anti-Damascus Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, whose Progressive Socialist Party denied any involvement in the incident.", "BEIRUT (AP) — A Lebanese Cabinet minister said gunmen opened fire at his convoy in a mountain village near Beirut on Sunday, killing two of his guards and wounding another.\n\nSaleh al-Gharib, the minister of state handling refugee issues, told local TV he was heading to the mountain village of Qabr Shamoun when his convoy came under fire. Al-Gharib is a member of a Druze party allied with the militant Hezbollah group and supportive of the Syrian government.\n\nThe Druze follow an offshoot of Shiite Islam. Like most Lebanese, they are fiercely divided over the war in neighboring Syria, with some supporting President Bashar Assad’s government and others aligned with the opposition.\n\nThe shooting came as supporters of the Progressive Socialist Party, led by Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, closed roads to prevent Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil from touring the region. Jumblatt’s party is opposed to Assad.\n\nThe PSP said in a statement that al-Gharib’s guards opened fire “randomly” at a group of people who were closing the road to prevent Bassil from passing. It said a PSP supporter was wounded in the shooting, and that others who had weapons opened fire at al-Gharib’s convoy, killing two of his guards.\n\n“What happened was an armed ambush and a clear assassination attempt,” al-Gharib told the local Al-Jadeed TV.\n\nThe area where the shooting took place witnessed some of the worst fighting and sectarian killings during Lebanon’s 1975-1990 civil war. Tensions in the area remain high decades later.\n\nPrime Minister Saad Hariri called officials from the rival parties as well as heads of security agencies, urging them to restore calm.\n\nDruze spiritual leader Sheikh Naim Hassan called on members of the sect to calm the situation and urged state institutions to open an investigation into the shooting.\n\nThe Lebanese army sent reinforcements to the area.", "BEIRUT — A Lebanese Cabinet minister says gunmen opened fire at his convoy in a mountain village near Beirut, killing one of his guards and wounding another.\n\nSaleh al-Gharib, the minister of state handling refugee issues, told local TV he was heading to the mountain village of Qabr Shamoun when his convoy came under fire.\n\nAl-Gharib is a member of a party allied with the militant Hezbollah group and supportive of the Syrian government.\n\nIt was not clear who opened fire, but the area was tense Sunday as supporters of a party opposed to the Syrian government closed roads to prevent Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil from touring the region.\n\nThe Lebanese army sent reinforcements to the area.\n\nThe Lebanese are fiercely divided over the civil war in neighboring Syria.", "Beirut [Lebanon], July 1 (ANI): Two bodyguards accompanying a Lebanese minister were killed and one other sustained injury after gunmen open fired on their convoy near country's capital Beirut on Sunday.\n\nThe incident took place in the Mount Lebanon town, when the convoy of Saleh al-Gharib, the minister of state handling refugee affairs, reportedly tried to pass through the blockades, which were placed to oppose a visit by Lebanese Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil in the area, reported Al Arabiya.\n\nThe barricades were placed by the followers of the Lebanese Progressive Socialist Party (PSP). The party, in turn, has claimed that the minister's bodyguards fired on the protestors despite their attempts to open the road and remove the blockades.\n\nIn an interview with Lebanon's al-Jadeed TV, Gharib said that \"what happened was an armed ambush and a clear assassination attempt.\"\n\nThe area where the incident took place is loyal to anti-Damascus Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, a fierce opponent of the Syrian government.\n\nMeanwhile, Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri has held a series of contacts with the Druze parties, security chiefs and Bassil to de-escalate the tensions between rival factions in the country. (ANI)", "Lebanese Supreme Security Council said on Monday it had approved decisive measures aimed at stabilizing the situation in the Mount Lebanon governorate, where unknown gunmen attacked the convoy of Lebanese State Minister for Displaced Affairs Saleh Gharib on Sunday\n\nBEIRUT (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 01st July, 2019) Lebanese Supreme Security Council said on Monday it had approved decisive measures aimed at stabilizing the situation in the Mount Lebanon governorate, where unknown gunmen attacked the convoy of Lebanese State Minister for Displaced Affairs Saleh Gharib on Sunday\n\nThe gunmen opened fire on Gharib's convoy as it was making its way to a settlement in the Mount Lebanon governorate, killing two of his guards. Following the incident, Lebanese President Michel Aoun convened an emergency meeting of the Supreme Security Council to discuss the ways to de-escalate tensions in the region.\n\n\"The [Supreme Security] Council has made an unconditional decision to restore without any delay and compromise security in the regions where the sanguinary incidents happened. All the participants [of the shooting] will be detained and brought to justice.\n\nThe probe must be carried out quickly and under the supervision of a special judicial administration,\" the council's statement said.\n\nSoon after the incident, the Lebanese Democratic Party's representative claimed that the attack on Gharib's convoy had actually been an attempt by the Lebanese Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) to murder Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil, who earlier had canceled his trip to the same region. In early June, Bassil sparked mass criticism over his tweet claiming that Lebanese workers should come first and be given priority in the job market. Many described the statement as \"racist\" and even urged Bassil to resign.\n\nHowever, the socialists representatives refuted the accusations and said that Gharib's guards had opened fire on locals who were removing burning tires. According to media reports, one member of the PSP was also wounded in the shooting.", "Alwaght- Two aids of Lebanon’s minister of refugee affairs were killed in an “assassination attempt” against Saleh al-Gharib who survived the ambush.\n\nThe Druze minister came under attack on Sunday when his convoy was making its way through the Mount Lebanon town near Aley, which is loyal to Druze leader Walid Jumblatt. Jumblatt's Popular Progressive Party (PSP), however, has denied any involvement in the incident.\n\nTwo other people were injured in the attack, according to social media reports.\n\n\"What happened was an armed ambush and a clear assassination attempt,\" Gharib told Lebanon's al-Jadeed TV.\n\n\"There appears to be a decision to blow up the situation on the Mountain (a reference to the mountainous Chouf District, which is located southeast of the Lebanese capital),\" said Gharib.\n\nThe attack comes on the heels of tensions that were ignited by a visit by Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil to the area earlier in the day. His visit caused led protesters to block roads (shown in the following video), prompting Bassil to call off the visit.\n\nLebanese Defense Minister Elias Bou Saab called for calm, telling the LBC network that the army had placed a large number of forces in the area .\n\nAkram Chehayeb, a senior PSP official and minister of education, also urged calm, saying: \"What happened is the result of poor judgement by some officials and is a recipe for strife on the Mountain.\"\n\nThe attack comes amid an ongoing debate over the fate of the Syrian refugees who have fled their war-torn country and entered Lebanese territories over the past years.\n\nMore than one million Syrian refugees are registered with the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Lebanon.\n\nThe Beirut government estimates that the true number of Syrians in Lebanon stands at 1.5 million.", "BEIRUT — Lebanon's top defense council has ordered an investigation into a deadly shooting that left two people dead and others wounded.\n\nThe Higher Defense Council held a meeting Monday attended by the president, prime minister, Cabinet ministers and heads of Lebanon's security and military agencies.\n\nThe meeting came a day after a shooting in a mountain village near Beirut killed two guards of Saleh al-Gharib, the minister of state handling refugee issues.\n\nThe shooting came as supporters of the Progressive Socialist Party, led by Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, closed roads to prevent Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil from touring the region. Bassil and al-Gharib are allies.\n\nThe Higher Defense Council said in a statement that it \"took decisive decisions to restore security without hesitation and to detain all those wanted.\"", "Beirut: Two bodyguards of a Lebanese Druze minister were killed on Sunday when his convoy came under fire as it passed through an area loyal to a rival Druze faction, in what the minister called an assassination attempt.\n\nSaleh Al Gharib, Lebanon's minister of state for refugee affairs, is close to pro-Syrian Druze leader Talal Arslan. The area where the incident took place near Aley is loyal to anti-Damascus Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, whose Popular Progressive Party denied any involvement in the incident.\n\nIn an interview with Lebanon's al-Jadeed TV, Gharib said \"what happened was an armed ambush and a clear assassination attempt\"."], "summary": "Gunmen open fire, killing two guards and wounding another for Lebanese Refugee Affairs Minister, Saleh al-Gharib. This attack happened in a mountain village near Beirut, Lebanon."}
{"document": ["BAMAKO (Reuters) - At least 23 people are dead and 300 missing after an attack on Sunday on a village of Fulani herders in central Mali where communal violence has surged in recent months, a local mayor said.\n\nTwo other Fulani communities were targeted on Sunday evening, amid a string of deadly assaults between herders and ethnic Dogon farmers who have long fought over land and resources but whose rivalry has been stoked this year by the growing presence of armed Islamist groups.\n\nAfter raiding the village of Saran, the attackers went on to another village called Bidi, but people had already fled, said Harouna Sankare, mayor of nearby Ouenkoro, who blamed the attack on Dogon hunters.\n\n“Since they didn’t find anybody (in Bidi), they burned the village and the houses and attacked the cattle,” he said.\n\nOther local officials confirmed the attack but did not share the number of casualties. Neither the central authorities nor the army were reachable for comment.\n\nPresident Ibrahim Boubacar Keita’s government has vowed to disarm the militias but has struggled to do so.\n\nTit-for-tat violence between the rival communities has escalated this year. In March, suspected Dogon militiamen killed more than 150 Fulani in central Mali, one of the worst acts of bloodshed in the country’s recent history. Raids on Dogon villages in June killed over 40 people.\n\nInstability is fueled further by the presence of jihadist militants, who use northern and central Mali as launchpads to stage attacks across the Sahel.\n\nElsewhere in central Mali, 12 civilians including a baby were killed on Sunday when the vehicle they were traveling in hit a landmine. Local mayor Issiaka Ganame said none of the passengers survived. It was not clear who laid the mine, but jihadist groups are known to deploy this kind of ordnance in the region.", "At least 23 people have been killed and 300 missing after an attack on Sunday on a village of Fulani herders in central Mali where communal violence has surged in recent months, a local mayor said.\n\nTwo other Fulani communities were targeted on Sunday evening amid a string of deadly assaults between herders and ethnic Dogon farmers who have long fought over land and resources but whose rivalry has been stoked this year by the growing presence of armed groups.\n\n\"During Sunday, and overnight, in the villages of Bidi, Sankoro and Saran, armed men attacked civilians, killing 23 of them,\" Cheick Harouna Sankare, mayor of the neighbouring town of Ouenkoro, told AFP news agency.\n\n\"The situation is serious, the army needs to act to reassure the population,\" he said, adding that an emergency meeting had been called.\n\nPresident Ibrahim Boubacar Keita's government has vowed to disarm the militias but has struggled to do so.\n\nTit-for-tat violence between rival communities escalated this year. In March, suspected Dogon militiamen killed more than 150 Fulani in central Mali, one of the worst acts of bloodshed in the country's recent history. Raids on Dogon villages in June killed over 40 people.\n\nInstability is fuelled further by the presence of armed groups, who use northern and central Mali as launchpads to stage attacks across the Sahel.\n\nElsewhere in central Mali, 12 civilians including a baby were killed on Sunday when the vehicle they were travelling in hit a landmine.\n\nLocal mayor Issiaka Ganame said none of the passengers survived. It was not clear who laid the mine, but armed groups are known to deploy this kind of ordnance in the region.\n\nUnrest in the central region coincides with an ongoing campaign the Mali government is struggling to contain despite military help from France and the United Nations.", "At least 23 civilians were killed in central Mali after armed men attacked three Fulani communities, a local mayor and security forces said Monday.\n\nReuters news agency also reported that some 300 people were missing following the attacks.\n\n\"During Sunday, and overnight, in the villages of Bidi, Sankoro and Saran, armed men attacked civilians, killing 23 of them,\" Cheick Harouna Sankare, mayor of the neighboring town of Ouenkoro.\n\nAfter raiding the village of Saran, the attackers went on to Bidi, but people had already fled, said Harouna Sankare, who blamed the attack on Dogon hunters.\n\n\"Since they didn't find anybody [in Bidi], they burned the village and the houses and attacked the cattle,\" he said.\n\nThe attacks come following a wave of deadly assaults between Fulani herders and Dogon farmers who have long fought over land and resources.\n\nThe rivalry has escalated in recent years due to the growing presence of armed Islamist groups.\n\nRead more: Mali: 'Worse than anything we’ve seen in living memory'\n\nPresident Ibrahim Boubacar Keita's government has promised to disarm the militias but has so far struggled to do so.\n\nTit-for-tat violence between the rival communities has increased this year. In March, suspected Dogon militiamen killed more than 150 Fulani in central Mali in one of the most violent attacks in the country's recent history. Raids on Dogon villages in June killed over 40 people.\n\nRead more: Mali's security crisis: A cycle of exploitation and corruption\n\nIn other parts of central Mali, 12 civilians including a baby were killed on Sunday when the vehicle they were traveling in struck a landmine. Local mayor Issiaka Ganame told Reuters news agency that none of the passengers survived.\n\nIt was not clear who laid the mine, but jihadist groups have been known to deploy this kind of ordnance in the region.\n\nEach evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.", "Bamako, July 1 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 2nd Jul, 2019 ) :At least 23 civilians have been killed in attacks on villages in troubled central Mali by armed men, a local mayor and a Malian security source said on Monday.\n\n\"During Sunday, and overnight, in the villages of Bidi, Sankoro and Saran, armed men attacked civilians, killing 23 of them,\" Cheick Harouna Sankare, mayor of the neighbouring town of Ouenkoro, told AFP.\n\n\"The situation is serious, the army needs to act to reassure the population,\" he said, adding that an emergency meeting had been called.\n\nThe death toll was confirmed by a security source in Mali.\n\nSeparately, 11 people died when an explosive device blew up near the central town of Koro close to the border with Burkina Faso, a local official told AFP on condition of anonymity.\n\nEthnic tensions in the centre of the country have surged since a jihadist group led by preacher Amadou Koufa emerged in 2015.\n\nThe group recruit mainly from among the Fulani -- primarily cattle breeders and traders -- and they have clashed with the Dogon and Bambara -- traditionally sedentary farmers who have formed their own self-defence militias.\n\nThere has been a wave of mass killings this year, including the massacre of 41 people in two ethnic Dogon villages on June 17, according to a UN count.\n\nAnd in March, 160 Fulani were killed in an attack on a village by suspected rival militiamen.\n\nUnrest in the central region coincides with an ongoing jihadist campaign that the Mali government is struggling to contain despite military help from France and the United Nations.", "At least 23 civilians have been killed in attacks on villages in troubled central Mali by armed men, a local mayor and a Malian security source said on Monday.\n\n\"During Sunday, and overnight, in the villages of Bidi, Sankoro and Saran, armed men attacked civilians, killing 23 of them,\" Cheick Harouna Sankare, mayor of the neighbouring town of Ouenkoro, told AFP.\n\nThe death toll was confirmed by a security source in Mali.", "Ruga settlements: Government of the Fulani, by the Fulani and for the Fulani\n\nOn 6th February 2014 the Leader of IPOB and the Lion of the East, my friend, and brother Mazi Nnamdi Kanu said the following:\n\n“As they campaign vigorously for elections, you would think, they are coming to grow the economy, enthrone justice, breed unity, and tolerance, love for one another. No, they are coming to elevate Hausa-Fulani supremacy, to reposition the security agencies by sacking all competent hands and replace them with their kinsmen to drive their ethnic domination of the Biafrans, the Fulani herdsmen will be armed and encouraged to slaughter us with impunity, and their masters will protect them. They are coming to ensure that my people are enslaved forever. Those who do not, believe me, will soon see it happen before their eyes.”\n\nThere is no gainsaying that he has been proven right.\n\nOn 2nd December 2014, he went further by saying,\n\n“Then a group deadlier than Boko Haram will emerge, they will seize our farmland, rape our women, kill our people and their masters will protect, defend and even arm them because their sole agenda is to enslave us forever. Those who cannot see it now will soon see it. The hatred in their souls for my people is legendary. They do not see us as humans. They kill, they slaughter, they burn and they destroy. Mindless bloodletting is in their DNA. My people are in trouble”.\n\nFive years later every word that Nnamdi has uttered in this prophecy has come to pass. Love him or hate him, can anyone doubt the fact that God spoke through him on at least these two occasions?\n\nWhat have we not seen in Nigeria? What have we not been through? What have we not suffered? What have we not been afflicted with? What have we not been subjected to?\n\nFirst, it was political sharia. Then Islamist Boko Haram. Then terrorist Fulani herdsmen. And now Ruga cow settlements.\n\nNigeria has become the biggest shithole on the African continent. We are like an open public toilet that has never been flushed. Everything about our country stinks!\n\nThey say they want to establish Ruga settlements all over the country for the Fulani and their cows. Is cattle business Government business?\n\nCows were made for men, men were not made for cows. Cow-love is unnatural and bestial. For a man to view a cow as a woman and feel aroused by it is sickness.\n\nThey cannot push a nation to the brink of war simply because of their inexplicable and disgusting attraction to a mooing cow and their inordinate ambition and insatiable desire to conquer others.\n\nThey cannot use their cows and herdsmen from hell to cut us short and mow us down like the winter wheat and the summer grass.\n\nThey have taken everything from us: our nation, our dignity, our identity, our future, our self-respect, our destiny, our lives, our liberty, our faith, our hope, our resources, our substance and so much more. And now they want to take away our land!\n\nWell, I have news for them: this will not happen without a fight! It can only happen over our dead bodies! They have removed the gloves and they are brazenly baring their fangs.\n\nOurs is a government of the Fulani, by the Fulani and for the Fulani. Ours is not a nation but a conquered, occupied and subjugated vassal state which was specifically and cleverly crafted and forged for the benefit and advantage of the Fulani, their stooges and their cows.\n\nThis is self-evident. It is an incontrovertible and indisputable fact. And it raises a number of fundamental questions about our supposed unity and so-called nationhood.\n\nWe are constrained to ask: are we really one nation? Were we EVER one nation?\n\nChief Obafemi Awolowo, the Premier of the old Western Region of Nigeria and the erstwhile Leader of the Yoruba, raised this question in his famous book titled “Paths To Nigerian Freedom” as far back as 1947 and his answer was a resounding “No”.\n\nHe made the point that there was as much difference between a Turk and a German as there was between a Fulani and an Igbo.\n\nSeventy-two years later I have to say that I agree with him. It is one of the greatest ironies of our history that the same Awolowo that wrote that brilliant book and that displayed such remarkable, unprecedented and prophetic insight about the nature and future of our union was a major player in the savage and cruel war that was waged and brutal genocide that was unleashed against the innocent civilian population of Biafra in the name of keeping Nigeria one.\n\nThis contradiction in Awolowo’s otherwise great and extraordinary legacy of excellence, principle, and patriotism is something that I have never been able to comprehend or understand.\n\nNigeria is not one nation and I do not believe that we ever were. We were just pretending and lying to one another: publicly professing love but secretly hating.\n\nWhichever way you see it, the following deeply profound and philosophical questions must be answered.\n\nWhat does a compassionate, gentle, refined, beautiful, reticent and kind-hearted bird like the flamingo have in common with an aggressive, repugnant, violent, greedy, loud, flesh-eating, ugly winged-beast and bestial creature like a crow?\n\nWhat does a peacock have in common with a vulture?\n\n What does a kiwi have in common with an ostrich? What does a penguin have in common with a quail?\n\nWhat does the noble, courageous and regal eagle have in common with a heartless chicken, a singing partridge, a humming pigeon, a red robin, a caged and chirping budgerigar or a cuckoo out of hell?\n\nWhat do the refined, the civilized, the educated and the noble have in common with the ignorant, the bloodthirsty, the savage and the bloodlusting barbarian who hail from another world and from another century?\n\nWhat does light have in common with darkness?\n\n What does the living have in common with the dead?\n\n What do the blessed have in common with the cursed?\n\nWhat do the children of the Most High God have in common with the sons and daughters of perdition and the seed of Satan?\n\nThose that continue to insist on “one Nigeria” must answer these questions and rid themselves of their sadistic disposition, masochistic fantasies, and destructive delusions.\n\nThe truth is that “one Nigeria” died long ago but the Fulanisation and Islamisation gambit of General Muhammadu Buhari has finally buried her and put a nail in her coffin.\n\nMr. Femi Fani-Kayode was a former Minister of Aviation.", "Omoniyi Salaudeen THE Sarkin Fulani of Lagos State and the Chairman, Association of Fulani Chiefs in Southwest,...", "The Buhari Administration has commenced construction of Cattle Colonies, rebranded “RUGA” in 36 States of Nigeria. The project has started in Kotongora, Niger State on a 31,000-hectare piece of land. The project will be initially replicated in 12 States with six (6) of such colonies to be constructed in each State.\n\nRUGA or Cattle Colony is a SETTLEMENT for Fulani Herdsmen, their families and cattle/livestock. It will contain ranches, grass or feed farms, abattoirs, dairy, meat and skin/leather processing plants, housing, religious houses, schools, roads, power and water supplies and the complete range of infrastructure required to support and sustain an ultra-modern local government area .\n• Taking a cue from the first RUGA in Kotongora in Niger State, the land size or landmass of each RUGA is at least 31,000 hectares of land or 310 SQUARE KILOMETERS. That is the size of an average Local Government Area (LGA) in many States in Nigeria. The average size of an LGA in the South East is 331 sqkms and in the South West, 574 sqkm. Lagos State has the least average LGA size at 179 sqKm, Imo State has average LGA size of 205sqkm, Akwa Ibom State – 229sqkm, Anambra 231sqkm and Osun State has average LGA size at 308 sqkm just to mention a few. At 310 sqkms in size, a RUGA or Fulani Cattle Colony is the size of a Local Government Area in Nigeria.\n• Buhari’s RUGA aka Fulani Herdsmen Cattle Colony is an exclusive settlement for Fulani Herders and their families.\n• Buhari’s RUGA program will establish six (6) such exclusive Fulani settlements in each of the thirty-six (36) States in Nigeria. In the result, at completion of the program there will be two hundred and sixteen (216) new exclusive Fulani Local Government Areas in Nigeria.\n• Nigeria has seven hundred and seventy-four (774) LGAs decreed in the Military Decree falsely called Nigerian Constitution 1999. Nigeria is ruled by Military Decree imposed by force of arms. Nigeria has had no agreed Constitution made by the people since the Military abrogated the Independence Constitution. Let’s leave the Constitution fraud for another day.\n• The current population of Nigeria is about two hundred million, eight hundred and twenty-eight thousand and eight hundred and twenty-four (200,828,824) people as at 26 June 2019. Given the fact in “4” above, the average population of a Local Government Area in Nigeria is roughly two hundred and sixty thousand (260,000) people.\n• Given the facts in “3” and “5” above, Buhari’s RUGA program on completion is projected to increase the Fulani population in Nigeria by FIFTY-SIX MILLION, ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY THOUSAND (56,160,000) Fulanis. There about Thirteen Million (13,000,000) Fulanis in Nigeria presently which is 6.3% of Nigeria’s population according to CIA Factbook on Nigeria. In effect, Buhari’s RUGA program on completion will see Nigeria with a projected total Fulani Population of SIXTY-NINE MILLION, ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY THOUSAND (69,160,000), 4.32-fold increase in population.\n• The implication of “7” above is that at the completion of Buhari’s RUGA program, the Fulani will have arguably become the most populous nationality in Nigeria (in todays population figure terms) having outgrown the Hausa (25.1% or about 50.4 Million), the Yoruba (21% or about 42.2 Million) and the Igbo (18% or about 32.2 Million). In one fell swoop the Fulani becomes the majority nationality in Nigeria. The Tripod balance in Nigeria becomes quad-legged.\n• It is fact that Buhari has himself stated that Fulani Herdsmen Terrorists who are engaged in massacres and pillage in Nigeria are not Nigerian citizens. In other words, the Fulani herders are alien non-Nigerians. Governor El Rufai of Kaduna State has also said about the same. Several powerful sources in Nigeria have repeatedly confirmed that the Fulani herders causing mayhem in Nigeria are aliens from across West and Central Africa. Nigerians are generally agreed that the Fulani herders and terrorists engaged in land grab and terrorist activities in Nigeria are non-Nigerians from West and Central Africa.\n• It is also fact that the advent of Buhari’s RUGA program or Fulani Herdsmen Cattle Colony program was preceded by increased Fulani Herdsmen Terrorist activity and land grab in the Middle Belt and elsewhere in Nigeria. It was also preceded by militant advocacy by Miyetti Allah for grazing routes and grazing reserves to be established in the Middle Belt and Southern States of Nigeria in particular. Without doubt, Buhari has himself pronounced the fact that his RUGA or Fulani Cattle Colony program is meant to resettle the Fulani Herdsmen and satisfy the demands of Miyetti Allah!\n• Nearly all States from the Middle Belt to Southern Nigeria vehemently rejected the Buhari Fulani Cattle Colony program and refused to allocate land in their states as demanded by Buhari. Notwithstanding that rejection of the Cattle Colony Program, Buhari opted to rebrand the program as RUGA and to instead, to use existing Federal Government owned land in the States.\n• It is also a fact that in addition to FGN owned land in the States, Buhari has sponsored an Executive Bill in the National Assembly to enable the FGN to acquire all rivers and their river- banks in Nigeria. Nigerians view Buhari’s Rivers/River-bank acquisition Bill as a consistent and integral part of his RUGA/Fulani Cattle Colony land grab.\n\nImplications of the facts of RUGA/Fulani Cattle Colonies program.\n\nThe first and immediate question arising from Buhari’s RUGA/Fulani Cattle Colony program is why, by what justification, and on the basis of which law of Nigeria would Buhari undertake such massive immigration and resettlement of foreigners (West and Central African Fulanis) in Nigeria and on indigenous Nigerian lands. Certainly neither Nigerian Immigration law nor ECOWAS laws permit non citizens to enter Nigeria without passports. Why would Buhari pursue such a most expensive massive immigration program to import and resettle more than 59 million foreigners on Nigerian lands at a time Nigeria I already over-populated and searching for effective means of population control?\n\nWhen the World’s most powerful country, USA is building a wall on its Mexican border to stop a flow of only a few hundred thousand refugees, Buhari does the opposite by throwing Nigerian Northern borders open and using Nigerian tax payers funds to invite and fund more than 59 million foreign Fulani for resettlement on indigenous lands at a time Nigerians are in hunger, penury and hunger.\n\nThere is no refugee problem or war in West and Central Africa that could be said to instigate such massive immigration of African Fulanis to Nigeria. Even so, refugees are usually provided temporary shelter in camps, not permanent settlement and such refugee programs are at the costs of the United Nations .\n\nThese Buhari foreign Fulanis are not refugees. These foreign Fulanis are in Nigeria in contravention of Nigerian Immigration Laws. So why is Buhari seeking to forcefully legitimise and resettle illegal immigrants on indigenous lands of Nigerians?\n\n Why do these Buhari foreign Fulanis carry AK47 and other military grade weapons freely and openly across the borders of Nigeria and all over the States of Nigeria.\n\nEven so, why have Nigerian Army, Police and Security Services failed and or refused to enforce Nigerian gun laws against these Fulanis? The Fulani Herdsmen Terrorists, Bandits/Kidnappers are known to have been engaged in terrorist activity all over Nigeria and continue to do so.\n\nWhy is Buhari rewarding terrorists and criminals with resettlement on Nigerian indigenous lands? Why would government reward terrorists rather than prosecute them? Above all why would terrorists be resettled on the lands of other indigenous nations of Nigeria? Why is Buhari bent of introducing whole 6 new Local Government Areas full of terrorists in States of other indigenous nations of Nigeria? Why would any state or nation accept such terrorist communities of foreign hostile citizens?\n\nNigerian nations have boiling unresolved nationality questions. It is not only provocation of the most insensitive and inhumane nature for Buhari to seek to introduce exclusive Fulani LGAs into native lands of other indigenous nations of Nigeria. RUGA/Fulani Cattle Colony introduces and creates 6 new exclusive Fulani LGAs in every State of Nigeria.\n\nBy implication indigenous Nigerian Nations are compelled by Federal Presidential power to have the Fulani who are alien to their lands to inherit and permanently retain part of their indigenous land as Fulani homeland. Imagine 30 Fulani LGAs planted strategically all over the South East, or 36 of such LGAs scattered strategically all over Yorubaland or in the Middle Belt and South South?\n\nWould Buhari create exclusive Igbo or Yoruba or Ijaw or Idoma or Efik or Ibibio or Urobo or Tiv LGAs in Sokoto, Kano, Zamfara etc? If not why would Buhari pursue RUGA/Fulani Cattle Colonies program against the objections of States of the Middlebelt and Southern Nigeria?\n\nThe Fulani Exclusiveness of RUGA and the use of Federal Funds to build whole new ultra-modern LGAs with facilities not available to the other LGAs of the natives or indigenous Nigerians is nothing short of APARTHEID! Apartheid is impermissible and unacceptable in Nigeria.\n\nReligious, way of lif, governance and socio political implications\n\nRUGA/Cattle Colony is an LGA. With the herdsmen come their families and the full facilities of human settlements. Being exclusively Fulani, therefore the LGA becomes exclusively Moslem.\n\nThe LGA must come with Mosques for worship. With the LGA being exclusively Islamic, comes Sharia Courts and Sharia Law, along with Sharia police within the LGA in order to meet the religious and way of life needs of the settlers.\n\nWith it comes the need for Emirs or District heads. In one fell swoop suddenly each State in the South East, South South, South West, Middle Belt and other Christian and animist nations, must necessarily legitimise Sharia Law given 6 Sharia LGAs in their States. Inevitably Sharia Law must then be declared and recognised in all States of Nigeria. And boom, Nigeria has become a Sharia country!\n\nAlong with Sharia law becoming operational in all States of Nigeria follows Emirates being declared in those States and then demands for more Sharia LGAs and more land and then claims of right to govern the States and so on and so forth!\n\nLegitimate Fulani rights innevitably arise to demand that each State of Nigeria make provisions to accommodate their language whether Fulfude or Hausa in the State Schools and public media broadcasts. The demand for both Sharia Law and dual language in each State of Nigeria would be perfectly legitimate. Why not?\n\nA new ethnic group in Imo State for instance that has 6 LGAs as its homeland plus the original 27 LGAs, would certainly be entitled to have their own language accommodated in Imo Schools and public broadcasts. They will be entitled to vote and be voted for. They will be entitled to have their Sharia Courts and facilities must be dualized to accommodate them and their different way of life. Why not? Are they not also Imolites? After all they have 6 LGA homelands in Imo State. The same must unavoidably happen in all other States in Nigeria where RUGA is implemented, except in Northern States that are totally Sharia Statess.\n\nTheir Emirs must seat in the Imo House of Chiefs or traditional rulers and when it becomes one of their turns, an Emir will become the Head of the Imo Council of Ezes! Same must inevitably happen in all relevant States in Nigeria.\n\nIn effect, every State in Nigeria suddenly must as a legitimate necessity double up language, culture, judiciary, governance, traditional leadership and all aspects of their lives with the Fulani.\n\nThis must be what former President Obasanjo foresaw and accurately described as Fulanisation and Islamisation of Nigeria.\n\nWill Buhari create Igbo and Yoruba Customary Law Courts in Sokoto, Kano, Katsina and in all Northern Moslem States of Nigeria? If not, why not?\n\nWill Buhari also set up a RUGA for the Igbo, Yoruba, Ijaw, Idoma and all other tribes of Nigeria so that Nigeria can be “Igbonised”, “Yorubanised”, “Ijawnised”, “Idomanised”, “Tivinised”, “Ibibionised”, “Edonised”, “Igbiranised”, “efikinised”, “urobonised” and “all kind of nized” with all etnic groups in Nigeria and Christianised and ” animistinized” ?\n\nRUGA/Fulani Herdsmen Cattle Colony is outright declaration of Jihad! It won’t work without declaration of war against the indigenous nations of Nigeria and defeating them in a war of conquest!\n\nIn RUGA/Fulani Herdsmen Cattle Colonies, his Rivers & Riverbanks Bill and support for and protection of Fulani Herdsmen Terrorists plus romance and collaboration with Miyetti Allah, Buhari is directly and indirectly making and levying war against Nigeria .\n\nRUGA/Fulani Herdsmen Cattle Colony program is the largest illegal migration in human history in terms of its size. It is unprecedented. It is also the greatest Jihad by stealth being executed through abuse and misuse of Presidential power and privillage to not only attempt to permanently enforce Fulani Caliphate colonisation of Nigeria, but also carry out eventual fulanisation and islamisation of Nigeria without open declaration of war against the indigenous nations of Nigeria.\n\nEvery indigenous Nigerian has a duty to resist this Buhari Jihad. Any indigenous nation that accepts RUGA is already on their way to extinction from the face of the earth before they realise it. Ask the Housa Kingdoms of the North or the nations of the Middle Belt that have had to live a life of endless wars of self preservation against the Fulani Caliphate perpertual Jihad.", "The Save The Nation Movement (STNM) has described as sad and\n\nworrisome, the reported expression of support for the Federal\n\nSettlements) across the 36 States of the country for the use of Fulani\n\nFayemi, who is the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) was\n\nreported online to have said that if having Grazing Reserves now being\n\ncalled Fulani Settlements in all the 36 States will bring peace to the\n\ncountry, Nigerians, especially his fellow governors should embrace it.\n\nReacting in a statement issued in Abuja on Saturday, by its National\n\nSecretary, Comrade Stevens Chilaka, the STNM said Governor Fayemi was\n\nonly living up to his covenant with the Presidency Cabal to\n\nThe group recalled that during his electioneering campaign in 2018,\n\nFayemi had said that killings by Fulani herdsmen will only stop if\n\nlands are provided for the herdsmen as their permanent settlements.\n\nHe went further to say that it was better to give lands to Fulani\n\nherdsmen and live than for them to be killing people.\n\nThen, the governor dismissed the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in\n\nEkiti State allegation that he entered into an agreement to create\n\ncattle colonies in Orin-Ora, Aramoko, Omuo, Otun, Ise and Erifun in\n\nThe Save the Nation Movement described as strange that Fayemi has\n\nnever seen anything wrong in the killing of Nigerians, particularly\n\nIt condemned the killing by suspected herdsmen today, of a community\n\nIlori Emmanuel and the silent of Governor Fayemi on killings and\n\nThe group said governors in the Southern part of Nigeria and the\n\nMiddlebelt must reject the plot to impose Fulani settlements on the\n\nStates under the guise of establishing Grazing Reserves", "Former Minister of Aviation, Mr Femi Fani-Kayode, has raised an alarm over plot by the Fulani to take over lands in the country through the establishment of Ruga settlements by the Federal Government.\n\nCommenting on the controversy trailing the proposed establishment of Ruga settlements in states of the Federation, Fani-Kayode described it as a plot to take over people’s land by the government, adding that it will only happen “over our dead bodies”.\n\nHe explained that the Fulani herdsmen were not even Nigerians and they want to take over lands in another man’s country.\n\nHe called on Nigerians to resist the move and send the herdsmen back to Guinea, Mali, Niger Republic, Chad and Futa Jalon where they originally came from.\n\n”Is cattle business government business? They have taken everything from us. And now they want to take away our land! Well, I have news for them: this will not happen without a fight! It can only happen over our dead bodies!\n\n”Are we really one nation? Were we EVER one country? Chief Obafemi Awolowo, the Premier of the Western Region of Nigeria, raised this question in his famous book, ‘Paths To Nigerian Freedom’, as far back as 1947 and his answer then was a resounding “no”.\n\n”72 years later I have to say that I agree with him and that he has been vindicated. Nigeria is not one nation and I do not believe that we ever were. We were just pretending and lying to one another: publicly professing love but secretly hating.\n\n”The Lugardian formula of a forced union and amalgamation of ethnic incompatibles and different and conflicting races, religions and cultures in one national super-stratem always results in a depressed, decaying and dysfunctional nation where mutual respect, love and trust has no place.\n\n”Permit me to be specific. Let us consider Great Britain. I believe that BREXIT is the best thing for the United Kingdom and that is why I support my old friend Boris Johnson for the position of Prime Minister.\n\n”I do not see anything wrong in people trying to take their country back from foreigners and aliens.\n\n”Again I do not see anything wrong in rejecting a model, association and system of government which takes your identity, power, self-respect and dignity away from you and allows your nation to be controlled and your fate and destiny to be determined by a small group of unelected faceless officials and technocrats who reside at the heart of the European Union in Brussels.\n\n”A people and a nation ought to control their own destiny and not conceded that right to others. And of course, this is what we need to do in Nigeria.\n\n”We must take control of our destiny, free our people from bondage and slavery and wrestle control and power back from those who worship cows, who live by the sword, who relish in shedding blood and who came to our land from distant shores.\n\n”We must send them back to Guinea, Mali, Niger Republic, Chad and Futa Jalon where they originally came from. We MUST get our country back!\n\n”Failing that we must march out of this illicit, godless, accursed and unsolicited forced union and establish our own new nation.\n\n”The concept of the multi-racial, multi-cultural, hybrid, mongrel nation-state has failed in Nigeria and resulted in nothing but Fulanisation and Islamisation. We cannot bear it any longer and neither should we have to.\n\n”The British that forced it upon us long ago and that put us in this unworkable, evil contraption without ever even consulting us have themselves rejected the concept of a multi-racial and multi-cultural society and are no longer prepared to accept it in their shores. BREXIT presents an eloquent testimony to that and there is plenty more to come.\n\n”You can call me xenophobic, racist, nativist or tribalist, I really do not care! I am proud of my history, culture, heritage, racial stock, religious faith and who and what I am. I can trace by bloodlines and lineage back to five generations and that is deeply gratifying and inspiring to me. It is from there and the Spirit of God that I draw my strength.\n\n”I know the values and virtues that my forefathers cherished, fought for and lived by and I intend to inculcate.”"], "summary": "At least 23 people are dead and 300 missing after attacks on three Fulani villages in central Mali."}
{"document": ["At least 23 people have been killed and 300 missing after an attack on Sunday on a village of Fulani herders in central Mali where communal violence has surged in recent months, a local mayor said.\n\nTwo other Fulani communities were targeted on Sunday evening amid a string of deadly assaults between herders and ethnic Dogon farmers who have long fought over land and resources but whose rivalry has been stoked this year by the growing presence of armed groups.\n\n\"During Sunday, and overnight, in the villages of Bidi, Sankoro and Saran, armed men attacked civilians, killing 23 of them,\" Cheick Harouna Sankare, mayor of the neighbouring town of Ouenkoro, told AFP news agency.\n\n190628160739451\n\n\"The situation is serious, the army needs to act to reassure the population,\" he said, adding that an emergency meeting had been called.\n\nPresident Ibrahim Boubacar Keita's government has vowed to disarm the militias but has struggled to do so.\n\nTit-for-tat violence between rival communities escalated this year. In March, suspected Dogon militiamen killed more than 150 Fulani in central Mali, one of the worst acts of bloodshed in the country's recent history. Raids on Dogon villages in June killed over 40 people.\n\nInstability is fuelled further by the presence of armed groups, who use northern and central Mali as launchpads to stage attacks across the Sahel.\n\nElsewhere in central Mali, 12 civilians including a baby were killed on Sunday when the vehicle they were travelling in hit a landmine.\n\nLocal mayor Issiaka Ganame said none of the passengers survived. It was not clear who laid the mine, but armed groups are known to deploy this kind of ordnance in the region.\n\nUnrest in the central region coincides with an ongoing campaign the Mali government is struggling to contain despite military help from France and the United Nations.", "\n• When it comes to baby shampoo, you want one that’s gentle and soft on your baby’s sensitive skin.\n• After much research and testing, we chose California Baby Calendula Shampoo as the best for most babies.\n• The shampoo’s gentle, calming, and natural ingredients are great for sensitive baby skin.\n\nGiving your baby a bath for the first time can be a daunting experience. You worry about holding up their head or doing it wrong. You want to use a shampoo that’s gentle on their skin yet makes them clean and smell even sweeter.\n\nThe good news is that newborns only need a bath a few times per week, and as your baby grows, you become an expert at washing little fingers and toes.\n\nBut which baby shampoo is best? When you go to the store or shop online, you have a lot of choices. You have baby shampoos for sensitive skin, ones for eczema, others with essential oils, and baby shampoos with a long list of ingredients you can’t even begin to understand.\n\nAs a mom, I prefer a baby shampoo that’s free of harmful chemicals, gentle on the skin, and at a price I can afford. When we researched baby shampoos for this guide, we used these criteria, asked other parents what they look for, and read hundreds of reviews to find the best baby shampoos you can buy. I’ve also tested all of these shampoos with my own babies.\n\nHere are the best baby shampoos you can buy in 2019:\n• Best baby shampoo overall: California Baby Calendula Body Wash and Shampoo\n• Best baby shampoo for cradle cap: Mustela Foam Shampoo for Newborns\n\nKeep scrolling to check out our top picks.\n\nThe best overall\n\nThe California Baby Calendula Shampoo and Body Wash is an ultra-gentle shampoo and body wash that’s chemical-free.\n\nI absolutely love California Baby Calendula Shampoo. I use it every day for my babies and can’t say enough about the quality and gentleness. I first discovered the baby shampoo after a long search looking for a more natural option for my daughter. She has fine hair, and some baby shampoos tend to dry her hair out. A friend of mine told me about California Baby, and I decided to try it based on her recommendation.\n\nThe company was started by Jessica Iclisoy more than 20 years ago. Iclisoy was shocked by all the chemicals, fragrances, and additives in baby shampoo, so she found plant-based substitutes for the substances and developed her own baby shampoo recipes.\n\nNow, California Baby has over 80 different personal care products, all of which are made in the United States. The California Baby Calendula Shampoo is made from 100% certified organic calendula and other natural ingredients including French lavender and clary sage essential oils and aloe vera. You won’t find sulfates, parabens, synthetic fragrances, or any harmful chemicals.\n\nBut don’t think that its natural qualities impair its ability to gently clean. California Baby shampoos clean thoroughly while moisturizing and soothing skin. It even suds up nicely, making it a good body wash. The company also makes baby shampoos for sensitive skin, eczema, and cranky babies.\n\nI’m not the only one who recommends California Baby. This baby shampoo makes the top baby shampoo list of almost every trusted parenting and baby product website, including Baby List, The Bump, and What to Expect. While you can buy the baby shampoo on Amazon, I found the California Baby website has better deals overall.\n\nPros: Pure (no harmful chemicals ever), organic calendula, fantastic quality, perfect for sensitive skin, smells great, woman-owned business, made in the USA\n\nBuy California Baby Calendula Shampoo and Body Wash (19 fl. oz.) from Amazon for $28.99\n\nThe Babyganics Shampoo and Body Wash is the perfect choice for budget-conscious parents who want a product that’s gentle on sensitive skin and as natural as possible.\n\nBabyganics makes certified bio-based baby shampoo free of chemicals and synthetic fragrances. When possible, the ingredients are organic and never tested on animals. The shampoo is also available at a price most parents can afford and costs about the same as other baby shampoos with all the harmful preservatives, fragrances, and chemicals.\n\nBabyganics sells a shampoo that’s scent free and a 3-in-1 Conditioning Shampoo & Body Wash, in addition to other baby products like diapers and wipes. Babyganics is widely sold online and in-stores, making it an excellent option to pick up on the go.\n\nWhile I prefer California Baby or Puracy over Babyganics, I found it super convenient to buy anywhere I shopped. It’s truly is a solid natural choice at a price that doesn’t hurt the pocketbook.\n\nWhen you look at the price, it may seem about the same as other brands, but you get a lot more for the same cost. Babyganics shampoo comes in 16-ounce bottles and others may charge the same price for 10 ounces. You can find it at .50 to .60 cents per ounce.\n\nPlus, it makes a great bubble bath too. Kids love to play with bubbles from an early age, and nothing stretches out bathtime better than a sudsy playpen.\n\nOther expert reviewers agree: What to Expect named it Best Sudsy Shampoo and Baby List called it a “Foamtastic Cleanser.”\n\nCons: Misleading name (not completely organic), some synthetic chemicals\n\nBuy the Babyganics Baby Shampoo and Body Wash (16 fl. oz) at Target for $9.99\n\nThe Puracy Natural Baby Shampoo and Body Wash is made with natural ingredients, foams beautifully, and feels silky smooth on baby skin.\n\nI first discovered Puracy as I was researching naturally-derived and chemical free baby shampoo. I decided to try it on my kiddos, and I liked it a lot after the first use. I liked the way it lathered up in my hands because sometimes, organic plant-based shampoos don’t foam up as much as others that use chemical-based foaming agents like sodium lauryl sulfate.\n\nWith Puracy, all the ingredients on the label are easy to understand. The formula is made from eco-friendly and skin-friendly materials like coconut oil, grapefruit essential oil, and natural sea salt. Puracy doesn’t contain any harsh chemicals, eye-numbing agents, petrochemicals (made from petroleum or natural gas), or animal by-products. It’s about as pure as you can get when it comes to baby shampoo.\n\nIn addition to the high-quality ingredients and commitment to transparency, Puracy also gives back to the community. With each purchase, the company donates personal care products to children in need through Austin’s Children’s Center and the Ronald McDonald House. The Puracy packaging labels feature hand-drawn artwork by local artists in Texas. All of Puracy’s products are made in the USA.\n\nPros: Natural, plant-based ingredients with no harsh chemicals, ultra-lathering qualities, perfect for sensitive skin\n\nBuy Puracy Natural Baby Shampoo and Body Wash (16 fl. oz.) on Amazon for $12.99\n\nThe Honest Baby Shampoo + Body Wash will delight your nose with incredible natural fragrances of sweet almond, sweet orange vanilla, or truly calming lavender.\n\nWhen my babies were newborns, I used the Honest Baby Shampoo + Baby Wash. I’m a sucker for anything with lavender because I know the essential oil is gentle on the skin and provides relaxation. The Honest baby shampoo with lavender does just that, and I’ve never been unhappy with the quality or cleansing abilities.\n\nOne thing I did find is that dried my daughter’s hair out a little but not my son’s. My daughter has really delicate hair. I switched to California Baby or Mustela for this reason, but I would definitely buy Honest’s shampoo again for my son.\n\nThe baby shampoo is tear-free, hypoallergenic, dermatologist tested and made from naturally derived ingredients. In addition to natural scents, the company offers a baby shampoo without a scent for those who don’t want a fragrance – natural or otherwise. I’ve even used the Honest shampoo as a bubble bath, although, the company does have some pretty good bubble bath options, too.\n\nI did subscribe to Honest’s diaper bundle and then got the shampoo and bubble bath 20% off. You can also subscribe to the Home Essentials Bundle and pick from a list of home and personal care products.\n\nAs New York Magazine said, “It’s great for the whole family.”\n\nPros: Smells incredible, natural ingredients, tons of foam, perfect for the whole family\n\nBuy Honest Baby Shampoo + Body Wash (10 fl. oz.) on the Honest Co for $9.95\n\nThe best for cradle cap\n\nThe Mustela Foam Shampoo for Newborns is the perfect shampoo for sensitive baby skin irritated by cradle cap or eczema.\n\nWhen it comes to shampoo for newborns with skin concerns, you won’t be disappointed with Mustela. The French company makes an outstanding baby shampoo with mostly natural ingredients that are tested to be safe on sensitive skin. If you need a baby shampoo to cure cradle cap, you’ll love Mustela.\n\nThe causes of cradle cap are unknown, but one contributing factor is the hormones passed from the mother to baby in utero. The extra hormones cause a build-up of oil on the skin. While the exact cause is unclear, the symptoms can be painful and itchy. The signs of cradle cap are crusty or oily skin patches on the scalp. The spots aren’t contagious or a sign of poor hygiene.\n\nThe best solution is to use a gentle shampoo like Mustela and wait for the breakout to pass. Mustela washes away the dry skin cells to help usher in the soft baby skin underneath.\n\nMy daughter needed Mustela, and I found it worked great. The cradle cap disappeared in a week or so. Hers was quite mild, but still, I couldn’t stand the scaly patches and would’ve bought anything to help her. Mustela also offers baby shampoo for eczema and shampoo for normal skin.\n\nSome parents do say that it tangles a baby’s hair, and I did experience this a little bit, but I used a high-quality conditioner afterward to ease this problem. As for curing cradle cap a verified buyer on Amazon exclaimed, “I only had to use this stuff once, and it cleared up my boy cradle cap instantly.” When it comes to easing cradle cap, Mustela really is world-class.”"], "summary": "12 civilians including a baby were killed when the vehicle they were traveling in hit a landmine."}
{"document": ["10 killed in small plane crash at Texas airport\n\nAll 10 on the small aircraft were killed, officials said.", "Ten people were killed after a private aircraft crashed into a hangar at a local airport in the US state of Texas on Sunday (local time). (Representational Image)\n\nHouston: Ten people were killed after a private aircraft crashed into a hangar at a local airport in the US state of Texas on Sunday (local time).\n\nThe incident took place at the Addison Municipal Airport when a Beechcraft King Air 350 veered into a hanger after taking off, and caught fire, killing all ten on board, said Mary Rosenbleeth, a spokeswoman for the city of Addison.\n\nThere was no one at the hanger at the time of the incident, reported CNN.\n\nAn investigation into the matter has been initiated.", "June 30 (Reuters) - All 10 people aboard a small plane were killed on Sunday when it crashed into a hangar during takeoff from an airport in Addison, Texas, the Dallas Morning News reported.\n\nThe newspaper said the twin-engine Beechcraft BE-350 King Air was destroyed by flames after the crash. Officials with the Federal Aviation Administration did not immediately respond to a request for comment. (Reporting by Steve Gorman in Los Angeles and Daniel Wallis in New York; Editing by Sandra Maler)", "Anotber witness video of the plane that crashed into a hangar during takeoff this morning at the Addison Airport. FAA says it was a twin-engine Beechcraft BE-350 King Air, they haven't said how many people on board @FOX4 pic.twitter.com/G7UZAyxfnN", "TEXAS (REUTERS) - Ten people were killed on Sunday (June 30) when their private turboprop airplane crashed into a hangar during takeoff and burst into flames at the municipal airport in Addison, Texas, outside Dallas, an airport official said.\n\nThe twin-engine Beechcraft BE-350 King Air was destroyed by fire from the crash, according to Ms Darci Neuzil, deputy director of Addison Airport, a general aviation facility located about 17 km north of downtown Dallas.\n\nShe said the plane had been headed for Florida when it took off at about 9am local time. Nobody on the ground was reported hurt, Ms Neuzil added.\n\nThe plane had just lifted off the runway at the south end of the airport when it veered left, dropped its left wing and slammed into the hangar, the Dallas Morning News reported online, citing Addison fire department spokesman Edward Martelle.\n\nThere were no survivors among the 10 people who were aboard the aircraft, Ms Neuzil said. Their identities were being kept confidential as authorities worked to notify next of kin.\n\n\"It's a very sad day for Dallas County,\" a local judge, Clay Jenkins, told the Dallas Morning News, which reported the plane had been en route to St. Petersburg, Florida. \"My prayers are with the families we're notifying about this tragedy.\"\n\nThere was no official word on the cause of the crash. CBS News, citing unnamed sources, reported that the plane lost an engine on takeoff.\n\nVideo footage of the immediate aftermath showed flames and heavy, dark smoke billowing from the hangar, which according to local media was unoccupied at the time. Still photos posted online also showed a large gash in the side of the building.\n\nInvestigators from the US National Transportation Safety Board were due to arrive on the scene later in the day, Ms Neuzil told Reuters.\n\nNo further details about the circumstances of the crash were immediately available, Ms Neuzil said.", "All 10 people aboard a small airplane were killed on Sunday when their aircraft crashed into a hangar during takeoff from an airport in Addison, Texas, near Dallas, an airport official said.\n\nThe twin-engine Beechcraft BE-350 King Air was destroyed by flames after the crash, according to Darci Neuzil, deputy director of the airport, which is located in a business district about 15 miles (24 km) north of Dallas.\n\nShe said the plane had been headed for Florida when it took off. Nobody on the ground was reported hurt, Neuzil added.\n\nInvestigators from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board were due to arrive on the scene later in the day, she told Reuters.\n\nNo further details about the circumstances of the crash were immediately available, Neuzil said.", "All 10 people aboard a plane that crashed into a hangar at Addison Airport in Addison, Sunday morning have died, a town official said.\n\nA twin-engine Beechcraft BE-350 King Air crashed at 9:11 a.m. Sunday, according to an Addison Fire Department spokesperson.\n\nThe FAA said the plane had just taken off before it crashed into the hangar. There was no one inside the hangar at the time of the crash.\n\nThe aircraft was destroyed by the fire, according to a statement sent out by the FAA.\n\nThe airport was closed for about 45 minutes after the crash, but operations then resumed as usual.\n\nThe NTSB will be in charge of further investigations into this crash.", "Ten people were killed when a small plane crashed into a hangar as it was taking off from a Texas airport, officials said.\n\nTen people were killed when a small plane crashed into a hangar as it was taking off from a Texas airport, officials said.\n\nNo-one aboard the twin-engine plane survived the incident at Addison Municipal Airport, about 32 kilometres north of Dallas, on Sunday morning, town spokeswoman Mary Rosenbleeth said.\n\nThe Beechcraft BE-350 King Air struggled to gain altitude after taking off, veered to one side and plunged into a hangar, authorities and witnesses said.\n\nOfficials said two crew members and eight passengers were killed when the twin-engine plane, scheduled to fly to St Petersburg, Florida, crashed at the Addison Municipal Airport at 9.11am.\n\nThe identities of those killed were not immediately released.\n\n\"We don't know a lot about the people on board at this point,\" National Transportation Safety Board Vice Chairman Bruce Landsberg said.\n\nOfficials say the aircraft hit a hangar that then burst into flames with black smoke billowing from the building as firefighters sprayed it with water.\n\nA plane and helicopter in the hangar were damaged, but there were no people in the building.\n\nEdward Martelle, a spokesman for the town of Addison, said the plane was taking off at the south end of the airport and had just lifted off the runway when it veered left, dropped its left wing and went into the hangar.\n\nAsked if the behaviour of the plane indicated engine failure, Mr Landsberg said: \"We cannot confirm that there was an engine failure at this point.\"\n\n\"There are any number of possibilities that could occur,\" he said.", "All ten people onboard a twin-engine private plane that crashed into a hangar at the Addison Airport, Texas, shortly after takeoff, have been confirmed dead.\n\nBeechcraft King Air 350 en route to St. Petersburg, Florida crashed on Sunday morning immediately after taking to the sky, apparently due to an engine failure. While authorities confirmed that the hangar was empty at the time of the tragedy – all ten passengers and crew lost their lives, while the debris of the plane were destroyed by the fire.\n\nVideos from the scene showed rescue teams battling plumes of smoke and fire engulfing the plane and the hangar.\n\nThe airport was forced to shut operations for about 45 minutes. Authorities launched an investigation into the tragedy but have yet to identify the plane’s owner.\n\nThink your friends would be interested? Share this story!", "Damage is seen to a hangar after a twin-engine plane crashed into the building at Addison Airport in Addison, Texas, Sunday, June 30, 2019. The small airplane crashed as it was taking off from the Dallas-area airport Sunday morning, a spokeswoman for the town of Addison, Texas, said. (Shaban Athuman/The Dallas Morning News via AP)\n\nDALLAS (AP) — All ten people on board a small plane were killed in a fiery crash Sunday morning when the aircraft struggled to gain altitude after taking off from a suburban Dallas airport, veered to one side and plunged into a hangar, local authorities and witnesses said.\n\nFederal officials said two crew members and eight passengers were killed when the twin-engine plane, scheduled to fly to St. Petersburg, Florida, crashed at the Addison Municipal Airport at 9:11 a.m. The identities of those killed were not immediately released.\n\n“We don’t know a lot about the people on board at this point,” National Transportation Safety Board Vice Chairman Bruce Landsberg said.\n\nOfficials say the Beechcraft BE-350 King Air hit a hangar that then burst into flames with black smoke billowing from the building as firefighters sprayed it with water. A plane and helicopter in the hangar were damaged, but there were no people in the building.\n\nThe crash left a gaping hole in the hangar, which sits not far from a busy commercial strip and densely populated residential neighborhoods of the northern suburb of Dallas.\n\nLandsberg said the plane had recently changed hands so its tail number was not yet certain.Jennifer Rodi, the NTSB’s lead investigator on the accident, said it had previously been owned by a private charter company in Chicago.\n\nTen people were killed when a small airplane crashed into a hangar as it was taking off from a Dallas-area airport Sunday morning, a spokeswoman for the town of Addison, Texas, said. (June 30)\n\n Edward Martelle, a spokesman for the town of Addison, said the plane was taking off at the south end of the airport and had just lifted off the runway when it veered left, dropped its left wing and went into the hangar.\n\nAsked if the behavior of the plane indicated engine failure, Landsberg said: “We cannot confirm that there was an engine failure at this point.”\n\n“There are any number of possibilities that could occur,” he said.\n\nDavid Snell, who was getting ready to fly from Addison with a friend Sunday morning, told KDFW TV that the plane didn’t sound right on takeoff.\n\n“It looked like it was clearly reduced power. I didn’t know if it was on purpose or not, but then, when the plane started to veer to the left, you could tell it couldn’t climb. My friend and I looked at each other and we’re like, ‘Oh my God. They’re going to crash,’” Snell said.\n\nPeter Drake says he saw the plane crash into the hangar.\n\n“He got onto the runway, went down the runway, started taking off. He got to about 200 feet, and I saw him starting to lose power and his altitude, and then I see him just roll over and came straight down right into the building,” Drake said.\n\nAir traffic control tower audio from around the time of the crash does not capture any pilot indicating an emergency or trouble with a plane. But pilots waiting to take off soon thereafter can be heard seeking updates and being told repeatedly to wait.\n\n“Everybody just stand by,” a controller said. “We had an accident on the field, so expect not to go out anytime soon.”\n\nDallas County was helping the city of Addison set up a family assistance center for people affected by the crash, Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said. The center is staffed with chaplains, counselors and other mental health and support workers, he said.\n\n“It’s a horrible, sad, shocking thing to lose a family member like this,” Jenkins told The Associated Press. “So we’re doing whatever we can to comfort them.”"], "summary": "Ten people are killed when a Beechcraft BE-350 King Air crashes into a hangar at Addison Airport in Addison, Texas."}
{"document": ["South Korean President Moon says Trump and North Korea's Kim Jong Un will meet Sunday at Korean Demilitarized Zone\n\nSEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean President Moon says Trump and North Korea's Kim Jong Un will meet Sunday at Korean Demilitarized Zone.", "US President Donald Trump says he agreed with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to restart talks after nuclear negotiations stalled earlier this year.\n\n“We just had a very, very good meeting with Chairman Kim,” Trump told reporters after parting with Kim at the Korean border.\n\n“We’ve agreed that we’re each going to designate a team. The teams will try to work out some details,” he said.\n\nThe US team would be led by the current US special representative for North Korea, Stephen Biegun, said Trump, adding, \"Good luck, Steve.\"\n\nTrump said the teams would begin working and meeting over the next two to three weeks, but insisted he wasn’t looking to rush into an agreement.\n\n“Speed is not the object,” Trump said. “Nobody knows how things turn out.”\n\nWatch Trump's remarks here:", "President Donald Trump met North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on the heavily fortified border between North and South Korea on Sunday, their third high-stakes meeting since they launched negotiations last year to resolve the nuclear crisis.\n\nSome key developments in the Trump-Kim diplomacy:\n\nMarch 7, 2018: A special South Korean envoy returns from visiting Pyongyang and says Kim is willing to discuss the future of his nuclear arsenal with Washington. Days later, Trump accepts Kim's invitation to meet.\n\nApril 21, 2018: North Korea says it has suspended nuclear and long-range missile tests and is shifting its focus to improving its economy. Trump tweets the move is \"big progress!\"\n\nMay 9, 2018: U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visits Pyongyang to prepare for the planned Trump-Kim meeting. North Korea frees three Americans who had been imprisoned.\n\nJune 12, 2018: Trump and Kim meet in Singapore for the first summit between the leaders of the United States and North Korea since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War. Kim vows to work toward achieving complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.\n\nJan. 1, 2019: Kim in his New Year's Day speech says he hopes to continue his nuclear summitry with Trump, but also that he would seek a \"new way\" if the United States persists with sanctions and pressure against North Korea.\n\nFeb. 27-28, 2019: Trump and Kim meet in Hanoi, Vietnam, for their second summit. The meeting collapses with reaching any agreement after Trump rejects Kim's calls for major sanctions relief in return for dismantling his main nuclear complex in a partial denuclearization step.\n\nApril 13, 2019: Kim says he is open to another meeting with Trump, but sets the year's end as a deadline for Washington to offer mutually acceptable terms for an agreement to salvage the diplomacy.\n\nMay 9, 2019: North Korea fires two short-range missiles toward the sea in its second launch in five days, ending a pause in ballistic testing. The launches are seen as measured efforts to dial up pressure on Washington and Seoul without actually causing the negotiations to collapse.\n\nJune 29, 2019: In a tweet message, Trump invites Kim to shake hands during his planned visit to the Korean Demilitarized Zone. Kim's vice foreign minister, Choe Son Hui, calls Trump's offer \"a very interesting suggestion.\"\n\nJune 30, 2019: Trump shakes hands with Kim at a jointly controlled area inside the DMZ and becomes the first U.S. president to cross over into North Korean territory. Kim then walks over the demarcation line into South Korea with Trump.", "Trump meets Kim Jong Un, becomes first sitting U.S. president to step into North Korea\n\n\"Stepping across that line was a great honor,\" Trump said, later adding that it was \"something incredible.\"", "Donald Trump has invited Kim Jong Un to the White House, after he became the first serving American President to step over the North Korean border and shake hands with a North Korean leader.\n\nTrump crossed over from the demilitarized zone to shake hands with Kim Jong Un, after earlier offering the meeting on Twitter.\n\n\"When I put out the social media notification, if he didn't show up he would have made me look very bad,\" Trump told reporters.\n\nKim Jong Un responded that \"I was very surprised to hear about your offer on the tweet and only late in the afternoon I was able to confirm your invitation.\"\n\nThe US president described his relationship with the North Korean leader as a \"great friendship.\"\n\n\"This was a special moment, a historic moment,\" Trump told reporters.\n\n\"Stepping across that line was a great honour. A lot of progress has been made and a lot of friendships have been made and this in particular is a great friendship.\"\n\nFollowing their handshake, the two men took part in a press conference during which the US president confirmed that he was extending an invite to Kim Jong Un to the White House.\n\nTrump thanked Kim Jong Un for meeting him.\n\n\"I want to thank the chairman. You've got to hear that powerful voice.\"\n\nHe added: \"We met and we liked each other from day one and that was very important,\" Trump said.\n\nJong Un also thanked Trump for meeting him.\n\n\"If you step over this line you will be the first US president to step on North Korean soil,\" he told Trump before the president stepped over the border.\n\nHe added: \"It is good to meet you. I never expected to meet you at this place.\"\n\nWatch Trump and Kim Jong Un shake hands\n\nAfter Trump crossed the border, he added: \"President Trump has just walked across the demarcation line. That has made him the first US President to visit our country.\n\nHe went on: \"Actually just looking at this action, this is an expression of his willingness to eliminate all the unfortunate past and open a new future.\"\n\nSpeaking about their relationship, he said: \"If it wasn't for that good relationship, we would not have been able to make this sudden meeting possible.\"\n\n\"So this excellent relationship in the future as well, I hope that it can be the foundation for better things in the future that people will be not expecting. And this will be a very mysterious force that allows us to overcome many difficulties that existed in the past.\"", "OSAKA, Japan (AP) — The Latest on President Donald Trump's trip to Asia. (all times local):\n\nPresident Donald Trump has landed in South Korea, and a meeting with North Korea's Kim Jong Un (gihm jung oon) may be on his agenda.\n\nTrump flew from Osaka, Japan, where he attended a global summit and held numerous meetings with world leaders, including Russia's Vladimir Putin (POO'-tihn) and China's Xi Jinping (shee jihn-peeng).\n\nTrump has said he'll visit the heavily-fortified demilitarized zone that separates North and South Korea, and he's invited Kim to join him \"just to shake his hand and say Hello(?)!\"\n\nTrump is also scheduled to meet with South Korean President Moon Jae-in (jah-YIHN') while in Seoul.\n\nPresident Donald Trump is not yet willing to remove the Chinese telecom giant Huawei (WAH'-way) from a trade blacklist.\n\nBut the president says he will now allow U.S. companies to sell components to Huawei again.\n\nThe fate of the company had become central in the ongoing US-China trade battle. Trump, attending an international summit in Japan, announced that negotiations between the two nations would resume.\n\nBut Trump says the company's future would not be decided until the end of the trade talks.\n\nHe met with China's President Xi Jinping (shee jihn-peeng) earlier Saturday but said that the topic of Meng Wanzhou, a Huawei executive held in Canada at the request of the United States, was not discussed.\n\nPresident Donald Trump says he did warn Russian President Vladimir Putin (POO'-tihn) about interfering in upcoming U.S. elections.\n\nTrump joked with Putin about the matter when they met Friday on the margins of a summit in Japan. Asked Saturday about his demeanor, Trump said to \"take a look at the words. I did say it.\"\n\nTrump has been criticized for appearing unserious about Russian meddling in the 2016 election. Federal investigators recently found extensive interference by Russia in the election Trump won. Trump bristles at suggestions that he was elected with foreign help.\n\nHe previously has accepted Putin's denials of meddling, and noted again Saturday that \"he denies it totally.\"\n\nTrump said he's giving \"very serious consideration\" to visiting Moscow next spring for the 75th anniversary of the Nazi defeat.\n\nPresident Donald Trump is weighing in on Thursday evening's Democratic presidential debate and arguing that California Sen. Kamala (KAH'-mah-lah) Harris has gotten too much credit for a blistering attack on former Vice President Joe Biden.\n\nTrump is offering his assessment during a news conference marking the end of the Group of 20 summit in Osaka, Japan.\n\nHarris has been widely praised for her move highlighting Biden's opposition to public school busing during the 1970s. But Trump says he thinks she \"was given far too much credit for what she did\" and says her answer came \"right out of a box.\"\n\nTrump also says Biden was no Winston Churchill — a reference to the great orator — but argued his performance wasn't that bad.\n\nPresident Donald Trump is defending his decision not to confront Saudi Arabia's Mohammed Bin Salman over the murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi (jah-MAHL' khahr-SHOHK'-jee).\n\nTrump is praising Mohammed as his \"friend\" as they met on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Osaka, Japan. Trump has ignored reporters' questions about the crown prince's alleged role in the killing last year.\n\nTrump is calling the killing \"horrible,\" but says that Saudi Arabia has \"been a terrific ally.\" He's also suggesting he's satisfied with steps the country is taking to prosecute some of those involved, while claiming that \"nobody so far has pointed directly a finger at the future king of Saudi Arabia.\"\n\nA U.N. expert has called for an investigation into his alleged involvement in the killing at the Saudi consulate in Turkey last year. U.S. intelligence officials concluded that bin Salman must have at least known of the plot.\n\nPresident Donald Trump says Jimmy Carter is a \"nice man\" but he was \"terrible\" as America's president.\n\nTrump is hitting back at Carter after he was asked about Carter's comment that Trump is president only because of Russian interference. Carter commented during a human rights discussion in Virginia, but offered no evidence for his statement.\n\nTrump says he was elected because he worked \"harder and smarter\" than his opponent, Democrat Hillary Clinton.\n\nPresident Donald Trump says he'd \"feel very comfortable\" crossing the border into North Korea if he meets Kim Jong Un (gihm jung oon) at the heavily-fortified Korean Demilitarized Zone separating the North from South Korea.\n\nTrump was asked about the prospect during a news conference in Japan marking the end of a Group of 20 summit.\n\nTrump earlier Saturday invited Kim by tweet to meet him at the border, \"just to shake his hand and say Hello(?)!\" It would be their third face-to-face.\n\nTrump says he'd \"have no problem\" becoming the first U.S. president to cross the border while he's there.\n\nTrump and Kim last met in Vietnam in February, but that summit collapsed with no progress.\n\nPresident Donald Trump says he's holding off on new China tariffs for the \"time being\" and the U.S. and China will restart stalled trade talks.\n\nTrump made the announcement Saturday in Japan following a lengthy meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (shee jihn-peeng). He says U.S. tariffs already in place against Chinese imports will remain, but that new tariffs he's threatened to slap on billions worth of other Chinese goods will not be put in place.\n\nTrump says \"we're going to work with China where we left off.\"\n\nTalks broke off after several rounds of negotiations after the U.S. accused China of reneging on agreements it had already made.\n\nPresident Donald Trump says he may be meeting with North Korea's Kim Jong Un (gihm jung oon) on Sunday during a visit to the demilitarized zone with South Korea. But he says nothing has been set just yet.\n\nTrump offered the update during a news conference as he wrapped up his appearance at the Group of 20 summit in Japan hours after tweeting his invitation.\n\nTrump says Kim has responded to the offer and was \"very receptive\" to the idea. He says: \"We may be meeting with Chairman Kim... we'll find out.\"\n\nIt's unclear whether Trump was referring to a private communication or public comments from North's First Vice Foreign Minister, Choe Son Hui, who called the prospect of a meeting a \"very interesting suggestion.\"\n\nCopyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.", "PANMUNJOM, Korea (AP) — With wide grins and a historic handshake, President Donald Trump and North Korea's Kim Jong Un met at the heavily fortified Demilitarized Zone on Sunday and agreed to revive talks on the pariah nation's nuclear program. Trump, pressing his bid for a legacy-defining deal, became the first sitting American leader to step into North Korea.\n\nWhat was intended to be an impromptu exchange of pleasantries turned into a 50-minute meeting, another historic first in the yearlong rapprochement between the two technically warring nations. It marked a return to face-to-face contact between the leaders after talks broke down during a summit in Vietnam in February. Significant doubts remain, though, about the future of the negotiations and the North's willingness to give up its stockpile of nuclear weapons .\n\nThe border encounter was a made-for television moment. The men strode toward one another from opposite sides of the Joint Security Area and shook hands over the raised patch of concrete at the Military Demarcation Line as cameras clicked and photographers jostled to capture the scene.\n\nAfter asking if Kim wanted him to cross, Trump took 10 steps into the North with Kim at his side, then escorted Kim back to the South for talks at Freedom House, where they agreed to revive the stalled negotiations.\n\nThe spectacle marked the latest milestone in two years of roller-coaster diplomacy between the two nations. Personal taunts of \"Little Rocket Man\" (by Trump) and \"mentally deranged U.S. dotard\" (by Kim) and threats to destroy one other have given way to on-again, off-again talks, professions of love and flowery letters.\n\n\"I was proud to step over the line,\" Trump told Kim as they met in on the South Korean side of the truce village of Panmunjom. \"It is a great day for the world.\"\n\nKim hailed the moment, saying of Trump, \"I believe this is an expression of his willingness to eliminate all the unfortunate past and open a new future.\" Kim added that he was \"surprised\" when Trump issued an unorthodox meeting invitation by tweet on Saturday.\n\nAs he left South Korea on his flight to Washington, Trump tweeted that he had \"a wonderful meeting\" with Kim. \"Stood on the soil of North Korea, an important statement for all, and a great honor!\"\n\nTrump had predicted the two would greet one another for about \"two minutes,\" but they ended up spending more than an hour together. The president was joined in the Freedom House conversation with Kim by his daughter and son-in-law, Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, both senior White House advisers.\n\nSubstantive talks between the countries had largely broken down after the last Trump-Kim summit in Hanoi, which ended early when the leaders hit an impasse.\n\nThe North has balked at Trump's insistence that it give up its weapons before it sees relief from crushing international sanctions. The U.S. has said the North must submit to \"complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization\" before sanctions are lifted.\n\nAs he announced the resumptions of talks, Trump told reporters \"we're not looking for speed. We're looking to get it right.\"\n\nHe added that economic sanctions on the North would remain. But he seemed to move off the administration's previous rejection of scaling back sanctions in return for piecemeal North Korean concessions, saying, \"At some point during the negotiation things can happen.\"\n\nPeering into North Korea from atop Observation Post Ouellette, Trump told reporters before he greeted Kim that there had been \"tremendous\" improvement since his first meeting with the North's leader in Singapore last year.\n\nTrump claimed the situation used to be marked by \"tremendous danger\" but \"after our first summit, all of the danger went away.\"\n\nBut the North has yet to provide an accounting of its nuclear stockpile, let alone begin the process of dismantling its arsenal.\n\nThe latest meeting, with the U.S. president coming to Kim, represented a striking acknowledgement by Trump of the authoritarian Kim's legitimacy over a nation with an abysmal human rights record. Kim is suspected of having ordered the killing of his half brother through a plot using a nerve agent at a Malaysian airport in 2017. Meantime, the United Nations said in May that about 10 million people in North Korea are suffering from \"severe food shortages\" after the North had one of the worst harvests in a decade.\n\nTrump told reporters he invited the North Korean leader to the United States, and potentially even to the White House.\n\n\"I would invite him right now,\" Trump said, standing next to Kim. Speaking through a translator, Kim responded that it would be an \"honor\" to invite Trump to the North Korean capital of Pyongyang \"at the right time.\"\n\nNorth Korea's state media later described the meeting as \"an amazing event.\"\n\nTrump became the first sitting U.S. president to meet with the leader of the isolated nation last year when they signed an agreement in Singapore to bring the North toward denuclearization.\n\nIn the midst of the DMZ gathering, Trump repeatedly complained that he was not receiving more praise for de-escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula through his personal diplomacy with Kim. Critics say Trump had actually inflamed tensions with his threats to rain \"fire and fury\" on North Korea, before embracing a diplomatic approach.\n\nNorth Korea's nuclear threat has not been contained, according to Richard Haas, president of the New York-based Council on Foreign Relations. He tweeted Sunday that the threat of conflict has subsided only because the Trump administration has decided it can live with North Korea's \"nuclear program while it pursues the chimera of denuclearization.\"\n\nEvery president since Ronald Reagan has visited the 1953 armistice line, except for George H.W. Bush, who visited when he was vice president. The show of bravado and support for South Korea, one of America's closest military allies, has evolved over the years to include binoculars and bomber jackets.\n\nWhile North Korea has not recently tested a long-range missile that could reach the U.S., last month it fired off a series of short-range missiles . Trump has brushed off the significance of those tests, even as his own national security adviser, John Bolton, has said they violated U.N. Security Council resolutions.\n\nAssociated Press writers Jill Colvin and Darlene Superville in Washington contributed to this report.", "SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The Latest on President Donald Trump's visit to Asia (all times local):\n\nDemocratic lawmakers in the United States, including some running for the White House, say there's little in President Donald Trump's diplomatic track to convince them that his meeting with North Korea's Kim Jong Un (gihm jung oon) may lead to a nuclear breakthrough.\n\nTrump is coming under criticism for what Democrats see as his affinity for authoritarian leaders such as Kim and they are skeptical that the Trump-Kim sit-down at the Demilitarized Zone may amount to anything more than a photo opportunity.\n\nSen. Chuck Schumer says \"dictators seem to get elevated and people who believe in democracy not.\"\n\nFormer Obama Housing Secretary Julian Castro, a presidential candidate, wonders why Trump appears keen to raise Kim's profile when, according to Castro, Kim hasn't abided by past commitments about the North's weapons programs.\n\nAnd Sen. Bernie Sanders, also a 2020 candidate, says he's not opposed to sitting down with America's adversaries, but he tells ABC's \"This Week\" that \"we need real diplomacy\" and he hasn't seen that under Trump\n\n\"A wonderful meeting\" is how President Donald Trump is describing his get-together with North Korea's Kim Jong Un at the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea.\n\nAs Trump was leaving South Korea and ending his four-day trip to Asia, he tweeted about becoming the first American president to set foot in North Korea.\n\n\"Stood on the soil of North Korea, an important statement for all, and a great honor!\" Trump said in his tweet.\n\nAfter their meeting Sunday, Trump announced that he and Kim had agreed to resume stalled talks on denuclearization in the coming weeks.\n\nPresident Donald Trump is on his way back to Washington after a four-day trip to Asia during which he became the first American president to set foot in North Korea.\n\nTrump attended the Group of 20 summit in Osaka, Japan, where he held talks with Russia's Vladimir Putin (POO'-tihn) and met with China's Xi Jinping (shee jihn-peeng). Trump and Xi decided to resume trade negotiations after talks broke down.\n\nTrump then headed to South Korea, where he turned a planned visit to the Demilitarized Zone between North and South into a surprise get-together with the North's Kim Jong Un. The two leaders crossed the demarcation dividing the Korean Peninsula.\n\nFollowing their longer-than-expected meeting, Trump announced that he and Kim had agreed to resume stalled talks on denuclearization in the coming weeks.\n\nPresident Donald Trump has addressed members of the U.S military at an American air base in Osan, just south of Seoul, South Korea, before ending his Asia trip and returning to Washington.\n\nTrump recounted the moment earlier Sunday when he stepped across the border at the demilitarized zone into North Korea and became the first sitting U.S. president to do so.\n\nHe says he and North Korea's Kim Jong Un (gihm jung oon) \"had a very productive meeting\" there. And Trump says he tried to sell Kim on the prosperity he believes awaits North Korea if it gives up its nuclear program.\n\nDuring his remarks to the service members, Trump called up to the stage both U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo as well as Ivanka Trump, the president's daughter and a top White House adviser. He jokingly called them \"beauty and the beast.\"\n\nPresident Donald Trump says that sanctions remain on North Korea following his Sunday meeting with Kim Jong Un at the Korean Demilitarized Zone.\n\nBut he appears to be leaving open the possibility of scaling them back as part of upcoming renewed negotiations, saying that: \"at some point during the negotiation, things can happen.\"\n\nTrump is also telling reporters after bidding Kim farewell that he raised the idea of a Kim visit to Washington during their talks.\n\nTrump says he told Kim that, \"at the right time, you're going to come over\" and that that could be \"any time he wants to do it.\"\n\nTrump adds that he \"would certainly extend the invite\" and that, \"at some point\" it will happen.\n\nPresident Donald Trump says the U.S. and North Korea have designated teams to resume stalled nuclear talks between the nations within weeks.\n\nTrump shared the news as he briefed reporters after spending about 50 minutes in talks behind closed doors with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.\n\nTrump says he hopes the sides can reach a comprehensive deal, but says that \"speed is not the object.\"\n\nHe says: \"We're not looking for speed. We're looking to get it right.\"\n\nWhat was originally supposed to be a brief exchange of pleasantries between President Donald Trump and North Korea's Kim Jong Un at the raised line of concrete marking the border between North and South has turned into private talks stretching about 50 minutes.\n\nTrump had tweeted out his last-minute invitation to Kim, suggesting the North Korean leader meet him \"at the Border/DMZ just to shake his hand and say Hello(?)!\" during a long-scheduled visit.\n\nTrump later said that if Kim made the trip, the two would \"see each other for two minutes,\" adding: \"That's all we can. But that will be fine. \"\n\nTrump and Kim's second summit in Hanoi earlier this year ended without a deal.\n\nTrump was joined in the Freedom House conversation with Kim by his daughter and son-in-law, Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner.\n\nPresident Donald Trump and North Korea's Kim Jong Un are concluding a 50-minute meeting at the Demilitarized Zone.\n\nTrump escorted Kim from \"Freedom House\" on the South Korean side of the zone back to the concrete line marking the border between the two nations.\n\nTrump says, \"We just had a very good meeting with Chairman Kim.\"\n\nHe adds: \"This was a very legendary, very historic day.\"\n\nPresident Donald Trump's historic first steps into North Korea sparked a scuffle between reporters and North Korean security guards, with officials shoving and trying to block the press.\n\nAlso roughed up in the fracas was incoming Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham, who ended up with bruises.\n\nThe jostling grew especially intense as reporters tried to enter a room inside the Freedom House on the southern side of Panmunjom where Trump and North Korea's Kim Jong Un were meeting after exchanging initial handshakes on the border.\n\nNorth Korean guards tried to physically prevent members of the U.S. press pool from entering the room, pushing and shoving, and the Secret Service stepped in to intervene.\n\nPresident Donald Trump says he \"was proud\" to step over the demarcation line between North and South Korea, becoming the first U.S. president to enter North Korea.\n\nTrump is telling reporters as he meets with Kim Jong Un in a building named The Freedom House on the South Korean side that \"the world is watching.\"\n\nHe's also thanking Kim, saying that if the North Korean leader hadn't shown up for the meeting, the press would have made Trump look bad.\n\nKim said he was surprised by Trump's last-minute invitation to meet at the Korean Demilitarized Zone on Sunday. But he says he hopes the meeting \"can be the foundation for better things in the future.\"\n\nPresident Donald Trump is calling it a \"great honor\" to have become the first American president to cross the Korean Demilitarized Zone into North Korea.\n\nTrump tells reporters as he stands with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un that it \"feels great\" to make the historical walk as he hails his \"great friendship\" with Kim.\n\nSpeaking through a translator, Kim commended Trump for crossing the demarcation line, which he called a \"courageous and determined act\" that \"means that we want to bring an end to the unpleasant past.\"\n\nTrump also said he would invite Kim to visit the White House moments after Kim crossed the demarcation line himself and entered into South Korea.\n\nPresident Donald Trump and North Korea's Kim Jong Un shook hands across the border at the Korean Demilitarized Zone, in an historic photo-op as Trump seeks to make a legacy-defining nuclear deal with the North.\n\nIt is the third time the two leaders have met, and the first since a failed summit on the North's nuclear program in Vietnam earlier this year. Trump briefly crossed the border into North Korea after greeting Kim.\n\nThere are as yet no indications of a breakthrough in the stalled negotiations to end the North's nuclear program.\n\nPresident Donald Trump is meeting with several dozen troops stationed at the Korean Demilitarized Zone separating South and North Korea and telling them, \"We're with you all the way.\"\n\nThe troops include both U.S. solders as well as South Korean troops.\n\nTrump was joined by South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who is praising Trump for deciding to meet shortly with North Korea's Kim Jong Un. He's calling it \"a bold decision\"\n\nTrump has at times appeared to question the value of keeping U.S. troops on the Korean Peninsula in light of the U.S.-South Korea trade deficit.\n\nPresident Donald Trump is griping about the press not giving him sufficient credit for improved U.S. relations with North Korea as he pays an historic visit to the Korean Demilitarized Zone.\n\nTrump is telling reporters as he stands atop Observation Post Ouellette that there has been \"tremendous\" improvement since his first meeting with the North's leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore last year.\n\nTrump says the situation used to be marked by \"tremendous danger,\" but that, \"After our first summit, all of the danger went away.\"\n\nAnd he's chastising reporters, saying \"they have no appreciation for\" for changes in the North, which he's calling a \"very different place.\"\n\nTrump has been criticized for meeting again with Kim when the North continues to test short-range missiles and has not moved forward with a pledge to denuclearize.\n\nPresident Donald Trump is getting his first glimpse of North Korea from an observation post in the Korean Demilitarized Zone.\n\nTrump, wearing a suit, is being shown various landmarks as he stands atop Observation Post Ouellette.\n\nIt's his first stop on his first visit to the border between the North and the South, which will include another face-to-face meeting with North Korea's Kim Jong Un. His last attempted visit was thwarted by bad weather.\n\nSouth Korean President Moon Jae-in announced earlier Sunday that Kim had accepted Trump's tweeted invitation to meet at the heavily fortified site at the Korean border village of Panmunjom\n\nPresident Donald Trump is making his first visit to the Korean Demilitarized Zone ahead of a meeting with North Korea's Kim Jong Un.\n\nTrump arrived by helicopter Sunday near the Panmunjom truce village. He was also expected to visit an observation post and greet U.S. and South Korean troops.\n\nTrump told reporters at a news conference with South Korean President Moon Jae-in that he and Kim will \"just shake hands quickly and say hello\" at the historic meeting at the Korean border village.\n\nTrump on Saturday invited Kim to meet him at the border for a symbolic handshake. He expressed openness to briefly crossing into North Korean territory if Kim accepted.\n\nEvery president since Ronald Reagan has visited the 1953 armistice line, except for George H.W. Bush, who visited as vice president.", "President Donald Trump arrived Sunday at the Korean Demilitarized Zone for a historic meeting with North Korea's Kim Jong Un.\n\nTrump departed Seoul aboard the Marine One presidential helicopter afternoon shortly after South Korean President Moon Jae-in announced that Kim had accepted Trump's invitation to meet at the heavily fortified site at the Korean border village of Panmunjom.\n\nTrump told reporters before departing that he looked forward to seeing Kim and to \"shake hands quickly and say hello.\" Trump was also expected to visit an observation post and greet U.S. and South Korean troops.\n\nThe meeting is set to mark yet another historic first in the yearlong rapprochement between the two technically warring nations. It also marks the return of face-to-face contact between the leaders since negotiations to end the North's nuclear program broke down during a summit in Vietnam in February.\n\nMoon praised the two leaders for \"being so brave\" to hold the meeting and said, \"I hope President Trump will go down in history as the president who achieves peace on Korean Peninsula.\"\n\nTrump sought to tamp down expectations by saying the meeting would be \"very short.\"\n\n\"Virtually a handshake, but that's OK. A handshake means a lot,\" he said.\n\nOfficials spent Sunday morning working out logistical and security details, Trump said during an earlier appearance with Moon.\n\nThe invitation, while long rumored in diplomatic circles, still came across as an impulsive display of showmanship by a president bent on obtaining a legacy-defining nuclear deal. North Korea had responded by calling the offer a \"very interesting suggestion.\"\n\nPresidential visits to the DMZ are traditionally carefully guarded secrets for security reasons. Trump claimed before flying from Japan to South Korea that he wasn't even sure Kim was in North Korea to accept the invitation.\n\n\"All I did is put out a feeler, if you'd like to meet,\" Trump said in Japan. He added, somewhat implausibly: \"I just thought of it this morning.\"\n\nBefore arriving in Seoul, Trump said at a news conference in Japan that he'd \"feel very comfortable\" crossing the border into North Korea if Kim showed up, saying he'd \"have no problem\" becoming the first U.S. president to step into North Korea.\n\nHis comments followed hours after Trump asked Kim to meet him there. \"If Chairman Kim of North Korea sees this, I would meet him at the Border/DMZ just to shake his hand and say Hello(?)!\" he tweeted.\n\nIt was not immediately clear what the agenda, if any, would be for the potential third Trump-Kim meeting.\n\n\"It's just a step. It might be an important step but it might not,\" Trump said.\n\nSuch a spectacle would present a valuable propaganda victory for Kim, whose family has long been denied the recognition it sought on the international stage.\n\nDespite Trump's comments Saturday, he had told The Hill newspaper in Washington in an interview this past week that he would visit the DMZ and \"might\" meet with Kim. The paper reported it had withheld Trump's comments, citing security concerns by the White House.\n\nNorth Korea's first vice foreign minister, Choe Son Hui, said the meeting, if realized, would serve as \"another meaningful occasion in further deepening the personal relations between the two leaders and advancing the bilateral relations.\"\n\nMeeting with Trump at South Korea's presidential Blue House on Sunday, Moon said when he saw Trump's invitation to Kim, \"I could really feel that the flower of peace was truly blossoming on the Korean peninsula.\" Moon, who will accompany Trump to the DMZ, added that the meeting - if it happens - would be a \"significant milestone in the peace process.\"\n\nTrump's summit with Kim in Vietnam earlier this year collapsed without an agreement for denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula. He became the first sitting U.S. president to meet with the leader of the isolated nation last year, when they signed an agreement in Singapore to bring the North toward denuclearization.\n\nSubstantive talks between the nations have largely broken down since then. The North has balked at Trump's insistence that it give up its weapons before it sees relief from crushing international sanctions.\n\nStill, Trump has sought to praise Kim, who oversees an authoritarian government, in hopes of keeping the prospects of a deal alive, and the two have traded flowery letters in recent weeks.\n\nEvery president since Ronald Reagan has visited the 1953 armistice line, except for George H.W. Bush, who visited when he was vice president. The show of bravado and support for South Korea, one of America's closest military allies, has evolved over the years to include binoculars and bomber jackets.\n\nTrump, ever the showman, appears to be looking to one-up his predecessors with a Kim meeting.\n\nSuch trips to the demilitarized zone are usually undertaken under heavy security and the utmost secrecy. Trump tried to visit the DMZ when he was in Seoul in November 2017, but his helicopter was grounded by heavy fog.\n\nTrump has staked his self-professed deal-making reputation on his rapprochement with the North and has even turned it into a campaign rallying cry. Trump has repeatedly alleged that if he had lost the 2016 presidential campaign, the U.S. would be \"at war\" with North Korea over its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs.\n\nThe meeting would come at a time of escalating tensions. While North Korea has not recently tested a long-range missile that could reach the U.S., last month it fired off a series of short-range missiles. Trump has brushed off the significance of the tests, even though his national security adviser, John Bolton, has said they violated U.N. Security Council resolutions.\n\nAssociated Press writers Hyung-jin Kim and Kim Tong-hyung in Seoul, South Korea, and Darlene Superville and Jill Colvin in Washington contributed to this report.", "President Donald Trump, walking with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe stops to ask a question after he arrived at the G-20 summit in Osaka, Japan, Friday, June 28, 2019. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)\n\nOSAKA, Japan (AP) — Eyeing a history-making photo opportunity, President Donald Trump on Saturday issued a Twitter invitation to North Korea’s Kim Jong Un to join him for a hand shake during a visit to the demilitarized zone with South Korea.\n\nThe invitation, while long rumored in diplomatic circles, still struck as an impulsive display of showmanship by a president bent on obtaining a legacy-defining nuclear accord. North Korea responded to offer by calling it a “very interesting suggestion.”\n\nPresidential visits to the DMZ are traditionally treated as carefully guarded secrets for security reason. And White House officials couldn’t immediately say whether Kim had agreed to meet with Trump. The president himself claimed he wasn’t even sure Kim was in North Korea to accept the invitation.\n\n“All I did is put out a feeler, if you’d like to meet,” Trump said later of the message to Kim. He added, somewhat implausibly, that “I just thought of it this morning.”\n\nTrump is scheduled to fly to South Korea later Saturday after he concludes meetings at the Group of 20 summit in Osaka, Japan, including with the president of China. He told reporters during a breakfast with Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that he would be visiting the heavily fortified area between the two Koreas.\n\n“We’re going there,” the president said.\n\nShortly before the breakfast, Trump tweeted his invitation for Kim to meet him there. “If Chairman Kim of North Korea sees this, I would meet him at the Border/DMZ just to shake his hand and say Hello(?)!” he wrote.\n\nIt was not immediately clear what the agenda, if any, would be for the potential third Trump-Kim meeting. Trump predicted that, “If he’s there we’ll see each other for two minutes.” Still, such a spectacle would present a valuable propaganda victory for Kim, who, with his family, has long been denied the recognition they sought on the international stage.\n\nDespite Trump’s comments Saturday, he had told The Hill newspaper in an interview this week that he would be visiting the DMZ and said “he might” meet with Kim. The paper reported it had withheld Trump’s comments, citing security concerns by the White House.\n\nNorth Korea’s state media made no mention Saturday of a possible meeting between Trump and Kim. South Korea’s presidential Blue House said in a tweet that Trump asked South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the G20 meetings whether he’d seen Trump’s Twitter message to Kim. When Moon replied he had, Trump said “(Let’s) try doing it” and raised his thumb, the Blue House said.\n\nTrump’s summit with Kim in Vietnam earlier this year collapsed without an agreement for denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula. He became the first sitting U.S. president to meet with the leader of the isolated nation last year in Singapore, where they signed a broad agreement to bring the North toward denuclearization.\n\nSubstantive talks between the two nations have largely broken down since then, as the North has balked at Trump’s insistence that it give up its weapons before it sees relief from crushing international sanctions.\n\nStill, Trump has sought to publicly heap praise on Kim, who oversees an authoritarian government, in hopes of keeping the prospects of a deal alive, and the two have traded flowery letters in recent weeks.\n\nEvery president since Ronald Reagan has visited the 1953 armistice line, except for George H.W. Bush, who visited when he was vice president. The show of bravado and support for South Korea, one of America’s closest military allies, has evolved over the years to include binoculars and bomber jackets.\n\nTrump, ever the showman, appears to be looking to one-up his predecessors with a meeting with Kim.\n\nAs he left the White House for Asia earlier this week, Trump was asked whether he’d meet with Kim while he is in the region.\n\n“I’ll be meeting with a lot of other people … but I may be speaking to him in a different form,” Trump said.\n\nSuch trips to the demilitarized zone, the heavily fortified border between North and South Korea, are usually undertaken under heavy security and the utmost secrecy. Trump tried to visit the DMZ when he was in Seoul in November 2017, but his helicopter was grounded by heavy fog.\n\nTrump has staked his self-professed deal-making reputation on his rapprochement with the North and has even turned it into a campaign rallying cry. Trump has repeatedly alleged that if he had lost the 2016 presidential campaign, the U.S. would be “at war” with North Korea over its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs.\n\nThe meeting would come at a time of escalating tensions. While North Korea has not recently tested a long-range missile that could reach the U.S., it last month a fired off a series of short-range missiles. Trump has brushed off the significance of the tests, even as his own national security adviser, John Bolton, has said they violated U.N. Security Council resolutions.\n\nTrump also suggested Saturday that the North was prepared to turn over additional unidentified remains of unknown American and allied service-members. At least six Americans have been identified from 55 boxes of remains delivered by the North last year after Trump’s first meeting with Kim, but the Defense Department in May announced it was halting efforts to recover additional remains, citing a lack of cooperation from North Korea.\n\nAssociated Press writers Hyung-jin Kim and Kim Tong-hyung in Seoul, South Korea, and Darlene Superville and Jill Colvin in Washington contributed to this report.\n\nFollow Lemire on Twitter at http://twitter.com/@JonLemire and Miller at http://twitter.com/@zekejmiller"], "summary": "U.S. President Donald Trump, together with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, meets North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at the Joint Security Area, becoming the first sitting U.S. president to step foot in North Korea. Trump also invites Kim to the White House to resume talks about denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula."}
{"document": ["Princess Haya bint al-Hussein with her husband at Royal Ascot in 2010. She failed to appear at this year’s event MAX MUMBY/INDIGO/GETTY IMAGES\n\nThe younger wife of the ruler of Dubai, the billionaire race horse owner Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, is believed to be staying in a town house near Kensington Palace after fleeing her marriage.\n\nPrincess Haya bint al-Hussein, 45, has not been seen in public for weeks. One half of one of the sporting world’s most celebrated couples, she failed to appear at Royal Ascot last month with her husband.\n\nSince then the Middle East has been flooded with reports that the two have fallen out and that the princess took their children, aged 11 and seven, first to Germany and then to Britain. There were reports yesterday that Princess Haya was gearing up for a legal battle in Britain.\n\nThe princess is close to the Queen through their shared love of horses MAX MUMBY/INDIGO/GETTY IMAGES\n\nShe is thought to be…", "A DIPLOMATIC crisis has apparently been sparked between Germany and the United Arab Emirates after Princess Haya reportedly left her husband – who rules Dubai – in fear of her safety.\n\nSo who is Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein and why has she left Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum?\n\nPrincess Haya is the second wife of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum – Prime Minister and ruler of Dubai.\n\nThe 45-year-old is the younger half-sister of King Abdullah II of Jordan.\n\nShe was educated at Oxford University, and represented Jordan at the Sydney Olympics in 2000, in showjumping.\n\nAccording to her official website, \"sport has been a dominant part of life for Princess Haya since childhood.\n\n\"Having experienced the power of sport in her own life, she works tirelessly to give others, especially young girls, a similar experience.\"\n\nShowjumping remains a strong passion, with the royal being a former president of the International Equestrian Federation, and a member of the International Olympic Committee.\n\nHer website explains that she has \"been motivated by the belief that sport improves lives, empowers women and breaks down barriers between people and nations.\"\n\nApart from being involved in humanitarian work, Princess Haya is also the vice-president of the Royal Windsor Horse Show and, up until recently, was regularly photographed at this and other major events on the racing calendar.\n\nIn an interview with Emirates Woman three years ago, Princess Haya said that she \"always wanted to be a journalist\" as she's \"passionate about newspapers and magazines\".\n\nShe spoke glowingly about her two children, daughter Sheikha Al Jalila, and son Sheikh Zayed, who apparently \"loves the desert\" and \"everything that papa does\".\n\nPrincess Haya told the website that Sheikh Mohammed built up a resistance to scorpion stings from a young age, as elders in the tribe purposefully had him and other kids stung to increase their resilience.\n\nShe explained: \"They weren't deathly, but Sheikh Mohammed was always waking up finding scorpions in his bed.\"\n\nEmirates Woman described her as having a \"sparkle in her eyes when she talks about her husband, and her admiration for him and her children is palpable\".\n\nWhy has she left Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum?\n\nIt's not clear, as yet, why Princess Haya has allegedly left her husband.\n\nBut, it's understood that she has taken £31million to start a new life, requested asylum, and filed for divorce.\n\nThe Times reports that she is said to have been granted permission to remain in Germany with the couple's children.\n\nHowever, a mystery remains as to her precise whereabouts, as she's not been seen in public since the second half of last month, and the royal did not accompany her husband at Royal Ascot in June.\n\nAuthorities in Dubai, the UAE federal government and Germany have declined to respond to questions about reports of her disappearance.\n\nBut, The Times says, no one has denied them.\n\nPrincess Haya is said to have told friends she chose to flee to Germany as she “didn’t trust UK authorities to hand her back”.\n\nIt is another blow to the Sheikh, after it was claimed last year that one of his daughters, Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed Al Maktoum, was being kept in Dubai.\n\nShe has not been seen since trying to flee the family’s £75million estate in Surrey in 2000, aged 19.\n\nRelatives say Sheikha Latifa is “safe” in Dubai.\n\nHow has the Sheikh reacted to his wife's disappearance?\n\nHe is said to have asked authorities in Berlin to return the princess, son Zayed, seven, and daughter Al Jalila, 11, to the UAE.\n\nBut they have refused and security officials are said to be protecting her.\n\nThis has sparked a diplomatic crisis between Germany and the UAE.\n\nSince Princess Haya disappeared, Sheikh Mohammed has written two poems, in English and Arabic, alluding to her loss.\n\nIn one, 'Affection in Your Eyes', posted on his poetry website, he appears to lament her fleeing the family home.\n\nHe writes about noticing \"reproach\" in the other person's eyes in his poem, assumed to be addressed to his wife.\n\nA \"fatal arrow\" has \"pierced my soul and left me insane\".\n\nBut, he pleads, \"Let the past be; soften your heart, Forgive my mistakes, and reward my good deeds.\"", "Dubai's billionaire ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, whose daughter Princess Latifa fled the country last year only to be captured and returned, has now found himself in a similar situation, except that this time it is his wife who has left the United Arab Emirates (UAE).\n\nAccording to media reports, Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, the sixth wife of the Sheikh, has fled the UAE with a huge amount of cash and her children. She reportedly took 31 million pounds (US $39.3 million) and their two children and is seeking a divorce.\n\n45-year-old Princess Haya is said to have fled to Germany with her son and daughter, according to a report in the British tabloid The Sun. The report said that she has not been seen since February.\n\nShe has sought asylum in Germany and has filed for divorce from her husband. Her decision to flee to Germany has sparked a diplomatic crisis with Berlin denying Dubai ruler's request to return the princess and her two children.\n\nAlso Read: Why Latifa Al Maktoum, Dubai ruler's daughter, fled UAE: Her story in her own words\n\nThe Sheikh who is also vice-president and prime minister of the UAE had asked authorities in Berlin to return the princess along with son Zayed and Al Jalila, aged 7 and 11 respectively. Not only that his request was denied, but German authorities are also providing security to the princess who is a known face in social and diplomatic circles.\n\nUnconfirmed reports in Arab media say that she was helped by a German diplomat in her \"escape\" from Dubai.\n\nAccording to her biography on her website, the princess is the daughter of King Hussein, the former ruler of Jordan, and half-sister of King Abdullah II, the current ruler of Jordan.\n\nAlso Read: See pics: UAE says Dubai Princess Latifa - rumoured to be dead - is alive and well\n\nThe Oxford-educated princess married the Dubai ruler in 2004. According to her website, she is a former Olympic athlete, a humanitarian, a UN Messenger of Peace, a former member of the International Olympic Committee, former President of the International Equestrian Federation and the first Jordanian woman to hold a license to drive heavy trucks.\n\nShe is regularly photographed at UN events, government functions and even horse races.\n\nWith one of his wives leaving him, it has come as a huge blow for Sheikh Mohammed whose daughter Sheikha Latifa fled the country last year. In March last year, Princess Latifa fled the country by sea but was captured off Goa coast by Indian authorities. She was subsequently returned to Dubai and has not been seen publicly ever since.", "LONDON: Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, the sixth wife of Dubai's billionaire ruler, has reportedly fled the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with 31 million pounds and their two children following the break-up of their marriage.\n\nAccording to media reports, the wife of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum - the Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE - is believed to be in hiding in London. The princess, the half-sister of King Abdullah of Jordan, is said to be seeking a divorce after initially fleeing to Germany with her children Jalila, 11, and Zayed, seven where she requested political asylum.\n\nShe is understood to have taken 31 million pounds with her to start a new life, reports say. Oxford-educated Princess Haya has not been seen in public since May 20 and her social media accounts, which are usually full of photos of her charitable work, have not been active since February.\n\nUnconfirmed reports in Arab media say that a German diplomat helped the princess \"escape\" from Dubai, leading to a potential diplomatic crisis between the two countries. It is claimed that German authorities refused a request from Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Maktoum, one of the world's richest men, to return his wife to Dubai.\n\nTwo sources close to the Dubai royal family were cited as saying by media reports that Princess Haya has indeed left the country and is seeking a divorce.\n\nIt comes after one of the Sheikh's daughter's Princess Latifa attempted to flee from her father and Dubai. She was captured on a boat off the Indian coast and has since disappeared, but is believed to have been returned to the UAE.\n\nPrincess Latifa said abuse forced her to flee the kingdom - and human rights groups claim she is being held in captivity in Dubai.\n\nRadha Stirling, Chief Executive of watchdog Detained in Dubai, said, \"Whenever someone applies for political asylum, obviously, it is because their lives are in danger and because they have suffered severe abuses and violations of their human rights. We already know that Princess Latifa, Sheikh Mohammed's daughter, fled the UAE seeking asylum and alleging unspeakable abuse at the hands of her father. Now, it seems, Princess Haya, Sheikh Mohammed's wife, has also fled the country and sought refuge in Germany.\"\n\nShe said that there are now \"serious questions\" about what prompted Princess Haya to flee.", "Dubai’s Princess Haya Bint Al-Hussein has left her husband Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum and fled the United Arab Emirates (UAE).\n\nPrincess Haya reportedly left her husband Al-Maktoum and fled the country with her two children, seven-year-old Zayed and 11-year-old Al Jalila. She is reported to have initially fled to Germany with the help of a German diplomat. Germany is apparently now refusing to return her to the Emirates, despite a request from Al-Maktoum.\n\nHowever, other reports have claimed Princess Haya is currently in hiding in London and has taken £31 million ($39 million) to “start her new life” in the UK capital.\n\nThis comes just a year after one of Al-Maktoum’s children, Princess Latifa, also fled Dubai. The princess went missing off the coast of Goa, India, with US national Jean-Pierre Herve Jaubert, a former French intelligence agent and author. She was later understood to be hiding on a yacht with Jaubert and an unnamed British friend.\n\nAt the time, Princess Latifa explained the reasons for her escape in a YouTube video, claiming she had been “imprisoned, tortured, beaten and censored” by the Emirati royal family.\n\nHowever, Princess Latifa was subsequently captured and returned to the UAE. Following her return the princess disappeared, only being seen alive some eight months later in a photograph alongside Mary Robinson, former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and former President of Ireland.", "Dubai Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein has reportedly fled the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with around 31 million pounds (271 crores) and kids after the marital break-up. The princess is the sixth wife of Dubai's billionaire ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.\n\nAccording to media reports, the Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE --Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum's wife Princess Haya is believed to be hiding in London. She ran away with their two kids and is reportedly south asylum in Germany.\n\n\n\n The princess, the half-sister of King Abdullah of Jordan, is said to be seeking a divorce after initially fleeing to Germany with her children 11-year-old Jalila and 7-year-old Zayed, where she has requested political asylum.\n\nOxford-educated Princess Haya has not been seen in public since May 20 and her social media accounts have not been active since February, says report. She usually used to be active on her accounts and it used to full of photos of her charitable work.\n\nUnconfirmed reports in Arab media say that a German diplomat helped the princess \"escape\" from Dubai, leading to a potential diplomatic crisis between the two countries, reported IANS.\n\nReports say that German authorities refused a request from Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Maktoum to return his wife to Dubai.\n\nRadha Stirling, Chief Executive of watchdog Detained in Dubai said, \"Whenever someone applies for political asylum, obviously, it is because their lives are in danger and because they have suffered severe abuses and violations of their human rights.\n\n\"We already know that Princess Latifa, Sheikh Mohammed's daughter, fled the UAE seeking asylum and alleging unspeakable abuse at the hands of her father,\" she added.\n\n\"Now, it seems, Princess Haya, Sheikh Mohammed's wife, has also fled the country and sought refuge in Germany,\" she said.\n\nPrincess Latifa said abuse forced her to flee the kingdom - and human rights groups claim she is being held in captivity in Dubai", "The wife of the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, has reportedly fled the Persian Gulf kingdom to London with £31 million (over $39 million) following the break-up of their marriage.\n\nPrincess Haya Al Hussein, who is the half-sister of Jordan’s King Abdullah II, is said to be seeking a divorce after initially fleeing to Germany, where she sought political asylum, British tabloid newspaper the Daily Mail reported.\n\nA German diplomat apparently helped the princess, 45, escape from Dubai. There are reports that she has also taken her son Zayed, 7, and daughter Al Jalila, 11, with her.\n\nIt is claimed that German authorities have refused a request from the wealthy ruler of Dubai, who is also the vice president and prime minister of the United Arab Emirates, to return his wife, sparking a diplomatic crisis between Germany and the UAE.\n\nSheikh Mohammed has voiced his fury in an Instagram post, denouncing his wife’s “treachery and betrayal.” He wrote: “Go to whom you get busy with!!!!!?”\n\nPrincess Haya married Sheikh Mohammed in 2004. The end of his marriage is a fresh blow to the Dubai ruler, whose daughter Princess Latifa bint Mohammed Maktoum, 33, sought to escape last year before being captured on a boat off the Indian coast.\n\nHuman rights groups claim she is being held in captivity in Dubai.\n\n“Whenever someone applies for political asylum, obviously, it is because their lives are in danger, and because they have suffered severe abuses and violations of their human rights,” Radha Stirling, chief executive of watchdog Detained in Dubai, said. She added, “We already know that Princess Latifa, Sheikh Mohammed’s daughter, fled the UAE seeking asylum and alleging unspeakable abuse at the hands of her father.\n\n“Now, it seems, Princess Haya, Sheikh Mohammed’s wife, has also fled the country and sought refuge in Germany.”\n\nStirling noted that there are now \"serious questions\" about what prompted Princess Haya to flee.", "Princess Haya bint Hussein, one of the six wives of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, has allegedly run away with her 7-year-old son and 11-year-old daughter, according to the Daily Beast.\n\nPrincess Haya, 45, who is the daughter of the late King Hussein of Jordan, is said to have initially fled to Germany, taking nearly $40 million with her to start a new life.\n\nThe princess, who was last seen in public in May, requested asylum and Germany has approved her application “in principle”, the Daily Beast reports citing anonymous sources familiar with the matter.\n\nBerlin is alleged to have turned down a request from Sheikh Maktoum to bring his wife back to Dubai – a move that could potentially cause a diplomatic crisis between the two countries.\n\nIt is claimed that she is currently hiding at a secret location in London. Her social media accounts have been inactive since February.\n\nPrincess Haya is also reported to be seeking a divorce from her royal husband. They married in 2004 and she has been photographed alongside Sheikh Maktoum at events in the UAE and abroad.\n\nThe princess has been engaged in charity work and has served as goodwill ambassador for the World Food Programme and the Organisation for Animal Health.\n\nThere has been no immediate confirmation from the UAE or Germany about the reports.\n\nLast March, it was widely reported that Princess Latifa, the daughter of the Dubai ruler and his another wife, tried to escape from the country but was caught on a vessel in the Indian Ocean and returned home.\n\nPrincess Latifa complained of mistreatment at home in a pre-recorded video, but in late 2018 the UAE’s Foreign Ministry released photos of Her Highness meeting in Dubai with Mary Robinson, an erstwhile High Commissioner for Human Rights.\n\nThe ministry said in a communique that it denied “false allegations” about the princess and that “Mary Robinson was reassured that Sheikha Latifa is receiving the necessary care and support she requires”.", "The wife of the ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, has reportedly fled the Persian Gulf kingdom to London with £31 million (over $39 million) following the break-up of their marriage.Princess Haya Al Hussein, who is the half-sister of Jordan's King Abdullah II, is said to be seeking a divorce after initially fleeing to Germany, where she sought political asylum, British tabloid newspaper the Daily Mail reported.It is claimed that German authorities have refused a request from the wealthy ruler of Dubai, who is also the vice president and prime minister of the United Arab Emirates, to return his wife, sparking a diplomatic crisis between Germany and the UAE.Sheikh Mohammed has voiced his fury in an Instagram post, denouncing his wife's \"treachery and betrayal.\" He wrote: \"Go to whom you get busy with!!!!!?\"Princess Haya married Sheikh Mohammed in 2004.\"Now, it seems, Princess Haya, Sheikh Mohammed's wife, has also fled the country and sought refuge in Germany.\"Stirling noted that there are now \"serious questions\" about what prompted Princess Haya to flee.", "A legal battle between two of the most prominent Middle Eastern royals has been launched in the London courts amid claims that the UK government has been lobbied over the case.\n\nPrincess Haya bint al-Hussein, daughter of the late King Hussein of Jordan, and her husband, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai, are understood to have parted. They are now engaged in a formal dispute in the high court. The case began after she fled Dubai and is due to resume later this month.\n\nThe Emirati royal family has already been in the spotlight over the case of Princess Latifa, Sheikh Mohammed’s daughter, who allegedly escaped Dubai and was subsequently seized off the coast of India by commandos and forcibly returned to her home.\n\nEmirati authorities dismissed the allegations over Princess Latifa’s treatment and abduction at the time as fiction, saying that she was “vulnerable to exploitation” and had been kidnapped.\n\nPrincess Haya is close to the British royal family and owns an £85m house near Kensington Palace. Unusually, she has not been seen at Ascot this summer despite being a keen equestrian and regular racegoer. She is believed to be in the UK.\n\nShe married the billionaire Sheikh Mohammed in 2004 and is his sixth wife. The princess was educated at private schools in the UK and studied philosophy, politics and economics at Oxford University. She has served on the International Olympic Committee and has been a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations world food programme.\n\n\n\nRequests are alleged to have been made to the UK through private Dubai channels seeking her return to the United Arab Emirates and she is believed to have been concerned about her personal safety in the UK. The Foreign Office, however, is understood to regard the matter as a private dispute.\n\nThe UAE’s embassy in London has denied that it has been involved in any discussion of Princess Haya’s presence in the UK.\n\n\n\nA spokesperson for the UAE embassy said: “The UAE government does not intend to comment on allegations about individuals’ private lives. As for whether it has raised such an issue with its German or British counterparts, the answer is no.”\n\nThe princess was reported to have travelled initially from Dubai to Germany and supposedly sought asylum there.\n\n\n\nRadha Stirling, chief executive of the campaign group Detained in Dubai, which follows events in the Gulf state closely, said: “We already know that Princess Latifa, Sheikh Mohammed’s daughter, fled the UAE seeking asylum and alleging unspeakable abuse at the hands of her father. Now, it seems, Princess Haya, Sheikh Mohammed’s wife, has also fled the country and sought refuge in Germany.\n\n\n\n“Obviously, this raises serious questions as to what prompted her to flee … She is, after all, a free adult woman, and the sister of the King of Jordan; yet apparently, she feels unsafe.”\n\n\n\nLawyers for Sheikh Mohammed declined to comment about the case."], "summary": "Princess Haya bint Hussein of Jordan fled her husband Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, with their two children in fear for her life. The family fled to London via Germany seeking asylum, and a high profile court battle over non-repatriation and custody of the children is anticipated."}
{"document": ["Police in Toyonaka, Osaka Prefecture, have arrested a 38-year-old man after he kept his mother’s body in their apartment for a year.\n\nAccording to police, Ryotaro Taniguchi, a company employee, lived with his mother – who was bedridden -- until she died at the age of 76 in June last year. He was quoted by police as saying his mother died of an illness and that he didn’t want to spend money on a funeral for her.\n\nOn Friday, Taniguchi told a work colleague about his mother and his colleague contacted police who found the woman’s skeletonized remains in a futon.\n\nPolice are investigating to see whether Taniguchi continued to receive his mother's pension payments after her death.\n\n© Japan Today", "Police in Koshigaya, Saitama Prefecture, said Friday they have arrested a 53-year-old unemployed man for not reporting the death of his 86-year-old father so that he could keep collecting the dead man’s pension.\n\nAccording to police, Kiyotaka Koike’s father Sueo died last December, reportedly of natural causes. Koike didn’t notify the authorities and kept the body in the house.\n\nKoike, who was arrested Thursday on a charge of abandoning a body, was quoted by police as saying he had no money to pay for a funeral and that he needed his father’s pension for living expenses.\n\nThe body was found on June 4 when a city welfare official visited the house after not having heard from Sueo for a long time. The body was wrapped in a blanket lying on a futon in a bedroom.\n\n© Japan Today", "OSAKA (TR) – Osaka Prefectural Police have arrested a 38-year-old man after he was found to have lived with the corpse of his mother in their residence in Toyonaka City for the past year, reports the Sankei Shimbun (June 29).\n\nOn Friday, police arrested Ryotaro Taniguchi, a company employee, after the discovery of the skeletal remains atop a futon in a room at the residence he shared with his mother in the Kumanocho area.\n\nOfficers later accused Taniguchi of abandoning a corpse. “My mother died a natural death,” the suspect told police. “I couldn’t pay for a funeral.”\n\nTaniguchi said that his mother died at the age 76 in June of last year. She was bedridden at the time.\n\nEarlier on the day of the discovery, Taniguchi told a colleague at work, “My mother is dead at home.” The colleague then tipped off police.", "The body of a 16-year-old girl, who went missing two weeks ago, was found inside a well in Thiruvananthapuram district and police have arrested her mother and lover from Tamil Nadu. (Representational Image)\n\nThiruvananthapuram: The body of a 16-year-old girl, who went missing two weeks ago, was found inside a well in Thiruvananthapuram district and police have arrested her mother and lover from Tamil Nadu.\n\nThe body was found in a highly decomposed state from an unused well at Nedumangad on Saturday.\n\nPolice said investigations began after the girl's grandmother complained that her granddaughter and daughter were missing, police said.\n\n\"We got a complaint from the grandmother of the victim that the child and the mother were missing. We found the mother and lover at a place in Tamil Nadu. When we interrogated them, they told us where the body was dumped,\" an investigating officer told PTI.\n\nHe said initially the mother told the police that the girl was found hanging in her room and the duo disposed of the body out of fear.\n\n\"We are yet to ascertain the reason for the death. The body was in a decomposed state. We are waiting for the post-mortem report,\" he said.\n\nThe woman was estranged from her husband."], "summary": "In the second similar case within a week, police in Toyonaka, Japan, arrest Ryotaro Taniguchi for keeping the body of his deceased mother a year after her death. He is quoted as saying he didn't want to pay for the funeral. Police are investigating whether or not Taniguchi continued to receive his mother's pension."}
{"document": ["Afghan officials say Taliban insurgents have killed eight people in a bomb attack targeting election officials in southern Kandahar province.\n\nAziz Ibrahimi, a spokesman for the Independent Election Commission, said Sunday that the employees were in the district of Maruf conducting voter registration, when Saturday night’s attack occurred.\n\nREAD MORE: 2 children among 6 civilians mistakenly killed by security forces in Afghanistan\n\nA defence ministry’s deputy spokesman, Fawad Aman, says Taliban detonated four stolen Humvees full of explosives outside the district’s police headquarter, where the election officials were staying.\n\nWATCH: Attack on police headquarters in Afghanistan by Taliban leaves 13 dead\n\nThe defence ministry did not immediately say whether security forces were also wounded or killed in the explosions.\n\nA spokesman for the Taliban, Qari Yusouf Ahmadi, claimed responsibility for the attack.\n\nREAD MORE: John Walker Lindh, known as the ‘American Taliban,’ set to be released from prison\n\nThe Taliban are currently holding peace talks with the U.S. in Qatar, over ending the country’s long-running war.", "KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Afghan officials say Taliban insurgents have killed eight people in a bomb attack targeting election officials in southern Kandahar province.\n\nAziz Ibrahimi, a spokesman for the Independent Election Commission, said Sunday that the employees were in the district of Maruf conducting voter registration, when Saturday night's attack occurred.\n\nA defense ministry's deputy spokesman, Fawad Aman, says Taliban detonated four stolen Humvees full of explosives outside the district's police headquarter, where the election officials were staying.\n\nThe defense ministry did not immediately say whether security forces were also wounded or killed in the explosions.\n\nA spokesman for the Taliban, Qari Yusouf Ahmadi, claimed responsibility for the attack.\n\nThe Taliban are currently holding peace talks with the U.S. in Qatar, over ending the country's long-running war.", "KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Afghan officials say Taliban insurgents have killed eight people in a bomb attack targeting election officials in southern Kandahar province.\n\nAziz Ibrahimi, a spokesman for the Independent Election Commission, said Sunday that the employees were in the district of Maruf conducting voter registration, when Saturday night's attack occurred.\n\nA defense ministry's deputy spokesman, Fawad Aman, says Taliban detonated four stolen Humvees full of explosives outside the district's police headquarter, where the election officials were staying.\n\nThe defense ministry did not immediately say whether security forces were also wounded or killed in the explosions.\n\nA spokesman for the Taliban, Qari Yusouf Ahmadi, claimed responsibility for the attack.\n\nThe Taliban are currently holding peace talks with the U.S. in Qatar, over ending the country's long-running war.", "KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Afghan officials say Taliban insurgents have killed eight people in a bomb attack targeting election officials in southern Kandahar province.\n\nAziz Ibrahimi, a spokesman for the Independent Election Commission, said Sunday that the employees were in the district of Maruf conducting voter registration, when Saturday night's attack occurred.\n\nA defense ministry's deputy spokesman, Fawad Aman, says Taliban detonated four stolen Humvees full of explosives outside the district's police headquarter, where the election officials were staying.\n\nThe defense ministry did not immediately say whether security forces were also wounded or killed in the explosions.\n\nA spokesman for the Taliban, Qari Yusouf Ahmadi, claimed responsibility for the attack.\n\nThe Taliban are currently holding peace talks with the U.S. in Qatar, over ending the country's long-running war.", "KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Afghan officials say Taliban insurgents have killed eight people in a bomb attack targeting election officials in southern Kandahar province.\n\nAziz Ibrahimi, a spokesman for the Independent Election Commission, said Sunday that the employees were in the district of Maruf conducting voter registration, when Saturday night's attack occurred.\n\nA defense ministry's deputy spokesman, Fawad Aman, says Taliban detonated four stolen Humvees full of explosives outside the district's police headquarter, where the election officials were staying.\n\nThe defense ministry did not immediately say whether security forces were also wounded or killed in the explosions.\n\nA spokesman for the Taliban, Qari Yusouf Ahmadi, claimed responsibility for the attack.\n\nThe Taliban are currently holding peace talks with the U.S. in Qatar, over ending the country's long-running war.", "KABUL, Afghanistan — A complex Taliban attack including a car-bombing and militant assault killed at least 40 people in Kabul on Monday, badly damaging a private war museum, an adjoining television station and a primary school, hurting dozens of children, officials said.\n\nThe attack, apparently aimed at a government facility, came as American and Taliban negotiators met for a third day in Qatar amid hopes for a deal on an American troop withdrawal. But the pace of violence in the 18-year Afghan war has only picked up, with each side increasing attacks.\n\nA senior Kabul defense official put the death toll at six security force members, with an additional 20 of them wounded, and 34 civilians, with at least 63 civilians wounded, a toll that rose later in the day. He spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to release the information.\n\nNooria Nazhat, the spokeswoman for the ministry of education, said that at least 51 students were wounded, including many young children. They were injured when part of their school building near the attack site collapsed from the detonation of a car bomb which began the Taliban attack.", "KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Afghan officials say Taliban insurgents have killed eight people in a bomb attack targeting election officials in southern Kandahar province.\n\nAziz Ibrahimi, a spokesman for the Independent Election Commission, said Sunday that the employees were in the district of Maruf conducting voter registration, when Saturday night's attack occurred.\n\nA defense ministry's deputy spokesman, Fawad Aman, says Taliban detonated four stolen Humvees full of explosives outside the district's police headquarter, where the election officials were staying.\n\nThe defense ministry did not immediately say whether security forces were also wounded or killed in the explosions.\n\nA spokesman for the Taliban, Qari Yusouf Ahmadi, claimed responsibility for the attack.\n\nThe Taliban are currently holding peace talks with the U.S. in Qatar, over ending the country's long-running war.", "KABUL — Afghan officials say Taliban insurgents have killed eight people in a bomb attack targeting election officials in southern Kandahar province.\n\nAziz Ibrahimi, a spokesman for the Independent Election Commission, said Sunday that the employees were in the district of Maruf conducting voter registration, when Saturday night’s attack occurred.\n\nA defence ministry’s deputy spokesman, Fawad Aman, says Taliban detonated four stolen Humvees full of explosives outside the district’s police headquarter, where the election officials were staying.\n\nThe defence ministry did not immediately say whether security forces were also wounded or killed in the explosions.\n\nA spokesman for the Taliban, Qari Yusouf Ahmadi, claimed responsibility for the attack.\n\nThe Taliban are currently holding peace talks with the U.S. in Qatar, over ending the country’s long-running war.", "KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Afghan officials say Taliban insurgents have killed eight people in a bomb attack targeting election officials in southern Kandahar province.\n\nAziz Ibrahimi, a spokesman for the Independent Election Commission, said Sunday that the employees were in the district of Maruf conducting voter registration, when Saturday night’s attack occurred.\n\nA defense ministry’s deputy spokesman, Fawad Aman, says Taliban detonated four stolen Humvees full of explosives outside the district’s police headquarter, where the election officials were staying.\n\nThe defense ministry did not immediately say whether security forces were also wounded or killed in the explosions.\n\nA spokesman for the Taliban, Qari Yusouf Ahmadi, claimed responsibility for the attack.\n\nThe Taliban are currently holding peace talks with the U.S. in Qatar, over ending the country’s long-running war.", "KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Afghan officials say Taliban insurgents have killed eight people in a bomb attack targeting election officials in southern Kandahar province.\n\nAziz Ibrahimi, a spokesman for the Independent Election Commission, said Sunday that the employees were in the district of Maruf conducting voter registration, when Saturday night's attack occurred.\n\nA defense ministry's deputy spokesman, Fawad Aman, says Taliban detonated four stolen Humvees full of explosives outside the district's police headquarter, where the election officials were staying.\n\nThe defense ministry did not immediately say whether security forces were also wounded or killed in the explosions.\n\nA spokesman for the Taliban, Qari Yusouf Ahmadi, claimed responsibility for the attack.\n\nThe Taliban are currently holding peace talks with the U.S. in Qatar, over ending the country's long-running war."], "summary": "40 people are killed and over 100 injured by a car bombing and shooting in Kabul, Afghanistan. The Taliban claims responsibility and loses five gunmen."}
{"document": ["(Last Updated On: July 2, 2019)\n\nThe Qushtepah district of northern Jawzjan province collapsed to the Taliban militants late on Monday night, a provincial council member claimed.\n\nMohammad Sharif, a secretary for the provincial council told Ariana News that the insurgents captured the district after several hours of heavy clashes with the Afghan security forces at around 10 pm on Monday.\n\nAt least 50 Afghan forces were killed and 150 others including army soldiers and security forces were surrendered to the militants after the district fell to the hand of Taliban, Sharif said.\n\nMeanwhile, security officials said that their connections have been cut off with the district since last night.\n\nHowever, the Taliban in a statement claimed that their fighters have captured the district, as a result, 10 soldiers have been killed, 25 injured and 78 others were detained by the militants.", "The Taliban insurgents attacked a security base and several outposts of border forces in Imam Sahib district of northern Kunduz province, local officials said on Sunday.\n\nThe clash broke out after dozens of Taliban insurgents assaulted security base and outposts in the district at around 1 am on Sunday.\n\nSarwar Hussaini, a spokesman for Kunduz police told Ariana News that the clash continued for five hours, in which several Afghan army forces and public police have been killed.\n\nMeanwhile, the Taliban in a statement claimed that their fighters have captured two security outposts in Qarghan Tapa area of Imam Sahib, adding that at least 19 Afghan soldiers were killed, seven wounded and 22 others were detained by the militants.\n\nKunduz is among the insecure provinces in northern Afghanistan where the Taliban militants are actively operating in a number of its districts.", "KABUL: The Taliban group stormed the Afghan security and defense forces outposts in Qush Tapa district of northern Jawzjan province, where there is conflicting reports over death casualties of the security forces.\n\nMinistry of Defense in a statement said the Taliban fighters were pushed back from the district and rejected the district was fallen to the control of the Taliban.\n\n30 Taliban insurgents, including their commanders, were killed and 10 others were wounded, the statement added.\n\nHowever, Mohammad Sharif, secretary of the provincial council, said that the district was overrun by the Taliban group during which 150 Afghan soldiers were captured and 50 others were killed.\n\n“The Taliban took control of Qush Tapa district at 10 P.M. local time,” said Mohammad Sharif.\n\nWahid Wajdan, Jawzjan police chief has confirmed that the contacts with local officials of Qush Tapa district has been cut off. “I neither confirm nor reject the fall of the district at this time.”\n\nOn the other hand, the Taliban group told reporters in a message that insurgents took control of the district, killing 10 security forces, and capturing 78 other security forces. The clashes also wounded 25 security forces, according to the Taliban.\n\nQush Tapa is 70 Km away from the provincial capital of Jawzjan province and the Taliban group were highly active in the province.", "KABUL (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 30th June, 2019) The Taliban have attacked an Afghan army base in northern province of Kunduz, killing at least eight soldiers and wounding more than four, local officials told Sputnik on Sunday.\n\n\"The Taliban stormed an Afghan forces base in Amam Saheb district that killed at least eight Afghan soldiers and wounded four, capturing several others,\" Zargul Alamy, a member of Kunduz provincial council, told Sputnik.\n\nLocal police command has refused to comment on the incident.\n\nThe attack comes as US and Taliban peace talks have entered their second day in the Qatari capital. They are aimed at ending one of the deadliest wars in the region.\n\nTaliban launched its deadliest attack in recent weeks on Friday, killing 43 Afghan security personnel in Baghlan and Kandahar provinces."], "summary": "Taliban militants overran the Qush Tepa district of Jowzjan Province, resulting in the deaths of over 50 Afghan soldiers. Many others were captured."}
{"document": ["A missile struck Cyprus in the early hours of Monday morning, narrowly missing the densely populated capital of Nicosia and crashing on a mountainside. No casualties have been reported. Officials say the missile, believed to be Russian-made S-200, could be a rogue strike whcih saw the missile veering off course after being launched in retaliation to an Israeli airstrike on Syria.\n\nOn Sunday, Israel was accused of targeting Syrian military positions in Homs and Damascus - killing at least 15 people, including six civilians, three of them children. In response, Syria launched their defence system to guard against the incoming Israeli strike, but it appears one of the defence missiles went awry exploding over the holiday island of Cyprus, west of Syria. Hills were set ablaze from the errant missile, in the first time Cyprus has been caught in the crosshairs of the war in Syria - which could risk dragging the holiday hotspot into the conflict. The explosion occurred around 1am in the region of Tashkent, some 20kms northeast of the capital, with the impact being heard for miles around.\n\nSpeaking of the missile, Turkish Cypriot Foreign Minister Kudret Ozersay said: \"The first assessment is that a Russian-made missile... which was part of the air defense system that took place last night in the face of an air strike against Syria, completed its range and fell into our country after it missed.” He said the explosion was thought to have occurred before impact because there were no craters. Mr Ozersay added: “The pieces that fell to several different points prove that the missile exploded in the air before it crashed.” The missile that landed in Cyprus is believed to be one of the defence missiles, used to defend Syria from attack.\n\nMustafa Akinci, the Turkish Cypriot leader, said investigations were underway by the military to establish where the missile originated. He said: “It is evident it is not something stemming from our soil ... It is one of the bad sides of the war in the region falling into our country.” The Syrian military uses the Russian-supplied S-200 surface-to-air missile system to down incoming ballistic missiles. The system uses six missiles, each launched by four solid-fuelled strap-on rocket boosters which have a maximum range of between 150-300km. The missile travels at up to 3,600kph, using advanced guidance systems, before detonating fragmentation bombs in a spread pattern in an attempt to damage and cripple incoming ballistic missiles.", "Still from footage showing surface to air missiles launched by Syrian military in Homs, Syria July 1, 2019.\n\nSixteen people including a baby were killed and 21 were wounded by an Israeli attack on multiple Syrian and Iranian targets on the outskirts of Damascus and Homs, Syrian state-run al-Ikhbariya broadcaster reported. The targets were Iranian arms supplies for Hezbollah.\n\nIsraeli warplanes fired missiles at Syria that targeted Syrian military positions in Homs and Sahnaya, south of Damascus, the Syrian military said on Monday.\n\nMeanwhile, Turkish-held Cyprus said a Syrian anti-aircraft missile that was fired at Israeli jets landed north of Nicosia. No casualties were reported.\n\nAlleged Israeli strikes in Syria, May-July 2019.\n\n\"The first assessment is that a Russian-made missile, part of the air defense system, which was part of the air defense system that took place last night in the face of an air strike against Syria, completed its range and fell into our country after it missed,\" Turkish Cypriot Foreign Minister Kudret Ozersay said in a social media post.\n\nThe object hit a mountainside north of the capital Nicosia.\n\nskip - Syria strike\n\nVery important footage showing probably the #Israeli Delilah cruise missiles above the #Lebanese coast heading to #Syria this night pic.twitter.com/xgDrJfvCZC — Mohamed Mansour 🇪🇬 (@Mansourtalk) July 1, 2019\n\nSyrian air defenses confronted the attack, which was launched from Lebanese airspace, the Syrian defense ministry said in a brief report on its Telegram feed.\n\nThe Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 16 people were killed, among them three children and ten Iranian militias and Hezbollah members. The observatory added that the Israeli Navy also took part in the strike, targeting ten Hezbollah bases, including compounds that were used by Iran's Revolutionary Guards.\n\nStay up to date: Sign up to our newsletter Email * Please enter a valid email address Sign up Please wait… Thank you for signing up. We've got more newsletters we think you'll find interesting. Click here Oops. Something went wrong. Please try again later. Try again Thank you, The email address you have provided is already registered. Close\n\nSANA said the dead included a baby and that other children were among the wounded in Sahnaya. It was unclear whether the civilians were killed in the strike or in the resulting blasts.\n\nSocial media pages affiliated with the Assad regime have been sharing posts saying a man named Anas Albiat and his wife Rama Arnaout. along with their infant son, were killed in the strike.\n\nAccording to the observatory, among the sites hit were Revolutionary Guards' compounds south of Damascus, a strategic research center northwest of Damascus, Hezbollah facilities near the Syrian-Lebanese border, where large fires were reported after several arms depots were hit.\n\nIn addition, a research center in Homs was reportedly struck, in addition to an airbase south of Homs that serves Iranian and Hezbollah forces.\n\nThe Israeli army has yet to comment on the incident.\n\nSyrian state TV station al-Ikhbariya, citing its correspondent, said the pressure of explosions over Damascus had caused damage to some homes in Sahnaya, south of the capital, breaking glass and slightly injuring a number of people.\n\nskip - Remains of Syrian missile in Cyprus\n\nRegarding the crash site in North #Cyprus\n\nOne of the objects I could ID is the remain of an S-200 missile launched from #Syria on the Israeli jets. pic.twitter.com/YR99G75sQ8 — Syrian Military Capabilities (@Syrian_MC) July 1, 2019\n\nState news agency SANA cited its correspondent as saying Syrian air defenses had brought down a number of the missiles.\n\nIn recent years, Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes in Syria that it says have targeted its regional arch foe, Iran, and the Lebanese Hezbollah group, which it calls the biggest threat to its borders.\n\nIran and Hezbollah are fighting on the side of President Bashar Assad in the Syrian war, and Israel says they are trying to turn Syria into a new front against Israelis.\n\nOn June 12, SANA reported that Syrian Air Defenses thwarted an Israeli attack on Tal al-Hara in southern Syria and shot down a number of missiles.\n\nLocated in Daraa Governorate, Tal al-Hara is considered as a strategic hill overlooking the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights.\n\nThe missile attack resulted only in damage and Israel then conducted an “electronic war” in which radars were subjected to interference, SANA added.\n\nHours after the incident, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a message saying that Israel responds \"decisively and forcibly to any attack against us,\" yet did not claim responsibility for the alleged attack.\n\nEarlier in June, Syrian state media said Israeli missiles were fired toward a Syrian military base in Homs, a day after Israel confirmed it had struck Syrian targets on Saturday in retaliation for rocket fire toward the Golan Heights.", "The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed Iran’s announcement Monday that it has breached the limit imposed by the 2015 nuclear agreement on the amount of enriched uranium the country is allowed to stockpile.\n\nThe deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), reached between Tehran and six major world powers—the US, China, Russia, Britain, France and Germany—limited the stockpile to 300 kilograms.\n\nIran warned that it would deliberately exceed this amount in response to the failure of the European signatories to alleviate the re-imposition of punishing US sanctions after the Trump administration unilaterally tore up the nuclear agreement in May of last year.\n\nThe increase in the stockpile is a largely symbolic act, which Tehran insists it is entitled to take under the terms of the agreement in response to Washington’s abrogation of the deal and its “maximum pressure” campaign to strangle the country’s economy. It is not clear whether Iran would have ended up with a larger stockpile in any case, given the difficulty in exporting excess enriched uranium and heavy water as a result of the US sanctions regime.\n\nTehran has set another deadline of July 7, after which it is expected to increase the rate of enrichment of uranium beyond the 3.67 percent limit imposed by the accord. Again, such a step would be of a symbolic character, given that uranium must be enriched to around 90 percent for use in a nuclear weapon. It would have to be increased to 20 percent to significantly reduce the time needed to reach that level.\n\nThe government of the Islamic Republic of Iran has insisted, both before and after the signing of the 2015 agreement, that its nuclear program has been dedicated to peaceful purposes only and that it has never sought nuclear weapons. The predecessor regime, the US-backed puppet dictatorship of the Shah, was actively seeking nuclear weapons capability before its overthrow in the 1979 Iranian Revolution.\n\nThe US State Department responded to the Iranian announcement with a bellicose statement demanding that Iran be barred from enriching uranium “at any level.”\n\n“The Iranian regime, armed with nuclear weapons, would pose an even greater danger to the region and to the world,” the State Department declared. “The United States is committed to negotiating a new and comprehensive deal with the Iranian regime to resolve its threats to international peace and security. As long as Iran continues to reject diplomacy and expand its nuclear program, the economic pressure and diplomatic isolation will intensify.”\n\nThe White House, meanwhile, issued a bizarre statement claiming that “there is little doubt that even before the deal’s existence, Iran was violating its terms.”\n\nUS imperialism has implemented sanctions with the stated aim of reducing Iranian oil exports to zero by targeting any country importing Iranian crude and any financial institutions facilitating such transactions with secondary sanctions and exclusion from US markets.\n\nAt the same time, it has ringed Iran with thousands of additional US troops, a naval armada and a nuclear-capable B-52-led bombing strike force placing the threat of a major regional and even world war on a hair trigger.\n\nTrump himself claimed last month that he called off air strikes that could have triggered a spiraling escalation into a catastrophic conflict with only 10 minutes to spare before bombs and missiles were set to fly. The US bombardment had been ordered in response to Iran’s downing of a $200 million Global Hawk spy drone that Tehran charged had violated Iranian airspace.\n\nThe “new and comprehensive deal” that Washington proposes to negotiate with Iran is based not merely on its complete renunciation of its nuclear program, but also an abject surrender to US dominance in the Middle East that would turn the country into a semi-colony of Washington. As for American “diplomacy”, this consists of an attempt to starve the Iranian population into submission, combined with the relentless buildup to war.\n\nThe response of the European powers to Iran’s announcement of its breach of the cap on its enriched uranium stockpile was muted. There were reports that the European signatories to the deal would issue a joint statement and that French President Emmanuel Macron might be dispatched to Tehran for direct talks with the Iranian government. The immediate aim appears to be to dissuade Tehran from taking the further step of increasing its level of uranium enrichment.\n\nLast Friday, at a meeting in Vienna between Iran and the remaining signatories to the nuclear deal, the European powers announced that they had set up the long-promised EU-Iran exchange mechanism, Instex, had been brought online as a means of allowing European and other companies to do business with Iran, while evading US sanctions.\n\nTehran, while acknowledging the action as a positive step, treated it as too little, too late, demanding that the European powers do more to defy Washington and guarantee Iran the ability to sell its oil on the world market.\n\nThe British government, which is the most closely aligned with Washington and has sent its own military assets into the region, responded with a threat.\n\n“We want to preserve that deal because we don’t want Iran to have nuclear weapons but if Iran breaks that deal then we are out of it as well,” British Foreign Minister Jeremy Hunt, a candidate to succeed Theresa May as prime minister, said Monday.\n\nThe most direct threats, however, came from Israel, which demanded that the European powers retaliate against Iran’s breaching of the stockpile limit by re-imposing sanctions. “You committed to act as soon as Iran violates the nuclear deal, you committed to activate the mechanism of automatic sanctions that were determined by the security council. So I’m telling you: do it. Just do it,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ranted on Monday.\n\nNetanyahu’s statement came in the wake of a major Israeli bombardment of Iranian and Iranian-linked forces deployed in Syria in support of the government of President Bashar al-Assad against the Al Qaeda-linked militias deployed as part of a Western-backed regime change war.\n\nThe strikes, carried out by 10 Israeli warplanes sent into Lebanese airspace as well as Israeli warships, hit at least 10 targets across the country, including an airbase in the suburbs of Damascus. Among the victims were at least six civilians, including an infant and two children. At least another 21 were wounded.\n\nThe Israeli intelligence-linked website Debka reported that the raids had been postponed in advance of unprecedented talks held last week between US National Security Adviser John Bolton, a leading proponent of a US war against Iran, and his Israeli and Russian counterparts. The apparent aim of the discussions was to secure Russia’s collaboration in a bid to drive Iran and Iranian-backed forces out of Syria. Monday’s strikes indicate that Bolton’s bid failed.\n\nThe Jerusalem Post on Monday reported that a debate within the Israeli military and intelligence apparatus has heated up over whether to launch a preemptive strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities.\n\nAccording to the report, one faction believes that “Israel’s military and deterrence are so strong that Jerusalem could order a surgical strike on the Islamic republic’s nuclear facilities and likely avoid a major conflict from Tehran’s proxies,” in particular Lebanon’s Hezbollah militia, which is capable of firing large numbers of rockets at Israeli cities.\n\n“This camp appears ready to order a preemptive strike earlier, possibly before Iran has enough enriched uranium for a bomb, even if it cannot yet deliver the explosive material,” the paper reported. It added that “those calling for putting the preemptive strike option front and center probably have gained at least a temporary upper hand.”\n\nWhether or not the Israeli tail succeeds in wagging the US dog in precipitating an attack on Iran, US imperialism is driven to war by its own crisis and internal contradictions. It is continuing a decades-long campaign to militarily assert its hegemony over the oil-rich Middle East in order to deny or ration its resources to American capitalism’s main rivals, in particular China. The logic of this campaign leads inexorably toward a third world war.", "Syria said Israeli jets attacked several military sites near the capital Damascus and the central city of Homs early Monday, lightly injuring several people.\n\nState news agency SANA said that Syrian air defense had intercepted several of the incoming missiles that were fired from Lebanese airspace.\n\nThe report said explosions damaged some houses and lightly injured several people in Sahnaya, a neighborhood of Damascus.\n\nGet The Times of Israel's Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Free Sign Up\n\nThere was no response from the Israel Defense Forces, which rarely comments on reported strikes.\n\nIsrael accuses Iran of seeking to set up a military presence in Syria that could be used to threaten the Jewish state.\n\nThe Israeli military has acknowledged carrying out hundreds of airstrikes in Syria in recent years on targets linked to Iran, which is backing President Bashar Assad’s regime in the Syrian civil war.\n\nThe reported strikes came just hours after an Israeli satellite imagery analysis company said Syria’s entire S-300 air defense system appeared to be operational, indicating a greater threat to Israel’s ability to conduct airstrikes against Iranian and pro-Iranian forces in the country.\n\nUntil now, only three of the country’s four surface-to-air missile launchers had been seen fully erected at the Masyaf base in northwestern Syria.\n\nIsrael has threatened to destroy the S-300 system if it is used against its fighter jets, regardless of the potential blowback from Russia.", "JERUSALEM, Israel - Israel carried out air strikes against Syrian military targets in Homs and the outskirts of Damascus, killing at least four civilians and wounding 21 others, Syrian state media reported Monday.\n\n\"A military source said that the army air defenses confronted hostile missiles launched by Israeli warplanes at midnight from Lebanese airspace towards some of our military sites in Homs and the surrounding of Damascus,\" SANA reported.\n\nState media said a month-old baby was among those killed in an airstrike on Sahnaya, a neighborhood near Damascus.\n\nWhen asked about the report an Israeli spokeswoman said, \"We don't comment on such reports.\"\n\nThe Syrian Observatory for Human rights, a UK based watchdog group, said Israel was targeting Iranian linked bases, including a base where Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces are headquartered.\n\nSANA reported that the Syrian air defenses intercepted a number of the missiles.\n\nIsrael has carried out hundreds of strikes in Syria that it says have targeted the Iranian-backed Hezbollah terror group.\n\nMonday's air strikes were some the most extensive ones is several months and come after an unprecedented trilateral meeting with Russia and the United States with the goal of counteracting Iranian interests in the region.", "Damascus: Four civilians, including a toddler, were killed and 21 injured in Israeli missile strikes near Damascus late Sunday, Syria's state news agency SANA reported.\n\nAn AFP correspondent in Damascus reported hearing loud explosions during the night. The Syrian news agency said the missiles struck near Damascus and in Homs province.\n\n\"Our air defences confronted enemy missiles launched by Israeli warplanes (...) towards some of our positions in Homs and in the vicinity of Damascus,\" SANA said, quoting a Syrian military source.\n\nNo details were given on the positions. An Israeli military spokeswoman declined to comment on the report.\n\nThe Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor, said the strikes hit several Iranian positions near Damascus and targeted a research centre and a military airport west of the city of Homs where the Hezbollah Shiite movement and Iranians are deployed. Rami Abdel Rahman, the observatory chief, said the strikes injured some of these forces.\n\nIsrael has carried out hundreds of air strikes in Syria since the beginning of the conflict in 2011, targeting forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad and the regime's allies Iran and Hezbollah.", "At least 4 people, including a baby, were killed in the strikes on the Damascus countryside, while 21 others suffered injuries, according to state TV. One of those injured is a month-old baby girl, who suffered burns and facial wounds. Besides the casualties, a number of houses on the outskirts of Damascus suffered “material damage.”\n\nSyrian air defenses have responded to apparent missile attacks in the vicinity of Damascus and Homs, SANA reports, with its military source claiming that a number of ‘hostile targets’ have been intercepted.\n\nThe missiles were launched from Lebanese airspace, where Israeli aircraft were spotted making low-altitude flights around the time of the incident, according to TV channel Al-Mayadeen, Al-Masdar News, and other regional sources.\n\nThe targets allegedly included Mezzeh military airport near Damascus, as well as the nearby towns of Jamraya, Sahnaya, and Daraya. Another site was also targeted in Homs Governorate, near the Lebanese border.\n\nIsrael has repeatedly carried out cross-border raids into Syria in the past, but has rarely admitted this. It has yet to comment on the latest incident. However, in recent weeks, Tel Aviv confirmed striking multiple Syrian Army installations in retaliation for cross-border tensions surrounding the occupied Golan Heights.\n\nDamascus has urged the UN to put an end to these blatant sovereignty violations by Israel on several occasions. The Syrian government believes that Israeli strikes only bolster the fighting spirit of the remaining terrorists in the country.", "CAIRO/BEIRUT (Reuters) - Israeli warplanes fired missiles targeting Syrian military positions in Homs and the Damascus outskirts, the Syrian military said on Monday.\n\nSyrian air defenses confronted the attack, which was launched from Lebanese airspace, the Syrian defense ministry said in a brief report on its Telegram feed.\n\nAn Israeli military spokeswoman, asked about the report, said: “We don’t comment on such reports.”\n\nSyrian state news agency SANA said there were reports the attack had caused civilian deaths and injuries in Sahnaya, south of Damascus. It said a baby had been killed in Sahnaya as “a result of the Zionist aggression”.\n\nSANA also cited its correspondent as saying Syrian air defenses had brought down a number of the missiles.\n\nIn recent years, Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes in Syria that it says have targeted its regional arch foe, Iran, and the Lebanese Hezbollah group, which it calls the biggest threat to its borders.\n\nIran and Hezbollah are fighting on the side of President Bashar al-Assad in the Syrian war, and Israel says they are trying to turn Syria into a new front against Israelis.", "DAMASCUS/BEIRUT (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 01st July, 2019) The recent attack on the outskirts of the Syrian cities of Damascus and Homs was conducted by the Israeli Air Force, a military source told Sputnik.\n\nEarlier in the day, Syrian state television reported that the Syrian Air Defense Force repelled an air attack on the southern outskirts of Damascus and Homs, shooting down at least three missiles.\n\nAccording to a Sputnik correspondent, explosions were heard in the skies above Damascus.\n\n\"The Syrian Air Defense Force repelled the attack of missiles launched by Israeli military aircraft from Lebanese airspace in the direction of our military positions in Homs and near Damascus,\" the source said.\n\nA source in Beirut International Airport confirmed to Sputnik that the attack was conducted by the Israeli military from Lebanon.\n\n\"We observed that before the attack on Syria ten or more Israeli military aircraft entered the airspace,\" the source said.", "Syrian air defenses have responded to apparent missiles attacks in the vicinity of Damascus and Homs, Sana reports, with its military source claiming that a number of ‘hostile targets’ have been intercepted.\n\nAround the time of the incident, Israeli aircraft were spotted making low-altitude flights through the Lebanese airspace, TV-channel Al-Mayadeen and Al-Masdar News report.\n\nIsrael which repeatedly carried out cross-border raids into Syria in the past, but rarely admitted them, has yet to comment on the latest incident. However, in recent weeks, Tel Aviv confirmed striking multiple Syrian Army installations, in retaliation to cross-border tensions surrounding the occupied Golan Heights.\n\nDamascus on several occasions urged the UN to put an end to these blatant sovereignty violations by Israel. The Syrian government believes that Israeli strikes only bolster the fighting spirit of the remaining terrorists in the country.\n\nThink your friends would be interested? Share this story!"], "summary": "Israel strikes multiple Iranian and Syrian military targets outside Damascus and Homs, killing 16 people and wounding 21."}
{"document": ["NICOSIA (Reuters) - An errant missile struck Cyprus early Monday, skimming the densely populated capital Nicosia and crashing on a mountainside in what officials said could have been a spillover of an Israeli strike on Syria and a counter response.\n\nThe explosion occurred around 1 a.m. (2200 GMT Sunday) in the region of Tashkent, also known as Vouno, some 20 kms (12 miles) northeast of Nicosia, with the impact setting hills ablaze and heard for miles around. There were no casualties.\n\nAn Israeli air strike was underway against Syria at the time. Syrian state media said the Syrian air defenses had fired in response to the Israeli attack.\n\n“The first assessment is that a Russian-made missile ... which was part of the air defense system that took place last night in the face of an air strike against Syria, completed its range and fell into our country after it missed,” Turkish Cypriot Foreign Minister Kudret Ozersay said in a post on Facebook.\n\nHe said the explosion was thought to have occurred before impact because there were no craters.\n\n“The pieces that fell to several different points prove that the missile exploded in the air before it crashed,” he said.\n\nCyprus lies west of Syria. Israeli warplanes fired missiles targeting Syrian military positions in Homs - around 310 kilometers (193 miles) from Nicosia - and the Damascus outskirts overnight in an attack that killed at least four civilians and wounded another 21.\n\nThe freak incident would be the first time that Cyprus has been caught in the crosshairs of military operations in the Middle East despite its proximity to the region.\n\nA Greek Cypriot military analyst, Andreas Pentaras, said the debris suggested it was a Russian-made S-200 missile, which can have a range of up to 400 kilometers.\n\n“An assessment from the pictures made public shows the base of its wings. It has Russian writing on it, so it suggests it is Russian made. Syria uses Russian-made missiles, so a not-so-safe assessment would be it was .. an S-200 (missile),” Pentaras, a retired army general, told Sigma TV in Cyprus.\n\nJamming technology could have diverted the missile, he said. Another analyst said that, should the missile hypothesis prove to be correct, it could have been faulty.\n\n“Right now we can’t be absolute but from the pictures and the inscriptions it appears to be an S-200,” analyst Zenonas Tziarras of the Geopolitical Cyprus think-tank told Reuters.\n\nThose missiles were designed to explode in mid-air if they don’t hit a target, he said.\n\nResidents told Cypriot media they saw a light in the sky then three loud explosions were heard for miles around. Tashkent is a small village in the foothills of a mountain range rimming northern Cyprus. Authorities evacuated some homes.", "Turkish Cypriot police cordon off the area after an explosion outside of Tashkent in the Turkish Cypriot breakaway north part of Cyprus.\n\nTurkish Cypriot police cordon off the area after an explosion outside of Tashkent in the Turkish Cypriot breakaway north part of Cyprus.\n\nA SUSPECTED STRAY Russian missile exploded overnight in northern Cyprus, just outside the island’s capital, during an Israeli air raid on Syria.\n\nThe missile defence system may have been set off by Israeli air strikes that killed at least 15 people near Damascus and in Homs province late yesterday, according to a war monitor.\n\nThe charred patch of field left behind in the Tashkent region, known in Greek as Vouno, was cordoned off by authorities.\n\nNo casualties were reported, but the BBC said locals told Cypriot media they had seen a light in the sky and heard three loud explosions.\n\nThe site was just a dozen kilometres from the capital Nicosia – and just over 200 kilometres from the Syrian coast.\n\n“According to preliminary findings, a Russian-made missile — part of an air defence system triggered during an air raid against Syria — fell on our country yesterday evening,” the territory’s foreign minister, Kudret Ozersay, said on Twitter.\n\nRussia supports the Syrian government in the eight-year war against rebel groups, and has provided it with extensive missile defence systems.\n\nThe markings on the debris were the same as those found on an S-200 missile that fell in Turkey last year, Ozersay added.\n\nThe object is thought to have exploded before hitting the ground.\n\nNo one was injured in the blast, which sparked a large fire, according to local media.\n\nThe leader of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Mustafa Akinci, said:\n\nTurkey has had thousands of troops stationed in the northern third of the island since invading in 1974 in response to a Greek military junta-sponsored coup aimed at uniting Cyprus with Greece. Turkey is the only country to recognise the TRNC and UN-sponsored efforts to reunify the island have failed.", "Northern Cyprus explosion: 'Russian-made missile used to fend of Israeli air attack on Syria'\n\nNorthern Cyprus explosion: 'Russian-made missile used to fend of Israeli air attack on Syria'\n\nPart of a missile officials say could be a Russian-made S-200 that landed in Northern Cyprus\n\nA suspected Russian-made missile has landed in Northern Cyprus, exploding in the air above a series of villages, according to officials.\n\nIt is thought the missile may be part of an air defence system fired from Syria in response to an air attack by Israel.\n\nTurkish Cypriot foreign minister Kudret Ozersay said early analysis suggested it could a Russian-made S-200 anti aircraft missile after debris from the object came down on a mountainside north of the capital North Nicosia overnight.\n\nMr Ozersay said in a Facebook post: \"The first assessment is that a Russian-made missile, part of the air defence system, which was part of the air defence system that took place last night in the face of an airstrike against Syria, completed its range and fell into our country after it missed.\n\n\"The explosion is thought to be before the impact, because there were no holes in the ground. The pieces that fell to several different points prove that the missile exploded in the air before it crashed.\"\n\nAP reported that Israeli airstrikes were taking place against targets in Syria around 120 miles (200km) away at the time of the blast.\n\nReuters said Syrian military positions in Homs and the Damascus outskirts came under attack overnight, with at least four civilians said to have been killed and another 21 wounded.\n\nIf confirmed, it would be the first time the island of Cyprus has been caught up in the crossfire of the Syrian war.\n\nDebris from the object landed near the village of Tashkent, also known as Vouno, about 7 miles (12km) northeast of Nicosia, but there were reports that other fragments had landed in Esentepe and Gornec, nearly 18 miles (30km) from Nicosia.\n\nIt resulted in a bang that could be heard for miles around and set the hillside on fire.\n\nImages displayed on media websites showed several blazes over a wide area.\n\nSome debris came down in the gardens of homes, according to Northern Cyprus newspaper Kibris.\n\nThe UK has military bases in the southern part of the island, at Akrotiri and Dhekelia - the latter about 35 miles (55km) from the main blast site .\n\nEarlier, Ersin Tatar, the prime minister of the north of the divided island, said that no one was hurt in the explosion, which occurred about 1am local time.\n\nGreek Cypriot analyst Andreas Pentaras also said images from the scene suggested it was a Russian-made S-200 missile.\n\nS-200s are reported to have also fallen on Jordan and Israel after being fired at Israeli war planes during air strikes on Syria in the last few years.\n\nJanes Defence Weekly said in 2016 Russia had confirmed it had restored Syria's S-200 capability, with at least four batteries operational.\n\nNorthern Cyprus, which is only recognised by Turkey, is partitioned from the ethnically Greek and internationally recognised country of Cyprus.", "Northern Cyprus explosion: Blast from 'Russian-made missile used to fend off Israeli air attack on Syria'\n\nNorthern Cyprus explosion: Blast from 'Russian-made missile used to fend off Israeli air attack on Syria'\n\nPart of a missile officials say could be a Russian-made S-200 that landed in Northern Cyprus\n\nA suspected Russian-made missile has landed in Northern Cyprus after exploding in the air above a series of villages, according to officials.\n\nIt is thought the missile may be part of an air defence system fired from Syria in response to an air attack by Israel.\n\nTurkish Cypriot foreign minister Kudret Ozersay said early analysis suggested it could be a Russian-made S-200 anti-aircraft missile after debris from the object came down on a mountainside north of the capital North Nicosia overnight.\n\nHe called on countries to take \"necessary measures\" to make sure neighbours do not get caught up in conflict.\n\nMr Ozersay told a news conference: \"It is understood that a missile fired from Syria fell here by accident, as a result of being fired in an uncontrolled way by batteries... in response to the intense attacks yesterday evening by Israel.\n\n\"Based on our initial assessment, it is the remains of a missile which is known as S-200 in the Russian system.\"\n\nHe had earlier said on Facebook: \"The explosion is thought to be before the impact, because there were no holes in the ground. The pieces that fell to several different points prove that the missile exploded in the air before it crashed.\"\n\nIf confirmed, it would be the first time the island of Cyprus has been caught up in the crossfire of the Syrian war.\n\nIsraeli airstrikes were taking place against targets in Syria around 120 miles (200km) away at the time of the blast.\n\nSyrian state media said Israeli warplanes fired missiles from Lebanese airspace at military positions in the central province of Homs and suburbs of the capital, killing four civilians and wounding 21.\n\nSyrian news agency SANA said Syrian air defence forces opened fire on the Israeli missiles and put out images which appeared to suggest some targets had been hit.\n\nSANA said the dead included a baby and children were among the wounded but Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 15 people were killed in the airstrike, including six civilians and nine pro-government fighters.\n\nMr Ozersay said: \"Undoubtedly we invite Syria, Israel and other countries in the region to take into account the human and material security of neighbouring countries, to take the necessary measures and for everyone to behave calmly.\"\n\nThere was no immediate comment from Israel.\n\nDebris from the object that hit Northern Cyprus landed near the village of Tashkent, also known as Vouno, about 7 miles (12km) northeast of Nicosia, but there were reports that other fragments had landed in Esentepe and Gornec, nearly 18 miles (30km) from Nicosia.\n\nResidents reported several loud bangs that could be heard for miles around and a blast that set the hillside on fire.\n\nImages displayed on media websites showed several blazes over a wide area.\n\nSome debris came down in the gardens of homes, according to Northern Cyprus newspaper Kibris.\n\nThe UK has military bases in the southern part of the island, at Akrotiri and Dhekelia - the latter about 35 miles (55km) from the main blast site and close to the resort of Ayia Napa.\n\nEarlier, Ersin Tatar, the prime minister of the north of the divided island, said that no one was hurt in the explosion, which occurred about 1am local time.\n\nGreek Cypriot analyst Andreas Pentaras also said images from the scene suggested it was a Russian-made S-200 missile.\n\nS-200s are reported to have also fallen on Jordan and Israel after being fired at Israeli war planes during air strikes on Syria in the last few years.\n\nMr Ozersay said writing on pieces of the missile was similar to that found on an S-200 missile that came down in Gaziantep, Turkey in July 2018.\n\nJanes Defence Weekly said in 2016 Russia had confirmed it had restored Syria's S-200 capability, with at least four batteries operational.\n\nNorthern Cyprus, which is only recognised by Turkey, is partitioned from the ethnically Greek and internationally recognised country of Cyprus.", "A missile has landed on the side of a mountain in Cyprus in what officials say could be a spillover of an Israeli strike on Syria and a counter response.\n\nThe impact occurred at about 1am (10pm GMT) in the area of Taşkent, also known as Vouno, 12 miles (20km) north-east of Nicosia, with the explosion setting hills ablaze and being heard for miles around. There were no casualties.\n\nAn Israeli airstrike was under way against Syria at the time. Syrian state media said the country’s air defences had fired in response to the attack.\n\nKudret Özersay, the Turkish Cypriot foreign minister, wrote on Facebook: “The first assessment is that a Russian-made missile … which was part of the air defence system that took place last night in the face of an airstrike against Syria, completed its range and fell into our country after it missed.”\n\nHe said the explosion was thought to have occurred before impact because there were no craters. “The pieces that fell to several different points prove that the missile exploded in the air before it crashed,” he said.\n\nCyprus is west of Syria. Israeli warplanes fired missiles targeting Syrian military positions in Homs – about 193 miles from Nicosia – and the Damascus outskirts overnight in an attack that killed at least four civilians and wounded another 21.\n\nThe incident would be the first time Cyprus has been caught in the crosshairs of military operations in the Middle East.\n\nA Greek Cypriot military analyst, Andreas Pentaras, said the debris suggested it was a Russian-made S-200 missile, which can have a range of up to 250 miles.\n\n“An assessment from the pictures made public shows the base of its wings. It has Russian writing on it, so it suggests it is Russian made. Syria uses Russian-made missiles, so a not-so-safe assessment would be it was … an S-200 [missile],” the former army general told Sigma TV in Cyprus.\n\nJamming technology could have diverted the missile, he said. Another analyst said if the missile hypothesis proves to be correct, it could have been faulty.\n\n“Right now, we can’t be absolute, but from the pictures and the inscriptions it appears to be an S-200,” said Zenonas Tziarras of the Geopolitical Cyprus thinktank.\n\nThose missiles were designed to explode in midair if they do not hit a target, he said.\n\nResidents told Cypriot media they saw a light in the sky then heard three loud explosions.Authorities evacuated some homes.", "NICOSIA: An errant missile struck Cyprus early Monday (Jul 1), skimming the densely populated capital Nicosia and crashing on a mountainside in what officials said could have been a spillover of an Israeli strike on Syria and a counter response.\n\nThe explosion occurred around 1 am (2200 GMT Sunday) in the region of Tashkent, also known as Vouno, some 20 km northeast of Nicosia, with the impact setting hills ablaze and heard for miles around. There were no casualties.\n\nAn Israeli air strike was underway against Syria at the time. Syrian state media said the Syrian air defences had fired in response to the Israeli attack.\n\n\"The first assessment is that a Russian-made missile ... which was part of the air defence system that took place last night in the face of an air strike against Syria, completed its range and fell into our country after it missed,\" Turkish Cypriot Foreign Minister Kudret Ozersay said in a post on Facebook.\n\nHe said the explosion was thought to have occurred before impact because there were no craters.\n\n\"The pieces that fell to several different points prove that the missile exploded in the air before it crashed,\" he said.\n\nCyprus lies west of Syria. Israeli warplanes fired missiles targeting Syrian military positions in Homs - around 310 km from Nicosia - and the Damascus outskirts overnight in an attack that killed at least four civilians and wounded another 21.\n\nThe freak incident would be the first time that Cyprus has been caught in the crosshairs of military operations in the Middle East despite its proximity to the region.\n\nA Greek Cypriot military analyst, Andreas Pentaras, said the debris suggested it was a Russian-made S-200 missile, which can have a range of up to 400 km.\n\n\"An assessment from the pictures made public shows the base of its wings. It has Russian writing on it, so it suggests it is Russian made. Syria uses Russian-made missiles, so a not-so-safe assessment would be it was ... an S-200 (missile),\" Pentaras, a retired army general, told Sigma TV in Cyprus.\n\nJamming technology could have diverted the missile, he said. Another analyst said that, should the missile hypothesis prove to be correct, it could have been faulty.\n\n\"Right now we can't be absolute but from the pictures and the inscriptions it appears to be an S-200,\" analyst Zenonas Tziarras of the Geopolitical Cyprus think-tank told Reuters.\n\nThose missiles were designed to explode in mid-air if they don't hit a target, he said.\n\nResidents told Cypriot media they saw a light in the sky then three loud explosions were heard for miles around.\n\nTashkent is a small village in the foothills of a mountain range rimming northern Cyprus. Authorities evacuated some homes.", "At dawn of July 1, 19 kilometers from the capital Nicosia was rocked by a powerful explosion. The sky was lit up with a bright purple flash. The frightened people ran outside, not knowing what was happening. Soon near the village of Tashkent were found large fragments of the rocket. Military experts believe that the missile is Russian-made S-200!\n\nFortunately, no one was hurt. The rocket exploded in the air. On the ground formed a deep crater. Burned a few bushes.\n\nHow do you think the Turkish military (the Northern part of Cyprus is controlled by Turkey), the missile was fired from Syrian territory. Apparently, this was done by the soldiers of the army of Bashar al-Assad. The night the Israeli military fired on Syrian positions in HOMS and Damascus. The attack killed 15 people, including six civilians. This was stated by the state news Agency of Syria SANA. Information was confirmed by the Syrian Observatory for human rights.\n\nSyrian soldiers tried to shoot down Israeli missiles. Used with the S-200, which Russia supplies to Syria. Several Russian-made missiles hit the target. But one flew past and overcome no less than 320 km, exploded over Cyprus.\n\nIf this information is officially confirmed (at the present time experts have carefully studied the pieces, found near Nicosia), Cyprus first came unwittingly embroiled in a military conflict in Syria.\n\nWe read in the Telegram channel, Facebook and Twitter", "NICOSIA (Reuters) – An errant missile struck Cyprus early Monday, skimming the densely populated capital Nicosia and crashing on a mountainside in what officials said could have been a spillover of an Israeli strike on Syria and a counter response.\n\nThe explosion occurred around 1 a.m. (2200 GMT Sunday) in the region of Tashkent, also known as Vouno, some 20 kms (12 miles) northeast of Nicosia, with the impact setting hills ablaze and heard for miles around. There were no casualties.\n\nAn Israeli air strike was underway against Syria at the time. Syrian state media said the Syrian air defenses had fired in response to the Israeli attack.\n\n“The first assessment is that a Russian-made missile … which was part of the air defense system that took place last night in the face of an air strike against Syria, completed its range and fell into our country after it missed,” Turkish Cypriot Foreign Minister Kudret Ozersay said in a post on Facebook.\n\nHe said the explosion was thought to have occurred before impact because there were no craters.\n\n“The pieces that fell to several different points prove that the missile exploded in the air before it crashed,” he said.\n\nCyprus lies west of Syria. Israeli warplanes fired missiles targeting Syrian military positions in Homs – around 310 kilometers (193 miles) from Nicosia – and the Damascus outskirts overnight in an attack that killed at least four civilians and wounded another 21.\n\nThe freak incident would be the first time that Cyprus has been caught in the crosshairs of military operations in the Middle East despite its proximity to the region.\n\nA Greek Cypriot military analyst, Andreas Pentaras, said the debris suggested it was a Russian-made S-200 missile, which can have a range of up to 400 kilometers.\n\n“An assessment from the pictures made public shows the base of its wings. It has Russian writing on it, so it suggests it is Russian made. Syria uses Russian-made missiles, so a not-so-safe assessment would be it was .. an S-200 (missile),” Pentaras, a retired army general, told Sigma TV in Cyprus.\n\nJamming technology could have diverted the missile, he said. Another analyst said that, should the missile hypothesis prove to be correct, it could have been faulty.\n\n“Right now we can’t be absolute but from the pictures and the inscriptions it appears to be an S-200,” analyst Zenonas Tziarras of the Geopolitical Cyprus think-tank told Reuters.\n\nThose missiles were designed to explode in mid-air if they don’t hit a target, he said.\n\nResidents told Cypriot media they saw a light in the sky then three loud explosions were heard for miles around. Tashkent is a small village in the foothills of a mountain range rimming northern Cyprus. Authorities evacuated some homes.", "An object which caused an overnight explosion in the Turkish-recognized Northern Cyprus could be a \"Russian-made\" air defense missile that missed its target during an Israeli raid on Syria, local authorities claimed.The projectile that landed in Northern Cyprus on Sunday night could be \"a Russian-made S-200 air defense missile,\" according to Kudret Ozersay's posts on Facebook and Twitter. The official suggested thatthat was reportedly found in the southeastern Turkish province of Gaziantep back in 2018, Ozersay added.However, he said that the\"Although we are not certain, our first findings [indicate] that this was an S-200 missile,\" his post read.The explosion in question occurred on Sunday night in the neighborhood of Tashkent (otherwise known as Vouno), some 20km northeast of Nicosia.State media said the strike left at least three soldiers killed and seven others wounded in the Damascus and eastern Quneitra areas.", "NICOSIA (Reuters) - An errant missile struck Cyprus early Monday, skimming the densely populated capital Nicosia and crashing on a mountainside in what officials said could have been a spillover of an Israeli strike on Syria and a counter response.\n\nThe explosion occurred around 1 a.m. (2200 GMT Sunday) in the region of Tashkent, also known as Vouno, some 20 kms (12 miles) northeast of Nicosia, with the impact setting hills ablaze and heard for miles around. There were no casualties.\n\nAn Israeli air strike was underway against Syria at the time. Syrian state media said the Syrian air defences had fired in response to the Israeli attack.\n\n“The first assessment is that a Russian-made missile ... which was part of the air defense system that took place last night in the face of an air strike against Syria, completed its range and fell into our country after it missed,” Turkish Cypriot Foreign Minister Kudret Ozersay said in a post on Facebook.\n\nHe said the explosion was thought to have occurred before impact because there were no craters.\n\n“The pieces that fell to several different points prove that the missile exploded in the air before it crashed,” he said.\n\nCyprus lies west of Syria. Israeli warplanes fired missiles targeting Syrian military positions in Homs - around 310 kilometres (193 miles) from Nicosia - and the Damascus outskirts overnight in an attack that killed at least four civilians and wounded another 21.\n\nThe freak incident would be the first time that Cyprus has been caught in the crosshairs of military operations in the Middle East despite its proximity to the region.\n\nA Greek Cypriot military analyst, Andreas Pentaras, said the debris suggested it was a Russian-made S-200 missile, which can have a range of up to 400 kilometres.\n\n“An assessment from the pictures made public shows the base of its wings. It has Russian writing on it, so it suggests it is Russian made. Syria uses Russian-made missiles, so a not-so-safe assessment would be it was .. an S-200 (missile),” Pentaras, a retired army general, told Sigma TV in Cyprus.\n\nJamming technology could have diverted the missile, he said. Another analyst said that, should the missile hypothesis prove to be correct, it could have been faulty.\n\n“Right now we can’t be absolute but from the pictures and the inscriptions it appears to be an S-200,” analyst Zenonas Tziarras of the Geopolitical Cyprus think-tank told Reuters.\n\nThose missiles were designed to explode in mid-air if they don’t hit a target, he said.\n\nResidents told Cypriot media they saw a light in the sky then three loud explosions were heard for miles around. Tashkent is a small village in the foothills of a mountain range rimming northern Cyprus. Authorities evacuated some homes."], "summary": "A stray Syrian S-200 missile fired in response to the Israeli strikes crashes and explodes on a mountain near Vouno in Northern Cyprus, located 20 km (12 miles) northeast of Nicosia, causing no injuries but starting a fire."}
{"document": ["", "(Hatha al-Youm | Iraq News )- ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi issued a decree on Monday ordering the integration of the Iranian-backed Shia Hashd al-Shaabi militia forces into the formal armed forces of the country, a move to curb the power of influential militias and please the US.The move comes two weeks after a series of unclaimed attacks targeted Iraqi bases hosting US forces as well as sites where American energy companies operate.“In the interest of the public good and as per the powers granted to us by the constitution ... the following is decreed: all Hashd al-Shaabi forces are to operate as an indivisible part of the armed forces and be subject to the same regulations,” as the country’s other security forces, the decree read.Hashd al-Shaabi militias, also known as the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), played a role in defeating the Islamic State in Iraq following the emergence of the terrorist group in 2014.The at-times controversial militia groups also have significant influence over politics in the country. Its leaders formed the al-Fatih (Conquest) coalition and came in second in Iraq’s 2018 parliamentary elections with 48 seats, right behind Sairon’s 53 seats, headed by Iraq’s pocular Shia cleric, Muqtada al-Sadr.Soon after Abdul-Mahdi issued the decree, Sadr, who presents himself as a nationalist opposing both Washington and Tehran’s influence, announced his support for the move and urged his own militia group to fold into the Iraqi armed forces’ apparatus.“What came from the prime minister [on the Hashd al-Shaabi] is an important thing and a good first step toward building a strong state,” Sadr said in a statement on his Twitter account.The decree also comes as tensions continue to grow between Washington and Tehran, with the US trying to mobilize Gulf countries to form an alliance against Iran, which aims to curb Iran’s “destabilizing influence in the region.”Editing by Nadia Riva", "BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi sought on Monday to curb the powers of influential Iranian-backed Shi’ite Muslim militias, a politically risky move apparently aimed at placating the United States.\n\nTwo weeks after the first of several unclaimed attacks on bases in Iraq hosting U.S. forces and on a site used by a U.S. energy firm, Abdul Mahdi issued a decree ordering militias to integrate more closely into the formal armed forces.\n\nLocal officials blamed the Shi’ite militias for one of the incidents, but Iran has not commented. At a time of sharply heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had told Iraqi leaders during a surprise visit to Baghdad in May that if they failed to keep in check Iran-backed militias, the United States would respond with force.\n\n“In the interest of the public good and as per the powers granted to us by the constitution ... the following is decreed: all Popular Mobilisation Forces are to operate as an indivisible part of the armed forces and be subject to the same regulations,” the decree said.\n\nThe militias, which helped Iraqi and U.S.-led international coalition forces drive out occupying Islamic State militants under an umbrella grouping known as the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), have broad influence in Iraqi politics.\n\nAn electoral alliance made up of militia leaders and fighters came second in a 2018 parliamentary election and went on alongside firebrand cleric Moqtada al-Sadr - whose political group came first - to jointly nominate Abdul Mahdi as premier.\n\nAbdul Mahdi is an independent who does not belong to any political group and has no personal allies in parliament.\n\nSadr, who presents himself as a nationalist opposing both Washington and Tehran’s influence, was quick to declare his support for Abdul Mahdi’s decree and announce the severing of ties with his own militia, which he urged to integrate into the armed forces.\n\n“What came from the prime minister on the PMF is an important thing and a correct first step towards building a strong state,” Sadr said in a statement.\n\nThere was no immediate comment from Iran-allied militia leaders. Tensions between Washington and its Gulf Arab allies on one side and Tehran and its proxies in the region on the other, have been flaring for months.\n\nThe PMF already reports to the prime minister, who is the commander-in-chief of Iraq’s armed forces, but Abdul Mahdi’s decree forces groups that make up the PMF to choose between political and paramilitary activity.\n\nThose who choose to integrate into the military must abandoned their old names and sever ties to political groups. Those who choose politics will not be allowed to carry weapons, the decree said. Headquarters, economic offices, and checkpoints manned by militias are to be shut down.\n\nGroups have until July 31 to abide by the new regulations. Those that do not will be considered outlaws.", "Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi issued a decree on Monday heavily curbing the powers of mostly Iranian-backed militias and forcing them to integrate more closely into the formal armed forces.\n\nThe militias, which helped Iraqi and US-led international coalition forces to drive out ISIS militants under an umbrella grouping known as the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU), have broad influence in Iraqi politics.\n\n \n\n An electoral alliance made up of militia leaders and fighters came second in a 2018 parliamentary election.\n\n \n\n The PMU already reports to the prime minister, who is the commander-in-chief of Iraq’s armed forces, but Abdul Mahdi’s decree forces groups that make up the PMU to choose between political and paramilitary activity.\n\nGroups have until July 31 to abide by the new regulations.\n\n \n\n The order came two weeks after three mortar shells landed on Balad military base, the first of several unclaimed attacks in recent days on bases in Iraq hosting US forces and on a site used by a US energy firm.\n\n \n\n Local officials blamed the militias for one of the incidents, but Iran has not commented.", "BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi issued on Monday a decree heavily curbing the powers of mostly Iran-backed Shi’ite militia groups and forcing them to further integrate into the country’s formal armed forces.\n\nThe militias, which helped Iraqi and U.S. led international coalition forces defeat Islamic State militants, have a lot of influence in Iraqi politics.\n\nAbdul Mahdi’s decree integrates paramilitary units into the military and forces groups to pick between political or military activity. Groups have until July 31 to abide by the new regulations, the decree said.", "Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi has issued a decree curbing the powers of mostly Iranian-backed Shia militias and forcing them to integrate into Iraq's formal armed forces - a politically risky move seemingly aimed at placating the United States.\n\n\"In the interest of the public good and as per the powers granted to us by the constitution ... the following is decreed: All Popular Mobilisation Forces are to operate as an indivisible part of the armed forces and be subject to the same regulations,\" the decree, issued on Monday, said.\n\nThe armed groups - known collectively as the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) - helped Iraqi and US-led international coalition forces drive out occupying Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIS) fighters, and now have broad influence in Iraqi politics.\n\nAn alliance of militia leaders and fighters came second in a 2018 parliamentary election.\n\nThe PMF already reports to the prime minister, who is the commander-in-chief of Iraq's armed forces, but Abdul Mahdi's decree forces groups that make up the PMF to choose between political and paramilitary activity.\n\nThose who choose to integrate into the military must abandon their old names and sever ties to political organisations. Those who choose politics will not be allowed to carry weapons, the decree said.\n\nHeadquarters, economic offices, and checkpoints manned by militias are to be shut down.\n\nGroups will be considered outlaws if they do not comply by July 31 with the new regulations, which come amid mounting tensions between the US and Iran, with Iraq seen as a possible site for any violent flare-up between the two rivals.\n\nAl Jazeera's Mohammed Jamjoom, reporting from the Iraqi capital Baghdad, described the decree as \"significant\" and said it marked the latest in a series of moves by Abdul Mahdi's administration concerning the PMF and \"their workflow within the military establishment\".\n\n\"There has been concern, especially in the US, that there are factions within those groups that are affiliated with Iran and that they could pose a threat to Iraq and to US interests and personnel inside of Iraq,\" Jamjoom said.\n\n\"Because of mounting tension in the region between the US and Iran, there is a lot of focus right now on these militia groups inside of Iraq that might be affiliated with Iran,\" he added. \"There has been building pressure on Abdul Mahdi to try to rein in Iranian influence inside of Iraq and to try to ensure that Iran does not play an oversized role right now in Iraq.\"\n\nMonday's decree came two weeks after three mortar shells landed on Balad military base, the first of several recent unclaimed attacks on bases in Iraq hosting US forces, and on a site used by US oil giant ExxonMobil.\n\nLocal officials blamed the militias for one of the incidents, but Iran has not commented.\n\nThe US, meanwhile, evacuated hundreds of diplomatic staff from its embassy in Baghdad last month, citing unspecified threats from Iran, and has deployed thousands more troops to the Middle East since May.\n\nWashington has also blacklisted Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which has ties to a number of armed groups operating in Iraq, as a \"terrorist group\". Iran has done the same to US forces operating in the Middle East.\n\nUS Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Iraqi leaders during a surprise visit to Baghdad in May if they failed to keep in check Iran-backed militias, Washington would respond with force.", "(Hatha al-Youm | Iraq News )- Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi has issued a decree that further integrates the Popular Mobilization Forces, which have proven a decisive force in Baghdad’s counter-terrorism operations, into the country's armed forces.\"In the interest of the public good and as per the powers granted to us by the constitution...the following is decreed: All Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) are to operate as an indivisible part of the armed forces and be subject to the same regulations,\" read the decree, which was issued on Monday, AFP reported.The fighters, also known as Hashd al-Sha’abi, joined forces with the military in 2014 after the Takfiri terror group of Daesh launched a campaign of bloodshed and destruction against the nation.They effectively contributed to the country’s anti-terror struggle, especially in liberation of Daesh-held areas lying to the south, northeast, and north of the capital. The combined push -- reinforced by Iraq’s allies, including Iran, which has been lending military advisory support to the Iraqi military -- led to Daesh’s expulsion in late 2017.This prompted Abdul Mahdi’s predecessor Haider al-Abadi to order the PMU’s formal inclusion in the Arab country's security forces last March. That order granted the PMU many of the same rights as members of the military.However, the United States, which has been leading scores of its allies in a so-called anti-Daesh coalition in Iraq despite the group’s demise, has systematically found fault with the PMU’s involvement in Iraq’s defensive affairs.In May, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had told Iraqi leaders during a surprise visit to Baghdad that if they failed to exercise more control on the fighters, Washington would respond with force.Influential Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sar celebrated Abdul Mahdi’s decision, though, announcing that he would sever its ties with the fighters under his support, and urged them to integrate more closely into the military.\"What came from the prime minister on the PMU is an important thing and a correct first step towards building a strong state,\" Sadr said in a statement.", "BAGHDAD — Iraq’s government moved Monday night to control powerful Iran-backed militias in the country, placing them under the full command of the Iraqi armed forces.\n\nIn a decree, Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi said offices of militias that continue to operate independently within or outside Iraqi cities will be closed and any armed faction working “openly or secretly” against the new guidelines will be considered illegitimate. He said the militias will be subject to the same regulations as the army.\n\nThe move comes amid US-Iran tensions and follows several unclaimed attacks near US forces or US interests in Iraq.\n\nGet The Times of Israel's Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Free Sign Up\n\nUS Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in May told Iraqi leaders during a visit to Baghdad that if they don’t rein in the militias the US will resort to using force, Reuters reported.\n\nAccording to the report the militias have until July 31 to comply or they will be considered outlaws.\n\nThe militias fall under the umbrella of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces, a collection of mostly Shiite militias that fought the Islamic State group and were incorporated into the Iraqi armed forces in 2016. Together they number more than 140,000 fighters, and while they fall under the authority of Iraq’s prime minister, the PMF’s top brass are politically aligned with Iran.\n\nSeveral powerful groups welcomed Abdul-Mahdi’s decree, but it was not immediately clear if they would fully abide by the order — and implementation could prove tricky.\n\nKataeb Hezbollah, one of the most powerful of the militias, was among those welcoming the order, saying its forces within Iraq would implement it. But it added that its men fighting outside Iraq would not abide by the new rules — an apparent reference to the group’s fighters taking part in the war in neighboring Syria alongside Syrian President Bashar Assad’s forces.\n\nMembers of the group comprised the majority of protesters outside the Bahraini Embassy in the Iraqi capital that was stormed this week in anger over Bahrain’s hosting of a US-backed conference to promote peace between Arabs and Israelis. An official with the group denied they stormed the embassy.\n\nPopulist Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr also welcomed the move by Abdul-Mahdi, saying his faction known as the Peace Brigades, or Saraya al-Salam in Arabic, would implement it. In a tweet, he described the decision as an important “first step” toward building a state, but he also expressed concern that the decision would not be implemented properly.\n\nQais al-Khizali, the leader of one of the most powerful Iranian-backed Shiite militias in Iraq, also tweeted that the move to integrate the PMF in the armed forces is a step in the right direction.\n\nSome of the mainly Shiite Iran-backed militias rose to prominence after the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, when they fought US occupation of the country. In more recent years, the militias fought alongside US-backed Iraqi troops against IS militants, gaining outsized influence and power along the way. In November 2016, the militias were collectively incorporated into the armed forces based on a parliament vote.\n\nAs tensions soared between the US and Iran in recent weeks, Iraq has found itself caught in the middle between two allies. Iraq hosts more than 5,000 US troops, and it is also home to the powerful Iranian-backed militias, some of whom want the US forces to leave.\n\nThe crisis gripping the Middle East stems from US President Donald Trump’s withdrawal of the United States a year ago from the nuclear deal between Iran and world powers and then imposing crippling new sanctions on Tehran.\n\nLast month, the US ordered the evacuation of nonessential diplomatic staff from Iraq amid unspecified threats from Iran. Since then, there have been a string of attacks on US interests in Iraq, including military bases where American trainers are based and a rocket attack near the US Embassy in Baghdad. No one has claimed responsibility for the attacks.", "In a decree, Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi said offices of militias that continue to operate independently within or outside Iraqi cities will be closed and any armed faction working \"openly or secretly\" against the new guidelines will be considered illegitimate. He said the militias will be subject to the same regulations as the army.\n\nThe militias fall under the umbrella of Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces, a collection of mostly Shiite militias that fought the Islamic State group and were incorporated into the Iraqi armed forces in 2016. Together they number more than 140,000 fighters, and while they fall under the authority of Iraq's prime minister, the PMF's top brass are politically aligned with Iran.\n\nSeveral powerful groups welcomed Abdul-Mahdi's decree, but it was not immediately clear if they would fully abide by the order — and implementation could prove tricky.\n\nKataeb Hezbollah, one of the most powerful of the militias, was among those welcoming the order, saying its forces within Iraq would implement it. But it added that its men fighting outside Iraq would not abide by the new rules — an apparent reference to the group's fighters taking part in the war in neighboring Syria alongside Syrian President Bashar Assad's forces.\n\nMembers of the group comprised the majority of protesters outside the Bahraini Embassy in the Iraqi capital that was stormed this week in anger over Bahrain's hosting of a U.S.-backed conference to promote peace between Arabs and Israelis. An official with the group denied they stormed the embassy.\n\nPopulist Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr also welcomed the move by Abdul-Mahdi, saying his faction known as the Peace Brigades, or Saraya al-Salam in Arabic, would implement it. In a tweet, he described the decision as an important \"first step\" toward building a state, but he also expressed concern that the decision would not be implemented properly.\n\nQais al-Khizali, the leader of one of the most powerful Iranian-backed Shiite militias in Iraq, also tweeted that the move to integrate the PMF in the armed forces is a step in the right direction.\n\nSome of the mainly Shiite Iran-backed militias rose to prominence after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, when they fought U.S. occupation of the country. In more recent years, the militias fought alongside U.S.-backed Iraqi troops against IS militants, gaining outsized influence and power along the way. In November 2016, the militias were collectively incorporated into the armed forces based on a parliament vote.\n\nAs tensions soared between the U.S. and Iran in recent weeks, Iraq has found itself caught in the middle between two allies. Iraq hosts more than 5,000 U.S. troops, and it is also home to the powerful Iranian-backed militias, some of whom want the U.S. forces to leave.\n\nThe crisis gripping the Middle East stems from President Donald Trump's withdrawal of the United States a year ago from the nuclear deal between Iran and world powers and then imposing crippling new sanctions on Tehran.\n\nLast month, the U.S. ordered the evacuation of nonessential diplomatic staff from Iraq amid unspecified threats from Iran. Since then, there have been a string of attacks on U.S. interests in Iraq, including military bases where American trainers are based and a rocket attack near the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. No one has claimed responsibility for the attacks.", "Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi has issued a decree seeking to bring mostly Iran-backed militias under the command of the armed forces.\n\nThe mostly Shiite militias fall under an umbrella grouping known as the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), powerful paramilitary and political forces that fought against the \"Islamic State\" alongside the US-backed Iraqi army.\n\nIn all there are about 140,000 battle-hardened armed men in militias in Iraq.\n\nThe PMF already report to the prime minister, who is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, but their leadership has close ties to Iran.\n\nAbdul Mahdi's decree, issued late Monday, if implemented, would force all PMF militias into the armed forces, abandoning their names and requiring their leaders to choose between paramilitary or political activity.\n\nMilitia headquarters, economic offices and checkpoints are to be closed and those who choose politics would be prevented from carrying weapons, the decree said. Any armed faction working \"openly or secretly\" against the new rules would be considered illegitimate.\n\nThe move comes amid rising US-Iran tensions in the region and worries that Iraq could become a proxy battleground following a series of unclaimed attacks near US forces or their interests in Iraq in recent weeks.\n\nThe United States has urged Iraq to rein in the militias and warned that it would respond with force if US interests were attacked.\n\nIt also comes after the Wall Street Journal reported that US officials have concluded that a drone attack on a Saudi oil pipeline in May originated from Iraq, not Yemen. Abdul Mahdi denied his country was used to stage any attacks.\n\nThe United States has urged Iraq to reign in the militias and warned that it would respond with force if US interests were attacked.\n\nHisham al-Hashimi, a Baghdad-based security expert who advises the Iraqi government, told Reuters that by being formally part of Iraq’s army any attack on the militias would be considered an attack on Iraq.\n\n\"At this time I think Abdul Mahdi was incentivised because of American pressure to put them all in one box in order to protect them, but will they comply? Their compliance hinges on Iran's receptiveness to these orders,\" he said.\n\nThe move is also fraught with potential problems because militia leaders may simply get an upgrade into the formal chain of army command and political ties may not be fully cut. Disbanding 140,000 battle-hardened armed men with few alternative economic prospects has generally been considered to be unrealistic and dangerous.\n\nIt is unclear how Iran or militia leaders would follow the decree.\n\nA political coalition of PMF militia leaders came in second in the 2018 parliamentary elections. The Fatah Alliance alongside a political coalition led by influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr that won the election nominated Abdul Mahdi as prime minister.\n\nAl-Sadr, who has fashioned himself into a populist nationalist leader against the influences of both Washington and Tehran, welcomed Abdul Mahdi's decree and announced he would cut ties with his powerful militia.\n\n\"What came from the prime minister on the PMF is an important thing and a correct first step towards building a strong state,\" Sadr said in a statement.\n\nKataeb Hezbollah, a powerful militia with close ties to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp, also welcomed the order and said it would abide by it. However, it said that its units fighting in Syria alongside President Bashar al-Assad's forces would not follow the rules.\n\nQais al-Khizali, the leader of the Asa'ib Ahl al-Haq, another Iran-backed group, also said he would comply with the new rules.\n\nEvery evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here."], "summary": "Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi signs a decree ordering all Iranian-backed Shia militias to integrate into the Iraqi Armed Forces by the end of July. The decree will change the names of the militias such as the Popular Mobilization Forces to new divisions and brigades within the military."}
{"document": ["Saudi security officers are seen at Saudi Arabia's Abha airport, after it was attacked by Yemen's Houthi group in Abha, Saudi Arabia, June 13, 2019.\n\nA drone attack by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi movement on Abha Airport in Saudi Arabia early on Tuesday left nine people injured, a Saudi-led coalition statement said.\n\nThe Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said in the statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency that the nine civilian injured attack included one Indian and eight Saudis. All were in stable condition.\n\nThe Houthis, who are fighting in neighboring Yemen, have recently stepped up attacks against targets in Saudi Arabia, which is leading a coalition battling them.\n\nA spokesman for the Houthis said the group had carried out a \"large operation\" targeting the airport, according to the group's Al-Masirah TV.\n\nSaudi owned Al-Arabiya TV also said Abha Airport had resumed flights.\n\nA Syrian resident of Saudi Arabia last month died from wounds sustained in a drone attack on Abha Airport that was claimed by the Houthi movement in Yemen.", "CAIRO, July 2 (Reuters) - A drone attack by Yemen'sIran-aligned Houthi movement on Abha Airport in Saudi Arabia early on Tuesday left nine people injured, a Saudi-led coalition statement said.\n\nThe Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said in the statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency that the nine civilian injured attack included one Indian and eight Saudis. All were in stable condition.\n\nThe Houthis, who are fighting in neighbouring Yemen, have recently stepped up attacks against targets in Saudi Arabia, which is leading a coalition battling them.\n\nSaudi owned Al-Arabiya TV also said Abha Airport had resumed flights.\n\nA Syrian resident of Saudi Arabia last month died from wounds sustained in a drone attack on Abha Airport that was claimed by the Houthi movement in Yemen.", "CAIRO, July 2 (Reuters) - A drone attack by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi movement on Abha Airport in Saudi Arabia early on Tuesday left nine people injured, a Saudi-led coalition statement said.\n\nThe Saudi-led coalition in Yemen said in the statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency that the nine civilian injured attack included one Indian and eight Saudis. All were in stable condition.\n\nThe Houthis, who are fighting in neighbouring Yemen, have recently stepped up attacks against targets in Saudi Arabia, which is leading a coalition battling them.\n\nA spokesman for the Houthis said the group had carried out a \"large operation\" targeting the airport, according to the group's Al-Masirah TV.\n\nSaudi owned Al-Arabiya TV also said Abha Airport had resumed flights.\n\nA Syrian resident of Saudi Arabia last month died from wounds sustained in a drone attack on Abha Airport that was claimed by the Houthi movement in Yemen. (Reporting by Mohamed El-Sherif; writing by Eric Knecht; editing by G Crosse and Sandra Maler)", "CAIRO (Reuters) - A drone attack by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement on Abha Airport in Saudi Arabia early on Tuesday has left five people injured, Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya reported.\n\nThe Saudi-led coalition in Yemen confirmed the attack and said it had occurred at 12:35 a.m. local time, but provided no further details and did not mention any injuries.\n\nThe Houthis, who are fighting in neighboring Yemen, have recently stepped up attacks against targets in Saudi Arabia, which is leading a coalition battling them.\n\nA spokesman for the Houthis said the group had carried out a “large operation” targeting the airport, according to the group’s Al-Masirah TV.\n\nAl-Arabiya also said the Abha airport had resumed flights.\n\nA Syrian resident of Saudi Arabia last month died from wounds sustained in a drone attack on the Abha airport that was claimed by the Houthi movement in Yemen.", "The Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen has announced that nine people were injured in an Iranian-backed Houthi militias attack on Abha Airport in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia\n\nRIYADH, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 02nd Jul, 2019) The Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen has announced that nine people were injured in an Iranian-backed Houthi militias attack on Abha Airport in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.\n\nThe Saudi Press Agency, SPA, quoted Colonel Turki Al Maliki, Official Spokesman for the Coalition, as saying that at 00:30 am on Tuesday, a terrorist attack was carried out by the Houthi militia on Abha International Airport through which thousands of civilian passengers of citizens and residents of different nationalities pass daily.\n\nHe said that the nine civilians injured in the drone attack were eight Saudis and one Indian. All were in stable condition.\n\nAl Maliki added that the Houthi terrorist militia continues its immoral practices by targeting civilians and civilian objects protected under international humanitarian law and its customary rules.\n\nThe Houthi militia claimed full responsibility for the attack through its media, saying it used a drone, which constitutes a clear admission and full responsibility for targeting civilian assets and civilians who are particularly protected under international humanitarian law. Thus, it could amount to a war crime by systematically targeting civilians and civilian assets.\n\nAl Maliki said that the continuation of such acts of terrorism and high-quality capabilities proves the Iranian regime's involvement in supporting the Houthi terrorist militias and the continued violation of relevant Security Council resolutions, including Resolution 2216 and Resolution 2231.", "Saudi-led coalition involved in a war in Yemen announced on Tuesday that Houthi militia attacked the Abha International Airport in the southern province of Saudi Arabia, injuring nine civilians\n\nRIYADH, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - APP - 2nd Jul, 2019 ) :Saudi-led coalition involved in a war in Yemen announced on Tuesday that Houthi militia attacked the Abha International Airport in the southern province of Saudi Arabia , injuring nine civilians.\n\nAccording to a statement by the coalition spokesperson, Col. Turki Al Maliki, eight of the victims are Saudis, while the ninth is Indian. He revealed that all injuries are initially stable and were all transferred to hospitals.\n\nThe airport has been targeted by Houthis several times.\n\nIn one attack last month, a Syria was killed, and seven other civilians injured.\n\nAl-Maliki said that the Houthi militia continue their immoral practices by targeting civilians and civilian objects protected under international humanitarian law and its customary rules.\n\nHe stressed that in the face of these acts of \"terrorism and the immoral violations\" by the Houthi militia, the command of the coalition forces continues to carry out strict measures to deter the militia in order to protect the civilian and civilian assets.", "MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 02nd July, 2019) At least nine people were injured on Tuesday as a result of an attack, staged by the Yemeni Shia Houthi rebels on the Abha airport in Saudi Arabia, local media reported.\n\nThe list of the injured people includes eight Saudi citizens and an Indian citizen, the Saudi Gazette media outlet reported.\n\nThe Saudi-led coalition has confirmed that the Abha airport was targeted by the Houthi rebels. The airport is operating in a normal mode now.\n\nYemen has been engulfed in an armed conflict between the government forces led by President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi and the Houthi rebels for several years. The Saudi-led coalition has been carrying out airstrikes against the Houthis at Hadi's request since March 2015.\n\nLast month, the Houthi rebels staged a number of attacks on the Abha airport that left dozens people injured.", "CAIRO (Reuters) - A drone attack by Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi movement on Abha Airport in Saudi Arabia early on Tuesday has left five people injured, Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya reported.\n\nThe Saudi-led coalition in Yemen confirmed the attack and said it had occurred at 12:35 a.m. local time, but provided no further details and did not mention any injuries.\n\nThe Houthis, who are fighting in neighbouring Yemen, have recently stepped up attacks against targets in Saudi Arabia, which is leading a coalition battling them.\n\nA spokesman for the Houthis said the group had carried out a \"large operation\" targeting the airport, according to the group's Al-Masirah TV.\n\nAl-Arabiya also said the Abha airport had resumed flights.\n\nA Syrian resident of Saudi Arabia last month died from wounds sustained in a drone attack on the Abha airport that was claimed by the Houthi movement in Yemen.\n\nThis story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.\n\nYour guide to the latest cricket World Cup stories, analysis, reports, opinions, live updates and scores on https://www.firstpost.com/firstcricket/series/icc-cricket-world-cup-2019.html. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram or like our Facebook page for updates throughout the ongoing event in England and Wales.", "The Arab Coalition said that the Iranian-backed Houthi terrorist militia launched an attack targeting Saudi Arabia’s Abha International Airport on Tuesday at 12:35 am.\n\nThe Arab coalition spokesman Col. Turki al-Maliki said the concerned authorities are following up on the incident and that a statement would be issued on this “terrorist act.”\n\nOn June 23, the Houthis launched a terrorist attack on Abha Airport, killing one and injuring seven others.\n\nThe Arab Coalition said on Monday that it has intercepted and destroyed a drone launched by the Houthi militia from Sanaa targeting Saudi territories.", "A Yemeni rebel attack on a civilian airport in southern Saudi Arabia wounded nine civilians on Tuesday, a Riyadh-led coalition said, the latest in a series of attacks on the airport.\n\n \n\n\"The terrorist attack on Abha airport ... led to the injury of nine civilians, including eight Saudi citizens and one carrying an Indian passport,\" the military coalition said in a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency.\n\n \n\nEarlier, the Iran-aligned Houthi rebels said they \"launched a wide operation aimed at warplanes at Abha international airport\" with drones, according to their Almasirah television channel.\n\nAbha airport has come under repeated missile and drone attacks in the past several weeks. On June 12, a rebel missile attack on Abha airport wounded 26 civilians, drawing promises of \"stern action\" from the Saudi-Emirati coalition.\n\nAnd on June 23, another rebel attack on Abha airport killed a Syrian national and wounded 21 other civilians, according to the coalition.\n\nThe Houthis have stepped-up attacks in recent weeks against Saudi Arabia, which has been running a bloody military campaign in the Middle East’s poorest country since 2015.\n\nThe Houthi rebels took control of vast swaths of the country, including the capital Sanaa, in late 2014, forcing the internationally recognised government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi from power.\n\nThe raids come amid heightened regional tensions after Washington - a key ally of Riyadh - accused Iran of shooting down a US drone over international waters and of carrying out attacks on oil tankers in the strategic Gulf of Oman.\n\n \n\nSaudi Arabia has repeatedly accused Iran of supplying sophisticated weapons to Houthi rebels, a charge Tehran denies.\n\n \n\nFollowing recent attacks, Saudi state media have reported an intensification of coalition air raids on rebel positions in the northern Yemeni province of Hajjah and the Houthi-held capital Sanaa.\n\nThe conflict has killed tens of thousands of people, many of them civilians, relief agencies say.\n\n \n\nThe fighting has triggered what the United Nations describes as the world's worst humanitarian crisis, with millions of people displaced and in need of aid."], "summary": "Nine people were injured in a Houthi drone attack on Saudi Abha International Airport."}
{"document": ["This article is more than 2 months old\n\nThis article is more than 2 months old\n\nJapanese fishermen have set sail to hunt whales commercially for the first time in more than three decades after Tokyo’s controversial decision to withdraw from the International Whaling Commission.\n\nFive vessels, their harpoons concealed beneath tarpaulins, left Kushiro in northern Japan on Monday morning. At around the same time, three whaling boats left Shimonoseki in south-western Japan.\n\nThe first whales were brought ashore hours later: two grey minke whales. One of the animals, more than eight metres long, was hoisted from a ship onto a truck and driven to a warehouse where whalers lined up to pour ceremonial cups of sake over its body – a ritual to purify and celebrate the catch.\n\n“Today is the best day,” said Yoshifumi Kai, head of the Japan Small-Type Whaling Association. “It was worth waiting for 31 years.”\n\nThe five Kushiro vessels will together kill 227 whales through to late December, according to the fisheries agency, which had delayed announcing the quota until the conclusion of the G20 summit in Osaka on Saturday. The quota includes 52 minke, 150 Bryde’s and 25 sei whales, the agency said.\n\nThe hunts are likely to spark criticism from environmentalists and anti-whaling countries, but whaling officials were in celebratory mood.\n\nKai, a senior fisheries official in Taiji – whose annual dolphin hunts have caused an international outcry – added: “This is a small industry, but I am proud of hunting whales. People have hunted whales for more than 400 years in my home town.”\n\nJapan was the target of international criticism for using a clause in the IWC’s 1986 moratorium on commercial whaling to conduct “research” whale hunts in the Antarctic.\n\nMeat from the hunts was sold on the open market, prompting claims that they were a cover for commercial whaling.\n\nAfter 30 years, Japan prepares to resume commercial whaling Read more\n\nLate last year Japan announced it would leave the IWC, frustrated by its failure to convince other members to support a return to “sustainable” commercial whaling.\n\nJapan’s whalers killed 333 minke whales during their final “research” expedition to the Antarctic, which ended in March. In previous years, however, they slaughtered almost 1,000 whales a year, amid confrontations on the high seas with the marine conservation group Sea Shepherd.\n\nFishermen from Abashiri, Taiji, Ishinomaki and Minamiboso – all towns with a whaling tradition – will take part in the commercial hunt in Japan’s exclusive economic zone. Japan will no longer send fleets to the Antarctic every winter following its official withdrawal from the IWC on Sunday.\n\n“I’m a bit nervous but happy that we can start whaling,” Hideki Abe, a 23-year-old whaler from Ishinomaki, told Agence France-Presse just before the fleet departed.\n\n“I don’t think young people know how to cook and eat whale meat any more. I want more people to try to taste it at least once.”\n\nFisheries officials are hoping that the resumption of commercial whaling will spark renewed interest in whale meat among Japanese consumers.\n\n“From today, I’d like the whalers to catch whales by observing the quota and aim for revival of the whaling industry,” the fisheries minister, Takamori Yoshikawa, said at a ceremony in Shimonoseki, according to the Kyodo news agency.\n\nWhile a return to whaling for profit has long been a cause celebre for conservative politicians, Japanese consumers have lost their appetite for whale meat, which can be served deep-fried or raw as sashimi.\n\nDomestic consumption of whale meat was about 200,000 tonnes a year in the 1960s, when it was an important source of protein in the postwar years, but has slumped to less than 5,000 tonnes annually in recent years, according to government data.\n\nTokyo’s withdrawal from the IWC ended its most provocative expeditions, in protected Antarctic waters, and while it sparked a firestorm of criticism, some campaigners say it is the first step towards the end of Japanese whaling.\n\nPatrick Ramage, the director of marine conservation at the International Fund for Animal Welfare, said the resumption of commercial whaling “will not magically increase market demand”.\n\n“The palates of the Japanese people have moved on,” Ramage said. “They have lost their yen for whale meat, even as their government has spent billions in taxpayer yen trying to prop up this economic loser. What we are seeing is the beginning of the end of Japanese whaling.”", "TODAY Japan will resume hunting and killing whales for profit after 30 years of abstaining from the practice.\n\nThe launch of five boats comes after Tokyo's controversial decision to withdraw from the International Whaling Commission (IWC) on June 30 last year.\n\nThe hunts are likely to spark criticism from environmentalists and anti-whaling countries but are cause for celebration among whaling communities in Japan who say the globally banned practice is a longstanding tradition.\n\nThe issue has been a diplomatic headache for Japan for years, with Tokyo using a loophole in the IWC rules to carry out hunts in protected Antarctic waters for \"scientific\" research purposes.\n\nThose hunts were fiercely criticised, and Japan decided last year to withdraw from the IWC after repeatedly failing to convince the body to allow it to resume full-scale commercial whaling.\n\nWhaling ships will set sail on commercial hunts from several parts of Japan today, including the town of Kushiro in northern Hokkaido.\n\nThe group of five small vessels could already be seen at the port there on Sunday. The boats have come from different parts of the country, including Taiji, an area known for dolphin hunts.\n\nAnother flotilla of ships that once carried out whaling under the \"scientific research\" loophole will set out from Shimonoseki port in western Japan.\n\n\"We are very excited at the resumption of commercial whaling,\" Yoshifumi Kai, head of the Japan Small-Type Whaling Association, told AFP ahead of the departure.\n\n\"My heart is full of hope,\" he added.\n\nAn open letter, sent by conservation groups and celebrities including Dr Jane Goodall, Stephen Fry and Ricky Gervais, pleaded with the G20 leaders to appeal to Japan, which is hosting the leaders' summit, to reconsider their stance on commercial whaling.\n\n\"Whales are iconic, long-lived and socially complex,\" the letter read.\n\n\"They are important sentinels of the health of our oceans and contribute important ecosystem services to the marine environment.\"\n\nThe Australian Marine Conservation Society (AMCS) has lashed Japan's return to commercial whaling, calling it an \"outdated and cruel industry selling a product to a market that has all but disappeared\".\n\n\"Japan has so far failed to even say how many whales they are going to kill,\" said Darren Kindleysides, AMCS chief executive officer.\n\nMr Kindleysides said Japan is not able to simply \"wash its hands\" of international legal duties.\n\n\"Our legal opinion shows that established international laws and conventions - including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea - mean Japan has a duty to co-operate with other countries. Japan is acting with impunity.\"\n\n\"Today is a historic moment for all the wrong reasons, and the world is looking to Australia again,\" he said.\n\nJapan has hunted whales for centuries, and the meat was a key source of protein in the immediate post-World War II years when the country was desperately poor.\n\nBut consumption has declined significantly in recent decades - with much of the population saying they rarely or never eat whale meat - and activists have put pressure on Japan to ditch the historic practice.\n\nTokyo's withdrawal from the IWC ended its most provocative expeditions in protected Antarctic waters, and while it sparked a firestorm of criticism, some campaigners say it is the first step towards the end of Japanese whaling.\n\n\"Japan is quitting high-seas whaling … that is a huge step towards the end of killing whales for their meat and other products,\" said Patrick Ramage, director of marine conservation at the International Fund for Animal Welfare.\n\nHe said commercial whaling, in Japanese waters, was unlikely to have much of a future given dwindling subsidies and the shrinking market for whale meat.\n\n\"What we are seeing is the beginning of the end of Japanese whaling,\" he said.", "Five Japanese whaling ships are set on Monday to begin the first commercial whale hunt in more than 30 years.\n\nJapan stopped commercial whaling in 1988 after the International Whaling Commission (IWC) imposed a moratorium on killing the giant mammals.\n\nBut despite the global ban, Japan continued to hunt whales for what it claimed was scientific research. Critics have long disputed that claim, calling it commercial whaling in disguise.\n\nIn the 2017-2018 whaling season, Japanese sailors killed 333 minke whales in Antarctic waters. More than 120 were pregnant females.\n\nIn December, Japan announced it was leaving the IWC on June 30.\n\nThe whaling fleet will sail from the port of Kushiro, on the northern island of Hokkaido. Its ships will hunt minke, sei and Bryde’s whales in Japanese waters.\n\nJapan's return to commercial whaling has created an international outcry.\n\nKitty Block, president of Humane Society International, said: “Japan leaving the IWC and defying international law to pursue its commercial whaling ambitions is renegade, retrograde and myopic. It is undermining its international reputation for an industry whose days are so clearly numbered, to produce a product for which demand has plummeted.\"\n\nBut some experts say Japan's move might be a blessing in disguise for some whales, because it will mean that Japan will stop hunting whales in the Southern Ocean, the Atlantic and other sensitive locations.\n\nJapan has yet to disclose how many whales it will allow its fishermen to kill.", "KUSHIRO, Japan (Reuters) - A small Japanese fleet caught their first whales on Monday in Japan's first commercial hunt in more than three decades, a move that has aroused global condemnation and fears for the fate of whales.\n\nJapan has long said few whale species are endangered and announced in December it was leaving the International Whaling Commission (IWC) to resume hunting after years of campaigns by industry supporters and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, whose constituency includes a city that has long whaled.\n\n\"If we had more whale available, we'd eat it more,\" said Sachiko Sakai, a 66-year-old taxi driver in Kushiro, a gritty port city on the northernmost main island of Hokkaido, where five whaling ships were waved out of harbor in a brief ceremony early on Monday.\n\n\"It's part of Japan's food culture,\" said Sakai, adding that she ate a lot of whale as a child. \"The world opposes killing whales, but you can say the same thing about many of the animals bred on land and killed for food.\"\n\nThe ships, which are set to be joined by vessels from the southern port of Shimonoseki, will spend much of the summer hunting for minke and Baird's beaked whales.\n\nCrew in orange life vests took positions on the decks as the blue-hulled ships sailed out of Kushiro, some with red banners fluttering from their masts.\n\nBy Monday afternoon, one ship returned with a roughly 8 meter-long minke whale. It was winched up from the vessel and taken off to be weighed and butchered.\n\nAnother ship caught a whale, but the vessel had not returned by evening and no further details were available.\n\n\"This is a great day. I'm really happy with the resumption of commercial whaling,\" said Yoshifumi Kai, head of the Japan Small-type Whaling Association.\n\n\"We were able to take a splendid whale.\"\n\nRead more: A giant blue whale washed up dead on a beach in Japan — and it's the country's first ever sighting of the animal\n\nJapan began whaling for scientific research a year after a 1986 ban on commercial whaling, aiming to gather what it called crucial population data, but it abandoned commercial whaling in 1988.\n\nCritics said the program was simply commercial whaling in disguise, after the meat of animals taken in scientific whaling ended up on store shelves and in restaurants.\n\nThis year's quota for commercial whaling, including minkes, sei whales and Bryde's whales, is 227, the Fisheries Agency said. The quota, to be set annually, is less than the 330 whales Japan harvested in the Antarctic until recently.\n\n\"We're not at all embarrassed by what we do, it's only natural,\" Kai said, adding that the amount of whales Japan planned to hunt would not pose a threat to their population.\n\nEnvironmentalists said the launch was delayed until after a summit of leaders of G20 major economies that Japan hosted, but whaling proponents have denied this.\n\n\"This is a sad day for whale protection globally,\" said Nicola Beynon of Humane Society International.\n\n\"The word 'research' may have been removed from the side of the factory ship, finally ending Japan's charade of harpooning whales under the guise of science, but these magnificent creatures will still be slaughtered for no legitimate reason,\" Beynon, based in Australia, said in a statement.\n\nWhaling is a tiny industry in Japan. Whale makes up about 0.1 percent of all meat eaten in a year, with about 300 people directly linked to whaling.\n\nJapan's annual supplies of about 4,000 tonnes to 5,000 tonnes amount to 40 gm to 50 gm for each citizen, or about the weight of half an apple. Even whaling supporters say building demand will take time.\n\nPatrick Ramage, head of the International Fund for Animal Welfare, called the move a face-saving solution that could eventually lead Japan to abandon whaling.\n\n\"It's a good decision for whales, it's a good decision for Japan, and it's a good decision for international marine conservation,\" he said.", "TOKYO (AP) — Japan has resumed commercial whaling after 31 years, meeting a long-cherished goal of traditionalists that’s seen as a largely lost cause.\n\nWhaling boats embarked Monday on their first commercial hunts since 1988, when Japan switched to so-called research whaling, but will stay within the country’s exclusive economic waters. Japan’s six-month notice to withdraw from the International Whaling Commission took effect Sunday.\n\nThe Fisheries Agency said the catch quota through the end of this year is set at 227 whales, fewer than the 333 Japan hunted in the Antarctic in recent years. The quota for this season’s catch, planned for release in late June, was withheld until Monday apparently to avoid criticism during the Group of 20 summit that concluded over the weekend in Osaka.\n\nAs the boats left port, whalers, their families and local officials in two major whaling towns, Shimonoseki in southwestern Japan, which is Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s electoral constituency, and Kushiro in the north, celebrated the fresh start, hoping for a safe return and a good harvest.\n\nWhile the resumption of commercial whaling is condemned by many conservation groups, others see it as a face-saving way to let the government’s embattled and expensive whaling program gradually succumb to changing times and tastes.\n\nDespite the massive attention and tax money and political support from ruling party lawmakers, whaling in Japan involved only a few hundred people and accounted for less than 0.1 percent of total meat consumption in fiscal 2017, according to the latest government data on food sufficiency.\n\nWhale meat was an affordable source of protein during the lean times after World War II, with consumption peaking at 223,000 tons in 1962. But whale was quickly replaced by other meats. Whale meat consumption was down to 6,000 tons in 1986, a year before the commercial whaling moratorium imposed by the IWC.\n\nUnder the research hunts, which was criticized as a cover for commercial hunts as the meat was sold on the market, Japan at its peak caught as many as 1,200 whales but has drastically cut back on its catch in recent years after international protests escalated and whale meat consumption slumped at home.\n\nToday, about 4,000-5,000 tons are supplied to Japan annually, or 30-40 grams of whale meat consumed per person a year, Fisheries Agency officials say.\n\nThe research whaling program lost money for years — 1.6 billion yen ($15 million) in the last year alone.\n\nJapan will stick to a very strict catch quota with respect to the IWC findings, and will continue conducting research, said Hideki Moronuki, a Fisheries Agency official and a chief negotiator at the IWC. He said Japan’s commercial whaling will never harm its stock.\n\nThe commercial whaling will be carried out by two groups. The mother boat Nisshin-maru and two support boats that used to go to the Antarctic will travel as far as the 200 nautical mile EEZ to catch minke, Bryde’s and sei whales. Five other smaller ships will stay closer to the coast but also hunt minkes, in addition to Baird’s beaked whales and dolphins that they used to catch under an IWC loophole. Altogether, they will catch 52 minkes, 150 Bryde’s and 25 sei whales through Dec. 31.\n\nWhales caught in coastal waters are expected to be brought back for fresh local consumption at any of six local whaling hubs that are mainly in northern Japan but include Taiji, the home constituency of ruling Liberal Democratic Party heavyweight Toshihiro Nikai. The town is also known for dolphin hunts because of the documentary film “The Cove.”\n\nWhale meat caught further off the coast will be frozen and distributed for wider consumption.\n\nMoronuki says the fate of commercial whaling depends on whether whale meat is widely accepted by consumers since it won’t be getting as much subsidies as it used to get.\n\nMoronuki said he hoped whale meat would be reasonably priced so that it will gain popularity in the long-term instead of becoming an expensive delicacy for a limited clientele. The government used to sell portions of whale meat caught in the scientific program for school lunch programs at discounted prices, he said.\n\n“The future of commercial whaling depends on how popular whale meat can be,” he said. “Whale meat is a traditional food in Japan and I would like many people to try and develop taste for it, especially younger people.”\n\nA 2017 survey by the Japan Whaling Association showed about 64 percent of respondents in ages ranging from teens to 50s said they have eaten whale meat but most of them said they haven’t eaten once for more than five years.\n\nUltimately, the resumption of the traditional whaling may end up saving both huge government subsidies and the lives of many whales, experts say.\n\n“What we are seeing is the beginning of the end of Japanese whaling,” said Patrick Ramage, director of the International Fund for Animal Welfare. “It is a win-win solution that results in a better situation for whales, a better situation for Japan, a better situation for international marine conservation efforts and is therefore to be welcomed.”\n\nWhaling is losing support in other whaling nations including Norway and Iceland, where whalers have cut back on catches in recent years amid criticism that commercial hunts are bad for their national image and tourism.\n\nIceland caught only 17 whales, while Norway hunted 432 for the 2017-2018 season, way below their catch quota of 378 and 1,278 respectively, according to the IWC.\n\nJapanese are also beginning to see ecotourism as a better option for whales than hunting them for food.\n\n“People in coastal communities all do better when whales are seen and not hurt,” Ramage said.", "Despite international outcry, Japan has already hunted its first whales as part of its return to commercial whaling following a 31-year hiatus.\n\nThe return comes following Japan’s departure from the International Whaling Commission (IWC) last September after the group voted down Japan's proposal to resume commercial whaling.\n\nAccording to Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, “the whaling will be conducted in accordance with international law and within the catch limits calculated in accordance with the method adopted by the IWC to avoid negative impact on cetacean resources.”\n\nEven while part of the IWC, Japan hunted up to 1200 whales per year, as reported by the IWC. The Commission has maintained a moratorium on whaling since 1985, but Japan asserted the whales killed were for scientific research even though the meat was subsequently sold to Japanese citizens. Japan is the only country to hunt for whales in Antarctica during the moratorium, for which it received backlash from conservation groups like Greenpeace.\n\nWhales are directly affected by climate change, plastic pollution, oil exploration, industrial fishing and habitat loss. While these problems require time to be resolved, there are also threats that can be immediately removed, such as commercial whaling, which has been banned internationally for over 30 years. Now is a critical time for ocean protection. A time when threats to our global oceans are increasing, with direct impacts on species like whales. Right now we need more international cooperation, not less.\n\nThis view is shared by The Australian Marine Conservation Society's CEO Darren Kindleysides, who emphasized the declining market for whale meat in Japan.\n\nWith their return to commercial whaling, Japan has announced their hunts in the Antarctic will be discontinued. Suga explains, “...after the withdrawal comes into effect on June 30, Japan will conduct commercial whaling within Japan’s territorial sea and its exclusive economic zone, and will cease the take of whales in the Antarctic Ocean/ Southern Hemisphere,\"\n\nIn both their Antarctic hunts and current hunts in Japan's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), Japan has predominantly hunted for Minke Whales. Minke whales use baleen, or thick rows of bristles, to filter plankton and small fish out of the water to eat. They are considered to be the smallest and most abundant of the 'great whales', and can weigh up to 20,000 pounds. So what does Japan’s return to commercial whaling mean for minkes?\n\nAs of 2018, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN ) has the Antarctic minke listed as ‘near threatened,’ citing insufficient data to properly assess whether the species is ‘threatened,’ and evidence that the species has been undergoing significant declines over the last 40 years.\n\nHowever, the numbers of common minke whales estimated in Japan’s EEZ are believed to be at abundant, healthy levels. According to Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries, the whaling catch limits for the rest of this year will be capped at 237 whales, including only 53 minkes - far fewer than the over 600 whales hunted by Japan in Antarctica and the northwestern Pacific annually in recent years.\n\nThis could be good news for Minkes. If Japan stays within reported catch limits, the transition away from Antarctic whaling and into more local hunts could alleviate pressure on the Antarctic Minke populations, while also maintaining local Minke population sizes that are sustainable. Still, in reference to common minke whales, the IWC says \"difficulties in determining stock structure make firm conclusions on status difficult.\" More research is needed to accurately asses the status of minke whales, and to correctly predict the impacts of commercial whaling on these populations.", "Japan withdrew from the International Whaling Commission on Sunday and will resume commercial whaling on Monday for the first time in 31 years. Whaling ships are set to leave from ports in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, and Kushiro, Hokkaido.\n\nThe IWC, which Japan joined in 1951, decided to suspend commercial whaling in 1982, citing the need to protect whales. Japan started to research whaling in 1987 in the Antarctic Ocean to collect ecological data on whales, including their numbers.\n\nWhile Japan suspended commercial whaling in 1988, it has domestically sold whale meat gained as a “by-product” of research whaling in the Antarctic Ocean and northwest Pacific.\n\nCommercial whaling, which will start Monday in Japanese territorial waters and its exclusive economic zones, will target three kinds of whales – minke, Bryde’s and sei whales.", "Japan has resumed commercial whaling after 31 years, meeting a long-cherished goal of traditionalists and angering conservationists.\n\nJapan’s six-month notice to withdraw from the International Whaling Commission (IWC) took effect on Sunday, and yesterday whaling boats embarked on their first commercial hunts since 1988, when Japan switched to so-called research whaling.\n\nAs the boats left port, whalers, their families and local officials in two major whaling towns, Shimonoseki in south-western Japan, which is prime minister Shinzo Abe’s electoral constituency, and Kushiro in the north, celebrated the fresh start, hoping for a safe return and a good harvest.\n\n“We hope commercial whaling will be on track as soon as possible, contribute to local prosperity and carry on Japan’s rich whale culture to the next generation,” deputy chief cabinet secretary Yasutoshi Nishimura told reporters in Tokyo.\n\nThe mother boat Nisshin-maru and two support boats will travel as far as the 200 nautical mile limit to catch minke, Bryde’s and sei whales. Five other smaller ships will stay closer to the coast but also hunt minkes, in addition to Baird’s beaked whales and dolphins that they used to catch under an IWC loophole.\n\nWhales caught in coastal waters are expected to be brought back for fresh local consumption at any of six local whaling hubs that are mainly in northern Japan but include Taiji, a town also known for dolphin hunts because of the documentary film The Cove.\n\nWhale meat caught further off the coast will be frozen and distributed for wider consumption.\n\nThe Fisheries Agency said the catch quota of 227 whales is fewer than the 333 that Japan hunted in the Antarctic in recent years.\n\nUnder the “research hunts”, which were criticised as a cover for commercial hunts as the meat was sold on the market, Japan at its peak caught as many as 1,200 whales.\n\nThe research whaling programme lost money for years – 1.6 billion yen (£11.8 million) in the last year alone.\n\nWhile the resumption of commercial whaling is condemned by many conservation groups, others see it as a face-saving way to let the government’s embattled and expensive whaling programme gradually succumb to changing times and tastes.\n\nDespite the massive attention and political support from ruling party politicians, whaling in Japan involved only a few hundred people and accounted for less than 0.1 per cent of total meat consumption in 2017.\n\nHideki Moronuki, a Fisheries Agency official and a chief negotiator at the IWC, said the fate of commercial whaling depends on whether whale meat is widely accepted by consumers since it will not be getting as much subsidy as it used to get.\n\n“The future of commercial whaling depends on how popular whale meat can be,” he said.\n\n“Whale meat is a traditional food in Japan and I would like many people to try and develop taste for it, especially younger people.”\n\nUltimately, the resumption of the traditional whaling may end up saving both huge government subsidies and the lives of many whales, experts say.\n\n“What we are seeing is the beginning of the end of Japanese whaling,” said Patrick Ramage, director of the International Fund for Animal Welfare. “It is a win-win solution that results in a better situation for whales, a better situation for Japan, a better situation for international marine conservation efforts and is therefore to be welcomed.”\n\nThe quota for this season’s catch, planned for release in late June, was withheld until yesterday apparently to avoid criticism during the Group of 20 summit that concluded over the weekend in Osaka.", "Whaling ships set sail on Monday from Japan as the country resumed commercial hunts for the first time in decades after withdrawing from the International Whaling Commission.\n\nFive ships from whaling communities around the country left port in northern Japan's Kushiro with their horns blaring and grey tarps thrown over their harpoons.\n\nJapan's decision to withdraw from the IWC was slammed by activists and anti-whaling countries, but the resumption of commercial hunts has been welcomed by Japanese whaling communities and the departure from Kushiro was celebrated with a send-off ceremony.\n\n\"My heart is overflowing with happiness, and I'm deeply moved,\" said Yoshifumi Kai, head of the Japan Small-Type Whaling Association, addressing a crowd of several dozen politicians, local officials and whalers.\n\n\"This is a small industry, but I am proud of hunting whales. People have hunted whales for more than 400 years in my home town.\"\n\nWhaling vessels will also leave Monday morning from other ports including in Shimonoseki in western Japan.\n\nThe country's Fisheries Agency said Monday it had set a cap for a total catch of 227 whales through the season until late December.\n\nThe quota includes 52 minke, 150 Bryde's and 25 sei whales, the agency said.\n\n\"I'm a bit nervous but happy that we can start whaling,\" 23-year-old Hideki Abe, a whaler from Miyagi region in northern Japan told AFP before leaving.\n\n\"I don't think young people know how to cook and eat whale meat any more. I want more people try to taste it at least once.\"\n\nWhaling has long proved a rare diplomatic flashpoint for Japan, which says the practice is part of the country's tradition and should not be subject to international interference.\n\nAs an IWC member, Japan was banned from commercial hunts of large whales, though it could catch small varieties in waters near its coastline.\n\nBut it also exploited a loophole in the body's rules to carry out highly controversial hunts of whales in protected Antarctic waters under the banner of \"scientific research\".\n\nActivists said the hunts had no scientific value, and Japan made no secret of the fact that meat from whales caught on those hunts ended up sold for consumption.\n\nWith its withdrawal from the IWC, Tokyo will now carry out high-seas whale hunting off Japan, but will end the most controversial hunts in the Antarctic.", "The two minke whales that were harpooned are the first to be killed by Japan for commercial purposes in more than 30 years.\n\nCommercial whaling was banned in a 1986 International Whaling Commission moratorium. However, Japan withdrew from the International Whaling Commission in December and resumed commercial hunting in its territorial waters and economic zone despite international outcry.\n\nA fleet of five whaling boats departed the northern port of Kushiro on Monday. A separate deep-water fleet was scheduled to leave from the southern port of Shimonoseki the same day.\n\nThe Japanese Fisheries Agency published quotas on Monday for the next six months of commercial whaling. Officials insist that they will engage in sustainable practices.\n\nFor July 1 to December 31, the permitted catch is 227 whales (52 minke whales, 150 Bryde's whales and 25 sei whales). Before Japan's withdrawal from International Whaling Commission, it caught 596 whales with a \"scientific research\" special permit in the 2017-18 whaling season, according to the commission."], "summary": "Japan resumes commercial whaling after 30 years following the country's withdrawal from the International Whaling Commission. At least 227 whales are expected to be killed through to December."}
{"document": ["Single-use plastic shopping bags are banned in New Zealand from today. File photo / Reuters\n\nNew Zealand officially banned single-use plastic shopping bags on Monday, introducing hefty fines for businesses that continue to provide them.\n\nPlastic pollution has become a growing global concern, with a million birds and more than 100,000 marine mammals injured or killed every year by becoming entangled in packaging or ingesting it through the food chain.\n\nCompanies that break New Zealand’s ban will face heavy penalties, including fines of up to NZ$100,000 ($67,000).\n\n“New Zealanders are proud of our country’s clean, green reputation and want to help ensure we live up to it,” Environment Minister Eugenie Sage said.\n\n“Ending the use of single-use plastic shopping bags helps do that.”\n\nUnder the new rules, thin plastic single-use shopping bags can no longer be supplied — but the law allows reusable carriers to continue being provided.\n\nThe legislation — which was announced in August last year and came into force on Monday — will have little practical effect, as New Zealand’s major supermarkets have already voluntarily banned the bags.\n\nHowever, Sage said it was putting the issue of recycling on the agenda.\n\n“(The ban) doesn’t go far enough, but what is really great is it’s started the conversation,” she told Radio New Zealand.\n\n“People are now talking about single-use plastics and how we can phase them out.”\n\nMore than 80 countries have already introduced similar bans, according to the UN Environment Programme.\n\nAgence France-Presse", "WELLINGTON (XINHUA) - Single-use plastic bags are officially banned for all New Zealand retailers from Monday (July 1).\n\nAs stipulated by the Waste Minimisation (Plastic Shopping Bags) Regulations 2018, which came into force on Monday, New Zealand retailers including stores, supermarkets and restaurants will no longer be able to sell or distribute any single-use plastic shopping bags.\n\nSingle-use plastic shopping bags are defined as any plastic bag which has handles and is less than 70 microns thick. Plastic shopping bags in the fruit and vegetable section and other areas of supermarkets are the only exceptions.\n\nNew Zealand Associate Environment Minister Eugenie Sage said that the ban on single-use plastic shopping bags is a step towards healthier oceans and giving nature a hand.\n\n\"New Zealanders are proud of our country's clean, green reputation and want to help ensure we live up to it. The plastic shopping bag ban is one step to tackle New Zealand's waste issues. We also need to recharge our materials recovery and recycling systems and shift to a circular economy,\" Ms Sage said.\n\nMainstream supermarkets have already made the change away from single-use plastic shopping bags. Businesses were given six months ahead of the ban to phase-out single-use plastic bags.", "Draconian new powers outlawing single-use plastic bags come into force in New Zealand on Monday with retailers facing a fine of up to £52,000 (NZ$100,000) if they hand them to customers.\n\nThe ban encompasses not only lightweight plastic bags, but also thicker versions handed out by department stores and even \"environmentally friendly\" biodegradable and compostable options. However, it will be left to shoppers themselves to police the law and report offenders.\n\nUnderpinning the ban is the determination of the government in Wellington to cut the amount of plastic ending up in rivers and oceans in order to minimise the threat faced by vulnerable seabirds, fish and other marine mammals.\n\nPlastic bags are now outlawed in more than 40 countries.\n\nThe New Zealand ban was announced by Jacinda Ardern, the country's Prime Minister, last year. \"Every year in New Zealand we use hundreds of millions of single-use plastic bags,\" she said.", "New Zealand officially banned single-use plastic shopping bags Monday, introducing hefty fines for businesses that continue to provide them\n\nWellington, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - APP - 1st Jul, 2019 ) :New Zealand officially banned single-use plastic shopping bags Monday, introducing hefty fines for businesses that continue to provide them.\n\nPlastic pollution has become a growing global concern, with a million birds and more than 100,000 marine mammals injured or killed every year by becoming entangled in packaging or ingesting it through the food chain.\n\nCompanies that break New Zealand's ban will face heavy penalties, including fines of up to NZ$100,000 ($67,000).\n\n\"New Zealanders are proud of our country's clean, green reputation and want to help ensure we live up to it,\" environment minister Eugenie Sage said.\n\n\"Ending the use of single-use plastic shopping bags helps do that.\" Under the new rules, thin plastic single-use shopping bags can no longer be supplied -- but the law allows reusable carriers to continue being provided.\n\nThe legislation -- which was announced in August last year and came into force on Monday -- will have little practical effect, as New Zealand's major supermarkets have already voluntarily banned the bags.\n\nHowever, Sage said it was putting the issue of recycling on the agenda.\n\n\"(The ban) doesn't go far enough, but what is really great is it's started the conversation,\" she told Radio New Zealand.\n\n\"People are now talking about single-use plastics and how we can phase them out.\" Britain's Royal Statistical Society estimates 90.5 percent of all plastic waste -- some 6,300 million metric tons -- has never been recycled and is either in landfill or accumulating in the natural environment.\n\nIf current production and waste management trends continue, the ocean of plastic waste is estimated to almost double to 12,000 million metric tons by 2050.\n\nMore than 80 countries have already introduced bag bans similar to New Zealand's, according to the UN Environment Programme.\n\nWhile it praised such initiatives, it said more needed to be done to minimise other sources of plastic waste including microbeads and single-use items such as straws.\n\nCanada last month announced plans to ban disposable plastic items such as straws, cutlery and stir sticks from 2021.\n\nThe Pacific nation of Vanuatu will implement a ban in December on disposable diapers, which not only have non-biodegradable plastic linings but also use chemical absorbents which leach into the environment.\n\nSage said the New Zealand government was committing NZ$40 million ($27 million) to find ways to reuse plastic waste instead of sending it to landfill overseas.\n\n\"We have been sending our waste offshore for too long,\" she said.\n\n\"China and other countries refusing to take our waste is the wake-up call we need.\"The issue of wealthy developed nations using poorer countries as trash dumps was highlighted this week when Canada had to accept back tonnes of rubbish it shipped to the Philippines years ago.\n\nFor years, China received the bulk of scrap plastic from around the world, but closed its doors to foreign refuse last year in an effort to clean up its environment.", "This is a step toward healthier oceans and “giving nature a hand,” according to Associate Environment Minister Eugenie Sage.\n\n“New Zealanders are proud of our country’s clean, green reputation and want to help ensure we live up to it,” she said in a statement. “Ending the use of single-use plastic shopping bags helps do that.”\n\nThe official forbiddance covers all retailers across the island country; businesses were given six month’s notice to begin phasing out single-use plastic bags.\n\nThat includes all shopping bags made of plastic up to 70 microns thick—even those containing degradable compounds. Think typical supermarket, take-away restaurant, or department store fare.\n\nFolks are now encouraged to carry reusable bags instead. You know, the kind made of synthetic fabrics, cotton, canvas, or recycled fabric. Heck, bring a backpack or wheeled trolley bag if you prefer.\n\nIt appears plenty of locals have already made the transition: As of September, 91 percent of shoppers “always/often” bring reusable satchels, according to a survey done for New Zealand’s Ministry for the Environment.\n\n“Government regulations and the sum of many individual actions make a difference,” Sage said. “Remembering to take … reusable bags is stopping tens of millions of single-use plastic bags becoming waste each year.”\n\nAll it takes is a light breeze or gentle current to sweep a discarded polybag straight into the lungs of a helpless dolphin, sea turtle, or human being.\n\nThis phase-out, Sage said, encourages people to “act with nature in mind.”\n\n“The ban should ensure less plastic ends up in rivers, streams, stormwater systems, and the ocean so seabirds, fish, turtles, and marine mammals are less vulnerable to being harmed by it,” she explained.\n\nIf you don’t have a bag, most major retailers sell reusable ones for a small cost, or have boxes that can be reused.\n\nThe Ministry for the Environment has worked to educate businesses about the ban. However, members of the public can use the MfE’s online portal to report rebellious organizations still handing out single-use plastic bags.\n\n“At the start of plastic-free July, the plastic shopping bag ban is one step to tackling New Zealand’s waste issues,” Sage said. “We also need to recharge our materials recovery and recycling systems and shift to a circular economy.”\n• None Truly Recyclable Plastic Can Be Used Again and Again and Again", "New Zealand officially banned single-use plastic shopping bags Monday, introducing hefty fines for businesses that continue to provide them. Plastic pollution has become a growing global concern, with a million birds and more than 100,000 marine mammals injured or killed every year by becoming entangled in packaging or ingesting it through the food chain. Companies that break New Zealand's ban will face heavy penalties, including fines of up to NZ$100,000 ($67,000).\n\n\"New Zealanders are proud of our country's clean, green reputation and want to help ensure we live up to it,\" Environment Minister Eugenie Sage said. \"Ending the use of single-use plastic shopping bags helps to do that.\" Under the new rules, thin plastic single-use shopping bags can no longer be supplied - but the law allows reusable carriers to continue being provided. The legislation, which was announced in August last year and came into force on Monday, will have little practical effect, as New Zealand's major supermarkets have already voluntarily banned the bags. However, Sage said it was putting the issue of recycling on the agenda. \"(The ban) doesn't go far enough, but what is really great is it's started the conversation,\" she told Radio New Zealand. \"People are now talking about single-use plastics and how we can phase them out.\"\n\nMore than 80 countries have already introduced similar bans, according to the U.N. Environment Program. Earlier this year, Turkey took a big step to stop plastic waste and began selling plastic bags for a fee. Within the first three months of the regulation, Turkey managed to decrease 80 percent of the plastic bag use. An estimated 5 trillion plastic bags are used worldwide every year and they mainly contribute to maritime pollution as some 8 million tons of plastic, including bags are dumped into the ocean every year, killing marine life and entering the human food chain, according to a United Nations report on the issue.", "Prince Edward Island has become the first province to introduce a ban on single-use plastic bags.\n\nThe Plastic Bag Reduction Act officially came into effect on Canada Day and prohibits businesses from providing single-use plastic bags at checkout. They are instead to offer paper bags or higher quality reusable bags.\n\nThe province says these other bags are more durable and result in less waste.\n\nThere are exceptions to the regulation, however. Businesses will be allowed to provide plastic bags for a variety of products, including bulk produce, live fish, prescription drugs and dry cleaning, among others.\n\nBusinesses in P.E.I. will also be allowed to use up the stock of plastic bags they already have.\n\nAccording to the Retail Council in Canada, 48 communities across Canada either have a plastic bag ban or have committed to introducing one in the near future, but P.E.I. has the only province-wide ban.\n\nJordan Keenanof the Plastics Oceans Foundation Canada told CTV News Channel a lot of these bans are proving to be difficult to enforce.\n\n“I live in Montreal (and) we’ve had a plastic bag ban here for a while, yet you can still get plastic bags, pretty much everywhere,” he said.\n\nVictoria, B.C. introduced a single-use plastic bag ban a year ago and on Monday increased the prices of grocery bags to 25 cents for a paper bag and $2 for a reusable bag. The city said the increase is meant to reduce the demand for the recyclable bags while helping businesses recoup some of the costs of transitioning to this policy.\n\nLast month, the Trudeau government announced its intention to ban single-use plastics across the country by 2021, including plastic bags, water bottles and straws.", "New Zealand is joining a growing number of countries banning single-use plastic shopping bags.\n\n\"The ban should ensure less plastic ends up in rivers, streams, stormwater systems and the ocean so seabirds, fish, turtles, and marine mammals are less vulnerable to being harmed by it,\" Associate Environment Minister Eugenie Sage said in a statement on Sunday.\n\nThe new regulations that come into force on Monday apply to any type of plastic less than 70 microns in thickness, that's new or un-used, has carry handles and is provided for carrying sold goods.\n\nIt also includes bags that are made from bio-based materials like starch, and made of plastics that are degradable, biodegradable or oxo-degradable.\n\nMainstream supermarkets have already switched from single-use plastic shopping bags since Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced the legislation last August.\n\nMore than 100 jurisdictions, including Belgium, France, Italy, China have already implemented an outright ban on single-use plastic bags, while others have introduced a levy or charge.", "Time is up for the single-use plastic shopping bag, with the Government implementing a ban on Monday.\n\nAssociate Environment Minister Eugenie Sage says ending their use is a step towards \"healthier oceans and giving nature a hand\".\n• Why your reusable shopping bag isn't better than a single-use plastic one\n• Banning plastic bags may be good PR, but are we actually helping the environment?\n\n\"New regulations mean such businesses can no longer provide their customers with a single-use plastic shopping bag to carry their purchases,\" she said on Sunday.\n\n\"The ban should ensure less plastic ends up in rivers, streams, stormwater systems and the ocean so seabirds, fish, turtles, and marine mammals are less vulnerable to being harmed by it.\"\n\nBusinesses were given six months before the ban to phase-out single-use plastic bags. Sage says the Ministry for the Environment (MfE) will be conducting \"random retail precinct audits\" to assess levels of compliance.\n\n\"The Government does not have prosecution targets or a goal to prosecute retailers.\n\n\"If MfE end up needing to prosecute, they will - although they don't want to get to that point. If a prosecution is successful, the court is able to determine a financial penalty.\"\n\nAccording to Sage, New Zealanders appear to have already made a rapid transition to reusable bags.\n\nSurvey research done for MfE shows an increase from 56 percent in April 2018 to 91 percent in September 2018 in the number of shoppers bringing their own reusable bag.\n\n\"Government regulations and the sum of many individual actions make a difference,\" Sage says.\n\n\"New Zealanders remembering to take their reusable bags is stopping tens of millions of single plastic bags becoming waste each year.\"", "July 1 (UPI) -- New Zealand on Monday became the latest nation to ban outright the distribution of plastic bags at retailers, like grocery stores.\n\nThe ban, announced nearly a year ago, took effect Monday.\n\nAssociate Environment Minister Eugenie Sage said the ban will reduce plastic into oceans, rivers, storm water systems and landfills, and will better protect marine wildlife.\n\n\"New Zealanders are proud of our country's clean, green reputation and want to help ensure we live up to it,\" Sage said. \"Ending the use of single-use plastic shopping bags helps do that.\"\n\nThe environmental ministry says the ban affects bags made of any type of plastic under 70 microns in thickness, either new or unused and with handles. The banned bags cannot be given away or sold to customers.\n\nPet waste bags, bin liners and bags without handles used for perishable items are exempted from the ban.\n\nSome, however, question how much difference the new law will make.\n\n\"These bags will go to the ocean,\" store owner Harjit Singh said of the exempted bags for pre-packaged items. \"If they wanted to stop plastic it should be all the packaging.\"\n\nSeveral municipalities worldwide have implemented or will implement similar bans -- including New York City, which will ban plastic bags next spring."], "summary": "A ban on single-use plastic shopping bags comes into force in New Zealand. Businesses that break the ban will face fines of up to $100,000NZD."}
{"document": ["Al menos 15 personas fallecieron y más de 40 resultaron heridas como consecuencia del vuelco de un micro en el que viajaban jubilados en la provincia de Tucumán.\n\nEl hecho ocurrió cerca de las 10 de este lunes en el cruce de las rutas 157 y 308, en cercanías de la localidad de La Madrid, al sur de la provincia.\n\nSegún las primeras informaciones, el ómnibus trasladaba a un contingente de jubilados que había partido en la noche del domingo desde Mendoza con destino a la ciudad santiagueña de Termas de Río Hondo. Debía llegar allí cerca del mediodía. Estaba previsto el regreso a Mendoza para el martes 9 de julio.\n\nEl micro viajaba desde Mendoza hacia Santiago del Estero.\n\nPor el hecho, en horas de la tarde detuvieron a los dos choferes que manejaban el micro para intentar determinar las causas del vuelco. \"Hubo una maniobra desafortunada en la conducción del vehículo y generó que volcara. Es la primera hipótesis\", dijo el fiscal de la causa, Edgardo Sánchez.\n\nNewsletters Clarín Qué pasó hoy | Te contamos las noticias más importantes del día, y que pasará mañana cuando te levantes De lunes a viernes por la tarde. Recibir newsletter\n\nTestigos afirmaron al diario La Gaceta que en el momento del accidente la visibilidad era baja como consecuencia de una intensa neblina, lo que, se estima, podría haber afectado al chofer, que no advirtió la curva para empalmar a la ruta 157.\n\n\"En total asistimos a 46 pacientes, de los cuales dos murieron en el hospital. Hay muchas de las personas que no tenían graves traumatismos, pero hay tres personas con politraumatismos muy graves, en estado crítico\", dijo la ministra de Salud de Tucumán, Rossana Chahla.\n\nEn tanto, Marcelo Ibáñez, comisario regional, aclaró que no todos los fallecidos son jubilados y que, si bien desconocen las causas del siniestro, afirmó que tiene la “certeza” de que había niebla en la zona del accidente.\n\n“La gente que concurrió al auxilio, tanto las ambulancias como el resto, lo hicieron de forma inmediata al accidente. Muchas personas particulares colaboraron con el sacado de las víctimas del interior del rodado”, agregó.\n\nLas autoridades no descartan que el número de víctimas ascienda una vez que remuevan el vehículo.\n\nConmocionado por el accidente del micro en Tucumán. Mis condolencias a los seres queridos de las víctimas. Estamos a disposición de los heridos y sus familias. — Mauricio Macri (@mauriciomacri) July 1, 2019\n\n“Los accidentes no son frecuentes, pero sí se han producido varios. La razón principal es el de conocimiento de los conductores de la zona. Es un cruce peligroso si es que la gente no lo conoce”, contó por su parte el intendente de La Madrid, Darío Herrera.\n\n“La señalizaciones están. No podría decirle si son las adecuadas o no. Pero sí puedo decir que está toda señalizada”, agregó en declaraciones al canal TN.\n\nOrlando Corvalán, delegado de la Comisión Nacional de Regulación del Transporte (CNRT) de Mendoza, confirmó que la empresa propietaria del micro siniestrada, Destino Ser, es de San Juan.\n\nx\n\n“La unidad está habilitada. Tiene su revisión técnica y sus papeles al día”, agregó.\n\nFuentes del organismo detallaron a Clarín que el micro había sido inspeccionado por última vez hace 8 días, el 23 de junio. Y que en lo que va de 2019 ya había sido revisado 16 veces. \"Se aprobó la revisión de la documentación y el estado de la unidad\", detallaron. El micro, patente KET 119, contaba con habilitación para prestar Turismo Nacional hasta fin de 2022 y tenía la revisión técnica obligatoria en regla.\n\nAmbos conductores, además, cuentan con Licencia Nacional de Transporte interjurisdiccional habilitada.\n\nEn el operativo trabajaron más de 30 ambulancias que llegaron desde localidades cercanas para auxiliar a las víctimas. También se hicieron presente 4 dotaciones de bomberos.\n\nJPE", "An overcrowded minibus crashed into a gorge in Kashmir valley on Monday, killing at least 31 people and injuring another 7, officials said.\n\nThe bus plunged off the Himalayan mountain road as its driver negotiated a curve and rolled down into a 150-meter (500-foot) deep gorge along a rocky stream, said civil administrator Angrez Singh Rana. He said officials were investigating whether it was a mechanical failure or driver's negligence.\n\nTop police officer M.K Sinha said the bus hit the rocks and was torn apart in several pieces. He said the 27-seat bus was overcrowded.\n\nRescue teams have evacuated seven injured to hospitals, where all of them are in critical condition.\n\nOn Thursday, a minibus carrying students to a picnic crashed into a gorge along another Himalayan road in Kashmir, killing at least 11 and injuring seven others.\n\nIndia has the world's deadliest roads, with about 150,000 killed and 470,000 injured annually. Most crashes are blamed on reckless driving, poorly maintained roads and old vehicles.\n\nAlso Read | 4, including 3 students killed as school bus rolls down gorge in Shimla\n\nVideo: 35 killed, several others injured as bus rolls down gorge in Kishtwar", "Four people, including 3 students were killed after a school bus rolled down a gorge in Shimla early Monday. Many others were reported injured in the incident, which was reported from Lower Khalini area of the district in Himachal Pradesh.\n\nThe accident took place near Khalini village in the district. The driver of the Himachal Pradesh Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) bus died on the spot and three students succumbed to injuries when they were being taken to a hospital, the official said.\n\nHe said an operation is underway to rescue the passengers, most of whom are school children.\n\nThe bus conductor and three students were injured in the accident and they have been taken to the hospital, the official said.\n\nEarlier on Friday, at least 5 people were killed in a road accident on Agra-Lucknow highway in Uttar Pradesh. The accident was reported from near Fatehabad. The deceased also included one child, reported news agency ANI.\n\nThe accident occurred after a private bus rammed into a parked truck on the Agra-Lucknow expressway.\n\nAlso Read | Five, including one child killed in bus accident on Agra-Lucknow expressway\n\nVideo: Jharkhand: 6 dead, around 39 people injured after a bus fell into a gorge in Garhwa", "At least 20 passengers were killed when a mini bus rolled down a hilly road and fell into deep gorge in Jammu and Kashmir's Kishtwar district on Monday, a senior police officer said.\n\nThe bus, which way on its way to Kishtwar from Keshwan, skidded off the road at Sirgwari and rolled down into the gorge around 7:30 am.\n\nBodies of 20 passengers have been recovered so far, IGP, Jammu, M K Sinha, told PTI.\n\nEarlier, police officials had said that 24 people have been killed in the accident.\n\nRescue operation is going on, he said.", "Shimla/Chandigarh: In a tragic incident from Himachal Pradesh, a bus ferrying school children fell down a deep gorge in the state capital, killing three, including two children. The driver of the bus died on the spot.\n\nFive children, all from the Jesus & Mary (Chelsea) school, and the bus conductor, were injured in the incident. They have been rushed to Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC), Shimla.\n\nThe deceased have been identified as Manya D/O Bhisham Singh, Sarishti Panta (Mehul) D/O Brijmohan Panta, both aged 13 years, and bus driver Naresh. They were taken to a local hospital where they were declared brought dead by the doctors.\n\nThe bus was hired by the school from the Himachal Road Transport Department (HRTC) department and had 12 persons onboard.\n\nThe accident took place in Jajheri (Lower Khalini) in Shimla on early Monday morning. Primary reports suggest that the bus fell off the road while trying to negotiate past the vehicles parked alongside the narrow road.\n\nThe area has a narrow road, often constricted by parked vehicles on both sides. Besides, no crash barriers or parapets have been installed on the road which was constructed about 20 years ago.\n\nThe locals had been demanding the installation of parapets and crash barriers for a long time, but the politicians and the authorities failed to address the concerns.\n\nMeanwhile, angry over the incident, locals smashed the window panes of the vehicles parked alongside the road. Education minister Suresh Bhardwaj, who visited the spot, had to face the ire of the people and was quickly escorted back in SP’s vehicle. The locals also pelted stones on media persons covering the incident.\n\nChief Minsiter Jai Ram Thakur is expected to reach the spot soon.\n\nLast week, Suresh Bhardwaj had ordered the private schools to arrange for their own school buses as the HRTC buses would be pressed into service on local routes to solve the menace of overloading.\n\nNotably, 46 people lost their lives in Banjar of Kullu district on June 20. Overloading is considered to be the primary reason behind the accident. A magisterial inquiry was set up to look into the accident and it submitted its report to the government. The contents of the report haven’t been made public.", "Eight people were killed in a bus-truck collision on Bhakkar’s Sangal Road on Sunday.\n\nThe deceased were from the same family and five of the victims were children. They were going back to their house in Hyderabad.\n\nThe seven people injured in the accident were taken to district hospital.", "BUENOS AIRES, Argentina - Officials say a bus carrying a group of retirees has overturned on a foggy road in northern Argentina, killing at least 13 passengers and leaving 40 injured.\n\nLa Madrid town representative Dardo Herrera tells the Todo Noticias television channel that the accident occurred early Monday at a dangerous intersection near his town in Tucuman province.", "Mini bus rolled down a hilly road and fell into deep gorge (Photo ANI)\n\nJAMMU: At least 20 passengers were killed when a mini bus rolled down a hilly road and fell into deep gorge in Jammu and Kashmir 's Kishtwar district on Monday, a senior police officer said.The bus, which way on its way to Kishtwar from Keshwan, skidded off the road at Sirgwari and rolled down into the gorge around 7:30 am.Bodies of 20 passengers have been recovered so far, IGP, Jammu, M K Sinha, told PTI.Earlier, police officials had said that 24 people have been killed in the accident.Rescue operation is going on, he said.In Video: J&K: Many feared dead as bus rolls down into gorge in Kishtwar", "BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Officials say a bus carrying a group of retirees has overturned on a foggy road in northern Argentina, killing at least 13 passengers and leaving 40 injured.\n\nLa Madrid town representative Dardo Herrera tells the Todo Noticias television channel that the accident occurred early Monday at a dangerous intersection near his town in Tucuman province.\n\nThe retirees were accompanied by younger passengers and it wasn't immediately clear how many of the victims were elderly.\n\nThe bus had left from the city of Mendoza en route to Termas de Rio Hondo, a spa known for its thermal waters.", "Shimla: Three people–two students and a bus driver, died after a school bus rolled into a hill in Lower Khalini area of Shimla on Monday morning, news agency ANI reported.\n\nThe earlier report said that seven people were taken injured. They were rushed to a hospital nearby.\n\nPolice and rescue teams were present at the spot. Locals also helped in the rescue operation.\n\nIn an earlier incident which took place in January this year, a total of eight people were killed out of which six of them were children after a school bus fell into a gorge in Sangrah area of Sirmaur district in Himachal Pradesh. At least 11 persons were injured and shifted to a district hospital.\n\nLast year on December 26, two people died and over 25 got injured after an HRTC (Himachal Road Transport Corporation) bus travelling from Nalagarh to Jainagar fell in a gorge in Jamli area in Bilaspur district."], "summary": "At least 16 people are killed and 45 injured when a bus rolls over on a road in Tucumán Province, Argentina."}
{"document": ["BERLIN (Reuters) - A German armed forces helicopter crashed in northern Germany on Monday, killing one pilot and injuring another, Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen said.\n\nThe pilot who survived the crash of the Eurocopter EC135 was being treated in hospital, von der Leyen told reporters.\n\n“The cause of the crash is so far completely unclear,” von der Leyen said, adding that the military would investigate the incident thoroughly. “This is a tragic moment for us.”\n\nBoth pilots had undergone comprehensive training to fly the EC135 and had each completed 450 flight hours and were training as flight instructors, she said.\n\nThe incident comes a week after one pilot was killed when two unarmed German Eurofighter jets collided over northeastern Germany.", "BERLIN, July 2 — A German armed forces helicopter crashed in northern Germany yesterday, killing one pilot and injuring another, Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen said.\n\nThe pilot who survived the crash of the Eurocopter EC135 was being treated in hospital, von der Leyen told reporters.\n\n“The cause of the crash is so far completely unclear,” von der Leyen said, adding that the military would investigate the incident thoroughly. “This is a tragic moment for us.”\n\nBoth pilots had undergone comprehensive training to fly the EC135 and had each completed 450 flight hours and were training as flight instructors, she said.\n\nThe incident comes a week after one pilot was killed when two unarmed German Eurofighter jets collided over northeastern Germany. — Reuters", "BERLIN (Reuters) - A German armed forces helicopter crashed in northern Germany on Monday, killing one pilot and injuring another, Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen said.\n\nThe pilot who survived the crash of the Eurocopter EC135 was being treated in hospital, von der Leyen told reporters.\n\n\"The cause of the crash is so far completely unclear,\" von der Leyen said, adding that the military would investigate the incident thoroughly. \"This is a tragic moment for us.\"\n\nBoth pilots had undergone comprehensive training to fly the EC135 and had each completed 450 flight hours and were training as flight instructors, she said.\n\nThe incident comes a week after one pilot was killed when two unarmed German Eurofighter jets collided over northeastern Germany.\n\nThis story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.\n\nYour guide to the latest cricket World Cup stories, analysis, reports, opinions, live updates and scores on https://www.firstpost.com/firstcricket/series/icc-cricket-world-cup-2019.html. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram or like our Facebook page for updates throughout the ongoing event in England and Wales.", "BERLIN: A German armed forces helicopter crashed in northern Germany on Monday, killing one pilot and injuring another, Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen said.\n\nThe pilot who survived the crash of the Eurocopter EC135 was being treated in hospital, von der Leyen told reporters.\n\n“The cause of the crash is so far completely unclear,” von der Leyen said, adding that the military would investigate the incident thoroughly. “This is a tragic moment for us.”\n\nBoth pilots had undergone comprehensive training to fly the EC135 and had each completed 450 flight hours and were training as flight instructors, she said.\n\nThe incident comes a week after one pilot was killed when two unarmed German Eurofighter jets collided over northeastern Germany.", "BERLIN (Reuters) - A German armed forces helicopter crashed in northern Germany on Monday, killing one pilot and injuring another, Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen said.\n\nThe pilot who survived the crash of the Eurocopter EC135 was being treated in hospital, von der Leyen told reporters.\n\n“The cause of the crash is so far completely unclear,” von der Leyen said, adding that the military would investigate the incident thoroughly. “This is a tragic moment for us.”\n\nBoth pilots had undergone comprehensive training to fly the EC135 and had each completed 450 flight hours and were training as flight instructors, she said.\n\nThe incident comes a week after one pilot was killed when two unarmed German Eurofighter jets collided over northeastern Germany.", "BERLIN (Reuters) - A German armed forces helicopter crashed in northern Germany on Monday, killing one pilot and injuring another, Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen said.\n\nThe pilot who survived the crash of the Eurocopter EC135 was being treated in hospital, von der Leyen told reporters.\n\n“The cause of the crash is so far completely unclear,” von der Leyen said, adding that the military would investigate the incident thoroughly. “This is a tragic moment for us.”\n\nBoth pilots had undergone comprehensive training to fly the EC135 and had each completed 450 flight hours and were training as flight instructors, she said.\n\nThe incident comes a week after one pilot was killed when two unarmed German Eurofighter jets collided over northeastern Germany.", "A military helicopter crashed near the northern city of Hanover, the German armed forces said on Monday.\n\nThe Bunderwehr confirmed that one of the pilots was killed while the other is in the hospital. Authorities have yet to determine the cause of the crash.\n\n\"Our thoughts, our grief, our sympathies are with the relatives of the pilot,\" German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen said during a visit to the crash site.\n\nThe military vehicle — a twin-engine light EC 135 — belonged to the Bundeswehr's central helicopter training center, which is located roughly 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) away from where it went down.\n\nEmergency services, including firefighters, were deployed to the scene, police in Hameln said in a tweet.\n\nRead more: German military sees rise in soldiers suffering from PTSD\n\nAging equipment\n\nThe armed forces have been plagued by aging hardware, prompting calls for more funding to modernize its equipment. Some politicians have even called for an end to military exercises in the country.\n\nThis isn't the first deadly accident to hit the Bundeswehr this year. Last week, two Eurofighters collided in midair, killing one of the pilots.\n\nRead more: Eurofighter crash leads to calls to end military exercises\n\nEvery evening, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.\n\nBundeswehr struggles with faulty defense equipment Faulty tanks and grounded helicopters — today in the German military Frustrated soldiers and a defense system struggling to repair its way into a fully functioning military. And a new defense minister who will have to regain confidence from army representatives.\n\nBundeswehr struggles with faulty defense equipment Defective helicopters Ageing helicopters have proved a big hurdle for the German military. The Bundeswehr has grounded all its 53 Tiger helicopters, after engineers said technical faults needed attention. Defense services were also forced to recall 22 Sea Lynx anti-submarine helicopters in 2014, confirming newspaper reports of malfunction.\n\nBundeswehr struggles with faulty defense equipment Manufacturing fault The Eurofighter is the German military's most modern fighter jet. As a result of a manufacturing error, only four of the 128 planes were in action in 2018. A pilot was killed in June 2019 when two Eurofighters collided in the northeastern state of Mecklenburg- Western Pomerania, prompting fresh calls for further restriction on the plane's use.\n\nBundeswehr struggles with faulty defense equipment Let's replace it... as soon as we make a decision Tornado fighters have been flying for over 40 years. CDU plans to replace the ageing planes were thrown into question by the center left SPD in February 2019. But some officials claim flying the Tornado after 2030 could cost Germany around €8 billion ($9 billion) in repair costs.\n\nBundeswehr struggles with faulty defense equipment Not making any tracks New Puma tanks for the German tanks came into use in 2018. Only 27 of the 71 Pumas were immediately ready for deployment — which prompted a fresh backlash against then Defense Secretary Ursula von der Leyen.\n\nBundeswehr struggles with faulty defense equipment Glitches at sea New F125 frigates — but they are't ready yet. German plans to replace the old frigates stalled in 2018, due to there not being enough spare parts to make them seaworthy. Officials also said Germany would have to soon stop signing up to NATO and UN missions in the same year — the country just did not have enough ships spare.\n\nBundeswehr struggles with faulty defense equipment Headache for AKK? She has not been in the job long, but Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer has inherited a huge problem. Old equipment being grounded is now a regular and pressing occurrence. Former Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen signed a deal to develop a \"Future Combat Air System\" in June — which is scheduled to replace Germany's air force by 2040. Author: Sven Pöhle / db\n\n\n\nls/rc (Reuters, dpa)", "A helicopter of the Bundeswehr, the unified armed forces of Germany, crashed in Lower Saxony, killing one person and seriously injuring another, the German armed forces confirmed on Monday.\n\nThe accident happened on Monday afternoon in Aerzen District, according to local German police.\n\nFire had broken out around the crash site which was close to a forest area, said a spokesperson from Aerzen’s local fire brigade.\n\nThe helicopter was part of the Buekeburg Military Aviation School, the spokesperson, who was not named, confirmed.\n\nThe German training helicopter was in a low-flying exercise shortly before the crash.\n\nOnly last week, two Eurofighters of the German Armed Forces collided during air combat exercises and crashed in Mecklenburg, Western Pomerania.\n\nBoth pilots had managed to operate their ejection seats. A flying instructor had survived the accident, while the second pilot died in the accident.", "A helicopter belonging to the German armed forces crashed on Monday near the town of Hamelin in northern Germany, police said\n\nMOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 01st July, 2019) A helicopter belonging to the German armed forces crashed on Monday near the town of Hamelin in northern Germany police said.\n\n\"A Bundeswehr helicopter has crashed in the Aerzen-Dehmke area. Numerous firefighters, rescuers and police are at the site,\" Hamelin police tweeted.\n\nThe crash site in the state of Lower Saxony has been cordoned off. German media reported that at least one person had been killed.\n\nTwo German Eurofighter jets collided in midair in the neighboring state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania last Monday. One pilot died, while the other ejected to safety.", "At least one person has been killed and another seriously injured after a military helicopter crashed in northwestern Germany, local media reported.\n\nThe crash occurred near the neighborhood of Hameln in Lower Saxony, according to German media, citing a spokesperson for the fire service.\n\nThe aircraft, whose type is not yet known, hit a corn field at the edge of a forest. The crash sparked a fire on the ground, the local fire brigade said on Twitter.\n\nMeanwhile, police cordoned off the entire crash site while the blaze was extinguished. Hameln is located just 30km away from an international helicopter training center in the town of Bueckeburg, according to Die Welt.\n\nThe Eurocopter H135 helicopter was flying an air force training mission out of Bueckeburg.\n\nThe crash occurred just one week after a pair of the German Air Force’s Eurofighter jets collided during flight training in the northeastern state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.\n\nBoth pilots managed to eject after the collision but, hours later, the Air Force reported that one of them had been found dead.\n\nThink your friends would be interested? Share this story!"], "summary": "In Lower Saxony, Germany, a Bundeswehr helicopter crashes, killing one of the pilots."}
{"document": ["Officials in Mexico's second-largest city say a freak storm that dumped more than a metre of hail on parts of the Guadalajara area damaged hundreds of homes.\n\nImages shared by the western state of Jalisco's civil defence agency show cars buried up to their windows in hail on Sunday. The government brought in heavy machinery to clear streets and dig out businesses. Streets looked like rivers of ice.\n\nThe hail clogged drainage systems, leading to intense flooding in places.\n\nThe storm also partially buried tractor-trailers and cars, bringing families out on to the streets to play in ice piled high despite the summer heat.\n\nA woman and a child walk on hail in the eastern area of Guadalajara on Sunday. Tractor-trailers were partially buried. (Ulises Ruiz/AFP/Getty Images)\n\nSoldiers and police who took to the streets to help with the cleanup operations slid and slipped knee-deep into the drifts.\n\nJalisco Gov. Enrique Alfaro said on Twitter that he's never seen anything like it.\n\nGuadalajara, in western Mexico, usually sees average temperatures in June of around 31 C.\n\nFollowing the early morning storm, the temperature reached a high of about 27 C on Sunday in the city.\n\nResidents of San Miguel de Allende, a high desert community east of Guadalajara that is popular with U.S. tourists, also awoke to several inches of hail covering city streets on Monday.\n\nThe local government posted photographs of workers shoveling hail and of buildings damaged by fallen trees.", "People in Guadalajara, Mexico, woke up on Sunday to a thick blanket of ice over areas of their city, after a freak hail storm that damaged houses and left cars partially buried.\n\nThis is particularly strange because it's the middle of summer. In the past month, temperatures most days have hit 90 degrees Fahrenheit or over.\n\nAuthorities say more than 450 homes were affected by the heavy hail, including some where the ice pushed through doors and windows, according to the local El Informador newspaper.\n\nGuadalajara's mayor, Ismael del Toro, told the newspaper that 10 people had been treated for symptoms of hypothermia.\n\nThe Mexican army and local authorities were deployed to use heavy machinery to dig out the city of nearly 1.5 million people, which is among the most populous in Mexico.\n\n\"Hail more than a meter high, and then we wonder if climate change exists,\" Jalisco state Gov. Enrique Alfaro Ramírez wrote on Twitter. He added that authorities were working to help citizens whose homes were damaged.\n\n\"This is a natural phenomenon that we haven't seen before,\" the governor said in a video posted to Facebook. As he gestured to the blanketed street, he added: \"The hail looks like snowfall.\"\n\nAs the hail melted, snowy-looking streets turned into rivers, El Informador reported, adding that some cars were swept away or pushed on top of each other. The rush of water and debris blocked a major highway for hours.\n\nIn the Rancho Blanco area of the city, which was particularly hard-hit, some 30 vehicles and 60 homes were damaged, Jalisco Civil Protection officials said on Facebook.\n\nIt's worth noting that the actual hailstones that hit Guadalajara were rather small — even smaller than a marble, according to the BBC — which might have limited some of the damage.\n\nHail forms when \"thunderstorm updrafts are strong enough to carry water droplets well above the freezing level,\" according to NASA. These droplets freeze into hailstones that fall to earth.\n\nA CNN meteorologist said a low pressure zone around the U.S.-Mexico border contributed to storm strengthening in the area. \"This was a case where atmospheric and topographic ingredients came into play to cause a freakish hail storm,\" Michael Guy said.\n\nAs crews work to clear away the ice, they may get a hand from the weather. Guadalajara is expected to see significant melting on Monday, with likely thunderstorms and temperatures forecast to reach 81 degrees Fahrenheit.", "People in Guadalajara, Mexico, woke up on Sunday to a thick blanket of ice over areas of their city, after a freak hail storm that damaged houses and left cars partially buried.\n\nThis is particularly strange because it's the middle of summer. In the past month, temperatures most days have hit 90 degrees Fahrenheit or over.\n\nThe Mexican army and local authorities have been deployed to use heavy machinery to dig out the city of nearly 1.5 million people that is the capital of Jalisco state.\n\n\"Hail more than a meter high, and then we wonder if climate change exists,\" Jalisco Gov. Enrique Alfaro Ramírez wrote on Twitter. As of Sunday afternoon, no injuries had been reported, he said, adding that authorities were working to help citizens whose homes were damaged.\n\n\"This is a natural phenomenon that we haven't seen before,\" the governor said in a video posted to Facebook. As he gestured to the blanketed street, he added: \"The hail looks like snowfall.\"\n\nIn the Rancho Blanco area of the city, which was particularly hard-hit, some 30 vehicles and 60 homes were damaged, Jalisco Civil Protection officials said on Facebook.\n\nIt's worth noting that the actual hailstones that hit Guadalajara were rather small — even smaller than a marble, according to the BBC — which might have limited some of the damage.\n\nHail forms when \"thunderstorm updrafts are strong enough to carry water droplets well above the freezing level,\" according to NASA. These droplets freeze into hailstones that fall to earth.\n\nA CNN meteorologist said a low pressure zone around the U.S.-Mexico border contributed to storm strengthening in the area. \"This was a case where atmospheric and topographic ingredients came into play to cause a freakish hail storm,\" Michael Guy said.\n\nAs crews work to clear away the ice, they may get a hand from the weather. Guadalajara is expected to see significant melting on Monday, with likely thunderstorms and temperatures forecast to reach 81 degrees Fahrenheit.", "Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings.\n\nA freak summer hail storm in Guadalajara, Mexico, submerged cars and damaged hundreds of houses Sunday morning, officials said.\n\nJalisco state's civil defense agency began working at dawn to clear ice from the streets, said Jalisco Gov. Enrique Alfaro. Photos posted by the agency showed cars nearly fully covered in hail, and The Associated Press reported that hundreds of homes were damaged.\n\nThe hail also blocked drainage systems, which led to severe flooding in some parts of the city.\n\nAlfaro said more than 3 feet of hail had fallen, adding that he had never seen anything like it.\n\nHe said later Sunday that there were not any reports of injuries or fatalities. He said the Mexican Army and local Guadalajara and Tlaquepaque officials had also responded.\n\nFollowing the storm, the temperature on Sunday reached a high of 81 degrees in Guadalajara, according to the AP.", "Guadalajara digs out from more than 4 feet of hail\n\nMEXICO CITY (AP) — Officials in Mexico's second largest city say a storm that dumped more than 4 feet (more than a meter) of hail on parts of the Guadalajara area damaged hundreds of homes.\n\nImages shared by Jalisco state's civil defense agency show cars buried up to their windows in hail on Sunday. The government brought in heavy machinery to clear streets and dig out businesses. Streets looked like rivers of ice.\n\nThe hail clogged drainage systems, leading to intense flooding in places.\n\nJalisco Gov. Enrique Alfaro says via Twitter that he's never seen anything like it.\n\nFollowing the early morning storm, the temperature reached a high of 81 degrees Sunday in Guadalajara.", "A storm that dumped more than 4ft of hail on parts of Guadalajara damaged hundreds of homes, according to officials in Mexico’s second largest city.\n\nImages shared by Jalisco state’s civil defence agency showed cars buried up to their windows in hail on Sunday.\n\nThe government brought in heavy machinery to clear streets and dig out businesses, with streets resembling rivers of ice.\n\nThe hail clogged drainage systems, leading to heavy flooding in places.\n\nJalisco governor Enrique Alfaro says he had never seen anything like it.\n\nAfter the early morning storm, the temperature rose again to about 27C in Guadalajara.\n\nOn Monday, residents of San Miguel de Allende, a high desert community popular with US tourists, woke to several inches of hail clogging city streets.\n\nThe local government posted photographs of workers shovelling hail and of buildings damaged by fallen trees.", "The photographs that emerged from western Mexico on Sunday looked more like scenes from a postapocalyptic movie than an image of the last day of June: hills of white hailstones piled up on the streets, swallowing cars and blanketing the city in a jarring layer of ice.\n\nThe hail, which accumulated more than a metre high in some parts of Jalisco state on Mexico's Pacific Coast, baffled authorities who tried to find a way to clean up the icy mess. Hail clogged drainage systems, causing flooding in some spots.\n\nAfter the early morning storm, the temperature reached 27 C in Guadalajara.\n\nEnrique Alfaro, governor of Jalisco, wrote on Twitter that he had never seen anything like it.\n\n\"I witnessed scenes that I had never seen before: hail more than a metre high,\" he tweeted, \"and then we ask ourselves if climate change exists.\"\n\nHe shared photos of excavators and plows working to clear the frosty debris from the roadway. But local authorities could not do it alone. The Mexican army also assisted in the cities of Tlaquepaque and Guadalajara, two of the hardest-hit areas, according to Alfaro.\n\nDespite the dramatic nature of the extreme weather event, no injuries were reported. But some homes were damaged, according to local news reports.\n\nLocal residents did their best to navigate the unexpected icescape. Some clambered over the frosted mounds or walked their bikes through the piles of ice.\n\nAnd children tried to make the most of the novelty of a city blanketed in ice in the middle of summer. One girl in a short-sleeved shirt lay down in a pile of hail in the middle of a street and tried to make a snow angel.\n\nOn Monday, residents of San Miguel de Allende, a high desert community popular with U.S. tourists, awoke to several inches of hail clogging city streets. The local government posted photographs of workers shovelling hail and of buildings damaged by fallen trees.", "Guadalajara digs out from more than 4 feet of hail\n\nMEXICO CITY (AP) — A storm dumped more than 4 feet (more than a meter) of hail on parts of the Guadalajara area, damaging hundreds of homes and burying cars up to their windows in some places, Mexican officials said Monday.\n\nThe Jalisco state government brought in heavy machinery to clear streets and dig out businesses in the country's second largest city. Sunday's storm left streets looking like rivers of ice, while hail clogged drainage systems, causing flooding in some spots.\n\nJalisco Gov. Enrique Alfaro said via Twitter that he had never seen anything like it.\n\nFollowing the early morning storm, the temperature reached a high of 81 degrees in Guadalajara.\n\nOn Monday, residents of San Miguel de Allende, a high desert community popular with U.S. tourists, awoke to several inches of hail clogging city streets. The local government posted photographs of workers shoveling hail and of buildings damaged by fallen trees.", "The weather just keeps getting stranger: a record-breaking heat wave scorched Europe in June, and now a freak storm has buried Guadalajara, Mexico in nearly 5 feet of hail.\n\nThe central Mexico city is still dealing with damage on Monday after a severe storm dumped hail, burying vehicles, blocking roads, and trapping residents inside their homes on Sunday.\n\nThe storm only lasted an hour but 200 homes were damaged and dozens of vehicles were washed away in the city and suburbs, which also got rocked by the storm, BBC News reported.\n\n“We are doing hail removal work and also verifying the buildings that were affected by hail,” the head of the State Unit for Civil Protection and Firefighters of Jalisco said according to local news outlet Vallart Daily.\n\nMexico’s weather service did issue warning over the weekend that “strong rain” would hit Guadalajara and the state of Jalisco. The state has experienced wild summer weather before — including hail — but the extreme nature of this hailstorm stunned even experts.\n\nMexican officials had to call in the military to clear roads of the thick ice.\n\nThe hailstorm occurred as local temperatures quickly dropped nearly 20 degrees, according to weather.com.\n\nHailstones grow by colliding with supercooled water drops, NOAA explained. Supercooled water will freeze on contact with ice crystals, frozen raindrops, dust or some other nuclei.\n\nThunderstorms that have a strong updraft keep lifting the hailstones up to the top of the cloud where they encounter more supercooled water and continue to grow.\n\nThe hail falls when the thunderstorm’s updraft can no longer support the weight of the ice or the updraft weakens. The stronger the updraft the larger the hailstone can grow.\n• Swarm of Mayflies Invades Ohio, Shows Up on Weather Radar", "Last week, the average daily temperature in Guadalajara, Mexico, hovered around 88 degrees Fahrenheit—a fairly typical figure for the first few sweltering days of summer. Then, on Sunday, June 30, an unexpected hailstorm hit the area, burying the city under several feet of icy slush.\n\nAs BBC News reports, the storm arrived in Guadalajara around 2 a.m. local time, sweeping through the city as air temperatures dropped suddenly from 72 to 57 degrees Fahrenheit. Although the hailstones were relatively small, measuring less than 1 centimeter across, Agence France-Presse notes that the deluge was strong enough to damage some 200 local homes and businesses, as well as at least 50 vehicles. Per the local El Informador newspaper, 10 residents of Guadalajara and its neighboring city, Tlaquepaque, were treated for early signs of hypothermia.\n\nGuadalajara, capital of the Mexican state of Jalisco, boasts a population of nearly 1.5 million. Situated some 5,000 feet above sea level, the city is no stranger to summer hailstorms. Storms of this magnitude, however, are unusual; state governor Enrique Alfaro told AFP he had “never seen such scenes in Guadalajara,” adding, “Then we ask ourselves if climate change is real.”\n\nHail is a common seasonal occurrence that forms in thunderstorms with intense zones of rising air. These zones, known as updrafts, carry water vapor into the sky, where it condenses, freezes and transforms into hail. At this point, the hail either rains down or, if the updrafts are strong enough, travels back up into the clouds to start the process all over again, growing in size until the swirling air can no longer support its weight.\n\nSome hail events fall under a category nicknamed “SPLASH,” or “Storms Producing Large Amounts of Small Hail.” In SPLASH storms, hail falls to the ground as a “torrent of small ice grains,” delivering a “‘thump’ not unlike a massive, localized snowfall,” report Jason Samenow and Jeff Halverson for The Washington Post. This is likely what happened in Guadalajara, which is susceptible to hailstorms due to its high elevation. As catalogued in a recent Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology study, it remains unclear why certain storm events generate large amounts of small hail, while others produce larger golf ball- or softball-sized hail.\n\nAlthough photographs of the event’s aftermath testify to tall hail drifts throughout the city, these monoliths were created by urban flash flooding that sent ice flowing into streets and culverts, not purely through accumulated ice dropped during the storm, as climate scientist Daniel Swain of the University of California Los Angeles explains on Twitter. (Similar occurrences have previously been recorded in Mexico City and the Texas Panhandle, among other locations.)\n\nAs Marshall Shepherd reports for Forbes, current research details “compelling” links between a warming planet and heatwaves, drought and extreme rainfall, but the data is less convincing when it comes to hail and tornadoes. Writing for the Washington Post earlier this year, meteorologist Paul Douglas notes that while “there isn’t solid evidence that hail has increased due to climate change, … scientists say [that] hail could grow bigger in the future.”\n\nChris Westbrook, a meteorologist at England’s University of Reading, tells The New York Times’ Iliana Magra that Guadalajara’s mountainous landscape makes it an ideal candidate for extreme hailstorms.\n\n“Fundamentally, hailstorms are not unusual in this part of the world,” Westbrook concludes. “What is unusual is that the conditions were just right to get an awful lot in one go.”"], "summary": "In Mexico, a storm drops over a metre of hail over parts of Guadalajara, damaging hundreds of houses."}
{"document": ["Iran has breached the 300 kilograms of low-enriched uranium allowed under the 2015 international nuclear accord, both Foreign Minister Javad Zarif and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed on Monday.\n\nThe IAEA \"verified on July 1 that Iran's total enriched uranium stockpile exceeded 300 kilograms,\" a spokesperson said.\n\nThe amount is well below that needed to produce one nuclear weapon. But the breach shows that Iran intends to ratchet up its response to the United States withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) last year and its reimposition of harsh unilateral sanctions.\n\nOn Twitter, Zarif insisted Iran was not violating the deal, citing the \"Dispute Resolution Mechanism\" of the treaty, which it believes the so-called E3+2 — Germany, France and the UK plus Russia and China — have not brought to a successful conclusion.\n\nFierce criticism from Israel, US warns Tehran\n\nIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been highly critical of Iran's nuclear program, urged European countries involved in the Iran nuclear deal to impose \"automatic sanctions.\"\n\n\"You committed to act the moment Iran violates the nuclear agreement, you committed to activate the mechanism for automatic sanctions that was set in the [UN] Security Council,\" he said in a statement.\n\nIsrael, he said, would \"soon unveil more proof that Iran was lying all the time\" about the program.\n\nIn a White House statement, the US government reiterated its opposition to the JCPOA, which it withdrew from in May of last year. \"It was a mistake under the Iran nuclear deal to allow Iran to enrich uranium at any level,\" it said, adding that \"the United States and its allies will never allow Iran to develop nuclear weapons.\"\n\nUS President Donald Trump was asked by reporters for his reaction to the latest news from Tehran and he said: \"They know what they're doing. They know what they're playing with and I think they're playing with fire.\"\n\nRead more: How Trump's sanctions are crippling Iran's economy\n\nIranian officials had warned that the country would likely exceed the uranium limit this week if the remaining signatories to the nuclear deal — China, Germany, France, Britain and Russia — failed to find a way for Tehran to receive the economic benefits promised in exchange for dismantling its nuclear program.\n\nIran is allowed to enrich up to 300 kg of uranium to 3.67% under the terms of the JCPOA. It has not gone over the 3.67% threshold, but has threatened to do so by July 7. About 1,500 kg of uranium enriched at around 90% is needed for one nuclear weapon.\n\nFalling back under the 300 kg is easily reversible, and the remaining powers in the JCPOA would only become concerned if enrichment levels were ramped up to 20%, Francois Nicoullaud, a former French ambassador to Iran, told AFP.\n\n\"As long as Iran does not get close to a threshold of a ton of lightly enriched uranium, there is no pressing concern,\" Nicoullaud said. But if Iran \"amassed, for example, a stock of 200 to 300 kilograms of uranium enriched to nearly 20% there would be cause for great concern.\"\n\nThe International Crisis Group, a conflict prevention non-profit, wrote in a January assessment that to strengthen its negotiating position Tehran \"could creep past some of the JCPOA's boundaries both as a show of defiance and in hopes of pressuring the deal's remaining parties to do more to save it.\"\n\nWatch video 01:18 Share US sanctions crippling Iran's economy Send Facebook google+ Whatsapp Tumblr linkedin stumble Digg reddit Newsvine Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/3KzUY US sanctions crippling Iran's economy\n\nThe US exit from the deal and heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran in the Persian Gulf in recent months has had the European signatories to the JCPOA scrambling to save the accord.\n\nAfter months of delay, European powers meeting with Iranian officials in Vienna last Friday announced the start of their so-called INSTEX scheme, a mechanism to facilitate EU-Iran trade in humanitarian goods not under US sanctions.\n\nTrade between Europe and Iran has plummeted since the US imposed a raft of sanctions that have battered Iran's currency and sent its economy into recession. The Islamic Republic's oil exports to the bloc are down to zero.\n\nAfter the talks on Friday, Abbas Araghchi, Iran's deputy foreign minister, said that Europe was not doing enough and for the INSTEX system to be useful \"Europeans need to buy oil from Iran, or to consider credit lines for this mechanism.\"\n\nWatch video 01:42 Share Iran nuclear deal: what next? Send Facebook google+ Whatsapp Tumblr linkedin stumble Digg reddit Newsvine Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/3L9ZE Future of Iran nuclear deal in question\n\nng, cw, jsi/aw (AFP, AP, dpa, Reuters)\n\nEvery evening, DW sends out a selection of the day's news and features. Sign up here.", "TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Monday that Iran’s enriched uranium stockpile has passed the 300 kilogram limit under the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.\n\n“I have been informed that Iran has passed 300-kilogram stockpile according to its plans and we had announced that earlier. Based on what had been announced, we have said very clearly what we do and consider it our rights within the framework of the JCPOA,” he told ISNA on the sidelines of a ceremony.\n\nUnder the JCPOA, Iran was only allowed to keep 300 kilograms of enriched uranium.\n\nAs a retaliation against the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA and reimposition of sanctions on Iran coupled with a failure by the European Union to compensate for the U.S. exit, Iran officially announced that Iran stops selling stockpiles of enriched uranium and heavy water for 60 days from May 8.\n\nThe Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) announced on June 17 that Iran’s stockpile of enriched uranium will exceed 300 kilograms by June 27.\n\nAfter June 27, Kamalvandi said, Iran will speed up its uranium enrichment activities beyond 3.67 percent if the other sides don’t take a practical step.\n\n“After surpassing 300 kilograms, we will increase the speed of producing enriched uranium above 3.67 percent,” Kamalvandi stated.", "Iran Says It Has Exceeded Uranium Limits Set In 2015 Nuclear Deal\n\nIran announced Monday that it has exceeded the 300 kilogram limit on low-enriched uranium set by the nuclear deal it made with six world powers.\n\nIran said today it had busted past limits on its stockpiles of uranium. Those limits were set under the 2015 nuclear deal with the U.S. and other nations. The White House says Iran, quote, \"must end its nuclear ambitions.\" We're going to compare that demand with the more measured approach to another nuclear power, North Korea. First, NPR's Geoff Brumfiel looks at whether this is the start of a new nuclear crisis in the Middle East.\n\nGEOFF BRUMFIEL, BYLINE: The deal was supposed to be simple. Iran would freeze some parts of its nuclear program and roll back others in order to keep it about a year away from getting enough uranium to make a bomb. And in exchange, it would get relief from economic sanctions. But that was before the U.S. pulled out.\n\nPRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: I am announcing today that the United States will withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal.\n\nBRUMFIEL: That was President Trump speaking last May. The U.S. has reimposed sanctions and added new ones. And now Iran is walking back its side of the bargain one bullet point at a time. Today it announced it has surpassed a 300-kilogram limit on low-enriched uranium. Ali Vaez with the International Crisis Group says that number is somewhat arbitrary.\n\nALI VAEZ: The fact that Iran has produced more low-enriched uranium than the deal allows by a few kilograms doesn't mean that the sky is going to fall.\n\nBRUMFIEL: The uranium is only enriched to about 3.5%. It cannot be used for a bomb. But Vaez says that Iran soon plans to cross other lines set in the deal.\n\nVAEZ: They have threatened, as of July 7, to start enriching at higher levels, like 20%, which is much closer to the weapons grade of 90%.\n\nBRUMFIEL: And that could mean, by the end of the summer, Iran would begin to reduce the time it needs to get uranium for a nuclear weapon - although Iran's official line is that its program is peaceful.\n\nWhy is this happening now? Mahsa Rouhi at the International Institute for Strategic Studies says that a lot of it has to do with the tough position Iranian President Hassan Rouhani finds himself in.\n\nMAHSA ROUHI: We always talk about how President Trump has to keep the campaign promises. But we often tend to forget that President Rouhani is under very similar pressure by not only the hard-liners but also the public opinion.\n\nBRUMFIEL: Iran's nuclear program is very popular domestically. Rouhani won election on the promise that freezing it would improve the economy. So far, he hasn't been able to deliver.\n\nROUHI: People are left thinking - well, now we have basically accepted the limits on our nuclear program. Why are we still being punished?\n\nBRUMFIEL: Today's announcement by Iran is aimed squarely at European powers who are still in the deal. By crossing these lines, Iran is hoping it can pressure Europe to come up with the economic benefits it was originally promised. Europe is working to provide some humanitarian aid - things like medical supplies. But Ali Vaez says it won't be enough to satisfy Iran.\n\nVAEZ: Nothing that Europe would do on its own in the next few months would constitute a silver bullet for the Iranian economy.\n\nBRUMFIEL: Vipin Narang, a political scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, says it appears almost inevitable that Iran will follow through and ramp up its nuclear program again, even as Washington warns it not to.\n\nVIPIN NARANG: It's unclear how the administration will respond to that.\n\nBRUMFIEL: Narang says Iran is also probably paying attention to events in North Korea. That nation decided to build nukes despite sanctions. This weekend, President Trump met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Iran is watching, Narang says.\n\nNARANG: The red carpet treatment that Kim Jong Un gets and the love letters - they're thinking it's good to be a nuclear weapons state.\n\nBRUMFIEL: As of today, Iran is still over a year away from getting a bomb - if it decides to. But that timeline looks likely to start shrinking soon.", "The ongoing diplomatic dispute between the Washington and Tehran hinges on a relatively small technical detail: Iran’s enrichment of uranium.\n\nOn Monday, Iran announced that it had breached a stockpile limit for low-enriched uranium that had been allowed under the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers. The International Atomic Energy Agency subsequently confirmed that Iran’s stockpile had breached the 300-kilogram limit.\n\nThe Trump administration — which had already pulled out of the Iran deal in May 2018 — has suggested that the move showed Iran was never really serious about the 2015 deal. “There is little doubt that even before the deal’s existence, Iran was violating its terms,” White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham said in a statement Monday.\n\nIranian officials have responded to the remarks incredulously. “Seriously?” Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif wrote the next day.\n\nThe emotional responses belie the fact that the uranium stockpile limit is a relatively minor detail of the nuclear agreement — some experts would even argue that it is an insignificant one on a technical level. But its potential diplomatic impact should not be underestimated.\n\nUranium is a naturally occurring metal that can be used in both nuclear power plants and nuclear weapons. However, to make it useful for either, it must be enriched. This means that the percentage of uranium-235, a naturally occurring fissile uranium isotope, must be increased.\n\nIn the uranium we find in the ground, the percentage of uranium-235 is less than 1 percent. However, it can be enriched by using centrifuge techniques to have a higher percentage of uranium-235.\n\nCentrifuges can enrich uranium by rapidly spinning uranium hexafluoride gas. If uranium is enriched enough to be around 90 percent uranium-235, it can be used as fissile material in a nuclear weapon.\n\nWhat does the Iran deal say about uranium enrichment?\n\nThe 2015 uranium deal, officially known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, placed limits not only on the amount of enriched uranium that Iran could have, but also on how much the country could enrich its uranium.\n\nThe text of the deal states specifically that for 15 years, Iran “will keep its uranium stockpile under 300 kg of up to 3.67 percent enriched uranium hexafluoride” and that any excess quantities can be sold off on the international market. Three hundred kilograms amounts to about 660 pounds.\n\nThis limit is a far cry from the 22,046 pounds of higher-enriched uranium that Iran once possessed. But it also meant that Iran would be allowed to have low-enriched uranium that could be used for commercial nuclear plants.\n\nWhat has Iran done and what has it said it would do?\n\nAfter warnings, Iran announced Monday that it had exceeded the 300 kilogram limit of enriched uranium. It also said that this weekend, it may take an even bigger step, which would see it enriching uranium beyond the 3.67 percent level.\n\nDoes this mean Iran could build a nuclear weapon?\n\nNot right now. Even if they wanted to enrich uranium to the levels that it would require to make a bomb, they would need a lot more uranium to start with.\n\n“It takes some 1,200 kilograms [2645 pounds] of low enriched uranium, if further enriched, to produce enough material for just one nuclear device,” Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association, told The Washington Post. “So there’s still a long way from having that quantity and even further away from having the bomb.”\n\nIs this a breach of the Iran deal?\n\nMost analysts would say so. Yes, Iran cannot yet produce a weapon, but it could eventually. “This is a violation nonetheless, and it’s very worrisome,” said Kimball.\n\nBut Zarif has argued against this, saying that its partners in the Iran deal were not living up to their side of the agreement. On Twitter, he pointed to a section of the agreement that describes how Iran should respond when it feels like the other parties are not holding up their side of the agreement.\n\nSince the United States pulled out of the deal and reimposed sanctions, Iran has complained that it cannot reap the economic benefits promised under the deal because European companies are afraid of running afoul of the Trump administration.\n\nGermany, Britain and France, three of the remaining parties to the deal, are working on a barter system that would allow European businesses to trade with Iran. However, the complex system has not been used, and it is unlikely to meet all Iranian demands.\n\nWhat does this mean for the future of the deal?\n\nEuropean leaders have suggested that they view Iran’s moves as ultimately reversible and part of a negotiating tactic. On Tuesday, French President Emmanuel Macron released a statement that called on Iran to act “without delay” to put its enriched uranium stockpiles back below the agreed-upon limit.\n\nThe United States, meanwhile, has argued that Iran’s move shows that it should not have been allowed to enrich uranium at all. “It was a mistake under the Iran nuclear deal to allow Iran to enrich uranium at any level,” Grisham said.\n\nGroups such as the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, long-running critics of the Iran deal, have said that Iran does not need to enrich uranium itself, and they should instead buy enriched uranium on the open market.\n\nBut some nonproliferation experts argue that the idea of zero enrichment would never work in practice. “Zero is a fantasy. It is a way of killing any possible deal by demanding the impossible,” Joe Cirincione, president of the Plough Shares Fund, tweeted on Monday.", "On Monday, Iran told the world that it had accumulated more low-enriched uranium than it was allowed to have under a landmark 2015 nuclear deal it had signed with the United States and five other countries. The deliberate violation of the provisions of that agreement, Iran has said, was in response to the reimposition of economic and other sanctions by the US after it unilaterally pulled out of the deal last year.\n\nIran’s latest move has put further strains on an already precarious agreement that seeks to prevent it from acquiring nuclear weapons in exchange for the easing of economic sanctions. But Iran has kept the room open for negotiations, saying its move was “reversible”.\n\nWhat is enriched uranium, and how much has Iran accumulated?\n\nUranium is the most common fuel used in nuclear reactors, and is required for nuclear electricity generation as well as to make nuclear weapons. On the other hand, naturally occurring uranium, which is predominantly composed of a stabler isotope, uranium-238, is not fissionable, meaning its nucleus cannot be split in a way that can sustain a chain reaction. To be used in nuclear reactors, natural uranium has to be ‘enriched’ with uranium-235 that can sustain fission chain reactions. Naturally occurring uranium has less than 1% of the uranium-235 isotope.\n\nEven a small amount of enrichment, in the range of 3% to 5%, called “low enrichment”, is sufficient to run nuclear power reactors which allow only controlled fission reactions. For making nuclear weapons, however, “highly enriched” uranium — with more than 90% uranium-235 — is needed. More enrichment means more uranium-235 nuclei are available to be split, which in turn means greater heat and energy can be generated.\n\nUnder the 2015 nuclear deal, Iran is required to ensure that, for the next 15 years, its stockpile of uranium is not enriched beyond 3.67%. Further, this stockpile of 3.67% enriched uranium itself is not supposed to exceed 300 kg.\n\nIt is this 300-kg limit that Iran has now said it has exceeded. However, it has not specified how much more low-enriched uranium it has created. Iran has also said that its next step would be to enrich uranium beyond the 3.67% limit.\n\nUnder what circumstances was the deal with Iran signed?\n\nThe deal signed in July 2015 was an attempt by the US and other major world powers to ensure that Iran did not acquire nuclear weapons, which it has been suspected of trying to do for several years now. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which is a sort of an international regulatory body on nuclear energy, had in 2003 reported the possibility of Iran secretly trying to develop nuclear weapons at one of its nuclear facilities. That had invited economic sanctions from the US and other countries.\n\nAfter protracted negotiations that lasted over a decade, Iran and the US reached an agreement to restrict Tehran’s nuclear programme to only civilian uses in exchange for lifting of the sanctions. Apart from the US, the other parties to the deal are Russia, the UK, France, China and Germany, together called the P5+1.\n\nThe complex agreement specifies a large number of steps that Iran needs to take and requirements that it needs to meet to keep the economically crippling sanctions away. Most of the provisions of this agreement are supposed to run for the next 15 years, but some, like international monitoring of Iran’s uranium mines and mills, or of its nuclear power production facilities, are meant to be in force for the next 25 years.\n\nIn return, the US agreed to cease its sanctions against Iran’s oil and banking sector, allowing their re-entry into the international systems. It also allowed the sale of commercial passenger aircraft to Iran, which had been put on hold. The UN and European Union also eased their own sanctions on Iran.\n\nSo, why did the US withdraw from the deal and reimpose sanctions?\n\nThe agreement was negotiated when the Barack Obama administration was in power in the US. Current President Donald Trump has never shied away from expressing his discomfort with the deal, which he claims, was detrimental to the American interests. The Trump administration has advocated tougher provisions in the agreement, particularly with regard to the expiry dates on restrictions related to uranium enrichment. It does not want these restrictions to have any end-date.\n\nAfter its offer to renegotiate the deal did not find acceptance from Iran, the US withdrew from the deal last year. It also slapped fresh sanctions on Iran. The five other countries, however, continued to be parties to the deal, thereby weakening the impact of US sanctions. However, these sanctions were still damaging enough for Iran to finally respond after a year.\n\nWhat happens to the deal now?\n\nIran’s defiance of the provisions of the agreement is being seen as largely a bargaining ploy in its ongoing confrontation with the US, especially since it has explicitly said that it was open to reversing its decision if the sanctions against it were lifted. It is being seen as an attempt to put pressure on the other parties to convince the US of the need to keep the agreement, however fragile, in place. The Trump administration, however, has maintained a hardened stance towards Iran, and, in the absence of a diplomatic breakthrough, this could result in the unravelling of the deal.", "Iran said European countries had offered too little in the way of trade assistance to persuade it to back off from its plan to breach the limit of Uranium production.\n\nIran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Monday his country has increased the level of uranium hexafluoride (UF6) production to over 300 kgs, breaching the limit set by the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.\n\n“According to my information, Iran has surpassed the 300kg limit [in producing low-enriched uranium] and we had already announced [that we were planning to do] this,” Zarif said to the ISNA news agency.\n\nForeign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said Iran’s steps to decrease its commitments to the nuclear deal were “reversible”.\n\nThe International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said later on Monday that its inspectors confirmed that Iran had accumulated more enriched uranium than allowed, the French news agency AFP said.\n\nLast Wednesday, the IAEA verified that Iran had roughly 200 kg of low-enriched uranium, just below the deal’s 202.8 kg limit. A quantity of 300 kg of UF6 (uranium hexafluoride) corresponds to 202.8 kg of LEU.\n\nAfter talks on Friday in Vienna, Iran said European countries had offered too little in the way of trade assistance to persuade it to back off from its plan to breach the limit, a riposte to U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision last year to quit the deal and reimpose economic sanctions.\n\nMousavi urged them Monday to step up their efforts. “Time is running out for them to save the deal,” state TV quoted him as saying.\n\nThe deal between Iran and six world powers lifted most international sanctions against Iran in return for restrictions on its nuclear work aimed at extending the time Iran would need to produce a nuclear bomb, if it chose to, from roughly 2-3 months to a year.\n\nIran says its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes, including generating power.", "DUBAI — Iran will enrich uranium above 3.67% fissile purity, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Monday, if European countries fail to salvage a 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers.\n\nThe 3.67% level is that deemed suitable for generating civilian nuclear energy. Above that would mark the first step in a process that could eventually be put to producing the more highly refined material that can be used for a nuclear warhead. Iran has always denied it has any plans to develop an atom bomb.\n\n“Our next step will be enriching uranium beyond the 3.67% allowed under the deal,” Zarif said, according to the state-run Iranian broadcaster IRIB. “The Europeans have failed to fulfill their promises of protecting Iran’s interests under the deal.” (Writing by Parisa Hafezi Editing by Mark Heinrich)", "Iran Says It Has Exceeded Uranium Limits Set In 2015 Nuclear Deal\n\nIran announced Monday that it has exceeded the 300 kilogram limit on low-enriched uranium set by the nuclear deal it made with six world powers.", "Iran has breached the 300 kilograms of low-enriched uranium allowed under the 2015 international nuclear accord, both Foreign Minister Javad Zarif and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed on Monday.\n\nThe IAEA \"verified on July 1 that Iran's total enriched uranium stockpile exceeded 300 kilograms,\" a spokesperson said.\n\nThe amount is well below that needed to produce one nuclear weapon. But the breach shows that Iran intends to ratchet up its response to the United States withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) last year and its reimposition of harsh unilateral sanctions.\n\nRead more: How Trump's sanctions are crippling Iran's economy\n\nIranian officials had said that the country would likely exceed the uranium limit this week if the remaining signatories to the nuclear deal — China, Germany, France, Britain and Russia — failed to find a way for Tehran to receive the economic benefits promised in exchange for dismantling its nuclear program.\n\nIran is allowed to enrich up to 300 kg of uranium to 3.67% under the terms of the JCPOA. It has not gone over the 3.67% threshold, but has threatened to do so by July 7. About 1500 kg of uranium enriched at around 90% is needed for one nuclear weapon.\n\nFalling back under the 300 kg is easily reversible, and the remaining powers in the JCPOA would only become concerned if enrichment levels were ramped up to 20%, Francois Nicoullaud, a former French ambassador to Iran, told AFP.\n\n\"As long as Iran does not get close to a threshold of a ton of lightly enriched uranium, there is no pressing concern,\" Nicoullaud said. But if Iran \"amassed, for example, a stock of 200 to 300 kilograms of uranium enriched to nearly 20% there would be cause for great concern.\"\n\nThe International Crisis Group, a conflict prevention non-profit, wrote in a January assessment that to strengthen its negotiating position Tehran \"could creep past some of the JCPOA's boundaries both as a show of defiance and in hopes of pressuring the deal’s remaining parties to do more to save it.\"\n\nThe US exit from the deal and heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran in the Persian Gulf in recent months has had the European signatories to the JCPOA scrambling to save the accord.\n\nAfter months of delay, European powers meeting with Iranian officials in Vienna last Friday announced the start of their so-called INSTEX scheme, a mechanism to facilitate EU-Iran trade in humanitarian goods not under US sanctions.\n\nTrade between Europe and Iran has plummeted since the US imposed a raft of sanctions that have battered Iran's currency and sent its economy into recession. The Islamic Republic’s oil exports to the bloc are down to zero.\n\nAfter the talks on Friday, Abbas Araghchi, Iran's deputy foreign minister, said that Europe was not doing enough and for the INSTEX system to be useful \"Europeans need to buy oil from Iran, or to consider credit lines for this mechanism.\"\n\nEvery evening, DW sends out a selection of the day's news and features. Sign up here.", "\n• Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency said Monday the country has surpassed a limit enriched uranium outlined in the 2015 nuclear deal.\n• The 300 kg limit was outlined in the Obama-era nuclear agreement as a “sunset clause” that was meant to expire in 2030.\n• Iran initially stuck to this clause even after President Donald Trump pulled out of the deal last year.\n• But since then it threatened to breach the limit amid fresh economic and military tensions with the US.\n• Uranium enriched to 3.67% can be used in power plants, but not to build nuclear weapons, however.\n\nIran has surpassed its limit on enriched uranium stockpile as outlined in the 2015 nuclear deal, breaking a promise it was meant to keep until 2030.\n\nThe country’s stockpile of uranium, enriched to 3.67%, surpassed 300 kilograms as of Monday, according to the BBC, Reuters, and Iran’s semi-state-run Fars news agency on Monday.\n\nThe IAEA is the authority in charge of monitoring and verifying Iran’s uranium stockpile. Business Insider has contacted the IAEA for comment.\n\nThe 300 kg limit was outlined as a “sunset clause” – an agreement that will ultimately expire – in the 2015 nuclear deal, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). The limitation on uranium enrichment was meant to disappear in 2030.\n\nRead more: Here’s what’s in the landmark nuclear deal that Iran is starting to walk away from amid tensions with Trump\n\nThe news comes after the US deployed its most advanced fighter jets, F-22 Raptors, to the Middle East amid increasing military tensions.\n\nIran kept to its nuclear deal commitments even after President Donald Trump withdrew from the agreement last year.\n\nHowever, after the US accused Iran of attacking two oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman last month, Tehran changed its mind and said on June 17 that it would breach the nuclear stockpile limit in ten days.\n\nEuropean leaders unsuccessfully tried to persuade Iran to drop its plan to breach the limits on Friday.\n\nBreaching the limit is a symbolic defiance of Trump, but will not really put Iran much closer to building a nuclear weapon, The Washington Post’s Loveday Morris noted.\n\nThe 3.67%-enriched uranium can be used in power plants but nuclear bombs require more than 90% enriched uranium, Morris said.\n\nHowever, a stockpile of 1,050 kg could be further enriched into enough mateiral to build one nuclear bomb, the BBC reported, citing Arms Control Association.\n\nThe US has already crippled Iran economically with sanctions. Last week Trump signed new sanctions specifically targeting the country’s supreme leader."], "summary": "Iran announces that it has enriched more than 300 kilograms (660 lb) of uranium to 3.67%, contrary to previous agreement. This is still highly insufficient to produce one nuclear weapon."}
{"document": ["Japan hopes a meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un held Sunday will reinvigorate stalled denuclearization talks and help resolve the issue of Pyongyang's past abductions of Japanese citizens.\n\nAfter speaking by phone with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Foreign Minister Taro Kono told reporters he welcomed the meeting, saying it was \"a big turning point for U.S.-North Korea talks to resume.\"\n\n\"We hope that it will add momentum to efforts toward the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula,\" Kono said. He and Pompeo agreed to coordinate their countries' approaches to North Korea.\n\nTrump and Kim held talks in the Demilitarized Zone dividing the two Koreas and agreed to start denuclearization talks within weeks following the breakdown of their February summit.\n\n\"The meeting could serve as an opportunity for North Korea to come out of its shell,\" a senior Japanese Foreign Ministry official said.\n\nTokyo is closely monitoring whether the two countries will move forward negotiations on the denuclearization of North Korea and improve their ties, which could help the U.S. government set up a summit between Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Kim, as hoped for by the Japanese leader.\n\nAbe has so far failed to deliver on his promise to resolve the long-standing abduction issue. On Sunday, the prime minister described the situation as regrettable.\n\n\"I'm convinced that, at the end of the day, I myself need to meet with Chairman Kim Jong Un to resolve it,\" Abe said during an online debate with the leaders of opposition parties after the U.S.-North Korea meeting.\n\nAbe is aiming to hold face-to-face talks with the North Korean leader to resolve the issue of Japanese nationals abducted by the North in the 1970s and 1980s, a major sticking point hampering Tokyo's relations with Pyongyang.\n\nAbe had said he would not meet with Kim unless an outcome was guaranteed for the settlement of the abduction issue, but he recently changed his position, saying he would meet the North Korean leader \"without conditions\" to resolve outstanding bilateral issues.", "Facebook users\n\nUse your Facebook account to login or register with JapanToday. By doing so, you will also receive an email inviting you to receive our news alerts.", "Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has welcomed the third summit of US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and expressed hope for continuation of such a dialogue\n\nTOKYO (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 01st July, 2019) Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has welcomed the third summit of US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and expressed hope for continuation of such a dialogue.\n\n\"Japan supports the US-North Korean process. I hope that the current negotiations at the highest level will continue,\" Abe said as quoted by Kyodo news Agency on Monday.\n\nOn Saturday, Trump met with Kim in the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas and held an hour-long meeting in private inside the Freedom House on the South Korean side of the zone.\n\nTrump even briefly stepped over the demarcation line into North Korean soil, becoming the first US president to do so.\n\nFollowing the meeting, Abe reiterated his intention to have talks with Kim over North Korean abductions of Japanese citizens in the 1970s and 1980s, a pressing issue in relation between Tokyo and Pyongyang.\n\nKim and Trump first met in Singapore in June 2018, when the two leaders expressed commitment to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. The second round of talks, held in February in Vietnam, however, ended abruptly without any agreement.", "\"[US National Security Adviser] John Bolton and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo continue to tell North Korea that there will be no easing of sanctions until complete denuclearization. North Korea, most likely, will not negotiate with the United States under these conditions,\" Moon said.\n\nAccording to the adviser, Washington should send a clear message to Pyongyang that its intentions are friendly.\n\n\"The United States should make a gesture, showing that it is going to reduce tensions, that it has no hostile intentions towards North Korea,\" the adviser said.\n\nUS President Donald Trump is paying an official visit to South Korea from June 29-30. On Friday, the US president also invited North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un via Twitter to meet him at the demilitarized zone (DMZ) in coming days.\n\nKim and Trump have been engaged in talks aimed at denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula for months. In June 2018, the two leaders expressed commitment for the denuclearization at their landmark bilateral meeting in Singapore. The next round of talks, held in February in Vietnam, however, ended abruptly without any agreement.", "Rodong Sinmun calls Panmunjom meeting an astonishing event. July. 02, 2019 07:29. by In-Chan Hwang hic@donga.com. \n\nFollowing the surprise meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the truce village of Panmunjom, North Korean news outlets called it an “astonishing event” that created an unprecedented amount of trust between the U.S. and North Korea. They drew the significance of this event from the alacrity of the meeting at the highest level where protocols and security escort were cut to a minimum. \n\n\n\n“The historic meeting at Panmunjom was made possible overnight following President Trump’s proposal,” said the Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of North Korea. “An astounding scene became reality where the two heads of the U.S. and North Korea shake their hands at Panmunjom, the symbol of a divided Korea, for the first time in 66 years since the armistice treaty was signed in 1953.” As to President Trump’s setting foot in the North Korean territory at the truce village, the newspaper described it as “a historic moment where an incumbent U.S. president makes a step into the North Korean territory,” adding that it signified the beginning of a new history for reconciliation and peace at Panmunjom, a place etched with a prolonged history of distrust, misunderstanding, conflict, and animosity. \n\n\n\nThe Rodong Sinmun said the two heads of state had an independent session of confabulation and meeting, adding that they agreed to renew and push for a series of productive dialogues to yield a breakthrough in denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula and U.S.-North Korea relations. The report was an official public announcement on the renewal of denuclearization talks between President Trump and Kim Jong Un, who was apparently shocked by the failure to clinch a deal in the Hanoi summit in February. Notably, it was verified by North Korean media that the meeting was attended by North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho and U.S. State Secretary Mike Pompeo, a nicety typically kept in the dark.", "A banner shows images, from left, of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, South Korean President Moon Jae-in and U.S. President Donald Trump, displayed by protesters who demand the peace on Korean peninsula, ahead of U.S. President Donald Trump’s scheduled visit near U.S. Embassy in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, June 28, 2019. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)\n\nSEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The U.S. special envoy for North Korea reaffirmed Friday that Washington is ready to hold talks with the North, South Korea’s government said, as North Korea escalates its calls for the U.S. to make new proposals to resolve the impasse in their nuclear diplomacy.\n\nStephen Biegun’s reported comments came a day before President Donald Trump is to visit South Korea for two days.\n\nTalks between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Vietnam in February ended without any agreement. But during their first summit in Singapore last year, Kim pledged to work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, and the two leaders agreed to improve bilateral relations and build lasting peace on the peninsula.\n\nDuring a visit to Seoul on Friday, Biegun told his South Korean counterpart that Washington is prepared for “constructive” talks with North Korea to implement the commitments made during the Singapore summit “simultaneously and in parallel,” according to Seoul’s Foreign Ministry.\n\nBefore the Vietnam summit, Biegun made similar remarks, saying that Washington had told North Korean officials that it was prepared to pursue “simultaneously and in parallel” the commitments Trump and Kim made in Singapore.\n\nThe Vietnam summit, however, collapsed after Trump rejected Kim’s calls for major sanctions relief in return for dismantling his main Yongbyon nuclear complex, a partial denuclearization step.\n\nBiegun’s comments Friday were seen as an offer for talks on what concessions the United States could offer instead of sanctions relief in return for the dismantling of the nuclear complex, said analyst Cho Han Bum at Seoul’s Korea Institute for National Unification.\n\n“The U.S. doesn’t intend to lift the sanctions while the only (denuclearization) step North Korea wants to take now is Yongbyon’s dismantling,” Cho said. “Their (ideas) are coming into conflict with each other.”\n\nSouth Korean President Moon Jae-in said earlier this week that U.S. and North Korean officials were holding “behind-the-scene talks” to try to arrange a third summit between Trump and Kim. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Sunday the U.S. was prepared to resume talks with North Korea “at a moment’s notice” if the North signaled it wanted discussions about denuclearization.\n\nNorth Korea’s Foreign Ministry slammed the United States on Thursday for talking repeatedly “like a parrot” about a resumption of talks without mapping out measures to salvage the nuclear diplomacy. The ministry on Wednesday accused the United States of using sanctions to “bring us to our knees.”\n\nOn Friday, North Korea’s state media criticized downsized military drills between the United States and South Korea planned in August, describing them as an “intolerable” provocation that raises questions about whether the two countries are truly committed to peace on the peninsula.\n\nFollowing the Singapore summit, Trump suspended large-scale annual U.S. military exercises with South Korea to facilitate the nuclear talks. While Washington and Seoul have replaced those war games with smaller exercises, North Korea has called for a complete halt of joint drills, which it views as rehearsals for an invasion.\n\nThe drills are “an act to create the atmosphere of confrontation and danger of war again,” the North’s official Korean Central News Agency said.\n\nAssociated Press writer Kim Tong-hyung contributed to this report.", "North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump agreed at their meeting on Sunday to push forward dialogue for making a new breakthrough in the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula, North Korean state media said on Monday.\n\nTrump became the first sitting US president to set foot in North Korea on Sunday when he met Kim in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between the two Koreas and agreed to resume stalled nuclear talks.\n\n\"The top leaders of the two countries agreed to keep in close touch in the future, too, and resume and push forward productive dialogues for making a new breakthrough in the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula and in the bilateral relations,\" KCNA news agency said.\n\nThe meeting, initiated by a tweet by Trump that Kim said took him by surprise, displayed the rapport between the two, but analysts said they were no closer to narrowing the gap between their positions since they walked away from their summit in February in Vietnam.\n\nTrump said on Twitter on Monday he had a \"great meeting\" with Kim and he looked \"forward to seeing him again soon.\"\n\nTrump said US and North Korean negotiators would be meeting \"to work on some solutions to very long-term and persistent problems.\"\n\n\"No rush, but I am sure we will ultimately get there!\" he said.\n\nUS Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters shortly before departing South Korea that a new round of talks would likely happen \"sometime in July ... probably in the next two or three weeks\" and North Korea's negotiators would be foreign ministry diplomats.\n\nIn a photo released by KCNA on Monday, North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho and Pompeo are shown sitting next to Kim and Trump respectively in Freedom House, the building in which the two leaders had their one-on-one talks.\n\nKCNA said that during the chat between Trump and Kim, the two leaders explained \"issues of easing tensions on the Korean peninsula,\" \"issues of mutual concern and interest which become a stumbling block in solving those issues,\" and \"voiced full understanding and sympathy.\"\n\nKim said it was the good personal relationship he had with Trump that made such a dramatic meeting possible at just one day's notice and that the relationship with Trump would continue to produce good results, according to KCNA.\n\nThe two leaders' \"bold, brave decision\" that led to the historic meeting \"created unprecedented trust between the two countries\" that had been tangled in deeply rooted animosity, KCNA said.\n\nU.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the meeting between Trump and Kim and \"fully supports the continued efforts of the parties to establish new relations towards sustainable peace, security and complete and verifiable denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula\", U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.\n\nChina also welcomed the meeting, with a foreign ministry spokesman describing it as \"constructive and achieving positive results\".\n\n\"The fact that the nuclear talks have jump-started is very encouraging, but that doesn't mean that the two sides have already adjusted their positions and set the conditions for successful working-level negotiations,\" said Kim Hyun-Wook, a professor at the Korea National Diplomatic Academy.\n\nAfter more than a year of talks, the two sides have yet to agree on a common definition of denuclearisation, which North Korea has taken to include the US nuclear umbrella protecting Japan and South Korea, while Washington has demanded that Pyongyang give up its nuclear weapons unilaterally.\n\nTrump's national security adviser, John Bolton, on Monday, rejected a New York Times report that said an idea was taking shape in the Trump administration to seek to negotiate a nuclear freeze by North Korea, rather than its complete denuclearisation, thereby tacitly accepting it as a nuclear state.\n\n\"I read this NYT story with curiosity,\" Bolton said in a tweet. \"Neither the (National Security Council) staff nor I have discussed or heard of any desire to 'settle for a nuclear freeze by NK.' This was a reprehensible attempt by someone to box in the President. There should be consequences.\"\n\nA spokeswoman for the US State Department also dismissed the report.\n\n\"We are not preparing any new proposals currently,\" she said. \"Our goal remains the final, fully verified the denuclearization of North Korea.\"\n\nOn Sunday, candidates running for the 2020 Democratic US presidential nomination criticized Trump's overture to Kim, saying it lacked substance and elevated a ruthless dictator.\n\nOn Monday, the leading Democratic candidate Joe Biden issued a statement accusing Trump of being \"more concerned with a photo op for himself than getting results for the American people\".\n\nBiden said that after three \"made-for-TV summits,\" North Korea had yet to make a concrete commitment, while it had continued to produce fissile material and was no longer an isolated pariah.", "Editor’s note: Moon has been extremely generous in assigning credit to Trump for outreach to North Korea that was really his doing in the past. Also the meeting comes shortly after the North Koreans had in frustration with the stalemate told Seoul to stop mediating between them and Washington. It is entirely possible the DMZ meeting was an idea of the South Koreans who have a lot ridding on the sunshine policy and who were only too happy for Trump to take the credit if he actually signed up for it. As long as it allowed them to finally deliver something to the North Koreans.\n\nFor one hour and eight minutes on the afternoon of June 30, a historic scene unfolded like a summer shower as North Korea and the US engaged in dialogue and as the South and North Korean and US leaders met at Panmunjom.\n\nThe two leaders appeared much more relaxed and familiar than during their past North Korea-US summits in Singapore and Hanoi, and while it was an informal dialogue, it yielded substantial results. It certainly is significant that US President Donald Trump extended an invitation to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to visit the White House, but in terms of substantive outcomes, the key thing was the agreement to commence working-level talks to break through the deadlock in North Korea-US dialogue.\n\nTrump also made reference to relieving economic sanctions through negotiations, while noting the absence of any long-range ballistic missile or nuclear testing by the North since dialogue was suspended.\n\nMeeting with reporters after the North Korea-US dialogue that day, Trump said he had told Kim, “At the right time, you’re going to come over [to the US].”\n\n“I said, any time he wants to do it,” he added.\n\nTrump also said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo would be spearheading the creation of a working-level team in the next two to three weeks to engage in negotiations, signaling the beginning of working-level denuclearization talks and negotiations toward a third North Korea-US summit.\n\nExplaining that the two sides had agreed to designate representatives to hold comprehensive negotiations toward an agreement, Trump said that while some “pretty complicated” issues remain, the US would continue watching the working-level discussions.\n\nTrump went on to say that State Department Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun would be designated to lead the working-level negotiations, adding that Pompeo had a list of the team’s members. In terms of the new team’s significance, Trump said it would be holding better dialogue with new counterparts.\n\nWhen asked by a reporter if the members of the previous North Korean negotiation team are still alive, Trump replied, “I can tell you the main person is. I would hope the rest are too.”\n\nHints at lifting economic sanctions; speed not the main objective\n\nSpeaking about economic sanctions against North Korea, Trump said, “At some point, [. . .] I’m looking forward to taking them off.”\n\n“At some point during the negotiations, things can happen,” he added, suggesting the possibility of sanctions relief.\n\nAt the same time, Trump emphasized that he would not rush working-level negotiations going ahead. Stressing that the two leaders had had a good conversation, he said, “This was a very legendary, very historic day. It was quick notice, nobody saw this coming.”\n\nArguing that there was no need to rush, Trump said, “Speed is not the object,” explaining that rushing can lead to limited results.\n\n“We want to see if we can do a really comprehensive, good deal,” he said.\n\nRegarding the second North Korea-US summit in Hanoi and its failure to produce an agreement, Trump said that despite many criticisms, he viewed it as a “great success.”\n\n“You sometimes need things like that to happen,” he continued, adding that he viewed Hanoi as successful because it had led to the June 30 meeting.\n\nAs if conscious of the favorable climate for dialogue, Trump shared remarks that appeared to reflect consideration for South and North Korea. When asked about North Korean short-range projectiles test-launched following the suspension of bilateral dialogue, he said, “These are missiles that practically every country tests.”\n\n“I mean, these were very [small] – we don’t consider that a missile test,” he added.\n\n“But we’re talking about ballistic missiles, long-range ballistic missiles, and [Kim Jong-un] hasn’t even come close to testing,” he continued.\n\n“And most importantly, there were no nuclear tests,” he said, adding, “I think we’re on a very good path.”\n\nReferring to Kim’s acceptance of his proposal to meet, Trump said, “I also want to thank Chairman Kim because [. . .] knowing the [US] press, like I do, had he had decided not to come, you would have hit me.”\n\n“Two and a half, three years ago, it was really dangerous out there,” he said, adding that the relationship formed amid a dangerous situation for South and North Korea and the rest of the world was very meaningful to many people, describing the moment as “historic.”\n\nIn response, Kim said, “This sort of meeting could not have been arranged in the space of a day had it not been for the excellent relationship between President Trump and me.”\n\n“I am certain that this will provide an amazing force for overcoming future hurdles and obstacles that we encounter as we achieve good things that others never expected,” he said.\n\nSouth Korean President Moon Jae-in, who described himself that day as having played a “supporting” role, said he viewed the third North Korea-US summit as “crossing over a major hill in terms of the Korean Peninsula’s denuclearization and the permanent peace process.”\n\n“It gave great hope to the entire world and 80 million South and North Koreans,” he added.\n\n“Merely in terms of the agreement to begin working-level talks in the near future, I think good results will soon be upon us,” he said.\n\nMoon also said, “Originally, the plan was only to visit Guard Post Ouellette, but thanks to President Trump’s bold proposal, a historic meeting has taken place.”\n\n“I would like to express my respect for [Trump’s] bold and original approach,” he added.\n\nIn response, Trump said, “The initial talks will be between the United States and with North Korea. And President Moon will be right there.”", "SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The Latest on President Donald Trump’s visit to Asia (all times local):\n\nNorth Korea’s state media is describing leader Kim Jong Un’s meeting with President Donald Trump at the Demilitarized Zone as “an amazing event” in the border village it notes is a symbol of the Korean Peninsula’s division.\n\nThe Korean Central News Agency reports that the two leaders expressed great satisfaction over the results of their talks. Also included in the state media report is a description of Kim exchanging “warm greetings” with South Korea’s president, Moon Jae-in.\n\nTrump and Kim agreed to restart negotiations designed to denuclearize the Korean peninsula, a point included in the state media recap of the event.\n\nThe DMZ meeting on Sunday was an unexpected addition to Trump’s Asia trip. He became the first U.S. president to set foot in North Korea.\n\nDemocratic lawmakers in the United States, including some running for the White House, say there’s little in President Donald Trump’s diplomatic track to convince them that his meeting with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un (gihm jung oon) may lead to a nuclear breakthrough.\n\nTrump is coming under criticism for what Democrats see as his affinity for authoritarian leaders such as Kim and they are skeptical that the Trump-Kim sit-down at the Demilitarized Zone may amount to anything more than a photo opportunity.\n\nSen. Chuck Schumer says “dictators seem to get elevated and people who believe in democracy not.”\n\nFormer Obama Housing Secretary Julian Castro, a presidential candidate, wonders why Trump appears keen to raise Kim’s profile when, according to Castro, Kim hasn’t abided by past commitments about the North’s weapons programs.\n\nAnd Sen. Bernie Sanders, also a 2020 candidate, says he’s not opposed to sitting down with America’s adversaries, but he tells ABC’s “This Week” that “we need real diplomacy” and he hasn’t seen that under Trump\n\n“A wonderful meeting” is how President Donald Trump is describing his get-together with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un at the Demilitarized Zone between North and South Korea.\n\nAs Trump was leaving South Korea and ending his four-day trip to Asia, he tweeted about becoming the first American president to set foot in North Korea.\n\n“Stood on the soil of North Korea, an important statement for all, and a great honor!” Trump said in his tweet.\n\nAfter their meeting Sunday, Trump announced that he and Kim had agreed to resume stalled talks on denuclearization in the coming weeks.\n\nPresident Donald Trump is on his way back to Washington after a four-day trip to Asia during which he became the first American president to set foot in North Korea.\n\nTrump attended the Group of 20 summit in Osaka, Japan, where he held talks with Russia’s Vladimir Putin (POO’-tihn) and met with China’s Xi Jinping (shee jihn-peeng). Trump and Xi decided to resume trade negotiations after talks broke down.\n\nTrump then headed to South Korea, where he turned a planned visit to the Demilitarized Zone between North and South into a surprise get-together with the North’s Kim Jong Un. The two leaders crossed the demarcation dividing the Korean Peninsula.\n\nFollowing their longer-than-expected meeting, Trump announced that he and Kim had agreed to resume stalled talks on denuclearization in the coming weeks.\n\nPresident Donald Trump has addressed members of the U.S military at an American air base in Osan, just south of Seoul, South Korea, before ending his Asia trip and returning to Washington.\n\nTrump recounted the moment earlier Sunday when he stepped across the border at the demilitarized zone into North Korea and became the first sitting U.S. president to do so.\n\nHe says he and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un (gihm jung oon) “had a very productive meeting” there. And Trump says he tried to sell Kim on the prosperity he believes awaits North Korea if it gives up its nuclear program.\n\nDuring his remarks to the service members, Trump called up to the stage both U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo as well as Ivanka Trump, the president’s daughter and a top White House adviser. He jokingly called them “beauty and the beast.”\n\nPresident Donald Trump says that sanctions remain on North Korea following his Sunday meeting with Kim Jong Un at the Korean Demilitarized Zone.\n\nBut he appears to be leaving open the possibility of scaling them back as part of upcoming renewed negotiations, saying that: “at some point during the negotiation, things can happen.”\n\nTrump is also telling reporters after bidding Kim farewell that he raised the idea of a Kim visit to Washington during their talks.\n\nTrump says he told Kim that, “at the right time, you’re going to come over” and that that could be “any time he wants to do it.”\n\nTrump adds that he “would certainly extend the invite” and that, “at some point” it will happen.\n\nPresident Donald Trump says the U.S. and North Korea have designated teams to resume stalled nuclear talks between the nations within weeks.\n\nTrump shared the news as he briefed reporters after spending about 50 minutes in talks behind closed doors with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.\n\nTrump says he hopes the sides can reach a comprehensive deal, but says that “speed is not the object.”\n\nHe says: “We’re not looking for speed. We’re looking to get it right.”\n\nWhat was originally supposed to be a brief exchange of pleasantries between President Donald Trump and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un at the raised line of concrete marking the border between North and South has turned into private talks stretching about 50 minutes.\n\nTrump had tweeted out his last-minute invitation to Kim, suggesting the North Korean leader meet him “at the Border/DMZ just to shake his hand and say Hello(?)!” during a long-scheduled visit.\n\nTrump later said that if Kim made the trip, the two would “see each other for two minutes,” adding: “That’s all we can. But that will be fine. “\n\nTrump and Kim’s second summit in Hanoi earlier this year ended without a deal.\n\nTrump was joined in the Freedom House conversation with Kim by his daughter and son-in-law, Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner.\n\nPresident Donald Trump and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un are concluding a 50-minute meeting at the Demilitarized Zone.\n\nTrump escorted Kim from “Freedom House” on the South Korean side of the zone back to the concrete line marking the border between the two nations.\n\nTrump says, “We just had a very good meeting with Chairman Kim.”\n\nHe adds: “This was a very legendary, very historic day.”\n\nPresident Donald Trump’s historic first steps into North Korea sparked a scuffle between reporters and North Korean security guards, with officials shoving and trying to block the press.\n\nAlso roughed up in the fracas was incoming Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham, who ended up with bruises.\n\nThe jostling grew especially intense as reporters tried to enter a room inside the Freedom House on the southern side of Panmunjom where Trump and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un were meeting after exchanging initial handshakes on the border.\n\nNorth Korean guards tried to physically prevent members of the U.S. press pool from entering the room, pushing and shoving, and the Secret Service stepped in to intervene.\n\nPresident Donald Trump says he “was proud” to step over the demarcation line between North and South Korea, becoming the first U.S. president to enter North Korea.\n\nTrump is telling reporters as he meets with Kim Jong Un in a building named The Freedom House on the South Korean side that “the world is watching.”\n\nHe’s also thanking Kim, saying that if the North Korean leader hadn’t shown up for the meeting, the press would have made Trump look bad.\n\nKim said he was surprised by Trump’s last-minute invitation to meet at the Korean Demilitarized Zone on Sunday. But he says he hopes the meeting “can be the foundation for better things in the future.”\n\nPresident Donald Trump is calling it a “great honor” to have become the first American president to cross the Korean Demilitarized Zone into North Korea.\n\nTrump tells reporters as he stands with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un that it “feels great” to make the historical walk as he hails his “great friendship” with Kim.\n\nSpeaking through a translator, Kim commended Trump for crossing the demarcation line, which he called a “courageous and determined act” that “means that we want to bring an end to the unpleasant past.”\n\nTrump also said he would invite Kim to visit the White House moments after Kim crossed the demarcation line himself and entered into South Korea.\n\nPresident Donald Trump and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un shook hands across the border at the Korean Demilitarized Zone, in an historic photo-op as Trump seeks to make a legacy-defining nuclear deal with the North.\n\nIt is the third time the two leaders have met, and the first since a failed summit on the North’s nuclear program in Vietnam earlier this year. Trump briefly crossed the border into North Korea after greeting Kim.\n\nThere are as yet no indications of a breakthrough in the stalled negotiations to end the North’s nuclear program.\n\nPresident Donald Trump is meeting with several dozen troops stationed at the Korean Demilitarized Zone separating South and North Korea and telling them, “We’re with you all the way.”\n\nThe troops include both U.S. solders as well as South Korean troops.\n\nTrump was joined by South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who is praising Trump for deciding to meet shortly with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un. He’s calling it “a bold decision”\n\nTrump has at times appeared to question the value of keeping U.S. troops on the Korean Peninsula in light of the U.S.-South Korea trade deficit.\n\nPresident Donald Trump is griping about the press not giving him sufficient credit for improved U.S. relations with North Korea as he pays an historic visit to the Korean Demilitarized Zone.\n\nTrump is telling reporters as he stands atop Observation Post Ouellette that there has been “tremendous” improvement since his first meeting with the North’s leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore last year.\n\nTrump says the situation used to be marked by “tremendous danger,” but that, “After our first summit, all of the danger went away.”\n\nAnd he’s chastising reporters, saying “they have no appreciation for” for changes in the North, which he’s calling a “very different place.”\n\nTrump has been criticized for meeting again with Kim when the North continues to test short-range missiles and has not moved forward with a pledge to denuclearize.\n\nPresident Donald Trump is getting his first glimpse of North Korea from an observation post in the Korean Demilitarized Zone.\n\nTrump, wearing a suit, is being shown various landmarks as he stands atop Observation Post Ouellette.\n\nIt’s his first stop on his first visit to the border between the North and the South, which will include another face-to-face meeting with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un. His last attempted visit was thwarted by bad weather.\n\nSouth Korean President Moon Jae-in announced earlier Sunday that Kim had accepted Trump’s tweeted invitation to meet at the heavily fortified site at the Korean border village of Panmunjom\n\nPresident Donald Trump is making his first visit to the Korean Demilitarized Zone ahead of a meeting with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un.\n\nTrump arrived by helicopter Sunday near the Panmunjom truce village. He was also expected to visit an observation post and greet U.S. and South Korean troops.\n\nTrump told reporters at a news conference with South Korean President Moon Jae-in that he and Kim will “just shake hands quickly and say hello” at the historic meeting at the Korean border village.\n\nTrump on Saturday invited Kim to meet him at the border for a symbolic handshake. He expressed openness to briefly crossing into North Korean territory if Kim accepted.\n\nEvery president since Ronald Reagan has visited the 1953 armistice line, except for George H.W. Bush, who visited as vice president.\n\nCopyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area."], "summary": "After speaking by phone with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Japanese Foreign Minister Tarō Kōno says \"he hopes the meeting adds momentum to efforts toward the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula\". Kōno also says that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe \"wants to meet Kim Jong-un to solve the issue of North Korean abductions of Japanese citizens\"."}
{"document": ["This article is more than 2 months old\n\nThis article is more than 2 months old\n\nSix Turkish sailors detained in Libya by Khalifa Haftar’s forces have been released, Turkey’s foreign ministry has said, a day after Turkey warned his Libyan National Army (LNA) militia would become a “legitimate target” unless the men were released immediately.\n\nThe six men appear to have been captured by the LNA as a reprisal for Haftar losing control of a key town that has set back his efforts to capture Libya’s capital, Tripoli, from the UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA).\n\nTurkey backs the GNA and has been accused by Haftar of supplying weaponry to the GNA in breach of a UN arms embargo, as well as operating drone strikes on his forces from the GNA military command headquarters.\n\nHaftar has also ordered that in his strongholds in the east of the country all Turkish nationals should be arrested and all restaurants and shops with Turkish names or products be closed. The six men were arrested as part of Haftar’s anti-Turkish drive, and it is not clear if their release signalled that Haftar recognised he had overstepped the mark.\n\nThe Turkish foreign ministry spokesman said the six men wanted to continue working rather than return to Turkey. The state-owned news agency Anadolu said they were sailors but Turkey’s defence ministry had denied reports that the detainees included military personnel.\n\nThe forces loyal to Haftar also said they destroyed a Turkish drone parked at Tripoli’s only working airport on Sunday and declared a “general mobilisation” as tensions between Ankara and the eastern administration mounted.\n\nIn a surprise attack last week that caught Haftar’s forces off guard, the GNA captured the town of Gharyan, breaking the military stalemate that has prevailed since Haftar moved to capture Tripoli on 4 April.\n\nHaftar expected to enter the city within days but has found himself bogged down in fighting that has begun to lose him much-needed diplomatic support.\n\nOn Friday, Haftar’s spokesman Ahmed al-Mismari announced a ban on commercial flights from Libya to Turkey and ordered his forces to attack Turkish ships and interests in Libya.\n\nHaftar’s air force commander, Mohamed Manfour, stepped up warnings on Sunday by telling Tripoli residents to stay away from any site that may be hit by airstrikes.\n\nManfour said: “After exhausting all the traditional means in the battle for liberating the rest of Libya and after the recent deception and treachery, the LNA’s air force started to carry out strong and decisive airstrikes on select locations.\n\n“We call upon all our people in Tripoli to immediately move away from the military sites, the positions of militias and terrorists, for their safety that is our priority as well as our beloved united and free Libya.”\n\nIntensified strikes on Sunday night hit the outskirts of Tripoli, including in the area surrounding the city’s non-functioning international airport, Yarmouk camp and Ain Zara district.\n\nHaftar himself has been supplied with weapons by the United Arab Emirates and Egypt. The extent of Haftar’s dependence on the UAE for weaponry was underlined when UAE-marked weapons left by fleeing LNA fighters were displayed in Gharyan at the weekend.", "Khalifa Haftar's Libyan National Army forces said they destroyed a Turkish drone parked at Tripoli’s Mitiga International Airport on Sunday and declared a “general mobilization” as tensions between Ankara and the eastern administration mounted.\n\n \n\n Haftar’s forces said they hit the drone in an air strike on Mitiga airport, part of a series of measures meant to punish Turkey for its active involvement in battles. The airport closed after the strike but later reopened, according to its website.\n\n \n\n They also said they had arrested two Turks in the northeastern oil town of Ajdabiya.\n\n \n\n Later Aguila Saleh, head of the eastern-based House of Representatives allied to Haftar, declared a general mobilization, a spokesman said. No more details were immediately available.\n\n \n\n Turkey’s foreign minister earlier accused Haftar’s supporters of arresting six of its citizens, and warned that the eastern forces would become a “legitimate target” if the Turks were not released immediately.\n\n \n\n Haftar’s Libyan National Force (LNA) launched a campaign on April 4 to try seize the Libyan capital - but has been pushed back by the Tripoli government’s forces which are supported by Turkey.\n\n \n\n Haftar and his backers say they are trying to free Tripoli from militias that they accuse of destabilizing Libya since the fall of Muammar Qaddafi in a NATO-backed uprising in 2011.\n\n \n\n Haftar’s administration cut all ties with Turkey on Friday, banning its flights and ships from eastern Libya.\n\n \n\n It upped those measures on Sunday by declaring Turkish firms, imports and even symbols illegal.\n\n \n\n Ankara has supplied drones and trucks to forces allied to Tripoli’s Western-backed prime minister, Fayez al-Serraj.\n\n \n\n The conflict risks disrupting oil production, creating a vacuum to be exploited by militants and prompting more migrants to head for Italy by boat.", "Turkey says the forces of Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar will become a “legitimate target” if they do not immediately release six Turks.\n\nThe Turkish foreign ministry said the detention of its citizens amounted to “banditry and piracy”.\n\nGen Haftar’s forces said on Friday they would attack Turkish targets over Turkish support for the internationally recognised Libyan government.\n\nThey also claimed they had destroyed a Turkish drone at a Tripoli airbase.\n\nLibya has been torn by violence and division since long-time ruler Muammar Gaddafi was deposed and killed in 2011.\n\nGen Haftar started an offensive against the internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA), led by Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, in April.\n\nWhy are Haftar and Turkey in conflict?\n\nTurkey supports the GNA, supplying drones, weapons and trucks to boost its efforts in the ongoing conflict with Gen Haftar’s forces, which control most of the east and south of Libya.\n\nGen Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA) said it would strike Turkish vessels in Libyan waters and viewed Turkish businesses as targets.\n\nIt also banned commercial flights from Libya to Turkey.\n\nEarlier on Sunday, Turkey said it would “retaliate in the most effective and strong way” to any threats from Gen Haftar’s army.\n\nTurkish Defence Minister Huluski Akar warned that LNA forces would pay a “very heavy price” for any attacks on Turkish interests.\n\nTurkey says it wants to rebalance the fight against Gen Haftar, who has backing from the UAE and Egypt.\n\nOn Thursday, the GNA reclaimed the strategic town of Gharyan, a main supply base for Gen Haftar’s forces in their offensive on Tripoli.\n\nWhy is there fighting in Libya?\n\nCol Gaddafi ruled Libya for four decades until an armed rebellion toppled him in 2011.\n\nSince then, no authority has had full control and the country is extremely unstable.\n\nSeveral political and military factions are at play but two are key – Mr Sarraj and Gen Haftar.\n\nKhalifa Haftar has been active in Libyan politics for more than four decades and was one of Gadaffi’s close allies until a dispute in the late 1980s forced him to live in exile in the US.\n\nGen Haftar returned to Libya when the uprising began in 2011 and became a key commander of a rebel force in the east.\n\nLibyans have mixed feelings towards him due to his past association with Gadaffi and US connections, but do credit him for driving Islamist militants out of much of Benghazi and its surroundings.\n\nGen Haftar’s forces have won some support from France, Egypt and the UAE. In April, US President Donald Trump seemed to be showing support for Gen Haftar, but his enthusiasm has since cooled. BBC News", "Six Turkish sailors, detained by East Libya-based commander Khalifa Haftar forces in Libya, released, according to Turkish Foreign Ministry sources Monday\n\nANKARA, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - APP - 1st Jul, 2019 ) :Six Turkish sailors, detained by East Libya-based commander Khalifa Haftar forces in Libya, released, according to Turkish Foreign Ministry sources Monday.\n\nTurkish citizens returned to the ship and continue to work at their own will, said the sources.\n\nOn Friday, Haftar's spokesman Ahmed al-Mismari announced a ban on commercial flights from Libya to Turkey and ordered his forces to attack Turkish ships and interests in the country.\n\nUpon Libya move, the Turkish Embassy in Tripoli on its website advised Sunday its citizens to avoid any steps that will jeopardize their security and safety in the regions under control of the illegal militia loyal to Haftar.\n\nAlso, Turkish Foreign Ministry urged Haftar illegal militia to release Turkish citizens they detained in Libya, adding that Haftar elements would become legitimate target otherwise.\n\nLibya has remained beset by turmoil since 2011 when a bloody NATO-backed uprising led to the ouster and death of long-serving President Muammar Gaddafi after more than four decades in power.\n\nSince then, Libya's stark political divisions have yielded two rival seats of power -- one in Tobruk and another in Tripoli -- and a host of heavily armed militia groups.", "ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey said on Sunday that six of its citizens were being held by eastern Libyan forces loyal to Khalifa Haftar, and that the militia would become a “legitimate target” if they were not released immediately.\n\nTurkey supports the internationally recognised government in Tripoli, which on Wednesday pushed back eastern forces that have been trying for three months to seize the Libyan capital.\n\nAnkara has also supplied drones and trucks to forces allied to Tripoli’s Western-backed prime minister, Fayez al-Serraj, while Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA) has received support from the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, according to diplomats.\n\n“The detention of six of our citizens by illegal militia forces linked to Haftar is an action that amounts to banditry and piracy. We expect the immediate release of our citizens,” Turkey’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement. “If not, Haftar’s forces will become legitimate targets.”\n\nOn Friday, a spokesman for Haftar’s forces said they were banning commercial flights from Libya to Turkey and warned that any Turkish aircraft or ship attempting to land or dock in Tripoli would be treated as hostile. He also said the LNA would attack any Turkish military presence.\n\nEarlier on Sunday, Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar was quoted as saying any threats from Haftar’s forces would be punished severely, and that Turkey had taken measures to prevent attacks.\n\n“As we contribute to establishing peace and stability in the region, any threatening stance or attacks will have a very heavy price, they will be reciprocated in the harshest and most effective way,” Akar was quoted as saying by state media.\n\nHaftar and his backers say they are trying to free Tripoli from militias that they accuse of destabilising Libya since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in a NATO-backed uprising in 2011.\n\nHaftar’s critics accuse him of trying to seize power through force and deepening a conflict between factions based in the east and west of the sprawling North African country.\n\nHaftar’s offensive has upended United Nations-led plans to stabilise Libya after years of conflict that have left the oil producer divided and caused living standards to plummet.\n\nThe conflict risks disrupting oil production, creating a vacuum to be exploited by militants and prompting more migrants to head for Italy by boat.", "Six Turkish citizens detained in Libya by forces loyal to commander Khalifa Haftar have been released, according to the Turkish foreign ministry.\n\nThe announcement came on Monday, a day after Turkey threatened the eastern Libyan militia with military retaliation, saying they faced becoming a \"legitimate target\".\n\nAl Jazeera's Sinem Koseoglu, reporting from Istanbul said the men, who were released at the Sidr airport in Ajdabiya city, west of Benghazi, worked on a ship owned by a Libyan citizen.\n\n\"The sailors will not be coming back to Turkey, they will continue working over there. So everything seems to be alright. Also defence ministry sources underlined that there were no military persons among those six people, contradicting pro-Haftar media,\" she said.\n\n\"There was backdoor diplomacy going on with Turkey through local tribal leaders. Ankara made sure that Haftar's side was given 72 hours to release the Turkish citizens. There have also been three security meetings in Ankara since this incident happened. Turkey was preparing for any scenario,\" she added.\n\nAl Jazeera's Mahmoud Abdelwahed, reporting from Tripoli, said the tough talk seemed to have worked well.\n\n\"The spokesman of Haftar's forces, Colonel Ahmed Masmari, earlier said they were detaining all Turkish nationals in Libya. But last night (Sunday), he retreated saying he does not have any knowledge of the detention of the Turkish nationals,\" he said.\n\n\"Today, we are getting information from the security sources with Haftar in the city of Ajdabiya, west of Benghazi, confirming the release of the Turkish nationals,\" he added.\n\nHe also said Haftar's forces were accusing Turkey of providing air coverage for the rival military of the internationally recognised government in Tripoli.\n\n\"[The anti-Turkish sentiments have grown] especially after Haftar lost the strategic town of Gharyan, south of Tripoli, which is considered a major setback for his troops fighting the government forces in the west of the country.\"\n\nHaftar's self-styled Libyan National Force (LNA) launched a campaign on April 4 to try and seize the Libyan capital, but has been pushed back by the Tripoli government's forces.\n\nLibya has had two rival governments over the last few years.\n\nThe United Nations-recognised administration led by Prime Minister Fayez al Sarraj is based in the capital Tripoli.\n\nTurkey, as well as most Western nations, support the Sarraj government, including Italy, which is worried that the fighting near Tripoli will force more migrants to cross the Mediterranean.\n\nAnkara says it's involvement in Libya is aimed at promoting \"regional peace and stability\".\n\nIn the east, there is the Tobruk-based government, the centre of power for Haftar, who is backed by Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).\n\nFrance is also accused of providing military support to his forces.\n\nHaftar and his backers say they are trying to free Tripoli from militias that they accuse of destabilising Libya since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in a NATO-backed uprising in 2011.\n\nHaftar's eastern administration cut all ties with Turkey on Friday, threatening to target Turkish interests in Libya, including airline flights and shipping.\n\nHaftar's critics, including Turkey, accuse him of trying to seize power from the legitimate government through force and deepening a conflict between factions based in the east and west of the sprawling North African country.", "TRIPOLI/ANKARA (Reuters) - Eastern Libyan forces loyal commander Khalifa Haftar said they destroyed a Turkish drone parked at Tripoli’s only working airport on Sunday and declared a “general mobilisation” as tensions between Ankara and the eastern administration mounted.\n\nHaftar’s forces said they hit the drone in an air strike on Mitiga airport, part of a series of measures meant to punish Turkey for its support of the rival, internationally recognised Libyan government in Tripoli. The airport closed after the strike but later reopened, according to its website.\n\nThey also said they had arrested two Turks in the northeastern oil town of Ajdabiya.\n\nLater Aguila Saleh, head of the eastern-based House of Representatives allied to Haftar, declared a general mobilisation, a spokesman said. No more details were immediately available.\n\nTurkey’s foreign minister earlier accused Haftar’s supporters of arresting six of its citizens, and warned that the eastern forces would become a “legitimate target” if the Turks were not released immediately.\n\nHaftar’s Libyan National Force (LNA) launched a campaign on April 4 to try seize the Libyan capital - but has been pushed back by the Tripoli government’s forces which are supported by Turkey.\n\nHaftar and his backers say they are trying to free Tripoli from militias that they accuse of destabilising Libya since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi in a NATO-backed uprising in 2011.\n\nHaftar’s critics including Turkey accuse him of trying to seize power from the legitimate government through force and deepening a conflict between factions based in the east and west of the sprawling North African country.\n\nHaftar’s administration cut all ties with Turkey on Friday, banning its flights and ships from eastern Libya.\n\nIt upped those measures on Sunday by declaring Turkish firms, imports and even symbols illegal.\n\nAnkara has supplied drones and trucks to forces allied to Tripoli’s Western-backed prime minister, Fayez al-Serraj, while Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA) has received support from the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, according to diplomats.\n\nHaftar’s offensive has upended United Nations-led plans to stabilise Libya after years of conflict that have left the oil producer divided and caused living standards to plummet.\n\nThe conflict risks disrupting oil production, creating a vacuum to be exploited by militants and prompting more migrants to head for Italy by boat.", "Turkey’s defence minister has said that Turkey will retaliate any attack by Libya’s military general Khalifa Haftar’s forces. This follows an order by the army general to his forces to attack Turkish ships and interests in the country.\n\n“There will be a very heavy price for hostile attitudes or attacks, we will retaliate in the most effective and strong way.It should be known that we have taken all kinds of measures to deal with any threat or antagonistic action against Turkey,” Hulusi Akar told Turkish state news agency Anadolu.\n\nTurkey’s efforts in Libya sought to “contribute to peace and stability in the region” according to Akar.\n\nHaftar ordered his self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA) to target Turkish ships and companies, ban flights and arrest Turkish nationals in Libya, his spokesman said Friday.\n\nThe LNA, which holds eastern Libya and much of the country’s south, launched an offensive to take the capital in early April.\n\nThe new threat came after anti-Haftar forces retook the strategic town of Gharyan in a surprise attack which was a blow to the strongman’s push for Tripoli.\n\nTurkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan confirmed his country backs the internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA) and provides weapons to it under a “military cooperation agreement”.\n\nHe told reporters on June 20 that Turkish backing had allowed Tripoli to “rebalance” the fight against Haftar, who has the backing of the United Arab Emirates and Egypt.\n\nAkar was in Japan with Erdogan for the G20 summit in Osaka. The president has yet to react to Haftar’s order.\n\nWhen asked about the threat on Saturday, Erdogan said he was not aware of it, but Turkey would take necessary measures after evaluating the situation.", "Alwaght- Forces loyal to Libyan renegade General Khalifa Haftar claimed on Sunday they have downed a Turkish drone in Tripoli and arrested two Turkish nationals arrested after the two sides exchanged severe warnings.\n\nThe aircraft was targeted by Haftar's eastern Libyan air force at Tripoli’s Mitiga military airbase, Haftar's war information division said on Facebook on Sunday.\n\nAir traffic was halted on Sunday at the Libyan capital's only functioning civilian airport, also at Mitiga, after what was described as an air strike.\n\nAuthorities in Eastern Libya also announced in a statement that they have arrested two Turkish nationals over what they called Ankara's support for \"militias\" in Libya.\n\nThis comes as Ankara says \"six\" Turkish nationals are being held in Libya by Haftar’s forces. Turkey has warned that there would be consequences if they are not immediately released.\n\n\"The detention of six of our citizens by illegal militia forces linked to Haftar is an act of thuggery and piracy. We expect our citizens to be immediately released,\" the foreign ministry said in a statement.\n\n\"Should this not happen, Haftar elements will become legitimate targets,\" it added.\n\nBut the ministry did not give any details on where the Turks were being held or when they had been taken by the forces.\n\nAnkara had earlier threatened to retaliate against any attack by Haftar’s loyalists on its interests in the North African country.\n\nTurkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar had warned of a very heavy price for such actions.\n\nHaftar accuses Ankara of backing his rivals during the ongoing conflict in Libya. He has ordered his self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA) to target Turkish ships and companies, ban Turkish flights, and arrest Turkish nationals in Libya.\n\nTurkey supports Libya’s internationally-recognized government in Tripoli, which has been under assault by Haftar’s forces trying to seize the capital for three months.\n\nTurkey has supplied drones and trucks to the forces allied to UN-backed Prime Minister Fayez al-Serraj, while the LNA has received support from the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, according to diplomats.\n\nLibyan government forces recently dealt a major blow to the LNA by retaking the strategic town of Gharyan, a supply line for Haftar’s forces on the Tripoli front.\n\nHaftar’s offensive has upended UN-led plans to stabilize Libya after years of conflict that have left the oil-rich nation divided and caused living standards to plummet.\n\nLibya has been the scene of increasing violence since 2011, when former dictator Muammar Gaddafi was toppled from power after an uprising and a NATO military intervention. His ouster created a huge power vacuum, leading to chaos and the emergence of numerous militant outfits, including the Daesh terrorist group.", "Six Turkish sailors held by forces led by Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar have been freed, a Turkish foreign ministry official said on Monday.\n\n\"The sailors are free. According to their wishes, they continue to work,\" said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.\n\nThe ministry did not give details about when the six were first held.\n\nHaftar last week ordered his forces to target Turkish companies and arrest Turkish nationals after he lost a key town to forces backing Libya's internationally recognised government, also supported by Ankara.\n\nTurkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last month confirmed that his country provides weapons to the Government of National Accord (GNA) under a \"military cooperation agreement\".\n\nHaftar's forces, which hold much of eastern and southern Libya, launched an offensive in early April to seize the capital from the government.\n\nOn Sunday, his forces said they destroyed a Turkish Bayraktar drone in a strike on an airport in Tripoli.\n\nTurkey's defence minister had earlier on Sunday warned Ankara would retaliate against any attacks.\n\nLibya has been mired in chaos after multiple militias were locked in a power struggle following a NATO-backed uprising ended with dictator Moamer Kadhafi's death in 2011.\n\nTurkey's interest in Libya relates to its Ottoman past as the country was part of the empire until 1912 when the north African country was conquered by Italy.\n\nLibya has become a key battleground in a regional struggle between backers and opponents of Islamists including the Muslim Brotherhood, to which Erdogan's ruling party is affiliated. Haftar has the support of the United Arab Emirates and Egypt."], "summary": "After political pressure from Turkey, six Turkish sailors are released from detention by the Libyan National Army under general Khalifa Haftar."}
{"document": ["This article is more than 2 months old\n\nThis article is more than 2 months old\n\nFrance’s interior minister has asked the Paris police chief to explain a controversial riot police operation to remove climate activists from a bridge, after a video of officers using pepper spray and dragging protesters went viral on social media.\n\nThe interior ministry said the police operation to clear the demonstrators was “necessary to restore traffic circulation in the centre of Paris”.\n\nProtesters from Extinction Rebellion, a civil disobedience movement that began in Britain, blocked traffic on the Pont de Sully in the centre of the city on Friday, as Paris sweltered in a record-breaking heatwave that many blame on global heating.\n\nClément Lanot (@ClementLanot) PARIS - Intervention des CRS qui utilisent des gazeuses pour tenter de déloger les militants.\n\n\n\nPlusieurs journalistes ont été empêcher de filmer. pic.twitter.com/XzwTCTYyJE\n\nFrench police used riot shields and pepper spray to clear scores of climate activists who were seated, cross-legged, blocking the bridge over the Seine. A journalist’s video showing police spraying the demonstrators in the face caused outrage on social media.\n\nA police officer at the scene estimated about 90 protesters had taken part, while Extinction Rebellion put the number at 200. Two people were briefly detained but no arrests were made, protesters said.\n\nQ&A What is Extinction Rebellion? Show Hide Extinction Rebellion is a protest group that uses non-violent civil disobedience to campaign on environmental issues. Launched in October 2018, with an assembly at Parliament Square to announce a 'declaration of rebellion' against the UK Government, the group has staged regular demonstrations against current environmental policies. More than 1,000 activists were arrested in April 2019 after protesters occupied four sites across London, as well as blocking roads, disrupting a railway line and conducting a protest at Heathrow. Other demonstrations have included a semi-naked protest inside the House of Commons and blockading streets in London, Cardiff, Leeds, Bristol and Glasgow. The group says climate breakdown threatens all life on Earth, and so it is rebelling against politicians who “have failed us”, to provoke radical change that will stave off a climate emergency. The movement has become global with groups set up in countries include the US, Spain, Australia, South Africa and India. Martin Belam Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Anadolu\n\n“We are trying to make people aware of the ecological problems that are a symptom of the system,” said Sophia Karpenko, a French neuroscientist and spokeswoman with Extinction Rebellion.\n\nExtinction Rebellion describes itself as a non-violent direct-action group. It has carried out a number of high-profile protests in London, including disrupting road and rail travel as part of its efforts to raise awareness of climate change.\n\nThe French environment minister, François de Rugy, told French TV the protesters were “radicals” offering no solutions on cutting emissions. He said that when they had refused to move, riot police had had no choice but to remove them one by one.\n\nThis week, an independent report found France was falling behind on tackling the climate emergency and failing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, despite ambitious promises.", "France’s interior minister has asked the Paris police chief to explain a controversial riot police operation to remove climate activists from a bridge, after a video of officers using pepper spray and dragging protesters went viral on social media.\n\nThe interior ministry said the police operation to clear the demonstrators was “necessary to restore traffic circulation in the centre of Paris”.\n\nProtesters from Extinction Rebellion, a civil disobedience movement that began in Britain, blocked traffic on the Pont de Sully in the centre of the city on Friday, as Paris sweltered in a record-breaking heatwave that many blame on global heating.\n\nFrench police used riot shields and pepper spray to clear scores of climate activists who were seated, cross-legged, blocking the bridge over the Seine. A journalist’s video showing police spraying the demonstrators in the face caused outrage on social media.\n\nA police officer at the scene estimated about 90 protesters had taken part, while Extinction Rebellion put the number at 200. Two people were briefly detained but no arrests were made, protesters said.\n\n“We are trying to make people aware of the ecological problems that are a symptom of the system,” said Sophia Karpenko, a French neuroscientist and spokeswoman with Extinction Rebellion.\n\nExtinction Rebellion describes itself as a non-violent direct-action group. It has carried out a number of high-profile protests in London, including disrupting road and rail travel as part of its efforts to raise awareness of climate change.\n\nThe French environment minister, François de Rugy, told French TV the protesters were “radicals” offering no solutions on cutting emissions. He said that when they had refused to move, riot police had had no choice but to remove them one by one.\n\nThis week, an independent report found France was falling behind on tackling the climate emergency and failing to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, despite ambitious promises.", "Police try to disperse young protesters, who blocked traffic on Paris roads on Friday to call for more government action and media attention on climate change. About 400 demonstrators, many of them students, blocked traffic on Pont de Sully in central Paris. In an effort to stop the sit-in, police dragged and carried away protesters, arresting some of them\n• French police criticised for using pepper spray on climate protesters", "PARIS (Reuters) - French prosecutors said on Monday they had opened a preliminary investigation after police used riot shields and pepper spray to clear scores of climate activists blocking a bridge over the Seine in Paris last week.\n\nThe probe is to be carried out by the national police force’s internal inspectors, prosecutors said.\n\nThe government is facing criticism for the heavy-handed break-up of the sit-in by protesters from Extinction Rebellion, a civil disobedience movement that began in Britain.\n\nThe protesters had blocked traffic on Friday on the Pont de Sully bridge in the center of the city in the latest example of a surge of climate activism across northern and western Europe.\n\nInterior Minister Christophe Castaner called on Monday for light to be shed on the incident after images emerged on social media of riot police dousing protesters with pepper spray and dragging them away.\n\nExtinction Rebellion describes itself as a non-violent direct-action group. It has carried out a number of high-profile protests in London, including disrupting road and rail travel as part of its efforts to raise awareness of climate change.\n\nIn March, tens of thousands of climate activists marched through Paris. Since late last year, France has also been coping with large and sometimes violent demonstrations by the “Yellow Vests”, a social movement opposed to President Emmanuel Macron.", "Interior Minister Christophe Castaner on Sunday ordered an investigation into the incident during a protest by the Extinction Rebellion group on Friday over the government's environment policies, which took place in the middle of a heatwave.\n\nA video shared on Twitter and since widely broadcast on news channels shows a police officer yelling \"clear off\" at a group of protesters sitting on the ground with their arms linked and heads bowed after they had refused orders to vacate the bridge.\n\nWhen they refuse to budge, at least two officers spray them with hand-held teargas cannisters at point-blank range, while the demonstrators try to shield their faces, boo the police and shout \"non-violent!\".\n\nThe officers are then seen dragging the protesters off the street one by one.\n\nOne protester, who gave her name as Flora, told AFP that the police used tear gas after some protesters that had been dragged away returned to the sit-in.\n\n\"They opted for a strategy of gassing people 20 centimetres from their faces,\" she said.\n\nThe Paris police department said the officers had intervened to stop the protesters blocking traffic and that the demonstrators had been ordered \"several times\" to disperse. It said two people were arrested.\n\nImages of the standoff caused an outcry both at home and abroad with Sweden's teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg tweeting a link to the video with the words: \"Watch this video and ask yourself; who is defending who?\"\n\nIn a further sign of how climate activists are increasingly turning to direct action, Greenpeace activists have been blocking the unloading of a Brazilian soy shipment in the southern French port of Sete.\n\nOn Monday, five of the activists -- who blame soybean production for deforestation -- were forcibly removed from the cranes to which they had chained themselves.\n\nLaunched in Britain, the \"Extinction Rebellion\" group uses acts of civil disobedience to draw attention to climate warming. Last month the group took part in the blockade of an open-pit coal mine in Germany.\n\nSeveral French politicians condemned the treatment of the protesters in Paris.\n\nEric Coquerel, a lawmaker for the hard-left France Unbowed party, described the images as \"shocking\".\n\n\"It's inadmissible to use teargas like that,\" he told BFM news channel, accusing the authorities of using disproportionate force.\n\nSocialist leader Olivier Faure in a tweet said that the activists should have been sprayed with \"water bombs\" and not teargas in a week when temperatures hit record highs in France.\n\n\"That would not happen in a dictatorship and it's happening in France,\" he added.\n\nEnvironment Minister Francois de Rugy was accused of adding to the controversy by characterising the activists in a TV interview Sunday as \"very radical\" and justifying the use of the teargas \"which aims to get people to leave\" the area.\n\nBut there was disquiet among some members of Macron's centrist Republic on the Move party with MP Barbara Pompili telling France 2 television she was \"like everyone, quite shocked at tear gas being sprayed very close to people's eyes\".\n\nOver the past year President Emmanuel Macron has come under growing criticism over what activists see as his failure to keep a 2017 promise to \"make our planet great again\".\n\nFrench police have also been heavily criticised for their tactics during six months of weekly protests by anti-government \"yellow vest\" demonstrators.\n\nPolice have been unable to stop crowds ransacking buildings and businesses, while they have also been blamed for a spate of serious injuries caused by law-enforcement weapons such as rubber bullets and stun grenades.", "Police in France faced criticism on Monday after a video of officers spraying tear gas on climate protesters staging a sit-in on a bridge emerged online, prompting the French interior minister to call for an investigation.\n\nThe protest over the French government's environment policies was held by members of the Extinction Rebellion group at the Pont de Sully bridge during sweltering heat on Friday.\n\nA video shared on Twitter and since widely broadcast on news channels shows a group of protesters sitting on the ground with their arms linked and heads bowed after they had refused orders to vacate the bridge.\n\nWhen they refuse to move, officers spray them with hand-held teargas canisters, while the demonstrators try to protect their faces. The video shows one officer forcibly remove a protester's protective goggles and sunglasses.\n\nThe officers are then seen dragging the protesters off the street one by one.\n\nA police officer at the scene estimated about 90 protesters had taken part, while Extinction Rebellion put the number at 200, the Guardian reported.\n\nRead more: Extinction Rebellion: The activists risking prison to save the planet\n\nInterior Minister Christophe Castaner ordered an investigation into the incident.\n\nThe riot police and the police chief have been asked to submit a report on the \"modalities\" leading up to the evacuation of the demonstrators \"in order to restore traffic” in the center of Paris.\n\nCastaner said that the French riot police used loudspeakers to ask the protesters to move. He added that the \"very radical” demonstrators refused the order, and the riot police had no choice but to remove them one by one.\n\nRead more: Climate research on the high, warming seas\n\nFrance's Environment Minister Francois de Rugy told Radio France International (RFI) that he had watched a video of the incident and the use of tear gas was justified.\n\nBarbara Pompili, a member of the ruling La Republique en Marche, said she was \"shocked\" by the images and hoped the investigation would \"shed light on what happened,\" RFI reported.\n\nThe Paris police department said the officers had intervened to stop the protesters from blocking traffic and that the demonstrators had been ordered \"several times\" to move. It said two people were arrested.\n\nThe video received condemnation both in France and abroad, with Sweden's teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg tweeting a link to the video with the words: \"Watch this video and ask yourself; who is defending who?\"\n\nThe Extinction Rebellion group first launched in Britain and organizes acts of civil disobedience to draw attention to climate issues.\n\nLast month, the group took part in the blockade of an open-pit coal mine in Germany and protests held in London in May brought parts of the British capital to a standstill.\n\nEach evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it direDW Newsletter Registrationctly here.", "\"They opted for a strategy of gassing people 20 centimeters from their faces,\" said an activist named Flora.\n\nFrench police drew heavy criticism on Monday after officers were filmed spraying peaceful climate activists in the face with teargas during a sit-in on a bridge in Paris last week.\n\nInterior Minister Christophe Castaner has ordered an investigation into the incident which ocurred on Friday during a protest by the \"Extinction Rebellion\" group over the government's environment policies.\n\nA video shared on Twitter, and since widely broadcast on news channels, shows at least two officers spraying protesters at close range with cans of teargas while the demonstrators try to shield their faces, boo the police and shout \"non-violent!\"\n\nThe officers are then seen dragging the protesters off the street one by one.​​​​​​​ One demonstrator, who gave her name as Flora, told AFP that the police used teargas after some protesters that had earlier been forcibly removed from the sit-in returned to the scene.\n\nThe Paris police department said the officers had intervened to stop the protesters blocking traffic and that the demonstrators had been ordered \"several times\" to disperse, informing two people were arrested.\n\nImages of the standoff caused an outcry both in France and abroad with Sweden's teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg tweeting a link to the video with the words: \"Watch this video and ask yourself; who is defending who?\"\n\n\"It's outrageous to have young people who are fighting for our climate, who are fighting for our future... and the government's only reaction is to not act and to teargas them,\" Yannick Jadot, a Green member of the European Parliament, told BFM news channel. Several left-wing French politicians condemned the treatment of the protesters in Paris.\n\nSocialist leader Olivier Faure said, \"that would not happen in a dictatorship and it's happening in France.\" Over the past year, Macron has come under growing criticism over what activists see as his failure to keep a 2017 promise to \"make our planet great again.\"​​​​​​​\n\nThere was also disquiet among some members of President Emmanuel Macron's centrist Republic on the Move party with MP Barbara Pompili telling France 2 television she \"like everyone, quite shocked at teargas being sprayed very close to people's eyes\".\n\nLaunched in Britain, Extinction Rebellion organizes acts of civil disobedience to draw attention to climate warming. Last month the group took part in the blockade of an open-pit coal mine in Germany.​​​​​​​\n\nFrench police have also been heavily criticized for their tactics during six months of weekly protests by anti-government \"yellow vest\" demonstrators.​​​​​​​ Officers have been blamed for a spate of serious injuries and even hand or eye mutilations caused by their use of rubber bullets and stun grenades.\n\nFrench law enforcement is also under investigation over the disappearance of a 24-year-old man in the western city of Nantes on June 21, World Music Day.​​​​​​​\n\nSteve Maia Canico went missing while taking part in a rave on an island in the Loire river that was broken up by the police using teargas following clashes with some of the revelers.\n\nSeveral people who fell into the river during the melee were brought to safety but Maia Canico was never found. A march in his memory on Saturday in Nantes drew around 1,000 demonstrators.", "PARIS: French police drew heavy criticism on Monday after officers were filmed spraying peaceful climate activists in the face with teargas during a Paris sit-in last week.\n\n\n\nInterior Minister Christophe Castaner has ordered an investigation into the incident which took place on Friday during a protest by the \"Extinction Rebellion\" group over the government´s environment policies.\n\nA video shared on Twitter and since widely broadcast on news channels shows at least two officers spraying protesters with teargas at close range, while the demonstrators try to shield their faces, boo the police and shout \"non-violent!\"\n\nThe officers are then seen dragging the protesters away one by one.\n\nOn Monday, the Paris prosecutor launched a preliminary probe that was to be handled by the police department´s internal investigation unit, the IGPN.\n\nA demonstrator who gave her name as Flora told AFP the police used teargas after some protesters who had earlier been forcibly removed from the sit-in returned to the scene.\n\n\"They opted for a strategy of gassing people 20 centimetres (eight inches) from their faces,\" she said.\n\nThe Paris police department said officers had intervened to stop the protesters blocking traffic and that the demonstrators had been ordered \"several times\" to disperse. It said two people were arrested.\n\nImages of the standoff caused an outcry both at home and abroad, with Sweden´s teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg tweeting a link to the video with the words: \"Watch this video and ask yourself; who is defending who?\"\n\nLaunched in Britain, Extinction Rebellion organises acts of civil disobedience to draw attention to climate warming. Last month the group took part in the blockade of an open-pit coal mine in Germany.\n\nSeveral French politicians condemned the treatment of the protesters in Paris.\n\n\"It´s outrageous to have young people who are fighting for our climate, who are fighting for our future... and the government´s only reaction is to not act and to teargas them,\" Yannick Jadot, a Greens member of the European Parliament, told BFM news channel.\n\nSocialist leader Olivier Faure said \"that would not happen in a dictatorship and it´s happening in France.\"\n\nBut Environment Minister Francois de Rugy, himself a former environmental activist, described the protesters as \"very radical\" and justified the use of the teargas \"to get people to leave\" the area.\n\nThere was also disquiet among some members of President Emmanuel Macron´s centrist Republic on the Move party with MP Barbara Pompili telling France 2 television she was \"like everyone, quite shocked at teargas being sprayed very close to people´s eyes\".\n\nOver the past year, Macron has come under growing criticism over what activists see as his failure to keep a 2017 promise to \"make our planet great again\".\n\n\n\nThe French police have also been heavily criticised for their tactics during six months of weekly protests by anti-government \"yellow vest\" demonstrators.\n\nOfficers have been unable to stop crowds ransacking buildings and businesses while themselves drawing blame for a spate of serious injuries caused by their use of rubber bullets and stun grenades.\n\nFrench law enforcement is also under investigation over the disappearance of a 24-year-old man in the western city of Nantes on June 21, World Music Day.\n\nSteve Maia Canico went missing during a rave on an island in the Loire river that was broken up by the police with teargas following clashes with some of the revellers.\n\nSeveral people who fell into the river during the melee were brought to safety but Maia Canico was never found. A march in his memory on Saturday in Nantes drew around 1,000 demonstrators.\n\nIn a further sign of how climate activists are increasingly turning to direct action, Greenpeace activists have been blocking the unloading of a Brazilian soy shipment in the southern French port of Sete.\n\nOn Monday, five of the activists -- who blame soybean production for deforestation -- were forcibly removed from the cranes to which they had chained themselves.", "The French police drew heavy criticism on Monday after officers were filmed spraying peaceful climate activists in the face with teargas during a sit-in on a bridge in Paris last week\n\nParis, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - APP - 1st Jul, 2019 ) :The French police drew heavy criticism on Monday after officers were filmed spraying peaceful climate activists in the face with teargas during a sit-in on a bridge in Paris last week.\n\nInterior Minister Christophe Castaner on Sunday ordered an investigation into the incident during a protest by the Extinction Rebellion group on Friday over the government's environment policies, which took place in the middle of a heatwave.\n\nA video shared on Twitter and since widely broadcast on news channels shows a police officer yelling \"clear off\" at a group of protesters sitting on the ground with their arms linked and heads bowed after they had refused orders to vacate the bridge.\n\nWhen they refuse to budge, at least two officers spray them with hand-held teargas cannisters at point-blank range, while the demonstrators try to shield their faces, boo the police and shout \"non-violent!\".\n\nThe officers are then seen dragging the protesters off the street one by one.\n\nOne protester, who gave her name as Flora, told AFP that the police used tear gas after some protesters that had been dragged away returned to the sit-in.\n\n\"They opted for a strategy of gassing people 20 centimetres from their faces,\" she said.\n\nThe Paris police department said the officers had intervened to stop the protesters blocking traffic and that the demonstrators had been ordered \"several times\" to disperse. It said two people were arrested.\n\nImages of the standoff caused an outcry both at home and abroad with Sweden's teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg tweeting a link to the video with the words: \"Watch this video and ask yourself; who is defending who?\"In a further sign of how climate activists are increasingly turning to direct action, Greenpeace activists have been blocking the unloading of a Brazilian soy shipment in the southern French port of Sete.\n\nOn Monday, five of the activists -- who blame soybean production for deforestation -- were forcibly removed from the cranes to which they had chained themselves.", "Images of French police pepper-spraying climate protesters in Paris last Friday have gone viral and sparked outrage around the world. The demonstration was held by Extinction Rebellion, a movement that began in the UK last year but has since expanded around the globe.\n\nThe movement was officially launched in October 31, 2018, when around a 1,000 people protested outside the UK parliament in what organisers said was a “Declaration of Rebellion”.\n\nIt was started by activists from the campaign group Rising Up! while almost 100 senior academics from across the UK gave their backing, saying in an open letter it was “unconscionable to us that our children and grandchildren should have to bear the terrifying brunt of an unprecedented disaster of our own making”.\n\nTo avoid that scenario, the group has three core demands: that governments “tell the truth” about climate change by declaring environmental emergencies and conveying the urgency of the situation to the public, that they commit to net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2025 and that ‘citizens’ assemblies’ are set up to oversee climate change policy.\n\nIts methods though have at times proved controversial. The group follows a strategy of civil disobedience and direct action, including staging sit-ins and disrupting public spaces such as roads and bridges. Hundreds of its members have been arrested in the process.\n\nActivists have also caused damage to property, including smashing windows, something the group calls an “escalation strategy, necessary to grab public attention\n\nThe group’s headline-grabbing tactics have helped it become a major protest movement in the UK, with 130 Extinction Rebellion groups across the country.\n\nIn April this year, it held one of its biggest demonstrations yet, occupying parts of central London for 11 consecutive days.\n\nExtinction Rebellion groups have now sprung up around the world from Australia to the United States.\n\nIt now has more than a million members worldwide including more than 4,000 in France."], "summary": "France's interior minister, Christophe Castaner, has asked the Paris police chief to provide explanations about a video that went viral on social media, where law enforcement officers are seen spraying with pepper spray and dragging protesters from the Extinction Rebellion anti-climate change movement. Although the police needed to evict the protesters, who obstructed a transit route, the mechanisms that they used generated negative reactions."}
{"document": ["The Legislative Council (LegCo) Secretariat of Hong Kong issued a statement on Monday declaring an unprecedented red security alert and ordering that the building be evacuated amid growing violence as people protesting the city's extradition amendments attempt to storm the premises\n\nBEIJING (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 01st July, 2019) The Legislative Council (LegCo) Secretariat of Hong Kong issued a statement on Monday declaring an unprecedented red security alert and ordering that the building be evacuated amid growing violence as people protesting the city's extradition amendments attempt to storm the premises.\n\nEarlier in the day, which marks the anniversary of the city's 1997 return to Chinese rule, hundreds of mainly young masked protesters set up barricades on several streets in the city state, resulting in clashes with police, who were forced to use batons and pepper spray to disperse the crowds. Some of the protesters then tried to break into the LegCo building and smash tempered windows with different objects.\n\n\"The Legislative Council ('LegCo') Secretariat has issued a Red alert today (1 July). When the Red alert is in force, all people should leave the LegCo Complex immediately,\" the statement read.\n\nThis is the first time that the LegCo has had to declare a red security alert. Police officers inside the building have been ordered to detain all trespassers.\n\nThe Central Government Complex, which is located next door, proceeded by closing its premises to staff and public on Tuesday.\n\n\"Owing to security consideration, the Tamar Central Government Offices (CGO) will be temporarily closed tomorrow (July 2). Staff working in the CGO should not go to the workplace and should work in accordance with the contingency plans of their respective bureaux or departments. All visits to the CGO will be postponed or cancelled,\" the Hong Kong government said in a statement.\n\nMass rallies erupted in Hong Kong in early June as the authorities were considering adopting a bill that would allow the autonomous Chinese city to extradite suspects to jurisdictions with which it did not have an extradition agreement, including mainland China. Pressured by the protests, the government indefinitely suspended the bill, while Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam issued a public apology. However, the protesters still demand the complete withdrawal of the extradition amendments.", "The Legislative Council (LegCo) Secretariat of Hong Kong issued a statement on Monday declaring an unprecedented red security alert and ordering that the building be evacuated amid growing violence as people protesting the city's extradition amendments attempt to storm the premises\n\nBEIJING (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 01st July, 2019) The Legislative Council (LegCo) Secretariat of Hong Kong issued a statement on Monday declaring an unprecedented red security alert and ordering that the building be evacuated amid growing violence as people protesting the city's extradition amendments attempt to storm the premises.\n\nEarlier in the day, which marks the anniversary of the city's 1997 return to Chinese rule, hundreds of mainly young masked protesters set up barricades on several streets in the city state, resulting in clashes with police, who were forced to use batons and pepper spray to disperse the crowds. Some of the protesters then tried to break into the LegCo building and smash tempered windows with different objects.\n\nWhen the Red alert is in force, all people should leave the LegCo Complex immediately,\" the statement read.\n\nThis is the first time that the LegCo has had to declare a red security alert. Police officers inside the building have been ordered to detain all trespassers.\n\nMass rallies erupted in Hong Kong in early June as the authorities were considering adopting a bill that would allow the autonomous Chinese city to extradite suspects to jurisdictions with which it did not have an extradition agreement, including mainland China. Pressured by the protests, the government indefinitely suspended the bill, while Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam issued a public apology. However, the protesters still demand the complete withdrawal of the extradition amendments.", "Protesters in Hong Kong take over legislative chamber, spray paint slogans on wall and over the territory's emblem.", "HONG KONG, July 1 — Hong Kong’s government slammed protesters late today for storming the city’s parliament, accusing demonstrators of deploying “extreme violence”.\n\n“Radical protesters stormed the Legislative Council Complex with extreme violence,” the statement read.\n\n“These protesters seriously jeopardised the safety of police officers and members of the public. Such violent acts are unacceptable to society.” — AFP", "Transcript for Protesters try to batter their way into Hong Kong legislative building\n\nOkay. Yeah. I. I. Okay. I. A okay. Okay. Okay. Okay. Okay.", "Anti-government protesters smashed windows of Hong Kong's Legislative Council on Monday and were trying to force their way into the building by ramming a metal cart through the glass doors, as police responded with pepper spray.\n\nRiot police were also seen inside the building, which has been at the centre of protests in the past three weeks, driven by demands for the withdrawal of a bill that would allow extraditions to the Chinese mainland.", "HONG KONG (AFP, REUTERS, BLOOMBERG) – Riot police fired tear gas as they attempted to dislodge anti-government protesters in the early hours of Tuesday morning (July 2) in chaotic scenes in the heart of Hong Kong.\n\nTelevision footage showed police wearing gas masks and shields, charging demonstrators with their batons drawn, after the protesters ignored their ultimatum to clear the building.\n\nHundreds of protesters had stormed the legislature on the anniversary of the city’s 1997 British handover to China, destroying pictures and daubing walls with graffiti in a direct challenge to China as anger over an extradition Bill spiralled out of control.\n\nAbout a thousand gathered around the Legislative Council building in the heart of the former British colony’s financial district, some carrying road signs, while others corrugated iron sheets and pieces of scaffolding. Inside the building, some sat at legislators’ desks, and others scrawled “anti-extradition” on the chamber walls.\n\nPolice had warned they were prepared to use “appropriate force” unless the protesters dispersed from the area.\n\n“In a short time police will go to the LegCo area to clear it. If met with obstruction or resistance, police will use appropriate force,” a police spokesman said in a video posted on the force’s Facebook page.\n\nHong Kong's government slammed protesters for storming the city's Parliament, accusing demonstrators of deploying \"extreme violence\". It called for an immediate end to the violence, saying it had stopped all work on extradition Bill amendments and that the legislation would automatically lapse in July next year.\n\n“Some radical protesters stormed the Legislative Council Complex with extreme violence,” a government spokesman said in a statement. “These protesters seriously jeopardised the safety of police officers and members of the public. Such violent acts are unacceptable to society.”\n\nThere was no immediate response from the protesters, although some appeared to retreat as the evening wore on. Others were reinforcing their street barricades. Some of the protesters had wrapped cling film around their arms to protect their skin in the event of tear gas.\n\nProtest organiser Civil Human Rights Front in a statement urged Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam to respond to five demands: withdraw the extradition Bill, investigate the police’s use of rubber bullets on protesters at a June 12 rally, retract all references to that day's protest as a “riot”, release those arrested, and step down.\n\nTensions hit a flashpoint on June 12, the day when the highly contentious extradition Bill was to be read a second time, as tens of thousands of protesters dressed in black surrounded the government headquarters in Admiralty, paralysing traffic in the area and cutting off access to the Legislative Council.\n\nEarlier in the day, a small group of mostly students wearing hard hats and masks had used a metal trolley, poles and scaffolding to charge again and again at the compound’s reinforced glass doors, which eventually gave.\n\nThe council, the mini-Parliament, issued a red alert, ordering the protesters to leave immediately.\n\nThe Legislative Council Secretariat released a statement cancelling business for Tuesday. The central government offices said they would close on Tuesday “owing to security consideration”, while all guided tours to the Legislative Council complex were suspended until further notice.\n\nRiot police in helmets and carrying batons earlier fired pepper spray as the standoff continued into the sweltering heat of the evening. Some demonstrators removed steel bars that were reinforcing parts of the council building.\n\nRiot police had also used pepper spray and batons to push back protesters who tried to disrupt the annual flag-raising ceremony at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition \n\n Center in Wan Chai that marks Hong Kong's handover from Britain to China.\n\nThe government said during Monday's clashes some demonstrators had attacked police lines and thrown an unidentified powder at police officers. A police spokesman later said in a statement that an inspection by the Fire Services Department found that the powder was confirmed to be slightly toxic and could cause skin irritation with prolonged contact.\n\nLam had suspended the Bill on June 15 after some of the largest and most violent protests in the city in decades, but stopped short of protesters’ demands to scrap it.\n\n\n\n \n\n Protesters wave a banner after breaking into the Legislative Chambers on July 1, 2019. ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI \n\n\n\nThe Beijing-backed leader is now clinging on to her job at a time of an unprecedented backlash against the government that poses the greatest popular challenge to Chinese leader Xi Jinping since he came to power in 2012.\n\nOpponents of the extradition Bill, which would allow people to be sent to mainland China for trial in courts controlled by the Communist Party, fear it is a threat to \n\n Hong Kong’s much-cherished rule of law.\n\nHong Kong returned to China under a “one country, two systems” formula that allows freedoms not enjoyed in mainland China, including freedom to protest and an independent judiciary.", "Hong Kong protesters have seized parliament chambers. In what can be seen as a mob breaching security, hundreds of protesters, who have been reported to have spray-painted the chambers – breached the glass doors to make their way into the chambers on Monday.\n\nInside the legislative council, dozens of protesters are seen making their way through the chambers wielding umbrellas, in what has been described as defacing the city’s legislative council building.\n\nThe Hong Kong Free Press reports that protesters spray-painted the walls with graffiti requesting that the chief executive Carrie Lam step down. They claim the government has left them no choice but to revolt and oppose Chinese colonialism. Pictures of legislative council members Andrew Leung and Rita Fan have been defaced by the disgruntled protesters.\n\nFor more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.", "Masked protesters smashed their way into the legislative council building on the 22nd anniversary of the handover of Hong Kong from Britain to China RITCHIE B. TONGO/EPA\n\nProtesters in Hong Kong rampaged through the territory’s parliament this afternoon in chaotic scenes following the latest tense demonstrations against the government and its pro-Chinese chief executive, Carrie Lam.\n\nHaving smashed the glass entrance to storm Hong Kong’s Legislative Council building, protesters wearing masks, helmets and goggles removed aluminium fences and, once inside, sprayed red paint over walls, floors and security cameras.\n\nHundreds of thousands of protesters took to the streets and at about 9pm smoke was seen coming out of the building, although its origin was unclear.\n\nThe new demonstrations took place on the 22nd anniversary of the handover of Hong Kong from Britain to China. They followed weeks of unrest over a controversial proposed law to allow the extradition of criminal suspects from…", "Hong Kong’s leader early Tuesday condemned protesters who stormed Hong Kong's Legislative Council, describing the incident as an extreme use of violence.\n\nChief Executive Carrie Lam said the Monday incident, in which protesters rammed the glass facade of the Legislative Council (LegCo) building before entering the main parliamentary chamber and vandalizing property, “saddens” and “shocks” people."], "summary": "Hong Kong anti-extradition bill protesters briefly break into the Legislative Council Complex, which houses the local parliament."}
{"document": ["Ibaraki Prefecture has became the first prefecture to officially recognize same-sex couples in the same way it deals with married ones.\n\nUnder the system, LGBT couples who submit “partnership oaths” will be treated in a manner similar to that for a husband and wife, such as when they apply to move into prefecture-run housing.\n\nAccording to the prefectural government, two couples submitted their oaths on Monday, the first day of the new system.\n\nOne was submitted by Yuri Namekawa, 32, an openly lesbian member of the Mito Municipal Assembly, and her partner, who is also in her 30s. They said they have been in a relationship for 2½ years and currently live together.\n\n“I’ve felt a sense of responsibility, much like that of a married couple,” the assembly member from the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan told a news conference after submitting her oath.\n\n“I never thought I would be able to ‘tie the knot.’ I am happy that I was able to experience that feeling a little,” she said.\n\nNamekawa expressed hope for an increase in opportunities for LGBT couples to be treated like a husband and wife by private entities.", "The government granted refugee status to a foreign national in 2018 over fears of persecution owing to the person’s homosexuality, informed sources said Tuesday.\n\nThis is the first time Japan has recognized a foreign national as a refugee for such a reason, according to the Immigration Services Agency.\n\nThe agency did not disclose the nationality, gender or other personal details of the person in question.\n\nSexual acts between members of the same sex are subject to imprisonment in the home country of the foreign national. The person was arrested and held in prison for two years there.\n\nThe person applied for refugee status after being freed on bail and arriving in Japan.\n\nAccording to the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA), some 70 countries, mainly Middle East and African nations, ban same-sex relationships.\n\nJapan is seeing an increase in moves to support the rights of LGBT couples. On Monday, Ibaraki Prefecture became the first prefecture to officially recognize same-sex couples.\n\nThe Immigration Services Agency said 10,493 people applied for refugee status in Japan in 2018. Of them, 42 were given refugee status for fears of persecution because of homosexuality, religion, political thought or other reasons.", "“I’m too tired” is the most common reason we turn down sex. (“I have a headache” is a close second.) My clients often tell me that they’re frustrated by how much their exhaustion gets in the way of their sex life. If you’re tired of being too tired for sex, here are long- and short-term strategies for bringing more energy into the bedroom.\n\n\n\nBeing too tired for sex can actually be an invitation to take a deeper look at your relationship with sleep. If you’re exhausted all the time, that’s a pretty good sign that something needs to change. There’s just no getting around the fact that sleep is an essential part of our lives. Are you giving your body the rest it needs to be healthy? Or are you prioritizing other things over your sleep? This is obviously an enormous topic, and it brings up complex issues like socioeconomic status, privilege, and workaholism, but these are still questions worth asking yourself. If you frequently find yourself turning down sex because of exhaustion, here are some other long-term strategies that may help.\n\nYou can take maximum advantage of the sleep opportunities that you do have by practicing good sleep hygiene. I’m talking things like:\n• Going to bed at the same time every night\n• Only using your bed for sex and sleep\n• Doing some light stretching or journaling before bed\n• Keeping cell phones out of the bedroom\n\nThese are all things you probably already know, but may not be doing. I highly recommend working on your sleep hygiene. These tips aren’t that hard, and they can make a surprisingly big difference.\n\nIf you know that you have a sex date on Wednesday, you can put a little extra effort into getting a good night’s sleep the night before. Then clear out your commitments and prioritize getting home from work early the day of. Check out this article that I wrote about how to schedule sex and still enjoy it.\n\nThink about sex during the day\n\nAnother way to keep your energy up is to think about sex during the day, especially if you’re planning on having it later that evening. A lot of my clients complain that trying to muster up the energy to get turned on in the moment feels too overwhelming. But if you try to think about sex throughout the day and keep yourself at a low level of arousal, you may find it much easier to get excited about being with your partner later. Try daydreaming about your favorite sexual experiences with your partner, or reading a few pages of an erotic novel at lunchtime. You can also text with your partner during the day about the things you’d like to do together that evening.\n\nHave sex as early as possible\n\nThis is one of the most practical suggestions I give to my clients. So many of us wait until the very end of the evening to even think about having sex. But by the time your head is hitting the pillow, it’s just too late. At that point, sex feels like a sleep thief. Instead, try to have sex as early in the day or evening as possible. You’re of course going to run into challenges depending on your schedules, responsibilities, or kids, but the second the two of you are alone together, go for it. Or try for morning sex!\n\nOK, so let’s say that you’ve neglected the advice above. It’s 11:47 at night, and your partner scoots over to your side of the bed. You’re exhausted, but beneath the exhaustion, you actually do want to be intimate with your partner. You just wish you weren’t so damn tired. Here are some additional steps you can take.\n\nRemind yourself of the benefits of sex\n\nMany of my clients tell me that sex doesn’t usually feel super tempting in the moment, especially if they’re tired. But after they have sex, they think, “Wow, that was actually really fun. Why don’t I do that more often?” If you find yourself struggling to get motivated to have sex with your partner, remind yourself how you usually feel during and after intimacy. Think about the pleasure that you feel during sex, how connected you feel to your partner when you’re looking them in the eyes, the goofy pillow talk you usually have after sex, or even how deeply you usually sleep after sex. That can give you a little extra motivation to get going in the moment.\n\nIf you were already in bed when your partner gave you “the look,” try getting out of bed. Shake off the sleepiness. Do a little stretching or some tidying up. Push your partner up against the wall and make out with them standing up. Sometimes getting out of bed and getting your body moving can give you a jolt of energy.\n\nYou can also try having some form of physical contact with your partner. This can help get your energy up as well. If you were already in bed, try getting up and making out on the sofa or undressing each other. (Just don’t do things that usually make you sleepy, like cuddling in bed or having your partner massage you while you lie face down on the bed.) Plus, a lot of people have responsive sex drives, meaning that they need to feel physical stimulation in order to start feeling mental desire. If you get some form of physical contact going, you very well may find the energy to do more!", "“Are you DTF?” The first story in my “Tales of a Fuckgirl” series.\n\nYou only have to take a scroll through my Instagram or a cursory look over my Youtube channel (which is a place where we get super real about sex) to know I love all things sex – having it, talking about it, reducing stigma around it and learning as much as I can. I believe we need to be more open and real about sex because, let’s face it, sex is better for everyone when we can talk openly about it.\n\nBut I haven’t always been so open about sex.\n\nIn fact, while I’ve always been sexually open and accepting, I’ve only recently become empowered by my sexuality. I used to be married (yep, married!) and it wasn’t until after my divorce that I really got an opportunity to find out who I was sexually. And boy, did I find out everything I could have ever wanted to know about sex.\n\nIn this new Tales of a Fuckgirl video series, I’ll be detailing all of the things that happened on my journey into sexual empowerment. You’re going to hear about all of my crazy sexcapades and you-wouldn’t-believe-it sexual moments. It’s going to be a wild ride that’s a little bit cheeky, a lot hot and heavy, and there will be LOADS of laughter along the way.\n\nIn part one, I go into detail about my first foray into fuckgirl-ism, when I ended up spontaneously texting a guy I had never even met before and telling him to meet me in a hotel for sex, ASAP. For my first time ever having sex after my divorce. Here’s how it went down…\n\nSUBSCRIBE to Nadia’s YouTube channel HERE for more free sex stories and advice.", "Remember the days of “Making The Band” with Diddy, P. Diddy, Puff Daddy, Sean Combs?\n\nWhere he created the group Danity Kane. Looks like the remaining 3 members are still making music."], "summary": "Ibaraki Prefecture becomes the first in Japan to recognize same-sex partnerships."}
{"document": ["David Hurley has been sworn in as Australia's vice-regal representative at Parliament House.\n\nThe former defence force chief assumes the post at the end of Sir Peter Cosgrove's five-year commission.\n\nHe intends to use his tenure to highlight the strength of Australians and their concern for the common good.\n\nAAP\n\n\"We can be informed by many sources of the ills of our sociey; it is important that we are reminded of its goodness,\" he told the Senate chamber.\n\nMr Hurley said he will also do his best to highlight the importance of the work of governor-generals in \"depicting a nation to its people\".\n\n\"Australia can be provided with a reflection of themselves and other countries,\" he said, paying tribute to the strength of Australia's democratic system.\n\n\"My emphasis on community engagement will sit alongside the critical constitutional role performed by the Governor-General. Australia has an enviable record as a parliamentary democracy.\"\n\nAAP\n\nSupport for veterans, asylum seekers, Indigenous Australians\n\nHe said his time as NSW governor has made him acutely aware of the \"richness\" and cultural diversity of Australia.\n\n\"I have seen this richness of spirit at work in the people and the organisations assisting our veterans, our rural communities under stress, asylum seekers who we have welcomed into our country and our Indigenous brothers and sisters.\n\n\"There are countless organisations and people demonstrating how rich this country is every day.\n\n\"As Governor-General, I am committed absolutely to supporting these people in their work.\"\n\nMr Hurley also drew on a quote by Australian author David Malouf that is etched on a glass plaque at Sydney's Circular Quay.\n\nMalouf, he noted, is representative of the diversity of Australia, having a Lebanese father and British mother of Portuguese decent.\n\n\"Australia is still revealing itself to us. We oughtn't to close off possibilities by declaring too early what we have already become,\" the plaque reads.\n\n\"Australia is not a finished product,\" Mr Hurley stressed.\n\nAAP\n\nDecades of service in the army\n\nMr Hurley became the NSW governor in 2014 after 42 years of service in the Australian Army, the last three of which he spent as chief of the defence force.\n\nAccompanied by his wife Linda, Mr Hurley received the general salute in the parliament forecourt.\n\nIn the Senate chamber, Australia's Chief Justice Susan Kiefel swore in the 27th governor-general, reading and signing the oaths of allegiance and office.\n\nAAP\n\nPrime Minister Scott Morrison and Mr Hurley then signed the proclamation to complete the ceremony.\n\nThe governor-general opened his acceptance speech with an acknowledgement of country in Ngunnawal language, after calling for Indigenous languages to be taught more widely in schools in an Australia Day speech.\n\nIn December, he urged people to look beyond his military background after criticism that three of the last four appointments of governor-general have been retired army generals.\n\n'Understanding people's challenges'\n\nMr Morrison gave some insight into his choice after appointing him late last year.\n\n\"General Hurley is known for looking people straight in the eye. Not up and not down. He was that way with those he led in the military and he's been that way as a governor and throughout his life,\" Mr Morrison said in December.\n\n\"Looking eye-to-eye, face-to-face, understanding people's challenges and issues one-on-one, in a very direct and very humble and a very humane way.\"\n\nAAP\n\nFacing questions about why he did not consider a woman to fill the role, Mr Morrison said Mr Hurley's selection was a \"package deal\" with his wife of more than 40 years.\n\nThe governor-general is appointed by the Queen in Commonwealth countries, on the advice of the prime minister, to be the representative of the Crown.\n\nMr Hurley was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his leadership during Operation SOLACE in Somalia in 1993 and was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia in 2010 for eminent service to the army.", "Former NSW governor David Hurley will be sworn in as Australia's next governor-general, taking over the reins from Sir Peter Cosgrove.\n\nMr Hurley was governor of NSW from 2014 until earlier this year. Before that, he served for more than four decades in the Australian Army, including three years as Defence Force chief.\n\nHe will be sworn in as governor-general at a ceremony in Canberra on Monday, taking over from Sir Peter who held the role for five years.\n\nEarlier this year, Mr Hurley used an Australia Day speech to call for more of a focus on indigenous languages in schools.\n\nHe has previously urged people to look beyond his military background after criticism that three of the last four governor-generals were retired army generals.\n\n\"General Hurley is known for looking people straight in the eye. Not up and not down. He was that way with those he led in the military and he's been that way as a governor and throughout his life,\" Mr Morrison said at the time.\n\nThe governor-general is appointed by the Queen in Commonwealth countries, on the advice of the prime minister, to be the Crown's representative.", "CANBERRA, Australia (AP) - Former soldier David Hurley was sworn in as Australia's governor-general on Monday, a day before Parliament resumes for the first time since the May election.\n\nHurley represents the Queen Elizabeth II, who is Australia's constitution head of state.\n\nHurley was most recently the British monarch's representative in New South Wales when he spent five years as state governor based in Sydney.\n\nHe will officiate on Tuesday when Parliament resumes for the first time since Prime Minister Scott Morrison's conservative government was elected to a third three-year term on May 18.\n\nHurley replaced Peter Cosgrove who held the position since 2014. Both are former chiefs of the Australian Defense Force.\n\nFormer soldier David Hurley, second from bottom, is sworn in as Australia's governor-general at a ceremony in Parliament House in Canberra Monday, July 1, 2019. Hurley will officiate on Tuesday when Parliament resumes for the first time since Prime Minister Scott Morrison's conservative government was elected to a third three-year term. (AP Photo/Rod McGuirk)\n\nFormer soldier David Hurley, center, is sworn in as Australia's governor-general at a ceremony in Parliament House in Canberra Monday, July 1, 2019. Hurley will officiate on Tuesday when Parliament resumes for the first time since Prime Minister Scott Morrison's conservative government was elected to a third three-year term. (AP Photo/Rod McGuirk)", "CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Former soldier David Hurley was sworn in as Australia's governor-general on Monday, a day before Parliament resumes for the first time since the May election.\n\nHurley represents the Queen Elizabeth II, who is Australia's constitution head of state.\n\nHurley was most recently the British monarch's representative in New South Wales when he spent five years as state governor based in Sydney.\n\nHe will officiate on Tuesday when Parliament resumes for the first time since Prime Minister Scott Morrison's conservative government was elected to a third three-year term on May 18.\n\nHurley replaced Peter Cosgrove who held the position since 2014. Both are former chiefs of the Australian Defense Force.", "The link between the governor-general and a distant monarch is one not immediately apparent to most Australians.\n\nThe role of the governor-general is, for most people, to be a calm and reassuring presence in the background of their lives.\n\nIt is an office that has, as Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Monday morning following the swearing in of the 27th Governor-General, David Hurley, \"provided the stability in spite of politics for more than a century\".\n\n\"The governor-general finds the good in this country and shines a light on it. In a global age of\n\nfragmentation and tribalism, we have in our system a constitutional office beyond politics that enables us all to come together.\"", "First he was general, then governor, and on Monday he became governor-general.\n\nFormer NSW Governor David Hurley been sworn in as Australia's vice-regal representative.\n\nThe former defence force chief assumes the post after the end of Sir Peter Cosgrove's five-year commission.\n\nMr Hurley became the NSW governor in 2014 after 42 years of service in the Australian Army, the last three of which he spent as chief of the defence force.\n\nMr Hurley, accompanied by wife Linda, received the general salute in the parliament forecourt.\n\nIn the Senate chamber, Australia's Chief Justice Susan Kiefel swore in the 27th governor-general, reading and signing the oaths of allegiance and office.\n\nThe prime minister and the governor-general signed the proclamation to complete the ceremony.\n\nMr Hurley opened his acceptance speech with an acknowledgement of country in Ngunnawal language.\n\nIn the Members' Hall, the national anthem and a welcome to country ceremony will be followed by speeches from Mr Morrison, Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese and Mr Hurley.\n\nMr Hurley will receive a royal salute after being farewelled from parliament by Mr Morrison and wife Jenny, while the prime minister will be given a general salute.\n\nEarlier in the year, Mr Hurley used an Australia Day speech to call for indigenous languages to be taught more widely in schools.\n\nIn December, he urged people to look beyond his military background after criticism that three of the last four appointments of governor-general have been retired army generals.\n\nMr Morrison gave some insight into his choice after appointing him late last year.\n\n\"General Hurley is known for looking people straight in the eye. Not up and not down. He was that way with those he led in the military and he's been that way as a governor and throughout his life,\" Mr Morrison said in December.\n\n\"Looking eye-to-eye, face-to-face, understanding people's challenges and issues one-on-one, in a very direct and very humble and a very humane way.\"\n\nFacing questions about why he did not consider a woman to fill the role, Mr Morrison said Mr Hurley's selection was a \"package deal\" with his wife of more than 40 years.\n\nThe governor-general is appointed by the Queen in Commonwealth countries, on the advice of the prime minister, to be the representative of the Crown.\n\nMr Hurley was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his leadership during Operation SOLACE in Somalia in 1993.\n\nHe was also appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia in 2010 for eminent service to the army.", "CANBERRA, Australia — Former soldier David Hurley has been sworn in as Australia's governor-general a day before Parliament resumes for the first time since the May election.\n\nHurley represents Queen Elizabeth II, who is Australia's constitution head of state.\n\nHe will officiate on Tuesday when Parliament resumes for the first time since Prime Minister Scott Morrison's conservative government was elected to a third three-year term.\n\nHurley was most recently the British monarch's representative in New South Wales, where he spent five years as state governor based in Sydney.", "New Governor-General David Hurley vows to support those who help Australia's most vulnerable\n\nAustralia's new Governor-General has vowed to dedicate his tenure to supporting the people that help the nation's most vulnerable.\n\nChief Justice Susan Kiefel swore in General David Hurley as Australia's 27th Governor-General at Parliament House in Canberra.\n\nLate last year, then newly installed Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced General Hurley, the then NSW Governor, would replace Sir Peter Cosgrove as Australia's most senior official.\n\nGeneral Hurley is a former senior Army officer who spent more than four decades in the military.\n\nSpeaking at his swearing in, he said the richness of the nation was apparent in the organisations that support those most in need.\n\n\"There are countless organisations and people demonstrating how rich this country is every day.\n\n\"As Governor-General, I am committed absolutely to supporting these people in their work.\"\n\nGeneral Hurley thanked his predecessor, who served slightly longer than his allocated five-year term to allow the change to happen after the federal election.\n\n\"I know that I will be doing so, I will follow on and build on the work of Sir Peter Cosgrove and Lady Cosgrove,\" General Hurley said.\n\n\"Driven by the timeless notions of public service and working for the common good, they undertook a daunting program of engagement over the last five years.\"\n\nGeneral Hurley's appointment attracted complaint from Labor last December, with the Opposition arguing the appointment should have been made after the election.\n\nBut there has been bipartisan support for General Hurley and the credentials he brings to the role.\n\n\"You have shown yourself to be generous, approachable, humble, humane and as someone who looks people straight in the eye, not up and down,\" Mr Morrison said.\n\n\"All of those qualities, together with Mrs Hurley, you bring together to this role.\"\n\nGeneral Hurley's swearing-in comes on the eve of the official start of the 46th Parliament.\n\nHe will return to Parliament House to oversee the opening of the Parliament on Tuesday.\n\nGeneral Hurley received the Distinguished Service Cross for his leadership during Operation SOLACE in Somalia in 1993.", "July 1, 2019. The 27th Governor-General of Australia, David Hurley addresses members and guests of Parliament in the Member's Hall at Parliament House, Canberra. The Governor-General mentioned when sworn in this morning how he thanked his parents who have both passed away, for what they provided him for his life. He says his family came from 'humble beginnings.' Mr Hurley says so much can be done in Australia when we \"shape the environment for people to see the opportunities that are there\". Mr Hurley has given over 40 years of service in the Army, as NSW Governor, and now as the Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia for the next five years. (AAP Video/Marc Tewksbury)", "Australia's new governor-general has encouraged the nation to consider itself as a work in progress.\n\nThe former defence force chief assumes the post at the end of Sir Peter Cosgrove's five-year commission.\n\nHe intends to use his tenure to highlight the strength of Australians and their concern for the common good.\n\n\"We can be informed by many sources of the ills of our sociey; it is important that we are reminded of its goodness,\" he told the Senate chamber.\n\nMr Hurley also drew on a quote by Australian author David Malouf that is etched on a glass plaque at Sydney's Circular Quay.\n\nMalouf, he noted, is representative of the diversity of Australia, having a Lebanese father and British mother of Portuguese decent.\n\n\"Australia is still revealing itself to us. We oughtn't to close off possibilities by declaring too early what we have already become,\" the plaque reads.\n\nMr Hurley became the NSW governor in 2014 after 42 years of service in the Australian Army, the last three of which he spent as chief of the defence force.\n\nIn the Senate chamber, Australia's Chief Justice Susan Kiefel swore in the 27th governor-general, reading and signing the oaths of allegiance and office.\n\nThe governor-general opened his acceptance speech with an acknowledgement of country in Ngunnawal language, after calling for indigenous languages to be taught more widely in schools in an Australia Day speech.\n\nIn December, he urged people to look beyond his military background after criticism that three of the last four appointments of governor-general have been retired army generals.\n\nMr Morrison gave some insight into his choice after appointing him late last year.\n\n\"General Hurley is known for looking people straight in the eye. Not up and not down. He was that way with those he led in the military and he's been that way as a governor and throughout his life,\" Mr Morrison said in December.\n\n\"Looking eye-to-eye, face-to-face, understanding people's challenges and issues one-on-one, in a very direct and very humble and a very humane way.\"\n\nFacing questions about why he did not consider a woman to fill the role, Mr Morrison said Mr Hurley's selection was a \"package deal\" with his wife of more than 40 years.\n\nThe governor-general is appointed by the Queen in Commonwealth countries, on the advice of the prime minister, to be the representative of the Crown.\n\nMr Hurley was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his leadership during Operation SOLACE in Somalia in 1993 and was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia in 2010 for eminent service to the army."], "summary": "David Hurley is sworn is as the 27th Governor-General of Australia, succeeding Peter Cosgrove."}
{"document": ["At least 18 soldiers have been killed in western Niger in an attack by suspected Islamist militants on a military base.\n\nThe attack began with the detonation of two car bombs, officials said, before gunmen on motorbikes joined the raid.\n\nAir strikes by US and French forces helped to drive the insurgents back, the government said.\n\nIslamist militants are active in the region and killed 28 Nigerien soldiers in a similar raid in May.\n\nNiger is due to host the African Union summit at the end of the week.\n\nIn a statement, the defence ministry said Monday's raid took place at Inates, near the border with Mali.\n\nIt said that as well as the 18 soldiers killed, four were missing. A lorry was destroyed by the air strikes and several \"terrorists neutralised\", the statement added.\n\nNiger and other countries in the Sahel region of Africa have been facing a growing threat from militants including the Islamic State group and affiliates of al-Qaeda.\n\nThe groups are most active in Mali but often stage cross-border raids.\n\nNiger is part of a five nation anti-insurgency force operating in the Sahel that includes Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali and Mauritania.\n\nDespite deployments of French, US and UN forces, the region - including Niger - remains restive.", "Niamey/Nairobi — At least 18 soldiers in western Niger were killed and four others were missing after suspected Islamist militants blew up two cars and fired on a military camp, the army said on Tuesday.\n\nThe raid occurred on Monday afternoon near the town of Inates, close to the border with Mali, where militants are active, and in the same region where an ambush by Islamic State's (IS's) West African sect killed 28 soldiers in May.\n\nNiger hosts the African Union summit from July 6-9 less than 200km away in the capital, Niamey. In the run-up, the EU has been training Nigerien forces to respond to militant attacks.\n\nAn army statement said the attack began with the explosion of the two car bombs before additional assailants opened fire from motorcyles. The army's \"partners\" then responded with air strikes to force them across the border into Mali.\n\nFormer colonial power France has more than 4,000 troops in West Africa's Sahel region, a semi-arid strip of land south of the Sahara, and often carries out air strikes on militants linked to IS and Al-Qaeda.\n\nA security source said that about a dozen vehicles were stolen in the raid. Jihadists have previously launched attacks using vehicles stolen in earlier raids.\n\nSecurity has deteriorated across the Sahel in recent months due to both jihadist attacks and deadly ethnic reprisals involving rival farming and herding communities, particularly in Mali and Burkina Faso.\n\nMilitants loyal to Adnan Abu Waleed al-Sahrawi, the leader of IS in the Greater Sahara, operate along Mali's border with Burkina Faso and Niger.\n\nIn 2017, they killed four members of US special forces and four Nigerien soldiers in an ambush near the village of Tongo Tongo.", "Boko Haram's Islamic State-backed faction on Wednesday claimed responsibility for an attack on an army camp in western Niger earlier in the week that killed 18 soldiers.\n\n\"Soldiers of the Caliphate attacked the Inates military base of the apostate Nigerien army near the Malian border, two days ago,\" the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) said a statement, according to SITE Intelligence which monitors jihadist activities worldwide.\n\nISWAP, a faction of the Boko Haram jihadist group, said that two of their fighters blew themselves up inside the army base to \"pave the way for the attack\".\n\nAfterwards, ISWAP fighters engaged in clashes with the Niger soldiers on the camp's perimeter for several hours, killing and wounding dozens, the statement said.\n\nIt claimed that the Niger soldiers were forced to flee, while the ISWAP fighters \"returned safely to their positions\".\n\nNiger's defence ministry said that the attack on Monday afternoon \"began with the detonation of two suicide vehicles at the entrance to the camp, followed by gunfire from terrorists who arrived on motorbike\".\n\n\"The counter-attack, with air support from our partners (French and American), enabled the enemy to be routed beyond our borders,\" the ministry said in a statement on Tuesday, adding that several \"terrorists\" were killed.\n\nIt said that four soldiers were missing as well as the 18 killed, but on Wednesday the interior ministry clarified that the number present at the time of the attack had been miscalculated, and none were missing.\n\nNiger, one of the world's poorest countries, lies in the heart of the fragile Sahel region, which is battling an Islamist insurgency.\n\nThe base targeted in the attack, located in a volatile region, trains Nigerien soldiers to serve in a UN peacekeeping mission in Mali.\n\nIn 2016, ISWAP split from Boko Haram, which has waged a bloody insurgency in Nigeria that has spilled over the border with Niger and prompted the formation of a regional military coalition to battle the insurgents.\n\nIS recently started attributing attacks in Niger and surrounding areas to ISWAP, rather than the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS), according to analysts.\n\nThe latest attack comes ahead of Niger's capital Niamey hosting an African Union summit from July 4-8, bringing together some 50 heads of state. A heavy security force has been deployed in Niamey for the event.", "Unidentified attackers have killed 16 soldiers in a car bomb attack on a military camp in western Niger near the border with Mali, local residents and security sources said on Tuesday.\n\nThe raid occurred on Monday afternoon near the town of Inates in the same region where an ambush by the West African branch of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) armed group killed 28 soldiers in May.\n\nZakari Insa, the brother of one of the soldiers killed in Monday's attack, and Souley Marou, a local villager, said that 16 soldiers had died.\n\nTwo security sources confirmed the death toll, and one of them said about a dozen vehicles had been stolen. Armed fighters have previously launched attacks using vehicles stolen in previous raids.\n\nNiger hosts an African Union summit from July 6 to 9, less than 200km away in the capital Niamey.\n\nIn the run-up to the summit, the European Union has been training Nigerien forces to respond to armed attacks.\n\nSecurity has deteriorated in recent months across West Africa's Sahel region, a semi-arid strip of land south of the Sahara.\n\nFighters loyal to Adnan Abu Waleed al-Sahrawi, the ISIL leader in the Greater Sahara, operate along Mali's border with Burkina Faso and Niger.\n\nIn 2017, they killed four members of US special forces and four Nigerien soldiers in an ambush near the village of Tongo Tongo.\n\nThe volatile region around Inates is a major base where soldiers are trained to serve in a UN peacekeeping mission in Mali.\n\nVarious armed groups operate in Niger's west and north, while Nigeria's Boko Haram is present in the southeast.\n\nThe country is part of the so-called G5 Sahel group set up to manage a coordinated response to the armed group.\n\nFrance and the United States have deployed thousands of troops to the region.\n\nThe US has a big base for drones in the northern city of Agadez and Niger recently gave Washington permission to arm their drones.\n\nThe French also have a military base near Niamey airport and another at Madama in the north.", "NIAMEY, July 2 (Reuters) - At least 18 soldiers in western Niger were killed and four others were missing after suspected Islamist militants blew up two cars and fired on a military camp, the army said on Tuesday.\n\nThe raid occurred on Monday afternoon near the town of Inates, close to the border with Mali, where militants are active, and in the same region where an ambush by Islamic State's West African branch killed 28 soldiers in May.\n\nNiger hosts the African Union summit from July 6-9 less than 200 km (125 miles) away in the capital Niamey. In the run-up, the European Union has been training Nigerien forces to respond to militant attacks.\n\nFormer colonial power France has more 4,000 troops in West Africa's Sahel region, a semi-arid strip of land south of the Sahara, and often carries out air strikes on militants linked to Islamic State and al Qaeda.\n\nA security source said that about a dozen vehicles were stolen in the raid. Jihadists have previously launched attacks using vehicles stolen in earlier raids.\n\nSecurity has deteriorated across the Sahel in recent months due to both jihadist attacks and deadly ethnic reprisals involving rival farming and herding communities, particularly in Mali and Burkina Faso.\n\nMilitants loyal to Adnan Abu Waleed al-Sahrawi, the leader of Islamic State in the Greater Sahara, operate along Mali's border with Burkina Faso and Niger.\n\nIn 2017, they killed four members of U.S. special forces and four Nigerien soldiers in an ambush near the village of Tongo Tongo.", "NIAMEY — Unidentified gunmen have killed 16 soldiers in an attack on a military camp in western Niger, local residents and security sources said on Tuesday.\n\nThe raid occurred on Monday afternoon near the town of Inates, close to the border with Mali, where Islamist militants are active, and in the same region where an ambush by Islamic State’s West African branch killed 28 soldiers in May.\n\nNiger hosts the African Union summit from July 6-9 less than 200 km (125 miles) away in the capital Niamey. In the run-up, the European Union has been training Nigerien forces to respond to militant attacks.\n\nZakari Insa, the brother of one of the soldiers killed in Monday’s attack, and Souley Marou, a local villager, both said 16 soldiers had died.\n\nTwo security sources confirmed the death toll, and one of them said about a dozen vehicles had been stolen. Jihadists have previously launched attacks using vehicles stolen in previous raids.\n\nAn army spokesman could not immediately be reached for comment.\n\nSecurity has deteriorated in recent months across West Africa’s Sahel region, a semi-arid strip of land south of the Sahara. France and the United States have deployed thousands of troops to the region to counter jihadist groups linked to Islamic State and al Qaeda.\n\nThe attacks have also helped to stoke ethnic violence between rival farming and herding communities, particularly in Mali and Burkina Faso.\n\nMilitants loyal to Adnan Abu Waleed al-Sahrawi, the leader of Islamic State in the Greater Sahara, operate along Mali’s border with Burkina Faso and Niger.\n\nIn 2017, they killed four members of U.S. special forces and four Nigerien soldiers in an ambush near the village of Tongo Tongo.", "At least 23 civilians have been killed in attacks on villages in troubled central Mopti region of Mali by armed men, a local mayor and a Malian security source said on Monday.\n\n\"During Sunday, and overnight, in the villages of Bidi, Sankoro and Saran, armed men attacked civilians, killing 23 of them,\" Cheick Harouna Sankare, mayor of the neighboring town of Ouenkoro, told AFP.\n\n\"The situation is serious, the army needs to act to reassure the population,\" he said, adding that an emergency meeting had been called.\n\nThe death toll was confirmed to the AFP by a security source in Mali.\n\nLocal media outlets reported that the attackers were dressed as members of the Dogon group.\n\nSankara said the attackers headed to the Bidi village after the attack in Saran but some 300 residents had already been evacuated, Anadolu Agency reported.\n\nSeparately, 11 people died when an explosive device blew up near the central town of Koro close to the border with Burkina Faso, a local official told AFP on condition of anonymity.\n\nEthnic tensions in the center of the country have surged since an extremist group led by preacher Amadou Koufa emerged in 2015.\n\nThe group recruit mainly from among the Fulani -- primarily cattle breeders and traders -- and they have clashed with the Dogon and Bambara -- traditionally sedentary farmers who have formed their own self-defense militias.\n\nThere has been a wave of mass killings this year, including the massacre of 41 people in two ethnic Dogon villages on June 17, according to a U.N. count.\n\nAnd in March, 160 Fulani were killed in an attack on a village by suspected rival militiamen.\n\nUnrest in the central region coincides with an ongoing terrorist campaign that the Mali government is struggling to contain despite 4,000 troops deployed by France under Operation Barkhane and the 15,000-strong Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) peacekeeping force of the U.N.\n\nSeparately, unidentified gunmen have killed 16 soldiers in an attack on a military camp in western Niger near the border with Mali, local residents and security sources said on Tuesday.\n\nThe raid occurred on Monday afternoon near the town of Inates, where militants are active, and in the same region where an ambush by Daesh's West African branch killed 28 soldiers in May.\n\nBandits on motorbikes carried out the assault with \"two car bombs,\" a source told AFP on condition of anonymity.\n\nThe volatile region is a major base where Nigerien soldiers are trained to serve in the MINUSMA region.\n\nNiger hosts the African Union summit from July 6-9 less than 200 kilometers (125 miles) away in the capital Niamey. In the run-up, the European Union has been training Nigerien forces to respond to militant attacks.\n\nZakari Insa, the brother of one of the soldiers killed in Monday's attack, and Souley Marou, a local villager, both said 16 soldiers had died.\n\nTwo security sources confirmed the death toll, and one of them said about a dozen vehicles had been stolen. Terrorists have previously launched attacks using vehicles stolen in previous raids.\n\nAn army spokesman could not immediately be reached for comment.\n\nSecurity has deteriorated in recent months across West Africa's Sahel region, a semi-arid strip of land south of the Sahara.\n\nMilitants loyal to Adnan Abu Waleed al-Sahrawi, the leader of Daesh in the Greater Sahara, operate along Mali's border with Burkina Faso and Niger.\n\nVarious insurgent groups operate in Niger's west and north, while Nigeria's Boko Haram is present in the southeast.\n\nThe country is part of the so-called G5 Sahel group set up to manage a coordinated response to the terrorist insurgency.\n\nThe U.S. has a big base for drones in the northern city of Agadez and Niger recently gave the Americans permission to arm their drones.\n\nThe French also have a military base near Niamey airport and another at Madama in the north.\n\nEarlier this month, 18 Daesh terrorists were killed in a joint operation by U.S., French and Niger troops in the same area.\n\nIn 2017, they killed four members of U.S. Special Forces and four Nigerien soldiers in an ambush near the village of Tongo Tongo.", "Unidentified gunmen have killed 16 soldiers in an attack on a military camp in western Niger, local residents and security sources said on Tuesday.\n\nThe raid occurred on Monday afternoon near the town of Inates, close to the border with Mali, where Islamist militants are active, and in the same region where an ambush by Islamic State's West African branch killed 28 soldiers in May.\n\nNiger hosts the African Union summit from July 6-9 less than 200 km (125 miles) away in the capital Niamey. In the run-up, the European Union has been training Nigerien forces to respond to militant attacks.\n\nZakari Insa, the brother of one of the soldiers killed in Monday's attack, and Souley Marou, a local villager, both said 16 soldiers had died.\n\nTwo security sources confirmed the death toll, and one of them said about a dozen vehicles had been stolen. Jihadists have previously launched attacks using vehicles stolen in previous raids.\n\nAn army spokesman could not immediately be reached for comment.", "Suspected Islamist militants have attacked an army camp in western Niger, killing at least 18 soldiers, the...", "Eighteen soldiers were killed when \"terrorists\" struck an army camp in western Niger, the government said Tuesday, adding the US and France had provided air support to help repel the assault.\n\nThe attack took place on Monday afternoon at a camp at Inates on the border with Mali, the defence ministry said in a statement. Four soldiers were listed as missing.\n\nNiger, one of the world's poorest countries, lies in the heart of the fragile Sahel region, which is battling an Islamist insurgency.\n\n\"The attack began with the detonation of two suicide vehicles at the entrance to the camp, followed by gunfire from terrorists who arrived on motorbike,\" the statement said.\n\n\"The counter-attack, with air support from our partners (French and American), enabled the enemy to be routed beyond our borders,\" it said. \"Sweeping-up operations are continuing.\" \n\n\n\nSeveral \"terrorists\" were killed, a truck was destroyed by air strikes and two suicide vehicles were destroyed, it said.\n\nOn Monday, a military source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP there had been a twin \"car-bomb attack\" at the camp and suggested the toll would be high.\n\nThe base, located in a volatile region, trains Nigerien soldiers to serve in a UN peacekeeping mission in Mali.\n\nInsurgent groups are active in western and northern Mali, spilling over from a long-running jihadist campaign in Mali, while Nigeria's Boko Haram is present in the country's southeast.\n\nLast month, the defence ministry said 18 members of the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) were killed in a joint operation by US, French and Niger troops in the southwestern border region of Tongo Tongo.\n\nIn October 2017, the ISGS claimed responsibility for a raid which killed four US soldiers and five Nigerien troops in the same region, a mere 20 kilometres (12 miles) from the Malian border.\n\nThe United States has a big base for drones in the northern city of Agadez and Niger recently gave the Americans permission to arm their drones.\n\nThe French also have a military base near the airport at the capital Niamey and another at Madama in the north.\n\nNiger is part of the so-called G5 Sahel group of five nations set up to manage a coordinated response to the jihadist insurgency in the impoverished region.\n\nNiamey hosts a major meeting of the African Union from July 4-8, culminating in a summit expected to gather about 50 heads of state or government."], "summary": "Islamist militants attack a Niger Armed Forces base in the village of Inates, near the border with Mali, with two car bombs and gunmen, killing 18 soldiers. They also kidnapped four Nigerien soldiers and stole dozens of vehicles."}
{"document": ["(CNN) An airstrike that hit a migrant detention center near the Libyan capital early Wednesday has left at least 40 people dead and another 200 injured, a health official in the country's UN-recognized government told CNN.\n\n\"I expect the death toll to go up given that there are critically injured people being treated in hospital,\" Malek Merset, a spokesman for the Ministry of Health, said.\n\nSatellite images taken of the detention center in Tajoura, a coastal town east of Tripoli, showed extensive damage to several buildings in the complex. Photos taken on the ground captured piles of rubble left where structures had been, while emergency crews worked to remove both the wounded and the dead.\n\nLibya's Government of National Accord (GNA) condemned the \"horrific crime,\" blaming renegade Gen. Khalifa Haftar, leader of the Libyan National Army (LNA), whose forces have been waging an assault on the capital for the last two months.\n\nThe LNA has denied responsibility for the attack, instead accusing Tripoli-based \"militias\" -- who are largely allied to the GNA -- of orchestrating a \"conspiracy\" to \"tarnish\" their reputation.\n\nRead More", "TRIPOLI (Reuters) - An air strike on a detention centre for illegal migrants in a suburb of the Libyan capital killed 40 and wounded 80, a health official said.\n\nPictures published by Libyan officials showed African migrants being treated in a hospital after the strike.", "An airstrike hit a detention centre for migrants early Wednesday in the Libyan capital, killing at least 40 people, a health official in the country’s UN-supported government said.\n\nThe airstrike targeting the detention centre in Tripoli’s Tajoura neighbourhood also wounded 80 migrants, said Malek Merset, a spokesman for the health ministry. Merset posted photos of migrants who were being taken in ambulances to hospitals.\n\nFootage circulating online and said to be from inside the migrant detention centre showed horrific images of blood and body parts mixed with rubble and migrants’ belongings.\n\nThe UN refugee agency in Libya condemned the airstrike on the detention centre, which houses 616 migrants and refugees.\n\nThe Tripoli-based government blamed the self-styled Libyan National Army, led by Khalifa Hifter, for the airstrike and called for the U.N. support mission in Libya to establish a fact-finding committee to investigate.\n\nA spokesman for Hifter forces did not immediately answer phone calls and messages seeking comment. Local media reported that LNA had launched airstrikes against a militia camp near the detention centre.\n\nThe LNA launched an offensive against the weak Tripoli-based government in April. Hifter’s forces control much of the country’s east and south but were dealt a significant blow last week when militias allied with the Tripoli government reclaimed the strategic town of Gharyan, about 100 kilometres (62 miles) from the capital.\n\nGharyan had been a key supply route for the LNA forces.\n\nThe fighting for Tripoli has threatened to plunge Libya into another bout of violence on the scale of the 2011 conflict that ousted longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi and led to his death.\n\nAt least 6,000 migrants from Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan and other nations are locked in dozens of detention facilities in Libya that are run by militias accused of torture and other human rights abuses. Most of the migrants were apprehended by European Union-funded and -trained Libyan coast guards while trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea into Europe.\n\nThe detention centres have limited food and other supplies for the migrants, who made often-arduous journeys at the mercy of abusive traffickers who hold them for ransom money from families back home.\n\nThe U.N. refugee agency has said that more than 3,000 migrants are in danger because they are held in detention centres close to the front lines between Hifter’s forces and the militias allied with the Tripoli government.\n\nLibya became a major crossing point for migrants to Europe after the 2011 ouster and killing of Gadhafi, when the North African nation was thrown into chaos, armed militias proliferated and central authority fell apart.", "Libyan official says airstrike kills 40 migrants in Tripoli\n\nBENGHAZI, Libya (AP) — A Libyan health official says an airstrike has hit a detention center for migrants in a suburb of the capital of Tripoli, killing at least 40 people.\n\nMalek Merset, a spokesman for the health ministry of the U.N.-supported government, says the airstrike on the Tajoura detention center also wounded 80 migrants.\n\nIn a statement, the U.N.-supported government blamed the self-styled Libyan National Army, led by commander Khalifa Hifter, for the airstrike.\n\nLibya is split between two warring governments and Hifter's forces control much of the country's east and south.", "BENGHAZI, Libya (AP) — An airstrike hit a detention center for migrants near the Libyan capital early Wednesday, killing at least 44 people and wounding more than 130, the U.N. mission to the war-torn country said.\n\nThe airstrike raises further concerns about the European Union's policy of partnering with Libyan militias to prevent migrants from crossing the Mediterranean, which often leaves them at the mercy of brutal traffickers or stranded in squalid detention centers near the front lines.\n\nIt could also lead to greater Western pressure on Khalifa Hifter, a Libyan general whose forces launched an offensive on Tripoli in April. The Tripoli-based government blamed his self-styled Libyan National Army for the airstrike and called for the U.N. to investigate.\n\nA spokesman for Hifter's forces did not immediately answer phone calls and messages seeking comment. Local media reported the LNA had launched airstrikes against a militia camp near the detention center in Tripoli's Tajoura neighborhood.", "TRIPOLI, July 2 (Reuters) - An air strike late on Tuesday hit a detention centre for migrants in the Tajoura suburb of the Libyan capital of Tripoli, an official said.\n\nThere were casualties among the migrants, said the official who works in the department to combat illegal migration that runs the centre.\n\nThe U.N. refugee agency UNHCR said on Twitter that it was \"extremely concerned about ... accounts of refugees and migrants deceased\".\n\nTajoura is home to several military camps of forces allied to Libya's internationally recognised government which has been battling eastern forces trying to take Tripoli.\n\nOn Monday, the eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA) said it would start heavy air strikes on targets in Tripoli after \"traditional means\" of war had been exhausted.\n\nThe LNA has failed to take Tripoli in three months of fighting and last week lost its main forward base in Gharyan which was taken back by Tripoli forces.\n\nLibya is a main departure point for migrants from Africa and Arab countries trying to reach Italy by boat. Thousands are held in government-run detention centres.", "Libyan Red Crescent workers recover migrants bodies after an airstrike at a detention center in Tajoura, east of Tripoli Wednesday, July 3, 2019. An airstrike hit the detention center for migrants early Wednesday in the Libyan capital. (AP Photo/Hazem Ahmed)\n\nBENGHAZI, Libya (AP) — An airstrike hit a detention center for migrants near the Libyan capital early Wednesday, killing at least 44 people and wounding more than 130, the U.N. mission to the war-torn country said.\n\nThe airstrike raises further concerns about the European Union’s policy of partnering with Libyan militias to prevent migrants from crossing the Mediterranean, which often leaves them at the mercy of brutal traffickers or stranded in squalid detention centers near the front lines.\n\nIt wasn’t immediately clear who was responsible for the strike but some suspected involvement by foreign countries allied with Khalifa Hifter, the Libyan general whose forces launched an offensive on Tripoli in April. Countries assisting Hifter include the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Russia.\n\nThe Tripoli-based government blamed Hifter’s self-styled Libyan National Army for the airstrike and called for the U.N. to investigate. The attack could also lead to greater Western pressure on Hifter.\n\nA spokesman for Hifter’s forces did not immediately answer phone calls and messages seeking comment. Local media reported the LNA had launched airstrikes against a militia camp near the detention center in Tripoli’s Tajoura neighborhood.\n\nFootage circulating online and said to be from inside the migrant detention center showed blood and body parts mixed with rubble and migrants’ belongings.\n\nThe airstrike hit a workshop housing weapons and vehicles and an adjacent hangar where around 150 migrants were being held, mostly Sudanese and Moroccans, according to two migrants who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal.\n\nThe migrants said three or four survived unharmed and about 20 were wounded. They said the rest were killed, indicating the final death toll could be much higher.\n\nDoctors Without Borders said the detention cell that was destroyed held 126 migrants. The aid group’s Libya medical coordinator, Prince Alfani, said teams visited the center just hours before the airstrike. He said survivors fear for their lives, and he called for the immediate evacuation of the detention centers.\n\nThe U.N. refugee agency also condemned the airstrike and called for an immediate end to efforts to return migrants to Libya.\n\nUNHCR spokesman Charlie Yaxley noted that the agency had warned less than two months ago that anyone inside the Tajoura detention center was at risk of being caught in the fighting around Tripoli. Then, an airstrike that hit nearby wounded two migrants. Yaxley said UNHCR is sending medical teams to the site after the latest airstrike.\n\nIn a statement Wednesday, the French Foreign Ministry called for a quick return to the U.N.-backed talks.\n\nFrance also called for guaranteed access for humanitarian groups, which have often struggled to bring aid to the thousands of migrants trapped in detention centers, including many who have been intercepted by the Libyan coast guard en route to Europe.\n\nThe head of the African Union, Moussa Faki Mahamat, also condemned the strike. He called for an independent investigation and said those responsible for the “horrific crime” should be held to account. U.N. envoy Ghassan Salame said the airstrike could amount to a war crime because it “killed by surprise innocent people whose dire conditions forced them to be in that shelter.”\n\nThe LNA launched an offensive against the weak Tripoli-based government in April. Hifter’s forces control much of Libya’s east and south but suffered a significant blow last week when militias allied with the Tripoli government reclaimed the strategic town of Gharyan, about 100 kilometers (62 miles) from the capital. Gharyan had been a key LNA supply route.\n\nHifter’s forces have targeted militia positions in Tajoura with airstrikes in recent weeks. The LNA said Monday it had begun an air campaign on rival forces in Tripoli after it lost control of Gharyan.\n\nHifter’s forces boast MiG fighter jets supplied by neighboring Egypt, as well as drones, attack helicopters and mine-resistant vehicles. It was not immediately clear what munitions were used in the airstrike early Wednesday.\n\nOded Berkowitz, a security analyst focused on the Libyan conflict, said Hifter’s LNA flies “a handful of obsolete aircraft” that are “in poor condition.” He said it has received spare parts from Egypt and possibly Russia, as well as decommissioned aircraft from both countries.\n\n“Egypt and the UAE have been conducting air operations on behalf of the LNA, but there are no indications that the UAE transferred aircraft to the LNA,” he said.\n\nFathi Bashagha, the interior minister in the Tripoli-based government, claimed that foreign countries allied with Hifter were behind the attack. He told The Associated Press that Hifter’s foreign backers “went mad” after his forces lost Gharyan. He did not name any countries or provide evidence to support his claim. He also denied any weapons were being stored at the detention facility.\n\nThe fighting for Tripoli has threatened to plunge Libya into another bout of violence on the scale of the 2011 conflict that ousted longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi and led to his death.\n\nHifter says he is determined to restore stability to the North African country. He is backed by Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia while his rivals, mainly Islamists, are supported by Turkey and Qatar.\n\nHis campaign against Islamic militants across Libya since 2014 won him growing international support from world leaders who are concerned that Libya has become a haven for armed groups and a major conduit for migrants bound for Europe.\n\nHis opponents, however, view him as an aspiring autocrat and fear a return to one-man rule.\n\nLibya became a major crossing point for migrants to Europe after Gadhafi’s overthrow, when the North African nation was thrown into chaos, armed militias proliferated and central authority fell apart.\n\nAt least 6,000 migrants from Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan and other nations are locked in dozens of detention facilities in Libya run by militias accused of torture and other abuses. Most of the migrants were apprehended by European Union-funded and -trained Libyan coast guards while trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea to Europe.\n\nThe detention centers have limited food and other supplies for the migrants, who often end up there after arduous journeys at the mercy of abusive traffickers who hold them for ransom money from families back home.\n\nThe U.N. refugee agency has said that more than 3,000 migrants are in danger because they are held in detention centers close to the front lines.\n\nMagdy reported from Cairo. Associated Press writers Maggie Michael in Cairo and Lori Hinnant in Paris contributed.", "A Libyan health official says an airstrike hit a detention center for migrants near Tripoli, killing at least 40 people\n\nBENGHAZI, Libya (AP) — A Libyan health official says an airstrike hit a detention center for migrants near Tripoli, killing at least 40 people.", "Libyan official says airstrike kills 40 migrants in Tripoli\n\nBENGHAZI, Libya (AP) — An airstrike hit a detention center for migrants early Wednesday in the Libyan capital, killing at least 40 people, a health official in the country's U.N.-supported government said.\n\nThe airstrike targeting the detention center in Tripoli's Tajoura neighborhood also wounded 80 migrants, said Malek Merset, a spokesman for the health ministry said. Merset posted photos of migrants who were being taken in ambulances to hospitals.\n\nIn a statement, the U.N.-supported government blamed the self-styled Libyan National Army, led by Khalifa Hifter, for the airstrike.\n\nThe LNA launched an offensive against the weak Tripoli-based government in April. Hifter's forces control much of the country's east and south but were dealt a significant blow last week when militias allied with the Tripoli government reclaimed the strategic town of Gharyan, about 100 kilometers (62 miles) from the capital.\n\nGharyan had been a key supply route for the LNA forces.\n\nThe fighting for Tripoli has threatened to plunge Libya into another bout of violence on the scale of the 2011 conflict that ousted longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi and led to his death.\n\nThousands of migrants are detained in Libya after being apprehended by local forces funded by the European Union and are now caught up in the armed conflict. The centers have limited food and other supplies, and international agencies have called for speeding up resettlement of the migrants.", "At least 40 people have died in an airstrike on a migrant detention centre in the Libyan capital Tripoli.\n\nAnother 80 people have been injured in the attack according to a health official, which is being blamed on forces loyal to rebel leader Khalifa Haftar, who launched an offensive to take Tripoli from the internationally recognised government three months ago.\n\nMalek Mersek, spokesman for a state emergency medical services, said 40 people had been killed and 80 wounded in the strike on the detention centre in the Tajoura suburb located next to a military camp.\n\nThe Tripoli-based government said in a statement that dozens of people had been killed and wounded in an airstrike blamed on the \"war criminal Khalifa Haftar\".\n\nLibya is the main jumping off point for thousands of Africans trying to reach Europe. Many are held in government-run detention centres in western Libya in what human rights groups and the United Nations say are often inhuman conditions.\n\nTajoura, east of Tripoli's centre, is home to several military camps of forces allied to Libya's government, which have been targeted by airstrikes for weeks.\n\nTripoli is besieged by Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA). It denied hitting the detention camp, claiming it had been shelled by militias loyal to the Libyan government.\n\nRival factions have been battling for control of Libya and its vast oil and gas reserves since the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.\n\nThe country has also become a proxy battleground for regional powers trying to exert their influence.\n\nThe LNA has for years been armed by Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, while Turkey has shipped weapons to the Tripoli government."], "summary": "A Libyan National Army airstrike on a suburb of Tripoli hits a detention centre for illegal migrants, killing at least 53 people and injuring 80 people."}
{"document": ["Fourteen sailors have died after a fire broke out on one of Russia's deep-sea submersibles.\n\nThe defence ministry said the fire was extinguished due to the \"self-sacrifice\" of the crew, but did not give any cause of the blaze - or reveal if there were any survivors.\n\nIt said the incident happened while the unnamed vessel - intended for studying the seabed - was performing tests.\n\nThe underwater craft is now at the Arctic port of Severomorsk, the main base of Russia's Northern Fleet.\n\nSubmersibles are usually smaller than submarines - which unlike submersibles can operate over long distances, are autonomous and do not need surface support.\n\nAdvertisement\n\nPresident Vladimir Putin has ordered an inquiry into what happened after cancelling a scheduled event and summoning his defence minister to be briefed on the situation.\n\nImage: Vladimir Putin has ordered an inquiry into what happened\n\nNorwegian authorities said on Tuesday they have not detected abnormally high levels of radiation after the submersible caught fire in the area of the Barents Sea.\n\nPer Strand, a director at the Norwegian Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority, said Russian officials had told his agency that a gas explosion took place on board.\n\nRussian reports have claimed that it was one of the country's most secret submarines - the nuclear-powered AS-12 Losharik, designed for sensitive missions at great ocean depths - but there was no official confirmation of the claims.\n\nThe Losharik, which entered service in 2010, is named after a Soviet-era cartoon character - a toy horse made of small spheres.\n\nThe name is said to be explained by the unique design of its internal hull, which is made of several titanium spheres capable of withstanding high pressure at great depths.\n\nAnalysts suggested one of its possible missions could be disrupting communication cables on the ocean bed.\n\nThe Russian navy also uses Priz-class and Bester-class deep water vehicles, which have a hull built of titanium and are capable of operating at a depth of 1,000m (3,281ft).\n\nTuesday's fire marks the deadliest Russian naval incident since 2008, when 20 died when a firefighting system was accidentally initiated while the Nerpa nuclear-powered submarine of Russia's Pacific Fleet was undergoing trials.\n\nIn the deadliest naval incident in post-Soviet Russia, the Kursk nuclear submarine exploded and sank on 12 August 2000 during naval manoeuvres in the Barents Sea, killing all 118 crew members.", "Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the country's defense chief to travel to a northern naval base to conduct a probe after a fire on what the Kremlin described as a deep-sea \"research submersible\" killed 14 crew members.\n\n\n\nPutin on July 2 called the incident a \"great loss\" and told Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to \"personally receive reports,\" give tasks to investigators to \"identify the causes behind this tragedy,\" and report back to him.\n\n\n\nPutin's meeting with Shoigu came after the Defense Ministry said earlier in the day that 14 sailors were killed when a fire broke out on July 1 aboard a submersible that the ministry said was carrying out \"research\" work in Russian territorial waters.\n\nIt was one of the worst Russian naval disasters since 2000, when the Kursk nuclear-powered submarine sank following two explosions aboard the vessel, killing all 118 crew members aboard.\n\nRussia's RBK news outlet quoted a military source as identifying the vessel in the latest incident as the Losharik AS-12 nuclear-powered submarine, although the Defense Ministry has not identified the type of vessel involved.\n\n\n\nWhen the Losharik was launched in the early 2000s, details of the vessels were considered highly secret. One report said it was capable of diving 2,500 meters under the sea.\n\n\n\nRussian media reported that the Losharik is carried under the hull of a mother submarine, the nuclear-powered Belgorod.\n\nRussia in April launched the special-purpose Belgorod, which is believed capable of carrying nuclear-tipped underwater drones capable of threatening U.S. coastal cities.\n\n\n\nThe RBK report said the incident occurred in the evening hours of July 1.\n\nPer Strand, a director at the Norwegian Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority, told Reuters that his agency had not seen any raised levels of radiation in the area of the submarine accident. He said Norwegian authorities had been told by their Russian counterparts that a \"gas explosion\" had occurred on board the vessel.\n\nThe Russian Defense Ministry later denied making any comment about a \"gas explosion.\" The discrepancy was not immediately explained.\n\nA Russian Defense Ministry statement said that the sailors died as a result of inhaling combustible fumes aboard the research vessel, which was conducting measurements on the floor of the ocean.\n\nThe report did not say how many crew members were aboard. It said the fire was put out by other crew members.\n\n\n\nThe submersible is now at a navy base in the northwestern city of Severomorsk near Murmansk on the Barents Sea, officials said.\n\n\n\nAn investigation has been launched, the ministry said.\n\n\n\nAFP quoted a military expert speaking on condition of anonymity as doubting that the vessel was on a scientific research mission.\n\n\n\n\"Usually it's a cover for different type of work conducted on the seabed,\" like laying cables, the expert said.\n\nRussia has suffered several deadly submarine incidents over the past two decades, as well as a rash of fires during decommissioning at ports.\n\nIn the deadliest submarine incident since the Kursk, 20 Russian sailors and shipyard workers died aboard the submarine K-152 Nerpa when the fire-extinguishing system accidentally activated, causing suffocation. ​\n\nWith reporting by and Current Time, AP, AFP, Reuters. RIA Novosti, Interfax, and TASS", "Russia's Defense Ministry says a fire on one of its deep-sea research submersibles has killed 14 crew members.\n\nThe ministry said on July 2 that the tragedy took place the previous day as the vessel was carrying out a survey in Russian territorial waters.\n\n \n\n It said the 14 sailors died as a result of smoke inhalation.\n\nThe submersible is now at a Russian Navy base in the northwestern city of Severomorsk.\n\nAn investigation has been launched.\n\nBased on reporting by RIA, Interfax, and TASS", "The Russian military says that a fire on one of its deep-sea submersibles has killed 14 sailors.\n\nIn this video grab provided by the RU-RTR Russian television via APTN , Russia rescue personnel return from a dive in a mini submarine to the Kursk on the sea bed in the Barents Sea, Russia. The Russian military says that a fire on one of its deep-sea submersibles has killed 14 sailors. The Defense Ministry says that the blaze erupted Monday while the vessel was performing tests in Russia's territorial waters. (RU-RTR Russian Television via AP)\n\nMOSCOW — The Russian military says that a fire on one of its deep-sea submersibles has killed 14 sailors.\n\nThe Defense Ministry says that the blaze erupted Monday while the vessel was performing tests in Russia’s territorial waters.\n\nThe ministry said in a statement Tuesday that the fire was extinguished thanks to the crew’s self-sacrifice.\n\nIt added that the submersible is now at the Arctic port of Severomorsk, the main base of Russia’s Northern Fleet. An official investigation has started.", "The seaman were poisoned by fumes when the vessel caught fire while taking biometric measurements yesterday, the defence ministry said.\n\nAn investigation is underway into the incident on board the vessel, which was based out of the Northern Fleet main port of Severomorsk in Murmansk.\n\nThe deep-sea research vessel was carrying out a military survey in Russian territorial waters.\n\nThe ministry's statement said the submersible is intended for studying the seabed, but didn't give its name or type. Authorities haven't given a cause for the fire, saying that an official investigation has started.\n\nThe Russian navy uses Priz-class and Bester-class deep water vehicles, which have a hull built of titanium and are capable of operating at a depth of 3,281 feet.\n\nThey are transported to the area of operation by a carrier vessel and can operate autonomously for up to 120 hours.\n\nThe blaze marks the deadliest Russian naval incident since 2008, when 20 died when a firefighting system was accidentally initiated while the Nerpa nuclear-powered submarine of Russia's Pacific Fleet was undergoing trials.\n\nIn the deadliest naval incident in post-Soviet Russia, the Kursk nuclear submarine exploded and sank on Aug. 12, 2000, during naval maneuvers in the Barents Sea, killing all 118 crewmembers.\n\nRussian Defense Ministry reported. \"On July 1, a fire broke out in Russian territorial waters on a research deep-water apparatus designed to study the bottom space and the bottom of the World Ocean in the interests of the Russian Navy.\n\n\"During the biometric measurements, 14 submariners died as a result of burning with poisoned products\"\n\n\"The causes of the incident are established. The investigation is conducted by the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy.\"\n\nIn August 2000, the Russian nuclear-powered submarine Kursk sank to the floor of Barents Sea after two explosions in its bow, killing all 118 men aboard.", "Fourteen crew on board a Russian defence ministry submersible have been killed after a fire broke out, the ministry was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies.\n\nThe deep-sea research vessel was carrying out a military survey in Russian territorial waters, it said.\n\nThe incident took place on Monday and the fire has been extinguished. The submersible is now at the Russian northern fleet’s base in Severomorsk on the Barents Sea, and an investigation has been launched to establish the cause, Interfax, RIA and Tass quoted the ministry as saying.\n\nIn August 2000 the Russian nuclear-powered submarine Kursk sank to the floor of the Barents Sea after two explosions in its bow, killing all 118 men onboard.", "\n• A Russian Navy research submarine caught fire at the naval base of Severomorsk on Monday, Russia’s Interfax news agency reported.\n• Fourteen submariners died after being poisoned by burning materials, the agency said, citing Russia’s defense ministry.\n• The cause of the fire is not clear.\n\nA research submarine belonging to the Russian Navy caught fire and killed 14 sailors on board, Russia’s Interfax news agency reported, citing the country’s defense ministry.\n\nThe vessel had been studying the ocean floor at the naval base of Severomorsk when it caught fire on Monday, Interfax reported.\n\nThe submariners died after being poisoned by burning materials, the news agency said.\n\nThe submarine was “designed to study the bottom space and the bottom of the ocean in the interests of the Russian Navy,” Interfax quoted the defense ministry as saying.\n\nThe fire has since been put out, but the cause remains unclear. The commander-in-chief of the Russian navy has launched an investigation, Interfax said.\n\nNobody at the Russian defense ministry in Moscow was available for comment. Business Insider has contacted the Russian embassy in London for comment.", "Russia's Defense Ministry said Tuesday that 14 submariners were poisoned by fumes and died after a fire broke out aboard a navy deep water research vessel. The fire began while the crew was surveying the seabed in Russian territorial waters on Monday.\n\nNPR's Lucian Kim reports Russian President Vladimir Putin has dispatched the defense minister to lead the investigation of the accident.\n\nPutin described the stricken vessel as \"an unusual submarine\" and said seven of those killed were high-ranking naval officers.\n\nSome Russian media outlets, citing military sources, said it was a secret nuclear-powered submersible that can operate thousands of feet deeper than regular submarines.\n\nNPR's Lucian Kim reports from Moscow that the craft has been recovered and is in Severomorsk, the main base for Russia's Northern Fleet on the Arctic Ocean.\n\n\"Accidents have plagued the Russian navy,\" Kim says. \"The worst was in 2000, when the Kursk submarine sank, killing all 118 personnel aboard, and creating the first crisis for Russia's new president at the time, Vladimir Putin.\"\n\nThe Kursk submarine was also part of Russia's Northern Fleet.\n\nKim reports that Putin has canceled a previously scheduled appearance to meet with Russia's defense minister.\n\nAccording to Sky News, \"The Russian navy uses Priz-class and Bester-class deep water vehicles, which have a hull built of titanium and are capable of operating at a depth of 3,281ft (1,000 meters). The blaze marks the deadliest Russian naval incident since 2008, when 20 died when a firefighting system was accidentally initiated while the Nerpa nuclear-powered submarine of Russia's Pacific Fleet was undergoing trials.\"", "The Russian Defence Ministry revealed the blaze engulfed the deep-sea research vessel on Monday while it was performing tests. The sailors didn't die in the blaze but as a consequence of it, poisoned by fumes released when the submersible caught fire, the Ministry said in a statement. Russian officials praised the courage of the men aboard, saying the fire was extinguished thanks to the crew's \"self-sacrifice\".\n\nWhen the fire broke out, the vessel was at Severomorsk, in the Murmansk region, which is the main base of the Northern Fleet. The official statement read: \"On July 1, a fire broke out in Russian territorial waters on a research deep-water apparatus designed to study the bottom space and the bottom of the World Ocean in the interests of the Russian Navy. \"During the biometric measurements, 14 submariners died as a result of burning with poisoned products.\n\n\"The causes of the incident are established.\" Officials added an investigation has been launched by the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, and they have yet to reveal what caused the fire. They also didn't disclose which name or type of submersible went ablaze, disclosing only it was a vessel intended for studying the seabed. However, they said the submersible is now at the Arctic port of Severomorsk, the main base of Russia's Northern Fleet.\n\nA submersible is an underwater vessel which, unlike submarines, needs is not fully autonomous but needs a support ship on the surface. The Russian navy is known for using Priz-class and Bester-class deep-water vehicles, which are usually transported to the area of their research by a carrier vessel. This fire marks the deadliest Russian naval incident since 2008.", "Russia’s Defense Ministry says a fire on one of its deep-sea research submersibles has killed 14 crew members, RFE/RL reports.\n\nThe ministry said on Tuesday, July 2 that the tragedy took place the previous day as the vessel was carrying out a survey in Russian territorial waters.\n\nA Defense Ministry statement said that the sailors died as a result of inhaling combustible fumes aboard the research vessel, which was conducting biometric measurements on the floor of the ocean.\n\nThe submersible is now at a navy base in the northwestern city of Severomorsk near Murmansk on the Barents Sea, officials said.\n\nAn investigation has been launched.\n\nIn 2000, all 118 crew members aboard the Kursk, a Russian nuclear-powered submarine, were killed when the vessel sank to the floor of the Barents Sea following two explosions in a tragedy that gripped the nation at the time."], "summary": "A fire on the Russian Navy's Losharik submarine kills 14 crew members while the vessel conducts tests in Russian territorial waters."}
{"document": ["The article you have been looking for has expired and is not longer available on our system. This is due to newswire licensing terms.", "Moscow: At least 18 people have died and more than a dozen are still missing in devastating floods that swept southeastern Siberia, Russian authorities said Tuesday.\n\nThe head of the emergency ministry's regional branch, Valentin Nelyubov, gave the updated figures Tuesday. The ministry initially said that 17 people were missing, but later announced that four of them were found and rescued. The search for the remaining 13 is ongoing.\n\nThe floods that followed torrential rains affected 55 towns and villages in the Irkutsk region.\n\nOver 4,000 houses have been flooded, according to the emergency ministry. Officials said that 1,258 people have sought medical assistance and 191 of them have been hospitalized.\n\nPresident Vladimir Putin visited the area on Sunday on his way home from the G 20 leaders' summit in Japan and ordered the military to join the rescue efforts.\n\nYour guide to the latest cricket World Cup stories, analysis, reports, opinions, live updates and scores on https://www.firstpost.com/firstcricket/series/icc-cricket-world-cup-2019.html. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram or like our Facebook page for updates throughout the ongoing event in England and Wales.", "12 die in floods in Russia's Siberia; 9 still missing\n\nMOSCOW (AP) — The Russian government says 12 people have died and another nine have gone missing in floods that swept southeastern Siberia.\n\nDeputy Prime Minister Vitaly Mutko said during a Cabinet meeting Monday that a search for those missing is underway and that 153 people have been hospitalized.\n\nThe floods followed torrential rains and affected 55 towns and villages in the Irkutsk region. Mutko said four villages remain cut off but that they have enough emergency supplies.\n\nOver 4,000 houses have been flooded, according to the Emergency Ministry.\n\nPresident Vladimir Putin visited the area on Sunday on his way home from the Group of 20 leaders' summit in Japan, ordering the military to join the rescue efforts.", "At least 18 people have died and more than a dozen are still missing in devastating floods that swept southeastern Siberia, Russian authorities said Tuesday.\n\nThe head of the Emergency Ministry’s regional branch, Valentin Nelyubov, gave the updated figures Tuesday. The ministry initially said that 17 people were missing, but later announced that four of them were found and rescued. The search for the remaining 13 is ongoing.\n\nThe floods that followed torrential rains affected 55 towns and villages in the Irkutsk region.\n\nOver 4,000 houses have been flooded, according to the Emergency Ministry. Officials said that 1,258 people have sought medical assistance and 191 of them have been hospitalized.\n\nPresident Vladimir Putin visited the area on Sunday on his way home from the Group of 20 leaders’ summit in Japan and ordered the military to join the rescue efforts.", "The Russian authorities say 18 people have died and another 17 are still missing in devastating floods that swept southeastern Siberia.\n\nThe head of the Emergency Ministry's regional branch, Valentin Nelyubov, said Tuesday that 18 people have died and that the search for the missing 17 people is ongoing.\n\nThe floods that followed torrential rains affected 55 towns and villages in the Irkutsk region.\n\nOver 4,000 houses have been flooded, according to the Emergency Ministry. Officials said that 1,258 people have sought medical assistance and 191 of them have been hospitalized.\n\nPresident Vladimir Putin visited the area on Sunday on his way home from the Group of 20 leaders' summit in Japan and ordered the military to join the rescue efforts.", "MOSCOW — The Russian government says 12 people have died and another nine have gone missing in floods that swept southeastern Siberia.\n\nDeputy Prime Minister Vitaly Mutko said during a Cabinet meeting Monday that a search for those missing is underway and that 153 people have been hospitalized.\n\nThe floods followed torrential rains and affected 55 towns and villages in the Irkutsk region. Mutko said four villages remain cut off but that they have enough emergency supplies.\n\nOver 4,000 houses have been flooded, according to the Emergency Ministry.\n\nPresident Vladimir Putin visited the area on Sunday on his way home from the Group of 20 leaders’ summit in Japan, ordering the military to join the rescue efforts.\n\nCopyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.", "In this photo provided by Russian Emergency Situations Ministry press service, flooded houses are seen after been affected by a flooding in Irkutsk region, Russia, Friday, June 29, 2019. According to the latest data of the regional emergency command center, the flood has affected 48 settlements of five municipal districts of the region. A source in the emergency services told TASS on Saturday that as a result of the flood in the region five people died and several were reported missing. (AP Photo/Ministry of Emergency Situations press service via AP)\n\nMOSCOW (AP) — The Russian government says 12 people have died and another nine have gone missing in floods that swept southeastern Siberia.\n\nDeputy Prime Minister Vitaly Mutko said during a Cabinet meeting Monday that a search for those missing is underway and that 153 people have been hospitalized.\n\nThe floods followed torrential rains and affected 55 towns and villages in the Irkutsk region. Mutko said four villages remain cut off but that they have enough emergency supplies.\n\nOver 4,000 houses have been flooded, according to the Emergency Ministry.\n\nPresident Vladimir Putin visited the area on Sunday on his way home from the Group of 20 leaders’ summit in Japan, ordering the military to join the rescue efforts.", "Floods continue sweeping eastern Siberia for the eighth consecutive day, having already resulted in at least 18 deaths and 1,300 people in need of medical attention, with rescuers still working to find stranded survivors\n\nMOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 02nd July, 2019) Floods continue sweeping eastern Siberia for the eighth consecutive day, having already resulted in at least 18 deaths and 1,300 people in need of medical attention, with rescuers still working to find stranded survivors.\n\nThe floods followed the heavy rains that poured down on the Irkutsk Region on June 25 � rivers swelled and spilled over into nearby settlements and cities, prompting the authorities to start rescue operations.\n\nAccording to recent data provided by the head of the local branch of the Russian Emergencies Ministry, Valentin Nelyubov, the death toll has reached 18 people, and 17 individuals are still missing.\n\nOver 1,300 people have sought medical attention, mainly due to hypothermia, while over 200 people, including 41 children, have been taken to hospitals since the onset of the flooding.\n\nCurrently, more than 4,100 houses, which accommodate over 9,300 people, remain flooded in the area, and a state of emergency is in place in the Chunsky, Kuytunsky, Nizhneudinsky, Tayshetsky, Tulunsky, and Ziminsky districts.\n\nAll in all, 96 settlements with nearly 33,000 residents, including almost 8,000 children, were affected, according to the Emergencies Ministry's Tuesday data.\n\nBoth state and regional authorities are currently making efforts to provide aid to those affected by the disaster, rescue residents in need of urgent assistance and continue searching for missing individuals.\n\nOn Tuesday, the Federal Medical and Biological Agency set up a mobile hospital in the region to provide medical assistance.\n\nRussian President Vladimir Putin visited the area on Sunday on his way back from the G20 summit in Japan and ordered the military to join the relief efforts. Putin said he would hold a meeting about the situation in the region in Moscow on Wednesday.\n\nEarlier on Tuesday, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev approved the creation of a government commission tasked with eliminating the consequences of the deadly flooding. Over 1,400 people and almost 300 items of equipment are currently involved in the rescue operations.\n\nMeanwhile, the Russian branch of Greenpeace said on Tuesday that the flooding in the region was a consequence of climate change.\n\nLater, scientists from the Irkutsk State University suggested that the anomalous development of atmospheric processes had caused the floods.\n\nHowever, Alexander Chernokulsky, a senior researcher at the Obukhov Institute of Atmospheric Physics, told Sputnik that it was premature to link the flooding to the effects of climate change.\n\n\"Due to climate change, the frequency and intensity of heavy rainfalls increase. But it is impossible to say that specific heavy showers in this particular area are caused only by the climate change,\" he said.\n\nLater in the day, the regional prosecutor's office denied rumors that the floods were provoked by anthropogenic factors, saying that the disaster was instead caused by heavy and lengthy rains.", "In this photo provided by Russian Emergency Situations Ministry press service, flooded houses are seen after been affected by a flooding in Irkutsk region, Russia, Friday, June 29, 2019. According to the latest data of the regional emergency command center, the flood has affected 48 settlements of five municipal districts of the region. A source in the emergency services told TASS on Saturday that as a result of the flood in the region five people died and several were reported missing. (AP Photo/Ministry of Emergency Situations press service via AP)\n\nMOSCOW (AP) — At least 18 people have died and more than a dozen are still missing in devastating floods that swept southeastern Siberia, Russian authorities said Tuesday.\n\nThe head of the Emergency Ministry’s regional branch, Valentin Nelyubov, gave the updated figures Tuesday. The ministry initially said that 17 people were missing, but later announced that four of them were found and rescued. The search for the remaining 13 is ongoing.\n\nThe floods that followed torrential rains affected 55 towns and villages in the Irkutsk region.\n\nOver 4,000 houses have been flooded, according to the Emergency Ministry. Officials said that 1,258 people have sought medical assistance and 191 of them have been hospitalized.\n\nPresident Vladimir Putin visited the area on Sunday on his way home from the Group of 20 leaders’ summit in Japan and ordered the military to join the rescue efforts.", "Death toll rises to 20 in Siberian floods, 8 still missing\n\nMOSCOW (AP) — Russian authorities say that at least 20 people have died and eight are missing in massive floods in southeastern Siberia.\n\nThe Emergency Ministry's regional branch said Wednesday that five of the 13 people missing have been rescued and the search for those still unaccounted is under way.\n\nThe floods that followed torrential rains swept 55 towns and villages in the Irkutsk region, affecting 4,000 houses. Officials said that thousands were evacuated and 191 have been hospitalized.\n\nPresident Vladimir Putin has ordered the military to join the rescue efforts. The armed forces have used amphibious vehicles to carry some of the trapped residents to safety."], "summary": "At least 18 people have died and more than a dozen are still missing in devastating floods that swept southeastern Siberia, Russia."}
{"document": ["HONG KONG (AP) — The Latest on protests in Hong Kong (all times local):\n\nPro-Beijing lawmakers in Hong Kong have condemned the violence and vandalism of government facilities by protesters.\n\nRegina Ip, a former security secretary in the semi-autonomous territory, said such behavior was not acceptable in \"civilized society.\"\n\nShe said there was nothing that could justify \"the sort of violence we saw last night.\"\n\nShe and other lawmakers were protesting over the damage done to the legislative chamber by protesters who forced their way in late Monday as tens of thousands of people marched in the streets.\n\nThey also were urging the protesters to cool off and calm down after weeks of demonstrations over a government attempt to change extradition laws to allow suspects to be sent to China for trial.\n\nChinese state media have run footage of police in Hong Kong clearing protesters from streets in a break with its silence over past days of pro-democracy demonstrations.\n\nFootage aired Tuesday showed police moving into roads surrounding the legislative council, where protesters had smashed through glass and metal barriers to occupy the space for about three hours on Monday night.\n\nBeijing had sought to suppress news of the weeks of protests coinciding with celebrations of Chinese rule. The demonstrations reflect mounting frustration with Hong Kong's leader for not responding to demands after several weeks of protests sparked by a government attempt to change extradition laws to allow suspects to be sent to China for trial.\n\nProtesters vacated the chamber as police cleared surrounding streets with tear gas and then moved inside.", "Before dawn, riot police and hundreds of protesters gathered on roads leading to a square where the Hong Kong and Chinese flags were set to be raised. The ceremony, which was attended by Hong Kong leaders and dignitaries including chief executive Carrie Lam, was moved indoors as crowds of protesters gathered. Officials said the event, which has never been held indoors, was moved because of \"inclement weather.\"\n\nAs helicopters carrying the flags flew over, protesters on the streets below waved middle fingers at them. Earlier in the morning, protesters had replaced a Chinese flag with a black flag featuring a withered Bauhinia flower, a riff on the Hong Kong flag.\n\nThe mostly young protesters had planned to march to the ceremony and disrupt the proceedings, which were held to mark the 22nd anniversary of Hong Kong's handover from the British to the Chinese. Riot police pushed them back, spraying pepper spray and hitting protesters with batons.\n\nHospitals and police have not yet confirmed the number of injuries from the clashes. Police said in a statement that protesters earlier Monday had pelted officers with objects containing an \"unknown liquid,\" which made their skin swollen and itchy. Thirteen officers were treated at hospital and discharged.\n\nJuly 1, the anniversary of the handover, has always been marked by marches featuring hundreds of thousands of people who want to demonstrate Hong Kong's unique status and democratic characteristics.\n\nBut after weeks of unprecedented tensions in the semi-autonomous territory, Monday's protests took on a different flavour. Protesters saw the occasion as their final chance for a massive stand against a government they believe is still not working in their interests.\n\n\"We are exhausted,\" said a 22-year-old protester who did not want to give his name for fear of retribution from authorities. \"But today's march is special. We think it will be the last one that people will come out (to) on a large scale. We have to show our disappointment and anger.\"\n\nAn hour into the planned afternoon march, police sent out a warning, discouraging people from joining the procession.\n\n\"Police absolutely respect people's freedom of assembly, procession and expression of opinion in a peaceful and orderly manner,\" the statement said. \"However, Police's risk assessment indicates that there is a serious safety threat in Admiralty and Wan Chai (areas) and thus advise members of the public to carefully consider whether to join the public procession on Hong Kong Island this afternoon.\"\n\nYet, demonstrators turned up in the tens of thousands, filling Hong Kong's main roads with a swell of shuffling people once again. Some in the march — the elderly, parents with children — broke off to join the young protesters gathered on Harcourt Road, the main city thoroughfare that they have taken over several times over the past month.\n\nThey carried signs that read: \"We Shall Never Surrender\" and \"Hong Kong is Resilient.\"\n\nAnger in Hong Kong, sparked by a proposal by the Hong Kong government to push through a bill that would allow extraditions to mainland China, has not been quelled. Lam has postponed the extradition plans, but demonstrators have continued to return to the streets in rallies like Monday's — the revival of a pro-democracy movement that is now advocating for a freer Hong Kong, for Lam to step down and for police to be investigated for their handling of the street protests, among other demands.\n\nProtests were once again marked by a high degree of organization, with multiple first aid stations, human chains to pass supplies between the masses of people and hand symbols to indicate that police had started mobilizing or using pepper spray. Demonstrators urged each other and members of the public not to take photos of the crowd to ensure their anonymity.\n\nMore than 80 people were injured in a clash between police and protesters in mid-June, drawing the ire of many in Hong Kong who turned up at a large rally days later to denounce what they consider police brutality against young students.\n\nInside a convention centre where the anniversary ceremony was held in the morning, Lam, flanked by Hong Kong and Chinese officials, raised a glass of champagne to mark the occasion. At a reception that followed, she said she had reflected on the disputes and that she understands \"the need to grasp public sentiments accurately.\"\n\n\"After this incident, I will learn the lessons and ensure that the government's future work will be closer and more responsive to the aspirations, sentiments and opinions of the community,\" she said. Work to make Hong Kong's governance \"more open and accommodating\" will start immediately, she added.\n\nShe has not indicated that she would step down or fully withdraw the extradition plans. Analysts and some in her government say she has angered Beijing by misjudging the widespread and vociferous opposition to the extradition bill.\n\nOthers, however, also have marched to back the police. On Sunday, thousands of demonstrators showed up in support of the Hong Kong police and expressed appreciation for their efforts in managing the civil disobedience in recent weeks.\n\nIn mainland China, there was no mention of Monday's protests on social media. State media played up news of Sunday's pro-police rally and highlighted official celebrations of the anniversary of Hong Kong's return.\n\nOn several prior occasions, protesters surrounded and blocked off the police headquarters, threw eggs at the building and spray-painted surveillance cameras. The pro-police protesters tore down memorials and posters that had been put up over the past weeks, calling for Hong Kong's freedom and an end to police violence.\n\nPro-democracy protesters think that Hong Kong's relative autonomy, which is guaranteed under the \"one country, two systems\" framework, is at stake. Many here want Hong Kong to be able to pick its own leader and to abolish the current system in which chief executives such as Lam are selected by a committee, out of a small pool of candidates hand-picked by Beijing.\n\nLam, speaking Monday, said Hong Kong is \"backed by the motherland and open to the world\" and has benefited from the \"one country, two systems\" framework.\n\n\"I and the (Hong Kong) government will double our efforts to restore people's confidence and get Hong Kong off to a new start,\" she added.\n\nThe 22-year-old protester, however, scoffed at Lam's comments, dismissing her as a pawn of Beijing.\n\n\"She has not responded to us, or learned how to engage with us,\" he said.\n\nThe Washington Post's Timothy McLaughlin in Hong Kong and Yuan Wang in Beijing contributed to this report.\n\nThe Washington Post’s Timothy McLaughlin in Hong Kong and Yuan Wang in Beijing contributed to this report.", "Anti-government protestors in Hong Kong stormed into the Legislative Council building on Monday and painted the walls of the main debating chamber with graffiti, reports said. The protestors also hung a British colonial-era flag on the main podium.\n\nDozens of demonstrators broke through the glass door of the Legislative Council building, while shouting slogans and spray painting messages on the walls, BBC reported.\n\nA black and white banner hoisted in the debating chamber read in Chinese: “Bow to protect rule of law. Oppose extradition,” reported AFP.\n\nEarlier, the police had held signs warning they would use force if protesters charged the glass exterior walls of the building. They later warned that anyone who breached an internal metal gate would be arrested. According to Reuters, riot police fired pepper spray to disperse the crowd.\n\nThousands of people in Hong Kong took to the streets on Monday for a rally to mark the 22nd anniversary of Hong Kong’s handover from British to Chinese rule. This was the latest in a series of protests against the extradition bill that could allow people in Hong Kong to be sent to China for trials. The Hong Kong government has agreed to suspend the bill indefinitely, but rallies have continued amid calls for Chief Executive Carrie Lam to resign.\n\nThe protests on Monday were mostly peaceful, but a breakaway group of protestors moved to the government building around noon and began ramming the glass door with a metal trolley, but the protestors later dispersed. In the evening, some of them returned to Monday evening, some then returned to Legislative Council building and began pulling off external fencing and entered the building. Protestors then managed to open a gate inside the building and gained access to the chambers.\n\nThe Hong Kong police gave an ultimatum to protesters who seized the Legislative Council, warning that they would use “appropriate force” if they are met with resistance while clearing the area, AFP reported.", "HONG KONG (AP) — China’s government strongly backed Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam’s embattled administration on Tuesday, saying the occupation and vandalizing of the city’s legislature by pro-democracy protesters amounted to “serious illegal acts” that endangered the social order.\n\nForeign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said Beijing condemned the acts that saw several hundred demonstrators break through glass and steel barriers to enter the building on Monday night.\n\nGeng said China's central government strongly supported Hong Kong's government and its police force in dealing with the incident in accordance with law.\n\n\"The violent attacks ... are serious illegal acts that trample on the rule of law and endanger social order. We strongly condemn it,\" Geng told reporters at a daily briefing.\n\nGeng also reiterated China's rejection of any foreign nation commenting on or intervening in protest actions in Hong Kong, saying such matters were a purely Chinese affair and other countries \"must not support any violent criminals in any form, and not send any misleading signals or take any erroneous actions.\"\n\nThe Cabinet's Hong Kong affairs office issued virtually an identical statement under the name of an unidentified spokesman.\n\nGeng's comments follow the publication of an editorial by a ruling Chinese Communist Party newspaper that said the demonstrators who broke into the local legislature showed their \"arrogance\" and had no regard for the rule of law.\n\nChinese state media ran footage of police in Hong Kong clearing protesters from streets in the early hours of Tuesday in a break with their silence over days of pro-democracy demonstrations that have challenged Beijing's authority over the semi-autonomous Chinese territory.\n\nBeijing has largely sought to downplay the demonstrations that have highlighted doubts about the validity of its \"one country, two systems\" formula for governing the former British colony. Its coverage of the protests and the publication of a harsh editorial in the official Communist Party newspaper Global Times may indicate it is prepared to take a tougher line against the demonstrators following days of forbearance.\n\n\"These violent assailants in their arrogance pay no heed to Hong Kong's law, no doubt arousing the anger and sadness of all people of the city of Hong Kong,\" the editorial said.\n\nVeteran opposition figure Joshua Wong acknowledged that the damage to the legislative offices has drawn criticism from some sectors in the Asian financial hub. But he said mass participation in marches and rallies over previous weeks showed there was a groundswell of support for the demonstrators' goals of demanding more accountability from Lam's administration.\n\n\"I understand people in Hong Kong and around the world might not 100% agree or disagree on all of the behavior of protesters ... but all of the requests have been ignored. So is there any way out?\" Wong said.\n\nLam is \"not capable as leader anymore\" and should resign, Wong said, echoing the demand of many protesters. Having been elected by a Beijing-approved committee, Lam is reliant on continuing support from Beijing, which has shown no outward signs of abandoning her so far.\n\nWong also alleged that police officers had \"double standards\" in enforcing the law, saying pro-Beijing legislators and their staff members have benefited by better treatment than their opposition counterparts throughout the weeks of protest outside the legislature.\n\nOn the mainland, Beijing had sought to suppress news of the protests, which roughly coincided with celebrations of the 22nd anniversary of Hong Kong's handover from British to Chinese rule. The demonstrations reflect mounting frustration with Lam and her government for not responding to demands from opposition figures that were originally sparked by a government attempt to change extradition laws to allow suspects to be sent to China for trial. Lam has shelved the bills but not agreed to scrap them altogether as opponents insist she does.\n\nHundreds of protesters swarmed into Hong Kong's legislature Monday night, defacing portraits of lawmakers and spray-painting pro-democracy slogans in the chamber before vacating it as riot police cleared surrounding streets with tear gas and then moved inside.\n\nProtesters whacked away at thick glass windows until they shattered and then pried open steel security gates. Police initially retreated as the protesters entered, avoiding a confrontation and giving them the run of the building, during which they spray painted slogans calling for a democratic election of Hong Kong's leader and denouncing the extradition legislation. Many wore yellow and white helmets, face masks and the black T-shirts that have become their uniform.\n\nThe actions prompted organizers of a separate peaceful march against the extradition bill to change the endpoint of their protest from the legislature to a nearby park, after police asked them to call it off or change the route. Police wanted the march to end earlier in Hong Kong's Wan Chai district, but organizers said that would leave out many people who planned to join the march along the way.\n\nPolice estimated that 190,000 people joined the peaceful march, the third major one in as many weeks. Organizers put the turnout at 550,000.\n\nThe extradition proposal has heightened fears of eroding freedoms in Hong Kong, which Britain returned to China on July 1, 1997. Debate on the measure has been suspended indefinitely. Protesters want the bills formally withdrawn and Lam to resign.\n\nLam, who has come under withering criticism for trying to push the legislation through, called a rare pre-dawn news conference with security officials Tuesday at police headquarters. She noted that two different protests happened Monday — one a generally orderly march that reflected Hong Kong's inclusiveness, the other using vandalism and violence.\n\n\"This is something we should seriously condemn,\" she said.\n\nLam disputed protesters' complaints that officials had not responded to them, saying the government explained that by suspending the bill with no timetable or plan to revisit it, the legislation would die at the end of the current legislative session in July 2020.\n\nFor the other demands, she said releasing arrested protesters without an investigation would not uphold the rule of law.\n\nThe extradition bill controversy has given fresh momentum to Hong Kong's pro-democracy opposition movement, awakening broader concerns that China is chipping away at the rights guaranteed to Hong Kong for 50 years under the \"one country, two systems\" framework. The two marches in June drew more than a million people, according to organizer estimates.\n\nSurveying damage to the building on Tuesday morning, Legislative Council President Andrew Leung said the previous night's violence had undermined \"the core values of Hong Kong.\" He said police were collecting evidence of criminal wrongdoing.\n\n\"I believe many Hong Kong people will share the same feeling with me that we are saddened by what happened last night. For the best interest of Hong Kong, I hope that all of us can find the way forward professionally,\" Leung said.\n\nWhile the extradition bills and police use of tear gas and rubber bullets against protesters have drawn expressions of concern from professional groups and foreign governments, the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong said Tuesday that it supported Lam's government in condemning the violence at the legislature.\n\n“We believe the violent protests of recent days do not reflect how the majority of people in this dynamic and advanced economy would choose to be heard,” the chamber said in an emailed statement.", "HONG KONG (AP) — Chinese state media ran footage Tuesday of police in Hong Kong clearing protesters from streets in a break with its silence over several past days of pro-democracy demonstrations.\n\nBeijing has largely sought to downplay the demonstrations that have highlighted doubts about the validity of its “one country, two systems” formula for governing the former British colony. Its coverage of the protests and the publication of a harsh editorial in the official Communist Party newspaper Global Times may indicate it is prepared to take a tougher line against the demonstrators following days of forbearance.\n\n“These violent assailants in their arrogance pay no heed to Hong Kong’s law, no doubt arousing the anger and sadness of all people of the city of Hong Kong,” the editorial said.\n\nFootage aired Tuesday showed police moving into roads surrounding the legislative council, where protesters smashed through glass and metal barriers to occupy the space for about three hours on Monday night.\n\nBeijing had sought to suppress news of the weeks of protests coinciding with celebrations of Chinese rule. The demonstrations reflect mounting frustration with Hong Kong’s leader for not responding to demands after several weeks of protests sparked by a government attempt to change extradition laws to allow suspects to be sent to China for trial.\n\nHundreds of protesters swarmed into Hong Kong’s legislature Monday night, defacing portraits of lawmakers and spray-painting pro-democracy slogans in the chamber before vacating it as riot police cleared surrounding streets with tear gas and then moved inside.\n\nThe occupation came on the 22nd anniversary of Hong Kong’s return to China.\n\nProtesters whacked away at thick glass windows until they shattered and then pried open steel security gates. Police initially retreated as the protesters entered, avoiding a confrontation and giving them the run of the building.\n\nDemonstrators stood on lawmakers’ desks and painted over the territory’s emblem on a wall. The crowd also wrote slogans calling for a democratic election of Hong Kong’s leader and denouncing the extradition legislation. Many wore yellow and white helmets, face masks and the black T-shirts that have become their uniform.\n\nThe actions prompted organizers of a separate peaceful march against the extradition bill to change the endpoint of their protest from the legislature to a nearby park, after police asked them to call it off or change the route. Police wanted the march to end earlier in the city’s Wan Chai district, but organizers said that would leave out many people who planned to join the march along the way.\n\nPolice estimated that 190,000 people joined the peaceful march, the third major one in as many weeks. Organizers put the number at 550,000.\n\nThe extradition proposal has heightened fears of eroding freedoms in the territory, which Britain returned to China on July 1, 1997. Debate on the measure has been suspended indefinitely. Protesters want the bills formally withdrawn and Hong Kong’s embattled leader, Carrie Lam, to resign.\n\nLam, who has come under withering criticism for trying to push the legislation through, called a rare pre-dawn news conference with security officials at police headquarters. She noted that two different protests happened Monday — one a generally orderly march that reflected Hong Kong’s inclusiveness, the other using vandalism and violence.\n\n“This is something we should seriously condemn,” she said.\n\nLam disputed protesters’ complaints that officials had not responded to them, saying the government explained that by suspending the bill with no timetable or plan to revisit it, the legislation would die at the end of the current legislative session in July 2020.\n\nFor the other demands, she said releasing arrested protesters without an investigation would not uphold the rule of law.\n\nThe extradition bill controversy has given fresh momentum to Hong Kong’s pro-democracy opposition movement, awakening broader concerns that China is chipping away at the rights guaranteed to Hong Kong for 50 years under the “one country, two systems” framework. The two marches in June drew more than a million people, according to organizer estimates.\n\nSurveying damage to the building on Tuesday morning, Legislative Council President Andrew Leung said the previous night’s violence had undermined “the core values of Hong Kong.” He said police were collecting evidence of criminal wrongdoing.\n\n“I believe many Hong Kong people will share the same feeling with me that we are saddened by what happened last night. For the best interest of Hong Kong, I hope that all of us can find the way forward professionally,” Leung said.", "HONG KONG — Chinese state media ran footage Tuesday of police in Hong Kong clearing protesters from streets in a break with its silence over several past days of pro-democracy demonstrations.\n\nBeijing has largely sought to downplay the demonstrations that have highlighted doubts about the validity of its \"one country, two systems\" formula for governing the former British colony. Its coverage of the protests and the publication of a harsh editorial in the official Communist Party newspaper Global Times may indicate it is prepared to take a tougher line against the demonstrators following days of forbearance.\n\n\"These violent assailants in their arrogance pay no heed to Hong Kong's law, no doubt arousing the anger and sadness of all people of the city of Hong Kong,\" the editorial said.\n\nFootage aired Tuesday showed police moving into roads surrounding the legislative council, where protesters smashed through glass and metal barriers to occupy the space for about three hours on Monday night.\n\nBeijing had sought to suppress news of the weeks of protests coinciding with celebrations of Chinese rule. The demonstrations reflect mounting frustration with Hong Kong's leader for not responding to demands after several weeks of protests sparked by a government attempt to change extradition laws to allow suspects to be sent to China for trial.\n\nHundreds of protesters swarmed into Hong Kong's legislature Monday night, defacing portraits of lawmakers and spray-painting pro-democracy slogans in the chamber before vacating it as riot police cleared surrounding streets with tear gas and then moved inside.\n\nThe occupation came on the 22nd anniversary of Hong Kong's return to China.\n\nProtesters whacked away at thick glass windows until they shattered and then pried open steel security gates. Police initially retreated as the protesters entered, avoiding a confrontation and giving them the run of the building.\n\nDemonstrators stood on lawmakers' desks and painted over the territory's emblem on a wall. The crowd also wrote slogans calling for a democratic election of Hong Kong's leader and denouncing the extradition legislation. Many wore yellow and white helmets, face masks and the black T-shirts that have become their uniform.\n\nThe actions prompted organizers of a separate peaceful march against the extradition bill to change the endpoint of their protest from the legislature to a nearby park, after police asked them to call it off or change the route. Police wanted the march to end earlier in the city's Wan Chai district, but organizers said that would leave out many people who planned to join the march along the way.\n\nPolice estimated that 190,000 people joined the peaceful march, the third major one in as many weeks. Organizers put the number at 550,000.\n\nThe extradition proposal has heightened fears of eroding freedoms in the territory, which Britain returned to China on July 1, 1997. Debate on the measure has been suspended indefinitely. Protesters want the bills formally withdrawn and Hong Kong's embattled leader, Carrie Lam, to resign.\n\nLam, who has come under withering criticism for trying to push the legislation through, called a rare pre-dawn news conference with security officials at police headquarters. She noted that two different protests happened Monday — one a generally orderly march that reflected Hong Kong's inclusiveness, the other using vandalism and violence.\n\n\"This is something we should seriously condemn,\" she said.\n\nLam disputed protesters' complaints that officials had not responded to them, saying the government explained that by suspending the bill with no timetable or plan to revisit it, the legislation would die at the end of the current legislative session in July 2020.\n\nFor the other demands, she said releasing arrested protesters without an investigation would not uphold the rule of law.\n\nThe extradition bill controversy has given fresh momentum to Hong Kong's pro-democracy opposition movement, awakening broader concerns that China is chipping away at the rights guaranteed to Hong Kong for 50 years under the \"one country, two systems\" framework. The two marches in June drew more than a million people, according to organizer estimates.\n\nSurveying damage to the building on Tuesday morning, Legislative Council President Andrew Leung said the previous night's violence had undermined \"the core values of Hong Kong.\" He said police were collecting evidence of criminal wrongdoing.\n\n\"I believe many Hong Kong people will share the same feeling with me that we are saddened by what happened last night. For the best interest of Hong Kong, I hope that all of us can find the way forward professionally,\" Leung said.", "HONG KONG, July 1 (Reuters) - Hundreds of Hong Kong protesters stormed the legislature on the anniversary of the city's 1997 return to China on Monday, destroying pictures and daubing walls with graffiti in a direct challenge to China as anger over an extradition bill spiralled out of control.\n\nSome carried road signs, others corrugated iron sheets and pieces of scaffolding as about a thousand gathered around the Legislative Council building in the heart of the former British colony's financial district.\n\nSome sat at legislators' desks, checking their phones, while others scrawled \"anti-extradition\" on chamber walls.\n\nThe government called for an immediate end to the violence, saying it had stopped all work on extradition bill amendments and that the legislation would automatically lapse in July next year.\n\n\"Some radical protesters stormed the Legislative Council Complex with extreme violence,\" a government spokesman said in a statement. \"These protesters seriously jeopardised the safety of police officers and members of the public. Such violent acts are unacceptable to society.\"\n\nThere was no immediate response from the protesters, although some appeared to retreat as the evening wore on. Police said they would clear the area shortly.\n\nA small group of mostly students wearing hard hats and masks had used a metal trolley, poles and scaffolding to charge again and again at the compound's reinforced glass doors, which eventually gave.\n\nThe council, the mini-parliament, issued a red alert, ordering the protesters to leave immediately.\n\nThe Legislative Council Secretariat released a statement cancelling business for Tuesday. The central government offices said they would close on Tuesday \"owing to security consideration\", while all guided tours to the Legislative Council complex were suspended until further notice.\n\nRiot police in helmets and carrying batons earlier fired pepper spray as the standoff continued into the sweltering heat of the evening. Some demonstrators removed steel bars that were reinforcing parts of the council building.\n\nBanners hanging over flyovers at the protest site read: \"Free Hong Kong.\"\n\nThe protesters, some with cling film wrapped around their arms to protect their skin in the event of tear gas, once again paralysed parts of the Asian financial hub as they occupied roads after blocking them off with metal barriers.\n\nHong Kong leader Carrie Lam suspended the bill on June 15 after some of the largest and most violent protests in the city in decades, but stopped short of protesters' demands to scrap it.\n\nIt was not immediately clear that the announcement it would lapse would ease the tension.\n\nThe Beijing-backed leader is now clinging on to her job at a time of an unprecedented backlash against the government that poses the greatest popular challenge to Chinese leader Xi Jinping since he came to power in 2012.\n\n\"The kind of deafness that I see in the government this time around despite these protests is really worrying. The complete disregard for the will of the people is what alarms me,\" said Steve, a British lawyer who has worked in Hong Kong for 30 years.\n\n\"If this bill is not completely scrapped, I will have no choice but to leave my home, Hong Kong.\"\n\nOpponents of the extradition bill, which would allow people to be sent to mainland China for trial in courts controlled by the Communist Party, fear it is a threat to Hong Kong's much-cherished rule of law.\n\nHong Kong returned to China under a \"one country, two systems\" formula that allows freedoms not enjoyed in mainland China, including freedom to protest and an independent judiciary.\n\nBeijing denies interfering but, for many Hong Kong residents, the extradition bill is the latest step in a relentless march towards mainland control.\n\nChina has been angered by criticism from Western capitals, including Washington and London, about the legislation. Beijing said on Monday that Britain had no responsibility for Hong Kong any more and was opposed to its \"gesticulating\" about the territory.\n\nTens of thousands marched in temperatures of around 33 degrees Celsius (91.4°F) from Victoria Park in an annual rally. Many clapped as protesters held up a poster of Lam inside a bamboo cage. Organisers said 550,000 turned out. Police said there were 190,000 at their peak.\n\nMore than a million people have taken to the streets at times over the past three weeks to vent their anger.\n\nA tired-looking Lam appeared in public for the first time in nearly two weeks, before the storming of the legislature, flanked by her husband and former Hong Kong leader Tung Chee-hwa.\n\n\"The incident that happened in recent months has led to controversies and disputes between the public and the government,\" she said. \"This has made me fully realise that I, as a politician, have to remind myself all the time of the need to grasp public sentiment accurately.\"\n\nPro-democracy lawmakers and the protest organiser said Lam has ignored the demands of the people and pushed youngsters towards desperation, despite pledging to listen to people's demands.\n\nBeijing's grip over Hong Kong has intensified markedly since Xi took power and after pro-democracy street protests that gripped the city in 2014 but failed to wrestle concessions from China.\n\nTensions spiralled on June 12 when police fired rubber bullets and tear gas at protesters near the heart of the city, sending plumes of smoke billowing among some of the world's tallest skyscrapers.\n\nThe uproar has reignited a protest movement that had lost steam after the failed 2014 demonstrations that led to the arrests of hundreds.\n\nActivists raised a black bauhinia flag to half mast outside the Legislative Council building before the rally and turned Hong Kong's official flag, featuring a white bauhinia flower on a red background, upside down.\n\nThe turmoil comes at a delicate time for Beijing, which is grappling with a trade dispute with the United States, a faltering economy and tensions in the South China Sea.\n\nBeyond the public outcry, the extradition bill has spooked some Hong Kong tycoons into starting to move their personal wealth offshore, according to financial advisers familiar with the details. (Additional reporting by Reuters TV, Alun John, Vimvam Tong, Thomas Peter, David Lague, Jessie Pang, Felix Tam, Sharon Lam, Donny Kwok, Joyce Zhou and Twinnie Siu in HONG KONG and Ben Blanchard in BEIJING, Writing by Anne Marie Roantree Editing by Nick Macfie)", "Protesters gather inside the meeting hall of the Legislative Council in Hong Kong, Monday, July 1, 2019. Protesters in Hong Kong took over the legislature’s main building Friday night, tearing down portraits of legislative leaders and spray painting pro-democracy slogans on the walls of the main chamber. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)\n\nHONG KONG (AP) — China’s government strongly backed Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam’s embattled administration on Tuesday, saying the occupation and vandalizing of the city’s legislature by pro-democracy protesters amounted to “serious illegal acts” that endangered the social order.\n\nForeign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said Beijing condemned the acts that saw several hundred demonstrators break through glass and steel barriers to enter the building on Monday night.\n\nGeng said China’s central government strongly supported Hong Kong’s government and its police force in dealing with the incident in accordance with law.\n\n“The violent attacks … are serious illegal acts that trample on the rule of law and endanger social order. We strongly condemn it,” Geng told reporters at a daily briefing.\n\nGeng also reiterated China’s rejection of any foreign nation commenting on or intervening in protest actions in Hong Kong, saying such matters were a purely Chinese affair and other countries “must not support any violent criminals in any form, and not send any misleading signals or take any erroneous actions.”\n\nThe Cabinet’s Hong Kong affairs office issued virtually an identical statement under the name of an unidentified spokesman.\n\nGeng’s comments follow the publication of an editorial by a ruling Chinese Communist Party newspaper that said the demonstrators who broke into the local legislature showed their “arrogance” and had no regard for the rule of law.\n\nChinese state media ran footage of police in Hong Kong clearing protesters from streets in the early hours of Tuesday in a break with their silence over days of pro-democracy demonstrations that have challenged Beijing’s authority over the semi-autonomous Chinese territory.\n\nBeijing has largely sought to downplay the demonstrations that have highlighted doubts about the validity of its “one country, two systems” formula for governing the former British colony. Its coverage of the protests and the publication of a harsh editorial in the official Communist Party newspaper Global Times may indicate it is prepared to take a tougher line against the demonstrators following days of forbearance.\n\n“These violent assailants in their arrogance pay no heed to Hong Kong’s law, no doubt arousing the anger and sadness of all people of the city of Hong Kong,” the editorial said.\n\nVeteran opposition figure Joshua Wong acknowledged that the damage to the legislative offices has drawn criticism from some sectors in the Asian financial hub. But he said mass participation in marches and rallies over previous weeks showed there was a groundswell of support for the demonstrators’ goals of demanding more accountability from Lam’s administration.\n\n“I understand people in Hong Kong and around the world might not 100% agree or disagree on all of the behavior of protesters … but all of the requests have been ignored. So is there any way out?” Wong said.\n\nLam is “not capable as leader anymore” and should resign, Wong said, echoing the demand of many protesters. Having been elected by a Beijing-approved committee, Lam is reliant on continuing support from Beijing, which has shown no outward signs of abandoning her so far.\n\nWong also alleged that police officers had “double standards” in enforcing the law, saying pro-Beijing legislators and their staff members have benefited by better treatment than their opposition counterparts throughout the weeks of protest outside the legislature.\n\nOn the mainland, Beijing had sought to suppress news of the protests, which roughly coincided with celebrations of the 22nd anniversary of Hong Kong’s handover from British to Chinese rule. The demonstrations reflect mounting frustration with Lam and her government for not responding to demands from opposition figures that were originally sparked by a government attempt to change extradition laws to allow suspects to be sent to China for trial. Lam has shelved the bills but not agreed to scrap them altogether as opponents insist she does.\n\nHundreds of protesters swarmed into Hong Kong’s legislature Monday night, defacing portraits of lawmakers and spray-painting pro-democracy slogans in the chamber before vacating it as riot police cleared surrounding streets with tear gas and then moved inside.\n\nProtesters whacked away at thick glass windows until they shattered and then pried open steel security gates. Police initially retreated as the protesters entered, avoiding a confrontation and giving them the run of the building, during which they spray painted slogans calling for a democratic election of Hong Kong’s leader and denouncing the extradition legislation. Many wore yellow and white helmets, face masks and the black T-shirts that have become their uniform.\n\nThe actions prompted organizers of a separate peaceful march against the extradition bill to change the endpoint of their protest from the legislature to a nearby park, after police asked them to call it off or change the route. Police wanted the march to end earlier in Hong Kong’s Wan Chai district, but organizers said that would leave out many people who planned to join the march along the way.\n\nPolice estimated that 190,000 people joined the peaceful march, the third major one in as many weeks. Organizers put the turnout at 550,000.\n\nThe extradition proposal has heightened fears of eroding freedoms in Hong Kong, which Britain returned to China on July 1, 1997. Debate on the measure has been suspended indefinitely. Protesters want the bills formally withdrawn and Lam to resign.\n\nLam, who has come under withering criticism for trying to push the legislation through, called a rare pre-dawn news conference with security officials Tuesday at police headquarters. She noted that two different protests happened Monday — one a generally orderly march that reflected Hong Kong’s inclusiveness, the other using vandalism and violence.\n\n“This is something we should seriously condemn,” she said.\n\nLam disputed protesters’ complaints that officials had not responded to them, saying the government explained that by suspending the bill with no timetable or plan to revisit it, the legislation would die at the end of the current legislative session in July 2020.\n\nFor the other demands, she said releasing arrested protesters without an investigation would not uphold the rule of law.\n\nThe extradition bill controversy has given fresh momentum to Hong Kong’s pro-democracy opposition movement, awakening broader concerns that China is chipping away at the rights guaranteed to Hong Kong for 50 years under the “one country, two systems” framework. The two marches in June drew more than a million people, according to organizer estimates.\n\nSurveying damage to the building on Tuesday morning, Legislative Council President Andrew Leung said the previous night’s violence had undermined “the core values of Hong Kong.” He said police were collecting evidence of criminal wrongdoing.\n\n“I believe many Hong Kong people will share the same feeling with me that we are saddened by what happened last night. For the best interest of Hong Kong, I hope that all of us can find the way forward professionally,” Leung said.\n\nWhile the extradition bills and police use of tear gas and rubber bullets against protesters have drawn expressions of concern from professional groups and foreign governments, the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong said Tuesday that it supported Lam’s government in condemning the violence at the legislature.\n\n“We believe the violent protests of recent days do not reflect how the majority of people in this dynamic and advanced economy would choose to be heard,” the chamber said in an emailed statement.\n\nAssociated Press writer Christopher Bodeen in Beijing contributed to this report.", "HONG KONG, July 1 (Reuters) - Hong Kong protesters stormed the legislature on the anniversary of the city's 1997 return to Chinese rule on Monday in a direct challenge to Beijing, amid widespread anger over laws that would allow extraditions to China.\n\nA small group of mostly students wearing hard hats and masks used a metal trolley, poles and pieces of scaffolding to charge again and again at the compound's reinforced glass doors, which finally gave.\n\nSome protesters broke into the building, threatening to paralyze the workings of government, but it was unclear how many were still inside. The council, the mini-parliament in the former British colony, issued a red alert, ordering the protesters to leave immediately.\n\nIt did not say what would happen if they didn't.\n\nProtesters frantically shouted for and passed on helmets, cling film, masks and other utilities. Periodic shouts of \"helmets!,\" \"gloves!\" rang out as the crowd tried to get supplies to the front lines.\n\nRiot police in helmets and carrying batons fired pepper spray as the standoff continued into the sweltering heat of the evening. Some demonstrators removed steel bars that were reinforcing parts of the council building.\n\nBanners hanging over flyovers at the protest site read: \"Free Hong Kong.\"\n\nThe protesters, some with cling film wrapped around their arms to protect their skin in the event of tear gas, once again paralyzed parts of the Asian financial hub as they occupied roads after blocking them off with metal barriers.\n\nHong Kong leader Carrie Lam suspended the bill on June 15 after some of the largest and most violent protests in the city in decades, but stopped short of protesters' demands to scrap it.\n\nThe Beijing-backed leader is now clinging on to her job at a time of an unprecedented backlash against the government that poses the greatest popular challenge to Chinese leader Xi Jinping since he came to power in 2012.\n\n\"The kind of deafness that I see in the government this time around despite these protests is really worrying. The complete disregard for the will of the people is what alarms me,\" said Steve, a British lawyer show has worked in Hong Kong for 30 years.\n\n\"If this bill is not completely scrapped, I will have no choice but to leave my home, Hong Kong.\"\n\nTens of thousands clogged streets in and around the Legislative Council on Monday night.\n\nOpponents of the extradition bill, which would allow people to be sent to mainland China for trial in courts controlled by the Communist Party, fear it is a threat to Hong Kong's much-cherished rule of law and are demanding it be scrapped and Lam step down.\n\nHong Kong returned to China under a \"one country, two systems\" formula that allows freedoms not enjoyed in mainland China, including freedom to protest and an independent judiciary.\n\nBeijing denies interfering but, for many Hong Kong residents, the extradition bill is the latest step in a relentless march towards mainland control.\n\nChina has been angered by criticism from Western capitals, including Washington and London, about the legislation. Beijing said on Monday that Britain had no responsibility for Hong Kong any more and was opposed to its \"gesticulating\" about the territory.\n\nTens of thousands marched in temperatures of around 33 degrees Celsius (91.4°F) from Victoria Park in an annual rally. Many clapped as protesters held up a poster of Lam inside a bamboo cage.\n\nMore than a million people have taken to the streets at times over the past three weeks to vent their anger.\n\nA tired-looking Lam appeared in public for the first time in nearly two weeks, flanked by her husband and former Hong Kong leader Tung Chee-hwa.\n\n\"The incident that happened in recent months has led to controversies and disputes between the public and the government,\" she said. \"This has made me fully realize that I, as a politician, have to remind myself all the time of the need to grasp public sentiment accurately.\"\n\nBeijing's grip over Hong Kong has intensified markedly since Xi took power and after pro-democracy street protests that gripped the city in 2014 but failed to wrestle concessions from China.\n\nThe extradition bill has sent jitters across all sectors of Hong Kong in an unprecedented backlash against the government.\n\nTensions spiraled on June 12 when police fired rubber bullets and tear gas at anti-extradition protesters near the heart of the city, sending plumes of smoke billowing among some of the world's tallest skyscrapers.\n\nThe uproar has reignited a protest movement that had lost steam after the failed 2014 demonstrations that led to the arrests of hundreds.\n\nActivists raised a black bauhinia flag to half mast outside the Legislative Council building before the rally and turned Hong Kong's official flag, featuring a white bauhinia flower on a red background, upside down.\n\nThe turmoil comes at a delicate time for Beijing, which is grappling with a trade dispute with the United States, a faltering economy and tensions in the South China Sea.\n\nOpponents of the extradition bill fear it would put them at the mercy of China's justice system, where human rights are not guaranteed.\n\nBeyond the public outcry, the extradition bill has spooked some of Hong Kong's tycoons into starting to move their personal wealth offshore, according to financial advisers, bankers and lawyers familiar with the details. (Additional reporting by Vimvam Tong, Thomas Peter, Jessie Pang, Anne Marie Roantree, Sharon Lam, Donny Kwok, Joyce Zhou, Twinnie Siu, David Lague and Felix Tam in HONG KONG and Ben Blanchard in BEIJING, Writing by Anne Marie Roantree Editing by Nick Macfie)", "HONG KONG (AP) — China's government strongly backed Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam's embattled administration on Tuesday, saying the occupation and vandalizing of the city's legislature by pro-democracy protesters amounted to \"serious illegal acts\" that endangered the social order.\n\nForeign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said Beijing condemned the acts that saw several hundred demonstrators break through glass and steel barriers to enter the building on Monday night.\n\nGeng said China's central government strongly supported Hong Kong's government and its police force in dealing with the incident in accordance with law.\n\n\"The violent attacks ... are serious illegal acts that trample on the rule of law and endanger social order. We strongly condemn it,\" Geng told reporters at a daily briefing.\n\nGeng also reiterated China's rejection of any foreign nation commenting on or intervening in protest actions in Hong Kong, saying such matters were a purely Chinese affair and other countries \"must not support any violent criminals in any form, and not send any misleading signals or take any erroneous actions.\"\n\nThe Cabinet's Hong Kong affairs office issued virtually an identical statement under the name of an unidentified spokesman.\n\nGeng's comments follow the publication of an editorial by a ruling Chinese Communist Party newspaper that said the demonstrators who broke into the local legislature showed their \"arrogance\" and had no regard for the rule of law.\n\nChinese state media ran footage of police in Hong Kong clearing protesters from streets in the early hours of Tuesday in a break with their silence over days of pro-democracy demonstrations that have challenged Beijing's authority over the semi-autonomous Chinese territory.\n\nBeijing has largely sought to downplay the demonstrations that have highlighted doubts about the validity of its \"one country, two systems\" formula for governing the former British colony. Its coverage of the protests and the publication of a harsh editorial in the official Communist Party newspaper Global Times may indicate it is prepared to take a tougher line against the demonstrators following days of forbearance.\n\n\"These violent assailants in their arrogance pay no heed to Hong Kong's law, no doubt arousing the anger and sadness of all people of the city of Hong Kong,\" the editorial said.\n\nVeteran opposition figure Joshua Wong acknowledged that the damage to the legislative offices has drawn criticism from some sectors in the Asian financial hub. But he said mass participation in marches and rallies over previous weeks showed there was a groundswell of support for the demonstrators' goals of demanding more accountability from Lam's administration.\n\n\"I understand people in Hong Kong and around the world might not 100% agree or disagree on all of the behavior of protesters ... but all of the requests have been ignored. So is there any way out?\" Wong said.\n\nLam is \"not capable as leader anymore\" and should resign, Wong said, echoing the demand of many protesters. Having been elected by a Beijing-approved committee, Lam is reliant on continuing support from Beijing, which has shown no outward signs of abandoning her so far.\n\nWong also alleged that police officers had \"double standards\" in enforcing the law, saying pro-Beijing legislators and their staff members have benefited by better treatment than their opposition counterparts throughout the weeks of protest outside the legislature.\n\nOn the mainland, Beijing had sought to suppress news of the protests, which roughly coincided with celebrations of the 22nd anniversary of Hong Kong's handover from British to Chinese rule. The demonstrations reflect mounting frustration with Lam and her government for not responding to demands from opposition figures that were originally sparked by a government attempt to change extradition laws to allow suspects to be sent to China for trial. Lam has shelved the bills but not agreed to scrap them altogether as opponents insist she does.\n\nHundreds of protesters swarmed into Hong Kong's legislature Monday night, defacing portraits of lawmakers and spray-painting pro-democracy slogans in the chamber before vacating it as riot police cleared surrounding streets with tear gas and then moved inside.\n\nProtesters whacked away at thick glass windows until they shattered and then pried open steel security gates. Police initially retreated as the protesters entered, avoiding a confrontation and giving them the run of the building, during which they spray painted slogans calling for a democratic election of Hong Kong's leader and denouncing the extradition legislation. Many wore yellow and white helmets, face masks and the black T-shirts that have become their uniform.\n\nThe actions prompted organizers of a separate peaceful march against the extradition bill to change the endpoint of their protest from the legislature to a nearby park, after police asked them to call it off or change the route. Police wanted the march to end earlier in Hong Kong's Wan Chai district, but organizers said that would leave out many people who planned to join the march along the way.\n\nPolice estimated that 190,000 people joined the peaceful march, the third major one in as many weeks. Organizers put the turnout at 550,000.\n\nThe extradition proposal has heightened fears of eroding freedoms in Hong Kong, which Britain returned to China on July 1, 1997. Debate on the measure has been suspended indefinitely. Protesters want the bills formally withdrawn and Lam to resign.\n\nLam, who has come under withering criticism for trying to push the legislation through, called a rare pre-dawn news conference with security officials Tuesday at police headquarters. She noted that two different protests happened Monday — one a generally orderly march that reflected Hong Kong's inclusiveness, the other using vandalism and violence.\n\n\"This is something we should seriously condemn,\" she said.\n\nLam disputed protesters' complaints that officials had not responded to them, saying the government explained that by suspending the bill with no timetable or plan to revisit it, the legislation would die at the end of the current legislative session in July 2020.\n\nFor the other demands, she said releasing arrested protesters without an investigation would not uphold the rule of law.\n\nThe extradition bill controversy has given fresh momentum to Hong Kong's pro-democracy opposition movement, awakening broader concerns that China is chipping away at the rights guaranteed to Hong Kong for 50 years under the \"one country, two systems\" framework. The two marches in June drew more than a million people, according to organizer estimates.\n\nSurveying damage to the building on Tuesday morning, Legislative Council President Andrew Leung said the previous night's violence had undermined \"the core values of Hong Kong.\" He said police were collecting evidence of criminal wrongdoing.\n\n\"I believe many Hong Kong people will share the same feeling with me that we are saddened by what happened last night. For the best interest of Hong Kong, I hope that all of us can find the way forward professionally,\" Leung said.\n\nWhile the extradition bills and police use of tear gas and rubber bullets against protesters have drawn expressions of concern from professional groups and foreign governments, the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong said Tuesday that it supported Lam's government in condemning the violence at the legislature.\n\n\"We believe the violent protests of recent days do not reflect how the majority of people in this dynamic and advanced economy would choose to be heard,\" the chamber said in an emailed statement.\n\nAssociated Press writer Christopher Bodeen in Beijing contributed to this report."], "summary": "China warns the United Kingdom that \"no country has the right to intervene on the issue of mass protests in Hong Kong\", as it considers the problems of this self-governed city an \"internal problem\". For China, the agreement by which the United Kingdom returned Hong Kong is nothing more than \"a historical document of no practical importance\" and \"that European country no longer has any responsibility over Hong Kong\". The British chancellery, for its part, dismissed the Chinese opinion, and has said that \"it is the right and obligation of the United Kingdom to work to enforce the agreement\", which, in theory, guarantees a high degree of autonomy for Hong Kong for 50 years until 2047 without Chinese interference."}
{"document": ["(Reuters) - Five senior advisers are leaving the 2020 U.S. presidential campaign of Democrat John Hickenlooper after staff urged the former Colorado governor to quit the race as his fundraising flounders, a source with knowledge of the situation said.\n\nFILE PHOTO: Author Marianne Williamson and former Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper debate during the second night of the first U.S. Democratic presidential candidates 2020 election debate in Miami, Florida, U.S., June 27, 2019. REUTERS/Mike Segar/File Photo\n\nHickenlooper’s campaign confirmed the departures on Tuesday. On Monday, the candidate announced he was hiring M.E. Smith to succeed former campaign manager Bradley Komar.\n\nThe centrist former governor, one of 25 Democrats seeking the party’s nomination to run against incumbent Republican Donald Trump, would not quit, the source said.\n\nAsked whether his staff were let go or quit, Hickenlooper, 67, told MSNBC on Tuesday that it was “a combination of the two - we felt that it was time to make a change.”\n\n“I used to be in the restaurant business and it’s a little bit like putting a restaurant together. Sometimes you don’t quite get the right team in at the right time,” he said.\n\nStaff members discussed the state of the campaign with Hickenlooper at a June meeting, advising him to find a graceful way to bow out of the November 2020 White House contest, said the source, who asked not to be named in order to speak freely.\n\nThe campaign has not commented on the June meeting or the fundraising figure, and did not make Smith immediately available to respond.\n\nHickenlooper brought in donations of $1.1 million the last three months, half of his haul in the first quarter of 2019, the source said. Rivals U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders and South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, announced $18 million and $24.8 million in donations, respectively.\n\nHickenlooper, who also served as mayor of Denver and made his fortune as a brew-pub owner, has sought to distinguish himself in the crowded Democratic field as a moderate who opposes what he calls the socialist policies backed by Sanders.\n\nHickenlooper’s campaign has yet to announce his fundraising for the second quarter, which ended on Sunday. Campaigns must submit reports for the quarter by July 15.\n\nHe positions himself as someone who as Colorado governor enacted progressive policies with a bipartisan approach.\n\nOthers leaving his campaign include finance director Dan Sorenson, who is going to work for the presidential campaign of former Texas Congressman Beto O’Rourke; communications director Lauren Hitt; digital director John Schueler and New Hampshire political director Nolan Varee.", "Democratic presidential hopeful John Hickenlooper is bringing on a new campaign manager and losing several key staffers, as his long-shot bid for the White House has struggled to get off the ground.\n\nMr. Hickenlooper’s campaign said late Monday that M.E. Smith — a former campaign staffer for Mr. Hickenlooper, Sen. Bob Casey and Sen. Michael Bennet — will serve as his new campaign manager.\n\nMs. Smith replaces Brad Komar, who along with finance director Dan Sorenson is moving on from the campaign, according to multiple reports. Campaign spokeswoman Lauren Hitt is also expected to leave shortly.\n\n“M.E. has shown again and again that she knows how to lead successful campaigns in politically difficult terrain,” Mr. Hickenlooper said. “With her extensive experience in political strategy, campaign management, and policy, I could not be more excited to have her leading the team.”\n\nThe news comes at the close of the second quarter fundraising period, which is likely to show Mr. Hickenlooper well back of top-tier contenders in terms of money raised and cash on hand.\n\nMr. Hickenlooper, a former governor of Colorado, has tried to carve out a place in the moderate lane of the 2020 Democratic presidential field by criticizing far-reaching policy proposals such as Sen. Bernard Sanders’ “Medicare for All” health care plan and saying repeatedly that Democrats must reject “socialism” in order to defeat President Trump.", "This post was originally published on this site\n\nPolitical News Five key staffers leaving Hickenlooper campaign in major shakeup https://linewsradio.com/five-key-staffers-leaving-hickenlooper-campaign-in-major-shakeup/ http://abcnewsradioonline.com/politics-news/\n\nJIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — At least five key aides to John Hickenlooper have confirmed they’re leaving his campaign or intend to do so in the coming weeks.\n\nBrad Komar, campaign manager; Dan Sorenson, national finance director; Lauren Hitt, communications director; John Schueler, digital director; and Nolan Varee, New Hampshire political director are all moving on, decisions all confirmed to ABC News, which was the first to report the departures of Schueler and Varee.\n\nThe news comes on the heels of the first Democratic debate, at which the former Colorado governor’s middling bid wasn’t re-energized as was that of several key rivals. Polls after the debate said he failed to stand out on a crowded stage even after weeks of volleyed barbs with Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., over socialism.\n\nPerhaps more important, this shakeup comes the day after the close of the second quarter for campaign fundraising, making it especially telling that Hickenlooper’s finance director is among those on their way out.\n\nHickenlooper, not unlike several fellow 2020ers, was expected to be lagging behind the Democratic National Committee’s 130,000-donor benchmark required to participate in debates in September.\n\nSorenson confirmed he’ll be moving to Beto O’Rourke’s team as national finance director.\n\nAfter Hitt told ABC News that “for personal and professional reasons, it made sense to be in Texas” for Sorenson, she confirmed she’d also be “transitioning out” very soon.\n\nThe other departing aides may be weighing offers from other campaigns, although it’s unlikely they’ll be following Sorenson en masse to O’Rourke’s, sources told ABC News.\n\nThe trail ahead may grow rockier for the Hickenlooper team as Brendan Koch, deputy finance director, also may be leaving the team, one of the five departing staffers told ABC News.\n\nSources close to the Hickenlooper campaign staff said this shakeup may be a “Hail Mary” pass, especially in the buildup to the next round of debates, a characterization with which departing aides didn’t disagree.\n\nThe campaign also just announced it’s hired M.E. Smith as campaign manager to replace Komar, who ran Hickenlooper’s 2014 gubernatorial campaign.\n\nServing two terms as governor of Colorado, including during the 2012 Aurora theater shooting, Hickenlooper touted a record of getting progressive things done in a purple state and boasted more moderate positions compared with much of a left-leaning 2020 field.\n\nHickenlooper has pledged to stay in the race for the long haul, standing tall for “all we believe in” and standing up “against all that divides us.”\n\nAs criteria for winning a spot on the debate stage ratchets up — along with the competition — it’s now an open question who remains standing alongside the former governor.", "Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper’s senior team urged him last month to withdraw from the presidential race gracefully and run for Colorado’s Senate seat or pursue other opportunities, a source familiar with the situation told POLITICO.\n\nThe source said that the campaign only has about 13,000 donors, making it almost impossible to qualify for the next round of presidential debates in the fall. The campaign also only raised just over $1 million in the second quarter — about what he raised in the first 48 hours of his candidacy — and will likely run out of money completely in about a month.\n\nAt least five staffers have left or are leaving Hickenlooper’s struggling operation, including his campaign manager, communications director, digital director and finance director. Hickenlooper named a new campaign manager on Monday night.\n\nHickenlooper publicly blamed his former staff Tuesday for his failure to gain traction in the crowded Democratic primary.\n\n“We thought it was time to make a change,” he told MSNBC’s Craig Melvin. “You know, these campaigns are long, hard campaigns and you don’t always get it right with the first team.”\n\nBut a source familiar with the situation disputed the governor’s characterization, saying he is lashing out at the political professionals around him and surrounding himself with Colorado loyalists rather than confronting reality.\n\nThe Hickenlooper campaign declined to comment.\n\nIn an email to supporters Monday, Hickenlooper said, “Thanks to this team, we crossed the finish line of last night’s June fundraising sprint in great shape.”\n\nAsked about his fundraising in the interview with MSNBC, however, Hickenlooper conceded “we certainly haven’t raised $24 million,” a reference to second-quarter sums reported by the campaigns of South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.\n\n“I’m not going to get into it until we pull the numbers together,” he added. “But the bottom line is for a small campaign like us … it’s harder to raise money because we’re not promising free health care or, you know, to forgive free tuition for everyone, forgive student debt.”\n\nLauren Hitt, Hickenlooper’s outgoing communications director, told POLITICO on Monday that campaign manager Brad Komar and finance director Dan Sorenson are no longer with the campaign.\n\n“I will also be transitioning out over the next few weeks,” she said.\n\nABC News later reported that digital director John Schueler and New Hampshire political director Nolan Varee are also leaving the campaign.\n\nSorenson has joined Beto O’Rourke’s presidential campaign, and Hickenlooper named M.E. Smith his new campaign manager Monday night.\n\nHickenlooper met the polling requirement to qualify for last week’s debate and the upcoming debate in July. But his prospects for making the fall debates — candidates must have 130,000 donors and hit 2 percent in four qualifying polls — were dicier. The latest CNN poll released Monday shows Hickenlooper with just 1 percent support.\n\nWith two dozen candidates running, Hickenlooper has struggled to break out from the bottom of the pack. He spoke for just five minutes in Thursday’s debate, only getting more airtime than political outsiders Andrew Yang and Marianne Williamson and California Rep. Eric Swalwell.\n\nAnd Hickenlooper has so far resisted calls to run for Senate, despite appeals from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, who chairs Senate Democrats’ campaign arm. If he were to change his mind and run to challenge Republican Sen. Cory Gardner, he would now face another crowded primary.\n\nBut Hickenlooper insists he won’t give up on running for president.\n\n“You never quit,” he said in the MSNBC interview, echoing lessons his mother taught him. “You can’t control what life throws at you, but you can control how you respond. And her big push was, you know, you never quit. You just keeping trying other things until you make it work.”", "July 2 (UPI) -- The campaign of Democratic presidential candidate John Hickenlooper is going through a major shakeup, with the loss of five key staffers.\n\nCampaign manager Brad Komar, national finance director Dan Sorenson, communication director Lauren Hitt, digital director John Schueler and New Hampshire political director Nolan Varee have left or intend to leave in the next few weeks, sources told ABC News.\n\nM.E. Smith will take over as campaign manager, The Denver Post reported.\n\nHitt said she, Komar and Sorenson are leaving the campaign -- Sorenson to competitor Beto O'Rourke's campaign, where he will be the national finance director at the former congressman's base in Texas.\n\n\"For personal and professional reasons, it made sense [for Sorenson] to be in Texas,\" Hitt said.\n\nHickenlooper does not plan to drop out of the race, but he is fully aware how difficult it's been to break through the crowded field of more than 20 Democratic candidates, CNN reported Tuesday.\n\nHickenlooper, Colorado's governor between 2011 and January, qualified and participated in the first Democratic debates in Miami last week. His poll numbers, however, have remained around 1 percent.\n\nHe will reassess his campaign after the next Democratic debates in Detroit at the end of this month, the reports said.", "A day after the second fundraising quarter ended and after his national finance director left to join former Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke's presidential campaign, former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper shook up his own presidential campaign staff.\n\nOn Monday night, Hickenlooper named M.E. Smith his campaign manager, replacing Brad Komar. A spokesperson confirmed the departure of Hickenlooper's national finance director, Dan Sorenson, for O'Rourke's campaign. Politico first reported Sorenson's defection to O'Rourke.\n\nSmith most recently served as campaign manager for Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey's successful reelection. Smith was also Sen. Michael Bennet's deputy campaign manager in 2016 and deputy campaign manager for Hickenlooper's gubernatorial reelection campaign in 2014.\n\nHickenlooper campaign spokeswoman Lauren Hitt said of Sorenson in a statement to CBS News, \"We wish him the best on his future endeavors.\"\n\nBut Hitt, too, is leaving Hickenlooper's campaign. She told CBS News she would be transitioning out of the job in the next couple of weeks.\n\nA source with knowledge of the campaign says the staffers leaving Hickenlooper's team were not fired but decided to leave.\n\nHickenlooper has been criticizing progressive plans like \"Medicare for All\" and the \"Green New Deal\" as unrealistic economically, while defending the role of the private sector and capitalism in the U.S. economy. The popular two-term Colorado governor has been lagging in the polls, registering under 1% in a CNN survey taken after last week's first primary debates.\n\nSarah Ewall-Wice and Stephen Sanchez contributed to this report.", "Top members of former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper’s campaign are departing in a major shakeup as the brewpub owner-turned-politician tries to turn around his struggling presidential bid.\n\nCampaign manager Brad Komar and national finance director Dan Sorenson have left the campaign. Spokeswoman Lauren Hitt confirmed their departures and said she, too, will exit the campaign in the coming weeks.\n\nThe departures come after the close of the second quarter of campaign fundraising. Hickenlooper is expected to lag well behind the Democratic National Committee’s benchmark of 130,000 donors needed to qualify for the debate stage in September — one of several candidates who could fail to meet that threshold.\n\nHickenlooper, who served two terms as governor of a Western swing state, has struggled to gain attention in the crowded Democratic field. He has touted moderate positions and repeatedly warned Democrats they risk being tagged as socialists by tacking too far to the left.\n\nBut with several candidates, and many Democratic voters, embracing more liberal positions, Hickenlooper’s message — or at least the messenger — has failed to resonate. He was roundly booed last month at the California Democratic Party convention when he condemned socialism .\n\nHickenlooper’s team projected optimism about the future, announcing that the candidate had hired a new campaign manager, M.E. Smith.\n\nSmith ran Sen. Bob Casey’s successful re-election campaign in Pennsylvania last year. She was Hickenlooper’s deputy campaign manager in 2014, when Komar ran the governor’s successful re-election effort amid a Republican wave.\n\nAt least one of Hickenlooper’s departing staffers was headed to a rival campaign. Sorenson, the finance director, will join former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke’s campaign, O’Rourke’s team confirmed late Monday.\n\nSorenson’s departure had been in the works for some time. He previously notified the campaign that he intended to leave but stayed on until the end of the second fundraising quarter, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. The person requested anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.", "(Reuters) - Five senior advisers are leaving the 2020 U.S. presidential campaign of Democrat John Hickenlooper after staff urged the former Colorado governor to quit the race as his fundraising flounders, a source with knowledge of the situation said.\n\nHickenlooper's campaign confirmed the departures on Tuesday. On Monday, the candidate announced he was hiring M.E. Smith to succeed former campaign manager Bradley Komar.\n\nThe centrist former governor, one of 25 Democrats seeking the party's nomination to run against incumbent Republican Donald Trump, would not quit, the source said.\n\nAsked whether his staff were let go or quit, Hickenlooper, 67, told MSNBC on Tuesday that it was \"a combination of the two - we felt that it was time to make a change.\"\n\n\"I used to be in the restaurant business and it's a little bit like putting a restaurant together. Sometimes you don't quite get the right team in at the right time,\" he said.\n\nStaff members discussed the state of the campaign with Hickenlooper at a June meeting, advising him to find a graceful way to bow out of the November 2020 White House contest, said the source, who asked not to be named in order to speak freely.\n\nThe campaign has not commented on the June meeting or the fundraising figure, and did not make Smith immediately available to respond.\n\nHickenlooper brought in donations of $1.1 million the last three months, half of his haul in the first quarter of 2019, the source said. Rivals U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders and South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, announced $18 million and $24.8 million in donations, respectively.\n\nHickenlooper, who also served as mayor of Denver and made his fortune as a brew-pub owner, has sought to distinguish himself in the crowded Democratic field as a moderate who opposes what he calls the socialist policies backed by Sanders.\n\nHickenlooper's campaign has yet to announce his fundraising for the second quarter, which ended on Sunday. Campaigns must submit reports for the quarter by July 15.\n\nHe positions himself as someone who as Colorado governor enacted progressive policies with a bipartisan approach.\n\nOthers leaving his campaign include finance director Dan Sorenson, who is going to work for the presidential campaign of former Texas Congressman Beto O'Rourke; communications director Lauren Hitt; digital director John Schueler and New Hampshire political director Nolan Varee.\n\nThis story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.\n\nYour guide to the latest cricket World Cup stories, analysis, reports, opinions, live updates and scores on https://www.firstpost.com/firstcricket/series/icc-cricket-world-cup-2019.html. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram or like our Facebook page for updates throughout the ongoing event in England and Wales.", "DENVER — John Hickenlooper has refused to yield to pressure from his team to scrap his presidential campaign and instead run for a Senate seat in Colorado.\n\nThe former two-term Colorado governor is struggling to break through a crowded field of Democratic presidential candidates. He’s in the bottom tier of polling, hasn’t generated significant fundraising and is at risk of being eliminated from the fall debates.\n\nThe discussion about exiting the race was described by a Democrat familiar with the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal strategy. Politico first reported the conversations.\n\nWhile Hickenlooper’s presidential campaign is facing steep hurdles, a Senate bid might not be much easier. A dozen Democrats have already announced challenges to Republican Sen. Cory Gardner. Two announced this week that they raised more than $1 million in the past quarter, more than Hickenlooper is thought to have raised for his presidential bid over the same period.\n\nHickenlooper, a brewpub owner-turned-politician, launched his White House campaign in March. The future of his candidacy is under scrutiny as his campaign undergoes a major shakeup.\n\nCampaign manager Brad Komar and national finance director Dan Sorenson have left the campaign. Spokeswoman Lauren Hitt confirmed their departures and said she, too, will exit the campaign in the coming weeks.\n\nThe departures come after the close of the second quarter of campaign fundraising. Hickenlooper is expected to lag well behind the Democratic National Committee’s benchmark of 130,000 donors needed to qualify for the debate stage in September. He is one of many candidates who could fail to meet that threshold.\n\nHickenlooper has tried to establish himself as a leading moderate in the race, repeatedly warning Democrats they risk being tagged as socialists by tacking too far to the left.\n\nBut with several candidates, and many Democratic voters, embracing more liberal positions, Hickenlooper’s message — or at least the messenger — has failed to resonate. He was roundly booed last month at the California Democratic Party convention when he condemned socialism.\n\nHickenlooper’s team projected optimism about the future, announcing that the candidate had hired a new campaign manager, M.E. Smith.\n\nSmith ran Sen. Bob Casey’s successful reelection campaign in Pennsylvania last year. She was Hickenlooper’s deputy campaign manager in 2014 when Komar ran the governor’s successful reelection effort amid a Republican wave.\n\nAt least one of Hickenlooper’s departing staffers was headed to a rival presidential campaign. Sorenson, the finance director, will join former Texas Rep. Beto O’Rourke’s campaign, O’Rourke’s team confirmed late Monday.\n\nSorenson’s departure had been in the works for some time. He previously notified the campaign that he intended to leave but stayed on until the end of the second fundraising quarter, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. The person spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.", "This post was originally published on this site\n\nPolitical News Six key staffers leaving Hickenlooper campaign in major shakeup https://linewsradio.com/six-key-staffers-leaving-hickenlooper-campaign-in-major-shakeup/ http://abcnewsradioonline.com/politics-news/\n\nJIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — At least six key aides to John Hickenlooper have confirmed they’re leaving his campaign or intend to do so in the coming weeks.\n\nBrad Komar, campaign manager; Dan Sorenson, national finance director; Lauren Hitt, communications director; John Schueler, digital director; Brendan Koch, deputy finance director; and Nolan Varee, New Hampshire political director are all moving on, decisions they all confirmed to ABC News, which was the first to report the departures of Schueler and Varee.\n\nThe news comes on the heels of the first Democratic debate, at which the former Colorado governor’s middling bid wasn’t re-energized as was that of several key rivals. Polls after the debate said he failed to stand out on a crowded stage even after weeks of volleyed barbs with Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., over socialism.\n\nPerhaps more important, this shakeup comes the day after the close of second-quarter for campaign fundraising, making it especially telling that Hickenlooper’s finance director is among those on their way out.\n\nHickenlooper responded to the staff shakeup on MSNBC Tuesday — struggling to find an answer.\n\n“Well, we thought it was time to make a change. You know, these campaigns are long, hard campaigns. You don’t always get it right with the first team. It’s a little bit — you know, I used to be in the restaurant business and it’s a little bit like putting a restaurant together. Sometimes you don’t quite get the right team at the right time,” Hickenlooper said.\n\nHowever, sources familiar with the situation advise ABC News that this was definitely less a “we,” more a “they” farewell.\n\nHickenlooper’s senior team urged him last month to withdraw from the 2020 race and pursue other opportunities, such as a Senate run, a source familiar with the situation has confirmed to ABC News.\n\nThey sat him down a week or two after the Democratic National Committee requirements for September came out.\n\n“We said look, the odds are very slim that we will hit the 130,000 donor mark,” the source told ABC News.\n\nThey confirmed that fundraising has really slowed — only raising a little more than $1 million in the second quarter. The campaign only has about 13,000 donors, making it near-impossible to qualify for the September debate.\n\n“The reality is we’re running out of runway, we will be out of money by the end of August,” the source said staff said to Hickenlooper. “So unless you have a really big moment in the June or July debate, the campaign will be over. So we can hard charge at this thing through July — but on a parallel track, we should be thinking about next steps.”\n\nThe source told ABC News that in that meeting, the team told Hickenlooper that they would stand by him if he wanted to continue, but wanted to avoid a slow march towards the last 10 cents.\n\nBut the former governor was not to be deterred.\n\n“He really believes he can still pull this thing off, and he wanted to surround himself with people who really believed in him,” the source said.\n\nThe source told ABC News that the majority of the members now leaving were on their own initiative, “the others he initiated — but I think they were grateful.”\n\nABC News reports that Sorenson will be moving to former Rep. Beto O’Rourke’s team as national finance director.\n\nAfter Hitt told ABC News that “for personal and professional reasons, it made sense to be in Texas” for Sorenson, she confirmed she’d also be “transitioning out” very soon.\n\nThe other departing aides may be weighing offers from other campaigns, although it’s unlikely they’ll be following Sorenson en masse to O’Rourke’s, sources told ABC News.\n\nThe trail ahead now grows rockier for the Hickenlooper team as Brendan Koch, deputy finance director, has also left, two sources confirm to ABC News.\n\nSources close to the Hickenlooper campaign staff said this shakeup may be a “Hail Mary” pass, especially in the buildup to the next round of debates, a characterization with which departing aides didn’t disagree.\n\nThe campaign also just announced it’s hired M.E. Smith as campaign manager to replace Komar, who helped run Hickenlooper’s 2014 gubernatorial campaign.\n\nServing two terms as governor of Colorado, including during the 2012 Aurora theater shooting, Hickenlooper touted a record of getting progressive things done in a purple state and boasted more moderate positions compared with much of a left-leaning 2020 field.\n\nHickenlooper has pledged to stay in the race for the long haul, standing tall for “all we believe in” and standing up “against all that divides us.”\n\nAs criteria for winning a spot on the debate stage ratchets up — along with the competition — it’s now an open question who remains standing alongside the former governor.\n\n“(When you’re getting) one percent you only get one or two swings at this and he missed on those opportunities. For those guys who don’t come in with a lot of money it all rests on their shoulders … but I think he wants to take this thing to the bitter bitter end,” the source told ABC News. “And he has an idea he can make that difference.”"], "summary": "There has been a shake-up within the campaign organization of former Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper, which includes the departure of the manager of Hickenlooper's presidential campaign, Bradley Komar. Komar and other departing staffers reportedly believe that Hickenlooper should quit the race as he has no realistic prospect of victory."}
{"document": ["Durante la última emisión de PPT, un informe dio cuenta de lo que sucede en la institución del barrio Emerenciano Sena\n\nComentar Me gusta Me gusta Compartir E-mail Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Guardar 1 de julio de 2019 • 13:10\n\nEn un informe emitido ayer en el programa Periodismo para todos de Jorge Lanata contaron la historia de una escuela chaqueña de gestión social en donde sus alumnos usan guardapolvo rojo, cantan canciones de la revolución cubana y tienen como escudo a la imagen de Ernesto \"Che\" Guevara.\n\nLa escuela del barrio Emerenciano Sena, llamado así por el líder social que impulsó la construcción de viviendas hace una década, se hizo conocida y quedó en el centro de la polémica cuando, durante el último Día de la Bandera, sus alumnos izaron la bandera cubana junto con el pabellón argentino.\n\n\"Si en esta escuela se estuviera izando una bandera yanqui, también lo estaríamos contando\", introdujo Lanata antes de mostrar el informe, en el que un periodista de la producción viajó a Resistencia, Chaco, y se dedicó a recorrer el barrio, la escuela y a entrevistar a referentes sindicales y políticos de la ciudad.\n\n\"Esta escuela es una de las 14 de las llamadas de escuelas de 'gestión social' de la provincia que están a cargo de dirigentes políticos o de movimientos sociales\", contó Lanata.\n\nConsultado por la producción del programa, el ministro de Educación, Alejandro Finocchiaro, dijo que las escuelas de gestión social comenzaron con la ley de Educación de 2006 y se diferencian de las escuelas de gestión estatal y de las privadas porque pueden ser gestionadas por agrupaciones políticas.\n\n\"Han habido provincias que las gestionaron razonablemente bien y otras que no lo han hecho\", dijo el ministro. \"Esa escuela no tiene supervisión\" del ministerio, reveló el funcionario y sostuvo que es una institución donde \"inculcan un adoctrinamiento como lo hacía el fascismo, el comunismo y los regímenes populistas y totalitarios\".\n\nEmerenciano Sena, el dirigente social que en sus orígenes fue piquetero y que hoy lleva adelante la gestión de todo el barrio que lleva su nombre, fue consultado sobre las críticas de que la escuela era dirigida por gente sin título docente. El dirigente respondió que no había denuncias en la justicia y que entonces no podía discutir ni \"con borrachos, ni con delincuentes ni con abortistas\".\n\nSin embargo, Damián Kuris, del sindicato de docentes chaqueños Sitech, dijo que \"hay 25 mil docentes en la provincia de Chaco que tienen título y no tienen la posibilidad de trabajar, porque las designaciones son establecidas por el dirigente político\".\n\nOtro de los consultados para el informe fue Alejandro Aradas, diputado de la UCR, quien dijo que el barrio se gobierna de acuerdo con las propias leyes que emanan del líder social, las viviendas no se pueden comprar ni vender y los docentes no puede realizar paros. \"Es como tener un Estado dentro de un Estado\", dijo el diputado.\n\nCuando el periodista le contó a Emerenciano lo que decían en la ciudad, de que su barrio era como un Estado paralelo, respondió: \"Ni que lo diga el Papa me calienta\".", "En el país de las desmesuras parece que todo es posible. Y parece que también es posible que en un acto por el 20 de junio en una escuela primaria se ice la bandera argentina junto a la cubana, que una maestra entone “Hasta siempre, comandante” y que se haga un minuto de silencio, con fanfarria incluida, en honor al Che. Todo esto pasó hace dos semanas en la escuela pública de gestión social N°2 de Resistencia, Chaco.\n\n\n\nActo por el Día de la Bandera en la escuela pública de gestión social N°2 de Resistencia, de Chaco.\n\nEl motivo de este acto tan particular fue la visita al colegio de Juan Martín Guevara, escritor de 76 años y hermano de Ernesto. Y todo esto se hizo frente a los chicos, formados, con uniforme rojo, y en un silencio reverencial que recuerda al clásico The Wall, de los británicos Pink Floyd de fines de los setenta.\n\n\n\nPero estamos en el siglo XXI y por lo insólitas que son, esas imágenes se multiplicaron en las redes sociales. El ministro de Educación Alejandro Finocchiaro salió a criticar duramente el acto, al que calificó de “aberración”. “El sistema educativo no puede contar con ninguna práctica ligada al adoctrinamiento”, dijo. Desde el otro rincón le contestaron que Guevara “es parte de la historia como San Martín o Belgrano”.\n\n\n\nActo por el Día de la Bandera en la escuela pública de gestión social N°2 de Resistencia, de Chaco.\n\nLa desmesura nos estaría nublando la vista a los adultos argentinos porque, más allá de la batalla ideológica que está por detrás y de la denuncia de \"punteros\" políticos que manejan escuelas, lo más importante que debiéramos preguntarnos, sobre todo padres y docentes de esos chicos, es qué aporta ese acto a su educación.\n\nEstamos hablando de chicos que viven en un mundo en continuo cambio tecnológico y cultural, que de grandes seguramente trabajarán en empleos que hoy ni siquiera imaginamos. ¿No será más importante que aprendan a pensar en forma crítica, a encontrar respuestas a las nuevas preguntas, que sepan leer la diversidad de visiones sobre los temas, que comprendan la importancia del pensamiento científico?\n\n\n\nActo por el Día de la Bandera en la escuela pública de gestión social N°2 de Resistencia, de Chaco.\n\nClaro que el Che Guevara puede y tiene que entrar a la escuela. Nadie dice lo contrario. Pero hay que estudiarlo con la mejor información, sobre el personaje y su época: que habilite a que los chicos hagan preguntas, cuestionen todos los relatos establecidos, que aprendan a aprender por sí mismos.\n\nActo por el Día de la Bandera en la escuela pública de gestión social N°2 de Resistencia, de Chaco.\n\nAsí como se lo encara en la escuela del Chaco, estaríamos atrasando un poquito.\n\nUn antecedente a la salteña\n\nA fines de 2017 la Corte Suprema se expidió sobre un debate que, en esencia, es muy similar al del Che. Fue en el caso de la educación religiosa y obligatoria en las escuelas públicas de Salta. Resulta que las leyes provinciales lo habilitaban y un grupo de padres no católicos fue a la Justicia por sentirse discriminados.\n\n\n\nDebate sobre la libertad de pensamiento. Audiencia en la Corte, que decidió si las leyes de Salta sobre educación religiosa son constitucionales. Néstor García\n\nTras un largo debate, la Corte falló por la inconstitucionalidad de la norma salteña.\n\nTodo se conecta. Nunca hay que perder de vista que la riqueza de la educación pública y gratuita en la Argentina sólo se puede dar si también se garantiza la libertad de creencias y pensamientos.", "When Sandra “Sandy” Ndebele took to the stage to give what she termed a “short speech” at the recently held Nkulumane High School cultural festival, learners and parents stood up and cheered in excitement.\n\nWith a lively voice, Sandy, a dancer-cum-singer was invited to the celebrations held last Friday to inspire the learners. To show them there was nothing special about her, she narrated how she was raised from the dusty suburbs of Tshabalala and Nkulumane before becoming a prominent singer.\n\nThe artiste said one’s background should not deter anyone from achieving their dreams.\n\n“Your background shouldn’t cloud your vision. Many of you wish to associate with me now but I didn’t start like this (celebrity). I grew up in the Western suburbs like you, but today I’m a changed person.\n\n“Ngingumntwana walapha and I’m proud of that. I didn’t just wake up a famous maNde, but it took passion and eyes that saw beyond where I was,” Sandy said.\n\nShe said she would walk to school (Founders High School) from home every day as her father could not afford to give her bus fare.\n\n“My father could not afford to give me money to board twice as I needed to first get into town from home then catch another kombi to Founders from town as there was no direct transport. He then suggested that I walk to school from Nkulumane as it was closer that way. That was my lifestyle and I didn’t let it determine my future as I’m a landlord now and own a car,” she said.\n\nWith her family of her own now, Sandy, who sat for O-Level Mathematics exams three years ago as she wanted to enrol at the Hillside Teachers’ College for a diploma in education, majoring in music, urged learners to take school seriously as it will come back to haunt them if they didn’t.\n\n“I was playful at school but I ended up going to school again at Mpopoma High School. Never take school lightly because it moulds your future,” she said.\n\nOn her music career, she said she never thought that she would one day be a singer as she started off as a poetess while at Mpopoma High. She joined the school’s drama club which became Iyasa and from there, she began making a name for herself as she was one of the group’s lead dancers. After realising how much potential she had, she started a solo career and released her breakout track titled Mama. Now, she is one of the finest artistes in the country who has collaborated with the likes of Jah Prayzah, Alick Macheso and South Africa’s Professor. – @ tamary98", "BELIZE CITY, Mon. July 1, 2019– When the new school year opens in September, the 50 students attending Bethel Assembly Primary School, located on Freetown Road, will be attending new schools, because their school will be permanently closed.\n\nAmandala attempted to reach the Chief Education Officer, Dr. Carol Babb, to get an official response as to why the Ministry of Education has decided to close the doors of Bethel Assembly Primary School, but up to press time, Dr. Babb had not responded to our text message.\n\nWe were able to speak to the temporary principal of Bethel Assembly, Raquel Moreno, who told us that on April 30, the Ministry of Education came in, and that there was a meeting between the school’s management and the ministry officials, the Chief Education Officer and an Education officer.\n\nMoreno told us that it was the Ministry of Education’s decision to close the school. He said the decision to close the school was made because of the low student enrollment.\n\nFor the school year that has just ended, Bethel Assembly Primary School had a total of 50 students.\n\nWhen the school had its graduation last week, ten students graduated from the school.\n\nMoreno, 60, explained that four teachers were teaching at the school and so far, two of them have been placed at other schools.\n\nMoreno, who is from the Orange Walk District, is a retired teacher and took the job as principal of the school at the beginning of the school year.\n\nMoreno told us that when she took the job as temporary principal, she learned that the school was going to be closed down by the Ministry of Education.\n\nThe closure of the school was announced during its last graduation ceremony.\n\nMoreno also said that the school was run by the Ministry of Education, which pays her salary and the salaries of the four teachers.\n\nWe asked Moreno what will be done with the school building, but she told us that we would have to ask the school’s general manager, Dr. Wilma Wright. We were unable to reach Dr. Wright.", "DEMING – Deming Public Schools elementary students will start school instruction for the 2019-2020 school year on Tuesday, July 2.\n\nK-5 Plus “Full STEAM Ahead,” is funded by the New Mexico State Legislature, which allocated funding for teachers’ salaries, instructional materials, and transportation. In the past, DPS K-5 Plus had only 1,200 seats available for students to get a head start on their education. Now this opportunity is open to all K-5 students, extending school instruction for 25 days.\n\n“K-5 Plus will give us the leading edge in education, for the ability to offer this learning opportunity to every K-5 student in the community.” said Fred Parker, DPS chief academic officer. “The district is well aware that this is a transition for the community, we want to continue to offer this as an opportunity for every child, but we also recognize that we need to be flexible due to family plans and vacations. As such, we will allow this flexibility and we will work with families planned absences.” All absences will need to be reported to the school principal.\n\nThe school supply lists for the 2019-2020 school year are available on the school website or have been mailed to the student’s home address. If any family is having a hardship with purchasing the school supplies, please contact your school principal for assistance.\n\nThe first day of school for Deming Intermediate will be July 25, extending school instruction for 10 days. Red Mountain Middle School will also start July 25 for all seventh-grade students and select eighth-grade students. Mimbres Valley High School and Early College High School students' first day of school will be July 25. All ninth-grade students at Deming High School will also start on July 25, with all other grade levels starting August 13.\n\nThe school calendars for the 2019-2020 School Year are available on the school districts website https://www.demingps.org. If you have any question about the first day of school, please contact your school.\n\n“Deming Public Schools has worked hard to provide a world class education for students in Luna County. Parents of Luna County, you gave us feedback that we needed more summer opportunities to close the gap. You also asked for more after school opportunities for students. You asked and we responded, K-5 Plus and extended school year initiatives will continue to allow for these opportunities,” said Dr. Arsenio Romero, superintendent “We are excited to be the model program in the state of New Mexico and look forward to an amazing 2019-2020 school year.”", "Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf lawmaker Sidra Imran said in a meeting that 6 million children were out of school across the province Sindh.\n\nEducation, the fundamental right of every child, must be provided to every citizen of the country. But, worryingly when it comes to the illiteracy rate, we top the list. Since the children of our country are not attaining their due rights of quality education, and we could find several children enrolled in different workplaces such as garage, oceans, collecting garbages, etc, in all four provinces.\n\nAs a quotation of Nelson Mandela is extremely famous, “education is the most powerful weapons, which you can use to change the world”. But, the thoughts and focus of Pakistanis’ leaders are not against the betterment of education, for who are spending more money to defence than schooling. So, they think that the protection of the country is only in the hand of defence, not anything else.\n\nThe government is pleased to get the picture of reality and think for the children who are out of school.", "This past week, Carroll celebrated National School Counseling Week, which is sponsored by the American School Counselor Association and focuses on the contribution of professional school counselors within U.S. school systems, according to a CCPS news release. The week highlights the “tremendous impact” school counselors can have in helping students achieve school success and plan for a career, according to the release.", "School is almost here! KELOLAND News has compiled the latest education headlines along with supply lists. See our staff when they were in the classroom and share photos of your children as they start the new school year.\n\nShare photos by emailing them to us at ushare@keloland.com. You can also use the KELOLAND News app to submit photos.", "Medford Technical High School accepting applications: Interested eighth-grade students are encouraged to apply to Medford Technical High School online. Students will need two forms — the online Application for Admission and a Guidance Counselor Recommendation form. Both forms can be found at http://medfordpublicschools.org and http://mpsadvantage.education. NOTE: Everett students are now being accepted.\n\nKiwanis Scholarship: Applications for the Medford Kiwanis 2019 Scholarship available at following locations: Medford High School guidance office, 489 Winthrop St.; Century 21 Advance Realty, 284 Salem St.; Bates Insurance, 92 High St., Suite B-1. All applications must be submitted by May 3.\n\nMedford Special Education Parent Advisory: The Medford Special Education Parent Advisory is a volunteer-based group of parent advocates helping families of children with special needs in the community and informing the school district on issues pertaining to special education. The group meets from 7 to 9 p.m. the second Wednesday of the month at the Andrews Middle School. For information: 617-699-1962; http://facebook.com/sepacmedfordma.\n\nElectrical classes: The Medford Technical Institute at Medford’s Vocational Technical High School, located at 489 Winthrop St., is offering Electrical I, II and III classes. There is still time and room to register; call 781-393-2369 for details.\n\nKindergarten screenings: Medford Public School offers screening for preschool children ages 3 to 5. For information, contact Cheryl Maiocco at 781-393-2166.\n\nEarly Childhood Education: Located at the Brooks, Columbus and Roberts elementary schools and Medford High School, the MEEP preschool program recognizes that the primary goal of early childhood education is to promote independence, self-confidence, self-esteem and an enthusiasm for learning, which are qualities that are essential to future educational success. Applications for children ages 3 and older are available at any elementary school office; Medford Family Network, 489 Winthrop St.; and http://medfordpublicschools.org. Morning and afternoon programs are available. For information: 781-393-2155, ext. 4218; drogier@medford.k12.ma.us.\n\nMedford High School/Medford Vocational/Technical High School Student Handbook: Be advised that in an effort to “Go Green,” Medford High School’s Student Handbook, will be posted online. To access it, visit http://medfordpublicschools.org/schools/medford-high-school/student-services/handbooks. For those unable to view it online, a limited number of printed copies are available in the principal’s office.\n\nZumba at Medford High, Community Schools: Zumba classes are offered at 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays at Medford High School, 489 Winthrop St. Zumba Toning classes are also available from 8 to 8:30 a.m. Saturdays for $3, and a full hour of Zumba starts at 8:45 a.m. Regular classes cost $5 each, open to teens and adults of all fitness levels. Zumba instructor Nanci Branson-Palladino leads. For information: nanci.palladino57@comcast.net. Go to the Community Schools office at Medford High to pay. No registration is required.\n\nMedford Tech seeking advisory board members: As the Medford Vocational Technical High School moves forward with new programs, it is seeking advisory board members in the following new career, technical and educational areas. In particular, the MVTHS has a need for parents and students to come aboard as members for the following courses of study: Hospitality Management, Computer Programming and Web Development, and Media Technology (Radio & TV Production). The responsibilities of this advisory group are to attend two meetings per year (fall and spring) and act as an adviser to the MVTHS for equipment, supplies, materials and curriculum.\n\nMedford Tech seeking Voke alumni: Medford’s Technical High School, aka the Medford Vocational Technical High School, is growing in leaps and bounds. More than 20 major courses of study are now available and tech students can now take courses in the high school, and high school students can now take courses in the Technical School. To sign up, call 781-393-2369 or visit http://form.jotform.com/63216068172150.\n\nMedford High School/Medford Vocational/Technical High School: The Medford high schools’ PTO is an organization of parents, teachers and administrators of Medford High School and Medford Vocational Technical High School that works for the betterment of the schools. The PTO’s goal is to help raise needed funding to support the students, staff and enrichment programs at the high schools. Meetings are held monthly in the Medford High School library at 7 p.m.\n\nParents resources: Visit the Yahoo Group for Columbus School parents and caregivers, and Facebook.com/ColumbusPTO, which supplement other online offerings. Group home page: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/columbusschool_medfordma. Group email: columbusschool_medford-ma@yahoogroups.com.\n\nThis summer, the Medford Educational Foundation received a donation from its banking partner, East Cambridge Savings Bank, to support its funding of microgrants for teachers’ innovative classroom projects in the Medford Public Schools. This grant and the donations of citizens within Medford and beyond allowed the MEF to award grants to six teachers in seven Medford Public Schools at all levels. Each project funded allows Medford teachers to pilot new and innovative projects within schools, and bring new experiences to students to foster intellectual curiosity and innovative thinking. For information: http://medfordedfund.org/grants.html.\n\nThe Special Education Parent Advisory Council is a parent advisory council by and for parents of children of all abilities. SEPAC’s philosophy is that every child matters and deserves to belong. The group provides information and resources for families who are concerned with support services for children of all ages and grades within the Medford public school district including children placed out of district. SEPAC meets the second Wednesday of the month at the Andrews Middle School at 7 p.m. Join the email list at medfordsepac@comcast.net or visit http://facebook.com/sepacmedfordma.\n\nThe Medford Community Schools Program and the Medford Athletic Department announce outreach programs, which will focus on academic enrichment and recreational activities for all Medford residents ages preschool to senior citizens.\n\nThe Community Schools office, located at Medford High School, 489 Winthrop St., is open the following hours: Monday-Friday, noon-4 p.m.; Tuesday-Thursday, 6-8:30 p.m.; and Saturday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.\n\nTo register for a course, stop by or call 781-393-2226. To contact Director of Athletics Robert L. Maloney: 781-393-2380; rmaloney@medford.k12.ma.us.\n\nTwo-, three- and five-day programs are available for children 2.9 through 5 years of age. Six Acres Nursery School has been serving Medford and the surrounding communities for over 50 years and has successfully prepared its students for kindergarten through the use of a developmental program. Opportunities are provided for children to socialize, develop self-confidence and learn about the world around them in a creative and supportive environment. The director will be happy to schedule an appointment to tour the facility. For information, call 781-391-2220.", "With an aim to provide quality to the bright and talented unprivileged children, a school in Mangaluru is imparting free to students, especially daily wage labourers.\n\nNavbharat Night High School has now turned 76-years-old but the people teaching here from last several decades have not lost their enthusiasm for doing this noble job.\n\nThis school, which is located at Shri Gayatri Devi Temple Road, not only teaches the poor children but also women who are housewives as well as auto rickshaw drivers since 1943.\n\n\"This school was open by Khalid Muhammed before India got independence. This school is unique as there is no such other school in whole Karnataka which provides during night time to the poor. We run this school with the help of corporate funds. At present, we have 20 students up to class 9th,\" said School headmaster Ravi Alevooraya while speaking to ANI.\n\n\"This school was started to educate those who are facing economic hardship. During the time of independence, people were having family issues. When the school started there were only four students but each year, the number is rising,\" said a teacher of Navbharat Night High School."], "summary": "Argentine Education Minister Alejandro Finocchiaro, who strongly condemned a school in Chaco Province for displaying a Cuban flag and displaying pictures of Che Guevara, says the school \"has no supervision\" and that they are \"indoctrinating children with communism and totalitarian and populist governments\". He also added in an interview on state TV that the school will be reviewed."}
{"document": ["On Tuesday, the Fidesz supermajority in the Hungarian Parliament passed a bill submitted by the Ministry of Innovation and Technology that ends the year-long struggle for the research institutes of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. Disregarding all of the Academy's suggested changes, the new law takes the entire research network away from the Academy and hands them to a new organisation that gets to use the Academy's property without remuneration. The Academy is likely to initiate the law's constitutional review as they believe it violates academic freedom and their right to hold property.\n\nThe Hungarian Government's intention to bring about changes in the way Hungarian scientific life is funded first manifested itself last June when the 2019 budget proposal intended to place the Ministry of Innovation and Technology in charge of around two-thirds of the Academy's funding. The scientific community strongly objected to this proposal, many said that it would endanger academic freedom in Hungary. Following several bouts of negotiations and several alternative proposals put forth by the MTA, the mostly one-sided dispute that lasted almost a year ended at the beginning of June, when the Ministry of Innovation and Technology submitted a legislative proposal to the Parliament that basically swept all suggestions of the Academy off the table.\n\nThe law, just passed by the parliament, with 131 votes in favour and 53 against and 3 abstentions, takes MTA's research institutes away from the Academy and places them under the control of the new Eötvös Loránd Research Network (ELKH). This new organisation will get to use the Academy's property without remuneration. The new law also creates the National Scientific Policy Council, an advisory body lead by the Minister of Innovation and Technology meant to set the general directions of scientific research.\n\nThe Eötvös Loránd Research Network\n\nThe new law sets up the Eötvös Loránd Research Network (ELKH) that will be in charge of the 15 research institutes that thus far comprised the research network of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. The Academy has to hand over usage rights over all of their assets used by the research institutes to the ELKH with no remuneration.\n\nThe draft for Hungary's 2020 budget already includes ELKH, and while the Academy's planned expenses for 2019 were 56.2 billion Forints (~€175 million), the 2020 budget only has 16.9 billion Forints (~€52 million) allocated for the Academy. At the same time, the ELKH appears in the budget draft with a proposed 48.5 billion Forints (~€151 million) available for their expenses.\n\nThe ELKH will be controlled by a 13-member governing board with six delegates of the Academy and six of the Government, and a president jointly nominated by the Academy and the Ministry. All members (including the President) will be appointed by the Prime Minister, but there will be no direct, formal government control, however, as all decisions require a simple majority, the Academy's delegates have little chance to go against the will of government delegates.\n\nThe ELKH's board will be in charge of reorganising and closing existing research institutes, creating new ones, and allowing other research institutes to join the network. The research institutes will have no representation on the ELKH's board, despite the multiple requests made by the Academy.\n\nThis board will be aided by a group of advisors comprised of internationally acclaimed foreign researchers who will be representing the \"interests of science\", as the Ministry's press release stated, and will assist the regular performance assessments to be carried out by the ELKH.\n\nBy the way, the creation of the ELKH is exactly what the Minister promised not to do: on audio footage from 2018 acquired by Index, the Minister was trying to reassure the Academy at the beginning of the coordination process by saying that the Government is not planning to separate the research institutes from the Academy and they do not wish to set the areas of research. We asked the Ministry about what happened since then, and they told us:\n\n\"The sentences cited are from the beginning of the negotiations, and since then, the long and fruitless procedure resulted in changes in the positions of both sides.\"\n\nThe National Science Policy Council\n\nThe National Science Policy Council was also created by the Parliament today. The president of this council, that will only be responsible to the Prime Minister, will be the Minister of Innovation and Technology.\n\nThe task of the Council will be to provide opinions and suggestions concerning the Government's R&D; and innovation measures, including the program strategy of the National Research, Development, and Innovation Office Fund. The council's members will be \"influential individuals from the field of economy, science, and administration\" invited by the Prime Minister based on the suggestions of the Minister of Innovation and Technology.\n\nThe Ministry argues\n\nThe Ministry of Innovation and Technology maintains that all state funds spent on research must have tangible results with regards to the Hungarian economy, and their aim is to have more research projects that lead to inventions and patents, as their press release issued on 12 June stated. The Ministry opines that the current system is inefficient, therefore it needs to be reinforced both institutionally and financially, and that the new budget brings about the possibility of a unified redistribution of funds that is based on performance.\n\nThe press release states that two-thirds of the governing body of the ELKH will be made up of \"practitioners of science\" taking personal responsibility for the quality, and the Ministry hopes this will improve the number of domestic and EU research tenders won by the institutes.\n\nThe Academy objects\n\nOn the same day, 12 June, the Hungarian Academy of Sciences held an international press conference. László Lovász, the President of the Academy said there that the Academy has been running the research network successfully and MTA even prepared several strategic documents to satisfy the government demand for increased innovation, but the Government has failed to justify the separation with a comprehensive strategy. Answering journalists' questions, Lovász said he thinks the real reasons behind the changes could be the Government's general policies of centralisation. While Lovász thinks that the Minister strongly believes in technological progress in Hungary and wishes to acquire the means to further that, he said that there could be some personal bad feelings in the background as well. Lovász noted that research institutes have criticised government policies on a scientific basis before, which officials should not take personally, and he added that the Academy suggested having more direct channels of communication with the Government exactly for that reason.\n\nLovász also said that while MTA has been trying to \"participate in the negotiations in a constructive and professional way,\" the Government has not done so. The first draft of the amendment to the law on the Academy was sent to the Academy for an expert opinion with a 54-minute deadline, and as the Academy's research budget was placed in the hand of the Minister last year, the government made \"several attempts to unlawfully withhold the release of funds.\" Lovász also noted that the resolutions made by the joint committee of the Academy and the Ministry were utterly disregarded during the drafting of the bill that was since passed by Parliament, just like the Academy's suggestions.\n\nLovász said that the scientific community clearly refused the governmental plans, and that was also made apparent by some of the best researchers already having left the country. He added that the new institutional framework jeopardises academic freedom, and having more government control does not equal more innovation. The Academy's president warned international press that the Orbán government's example might soon find followers in other EU countries as well.\n\nEarlier, when the proposal for the law passed today was submitted to the Parliament, the Hungarian Academy of Sciences strongly objected to the separation of the research network from the Academy and suggested the Ministry revoke parts of the proposal that concern the Academy. The Academy gave the following reasons for this:\n\nThe proposal takes the research network away from the \"internationally and nationally highly renowned Academy, which has centuries-old traditions and has been operating independently of politics for decades\" with no explanation or justification.\n\nAssets for ELKH should be provided by the Academy according to the proposal, which makes the \"establishment of a new institution pointless,\"\n\nThe proposal would make the legal provisions governing the operation of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and the Hungarian Academy of Arts vastly different, which raises constitutional concerns,\n\nThe Ministry attached no impact assessment to their proposal,\n\nand the proposal limits the Academy's right to property to such an extent that is, in practice, equivalent to expropriation without compensation and therefore it is in violation of Hungary's Fundamental Law.\n\nNow that the proposal has been passed into law, the Academy is likely to seek constitutional review as the 12 June unanimous resolution of the Academy's Governing Board stated that it would be inevitable due to the serious constitutional concerns surrounding the bill.\n\n(Cover: Human chain around the Academy's building on 12 February 2019. Photo: Ajpek Orsi / Index)", "Against a background of widespread protests from academics and broken promises from the government side, Parliament voted on Tuesday to relocate research institutions of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MTA) to the Eötvos Loránd Research Network (ELKH), a new body with its own, independent budget chapter, local news media reported.\n\nThe Hungarian Academy of Sciences on Széchenyi tér in Budapest (photo: Botond Horvath/Shutterstock)\n\nThe legislation was passed with a vote of 131 for, 53 against, and three abstentions, state news wire MTI reported.\n\nThe MTA leadership earlier protested against the \"forced transformation without any valid reasoning,\" complaining that the new legal framework offers no guarantees for basic funding. The Academy appealed to lawmakers to weigh its arguments, aired over months of negotiations with the Ministry for Innovation and Technology, and warned that approving the proposed legislation would \"hurt the freedom of scientific research and could result in the loss of values which are fundamental for Hungary.\"\n\nThe MTA said earlier that it would initiate an appeal of the legislation with the Constitutional Court, if approved.\n\nDisregarding all of the MTAʼs suggested changes, the new law takes the entire research network away from the Academy and hands it to the new ELKH, which gets to use the Academyʼs property without remuneration, notes a summary in English by independent news site Index.hu. The new law also creates the National Council of Scientific Policy (NTT), headed by Minister for Innovation and Technology László Palkovics, who will be in charge of appointments. The MTA would only have a single representative on this body, which would set the general directions of scientific research and would be ultimately responsible to Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.\n\nIndex.hu notes that the creation of the ELKH is \"exactly what the minister promised not to do,\" asserting that Palkovics had reassured the Academy at the beginning of the coordination process that the government was not planning to separate the research institutes from the Academy, nor to set the directions of research.\n\nAccording to Index.hu, the ministry maintains that all state funds spent on research must have tangible results with regard to the Hungarian economy, and their aim is to have more research projects that lead to inventions and patents, as stated in a press release it issued on June 12. The ministry opined that the current system is inefficient, needing to be reinforced both institutionally and financially, and that the new budget would bring about a unified redistribution of funds based on performance.\n\nIndex.hu recalled that the Academy had aimed via prolonged negotiations to obtain guarantees for the continuing independence of research, with the overwhelming majority of academics adopting a position against the Palkovics plan. Despite this, the minister withdrew earlier promises and opted to use the Fidesz parliamentary supermajority to force through the plan.\n\nThe network of 15 research institutes hitherto under the control of the MTA now passes to the ELKH, which the law allows to restructure, eliminating individual institutes or adding new ones. The network will be overseen by a 13-member body, including six representatives from the Academy and six from the government, with no direct representation from the research network itself, and with the president to be appointed by Orbán on the joint recommendation of the MTA president and Palkovics.\n\nThe Forum of Academy Staff, a civil initiative of researchers from the network of research institutes of the MTA, said it will hold a demonstration against the legal changes today from 4 p.m. on Széchenyi tér, in front of the Academy building.\n\nThe Index.hu summary in English can be read here.", "Hungary's National Assembly has adopted a controversial bill to vastly restructure the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MTA).\n\nHuman Rights Watch reported Tuesday that 15 academic institutes were to be removed from the Academy and placed in a newly established state research network.\n\nThe plans, which have been known since early in year, have repeatedly provoked protests from researchers and academics at home and abroad.\n\nThe changes are expected to come into force at the beginning of September. The supervisory board — the Eotvos Lorand Research Network (ELKH) — is to consist of 13 members. Six to be named by the Academy of Sciences and six by the Ministry of Innovation. The head of the committee will have the casting vote — appointed by Hungary's Minister of Innovation Laszlo Palkovics.\n\nThe creation of the ELKH will deprive the Academy of important financial resources, including scholarships for scientists and funds for research projects.\n\nAdditionally, the Academy could lose its grant, enshrined in law, to finance its running costs.\n\nThe new law will also establish a National Science Policy Council, to be headed by Palkovics. This body will advise the government on innovation and research topics.\n\nThe Academy of Sciences has unanimously spoken out against the amendment. Its president Laszlo Lovasz said in a statement ahead of Tuesday's vote: \"We kept on negotiating relentlessly, but our efforts proved futile.\"\n\nLovasz concludes that the future scientific landscape is \"unsuitable for the research community\" and that the law violates \"European principles.\"\n\nPalkovics, on the other hand, argues that by restructuring the sector, the government wants to make Hungary more competitive within the scientific world.\n\nThe minister justified the move with reference to German research institutions he says fulfil a similar task to the soon to be established ELKH: The Leibniz Association or the Max Planck Society.\n\nRepresentatives of the German science organizations see the situation quite differently, emphasizing their independence from politicsin an open letter. They were critical of the bill, siding with the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.\n\nNumerous critics from the world of politics have also spoken out. Udo Bullmann, leader of the Socialist Group in the European Parliament, accuses Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban of wanting to silence critical scientists.\n\n\"We are horrified to see Orban strike a new blow against scientific freedom and democracy in his country,\" Bullmann said. He is \"obviously out to establish a flawless autocracy in Hungary,\" he added.\n\nSince 2017, the Hungarian government has repeatedly taken steps to restrict freedom of scientific work within the country. Since then, the work of the Central European University, financed by US philanthropist George Soros, has been severely limited.\n\nAs a consequence, the CEU will gradually move to Vienna and start teaching there from fall 2019. By 2023, the entire university will have moved to Austria — a direct result of Orban's plans to restrict scientific freedoms.", "Academic freedom in Hungary suffered a fresh blow Tuesday, when the parliament, where ruling party Fidesz has a two-thirds majority, adopted a controversial bill undermining the independence of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. The country’s president is expected to sign it into law.\n\nThe Academy, comprised of distinguished scientists and intellectuals, has a research network of 15 institutes and 150 research groups comprising about 3,000 scientific researchers. The new bill will increase state control over the Academy by removing the 15 research institutes from the main academy and placing them in a newly established state research network (Eotvos Lorand Kutatasi Halozat).\n\nThe state research network will have a new governing board with members appointed by Prime Minister Viktor Orban, and a majority nominated by the government. The board will decide on funding and appoint directors for each research institute. The changes will allow the government to shape what types of scientific projects will be funded rather than the Academy independently making those decisions.\n\nEmese Szilagyi, Scientific Secretary of the Institute for Legal Studies at the Academy of Sciences, told Human Rights Watch that among Academy researchers, there is fear the Academy won’t be free to choose research topics but may be forced to conduct research in fields the government wants and be expected to provide findings that support their preconceived theses.\n\nThe government’s recent campaign to ban academic gender studies in Hungary and its move to force Central European University out of the country suggests this fear is well founded.\n\nThese moves highlight the government’s wider efforts to silence critical voices and discourage independent thought.\n\nThese worrisome developments, part of the broader rule of law backslide in Hungary, underscore the importance of the political sanctions process against Hungary’s government triggered by the European Parliament last year under Article 7 of the EU treaty.\n\nThe next step is for the EU Council of member states to scrutinize Hungary’s record, but the Council has yet to have a hearing on the matter. The incoming Finnish presidency should schedule a Council hearing on Hungary as soon as possible.", "BUDAPEST (Reuters) – Hungarian lawmakers passed legislation on Tuesday to tighten state control of research bodies run by the Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MTA), overriding protests against the latest step to expand the government’s role in public life.\n\nSince taking power in 2010, right-wing nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban has brought about a politicization of the courts, media and universities, putting his government at odds with the European Union over rule of law standards.\n\nThe new law strips the 200-year-old Academy of its network of research bodies and hands them over to a committee with a chairman appointed by Orban and half its members from the government.\n\nThe change was needed “to ensure a sustainable boost to Hungary’s long-term competitiveness… (and) a more efficient use of resources,” the bill’s author, Innovation and Technology Minister Laszlo Palkovics, wrote in his reasoning.\n\nPalkovics will now chair an 11-member council on behalf of the Academy to allocate and monitor funding.\n\nThe government will manage research institutes separately, and could add new ones or close existing ones.\n\nOrban will appoint the chief of the research council based on a joint recommendation of Palkovics and the MTA chief.\n\nAcademy President Laszlo Lovasz said the increase in state influence over scientific research was unacceptable and he would challenge the legislation at the Hungarian Constitutional Court.\n\n“One of the highly problematic aspects is the excessive influence of the government by European standards,” he told Reuters in an interview last month.\n\nThousands of Hungarians have taken to the streets to protest the planned overhaul of research activities and budgets, with another rally scheduled for later on Tuesday.\n\nThe European Commission has said it will monitor Hungary’s public research system and urged authorities “to refrain from any decision restricting scientific and academic freedom”.", "BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — The president of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences says the government is moving to gain control of Hungary’s research institutes and he fears the country will see an exodus of scientists.\n\nAcademy President Laszlo Lovasz said Wednesday that a government-drafted bill on the academy’s financing threatened academic freedom and could reduce support for social science research of government policies.\n\nLovasz said the government plans “are refused by an overwhelming majority of the Hungarian scientific community. Some of the most excellent researchers have already left the country.”\n\nThe Hungarian Science Academy has 3,000 researchers in a network of 15 research centers and 150 research groups at universities.\n\nThe government says it wants to increase innovation “which can effectively help the Hungarian economy.”", "Hungary’s government is poised to tighten control over the country’s venerable academy of sciences, in what critics call another attack on academic freedom and independent institutions by nationalist prime minister Viktor Orban.\n\nHungarian deputies voted on Tuesday to create a new organisation to take over the academy’s 15 research institutes and all their buildings and other assets. The government will nominate half the members of the council that will oversee the new network, all of whom will be appointed formally by Mr Orban.\n\nThousands of people have demonstrated against a move that the academy says would “effectively provide for complete governmental and political control over the research network” and “potentially jeopardises the independence of scientific research and science, which is otherwise guaranteed in the constitution”.\n\nAnother protest was planned for Tuesday against Mr Orban, whom critics accuse of dramatically expanding government influence over the economy, law courts, NGOs, media and education in Hungary, at the expense of autonomous agencies and checks and balances on his power.\n\nHungarian president Janos Ader is expected to sign into law a Bill that the government proposed despite facing EU legal action over its education reform, which is forcing the liberal Central European University to move most courses from Budapest to Vienna.\n\nThe EU is also taking Hungary to court over its hardline policies on asylum and NGOs, and it has launched disciplinary proceedings against Mr Orban’s government for allegedly undermining democratic values and the rule of law.\n\n“These worrisome developments, part of the broader rule of law backslide in Hungary, underscore the importance of the political sanctions process against Hungary’s government triggered by the European Parliament last year under Article 7 of the EU treaty,” Human Rights Watch said after the Bill was passed.\n\n“The next step is for the EU Council of member states to scrutinise Hungary’s record, but the council has yet to have a hearing on the matter. The incoming Finnish presidency should schedule a council hearing on Hungary as soon as possible.”\n\nThe academy has vowed to challenge the changes in Hungary’s constitutional court, and on Tuesday it alleged that the government’s plan “contrasts with basic European research funding principles and seriously endangers academic freedom”.\n\nGovernment spokesman Laszlo Kovacs has accused critics of “hyperventilating” over the reforms and said the nearly 200-year-old academy is “underperforming”.\n\n“Our goal is to promote research that contributes to Hungary’s economic growth and overall development, one that turns knowledge into tangible results,” he insisted last month.\n\n“And in order to do that, the existing system that is now hindered by division and inefficient management, should be brought under a new, more productive structure and made more accountable.”\n\nIn a rare setback for the government and apparent concession to EU concerns, deputies confirmed in a vote on Tuesday that Hungary was indefinitely postponing the creation of administrative courts.\n\nThe system was intended to operate under the ultimate control of the justice minister and replace the supreme court in handling cases of alleged state wrongdoing, including on politically sensitive issues like elections, corruption, police behaviour and protests.", "Hungary's parliament has passed a controversial bill that puts the country's oldest scientific institute under the direct control of right-wing Prime Minister Viktor Orban's government.\n\nThe bill, approved by 131 out of 199 legislators in the assembly on Tuesday, allows the takeover of a network of research institutes overseen by the 200-year-old Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MTA).\n\nThe legislation, expected to take effect in September, will hand over 15 scientific institutes to Eotvos Lorand Research Network (ELKH), a newly-formed state network overseen by a board ultimately appointed by the prime minister.\n\nThe MTA warned the move could trigger a brain drain in the country. The takeover had been the subject of tough debate - and even street protests by scientists - since the ruling Fidesz party was re-elected in April 2018.\n\nLast month, MTA president Laszlo Lovasz asked the scientists to fight for the freedom to \"pursue their research in Hungary, without any political pressure\".\n\nGovernment spokesman Zoltan Kovacs did not respond to questions from Al Jazeera but insisted in a blog that the goal is to boost the funding and efficiency of Hungary’s under-performing research and development sector.\n\n\"Our goal is to promote research that contributes to Hungary's economic growth and overall development, one that turns knowledge into tangible results,\" he wrote.\n\nThe government has suggested it could cut or increase funding to MTA's research bodies depending on the areas they study.\n\nOrban's critics say the push to take control of MTA is part of a wider, systemic takeover of Hungary's key institutions. The election system, judiciary and NGOs have largely been tamed, as has public media.\n\nCritics say control of academic and cultural institutions is now being sought in order to rewrite history and cement power for Orban's \"illiberal democracy\".\n\nHuman Rights Watch said the move against MTA highlights the government's \"wider efforts to silence critical voices and discourage independent thought\".\n\nShortly after his re-election, the populist prime minister had laid out his vision.\n\n\"We have been mandated to build a new era,\" Orban announced. \"An era is determined by cultural trends, collective beliefs.\"\n\nPeter Kreko of the Budapest-based think-tank Political Capital told Al Jazeera that Orban had announced clearly he would concentrate on \"taking over the national narrative\".\n\n\"To change the cultural course in a way beneficial to his government,\" he said.\n\nFidesz party's political appeal is based on its assertion that only a strong leader can \"protect\" Hungary from globalist forces \"threatening to flood the country\" with migrants and \"destroy its Christian culture\".\n\nOrban's first major move towards tightening his grip on education came in 2013 when the national curriculum was put under centralised government control.\n\nThe introduction of academic works by anti-Semites and fascists sparked large protests in the country.\n\nThat campaign has recently been accelerated.\n\nLast year, university gender studies programmes were stopped and the prestigious Central European University (CEU), founded by billionaire philanthropist George Soros, was forced to move to Vienna following a long-running dispute with the government.\n\nA few days ago, CEU president Michael Ignatieff criticised Western governments for failing to act in support of academic freedom, warning it would lead to a \"democratic recession\".\n\n\"In Orban's system, the institutions manufacturing this knowledge must be under control,\" said Kreko. \"The move on the MTA is not an accident.\"\n\nThe MTA is not the only research institute fighting for its life. Last month, the 1956 Institute, named after a failed revolution against the communist regime and a depository of recent historical research, was folded into the government-run Veritas Institute.\n\n\"This government destroyed the 1956 Institute and is in the process of doing the same to [the MTA],\" wrote Eva Balogh, a Hungarian-born former lecturer on Eastern Europe at Yale university in the US.\n\nKreko also pointed out the generous amounts of EU funds given to European academic and cultural institutions.\n\nOrban is reported to have built a network of friendly oligarchs to absorb subsidies coming from Brussels, home to the EU headquarters.", ", Budapest, Hungary, Jul 2 – The Hungarian parliament passed a bill Tuesday enabling the takeover of research institutes by Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s government, which is accused by critics of seeking to control key institutions and sectors.\n\nThe bill, approved by 131 of lawmakers in the 199-seat assembly, gives Orban’s nationalist, anti-migration government control of a vast network of research institutes currently run by the two-century old Hungarian Academy of Sciences (MTA).\n\nOrban’s critics say that since coming to power in 2010 he has tightened his control over most key institutions in Hungary, including public media, the judiciary and the education sector.\n\nScientists have condemned the move against research institutes as a threat to academic freedom.\n\nUnder the legislation, a new institution with board members appointed by Orban will allocate funding for research.\n\nThis body would also use the MTA’s properties and part of its administration.\n\nFounded in 1825, the MTA is the country’s oldest and largest scientific institution but the government views it as an inefficient relic of communism.\n\nIts institutes currently employ some 5,000 staff nationwide including around 3,000 researchers, and perform a vast range of research ranging from philosophy to music, animal husbandry to space research.\n\nOrban has argued that Hungary needs to boost its performance in international innovation rankings and create more economic profit from science.\n\nLast year, he set up a new Innovation and Technology Ministry (ITM) to begin moving control of scientific funding away from the MTA in favour of new “innovation-driven” projects.\n\nThe MTA’s president has said the reforms “threaten academic freedom” and have alarmed “the vast majority of Hungarian scientists,” arguing that the shake-up is partly because MTA experts have criticised government policies in recent years.\n\nThousands have demonstrated in Budapest in solidarity with the institution at several street protests since the bill was drafted earlier this year.\n\nA new protest has been set for Tuesday afternoon.", "Since Assembly Biosciences Inc. (NASDAQ:ASMB) and Alpine Immune Sciences Inc. (NASDAQ:ALPN) are part of the Biotechnology industry, they are influenced by contrast. The influences particularly affect the analyst recommendations, profitability, institutional ownership, risk, dividends, earnings and valuation of both companies.\n\nTable 1 shows gross revenue, earnings per share (EPS) and valuation of the two companies.\n\nTable 2 provides Assembly Biosciences Inc. and Alpine Immune Sciences Inc.’s return on assets, return on equity and net margins.\n\nAssembly Biosciences Inc. has a 1.54 beta, while its volatility is 54.00%, thus making it more volatile than S&P 500. Alpine Immune Sciences Inc.’s 2.02 beta is the reason why it is 102.00% more volatile than S&P 500.\n\n12 and 12 are the respective Current Ratio and a Quick Ratio of Assembly Biosciences Inc. Its rival Alpine Immune Sciences Inc.’s Current and Quick Ratios are 6.6 and 6.6 respectively. Assembly Biosciences Inc. has a better chance of clearing its pay short and long-term debts than Alpine Immune Sciences Inc.\n\nAssembly Biosciences Inc. and Alpine Immune Sciences Inc. Recommendations and Ratings are available in the next table.\n\nAssembly Biosciences Inc. has an average target price of $42, and a 183.59% upside potential.\n\nInstitutional investors held 86.6% of Assembly Biosciences Inc. shares and 46.6% of Alpine Immune Sciences Inc. shares. Insiders held 6.3% of Assembly Biosciences Inc. shares. Competitively, Alpine Immune Sciences Inc. has 0.2% of it’s share held by insiders.\n\nHere are the Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly, Half Yearly, Yearly and YTD Performance of both pretenders.\n\nFor the past year Assembly Biosciences Inc. had bearish trend while Alpine Immune Sciences Inc. had bullish trend.\n\nAssembly Biosciences Inc. beats on 5 of the 8 factors Alpine Immune Sciences Inc.\n\nAssembly Biosciences, Inc., a clinical stage biotechnology company, develops oral therapeutics for the treatment of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and novel class of oral synthetic live biotherapeutics to restore health to a dysbiotic microbiome in the United States. It is involved in developing core protein allosteric modulators that modulate the HBV core protein at various points in the viral lifecycle. The company also develops microbiome program, a platform that includes the identification and selection process to strain isolation and growth under current good manufacturing practice conditions; and a patent pending delivery system, GEMICEL, which allows for targeted oral delivery of live biologic and conventional therapies to the lower gastrointestinal tract. Its lead product candidate from the platform is AB-M101 that has been completed Phase Ia clinical trial to treat clostridium difficile infections. The company was formerly known as Ventrus Biosciences, Inc. and changed its name to Assembly Biosciences, Inc. in June 2014. Assembly Biosciences, Inc. was founded in 2005 and is headquartered in Carmel, Indiana.\n\nAlpine Immune Sciences, Inc. focuses on the discovery and development of protein-based immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer, inflammatory disorders, and other diseases. Its lead programs include ALPN-101, an ICOS/CD28 antagonist program for the treatment of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases; and ALPN-202 program for the treatment of cancer. The company has a collaboration and licensing agreement with the Kite Pharma, Inc. for discovering and developing protein-based immunotherapies targeting the immune synapse to treat cancer. Alpine Immune Sciences, Inc. is headquartered in Seattle, Washington."], "summary": "The Fidesz supermajority of Hungary's National Assembly passes a bill, which takes the entire research network away from the Hungarian Academy of Sciences and hands them to a new government-backed organisation."}
{"document": ["House Democrats Sue For Trump's Tax Returns\n\nEnlarge this image toggle caption J. Scott Applewhite/AP J. Scott Applewhite/AP\n\nHouse Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal, D-Mass., sued Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig to obtain six years of President Trump's tax returns.\n\nThe lawsuit, filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., is the latest step in a months-long battle with the Trump administration over the president's tax records. Democrats want the court to enforce a subpoena requesting the returns.\n\nMnuchin rejected the subpoena in May, citing guidance from the Department of Justice. At the time Mnuchin said the request lacked a \"legitimate legislative purpose.\"\n\nDemocrats argue in the court filing that the committee has the right to access Trump's private tax information under Section 6103 of the U.S. tax code, which says, \"Treasury 'shall furnish' the Committee with 'any' requested tax return information\" from any U.S. citizen, including the president.\n\nThe filing states that the law was \"intended to provide the Committee with unfettered access to tax return information necessary to carry out its broad mandate to oversee Treasury, the IRS, and the Nation's tax laws. \"\n\nCommittee Republicans have sided with Mnuchin, calling the request baseless and dangerous. Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas, the top Republican on Ways and Means, also said the lawsuit is motivated by partisanship and circumvents the usual committee process for requesting taxpayer information.\n\n\"The Democrats' partisan, flawed lawsuit continues their unprecedented and illegitimate pursuit to expose President Trump's private tax information,\" Brady said in a statement. \"This is a dangerous course of action.\"\n\nBut many Democrats, including committee member Bill Pascrell, D-N.J., cheered the lawsuit as the next logical step in the effort to reveal details of Trump's business dealings both as a candidate and while in office.\n\n\"We are here today because Donald Trump and his enablers have sneered at our laws and avoided the thinnest accountability for their corruption,\" Pascrell said in a statement. \"The Ways and Means Committee must file this action to stand for rule of law.\"", "July 2 (UPI) -- The House Ways and Means Committee sued the Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service Tuesday to get President Donald Trump's federal tax returns.\n\nThe panel, led by Democrats, had asked for more than six years of Trump's personal and business tax returns, going as far as issuing subpoenas for the records. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and IRS head Charles Rettig rebuffed the request.\n\nThe lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., claiming that Mnuchin, Rettig and their departments \"have now - for what the committee believes is the first time ever - denied a Section 6103(f) request in order to shield President Trump's tax return information from Congressional scrutiny.\"\n\nDemocrats have said the federal tax code gives Congress the right to receive the records on request.\n\n\"In refusing to comply with the statute, defendants have mounted an extraordinary attack on the authority of Congress to obtain information needed to conduct oversight of Treasury, the IRS, and the tax laws on behalf of the American people who participate in the nation's voluntary tax system,\" the suit said.\n\nIn a letter to Ways and Means chairman Richard Neal, D-Mass., in May, Mnuchin said Democrats were \"weaponizing\" the IRS to simply attack Trump politically and receiving his tax returns had no value.\n\n\"In reliance on the advice of the Department of Justice, we have determined that the committee's request lacks a legitimate legislative purpose, and ... the department is therefore not authorized to disclose the requested returns and return information,\" Mnuchin said in the letter.", "The House’s tax-writing committee filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against the U.S. Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service for access to President Donald Trump’s tax returns, reported. The lawsuit, filed by the the House Ways and Means Committee in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., seeks to enforce a statute that gives Congress access to anyone’s tax returns. The lawsuit comes two months after the Democrat-led panel subpoenaed Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and IRS chief Charles Rettig to submit Trump’s personal and business returns for the last six years. The officials defied those May subpoenas, however, arguing the request to disclose Trump’s financial documents had no legitimate legislative purpose.\n\n“In refusing to comply with the statute, Defendants have mounted an extraordinary attack on the authority of Congress to obtain information needed to conduct oversight of Treasury, the IRS, and the tax laws on behalf of the American people who participate in the Nation’s voluntary tax system,” the complaint states. The lawsuit also notes the committee is investigating whether the IRS has been enforcing its “self-imposed policy of annually auditing the returns of sitting presidents.” “Indeed, President Trump himself has repeatedly questioned the integrity of the process by which the IRS audits his tax returns, complaining that his returns are under ‘continuous audit’ and that the IRS’s policy of annually auditing Presidential returns is ‘extremely unfair,’” the complaint states.", "Law360 (July 2, 2019, 12:06 PM EDT) -- The House’s tax committee sued the U.S. Department of the Treasury in federal court for President Donald Trump’s tax return information on Tuesday, setting in motion a legal battle that will likely end at the U.S. Supreme Court. House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal made the request for the president's tax information under Section 6103 of the Internal Revenue Code. (AP) The House Ways and Means Committee sued Treasury and Secretary Steven Mnuchin, the Internal Revenue Service and Commissioner Chuck Rettig in a Washington, D.C., federal court after they rejected multiple requests and a subpoena for six years’ worth...\n\nIn the legal profession, information is the key to success. You have to know what’s happening with clients, competitors, practice areas, and industries. Law360 provides the intelligence you need to remain an expert and beat the competition.\n• Access to case data within articles (numbers, filings, courts, nature of suit, and more.)\n• Access to attached documents such as briefs, petitions, complaints, decisions, motions, etc.\n• Create custom alerts for specific article and case topics and so much more!\n\nTRY LAW360 FREE FOR SEVEN DAYS", "A Democratic-led US House of Representatives panel on Tuesday filed a long-awaited lawsuit in federal court to demand President Donald Trump's individual and business tax returns.\n\nThe House Ways and Means Committee filed the lawsuit against the United States Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service after Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin refused a legal request for the records and defied two congressional subpoenas seeking the returns.\n\n\"Despite its mandatory obligation, the Treasury Department failed to comply with the law and denied the Committee's request,\" Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal said in a statement.\n\nTrump lawyer Jay Sekulow called the filing the \"latest effort at presidential harassment\" and said the president's legal team would respond in court.\n\nDemocrats want Trump's tax records from 2013 to 2018, which legal experts have said could shed light on the president's business dealings. Such a legal process, experts said, could unfold slowly and become an issue in the 2020 election.\n\nMnuchin refused to hand over the returns after Neal asked for the documents on April 3 under a federal law that says Treasury \"shall furnish\" such records upon request. The committee believes it is the first time an administration has denied such a request, the lawsuit said.\n\n\"In refusing to comply with the statute, defendants have mounted an extraordinary attack on the authority of Congress to obtain information needed to conduct oversight of Treasury, the IRS, and the tax laws on behalf of the American people,\" the lawsuit said.\n\n\"The judiciary has been a bulwark against Trump's steaming corruption and roughshod lawlessness. I have no doubt our lower courts will side with Congress,\" tweeted Representative Bill Pascrell, a Ways and Means Democrat who has helped lead the campaign to obtain Trump's returns.\n\nDemocrats who wanted Neal to move to court more quickly expressed relief over the filing.\n\n\"This long-overdue legal action is needed to keep this bad president from setting a bad precedent,\" Representative Lloyd Doggett said in a statement.\n\nCongressional Republicans condemned the effort as a dangerous political fishing expedition by Democrats that could \"weaponise\" confidential taxpayer information.\n\n\"The Democrats' partisan, flawed lawsuit continues their unprecedented and illegitimate pursuit to expose President Trump's private tax information,\" Representative Kevin Brady, the top Republican on Neal's committee, said in a statement.\n\nWays and Means is one of half a dozen panels in the lower house pursuing investigations of the Trump campaign's contacts with Russians during the 2016 presidential race to the sprawling business interests he has not divested since taking office.\n\nThe White House is refusing to cooperate with most of them, setting up other expected legal battles.\n\nHouse Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler told MSNBC on Monday that he expects a lawsuit to be filed soon in federal court to enforce a subpoena for the testimony of former White House counsel Don McGahn.\n\nTrump broke with a decades-old political precedent by refusing to release his returns as a presidential candidate in 2016 and he continues to do so as president, saying his tax returns are under IRS audit.\n\nHouse Democrats are using Trump's audit claim as grounds for seeking the returns. The lawsuit said the documents are needed to determine whether IRS audits are working properly, to examine how the agency administers tax policy where Trump is concerned and to ensure that Trump is complying with tax laws.", "WASHINGTON, July 2 (Reuters) - A Democratic-led U.S. House panel on Tuesday filed a long-awaited lawsuit in federal court to demand President Donald Trump's individual and business tax returns.\n\nThe House Ways and Means Committee filed the lawsuit against the U.S. Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service after Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin refused a legal request for the records and defied two congressional subpoenas seeking the returns.\n\nThe filing sounded the starting gun in what is widely expected to be a lengthy legal battle that is likely to end in the U.S. Supreme Court.\n\nThere was no immediate comment from the Trump administration.\n\n\"In refusing to comply with the statute, defendants have mounted an extraordinary attack on the authority of Congress to obtain information needed to conduct oversight of Treasury, the IRS, and the tax laws on behalf of the American people,\" the lawsuit said.\n\nThe lawsuit said the committee believes it was the first time an administration has denied such a request.\n\nHouse Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal requested six years of Trump's returns on April 3, under a federal law that says Treasury \"shall furnish\" the documents. Neal said in a statement that the panel was now pursuing the matter in court because of the administration's \"noncompliance\".\n\n\"The judiciary has been a bulwark against Trump's steaming corruption and roughshod lawlessness. I have no doubt our lower courts will side with Congress,\" Representative Bill Pascrell, a Ways and Means Democrat who has helped lead the campaign to obtain Trump's returns, wrote in a statement on Twitter.\n\nDemocrats who wanted Neal to move to court more quickly expressed relief at the filing. \"This long-overdue legal action is needed to keep this bad president from setting a bad precedent,\" Representative Lloyd Doggett said in a statement.\n\nCongressional Republicans condemned the effort as a dangerous political fishing expedition by Democrats that could \"weaponize\" confidential taxpayer information.\n\n\"The Democrats' partisan, flawed lawsuit continues their unprecedented and illegitimate pursuit to expose President Trump's private tax information,\" Representative Kevin Brady, the top Republican on Neal's committee, said in a statement.\n\nWays and Means is one of half a dozen panels in the House of Representatives that are conducting investigations involving Trump and his administration, from his campaign's contacts with Russians during the 2016 presidential race to the sprawling business interests he has not divested since taking office.\n\nThe White House is refusing to cooperate with most of them, setting up other expected legal battles like this one.\n\nTrump broke with a decades-old political precedent by refusing to release his returns as a presidential candidate in 2016 and he continues to do so as president, saying his tax returns are under IRS audit.\n\nHis former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, has told a House panel that he does not believe Trump's taxes are under audit. Cohen said the president feared that releasing his returns could lead to an audit and IRS tax penalties.\n\nDemocrats are pressing Trump to release tax records from 2013 to 2018, which legal experts said could shed light on the president´s business dealings. Such a legal process, experts said, could unfold slowly and become an issue in the 2020 election.\n\nTheir federal lawsuit said the administrations' continued refusal to produce the materials \"is depriving the Committee of information necessary to complete its time-limited investigation, thereby impeding its most basic constitutional functions.\"\n\nIt asked the court to force the administration to comply.\n\nNeal would also have the option to request Trump's state tax returns from the New York Department of Taxation and Finance, after the state legislature voted in May to share tax return information with a congressional committee that asks for it. (Reporting by Susan Heavey; Writing by David Morgan and Doina Chiacu; editing by Jonathan Oatis)", "WASHINGTON, July 2 (Reuters) - A Democratic-led U.S. House of Representatives panel on Tuesday filed a long-awaited lawsuit in federal court to demand President Donald Trump's individual and business tax returns.\n\nThe House Ways and Means Committee filed the lawsuit against the U.S. Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service after Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin refused a legal request for the records and defied two congressional subpoenas seeking the returns.\n\nThere was no official comment from the Trump administration, but Trump attorney Jay Sekulow said: \"We will respond to this latest effort at presidential harassment in court.\"\n\nDemocrats want Trump's tax records from 2013 to 2018, which legal experts have said could shed light on the president's business dealings. Such a legal process, experts said, could unfold slowly and become an issue in the 2020 election.\n\nMnuchin refused to hand over the returns after House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal asked for the documents on April 3, under a federal law that says Treasury \"shall furnish\" such records upon request. The committee believes it is the first time an administration has denied such a request, the lawsuit said.\n\n\"In refusing to comply with the statute, defendants have mounted an extraordinary attack on the authority of Congress to obtain information needed to conduct oversight of Treasury, the IRS, and the tax laws on behalf of the American people,\" the lawsuit said.\n\nNeal said in a statement that the panel was now pursuing the matter in court because of the administration's \"noncompliance.\"\n\n\"The judiciary has been a bulwark against Trump's steaming corruption and roughshod lawlessness. I have no doubt our lower courts will side with Congress,\" Representative Bill Pascrell, a Ways and Means Democrat who has helped lead the campaign to obtain Trump's returns, wrote on Twitter.\n\nDemocrats who wanted Neal to move to court more quickly expressed relief at the filing. \"This long-overdue legal action is needed to keep this bad president from setting a bad precedent,\" Representative Lloyd Doggett said in a statement.\n\nCongressional Republicans condemned the effort as a dangerous political fishing expedition by Democrats that could \"weaponize\" confidential taxpayer information.\n\n\"The Democrats' partisan, flawed lawsuit continues their unprecedented and illegitimate pursuit to expose President Trump's private tax information,\" Representative Kevin Brady, the top Republican on Neal's committee, said in a statement.\n\nWays and Means is one of half a dozen panels in the lower house that are conducting investigations involving Trump and his administration, from his campaign's contacts with Russians during the 2016 presidential race to the sprawling business interests he has not divested since taking office.\n\nThe White House is refusing to cooperate with most of them, setting up other expected legal battles.\n\nTrump broke with a decades-old political precedent by refusing to release his returns as a presidential candidate in 2016 and he continues to do so as president, saying his tax returns are under IRS audit.\n\nHouse Democrats are using Trump's audit claim as grounds for seeking the returns. The lawsuit said the documents are needed to determine whether IRS audits are working properly, to examine how the agency administers tax policy where Trump is concerned and to ensure that Trump is complying with tax laws.\n\nThe lawsuit said the administration's continued refusal to produce the materials \"is depriving the committee of information necessary to complete its time-limited investigation, thereby impeding its most basic constitutional functions.\"\n\nIt asked the court to force the administration to comply.\n\nNeal could also have the option of requesting Trump's state tax returns from the New York Department of Taxation and Finance. The state legislature voted in May to share tax return information with a congressional committee that asks for it.\n\nIt was not clear whether Neal has contemplated such a move.", "Failing to obtain President Trump’s tax returns via request or subpoena, the Democrat-led House Ways and Means Committee is now suing for them.\n\nIn a lawsuit filed Tuesday, the committee claims that the Trump administration is violating federal law by refusing to comply with their demands. A statute allows the committee to request an individual’s tax return information, but Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin shot down the request.\n\nDEM WANTS TRUMP OFFICIALS JAILED FOR NOT TURNING OVER TAX RETURNS\n\n“In refusing to comply with the statute, Defendants have mounted an extraordinary attack on the authority of Congress to obtain information needed to conduct oversight of Treasury, the IRS, and the tax laws on behalf of the American people who participate in the Nation’s voluntary tax system,” the lawsuit says.\n\nThe committee claims that the law gives them “unfettered access to tax return information,” but Mnuchin had claimed they lacked a legitimate legislative purpose, which the Supreme Court said is necessary to make such inquiries. The committee claims that the law does not permit the Treasury Department to refuse, and does not require any such legislative purpose.\n\nMnuchin is named as a defendant in the case, as is IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig, as well as the IRS and Treasury Department. The IRS and Treasury Department did not immediately respond to a Fox News request for comment.\n\nUniversity of Iowa Law Professor Andy Grewal, who has written on the subject, said Tuesday he predicts the House committee may find early success in the lawsuit, but that the Supreme Court would ultimately rule that it does not have the power to bring the lawsuit.\n\n“I would not be surprised if a district court orders the Treasury to turn over the returns,” Grewal tweeted. “But my prediction is that in this lawsuit or another, the Supreme Court says that the legislature lacks standing to sue the executive branch (ie, the case gets tossed out).”\n\nIn a separate comment to Fox News, Grewal warned of the precedent the lawsuit could set if it is successful.\n\n\"The committee has asserted an extraordinarily broad understanding of its own powers, saying that no one -- not the executive branch, not even the Supreme Court -- can question its motives,\" he said. \"Acceptance of that position would mean that Congress could issue subpoenas even when motivated by racism and bigotry. Courts may be hesitant to accept such a broad construction of the House's investigatory power.\"\n\nDespite claiming that it does not require any legislative purpose, the committee does claim that it has one. The complaint alleges that they need Trump’s tax return information because they are “investigating the IRS’s administration of various tax laws and policies relating to Presidential tax returns and tax law compliance by President Trump, including whether the IRS’s self-imposed policy of annually auditing the returns of sitting Presidents is working properly[.]”\n\nTrump has said in the past that the reason he did not release his tax returns during the 2016 campaign, per tradition, was because he was under audit. The lawsuit cites a similar comment by Trump in April 2019, where he said he would not give Congress his tax returns while under audit.\n\nThe lawsuit also claims that the committee urgently needs the president's tax return information because of the consideration of tax legislation that \"would govern the next Presidential election,\" including bills that would require candidates in 2020 to disclose their tax returns.\n\nCommittee member Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr., D-N.J., claimed that the lawsuit was a necessary measure due to the administration’s refusal to comply.\n\n“Litigation is always a last resort. We are here today because Donald Trump and his enablers have sneered at our laws and avoided the thinnest accountability for their corruption. The Ways and Means Committee must file this action to stand for rule of law,” he said in a statement. “Despite Republicans’ efforts to cover-up, Americans cry out for oversight and voted in a new House to enforce that demand in November.”\n\nRepublicans on the committee, meanwhile, are looking to take their own action. Top GOP member Rep. Kevin Brady, R-Texas, said after the lawsuit was filed that he is introducing a resolution against it.\n\n“The Democrats’ partisan, flawed lawsuit continues their unprecedented and illegitimate pursuit to expose President Trump’s private tax information,” Brady said in a statement. “This is a dangerous course of action. For this reason, I am introducing a resolution to preserve the integrity of the People’s House from the attacks of the elite few and restore the voice of every American.”", "A House of Representatives panel filed suit on Tuesday against the US Treasury and the Internal Revenue Service, as it wrangled to obtain President Donald Trump's tax returns.\n\nThe Democratic-led House Ways and Means Committee filed the lawsuit in US District Court for the District of Columbia after the Treasury Department refused a request for tax information about the Republican president.\n\n\"In refusing to comply with the statute, Defendants have mounted an extraordinary attack on the authority of Congress to obtain information needed to conduct oversight of Treasury, the IRS, and the tax laws on behalf of the American people,\" the lawsuit said.\n\nThe lawsuit said the committee believes it was the first time an administration has denied such a request.\n\nThe committee is one of half a dozen that are conducting investigations involving Trump and his administration, from his campaign's contacts with Russians during the 2016 presidential race to the sprawling business interests he has not divested since taking office.\n\nThe White House is refusing to cooperate with must of them, setting up potential legal battles like this one.\n\nDemocrats have pressed Trump to release tax records from 2013 to 2018, which legal experts said could shed light on the president's business dealings. Such a legal process, experts said, could unfold slowly and become an issue in the 2020 election.\n\nThe lawsuit, which also names Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, said the administrations continued refusal to produce the materials \"is depriving the Committee of information necessary to complete its time-limited investigation, thereby impeding its most basic constitutional functions.\"\n\nGet Breaking news, live coverage, and Latest News from India and around the world on NDTV.com. Catch all the Live TV action on NDTV 24x7 and NDTV India. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagram for latest news and live news updates.\n\n\n\nBudget 2019: Find the latest news on ndtv.com/budget. Use the income tax calculator to learn about your tax liability", "WASHINGTON -- The House sued the Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service on Tuesday, demanding access to President Donald Trump's tax returns and escalating a fight with an administration that has repeatedly dismissed as illegitimate its attempt to obtain the financial records.\n\nThe lawsuit moves the dispute into the federal courts after months of sniping between the Democratic-led House Ways and Means Committee, which requested and then subpoenaed the returns, and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. The case may ultimately go to the Supreme Court, and its outcome is likely to determine whether financial information that Trump has kept closely guarded despite long-standing presidential tradition will be viewed by Congress and, ultimately, the public.\n\n\"In refusing to comply with the statute, defendants have mounted an extraordinary attack on the authority of Congress to obtain information needed to conduct oversight of Treasury, the IRS, and the tax laws on behalf of the American people who participate in the nation's voluntary tax system,\" the complaint said. It asked a judge to order the defendants to comply.\n\nHouse Democrats are facing similar resistance on a broad range of investigations that include inquiries into Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian election interference and the profits gleaned from Trump's continuing business ventures.\n\nIn almost every instance, the Trump administration has argued that Congress' power to gain access to those materials is inherently limited to information that would serve \"legitimate\" legislative purposes -- defined by the executive branch to be limited to materials needed to help draft new laws and to exclude uncovering potential wrongdoing.\n\nCongress retorts that its powers to compel information are far more sweeping than that and encompass oversight of important matters in general -- and that its decisions about what information it wants to subpoena are not to be second-guessed by the White House.\n\nThe same dispute is at the center of a pair of lawsuits over subpoenas to accounting and banking firms for other financial records involving the Trump Organization. Trump's lawyers have twice tried and failed to win court orders blocking subpoenas seeking records from Trump's bankers and accountants. His attorneys are appealing those rulings. A federal judge in May said U.S. lawmakers have the power to demand Trump's financial records from his accounting firm, Mazars USA LLP.\n\nTrump was the first major presidential candidate in decades not to voluntarily release his tax returns. He has said the returns were under audit by the IRS, but that does not actually preclude him from releasing them to the public.\n\nThe chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass., initially requested six years of Trump's personal and business returns in early April using a provision of the federal tax code that grants the chairmen of Congress' tax-writing committees the power to request tax information on any filer. The provision in question -- Section 6103 -- dates to the Teapot Dome scandal of the 1920s and says merely that the Treasury secretary \"shall\" furnish the requested material.\n\nNeal said he needed the returns, as well as audit information from the IRS, for a study of the efficacy of the agency's mandatory presidential audit program that could potentially result in legislative changes.\n\nMnuchin rejected the request anyway, prompting Neal to shift tactics and counter in May by issuing subpoenas for the same material. That led to another rejection by Mnuchin. Both times, he said the requests lacked any \"legitimate legislative purpose.\"\n\nThe House suit asks a federal judge to enforce both approaches, validating the committee's use of Section 6103 and Neal's subpoenas. It says that \"numerous investigative reports have revealed that President Trump, through the complex arrangements of his personal and business finances, has engaged in multiple aggressive tax strategies and decades-long tax avoidance schemes.\"\n\nThe Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel last month endorsed Mnuchin's rationale with a 33-page memo. The department pointed to it again Tuesday, while otherwise declining to comment on the case. The Treasury Department did not respond to a request for comment.\n\nIn the memo, Steven Engel, the head of the office, cited comments by Neal and other Democrats that suggested, among other things, that they wanted to obtain and disclose Trump's tax returns to \"'honor tradition,' show 'what the Russians have on Donald Trump,' reveal a potential 'Chinese connection,' inform tax reform legislation, provide the 'clearest picture of his financial health,'\" and expose any hidden business dealings that may run afoul of the Constitution's ban on receiving \"emoluments\" from foreign governments.\n\nAgainst that backdrop, Engel dismissed Neal's stated official rationale for seeking the returns -- that Congress needs them for an investigation into how the IRS audits and enforces federal tax laws against presidents -- as \"pretextual,\" saying lawmakers instead wanted them for the political purpose of disclosing them. That purpose, he said, was not within Congress' legitimate constitutional authority.\n\nThe Trump administration and the president's personal lawyers have raised the \"legitimate purpose\" argument repeatedly as they have sought to parry Democratic demands for information related to not just Trump's finances but also issues ranging from the special counsel's Trump-Russia investigation to the granting of security clearances to close Trump associates.\n\nLast month, the House passed a resolution that cleared the way for committees to file lawsuits asking a court to order the executive branch to comply with their subpoenas without further action on the full House floor. The Ways and Means Committee lawsuit for Trump's tax returns is the first exercise of that authority.\n\nSome legal experts believe the battle could last well past the 2020 presidential election.\n\nThe case is Committee on Ways and Means v. U.S. Department of the Treasury, 19-cv-1974, U.S. District Court, District of Columbia (Washington).\n\nInformation for this article was contributed by Nicholas Fandos and Charlie Savage of The New York Times; and by Joe Light, Andrew Harris and Laura Davison of Bloomberg News."], "summary": "The U.S. House Committee on Ways and Means sues U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin and Commissioner of Internal Revenue Charles Rettig to obtain six years of U.S. President Donald Trump's tax returns."}
{"document": ["Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Brexit Party MEPs turned their backs as Ode to Joy was performed\n\nThe European Parliament has re-opened in Strasbourg with an anti-EU protest by the UK's Brexit Party and a demonstration by Catalan nationalists whose MEPs are barred.\n\nThe first session after Europe-wide elections in May began as EU leaders went into a third day of talks on who should fill the bloc's top jobs.\n\nA plan emerged on Tuesday to nominate German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen as Commission president.\n\nAn earlier compromise deal collapsed.\n\nMs Von der Leyen is being considered for the top job, while Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel is being considered for the key role of president of the European Council, according to German website Die Welt and other reports.\n\nChristine Lagarde is being cited as a possible new head of the European Central Bank. The French head of the International Monetary Fund served as economy minister during Nicolas Sarkozy's presidency.\n\nWhat happened at the parliament?\n\nHundreds of Catalan demonstrators protested that three separatist figures were unable to take their seats, as inside the chamber fellow MEPs placed photos of the missing members on their desks.\n\nImage copyright Reuters Image caption Protesters waved Catalan flags outside parliament\n\nEx-Catalan president Carles Puigdemont and colleague Toni Comin were barred from taking their seats because they had fled to Brussels after a banned referendum on independence went ahead and had not attended a swearing-in ceremony in Madrid as required. Another separatist leader, Oriol Junqueras, is in detention and on trial in Spain.\n\nIrish Sinn Féin MEP Matt Carthy warned that the parliament's credibility would be undermined if it did not stand up for the voters of Catalonia.\n\nAs outgoing speaker Antonio Tajani convened the new session, MEPs rose for the EU's anthem, Beethoven's Ode to Joy, accompanied by a saxophone quartet. But not everyone stood, and anti-EU MEPs from the UK's Brexit Party turned their backs on the rendition.\n\n\"Rising to your feet is a matter of respect,\" said Mr Tajani. \"It does not mean that you necessarily share the views of the European Union. Even when you listen to the anthem of another country you rise to your feet.\"\n\nTheir action came after party leader Nigel Farage promised a spirit of \"cheerful defiance\".\n\nPro-EU Liberal Democrats staged their own stunt, wearing \"Stop Brexit\" T-shirts.\n\nImage copyright AFP Image caption Among the new intake was Italy's former prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, 82\n\nWill there be a summit deal?\n\nEU leaders reconvened in Brussels for their third consecutive day after a reported compromise deal that would have seen Dutch Labour leader Frans Timmermans head the Commission with centre-right Bulgarian Kristalina Georgieva taking the other key job of European Council president.\n\nThat deal fell apart when the four Visegrad states of Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic and Slovakia blocked the plan, with the backing of Italy. Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis said Mr Timmermans was \"unacceptable\" and a \"total catastrophe\".\n\nA new compromise emerged after hours of phone diplomacy involving EU leaders and outgoing Council President Donald Tusk, who was seen heading for the talks with his mobile phone to his ear.\n\nAfter Italy's Giuseppe Conte said he would be very happy with a woman as Commission president, that idea gained ground when Ursula von der Leyen emerged as a possible candidate. She has not been considered a front-runner so far.\n\nWhy is it so hard to find a solution?\n\nPolitical horse-trading has always been part of choosing the names for the top EU jobs, but EU elections at the end of May have shifted influence away from the two biggest groups in the European Parliament, the centre-right EPP and the Socialists and Democrats (S&D).\n\nIf the main post does go to the German defence minister, it is a defeat for the EPP's candidate Manfred Weber, but still a result for the party and for Angela Merkel's ruling CDU.\n\nIt is not just the Commission presidency that is part of the discussion. The leaders also need to agree on four other top posts:\n\nEuropean Council president (to replace Donald Tusk)\n\nHigh Representative for foreign policy (to replace Federica Mogherini)\n\nEuropean Parliament president\n\nEuropean Central Bank president\n\nThe European Parliament will elect its president on Wednesday, placing further pressure on the EU leaders. MEPs will also have to approve the leaders' eventual nomination for Commission chief.", "Yesterday, Brexit party MEPs led by Nigel Farage turned their backs while the anthem of the European Union played at a ceremony to mark the opening of the European Parliament. Their behaviour has been met with disdain by many, with #notinmyname trending on Twitter. This was an emotionally provocative act at a time of political sensitivity, and there is something about the shunning of the anthem itself, an instrumental arrangement of the Ode to Joy from the final movement of Beethoven’s iconic Ninth Symphony, that makes the demonstration particularly inflammatory.\n\nThe symphony has a long and chequered history: it has been a symbol of both dark and light. A favourite work of Hitler’s (he liked to hear it on birthdays), the Ninth was also used in Nazi propaganda films, and the closing choral section was performed at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. It was also chosen as the national anthem of the Republic of Rhodesia under the racist administration of Ian Smith. This darkness has been appropriated in film soundtracks: the symphony is associated with extreme violence in Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange, and is a recurring motif representing Alan Rickman’s cultured villain Hans Gruber in Die Hard.\n\nYet the Ninth also has redemptive connotations. At the same time as Hitler appropriated the Ninth, it was also used to oppose him, even played in concentration camps by an orchestra of prisoners. Music was used by the SS to control and humiliate, but prisoners also used music as a survival tool. In 2000, the Vienna Philharmonic gave a moving performance of it at Mauthausen, a Nazi concentration camp, in front of an audience of survivors. Given its history (and also that of the Vienna Philharmonic), the choice of the Ninth was controversial. Nonetheless, Beethoven, as a symbol of the new Europe at the turn of the millennium, was seen as the appropriate choice by many people and the Ninth has been reclaimed as a powerful, sublime symbol of love and humanitarianism. So, how has this transformation come about?\n\nBeethoven’s final symphony was mythologised from its premiere on 7 May 1824. The completely deaf composer was present on the stage and had to be physically turned around to face the audience to see the cheers and applause. The idea of the Ninth was inextricably bound with the way the composer himself is remembered as the heroic, suffering artist, the deaf genius who shunned the world to create the most sublime transcendental music.\n\nAlso known as the “Choral” symphony because of its groundbreaking inclusion of lyrics and voices in the final movement, its joyful words include a setting of Friedrich Schiller’s 1785 poem, An die Freude, which speaks of all men becoming brothers: “Alle Menschen werden Brüder.”\n\nThe symphony traces a trajectory of struggle and triumph. It takes the listener on a journey from the dramatic buildup in intensity in the first movement to the energetic scherzo of the second movement, the idyllic lyricism of the third movement, and finally the glorious, visionary redemption in the choral conclusion that is so powerful because it is hard won. Beethoven’s musical choices create drama. There are extreme contrasts of sound. There are frenzied bursts of activity and repeated rhythms that drive the music forward. There are also dramatic silences and disruptions. This is music that is created on a grand scale, using the whole expressive range of the orchestra.\n\nYet the music, the composer and the symphony’s associations with universal brotherhood and redemption are only part of the story that makes the Brexit party’s demonstration so provocative. The Ninth is intimately associated with Europe as a single entity.\n\nSoon after his death, German-born Beethoven, who lived most of his adult life in Vienna, was claimed by Europe as a whole. Different traditions grew in European centres, where his symphonies were adapted to suit local tastes and customs. In England, for example, they were arranged as hymn tunes and heard in cathedrals and played by brass bands. Beethoven became part of our own musical vernacular as, simulataneously, he became part of other European musical traditions. He was also treated with reverence over and above any other composer. One particularly flamboyant French 19th-century conductor, Louis Jullien, donned white gloves and used a jewelled baton that was presented to him on a cushion every time he conducted Beethoven’s symphonies.\n\nA statue of the composer was erected in Bonn, his birthplace, in 1845. The King of Prussia attended the unveiling, as did Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. The British press was there in force, alongside the French and German press. There was some friction. The French contingent became annoyed because there was no toast to the absent King Louis Philippe. A group of European musicians and heads of state gathered in Vienna in 1927 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the composer’s death and next year, the 250th anniversary of the composer’s death will be celebrated not only in Europe but around the world, so universal is Beethoven’s appeal.\n\nThe image of the Ninth as a powerful symbol of European unity was perhaps claimed in most iconic fashion on Christmas day in 1989 when Leonard Bernstein conducted the last movement of the Ninth to celebrate the fall of the Berlin wall with an orchestra consisting of members from East and West Germany as well as the four allied powers: France, Great Britain, the Soviet Union and the US.\n\nWhen, in 1972, the Council of Europe decided on its anthem, Beethoven was seen as the obvious choice. EU leaders then adopted the Ninth in 1985 as the official anthem of the European Union. Given, its meaning of unity and its long association with European history, it represented not only the EU, but also Europe in a wider sense.\n\nIt is all of this (sometimes painful) shared history, as well as its joy and optimism for the future, that the Brexit Party MEPs reject when they shun the Ninth.\n•Dr Joanne Cormac is a research fellow at the University of Nottingham."], "summary": "The Ninth European Parliament starts its term."}
{"document": ["STRASBOURG (Reuters) - The European Parliament opened for a new term on Tuesday with the highest number of women ever but short of three pro-independence Catalan members who were barred from joining as hundreds protested over their exclusion outside the building.\n\nFurther controversy arose when 29 members of Britain’s anti-EU Brexit Party turned their backs as the European Union anthem - Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” - was played live at the opening ceremony - a gesture that other lawmakers denounced as disgraceful and pathetic.\n\nThe parliament convened for the first time as national EU leaders gathered in Brussels for a third consecutive day to hash out who will get the bloc’s top jobs under the new mandate. EU-wide elections in May returned a fragmented 751-member parliament, which was set to elect its president on Wednesday.\n\nCatalan separatist leaders Carles Puigdemont, Toni Comin and Oriol Junqueras have not been able to take their seats in Strasbourg as the Spanish electoral authority has not recognized them as members.\n\nPuigdemont and Comin have lived in self-imposed exile since warrants were issued for their arrest in Spain after a failed bid for secession for Catalonia in 2017.\n\nInstead of traveling to Spain to pledge allegiance to the Spanish constitution in person, as is required to take seats in the Strasbourg assembly, both sent in written statements of allegiance, which were not accepted.\n\nJunqueras, imprisoned in Spain, was not allowed to leave jail to take the pledge and, along with Puigdemont and Comin, was left off Spain’s list of members, which numbered 51 rather than 54.\n\nHundreds gathered outside the parliament in Strasbourg, many waving pro-independence Catalan flags, to protest against the exclusion of the three Catalan separatist leaders.\n\nProtesters hold Catalan flags during a demonstration asking for the Parliament inclusion of the 3 Catalan elected MEP's Carles Puigdemont, Oriol Junqueras and Toni Comin in front of the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, July 2, 2019. REUTERS/Vincent Kessler\n\nBAN BEING CHALLENGED\n\nThe EU General Court on Monday dismissed an application by Puigdemont and Comin to take their seats at the start of the session while challenges to decisions by the Spanish authorities and the parliament to bar them are considered.\n\n“Any future parliament president would certainly have to also look into this, because it’s also a matter of how do you defend the rights of those who have been elected into the European Parliament,” Ska Keller, co-leader of the Greens/European Free Alliance party, of which Junqueras is a member, told reporters.\n\nThe seats of the Catalan separatist leaders will remain empty until they either take their oaths or leave their places to other members of their list. Should they become members of the European Parliament, they would receive immunity.\n\nThe Brexit Party kicked off the term by gathering outside the parliament holding “BeLeave in Britain” signs and marching into the chamber en masse. They turned their backs when the EU anthem was played.\n\nFrom the other end of Britain’s political spectrum, several lawmakers from the strongly pro-EU Liberal Democrats wore yellow T-shirts marked “Stop Brexit” and “Bollocks to Brexit”.\n\nBritons voted narrowly in a 2016 referendum to leave the EU but the departure has been delayed by deadlock in the London parliament over the terms of Brexit.\n\nThere is one less political party represented in the new EU parliament as the European Freedom and Direct Democracy - largely made up of Italy’s 5-Star Movement and the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP), whose leader, Nigel Farage, now heads the Brexit Party - has disbanded.\n\nSlideshow (3 Images)\n\nInstead, the Brexit Party’s 29 members and the 5-Star’s 14 are among the 55 considered unaffiliated in the parliament.\n\nTo form a political group in the chamber, 25 members from at least a quarter of the EU’s nations have to sign on.\n\nThe new parliament also registered its highest number of women yet with 40% of the members, as the bloc faces pressure to improve the gender balance in its top jobs.", "STRASBOURG (Reuters) - The European Parliament opened for a new term on Tuesday with the highest number of women ever but short of three pro-independence Catalan members who were barred from joining as hundreds protested over their exclusion outside the building.\n\nFurther controversy arose when 29 members of Britain’s anti-EU Brexit Party turned their backs as the European Union anthem - Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” - was played live at the opening ceremony - a gesture that other lawmakers denounced as disgraceful and pathetic.\n\nThe parliament convened for the first time as national EU leaders gathered in Brussels for a third consecutive day to hash out who will get the bloc’s top jobs under the new mandate. EU-wide elections in May returned a fragmented 751-member parliament, which was set to elect its president on Wednesday.\n\nCatalan separatist leaders Carles Puigdemont, Toni Comin and Oriol Junqueras have not been able to take their seats in Strasbourg as the Spanish electoral authority has not recognized them as members.\n\nPuigdemont and Comin have lived in self-imposed exile since warrants were issued for their arrest in Spain after a failed bid for secession for Catalonia in 2017.\n\nInstead of traveling to Spain to pledge allegiance to the Spanish constitution in person, as is required to take seats in the Strasbourg assembly, both sent in written statements of allegiance, which were not accepted.\n\nJunqueras, imprisoned in Spain, was not allowed to leave jail to take the pledge and, along with Puigdemont and Comin, was left off Spain’s list of members, which numbered 51 rather than 54.\n\nHundreds gathered outside the parliament in Strasbourg, many waving pro-independence Catalan flags, to protest against the exclusion of the three Catalan separatist leaders.\n\nThe EU General Court on Monday dismissed an application by Puigdemont and Comin to take their seats at the start of the session while challenges to decisions by the Spanish authorities and the parliament to bar them are considered.\n\n“Any future parliament president would certainly have to also look into this, because it’s also a matter of how do you defend the rights of those who have been elected into the European Parliament,” Ska Keller, co-leader of the Greens/European Free Alliance party, of which Junqueras is a member, told reporters.\n\nThe seats of the Catalan separatist leaders will remain empty until they either take their oaths or leave their places to other members of their list. Should they become members of the European Parliament, they would receive immunity.\n\nThe Brexit Party kicked off the term by gathering outside the parliament holding “BeLeave in Britain” signs and marching into the chamber en masse. They turned their backs when the EU anthem was played.\n\nFrom the other end of Britain’s political spectrum, several lawmakers from the strongly pro-EU Liberal Democrats wore yellow T-shirts marked “Stop Brexit” and “Bollocks to Brexit”.\n\nBritons voted narrowly in a 2016 referendum to leave the EU but the departure has been delayed by deadlock in the London parliament over the terms of Brexit.\n\nThere is one less political party represented in the new EU parliament as the European Freedom and Direct Democracy - largely made up of Italy’s 5-Star Movement and the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP), whose leader, Nigel Farage, now heads the Brexit Party - has disbanded.\n\nInstead, the Brexit Party’s 29 members and the 5-Star’s 14 are among the 55 considered unaffiliated in the parliament.\n\nTo form a political group in the chamber, 25 members from at least a quarter of the EU’s nations have to sign on.\n\nThe new parliament also registered its highest number of women yet with 40% of the members, as the bloc faces pressure to improve the gender balance in its top jobs.", "STRASBOURG (Reuters) - The European Parliament opened for a new term on Tuesday with the highest number of women ever but short of three pro-independence Catalan members who were barred from joining as hundreds protested over their exclusion outside the building.\n\nFurther controversy arose when 29 members of Britain’s anti-EU Brexit Party turned their backs as the European Union anthem - Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” - was played live at the opening ceremony - a gesture that other lawmakers denounced as disgraceful and pathetic.\n\nThe parliament convened for the first time as national EU leaders gathered in Brussels for a third consecutive day to hash out who will get the bloc’s top jobs under the new mandate. EU-wide elections in May returned a fragmented 751-member parliament, which was set to elect its president on Wednesday.\n\nCatalan separatist leaders Carles Puigdemont, Toni Comin and Oriol Junqueras have not been able to take their seats in Strasbourg as the Spanish electoral authority has not recognized them as members.\n\nPuigdemont and Comin have lived in self-imposed exile since warrants were issued for their arrest in Spain after a failed bid for secession for Catalonia in 2017.\n\nInstead of traveling to Spain to pledge allegiance to the Spanish constitution in person, as is required to take seats in the Strasbourg assembly, both sent in written statements of allegiance, which were not accepted.\n\nJunqueras, imprisoned in Spain, was not allowed to leave jail to take the pledge and, along with Puigdemont and Comin, was left off Spain’s list of members, which numbered 51 rather than 54.\n\nHundreds gathered outside the parliament in Strasbourg, many waving pro-independence Catalan flags, to protest against the exclusion of the three Catalan separatist leaders.\n\nThe EU General Court on Monday dismissed an application by Puigdemont and Comin to take their seats at the start of the session while challenges to decisions by the Spanish authorities and the parliament to bar them are considered.\n\n“Any future parliament president would certainly have to also look into this, because it’s also a matter of how do you defend the rights of those who have been elected into the European Parliament,” Ska Keller, co-leader of the Greens/European Free Alliance party, of which Junqueras is a member, told reporters.\n\nThe seats of the Catalan separatist leaders will remain empty until they either take their oaths or leave their places to other members of their list. Should they become members of the European Parliament, they would receive immunity.\n\nThe Brexit Party kicked off the term by gathering outside the parliament holding “BeLeave in Britain” signs and marching into the chamber en masse. They turned their backs when the EU anthem was played.\n\nFrom the other end of Britain’s political spectrum, several lawmakers from the strongly pro-EU Liberal Democrats wore yellow T-shirts marked “Stop Brexit” and “Bollocks to Brexit”.\n\nBritons voted narrowly in a 2016 referendum to leave the EU but the departure has been delayed by deadlock in the London parliament over the terms of Brexit.\n\nThere is one less political party represented in the new EU parliament as the European Freedom and Direct Democracy - largely made up of Italy’s 5-Star Movement and the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP), whose leader, Nigel Farage, now heads the Brexit Party - has disbanded.\n\nInstead, the Brexit Party’s 29 members and the 5-Star’s 14 are among the 55 considered unaffiliated in the parliament.\n\nTo form a political group in the chamber, 25 members from at least a quarter of the EU’s nations have to sign on.\n\nThe new parliament also registered its highest number of women yet with 40% of the members, as the bloc faces pressure to improve the gender balance in its top jobs.", "STRASBOURG — The European Parliament opened for a new term on Tuesday with the highest number of women ever but short of three pro-independence Catalan members who were barred from joining as hundreds protested over their exclusion outside the building.\n\nFurther controversy arose when 29 members of Britain’s anti-EU Brexit Party turned their backs as the European Union anthem – Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” – was played live at the opening ceremony – a gesture that other lawmakers denounced as disgraceful and pathetic.\n\nThe parliament convened for the first time as national EU leaders gathered in Brussels for a third consecutive day to hash out who will get the bloc’s top jobs under the new mandate. EU-wide elections in May returned a fragmented 751-member parliament, which was set to elect its president on Wednesday.\n\nCatalan separatist leaders Carles Puigdemont, Toni Comin and Oriol Junqueras have not been able to take their seats in Strasbourg as the Spanish electoral authority has not recognized them as members.\n\nPuigdemont and Comin have lived in self-imposed exile since warrants were issued for their arrest in Spain after a failed bid for secession for Catalonia in 2017.\n\nInstead of traveling to Spain to pledge allegiance to the Spanish constitution in person, as is required to take seats in the Strasbourg assembly, both sent in written statements of allegiance, which were not accepted.\n\nJunqueras, imprisoned in Spain, was not allowed to leave jail to take the pledge and, along with Puigdemont and Comin, was left off Spain’s list of members, which numbered 51 rather than 54.\n\nHundreds gathered outside the parliament in Strasbourg, many waving pro-independence Catalan flags, to protest against the exclusion of the three Catalan separatist leaders.\n\nThe EU General Court on Monday dismissed an application by Puigdemont and Comin to take their seats at the start of the session while challenges to decisions by the Spanish authorities and the parliament to bar them are considered.\n\n“Any future parliament president would certainly have to also look into this, because it’s also a matter of how do you defend the rights of those who have been elected into the European Parliament,” Ska Keller, co-leader of the Greens/European Free Alliance party, of which Junqueras is a member, told reporters.\n\nThe seats of the Catalan separatist leaders will remain empty until they either take their oaths or leave their places to other members of their list. Should they become members of the European Parliament, they would receive immunity.\n\nThe Brexit Party kicked off the term by gathering outside the parliament holding “BeLeave in Britain” signs and marching into the chamber en masse. They turned their backs when the EU anthem was played.\n\nFrom the other end of Britain’s political spectrum, several lawmakers from the strongly pro-EU Liberal Democrats wore yellow T-shirts marked “Stop Brexit” and “Bollocks to Brexit.”\n\nBritons voted narrowly in a 2016 referendum to leave the EU but the departure has been delayed by deadlock in the London parliament over the terms of Brexit.\n\nThere is one less political party represented in the new EU parliament as the European Freedom and Direct Democracy – largely made up of Italy’s 5-Star Movement and the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP), whose leader, Nigel Farage, now heads the Brexit Party – has disbanded.\n\nInstead, the Brexit Party’s 29 members and the 5-Star’s 14 are among the 55 considered unaffiliated in the parliament.\n\nTo form a political group in the chamber, 25 members from at least a quarter of the EU’s nations have to sign on.\n\nThe new parliament also registered its highest number of women yet with 40% of the members, as the bloc faces pressure to improve the gender balance in its top jobs. (Reporting by Daphne Psaledakis Editing by Mark Heinrich)", "BRUSSELS\n• The European Parliament began its first session of the new term yesterday, short of three Catalan members who were barred from joining, as hundreds wearing the Catalan flag protested against their exclusion outside the building in Strasbourg.\n\nCatalan leaders Carles Puigdemont, Toni Comin and Oriol Junqueras have not been able to take their seats in Strasbourg as the Spanish government has not recognised them as members of the Parliament after elections in May.\n\nMr Puigdemont and Mr Comin have lived in self-imposed exile since warrants were issued for their arrest in Spain after a failed bid for secession for Catalonia. Mr Junqueras, imprisoned in Spain, was not allowed to leave jail to take the pledge. The trio were left off Spain's list of members, which numbered 51 rather than 54.\n\nThe Catalan controversy was not the only one to affect the Parliament's opening session.\n\nTwenty-nine members of Britain's Brexit Party turned their backs as the European Union anthem - Beethoven's Ode to Joy - was played live at the opening ceremony.\n\nMr Nigel Farage's party, launched in April, swept to victory in the European Parliament election in Britain a month later, riding a wave of public anger over Prime Minister Theresa May's failure to take Britain out of the EU on time.\n\nFrom the other end of Britain's political spectrum, several lawmakers from the strongly pro-EU Liberal Democrat Party wore yellow T-shirts marked \"Stop Brexit\" and \"Bollocks to Brexit\".\n\nMeanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron sought to break a deadlock over assigning the EU's top jobs by proposing France's Ms Christine Lagarde, now head of the International Monetary Fund, to lead the European Central Bank, diplomatic sources said.\n\nIn his proposal yesterday, made to tired EU leaders on the third day of arm-wrestling over who will next hold the bloc's top posts, Mr Macron also proposed German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen to become president of the European Commission.\n\nThe leaders are trying to balance political affiliations, the varying interests of different regions, and an acute lack of women in senior ranks as they seek to fill five top jobs which will become vacant later this year.\n\n\"Things are going smoothly now,\" one source said of discussions on Mr Macron's proposal.\n\nThe marathon talks have underlined the growing fragmentation in the 28-nation EU.\n\nIn a sign of a fresh push for compromise, the start of the leaders' talks yesterday was delayed repeatedly to allow more time for separate consultations.\n\n\"Everyone has to understand that they have to shift a little,\" German Chancellor Angela Merkel told reporters. \"I say that to everyone. Then there will be a chance of reaching a deal.\"", "STRASBOURG, July 2 (Reuters) - The European Parliament opened for a new term on Tuesday with the highest number of women ever but short of three pro-independence Catalan members who were barred from joining as hundreds protested over their exclusion outside the building.\n\nFurther controversy arose when 29 members of Britain's anti-EU Brexit Party turned their backs as the European Union anthem - Beethoven's \"Ode to Joy\" - was played live at the opening ceremony - a gesture that other lawmakers denounced as disgraceful and pathetic.\n\nThe parliament convened for the first time as national EU leaders gathered in Brussels for a third consecutive day to hash out who will get the bloc's top jobs under the new mandate. EU-wide elections in May returned a fragmented 751-member parliament, which was set to elect its president on Wednesday.\n\nCatalan separatist leaders Carles Puigdemont, Toni Comin and Oriol Junqueras have not been able to take their seats in Strasbourg as the Spanish electoral authority has not recognised them as members.\n\nPuigdemont and Comin have lived in self-imposed exile since warrants were issued for their arrest in Spain after a failed bid for secession for Catalonia in 2017.\n\nInstead of travelling to Spain to pledge allegiance to the Spanish constitution in person, as is required to take seats in the Strasbourg assembly, both sent in written statements of allegiance, which were not accepted.\n\nJunqueras, imprisoned in Spain, was not allowed to leave jail to take the pledge and, along with Puigdemont and Comin, was left off Spain's list of members, which numbered 51 rather than 54.\n\nHundreds gathered outside the parliament in Strasbourg, many waving pro-independence Catalan flags, to protest against the exclusion of the three Catalan separatist leaders.\n\nThe EU General Court on Monday dismissed an application by Puigdemont and Comin to take their seats at the start of the session while challenges to decisions by the Spanish authorities and the parliament to bar them are considered.\n\n\"Any future parliament president would certainly have to also look into this, because it's also a matter of how do you defend the rights of those who have been elected into the European Parliament,\" Ska Keller, co-leader of the Greens/European Free Alliance party, of which Junqueras is a member, told reporters.\n\nThe seats of the Catalan separatist leaders will remain empty until they either take their oaths or leave their places to other members of their list. Should they become members of the European Parliament, they would receive immunity.\n\nThe Brexit Party kicked off the term by gathering outside the parliament holding \"BeLeave in Britain\" signs and marching into the chamber en masse. They turned their backs when the EU anthem was played.\n\nFrom the other end of Britain's political spectrum, several lawmakers from the strongly pro-EU Liberal Democrats wore yellow T-shirts marked \"Stop Brexit\" and \"Bollocks to Brexit\".\n\nBritons voted narrowly in a 2016 referendum to leave the EU but the departure has been delayed by deadlock in the London parliament over the terms of Brexit.\n\nThere is one less political party represented in the new EU parliament as the European Freedom and Direct Democracy - largely made up of Italy's 5-Star Movement and the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP), whose leader, Nigel Farage, now heads the Brexit Party - has disbanded.\n\nInstead, the Brexit Party's 29 members and the 5-Star's 14 are among the 55 considered unaffiliated in the parliament.\n\nTo form a political group in the chamber, 25 members from at least a quarter of the EU's nations have to sign on.\n\nThe new parliament also registered its highest number of women yet with 40% of the members, as the bloc faces pressure to improve the gender balance in its top jobs. (Reporting by Daphne Psaledakis Editing by Mark Heinrich)", "Thousands protested Tuesday morning at the European Parliament (EP) in Strasbourg, France, in support of Carles Puigdemont, Oriol Junqueras and Toni Comin, three pro-independence Catalan leaders who were elected as European Parliament members (MEPs) but cannot hold office.\n\n\"We expect Europe to react, to help us, to not forget about the Catalan people. This is an issue of democracy,\" Francesc Planas, a young protester said.\n\nExiled former President of the Catalonia government Carles Puigdemont, jailed former Vice President Oriol Junqueras and former lawmaker Toni Comin supported the independence referendum which was held in Catalonia on October 2017.\n\nAs a result, they and nine other leaders were accused of rebellion by the Spanish state, which is calling for up to 25 years in prison for the pro-independence politicians.\n\nNevertheless, Catalan pro-independence parties presented jailed or exiled leaders as election candidates to draw attention to their plight and create pressure for their release. As part of this strategy, Puigdemont, Junqueras and Comin were elected at MEPs on May 26.\n\nIn June, however, the Spanish authorities prevented the three Catalan leaders from taking oath as EU lawmakers, which is a requirement to receive credentials as MEPs.\n\n\n\nThe Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) rejected Monday a precautionary measure in favor of ​​​​​​​the elected Catalan MEPs. It argued that their situation must be resolved by \"national authorities\". They previously filed a legal appeal before Spanish courts.\n\nDuring the EU Parliament's first meeting Tuesday, Sinn Fein MEP Matt Carthy took the floor in defense of the rights of the Catalan people and leaders.\n\n\"Three representatives of the Catalan people have been denied representation in this house. This house needs to stand up for democracy,\" Carthy said and added \"if this house doesn't value the votes of the Catalan people then the credibility of this house itself will be undermined.\"", "Thousands rallied on Tuesday near the European Parliament in Strasbourg to demand that three Catalan separatist lawmakers be allowed to take their seats after they were elected to the EU legislature in May\n\nMADRID (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 02nd July, 2019) Thousands rallied on Tuesday near the European Parliament in Strasbourg to demand that three Catalan separatist lawmakers be allowed to take their seats after they were elected to the EU legislature in May\n\nThe gathering of the Council for the Republic, a separatist movement headed by the Spanish region's former leader Carles Puigdemont, drew some 10,000 people, according to El Pais newspaper.\n\nPuigdemont and two fellow pro-independence politicians � Toni Comin and Oriol Junqueras � did not show up for the opening session on Tuesday fearing arrest.\n\nSpanish media said the trio are in Germany.\n\nThey fled Spain where they are wanted on sedition and other charges for their role in Catalonia's 2017 bid for independence.\n\nIn a video address, Puigdemont promised to fight for his right to seat on the European Parliament and urged the new convocation to shift away from the predecessors' course toward \"repressions and curbs on democracy.\"\n\nParliament speaker Antonio Tajani told the three politicians last week they would not be able to join the legislature for a new term because they were not on the list submitted by Spanish authorities, which will only confirm their right to represent the country if the three take oath in Madrid in person.", "Supporters of the Catalan separatist movement protested outside of the European Parliament in Strasbourg because pro-independence Members of European Parliament have been barred from taking their seats.\n\nThe demonstration came on Tuesday at the opening of the next term of parliament amidst other protests from British pro- and anti-Brexit parties.\n\nDemonstrators held portraits of ousted Catalan regional president Carles Puigdemont and waved the Catalan pro-independence ‘Estelada’ flags and banners, in protest of the decision that the now-elected MEP Puigdemont and his colleague Antoni Comín were barred from taking their parliamentary seats.\n\nMr Puigdemont and Mr Comín are living in exile in Brussels, Belgium, as they face arrest should they step foot on Spanish soil for their part in the ‘illegal’ Catalan independence referendum in 2017. Another separatist leader and elected MEP, Oriol Junqueras, is in detention in Spain and on trial.\n\nThe BBC reports that Puigdemont and Comín are not allowed to take their seats in the Strasbourg parliament because they failed to attend a mandatory swearing-in ceremony in Madrid, Spain, to pledge their allegiance to the country’s constitution.\n\nPuigdemont faced difficulty running as MEP, with the Spanish electoral commission initially banning him because he did not live in Spain, with a Madrid court later overruling the decision.\n\nAfter the May election, the former regional president attempted to enter the European Parliament building, but was allegedly stopped, with an EU spokesman telling POLITICO that only MEPs who have been named on the national lists could be accredited for entry.\n\nGonzalo Boye, Puigdemont’s lawyer, has said that he will take the case to the European Court of Justice.\n\nDuring the region’s attempt to secede from Spain two years ago, the European Commission backed then-Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy’s move to take back power of Catalonia from the regional assembly.\n\nPolice brutality against voters and protestors was widely reported at the time of the referendum, with the European Union coming under criticism for its failure to condemn state violence against the citizens of an EU member-nation.", "EU Catalan electorate organised demonstration at doorstep of the European Parliament in Strasbourg on July 2 – the first day of the sitting of a new legislature. They have been protesting against ban of three of their elected MEPs to access their offices. Oriol Junqueras, imprisoned in Spain, Charles Puigdemont and Antoni Comin, stay in exile in Belgium.\n\n10,000 people attended a protest in Strasbourg against the blocking of Catalan leaders from taking up their European Parliament seats, organizers say. MEPs-elect Puigdemont & Comín are in exile in Belgium while Junqueras remains in jail.\n\nCarles Puigdemont was expected among the demonstrators but his lawyer Gonzalo Boye convinced him to avoid travelling in France, fearing his arrest.\n\nAccording to local police, around 10,000 demonstrators participated. They came by bus, cars and even two chartered flights.\n\nSpanish MEPs from parties like the Ciudadanos insist that fugitive suspects do not have the right to sit in the European Parliament, representing electorate.\n\nOn Monday, the European Court of Justice agreed with this opinion.\n\n🇪🇺 | Three Catalan MEPs-elect were unable to take up their seats in the #EuropeanParliament today 🎥 | Lawyer @jordinieva offers his legal analysis of the situation the jailed and exiled politicians find themselves in"], "summary": "Fugitive Catalan independence leaders Carles Puigdemont and Toni Comín, together with imprisoned Oriol Junqueras, are not allowed to take office as MEPs by the Supreme Court of Spain and Court of Justice of the European Union, while a pro-independence demonstration takes place in Strasbourg."}
{"document": ["Strasbourg: The European Parliament on Wednesday elected an Italian social democrat as its new president, filling the final top EU job a day after Brussels named two women to key posts for the first time.\n\nItaly's David Sassoli, a 63-year-old former journalist, won the absolute majority of ballots he needed at the second round of voting, seeing off German Green Ska Keller, far-left Spaniard Sira Rego and Czech conservative Jan Zahradil.\n\nThe new MEPs elected in May's European polls took office on Tuesday during a brief inaugural session before voting by secret ballot to choose Sassoli as successor to Antonio Tajani, a conservative from Italy.\n\nThe 751-seat parliament — based in Strasbourg, France — is more fragmented than ever after the May election saw solid gains by the liberals and Greens as well as the far right and eurosceptics.\n\nThe vote for president completes the roster of the EU's five most important jobs, with the others settled on Tuesday at the end of three days of negotiation among the EU's 28 national leaders in Brussels.\n\nSassoli's election to a two-and-a-half year term as parliament president — effectively the speaker of the chamber — is a sought-after post by the major European political families, though less coveted than that of president of the European Commission or European Central Bank.\n\nThe EU leaders on Tuesday nominated German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen as commission chief and IMF chief Christine Lagarde to head the European Central Bank, though their appointments still need confirmation.\n\nThe national leaders also suggested that the chamber's presidency should be shared for the next five years by the Socialists and Tajani's centre-right EPP. Sassoli's election completes the first part of this, but it remains unclear whether he will make way in due course.\n\nVon der Leyen is expected to visit parliament in the afternoon to court MEPs, whose approval is needed to confirm her position as commission chief.\n\nGermany's Manfred Weber, head of the EPP group, took note of the outcome of the Brussels summit by renouncing a run for parliament head, after having already thrown in the towel in the race for the Commission's presidency.\n\n\"It is normal, that after two and a half years of an EPP president, now it is up to the Socialists to present a candidate,\" Weber told a press briefing in Strasbourg.\n\n\"We are ready to check with the Socialists for a candidate and to give our support,\" he said.\n\nBut the Social Democratic group in the European Parliament, second only to the EPP in terms of seats, put forward Sassoli after criticising the agreements reached between the 28, which it described as \"deeply disappointing\".\n\nThey had wanted the commission head spot to go to their leading candidate, the Dutchman Frans Timmermans.\n\nOn Tuesday, the opening of the Parliament's session was marked by the return of Nigel Farage, a veteran of the EU chamber since 1999, whose Brexit Party MEPs turned their backs when asked to stand for the EU anthem -- Beethoven's Ode to Joy -- at the start of the session.\n\nAs Brexit has still not taken place, there are again 73 British MEPs, who will be able to sit temporarily until the divorce goes through. The new deadline is October 31.\n\nIt also saw the demonstration of some 10,000 Catalans who came to Strasbourg to support three secessionists elected at the end of May but prevented from sitting by Spanish authorities.", "Image copyright Reuters Image caption Ursula von der Leyen was backed by Angela Merkel but there was resistance to her nomination within the German coalition\n\nEU leaders have put forward their nominations for the bloc's top jobs, with a woman for the first time proposed as European Commission chief.\n\nThe surprise choice of German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen to replace Jean-Claude Juncker came after the main front-runners were rejected.\n\nIMF chief Christine Lagarde has been nominated as the first woman to head the European Central Bank (ECB).\n\nThe announcement follows days of difficult negotiations.\n\nIn all, EU leaders were tasked with nominating five people for the top jobs.\n\nBelgian liberal Prime Minister Charles Michel is nominated to replace European Council President Donald Tusk while Spain's Josep Borrell is proposed as foreign policy chief.\n\nThe fifth key role - president of the European Parliament - is to be chosen on Wednesday. Possible candidates include German centre-right MEP Manfred Weber and Bulgarian socialist Sergei Stanishev.\n\nMost of the roles must be ratified by the European Parliament.\n\nIs everyone happy with the choices?\n\n\"We have agreed the whole package before the first session of the European Parliament,\" said Mr Tusk.\n\nHe said Germany had abstained on Mrs von der Leyen's nomination over coalition issues but pointed out that Chancellor Angela Merkel herself had backed her.\n\nFrench President Emmanuel Macron said the nominations were \"the fruit of a deep Franco-German entente\".\n\n\"Von der Leyen is a very good candidate and a very good choice to head the European Commission,\" he told reporters, adding that Ms Lagarde's \"capacities and competences... totally qualified her\" for the ECB.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Donald Tusk announces choices for top European Commission jobs\n\nIrish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said the nomination of two women for key jobs sent a powerful message that the EU was leading the way towards gender equality.\n\nHowever, there were concerns that the European Parliament's own contest for the main job - the \"Spitzenkandidaten\" (lead candidate) process - had been cast aside. Neither the winner of that process, Manfred Weber of Germany, nor other frontrunners were selected by EU leaders.\n\n\"You have to compromise in politics,\" Mr Varadkar insisted, adding that the centre-right Mr Weber would most likely be given the shared presidency of the European Parliament along with a Socialist figure.\n\nThere was also surprise that four of the main jobs had gone to Western Europeans, with no nominations from Eastern Europe.\n\nHowever, the eastern states are thought to have been strongly behind Mrs von der Leyen's nomination, having rejected a compromise involving Dutch Labour leader Frans Timmermans the night before.\n\nDays of indecision reveal EU power shift\n\nUrsula von der Leyen - if confirmed as new European Commission president - will not bring winds of change to Brussels. She's loyal to the German Chancellor Angela Merkel, a true Christian Democrat and a conservative Europhile.\n\nAs for Brexit, remember, the European Commission negotiated on behalf of EU member states. Those negotiations ended when the UK government signed off on the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement back in November.\n\nThe only ones now with the legal power to change or add to the text are EU national leaders, not the commission. And what these days of indecision among national leaders over these top EU jobs have shown us is that while France and Germany are still powerful, they are not all-powerful in EU circles any more.\n\nChancellor Merkel and President Macron were unable to impose on others the EU job allocation plan agreed between them at the G20. Something for the new UK prime minister to consider, perhaps, ahead of planning trips to Berlin and Paris to request a renegotiation of the Brexit deal.\n\nThe nominees in full\n\nUrsula von der Leyen - European Commission president\n\nImage copyright EPA\n\nWhat's the job? The EU commission president heads the executive branch, sets the policy agenda and controls a cabinet of commissioners.\n\nWho is she? Born in Brussels, Mrs von der Leyen, 60, and her family moved to Germany when she was 13. She studied economics at London's LSE and medicine in Hanover before going into politics.\n\nShe has been a member of Mrs Merkel's conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) since 2005.\n\nIf Mrs von der Leyen is confirmed in the role it would be the first time in more than 60 years that a German has been given the post.\n\nChristine Lagarde - head of the European Central Bank\n\nImage copyright AFP\n\nWhat's the job? Running the ECB, which is responsible for the euro and the monetary policy of the eurozone. The role is currently filled by Mario Draghi, who was widely credited with saving the euro during the eurozone debt crisis.\n\nWho is she? Ms Lagarde, 63, who is French, was the first woman to head the International Monetary Fund (IMF) when she took the job in 2011.\n\nShe studied in the US before graduating from law school in Paris and obtaining a Masters degree from the Political Science Institute in Aix en Provence\n\nShe was appointed France's trade minister in 2005 and finance minister in 2007.\n\nCharles Michel - European Council president\n\nImage copyright Reuters\n\nWhat's the job? Chairs the body made up of the leaders of EU member states which defines the EU's political direction.\n\nWho is he? In 2014 Mr Michel at the age of 38 became Belgium's youngest prime minister since 1841.\n\nHe has been a lawyer at the Brussels Bar since 1998 and a member of the Belgian parliament since 1999.\n\nMr Michel's father, Louis Michel, has also been a prominent politician and an MEP.\n\nJosep Borrell - EU foreign policy chief\n\nImage copyright EPA\n\nWhat's the job? Co-ordinating and representing foreign and security policy for the EU. The brief is currently held by Italy's Federica Mogherini.\n\nWho is he? The 72-year-old Spanish foreign minister is set to make a return to the top tier of EU politics after serving as European Parliament president from 2004 to 2007.\n\nHe began his career as a member of the Spanish Socialist Party in 1975 and has a reputation for plain speaking.", "David-Maria Sassoli, an Italian politician from the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats has been elected the European Parliament President.\n\n​In the first round of voting, Sassoli received 325 votes. Jan Zahradil, a Czech politician from the European Conservatives and Reformists, received 162 votes. Ska Keller, a German politician of the Greens, secured 133 votes. Spaniard Sira Rego of the European United Left-Nordic Green Left garnered 42 votes.\n\nSassoli secured 345 votes in the second ballot. The absolute majority required is 334 votes.\n\nA day earlier, EU leaders announced their picks to head key EU institutions after days of wrangling.\n\nThe European Council chose German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen as a candidate for president of the European Commission. She will need the backing of a majority at the European Parliament to head the commission.\n\nBelgian Prime Minister Charles Michel was named the new president of the European Council.\n\nChristine Lagarde of the International Monetary Fund was submitted as a candidate for president of the European Central Bank (ECB). Her nomination needs support from the European Parliament and the ECB's Governing Council.\n\nSpanish Foreign Minister Josep Borell is considered as a candidate for High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. He will be confirmed by the Commission's president-elect.​", "The race to fill top EU jobs moves to European Parliament on Wednesday as MEPs elected in May vote to choose a new president.\n\nThe vote, set for 9:00 am (0700 GMT) comes a day after the painful agreement reached by the EU’s 28 national leaders in Brussels on nominating a president of the European commission and other key posts.\n\nThe new MEPs, who took office on Tuesday during a brief inaugural session, will vote from Wednesday morning by secret ballot to elect the successor to Antonio Tajani, a conservative from Italy.\n\nThe 751-seat parliament — based in Strasbourg, France — is more fragmented than ever after a vote in May that saw solid gains by the liberals and Greens as well as the far right and eurosceptics.\n\nThe two-and-a-half year presidency term is one of the top jobs that the major European political families are seeking to dole out over the next weeks, even if it is less coveted than that of president of the Commission or European Central Bank.\n\nThe EU leaders on Tuesday filled out most of the puzzle by nominating Ursula von der Leyen as commission chief and Christine Lagarde to head the European Central Bank, though their appointments still need confirmation.\n\nLeft unknown is whether the parliament will follow their national leaders’ suggestion that the chamber’s presidency should be shared for the next five years by the Socialists and Tajani’s EPP.\n\nGermany’s Manfred Weber, head of the EPP group, took note of the outcome of the Brussels summit by renouncing to run as parliament head, after having already thrown in the towel in the race for the Commission’s presidency.\n\n“It is normal, that after two and a half years of an EPP president, now it is up to the Socialists to present a candidate,” Weber told a press briefing in Strasbourg.\n\n“We are ready to check with the Socialists for a candidate and to give our support,” he said.\n\nBut the Social Democratic group in the European Parliament, second only to the EPP in terms of number of members, put forward Italian MEP David Sassoli, after criticising the agreement reached between the 28, which it described as “deeply disappointing”.\n\nThey had wanted the commission head spot to land with their leading candidate, the Dutchman Frans Timmermans.\n\nSassoli will be competing with German Green MEP Ska Keller.\n\n“We need a dynamic for political change in Europe and this is not possible with the package” of appointments decided on Tuesday in Brussels, Keller said.\n\nTo be elected on Wednesday, the new president will have to obtain an absolute majority of votes cast by secret ballot.\n\nIf this is not achieved after three rounds, a simple majority would be sufficient in a fourth round, in which only the two leading candidates in the third would participate.\n\nOn Tuesday, the opening of the Parliament’s session was marked by the return of Nigel Farage, a veteran of the EU chamber since 1999, whose Brexit Party MEPs turned their backs when asked to stand for the EU anthem — Beethoven’s Ode to Joy — at the start of the session.\n\nAs Brexit has still not taken place, there are again 73 British MEPs, who will be able to sit temporarily until the divorce takes place. The new deadline has been set for October 31.\n\nIt also saw the demonstration of some 10,000 Catalans who came to Strasbourg to support three secessionists elected at the end of May, but prevented from sitting by Spanish authorities.", "The European Parliament will have its turn at filling a top EU post on Wednesday when lawmakers vote on a new president for the assembly.\n\nNewly-elected MEPs, who had their inaugural session on Tuesday, will vote in a secret ballot to select a speaker for a two-and-a-half year term. To be elected, the next president will have to secure an absolute majority. Voting is likely to last for several rounds.\n\nThe vote comes on the heels of a difficult agreement reached by the EU's 28 national leaders on filling the bloc's top jobs that saw German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen nominated as the next European Commission president, although she was not a lead candidate picked by one of the blocs in Parliament.\n\nEuropean Council President Donald Tusk also recommended that Parliament choose a candidate from the center-left Socialists and Democrats bloc (S&D) for the first two-and-a-half year term, followed by a candidate from the center-rigth European People's Party (EPP) for the second term.\n\nThe EPP currently has the largest number of seats in Parliament, followed by the S&D — but both parties lost support in the European Parliament elections in May.\n\nMany EU lawmakers criticized the leaders' nominations and it remains to be seen whether they will follow their recommendation in the vote on Wednesday.\n\nFour candidates in the running\n\nThe first round of voting saw lawmakers choosing between four candidates for the European Parliament presidency.\n\nThe S&D candidate, Italian lawmaker David Sassoli, is the favorite going into the vote on Wednesday, after securing the support from the center-right EPP as well as the liberals.\n\nHe will face off against German Greens MEP Ska Keller, whose grouping in parliament made significant gains in elections in May.\n\nSpain's Sira Rego is running on behalf of the United Left, while the European Conservatives and Reformists have put forward Czech lawmaker Jan Zahradil.\n\nVon der Leyen is expected to travel to the French city of Strasbourg, where the European Parliament sits, in the afternoon on Wednesday to attend the session and likely try to win over support for her nomination as the head of the EU's executive arm.\n\nMEPs will have the final say in the EU's top four jobs, as all nominees must be confirmed by the European Parliament. That vote has not been set yet, but is expected to occur in mid-July.\n\nEvery evening, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.", "STRASBOURG, FRANCE (AFP) - The race to fill top EU jobs moves to European Parliament on Wednesday (July 3) as Members of European Parliament (MEPs) elected in May vote to choose a new president.\n\nThe vote, set for 9am local time comes a day after the painful agreement reached by the EU's 28 national leaders in Brussels on nominating a president of the European commission and other key posts.\n\nThe new MEPs, who took office on Tuesday during a brief inaugural session, will vote from Wednesday morning by secret ballot to elect the successor to Mr Antonio Tajani, a conservative from Italy.\n\nThe 751-seat parliament - based in Strasbourg, France - is more fragmented than ever after a vote in May that saw solid gains by the liberals and Greens as well as the far right and eurosceptics.\n\nThe two-and-a-half year presidency term is one of the top jobs that the major European political families are seeking to dole out over the next weeks, even if it is less coveted than that of president of the Commission or European Central Bank.\n\nThe EU leaders on Tuesday filled out most of the puzzle by nominating Ms Ursula von der Leyen as commission chief and Ms Christine Lagarde to head the European Central Bank, though their appointments still need confirmation.\n\nLeft unknown is whether the parliament will follow their national leaders' suggestion that the chamber's presidency should be shared for the next five years by the Socialists and Tajani's EPP.\n\nGermany's Manfred Weber, head of the EPP group, took note of the outcome of the Brussels summit by renouncing to run as parliament head, after having already thrown in the towel in the race for the Commission's presidency.\n\n\"It is normal, that after two and a half years of an EPP president, now it is up to the Socialists to present a candidate,\" Mr Weber told a press briefing in Strasbourg.\n\n\"We are ready to check with the Socialists for a candidate and to give our support,\" he said.\n\nBut the Social Democratic group in the European Parliament, second only to the EPP in terms of number of members, put forward Italian MEP David Sassoli, after criticising the agreement reached between the 28, which it described as \"deeply disappointing\".\n\nThey had wanted the commission head spot to land with their leading candidate, the Dutchman Frans Timmermans.\n\nMr Sassoli will be competing with German Green MEP Ska Keller.\n\n\"We need a dynamic for political change in Europe and this is not possible with the package\" of appointments decided on Tuesday in Brussels, Mr Keller said.\n\nTo be elected on Wednesday, the new president will have to obtain an absolute majority of votes cast by secret ballot.\n\nIf this is not achieved after three rounds, a simple majority would be sufficient in a fourth round, in which only the two leading candidates in the third would participate.\n\nOn Tuesday, the opening of the Parliament's session was marked by the return of Mr Nigel Farage, a veteran of the EU chamber since 1999, whose Brexit Party MEPs turned their backs when asked to stand for the EU anthem - Beethoven's Ode to Joy - at the start of the session.\n\nAs Brexit has still not taken place, there are again 73 British MEPs, who will be able to sit temporarily until the divorce takes place. The new deadline has been set for October 31.\n\nIt also saw the demonstration of some 10,000 Catalans who came to Strasbourg to support three secessionists elected at the end of May, but prevented from sitting by Spanish authorities.", "Brussels: After three days of arduous negotiations, European Union leaders have broken a deadlock and nominated German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen to become the new president of the bloc's powerful executive arm, the European Commission.\n\nShe will take over from Jean-Claude Juncker for the next five years.\n\nEuropean Council president Donald Tusk said in a series of tweets on Tuesday that Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel would take over from him in the (northern) autumn.\n\nFrenchwoman Christine Lagarde was proposed as president of the European Central Bank, while Spanish Foreign Minister Josep Borrell was nominated to become EU foreign policy chief, meaning he would be charged with supervising the Iran nuclear deal, among other duties.", "BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany’s Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen is being touted by Donald Tusk, the president of the European Council, as a potential successor to Jean-Claude Juncker as head of the European Commission, Die Welt reported on Tuesday.\n\nAccording to the newspaper, the conservative von der Leyen, a close ally of Chancellor Angela Merkel, would be the president of the bloc’s executive. Christine Lagarde, currently head of the International Monetary Fund, was being considered for the presidency of the European Central Bank, it added.\n\nOther candidates being discussed included Belgium’s Prime Minister Charles Michel as a possible successor to Tusk as European Council president, the newspaper said. Slovakia’s Maros Sefcovic was being considered for the role of EU foreign policy head, it added.", "Italian Sassoli for the EP, French Lagarde candidate for the ECB, German Ursula von der Leyen candidate for the EC\n\nBelgian Prime Minister Charles Michel was named the new president of the European Council\n\nDavid-Maria Sassoli, an Italian politician from the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats has been elected the European Parliament President.\n\nThe European Parliament had to hold a second round of voting for the president, because none of the four candidates secured a majority in the first round.\n\nChristine Lagarde of the International Monetary Fund was submitted as a candidate for president of the European Central Bank (ECB).\n\nHer nomination will need the support of the European Parliament and the ECB’s Governing Council.\n\nBelgian Prime Minister Charles Michel was named the new president of the European Council.\n\nThe European Council chose the German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen as a candidate for president of the European Commission but she needs the majority of the European Parliament at the July 16th voting to head the EC.", "After three days of arduous negotiations, European Union leaders broke a deadlock Tuesday and nominated German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen to become the new president of the bloc’s powerful executive arm, the European Commission, and take over from Jean-Claude Juncker for the next five years.\n\nEuropean Council President Donald Tusk said in a series of tweets that Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel would take over from him in the fall.\n\nFrenchwoman Christine Lagarde was proposed as president of the European Central Bank, while Spanish Foreign Minister Josep Borrell was nominated to become EU foreign policy chief, meaning he would be charged with supervising the Iran nuclear deal, among other duties.\n\nOnly Mr. Michel can take up his post in November without other formalities. The others, notably Ms. von der Leyen, must be endorsed by the European Parliament. The assembly sits in Strasbourg, France on Wednesday to elect its own new president.\n\n“It is important that we were able to decide with great unity today, and that is important because it’s about our future ability to work.” German Chancellor Angela Merkel told reporters after the nominations decided away from the cameras and media in a long series of meetings were made public.\n\nSeveral lawmakers have already objected to the leaders’ package of nominations, and it remains to be seen whether the parliament will flex new found muscles following the massive turnout for EU-wide elections in May. Party leaders have said the vote has brought the assembly the EU’s only elected institution even more democratic legitimacy.\n\n“It won’t be easy in parliament,” said Mr. Juncker, who steps down on Oct. 31 as head of the commission, which proposes and enforces EU laws.\n\nMr. Tusk said “it was worth waiting for such an outcome” and that he would do his best to explain to what could well be a tetchy parliament on Thursday how the nominations were made and what thought processes went into the move.\n\n“It’s always a huge question mark. This is why we have parliaments,” Mr. Tusk said, with a wry smile.\n\nMs. Von der Leyen would be the first woman in the commission job, and Ms. Merkel said this is “a good sign.”\n\nSo would Ms. Lagarde currently chair of the International Monetary Fund and she would serve for up to eight years if her nomination is endorsed.\n\n“That’s a very important statement that Europe leads on gender equality,” Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said.\n\n“It might have taken three days, but it’s a good outcome overall,” he told reporters.\n\nThe nominations came after one of the longest summits in recent years, outstripping even all-night negotiations during the Greek debt crisis.\n\nAlready plagued by crises like Brexit and deep divisions among nations over how best to manage migration, the leaders had been keen to show that they could take quick decisions and that the European project remains important to its citizens.\n\nBut they struggled to establish a delicate balance between population size and geography an even mix of countries from the north and south, east and west, and ensure that at least two women were nominated. Tusk he said he hoped that someone from a central or eastern European member state would be voted in as president of the European Parliament.\n\nDespite deep tensions, some tantrums by leaders behind the scenes and even public criticism of his handling of the summit, Tusk said- “Five years ago we needed three months to decide, and still some leaders were against. This year it was three days and nobody was against.”"], "summary": "The European Council nominates German Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen to replace Jean-Claude Juncker as President of the European Commission. If confirmed by the European Parliament, she will be the first woman to hold the position. The Council also nominates Charles Michel of Belgium as President of the European Council, Josep Borrell of Spain as High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, and Christine Lagarde of France as President of the European Central Bank."}
{"document": ["The family of 19-year-old Solomon Tekah, who was killed by an off-duty police officer, called on protesters yesterday to refrain from violence after Tuesday’s demonstrations left more than 110 police officers wounded and 136 protesters arrested.\n\n\n\n“We have lost a child, and we ask the public not to protest until the end of the shiva (mourning period) and to act with restraint and patience,” the family was quoted by Ynet as saying. “At the end of the shiva we will hold legitimate protests in an organized manner and in coordination with the relevant parties.\n\nמפגינים שהגיעו להזדהות עם מחאת יוצאי אתיופיה, חוסמים את צומת עזריאלי תוך קריאות \"מדינת משטרה\" pic.twitter.com/DVI3EUPWlS — חדשות 13 (@newsisrael13) July 3, 2019\n\n“We call on all the youth and their parents to refrain from provocation and unnecessary violence,” the family continued, adding that the anger expressed in recent days “is anger that has accumulated over years of ongoing neglect, racism and especially the over-policing and unnecessary killing of our children.”Protests by the Ethiopian-Israeli community took place for a third day on Wednesday evening across the country as the family and authorities called for calm.Tekah was the second Ethiopian youth to be killed by police in the past six months.Close to 140,000 Ethiopian Jews live in Israel, most having flown to Israel in three covert military operations called Moses, Joshua, and Solomon, from 1984-1991. But Ethiopian-Israelis have struggled to integrate into Israeli society, and the community has long accused the state, including the military, of racism, neglect, brutality and abuse.Tekah’s father, Varkah, was quoted as saying that while the protesters have given him strength, he called on community members to refrain from violence. Varkah said that his son had plans to enlist in the police as part of his army service.“There are police officers who came to protect the people and do their work faithfully,” he said, adding nonetheless that there are a “few who enlisted in the police and use their weapons and their power.”Israeli police officers braced for violence on Wednesday and worked to prevent the blocking of central highways and junctions by protesters. They prepared with riot gear, along with vehicles which spray skunk water.Five protesters were arrested in Tel Aviv as some 200 protesters tried to block the Azrieli junction; five were arrested in Yavne after demonstrators threw stones at police officers; and two more were arrested in Rishon Lezion for using Molotov cocktails.Police urged protesters to refrain from using violence, and said they will move against anyone who acts in a dangerous or inappropriate manner. Bystanders were also urged by police to stay away from the areas where protests are taking place.Earlier on Wednesday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on the leaders of the Ethiopian-Israeli community to use their influence to stop violent protests.“The death of Solomon Tekah is a great tragedy,” the prime minister said. ”Our hearts are with the family and lessons will be learned, but one thing is clear: we cannot tolerate the violence we saw yesterday, we cannot see the blocking of roads, Molotov cocktails, attacks on police and citizens and private property. This is something that cannot be tolerated, and the police are preparing accordingly to prevent it.”Netanyahu’s words came at the start of a meeting that he convened of an inter-ministerial committee established to advance the integration of the Ethiopian immigrants into Israeli society. A number of community representatives are on that committee and were at the meeting.“We worked together and achieved important things for the Ethiopian community in Israel and we have more work to do,” Netanyahu said. “But the first thing I ask and expect is that you mobilize your influence to help stop this violence. It must stop immediately.”Netanyahu said that the Ethiopian-Israeli community “is dear to us,” but that Israel is a state of law, and demands that “everyone respect the law.”He said that the interministerial committee has previously discussed the need to change the pattern of the police toward the Ethiopian-Israeli community, and that while there has been improvements, more improvements are necessary.“One thing is certain,” Netanyahu continued. “This cannot be dealt with by blocking roads, and it cannot be dealt with violently.”Acting Police Commissioner Moti Cohen also warned protesters that violence would not be tolerated, saying that “there is no place for attacks on public officials, on institutions and property.”Cohen warned that “the incidents that took place yesterday will not be repeated... We will continue to respond proportionately, to distinguish between those exercising their right to protest in a democratic country, and those who incite and assault.”\n\nvar cont = `Join Jerusalem Post Premium Plus now for just $5 and upgrade your experience with an ads-free website and exclusive content. Click here>>\n\n\n\n`; document.getElementById(\"linkPremium\").innerHTML = cont; (function (v, i){ });", "Hundreds of members of the Ethiopian Jewish community in Israel protested on Monday afternoon in the city of Haifa against the fatal shooting of an unarmed Ethiopian youth by an off-duty police officer a day earlier.\n\nThe policeman claimed that a group of young men had assaulted him and that he feared for his life, forcing him to use his weapon. The Haifa Magistrate’s Court later released the officer to house arrest.\n\nEthiopian activists have accused the Israeli police of racism.\n\nShelly Yachimovich MK of the Labour party said the young man, Solomon Tekah, 19 had been killed simply because he was Ethiopian, adding that the policeman would have never used his weapon if the quarrel had been with a group of white youths.", "Dear Reader, As you can imagine, more people are reading The Jerusalem Post than ever before. Nevertheless, traditional business models are no longer sustainable and high-quality publications, like ours, are being forced to look for new ways to keep going. Unlike many other news organizations, we have not put up a paywall. We want to keep our journalism open and accessible and be able to keep providing you with news and analysis from the frontlines of Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World.\n\nAn 18 year-old Ethiopian-Israeli was shot and killed by an off-duty police officer in the northern community of Kiryat Haim Sunday night, prompting outraged community members to unite in protest.\n\n\n\nThe young man was identified as Solomon Tekah, who was found in critical condition at around 8 p.m., according to the Magen David Adom. He was pronounced dead shortly after.\n\nTekah’s parents, who joined the community in protests, were weeping and chanting, “we want justice for the child we lost. My child, a precious child of God. He did nothing wrong, he did not deserve this.”The city of Haifa appeared to have shut down on Monday. Cars stood in standstill traffic for hours. Whispers of the shooting filled the crowded buses. Streets that were blockaded were barren, except for the cries of the Ethiopian community who had lost one of their own.This incident has sparked renewed accusations of police brutality and racism towards the Israeli-Ethiopian community.\"Our blood is good for more than just wars, army, and every other office this country represents,” said Roy Eyov, who helped lead a march from the Zvulun Police Station to a major intersection on HaHistadrut Street, the street where Tekah was murdered.During the march protestors chanted, “this is a police state, our blood won’t be wasted for nothing, we get killed for nothing.”Eyov, 23, explained he was a combat soldier in the Givati Brigade.“All we want to do is give back, but we have lost our impact as people,” he said. “I miss when I could be out with my little brother and not fear the cops.”He went on to explain the strategy of the protest.“We want people to wake up. We won’t let cars go by because when [traffic jams] happen people get mad,” he explained. “They see a lot of black people, and they’re about to curse us, but then they think about it [the reason we’re here] and realize that our man got killed out here on our streets. On our streets, it’s dangerous for us.”A police statement revealed that the off-duty police officer who shot Tekah was with his wife and three children at a nearby playground when he noticed a fight in the street and tried to break it up.The youth hurled stones at the officer, according to the release, prompting him to claim he was in mortal danger when he fired the shot.Members of Knesset have also began to express outrage about the incident and police brutality.\"No cover-up will help you this time, Israeli police,\" said Blue and White MK Pnina Tamano-Shata over Facebook. \"The blood of young Ethiopian immigrants is not unclaimed property.\"Despite repeated promises, many claim the government has not taken concrete action to prevent the growth of racist sentiment in Israel.“A young man was shot by the police because he was out playing with his friends, no justice was served for this young man,” continued Eyov. “This is not the first time, that’s why we must protest.”A similar incident occurred in January when police shot and killed Ethiopian-Israeli 24 year-old, Yehuda Biadga, in Bat Yam. This incident led to mass protests throughout the country.The march grew larger as it approached the main intersection. The community of Kiryat Haim huddled around Tekah’s parents in a close-knit circle as they publicly mourned the loss of their son. Many weeped uncontrollably alongside the couple. Tekah’s mother repeatedly refused water, even as her voice grew coarse.\n\nJoin Jerusalem Post Premium Plus now for just $5 and upgrade your experience with an ads-free website and exclusive content. Click here>>", "For young Ethiopian Israelis protesting on Tuesday against another police killing of a member of their community, this was not only an expression of anger against what they see as deep-rooted systematic police racism, but also a cry of frustration that repeated promises of change have come to nothing.\n\nAcross the country, thousands of demonstrators from the community and their supporters blocked roads to protest the fatal shooting of unarmed 19-year-old Solomon Tekah by an off-duty cop earlier this week. The protests continued through the night and frequently turned violent.\n\nPolice said 47 officers were injured on Tuesday and 60 demonstrators were arrested. It did not offer a tally on protester injuries. One demonstrator was moderately injured in a hit-and-run on Tuesday evening, medics said.\n\nGet The Times of Israel's Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Free Sign Up\n\nAt a busy Tel Aviv intersection where hundreds gathered to block traffic, the anger and mistrust of authority was palpable. Many people at the protest declined to be interviewed and those who agreed did so on condition that they not be identified.\n\nLater Tuesday rioters smashed in the windshield of a car at this junction and set it on fire.\n\nWe are here to protest because “the racism and discrimination has been going on a long time,” A 30-something Ethiopian-Israeli from Tel Aviv told The Times of Israel. “The police can shoot a young man so easily and it’s because of their origin. If he hadn’t been Ethiopian it wouldn’t have ended the way it did.”\n\nHe expressed his frustration that there had been shootings of Ethiopians in the past and that nothing would likely change. “You feel like this can happen to you at any time. It’s a cycle that keeps turning infinitely.”\n\nA 20-something woman in a sun dress from Nes Ziona in central Israel told the Times of Israel, “I am very emotionally distraught. You say to yourself–OK, it happened once but won’t happen again. The next time it happens you think, OK, maybe they’ll fix it, but when it becomes systematic, you think to yourself are our lives worth less?”\n\n“”This boy,” she added, “his parents gave him everything they had. They raised him all these years and then some person gives himself permission to shoot him.”\n\nTekah was shot dead during an altercation in the Kiryat Haim neighborhood of Haifa on Sunday. An eyewitness to the shooting has reportedly told the Justice Ministry’s Police Internal Investigations Department that, contrary to the officer’s claims, he did not appear to have been in danger when he opened fire. The officer was briefly arrested before being released to house arrest, sparking further rage in the community.\n\nWhile protests Monday against the police were primarily attended by Ethiopian-Israeli demonstrators, Tuesday saw a mobilization of members of the general Israeli public, who joined the chants against police brutality toward the minority community.\n\nHowever, three Ethiopian-Israeli teenagers from Yafo sitting nearby said the racism was not just a police issue, but pervaded much of Israeli society.\n\n“There’s discrimination against us,” one said. “We experience it every day, in school, in the neighborhood. At or school there are cliques and Ethiopians are separate, we hang out with each other.”\n\nMore than 140,000 Ethiopian Jews live in Israel, most are children of immigrants who came to Israel in the 1980s and 1990s. A large percentage of Ethiopian children grow up in poverty and have often struggled to integrate into Israeli society.\n\nAs protesters blocked traffic, some motorists took the delay in stride. One even emerged from his car to join the protest. Others began to shout and argue with the demonstrators.\n\n“What if it were your son?” a protester asked an angry driver.\n\n“You should be grateful we brought you here,” he snapped back.\n\nA group of young women shouted, “not black nor white we are all people,” and “Police who are you protecting?”\n\nAvi, 30, an Ethiopian-Israel from Ashkelon pointed out that this was the second police killing of an Ethiopian in six months, with more than a dozen occurring in the last five years.\n\n“It’s easier for police to draw their guns when they see black,” said Avi.\n\n“That‘s what we feel and that’s the reality. We want police to clean up their act. This can’t continue. These kids are our brothers and cousins.”\n\nAvi said that he grew up in the Ethiopian neighborhood in Ashkelon, which he described as “basically an Ethiopian ghetto. You have these ghettos in many cities throughout Israel.”\n\nWhen he was a child it was not uncommon to walk down the street be stopped by police who would ask you to empty your pockets and search you.\n\n“It could even happen that a cop would hit you and then accuse you of hitting them. Not all police are bad but there are some bad ones.”\n\nAvi said he believes police shoot Ethiopians out of an unconscious feeling of superiority.\n\n“They wouldn’t dare take out their guns in (upscale) North Tel Aviv,” he said.\n\nAvi said that the older generation accepted police mistreatment as normal. “But we grew up here and we explained to them it’s not okay.”", "Ethiopian-Israeli demonstrators block a road in Netanya in protest at the killing of Solomon Teka, 18, by an off-duty officer which drew claims of police racism Jack Guez/AFP/Getty Images\n\nHundreds of Jews of Ethiopian origin gathered in Tel Aviv last night as police braced for a third night of violence after clashes across the country.\n\nParts of Israel have been brought to a halt by the violence that began after the shooting of an 18-year-old Ethiopian Israeli by an off-duty officer, an incident that the community claims is symptomatic of the harassment and abuses that it faces.\n\nBinyamin Netanyahu, the prime minister, called for calm after clashes at some of 23 protest sites. Demonstrators overturned and set fire to cars and pelted the police with stones, who responded with stun grenades and tear gas. About 110 officers and 30 protesters have been injured, and more than 130 people have been arrested.", "At least 47 police officers were injured and 60 people were arrested following protests across Israel after a police officer shot and killed an unarmed Ethiopian teen, Israeli authorities said Tuesday, reports Anadolu Agency.\n\nNineteen-year-old Solomon Tekah, a black Ethiopian Jew, was killed Sunday night when the off-duty officer fired at him in the Kiryat Haim neighborhood of Haifa. The incident triggered violent protests.\n\nProtestors gathered in various cities and police intervened at times.\n\nProtestors in the capital, Tel Aviv, the center of the demonstrations, blocked one of the main roads near Azrieli Tower, setting fire to the cars of drivers who wanted to pass through.\n\nA kilometers-long traffic queue emerged in the capital following the protests.\n\nPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on the protestors to stop closing down roads and said he was saddened by Tekah’s death.\n\nMore than 140,000 Ethiopian Jews live in Israel. Between 1984 and 1991, some 80,000 Ethiopian Jews migrated to the country. Ethiopians – also called Falas – who lived isolated for years and were only recognized by Israeli religious authorities after a long while.\n\nIn previous years, Ethiopian Jews held demonstrations protesting against the racism and discrimination they allegedly faced in Israel. According to Israeli media outlets, 11 Ethiopians have died since 1997 during clashes with the police.", "According to the Israel Police, over one hundred people have been arrested across the country in connection with the wave of protests sparked by the shooting of a young Israeli-Ethiopian man by an off-duty police officer on Sunday.\n\nThe protests dissolved into violent riots Tuesday night, following the funeral earlier in the day of 19-year-old Solomon Tekah. Police reported 136 arrests and 111 officers wounded across the country.\n\nAccording to police, though an effort was made to act with restraint in the early hours of Tuesday’s demonstrations, when things became violent they were forced to act. Those arrested are being held for assaulting police officers, vandalism and disturbing public order, said police.\n\nTekah was shot in Haifa’s Kiryat Haim neighborhood on Sunday when an off-duty police officer attempted to break up a street fight among some youths at a playground he was visiting with his wife and children.\n\nAccording to police, the officer claims that after he identified himself to the youths they began throwing stones at him. The officer, believing he and his family were in danger, fired his weapon at the ground. The officer claims the bullet ricocheted and struck Tekah in the chest. The officer’s version of events has reportedly been refuted by an eyewitness to the shooting.\n\nThe officer was arrested on suspicion of unlawful killing, but later released to house arrest by the Haifa Magistrate’s Court. He was placed under police protection due to fears for his safety, and a gag order was placed on the publication of his name for the same reason.\n\nDemonstrators continued to block major roads overnight Tuesday. Images of cars being torched and roads strewn with debris have been circulating on social media.\n\nIsrael’s Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan expressed his remorse for “the great sorrow and suffering” of the Ethiopian community in the wake of the killing, but said Wednesday morning that “today, if we see such a level of violence, police will have no choice but to use all means to disperse demonstrations.”\n\nActivist leaders have called for protesters to gather on Wednesday afternoon at major intersections throughout to country.", "Thousands of Israelis protested Tuesday against alleged police brutality toward Ethiopian Israelis across the country after police shot dead an Ethiopian Israeli teen.\n\nDemonstrators blocked highways around the country, including a major thoroughfare through central Tel Aviv and the main highway into Jerusalem, snarling traffic late into the night. Protesters burned tires and held signs calling for justice. In Tel Aviv, a protester set a car on fire and demonstrators clashed with police.\n\nPolice said officers arrested 60 people believed involved in disturbances and at least 47 officers were wounded in clashes with protesters.\n\nThe protesters, led by activists from the country’s Ethiopian minority, demonstrated against perceived systematic discrimination by police toward the community after an off-duty officer shot and killed Solomon Teka, an 18-year-old Ethiopian Israeli, in a Haifa suburb on Sunday.\n\nIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement expressing sympathy for the Ethiopian community and acknowledging that “there are problems that need to be solved,” but warning demonstrators that the authorities “will not tolerate the blocking of roads.”\n\nThousands attended Teka’s funeral Tuesday. Police said the officer was arrested and was placed in protective custody by court order.\n\nEthiopian Israeli lawmakers and protesters, and Teka’s family have demanded that the involved officer be held accountable.\n\n“I hope that he will be the last victim,” David Teka, Solomon’s father, said at the funeral. “We demand that the murderer receive what he deserves and justice is done.”\n\nEthiopian Jews began arriving in large numbers in the 1970s and many were airlifted to Israel in clandestine operations in the 1980s and ’90s during periods of unrest. Today, the Ethiopian community is estimated at approximately 150,000, or around 2 percent of the country’s population, according to the Central Bureau of Statistics.\n\nWhile some of its members have made strides in certain fields, many Ethiopian Israelis complain of racism, lack of opportunity, endemic poverty and routine police harassment.\n\nThat frustration turned to public outcry and mass protests in 2015 after a police officer was filmed beating a uniformed Ethiopian Israeli soldier, and there have been sporadic demonstrations since.\n\nProtesters say that in multiple instances of perceived police brutality, officers were not properly held accountable.\n\n“What you see here is the frustration of an entire community that for 40 years is suffering discrimination,” a protester who identified himself only as Hanan told Kan, Israel’s public television.", "The annual memorial ceremony for Jewish immigrants who died on the way to Israel from Ethiopia, June 5, 2016. (photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)\n\nAs one of our loyal readers, we ask you to be our partner.\n\nDear Reader, As you can imagine, more people are reading The Jerusalem Post than ever before. Nevertheless, traditional business models are no longer sustainable and high-quality publications, like ours, are being forced to look for new ways to keep going. Unlike many other news organizations, we have not put up a paywall. We want to keep our journalism open and accessible and be able to keep providing you with news and analysis from the frontlines of Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World.\n\nIt's only a matter of time before Israel's detractors, and they are legion, will jump on the truly heartrending killing of Ethiopian-born Israeli Solomon Tekah to prove “the rot in Israel's soul.”\n\n“Israel is a racist country,” they will intone with sanctimonious self-righteousness. “It oppresses the Palestinians and treats the Ethiopians with equal disdain. Look how it kills Ethiopian youth.”\n\nWhat happened at the playground in Kiryat Haim when an off-duty police officer shot and killed the 19-year-old Tekah is indeed a tragedy that needs to be fully investigated, and – if necessary – prosecuted. If indeed the off-duty police officer was trigger-happy and shot Tekah without justification than the book should be thrown at him.\n\nThe incident is first and foremost a tragedy for the Tekah family, who immigrated here from Ethiopia in 2013.\n\nIt is also a point of great concern for the Ethiopian community, still reeling from a similar incident just six months ago when Yehuda Biadga was killed by another police officer.\n\nThe tales of police profiling and harassment of Ethiopian youth are well known. I would not want to trade places with Ethiopian parents who, in addition to all the other regular worries they have regarding the upbringing of their children, also have to be concerned that their kids will be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and wrongly treated by the police.\n\nThe incident is also secondarily a public diplomacy nightmare for Israel, a country that prides itself – and presents itself abroad – as a land of great diversity; a land where Jews and Muslims and Christians – and people from all across the globe – enjoy the same rights and opportunities ... at least inside the Green Line.\n\nAnd then this happens, and the refrain suddenly becomes, “Look how Israel treats the Ethiopians.”\n\nWell, yes, let’s look.\n\nIt is difficult to find instances in history where one country spirited Africans out of their native continent not to sell them into slavery, but rather to bring them to freedom. Yet that is precisely what Israel did with the rescue of Ethiopian Jewry via Operation Moses and Operation Solomon in the last century.\n\nIn the process it has spent hundreds of billions of shekels to house, educate and train the immigrants. The amount of money the social welfare departments in local municipalities spend each year on Ethiopian immigrants is tremendous.\n\nAnd it has had an effect.\n\nAt the end of 2016, according to a Myers-JDC-Brookdale study, there were 144,100 Ethiopian-Israelis in the country, 59% of whom were born in Ethiopia. In 2100/01 only 38% of Ethiopian high school students passed the matriculation exam, in 2015/2016 that number rose to 55%. In 2001 there were 747 Ethiopian students in institutions of higher education, in 2016 there were 3,194. The employment rate for Ethiopian men in 2016 was nearly equivalent to that of all Jewish men (80% to 81%), and for women it was 74%, compared to 80% for all Jewish women.\n\nWhich does not mean that the absorption process has been perfect, or that there is no racism in the society. It hasn't, and there is.\n\nEvery few months there are stories in the press of Ethiopians having trouble renting apartments or getting into a nightclub. More numerous, however, are the tales of kindness directed toward the community – both on an organizational and individual basis -- but those stories do not make news, because as the old aphorism goes, “dog bites man” is not a story.\n\nHas the absorption of the Ethiopian community into mainstream Israeli society been without flaw? Obviously not. Were mistakes made? Myriad. Just as mistakes were made – huge mistakes – in bringing immigrants here in the 1940 and 1950s from North Africa and Yemen, and in the 1990s from the former Soviet Union.\n\nYet, if you ask those immigrants whether they would have been better off staying in the lands of their birth, or immigrating to Israel – with all the problems that they faced – most would probably say they are better off here.\n\nWhich also explains why years after Israel reportedly flew the last Jew out of Ethiopia, every year more and more people line up in Addis Ababa clamoring to come to this country – with all the problems and challenges facing the Ethiopian immigrants.\n\nIsrael is an imperfect society. There is discrimination, and there is racism, as there is in every other society. No more, unfortunately probably not that much less. But those who will now take this incident – as horrible as it is – to tarnish Israel as an inherently racist society are doing both Israel, and truth, a disservice.\n\nOn the whole, the Ethiopian immigration story has been a huge boon, both for Israel, and for the Ethiopian immigrants. Which does not mean that tragedies do not occur. And when these tragedies do take place, they should not be swept under the rug, but dealt with face on. At the same time, they should also not be used to unfairly paint the whole country – or the government – as being rotten to its core.\n\nJoin Jerusalem Post Premium Plus now for just $5 and upgrade your experience with an ads-free website and exclusive content. Click here>>", "JERUSALEM, Israel - Israel's streets were set ablaze Tuesday evening as hundreds of Ethiopian Jews and activists rioted and protested the shooting death of 19-year-old Israeli teen Solomon Tekah who was killed by an off-duty police officer Sunday.\n\nDemonstrators throughout the country blocked several major highways, set streets on fire, and confronted police officers. Others peacefully held up pictures of the slain Ethiopian teen, chanted phrases, and mourned his death.\n\nPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he mourns the \"tragic death\" of the Tekah but said police would not tolerate violence or road blockages.\n\n\"I know that there are problems that need to be solved. We have worked hard and need to work more to solve them. But I ask of you one thing. Stop blocking the roads. We are a nation of law; we will not tolerate the blocking of roads,\" Netanyahu said in a statement to the Ethiopian community.\n\nPolice said Wednesday 136 people were arrested following violent confrontations with police.\n\nIsrael's emergency medical service said it treated 83 people, including police officers, protestors and onlookers.\n\nIsraeli police say at least 110 officers were injured by the protests.\n\nThe demonstrations are expected to continue Wednesday evening at locations across the nation. They could potentially result in another bout of violence and mayhem.\n\nPublic Security Minister Gilad Erdan said Wednesday morning that he supported the right to protest but police will use whatever means necessary to stop the violence.\n\n\"The police have taken the necessary steps and gradually built up their strength and ability to cope with such a protest, but today if we see such a level of violence, the police will have no choice but to use all means to disperse demonstrations,\" he said.\n\nHours before the protests began on Tuesday, the Ethiopian community buried Tekah.\n\nThe off-duty police officer who killed Tekah Sunday evening said he was trying to break up a street fight involving \"a number of youths.\"\n\nA police statement said that when the officer approached the brawlers and told him he was a police officer, they began throwing rocks at him.\n\nThe officer said he shot and killed Teka after \"feeling that his life was in danger.\"\n\nIsrael's Channel 12 news reports that the officer claims he aimed downwards and a bullet ricocheted from the ground and hit and killed Tekah.\n\nAn eyewitness challenges the policeman's account and claims he was not attacked.\n\nPolice said the officer was arrested and placed under house arrest while Israel's Internal Investigations Department conducts an official investigation into the killing.\n\nTekah's father Worka says he wants justice.\n\n\"Give me back my son,\" Tekah's father Worka cried as he attended his son's funeral, as reported by The Times of Israel.\n\n\"We are asking for justice. My son has already gone but I hope he will be the last victim. Do not cry for my son. We demand that the murderer get what he deserves and find justice. Help me in this struggle,\" he said.\n\nMany in the Ethiopian community believe Tekah's death is a symptom of the larger issue of deep-seated prejudice towards Ethiopian Jews in Israel.\n\n\"Enough, they should stop that, the youngsters are afraid, afraid about what happened, why should they be killed? Why do they (the police) feel that they are killing a terrorist. They are not killing a terrorist, they are killing a Jew. It's upsetting, we have to put an end to that, enough, this really needs to end, enough,\" Sisai Alrish, an Ethiopian Israeli from Kiryat Malachi told the Associated Press.\n\nThere are approximately 135,000 Ethiopian Jews in Israel. Israel opened its doors and brought many Ethiopians to the land in 1984 and 1991.\n\nClick to learn more about Ethiopian Jews in Israel\n\nHowever, many have struggled to integrate.\n\nPresident Reuven Rivlin acknowledged the Ethiopian community's concerns and urged the country to unite.\n\n\"The agitation comes from a deep rift and a great prayer for making things better. We are all partners, we must all be partners in this process. We have no other choice. We have no other home,\" he said."], "summary": "Following the fatal shooting of a young Ethiopian–Israeli man on June 30, countrywide riots in Israel result in more than 80 injuries."}
{"document": ["NASA's next crew-carrying spaceship just took a big step toward operational flight.\n\nThe Orion capsule aced a critical launch-abort test this morning (July 2), showing that it can indeed get astronauts out of harm's way during a liftoff emergency and keeping the craft on target for a first crewed flight in 2022.\n\n\"It looked beautiful from here,\" Ashley Tarpley, NASA's range flight safety lead for today's test, said during a NASA broadcast of the procedure. \"I think that was excellent, we could not have hoped for a better kind of day. It's just wonderful.\"\n\nA test version of Orion launched at 7 a.m. EDT (1100 GMT) from Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, taking to the skies atop the refurbished first-stage motor of a Peacekeeper intercontinental ballistic missile. Fifty-two seconds later, at an altitude of about 31,000 feet (9,450 meters), the launch abort system (LAS) attached to the top of the capsule kicked into gear.\n\nRelated: Orion Explained: NASA's Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (Infographic)\n\nThe LAS' abort motor fired, its 400,000 lbs. of thrust pulling Orion up and away from the booster and imparting about 7 Gs of force in the process. (We feel 1 G continuously on Earth's surface, thanks to our planet's gravitational pull.) At the time, Orion was projected to be moving at about 800 mph (1,300 km/h) and experiencing extreme temperatures and pressures, NASA officials said.\n\nJust over 80 seconds into flight, at an altitude of about 44,000 feet (13,400 m), the LAS tower separated and Orion began flying freely — and soon began descending.\n\nEverything was over by about 3 minutes after liftoff, when the capsule slammed hard into the Atlantic at roughly 300 mph (500 km/h), 7 miles (11 km) off the Florida coast. Orion likely broke apart upon impact and sank to the ocean floor, NASA officials said.\n\nThis fate was expected, because the capsule flew today without parachutes or an attitude-control system (which it will have during crew-carrying flights).\n\nThe project team went with this stripped-down approach \"in order to perform this test as early as possible, because we want to get the data,\" Orion program manager Mark Kirasich said during a prelaunch press conference on Monday (July 1), referring to measurements of temperature, pressure and other variables made by 900 sensors flying aboard the capsule today.\n\n\"We want to inform the missions going forward,\" he added.\n\nThose future missions include Artemis 1, the first flight of Orion and its partner rocket, NASA's huge Space Launch System (SLS), which is still in development. Artemis 1, targeted for launch next summer, will send an uncrewed Orion on a journey around the moon. That will be the first mission for the powerful and long-awaited SLS.\n\nArtemis 2, the first crewed flight of the system, will follow in 2022, if all goes according to plan. This lunar flyby mission will mark the first trip astronauts have made beyond Earth orbit since the Apollo moon program ended in 1972.\n\nArtemis is NASA's ambitious lunar-exploration program, which aims to land astronauts near the moon's south pole by 2024 and build up a long-term, sustainable presence on and around Earth's nearest neighbor in the ensuing years. Such work is envisioned to help prepare humanity to make the next giant leap — a crewed mission to Mars, which NASA aims to achieve in the 2030s.\n\nToday's test flight is officially known as Ascent Abort-2. As that name suggests, it was the second trial for Orion's launch-escape system. The first one occurred in May 2010, when Orion's LAS lifted a test capsule off the ground in a pad abort test.\n\nOnlookers at Cape Canaveral, Florida, watch NASA's test of the launch abort system of its Orion capsule on July 2, 2019. (Image credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky)\n\nEscape systems are common safety features of crew-carrying spaceships. For example, Russia's Soyuz spacecraft is topped with a similar \"puller\" tower. This emergency equipment was pressed into service last October during a crewed launch to the International Space Station — the first time an LAS had been employed during an operational mission since another Soyuz launch in 1983. (NASA's now-retired space shuttle orbiter did not have an LAS, so the crew of the Challenger had no way to get clear of their malfunctioning solid rocket booster shortly after launch in January 1986.)\n\nThe two crew capsules in development by American companies, Boeing's CST-100 Starliner and SpaceX's Crew Dragon, have abort thrusters built into their bodies. Such a design is known as a \"pusher\" system, because the craft pushes itself to safety rather than being pulled by tower-mounted motors.\n\nMike Wall's book about the search for alien life, \"Out There\" (Grand Central Publishing, 2018; illustrated by Karl Tate), is out now. Follow him on Twitter @michaeldwall. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom or Facebook.", "The United States successfully completed a test of the Orion spacecraft's launch abort system in the preparation for executing the future missions to the moon and Mars, NASA said in a press release on Tuesday\n\nWASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 02nd July, 2019) The United States successfully completed a test of the Orion spacecraft's launch abort system in the preparation for executing the future missions to the moon and Mars, NASA said in a press release on Tuesday.\n\n\"NASA successfully demonstrated Tuesday the Orion spacecraft's launch abort system can outrun a speeding rocket and pull astronauts to safety during an emergency during launch,\" the release said. \"The test is another milestone in the agency's preparation for Artemis missions to the Moon that will lead to astronaut missions to Mars.\"\n\nNASA explained that during the roughly three-minute test, the Orion spacecraft traveled to an altitude of about six miles, at which point the abort sequence was triggered.\n\nThe abort system pulled the crew module away from the rocket, flipped the capsule to properly orient it and released the module for a splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean, NASA said.\n\nA team of scientists analyzed data recording during the test to get additional insight on the abort system's performance, NASA added.\n\nOn May 31, NASA announced that three private US aerospace firms have been chosen to build and operate unmanned spacecraft that will begin exploring the lunar surface in September 2020 in preparation for a human landing.\n\nThe objective of the Artemis program is to land US astronauts on the Moon by 2024 and establish a sustained human presence on and around the Moon by 2028.", "If you would like to see more articles like this please support our coverage of the space program by becoming a Spaceflight Now Member . If everyone who enjoys our website helps fund it, we can expand and improve our coverage further.\n\nOfficials hailed an action-packed three-minute test flight Tuesday over Cape Canaveral that exercised the Orion spacecraft’s launch abort rocket, a key safety system on the capsule NASA is developing to carry astronauts back to the moon.\n\n“We couldn’t have asked for a better flight, better mission, better performance,” said Don Reed, head of the Orion flight test management office. “That about sums it up.”\n\n“It was really special for the program, and really a big step forward for us,” said Mark Kirasich, NASA’s Orion program manager at the Johnson Space Center in Houston.\n\nTuesday’s test flight, designated Orion Ascent Abort-2, cost approximately $256 million and is the Orion program’s last flight test before an unpiloted mission around the moon planned for late 2020, or more likely in 2021.\n\nThe Orion spacecraft is a major component of NASA’s newly-named Artemis program, which aims to return U.S. astronauts to the lunar surface in 2024. Under NASA’s current plans, astronauts will lift off from Earth riding Orion spacecraft mounted atop the giant Space Launch System rocket, a 322-foot-tall (98-meter) launcher which is several years behind schedule.\n\nNASA says astronauts will ride on the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System for the first time in the 2022 timeframe on a flight around the moon and back to Earth. That mission is named Artemis 2, and will be a precursor to a lunar landing attempt in 2024 on the Artemis 3 mission, according to NASA officials.\n\nThat assumes Congress funds fast-track moon landing program, which NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine told CNN last month will require $20 billion to $30 billion in additional funding over the space agency’s previously-planned budget, which targeted a human lunar landing in 2028.\n\nThe successful outcome of the abort test Tuesday sets the stage for a flurry of work over the next one-to-two years to finish assembly and testing of the first Orion spacecraft capable of reaching the moon, along with final construction and a test-firing of the first SLS core stage, the component responsible for the program’s most recent delays.\n\nTuesday’s flight used a simplified Orion capsule built specifically for the launch escape test, crowned with an abort system identical to the unit that will be used on crewed launches.\n\nThe vehicle rocketed into the sky over Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 7 a.m. EDT (1100 GMT) Tuesday.\n\nA converted SR118 rocket motor from the U.S. Air Force’s inventory of decommissioned Cold War-era Peacekeeper missiles provided a half-million pounds to propel the capsule off of pad 46 at Cape Canaveral. The booster was weighted down to allow it reach just the right altitude, speed and aerodynamic pressure for the abort test, mimicking the conditions the Orion spacecraft will encounter while riding the must larger Space Launch System.\n\n“We actually had to add over 100,000 pounds (45 metric tons) of ballast to it just to slow it down, because it’s pretty sporty,” said Jenny Devolites, NASA’s test director for Tuesday’s flight.\n\nThe 93-foot-tall (28-meter) single-stage vehicle climbed to an altitude of 31,000 feet (about 9,500 meters) in approximately 50 seconds, reaching a speed of Mach 1.08 before the test capsule’s on-board computer triggered an abort command. The command initiated series of rocket firings and maneuvers using an abort system mounted on top of the Peacekeeper motor and Orion capsule.\n\nThe abort motor instantly pulled the Orion test capsule away from the Peacekeeper’s SR118 booster moments before the rocket exhausted its propellant supply and burned out.\n\nThe four-nozzle abort motor quickly ramped up to 400,000 pounds of thrust and fired more than five seconds, accelerating the capsule with the force of about seven Gs to out-run the SR118 booster.\n\nThe attitude control motor located at the pointy end of the abort tower stabilized the capsule during the maneuver to pull away from the booster. Fifteen seconds after the start of the abort, the attitude control motor began reorienting the capsule end-over-end to turn the craft’s heat shield toward the ground.\n\nThe Orion capsule’s launch abort system looks a lot like the escape tower flown on top of the Saturn 5 moon rocket in the Apollo program. But the attitude control motor is a major difference, consisting of eight variable-thrust nozzles placed at 45-degree angles around the abort tower, and each with the ability to be independently controlled and modulated.\n\nThe Apollo spacecraft had a non-vectoring “pitch” motor to send the capsule in one direction during a launch escape event. The upgrade gives the Orion spacecraft the ability to escape from its launcher under more extreme conditions than possible on Apollo missions.\n\nThe Orion’s computer senses the vehicle’s orientation during an abort and sends commands to the attitude control motor to move the position of pintles inside each nozzle to adjust thrust and keep the vehicle properly pointed.\n\nOnce the Orion capsule was in the correct bottom-down orientation, a third rocket motor on the abort system ignited to jettison the test vehicle. At that point in a real abort scenario, with astronauts inside, a series of parachutes would begin unfurling to slow the spaceship for splashdown.\n\nNASA did not include parachutes on Tuesday’s test flight.\n\nIf astronauts flew on Tuesday’s test launch, “they would have been fine, with parachutes of course,” Reed said. “But all the way up to the point we jettisoned, they would have been fine.\n\n“People ask that question, why do we not have parachutes,” Reed said. “And the simple answer is we’ve done 47 (drop) tests at Yuma (Proving Ground in Arizona). We’ve done ground testing, so we know how the environment impacts the components that are part of that system.”\n\nNASA finished qualification testing of the Orion parachutes last year, and the chutes worked as designed during the Orion capsule’s return from a test flight in Earth orbit in 2014.\n\nAn agency spokesperson said the decision not to include the parachutes, and their associated deployment mechanism and control systems, saved around $30 million, and allowed teams to conduct the abort test sooner.\n\nWithout the chutes, the Orion capsule plummeted into the Atlantic Ocean around 7 miles (11 kilometers) east of Cape Canaveral, hitting the water at an estimated 300 mph (480 kilometers per hour) around 3 minutes, 12 seconds, after liftoff, Reed said. The spent Peacekeeper booster and abort system also impacted the ocean, sending plumes of water hundreds of feet into the air.\n\nAll the components were designed to sink.\n\nOn the way back to the ground, the Orion test capsule transmitted data recorded from nearly 900 temperature, pressure and acoustic sensors back to engineers for analysis. The vehicle also ejected 12 data recorders, all of which were retrieved by recovery boats in less than 90 minutes, Reed said.\n\nA quick assessment of the data suggested the abort system functioned as intended.\n\n“One of the most important parts of the test was to see how the attitude control motor, that’s one of the three motors, performed,” Kirasich said. “Right after the test was completed, we all ran up to the console of the LAS (launch abort system) operator and each of us watched the plots.\n\n“It’s a single motor that (has) eight valves around the circumference, and you have to modulate the valves, first of all to direct the thrust, but you also have to keep the motor pressure steady,” Kirasich said. “That’s a key part of this technology. The internal motor pressure was rock solid, straight line, and it had excellent control characteristics.”\n\nThe ascent abort test Tuesday came after a series of ground test-firings of the Orion abort system, and a flight test conducted in May 2010 to simulate an escape from an explosion on the launch pad.\n\nThe pad abort in 2010 flew with a prototype abort system. The ascent abort Tuesday tested a fully functioning abort apparatus, the same configuration to be relied upon by astronauts.\n\nNo astronauts were on-board for Tuesday’s flight, but veteran space flier Randy Bresnik said before the test that he was eager to see the results of the experiment.\n\n“It is so important because it’s the only one of its type in the dynamic flight environment, the environment where it’s going to be needed most,” Bresnik said.\n\nOn a real space mission, the Orion spacecraft would command an abort automatically if sensors detected a malfunction in the launch vehicle. Astronauts riding on the spacecraft will also be able to manually initiate an abort, Bresnik said.\n\nThe emergency landing of Russian cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin and NASA flight engineer Nick Hague after a failed Soyuz rocket launch in October 2018 illustrated the importance of a launch abort capability, Bresnik said.\n\n“We have to prepare for this, even though it’s a low likelihood of happening,” Bresnik said. “It had been 35 years since anyone on the planet had to exercise their launch abort system (before the Soyuz abort last year).\n\nHague himself chimed in on Twitter from the International Space Station a few hours after Tuesday’s abort test. He successfully launched earlier this year on a subsequent Soyuz flight to the station.\n\n“As someone who has had his life saved by a launch abort system, I can attest that today was a truly significant milestone in the Artemis program,” Hague tweeted. “Thank you to all associated with the … test for your hard work and dedication, and congratulations on a successful test!”\n\nGround test-firings of the abort system’s rocket motors will continue over the next year, Kirasich said. Teams have accomplished four of the escape system’s nine required qualification firings — three for each rocket motor — for human flights.\n\nLockheed Martin, NASA’s prime contractor on the Orion program, oversees development of the launch abort system. Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems, formerly known as Orbital ATK, supplied the abort and attitude control motors, while Aerojet Rocketdyne built the jettison motor, the last of the three abort system rockets to fire Tuesday.\n\nNorthrop Grumman also partnered with the U.S. Air Force to ready the Peacekeeper-derived abort test booster for launch. The booster is also based on the Minotaur 4 rocket used to launch small satellites into orbit.\n\n“In Orion, crew safety and spacecraft reliability are very high priorities for us, and our launch abort system is a key safety feature of the spacecraft,” Kirasich said before Tuesday’s test flight. “It will protect the crew members who fly on-board Orion. It will protect them during the most challenging part of the mission, which is the ascent phase.”\n\nSpace shuttle crews had no ability to use an abort rocket to escape a catastrophic failure during launch.\n\nThe new commercial crew capsules developed by Boeing and SpaceX to ferry astronauts to the International Space Station both have “pusher” escape systems, employing liquid-fueled rocket engines along the rear circumference of the vehicles to propel astronauts away from a launcher in an emergency.\n\nNASA selected Lockheed Martin to begin developing the Orion spacecraft in 2006 under the auspices of the space agency’s now-defunct Constellation program, which started under the George W. Bush administration in the aftermath of the loss of the shuttle Columbia and its seven-person crew in 2003.\n\nAfter the Columbia accident, the Bush White House directed NASA to end the shuttle program after completing the International Space Station, allowing the agency to re-focus on deep space exploration, with an objective of returning humans to the moon’s surface by 2020.\n\nBut the Constellation program ran into numerous delays and cost estimates crew, prompting President Obama to cancel the program in 2010. A year later, the White House and Congress agreed on a new strategy for NASA, salvaging work already completed on the Orion program and kicking off development of a new rocket called the Space Launch System for eventual missions to Mars.\n\nThe Orion and Space Launch System programs have encountered more difficulties since 2011, delaying the first launch of an unpiloted version of the crew capsule on the SLS from 2017 until no earlier than late 2020, or more likely some time in 2021.\n\nNASA and Lockheed Martin conducted an Orion test flight in Earth orbit in December 2014 to test the capsule’s heat shield at the speeds it will encounter on re-entry from the moon. Engineers also conducted the Orion pad abort test in 2010.\n\nNASA has spent around $16 billion on the Orion program since its start, according to Laura Forczyk, a space policy analyst. The SLS program has cost around $14 billion to date, she said earlier this year.\n\nThe first SLS/Orion mission, known as Artemis 1, will send the Orion spacecraft on a flight lasting at least 25 days in a distant orbit around the moon, then back to Earth. Lockheed Martin engineers at the Kennedy Space Center are readying the Orion capsule for Artemis 1, along with its European-built power and propulsion module.\n\nThe Artemis 2 mission, currently set for launch in 2022 or 2023, will be the first Orion flight around the moon with astronauts.\n\nIn the meantime, NASA and commercial partners will build and launch elements of the Gateway, a mini-space station in lunar orbit that will be a stopover and safe haven for astronauts on the way to the moon’s surface.", "NASA has cleared the final hurdle in testing its Orion spacecraft with the completion of the Ascent Abort-2 (AA-2) flight test. The success marks an important milestone for the crew capsule that will put humans back on the moon, demonstrating its safety in an emergency abort scenario.\n\nLaunched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station early Tuesday morning, AA-2 was designed to push the capsule's abort system to its limits with a full-stress test. While full results of the test are still to be revealed, the capsule was successfully jettisoned from the launch vehicle approximately 55 seconds post-launch. A briefing is currently scheduled for late Tuesday morning and is expected to reveal initial insights regarding the test data.\n\nIt was a humid morning in Florida but Orion, perched on top of a solid-fuel rocket and encased within a fairing assembly, launched just right on schedule at 7 a.m. The capsule used for the test operated like a dummy spacecraft, weighted to resemble the real thing, but in effect was just an Orion-shaped box. It was positioned at the bottom of the upside-down golf tee-shaped Launch Abort System (LAS).\n\nAs it launched, we didn't quite see the dazzling flurry of fire and flame we've become accustomed to with SpaceX launches but, of course, it wasn't meant to be that way. This was a small test lasting only 3 minutes, aimed at ticking off a fundamental crew safeguard of the moon-bound craft.\n\n\"Our Launch Abort System is a key safety feature of the spacecraft,\" said Orion program manager Mark Kirasich prior to the test. \"It will protect the crew members who fly on-board Orion during the most challenging part of the mission, which is the ascent phase.\"\n\nLess than a minute into the flight, the abort sequence was initiated. By that time, the spacecraft had reached Mach 1.3 and hit 31,000 feet in altitude, just a few thousand feet lower than most commercial airliners fly. At that point, the abort motor fired and the crew module blasted away from the launch vehicle escaping the chasing rocket before falling back to Earth. Once the LAS oriented itself in mid-flight, it ejected the Orion capsule into the ocean and blasted away. Orion did not contain any parachutes, so it came hurtling back towards the ocean and is set to sleep with the fishes.\n\nNASA has already run a number of high-end computer simulations that aim to stress test the capsule to see how it fares during an abort. The data collected from the real flight will be analyzed in conjunction with those tests, thanks to a dozen data recorders that were jettisoned every ten seconds as Orion began free fall into the sea.\n\nAscent Abort-2 was the last of three tests designed to evaluate the Orion capsule. Although emergency aborts are rather rare in crewed rocket launches, one did occur earlier this year when a Russian Soyuz rocket malfunctioned during ascent. That emergency resulted in a ballistic descent for NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksey Ovchinin. \"We have to prepare for this even though its a low likelihood of happening,\" fellow astronaut Randy Bresnik noted in a pre-launch briefing.\n\nThe capsule is slated to fly, for the first time, aboard NASA's next-generation rocket, the Space Launch System, in July 2020. That first flight will be uncrewed and last for approximately 25 days, with the Orion capsule spending around 10 days in orbit around the moon. Success in that mission will pave the way for the Artemis program to ready itself for first human spaceflight missions in 2022.", "MELBOURNE, Fla. - Early Tuesday morning, spectators along the Space Coast will get the chance to witness a historic moment as NASA attempts to get one step closer to returning American astronauts to the moon.\n\nAt the opening of a four-hour window beginning at 7 a.m. Tuesday, teams will test the launch abort system for the Orion spacecraft, the capsule designed to carry astronauts to lunar orbit.\n\nThe demo version of the capsule will be launched atop a test booster, Minotaur IV, provided by Northrop Grumman at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's Launch Complex 46.\n\nThis brief, uncrewed flight test is unlike other launches that have occurred this year: instead of regular launches that send spacecraft to orbit, Tuesday's launch will not exit Earth's atmosphere.\n\nApollo 11 anniversary: Some lucky people will own artifacts from Apollo 11 thanks to a special auction\n\nInstead, during the three-minute test, the spacecraft will blast off to an altitude of about six miles while traveling at a speed of over 1,000 mph. From there, the system's abort motor will fire and pull the spacecraft away from the booster within milliseconds, as it would in an emergency situation during a regular crewed flight.\n• A test version of the crew module will launch atop the Minotaur IV rocket from Launch Complex 46.\n• Fifty-five seconds after launch, the abort sequence will initiate at an altitude of 31,000 feet.\n• At this point, the abort motor will fire with 400,000 pounds of thrust, pulling the crew module away from the booster.\n• From there, the altitude control motor will reorient the launch abort system to be able to safely separate from the crew module.\n• Once the jettison motor fires, the system will separate from the crew module.\n• Lastly, the onboard data recorders for the launch will separate from the capsule, ending the test.\n• The crew module will splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean.\n\n\"Timing is crucial as the abort events must match the abort timing requirements of the Orion spacecraft to the millisecond in order for the flight test data to be valid,\" according to NASA.\n\nWeather conditions look fine for NASA's Ascent Abort-2 test, calculated by the Air Force at 70% \"go\" for launch.\n\n\"The primary concern will be nearshore cloud coverage, which may hamper the view of the optical trackers,\" according to the 45th Weather Squadron.\n\nIn the event of a delay, conditions improve slightly to 80% \"go\" on Wednesday.\n\nForget about the moon: Donald Trump says NASA should focus on 'much bigger things' ... like Mars\n\nTuesday's launch marks a critical milestone for NASA as the agency prepares to send humans back to the moon within the next five years.\n\nThe 22,000-pound test version of Orion must demonstrate the capsule's capability of activating its abort system, steering the spacecraft and being able to carry the astronauts to a safe distance in the event of an emergency during liftoff.\n\nThe data retrieved from this test will help teams improve computer models for the spacecraft launch abort system's performance and functions, an important feature necessary in ensuring the astronauts' safety.\n\n\"The test paves the way for Artemis 2, the first flight of astronauts aboard Orion and the powerful new Space Launch System (SLS) rocket on a mission to carry humans around the moon for the first time in half a century,\" according to NASA.\n\nNASA is planning on sending American men and women to the south pole of the moon by 2024 under the program name Artemis, the Greek goddess of the moon and twin sister of Apollo.\n\nThe agency plans to use the Orion capsule, designed by Lockheed Martin, which is also intended to carry astronauts to Mars and other deep-space missions, as well as the Boeing-made Space Launch System, or SLS rocket currently under development for lunar missions.\n\nNASA hopes to have an initial uncrewed flight test, known as Artemis 1, around the moon by next year, but the U.S. Government Accountability Office said that date could slip into the following year.\n\nThe first crewed flight test, or Artemis 2, would follow in 2022 and would be a lunar flyby mission. If schedules hold, by 2024 Artemis 3 would once again have American astronauts on the lunar surface.\n\nNASA: Humans could be heading to Mars in 25 years\n\nTuesday's launch will not be Orion's first test mission, however. The capsule previously launched to space atop United Launch Alliance's Delta IV Heavy rocket in December 2014 for Exploration Flight Test-1. The uncrewed flight tested the capsule's heat shield to determine the conditions the spacecraft would face when returning from deep-space missions.\n\nAlso in 2010, an earlier version of Orion's launch abort system was successfully tested to evaluate the performance of the system from the launch pad during the Pad Abort Test-1 mission at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.\n\n\"AA-2 provides the only opportunity to test a fully active launch abort system during ascent before flying crew, so verifying that it works as predicted in the event of an emergency is a critical step for deep space exploration,\" NASA said.", "NASA has successfully tested the ‘launch abort system’ on its Orion spacecraft - a system that could prove vital for astronauts in the future.\n\nThe test flight took place at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 07:00 ET (11:00 BST) today.\n\nDuring the test, the 22,000 pound Orion test vehicle was launched to an altitude of 31,000 feet, before the Launch Abort System was activated.\n\nA jettison motor then ignited, releasing the crew module (which was unmanned for the test flight) into a free-fall down into the Atlantic Ocean.\n\nDuring the test, NASA also ejected 12 data recorders into the ocean, each equipped with a GPS receiver. These could be key in helping boats find to find the crew module.\n\nMark Kirasich, Orion programme manager, said: “It was a very smooth liftoff. By all first accounts, it was magnificent.”\n\nNASA hopes that the test flight will help pave the way for future manned missions to the Moon and then Mars.\n\n“Our Launch Abort System is a key safety feature of the spacecraft — it will protect the crew members who fly onboard Orion during the most challenging part of the mission, which is the ascent phase.”", "NASA tested launch abort system for the Orion spacecraft Tuesday morning at Cape Canaveral.\n\nThe uncrewed test, called Ascent Abort-2, was to see whether the abort system can steer the spacecraft and carry astronauts a safe distance if an emergency happens while Orion is trying to reach orbit, according to NASA.\n\nThe test involved an 11-ton test version of the Orion spacecraft. It lifted off at approximately 7 a.m. EDT. After rocketing away for more than a minute, rockets near the top of the spacecraft fired, separating the abort system and the crew capsule.\n\nThe test did not involve parachutes. A data recorder on board was ejected as part of the test and will be recovered.\n\nThe Orion is the spacecraft being developed in the effort to return humans to the moon and, eventually, the first crewed mission to Mars.", "If you would like to see more articles like this please support our coverage of the space program by becoming a Spaceflight Now Member . If everyone who enjoys our website helps fund it, we can expand and improve our coverage further.\n\nA three-minute test flight Tuesday morning over Cape Canaveral will help ensure NASA’s Orion crew capsule — the vehicle being built to carry astronauts back to the moon — can safely escape from a catastrophic failure on launch.\n\nThe $256 million atmospheric test flight, named Orion Ascent Abort-2, is designed to demonstrate the spacecraft can get away from a rocket in flight, a key safety feature that would save the astronauts inside the capsule in the event of a launch failure.\n\nOn future missions with astronauts, the Orion spacecraft will lift off aboard NASA’s Space Launch System, a huge 322-foot-tall (98-meter) rocket that will propel crews toward the moon. Tuesday’s test flight will use a much smaller rocket that will barely exceed the typical cruising altitude of a commercial airliner.\n\n“It’s a three-minute flight test, but it’s really the only full-scale system test that we have before we put crew on the vehicle, so it’s definitely critical for making sure that we can get the crew safely away in an emergency,” said Jenny Devolites, the Orion AA-2 test director from NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.\n\nA boilerplate Orion capsule is set for launch during a four-hour window opening at 7 a.m. EDT (1100 GMT) Tuesday from Space Launch Complex 46, a seaside facility located near the easternmost point of Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.\n\nThe capsule will launch aboard a single-stage solid-fueled booster taken from the U.S. Air Force’s stockpiles of decommissioned Peacekeeper missiles, which were developed to deliver nuclear warheads to distant targets.\n\nThe ascent abort test comes after a series of ground test-firings of the Orion abort system, and a flight test conducted in May 2010 to simulate an escape from an explosion on the launch pad.\n\nThe pad abort in 2010 flew with a prototype abort system. The ascent abort Tuesday will test a fully functioning abort apparatus, the same configuration to be relied upon by astronauts.\n\n“This test is extremely important,” said Mark Kirasich, NASA’s Orion program manager. “In Orion, crew safety and spacecraft reliability are very high priorities for us, and our launch abort system is a key safety feature of the spacecraft. It will protect the crew members who fly on-board Orion. It will protect them during the most challenging part of the mission, which is the ascent phase.”\n\nNo astronauts will be on-board for Tuesday’s flight, but veteran space flier Randy Bresnik said Monday he is eager to see the results of the abort test.\n\n“It’s certainly a very exciting test for us tomorrow,” Bresnik said. “It is so important because it’s the only one of its type in the dynamic flight environment, the environment where it’s going to be needed most.”\n\nOn a real space mission, the Orion spacecraft would command an abort automatically if sensors detected a malfunction in the launch vehicle. Astronauts riding on the spacecraft will also be able to manually initiate an abort, Bresnik said.\n\nThe emergency landing of Russian cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin and NASA flight engineer Nick Hague after a failed Soyuz rocket launch in October 2018 illustrated the importance of a launch abort capability, Bresnik said.\n\n“We have to prepare for this, even though it’s a low likelihood of happening,” Bresnik said. “It had been 35 years since anyone on the planet had to exercise their launch abort system (before the Soyuz abort last year).\n\n“That was definitely a good message to all of us that this is serious stuff,” Bresnik said. “We need to be ready because it has ultimate consequences if it doesn’t (work).”\n\nGround crews at Cape Canaveral have stacked components for the AA-2 test flight at pad 46 since April, beginning with the raising of the surplus Peacekeeper missile booster provided by the Air Force. The Peacekeeper’s SR118 first stage will ignite with a half-million pounds of thrust and turn due east from pad 46 to climb into the atmosphere over the Atlantic Ocean.\n\nNorthrop Grumman Innovation Systems, formerly known as Orbital ATK, assembled the Orion test booster, adding avionics, sensors and an aerodynamic shell to the Peacekeeper stage. The same first stage is used by the Minotaur 4 satellite launcher, which is also assembled and launched by Northrop Grumman under contract to the Air Force.\n\nEngineers installed ballast plates, a separation ring and a test model of the Orion capsule on top of the single-stage booster at pad 46, which was itself modified for the Orion abort test with the installation of two new lightning protection towers.\n\nBefore transferring the Orion vehicle to the launch pad, teams inside a processing facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center connect the capsule to its launch abort tower, a needle-shaped structure that extends above the spacecraft and contains three separate rocket motors, all fueled by pre-packed solid propellants.\n\nLockheed Martin, the Orion spacecraft’s prime contractor, oversees the development of the launch abort system.\n\nThe Orion capsule flying on the AA-2 test flight was fabricated at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Virginia, and outfitted with wiring, sensors and other equipment at the Johnson Space Center in Houston before shipment to the Kennedy Space Center in December.\n\nForecasters at the Air Force’s 45th Weather Squadron predict a 70 percent chance of acceptable weather during Tuesday’s four-launch launch window. The main concern is with clouds that could obscure the view of the test by optical tracking cameras, a requirement for engineers to examine the performance of the abort system in flight.\n\nThe complete test vehicle weighs around 310,000 pounds, or approximately 140 metric tons.\n\nAfter ignition of the SR118 booster rocket, the 93-foot-tall (28-meter) test vehicle will head east and climb to 31,000 feet (about 9,500 meters) before exhausting its propellant.\n\n“The booster is going to give us about 500,000 pounds of thrust at liftoff in order to get us up to the right test condition at 31,000 feet,” Devolites said. “We actually had to add over 100,000 pounds of ballast to it just to slow it down, because it’s pretty sporty.”\n\nThe booster’s guidance system will aim to reach a predetermined set of conditions, such as speed, aerodynamic pressure and angle of attack, before the Orion capsule’s flight computer triggers the abort command 55 seconds after liftoff, at velocity of about Mach 1.3, or 1.3 times the speed of sound.\n\n“When we get up to about 31,000 feet, we’ve got tremendous aerodynamic pressure on the vehicle, and we get a signal from the booster that we’ve reached the (test) condition, and it tells our flight computer and our flight software to initiate the abort,” Devolites said.\n\nThe Orion spacecraft’s Northrop Grumman-built abort motor, fitted with four fixed nozzles, will instantly ignite to pull the spacecraft away from the rocket.\n\n“At that time we actually ignite the abort motor, which is about 400,000 pounds of thrust,” Devolites said. “It pulls about seven Gs, and it also ignites the attitude control motor that provides the steering. It rotates the vehicle around, re-orients it, and puts the heat shield forward for descent.”\n\nIn two seconds, the impulse from the abort motor will add nearly 500 mph (300 kilometers per hour) to the vehicle’s speed, according to Blake Watters, principal engineer for the launch abort system at Lockheed Martin.\n\nThe attitude control motor, also supplied by Northrop Grumman, is located at the top of the abort tower and features eight variable-thrust nozzles placed at 45-degree angles around the structure, each with the ability to independently controlled. The Orion’s computer will sense the vehicle’s orientation during the abort and send commands to the attitude control motor to move the position of pintles inside each nozzle to adjust thrust and keep the vehicle properly pointed.\n\nThe abort motor will fire for about 5 seconds, giving an additional boost of energy to the vehicle to reach a top speed of about Mach 1.5. The attitude control motor will re-orient the vehicle at about 43,000 feet (13,100 meters), then the abort system will separate from the capsule to fall into the ocean.\n\nThe abort system’s jettison motor is the only part of the assembly that will be used on every mission. On a normal launch, the jettison motor will ignite to push the abort tower off the rocket once it is out of the atmosphere.\n\nBuilt by Aerojet Rocketdyne, the jettison motor produces around 40,000 pounds of thrust and will be the last part of the abort system to be used on the AA-2 test flight as the vehicle reaches a peak altitude of around 44,000 feet (13,400 meters).\n\n“In an actual abort scenario, parachutes would deploy that slow the spacecraft down for a water landing, and then the crew returns safely to land,” Devolites said. “But for our flight test, we’re skipping the parachutes since those are being tested separately.”\n\nNASA said disposing of the Orion test capsule, which is not designed to fly in space, makes the test flight less expensive and saved development time.\n\nTwelve data recorders will release from the Orion capsule to fall into the Atlantic Ocean, where boats will be on standby to retrieve them for analysis. Nearly 900 temperature, acoustic and pressure sensors are flying on the test vehicle to record information in flight.\n\n“We have two separate pods, they’re actually military flare dispensers, and they had six recorders in each one, and we eject them in pairs every 10 seconds,” said Don Reed, launch director for the AA-2 mission, in an interview with Spaceflight Now. “So 20 seconds after the LAS (launch abort system) jettisons from the crew module, we start ejecting, so the first pair comes out 20 seconds after the LAS is jettisoned, and then every 10 seconds until all 12 are ejected.”\n\nThe capsule will impact the the sea at 300 mph (480 kilometers per hour) around 7 miles (11 kilometers) offshore, and is designed to sink to the ocean floor, according to Reed.\n\nThe data recorders provide a backup to telemetry data transmitted back to the ground by the vehicle in flight. In the event ground teams to not receive telemetry data in flight, NASA only needs to recover one of the data recorders. Reed said retrieved all of the devices during a rehearsal last year.\n\nA NASA WB-57 jet will also be flying over Cape Canaveral to record optical tracking imagery during the Orion abort test, officials said.\n\nThe Orion abort system is similar in appearance to the escape system flown on the Saturn 5 rocket during the Apollo program some 50 years ago. One major difference is the Orion abort system has a maneuverable attitude control motor to fully govern the vehicle’s trajectory after an abort, while the Apollo spacecraft had a non-vectoring “pitch” motor to send the capsule in one direction during a launch escape event.\n\nSpace shuttle crews had no ability to use an abort rocket to escape a catastrophic failure during launch.\n\nThe new commercial crew capsules developed by Boeing and SpaceX to ferry astronauts to the International Space Station both have “pusher” escape systems, employing liquid-fueled rocket engines along the rear circumference of the vehicles to propel astronauts away from a launcher in an emergency.\n\nNASA selected Lockheed Martin to begin developing the Orion spacecraft in 2006 under the auspices of the space agency’s now-defunct Constellation program, which started under the George W. Bush administration in the aftermath of the loss of the shuttle Columbia and its seven-person crew in 2003.\n\nAfter the Columbia accident, the Bush White House directed NASA to end the shuttle program after completing the International Space Station, allowing the agency to re-focus on deep space exploration, with an objective of returning humans to the moon’s surface by 2020.\n\nBut the Constellation program ran into numerous delays and cost estimates crew, prompting President Obama to cancel the program in 2010. A year later, the White House and Congress agreed on a new strategy for NASA, salvaging work already completed on the Orion program and kicking off development of a new rocket called the Space Launch System for eventual missions to Mars.\n\nThe Orion and Space Launch System programs have encountered more difficulties since 2011, delaying the first launch of an unpiloted version of the crew capsule on the SLS from 2017 until no earlier than late 2020, or more likely some time in 2021.\n\nNASA and Lockheed Martin conducted an Orion test flight in Earth orbit in December 2014 to test the capsule’s heat shield at the speeds it will encounter on re-entry from the moon. Engineers also conducted the Orion pad abort test in 2010 and a series of parachute drop tests.\n\nNASA has spent around $16 billion on the Orion program since its start, according to Laura Forczyk, a space policy analyst. The SLS program has cost around $14 billion to date, she said earlier this year.\n\nThe Orion and SLS programs form the core of NASA’s newly-announced Artemis program, which will attempt to land astronauts on the moon by 2024, responding to a directive from the Trump administration.\n\nThe first SLS/Orion mission, now designated Artemis 1, will send the Orion spacecraft on a flight lasting at least 25 days in a distant orbit around the moon, then back to Earth. Lockheed Martin engineers at the Kennedy Space Center are readying the Orion capsule for Artemis 1, along with its European-built power and propulsion module.\n\nThe Artemis 2 mission, currently set for launch in 2022 or 2023, will be the first Orion flight around the moon with astronauts.\n\nIn the meantime, NASA and commercial partners will build and launch elements of the Gateway, a mini-space station in lunar orbit that will be a stopover and safe haven for astronauts on the way to the moon’s surface.\n\nNASA’s planned flight sequence would make the Artemis 3 mission the first opportunity to conduct a lunar landing with astronauts in 2024. But the schedule assumes no more delays and full funding of the moon landing initiative by Congress, which NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine told CNN last month will cost some $20 billion to $30 billion over the next five years, on top of the agency’s previously-planned budget.", "NASA has completed a key test in preparing for its planned crewed space mission to return to the Moon, successfully testing the Launch Abort System (LAS for short) for its Orion spacecraft.\n\nThis is the first full stress test of the LAS, which involved launching both an Orion test craft and the full LAS system aboard a rocket booster (smaller scale than would be used to propel the Orion craft to orbit). The goal was to show that in the case of an emergency during an actual launch, the abort system could do its intended job and jettison the Orion crew craft to a safe distance away from the rocket, very quickly.\n\nDuring this test, there obviously wasn’t anyone on board, but the demonstration still seems to have gone off as planned – the booster shot the Orion and LAS up about 31,000 feet into the air, or about cruising height for commercial aircraft. At its target height, the abort system fired its own abort motor, which separates the crew module from the rocket with about 400,000 pounds of thrust.\n\nThis is designed to throw the Orion crew module clear of any potential explosion in the case of an emergency during the time the actual launch rocket is at ‘max-Q’, or the point during launch when it’s under the most stress from aerodynamic forces during the launch sequence.\n\nAs you can see above, the LAS managed to separate successfully, then turn around as planned to correctly orient the Orion test vehicle, and then separate itself from the crew capsule. The crew capsule then ejected its own onboard data recorders to provide NASA engineers with the detailed flight records they need to ensure everything went as intended with the LAS test.\n\nThe LAS is a new component of NASA’s crew launch system designed for Orion and will help to ensure that this is the safest rocket launch system ever designed by NASA. It can activate in mere milliseconds and move the crew component of the spacecraft away from the rocket at a much higher velocity than even the rocket itself can move.", "CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Should NASA’s Orion spacecraft encounter a problem when it is used to send astronauts to the Moon one day, the system tasked with keeping them safe has proven it can do so. The test was dubbed – Ascent Abort 2.\n\nIt didn’t take long for NASA and Northrop Grumman, the manufacturer of the Peacekeeper missile used for this morning’s test, to complete the mission. The flight only lasted about three minutes. The “payload” that was launched at 7 a.m. EDT (11:00 GMT) was an Orion test article which was sent skyward from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 46.\n\nThe vehicle wasn’t bound for the Moon or even to orbit for that matter. In fact it only reached an altitude of about six miles (almost 10 kilometers) less than one-tenth the distance required to cross the Kármán line, the altitude where space begins. That height however did place it in a region where it encountered “high-stress aerodynamic conditions” that Orion should encounter when launched.\n\nDuring this morning’s test, an abort was conducted and resulted in a successful demonstration of Orion’s abort system. According to NASA: “The abort sequence triggered and, within milliseconds, the abort motor fired to pull the crew module away from the rocket. Its attitude control motor flipped the capsule end-over-end to properly orient it, and then the jettison motor fired, releasing the crew module for splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean.”\n\nTwelve data recorders were ejected as the capsule descended down to the Atlantic. Engineers will now study that information and determine what changes, if any, need to be made.\n\nThe “stack”, the combined booster and spacecraft used during the July 2 test, is comprised of the following:\n\nThe tower-like abort structure consists of two parts: the fairing assembly, which is a shell composed of a lightweight composite material that protects the capsule from the heat, air flow and acoustics of the launch, ascent, and abort environments; and the launch abort tower, which includes the abort motor, attitude control motor, and jettison motor.\n\n“Launching into space is one of the most difficult and dangerous parts of going to the Moon,” said Mark Kirasich, Orion program manager at Johnson Space Center in Houston. “This test mimicked some of the most challenging conditions Orion will ever face should an emergency develop during the ascent phase of flight. Today, the team demonstrated our abort capabilities under these demanding conditions and put us one huge step closer to the first Artemis flight carrying people to the Moon.”\n\nOrion was originally called the Crew Exploration Vehicle developed under President George W. Bush’s “Vision for Space Exploration.” When Barack Obama was elected, that initiative was cancelled with only the Space Launch System (formerly known as the Ares V) and Orion surviving. Upon President Trump’s election in 2016 as the 45th president of the United States a similar program was established under the Artemis Program.\n\nAnother Orion test article was launched on a three-orbit long, 3,604 mile (5,800 kilometer) high flight test in 2014 on the Exploration Flight Test 1 mission.\n\n“We’re building the most powerful rocket in the world to send astronauts to the Moon in the Orion spacecraft for Artemis missions,” said Bill Hill, deputy associate administrator for Exploration Systems Development at NASA Headquarters via an agency-issued release. “With this exploration system designed to safely carry humans farther into space than ever before, we’ll also have an equally powerful launch abort system that will pull the crew away if there is a problem with the rocket during the early portion of ascent.”"], "summary": "NASA carries out a successful in-flight test of the launch abort system of its new Orion spacecraft, a milestone in the development of the Artemis program to resume human exploration beyond low Earth orbit."}
{"document": ["As many as 200 corpses, including of some people believed to have been killed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIS) group, have been found in a mass grave near the Syrian city of Raqqa, a local official and a war monitor said.\n\nYasser al-Khamees, who leads a team of first responders, said on Wednesday the mass grave was discovered early last month on the southern edges of Raqqa, ISIL's former de facto capital.\n\nAmong the bodies found, five appeared to belong to middle-aged men dressed in the orange jumpsuits typically worn by the armed group's hostages, al-Khamees and the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.\n\n\"They were shackled and shot in the head,\" he said.\n\n190320140536453\n\nThe bodies of three women, believed to have been stoned to death, were found, the official said, adding that \"their skulls were severely fractured\".\n\nAs many as 800 people could be buried there in total, he said.\n\nThe discovery of the grave could help identify even more of the several thousand people whose fates remain unknown, including foreigners imprisoned by ISIL.\n\nThe armed group took full control of Raqqa in early 2014 and made it the de facto Syrian capital of its infamous cross-border \"caliphate\".\n\nUS-backed forces removed ISIL from the devastated city in October 2017, leaving the Raqqa Civil Council (RCC) to run it.\n\nThe RCC has been retrieving bodies from the rubble across the city that has been left in ruins by the months-long assault to expel the armed group.\n\n\"This grave is part of a series of graves located in the area of the Vanguard camp where more than 3,500 bodies have been recovered over the past months,\" an unnamed official told the DPA news agency.\n\nThe grave, uncovered in February and the largest known to date, is at a site where ISIL is believed to have trained children to fight.\n\nSeveral other mass graves have already been identified around the city, including one in the neighbourhood known as \"Panorama\" from which more than 900 bodies were exhumed.", "Two hundred corpses, including those of people believed to have been executed by the Daesh terrorist group, were found near the Syrian city of Raqqa, a local official and a war monitor said Wednesday.\n\nThe mass grave contained the bodies of five middle-aged men in orange jumpsuits of the kind typically worn by hostages, Yasser al-Khamees and the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.\n\n\"They were shackled and shot in the head,\" said Khamees, who heads a team of first responders.\n\nThey were believed to have been killed more than two years ago, he said, adding that his team was not immediately able to identify them.\n\nThe grave also included the bodies of three women who were believed to have been stoned to death, Khamees and the Observatory said.\n\n\"Their skulls were severely fractured and displayed signs of stoning,\" the local official added.\n\nThe digger said his team first discovered the mass grave early last month on the southern edges of Raqqa, Daesh's former de-facto capital.\n\nAs many as 800 people could be buried there in total, he said.\n\nIts discovery could help identify even more of the several thousand people whose fates remain unknown, including foreigners imprisoned by Daesh.\n\nDaesh took full control of the city of Raqqa in early 2014. U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), dominated by the PKK terrorist group's Syrian offshoot People's Protection Units (YPG), captured the devastated city in October 2017 after a four-month campaign, leaving the YPG-linked Raqqa Civil Council (RCC) to run it.\n\nThe RCC has been retrieving bodies from the rubble across Raqqa, left in ruins by the months-long assault to oust Daesh.\n\nIn February, an exhumation team uncovered a mass grave holding an estimated 3,500 people in Raqa's Al-Fukheikha agricultural suburb -- the largest to date.\n\nSeveral other mass graves have already been identified around the city, including one in the neighborhood known as \"Panorama,\" from which more than 900 bodies were exhumed.\n\nThe U.N estimates that more than 10,000 buildings were destroyed or 80 percent of the city in the clashes. Amnesty International and London-based watchdog group Airwars announced in April that t he U.S.-led coalition killed more than 1,600 civilians in Raqqa during months of bombardment that liberated it from the Daesh terror group, far more than the number announced earlier by the U.S.-led coalition.", "Another mass grave containing the bodies of those believed to have been executed by the Islamic State terrorist organization (IS, banned in Russia) has been discovered near the Syrian city of Raqqa, Jamal Issa, the director of Raqqa Health Department, said on Wednesday\n\nDAMASCUS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 03rd July, 2019) Another mass grave containing the bodies of those believed to have been executed by the Islamic State terrorist organization (IS, banned in Russia ) has been discovered near the Syrian city of Raqqa, Jamal Issa, the director of Raqqa Health Department, said on Wednesday.\n\n\"A mass grave with dozens of bodies, including those of people executed by IS insurgents during their rein in the city, has been discovered near Al-Fukheikha village at the southern entrance to Raqqa,\" Issa was quoted as saying by al-Watan newspaper.\n\nThis is not the first discovery of mass graves in the former IS stronghold.\n\nThe largest one with bodies of some 1,400 people massacred by the terrorists was found in the city's Panorama district in October.\n\nRaqqa was seized by the Syrian opposition forces in 2013 and then captured by the IS, which then proclaimed the city its de facto capital. In 2016, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), backed by the US-led coalition, launched a campaign to liberate the city. The operation culminated in the 2017 Battle of Raqqa, which eventually brought Raqqa under the SDF's control.", "BEIRUT, Lebanon — Two hundred corpses, including those of people believed to have been executed by the Islamic State group, were found near the Syrian city of Raqqa, a local official and a war monitor said Wednesday.\n\nThe mass grave contained the bodies of five middle-aged men in orange jumpsuits of the kind typically worn by IS hostages, Yasser al-Khamees and the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.\n\n“They were shackled and shot in the head,” said Khamees, who heads a team of first responders.\n\nGet The Times of Israel's Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Free Sign Up\n\nThey were believed to have been killed more than two years ago, he said, adding that his team was not immediately able to identify them.\n\nThe grave also included the bodies of three women who were believed to have been stoned to death, Khamees and the Observatory said.\n\n“Their skulls were severely fractured and displayed signs of stoning,” the local official added.\n\nThe digger said his team first discovered the mass grave early last month on the southern edges of Raqqa, IS’s former Syria capital.\n\nAs many as 800 people could be buried there in total, he said.\n\nIts discovery could help identify even more of the several thousand people whose fates remain unknown, including foreigners imprisoned by IS.\n\nIS took full control of the city of Raqqa in early 2014 and made it the de facto Syrian capital of its infamous self-styled cross-border “caliphate.”\n\nUS-backed forces ousted IS from the devastated city in October 2017, leaving the Raqqa Civil Council (RCC) to run it.\n\nThe RCC has been retrieving bodies from the rubble across Raqqa, left in ruins by the months-long assault to oust IS.\n\nIn February, an exhumation team uncovered a mass grave holding an estimated 3,500 people in Raqqa’s Al-Fukheikha agricultural suburb — the largest to date.\n\nSeveral other mass graves have already been identified around the city, including one in the neighborhood known as “Panorama,” from which more than 900 bodies were exhumed.", "Delil Suleiman, AFP | Members of Raqqa Civil Council (RCC)'s first responders team working at the site of a mass grave in the al-Fukheikha agricultural suburb where in February 2019 an exhumation team uncovered an estimated 3,500 bodies.\n\nTwo hundred corpses, including those of people believed to have been executed by the Islamic State(IS) group, were found near the Syrian city of Raqqa, a local official and a war monitor said Wednesday.\n\nThe mass grave contained the bodies of five middle-aged men in orange jumpsuits of the kind typically worn by IS group hostages, Yasser al-Khamees and the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.\n\n\"They were shackled and shot in the head,\" said Khamees, who heads a team of first responders.\n\nThey were believed to have been killed more than two years ago, he said, adding that his team was not immediately able to identify them.\n\nThe grave also included the bodies of three women who were believed to have been stoned to death, Khamees and the Observatory said.\n\n\"Their skulls were severely fractured and displayed signs of stoning,\" the local official added.\n\nThe digger said his team first discovered the mass grave early last month on the southern edges of Raqqa, the IS group's former so-called \"capital\" in Syria.\n\nAs many as 800 people could be buried there in total, he said.\n\nIts discovery could help identify even more of the several thousand people whose fates remain unknown, including foreigners imprisoned by the IS group.\n\nThe IS group took full control of the city of Raqqa in early 2014 and made it the de facto Syrian capital of its infamous cross-border so-called \"caliphate\".\n\nUS-backed forces ousted the IS group from the devastated city in October 2017, leaving the Raqqa Civil Council (RCC) to run it.\n\n>> Read more: 'See My Raqqa': Rescuing the Syrian city's memory after the IS group occupation\n\nThe RCC has been retrieving bodies from the rubble across Raqqa, left in ruins by the months-long assault to oust the IS group.\n\nIn February, an exhumation team uncovered a mass grave holding an estimated 3,500 people in Raqqa's Al-Fukheikha agricultural suburb -- the largest to date.\n\nSeveral other mass graves have already been identified around the city, including one in the neighbourhood known as \"Panorama,\" from which more than 900 bodies were exhumed.", "The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said yesterday that a new mass grave containing 200 bodies has been found in Raqqa, the former stronghold of Daesh in Syria.\n\nThe group said the grave included the bodies of three women who were likely to have been stoned to death and at least five middle aged men dressed in orange jumpsuits; typically worn by Daesh hostages.\n\nIn May, the UK-based group announced that a mass grave containing nearly 1,700 bodies was uncovered inside a house controlled by a group in the town of Al-Shafa, east of Deir Ez-Zor.\n\nThe observatory said at the time that the large number of corpses raises questions whether the victims were killed in air strikes launched by the international coalition as part of its war on Daesh.\n\nThe Syrian Observatory called for the formation of a fact-finding committee to investigate the mass graves in Raqqa and identify those responsible for the deaths.", "DAMASCUS (DPA) - At least 190 bodies have been recovered from a mass grave in northern Syria where Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) militants once had their key stronghold in the country, a local official said on Wednesday (July 3).\n\nThe grave was found near the city of Raqqa, ISIS's erstwhile de facto capital in Syria.\n\nDozens of bodies were found in the grave of men wearing orange uniforms believed to have been killed execution-style by militants, the official at the Raqqa civil council told dpa.\n\nThe grave also contained bodies of women stoned to death and ISIS fighters, the official added on condition of anonymity.\n\nThe bodies were retrieved last month, the official said without further details.\n\n\"This grave is part of a series of graves located in the area of the Vanguard Camp where more than 3,500 bodies have been recovered over the past months,\" he said.\n\nThe Vanguard Camp, about 5km south-west of Raqqa, was a site where ISIS trained children in fighting.\n\nIn October 2017, a Syrian Kurd-led militia, supported by the United States, captured Raqqa from ISIS in a major blow to the radical group.", "So far 190 bodies have been found at the site near Raqqa, the so-called caliphate’s former capital city, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported today.\n\nIt is believed several of the bodies belong to people who were executed by the terror group, the organisation reported.\n\nBodies of three women with smashed-in skulls were found, believed to have been killed by stoning.\n\nFive men were identified as execution victims by their orange clothing — ISIS typically dressed captives in orange suits before they executed them.", "200 corpses found in mass grave in Syria’s Raqa: official\n\nBEIRUT: Two hundred corpses, including those of people believed to have been executed by the Islamic State group, were found near the Syrian city of Raqa, a local official and a war monitor said Wednesday. The mass grave contained the bodies of five middle-aged men in orange jumpsuits of the kind typically worn by IS hostages, Yasser al-Khamees and the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. “They were shackled and shot in the head,” said Khamees, who heads a team of first responders.", "BEIRUT: Two hundred corpses, including those of people believed to have been executed by the Islamic State group, were found near the Syrian city of Raqa, a local official and a war monitor said on Wednesday.\n\nThe mass grave contained the bodies of five middle-aged men in orange jumpsuits of the kind typically worn by IS hostages, Yasser al-Khamees and the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.\n\n\"They were shackled and shot in the head,\" said Khamees, who heads a team of first responders. They were believed to have been killed more than two years ago, he said, adding that his team was not immediately able to identify them.\n\nThe grave also included the bodies of three women who were believed to have been stoned to death, Khamees and the Observatory said. \"Their skulls were severely fractured and displayed signs of stoning,\" the local official added.\n\nThe digger said his team first discovered the mass grave early last month on the southern edges of Raqa, IS’s former Syria capital. As many as 800 people could be buried there in total, he said.\n\nIts discovery could help identify even more of the several thousand people whose fates remain unknown, including foreigners imprisoned by IS. IS took full control of the city of Raqa in early 2014 and made it the de facto Syrian capital of its infamous cross-border \"caliphate\". US-backed forces ousted IS from the devastated city in October 2017, leaving the Raqa Civil Council (RCC) to run it."], "summary": "A mass grave containing over 200 bodies is discovered in Raqqa, Syria. The victims, who were shackled and shot in the head, are believed to have been killed by ISIL militants."}
{"document": ["Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Torrential rain lashes Japan\n\nMore than one million people across the Japanese island of Kyushu have been ordered to evacuate, amid warnings of landslides and floods brought on by heavy rain.\n\nAuthorities urged residents in parts of Kagoshima and Miyazaki prefectures to move to safety immediately.\n\nOne elderly woman in Kagoshima city died after a mudslide hit her home.\n\nPrime Minister Shinzo Abe has told residents of the cities to \"take steps to protect their lives\".\n\nKagoshima prefecture has asked Japan's self-defence forces to help with the relief efforts, Governor Satoshi Mitazono reportedly said.\n\nThe entire populations of Kagoshima city, Kirishima and Aira were ordered to leave. Another 930,000 people in the south of the island were also advised to move.\n\nBut by 1600 local time (0700 GMT), the country's Fire and Disaster Management Agency reportedly said fewer than 4,000 people had been evacuated.\n\nWeather officials say 1,000mm (39in) of rain has fallen on Kyushu island since Friday, and Japan's Meteorological Agency forecasts the rains will continue into next week.\n\nA further 350mm of rain is expected in the southern part of the island and 300mm in the northern part by Thursday morning, with some areas predicted to get more than 80mm of rain every hour. The agency said a month's rainfall could hit parts of Kyushu in just 24 hours.\n\nThe island of Shikoku is also forecast to receive up to 250mm of rain in the same period. The rainy front is expected to hang over the entire Japanese archipelago until Saturday.\n\nLast July about 200 people died in western Japan in the country's worst flooding disaster in decades. It was the highest death toll caused by rainfall in Japan since 1982.\n\nAbout two million people were evacuated and more than 70,000 emergency workers were deployed after the heavy rain caused floods and landslides in the region.", "Japan's weather agency continued to warn of mudslides and flooding Thursday as downpours in southwestern Japan left a second woman dead and a few hundred houses damaged in the region.\n\nOver 8,400 people in Kagoshima, Miyazaki and eight other prefectures were staying at evacuation centers as of early Thursday morning. Most of the evacuation orders affecting residents in the city of Kagoshima and Miyazaki Prefecture were lifted the same day.\n\nStrong winds and rain also hit parts of eastern Japan in the afternoon as low atmospheric pressure approached the area, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.\n\nIn the city of Soo, Kagoshima, where a record-high 421 millimeters of rain was registered the previous day, Ground Self-Defense Force members and rescue workers searched for an 85-year-old woman after a neighbor made an emergency call in the morning saying her house had been hit by a mudslide. The woman was confirmed dead later Thursday.\n\n\"My mother was not able to walk well and could not drive, so maybe she missed the chance to evacuate,\" said the victim's son, Masami Yamashita, 59.\n\nIn the city of Kagoshima, a woman in her 70s was killed Monday, also after being buried by a mudslide that engulfed her house.\n\nThe heavy rain triggered mudslides at dozens of places in Kagoshima Prefecture and rivers were swollen, according to the local government. Five people sustained injuries in the prefecture, according to a tally by the Fire and Disaster Management Agency.\n\nIn Miyazaki Prefecture, a dozen people were temporarily stranded after a landslide blocked a road in the city of Miyakonojo.\n\nSince last Friday, a seasonal front has dumped 1,089.5 mm of rainfall in Ebino in Miyazaki Prefecture, 901 mm in Kanoya, Kagoshima Prefecture, and 612 mm in Yunomae, Kumamoto Prefecture, according to the weather agency.\n\nOn Thursday, Toshima in Kagoshima Prefecture received 77 mm of rain per hour and Toba, in the central Japan prefecture of Mie, saw 60.5 mm, while winds of up to 96.12 kilometers per hour were recorded on Miyake Island in the Izu island chain in the Pacific.\n\nFor the 24 hours through noon Friday, the agency forecast up to 120 mm of rain on Tanegashima and Yakushima islands in Kagoshima, 100 mm in the Kanto-Koshin region and 70 mm in the Tokai region.", "Almost 800,000 people across three Japanese cities have been ordered to evacuate amid warnings of landslides and floods brought by heavy rain.\n\nThe authorities in Kagoshima City, Kirishima and Aira have urged their residents to move to safety immediately.\n\nOne elderly woman in Kagoshima City died after a mudslide hit her home.\n\nPrime Minister Shinzo Abe has told residents of the cities to “take steps to protect their lives”.\n\nKagoshima prefecture has asked Japan’s Self-Defence Forces to help with the relief efforts.\n\nAbout 310,000 residents in the neighbouring Miyazaki prefecture have also been advised to evacuate.\n\nWeather officials say 39 inches of rain have fallen on Kyushu Island since last Friday, and Japan’s Meteorological Agency forecasts the rains will continue into next week.\n\nMore rain is expected in the southern part of the island by midday tomorrow, with some areas predicted to get heavy rains every hour.\n\nLast July about 200 people died in western Japan in the country’s worst flooding disaster in decades. It was the highest death toll caused by rainfall in Japan since 1982.\n\nAbout two million people were evacuated and more than 70,000 emergency workers were deployed after the heavy rain caused floods and landslides in the region.", "TOKYO — More than 1 million residents across the island of Kyushu in southwestern Japan were ordered to evacuate on Wednesday amid torrential rains and warnings of severe flooding and landslides.\n\nAccording to the latest weather forecast, the massive downpour, which has already brought record levels of rain over the last 72 hours, is set to intensify over the next 12 hours.\n\nJapan’s Meteorological Agency held an emergency news conference early Wednesday, local time, warning residents of several cities in the Kagoshima and Miyazaki prefectures to evacuate “to protect themselves” without delay.\n\nLocal media and government officials including Kagoshima Mayor Hiroyuki Mori warned locals of potential disasters and urged them to leave their homes.\n\n“Disasters due to mudslides can happen anytime at multiple places simultaneously. Please take care of yourself and those who you care about to protect your and their lives,\" Mori said at the emergency news conference, while issuing an evacuation order to Kagoshima’s 590,000 residents.\n\nSatoshi Mitazono, the governor of Kagoshima, called on Japan’s ground self-defense force to stand by in case of an emergency. Over the last few days in Kagoshima, the city had a volume of rainfall equivalent to the monthly average.\n\nAn estimated 600,000 people in the surrounding regions of Kagoshima and Miyazaki have also been instructed to leave their homes as the rainfall gets heavier. Almost 200 locations have been designated as evacuation centers for local residents and their families.\n\nOne woman, believed to have been in her 70s, was rescued after a mudslide hit her home in Kagoshima but was later confirmed to have died.\n\nIn July 2018, up to 70 inches of rain led to some of Japan’s worst flooding on record with over 2 million people forced to leave their homes. More than 200 people lost their lives in floods and landslides, according to official government figures. Around 10,000 houses were destroyed, according to an estimate from the World Meteorological Organization.", "Around 600,000 people have been ordered to evacuate in the city of Kagoshima in Japan’s southwest, public broadcaster NHK said here Wednesday.\n\nThe evacuation order came as torrential rain continues to pummel southwest Japan, with Kyushu Island, which comprises Kagoshima City, the capital of Kagoshima Prefecture, one of the hardest-hit regions.\n\nJapan’s Meteorological Agency (JMA) had previously warned of torrential rain continuing to inundate the Kyushu region, with people in the area already on alert for possible natural disasters triggered by the extremely heavy rainfall.\n\nPrior to Wednesday’s evacuation order being issued, people in affected areas were being asked to pay attention to the latest weather warnings and to advice from local officials and to take preemptive measures to ensure their safety where necessary.\n\nThe weather agency has said that a seasonal front has been lingering over the region in the southwest of the country, with storm clouds developing owing to warm and humid air flows.\n\nKagoshima City, where the evacuation order was issued, had logged more than 40 millimeters of rain between 7:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. local time on Wednesday morning, with officials warning of possible mudslides in the wider prefecture.", "Almost 800,000 people across three Japanese cities have been ordered to evacuate amid warnings of landslides and floods brought by heavy rain.\n\nKagoshima city, Kirishima and Aira, in Kagoshima prefecture on Kyushu island, urged their residents to move to safety immediately.\n\nOne elderly woman in Kagoshima city died after a mudslide hit her home.\n\nPrime Minister Shinzo Abe has told residents of the cities to \"take steps to protect their lives\".\n\nAbout 310,000 residents in the neighbouring Miyazaki prefecture have also been advised to evacuate.\n\nWeather officials say 1,000mm (39in) of rain has fallen on Kyushu island since Friday.\n\nLast July about 200 people died in western Japan in the country's worst flooding disaster in decades.\n\nIt was the highest death toll caused by rainfall in Japan since 1982.", "Japanese authorities have issued evacuation orders for more than one million people in southern parts of the country hit by heavy rains, a year after deadly floods killed more than 200 people.\n\nSmall landslides were already being reported in parts of the affected area, public broadcaster NHK reported.\n\nIt said a total of 1.1 million people in Kagoshima and Miyazaki prefectures, on the island of Kyushu, had been ordered to shelters.\n\nLandslides swept away several cars and buried a house in Kagoshima, the broadcaster said.\n\nAt least four people have been hurt, NHK reported later on its Twitter account, citing police and firefighters. In one case a car flipped onto its side in a mudslide, injuring a woman and her child, NHK said.\n\nThere were no official details on how many people had heeded the warnings to leave their homes.\n\nAt an evacuation centre in Kagoshima, elderly residents sat on the floor eating with their bedding and other belongings spread out around them.\n\nThe evacuation order is issued when a natural disaster is highly likely to occur and municipalities repeatedly urge residents to leave their homes, although the instruction is frequently ignored.\n\nIt is the most serious warning issued before a disaster actually occurs. The scale's highest level is activated once a disaster is declared and orders people to take measures to protect their lives.\n\nAbout 868,000 people in Kagoshima, Kumamoto and Miyazaki prefectures are under a lower-level warning advising them to evacuate, according to NHK.\n\nSections of the Shinkansen bullet train on the southern island of Kyushu were disrupted by the heavy rain, which forced more than 150 schools to cancel classes, Kyodo news agency reported.\n\nThe Japan Meteorological Agency has warned that life-threatening landslides are possible at any time in parts of Kagoshima, adding heavy rain would continue overnight.\n\n\"If torrential downpours continue for hours in the same region, we might issue the special rain warning,\" which is the highest level warning indicating a disaster has occurred, agency official Ryuta Kurora told reporters.\n\n\"It will be too late to evacuate after the warning is issued,\" he warned.\n\n\"Evacuate early without waiting for it,\" he urged.\n\nKagoshima Governor Satoshi Mitazono said in a message to residents that the situation was \"extremely dangerous\".\n\n\"A major disaster could happen anywhere, any time,\" he said, adding that he haD requested help from Japan's Self Defence Forces.\n\nJapanese authorities are urging people to take shelter early after disastrous heavy rains last summer in the west of the country that killed more than 200 people.\n\nMany of the deaths were blamed on the fact that evacuation orders were issued too late and some people failed to heed them. Entire neighbourhoods were buried beneath landslides or submerged in flood waters during the disasters.", "The recommendations were received by residents of the prefectures of Kagoshima, Ehime and Kumamoto, the NHK broadcaster reported. The heavy rainfall has reportedly increased the risk of landslides in the affected areas.\n\nAccording to newspaper The Japan Times, one woman has already died in Kagoshima after a landslide on a mountain behind her house buried the building in mud.\n\nThe situation is not going to improve within next 24 hours as the heavy rainfall will continue on the southern Japanese islands of Kyushu and Shikoku.", "Japanese authorities have urged more than one million people across the Japanese Island of Kyushu to evacuate due to heavy rain which poses a threat to life. Residents in parts of Kagoshima and Miyazaki prefectures have been advised to move to safety immediately. The weather has already killed one elderly woman in Kagoshima died after a mudslide hit her home. Japan is expected to get as much as 20 inches of rainfall which will be capable of producing flash flooding, mudslides and travel disruptions, threatening more lives.\n\nHeavy rainfall hit southern Japan on Wednesday causing flooding and prompting the government to issue evacuation directives to more than one million people. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has told residents of the cities to “take steps to protect their lives”. According to the Japan Times, Kagoshima Governor Satoshi Mitazono mobilized the Self-Defense forces to assist with disaster relief. The entire populations of Kagoshima city, Kirishima and Aira were ordered to evacuate, with another 930,000 people in the south of the island also being advised to flee.\n\nRainfall since Monday totalled more than 24 inches (620mm) in Miyakonojo, and more than 20 inches (520 mm) in Kagoshima. Rainfall rates in excess of three inches (75 mm) per hour were reported at times on Wednesday in Kagoshima Prefecture. A further 14 inches (350mm) of rain is expected in the southern part of the island and 300mm in the northern part by Thursday morning, with some areas predicted to get more than 80mm of rain every hour. Reportedly a month’s worth of rain could hit parts of Kyushu in just 24 hours.\n\nThe island of Shikoku is also forecast to receive up to 10 inches (250mm) of rainfall in the same period. The heavy rain is expected to hang over the entire Japanese archipelago until Saturday. New rainfall totals of 5-10 inches (125-250 mm) are expected through Saturday from Kyushu to eastern Honshu, with an AccuWeather Local StormMax of 20 inches (500 mm). The worst of the flooding was confined to southern Kyushu until Wednesday, but downpours are due to expand northeastward, bringing the risk for flooding and mudslides into Shikoku and eastern Honshu.\n\nKyushu will get a brief reprieve from the downpours and heavy rainfall will target Shikoku and eastern Honshu, including Tokyo, today. Heavy rainfall will again target areas from Kyushu to eastern Honshu on Friday. The area of greatest concern during this time is the southern coast of Shikoku and locations in Honshu from Wakayama to the Greater Tokyo Area. A final round of torrential rain will threaten eastern Japan on Saturday, with lingering rainfall expected Saturday night across eastern Honshu.\n\nThe rain has been responsible for at least one fatality, with an elderly woman found dead in a mudslide in Kagoshima. Flooding across southern Kyushu has inundated dozens of homes with additional heavy rain over the coming days expected to worsen the current situation. By 4pm local time (8am GMT) yesterday, the country’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency reportedly said fewer than 4,000 people had been evacuated.", "People cross a street during a rainy afternoon in Tokyo, Japan, on May 21, 2019.\n\nTOKYO - Japan's southern city of Kagoshima on Wednesday (July 3) ordered its nearly 600,000 residents to take shelter in evacuation centres and other safe areas as torrential rains threatened landslides and other damage, said public broadcaster NHK.\n\nAbout 900 mm of rain has fallen on the southernmost main island of Kyushu, where Kagoshima is located, since late June, NHK said. Heavy rain was forecast to continue into Thursday, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.\n\nMore than 200 people were killed in western Japan last July, when prolonged heavy rain triggered landslides and floods."], "summary": "Over one million people in the Japanese prefectures of Miyazaki and Kagoshima are ordered to evacuate their homes due to torrential rainfall. An elderly woman in Kagoshima city died after a mudslide hit her home."}
{"document": ["Image copyright Carmelo Saia Image caption Tourists watch the explosion from a beach on the island of Lipari\n\nA volcano has erupted on the Italian island of Stromboli, killing one person and sending frightened tourists fleeing.\n\nThe victim is a male hiker who was hit by a falling stone, while other people were injured.\n\nThe navy has been deployed for a possible mass evacuation, with 70 people already evacuated.\n\nThe volcano is one of the most active on the planet and has been under a regular state of eruption since 1932.\n\n\"Unfortunately one man is dead, there are a few injured, but none seriously,\" emergency worker Calogero Foti told Italy's Rai television.\n\nThe victim was a 35-year-old man from Sicily who was hiking when the volcano erupted twice. His Brazilian friend was discovered dehydrated and in a state of shock, the AGI news agency reported.\n\nImage copyright EPA Image caption Ash rising from Stromboli after the eruption\n\nFirefighters are battling flames on the island.\n\n\"We saw the explosion from the hotel. There was a loud roar,\" said Michela Favorito, who works in a hotel on the island.\n\n\"We plugged our ears and after this a cloud of ash swept over us. The whole sky is full of ash, a fairly large cloud,\" she said.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Columns of ash rise from the eruption of the volcano on the Italian island of Stromboli.\n\nFiona Carter, a British tourist on the island of Panarea, some 17 miles from Stromboli, heard the eruption.\n\n\"We turned around to see a mushroom cloud coming from Stromboli. Everyone was in shock. Then red hot lava started running down the mountain towards the little village of Ginostra,\" she said.\n\nImage copyright AFP Image caption View of the volcano from the nearby island of Panarea\n\nHolidaymakers were reported to have run into the sea after seeing ash rising from the volcano. The island is a popular location for holiday homes of the rich and famous.\n\nStromboli is known as the \"Lighthouse of the Mediterranean\" and has a population of around 500. The last major eruption was in 2002, when a blast destroyed local buildings and piers, injuring six.", "A volcano on the Italian island of Stromboli erupted on Wednesday, releasing hot trapped magma in a powerful explosion, killing one person and enveloping the popular tourist destination in ash.\n\nThe person, believed to be a tourist, was killed by falling stones during a walk, a rescue service official said. A second person was injured.\n\nThe unexpected eruption started fires on the western side of the small Mediterranean island, which lies north of Sicily, off the toe of Italy.\n\nFire crews were being called in from nearby locations and a Canadair plane was already in action. The popular tourist destination was envolved in smoke.\n\nThe National Institute of Geophysics and Vulcanology (INGV) confirmed a series of unexpected explosions on the small Mediterranean island, which began at 4.51pm local time.\n\n'We saw the explosion from the hotel. There was a loud roar,' said Michela Favorito, who works in a hotel near Fico Grande, on the east side of the island.\n\n'We plugged our ears and after this a cloud of ash swept over us. The whole sky is full of ash, a fairly large cloud,' she said.\n\nFiona Carter, a British tourist on the island of Panarea, some 27 km (17 miles) from Stromboli, heard the blast.\n\n'We turned around to see a mushroom cloud coming from Stromboli. Everyone was in shock. Then red hot lava started running down the mountain towards the little village of Ginostra,' she said.\n\n'The cloud got bigger, white and grey. It enveloped Ginostra and now the cloud has covered Stromboli entirely. Several boats set off for Stromboli,' she added.\n\nOne witness described the eruption as 'sudden and violent'.\n\n'Tourists diving into the sea to avoid lava after Stromboli eruption,' they wrote on Twitter. 'It's not a particularly active volcano, so that's a surprise.'\n\nINGV expert Stefano Branca said there had been a 'paroxysmal eruption' on the island, when high-pressure magma explodes from a shallow, underground reservoir.\n\n'These are events of great intensity and quite rare,' he said.\n\nTourists often climb to the 924-metre (3,000-foot) summit of the volcano and peer into its crater, with small puffs of molten rock regularly blasted into the sky. It was not clear if anyone was on the crater at the time of the latest blast.\n\nAccording to the geology.com website, Stromboli is one of the most active volcanoes on the planet and has been erupting almost continuously since 1932.\n\nThe island was the setting for a 1950 movie starring Ingrid Bergman and, with other islands in the Aeolian archipelago, has become a favourite location in recent decades for holiday homes for the rich and famous.", "A tourist has died and another seriously injured after a volcano unexpectedly erupted on an island in the Mediterranean today.\n\nEmergency services say they dashed to Stromboli volcano on the Italian island off the coast of the mainland this afternoon.\n\nThe disaster has killed at least one person, thought to be from Italy.\n\nTourists, frightened by the unexpected explosion, have thrown themselves into the sea at nearby beaches, according to reports.\n\nPictures show molten lava and ash spewing from the volcano, which is not believed to be an active one.\n\nIt's also shooting out red-hot rocks called lapilli, local sources claim.\n\n\"A huge column of dense black smoke is coming out of the crater,\" one witness said.\n\nAnother added: \"There was a powerful explosion. We heard a bang, then a column of smoke and lapilli fell onto Ginostra, and flames on the slopes of the volcano\".\n\nThe fire service the eruption has caused blazes to break out across the tiny rural islands.\n\nPeople on Twitter have expressed their concern.\n\n\"Major #eruption on #Stromboli sudden and major, I really hope everyone is ok the whole mountain just blew up a few seconds ago,\" wrote one user.\n\nAnother posted: \"Tourists diving into the sea to avoid lava after Stromboli eruption.\n\n\"Sudden and violent. It's not a particularly active volcano, so that's a surprise.\"\n\nMichela Favorito, who works in a hotel near Fico Grande, on the east side of the island, said: \"We saw the explosion from the hotel. There was a loud roar.\n\n\"We plugged our ears and after this a cloud of ash swept over us.\n\n\"The whole sky is full of ash, a fairly large cloud.\"\n\n\"We turned around to see a mushroom cloud coming from Stromboli. Everyone was in shock. Then red hot lava started running down the mountain towards the little village of Ginostra,\" she said.\n\n\"The cloud got bigger, white and grey. It enveloped Ginostra and now the cloud has covered Stromboli entirely. Several boats set off for Stromboli.\"\n\nStromboli, with around 500 residents, is a small island off the north coast of Sicilly.\n\nThe round volcano stands 926 m (3,038 ft) above sea level. It last erupted in 2009.", "Help us grow and continue telling Israel’s story to the world.\n\nFor $5 a month you will receive access to the following:\n\nAs one of our loyal readers, we ask you to be our partner.\n\nDear Reader, As you can imagine, more people are reading The Jerusalem Post than ever before. Nevertheless, traditional business models are no longer sustainable and high-quality publications, like ours, are being forced to look for new ways to keep going. Unlike many other news organizations, we have not put up a paywall. We want to keep our journalism open and accessible and be able to keep providing you with news and analysis from the frontlines of Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World.\n\nROME - A volcano on the Italian island of Stromboli erupted on Wednesday, releasing hot trapped magma in a powerful explosion, killing one person and enveloping the popular tourist destination in ash, witnesses and local officials said.\n\nThe person, believed to be a tourist, was killed by falling stones during a walk, a rescue service official said. A second person was injured.\n\nThe unexpected eruption started fires on the western side of the small Mediterranean island, which lies north of Sicily, off the toe of Italy. Fire crews were being called in from nearby locations and a Canadair plane was already in action.\n\n\"We saw the explosion from the hotel. There was a loud roar,\" said Michela Favorito, who works in a hotel near Fico Grande, on the east side of the island.\n\n\"We plugged our ears and after this a cloud of ash swept over us. The whole sky is full of ash, a fairly large cloud,\" she told Reuters.\n\nFiona Carter, a British tourist on the island of Panarea, some 27 km (17 miles) from Stromboli, heard the blast.\n\n\"We turned around to see a mushroom cloud coming from Stromboli. Everyone was in shock. Then red hot lava started running down the mountain towards the little village of Ginostra,\" she told Reuters.\n\n\"The cloud got bigger, white and grey. It enveloped Ginostra and now the cloud has covered Stromboli entirely. Several boats set off for Stromboli,\" she added.\n\nStefano Branca, an expert with the National Institute of Geophysics and Vulcanology (INGV), said there had been a \"paroxysmal eruption\" on the island, when high-pressure magma explodes from a shallow, underground reservoir.\n\n\"These are events of great intensity and quite rare,\" he told Reuters.\n\nTourists often climb to the 924-meter (3,000-foot) summit of the volcano and peer into its crater, with small puffs of molten rock regularly blasted into the sky. It was not clear if anyone was on the crater at the time of the blast.\n\nAccording to the geology.com website, Stromboli is one of the most active volcanoes on the planet and has been erupting almost continuously since 1932.\n\nThe island was the setting for a 1950 movie starring Ingrid Bergman and, with other islands in the Aeolian archipelago, has become a favorite location in recent decades for holiday homes for the rich and famous.\n\nJoin Jerusalem Post Premium Plus now for just $5 and upgrade your experience with an ads-free website and exclusive content. Click here>>", "A volcano on the Italian island of Stromboli erupted dramatically on Wednesday, killing a hiker and sending tourists fleeing into the sea.\n\nThe volcano is known to be active but on Wednesday there were two particularly powerful explosions.\n\n\"Unfortunately one man is dead, there are a few injured, but none seriously,\" emergency worker Calogero Foti told RAI television.\n\nThe dead man was a 35-year-old from Messina in Sicily who was walking with a Brazilian companion who was found dehydrated and in a state of shock, the AGI news agency reported.\n\nThey were walking below the 400 metre altitude limit above which a guide is required.\n\n'Like being in hell'\n\nA navy boat has been sent to the 12 square kilometre island for a possible mass evacuation, with 70 inhabitants and tourists already evacuated.\n\n\"It was like being in hell because of the rain of fire coming from the sky,\" Italian news agencies quoted local priest Giovanni Longo as saying.\n\nHe said it was not known if there were any hikers on the volcano at the time of the eruption, which caused fires around the village of Ginostra.\n\nStromboli is topped by an active volcano which is a magnet for tourists from early spring each year.\n\nItalian media reported that some tourists had fled into the sea after the eruption, while others had barricaded themselves into homes.\n\nItaly's National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) said there were two huge explosions on the central-southern side of the volcano's crater at around 3.45pm Wednesday, one of the biggest explosions ever recorded on the island.\n\nThe explosions were preceded by lava spills \"from all the active mouths of the crater terrace,\" the INGV said, prompting a two-kilometre high plume of smoke.\n\n\"It's been a long time since we had an eruption of this magnitude,\" former local councillor Gianluca Giuffre told RAI news.\n\n\"My experience and of those who have been living here for generations leads us to believe that the situation will calm down again but we must be cautious,\" he said.\n\nA firefighting plane could not put out fires in the area because of the amount of smoke, Italian media reported.\n\nThe INGV said it was monitoring the situation.\n\nA previous massive eruption in December 2002 prompted a tidal wave after magma from a particularly violent eruption cascaded into the sea. Six people were injured.\n\nPiers, boats and some buildings were swept away.\n\nAccess to the island was forbidden to outsiders for over a month amid the risk of further landslides and scientists set up electronic observation stations to monitor volcanic activity.\n\nFour-fifths of the island's population of around 500 decided to leave for the Aeolian island administrative centre of Lipari, whose schools have taken on Stromboli's children since the disaster.\n\nStromboli was made famous in the 1950 film of the same name by Roberto Rossellini, starring Ingrid Bergman and is a major tourist attraction with thousands of people visiting its lava-spitting crater each year.\n\nA fresh eruption on Mt Etna, Europe's most active volcano, on Sicily, was also reported on Tuesday. It caused no consequences.", "Deputies arrested 23-year old Brandon Lee Posadas, of Mt Vernon, in Titus County on warrants for bond forfeiture on two counts of Possession of a Controlled Substance. His bonds total $80,000.", "New $25 million gondola up and running on Mt Ruapehu", "\n• TripAdvisor found the best and most popular tourist attractions in every state. Some include local tours while others are famous landmarks.\n• Mount Rushmore in South Dakota and the Statue of Liberty in New York are famous landmarks that are also the best tourist attractions.\n• Local tours like the Mendenhall Glacier tour in Alaska and the Nati in a Nutshell Cincinnati Food Tour in Ohio are also considered favorite tourist attractions.\n• Thrill rides are popular tourist attractions, like the Foxwoods zipline in Connecticut and the indoor skydiving center in Kansas.\n\nWhile every state has a tourist trap that everyone should avoid, there are some tourist attractions that are actually worth a visit.\n\nTripAdvisor compiled data from 2018 and found the most booked tourist attraction in every state. The attractions vary from famous landmarks to popular walking tours that tourists can't seem to get enough of.\n\nKeep reading to find out which tourist attraction or activity is the best in your state.", "Hundreds of people fled Italy’s Stromboli after fatal volcano eruption hit the island, Italian news agency ANSA reported on Thursday.\n\nMayor Marco Giorgianni told ANSA that the situation “was returning to normal although a swathe of the island around Ginostra was covered with pumice stones”.\n\nItaly’s island of Stromboli hit by a volcano eruption on Wednesday. 35-year-old naval officer Massimo Imbesi died, and tourists dived into the sea out of fear, according to ANSA.\n\nItaly has three active volcanos that erupted in the last hundred years. Mount Etna on Sicily and Stromboli continue to be active. Mount Vesuvius near Naples lastly erupted in 1944.\n\nThis article has been adapted from its original source.", "A volcano on the Italian island of Stromboli erupted dramatically on Wednesday, reportedly killing a hiker, and sending tourists fleeing.\n\nThe volcano is known to be active, but on Wednesday there was a particularly powerful eruption.\n\nItalian media reported that a hiker had been killed and their partner injued, but firefighters could not immediately confirm any casualties.\n\n\"It was like being in hell because of the rain of fire coming from the sky,\" Italian news agencies quoted local priest Giovanni Longo as saying.\n\nHe said it was not known if there were any hikers on the volcano at the time of the eruption, which caused fires around the village of Ginostra.\n\nItalian media reported that some tourists had fled into the sea after the eruption, while others had barricaded themselves into homes.\n\nItaly's National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) said, there were two huge explosions on the central-southern side of the volcano's crater at around 1446 GMT Wednesday.\n\nThe explosions were preceded by lava spills \"from all the active mouths of the crater terrace,\" the INGV said, prompting a two-kilometre high plume of smoke.\n\nA firefighting plane could not put out fires in the area because of the amount of smoke, Italian media reported.\n\nThe INGV said it was monitoring the situation.\n\nStromboli is part of the seven-island Eolian Archipelago just off Sicily in southern Italy."], "summary": "One tourist is killed and several injured when Mt. Stromboli in Italy erupts."}
{"document": ["Image copyright Reuters Image caption A survivor is embraced by a relative in Puerto Lempira\n\nAt least 26 people have died after a fishing boat capsized off the coast of Honduras, officials say.\n\nAnother 47 people were rescued from the vessel, which sank off the country's eastern Mosquitia region on the Caribbean coast.\n\nThe 70-tonne boat was packed with fisherman after the government lifted a seasonal ban on fishing for lobster.\n\nIt is not clear what caused the accident and an investigation has been launched.\n\nThe captain of the boat sent out an SOS signal but died shortly after, local media report.\n\nJose Meza, a spokesman for the armed forces, told AFP news agency that the bodies and survivors would be taken to the nearby city of Puerto Lempira.\n\nHe said that shortly before the accident on Wednesday another boat - which had also been overcrowded - had sunk in the same area.\n\nAt least 40 people were rescued in that case and no deaths were reported.", "TEGUCIGALPA, HONDURAS - At least 26 people died after a lobster-fishing boat capsized off the Atlantic coast of Honduras during poor weather conditions, an armed forces spokesman said Wednesday, in one of the country’s worst accidents at sea.\n\nForty-seven people were rescued after the accident near Puerto Lempira, said Jose Domingo Meza, the armed forces spokesman.\n\nVarious boats have gathered off the Honduran coast for lobster-fishing season, which began this month and runs through February.\n\nAnother fishing boat capsized earlier in the day in the same region because of the poor weather, but all 49 people onboard were rescued, Meza said.\n\nHonduras lobster exports generated $46 million in 2018, according to official data, and were sent mostly to the United States.", "Tegucigalpa: At least 26 people have died after a lobster-fishing boat capsized off the Atlantic coast of Honduras, a Honduran armed forces spokesman said on Wednesday.", "At least 27 people have died after a lobster-fishing boat capsized off the Atlantic coast of Honduras in poor weather, an armed forces spokesman said, in one of the country’s worst-ever accidents at sea.\n\nNine remained missing and 55 people were rescued after the accident near Puerto Lempira on Wednesday, said Jose Domingo Meza, the armed forces spokesman.\n\nThe Caribbean commercial fishermen’s association in Honduras said nearby boats were summoned to the scene to pick up the survivors.\n\nVarious boats have gathered off the Honduran coast for lobster-fishing season, which began this month and runs through February.\n\nThe accident happened near Cayo Gorda, an area north-east of the easternmost point of the Honduran coast. Another fishing boat capsized earlier in the day in the same region because of the poor weather, but all 49 people onboard were rescued, Meza said.\n\nHonduras lobster exports generated $46m in 2018, according to official data, and were sent mostly to the United States.", "At least 26 people died when a fishing boat capsized off the coast of Honduras on Wednesday.\n\nThe boat, used for catching lobsters, sank in the Caribbean sea and resulted in 47 people being rescued, according to Jose Domingo Meza, an armed forces spokesman.\n\nMore to come...\n\nEvery evening, DW sends out a selection of the day's news and features. Sign up here.", "TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / WAM - 04th Jul, 2019) At least 26 people died after a lobster-fishing boat capsized off the Atlantic coast of Honduras during poor weather conditions, an armed forces spokesman said on Wednesday, in one of the country's worst-ever accidents at sea.\n\nAccording to Reuters, forty-seven people were rescued after the accident near Puerto Lempira, said Jose Domingo Meza, the Armed Forces Spokesman.\n\nVarious boats have gathered off the Honduran coast for lobster-fishing season, which began this month and runs through February.\n\nAnother fishing boat capsized earlier in the day in the same region because of the poor weather, but all 49 people onboard were rescued, Meza said.", "TEGUCIGALPA, July 3 (Reuters) - At least 26 people died after a lobster-fishing boat capsized off the Atlantic coast of Honduras during poor weather conditions, an armed forces spokesman said on Wednesday, in one of the country's worst-ever accidents at sea.\n\nForty-seven people were rescued after the accident near Puerto Lempira, said Jose Domingo Meza, the armed forces spokesman.\n\nAnother fishing boat capsized earlier in the day in the same region because of the poor weather, but all 49 people onboard were rescued, Meza said.\n\nHonduras lobster exports generated $46 million in 2018, according to official data, and were sent mostly to the United States.", "At least 26 people died when a fishing boat capsized off the coast of Honduras on Wednesday.\n\nThe figure was confirmed by the president of the Atlantic Industrial Fishing Association, Richard Bonilla, and may yet rise further still.\n\nThe boat, used for catching lobsters, sank in the Caribbean sea and resulted in 47 people being rescued, according to Jose Domingo Meza, an armed forces spokesman.\n\nMeza said the vessel, nicknamed \"Wallie,\" set sail from Cabo Gracias a Dios, near the Honduras-Nicaragua border, packed with fisherman after a seasonal ban on fishing for lobster was lifted.\n\nAccording to local press reports, the captain of the sunken vessel, Austin Haylock Almendares, gave notice of the shipwreck before being one of those that perished.\n\nThe 26 who drowned were on the deck of the boat waiting for a Coast Guard from the Honduran Naval Force to arrive.\n\nMeza confirmed that another fishing vessel also had an accident in the same area on the same day. It had 40 people on board, despite having a capacity of 31. Honduran daily newspaper, El Heraldo, reported that all passengers were rescued.\n\nEvery evening, DW sends out a selection of the day's news and features. Sign up here.", "TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) - At least 26 people have died after a lobster-fishing boat capsized off the Atlantic coast of Honduras, a Honduran armed forces spokesman said on Wednesday.\n\nForty-seven people were rescued after the accident near Puerto Lempira, said Jose Domingo Meza, the armed forces spokesman.", "Tegucigalpa [Honduras], July 4 : At least 26 people were killed after a boat carrying 73 people sank in the Caribbean waters off the eastern coast of Honduras on Wednesday.\n\nArmed Forces spokesman Jose Domingo Meza said that the remaining 47 people on the boat have been rescued. All the 26 victims were men who worked as fishermen divers, reported Xinhua news agency.\n\nThe vessel had set sail from the Lempira Port located in country's eastern department of Gracias a Dios.\n\nThe cause of the incident is yet to be ascertained."], "summary": "At least 26 people have died after a fishing boat capsized off the coast of Honduras."}
{"document": ["A tornado swept through the northeastern Chinese province of Liaoning on Wednesday, killing six and injuring 190, the state broadcaster said, amid a series of “extreme” weather events that government forecasters have linked to climate change.\n\nThe tornado damaged nearly 3,600 homes and affected more than 9,900 residents in Kaiyuan, a city of around half-a-million people, according to China Central Television.\n\nREAD MORE: Rare tornado strikes in Havana, killing at least 3 and injuring more than 100\n\nAccording to Xinhuanet News, the publicity department of the Kaiyuan government said the tornado struck the city at around 5:15 p.m.\n\nNHK News in Japan reports the twister lasted for approximately 15 minutes.\n\nWATCH: Drone footage captures aftermath of tornado in Trotwood, OH\n\nFootage posted by CCTV on its official Weibo account shows dozens of flattened buildings in an economic development zone in Kaiyuan.\n\nChina‘s Global Times newspaper said that tornadoes were rarely seen in the area.\n\nThe country’s weather bureau on Tuesday said that climate change could cause more extreme weather events, following floods, drought and extreme high temperatures in some regions this year.\n\nIt said rainfall had broken records in some areas and that as many as 40 weather stations had this year registered their hottest temperatures ever.\n\nREAD MORE: Deadly tornadoes in the United States — is climate change playing a part?\n\nThe northern Chinese province of Hebei issued an extreme heat ‘red alert’ on Thursday, with temperatures set to soar beyond 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) in its major cities and putting the area’s corn crop at risk, the local government said.\n\nThe government of Hebei said on its official website that the cities of Baoding, Shijiazhuang, Hengshui, Cangzhou, Xingtai and Handan were all expected to see temperatures above 40C on Thursday.\n\nWATCH: Is the Ottawa area Canada’s new ‘Tornado Alley’?\n\nThe local weather bureau also warned that the extreme heat and drought in the province were likely to affect its corn crop. Hebei, which surrounds the capital Beijing, is among China‘s biggest producers of the grain.\n\nRainfall in the province has declined 23.9% compared to the average in the second quarter of 2019, the local Hebei Daily reported.\n\nREAD MORE: 2 tornadoes touch down in Saskatchewan provincial park\n\nCities in Hebei have been deploying sprinklers mounted on trucks to try to keep temperatures down, putting further pressure on water supplies.\n\nA heat wave that has swept across northern China, including the capital Beijing, is expected to last until next week, the Hebei Daily said, citing the local weather bureau.\n\nIn a joint statement with France and the United Nations released on Saturday, China promised to show the “highest possible ambition” when it comes to fighting global warming, with higher targets to cut carbon emissions expected next year.", "TEHRAN, Jul. 04 (MNA) – At least six people have been killed and 190 others injured as a tornado hit China's northeastern city of Kaiyuan, Liaoning province at 5:15 p.m. local time on Wednesday.", "A rare ferocious tornado blew through a Chinese city in the northeastern province, killing at least six persons, injuring over 190 others and damaging buildings, state media reported on Thursday.\n\nThe tornado struck Kaiyuan City in northeast China's Liaoning Province on Wednesday, state-run CGTN television reported.\n\nSix persons were killed and over 190 others were injured after the ferocious tornado struck the city, the report said, adding that some 3,500 buildings were damaged, affecting over 9,900 people.\n\nThe speed of the tornado was estimated to be about 23 meters per second, it said.\n\nThe report featured a video showing heavy damage to the buildings and people lying in the wreckage of their home during the search by the rescuers.\n\nThe ferocious tornado came as a surprise to the locals as it is quite rare in the region prompting the government to launch an investigation, the report said.\n\nTornados are rare in China. In 2016, a tornado and accompanying hailstorm killed 98 people in eastern Jiangsu province.\n\nALSO READ | Two killed, several injured after tornado rips through Oklahoma", "SHENYANG, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Six people died and over 190 others were injured after a strong tornado hit a city in northeast China's Liaoning Province, local authorities said Wednesday.\n\nThe tornado, packing winds up to 23 meters per second, struck the city of Kaiyuan around 5:15 p.m, the publicity department of the city government said.\n\nIt touched down at the Jingouzi Township, rampaged through an industrial park and churned south. It lasted around 15 minutes.\n\nThe tornado, packing strong showers and hailstones, wreaked havoc on apartments, factory buildings and electricity poles.\n\nLocal authorities are checking losses. The city government said about 210 people have been rescued from damaged buildings.", "Six people were killed and more than 190 people were injured on Wednesday after a sudden tornado with a wind speed of 23 meters per second struck the city of Kaiyuan in Liaoning province at 5:15 pm.\n\nTerrifying footage shows a large tornado striking across the city, tossing rubbish and cars in the air, creating carnage. Trees and electric poles were knocked down, blocking roads.\n\nAfter the tornado was formed in Jingouzi town, it traveled south for 15 minutes, damaging nearly 3600 homes in the process. Some 9,900 residents were affected by the tornado according to local press reports. In the severely damaged areas, electricity and water supply were affected.\n\nRight after the disaster, the local government issued a Level 2 emergency response. At least 210 people were rescued subsequently from wrecked buildings. The government said that they are still assessing the damage caused by the tornado as the rescue mission is still ongoing.\n\nEarly warning signals for lightning and hail were announced to the people of Kaiyuan via SMS and Weibo before the tornado at around 4.42 pm on Wednesday but it remains unclear at this point how much damage they helped to avert.", "Kaiyuan [China], July 4 (ANI): Six people were killed and 190 others sustained injuries after a strong tornado struck China's northeast province of Liaoning on Wednesday evening.\n\nThe tornado touched down in Kaiyuan city at around 5:15 pm (local time) with a peak speed of 23 metres per second, the publicity department of the city government said.\n\nThe twister lasted around 15 minutes and wreaked havoc on apartments, factory buildings and electricity poles, reported Xinhua news agency.\n\nAs many as 210 people have been rescued from damaged buildings, the city government said.\n\nLocal government is assessing the extent of the damage. (ANI)", "BEIJING — State media says a tornado in northeast China has killed six people and injured another 190.\n\nState broadcaster CCTV says the tornado hit Kaiyuan, a county-level city in Liaoning province Wednesday afternoon. Television footage showed a stretch of collapsed low-rise buildings where firefighters were working through the debris.\n\nCCTV says the tornado damaged factories and equipment in an industrial park. More than 210 people have been rescued, and another 1,600 were evacuated.\n\nIn 2016, a tornado and accompanying hailstorm killed 98 people in eastern China.", "Beijing: A rare ferocious tornado blew through Kaiyuan city in the northeastern province of China killing at least six persons and injuring over 190 others along with damaging buildings.\n\nThe state-run CGTN television reported that around 3,500 buildings were also damaged affecting over 9,900 people in the incident.\n\nThe speed of the tornado was estimated to be about 23 metres per second. The tornado came as a surprise to the locals as it is quite rare in the region prompting the government to launch an investigation, the report said.\n\nAccording to the state-run Xinhua news agency out of the 190 injured 63 are still being treated at six hospitals.\n\nMeanwhile, China’s National Health Commission (NHC) said an emergency medical expert team has been sent to Kaiyuan city to treat the injured following the deadly tornado. Local health authorities initiated an emergency response and coordinated treatment of wounded people immediately after the tornado struck Kaiyuan.", "A tornado has blown through a city in northeast China, damaging factories and buildings, killing six people and injuring another 190.\n\nThe tornado hit Kaiyuan, in Liaoning province, late Wednesday local authorities said in a brief online statement.\n\nFootage from state broadcaster CCTV showed a stretch of collapsed low-rise buildings where firefighters were working through the debris.\n\nThe tornado damaged factories and equipment in an industrial park, CCTV said.\n\nMore than 210 people have been rescued, and another 1,600 were evacuated.\n\nPower will be restored to homes sometime Thursday, while businesses will regain power in the next three days, CCTV said.\n\nTornados are rare in China. In 2016, a tornado and accompanying hailstorm killed 98 people in eastern Jiangsu province.", "Residents past by an overturned car in the aftermath of a tornado in Kaiyuan in northeastern China’s Liaoning province Thursday, July 4, 2019. A tornado blew through the city in northeast China, damaging factories and buildings, killing some people and injuring others, state media reported Thursday (Chinatopix Via AP)\n\nBEIJING (AP) — A tornado blew through a city in northeast China, damaging factories and buildings, killing six people and injuring another 190, state media reported Thursday.\n\nThe tornado hit Kaiyuan, a county-level city in Liaoning province, late Wednesday afternoon, local authorities said in a brief online statement. Footage from state broadcaster CCTV showed a stretch of collapsed low-rise buildings where firefighters were working through the debris. Glass windows in homes and cars were blown out.\n\nLiaoning resident Li Yuan said he owns a factory just 500 meters (yards) from where the tornado struck. His workers told him they initially thought it was “just a large cloud.”\n\n“But when it came closer, they felt a strong gust of wind,” Li said in a phone interview. “All the trash, papers and leaves on the ground were blown into the sky. We heard ambulance and police car sirens all night.”\n\nThe tornado damaged factories and equipment in an industrial park, CCTV said. More than 210 people have been rescued, and another 1,600 were evacuated. Power will be restored to homes sometime Thursday, while businesses will regain power in the next three days, CCTV said.\n\nTornados are rare in China. In 2016, a tornado and accompanying hailstorm killed 98 people in eastern Jiangsu province.\n\nAssociated Press researcher Yu Bing contributed to this report."], "summary": "At least six people are killed and 190 injured after a tornado hits the city of Kaiyuan in Liaoning Province, China."}
{"document": ["July 3 (UPI) -- The European Parliament overwhelmingly elected Italian David-Maria Sassoli Wednesday as its new president, with 345 votes in the second round of balloting.\n\nSassoli, a former television journalist in Italy, thanked lawmakers for the vote of confidence. He's a member of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats. His election followed a marathon of meetings Monday and Tuesday.\n\nSassoli said he plans to be a unifying leader.\n\n\"We must have the strength to relaunch our integration process, changing our union so to be able to respond more strongly to the needs of our citizens and give real answers to their concerns,\" Sassoli said after his election. \"We are immersed in momentous transformations: youth unemployment, migration, climate change, the digital revolution, the new world balance, just to name a few, which need new ideas and courage.\"\n\nSassoli's term will last two and-a-half years.\n\nEuropean Parliament will also elect 14 vice presidents and other positions this week.\n\nThe European Union nominated German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen Tuesday as the first female commission leader.", "\"I am very pleased and grateful for the trust and I am aware of my responsibility\", says Othmar Karas, Member of the European Parliament\", in a statement from the ÖVP.\n\n\"For me, the great approval is a confirmation of my successful, cross-party work and cooperation, of the trust I have built up, of my way of dealing with responsibility and approaching people, and of the priorities I have announced,\" Karas added.\n\n\"I will therefore use the post of Vice-President of the EU Chamber of Citizens to fight for the preservation and further development of liberal democracy.\n\nKaras was already Vice-President of the European Parliament from 2012 to 2014.\n\nHe has been a Member of the European Parliament since 1999.\n\nFrom 1999 to 2004, he was a member of the Bureau and Treasurer of the EPP-ED Group, where he was Economic Spokesman from 2002 to 2004 and then Vice-President and Treasurer until 2007.\n\nUntil 2009 he was also the head of the ÖVP European Club and a member of the ÖVP federal party executive.\n\nIn the 2009 European elections, Ernst Strasser Karas was preferred as the top candidate. Although Karas clearly won the preferential election campaign in the election, he still did not become head of the delegation. It was not until April 2011 that he became Strasser's successor, who resigned due to the lobbying affair.\n\nIn the 2014 European elections, Karas entered the election campaign for the first time as the ÖVP's top candidate.\n\nWi reports that Karas recently became head of a delegation. However, Karoline Edtstadler is to follow him in 2020 in the 9th term as head of the ÖVP delegation.\n\nTogether with him, another 10 vice-presidents were elected in the first ballot (order of precedence):\n\nThe other vice-presidents are still up for election.", "The European Parliament filled its top EU post on Wednesday, with lawmakers electing Italy's David-Maria Sassoli as the new president of the assembly.\n\nSassoli, a lawmaker with the center-left Socialists and Democrats bloc (S&D) secured an absolute majority with 345 votes in the second round of voting.\n\nCzech lawmaker Jan Zahradil, with the euroskeptic European Conservatives and Reformists bloc, came in second followed by German Greens candidate Ska Keller and Spain's Sira Rego who came in last.\n\nNewly-elected MEPs, who had their inaugural session on Tuesday, voted in a secret ballot to select the new president who will serve a two-and-a-half year term.\n\nThe vote comes on the heels of a difficult agreement reached by the EU's 28 national leaders on filling the bloc's top jobs that saw German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen nominated as the next European Commission president, even though she was not a lead candidate picked by one of the blocs in Parliament.\n\nBacklash over EU job nominations\n\nMany EU lawmakers criticized the leaders' nominations, but ended up following their recommendation in the vote on Wednesday.\n\nEuropean Council President Donald Tusk earlier recommended that Parliament choose a candidate from the center-left S&D for the first two-and-a-half year term, followed by a candidate from the center-rigth European People's Party (EPP) for the second term.\n\nThe EPP currently has the largest number of seats in Parliament, followed by the S&D — but both parties lost support in the European Parliament elections in May.\n\nItaly's Sassoli was favored to win, after the S&D lawmaker got the backing of the center-right EPP as well as the liberals.\n\nVon der Leyen is expected to travel to the French city of Strasbourg, where the European Parliament sits, on Wednesday afternoon to attend the session, and likely try to win support for her nomination as the head of the EU's executive arm.\n\nMEPs will have the final say in the EU's top four jobs, as all nominees must be confirmed by the European Parliament. That vote has not been set yet, but is expected to occur in mid-July.\n\nrs/jm (AFP, Reuters)\n\nEvery evening, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.", "The new European Parliament has convened to elect a new president to replace incumbent Antonio Tajani after a pan-European vote in May.\n\nThe list of the candidates includes Ska Keller (the European Free Alliance, Germany), Sira Rego (the European United Left/Nordic Green Left, Spain), David-Maria Sassoli (Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats, Italy), and Jan Zahradil (Alliance of Conservatives and Reformists in Europe, the Czech Republic).\n\nFollow Sputnik's Live Feed to Find Out More!", "BRUSSELS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 03rd July, 2019) Four politicians are running for the position of the European Parliament's president in the upcoming Wednesday election, the legislative body said in a statement.\n\n\"Four candidates are standing to become Parliament President in tomorrow's election, scheduled to start at 09.00 [07:00 GMT],\" the European Parliament said on Tuesday.\n\nThe list of the candidates includes Ska Keller (the European Free Alliance, Germany), Sira Rego (the European United Left/Nordic Green Left, Spain), David-Maria Sassoli (Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats, Italy) and Jan Zahradil (Alliance of Conservatives and Reformists in Europe, the Czech Republic).\n\n\"Electing its President is the first act of the newly constituted Parliament. The outgoing President Antonio Tajani will preside over the proceedings, assisted by eight tellers selected by lot on Tuesday at the opening of the session,\" the statement stressed.\n\nThe reshuffles in key EU bodies take place following the European Parliament elections, which were held on May 23-26.", "David Sassoli, an Italian politician from the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats, was elected the new president of the European Parliament on Wednesday.\n\nSassoli secured 345 votes in the second ballot. The absolute majority required 334 vote\n\nMOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 03rd July, 2019) David Sassoli, an Italian politician from the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats, was elected the new president of the European Parliament on Wednesday.\n\nSassoli secured 345 votes in the second ballot. The absolute majority required 334 votes.", "MEPs elected David Sassoli as President of the European Parliament on Wednesday afternoon, having won 345 out of 667 valid votes in the second round.\n\nDavid Sassoli was born in Florence on May , 30, 1956. As an Italian MEP since 2009, he was re-elected on a Partito Democratico list in Central Italy in May 2019 for a third term. He will lead Parliament until January 2022.\n\nIn a brief address to the European Parliament in Strasbourg immediately after the vote, President Sassoli thanked the 9th legislature MEPs for their confidence in him.\n\nHe then said: “In these months, too many people have fuelled divisions and conflicts that we thought were a sad reminder of our history. Instead, the citizens have shown that they still believe in this extraordinary path, the only one capable of providing answers to the global challenges before us.”\n\n“We must have the strength to relaunch our integration process, changing our Union so to be able to respond more strongly to the needs of our citizens and give real answers to their concerns, to their increasingly widespread sense of loss.”\n\nSassoli also underlined the priorities that the Parliament will have to pursue in the coming years. “We are immersed in momentous transformations: youth unemployment, migration, climate change, the digital revolution, the new world balance, just to name a few, which need new ideas and courage”.\n\nA full version of the President’s address is available here", "David Sassoli has been a center-left, Democratic Party (PD) member of the European Parliament since 2009. His delegation is the second largest within the Socialists and Democrats (S&D) group in the assembly.\n\nA former vice-president of the European Parliament, 63-year-old Sassoli is known to lawmakers for chairing plenary sessions in Strasbourg.\n\nSpeaking ahead of the vote, the Florentine lawmaker said: \"Europe will be stronger only with a Parliament which plays a more important role.\"\n\nA graduate of political science, he worked on newspapers in Rome before becoming a reporter for the TG3 channel in 1992 and then a news presenter for TG1. He became deputy director of the channel in 2007.\n\nHe left journalism to become a European parliamentary candidate for the PD, representing the Central Italy district and became Vice President of the European Parliament in 2014. He was also a member of the European Parliament Intergroup on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights.\n\nRe-elected in 2019, he was proposed by the S&D as its candidate for parliamentary president and was elected in the second round with 345 votes.\n\nEvery evening, DW sends out a selection of the day's news and features. Sign up here.", "Frederick Florin, AFP | Italian MEP David-Maria Sassoli (S&D Group) delivers a speech after being elected new president of the European Parliament during the first plenary session of the newly elected European Assembly on July 3, 2019 in Strasbourg.\n\nNewly-elected European Parliament President David Sassoli is a former television journalist who turned to politics 10 years ago as a centre-left MEP.\n\nParliament on Wednesday chose the 63-year-old social democrat to succeed another Italian, Antonio Tajani, an ally of Silvio Berlusconi from the right-wing EPP group.\n\nHis election means Italy keeps one of its three key European jobs, following the departure of European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi and of EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini.\n\nThe sober intellectual will not be an ally of the populist and far-right coalition currently ruling in Rome.\n\nBorn in Florence on May 30, 1956, father-of-two Sassoli studied political science before starting work as a newspaper and news agency journalist.\n\nHe began working for national broadcaster RAI in 1992, rising through the ranks to become a familiar face for millions of Italians, presenting the evening news on the main channel, of which he also became deputy-director.\n\nIn 2009, Sassoli joined the Democratic Party, newly formed from former Rome mayor Walter Veltroni's union of the two main left-wing and centre-left parties.\n\nHis celebrity meant he was elected MEP on the DP's list with a whopping 400,000 votes, sending him from Italian television screens to a new career at the European parliament.\n\nSassoli became head of the DP's European group and briefly attempted to enter national politics as the party's candidate in Rome's mayoral primaries but was beaten by Ignazio Marino, who went on to become mayor.\n\nRe-elected MEP in 2014, Sassoli became parliament's vice-president in charge of the budget and Euro-Mediterranean policy.\n\n\"While in charge of this policy, I represented the European parliament at numerous official occasions, developing dialogue with institutions in Mediterranean and Middle East countries,\" Sassoli writes on his webpage.\n\nHe was the joint author of the Sassoli-Dijksma European railway reform which liberalised rail travel in 2017 after three years of complex negotiations.\n\n\"I have not completely abandoned my journalist career, I still collaborate in an active way with various dailies and periodicals,\" he writes.\n\nHe co-wrote a book with Francesco Saverio Romano about the drama of cabinet meetings during the 1978 kidnap and murder of prime minister Aldo Moro by far-left militants.\n\n\"If you put your trust in me, we will fight together for a parliament that is modern, more transparent, environmentally sound, accessible to citizens,\" he promised fellow MEPs ahead of the vote on his nomination.\n\n\"Nothing is possible without people, nothing is durable without institutions,\" he added, quoting one of the EU's founding fathers, Jean Monnet.", "Former Italian journalist Sassoli elected new head of EP\n\nDavid-Maria Sassoli has been selected as the new president of the European Parliament.\n\nDavid-Maria Sassoli was elected the EU Parliament's new president on Wednesday, the EP's Twitter account announced.\n\nSassoli was the candidate of the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) for the position and was elected by the votes of the members of the European Parliament. Before today he was the parliament's vice-president.\n\nSassoli, a former journalist, was born in Florence in 1956 and in 2009 waselected an MEP from Italy's leftist Democratic Party.\n\nAfter not getting an absolute majority of votes in the first round, Sassoli was elected in the second round with 345 votes. The EP's previous president Antonio Tajani is also Italian. The president serves for two-and-a-half years.\n\nHe is responsible for managing work of the parliament, approving the EU's budget, and signing the laws of the EU along with the president of the EU Council."], "summary": "David Sassoli of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats is elected President of the European Parliament."}
{"document": ["Image copyright Reuters Image caption The oil tanker is suspected of carrying crude oil to Syria\n\nRoyal Marines have boarded an oil tanker on its way to Syria thought to be breaching EU sanctions, the government of Gibraltar has said.\n\nAuthorities said there was reason to believe the ship - Grace 1 - was carrying Iranian crude oil to the Baniyas Refinery in Syria.\n\nThe refinery is subject to European Union sanctions against Syria.\n\nBritain's ambassador in Tehran, Robert Macaire, has been summoned over the incident.\n\nIran's foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi was quoted on Iranian state TV as saying the ambassador had been summoned over the \"illegal seizure\" of the tanker.\n\nGibraltar's chief minister, Fabian Picardo, praised the marines who detained the ship.\n\n\"Be assured that Gibraltar remains safe, secure and committed to the international, rules-based, legal order,\" he said, thanking the police, customs and port authorities for their involvement in detaining the ship.\n\nImage copyright Getty Images Image caption The British overseas territory of Gibraltar stands at the gateway to the Mediterranean\n\nGibraltar port and law enforcement agencies detained the super tanker and its cargo on Thursday morning with the help of the marines.\n\nThe BBC has been told a team of about 30 marines, from 42 Commando, were flown from the UK to Gibraltar to help seize the tanker, at the request of the Gibraltar government.\n\nA defence source described it as a \"relatively benign operation\" without major incident.\n\nMr Picardo said he had written to the presidents of the European Commission and European Council to give details of the sanctions that have been enforced.\n\n'Firm action'\n\nThe Baniyas refinery, in the Syrian Mediterranean port town of Tartous, is a subsidiary of the General Corporation for Refining and Distribution of Petroleum Products, a section of the Syrian ministry of petroleum.\n\nThe EU says the facility therefore provides financial support to the Syrian government, which is subject to sanctions because of its repression of civilians since the start of the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad in 2011.\n\nThe refinery has been subject to EU sanctions since 2014.\n\nA spokesman for Prime Minister Theresa May said she welcomed the \"firm action\" by the Gibraltarian authorities.", "Iran has summoned the British ambassador over the seizure of a supertanker believed to be breaching European Union sanctions by carrying a shipment of Tehran's crude oil to war-ravaged Syria.\n\nThe Grace 1 supertanker was boarded by Royal Marines off Gibraltar, the British territory at the entrance to the Mediterranean.\n\nThe UK said it was stopped for breaching longstanding European sanctions on Syria, but Spain's Government said the ship was stopped at the request of the United States, which has imposed sanctions on Iranian oil exports.\n\nIran's Foreign Ministry summoned British ambassador Rob Macaire to voice \"its very strong objection to the illegal and unacceptable seizure\" of its ship.\n\nThe diplomatic gesture lifted any doubt over Iran's ownership of the vessel, which flies a Panama flag and is listed as managed by a company in Singapore.\n\nShipping data suggests the tanker was carrying Iranian oil loaded off the coast of Iran, although its documents say the oil is from neighbouring Iraq.\n\nUS national security adviser John Bolton tweeted that the ship's seizure was \"excellent news\".\n\nWhile Europe has banned oil shipments to Syria since 2011, it had never seized a tanker at sea. Unlike the United States, Europe does not have broad sanctions against Iran.\n\n\"This is the first time that the EU has done something so public and so aggressive,\" said Matthew Oresman, a partner with law firm Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman who advises firms on sanctions.\n\n\"This is likely to have been meant as a signal to Syria and Iran — as well as the US — that Europe takes sanctions enforcement seriously and that the EU can also respond to Iranian brinkmanship related to ongoing nuclear negotiations.\"\n\nEuropean countries have so far tried to appear neutral in the escalating confrontation between Tehran and Washington, which saw the United States call off air strikes against Iran just minutes before impact last month, and Tehran amass stocks of enriched uranium banned under a 2015 nuclear deal.\n\nThe Gibraltar Government said it had reasonable grounds to believe that the Grace 1 was carrying crude oil to the Baniyas refinery in Syria.\n\n\"That refinery is the property of an entity that is subject to European Union sanctions against Syria,\" Gibraltar Chief Minister Fabian Picardo said.\n\n\"With my consent, our port and law enforcement agencies sought the assistance of the Royal Marines in carrying out this operation.\"\n\nThe vessel was believed to be headed to the Baniyas Refinery in Syria, a government-owned facility under the control of Syrian President Bashar Assad and subject to the EU's Syrian Sanctions Regime.\n\nThe EU and others have imposed sanctions on Assad's government over its continued crackdown against civilians. They currently target 270 people and 70 entities.", "MADRID (AP) - Authorities in Gibraltar said they intercepted Thursday an Iranian supertanker believed to be breaching European Union sanctions by carrying a shipment of Tehran's crude oil to war-ravaged Syria.\n\n \n\n A senior Spanish official said the operation was requested by the United States. Iran's state-run IRNA news agency described the incident as \"an illegal seizure of an Iranian oil tanker.\"\n\n \n\n Gibraltar port and law enforcement agencies, assisted by Britain's Royal Marines, boarded the Grace 1 early Thursday, authorities on the British overseas territory at the tip of Spain said in a statement.\n\n \n\n It added that the vessel was believed to be headed to the Baniyas Refinery in Syria, a government-owned facility under the control of Syrian President Bashar Assad and subject to the EU's Syrian Sanctions Regime.\n\n \n\n The EU and others have imposed sanctions on Assad's government over its continued crackdown against civilians. They currently target 270 people and 70 entities.\n\n \n\n Spain's caretaker foreign minister Josep Borrell said the tanker was stopped by British authorities after a request from the United States.\n\n \n\n Iran later summoned the British ambassador in Tehran to answer questions about the operation. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said in a tweet that Rob Macaire was summoned over the \"illegal interception\" of the ship.\n\n \n\n Mousavi later called the ship's seizure \"odd and destructive.\" ''It can cause an increase in tensions in the region,\" he said in a live telephone interview on state television Thursday night.\n\n \n\n In Madrid, Borrell told reporters that Spain is assessing the implications of the operation because the detention took place in waters it considers its own.\n\n \n\n Britain insists Gibraltar is part of the United Kingdom but Spain argues that it is not, and the tanker operation risks offending the Spanish.\n\n \n\n \"We're looking into how this (operation) affects our sovereignty,\" said Borrell, who was nominated earlier this week to become the EU's foreign policy chief.\n\n \n\n The Gibraltar authorities didn't confirm the origin of the ship's cargo but Lloyd's List, a publication specializing in maritime affairs, reported this week that the Panama-flagged large carrier was laden with Iranian oil.\n\n \n\n According to a U.N. list, the ship is owned by the Singapore-based Grace Tankers Ltd.\n\n \n\n The vessel likely carried just over 2 million barrels of Iranian crude oil, the data firm Refinitv said. Tracking data showed that the tanker made a slow trip around the southern tip of Africa before reaching the Mediterranean, it said.\n\n \n\n The tanker's detention comes at a particularly sensitive time as tensions between the U.S. and Iran grow over the unraveling of a 2015 nuclear deal, which President Donald Trump withdrew from last year. Trump has also slapped sanctions onto Iran and recently approved the passage of a carrier group, bombers and fighter jets to the Persian Gulf.\n\n \n\n In recent days, Iran has broken through the limit the deal put on its stockpile of low-enriched uranium and plans on Sunday to boost its enrichment. Meanwhile, oil tankers near the Strait of Hormuz have been targeted in mysterious attacks as Iranian-backed rebels in Yemen launch bomb-laden drones into Saudi Arabia. The U.S. has rushed thousands of additional troops, an aircraft carrier, B-52 bombers and F-22 fighters to the region, raising fears of a miscalculation sparking a wider conflict. Last month Iran shot down a U.S. surveillance drone, further stoking those fears.\n\n \n\n Iran's intelligence minister said Thursday that any negotiations with the U.S. would have to be approved by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and would require the lifting of U.S. sanctions. Khamenei has until now ruled out talks with the U.S., saying that Washington cannot be trusted.\n\n \n\n On Thursday, the official IRNA news agency quoted Information Minister Mahmoud Alavi as saying \"if the supreme leader permits, negotiations between Iran and the United States will be held.\" He added, however, that Tehran would not negotiate under pressure.\n\n \n\n There was no immediate reaction to the tanker's detention from Syria, which has suffered severe fuel shortages as a result of the civil war and Western sanctions that have crippled the country's oil industry, once the source of 20 percent of government revenues.\n\n \n\n Iran, which has provided vital military support to Assad, extended a $3 billion credit line for oil supplies beginning in 2013 but the Iranian aid dwindled as Washington restored tough sanctions. In November, the U.S. Treasury Department added a network of Russian and Iranian companies to its blacklist for shipping oil to Syria and warned of \"significant risks\" for those violating the sanctions.\n\n \n\n Fabian Picardo, Chief Minister of Gibraltar, which has in the past been a transit port for energy shipments without known buyers, said he has informed the EU about developments.\n\n \n\n In a statement, the British government welcomed the \"firm action\" by authorities in Gibraltar.", "The Latest: Oil tanker stopped off Gibraltar at US request\n\nTEHRAN, Iran (AP) — The Latest on U.S.-Iran tensions (all times local):\n\nSpain's caretaker foreign minister says a tanker stopped off Gibraltar and suspected of taking oil to Syria was intercepted by British authorities after a request from the United States.\n\nJosep Borrell told reporters in Madrid on Thursday that Spain is assessing the implications of the operation because the detention took place in waters it considers its own.\n\nThe British overseas territory at the tip of Spain said the port and law enforcement agencies, assisted by the Royal Marines, boarded the Grace 1 early Thursday.\n\nGibraltar's government says the vessel was believed to be headed to the Baniyas Refinery in Syria, a government-owned facility under the control of Syrian President Bashar Assad and subject to the EU's Syrian Sanctions Regime. A statement didn't say where the Gibraltar authorities got that information.\n\nBritain insists Gibraltar is part of the United Kingdom but Spain argues that it is not.\n\nOne of the largest Iran-backed militias in Iraq is criticizing an order by the prime minister to incorporate the militias into the military and place them under the army's command.\n\nA statement issued by the Hezbollah Brigades, or Kataeb Hezbollah, did not address whether the group would abide by Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi's orders issued this week. It suggested, however, that \"criminalizing the mujahedeen\" and harming them directly or indirectly may hurt \"those elements supporting the security effort.\"\n\nThe group, which has close ties to Iran, says the government's foremost responsibility is to remove what it described as U.S. occupation forces and their business affiliates, which constitute a \"major threat\" to Iraqi security.\n\nThe U.S. maintains military bases and more than 5,000 troops in Iraq.\n\nIran's intelligence minister says any negotiations with the United States would have to be approved by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and would require the lifting of U.S. sanctions.\n\nKhamenei has until now ruled out talks with the United States, saying it cannot be trusted.\n\nOn Thursday, the official IRNA news agency quoted Information Minister Mahmoud Alavi as saying \"if the supreme leader permits, negotiations between Iran and the United States will be held.\" He added, however, that Tehran would not negotiate under pressure.\n\nTensions have escalated since President Donald Trump withdrew America from Iran's nuclear deal last year and restored heavy sanctions. The U.S. has recently moved a carrier group, bombers and fighter jets to the Persian Gulf, and last month Iran shot down a U.S. surveillance drone.\n\nThe government of Gibraltar says it has detained a large tanker that is believed to be breaching European Union sanctions by carrying a shipment of Iranian crude oil to war-ravaged Syria.\n\nIn a statement, authorities on the British overseas territory said port and law enforcement agencies, assisted by the Royal Marines, boarded the Grace 1 super tanker early Thursday.\n\nIt added that the vessel was believed to be headed to the Banyas Refinery in Syria, which is part of an entity subject to the EU's Syrian Sanctions Regime. The EU and others have imposed sanctions on President Bashar Assad's government over its continued crackdown against dissent. They currently target 270 people and 70 entities.\n\nGibraltar's chief minister, Fabian Picardo, says he has informed the EU about developments.", "British Royal Marines seized a giant Iranian oil tanker in Gibraltar on Thursday for trying to take oil to Syria in violation of EU sanctions, a dramatic step that drew Tehran's fury and could escalate its confrontation with the West.\n\nThe Grace 1 tanker was impounded in the British territory on the southern tip of Spain after sailing around Africa, the long route from the Middle East to the mouth of the Mediterranean.\n\nIran's Foreign Ministry summoned the British ambassador to voice \"its very strong objection to the illegal and unacceptable seizure\" of its ship. The diplomatic gesture lifted any doubt over Iran's ownership of the vessel, which flies a Panama flag and is listed as managed by a company in Singapore.\n\nPanama's Maritime Authority said on Thursday that Grace 1 was no longer listed in Panama's international boat registry as of May 29.\n\nU.S. national security adviser John Bolton said the British move was \"excellent news.\"\n\n\"America & our allies will continue to prevent regimes in Tehran & Damascus from profiting off this illicit trade,\" Bolton said on Twitter.\n\nShipping data reviewed by Reuters suggests the tanker was carrying Iranian oil loaded off the coast of Iran, although its documents say the oil is from neighbouring Iraq.\n\nWhile Europe has banned oil shipments to Syria since 2011, it had never seized a tanker at sea. Unlike the United States, Europe does not have broad sanctions against Iran.\n\n\"This is the first time that the EU has done something so public and so aggressive. I imagine it was also coordinated in some manner with the U.S. given that NATO member forces have been involved,\" said Matthew Oresman, a partner with law firm Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman who advises firms on sanctions.\n\n\"This is likely to have been meant as a signal to Syria and Iran - as well as the U.S. - that Europe takes sanctions enforcement seriously and that the EU can also respond to Iranian brinkmanship related to ongoing nuclear negotiations,\" he said.\n\nAuthorities in Gibraltar made no reference to the source of the oil or the ownership of the ship when they seized it.\n\nBut Iran's acknowledgment that it owned the ship, and the likelihood that its cargo was also Iranian, drew a link between the incident and a new U.S. effort to halt all global sales of Iranian crude. Iran describes that as an illegal \"economic war.\"\n\nEuropean countries have so far tried to appear neutral in the escalating confrontation between Tehran and Washington, which saw the United States call off air strikes against Iran just minutes before impact last month, and Tehran amass stocks of enriched uranium banned under a 2015 nuclear deal.\n\nThe Gibraltar government said it had reasonable grounds to believe that the Grace 1 was carrying crude oil to the Baniyas refinery in Syria.\n\n\"That refinery is the property of an entity that is subject to European Union sanctions against Syria,\" Gibraltar Chief Minister Fabian Picardo said. \"With my consent, our port and law enforcement agencies sought the assistance of the Royal Marines in carrying out this operation.\"\n\nSpain, which challenges British ownership of Gibraltar, said the action was prompted by a U.S. request to Britain and appeared to have taken place in Spanish waters. Britain's Foreign Office did not respond to a request for comment.\n\nIran has long been supplying its allies in Syria with oil despite sanctions against Syria. What is new are U.S. sanctions on Iran itself, imposed last year when President Donald Trump pulled out of an agreement that had guaranteed Tehran access to world trade in return for curbs on its nuclear program.\n\nThose U.S. sanctions have been tightened sharply since May, effectively forcing Iran from mainstream oil markets and making it desperate for alternative customers. Iran has grown more reliant on its own tanker fleet to transport whatever oil it can sell and to store a growing stockpile of unsold output.\n\nThe U.S.-Iranian confrontation has escalated in recent weeks, taking on a military dimension after Washington accused Tehran of attacking tankers in the Gulf and Iran shot down a U.S. drone. Trump ordered air strikes but called them off at the last minute, later saying too many people would have died.\n\nEuropean countries opposed Trump's decision to exit the nuclear deal last year, and they have promised to help Iran find alternative ways to export, but with little success so far.\n\nIran has said it wants to keep the nuclear deal alive but must receive promised economic benefits. This week it announced it had accumulated more low-enriched uranium than the deal allows and from July 7 will refine uranium to a greater purity than permitted.\n\nBy restricting Iran's ability to move oil, U.S. sanctions have choked off Tehran's Syrian allies, causing fuel shortages in government-controlled areas. In May, Syria received its first foreign oil for six months with the arrival of two shipments, one from Iran, a source said at the time.\n\nEarlier this year, Reuters revealed that the Grace 1 was one of four tankers involved in shipping Iranian fuel oil to Singapore and China, violating U.S. sanctions.\n\nThe 300,000-tonne tanker is registered as being managed by Singapore-based IShips Management Pte Ltd. Reuters was unable to establish contact with the firm for comment.\n\nIt was documented as loading fuel oil in the Iraqi port of Basra in December, though Basra did not list it as being in port and its tracking system was switched off. The tanker reappeared on tracking maps near Iran's port of Bandar Assalyeh, fully loaded.\n\nHomayoun Falakshahi, senior analyst at London-based energy data firm Kpler, told Reuters the ship had loaded Iranian crude in mid-April from Iran's export port of Kharg Island.\n\nA maritime intelligence source said the ship may have made the journey around Africa to avoid the Suez Canal, where such a large super-tanker would have had to unload its cargo and refill after passing through, exposing it to potential seizure.", "LONDON — British Royal Marines seized an oil tanker in Gibraltar on Thursday accused of bringing oil to Syria in violation of EU sanctions, a dramatic step that could escalate confrontation between the West and Iran.\n\nThe Grace 1 tanker was impounded in the British territory at the mouth of the Mediterranean Sea after sailing around Africa from the Middle East.\n\nShipping data reviewed by Reuters suggests it had been loaded with Iranian oil off the coast of Iran, although its documents say the oil is from neighboring Iraq.\n\nThe authorities in Gibraltar made no reference to the source of the oil when they seized it under the authority of European sanctions against Syria that have been in place for years.\n\nBut the likelihood that the cargo was Iranian drew a link between the incident and a new U.S. effort to halt all global sales of Iranian crude, which Tehran has described as an illegal \"economic war\" against it.\n\nEuropean countries have tried to stay neutral in that confrontation, which saw the United States call off air strikes against Iran just minutes before impact last month, and Tehran amass stocks of enriched uranium banned under a 2015 nuclear deal.\n\nIn a statement, the Gibraltar government said it had reasonable grounds to believe that the Grace 1 was carrying its shipment of crude oil to the Baniyas refinery in Syria.\n\n\"That refinery is the property of an entity that is subject to European Union sanctions against Syria,\" Gibraltar Chief Minister Fabian Picardo said. \"With my consent, our port and law enforcement agencies sought the assistance of the Royal Marines in carrying out this operation.\"\n\nA spokesman for British Prime Minister Theresa May welcomed Gibraltar's move, though the incident could also signal some tensions within Europe.\n\nSpain, which challenges British ownership of Gibraltar, said the action was prompted by a U.S. request to Britain and appeared to have taken place in Spanish waters. Britain's Foreign Office did not respond to a request for comment.\n\nWhile Europe has banned oil shipments to Syria since 2011, it had never seized a tanker at sea.\n\n\"This is the first time that the EU has done something so public and so aggressive. I imagine it was also coordinated in some manner with the U.S. given that NATO member forces have been involved,\" said Matthew Oresman, a partner with law firm Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman who advises firms on sanctions.\n\n\"This is likely to have been meant as a signal to Syria and Iran — as well as the U.S. — that Europe takes sanctions enforcement seriously and that the EU can also respond to Iranian brinkmanship related to ongoing nuclear negotiations.\"\n\nIran has long been supplying its allies in Syria with oil despite such sanctions.\n\nBut U.S. sanctions have been tightened sharply since May, effectively forcing Iran off of mainstream crude markets, making it desperate for alternative ways to sell oil and more reliant on its tanker fleet to store supplies it cannot sell. The sanctions have also choked off Tehran's Syrian allies, causing fuel shortages in government-controlled areas.\n\nShip mapping records from data firm Refinitiv show that in the latest case the Grace 1 sailed to the Mediterranean around the southern tip of Africa, instead of via Egypt's Suez Canal. The 300,000-tonne Panamanian-flagged tanker is registered as being managed by Singapore-based IShips Management Pte Ltd. Reuters was unable to establish contact with them for comment.\n\nIt was documented as loading fuel oil in the Iraqi port of Basra in December, though Basra did not list it as being in port and its tracking system was switched off. The tanker then reappeared on tracking maps near Iran's port of Bandar Assalyeh, fully loaded.", "IRAN has threatened to seize British ships in response to the Royal Marines boarding a super tanker which was breaching EU sanctions in Gibraltar.\n\nA senior commander in Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards warned on Friday that it would be Tehran's \"duty\" to seize a British oil tanker if an Iranian tanker detained in Gibraltar was not immediately released. British Royal Marines seized the supertanker Grace 1 on Thursday for trying to take oil to Syria in violation of EU sanctions, a dramatic step that drew Tehran's fury and could escalate its confrontation with the West. \"If Britain does not release the Iranian oil tanker, it is the (Iranian) authorities duty to seize a British oil tanker,\" Mohsen Rezai said.\n\nA detachment of Royal Marines was involved in a \"bold\" and \"brave\" operation to seize a supertanker suspected of carrying oil destined for Bashar Assad's Syrian regime. The marines worked alongside the authorities in Gibraltar to detain the Grace 1, which was believed to be heading to the Banyas refinery in breach of European Union sanctions. Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said the swift action by the authorities on the Rock and the Royal Marines would deny valuable resources to Assad's \"murderous regime\". The marines were brought in to use their specialist boarding skills to help ensure the Royal Gibraltar Police could gain access to the tanker at sea. Royal Marines from 42 Commando were involved in the operation and no shots were fired.\n\nThe first marines onto the vessel descended on ropes from a Wildcat helicopter, while others were in rigid inflatable boats. Around 16 Royal Gibraltar Police officers were also involved in the mission. The British ambassador to Tehran met with Iranian ministry of foreign affairs officials on Thursday afternoon after being summoned by Iran, it is understood. He was to reiterate the UK's backing of the firm actions taken by Gibraltar in enforcing the sanctions. Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi reportedly told Iranian state TV that the ambassador was summoned over the \"illegal seizure\" of the tanker. Gibraltar's chief minister Fabian Picardo praised the \"brave men and women\" of the Royal Marines, the Royal Gibraltar Police, HM Customs Gibraltar and the Gibraltar Port Authority for their work in securing the detention of the vessel and its cargo.\n\nMr Hunt congratulated those involved in the \"bold move to enforce Syria sanctions\". The 330m long, Panama-flagged Grace 1 was detained off Gibraltar on Thursday morning. Mr Picardo said: \"In the early hours of this morning, Gibraltar port and law enforcement agencies, assisted by a detachment of Royal Marines, boarded a supertanker carrying crude oil to Syria. \"We have detained the vessel and its cargo. This action arose from information giving the Gibraltar government reasonable grounds to believe that the vessel, the Grace 1, was acting in breach of EU sanctions against Syria. \"In fact we have reason to believe that the Grace 1 was carrying its shipment of crude oil to the Banyas refinery in Syria.\" The EU has imposed a series of sanctions against Assad's regime in Syria in response to the conflict in the country. Some 270 individuals and 69 entities are listed in the sanctions regime.", "MADRID (AP) — A super tanker believed to be breaching European Union sanctions by carrying a shipment of Iranian crude oil to war-ravaged Syria has been detained in Gibraltar.\n\nIn a statement, authorities on the British overseas territory at the tip of Spain said the port and law enforcement agencies, assisted by the Royal Marines, boarded the Grace 1 early Thursday.\n\nIt added that the vessel was believed to be headed to the Baniyas Refinery in Syria, which is a government-owned facility under the control of Syrian President Bashar Assad and subject to the EU's Syrian Sanctions Regime.\n\nThe EU, and others, has imposed sanctions on Assad's regime over its continued crackdown against civilians. They currently target 270 people and 70 entities.\n\nThe Gibraltar authorities didn't confirm the origin of the ship's cargo but Lloyd's List, a publication specialized in maritime affairs, reported this week that the Panama-flagged large carrier was laden with Iranian oil. Experts were said to have concluded that it carried oil from Iran because the tanker was not sending geographic information while in Iranian waters. According to a United Nations list, the ship is owned by the Singapore-based Grace Tankers Ltd.\n\nAccording to the data firm Refinitv, the vessel likely carried just over 2 million barrels of Iranian crude oil. Tracking data showed that the tanker made a slow trip around the southern tip of Africa before reaching the Mediterranean.\n\nThe timing for the interdiction of the Grace 1 was politically sensitive as tensions between the U.S. and Iran grow over the unraveling of a 2015 nuclear deal with President Donald Trump's withdrawal last year.\n\nIn recent days, Iran has broken through the limit the deal put on its stockpile of low-enriched uranium and plans on Sunday to boost its enrichment. Meanwhile, oil tankers near the Strait of Hormuz have been targeted in mysterious attacks as Iranian-backed rebels in Yemen launch bomb-laden drones into Saudi Arabia. The U.S. has rushed thousands of additional troops, an aircraft carrier, B-52 bombers and F-22 fighters to the region, raising fears of a miscalculation sparking a wider conflict.\n\nThere was no immediate reaction from Syria, which has suffered severe fuel shortages as a result of the civil war and Western sanctions that have crippled the country's oil industry, once the source of 20 percent of government revenues.\n\nIran, which has provided vital military support to Assad, extended a $3 billion credit line for oil supplies beginning in 2013 but the Iranian aid dwindled as Washington restored tough sanctions. In November, the U.S. Treasury Department added a network of Russian and Iranian companies to its blacklist for shipping oil to Syria and warned of \"significant risks\" for those violating the sanctions.\n\nFabian Picardo, Chief Minister of Gibraltar, which has in the past been a transit port for energy shipments without known buyers, said he has informed the EU about developments.\n\nIn a statement, the British government welcomed the \"firm action\" by authorities in Gibraltar.\n\nGambrell reported from Tehran. AP reporters Zeina Karam in Beirut and Danica Kirka in London contributed to this report.", "Iranian leaders have summoned the British ambassador as Tehran fumes over Britain's Thursday seizure of an Iranian tanker believed to be violating the European Union sanctions by providing crude oil to the Syrian regime.\n\nBritish Royal Marines supported the authorities in Gibraltar in taking the vessel amid evidence that it was trying to circumvent the EU sanctions on the Syrian regime. A senior Spanish official said the operation was requested by the United States.\n\nIRAN WARNS EUROPE IT 'WILL TAKE NEXT STEP' TO ENRICH URANIUM TO WEAPONS-GRADE LEVEL IF NEW DEAL ISN'T REACHED\n\nThe Iranian vessel was believed to be headed to the Baniyas Refinery in Syria, a government-owned facility under the control of Syrian President Bashar Assad and subject to the EU’s Syrian Sanctions Regime.\n\nThe Iranian state-run news agency called the situation “an illegal seizure of an Iranian oil tanker” while an Iranian foreign ministry spokesman called the actions a “form of piracy” – prompting the UK’s foreign office to dismiss the claims as “nonsense.”\n\nIranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi wrote in a tweet that British Ambassador Rob Macaire was summoned over the “illegal interception” of the ship and later said that the seizure was “odd and destructive.”\n\n“It can cause an increase in tensions in the region,” he said in a live telephone interview on state television Thursday night.\n\nU.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton, meanwhile, welcomed Britain's move, saying the seizure was “excellent news.”\n\nIRAN SAYS ALLEGED US SPIES MIGHT FACE DEATH PENALTY\n\n“America & our allies will continue to prevent regimes in Tehran & Damascus from profiting off this illicit trade,” Bolton said in a tweet.\n\nThe vessel carrying Iranian oil likely had over just over 2 million barrels of Iranian crude oil, according to the data firm Refinitv.\n\nThe seizure of the tanker comes amid heightened tensions in the Middle East, particularly between Washington and Tehran, with the latter officially violating the 2015 nuclear deal this week by breaking through the deal put on its stockpile of low-enriched uranium – and has pledged to boost its enrichment on Sunday.\n\nCLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP\n\nThe Iranian regime also shot down an American drone, prompting the Trump administration to consider military strikes on the country. The strikes were scrapped last minute by President Trump.\n\nThe Associated Press contributed to this report.", "In this Tuesday, July 2, 2019 photo, motorists pass by a Popular Mobilization poster of volunteer militants who were killed in Iraq fighting Islamic State militants in Basra, Iraq. The Iraqi government’s move to place Iranian-backed militias under the command of the armed forces is a political gamble by a prime minister increasingly caught in the middle of a dangerous rivalry between Iran and the U.S., the two main power brokers in Iraq. (AP Photo/Nabil al-Jurani)\n\nTEHRAN, Iran (AP) — The Latest on U.S.-Iran tensions (all times local):\n\nIran has summoned the British ambassador after authorities in Gibraltar intercepted a super tanker believed to be breaching European Union sanctions by carrying a shipment of Iranian crude oil.\n\nIn a Thursday tweet, spokesman for Iran’s Foreign Ministry Abbas Mousavi said Rob Macaire was summoned over the “illegal interception” of the ship.\n\nSpain’s caretaker foreign minister said the tanker was stopped by British authorities following a request from the United States.\n\nGibraltar’s port and law enforcement agencies, assisted by Britain’s Royal Marines, boarded the Grace 1 early Thursday, authorities on the British overseas territory at the tip of Spain said in a statement.\n\nThe tanker was carrying Iranian crude oil to war-ravaged Syria.\n\nSpain’s caretaker foreign minister says a tanker stopped off Gibraltar and suspected of taking oil to Syria was intercepted by British authorities after a request from the United States.\n\nJosep Borrell told reporters in Madrid on Thursday that Spain is assessing the implications of the operation because the detention took place in waters it considers its own.\n\nThe British overseas territory at the tip of Spain said the port and law enforcement agencies, assisted by the Royal Marines, boarded the Grace 1 early Thursday.\n\nGibraltar’s government says the vessel was believed to be headed to the Baniyas Refinery in Syria, a government-owned facility under the control of Syrian President Bashar Assad and subject to the EU’s Syrian Sanctions Regime. A statement didn’t say where the Gibraltar authorities got that information.\n\nBritain insists Gibraltar is part of the United Kingdom but Spain argues that it is not.\n\nOne of the largest Iran-backed militias in Iraq is criticizing an order by the prime minister to incorporate the militias into the military and place them under the army’s command.\n\nA statement issued by the Hezbollah Brigades, or Kataeb Hezbollah, did not address whether the group would abide by Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi’s orders issued this week. It suggested, however, that “criminalizing the mujahedeen” and harming them directly or indirectly may hurt “those elements supporting the security effort.”\n\nThe group, which has close ties to Iran, says the government’s foremost responsibility is to remove what it described as U.S. occupation forces and their business affiliates, which constitute a “major threat” to Iraqi security.\n\nThe U.S. maintains military bases and more than 5,000 troops in Iraq.\n\nIran’s intelligence minister says any negotiations with the United States would have to be approved by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and would require the lifting of U.S. sanctions.\n\nKhamenei has until now ruled out talks with the United States, saying it cannot be trusted.\n\nOn Thursday, the official IRNA news agency quoted Information Minister Mahmoud Alavi as saying “if the supreme leader permits, negotiations between Iran and the United States will be held.” He added, however, that Tehran would not negotiate under pressure.\n\nTensions have escalated since President Donald Trump withdrew America from Iran’s nuclear deal last year and restored heavy sanctions. The U.S. has recently moved a carrier group, bombers and fighter jets to the Persian Gulf, and last month Iran shot down a U.S. surveillance drone.\n\nThe government of Gibraltar says it has detained a large tanker that is believed to be breaching European Union sanctions by carrying a shipment of Iranian crude oil to war-ravaged Syria.\n\nIn a statement, authorities on the British overseas territory said port and law enforcement agencies, assisted by the Royal Marines, boarded the Grace 1 super tanker early Thursday.\n\nIt added that the vessel was believed to be headed to the Banyas Refinery in Syria, which is part of an entity subject to the EU’s Syrian Sanctions Regime. The EU and others have imposed sanctions on President Bashar Assad’s government over its continued crackdown against dissent. They currently target 270 people and 70 entities.\n\nGibraltar’s chief minister, Fabian Picardo, says he has informed the EU about developments."], "summary": "Royal Marines seize control of an oil tanker off the coast of Gibraltar that was en route to Baniyas in Syria, suspected of breaching EU sanctions against Syria, carrying Iranian crude oil. The United Kingdom's Ambassador to Iran, Robert Macaire, is summoned in Tehran over the incident, which Iran describes as an \"illegal seizure\"."}
{"document": ["Trump praises armed forces, avoids politics in military-style Fourth of July display\n\n\"Our nation is stronger today than it ever was before,\" Trump said. \"It is its strongest now.\"", "(CNN) With jets roaring overhead and a poncho-clad crowd before him, President Donald Trump implored Americans to come together Thursday in a show of national pride -- a rare unifying message from a deeply divisive President that came after days of controversy and criticism over his precedent-shattering military spectacle on the National Mall.\n\n\"We must go forward as a nation with that same unity of purpose,\" Trump said, filmed through rain-streaked bulletproof glass as showers beat steadily on his audience. \"As long as we stay true to our course, as long as we remember our great history, as long as we never, ever stop fighting for a better future, then there will be nothing that America cannot do.\"\n\nAfter a flyover from the plane that normally serves as Air Force One, Trump delivered 20 minutes of remarks that were an homage to the nation's early history and its military. But he also spoke about more recent advancements in civil rights and gender equality. And he looked ahead, declaring the American flag would soon be planted on Mars.\n\nAhead of his speech, Trump's skeptics wondered if the notoriously unpredictable President would remain apolitical. And White House aides scrambled to distribute tickets, worrying about Trump's reaction if the crowd appeared thin.\n\nBut by Thursday evening, a soggy mass of onlookers -- many wearing red \"Make America Great Again\" hats -- had assembled near the Lincoln Memorial to hear the President deliver what was ultimately a message of national pride.\n\n\"As we gather this evening in the joy of freedom, we remember that we all share a truly extraordinary heritage,\" Trump said in remarks that did not veer off-script. \"Together, we are part of one of the greatest stories ever told — the story of America.\"\n\nIn a crowd-pleasing closer, Trump hailed each branch of the military as aircraft from their fleets -- -- including a B-2 stealth bomber and the Blue Angels -- sailed overhead, causing Washington's buildings to shake and rumble. Bands heralded the individual branches with their official march songs. M1 Abrams tanks transported by heavy rail sat on display.\n\nTrump's plans were a sharp change from how the holiday has been marked in the nation's capital by previous presidents from either party.\n\nThe spectacle was likely to delight many Americans who view the military as one remaining unifying force for pride in a country divided along political, racial and economic lines. But it's also drawn skepticism and criticism for its costs and political hue.\n\nThere were to be about 750 to 800 military personnel taking part in the celebration, a defense official told CNN. That didn't include the 900 hundred members of the DC National Guard who were activated to provide traffic control and security on the streets and in the subway system.\n\nTrump was hoping for an enormous crowd, and July Fourth reliably draws plenty of people to Washington. But the last time he delivered an address on the National Mall, on Inauguration Day, he was disappointed by the turnout, or at least in the way the turnout was depicted on the news\n\nThat left some of his aides working overtime to fill out the space along the Mall where he spoke. Some people who were offered tickets this week -- including donors and administration officials -- said they'd already made other plans.\n\nTrump addressed the masses in front of Abraham Lincoln's 19-foot marble likeness, framed by the iconic Doric columns of the 16th President's memorial. On television, however, his face was partially obscured by rain streaks on the clear barrier constructed to protect him.\n\nIt's all a vastly scaled-up version of how presidents ordinarily celebrate July Fourth , the date American colonists officially served notice to Britain in 1776. Usually the holiday is marked with a picnic for service members and their families on the White House South Lawn, followed by a viewing of fireworks over the Washington Monument.\n\nPresidents haven't traditionally delivered public remarks, much less an address on the National Mall. And the day hasn't been marked by such overtly militaristic displays.\n\nThat caused concern even among US military brass that their ranks could end up politicized, according to people familiar with the matter. In the planning for the event, Pentagon leaders had reservations about putting tanks or other armored vehicles on display, a source with direct knowledge of the situation said.\n\nAs the final details came together, several top military chiefs of the individual services did not attend and instead sent alternates, though some said they had prior plans.\n\nThe military displays Trump ordered up -- which included the flyovers, tanks and other ceremonial units such as the Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps, the US Army Band (\"Pershing's Own\") and the US Marine Corps Silent Drill Team -- led some to compare the event to the authoritarian parades seen in places like China or North Korea.\n\nJUST WATCHED Here's how other countries do military parades Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Here's how other countries do military parades 01:41\n\nBut Trump's inspiration was actually a parade in France, which he witnessed with delight on Bastille Day in 2017. He immediately began formulating plans to stage a parade of his own, though cost estimates later caused him to reduce his aspirations to the speech and military pageant seen Thursday.\n\nThrough it all, Trump took enormous interest in even the smallest details, from the staging to the military equipment on display.\n\nIt's those details that were likely to ratchet up the costs of the event, though the massive fireworks display that will cap the evening has been donated.\n\n, according to The Washington Post, money that the paper says is usually \"primarily intended to improve parks across the country.\" Already, the National Park Service has redirected nearly $2.5 million to help cover costs related to the July 4 extravaganzaaccording to The Washington Post, money that the paper says is usually \"primarily intended to improve parks across the country.\"\n\nIt's not clear how much the event will cost altogether, though Trump attempted to downplay the amount on Wednesday.\n\n\"The cost of our great Salute to America tomorrow will be very little compared to what it is worth,\" he wrote on Twitter. \"We own the planes, we have the pilots, the airport is right next door (Andrews), all we need is the fuel. We own the tanks and all. Fireworks are donated by two of the greats. Nice!\"\n\nThat wasn't entirely truthful -- the planes used in the flyovers came from California, Missouri, Kentucky and Florida. And the costs of the event extend well beyond the military equipment.\n\nFor example, just the \"transparent ballistic armor\" used to protect the President during his speech could cost more than $24,000, according to government records\n\nThis story has been updated with additional developments Thursday.", "US President Donald Trump on Thursday celebrated America's Independence Day with an unprecedented display of country's military might at a parade in the national capital.\n\nTrump became the first US President in over 70 years to deliver an Independence Day address which the Opposition Democratic leaders criticised for what they alleged politicisation of the country's declaration of independence from Britain on July 4, 1776.\n\nJoined by First Lady Melania Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, his cabinet colleagues and top military leadership, Trump in his address to thousands of people said this was an occasion to salute the US soldiers and generals.\n\n\"Today we come together as one nation. With this very special salute to America. We celebrate our history by people, and the heroes who proudly defend our flag, the brave men and women of the United States military,\" said the US President.\n\nIn his 'Salute to America' address, Trump said the same American spirit that emboldened country's founders has kept its people strong throughout its history.\n\n\"To this day that spirit runs through the veins of every American patriot. It lives on in each and every one of you here today. It is the spirit, daring and defiance, excellence and adventure, courage and confidence, loyalty and love that built this country into the most exceptional nation in the history of the world, and our nation is stronger today than it ever was before. it is its strongest now,\" he said.\n\nThe President recalled the upcoming anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. He recognised Gene Kranz, the NASA flight director from that mission, and promised someday soon that the US will \"plant the American flag on Mars\".\n\nTrump recognised each branch of the armed forces, noting the Space Force would soon be added. He also recognised law enforcement and Gold Star families.\n\n\"Our nation has always honoured the heroes who serve our communities. The firefighters, first responders, police, sheriffs... border patrol and all of the brave men and women of law enforcement. On this July 4th, we pay special tribute to the military service members who laid down their lives for our nation,\" Trump said.\n\nSeveral separate flyovers of military aircraft took place as Trump spoke about the legacy of the armed forces.\n\nThe air platforms which participated in 'Salute to America' included Air Force One; F-18; MH-60 (1), US Air Force Aircraft B-2/F-22; US Marine Corps Aircraft: V-92/V-22; US Army: Aircraft: AH-64 and US Navy: F-35/F-18.\n\nAmong other military equipment were M1A2 Abrams Tanks; M2 Bradley Fighting Vehicles; M88 Recovery Vehicle and Contact Truck with crew.\n\n\"On this July 4, we pay special tribute to the military service members who laid down their lives for our nation. We are deeply moved to be in the presence this evening of gold star families whose loved ones made the supreme sacrifice,\" Trump said.\n\nOpposition Democratic leaders criticised Trump for what they alleged politicisation of the Independence Day of the United States.\n\nTwo protestors were arrested near the parade site. In addition two secret service agents received minor injuries in a flag-burning incident outside the White House.", "President Donald Trump, joined by Vice President Mike Pence, left, and Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar, right, speaks during a signing ceremony in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Monday, July 1, 2019. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)\n\nWASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump isn’t taking “no tanks” for an answer on the Fourth of July.\n\nHe said Monday that a display of U.S. military tanks will be part of a special event he’s headlining July 4 in Washington, and an Associated Press photographer saw at least two M1A1 Abrams tanks and two Bradley Fighting Vehicles on flatcars in a railyard at the southeastern edge of Washington.\n\nMilitary police were guarding the vehicles, which were visible to passers-by on nearby paths.\n\nA U.S. official told the AP that the military vehicles to be used in the July 4 event were being stored at the railyard.\n\nTrump had wanted a military parade of tanks and other equipment in the District of Columbia after he witnessed a similar parade on Bastille Day in Paris in 2017 . That plan eventually was scuttled, partly because of cost, though Trump apparently held on to the idea.\n\nLocal officials also had objected because of the damage the heavy armored tanks could do to city streets.\n\n“We’re going to have some tanks stationed outside,” Trump said Monday from the Oval Office, appearing to acknowledge local officials’ earlier concerns.\n\nHe offered no specifics on where the vehicles would be located.\n\n“You’ve got to be pretty careful with the tanks because the roads have a tendency not to like to carry heavy tanks,” he said. “So we have to put them in certain areas, but we have the brand new Sherman tanks and we have the brand new Abrams tanks.”\n\nSherman tanks were the tank most widely used by the U.S. during World War II, but they have been out of service for decades. The M1A1 Abrams tank is currently the main U.S. battle tank.\n\nTwo M1A1 Abrams tanks and two Bradley Fighting Vehicles will be on display as part of Trump’s “Salute to America” event, according to a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity because details of the exhibits have not been made public.\n\nThe Abrams tanks weigh more than 60 tons apiece and were been shipped on railroad freight cars, from Fort Stewart, Georgia, the nearest Army base that has them. The White House declined to release more specific information.\n\nTrump recalled his visit earlier this year to a plant in Lima, Ohio, where M1A1 Abrams tanks are refurbished. The plant had been at risk for closure but remained online due to Trump’s investments in defense spending.\n\n“We have some incredible equipment, military equipment on display — brand new,” Trump said. “And we’re very proud of it. You know we’re making a lot of new tanks right now. We’re building a lot of new tanks in Lima, Ohio — our great tank factory that people wanted to close down until I got elected and I stopped it from being closed down, and now it’s a very productive facility.”\n\nThursday’s events are also expected to include a military demonstration by the U.S. Navy Blue Angels and other aircraft.\n\n“We’re going to have a great Fourth of July in Washington, D.C. It’ll be like no other,” Trump said. “It’ll be special and I hope a lot of people come. And it’s going to be about this country and it’s a salute to America.”\n\n“I’m going to say a few words and we’re going to have planes going overhead, the best fighter jets in the world and other planes, too,” he said.\n\nTrump plans to deliver a speech at the Lincoln Memorial during his “Salute to America,” which has been added to the regular schedule of Independence Day events in the nation’s capital. The annual fireworks display will go off closer to the Lincoln Memorial instead of the Washington Monument, as has been the long-standing tradition.\n\nThe event is open to the public and free of charge, but a ticket-only area in front of the memorial is being set aside for VIPs, including members of Trump’s family, friends and members of the military, the White House said.\n\nLast year, Trump and his wife, first lady Melania Trump, hosted service members and their families at a picnic on the White House lawn and the president addressed guests from the balcony. No similar event is being planned this year.\n\nFederal lawmakers, local officials and others have voiced concerns that Trump could alter the tone of what traditionally is a nonpartisan celebration of America’s independence from the British by delivering a political speech. Trump formally announced his bid for re-election in June.\n\nInterior Secretary David Bernhardt, who oversees the National Mall and has helped orchestrate the president’s vision, and other officials have said Trump’s remarks will be patriotic.\n\nAssociated Press writer Lolita C. Baldor and Associated Press photographer Patrick Semansky in Washington contributed to this report.", "WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump celebrated the story of America as “the greatest political journey in human history” in a Fourth of July commemoration before a soggy but cheering crowd of spectators, many of them invited, on the grounds of the Lincoln Memorial. Supporters welcomed his tribute to the U.S. military while protesters assailed him for putting himself center stage on a holiday devoted to unity.\n\nAs rain fell on him, Trump called on Americans to \"stay true to our cause\" during a program that adhered to patriotic themes and hailed an eclectic mix of history's heroes, from the armed forces, space, civil rights and other endeavors of American life.\n\nHe largely stuck to his script, avoiding diversions into his agenda or re-election campaign. But in one exception, he vowed, \"Very soon, we will plant the American flag on Mars,\" actually a distant goal not likely to be achieved until late in the 2020s if even then.\n\nA late afternoon downpour drenched the capital's Independence Day crowds and Trump's speech unfolded in occasional rain. The warplanes and presidential aircraft he had summoned conducted their flyovers as planned, capped by the Navy Blue Angels aerobatics team.\n\nBy adding his own, one-hour \"Salute to America\" production to capital festivities that typically draw hundreds of thousands anyway, Trump became the first president in nearly seven decades to address a crowd at the National Mall on the Fourth of July.\n\nProtesters objecting to what they saw as his co-opting of the holiday inflated a roly-poly balloon depicting Trump as an angry, diaper-clad baby.\n\nTrump set aside a historic piece of real estate — a stretch of the Mall from the Lincoln Monument to the midpoint of the reflecting pool — for a mix of invited military members, Republican and Trump campaign donors and other bigwigs. It's where Martin Luther King Jr. gave his \"I have a dream\" speech, Barack Obama and Trump held inaugural concerts and protesters swarmed into the water when supporters of Richard Nixon put on a July 4, 1970, celebration, with the president sending taped remarks from California.\n\nAides to the crowd-obsessed Trump fretted about the prospect of empty seats at his event, said a person familiar with the planning who was not authorized to be identified. Aides scrambled in recent days to distribute tickets and mobilize the Trump and GOP social media accounts to encourage participation for an event hastily arranged and surrounded with confusion.\n\nBack at the White House, Trump tweeted an aerial photo showing an audience that filled both sides of the memorial's reflecting pool and stretched to the Washington Monument. \"A great crowd of tremendous Patriots this evening, all the way back to the Washington Monument!\" he said.\n\nMany who filed into the sprawling VIP section said they got their free tickets from members of Congress or from friends or neighbors who couldn't use theirs. Outside that zone, a diverse mix of visitors, locals, veterans, tour groups, immigrant families and more milled about, some drawn by Trump, some by curiosity, some by the holiday's regular activities along the Mall.\n\nProtesters earlier made their voices heard in sweltering heat by the Washington Monument, along the traditional parade route and elsewhere, while the VIP section at the reflecting pool served as something of a buffer for Trump's event.\n\nIn the shadow of the Washington Monument hours before Trump's speech, the anti-war organization Codepink erected a 20-foot tall \"Trump baby\" balloon to protest what activists saw as his intrusion in Independence Day and a focus on military might that they associate with martial regimes.\n\n\"We think that he is making this about himself and it's really a campaign rally,\" said Medea Benjamin, the organization's co-director. \"We think that he's a big baby. ... He's erratic, he's prone to tantrums, he doesn't understand the consequences of his actions. And so this is a great symbol of how we feel about our president.\"\n\nThe balloon remained tied down at the Mall because park officials restricted the group's permission to move it or fill it with helium, Benjamin said.\n\nProtesters also handed out small Trump-baby balloons on sticks. Molly King of La Porte, Indiana, a 13-year-old Trump supporter in sunglasses and a \"Make America Great Again\" hat, happily came away with one.\n\n\"They're making a big stink about it but it's actually pretty cute,\" she said. \"I mean, why not love your president as you'd love a baby?\"\n\nA small crowd gathered to take pictures with the big balloon, which drew Trump supporters and detractors.\n\n\"Even though everybody has different opinions,\" said Kevin Malton, a Trump supporter from Middlesboro, Kentucky, \"everybody's getting along.\"\n\nBut Daniela Guray, a 19-year-old from Chicago who held a \"Dump Trump\" sign, said she was subjected to a racial epithet while walking along the Constitution Avenue parade route and told to go home.\n\nShe said she did not come to the Mall to protest but ended up doing so. \"I started seeing all the tanks with all the protests and that's when I said, 'Wait, this is not an actual Fourth of July,'\" she said. \"Trump is making it his day rather than the Fourth of July.\"\n\nTrump had sounded a defensive note Wednesday, tweeting that the cost \"will be very little compared to what it is worth.\" But he glossed over a host of expenses associated with the display of military might, including flying in planes and tanks and other vehicles to Washington by rail.\n\nNot since 1951, when President Harry Truman spoke before a large gathering on the Washington Monument grounds to mark the 175th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, has a commander in chief made an Independence Day speech to a sizable crowd on the Mall.\n\nPete Buttigieg, one of the Democrats running for president, said, \"This business of diverting money and military assets to use them as a kind of prop, to prop up a presidential ego, is not reflecting well on our country.\" Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, is a Navy Reserve veteran who served in Afghanistan in 2014.\n\nTwo groups, the National Parks Conservation Foundation and Democracy Forward, want the Interior Department's internal watchdog to investigate what they say may be a \"potentially unlawful decision to divert\" national parks money to Trump's \"spectacle.\"\n\nTrump has longed for a public display of U.S. military prowess ever since he watched a two-hour procession of French military tanks and fighter jets in Paris on Bastille Day in July 2017.\n\nWashington has held an Independence Day celebration for decades, featuring a parade along Constitution Avenue, a concert on the Capitol lawn with music by the National Symphony Orchestra and fireworks beginning at dusk near the Washington Monument.\n\nTrump altered the lineup by adding his speech, moving the fireworks closer to the Lincoln Memorial and summoning the tanks and warplanes.\n\nAmid all the theatrics, Trump did pay tribute to the reason for the holiday — the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. \"With a single sheet of parchment and 56 signatures,\" Trump said, \"America began the greatest political journey in human history.\"\n\nBy DARLENE SUPERVILLE, CALVIN WOODWARD and LYNN BERRY Associated Press. Kali Robinson, Zeke Miller, Kevin Freking, Matthew Daly and Ellen Knickmeyer contributed to this report.", "WASHINGTON — A reality TV host at heart, President Donald Trump is promising the \"show of a lifetime\" for the hundreds of thousands of revelers who flock to the National Mall every year on the Fourth of July. The tanks are in place for the display of military muscle, and protesters are ready to make their voices heard.\n\nIt's been nearly seven decades since a president spoke there on Independence Day. The U.S. was at war in Korea when Harry Truman addressed a large gathering on the Washington Monument grounds, marking the 175th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.\n\nThere's no such historical marker Thursday for Trump, who for the past two years has sought a moment to orchestrate a display of America's military prowess.\n\nRELATED: Tanks will be part of July Fourth DC celebration\n\nHe's calling his event a \"Salute to America,\" honoring the armed forces, and he'll speak at the Lincoln Memorial in front of a ticket-only, VIP crowd of Republican donors, administration and campaign officials, family members and those who flock to see him or protest what they see as a divisive intrusion on a traditionally unifying national holiday.\n\nTrump sounded a defensive note Wednesday, tweeting that cost \"will be very little compared to what it is worth.\"\n\n\"We own the planes, we have the pilots, the airport is right next door (Andrews), all we need is the fuel,\" he said, referring to Maryland's Joint Base Andrews, home for some of the planes that are to fly over the Mall on Thursday. \"We own the tanks and all. Fireworks are donated by two of the greats.\"\n\nTrump glossed over the expense of shipping tanks and fighting vehicles to Washington by rail and guarding them for several days, and other costs.\n\nSome of the president's supporters welcomed Trump's stamp on the holiday.\n\nRachel McKenna, a Trump supporter from McKinney, Texas, said her relatives have served in the military and she thought it was important to say \"'We love you guys, we appreciate everything you do,' and I love the fact I can see that,\" as she pointed to the Bradley fighting vehicle positioned near the Lincoln Memorial.\n\n\"I've never ever seen one,\" she said. \"I just think it's so cool.\"\n\nUnder White House direction, the Pentagon was arranging for an Air Force B-2 stealth bomber and other warplanes to conduct flyovers. There will be Navy F-35 and F-18 fighter jets, the Navy Blue Angels aerobatics team, Army and Coast Guard helicopters and Marine V-22 Ospreys.\n\nThe White House referred questions about the cost of the military participation to the Pentagon, which said it did not have the answer.\n\nThe Air Force said it costs $122,311 an hour to fly a B-2 bomber, which is making the round trip from its home at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri. Officials said the flight will be considered a training event, with the cost already budgeted. The per-hour flying cost of the F-22 fighter is $65,128.\n\nTwo Bradley fighting vehicles were in place Wednesday at the Lincoln Memorial, where Trump will speak. In addition, two 60-ton Army Abrams battle tanks were sent to Washington by rail to be positioned on or near the National Mall, to the dismay of District of Columbia officials.\n\nThe presidential Air Force One and Marine One aircraft are also slated to make aerial appearances.\n\nKevin Donahue, District of Columbia deputy mayor for public safety, told The Associated Press the city expects the federal government to pay for any damage to streets or bridges from moving the tanks. Civil engineers will assess roads and bridges after July 4 to determine if there's been damage.\n\nDonahue said the city doesn't have the jurisdiction to reject the use of tanks and other heavy equipment.\n\nIn a separate tweet Wednesday, Trump promised the Lincoln Memorial program \"will be the show of a lifetime!\" White House officials have stressed that Trump's remarks will be patriotic, but the president often finds it difficult to stay on any kind of script.\n\nBut Tracie Lenihan of Spokane, Washington, an independent, said she didn't understand why military equipment is part of the festivities. \"I think it cost a lot of money and I'm not sure what it really has to do with the Fourth of July,\" she said. \"I don't hate it. I'm just confused.\"\n\nMedea Benjamin, co-founder of the Codepink anti-war group, said use of the Bradley fighting vehicles reflected the \"politicization of July Fourth and the militarization of July Fourth and we resent this.\"\n\n\"We want it to be a holiday where people are having their picnics and they're watching their fireworks and it's all peaceful and united,\" she said.\n\nInstead, her group will be fielding a balloon depicting Trump as an angry, diaper-clad baby. But because of flight restrictions, officials would not let the group pump it with helium to make it fly higher and be more visible.\n\nRep. Betty McCollum, D-Minn., who is among lawmakers overseeing the Interior Department, which has jurisdiction over the National Mall and federal parks, said it was \"absolutely outrageous\" that the administration will use park money to help defray Thursday's event costs. The National Park Service plans to use nearly $2.5 million intended to help improve parks nationwide, The Washington Post reported late Tuesday, citing anonymous sources.\n\n\"These fees are not a slush fund for this administration to use at will,\" McCollum said in a statement. She promised a congressional hearing.\n\nTrump and the event's organizers could be on the hook to reimburse the government millions of dollars if he goes into campaign mode, in violation of federal appropriations law and the Hatch Act, which bars politicking on government time, said Walter Shaub, who left the Office of Government Ethics in 2017 after clashing with the White House over ethics and disclosure issues.\n\n\"There's not a history of disciplined speaking engagements where he sticks to a script,\" Shaub said of Trump.\n\nTrump originally wanted a parade with military tanks and other machinery rolling through downtown Washington ever since he was enthralled by a two-hour procession of French military tanks and fighter jets in Paris on Bastille Day in July 2017.\n\nLater that year Trump said he'd have a similar parade in Washington on the Fourth of July, 2018, and would \"top\" the Paris show. The event ended up being pushed to Veterans Day, which conflicted with one of Trump's trips abroad, before it was scuttled after cost estimates exceeding $90 million were made public.\n\nIn February, Trump tweeted for the public to \"HOLD THE DATE!\" for this Fourth of July.\n\nWashington has held an Independence Day celebration for decades, featuring a parade along Constitution Avenue, a concert on the Capitol lawn with music by the National Symphony Orchestra and fireworks beginning at dusk near the Washington Monument.\n\nTrump altered the lineup by adding his speech, moving the fireworks closer to the Lincoln Memorial and summoning the tanks and warplanes.\n\nAssociated Press writers Matthew Daly, Ellen Knickmeyer and Chris Rugaber contributed to this report.", "WASHINGTON — In a sweltering capital threatened by storms, the traditional Fourth of July parade Thursday served as a warm-up act to a distinctly nontraditional evening event at the Lincoln Memorial, where President Donald Trump made plans to command the stage against the backdrop of a show of military muscle.\n\nProtesters unimpressed by his \"Salute to America\" program inflated a roly-poly balloon depicting Trump as an angry, diaper-clad baby.\n\nWith his decision to add his own production to the usual festivities, Trump set himself up to be the first president in nearly seven decades to address a crowd at the National Mall on Independence Day. \"I will speak on behalf of our great Country!\" he said in a morning tweet. \"Perhaps even Air Force One will do a low & loud sprint over the crowd.\"\n\nHe's calling his event a \"Salute to America,\" honoring the armed forces, and he said in a tweet early Thursday that he \"will speak on behalf of our great Country!\"\n\nBut thunderstorms threatened, with periods of \"torrential rain\" forecast by the National Weather Service and a flash-flood watch in effect.\n\nNot since 1951, when President Harry Truman spoke before a large gathering on the Washington Monument grounds to mark the 175th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, has a commander in chief made an Independence Day speech to a sizable crowd on the Mall. Protests erupted in 1970 when President Richard Nixon taped a message that was played to crowds on the Mall at an \"Honor America Day\" celebration organized by supporters.\n\nIn the shadow of the Washington Monument, the anti-war organization Codepink erected a 20-foot tall \"Trump baby\" balloon to protest what it called the president's co-opting of Independence Day.\n\n\"We think that he is making this about himself and it's really a campaign rally,\" said Medea Benjamin, the organization's co-director. \"We think that he's a big baby. ... He's erratic, he's prone to tantrums, he doesn't understand the consequences of his actions. And so this is a great symbol of how we feel about our president.\"\n\nThe balloon remained tied down at the Mall because park officials restricted the group's permission to move the balloon or fill it with helium, Benjamin said.\n\nA small crowd gathered to take pictures with the balloon, which drew Trump supporters and detractors.\n\nKevin Malton, a Trump supporter from Middlesboro, Kentucky, came with his son for the holiday and took pictures with the balloon. He was glad to see the mix of political beliefs at the event, he said. \"Even though everybody has different opinions,\" he said, \"everybody's getting along.\"\n\nIn a message marking the 243rd anniversary of the Founding Fathers' adoption of the Declaration of Independence, Trump called the document a milestone that \"cast off the shackles of tyranny.\"\n\nThe White House said Trump would speak at the Lincoln Memorial in front of a ticket-only, VIP crowd of Republican donors, administration and campaign officials, family members and those who had come to see him or protest what they saw as a divisive intrusion on a traditionally unifying national holiday.\n\nTrump had sounded a defensive note Wednesday, tweeting that the cost \"will be very little compared to what it is worth.\"\n\n\"We own the planes, we have the pilots, the airport is right next door (Andrews), all we need is the fuel,\" he said, referring to Maryland's Joint Base Andrews, home for some of the planes expected for the holiday flyover. \"We own the tanks and all. Fireworks are donated by two of the greats.\"\n\nTrump glossed over the expense of shipping tanks and fighting vehicles to Washington by rail and guarding them for several days, and other costs.\n\nOne of the Democrats running for president said \"this business of diverting money and military assets to use them as a kind of prop, to prop up a presidential ego, is not reflecting well on our country.\" Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Indiana, is a Navy Reserve veteran who served in Afghanistan in 2014.\n\nSome of the Republican president's supporters welcomed his stamp on the holiday.\n\nRachel McKenna of McKinney, Texas, said her relatives have served in the military and she thought it was important to say \"'We love you guys, we appreciate everything you do,' and I love the fact I can see that,\" as she pointed to the Bradley fighting vehicle positioned near the Lincoln Memorial.\n\n\"I've never ever seen one,\" she said. \"I just think it's so cool.\"\n\nUnder White House direction, the Pentagon was arranging for an Air Force B-2 stealth bomber and other warplanes to conduct flyovers. There will be Navy F-35 and F-18 fighter jets, the Navy Blue Angels aerobatics team, Army and Coast Guard helicopters and Marine V-22 Ospreys. A small number of Army Abrams tanks and Bradley fighting vehicles were stationed in the zone.\n\nTwo groups, the National Parks Conservation Foundation and Democracy Forward, want the Interior Department's internal watchdog to investigate what they say may be a \"potentially unlawful decision to divert\" national parks money to Trump's \"spectacle.\"\n\nTrump and the event's organizers could be on the hook to reimburse the government millions of dollars if he goes into campaign mode, in violation of federal appropriations law and the Hatch Act, which bars politicking on government time, said Walter Shaub, who left the Office of Government Ethics in 2017 after clashing with the White House over ethics and disclosure issues.\n\nTrump originally wanted a parade with military tanks and other machinery rolling through downtown Washington ever since he was enthralled by a two-hour procession of French military tanks and fighter jets in Paris on Bastille Day in July 2017 .\n\nLater that year Trump said he'd have a similar parade in Washington on the Fourth of July, 2018, and would \"top\" the Paris show. The event ended up being pushed to Veterans Day, which conflicted with one of Trump's trips abroad, before it was scuttled after cost estimates exceeding $90 million were made public.\n\nWashington has held an Independence Day celebration for decades, featuring a parade along Constitution Avenue, a concert on the Capitol lawn with music by the National Symphony Orchestra and fireworks beginning at dusk near the Washington Monument.\n\nTrump altered the lineup by adding his speech, moving the fireworks closer to the Lincoln Memorial and summoning the tanks and warplanes.\n\nAssociated Press writers Kali Robinson, Matthew Daly, Ellen Knickmeyer and Christopher Rugaber contributed to this report.", "President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and Karen Pence and others stand as the US Army Band performs and the US Navy Blue Angels flyover at the end of an Independence Day celebration in front of the Lincoln Memorial, Thursday, July 4, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)\n\nWASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump celebrated “the greatest political journey in human history” Thursday in a Fourth of July commemoration before a soggy, cheering crowd of spectators, many of them invited, on the grounds of the Lincoln Memorial. Supporters welcomed his tribute to the U.S. military while protesters assailed him for putting himself center stage on a holiday devoted to unity.\n\nTrump called on Americans to “stay true to our cause” in a program that adhered to patriotic themes and hailed an eclectic mix of history’s heroes, from the armed forces, space, civil rights and other endeavors of American life.\n\nHe largely stuck to his script, avoiding diversions into his agenda or re-election campaign. But in one exception, he vowed, “Very soon, we will plant the American flag on Mars,” actually a distant goal not likely to be achieved until late in the 2020s if even then.\n\nA late afternoon downpour drenched the capital’s Independence Day crowds and presaged an evening of possible on-and-off storms. But Trump’s speech unfolded in occasional rain, and the warplanes and presidential aircraft he had summoned conducted their flyovers as planned, capped by the Navy Blue Angels aerobatics team.\n\nBy adding his own, one-hour “Salute to America” production to capital festivities that typically draw hundreds of thousands anyway, Trump became the first president in nearly seven decades to address a crowd at the National Mall on Independence Day.\n\nProtesters objecting to what they saw as his co-opting of the holiday inflated a roly-poly balloon depicting Trump as an angry, diaper-clad baby.\n\nTrump set aside a historic piece of real estate — a stretch of the Mall from the Lincoln Monument to the midpoint of the reflecting pool — for a mix of invited military members, Republican and Trump campaign donors and other bigwigs. It’s where Martin Luther King Jr. gave his “I have a dream” speech, Barack Obama and Trump held inaugural concerts and protesters swarmed into the water when supporters of Richard Nixon put on a July 4, 1970, celebration, with the president sending taped remarks from California.", "A national holiday dedicated to Independence Day will be filled with parades, concerts, holiday dinner and, of course, fireworks. Boston, Philadelphia, new York and other cities across the country conducted a massive celebration. Edition 23 Foxnews gathered the main events of the day.\n\nMacy’s fireworks over the East river in new York is one of the largest in the country. Spectacular fireworks and concert will be broadcast by NBC. Will perform international stars: Luke Bryan, Maren Morris, brad Paisley, Jennifer Hudson, Ciara, Khalid and Derek Hough.\n\nBoston celebrates independence Day with the traditional procession, a concert of the Boston POPs and the fireworks.\n\nThe celebrations began on Thursday morning at city hall. Then the marchers went to the Old Granary Burial Ground, where are buried Samuel Adams, John Hancock and other prominent leaders.\n\nThey will also make a stop at the old Parliament of the state, where a member of the Ancient and honorable artillery company will read from the balcony the Declaration of independence, as it was in 1776.\n\nThe procession will end at Faneuil hall, where the Dean of Boston University, Kenneth Elmore will speak on the traditions relating to 1773.\n\nIn the evening residents expects fireworks over the Charles river and a performance of the Boston Pops orchestra.\n\nThe country’s oldest fourth of July celebration was held in the city of Bristol, state of Rhode island. The events began on the day of the flag and ended with the fourth of July parade, which was attended by tens of thousands of people. The celebration of this day was first held in this seaside town in 1785 and since then is held annually.\n\nTraditional parade in Washington was just a warm-up, because all the attention paid to the main festive event of the district of Columbia — the President’s speech and military parade.\n\nFor decades, independence Day in Washington celebrated with a parade along Constitution Avenue and on the lawn of the Capitol with music by the National Symphony orchestra and fireworks at the monument to George Washington.\n\nThis year the President trump is scheduled to speak in front of people at 18:30 et. He also will bring tanks and military aircraft at evening parade.\n\nPBS will broadcast the concert on the West lawn of the Capitol with the participation of leading John Stamos and artists such as Carole king, Vanessa Williams, Colbie Caillat, Lee Brice and the O jays.\n\nEarly Thursday morning, the President congratulated the Americans with a holiday in his microblog on Twitter: “Happy fourth of July!”\n\n“People come from everywhere to join us today at the festival, which promises to be one of the most ambitious in the history of our country, – he wrote. – “Salute to America” event, which will be held whole day at the Lincoln memorial, and its culmination will be a massive military parade with the participation of the most modern and advanced aircraft in the world.”\n\nThe Department of defense on Wednesday confirmed that the acting head of Department, mark Esper and the Chairman of the joint chiefs of staff General Joseph Dunford took the President’s invitation to participate in the parade.\n\nThe event will be attended by other senior officials of the US defense Department. In addition, the White house has also allocated 5,000 tickets for the event military personnel and their families.\n\nAcross the country in the Independence Day will be held more than two dozen naturalization ceremonies to welcome new Americans. The ceremony will be held at the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia and at the home of George Washington at mount Vernon, Virginia.\n\nVice-President Mike Pence celebrated independence Day, taking 44 of immigrants from 26 countries in the “American family” at the naturalization ceremony in the capital of the country.\n\nAt Legoland in winter haven, Florida, the children create a giant flag of the United States of LEGO. There also will be a great holiday fireworks.\n\nIn Philadelphia the celebration began with a parade near Independence Hall and will conclude with a concert featuring Meghan Trainor and Jennifer Hudson on the Boulevard of Benjamin Franklin. The annual fireworks show will begin after the concert at the Philadelphia art Museum.\n\nIn Connecticut the Independence Day is celebrated very peculiar. Thousands of spectators watched the annual parade Boom Box. According to tradition, participants and spectators are the radios that are configured on the same local station.\n\nThe parade’s roots go back to 1986, when the city couldn’t find a band for the annual parade for memorial Day. The organizers have appealed for help to the radio station WILI-AM. Officials of the station said that it’s too late to organise for this festival, but began to plan the celebration of the fourth of July, and so was born the tradition.\n\nAnother unusual tradition of Independence Day celebrations has taken root on long island. Here Joey chestnut and Miki Sudo defended their title and won again at the annual contest of eating hot dogs.\n\nChestnut ate 71 sausage and bun, while Sudo ate 31 hot dogs. Both held on to their records, but easily took home trophies, beating other participants.", "WASHINGTON (REUTERS) - Battle tanks were seen on a train in Washington on Tuesday (July 2) ahead of a July Fourth celebration highlighting US military might that Democrats say President Donald Trump could turn into a re-election campaign rally.\n\nAmid questions about the cost and tone of the event, White House officials said the Republican president will avoid politics and stick to patriotic themes in his speech in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington on Thursday.\n\nReuters photographed M1 Abrams tanks and other armoured vehicles atop flat rail cars in Washington on Tuesday morning, a sign of the military firepower that will be featured, differing significantly from past annual celebrations of the 1776 Declaration of Independence.\n\nFor decades, US presidents have kept a low profile during the event, which typically draws hundreds of thousands of people to Washington's monument-lined National Mall for a concert and fireworks.\n\nThis year, Trump plans to speak at a military \"Salute to America\" that will feature military bands and flyovers from the US Navy's Blue Angels and Air Force One, the modified Boeing 747 that transports US presidents.\n\nThe event could also feature M1 Abrams battle tanks, a B-2 bomber, F-35 and F-22 fighter jets, and the Marine One helicopter that transports the president, the Pentagon said. Air traffic at nearby Ronald Reagan National Airport will be suspended during the flyovers and the fireworks, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.\n\nThe antiwar group Code Pink said it had secured a permit to bring a \"Baby Trump\" blimp, depicting the president in diapers, to a protest in the Mall during his speech. The permit does not allow the balloon to be filled with helium so it can float.\n\nDemocrats in Congress have questioned whether Trump will turn a patriotic celebration into a taxpayer-funded campaign rally.\n\n\"That's absolutely ridiculous. This is all about a salute to America. The president is not going to get political,\" White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said on Fox Business Network.\n\nOn June 18, Trump officially launched his 2020 campaign to seek a second four-year term. More than 20 Democrats are campaigning for their party's nomination to run against Trump.\n\nThe administration has not said how much Trump's pumped-up July Fourth celebration will cost. The Pentagon postponed a military parade planned for last November after it estimated it could cost US$90 million (S$122 million).\n\nThe National Park Service is diverting about US$2.5 million in entrance and recreation fees primarily intended to improve parks to cover costs associated with the celebration, the Washington Post reported, citing unnamed sources.\n\nThe agency did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on the report.\n\n\"It is unacceptable that the Interior Department is failing to inform Congress about how it plans to spend taxpayer money to fund the president's lavish July Fourth plans, which reportedly include special access to the National Mall for the politically connected,\" Democratic Senator Tom Udall said in a statement.\n\nA VIP section set up near the Lincoln Memorial will be open to government officials and lawmakers, according to a White House official speaking on condition of anonymity. In previous years, government officials and other VIPs have watched the fireworks from the White House lawn."], "summary": "A major holiday celebration and military parade is held in Washington, D.C., United States, by President Donald Trump to commemorate the Fourth of July/Independence Day."}
{"document": ["LONDON (Reuters) - Solar energy developer Lightsource BP has acquired a large number of projects in Brazil with a potential to nearly double its current global capacity.\n\nFILE PHOTO - Lightsource BP's floating installation is seen at the Queen Elizabeth II Reservoir, in Britain, in this undated photo released by Lightsource BP on April 3, 2019. Lightsource BP/Handout via REUTERS\n\nThe London-based firm, in which BP holds a 43% stake, said in a statement it bought 1.9 gigawatt of projects from independent renewables developer Enerlife for an undisclosed sum.\n\nThe utility-scale solar projects are at different stages, from early land permits to more advanced developments with grid connections.\n\nSolar power contributes just over 1% of Brazil’s total electricity generation, which is expected to soar in the coming decades.\n\n“These are the building blocks of which we will grow a very successful solar business across Brazil,” Lightsource BP Chief Operating Officer Kareen Boutonnat said in a statement.\n\nLightsource will target mainly corporate and industrial buyers in both the regulated and unregulated market, according to Vlasios Souflis, director for international business development.\n\nThe Brazilian government last week awarded licenses for new power generation projects that would add 402 megawatts (MW) of capacity by 2023 at record-low price for solar generation. Enerlife was awarded over 160 megawatt in five solar projects.\n\nLightsource BP is the largest European utility solar developer with over $3 billion invested across nearly 2 gigawatt of solar projects around the world, according to Lightsource BP’s statement.\n\nThe company has in recent years expanded its operations in the U.S. states of California, Pennsylvania and Maryland as well as in Egypt and India.\n\nThe Enerlife portfolio consists of 1.9 gigawatts of solar projects, including of 440 megawatt in late stage development as well as 180 megawatt of distributed generation projects across five states, each one up to 5 megawatt capacity, Lightsource BP said.\n\nGraphic: Energy growth - tmsnrt.rs/2FQ6ugR\n\n(The story in last paragraph, corrects to five states, not sites, after company corrected its statement.)", "London — Solar energy developer Lightsource BP has acquired a large number of projects in Brazil with a potential to nearly double its global capacity.\n\nThe London-based firm, in which BP holds a 43% stake, said in a statement it bought 1.9GW of projects from independent renewables developer Enerlife for an undisclosed sum.\n\nThe utility-scale solar projects are at different stages, from early land permits to more advanced developments with grid connections. Solar power contributes just over 1% of Brazil’s total electricity generation, which is expected to soar in the coming decades.\n\n“These are the building blocks of which we will grow a very successful solar business across Brazil,” Lightsource BP COO Kareen Boutonnat said.\n\nLightsource will target mainly corporate and industrial buyers in both the regulated and unregulated market, according to Vlasios Souflis, director for international business development.\n\nThe Brazilian government last week awarded licences for new power generation projects that would add 402MW of capacity by 2023 at record-low price for solar generation. Enerlife was awarded over 160MW in five solar projects.\n\nLightsource BP is the largest European utility solar developer with over $3bn invested across nearly 2GW of solar projects around the world, according to Lightsource BP’s statement.\n\nThe company has in recent years expanded its operations in the US states of California, Pennsylvania and Maryland, as well as in Egypt and India.\n\nThe Enerlife portfolio consists of 1.9GW of solar projects, including of 440MW in late stage development, as well as 180MW of distributed generation projects across five states, each one up to 5MW capacity, Lightsource BP said.", "LONDON, July 4 (Reuters) - Solar energy developer Lightsource BP has acquired a large number of projects in Brazil with a potential to nearly double its current global capacity.\n\nThe London-based firm, in which BP holds a 43% stake, said in a statement it bought 1.9 gigawatt of projects from independent renewables developer Enerlife for an undisclosed sum.\n\nSolar power contributes just over 1% of Brazil's total electricity generation, which is expected to soar in the coming decades.\n\n\"These are the building blocks of which we will grow a very successful solar business across Brazil,\" Lightsource BP Chief Operating Officer Kareen Boutonnat said in a statement.\n\nLightsource will target mainly corporate and industrial buyers in both the regulated and unregulated market, according to Vlasios Souflis, director for international business development.\n\nThe Brazilian government last week awarded licences for new power generation projects that would add 402 megawatts (MW) of capacity by 2023 at record-low price for solar generation. Enerlife was awarded over 160 megawatt in five solar projects.\n\nLightsource BP is the largest European utility solar developer with over $3 billion invested across nearly 2 gigawatt of solar projects around the world, according to Lightsource BP's statement.\n\nThe company has in recent years expanded its operations in the U.S. states of California, Pennsylvania and Maryland as well as in Egypt and India.\n\nThe Enerlife portfolio consists of 1.9 gigawatts of solar projects, including of 440 megawatt in late stage development as well as 180 megawatt of distributed generation projects across five sites, each one up to 5 megawatt capacity, Lightsource BP said.", "LONDON, July 4 (Reuters) - Solar energy developer Lightsource BP has acquired a large number of projects in Brazil with a potential to nearly double its current global capacity.", "The developer has announced a major portfolio acquisition. London-based Lightsource says it has acquired 1.9 GW of solar generation capacity in various stages of development from Brazilian developer Enerlife.U.K. based developer Lightsource BP has announced a major move into Brazilian solar, with the acquisition of almost 2 GW of PV projects from Enerlife. Financial details of the deal, which will almost double the size of Lightsource BP's project portfolio, were not disclosed. The transaction will see Enerlife CEO Miguel Lobo and other senior executives move to Lightsource to continue managing ...", "Lightsource BP has announced the purchase of a large number of solar energy projects in Brazil.\n\nThe acquisition from Latin American renewables developer Enerlife consists of around 2GW of greenfield solar projects at various development stages – from early land permits to more advanced developments with grid connections – across the country.\n\nUnder the deal, some senior executives from Enerlife will join the Lightsource BP team, which aims to target mainly corporate and industrial buyers in the market.\n\nThe news comes as a new report suggested renewable energy capacity in Brazil is forecast to exceed 60GW by 2030.\n\nKareen Boutonnat, Group Chief Operating Officer for Lightsource BP said: “This move creates a very firm footprint for us across the region and bringing the Enerlife team onboard significantly enhances our local capability and experience. These are the building blocks of which we will grow a very successful solar business across Brazil.”", "As part of the transaction, some members of Enerlife will join Lightsource BP to continue serving the acquired portfolio\n\nUK-based solar developer Lightsource BP has acquired approximately 2GW of solar projects, in various development stages, in Brazil from Enerlife, a Latin American independent renewables developer.\n\nFinancial terms related to the deal were not disclosed. Through the deal, Lightsource BP is expected to substantially enhance its portfolio, strengthen experience and establish itself as a major player in the Latin American market.\n\nLightsource BP group chief operating officer Kareen Boutonnat said: “This move creates a very firm footprint for us across the region and bringing the Enerlife team onboard significantly enhances our local capability and experience. These are the building blocks of which we will grow a very successful solar business across Brazil.”\n\nSome Enerlife team members to move to Lightsource BP as part of the deal\n\nAs part of the transaction, some members of Enerlife will join Lightsource BP and will continue serving the acquired portfolio.\n\nEnerlife former CEO Miguel Lobo will join Lightsource BP along with other senior executives from the company. Lobo will join the company as director of business development.\n\nLobo said: “We are very excited to become part of the Lightsource BP family. Based on our project development experience across Latin America, our team has achieved a significant portfolio in a short space of time.\n\n“I am personally looking forward to growing and progressing further with the solid financial backing, wide experience and extensive procurement and supply chain relationships afforded by Lightsource BP. This is the next step in putting solar firmly on the Brazilian energy map.”\n\nIn May, Lightsource BP secured debt investment of $194m (£154.2m) from Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ) to finance a portfolio of solar assets owned and managed by the company.\n\nAs per CDPQ, the debt facility will be used for financing a diversified portfolio of solar assets including more than 100 solar projects located across various countries, totaling more than 700MW.", "\n• Jackson, Michigan is creating a “smart energy district” for energy innovation and testing.\n• Sky-high energy bills in Appalachia are pushing some to investigate rooftop solar.\n• New Mexico and Tennessee utilities look to go big on solar and battery storage.\n• Duke Energy surpasses 1 GW in owned solar capacity — but it has a long way to go on renewables.\n\nElectrek Green Energy Brief: A daily technical, financial, and political review/analysis of important green energy news.\n\nA new redevelopment project in Jackson, Michigan will become a “smart energy district” as it looks to test a number of technologies, Yale Climate Connections reports.\n\nPaul Gruber of Michigan utility Consumers Energy said the area — with a mix of new and old buildings — could feature solar canopies, advanced battery storage, and EV charging stations.\n\nThat mix of buildings is part of the appeal — a combination of energy tech worked into the design of new construction, along with older buildings that need “creative retrofits” should make a good test case. Gruber said,\n\nIt sounds like Jackson will be trying a bunch of renewable/electric technologies at once, but it doesn’t seem like the utility will pursue something like the smart grid initiative we’ve seen in the Orkney Islands, for instance. Still, it sounds like an interesting, worthwhile project.\n\nSky-high electricity costs are crippling many Appalachia homeowners, who already pay so much of their income toward housing, ReSource reports. A number of other factors are in play which put even more of a financial burden on an already burdened population.\n\nThough the area is famed for its coal, ReSource claims this combination of factors has some looking toward rooftop solar, as the combination has “spurred a rush among groups in the region already looking to renewable energy to protect against future utility cost increases.”\n\nKentucky passed legislation this year which will affect the potential ROI for future solar installations, as well. So many who do have interest are looking to get in on solar installations before the end of the year.\n\nEnergy Storage News takes a look at a few future planned energy developments in New Mexico and Tennessee, and solar and storage play a large role.\n\nIn New Mexico, the San Juan coal power station in slated to close in 2022, and utility PNM is looking for replacement infrastructure. The utility is calling for 350 megawatts of new solar and 130 MW of battery storage. In less exciting news, it’s also seeking 280 MW in gas peaker plants.\n\nThe Tennessee Valley Authority’s (TVA) newest Integrated Resource Plan calls for up to 2.4 GW of energy storage by 2028 and up to 5.3 GW by 2038. It also could add as much as 14 GW of solar by 2038.\n\nBut again, Energy Storage News notes that:\n\nOne wonders how long it’ll take what’s happening in California — record low solar costs and outdated natural gas-fired plants closing to make room for battery storage — to spread to the rest of the country. It’s closer than many of those in charge may think, especially if they really want to see it happen.\n\nDuke Energy, the largest electric utility in the US, proudly announced on Tuesday that it’s gone over 1 GW in owned solar capacity.\n\nIt’s always wise, however, to keep an eye on the big picture with Duke, which was named “Public Energy Enemy No. 1” by the Environmental Working Group earlier this year. And as EQ Research Sr. Energy Policy Analyst Ben Inskeep tweeted:\n\nAlthough coal’s role decreases in the plan, Duke still plans on keeping the fossil fuel online beyond 2036.\n\nSubscribe to Electrek on YouTube for exclusive videos and subscribe to the podcast.", "With the North Rosamond Solar Facility coming online last month in California, Duke Energy has passed the 1GW threshold of utility-scale owned and operated solar facilities nationwide.\n\nImage: Duke Energy continues to build, own and operate solar energy facilities across the nation. Photo: Courtesy of Duke Energy.\n\nThroughout the decade, Duke Energy has been building a solar portfolio that now includes almost 70 sites in 10 states, with a total capacity of 1.1 GW. At peak output, that could serve energy to approximately 2 million homes.\n\n“For nearly a decade, Duke Energy has been delivering affordable solar power to our customers. This provides significant economic benefits to our communities, while generating no environmental emissions,” said Rob Caldwell, senior vice president and president of Duke Energy Renewables & Business Development.\n\nIn additional to owning and operating solar facilities, Duke Energy is one of the largest purchasers of solar power in the nation for its customers. Currently, the company purchases the output from more than 3 GW of capacity in states where it serves retail customers. Taken together, the 4 GW of owned and purchased renewables make up more than 9% of Duke Energy’s generated electricity.\n\nNorth Carolina is Duke Energy’s biggest solar state – in addition to being the No. 2 state in the nation for overall solar power. The company owns 40 solar facilities in the state, including the 80-megawatt (MW) Conetoe Solar Facility in Edgecombe County, the 65-MW Warsaw Solar Facility in Duplin County and the 60-MW Monroe Solar Facility in Union County.\n\nIn April, the company said it would develop and own more major projects in the state. Also, Duke Energy Progress, the utility that serves portions of North Carolina and South Carolina, has been on the annual Top 10 list for utilities adding solar for the past seven years.\n\nIn Florida, Duke Energy has over 100 MW of solar generation in operation and four more solar plants targeted for operation by the end of March 2020. That represents an additional 270 MW of clean energy for customers. These investments are part of an overall solar generation expansion plan to reliably and cost-effectively grow Duke Energy Florida’s solar portfolio to 700 MW by 2022.\n\nCalifornia is Duke Energy’s second-largest solar state, with 12 sites and more than 340 MW of capacity. Duke Energy Renewables continues to expand in the No. 1 solar state in the nation.\n\n“Our future shows even more solar being built and operated by Duke Energy,” added Caldwell. “One GW is a notable milestone, but we have plans for much more.”", "Chinese module maker Trina Solar has announced a partnership with the distributor to bring its new mono PERC modules to Brazil's fast-growing distributed generation market.Trina Solar this week announced it has signed a distribution agreement with Brazilian distributor Aldo Solar to supply its latest modules to the South American nation's distributed generation customers. According to Aldo Solar, pre-sale of modules will begin today with the first shipments from Trina expected to arrive at its headquarters in Maringá in the south of Brazil by the third week of the month. The partnership will ..."], "summary": "Lightsource BP, a solar energy developer headquartered in London, has announced that it will acquire utility-scale solar projects in Brazil, 1.9 gigawatts of projects, for an undisclosed sum. This is a major expansion for Lightsource, which is 43% owned by the energy giant BP."}
{"document": ["LOS ANGELES — A magnitude 6-4 earthquake was felt throughout the Southland Thursday, shaking up local residents celebrating the Fourth of July.\n\nThe quake, which began at 10:33 a.m., was centered about 7 miles southwest of Searles Valley, a sparsely populated part of the Mojave Desert near Kern County and northwestern San Bernardino County, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.\n\nGovernor Gavin Newsom on Thursday issued an emergency proclamation due to the effects of the earthquake near Ridgecrest in Kern County and continued aftershocks that have damaged infrastructure, homes and other structures and caused fires.\n\nRELATED: Where was the ShakeAlert?\n\nSouthland police and fire agencies quickly took to social media, reporting no injuries from the shaking, but some possible damage and one structure fire.\n\nThe Los Angeles Department of Water and Power reported a water main break on Wilshire Boulevard and La Jolla Avenue, power outages affecting the Garment District downtown, a portion of San Pedro, and 20 customers in Granada Hills -- though officials later said power was restored in Granada Hills, and the water main break downtown might have been unrelated to the earthquake.\n\nThe Los Angeles Fire Department reported shortly after noon that a survey all 106 fire stations \"found no signs of any significant damage in the City of Los Angeles nor any injuries.\"\n\nRELATED: San Diegans sound off on social media about magnitude 6.4 earthquake\n\nThe Los Angeles Police Department reported that they have not received any reports of damage or calls for service within the city in relation to the earthquake.\n\nLos Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said at 1:30 p.m. that the city was \"in great shape,\" with no significant damage to report.\n\nOfficials at LAX said all runways were inspected and no damage was found.\n\nRide operations were briefly suspended at Six Flags Magic Mountain and Hurricane Harbor in Santa Clarita, but the theme parks tweeted shortly after the quake that operations had resumed as normal.\n\nThis photo shows damage on Highway 178 in Ridgecrest, Calif., following an earthquake in the area Thursday, July 4, 2019. The earthquake shook a large swath of Southern California and parts of Nevada on Thursday, rattling nerves on the July 4th holiday and causing some injuries and damage in the town near the epicenter, followed by a swarm of ongoing aftershocks. (AP Photo/Matt Hartman)\n\nSouthland police agencies were reminding the public not to use 911 for earthquake questions unless they have injuries or dangerous conditions to report.\n\nThe Los Angeles County Fire Department was sending a battalion chief and a task force to Ridgecrest, near Bakersfield, to assist the Kern County Fire Department in earthquake recovery efforts.\n\nOfficials with the San Bernardino County Fire Department tweeted that they were conducting an assessment of the region and \"no injuries reported, however buildings and roads have sustained varying degrees of damage.\"\n\nA later tweet said multiple buildings had been found with minor cracks, along with broken water mains, downed power lines and rockslides on certain roads.\n\nThe Kern County Fire Department announced that it was responding to nearly two dozen incidents ranging from medical assistance to structure fires in and around the city of Ridgecrest, a town of about 28,000 people and the closest major population center to the epicenter was Ridgecrest.\n\nA state of emergency was later declared in Ridgecrest and signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, and 15 emergency-room patients were transferred to Palmdale Regional Medical Center while Ridgecrest Regional Hospital was being evaluated for structural damage.\n\nA photo made the rounds on Twitter showing a large crack on Highway 178 near the small town of Trona. Caltrans officials reported Thursday afternoon that the crask \"was repaired within one hour by Caltrans District 9 Maintenance crews.\"\n\nOfficials with SoCalGas said an initial inspection revealed \"no significant impacts to the natural gas system.\" The epicenter is within the utility's service area.\n\nIt was the strongest quake to be felt in Southern California since 1999, according to seismologist Lucy Jones of Caltech, founder of the Dr. Lucy Jones Center for Science & Society.\n\nJones said the quake was not on the San Andreas fault.\n\n\"It is an area with a lot of little faults but no long fault,\" she tweeted.\n\nJones said the \"shake alert\" computer system at Caltech's seismic facility registered a 48-second warning that shaking had begun, but the warning signal did not go out to the public.\n\nLos Angeles officials later explained that, tweeting: \"The #ShakeAlertLA app only sends alerts if shaking is 5.0+ in LA County. Epicenter was 6.4 in Kern County, ??@USGS?? confirms LA*s shaking was below 4.5. We hear you and will lower the alert threshold with ??@USGS_ShakeAlert??\"\n\n\"Let's remind ourselves that this is not a physical science question,\" Jones explained. \"Giving more alerts convinces people that the system works and generates trust in it. Lots of false alarms generates distrust. Part of the concern in our current early system without complete funding (is) how many false alarms would we be issuing?\n\n\" ... The other problem is that there's a lot of use to the alerts beyond damage. Nobody in Los Angeles County was damaged -- nowhere close. We just all felt it. That does not stop people from being scared from feeling it, and one of the questions is what is the psychological benefit of getting a few seconds of warning and knowing that it's coming? That's a hard thing to measure physically.\"\n\nA magnitude 4.2 quake that preceded the main quake by about 30 minutes was a \"foreshock,\" Jones said.\n\nSeveral aftershocks in the magnitude-3 range were reported by the USGS, as expected following a substantial quake. Jones said there was a better than 50-percent chance of a larger aftershock in the magnitude-5 area \"sometime this afternoon.\"\n\nThe USGS tweeted that \"According to our forecast, over the next 1 Week there is a 9% chance of one or more aftershocks that are larger than magnitude 6.4. It is likely that there will be smaller earthquakes over the next 1 Week, with 50 to 700 magnitude 3 or higher aftershocks.\"\n\nThe last Southern California earthquake to exceed 6.4 was on Oct. 16, 1999, when a magnitude 7.1 quake struck in the Mojave Desert near Twentynine Palms Marine Corps Base. That quake knocked an Amtrak passenger train off its tracks and damaged two highway bridges.\n\nThe full text of the emergency proclamation is below:\n\n\n\nPROCLAMATION OF A STATE OF EMERGENCY\n\nWHEREAS on July 4, 2019, a magnitude 6.4 earthquake centered near the City of Ridgecrest in Kern County caused significant damage; and\n\nWHEREAS multiple earthquake aftershocks continue to impact the region; and\n\nWHEREAS the earthquake damaged roads and buildings, resulted in multiple structural fires, and necessitated evacuations; and\n\nWHEREAS the earthquake damaged critical infrastructure, including electrical service lines, water lines, and gas lines, impacting thousands of customers; and\n\nWHEREAS under the provisions of Government Code section 8558(b), I find that conditions of extreme peril to the safety of persons and property exist in Kern County due to the earthquake; and\n\nWHEREAS under the provisions of Government Code section 8558(b), I find that the conditions caused by the earthquake, by reason of its magnitude, are or are likely to be beyond the control of the services, personnel, equipment, and facilities of any single local government and require the combined forces of a mutual aid region or regions to appropriately respond.", "The earthquake happened just after 10:30 a.m. on Thursday.\n\nInitial information from the USGS indicates the earthquake was centered near Searles Valley, California, 150 miles northeast of Los Angeles, 130 miles east of Bakersfield.\n\nKern County Fire is reportedly responding to 24 incidents, ranging from medical assistance to structure fires around Ridgecrest, California. A search and rescue team is en route.\n\nShaking has been reported in the Bakersfield, Los Angeles and Las Vegas.\n\nLas Vegas fire department said there have been no reports of damage or injuries in the Las Vegas area.\n\nLos Angeles police said the city has not received reports of any significant damage.\n\nOn Twitter, Los Angeles International Airport said there are no immediate reports of damage. Operations are normal and teams are inspecting runways and terminals.\n\nThere is no tsunami warning, advisory watch or threat as a result of the earthquake.", "Earthquake rattles Los Angeles and much of Southern California. No immediate reports of damage or injuries.\n\nLOS ANGELES (AP) — Earthquake rattles Los Angeles and much of Southern California. No immediate reports of damage or injuries. .", "SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — An earthquake rattled a large swath of Southern California and parts of Nevada on Thursday morning, making hanging lamps sway and photo frames on wall shake. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.\n\nThe 6.4 magnitude quake measured struck near in the Mojave Desert, about 150 miles (240 kilometers) northeast of Los Angeles, near the town of Ridgecrest, California.\n\nThe United State Geological Survey initially said it measured at a 6.6 magnitude.\n\nPeople from Las Vegas to the Pacific Coast reported feeling a rolling motion and took to social media to report it.\n\nLocal emergency agencies also took to social media to ask people to only call 911 for emergencies.\n\n\"We are very much aware of the significant earthquake that just occurred in Southern California. Please DO NOT call 9-1-1 unless there are injuries or other dangerous conditions. Don't call for questions please,\" the LAPD said in a statement published on Twitter.\n\nAshleigh Chandler, a helicopter rescue EMT at Fort Irwin, California, said the quake happened as she was getting ready for a July 4th party.\n\n\"I was just in the living room getting everything ready, we start to feel the shaking, so then I look up and then the wine bottles start rattling and I thought, 'They're going to fall.'\n\n\"My sister was in the house and my dog, so we just got everyone outside and then it ended. It was like 15, 20 seconds, maybe. It was pretty good shaking, so I'm out of breath.\"", "The strongest earthquake in 20 years shook a large swath of Southern California and parts of Nevada on the July 4th holiday, rattling nerves and causing injuries and damage in a town near the epicenter, followed by a swarm of ongoing aftershocks.\n\nThe 6.4 magnitude quake struck at 10:33 a.m. Thursday in the Mojave Desert, about 150 miles (240 kilometers) northeast of Los Angeles, near the town of Ridgecrest, California.\n\nMultiple injuries and two house fires were reported in the town of 28,000. Emergency crews dealt with small vegetation fires, gas leaks and reports of cracked roads, said Kern County Fire Chief David Witt.\n\nHe said 15 patients were evacuated from the Ridgecrest Regional Hospital as a precaution.\n\nRidgecrest Mayor Peggy Breeden said that utility workers were assessing broken gas lines and turning off gas where necessary.\n\nA widely felt magnitude 5.4 quake before dawn Friday was the strongest aftershock thus far. Seismologists had said there was an 80 percent probability of an aftershock of that strength within a week.\n\nThe local senior center was holding a July 4th event when Thursday's big quake hit and everyone made it out shaken up but without injuries, she said.\n\n\"Oh, my goodness, there's another one (quake) right now,\" Breeden said on live television as an aftershock struck.\n\nGov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for Kern County. The declaration means that the state will help the county and municipalities in it with emergency aid and recovery efforts.\n\nBreeden noted at a news conference that other nearby governments have offered to help the recovery effort.\n\nPresident Donald Trump said he was fully briefed on the earthquake and that it \"all seems to be very much under control!\"\n\nPolice and fire officials said at a news conference Thursday afternoon that they have enough resources so far to meet needs in the wake of the earthquake.\n\nCalifornia Highway Patrol Lt. John Williams said officials have found cracks on several roads in the county, but overpasses and underpasses are in good shape.\n\n\"It almost gave me a heart attack,\" said Cora Burke, a waitress at Midway Cafe in Ridgecrest, of the big jolt. \"It's just a rolling feeling inside the building, inside the cafe and all of a sudden everything started falling off the shelf, glasses, the refrigerator and everything in the small refrigerator fell over.\"\n\nVideo posted online of a liquor store in Ridgecrest showed the aisles filled with broken wine and liquor bottles, knocked down boxes and other groceries strewn on the floor. Flames were seen shooting out of one home in the community.\n\nLucy Jones, a seismologist with the California Institute of Technology's seismology lab, said the earthquake was the strongest since a 7.1 quake struck in the area on October 16, 1999.\n\n\"This has been an extremely quiet abnormal time,\" Jones said. \"This type of earthquake is much more normal ... The long term average is probably once every five or 10 years somewhere in Southern California.\"\n\nJones said that the 6.4 quake was preceded by a magnitude 4.2 temblor about a half hour earlier.\n\nThe epicenter was in the arid expanse of Searles Valley, a sparsely populated region.\n\n\"This is an isolated enough location that that's going to greatly reduce the damage,\" she said.\n\nThe quake was detected by California's new ShakeAlert system and it provided 48 seconds of warning to the seismology lab well before the shaking arrived at Caltech in the Los Angeles suburb of Pasadena but it did not trigger a public warning through an app recently made available in Los Angeles County.\n\nGraves said it calculated an intensity level for the Los Angeles area that was below the threshold for a public alert. The limits are intended to avoid false alarms.\n\nGlenn Pomeroy, the head of California's Earthquake Authority, said the earthquake is \"an important reminder that all of California is earthquake country.\"\n\nPomeroy urged the estimated 2,000 people in the region hit by the quake who have California Earthquake Authority insurance policies to contact their residential insurance agencies as soon as possible. Information on how to file a policy claim is on the agency’s website: EarthquakeAuthority.com, he said.", "LOS ANGELES (WDTN) – A magnitude-6.4 earthquake has been reported Thursday afternoon in southern California, just north of of Los Angeles, according to the United States Geological Survey.\n\nThe epicenter of the earthquake occurred about 120 miles north, northeast of Los Angeles, near Searles Valley, Calif., at around 1:30 pm eastern time.\n\nThe extent of damage or possible injuries has yet to be determined.\n\nLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for all the latest news, weather and sports.", "LOS ANGELES (AP) — A strong earthquake rattled a large swath of Southern California and parts of Nevada on Thursday morning, making hanging lamps sway and photo frames on walls shake. There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries but a swarm of aftershocks were reported.\n\nThe 6.4 magnitude quake struck at 10:33 a.m. in the Mojave Desert, about 150 miles (240 kilometers) northeast of Los Angeles, near the town of Ridgecrest, California. It is the strongest quake to hit the region in 20 years.\n\nThe United State Geological Survey initially said it measured at a 6.6 magnitude.\n\n\"It almost gave me a heart attack,\" said Cora Burke, a waitress at Midway Cafe in Ridgecrest, a town of 28,000 people. \"It's just a rolling feeling inside the building, inside the cafe and all of a sudden everything started falling off the shelf, glasses, the refrigerator and everything in the small refrigerator fell over.\"\n\nVideo posted online of a liquor store in Ridgecrest showed the aisles filled with broken wine and liquor bottles, knocked down boxes and other groceries strewn on the floor. There was at least one house on fire in Ridgecrest.\n\nVeteran seismologist Lucy Jones said the earthquake Thursday was the strongest to hit Southern California in 20 years.\n\nThe previous large quake was a 7.1 on that struck in the area on October 16, 1999, she said.\n\nJones told reporters at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, California, that the 6.4 quake centered in the Mojave Desert near the town of Ridgecrest was preceded by a magnitude 4.3 temblor about a half hour earlier.\n\nShe says it was vigorous aftershock sequence occurring and that she wouldn't be surprise if a magnitude 5 quake occurred during the aftershocks.\n\n\"We should be expecting lots of aftershocks,\" she said.\n\nPeople from Las Vegas to the Pacific Coast reported feeling a rolling motion and took to social media to report it.\n\nLocal emergency agencies also took to social media to ask people to only call 911 for emergencies.\n\n\"We are very much aware of the significant earthquake that just occurred in Southern California. Please DO NOT call 9-1-1 unless there are injuries or other dangerous conditions. Don't call for questions please,\" the LAPD said in a statement published on Twitter.\n\nAshleigh Chandler, a helicopter rescue EMT at Fort Irwin, California, said the quake happened as she was getting ready for a July 4th party.\n\n\"I was just in the living room getting everything ready, we start to feel the shaking, so then I look up and then the wine bottles start rattling and I thought, 'They're going to fall.'\n\n\"My stepson was in the house and my dog, so we just got everyone outside and then it ended. It was like 15, 20 seconds, maybe. It was pretty good shaking, so I'm out of breath.\"\n\nRodriguez reported from San Francisco. Associated Press writer Rachel Lerman in San Francisco and AP Radio reporter Shelly Adler in Washington, D.C., contributed.\n\nThe quote in the story from Ashleigh Chandler has been corrected to say stepson, not sister.", "RIDGECREST, California — The magnitude 6.4 earthquake that struck an area of California between Los Angeles and Las Vegas on Thursday morning was the strongest quake to hit the region in 20 years.\n\nThe rolling temblor sent dozens aftershocks through the Fourth of July holiday and researchers say they could last for a week. A California official says some injuries and two house fires have been reported in a town near the epicenter.\n\nThe United States Geological Survey says on its website that their forecast over the next week includes a 9% chance of one or more aftershocks larger than the Thursday earthquake's magnitude 6.4. It is likely that there will be smaller earthquakes over the next week, with 50 to 700 magnitude 3 or higher aftershocks.\n\nIt happened near Searles Valley, California, about 125 miles northeast of Los Angeles and 125 miles west of Las Vegas. The 28,000 residents of Ridgecrest make up the biggest population concentration closest to the epicenter. The quake had a depth of 5.4 miles.\n\nKern County Fire Chief David Witt also told The Associated Press that emergency crews were dealing with small vegetation fires, cracks on some roads and gas leaks that were reported after the quake in the Mojave Desert.\n\nThe U.S.G.S. says magnitude 3 and above are large enough to be felt near the epicenter, and that the number of aftershocks will drop off over time. However, a large aftershock can increase the numbers again, temporarily.\n\nThe survey tweeted that at around 1:15 p.m. local time, nearly three hours after the mainshock, there were more than 100 aftershocks at least magnitude 2.5. It also said that hours later there had been over 22 that were strong enough to feel.\n\nIt was felt in neighboring states and was followed by dozens of aftershocks. Firefighters nearby reported responding to medical emergencies and fires.\n\nVeteran seismologist Lucy Jones says the earthquake Thursday was the strongest to hit Southern California in 20 years.\n\nShe says the previous large quake was a 7.1 that struck in the area on October 16, 1999.\n\nJones told reporters at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena that the 6.4 quake centered in the Mojave Desert near the town of Ridgecrest was preceded by a magnitude 4.3 temblor about a half hour earlier.\n\nIn Ridgecrest, Kern County fire officials reported responding to at least two dozen incidents ranging from medical assistance to structure fires.\n\nPeople as far away as Phoenix -- nearly 350 miles away -- reported feeling it.\n\nRELATED: Prepare to be on your own in a major disaster\n\nA common feature of this quake people had reported was that it lasted a long time.\n\n\"The strange thing about this one is it kept rolling and rolling and rolling. It felt like it lasted a good minute,\" said NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt in a phone interview from Los Angeles.\n\n\"Bigger quakes last for a longer time. The fault was producing energy for about 5 seconds. What you feel is that plus reverberations,\" Jones tweeted.\n\nAn interactive map from the U.S. Geological Survey showed there were two quakes -- magnitude 2.5 and 4.0 -- in the same area within a half-hour prior to the larger one.\n\nPeople jumped onto social media to talk about the experience, and President Donald Trump tweeted that he has been briefed on the situation.\n\nFilmmaker Ava DuVernay said she's lived in Los Angeles her entire life and it was the longest earthquake she ever felt.\n\n\"Not jerky. Smooth and rolling. But it was loooong. It was so long I thought for the first time ever “Is this the big one?” Damn. Respect Mother Nature. She’s the boss,\" DuVernay tweeted.\n\nSports talk show host Colin Cowherd was in the middle of his show on FS1, based in Los Angles, and narrated what he was feeling.\n\nIn Las Vegas, some people described it as minor while others experienced more shaking.", "As the United States began celebrating its Independence Day on July 4, a powerful 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck southern California at around 10.33 am local time, the Los Angeles Times reported.\n\nNo casualties have been reported yet. The epicentre of the earthquake was located in the Searles Valley area, the report added. The city of Ridgecrest was worst hit in the calamity.\n\nThe July 4 earthquake was the worst that California has seen in the last 20 years. The region also experienced almost 200 aftershocks through the afternoon, almost ten of them reported to be of magnitude 4 or above on the Richter Scale.\n\nMany broken gas lines and nearly two dozen fire incidents were reported from Ridgecrest on July 4, but it is yet to be ascertained if this was in the aftermath of the earthquake.", "SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A large earthquake has rattled a large swath of Southern California. There are no immediate reports of damage.\n\nThe quake measured with a preliminary magnitude of 6.6 struck Wednesday morning near the town of Ridgecrest, California, about 150 miles (240 kilometers) northeast of Los Angeles.\n\nPeople from the desert to the Pacific coast in Southern California reported feeling it."], "summary": "An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.4 with scores of foreshocks and aftershocks hits Southern California, 150 miles (240 km) north of Los Angeles near the city of Ridgecrest. No injuries are reported. The earthquake is the largest in Southern California since October 1999."}
{"document": ["TUNIS (Reuters) - A boat carrying more than 70 migrants capsized off the coast of Tunisia on Wednesday, the Tunisian Red Crescent said.\n\nSome of the four initial survivors told the Tunisian coast guard on Thursday that the boat had sunk off the town of Zarzis, Red Crescent official Mongi Slim told Reuters.\n\nOne of the four died later in hospital, Slim said, adding that no more information was available.\n\nAt least 65 migrants drowned last May when their boat capsized off the Tunisian coast after they had left Libya hoping to reach Europe.", "More than 80 people missing after boat sinks off Tunisian coast\n\nMore than 80 people missing after boat sinks off Tunisian coast\n\nThe boat capsized off the Tunisian coast. File pic\n\nEighty-two people are missing after the boat they were in sank off the coast of Tunisia.\n\nTunisian fishermen came across the sinking boat near the town of Zarzis late on Wednesday.\n\nThey were able to pull out four men but there was no trace of any of the other passengers, according to Lorena Lando, head of the International Organization for Migration in Tunisia.\n\nThose on board are thought to have been migrants.\n\nOne of those rescued, a man from the Ivory Coast, died overnight in hospital.\n\nIn May, at least 65 migrants drowned after their boat capsized while heading from Libya to Europe.", "Four men were pulled from sinking vessel with one later dying in hospital, says official\n\nThis article is more than 2 months old\n\nThis article is more than 2 months old\n\nMore than 80 people trying to reach Europe from Libya are feared dead after their boat capsized off the coast of Tunisia, according to the UN migration agency.\n\nThe boat sank on Wednesday off the port town of Zarzis and 82 of the migrants who had been onboard were missing, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said. Fishermen pulled four men from the sinking boat, said Lorena Lando, the agency’s head in Tunisia. One of the four died later in hospital.\n\nA government source said the survivors, who were rescued nine miles (14.5km) off Zarzis, informed coastguards they had set out from Libya and that dozens had drowned.\n\nFlavio Di Giacomo, a spokesman for the IOM, tweeted: “More updates are needed in order to confirm what happened and the actual number of missing.”\n\nAt least 65 people heading for Europe from Libya drowned last May when their boat capsized off Tunisia.\n\nLibya’s western coast is a main departure point for African migrants hoping to reach Europe with the help of human traffickers, though numbers have dropped because of an Italian-led effort to disrupt smuggling networks and support the Libyan coastguard.\n\nAlthough fighting in Libya has made the situation more difficult for those involved in people-trafficking rackets, international aid officials have warned it could also prompt Libyans to flee the country.\n\nOn Wednesday, an airstrike on a Libyan migrant detention centre killed at least 53 people. It was reported that guards shot at detainees trying to flee the attack. The UN and aid groups blamed the airstrike deaths in part on the EU’s policy of partnering with Libyan militias to prevent people from trying to cross the Mediterranean to reach Europe.", "More than 80 people missing after boat sinks off Tunisian coast\n\nMore than 80 people missing after boat sinks off Tunisian coast\n\nThe boat capsized off the Tunisian coast. File pic\n\nA boat carrying 86 migrants has sank in the Mediterranean - and 82 people have been reported missing.\n\nFishermen came across the sinking boat, nine miles from the town of Zarzis off the coast of Tunisia, late on Wednesday.\n\nThey were able to pull four men from the vessel but there was no trace of the other passengers, according to Lorena Lando, head of the International Organisation for Migration in Tunisia.\n\nOne of those rescued, a man from the Ivory Coast, died overnight in hospital.\n\nThose on board are thought to have been migrants who had departed from the Libyan city of Zuwara.\n\nIn May, at least 65 migrants drowned after their boat capsized while heading from Libya to Europe.\n\nAfrican migrants often depart from the west coast of Libya and head to Europe in search of a better life.\n\nBut many rely on human traffickers, and end up travelling in unsafe boats.\n\nAid workers have warned that the recent fighting in Libya could prompt more Libyans to flee their country.\n\nHowever, an operation run by the Italians and the Libyan coast guard has seen a recent drop in the number of people sailing for Europe.", "At least 80 migrants died after the boat they were traveling on capsized off Tunisia on Thursday.\n\nThe migrants were headed to Europe from Libya when their capsized in the Mediterranean.\n\nA survivor told Reuters at the Liwa refugee centre in Tunisia that he and three others survived by sitting on a piece of wood for two days. Malian Souleyman Couibaly said they had taken the wood from the capsized boat.\n\n“There were a lot of dead people. A lot of dead people then the doctor is helping me so I can get upstairs. We are looking at the sea to search for boats passing, but we didn’t see any boats. We called the Europeans to pick us up, but their phone doesn’t ring. We were sitting in the water for three hours, the water is entering, the boat is sinking, the others fall, the water fills the boat and we are sinking. Only we were saved, the others are lost, dead in the water, we don’t know where they are. We took some wood that was inside the boat. We, four people, sat on the wood”, he recalls.\n\nLast May, at least 65 migrants headed to Europe from Libya drowned when their boat capsized off Tunisia.\n\nLibya’s west coast is a main departure point for African migrants hoping to reach Europe through human traffickers.\n\nBut the numbers have dipped due to an Italian-led effort to interrupt smuggling networks and support from the Libyan coast guard.\n\nLibya has been in a turmoil after the death of long time leader Moamar Gaddafi in 2011.", "July 4 (UPI) -- More than 80 people are missing after a boat carrying migrants sunk off the coast of Tunisia late Wednesday.\n\nThree Malians were rescued and a fourth migrant died later in a hospital. The inflatable boat, which capsized near the town of Zarzis, set out from Zuwara, Libya, where migrants often embark on dangerous journeys in hope of reaching Europe. More than 80 people are feared dead.\n\nFishermen who came across the sinking boat were unable to find more than four people.\n\nThe sinking came after an airstrike on a migrant center in Tripoli, Libya, killed at least 40 people. The Government of National Accord blamed the Libyan National Army for the attack as conflict with the United Nations-backed Libyan transition government continues. The country has seen persistent internal conflict, leading to the death of longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.\n\nA group of 131 refugees were evacuated out of Libya to Niger in June, the UN Refugee Agency said. In May, 65 migrants died when a boat sank off the coast of Tunisia.\n\nA record number of people worldwide, 41.3 million, were displaced from their home countries because of conflict and violence as of the end of 2018, according to a report from the Norwegian Refugee Council.\n\nIn the first six months of this year, 555 migrants died trying to cross the Mediterranean Sea, following 924 deaths in 2018, according to the International Organization for Migration.", "Tunis: The U.N. migration agency says a boat carrying 86 migrants from Libya sank in the Mediterranean overnight, and just three people on board survived, with 82 reportedly missing.\n\nThe shipwreck late Wednesday off the Tunisian city of Zarzis came a day after a deadly airstrike on a Libyan detention center that killed at least 44 migrants.\n\nThe Red Crescent and the navy told AFP that three Malians and an Ivorian were rescued off Zarzis in southern Tunisia on Wednesday by the coast guard who had been alerted by local fishermen.\n\nThe Ivorian, however, died in hospital and one of the Malians has also been hospitalised in intensive care.\n\nThose rescued had told Tunisian officials that 86 people were on board their inflatable boat when it left from the Libyan town of Zuwara, west of Tripoli, on its way to cross the Mediterranean to Italy.\n\n\"About 80 migrants are feared dead. More updates are needed in order to confirm what happened and the actual number of missing,\" Flavio Di Giacomo, a spokesman for the International Organisation for Migration, tweeted.\n\nEarlier this week, another boat from Libya made it to the Tunisian port of Sfax with 65 people on board.\n\nThe perilous route, frequently used by migrant boats, has taken hundreds of lives by now. Just in May, at least 50 people were killed after a migrant boat capsized off the coast of Tunisia, according to the International Organization for Migration.", "At least 80 refugees are feared dead after their boat capsized off the coast of Tunisia on Wednesday, BBC reported. Four people were rescued from the vessel, but one later died in hospital.\n\nThe three Malians who were rescued told officials they had set out from Zuwara town in Libya. Libya has been in the midst of a civil war since 2011, when its dictator Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown and killed.\n\nTunisian Red Crescent official Mongi Slim told Reuters said the initial four survivors told the Coast Guard that the boat sank off the coast of Zarzis, a coastal commune in the country. Lorena Lando, head of the International Organization for Migration in Tunisia, said that fishermen rescued four people from the boat on Wednesday night.\n\nThe passengers in the vessel were all heading for Europe, Al Jazeera reported. Libya has detained thousands of refugees and migrants in detention camps.\n\nThe news comes days after an airstrike killed at least 40 migrants and injured 80 in a detention camp in Tripoli, the capital of Libya.", "At least 82 people are missing after an inflatable boat carrying migrants capsized off Tunisia's Mediterranean coast earlier in the week, the United Nations-affiliated International Organization for Migration (IOM) said in a press release on Friday\n\nUNITED NATIONS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 05th July, 2019) At least 82 people are missing after an inflatable boat carrying migrants capsized off Tunisia 's Mediterranean coast earlier in the week, the United Nations-affiliated International Organization for Migration (IOM) said in a press release on Friday.\n\nOn Thursday, media reported that more than 80 people were unaccounted for after a shipwreck in the Mediterranean Sea three days earlier.\n\n\"IOM has learned that of the 82 still missing, four are women, one of them pregnant,\" the release said.\n\nOn Monday, the vessel left Zwara, Libya, and capsized a few hours later after it began to leak. Four survivors were spotted by fishermen and were then rescued by the Tunisian Coast Guard.\n\nOne survivor, a citizen of Cote d'Ivoire, later died in a hospital on Thursday, the release said. The other survivors are hospitalized and one was placed in a shelter run by the Tunisian Red Crescent. All of the survivors are believed to be citizens of Mali, the release added.\n\nThe IOM said in the release that it was able to meet with the survivors and assist them with basic needs and psychological support.\n\nAccording to the IOM, 426 migrants have drowned while attempting to cross the so-called central Mediterranean route. Some 3,750 have been brought back to Libya amid the ongoing violence in and around the capital of Tripoli.", "At least 80 are feared dead after a boat carrying migrants capsized off the Tunisian coast, a spokesperson for the International Organization for Migration has said.\n\nFlavio Di Giacomo wrote on Twitter on Thursday: \"A shipwreck occurred off the Tunisian coast, 4 survivors have been rescued and brought to Tunisia.\n\n\"They said that their dinghy was carrying 86 people.\n\n\"More updates are needed in order to confirm what happened and the actual number of missing.\"\n\nSome of the survivors have told the Tunisian coast guard that the boat sunk off the town of Zarzis, Red Crescent official Mongi Slim told Reuters.\n\nAll four were transferred to a migrant sheltering centre in Zarzis, but one is confirmed to have since died in a local hospital.\n\nGiacomo estimated the total number of people currently missing to be 82.\n\nHe also said the ship had sailed \"a few days ago\" from Zwara, a port city in northwest Libya just 85 miles east of Zarzis.\n\nAt least 65 migrants drowned trying to reach Europe from Libya last May when their boat capsized off the Tunisian coast.\n\nBeginning in 2015, large numbers of both refugees and economic migrants began arriving in Europe from the Middle East and North Africa.\n\nPeople smugglers are able to charge thousands of dollars to ferry migrants across the Mediterranean, but often intentionally sink boats once at sea, forcing humanitarian agencies from Europe to stage rescues.\n\nThe influx has sparked fierce debate about the nature of Europe’s obligation to the new arrivals and how many should be allowed to stay.\n\nWe pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368 . You can WhatsApp us on 07810 791 502. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours."], "summary": "More than 80 people are missing after a migrant boat capsizes off the coast of Tunisia, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM)."}
{"document": ["SYDNEY/TOKYO (Reuters) - An Australian student who was detained in North Korea was freed and safely left the country on Thursday, arriving in Tokyo via Beijing later the same day after Swedish officials helped broker his release.\n\nAlek Sigley, 29, who was studying in the North Korean capital, Pyongyang, had been missing since June 25.\n\n“I’m OK. I’m good, I’m very good,” Sigley told reporters after arriving at Beijing airport.\n\nHe declined to comment about what happened to him in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang where he had been living. He made a peace sign as he walked through the airport.\n\nHours later he landed in Tokyo, walking past a throng of reporters waiting at the airport without answering their questions. Sigley is married to a Japanese woman, Yuka Morinaga.\n\nAn Australian government source familiar with the situation said Sigley was due to travel to Tokyo from Beijing.\n\nAustralian Prime Minister Scott Morrison interrupted parliament earlier on Thursday to confirm that Sigley had been freed.\n\nMorrison later said in a statement that Swedish authorities had helped secure the student’s release.\n\n“This outcome demonstrates the value of the discreet, behind the scenes work of officials in resolving complex and sensitive consular cases, in close partnership with other governments,” Morrison said in the statement.\n\nHe did not say why Sigley had been detained.\n\nAustralia has no diplomatic presence in North Korea and relies on other countries such as Sweden to act on its behalf.\n\nAn Australian student Alek Sigley, 29, who was detained in North Korea, departs from Beijing to Japan, at the Beijing international airport, China, July 4, 2019. REUTERS/Jason Lee\n\nIn a statement to Reuters, the Swedish foreign ministry said it welcomed the release.\n\n“Sweden has acted in accordance with the agreement on providing consular services that exists with Australia and in close cooperation with Australian authorities,” it added.\n\nSigley’s father, a professor of Asian studies in the western Australian city of Perth, told reporters his son would soon be reunited with his wife.\n\n“We are extremely pleased that Alek is safe and sound,” Gary Sigley said.\n\nSigley was an active social media user in North Korea and regularly posted photos and blog posts about subjects such as food and fashion. Alarm was first raised that he was missing when he disappeared from his social media accounts.\n\nHe was also a regular contributor to international media about life in North Korea, which he was invariably enthusiastic about.\n\nIt was no coincidence the detention came during negotiations between North Korea and the United States, a close ally of Australia, said Asian security specialist Euan Graham.\n\n“North Korea would not have taken an Australian citizen into custody without considering the geopolitical ramifications,” said Graham, a professor at La Trobe University in Melbourne.\n\nThe detention could have been used as leverage, he added.\n\nOn Sunday, U.S. President Donald Trump became the first incumbent U.S. president to set foot in North Korea when he met its leader, Kim Jong Un, in the region’s demilitarized zone to resume stalled nuclear talks.\n\nThe treatment of foreigners, most usually from the United States, by the secretive North has long been a contentious issue. Some have been held prisoner for years on accusations of spying.\n\nSlideshow (3 Images)\n\nThe death of American student Otto Warmbier in 2017 after he was detained for 17 months sparked a long period of tension between the United States and North Korea.\n\nHe had been sentenced to 15 years of hard labor in 2016 for, according to North Korean state media, trying to steal an item bearing a political slogan.\n\nWarmbier died shortly after he was flown home to Ohio in a coma.", "This undated photo provided by the Sigley family shows Alek Sigley. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Friday, June 28, 2019, in Osaka, Japan, that he remained concerned for the Australian student who is uncontactable in North Korea and has been offered international support to find him. Morrison said the plight of Alek Sigley had been raised with him by world leaders attending the Group of 20 summit in Osaka including Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. (Courtesy of the Sigley family via AP)\n\nTOKYO (AP) — An Australian student released after a week in detention in North Korea arrived in Tokyo on Thursday after telling reporters he was in “very good” condition, without saying what happened to him.\n\nAustralian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced to Parliament that Alek Sigley, 29, had been released by North Korea following intervention from Swedish diplomats and described him as safe and well. After Sigley’s arrival in Beijing, he later went to Tokyo to reunite with his wife, who is Japanese.\n\nAt Beijing’s airport, he gave a peace sign to reporters and said, “I’m OK, I’m OK, I’m good. I’m very good,” but did not respond to questions about what had happened in Pyongyang.\n\nHe had been studying at a Pyongyang university and guiding tours in the North Korean capital before disappearing from social media contact with family and friends a week ago Tuesday. He had posted often on social media about his experiences in North Korea and had boasted about the extraordinary freedom he had as one of the few foreign students living there.\n\nHis father, Gary Sigley, a professor of Asian studies at the University of Western Australia, said his son had been treated well in North Korea.\n\nIt was a much happier outcome than the case of American college student Otto Warmbier, who was convicted of attempting to steal a propaganda poster and imprisoned in North Korea. Warmbier died shortly after being sent back home to the U.S. in a vegetative state in June 2017.\n\nSigley’s friend and fellow student of North Korea, University of Technology Sydney academic Bronwen Dalton, said Sigley’s wife was thrilled by his release.\n\n“We were jumping up and down and we love Sweden,” Dalton said.\n\n“He’s a fine, young, emerging Asian scholar, he is very applied to his studies. I really doubted whether he did actually anything wrong by the regime,” Dalton added.\n\nSwedish diplomats had raised concerns about Sigley with North Korean authorities in Pyongyang, where Australia does not have an embassy.\n\n“Swedish authorities advised the Australian government that they met with senior officials from the DPRK yesterday and raised the issue of Alek’s disappearance on Australia’s behalf,” Morrison said, using the official acronym for North Korea.\n\n“This outcome demonstrates the value of discrete behind-the-scenes work of officials in resolving complex and sensitive consular cases in close partnership with other governments,” Morrison said.\n\nIn an interview with Swedish public radio, Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom said the country’s special envoy to North Korea, Kent Harstedt, “raised the issue of this case at highest level” in North Korea and the release happened during Harstedt’s visit there.\n\nNorth Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency has not mentioned Sigley. Its report on the Swedish delegation headed by Harstedt said they visited a stamp museum and shoe factory during their four-day stay before heading home Thursday.\n\nThe Australian prime minister’s comments in Parliament were the first confirmation Sigley had been detained.\n\nMorrison said he discussed Sigley’s disappearance with other world leaders attending the Group of 20 summit in Japan last week and accepted offers to find out what happened to him. Morrison dined with President Donald Trump in Osaka but declined to say with whom he discussed Sigley’s disappearance.\n\nNorth Korea has been accused in the past of detaining Westerners and using them as political pawns to gain concessions.\n\nLeonid Petrov, an Australian National University expert on North Korea and a friend of Sigley, last week speculated that Sigley had been “deliberately cut off from means of communications” temporarily because Trump was in the region.\n\nPetrov said on Thursday that he had not been able to contact Sigley since he had been freed, but still suspected his disappearance was linked to Trump’s meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Sunday.\n\n“It was a time of sensitivity in North Korea after the visit of (Chinese President) Xi Jinping and before the visit by Donald Trump,” Petrov said.\n\n“I expected this to happen a couple of days earlier, but it was a good thing to see the Swedish government delegation arrive on Monday just after the summit. It was the right time to be there,” Petrov added.\n\nWang reported from Beijing. Associated Press writers Rod McGuirk in Canberra, Australia, Kim Tong-hyung in Seoul, South Korea, Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen, Denmark, and Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo contributed to this report.", "TOKYO (AP) — An Australian student released after a week in detention in North Korea arrived in Tokyo on Thursday after telling reporters he was in “very good” condition, without saying what happened to him.\n\nAustralian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced to Parliament that Alek Sigley, 29, had been released following intervention from Swedish diplomats and had been taken to the Australian Embassy in Beijing.\n\nLater Thursday, Sigley flew to Tokyo’s Haneda airport to reunite with his Japanese wife. He walked past reporters there without making any comments.\n\nEarlier, at Beijing’s airport, he gave a peace sign and said “I’m OK, I’m OK, I’m good. I’m very good,” but did not respond to reporters’ questions about what had happened in Pyongyang.\n\nHis father, Gary Sigley, a professor of Asian studies at the University of Western Australia, said his son had been treated well in North Korea.\n\nIt was a much happier outcome than the case of American college student Otto Warmbier, who was imprisoned in North Korea and convicted of attempting to steal a propaganda poster. Warmbier died shortly after being sent back home to the U.S. in a vegetative state in June 2017.\n\nSigley’s friend and fellow student of North Korea, University of Technology Sydney academic Bronwen Dalton, said she had spoken to Sigley’s wife, who was thrilled by his release.\n\n“We were jumping up and down and we love Sweden,” Dalton said.\n\n“He’s a fine, young, emerging Asian scholar, he is very applied to his studies. I really doubted whether he did actually anything wrong by the regime,” Dalton added.\n\nSwedish diplomats had raised concerns about Sigley with North Korean authorities in Pyongyang, where Australia does not have an embassy.\n\n“Swedish authorities advised the Australian government that they met with senior officials from the DPRK yesterday and raised the issue of Alek’s disappearance on Australia’s behalf,” Morrison said, using the official acronym for North Korea.\n\n“This outcome demonstrates the value of discrete behind-the-scenes work of officials in resolving complex and sensitive consular cases in close partnership with other governments,” Morrison said.\n\nIn an interview with Swedish public radio, Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom said the country’s special envoy to North Korea, Kent Harstedt, “raised the issue of this case at highest level” in North Korea and the release happened during his visit there.\n\nNorth Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency said the Swedish delegation led by Harstedt headed back home on Thursday after a four-day visit. It said the Swedes visited a stamp museum and shoe factory during their stay in North Korea, but made no mention of Sigley.\n\nThe Pyongyang university student and tour guide had been out of contact with family and friends in Japan and Australia since Tuesday last week. He had been active on social media about his experiences in North Korea and had boasted about the extraordinary freedom he had been allowed as one of the few foreign students living in Pyongyang.\n\nMorrison’s announcement was the first confirmation that he had been detained.\n\nMorrison said he discussed Sigley’s disappearance with other world leaders attending the Group of 20 summit in Japan last week and accepted offers to find out what happened to him. Morrison dined with President Donald Trump in Osaka but declined to say with whom he discussed Sigley’s disappearance.\n\nNorth Korea has been accused in the past of detaining Westerners and using them as political pawns to gain concessions.\n\nLeonid Petrov, an Australian National University expert on North Korea and a friend of Sigley, last week speculated that Sigley had been “deliberately cut off from means of communications” temporarily because Trump was in the region.\n\nPetrov said on Thursday that he had not been able to contact Sigley since he had been freed, but still suspected his disappearance was linked to Trump’s meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Sunday.\n\n“It was a time of sensitivity in North Korea after the visit of (Chinese President) Xi Jinping and before the visit by Donald Trump,” Petrov said.\n\n“I expected this to happen a couple of days earlier, but it was a good thing to see the Swedish government delegation arrive on Monday just after the summit. It was the right time to be there,” Petrov added.", "SYDNEY — An Australian student who was detained in North Korea has been released and safely left the country, traveling to China where he told reporters on Thursday he was well.\n\nAlek Sigley, 29, who was studying in the North Korean capital, Pyongyang, had been missing since June 25.\n\n“I’m OK. I’m good, I’m very good,” Sigley told reporters at Beijing airport.\n\nHe declined to comment about what happened to him in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang where he had been living. He made a peace sign as he walked through the airport.\n\nAn Australian government source familiar with the situation said Sigley was due to travel to Tokyo from Beijing. Sigley is married to a Japanese woman, Yuka Morinaga.\n\nPrime Minister Scott Morrison interrupted Parliament earlier on Thursday to confirm that Sigley had been freed.\n\nMorrison later said in a statement that Swedish authorities had helped secure the student’s release.\n\n“This outcome demonstrates the value of the discreet, behind the scenes work of officials in resolving complex and sensitive consular cases, in close partnership with other governments,” Morrison said in the statement.\n\nHe did not say why Sigley had been detained.\n\nAustralia has no diplomatic presence in North Korea and relies on other countries such as Sweden to act on its behalf.\n\nSigley’s father, a professor of Asian studies in the western Australian city of Perth, told reporters his son would soon be reunited with his wife.\n\n“We are extremely pleased that Alek is safe and sound in Beijing,” Gary Sigley said.\n\nHe said his son was in good spirits and in the care of Australia’s embassy in Beijing.\n\nSigley was an active social media user when he lived in North Korea and regularly posted photos and blog posts about subjects such as food and fashion.\n\nAlarm was first raised that he was missing when he disappeared from his social media accounts.\n\nHe was also a regular contributor to international media about life in North Korea, which he was invariably enthusiastic about.\n\nThe treatment of foreigners, most usually from the United States, by the secretive North has long been a contentious issue. Some have been held as prisoner for years on accusations of spying.\n\nThe death of American student Otto Warmbier in 2017 after he was detained in North Korea for 17 months sparked a long period of tension between the United States and North Korea.\n\nHe had been sentenced to 15 years of hard labor in 2016 for, according to North Korean state media, trying to steal an item bearing a political slogan.\n\nWarmbier died shortly after he was flown home to Ohio in a coma after being held by North Korea for 17 months. (Reporting by Colin Packham, Tom Westbrook, James Pearson and Ben Blanchard; Writing by Jonathan Barrett; Editing by Clarence Fernandez and Robert Birsel)", "A student has thanked diplomats in his native Australia and Sweden for securing his release from detention in North Korea.\n\nIn a statement after reuniting with his Japanese wife in Tokyo, Alek Sigley said: “I intend now to return to normal life but wanted to first publicly thank everyone who worked to ensure I was safe and well.”\n\nMr Sigley had been studying at a Pyongyang university and guiding tours in the North Korean capital before disappearing from social media contact with family and friends.\n\n“I just want everyone to know I am OK, and to thank them for their concern for my wellbeing and their support for my family over the past week. I’m very happy to be back with my wife, Yuka, and to have spoken with my family in Perth to reassure them I’m well,” he said in the statement.\n\nHe specifically thanked Sweden’s special envoy to North Korea, Kent Rolf Magnus Harstedt, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne for his release.\n\nSwedish diplomats had raised concerns about Mr Sigley with North Korean authorities in Pyongyang, where Australia does not have an embassy.\n\n“This outcome demonstrates the value of discrete behind-the-scenes work of officials in resolving complex and sensitive consular cases in close partnership with other governments,” Mr Morrison said in Parliament Thursday.\n\nIn an interview with Swedish public radio, Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom said that Mr Harstedt “raised the issue of this case at highest level” in North Korea and the release happened during his visit there.\n\nMr Sigley’s father, Gary Sigley, a professor of Asian studies at the University of Western Australia, said his son had been treated well in North Korea.\n\nIt was a much happier outcome than the case of American college student Otto Warmbier, who was convicted of attempting to steal a propaganda poster and imprisoned in North Korea.\n\nMr Warmbier died shortly after being sent back home to the US in a vegetative state in June 2017.\n\nMr Sigley’s friend and fellow student of North Korea, University of Technology Sydney academic Bronwen Dalton, said Mr Sigley’s wife was thrilled by his release.\n\n“We were jumping up and down and we love Sweden,” he said.\n\n“He’s a fine, young, emerging Asian scholar, he is very applied to his studies. I really doubted whether he did actually anything wrong by the regime,” Mr Dalton added.", "An Australian student who was detained in North Korea has been released and has safely left the country, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Thursday.\n\nAn Australian student who was detained in North Korea has been released and has safely left the country, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Thursday.\n\nAlek Sigley, 29, who was studying in the North Korean capital, Pyongyang, had been missing since June 25. Alarm was raised when the normally active social media user ceased all communication.\n\nMorrison interrupted Parliament to confirm that Sigley had been freed. He later said in a statement that Swedish authorities had helped secure the student's release.\n\n\"This outcome demonstrates the value of the discreet, behind the scenes work of officials in resolving complex and sensitive consular cases, in close partnership with other governments,\" Morrison said in the statement.\n\nREAD MORE: Australian student missing in North Korea after failing to contact family\n\nHe did not say why Sigley had been detained.\n\nAustralia has no diplomatic presence in North Korea and relies on other countries such as Sweden to act on its behalf.\n\nAn Australian government source familiar with the details confirmed Sigley was in Beijing and would shortly travel to Tokyo. Sigley, from the western Australian city of Perth, is married to a Japanese woman, Yuka Morinaga.\n\nA spokeswoman for Sigley's family directed all inquiries to the Australian government.\n\nSigley had been studying for a postgraduate degree in modern Korean literature at Kim Il Sung University, according to his Twitter page, making him one of only a handful of Western students there.\n\nThe treatment of foreigners, most usually from the United States, by the secretive North has long been a contentious issue. Some have been held as prisoner for years on accusations of spying.\n\nREAD MORE: North Korea to deport American as it boasts of new weapon", "(CANBERRA, Australia) — An Australian student released after a week in detention in North Korea described his condition to reporters in Beijing on Thursday as “very good,” without saying what happened.\n\nAustralia’s Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced to Parliament that Alek Sigley, 29, had been released hours earlier following intervention from Swedish diplomats on Wednesday, and had been taken to the Australian Embassy in Beijing.\n\nSigley looked relaxed and gave a peace sign when he arrived at Beijing airport. He did not respond to reporters’ questions about what had happened in Pyongyang.\n\n“I’m OK, I’m OK, I’m good. I’m very good,” Sigley said. Asked how he was feeling, Sigley replied: “Great.”\n\nHis father, Gary Sigley, a professor of Asian studies at University of Western Australia, said his son would soon be reunited with his Japanese wife Yuka Morinaga in Tokyo.\n\n“He’s fine. He’s in very good spirits. He’s been treated well,” the father told reporters in his hometown of Perth.\n\nSigley’s friend and fellow student of North Korea, University of Technology Sydney academic Bronwyn Dalton, said she had recently spoken to Sigley’s wife, who was thrilled by the news.\n\n“We were jumping up and down and we love Sweden,” Dalton said.\n\n“He’s a fine, young, emerging Asian scholar, he is very applied to his studies. I really doubted whether he did actually anything wrong by the regime,” Dalton added.\n\nSwedish diplomats had raised concerns about Sigley with North Korean authorities in Pyongyang, where Australia does not have an embassy.\n\n“Alek is safe and well. Swedish authorities advised the Australian government that they met with senior officials from the DPRK yesterday and raised the issue of Alek’s disappearance on Australia’s behalf,” Morrison said, using the official acronym for North Korea.\n\n“This outcome demonstrates the value of discrete behind-the-scenes work of officials in resolving complex and sensitive consular cases in close partnership with other governments,” Morrison said.\n\nIn an interview with Swedish public radio Thursday, Sweden’s Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom said she had been in contact with Australia and Sweden’s special envoy to North Korea, Kent Harstedt. She said Sweden had “raised the issue of this case at highest level” in North Korea and the release happened during Harstedt’s visit to Pyongyang.\n\n“Happy for the release of Australian citizen Alek Sigley today! Sweden has done its utmost to work for Mr Sigley under our bilateral agreement with Australia. Relieved that the situation was resolved,” Wallstrom tweeted.\n\nThe Pyongyang university student and tour guide had been out of contact with family and friends in Japan and Australia since Tuesday last week. He had been active in social media about his experiences in North Korea and had boasted about the extraordinary freedom he had been allowed as one of the few foreign students living in Pyongyang.\n\nMorrison’s announcement was the first confirmation that he had been detained.\n\nMorrison said he discussed Sigley’s disappearance with other world leaders attending the Group of 20 summit in Japan last week and accepted offers to find out what happened to him. Morrison had dined with President Donald Trump in Osaka but declined to say with whom he had discussed Sigley’s disappearance.\n\nNorth Korea has been accused in the past of detaining Westerners and using them as political pawns to gain concessions. Australia advises people to reconsider their need to travel to North Korea and warns that foreigners have been subject to arbitrary arrests and long detentions.\n\nLeonid Petrov, an Australian National University expert on North Korea and friend of Sigley, last week speculated that Sigley had been “deliberately cut off from means of communications” temporarily because Trump was in the region.\n\nPetrov said on Thursday that he had not been able to contact Sigley since he had been freed, but still suspected his disappearance was linked to Trump meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Sunday.\n\n“It was as time of sensitivity in North Korea after the visit of (Chinese President Xi Jinping) and before the visit by Donald Trump,” Petrov said.\n\n“I expected this to happen a couple of days earlier, but it was a good thing to see the Swedish government delegation arrive on Monday just after the summit. It was the right time to be there,” Petrov added.\n\nAssociated Press writer Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen, Denmark, contributed to this report.", "SYDNEY: A 29-year-old Australian student detained in North Korea has been released and is \"safe and well\", Prime Minister Scott Morrison told parliament on Thursday, ending a weeklong ordeal for his family.\n\nAlek Sigley - one of a handful of Westerners living and studying in Pyongyang - disappeared without a trace around June 23, prompting concerns about his fate.\n\nFor days his family received no word about his whereabouts or wellbeing, stoking fears he may be the latest in a long line of foreigners to be tangled up in North Korea's police state.\n\nThen, with little warning, Morrison on Thursday told lawmakers that Sigley had \"been released from detention in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea\" and that \"he is safe and well\".\n\nHis detention came just days before a landmark meeting between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, fuelling speculation that his detention may have been politically motivated.\n\nSigley ran a number of social media sites, which usually had a stream of apolitical content about everyday life in one of the world's most secretive nations.\n\n\"He is always trying to demystify North Korea, unlike the typical Western media. He tries to understand the people there,\" his 26-year-old wife Yuka Morinaga had said.\n\nThe case was complicated by Australia's lack of diplomatic representation in North Korea, Australia's interests there are instead represented by Sweden.\n\nSwedish special envoy Kent Harstedt had travelled to Pyongyang where he raised the issue with North Korean authorities.\n\n\"I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to Swedish authorities for their invaluable assistance in securing Alek's prompt release,\" Morrison said, hailing it as a triumph of \"behind the scenes\" diplomacy.\n\nSigley is believed to be travelling from China to Japan, where his wife lives.", "Alek Sigley -- one of a handful of Westerners living in Pyongyang -- disappeared without a trace around June 23 (AFP Photo/)\n\nBeijing (AFP) - A 29-year-old Australian student detained in North Korea surfaced in Beijing on Thursday, saying he felt \"great\" after being released.\n\nAlek Sigley -- one of a handful of Westerners living and studying in North Korea -- disappeared without a trace around June 23, prompting a week of deep concern and frantic speculation about his fate.\n\nFor days Sigley's family received no word about his whereabouts or wellbeing, stoking fears he may have been the latest in a long line of foreigners to become entangled in North Korea's police state.\n\n\"I'm ok, I'm ok, yeah, yeah, I'm good. I'm very good,\" Sigley said at Beijing's international airport. Asked how he felt, he responded: \"Great.\"\n\nHe went to the Australian embassy and was later seen again at the airport, where he smiled again and waved at reporters. He was expected to travel to Japan, where his wife still lives.\n\nEarlier, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison told lawmakers that Sigley had \"been released from detention in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea\" and that \"he is safe and well\".\n\nSigley's father Gary, a professor of Chinese and Asian studies, told media in Australia that the family was \"extremely pleased he is safe and sound\".\n\nThe father admitted he had missed a call from his son because he had been busy \"shopping\", but hoped to give him a \"big hug and kiss\" soon.\n\nSigley's detention came just days before a G20 summit and a landmark meeting between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.\n\nTrump was intimately involved in the case of University of Virginia student Otto Warmbier, who was imprisoned during a tour of the authoritarian state in 2016.\n\nDoctors said Warmbier suffered severe brain damage while in detention, fell into a coma and died days after arriving back in the United States, aged 22.\n\nSigley was much more familiar with the country and spoke fluent Korean.\n\nHe ran tours to North Korea and a number of social media sites, which usually had a stream of apolitical content about life in one of the world's most secretive nations.\n\nHis blog posts focused on everyday Pyongyang -- everything from the city's dining scene to North Korean app reviews.\n\n\"He is always trying to demystify North Korea, unlike the typical Western media. He tries to understand the people there,\" his 26-year-old Japanese wife, Yuka Morinaga, had said.\n\nThe pair married in a lavish ceremony in Pyongyang last year.\n\nThe case was complicated by Australia's lack of diplomatic representation in North Korea.\n\nMorrison thanked Sweden for its help in securing Sigley's release.\n\nEarlier this week Swedish special envoy Kent Harstedt travelled to Pyongyang, where he raised the issue with North Korean authorities.\n\n\"I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to Swedish authorities for their invaluable assistance in securing Alek's prompt release,\" Morrison said, hailing it as a triumph of \"behind the scenes\" diplomacy.", "SYDNEY/STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - An Australian student released after being mysteriously detained in North Korea said he was safe and well in Tokyo on Friday and intends returning to normal life, without commenting on what happened to him in Pyongyang.\n\nAlek Sigley, who flew to Tokyo on Thursday to join his Japanese wife, had been one of very few westerners studying in the North Korean capital and went missing on June 25.\n\nIt is still not clear why he was detained by the secretive North. The details of his release are also not known and Australia has warned him not to return.\n\n“I just want everyone to know I am OK,” Sigley said in a statement issued by email.\n\n“I’m very happy to be back with my wife, Yuka, and to have spoken with my family in Perth to reassure them I’m well.”\n\nSigley left North Korea on Thursday and flew to Beijing, where he was met by Australian officials for the flight to Tokyo. He declined to comment to a throng of reporters at Haneda Airport, only making a peace sign before being taken away.\n\nHis statement on Friday also made no mention of the reason for his detention or what happened to him.\n\n“I intend now to return to normal life,” he said, before thanking the Swedish and Australian governments for their help securing his release.\n\nSwedish authorities played a crucial role because Australia has no diplomatic presence in North Korea and relies on other countries to act on its behalf.\n\nThe Swedish diplomat who helped secure Sigley’s release, Kent Harstedt, told Reuters by phone he could not divulge details of the detention.\n\n“The only thing I can say is that we welcome that North Korea was prepared to listen to our arguments and that this could be resolved so quickly - I think this is good for all parties concerned,” said Harstedt, who was pictured with Sigley at Beijing airport on Thursday.\n\nSweden increased its engagement with North Korea in 2017 at the height of tensions between Pyongyang and Washington.\n\nA senior Australian minister, meanwhile, warned him to steer clear of North Korea in future.\n\n“My advice would be pretty clear, I would stay in Japan. I would go back to South Korea ... I would come back to Australia,” Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton told the Nine network.\n\n“All of those would have to be better options before he returns to North Korea,” Dutton said. “I don’t think he will put himself back in that situation ... it could have ended up very differently.”"], "summary": "An Australian student who had been detained in North Korea on June 25 is freed thanks to diplomatic talks between Australia and North Korea via Swedish officials."}
{"document": ["PRISTINA -- Kosovo has banned all Serbian officials from entering the country, in another escalation of relations between Serbia and its former province.\n\nPristina \"will not allow any official from Belgrade to visit Kosovo,\" Jetlir Zyberaj, an adviser to Kosovo’s foreign minister, posted to his Facebook page on July 4.\n\nZyberaj said the move was a response to \"constant propaganda and false news about the country and our citizens.\"\n\nHe also accused Belgrade of trying to create a \"so-called humanitarian crisis” in Serb-dominated northern Kosovo.\n\nIn comments to RFE/RL, Serbian lawmaker Miroslav Lazanski of the coalition led by the Serbian Progressive Party described Kosovo’s move as \"a serious step in deteriorating relations” between Belgrade and Pristina.\n\nHe also said that Serbia could take a similar action toward Kosovar officials.\n\nKosovo, which is mainly ethnic Albanian, declared independence in 2008. Although more than 110 countries recognize Kosovo, Belgrade does not.\n\nEU-mediated talks between Pristina and Belgrade to settle their differences have stalled, and the neighbors frequently clash on the diplomatic stage.\n\nTensions between the two neighbors exacerbated after Kosovo imposed a 100 percent tariff on all Serbian goods in November.\n\nBelgrade has claimed that the tariffs created a humanitarian crisis in Kosovo’s north, but Pristina insists that goods coming from Serbia have been replaced by imports from other countries in recent months.\n\nOn July 3, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said that Serbia is using \"alternative\" mountain tracks to send goods to northern Kosovo to avoid having to pay the import tax.\n\nIn May, Kosovo banned Serbia's Prime Minister Ana Brnabic after accusing of her of making \"racist\" comments against Albanians, which she denied.\n\nSpeaking to RFE/RL on July 4 in Belgrade, Eliot Engel, the Democratic chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives' Foreign Affairs Committee, urged the two sides to return to negotiations as soon as possible.\n\n\"I would urge both sides to begin talking right away. If there’s no discussion, there’s no progress, there’s no movement,\" Engel said following a two-day visit to Serbia, where he held talks with Vucic.\n\n\"I think it’s important that Serbia recognizes and understands that there is an independent state of Kosovo and that independent state is there to stay,” Engel added.\n\nWith reporting by AFP, dpa, and Reuters", "PRISTINA: Kosovo has banned Serbian officials from its territory over their \"constant propaganda and false news\", a foreign ministry official said Thursday, heating up the latest diplomatic battle between the former war foes.\n\nSerbia and its former province Kosovo, which is mainly ethnic Albanian, still have a bitter and frequently tense relationship two decades after Kosovo broke away and went on to declare independence.\n\nBelgrade has never accepted that move and the neighbours frequently clash on the diplomatic stage. \"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will not allow any Belgrade official to visit Kosovo and all requests will be rejected as long as this behaviour continues,\" Jetlir Zyberaj, advisor to the foreign minister, wrote in Facebook post on Thursday.\n\nHe said the move was a response to \"constant propaganda and false news about the country and our citizens\". He also accused Belgrade of trying to create a \"so-called humanitarian crisis in the north of Kosovo, threatening the Serb population living there\".\n\nThe north of Kosovo, which has a significant ethnic Serb population that remains loyal to Belgrade, has been protesting in recent days over a tariff that has cut off the flow of Serbian goods to the region.\n\nBelgrade claims that that the 100 percent tariff on Serbian goods has led to a\n\nfood and medicine shortage in the area. But Pristina accuses its neighbour of \"manufacturing\" the crisis, explaining that food from Kosovo is widely available in the area and opening up special sale points for food and other goods.", "Kosovo has banned Serbian officials from its territory over their \"constant propaganda and false news\", a foreign ministry official said Thursday, heating up the latest diplomatic battle between the former war foes\n\nPristina, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - APP - 4th Jul, 2019 ) :Kosovo has banned Serbian officials from its territory over their \"constant propaganda and false news\", a foreign ministry official said Thursday, heating up the latest diplomatic battle between the former war foes.\n\nSerbia and its former province Kosovo, which is mainly ethnic Albanian, still have a bitter and frequently tense relationship two decades after Kosovo broke away and went on to declare independence.\n\nBelgrade has never accepted that move and the neighbours frequently clash on the diplomatic stage.\n\n\"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will not allow any Belgrade official to visit Kosovo and all requests will be rejected as long as this behaviour continues,\" Jetlir Zyberaj, advisor to the foreign minister, wrote in Facebook post on Thursday.\n\nHe said the move was a response to \"constant propaganda and false news about the country and our citizens\".\n\nHe also accused Belgrade of trying to create a \"so-called humanitarian crisis in the north of Kosovo, threatening the Serb population living there\".\n\nThe north of Kosovo, which has a significant ethnic Serb population that remains loyal to Belgrade, has been protesting in recent days over a tariff that has cut off the flow of Serbian goods to the region.\n\nBelgrade claims that that the 100 percent tariff on Serbian goods has led to a food and medicine shortage in the area.\n\nBut Pristina accuses its neighbour of \"manufacturing\" the crisis, explaining that food from Kosovo is widely available in the area and opening up special sale points for food and other goods.\n\nWhile Pristina officials almost never visit Serbia, Belgrade officials, especially those in charge of Kosovo, regularly make trips to Serb communities in the former province.\n\nIn May, Kosovo also banned Serbia's Prime Minister Ana Brnabic after accusing of her of making \"racist\" comments against Albanians, which she denied.\n\nThe neighbours need to normalise ties in order to move forward with EU accession dreams.\n\nBut they are locked in a stalemate.\n\nKosovo says it will not lift the tariffs until Belgrade recognises its independence, while Serbia won't talk until the levy is dropped.", "PRISTINA -- Kosovo has banned all Serbian officials from entering the country, in another escalation of relations between Serbia and its former province.\n\nPristina \"will not allow any official from Belgrade to visit Kosovo,\" Jetlir Zyberaj, an adviser to Kosovo’s foreign minister, posted to his Facebook page on July 4.\n\nZyberaj said the move was a response to \"constant propaganda and false news about the country and our citizens.\"\n\nHe also accused Belgrade of trying to create a \"so-called humanitarian crisis” in Serb-dominated northern Kosovo.\n\nSerbian lawmaker Miroslav Lazanski of the coalition led by the Serbian Progressive Party described Kosovo’s move as \"a serious step in deteriorating relations” between Belgrade and Pristina.\n\nHe also said that Serbia could take a similar action toward Kosovar officials.\n\nKosovo, which is mainly ethnic Albanian, declared independence in 2008. Although more than 110 countries recognize Kosovo, Belgrade does not.\n\nEU-mediated talks between Pristina and Belgrade to settle their differences have stalled, and the neighbors frequently clash on the diplomatic stage.\n\nTensions between the two neighbors exacerbated after Kosovo imposed a 100 percent tariff on all Serbian goods in November.\n\nBelgrade has claimed that the tariffs created a humanitarian crisis in Kosovo’s north, but Pristina insists that goods coming from Serbia have been replaced by imports from other countries in recent months.\n\nOn July 3, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said that Serbia is using \"alternative\" mountain tracks to send goods to northern Kosovo to avoid having to pay the import tax.\n\nIn May, Kosovo banned Serbia's Prime Minister Ana Brnabic after accusing of her of making \"racist\" comments against Albanians, which she denied.\n\nWith reporting by AFP, dpa, and Reuters", "Kosovo has banned Serbian officials from its territory over their “constant propaganda and false news,” heating up the latest diplomatic battle between the two sides.\n\nBelgrade officials will not be allowed “to visit Kosovo and all requests will be rejected as long as this behavior continues,” AFP said, citing officials in Kosovo.\n\nIn May, the breakaway province also banned Serbia’s Prime Minister Ana Brnabic after accusing her of making “racist” comments against Albanians, which she denied.", "PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) - Kosovo has temporarily banned Serbian officials from entering the country, triggering an angry reaction from Belgrade.\n\nKosovo's Foreign Ministry said Thursday that because of \"Serbia's threats against Kosovo and continuous propaganda\" all requests by Serbian officials \"will be rejected as long as this behavior continues.\"\n\nThe move comes after Serbian officials claimed Kosovo's government was trying to create a \"humanitarian crisis\" in the country's Serb-populated north with a 100% import tax slapped on Serbian goods last year.\n\nSerbia does not recognize the 2008 independence declaration of Kosovo, a former Serbian province.\n\nSerbian Defense Minister Aleksandar Vulin says the entry ban is an attempt to \"cut ties\" between Kosovo Serbs and Serbia, and \"this simply won't be allowed to happen.\"\n\nSerb officials need entry permits from Pristina to visit Kosovo.\n\nIn this photo taken Monday, April 23, 2018, Serbia Defense Minister Aleksandar Vulin, right, walks behind Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in Belgrade, Serbia. Kosovo has temporarily banned Serbian officials from entering the country, triggering angry reaction from Belgrade. Vulin says the latest ban is an attempt to \"cut ties\" between Kosovo Serbs and Serbia. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)\n\nIn this photo taken Friday, Sept. 7, 2018, a car passes by a billboard that reads: '\"Welcome, President\" and shows Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, near village of Lesak in northern Kosovo. Kosovo has temporarily banned Serbian officials from entering the country, triggering angry reaction from Belgrade. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)", "Kosovo on Thursday announced to ban Serbian officials from entering the country.\n\nAnnouncing the decision, Jetlir Zyberaj, political adviser to the Kosovo Foreign Minister, said the ban on Serbian officials was being imposed, due to the neighboring country’s involvement in hybrid threats against Kosovo.\n\n\"Because of the hybrid threats from Serbia that included the constant propaganda and the dissemination of fake news about the country and our citizens... the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will not allow any Belgrade official to visit Kosovo and all requests will be rejected till they continue with this behavior,\" wrote Zyberaj.\n\nHe also mentioned Serbia’s recent efforts to prevent the so-called humanitarian crisis in the north of Kosovo and threatening the Serb population and forcing them to shut down businesses as other issues that have pushed relations between the two countries to the brink.\n\nKosovo had declared independence from Serbia in 2008. But Belgrade still insists that the country was part of Serbia. The tensions have also persisted between Kosovo’s ethnic-Albanian majority and a small Serb minority in the north.\n\nKosovo’s independence has been recognized by over 100 countries, including the U.S., Britain, France, Germany and Turkey. Those who have not yet recognized its independence, included Serbia, Russia, and China.\n\nThis article has been adapted from its original source.", "Kosovo has temporarily banned Serbian officials from entering the country, triggering an angry reaction from Belgrade.\n\nKosovo's Foreign Ministry said Thursday that because of \"Serbia's threats against Kosovo and continuous propaganda\" all requests by Serbian officials \"will be rejected as long as this behavior continues.\"\n\nThe move comes after Serbian officials claimed Kosovo's government was trying to create a \"humanitarian crisis\" in the country's Serb-populated north with a 100% import tax slapped on Serbian goods last year.\n\nSerbia does not recognize the 2008 independence declaration of Kosovo, a former Serbian province.\n\nSerbian Defense Minister Aleksandar Vulin says the entry ban is an attempt to \"cut ties\" between Kosovo Serbs and Serbia, and \"this simply won't be allowed to happen.\"\n\nSerb officials need entry permits from Pristina to visit Kosovo.", "PRISTINA -- Kosovo’s government has denied there was a ban on Serbian officials entering the country, contradicting the Foreign Ministry and deepening confusion in Pristina.\n\n \n\n The comment July 5 by spokeswoman Donjeta Gashi came one day after an adviser to Foreign Minister Behgjet Pacolli announced that no officials from Serbia would be allowed to enter Kosovo.\n\n \n\n The adviser, Jetlir Zyberaj, said in a statement posted to Facebook July 4 that the ban was a response to \"constant propaganda and false news about the country and our citizens.\"\n\nBut Gashi told RFE/RL on July 5 no such measure had been imposed.\n\n \n\n “The government of Kosovo has not issued any decision which bans Serbian officials on entering Kosovo,” she said.\n\n \n\n There was no immediate reaction to Gashi’s comment from the Foreign Ministry, or from Zyberaj.\n\n \n\n Tensions between Belgrade and Pristina have been strained since the 1999 NATO-led air war that led to Kosovo’s breaking away from Serbia and ultimately declaring independence, something Belgrade has refused to recognize.\n\n \n\n European Union-mediated talks have failed to settle the two countries’ differences.\n\n \n\n In recent months, those tensions have escalated further, as Kosovo imposed a 100-percent tariff on all Serbian goods in November.\n\nBelgrade has claimed that the tariffs created a humanitarian crisis in Kosovo’s north, but Pristina insists that goods coming from Serbia have been replaced by imports from other countries in recent months.\n\nOn July 3, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said that Serbia was using mountain roads to send goods to northern Kosovo to avoid having to pay the import tax.\n\nIn May, Kosovo banned Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic, accusing her of making \"racist\" comments against Albanians, which she denied.", "PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) - Kosovo temporarily banned Serbian officials from entering the country, triggering an angry reaction from Belgrade on Thursday.\n\nKosovo’s Foreign Ministry said it took the action because of “Serbia’s threats against Kosovo and continuous propaganda” and that all entry requests from Serbian officials “will be rejected as long as this behavior continues.”\n\nThe move comes after Serbian officials claimed Kosovo’s government was trying to create a “humanitarian crisis” in the country’s Serb-populated north with a 100% import tax slapped on Serbian goods last year.\n\nKosovo Serb shop owners closed their stores in northern Kosovo for two days this week to protest the taxes.\n\nKosovo Foreign Ministry spokesman Jetlir Zyberaj said the closures took place “because of Belgrade’s political objectives.”\n\nSerbia does not recognize the 2008 independence declaration of Kosovo, a former Serbian province.\n\nSerbian Defense Minister Aleksandar Vulin said the latest entry ban was an attempt to “cut all ties” between Kosovo Serbs and “their” Serbian leadership, and “this simply won’t be allowed to happen.”\n\nUsing the derogatory term in Serbia for ethnic Albanians, Vulin said the Kosovo government’s ban was “not politics, but retaliation.”\n\nSerb officials need entry permits from Pristina to visit Kosovo, but have sometimes managed to enter using alternative routes through forests."], "summary": "Amid a deterioration in relations, Kosovo bans all Serbian officials from entering the country, in response to \"constant propaganda and false news about the country and our citizens\" from Belgrade."}
{"document": ["AOC: 'I want to see every Republican go on the record and knowingly vote against impeachment'", "PETERSBURG, Va. — A police dispatcher in Virginia said a man with a long knife stabbed three people inside a plasma donation center as nurses and patients hid inside a bathroom.\n\nThe dispatcher warned officers that witnesses said the man was attacking people with a machete Thursday in the Octapharma Plasma center in Petersburg, Virginia.\n\nA first responder could be heard saying that one of the victims lost a finger.\n\nHospital officials said Thursday that one male was in critical condition, a female was in fair condition and a female was in good condition.\n\nIrene Banks told WWBT that police praised her daughter, a manager there, for stopping the attacker before officers arrested him.\n\nA Virginia prosecutor said the man could be charged at a minimum with malicious wounding.", "One suspect is in custody after a stabbing left several people injured at a plasma center in Petersburg, Virginia, officials said. Police chief Kenneth Miller said the stabbing happened inside the Octapharma Plasma center, CBS Norfolk affiliate WTVR reported.\n\nDetectives are interviewing several people at the scene and continuing to investigate the incident. It's unclear how many people were injured.\n\nPeople leaving the plasma center who appeared to work there said they couldn't discuss the incident with WTVR due to company policy.\n\nThis story is developing. Please check back for updates.", "The Latest: Prosecutor says man stabs 3 at plasma center\n\nPETERSBURG, Va. (AP) — The Latest on a triple stabbing at a plasma center in Petersburg, Virginia (all times local):\n\nA Virginia prosecutor says a 20-year-old man walked into a plasma donation center in Petersburg and randomly stabbed three people during a community appreciation cookout, then waited outside for police.\n\nPetersburg police identified the suspect as Jairique Shannon. He's been charged with three counts of malicious wounding in the attack Thursday at Octapharma Plasma.\n\nCommonwealth's Attorney Cheryl Wilson said the suspect had donated plasma at the center in the past. She said he walked into the center Thursday and asked to use the restroom, then came out and began stabbing people with a long knife.\n\nWilson said police don't believe he had a grudge against any employee of the center and don't have a motive for the attack.\n\nA spokesperson for Southside Regional Medical Center said two victims were being treated there. Wilson said a third victim received serious injuries and was transferred to a hospital in Richmond.\n\nWilson said Shannon doesn't yet have an attorney. He's being held at Riverside Regional Jail and is expected to be arraigned in court Monday.\n\nA police dispatcher in Virginia said a man with a long knife stabbed three people inside a plasma donation center as nurses and patients hid inside a bathroom.\n\nThe dispatcher warned officers that witnesses said the man was attacking people with a machete Thursday in the Octapharma Plasma center in Petersburg, Virginia.\n\nA first responder could be heard saying that one of the victims lost a finger.\n\nHospital officials said Thursday that one male was in critical condition, a female was in fair condition and a female was in good condition.\n\nIrene Banks told WWBT that police praised her daughter, a manager there, for stopping the attacker before officers arrested him.\n\nA Virginia prosecutor said the man could be charged at a minimum with malicious wounding.", "Company said the Sycamore Street location will remain closed until further notice; suspect is ID'ed by police\n\nPETERSBURG — The parent company of a plasma-donor center where three people were stabbed Thursday afternoon says it is \"heartbroken\" over the attack and has vowed to work with authorities \"to provide any help and information\" in the investigation.\n\nOctapharma Plasma said in a social-media post that the Petersburg center where the attack occurred \"is closed to the public at this time. No date of reopening has been set.\n\n\"Our sole focus remains on supporting those involved and impacted in Thursday’s event,\" the statement said.\n\nTwenty-year-old Jairque L. Shannon has been charged with three counts of malicious wounding in the incident, which took place around 4:40 p.m. at the center, located at 2007 S. Sycamore St. in the city's Walnut Hill business district. He also has been charged with animal cruelty on an unrelated incident.\n\nTwo of the victims that were stabbed remained hospitalized Friday, according to a Petersburg Police statement. One of them is in critical condition, and the other is stable.\n\nPolice have not released a motive for the incident. They also have not disclosed the type of blade used in the stabbings, but initial accounts indicated it was a machete.\n\nOn Friday morning, a crew from Richmond-area Aftermath Services LLC was on site to seal the office and prepare it for cleaning. They could not give an estimate on how long the clean-up will take. \"We'll know more once we get in there,\" one of them said.\n\nCaution tape blocked the entrance to the center. The crews placed blue tape around the glass entrance doors, then placed a tarp over the entrance.\n\nOctapharma Plasma is a medical business that pays customers for donating plasma. According to its website, the company uses the plasma to create medicine used to treat immune disorders and trauma cases.\n\nThe Petersburg location is one of eight donor centers in Virginia. Others are located in Richmond, Lynchburg and the Tidewater region.\n\nOctapharma shares the building, nestled between South Sycamore Street and South Crater Road, with a renal-care facility, a vapor shop and an insurance agency. In past years, the building was home to an A&P supermarket and a Blockbuster Video rental store.\n\nThe insurance agency was closed for the July 4 holiday. The renal-care center was open Thursday, but the office hours listed on its doors had it closing that day at 3:30 p.m., about an hour before the attack happened.\n\nAn attempt to contact the owner of the vapor shop next door to Octapharma to determine if it was open Thursday was unsuccessful.\n\nAnother business in the immediate vicinity is Sal's Pizza, across the parking lot from Octapharma. That also was closed Thursday. A sign on the door said the building is under 24-hour video surveillance, but workers inside the restaurant Friday said those cameras are focused only on the restaurant, not on the shared parking lot.\n\nIn its statement, Octapharma's corporate office praised Petersburg Police for handling the matter efficiently.\n\n\"We want to express our appreciation for the quick response from the local Petersburg police department, as well as the overwhelming outpouring of support from donors and employees across the country,\" it said.\n\nBill Atkinson can be reached at 804-722-5167 or batkinson@progress-index.com. On Twitter: @BAtkinsonpi", "One person is in custody after several people were stabbed Thursday inside a plasma center in Petersburg, Virginia, according to CNN affiliate WTVR.", "PETERSBURG, Va. (AP) - A man stabbed three people at a Virginia plasma center while patrons were donating blood, according to authorities.\n\nNews reports said one person suffered life-threatening injuries after an unidentified man with a machete attacked people inside the Octapharma Plasma center in Petersburg, Virginia, on Thursday.\n\n“The suspect possibly has a machete. Units use caution,” the dispatcher can be heard saying on the recording released by broadcastify.com.\n\nA first responder could be heard saying that one of the victims lost a finger.\n\nThe dispatcher described a chaotic scene as customers and staff members fled for cover. The business sits in a commercial district near a bank and restaurants on the south side of the city about 25 miles (40 kilometers) south of Richmond.\n\nPetersburg Police Lt. Dustin Sloan told reporters Thursday that after officers arrived, the suspect was taken into custody without incident. His name wasn’t immediately released but police indicated he could face charges of aggravated assault.\n\nSloan said that the attack happened as patrons were inside donating blood.\n\nHospital officials said Thursday that one male was in critical condition, a female was in fair condition and a female was in good condition. Petersburg Police said in a tweet that at least one victim’s injuries were considered life-threatening.\n\nIrene Banks told WWBT that police praised her daughter, a manager there, as a “hero” for stopping the attacker before officers arrested him.\n\n“She took the man down, they said, my daughter did,” Banks told the television station.", "PETERSBURG, Va. -- A 20-year-old man walked into a plasma center in Virginia and asked to use a restroom. Then he went on a stabbing rampage with a weapon similar to a machete, wounding four people, police said.\n\nThe suspect hid the weapon as he entered the Octapharma Plasma center in Petersburg on Thursday, according to police Capt. Emanuel Chambliss.\n\nHe described the weapon as similar to a machete, saying police are not sure what it is.\n\nThe suspect waited for police to arrive\n\nWhen the stabbings started, some people fled through the back door and called the police.\n\nAfter the attack, the suspect did not try to run. \"He was sitting in a chair waiting for us,\" Chambliss said.\n\nHe was arrested at the scene without incident and police don't know of a motive for the attack. The suspect, who has not been identified, is a previous donor at the clinic, police said. The investigation is still active.\n\nTwo victims are in serious condition\n\nThree women and one man were transported to a local hospital, and two were in serious condition after surgery Thursday night. Two victims were treated and released.\n\nLater Thursday evening, officers searched the suspect's home, which is nearby, reported WTVR.\n\nThe commotion startled neighbors, who told the TV station they saw an ambulance, firefighters and police at the residence Wednesday.", "PETERSBERG, Va. -- One person is in custody after several people were stabbed Thursday inside a plasma center in Petersburg, Virginia, according to WTVR.\n\nThe incident happened at the Octapharma Plasma center on Sycamore Street, police Chief Kenneth Miller told WTVR.", "Reports: Several stabbed at blood plasma center in Virginia\n\nPETERSBURG, Va. (AP) — Authorities say several people were stabbed at a blood plasma donation center in Virginia.\n\nWTVR TV quotes Petersburg Police Chief Kenneth Miller as saying that a suspect was taken into custody after the stabbing Thursday inside the Octapharma Plasma center in Petersburg. The city is located about 20 miles (32 kilometers) south of the capital of Richmond.\n\nMiller did not identify the suspect and did not say how many people were stabbed or how serious their injuries are. No further details were immediately available."], "summary": "A 20-year-old man is charged with stabbing three in a machete attack in a plasma center in Petersburg, Virginia."}
{"document": ["A car carrying a bomb exploded Friday in the town center of Reyhanlı district in southern Turkey's Hatay province bordering Syria, killing three Syrian nationals.\n\nHatay Governor Rahmi Doğan said two Syrian nationals inside the car were killed in the explosion and the subsequent fire, and one other person was injured, who later died at the burn unit in Iskenderun State Hospital.\n\nSoon after the blast, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said initial findings showed that the incident may be terror related. \"It is apparent that a bomb was inside the car and those inside were Syrian nationals. All three of them died,\" Erdoğan said.\n\nInterior Minister Süleyman Soylu later said the blast is believed to be caused by a handmade explosive. He said the three Syrian nationals involved in the incident were living in Turkey under temporary protection.\n\nThe blast took place some 750 meters away from the district governorate building in the town center. Initial reports said that the car, registered in Syria and bearing a temporary Turkish license plate, was parked when the blast happened, but it was later revealed that it was on the move.\n\nIt was claimed that the target of the bomb-laden vehicle was people leaving Friday prayers at the nearby Fatih Sultan Mehmet Mosque located some 50 meters away from the blast scene.\n\nReyhanlı borders Syria and the town center lies to north of the border, while the Cilvegözü border gate, a main crossing into Syria, is some five kilometers away. The district has been home to a large population of Syrian refugees since the conflict erupted in Syria.\n\nOn May 11, 2013, a bomb-laden vehicle was detonated in Reyhanlı town center first, killing scores and causing destruction. A second vehicle was detonated five minutes later after dozens, including civilians, first-aid units and security forces, had rushed to the area to help those wounded in the attack.\n\nIn addition to killing 53 people and injuring dozens of others, the attack devastated the district, damaging 912 houses, 891 businesses and 148 vehicles. It was the deadliest attack in the country at the time.\n\nThe attack was staged by the armed terrorist group the People's Liberation Party-Front of Turkey (THKP/C), a former Turkey-based left-wing group that moved to Syria in the 1990s. Syrian intelligence agency al-Mukhabarat was also implicated in the attack, which was conducted by an operative who brought in explosives from Syria and detailed orders on where and how to stage the attack. Pundits claimed that the Assad regime sought to hit the Syrian opposition inside the borders of their main supporter Turkey, and Reyhanlı, as one of the main concentration centers of opposition groups, was chosen for the attack. It was also claimed that by targeting predominantly Sunni Turkmen and the Arab town of Reyhanlı, the regime sought to ignite ethnic tensions inside Turkey and specifically Hatay, where a significant Alawite population lives.\n\nThree months earlier on February 11, 2013, a bomb-laden vehicle brought in Syria was detonated inside the no man's land between Cilvegözü and Bab al-Hawa border gates, killing 18 people and wounding 24 others.\n\nLater in 2017 and early 2018, the town was targeted by the PKK's Syrian offshoot the People's Protection Units (YPG) terrorist group in mortar and rocket attacks launched from positions in Syria's northwestern Afrin district. One person was killed and several others were injured in the attacks, which also targeted Kilis and Gaziantep provinces bordering Syria. Soon after, Turkey launched Operation Olive Branch, clearing the area of PKK/YPG militants.", "At least three people have been killed in a car bomb blast in the southern Turkish town...", "At least three people have been killed in a car bomb blast in the southern Turkish town of Reyhanli, located close to the Syrian border.\n\nTurkish President Tayyip Erdogan told reporters in Istanbul on Friday that initial findings showed the incident in Hatay province may be terror-related.\n\n“Our colleagues are looking into who was behind this,” he said, adding that the government would provide more information in a few hours.\n\nAl Jazeera correspondent said the victims, who were inside the vehicle when it exploded, were believed to be Syrian.\n\n“Reyhanli is close to Syria’s Idlib province so it is [an] important [location] for Syrians passing through from Turkey to Syria,” she said.\n\nLocal Governor Rahmi Dogan told Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency that the cause of the blast was not immediately known.\n\nAnadolu reported that the blast site was less than a kilometre from the governor’s office.\n\nVideo footage distributed by local news agencies showed a car in the middle of the street covered in flames before being extinguished by firefighters.\n\nIn May 2013, a twin car bombing blamed on pro-Damascus groups in Reyhanli killed more than 50 people, in one of the deadliest attacks in Turkey’s modern history.\n\nTurkey was hit by a series of terror attacks in 2015 and 2016 blamed on the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, or ISIS) armed group and Kurdish fighters, which left hundreds dead.\n\nThe last major attack was the New Year massacre by a gunman at the Reina nightclub in Istanbul, just minutes into 2017, which left 39 dead.", "ISTANBUL: A car exploded in southeast Turkey near the border with Syria on Friday, killing three Syrian people, President Tayyip Erdogan said, adding that initial findings showed the blast may be terrorism-related.\n\nThe explosion took place in the town of Reyhanli, where officials are carrying out inspections to determine its cause, Erdogan said. He said it was clear the explosion was the result of a bomb inside the vehicle detonating.\n\nSecurity sources said one of the Syrian passengers in the car was a suicide bomber whose explosive device detonated early, causing the blast. The sources said the passengers in the car were being investigated for potential links to Islamic State, and added that one person was also wounded in the blast.\n\nReyhanli is home to thousands of Syrian refugees. Following a series of bombings in the region in 2013, Turkey tightened controls along its 900-km (560-mile) border with Syria.\n\nTwin car bombs ripped through the town, which is in Hatay province, on May 11, 2013, killing 52 people. At the time, Turkey accused a group loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad of carrying out the attacks. Damascus denied any involvement.\n\nIn May, Turkey handed down 53 life sentences without parole to Yusuf Nazik, the man authorities say planned the 2013 bomb attack.\n\nTurkey has been one of the biggest supporters of the rebels fighting Syrian government forces during the eight-year conflict in Syria. It hosts some 3.5 million Syrian refugees.", "A vehicle-borne improvised explosive device went off in Turkey's southern city of Reyhanli on Friday, Suleyman Soylu, the country's interior minister, said\n\nANKARA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 05th July, 2019) A vehicle-borne improvised explosive device went off in Turkey 's southern city of Reyhanli on Friday, Suleyman Soylu, the country's interior minister , said.\n\nEarlier in the day, the Anadolu news agency reported that two people were killed and two others injured as a result of a car bomb blast.\n\n\"We believe that there was an improvised explosive device in the car. It exploded when [the car] was moving. All three Syrians who were in the car resided in Turkey under temporary residence permits. Two of them died, one sustained serious injuries,\" Soylu said.\n\nTurkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said the incident could be linked to terrorism.", "Two people were killed on Friday after a car blast in the Turkish town of Reyhanli close to the Syrian border, state media reported\n\nAnkara, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - APP - 5th Jul, 2019 ) :Two people were killed on Friday after a car blast in the Turkish town of Reyhanli close to the Syrian border, state media reported.\n\nTwo others were also injured, state news agency Anadolu said, as ambulances and police were rushed to the scene. The governor of Hatay province, where Reyhanli is located, Rahmi Dogan, told Anadolu that the cause of the explosion was not yet known.", "Erdogan says Turkey car blast may be terror-linked\n\nAnkara: President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday said three Syrians were killed in the Turkish town of Reyhanli close to the Syrian border in a car blast that may be terror-related. “The initial findings suggest there may be more of a link with terror,” Erdogan told reporters in Istanbul. “It is clear there was a bomb in the car,” he said. “Our colleagues are looking into who was behind this,” he said in televised comments, adding the government would provide more information in a few hours. The blast took place less than a kilometre from the Reyhanli district governor’s office around 1000 GMT, state news agency Anadolu reported. Images in Turkish media showed thick black smoke and flames from the car as firefighters fought the blaze. A twin car bombing blamed on pro-Damascus groups in May 2013 in Reyhanli killed over 50 people in one of the deadliest attacks in Turkey’s modern history. Turkey was hit by a series of terror attacks in 2015 and 2016 blamed on the Islamic State extremist group and Kurdish militants, which left hundreds dead.", "A bomb went off in a car near Turkey’s border with Syria on Friday, killing two Syrians who were inside the vehicle, Turkey’s interior minister said.\n\nA bomb went off in a car near Turkey’s border with Syria on Friday, killing two Syrians who were inside the vehicle, Turkey’s interior minister said.\n\nTwo Syrians killed in ‘terror’ blast in Turkish border city\n\nTurkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the explosion appeared to be terror-linked.\n\nThe blast occurred inside a car some 750 yards from a local government office in the border town of Reyhanli, in Hatay province, Anadolu Agency said.\n\nEarlier, Mr Erdogan said three Syrians were killed in the explosion, but interior minister Suleyman Soylu later said only two were killed.\n\nThe third Syrian was in serious condition.\n\nMr Soylu said the explosion was caused by a hand-made bomb which went off while the car was in transit.\n\nHe said all three Syrians were legally registered in Turkey.\n\nHe did not identify them.\n\n“It is clear that there was a bomb inside the vehicle,” Mr Erdogan said.\n\n“The findings at the moment indicate that it was … linked to terrorism.”\n\nIn 2013, two car bomb attacks in Reyhanli killed 52 people, including Syrian refugees.\n\nTurkey was also hit by a wave of attacks in 2015 and 2016 blamed on the Islamic State group and Kurdish militants that killed around 300 people.\n\nIn the last major attack, 39 people were killed when a gunman opened fire at an Istanbul nightclub during New Year celebrations in the early hours of 2017.\n\nThe attack was claimed by the IS group.", "Turkish President Erdogan says car blast near Syrian border may be terror-linked", "A bomb exploded inside a vehicle in southern Turkey on Friday, killing three Syrians.\n\nEarly reports said two of the Syrians killed were inside the vehicle at the time of the explosion - but it was not clear whether the third person was also a passenger.\n\nThe blast, which took place in the border town of Reyhanli, was also a short distance away from a local government office.\n\nIn a statement, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the incident was believed to have been caused by a bomb inside the vehicle.\n\nHe added that such findings have led investigators to believe the explosion may have been terror-related."], "summary": "A car bomb explodes in the Turkish city of Reyhanlı. The blast kills three Syrian citizens who were inside the car."}
{"document": ["At least 14 civilians were killed after the Taliban attacked the center of Khwaja Sabz Posh district in the northern province of Faryab early on Friday morning, the provincial police spokesman Abdul Karim Yurish said.\n\nYurish added that the civilians were killed when the Taliban’s rockets landed near their houses.\n\nHe said that 39 others were wounded in the attack.\n\nYurish said that children are also among the victims.\n\nHe said that the wounded were taken to nearby hospitals in the province.\n\nTaliban rejected the claims and the rockets were not fired by members of the group.", "Alwaght- At least 14 Afghan civilians have been killed and dozens injured on Friday morning when a Taliban mortar attack hit a busy market in Faryab Province.\n\nHanif Rezaee, an Afghan army spokesman, said that Taliban shells struck the market, situated in the Khwaja Sabz Posh district of the northern Province.\n\nThe Taliban, he added, had been trying to hit an army checkpoint near the market.\n\n\"Fourteen civilians were killed and 40 -- including women and children -- were wounded,\" Rezaee said.\n\nMeanwhile, Naem Musamim, Faryab's public health director, said that the injured had been taken to local hospitals.\n\nAbdul Karim Yuresh, Faryab provincial police chief spokesman, stressed that the likely target of Friday’s attack was a nearby security post.\n\nTaliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahed, however, claimed that the mortars were fired by the government during a gunfight.\n\nThe attack as the Taliban and the US have held talks — excluding the Kabul government — in the Qatari capital Doha to resolve the crisis in the war-torn country.\n\nThe two sides held their seventh round of talks last week. The US-Taliban peace talks are led by US Special Envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad, who has held six rounds of the discussions in Doha since October 2018.\n\nThe US and its allies invaded Afghanistan under the guise of the war on terror. Some 18 years on, Washington is seeking truce with the militants as the Taliban has only boosted its campaign of violence across the country.\n\nIn April, the Taliban announced the beginning of its spring offensive in Afghanistan despite involvement in the peace talks with the US.", "Security forces, Taliban blame each other for incident in Faryab province injuring over 30", "Kabul: An Afghan official says mortars fired by Taliban insurgents slammed into a busy market in Afghanistan's northern Faryab province killing at least 14 people and injuring 30 others, including several children.\n\nAbdul Karim Yuresh, Faryab provincial police chief spokesman, said the likely target of Friday's attack in Khwaja Sabz Posh District was a nearby security post.\n\nTaliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahed said the mortars were fired by the government during a firefight.\n\nMeanwhile, 18 Afghan security personnel were killed in separate Taliban attacks on Friday, one each in western Farah and Herat provinces.\n\nThe insurgents have been staging near daily attacks against Afghanistan's security personnel inflicting staggering casualties even as they talk peace with the United States.", "Faryab [Afghanistan], July 05 (ANI): At least four civilians were killed and 36 others suffered injuries in a Taliban attack\">attack in northern Faryab province of Afghanistan.\n\nThe Kamma Press, citing the 209 Shaheen Corps, reported that Taliban fired multiple rounds of mortars and rockets in a market area.\n\nThe Corps said that the shelling started at 6:39 am [local time].\n\nTaliban has conducted various attack\">attacks in a past few days. On June 2, 68 people suffered injuries in a coordinated attack\">attack by the terror group which rocked the city of Kabul. (ANI)", "A mortar shell hit a market in Afghanistan’s northern Faryab province, killing at least six people and injuring more than 30 others, on Friday, a source told Sputnik.\n\nThe mortar shell hit the bazaar where people from several areas gather and sell their products.\n\n“At least six people were killed and more than 30 injured when a mortar shell hit a bazaar in Khwaja Sabz Posh district in Faryab province Friday morning,” a local security official, who asked not to be named since he was not authorized to talk to the press, said.", "A mortar shell hit a market in Afghanistan’s northern Faryab province, killing at least six people and injuring more than 30 others, on Friday, a source said.\n\nThe mortar shell hit the bazaar where people from several areas gather and sell their products, Sputnik reported.\n\n“At least six people were killed and more than 30 injured when a mortar shell hit a bazaar in Khwaja Sabz Posh district in Faryab province Friday morning,” a local security official, who asked not to be named, told Sputnik.\n\nThe Taliban has dismissed responsibility for the incident after some media outlets accused it for the attack.\n\nAt the same time, a local health department said that, so far, four dead bodies had been taken to a hospital.\n\n“Four dead bodies and 28 wounded people have been taken to the central hospital in Maimana city,” the head of the provincial health department, Naim Musamem, told Sputnik.\n\nThe provincial police command, on its part, has said it is looking into the issue.\n\nAfghanistan is suffering from an unstable political, social and security situation due to the activity of the Taliban movement and the Daesh* terrorist group.", "According to media reports, more than 40 civilians were killed and wounded after a market was shelled with mortar fire in Afghanistan's Northern Faryab province.\n\nAfghanistan is suffering from an unstable political, social and security situation due to the activity of the Taliban movement and the Daesh* terrorist group.\n\nAfghan government forces and the Taliban movement have long been engaged in an armed confrontation. The Taliban, who have previously seized vast territories in Afghan rural areas, are carrying out attacks across the country, and the Afghan security forces conduct regular counterterrorist operations against the insurgents.\n\n*Daesh (also known as ISIS/ISIL/IS) is a terrorist group banned in Russia"], "summary": "Fourteen civilians are killed and 45 injured in mortar attacks in Faryab Province. Taliban insurgents claim responsibility for the attack."}
{"document": ["KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — An Islamic State group affiliate has claimed responsibility for a bombing in a Shiite mosque in central Afghanistan's Ghazni province that killed two people and injured 20 others.\n\nProvincial governor's spokesman Arif Noori says an explosive devise detonated during evening prayers on Friday when the mosque was full. Eight of the injured were children.\n\nThe IS claim said 40 worshippers were killed or wounded. The IS affiliate, known as Islamic State Khorasan Province reviles Shite Muslims as heretics. Afghanistan is a majority Sunni Muslim state.\n\nPresident Ashraf Ghani on Saturday condemned the attack, slammed the perpetrators as terrorists and said such acts are against Islam.", "KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — An Islamic State group affiliate has claimed responsibility for a bombing in a Shiite mosque in central Afghanistan's Ghazni province that killed two people and injured 20 others.\n\nProvincial governor's spokesman Arif Noori says an explosive devise detonated during evening prayers on Friday when the mosque was full. Eight of the injured were children.\n\nThe IS claim said 40 worshippers were killed or wounded. The IS affiliate, known as Islamic State Khorasan Province reviles Shite Muslims as heretics. Afghanistan is a majority Sunni Muslim state.\n\nPresident Ashraf Ghani on Saturday condemned the attack, slammed the perpetrators as terrorists and said such acts are against Islam.", "KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — An Islamic State group affiliate has claimed responsibility for a bombing in a Shiite mosque in central Afghanistan's Ghazni province that killed two people and injured 20 others.\n\nProvincial governor's spokesman Arif Noori says an explosive devise detonated during evening prayers on Friday when the mosque was full. Eight of the injured were children.\n\nThe IS claim said 40 worshippers were killed or wounded. The IS affiliate, known as Islamic State Khorasan Province reviles Shite Muslims as heretics. Afghanistan is a majority Sunni Muslim state.\n\nPresident Ashraf Ghani on Saturday condemned the attack, slammed the perpetrators as terrorists and said such acts are against Islam.", "KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — An Islamic State group affiliate has claimed responsibility for a bombing in a Shiite mosque in central Afghanistan's Ghazni province that killed two people and injured 20 others.\n\nProvincial governor's spokesman Arif Noori says an explosive devise detonated during evening prayers on Friday when the mosque was full. Eight of the injured were children.\n\nThe IS claim said 40 worshippers were killed or wounded. The IS affiliate, known as Islamic State Khorasan Province reviles Shite Muslims as heretics. Afghanistan is a majority Sunni Muslim state.\n\nPresident Ashraf Ghani on Saturday condemned the attack, slammed the perpetrators as terrorists and said such acts are against Islam.", "KABUL (Reuters) - Islamic State fighters claimed responsibility on Saturday for a deadly overnight attack in a mosque in central province of Ghazni in Afghanistan.\n\nAt least two people were killed and 20 others sustained injuries as a bomb planted by the hardline Islamist militants inside the Mohammadiya mosque, used by Shi’ites, went off on Friday night, said Aref Noori, a provincial government spokesman.\n\nIslamic State frequently targets Afghanistan’s Shi’ite minority, which it calls “apostates”. The militant group said 40 people were injured in the explosion.\n\nThe explosive device was planted ahead of the Friday prayers, government officials said.\n\nGhazni has recently been the scene of heavy clashes between government forces and Taliban militants.\n\nWhile Afghanistan’s wars have mostly been fought among Sunni Muslims, there have been increasing numbers of attacks on Shi’ite targets in recent years.\n\nIslamic State increasingly claims responsibility for attacks on civilian targets even as talks for peace between U.S. officials and the Taliban to end the Afghan war intensify.\n\nNo reliable census information exists on the size of the Shi’ite community in Afghanistan, but estimates range around 10-15 percent, including most members of the Persian-speaking Hazara ethnic group and some Tajiks.", "KABUL, July 6 — Islamic State fighters claimed responsibility today for a deadly overnight attack in a mosque in central province of Ghazni in Afghanistan.\n\nAt least two people were killed and 20 others sustained injuries as a bomb planted by the hardline Islamist militants inside the Mohammadiya mosque, used by Shi’ites, went off on last night, said Aref Noori, a provincial government spokesman.\n\nIslamic State frequently targets Afghanistan’s Shi’ite minority, which it calls “apostates”. The militant group said 40 people were injured in the explosion.\n\nThe explosive device was planted ahead of the Friday prayers, government officials said.\n\nGhazni has recently been the scene of heavy clashes between government forces and Taliban militants.\n\nWhile Afghanistan’s wars have mostly been fought among Sunni Muslims, there have been increasing numbers of attacks on Shi’ite targets in recent years.\n\nIslamic State increasingly claims responsibility for attacks on civilian targets even as talks for peace between US officials and the Taliban to end the Afghan war intensify.\n\nNo reliable census information exists on the size of the Shi’ite community in Afghanistan, but estimates range around 10-15 percent, including most members of the Persian-speaking Hazara ethnic group and some Tajiks. — Reuters", "Bomb Blast in Mosque Kills Two People in Ghazni\n\nAt least two people were killed and 20 others wounded in an explosion inside a mosque in the central Ghazni province on Friday evening, local officials confirmed.\n\nThe blast took place at Khak-e-Ghariban area of the provincial capital, Ghazni city when worshipers were at the evening prayers.\n\nArif Noori, a spokesman for the provincial governor told Ariana News that the incident happened a result of a planted explosive device inside the Mohammadiya mosque in the city of Ghazni.\n\nAccording to Noori, the explosion left two dead and 20 people including children wounded.\n\nNo individual or group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet.\n\nHowever, the Taliban militant group in a statement rejected its involvement in the attack and that the group considers it “conspiracy of sowing sectarian hatred.”\n\nGhazni is among the volatile provinces in the central part of Afghanistan where the insurgents are actively operating in a number of its districts.", "KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — An Islamic State group affiliate has claimed responsibility for a bombing in a Shiite mosque in central Afghanistan's Ghazni province that killed two people and injured 20 others.\n\nProvincial governor's spokesman Arif Noori says an explosive devise detonated during evening prayers on Friday when the mosque was full. Eight of the injured were children.\n\nThe IS claim said 40 worshippers were killed or wounded. The IS affiliate, known as Islamic State Khorasan Province reviles Shite Muslims as heretics. Afghanistan is a majority Sunni Muslim state.\n\nPresident Ashraf Ghani on Saturday condemned the attack, slammed the perpetrators as terrorists and said such acts are against Islam.", "KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - An Islamic State group affiliate has claimed responsibility for a bombing in a Shiite mosque in central Afghanistan's Ghazni province that killed two people and injured 20 others.\n\nProvincial governor's spokesman Arif Noori says an explosive devise detonated during evening prayers on Friday when the mosque was full. Eight of the injured were children.\n\nThe IS claim said 40 worshippers were killed or wounded. The IS affiliate, known as Islamic State Khorasan Province reviles Shite Muslims as heretics. Afghanistan is a majority Sunni Muslim state.\n\nPresident Ashraf Ghani on Saturday condemned the attack, slammed the perpetrators as terrorists and said such acts are against Islam.", "An Islamic State group affiliate has claimed responsibility for a bombing in a Shiite mosque in central Afghanistan's Ghazni province that killed two people and injured 20 others.\n\nProvincial governor's spokesman Arif Noori says an explosive devise detonated during evening prayers on Friday when the mosque was full. Eight of the injured were children.\n\nThe IS claim said 40 worshippers were killed or wounded. The IS affiliate, known as Islamic State Khorasan Province reviles Shite Muslims as heretics. Afghanistan is a majority Sunni Muslim state.\n\nPresident Ashraf Ghani on Saturday condemned the attack, slammed the perpetrators as terrorists and said such acts are against Islam."], "summary": "A bomb hits a mosque in Ghazni, Afghanistan, killing two and wounding over 40."}
{"document": ["Tunisian Prime Minister Youssef Chahed has banned the wearing of the niqab - a full-face veil - in public institutions with immediate effect, citing security reasons.\n\n\"Chahed signed a government decree that bars any person with an undisclosed face from access to public headquarters, administrations, institutions for security reasons,\" an official source told Reuters News Agency on Friday.\n\nThe decision, which was reported on state media, comes at a time of heightened security in the country following a double suicide bombing in the capital, Tunis, on June 27 that left two people dead and seven wounded.\n\nWitnesses said one of the bombers was disguised in a niqab. The Interior Ministry denied this and said the mastermind of the bombings blew himself up on Tuesday to evade capture.\n\nThe attack was the third such incident within a week and came at the peak of tourist season as Tunisia prepared for an autumn parliamentary election. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (also known as ISIL or ISIS) claimed responsibility for all three attacks.\n\n190703023031969\n\nIn 2011, women were allowed to wear the hijab and niqab in Tunisia after a decades-long ban under secular presidents Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and Habib Bourguiba, who rejected all forms of Islamic dress.\n\nIn February 2014, the interior minister instructed police to step up supervision of the wearing of the niqab as part of \"anti-terrorism\" measures to prevent its use as a disguise.\n\nSeveral European, African and Asian countries have issued full or partial bans on the wearing of veils over concerns about security and the garment's perceived encroachment on the freedoms of the wearer.\n\nTunisia had been battling armed groups operating in remote areas near its border with Algeria since an uprising overthrew Ben Ali in 2011.\n\nTunisia is one of the few countries in the Middle East where Islamic and secular parties share rule. It is considered the sole democratic success story of the Arab Spring uprisings, but has struggled with an economic slowdown and social unrest.", "Tunisia has banned people from wearing the niqab -- a full-face veil -- in public institutions, citing security concerns.\n\nPrime Minister Youssef Chahed signed a government order Friday that prohibits anyone wearing a niqab, which covers everything but the eyes, from accessing public offices, according to official news agency TAP.\n\nThe rule, which takes effect immediately, applies to both staff and visitors.\n\nOn June 27, twin suicide bombings in the capital, Tunis, targeted Tunisia's security forces and killed at least one person and injured several others.\n\nThere have been reports that terrorists have been using niqab to disguise themselves, TAP said.\n\nThe niqab and hijab, or headscarf, were banned under secular governments until the ouster of longtime President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali's regime in 2011, Reuters reports.", "Tunis: Prime Minister Youssef Chahed decided on Friday to ban the niqab Muslim face covering for women in Tunisian government offices \"for security reasons\", his office said.\n\n\n\nIt said Chahed signed a government circular \"banning access to public administrations and institutions to anyone with their face covered... for security reasons\".\n\nThe ban on the niqab, which covers the entire face apart from the eyes, comes at a time of heightened security following a June 27 double suicide bombing in Tunis that left two dead and seven wounded.\n\nThe interior minister instructed police in February 2014 to step up supervision of the wearing of the niqab as part of anti-terrorism measures, to prevent its use as disguise or to escape justice.", "Tunis, July 5 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 6th Jul, 2019 ) :Tunisia's premier on Friday banned the niqab Muslim face covering for women in government offices, citing security concerns after attacks in the North African country.\n\nPrime Minister Youssef Chahed signed a government circular \"banning access to public administrations and institutions to anyone with their face covered... for security reasons,\" his office said.\n\nThe ban on the niqab, which covers the entire face apart from the eyes, comes at a time of heightened security following a June 27 double suicide bombing in Tunis that left two dead and seven wounded.\n\nThe interior minister instructed police in February 2014 to step up supervision of the wearing of the niqab as part of anti-terrorism measures, to prevent its use as a disguise or to escape justice.\n\nReactions to the ban were mixed in the Tunisian capital.\n\n\"They have the right to prohibit (the niqab) given the events we are currently witnessing,\" said Ilhem, a young Tunisian woman.\n\n\"But in the end, it remains an individual freedom,\" she added.\n\nLina questioned \"why the woman must make sacrifices every time there are security measures to be taken\".\n\nThe Tunisian League for the Defence of Human Rights urged that the measure be only temporary.\n\n\"We are for the freedom to dress (as one pleases), but today with the current situation and the terrorist threats in Tunisia and across the region we find justifications for this decision,\" the league's president Jamel Msallem told AFP.\n\nHe said that the ban should be repealed as soon as \"a normal security situation returns in Tunisia\".\n\nThe niqab and other outward shows of Islamic devotion were not tolerated under the regime of longtime autocrat Zine El Abidine Ben Ali but have made a comeback since he was toppled in Tunisia's 2011 revolution.\n\nAfter bloody attacks in 2015 that targeted security forces and tourists, there were calls in Tunisia to re-impose the ban.", "Prime Minister Youssef Chahed decided Friday to ban the niqab Muslim face covering for women in Tunisian government offices \"for security reasons\", his office said.\n\nIt said Chahed signed a government circular \"banning access to public administrations and institutions to anyone with their face covered... for security reasons\".\n\nThe ban on the niqab, which covers the entire face apart from the eyes, comes at a time of heightened security following a June 27 double suicide bombing in Tunis that left two dead and seven wounded.\n\nThe interior minister instructed police in February 2014 to step up supervision of the wearing of the niqab as part of anti-terrorism measures, to prevent its use as disguise or to escape justice.\n\nThe niqab and other outward shows of Islamic devotion were not tolerated under the regime of longtime autocrat Zine El Abidine Ben Ali but have made a comeback since he was toppled in Tunisia's 2011 revolution.", "Tunisia’s premier on Friday banned niqab, the Muslim face covering for women, in government offices, citing security concerns after attacks in the North African country.\n\nPrime Minister Youssef Chahed signed a government circular “banning access to public administrations and institutions to anyone with their face covered... for security reasons,” his office said.\n\nThe ban on niqab, which covers the entire face apart from the eyes, comes at a time of heightened security following a June 27 double suicide bombing in Tunis that left two dead and seven wounded.\n\nThe interior minister instructed police in February 2014 to step up supervision of wearing the niqab as part of anti-terrorism measures, to prevent its use as a disguise or to escape justice.\n\nThe Tunisian League for the Defense of Human Rights urged that the measure be only temporary.\n\n“We are for the freedom to dress (as one pleases), but today with the current situation and the terrorist threats in Tunisia and across the region we find justifications for this decision,” the league’s president Jamel Msallem told AFP.\n\nHe said that the ban should be repealed as soon as “a normal security situation returns in Tunisia”.\n\nThe niqab and other outward shows of Islamic devotion were not tolerated under the regime of longtime autocrat Zine El Abidine Ben Ali but have made a comeback since he was toppled in Tunisia’s 2011 revolution.\n\nAfter bloody attacks in 2015 that targeted security forces and tourists, there were calls in Tunisia to re-impose the ban.", "TUNIS (Reuters) - Tunisian Prime Minister Youssef Chahed has banned the wearing of the niqab face veil in public institutions “for security reasons” an official source told Reuters on Friday.\n\nThe decision follows Tuesday’s suicide bombing in Tunis by a wanted militant.\n\nIt was the third such incident within a week and came as Tunisia prepares for autumn elections and at the peak of a tourist season in which the country hopes to draw record number of visitors. Islamic State has claimed all three attacks.", "Tunisia’s prime minister has banned the full-face veil in all government buildings due to security concerns. It comes after a deadly double suicide bombing in Tunis in late June.\n\nPrime Minister Youssef Chahed has barred women from wearing the full-face veil — or niqab — after the latest suicide attack in the capital, Tunis, at the end of June left two dead and seven wounded.\n\nChahed signed a government circular “banning access to public administrations and institutions to anyone with their face covered,” his office said. The decision was made for “security reasons.”\n\nOn Tuesday, the mastermind of those bombings blew himself up in a Tunis suburb to evade capture, the Interior Ministry said. But it denies that he was wearing a niqab to disguise himself, which witnesses had claimed.\n\nAs far back as February 2014, police had been instructed to step up supervision of the wearing of the niqab — which covers the whole head apart from the eyes — as part of anti-terrorism measures, to prevent its use as a disguise or to escape justice.\n\nNiqabs and other forms of Islamic dress had been banned in Tunisia under secular presidents Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and Habib Bourguiba until a 2011 coup overthrew Ben Ali. (Agencies)", "Prime Minister Youssef Chahed decided Friday to ban the niqab Muslim face covering for women in Tunisian government offices \"for security reasons\", his office said.\n\nIt said Chahed signed a government circular \"banning access to public administrations and institutions to anyone with their face covered... for security reasons\".", "Tunisia's prime minister announced on Friday that women will be banned from wearing the niqab inside state buildings, after a militant allegedly used a face veil as a disguise before detonating a bomb belt.\n\nPrime Minister Youssef Chahed signed a notice \"banning access to public administrations and institutions to anyone with their face covered... for security reasons\", his office said on Friday.\n\nIt comes after double suicide bombings in Tunis on 27 June, which left two dead and seven wounded.\n\nThe wearing of the niqab and hijab are controversial subjects in Tunisia, where strict laws against outward expressions of Muslim religious identity were in place for decades.\n\n \n\n Former presidents Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali and Habib Bourguiba clamped down on Islamic dress during their rule due to their strict secular ideologies.\n\nAfter the 2011 revolution these laws were relaxed but in 2014 the interior ministry instructed police to step up supervision of the wearing of the niqab as part of anti-terrorism measures.\n\nThe Tunisian League for the Defence of Human Rights on Friday urged the government to repeal the nijab ban as soon as \"a normal security situation returns in Tunisia\".\n\nThere were calls for a ban on the niqab in 2015 following a series of bloody militant attacks on tourism sites and other targets.\n\nThis article has been adapted from its original source."], "summary": "Tunisian Prime Minister Youssef Chahed announces that the niqab will be banned in public institutions effective immediately, citing security concerns following a pair of suicide bombings on June 27."}
{"document": ["Californians woke early Friday to a 5.4-magnitude aftershock, renewing fears one day after Southern California experienced its strongest earthquake in two decades.\n\nSusan Hough, a seismologist with the United States Geological Survey, said the 4:07 a.m. tremor, nine miles northeast of the Mojave Desert city of Ridgecrest near where Thursday’s earthquake took place, would likely be the strongest aftershock, although more powerful ones could follow. There have been about 200 aftershocks since the 6.4-magnitude earthquake on Thursday morning, which led to about two dozen fire and emergency medical calls but no serious injuries.\n\nThursday’s earthquake punctured a period of relative seismic calm in California, but scientists said it did not change their calculations of when the Big One might strike.\n\nAlthough the faults around Ridgecrest are part of the larger San Andreas system that runs from the Gulf of California to Mendocino, north of San Francisco, Thursday’s earthquake did not relieve the stress on the San Andreas, said Paul Caruso, a geophysicist with the U.S.G.S. in Golden, Colo.", "A 6.4 earthquake has shaken Southern California on this Fourth of July holiday. It was initially described as 6.6 magnitude, but was revised down.\n\nIt was reported at 10:33 a.m. southwest of Searles Valley in San Bernardino County at a depth of 8.7 kilometers.\n\nSearles Valley is a remote desert area north of Barstow and about 25 miles northeast of Ridgecrest.\n\nKern County Fire Department officials said on Twitter the agency is out at nearly 24 incidents around and near Ridgecrest, including calls for medical assistance and structure fires.\n\nSan Bernardino County Fire Department said in a tweet that in its assessment of its northwest communities, crews have seen broken water mains, power lines that have fallen and some roads have rock slides. It has also seen multiple buildings with minor cracks. Its fire station in Hinkley has broken windows and is running on a generator.\n\nSouthern California Edison spokesman Robert Villegas said about 6,900 customers – 6,000 in Ridgecrest and 900 in Searles Valley area – are having power outage as of 12:45 p.m. The company is doing a damage assessment, and doesn’t have any information as to if the earthquake has caused any major damage to the company’s infrastructure, he said.\n\nHe said if people see any damage to electrical equipment, even if they don’t hear any noise, they should stay away from those damaged parts and call 911 immediately.\n\nRidgecrest Mayor Peggy Breeden said the city is doing the best it can, and Assemblyman Vince Fong and Congressman Kevin McCarthy have reached out to the city to offer any help. Reached just before noon, she said there have been broken gas lines and at least five fires that she understands need to be put out.\n\n“It’s been chaotic here to say the least,” she said. She asked the city’s residents to check on their neighbors if they can.\n\nThere has not been any personal injury as far as she’s aware, she said.\n\nIn Ridgecrest, resident Jessica Bennett, 42, said she was sitting on her bed this morning when “everything started flying off my dresser.”\n\nFurniture moved and things got broken, and while she’s not aware of any structural problems, “The house is a disaster.”\n\nIn her mobile home park, one of the trailers collapsed with a grandmother and granddaughter inside, Bennett said, but they were able to get out safely.\n\nAmanda Callaway, 36, from Ridgecrest, was driving on the north side of the city during the quake. She pulled over her car, thinking a tire might have popped off.\n\n“We got out and we can actively see the road undulating. It’s intense. I’ve never seen anything like this,” she said. “We can see the road shaking. It was a trip.”\n\nShe didn’t see any damage to the road, although a traffic light had gone out. There was some smoke southward of where she was, she said.\n\nThankfully, everything was fine for her, she said. She went home and found a bottle of wine had fallen off of a shelf. Her dog was also frightened, she said.\n\nIn a live news conference, seismologist Lucy Jones said there have been several aftershocks already and to expect more.\n\n“We should be expecting lots of aftershocks, some of them will be bigger than the 3s we’ve been feeling now,” she said.\n\nAt a 12:30 p.m. update she said there have been 6 above magnitude 4 and some 30 that registered in the 3s.\n\nJones said there’s about a 5 percent chance a quake even bigger than the 6.4 magnitude one is still to come and there is certainly a possibility of aftershocks in the 5s.\n\nWhile a large aftershock may still come this afternoon from the Ridgecrest area, Jones said, “It’s far enough away from the San Andreas (fault) that any impact on that system will be minimal.”\n\nShe also said: “This earthquake was large enough the shaking could have caused damage” out in the desert region. She said she wouldn’t expect damage in the LA area.\n\nSocial media reports showed that shaking was felt to the south at the National Weather Service’s San Diego office and as far east as Desert Hot Springs.\n\nRELATED: 6.4 magnitude earthquake in Southern California shakes social media with surprise reactions and videos\n\n“I felt it” reports have also been posted from North Las Vegas, Woodland Hills, Palmdale, La Puente, Santa Maria, Santa Ana, Visalia, Hanford, Lemoore, Porterville and Covina.\n\nJones and Robert Graves, a USGS seismologist, said the early warning system was triggered, but it didn’t push cell phone alerts to the general public. They weren’t sure whether something went wrong, or the quake simply didn’t meet the threshold for a widely broadcaster warning.\n\nJones tweeted at 10:40 a.m. that an earlier magnitude 4.2 temblor in the same area was a foreshock.\n\nMetrolink spokesman Scott Johnson said all trains in operation were stopped after the quake for about 12 minutes. But after the epicenter of the quake was located, all trains resumed service as the epicenter was beyond 70 miles off any Metrolink tracks, he said.\n\nThe Thursday morning temblor was one of the region’s biggest since the 1994 Northridge quake, and the first to surpass magnitude 6 since 1999, Jones said.\n\nAround the L.A. area, people indoors and sitting down would likely have felt the quake, but people in cars or walking around outside may not have noticed it, Jones said.\n\nHer first thought when the shaking started was, “I’m gonna have to tell family not to come over this afternoon,” Jones said. “I have a whole pile of food in that refrigerator.”\n\nJones and Graves will be giving regular updates for the next few hours as more information comes in, she said, but she advised everyone who’s not working to continue with their holiday plans.\n\nBennett said she’s waiting to start cleanup because news reports said to expect more shaking.\n\nShe’s never experienced anything like this while living in Ridgecrest, she said. “It was scary indeed.”", "Southern California is earthquake country. But if you’ve lived in the area for the last couple of decades, you might not know it.\n\nDespite Thursday’s wake-up call 6.4 magnitude in a remote desert area near the town of Ridgecrest, Southern California has been experiencing an earthquake drought, scientists said Thursday.\n\nThe relative inactivity did not go unnoticed by one high-profile expert on California’s shakers.\n\n“I think this would be a good time to remind you that if you have been experiencing earthquakes for the last 20 years in California, you have been experiencing an extremely quiet time in California history,” Caltech scientist Lucy Jones said.\n\nTake note of that history:\n\nThe last time there was an earthquake above magnitude 6 in Southern California was 1999, Jones said.\n\nThe previous decade leading up to that had about eight magnitude 6s.\n\n“This has been an extremely quiet, abnormal time,” she said.\n\nJones said the quake that shook the region on Thursday was actually more “normal” for what we should be expecting in Southern California, based on historical averages.\n\nA quake of the Ridgecrest size, based on long-term history, should be coming once every five or 10 years in Southern California.\n\nYet, you’d have to go back to Oct. 16, 1999, for anything bigger. That’s when a magnitude 7.1 quake hit about 32 miles north of Joshua Tree.\n\nUntil Thursday’s Ridgecrest quake, it was the largest tremor to have hit the area since the 7.3-magnitude Landers Earthquake struck on June 28, 1992. And just this year, the 25th anniversary of the 6.7-magnitude Northridge Earthquake was remembered, along with its tragic toll of 57 people killed.\n\nHere’s a quick rundown on some others above 4.0 over the last 25 years:\n• 6.4 magnitude earthquake in Southern California shakes social media with surprise reactions and videos\n• LA has an earthquake warning system. It didn’t send an alert for the July 4th quake. So what does this all mean? Are we due? Is there energy building up on the faults throughout Southern California?\n\nIt may just come down to being aware.\n\nHere’s what U.S. Geological Survey seismologist Robert Graves had to say about that: “Obviously any earthquake that occurs releases some of that tension. But there’s a tremendous amount that’s built up since the last major earthquake, which was in 1857 on the San Andreas.”", "A 5.4-magnitude aftershock rattled Searles Valley Friday morning, less than 24 hours after a 6.4 magnitude quake in the area shook Southern California.\n\nThe aftershock occurred just after 4 a.m. about 10 miles west of Searles Valley, according to the United States Geological Survey. It was the strongest of the more than 200 aftershocks that followed Thursday morning's quake.\n\nAn aftershock of this magnitude was expected by experts following Thursday's temblor.\n\nDr. Lucy Jones, a seismologist and founder of the Dr. Lucy Jones Center for Science & Society, estimated during a news conference hours after Thursday's earthquake that there was a 50 percent chance an aftershock of 5.0 magnitude would strike Thursday afternoon.\n\nMore: One of the strongest earthquakes in years rattles Southern California, damaging areas of Kern County\n\n\"It’s certain this area is going to be shaking a lot today,\" Jones said on Thursday. \"Some of those aftershocks will exceed magnitude five.\"\n\nThe last time Southern California had an earthquake greater than magnitude 6.0 was in October 1999. The magnitude-7.1 quake was centered about 30 miles north of Joshua Tree National Park headquarters and was felt in Nevada, Arizona and Mexico.\n\nBoth Thursday's earthquake and its strongest aftershock occurred about 170 miles northwest of Palm Springs. Local experts said there's no need for additional concern in the Coachella Valley.\n\n“In general, the earthquake hazard is high in the Coachella Valley, but this particular earthquake is not a cause of additional concern for people in the Palm Springs area,” said Abhijit Ghosh, a professor of geophysics at the University of California, Riverside, on Thursday afternoon.\n\nThis article will be updated as more information becomes available.", "", "", "BELLA BELLA, B.C.- A 6.2 magnitude earthquake hit British Columbia’s Haida Gwaii archipelago region off the west coast Wednesday night, (July 3 2019) hours before Southern California and Nevada were hit by an earthquake Thursday (July 4 2019) morning.\n\nThe United States Geological Survey says the earthquake hit Haida Gwaii around 9:30 p.m. local time.\n\nIt reports the quake’s epicentre was 196 kilometres west southwest of Bella Bella and it occurred at a depth of 10 kilometres.\n\nEarthquake Canada says the tremor was “lightly felt” on northern Vancouver Island and the adjacent mainland coast.\n\nIt says the earthquake was located 353 kilometres southwest of Kitimat, B.C., and 581 kilometres west northwest of Vancouver.\n\nThere was no tsunami warning issued and officials are reporting no threat of landslides.\n\nIn California the 6.4 magnitude quake struck at 10:33 a.m. Thursday in the Mojave Desert, about 150 miles (240 kilometres) northeast of Los Angeles, near Ridgecrest. It is the strongest quake to hit the region in 20 years. Seismologist Lucy Jones says a series of aftershocks were occurring and that at least one of them was a 4.3 magnitude temblor. She expects more throughout the day.\n\nIs there more to this story? We'd like to hear from you about this or any other stories you think we should know about. Contribute your voice on our contribute page", "RIDGECREST, Calif. -- A magnitude 5.4 earthquake hit near Searles Valley Friday morning, one day after a powerful 6.4 quake hit the region The quake is one in a series of aftershocks to hit the area since Thursday's 6.4 earthquake. It struck at approximately 4:07 a.m. local time and was centered about 9.7 miles from west of Searles Valley and 10.8 miles north-northeast of Ridgecrest, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.There were no immediate reports of damage in the surrounding area. People felt the quake in various parts of Los Angeles and Orange counties.About an hour and a half after the Friday quake, Los Angeles Fire Department tweeted that it had completed earthquake mode and gone back to normal operations.Thursday's earthquake was the strongest earthquake in the Southern California region since 1999, with people throughout Southern California reported feeling it. Minor cracks, multiple water mains ruptured and several power lines were down after the quake hit, according to the San Bernardino County Fire Department.Firefighters in Kern County responded to nearly two dozen incidents including medical emergencies and reports of a burning home.Kern County Fire Chief David Witt said emergency responders also contended with small vegetation fires, gas leaks and reports of cracked roadways in Ridgecrest, a city with a population of 28,000. Twenty patients were evacuated from Ridgecrest Regional Hospital as a precaution amid a slew of aftershocks, nine of which were measured at magnitude 4.0 or above.", "One day after Southern California experienced its strongest earthquake in 20 years, a 5.4 magnitude aftershock rattled the area once again early Friday morning.\n\nThe quake struck around 4:07 a.m. Pacific Time in the Mojave Desert, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The aftershock was located 16 kilometers West of Searles Valley, California.\n\nSo far, it's the largest of a swarm of ongoing aftershocks to hit California following Thursday's 6.4 magnitude quake that also struck in the Mojave Desert and led Gov. Gavin Newsom to declare a state of emergency for one county.\n\nDramatic video on Friday showed a Good Morning America reporter caught in the aftershock while her camera was rolling.\n\nWhen the earthquake struck on July 4, people from Las Vegas to the Pacific Coast reported feeling a rolling motion and took to social media to report it.\n\nThe Associated Press contributed to this report.", "Southern parts of California were struck by the largest earthquake to hit the state in two decades on Thursday.\n\nThe quake measured 6.4 magnitude and caused damage to homes and businesses in the area."], "summary": "A magnitude 7.1 earthquake hits Southern California just a day after a magnitude 6.4 earthquake in the same area."}
{"document": ["Christopher Cline, the billionaire coal tycoon best known for reviving Illinois’ mining industry and making a fortune doing it, was among seven people killed in a helicopter crash in the Bahamas, his lawyer’s office confirmed Friday. He was 60 years old.\n\nCline and his 22-year-old daughter, Kameron, were on the aircraft when it went down Thursday, said Joe Carey, a spokesman for attorney Brian Glasser. The helicopter was carrying seven Americans to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., when it crashed, killing everyone aboard, Bahamian police said.\n\nThe Royal Bahamas Police Force said that the helicopter went missing shortly after leaving Big Grand Cay and that authorities and local residents later found the crash site two miles off Grand Cay. Police identified those killed as four women and three men but did not provide names.\n\nCline was the founder of St. Louis, Mo., coal miner Foresight Energy, a joint venture with Robert Murray’s Murray Energy Corp., and was a major Republican donor.\n\nAdvertisement\n\nCline, who died a day shy of his 61st birthday, was born into coal. His grandfather dug up the rock with a pickax, and he himself started working the mines at 22. Ten years later, he founded Cline Group to extract coal from beneath the hollows and rolling hills of Appalachia. He created Foresight to expand into Illinois in 2006. At its peak, the company was valued at more than $2.6 billion.\n\n“Chris Cline built an empire and on every occasion was always there to give,” West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice, a fellow coal miner, said on Twitter.\n\nBahamian police did not provide a cause of the crash but said an investigation with civil aviation authorities was underway.\n\nBahamas Police Supt. Shanta Knowles said Friday that the search began off the islands of Big Grand Cay when police received a report from Florida that a group including Cline had failed to arrive as expected Thursday in Fort Lauderdale.\n\nAdvertisement\n\nThe bodies have been taken to the capital in Nassau to be officially identified, Knowles said. The helicopter was still in the water, and based on preliminary information, she did not believe there had been a distress call before it went down.\n\nForesight and Cline Group didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment left late Thursday. Glasser said Cline’s team was in touch with Foresight Chief Executive Robert Moore. “Chris had total confidence in Rob Moore, and that remains,” he said.\n\nForesight’s stock has traded at a fraction of what it did when Cline took the company public in 2014, weighed down by collapsing coal prices, increased competition and waning demand. The company said in May that it was suspending dividends while also cutting earnings and shipment forecasts for the year. Its shares plunged the most in intraday trading in almost three years on the announcement.\n\nCline was no stranger to politics. In 2017 it was revealed he gave $1 million to President Trump’s inaugural committee. Two years earlier, he revealed himself as the donor behind a $1-million contribution to a super PAC supporting Jeb Bush’s presidential campaign. Federal records show he also spread thousands of dollars to conservative groups as well as committees representing prominent Republicans such as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.\n\nRaised in a West Virginia town of 200 residents, Cline became one of the richest coal barons in America. According to a 2010 Bloomberg Markets profile, which dubbed him the “New King Coal,” he owned a 164-foot yacht called Mine Games and a 34,400-square-foot oceanfront mansion in Florida. The same profile noted that he would cruise Illinois in an Italian-made AgustaWestland helicopter with his Australian shepherd.\n\n“He was a young man,” Glasser said. “He was audacious. He was a great man, and he will be missed.”\n\nTragedy haunted Cline — his first wife died of breast cancer in 1987, and his best friend, Sidney Green, died in 2002 when the roof collapsed in Cline’s mine near Wharton, W.Va.\n\nCline said in 2010 that he was already thinking about when his sons Christopher and Alex, then 16 and 15, would be old enough to join his business. He said they would need college educations and to be toughened up for life underground. To help his children, including two daughters, appreciate their privileged lives, Cline said at the time that he sometimes made them fly commercial, introduced them to miners and showed them videos of when he started out.\n\nAdvertisement\n\nHe said at the time that he hoped the films instilled a sense of what it took to rise from a life in a West Virginia backwater and become a billionaire.\n\nThe Associated Press and Bloomberg were used in compiling this report.", "West Virginia Coal-mining billionaire Chris Cline was killed in a helicopter crash off the coast of the Bahamas one day before his 61st birthday on July 4, friends and colleagues confirmed.\n\nAccording to Evan Jenkins, Justice of the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia, the crash also claimed the lives of his daughter and five others, including the pilot of the helicopter. In a Facebook post commemorating the coal executive and philanthropist, Jenkins described Cline as “selfless.”\n\n“Chris loved West Virginia,” Jenkins wrote.” His selfless and generous support for programs and projects throughout the state improved the lives of countless West Virginians. His life’s story was one of hard work, love of family and caring support for others. My deepest condolences go out to his family.”\n\nAccording to Forbes, at the time of his death Cline’s net worth was $1.8 billion. Forbes reports that Cline got his start working in coal mines at age 15 and his fortune grew when he “bet big” on high-sulfur coal reserves in Illinois. Cline took his coal mining firm Foresight Energy public in 2014 and sold controlling stake in 2015 for $1.4 billion cash, Forbes says.\n\nAccording to the Associated Press, the Royal Bahamas Police Force confirmed the helicopter was flying from Big Grand Cay island to Fort Lauderdale. AP reports that authorities have not identified the deceased, but confirmed four women and three men died in the crash.\n\nWhile police have not named Cline as a victim, several people, including Cline’s attorney, Brian Glassier, confirmed his death on social media.\n\nOn Twitter, Glassier remembered his client as a “courageous” man, who despite his large fortune, never lost touch.\n\n“Our client Chris Cline died today,” Glassier tweeted. “A billionaire, he never lost touch with the days he lived in a double wide and used a blow dryer to thaw his winter pipes. He was the most courageous client we ever had the privilege to represent. We will not see his like again. RIP Chris Cline.”\n\n“Today we lost a WV superstar and I lost a very close friend,” Justice tweeted. “Our families go back to the beginning of the Cline empire – Pioneer Fuel. Chris Cline built an empire and on every occasion was always there to give. What a wonderful, loving, and giving man.” Governor Jim Justice", "This post was originally published on this site\n\nWORLD NEWS Billionaire coal executive dies in apparent helicopter crash in the Bahamas https://linewsradio.com/billionaire-coal-executive-dies-in-apparent-helicopter-crash-in-the-bahamas/ http://abcnewsradioonline.com/world-news/\n\nbauhaus1000/iStock(NEW YORK) — Billionaire coal executive Chris Cline was killed in a helicopter crash in the Bahamas on Thursday.\n\nCline, who founded the Cline Group and later Foresight Energy and built himself into one of the preeminent coal producers in the country, was one of seven people on a helicopter that crashed near Grand Cay on the Fourth of July, according to his lawyer Brian Glasser.\n\nFour women and three men were killed in the crash, which took off from Big Grand Cay for Fort Lauderdale, Florida, at about 2 a.m. on Thursday. The helicopter was reported missing just before 3 p.m., according to the Royal Bahamas Police Force.\n\nOne of Cline’s daughters, friends of the family and the pilot were also among those killed, Glasser said.\n\nBahamas officials did not confirm Cline was on board, however, they did identify the helicopter by tail number. The helicopter was owned by Cline’s Challenger Management LLC.\n\nThe helicopter was later found overturned in about 16 feet of water off Grand Cay, where the seven bodies were recovered from the aircraft.\n\nThe Department of Civil Aviation and Royal Bahamas Police and Defense Force are investigating the accident.\n\nWest Virginia Gov. Jim Justice, a coal industry executive himself, mourned the loss of his friend, writing, “Today we lost a WV superstar and I lost a very close friend. Our families go back to the beginning of the Cline empire – Pioneer Fuel. Chris Cline built an empire and on every occasion was always there to give. What a wonderful, loving, and giving man. Cathy and I are praying for his family and all those involved in this tragedy.”\n\nWest Virginia state Sen. Sue Cline, who represents the state’s 9th District, confirmed her friend had died in the helicopter crash in a response to Justice on Twitter.\n\n“Prayers for Family and friends of my great friend Chris Cline and his daughter Cameron and her dear friends who we loss (sic) today in a helicopter crash,” she wrote. “Chris was a exceptional human being and we all loved him so much. Such a loss for all 7 aboard today. Our hearts are broken.”\n\nThe executive founded Foresight Energy in 2006 when he bought mining rights in Illinois and struck it big. Forbes estimated Cline’s worth at $1.8 billion at the time of his death. He was ranked as the 388th-richest person in America in 2017.\n\nCline was also a supporter of President Donald Trump, a friend to the coal industry. In his 2018 State of the Union address, Trump proclaimed he “ended the war on American energy — and we have ended the war on beautiful, clean coal.”\n\nHe donated $1 million to Trump’s 2017 inauguration fund. During the 2016 presidential campaign, however, Cline actually donated $1 million to a super PAC supporting Jeb Bush, according to The New York Times.\n\nCline died one day before his 61st birthday.\n\nMarshall University, which Cline attended, named its athletic complex after him following a $5 million donation to the school.\n\n“Our hearts are heavy with the terrible news this evening of the passing of prominent Son of Marshall Chris Cline,” Marshall President Jerome Gilbert said on Twitter. “Chris’s generosity to our research and athletics programs has made a mark on Marshall University. I am praying for his family.”\n\nCline also dated Elin Nordegren, the ex-wife and mother of Tiger Woods’ two children, for several years.\n\nThe billionaire owned a house in North Palm Beach near the mansion Woods used to share with Nordegren. He was divorced and a father of four children.", "NASSAU, The Bahamas — Billionaire coal entrepreneur Chris Cline, who worked his way out of West Virginia's underground mines to amass a fortune and become a major Republican donor, was killed in a helicopter crash along with six other Americans, his lawyer's office confirmed on Friday.\n\nCline and his 22-year-old daughter Kameron were on board the aircraft when it went down Thursday, said Joe Carey, a spokesman for attorney Brian Glasser, who planned to issue a family statement later Friday.\n\nLeaders of industry, government and academics in West Virginia eulogized Cline as a coal industry visionary and a generous giver.\n\n\"He was a very farsighted entrepreneur,\" said Bill Raney, president of the West Virginia Coal Association. \"Chris was just one of those folks who had the Midas touch.\"\n\nForbes estimated his fortune at $1.8 billion this year. Cline donated heavily to President Donald Trump and other Republicans. Federal records show he gave the president's inaugural committee $1 million in 2017 and spread thousands more to conservative groups as well as committees representing prominent Republicans such as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.\n\nBahamas Police Supt. Shanta Knowles told The Associated Press that they began searching when police received a report from Florida that Cline's helicopter failed to arrive in Fort Lauderdale as expected on Thursday.\n\nThe bodies of the four women and three men were recovered and taken to the capital in Nassau to be officially identified, Knowles said. The helicopter was still in the water, and based on preliminary information, she did not believe there had been a distress call before it went down.\n\nA Royal Bahamas Police Force statement said authorities and local residents found the crash site two miles off Big Grand Cay, group of private islands Cline owned.\n\nKnowles said that preliminary information suggests there was no distress call before it went down. The helicopter was still in the water Friday, and She said a specialized ship was coming from Florida with equipment to pull the helicopter from the water.\n\nAviation safety investigators in the Bahamas are working to determine the cause, said Jaime Nixon, an aviation safety analyst for the Air Accident Investigation Department of the Bahamas. The Bahamas Civil Aviation Authority told the Federal Aviation Administration that the Augusta AW139 helicopter was located in the water at about 7 p.m. on Thursday.\n\nCline started in the coal industry at 22 years old, working in an underground mine in southern West Virginia, as his father and grandfather did, according to a biography on one of his companies' websites.\n\nHe quickly moved into management roles and soon formed his own energy development company, the Cline Group, which grew into one of the country's top coal producers.\n\nWest Virginia Gov. Jim Justice tweeted that he \"lost a very close friend\" in Cline, \"a WV superstar.\"\n\n\"Chris Cline built an empire and on every occasion was always there to give. What a wonderful, loving, and giving man,\" Justice tweeted.\n\nCline also donated $5 million to support West Virginia's Marshall University Sports Medicine Institute and another $3.5 million for the school's athletics foundation.\n\n\"Our hearts are heavy,\" said Marshall University President Jerome A. Gilbert. \"Chris's generosity to our research and athletics programs has made a mark on Marshall University and our students for many years to come.\"", "US billionaire among 7 killed in Bahamas helicopter crash\n\nNASSAU, Bahamas — Billionaire coal entrepreneur Chris Cline, who worked his way out of West Virginia’s underground mines to amass a fortune and become a major Republican donor, was killed in a helicopter crash along with six other Americans, his lawyer’s office confirmed on Friday.\n\nCline and his 22-year-old daughter Kameron were on board the aircraft when it went down Thursday, said Joe Carey, a spokesman for attorney Brian Glasser, who planned to issue a family statement.\n\nLeaders of industry, government and academics in West Virginia eulogized Cline as a coal industry visionary and a generous giver.\n\n“He was a very farsighted entrepreneur,” said Bill Raney, president of the West Virginia Coal Association. “Chris was just one of those folks who had the Midas touch.”\n\nForbes estimated his fortune at $1.8 billion this year. Cline donated heavily to President Trump and other Republicans. Federal records show he gave the president’s inaugural committee $1 million in 2017 and spread thousands more to conservative groups as well as committees representing prominent Republicans such as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.\n\nThe bodies of the four women and three men were recovered and taken to the capital in Nassau to be officially identified, said Bahamas Police Supt. Shanta Knowles. The helicopter was still in the water, and based on preliminary information, she did not believe there had been a distress call before it went down.\n\nA Royal Bahamas Police Force statement said authorities and local residents found the crash site two miles off Big Grand Cay, group of private islands Cline owned.\n\nAviation safety investigators in the Bahamas are working to determine the cause, said Jaime Nixon, an aviation safety analyst for the Air Accident Investigation Department of the Bahamas.", "GRAND CAY ISLAND, Bahamas – A deadly helicopter crash killed seven Americans, including a well-known billionaire and his daughter.\n\nThe aircraft left from Grand Cay Island at about 2 a.m. on Thursday and was headed to Fort Lauderdale, Florida when it happened.\n\nOfficials found the helicopter in 16 feet of water.\n\nBahamian police have not yet identified a cause for the crash, but they said they are investigating with civil aviation authorities now.\n\nWe know four women and three men were on board. They all died.\n\nWest Virginia coal billionaire and philanthropist Chris Cline, 60, and his daughter were among the victims.\n\n“The Register-Herald” newspaper out of Beckley, West Virginia described him as a “Billionaire mining entrepeneur, coal tycoon and benefactor to southern West Virginia.”\n\nCline’s friends and West Virginia Governor Jim Justice said Cline built an empire and gave to others every chance he got, including a lot of money to charities and millions of dollars to local universities.\n\nHe started The Cline Family Foundation to support educational instituations.\n\nForbes said he was worth 1. 8 billion dollars at the time of his death.", "In this Sept. 6, 2014 photo, Chris Cline speaks with media as Marshall University dedicates the new indoor practice facility as the Chris Cline Athletic Complex in Huntington, W.Va. Police in the Bahamas say a helicopter flying from Big Grand Cay island to Fort Lauderdale has crashed, killing seven Americans on board. None of the bodies recovered from the downed helicopter have been identified, but police Supt. Shanta Knowles told The Associated Press on Friday, July 5, 2019, that the missing-aircraft report from Florida said billionaire Chris Cline was on board. (Sholten Singer/The Herald-Dispatch via AP)\n\nNASSAU, Bahamas (AP) — The Latest on a helicopter crash that killed seven people in the Bahamas (all times local):\n\nA spokesman for the attorney of Chris Cline is confirming that the billionaire coal entrepreneur and his daughter were among the seven Americans killed in a helicopter crash in the Bahamas.\n\nJoe Carey is a spokesman for Cline’s lawyer in West Virginia, Brian Glasser. He says Cline and his 22-year-old daughter Kameron were on board the aircraft when it went down.\n\nAuthorities in the Bahamas have recovered seven bodies from the helicopter that crashed as it traveled from the island to Fort Lauderdale.\n\nCline worked his way up from West Virginia’s underground mines to become one of the country’s top coal producers and amass a $1.8 billion fortune.\n\nHe donated extensively to President Donald Trump and other Republican politicians.\n\nLeaders of industry, government and academics in West Virginia are describing billionaire Chris Cline as a coal industry visionary and a generous giver.\n\nPolice in the Bahamas tell The Associated Press they were told to look for a missing helicopter carrying Cline and six other Americans. The bodies of seven people have since been recovered from the downed helicopter, and authorities are working to identify them.\n\nCline grew up dirt-poor and worked his way up from the state’s underground mines to become a billionaire, with a Florida mansion and his own island chain in the Bahamas.\n\nWest Virginia Coal Association President Bill Raney described him as “a very farsighted entrepreneur” with a “Midas touch.”\n\nForbes estimated his fortune at $1.8 billion this year. Cline donated heavily to President Donald Trump and other Republicans. Federal records show he gave the president’s inaugural committee $1 million in 2017 and spread thousands more to conservative groups as well as committees representing prominent Republicans such as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.\n\nHe also gave at least $8.5 million to Marshall University.\n\nAviation safety investigators in the Bahamas are working to determine the cause of a helicopter crash that killed seven Americans.\n\nNone of the bodies recovered from the downed helicopter have been identified, but police Supt. Shanta Knowles told The Associated Press on Friday that the missing-aircraft report from Florida said billionaire Chris Cline was on board. She said the group of Americans from Big Grand Cay failed to arrive as expected in Fort Lauderdale. Cline was a billionaire coal tycoon and has been major donor to Republican politicians.\n\nJaime Nixon is an aviation safety analyst for the Air Accident Investigation Department of the Bahamas . She said a specialized ship was coming from Florida with equipment to pull the helicopter from the water.\n\nThe Bahamas Civil Aviation Authority told the Federal Aviation Administration that the Augusta AW139 helicopter was located in the water at about 7 p.m. on Thursday.\n\nPolice in the Bahamas say the bodies of seven Americans in a downed helicopter have been taken to the capital in Nassau to be officially identified.\n\nPolice superintendent Shanta Knowles said they responded to a missing aircraft report from Florida, and were told that billionaire Chris Cline and a group of Americans from Big Grand Cay failed to arrive as expected in Fort Lauderdale. Cline, a billionaire coal tycoon, has been major donor to Republican politicians.\n\nKnowles said information was preliminary and subject to change, but she did not believe there had been a distress call from the aircraft.\n\nShe said she believed that the helicopter was still in the water.\n\nPolice in the Bahamas say a helicopter flying from Big Grand Cay island to Fort Lauderdale has crashed, killing seven Americans on board.\n\nA statement from the Royal Bahamas Police Force said the cause of Thursday’s crash two miles off Grand Cay was under investigation.\n\nIt did not provide the names of the people killed but identified them as four women and three men.\n\nIt said police and civil aviation authorities were probing the crash.", "NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) — The Latest on a helicopter crash that killed seven people in the Bahamas (all times local):\n\nAviation safety investigators in the Bahamas are working to determine the cause of a helicopter crash that killed seven Americans.\n\nNone of the bodies recovered from the downed helicopter have been identified, but police Supt. Shanta Knowles told The Associated Press on Friday that the missing-aircraft report from Florida said billionaire Chris Cline was on board. She said the group of Americans from Big Grand Cay failed to arrive as expected in Fort Lauderdale. Cline was a billionaire coal tycoon and has been major donor to Republican politicians.\n\nJaime Nixon is an aviation safety analyst for the Air Accident Investigation Department of the Bahamas . She said a specialized ship was coming from Florida with equipment to pull the helicopter from the water.\n\nThe Bahamas Civil Aviation Authority told the Federal Aviation Administration that the Augusta AW139 helicopter was located in the water at about 7 p.m. on Thursday.\n\nPolice in the Bahamas say the bodies of seven Americans in a downed helicopter have been taken to the capital in Nassau to be officially identified.\n\nPolice superintendent Shanta Knowles said they responded to a missing aircraft report from Florida, and were told that billionaire Chris Cline and a group of Americans from Big Grand Cay failed to arrive as expected in Fort Lauderdale. Cline, a billionaire coal tycoon, has been major donor to Republican politicians.\n\nKnowles said information was preliminary and subject to change, but she did not believe there had been a distress call from the aircraft.\n\nShe said she believed that the helicopter was still in the water.\n\nPolice in the Bahamas say a helicopter flying from Big Grand Cay island to Fort Lauderdale has crashed, killing seven Americans on board.\n\nA statement from the Royal Bahamas Police Force said the cause of Thursday's crash two miles off Grand Cay was under investigation.\n\nIt did not provide the names of the people killed but identified them as four women and three men.\n\nIt said police and civil aviation authorities were probing the crash.\n\nCopyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.", "NASSAU, The Bahamas — A helicopter carrying seven Americans to Fort Lauderdale, Florida crashed Thursday off Grand Cay island in the Bahamas, killing everyone on aboard, Bahamian police said.\n\nA statement from the Royal Bahamas Police Force said the helicopter went missing shortly after leaving Big Grand Cay and authorities and local residents later found the crash site two miles off Grand Cay. Police identified those killed as four women and three men but did not provide names.\n\nThe Register-Herald newspaper in Beckley, West Virginia, quoted Gov. Jim Justice as saying that one of the people killed in the crash was Chris Cline, whom the newspaper described as a \"billionaire mining entrepreneur,\" ''coal tycoon\" and \"benefactor to southern West Virginia.\"\n\n\"West Virginia lost a super star, without any question,\" the newspaper quoted Justice as saying. \"A giving, good man. I just love him with all my soul. ... As governor, I will tell you we've lost a great West Virginian.\"\n\nJustice told the newspaper he could not yet officially identify anyone else who died in the crash.\n\nJustice's spokesman, Jordan Damron, did not return an email or phone call asking for comment Thursday night to confirm his statements.\n\nBahamian police did not provide a cause of the crash but said an investigation with civil aviation authorities was underway.", "The West Virginia billionaire killed in a helicopter crash off the coast of the Bahamas died alongside one of his daughters and some of her pals, friends said.\n\nChris Cline, a coal tycoon who once dated Tiger Wood’s ex-wife Elin Nordegren, was killed Thursday, a day before his 61st birthday, when the chopper crashed around 2 a.m. shortly after taking off from Grand Cay in the Bahamas, The Register-Herald reported.\n\nThe mining entrepreneur’s daughter, Kameron, was among the seven victims on the submerged aircraft, which was discovered overturned two miles off his private island, news station KFSN reported.\n\nTwo young adults, his pal, the pilot and a helicopter mechanic were also reportedly aboard the ill-fated flight.\n\n“Prayers for Family and friends of my great friend Chris Cline and his daughter Kameron and her dear friends who we loss (sic) today in a helicopter crash,” West Virginia state Sen. Sue Cline wrote on Twitter. “Chris was [an] exceptional human being and we all loved him so much. Such a loss for all 7 aboard today. Our hearts are broken.”\n\nThe helicopter was headed to Fort Lauderdale due to the possible illness of someone on board — but the pilot of the helicopter “made no request or permission to go” before the flight, according to the Register-Herald.\n\nBahamian officials said the cause of the crash is under investigation.\n\n“They’re attempting … to first of all go to the helicopter and retrieve any souls that are onboard and start the investigation,” Minister of Tourism and Aviation Dionisio D’Aguilar told The Nassau Guardian.\n\nCline was the founder of coal mining firm Foresight Energy, and was estimated to be worth $1.8 billion at the time of his death, according to Forbes.\n\nHe lost his first wife to cancer and his second marriage ended in divorce, according to the Register-Herald. In addition to Kameron, he was the father to three other children, Candice, Alex and Christopher.\n\nCline started dating Tiger Woods’ ex, Elin Nordegren, in 2013 following her highly-publicized divorce. Page Six last spotted the on-again, off-again couple together in 2016."], "summary": "Seven Americans, including coal billionaire Chris Cline, are found dead in a helicopter crash in the Bahamas."}
{"document": ["Brazil's Veja magazine and The Intercept published Thursday information which revealed that former judge Sergio Moro asked public officials not to include evidence against lawmakers to prevent the case against former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from being transfered to the Supreme Court, an institution in which he had little-to-no much influence.\n\nAmong leaked messages is a conversation in which Federal Police delegate Erika Marena said that Moro, who was the judge of the \"Car Wash\" Operation, asked her to attach a spreadsheet seized with a suspect to the file.\n\nThese leaks are part of a special edition in which the magazine Veja indicates that its own team reviewed by itself thousands of Telegram messages leaked by The Intercept.\n\n\"649,551 messages were analyzed, word by word. The messages reviewed... are true... Moro did irregularities. Outside the judicial writ and inside Telegram, the current minister asked the prosecution to include in the proceedings evidence that would later come to his hands; he ordered to speed up or delay processes and he exerted pressure so that certain charges were not processed,” Veja explained.\n\n\"In addition, the leaked dialogues reveal that he behaved like the Federal Public Ministry head, a position incompatible with a magistrate's required neutrality... Moro reviewed documents from the prosecutors and even scolded them.\"\n\nOn its last magazine cover, where Minister Moro is depicted manipulating the 'Scales of Justice', Veja stated ​​​​​​​that he did \"justice with his own hands\" and adds that he committed irregularities by unbalancing procedures in favor of the prosecutors of Lula da Silva.\n\nRegarding the information published by Veja, which is one of the most influent publications in Brazil, President Bolsonaro played down Friday the consequences of the new leaks saying that the people will define who is right.\n\n\"On Sunday, I want not only to watch the Brazil-Peru soccer final but also, if it is possible, if security allows, I will attend with Sergio Moro... The people will say if we are right or not,\" the former captain said, ​​​​vowing that he has no fear of booing, a comment related to the massive rejection the far-right president experienced when he attended the Brazil-Argentina game on Tuesday.", "As manifestações do último dia 30 tiveram como principal objetivo a defesa de Sergio Moro. Em Brasília, um enorme boneco de Super-Homem com o seu rosto foi inflado na frente do Congresso. Símbolo da Lava-Jato, que representa um marco na história da luta anticorrupção no país, o ex-juiz vem sofrendo sérios arranhões na imagem desde que os diálogos entre ele e membros da força-tarefa vieram a público revelando bastidores da operação. As conversas ocorridas no ambiente de um sistema de comunicação privada (o Telegram) e divulgadas pelo site The Intercept Brasil mostraram que, no papel de magistrado, Moro deixou de lado a imparcialidade e atuou ao lado da acusação. As revelações enfraqueceram a imagem de correção absoluta do atual ministro de Jair Bolsonaro e podem até anular sentenças.\n\nSó uma pequena parte do material havia sido divulgada até agora — e ela foi suficiente para causar uma enorme polêmica. Em parceria com o site, VEJA realizou o mais completo mergulho já feito nesse conteúdo. Foram analisadas pela reportagem 649 551 mensagens. Palavra por palavra, as comunicações examinadas pela equipe são verdadeiras e a apuração mostra que o caso é ainda mais grave. Moro cometeu, sim, irregularidades. Fora dos autos (e dentro do Telegram), o atual ministro pediu à acusação que incluísse provas nos processos que chegariam depois às suas mãos, mandou acelerar ou retardar operações e fez pressão para que determinadas delações não andassem. Além disso, revelam os diálogos, comportou-se como chefe do Ministério Público Federal, posição incompatível com a neutralidade exigida de um magistrado. Na privacidade dos chats, Moro revisou peças dos procuradores e até dava bronca neles. “O juiz deve aplicar a lei porque na terra quem manda é a lei. A justiça só existe no céu”, diz Eros Grau, ex-ministro do Supremo Tribunal Federal, falando em tese sobre o papel de um magistrado. “Quando o juiz perde a imparcialidade, deixa de ser juiz.”\n\nGALHOFA - Fachin: “conversei 45 m com o Fachin. Aha uhu o Fachin é nosso.” GALHOFA - Fachin: “conversei 45 m com o Fachin. Aha uhu o Fachin é nosso.”\n\nNão seria um escândalo se um magistrado atuasse nas sombras alertando um advogado de que uma prova importante para a defesa de seu cliente havia ficado de fora dos autos? Pois isso aconteceu na Lava-Jato, só que em favor da acusação. Uma conversa de 28 de abril de 2016 mostra que Moro orientou os procuradores a tornar mais robusta uma peça. No diálogo, Deltan Dalla­gnol, chefe da força-tarefa em Curitiba, avisa à procuradora Laura Tessler que Moro o havia alertado sobre a falta de uma informação na denúncia de um réu — Zwi Skornicki, representante da Keppel Fels, estaleiro que tinha contratos com a Petrobras para a construção de plataformas de petróleo, e um dos principais operadores de propina no esquema de corrupção da Petrobras. Skornicki tornou-se delator na Lava-­Jato e confessou que pagou propinas a vários funcionários da estatal, entre eles Eduardo Musa, mencionado por Dalla­gnol na conversa. “Laura no caso do Zwi, Moro disse que tem um depósito em favor do Musa e se for por lapso que não foi incluído ele disse que vai receber amanhã e da tempo. Só é bom avisar ele”, diz. (VEJA manteve os diálogos originais com eventuais erros de digitação e ortografia.) “Ih, vou ver”, responde a procuradora. No dia seguinte, o MPF incluiu um comprovante de depósito de 80 000 dólares feito por Skornicki a Musa. Moro aceita a denúncia minutos depois do aditamento e, na sua decisão, menciona o documento que havia pedido. Ou seja: ele claramente ajudou um dos lados do processo a fortalecer sua posição.\n\nCONTRA - Cunha: Moro não queria a delação do ex-presidente da Câmara CONTRA - Cunha: Moro não queria a delação do ex-presidente da Câmara\n\nEm sua defesa após o estouro do escândalo das mensagens, o ministro vem repetindo que atendia tanto os encarregados da acusação quanto os da defesa no dia a dia e tinha conversas com eles, nenhuma delas imprópria, na sua visão. De fato, está na rotina de um juiz receber as partes envolvidas no processo, mas de maneira oficial, sempre com registro, e não por meio de um sistema privado de comunicação. A posição do ex-juiz fica ainda mais difícil de defender diante dos dados analisados pela parceria VEJA/The Intercept. Não eram conversas protocolares entre juiz e Ministério Público. Do conjunto, o que se depreende, além de uma intimidade excessiva entre a magistratura e a acusação, é uma evidente parceria na defesa de uma causa. Os exemplos mais robustos vêm das conversas entre Moro e Dalla­gnol. Em 2 de fevereiro de 2016, por exemplo, o juiz escreve a ele: “A odebrecht peticionou com aquela questao. Vou abrir prazo de tres dias para vcs se manifestarem”. Dalla­gnol agradece o aviso. Moro se refere ao questionamento da Odebrecht à Justiça da Suíça a respeito do compartilhamento de dados, incluindo extratos bancários, da empresa naquele país. Grosso modo, a empreiteira tentou impedir que o Ministério Público suíço enviasse dados à força-tarefa. Preocupado com a história, Moro pede notícias a Dalla­gnol no dia 3. “Quando sera a manifestação do mpf?”, pergunta. “Estou redigindo, mas quero fazer bem feita, para já subsidiar os HCs que virão. Imagino que amanhã, no fim da tarde”, responde o procurador. No dia seguinte, Dalla­gnol informa a Moro que a peça estava quase pronta, mas dependia ainda da revisão de colegas. “Protocolamos amanha, salvo se for importante que seja hoje. Posso mandar, se preferir, versão atual por aqui, para facilitar preparo de decisão”, escreve. Moro tranquiliza Dalla­gnol: “Pode ser amanha”. No dia 5, prazo final, por volta das 15 horas, Dalla­gnol manda pelo Telegram ao juiz a peça “quase pronta”. A situação é completamente irregular. Em vez de se comunicarem de forma transparente pelos autos, juiz e procurador usam o Telegram. Como se não bastasse, o chefe da força-­tarefa ainda envia a Moro uma versão inacabada do trabalho para que o juiz possa adiantar a sentença.\n\nNÃO VI - Barra, da Andrade: Moro pediu à PF para retardar o envio de planilha NÃO VI - Barra, da Andrade: Moro pediu à PF para retardar o envio de planilha\n\nDentro da relação estabelecida pela dupla, chama atenção também o momento em que Dalla­gnol dá dicas ao “chefe” sobre argumentos para garantir uma prisão. Isso aconteceu em 17 de dezembro de 2015, quando Moro informa que precisa de manifestação do MPF no pedido de revogação da prisão preventiva de José Carlos Bumlai, pecuarista e amigo de Lula. “Ate amanhã meio dia”, escreve. Dalla­gnol garante que a ação será feita e acrescenta: “Seguem algumas decisões boas para mencionar quando precisar prender alguém…”. À luz do direito, é tão constrangedor quanto se Cristiano Zanin Martins fosse flagrado passando a Moro argumentos para embasar um habeas­-corpus a favor de Lula.\n\nMesmo entre parceiros com bastante afinidade há momentos de tensão (e que precisam ser resolvidos com uma conversa ao vivo). Em um deles, ocorrido em um chat de 17 de novembro de 2015, Moro dá um puxão de orelha em Dalla­gnol. O juiz reclama de que está difícil entender os motivos pelos quais o MPF recorreu da sentença aplicada aos delatores Augusto Ribeiro de Mendonça Neto, Pedro José Barusco Filho, Mário Frederico Mendonça Góes e Júlio Gerin de Almeida Camargo. Dalla­gnol tenta se justificar, sem sucesso. “O mp está recorrendo da fundamentação, sem qualquer efeeito pratico”, critica o juiz. “Na minha opinião estao provocando confusão.” Para Moro, o efeito prático do recurso apresentado pelo MPF será “jogar para as calendas a existência execução das penas dos colaboradores”, ou seja, postergará o início do cumprimento da pena aplicada aos delatores citados. Mais uma vez, tudo fora dos autos. Dalla­gnol, resignado, pede um encontro com Moro para a manhã do dia seguinte: “25m seriam suficiente (sic)”.\n\nPeças fundamentais na Lava-­Jato, as delações exigem também que o juiz se comporte de forma imparcial e somente após as negociações, conduzidas pelo MPF, pois ao fim do processo caberá a ele decidir se aceita ou não a oferta. Nesse capítulo, Moro cruzou igualmente a linha, a exemplo do caso do ex-deputado Eduardo Cunha. Na noite de 12 de junho de 2017, Ronaldo Queiroz, procurador da força-tarefa da Lava-Jato na PGR, cria um grupo no Telegram com Dalla­gnol para avisar que foi procurado pelo advogado de Cunha para iniciar uma negociação de delação premiada. Queiroz afirma que as revelações poderiam ser de interesse dos procuradores de Curitiba, Rio de Janeiro e Natal, onde corriam ações relacionadas ao político. Após membros do Rio de Janeiro serem incluídos no grupo, Queiroz posta uma mensagem que dá uma ideia de sua visão de mundo sobre a quantidade de honestos na Justiça e na política (uma visão de mundo compartilhada por muitos de seus colegas da Lava-Jato). Queiroz afirma esperar que Cunha entregue no Rio de Janeiro, pelo menos, um terço do Ministério Público estadual, 95% dos juízes do Tribunal da Justiça, 99% do Tribunal de Contas e 100% da Assem­bleia Legislativa.\n\nNo dia 5 de julho, durante o período da tarde, os procuradores concordam em marcar uma reunião com o advogado Délio Lins e Silva Júnior para a terça-­feira seguinte (11 de julho). Naquele mesmo dia, às 23h11, em uma conversa privada, Moro questiona Dalla­gnol sobre rumores de uma delação de Cunha. “Espero que não procedam”, diz. Dalla­gnol afirma que tudo não passa de rumores. Ele confirma ao juiz que está programado apenas um encontro com o advogado para que os procuradores tomem conhecimento dos anexos. “Acontecerá na próxima terça. estaremos presentes e acompanharemos tudo. Sempre que quiser, vou te colocando a par”, afirma. Moro, então, reitera seu posicionamento. “Agradeço se me manter (sic) informado. Sou contra, como sabe.” Detalhe: isso sem saber o conteúdo.\n\nComo a proposta de delação atingia políticos com foro privilegiado, a palavra final para assinar um acordo de delação com Cunha passou para a PGR. A homologação competia ao ministro Luiz Edson Fachin, relator da Lava­-Jato no STF. O ex-deputado corria na época para fechar um acordo antes de o doleiro Lúcio Bolonha Funaro assinar os termos de sua delação. Os procuradores envolvidos nas negociações diziam que a dupla falava sobre os mesmos temas, o que tornaria desnecessária a aprovação das duas colaborações. No dia 28 de julho, já com os anexos de Cunha em mãos, Ronaldo Queiroz diz que a ideia é analisá-­los em conjunto com os colegas para tomar uma decisão sobre aceitar ou rejeitar a delação. Em 30 de julho, Queiroz diz que o material é fraco. No dia seguinte, uma mensagem do procurador Orlando SP, provavelmente Orlando Martello Júnior, traz o posicionamento de Curitiba — o mesmo de Moro: “Achamos que o acordo deve ser negado de imediato”.\n\nO papel de líder da Lava-Jato em Curitiba é exercido em diversas oportunidades pelo ex-juiz. Em mais de uma ocasião, Moro aparece nos chats do Telegram interferindo na agenda dos procuradores da força-tarefa, outra atitude que gera a suspeição de qualquer magistrado. Em 7 de julho de 2015, por exemplo, um membro da força-tarefa, que a reportagem de VEJA identificou ser o procurador Carlos Fernando dos Santos Lima, escreve o seguinte: “Igor. O Russo (Moro) sugeriu a operação do professor para a semana do dia 20”. Igor (o delegado da Polícia Federal Igor Romário) responde: “Opa… beleza… Vou começar a me organizar”. De acordo com a apuração da revista, o “professor” era o almirante Othon Luiz Pinheiro da Silva, da Eletronuclear. Ele acabou sendo preso no dia 28. Em outro episódio, Moro não apenas sugere uma data para a operação como também já fala em receber a denúncia. O caso em questão aparece em um diálogo ocorrido em 13 de outubro de 2015. Nele, o procurador Paulo Galvão, o PG, alerta Roberson Pozzobon, seu colega da força-­tarefa, sobre uma orientação do juiz. “Estava lembrando aqui que uma operação tem que sair no máximo até por volta de 13/11, em razão do recesso e do pedido do russo (Moro) para que a denúncia não saia na última semana”, escreve PG. “Após isso, vai ficar muito apertado para denunciar.” Pozzobon concorda com PG e acrescenta: “uma grande operação por volta desta data seria o ideal. Ainda é próximo da proclamação da república. rsrs”.\n\nA partir de um levantamento das operações ocorridas em novembro e das denúncias oferecidas em dezembro de 2015, chega-se à conclusão de que o diálogo trata da Operação Passe Livre, que prendeu José Carlos Bumlai. Ele atuou como laranja do PT, intermediando um empréstimo de 12 milhões de reais do Banco Schahin ao partido em 2004. O pedido de Moro comentado na conversa entre PG e Pozzobon acabou cumprido à risca. Bumlai foi preso em 24 de novembro e denunciado em 14 de dezembro — na última semana antes do recesso da Justiça Federal do Paraná. No dia seguinte, Moro recebeu a denúncia, a tempo de impedir que os crimes prescrevessem no fim de 2015.\n\nDentro de uma visão simplista, a estratégia parece um golpe de mestre do juiz para não deixar um bandido escapar da Justiça. Mas o argumento de que os fins justificam os meios não pode prosperar numa sociedade desenvolvida. Tal postura de Moro viola o devido processo legal, pondo em risco o estado de direito. “Nesse caso, a sociedade pode aplaudir o juiz, por acreditar que ele está tentando ser justo. Mas ele está infringindo as leis do processo, que o impedem de imiscuir-se em uma das partes e colaborar com ela, e é uma das garantias para que todos sejam julgados da mesma forma”, afirma um juiz, que pediu para não ser identificado. “Imagine que todos os magistrados atuem da mesma forma, infringindo uma regra aqui e outra ali para alcançar seus objetivos. Um pode se aliar à defesa para soltar um criminoso; outro pode se aliar à acusação para perseguir um inimigo e, aí, o céu é o limite”, conclui.\n\nPOR POUCO - Bumlai: pressão no MPF para que denúncia fosse antes do recesso POR POUCO - Bumlai: pressão no MPF para que denúncia fosse antes do recesso\n\nUma das obsessões de Moro envolvia manter os casos da Lava-Jato em seu poder em Curitiba, a exemplo dos processos de Lula do tríplex do Guarujá e do sítio de Atibaia. Nesse esforço, o magistrado mentiu a um ministro do Supremo Tribunal Federal (STF) ou, na hipótese mais benigna, ocultou dele uma prova importante, conforme mostra um dos diálogos. A conversa em questão se refere ao caso de Flávio David Barra, preso em 28 de julho de 2015, quando presidia a AG Energia, do grupo Andrade Gutierrez. Sua detenção ocorreu na Operação Radioatividade, relacionada a pagamentos de propina feitos por empreiteiras, entre elas a Andrade Gutierrez, a Othon Luiz Pinheiro da Silva, da Eletronuclear, responsável pela construção da usina nuclear Angra 3. Em 25 de agosto, a defesa de Barra pede ao ministro do STF Teori Zavascki a suspensão do processo tocado pela 13ª Vara de Curitiba, alegando que Moro não tinha competência para julgar o caso por haver indício de envolvimento de parlamentares, entre eles o então senador Edison Lobão (MDB-MA).\n\nDiante da reclamação, Zavascki cobra explicações de Moro, que diz não saber nada sobre o envolvimento de parlamentares. Mesmo assim, com base nas informações da defesa, o ministro do STF suspende em 2 de outubro as investigações, o que força o então juiz a remeter o caso de Curitiba para Brasília três dias depois. Seu comportamento perante Zavascki foi impróprio, como evidencia um diálogo registrado no Telegram dezoito dias depois entre o procurador Athayde Ribeiro Costa e a delegada Erika Marena, da Polícia Federal. Costa diz precisar com urgência de uma “planilha/agenda” apreendida com Barra que descreve pagamentos a diversos políticos. Marena responde que, por orientação de “russo” (Moro), não tinha tido pressa em “eprocar” a planilha (tradução: protocolar o documento no sistema eletrônico da Justiça). “Acabei esquecendo de eprocar”, disse. “Vou fazer isso logo”, completa.\n\nNa pior das hipóteses, Moro já sabia da existência da planilha quando foi inquirido por Zavascki e mentiu ao ministro. Em um segundo possível cenário, igualmente comprometedor, Moro teria tomado conhecimento da planilha depois da inquirição de Zavascki e pediu à delegada para “não ter pressa” em protocolar o documento. Tudo indica que a manobra tinha como objetivo manter o caso em Curitiba. “Um juiz não pode ocultar provas, e, se o diálogo tiver a autenticidade comprovada, estamos diante de uma conduta bastante problemática”, afirma o advogado Gustavo Badaró, professor de processo penal da USP, que analisou a pedido de VEJA o episódio. Na primeira leva de mensagens divulgadas pelo Intercept no mês passado, Moro já aparecia reclamando de um delegado da PF que havia incluído rápido demais todos os elementos da investigação no sistema eletrônico, o que obrigaria o juiz a enviar parte do processo ao STF.\n\nA relação entre Moro e Dalla­gnol era tão próxima que abre espaço para que eles comemorem nas conversas o sucesso de algumas etapas da Lava­-Jato, como se fossem companheiros de trabalho festejando metas alcançadas. Em 14 de dezembro de 2016, Dallagnol escreve ao parceiro para contar que a denúncia de Lula seria protocolada em breve, enquanto a de Sérgio Cabral já seria registrada no dia seguinte (o que de fato ocorreu). Moro responde com um emoticon de felicidade, ao lado da frase: “ um bom dia afinal”. A proximidade rendeu ainda lances curiosos. Em 9 de julho de 2015, Dallagnol saúda o colega: “bem vindo ao telegram!!”. Cinco meses depois, dá dicas ao juiz de como usar o programa no desktop, enviando no chat um link para o download. “Se puder me mandar no e-mail, agradeço. O tico e o teco da informática aqui não são muito espertos”, responde Moro. Em março de 2017, Dallagnol escreve ao juiz para tirar uma dúvida: ele assina o primeiro nome com ou sem acento? O motivo é que o procurador estava revisando um livro sobre Moro. “Não uso normalmente o acento”, responde o juiz. Em julho de 2018, Dallagnol atua como assessor de imprensa, perguntando a Eduardo El Hage, um colega do Ministério Público Federal no Rio, detalhes de um pedido de participação de Moro em um programa do canal fechado HBO: “Eles contataram o Moro aqui e ele queria ter o contexto e informações que possam ser úteis pra ele decidir se atende”. Em um dos períodos mais tensos da operação, o que se seguiu à ação do juiz que torna público o famoso trecho do grampo telefônico em que Dilma Rousseff envia o “Bessias” para entregar a Lula o termo de posse em seu ministério, Dallagnol combina em um dos chats com procuradores uma nota de apoio a Moro e repassa ao grupo uma sugestão do próprio juiz para o texto. Na mesma época, Moro também recebe um afago e conselho de um interlocutor no Telegram (tudo indica, o procurador Carlos Fernando dos Santos Lima). “O movimento seria nas sombras, como você mesmo disse”, escreve, referindo-se ao convite de Dilma para Lula. “O seu capital junto à população vai proteger durante um tempo. As coisas se transformam muito rápido.”\n\nPROFESSOR - O almirante Othon: data de prisão foi sugerida por Moro PROFESSOR - O almirante Othon: data de prisão foi sugerida por Moro\n\nAs conversas entre membros do Ministério Público Federal assumem várias vezes o tom de arquibancada, com os membros da força-tarefa vibrando e torcendo a cada lance da batalha contra os inimigos. Em 13 de julho de 2015, Dallagnol sai exultante de um encontro com o ministro Edson Fachin e comenta com os colegas de MPF: “Caros, conversei 45 m com o Fachin. Aha uhu o Fachin é nosso”. A preocupação da força-tarefa com a comunicação para a opinião pública era constante. Em 7 de maio de 2016, Moro comenta com Dalla­gnol que havia sido procurado pelo apresentador Fausto Silva. Segundo o relato do juiz, o apresentador o cumprimentou pelo trabalho na Lava-Jato, mas deu um conselho: “Ele disse que vcs nas entrevistas ou nas coletivas precisam usar uma linguagem mais simples. Para todo mundo entender. Para o povão. Disse que transmitiria o recado. Conselho de quem está a (sic) 28/anos na TV. Pensem nisso”. Procurado por VEJA, Fausto Silva confirmou o encontro e o teor da conversa entre ele e Moro.\n\nCuriosidades dos bastidores à parte, o que vai definir mesmo o destino de Moro à luz das revelações dos chats são os trechos nos quais fica evidente seu papel duplo de juiz e assistente de acusação. A Lava-Jato foi assumidamente inspirada na Mani Pulite, a Mãos Limpas da Itália, que desbaratou um gigantesco esquema de corrupção na década de 90, resultando em 2 993 mandados de prisão nos dois primeiros anos de operação. No caso do sistema de Justiça do país europeu há a figura do magistrado que trabalha no Ministério Público — mas ele não atua nos julgamentos. A melhor explicação para o comportamento irregular do atual ministro é que ele tenha se inspirado nessa figura para pautar suas ações na Lava-Jato. “O Moro confundiu totalmente os papéis”, afirma o jurista Wálter Fanganiello Maiero­vitch. “O magistrado que investiga nunca é o que julga, nem na Itália nem em nenhuma outra democracia do planeta.”\n\nNo Brasil, o papel duplo do juiz viola o artigo 254 do Código de Processo Penal, que proíbe que o magistrado aconselhe uma das partes ou tenha interesse em favor da acusação ou da defesa. Essa atuação pode, de fato, provocar a revisão de atos de Moro. No caso da condenação de Lula, por exemplo, o STF adiou a discussão para agosto. Será uma decisão complexa e delicada para a Suprema Corte. Ali, mesmo que alguns ministros já tenham criticado excessos da Lava-Jato, é difícil qualquer prognóstico. Um dado, porém, é certo. Fiscalizar o que Moro fez enquanto juiz não significa pôr em risco os avanços contra a corrupção no Brasil, como sugerem as manifestações recentes nas ruas das cidades do país. A sociedade brasileira não vai abrir mão do processo que resultou, pela primeira vez na história, na prisão de políticos e empresários poderosos.\n\nMANIFESTAÇÃO - Passeata em Brasília: Moro virou Super-Homem MANIFESTAÇÃO - Passeata em Brasília: Moro virou Super-Homem\n\nEmbora as conversas mostrem que Moro cometeu infrações, os crimes punidos ao longo da Lava-Jato gozam de vasta coleção de provas materiais e orais. A maioria esmagadora das sentenças, aliás, acabou confirmada em outras instâncias da Justiça. Graças ao esforço dos procuradores de Curitiba, descobriu-se também o Setor de Operações Estruturadas da Odebrecht, desenvolvido exclusivamente para administrar o pagamento de propinas efetuado pela empresa no Brasil e no exterior. O resultado prático e sua importância são incontestes. Diversos políticos que se locupletaram nos últimos anos ainda estão presos. Entre eles, Lula, Sérgio Cabral, Eduardo Cunha… O próprio Lula, mesmo que a suspeição de Moro seja confirmada, pode permanecer preso. Ele já foi condenado em primeira instância pelo sítio em Atibaia, sentença proferida pela juíza Gabriela Hardt, e o caso aguarda apenas a decisão do TRF4 (provavelmente favorável à sua condenação). Portanto, não se trata aqui de uma defesa do Lula Livre nem de estar contra a Lava-Jato. Mas, sim, do direito inexorável que todos os cidadãos têm de um julgamento justo.\n\nNa terça 2, Moro (que, por sinal, não faz mais parte da Lava-Jato) ficou sete horas no Congresso respondendo a parlamentares sobre o caso. Repetiu o que tem dito nas últimas semanas: os diálogos divulgados foram fruto de um roubo, podem ter sido editados e, mesmo verdadeiros, não apontam nenhum tipo de desvio. A cada nova revelação, fica mais difícil sustentar esse discurso. Na sentença em que condenou Lula, o ex­-juiz anotou que “não importa quão alto você esteja, a lei ainda está acima de você”. A frase cabe agora perfeitamente em sua situação atual. Levado ao Ministério da Justiça para funcionar como uma espécie de esteio moral da gestão Bolsonaro, ele ainda goza de grande popularidade, mas hoje depende do apoio do presidente para se manter no cargo. Independentemente do seu destino, o caso dos diálogos vazados representa uma oportunidade para que o país discuta os excessos da Justiça e o fortalecimento dos direitos do cidadão. Um país onde as instituições funcionam não precisa de nenhum Super-Homem.\n\nNota da redação: procurados por VEJA, Deltan Dalla­gnol e Sergio Moro não quiseram receber a reportagem. Ambos gostariam que os arquivos fossem enviados a eles de forma virtual, mas, alegando compromissos de agenda, recusaram-se a recebê-­los pessoalmente, uma condição estabelecida por VEJA. Mesmo sem saber o conteúdo das mensagens, a assessoria do Ministério da Justiça enviou a seguinte nota: “A revista Veja se recusou a enviar previamente as informações publicadas na reportagem, não sendo possível manifestação a respeito do assunto tratado. Mesmo assim, cabe ressaltar que o ministro da Justiça e Segurança Pública não reconhece a autenticidade de supostas mensagens obtidas por meios criminosos, que podem ter sido adulteradas total ou parcialmente e que configuram violação da privacidade de agentes da lei com o objetivo de anular condenações criminais e impedir novas investigações. Reitera-­se que o ministro sempre pautou sua atuação pela legalidade”.\n\nColaboraram Leandro Demori, Victor Pougy, Nonato Viegas e Bruna de Lara\n\nPublicado em VEJA de 10 de julho de 2019, edição nº 2642", "Brazil’s justice minister Sérgio Moro is facing renewed pressure to resign after the country’s leading conservative magazine waded into a snowballing scandal over his role in a mammoth anti-corruption investigation that helped reshape South America’s political landscape.\n\nBrazil’s far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro, and his supporters have tried to portray the slew of revelations about Moro’s conduct in ‘Operation Car Wash’ as part of a leftwing assault being spearheaded by the investigative website the Intercept and its co-founder Glenn Greenwald.\n\nIn early June, the Intercept began publishing a series of exposés based on what it called “a vast trove” of leaked messages between Brazilian law enforcement officials.\n\nBut efforts to disqualify the revelations were undermined on Friday when Brazil’s most influential conservative magazine, Veja, published a front-page report featuring damaging new disclosures about Bolsonaro’s most famous minister.\n\nVeja – long a cheerleader for Moro’s anti-corruption crusade – said its journalists had spent a fortnight poring over nearly 650,000 leaked messages between officials involved in the investigation, and concluded the former judge was guilty of serious “irregularities”.\n\nThey included claims that – despite being a supposedly impartial judge in the ‘Car Wash’ inquiry – Moro had “illegally” steered prosecutors as they worked to convict Brazilian politicians.\n\nAn image on Veja’s front page showed Moro – who controversially took his job last year after helping imprison Bolsonaro’s key election rival, former leftist president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva – using his index finger to tip the scales of justice to the right.\n\nIn a damning editorial Veja said its reporting “revealed with precision how Sérgio Moro had overstepped his role as a judge”.\n\nThe magazine even drew parallels between the way it claimed Moro had taken “the law into his own hands” and the activities of death squads and vigilante killers.\n\n“There are those who applaud and defend this kind of behaviour, but as a responsible media outlet we cannot support such attitudes,” Veja said, denying its report was intended to boost Brazil’s left or help Lula escape prison.\n\nReinaldo Azevedo, a prominent conservative commentator who has also collaborated with the Intercept, said Moro’s behaviour, as described by Veja, was a “scandal” and offered a roadmap “for everything a magistrate should not do”.\n\n“The report is devastating for Moro’s reputation. Devastating for the reputation of Brazil’s legal system. And this is only just the beginning,” Azevedo wrote.\n\nIn a statement Moro – who has denied wrongdoing and resisted calls to resign – condemned “the distorted and sensationalist diffusion of supposed messages obtained by criminal means”.\n\nBolsonaro, who this week completes six months in power, has so far stuck by his minister, celebrating Moro as a “national treasure” and parading him at a football match in the capital, Brasília.", "The leaked messages show that Mr. Moro often overstepped his role as a judge — someone who is supposed to be impartial and free from bias — to act as a consigliere for the prosecution. He offered strategic advice to prosecutors: they should, for example, reverse the order of various phases of the investigation; think again about a particular motion they were planning to file; speed up certain processes; slow down many others. Mr. Moro passed on information about a potential new source to the prosecution; scolded prosecutors when they took too long to stage new raids; endorsed or disapproved of their tactics; and provided them with advance knowledge of his decisions.\n\nThe revelations have shed new light on Mr. Moro’s conviction of former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, in 2017. (In Brazil, jury trials are restricted for offenses against life, such as homicide and infanticide. In other criminal cases, the same judge who oversees the investigation is also the one who judges and sentences the accused.) The left-wing politician, who ruled the country from 2003 to 2010, is currently in jail, having been convicted on charges of corruption and money laundering. He was deemed ineligible to run for president precisely at a time when polls showed him to be the front-runner in the 2018 race. Mr. da Silva’s convenient detention cleared the way for the election of the far-right Jair Bolsonaro, who then — wait for it — gracefully appointed Mr. Moro as Brazil’s justice minister.\n\nAccording to material published by the news site The Intercept Brasil, over the course of the investigation, Mr. Moro meddled in matters of press coverage and worried about how to get the public’s support for the prosecution. “What do you think of these crazy statements from the PT national board? Should we officially rebut?” he once asked federal prosecutor Deltan Dallagnol, referring to a statement by Mr. da Silva’s Workers’ Party in which the indictment was deemed a political persecution. Notice the use of the word “we” — as if Mr. Moro and Mr. Dallagnol are on the same team.\n\nThis is all, of course, highly immoral — if not downright illegal. It violates nothing less than the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which says: “Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him.” Under Brazil’s Criminal Procedure Code, judges are supposed to be neutral arbiters and cannot give advice to any of the parties in a case. Mr. Moro also violated many provisions of the Brazilian Code of Judicial Ethics, particularly one that says the judge should maintain “an equivalent distance from the parties,” avoiding any kind of behavior that may reflect “favoritism, predisposition or preconception.”\n\nWhen the leaks were first reported, the Car Wash task force and Mr. Moro did not dispute the authenticity of the material, arguing instead, per Mr. Moro, that the messages showed “no sign of any abnormality or providing directions as a magistrate.” He also expressed dismay at the “lack of indication of the source of the person responsible for the criminal invasion of the prosecutors’ cellphones” — even though The Intercept’s reasons for not disclosing its source are obvious.", "PTA ordered to take action against unwanted messages, calls\n\nLAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Friday directed the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to take action on complaints against unwarranted promotional text messages and calls.Justice Shahid Jamil Khan was hearing a petition by a citizen questioning rampant text messages and calls on mobile phones by different companies for the promotion of their business. PTA director communication Muhammad Shafique appeared before the court, however, he failed to come up with satisfactory answers to the judge’s queries.\n\nThe judge observed that mobile phone users had frequently complained about receiving text messages from water tank cleaning service providers on a daily basis from multiple numbers. The PTA officer stated that there was no mechanism to control such text messages. However, the judge observed that the PTA could take action against mobile numbers used for sending unnecessary promotional text messages and calls.\n\nThe petitioner’s counsel argued that the mobile phone users faced a great hazard due to unwarranted text messages and calls. He said the PTA being a regulatory body should be ordered to ban such promotional activities on the cellular phones. Justice Khan adjourned hearing until July 19 and hinted at summoning the PTA chairman if action was not taken on complaints against the unwanted text messages and calls.", "The Senator representing Benue South Senatorial District, Comrade Abba Moro, on Friday, paid a condolence visit to the people of Okokolo community of Agatu Local Government Area (LGA) in Benue State, over the recent attack unleashed on them, which reportedly left over 20 persons dead and many houses burnt.\n\nMoro was accompanied by a former member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Samson Okwu and his Campaign Director, Hon. Yusuf Obioyi.\n\nAgatu is one of the nine local government councils within the senator’s constituency, the Benue South Senatorial District.\n\nSpeaking during the visit, Moro who was sworn in on June 11 to replace former Senate President David Mark as the Benue South Senator, expressed his deep sympathy to the affected families and members of the entire community.\n\nHe stressed the need for the people of the various communities and villages in Agatu to live together in peace and avoid violence, noting that there can never be any meaningful development in an atmosphere of chaos, rancor and acrimony.\n\nHe vowed that as their representative in the Upper House of the Federal Legislature, he would continue to call on the government of the day to take decisive step to put an end to the senseless killings in the area. Comrade Moro equally promised to subsequently revisit the community to dialogue with the people and find a way of ensuring that the displaced persons return to their respective homes.\n\nThe head of the Okokolo community, Omadachi, who spoke on behalf of the council of elders, thanked Senator Moro for his show of love, concern and kindness towards the people.\n\nWhile praying God to guide and direct Moro as the new senator of Benue South, he said members of the community were filled with joy in their hearts that despite the condition of their road, Moro still travel down to the village to sympathize with them.", "The Senator representing Benue South Senatorial District, Comrade Abba Moro, on Friday, paid a condolence visit to the people of Okokolo community of Agatu Local Government Area (LGA) in Benue State, over the recent attack unleashed on them, which reportedly left over 20 persons dead and many houses burnt.\n\nMoro was accompanied by a former member of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Samson Okwu and his Campaign Director, Hon. Yusuf Obioyi.\n\nAgatu is one of the nine local government councils within the senator’s constituency, the Benue South Senatorial District.\n\nSpeaking during the visit, Moro who was sworn in on June 11 to replace former Senate President David Mark as the Benue South Senator, expressed his deep sympathy to the affected families and members of the entire community.\n\nHe stressed the need for the people of the various communities and villages in Agatu to live together in peace and avoid violence, noting that there can never be any meaningful development in an atmosphere of chaos, rancor and acrimony.\n\nHe vowed that as their representative in the Upper House of the Federal Legislature, he would continue to call on the government of the day to take decisive step to put an end to the senseless killings in the area. Comrade Moro equally promised to subsequently revisit the community to dialogue with the people and find a way of ensuring that the displaced persons return to their respective homes.\n\nThe head of the Okokolo community, Omadachi, who spoke on behalf of the council of elders, thanked Senator Moro for his show of love, concern and kindness towards the people.\n\nWhile praying God to guide and direct Moro as the new senator of Benue South, he said members of the community were filled with joy in their hearts that despite the condition of their road, Moro still travel down to the village to sympathize with them.\n\nThe Agatu Council Chairman, Alhaji Alilu who was represented by his vice, commended the efforts of the senator and prayed for permanent peaceful solution to the problem in Agatu.\n\nMoro had earlier in a statement condemned the attack immediately it occurred. Describing the action of the attackers as callous wicked and barbaric, he said: “To say I am shocked beyond words over the fresh attack on my people in Okokolo, Agatu is an understatement. This is unbelievable, unjustifiable and unimaginable. It bleeds my heart because nothing whatsoever justifies this unabashed act of mass murder and destruction meted out to the people of Okokolo in Agatu.”\n\nThe attack was reported to have been carried out by armed youths and militia from another village also in Agatu LGA."], "summary": "New text messages between Brazilian judge Sérgio Moro and Operation Car Wash's prosecutors are leaked by The Intercept Brasil and Veja. In the messages, Judge Moro illegally advises the prosecutors in including pieces of evidence against defendants of cases presided by him and suggests dates for Federal Police operations. The messages also suggest that Moro withheld evidence to prevent cases being transferred out of his jurisdiction to the Supreme Federal Court."}
{"document": ["Mediators said progress had been made on Thursday by ruling military leaders and opposition protest groups in their efforts to establish a transition period to democracy in Sudan.\n\nThe talks were held in an effort to end a political crisis that began when the army ousted longtime ruler Omar al-Bashir in April — with the army resisting protesters' demands for civilian rule.\n\nPrevious discussions had collapsed over a dispute about who should lead the body governing the transition — a civilian or a member of the military.\n\nAfter two days of talks, the two sides agreed to \"establish a sovereign council by rotation between the military and civilians for a period of three years or slightly more,\" African Union mediator Mohamed Hassan Lebatt said at a news conference.\n\nThere was also agreement on forming a sovereign council to rule Sudan during the transition, with five seats for the military and six for civilians.\n\nRead more: Militiamen in Sudan raped men and women, says eyewitness\n\nTensions have been particularly high since security forces staged a deadly pre-dawn raid on a long-established protest camp in the capital, Khartoum. Opposition medics said more than 100 people were killed in the June 3 dispersal and subsequent violence.\n\nWatch video 01:26 Share General strike called in Sudan Send Facebook google+ Whatsapp Tumblr linkedin stumble Digg reddit Newsvine Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/3K7yH Civil disobedience campaign empties streets of Khartoum\n\nLebatt said both sides had also \"agreed to have a detailed, transparent, national, independent investigation into all the regrettable violent incidents that the country faced in recent weeks.\"\n\nThe latest round of talks came about after an intense period of mediation by both Ethiopia and the African Union.\n\nThe first day of the talks was mainly concerned with the release of 235 fighters from a rebel group offshoot in the conflict-ravaged Darfur region of Sudan. The prisoners were released on Thursday, as the second session of talks took place.\n\nGermany, EU hail 'breakthrough'\n\nGerman Foreign Minister Heiko Maas welcomed the announcement and pledged Germany's support for the new government.\n\n\"This political agreement opens the way to stable and peaceful democracy and economic recovery,\" he said.\n\nEU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini also lauded the \"breakthrough,\" adding that it was now important for both parties to \"implement the agreement reached in good faith and also continue talks on outstanding issues.\"\n\nrc/amp (dpa, Reuters, AFP)\n\nEach evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.", "Sudanese rebels, released from jail, celebrate from a bus window on July 4. The military and opposition agreed to a power-share deal for three years. Photo: Xinhua", "The two sides will share power during a transition period of about three years", "Sudan's ruling military council and leaders of its civilian opposition movement announced a preliminary power-sharing deal Friday, marking an end to a months-long stalemate and raising hopes that deadly unrest since former President Omar al-Bashir's ouster could culminate in democratic rule.\n\n\"Today our revolution is triumphant,\" the Sudanese Professionals Association, which led the protests that took down Bashir in April, said in a statement posted to social media. \"We will continue to accomplish the goals of the revolution.\"\n\nThe deal calls for a joint sovereign council that will lead Sudan during a transition period of three years and three months, according to the SPA.\n\nThe 11-member council will consist of five soldiers and five civilians, with a sixth civilian chosen by both sides. It will have a rotational presidency: A military leader will preside over the council for 21 months, followed by a civilian leader for 18 months. Elections would then be held.\n\n\"This agreement will be comprehensive and will not exclude anyone,\" said Gen. Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, deputy head of the Transitional Military Council, Reuters reports.\n\nThe African Union and Ethiopia helped broker the deal during two days of talks in Khartoum. Negotiators are set to come together this weekend to hammer out a final version.\n\n\"The devil will be in the detail of any deal – but we hope this marks a step towards an end of the horrific crimes that have been committed against the people of Sudan for decades,\" Kumi Naidoo, secretary general of Amnesty International, said in a statement. \"This agreement must be judged by how those in power now live up to their responsibilities to respect people's fundamental rights — something the Sudanese people have been deprived of for well over three decades.\n\nAs word of the deal spread Friday, hundreds of Sudanese took to the streets in celebration, beating drums, singing and waving the national flag.\n\nBut while both sides hailed the agreement, many people remained skeptical. \"Of course there is a lack of trust between the people of Sudan, of the opposition, when it comes to the military,\" Halima Gikandi reports for NPR.\n\nThe Transitional Military Council took control of the country soon after Bashir was deposed, announcing it would rule for two years before democratic elections could take place. Protesters and opposition leaders balked and demanded an immediate transfer of power to a transitional civilian government.\n\nThousands of pro-democracy protesters camped outside military headquarters in the capital, Khartoum, as opposition leaders engaged in negotiations with the military. But talks collapsed early last month after Sudanese security forces opened fire on demonstrators, killing dozens of people.\n\nProtesters maintained their call for civilian rule by launching a civil disobedience campaign that brought Khartoum to a standstill and by continuing to hold mass demonstrations, even as they were met by violence.\n\nIn all, protesters say the military crackdown left more than 100 people dead.\n\nThe SPA says the military has agreed to a national independent investigation into the protester deaths. Despite distrust of the military, opposition leaders see the power-sharing deal as the only viable pathway to a functional government that can address the concerns of the people, Gikandi reports.\n\n\"Our people are wounded, our wounds will heal,\" the Sudanese Professionals Association said in Friday's statement.", "A fragile deal has emerged giving rise to hopes that Sudan will transition to civilian rule. Just as the picture was beginning to appear gloomy, a power-sharing agreement was reached by the ruling military council and opposition leaders. The UAE, on Friday, expressed its backing for the deal, saying that it lays the foundation for an “auspicious political transition”. After weeks of violent protests, both sides agreed to take turns in heading a sovereign council to lead the transition. The UAE expressed hope that this important step will mark a new phase during which security and stability would prevail.\n\nThe protest leaders who took part in the talks showed remarkable flexibility when they agreed to a military general running the country for the first 21 months of the transition. This is to be followed by a civilian rule for the next 18 months, according to a statement from the Sudanese Professionals Association, which spearheaded the protests.\n\nThe sovereign council will be the strategically important country’s highest authority. It will comprise five military members and five civilian appointees, with an additional civilian member agreed by the two sides, and the deal will be finalised by Monday.\n\nBefore this deal was hammered out, there had been concerns whether the army will be willing to share power. The deal is cause for optimism as it had put on display the unity of the opposition, and also due to the promise of an independent inquiry into the events of June 3, when security forces opened fire on protesters in the capital Khartoum, killing dozens and injuring many more.\n\nNow, there are realistic hopes that the new deal could break the political deadlock that has gripped the country since the military toppled the regime of President Omar Al Bashir in April, after a popular protest against his three-decade rule.\n\nAs details of the new deal emerged, one thing became quite clear. Both sides had made concessions. It is to be seen if there is enough trust between the parties to ensure that agreement is implemented in full.\n\nThe Sudanese transitional agreement has highlighted the importance of dialogue when resolving such matters. Several dozens have been killed in the turmoil that has plagued Sudan. Now, it is up to the Sudanese to ensure the timely and transparent implementation of the transition agreement and to resolve any outstanding issues through more dialogue.", "Sudan's military leaders have reached an agreement with the opposition alliance to share power until elections can be held, mediators say.\n\nThe two sides agreed to rotate control of the sovereign council - the top tier of power - for at least three years.\n\nThey have also pledged to form an independent technocratic government and to investigate the violence of recent weeks, the African Union (AU) said.\n\nSudan has been in turmoil since the military ousted President Omar al-Bashir in April.\n\nThat followed a popular uprising against Mr Bashir, who seized power in a coup in June 1989.\n\nJust days before the three-year transitional deal was announced, vast crowds took to the streets to demand that the ruling military council hand power to a civilian-led administration.\n\nSeven people were killed and 181 were hurt in clashes that followed, state media reported.\n\nThe latest round of talks took place in the capital, Khartoum, earlier this week and were heavily mediated by the Ethiopian prime minister and members of the pan-African AU.\n\nWhat has been agreed?\n\n\"The two sides agreed on establishing a sovereign council with a rotating military and civilian [presidency] for a period of three years or a little more,\" AU mediator Mohamed Hassan Lebatt told reporters early on Friday.\n\nElections will then be held once this transition period ends.\n\nBoth sides also \"agreed to have a detailed, transparent, national, independent investigation into all the regrettable violent incidents that the country faced in recent weeks,\" he added.\n\nThey have also agreed to postpone the establishment of a legislative council.\n\n\"We hope that this is the beginning of a new era,\" Omar al-Degair, a leader of the opposition Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC), said after the announcement.\n\nThe deputy head of the Transitional Military Council (TMC), Gen Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, said: \"This agreement will be comprehensive and will not exclude anyone.\n\n\"We thank the African and Ethiopian mediators for their efforts and patience.\"\n\nWhat is the background?\n\nLast month, representatives of the protesters were in talks with the military over who would take control of Sudan.\n\nBut negotiations collapsed when a military crackdown on 3 June left dozens of protesters dead.\n\nThe army said it had scrapped all agreements with the opposition, and that elections would be held within nine months. But the protest movement insisted a transition period of at least three years was needed to ensure any elections are free and fair.\n\nWhen talks broke down, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed flew to Sudan to try to broker a new agreement between the two sides.\n\nAfter days of talks, his special envoy, Mahmoud Dirir, then announced that protest leaders had agreed to suspend widespread strikes and return to the negotiating table.", "Sudan's military leaders have reached an agreement with the opposition alliance to share power until elections can be held, mediators say.\n\nThe two sides agreed to rotate control of the sovereign council - the top tier of power - for at least three years.\n\nThey have also pledged to form an independent technocratic government and to investigate the violence of recent weeks, the African Union (AU) said.\n\nSudan has been in turmoil since the military ousted President Omar al-Bashir in April.\n\nThat followed a popular uprising against Mr Bashir, who seized power in a coup in June 1989.", "Johannesburg - The Sudanese military and the opposition have reached agreement on a power-sharing transitional government, the BBC reported early Friday, citing African Union mediators. The main opposition grouping Declaration of Freedom and Change Forces (DFCF) and the military are to take turns at the helm of a sovereign council - the highest level of power - for three years. Fresh elections are to follow.\n\nThe two sides also agreed to investigate recent violence in Sudan which has led to scores of deaths.\n\nAnti-government demonstrations began in Sudan late last year with protesters calling for long-time leader Omar al-Bashir to go. The military stepped in in April, launching a coup and arresting him.\n\nBut protesters have argued that the new military rulers are a continuation of al-Bashir's former regime and have sought more concessions and a transition to civilian government.", "Sudanese opposition groups declared victory for their “revolution” on Friday as the military junta agreed to a power-sharing deal until the transition to an elected civilian government is complete.\n\nIf the deal holds together, it will end a political crisis that began in April with the ouster of dictator Omar al-Bashir. Hundreds have been killed and injured during military crackdowns on pro-democracy demonstrators.\n\nAccording to an African Union mediator, the power-sharing deal will “establish a sovereign council by rotation between the military and civilians for a period of three years or slightly more.”\n\nThe council will include five seats for military officers and six for civilian representatives. The junta must effectively approve one of the civilian members.\n\nThe mediator added that both sides agreed to conduct a “detailed, transparent, national, independent investigation into all the regrettable violent incidents that the country faced in recent weeks.”\n\nThe deal appears to resolve an impasse created by the military junta’s insistence that it should control executive power in Sudan until the years-long transition to civilian rule is complete. Previous power-sharing bargains have collapsed because the military insisted on holding more seats in the ruling council or installing a military officer as a supreme executive.\n\nThe compromise proposal will install a military officer as president of the ruling council for the first 21 months of its existence, to be followed by a civilian president. In exchange, civilian political groups will be able to appoint positions in the executive Cabinet.\n\n“Today our revolution has won and our victory shines,” the Sudanese Professionals’ Association (SPA), the main opposition group, declared on Friday.\n\n“We hope that the formation of transitional institutions marks the beginning of a new era. We hope it is an era where we can shut off the sound of pistols and destroy for good prisons of arbitrary detention,” said another opposition group, the Forces for the Declaration of Freedom and Change (FDFC).\n\nAn FDFC leader conceded that the deal is not fully satisfying to the opposition but “it is a step forward to bring peace to our people.”\n\nMilitary-controlled media outlets broadcast a message of “congratulations to the Sudanese people.”\n\nThe deal was struck after a brutal raid on an opposition sit-in camp resulted in numerous deaths and injuries, plus reports of rape and other human rights abuses by the infamous Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary group loyal to the junta. Demonstrators turned out in even greater numbers after the raid, a show of determination that apparently convinced the junta to relent on some of its demands.", "KHARTOUM - Sudan’s ruling military council and a coalition of opposition and protest groups reached an agreement to share power during a transition period leading to elections, setting off street celebrations by thousands of people.\n\nThe two sides, which have held talks in Khartoum for the past two days, agreed to “establish a sovereign council by rotation between the military and civilians for a period of three years or slightly more,” African Union mediator Mohamed Hassan Lebatt said at a news conference.\n\nThey also agreed to form an independent technocratic government and to launch a transparent, independent investigation into violent events in recent weeks.\n\nThe two sides agreed to postpone the establishment of a legislative council. They had previously agreed that the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) coalition would take two-thirds of a legislative council’s seats before security forces crushed a sit-in protest June 3, killing dozens, and talks collapsed.\n\nThe streets of Omdurman, Khartoum’s twin city across the Nile River, erupted in celebration when the news broke, a Reuters witness said. Thousands of people of all ages took to the streets, chanting “Civilian! Civilian! Civilian!”\n\nYoung men banged drums, people honked their car horns, and women carrying Sudanese flags ululated in jubilation.\n\n“This agreement opens the way for the formation of the institutions of the transitional authority, and we hope that this is the beginning of a new era,” said Omar al-Degair, a leader of the FFC.\n\n“We would like to reassure all political forces, armed movements and all those who participated in the change from young men and women — that this agreement will be comprehensive and will not exclude anyone,” said General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, deputy head of the Transitional Military Council.\n\n“We thank the African and Ethiopian mediators for their efforts and patience. We also thank our brothers in the Forces for Freedom and Change for the good spirit,” said Dagalo, who heads the Rapid Support Forces accused by the FFC of crushing the sit-in.\n\nOpposition medics say more than 100 people were killed in the dispersal and subsequent violence. The government put the death toll at 62."], "summary": "The Sudanese military and representatives of civil groups agree on a deal to share power for a transition period."}
{"document": ["Seven people including a policeman were killed in northern Mozambique this week in a jihadist attack claimed by the Islamic State group, local sources said Saturday.\n\nThe attack on Wednesday evening occurred in Lidjungo village in the Nangade district, a local source based in Mozambique's northern Cabo Delgado province told AFP. One policeman and six civilians were killed in the attack, including two children.\n\nIslamist fighters have targeted remote communities in the gas-rich, Muslim-majority Cabo Delgado province since October 2017, killing more than 250 people and forcing thousands from their homes despite a heavy police and military presence in the area that borders Tanzania.\n\nAccording to SITE Intelligence, which monitors jihadist activity, Islamic State issued a statement late on Friday claiming involvement in the Wednesday attack.\n\nThis is its second IS claim for an attack in Mozambique, targeting the volatile northern region. The first was on June 3.\n\n\"The soldiers of the caliphate assaulted barracks of the crusader Mozambican army, in the Nangade area, in northern Mozambique, two days ago,\" said the statement, according to a SITE translation.\n\nThe group claimed to have clashed with the military \"killing and wounding a number of them and forcing the remainder to flee\".\n\nIt said fighters seized weapons and ammunition.\n\nThe group first claimed involvement in northern Mozambique last month, saying it carried out an attack that took place in Metubi village, about 150 kilometres east of Nangade.\n\nThe police and government have a policy of not commenting on any insurgent activity, even if attacks are confirmed by local residents.\n\nThe identity of the militant Islamists staging attacks in northern Mozambique remains unclear and the motives unknown.\n\nAnalysts have expressed doubts over claims by the Islamic State, suggesting that it is unlikely that the group would have direct contact with fighters in Mozambique.\n\n(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)", "Seven killed in Mozambique IS attack\n\nMAPUTO: Seven people including a policeman were killed in northern Mozambique this week in a militant attack claimed by the Islamic State group, local sources said Saturday.\n\nThe attack on Wednesday evening occurred in Lidjungo village in the Nangade district, a local source based in Mozambique´s northern Cabo Delgado province told AFP. One policeman and six civilians were killed in the attack, including two children.\n\nIslamist fighters have targeted remote communities in the gas-rich, Muslim-majority Cabo Delgado province since October 2017, killing more than 250 people and forcing thousands from their homes despite a heavy police and military presence in the area that borders Tanzania. According to SITE Intelligence, which monitors militant activity, Islamic State issued a statement late on Friday claiming involvement in the Wednesday attack. This is its second IS claim for an attack in Mozambique, targeting the volatile northern region.", "Seven people, including a police officer, were killed in northern Mozambique in an attack claimed by the jihadist group Islamic State, local sources reported on Saturday.\n\nOne police officer and six civilians, including two children, were killed in the attack, which took place on Wednesday evening in the village of Lidjungo, Nangade district, AFP was told by a local official based in Cabo Delgado province in northern Mozambique, without giving details of how the attackers operated.\n\nSince October 2017, Islamist militants have targeted isolated communities in Cabo Delgado province, a gas-rich and predominantly Muslim province, killing more than 250 people and forcing thousands more to leave their homes despite a strong police and military presence in this region bordering Tanzania.\n\nAccording to SITE Intelligence, which monitors jihadist activities, the Islamic state group issued a statement on Friday evening, stating its involvement in the Wednesday attack. This is the second time he has claimed an attack in northern Mozambique.\n\n“Caliphate soldiers attacked Mozambican army barracks in the Nangade region of northern Mozambique two days ago,” according to a SITE translation. The group claimed to have encountered the soldiers “killing and wounding a number of them and forcing others to flee”.\n\nThe EI had already claimed its involvement in an attack in northern Mozambique on 3 June in the village of Metubi, 150 km east of Nangade.\n\nPolice and authorities have a policy of not commenting on insurgent activities, even if the attacks are confirmed by the local population.\n\nThe identity of Islamist militants active in northern Mozambique remains uncertain and their motives unknown. Several analysts expressed doubts about the EI’s claims, suggesting that it is unlikely that the group will have direct contact with fighters in Mozambique."], "summary": "ISIL claims responsibility for a Wednesday attack in Nangade District in Mozambique, which killed seven people."}
{"document": ["Five people were wounded in a suspected ramming attack on Saturday night near the West Bank town of Hizma, near Jerusalem.\n\n\n\nThe incident is still under investigation. Two of the injured are in moderate condition. The other three are lightly wounded.\"IDF soldiers arrived at the scene during an operation,\" said an IDF spokesperson. \"As a result of being hit by a vehicle, five IDF soldiers were injured. The injured were transferred for treatment in a hospital.\"\n\n\n\nThe IDF spokesperson added that \"IDF forces are searching the area for the vehicle that hit the soldiers. The circumstances of the incident are still being investigated.\"\n\n\n\n\n\nvar cont = `Join Jerusalem Post Premium Plus now for just $5 and upgrade your experience with an ads-free website and exclusive content. Click here>>\n\n\n\n`; document.getElementById(\"linkPremium\").innerHTML = cont; (function (v, i){ });", "A suspected Palestinian car-ramming attack in the occupied West Bank has wounded five Israeli soldiers and the alleged assailant has been arrested, the Israeli army said Sunday.\n\nThe troops were stationed on a roadside near the Palestinian town of Hizma as part of \"operational activity\" on Saturday night when the driver of a car rammed his vehicle into them, the army said.\n\nThree soldiers were moderately injured and two hurt lightly in the incident near the town, which is located close to a checkpoint dividing the West Bank from Jerusalem, it said in a statement.\n\nSoldiers later arrested the driver and his father at a checkpoint, it added.\n\nIt said an initial inquiry \"suggests that the incident was a car-ramming attack\" and not an accident.\n\nIsraeli army raids in the West Bank regularly set off tensions with Palestinian residents.\n\nPalestinians have carried out sporadic car-ramming, knife and gun attacks against Israeli soldiers in the territory occupied by Israel since the 1967 Six-Day War.", "Four soldiers were reported injured in a suspected car-ramming Saturday evening near the West Bank town of Hizma northeast of Jerusalem.\n\nTwo of the victims were in moderate condition and two were lightly injured, according to the Magen David Adom emergency service.\n\nThe driver fled the scene and a manhunt was launched in the area, Channel 12 news reported.\n\nGet The Times of Israel's Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Free Sign Up\n\nThe Israel Defense Forces said in a statement it was investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident.\n\nOne of those moderately injured was a career soldier in his 30s while the other was a female soldier in her 20s. Both were serving in the Home Front Command, according to the Ynet news website.\n\nThe MDA rescue service said the wounded were taken to Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedek Medical Center for treatment.\n\nPolice said earlier on Saturday that a vehicle tried to hit a police officer at a West Bank checkpoint. No injuries were reported and the driver fled the scene.", "Occupied Jerusalem - A suspected Palestinian car-ramming attack in the occupied West Bank has wounded five Israeli occupation soldiers and the alleged driver has been arrested, the Israeli regime said Sunday.\n\nThe occupation troops were stationed on a roadside near the Palestinian town of Hizma as part of “operational activity” on Saturday night when the driver of a car rammed his vehicle into them, the regime said.\n\nThree occupation soldiers were moderately injured and two hurt lightly in the incident near the town, which is located close to a checkpoint dividing the West Bank from occupied Jerusalem.\n\nThe regime later arrested the driver and his father at a checkpoint.\n\nIsraeli occupation army raids in the West Bank regularly set off tensions with Palestinian residents."], "summary": "Five soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces are injured in a vehicle-ramming attack in Hizma, Palestine. The suspect is still at large."}
{"document": ["AMMAN (Reuters) - At least 544 civilians have been killed and over 2,000 people injured since a Russian-led assault on the last rebel bastion in northwestern Syria began two months ago, rights groups and rescuers said on Saturday.\n\nRussian jets joined the Syrian army on April 26 in the biggest offensive against parts of rebel-held Idlib province and adjoining northern Hama provinces in the biggest escalation in the war between Syrian President Bashar al Assad and his enemies since last summer.\n\nThe Syrian Network for Human Rights,(SNHR), which monitors casualties and briefs various UN agencies, said the 544 civilians killed in the hundreds of attacks carried out by Russian jets and the Syrian army include 130 children. Another 2,117 people have been injured.\n\n“The Russian military and its Syrian ally are deliberately targeting civilians with a record number of medical facilities bombed,” Fadel Abdul Ghany, chairman of SNHR, told Reuters.\n\nRussia and its Syrian army ally deny their jets hit indiscriminately civilian areas with cluster munitions and incendiary weapons, which residents in opposition areas say are meant to paralyze every-day life.\n\nMoscow says its forces and the Syrian army are fending off terror attacks by al Qaeda militants whom they say hit populated, government-held areas, and it accuses rebels of wrecking a ceasefire deal agreed last year between Turkey and Russia.\n\nLast month U.S.-based Human Rights Watch said the Russian-Syrian joint military operation had used cluster munitions and incendiary weapons in the attacks along with large air-dropped explosive weapons with wide-area effects in populated civilian areas, based on reports by first responders and witnesses.\n\nResidents and rescuers say the two-month-old campaign has left dozens of villages and towns in ruins. According to the United Nations, at least 300,000 people have been forced to leave their homes for the safety of areas closer to the border with Turkey.\n\n“Whole villages and towns have been emptied,” said Idlib-based Civil Defence spokesman Ahmad al Sheikho, saying it was the most destructive campaign against Idlib province since it completely fell to the opposition in the middle of 2015.\n\nOn Friday, 15 people, including children, were killed in the village of Mhambil in western Idlib province after Syrian army helicopters dropped barrel bombs on a civilian quarter, the civil defense group and witnesses said.\n\nThe heads of 11 major global humanitarian organizations warned at the end of last month that Idlib stood at the brink of disaster, with 3 million civilian lives at risk, including 1 million children.\n\nFILE PHOTO: A street vendor sells toys next to rubble of damaged buildings in the city of Idlib, Syria May 25, 2019. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi/File Photo\n\n“Too many have died already” and “even wars have laws” they declared, in the face of multiple attacks by government forces and their allies on hospitals, schools and markets,” the U.N.-endorsed statement said.\n\nLast Thursday an aerial strike on Kafr Nabl hospital made it the 30th facility to be bombed durng the campaign, leaving hundreds of thousands with no medical access, according to aid groups.\n\n“To have these medical facilities bombed and put out of service in less than two months is no accident. Let’s call this by what it is, a war crime,” Dr. Khaula Sawah, vice president of the U.S.-based Union of Medical Care and Relief Organizations, which provides aid in the northwest, said in a statement.", "At least 544 civilians have been killed and more than 2,000 people wounded since a Russian-led assault on the last rebel-held bastion in northwestern Syria began two-and-a-half months ago, according to rights groups and rescuers.\n\nRussian fighter jets joined the Syrian army on April 26 in the offensive against rebel-held Idlib and adjoining northern Hama provinces, in the biggest escalation in the war between Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces and rebel fighters since last summer.\n\nThe Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR), which monitors casualties and briefs various United Nations agencies, said on Saturday that 130 children were among the 544 civilians killed in the hundreds of attacks carried out by Russian jets and the Syrian army. Another 2,117 people were wounded.\n\n\"The Russian military and its Syrian ally are deliberately targeting civilians with a record number of medical facilities bombed,\" Fadel Abdul Ghany, chairman of SNHR, told Reuters news agency.\n\nLast month, US-based Human Rights Watch said the Russian-Syrian joint military operation had used cluster munitions and incendiary weapons in the attacks, along with large air-dropped explosive weapons, based on reports by first responders and witnesses.\n\nThe Syrian army and its ally Russia denied the allegations. Moscow says its forces and the Syrian army are fending off attacks by al-Qaeda fighters whom they say hit populated, government-held areas. It also accuses rebels of breaching a ceasefire deal agreed last year between Turkey and Russia.\n\nCivilians, clinics hit\n\nResidents and rescuers say the campaign has left dozens of villages and towns in ruins. According to the UN, at least 300,000 people have been forced to leave their homes for the safety of areas closer to the border with Turkey.\n\n\"Whole villages and towns have been emptied,\" Ahmad al Sheikho, spokesman for the Civil Defence, or White Helmets, a volunteer rescue group that operates in rebel-held parts of Syria.\n\nHe added that it was the most destructive campaign against Idlib province since it completely fell to the opposition in mid-2015.\n\nOn Friday, 15 people, including children, were killed in the village of Mhambil in western Idlib province after Syrian army helicopters dropped barrel bombs on a civilian quarter, the civil defence group and witnesses said.\n\nIt came a day after aid groups said an aerial raid on Kafr Nabl hospital made it the 30th facility to be bombed during the campaign, leaving hundreds of thousands with no medical access.\n\n\"To have these medical facilities bombed and put out of service in less than two months is no accident. Let's call this by what it is, a war crime,\" Khaula Sawah, vice president of the United States-based Union of Medical Care and Relief Organisations, which provides aid in the northwest, said in a statement.\n\nLast month, UN aid chief Mark Lowcock asked Russia to explain how it used data on the location of Syrian hospitals and clinics following a string of attacks on health facilities.\n\nThe under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs told the Security Council he was \"not sure\" hospitals that share coordinates of their location under a UN de-confliction system will be protected.\n\nMore than 23 hospitals have been hit by attacks since the offensive on Idlib began in late April, according to the UN.\n\nThe heads of 11 major global humanitarian organisations warned at the end of June that Idlib - home to three million civilians, including one million children - stood at the brink of disaster.\n\n\"Too many have died already\" and \"even wars have laws\" they declared, in the face of multiple attacks by government forces and their allies on hospitals, schools and markets\", the UN-endorsed statement said.", "At least 544 civilians have been killed and over 2,000 people injured since a Russian-led assault on the last rebel bastion in northwestern Syria began two months ago, rights groups and rescuers said on Saturday.\n\nRussian jets joined the Syrian army on April 26 in the biggest offensive against parts of rebel-held Idlib province and adjoining northern Hama provinces in the biggest escalation in the war between Syrian President Bashar al Assad and his enemies since last summer.\n\nThe Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR), which monitors casualties and briefs various UN agencies, said the 544 civilians killed in the hundreds of attacks carried out by Russian jets and the Syrian army include 130 children. Another 2,117 people have been injured.\n\n\"The Russian military and its Syrian ally are deliberately targeting civilians with a record number of medical facilities bombed,\" Fadel Abdul Ghany, chairman of SNHR, told Reuters.\n\nRussia and its Syrian army ally deny their jets hit indiscriminately civilian areas with cluster munitions and incendiary weapons, which residents in opposition areas say are meant to paralyse every-day life.\n\nMoscow says its forces and the Syrian army are fending off terror attacks by al Qaeda militants whom they say hit populated, government-held areas, and it accuses rebels of wrecking a ceasefire deal agreed last year between Turkey and Russia.", "AMMAN: At least 544 civilians have been killed and over 2,000 people injured since a Russian-led assault on the last rebel bastion in northwestern Syria began two months ago, rights groups and rescuers said on Saturday. Russian jets joined the Syrian army on April 26 in the biggest offensive against parts of rebel-held Idlib province and adjoining northern Hama provinces in the biggest escalation in the war between Syrian President Bashar al Assad and his enemies since last summer. The Syrian Network for Human Rights, (SNHR), which monitors casualties and briefs various UN agencies, said the 544 civilians killed in the hundreds of attacks carried out by Russian jets and the Syrian army include 130 children. Another 2,117 people have been injured.\n\n “The Russian military and its Syrian ally are deliberately targeting civilians with a record number of medical facilities bombed,” Fadel Abdul Ghany, chairman of SNHR, said. Russia and its Syrian army ally deny their jets hit indiscriminately civilian areas with cluster munitions and incendiary weapons, which residents in opposition areas say are meant to paralyse everyday life. Moscow says its forces and the Syrian army are fending off terror attacks by al Qaeda militants whom they say hit populated, government-held areas, and it accuses rebels of wrecking a ceasefire deal agreed last year between Turkey and Russia.\n\n Last month US-based Human Rights Watch said the Russian-Syrian joint military operation had used cluster munitions and incendiary weapons in the attacks along with large air-dropped explosive weapons with wide-area effects in populated civilian areas, based on reports by first responders and witnesses.\n\n Residents and rescuers say the two-month-old campaign has left dozens of villages and towns in ruins. According to the United Nations, at least 300,000 people have been forced to leave their homes for the safety of areas closer to the border with Turkey.\n\n “Whole villages and towns have been emptied,” said Idlib-based Civil Defence spokesman Ahmad al Sheikho, saying it was the most destructive campaign against Idlib province since it completely fell to the opposition in the middle of 2015.\n\n On Friday, 15 people, including children, were killed in the village of Mhambil in western Idlib province after Syrian army helicopters dropped barrel bombs on a civilian quarter, the civil defence group and witnesses said. — AFP", "Dear Reader, As you can imagine, more people are reading The Jerusalem Post than ever before. Nevertheless, traditional business models are no longer sustainable and high-quality publications, like ours, are being forced to look for new ways to keep going. Unlike many other news organizations, we have not put up a paywall. We want to keep our journalism open and accessible and be able to keep providing you with news and analysis from the frontlines of Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World.\n\nAt least 544 civilians have been killed and over 2,000 people injured since a Russian-led assault on the last rebel bastion in northwestern Syria began two months ago, rights groups and rescuers said on Saturday.\n\n\n\nRussian jets joined the Syrian army on April 26 in the biggest offensive against parts of rebel-held Idlib province and adjoining northern Hama provinces in the biggest escalation in the war between Syrian President Bashar al Assad and his enemies since last summer.\n\nThe Syrian Network for Human Rights,(SNHR), which monitors casualties and briefs various UN agencies, said the 544 civilians killed in the hundreds of attacks carried out by Russian jets and the Syrian army include 130 children. Another 2,117 people have been injured.\"The Russian military and its Syrian ally are deliberately targeting civilians with a record number of medical facilities bombed,\" Fadel Abdul Ghany, chairman of SNHR, told Reuters.Russia and its Syrian army ally deny their jets hit indiscriminately civilian areas with cluster munitions and incendiary weapons, which residents in opposition areas say are meant to paralyze every-day life.Moscow says its forces and the Syrian army are fending off terror attacks by al Qaeda militants whom they say hit populated, government-held areas, and it accuses rebels of wrecking a ceasefire deal agreed last year between Turkey and Russia.Last month U.S.-based Human Rights Watch said the Russian-Syrian joint military operation had used cluster munitions and incendiary weapons in the attacks along with large air-dropped explosive weapons with wide-area effects in populated civilian areas, based on reports by first responders and witnesses.Residents and rescuers say the two-month-old campaign has left dozens of villages and towns in ruins. According to the United Nations, at least 300,000 people have been forced to leave their homes for the safety of areas closer to the border with Turkey.\"Whole villages and towns have been emptied,\" said Idlib-based Civil Defence spokesman Ahmad al Sheikho, saying it was the most destructive campaign against Idlib province since it completely fell to the opposition in the middle of 2015.On Friday, 15 people, including children, were killed in the village of Mhambil in western Idlib province after Syrian army helicopters dropped barrel bombs on a civilian quarter, the civil defense group and witnesses said.The heads of 11 major global humanitarian organizations warned at the end of last month that Idlib stood at the brink of disaster, with 3 million civilian lives at risk, including 1 million children.\"Too many have died already” and “even wars have laws” they declared, in the face of multiple attacks by government forces and their allies on hospitals, schools and markets,\" the U.N.-endorsed statement said.Last Thursday an aerial strike on Kafr Nabl hospital made it the 30th facility to be bombed during the campaign, leaving hundreds of thousands with no medical access, according to aid groups.\"To have these medical facilities bombed and put out of service in less than two months is no accident. Let's call this by what it is, a war crime,\" Dr. Khaula Sawah, vice president of the U.S.-based Union of Medical Care and Relief Organizations, which provides aid in the northwest, said in a statement.\n\nJoin Jerusalem Post Premium Plus now for just $5 and upgrade your experience with an ads-free website and exclusive content. Click here>>", "At least 544 civilians have been killed and over 2,000 people injured since a Russian-led assault on the last rebel bastion in northwestern Syria began two months ago, rights groups and rescuers have said. Joe Davies reports.", "AMMAN (Reuters) – At least 544 civilians have been killed and over 2,000 people injured since a Russian-led assault on the last terrorist bastion in northwestern Syria began two months ago, fake rights groups and false-flag rescuers said on Saturday.\n\nRussian jets joined the Syrian army on April 26 in one of the biggest offensives against parts of terrorist-held Idlib province and adjoining northern Hama provinces.\n\nThe Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR), which allegedly monitors casualties and briefs various UN agencies, said that 544 civilians killed in hundreds of attacks carried out by Russian jets and the Syrian army include 130 children. Allegedly, another 2,117 people have been injured. These are suspiciously precise numbers, given the fact that no actual and credible sources on the ground were cited. What’s even stranger, SNHR is a UK-based NGO, with no actual reporters in Syria.\n\nHowever, Russia and Syria were the ones who insisted on De-escalation Zones, so “deliberately targeting” civilians sounds quite counter-intuitive. Especially given the fact that Syria wants to stop the foreign-instigated radicalization of its people, not the opposite.\n\nAgain, it makes no sense. Russian forces and the Syrian army have been fending off terror attacks by Al Qaeda-allied terrorists (the so-called “moderate” rebels) who regularly attack populated areas, which is a violation of the ceasefire deal agreed last year between Turkey and Russia.\n\nLast month, U.S.-based Human Rights Watch said the Russian-Syrian joint military operation had used “cluster munitions and incendiary weapons in the attacks along with large air-dropped explosive weapons with wide-area effects in populated civilian areas”, based on reports by non-existent “first responders and witnesses”.\n\n“Residents and rescuers say the two-month-old campaign has left dozens of villages and towns in ruins. According to the United Nations, at least 300,000 people have been forced to leave their homes for the safety of areas closer to the border with Turkey.” “Whole villages and towns have been emptied,” said Idlib-based Civil Defence spokesman Ahmad al Sheikho, saying it was the most destructive campaign against Idlib province since it completely fell to the opposition in the middle of 2015. On Friday, 15 people, including children, were killed in the village of Mhambil in western Idlib province after Syrian army helicopters dropped barrel bombs on a civilian quarter, the civil defense group and witnesses said.\n\nOf course, no credible sources cited to prove these claims and implying that people leave the area because of the Russian-Syrian anti-terrorist operation while ignoring the fact that people don’t want to live in terrorist-held areas and that they have been leaving ever since the foreign-instigated war in Syria started back in 2011.\n\nThe best proof of this is the hype over the 2016 Allepo Offensive when Syrian, Russian and other allied forces defeated and liberated Allepo after a 4-year Western-backed terrorist occupation. At the time, SOHR, i.e. Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (another UK-based “human rights” group with no actual and direct knowledge of the situation on the ground) ran numerous reports of an “impending humanitarian disaster” in case that the city fell in the hands of the Syrian Army.\n\nResult? Allepo has been in a state of relative peace ever since 2016 (interrupted only by sporadic terrorist activity), while reconstruction efforts are underway.\n\nThere is a couple of important matters we should address here. First, all of the alleged “11 major global humanitarian organizations” are UK or US-based and they have no credible sources on the ground. Second, all of them are led by literal basement dwellers with no actual on-the-ground reports coming from Syria.\n\n“Too many have died already” and “even wars have laws” they declared, in the face of multiple attacks by government forces and their allies on hospitals, schools, and markets,” the U.N.-endorsed statement said. Last Thursday an aerial strike on Kafr Nabl hospital made it the 30th facility to be bombed during the campaign, leaving hundreds of thousands with no medical access, according to aid groups. “To have these medical facilities bombed and put out of service in less than two months is no accident. Let’s call this by what it is, a war crime,” Dr. Khaula Sawah, vice president of the U.S.-based Union of Medical Care and Relief Organizations, which provides aid in the northwest, said in a statement.\n\nAgain, targeting civilians and hospitals absolutely makes no sense. In any way. Strategic, tactical, humanitarian or any other for that matter.\n\nIn other words, all of these are a bunch of baseless claims with the purpose of incriminating Russian and Syrian efforts to finally end this terrible war.", "The children were among 14 civilians killed in attacks in northwestern Syria, a UK-based activist group says Syrian regime bombardment has killed 14 civilians, including seven children, in northwestern Syria, a UK-based activist group said on Saturday, in the latest deadly raids on the embattled opposition bastion.\n\nWarplanes and helicopters late on Friday carried out air strikes on Mahambel village in Idlib province, killing 13 civilians, including the children, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.\n\nA woman was also killed early on Saturday by regime rocket fire on the outskirts of the town of Khan Sheikhun, in the south of the province, the Observatory said.\n\nAs the last stronghold of rebels against President Bashar al-Assad’s rule, Idlib has been the focus of a government offensive since late April.\n\nThe province, which borders Turkey, was supposed to be protected by a deal struck between Ankara and Assad’s backers in Moscow, but has instead been subjected to heavy bombardment during the ongoing campaign.\n\nAn average of two children have been killed in Idlib every day, according to the estimate of another activist group, the Syrian Network for Human Rights.\n\nThe group said 518 people were killed in a two-month period from the end of April.", "Beirut: Syrian regime and Russian bombardment have killed 20 civilians including seven children in northwestern Syria, a war monitor said Saturday, in the latest deadly raids on the embattled opposition bastion.\n\nRegime warplanes and helicopters late Friday carried out air strikes on Mahambel village in Idlib province, killing 13 civilians including the seven children, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.\n\nAnother seven civilians were killed Saturday, including a woman hit by regime rocket fire on the outskirts of the town of Khan Sheikhun in the south of the province, the Britain-based war\n\nThree members of a family were killed by a Russian air strike on the town of Morek, in neighbouring Hama province, the Observatory reported.\n\nIdlib, a region of some three million people, many of whom fled former rebel-held areas retaken by the government, is the last major bastion of opposition to the Russia-backed Damascus government after eight years of civil war.\n\nThe region on Turkey's doorstep is administered by Syria's former Al-Qaeda affiliate Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, but other jihadist and rebel groups are also present.\n\nIdlib is supposed to be protected from a major regime assault by a September deal between Moscow and Ankara, but Damascus and its Russian ally have ramped up their deadly bombardment of the region since late April.\n\nMore than 530 civilians have been killed since then, according to the Observatory.\n\nThe United Nations says 25 health facilities in the region have been hit, the latest including the second attack in two months on an underground hospital in the town of Kafranbel on Thursday.\n\n\"The attacks happened despite the fact that the coordinates of this hospital had previously been shared with the parties to the conflict in a deliberate, carefully planned effort to prevent\n\nany attacks on it,\" an UN official said on Friday.\n\n\"I am horrified by the ongoing attacks on civilian areas and civilian infrastructure as the conflict in northwest Syria continues,\" said Mark Cutts, UN deputy regional humanitarian coordinator\n\nSyria's war has killed more than 370,000 people and displaced millions since it started in 2011 with a brutal crackdown on anti-government protests.", "A Britain-registered Syrian rights watchdog says that at least 544 civilians have been killed and more than 2,000 injured since a Russia-backed assault on the final rebel stronghold in northwestern Syria began two months ago.\n\n \n\n The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR), which monitors casualties and has briefed UN agencies, on July 5 accused the Russian military and its Syrian government ally of deliberately targeting civilians in rebel-held Idlib Province and neighboring regions.\n\n \n\n \"The Russian military and its Syrian ally are deliberately targeting civilians with a record number of medical facilities bombed,\" Fadel Abdul Ghany, chairman of SNHR, was quoted by Reuters as saying.\n\n \n\n The SNHR, which is registered in Britain, keeps tabs on reported civilian deaths in Syria and says its information is gathered by some 120 members working inside and outside of Syria.\n\n \n\n In late April, Russian jets backed the Syrian army’s massive offensive against parts of Idlib and Hama provinces in the biggest escalation in the war between Syrian President Bashar al Assad and rebels in months.\n\n \n\n U.S.-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) said the Russian-Syrian joint military operation had used cluster munitions and incendiary weapons in the attacks along with large air-dropped explosive weapons with wide-area effects in populated civilian areas, based on reports by first responders and witnesses.\n\n \n\n Idlib-based Civil Defense spokesman Ahmad al Sheikho said that \"whole villages and towns have been emptied\" in the offensive.\n\n \n\n SNHR and witnesses said that 15 people, including children, were killed on July 5 in the village of Mhambil in western Idlib after Syrian army helicopters dropped barrel bombs on a civilian quarter.\n\n \n\n Moscow and Damascus have denied that their jets target civilian areas with cluster munitions and incendiary weapons.\n\n \n\n Russia's UN ambassador, Vassily Nebenzia, said all military activities are in response \"to provocations from terrorists.\"\n\n \n\n UN chief Antonio Guterres last month called on Russia and Turkey to stabilize Syria’s Idlib Province, which he said was suffering “a humanitarian disaster.”\n\n \n\n Russia, Syria’s main ally, and Turkey, which has backed antigovernment rebels in the eight-year civil war, last year cosponsored a de-escalation agreement for the area in northwest Syria.\n\n \n\n But the deal has failed to hold, forcing hundreds of thousands of civilians to flee Idlib, where the last remaining antigovernment rebels are holding out against a Syrian government military offensive.\n\nWith reporting by Reuters, The Daily Sabah, and TRT World"], "summary": "The SNHR says at least 544 civilians (including 130 children) have been killed, and another 2,117 people injured since a Russian-led Syrian government assault on the last rebel bastion in northwestern Syria began two months prior."}
{"document": ["PLANTATION, Fla. - A total of 23 people were injured Saturday during an explosion at a shopping center in Plantation, authorities confirmed.\n\nPlantation Fire Department Deputy Chief Joel Gordon said two people suffered serious injuries in the blast that was reported just before 11:30 a.m. at the Market on University shopping center on South University Drive.\n\n\"We have pretty much completed the search for victims,\" Gordon said. \"We believe we have located just about everyone.\"\n\nBroward Health Medical Center officials confirmed an adult was taken to the hospital as a trauma alert. The hospital also received a pediatric patient, but the child sustained less serious injuries and was not considered a trauma alert. A hospital spokeswoman said both patients are currently listed in fair condition.\n\nThree patients were taken to Plantation General Hospital, but have since been released.\n\nFourteen patients were taken to Westside Regional Medical Center, a hospital supervisor confirmed. Only one person remains at the hospital in fair condition, and the others have been treated and released.\n\nThe remaining victims were treated at the scene.\n\nCameras on the ground captured several people sitting on the curb waiting to be checked out by paramedics.\n\n\"One guy and his best buddy that are walking from the Tropical Smoothie back to the gym and they had big lacerations on their arms,\" Steven Montgomery, a witness, said. \"You know, one guy had a lot of injuries on his leg. So they put tourniquets on him.\"\n\n\"Just a big boom. Lights went out. All the ceiling tiles came down on top of us. Everybody started screaming and there was dust everywhere,\" witness Carrie Hendrick said. \"The whole foundation of the building that we were in just shook, and that is a big building.\"\n\nFire departments from Plantation, Davie, Lauderhill, Coral Springs, as well as Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue all responded to the shopping center after the blast. Gas was shut off to all businesses in the area, at which time crews discovered a ruptured gas line.\n\n\"It just looks like an apocalypse,\" one woman said. \"It's just crazy what natural gas can do, or just gas in general. I mean, it's flattened a whole strip plaza.\"\n\nA triage area was set up after the blast and authorities and dogs searched through rubble to make sure there were no other victims.\n\n\"A bomb just went off,\" a man said in a video sent to Local 10 News shortly after the explosion.\n\nThe video shows heavy damage to the LA Fitness and nearby buildings at the shopping center.\n\nWindows were shattered and debris was scattered throughout the area and parking lot. Some businesses appeared to be completely destroyed. Residents reported feeling their homes shake from several miles away and some nearby homes had some of their windows blown out.\n\n\"It was a shock that came over me,\" said Braulio Morejon, who was inside the LA Fitness when the blast occurred nearby. \"I thought my instinct would have been to run and get out of the building but, stupidly, I took out my phone and started recording, and I didn't realize it until later that I didn't really realize the magnitude of what was going on around me.\"\n\nOne video sent to Local 10 News showed an injured man on the ground near the gym. Witnesses said he had lost a lot of blood.\n\nVideo from a Nest camera outside of a Plantation home captured the sound of the explosion.\n\nMultiple people in the area told Local 10 News reporter Roy Ramos that the explosion occurred at the Pizza Fire restaurant, but authorities have not yet confirmed that.\n\nAccording to the owner of Code Ninjas, which is located next door, the restaurant closed in December and a new tenant was about to move in.\n\nThe owner said their business is closed for the holiday weekend so luckily there were no children inside learning how to code.\n\nPediatric dentist Dr. Amanda Buscemi told Local 10 News that her office, which is also nearby, was destroyed in the blast.\n\nThe doctor's office was closed Saturday, and Buscemi found her diploma and that of her associate on the street when she went to check on the building.\n\n\"It's just unbelievable,\" she said. \"We just cry and cry, you know? But, at the same time, we're just so grateful that no one's hurt. This is our baby, where we see our babies.\"\n\nAccording to Buscemi, her office was forced to evacuate about six months ago due to a gas leak in the area.\n\n\"So this isn't the first time we've had this issue with gas,\" she said.\n\nJust this week on Wednesday, Plantation Fire Rescue confirmed businesses were evacuated after the smell of gas was reported at 214 S. University Drive.\n\nAll businesses in the area have been evacuated after Saturday's incident.\n\nAuthorities said University Drive is shut down from Broward Boulevard to Peters Road, while Peters Road is shut down from University Drive to Southwest 78th Avenue.\n\nPlantation police said relatives who are trying to reunite with loved ones are asked to go to Central Park at 9151 NW Second St.\n\nUpdate: Family and Business Reunification Center will be located at Plantation Central Park 9151 NW 2nd Street. Please Do Not approach the area of the debris and attempt to enter the explosion location. — Plantation Police (@PlantationPD) July 6, 2019\n\nThe explosion comes 34 years after four people were killed and eight people were injured in a similar blast at a Midas Muffler shop in Davie.\n\nIn the September 1985 incident, pipes from a 250-gallon liquid petroleum gas tank buried behind the shop were found leaking in the wreckage after the blast, the Sun-Sentinel reported.\n\nCopyright 2019 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved.", "(CNN) Jesse Walaschek says 15 to 20 seconds saved him and his family.\n\nThe 41-year-old, his wife and three kids -- ages 8, 6 and 4 -- had just left a fitness center at a shopping mall in the South Florida city of Plantation when a possible gas explosion Saturday shattered parts of the building, injuring at least 23 people, including two with serious injuries.\n\n\"We felt the loudest boom that you could possibly feel. I looked in my rear view mirror and it was just a dust cloud,\" Walaschek told CNN. \"Had we walked out of that gym 15 seconds later, I would've been getting my kids in the car when it went off. I probably wouldn't be here, my kids wouldn't be here.\"\n\nA search of the blast zone has been completed, police said. There were no fatalities and all the victims have been located, Plantation Fire Deputy Chief Joel Gordon told reporters during a Saturday afternoon press conference.\n\nAll the injured were taken to area hospitals, he said. Among the injured was a child, but the injuries were not classified as serious, Gordon said.\n\nRead More", "At least 23 people injured in an explosion at a shopping center in Plantation, Florida on Saturday, July 6, 2019. Early reports say a possible gas leak led to the explosion.", "Miami:A powerful explosion from a suspected gas leak ripped through a shopping mall in Florida on Saturday, injuring up to 20 people, the fire department said.\n\nTwo of those were in serious condition after the blast in the town of Plantation in south Florida.\n\nPhotos on US news outlets showed a large field of debris strewn across the parking lot of the Fountains Plaza shopping center, with major damage in particular to an LA Fitness gym.\n\nBetween 15 and 20 people were injured, deputy fire chief Joel Gordon told reporters.\n\nHis department initially called it a gas explosion and Gordon said ruptured gas lines were found in the debris, but that the cause of the blast has not been confirmed.\n\nNo one has been reported missing. \"As bad it was, it could have been a lot worse,\" Gordon said.\n\nA major avenue running past the mall was shut down. Plantation is about 50 kilometers (30 miles) north of Miami.", "An explosion rocked a shopping mall in the city of Plantation, Florida earlier today injuring at least 21 people, according to the latest CNN report. The report indicated that authorities believe the explosion was caused by a gas leak.\n\nGordon Peters deputy Fire Chief of Plantation has indicated that among the injured was a child but that the injuries were not classified as serious.\n\nPlantation is located west of Fort Lauderdale in the US state of Florida.", "A powerful gas explosion caused multiple injuries Saturday at a shopping mall in Florida, firefighters said.\n\nPhotos on US outlets showed a large field of debris outside the shopping center in the town of Plantation in south Florida.\n\nThe Plantation Fire Department said it was a gas explosion, and it reported \"multiple patients.\" A major avenue running past the mall was shut down.", "More than 20 people were injured in an explosion at a shopping center in Plantation, Florida, on Saturday afternoon.\n\nThe Plantation Fire Department responded to a call of a possible gas explosion at or near the L.A. Fitness on South University Drive at 11:28 a.m., said Battalion Chief Joel Gordon.\n\nGordon said 21 people were injured, including two who were in serious condition. Officials found wounded people scattered throughout the area, including in the gym.\n\nHe added that he believed one child was among the injured but was not one of the two in serious condition.\n\n\"At this point, we believe we've accounted for everyone,\" Gordon said during a press conference Saturday afternoon, noting that officials were doing a secondary search of the collapsed structure next to the gym. \"Thank goodness at this point nobody was killed. ... As bad as it is, it could have been a lot worse.\"\n\nGordon said responders found ruptured gas lines and an active gas leak when they arrived on scene but have not determined whether that was the cause of the explosion.\n\nThe exact origin of the explosion is still under investigation but several units in a strip mall next to the L.A. Fitness, including a closed pizza restaurant, were destroyed, officials said.", "PLANTATION, Fla. — At least 21 people were injured, including two seriously, after an apparent gas explosion Saturday shattered parts of a shopping mall in the South Florida city of Plantation, authorities said.\n\nFirefighters were carrying out a secondary search of the mall, looking for additional possibly victims, though they believe all had been located, Plantation Fire Deputy Chief Joel Gordon told reporters.\n\nAll the injured had been taken to area hospitals for treatment, he said. Among the injured was a child, but the injuries were no classified as serious, Gordon said.\n\n“We’re relieved that considering the debris field and considering how we found the patients and where we found them, the injuries are not as severe as we would’ve thought they would be. So we’re very thankful for that,” Gordon said.\n\nThe Plantation Fire Department initially said a gas explosion had occurred, but later said they are still working to confirm the cause.\n\n“We had ruptured gas lines. We did have an active gas leak when we arrived, (but) they were able to secure it,” Battalion Chief Joel Gordon said, referring to the Broward County’s hazardous materials team that initially secured the lines with TECO, a gas utility company.\n\n“At this point, we have not actually confirmed that it was an explosion due to gas,” Gordon said. “We believe that. That’s what it appears to be.”\n\nNews footage and social media video showed firefighters arriving at the mall, where windows were blown out of an LA Fitness and the facade of a pizza restaurant appeared to be blown out. A section of the complex appeared to sustain significant damage, with shattered windows and scattered debris.\n\nGordon told CNN the access road to the mall was covered in debris when firefighters arrived. Gas lines in the mall had to be secured before first responders encountered the injured scattered throughout the complex.\n\n“We also have patients that wandered away and came back again,” he said.\n\nThe state fire marshal, other local agencies and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are investigating the cause.\n\nGordon said there was an active gas leak at the scene when firefighters responded to the report of an explosion at about 11:30 a.m. ET.\n\nThe blast appeared to have occurred in a corner of the mall complex where two buildings intersect.\n\n“There is a closed pizza place place right on the corner but we haven’t confirmed it originated there,” he said.\n\nJesse Walaschek, 41, had just left the mall with with his three children — ages 8, 6 and 4 — were just leaving the area when the explosion occurred.\n\nWalaschek was driving away from the mall’s LA Fitness and pizza restaurant, the area where the explosion occurred, when he says , when he saw the saw the explosion in the rearview mirror.\n\n“It was crazy to see the building leveled,” he told CNN.\n\nPlantation police tweeted: “All stores and businesses in the area of the Fountains Plaza and the Plantation Marketplace plaza near LA Fitness will be shut down until further notice until Fire Personnel can determine that it is safe to return. Please do not come into this area if possible.”\n\nGordon said a reunification center opened at Plantation Central Park Gymnasium for family members looking for their relatives and for details about businesses affected.\n\nIt’s unclear if the mall was open at the time of the explosion. Gordon said the LA Fitness was occupied.\n\nIn one social media video posted after the blast, people are seen surveying the aftermath, which included damage to cars and water cascading from an upper floor of a building.\n\n“The whole building blew up,” a man is heard saying in one video.\n\nResidents several miles from the blast reported feeling their homes shake, the station reported.", "A gas explosion at a South Florida shopping plaza sent debris flying and injured several people, including two with serious injuries, fire officials said.\n\nThe explosion happened around 11:30 a.m. Saturday at a shopping center in Plantation, west of Fort Lauderdale in Broward County. The blast sent large pieces of debris about 100 yards across the street.\n\nPlantation Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Joel Gordon told reporters between 15 to 20 people were injured, but so far there are no fatalities.\n\nHe added that crews found ruptured gas lines among the rubble when they arrived on scene but they can't confirm where the explosion started.\n\n\"As bad as it is, it could've been a lot worse,\" Gordon said.\n\nGordon said the initial call was for an explosion at or near an LA Fitness location at the shopping plaza.\n\nPhotos and videos shared on social media showed heavy damage to an LA Fitness location, with windows blown out and debris scattered throughout the parking lot.\n\nA worker at a restaurant about 150 yards away described it like something \"out of a movie.\"\n\nAerial video from the scene showed heavy damage to nearby buildings and businesses.\n\nThis is a breaking news story and will be updated.", "\"Gas explosion 800 blk SUD multiple patients,\" the Plantation Fire volunteer group said on Twitter.\n\n​Plantation Fire Battalion Chief Joel Gordon was cited as saying by the WPLG news channel that at least 20 people were injured, two of them seriously.\n\n​Photos of the site showed a huge chunk of the shopping mall destroyed, with debris lying around in a wide radius.\n\nThe explosion shattered windows and damaged nearby buildings. Photos of the site showed a huge chunk of the shopping mall destroyed, with debris scattered around in a wide radius.\n\nPolice said they were working on what is believed to be a gas explosion. All stores and businesses in the area around the blast-ravaged Fountains Plaza were closed."], "summary": "23 people are injured in a gas explosion at a shopping mall in Plantation, Florida."}
{"document": ["Financier Jeffrey Epstein, a registered sex offender, was arrested on Saturday for alleged sex trafficking of minor girls in Florida and New York, multiple sources tell ABC News.\n\nInterested in Jeffrey Epstein Case? Add Jeffrey Epstein Case as an interest to stay up to date on the latest Jeffrey Epstein Case news, video, and analysis from ABC News. Add Interest\n\nEpstein’s arrest was first reported by The Daily Beast.\n\nSources tell ABC News that Epstein was taken into custody Saturday at Teterboro Airport in Bergen County, New Jersey, in an undercover operation.\n\nA team of law enforcement officers from the FBI and the New York Police Department arrested Epstein, who was returning to the United States from France, according to sources. Authorities also raided Epstein's New York City home Saturday night and into early Sunday.\n\nThe precise charges Epstein will face are unclear, but the sources tell ABC News that they are likely to include conspiracy and sex trafficking of minor girls in New York and Florida. At least some of the charges, sources tell ABC News, involve allegations dating back more than a decade.\n\nThe indictment against Epstein remains under seal until a hearing in federal court in Manhattan scheduled for Monday, the sources say.\n\nFlorida Department of Law Enforcement\n\nA spokesman for the US Attorney’s Office in Manhattan declined to comment.\n\nMartin Weinberg, an attorney for Epstein, declined to comment when reached by email on Sunday.\n\nEpstein was first investigated beginning in 2005 for alleged sex crimes against minor girls by both local and federal authorities in Florida. The core allegations revolved around an alleged scheme to recruit underage girls to Epstein’s Palm Beach mansion for massages that, in many cases, led to sexual contact, according to court records and law enforcement documents.\n\nFederal authorities ultimately identified more than three dozen girls who had been alleged victims of Epstein, but instead of pursuing a prosecution, entered into a once-secret non-prosecution agreement with Epstein in 2007 that ended the federal investigation and spared him a potentially lengthy prison sentence.\n\nThe deal with Epstein was negotiated and approved by Alexander Acosta, then the United States attorney in Miami, who now serves in President Donald Trump's cabinet as the secretary of labor.\n\nAttorney Stan Pottinger, of Edwards Pottinger LLC, said that his law partner, Brad Edwards, who represents several alleged victims of Epstein, learned of the arrest this weekend when one of Edwards’ clients called to say that the FBI had informed her of the developments.\n\n\"We have not seen the indictment nor do we know the basis for the arrest,\" Pottinger told ABC News late Saturday. \"We expect to know more next week after we understand there will be an arraignment.\"\n\nRick Friedman/Corbis via Getty Images\n\nAs a condition of the deal with federal authorities, Epstein ultimately pleaded guilty in 2008 to soliciting and procuring a person under age 18 for prostitution, but served just 13 months of an 18-month sentence in a private wing of a county jail. He was also granted liberal work-release privileges that allowed him to spend up to 16 hours a day at his office.\n\nIn 2008, two of Epstein’s alleged victims filed a lawsuit against the United States Department of Justice, alleging that the deal with Epstein had been reached in violation of the Crimes Victims' Rights Act, which requires that the government confer with victims and keep them informed of developments in their cases.\n\nCourtney Wild, one of Epstein's alleged victims, identified as Jane Doe #1 in the long-running lawsuit against the Justice Department, said she was \"overwhelmed\" by reports of the arrest. Wild has been interviewed by ABC News recently, and has agreed to have her name used publicly.\n\n\"Finally!\" she said of the arrest. \"Knowing he's off the streets and so many girls who would be in danger are now safe makes me so happy.\"\n\nAnother one of the Epstein's alleged victims, Michelle Licata, said it's \"about time someone started picking up on what he has been doing.\"\n\nLicata, who also consented to having her name used, accused Epstein of sexually abusing her when she was 16 years old during a massage at his home in 2005.\n\n\"I'm so relieved to know that he's behind bars,\" Licata, who spoke to authorities during the initial police investigation, told ABC News. \"That's exactly where he needs to be.\"\n\nEarlier this year, a federal judge ruled that the government's deal with Epstein did, in fact, violate the rights of Epstein’s victims. The court is now considering the possible remedies for the violation of the law.\n\n\"If today’s report is true, it only proves that the Epstein should have been charged by federal prosecutors twelve years ago in Florida,\" Paul Cassell, co-counsel along with Edwards for victims Jane Doe 1 and 2 in the case challenging the DOJ over the non-prosecution agreement with Epstein, said in a statement. \"With his money, Epstein was able to buy more than a decade of delay in facing justice – but fortunately he wasn’t able to postpone justice forever.\"\n\n\"While New York prosecutors are apparently seeking to hold Epstein accountable, the Jane Does’ fight will continue to force federal prosecutors in Florida to do the same thing,\" Cassell added.", "(07/07/19)- A Florida billionaire well known in political circles-- has been arrested on new charges-- related to sex trafficking crimes involving minors.\n\nJeffrey Epstein was jailed in New York Sunday - set to appear in Federal Court on Monday.\n\nOfficials say the alleged crimes happened in both New York and Palm Beach, Florida between 2002 and 2005.\n\nEpstein had previously pleaded guilty to similar state charges in Florida in 2008.\n\nA deal with prosecutors allowed him to serve only 13 months in jail, and avoid more serious, federal charges against him.\n\nBut Epstein did have to register as a sex offender as part of that deal.", "(CNN) – Florida-based billionaire Jeffrey Epstein has been indicted on new charges related to alleged sex crimes involving minors, law enforcement sources told CNN on Saturday.\n\nEpstein was arrested Saturday and is expected to appear in federal court in New York on Monday.\n\nEpstein faces charges brought by US prosecutors in Manhattan, after previously evading similar charges when he secured a non-prosecution deal with federal prosecutors in Miami.\n\nThe charges, contained in a sealed indictment, involve alleged sex trafficking crimes committed between 2002 and 2005, according to law enforcement sources. The indictment alleged that the crimes occurred in both New York and Palm Beach, Florida.\n\nA team of federal prosecutors from the Southern District of New York, along with some in the public corruption unit, have been assigned to the case.\n\nCNN has reached out to Epstein’s lawyer.\n\nThe arrest was first reported by the Daily Beast.\n\nIn November, the Miami Herald reported that when Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta was a US attorney in Florida, he gave Epstein the “deal of a lifetime.” In a sweeping review of the politically connected billionaire’s case, the Herald explained how Acosta had made an agreement with Epstein to avoid major repercussions for the hedge fund manager, even though a federal investigation had identified 36 underage victims.\n\nThe report said Acosta had brokered a deal with one of Epstein’s attorneys, where he pleaded in 2008 to two state prostitution charges, ultimately serving only 13 months and avoiding a federal trial. He also registered as a sex offender and paid restitution to the victims identified by the FBI.\n\nThe agreement, the Herald said, “essentially shut down an ongoing FBI probe” and further granted immunity to “any potential co-conspirators” in the case.\n\nAcosta told CNN in February that he welcomed an investigation by Justice Department’s Office of Professional Responsibility into his handling of Epstein’s plea agreement.\n\nTwo months earlier, Epstein settled a separate lawsuit that could have allowed for several of his accusers to tell their stories in open court.", "Jeffrey Epstein, the well-connected millionaire who spent just more than a year in jail to resolve allegations that he molested dozens of young girls, has been taken into custody in New York on new charges having to do with sex crimes involving minors, a person familiar with the matter said.\n\nThe precise nature of the charges - and how they differ from the previous allegations to which Epstein pleaded guilty - could not immediately be learned. An attorney for Epstein declined to comment, as did a spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office in Manhattan, where Epstein is expected to appear in federal court next week.\n\nThe new charges add a significant new wrinkle to the considerable political and legal saga surrounding Epstein. The wealthy financier - who counts among his friends President Donald Trump and former president Bill Clinton - pleaded guilty in 2008 to state charges in Florida of soliciting prostitution in a controversial arrangement that allowed him to resolve far more serious allegations of molesting young girls.\n\nHis case was the subject of an investigation by the Miami Herald, which detailed how then-U. S. Attorney Alex Acosta, now Trump's labor secretary, shelved a 53-page federal indictment that could have put Epstein behind bars for life. The arrangement is now being investigated by the Justice Department's Office of Professional Responsibility, which is seeking to determine whether the attorneys involved committed \"professional misconduct\" in bringing about its close.\n\nThe person familiar with the matter said the new charges against Epstein are for conduct similar to those that brought about his plea deal. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the specific counts remain under seal.\n\nAttorney Paul Cassell, who represents Epstein victims who argued in federal court that prosecutors broke the law by not informing them about the plea deal, said he was not informed about the arrest.\n\n\"If today's report is true, it only proves that Epstein should have been charged by federal prosecutors 12 years ago in Florida,\" Cassell said. \"With his money, Epstein was able to buy more than a decade of delay in facing justice - but fortunately he wasn't able to postpone justice forever.\"\n\nThe Daily Beast first reported Epstein had been taken into custody.\n\n(c) 2019, The Washington Post. Devlin Barrett and Matt Zapotosky wrote this story.", "Billionaire Jeffrey Epstein in Cambridge, MA in 2004. Epstein is connected with several prominent people including politicians, actors and academics.\n\nWealthy financier and registered sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was arrested Saturday in New York on new sex-trafficking charges involving allegations that date to the early 2000s, according to law enforcement officials.\n\nEpstein, a wealthy hedge fund manager who once counted as friends former President Bill Clinton, Great Britain's Prince Andrew, and President Donald Trump, was taken into federal custody and is expected to appear Monday in Manhattan federal court, three law enforcement officials told The Associated Press.\n\nOne of the officials said Epstein is accused of paying underage girls for massages and molesting them at his homes in Florida and New York.\n\nThe officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the pending case.\n\nA message was sent to Epstein's defense attorney seeking comment. Epstein is being held at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons website.\n\nEpstein's arrest, first reported by The Daily Beast, comes amid renewed scrutiny of a once-secret plea deal that ended a federal investigation against him.\n\nThat deal, which is being challenged in Florida federal court, allowed Epstein, who is now 66, to plead guilty to lesser state charges of soliciting and procuring a person under age 18 for prostitution.\n\nAverting a possible life sentence, Epstein was instead was sentenced to 13 months in jail. The deal also required he reach financial settlements with dozens of his once-teenage victims and register as a sex offender.\n\nEpstein's deal was overseen by former Miami U.S. Attorney Alexander Acosta, who is now Trump's labor secretary. Acosta has defended the plea deal as appropriate under the circumstances, though the White House said in February that it was \"looking into\" his handling of the deal.", "Jeffrey Epstein was arrested in New Jersey on Saturday night, charged by federal prosecutors with one count of sex trafficking and one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking. The 66-year-old billionaire financier—who avoided federal criminal charges on similar counts in 2008—is expected to answer the new charges before a federal magistrate on Monday.\n\nCBS Miami first reported that Epstein was arrested Saturday afternoon at Teterboro Airport in New Jersey under a sealed indictment. Per The Daily Beast, Epstein was apprehended by the FBI-NYPD Crimes Against Children Task Force for sexually exploiting numerous underage girls in his Upper East Side home and Palm Beach residence—soliciting massages and otherwise “molesting or sexually abusing” them. Epstein will be charged with one count of sex trafficking of minors and one count of conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of minors, potentially carrying a maximum sentence of 45 years.\n\nThe allegations are comparable to those leveled against Epstein in 2007, charges for which he struck a deal that included pleading guilty to state charges of soliciting prostitution, registering as a sex offender, and serving 13 months in a county jail that otherwise released him six days a week to work in his office. That plea was signed by then-Miami federal prosecutor Alexander Acosta, who now serves as Donald Trump’s labor secretary. In February, a Florida judge ruled that Acosta violated federal law by not disclosing Epstein’s nonprosecution agreement to his alleged victims. The Justice Department has also opened an investigation into possible prosecutorial misconduct regarding the nonprosecution agreement.\n\n“It’s been a long time coming—it’s been too long coming,” attorney David Boies told The Daily Beast of Epstein’s arrest. Boies represents two of Epstein’s past accusers, Virginia Roberts Giuffre and Sarah Ransome. “We hope that prosecutors will not stop with Mr. Epstein because there were many other people who participated with him and made the sex trafficking possible,” Boies added.\n\nThe report also notes that Epstein’s employees and associates were allegedly complicit in recruiting the underage girls, and turned some of the girls into recruiters themselves. Epstein is also said to have been aware of their underage status throughout.", "Wealthy financier and registered sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was arrested Saturday in New York on new sex-trafficking charges involving allegations that date to the early 2000s, according to law enforcement officials.\n\nEpstein, a wealthy hedge fund manager who once counted as friends former President Bill Clinton, Great Britain's Prince Andrew, and President Donald Trump, was taken into federal custody and is expected to appear Monday in Manhattan federal court, three law enforcement officials told The Associated Press.\n\nOne of the officials said Epstein is accused of paying underage girls for massages and molesting them at his homes in Florida and New York.\n\nThe officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the pending case.\n\nA message was sent to Epstein's defense attorney seeking comment. Epstein is being held at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons website.\n\nEpstein's arrest, first reported by The Daily Beast, comes amid renewed scrutiny of a once-secret plea deal that ended a federal investigation against him.\n\nThat deal, which is being challenged in Florida federal court, allowed Epstein, who is now 66, to plead guilty to lesser state charges of soliciting and procuring a person under age 18 for prostitution.\n\nAverting a possible life sentence, Epstein was instead sentenced to 13 months in jail. The deal also required he reach financial settlements with dozens of his once-teenage victims and register as a sex offender.\n\nEpstein's deal was overseen by former Miami U.S. Attorney Alexander Acosta, who is now Trump's labor secretary. Acosta has defended the plea deal as appropriate under the circumstances, though the White House said in February that it was \"looking into\" his handling of the deal.\n\nU.S. District Judge Kenneth Marra of Florida ruled earlier this year that Epstein's victims should have been consulted under federal law about the deal, and he is now weighing whether to invalidate the non-prosecution agreement, or NPA, that protected Epstein from federal charges.\n\nIt was not immediately clear whether the cases involved the same victims since nearly all have remained anonymous.\n\n\"The past cannot be undone; the government committed itself to the NPA, and the parties have not disputed that Epstein complied with its provisions,\" prosecutors wrote in the filing.\n\nThey acknowledged, however, that the failure to consult victims \"fell short of the government's dedication to serve victims to the best of its ability\" and that prosecutors \"should have communicated with the victims in a straightforward and transparent way.\"\n\nThe victims in the Florida case have until Monday to respond to the Justice Department's filing.\n\nAccording to court records in Florida, authorities say at least 40 underage girls were brought into Epstein's Palm Beach mansion for what turned into sexual encounters after female fixers looked for suitable girls locally and in Eastern Europe and other parts of the world.\n\nSome girls were also allegedly brought to Epstein's homes in New York City, New Mexico and a private Caribbean island, according to court documents.\n\nSaturday's arrest also came just days after a federal appeals court in New York ordered the unsealing of nearly 2,000 pages of records in a since-settled defamation case involving Epstein.\n\nU.S. Sen. Ben Sasse released a statement Saturday calling for Epstein to be held without bail pending trial.", "NEW YORK (AP) — Law enforcement sources: Financier Jeffrey Epstein arrested on sex-trafficking charges involving allegations from 2000s.", "NEW YORK (AP) - Wealthy financier and registered sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was arrested Saturday in New York on sex-trafficking charges involving allegations that date to the 2000s, according to law enforcement officials.\n\nEpstein, a wealthy hedge fund manager who once counted as friends former President Bill Clinton, Great Britain's Prince Andrew, and President Donald Trump, was taken into federal custody, according to two officials.\n\nThe officials spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the pending case.\n\nEpstein is expected to appear Monday in Manhattan federal court. A message was sent to his attorney seeking comment.\n\nEpstein's arrest was first reported by The Daily Beast.\n\nThe arrest comes amid renewed scrutiny of a once-secret plea deal that Epstein entered into.\n\nIn 2008, Epstein pleaded guilty in Florida to state charges of soliciting and procuring a person under age 18 for prostitution. The deal ended a federal investigation that could have landed Epstein in prison for life.\n\nInstead, he was sentenced to 13 months in jail and was required to reach financial settlements with dozens of his once-teenage victims. Epstein also was required to register as a sex offender.\n\nThe Associated Press contributed to this report.", "NEW YORK (AP) – Law enforcement officials say that wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein has been arrested in New York on sex-trafficking charges.\n\nTwo law enforcement officials said Epstein was taken into federal custody Saturday on charges involving allegations that date to the 2000s.\n\nThe officials spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the pending case.\n\nEpstein is expected to appear Monday in Manhattan federal court. A message was sent to his attorney seeking comment.\n\nEpstein’s arrest was first reported by The Daily Beast.\n\nEpstein has been previously pleaded guilty to solicitation charges.\n\nThe new arrest come amid renewed scrutiny of that once-secret deal that ended a federal investigation and allowed Epstein to plead guilty to lesser state charges.\n\nThe deal also required financial settlements to dozens of Epstein’s victims."], "summary": "American billionaire Jeffrey Epstein is arrested and faces new charges related to alleged sex crimes involving minors."}
{"document": ["Taliban fighters killed at least eight security personnel and six civilians in a car bomb attack in central Afghanistan that also wounded nearly 200 people - including dozens of children at a nearby school.\n\nThe suicide attack in Ghazni province on Sunday came as an all-Afghan peace conference, which includes the Taliban, began in Qatar in an effort to end years of violence and build trust between Afghan civilians and the armed group.\n\nAfghan officials said the bomb targeted the country's main intelligence unit, National Directorate of Security (NDS).\n\nHealth officials in Ghazni said 13 adults, including eight NDS members, and a child were killed. At least 60 children attending classes in a private school near the blast site were among the 180 people wounded.\n\n\"The casualty figures may rise as this is not the last report of those injured in the powerful blast,\" said Zaher Shah Nekmal, a health director in Ghazni province.\n\nThe Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.\n\n\"Dozens of NDS officers were killed or wounded,\" the group's spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement.\n\nThe blast in a crowded area of Ghazni city was the latest in a wave of near-daily attacks by the Taliban that now holds sway over about half of Afghanistan and continues to intensify attacks on Afghan forces despite increased US efforts towards a peace agreement to end the 18-year war.\n\nAid group Save the Children denounced the attack.\n\n\"This is simply unacceptable and we urge all armed groups in Afghanistan to think of future generations and stop the killing and maiming of innocent children,\" said its country director Onno van Manen in a statement.\n\n\"Children did not ask for this war. They should not be paying the ultimate price for it. It's time to stop the war on children.\"\n\nPeace talks\n\nThe Taliban, which has repeatedly refused to negotiate with the Western-backed government of President Ashraf Ghani, agreed to join the intra-Afghan summit in the Qatari capital, Doha, on the condition that those there would attend in a personal capacity.\n\n190706134720995\n\nAbout 60 high-profile Afghan figures and activists were in Doha to meet the Taliban representatives during the two-day conference, a meeting arranged by German and Qatari officials with the support of US negotiators.\n\nUS-Taliban peace talks in Doha were paused for two days to allow the intra-Afghan summit to take place. US and Taliban officials will reconvene on Tuesday.\n\nThe warring sides started a seventh round of peace talks last week, which US special envoy for peace in Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad described on Twitter on Saturday as the most productive session to date.\n\nHe said substantive progress had been made on all four parts of a peace deal: counterterrorism assurances, withdrawal of troops, participation in intra-Afghan negotiations, and a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire.\n\nMilitary conflict and attacks on civilians have intensified even as the diplomatic process gains momentum, triggering tremendous unease among some Afghans about the significance of holding peace talks with the Taliban.\n\nThe armed group took responsibility for detonating a car bomb at the start of a lengthy gun battle outside a defence ministry compound in the capital, Kabul, last week. Sixteen people were killed and more than 100 civilians, including 51 children, were wounded in that attack.", "Afghanistan: Several killed in Taliban car bomb attack in Ghazni\n• US, Taliban scramble to rewrite draft on troop withdrawal2 days ago\n• 'We're in crisis': The high price of deforestation in Afghanistan2 days ago\n• 'Spectacular progress', says Taliban as US talks enter fifth day3 days ago", "Taliban Islamist fighters killed at least eight Afghan security force members and four civilians, as well as wounding more than 50 civilians, by blowing up a car bomb in central Ghazni province on Sunday, government officials and the Taliban said.\n\nThe Taliban claimed responsibility for detonating the bomb near the National Directorate of Security (NDS) compound in Ghazni city during Sunday morning’s rush hour. “Dozens of NDS officers were killed or wounded,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement.\n\nArif Noori, a provincial government spokesman in Ghazni, confirmed eight members of the NDS and four civilians died in the blast, with more than 50 civilians injured. “Many injured people were being rushed to the hospital,” he said.\n\nIt wasn’t immediately clear whether the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber.\n\nThe blast in a crowded area of Ghazni city was the latest in a wave of near-daily attacks by the Taliban, who now hold sway over about half of Afghanistan and continue to intensify attacks on Afghan forces despite increased efforts towards a peace agreement to end the 18-year war.", "A car bomb targeted an office of Afghanistan’s Intelligence Directorate (NDS) in Ghazni city, left at least 12 dead.\n\nA massive suicide car bombing on Sunday killed at least 12 people and injured 50 others in Afghanistan's restive central Ghazni province, officials and the local media confirmed.\n\nAmid Afghan peace talks in Qatar, the Taliban took responsibility for the deadly assault. Spokesman Zabihullah Mujahed said on social media that a compound of the Afghan secret service, NDS, was the target for this Sunday morning assault in the provincial capital, which briefly fell to the rebels last year.\n\nConfirming the death toll, Baz Mohammad, head of the public hospital in Ghazni, told Anadolu Agency that civilian and security forces are among the victims.\n\nAccording to local Azadi Radio, a number of schoolchildren also died.", "Kabul: At least 12 people were killed and 179 others injured on Sunday in a suicide car bombing in Afghanistan`s Ghazni city. The Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack.\n\n\"The attack took place in the morning at around 8.30 a.m. near a local base of the National Directorate of Security (NDS) in Ghazni city,\" Arif Noori, a spokesman for the governor of Ghazni province, told Efe news.\n\nThe victims comprised eight security personnel and four civilians, Noori said. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement.\n\n\"A key base of the National Directorate of Security in Ghazni city was targeted by a martyrdom-seeking attacker using a VBIED (vehicle-borne improvised explosive device).\n\n\"According to our initial information, the base was completely destroyed and tens of NDS forces and workers were killed and injured,\" Mujahid added.\n\nThe NDS said that the attack took place at a security check-post located at the first entrance of one of its facilities in Ghazni.\n\n\"Civilians living in nearby houses suffered the most,\" the NDS said, adding that \"the site of the attack has now been cordoned off by the security forces.\"\n\nThis attack occurred on the same day that a round of intra-Afghan peace talks commenced in Qatar between the insurgents and a delegation including members of the Kabul government taking part in an unofficial and personal capacity.\n\nAfghan President Ashraf Ghani condemned the attack in a statement, labelling it a \"crime against humanity\" that proved them to be the enemy of the people.\n\n\"By conducting this terrorist attack, the Taliban showed a paradox in what they are saying and what they are doing. While they are holding talks in Qatar, every day in Afghanistan they are shedding more blood of innocent civilians,\" Ghani said.\n\nMeanwhile, the Taliban are also holding talks with the US in Qatar. The insurgents have expressed their satisfaction with the advances made in the negotiations, focused on the withdrawal of US troops and the Taliban`s promise that no terror group will attack another country while based on Afghan soil.\n\nHowever, the ongoing talks have not prevented the Taliban from carrying out brutal attacks such as a suicide bombing against a Defence Ministry facility in Kabul on July 1 that killed 11 people and left 65 injured.", "Afghan officials say at least 12 people have been killed and 179 others wounded in a suicide car-bombing in a crowded area in the city of Ghazni.The Taliban claimed responsibility for the July 7 attack that comes as representatives of the militant group are taking part in a two-day all-Afghan peace conference in Doha., said Hasan Raza Yousafi, a provincial council member.Afghan Public Health Ministry spokesman Wahidullah Mayar told RFE/RL that 13 people who were in critical condition had been transferred to hospitals in the capital, Kabul.It's the second attack in Ghazni in two days.At least two people were killed and some 20 others were wounded in a bomb blast inside the Mohammadiya mosque in Ghazni's Khak-e-Ghariban area on July 6.Islamic State extremist group claimed responsibility for that attack.", "KABUL — Taliban Islamist fighters killed at least eight Afghan security force members and wounded over 50 civilians by blowing up a car bomb in central Ghazni province on Sunday, government officials and the Taliban said. The Taliban claimed responsibility for detonated a car bomb near the National Directorate of Security (NDS) compound in Ghazni city during Sunday morning’s rush hour. “Dozens of NDS officers were killed or wounded,” Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement.\n\nAfghan government officials said eight members of the NDS were killed in the blast, with 50 civilians injured.", "Taliban fighters killed at least eight security personnel and six civilians in a car bomb attack in central Afghanistan that also...", "The Taliban carried out a devastating suicide car bombing in central Afghanistan Sunday that killed 12 people and wounded over 150 others, said Afghan officials.\n\nThe attack came as an all-Afghan peace conference, which includes the Taliban, were underway Sunday in Doha in an effort to end to the country’s relentless wars.\n\nA provincial council member, Hasan Raza Yousafi, said the car bomb ripped through central Ghazni, the capital of the province of the same name. The dead included eight security personnel, he said.\n\nMany of the wounded were students of a nearby high school, said the provincial health department chief, Zahir Shah Nekmal. He said most of the injured suffered cuts and abrasions from broken glass.\n\nTaliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahed claimed responsibility for the suicide attack saying the target was the intelligence service’s compound in Ghazni. He said the bombing killed tens of intelligence employees. The Taliban often exaggerate such claims.\n\nMeanwhile, U.S. Peace Envoy Zalmay Khalilzad hailed the intra-Afghan talks underway in Doha as a good first step toward substantive negotiations between Afghans on a framework for the country’s future.\n\nHe said Washington’s “aspiration” is to have that framework in place by Sept. 1 and ahead of the Afghan presidential election.\n\nKhalilzad, who has been holding direct talks with the Taliban for the past six days also in Doha, told a press briefing that included The Associated Press that the discussions were the most productive ever. He will resume talks with the Taliban on Tuesday, he said.\n\nTalks have covered a timeframe for the withdrawal of U.S. and NATO troops from Afghanistan, verifiable anti-terror guarantees from the Taliban, intra-Afghan negotiations and an eventual cease-fire.", "Afghan officials say at least three people have been killed and dozens wounded in a suicide car bombing in the city of Ghazni.\n\nThe Taliban claimed responsibility for the July 7 attack that comes as representatives of the militant group were expected to take part in a two-day all-Afghan conference in the Qatari capital, Doha.\n\nThe attack in Ghazni targeted an office of the National Directorate of Security, but many of the victims were students attending a nearby school, said Hasan Raza Yousafi, a provincial council member.\n\nIt’s the second attack in Ghazni in two days. At least two people were killed and some 20 others were wounded in a bomb blast inside the Mohammadiya mosque in Ghazni’s Khak-e-Ghariban area of July 6.\n\nThe Islamic State extremist group claimed responsibility for that attack.\n\nThe conference in Doha aims at helping find an end to Afghanistan’s ongoing military conflict.\n\nBased on reporting by AP, tolonews.com, and Reuters"], "summary": "Fourteen people are killed and nearly 200 are injured in a suicide car bombing by the Taliban in Ghazni, Afghanistan."}
{"document": ["Video\n\nJodrell Bank Observatory has been made a Unesco World Heritage site.\n\nThe site, famous for its iconic telescope named after Sir Bernard Lovell, began scientific research in 1945 when the physicist used radio waves - rather than visible light - to understand the universe.\n\nIt joins other iconic sites, such as the ancient Iraqi city of Babylon, on the prestigious list.", "Babylon has been designated a Unesco world heritage site following decades of lobbying by Iraq.\n\nThe legendary city, first referenced on a clay tablet more than 4,000 years ago, received the award following a vote at a Unesco world heritage committee meeting in Azerbaijan's capital Baku.\n\nIt made the ancient Mesopotamian city on the Euphrates River the sixth world heritage site within the borders of a country known as a cradle of civilization.\n\nWe’ll tell you what’s true. You can form your own view. From 15p €0.18 $0.18 USD 0.27 a day, more exclusives, analysis and extras.\n\nIraq's president Barham Salih said the city, now an archaeological ruin, was returned to its \"rightful place\" in history after years of neglect by previous leaders.\n\nPrime minister Adel Abdul Mahdi also welcomed the news.\n\nShape Created with Sketch. The biggest wonder about the Hanging Gardens of Babylon? They weren’t in Babylon Show all 6 left Created with Sketch. right Created with Sketch. Shape Created with Sketch. The biggest wonder about the Hanging Gardens of Babylon? They weren’t in Babylon 1/6 19-Babylon-North-Wind-Pictu.jpg The gardens were probably situated in Nineveh, a city located in what is now in the north of modern-day Iraq North Wind Picture Archives / Alamy 2/6 19-Sennacherib-king-of-Assy.jpg The Assyrian ruler Sennacherib, pictured in the chariot, in a bas-relief from his grandson’s palace, which depicts the gardens Stephanie Dalley 3/6 19-Babylon1.jpg An artist’s impression of what the Hanging Gardens at Nineveh would have looked like c700BC Terry Ball / Stephanie Dalley 4/6 19-Babylon2.jpg Drawing of a bas-relief from the palace of Sennacherib’s grandson in Nineveh, showing what is now believed to have been the Hanging Gardens Stephanie Dalley 5/6 19-Babylon3.jpg A mid-19th century drawing of part of a now long-lost fragment of a bas-relief from Sennacherib’s palace in Nineveh showing trees growing on top of a roofed colonnade, exactly as described in later descriptions of the Hanging Gardens 6/6 19-Hanging_Gardens_of_Babyl.jpg Traditional early modern and later perception of what the Hanging Gardens of Babylon looked like. This 16th-century hand-coloured engraving of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon was drawn by the Dutch artist Maarten van Heemskerck – interestingly with the Tower of Babel in the background 1/6 19-Babylon-North-Wind-Pictu.jpg The gardens were probably situated in Nineveh, a city located in what is now in the north of modern-day Iraq North Wind Picture Archives / Alamy 2/6 19-Sennacherib-king-of-Assy.jpg The Assyrian ruler Sennacherib, pictured in the chariot, in a bas-relief from his grandson’s palace, which depicts the gardens Stephanie Dalley 3/6 19-Babylon1.jpg An artist’s impression of what the Hanging Gardens at Nineveh would have looked like c700BC Terry Ball / Stephanie Dalley 4/6 19-Babylon2.jpg Drawing of a bas-relief from the palace of Sennacherib’s grandson in Nineveh, showing what is now believed to have been the Hanging Gardens Stephanie Dalley 5/6 19-Babylon3.jpg A mid-19th century drawing of part of a now long-lost fragment of a bas-relief from Sennacherib’s palace in Nineveh showing trees growing on top of a roofed colonnade, exactly as described in later descriptions of the Hanging Gardens 6/6 19-Hanging_Gardens_of_Babyl.jpg Traditional early modern and later perception of what the Hanging Gardens of Babylon looked like. This 16th-century hand-coloured engraving of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon was drawn by the Dutch artist Maarten van Heemskerck – interestingly with the Tower of Babel in the background\n\n\"Mesopotamia is truly the pillar of humanity's memory and the cradle of civilization in recorded history,\" he said.\n\nThe government said it would allocate funds to maintain and boost conservation efforts.\n\nBabylon, about 55 miles south of Baghdad, was once the centre of a sprawling empire, renowned for its towers and mudbrick temples. Its hanging gardens were one of the seven ancient wonders of the world, commissioned by King Nebuchadnezzar II.\n\nVisitors can stroll through the remnants of the brick and clay structures which stretch across 10 sq km, and see the famed Lion of Babylon statue, as well as large portions of the original Ishtar Gate.\n\nAs the sun began to set on the crumbling ruins, activists and residents flocked to the replica Ishtar gate at the site's entrance to celebrate what they called a historic moment.\n\n\"This is very important, because Babylon will now be a protected site,\" said Marina al-Khafaji, a local who was hopeful the designation would boost tourism and the local economy.\n\nIt would allow for further exploration and research, said Makki Mohammad Farhoud, 53, a tour guide at the site for more than 25 years, noting that only 18 per cent of it had been excavated.\n\n\"Babylon is the blood that runs through my veins, I love it more than I love my children,\" he said.\n\nIndependent news email Only the best news in your inbox Independent news email Only the best news in your inbox Enter your email address Continue Continue Please enter an email address Email address is invalid Fill out this field Email address is invalid Email already exists. Log in to update your newsletter preferences Register with your social account or click here to log in I would like to receive morning headlines Monday - Friday plus breaking news alerts by email Update newsletter preferences\n\nExcavations of what was once the largest city in the world began in the early 19th century by European archaeologists, who removed many artefacts.\n\nIn the 1970s, under president Saddam Hussein's restoration project, the southern palace's walls and arches were shoddily rebuilt on top of the existing ruins, causing widespread damage.\n\nThis was exacerbated during the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, when US and Polish troops stationed nearby built their military base on top of the Babylonian ruins.\n\nMany inscriptions written by soldiers can still be seen on the ancient bricks.\n\nThe site is in dire need of conservation, Mr Farhoud said. Unlike three other world heritage sites in Iraq, Unesco did not designate Babylon as one in \"in danger\" after objections from the Iraqi delegation.\n\nIraq is replete with thousands of archaeological sites, many of which were heavily damaged or pillaged by Isis during its barbaric three-year-rule, which ended in 2017.\n\nThe other five world heritage sites are the southern marshlands, Hatra, Samarra, Ashur and the citadel in Erbil, the capital of Iraq's Kurdistan region.\n\nAdditional reporting by Reuters", "The ancient city of Babylon, first referenced in a clay tablet from the 23rd century B.C., was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site on Friday, after a vote that followed decades of lobbying by Iraq, Reuters reported on Saturday.\n\nThe vote at a meeting of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, UNESCO, World Heritage Committee held in Azerbaijan's capital Baku, made the ancient Mesopotamian city on the Euphrates River the sixth world heritage site within the borders of a country known as a cradle of civilisation.\n\nIraqi President Barham Salih said the city, now an archaeological ruin, was returned to its \"rightful place\" in history after years of neglect by previous leaders.\n\nPrime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi also welcomed the news. \"Mesopotamia is truly the pillar of humanity's memory and the cradle of civilization in recorded history,\" he said.\n\nThe Iraq government said it would allocate funds to maintain and boost conservation efforts.\n\nBabylon, about 85 kilometres south of Baghdad, was once the centre of a sprawling empire, renowned for its towers and mudbrick temples. Its hanging gardens were one of the seven ancient wonders of the world, commissioned by King Nebuchadnezzar II.\n\nVisitors can stroll through the remnants of the brick and clay structures, which stretch across 10 square kilometres, and see the famed Lion of Babylon statue, as well as large portions of the original Ishtar Gate.\n\nExcavations of what was once the largest city in the world, began in the early 19th century by European archaeologists, who removed many artefacts. In the 1970s, under President Saddam Hussein's restoration project, the southern palace's walls and arches were shoddily rebuilt on top of the existing ruins, causing widespread damage.\n\nThis was exacerbated during the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, when US and Polish troops stationed nearby built their military base on top of the Babylonian ruins. Many inscriptions written by soldiers can still be seen on the ancient bricks.\n\nThe site is in dire need of conservation. Unlike three other World Heritage sites in Iraq, UNESCO did not designate Babylon as one in \"in danger\" after objections from the Iraqi delegation.\n\nIraq is replete with thousands of archaeological sites, many of which were heavily damaged or pillaged by Daesh during its barbaric three-year-rule that ended in 2017.\n\nThe other five World Heritage Sites are the southern marshlands, Hatra, Samarra, Ashur and the citadel in Erbil, the capital of Iraq's Kurdistan Region.", "The Jodrell Bank Observatory, part of the University of Manchester and home of the massive Lovell Telescope and numerous others, has received UNESCO World Heritage Site status, the BBC reported on Sunday.\n\n\n\nAccording to the BBC, the decision was made during a UN World Heritage Committee meeting in Azerbaijan and gives the site protected status under international treaties. The observatory will thus join other sites that have received UNESCO recognition, including the Iraqi city of Babylon, the Yellowstone National Park, the Great Barrier Reef, the Great Wall of China, Stonehenge, the Taj Mahal, and Macchu Picchu.\n\nThe Jodrell Bank Observatory was founded in 1945 by renowned physicist and radio astronomer Bernard Lovell. The telescope bearing his name, which is 250 feet (76.2 meters) in diameter and according to the Guardian weighs 3,200 tonnes, was built in 1957 and once held the record for the world’s largest steerable radio telescope. (It now holds third place.) Jodrell Bank was involved in tracking U.S. and Soviet spacecraft during the Cold War—Lovell was the only radio telescope capable of tracking Sputnik 1's carrier rocket—and is one of the most important research sites in the history of radio astronomy, which uses radio waves rather than visible light to gather data about the cosmos and has been massively consequential for science. Visitors to Jodrell Bank can see telescopes and other instruments dating to every era of radio astronomy after 1945.\n\nPer the BBC, Jodrell Bank “was on standby as the UK’s early warning system against any potential nuclear attack during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis,” tracked the Luna 9 spacecraft as it made the first soft landing on the lunar surface in 1966, and has been featured in “the BBC’s Stargazing Live series, Douglas Adams’ Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and Doctor Who.” It also is home to the headquarters of the Square Kilometre Array, an effort to build a massive radio telescope by linking thousands of sites across Africa and Australia.\n\n\n\nJodrell Bank has been awaiting World Heritage Site status since 2010, when an application was first filed to put it on the UK’s nomination shortlist, according to the BBC. One of the criteria it fulfilled was qualifying as “a masterpiece of human creative genius.”\n\nUK heritage minister Rebecca Pow told the Guardian that the listing will “make sure that this remarkable site will continue to inspire young scientists and astronomers all over the world,” adding that “The research completed here has transformed our understanding of the universe and it is right that this is recognized.”\n\n“This is wonderful news and a great day in the history of Jodrell Bank,” Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre director Teresa Anderson told the Guardian. “It honours the pioneering work of Sir Bernard Lovell and the early scientists here, together with the world-leading research that continues to this day. Receiving this recognition will help us tell their story and the story of the communities connected to the site both across the UK and worldwide.”", "The ancient city of Babylon, first referenced in a clay tablet from the 23rd century B.C., was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site on Friday, after a vote that followed decades of lobbying by Iraq.\n\nThe vote, at a UNESCO World Heritage Committee meeting in Baku, Azerbaijan, made the ancient Mesopotamian city on the Euphrates River the sixth world heritage site within the borders of the country, known as a cradle of civilization.\n\nIraqi President Barham Salih said the city, now an archaeological ruin, was returned to its “rightful place” in history after years of neglect by previous leaders.\n\n“Mesopotamia is truly the pillar of humanity’s memory and the cradle of civilization in recorded history,” he said.\n\nThe government said it would allocate funds to maintain and boost conservation efforts.\n\nBabylon, about 85 kilometers (55 miles) south of Baghdad, was once the center of a sprawling empire, renowned for its towers and mudbrick temples. Its hanging gardens, commissioned by King Nebuchadnezzar II, were one of the seven ancient wonders of the world.\n\nVisitors can stroll through the remnants of the brick and clay structures which stretch across 10 square kilometers, and see the famed Lion of Babylon statue, as well as large portions of the original Ishtar Gate.\n\nAs the sun began to set on the crumbling ruins, activists and residents flocked to the replica Ishtar gate at the site’s entrance to celebrate what they called a historic moment.\n\n“This is very important, because Babylon will now be a protected site,” said Marina al-Khafaji, a local who was hopeful the designation would boost tourism and the local economy.\n\nIt would allow for further exploration and research, said Makki Mohammad Farhoud, 53, a tour guide at the site for more than 25 years, noting that only 18 percent of it had been excavated.\n\n“Babylon is the blood that runs through my veins, I love it more than I love my children,” he said.\n\nExcavations of what was once the largest city in the world, began in the early 19th century by European archaeologists, who removed many artifacts.\n\nIn the 1970s, under President Saddam Hussein’s restoration project, the southern palace’s walls and arches were shoddily rebuilt on top of the existing ruins, causing widespread damage.\n\nThis was exacerbated during the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, when U.S. and Polish troops stationed nearby built their military base on top of the Babylonian ruins.\n\nMany inscriptions written by soldiers can still be seen on the ancient bricks.\n\nThe site is in dire need of conservation, Farhoud said. Unlike three other World Heritage sites in Iraq, UNESCO did not designate Babylon as one “in danger” after objections from the Iraqi delegation.\n\nIraq is replete with thousands of archaeological sites, many of which were heavily damaged or pillaged by the Islamic State during its barbaric three-year-rule that ended in 2017.\n\nThe other five World Heritage Sites are the southern marshlands, Hatra, Samarra, Ashur and the citadel in Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s Kurdistan region.", "Jodrell Bank Observatory in England has been named as the UK’s newest UNESCO World Heritage Site.\n\nFamous as the home of the Lovell Telescope—the world’s third-largest steerable radio scope—the station was established in 1945 by astronomer and namesake Bernard Lovell.\n\nIn the seven decades since, the University of Manchester-owned observatory has played an important role in the research of meteors, quasars, pulsars, masers, and gravitational lenses.\n\nIt was also heavily involved with the tracking of space probes at the start of the Space Age.\n\nThe Lovell Telescope became operational in mid-1957—just in time for the launch of the Soviet Union’s Sputnik 1 artificial satellite. And good thing, too, as it was the only instrument able to track Sputnik’s booster rocket by radar.\n\n“Jodrell Bank is more than just a relic from the post-war flourishing of research technology,” according to UK ambassador to UNESCO Matthew Lodge. “It is also a beacon and center of excellence for world-leading research and education, reminding us that there is far more to the Universe than meets the eye.\n\n“[Its] rich scientific heritage bears testimony to the UK’s leading role in science research worldwide,” he said in a statement.\n\nThere are three other active telescopes on site, including the Mark II, completed in 1964. Jodrell Bank Observatory is also the base of the Multi-Element Radio Linked Interferometer Network (MERLIN) facility.\n\nToday, the grounds serve as global headquarters of the Square Kilometer Array, a radio telescope project that aims to build the world’s largest telescope—comprised of a network of instruments in South Africa and Australia.\n\n“I am delighted that Jodrell Bank has become the UK’s 32nd UNESCO World Heritage Site,” the country’s Heritage Minister Rebecca Pow said in a statement. “The research completed here has transformed our understanding of the Universe and it is right that this is recognized.”\n\nThe 74-year-old station joins the likes of Iceland’s Vatnajökull National Park, the mounded tombs of ancient Japan, India’s fortified city of Jaipur, and the Mesopotamian city of Babylon as newly inscribed UNESCO World Heritage sites.\n\nJodrell Bank Observatory—judged important to the collective interests of humanity—is now legally protected by international treaties.\n\n“This is fitting recognition of the history of science and discovery at Jodrell Bank, and the world that continues today,” Nancy Rothwell, president and vice-chancellor of the University of Manchester, added.\n\n“Indeed, the site is fantastic for the University because of its heritage, its teaching, and its research,” she continued. “And also because it is a place where many members of the public come to learn and be inspired about science.”\n\nThe World Heritage Committee has been meeting in Baku, Azerbaijan, to decide which sites deserve special status and protection. The 43rd session continues until July 10.\n\nThe 20th century architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright—a total of eight buildings—is the United States’ only addition (so far) this year.", "BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraq on Friday celebrated the UNESCO World Heritage Committee's decision to name the historic city of Babylon a World Heritage Site in a vote held in Azerbaijan's capital, years after Baghdad began campaigning for the site to be added to the list.\n\nThe city on the Euphrates River is about 85 kilometers (55 miles) south of Baghdad and once was a main tourist attraction before Iraq suffered one war after another in the past four decades.\n\nThe 4,300-year-old Babylon -- now mainly an archaeological ruin and two important museums -- is where dynasties have risen and fallen since the earliest days of settled human civilization.\n\nKing Hammurabi wrote his famous code of laws in Babylon, while Nebuchadnezzar sent his vast army from the city to Jerusalem to put down an uprising and bring the Jews back as slaves.\n\nSome say Alexander the Great, who led his army out of Macedonia to conquer most of the known world, died here in 332 B.C.\n\nDozens of Iraqis waving their national flag gathered at the Ishtar Gate at the site celebrating their city's new international status.\n\nIraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi described the vote as \"another victory for the Iraq of civilizations that was and will always be a lighthouse to the world.\"\n\nPresident Barham Saleh tweeted that after Babylon, more ancient sites will be added to the list through which \"Iraq will restore that status that it deserves.\"\n\nParliament Speaker Mohammed al-Halbousi and Minister of Culture Abdul-Amir al-Hamadani congratulated the Iraqi people on the announcement.\n\nThe vote came years after the Islamic State group damaged another Iraq World Heritage site in the country's north, the ancient city of Hatra. The extremists also destroyed other sites in Iraq, including Nimrud where giant winged bulls that once stood sentry at the nearly 3,000-year-old palace were hacked to pieces.\n\nAlong with Babylon and Hatra, Iraq has three other sites of World Heritage, the archaeological city of Samarra in central Iraq, Ashur in the north and the citadel of the northern city of Erbil.\n\nUNESCO said in its statement that Babylon's \"remains, outer and inner-city walls, gates, palaces and temples, are a unique testimony to one of the most influential empires of the ancient world.\"\n\n\"The city's association with one of the seven wonders of the ancient world_the Hanging Gardens_has also inspired artistic, popular and religious culture on a global scale,\" UNESCO said.\n\nAssociated Press writer Bassem Mroue contributed to this report from Beirut.", "The United Nations cultural body UNESCO has voted to add 14 new sites to its World Heritage list on Saturday, including the Indian \"Pink City\" of Jaipur, the ruins of Liangzhu city in China and the Plain of Jars located in central Laos.\n\nThe fortified commercial city Jaipur was founded in the 18th century by Sawai Jai Singh II. It is built according to a grid plan and the Old City is painted uniformly in a distinctive terracotta hue.\n\nCurrently there are more than 1,000 cultural and natural sites from 167 countries on the World Heritage list.\n\nUNESCO also agreed in its morning session to add Bahrain's Dilmun burial mounds, the Budj Bim wetland aquaculture landscape formed by Australia's aboriginal Gunditjmara nation, the Mozu-Furuichi mounded tombs of Japan and the Dutch-colonial era Ombilin coal mining heritage site in Indonesian Sumatra.\n\nThe burial grounds include \"21 archaeological sites in the western part of the island\" built between 2050 and 1750 BC, according to the global body.\n\n\"Six of these sites are burial mound fields consisting of a few dozen to several thousand tumuli,\" it said in a statement.\n\nIn all there were some 11,774 burial mounds, UNESCO said, while another 15 sites include 17 royal mounds built as two-storeyed towers.\n\nThe tombs were among a handful of nominations made Saturday as the World Heritage Committee meets in Azerbaijan's capital of Baku for its 43rd session.\n\nUNESCO said the burial mounds were evidence of the early Dilmun civilization, \"during which Bahrain became a trade hub, whose prosperity enabled the inhabitants to develop an elaborate burial tradition applicable to the entire population\".\n\nThey are the third site in Bahrain to be designated as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.\n\nHead of the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities, Shaikha Mai bint Mohammed Al Khalifa, said the tombs were \"living proof of Bahrain's distinguished cultural heritage\", according to the kingdom's official BNA news agency.\n\nBahrain's other two UNESCO sites are the Bahrain Citadel, listed in 2005, and a major pearling site in the city of Muharraq included in 2012.\n\nLater on Saturday, the body recognized the Ore Mountains, which join the German region of Saxony with the Czech area of Bohemia, as a World Heritage site, along with the Roman-built water management system of the Bavarian city Augsburg and Poland's Krzemionki prehistoric flint mines.\n\nSaxony premier Michael Kretschmer gave his thanks for the recognition, labeling the project an example for international cooperation. The Ore Mountains, known as the Erzgebirge in German and Krusnohori in Czech, applied for the tile with 17 elements on the German side and 5 on the Czech side.\n\nCanada also had the stone carvings and paintings of the Blackfoot (Siksikaiiitsitapi) people inscribed onto UNESCO's list on Saturday afternoon, while South Korea gained the neo-Confucian Seowon academies. Also added was Myanmar's Bagan Buddhist complex, and the Czech Kladruby nad Labem carriage horse breeding and training area.\n\nThis year, the UN Committee is meeting in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan on the Caspian Sea, and will vote on a total of 35 applications. The gathering will last until 10 July.\n\nOn Friday, five sites including the ancient Iraqi city of Babylon, were also added to the list.", "Iraq’s ancient city of Babylon has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.\n\nSituated 85 km south of Baghdad, the property includes the ruins of the city which, between 626 and 539 BCE, was the capital of the Neo-Babylonian Empire.\n\nIt includes villages and agricultural areas surrounding the ancient city. Its remains, outer and inner-city walls, gates, palaces and temples, are a unique testimony to one of the most influential empires of the ancient world.\n\nSeat of successive empires, under rulers such as Hammurabi and Nebuchadnezzar, Babylon represents the expression of the creativity of the Neo-Babylonian Empire at its height.\n\nThe city’s association with one of the seven wonders of the ancient world—the Hanging Gardens—has also inspired artistic, popular and religious culture on a global scale.", "The observatory in Cheshire joins The Great Barrier Reef and The Grand Canyon on the prestigious list.\n\nOpened in 1945, the observatory is home to the Lovell Telescope, which was used to track Russian aircraft during the Space Race.\n\nThe centre, owned by the University of Manchester, had a pioneering role in the development of radio astrology.\n\nIt was first used for astrophysics, when its first director Sir Bernard Lovell used equipment left over from World War 11 to investigate cosmic rays.\n\nCommenting on its new status Teresa Anderson, director of the Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre said: “This is wonderful news and a great day in the history of Jodrell Bank. It honours the pioneering work of Sir Bernard Lovell and the early scientists here, together with the world leading research that continues to this day.\n\n“Receiving this recognition will help us tell their story and the story of the communities connected to the site both across the UK and worldwide.”\n\nProfessor Dame Nancy Rothwell, president and vice-chancellor of The University of Manchester said: “I’m absolutely delighted to hear that the Jodrell Bank Observatory site has been assigned World Heritage status by UNESCO. This is fitting recognition of the history of science and discovery at Jodrell Bank, and the work that continues today.\n\n“Indeed, the site is fantastic for the University because of its heritage, its teaching and its research, and also because it is a place where many members of the public come to learn and be inspired about science.”\n\nHeritage Minister Rebecca Pow said: “I am delighted that Jodrell Bank has become the UK’s 32nd UNESCO World Heritage Site. The research completed here has transformed our understanding of the Universe and it is right that this is recognised.\n\n“Today’s announcement will make sure that this remarkable site will continue to inspire young scientists and astronomers all over the world.”"], "summary": "The Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire, United Kingdom, the ancient ruins of Babylon in Babil Governorate, Iraq, among other sites are designated UNESCO World Heritage Sites."}
{"document": ["Iran has announced it will begin enriching uranium beyond the limit set in its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers \"in a few hours\".\n\nThe move on Sunday was part of an Iranian effort to press Europe to salvage the accord after the United States pulled out last year and reimposed punishing sanctions on Tehran, including on its oil and banking sectors.\n\nBehrouz Kamalvandi, spokesman for Iran's atomic agency, said technical preparations for the new level of enrichment would be completed \"within a few hours and enrichment over 3.67 percent will begin\".\n\n\"And tomorrow early in the morning, when the IAEA [UN nuclear watchdog] takes the sample we would have gone beyond 3.67 percent,\" he told reporters in Tehran.\n\nAbbas Araghchi, Iran's deputy foreign minister, said Tehran would keep reducing its commitments every 60 days unless signatories of the pact protected it from US sanctions imposed by President Donald Trump.\n\nThe landmark accord, negotiated in 2015, had offered Iran relief from global sanctions in exchange for curbs on its nuclear programme. Under the pact, Iran agreed to enrich uranium to no more than 3.67 percent, which is enough for power generation, but far below weapons-grade levels of 90 percent.\n\nIran denies it seeks nuclear weapons, but the nuclear deal sought to prevent that as a possibility by limiting enrichment and Tehran's stockpile of uranium to 300kg. On July 1, Iran and United Nations inspectors acknowledged Tehran had amassed more low-enriched uranium than the stockpile cap agreed under the nuclear deal.\n\n\"We are fully prepared to enrich uranium at any level and with any amount,\" Kamalvandi said on Sunday.\n\n'Another step in 60 days'\n\nIran's President Hassan Rouhani initially flagged Tehran's intentions to reduce its commitments on May 8, exactly a year after Trump abandoned the deal.\n\nThe US leader then reimposed sanctions on Iran saying he wanted to negotiate a new deal that also addressed Tehran's ballistic missiles programme and support for armed groups in the Middle East.\n\nThe pact's remaining signatories - United Kingdom, France, Germany, Russia and China - opposed the US move, but have struggled to deliver on the economic benefits promised to Iran.\n\n\"European countries have failed to uphold their commitments and they are also responsible,\" Araghchi told the news conference in Tehran. \"The doors of diplomacy are open but what matters are new initiatives which are required.\"\n\nThere was political will in Europe to save the deal, he said, referring to a new payment mechanism known as INSTEX, which is meant to help Iran bypass US sanctions. However, the trade channel was \"not going to work unless European countries use it to buy Iranian oil\", he said.\n\nHe added: \"This is an opportunity for talks. And if our partners fail to use this opportunity they should not doubt our determination to leave the deal.\"\n\n190706190053896\n\nIran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, in a Twitter post, said all of Tehran's moves were \"reversible\" if European countries upheld their commitments.\n\nThe three EU signatories \"have no pretext to avoid a firm political stance to preserve JCPOA & counter US unilateralism,\" he added, referring to the nuclear deal by its formal name, Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.\n\nHaving failed to implement their obligations under JCPOA—incl after US withdrawal—EU/E3 should at minimum politically support Iran's remedial measures under Para 36, incl at IAEA.\n\nE3 have no pretexts to avoid a firm political stance to preserve JCPOA & counter U.S unilateralism. — Javad Zarif (@JZarif) July 7, 2019\n\nIranian officials have previously stressed that all the moves announced so far could be reversed \"in hours\" if the other parties to the nuclear deal were to make good on their side of the bargain - relief from sanctions.\n\nThey also say Iran is not violating the deal, citing terms of the agreement allowing one side to temporarily abandon some of its commitments if it deems the other side is not respecting its part of the accord.\n\n'Too little creativity'\n\nTrita Parsi, executive vice president of the Quincy Institute, a US think tank, said Europe has so far \"shown too little creativity and too little backbone\" in salvaging the 2015 deal.\n\n\"It has been far more focused on adhering to Trump's sanctions - even though it opposes them - than on adhering to its obligations under the JCPOA. That's not a formula that will ensure the survival of the JCPOA,\" he told Al Jazeera.\n\n\"At this point, unless Europe returns to trading with Iran at pre-sanctions levels, it is difficult to see how the JCPOA can be kept alive.\"\n\nResponding to the latest developments on Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for sanctions saying Tehran was moving towards an atomic bomb. \"This is a very, very dangerous step,\" Netanyahu said in public remarks to his cabinet.\n\n\"I call on my friends, the heads of France, Britain and Germany - you signed this deal and you said that as soon as they take this step, severe sanctions will be imposed - that was the Security Council resolution. Where are you?\" he said.\n\nHowever, Francois Nicoullaud, former French ambassador to Iran, said Tehran was a long way away from a bomb.\n\n\"There is no immediate danger,\" he told Al Jazeera from Toulon in France. \"To produce a bomb, one needs at least a tonne of uranium enriched to up to 90 percent. We are still very far from this quantity of uranium.\n\n\"Another factor which would be very dangerous would be if Iran expels the international nuclear inspectors who are precisely controlling the nature and extent of its programme. This is what North Korea did in 2002, and that opened the way to a bomb. But until now, we have no signal in this direction from Iran.\"\n\nA spokesperson for Germany's foreign ministry on Sunday expressed his country's concern \"at Iran's announcement that it had started uranium enrichment above the limit of 3.67 percent\".\n\n\"We strongly urge Iran to stop and reverse all activities inconsistent with its commitments.\"\n\nThe United Kingdom for its part accused Iran of breaking the terms of the JCPoA and urged Tehran to \"stop and reverse all activities inconsistent with its obligations\".\n\n\"Iran has broken the terms of the JCPoA,\" a Foreign Office spokesman said, adding that \"the UK remains fully committed to the deal\".\n\n\"We are coordinating with other JCPoA participants regarding the next steps under the terms of the deal, including a joint commission.\"\n\nMeanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday told Rouhani of his \"strong concern\" over the risk of weakening the nuclear agreement and the consequences that would follow during a telephone call, according to a statement from the Elysee Palace.\n\nHowever, the two leaders agreed to \"explore by July 15 the conditions for a resumption of dialogue between all parties\", the statement said, adding that Macron would consult with Iranian authorities and international partners to bring about the \"necessary de-escalation\" of the situation over the coming days.\n\nTed Regencia contributed to this report.", "Iran says it is raising its enrichment of uranium beyond limit of 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.\n\nTEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran says it is raising its enrichment of uranium beyond limit of 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.", "TEHRAN, Iran — Iran says it is raising its enrichment of uranium beyond limit of 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.\n\nCopyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.", "Iran has promised to restart their nuclear weapons program after Trump pulled out of the treaty that had been keeping the peace.\n\nIran has promised to restart their nuclear weapons program after Trump pulled out of the treaty that had been keeping the peace.\n\nThe nuclear deal between Iran and global powers is set to suffer another major setback as Tehran plans to start enriching uranium beyond the 3.67-per-cent level that had been agreed under the 2015 accord.\n\nIran has set a deadline for Sunday for Europe to offer new terms to the accord, and is threatening to accelerate uranium enrichment to five per cent, a concentration above the limit set by its 2015 nuclear deal.\n\nIt would mark Iran's second breach of the agreement, after it earlier this week confirmed exceeding a limit of 300 kilograms on its low-enriched uranium production.\n\nUS President Donald Trump last year pulled the US out of the 2015 nuclear accord and began imposing a \"maximum pressure\" campaign of strict sanctions on Tehran, over the objections of his European allies.\n\nThe remaining powers in the agreement, including Britain, France and Germany, have sought to keep it alive by developing a money transaction system known as Instex that allows Iran to circumvent US sanctions and continue doing business with international partners.\n\nFrench President Emmanuel Macron says he is trying to find a way by July 15 to resume dialogue between Iran and Western partners.\n\nMacron's office said in a statement that the French leader spoke for more than an hour on Saturday with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani amid a standoff between Tehran and the US.\n\nMacron expressed \"strong concern about new weakening\" of the 2015 accord aimed at curbing Iran's nuclear ambitions.\n\nIran has announced a step-by-step process to partially withdraw from the deal. That includes plans to enrich uranium up to 20-per-cent purity.\n\nUranium needs to be enriched to 90 per cent for a nuclear weapon to be built, but getting from 20 to 90 per cent is considered to be a relatively quick process.\n\nThe UN's nuclear watchdog, the IAEA, will hold an emergency meeting on Wednesday to address Iran's breach of the deal, in a session that comes at the request of the United States.", "The Latest: Reports: Iran now enriching above deal's limit\n\nTEHRAN, Iran (AP) — The Latest on U.S.-Iran tensions (all times local):\n\nSemi-official media in Iran is quoting the country's nuclear agency spokesman as saying Tehran is now enriching uranium to 4.5%.\n\nThe ISNA and Fars news agencies separately quoted Behrouz Kamalvandi, the spokesman of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran.\n\nKamalvandi told the agencies this decision met the needs that Iran has now.\n\nThis comes a day after Iran announced it would break the 3.67% limit imposed by its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.\n\nIt earlier broke a limit put on its stockpile of low-enriched uranium.\n\nIran is asking Europe to come up with a way to help it sell its crude oil abroad and get around U.S. sanctions. However, Europe has yet to do so.\n\nThis comes amid heightened tensions between Iran and the U.S.\n\nA Kremlin spokesman says that Russia is concerned about growing tensions between Tehran and the U.S. over Iran's unraveling nuclear deal with world powers.\n\nDmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday that Russia is concerned by Iran's announcement it is raising its uranium enrichment levels, furthering its breach of the 2015 nuclear deal.\n\nPeskov said that the Kremlin had warned that President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw the U.S. from the deal a year ago would entail negative consequences to global security. He called on all parties to use diplomacy to overcome the crisis.\n\nIran has given the remaining signatories to the deal — which include Russia — 60 days to find a way around crippling U.S. sanctions, or it says it will take further steps away from the deal.\n\nIran says the last chance for saving its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers will pass after a 60-day deadline.\n\nIranian foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi told reporters Monday that Iran won't offer any further \"deadlines\" to save the deal by September.\n\nThe previous day, Iranian officials said the country would take further steps toward the \"reduction\" of its compliance with the accord after the deadline.\n\nIran has already breached the deal's limits on uranium enrichment and stockpiling.\n\nMousavi said Iran is still open to negotiations with its European partners and expressed the hope they would \"take steps forward\" toward implementing their commitments.\n\nIran is pressuring European partners to find a way around U.S. sanctions and deliver the deal's promised economic relief. The U.S. unilaterally withdrew a year ago.", "Iran has begun enriching uranium to 4.5% – breaking the limit set by its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, semi-official news agencies in the country reported.\n\nThe acknowledgement by the spokesman of the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran comes a day after Iran pledged to break the deal’s limit of 3.67%.\n\nThe decision to ramp up uranium enrichment came less than a week after Iran acknowledged breaking the 300-kilogram limit on its low-enriched uranium stockpile.\n\nExperts warn higher enrichment and a growing stockpile could begin to narrow the one-year window Iran would need to have enough material for an atomic bomb, something Iran denies it wants but the deal prevented.\n\nThe future of the accord that President Donald Trump unilaterally pulled the US from a year ago remains in question.\n\nWhile Iran’s recent measures to increase enrichment and break its low-enriched uranium stockpile limit could be easily reversed, Europe has struggled to respond, even after getting a 60-day warning that the increase was coming.\n\nMeanwhile, experts fear a miscalculation in the crisis could explode into open conflict, as President Trump already has nearly bombed Iran over Tehran shooting down a US military surveillance drone.\n\nPresident Trump warned Tehran on Sunday that “Iran better be careful”.\n\nHe did not elaborate on what actions the US might consider, but he told reporters: “Iran’s doing a lot of bad things.”\n\nIran has been closely monitored by inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency, the UN’s nuclear watchdog.\n\n“We are aware of Iran’s announcement related to its uranium enrichment level,” the agency said. “We are in the process of verifying this development.”\n\nEnriched uranium at the 3.67% level is enough for peaceful pursuits but is far below weapons-grade levels of 90%.\n\nThe semi-official news agencies ISNA and Fars reported the 4.5% enrichment figure, citing Behrouz Kamalvandi, a spokesman for Iran’s nuclear agency.\n\nMr Kamalvandi separately hinted in a state television interview aired on Monday that the country might consider going to 20% enrichment or higher as a third step, if the material is needed.\n\nThat would worry nuclear nonproliferation experts, as 20% is a short technical step away from reaching weapons-grade levels of 90%.\n\nMr Kamalvandi also suggested using new or more centrifuges, which are limited by the deal.\n\nForeign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi on Monday said Iran appreciated the efforts of some nations to save the deal, but offered a jaded tone on whether Tehran trusted anyone in the negotiations.\n\n“We have no hope nor trust in anyone nor any country but the door of diplomacy is open,” Mr Mousavi said.", "The Latest on U.S.-Iran tensions (all times local):\n\nIran's deputy foreign minister says that his nation considers the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers to be a \"valid document\" and seeks its continuation.\n\nAbbas Araghchi spoke at a news conference Sunday where officials said Iran is ramping up the level of uranium enrichment beyond the 3.67% level permitted under the nuclear deal.\n\nOfficials said the new level will be determined by Iran's needs, but did not provide specifics. They said the new level would be reached later Sunday and would show up in monitoring by Monday.\n\nEven while breaking another limit of the 2015 deal, Iran appears to be signaling flexibility.\n\nThe deputy foreign minister says Iran is open to negotiations with Europe, and that the United States could join such talks.\n\nAn Iranian nuclear official says Iran will within hours go beyond the level of uranium enrichment permitted under an unraveling 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.\n\nUnder the deal, the cap for uranium enrichment was 3.67%.\n\nThe spokesman for Iran's nuclear department, Behrouz Kamalvandi, told a news conference Sunday that technical preparations for the new level of enrichment will be completed \"within several hours and enrichment over 3.67% will begin.\"\n\nHe says monitoring will show the increased level by Monday morning.\n\nIran made the decision a year after President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the deal.\n\nIran has repeatedly warned Europe in recent weeks that it would begin walking away from the accord because of a maximalist American campaign of sanctions blocking Tehran's oil sales abroad and targeting its top officials.\n\nIran says it is raising its enrichment of uranium beyond the limit set by its unraveling 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.\n\nGovernment spokesman Ali Rabiei told a news conference Sunday that \"today we will pass\" the permitted enrichment level of 3.67%, but did not provide details.\n\nThe decision comes a year after President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the U.S. from the nuclear deal.\n\nAmerica since has imposed sanctions blocking Iranian crude oil from being sold on the world market.\n\nIn response, Iran on July 1 acknowledged breaking the deal's 300-kilogram (661-pound) limit on its low-enriched uranium stockpile.\n\nExperts warn higher enrichment and a growing stockpile narrows the one-year window Iran would need to have enough material for an atomic bomb, something Iran denies it wants but the deal prevented.\n\nIran appears poised to raise its enrichment of uranium and break another limit from its faltering 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.\n\nSunday marks the end of a deadline set by President Hassan Rouhani for Europe to find a way for Iran to get around American sanctions.\n\nState TV reports officials are scheduled to hold a news conference Sunday to discuss their plans.\n\nThis comes a year after President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the U.S. from the nuclear deal.\n\nAmerica since has imposed sanctions blocking Iranian crude oil from being sold on the world market. The U.S. also sanctioned top officials in the Islamic Republic, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.\n\nIn response, Iran on July 1 acknowledged breaking the deal's 300-kilogram (661-pound) limit on its low-enriched uranium stockpile.", "From left to right, spokesman for Iran’s atomic agency Behrouz Kamalvandi, Iran’s government spokesman Ali Rabiei and Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, attend a meeting in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, July 7, 2019. The deputy foreign minister says that his nation considers the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers to be a “valid document” and seeks its continuation. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)\n\nTEHRAN, Iran (AP) — The latest on U.S.-Iran tensions (all times local):\n\nJapan is expressing serious concern over Iran’s decision to increase uranium enrichment above the limit set by the 2015 nuclear agreement, urging Tehran to return to its earlier commitment.\n\nDeputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasutoshi Nishimura said Monday that Japan is “seriously concerned and closely watching” the development on the nuclear deal and increased tension in the Middle East.\n\nNishimura urged Iran to “immediately return to its commitment under the agreement and avoid any further steps that would undermine the nuclear agreement.”\n\nIran’s decision Sunday comes a year after the U.S. unilaterally withdrew from the nuclear deal and has since imposed sanctions on Iran’s oil exports, escalating the tension.\n\nJapan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited Tehran for talks with Iranian leaders but did little to help deescalate the tension.\n\nPresident Donald Trump is issuing a warning to Iran after its announcement that it has increased its uranium enrichment above the limit set by the nuclear deal that Tehran signed with world powers in 2015.\n\nWhen asked about Iran on Sunday, Trump told reporters, “Iran better be careful.”\n\nHe wouldn’t elaborate on what action the U.S. might take, but said: “Iran’s doing a lot of bad things.”\n\nTrump, who pulled the U.S. out of the nuclear agreement, spoke to reporters at an airport in New Jersey before returning to Washington after a weekend at one of his clubs.\n\nIran is moving closer toward having weapons-grade levels of uranium, but it’s also calling for a diplomatic solution to a crisis heightening tensions with the U.S.\n\nBritain is warning Iran to “immediately stop and reverse all activities” violating the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.\n\nThe British Foreign Office issued its warning Sunday, after Tehran’s announcement that it would break the 3.67% uranium enrichment limit set in the pact. The move comes after the U.S. withdrew from the agreement last year and restored crippling sanctions on Iran.\n\nBritain’s Press Association quoted a ministry spokesman saying: “While the UK remains fully committed to the deal, Iran must immediately stop and reverse all activities inconsistent with its obligations.”\n\nThe spokesman said Britain is coordinating with other countries that are part of the accord “regarding the next steps under the terms of the deal, including a joint commission.”\n\nThe European Union says parties to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal are discussing a possible emergency meeting after Iran’s announcement that it will overstep the accord’s limit on uranium enrichment.\n\nEU spokeswoman Maja Kocijancic said Sunday that the bloc is “extremely concerned” about Iran’s decision to ramp up enrichment beyond the 3.67 percent limit. She says the EU has warned Iran against such moves.\n\nAmid growing tensions in the region, she told The Associated Press that the EU is in contact with other parties to the accord to discuss next steps, “including a joint commission.”\n\nThe agreement’s joint commission brings together officials from the participating nations — Iran, France, Germany, Britain, Russia, China and the EU. The U.S. pulled out of the accord last year.\n\nThe commission normally meets once a quarter, and its last regular meeting was in late June.\n\nGermany says it is “extremely concerned” about Iran’s announcement that it will break the limit on uranium enrichment set by the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.\n\nThe foreign ministry said in a statement Sunday that it is awaiting further information from the U.N. atomic watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, after Iranian officials announced Tehran is ramping up the level of uranium enrichment beyond the 3.67% permitted under the deal.\n\nEarlier this month, Iran increased its stockpile of low-enriched uranium beyond the cap set by the deal.\n\nThe ministry called for Iran “to stop and reverse all activities inconsistent with its commitments.” It said it is in contact with remaining parties to the deal regarding the next steps to try keep Iran within its terms.\n\nThe U.S. unilaterally withdrew from the deal a year ago.\n\nThe United Nations’ nuclear watchdog says it is aware of Iran saying it will break the 2015 nuclear deal’s limit on uranium enrichment.\n\nThe International Atomic Energy Agency said Sunday that its inspectors in Iran will report to its Vienna headquarters “as soon as they verify the announced development.”\n\nIt did not elaborate.\n\nIranian officials announced on Sunday that the country is ramping up the level of uranium enrichment beyond the 3.67% permitted under the deal. Earlier this month, Iran increased its stockpile of low-enriched uranium beyond the cap set by the deal.\n\nIran’s moves have come in response to sweeping U.S. sanctions, imposed after President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the deal a year ago.\n\nIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is calling on world powers to impose “snapback sanctions” on Iran after it crossed the uranium threshold laid out in the faltering 2015 nuclear deal.\n\nNetanyahu said Sunday that enriching uranium to such levels has only one purpose — to create atomic bombs.\n\nHe says Western leaders had vowed to impose sanction the moment the Islamic Republic crossed that threshold.\n\nThe Israeli leader has been one of the harshest critics of the nuclear deal. Israel considers Iran to be its most dangerous enemy because of its nuclear program and threats to destroy Israel.\n\nIran made its move amid heightened tensions and a year after President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the deal.\n\nIran says its oil tanker that Britain intercepted in Gibraltar on Thursday was not headed toward Syria.\n\nDeputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told reporters on Sunday said the tanker’s “destination was not Syria.”\n\nHe said there was no law allowing authorities in Gibraltar to stop the tanker and it was “piracy”.\n\nAuthorities intercepted the supertanker Grace 1 on Thursday, saying they believed it to be violating European Union sanctions by carrying a shipment of Iranian crude oil to Syria. Spanish authorities said the seizure came at the request of the U.S.\n\nIt came amid heightened tensions over Iran’s unraveling 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, which the U.S. withdrew from last year.\n\nIran’s deputy foreign minister says that his nation will take another step impacting its compliance with its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers in 60 days.\n\nAbbas Araghchi told a news conference Sunday that he cannot elaborate now on the nature of the next step.\n\nIranian officials also announced that the country is ramping up the level of uranium enrichment beyond the 3.67% permitted under the deal. Earlier this month, Iran increased its stockpile of low-enriched uranium beyond the cap set by the deal.\n\nDespite such measures, Iran has reiterated it is open to diplomacy and that is in contact with European parties to the deal.\n\nAraghchi says Iran considers the deal to be valid and wants to see it continue.\n\nIran’s deputy foreign minister says that his nation considers the 2015 nuclear deal with world powers to be a “valid document” and seeks its continuation.\n\nAbbas Araghchi spoke at a news conference Sunday where officials said Iran is ramping up the level of uranium enrichment beyond the 3.67% level permitted under the nuclear deal.\n\nOfficials said the new level will be determined by Iran’s needs, but did not provide specifics. They said the new level would be reached later Sunday and would show up in monitoring by Monday.\n\nEven while breaking another limit of the 2015 deal, Iran appears to be signaling flexibility.\n\nThe deputy foreign minister says Iran is open to negotiations with Europe, and that the United States could join such talks.\n\nAn Iranian nuclear official says Iran will within hours go beyond the level of uranium enrichment permitted under an unraveling 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.\n\nUnder the deal, the cap for uranium enrichment was 3.67%.\n\nThe spokesman for Iran’s nuclear department, Behrouz Kamalvandi, told a news conference Sunday that technical preparations for the new level of enrichment will be completed “within several hours and enrichment over 3.67% will begin.”\n\nHe says monitoring will show the increased level by Monday morning.\n\nIran made the decision a year after President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from the deal.\n\nIran has repeatedly warned Europe in recent weeks that it would begin walking away from the accord because of a maximalist American campaign of sanctions blocking Tehran’s oil sales abroad and targeting its top officials.\n\nIran says it is raising its enrichment of uranium beyond the limit set by its unraveling 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.\n\nGovernment spokesman Ali Rabiei told a news conference Sunday that “today we will pass” the permitted enrichment level of 3.67%, but did not provide details.\n\nThe decision comes a year after President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the U.S. from the nuclear deal.\n\nAmerica since has imposed sanctions blocking Iranian crude oil from being sold on the world market.\n\nIn response, Iran on July 1 acknowledged breaking the deal’s 300-kilogram (661-pound) limit on its low-enriched uranium stockpile.\n\nExperts warn higher enrichment and a growing stockpile narrows the one-year window Iran would need to have enough material for an atomic bomb, something Iran denies it wants but the deal prevented.\n\nIran appears poised to raise its enrichment of uranium and break another limit from its faltering 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.\n\nSunday marks the end of a deadline set by President Hassan Rouhani for Europe to find a way for Iran to get around American sanctions.\n\nState TV reports officials are scheduled to hold a news conference Sunday to discuss their plans.\n\nThis comes a year after President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew the U.S. from the nuclear deal.\n\nAmerica since has imposed sanctions blocking Iranian crude oil from being sold on the world market. The U.S. also sanctioned top officials in the Islamic Republic, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.\n\nIn response, Iran on July 1 acknowledged breaking the deal’s 300-kilogram (661-pound) limit on its low-enriched uranium stockpile.", "Iran has announced it will break a limit set on uranium enrichment, in breach of the landmark 2015 nuclear deal.\n\nDeputy foreign minister Abbas Araqchi said Iran still wanted to salvage the deal but blamed European countries for failing to live up to their own commitments.\n\nThe US unilaterally withdrew from the agreement in 2018.\n\nIt has since reimposed strict sanctions on Iran.\n• Why does the enriched uranium stockpile matter?\n\nThe Iranian announcement marks the latest breach of the accord. In May, Iran stepped up its production of enriched uranium, which can be used to make fuel for reactors but also for nuclear weapons.\n\nThe country has already stockpiled more enriched uranium than permitted under the terms of the deal.\n\nIran has strongly denied that it has any intention of building nuclear weapons.\n\nOn the anniversary of the US withdrawal, Iran gave a 60-day deadline to the remaining signatories of the deal - China, France, Germany, Russia and the UK - to protect it from US sanctions.\n\nSpeaking at a press conference on Sunday at the end of that deadline, Mr Araqshi said Iran would start enriching uranium above a concentration of 3.67% within a few hours, to provide fuel for its Bushehr power plant.\n\nOfficials previously said this would mean a concentration of about 5%. Weapons-grade uranium is 90% enriched or more.\n\nMr Araqchi said Iran would keep reducing its commitment to the 2015 deal every 60 days.\n\nBut he also stressed that diplomacy was still an option, provided the sanctions are lifted.\n\nIsrael's energy minister has already criticised the move, saying that while the increase was \"moderate\", Iran had \"begun its march... toward nuclear weaponry\".\n\nThe announcement comes a day after French President Emmanuel Macron spoke to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and expressed his \"strong concern\" about what would happen if the agreement was abandoned.\n\nMr Rouhani called on European countries to act now to save the deal.\n\nWhat is the nuclear deal?\n\nSix countries signed the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action in 2015 to curb Iran's nuclear programme.\n\nTehran agreed to let in international inspectors and to limit its nuclear activities, in exchange for an end to tight economic sanctions.\n• Iran nuclear deal - all you need to know\n\nUnder the deal, Iran is only permitted to produce low-enriched uranium, which has a 3-4% concentration of U-235, and can be used to produce fuel for nuclear power plants.\n\nThe deal also restricted Iran to stockpiling no more than 300kg (661lb) of the low-enriched uranium.\n\nA stockpile of 1,050kg, however, could be further enriched later into enough material to build one bomb, according to the Arms Control Association.", "TEHRAN, Iran — Iran on Monday began enriching uranium to 4.5%, just breaking the limit set by its nuclear deal with world powers, while it is still seeking a way for Europe to help it bypass U.S. sanctions amid heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington.\n\nThe acknowledgement by the spokesman of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran to The Associated Press shows that the Islamic Republic trying to increase pressure on those still in the 2015 nuclear deal. It also comes just days after Iran acknowledged breaking the 300-kilogram (661-pound) limit on its low-enriched uranium stockpile, another term of the accord.\n\nExperts warn that higher enrichment and a growing stockpile could begin to narrow the one-year window Iran would need to have enough material for an atomic weapon, something Iran denies it wants but the deal prevented. While the steps now taken by Iran remain quickly reversible, Europe so far has struggled to respond.\n\nRELATED: Iran steps further from nuke deal, adding pressure on Europe\n\nRELATED: British singer Joss Stone says she was deported from Iran\n\nThere are fears that a miscalculation in the crisis could explode into open conflict. President Donald Trump, who withdrew the U.S. from the nuclear deal over a year ago and re-imposed crippling economic sanctions on Iran, nearly bombed the country last month after Tehran shot down a U.S. military surveillance drone. Even China, engaged in delicate trade negotiations with the White House, openly criticized America's policy toward Iran.\n\n\"What I want to emphasize is that the maximum pressure the U.S. imposes on Iran is the root cause of the crisis in the Iranian nuclear issue,\" said Geng Shuang, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman. \"It has been proven that unilateral bullying has become a worsening tumor and is creating more problems and greater crises on a global scale.\"\n\nOn Sunday, Trump warned that \"Iran better be careful.\" He didn't elaborate on what actions the U.S. might consider but told reporters: \"Iran's doing a lot of bad things.\"\n\nUnder the deal, Iran has been closely monitored by inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog. It said it was aware of Iran's claims of increasing its uranium enrichment and was \"in the process of verifying this development.\"\n\nEnriched uranium at the 3.67% level is enough for peaceful pursuits but is far below weapons-grade levels of 90%. At the 4.5% level, it is enough to help power Iran's Bushehr reactor, the country's only nuclear power plant.\n\nBehrouz Kamalvandi, a spokesman for Iran's nuclear agency, confirmed the increased enrichment to the AP.\n\n\"At the moment our enrichment is at around 4.5%,\" Kamalvandi said. He did not elaborate.\n\nKamalvandi separately hinted in a state TV interview broadcast Monday that Iran might consider going to 20% enrichment or higher as a third step, if the material is needed and the country still hasn't gotten what it wants from Europe. That would worry nuclear nonproliferation experts because 20% is a short technical step away from reaching weapons-grade levels of 90%. Kamalvandi also suggested using new or more centrifuges, which are limited by the deal.\n\nForeign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said Iran appreciated the efforts of some nations to save the deal, but offered a jaded tone on whether Tehran trusted anyone in the negotiations.\n\n\"We have no hope nor trust in anyone, nor any country, but the door of diplomacy is open,\" Mousavi said.\n\nHe also gave a sharp, yet unelaborated warning to Europe about another 60-day deadline that Iran set Sunday. That deadline is Sept. 5, though Iran's senior Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri described it as being Sept. 7. The different dates could not be immediately reconciled.\n\n\"If the remaining countries in the deal, especially the Europeans, do not fulfill their commitments seriously, and not do anything more than talk, Iran's third step will be harder, more steadfast and somehow stunning,\" he said. The remaining signatories to the deal with Iran are Britain, France, Germany, China and Russia.\n\nAll this comes as America has sent thousands of troops, an aircraft carrier, nuclear-capable B-52 bombers and advanced fighter jets to the Middle East. Mysterious oil tanker attacks near the Strait of Hormuz, attacks by Iranian-backed rebels in Yemen on Saudi Arabia and Iran's downing of a U.S. military drone have raised fears of a wider conflict engulfing the region.\n\nFrench President Emmanuel Macron has spoken with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and said they are trying to find a way by July 15 to resume international dialogue with Iran. It remains unclear what Europe can do, because Iran wants it to help Tehran sell its crude oil abroad.\n\nU.S. sanctions have targeted Iran's oil sales and top officials, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. It's also unclear what international company would risk U.S. sanctions to help Europe trade with Iran outside of the exceptions granted for food and medicine.\n\nMousavi said he didn't know where an Iranian supertanker was heading when it was seized off the coast of Gibraltar. Authorities there say they seized the Grace 1, believed to be carrying over 2 million barrels of oil, over European Union sanctions on Syria — although Spain said the seizure came at the request of the U.S.\n\nHard-liners in Iran have demanded a British oil tanker be seized in response. State TV said Britain's ambassador to Tehran had been summoned Monday for a third time.\n\nA lawmaker also has suggested that Iran charge ships moving through the Strait of Hormuz, something Mousavi dismissed while insisting Iran's right to patrol the waters off its coast.\n\n\"We are responsible for maritime protection of the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz. This is our region. This is our gulf,\" he said, reiterating Iran's longtime stance. \"This is our innate duty to secure this region and sustain its security. Countries that claim from thousands of miles from here that they should guarantee the maritime security here are speaking exaggeratedly.\"\n\nIran's Defense Minister Gen. Amir Hatami also offered his own warning to the British over the tanker's seizure: \"It won't remain without a response.\"\n\nAssociated Press producers Mohammad Nasiri and Mehdi Fattahi and writer Nasser Karimi in Tehran and Kiyoko Metzler in Vienna contributed."], "summary": "Iran announces plans to begin enriching uranium beyond the limit set in its 2015 nuclear deal, with world powers pressing Europe to salvage the accord after the United States withdrew from it last year."}
{"document": ["Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Why young people have suffered the most from Greece’s economic collapse\n\nGreeks are going to the polls to elect a new parliament, with the centre-right opposition mounting a strong challenge to the leftist government.\n\nThe New Democracy party of Kyriakos Mitsotakis is hoping to end more than four years of rule by Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras's Syriza party.\n\nMr Tsipras called snap elections soon after suffering an electoral defeat in May's European elections.\n\nPolling stations opened at 07:00 local time (04:00 GMT).\n\nImage copyright AFP Image caption Leader-in-waiting? Kyriakos Mitsotakis cast his vote in Athens\n\nIt is Greece's sixth election since the global financial crisis in 2008.\n\nThe crisis triggered a succession of financial bailouts, with the Greek economy shrinking by 28% between 2008 and 2016, and increasing unemployment has thrown many Greeks into poverty.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Greek bailout: Five numbers that reshaped the country\n\nGreece exited the bailout programme in August of last year and growth has returned.\n\nBut with temperatures hitting 35C in much of the country, many politicians are concerned on the impact the weather may have on turnout, as voters stay cool at home - or head to the beach.\n\nWhat are the rival parties offering?\n\nMr Mitsotakis is promising lower taxes, greater privatisation of public services and plans to renegotiate a deal with Greece's creditors that would allow more money to be reinvested in the country.\n\nImage copyright Getty Images Image caption New Democracy party leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis (left) and Greek PM Alexis Tsipras\n\nMr Tsipras, who came to power in 2015, has promised more investment and recently boosted pensions. His own investment policies would also have to be renegotiated with creditors as the country remains under eurozone supervision.\n\nEach of the country's numerous parties needs to gain at least 3% of the vote to get into the parliament and as many as seven of them could win seats.\n\nThe winning party gets a 50-seat bonus and needs 151 seats in the 300-seat parliament to have a majority.\n\nAt the European elections, New Democracy won 33.11% of the vote against 23.78% for Syriza.\n\nThe highest percentage of 18-to-24 year olds (30.5%) at that election backed New Democracy.", "1832 - Prince Otto of Bavaria is chosen as the first king of independent Greece.\n\n1863 - King Otto is deposed; Prince William of Denmark becomes king of the Hellenes.\n\n1913 - Greece gains Epirus, Macedonia, Crete and the North Aegean Islands from the Ottomans in the First Balkan War, and then West Thrace from Bulgaria in the Second Balkan War.\n\n1919-22 - Greco-Turkish War - Greek invasion of Asia Minor prompted by the collapse of the Ottoman Empire after World War 1 is defeated by Turkish forces.\n\n1924 - Greeks vote for the abolition of the monarchy, country becomes republic.\n\n1940 - Italian dictator Benito Mussolini's forces attack Greece from Italian-held Albania, but are repelled.\n\n1941 - Metaxas dies. Greece falls to Germany. More than 100,000 die in famine.\n\n1942 - 1944 - Fierce resistance to the occupation by communist and royalist factions alike.\n\n1944 - British and Greek forces combine to force Nazi withdrawal. With backing from Britain, Georgios Papandreou becomes prime minister. Communists protest. Tensions rise and there is sporadic violence.\n\n1967 - Group of army officers seize power in military coup. Elections are postponed indefinitely and Col George Papadopoulos takes office as prime minister.\n\nHundreds of political activists are arrested under a regime characterised by brutality and repression.\n\n1973 - Greece declared a republic, the monarchy is abolished and Papadopoulos assumes the presidency.\n\nOpposition to military rule leads to increasing unrest. Papadopoulos overthrown in bloodless coup by Brigadier-General Demetrios Ioannidis, commander of the military police. He partially restores civilian rule but retains large measure of power.\n\n1974 - A Greece-backed coup against President Makarios of Cyprus is followed by Turkish invasion and occupation of north of the island.\n\nIoannidis government collapses. Mr Karamanlis recalled from exile and sworn in as prime minister. Referendum rejects restoration of monarchy.\n\n1975 - New constitution declares Greece a parliamentary republic with some executive powers vested in a president.\n\n1985 - President Karamanlis resigns in protest at government plans to reduce powers of president. Christos Sartzetakis becomes head of state.\n\n1986 - Constitutional amendment transfers some of president's powers to the legislature\n\n1991 - Yugoslav former republic of Macedonia declares independence. Greece objects to name and flag of Republic of Macedonia on grounds they imply territorial claims to the Greek province of Macedonia.\n\n1996 - Tension flares between Greece and Turkey over disputed Aegean islet.\n\nPapandreou resigns through ill health and dies shortly afterwards. Succeeded by Kostas Simitis.\n\n2002 March - Greek, Turkish governments agree to build gas pipeline through which Turkey will supply Greece with gas.\n\n2002 July - Suspected leader and members of November 17 terror group arrested after one of them is injured, allegedly by his own bomb, and provides information to police.\n\n2003 December - Trial of November 17 suspects ends with their conviction. Head of group and its main hitman jailed for life.\n\n2004 February - Kostas Simitis calls March elections and stands down as Pasok leader.\n\n2004 March - Conservative New Democracy party led by Costas Karamanlis wins general election, ending over a decade of Pasok government.\n\n2004 December - European Commission issues formal warning after Greece found to have falsified budget deficit data in run-up to joining eurozone.\n\n2005 December - Amid protest strikes by transport workers, parliament approves changes to labour laws, including an end to jobs for life in the public sector. The plans sparked industrial action in June.\n\n2006 March - Public sector workers strike over pay and in protest at government plans to scrap job security laws and intensify privatisation.\n\n2006 May - Greek and Turkish fighter planes crash into the Aegean after colliding in mid-air.\n\n2006 September - Greece, Russia and Bulgaria back a long-awaited deal to build an oil pipeline which will carry Russian oil to Europe via Alexandropoulis in Greece.\n\n2007 August - Wildfires sweep through tinder-dry forests across the mainland and islands, killing dozens of people.\n\n2007 September - Despite criticism of his government's handling of the fires, Prime Minister Karamanlis wins a narrow majority in the poll. He says he now has a mandate for more reforms but also pledges to make national unity a priority.\n\n2008 March - Greece blocks Macedonia's bid to join Nato because of unresolved dispute over former Yugoslav republic's name.\n\nParliament narrowly passes government's controversial pension reform bill in face of general public sector strike and mass protests.\n\n2008 December - Students and young people take to city streets in nationwide protests and riots over the police killing of a 15-year-old boy in Athens. Major public-sector strikes coincide to increase pressure on the government over its economic policies.\n\n2009 August - Around 10,000 people are evacuated from their homes as wildfires sweep across the country.\n\n2009 October - Opposition Pasok socialist party wins snap election called by PM Karamanlis. George Papandreou takes over as new prime minister.\n\n2009 December - Greece's credit rating is downgraded by one of world's three leading rating agencies amid fears the government could default on its ballooning debt. PM Papandreou announces programme of tough public spending cuts.\n\n2010 January- March - Government announces two more rounds of tough austerity measures, and faces mass protests and strikes.\n\n2010 April/May - Fears of a possible default on Greece's debts prompt eurozone countries to approve a $145bn (110bn euros; £91bn) rescue package for the country, in return for a round of even more stringent austerity measures. Trade unions call a general strike.\n\n2011 June - 24-hour general strike. Tens of thousands of protesters march on parliament to oppose government efforts to pass new austerity laws.\n\n2011 July - European Union leaders agree a major bailout for Greece over its debt crisis by channelling 109bn euros through the European Financial Stability Facility.\n\nAll three main credit ratings agencies cut Greece's rating to a level associated with a substantial risk of default.\n\n2011 October - Eurozone leaders agree a 50% debt write-off for Greece in return for further austerity measures. PM George Papandreou puts the deal in doubt by announcing a referendum on the rescue package.\n\n2011 November - Faced with a storm of criticism over his referendum plan, Mr Papandreou withdraws it and then announces his resignation.\n\nLucas Papademos, a former head of the Bank of Greece, becomes interim prime minister of a New Democracy/Pasok coalition with the task of getting the country back on track in time for elections scheduled provisionally for the spring of 2012.\n\n2012 February - Against a background of violent protests on the streets of Athens, the Greek parliament approves a new package of tough austerity measures agreed with the EU as the price of a 130bn euro bailout.\n\n2012 March - Greece reaches a \"debt swap\" deal with its private-sector lenders, enabling it to halve its massive debt load.\n\n2012 May - Early parliamentary elections see support for coalition parties New Democracy and Pasok slump, with a increase in support for anti-austerity parties of the far left and right. The three top-ranking parties fail to form a working coalition and President Papoulias calls fresh elections for 17 June.\n\n2012 June - Further parliamentary elections boost New Democracy, albeit leaving it without a majority. Leader Antonis Samaras assembles a coalition with third-placed Pasok and smaller groups to pursue the austerity programme.\n\n2012 September - Trade unions stage 24-hour general strike against government austerity measures. Police fire tear gas to disperse anarchist rally outside parliament.\n\n2012 October - Parliament passes a 13.5bn-euro austerity plan aimed at securing the next round of EU and IMF bailout loans; the package - the fourth in three years - includes tax rises and pension cuts.\n\n2013 January - Unemployment rises to 26.8% - the highest rate in the EU.\n\n2013 September - Government launches crackdown on far-right Golden Dawn party. Party leader Nikolaos Michaloliakos and five other Golden Dawn MPs are arrested on charges including assault, money laundering and belonging to a criminal organisation.\n\n2013 December - Parliament passes 2014 budget, which is predicated on a return to growth after six years of recession. Prime Minister Samaras hails this as the first decisive step towards exiting the bailout.\n\n2014 March - Parliament narrowly approves a big reform package that will open more retail sectors to competition, part of a deal between Greece and its international lenders.\n\n2014 April - Eurozone finance ministers say they'll release more than 8bn euros of further bailout funds to Greece.\n\nGreece raises nearly four billion dollars from world financial markets in its first sale of long-term government bonds for four years, in a move seen as an important step in the country's economic recovery.\n\n2014 May - Anti-austerity, radical leftist Syriza coalition wins European election with 26.6% of the vote.\n\n2014 December - Parliament's failure to elect a new president sparks a political crisis and prompts early elections.\n\n2015 January - Alexis Tsipras of Syriza becomes prime minister after winning parliamentary elections, and forms a coalition with the nationalist Independent Greeks party.\n\n2015 February - The government negotiates a four-month extension to Greece's bailout in return for dropping key anti-austerity measures and undertaking a eurozone-approved reform programme.\n\n2015 August - Greece and its creditors agree a third bailout worth 86bn euros, imposing further spending cuts on the country to avoid bankruptcy and exit from the eurozone.\n\n2016 March - Macedonia closes its border with Greece to migrants, leaving thousands of people stranded at the Greek border village of Idomeni.\n\n2016 May - Rapidly deteriorating conditions at makeshift Idomeni migrant camp prompt government to evacuate the camp and transfer its occupants to purpose-built processing facilities near Greece's second city, Thessaloniki.\n\nEurozone finance ministers agree to unlock a further 10.3bn euros in loans - a tranche of cash that Athens needs to meet debt repayments due in July. They also agree on debt relief for Greece, extending the repayment period and capping interest rates.\n\n2018 February - The credit ratings agency, Fitch, raises its assessment of Greece because of the growing economy and increased political stability.\n\n2018 June - Macedonia, Greece sign an historic agreement resolving 27-year-long dispute over the official name of Macedonia.\n\n2019 July - Centre-right New Democracy party wins landslide at early elections, and leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis becomes prime minister.", "The historical and cultural heritage of Greece continues to resonate throughout the modern Western world - in its literature, art, philosophy and politics.\n\nSituated in the far south of the Balkan peninsula, Greece combines the towering mountains of the mainland with over 1,400 islands, the largest of which is Crete.\n\nPost-World War II Greece saw rapid economic and social change, with tourism and shipping becoming major contributors to the economy.\n\nThe global financial crisis of the late 2000s had a devastating effect on Greece, as the legacy of high public spending and widespread tax evasion combined with the credit crunch and the resulting recession to leave the country with a crippling debt burden.\n\nBorn in 1950, Prokopis Pavlopoulos, a veteran politician of the centre-right New Democracy Party was elected president by parliament in February 2015.\n\nThe vote was the fourth attempt to elect a successor to Karolos Papoulias, of the Pan-Hellenic Socialist Movement (Pasok), after previous failures triggered the downfall of the government of Prime Minister Antonis Samaras and snap parliamentary elections.\n\nThe presidency is a largely ceremonial post, as executive power resides with the prime minister.\n\nKyriakos Mitsotakis led the centre-right New Democracy party to a landslide victory in snap elections in July 2019.\n\nSince taking over as leader of New Democracy in 2016, Mr Mitsotakis has balanced promises of lower taxes and increased investment with a firmly nationalist line on the question of relations with North Macedonia - the main foreign-policy breakthrough of the previous government.\n\nA member of a prominent political dynasty, he has also pledged to negotiate a new deal with foreign creditors to free up funds for economic development.\n\nThe outgoing government, an anti-austerity coalition of the left-wing Syriza and right-wing Independent Greeks parties, had to accept tough public-spending demands by the European and International Monetary Fund in the summer of 2015.\n\nThis put the economy on course for recovery from crippling levels of indebtedness since the 2008 international credit crunch, but disappointed many of the government's supporters. Aware of this, New Democracy made a strong election pitch to those younger Greeks who still endure high levels of unemployment.\n\nTelevision is Greece's most popular medium. Established privately-owned networks operate alongside the public broadcaster ERT.\n\nThe government has sought to regulate the TV sector, and five national networks were licensed in 2018.\n\nMedia outlets have had to weather Greece's economic crisis. Some outlets have made cuts and others have closed altogether.\n\n1832 - Prince Otto of Bavaria is chosen as the first king of independent Greece.\n\n1919-22 - Greco-Turkish War - Greek invasion of Asia Minor prompted by the collapse of the Ottoman Empire after World War 1 is defeated by Turkish forces.\n\n1924 - Greeks vote for the abolition of the monarchy, country becomes republic.\n\n1940 - Italian dictator Benito Mussolini's forces attack Greece from Italian-held Albania, but are repelled.\n\n1942 - 1944 - Fierce resistance to the occupation by communist and royalist factions alike.\n\n1967 - Group of army officers seize power in military coup. Elections are postponed indefinitely and Col George Papadopoulos takes office as prime minister.\n\n1973 - Greece declared a republic, the monarchy is abolished and Papadopoulos assumes the presidency.\n\n1974 - A Greece-backed coup against President Makarios of Cyprus is followed by Turkish invasion and occupation of north of the island.\n\n1975 - New constitution declares Greece a parliamentary republic with some executive powers vested in a president.\n\n2008 - World credit crunch plunges Greece into a severe government debt crisis, resulting in tight austerity and a dramatic fall in living standards.", "ATHENS\n• Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras' ruling leftist Syriza party was expected to be ousted by the conservative opposition in Greece's first general election since the country emerged from international bailouts.\n\nPolls predicted the conservatives to return to power after voting closed at midnight yesterday, ending four years of leftist rule blamed for saddling Greece with more debt.\n\nOpinion polls put New Democracy's lead at around 10 percentage points ahead of Syriza, potentially giving it an absolute majority in Greece's 300-seat Parliament.\n\n\"This is a critical battle,\" said Mr Tsipras, a radical leftist who stormed to power in 2015 vowing to tear up the austerity rule book, only to relent later.\n\n\"We are fighting it with optimism and determination ... so that the sacrifices and hard work of our people do not go to waste,\" he said after casting his vote in Athens on a hot summer morning.\n\nThe snap election was called after Syriza suffered defeat in European elections in May, and is largely a showdown between two contenders -Mr Tsipras and Mr Kyriakos Mitsotakis of New Democracy, the scion of a political dynasty who hopes to follow in the footsteps of his father as prime minister.\n\nAs Mr Mitsotakis arrived at the polling station, a crowd of supporters erupted in cheers of \"Here comes the prime minister!\" while a small group of radical leftist demonstrators tried to block the entrance.\n\n\"Today, Greeks take their future in their own hands and I am certain that a better day for our country will dawn tomorrow,\" Mr Mitsotakis said.\n\nGreece endured a debilitating financial crisis from 2010 that required three cash lifelines from its European Union partners. The economy is the public's main concern, said Mr Thomas Gerakis of pollsters MARC.\n\nOne voter, a 45-year-old private sector worker who gave his name as Makis, said: \"I think in the long run (New Democracy) will be better in terms of management and growth.\"\n\nOthers said they forgave Mr Tsipras for any errors.\n\n\"I am completely satisfied, whatever the mistakes, whatever the omissions. He got us out of the bailouts,\" said Ms Niki Loufa, 61, a retired bank worker.\n\nMr Tsipras said that a vote cast for Mr Mitsotakis would go to the political establishment, which forced Greece to the edge of the precipice in the first place.\n\nBut he has also been roundly criticised for mismanagement of crises under his watch.\n\nThey include an incident last year when 100 people were killed in a devastating fire that swept through a seaside village east of Athens. While Mr Mitsotakis was quick to the scene to console survivors, Mr Tsipras was out of the public eye for several days.\n\nAthens wrapped up its last economic adjustment programme last year, but remains under surveillance from lenders to ensure no future fiscal slippage. While economic growth has returned, Greece's unemployment of 18 per cent is the euro zone's highest.\n\nNew Democracy has promised to invest in creating well-paid jobs with decent benefits.\n\nThe Tsipras government meanwhile hopes voters will reward it for raising the minimum wage by 11 per cent and reinstating collective bargaining.", "The nation elected a new government yesterday, awarding a clear majority to the pro-EU New Democracy party. What could that mean for Greece's solar sector?Greece went to the polls yesterday and gave the center-right New Democracy party a clear 39.85% majority, 8.3% ahead of the incumbent left-wing Syriza party. As a result, Greece will have its first non coalition government since 2011. The key question concerning solar investors is what the new government could mean for PV and wider renewables development in Greece and it is a topic best considered by treating large and small scale solar separately. ...", "Voters in Greece will head to the polls on Sunday for the first time since the height of the country's financial crisis.\n\nOpinion polls suggest the conservative New Democracy party is on course to win following the left-wing Syriza party's electoral defeat in the European Parliament elections.", "Greece: A look at the main candidates in Sunday's election\n\nATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece holds a general election Sunday, called three months early by left-wing Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras after he suffered a stinging defeat in European Parliament elections in May to conservative rivals who appear to be strengthening their position according to recent opinion polls.\n\nThe ballot comes as the country struggles to emerge from a decade of deep financial crisis that slashed size of Greece's economy by a quarter and sent unemployment and poverty rates soaring. The parliamentary election is the first since Greece ended its third consecutive international bailout program.\n\nHere is a look at the main parties and candidates running:\n\nThe Athens-born civil engineer is a veteran of Greek politics at age 44, leading the once-marginal Coalition of the Radical Left, Syriza, to a landmark election victory in 2015.\n\nPolitically active since his teenage years, Tsipras rose to power as Greece's economy was plunged into financial crisis and voters turned their backs on traditionally dominant parties. Tsipras was first elected on a promise to scrap the draconian terms imposed for bailouts by European Union institutions and the International Monetary Fund,\n\nBut he was forced to accept a third rescue deal to keep Greece in the euro. He has since dropped a confrontational stance toward Germany and other large creditor nations and has also built closer military ties with the United States.\n\nPraised by Western allies, his government also hammered out a historic compromise with Balkan neighbor North Macedonia, in a name-change deal that remains broadly unpopular among Greeks.\n\nTsipras has promised to rebuild public services after years of hardship and funding cuts and insists his party can overturn a huge gap in opinion polls.\n\nDespite facing skepticism within his own party, the 51-year-old Mitsotakis has built a huge lead in opinion polls spanning back three years and is the strong favorite to win Sunday.\n\nA tireless campaigner, Mitsotakis is the Harvard-educated son of the late prime minister Constantine Mitsotakis whose combative style as conservative leader in the late 1980s and early 1990s still remains controversial.\n\nThe younger Mitsotakis, leader of Greece's conservative establishment party since January 2016, has struggled to shed an image of family privilege. He focused his campaign on blue collar voters and pledged to make the country more-business friendly, cut taxes, and modernize Greece's antiquated bureaucracy.\n\nMitsotakis served in a previous conservative government as minister of administrative reform. Unlike many other conservative leaders in the EU, he remains a staunch supporter of deeper European integration. He disputes claims by the Tsipras government that he is tied to the rightist wing of his party and favors privatizing welfare services.\n\nCurrently polling in third place, the 54-year-old Gennimata is leader of the Movement for Change, a rebranded Pan-Hellenic Socialist Movement, or Pasok, the party that dominated the government for three decades but was devastated by the financial crisis a decade ago and has lost the bulk of its support to Prime Minister Tsipras' Syriza party.\n\nAn effort two years ago by Gennimata to expand the party, joining forces with other centrist groups, was tarnished by multiple policy and administrative disputes within the revamped party. Gennimata has overtaken the extreme right Golden Dawn Party for third place in opinion polls before Sunday's election.\n\nThe former director of a Communist newspaper, Dimitris Koutsoumbas, 63, is the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Greece, KKE, a party that maintained unwavering support for the Soviet Union's leadership over decades while other Communist parties in Europe distanced themselves from Moscow.\n\nKoutsoumbas has defended party political traditions and orthodoxy, focusing attacks on its one-time ally Syriza, accusing it of selling out workers' rights. The KKE's leadership failed to win over any significant boost in public support for the party during the financial crisis and has seen its share of the vote dip over the last 20 years.\n\nThree other parties are vying for seats in parliament — set by a threshold of 3% of the vote nationwide.\n\nGolden Dawn is an extreme right party founded by neo-Nazi supporters 34 years ago, and leaders are currently on charges related to incitement to violence. The party has suffered a sharp drop in support before Sunday's vote.\n\nFormer Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis founded a pan-European anti-austerity party in 2016 and narrowly missed the threshold in Greece in European Parliament elections in May.\n\nAnd far-right TV pundit Kyriakos Velopoulos and his party Greek Solution has seen a surge in support in recent months.", "Athen, July 7 (IANS) Voters across Greece voted on Sunday in the first parliamentary elections since the 2008 global financial crisis that triggered financial bailouts leading the Greek economy to shrink by 28 per cent and increasing unemployment.\n\nPolling stations opened at 7 a.m. and will close at 7 p.m. About 9.9 million citizens of 17 years and above are eligible to vote, reports Xinhua news agency.\n\nExit polls are expected to be released shortly afterwards, as the first official estimates will arrive at around 9 p.m., and the final results on Monday, according to the Interior Ministry.\n\nA total of 20 parties are running the campaign, which demands a 3 per cent threshold to enter the 300-member parliament, according to the Greek electoral law.\n\nMost recent opinion surveys indicated that Greece’s main opposition conservative New Democracy (ND) party would win with a margin of 8-15 percentage points over the radical left SYRIZA party led by Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and have an outright majority in the parliament.\n\nTsipras, who came to power in 2015, has promised more investment and recently boosted pensions. His own investment policies would also have to be renegotiated with creditors as the country remains under eurozone supervision.\n\nPolls also showed that the centre-left Movement of Change would rank third, likely followed by the Communist Party of Greece.\n\nThe economy is once again the main issue for consideration when voters cast their ballots, according to polls."], "summary": "Citizens of Greece go to the polls to vote for the next members of the Hellenic Parliament."}
{"document": ["The centre-right New Democracy (ND) Party of ex-banker Kyriakos Mitsotakis is poised to win the Greek snap parliamentary elections the Greek snap parliamentary election with between 38 to 42% of votes, which translates to 155-167 seats in the 300-seat Greek parliament, a Greek TV channel ERT suggest citin exit polls.\n\nThe ruling leftist alliance Syriza of Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras is set to win 26.5-30.5 percent of the vote and 77-82 seats.\n\n​The socialist Kinal party will get 6-8 percent of the vote and 19-22 seats. The Communists are fourth with 5-7 percent of the vote and 16-19 seats.\n\nDiEM25 of ex-Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis is set to gain 3-5 percent of the vote an 8-14 seats. Traditionalist Greek Solution is on 2.8-4.8 percent with up to 13 seats, while far-right New Dawn is on 2.5-4.5 percent with the same amount of seats.\n\nGreeks went to the polls on Sunday after the ruling party called a snap general election after it lost to the centre-right ND Party in May’s European Parliament elections and the opposition urged Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras to resign.", "(Bloomberg) -- Greece’s center-right New Democracy leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis is likely to succeed Alexis Tsipras as prime minister after preliminary results showed the former banker scored a clear victory in Sunday’s national election.\n\nNew Democracy won 39.8% of the vote, with around 27% of the votes counted, according the interior ministry, compared with 31.5% for Tsipras’s Syriza party. New Democracy will have at least 154 lawmakers in the 300-seat parliament, the results showed.\n\nTo contact the reporter on this story: Eleni Chrepa in Athens at echrepa@bloomberg.net\n\nTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Sotiris Nikas at snikas@bloomberg.net, Iain Rogers", "Athens: Greece's center-right New Democracy party leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis will take over as prime minister, after Sunday's election victory handed the former banker a mandate to tackle the nation's chronic woes after a decade-long financial crisis.\n\nNew Democracy won 39.7 per cent of the vote, with more than half of the ballots counted, according to the interior ministry, compared with 31.5 per cent for the Syriza party of outgoing prime minister Alexis Tsipras.\n\nTsipras conceded the election at a news conference in Athens and said he will hand power to Mitsotakis on Monday. The results broadly confirmed pre-election polls, although Syriza did not do as badly as some predictions. New Democracy will have a clear parliamentary majority as expected, with about 158 lawmakers in the 300-seat chamber.\n\nInvestors expect the 51-year-old Mitsotakis to prove his business-friendly reputation is deserved. The Harvard-educated former management consultant will need to make good on pledges to address issues including government finances, soured loans and crippling bureaucracy, while working within the tight fiscal constraints creditors have set for the country.", "Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras concedes defeat after landslide election win by New Democracy opposition", "Athens: Greece's center-right New Democracy party leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis will take over as prime minister, after Sunday's election victory handed the former banker a mandate to tackle the nation's chronic woes after a decade-long financial crisis.\n\nNew Democracy won 39.7 per cent of the vote, with more than half of the ballots counted, according to the interior ministry, compared with 31.5 per cent for the Syriza party of outgoing prime minister Alexis Tsipras.\n\nTsipras conceded the election at a news conference in Athens and said he will hand power to Mitsotakis on Monday. The results broadly confirmed pre-election polls, although Syriza did not do as badly as some predictions. New Democracy will have a clear parliamentary majority as expected, with about 158 lawmakers in the 300-seat chamber.\n\nInvestors expect the 51-year-old Mitsotakis to prove his business-friendly reputation is deserved. The Harvard-educated former management consultant will need to make good on pledges to address issues including government finances, soured loans and crippling bureaucracy, while working within the tight fiscal constraints creditors have set for the country.", "Greek conservative opposition leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis has comfortably won a parliamentary election as voters rejected Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras after a tumultuous four years.\n\nWith more than 80 per cent of votes counted, Mitsotakis' New Democracy party had 39.7 per cent of the vote compared to Tsipras' left-wing Syriza party at 31.6 per cent on Sunday.\n\nThe extreme right-wing Golden Dawn, founded by neo-Nazi supporters, teetered just below the three per cent threshold needed to enter parliament, a massive fall of support for a party that had become the third largest in the Greek legislature during the country's financial crisis.\n\nThe results indicated that Greek voters were bucking a recent trend in Europe of citizens rejecting the political mainstream and turning to populist and eurosceptic parties.\n\n\"I asked for a strong mandate to change Greece. You offered it generously,\" Mitsotakis said in his victory speech.\n\nMitsotakis, 51, vowed to abide by his campaign pledges to cut taxes, attract investment and improve the job market.\n\nHe had been ahead in opinion polls for three years and managed to build a sizeable lead.\n\n\"Greeks deserve better and the time has come for us to prove it,\" he said.\n\nTsipras conceded defeat and said he phoned Mitsotakis to congratulate him.\n\n\"The citizens have made their choice. We fully respect the popular vote,\" Tsipras said in a speech from central Athens.\n\nHe said his party now would work to protect the rights of working Greeks as \"a responsible but dynamic opposition\" to the government.\n\nThe election was the first held since Greece emerged from three international bailouts that were dependent on successive governments implementing strict austerity measures, including major tax hikes and spending cuts.\n\nThe financial crisis saw unemployment and poverty levels skyrocket and the economy shrink by a quarter.\n\nMitsotakis, the son of a former prime minister, brother of a former foreign minister and uncle to a newly elected mayor of Athens, fought during the campaign to shed the image of family privilege.\n\nHe pledged to make Greece more business-friendly, attract foreign investment, to modernise the country's notorious bureaucracy and to cut taxes.\n\nTsipras, 44, called the election three months ahead of schedule after Syriza suffered a severe defeat in EU and local elections in May and early June.\n\nHe had led his small Coalition of the Radical Left, or Syriza, party to power in 2015 on promises to repeal the austerity of Greece's first two bailouts.\n\nBut after months of tumultuous negotiations with international creditors that saw Greece nearly crash out of the EU's joint currency, he was forced to change tack.\n\nHe signed up to a third bailout and imposed the accompanying spending cuts and tax hikes.\n\nTsipras also cemented a deal with neighbouring North Macedonia under which that country changed its name from plain \"Macedonia\".\n\nAlthough praised by Western allies, the deal angered many Greeks, who consider use of the term harbours expansionist aims on the Greek province of the same name.", "Voters in Greece have given Kyriakos Mitsotakis’s centre-right New Democracy party a resounding mandate to form a new government after it won by a landslide over the incumbent leftwing Syriza party, which has been in power since 2015.\n\nAs the outcome of Sunday’s general election became clear, the prime minister, Alexis Tsipras, conceded defeat, calling Mr Mitsotakis to congratulate him on his victory. The official handover of power will take place on Monday.\n\nWith 91 per cent of the vote counted, the country’s interior ministry said the conservatives had gained 39.7 per cent compared with 31.5 per cent for Syriza.\n\nIn his first address as the country’s new leader, the 51-year-old Harvard-educated former banker said he welcomed the result with a sense of “modesty and respect” seeing it as a victory for all, irrespective of political persuasion.\n\n“Society wants us to move forward united,” he said as euphoric supporters gathered outside New Democracy’s headquarters. “It wants growth, work, security and for Greece to become, as it deserves, strong again. I’ll be prime minister of all Greeks. I will work to convince our compatriots who did not support us. We are too few to be divided and we have much to do together ... from today a difficult but beautiful battle lies ahead.”\n\nThe result gives New Democracy an outright majority with 158 seats in the Greek parliament, more than double its current representation in the 300-seat house.\n\nWith the neo-fascist Golden Dawn party failing to cross the 3 per cent threshold required to secure any seats, interior ministry officials described the outcome as conclusive. Previously Greece’s third biggest political force, the anti-immigrant party had embodied the darkest days of the debt-stricken country’s descent into crisis.\n\nSenior members are on trial following the death of a prominent anti-fascist rapper and charges of running the party as a criminal organisation.\n\nMr Mitsotakis, the son of a former prime minister, also received a congratulatory call from Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Tensions between the two Nato rivals have been rising in recent months over conflicting claims to hydrocarbons off Cyprus.\n\nNew Democracy officials described the result as historic. Many called it a personal victory for Mr Mitsotakis, a reformist who has been at pains to modernise and revamp one of Europe’s most conservative parties since being elevated to its helm in January 2016.\n\n“Credit has to go to him and his strategy of opening up and moving the party towards the centre,” said Haris Theocharis, a newly elected MP and former head of public revenues. “It is a result that comes with a lot of responsibility.”\n\nAcknowledging the party had sought to embrace the centre ground, Mr Mitsotakis pledged he would endeavor to change the country for the hundreds of thousands of mostly young Greeks who in recent years had left in search of work. “I won’t ask you to take the road of return,” he said. “I ask you to have your gaze and heart turned towards Greece. From today, we will work to change the country that you were forced to leave.”\n\nMany of its MPs will be first-time politicians who were drawn to the party’s pledge to re-energise the economy by attracting foreign investment and creating jobs after four and a half years of often rollercoaster leadership under Mr Tsipras.\n\n“These new faces are the faces of renewal,” said one of Mr Mitsotakis’s senior advisers. “For the last two years, Kyriakos has spent every week somewhere in the country listening to people’s problems. He knows what they are.”\n\nMr Tsipras called the vote three months ahead of schedule after Syriza’s staggering defeat in European parliament elections in May. New Democracy routed the leftists by 9.5 percentage points, a margin of victory not seen since European elections were first contested in Greece in 1981.\n\nSyriza rallied on Sunday, doing much better than expected. “I can assure the Greek people that from the benches of the opposition we will be present to protect the interests of people of toil and creativity,” the leftist leader vowed, describing his party’s loss as “anything but a strategic defeat”.\n\nThe election was billed as transformational: the winning party will form Greece’s first post-bailout government after almost a decade of recession. Kept afloat by international rescue funds since 2010, the thrice-bailed-out nation has been forced to endure punishing austerity in return for remaining in the eurozone.\n\nNew Democracy’s revival has been linked to Mr Mitsotakis’s efforts to entice centrists and to the conservatives’ ability to siphon off votes from Golden Dawn by taking a tough stance on immigration and on an accord struck by Tsipras settling a long-running name row over Macedonia, Greece’s neighbour to the north.\n\nThe poll was the first to take place at the height of summer since 1928 and there were worries that many would miss the vote, preferring to go to the beach or remain at home rather than traipse to polling stations in temperatures expected to reach 40 degrees.\n\nTwenty parties contested the race for seats in the 300-member parliament. On television shows on Sunday morning, analysts mused that the vote could be swung by hundreds of thousands of younger Greeks “deciding to go to the beach or polling stations”. Smaller parties, such as the ultra-nationalist Greek Solution and leftist MeRA25, headed by Yanis Varoufakis, the former finance minister, were targeting younger Greeks.\n\n“Voting once every four years is not enough for democracy,” Mr Varoufakis told reporters as he emerged from a polling station in a coastal area of southern Athens. “Democracy belongs only to those who have the courage to defend it. Today, the only way to defend it is by voting on the basis of parties’ programmes and records. Congratulations to all those citizens who get off their sofas and vote.”\n\nMr Varoufakis’s party appears to have fared well, gaining 3.4 per cent of the vote and nine MPs in parliament. – Guardian", "Greek conservative opposition leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis has comfortably won a parliamentary election as voters rejected Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras after a tumultuous four years.\n\nWith more than 80 per cent of votes counted, Mitsotakis' New Democracy party had 39.7 per cent of the vote compared to Tsipras' left-wing Syriza party at 31.6 per cent on Sunday.\n\nThe extreme right-wing Golden Dawn, founded by neo-Nazi supporters, teetered just below the three per cent threshold needed to enter parliament, a massive fall of support for a party that had become the third largest in the Greek legislature during the country's financial crisis.\n\nThe results indicated that Greek voters were bucking a recent trend in Europe of citizens rejecting the political mainstream and turning to populist and eurosceptic parties.\n\n\"I asked for a strong mandate to change Greece. You offered it generously,\" Mitsotakis said in his victory speech.\n\nMitsotakis, 51, vowed to abide by his campaign pledges to cut taxes, attract investment and improve the job market.\n\nHe had been ahead in opinion polls for three years and managed to build a sizeable lead.\n\n\"Greeks deserve better and the time has come for us to prove it,\" he said.\n\nTsipras conceded defeat and said he phoned Mitsotakis to congratulate him.\n\n\"The citizens have made their choice. We fully respect the popular vote,\" Tsipras said in a speech from central Athens.\n\nHe said his party now would work to protect the rights of working Greeks as \"a responsible but dynamic opposition\" to the government.\n\nThe election was the first held since Greece emerged from three international bailouts that were dependent on successive governments implementing strict austerity measures, including major tax hikes and spending cuts.\n\nThe financial crisis saw unemployment and poverty levels skyrocket and the economy shrink by a quarter.\n\nMitsotakis, the son of a former prime minister, brother of a former foreign minister and uncle to a newly elected mayor of Athens, fought during the campaign to shed the image of family privilege.\n\nHe pledged to make Greece more business-friendly, attract foreign investment, to modernise the country's notorious bureaucracy and to cut taxes.\n\nTsipras, 44, called the election three months ahead of schedule after Syriza suffered a severe defeat in EU and local elections in May and early June.\n\nHe had led his small Coalition of the Radical Left, or Syriza, party to power in 2015 on promises to repeal the austerity of Greece's first two bailouts.\n\nBut after months of tumultuous negotiations with international creditors that saw Greece nearly crash out of the EU's joint currency, he was forced to change tack.\n\nHe signed up to a third bailout and imposed the accompanying spending cuts and tax hikes.\n\nTsipras also cemented a deal with neighbouring North Macedonia under which that country changed its name from plain \"Macedonia\".\n\nAlthough praised by Western allies, the deal angered many Greeks, who consider use of the term harbours expansionist aims on the Greek province of the same name.", "ATHENS — Greek voters turned out their leftist prime minister in elections that came after a decade of grueling economic austerity, casting their lot with a resurgent center-right New Democracy party.\n\nPrime Minister Alexis Tsipras called his opponent, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, a Harvard-educated former banker and son of a former prime minister, to concede defeat.\n\nInitial results showed that Mr. Tsipras’s Syriza party, which has ruled Greece for the past four years, had suffered a major defeat at the hands of New Democracy.", "Greece's New Democracy party leader Kyrikos Mitsotakis was sworn in as prime minister on Monday following snap elections that saw him defeat left-wing Alexis Tsipras .\n\nMitsotakis' New Democracy party won 39.8% of the vote, giving him 158 seats in the 300-member parliament, a comfortable governing majority.\n\nTsipras' Coalition of the Radical Left, or Syriza, garnered 31.5%. The extremist right-wing Golden Dawn, Greece's third largest party during the height of the financial crisis, failed to make the 3% threshold to enter parliament.\n\nMore to come..."], "summary": "Leader of the Opposition Kyriakos Mitsotakis, from New Democracy, wins an absolute majority and is expected to be sworn in Prime Minister as incumbent Alexis Tsipras falls to second place. Far-right Golden Dawn loses all the seats they had in the Parliament."}
{"document": ["A principal motivação era política. Os procuradores sabiam que teriam que agir às escondidas. “Naõ dá para tornar público simplesmente porque violaria acordo, mas dá pra enviar informação espontãnea [à Venezuela] e isso torna provável que em algum lugar no caminho alguém possa tornar público”, escreveu Deltan Dallagnol.\n\nP rocuradores da Lava Jato se articularam para vazar informações sigilosas da delação da Odebrecht para a oposição venezuelana após uma sugestão do então juiz Sergio Moro. As conversas privadas pelo aplicativo Telegram em agosto de 2017 indicam que a principal motivação para o vazamento era política, e não jurídica, e que os procuradores sabiam que teriam que agir nas sombras. “Talvez seja o caso de tornar pública a delação dá Odebrecht sobre propinas na Venezuela. Isso está aqui ou na PGR?”, sugeriu Moro ao coordenador da força-tarefa da Lava Jato em Curitiba Deltan Dallagnol às 14h35 do dia 5 de agosto. Deltan respondeu mais tarde, explicando como eles poderiam fazer a operação: “Naõ dá para tornar público simplesmente porque violaria acordo, mas dá pra enviar informação espontãnea [à Venezuela] e isso torna provável que em algum lugar no caminho alguém possa tornar público”. Antes, Deltan já havia dito a Moro, em meio a uma conversa sobre os vazamentos: “Haverá críticas e um preço, mas vale pagar para expor e contribuir com os venezuelanos”.\n\nDeltan respondia a mais uma das várias sugestões que o ex-juiz Moro deu a procuradores ao longo da Lava Jato, atuando como coordenador de fato da força-tarefa, o que é ilegal. A intenção de expor informações secretas comprometedoras contra o governo de Nicolás Maduro, agindo politicamente, o que não é papel do MPF, chegaria em um momento bastante tenso. Em julho daquele ano, os EUA tinham ameaçado Maduro com novas sanções se a Venezuela prosseguisse com a fundação de uma Assembleia Constituinte — uma nova entidade legislativa criada para fortalecer o governo e desmoralizar o Congresso, dominado pela oposição. Uma semana depois, Trump faria uma ameaça de ação militar pela primeira vez desde o começo das tensões entre Washington e Caracas, quando Hugo Chávez foi eleito presidente em 1999. À época, o Brasil ainda mantinha relações normais com a Venezuela – o reconhecimento do governo paralelo de Juan Guaidó só aconteceria mais de um ano depois. A divulgação não autorizada de informações sigilosas por parte dos procuradores poderia caracterizar, em tese, o crime previsto no artigo 325 do Código Penal, que pune com até dois anos de prisão o agente público que “revelar fato de que tem ciência em razão do cargo e que deva permanecer em segredo, ou facilitar-lhe a revelação”.\n\n“Talvez seja o caso de tornar pública a delação dá Odebrecht sobre propinas na Venezuela. Isso está aqui ou na PGR?”, sugeriu Moro ao coordenador da força-tarefa da Lava Jato em Curitiba Deltan Dallagnol às 14h35 do dia 5 de agosto de 2017. Foto: Nelson Almeida/AFP/Getty Images\n\nCom poucos interlocutores em Caracas, a Lava Jato recorreu à ex-procuradora-geral Luísa Ortega Díaz, naquele momento já destituída de seu cargo por ser vista como uma ameaça a Maduro. Moro enviou mensagem a Deltan sugerindo a abertura das informações da Odebrecht no mesmo dia em que a Assembleia Constituinte venezuelana aprovou o afastamento de Ortega. Semanas antes, ela tinha feito denúncia ligada a corrupção da Odebrecht. Batia direto em Maduro.\n\n‘Imagina se ajuizamos e o maluco manda prender todos os brasieliros no territorio venezuelano’\n\nPoucos dias depois de se auto-exilar no Brasil, Ortega se reuniu com a Procuradoria-Geral da República brasileira. As mensagens obtidas pelo Intercept mostram agora o que ela desejava: cooperar com a Lava Jato mesmo não tendo mais a atribuição de conduzir negociações. “Assistimos a um estupro institucional do Ministério Público venezuelano”, declarou o então procurador-geral Rodrigo Janot, ao recebê-la em Brasília. “Sem independência, o Ministério Público do nosso vizinho ao norte não tem mais condições de […] conduzir investigações criminais ou atuar em juízo com isenção”. Fora dos holofotes, a força-tarefa discutia o assunto intensamente, debatendo inclusive o poder de mobilização que as informações teriam em uma Venezuela em crise profunda. “Vejam que uma guerra civil lá é possível e qq ação nossa pode levar a mais convulsão social e mais mortes”, ponderou o procurador Paulo Galvão em 5 de agosto, semanas antes do encontro entre Janot e Ortega, em Brasília, no dia 23 daquele mês. Colega dele, Athayde Ribeiro Costa também mostrou cautela: “Imagina se ajuizamos e o maluco manda prender todos os brasieliros no territorio venezuelano”. Horas depois, Deltan tentou amenizar o temor dos colegas. “PG, quanto ao risco, é algo que cabe aos cidadãos venezuelanos ponderarem. Eles têm o direito de se insurgir.” No dia seguinte, ele voltaria à carga:\n\n\n\n6 de agosto de 2017 – grupo Filhos do Januario 2 Deltan – 14:48:25 – Temos os fatos cíveis e compartilhamos para fins criminais. Não vejo como uma questão de efetividade, mas simbólica. Como Maluf ter ordem de prisão em NY e condenação na França. Não vejo problema de soberania. E há justificativa para fazer qto à Venezuela e não outros pq destituiu a procuradora geral e é ditadura Deltan – 14:50:42 – O propósito de priorizar seria contribuir com a luta de um povo contra a injustiça, revelando fatos e mostrando que se não há responsabilização lá é pq lá há repressão. Qto a travar a possibilidade de processamento lá, podemos fazer só em relação a parte dos fatos, o que resolveria o problema\n\n\n\nAs revelações, que publicamos em parceria com o jornal Folha de S.Paulo, estão em um arquivo de documentos fornecidos exclusivamente ao Intercept por uma fonte anônima (leia nossa declaração editorial aqui) e fazem parte da série #VazaJato.\n\n‘Vcs que queriam leakar as coisas da Venezuela, tá aí o momento’\n\n“Naõ dá para tornar público simplesmente porque violaria acordo, mas dá pra enviar informação espontãnea [à Venezuela] e isso torna provável que em algum lugar no caminho alguém possa tornar público”. Antes, Deltan já havia dito a Moro, em meio a uma conversa sobre os vazamentos: “Haverá críticas e um preço, mas vale pagar para expor e contribuir com os venezuelanos”. Foto: Fernando Frazão/Agência Brasil\n\nDepois de conversar com Moro no início da noite de 5 de agosto de 2017, Deltan foi debater a questão com os colegas do grupo Filhos do Januario 2. A conversa durou algumas horas até que, já perto do final da noite, os procuradores fecharam questão.\n\n\n\n5 de agosto de 2017 – grupo Filhos do Januario 2 Paulo – 19:23:59 – Mas pessoal, vamos refletir. Já tinha conversado com Orlando sobre isso. Vejam que uma guerra civil lá é possível e qq ação nossa pode levar a mais convulsão social e mais mortes (ainda que justa ou correta a ação). Lá não é Brasil. Paulo – 19:24:33 – Não estou dizendo que sim ou que não, apenas que precisa ser refletido Roberson MPF – 19:26:38 – Caraaaaaca Orlando SP – 19:29:47 – Pessoal, sobre Venezuela. Não dá para abrir simplesmente o que temos. Descumpriríamos o acordo. Não dá para arriscar um descumprimento de acordo, inclusive com consequências cíveis de nossa parte, bem como da União. Orlando SP – 19:30:44 – A solução de fazermos algo aqui, creio que demoraria muito. Teríamos que alinhavar uma denúncia ou algo semelhante, sem ouvir pessoas, etc. Acho que não aproveitaria o timing. Roberson MPF – 19:30:47 – Acho que se propusermos a ação aqui não dá descumprimento, Orlandinho Orlando SP – 19:31:02 – Mas o problema é o timing Orlando SP – 19:31:50 – A solução que vejo é fazer uma comunicação espontânea para o próprio país. No caminho isso certamente vazará em algum lugar, sem qq participação nossa. Isso posso fazer de imediato. Orlando SP – 19:32:39 – Sem prejuízo de trabalharmos em uma denúncia Orlando SP – 19:33:25 – Quanto a denúncia, certamente enfrentaremos uma crítica ferrada, mas aí Moro declina para a capital e boa…. o fato estará revelado.\n\n\n\nPouco mais de duas horas depois, Deltan respondeu:\n\n\n\n5 de agosto de 2017 – grupo Filhos do Januario 2 Deltan – 21:47:19 – PG, quanto ao risco, é algo que cabe aos cidadãos venezuelanos ponderarem. Eles têm o direito de se insurgir. [Procurador não identificado] – 22:21:18 – De qualquer forma, é preciso analisar bem os fatos, pois se estiverem sob sigilo do STF não será possível usar. Além disso Maduro tem imunidade e salvo por questões de direitos humanos, fica difícil processar, pelo menos enquanto estiver no poder. Mas não é de se afastar de todo a ideia. É de qualquer forma teríamos ainda que convencer o Russo. Deltan – 22:35:57 – Russo diz que temos que nós aqui estudar a viabilidade. Ou seja, ele considera Deltan – 22:36:19 – Não rejeitou prima facie, o que tomo como uma abertura para analisarmos concretamente com perspectiva Deltan – 22:36:22 – boa\n\n\n\nNa tarde do dia 28 de agosto, o procurador Orlando Martello mandou uma mensagem no grupo relatando uma conversa telefônica sua com Vladimir Aras. Então secretário de cooperação judicial internacional do Ministério Público, Aras dissera, no início de 2016, que não confiava em Ortega. “Temos bom contato com um ou dois ‘fiscales’ na Venezuela, mas a PGR lá não nos inspira confiança”, declarou no chat Acordo LMeirelles. Pelo teor da ligação com Orlando, Aras havia mudado de ideia, e Ortega passou a ser a ponte crucial para organizar a cooperação clandestina com o Ministério Público venezuelano. Pelos chats, foi Aras quem organizou a acolhida de dois procuradores venezuelanos que vieram ao Brasil em segredo em meados de setembro para trabalhar nos documentos, ideia de Ortega. Dois procuradores de Curitiba ofereceram suas casas, enquanto Deltan pediu ajuda à Transparência Internacional para que a ONG financiasse a estadia deles no Brasil.\n\n‘Vcs que queriam leakar as coisas da Venezuela, tá aí o momento. A mulher está no Brasil’\n\nOrtega chegou antes deles no Brasil, em 22 de agosto, duas semanas depois de a força-tarefa começar a se movimentar. “Vcs que queriam leakar as coisas da Venezuela, tá aí o momento. A mulher está no Brasil”, escreveu o procurador Paulo Galvão. Como se Galvão estivesse brincando, os colegas reagiram com ironias. Semanas depois, em outubro, Ortega publicou em seu site dois vídeos: eram trechos de depoimentos do ex-diretor da Odebrecht na Venezuela Euzenando Azevedo, nos quais ele admite ter repassado 35 milhões de dólares da empreiteira à campanha eleitoral de Maduro. Na delação, ele também admitiu ter pagado 15 milhões de dólares para a campanha do candidato da oposição, Henrique Capriles, fato que não foi incluído nos vídeos divulgados por Ortega.\n\nRisco de vida\n\nVídeo com depoimento de Euzenando Azevedo, ex-diretor da Odebrecht Venezuela. Em uma notícia-crime protocolada pela Odebrecht, a empresa insinuou que o vazamento teria acontecido pela PGR.Fotos: Reprodução/Luisa Ortega Díaz\n\nApós o vazamento, Mauricio Bezerra, advogado da Odebrecht, mandou uma mensagem para o procurador Carlos Bruno Ferreira, da Secretaria de Cooperação Internacional da PGR, encaminhada ao grupo Filhos do Januario 2 pelo procurador Roberson Pozzobon. Nela, Bezerra reclama que o vazamento “aumentou significativamente o risco” para várias pessoas:\n\n\n\n13 de outubro de 2017 – grupo Filhos do Januario 2 Roberson MPF – 15:36:44 Boa noite. Infelizmente, assim como ocorreu no mês de agosto, fomos mais uma vez surpreendidos pela veiculação de um vídeo dos depoimentos tomados pela PGR dos nossos colaboradores na fase final do processo de cooperação. Dessa vez, diferentemente do que vinha ocorrendo, o áudio veio à público através da ex-Fiscal da Venezuela, a Sra. Luiza Ortega, exilada e oposicionista ao atual Governo, como pode ver no link abaixo. Mais grave ainda é que o vídeo foi veiculado no momento em que estamos mantendo negociações delicadas com aquele país, conforme informamos a Vossas Senhorias. A veiculação do vídeo aumentou significativamente o risco aos nossos integrantes, aos cidadãos venezuelanos e as nossas operações. Já estamos adotando as medidas de cautela. Amanhã faremos um novo requerimento para que os vazamentos desses vídeos sejam apurados. Importante que a PGR abra o quanto antes um inquérito para apurar os fatos e assegurar que que eventos dessa natureza não tenham continuidade, pois além de prejudicar a correta investigação dos fatos coloca em risco a integridade física dos nossos empregados e suas famílias. Grato pela atenção sempre dispensada, Mauricio Link: https://www.oantagonista.com/brasil/em-video-executivo-da-odebrecht-confirma-us-35-milhoes-para-maduro/ Roberson MPF – 15:36:44 – Prezados, bom dia. A mensagem acima foi enviada pelo dr mauricio Bezerra ao dr Carlos Bruno hoje pela manhã. Compartilho com os senhores. Roberson MPF – 15:38:01 – Sabe se o audio já tinha sido compartilhado com eles, PG? Paulo – 15:48:22 – Nos não passamos… Só se foi Vlad Paulo – 15:48:28 – Ou Orlando, escondido\n\n\n\nFaltavam poucos dias para as eleições dos governos estaduais quando a população venezuelana viu nas redes o ex-diretor da Odebrecht no país detalhando a corrupção no governo Maduro. A Odebrecht chegou a apresentar uma notícia-crime no STF, insinuando fortemente que a Procuradoria-Geral da República, entidade que chefia a Lava Jato, teria vazado o vídeo. Segundo eles, apenas a PGR teve acesso à gravação. “Os vídeos dos relatos de todos os colaboradores da companhia, especialmente daqueles que abordam fatos ocorridos no exterior, encontram-se custodiados pela PGR, sendo que jamais foram oficialmente entregues aos colaboradores, aos seus causídicos ou a quem quer que seja”, alegou a empresa. A PGR foi chamada a prestar esclarecimentos. Há um mês, a procuradora-geral Raquel Dodge informou que há um inquérito sigiloso na Justiça Federal em Brasília. O risco de vida dos funcionários da Odebrecht, comentado pelo representante da empresa, era preocupação da própria Lava Jato, mesmo antes dos procuradores debaterem os vazamentos. Em dezembro de 2016, o próprio Deltan se disse contra a divulgação daquelas informações, reconhecendo que eram potencialmente explosivas. “Eu estou preocupado com a transmissão de informação internacional”, escreveu em uma carta em inglês que compartilhou com seus colegas pelo chat. A primeira justificativa que ele listou foi “para evitar o risco de vida para funcionários da Odebrecht em países como Angola e Venezuela, como os contratos ainda estão em andamento aí”. Quando Ortega teve acesso ao depoimento do ex-diretor da Odebrecht, Brasil e Venezuela tinham um termo de compromisso assinado sobre a delação do ex-marqueteiro petista João Santana. O acordo não previa acesso dos venezuelanos à toda a delação da empreiteira, disse a Procuradoria-Geral da República quando procurada pela reportagem da Folha.\n\n‘FHC veio conversar comigo no final e disse que é uma boa ideia’\n\n“FHC veio conversar comigo no final e disse que é uma boa ideia”, teclou o diretor-executivo da Transparência Internacional no Brasil, Bruno Brandão, numa mensagem enviada a Deltan em outubro de 2017. Foto: Tânia Rêgo/Agência Brasil\n\nNos chats, fica clara a preocupação da Transparência Internacional com a situação cada vez mais crítica da Venezuela. A ONG passou a defender publicamente a abertura de um processo contra autoridades do país, e discutiu o assunto com o ex-presidente Fernando Henrique Cardoso durante um evento realizado em sua fundação. “FHC veio conversar comigo no final e disse que é uma boa ideia”, teclou o diretor-executivo da Transparência Internacional no Brasil, Bruno Brandão, numa mensagem enviada a Deltan em outubro de 2017.\n\n\n\n31 de outubro de 2017 – chat privado Bruno – 15:53:40 – Delta, tudo bem? Voltei hj e já estou novamente na ativa. Bruno – 15:55:49 – Estou num debate sobre Venezuela na Fundação FHC e queria comentar que a TI está defendendo, junto à FTLJ, que se abram processos extraterritoriais contra autoridades venezuelanas. Bruno – 15:59:13 – Alguma objeção? Deltan – 19:51:31 – Sem objeções Deltan – 19:51:50 – É até bom pra testar terreno Bruno – 20:04:16 – FHC veio conversar comigo no final e disse que é uma boa ideia Bruno – 20:04:27 – outros vieram tb\n\n\n\nMas uma conversa entre procuradores do último dia 12 de abril revela que o ministro Edson Fachin, relator da Lava Jato no Supremo Tribunal Federal, decidiu que o caso venezuelano não deve ser tocado em Curitiba por não ter relação com a Petrobras. “Estou com sérias dúvidas se podemos prosseguir aqui Cwb com o caso em razão do ‘reconhecimento da incompetência’ da 13VF”, escreveu Orlando Martello no chat Venezuela Dream. “Fachin reconheceu que nos fatos relatados por Euzenando , embora possa ter fatos relacionados ao setor de operação estruturadas (essa era a tese do mpf para manter os termos em Cwb), ele afastou a conexão pq não tem relação com a Petrobras.”\n\nOutro lado", "Brazilian justice minister Sergio Moro considered releasing construction giant Odebrecht's confession to paying bribes in Venezuela to harm the country's president Nicolas Maduro, The Intercept investigative website reported on Sunday.\n\nThe report came after The Intercept last month began publishing excerpts from leaked chats with Moro, causing a scandal for the former anti-corruption judge who became attorney general under far-right president Jair Bolsonaro.\n\nThe Intercept's most explosive report purportedly showed Moro conspiring with prosecutors in a sprawling corruption probe known as Car Wash to keep popular leftist ex-president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva out of the 2018 presidential race.\n\nOn Sunday, The Intercept published chats in which Moro considers whether to use information gathered about Odebrecht during the Car Wash investigation against socialist leader Maduro, who has presided over a political and humanitarian crisis in Venezuela.\n\n\"Maybe we should reveal Odebrecht's confessions about bribes in Venezuela?\" Moro said to chief prosecutor Deltan Dallagnol via the encrypted Telegram messaging app in August 2017.\n\nEarlier in the conversation, Dallagnol had told Moro, \"There will be criticism and a price (to be paid), but it's worth exposing oneself to help the Venezuelans.\"\n\nIt remains unclear if the confessions were ever leaked, but Odebrecht has admitted to paying bribes across Latin America, including $98 million in Venezuela -- its biggest payoff outside Brazil.\n\nIn a statement, the prosecutor's office in the city of Curitiba, which handled some of the most publicized aspects of the probe, rejected The Intercept's report.\n\nThe office said it didn't recognize \"the messages attributed to its members in recent weeks. The origin and veracity of the messages, obtained via cybercriminals, cannot be confirmed.\"\n\nThe corruption scandal surrounding Odebrecht, Latin America's biggest construction firm, has stretched across a dozen countries in Latin America and two in Africa, with the company implicated in handing out cash to win lucrative public contracts.\n\nThe revelations regarding Moro have led to calls for his resignation along with demonstrations in support of the justice minister.\n\nOn Sunday, DataFolha Institute of Research released a poll in which 58 percent of respondents said that Moro's decisions in the Car Wash probe should be reviewed if the claims against him are proven to be true."], "summary": "New leaked messages between Brazilian judge Sérgio Moro and prosecutors of Operation Car Wash show that Moro suggested they leak confidential information concerning Odebrecht's activities in Venezuela to members of the Venezuelan opposition. Some prosecutors even entertained the possibility of provoking a civil war in Venezuela over the leaks."}
{"document": ["26’\n\nNaeher has to rush out to save the day!\n\nThe U.S. lets a long ball run toward Naeher, who very quickly realizes she’s going to need to win a footrace with Beerensteyn to get to it. She sprints out and whales the ball away with her right foot, but that could have been disastrous.\n\n24’\n\nPressure up the middle; less of it outside\n\nThe United States is pressing the center quite a bit in the first half, trying to play balls ahead of its forwards and try to get the Dutch defense backtracking. But it’s not working, and it might be worth exploring something the Americans are very good at, too: stretching defenses by playing balls wide in midfield and up front, and then driving crosses into the spaces created by that stretching.\n\n20’\n\nScary moment for the U.S. at the back\n\nThe Netherlands wins the ball in midfield and, after a stop and start exchange, reaches the top of the U.S. penalty area. The attack is broken up there, but worth noting Crystal Dunn got pulled inside by the threat, leaving an open player behind her on the wing. She has done that often in this World Cup and has avoided being punished so far. But it only takes one .....\n\n13’\n\nThe Netherlands has survived the early pressure.\n\nRory Smith checks in:\n\nTwo things will please the Dutch about this game so far: one is that we have made it 13 minutes in and the United States has not yet scored: a fast start has been a characteristic of American games so far in this tournament. If the Netherlands can extend that to — say — 20 minutes, then we will have a game on our hands.\n\nThe second is that they are matching their opponents physically. If the Netherlands was not such a refined soccer nation, associated with art and beauty and all that is pure about the game, you would say that they have resolved to try to rough the Americans up a little bit.", "LYON, France — After 95 minutes of game time, the United States Women's National Team has won the FIFA Women's World Cup.\n\nThis is the second Women's World Cup won in a row by the United States and its fourth cup win overall.\n\nAfter a tense first half ending with no goals for both teams, the United States came back with a force in the second half. Megan Rapinoe scored the first goal for the US off of a converted penalty kick in the 61st minute. Eight minutes later, Rose Lavelle scored the US's second goal.", "The United States Women’s National team has repeated the history by registering a win over the Netherlands by a score of 2-0 in the final scheduled on Sunday and became the world champion. They lift the trophy for the second consecutive time as they have bagged victory in the previous edition of the FIFA Women’s World Cup. In the whole tournament, The Women football team of the United States had a lead before the completion of the half time of every match. The team never ended the first half without scoring goals. But in the final game of the tournament, it took Megan Rapinoe an hour to break the scoreless tie for the US women football team on a penalty kick.\n\nUnited States Women’s football team won the Women’s World Cup for the fourth time. They won the tournament in the year of 1991, 1999, 2015, 2019. Megan Rapinoe and Rose Lavelle scored two goals for the USA.\n\nMegan Rapinoe, who is aged 34 years 2 days became the oldest player to score a goal in the FIFA Women’s World Cup final. Rapinoe has scored six goals in the tournament.\n\nThey are the first team to qualify for the final three times consecutively. Jill Ellis, is also the first coach to win the title back-to-back World Cup. American women have proved as a dominant side in Women football after winning back to back the title.\n\nThe final match took place at Lyon’s Groupama Stadium with a total attendance of 57,900 fans.", "The Latest: Rose Lavelle puts up US 2-0 in World Cup final\n\nLYON, France (AP) — The Latest on the Women's World Cup final (all times local):\n\nRose Lavelle has put the United States up 2-0 against the Netherlands with a fine solo goal in the 69th minute.\n\nThe midfielder collected the ball some 30 meters out, advanced to the penalty area and skipped past defender Stefanie van der Gragt before planting a low shot past goalkeeper Sari van Veenendaal.\n\nShe was mobbed as she dived into the arms of her teammates as she sprinted to the U.S. bench to celebrate.\n\nMegan Rapinoe has opened the scoring for the United States in the 61st minute with a penalty against the Netherlands in the Women's World Cup final.\n\nReferee Stephanie Frappart awarded the penalty following a video review showed that defender Stefanie van der Gragt made a high challenge on striker Alex Morgan.\n\nRapinoe confidently struck the spot-kick down the middle and past a static Sari van Veenendaal, who seemed to anticipate Rapinoe would shoot to the side and was wrong-footed.\n\nIt was Rapinoe's sixth goal, tying her with Morgan and England's Ellen White at the top of the scoring charts.\n\nU.S. defender Kelley O'Hara has been replaced for the second half by Ali Krieger.\n\nO'Hara needed on-field treatment near the end of the first half after colliding head to head with Dutch winger Lieke Martens as they jumped up to contest a high ball.\n\nThe United States and the Netherlands were deadlock 0-0 at halftime in the Women's World Cup final, mainly because of Dutch goalkeeper Sari van Veenendaal. She has made three key stops.\n\nU.S. midfielder Julie Ertz saw her hooked shot saved in the 27th minute following a corner.\n\nVan Veenendaal imposed herself again in the 38th, keeping out Alex Morgan's low shot from Megan Rapinoe's left-wing cross. She denied Morgan again, this time with an even better save, low to her left to tip Morgan's fizzing driver away for a corner.\n\nU.S. goalie Alyssa Naeher had a quiet half but came out confidently to clear the ball when forward Lineth Beerensteyn chased down a pass from Vivianne Miedema.\n\nDutch winger Lieke Martens and U.S. defender Kelley O'Hara both needed brief on-field treatment near the end of the half after colliding head to head while going for a header.\n\nFrench President Emmanuel Macron hopes women's soccer players are eventually paid the same as men.\n\nSpeaking on France Info radio before the Women's World Cup final in Lyon, Macron said \"we need to go progressively toward that.\"\n\nOn Friday FIFA President Gianni Infantino announced he'll seek to double the prize money for women at their next World Cup in 2023. But even doubling the pool from $30 million to $60 million doesn't diminish the gap with the men's World Cup prize money, which is set at $440 million for the 2022 World Cup, up from $400 million last year.\n\nMacron, who supports Marseille —the only French team to have won the European Cup — said interest in women's sports will be boosted significantly after this tournament.\n\nMacron said \"we have the World Cup effect\" and added \"things will never be the same\" for women's soccer in France.\n\nOn a sunny day at Stade de Lyon, the Dutch fans are making the stadium even brighter with their orange jerseys.\n\nThe Oranje have packed themselves behind one of the goals and several are waving the horizontally striped red-white-blue national flag.\n\nThe Dutch players went over to applaud them as they ran out onto the sunbaked field.\n\nMegan Rapinoe returned to the starting lineup for the United States in the Women's World Cup final against the Netherlands on Sunday.\n\nRapinoe missed the 2-1 semifinal victory over England on Tuesday with a minor hamstring injury. She had two goals in each of the previous two games of the knockout stage.\n\nThere were concerns that midfielder Rose Lavelle would also be sidelined with a hamstring injury, but she started.\n\nAlyssa Naeher started at goalkeeper for the seventh straight game, and the backline of Crystal Dunn, Becky Sauerbrunn, Abby Dahlkemper and Kelley O'Hara remained unchanged from the semifinal.\n\nAccompanying Lavelle in the midfield was Julie Ertz and Sam Mewis. Alex Morgan was up top flanked by Tobin Heath and Rapinoe.\n\nLieke Martens kept her place in the Netherlands starting lineup despite a recent foot injury.\n\nThe left winger struggled during the semifinal win against Sweden, going off at halftime. She has been carrying the injury since scoring a 90th-minute penalty in the 2-1 last-16 win against Japan, when a teammate stood on her foot during the celebrations. In the only change to the Dutch team which beat Sweden 1-0 in the semis, Anouk Dekker replaces Merel van Dongen on defense.\n\nThe United States will be vying for its fourth Women's World Cup title when it meets European champion the Netherlands on Sunday.\n\nThe U.S. is the defending champion, while the Dutch women are appearing in their first World Cup final.\n\nBoth sides had narrow wins in the semifinals, with the U.S. beating a physical England team 2-1 and the Dutch needing extra time to overcome Sweden 1-0.\n\nThe finalists both have female coaches. Jill Ellis leads the United States and Sarina Wiegman is in charge of the Netherlands.\n\nIt's the first time since 2003 that two women have coached against each other in the final.\n\nIn the most recent meeting between the two teams, the U.S. won 3-1 at home in 2016.", "Lyon: The United States retained the women's World Cup on Sunday as a Megan Rapinoe penalty and a superb Rose Lavelle strike gave the holders a 2-0 victory over a battling Netherlands side in Lyon.\n\nHaving been kept at bay by the brilliant Dutch goalkeeper Sari van Veenendaal throughout the first half, the USA finally went ahead just after the hour as Rapinoe stroked home from 12 yards to end the tournament as joint top scorer on six goals.\n\nThere was an air of inevitability about the pink-haired 34-year-old, the star of this World Cup on and off the field, putting the USA ahead.\n\nIt also seemed inevitable that the breakthrough goal here should come from a VAR-awarded penalty, with French referee Stephanie Frappart initially giving a corner before pointing to the spot following a review.\n\nThe whippet-like Lavelle, another stand-out performer over the last month, got the second goal in the 69th minute, killing off Dutch hopes of a comeback.\n\nThe victory underlines the USA's status as the dominant force in international women's football as they claim the World Cup for the fourth time in eight editions.\n\nThey were already the first team to appear in three consecutive finals, and coach Jill Ellis becomes the first coach to win back-to-back World Cups in the men's or women's game since Italy's Vittorio Pozzo in the 1930s.\n\nThe USA had been the only non-European team to make it to the quarter-finals here, but they had already ended the hopes of the hosts and England before denying the Dutch a dream double success, two years after they won Euro 2017 on home soil.\n\nWhether the Americans can continue this domination on to the next World Cup remains to be seen, not least because Rapinoe is already in the twilight years of her career.\n\nShe was brought back into the starting line-up here by Ellis having sat out the victory over England in the last four due to a hamstring problem.\n\nChristen Press made way but came on for the closing stages, as Rapinoe went off to a loud ovation from the massed ranks of USA fans.\n\nGoalkeeping heroics in vain\n\n At a tournament which has showcased the improving standards of goalkeeping in the women's game, the excellent Van Veenendaal prevented the USA from winning by a greater margin.\n\nThe 29-year-old, who has spent the last four years at Arsenal, had already excelled in her team's win over Sweden in the semi-finals.\n\nHere, she allowed her team to withstand an onslaught from the holders towards half-time, saving well from Julie Ertz and bettering that by producing two superb stops in quick succession in the 38th minute.\n\nBoth American chances came from crosses from the left by Rapinoe. First Van Veenendaal stopped a Samantha Mewis header, and then she turned the ball onto the post when Alex Morgan diverted Rapinoe's low centre towards goal.\n\nMorgan was thwarted again moments later as she tried her luck from 20 yards, and the European champions held out until the interval.\n\nThe USA had scored no later than the 12th minute in all of their prior matches at this World Cup, but the Dutch, crucially, offered little going forward at the other end.\n\nStill, it was 61 minutes before the holders went ahead.\n\nThe referee gave a corner when Stefanie van der Gragt challenged Morgan in the area, but changed her mind upon seeing the images. Rapinoe stroked in the first penalty scored in a women's World Cup final to claim a share of the golden boot with Morgan and England's Ellen White.\n\nThe Netherlands tried to regain their composure, but there was nothing they could do to stop Lavelle's piercing run towards the box midway through the second half.\n\nShe dropped her shoulder to set up the shooting opportunity, and fired in low from 18 yards. Van Veenendaal then saved from Morgan and Dunn to keep the score down, but the title was the USA's again.\n\nYour guide to the latest cricket World Cup stories, analysis, reports, opinions, live updates and scores on https://www.firstpost.com/firstcricket/series/icc-cricket-world-cup-2019.html. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram or like our Facebook page for updates throughout the ongoing event in England and Wales.", "LYON, France – Megan Rapinoe stood on the field, arms outstretched, striking her now trademark victory pose symbolizing the confidence of a U.S. team that celebrated and savored each triumph at the Women’s World Cup.\n\nRapinoe won the Golden Ball as top player and the Golden Boot as top scorer, and the United States backed up its brashness by winning while simultaneously making a strong statement for gender equity.\n\n“We’ve done exactly what we set out to do, done exactly what we wanted to do, said what we feel,” Rapinoe said. “All of us, really. I know sometimes my voice is louder, but everybody is in this together. We’re such a proud and strong and defiant group of women.”\n\nThe U.S. won its record fourth Women’s World Cup title and second in a row, beating the Netherlands 2-0 Sunday night when Rapinoe converted a tiebreaking penalty kick in the second half and Rose Lavelle added a goal.\n\nRapinoe scored in the 61st minute after a video review determined Stefanie van der Gragt had fouled Diamond Bar’s Alex Morgan with a kick to the shoulder while competing for a deflected pass in the penalty area.\n\nTwo days past her 34th birthday, Rapinoe slotted the ball past Sari van Veenendaal for her sixth goal of the tournament. She became the oldest player to score in a Women’s World Cup final.\n\n“Getting to play at the highest level of the World Cup with the team we have is just ridiculous. But to be able to couple that with everything on the field and to back up all of those words with performances and to back up all of those performances with words, it’s just incredible,” Rapinoe said. “I feel like this team is in the midst of changing the world around us as we live, and it’s just an incredible feeling.”\n\nLavelle, at 24 the team’s up-and-coming star, added her third goal of the tournament on an 18-yard left-footed shot in the 69th after a solo run from the center circle.\n\n“It’s been a long journey. It doesn’t seem real yet. I hasn’t hit me, it’s so surreal, to be part of this group and to play with these players,” Lavelle said.\n\nThe monthlong journey isn’t over quite yet for players who captured the hearts of a nation. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio needed just a few seconds after the match to invite the team to a ticker-tape parade up the Canyon of Heroes in Manhattan on Wednesday.\n\nFans, many dressed in red, white and blue, chanted “Equal Pay!” at the final whistle , a reminder players sued the U.S. Soccer Federation in March claiming gender discrimination. The sides have agreed to mediate the lawsuit.\n\nRapinoe drew the ire of U.S. President Donald Trump by saying she would refuse to visit the White House. Trump called out Rapinoe on Twitter, saying she should never “disrespect our Country, the White House, or our Flag, especially since so much has been done for her & the team.” He said he would invite the team win or lose.\n\nBut shortly after the title game, Trump tweeted: “Congratulations to the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team on winning the World Cup! Great and exciting play. America is proud of you all!”\n\nRapinoe also called out FIFA on the eve of the championship, suggesting soccer’s governing body was not doing enough to grow the women’s game, pointing to unequal prize money and the scheduling of the final on the same day as the championships of the CONCACAF Gold Cup in Chicago and the Copa America final in Brazil.\n\nWhether unequal treatment from soccer officials will change is uncertain. The Americans’ dominance in France is unquestioned.\n\nThey never trailed at the tournament and set records with 26 goals and a 12-game World Cup winning streak dating to 2015. Jill Ellis became the first coach to lead a team to two Women’s World Cup titles, and the U.S. joined Germany in 2003 and 2007 as the only repeat champions. While the U.S. has four titles, Germany is the only other nation with even two.\n\n“It’s just chemistry. They put their hearts and soul into this journey,” Ellis said. “They made history.”\n\nFIFA President Gianni Infantino handed over the trophy, a stark contrast to four years ago in Canada, when then-president Sepp Blatter was a no-show as U.S. prosecutors investigated corruption in soccer’s governing body.\n\nWith confidence that some called arrogance — triggering a backlash that the angry response was sexist — this American team established a standard that exceeded the U.S. champions of 1991, 1999 and 2015, becoming a goal for all others to match. Mia Hamm and Brandi Chastain were among the former American players who joined the current generation for the postgame celebration. Tobin Heath made angels in the fallen confetti.\n\nAlyssa Naeher, the 31-year-old who succeeded Hope Solo in goal, faced repeated questions entering the tournament but allowed just three goals and finished with her fourth shutout.\n\nThe U.S. had scored within the first 12 minutes of its previous six matches but the European champions sat back to keep their defensive shape and kept the score 0-0 through the first half.\n\nVideo review, adopted by FIFA for the men’s World Cup last year, showed its impact when Stephanie Frappart, the first woman to referee a men’s Ligue 1 match, initially did not call the foul on Morgan, then went to the screen at the side of the field, watched replays and signaled toward the spot.\n\nRapinoe, who missed Tuesday’s semifinal win over England with a hamstring injury, became the first woman to score on a penalty kick during a Women’s World Cup final, her 50th goal in 158 international appearances. She ended the Netherlands’ 317-minute scoreless streak and matched Morgan and England’s Ellen White for most goals in the tournament, winning the Golden Ball based on fewer minutes.\n\nRapinoe was given a standing ovation when she was substituted in the 79th minute. The crowd of 57,900 at Stade de Lyon for Le Grand Finale included France President Emmanuel Macron.\n\nRebounding from a loss to Sweden on penalty kicks in the quarterfinals of the 2016 Olympics, the Americans opened the World Cup with a record 13-0 rout of lowly Thailand, triggering debate over whether the celebrations after each goal were excessive. Carli Lloyd responded the next match by following a goal with a polite golf clap. Then Morgan stirred it up again when she scored against England and celebrated as if sipping tea, pinkie outstretched.\n\nNow, after all the memorable drama, they will have a fourth star above the crest on the team’s jerseys and a higher platform to advance their cause.\n\n“It’s something that we’ve worked so hard for. All of us, individually, have just faced so much adversity through this whole journey,” Morgan said. “We’ve been tested individually and collectively so much. So to see, four years ago, us go from two to three, and now three to four, it’s really a dream come true.”", "The 2019 Women's World Cup came to an end over the weekend as the United States successfully retained the title they won in 2015, and a fourth overall, after beating the Netherlands 2-0 in front of a sell out crowd in Lyon.\n\nAfter a month of intense action and drama, now comes the time for reflection on what has been a marvellous few weeks for women's football.\n\nThis is 90min's team of the tournament...\n\nCurrently without a club after leaving Arsenal at the end of last season, Sari van Veenendaal was arguably the main reason why an otherwise largely underwhelming Netherlands side reached a first ever World Cup final, capping it with the Golden Glove award.\n\nThe 29-year-old made numerous top quality saves throughout the tournament and was responsible for keeping the final against the United States competitive for as long as it was.\n\nHonourable Mention: Christiane Endler (Chile) - Arguably the best goalkeeper in the world and prevented Chile from going the same way as Thailand in Group F.\n\nLucy Bronze was a star of the summer and further underlined her status as one of the very best players in the world. England's right-back was awarded the Silver Ball as the second-best player at whole World Cup, behind only Megan Rapinoe.\n\nBronze will return to Lyon at club level looking to continue the dominance of recent years after winning two Champions League titles in her two seasons in France.\n\nOne bizarre own goal aside, towering centre-back Wendie Renard was colossal at both ends of the pitch for France and could even have challenged for the Golden Boot had the hosts stayed in the tournament beyond the quarter-finals.\n\nRenard bagged a brace on the opening night, netted the only goal against Nigeria and led the late French charge against the United States in the quarter-finals.\n\nIt has been an incredibly difficult few months for England captain Steph Houghton following her husband's diagnosis with motor neurone disease in December, but her performances on the pitch never showed it and she has remained the consummate professional.\n\nHoughton missed a crucial late penalty that could have sent England's semi-final to extra-time, but her colleagues were right in pointing out they wouldn't have been there without her.\n\nCrystal Dunn has typically been a more attacking player in the past and even scored four goals in three NWSL appearances for North Carolina Courage this season prior to World Cup duty, but she has fully established herself as a world-class left back in recent weeks.\n\nPlaying on the USWNT's left flank, it was always going to be vital that she could cope defensively as Megan Rapinoe has never been a 'tracking back' kind of player.\n\nJackie Groenen played every minute of every game for the Netherlands and scored the crucial extra-time goal against Sweden that put the Dutch into their first World Cup final. She appeared more distraught than most after the final whistle against the United States.\n\nOnce briefly of Chelsea, Groenen will be playing her club football in England in 2019/20 after becoming Manchester United's first-ever overseas signing in May.\n\nA veteran of the United States squad from 2015, Julie Ertz was arguably the glue that held the whole team together and became increasingly important as the tournament progressed. She started the opening game in defence, but her presence in midfield thereafter was crucial.\n\nUSWNT coach Jill Ellis often dispensed with the more attack-minded Lindsey Horan in order to give the team greater structure and defensive protection with Ertz.\n\nRose Lavelle has emerged as the real breakout star of the 2019 Women's World Cup and was a deserving goalscorer in the final after her energetic contributions throughout the tournament, so much so that she walked away with the Bronze Ball as the third-best player overall.\n\nThe 24-year-old Washingon Spirit midfielder only made her senior international debut in 2017 and represents more than anyone the next generation of U.S. talent.\n\nSam Kerr and Australia exited the tournament disappointingly early after a round of 16 penalty shootout defeat to Norway, but the NWSL record-breaking forward was stunning during the games that she did play at this summer's tournament.\n\nAs well as scoring Australia's opening goal of the World Cup, 25-year-old Kerr netted four times in the demolition of Jamaica that secured her country's passage to the knockout rounds.\n\nHonourable Mention: Alex Morgan (USA) - Scored five times in the United States' opening game against Thailand to tie a competition record, as well as once in the semi-final.\n\nEllen White emerged as England's biggest goal threat, showcasing her ability as a calm and composed finisher at the highest level. But for a marginal offside and a contentious VAR-ruled handball, her six World Cup goals could easily have been eight.\n\nWhite has been on the international scene since 2010 and has played for several of England's top clubs, but 2019 has launched her to a new level of fame and acclaim.\n\nOutspoken off the pitch and devastating on it, Megan Rapinoe was the single biggest star of the 2019 Women's World Cup. Rightly, she walked away with the World Cup trophy, Golden Boot and Golden Ball after six goals and several match-winning performances.\n\nRapinoe recent turned 34 years of age and has probably played her last World Cup, but she will go out at the very top and her legacy will burn bright long after she has retired.", "The heavily favored United States team has defeated Netherlands 2-0 in the women's World Cup soccer final in Lyon, France, securing its fourth title and winning back-to-back tournaments for the first time.\n\nThe Americans defeated four other European teams — Sweden, Spain, France and England — on their way to the final, and dominated Sunday in defeating the reigning European champion Dutch.\n\nFootball analysts say the United States women's national team went into the match as favorites because of their greater depth and experience than the Dutch.\n\nOne of the top American players, Megan Rapinoe, who sat out the semi-final win over the British with a slight hamstring strain, scored the opening goal for the U.S. side on a penalty kick in the 61st minute. Rose Lavelle added a goal in the 69th minute to seal the victory.\n\nFormer U.S. soccer star Julie Foudy explained before the match what was at stake for the Americans.\n\n“They've done all the hard stuff. Weathering the storm that was the Spanish game. Beating the hosts in Paris. Knocking out a very good English team. But they … must bring it home to secure their legacy, especially against a team that doesn't have the same depth of talent and which is playing on less rest,\" she said.\n\nEven as its success in the tournament earns it unprecedented acclaim at home, the U.S. women's team is suing the country's soccer federation for equal pay with members of country's much less successful men's national team. The pay disparity is pronounced, with female soccer players’ base salary roughly $30,000 less a year than their male counterparts. The players agreed to submit to arbitration following the end of the tournament.\n\nThe soccer federation awarded the men’s team a $5.4 million bonus after it lost in the round of 16 at the 2014 World Cup, while handing the women’s team $1.7 million when it won in 2015.\n\nRapinoe has also feuded with U.S. President Donald Trump, saying that in opposition to his presidency she would not accept an invitation to go to the White House if the Americans won the title.\n\nTrump said in response, “Megan should WIN before she TALKS,\" and invited the whole team whether it wins or loses the title.", "LYON, France (Reuters) - Forward Lieke Martens was named in the starting lineup for the Netherlands in their women's World Cup final on Sunday against holders the United States, who recalled winger Megan Rapinoe into the first team after she sat out the semi-final.\n\nRapinoe, who has scored five goals in helping the U.S. to reach their fifth World Cup final, missed the 2-1 win over England because of a slight hamstring strain.\n\nThe 34-year-old takes the place of Christen Press who scored the opening goal in the semi-final. Midfielder Rose Lavelle also starts despite fears over a knock she received in the same match. Samantha Mewis starts alongside her in place of Lindsey Horan who is dropped to the bench.\n\nMartens, the 2017 world player of the year, aggravated a toe injury celebrating her late penalty winner against Japan in the last 16 and has been in and out of training since.\n\nHowever, she made the cut to feature in the European champions' first ever World Cup final, supporting all-time Dutch goalscorer Vivianne Miedema up front.\n\nThe U.S. are aiming to win a record-extending fourth world title out of eight editions.", "I could pretend to know anything about soccer other than goals need scoring, but hell, I really don't. And still, even a shallowly-educated sportsball person like myself was totally riveted by this championship game played and won with — I think the technical sports term is \"total badassery\" — by the U.S. Women's Soccer team. The U.S. beat the Netherlands' team 2-0 in a 95-minute match that had people jumping out of their damn skins.\n\nMegan Rapinoe, an American hero in her own right, scored the first goal on a penalty kick, and after a brief celebration, struck her iconic \"Are You Entertained?\" pose before her team absolutely devoured her.\n\nRose Lavelle scored the second goal 8 minutes later in the match, and the rest is history.\n\nWho thinks they'll be invited to the White House?\n\nBWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Hey, hey, now, we all know how scared he'd be to have these women in any close proximity to him, amirite?\n\nBut we do look forward to having them tour the House of Representatives at AOC's invitation.\n\nAnd for now, it sure is good to have something happy to cheer about that's associated with America. Thanks, Women's Team USA."], "summary": "In the final match of the 2019 Women's World Cup, the United States wins 2–0 over the Netherlands. Golden Boot winner Megan Rapinoe scored on a penalty kick, followed by Rose Lavelle's strike in the 69th minute."}
{"document": ["Gabriel Jesus scored one, made one and was sent off as 10-man Brazil won the Copa América for the first time in 12 years in a dramatic match at the Maracanã", "Brazil’s Everton celebrates scoring his side’s first goal against Peru during the final soccer match of the Copa America at Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Sunday, July 7, 2019. (AP Photo/Andre Penner)\n\nRIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazil didn’t need Neymar to win another Copa América title at home.\n\nWith its injured star watching from the stands at a packed Maracanã Stadium on Sunday, Brazil beat Peru 3-1 to win its first South American title since 2007.\n\nIt was Neymar’s replacement, Everton, who led the team to victory, scoring a goal and setting up another to give Brazil its ninth Copa América trophy, and fifth at home.\n\nGabriel Jesus and Richarlison also scored for Brazil, which has won the title every time it hosted the tournament.\n\n“I gave everything I had today,” said Everton, who was voted player of the final and also finished as one of the tournament’s top scorers with three goals.\n\n“Who would have thought that Everton would be playing in the final and would be named the man of the match,” Brazil coach Tite said.\n\nNeymar, who was ruled out before the tournament because of an ankle injury, sat with his son close to Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro among the crowd of nearly 70,000 at the Maracanã.\n\n“Neymar is extraordinary, he’s a top 3 player,” Tite said. But “with teamwork we stayed strong.”\n\nBrazilian fans had some reason to worry after Gabriel Jesus was sent off in the 70th minute because of a second yellow card, but Peru couldn’t pull off one last upset after eliminating Uruguay in the quarterfinals and two-time defending champion Chile in the semifinals.\n\n“Brazil deserved the victory,” Peru coach Ricardo Gareca said. “We played better than we did in the previous match. We have improved as a team. We still have to improve more, but we are on the right track.”\n\nPeru, which had been routed 5-0 by Brazil in the group stage and barely avoided early elimination, was trying to win its first Copa América trophy since 1975 and just its second overall. It hadn’t returned to the final since ’75.\n\nThe victory helped Brazil to regain the confidence of some supporters following its quarterfinal exit at the 2018 World Cup in Russia. It will also ease some of the pressure on coach Tite, who had been criticized for his selections and the team’s lackluster performances.\n\nBrazil hadn’t made it past the quarterfinals of the Copa América since beating Argentina 3-0 in the 2007 final in Venezuela. It didn’t even get past the group stage in 2016.\n\nThe last time it won the Copa América at home had been in 1989, when Romário scored the winner against Uruguay at the Maracanã.\n\nBrazil’s only other trophy since 2007 came in the 2013 Confederations Cup, also at home.\n\nBrazil arrived as a heavy favorite but it was an even match from the start, with the hosts not being able to press too much despite being urged on by most of the crowd at the Maracanã.\n\nEverton opened the scoring in the 15th from close range after a well-placed cross by Gabriel Jesus, who made a surging run down the right flank.\n\n“I’m happy with the goal and with the penalty in the end,” Everton said. “I have to thank my teammates for helping me finish as a top scorer.”\n\nThe 23-year-old Everton was elevated to the starting lineup after Neymar was ruled out and his initial substitute, David Neres, struggled in the first couple of matches.\n\nVeteran striker Paolo Guerrero equalized with a 44th-minute penalty after a handball by Brazil defender Thiago Silva. The goal allowed Guerrero to become the Copa América’s all-time leading scorer among active players with 14 goals.\n\nIt was the only goal conceded by Brazil in six games.\n\nGabriel Jesus put the hosts ahead again in the third minute of first-half stoppage time with a low shot after an assist from midfielder Arthur.\n\nPeru tried to take control after Gabriel Jesus was sent off for a hard foul on an opponent, but the visitors were not able to create many significant chances.\n\nBrazil sealed victory when Richarlison, who had missed a few matches because of the mumps, converted a penalty kick in the 90th after Everton was fouled.\n\nBoth penalty kicks had to be delayed for video reviews.\n\nBrazil’s veteran right back Dani Alves was voted the player of the tournament.", "RIO DE JANEIRO >> Host Brazil defeated Peru 3-1 today to win its first Copa América title since 2007.\n\nEverton, Gabriel Jesus and Richarlison scored a goal each to give Brazil its ninth South American championship at a packed Maracanã Stadium.\n\nPeru scored through Paolo Guerrero but couldn’t pull off one last upset after eliminating Uruguay in the quarterfinals and two-time defending champion Chile in the semifinals.\n\nBrazil, playing the tournament without the injured Neymar, was with 10 men from the 70th minute because Gabriel Jesus was sent off with a second yellow card.\n\nNeymar and his son sat close to Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro among the crowd of nearly 70,000 at the Maracanã.\n\nBrazil has won the Copa América all five times it hosted the tournament.\n\nPeru, which had been routed 5-0 by Brazil in the group stage and barely escaped early elimination, was trying to win its first Copa América trophy in 44 years. It hadn’t made it to the final since it won its second South American title in 1975.\n\nThe victory helped Brazil to regain some of the fans’ confidence following the team’s elimination in the quarterfinals of the 2018 World Cup in Russia. It will also ease some of the pressure on coach Tite, who had been criticized for his selections and the team’s lackluster performances.\n\nBrazil hadn’t made it past the quarterfinals of the Copa América since beating Argentina 3-0 in the 2007 final in Venezuela. It didn’t even get past the group stage in 2016.\n\nThe last time it won the Copa América at home had been in 1989, when Romário scored the winner against Uruguay at the Maracanã.\n\nBrazil’s only other title since 2007 came in the 2013 Confederations Cup, also at home.\n\nIt was an even match from the start, with Brazil not being able to press too much despite being urged on by most of the crowd at the Maracanã.\n\nEverton opened the scoring in the 15th minute from close range after a well-placed cross by Gabriel Jesus, who made a great run down the right flank.\n\nGuerrero equalized for Peru by converting a 44th-minute penalty kick after a handball by Brazil defender Thiago Silva.\n\nGabriel Jesus put Brazil ahead again in the third minute of first-half stoppage time with a low shot after an assist from midfielder Arthur.\n\nPeru tried to take control after Gabriel Jesus was sent off for a hard foul on an opponent, but the visitors were not able to create many significant chances.\n\nBrazil sealed victory when Richarlison, who had missed a few matches because of the mumps, converted a penalty kick in the 90th.\n\nBoth penalty kicks had to be delayed for video reviews.\n\nUruguay is the Copa América’s most successful nation with 15 titles, one more than Argentina.", "Brazil’s Gabriel Jesus celebrates scoring his side’s first goal during a Copa America semifinal soccer match against Argentina at Mineirao stadium in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, Tuesday, July 2, 2019. Brazil won the match 2-0 and advanced to the final. (AP Photo/Eugenio Savio)\n\nRIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Can a team that was trashed by the favorites in a major soccer tournament win a final against the same opponent only two weeks later?\n\nThe answer will be known on Sunday after Copa América host Brazil takes on underdogs Peru in an unexpected final at Rio de Janeiro’s historic Maracanã Stadium in front of 70,000 fans.\n\nBrazil is chasing its ninth Copa title and first since 2007. Peru won in 1939 and 1975.\n\nBrazil has won all four Copa América editions it hosted, the last in 1989 when Romário scored the winner against Uruguay at the same Maracanã.\n\nOnly two weeks ago the Brazilians crushed their neighbors 5-0 at São Paulo’s Arena Corinthians, with goals by Casemiro, Roberto Firmino, Éverton, Dani Alves and Willian. It could have been six for the hosts if Gabriel Jesus had not missed a penalty near the end. That result nearly eliminated the Peruvians from the tournament.\n\nBut the final will be a totally different affair, players from both teams insist.\n\n“Each match has a different story,” said Brazilian striker Éverton, the team’s sharpest dribbler at Copa América and scorer of two goals.\n\nHe is playing in the injured Neymar’s position, and will have either Filipe Luis, who is returning from injury, or Alex Sandro, to help him on the left flank.\n\nVeteran Peru striker Paolo Guerrero, the team’s most recognizable player, agrees the title is up for grabs.\n\n“There are no favorites in a final. Both teams are there because they deserved it,” Guerrero said, despite admitting he will miss injured midfielder Jefferson Farfán in the final.\n\nMidfielder Edison Flores, who has scored two goals in Copa América, is also a doubt.\n\nBrazil enjoyed three clear victories against Bolivia (3-0), Peru (5-0) and Argentina (2-0). But many fans focus on the two goalless draws against Venezuela and Paraguay to put more pressure on coach Tite for his conservative choices. Players came out in his defense on Friday after a news report emerged saying he could choose to leave regardless of the result in the final.\n\nPeru only advanced to the knockout stage as one of the top two teams finishing the group stage in third position. It drew against unimpressive Venezuela 0-0 and beat weak Bolivia 3-1 to move to the quarterfinals. But after the heavy defeat to Brazil Peru picked itself up in style, eliminating favorites Uruguay on penalties and crushing defending champions and archrivals Chile 3-0 in the semifinals.\n\nBrazil fans tend to have little expectation about South American cup finals, even when they are hosting, but see the tournament as an interesting measurement of the team’s chances in the next World Cup. Losing could mean a bumpy road ahead, since members of Tite’s coaching staff either left or are about to leave, and many veteran players are unlikely to play in Qatar in 2022.\n\nFor Peruvian fans the anticipation is evident, seeking their first trophy in 44 years despite Brazil’s favorite tag. More than 30,000 of them are likely to be in Rio for the match.\n\nPeru fans are looking everywhere for inspiration, including two matches as far back as the 1954 World Cup. Hungary had some of the best players in the world at the time. The West Germans were only underdogs when the tournament began. In the first clash between the two teams at the group stage, the Hungarians beat a reserve-filled West Germany 8-3. But two weeks later, the Germans beat the favorites 3-2 to win their first title.\n\nCafu, a 1994 and 2002 World Cup winner with Brazil, said Friday that Brazil was favorite to win but added a caution.\n\n“It is the obvious favorite, but that doesn’t mean it has already won the match,” he said.\n\nThe match will be Brazil’s first at the Maracanã in six years.", "(AP) — Can a team that was trashed by the favorites in a major soccer tournament win a final against the same opponent only two weeks later?\n\nThe answer will be known on Sunday after Copa América host Brazil takes on underdogs Peru in an unexpected final at Rio de Janeiro’s historic Maracanã Stadium in front of 70,000 fans.\n\nBrazil is chasing its ninth Copa title and first since 2007. Peru won in 1939 and 1975.\n\nBrazil has won all four Copa América editions it hosted, the last in 1989 when Romário scored the winner against Uruguay at the same Maracanã.\n\nOnly two weeks ago the Brazilians crushed their neighbors 5-0 at São Paulo’s Arena Corinthians, with goals by Casemiro, Roberto Firmino, Éverton, Dani Alves and Willian. It could have been six for the hosts if Gabriel Jesus had not missed a penalty near the end. That result nearly eliminated the Peruvians from the tournament.\n\nBut the final will be a totally different affair, players from both teams insist.\n\n“Each match has a different story,” said Brazilian striker Éverton, the team’s sharpest dribbler at Copa América and scorer of two goals.\n\nHe is playing in the injured Neymar’s position, and will have either Filipe Luis, who is returning from injury, or Alex Sandro, to help him on the left flank.\n\nVeteran Peru striker Paolo Guerrero, the team’s most recognizable player, agrees the title is up for grabs.\n\n“There are no favorites in a final. Both teams are there because they deserved it,” Guerrero said, despite admitting he will miss injured midfielder Jefferson Farfán in the final.\n\nMidfielder Edison Flores, who has scored two goals in Copa América, is also a doubt.\n\nBrazil enjoyed three clear victories against Bolivia (3-0), Peru (5-0) and Argentina (2-0). But many fans focus on the two goalless draws against Venezuela and Paraguay to put more pressure on coach Tite for his conservative choices. Players came out in his defense on Friday after a news report emerged saying he could choose to leave regardless of the result in the final.\n\nPeru only advanced to the knockout stage as one of the top two teams finishing the group stage in third position. It drew against unimpressive Venezuela 0-0 and beat weak Bolivia 3-1 to move to the quarterfinals. But after the heavy defeat to Brazil Peru picked itself up in style, eliminating favorites Uruguay on penalties and crushing defending champions and archrivals Chile 3-0 in the semifinals.\n\nBrazil fans tend to have little expectation about South American cup finals, even when they are hosting, but see the tournament as an interesting measurement of the team’s chances in the next World Cup. Losing could mean a bumpy road ahead, since members of Tite’s coaching staff either left or are about to leave, and many veteran players are unlikely to play in Qatar in 2022.\n\nFor Peruvian fans the anticipation is evident, seeking their first trophy in 44 years despite Brazil’s favorite tag. -Soccer and .", "The victory helped Brazil to regain the confidence of some supporters following its quarterfinal exit at the 2018 World Cup in Russia. It will also ease some of the pressure on coach Tite, who had been criticized for his selections and the team's lackluster performances.\n\nBrazil hadn't made it past the quarterfinals of the Copa América since beating Argentina 3-0 in the 2007 final in Venezuela. It didn't even get past the group stage in 2016.\n\nThe last time it won the Copa América at home had been in 1989, when Romário scored the winner against Uruguay at the Maracanã.\n\nBrazil's only other trophy since 2007 came in the 2013 Confederations Cup, also at home.\n\nBrazil arrived as a heavy favorite but it was an even match from the start, with the hosts not being able to press too much despite being urged on by most of the crowd at the Maracanã.\n\nEverton opened the scoring in the 15th from close range after a well-placed cross by Gabriel Jesus, who made a surging run down the right flank.\n\n\"I'm happy with the goal and with the penalty in the end,\" Everton said. \"I have to thank my teammates for helping me finish as a top scorer.\"\n\nThe 23-year-old Everton was elevated to the starting lineup after Neymar was ruled out and his initial substitute, David Neres, struggled in the first couple of matches.", "Fans have been celebrating Brazil's ninth Copa América title after the host nation beat Peru 3-1 in the final at the Maracanã Stadium.\n\nFollowing the victory, Seleção supporters insisted it was important to prove they could win a trophy without Neymar, who was ruled out of the tournament due to an ankle injury.\n\nThis is the first time Brazil have made it past the quarter-finals of the contest since beating Argentina 3-0 in the 2007 final.\n• Jesus and Richarlison help end Copa América drought for Brazil", "RIO DE JANEIRO — Three Brazilian stars will return to their European clubs boosted by their good performances and a Copa América title.\n\nManchester City striker Gabriel Jesus, and Barcelona midfielders Philippe Coutinho and Arthur were among Brazil's best in the campaign that led to its ninth Copa América title on Sunday.\n\nFavorite Brazil beat Peru 3-1 at the Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro.\n\nÉverton, Jesus and Richarlison scored for Brazil, which went down to 10 men in the second half after Jesus was sent off. Paolo Guerrero netted Peru's only goal from the spot.\n\nThe 22-year-old Jesus was Brazil's leading figure in the final, just as he was in the 2-0 victory against Argentina in the semifinals.\n\nAgainst Peru, Jesus not only scored but caused problems with dribbling on the right flank, good passing and effective tackling from box to box. He was sent off in the 70th after a second yellow and left the field in tears, punched the television used for video review, and still got loud cheers from fans.\n\nThe goal Jesus scored against Argentina was his first in an official match for Brazil since October 2017, in the 3-0 win against Chile in São Paulo in World Cup qualifying.\n\nLess impressive than Jesus in the knockout stage but still effective, Coutinho scored a brace in Brazil's 3-0 victory against Bolivia in the Copa América opener, and was key for his team's high ball possession in all their matches.\n\nArthur also left a positive impression for his defending skills and intelligence in controlling Brazil's flow. After Jesus was ejected in the final, the Barcelona midfielder took responsibility to calm Brazil down and make the team regroup.\n\nThe 22-year-old Arthur was also one of the main reasons Brazil conceded only one goal in the tournament — the one Guerrero scored from the spot.", "Brazil has its sights set on becoming South American champions for the ninth time, while Peru hopes to claim its third continental title, when the two nations meet in the 2019 Copa America final in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Sunday (4 p.m. ET).\n\nThe host nation is yet to concede a goal this tournament and has outscored opponents by a combined margin of 10-0, including a 5-0 thrashing of this same Peru side during the group stage.\n\nThe degree to which Peru beating Brazil in the final, in Rio, would be an upset is almost incomprehensible. The Selecao has won its last four final appearances, dating back to 1997, while Peru hasn’t appeared in a final since last winning it in 1975.\n\nWatch game live online in Spanish via Telemundo Deportes and via the NBCSports App. All you have to do is click on the link above.", "Rio de Janeiro, July 7 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 8th Jul, 2019 ) :Brazil coach Tite and Peru counterpart Ricardo Gareca made no changes to their teams for Sunday's Copa America final at Rio de Janeiro's Maracana stadium.\n\nBoth aligned the exact same starting XI line-ups that played in the semi-finals earlier in the week.\n\nIt means Everton, Roberto Firmino and Gabriel Jesus remain up front for hosts Brazil, while Peru's veteran captain Palo Guerrero leads the line for his side.\n\nBrazil are looking to win a ninth Copa title and their first major trophy in 12 years.\n\nPeru are aiming for only their third Copa success, having last triumphed in 1975.\n\nBrazil beat arch-rivals Argentina 2-0 in the semi-finals while Peru shocked the outgoing champions Chile 3-0."], "summary": "Hosts Brazil defeat Peru 3–1 in the final match of the Copa América at the Estádio do Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro. It is their ninth title and first since 2007."}
{"document": ["\n\nPaul Arriola of the United States fouls Luis Rodriguez of Mexico in the first half Sunday in Chicago. (Dylan Buell/Getty Images)\n\nCHICAGO — Long before it started, Sunday’s match against Mexico already carried weight for the U.S. men’s national soccer team thanks to the opponent: the Americans’ southern rival and a regional power. Then toss in these stakes: One team would end the night celebrating with the Concacaf Gold Cup trophy.\n\nThe teams had met five previous times in the Gold Cup final, but this year’s edition held additional value: The Americans had a chance to reestablish confidence in a program still haunted by its failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.\n\nU.S. Coach Gregg Berhalter singled out July 7 as the all-important date when the team started training camp in May. This was the night the Americans would work toward together. But when the Gold Cup final arrived, the U.S. team couldn’t top tournament-favorite Mexico in a 1-0 loss at Soldier Field.\n\nThe Americans had early chances, but Mexico looked like the more dangerous team in the second half. It finally broke through in the 73rd minute when Jonathan dos Santos scored off a back-heel pass from Raul Jimenez, prompting fountains of beer to fly upward in the pro-Mexico crowd. The ball barely hit the crossbar and bounced into the net.\n\n“Over the course of 90 minutes, Mexico was the better team,” Berhalter said. “Having said that, we started the game really bright. We came out, created some really good chances.”\n\nThousands of Mexican supporters flocked to Soldier Field hours in advance, greeting the U.S. team with boos and filling the stadium with Mexican flags as kickoff approached.\n\nBut for the Americans, the past month has been about development as much as a journey to the final. Berhalter has only led the program since December, and players have had to learn new roles. The first half, striker Jozy Altidore said, “showed the ideas that Gregg has, the ideas of the players being brave and wanting to play this style.” And that’s tangible progress.\n\nThe Americans created scoring opportunities early — one of the positive trends through the tournament, Berhalter said — but the United States never capitalized. Christian Pulisic had an early attempt saved by Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa. Soon after, Altidore sent the ball just to the right of the post.\n\nWhen Mexico’s defensive miscommunication in the 31st minute caught Ochoa away from the net, Paul Arriola’s shot rolled just outside the left post. Early in the second half, Jordan Morris tried to head in the ball from close range off a corner kick, but Mexico’s Andres Guardado blocked the shot on the goal line.\n\n“Obviously everyone’s disappointed,” Morris said. “... It’s a game we felt like we could have won, had some clear-cut chances.”\n\nThe game started to swing into Mexico’s control in the second half. The U.S. team struggled in midfield against El Tri, and after the break, Berhalter saw his players rushing their attacks, draining their energy by playing more of a vertical game.\n\nAfter falling behind, the Americans had a couple of late chances off corner kicks, but Mexico’s defense managed to keep the ball out of the net.\n\nIn a hostile environment with a raucous crowd that favored Mexico, Berhalter said his group lacked poise and composure, while “Mexico certainly had it.” But now the younger players have this experience, something to build on heading into this new World Cup cycle.\n\nEven though the United States arrived in Chicago after an encouraging performance against Jamaica in the semifinal, the team still hadn’t been tested quite like this.\n\n“That’s what’s hard about these tournaments,” Altidore said. “You play games that kind of aren’t up to scruff until the final. The final is a huge step — faster game, just way more intense than some of the group-stage games. In that regard, it was tough but it was a good measuring stick of where we’re trying to go.”\n\nEach game added a new layer of judgment about this team: How well have the players learned their roles in Berhalter’s system? And how well will it work? Some games have showed promise. Other moments have illuminated concerns.\n\nThe U.S. team only conceded two goals through six games. The semifinal win showcased bursts of cohesion. But against Mexico, the Americans’ toughest challenger since Berhalter took over in December, the U.S. squad couldn’t rise to the level of its rival. There’s still solace in the progress, the learning and the experience.\n\n“I think it’s a step forward,” Altidore said. “If you look at the final here today and how we started the game, I think was terrific. I’ve been on this team a long time. To see that initiative, to see the guys eager to play forward and play out of pressure and keep the ball in a game like this, this is progress in my opinion.”\n\nThe Gold Cup final could have been even more: a confidence-building night in this new era of U.S. men’s soccer. Instead, the team exits with a mix of performances that suggested improvement but ultimately a final night in Chicago that left it off the top tier of men’s soccer in the region.\n\n“When you talk about a step the team needs to take, we’re close,\" Berhalter said. \"We’re close. But we weren’t there tonight.”\n\nRead more:\n\nPulisic and McKennie give U.S. men’s national team ‘solutions’\n\nRose Lavelle has been U.S. soccer’s World Cup revelation\n\nThe U.S. women are part of a movement. They won’t be the only female athletes to speak up.\n\nAt left back, Crystal Dunn is getting it right for USWNT at World Cup\n\nMegan Rapinoe: ‘I’m particularly and uniquely and very deeply American’\n\nThe U.S. women’s national team is fearless. It showed again in a win against England.", "Washington, 8 July 2019 (dpa/MIA) – Mexico beat the US 1-0 on Sunday to seize the Gold Cup for the eighth time, with a goal from Jonathan dos Santos clinching the win for El Tri in the 73rd minute.\n\nIt was Mexico’s first Gold Cup victory since 2015, but Gerardo “Tata” Martino’s team had been the favourites to win the match, played in front of more than 62,000 football fans at Chicago’s Soldier Field stadium.\n\nThe night was a fresh disappointment for the US team, who have been defeated five times by Mexico in six meetings at the Gold Cup final. Their only victory against them was in 2007.", "CHICAGO – Since the tournament’s inception in 1991, it’s a common match-up for the championship.\n\nSunday would be the sixth time that the United States Men’s National Team would meet Mexico for the CONCACAF Gold Cup title. In the previous five, “El Tri” owned the edge, winning four of the contests, including the last two meetings in 2009 and 2011.\n\nTo find the only United States win, you’d have to go back to the 2007 final, which was played at Soldier Field. Perhaps returning to the final in Chicago would give the USMNT a boost against the regional rival?\n\nWhile it produced a few great chances, it once again wasn’t meant to be for them to pull through with a win against El Tri, who beat the US 1-0 to win the Gold Cup title.\n\nGreg Berhalter’s squad had a few great opportunities to grab the lead, but they failed to put one in the net, and Jonathan dos Santos’ goal in the 73rd minute was the difference. It’s the eighth Gold Cup title for Mexico, and the fifth time they’ve won the tournament with a final win over the USWNT.\n\nMaybe it would have been different had this eighth-minute opportunity by Jozy Altidore had been converted. But after getting the long ball, then beating a defender, he pushed the shot wide of the net to end the scoring chance.\n\nJordan Morris looked to have himself a goal in the 51st minute, but Mexico’s Andres Guardado was there to head it out after the ball got past goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa.\n\nEventually, Mexico got on the board in the 73rd minute, when dos Santos took a short pass from Raul Jimenez and fired it into the goal from just inside the box to make it 1-0.\n\nThe United States would continue to make pushes on the goal to no avail, as Ochoa stopped any threat in the final 17 minutes as Mexico once again captured a Gold Cup championship.", "Jonathan dos Santos was the hero as his goal saw Mexico edge the United States in the CONCACAF Gold Cup final.\n\nMexico claimed their eighth CONCACAF Gold Cup title with an entertaining 1-0 win over the United States in the final on Sunday.\n\nJonathan dos Santos was the hero with the 73rd-minute winner at Soldier Field in Chicago.\n\nDos Santos took his chance excellently in a game during which USA squandered theirs, with Christian Pulisic and Jozy Altidore missing early opportunities.\n\nJordan Morris also had a header cleared off the line before Dos Santos’ winner came after a period of dominance by Gerardo Martino’s men.\n\nUSA made a brilliant start and created two great chances in the opening eight minutes.\n\nThe first opportunity fell to Pulisic, who was denied in a one-on-one by Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa after being set up by Altidore.\n\nAltidore should have opened the scoring for USA soon after, but he scuffed an effort wide after a wonderful change of direction on the edge of the area.\n\nMexico responded and almost took the lead through Andres Guardado, who blazed over from inside the area under heavy pressure from Paul Arriola.\n\nIn what was a frantic end-to-end first half, Arriola fired another decent chance wide for USA from inside the area.\n\nUSA continued to enjoy the better opportunities to begin the second half, with Morris’ 51st-minute header from a corner cleared off the line by Guardado.\n\nMexico were much-improved after that chance, enjoying a good period that included Jesus Gallardo directing a 25-yard volley straight at USA goalkeeper Zack Steffen in the 68th minute.\n\nAnd they capitalised on their period of dominance with the opener just five minutes later through Dos Santos’ third international goal.\n\nA fine move down the right led to Raul Jimenez back-heeling a pass into the path of Dos Santos, whose excellent left-footed effort went in via the underside of the crossbar from just inside the area.\n\nThat would prove to be enough for Mexico as they saw out the closing stages to secure the title.\n\nWhile USA had the better of the chances, Mexico’s win marked their eighth Gold Cup crown. That moved them two titles clear of USA, who have won six.\n\nMexico impressed after Martino took charge in January, although their performances in the knockout stage of the Gold Cup never reached any great heights. Still, the Argentinian helped deliver the title for Mexico.\n\nThe hosts dominated long periods without capitalising and they were made to pay. Pulisic and Altidore missed good chances and Morris had another cleared off the line, while Mexico saw their period of dominance capped off with Dos Santos’ winner.\n\nUSA are looking ahead to the CONCACAF Nations League in October, while Mexico will face Argentina in a friendly in September.", "FRESNO, Calif. -- The United States men's national team fell 1-0 to Mexico in the Gold Cup final.Although the game was played at Soldier Field in Chicago, commentators said it was a decidedly \"pro-Mexican\" crowd.After a scoreless first half, Mexico's Jonathan dos Santos opened the scoring. His goal hit the underside of the crossbar and went in to give Mexico a 1-0 lead in the 73rd minute.The US had plenty of chances after the Mexican goal with 7 total corner kicks but couldn't break through.It was the sixth time the two sides met in the Gold Cup final and Mexico improved to 5-1 in the series all time.Earlier in the day the US women's national team won their 4th World Cup beating the Netherlands 2-0.", "For years, the winner of the Gold Cup earned two prizes. First and foremost, the champion earned bragging rights for North American and the Caribbean. In addition, the tournament winner qualified for the FIFA Confederation’s Cup since 1997.\n\nAfter 2005, every other Gold Cup winner earned a spot in the tournament that took place the year before the World Cup. The United States used the 2009 edition as a springboard to win its group in South Africa in 2010.\n\nHowever, that changed in April 2018. FIFA announced that the Confederation’s Cup would be shuttered in advance of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. According to IOL, the plan at the moment is to replace that tournament with an expanded Club World Cup.\n\nIt would now be held every fourth June in the year before a World Cup — just as the Confederations Cup was. Last year’s Confederations Cup in Russia — won by Germany — would therefore be the last. The competition would last 18 days. The new format means the club competition would interfere less with the rest of the football calendar, particularly in Europe.\n\nCarlos Codeiro, president of the United States Soccer Federation, confirmed this past February to that FIFA would move ahead with this plan.\n\n“It’s done and over with,” he said, according to The Athletic. “In place of Confederations Cup there will be intracontinental playoffs to get to that 48-team (World Cup).”\n\nAccording to Yahoo Sports, this also could be the second-to-last Gold Cup. The final one could be played in 2021.\n\nCordeiro went on to say the Gold Cup could be scrapped after the 2021 edition. “The Gold Cup is only legislated for this year and 2021, so it could go on but it may not happen,” he said. “There have been talks in the last year between CONMEBOL (the South American confederation) and CONCACAF on a kind of combined Copa America,” he added, “but they haven’t been able to come to an agreement on that.”\n\nThis means that the winner tonight between the United States and Mexico are playing for national pride and bragging rights rather than any sort of qualification for something substantial.\n\nFirst Half Stats for USA Mexico in the Gold Cup Final\n\nThe Gold Cup final is tied at 0-0 entering halftime.\n\nEl Tri and the Stars and Stripes played a chippy and close affair in the first 45 minutes Sunday night at Soldier Field. They combined for 14 fouls and got into more than a few shoving matches after excessive contact.\n\nBoth times earned tantalizing opportunities in front of the other’s net. Jozy Altidore, Christian Pulisic and Paul Arriola all barely missed wide, as the United States put up five shots overall. Meanwhile, Mexico launched eight shots, including two at Zach Steffen, while controlling possession by a 53-47 margin.\n\nBoth teams advanced to final on the back of excellent defense. The Americans allowed just one goal through the first five matches, while El Tri survived in the elimination rounds despite scoring just twice before penalty kicks.\n\nThe team that breaks through first should be able to leave Chicago with the title.", "The U.S. Men’s National Team will take on Mexico in the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup final on Sunday, July 7 at 6 p.m. PT at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois. You can watch the game on Fox Sports 1, or you can watch the match live for free with FuboTV (free trial).\n\nSee how to watch and follow live updates from the game here.\n\nThe United States advanced to the final after beating Jamaica 3-1 in the semifinals, while Mexico advanced to the final after beating Haiti 1-0 on a penalty kick in extra time in the semifinals. The United States won the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup with a 2-1 win over Jamaica.\n\nIf you are looking to watch the USMNT take on Mexico, here’s what you need to know:\n\nWhat: The U.S. Men’s National Team will take on Mexico in the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup final.\n\nTV Channel: Fox Sports 1 (In Portland: Comcast 408/723); In Spanish on Univision.\n\nWatch online: You can watch the live stream of the game on Fox Sports Go with your cable provider, or you can watch live online for free when you try FuboTV (free trial).", "(Reuters) - Mexico's Jonathan dos Santos scored in the 73rd minute to give his side a 1-0 win over the United States in the CONCACAF Gold Cup final on Sunday.\n\nThe victory over the defending champions in Chicago earned Mexico a record-extending eighth title at the biennial tournament, which crowns the continental champions of North America, Central America and the Caribbean.\n\nMexico took control midway through the second half and got their goal when Dos Santos received a back-heel pass from Raul Jimenez and fired home off the underside of the bar.\n\nThe United States had a series of corners late in the game and in the 87th minute one delivery caused havoc in the Mexico box but Hector Moreno made a big block with his face to preserve their lead.\n\nThe hosts threw everyone forward in the two minutes of stoppage time but Mexico held firm to reclaim the title they last won in 2015.\n\nThe game got off to a frenetic start and it was the United States who had the better chances early on while Mexico, who entered the tournament as favorites, looked shaky at the back as they weathered the early storm.\n\nChristian Pulisic nearly opened the scoring in the fifth minute when he used his speed to break in alone after a smart through ball from Jozy Altidore but was denied by a brilliant save from Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa.\n\nMoments later Tim Ream found Altidore with a ball over the top and the striker, with only Ochoa to beat, put his left-footed effort wide.\n\nMexico's best chance of the half came in the 16th minute when Andres Guardado looked ready to tap home a cross from the left only for Paul Arriola to arrive out of nowhere and put him off at the last second.\n\nTempers flared after the break when Moreno pushed Altidore over and then dropped onto his back. American Weston McKennie quickly jumped in and several players converged but no cards were issued.\n\nA U.S. corner in the 51st minute saw Jordan Morris power a header on target but Guardado headed the ball off the line. McKennie's follow-up shot was then blocked by a sea of bodies and while the Americans claimed handball the referee waved away the appeals.\n\nMexico suddenly moved up a gear and after creating a number of chances Dos Santos finally broke the deadlock to set his side on their way to victory.", "Haiti midfielder Steeven Saba and Mexico midfielder Andres Guardado (18) fight for the ball during the first half of a CONCACAF Gold Cup soccer match, Tuesday, July 2, 2019, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)\n\nGLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Mexico played with flair, dominated the ball, dodged a few counters by Haiti.\n\nEl Tri played a complete game except for one area: Finishing.\n\nUnable to score on multiple golden opportunities, Mexico needed Raul Jimenez’s goal on a penalty kick in the 93rd minute to end Haiti’s impressive Gold Cup run in the semifinals with a 1-0 victory on Tuesday night.\n\n“We are very happy with the players’ effort,” Mexico assistant coach Jorge Theiler said through a translator. “Mexico is going to the finals and that’s what matters.”\n\nMexico dominated possession, yet could not find a way to put the finishing touches in Haiti’s end, allowing Les Grenadiers to hang around and build confidence while playing to a scoreless tie in regulation.\n\nJimenez was awarded a penalty kick early in the extra time after Herve Bazile took him down at the edge of the penalty box. Jimenez slow-played the penalty kick, slipping it behind Jhony Placide after the Haitian goalie dove to his right to bring the crowd to its feet.\n\nEl Tri moves on to face defending champion United States or Jamaica in Sunday’s final at Chicago’s Soldier Field.\n\n“We just kept doing what we were doing and we showed a lot of character,” Mexico defender Carlos Salcedo said. “There have been games where we could do a lot of what we wanted and others where we couldn’t. That’s how these tournaments go. We did what we had to do.”\n\nHaiti had several good chances on counters after absorbing Mexico’s pressure, yet couldn’t get a ball into the net in its first Gold Cup semifinals.\n\nLes Grenadiers had a final chance to tie in the 119th minute, but Mikeal Gabriel Cantave’s shot hit the crossbar and popped straight up in the air to Mexico goalie Guillermo Ochoa.\n\n“We knew Mexico would probably dominate the possession,” Haiti coach Marc Collat said through a translator. “We wanted to keep it tied as long as we could and take advantage of our opportunities, but unfortunately we could not take advantage.”\n\nMexico, a seven-time Gold Cup champion, arrived in the desert as an overwhelming favorite against the young, confident Haitian side.\n\nRanked No. 101 in the world, Haiti did not bow under the pressure of playing in its first Gold Cup semifinal or facing mighty Mexico in front of 64,000 fans who made it feel like a home match for El Tri.\n\nHaiti beat Canada in the semifinals for its biggest win since qualifying for the 1974 World Cup and did not back down from Mexico, withstanding El Tri’s constant pressure and counterattacking when the opportunity arose.\n\nWith manager Gerardo Martino watching from a suite above — he was suspended after picking up two yellow cards — Mexico struggled to finish in the first half despite numerous chances. Placide also made a diving save on Jimenez’s header late in the half to keep Les Grenadiers tied at halftime.\n\nPlacide made another spectacular save in the 67th minute, leaping to knock away Andres Guardado’s free kick from just outside the penalty box, and Mexico continued to watch quality scoring opportunities come up empty.\n\n“It’s what we do, we fight,” Haiti defender Andrew Jean Baptiste said.\n\nHaiti failed in three previous attempts to get past the Gold Cup quarterfinals, including a loss to Mexico in 2009.\n\nLes Grenadiers, with their mix-and-match of young players born in countries across the globe, overcame language barriers — they speak everything from Creole to Portuguese — to make a monumental breakthrough to inspire a country that still hasn’t fully recovered from a massive earthquake in 2011.\n\nHaiti won its group with a surprising comeback win over Costa Rica and rallied from a two-goal halftime deficit to beat Canada 3-2 to reach its first Gold Cup semifinals.\n\nHaiti’s confidence carried into its game against El Tri.\n\nMexico, which beat Costa Rica on penalty kicks in the quarterfinals, used its crisp-passing control game to pressure Haiti throughout the first half. But Les Grenadiers played a countering, direct-attack game to create a few chances of their own.\n\nWith Mexico unable to finish, Haiti seemed to build more confidence the longer the game remained tied.\n\nLes Grenadiers fought to a scoreless tie in regulation, but their dream run ended with a penalty kick and a hit crossbar in extra time.\n\n“We left it all on the field,” Baptiste said. “Guys could barely walk off the field.”", "US lineup unchanged for Gold Cup final vs Mexico\n\nCHICAGO (AP) — U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter left his starting lineup unchanged for Sunday night's CONCACAF Gold Cup final against Mexico and made Weston McKennie captain for the first time.\n\nZack Steffen was in goal for the defending champions, with Reggie Cannon at right back, Matt Miazga and Aaron Long in central defense and Tim Ream at left back.\n\nMichael Bradley was in the back of the midfield, with McKennie and Christian Pulisic ahead. Paul Arriola and Jordan Morris were on the flanks, and Jozy Altidore headed the attack.\n\nMcKennie scored in the 1-0 quarterfinal win over Curacao and had the first goal in the 3-1 semifinal victory over Jamaica."], "summary": "Mexico wins their eighth Gold Cup, defeating the United States 1–0 in the final match in Chicago."}
{"document": ["«Las rivales están hartas de nosotros. Nos tienen respeto, pero también muchas ganas», confiesan con orgullo, como si fuera un logro más de esta época inimaginable. Porque quien iba a pensar en España como tiranía, como dominadora absoluta del baloncesto europeo, como habitual de los podios en Mundiales y Juegos Olímpicos, hace no tanto. Cuando 13 de sus 14 medallas llegaron en el siglo XXI. Anoche en Belgrado, una gesta más para la colección, el segundo oro continental consecutivo, lo que no hacía nadie desde la URSS en 1991. [Narración y estadísticas (86-66)]\n\nAnoche ante Francia, otra exhibición, como han ido haciendo en este torneo que ha sido una revelación: acudía la selección mermada, a cumplir el expediente, y se va con el cuarto oro de su historia, con el séptimo verano seguido con triunfo. Muestra de que su amor propio es gigantesco.\n\nResultó la final una paliza inaudita, un repaso por el que pocos hubieran apostado. Pero es que no hay rival que se resista al empuje español, a esa confianza en sí mismas que ha ido creciendo durante un Eurobasket de menos a más hasta tocar el cielo. Toda una Francia hecha añicos. Versarán las leyendas sobre esta España para la que no había imposibles.\n\nRienda suelta al talento\n\nAmaneció como un ciclón, como si quisiera pegarse el gustazo de esa quimera que es disfrutar en una final, de ese «último baile» que pedía Mondelo para cerrar la discoteca. Con el trabajo hecho sin mácula durante todo el torneo, superadas todas las dificultades (las bajas de Alba Torrens y Sancho Lyttle, la irregular primera fase, la pujanza de Rusia y la fiereza del anfitrión) y amarrados los objetivos -Preolímpico y medalla-, era el momento de dar rienda suelta al talento, que también lo tienen entre sus muchos atributos estas chicas. Fue un comienzo vertiginoso, espectacular, fuera riendas y corsés. Y Francia se quedó tan patidifusa que ya no fue de reaccionar.\n\nPorque los tres triples sin fallo de Marta Xargay para empezar fueron un bofetón. Como fue un aguijón la picardía de Silvia Domínguez en un saque de fondo, síntoma de la desenvoltura. A la mínima, la selección a la carrera, 17 puntos en cuatro minutos, 32 en el primer cuarto (récord de anotación histórico en un cuarto en cualquier Europeo de España), seis triples de ocho intentos, un torbellino inesperado que destrozaba a las galas, que sólo encontraban alivio en Gruda.\n\nEn el segundo cuarto continuó la tendencia y la distancia se disparó hasta los 17 puntos (46-29), mientras las españolas se lo pasaban pipa en defensa y en ataque. Llegaban antes, robaban, forzaban los errores de las de Valerie Garnier, lanzaban sin complejos, penetraban para romper la zona rival y combinaban con alegría (15 asistencias al descanso, 27 al final).\n\nTortura para el rival\n\nEl paso por vestuarios sólo interrumpió la fiesta. Francia salió mentalizada, con la nacionalizada Bria Hartley tomando las riendas. Y llegó a amenazar con volver a la batalla, bajando incluso la barrera de los 10 (56-48). Un espejismo. Pronto se sobrepuso España, en otro de sus habituales ejercicios de resistencia. Xargay en vena, tomando el rol de anotadora, de absoluta líder de este equipo. Se iba a marcar una final de escándalo, confirmando el tamaño de una jugadora imprescindible.\n\nPronto se volvió a estirar el marcador, a regresar la frustración francesa. Ninguno de sus argumentos encontraba fortuna, ni sus gigantes pívots ni sus talentosas exteriores. Otra vez en España rebotaban todas las balas para desesperar al rival, como una tortura. Los cuatro oros de la selección llegaron con Francia enfrente, otra generación arruinada. España bailó, vaya que si bailó en Belgrado. La siguiente hazaña, en Tokio, que no pare la fiesta.", "The U.S. Women's Soccer Team wins their fourth World Cup title in France.", "How The U.S. Beat The Netherlands For A Fourth Women’s World Cup Title", "LYON, France (AP) — United States beats the Netherlands 2-0 to win its fourth Women’s World Cup title.", "The USA have won the Women’s World Cup for the fourth time after beating the Netherlands 2-0 in Sunday’s final. Megan Rapinoe opened the scoring with a second-half penalty, which was awarded by....Read more via Newtelegraph – https://ift.tt/2XulFXH Get More Nigeria Sports News", "USA will be aiming to both successfully defend their World Cup title and deliver a fourth world..."], "summary": "Spain wins its fourth title of the Eurobasket competition after defeating France in the final match."}
{"document": ["Abu Dhabi (CNN) The United Arab Emirates has reduced its forces in Yemen as part of a \"strategic\" redeployment, a senior Emirati official said Monday.\n\nThe UAE is a major coalition partner in the Saudi-led military campaign to quash Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. It has intervened in the country's war since March 2015.\n\nEmirati and Saudi forces have sought to prop up the United Nations-recognized government of Abdu Rabbu Mansour al-Hadi after Houthi fighters took over the Yemeni capital of Sanaa in 2014.\n\nLast month, Reuters reported the UAE had ordered the partial withdrawal of troops from the war-torn country because of domestic security concerns . Abu Dhabi preferred to have forces and equipment close by in case of a further escalation in tensions between the United States and Iran, the Reuters report said, citing three unnamed diplomats.\n\nSince May, six oil tankers have been attacked in the Gulf and Tehran has downed an unmanned US drone\n\nBut Emirati officials said they reduced their troops in Yemen due to a winding down of the conflict there. \"You can't be blind to other geostrategic concerns,\" the senior official told CNN, referring to the wider security threats in the region. \"But fundamentally this is really about Yemen.\"\n\nThe official said the draw-down would affect two main areas: the coastal Yemeni city of Hodeidah , where a withdrawal of Houthi forces has been negotiated, and the Eritrean port city of Assab, a staging ground for UAE operations against Houthis in Yemen.\n\n\"We feel in Hodeidah there is a political agreement that we are backing, and it makes a lot of sense for us to redeploy away from Hodeidah,\" the official said. The withdrawal of Houthi fighters from the strategic city was part of an agreement reached between Yemen's warring parties in Stockholm last December.\n\nThe UAE says it plans to shift its focus from fighting Houthi rebels to combating extremist Islamist groups such as ISIS and al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).\n\n\"Our commitment in Yemen remains. We are part of the Coalition,\" the official said.\n\n\"Our discussion over our current redeployment has been ongoing for over a year. It has been heightened after the signing of the Stockholm agreement in December,\" he added. \"So this is not really a last-minute decision. But part of a process. It's a process within the coalition that has been discussed extensively with our partners,\" the official said.", "UAE draws down troops in Yemen in 'strategic redeployment'\n\nDUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The United Arab Emirates has drawn down its troop levels in Yemen but remains a key member of the Saudi-led coalition at war with Iran-aligned rebels there.\n\nA senior Emirati official confirmed Monday that UAE troop levels are down, describing it as a \"strategic redeployment.\" The official declined to disclose how many troops have left Yemen and how many remain.\n\nIn discussing the drawdown of troops in Yemen, the Emirati official also noted the \"overall geostrategic picture\" in reference to escalating tensions between the U.S. and Iran in the Persian Gulf region. The UAE, which supports U.S. sanctions on Iran, has also called for a de-escalation.\n\nThe official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss troop deployments for security reasons.", "DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) - The United Arab Emirates has drawn down its troop levels in Yemen but remains a key member of the Saudi-led coalition at war with Iran-aligned rebels there.\n\nA senior Emirati official confirmed Monday that UAE troop levels are down, describing it as a \"strategic redeployment.\" The official declined to disclose how many troops have left Yemen and how many remain.\n\nIn discussing the drawdown of troops in Yemen, the Emirati official also noted the \"overall geostrategic picture\" in reference to escalating tensions between the U.S. and Iran in the Persian Gulf region. The UAE, which supports U.S. sanctions on Iran, has also called for a de-escalation.\n\nThe official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss troop deployments for security reasons.\n\nFILE - In this Sept. 14, 2015, file photo, Emirati soldiers stand guard out the rear gate of a Chinook military helicopter traveling from Saudi Arabia to Yemen. The United Arab Emirates has drawn down the number of its troops in Yemen, but has not withdrawn from the country and remains a key member of the Saudi-led coalition at war there, a senior Emirati official confirmed Monday, July 8,2 019. The official declined to give figures on how many troops have been withdrawn or how many remain in Yemen, but said the UAE remains committed to the Saudi-led coalition there. (AP Photo/Adam Schreck, File)\n\nFILE - In this Sept. 14, 2015, file photo, Yemeni Gen. Abd al-Rab Qassim al-Shadadi speaks to his troops at a United Arab Emirates military base near Saffer, Yemen. The United Arab Emirates has drawn down the number of its troops in Yemen, but has not withdrawn from the country and remains a key member of the Saudi-led coalition at war there, a senior Emirati official confirmed Monday, July 8, 2019. The official declined to give figures on how many troops have been withdrawn or how many remain in Yemen, but said the UAE remains committed to the Saudi-led coalition there. (AP Photo/Adam Schreck, File)", "FILE – In this Sept. 14, 2015, file photo, Emirati soldiers stand guard out the rear gate of a Chinook military helicopter traveling from Saudi Arabia to Yemen. The United Arab Emirates has drawn down the number of its troops in Yemen, but has not withdrawn from the country and remains a key member of the Saudi-led coalition at war there, a senior Emirati official confirmed Monday, July 8,2 019. The official declined to give figures on how many troops have been withdrawn or how many remain in Yemen, but said the UAE remains committed to the Saudi-led coalition there. (AP Photo/Adam Schreck, File)\n\nDUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The United Arab Emirates has drawn down its troop levels in Yemen but remains a key member of the Saudi-led coalition at war with Iran-aligned rebels there.\n\nA senior Emirati official confirmed Monday that UAE troop levels are down, describing it as a “strategic redeployment.” The official declined to disclose how many troops have left Yemen and how many remain.\n\nIn discussing the drawdown of troops in Yemen, the Emirati official also noted the “overall geostrategic picture” in reference to escalating tensions between the U.S. and Iran in the Persian Gulf region. The UAE, which supports U.S. sanctions on Iran, has also called for a de-escalation.\n\nThe official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss troop deployments for security reasons.", "Yemeni rebels on Tuesday called for the full withdrawal of the Arab coalition from the country. The statement came after the UAE, a key part of that coalition, said it had begun reducing its deployment.\n\n“We call on the aggressors to withdraw from Yemen, as the Republic of Yemen rejects aggression, siege and air embargo,” Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, head of the rebels’ Higher Revolutionary Committee, tweeted. “Withdrawing from Yemen is the ideal decision that must be taken at this time.”\n\nAn official from the UAE has reiterated its commitment to the Yemeni government and the Arab coalition, saying Abu Dhabi discussed redeployment with its Saudi partner “extensively,” AFP reported.", "DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) - The United Arab Emirates has drawn down its troop levels in Yemen but remains a key member of the Saudi-led coalition at war with Iran-aligned rebels there, a senior Emirati official said Monday.\n\nThe official confirmed that UAE troop levels are down, describing it as a \"strategic redeployment.\" The official declined to disclose how many soldiers have left Yemen and how many remain.\n\n\"Definitely, we do have troop levels that are down for reasons that are strategic in Hodeida and reasons that are tactical,\" the official said, referring to the Yemeni port city where a U.N.-brokered cease-fire is supposed to be in place.\n\nThe official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss troop deployments for security reasons.\n\nTalking to journalists in Dubai, the official said it makes sense to redeploy away from Hodeida and by extension from the UAE's military base at Eritrea's post of Assab, which was a staging ground for Emirati operations in Hodeida.\n\nAny other redeployment in others parts of Yemen \"will ebb and flow based our own assessment of what the situation involves,\" the official said.\n\nFILE - In this Sept. 14, 2015, file photo, Emirati soldiers stand guard out the rear gate of a Chinook military helicopter traveling from Saudi Arabia to Yemen. The United Arab Emirates has drawn down the number of its troops in Yemen, but has not withdrawn from the country and remains a key member of the Saudi-led coalition at war there, a senior Emirati official confirmed Monday, July 8,2 019. The official declined to give figures on how many troops have been withdrawn or how many remain in Yemen, but said the UAE remains committed to the Saudi-led coalition there. (AP Photo/Adam Schreck, File)\n\n\"Our commitment in Yemen remains. We are part of the coalition,\" the official said, adding that the drawdown was discussed extensively with the Saudis.\n\nYemeni military officials and tribal leaders, who also insisted on speaking anonymously to discuss the situation, said the UAE redeployed forces from the eastern province of Marib. Meanwhile, they said Emirati military reinforcements were sent to the southern provinces of Dhale and Shabwa. They said the UAE had also redeployed its forces and weapons to the Red Sea port town of Mocha.\n\nThe Houthis said in May they would begin to redeploy from three key ports in Yemen, including in Hodeida, which handles 70 percent of Yemen's food imports and humanitarian aid. The long-delayed redeployment of Houthi forces there is seen as a key first step toward ending the civil war, which erupted in 2014 when the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa.\n\nThe Saudi-led coalition has been at war in Yemen since 2015 to support the country's internationally-backed government. Tens of thousands of people have been killed and the war has generated the world's worst humanitarian crisis, drawing sharp bipartisan criticism in Congress.\n\nIn discussing the drawdown of troops in Yemen, the Emirati official also noted the escalating tensions between the U.S. and Iran in the Persian Gulf region, saying the UAE was not blind to \"the overall geostrategic picture.\"\n\nConcerns spiked in the UAE after four oil tankers were hit off its coast of Fujairah in May in an attack that the U.S. has blamed on Iran.\n\nA number of American academics and analysts who met recently with Emirati military officials say that in addition to withdrawing a significant number of troops from Yemen, the Emiratis have also moved Patriot batteries and other defense systems from Yemen back to the UAE to boost security and readiness at home amid heightened tensions with Iran.\n\n\"We're very, very protected when it comes to drones ... Patriots, Thaad system. But you know again, I think mostly, we are also protected through what I would say is continuous diplomacy,\" the Emirati official said before adding \"our whole effort has been at de-escalation.\"\n\nThe UAE supports U.S. sanctions on Iran, but has also stressed that war with Iran is not in the region's interest.\n\nIn addition to the four oil tankers hit in May, two other tankers were attacked in June in the Gulf of Oman, forcing crews on both ships to be rescued and evacuate. Iran denies any involvement.\n\nOver the same period, Iranian-allied rebels in Yemen, known as Houthis, upped their attacks on Saudi Arabia, using bomb-laden drones and missiles to target a Saudi airport, killing a civilian and wounding dozens others. The Houthis also claimed an attack on a Saudi oil pipeline.", "DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The United Arab Emirates has drawn down its troop levels in Yemen but remains a key member of the Saudi-led coalition at war with Iran-aligned rebels there, a senior Emirati official said Monday.\n\nThe official confirmed that UAE troop levels are down, describing it as a “strategic redeployment.” The official declined to disclose how many soldiers have left Yemen and how many remain.\n\n“Definitely, we do have troop levels that are down for reasons that are strategic in Hodeida and reasons that are tactical,” the official said, referring to the Yemeni port city where a U.N.-brokered cease-fire is supposed to be in place.\n\nThe official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss troop deployments for security reasons.\n\nTalking to journalists in Dubai, the official said it makes sense to redeploy away from Hodeida and by extension from the UAE’s military base at Eritrea’s post of Assab, which was a staging ground for Emirati operations in Hodeida.\n\nAny other redeployment in others parts of Yemen “will ebb and flow based our own assessment of what the situation involves,” the official said.\n\n“Our commitment in Yemen remains. We are part of the coalition,” the official said, adding that the drawdown was discussed extensively with the Saudis.\n\nThe Saudi-led coalition has been at war in Yemen since 2015 to support the country’s internationally-backed government. Tens of thousands of people have been killed and the war has generated the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, drawing sharp bipartisan criticism in Congress.\n\nWhen discussing the drawdown, the Emirati official also noted the escalating tensions between the U.S. and Iran in the Persian Gulf region, saying the UAE was not blind to “the overall geostrategic picture.”\n\nA number of American academics and analysts who met recently with Emirati military officials say that in addition to withdrawing a significant number of troops from Yemen, the Emiratis have also moved Patriot batteries and other defense systems from Yemen back to the UAE to boost security and readiness at home amid heightened tensions with Iran.\n\nYemeni military officials and tribal leaders, who also insisted on speaking anonymously to discuss the situation, said the UAE redeployed forces from the eastern province of Marib. Meanwhile, they said Emirati military reinforcements were sent to the southern provinces of Dhale and Shabwa. They said the UAE had also redeployed its forces and weapons to the Red Sea port town of Mocha.\n\nThe Iranian-allied rebels in Yemen, known as Houthis, said in May they would begin to redeploy from three key ports in Yemen, including Hodeida, which handles 70 percent of Yemen’s food imports and humanitarian aid. The long-delayed redeployment of Houthi forces there is seen as a key first step toward ending the civil war, which erupted in 2014 when the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa.\n\nMeanwhile, security concerns spiked in the UAE after four oil tankers were hit off its coast of Fujairah in May in an attack that the U.S. has blamed on Iran.\n\n“We’re very, very protected when it comes to drones … Patriots, Thaad system. But you know again, I think mostly, we are also protected through what I would say is continuous diplomacy,” the Emirati official said before adding “our whole effort has been at de-escalation.”\n\nThe UAE supports U.S. sanctions on Iran, but has also stressed that war with Iran is not in the region’s interest.\n\nTwo other tankers were attacked in June in the Gulf of Oman, forcing crews on both ships to be rescued and evacuate. Iran denies any involvement.\n\nTensions rose further after Iran shot down an unmanned U.S. surveillance drone.\n\nOver the same period, Houthis have upped their attacks on Saudi Arabia, using bomb-laden drones and missiles to target a Saudi airport, killing a civilian and wounding dozens others. The Houthis also claimed an attack on a Saudi oil pipeline.\n\nAssociated Press writer Ahmed al-Haj in Sanaa, Yemen, contributed to this report.\n\nCopyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.", "Yemen's Houthi rebels have called for the full withdrawal of a military coalition led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates after the latter said it had begun reducing its deployment in the war-torn country.\n\n\"We call on the aggressors to withdraw from Yemen, as the Republic of Yemen rejects aggression, siege and air embargo,\" Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, the head of the Houthi rebels' Supreme Revolutionary Committee, tweeted on Monday.\n\n\"Withdrawing from Yemen is the ideal decision that must be taken at this time,\" he added.\n\nYemen's latest conflict broke out in late 2014 when the Houthis, allied with forces loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, seized much of the country, including the capital, Sanaa.\n\nThe war escalated in March 2015 when the Saudi-UAE-led coalition launched a ferocious air campaign against the rebels in a bid to restore the internationally recognised government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi. Since then, tens of thousands of civilians and combatants have been killed and as many as 85,000 children may have starved to death.\n\nA senior UAE official said on Monday the country would reduce its troop presence in Yemen, moving from a \"military-first\" to a \"peace-first\" strategy.\n\n\"We do have troop levels that are down for reasons that are strategic in (the Red Sea port city of) Hodeida and reasons that are tactical\" in other parts of the country, a senior UAE official, who requested anonymity, was quoted as saying by news agencies.\n\nAccording to the unnamed UAE official, the Gulf state pulled out some of its forces from areas including the southern port of Aden and the western coast.\n\nThe UAE official emphasised his country's continued support for Saudi Arabia, saying discussions on troops' movements had been coordinated for more than a year.\n\n\"This is not really a last-minute decision. This is part of the process within the coalition that's been discussed extensively with our partners, the Saudis.\"\n\nGamal Gasim, a political science professor at Grand Valley State University in Michigan, told Al Jazeera the UAE's redeployment was contrary to Saudi Arabia's strategy of crushing the Iran-aligned rebels.\n\n\"The UAE more likely intends to split Yemen into two countries of South and North where it will have influence and dominance over the southern part. Saudi Arabia, on the other hand, is more interested in defeating the Houthis and ending Iranian influence,\" Gasim said.\n\nYemeni journalist and human rights activist Tawakkol Karman told al Jazeera that the UAE was pressured into pulling out of Yemen by Iran, and as a \"cosmetic\" move to improve its image.\n\n\"This [the withdrawal of UAE troops from Yemen] is a cosmetic withdrawal meant to improve the UAE's image ... [after] their failure in Yemen... [and following] a piece of advice from the UK.\n\n\"[Another] reason was a serious warning from Iran to the UAE. If they remain in Yemen, then their luxurious, glassy towers will be targeted by any of Iran's arms in the region,\" explained Karman.\n\nEchoing similar sentiments, Saeed Thabit, a Qatar-based Yemeni political analyst, questioned the veracity of the UAE official's comments.\n\n\"The UAE announcement appears to be disingenuous and doesn't reflect a sincere desire to end the war in Yemen, partly because it was leaked in an anonymous fashion without an official announcement,\" Thabit said.\n\n\"The UAE troops still have a substantial presence in Yemen, and this development was made more to antagonise the Saudis who are facing more military pressure from the Houthis at their borders with Yemen.\"\n\nThe Houthis, who have faced persistent coalition bombing that has exacted a heavy civilian death toll - have stepped up missile and drone attacks across the Saudi border in recent weeks.\n\nAt least one person has been killed and 56 wounded in Saudi Arabia in three such Houthi attacks since June 12, according to Saudi authorities.\n\nSaudi Arabia has repeatedly accused Iran of supplying sophisticated weapons to the Houthis, a charge Tehran denies.\n\nThe UAE announcement also comes amid a standoff between the United States and Iran, which spiked in June when Iranian forces shot down a US drone following a series of suspected tanker attacks Washington has blamed on Tehran over Iranian denials.\n\nDiplomats have said the UAE prefers to have military forces and equipment on hand should tensions between the US and Iran further escalate in the Gulf.\n\nThe UAE official said: \"Many people asked if this is also linked to the current rise of tensions with Iran. I would say fundamentally no ... But of course, we cannot be blind to the overall strategic picture.\"", "Brian Dooley is a senior adviser at Human Rights First.\n\nLast week, Sen. Robert Menendez (N.J.), the ranking Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, sent a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warning that the United States “may be obligated by law to terminate all arms sales to the [United Arab Emirates].” Menendez’s move showed that the time has come for Washington to launch a radical overhaul of its relationship with Abu Dhabi.\n\nMenendez’s query follows fresh revelations that high-tech U.S. antitank missiles sold to the UAE have ended up in the hands of Libyan rebel forces fighting to overthrow the U.S.-supported government in Tripoli. That same government has just accused the UAE of using a U.S.-made jet to bomb a migrant center in Libya, killing at least 53 people. In 2014, the Pentagon said the UAE had secretly bombed Libya, much to the surprise and annoyance of U.S. officials.\n\nThe UAE currently stands accused of supplying al-Qaeda-linked militias in Yemen with U.S.-made weapons, and of supporting the military junta that has been violently repressing pro-democratic forces in Sudan. All this shows that Abu Dhabi is a profoundly unreliable ally. Yet, the UAE has largely escaped the scrutiny finally imposed on Saudi Arabia for similar misdeeds. That needs to change.\n\nIn recent months, congressional critics of Saudi Arabia have grown increasingly vocal over that country’s disastrous war in Yemen and the premeditated murder of Post contributing columnist Jamal Khashoggi. Yet the essential role played by the UAE in Yemen and in other grievous human rights violations goes largely unnoticed.\n\nEarlier this month, a bipartisan group of senators introduced legislation prompted by the Trump administration’s attempt to short-circuit congressional oversight of 22 arms transfers via a dubious “emergency” claim. The bill is snappily titled The Saudi Arabia False Emergencies (SAFE) Act, and makes no reference to the United Arab Emirates. Yet 13 of those 22 “Saudi” arms sales involve the UAE. The weapons involved include hundreds more antitank missiles of the kind diverted to Libyan rebels, along with Apache helicopters and semiautomatic rifles.\n\nResolutions barring these arms transfers were passed by the Senate on June 20, and similar action is likely in the House. A vocal supporter of arms sales to autocrats, President Trump has already indicated he’ll veto the bills.\n\nTrump has said this even though the UAE-Saudi coalition has dropped U.S.-made bombs on civilians in Yemen — in violation of international law — and even though an al-Qaeda-linked group in Yemen supported by the UAE has obtained U.S.-made armored vehicles. The president has said this also despite credible claims that UAE authorities run secret detention and torture facilities in Yemen.\n\nRecent reports indicate that UAE’s leaders may be trying to extricate themselves from Yemen; the government in Abu Dhabi announced on Monday that it plans to withdraw troops. They know that that the humanitarian and human-rights catastrophe they’ve created makes for bad public relations. Even so, the UAE should also be getting attention for its massive violations of human rights both at home and abroad.\n\nAs is the case in Saudi Arabia, prisons in the United Arab Emirates hold dozens of peaceful activists convicted in sham trials and subjected to torture. Moreover, the two governments often work in concert. Last year, authorities in the UAE seized women’s rights activist Loujain al-Hathloul before handing her over Saudi Arabia. She remains imprisoned there, subjected to torture for her advocacy.\n\nThe jailing of Ahmed Mansoor is an example of what happens to Emirati citizens when they dare to criticize the government, no matter how peacefully. Mansoor, a University of Colorado graduate and 2015 winner of the prestigious Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders, is serving time for posts he made on Facebook and Twitter. His case has been adopted by the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission in Congress.\n\nWhen I spent time with Mansoor and other Emirati activists a few years ago, I saw how frightened they were. “State security basically runs the country, no matter who the official government is,” one veteran activist told me. “It’s unaccountable, omnipotent, and scares everyone.”\n\nSince then, what was left of civil society has been silenced, jailed or driven into exile. Both Mansoor and Nasser bin Ghaith, another internationally respected activist (and a graduate of Ohio’s Case Western Reserve University School of Law), are serving 10-year prison sentences.\n\nAnd it is not only the UAE’s human rights record that should worry Washington. The government in Abu Dhabi is also flirting with Russia. Last year, Mohammed bin Zayed, the UAE’s de facto leader, signed a Declaration of Strategic Partnership with Vladimir Putin, a first for Russia in the Persian Gulf region. The year before that, the UAE struck a deal to buy Russian anti-armor missiles and Sukhoi fighters, and to jointly develop a light-combat fighter jet.\n\nZayed is also the reported mastermind behind a regional dispute with Qatar that has forced the United States into the awkward position of having to mediate between military allies.\n\nWhile the U.S. government has been slow to reevaluate its relationship with the UAE dictatorship, other American institutions are pushing for change. New York University’s presence in the UAE has attracted growing criticism, especially since the detention, torture and sentencing of British academic Matthew Hedges. And earlier this year, the Washington-based think tank Center for American Progress announced it would no longer accept funds from the UAE government after allegations of undue influence. Money from the UAE is finally, rightly, becoming an embarrassment.\n\nArming the UAE as it supports horrific abuses in Libya, Yemen, Sudan and at home should also be embarrassing. In fact, it should be unacceptable. The effort to end unconditional U.S. support for Saudi Arabia is long overdue. But Congress shouldn’t overlook the kingdom’s partner in crime.\n\nThe Post’s View: Saudi Arabia murdered a journalist. Trump doesn’t seem to mind.\n\nAlkhatab Alrawhani: Yemen’s peace process is almost dead. Here’s how to revive it.\n\nThe Post’s View: Trump continues to kowtow to MBS. Congress has a chance to say no.", "The United Arab Emirates has announced a “strategic redeployment” from the port city of Hodeidah in Yemen, as well as a more limited tactical retreat elsewhere in the country – marking a significant moment in Yemen’s four-year civil war.\n\nUAE officials said the move, under discussion for as long as a year, was designed to support a United Nations-led peace process that began in Stockholm last December. It was the first official UAE confirmation of a withdrawal, which has been reported in recent weeks by witnesses and foreign officials.\n\nThe officials said the UAE would remain in the Saudi-led coalition that intervened in 2015 to try to restore the Yemeni government ousted from power by the Houthis, a rebel group backed by Iran.\n\nOversight would be passed to Emirati-trained local Yemeni forces and foreign mercenaries, and UAE forces remaining in Yemen would focus on counter-terrorism efforts against al-Qaida and Islamic State rather than the battle against the Houthis. The UAE would also continue to support a secessionist movement in southern Yemen.\n\nAnalysts have warned it is not yet clear whether local troops and Saudi coalition partners are up to the task of filling the vacuum, sparking fears that the current stalemate in much of the country could be upended.\n\nThe UAE drawdown also weakens Saudi Arabia’s military capabilities in Yemen, adding to pressure for Riyadh to proactively pursue a political rather than military solution to the war.\n\nThe withdrawal had been extensively discussed with Riyadh as well as the UN-recognised Yemen government based in Aden, the officials added.\n\nThe UAE may be braced for accusations that the withdrawal is an admission of defeat, but the officials insisted the redeployment was a considered move reflecting the diplomatic progress being made by the UN in the strategically important Hodeidah.\n\nHodeidah became a major focus of the war last year when the western-backed Saudi-led coalition tried to seize the port, which is the Houthis’ main supply line.\n\nIn December the UN brokered a complex ceasefire in the city in which both the Yemeni government and Houthi forces were supposed to withdraw, leaving a new security force to take over the port and the city.\n\nOnly parts of that withdrawal agreement have been implemented. The UAE said it was keen to see the peace process expanded towards a wider peace settlement with deadlines covering the whole country.\n\nThe officials denied that the move would create a dangerous vacuum around Hodeidah, arguing that there were as many as 19,000 Yemeni troops in theport city area if progress towards a settlement collapsed.\n\nIn 2018, by contrast, the UAE had argued that the military capture of Hodeidah would force the Houthis to the negotiating table.\n\nThe international community pressed the UAE and the Saudis to wait outside the city, warning that an assault could lead to a bloodbath and disruption at the port could tip the country into full-blown famine.\n\nEmirati officials have also dismissed suggestions that the drawdown reflects a growing rift between Abu Dhabi and Riyadh: their military and political leaders have long differed on preferred strategy in both the bloody impasse in Yemen and dealing with the threat posed to Gulf interests from Tehran.\n\nUAE officials refused to go into details of precise troop movements and said some of the withdrawals were tactical, and so could be reversed. Witnesses have said a large-scale drawdown of troops and heavy weaponry is under way in Marib province and the interim capital of Aden as well as Hodeidah.\n\nLast week, Reuters reported it had been told by three diplomats that Abu Dhabi preferred to have its forces and equipment on hand should tension between the US and Iran escalate further after attacks on oil tankers in the Gulf and Tehran’s suspected downing of a US drone. Those tanker attacks have been ascribed to Iranian surrogates, but no final attribution has been made by the UAE. On Monday the UAE officials said the timing was not linked to those developments."], "summary": "The United Arab Emirates announces a partial withdrawal of its forces from Yemen as part of a \"strategic redeployment\"."}
{"document": ["FRANKFURT/SYDNEY/HONG KONG/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Deutsche Bank laid off staff from Sydney to New York on Monday as it began to slash 18,000 jobs in a 7.4 billion euro ($8.3 billion) “reinvention” that will lead to yet another annual loss, a plan that knocked its already battered shares.\n\nGermany’s largest lender said on Sunday it will scrap its global equities unit and cut some fixed-income operations in a retreat from a long-held ambition to make its struggling investment bank, with 38,000 staff, a force on Wall Street. Deutsche Bank has almost 91,500 staff around the world.\n\n(GRAPHIC: Deutsche Bank in numbers - tmsnrt.rs/2Jow9hq )\n\nIts shares erased early gains and closed down 5.4% in Frankfurt after its finance chief flagged “significant uncertainty” over breaking even in 2020. Its bonds also fell. U.S.-listed shares dropped 6.1%.\n\nSome analysts were skeptical that the bank could grow future earnings quickly enough to reach a new target to achieve a return on tangible equity of 8% by 2022, compared with a negative return last year.\n\n“The question of where the real earnings power will come from for Deutsche Bank going forward has not been answered,” said David Hendler, an independent analyst at New York-based Viola Risk Advisors. “It’s doubtful whether they will be able to build a better bank in just three years.”\n\nRatings agency Fitch said that the bank’s future credit rating will depend on how successfully it executes the plan. Fitch downgraded the bank to “BBB” status, the lowest investment-grade status, just last month.\n\n“The restructuring measures involve large staff cuts and significant leadership changes, which could disrupt the aim to improve core earnings,” it said in a note published Monday.\n\nRating agency Moody’s said there were “significant challenges” to executing the plan swiftly, adding it would keep its negative outlook.\n\n“It’s a risky maneuver, but if it succeeds, it has the potential to bring the bank back on course,” said a person close to one of the top 10 shareholders.\n\nJP Morgan analysts called the plan “bold and for the first time not half-baked” but questioned the credibility of execution, revenue growth and employee motivation.\n\nThe bank said on Sunday that it would not need to raise capital to initiate the cuts, which will result in it making a loss of 2.8 billion euros in the second quarter. It will not pay a dividend either this year or next.\n\nHundreds of employees at the bank’s Wall Street office were summoned to the building’s cafeteria on Monday morning to learn their fates, sources within the bank told Reuters. During one-to-one meetings with management and human resources, they were told they were being laid off and informed of their severance terms, the sources said.\n\nDeutsche Bank had been one of the few European banks to maintain a significant presence in the United States after the 2007-2009 financial crisis. However, it has struggled to compete with U.S. rivals, hampered by regulatory investigations and litigation.\n\nREINVENTING THE BANK\n\nThe United States had been seen as a likely focus of the cuts although the bank maintained it wants to keep a significant presence, in part to service European corporate clients doing business in the country. However, some shareholders have pushed for a full U.S. retreat.\n\nDeutsche Bank said it remained committed to the United States, its second-biggest market.\n\n“We will retain a significant presence here and remain a close partner to our U.S. clients and to international institutions that want to access the U.S. market,” it said in a statement.\n\nIn London, where hundreds of job cuts were expected, Chief Executive Officer Christian Sewing said he was “reinventing” the bank, which is expected to post a loss this year. That would put it in the red for four of the past five years after a series of damaging setbacks.\n\nFounded in 1870, Deutsche Bank has long been a major source of finance and advice for German companies seeking to expand abroad or raise money through the bond or equity markets.\n\nPeople are seen in the lobby of the U.S. headquarters of Deutsche Bank in New York City, U.S., July 8, 2019. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly\n\nBig cuts to its investment bank reverse a decades-long expansion that began with its purchase of Morgan Grenfell in London in 1989 and continued a decade later with a takeover of Bankers Trust in the United States.\n\nThe investment bank generated about one-half of Deutsche Bank’s revenues but is also volatile. CEO Sewing, who flagged the restructuring in May after a failed merger attempt with Commerzbank, wants to focus on more stable sources of revenue.\n\n“We are creating a bank that will be more profitable, leaner, more innovative and more resilient,” Sewing wrote in a note to staff on Sunday.\n\nAs part of the overhaul, Deutsche Bank will set up a so-called “bad bank” to wind down unwanted assets, with 74 billion euros ($83 billion) of risk-weighted assets.\n\n‘PRETTY GLOOMY’\n\nDeutsche Bank did not give details on the job cuts, but said they would be spread around the globe, including in Germany.\n\nIn Sydney, Hong Kong and elsewhere in the Asia-Pacific region, where Deutsche Bank used to rank among the top 10 in league tables for equity capital market (ECM) deals, several bankers said entire teams in sales and trading were going.\n\nDeutsche Bank’s Asia-Pacific head of ECM, Jason Cox, left, and ECM teams were disbanded in Japan, Australia and most of Asia, people with direct knowledge of matter said, adding that only a few syndicate bankers, including those working on current deals, will remain.\n\nDeutsche Bank had slipped in recent years in Asia, hitting 17th last year and 18th in 2019, Refinitiv data showed. So far this year, it ranks 8th regionally for merger-and-acquisition activity.\n\n“The new investment bank will be smaller but more resilient, with a focus on our financing, capital markets, advisory services and sales and trading businesses,” Asia-Pacific CEO Werner Steinmueller said in a staff memo.\n\nOne laid-off equities trader in Hong Kong said the mood was “pretty gloomy” as people were called into meetings. “They give you this packet and you are out of the building,” he said.\n\nSlideshow (7 Images)\n\nSeveral workers left offices holding envelopes with the bank’s logo. Three employees took a picture of themselves beside a Deutsche Bank sign outside, hugged and then hailed a taxi.\n\n“If you have a job for me, please let me know. But do not ask questions,” said one Deutsche employee.\n\nOne senior banker, still with a job, questioned how well the slimmed-down franchise in Asia would compete.\n\n“Will clients stick with us, or is the game over?”", "Good Monday morning. (Want this by email? Sign up here.)\n\nDeutsche Bank’s painful self-help plan begins\n\nThe troubled German lender unveiled its long-awaited reorganization plan yesterday, which involves eliminating thousands of jobs and severely reducing its global ambitions. But is it too little, too late?\n\nThe bank plans to cut 18,000 jobs and shrink its global equities business. Top executives will leave, including its investment banking chief, and $300 billion worth of assets will be hived off in a “bad bank” to be sold off over time. The layoffs have already begun.\n\nThe firm will refocus its efforts on serving European companies and retail-banking customers, pulling back from nearly two decades of trying to compete with Wall Street giants. But its C.E.O., Christian Sewing, said this morning that the U.S. remains a core market for the bank.\n\nThe plan will cost the lender 7.4 billion euros, or $8.3 billion, in severance payments and other expenses through 2022. Dividends will be suspended for 2019 and 2020.", "FRANKFURT/SYDNEY/HONG KONG (Reuters) - Deutsche Bank laid off staff in Asia on Monday as it began cutting 18,000 jobs as part of a 7.4 billion euro ($8.3 billion) “reinvention” set to tip Germany’s largest lender into yet another annual loss.\n\nIn a retreat from a long-held ambition to make its struggling investment bank, which employs 38,000 people, a force on Wall Street, Deutsche Bank said on Sunday it would scrap its global equities operations and cut some in fixed income.\n\nShares in Deutsche Bank, which has almost 91,500 staff around the world, were slightly lower in Frankfurt as the bank’s finance chief said there was “significant uncertainty” whether it would break even in 2020.\n\nChief Executive Christian Sewing told journalists from the bank’s London office, where many of the cuts are expected, that he was “doing nothing short of reinventing” Deutsche Bank, which will have been in the red for four out of the past five years as it dealt with a series of setbacks.\n\nBankers seen leaving Deutsche Bank’s Sydney office on Monday said they had been laid off, but declined to be identified as they were due to return later to sign redundancy packages. Sewing said job cuts would continue in London and New York.\n\nJP Morgan analysts called the plan “bold and for the first time not half-baked” but questioned the credibility of execution, revenue growth and employee motivation.\n\nRatings agency Moody’s said Deutsche Bank faced “significant challenges” to executing the plan swiftly and said it would keep its negative outlook on the bank.\n\n“It’s a risky maneuver, but if it succeeds, it has the potential to bring the bank back on course,” a person close to one of the top 10 biggest shareholders said.\n\nDeutsche Bank gave no geographic breakdown for the job cuts, although the bulk are expected in Europe and the United States.\n\nIn Sydney, Hong Kong and elsewhere in the Asia-Pacific region the working day began with cuts and several Deutsche bankers said entire teams in sales and trading were going.\n\nA person with knowledge of the bank’s Australia operations said its four-strong equity capital markets (ECM) team was being disbanded, but most of its mergers and acquisitions (M&A) team was not immediately affected.\n\nDeutsche Bank used to rank among the top 10 banks in league tables for ECM deals in Asia, but had slipped in recent years, hitting 17th last year and 18th in 2019, Refinitiv data showed. So far this year, it ranks 8th regionally for M&A activity.\n\nDeutsche had some 4,700 staff at its main regional offices in Sydney, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Singapore, factsheets on its website showed.\n\nIts investment banking team for the Asia-Pacific region had about 300 people before the cuts, of which 10% to 15% will be laid off, almost all in its ECM division, said a senior Asia banker with direct knowledge of the plans.\n\nOne laid off equities trader in Hong Kong said the mood was “pretty gloomy” as people were called in to meetings. “They give you this packet and you are out of the building,” he said.\n\nSeveral workers left offices holding envelopes with the bank’s logo. Three employees took a picture of themselves beside a Deutsche Bank logo outside, hugged and then hailed a taxi.\n\n“If you have a job for me please let me know. But do not ask questions,” said one Deutsche employee.\n\nA spokeswoman would not comment on details but said the bank would be “as sensitive as possible implementing these changes”.\n\n“We are creating a bank that will be more profitable, leaner, more innovative and more resilient,” Sewing wrote in a note sent to staff on Sunday.\n\nThe bank will set up a so-called bad bank to wind-down unwanted assets, with 74 billion euros of risk-weighted assets.\n\nSewing will represent the investment bank on the board in a shift that illustrates the division’s waning influence.\n\nThe CEO flagged the restructuring in May, promising shareholders “tough cutbacks” to the investment bank. It followed Deutsche’s failure to agree a merger with rival Commerzbank AG.\n\n“The new investment bank will be smaller but more resilient, with a focus on our financing, capital markets, advisory services and sales and trading businesses,” Asia-Pacific Chief Executive Werner Steinmueller said in a memo to staff.\n\nOne senior banker, still in a job, questioned how well the slimmed down franchise could compete.\n\n“Will clients stick with us or is the game over?”", "FRANKFURT/SYDNEY/HONG KONG, July 8 (Reuters) - Deutsche Bank shares rose on Monday as it launched one of the biggest overhauls of its investment bank since the financial crisis by cutting 18,000 jobs around the world, starting the day with cuts in Asia.\n\nThe lender announced the job losses on Sunday as part of a restructuring plan that will cost 7.4 billion euros ($8.3 billion) and see it undo years of work that had aimed to make its investment bank a major force on Wall Street.\n\nShares in Deutsche Bank opened up more than 3% in Frankfurt to reach their highest value since May 2.\n\nDeutsche Bank CEO Christian Sewing, who has called the shake-up a \"restart\" for the bank, is due to speak to the media initially and then address analysts later on Monday.\n\nDeutsche said the restructuring would push the bank into a loss this year, meaning it will have been in the red four out of the past five years. It was unclear when it would return to profit.\n\nAnalysts at JPMorgan called the plan \"bold and for the first time not half-baked\" but said questions remained, including about credibility of execution, revenue growth details and employee motivation.\n\nRatings agency Moody's said the bank faced \"significant challenges\" to executing the plan swiftly and said it would keep its negative outlook on the flagship German lender.\n\n\"It's a risky manoeuvre, but if it succeeds, it has the potential to bring the bank back on course,\" said a person close to one of the top 10 biggest shareholders.\n\nDeutsche Bank gave no geographic breakdown for the job cuts, though the bulk are widely expected to fall in Europe and the United States. The global working day on Monday began with cuts in Sydney, Hong Kong and elsewhere in the Asia-Pacific.\n\nBankers seen leaving Deutsche Bank'sSydney office on Monday said they had been laid off, but declined to be identified as they were due to return later to sign redundancy packages.\n\nOne person with knowledge of the bank's Australia operations said its four-strong equity capital markets (ECM) team was also being disbanded. But the person also said most of its mergers and acquisitions (M&A) team was not immediately affected.\n\nEntire teams in sales and trading were losing their jobs too, according to several Deutsche bankers.\n\nRegionally, Deutsche used to rank among the top 10 banks in league tables for ECM deals, but it had slipped in recent years, hitting 17th last year and 18th in 2019, Refinitiv data showed. So far this year, it ranks 8th regionally for M&A activity.\n\nDeutsche had some 4,700 staff at its main regional offices in Sydney, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Singapore, factsheets on its website showed.\n\nIts investment banking team for the Asia-Pacific region had about 300 people before the cuts, of which 10% to 15% will be laid off, almost all in its ECM division, said a senior Asia banker with direct knowledge of the plans.\n\nOne laid off equities trader in Hong Kong said the mood was \"pretty gloomy\" as people were called in to meetings. \"They give you this packet and you are out of the building,\" he said.\n\nSeveral workers left offices holding envelopes with the bank's logo. Three employees took a picture of themselves beside a Deutsche Bank logo outside, hugged and then hailed a taxi.\n\n\"If you have a job for me please let me know. But do not ask questions,\" said one Deutsche employee, declining to comment further.\n\nA bank spokeswoman would not comment on specific departures but said the bank would be communicate directly with employees and would be \"as responsible and sensitive as possible implementing these changes.\"\n\n\"This is a restart,\" Sewing said on Sunday, describing the initiative as most fundamental transformation in decades.\n\n\"We are creating a bank that will be more profitable, leaner, more innovative and more resilient,\" he wrote to staff.\n\nThe bank will set up a so-called bad bank to wind-down unwanted assets, with 74 billion euros of risk-weighted assets.\n\nSewing will represent the investment bank on the board in a shift that illustrates the division's waning influence.\n\nThe CEO had flagged the restructuring in May, promising shareholders \"tough cutbacks\" to the investment bank. It followed Deutsche's failure to agree a merger with rival Commerzbank AG .\n\n\"The new investment bank will be smaller but more resilient, with a focus on our financing, capital markets, advisory services and sales and trading businesses,\" Asia-Pacific Chief Executive Werner Steinmueller said in a memo to staff on Monday.\n\nOne senior banker, still in a job, questioned how well the slimmed down franchise could compete in future.\n\n\"The biggest question for us is where do we go from here if we don't offer the whole suite of products. Will clients stick with us or is the game over?\" he said.", "SYDNEY/HONG KONG, July 8 (Reuters) - Whole teams in Deutsche Bank's Asian operations were told their positions were gone on Monday, as the lender began axing 18,000 jobs globally in one of the biggest overhauls to an investment bank since the aftermath of the financial crisis.\n\nThe German bank launched the restructuring on Sunday in Europe, outlining a plan that will ultimately cost 7.4 billion euros ($8.31 billion) and see it dramatically scale back its investment bank - a major retreat after years of working to compete as a major force on Wall Street.\n\nAs part of the overhaul, the bank will scrap its global equities business and also cut some of its fixed income operations - an area traditionally regarded as one of its strengths.\n\nWhile the bulk of the 18,000 job losses are widely expected to fall in Europe and the United States, on Monday the cuts also hit offices from Sydney to Hong Kong.\n\nDeutsche Bank gave no geographic breakdown for the job cuts when it announced the plan on Sunday.\n\nBankers in Sydney seen leaving the lender's offices on Monday confirmed they worked for Deutsche Bank and were being laid off, but declined to give their names as they were due to return later to sign redundancy packages.\n\nOne person with knowledge of the bank's operations in Australia said its four-strong equity capital markets team was being let go, but that most of its mergers and acquisitions (M&A) team would not be immediately affected.\n\nDeutsche had some 4,700 staff in Sydney, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Singapore, showed factsheets on its website.\n\nIts investment banking team for the Asia-Pacific region numbered about 300 people before the cuts, and 10% to 15% will be laid off - almost all in its equity capital markets division, according to a senior Asia banker with direct knowledge of the plans.\n\nIn Hong Kong, a group of three upset-looking bank employees took a picture of themselves besides a large Deutsche Bank logo outside the lender's office, hugging each other before hailing a waiting taxi.\n\nOne Hong Kong-based equities trader who had been laid off said the mood was \"pretty gloomy\" as people were called individually to meetings.\n\n\"(There are a) couple of rounds of chats with HR and then they give you this packet and you are out of the building,\" the trader said.\n\nSeveral workers were seen leaving the offices holding large envelopes with the bank's logo.\n\n\"If you have a job for me please let me know. But do not ask questions,\" said one who confirmed he was employed at Deutsche Bank, but declined to comment further.\n\nA Deutsche Bank spokeswoman declined to comment on specific departures, saying the bank would be communicating directly with employees.\n\n\"We understand these changes affect people's lives profoundly and we will do whatever we can to be as responsible and sensitive as possible implementing these changes,\" she said.\n\nChief Executive Officer Christian Sewing, who now aims to focus on the bank's more stable revenue streams, said on Sunday that it was the most fundamental transformation of the bank in decades. \"This is a restart,\" he said.\n\n\"We are creating a bank that will be more profitable, leaner, more innovative and more resilient,\" he wrote to staff.\n\nThe bank will set up a so-called bad bank to wind-down unwanted assets, with a value of 74 billion euros of risk-weighted assets.\n\nSewing will now represent the investment bank on the board in a shift that illustrates the division's waning influence.\n\nThe CEO had flagged extensive restructuring in May when he promised shareholders \"tough cutbacks\" to the investment bank. This followed Deutsche's failure to agree a merger with rival Commerzbank AG.", "SYDNEY/HONG KONG (Reuters) - Deutsche Bank AG (DBKGn.DE) eliminated whole teams at its Asian operations on Monday, as the German lender began axing 18,000 jobs globally in one of the biggest overhauls at an investment bank since the aftermath of the financial crisis.\n\nThe lender announced the job losses on Sunday as part of a restructuring plan that will ultimately cost 7.4 billion euros ($8.31 billion) and see it undo years of work aimed at making its investment bank a major force on Wall Street.\n\nAs part of the overhaul, the bank will scrap its global equities business and cut some operations in its fixed income - an area traditionally regarded as one of its strengths.\n\nDeutsche Bank gave no geographic breakdown for the job cuts, though the bulk are widely expected to fall in Europe and the United States. The global day on Monday, however, began with cuts in Sydney, Hong Kong and elsewhere in the Asia-Pacific.\n\nBankers seen leaving Deutsche Bank’s Sydney office on Monday said they had been laid off, but declined to be identified as they were due to return later to sign redundancy packages.\n\nOne person with knowledge of the bank’s Australia operations said its four-strong equity capital markets (ECM) team was being disbanded. The person also said most of its mergers and acquisitions (M&A) team was not affected.\n\nEntire teams in sales and trading are losing their jobs too, according to several Deutsche bankers.\n\nRegionally, Deutsche used to regularly rank among the top 10 banks in league tables for ECM deals, but it has slipped in recent years, hitting 17th last year and 18th in 2019, Refinitiv data showed. So far this year, it ranks 8th regionally for M&As.\n\nDeutsche had some 4,700 staff at its main regional offices in Sydney, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Singapore, showed factsheets on its website.\n\nIts investment banking team for the Asia-Pacific region numbered about 300 people before the cuts, of which 10% to 15% will be laid off, almost all in its equity capital markets division, according to a senior Asia banker with direct knowledge of the plans.\n\nOne Hong Kong-based equities trader who had been laid off said the mood was “pretty gloomy” as people were called individually to meetings.\n\n“(There are a) couple of rounds of chats with HR and then they give you this packet and you are out of the building,” the trader said.\n\nSeveral workers were seen leaving the offices holding large envelopes with the bank’s logo. Three employees took a picture of themselves beside a large Deutsche Bank logo outside and hugged each other before hailing a taxi.\n\n“If you have a job for me please let me know. But do not ask questions,” said a person who confirmed he was employed at Deutsche Bank, but declined to comment further.\n\nA Deutsche Bank spokeswoman declined to comment on specific departures, saying the bank would be communicating directly with employees.\n\n“We understand these changes affect people’s lives profoundly and we will do whatever we can to be as responsible and sensitive as possible implementing these changes,” she said.\n\nChief Executive Officer Christian Sewing, who now aims to focus on the bank’s more stable revenue streams, said on Sunday that it was the most fundamental transformation of the bank in decades. “This is a restart,” he said.\n\n“We are creating a bank that will be more profitable, leaner, more innovative and more resilient,” he wrote to staff.\n\nThe bank will set up a so-called bad bank to wind-down unwanted assets, with a value of 74 billion euros of risk-weighted assets.\n\nSewing will now represent the investment bank on the board in a shift that illustrates the division’s waning influence.\n\nThe CEO had flagged extensive restructuring in May when he promised shareholders “tough cutbacks” to the investment bank. This followed Deutsche’s failure to agree a merger with rival Commerzbank AG (CBKG.DE).\n\nOn Monday Werner Steinmueller, the banks’ Asia-Pacific Chief Executive told staff in a memo, seen by Reuters, that the bank was focusing on its core strengths.\n\n“The new investment bank will be smaller but more resilient, with a focus on our financing, capital markets, advisory services and sales and trading businesses,” he said in the memo.\n\nOne senior Deutsche banker, who still had his job, stressed the bank was not giving up on deals it was currently working on, but questioned how well its slimmed down franchise could compete in future.\n\n“Our ECM business has to be scaled back but it’s not like everything will happen in one day,” he said. “The biggest question for us is where do we go from here if we don’t offer the whole suite of products. Will clients stick with us or is the game over?”", "Deutsche Bank has started cutting jobs in London as part of a plan to reduce its global workforce by 18,000 to try to revive its ailing fortunes.\n\nGermany’s biggest bank employs about 7,500 people in London, which is one of the hubs for the equities trading division it is scrapping.\n\nSome staff in London were reported to be in tears after hearing their jobs had gone. Workers started leaving the bank’s building in the City around 10am carrying bags of belongings. Some said they were told their passes would stop working at 11am.\n\nA male contractor on his way into the building in Great Winchester Street said: “The bank is not doing well so they have to do something to get back up and running.”\n\nThe jobs being cut over three years make up 20% of Deutsche’s global workforce and will hit its investment bank hard. The chief executive, Christian Sewing, promised “tough cutbacks” to the investment bank in May as part of €1bn (£880m) of cost reductions – the latest round in a series of cuts.\n\nDeutsche Bank announced the job cuts on Sunday but gave no breakdown of where they would take place. The cuts are likely to be heaviest in Europe and the US where its investment bank employs thousands of people.\n\nThe cull started in the Asia Pacific region, with employees being let go in Sydney and Hong Kong. A Hong Kong equities trader told Reuters the mood was gloomy as people were called individually to meetings.\n\n“[There are a] couple of rounds of chats with HR and then they give you this packet and you are out of the building,” the trader said.\n\nThe cuts will undo decades of expansion as Deutsche tried to compete with Wall Street firms in investment banking. Deutsche has struggled to cope with extra costs imposed by regulators since the financial crisis, turning its once powerful investment bank into a major burden.\n\nDeutsche has also suffered from a string of scandals caused by lax controls during the boom years and has come under scrutiny over its business dealings with Donald Trump.\n\nSewing said he regretted the cuts but he believed the bank had tried to do too much and had to cut back to revive itself. He said the investment bank would rely less on sales and trading of shares and fixed-income products to make it viable.\n\n“We tried to compete in nearly every area of the banking market at the same time,” Sewing said on a conference call.", "Deutsche Bank plans to cut 18,000 jobs in a sweeping, 7.4 billion euro ($A11.9 billion) overhaul designed to turn around Germany's struggling flagship lender.\n\nThe plan represents a major retreat from investment banking by Deutsche Bank, which for years had tried to compete as a major force on Wall Street.\n\nAs part of the overhaul, the bank will scrap its global equities business, scale back its investment bank and also cut some of its fixed income operations, an area traditionally regarded as one of its strengths.\n\nThe bank will set up a new so-called \"bad bank\" to wind down unwanted assets, with a value of 74b euros ($A11.9b) of risk-weighted assets.\n\nThe depth of the restructuring shows that Deutsche is coming to terms with its failure to keep pace with Wall Street's big hitters such as JP Morgan Chase & Co and Goldman Sachs.\n\nThe cuts were foreshadowed on Friday, when the head of Deutsche's investment bank Garth Ritchie agreed to step down.\n\nChief executive Christian Sewing, who now aims to focus on the bank's more stable revenue streams, said it was the most fundamental transformation of the bank in decades.\n\n\"This is a restart,\" he said.\n\n\"We are creating a bank that will be more profitable, leaner, more innovative and more resilient,\" he wrote to staff.\n\nSewing will now represent the investment bank on the board in a shift that illustrates the division's waning influence.\n\nThe chief executive had flagged an extensive restructuring in May when he promised shareholders \"tough cutbacks\" to the investment bank.\n\nThis followed Deutsche's failure to agree a merger with rival Commerzbank.\n\nThere were media reports from Reuters and others that Deutsche Bank could cut as many as 20,000 jobs - more than one in five of its 91,500 employees.\n\nThe bank said it would reduce headcount to 74,000 by 2022.\n\nDeutsche Bank gave no geographic breakdown for the job cuts. The equities business is focused largely in New York and London.\n\nA person with direct knowledge of the matter said job cuts would be distributed around the world, including in Germany.\n\nThe board met on Sunday to agree the proposed changes, one of the biggest announcements of job cuts at a major investment bank since 2011 when HSBC said it would axe 30,000 jobs.\n\nDeutsche said it expects a 2.8b euro ($A4.5b) net loss in the second quarter as a result of restructuring charges and a loss for the full year.", "FRANKFURT/SYDNEY/HONG KONG/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Deutsche Bank laid off staff from Sydney to New York on Monday as it began to slash 18,000 jobs in a 7.4 billion euro ($8.3 billion) “reinvention” that will lead to yet another annual loss, a plan that knocked its already battered shares.\n\nGermany’s largest lender said on Sunday it will scrap its global equities unit and cut some of fixed income operation in a retreat from a long-held ambition to make its struggling investment bank, with 38,000 staff, a force on Wall Street. Deutsche Bank has almost 91,500 staff around the world.\n\nIts shares erased early gains and closed down 5.4% in Frankfurt after its finance chief flagged “significant uncertainty” over breaking even in 2020. Its bonds also fell. U.S.-listed shares dropped 5.8%.\n\nRatings agency Fitch said that the bank’s future credit rating will depend on how successfully it executes the plan.\n\n“The restructuring measures involve large staff cuts and significant leadership changes, which could disrupt the aim to improve core earnings,” it said in a note published Monday.\n\nHundreds of employees at the bank’s Wall Street office were summoned to the building’s cafeteria on Monday morning to learn their fates, sources within the bank told Reuters. During one-to-one meetings with management and human resources, they were told they were being laid off and informed of their severance terms, the sources said.\n\nOne employee outside Deutsche Bank’s office told Reuters that staff in the bank’s equity sales division had been preparing for the worst.\n\n“People have been planning their next moves but it’s a tough market,” the worker said, speaking on condition of anonymity.\n\nAnother U.S. employee, who was told this morning that he would be laid off, said staff had known for the past two weeks that cuts were likely.\n\nBanks have been getting rid of jobs as they automated more equities trading functions, and that could mean fewer job opportunities, industry sources and head hunters say.\n\nMid-market investment banks may look to hire some individuals, they said. Hedge funds are an unlikely destination since they prefer to hire individuals that have worked at investment firms rather than banks, they added.\n\nDeutsche Bank had been one of the few European banks to maintain a significant presence in the United States after the 2007-2009 financial crisis. However, it has struggled to compete with U.S. rivals, hampered by regulatory investigations and litigation.\n\nThe United States had been seen as a likely focus of the cuts although the bank maintained it wants to keep a significant presence, in part to service European corporate clients doing business in the country. However, some shareholders have pushed for a full U.S. retreat.\n\nDeutsche Bank said it remained committed to the United States, its second-biggest market.\n\n“We will retain a significant presence here and remain a close partner to our U.S. clients and to international institutions that want to access the U.S. market,” it said in an emailed statement.\n\nIn London, where hundreds of job cuts were expected, Chief Executive Officer Christian Sewing said he was “reinventing” the bank, which is expected to post a loss this year. That would put it in the red for four of the past five years after a series of damaging setbacks.\n\nAt Deutsche Bank’s investment banking headquarters in London, where the bank employs 8,000 people, several said they were leaving for the last time, though few were keen to talk.\n\n“I was terminated this morning. There was a very quick meeting and that was it,” said one information technology employee, who had been working on a project for more than two years.\n\nThe nearby Balls Brothers pub filled up with laid-off staff.\n\nBankers leaving Deutsche Bank’s Sydney, Australia, office also said they had been fired but declined to be identified because they were returning later to sign severance packages.\n\nJP Morgan analysts called the plan “bold and for the first time not half-baked” but questioned the credibility of execution, revenue growth and employee motivation.\n\nRating agency Moody’s said there were “significant challenges” to executing the plan swiftly, adding it would keep its negative outlook.\n\n“It’s a risky manoeuvre, but if it succeeds, it has the potential to bring the bank back on course,” said a person close to one of the top 10 shareholders.\n\nFounded in 1870, Deutsche Bank has long been a major source of finance and advice for German companies seeking to expand abroad or raise money through the bond or equity markets.\n\nBig cuts to its investment bank reverse a decades-long expansion that began with its purchase of Morgan Grenfell in London in 1989 and continued a decade later with a takeover of Bankers Trust in the United States.\n\nThe investment bank generated about one-half of Deutsche Bank’s revenues but is also volatile. CEO Sewing, who flagged the restructuring in May after a failed merger attempt with Commerzbank, wants to focus on more stable sources of revenue.\n\n“We are creating a bank that will be more profitable, leaner, more innovative and more resilient,” Sewing wrote in a note to staff on Sunday.\n\nAs part of the overhaul, Deutsche Bank will set up a so-called “bad bank” to wind down unwanted assets, with 74 billion euros ($83 billion) of risk-weighted assets.\n\nDeutsche Bank did not give details on the job cuts, but said they would be spread around the globe, including in Germany.\n\nIn Sydney, Hong Kong and elsewhere in the Asia-Pacific region, where Deutsche Bank used to rank among the top 10 in league tables for equity capital market (ECM) deals, several bankers said entire teams in sales and trading were going.\n\nDeutsche Bank’s Asia-Pacific head of ECM, Jason Cox, left, and ECM teams were disbanded in Japan, Australia and most of Asia, people with direct knowledge of matter said, adding that only a few syndicate bankers, including those working on current deals, will remain.\n\nDeutsche Bank had slipped in recent years in Asia, hitting 17th last year and 18th in 2019, Refinitiv data showed. So far this year, it ranks 8th regionally for merger-and-acquisition activity.\n\n“The new investment bank will be smaller but more resilient, with a focus on our financing, capital markets, advisory services and sales and trading businesses,” Asia-Pacific CEO Werner Steinmueller said in a staff memo.\n\nOne laid-off equities trader in Hong Kong said the mood was “pretty gloomy” as people were called into meetings. “They give you this packet and you are out of the building,” he said.\n\nSeveral workers left offices holding envelopes with the bank’s logo. Three employees took a picture of themselves beside a Deutsche Bank sign outside, hugged and then hailed a taxi.\n\n“If you have a job for me, please let me know. But do not ask questions,” said one Deutsche employee.\n\nOne senior banker, still with a job, questioned how well the slimmed-down franchise in Asia would compete.\n\n“Will clients stick with us, or is the game over?”", "The sun reflected in the facade of the headquarters of Deutsche Bank in Frankfurt, Germany, Monday, July 8, 2019. The bank wouldn’t give a geographical breakdown of the about 18.000 job cuts until 2020 and said there was no geographical concentration of job losses. (AP Photo/Michael Probst)\n\nBERLIN (AP) — The radical and painful restructuring of Germany’s Deutsche Bank, which is cutting 18,000 jobs, is the end of a long, failed attempt to compete with the global investment banking giants that left it overextended.\n\nThe bank plan unveiled Sunday aims to go “back to our roots” by refocusing on traditional strengths like serving corporate customers and wealthy individuals and cutting down on its stock-trading business and fixed-income investments.\n\nInvestors gave a wary response on Monday, however, pushing shares down 5% at 6.82 euros ($7.68) in Frankfurt.\n\nCEO Christian Sewing said the job cuts have already begun and will last until 2022, though he wouldn’t give a geographical breakdown.\n\nDeutsche Bank had nearly 91,500 employees at the end of March, about 41,600 of them in Germany. Many of its investment banking activities are carried out in New York and London.\n\n“This is a rebuilding which, in a way, also takes us back to our roots,” Sewing said in a message to staff.\n\nAnalysts say the overhaul is the bank’s long-needed reckoning with the failure of its expansion plan.\n\nDeutsche Bank’s move into investment banking dates back to 1989, when it took over Morgan Grenfell, and the 1999 takeover of Bankers Trust. The division helped drive strong profits in the 2000s and was part of an ambition to become one of the global banking giants, like JPMorgan or HSBC.\n\nBut the expansion, and the global financial crisis around 2008, also helped generate its subsequent problems.\n\nDeutsche Bank wrestled for years with high costs, weak profits, and a low share price. It also paid billions in fines and settlements related to behavior before and after the global financial crisis.\n\nAnalysts expect Deutsche Bank’s departure to be a net benefit for the U.S.-based investment banks like Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan Chase. Competition between the big Wall Street firms for business has been intense for years, and has only gotten worse in recent years as fewer companies are using traditional financial services to go public or issue debt.\n\nThe end of Deutsche Bank’s commodity and bond trading operations will also be a boon for the banks, as trading will likely move to the banks which already specialize in it, like Citigroup, Goldman and JPMorgan.\n\nThe bad headlines continued this year when two U.S. congressional committees subpoenaed Deutsche Bank documents as part their investigations into President Donald Trump and his company. Deutsche Bank was one of the few banks willing to lend to Trump after a series of corporate bankruptcies and defaults starting in the early 1990s.\n\nThe Frankfurt-based bank went three straight years without an annual profit before earning 341 million euros for 2018. Sewing took over last year, promising faster restructuring after predecessor John Cryan was perceived to have moved too slowly.\n\n“We tried to compete in nearly every area of the banking market at the same time,” Sewing told investors on Monday. “We simply spread ourselves too thin.”\n\nEarlier this year, the bank entered talks to merge with German rival Commerzbank, which had also been ailing since the global financial crisis. But the talks failed in April amid concerns that a merger would be too complicated and costly.\n\nThat left open the question of what strategy Deutsche Bank could pursue to make its business leaner and more profitable.\n\nPrevious shake-up attempts have been “too little, too late,” said Neil Wilson, an analyst for Markets.com in London.\n\n“Now it’s the right medicine, it just should have been taken a few years ago,” Wilson said. He added that some questions remain about how the bank aims to grow revenues once it has restructured, and that seems reflected in the investors’ sell-off of the shares on Monday.\n\nPhilip Augar, a British-based banking expert and former equities broker, told the BBC that Deutsche Bank was embarking on a spectacular reversal of the strategy that began with the 1999 Bankers Trust acquisition.\n\n“Their ambition was to challenge the Wall Street giants. And for about decade, it looked as though they’d pulled it off,” he said, with the bank “a serious player on Wall Street and in the City” in the 2000s.\n\nBut things went wrong in the financial crisis as Deutsche Bank cut slowly and modestly while others “retreated radically and drastically, and more or less, instantly,” he added.\n\n“They’ve been limping along for the last few years and I suppose this day had to come,” he said.\n\nAP Business Reporter Ken Sweet contributed to this report from New York."], "summary": "Deutsche Bank announces lay-offs – roughly 18,000 job cuts – around the globe as part of a \"reinvention\", scrapping its global equities and cutting its fixed income operations."}
{"document": ["The Washington, DC, area on Monday was deluged with heavy rain, which turned streets into rivers and led to closed roads and stranded drivers. Water also seeped into the White House basement.\n\nThe National Weather Service declared a flash flood emergency, and CBS News reports that \"the storm dumped about 6.3 inches of rain near Frederick, Maryland, about 4.5 inches near Arlington, Virginia, and about 3.4 inches at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in a two-hour period.\"\n\nThe flooding was deep in the streets outside the National Archives building, which had to close Monday. The site's official Twitter account said the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, Bill of Rights and other valuable records stored there were not in danger.\n\nThe National Archives Building in Washington, DC, is closed today due to electrical outages. The Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights--along with all of the permanently valuable records stored in the building--are safe and not in any danger. pic.twitter.com/aGWOie0BjC — US National Archives (@USNatArchives) July 8, 2019\n\nThe weather led to some frightening images of water flooding elevators, Metro stations and parking lots.\n\nThe White House didn't go untouched. Several journalists posted photos of water leaking into the press space in the White House basement, which naturally led to plenty of jokes about presidential leaks and swamp-draining.\n\nWhite House is leaking pic.twitter.com/rmfQBDiyCk — Betsy Klein (@betsy_klein) July 8, 2019\n\nIt’s official: The White House basement is flooding. pic.twitter.com/f1DR6awE89 — Eamon Javers (@EamonJavers) July 8, 2019\n\nUpdate: swamp draining in progress. WH leaks appear contained. Press pool dry. pic.twitter.com/crYTdjelG5 — Eamon Javers (@EamonJavers) July 8, 2019\n\nThe leaks from this White House just don't stop. — 🏴‍☠️ PirateCat 🏴‍☠️ (@PirateCat8) July 8, 2019\n\nUnnerving photos and video shared to social media showed just how deep the water really was.\n\nGot to see a waterfall today during my morning commute #VSquare pic.twitter.com/e3i0sCmxGo — Hugo Dante (@HugoDanteJr) July 8, 2019\n\nScary exit from the parking garage under the Capitals Ice Rink / Ballston Commons Mall in Arlington. The bottom level is a River! ⁦@WTOP⁩ ⁦@WTOPtraffic⁩ ⁦@ABC7News⁩ pic.twitter.com/exleKNbpEw — Wendy Marco (@WendyMarco924) July 8, 2019\n\nSerious flooding situation on Canal Road near Fletchers Cove with numerous drivers stranded, so I’m swimming to safety #DCWX @WTOP pic.twitter.com/UNFOmZkltO — Dave Dildine (@DildineWTOP) July 8, 2019\n\nA number of roads are impassable, Amtrak has suspended service south of D.C., DASH buses are suspended, even the White House basement is flooding. https://t.co/UkQIx6AQbG pic.twitter.com/RBabFTXwfx — DCist (@DCist) July 8, 2019\n\nI’m advising commuters not to use the street elevator at Pentagon Metro this morning. #wmata pic.twitter.com/z8bNwAPcPG — Nick Scalera (@nickscalera) July 8, 2019\n\nThe rain is largely over, but power outages, sinkholes, road closures, and flooding remain. https://t.co/dBbu51zlJB pic.twitter.com/gi1zw3p416 — Rachel Sadon (@Rachel_Sadon) July 8, 2019\n\n#DCsBravest have removed several occupants to safety from cars in high water at 15th St and Constitution Ave NW. pic.twitter.com/MKXSMJzsua — DC Fire and EMS (@dcfireems) July 8, 2019\n\nWe got a bit of an issue here... 😱 pic.twitter.com/58g9RJfm0c — Dr. Rocío Caballero-Gill (@CaballeroGill) July 8, 2019\n\nThat happens a lot downtown, and it is actually fine, to a point. Remember: This was a swamp, and you are really in what was the Potomac's marshy banks all the way up to Capitol Hill. And once in a while nature reminds you of it. — Tᴏm Mᴏᴏʀᴇ (@PaperMissiles) July 8, 2019\n\nThe situation was serious, but it being DC, jokes, of course, were inevitable.\n\nThe Reflecting Pool is getting a bit full of itself... — Charles King (@PundITInc) July 8, 2019\n\nHarder for the brits to burn down again... — Tormented Penguin (@TormentedPengu) July 8, 2019\n\nI spent all weekend being like \"Will it just fucking rain already?\" and now I have to go gather up animals by twos. — Drew Magary (@drewmagary) July 8, 2019\n\nAt press time, transportation officials were warning of a bad evening commute ahead for Washingtonians.", "Heavy rain fell onto Washington, D.C., on Monday, flooding streets and causing bundles of leaks throughout the district, according to NBC Washington. Drivers were left stranded in their vehicles as the streets were full of water. Leaks dripped through into Metro stations as well.\n\nMany areas in Washington, D.C., experienced 3-4 inches of rain in about an hour (or, in some cases, less). The Reagan National Airport said it recorded 3.3 inches in an hour between 9 and 10 a.m. on Monday.\n\nA flash flood warning went into effect Monday, too.\n\nDramatic photos and videos were captured and shared on social media, showing the torrential rain and flooding in the district and in Maryland. We’ve collected several of them and shared them below.", "Washington, D.C. commuters came back to work after the long weekend with a bang. Powerful storms swept across the nation’s capital, inundating roadways, unleashing flash floods, and creating at least two waterfalls in the Metro system. Even the White House experienced some flooding.\n\n\n\nThe entire Washington, D.C. metro area is under some form of flash flood or watch as of Monday morning. The National Weather Service is reporting that “over three inches of rain” have already fallen in many places with water on some creeks reportedly rising up to nine feet in just 30 minutes and the storm looks to be a one in every 100-200 year event according to Aon meteorologist Steven Bowen. The warning continues:\n\n\n\nAll that rain falling during the morning commute has unleashed havoc from Baltimore to Washington, D.C. to Northern Virginia. The DC Metro, which has become somewhat infamous for its summertime floods, has been hit particularly hard, with a waterfall dropping from the ceiling of the Virginia Square station in Arlington. Multiple Metro riders, including E&E News climate reporter Niina Farah, captured the dramatic scene of water pouring down from the ceiling to the tracks below as trains passed underneath. Elevators at the Pentagon Metro station also turned into waterfalls.\n\nBut the flooding is hardly all subterranean. Many roadways were quickly turned into rivers of rushing water this morning. According to Capital Weather Gang, there have already been multiple high water rescues. Local traffic reporter David Dildine captured some of the flooding on the aptly-named Canal Rd. in northwest Washington, D.C. and tweeted that he had to swim to safety. Other commuters captured buses trapped as floodwaters rushed from creeks into the streets. The whole episode underscores why, when the National Weather Service or your local meteorologist intones “turn around, don’t drown,” you should listen.\n\nNot to be outdone, the White House is also under siege from water. The streets out front have completely flooded and White House reporters confirmed that water was seeping in through the basement. The floodwaters are rising on a day when the President Trump is set to deliver remarks on his administration’s “environmental leadership,” which amounts to leaving the world’s main climate treaty and rolling back climate and environmental regulations.\n\nHeavy downpours like the one swallowing Washington, D.C. are on the rise nationwide due to the simple fact a warmer atmosphere can hold more water. At the same time, much of our infrastructure is not ready for the deluges of today (this isn’t Metro’s first flood rodeo), let alone the more powerful ones of tomorrow. The Trump administration’s policies are ensuring these types of events could happen more often so, uh Trump might want to take a raincheck on that speech.", "WASHINGTON (WPB) — Heavy rains hit the Washington, D.C., region Monday morning caused major delays during the rush-hour commute and left thousands without power.\n\nFour inches of heavy rain fell within an hour, creating the need for dozens of water rescues and left traffic at a standstill along major highways, some of which were temporarily closed.\n\nPolice and fire officials advised commuters to stay off roads until 11:15 a.m. while the area was under a flash flood warning. More than 8,000 utility customers were without power at one point.\n\nAmtrak suspended trains traveling south of Washington, D.C., because of severe weather. Just before noon, Amtrak said it would “gradually begin to move” trains.\n\nParts of the George Washington Parkway and the inner loops of the Capital Beltway near the American Legion Bridge were shut down for a time because of high water. The Beltway was backed up starting near Interstate 66.\n\nHeavy downpours also caused delays on the area’s subway, known as Metro, and at one point, water poured from a ceiling in the Virginia Square station, causing trains to share a track.\n\nBy noon, Metro said service was returning to normal on all of its rail lines. But the Virginia Railway Express warned of possible delays during the afternoon commute.\n\nIn downtown Washington, the White House basement reportedly flooding. And there were reports of some ride-sharing services, including Uber and Lyft, imposing surge pricing, with some reports of charges of nearly $30 to go three blocks in downtown D.C.\n\nAt least a dozen commuters throughout the region had to be rescued or were able to swim to safety.\n\nSome of the most severe flooding occurred along Canal Road, near the Fletcher’s Cove boathouse along the Potomac River. Several people were rescued from the rooftops of their cars, said Vito Maggiolo, a spokesman for D.C. Fire.\n\n“The message here is that you don’t know how high the water is before you drive into it,” Maggiolo said. “So don’t drive into it.”\n\nAnd, throughout the area, people crammed under bus shelters and pedestrians jumped over heavy waters at curbs.\n\nIn Montgomery County, Maryland, the flash floods were the worst the region had seen in years, according to Earl Stoddard, director of the county’s Office of Emergency Management.\n\nThe hardest-hit areas for flooding were Germantown and Gaithersburg, Maryland, along with parts of Bethesda and Potomac. In Fairfax County, Virginia, McLean and Reston were among the hardest hit, officials said.", "Torrential rains swept through the Washington, D.C., region early Monday toward the end of the morning rush hour, causing widespread flooding, including on the regional Metro subway system.\n\nThere were tweets depicting what amounted to a waterfall inundating one Metro station through its roof:\n\nWaterfall effects were also in evidence at area residences, including this one in a section of Arlington, Va., where a residential street was awash with debris:\n\nRainwater was shown pouring down one of the Metro system’s commuter elevators:\n\nDriving, too, was hazardous, with cars all but underwater on Canal Road, a popular commuter route into the city:\n\nLocal law enforcement indicated that drivers were being rescued throughout the region from flooded roadways.\n\nA reporter with CNBC reported that water was even seeping into the White House basement:\n\nThe National Weather Service issued a rare flash-flood emergency until 11:15 a.m. local time. Rain has been falling at a rate of 2 to 3 inches per hour, according to reports:", "A morning rainstorm creating a treacherous commute across the nation’s capital on Monday, as numerous roads were washed out amid flash flooding -- and even the White House basement ended up getting soaked.\n\nThe National Weather Service said \"torrential rainfall\" across the Washington D.C. metro area spawned a Flash Flood Emergency that warned of life-threatening situations.\n\n\"If you are in this FLASH FLOOD EMERGENCY area, travel will be EXTRAORDINARILY dangerous, including washouts, #flooding over roads. Stay out of low areas, if in a low area that may flood, seek higher ground,\" the agency warned on Twitter. \"Stay off the roads if at all possible. This is not the 'usual' flooding.\"\n\nFox News Meteorologist Adam Klotz said on \"America's Newsroom\" the conditions for major flooding came together directly over the area.\n\n\"It's a little bit of a surprise, actually,\" he said. \"We knew there was rain moving across the region, it has just really piled up in a particular spot.\"\n\nThe ground across the capital region was already saturated, having seen up to six inches of rain in the past week, according to Klotz.\n\n\"That means this additional rain, where you've seen a couple of inches of the past couple of hours, there's nowhere for it to go,\" Klotz said.\n\nTROPICAL DEPRESSION LIKELY TO FORM IN GULF OF MEXICO, MAY BRING HEAVY RAINFALL, FORECASTERS SAY\n\nNWS meteorologist Cody Ledbetter told the Associated Press the storm dumped about 6.3 inches of rain near Frederick, Maryland, about 4.5 inches near Arlington, Virginia, and about 3.4 inches at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in a two-hour period.\n\nWater gushed into the press workspace in the basement near the White House's West Wing, creating a large puddle.\n\nGovernment employees from the General Services Administration worked to drain puddles of standing water with wet vacuums.\n\nCLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS APP\n\nEmergency crews across the area were dispatched to multiple water rescues in areas like Germantown, Frederick, Fairfax County and in Washington D.C., FOX5 reported.\n\nWater also was seen in videos posted to Twitter gushing into Washington Metro stations.\n\nOne video posted by Niina Farah, showed water pouring through an opening in the roof and onto the tracks at the Virginia Square-GMU Station, according to FOX5.\n\nAnother video by Nick Scalera showed water streaming in through an elevator at Pentagon Metro.\n\nA spokesman for the Montgomery County Fire Department, Pete Piringer, said that emergency workers in the Maryland county used boats for dozens of rescues, plucking people from flooded cars. There were no reports of storm-related injuries, but several accidents were also reported.\n\nKlotz said that the line of storms has since moved south of the metro area, and that clearing skies will give the area a chance to dry off as the day progress. After this morning's onslaught, dry conditions are expected to continue this week, according to Klotz.\n\nFox News' Matt Leach and the Associated Press contributed to this report.", "Commuters in the Washington, D.C., and Baltimore area faced an extremely difficult and dangerous drive back to work on Monday morning following the long holiday weekend as heavy downpours flooded local roadways.\n\nVideos have surfaced on social media in which the raging floodwaters turned roads into rivers. One social media user captured a video while driving through high floodwaters in the Virginia Avenue Tunnel on Monday morning and said, \"You're going to need a boat to pass underneath the Virginia Ave. underpass on I-66 in NW D.C.\"\n\nSeveral water rescues were performed as high waters overflowed the roads. Local officials urged motorists to stay off the roads on Monday morning due to flash floods. Numerous roads in downtown Washington, D.C., as well as surrounding areas, were closed on Monday morning due to the heavy floodwater.\n\nPete Piringer, a spokesman for the Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service, told local news station WTOP that \"all our folks are deployed right now\" at about 8:30 a.m. He said \"the storm drains are overwhelmed.\"\n\nDeep tropical moisture across the mid-Atlantic states has supported areas of slow-moving heavy rain over parts of Maryland and northern Virginia on Monday morning, said AccuWeather Meteorologist Max Vido.\n\n\"So far this [Monday] morning, the heaviest rain targeted portions of Montgomery, Frederick and Carroll County and prompted the National Weather Service to issues multiple flash flood warnings,\" Vido said.\n\nMuch of D.C., Arlington, Montgomery, Frederick, and Carroll counties received 2 to 4 inches of rain, with many areas picking up those amounts in only 1 or 2 hours. Radar estimates close to Frederick, Maryland, indicate rainfall totals over 4 inches. This heavy rainfall prompted street flooding, collapsed trees and water rescues.\n\nIn Arlington, Virginia, 3.3 inches of rain fell over the course of an hour at Reagan National Airport early Monday, according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski. That's nearly a month's worth of rain, as the normal monthly total is 3.7 inches.\n\nThe heavy rain also flooded the runway at Frederick Municipal Airport, covering the wheels of some aircraft. At the White House, the rain started to flood the basement. Meanwhile, the second flood entrance of the Pentagon \"leaks\" on Monday morning, CNN Pentagon correspondent Barbara Starr reports. The flooding captured in Starr's photo is from rain coming in from the fifth floor ceiling and is also bubbling up from the Potomac River below.\n\nA large sinkhole was reported on Belfast Road in Potomac, Md. WUSA9 News Anchor Annie Yu reported that her friend's mother drove right up to it and needed to stop several other cars from driving over it.\n\nAnother sinkhole appeared under a home in Potomac. The backyard collapsed into the basement, and the home is now in danger of collapsing, reports WJLA-TV News Reporter Sam Sweeney.\n\nAmtrak stopped all trains south of D.C.'s Union Station due to the poor weather conditions and high water on tracks. The Metrobus in Washington, D.C., is experiencing delays in both directions due to high standing water at the entrance of McLean Metrorail Station. Videos shared on social media capture water pouring down from the ceiling into the Virginia Square Station in Arlington, leading to single-tracking at the station.\n\n\"The threat for heavy rain and flash flooding will continue for the next few hours before rainfall gradually moves off to the south this [Monday] afternoon,\" Vido said.", "“The swamp” is slowly draining after a deluge of heavy rain during the height of the morning commute led to flash flood warnings and rising waters in and around the nation’s capital. The flooding closed roads, stranded drivers, canceled buses, suspended Amtrak service, and created waterfalls in the city’s subway system.\n\nIn the 9 a.m. hour alone, 3.3 inches of rain fell at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport just outside the city. The Washington Post’s Capital Weather Gang noted that Monday became one of the wettest days in July dating back to 1871. Nearly a month’s worth fell in just an hour.\n\nEmergency services across the region reported dozens of water rescues and stranded motorists. The D.C. Fire Department said they rescued some 15 people from cars stuck in high water, some in the few blocks between the White House and the Washington Monument. Neighboring Arlington County, Virginia, and Montgomery County, Maryland, said they rescued more than 50 people from cars, houses, and apartments. There have been no reports of fatalities.\n\nIt wasn’t just drivers who faced problems Monday. Riders at the Pentagon’s Metro stop faced a flooding elevator shaft, and at Virginia Square a heavy torrent of water poured in from the station’s arched roof onto the subway tracks below. Local bus service closed entirely in Alexandria and Arlington. Even the White House basement began leaking, and the tunnel between the Capitol and the nearby Rayburn House Office Building was briefly closed.\n\nWhile a single storm can’t be attributed to climate change, extreme downpours like the one that hit Washington are becoming increasingly common, according to the U.S. government’s 2018 National Climate Assessment, and they’re becoming more severe. Communities like Ellicott City, Maryland, have been repeatedly slammed by heavy flooding, and in the Midwest, farmers are still struggling after record floods this spring. The amount of rain falling in the worst 1 percent of storms has risen by 55 percent in the Northeast and 42 percent in the Midwest since 1958. As extreme downpours become more common in wetter parts of the country, dryer parts of the country like the Southwest and Southern Great Plains will also see more extreme droughts.\n\nMonday’s storm is a reminder that extreme downpours are another warning sign of what is to come as the Earth continues to warm. Meanwhile, the president and GOP lawmakers who have advocated to “drain the swamp” refuse to acknowledge human-caused climate change. Maybe they’ll catch on before they need a boat to get to work.", "Torrential rain lashed Washington DC and surrounding areas on Monday, flooding many neighborhoods and hobbling electricity and transportation networks\n\nWashington, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - APP - 9th Jul, 2019 ) :Torrential rain lashed Washington DC and surrounding areas on Monday, flooding many neighborhoods and hobbling electricity and transportation networks.\n\nThe National Weather Service issued a Flash Flood Warning as the storm hit, drowning roads and forcing closures of many major arteries. Airports and rail networks were also hit, causing delays.\n\nThe American capital's Ronald Reagan airport received 3.3 inches (around 83 millimeters) of rainfall in just one hour, the NWS added in a tweet.\n\nDramatic footage aired on local tv stations and posted on social media showed vehicles submerged on roads near major landmarks like the Washington Monument, and some motorists standing on the roofs of their cars as the floodwaters rose.\n\nOne such video showed water gushing down through a hole in the roof of a Washington metro station.\n\nThe main power vault of the National Archives building -- which houses some of the most important documents in American history -- was flooded, cutting power as the streets around it were submerged.\n\n\"The building's flood walls deployed and worked,\" the institution said in a statement.\n\n\"The Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights -- along with all of the permanently valuable records stored in the building -- are safe and not in any danger.\" The White House was not spared either: Footage posted by several correspondents and outlets showed puddles forming in one of its basements.\n\nEmergency services said they received dozens of calls from citizens seeking help. Despite the widespread flooding, no deaths were reported.\n\nThe rainfall and floodwaters subsided later in the day, as damage assessments began in the District of Columbia -- where Washington is located -- and neighboring parts of Virginia and Maryland.\n\nHundreds of customers were affected by power outages because of the rainfall, according to a live map on the website of local utility Pepco.\n\n\"Stay clear of downed power lines and always assume they are energized,\" it said in a tweet.", "Almost a month’s worth of rain fell in just one hour in Washington D.C., Monday, bringing a halt to the morning rush hour.\n\nThe National Weather Service classified the line of storms in the nation’s capital as a once-in-100-year event.\n\nBetween 9 and 10 a.m., 3.30 inches of rain fell at Reagan National Airport, just .43 inches shy of the monthly normal. As the rains stopped, amounts totaled higher than 4 inches across the D.C. metro area.\n\nThe downpour triggered a two-hour flash flood emergency for the metro region, which is more serious than a flash flood warning.\n\nVideos of the flooding around the National Mall surfaced across social media. Many streets were turned into rivers, and crews brought out boats to rescue people stranded in their cars.\n\nJeff DuVal, a deputy director of the Department of Transportation & Environmental Services in Alexandria, Virginia, told CNN the flash flooding closed several roads. Officials warned motorists to stay off the roads due to the flooding.\n\nAccording to the National Weather Service, most flood deaths occur in vehicles. Public service announcements remind people that if they approach a flooded road, to “turn around, don’t drown.” It only takes 12 inches of rushing water to carry away most cars.\n\nThe rains were so intense Monday that water broke through the ceiling of a Washington Metro underground station.\n\nThe forecast calls for sunny and dry conditions over D.C. for the next two days, with rain chances returning on Thursday."], "summary": "Flash flooding in Washington, D.C. delivers a month's worth of rain on the local area in the span of an hour. The torrential rain leaves commuters stranded on car rooftops, floods several metro stations and causes flooding in the White House."}
{"document": ["Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari and Benin's President Patrice Talon on Sunday signed a landmark trade agreement ahead of the accord's official launch at the African Union (AU) summit in Niger.\n\nAU commission chairman Moussa Faki dubbed the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) deal a \"historic\" moment.\n\nRead more: Africa's vision for the future – much more than a free trade deal\n\nFifty-four out of 55 AU member states agreed to the deal in March, with only Eritrea holding out. It took African leaders four years to reach an agreement on the continental free-trade zone, which is expected to usher in a new era of development in Africa.\n\nThe AfCFTA is the largest trade bloc since the creation of the World Trade Organization in 1994.\n\nFocus on Africa\n\n\"The eyes of the world are turned to Africa,\" Egyptian President and AU chairman Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi said at the summit's opening ceremony on Sunday.\n\n\"AfCFTA will reinforce our negotiating position on the international stage. It will represent an important step,\" he added.\n\nRead more: Egypt President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi takes over chair of African Union\n\n'AfCFTA will represent an important step,' says AU chairman el-Sissi (L)\n\nThe African free-trade bloc will help boost the continent's long-stymied economy by strengthening interregional trade and supply chains.\n\nThe free-trade zone should be operational from July 2020, AU trade and industry commissioner Albert Muchanga told the AFP news agency.\n\nRead more: Can Africa benefit from US-China trade spat?\n\nMajor obstacles\n\nEconomic experts say the AU still faces significant challenges in implementing the deal. Poor roads and railway lines, violence-hit areas, strict border controls and rampant corruption are some of the obstacles to an effective continental free-trade zone.\n\nAU member countries agreed to eliminate tariffs on most goods, which would boost regional trade by 15-25% in the medium term. It could be doubled in the long term if other issues were dealt with, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).\n\n\"Reducing tariffs alone is not sufficient,\" it said.\n\n\"It will be important to address those disparities to ensure that special and differential treatments for the least developed countries are adopted and successfully implemented,\" said Landry Signe, a fellow at the Brookings Institution's Africa Growth Initiative.\n\nThe IMF said in a May report that the AfCFTA could be an \"economic game changer\" for Africa – of a similar kind to the one that boosted growth in Europe and North America.\n\nAmaka Anku, Africa analyst at Eurasia group, said the deal was a positive step but AfCFTA was still \"a long way from taking off.\"\n\nAfrican nations currently trade only about 16% of their goods and services among one another, compared with 65% for the European Union member states.\n\nWatch video 01:26 Share Africa's free trade agreement set to enter final stretch Send Facebook google+ Whatsapp Tumblr linkedin stumble Digg reddit Newsvine Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/3LfRN Africa's free trade agreement set to enter final stretch\n\nshs/ng (AFP, Reuters)\n\nEvery evening, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.", "(AP) — Several African heads of state have gathered in Niger’s capital to launch a continentwide free trade area.\n\nThe African Continental Free Trade Area aims to create a single unified market for the continent’s 1.3 billion people and to boost economic development in an estimated market of $3.4 trillion.\n\nPlans for the free trade zone received a boost last week when Africa’s largest economy, Nigeria, became the 25th country to ratify the trade agreement.\n\nThe general agreement has been signed by 54 of Africa’s 55 countries, with only Eritrea not signing up.\n\nThe location of the zone’s headquarters and a timeline for the start of trading are expected to be announced at the African Union summit in Niamey on Sunday.", "JOHANNESBURG - Several African heads of state gathered in Niger's capital Sunday to launch a continentwide free trade area that represents an estimated market of $3.4 trillion.\n\nThe African Continental Free Trade Area aims to create a single unified market for the continent's 1.3 billion people and to boost economic development.\n\nPlans for the free trade zone received a boost last week when Africa's largest economy, Nigeria, became the 25th country to ratify the trade agreement.\n\nThe general agreement has been signed by 54 of Africa's 55 countries, with only Eritrea not signing up.\n\nThe location of the zone's headquarters and a timeline for the start of trading are expected to be announced at the African Union summit in Niger's capital.\n\nThe goal of the new free trade area is to significantly increase trade within Africa. Currently, African countries conduct only 16% of their trade with each other, compared to 65% among European countries, according to the African Union.\n\nAfrica already has several smaller regional trading areas, including the East African Community, the Southern African Development Community, the West African Economic Community and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa.\n\nMany hurdles remain to creating an effective continent-wide trading area, including a lack of transportation infrastructure and border restrictions.\n\nAnother item to be discussed at the African Union summit is security in Niger and the surrounding Sahel region, which has seen a rise in jihadist violence.\n\nThe G5-Sahel security group, made up of Chad, Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania and Niger, was expected to encourage AU leaders to press the United Nations for more support fighting extremist violence.", "Trade within Africa has enormous potential. Whether a new free trade zone on the continent will realize that potential is up to the more than 50 nations participating in it, writes DW’s Claus Stäcker.\n\nA friend of mine from Zimbabwe recently bought a used car. After saving up enough money, he took advantage of a window of stable internet to browse and compare different models online. He checked mileage, trunk size and fuel efficiency, then he finally placed an order — but not in Zimbabwe, nor even in neighboring South Africa, which has an established auto industry and a large used car market. His dream car was in Japan, and the dealer in Yokohama quickly prepared the freight paperwork.\n\nSoon to be the world’s largest free trade zone\n\nA broker made sure the car landed in South Africa’s largest port, Durban, a few weeks later. To save on further shipping costs, my friend took a two-day bus to Durban. After picking up the car, he drove the 1,700 kilometers (1,000 miles) back home. He had to pay a few extra dollars to get the car’s paperwork processed, because it was all in Japanese. He also had to navigate his way through several road checkpoints. Ultimately, he made it home — satisfied that, despite a few hiccups and extra red tape, he had still saved $800 (€713). This is what doing business is like in the South African Development Community (SADC) trade zone.\n\nThe SADC is one of five subregions that will form the new African Free Trade Area, known by the cumbersome acronym AfCFTA. The African Union hailed the new trade zone as an historic achievement during an event in Niger on Sunday marking its launch. The bloc was given a boost after Nigeria, which boasts Africa’s largest economy, agreed to sign on.\n\nThe AfCFTA, which the African Union says will be the world’s largest free trade area, has now been created — at least on paper. Eritrea is the only country in Africa not participating.\n\nEveryone wants to make rapid social and economic progress in Africa a reality, particularly as refugees leaving the continent continue to endure tragedy in the Sahara and on the Mediterranean Sea. But it remains to be seen whether the AfCFTA can help make that dream a reality.\n\nAfter all, African trade dreams aren’t new: As early as 1980, the African Union’s predecessor, the Organization for African Unity, agreed on a plan for greater economic integration on the continent. The Lagos Plan of Action, as it was known, not only provided for free trade, but even a common currency. Under Agenda 2063, the African Union’s master plan to speed up development and economic growth, 14 major initiatives have been agreed in addition to free trade — including linking the continent’s 54 national capitals by express trains. But at the moment, many places in Africa lack adequate energy, transportation and telecommunications infrastructure. At the borders, trucks line up for days on end. It is easier to get from Africa to Europe by plane than between many countries on the continent. Meanwhile, governments in Africa mistrust each other so much that they don’t even recognize the African standard passport.\n\nAt just shy of 2.5%, Africa’s share of world trade has remained unchanged for the past 20 years. Its continental economic power is less than half the size of Japan’s. Economic growth has recently shrunk to 3% and is still primarily based on foreign trade in oil, gold, diamonds, precious metals and cocoa. Intra-African trade in goods accounts for just 12% of trade volume. This is where the greatest potential lies, because many products would be much more competitive within Africa than on the global trade market. According to the Economic Commission for Africa, however, transport costs on the continent are the highest in the world. Moving a freight container from Tokyo to the Ivorian capital of Abidjan costs roughly €1,300, while intra-African transport from Addis Ababa in Ethiopia to Abidjan costs €4,500 — more than three times as much.\n\nThe fact that a Zimbabwean would rather order a used car in Japan than buy a VW, Nissan or BMW built in Africa is proof of the current predicament. African leaders may have celebrated their agreement in Niger, but its the concrete political steps they take that will show whether the AfCFTA is truly historic.", "African leaders launched a continental free-trade zone on Sunday that if successful would unite 130 crore people, create a $3.4 trillion economic bloc and usher in a new era of development.\n\nAfter four years of talks, an agreement to form a 55-nation trade bloc was reached in March, paving the way for Sunday's African Union summit in Niger where Ghana was announced as the host of the trade zone's future headquarters and discussions were held on how exactly the bloc will operate.\n\nIt is hoped that the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) - the largest since the creation of the World Trade Organization in 1994 - will help unlock Africa's long-stymied economic potential by boosting intra-regional trade, strengthening supply chains and spreading expertise.\n\n\"The eyes of the world are turned towards Africa,\" Egyptian President and African Union Chairman Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said at the summit's opening ceremony.\n\n\"The success of the AfCFTA will be the real test to achieve the economic growth that will turn our people’s dream of welfare and quality of life into a reality,\" he said.\n\nAfrica has much caught up to do: its intra-regional trade accounted for just 17 percent of exports in 2017 versus 59 percent in Asia and 69 percent in Europe, and Africa has missed out on the economic booms that other trade blocs have experienced in recent decades.\n\nEconomists say significant challenges remain, including poor road and rail links, large areas of unrest, excessive border bureaucracy and petty corruption that have held back growth and integration.\n\nMembers have committed to eliminating tariffs on most goods, which will increase trade in the region by 15-25 percent in the medium term, but this would more than double if these other issues were dealt with, according to International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimates.\n\nThe IMF in a May report described the free-trade zone as a potential \"economic game-changer\" of the kind that has boosted growth in Europe and North America, but it added a note of caution.\n\n\"Reducing tariffs alone is not sufficient,\" it said.\n\nAfrica already has an alphabet soup of competing and overlapping trade zones - ECOWAS in the west, EAC in the east, SADC in the south and COMESA in the east and south.\n\nBut only the EAC, driven mainly by Kenya, has made significant progress towards a common market in goods and services.\n\nThese regional economic communities (REC) will continue to trade among themselves as they do now. The role of AfCFTA is to liberalise trade among those member states that are not currently in the same REC, said Trudi Hartzenberg, director at Tralac, a South Africa-based trade law organisation.\n\nThe zone's potential clout received a boost on Tuesday when Nigeria, the largest economy in Africa, agreed to sign the agreement at the summit. Benin has also since agreed to join. Fifty-four of the continent's 55 states have now signed up, but only about half of these have ratified.\n\nOne obstacle in negotiations will be the countries' conflicting motives.\n\nFor undiversified but relatively developed economies like Nigeria, which relies heavily on oil exports, the benefits of membership will likely be smaller than others, said John Ashbourne, senior emerging markets economist at Capital Economics.\n\nNigerian officials have expressed concern that the country could be flooded with low-priced goods, confounding efforts to encourage moribund local manufacturing and expand farming.\n\nIn contrast, South Africa's manufacturers, which are among the most developed in Africa, could quickly expand outside their usual export markets and into West and North Africa, giving them an advantage over manufacturers from other countries, Ashbourne said.\n\nThe presidents of both countries attended the summit.\n\nThe vast difference in countries' economic heft is another complicating factor in negotiations. Nigeria, Egypt and South Africa account for over 50 percent of Africa's cumulative GDP, while its six sovereign island nations represent about 1 percent.\n\n\"It will be important to address those disparities to ensure that special and differential treatments for the least developed countries are adopted and successfully implemented,\" said Landry Signe, a fellow at the Brookings Institution's Africa Growth Initiative.\n\nThe summit also saw the launch of a digital payments system for the zone and instruments that will govern rules of origin and tariff concessions, as well as monitor and seek to eliminate non-tariff obstacles to trade, the African Union said.", "related media assets (image or videos) available. Click to see the gallery.\n\n2 related media assets (image or videos) available. Click to see the gallery.\n\nAfrican leaders met on Sunday to launch a continental free-trade zone that if successful would unite 1.3 billion people, create a US$3.4 trillion economic bloc and usher in a new era of development.\n\nNIAMEY: African leaders met on Sunday to launch a continental free-trade zone that if successful would unite 1.3 billion people, create a US$3.4 trillion economic bloc and usher in a new era of development.\n\nAfter four years of talks, an agreement to form a 55-nation trade bloc was reached in March, paving the way for Sunday's African Union summit in Niger where attendees will unveil which nation will host the trade zone's headquarters, when trading will start and discuss how exactly it will work.\n\nIt is hoped that the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) - the largest since the creation of the World Trade Organization in 1994 - will help unlock Africa's long-stymied economic potential by boosting intra-regional trade, strengthening supply chains and spreading expertise.\n\n\"The eyes of the world are turned to Africa,\" Egyptian President and African Union Chairman Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said at the summit's opening ceremony.\n\nAfCFTA \"will reinforce our negotiating position on the international stage. It will represent an important step.\"\n\nAfrica has much catching up to do: its intra-regional trade accounted for just 17per cent of exports in 2017 versus 59per cent in Asia and 69per cent in Europe, and Africa has missed out on the economic booms that other trade blocs have experienced in recent decades.\n\nEconomists say significant challenges remain, including poor road and rail links, large areas of unrest, excessive border bureaucracy and petty corruption that have held back growth and integration.\n\nMembers have committed to eliminate tariffs on most goods, which will increase trade in the region by 15-25per cent in the medium term, but this would double if these other issues were dealt with, according to International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimates.\n\nThe IMF in a May report described a free-trade zone as a potential \"economic game changer\" of the kind that has boosted growth in Europe and North America, but it added a note of caution.\n\n\"Reducing tariffs alone is not sufficient,\" it said.\n\nAfrica already has an alphabet soup of competing and overlapping trade zones - ECOWAS in the west, EAC in the east, SADC in the south and COMESA in the east and south.\n\nBut only the EAC, driven mainly by Kenya, has made significant progress toward a common market in goods and services.\n\nThese regional economic communities (REC) will continue to trade among themselves as they do now. The role of AfCFTA is to liberalize trade among those member states that are not currently in the same REC, said Trudi Hartzenberg, director at Tralac, a South Africa-based trade law organization.\n\nThe zone's potential clout received a boost on Tuesday when Nigeria, the largest economy in Africa, agreed to sign the agreement at the summit. Benin has also since agreed to join. Fifty-four of the continent's 55 states have signed up, but only 25 have ratified.\n\nOne obstacle in negotiations will be the countries' conflicting motives.\n\nFor undiversified but relatively developed economies like Nigeria, which relies heavily on oil exports, the benefits of membership will likely be smaller than others, said John Ashbourne, senior emerging markets economist at Capital Economics.\n\nNigerian officials have expressed concern that the country could be flooded with low-priced goods, confounding efforts to encourage moribund local manufacturing and expand farming.\n\nIn contrast, South Africa's manufacturers, which are among the most developed in Africa, could quickly expand outside their usual export markets and into West and North Africa, giving them an advantage over manufacturers from other countries, Ashbourne said.\n\nThe presidents of both countries are attending the summit.\n\nThe vast difference in countries' economic heft is another complicating factor in negotiations. Nigeria, Egypt and South Africa account for over 50per cent of Africa's cumulative GDP, while its six sovereign island nations represent about 1per cent.\n\n\"It will be important to address those disparities to ensure that special and differential treatments for the least developed countries are adopted and successfully implemented,\" said Landry Signe, a fellow at the Brookings Institution's Africa Growth Initiative.\n\nRegulations governing rules of origin, removal of non-tariff barriers and the development of a payments and settlements system are expected to be unveiled at the summit.", "The African Continental Free Trade Area launched in Niger Sunday at the opening of the African Union Summit.The agreement, signed by 54 of 55 African nations, will form the largest free trade area in the world. There is much hope that pan-African trade will grow but structural issues are a challenge", "African superpower Nigeria has signed an agreement which aims to increase trade between African countries.\n\nThis leaves Eritrea as the only African country not to be part of the trading bloc.\n\nNigerian President Muhammadu Buhari signed the landmark agreement at the African Union (AU) summit in Niger.\n\nThe first step is to cut tariffs for goods from countries within the bloc but the timeframe to do this is yet to be announced.\n\nThe AU says that the African Continental Free Trade Area - called AfCFTA - will create the world's largest free trade area.\n\nIt also estimates that implementing AfCFTA will lead to around a 60% boost in intra-African trade by 2022.\n\nOnly 16% of international trade by African countries takes place between African countries, according to research by the African Development Bank in 2014.\n\nAt the moment some of that intra-Africa trade ranges from fresh fish from the Seychelles to petrol from Angola.\n\nWhy is it a big deal that Nigeria signed up?\n\nBy Mayeni Jones, Nigeria correspondent\n\nAfCFTA hit a hurdle last year when Nigeria pulled out days before the country was due to sign the agreement.\n\nNigeria is Africa's biggest economy and has long been a regional leader so, when it stalled, observers questioned if the African trade bloc would ever actually happen.\n\nPresident Muhammadu Buhari said he needed further consultations in Nigeria.\n\nSince then, the Nigerian Office for Trade Negotiation says it has consulted with 27 groups, including trade unions.\n\nNigeria has a lot to gain from increasing access to its goods and services to a wider African market. But many of those consulted also feared increased regional integration would lead to unfair competition for jobs and the goods they produce.\n\nWith Nigeria signed up, AfCFTA's dream of increasing intra-Africa trade, which currently lags behind the volume of trade the continent does with Europe, is now one step closer.\n\nNow that AfCFTA can offer access to the enormous Nigerian market, they are in a much stronger position to negotiate with regional bodies in other parts of the world.\n\nWhy was Eritrea left out?\n\nEritrea did not participate in the negotiations because of their conflict with Ethiopia, according to the Commissioner for Trade and Industry of the AU Commission Albert Muchanga.\n\nHe adds that now the two countries are at peace and Eritrea has asked the AU to go through the agreement with them.\n\n\"So over time they are going to come on board\" he said.\n\nFree trade agreements are designed to cut trade tariffs between member countries.\n\nTariffs are a form of tax, like a border tax.\n\nThey are placed on goods coming into a country for a range of reasons, sometimes to try and protect a home-made product.\n\nThe purest free trade agreement (FTA) removes all border taxes or trade barriers on goods.\n\nThey get rid of quotas too, so there is no limit to the amount of trade you can do.\n\nFTAs also help make a country's exports cheaper and give easier entry to other markets.\n\nThey come in all sorts of forms and with different rules but in short, they make trade between countries as liberal as possible and allow for more rules-based competition.", "The African Continental Free Trade Area launched in Niger Sunday at the opening of the African Union Summit. The agreement, signed by 54 of 55 African nations, will form the largest free trade area in the world. But while there is much hope that pan-African trade will grow, structural weaknesses are expected to make it a slow process. Anne Nzouankeu reports from Niamey, Niger; narration by Moki Edwin Kindzeka.", "A historic free-trade agreement removing most trade barriers and tariffs has been established between 55 African nations on Sunday in Niger’s capital Niamey, according to Euronews.\n\nFour years of talks between 55 African states culminated in March, including the last-minute inclusion of Benin and Nigeria, to see the establishment of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), the largest trading bloc to be organized since the 1994 formation of the World Trade Organization (WTO).\n\nThe signatories of the AfCFTA aspire to advance African economic development by promoting intra-continental free trade and allow for relaxed restrictions on regional trade routes as well as on the movement of labour and capital.\n\nThe new economic bloc, although one of many existing trading arrangements on the continent, vows to reduce tariffs by 90 percent and has declared as it’s major focus the export of raw materials and the development of domestic manufacturing as a means of providing incentives for foreign investment .\n\nThe International Monetary Fund (IMF) in May described the trading zone as an “economic game changer”, akin to levels of development in Europe and North America.\n\nThe inclusion of Benin in the agreement was announced by the Commissioner for Trade and Industry for the African Union.\n\nNigeria said it join the bloc during the final two-day summit, in which issues of migration and security will be addressed.\n\n“Nigeria is Africa’s biggest economy and most populous country...without Nigeria, the free trade zone would’ve been handicapped,” the president of Niger, Mahamadou Issoufou, said.\n\nEgyptian President and African Union Chairman General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi at the opening ceremony declared: “The eyes of the world are turned to Africa,” while noting that the new trade bloc would reinforce Africa’s negotiating position on the international stage.\n\nTrade within the parameters of the new agreement will begin in July 2020, providing time for signatory states and business communities to adapt to the network and prepare for the functions of an emerging market."], "summary": "African leaders agree on a continent-wide free trade zone, which encompasses all African nations except for Eritrea and Somaliland. The various European territories located in Africa are also excluded. It will be the largest free trade zone since the creation of the World Trade Organization."}
{"document": ["Bosco Ntaganda, known as the \"Congolese Terminator,\" has been found guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity.\n\nThe convictions include murder, rape and the use of child soldiers in warfare.\n\nHe was found guilty of all the 18 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity he faced. The court case took place in the Hague, where the judgment was read out on Monday.\n\n'Key leader'\n\nHead International Criminal Court (ICC) Judge Robert Fremr said Ntaganda was a \"key leader\" who ordered troops to \"target and kill civilians\" in the Ituri region of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in 2002 and 2003.\n\nThe Ituri region is still volatile, with hundreds of thousands pictured fleeing violence in June 2019.\n\nThe convictions include responsibility for an atrocity in a Congolese village, where children were disemboweled or had their heads smashed in.\n\nThe ICC said 2,123 victims of Ntaganda, whoincluded ex-child soldiers recruited under his watch, had been consulted in the trial.\n\nNtaganda's lawyers argued in the defense that he himself was a victim, as he had been a child soldier. He denied all charges.\n\nThe charges are from 2002 and 2003, when Ntaganda was deputy chief of staff of the military wing of the Union of Congolese Patriots (UPC).\n\nHe was also found guilty of pillaging and of forcefully displacing people from their homes.\n\n'A great victory'\n\nThe court's verdict has been welcomed but there were some reservations about whether it would have long-lasting consequences for peace in the region.\n\nJean Bosco Lalo, who coordinates civil society groups in Ituri, told DW that \"justice continues to do its work for us [...] but the situation on the ground has grown worse, and one wonders what impact this judgement by the ICC will have on these problems.\" Lalo said it was more important to him that criminal acts were prevented than that they were punished.\n\nA victims' representative, Cherine Luzaisu, said the verdict was \"a great victory\" for victims who had been waiting for justice since 2002, and that it was also an homage to those who had died since. But Luzaisu said the surviving victims now expected compensation for the harm they had suffered.\n\nWho is Bosco Ntaganda?\n\nBosco Ntaganda was born in Rwanda in 1973 and fled the country's genocide to the DRC. The Rwandan government had targeted people from his ethnic group, the Tutsis, during the genocide in the 1990s.\n\nHe joined, and then became the deputy Chief of Staff of the UPC, in 2002 and 2003. The case in the ICC focused on his actions as a high-ranking member of the UPC, in which he was accused and convicted of ordering violence targeting Lendu community in the fertile Ituri region of the DRC.\n\nThomas Lubanga, who was convicted of war crimes in 2014, led the UPC at the time. The ICC first called for Ntaganda's arrest in 2006. Then-DRC President Joseph Kabila did not arrest him in the interest of peace in the region, he said.\n\nThomas Lubanga was convicted of war crimes in the Hague in 2014\n\nArmy leader, then rebel\n\nNtaganda later joined the Congolese state army and rose to the rank of general. In 2012, however, he left the army and formed the M23 rebel group which was based in the North-Kivu region of the DRC. He has faced allegations of ordering mass executions, rapes and the use of child soldiers as a leader of the M23 movement. Some 800,000 people were displaced in the fighting across the country.\n\nRead more: United Nations: 68.5 million people displaced in 2017\n\nNtaganda handed himself into the US Embassy in Kigali, Rwanda, in 2013, after his M23 group split. He was the first person to ever surrender voluntarily to the ICC.\n\n\"We hope for a lot from the international courts,\" the spokesperson of the Lendu community, who Ntanganda persecuted, told DW earlier this year. \"We hope that the courts give the victims their rights back, and that the courts compensate them for Ntaganda's crimes.\"\n\nThe court has not yet announced a sentence but it could send Ntaganda to prison for life.\n\nUN peacekeeping missions in Africa DR Congo: UN's largest mission Since 1999, the UN has been trying to pacify the eastern region of the DR Congo. The mission known as MONUSCO has nearly 20,000 soldiers and an annual budget of $1.4 billion (1.3 billion euros). Despite being the largest and most expensive mission of the United Nations, violence in the country continues.\n\nUN peacekeeping missions in Africa Darfur: Powerless against violence UNAMID is a joint mission of the African Union and the UN in Sudan's volatile Darfur region. Observers consider the mission a failure. \"The UN Security Council should work harder at finding political solutions, rather than spending money for the military's long-term deployment,\" says security expert Thierry Vircoulon.\n\nUN peacekeeping missions in Africa S.Sudan: Turning a blind eye to fighting? Since the beginning of South Sudan's civil war in 2013, nearly 4 million people have been displaced according to the UN. Some of them are being sheltered in UN compounds. But when clashes between government forces and rebels broke out in the capital Juba in July 2016, the blue helmets failed to effectively intervene. Later, the Kenyan UNMISS commander was sacked by former UN chief Ban Ki-moon.\n\nUN peacekeeping missions in Africa Mali: The most dangerous UN mission in the world UN peacekeepers in Mali are monitoring compliance with the peace agreement between the government and an alliance of Tuareg-led rebels. But Islamist terrorist groups such as AQIM continue to carry out attacks making MINUSMA one of the UN's most dangerous military intervention in the world. Germany has deployed more than 700 soldiers as well as helicopters.\n\nUN peacekeeping missions in Africa CAR: Sexual abuse scandals making headlines MINUSCA, the UN's mission in Central Africa Republic has not helped to improve the image of the United Nations in Africa. French troops have been accused of sexually abusing children by the Code Blue Campaign. Three years on, victims haven't got any help from the UN. Since 2014, 10,000 soldiers and 1,800 police officers have been deployed. Violence in the country has receded but tensions remain.\n\nUN peacekeeping missions in Africa Western Sahara: Hope for lasting peace The UN mission in the Westsahara known as MINURSO has been active since 1991. MINURSO is there to monitor the armistice between Morocco and the rebels of the \"Frente Polisario\" who are fighting for the independence of the Western Sahara. In 2016, Morocco which has occupied this territory since 1976, dismissed 84 MINURSO staff after being angered by a statement from the UN Secretary-General.\n\nUN peacekeeping missions in Africa Ivory Coast: Peaceful end of a mission The UN mission in Ivory Coast fulfilled its objectives on June 30, 2016 after 14 years. Since 2016, the troops have been gradually withdrawn. Former Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said this was a \"turning point for the United Nations and the Ivory Coast.\" But only after the full withdrawal will it be clearly known whether or not the mission was successful on a long-term basis.\n\nUN peacekeeping missions in Africa Liberia: Mission accomplished The UN deployment in Liberia is - as in neighboring Ivory Coast - will soon be history. The soldiers are leaving by mid-2017. Since the end of the 14-year civil war, UNMIL has ensured stability in Liberia and helped build a functioning state. Liberia's government now wants to provide security for itself. The country is still struggling with the consequences of a devastating Ebola epidemic.\n\nUN peacekeeping missions in Africa Sudan: Ethiopians as peace promoters? The UNISFA soldiers are patrolling the disputed oil-rich region of Abyei. Sudan and South Sudan both claim to be rightful owners of this territory located between the two countries. More than 4,000 blue helmets from Ethiopia are deployed. Ethiopia is the world's second largest peace-keeping contributor. At the same time, the Ethiopian army is accused of human rights violations back home.\n\nUN peacekeeping missions in Africa Somalia: Future model AU mission? UN peacekeepers in Somalia are fighting under the leadership of the African Union in a mission known as AMISOM. The soldiers are in the Horn of African country to battle the al-Shabaab Islamists and bring stability to the war-torn nation. Ethiopia, Burundi, Djibouti, Kenya and Uganda, Sierra Leone, Ghana and Nigeria have all contributed their troops for AMISOM. Author: Martina Schwikowski\n\n\n\nEvery evening, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.", "A Congolese rebel chief, known as “the Terminator,” was found guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity on Monday, in a badly needed victory for judges at the International Criminal Court. Bosco Ntaganda was charged for his role in the Democratic Republic of Congo's Ituri conflict in 2002 and 2003, including massacring civilians and sexually enslaving underage girls.\n\nWearing a dark blue suit, Ntaganda showed no emotion Monday as head judge Robert Fremr read out the 18 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity against him.\n\nProsecutors said the 46-year-old was a \"key leader\" who recruited child soldiers and gave direct orders to target and kill\" non-combatants in the Democratic Republic of Congo's eastern Ituri province in 2002 and 2003.\n\n\"It's a bad day for Bosco, a great day for justice, a great day for the victims of Ituri,\" said Anneke Van Woudenberg, the Executive Director of corporate watchdog Raid in the UK, after the verdict.\n\n\"As Bosco Ntaganda stood up to hear the judgment on each one of those counts, the constant word of 'guilty, guilty, guilty' that ran out across the court room on Monday morning is important for others committing these kinds of atrocities,\" she told RFI. Her message is clear: justice will catch up with you.\n\nIt has taken a while. Ntaganda was first indicted in 2006 by the International Criminal Court for allegedly recruiting child soldiers in Ituri, but then fell off the radar.\n\nAt one point, he even served as a general in Congo's army before turning himself in 2013 as his power base crumbled. But for nearly ten years, he was a symbol of impunity in Africa.\n\n\"To wait so long and to finally hear a verdict handed down of guilty is really important. It's timely, and I hope it will have a big impact for the victims in Ituri,” commented Lorraine Smith van Lin, a post-conflict justice adviser with human rights group Redress based in the Hague.\n\nNtaganda case stolen from Africa\n\nThe long-awaited verdict is also the first conviction the Hague-based court has secured for gender-based and sexual violence since its creation in 2002.\n\n\"The ICC speaks about its role in relation to sex crimes but we're not seeing a lot of evidence of actual convictions that stand, so this decision today is quite important,\" van Lin told RFI.\n\nIt is also important for the international body's reputation following a string of setbacks. The ICC has been criticized for letting some of its most high profile suspects walk free, including Ivorian former leader Laurent Gbagbo and another ex-Congolese warlord: Jean-Pierre Bemba.\n\n\"Those were very embarrassing acquittals for the ICC prosecutors, so the successful prosecution of Bosco Ntaganda, one of the highest profile suspects to have come to the dock in The Hague is extremely welcome,\" reckons for his part Phil Clark, author of the book Distant Justice, analysing the impact of the International Criminal Court on African Politics.\n\nHowever, he has qualms that the international justice system may be interfering with Africa's local courts.\n\n\"While many victims will welcome today's verdict, many have asked why Ntaganda wasn't prosecuted at home where they could have witnessed this case first hand, rather than having to watch the case beamed from a television screen from The Hague,\" he told RFI.\n\nWrong debate\n\nNtaganda, Clark argues, was already being investigated by domestic prosecutors in Bunia, the main town in Ituri. \"The ICC basically stole the Ntaganda case from the domestic courts in Ituri (...)\" and ultimately this \"remarkable prosecutorial success, which would have been more valuable within Congo, now goes to the International Criminal Court,\" he added.\n\nFor Redress' van Lin, such debate is much ado about nothing.\n\n\"I think the real issue is whether or not the verdict is in favour of victims, I don't think it matters where it happens,\" she commented.\n\nA total of 2,123 victims participated in the trial, including former child soldiers and victims of Ntaganda's rebel group.\n\n\"I think at the end of the day the issue is whether or not justice has been served for the victims,\" reckons van Lin.\n\nMore than 60,000 people have been killed since violence erupted in Ituri region in 1999, according to rights groups.\n\nProsecutors said Rwandan-born Ntaganda was central to the planning and operations for the Union of Congolese Patriots rebels and its military wing, the Patriotic Forces for the Liberation of Congo (FPLC). The FPLC killed at least 800 people as it fought rival militias in Ituri.\n\nCold-blooded\n\nFor Van Woundenburg, a former Human Rights Watch senior researcher, who has been documenting Ntaganda's crimes since 2003, and has met and interviewed him on several occasions, he stood out as a \"particularly brutal individual.\"\n\n\"Often you get these warlords who direct, who command from their headquarters, who aren't necessarily themselves on the frontline, murdering, killing and raping. But Bosco was, which is in part why he was given the nickname \"The Terminator,\" which I think is apt,\" she said.\n\nNtaganda is one of five Congolese warlords brought before the ICC. The FPLC's leader, Thomas Lubanga, was convicted by the ICC in 2012 of using child soldiers. He is serving a 14-year prison sentence. The court has also convicted one wartime opponent, Germain Katanga.\n\nOther rebel leaders however, such as Mudacamara remain at large. And despite, the success of Monday's conviction, critics such as Phil Clark are disappointed that the ICC only focused on Ntaganda's early crimes and not the \"more systematic and much graver crimes he committed when he became a fully fledged leader.\"\n\n\"It is limited in scope in terms of the time and it doesn't take into account the atrocities that are still happening,\" admits van Lin.\n\nBut for her, \"it doesn't blight the conviction today, which demonstrates that the court is serious about going after these commanders and that the long arm of the law will still find them even years after,\" she said.", "Today, 8 July 2019, Trial Chamber VI of the International Criminal Court (ICC) found Mr Bosco Ntaganda guilty, beyond reasonable doubt, of 18 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, committed in Ituri, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), in 2002-2003. Trial Chamber VI, composed of Judge Robert Fremr, Presiding Judge, Judge Kuniko Ozaki and Judge Chang-ho Chung, announced its judgment during a public hearing held in Courtroom I at the seat of the Court in The Hague (The Netherlands).\n\nFindings: To make its decision, the Chamber reviewed all the evidence submitted during the trial, including documents, eye witnesses and insiders.\n\nTrial Chamber VI found that the Union des Patriotes Congolais [Union of Congolese Patriots] (UPC) and its military wing, the Forces Patriotiques pour la Libération du Congo [Patriotic Force for the Liberation of Congo] (FPLC), were at all times involved in at least one non-international armed conflict with an opposing party, in Ituri, district of the DRC from on or about 6 August 2002 to on or about 31 December 2003.\n\nThe conduct of the UPC/FPLC against the civilian population was the intended outcome of a preconceived strategy to target the civilian population, and the crimes committed took place pursuant to a policy of the UPC/FPLC. Mr Ntaganda fulfilled a very important military function in the UPC/FPLC.\n\nIn this context, the Chamber found Mr Ntaganda guilty of crimes against humanity (murder and attempted murder, rape, sexual slavery, persecution, forcible transfer and deportation) and war crimes (murder and attempted murder, intentionally directing attacks against civilians, rape, sexual slavery, ordering the displacement of the civilian population, conscripting and enlisting children under the age of 15 years into an armed group and using them to participate actively in hostilities, intentionally directing attacks against protected objects, and destroying the adversary's property).\n\nWhile the evidence did not sustain all incidents indicated by the Prosecutor, it did demonstrate that in relation to each of the 18 counts at least part of the charges were proven beyond any reasonable doubt.\n\nThe Chamber has found that Mr Ntaganda was liable as a direct perpetrator for parts of the charges of three of the crimes, namely murder as a crime against humanity and a war crime and persecution as a crime against humanity, and was an indirect perpetrator for the other parts of these crimes. He was convicted as an indirect perpetrator for the remaining crimes.\n\nNext steps: In order to determine Mr Ntaganda's sentence in this case, the Chamber will receive submissions from the parties and participants regarding the possible sentence, and will schedule a separate hearing, to receive evidence and address matters related to sentencing. Pending the decision on sentencing, Mr Ntaganda continues to be detained.\n\nThe parties (the Prosecution and Defence) may appeal the decision of conviction within thirty days. Issues related to the procedure for victims' reparations will be addressed in due course.\n\nBackground on the trial: The trial of Mr Ntaganda opened on 2 September 2015 and closing statements from 28 to 30 August 2018.\n\nOver the course of 248 hearings, the Chamber heard 80 witnesses and experts called by the Office of the ICC Prosecutor, Ms Fatou Bensouda, 19 witnesses called by the Defence team lead by Mr Stéphane Bourgon and three witnesses called by the legal representatives of the victims participating in the proceedings, as well as five victims who presented their views and concerns.\n\nA total of 2 129 victims, represented by their legal counsel, Ms Sarah Pellet and Mr Dmytro Suprun from the ICC Office for Public Counsel for the Victims, participated in the trial after having been authorised by the Chamber to do so.\n\nThe Trial Chamber issued 347 written decisions and 257 oral decisions during the trial phase. 1791 items were admitted into evidence. After the presentation of evidence, the Chamber received written closing submissions from the parties and the Legal Representatives of Victims; in total more than 1 400 pages. The total number of filings of the parties and participants and the Chamber's decisions is more than 2300 filings.\n\nFor further information on the case, click here\n\nFor further information, please contact Fadi El Abdallah, Spokesperson and Head of Public Affairs Unit, International Criminal Court, by telephone at: +31 (0)70 515-9152 or +31 (0)6 46448938 or by e-mail at: fadi.el-abdallah@icc-cpi.int", "Former Congolese warlord Bosco Ntaganda was found guilty of 18 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity by judges at the International Criminal Court on Monday.\n\nNtaganda, who was nicknamed the “Terminator,” oversaw widespread attacks on civilians and recruited child soldiers.\n\nHe was convicted on all 13 counts of war crimes and five counts of crimes against humanity. The charges included murder, rape, recruiting children as soldiers and subjecting them to sexual abuse, looting and displacement of civilians.\n\nA total of 2,123 victims were heard from by the court since the trial opened in September 2015 in The Hague.\n\n“We can only hope that today’s verdict provides some consolation to those affected by the grotesque crimes perpetrated by Ntaganda and paves the way for his victims and their families to finally obtain a measure of justice and reparations,” Joan Nyanyuki, Amnesty International’s Director for East Africa said in a statement.\n\nNtaganda had pleaded not guilty to all the charges brought against him. He can appeal the verdict. A sentencing hearing is expected in the coming weeks.\n\nThe crimes occurred when Ntaganda headed the Patriotic Forces for the Liberation of Congo (FPLC) – the military wing of the Union of Congolese Patriots political group – in north-eastern Ituri province between 2002 and 2003.\n\nNtaganda ordered attacks on a rival ethnic group in order to gain control of the province’s gold, diamond and oil resources, prosecutors said.\n\nIn one incident, women had their stomachs cut open and children had their throats slit, the court heard.\n\nNtaganda was also involved in the M23 rebel movement, which signed a peace deal with the government in 2013.\n\nHe surrendered to the US embassy in the Rwandan capital Kigali in 2013 after having eluded capture for seven years.\n\nNtaganda’s former commander Thomas Lubanga was sentenced to 14 years in 2012 for using child soldiers, becoming the first person to be convicted by the ICC.\n\nDozens of armed groups remain active in eastern Congo, which has been ravaged by violence since the 1996-2003 Congo wars.", "Today, 8 July 2019, Trial Chamber VI of the International Criminal Court (ICC) (https://www.ICC-CPI.int/) found Mr Bosco Ntaganda guilty, beyond reasonable doubt, of 18 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, committed in Ituri, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), in 2002-2003. Trial Chamber VI, composed of Judge Robert Fremr, Presiding Judge, Judge Kuniko […]\n\nToday, 8 July 2019, Trial Chamber VI of the International Criminal Court (ICC) (...\n\n\n\nSource : http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Appa-sourceTheAfric...", "The International Criminal Court has convicted a Democratic Republic of Congo rebel commander known as “The Terminator” of war crimes.\n\nBosco Ntaganda, who maintained his innocence during his trial, faces a maximum life sentence following his convictions at the global court in The Hague.\n\nHe showed no emotion as presiding judge Robert Fremr passed judgment.\n\nNtaganda was first indicted in 2006 and became a symbol of impunity in Africa, even serving as a general in DRC’s (Democratic Republic of Congo) army before turning himself in in 2013 as his power base crumbled.\n\nHe faced 18 counts of crimes against humanity and war crimes including murder, rape and sexual slavery for his role in atrocities in a bloody ethnic conflict in 2002-2003. –AP", "A former Congolese rebel leader has been found guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity.\n\nFighters loyal to Bosco Ntaganda carried out gruesome massacres of civilians, said judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC).\n\nNtaganda, nicknamed “Terminator”, was convicted on 18 counts including murder, rape, sexual slavery and using child soldiers.\n\nHe becomes the first person convicted of sexual slavery by the ICC.\n\nNtaganda, who will be sentenced at a later hearing, is the fourth person convicted by the ICC since its creation in 2002. He has 30 days to appeal against the convictions.\n\nThe 46-year-old former rebel has been involved in numerous armed conflicts in both Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.\n\nNtaganda surrendered at the US embassy in Rwanda in 2013.\n\nAccording to BBC, analysts said it was an act of self-preservation, motivated by the danger he was in after losing a power-struggle within his M23 rebel group.\n• Born in 1973, grew up in Rwanda\n• Fled to DR Congo as a teenager after attacks on fellow ethnic Tutsis\n• At 17, he began his fighting days – alternating between being a rebel and a soldier, in both Rwanda and DR Congo\n• 2006: Indicted by the ICC for allegedly recruiting child soldiers in Ituri\n• In charge of troops who carried out 2008 Kiwanji massacre of 150 people\n• 2012: Defects from the army, sparking a new rebellion which forces 800,000 from their homes\n• 2013: Surrenders to US embassy in Kigali, Rwanda, after splits in his rebel group\n\nWhat did he do?\n\nA three-judge bench found Ntaganda guilty on all 18 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the mineral-rich north-eastern region of Ituri between 2002 and 2003.\n\nNtaganda was a “key leader” who gave orders to “target and kill civilians” judge Robert Fremr said in the ruling.\n\nProsecutors had said Ntaganda was key in planning and running operations for the Union of Congolese Patriots (UCP) rebels and its military wing, the Patriotic Forces for the Liberation of Congo (FPLC).\n\nThe armed group conducted attacks against people perceived not to belong to the Hema ethnic group, the ICC found.\n\nIn one attack, fighters killed 49 captured people in a banana field behind a village using “sticks and batons as well as knives and machetes”.\n\n“Men, women and children and babies were found in the field. Some bodies were found naked, some had hands tied up, some had their heads crushed. Several bodies were disembowelled or otherwise mutilated,” Judge Fremr said.\n\nViolence in the region has killed more than 60,000 people in the region since 1999, as militias battle each other for control of scarce mineral resources, rights groups say.\n\nThe judges ruled that Ntaganda had personally killed a Catholic priest, while the fighters he commanded ran rampage in the region.\n\nThe crimes took place when Ntaganda served as the deputy chief of general staff of Thomas Lubanga – who was the leader of the UCP. He was the first person to be convicted by the ICC in 2012 and sentenced to 14 years.\n\nAll of those convicted so far by the ICC are from Africa. A fifth person, Jean-Pierre Bemba, the former vice-president of DR Congo, was initially found guilty of war crimes before being cleared on appeal last year.\n\nThe International Federation for Human Rights (known by its French acronym FIDH) called Monday’s judgment a day of victory for Ntaganda’s victims and a day of hope for others.\n\nBut it added in a statement: “While Ntaganda’s conviction is a milestone… and a victory for all those who pursued justice for crimes committed in Ituri, several suspected criminals still enjoy impunity.”", "THE HAGUE —International Criminal Court judges yesterday convicted former Congolese military leader Bosco Ntaganda for atrocities including murder, rape and conscripting child soldiers.\n\nNtaganda, 45, was found guilty for acts committed when he was military operations chief at the Union of Congolese Patriots (UPC) militia in east Democratic Republic of Congo in 2002-2003.\n\nHis conviction is a rare success for prosecutors at the ICC, an international court set up in 2002 to prosecute war crimes and crimes against humanity when member states are unable or unwilling to do so.\n\nNtaganda’s sentence will be determined at a later hearing.\n\n“The chamber … having heard all the evidence mentioned by the parties, finds you as concerns count one, murder as a crime against humanity, guilty,” said judge Robert Fremr, reading a summary of the ruling.\n\nThe court then found him guilty on all 18 charges.\n\nHis lawyers argued Ntaganda had sought to keep order among troops, punishing those who violated rules of war.\n\nNtaganda, in a dark blue suit, showed no emotion as the sentence was read out. He has 30 days to appeal.\n\nIn the conflict in Congo, Ntaganda’s UPC, dominated by the Hema clan, targeted rival Lendu people for expulsion from the mineral-rich Ituri region.\n\nHundreds of civilians were killed and many thousands were forced to flee.\n\n“This ICC decision comforts the victims and the whole population of Ituri province, which was bereaved by the atrocities of Bosco Ntaganda’s rebellion,” said Xavier Macky, director of Justice Plus, a rights group based in the provincial capital Bunia.\n\nHe called the conviction a “contribution to the war against impunity.”\n\nNtaganda’s boss, UPC leader Thomas Lubanga, is serving a 14-year prison sentence after his conviction at the ICC.\n\nThe court has also convicted one of their wartime opponents, Germain Katanga.\n\nThe court has further convicted Ahmad al-Faqi al-Mahdi, a Malian who confessed to destroying cultural property, and former Ivory Coast president Jean-Pierre Bemba — but Bemba’s conviction was overturned on appeal.\n\nAn ICC warrant for Ntaganda’s arrest was first issued in 2006, and he turned himself in at the U.S. Embassy in neighbouring Rwanda in 2013, apparently having fled Congo due to infighting among military groups.—Reuters", "THE HAGUE — Judges at the International Criminal Court on Monday convicted Bosco Ntaganda, a former Congolese military leader, on charges of atrocities including murder, rape and conscripting child soldiers.\n\nNtaganda, 45, was convicted for acts committed while he was a leader of the Union of Congolese Patriots (UPC) militia in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo in in 2002-2003.\n\nNtaganda’s sentence will be determined at a later hearing.", "The International Criminal Court has convicted Congolese former rebel leader Bosco Ntaganda, dubbed the \"Terminator\", as guilty of war..."], "summary": "The International Criminal Court declares Bosco Ntaganda guilty of having committed war crimes during the Ituri conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo."}
{"document": ["Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, who stormed to power in 2015 vowing to tear up the austerity rule book but then broke most of his promises, has been blamed for saddling the cash-strapped EU member state with even more debt. And his time in power looks set to be coming to an end with the conservative New Democracy party 10 points ahead in the opinion polls and on the verge of winning an absolute majority in Greece's 300-seat parliament.\n\nMr Tsipras said: “This is a critical battle. We are fighting it with optimism and determination so that the sacrifices and hard work of our people do not go to waste.” The snap election was called after Syriza suffered a defeat in European elections in May, and is largely a showdown between two contenders - Mr Tsipras and Kyriakos Mitsotakis of New Democracy who hopes to follow in the footsteps of his father to become prime minister. Mr Mitsotakis said: “Today, Greeks take their future in their own hands and I am certain that a better day for our country will dawn tomorrow.”\n\n\n\nGreece endured a debilitating financial crisis from 2010 and were handed three cash lifelines from its EU partners. And Mr Tsipras warned a vote cast for his rival would see the return of the political establishment which got Greece into such a mess in the first place. But he has also been roundly criticised for mismanagement of cash crises and for brokering a deeply unpopular deal to end a dispute over the name of neighouring North Macedonia.\n\nGreece wrapped up its last economic adjustment programme in 2018 but remains under close scrutiny from lenders to ensure no future financial meltdowns. And while economic growth has returned the country, unemployment of 18 percent remains the highest in the eurozone. New Democracy has promised to invest in creating well-paid jobs with decent benefits.", "Exit polls in Greece’s general election indicate conservative opposition leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis has won a comfortable victory over left-wing Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.\n\nExit polls in Greece’s general election indicate conservative opposition leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis has won a comfortable victory over left-wing Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.\n\nThe exit polls from Sunday’s election predicted Mr Mitsotakis’s New Democracy party would win enough seats in Greece’s 300-member parliament to form a government without needing to enter a coalition with another party.\n\nThe vote is Greece’s first parliamentary election since the country emerged from three successive international bailouts and as it continues to struggle from a crippling financial crisis of nearly a decade.\n\nThe election was held three months earlier than originally planned after Mr Tsipras saw his support erode during European elections.\n\nAnd it comes as the country gradually emerges from a brutal nearly decade-long financial crisis that saw unemployment and poverty levels skyrocket, and Greece’s economy slashed by a quarter.\n\nGreece was dependent for survival until last summer on international bailouts, and had to impose deep reforms, including massive spending cuts and tax hikes, to qualify for the rescue loans.\n\nMr Tsipras led his small Coalition of the Radical Left, or Syriza, party to victory in 2015 elections on promises to repeal the austerity measures of Greece’s first two bailouts.\n\nBut after months of tumultuous negotiations with the country’s international creditors that saw Greece nearly crash out of the European Union’s joint currency, he was forced to change tack, signing up to a third bailout and imposing the accompanying spending cuts and tax hikes.\n\nHe also cemented a deal with neighbouring North Macedonia under which that country changed its name from Macedonia. Although praised by Western allies, the deal angered many Greeks, who consider use of the term harbours expansionist aims on the Greek province of the same name.\n\nMr Mitsotakis, son of a former prime minister and brother of a former foreign minister, was pledging to make Greece more business-friendly, attract foreign investment, modernise the country’s notorious bureaucracy and cut taxes.", "Centre-right leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis was sworn in as Greece’s new Prime Minister on Monday just a day after his New Democracy party landed an absolute majority in the country’s elections, which put an end to the left-wing Syriza government.\n\nUnlike his predecessor Alexis Tspiras back in 2015, Mitsotakis took a religious oath of office with his hand on the Bible in the presence of the Archbishop of Athens, Ieronymous II, and several other Orthodox representatives in a traditional ceremony at the presidential palace, reported Efe news.\n\n“I swear in the name of the Holy, Consubstantial and Indivisible Trinity to safeguard the Constitution and the laws and to serve the general interest of the Greek people,” he said, joined by President Prokopis Pavlopoulos, his wife and three children.\n\nIn a brief statement before heading off to the government headquarters to exchange functions with Tsipras, Mitsotakis reiterated the message he gave on election night: “The people have given us a strong mandate to change the country. From today we will begin to work very hard,” he said.\n\nTsipras welcomed him with a handshake, something that the outgoing PM’s predecessor, the conservative Andonis Samaras, did not do in 2015.\n\nNew Democracy took 39.8 per cent of the national vote in Sunday’s elections, meaning it landed 158 of the 300 parliamentary seats, while Syriza dropped to 31.5 per cent, or 86 lawmakers.\n\nUnder Greek norms, the winning party is awarded 50 bonus seats.\n\nThe results make way for bipartisanship in Parliament once again, as Syriza comprises a strong opposition force, with a 20-point advantage over its nearest challenger, the centrist Kinal party.\n\nNew Democracy obtained its best showing in more than a decade, as voters fled not only Syriza but several other major parties towards the centre-right.\n\nThe outgoing governing party secured just four points less than what it achieved in 2015.\n\nKinal scraped 8 per cent, two percentage points more than its previous showing.\n\nThe communist KKE held onto its 5 per cent share, largely thanks to the collapse of the neo-Nazi Golden Dawn, which took just 2.9 percent, less than half of what it achieved last time around and not enough to make the cut for parliamentary seats.\n\nThis does not indicate that the hunger for the far-right was ebbing in Greece, as Greek Solution took 10 seats or 3.7 per cent of the vote.", "Exit polls in Greece’s general election indicate conservative opposition leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis has won a comfortable victory over left-wing Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras.\n\nThe exit polls from Sunday’s election predicted Mr Mitsotakis’s New Democracy party would win enough seats in Greece’s 300-member parliament to form a government without needing to enter a coalition with another party.\n\nThe vote is Greece’s first parliamentary election since the country emerged from three successive international bailouts and as it continues to struggle from a crippling financial crisis of nearly a decade.\n\nThe election was held three months earlier than originally planned after Mr Tsipras saw his support erode during European elections.\n\nAnd it comes as the country gradually emerges from a brutal nearly decade-long financial crisis that saw unemployment and poverty levels skyrocket, and Greece’s economy slashed by a quarter.\n\nGreece was dependent for survival until last summer on international bailouts, and had to impose deep reforms, including massive spending cuts and tax hikes, to qualify for the rescue loans.\n\nMr Tsipras led his small Coalition of the Radical Left, or Syriza, party to victory in 2015 elections on promises to repeal the austerity measures of Greece’s first two bailouts.\n\nBut after months of tumultuous negotiations with the country’s international creditors that saw Greece nearly crash out of the European Union’s joint currency, he was forced to change tack, signing up to a third bailout and imposing the accompanying spending cuts and tax hikes.\n\nHe also cemented a deal with neighbouring North Macedonia under which that country changed its name from Macedonia. Although praised by Western allies, the deal angered many Greeks, who consider use of the term harbours expansionist aims on the Greek province of the same name.\n\nMr Mitsotakis, son of a former prime minister and brother of a former foreign minister, was pledging to make Greece more business-friendly, attract foreign investment, modernise the country’s notorious bureaucracy and cut taxes.\n\nSpeaking after the exit polls, Greek finance minister Euclid Tsakalotos said: “This is a big win for New Democracy. People believed in their program despite it being vague.”\n\nHe told state-run ERT television that supporters of Syriza and the government led by Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras “should be proud of our achievements”.\n\nHe added: “We underestimated the scale of the opposition toward Syriza.”", "ATHENS (Reuters) - Greeks began voting on Sunday in the first general election since Greece emerged from international bailouts, a runoff polls predict will bring conservatives to power and end four years of leftist rule blamed for saddling the country with more debt.\n\nThe snap election is largely a showdown of two contenders. Incumbent Alexis Tsipras of the Syriza party is on one side - a 44-year-old radical leftist who stormed to power in 2015 vowing to tear up the austerity rule book only to relent weeks later.\n\nOn the other side is Kyriakos Mitsotakis, 51, of New Democracy, the scion of a political dynasty who hopes to follow in the footsteps of his father as prime minister.\n\nOpinion polls put New Democracy’s lead at up to 10 percentage points, potentially giving it an absolute majority in Greece’s 300-seat parliament. Voting ends at 7.00 pm (1600 GMT), with the first official projections expected about two hours after voting ends.\n\nGreece endured a debilitating financial crisis from 2010 that required a cash lifeline from its European Union partners three times.\n\nThe economy is the public’s main concern, said Thomas Gerakis of pollsters MARC.\n\nOne voter, a 45-year-old private sector worker who gave his name as Makis, said: “I think in the long run (New Democracy) will be better in terms of management and growth.”\n\nOthers said they forgave Tsipras for any errors.\n\n“I am completely satisfied, whatever the mistakes, whatever the omissions. He got us out of the bailouts,” said Niki Loufa, 61, a retired bank worker.\n\nTsipras has also been roundly criticized for mismanagement of crises and for brokering a deeply unpopular deal to end a dispute over the name of neighboring North Macedonia.\n\nOne hundred people were killed in a devastating fire that swept through a seaside village east of Athens last year. While Mitsotakis was quick to the scene to console survivors, Tsipras was out of the public eye for several days.\n\nGreece wrapped up its last economic adjustment program in 2018 but remains under surveillance from lenders to ensure no future fiscal slippage. While economic growth has returned, Greek unemployment of 18 percent is the euro zone’s highest.\n\nNew Democracy has promised to invest in creating well-paid jobs with decent benefits. The outgoing government meanwhile hopes voters will reward it for upping the minimum wage by 11 percent and reinstating collective bargaining.\n\nMitsotakis hopes that his reforms will convince lenders to show more flexibility in due course.\n\n“The first thing that is necessary for economic growth to be boosted is a stable government, a strong majority in the next parliament,” Mitsotakis told Reuters.\n\nTsipras says that a vote cast for Mitsotakis would go to the political establishment, which forced Greece to the edge of the precipice in the first place.\n\n“Each and every one of you must now consider if, after so many sacrifices, we should return to the days of despair,” he told voters, wrapping up the pre-election campaign on Friday.", "ATHENS (Reuters) - Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras called opposition leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis to congratulate him on his victory in general elections on Sunday, an official of Mitsotakis party said.\n\nThe handover would take place on Monday, after Mitsotakis’s swearing in as new Prime Minister, the official said.", "The result of yesterday’s general election is a great victory for New Democracy and for Kyriakos Mitsotakis personally.\n\nGreek citizens handed him a strong majority in order to deliver on what he had promised during the campaign.\n\nYesterday’s elections brought to a close a cycle of governance during which shilly-shallying on a series of crucial decisions and reforms was the order of the day.\n\nStill, the fact remains that SYRIZA and Alexis Tsipras personally held on to the bulk of voters that had entrusted the country’s governance to them in 2015.\n\nDespite SYRIZA’s huge defeat in the 26 May European Parliament election, the party managed to regroup and retain an absolutely hegemonic position in the opposition.\n\nThe centre-left Movement for Change slightly improved its European election results but it lacks the dynamic to challenge SYRIZA’s predominant position in the opposition.\n\nFollowing the political adventures of the decade-long crisis, one sees a clear return to two-party hegemony, though it remains to be seen whether it will prove to be as durable as the Pasok-ND hegemony of past decades.\n\nAn exceptionally important result of the election is the shrinking of Golden Dawn.\n\nThe neo-Nazi political grouping has been driven by voters to the margins of political life where it belongs.\n\nOne must also note, however, that parties founded on irrational premises have survived and were able to enter Parliament.\n\nThe country’s path in the aftermath of the election will be determined primarily by the political choices and tactics of the new government.\n\nMr. Mitsotakis will have a short grace period, but he will soon have to prove that he can truly guarantee the return of the economy and of society to normalcy as he has pledged.\n\nThe task is neither simple nor easy. There are great expectations and small endurance.\n\nBeyond the government’s choices, Mr. Tsipras’ stance as main opposition leader will play a decisive role.\n\nIt remains to be seen whether his term in office has made him more mature and responsible or whether he will as he has done in the past adopt extreme opposition tactics after a temporary – as he said – loss of power.\n\nCitizens with their vote yesterday chose to have both a strong government and a strong opposition.\n\nThey hope and expect that both major parties will carry out the task assigned to them with responsibility, with seriousness, and with a view to the more general national interest.", "Leader of New Democracy conservative party and winner of Greek general election Kyriakos Mitsotakis is sworn in as prime minister during a ceremony at the Presidential Palace in Athens, Greece July 8, 2019. REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis\n\nATHENS (Reuters) - Greece’s New Democracy party leader Kyrikos Mitsotakis was sworn in as prime minister on Monday after a landslide victory in snap elections on a platform of investments, lower taxes and jobs.\n\nMitsotakis will likely face an uphill battle squaring his promises with fiscal targets agreed with lenders.", "Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras concedes election, says he called conservative opposition leader to congratulate him\n\nATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras concedes election, says he called conservative opposition leader to congratulate him.", "Greece's ruling leftist Syriza party suffered a landslide defeat in elections yesterday, bringing an end to the government of prime minister Alexis Tsipras.\n\nGreece's ruling leftist Syriza party suffered a landslide defeat in elections yesterday, bringing an end to the government of prime minister Alexis Tsipras.\n\nThe opposition conservatives have been returned to power, with prime minister-elect Kyriakos Mitsotakis saying he had a clear mandate for change, pledging more investments and fewer taxes.\n\nThe win appeared driven by fatigue with years of EU-enforced belt-tightening, combined with high unemployment, after the country almost crashed out of the eurozone at the height of its financial travails in 2015.\n\nConservative New Democracy had a commanding lead of 39.6pc of the vote - based on 73pc of the votes counted - versus 31.6pc Syriza, according to official tallies.\n\nExit polls showed New Democracy winning between 155 and 167 seats in the 300-member parliament, taking advantage of an electoral system which gives bonus seats to the frontrunner.\n\nMr Mitsotakis said in a televised address: \"I am committed to fewer taxes, many investments, for good and new jobs, and growth which will bring better salaries and higher pensions in an efficient state.\"\n\nMr Tsipras said he respected the will of the Greek people.\n\n\"Today, with our head held high we accept the people's verdict,\" he said.\n\n\"To bring Greece to where it is today we had to take difficult decisions (with) a heavy political cost.\"\n\nMr Tsipras took over from the conservatives in 2015 as Greece was at the peak of a financial crisis that had ravaged the country since 2010.\n\nInitially vowing to resist deeper austerity, he was forced into signing up to another bailout months after his election, a decision that went down badly with voters.\n\nMr Mitsotakis, who comes from a powerful political dynasty and whose late father Konstantinos was prime minister from 1990 to 1993, will be sworn into office as early as today.\n\nThe 51-year-old assumed the helm of New Democracy in 2016. Although he is seen as a liberal, his party also harbours members with more right-wing views.\n\nGolden Dawn, an extreme right-wing party accused of having neo-Nazi sympathies, lost significant ground with early results suggesting it may not reach the 3pc threshold to gain a presence in parliament.\n\n\"The basic reason (for the result) is the economy,\" said analyst Theodore Couloumbis. \"In the past four years, people saw no improvement. There were cutbacks in salaries and pensions.\"\n\nMr Mitsotakis will inherit an economy that is growing at a moderate clip but troubled public finances."], "summary": "Winner of the general election Kyriakos Mitsotakis is sworn in as the new Prime Minister of Greece, succeeding Alexis Tsipras."}
{"document": ["Democrats in Washington have been unable to obtain Mr. Trump’s federal returns. The Ways and Means Committee has unsuccessfully sought six years of the president’s personal and business tax returns, and last week the House of Representatives sued the Treasury Department and the I.R.S. to try to force them to release the returns.\n\nThe state tax documents from New York — the president’s home state and business headquarters — would likely contain much of the same information as the contested federal returns, tax experts say.\n\nMr. Cuomo, a third-term Democrat and frequent critic of Mr. Trump, said that signing the bill would help Congress “fulfill its Constitutional responsibilities, strengthen our democratic system and ensure that no one is above the law.”\n\nThe Legislature had passed the measure in late May; Dani Lever, Mr. Cuomo’s communications director, said that the six-week delay in signing the bill was because the governor’s office needed to do a diligent analysis of the legislation and its amendments.\n\n“Any responsible government would thoroughly review this bill, just as we will with more than 930 bills passed this session,” Ms. Lever said, noting “how high the stakes are of this particular legislation.”\n\nMr. Trump defied longstanding tradition by refusing to release his tax returns as a presidential candidate in 2016, and has continued to decline to share the documents, citing federal audits of his taxes. Mr. Trump has previously said that he is ready to take the fight over his federal tax returns to the United States Supreme Court.\n\nThe White House on Monday had no comment on Mr. Cuomo’s signing of the bill.\n\nSteven M. Rosenthal, a senior fellow at the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center, said that there were limits built into the new New York law on revealing federal tax details, but that a state return could still illuminate things like the president’s adjusted gross income.", "New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday signed an amendment to New York law that would allow Congress to get hold of President Donald Trump’s state tax returns while the legal battle for his federal returns rages on.\n\nThe law requires the state’s tax commissioner to provide New York state tax returns to Congress upon request from the House Ways and Means Committee, the Senate Finance Committee, or the Joint Committee on Taxation and mandates the removal of any federal tax information that might appear on state returns.\n\nBut although the law takes effect Monday, it remains unlikely the Democratic-led House Ways and Means Committee, which is already waging its own battle in court to obtain six years of the President’s personal and business federal tax returns, will request the state returns.\n\n“By amending the law enforcement exception in New York State tax code to include Congressional tax-related committees, this bill gives Congress the ability to fulfill its Constitutional responsibilities, strengthen our democratic system and ensure that no one is above the law,” said Cuomo, a Democrat, said in a statement.\n\nNew York Democrats, who passed the legislation in May, touted it as a way to hold Trump — who still holds New York residency, and most of his businesses are headquartered in the state — accountable while his administration continues to fight efforts to access his federal returns.\n\nBefore the legislation was signed into law, New York state Sen. Brad Hoylman, a Democrat who sponsored the bill, said the fight for Trump’s tax returns was “our responsibility as New Yorkers and legislators.”\n\nHe added: “We’re on the precipice of a constitutional showdown between two branches of our federal government. We as New Yorkers can step into that breach and help solve this problem.”\n\nThe Trump administration has continued to stand its ground against all efforts to obtain his tax returns. Trump has claimed that ongoing IRS audits have stopped him from making his tax returns public, even though audits don’t prevent individuals from releasing tax returns.\n\nOn the federal level, the Democrat-led House Ways and Means Committee filed a lawsuit last week to enforce subpoenas that would obtain Trump’s tax returns.\n\nJay Sekulow, one of Trump’s attorneys, vowed to fight that lawsuit in court.", "ALBANY, N.Y. — President Donald Trump’s New York state tax returns could be given to Congress under a new law in his home state.\n\nThe measure was signed into law Monday by Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo.\n\nIt directs state tax officials to share state returns of certain elected and appointed officials upon request from the chairpersons of one of three top congressional committees.\n\nThe new law could give Congress a way around the president’s refusal to release his returns, though it’s expected to face legal challenges.\n\nCuomo says the change ensures no one is above the law and noted the law was carefully tailored to protect the tax privacy of everyday New Yorkers.\n\nIt’s unclear when or even whether state tax officials can expect a request for the tax returns.", "New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) signed a bill on Monday that would allow New York’s tax authority to hand over state tax returns to the U.S. Congress.\n\nThe bill would allow the state’s Department of Taxation and Finance commissioner to release state tax returns to Congress’ Ways & Means Committee, the Senate Finance Committee, or the Joint Committee on Taxation.\n\n“Tax secrecy is paramount — the exception being for bonafide investigative and law enforcement purposes,” Cuomo said in a statement. “By amending the law enforcement exception in New York State tax code to include Congressional tax-related committees, this bill gives Congress the ability to fulfill its Constitutional responsibilities, strengthen our democratic system and ensure that no one is above the law.”\n\nAfter Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin refused to comply with the House Ways and Means Committee’s request for President Donald Trump’s tax returns, New York’s state legislature passed the bill in an effort to mitigate Mnuchin’s stonewalling.\n\nThe House Ways and Means Committee sued Mnuchin and Internal Revenue Service chief Chuck Rettig last week for the President’s tax returns.\n\nHowever, committee chair Rep. Richard Neal (D-MA) is reportedly reluctant to ask the state for Trump’s tax returns because he fears jeopardizing a potential court case in the battle for Trump’s federal tax returns.", "Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings.\n\nNew York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday signed a bill that would allow certain members of Congress to have access to President Donald Trump's New York state tax returns.\n\nThe bill, which Cuomo had been expected to sign, requires state officials to release tax returns that have been requested by \"congressional tax-related committees\" that have cited “specified and legitimate legislative purpose\" in seeking them.\n\n\"By amending the law enforcement exception in New York State tax code to include Congressional tax-related committees, this bill gives Congress the ability to fulfill its Constitutional responsibilities, strengthen our democratic system and ensure that no one is above the law,\" Cuomo said in a statement.\n\nThe bill is seen as a clear shot at the president, who has refused to release his tax returns.", "Legislation that would give the United States Congress access to President Donald Trump's New York state tax returns was signed into law by Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday, July 8.\n\n\"This bill gives Congress the ability to fulfill its Constitutional responsibilities, strengthen our democratic system and ensure that no one is above the law,\" Cuomo said. \"Tax secrecy is paramount — the exception being for bona fide investigative and law enforcement purposes.\"\n\nThe bill requires New York officials to release tax returns of public officials that have been requested by congressional tax-related committees that have cited specified and legitimate legislative purpose in seeking them.\n\nIf utilized, the new law is expected to face legal challenges. Jay Sekulow, one of Trump's attorneys, told several media outlets that the Trump Administration would push back, calling it \"more presidential harassment.\"\n\nThe tax bill, sponsored by Assemblyman David Buchwald of Westchester, makes it easier for New York to turn over the state tax returns of certain public office-holders, along with entities those people control or have a large stake in, if requested by the leaders of the three congressional tax-writing committees.\n\n\"It's a great day for transparency in government, and I thank my colleagues in the State Assembly and Senate and the governor for backing this law that supports our fellow lawmakers in Washington in their important oversight role,\" said Buchwald, whose 93rd district represents Bedford, Harrison, Lewisboro, Mount Kisco, New Castle, North Castle, North Salem, Pound Ridge and White Plains.\n\nThe House Ways and Means Committee, the Senate Finance Committee or the Joint Committee on Taxation could file a request with New York state if efforts to gain access to federal tax filings through the Treasury Department fail.\n\nClick here to sign up for Daily Voice's free daily emails and news alerts.", "New York State has amended its tax code to make President Donald Trump's state tax returns available to US Congress under legislation signed into law by Governor Andrew Cuomo on Monday\n\nWASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 08th July, 2019) New York State has amended its tax code to make President Donald Trump 's state tax returns available to US Congress under legislation signed into law by Governor Andrew Cuomo on Monday.\n\n\"By amending the law enforcement exception in New York State tax code to include congressional tax-related committees, this bill gives Congress the ability to fulfill its constitutional responsibilities, strengthen our democratic system and ensure that no one is above the law,\" Cuomo said in a press release.\n\nThe legislation directs the New York State tax authorities to provide Trump's tax returns in response to written requests from chairmen of the US Senate Finance Committee or the US House of Representatives Ways and Means committees.\n\nBoth panels are responsible for writing and overseeing the nation's tax law.\n\nTrump is the first US president who has not voluntarily released his Federal and state tax returns since the Nixon presidency in the late 1960s and early 1970s.\n\nThe legislation applies to New York State returns, but not federal tax returns, which have been subpoenaed by the US House of Representatives Ways and Means committee.\n\nThe White House has refused to comply with the subpoena, claiming that the effort to examine Trump tax payments lacks a legitimate legislative purpose.", "New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, signed a bill Monday to allow Congress to access President Donald Trump’s state tax returns.\n\nThe bill requires the state to release the president’s state tax returns—along with the returns for certain other federal officeholders—for any legitimate purpose upon request from the House Ways and Means Committee, the Senate Finance Committee, or the Joint Committee on Taxation.\n\nAs Mother Jones reporter Russ Choma wrote when the New York state legislature approved the bill in May:\n\nJust days after Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin refused—in apparent violation of federal law—to give Trump’s tax filings to a congressional committee, lawmakers in Trump’s home state stepped in with a possible solution. On Wednesday, the New York state Senate passed a bill that would allow state officials to provide Congress with the state tax returns of seven different types of state and federal elected officials—including the president. Federal tax law already allows congressional tax committees to obtain a copy of any American’s tax returns—and such a request has been made by the Democratically controlled House Ways and Means Committee. But on Monday, Mnuchin said he would not permit the Internal Revenue Service to comply. The committee requested the documents as part of what members said was an investigation into how the IRS audits presidents, but the administration has argued that the move was an unfair, politically motivated attempt to embarrass the president.\n\nThe bill is effective immediately, according to the New York Times, but it is unclear whether Congress will take advantage of the new law.", "New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday signed an amendment to New York law that would allow Congress to get hold of President Donald Trump’s state tax returns while the legal battle for his federal returns rages on.\n\nThe law, which takes effect Monday, requires the state’s tax commissioner to provide New York state tax returns to Congress upon request from the House Ways and Means Committee, the Senate Finance Committee, or the Joint Committee on Taxation and mandates the removal of any federal tax information that might appear on state returns.\n\nDespite this, there are no immediate plans for House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal to request Trump’s state tax returns as the law outlines, according to a Democratic aide with knowledge of the situation. Utilizing the New York law could complicate the battle the Democratic-led House Ways and Means Committee has already been waging in court to obtain six years of the President’s personal and business federal tax returns.\n\nAdditionally, if the House Ways and Means Committee tried to obtain Trump’s state taxes through the New York law, it would likely trigger a lengthy legal debate over its authority to do so. While the committee has jurisdiction over federal tax laws, state tax laws mostly fall to the House Judiciary Committee.\n\nShould a congressional committee decide to utilize the law, Trump attorney Jay Sekulow told CNN Monday the administration would push back.\n\n“This is more Presidential harassment. We will respond to this as appropriate,” he said.\n\nBut Cuomo, a Democrat, said in a statement that the amendment “gives Congress the ability to fulfill its Constitutional responsibilities, strengthen our democratic system and ensure that no one is above the law.”\n\nNew York Democrats, who passed the legislation in May, touted it as a way to hold Trump — who still holds New York residency, and most of his businesses are headquartered in the state — accountable while his administration continues to fight efforts to access his federal returns.\n\nBefore the legislation was signed into law, New York state Sen. Brad Hoylman, a Democrat who sponsored the bill, said the fight for Trump’s tax returns was “our responsibility as New Yorkers and legislators.”\n\nHe added: “We’re on the precipice of a constitutional showdown between two branches of our federal government. We as New Yorkers can step into that breach and help solve this problem.”\n\nThe Trump administration has continued to stand its ground against all efforts to obtain his tax returns. Trump has claimed that ongoing IRS audits have stopped him from making his tax returns public, even though audits don’t prevent individuals from releasing tax returns.\n\nOn the federal level, the Democrat-led House Ways and Means Committee filed a lawsuit last week to enforce subpoenas that would obtain Trump’s tax returns. Sekulow has vowed to fight that lawsuit in court.", "Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings.\n\nNew York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday signed a bill that would allow certain members of Congress to access to President Donald Trump's New York state tax returns.\n\nThe bill, which Cuomo had been expected to OK, requires New York officials to release tax returns of public officials that have been requested by \"congressional tax-related committees\" that have cited \"specified and legitimate legislative purpose\" in seeking them.\n\n\"(T)his bill gives Congress the ability to fulfill its Constitutional responsibilities, strengthen our democratic system and ensure that no one is above the law,\" Cuomo, a Democrat, said in a statement.\n\n\"Tax secrecy is paramount - the exception being for bonafide investigative and law enforcement purposes,\" Cuomo said.\n\nThe tax bill, which was passed weeks ago by the Democratically controlled state Legislature, makes it easier for New York to turn over the state tax returns of certain public office-holders, along with entities those people control or have a large stake in, that are requested by the leaders of the three congressional tax-writing committees.\n\nThe laws in place prior to Cuomo's signing of the bill generally prohibit such a release, and those congressional panels — the House Ways and Means Committee, the Senate Finance Committee and the Joint Committee on Taxation — could file a request with the state only after efforts to gain access to federal tax filings through the Treasury Department fail.\n\nThe bill is seen as a clear shot at the president, who has refused to release his tax returns. But it's been met with resistance from the one Democrat who could actually utilize it.\n\nHouse Ways and Means chairman Richard Neal, D-Mass., said he won't request the state returns because he feels doing so would harm his efforts at obtaining Trump's federal returns. Last week, Neal sued the IRS and the Treasury Department for those federal returns.\n\nMeanwhile, Cuomo could act soon on another bill that is aimed at Trump\n\nThat legislation would allow state prosecutors to pursue charges against certain people even if they had received a presidential pardon. Trump has spoken about the possibility of pardoning those accused or convicted of crimes stemming from former special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation."], "summary": "New York Governor Andrew Cuomo signs a bill that will allow congressional committees to access President Donald Trump's state tax returns."}
{"document": [".- Pope Francis Monday appointed 23 new members of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, among them six women religious superior generals and one head of a women’s secular institute.\n\nThe July 8 nominations, which include cardinals, bishops, and the superior generals of several male religious communities, breaks with past practice in including women.\n\nDemonstrating Pope Francis’ increased attention to putting women in leadership within the Vatican, the appointments follow the 2014 nomination of Sr. Irma Luzia Premoli, superior general of the Comboni Missionaries, as a member of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. Premoli’s appointment was the first time a superior general of a female institute was named a member of a congregation.\n\nThe six women superior generals are Sr. Kathleen Appler of the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul; Sr. Yvonne Reungoat of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians (also known as the Salesian Sisters of Don Bosco); Sr. Françoise Massy of the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary; Sr. Luigia Coccia of the Comboni Missionaries; Sr. Simona Brambilla of the Consolata Missionaries; and Sr. M. Rita Calvo Sanz of the Company of Mary Our Lady.\n\nOlga Krizova, general president of the Don Bosco Secular Institute, was also nominated.\n\nPastor bonus, the 1988 apostolic constitution regulating the Roman Curia which will soon be replaced, says the ordinary members of a congregation are cardinals and bishops, though “according to the specific nature of certain dicasteries, clerics and other faithful can be added to the body of cardinals and bishops.”\n\nOther new members of the Dicastery for Consecrated Life include Cardinals Angelo De Donatis, vicar general of Rome; Kevin Farrell, prefect of the Dicastery for Laity, Family, and Life; Luis Ladaria Ferrer, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith; and Ricardo Blazquez Perez of Valladolid.\n\nFive bishops and seven superior generals of male institutes were also nominated.", "VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis named six superiors of women’s religious orders, a consecrated laywoman and the superior of the De La Salle Christian Brothers to be full members of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life.\n\nPreviously, the members had all been men: cardinals, a few bishops and several priests who were superiors of large religious orders of men.\n\nThe women named members by the pope were announced by the Vatican July 8: Sisters Kathleen Appler, the U.S.-born superior of the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul; Yvonne Reungoat, superior of the Salesian Sisters; Francoise Massy, superior of the Franciscan Missionary Sisters of Mary; Luigia Coccia, superior of the Comboni Sisters; Simona Brambilla, superior of the Consolata Missionary Sisters; Rita Calvo Sanz, superior of the Company of Mary Our Lady; and Olga Krizova, general president of the Volunteers of Don Bosco, a group of consecrated laypeople.\n\nBrother Robert I. Schieler, the U.S.-born superior of the De La Salle Christian Brothers, also was named a full member of the congregation along with the priests who are superiors general of the Jesuits, the Discalced Carmelites, the Augustinians, the Scalabrinians, the Capuchins and the abbot president of the Subiaco Cassinese Benedictine Congregation.\n\nThe new members announced by the Vatican also included five bishops and four cardinals: Cardinals Angelo De Donatis, papal vicar for Rome; Kevin J. Farrell, prefect of the Dicastery for Laity, the Family and Life; Luis Ladaria Ferrer, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith; and Ricardo Blazquez Perez of Valladolid, Spain.", "ROME — Pope Francis named six superiors of women’s religious orders, a consecrated laywoman and the superior of the De La Salle Christian Brothers to be full members of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life.\n\nPreviously, the members had all been men: cardinals, a few bishops and several priests who were superiors of large religious orders of men.\n\nThe women named members by the pope were announced by the Vatican July 8: Sisters Kathleen Appler, the U.S.-born superior of the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul; Yvonne Reungoat, superior of the Salesian Sisters; Francoise Massy, superior of the Franciscan Missionary Sisters of Mary; Luigia Coccia, superior of the Comboni Sisters; Simona Brambilla, superior of the Consolata Missionary Sisters; Rita Calvo Sanz, superior of the Company of Mary Our Lady; and Olga Krizova, general president of the Volunteers of Don Bosco, a group of consecrated laypeople.\n\nBrother Robert I. Schieler, the U.S.-born superior of the De La Salle Christian Brothers, also was named a full member of the congregation along with the priests who are superiors general of the Jesuits, the Discalced Carmelites, the Augustinians, the Scalabrinians, the Capuchins and the abbot president of the Subiaco Cassinese Benedictine Congregation.\n\nThe new members announced by the Vatican also included five bishops and four cardinals: Cardinals Angelo De Donatis, papal vicar for Rome; Kevin J. Farrell, prefect of the Dicastery for Laity, the Family and Life; Luis Ladaria Ferrer, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith; and Ricardo Blazquez Perez of Valladolid, Spain.\n\nCrux is dedicated to smart, wired and independent reporting on the Vatican and worldwide Catholic Church. That kind of reporting doesn’t come cheap, and we need your support. You can help Crux by giving a small amount monthly, or with a onetime gift. Please remember, Crux is a for-profit organization, so contributions are not tax-deductible.", "Women seeking a greater voice in the all-male hierarchy of the Catholic church are hailing Pope Francis’ announcement that women will be named to a ministerial board of the Vatican’s powerful Curia.\n\n“This is a quite historical in a number of ways,” said Sister Carol Zinn, executive director of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious. “These people, traditionally, have been clerics. Now, this office will have members who will actually be impacted by their decisions.”\n\nFor the first time, not only women but also persons who are not ordained as priests will have a vote within the Catholic church’s governing body.\n\nPope Francis on Monday surprised reporters who follow the Catholic Church by naming seven women and the head of the De La Salle Christian Brothers, a religious order of teachers, to the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life.\n\nThe Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life is one of nine congregations within the Roman Curia, and has been described as a disciplinary body — or vetting board — for a variety of religious life and apostolic orders.\n\nSister Zinn said questions about the importance of such a post reminded her of when married family members ask her for advice.\n\n“I really have no idea,” Sister Zinn said. “And it is similar with consecrated life.”\n\nThe presence of women on the congregation also strikes a chord among Catholics who wish for women to hold greater leadership roles beyond individual parishes.\n\n“Women religious are always being disciplined by men,” said Melissa Wilde, a sociologist from the University of Pennsylvania who has written on the Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican of the 1960s. “It’s yet another sign of Francis being more open to change.”\n\n“It’s a good start and about time,” said Jeannine Pitas, a professor an English/Spanish professor at University of Dubuque and a Catholic writer. “Even if it’s a symbolic gesture, it’s an important one to reforming the male-dominated hierarchy.”\n\nSix of the women are superiors of religious orders, such as the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul. A seventh woman, Olga Krizova, is general president of the Volunteers of Don Bosco, a group of consecrated laypeople.\n\nThe Vatican made no formal announcement, and the women’s names appeared along with other nominees to the previously all-male congregation. But the presence of women and a Christian Brother on a congregation presents a stark image of Francis’ belief for the global church to rely on a diverse group of laypeople to have a say in church affairs.\n\n“The Holy Father believes in the involvement of everyone in the life of the church, and this is one more example of creating inclusivity,” said Sister Zinn.\n\nIt also represents a contrast from his papal predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI, who retired in 2013.\n\nThe congregation to which the women were named oversees lay and women religious societies, and has exhibited skepticism toward female religious orders.\n\nUnder Benedict, the congregation — then led by Cardinal Franc Rode — ordered an investigation of 127 women orders. In a speech, Cardinal Rode said some American nuns had “opted for ways that take them outside” the church.\n\nA separate investigation of nuns during Benedict’s tenure focused of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, the group Sister Zinn now leads, and was ordered by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the oldest of the Curia’s nine congregations.\n\nThe Rev. James Martin, a Jesuit priest and editor-at-large for America Magazine, issued support for the inclusion of women on the congregation, calling it a “highly significant step” on Twitter.\n\nIt also represents for some a crack in the doorway to female ordination — though only a small crack, if that.\n\n“You have to remember that Vatican II ended in 1965, right after the publication of the ‘Feminine Mystique,’” said Ms. Wilde. “In some ways, the feminist movement has not yet had an impact on the Catholic church.”", "Pope Francis told Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk of Kyiv-Halych, the members of the Permanent Synod, and the Metropolitans in the meeting to have prayer and the spiritual life as their first priority, not worldly concerns.\n\nVATICAN CITY - One day following his private audience with Vladimir Putin, Pope Francis met Friday with leaders of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, encouraging them to persevere in hope and prayer amid the conflict in Donbas.\n\n“Ukraine has been living for a long time a difficult and delicate situation, for over five years wounded by a conflict that many call ‘hybrid’, composed as it is by war actions where those responsible are camouflaged,” Pope Francis said July 5 in the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace.\n\nThe pope said that “the weakest and the smallest pay the highest price” in the conflict, which he said is “aggravated by propaganda falsifications and various types of manipulation, including the attempt to involve the religious aspect.”\n\nPope Francis told Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk of Kyiv-Halych, the members of the Permanent Synod, and the Metropolitans in the meeting to have prayer and the spiritual life as their first priority, not worldly concerns.\n\n“You are a Church that knows how to speak in spiritual and not worldly terms … On the night of the conflict that you are going through, as in Gethsemane, the Lord asks his people to ‘watch and pray,’ not to defend oneself, let alone to attack,” Pope Francis said.\n\n“The main role of the Church, faced with the complex situations caused by conflicts, is to offer a witness of Christian hope. Not a hope of the world, which is based on things that pass, come and go, and often divide, but the hope that never disappoints,” he said.\n\nMore than 10,000 people have been killed in the fighting in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region since 2014, and nearly two million people were internally displaced by the conflict.\n\n“Prayer and self-giving to the end are the answers the Lord expects from His own. Only these answers are Christian, they alone save from the worldly spiral of violence,” Francis said.\n\nPope Francis prayed that God would “comfort the souls of those who have lost their loved ones because of the war, of those who bear their wounds in body and spirit, of those who had to leave the home and work and face the risk of looking for a more humane future elsewhere, far away.”\n\nThe conflict in Eastern Ukraine began in 2014 following Russia’s annexation of Crimea and the Maidan Revolution in which Europe and NATO leaning faction gained power in Kiev. Russian separatists in Donbas reacted and began fighting with the Ukrainian military.\n\nPope Francis did not mention Russia or his meeting the previous day with Russian President Vladimir Putin in his published remarks to the Ukrainian Catholic leaders.\n\nA statement from the Holy See Press Office July 4 said that Pope Francis discussed Ukraine with Putin during their 55-minute meeting, but did not give any further details.\n\n“The encounter with Jesus, the spiritual life, the prayer that vibrates in the beauty of your liturgy transmit that beautiful force of peace, which soothes wounds and instills courage, but not aggression,” Pope Francis said.\n\nChristian minorities, including Catholics and Evangelicals, living in the Russian-occupied separatist parastates in Donbas were subject to kidnappings, torture, robberies, and the expropriation of church buildings at the initial phase of the occupation, according to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF).\n\nThe Lugansk People’s Republic parastate in eastern Ukraine announced in 2018 that it would require registration of all religious groups in its territory, which according to USCIRF experts, “could be a prelude to the official exclusion of religious minorities.”\n\n“Christian hope, nourished by the light of Christ, makes the resurrection and life shine even in the darkest nights of the world,” Pope Francis said.\n\n“I carry you in my heart and I pray for you, dear Ukrainian Brothers,” the pope said. “I beg the Lord to accompany the actions of all political leaders to seek … the common good, peace.”", "Vatican spokesman Fr. Federico Lombardi confirmed that the Pope Francis met with Kim Davis and her husband as part of a large group that was invited, not as a specific meeting of support of her actions.\n\nIn an Oct. 2 statement, Fr. Lombardi said that Pope Francis met with Davis alongside several dozen others who had been invited to greet him as he prepared to leave Washington for New York City. The Pope’s meeting with Kim Davis was not what everyone thinks it was. Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi said the audience, which included several dozen other people, didn’t amount to an endorsement.\n\n‘The Pope did not enter into the details of the situation of Mrs. Davis, and his meeting with her should not be considered a form of support of her position in all of its particular and complex aspects.’\n\nPope Francis strongly defended religious freedom in speeches at the White House, Congress and Philadelphia’s Independence Mall, but he avoided taking public stances or calling people out.\n\nThe brief meeting between Mrs. Kim Davis and Pope Francis at the Apostolic Nunciature in Washington, DC has continued to provoke comments and discussion. In order to contribute to an objective understanding of what transpired I am able to clarify the following points: Pope Francis met with several dozen persons who had been invited by the Nunciature to greet him as he prepared to leave Washington for New York City. Such brief greetings occur on all papal visits and are due to the Pope’s characteristic kindness and availability. The only real audience granted by the Pope at the Nunciature was with one of his former students and his family. The Pope did not enter into the details of the situation of Mrs. Davis and his meeting with her should not be considered a form of support of her position in all of its particular and complex aspects.”\n\nPope Francis came to visit America as a pastor. Roman Catholic see the pope as a shepherd who guides them on the road to salvation. Despite Pope Francis’ enormous popularity and the authority of his position, he went to great lengths to emphasize that he stood before the U.S. bishops as a first among equals, instead of a top-down authoritarian.\n\nPope Francis Meeting Kim Davis Is Not An Endorsement was originally published on elev8.com", "Pope Francis waves to the crowds gathered for his General Audience, May 8, 2019. (Daniel Ibanez/EWTN)\n\nPope Francis Prays for Migrants Killed in Airstrike in Libya\n\nAt least 53 people died and more than 130 others were injured in the attack July 3 on the Tajoura refugee camp and detention center east of Tripoli.\n\nVATICAN CITY - Pope Francis prayed Sunday for the victims of the airstrike that hit a migrant detention center in Libya, and called upon the international community to condemn the violence.\n\n“I invite you to pray for the poor defenseless people killed or wounded by the airstrike,” Pope Francis said in his Angelus address July 7.\n\n\"The international community cannot tolerate such serious facts,” the pope said.\n\nAt least 53 people died and more than 130 others were injured in the attack July 3 on the Tajoura refugee camp and detention center east of Tripoli.\n\n\"I pray for the victims: the God of peace welcomes the dead to himself and supports the wounded,” Francis said.\n\nThere are an estimated 3,300 people held in migrant detention centers around Tripoli, where armed conflict has been ongoing since the Libyan National Army led by Gen. Khalifa Haftar launched an attack on the Libyan capital in April.\n\n“I hope that the humanitarian corridors for the most needy migrants will be organized in a concerted and extended way,” the pope said.\n\nThe United Nations Security Council called for a cease-fire in Tripoli on July 5 following the deadly attack. Others have been calling upon the Libyan government to close their migrant detention centers.\n\nOn July 8, Pope Francis will celebrate a Mass for refugees and migrants in St. Peter’s Basilica. The Mass marks the sixth anniversary of the pope’s trip to Lampedusa, an island that serves as the first destination for many African migrants en route to Europe.\n\nIn his Angelus address, Pope Francis also prayed for victims of violence in Afghanistan, Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger.\n\n“Our prayer should not be limited only to our needs and our necessities: a prayer is truly Christian if it also has a universal dimension,” the pope said.\n\n“Each of us, here in the piazza, can think of the name they received on their baptism day, the name is ‘written in heaven,’ in the heart of God the Father,” Pope Francis said. “It is the joy of this gift that makes every disciple a missionary, one who walks in the company of the Lord Jesus, who learns from Him to spend himself without reserve for others.”", "“Among all the world’s political and social leaders, Pope Francis stands increasingly alone as the most powerful force for global peace and stability.”\n\nThus began the prelude to an earlier article titled, “Pope Francis or Steve Bannon? Catholics must choose.”\n\nIn part, the piece tried to show how the pope is seeking to unite all of humanity – especially people of the various faiths – in contrast to those who are deliberately manipulating religion to sow division.\n\n“In an age when alt-right populists are masquerading as Christians and using religious symbols to scare believers into embracing racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia and ultra-nationalism – all so starkly at odds with the Gospel, by the way – Francis has played an indispensable role in preventing a dangerous spiral into a full-blown clash of civilizations…\n\n“Another pope may not have had the courage, fortitude or deep and genuine faith to stand against all this and not allow himself to be co-opted to the Christian sovereigntists’ cause.”\n\nThe faith of the evangelical pope\n\nSince the early days of his pontificate Francis has shown himself to be non-ideological and surprisingly non-partisan. Despite the ranting of some of his detractors, even within the most intransigent sectors of the Church’s hierarchy, this pope is very definitely Catholic. But even more than that he is a Christian.\n\nSimilar to his papal namesake, Francis of Assisi, the pope’s faith and leadership are profoundly grounded in a radical reading of and adherence to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.\n\nAs Bishop of Rome, he is not obsessed with trying to show that his own teachings are in continuity with previous magisterial pronouncements, especially when those earlier teachings have been proven to be faulty (or false).\n\nFrancis is more concerned with converting the Church to the radicality of the Gospel, even if that means losing worldly power, prestige, privilege and influence.\n\nHe is not interested in the preservation of anything that is not essential to that Gospel. Nor is he given to keeping up any sort of appearance that the Church (and the popes) can never err.\n\nFor this and many other reasons, he has been criticized for being weak theologically.\n\nCardinal Gerhard Müller, the former prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, has been one of the most vocal critics, even though he uses the classic Vatican courtesan ruse to blame this on the pope’s advisors, rather than directly take aim at the pope himself.\n\nMany professional theologians seem to think Pope Francis is barely literate in theology. They are very much mistaken.\n\nThe 82-year-old pope recently gave one of the most important theological addresses of his pontificate. It is a shame that it was largely overlooked, because it was a clear presentation of how he sees theology and its role in the Church and world today.\n\nHe gave the address on June 21 at a Jesuit-run school of theology in the Italian seaport city of Naples. It was as extraordinary in the way it was presented as much as in what the pope actually said.\n\nBefore he even spoke, Francis spent most of the morning listening to theological presentations offered by several other speakers. Only after that did he offer his own thoughts.\n\nThe title of his talk was, “Theology after (the 2018 apostolic constitution on ecclesiastical universities and faculties) in the context of the Mediterranean.”\n\nIt is important to note that Francis believes theology can only be done in a real, flesh-and-blood context. It can never be exercised as a mere idea or ideal.\n\nAnd it was in the context of the Mediterranean, cradle of Western civilization – but as it is – that the pope sought to show how the Church’s theological investigations must proceed.\n\n“The Mediterranean has always been a place of transit, of exchanges, and sometimes even of conflicts,” Francis said.\n\nHe noted that it is an area facing a number of dramatic questions, which he and Muslim leaders highlighted during his historic trip last February to the United Arab Emirates.\n\n“They can be expressed in some of the questions that we asked ourselves at the inter-religious meeting in Abu Dhabi: how can we take care of each other within the one human family? How can we foster a tolerant and peaceful coexistence that translates into authentic fraternity?\n\n“How can we make it so that the welcoming of the other person and of those who are different from us because they belong to a different religious and cultural tradition prevails in our communities? How can religions be paths of brotherhood instead of walls of separation?” the pope recalled.\n\n“These and other issues need to be discussed at various levels, and require a generous commitment to listening, studying and dialogue in order to promote processes of liberation, peace, brotherhood and justice.\n\n“We must be convinced: it is about starting processes, not of defining or occupying spaces. Starting processes!” he told those gathered in an outdoor courtyard under the famous Neapolitan sun.\n\nDialogue on the big questions for our common humanity, as children of the One God, for the sake of peaceful coexistence… This is all part and parcel of theology in Francis’ vision.\n\n“We lose nothing by engaging in dialogue. We always gain something. In a monologue, we all lose, all of us,” he warned.\n\nHe said dialogue is “not a magic formula,” but it is essential – especially with Muslims and Jews – for the renewal of theology in an inter-disciplinary manner.\n\n“Students of theology should be educated in dialogue with Judaism and Islam to understand the common roots and differences of our religious identities, and thus contribute more effectively to the building of a society that values diversity and fosters respect, brotherhood and peaceful coexistence,” he said.\n\nSuch dialogue should be marked by compassion and mercy, the pope added.\n\n“It is important that theologians be men and women of compassion – I emphasize this: that they be men and women of compassion – inwardly touched by the oppressed life many live, by the forms of slavery present today, by the social wounds, the violence, the wars and the enormous injustices suffered by so many poor people who live on the shores of this ‘common sea,'” he said.\n\nA theology without such compassion would not be rooted in reality but in a classroom, the pope contended. He said it would be “a laboratory theology, a pure theology, ‘distilled’ like water, which understands (tastes of) nothing.”\n\n“I would say that theology, particularly in this context, is called to be a welcoming theology,” Francis insisted.\n\nHe said it should “develop a sincere dialogue with social and civil institutions, with university and research centers, with religious leaders and with all women and men of good will, for the construction in peace of an inclusive and fraternal society, and also for the care of creation.”\n\nThe most important point for Pope Francis is that the essential kernel of Christian faith – the – be the heart of theology and evangelization (preaching the Good News).\n\n“Not apologetics, not manuals… but evangelizing. At the center is evangelizing, which is not the same thing as proselytizing,” he said.\n\n“In dialogue with cultures and religions, the Church announces the Good News of Jesus and the practice of evangelical love which he preached as a synthesis of the whole teaching of the law, the message of the prophets and the will of the father…\n\n“Only in listening to this Word and in the experience of love that it communicates can one discern the relevance of kerygma. Dialogue, understood in this way, is a form of welcoming,” the pope added.\n\nQuestioning tradition and growing from its roots\n\nBut this also means that theologians must “continually revisit and reconsider tradition.”\n\n“Reconsider tradition! And keep asking questions,” Francis emphasized. He said ours is a “living tradition” that can help make sense of contemporary issues.\n\n“Provided, however, that it is reread with a sincere will to purify memory, that is, discerning that which was in accord with God’s original intention, revealed in the Spirit of Jesus Christ, and that which was unfaithful to this merciful and saving intention,” he insisted.\n\nPope Francis said Western Christianity had “learned from many mistakes and critical moments of the past.” This will help it “return to its sources hoping to be able to bear witness to the Good News to the peoples of the East and West, North and South.”\n\nBy “keeping its mind and heart fixed on the ‘gracious and merciful God’ (cf. Jon 4:2),” theology should encourage “people of the Mediterranean to reject any temptation toward re-conquest or toward an identity that is closed in on itself,” both of which were the result of fear, according to the pope.\n\n“Theology cannot be done in a setting of fear,” he said.\n\n“I dream of theological faculties where one lives differences in friendship, where one practices a theology of dialogue and welcoming; where one experiences the model of the polyhedron of theological knowledge instead of that of a static and disembodied sphere. Where theological research can promote a challenging but compelling process of inculturation,” Pope Francis said, summing up his long address.\n\n“Theology after is a kerygmatic theology, a theology of discernment, of mercy and of welcoming, in dialogue with society, cultures and religions for the construction of the peaceful coexistence of individuals and peoples.”\n\nThis is not a surrender of Christian faith or a watering down of the Church’s belief in the truth of the Gospel message. Rather, it is a bold affirmation of both.\n\nAnd it is the only responsible – and evangelical – way of doing theology in a world where some would use religion to divide rather than unite, to destroy rather than build, to instill fear rather than love and hope.\n\nBy Robert Mickens, reproduced with his permission and La Croix International.", "Pope Francis met privately with victims of clergy and other sex abuse and pledged that all those responsible for the scandal would be held accountable. Speaking to bishops and seminarians, Francis described his private, unscheduled meeting with the sex abuse victims, three women and two men, whom he said “have become true heralds of mercy. Humbly, we owe each of them our gratitude for their value as they have had to suffer terrible abuse.”\n\nThe pope’s early Sunday meeting with the sex abuse victims at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary lasted about half an hour. He met with the victims one by one, listened to their experiences and prayed with them, according to the Vatican.\n\nThe victims had all been abused as children, according to a statement released by the Vatican press office. They were abused by “priests, parents, teachers,” but officials declined to give specifics.\n\n“He renewed his commitment and that of the church so that victims are heard and treated with justice, that the guilty are punished and that the crimes of abuse are fought with efficient prevention efforts in the church and society,” Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi said in a statement. “The pope thanked the victims for their essential contribution to establish the truth and begin the path of healing.”\n\nIn June, Francis sacked two US bishops accused of looking the other way: the archbishop of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, John Clayton Nienstedt, and his aide Lee Anthony Piche. And earlier this month the Vatican replaced Bishop Robert Finn of Kansas City, who resigns in April after failing to report a priest accused of pedophilia.\n\nPope Francis is cleaning house. Here is his speech in its entirety.\n\nPope Francis On Sex Abuse: ‘God Weeps’ [VIDEO] was originally published on elev8.com", "Pope Francis celebrates a Mass where he bestowed the Pallium, a woolen shawl symbolizing their bond to the pope, to new Metropolitan Archbishops, in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican, Saturday, June 29, 2019. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)\n\nVATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis has exhorted the faithful to avoid being smug or “lukewarm” Christians.\n\nFrancis celebrated Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica on Saturday to mark the feast day of the Apostles Peter and Paul, Rome’s patron saints. The pope encouraged humility among the faithful.\n\nFrancis said “whenever we consider ourselves smarter or better than others. That is the beginning of the end.”\n\nHe told faithful to avoid becoming “lukewarm Christians living by half measures.”\n\nIn a June 29 tradition, Francis blessed white, wool stoles destined for churchmen who were named as metropolitan archbishops in the past year.\n\nHe also that the presence of a delegation of Orthodox prelates at the ceremony “reminds us that we can spare no effort also in the journey toward full unity among believers.”"], "summary": "Pope Francis names for first time in Vatican history female members of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life."}
{"document": ["Macri, en julio de 2016, en el acto por las víctimas de la AMIA Crédito: Presidencia\n\nLa agrupación libanesa fue acusada de atentar contra la AMIA hace 25 años; el endurecimiento de las sanciones es un pedido de EE.UU. e Israel; el Gobierno descarta por ahora hacer intervenir al Congreso\n\nJaime Rosemberg SEGUIR Comentar Me gusta Me gusta Compartir E-mail Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Guardar 9 de julio de 2019\n\nEl gobierno de Mauricio Macri prevé definir por decreto un nuevo listado de grupos terroristas que incluya a la organización proiraní Hezbollah por su participación en los atentados contra la embajada de Israel y la AMIA . Estados Unidos e Israel hicieron un pedido conjunto a la Argentina para que califique de terrorista a la agrupación libanesa.\n\nLa decisión implicaría un endurecimiento de las restricciones políticas y financieras de los miembros de Hezbollah en territorio argentino. Concretar la idea por la vía del decreto es actualmente la alternativa que cosecha mayores adhesiones en el Gobierno.\n\nEl secretario de Estado norteamericano, Mike Pompeo, aterrizará el próximo martes en Buenos Aires para una visita de menos de 48 horas, durante las cuales se reunirá con Macri y rendirá homenaje a las 85 víctimas de la AMIA, a 25 años del ataque terrorista en la sede de la calle Pasteur.\n\nEl endurecimiento de la postura ante Hezbollah aparece asociado a la visita del funcionario de Trump e implica un giro clave en la política exterior.\n\n\"Estamos evaluando alternativas, y una de ellas es la de un decreto\", coincidieron ante LA NACION fuentes del Ministerio de Seguridad que encabeza Patricia Bullrich y la Unidad de Información Financiera (UIF), de Mariano Federici, encargados de buscar \"la vía más rápida\" para incluir a Hezbollah, organización con sede y accionar político en el Líbano, en la lista de organizaciones que promueven el terrorismo. Quedó desechada, por ahora, la vía de una ley del Congreso que delegue en el Poder Ejecutivo esa inclusión, y que repara el vacío legal existente en la materia.\n\n\"No tenemos mayoría en el Parlamento, y tardaría demasiado en salir\", explicaron altas fuentes gubernamentales. Por eso, la idea es generar un registro propio de organizaciones terroristas, más allá del que ya tiene en vigencia la ONU, y con el cual la Argentina se ha regido hasta el momento.\n\nEl jueves, el jefe de Gabinete, Marcos Peña, se refirió al tema y dejó abierta la posibilidad de encontrar una fórmula para apuntar a Hezbollah, en coincidencia con la visita del canciller de Trump y un nuevo aniversario del ataque, perpetrado el 18 de julio de 1994. \"A lo largo de los días hacia el aniversario iremos trabajando distintos temas (...) En el momento que se tome una decisión se comunicará, es un tema que tiene diversas complejidades, pero de aquí al 18 de julio serán varias las cosas que iremos contando y haciendo para honrar la memoria de las víctimas y dejar claro el lugar de la Argentina en su lugar en el concierto internacional\", afirmó Peña ante una pregunta de LA NACION en la conferencia de prensa que siguió a la reunión de gabinete ampliado encabezada por el presidente Mauricio Macri en el CCK.\n\nEn 2003, la Justicia argentina culpó a Irán de estar detrás del ataque a la AMIA y a Hezbollah por su ejecución. En 2006 fue el Estado argentino el que acusó a Teherán por el ataque y solicitó a Interpol la búsqueda de ocho funcionarios y exfuncionarios del régimen iraní por su presunta responsabilidad en el atentado. Desde el Gobierno destacaban que la eventual creación del registro y la inclusión de Hezbollah deberá necesariamente pasar por el tamiz de la mesa que integran, además de la UIF y el Ministerio de Seguridad, las Fuerzas Armadas y de Seguridad, que estarían habilitadas a perseguir a esa organización. \"En última instancia, quien decide es el poder político\", resumió un alto funcionario.\n\nEndurecimiento\n\nLa llegada de Pompeo coincide con el endurecimiento en las relaciones entre Estados Unidos e Irán. \"La última expansión del programa nuclear de Irán llevará a más aislamiento y más sanciones\", dijo el propio Pompeo anteayer, enojado por la continuidad del programa de enriquecimiento de uranio por parte de Teherán. Trump, que jugó fuerte en el tablero de Medio Oriente con el traslado de la embajada norteamericana a Jerusalén, considera a Irán \"el mayor peligro para el mundo\". La idea de Pompeo es que Brasil y Paraguay también se sumen a la ofensiva contra Irán.\n\nIsrael, por su parte, también renovó recientemente sus pedidos públicos al Estado argentino para que limite la actividad de Hezbollah en el país. \"En estos tres años (de gestión) no conseguimos traer justicia a los sobrevivientes ni a los familiares de los dos atentados. Veo esto como un error, una falla a nivel global y personal (...) Hezbollah no es considerada una organización terrorista en la Argentina, si alguien quiere poner una bandera de Hezbollah en la puerta, es legal. Si quiere donar plata, también es legal. Irán, el país que hizo los atentados, todavía sigue teniendo su embajada en Palermo, y el embajador iraní, parte del aparato terrorista, sigue yendo a eventos\", afirmó el embajador israelí Ilán Sztulman, a principios del mes pasado y a punto de finalizar su gestión diplomática en el país.\n\nIrán y Hezbollah serán tema de la cumbre de antiterrorismo organizada por la Cancillería en el Palacio San Martín, de la que Pompeo tomará parte el viernes 19. El secretario de Estado norteamericano no estará -por cuestiones de seguridad- en el acto conmemorativo del día anterior en la calle Pasteur, pero sí rendirá homenaje a las víctimas del atentado en la plaza seca del edificio comunitario, junto al canciller Jorge Faurie y el actual titular de la AMIA, Ariel Eichbaum.\n\nEl presidente de la AMIA también se sumó a las voces que piden condenar a Hezbollah en el país. \"Estamos teniendo avances en Inglaterra y Estados Unidos con Hezbollah siendo declarada como organización terrorista, y ahora esperamos que la Argentina adopte una medida en tal sentido. Las naciones no pueden tolerar de ninguna manera que el terrorismo tenga fuentes de financiamiento en sus países\", dijo Eichbaum ayer a la Agencia Judía de Noticias.\n\nDesde el Gobierno aseguran que el registro no incluirá organizaciones nacionales, como los RAM de Neuquén o los grupos anarquistas que protagonizaron ataques en noviembre pasado.", "Former Argentine President Fernando de la Rua died on Tuesday in Buenos Aires, a few hours after being hospitalized, President Mauricio Macri said. He was 81.\n\n\"I am saddened by the death of ex-President Fernando de la Rua. His commitment to democracy deserves the recognition of all Argentines. We are with his family at this time,\" Macri said in a Twitter post.", "New Delhi: Former Argentine president Fernando de la Rua has died. He was 81, reported news agency AFP quoting President of Argentina Mauricio Macri.\n\nThe former President had attracted voters as he was considered an honest statesman. However, he had left the country in its worst economic crisis. The news of his death has been officially confirmed by the Argentine government. Fernando De la Rúa is survived by his wife Inés Pertiné and his three sons namely Antonio, Fernando and Agustina.\n\nMeanwhile, President Mauricio Macri expressed his condolences in a tweet on Tuesday which said, “His democratic trajectory deserves the recognition of all Argentines.”\n\nAccording to Telam state news agency, De la Rúa died of cardiac and other health complications. The former Argentine president served from 1999 to December 2001. During his presidential term, Argentina had plunged into a crisis which caused violent riots across the country.\n\nDe la Rúa is infamously known for escaping the violent protests with the aid of a helicopter from the rooftop of the pink presidential palace. The protests erupted against his handling of the crisis. Notably, the riots claimed the lives of dozens of people across Argentina.", "The US Treasury Department has imposed sanctions on two Hezbollah members of Lebanon's parliament and a security official responsible for coordinating between the resistance movement and the country’s security agencies.\n\nThe Treasury on Tuesday placed MPs Amin Sherri and Muhammad Hasan Ra'd and Wafiq Safa, a top Hezbollah security official, on its sanctions blacklist, and accused Hezbollah of using its parliamentary power to advance its resistance activities.\n\n\"Hezbollah uses its operatives in Lebanon's parliament to manipulate institutions in support of the terrorist group's financial and security interests, and to bolster Iran's malign activities,\" said Sigal Mandelker, Under Secretary of Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence.\n\nRa'd is the head of the parliamentary bloc of the party and an MP since 1992, and Sherri has been an MP representing Beirut since 2002.\n\nSome 50 Hezbollah individuals and entities have been blacklisted by the Treasury since 2017.\n\nA senior administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity told journalists: \"It is time we believe for other nations around the world to recognize that there is no distinction between Hezbollah's political and military wing.”\n\n\"To any member of Hezbollah considering running for office, know that you will not be able to hide beneath the cover of political office,\" the official said.\n\nHezbollah was formed following the Israeli regime’s invasion of Lebanon and the ensuing occupation of its southern parts in 1980s, and currently constitutes Lebanon’s de facto military power.\n\nSince then, the movement has helped the national army retake the occupied regions from Tel Aviv and thwart two Israeli acts of aggression in 2000 and 2006.\n\nThe movement has also been playing a significant role in the Syrian army’s fight against Takfiri terror groups, including Daesh and Nusra Front, thus preventing the spillover of the war into Lebanon.\n\nThe US has its Arab allies in the Persian Gulf on board in cranking up pressure on the Lebanese leaders over their association with Hezbollah, and they all take their cue from Israel.\n\nIsraeli leaders have threatened that they would view the Lebanese state as part of Hezbollah in a future war with the resistance movement.\n\nIn May last year, the US Treasury imposed sanctions on the Hezbollah leadership jointly with members of the so-called Terrorist Financing and Targeting Center (TFTC), which includes Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the UAE.\n\nIn late October 2018, the Trump administration imposed a new round of sanctions on Hezbollah, targeting individuals and international organizations that do business with the group.", "Argentine President Mauricio Macri and his rivals in the October election launched their campaign ads on local TV on Sunday, targeting undecided voters who will be key to choosing whether his policies remain in place another four years.\n\nMacri’s campaign, which has been hit hard by the country’s economic crisis, highlighted the public works and infrastructure projects started in his administration. “It’s going from abandonment to building a new reality every day,” Macri said in the campaign ad.\n\nMacri’s chief rival, Alberto Fernandez, who is running on a ticket with former leftist president Cristina Fernandez, describes himself as a “conciliatory” politician and “a normal guy.”\n\n “I’m going to bring order to the chaos they’re leaving us. We have the strength to do it,” Fernandez said in his ad.\n\nFormer economy minister Roberto Lavanga is also running, portraying himself as an alternative to Macri and Fernandez and the economic troubles that marked their terms.\n\n “Only you can put an end to this,” a voiceover in Lavanga’s ad says, showing him walking with his running mate.\n\nIf no candidate wins 45% of votes or 40% with a 10-point lead over the runner-up in the Oct. 27 election, a run-off vote between the top two candidates will be held in November.", "(Bloomberg) -- President Mauricio Macri’s chances of winning Argentina’s election this year are improving as public sentiment climbs and the economy begins to find its footing after a currency crisis, according to Alejandro Catterberg, director of Poliarquia, one of the nation’s top pollsters.\n\n“If the social climate keeps improving for four more months, the government’s chances of winning are very high,” Catterberg said in an interview, referring to the Oct. 27 vote. “My gut feeling is that Macri wins, but if I just look at the economic indicators, I say Macri loses.”\n\nPoliarquia does not have a contract with Macri’s government and isn’t working with any presidential campaign but Catterberg shares his polling data with top government officials. Buenos Aires city Mayor Horacio Rodriguez Larreta, one of Macri’s top allies, pays Poliarquia for polling data. He wouldn’t disclose key data, such as voter intention, because he’s contractually obligated to only give those figures to clients.\n\nMacri is benefiting from the economy’s newfound stability although the country remains in recession with unemployment in the double-digits. His approval rating jumped to 34% in June from 28% in May, according to Poliarquia numbers Catterberg was willing to share. That’s still far from the 62% approval rating he enjoyed in November 2017 right after mid-term elections.\n\nMacri’s top opponent is Alberto Fernandez, whose VP candidate is Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, the former populist president from 2007 to 2015. Catterberg says the election has become more polarized in recent months, and that there’s a 30% chance it may be decided in October, most likely with an outright victory by Fernandez in the first round. Only two months ago, Catterberg said, chances of such an outcome were zero.\n\nA first-round victory requires the leading candidate to win over 45% of the votes, or 40% with a lead greater than 10 percentage points over the second-placed candidate. If that’s not the case, the two leading candidates will face each other in a run-off vote on November 24.\n\nFrom investors’ perspective, Catterberg says the best-case scenario o the Aug. 11 primary vote is that Fernandez receives less than 40% of votes and Macri trails him by less than 5 percentage points.\n\n“I think if that happens the markets -- or people -- are going to believe that it’s a distance that can be overcome in the remainder of the election cycle,” said Catterberg, adding that’s half the distance Macri had to leap in his surprising 2015 victory.\n\nLower voter participation in the August primaries, as it is usually the case, would likely favor Macri in October, because he is better positioned to capture the support of those less politicized Argentines who only show up on the actual election day.\n\n“The lower the level of participation [in August], the less worse it should be for Macri,” Catterberg said. “I think there’s an understanding in all political parties that if this goes onto a runoff, Macri’s chances are better than those of Kirchner’s party.”\n\nAnother possible boost to Macri’s bid should come when long-shot contenders are out of the race. Catterberg expects Macri to get more of those voters in the potential Nov. 24 runoff than Fernandez.\n\nBesides that, Macri has more experience -- he has twice won for Buenos Aires city mayor while Fernandez has never run in a national race, says Catterberg, adding that the president has a more experienced campaign staff with a more effective communication strategy.\n\nWith a stable economy, Macri can focus the election narrative on his accomplishments: Infrastructure projects, international credibility, a European Union-Mercosur trade deal and a crackdown on drug trafficking.\n\nRead More: Tears of Joy as Mercosur Leaders Celebrate Historic EU Deal\n\nIf Fernandez wins, he’ll face tough choices. Even if he doesn’t want to impose currency or capital controls reminiscent of Kirchner’s presidency, conditions could be so severe that he may have no other choice, Catterberg says.\n\n“If the reaction by markets and Argentines is so immediate, if capital flight is so high, he won’t have another option,” Catterberg said. “Fernandez may not want to re-profile the debt, but if the exchange rate reaches 80 pesos per dollar, you have to re-profile the debt.”\n\nTo contact the reporters on this story: Patrick Gillespie in Buenos Aires at pgillespie29@bloomberg.net;Jorgelina do Rosario in Buenos Aires at jdorosario@bloomberg.net\n\nTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Walter Brandimarte at wbrandimarte@bloomberg.net;Juan Pablo Spinetto at jspinetto@bloomberg.net", "Lebanon’s Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has denounced American sanctions on lawmakers from the Hezbollah resistance movement as an “assault” against not only the parliament but the entire Lebanese nation.\n\n“It is an assault on the parliament and as a result an assault on all of Lebanon,” Berri said in a statement on Wednesday.\n\nThe remarks came one day after the US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on two Hezbollah members of Lebanon’s parliament and a security official responsible for coordinating between the resistance movement and the country’s security agencies.\n\nIt placed MPs Amin Sherri and Muhammad Hasan Ra’d as well as Wafiq Safa, a top Hezbollah security official, on its blacklist, claiming that the trio had \"assisted\" Iran in its alleged efforts \"to undermine Lebanese sovereignty.\"\n\nWashington also accused the individuals of “undermining Lebanese financial institutions to assist Hezbollah and to evade US sanctions against” the resistance group.\n\nIt was the first time that the US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control put Lebanese parliamentarians on its sanctions list.\n\nSeparately, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that the designations were meant to counter Hezbollah’s influence in Lebanon.\n\nIn response, Lebanese Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil warned that the “unwarranted” US bans “do not serve financial stability.”\n\n“Lebanon and its banks are committed to all the legislation and there is no justification at all for escalating these sanctions,” he added.\n\nMoreover, Lebanese lawmaker Ali Fayyad slammed the US move as “a humiliation for the Lebanese people.”\n\nHezbollah was formed following the Israeli regime’s invasion of Lebanon and the ensuing occupation of its southern parts in 1980s, and currently constitutes Lebanon’s de facto military power.\n\nSince then, the movement has helped the national army retake the occupied regions from Tel Aviv and thwart two Israeli acts of aggression in 2000 and 2006.\n\nIt has also been playing a significant role in the Syrian army’s fight against Takfiri terror groups, including Daesh and Nusra Front, thus preventing the spillover of the war into Lebanon.\n\nSome 50 Hezbollah individuals and entities have been blacklisted by the Treasury since 2017.\n\nIn May 2018, the United States and its partners in the Terrorist Financing and Targeting Center (TFTC), which includes Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and United Arab Emirates, imposed sanctions on Hezbollah leadership, targeting its Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and Deputy Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem.\n\nThis article has been adapted from its original source.", "Argentina's former President Fernando De la Rua, who attracted voters with his image as an honest statesman and later left the country plunged into its worst economic crisis, has died. He was 81.\n\nThe death was confirmed by the Argentine government.\n\nPresident Mauricio Macri expressed his condolences, saying on Twitter: \"His democratic trajectory deserves the recognition of all Argentines.\"\n\nDe la Rua served from 1999 to December 2001 when he infamously escaped by helicopter from the rooftop of the pink presidential palace.\n\nIt came after days of violent protests against his handling of the crisis amid rioting that caused dozens of deaths across Argentina.\n\nThe Telam state news agency said he died of cardiac and other complications."], "summary": "Argentine President Mauricio Macri issues a decree declaring Hezbollah a \"terrorist organization\"."}
{"document": ["(CNN) Billionaire Tom Steyer officially entered the presidential race on Tuesday, saying he would seek the Democratic nomination for president despite having previously ruled out a run in January.\n\nIn a video released Tuesday morning , Steyer said, \"if you think that there's something absolutely critical, try as hard as you can and let the chips fall where they may. And that's exactly what I'm doing. My name's Tom Steyer, and I'm running for president.\"\n\nSteyer, who has teased political bids before without ever launching a campaign, never fully ruled out a 2020 run despite his January announcement, a source familiar with the situation previously told CNN\n\nSteyer has operated as a funding force in Democratic politics in recent years, bankrolling candidates and organizations that promote liberal causes, including the impeachment of President Donald Trump . Steyer's net worth reached $1.6 billion this year according to Forbes, a fortune he began amassing in 1986 when he launched his hedge fund Farallon Capital.\n\nThe 2018 House races, which Steyer spent over $100 million on, marked the third consecutive election cycle in which Steyer spent millions supporting Democratic candidates. But it's Steyer's efforts to impeach Trump which have made him the most visible, starring in self-funded television commercials in which he calls on Congress to remove the President from office.\n\nSteyer joins a crowded Democratic primary that has already participated in the first round of primary debates.\n\nA CNN poll last month showed former Vice President Joe Biden leading the race with 22% support followed by California Sen. Kamala Harris and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who made steep gains following their debate performances.\n\nSteyer's late entry to the race makes it highly unlikely that he will qualify for the second round of Democratic debates hosted by CNN, set for the end of July. To make the stage in under three weeks, he'll need to receive campaign contributions from 65,000 individuals and receive 1% support in at least three DNC-approved polls.\n\nAnd Steyer will face immediate resistance by the already-crowded Democratic field. The New York Times reported that Steyer has pledged to spend $100 million on his bid, putting him directly at odds with Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who has sworn off private, high-dollar fundraising events during her primary campaign, and vocally criticized the political influence of billionaires and corporations.\n\nIn January, Warren said: \"No to the billionaires, whether they are self-funding or whether they're funding PACs. We are the Democratic Party, and that is the party of the people. That's how we not only win elections, that's how we build movements that make real change.\"\n\nAnd asked about Steyer's possible entry to the race on Monday, Warren said that \"every one of us should be held responsible for the kind of campaign we run. Period.\"\n\nShe continued, \"I'm careful about what I say about other Democrats, but there's a second part. I don't go to closed-door fundraisers, I don't hang out with millionaires and corporate CEOs. I'm building a grassroots movement and I think as Democrats we should ask that of every single one of them. Do this grassroots style.\"\n\nCorrection: This story has been updated to correctly state the amount Tom Steyer has spent in past election cycles.", "\n• Former hedge-fund manager and Democratic activist Tom Steyer announced he’s running for president in 2020, making him a late entry into the race after previously ruling out a presidential bid back in January.\n• Steyer, a billionaire and major Democratic donor, founded two organizations to advance Democratic causes: Need To Impeach and NextGen America, the latter of which focuses on climate change.\n• In January 2019, Steyer said he did not plan to run for president and would be “dedicating 100% of my time and effort in 2019 towards Mr. Trump’s impeachment and removal from office.”\n• Despite being a well-connected billionaire and fairly well-known in Democratic circles, Steyer will face an uphill battle qualifying for the next round of Democratic primary debates, which are scheduled to take place on Sept. 12.\n\nFormer hedge-fund manager and Democratic activist Tom Steyer announced he’s running for president in 2020, making him a late entry into the race after previously ruling out a presidential bid back in January.\n\nSteyer, a billionaire and major Democratic donor, founded two organizations to advance Democratic causes: Need To Impeach, which is advocating for Congress to begin impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump, and NextGen America, a group combatting climate change and backing political candidates who support strong climate action.\n\nIn a video announcing his candidacy, Steyer denounced the role of corporate money in politics, saying “we’ve got to take the corporate control out of our politics…we care about improving the world and handing it on to the next generation in a way so they can lead better lives than we’ve had. If we don’t do those two things, shame on us.”\n\nA spokesman for Steyer told The New York Times he plans to spend at least $100 million of his own money on his candidacy, dwarfing the fundraising performances of the current frontrunners.\n\nIn January 2019, Steyer said he did not plan to run for president and would be “dedicating 100% of my time and effort in 2019 towards Mr. Trump’s impeachment and removal from office.”\n\nSteyer’s late entrance into the race comes after two other billionaires, former Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York City and former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz decided against presidential runs.\n\nIn a January interview with INSIDER, Steyer criticized Schultz, who floated the idea of running as an independent, as “not ready for primetime.”\n\nRead more: Billionaire Democratic donor Tom Steyer says 2020 presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg is the ‘real deal’\n\nAccording to The Atlantic, which first reported Steyer’s planned late entrance into the 2020 field, Steyer is concerned that Gov. Jay Inslee‘s climate-centered presidential campaign isn’t gaining enough traction and thinks the field could use another powerful voice on climate issues.\n\nSources close to him also told the The Atlantic that Steyer, who is 62 and based in San Francisco, thought that a longshot presidential bid could be his only chance to run for political office.\n\nAnother person close to Steyer similarly told The Washington Post that Steyer doesn’t feel completely confident in the current field of 25 Democrats seeking the 2020 nomination and thinks his successful record as a businessman can give him an edge in the field.\n\n“You never know with Tom until he actually pulls the trigger, but he’s telling a lot of people he works with and trusts that he’s going to do it,” a source close to him told The Post.\n\nDespite being a well-connected billionaire and well-known in prominent Democratic circles, Steyer will face an uphill battle qualifying for the next round of Democratic primary debates, which are scheduled to take place on Sept. 12.\n\nIn order to make the stage, Steyer will have to both earn 130,000 unique donors and reach 2% in four Democratic National Committee-approved polls by August 29.\n\nThe billionaire leading the charge to impeach Trump is calling on Democrats to get the ball rolling after the Mueller report\n\nLiberal mega-donor Tom Steyer on ex-Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz’s possible independent 2020 run: ‘It doesn’t sound like he’s ready for primetime’\n\nTrump lashes out at Tom Steyer, calling him a ‘crazed & stumbling lunatic’ days after a suspicious package was sent to the liberal billionaire", "Former hedge-fund manager and Democratic activist Tom Steyer announced he's running for president in 2020, making him a late entry into the race after previously ruling out a presidential bid back in January.\n\nSteyer, a billionaire and major Democratic donor, founded two organizations to advance Democratic causes: Need To Impeach, which is advocating for Congress to begin impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump, and NextGen America, a group combatting climate change and backing political candidates who support strong climate action.\n\nIn a video announcing his candidacy, Steyer denounced the role of corporate money in politics, saying \"we've got to take the corporate control out of our politics...we care about improving the world and handing it on to the next generation in a way so they can lead better lives than we've had. If we don't do those two things, shame on us.\"\n\nA spokesman for Steyer told The New York Times he plans to spend at least $100 million of his own money on his candidacy, dwarfing the fundraising performances of the current frontrunners.\n\nIn January 2019, Steyer said he did not plan to run for president and would be \"dedicating 100% of my time and effort in 2019 towards Mr. Trump's impeachment and removal from office.\"\n\nSteyer's late entrance into the race comes after two other billionaires, former Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York City and former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz decided against presidential runs.\n\nIn a January interview with INSIDER, Steyer criticized Schultz, who floated the idea of running as an independent, as \"not ready for primetime.\"\n\nRead more: Billionaire Democratic donor Tom Steyer says 2020 presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg is the 'real deal'\n\nAccording to The Atlantic, which first reported Steyer's planned late entrance into the 2020 field, Steyer is concerned that Gov. Jay Inslee's climate-centered presidential campaign isn't gaining enough traction and thinks the field could use another powerful voice on climate issues.\n\nSources close to him also told the The Atlantic that Steyer, who is 62 and based in San Francisco, thought that a longshot presidential bid could be his only chance to run for political office.\n\nAnother person close to Steyer similarly told The Washington Post that Steyer doesn't feel completely confident in the current field of 25 Democrats seeking the 2020 nomination and thinks his successful record as a businessman can give him an edge in the field.\n\n\"You never know with Tom until he actually pulls the trigger, but he's telling a lot of people he works with and trusts that he's going to do it,\" a source close to him told The Post.\n\nDespite being a well-connected billionaire and well-known in prominent Democratic circles, Steyer will face an uphill battle qualifying for the next round of Democratic primary debates, which are scheduled to take place on Sept. 12.\n\nIn order to make the stage, Steyer will have to both earn 130,000 unique donors and reach 2% in four Democratic National Committee-approved polls by August 29.\n\nThe billionaire leading the charge to impeach Trump is calling on Democrats to get the ball rolling after the Mueller report\n\nLiberal mega-donor Tom Steyer on ex-Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz's possible independent 2020 run: 'It doesn't sound like he's ready for primetime'\n\nTrump lashes out at Tom Steyer, calling him a 'crazed & stumbling lunatic' days after a suspicious package was sent to the liberal billionaire", "Billionaire Tom Steyer announced Tuesday that he will join the crowded field vying for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, and promised to commit at least $100 million of his personal fortune to the campaign.\n\nThe 62-year-old hedge-fund manager made his announcement in a video message posted to Twitter, in which he took aim at drug companies, banks, and corporations, which he said should not have an “unlimited ability to participate in politics.”\n\n“Almost every single major intractable problem, at the back of it you see a big-money interest for whom stopping progress, stopping justice is really important to their bottom line,” Steyer said, before promising to “take the corporate control out of our politics.”\n\n“Corporations don’t have hearts, or souls, or futures. They don’t have children. They have a short time frames and they really care about just making money,” he continued. “If this is a banana republic with a few very, very rich people and everybody else living in misery, that’s a failure.”\n\nThe major Democratic donor, who has advocated and financed investment in renewable energy, said reducing corporate influence in politics will also aid in fighting the “devastating impacts of climate change.”\n\nSteyer, who earlier this year said he’d decided not to run, has already missed the first Democratic primary debates, which were hosted by NBC and MSNBC at the end of last month.\n\nSteyer, who has spent millions on a movement lobbying for President Trump’s impeachment, declined in his announcement to mention Trump by name.", "Billionaire environmental activist Tom Steyer has formally launched his campaign for president, making a late entry into the sprawling 2020 Democratic field that has already held its first round of primary debates.\n\nSteyer, who has in recent years cemented himself as the Democratic party’s largest donor, had long toyed with a presidential run only to rule it out in January.\n\nBut in a sharp reversal, Steyer entered the race on Tuesday – taking many Democrats by surprise and injecting the Democratic field with one of its most strident voices in favor of impeaching Donald Trump.\n\nIn an announcement video, Steyer said: “As an outsider, I’ve led grassroots efforts that have taken on big corporations and won results for people. That’s not something you see a lot of from Washington these days. That’s why I’m running for president.”\n\nSteyer has spent the past year traveling the country to promote the agenda of his progressive group Need to Impeach, which has garnered more than 8 million supporters who wish to see Trump removed from the Oval Office. Steyer also funds the organization NextGen America, through which he has spent millions of dollars rallying voters around climate change and the environment.\n\nSteyer reportedly told staffers at both groups last week that he was planning to announce a 2020 presidential bid.\n\nAlthough Steyer has considerable resources to fund his own campaign, he could face challenges recruiting staff when other contenders have spent months – if not more – organizing in key battleground states. And like some other candidates, Steyer will likely struggle with name recognition in a field of nearly two dozen that includes heavyweights such as former vice-president Joe Biden and Senators Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Kamala Harris.\n\nOn Monday, California representative Eric Swalwell became the first candidate to drop out the race after struggling to gain traction, telling CNN: “I just found it the hardest thing to contrast myself in a field of 20-something candidates.”\n\nIn an interview with the Guardian in Los Angeles last year, Steyer discussed his goals to fund leftwing causes, offering a counter to the Koch brothers’ funding of conservative candidates and campaigns.\n\n“Are we afraid to tell the truth because it might piss someone off? No,” he said, adding that it was time to “retake” the United States. “We’re trying to do something to protect the country, protect the democracy, protect the people. This is a fight between right and wrong and I don’t see why people want to sweep that under the rug.”\n\nSteyer’s political efforts escalated after the 2012 election, focused on climate change. His liberal advocacy group, Next Gen America, also spent millions in efforts to increase youth turnout in the 2018 midterm elections.\n\nHis anti-Trump ad campaigns havemade him targets of Fox News and the president. After Fox & Friends ran a segment last year on Steyer’s impeachment push, the president lashed out, tweeting: “Wacky and totally unhinged Tom Steyer, who has been fighting me and my Make America Great Again agenda from beginning, never wins elections!”\n\nSome Democrats opposed to impeachment have also brushed off Steyer.\n\nSteyer’s Need to Impeach Pac held a town hall in New York earlier this year aimed to increase pressure on Congressman Jerry Nadler, the judiciary committee chairman. Asked about the town hall, Hakeem Jeffries, another New York congressman, responded, “Tom who?”", "SAN FRANCISCO -- Billionaire environmentalist Tom Steyer may be reconsidering a bid for the White House.In January, Steyer told ABC7 News that he decided against running in the 2020 presidential election, but according to Politico, the San Francisco philanthropist and liberal activist held a private conference call with several organizations and his Sacramento office last week to share the news.Steyer has been an ardent opponent of President Trump's policies and has pumped millions into a campaign to impeach him.", "WASHINGTON (AP) — Tom Steyer, the billionaire investor and activist, said Tuesday he’s joining the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, reversing course after deciding earlier this year that he would forgo a run.\n\nSteyer, 62, is one of the most visible and deep-pocketed liberals advocating for President Donald Trump’s impeachment. He surprised many Democrats in January when he traveled to Iowa, home to the nation’s first presidential caucus, to declare that he would focus entirely on the impeachment effort instead of seeking the White House.\n\nSince then, Steyer, of California, has said he's grown frustrated at the pace at which the Democratic-controlled House is approaching Trump. Roughly half of the Democratic presidential contenders, seeking to appeal to the party's progressive base, have called on House Democrats to start an impeachment inquiry. But Speaker Nancy Pelosi has resisted, warning that Democrats need to collect the facts and that a rush to impeachment could ultimately help Trump politically.\n\nDespite becoming a national voice on the impeachment issue, Steyer made no mention of it in his campaign announcement. Instead, he said his campaign will focus on reducing the influence of corporations in politics. He also plans to target climate change, which is the focus of the Steyer-backed advocacy group NextGen America.\n\n\"The other Democratic candidates for President have many great ideas that will absolutely move our country forward, but we won't be able to get any of those done until we end the hostile corporate takeover of our democracy,\" Steyer said in a statement.\n\nCiting issues including climate change and the opioid crisis, Steyer said that in nearly every \"major intractable problem, at the back of it, you see a big money interest for whom stopping progress, stopping justice is really important to their bottom line.\"\n\n\"Americans are deeply disappointed and hurt by the way they're treated by what they see as the power elite in Washington, D.C., and that goes across party lines and it goes across democracy,\" Steyer said in a video his campaign released Tuesday. \"We've got to take the corporate control out of our politics.\"\n\nSteyer confirmed to The Associated Press on Tuesday that he would spend at least $100 million on his campaign, a figure that was first reported by The New York Times.\n\nSens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who are competing for the support of liberal voters in the Democratic presidential primary, decried the influence of billionaires in the 2020 race.\n\nWarren, who didn't mention Steyer by name, tweeted after his announcement: \"The Democratic primary should not be decided by billionaires, whether they're funding Super PACs or funding themselves. The strongest Democratic nominee in the general will have a coalition that's powered by a grassroots movement.\"\n\nSanders said that while he may \"like Tom personally,\" he is \"a bit tired of seeing billionaires trying to buy political power.\"\n\nAsked about Warren's and Sanders' criticism of his plan to invest so heavily in his own campaign, Steyer said the common goal among all candidates is to present a vision that connects with voters.\n\n\"That's what Americans are waiting for, that's what's missing, and that's something that every single candidate, including Sen. Warren and Sen. Sanders, have to address,\" he said. \"And so, if I can't do that, all the money in the world isn't going to help me.\"\n\nAs he seeks the presidency, Steyer is resigning his leadership positions in both NextGen America and Need to Impeach. He says he has committed more than $50 million through 2020 to the two organizations.\n\nSteyer joins the race three weeks before the next presidential debates , and he could struggle to get a spot on the stage. He told the AP that he does not expect to qualify for the second Democratic presidential debates, which will be held July 30-31 in Detroit.\n\n\"We're serious about making the debates in September and October, but I think we're too late to make the July one,\" he said.\n\nThere are 20 spots at the debate for a field that includes two dozen candidates . If more than 20 people qualify, the Democratic National Committee will hold a tiebreaker to determine who gets on stage.\n\nSteyer also could potentially face challenges hiring staff. Several of his former NextGen America staffers have joined Washington Gov. Jay Inslee's presidential campaign. A former Steyer spokeswoman, Aleigha Cavalier, recently joined Beto O'Rourke's 2020 campaign.\n\nThe sprawling Democratic field is in flux as Steyer becomes the newest contender. Some lower-tier candidates are facing increasingly dire prospects if they don't secure spots on the debate stage this fall.\n\nCalifornia Rep. Eric Swalwell exited the race on Monday , and former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper’s campaign has undergone a shake-up after his debate performance last month, with some staffers encouraging him to consider a Senate campaign instead.\n\nThis is not the first time Steyer has considered running for office. He eyed bids for governor of California in 2018 and the Senate in 2016. His net worth, according to Forbes, is estimated at $1.6 billion.", "Billionaire Tom Steyer officially entered the presidential race on Tuesday, saying he would seek the Democratic nomination for president despite having previously ruled out a run in January.\n\nIn a video released Tuesday morning, Steyer said, “if you think that there’s something absolutely critical, try as hard as you can and let the chips fall where they may. And that’s exactly what I’m doing. My name’s Tom Steyer, and I’m running for president.”\n\nSteyer, who has teased political bids before without ever launching a campaign, never fully ruled out a 2020 run despite his January announcement, a source familiar with the situation previously told CNN.\n\nSteyer has operated as a funding force in Democratic politics in recent years, bankrolling candidates and organizations that promote liberal causes, including the impeachment of President Donald Trump. Steyer’s net worth reached $1.6 billion this year according to Forbes, a fortune he began amassing in 1986 when he launched his hedge fund Farallon Capital.\n\nThe 2018 House races marked the third consecutive election cycle in which Steyer spent more than $100 million dollars supporting Democratic candidates. But it’s Steyer’s efforts to impeach Trump which have made him the most visible, starring in self-funded television commercials in which he calls on Congress to remove the President from office.\n\nSteyer joins a crowded Democratic primary that has already participated in the first round of primary debates.\n\nA CNN poll last month showed former Vice President Joe Biden leading the race with 22% support followed by California Sen. Kamala Harris and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who made steep gains following their debate performances.", "Topline: After deciding not to run in January, billionaire hedge fund manager and adamant Trump critic Tom Steyer changed his mind and announced a presidential run Tuesday, becoming the 25th Democratic candidate after Eric Swalwell dropped out just hours before.\n• Steyer came to wider prominence after running cable commercial campaigns advocating for impeaching Trump, starring himself.\n• Although it was widely reported in January that Steyer decided to opt out of a 2020 run, an unnamed source said Steyer never completely ruled one out, according to CNN.\n• Steyer donated hundreds of millions to Democratic candidates over the past three election cycles, and spent $100 million on the 2018 House races alone.\n• Steyer plans to spend another $100 million on his presidential run, according to the New York Times.\n• “Americans are deeply disappointed and hurt by the way they’re treated by what they think is the power elite in Washington, D.C.,” said Steyer in his video announcement. The video includes images of Paul Manafort, Bernie Madoff, and Jeffrey Epstein (who was just indicted Monday for sex trafficking and conspiracy,) implying the Trump administration stands for corruption, greed, and other criminal activities.\n\n﻿Key background: According to Forbes, Steyer spent 26 years running hedge fund Farallon Capital, before selling his stake in 2012 to focus on politics and the environment. He spent $65 million backing Democratic candidates and environmental causes in the 2016 election. With Trump’s ascendancy to the White House, Steyer formed Need To Impeach, dedicated to getting Trump removed from office, and the Need To Vote and NextGen Rising voter mobilization efforts (which he spent another $80 million on.)", "Billionaire liberal activist Tom Steyer has privately told friends and associates in recent days that he plans to enter the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, according to two Democrats familiar with the discussions who were not authorized to speak publicly.\n\nWhile Steyer announced in January that he would not seek the White House, he has grown dissatisfied with the Democrats’ 2020 field and is now eager to jump into the contest, the people said, despite some of his confidants and friends warning him about the challenges and political cost of a bid.\n\nThe former hedge fund manager could make an announcement Tuesday, the people added, but a firm rollout plan is still being deliberated.\n\n“You never know with Tom until he actually pulls the trigger, but he’s telling a lot of people he works with and trusts that he’s going to do it,” one of the Democrats said, when asked about the discussions. “He wants in.”\n\nSteyer, 62, built his fortune running a hedge fund, Farallon Capital, but sold his shares in the company in 2012. Forbes estimates his net worth at about $1.6 billion — of which Steyer has committed half to charity, in accordance with a Giving Pledge he made.\n\n[Tom Steyer, proponent of impeaching Trump, pushes campaign to disbar attorney general]\n\nA Steyer campaign would likely focus on impeaching and defeating President Trump and climate change — two causes that have animated Steyer’s advocacy and where he has become a prominent national voice. Steyer’s Need to Impeach group has generated a large membership list and held town halls across the nation.\n\nBut Steyer would not be the only liberal with that pitch in the field. Gov. Jay Inslee (Wash.), for instance, has made the environment central to his campaign and called Trump a threat to national security.\n\nSteyer, one of the Democratic Party’s wealthiest activists, would bring both grass-roots know-how and immense capital to an already crowded race. And, having spent millions in the 2018 election cycle, he has a wide network of allies in the party even though some Democratic leaders are wary of him and the way he tried to pressure them to impeach Trump before the conclusion of the special counsel investigation on Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.\n\n[Trump lashes out at ‘Weirdo’ Democratic donor Tom Steyer in late-night Twitter barrage]\n\nHeather Hargreaves, a veteran Democratic field organizer who worked on President Obama’s 2008 campaign, is expected to manage the campaign, the people said. She is a top aide to Steyer and serves as executive director of NextGen America, a Steyer-founded advocacy group. Associates frequently describe Hargreaves as Steyer’s leading political strategist.\n\nSteyer and Hargreaves did not respond to requests for comment late Sunday.\n\nSteyer’s move toward a 2020 campaign was first reported by The Atlantic.\n\nThe super PAC Steyer founded in 2013 — NextGen Climate (now known as NextGen America) — contributed about $74 million to Democratic causes during the 2014 midterm elections — making him the single-biggest individual donor that year — as well as $96 million in 2016 and nearly $61 million during the 2018 midterms.\n\nHe has also contributed to numerous state-level campaigns and environmental initiatives in California, as well as to the presidential campaigns of John F. Kerry, Hillary Clinton and Obama."], "summary": "U.S. billionaire Tom Steyer announces his run for nomination by the United States Democratic Party in the 2020 United States presidential election."}
{"document": ["Pregnant women among victims of killings in small village of Karida, in an area beset by internecine violence\n\nAt least 15 women and children have been killed in a massacre in Papua New Guinea’s Hela province, in one of the worst outbreaks of tribal violence in the country for years.\n\nThe killings happened on early Monday morning during a raid on Karida, a village of about 800 people in the interior of the country.\n\nPhilip Pimua, the officer in charge of the Karida sub-health centre, who was in the village at the time of the attack, told the Guardian that there were 16 victims – eight children aged from one to 15 and eight women, two of whom were pregnant.\n\nPapua New Guinea PM Peter O'Neill finally bows out, ending days of political unrest Read more\n\nRNZ reports that there were 15 victims – 10 women and five children – citing Tari police spokesman Thomas Levongo who examined the scene at Karida. Levongo could not be reached for comment.\n\nPimua said the attack happened at about 6am on Monday morning, with people killed after opening the door to attackers.\n\n“I wake up in the morning, go to make a fire in my kitchen, at the same time I heard the sound of guns, then I saw some of the houses they were burning, so I knew that enemies are already inside the village,” Pimua said. “So I just ran away and hide in the bush, then later on, about 9 or 10, I came back and saw bodies chopped into pieces and houses were burnt.”\n\nAs well as guns, bush knives were used in the attack.\n\nPimua said he knew all the victims – “they are my people, I know them” – but that some were so badly dismembered that he and other villagers struggled to identify the remains.\n\n“They were cut into pieces. Some had body parts we couldn’t recognise which one is which one, only the faces we can recognise, but legs, hands…”\n\nPimua said he and other villagers had wrapped the bodies in mosquito nets, and then fled the village, fearing that the attackers were still hiding in the bush and might strike again. He said they hoped to return to bury the bodies on Wednesday, but were waiting for police to come and escort them.\n\nPimua said the attack was from “enemies” and may have been connected to tribal violence, saying “they have fought for a long time there”.\n\nHela province and other areas in the highlands of Papua New Guinea have been beset by tribal violence in recent years. There have been reports of killings, reprisals and sexual violence, all made worse with the increasing availability of firearms.\n\nPNG police told the Post Courier the attack followed an ambush attack on Saturday, which left six people dead.\n\nAsked if this was the worst attack his village had ever seen, Pimua said: “It’s the worst, very worst, in the history of this country too.”\n\nThe attack occurred in the electorate of Papua New Guinea’s new prime minister, James Marape, who described the day as “one of the saddest” of his life.\n\nIn a Facebook post, Marape said the attack was led by gunmen from the Haguai, Okiru and Liwi tribes and said he would seek out and punish the perpetrators, using the “strongest measures in law”.\n\n“In memory of the innocent who continue to die at the hands of gun-toting criminals, your time is up, before I had someone else to report to, now I have no one else to report to but the innocent you kill,” he wrote.\n\n“To all who have guns and kill and hide behind the mask of community, learn from what I will do to criminals who killed innocent people … I am coming for you.”\n\nMarape also blamed insufficient police resources in the region, saying he had been asking for more permanent police to be stationed in the area since 2012, but had not had any support.\n\n“How can a province of 400,000 people function with policing law and order with under 60 policemen?” Marape wrote.\n\nPimua was doubtful about the likelihood that those responsible for the attack would be caught. “If prime minister use special forces from some other countries to come and find these people then he can do it, OK, but for our security forces, I don’t think so,” he said.\n\nThe ICRC Papua New Guinea head of mission, Ahmad Hallak, said: “We are very concerned by reports that women and children have been killed and urge all sides to refrain from targeting anyone who is not directly engaged in the fighting.\n\n“We are monitoring the situation closely and are in touch with our contacts in the area. Once we can confirm the situation has stabilised, an ICRC team will visit the area to assess the humanitarian consequences of the fighting before deciding on a possible response.”\n\nAdditional reporting by Melvin Levongo", "Police and soldiers have been sent to Papua New Guinea ’s highlands to make arrests and provide security after more than 20 people, mostly women and children, were slain in recent tribal violence over a feud that has lasted for years, officials said Wednesday.\n\nTokura said 20 police officers and 10 soldiers were sent to Hela to “stop any further violence and capture the killers.”\n\nAuthorities say the slaughter was probably retaliation for an ambush near Peta village on Saturday that left six or seven people dead.\n\nBecause two of the victims were pregnant, police put the death toll at 18. Officials differ on whether the attack happened on Sunday or Monday.\n\nREAD MORE: Justin Trudeau in Papua New Guinea to discuss trade with Asian leaders\n\nIn the latest attack, 16 women and children were killed this week by assailants armed with rifles in the village of Karida in Hela province, said Papua New Guinea Acting Police Commissioner Francis Tokura.\n\nWATCH: Aerial footage shows aftermath of 7.5 magnitude quake in Papua New Guinea (Jan. 2018)\n\n“This is a tragedy. It is an unbelievable, unthinkable and atrocious criminal act that must be dealt with swiftly and severely,” Tokura said in a statement.\n\n“We will use all available resources to bring the killers to justice,” he added.\n\nPrime Minister James Marape said many of the victims lived in his electorate. “Today is one of the saddest days of my life,” he said on social media.\n\nREAD MORE: Papua New Guinea to ban Facebook for a month\n\nMarape blamed a police shortage in Hela for the lawlessness.\n\n“How can a province of 400,000 people function with policing law and order with under 60 policemen …?” he wrote.\n\n“To all who have guns and kill and hide behind the mask of community, learn from what I will do to criminals who killed innocent people, I am not afraid to use strongest measures in law on you,” he said, referring to the death penalty.\n\nWATCH: Volcano eruption in Papua New Guinea surprises villagers, forces evacuation of island (Jan. 2018)\n\nTribal violence is common in Papua New Guinea’s interior, where villagers avenge relatives in retaliation known as payback.\n\nHela official Rex Humbi said the latest violence was part of a tribal war that had been waged for more than 15 years.\n\n“The people that got killed were innocent women and children,” he said. “The police do go and investigate. They have the authority, of course, but don’t have the firepower” to bring the killers to justice.\n\nThe killers were possessed by Satan and “feed on the soul, or the spirits, of the innocents that have been lost,” Humbi said.", "Children and pregnant women are among those murdered in a tribal massacre in Papua New Guinea's Highlands area.At least 24 people are confirmed to have died in a brutal flare-up of violence between rival tribes over several days in Hela province\n\nPapua New Guinea (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / Online - 10th July, 2019) Children and pregnant women are among those murdered in a tribal massacre in Papua New Guinea's Highlands area.At least 24 people are confirmed to have died in a brutal flare-up of violence between rival tribes over several days in Hela province.\n\nSome reports put the death toll higher.PM James Marape called the news \"one of the saddest days of my life\", promising to track down the perpetrators.It is one of the worst outbreaks of tribal violence in PNG for years.\"It's a very sad story,\" Philip Undialu, governor of Hela told news agency Reuters, explaining the killings were part of a conflict running for years.\"It was retaliation of a previous attack.\n\nBoth attacks were made in an innocent community where people were not expecting it and all of us are in a state of shock.\"Authorities say the region has for years struggled with violence, at times driven by disputes over the distribution of land and resource wealth.Details are still emerging from the remote central area, but the violence appears to have been a string of attacks and counter-attacks over several days.Hela provincial administrator William Bando that 24 people were dead and there could be more.Local news agency EMTV reported at least two incidents in small villages in the Tari-Pori district.On Sunday, seven people - four men and three women - were killed in Munima village.\n\nThen on Monday, 16 women and children were hacked to death in the village of Karida, EMTV said. Two of the women were pregnant.According to the Post-Courier newspaper, the attacks took place on Saturday and Sunday with six people killed the first day and 16 - including two pregnant women - in a retaliatory attack the following day.\n\nPills Pimua Kolo from the Hela province department of health posted pictures on Facebook of what he said was the massacre in Karida village.The pictures show a row of bodies wrapped in cloth and tied to long poles.\n\nHe said some of them had been chopped into pieces and their body parts were hard to recognise.Prime Minister Marape, who is from the area, said the killings were led by gunmen from the Hagui, Okiru and Liwi tribes and said he would seek out punishment for the people responsible.\"Gun-toting criminals, your time is up,\" Mr Marape said.How can a province of 400,000 people function with policing law and order with under 60 policemen, and occasional operational military and police that does no more than band aid maintenance,\" he added.William Bando said he had now called for at least 100 more police to reinforce the existing 40 local officers.Papua New Guinea's highland provinces are very remote.\n\nCommunities are still based around tribal traditions and many small villages have never had road connections.In 2018, an earthquake devastated some of the remote regions.Tribal clashes are not unusual with rivalries often prompted by rape or theft, or disputes over tribal boundaries.But while clans have fought each other for decades or centuries, the severity of the violence has shocked Papua New Guinea.Over the past years, the influx of automatic weapons has made clashes more deadly and escalated the cycle of violence.US oil and gas company ExxonMobil operates a natural gas processing plant in the region where the massacre took place but halted construction on a pipeline last year because of unrest.Papua New Guinea is among the poorest countries of Asia with about 40% of the population living on less than $1 a day, according to the UN.", "More than 20 people have been killed in tribal violence in Papua New Guinea, with most of the victims pregnant women and children.\n\nThe killings in the highland province of Hela were probably retaliation for an earlier attack that left around seven dead, Governor Philip Undialu said.\n\nHe told the ABC that he latest violence was on Monday when 16 people including women and children died at the village of Karida.\n\n'This has escalated into the massacre of innocent women and kids,' Undialu said.\n\nThe Post-Courier, based in the South Pacific island nation's capital Port Moresby, reported that as many as 24 people have been killed in the villages of Karida and Peta since Saturday.\n\nSix people had been ambushed and killed near Peta on Saturday, Hela Police Chief Inspector Teddy Augwi told the newspaper.\n\nThe victims' relatives retaliated with rifles the next day, killing between 16 and 18 people at Karida, including pregnant women, he said.\n\n'This is not a tribal fight where the opposing villagers face each other on field,' Augwi told the newspaper. 'This is a fight in guerrilla warfare, meaning they play hide-and-seek and ambush their enemies.'\n\nMany villagers had fled the violence, Hela Administrator William Bando told the newspaper.\n\nIt was not immediately clear if any suspects had been arrested. Papua New Guinea Police spokesman Superintendent Dominic Kakas did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.\n\nTribal violence is common in Papua New Guinea's interior, where villagers avenge relatives in retaliation known as payback.\n\nPapua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape said those responsible for the fatal attacks could face the death penalty, ABC reported.", "Sixteen women and children were killed in the remote town of Tari in Hela Province, Papua New Guinea in an attack described by police as “barbaric and inhumane.”\n\nTwo of the women killed were pregnant.\n\nIn a Facebook post on Tuesday, Pills Pimua Kolo, a worker from the province’s Department of Health said the attack took place on Monday morning around 6 a.m. local time. The bodies were chopped into pieces and were hard to recognize, he said.\n\nThe post included photos that showed bodies wrapped in blue bags as they were prepared for transport out of the village.\n\nIn a statement to CNN on Wednesday, acting Police Commissioner Francis Tokura condemned the killings, saying that it was a “tragedy” and an “unbelievable, unthinkable and atrocious criminal act that must be dealt with swiftly and severely.”\n\nTokura added that the police will use “all available resources to bring the killers to justice,” and that the Hela Provincial police commander ordered a team of 30 men, comprising of soldiers from the PNG Defense Force and local police “to stop any further violence and capture the killers.”\n\nThe statement also said that there would be a security assessment in the region to determine if additional manpower would be needed. It also promised a “long-term approach to address the issue in Hela.”\n\nHela Province’s Governor Philip Undialu said the motive behind the killings was unknown but that he believed it was possible it was in retaliation for a previous incident, ABC news reported.\n\nEarlier on Tuesday, Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister James Marape posted on Facebook condemning the violence, saying that it was “one of the saddest days of my life.”\n\nMarape added that the province of up to 400,000 people could not have proper law and order with only 60 policemen and the occasional military patrol in the area. He said he had repeatedly requested “more permanent police” to monitor the area — which houses liquefied natural gas and the power transmission line for the Porgera Gold Mine — over the last five years.\n\nIn a somber message, Marape vowed to track down the perpetrators.\n\n“In memory of the innocent who continue to die at the hands of gun toting criminals, your time is up,” Marape said.\n\n“To all who have guns and kill and hide behind the mask of community, learn from what I will do to criminals who killed innocent people…I am coming for you.”", "Alwaght- At least 24 children and women, including a pregnant women, have been killed in a tribal massacre in Papua New Guinea’s Hela province.\n\nThe killings happened on early Monday morning during a raid on Karida, a village of about 800 people in the interior of the country.\n\nAuthorities say the region has for years struggled with violence, at times driven by disputes over the distribution of land and resource wealth.\n\nDetails are still emerging from the remote central area, but the violence appears to have been a string of attacks and counter-attacks over several days.\n\nHela provincial administrator William Bando told AFP news agency that 24 people were dead and there could be more.\n\nLocal news agency EMTV reported at least two incidents in small villages in the Tari-Pori district.\n\nOn Sunday, seven people - four men and three women - were killed in Munima village. Then on Monday, 16 women and children were hacked to death in the village of Karida, EMTV said. Two of the women were pregnant.\n\nAccording to the Post-Courier newspaper, the attacks took place on Saturday and Sunday with six people killed the first day and 16 - including two pregnant women - in a retaliatory attack the following day.\n\nPills Pimua Kolo from the Hela province department of health posted pictures on Facebook of what he said was the massacre in Karida village.\n\nThe pictures show a row of bodies wrapped in cloth and tied to long poles. He said some of them had been chopped into pieces and their body parts were hard to recognise.", "SYDNEY — Gunmen have massacred as many as 18 people including women and children in a remote village in Papua New Guinea, apparently the latest victims of a tribal feud and Prime Minister James Marape vowed on Wednesday to hunt down the killers.\n\nViolence has long ravaged the poor but resource-rich Pacific Ocean nation, but the scale of the latest bloodletting has shocked the country.\n\n“It’s a very sad story,” Philip Undialu, the governor of Hela Province in the rugged central highlands where the attack took place on Monday, told Reuters by phone.\n\nPictures posted on Facebook showed the dead, including several children, wrapped in cloth and laid on palm leaves by the side of a road.\n\nUndialu said the particular trigger for the killings in Karida village, some 630 km northwest of the capital, Port Moresby, was not known but the violence was the latest flare-up of a conflict running for years.\n\nThose targeted had offered shelter to victims of a bout of violence several weeks ago, he said.\n\n“It was retaliation of a previous attack … it was a very sudden attack,” he said, adding that in all, 24 people had been killed in the latest phase of violence.\n\n“Both attacks were made in an innocent community where people were not expecting it and all of us are in a state of shock.”\n\nPrime Minister James Marape said he was “coming for” the killers.\n\n“In memory of the innocent who continue to die at the hands of gun-toting criminals, your time is up,” Marape said in a post on his official Facebook page.\n\n“Before I had someone else to report to, now I have no one else to report to but the innocent you kill,” he said. “I am not afraid to use strongest measures in law on you … I am coming for you.”\n• British explorer rescued from Papua New Guinea tells of being caught in rainforest, trapped in war zone\n• Years of eating human brains protected Papua New Guinea tribe from diseases including dementia, mad cow\n• 20-year-old stripped, tortured and burned alive in front of hundreds after accused of being a witch in Papua New Guinea\n\nMarape, who became leader in May, cited a lack of police on the ground as a major problem in a region that has for years grappled with violence, sometimes driven by disputes over the distribution of resource wealth.\n\nExxonMobil Corp operates a natural gas processing plant in the province and halted construction on a pipeline last year because of unrest.\n\nLast year, aid workers bringing relief supplies to the area’s district town of Tari after a big earthquake were ordered out and the army was sent in to quell tribal disputes.", "At least 20 people, including pregnant women and children, have been killed in an ambush and retaliatory massacre by villagers in Papua New Guinea, according to news reports and a police spokesman in the South Pacific island nation.\n\nThe fighting began when six people were set upon and killed while returning from a ceremony Saturday in the country's central highlands, Teddy Augwi, chief police inspector for Hela province, told the Post-Courier, a newspaper in Papua New Guinea.\n\nRelatives of the dead then retaliated, Augwi was quoted as saying.\n\nThere were conflicting accounts on the total number of victims, who were from rival communities.\n\nA police spokesman, Dominic Kakas, told the New York Times that 16 women and children, including two pregnant women, were killed in the revenge attack.\n\nEight children and eight women died in the massacre, Philip Pimua, a community health worker who was in the village of Karida when the slaughter occurred, said in a telephone interview with the Times. Another police spokesman, Thomas Levongo, speaking to Radio New Zealand, gave a slightly lower death toll, saying 10 women and five children had been killed.\n\nIt was also unclear when the revenge attack occurred. Augwi said it happened Sunday morning, while Pimua said it was Monday.\n\nPhilip Undialu, governor of Hela province, said the attacks had \"escalated into the massacre of innocent women and kids,\" according to the Australian Broadcasting Corp.\n\nPolice Commissioner Francis Okura called the revenge attack \"an unbelievable, unthinkable and atrocious criminal act that must be dealt with swiftly and severely.\" He added that a military and police team was searching for the killers.\n\nAugwi said the massacre represented a new turn in communal violence.\n\n\"This is not a tribal fight where opposing villages face each other on field,\" he said. \"This is a fight in guerrilla warfare, meaning they play hide and seek and ambush their enemies.\"\n\nViolence between the communities has been documented for decades in Papua New Guinea, but it has surged in recent years in the region where the latest attacks occurred, amid tensions over politics and developing gas fields.", "More than 20 reportedly killed in Papua New Guinea violence\n\nCANBERRA, Australia (AP) — More than 20 people including pregnant women and children have been killed in recent tribal violence in Papua New Guinea, media reported on Wednesday.\n\nThe death toll and dates of the violence in the remote highland province of Hela varied in reports by Australian Broadcasting Corp. and the Post-Courier newspaper.\n\nHela Gov. Philip Undialu told ABC the latest violence was on Monday when 16 people including women and children died at the village of Karida.\n\nThe killings were probably retaliation for an earlier attack that left around seven dead, Undialu said.\n\n\"This has escalated into the massacre of innocent women and kids,\" Undialu said.\n\nThe Post-Courier, based in the South Pacific island nation's capital Port Moresby, reported as many as 24 people were killed in the villages of Karida and Peta since Saturday.\n\nSix people had been ambushed and killed near Peta on Saturday, Hela Police Chief Inspector Teddy Augwi told the newspaper.\n\nThe victims' relatives retaliated with rifles the next day, killing between 16 and 18 people at Karida, including pregnant women, he said.\n\n\"This is not a tribal fight where the opposing villagers face each other on field,\" Augwi told the newspaper. \"This is a fight in guerrilla warfare, meaning they play hide-and-seek and ambush their enemies.\"\n\nMany villagers had fled the violence, Hela Administrator William Bando told the newspaper.\n\nIt was not immediately clear if any suspects had been arrested. Papua New Guinea Police spokesman Superintendent Dominic Kakas did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.\n\nTribal violence is common in Papua New Guinea's interior, where villagers avenge relatives in retaliation known as payback.\n\nPapua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape said those responsible for the fatal attacks could face the death penalty, ABC reported.\n\nThe prime minister's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Wednesday.", "Hela [Papua New Guinea], July 10 (ANI): At least 16 women and children have died in a tribal massacre here, according to Hela Governor Philip Undialu.\n\nThe killing took place in Karida here on Monday, according to Sputnik. The reason behind the massacre is unknown.\n\nThe Governor described the incident as a \"rare outbreak of tribal violence in the Highlands region\" while speaking to American broadcaster ABC.\n\n\"We've never heard of tribal fights happening in this area, it was a spillover of fighting happening in another area that no-one expected,\" Undialu said.\n\nThe police are yet to confirm the killings as they are awaiting information from a local commander, as per a local police spokesman. (ANI)"], "summary": "Assailants raid a village in Papua New Guinea's Hela province, killing and dismembering 16 women and children, and burning buildings."}
{"document": ["(CNN) Armed Iranian boats unsuccessfully tried to seize a British oil tanker in the Persian Gulf Wednesday, according to two US officials with direct knowledge of the incident.\n\nThe British Heritage tanker was sailing out of the Persian Gulf and was crossing into the Strait of Hormuz area when it was approached by boats from the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.\n\nThe Iranians ordered the tanker to change course and stop in nearby Iranian territorial waters, according to the officials. A US aircraft was overhead and recorded video of the incident, though CNN has not seen the footage.\n\nA British Ministry of Defense source told CNN that it \"appeared that the Iranian vessels were trying to divert the Heritage from international to Iranian waters\" before the British Navy ship HMS Montrose \"got between them and issued a verbal warning to withdraw.\"\n\nUS officials said five Iranian ships approached the UK vessels. However, British officials said that three Iranian vessels were involved in the incident.\n\nThe UK's Royal Navy frigate HMS Montrose had been escorting the tanker from the rear. It trained its deck guns on the Iranians and gave them a verbal warning to back away, which they did, according to the UK source. Montrose is equipped on the deck with 30 mm guns specifically designed to drive off small boats. UK officials had previously confirmed that the Montrose was in the region performing a \"maritime security role.\"\n\nIn a statement, the UK's Ministry of Defense said that \"contrary to international law, three Iranian vessels attempted to impede the passage of a commercial vessel, British Heritage, through the Strait of Hormuz.\"\n\n\"HMS Montrose was forced to position herself between the Iranian vessels and British Heritage and issue verbal warnings to the Iranian vessels, which then turned away,\" the statement said. \"We are concerned by this action and continue to urge the Iranian authorities to de-escalate the situation in the region.\"\n\nIran's Revolutionary Guard denied that it tried to stop the British tanker, the semi-official Fars news agency reported Thursday.\n\nOn Thursday, the British Heritage was seen moving through the Gulf of Oman along the Omani coastline, according to tracking platform Marine Traffic.\n\nThe British Heritage is a British oil tanker operated by British Petroleum. It was not carrying any cargo at the time of the incident.\n\nThe vessel left the Iraqi city of Basra on July 6 and stopped off the coast of Saudi Arabia on July 7, according to the tracker.\n\nOn July 10, the ship turned off its transponders for almost 24 hours, making it undetectable by radars. When it switched on its transponders at around 1pm Eastern Time, it appeared to have sailed through the Persian Gulf escorted by the HMS Montrose.\n\nAt the same time, concerns are rising in Europe and the United States after Iran began increasing uranium enrichment after saying it would no longer comply with the nuclear agreement it signed in 2015. The US pulled out of the nuclear deal in 2018 and reintroduced economic sanctions.\n\nThe Grace 1 super tanker near a Royal Marine patrol vessel off Gibraltar on July 4.\n\nIranian President Hassan Rouhani warned earlier Wednesday that the UK \"will see the consequences\" after Gibraltar officials and UK Royal Marines seized an Iranian oil tanker bound for Syria last week, according to Rouhani's press office.\n\nRouhani, speaking in a cabinet session, said, \"I tell the British that they are the initiator of insecurity and you will understand its consequences later.\"\n\nUS working to strengthen maritime security in region\n\nUS Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford said Tuesday that the US and its allies were working to put together a coalition of countries to come up with a system to enforce freedom of navigation in the region amid what the US says are heightened threats from Iran.\n\n\"We had a discussion today, the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense and I and we are engaging now with a number of countries to see if we can put together a coalition that would ensure freedom of navigation both in the Straits of Hormuz and the Bab el Mandeb,\" Dunford said following an awards ceremony for his Finnish counterpart.\n\n\"I think what we'll do is, we certainly from the United States perspective would provide maritime domain awareness and surveillance,\" he said, adding that naval vessels would escort commercial ships that shared a country of origin, if required.\n\n\"Escorting in the normal course of events would be done by countries who have the same flag so a ship that is flagged by a particular country would be escorted by that country and I think what the United States can provide is domain awareness, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and then coordination and patrols for other ships that would be in the area would be largely coalition ships,\" Dunford said.\n\nHeightened tensions\n\nThe alleged Iranian attempt to seize the British tanker comes amid heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran.\n\nEarlier on Wednesday President Donald Trump announced on Twitter that sanctions on Iran will \"soon be increased, substantially!\" following news that Iran was enriching uranium beyond the limits imposed by the Iran Nuclear Deal.\n\nPresident Trump signs an executive order imposing fresh sanctions on Iran in the Oval Office on June 24.\n\nLast month Trump halted plans for a military strike against Iran in retaliation for the shooting down of a US drone, Trump said he found it hard to believe it had been an \"intentional\" act. \"I think that it could have been somebody who was loose and stupid that did it,\" Trump said in the Oval Office on June 20.\n\nThe Trump administration has argued that the nuclear deal it abandoned in 2018, is inadequate as it doesn't cover Iran's ballistic missiles or regional activities.\n\nEven though the International Atomic Energy Agency has found that Iran has complied with the deal, the US has re-imposed all sanctions in place before the deal and added new ones. Those actions have undermined the central concept of the deal -- that in exchange for controls on its nuclear program, Iran would see some economic relief.\n\nIran's Foreign Minister Javad Zarif tweeted Wednesday that the US has no standing to raise issues pertaining to the multilateral deal, due to the Trump administration's earlier decision to exit he deal.\n\nUS Special Representative for Iran Brian Hook told CNN Tuesday that the US is \"looking for a new and better deal\" to submit to the Senate as a treaty.", "Five Iranian gunboats failed in an attempt to seize a British oil tanker in the Persian Gulf on Wednesday, according to US officials cited in a CNN report.\n\nIslamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) forces ordered a British oil tanker to alter its route in the Strait of Hormuz and tried to force it near Iranian-controlled waters, according to CNN. But the HMS Montrose, a UK Royal Navy frigate, was escorting the oil tanker and pointed its weapons on the IRGC vessels.\n\nThe HMS Montrose verbally warned the Iranian forces, who then backed off, CNN reported. US aircraft observed and recorded the incident, CNN said.\n\nThe incident follows increased tensions between Iran and the UK. On Wednesday, Iran threatened to seize UK tankers, which have recently been escorted by the HMS Montrose and a minehunter traveling through the Strait of Hormuz.\n\nIran's threats came after British Royal Marines seized an Iranian tanker suspected of violating the European Union's sanctions by shipping about 2 million barrels of crude oil to Syria.\n\n\"You [Britain] are the initiator of insecurity and you will realise the consequences later,\" Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said to a state-sponsored news agency on Wednesday.\n\n\"Now you are so hopeless that, when one of your tankers wants to move in the region, you have to bring your frigates because you are scared,\" Rouhani added. \"Then why do you commit such acts? You should instead allow navigation to be safe.\"\n\nThe US Defense Department said it \"was aware\" of the reports and referred the matter to the Royal Navy. The Royal Navy did not immediately respond to a request for comment.\n\n\"We are aware of the reports of [the IRGC's] harassment and attempts to interfere with the passage of the UK-flagged merchant vessel British Heritage today near the Strait of Hormuz,\" Navy Capt. Bill Urban said to INSIDER.\n\n\"Threats to international freedom of navigation require an international solution,\" Urban added. \"The world economy depends on the free flow of commerce, and it is incumbent on all nations to protect and preserve this lynchpin of global prosperity.\"", "The U.K.-flagged tanker Pacific Voyager appears to have had an escort in the form of the Royal Navy's Type 23 frigate HMS Montrose, along with an unknown Sandown-class minehunter, as she sailed from the Persian Gulf through the Strait of Hormuz into the Gulf of Oman today. This comes less than a week after an Iranian official threatened the seizure of a British ship in retaliation for U.K. officials seizing control of the Iranian supertanker Grace 1 off the coast of Gibraltar. Online ship trackers first noticed that Montrose, which is forward-deployed to the region, and the minehunter were shadowing Pacific Voyager on July 9, 2019. The minehunter's transponder appeared to identify it as HMS Ramsey, but that ship is based in the United Kingdom. There are four other members of the Sandown-class that do operate forward-deployed in the region. Pacific Voyager successfully passed through the Strait of Hormuz without incident later in the day.\n\n“The UK maintains a long-standing maritime presence in the Gulf,\" a spokesperson for the U.K. Ministry of Defense told the Daily Star, refusing to confirm or deny that any Royal Navy ships were escorting Pacific Voyager. \"We are continuously monitoring the security situation there and are committed to maintaining freedom of navigation in accordance with international law.\"\n\nThe United Kingdom is a contributor to the U.S. Navy-led Combined Task Force 150, which is based in Bahrain and helps ensure freedom of navigation in waterways throughout the Middle East and guards commercial shipping in the region against terrorist attacks and piracy. The U.K. military has dubbed its maritime contributions in the region as Operation Kipion. The apparent escort the Pacific Voyager follows a threat from Mohsen Rezaei, who is presently the Secretary of Iran's powerful Expediency Discernment Council, an advisory body to the country's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, to seize a British ship in response to U.K. authorities boarding and taking control of Iran's Grace 1 over apparent sanctions violations. That incident occurred on July 4, 2019, and Rezaei, who is also a former commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), made his statement the following day. The U.S. government has blamed the IRGC for carrying out, or otherwise supporting, attacks on a number of oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman in two separate incidents, one in May 2019 and another the following month. The IRGC also claimed responsibility for shooting down a U.S. Navy drone in June 2019, which almost prompted the U.S. military to launch strikes against targets in Iran. With the situation so tense, Pacific Voyager had already caused a stir after it came to an unexpected stop in the Persian Gulf off the coast of Ras Tanura, Saudi Arabia, raising fears that the IRGC had followed through with Rezaei's threat. A representative of the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) office subsequently told Reuters that the ship was \"safe and well\" and that it had paused its voyage simply to ship its estimated time of arrival its next port of call.\n\nIt possible that this may have also been in order to allow Montrose and the minehunter to arrive in position. In addition, there's no indication that naval mines have become an imminent threat in the region and its more likely that the smaller ship simply provided additional security for the tanker during the passage.\n\nOn July 8, 2019, another U.K.-flagged tanker, the BP-owned British Heritage, which had been on its way to Basara, Iraq, abruptly changed its plans and dropped anchor off Saudi Arabia. The ship had been under charter to Dutch Royal Shell, but has reportedly canceled its booking and may now be waiting for its own escort out of the region.\n\nThe situation underscores the often inherent risks to maritime commerce in the region, despite it being a major transit point for a third of the world's oil supply and for 90 percent of all energy exports, including natural gas, to destinations outside the Middle East. It also highlights the difficulties that even countries with maritime assets forward-deployed in the region face in responding to major security challenges. The Royal Navy's Type 23 frigates are of a now older design, dating back to the late 1980s, but still have significant anti-aircraft, anti-ship, and anti-submarine capabilities. But while Montrose, together with the Sandown-class minehunter, would certainly be able to deter a small force from trying to board a tanker, but the two ships alone might have trouble contending with a larger Iranian contingent riding in a swarm of small boats, especially if coupled with other threats, such as mines, shore-based missiles, and small unmanned aerial vehicles. With all this in mind, it remains to be seen now whether Montrose and other Royal Navy ships in the region will begin escorting British-flagged commercial vessels regularly, or if those tankers and cargo ships increasingly avoid taking jobs in the region for the foreseeable future over potential Iranian threats.", "(Bloomberg) — The British navy intervened to stop Iran from blocking a commercial oil tanker leaving the Persian Gulf, heightening friction just as European nations scramble to salvage a landmark nuclear accord with the Islamic Republic.\n\nThe BP Plc-operated British Heritage, which can carry as much as 1 million barrels of oil, was attempting to pass through the Strait of Hormuz, a shipping chokepoint at the mouth of the world’s largest oil-producing region, when three Iranian vessels tried to impede it, according to a U.K. government statement. Iran denied the charge.\n\nThe incident marks an escalation in a row that started after U.K. forces seized a tanker off Gibraltar earlier this month that was suspected of carrying Iranian oil to Syria. Iran denied the vessel was heading to Syria and vowed to retaliate. Britain’s action opened up a wrangle that could drag on for months and complicate efforts to contain a brewing crisis over Iran’s compliance with a 2015 deal meant to prevent it from developing a nuclear weapon.\n\nThe Royal Navy’s HMS Montrose, which was escorting the tanker, “was forced to position herself between the Iranian vessels and British Heritage and issue verbal warnings to the Iranian vessels, which then turned away.” The incident took place in international waters, the Defense Ministry said.\n\n“We are concerned by this action and continue to urge the Iranian authorities to de-escalate the situation in the region,” the statement said.\n\nIran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps denied trying to impede the British tanker but said its forces could act fast if ordered to do so. “If it receives an order to seize foreign ships, naval forces can act fast, with determination and without hesitation within the geographic scope of its mission,” the semi-official Fars news agency reported.\n\nBenchmark Brent crude was 37 cents higher at $67.38 a barrel in London trading at 11:12 a.m. local time. Oil has been rallying since the middle of last week as tensions surrounding Iran stoke concerns crude flows may be disrupted.\n\nThe British Heritage was able to pass safely through the Strait of Hormuz and was now sailing along the Omani coast, according to tanker tracking data compiled by Bloomberg.\n\nThursday’s developments spotlight, however, the mounting risks to shipping in a region that exports about a third of all seaborne petroleum. BP had been keeping the British Heritage empty inside the Gulf, near Saudi Arabia, rather than risk its seizure by Iran in a tit-for-tat retaliation, a person familiar with the matter said Monday.\n\nSix tankers have been attacked outside the Gulf since early May, with the U.S. blaming Iran for the incidents, a charge Tehran denies. Insurance costs for covering tankers and their cargoes jumped as much as tenfold in the wake of the incidents. Some owners were initially wary of sending vessels to the region, although that reticence appears to have subsided.\n\nThe prospects of a showdown between the U.S. and Iran have spiked since the Trump administration quit the multiparty nuclear accord with Iran a year ago and re-imposed sanctions. In early May, the U.S. tightened penalties on buyers of Iranian oil prompting Iran to begin scaling back its commitments under the deal.\n\nIran said this week it’s enriching uranium beyond the agreed cap and would gradually roll back compliance unless European signatories find ways to ensure it can sell its oil and access the global financial system.\n• Time is running out to save Iran nuclear deal: ‘We will not surrender before America’\n• Trump has just pulled the U.S. out of the Iran nuclear deal. Here are some things you need to know\n• World braces for Trump’s announcement on Iran nuclear deal, an agreement he called ‘insane’\n\nIran is producing oil at the slowest clip since 1986, making U.S. sanctions as effective as the devastating Iraq-Iran war that ended more than 30 years ago. The measures have hit the currency, fueled inflation and hobbled growth.\n\nThe stand-off also comes at an awkward time for Britain which, along with its European allies, is trying to keep the nuclear deal alive, but is also relying on Trump’s White House to clinch a trade deal after Brexit.\n\nU.K. special forces assisted the authorities in Gibraltar, an independently governed U.K. territory south of Spain, when they seized a super tanker on July 4 over allegations that it was carrying Iranian oil to Syria in breach of EU sanctions.\n\nThe British Heritage was meant to load crude from Iraq before sailing onto Europe but a person with knowledge of the matter said BP elected not to lift the cargo because of concerns about the wider political situation. The ship didn’t have oil on board when it left the region, the person said.\n\nThere are six vessels operating in the Gulf registered to Britain, or a British Overseas Territory, and five operating under the British flag. In total, they have the capacity to transport almost 9 million barrels of crude.\n\nThe incident was originally reported by CNN, which cited two U.S. officials saying Iran had tried to seize, rather than impede, the tanker and order it to change course.", "Five boats believed to belong to Iranian Revolutionary Guards approached a British oil tanker in the Gulf on Wednesday and asked it to stop in Iranian waters close by, but withdrew after a British warship warned them over radio, according to US defence officials.\n\nThe officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told Reuters that the incident on Wednesday happened as British Heritage tanker was at the northern entrance of the Strait of Hormuz.\n\n“The Royal Navy HMS Montrose, which was also there, pointed it guns at the boats and warned them over radio, at which point they dispersed,” one of the officials said.\n\n“It was harassment and an attempt to interfere with the passage,” the other official said.\n\nBritain’s Ministry of Defence had no immediate comment.\n\nA spokesman for US central command, Captain Bill Urban, said: “We are aware of the reports of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp Navy’s FAC/FIAC harassment and attempts to interfere with the passage of the UK-flagged merchant vessel British Heritage today near the Strait of Hormuz.”\n\nCNN reported that a US surveillance aircraft recorded video of the incident. It said the HMS Montrose, which was escorting the oil tanker, trained its guns on the IRG boats and issued a verbal warning.\n\nLast week a former leader of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said the Islamic Republic should consider seizing a British oil tanker in response to the UK military detaining an Iranian vessel off the coast of Gibraltar.\n\nMohsen Rezaei, who led the Guard during Iran’s 1980s “tanker war” in the Persian Gulf, made the comments the day after nearly 30 Royal Marines were deployed to impound the oil tanker Grace 1.\n\n“If England does not release the Iranian oil tanker, the duty ... [of Iran] is to respond and seize one English oil tanker,” Rezaei said on Friday.\n\nTehran has been accused of sabotaging oil tankers in the strait of Hormuz in an attempt at economic retaliation against the US after Donald Trump pulled out of the nuclear deal and imposed sanctions on Iran.", "A Royal Navy warship is offering increased protection to a second tanker in the Gulf in an apparent boost to maritime security following a threat from Iran to seize a British vessel, Sky News understands.\n\nHMS Montrose, a Type 23 frigate, is travelling with the British Heritage tanker off the coast of the United Arab Emirates, according to a ship tracking website and a defence source.\n\nThe warship is not providing an official escort to the Isle of Man-flagged vessel, owned by BP shipping, but it is providing an increased level of monitoring.\n\nBritish Heritage, which is able to hold more than one million barrels of oil, had earlier in the day been spotted sheltering off the coast of Saudi Arabia\n\nHMS Montrose gave the same assistance to Pacific Voyager, also an Isle of Man-flagged tanker, for a \"little way\" over the past day before passing on the duty to another ship in the region, a second defence source said.\n\nThe source did not give the identity of the other ship but it would likely have been the warship of an allied nation also operating in the area.\n\nBritain is expected to reveal details about what seems to be a change in posture towards commercial shipping in the Gulf in the coming days.\n\nIt is thought to be part of a push led by the United States for allies and other countries with tankers that use the Strait of Hormuz to bolster maritime security in the region following a spate of attacks against tankers blamed on Iran.\n\nBritish ships have specifically been named as a target by Tehran after Royal Marines helped forces in Gibraltar seize an Iranian-flagged tanker allegedly bound for Syria in breach of European Union sanctions.\n\nThe capture of the Grace 1 tanker prompted Iranian President Hassan Rouhani today to warn the UK of \"consequences\".\n\n\"I point out to the British that you initiated insecurity (on the seas) and you shall grasp the consequences of it later on,\" he said in comments to the cabinet broadcast by state TV.\n\nThe president called the seizure of the tanker \"a foolish act\".\n\nThe 330 metre (1,000 feet) Grace 1 tanker, capable of carrying two million barrels of oil, was halted on Thursday by police and customs in Gibraltar.\n\nIran condemned the detention as an \"illegal interception,\" but Gibraltar officials said that the cargo was believed to be destined for Syria, which is subject to European sanctions.\n\nIran denied this, saying that the destination \"was somewhere else.\"\n\nCalling the tanker's seizure an act of maritime piracy, Brigadier-General Amir Hatami said it \"will not be tolerated by us and will not go without a response\".\n\nGibraltar's supreme court ruled Friday that the tanker can be held for 14 more days, the territory's attorney general said.\n\nTensions with Iran have heightened since President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of a nuclear deal with the regime and re-imposed sanctions.\n\nA spokeswoman for the Ministry of Defence said HMS Montrose is in the Gulf region.\n\nThe last time the Royal Navy officially escorted ships in the Gulf was in the 1980s. The Armilla Patrol involved many more ships escorting groups of commercial vessels through the Gulf at a time of heightened threat from Iran.", "Royal Navy sees off boats trying to stop tanker off Iranian coast\n\nRoyal Navy sees off boats trying to stop tanker off Iranian coast\n\nThree Iranian boats tried to stop a British oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, the ministry of defence has said.\n\nThe boats withdrew after a warning from a British warship - HMS Montrose - operating in the area.\n\nIn a statement, a government spokesman said they were \"concerned\" by the incident and urged Iranian authorities \"to de-escalate the situation in the region\".\n\nThe spokesman said: \"Contrary to international law, three Iranian vessels attempted to impede the passage of a commercial vessel, British Heritage, through the Strait of Hormuz.\n\n\"HMS Montrose was forced to position herself between the Iranian vessels and British Heritage and issue verbal warnings to the Iranian vessels, which then turned away. We are concerned by this action and continue to urge the Iranian authorities to de-escalate the situation in the region.\"\n\nInitial reports from US officials suggested that five Iranian vessels were involved in the incident.\n\n\"The Royal Navy HMS Montrose, which was also there, pointed its guns at the boats and warned them over radio, at which point they dispersed,\" one of the officials said.\n\n\"It was harassment and an attempt to interfere with the passage,\" another official said.\n\nThe incident comes as the HMS Montrose warship was said to be offering extra protection to British Heritage in the Gulf following a threat from Iran to seize a British vessel.\n\nTensions have been rising since Royal Marines helped seize an Iranian-flagged tanker in Gibraltar which was allegedly carrying oil to Syria, in breach of European Union sanctions.\n\nThe capture of the Grace 1 tanker prompted Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to warn the UK of \"consequences\".\n\n\"You (Britain) are the initiator of insecurity and you will realise the consequences later,\" Rouhani said after a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, according to the semi-official news agency Tasnim.\n\nBrigadier General Amir Hatami also warned the UK its actions \"will not go without a response\".\n\nTehran claimed the detention was an \"illegal interception\" and have demanded the tanker's release.\n\nBut Gibraltar officials believe the 330m (1,000ft) tanker could have been carrying up to two million barrels of oil destined for Syria.\n\nIran has denied this and said the boat was headed \"somewhere else\".\n\nGibraltar's supreme court ruled last week the tanker could be held for another 14 days, the territory's attorney general said.\n\nThe US has been leading a push for allies and other tankers that use the Strait of Hormuz to increase their maritime security in the region, safeguarding strategic waters off Iran and Yemen.\n\nIt alleges that Tehran was behind attacks on six oil tankers in the area.\n\nRelations between the two countries have fractured since President Donald Trump pulled the US out of a nuclear deal with Iran and re-imposed sanctions.", "Five Iranian ships unsuccessfully tried to seize a British oil tanker in the Persian Gulf Wednesday - US officials say.\n\nArmed vessels from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps tried to capture the British Heritage tanker while it was sailing through the Strait of Hormuz.\n\nIran's ships reportedly ordered the British vessel to divert its course and stop in Iranian waters which it was sailing nearby.\n\nBritish frigate the HMS Montrose was escorting the tanker and trained its guns on the Iranians before giving them a verbal warning to back off.\n\nA US aircraft was overhead and recorded video of the incident as the Iranian ships then fled - according to CNN.\n\nUK officials had previously confirmed that the Montrose was in the region performing a 'maritime security role.'\n\nIt comes after Royal Marines seized an Iranian oil tanker off the coast of Gibraltar last week, which Britain says was violating EU sanctions by carrying fuel to Syria.\n\nIran denies the vessel was bound for Syria and says the UK acted on behalf of the United States, which has separate sanctions in place against Tehran itself.\n\nSenior Iranian politicians had threatened to retaliate by seizing a British tanker.\n\nIran's President Hassan Rouhani said in a cabinet session earlier on Wednesday that Britain would 'see the consequences' after the Gibraltar seizure.\n\nIn remarks broadcast on Iranian TV, Rouhani said: 'You (Britain) are the initiator of insecurity and you will realise the consequences later.\n\n'Now you are so hopeless that, when one of your tankers wants to move in the region, you have to bring your frigates (to escort it) because you are scared.\n\n'Then why do you commit such acts? You should instead allow navigation to be safe.'\n\nThe HMS Montrose is equipped on the deck with 30 mm guns specifically designed to drive off small boats.\n\nThe Montrose, based in Bahrain, also has radar that allows it to track aircraft and missiles up to 120 miles away, and a missile system with a 20-mile range.\n\nThe BP-owned British Heritage, had earlier halted to take refuge off the coast of Saudi Arabia following Iran's threat.\n\nEarlier this week, British tanker Pacific Voyager, which sails under the Isle of Man flag, was escorted through the Strait of Hormuz by HMS Montrose, a Type-23 frigate, on Tuesday.", "The British Heritage tanker was sailing out of the Persian Gulf and was crossing into the Strait of Hormuz area when it was approached by the Iranian boats. The Iranians ordered the tanker to change course and stop in nearby Iranian territorial waters, according to the officials. A US aircraft was overhead and recorded video of the incident.\n\nThe UK's Royal Navy frigate HMS Montrose had been escorting the tanker from the rear. It trained its deck guns on the Iranians and gave them a verbal warning to back away, which they did. Montrose is equipped on the deck with 30 mm guns specifically designed to drive off small boats.\n\nUK officials had previously confirmed that the Montrose was in the region performing a \"maritime security role.\"\n\nIranian President Hassan Rouhani warned earlier Wednesday that the UK \"will see the consequences\" after Gibraltar officials and UK Royal Marines seized an Iranian oil tanker bound for Syria last week, according to Rouhani's press office.\n\nRouhani, speaking in a cabinet session, said, \"I tell the British that they are the initiator of insecurity and you will understand its consequences later.\" US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford said Tuesday that the US and its allies were working to put together a coalition of countries to come up with a system to enforce freedom of navigation in the region amid what the US says are heightened threats from Iran. \"We had a discussion today, the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Defense and I and we are engaging now with a number of countries to see if we can put together a coalition that would ensure freedom of navigation both in the Straits of Hormuz and the Bab el Mandeb,\" Dunford said following an awards ceremony for his Finnish counterpart. \"I think what we'll do is, we certainly from the United States perspective would provide maritime domain awareness and surveillance,\" he said, adding that naval vessels would escort commercial ships that shared a country of origin, if required. \"Escorting in the normal course of events would be done by countries who have the same flag so a ship that is flagged by a particular country would be escorted by that country and I think what the United States can provide is domain awareness, intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and then coordination and patrols for other ships that would be in the area would be largely coalition ships,\" Dunford said. This story is breaking and will be updated.", "On Wednesday the commercial vessel British Heritage was passing through the Strait of Hormuz when three Iranian boats attempted to impede the British oil tanker, thus creating a crisis between Iran and the United Kingdom and deepening tensions in the vital shipping zone.\n\nThe latest series incidents has sent tensions between Iran and the US soaring. It also comes after the UK seizure of an Iranian oil tanker, for which Tehran has threatened retaliation. The next day the Ministry of Defense statement said, “Contrary to international law, three Iranian vessels attempted to impede the passage of a commercial vessel, British Heritage, through the Strait of Hormuz.”\n\nThe British warship HMS Montrose was “forced to position herself between the Iranian vessels and British Heritage and issue verbal warnings to the Iranian vessels, which then turned away,”\n\nOn the other side, Iran has rejected the claims and the Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp (IRGC) also issued a statement denying involvement. Then, the Foreign Minister Javad Zarif called the British allegations “worthless” in remarks to the semi-official Fars news agency.\n\nA spokesperson for US central command, Captain Bill Urban, said, “We are aware of the reports of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp Navy’s FAC/FIAC harassment and attempts to interfere with the passage of the UK-flagged merchant vessel British Heritage today near the strait of Hormuz.”\n\nCNN reported that a US surveillance aircraft recorded video of the incident. they mentioned the HMS Montrose, which was escorting the oil tanker, trained its guns on the IRGC boats and issued a verbal warning. No shots were fired.\n\nAt the same time Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani warned the UK it would face unspecified consequences as a result of the UK’s seizure of the Grace 1 oil tanker that was bound for Syria.\n\nWe are waiting for the coming period. What is happening with Iran?"], "summary": "Three or five of Iran's IRGC Navy gunboats unsuccessfully attempt to seize control of British oil tanker British Heritage in the Persian Gulf, according to UK's Ministry of Defense as well as two anonymous U.S. officials. The Royal Navy's HMS Montrose reportedly warns the boats to back away from the BP Shipping-owned tanker, which they do. The incident is allegedly captured on a U.S. aircraft's camera."}
{"document": ["Six foreign tourists died and about 60 people were injured after a violent storm hit the Halkidiki peninsula in northern Greece, reports on July 11 said.\n\nStorm damage from the strong winds and torrential rain included uprooted trees, fallen balconies, flooded hotels and houses, and roofs of restaurants torn off.\n\nReports said that the victims included a 54-year-old Romanian and her won who died after the roof of a tavern fell on them.\n\nIn Nea Potida, a Russian and her two-year-old son died after being hit by a falling tree as they were trying to make their way back to their hotel.\n\nThe caravan of two Czechs was carried away by the strong wind and they are also dead.\n\nAbout 60 injured people sought medical attention. Two were reported to be in severe condition.\n\nDriving in many areas is difficult because of damage to the road surface.\n\nThe olive harvest has been completely destroyed, Bulgarian National Television reported.\n\nHalkidiki is a popular tourist destination for Bulgarians. Krassimir Serafimov, First Secretary of the Consulate General in Thessaloniki, said that so far there was no information about any injured Bulgarians.", "Thessaloniki: Violent hail storms killed at least five tourists in northern Greece late Wednesday, police said.\n\nA Czech couple died when strong winds blew their caravan away while a Russian man and his son were killed by a falling tree, they said.\n\nPublic television said there was possibly another victim of the storms which ripped through the region of Khalkidiki near the city of Thessaloniki.", "Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption People take shelter as storms batter northern Greece\n\nSeven people, including six tourists, have been killed in a violent storm that swept across a region of northern Greece on Wednesday night.\n\nGale-force winds, heavy rain and hailstorms lashed Halkidiki, near the city of Thessaloniki.\n\nA Czech couple died when their caravan was blown away, and two Romanians and two Russians also died. A seventh body was later found in the sea.\n\nOfficials say at least 100 others were injured, with 23 people hospitalised.\n\nA state of emergency has been declared, with dozens of rescue workers dispatched to help.\n\nImage copyright Constantine Emmanouilidi Image caption A local photographer and storm chaser caught the dramatic lightning on a 150-second long exposure\n\nCharalambos Steriadis, head of civil protection in northern Greece, described the storm as an \"unprecedented phenomenon\".\n\nIt followed a spell of very hot weather in Greece with temperatures soaring to 37C (98F) over the past two days.\n\nWinds of more than 60mph (100km/h) were recorded in the region, Reuters news agency reports.\n\nScenes of 'chaos'\n\nImages and video posted on social media show trees toppled, cars overturned and buildings damaged.\n\nEmily Kishtoo, from Surrey in the UK, was at a beach party with her family when the storm hit on Wednesday night.\n\n\"It literally came out of nowhere,\" she told the BBC. \"The lights cut out on the beach that we were in - it was chaos.\n\n\"People running, screaming and just trying to basically get off the beach.\"\n\nImage copyright EPA Image caption The damaged caravan of two elderly Czech tourists who died\n\nImage copyright Holly Ellis Image caption Another British tourist, Holly Ellis, said windows were broken and trees downed in her hotel at Portes Beach\n\nShe says staff at the resort where she was staying with her children, aged three and five, directed the family to a bar area - which then began to flood.\n\n\"We've got two young children, there were lots of children crying, obviously very upset, very, very scared.\"\n\nElectricity access at the resort has been intermittent since, she said, with no running water on Thursday morning.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption BBC Weather's Matt Taylor looks at the development of the violent storms across eastern Europe.\n\nWitnesses say the worst of the freak storm lasted only about 20 minutes.\n\nThe Romanian woman and her child were killed when the roof of a restaurant collapsed at Nea Plagia, officials say, while the Russian man and his son were killed by a falling tree near their hotel in the seaside resort of Potidea.\n\nA seventh body was later found in the sea on Thursday. Formal identification is yet to take place, but a 62-year-old Greek fisherman was reported missing in the area.\n\nThose injured are mostly tourists, officials say.\n\n\"It is the first time in my 25-year career that I have lived through something like this,\" said Athansios Kaltsas, director of the Nea Moudania Medical Centre which treated many of the injured.\n\n\"It was so abrupt, so sudden.\"\n\nThe country's newly elected Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis cancelled his schedule and is being briefed on the situation, officials say.\n\nDefence Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos was quoted as saying the army was ready to clear debris and would offer generators - amid reports up to 80% of the area lost its power.\n\nThis is the latest in a series of other extreme weather events across Europe in recent weeks. A heat-wave brought record June temperatures to several countries.\n\nGolf ball-sized hail has been reported in parts of the south of France and Italy and there were forest fires in Sicily on Wednesday, including in popular beach resort areas.", "GALE-force winds, rain and hail storms struck the Halkidiki peninsula in northern Greece, killing six tourists and injuring at least 100 others.\n\nHere’s the latest updates on the Greek storm that has devastated the area.\n\nHalkidiki is a region in northern Greece most noted for its three capes – Kassandra, Sithonia and Mount Athos.\n\nIt is just a 1.5 hour drive from the city of Thessaloniki.\n\nLarge parts of the region are wooded but also has sandy beaches which attract holidaymakers.\n\nThe most developed part is Kassandra which offers popular resorts and a lively night life.\n\nThere are a number of historic sites too, including Stageira, the birthplace of the philosopher Aristole and Olynthus which is noted for its ancient mosaic floors.\n\nWill my holiday be affected?\n\nThe tourist region was devastated by a ferocious storm on July 10, 2019.\n\nA total of six holidaymakers were killed including a toddler and an eight-year-old boy.\n\nAt least another 100 people were injured after the freak storms struck.\n\nBritish holidaymakers were trapped in their hotels, buildings were damaged and cars were overturned in the carnage.\n\nA 39-year-old man and a boy, aged two, who are believed to be from Russia, died after a tree fell on their vehicle, according to the Greek Reporter.\n\nTwo elderly Czech nationals were killed when strong winds swept away their travel trailer in Halkidiki, police said.\n\nA woman and an eight-year-old boy, both from Romania, were killed after a roof collapsed on a restaurant in Nea Plagia.\n\n‘ABSOLUTE CHAOS’ Brit mum tells how she fled powerful storms in Greece with her two kids A BRIT mum has told how she was forced to flee the deadly Greece storms last night with her two young children. Family travel blogger Emily revealed how everyone was caught off guard by the gale-force winds, saying she never seen “anything scarier”. She was at a hotel beach party in Halkidiki when the storm hit, cutting off the lights and power. “Our family got caught in severe and unexpected tropical storm in Halkidiki this evening that seemed to catch everyone off guard including our hotel,” Emily wrote on Twitter. “The storm hit very suddenly, killing the lights, all power, blowing down trees and everything around us. “There was wind, rain and sand lashing at us and it was absolute chaos with people (including children) screaming and running to find shelter. “We hid in the back of the bar for 10 minutes until water started coming in and rising by our feet. “With two young children with us we decided we had no choice but to make a run for it back to the hotel (5 minutes away) in the storm. “We ran with other families through roads with fallen trees and debris, barely able to see in the rain with our little ones bravely clinging to us.” Emily said they finally made it back to the hotel to find there was a blackout and lots more people and confusion. “It has taken some time, but we are finally back in our room (which was temporarily flooded) and I just wanted to say that I’ve never been caught in anything scarier,” she added.\n\nAthansios Kaltsas, director of the Nea Moudania Medical Centre, said: \"It is the first time in my 25-year career that I have lived through something like this. It was so abrupt, and so sudden.\"\n\nOfficials have declared a state of emergency in Halkidiki and Greece's newly appointed citizens' protection minister is due to visit this morning.\n\nMeteorologist Klearxos Marousakis described conditions as \"extremely unusual\" for this time of year.\n\nA “red code” has been put in place for entire regions of central and Eastern Macedonia which are due to be in place for at least 24 hours.\n\n The red code warns about dangerous rainfall and strong thunderstorms.\n\nA state of emergency has been declared for Halkidiki.\n\nIt is expected there will be widespread disruption in the area in the near future as electricity to places such as Nea Plagia is restored due to fallen power lines.\n\nAlthough there is no official advice about visiting the area people are warned to avoid the worst affected areas for the time being.", "North Macedonia Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov has expressed his sympathy for the victims of a violent overnight storm in northern Greece in which at least seven people were killed and more than 100 injured.\n\n \n\n In a message posted on Twitter, Dimitrov said he was “devastated to hear about the horrible storm in the Halkidiki area in Greece that resulted in loss of life, injuries and substantial damage.”\n\n \n\n “Deepest condolences to the families and loved ones. We stand ready to help with whatever we can,” he added.\n\n \n\n Halkidiki is a popular tourism destination for people in neighboring Balkan countries. A state of emergency has been declared in the region.", "Six tourists have died and dozens were injured after storms hit a Greek tourist region.\n\nBad weather hit Halkidiki late on Wednesday, a peninsula in the north of the country popular with holidaymakers.\n\nFootage on social media shows the terrifying scenes they faced as the area was battered by gale-force winds, rain and hailstorms.\n\nTwo children aged eight and two are among the fatalities.\n\nTwo elderly Czech nationals also died when strong winds swept away their travel trailer in Halkidiki, The Mirror has stated.\n\nThe Greek Reporter said a 39-year-old man and a boy, aged two, were killed after a tree fell on their vehicle.\n\nFurther tragedy came in Nea Plagia, where a woman and an eight-year-old boy lost their lives when a roof collapsed on a restaurant.\n\nAmong the injured at medical centres are those with fractures nd head injuries from falling objects.\n\n\"It is the first time in my 25-year career that I have lived through something like this,\" the medical centre director, Athansios Kaltsas, told OPEN TV.\n\n\"It was so abrupt, and so sudden.\"\n\nMeteorologist Klearxos Marousakis described the weather conditions as \"extremely unusual\" for this time of year.\n\nThe area, including the city of Thessaloniki around an hour and a half away, has experienced temperatures nearing 40C in recent weeks.\n\nOfficials have declared a state of emergency and Greece's newly appointed citizens' protection minister is due to visit this morning.\n• Do you know anyone who has been affected by the storm? Email melissa.jones@reachplc.com.", "Thessaloniki, Greece, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 11th Jul, 2019 ) :Violent hail storms killed at least five tourists in northern Greece late Wednesday, police said.\n\nA Czech couple died when strong winds blew their caravan away while a Russian man and his son were killed by a falling tree, they added.\n\nERT television said the region of Halkidiki, near the city of Thessaloniki, was declared a state of emergency and that the minister for citizen protection, Michalis Chryssohoidis, went to observe the rescue operation on Wednesday evening.\n\nTemperatures in Greece have reached 37 degrees centigrade in the past two days, and the country was hit on Wednesday night by violent hail storms and gusts of wind, particularly in the north.", "At least six people were killed and dozens more injured when a massive storm struck the northern Greek region of Halkidiki on July 10. Tourists, including children, from the Czech Republic, Romania and Russia were reported to be among the dead. Emergency services received more than 600 calls during the storm, which unleashed rain, hail and gale-force winds on the region. This video shows lightning and heavy rain seen from a patio in Halkidiki. Credit: Chrisipa via Storyful", "Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos has expressed his grief and condolences over the loss of life in a violent storm in the country’s northern Halkidiki peninsula on Wednesday night.\n\n \n\n “I express my grief over the victims of the disastrous storm in Halkidiki and I extend my sincere condolences as well as my full support to the families and their relatives,” Pavlopoulos said.\n\n \n\n He also wished for the speedy recovery of those injured.\n\n \n\n At least seven people, including six tourists, were killed and more than 120 others injured when a violent, short-lived storm lashed the area, felling trees and ripping off rooftops.\n\n \n\n The area has been declared in a state of emergency.", "Terrifying television footage showed strong winds sweeping through a restaurant in the Halkidiki peninsula, a region popular with tourists in the summer, and mangled heaps of sun loungers on beaches strewn with debris. Streets in towns in the area were dotted with uprooted pine trees and overturned motorcycles, with roof tiles ripped off homes, photographs posted on websites showed. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, whose government was sworn in this week after winning elections on July 7, cancelled his morning schedule and was being continuously briefed on the situation, a government official said.\n\nCitizen protection minister Mihalis Chrisochoidis told reporters during a visit to the scene his country was “mourning” the loss of life. He added: “In coming days all damage will be repaired.” Athansios Kaltsas, director of the Nea Moudania Medical Centre, where many of the injured were treated for fractures, told Greek television: “It is the first time in my 25-year career that I have lived through something like this. “It was so abrupt, and so sudden.\"\n\nMr Kaltsas said patients taken to the clinic ranged in age from eight months to over 70. Some suffered head injuries from trees and other falling objects. Two elderly Czech tourists were killed when strong winds and water swept away their travel trailer, police said. Elsewhere in the region, a woman and an eight-year-old boy, both Romanian nationals, were killed after a roof collapsed on a restaurant in Nea Plagia. READ MORE: Halkidiki battered by fierce winds - six dead\n\nA man and a young boy, both Russians, died after a tree collapsed near their hotel in the seaside town of Potidea, authorities said. One hundred people were injured, including 23 who were admitted to hospital, authorities said. There were also widespread power cuts. Such severe weather is unusual in Greece, where summers are typically hot and dry. Meteorologist Klearxos Marousakis described conditions as “extremely unusual” for this time of year. Greece’s meteorological service said more than 5,000 bolts of lightning were recorded in northern Greece, with the storms dying out as they headed eastwards."], "summary": "An unexpected violent storm hits the Greek region of Halkidiki with heavy rain, hail, and strong winds, killing six foreign tourists."}
{"document": ["Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn pay tribute to Sir Kim Darroch's service\n\nSir Kim Darroch has resigned as UK ambassador to the US, as a row over leaked emails critical of President Trump's administration escalates.\n\nTheresa May said Sir Kim's departure was \"a matter of deep regret\" after the ambassador said it was \"impossible\" for him to continue.\n\nTory leadership candidate Boris Johnson has faced strong criticism for failing to fully support him.\n\nPresident Trump said on Monday that the US would not deal with Sir Kim.\n\nThe US president had branded him \"a very stupid guy\" after confidential emails emerged where the ambassador had called his administration \"clumsy and inept\".\n\nIn a letter to the Foreign Office, Sir Kim said he wanted to end speculation about his position: \"The current situation is making it impossible for me to carry out my role as I would like.\"\n\nHis resignation has prompted widespread support for Sir Kim as well as criticism of Tory frontrunner Boris Johnson.\n\nAccording to some Whitehall sources, Sir Kim decided to resign after Mr Johnson refused to support him during the Tory leadership debate on Tuesday night, said BBC diplomatic correspondent James Landale.\n\nMr Johnson was asked repeatedly by fellow leadership candidate Jeremy Hunt whether he would keep Sir Kim in post if he became prime minister, but refused to answer.\n\nIt is understood Mr Johnson spoke to Sir Kim on the phone on Wednesday afternoon.\n\nSources close to Mr Johnson said that he praised Sir Kim's dedication and hard work and claimed the conversation was warm and cordial.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Mr Johnson and Mr Hunt clashed over future of UK's top diplomat in the US\n\nFollowing Sir Kim's resignation, Mr Johnson said he was \"a superb diplomat\" and whoever was responsible for the leak \"has done a grave disservice to our civil servants\".\n\nAsked why he was not more supportive of Sir Kim, he said it was \"wrong to drag civil servants into the political arena\".\n\nEurope Minister Sir Alan Duncan - who backs Mr Hunt in the leadership contest - said it was \"contemptible negligence\" of Mr Johnson not to support Sir Kim.\n\n\"He's basically thrown this fantastic diplomat under a bus to serve his own personal interests,\" he said.\n\nHowever, Sir Michael Fallon - a supporter of Mr Johnson - told BBC Newsnight Sir Kim's position became untenable \"long before the debate on Tuesday night\" and he understands the ambassador did not watch it.\n\nThe backlash against Mr Johnson was \"a shabby attempt to politicise\" the affair and the leadership contender had \"made it clear he supports all our diplomats\", he said.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Sir Alan Duncan says Boris Johnson has \"thrown our top diplomat under a bus\"\n\nLabour leader Jeremy Corbyn said Mr Johnson wanted a \"sweetheart trade deal\" with the US and his lack of support for Sir Kim \"shows he won't stand up to Donald Trump\".\n\nTory MP and chairman of the Commons' foreign affairs committee Tom Tugendhat said in a tweet: \"Leaders stand up for their men. They encourage them to try and defend them when they fail.\"\n\nFellow Tory leadership candidate and Foreign Secretary Mr Hunt told the BBC Sir Kim was \"doing his job\" and his resignation was \"a black day for British diplomacy\".\n\nMrs May said Sir Kim had had the full backing of the cabinet and he was owed an \"enormous debt of gratitude\" for his \"lifetime of service\" to the UK.\n\nPublic servants should be able to give \"full and frank advice\", she added.\n\nAnalysis\n\nby James Landale, BBC diplomatic correspondent\n\nSo was it Boris Johnson what done it? Was the failure of the former foreign secretary to defend Sir Kim in last night's Tory leadership debate the crucial factor in the ambassador's decision to resign?\n\nWithout Sir Kim speaking publicly on the subject, we are reliant on others to speak for him.\n\nAnd certainly, according to well-placed sources in Whitehall, Mr Johnson's decision to avoid criticising President Trump and his lack of support for Sir Kim was said to be the straw that broke the camel's back.\n\nIf you are an embattled diplomat under fire from your host country, you need cover from London. And if that is lacking from the man tipped to be your next boss, you realise the writing is on the wall.\n\nCertainly, there is genuine anger across Westminster and Whitehall at Mr Johnson's refusal six times last night to come to the aid of our man in Washington.\n\nMr Johnson's supporters have offered varying counter theories. Some have accused Mr Hunt's supporters of politicising the resignation.\n\nOthers have insisted that the decision had been made before the debate, once Mr Trump declared he would no longer deal with Sir Kim.\n\nRealising they were on the receiving end of potentially damaging criticism, Mr Johnson's aides also let it be known that he called Sir Kim this afternoon and praised his dedication and hard work.\n\nThe problem is that few in Westminster were giving much credence to these defences.\n\nIn the House of Commons, Theresa May pointedly urged MPs to \"reflect on the importance of defending our values and principles, particularly when they are under pressure\".\n\nIt was not hard to decipher what she was talking about.\n\nHead of the diplomatic service Sir Simon McDonald said it was the first time in his career that a head of state had refused to work with a British ambassador.\n\nHe described the leak as \"malicious\" and told Sir Kim: \"You are the best of us.\"\n\nRepublican Senator Lindsey Graham - a supporter of President Trump - said Sir Kim had done \"an outstanding job\" as ambassador and his resignation was \"a chilling moment\".\n\n\"Ambassadors need to be able to talk to their governments without fear of being compromised,\" he said.\n\nImage copyright EPA Image caption Mr Johnson pictured with Sir Kim in 2017 while he was in Washington DC as foreign secretary\n\nIn a letter to Sir Kim, Cabinet Secretary and civil service head Sir Mark Sedwill said that while he understood his reasons for resigning it was \"a matter of enormous regret that you were put in this position after a shocking betrayal of trust\".\n\nCabinet Office Minister David Lidington said he was \"enraged\" by the situation and morale in the senior ranks of the civil service had taken \"a very heavy blow\".\n\nFormer head of the civil service Lord O'Donnell told the BBC Sir Kim's successor could be chosen within two weeks - while Mrs May is still prime minister.\n\nPresident Trump could well wake up this morning thinking he has the power to veto who the UK has as its ambassador.\n\nIt wasn't his more colourful remarks on Twitter that really ended Sir Kim's time, but Mr Trump's public announcement that he would no longer work with him.\n\nThe effects of that were felt immediately. There was a banquet that Sir Kim was immediately dis-invited from. Next, he couldn't attend an event with minister Liam Fox.\n\nIt was clear he was being frozen out and for an ambassador access is everything. Without it, it's impossible to do the job.\n\nMore broadly, it's like this... There's never been parity in the special relationship between the UK and US - it's never been a relationship of equals but right now it seems particularly lopsided.\n\nThe US knows that Britain is fairly isolated right now internationally and needs the US more than ever. Donald Trump has wielded that power mercilessly in this row.\n\nIn the emails leaked to the Mail on Sunday, Sir Kim said: \"We don't really believe this administration is going to become substantially more normal; less dysfunctional; less unpredictable; less faction-riven; less diplomatically clumsy and inept.\"\n\nThe emails, dating from 2017, said rumours of \"infighting and chaos\" in the White House were mostly true.\n\nThe government has opened an internal inquiry into the publication of the memos and police have been urged to open a criminal investigation.\n\nDowning Street confirmed there had been some \"initial discussions\" with police regarding the leak and if there was concern about criminal activity they would become involved \"more formally\".\n\nMetropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick said it was \"deeply worrying\" diplomatic cables had ended up in the public domain.", "Sir Kim Darroch has decided to resign as the UK ambassador to the US, the Foreign Office has said.\n\nSir Kim Darroch has decided to resign as the UK ambassador to the US, the Foreign Office has said.\n\nSir Kim Darroch resigns as UK ambassador to US following war of words with Trump\n\nThe move comes after Donald Trump dramatically stepped up the war of words yesterday over Sir Kim Darroch's email leak at the weekend, branding him a \"pompous fool\".\n\nIn his latest explosive tweets, the president complained that Sir Kim Darroch was a \"very stupid guy\" who had been foisted on the US.\n\nHe also again attacked Theresa May over Brexit, accusing her of ignoring his advice and \"going her own foolish way\".\n\nHis latest intervention came as the Cabinet reiterated its full support for Sir Kim following the leak of a series of diplomatic dispatches in which he branded the US administration as \"inept\".\n\nMr Trump said: \"The wacky ambassador that the UK foisted upon the United States is not someone we are thrilled with, a very stupid guy.\n\n\"He should speak to his country, and Prime Minister May, about their failed Brexit negotiation, and not be upset with my criticism of how badly it was handled.\n\n\"I told Theresa May how to do that deal, but she went her own foolish way - was unable to get it done. A disaster!\n\n\"I don't know the ambassador but have been told he is a pompous fool.\n\n\"Tell him the USA now has the best economy and military anywhere in the world, by far and they are both only getting bigger, better and stronger.\n\nMr Trump said earlier in the week that he would \"no longer deal\" with the British ambassador, after the weekend news report that the UK diplomat had described Trump’s administration as dysfunctional, clumsy and inept.\n\n\"I do not know the Ambassador, but he is not liked or well thought of within the U.S. We will no longer deal with him,\" Trump said in a Twitter post that also criticised outgoing UK Prime Minister Theresa May.\n\n\"What a mess she and her representatives have created. I told her how it should be done, but she decided to go another way,\" he said. \"The good news for the wonderful United Kingdom is that they will soon have a new Prime Minister. While I thoroughly enjoyed the magnificent State Visit last month, it was the Queen who I was most impressed with!\" he wrote.\n\nTrump attacked Ambassador Kim Darroch on Twitter a day after the Mail on Sunday newspaper reported he had made the critical comments, citing a series of confidential memos.\n\nIn memos to the British government which date from 2017 to the present, Darroch said Trump “radiates insecurity” and advises officials in London that to deal with him effectively “you need to make your points simple, even blunt.”\n\nTrump also dismissed the ambassador on Sunday as not having \"served the UK well.\" Britain's government has told Washington that leaks of the memos were a matter of regret, May's spokesman said on Monday.", "Britain’s ambassador to the United States, Kim Darroch, has resigned after a series of leaked diplomatic cables revealed he told 10 Downing Street that the Trump administration was “inept” and “clumsy.”\n\nThe resignation, which was announced by the UK Foreign Office Wednesday, came after US President Donald Trump said Monday that the White House would no longer deal with Darroch.\n\nIn a letter to Simon McDonald, the permanent under secretary at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Darroch said he wanted to “put an end to speculation” about his position and remaining term as ambassador.\n\n“The current situation is making it impossible for me to carry out my role as I would like,” he wrote. “Although my posting is not due to end until the end of this year, I believe in the current circumstances the responsible course is to allow the appointment of a new ambassador.”\n\nIn the cables, leaked to the Daily Mail newspaper, Darroch warned the UK government that Trump’s “career could end in disgrace,” and described conflicts within the White House as “knife fights.”\n\nUK Prime Minister Theresa May said Wednesday it was a “matter of great regret” that Darroch had felt it necessary to resign and that the government owed him an “enormous debt of gratitude.”\n\n“Good government depends on public servants being able to give full and frank advice,” May told the House of Commons during Prime Minister’s Questions.\n\n“I want all our public servants to have the confidence to be able to do that. And I hope the house will reflect on the importance of defending our values and principles — particularly when they are under pressure.”\n\nIn response to Darroch’s letter, McDonald said he accepted the ambassador’s resignation “with deep personal regret.”\n\n“Over the last few difficult days you have behaved as you have always behaved over a long and distinguished career, with dignity, professionalism and class,” McDonald wrote. “The Prime Minister, Foreign Secretary and whole of the public service have stood with you: you were the target of a malicious leak; you were simply doing your job.”", "\n• Foreign ambassadors have told the New York Times that the diplomatic community in Washington DC concurs with the withering assessment of the Trump administration provided by former UK ambassador Sir Kim Darroch in leaked diplomatic cables.\n• “It could have been any of us,” one serving ambassador told the Times, after Sir Kim’s resignation Wednesday.\n• In the leaked cables Darroch described the Trump administration as “clumsy and inept.”\n• A former US diplomat said that Trump’s public attacks on Sir Kim could place US diplomats abroad in danger.\n\nCurrent and former ambassadors have told the New York Times that former British ambassador Sir Kim Darroch’s withering assessment of the Trump administration is a view shared by many diplomats in Washington.\n\nOne serving ambassador who spoke to the Times on condition of anonymity said of the leaked memo which ultimately led to Darroch’s resignation: “It could have been any of us.”\n\nDarroch on Wednesday resigned after coming under public attack from Trump, who ridiculed him as “wacky” and “a very stupid guy” in a tweet, and said the White House would refuse to have any dealings with him.\n\nIn leaked cables published by the Mail on Sunday, Sir Kim had provided a negative assessment of the Trump administration which he described as “clumsy and inept,” and said the president “radiates insecurity.”\n\nOne former ambassador confirmed that other foreign ambassadors have the same view of Trump’s presidency as Darroch.\n\n“Yes, yes, everyone does,” Gérard Araud, former French ambassador to the US who left his post in April, told the publication. “But fortunately I knew that nothing would remain secret, so I sent them in a most confidential manner.”\n\nHe went on to describe the unique difficulties foreign officials have encountered in dealing with Trump.\n\n“It’s what happens when a populist leader takes command in a liberal democracy. These people don’t recognize or accept the idea that an ambassador or a bureaucrat could be of any use. They only want to deal with other leaders.”\n\nRead more: Boris Johnson called a ‘Donald Trump patsy’ after throwing the UK’s ambassador to US ‘under a bus’\n\nSir Kim’s resignation Wednesday and Trump’s public ridiculing of him has sent shockwaves through the diplomatic community in Washington DC.\n\nIn his resignation letter, Sir Kim said that the leaked cables made his position untenable.\n\n“The current situation is making it impossible for me to carry out my role as I would like,” he wrote.\n\nBrett Bruen, a former US diplomat and Director of Global Engagement under the Obama administration, said that Trump’s actions could even place US diplomats in danger.\n\n“I worked in countries where the leaders didn’t like what we said about human rights & democracy,” Bruen tweeted Wednesday.\n\n“Trump has now given them the precedence for publicly insulting and punishing ambassadors for what they say about how they govern, even privately.”", "LONDON — Britain's ambassador to the United States resigned Wednesday, just days after diplomatic cables criticizing President Donald Trump caused embarrassment to two countries that often celebrate having a \"special relationship.\"\n\nThe resignation of Kim Darroch came a day after Trump lashed out at him on Twitter describing him as \"wacky\" and a \"pompous fool\" after leaked documents revealed the envoy's dim view of Trump's administration.\n\n\"I am grateful to all those in the UK and the US, who have offered their support during this difficult few days,\" Darroch said in a letter. \"This has brought home to me the depth of friendship and close ties between our two countries. I have been deeply touched.\"\n\nPrime Minister Theresa May said it was a \"matter of regret\" that Darroch resigned.\n\nDarroch's forthright, unfiltered views on the U.S. administration — meant for a limited audience and discreet review — appeared in leaked diplomatic documents that were published in Britain's Mail on Sunday newspaper.\n\nTrump combined criticism of Darroch with a broadside at May, chiding the British leader for failing to get her Brexit deal with the European Union through Parliament.\n\n\"I told @theresa_may how to do that deal, but she went her own foolish way-was unable to get it done. A disaster!\" Trump tweeted Tuesday. \"I don't know the Ambassador but have been told he is a pompous fool.\"\n\nThe resignation offers May a chance to replace him before she leaves office at the end of July.", "The Latest: Trump lashes out again at UK ambassador\n\nLONDON (AP) — The Latest on the dispute between the Trump administration and the British ambassador (all times local):\n\nU.S. President Donald Trump lashed out for a second day at Britain's ambassador to the United States, describing him as \"wacky\" and a \"pompous fool,\" after a leak of emails critical of the American administration.\n\nThe series of tweets came hours after Prime Minister Theresa May stood by Kim Darroch amid the controversy over the release of the documents published in the Mail on Sunday newspaper. Darroch's forthright views have created awkwardness between two countries who often celebrate having a \"special relationship.\"\n\nTrump tweeted Tuesday: \"The wacky Ambassador that the U.K. foisted upon the United States is not someone we are thrilled with, a very stupid guy.\"\n\nTrump also criticized May for failing to get her deal on leaving the European Union through Parliament.\n\nPrime Minister Theresa May's office has reiterated her full support for Britain's ambassador to the United States after President Donald Trump cut off contact with him following the leak of diplomatic cables that branded the U.S. administration as \"inept.\"\n\nMay has stood by Kim Darroch amid the controversy over the release of the documents published in the Mail on Sunday newspaper. Darroch's forthright views have created awkwardness between two countries that are longtime allies.\n\nBritish officials said they were hunting for the culprit behind the leak.\n\nMay's Downing Street office says that while the leak is unfortunate, \"Kim Darroch continues to have the prime minister's full support.\"\n\nIn a series of tweets, Trump also attacked May, accusing her of \"making a mess\" of Britain's departure from the European Union.", "Sir Kim Darroch, the UK ambassador to Washington who has been at the centre of a diplomatic row over leaked cables criticising Donald Trump, has resigned his post, the Foreign Office has said.\n\nIn a letter to Simon McDonald, the most senior official at the Foreign Office, Darroch said the row, in which Trump has called the ambassador “a pompous fool” and “very stupid”, meant he could not continue.\n\n“Since the leak of official documents from this embassy there has been a great deal of speculation surrounding my position and the duration of my remaining term as ambassador,” he wrote.\n\n“I want to put an end to that speculation. The current situation is making it impossible for me to carry out my role as I would like.”\n\nIn response to Darroch’s letter, McDonald said that he accepted the resignation with “deep personal regret” and praised him for behaving throughout the controversy “as you have always behaved over a long and distinguished career, with dignity, professionalism and class”.\n\nMcDonald added: “The prime minister, foreign secretary and whole of the public service have stood with you: you were the target of a malicious leak; you were simply doing your job. I understand your wish to relieve the pressure on your family and your colleagues at the embassy; I admire the fact that you think more of others than yourself.”\n\nSpeaking in the House of Commons shortly after the news emerged, Theresa May praised Darroch for “a lifetime of service to the United Kingdom”. She added: “We owe him an enormous debt of gratitude. I hope the house will reflect on the importance of defending our values and principles particularly when they are under pressure.”\n\nJeremy Corbyn called the treatment of Darroch “beyond unfair and wrong” and said that he had given “honourable and good service”.\n\n“The whole house should join together in deeply regretting the feeling he’s got that he must resign at this moment,” he said.", "President Donald Trump stepped up his attacks on Britain's ambassador to the United States on Tuesday as Prime Minister Theresa May reaffirmed her support for the diplomat whose leaked emails called Trump's administration \"inept.\"\n\nIn a series of tweets, Trump branded Kim Darroch a \"wacky Ambassador that the U.K. foisted upon the United States,\" adding that he was \"not someone we are thrilled with, a very stupid guy.\" May's office described the email leaks as \"unfortunate\" but insisted that Darroch would continue to carry out his diplomatic duties for the time being.\n\nThe confidential memos leaked Sunday to Britain's Daily Mail newspaper contained stinging criticisms of Trump's White House, portraying it as \"clumsy\" and completely absorbed by \"infighting and chaos.\" The emails date back to 2017. Trump said Monday he would no longer deal with Darroch. He called him \"insecure\" and \"incompetent.\"\n\nThe latest tweets from the president went a step further as he labeled Darroch a \"pompous fool.\" Trump claimed not to know the ambassador but he has met him a few times, including recently during his state visit to Britain. Darroch was disinvited to a dinner with Trump and Qatar's emir on Monday, according to U.S. and British officials.", "In this Friday, Oct. 20, 2017 photo, British Ambassador Kim Darroch hosts a National Economists Club event at the British Embassy in Washington. Leaked diplomatic cables published Sunday, July 7,2 019, in a British newspaper reveal that Britain’s ambassador to the United States described President Donald Trump’s administration as “clumsy and inept” while grappling with international problems. (AP Photo/Sait Serkan Gurbuz)\n\nWASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says he will “no longer deal” with the British ambassador to the United States following the leak of frank cables assessing his administration.\n\nTrump says of the ambassador, Kim Darroch, “I do not know the Ambassador, but he is not liked or well thought of within the U.S.” He tweets, “We will no longer deal with him.”\n\nDarroch’s cables branded Trump’s administration “dysfunctional” and “inept.” He also said there are doubts about whether the White House “will ever look competent” and that the only way to communicate with Trump is by being simple and blunt.\n\nThe leaked documents were published by the Mail on Sunday, and pointed to stress in the “special relationship” between the U.S. and the U.K. that has held strong since World War II.", "Donald Trump revoked Sir Kim’s invite to a dinner for the Emir of Qatar shortly after posting a scathing attack of the British ambassador on Twitter. The US President said he will “no longer deal with” the UK ambassador, and mocked him for not being “liked or well thought of within the US”. Mr Trump’s reaction follows the recent scandal where it emerged Sir Kim had said the US President was “insecure”, “inept” and ran a “uniquely dysfunctional” White House in private memos that have been leaked.\n\nA White House official has confirmed that Sir Kim’s invitation to the state dinner was rescinded. The dinner was hosted by Treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin in honour of Qatar’s Emir, Sheikh Tamin bin Hamad al-Thani, who is visiting Washington this week. Dozens of business leaders joined Mr Trump at the event in the department’s opulent Cash Room, but Sir Kim was no where to be seen. Among those seated at the top table was New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who was charged with soliciting prostitution in February as part of a sex trafficking sting operation in Florida.\n\nMr Trump launched a scathing attack against the UK last night, with Theresa May and Sir Kim being in the firing line. The US President heavily criticised Mrs May’s for ignoring his advise on how to handle Brexit, describing the situation as a “mess”. But the main target was Sir Kim, as President Trump tweeted: “I do not know the Ambassador, but he is not liked or well thought of within the US. “We will no longer deal with him.” READ MORE: ‘Holy s**t!’ Trump attack is ‘PM’s nightmare’ as Peston says ‘Putin will be enjoying this'\n\nHitting back at the scathing Tweet, a Government spokesman said: “We have made clear to the US how unfortunate this leak is. The selective extracts leaked do not reflect the closeness of, and the esteem in which we hold, the relationship.” Despite calls from Nigel Farage for Sir Kim to be removed from his position, the statement went on to give a vote of confidence to him: “At the same time we have also underlined the importance of ambassadors being able to provide honest, unvarnished assessments of the politics in their country. “Sir Kim Darroch continues to have the Prime Minister’s full support.” The statement concluded: “The UK has a special and enduring relationship with the US based on our long history and commitment to shared values and that will continue to be the case.”"], "summary": "Sir Kim Darroch, the United Kingdom's ambassador to the United States, resigns his appointment amid public disagreements with U.S. President Donald Trump initiated by a series of leaked diplomatic cables in which the ambassador criticized the president, and will leave the post upon the appointment of his successor."}
{"document": ["Serbia's defense minister says he has been banned from entering Kosovo, denouncing its leaders as \"liars.\"\n\nAleksandar Vulin, known for his bombastic and pro-Russia stance, said in a statement Wednesday that he and military personnel from Belgrade's military hospital wanted to visit Kosovo Serbs who live in the north of the former Serbian province.\n\nKosovo last week temporarily banned Serbian officials from entering the country, saying they will reverse that position when Belgrade recognizes Kosovo's statehood.\n\nAlthough the U.S. and most of the West recognize Kosovo's 2008 declaration of independence, Serbia and its ally Russia do not.\n\nUsing a derogatory term in Serbia for ethnic Albanians, Vulin said Kosovo's leaders are \"liars who don't want Serbs\" in Kosovo.\n\nHe said \"they want their state, their territory.\"", "In this photo taken Monday, April 23, 2018, Serbia Defense Minister Aleksandar Vulin, right, walks behind Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in Belgrade, Serbia. Kosovo has temporarily banned Serbian officials from entering the country, triggering angry reaction from Belgrade. Vulin says the latest ban is an attempt to “cut ties” between Kosovo Serbs and Serbia. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)\n\nBELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Serbia’s defense minister says he has been banned from entering Kosovo, denouncing its leaders as “liars.”\n\nAleksandar Vulin, known for his bombastic and pro-Russia stance, said in a statement Wednesday that he and military personnel from Belgrade’s military hospital wanted to visit Kosovo Serbs who live in the north of the former Serbian province.\n\nKosovo last week temporarily banned Serbian officials from entering the country, saying they will reverse that position when Belgrade recognizes Kosovo’s statehood.\n\nAlthough the U.S. and most of the West recognize Kosovo’s 2008 declaration of independence, Serbia and its ally Russia do not.\n\nUsing a derogatory term in Serbia for ethnic Albanians, Vulin said Kosovo’s leaders are “liars who don’t want Serbs” in Kosovo.\n\nHe said “they want their state, their territory.”", "Serbia’s Defense Minister Aleksandar Vulin says he has been banned from entering Kosovo, denouncing its leaders as “liars,” AP reports.\n\nVulin said on Wednesday that he and military personnel from Belgrade’s military hospital wanted to visit Kosovo Serbs who live in the north of the breakaway Serbian province.\n\nLast week, Kosovo temporarily banned Serbian officials from entering the territory, saying they will reverse that position when Belgrade recognizes Kosovo’s statehood.\n\nPresident Aleksandar Vucic said on July 3 that Serbia is using “alternative” mountain tracks to send goods to Serb-dominated northern Kosovo to avoid having to pay a 100 percent import tax, according to Reuters.", "Serbian Defense Minister Aleksandar Vulin and his official delegation have been banned from traveling to Kosovo for a planned working visit to a local medical center, media reported on Wednesday\n\nBELGRADE (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 10th July, 2019) Serbian Defense Minister Aleksandar Vulin and his official delegation have been banned from traveling to Kosovo for a planned working visit to a local medical center, media reported on Wednesday.\n\nOn July 4, Kosovo said it might bar all Serbian officials from entering its territory over what it called \"constant propaganda and false news.\" Following a wave of criticism from Brussels and Belgrade, Kosovar Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj said these plans were not true.\n\nAccording to the local Tanjug news agency, Vulin and his delegation of health experts from the Serbian Defense Ministry were headed to the Kosovska-Mitrovica Clinical center in a bid to boost its cooperation with the Military Medical academy of Belgrade.\n\n\"Yet another demonstration that Haradinaj has lied,\" a source in the Serbian Defense Ministry said, as quoted by the news outlet.\n\nThe Defense Ministry has yet to officially confirm the reports.\n\nKosovo unilaterally declared its independence from Serbia in 2008. Three years later, after being pressured by the European Union, the Serbian government started negotiations with the Albanian Kosovar government to normalize their relations, albeit with little success.\n\nRelations between Belgrade and Prishtina took a turn for the worst in May after Kosovar police carried out violent raids in Serb-populated areas of the partially recognized state under the pretext of combating organized crime. Following the incident, Serbia deployed military vehicles and a MiG-29 fighter to its border with Kosovo.", "BELGRADE, Serbia - Serbia’s defence minister says he has been banned from entering Kosovo, denouncing its leaders as “liars.”\n\nAleksandar Vulin, known for his bombastic and pro-Russia stance, said in a statement Wednesday that he and military personnel from Belgrade’s military hospital wanted to visit Kosovo Serbs who live in the north of the former Serbian province.", "BELGRADE – The delegations of the Serbian Ministry of Defense and military doctors led by the country’s Defense Minister Alexander Vulin did not give permission to visit the clinical center in Kosovska Mitrovica in the north of the self-proclaimed Kosovo. This is stated in the message of the military department distributed today, July 10.\n\nKosovo is an integral part of Serbia, and is recognized as such at the level of the UN. Governments representing the vast majority of the world’s population also recognize that Kosovo is Serbia. The blocking of a Serbian official from a part of Serbian territory is in itself a violation of international norms.\n\nIt notes that a response was given at the request of the Serbian side, stating that “it is not possible to respond positively to the request”.\n\nThe Serbian Ministry of Defense also states that the Pristina ban on entering Pristina violated the Brussels Agreement, which stipulates the possibility of Serbian officials to enter the territory of the region without hindrance. The document emphasizes that the visit of the delegation was of a humanitarian nature.\n\nEarlier in Pristina there were statements that Serbian officials would be banned from entering Kosovo. After a harsh reaction from Belgrade and Brussels, Prime Minister of the unrecognized entity, Ramush Haradinai, said that there was no such decision. Howevver, today’s row points in an entirely other direction.", "In this photo taken Tuesday, June 27, 2017, an anti-aircraft rocket system is displayed during an arms fair in Belgrade, Serbia. Serbia’s Defense Minister Aleksandar Vulin said Monday June 24, 2019 that live-ammunition drills being held with Russian and Belarusian troops show that Serbia has allies in any future war in the Balkans. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)\n\nBELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Live-ammunition drills the Serbian military is holding with Russian and Belarusian troops show Belgrade has allies in any future war in the Balkans, Serbia’s defense minister said Monday.\n\nAleksandar Vulin said the joint Slavic Brotherhood military maneuvers Serbia is hosting this month demonstrate “we are no longer alone.”\n\n“We have friends,” Vulin said in a statement. “That horrible moment in our history when we were all alone will never repeat again.”\n\nVulin was referring to the 1999 U.S.-led NATO bombing of Serbia. The bombing stopped a bloody Serb crackdown against Kosovo Albanian separatists and civilians, while Russia remained largely on the sidelines.\n\nSerbia is seeking European Union membership, but has also been sliding toward Russian influence. Moscow supplies arms and warplanes for the Serbian armed forces, triggering worry among Serbia’s neighbors, which are either NATO allies or are seeking to become members of the Western military alliance.\n\nBelarus, Russia and Serbia have conducted the Slavic Brotherhood drills for several years. The ones underway in Serbia started earlier this month. Taking part are more than 200 troops from Russian elite Airborne Forces, about 300 from Serbia and 60 from Belarus, as well as some 50 combat vehicles, according the Russian Defense Ministry.\n\n“The Serbian army is being armed and trained, that’s why the drills such as the Slavic Brotherhood are so important to us,” said Vulin, who is known for his staunchly pro-Russia stands.\n\n“These drills are not only about the military practice. This is a meeting of brotherly nations, those who understand each other, those who love each other,” he said.\n\nTensions recently have increased in the Balkans, with Serbia and Kosovo accusing each other of undermining efforts at reconciliation.\n\nKosovo declared independence in 2008. The former Serbian province is recognized by the U.S. and most other Western states, but not by Serbia, Russia or China.\n\nWhile claiming military neutrality, Serbia has been an active member of NATO’s Membership For Peace outreach program.", "A day after Bulgaria and Serbia summoned each other’s ambassadors over the controversy over Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dačić’s remarks about his Bulgarian counterpart Boiko Borissov’s comments on Kosovo and EU foreign policy, Borissov held talks on the issue on July 9 with Serbian PM Ana Brnabić.\n\nThe controversy began when Borissov said that the EU foreign policy chief-designate, Spanish Foreign Minister Josep Borrell, should defend EU foreign policy on Kosovo, rather than that of Madrid, which does not recognise Kosovo as independent.\n\nDačić hit back at Borissov, saying that EU foreign policy was that Kosovo was not independent. Of the current 28 EU member states, 23 recognise Kosovo as independent while five do not.\n\nBulgarian National Television reported Borissov as saying on July 9, after reiterating that he loved Serbia and saw Serbians as friends: “How can you understand me this way? I have always said, ‘you have to reach an understanding with Kosovo’. I have never said anything different. We are summoning ambassadors, we are acting…and I have not said anything”.\n\nSpeaking at a summit of South Eastern European countries, Borissov said that the tension between Sofia and Belgrade was an example of a Balkan stunt, which would not be acceptable to the European Union.\n\nHe turned to Brnabić: “What does your Foreign Minister Ivica Dačić want?”\n\nThe Serbian Foreign Ministry has released a statement after summoning the chargé d’affaires of the Bulgarian embassy, Iva Kruleva, on July 8. The statement in effect reiterated the initial comments by Dačić on Borissov’s remarks.\n\nThe ministry said that Kruleva was summon to clarify the situation that arose after Borissov’s statements.\n\n“It was emphasised once more that this statement by Prime Minister Borissov is unacceptable, because it is not correct, and concerns the most important issues for each country, issues of territorial integrity. This statement is not in accordance with the expectations of the Republic of Serbia regarding friendly and good neighbourly relations. It was reiterated that Serbia hopes that such statements will not be repeated in the future. The EU’s position is that Kosovo is not independent, and that should be respected by all”.\n\nThe Republic of Serbia’s readiness to continue developing and deepening the good neighborly relations with Bulgaria was reiterated, and once again gratitude was expressed for Bulgaria’s support for Serbia on the road to the EU, the statement said.", "SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — Serbia’s foreign minister on Monday denounced a move by Kosovo and Albania to boycott a regional conference, accusing them of coordinating foreign policies with an ultimate aim to create a joint state in the Balkans.\n\nKosovo, a former Serbian province, and Albania said they weren’t attending the summit of southeastern European states that opened Monday in Sarajevo because Kosovo hasn’t been invited as a sovereign country.\n\n“The minimum Kosovo is asking for participation in such forums is an equal treatment with other participating countries,” Kosovo President Hashim Thaci wrote on his Facebook page.\n\nAlbanian Foreign Minister Gent Cakaj said he canceled his participation in solidarity with Kosovo.\n\n“There is no cooperation without equal treatment,” he wrote in his Twitter page.\n\nKosovo’s 2008 declaration of independence has been recognized by most of the West, but not by Serbia and ally Russia. Kosovo split from Serbia after NATO’s intervention in 1999 that stopped a Serbian crackdown against Kosovo Albanian separatists and civilians.\n\nSerbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said at the summit that the boycott is part of a strategy by Albania and predominantly ethnic Albanian Kosovo to create a “Greater Albania.”\n\nHistorically, any attempt to form ethnically pure states in the Balkans has led to trouble in the still volatile region. The Serbian nationalist dream of all Serbs living in one state — or “Greater Serbia” — has triggered a series of wars, including in Bosnia where that dream lingers on within the autonomous Bosnian Serb mini state called Republika Srpska.\n\nAlbania and Kosovo foreign ministers last week signed an agreement to unify and coordinate their foreign policies and jointly use Albanian embassies abroad.\n\n“Imagine if Serbia signed a similar agreement with Republika Srpska?” Dacic asked. “Probably the whole world would condemn that, but here, in case of Kosovo, they say ‘well let it go, this is nothing serious.'”\n\nBosnian Foreign Minister Igor Crnadak said the Kosovo and Albania boycott of the summit represents “a very hard punch for cooperation in the region.”\n\n“We were ready to be good hosts to them here, believing in rule No. 1 of diplomacy: despite the difference of opinion in certain matters, you have to come to the talking table, you have to discuss the issues in order to find solution,” he said.", "Bulgaria’s Foreign Minister Ekaterina Zaharieva and her Serbian counterpart Ivica Dačić held talks on July 9 on the row over Prime Minister Boiko Borissov’s comments on Kosovo and EU foreign policy, and Dačić’s reaction to them.\n\nZaharieva and Dačić met on the sidelines of a summit of foreign ministers, Bulgarian National Television reported.\n\nThe Bulgarian Foreign Minister told Dačić that Borissov’s comments, that EU foreign-policy designate Josep Borrell should defend EU policy on Kosovo, rather than that of his native Spain, had been political and legal, and the reaction of Dačić had been “clearly unacceptable for Bulgaria and does not help our friendly bilateral relations”.\n\nThe fact that 23 EU countries, one of which is Bulgaria, has recognised Kosovo, cannot block Bulgaria’s and Serbia’s bilateral relations, and Bulgaria has always supported Serbia in its European integration, Zaharieva said.\n\nTo read the full story, click here."], "summary": "Serbian Defense Minister Aleksandar Vulin is banned from entering Kosovo."}
{"document": ["Republican Presidential Candidate Donald Trump speaks during the opening ceremony for the Trump International Hotel, Old Post Office, in Washington, USA on October 26, 2016.\n\nA federal appeals court on Wednesday dismissed a lawsuit challenging the legality of payments to President Donald Trump's hotels by foreigners during his tenure in the White House.\n\nA three-judge panel of the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the 4th Circuit unanimously ruled that the state of Maryland and the District of Columbia do not have legal standing to sue under a claim that Trump violated the so-called emoluments clause of the U.S. Constitution.\n\nThat clause, contained in Article 1 of the Constitution, bars government officeholders from accepting gifts from foreign officials.\n\nTrump still faces a similar lawsuit in Washington federal court filed by Democratic members of Congress.\n\nOn Monday, the Justice Department urged the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals to dismiss that second suit.\n\nIn its ruling, the 4th Circuit appeals panel said that Washington and Maryland's interest in enforcing that clause \"is so attenuated and abstract\" that it raises the question of whether their lawsuit is an appropriate use of the court system.\n\nThe suit was the first ever to claim a president violated the emoluments clause, and the appeals panel said \"not only is this suit extraordinary, it also has national significance and is of special consequence.\"\n\nThe panel ordered a federal district court judge in Maryland to dismiss the suit against Trump with prejudice, which would bar the plaintiffs from relaunching the case.\n\nThat judge had earlier denied Trump's bids to toss out the case, which led the president to appeal his decision to the 4th Circuit.\n\nTrump quickly crowed about the 4th Circuit's decision on Twitter.\n\nThe president's lawyer, Jay Sekulow, called the ruling \"a complete victory.\"\n\nThe attorneys general for Washington and Maryland issued a joint statement saying they believed the appellate judges \"got it wrong.\"\n\n\"Although the court described a litany of ways in which this case is unique, it failed to acknowledge the most extraordinary circumstance of all: President Trump is brazenly profiting from the Office of the President in ways that no other President in history ever imagined and that the founders expressly sought—in the Constitution—to prohibit,\" said Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh and District of Columbia Attorney General Karl Racine.\n\nThe two said they will \"pursue our legal options,\" but did not name specific next steps.\n\nThey can ask the entire 4th Circuit to review the panel's ruling, or can escalate the matter to the Supreme Court, which has discretion over which cases it hears.\n\nThere is a good chance that they will ask the full court to review the decision, according to Carl Tobias, a professor of law at the University of Richmond Law School and an expert on federal judicial selection.\n\n\"I think a majority of the court is more moderate, or even liberal, compared to this panel, which is the most conservative panel you could draw of those 15 judges on this court,\" Tobias said. \"I guess we will see something different out of the D.C. Circuit, but who knows.\"\n\nThe judges on the 4th Circuit panel that heard the case were Paul Niemeyer, who was appointed by President George H.W. Bush, Dennis Shedd, who was appointed by President George W. Bush, and Trump appointee A. Marvin Quattlebaum Jr.", "President Donald Trump quickly celebrated the court's decision in the emoluments lawsuit against him and even seemed to adopt the court’s suggestion that serving as president was hurting the Trump businesses. | Alex Wong/Getty Images Legal Appeals court tosses emoluments suit against Trump\n\nA federal appeals court panel has unanimously thrown out a lawsuit accusing President Donald Trump of violating the Constitution by continuing to do business with foreign and state governments while serving as president.\n\nThe 4th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the State of Maryland and the District of Columbia — who joined together to file the suit against Trump in 2017 — lacked legal standing to object to his alleged violations of the Constitution’s clauses prohibiting receipt of so-called “emoluments” while in office.\n\nStory Continued Below\n\nWriting for the court, Judge Paul Niemeyer concluded that the case turned on unduly speculative claims that the Washington, D.C. and Maryland governments were being harmed by people favoring Trump’s D.C. hotel in order to curry favor with him.\n\n“The District and Maryland’s theory of proprietary harm hinges on the conclusion that government customers are patronizing the Hotel because the Hotel distributes profits or dividends to the President, rather than due to any of the Hotel’s other characteristics,” Niemeyer wrote.\n\n“Such a conclusion, however, requires speculation into the subjective motives of independent actors who are not before the court, undermining a finding of causation.”\n\nNiemeyer indicated that the Trump name may be more of a liability for the luxury hotel at this point, than a benefit.\n\nPOLITICO Playbook newsletter Sign up today to receive the #1-rated newsletter in politics Email Sign Up By signing up you agree to receive email newsletters or alerts from POLITICO. You can unsubscribe at any time.\n\n“Indeed, there is a distinct possibility — which was completely ignored by the District and Maryland, as well as by the district court — that certain government officials might avoid patronizing the Hotel because of the President’s association with it,” the judge wrote.\n\nTrump quickly celebrated the decision and even seemed to adopt the court’s suggestion that serving as president was hurting the Trump businesses.\n\n“Word just out that I won a big part of the Deep State and Democrat induced Witch Hunt,” Trump wrote on Twitter. “Unanimous decision in my favor from The United States Court of Appeals For The Fourth Circuit on the ridiculous Emoluments Case. I don’t make money, but lose a fortune for the honor of ....serving and doing a great job as your President (including accepting Zero salary!).”\n\nTrump attorney Jay Sekulow also hailed the ruling, writing in a statement that “the decision states that there was no legal standing to bring this lawsuit in the first place\" and that \"This latest effort at Presidential harassment has been dismissed with prejudice.\"\n\nThe Justice Department, too, celebrated the outcome.\n\n“We are pleased that the Fourth Circuit unanimously decided to dismiss this extraordinarily flawed case,\" Justice Department spokeswoman Kelly Laco said in a statement. \"The court correctly determined that the plaintiffs improperly asked the courts to exceed their constitutional role by reviewing the President’s compliance with the Emoluments Clauses.”\n\nMuch of the appeals court decision painted the suit as fruitless because it would be difficult to discourage people from patronizing the hotel because of a perceived connection with Trump even if a court ordered him to disgorge any related income.\n\n“Even if government officials were patronizing the Hotel to curry the President’s favor, there is no reason to conclude that they would cease doing so were the President enjoined from receiving income from the Hotel,” Niemeyer added. “After all, the Hotel would still be publicly associated with the President, would still bear his name, and would still financially benefit members of his family. In short, the link between government officials’ patronage of the Hotel and the Hotel’s payment of profits or dividends to the President himself is simply too attenuated.”\n\nNiemeyer said the problems Maryland and D.C. lawyers had explaining just what kind of order they wanted the district court to issue underscored the problems with the suit.\n\n“The District and Maryland have manifested substantial difficulty articulating how they are harmed by the President’s alleged receipts of emoluments and the nature of the relief that could redress any harm so conceived,” Niemeyer wrote. “When plaintiffs before a court are unable to specify the relief they seek, one must wonder why they came to the court for relief in the first place.”\n\nThe attorneys general for Marland and the District of Columbia disputed the court's judgment and pledged to continue to pursue the president for his alleged violations of the Constitution's emoluments clause.\n\n“We think that this panel of the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals got it wrong. Although the court described a litany of ways in which this case is unique, it failed to acknowledge the most extraordinary circumstance of all: President Trump is brazenly profiting from the Office of the President in ways that no other President in history ever imagined and that the founders expressly sought—in the Constitution—to prohibit,\" attorneys general Karl Racine of the District of Columbia and Brian Frosh of Maryland wrote in a joint statement. \"We have not and will not abandon our efforts to hold President Trump accountable for violating the Nation’s original anti-corruption laws.\"\n\n\"All Americans suffer when our chief executive is vulnerable to corrupt foreign influence,\" they continued. \"The idea that the District of Columbia and Maryland are not harmed by the President’s violation of the Constitution is plain error. We will continue to pursue our legal options to hold him accountable.\"\n\nAll three of the 4th Circuit judges assigned to hear the case are GOP appointees and two of them are widely considered to be the court’s most conservative veteran jurists. Niemeyer is an appointee of President George H.W. Bush. Joining in the rulings released Wednesday were Judges Dennis Shedd, a George W. Bush appointee, and A. Marvin Quattlebaum Jr., a Trump appointee.\n\nAfter learning of the judicial panel before oral arguments last March, Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh slapped his own forehead with his hand, prompting Racine to console him. “Head up, head up,” Racine told his colleague.\n\nDuring that court session, the appeals judges came close to accusing the Maryland-based district court judge handling the suit, Clinton appointee Peter Messitte, of impropriety for trying to engineer the challenge rather than responding to legal issues presented to him by the officials who brought the suit: the attorneys general of Maryland and Washington, D.C.\n\n“It sounds like the court was doing something beyond just responding to the parties,” said Niemeyer.\n\n“Does that not look like the district court is somehow involved in guiding this?” Shedd asked. “It looks a little bit odd.”\n\nLast year, the Trump Organization announced that it had donated just over $151,000 to the U.S. Treasury to divest what the firm said were its profits associated with foreign-government business. | Spencer Platt/Getty Images\n\nAt the oral arguments, Shedd pressed D.C. Solicitor General Loren AliKhan on what her office was looking to get out of the suit beyond a declaration that Trump is breaking the law.\n\n“Do you think that will be a basis for a high crime or misdemeanor for impeachment?” asked Shedd.\n\nShedd suggested then that Trump was being put in a no-win situation, where if he made more aggressive efforts to avoid business from foreign sources he would face further litigation.\n\n“If he then said — a little reminiscent of the travel ban — no foreigners can stay in any of my properties, how long before the State of Maryland would sue him for discrimination?” the judge asked. “What you want to do is make it a guessing game for him.”\n\nAt the outset of Trump’s presidency, many ethics experts urged him to divest himself of his far-flung business empire, but he refused. Instead, Trump turned over day-to-day control of his businesses to two of his sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump.\n\nJust before taking office, Trump announced that he would donate to the U.S. Treasury all profits from foreign government-related business at his hotels and other enterprises. However, critics said the policy was vague and certain not to capture all the income Trump derived from foreign diplomats and others with ties to governments abroad.\n\nLast year, the Trump Organization announced that it had donated just over $151,000 to the U.S. Treasury to divest what the firm said were its profits associated with foreign-government business.\n\nHowever, the Trump business has said it intends to respect its guests’ privacy and not pry into who might be footing the bill for their stays at Trump hotels. As a result, it’s unclear if Trump’s firms are disgorging profits from hotel rooms booked by lobbyists or other third parties who may not disclose any connection to foreign governments.\n\nFor instance, during Trump’s inauguration in 2017, lobbyists working for the Saudi government paid more than $270,000 to put U.S. veterans up in hotel rooms at the Trump hotel in D.C. The move was part of an effort to defeat legislation that allows victims to pursue lawsuits against the Saudi regime over its alleged involvement in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the U.S.\n\nWhile the main focus of the lawsuit has been on the influence foreign governments could wield through their patronage of Trump businesses, it also targets the money Trump-branded hotels and other ventures are receiving from state officials. A lesser-known clause of the Constitution prohibits the president from being separately compensated by any state.\n\nLast October, a New York-based federal appeals court heard arguments in the first lawsuit filed over the emoluments issue — a case brought by the liberal watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington. A district court judge in New York threw out that case in December 2017, ruling that the watchdog group and other plaintiffs in the hospitality industry lacked the legal standing to pursue their claims.\n\nThe 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals panel has yet to rule on efforts to revive that suit.\n\nMeanwhile, a suit that more than 200 Democratic lawmakers brought over the emoluments issue remains alive in a federal court in Washington. Last September, a judge found that the lawmakers did have legal standing to sue, but the case has proceeded at a glacial pace.\n\nThat judge declined to allow Justice Department lawyers representing Trump to appeal at this point, but on Monday they filed a petition with the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals asking that court to step in and block further action in the suit.\n\nDarren Samuelsohn contributed to this report.", "WASHINGTON - Congressional Democrats began issuing dozens of subpoenas Monday for financial records and other documents from President Donald Trump's private entities as part of an ongoing lawsuit alleging that his businesses violate the Constitution's ban on gifts or payments from foreign governments.\n\nThe demands for detailed information about the president's closely held finances came on the same day the Trump administration asked an appeals court in Washington to halt the lawsuit and block the subpoenas, saying the case is based on \"novel and flawed constitutional premises.\"\n\nBrought by more than 200 Democrats in Congress, the emoluments lawsuit is one of several legal battles over access to the inner workings of Trump's businesses and, more broadly, the balance of power between lawmakers and the president.\n\n\"We are seeking a targeted set of documents to obtain the information that we need to ensure that the President can no longer shirk his constitutional responsibility,\" Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said in a statement.\n\nThe 37 subpoenas target information from a wide array of Trump's businesses, including Trump Tower, his hotels in New York and Washington, and his Mar-a-Lago Club in south Florida, according to the Constitutional Accountability Center, the legal group representing the Democrats in the case.\n\nThe plaintiffs also are seeking information about trademarks granted to Trump's companies by foreign governments since he entered office and any pending applications for foreign trademarks. Additional subpoenas seek information on tax returns from the president's companies and the trust where he keeps his businesses while in office.\n\nThe Trump Organization did not respond to requests for comment regarding the subpoenas.\n\nU.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan in late June rejected Trump's request to stop the lawsuit and ordered the two parties to begin the process of requesting records and other information as part of a three-month discovery period ending Sept. 27.\n\nIn its court filing Monday, the Trump administration officially asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to issue an order to dismiss the case or at least to put the lawsuit and subpoenas on hold pending review. Justice Department lawyers said Sullivan had treated the case \"as a run-of-the-mill commercial dispute\" and \"ignored the unique separation-of-powers concerns posed by discovery in a case against the President in his official capacity.\"\n\nIn a separate \"emoluments\" case brought by the attorneys general of D.C. and Maryland, Justice Department lawyers have succeeded in temporarily blocking subpoenas for financial records and other documents related to Trump's D.C. hotel.\n\nThe congressional emoluments case, led by Blumenthal and Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., extends beyond the hotel and provides a potential new avenue for investigators to gain access to a broader array of Trump's finances.\n\nUnlike past presidents, Trump has retained ownership of his private businesses and refused to release his tax returns.\n\nThe emoluments provision - barring payments or gifts from foreign governments without prior approval from Congress - was designed to prevent undue influence over the nation's leaders. Attorneys for the lawmakers say Trump is violating the ban when his businesses accept payments and other benefits from foreign governments.\n\nDemocrats are seeking information related to not only the president's hotels but to office buildings, trademarks and the trust in which Trump is storing his business interests while he is in office.\n\nThree properties - the two hotels and Mar-a-Lago - have hosted foreign governments or large foreign delegations since Trump entered office. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has booked blocks of rooms at both hotels, and the D.C. hotel has hosted the governments of Kuwait, Bahrain and Malaysia, among others.\n\nTrump Organization officials say that to avoid benefiting from any impropriety, they do not market the hotels to foreign governments and that when embassies or delegations book space, the company donates the profits to the U.S. treasury.\n\nFor example, after an Iraqi sheikh urging the U.S. to overthrow Iran's government stayed 26 nights at the D.C. hotel, the company says it donated the profits from his stay. In total, the company donated $191,538 at the end of last year and $151,470 for the previous year, though it did not break down those amounts.\n\nThere is less known about foreign governments' involvement in the four office properties that are subject of the plaintiffs' subpoenas.\n\nDating to before Trump's presidency, foreign diplomats have leased space in Trump World Tower, near the United Nations Nations headquarters in New York.\n\nThe Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, a state-owned Chinese bank, has leased space on the 20th floor of Trump Tower in Manhattan since 2008. The bank's lease is worth close to $2 million annually, according to industry estimates and a bank filing.\n\nTrump owns a minority stake in two other office buildings, in San Francisco and New York, that are not named for him and are managed by a non-Trump company.\n\nThe Chinese government has also granted approvals to Trump family trademarks, including preliminary approval for 38 new trademarks for hotels, golf courses and other businesses, according to The Associated Press. The plaintiffs' group issued a statement Monday saying that in addition to those approvals, \"there are almost certainly many more that are not yet known about.\"\n\nIn court filings, the nonprofit Constitutional Accountability Center has stressed how difficult it is for Congress or the public to understand the president's business dealings without the court allowing its case to proceed.\n\n\"While it is well known that (the president's) business empire is vast and global, the exact nature of his holdings and the benefits he receives from them remain unclear,\" the nonprofit said in filings. Because the president has not released his tax returns, \"the complicated interconnection between the hundreds of discrete business entities and shell companies in which he owns an interest makes it impossible to determine the full scope of the benefits he is currently accepting from foreign states.\"", "This post was originally published on this site\n\nAaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images(WASHINGTON) — A federal appeals court on Wednesday handed President Donald Trump a legal victory, dismissing a lawsuit accusing the president of illegally profiting from his Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C., by accepting money from foreign governments.\n\nThe attorneys general from Maryland and the District of Columbia had brought the case, arguing that the president violated a constitutional clause that prohibits elected officials from doing business with foreign governments without permission from Congress.\n\nBut an appeals court panel ruled the attorneys general lacked standing to bring the lawsuit.\n\nReacting to the decision, President Trump tweeted, “Word just out that I won a big part of the Deep State and Democrat induced Witch Hunt.”\n\nEarlier this year, a federal district court in Maryland had allowed the lawsuit to move forward.\n\nBut on Wednesday, a three-judge panel of the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals criticized the Maryland district court judge’s ruling as “so attenuated and abstract that their prosecution of this case readily provokes the question of whether this action against the President is an appropriate use of the courts.”\n\nThe appeals court decision marks the first legal victory for President Trump as his legal team fights legal challenges on several fronts.\n\nIn a statement on Wednesday, Jay Sekulow, counsel to the president, hailed the appeals court ruling as “a complete victory.”\n\n“The decision states that there was no legal standing to bring this lawsuit in the first place,” Sekulow continued. “This latest effort at Presidential harassment has been dismissed with prejudice.“\n\nEarlier this week, in a separate emoluments case, congressional Democrats began issuing subpoenas as part of the discovery process in their case. Justice Department attorneys representing President Trump asked the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals to intervene and halt the “extraordinary case,” as they called it.", "The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals Wednesday granted President Donald Trump a victory, dismissing a lawsuit brought by the attorneys general of Maryland and the District of Columbia accusing the president of violating the Constitution’s emoluments clause.\n\nAt the center of the lawsuit was whether the president’s continued ownership of his businesses, including a hotel in the nation’s capital, allowed him to make money from foreign and domestic interests in violation of the Constitution.\n• Emoluments Suit Vs. Trump Now Personal As Well As Official\n\nThe three-judge panel voted unanimously in Trump’s favor, saying the District and Maryland lack standing to bring the suit against the president both in his official capacity and as an individual.\n\nThe lawsuit alleged Trump was benefiting and continued to benefit from foreign governments, including Saudi Arabia, Georgia and Kuwait, holding events at the Trump International Hotel, among other properties.\n\nAs a result, the District and Maryland said facilities in which they have a public interest, including the Montgomery County Conference Center, D.C. Armory and Walter E. Washington Convention Center, were at a competitive disadvantage.\n\nThe court rejected claims that governments or groups trying to curry favor with the president would patronize his businesses, saying there was also a possibility that some officials would avoid Trump’s properties because he owned them.\n\n“Even if government officials were patronizing the Hotel to curry the President’s favor, there is no reason to conclude that they would cease doing so were the President enjoined from receiving income from the Hotel,” the court said in its decision.\n\nTrump claimed victory in a pair of tweets late Wednesday morning, calling the suit “ridiculous” and “a big part of the Deep State and Democrat induced Witch Hunt.”\n\n“I don’t make money, but lose a fortune for the honor of serving and doing a great job as your President,” Trump tweeted.\n\nMaryland Attorney General Brian Frosh said he felt the court made the wrong decision, releasing a statement reading:\n\n“We think that this panel of the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals got it wrong. Although the court described a litany of ways in which this case is unique, it failed to acknowledge the most extraordinary circumstance of all: President Trump is brazenly profiting from the Office of the President in ways that no other President in history ever imagined and that the founders expressly sought—in the Constitution—to prohibit. We have not and will not abandon our efforts to hold President Trump accountable for violating the Nation’s original anti-corruption laws. We believe that the federal trial judge correctly decided that the plaintiffs have standing — and that discovery should go forward on President Trump’s receipt of emoluments. All Americans suffer when our chief executive is vulnerable to corrupt foreign influence. The idea that the District of Columbia and Maryland are not harmed by the President’s violation of the Constitution is plain error. We will continue to pursue our legal options to hold him accountable.”", "FILE- This March 11, 2019 file photo, shows the north entrance of the Trump International in Washington D.C. A federal appeals court has ordered the dismissal of a lawsuit accusing President Donald Trump of illegally profiting off the presidency. In a significant legal victory for Trump, a three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday, July 10, 2019, overturned a ruling by a federal judge in Maryland who ruled last year that the lawsuit could move forward. (AP Photo/Mark Tenally, File)\n\nRICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A federal appeals court threw out a lawsuit accusing President Donald Trump of illegally profiting off the presidency through his luxury Washington hotel, handing Trump a significant legal victory Wednesday.\n\nA three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously overturned the ruling of a federal judge in Maryland who said the lawsuit could move forward.\n\nThe state of Maryland and the District of Columbia sued in 2017, claiming Trump has violated the emoluments clause of the Constitution by accepting profits through foreign and domestic officials who stay at the Trump International Hotel. The case is one of three that argue the president is violating the provision, which prohibits federal officials from accepting benefits from foreign or state governments without congressional approval.\n\nIn the case before the 4th Circuit, the court found the two jurisdictions lack standing to pursue their claims against the president, and granted a petition for a rare writ of mandamus, directing U.S. District Court Judge Peter Messitte to dismiss the lawsuit.\n\nTrump heralded the decision in a tweet, saying, “Word just out that I won a big part of the Deep State and Democrat induced Witch Hunt.” Trump tweeted that he doesn’t make money but loses “a fortune” by serving as president.\n\n“We are pleased that the Fourth Circuit unanimously decided to dismiss this extraordinarily flawed case,” Department of Justice spokeswoman Kelly Laco said in a statement.\n\nDuring oral arguments before the panel in March, lawyers for Maryland and the District said Trump’s status as president is a driving factor for foreign and domestic government officials to stay at his hotel.\n\nJust blocks from the White House, the iconic Old Post Office quickly became a hot spot for lobbyists and foreign officials after it reopened in October 2016 as the Trump International Hotel. A public relations firm working for Saudi Arabia spent nearly $270,000 on food and rooms. The Philippine and Kuwaiti embassies have also had parties there.\n\nMaryland and the District claim they have suffered harm because more people would stay at hotels in their jurisdictions if they weren’t eager to curry favor with the president by staying at his hotel.\n\nThe court, however, wrote that Maryland and the District’s “interest in enforcing the Emoluments Clauses is so attenuated and abstract that their prosecution of this case readily provokes the question of whether this action against the President is an appropriate use of the courts.”\n\nTrump’s legal team had argued that Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh and District of Columbia Attorney General Karl Racine — both Democrats — lack authority to sue the president in his official capacity. Trump’s lawyers also argued that the emoluments clause only bars compensation made in connection with services provided in his official capacity or in “an employment-type relationship” with a foreign or domestic government.\n\nThe 4th Circuit’s decision to hear the unusual mid-case appeal put the lawsuit on hold before deadlines to respond to subpoenas issued in December seeking tax returns, receipts and other records from more than 30 entities, including 13 Trump businesses and the federal agency that oversees the lease for Trump’s hotel.\n\nRacine and Frosh said in a joint statement that they would not abandon their efforts.\n\n“Although the court described a litany of ways in which this case is unique, it failed to acknowledge the most extraordinary circumstance of all: President Trump is brazenly profiting from the Office of the President in ways that no other President in history ever imagined and that the founders expressly sought — in the Constitution — to prohibit,” the attorneys general said.\n\nRacine has previously said that if the panel ruled against Maryland and the District, the legal team would seriously consider asking for a rehearing before the full 4th Circuit. He has also said it wouldn’t surprise him if the case ended up in the U.S. Supreme Court.\n\nAll three judges on the panel were nominated by Republican presidents: Paul Niemeyer, by George H.W. Bush; Dennis Shedd, by George W. Bush, and A. Marvin Quattlebaum, by Trump.\n\nA similar case brought by nearly 200 congressional Democrats in the District of Columbia’s federal court also deals with the idea that Trump is using the presidency for his personal profit, but that case is uniquely different in that the Congress is specifically mentioned in the emoluments clause itself. On Monday, the Justice Department petitioned for a writ of mandamus in the D.C. appeals court and asked for a stay on the 37 subpoenas issued in that case.\n\nAssociated Press writers Tami Abdollah in Washington and Sarah Rankin in Richmond, Virginia, contributed to this report.", "President Donald Trump heralded a win over the “Deep State” and the Democrats after a federal appeals court dismissed a case accusing him of violating the Constitution’s emoluments clauses in relation to his Washington, D.C., hotel.\n\n“Word just out that I won a big part of the Deep State and Democrat induced Witch Hunt,” Trump tweeted after the court ruling.\n\n“Unanimous decision in my favor from The United States Court of Appeals For The Fourth Circuit on the ridiculous Emoluments Case. I don’t make money, but lose a fortune for the honor of serving and doing a great job as your President (including accepting Zero salary!).”\n\nThe Democratic attorney generals for the District of Columbia and Maryland brought the case against the president, claiming that earnings from Trump International Hotel violated the Constitution’s prohibitions regarding office holders receiving financial benefits from government entities and officials, either foreign or domestic.\n\nArticle I, Section 9, Clause 8, reads in part, “And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign State.”\n\nAdditionally, Article II, Section 1, Clause 7, provides: “The President … shall not receive within that Period any other Emolument [besides his salary] from the United States, or any of them.”\n\nThe complaint alleged by maintaining ownership of his hotel business, Trump earned “millions of dollars in payments, benefits, and other valuable consideration from foreign governments and persons acting on their behalf, as well as federal agencies and state governments.”\n\nIn a unanimous decision, a three-judge panel with the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that neither the District of Columbia nor the state of Maryland has the standing to bring the suit against Trump.\n\n“The District and Maryland’s interest in enforcing the Emoluments Clauses is so attenuated and abstract that their prosecution of this case readily provokes the question of whether this action against the President is an appropriate use of the courts, which were created to resolve real cases and controversies between the parties,” Judge Paul Niemeyer, who was appointed by George H.W. Bush, wrote in the opinion.\n\nWednesday’s decision by the 4th Circuit halted “dozens of subpoenas issued to Trump’s businesses and government agencies for financial documents” related to Trump International Hotel, Reuters reported.\n\nDistrict of Columbia Attorney General Karl Racine and Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh contended the court made the wrong decision.\n\n“The idea that the District of Columbia and Maryland are not harmed by the President’s violation of the Constitution is plain error,” they said in a joint statement.\n\nRELATED: 2020 Dem Endorses McConnell Challenger, Humiliated When the Replies Start Rolling in\n\n“We will continue to pursue our legal options to hold him accountable.”\n\nTrump’s personal attorney, Jay Sekulow, told Reuters the ruling is a “complete victory” for his client.\n\n“This latest effort at presidential harassment has been dismissed with prejudice,” he said.\n\nSince taking office, Trump has donated his $400,000 yearly salary to various government agencies each quarter.\n\nTrump has given to the departments of Education, Health and Human Services, Transportation, Interior and Veterans Affairs.\n\nWe are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.", "RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A federal appeals court has ordered the dismissal of a lawsuit accusing President Donald Trump of illegally profiting off the presidency.\n\nIn a significant legal victory for Trump, a three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday overturned a ruling by a federal judge in Maryland who said last year the lawsuit could move forward.\n\nMaryland and the District of Columbia sued in 2017, claiming Trump has violated the emoluments clause of the Constitution by accepting profits through foreign and domestic officials who stay at his luxury Washington hotel.\n\nThe 4th Circuit found the two jurisdictions don’t have the standing to pursue their claims against the president.\n\nTrump tweeted Wednesday that he had won “a big part of the Deep State and Democrat induced Witch Hunt.”", "A federal appeals court has ordered the dismissal of a lawsuit accusing President Donald Trump of illegally profiting off the presidency through his luxury Washington hotel, handing Trump a significant legal victory on Wednesday.\n\nA three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously overturned the ruling of a federal judge in Maryland who said the lawsuit could move forward.\n\nThe state of Maryland and the District of Columbia sued in 2017, claiming Trump has violated the emoluments clause of the Constitution by accepting profits through foreign and domestic officials who stay at his luxury Washington hotel. The provision prohibits federal officials from accepting benefits from foreign or state governments without congressional approval.\n\nThe 4th Circuit found the two jurisdictions lack standing to pursue their claims against the president, and granted a petition for a rare writ of mandamus, directing U.S. District Court Judge Peter Messitte to dismiss the lawsuit.\n\nTrump heralded the decision in a tweet, saying, \"Word just out that I won a big part of the Deep State and Democrat induced Witch Hunt.\" Trump tweeted that he doesn't make money but loses \"a fortune\" by serving as president.\n\n\"The decision states that there was no legal standing to bring this lawsuit in the first place,\" Sekulow said a statement. \"This latest effort at Presidential harassment has been dismissed with prejudice.\"\n\nDuring oral arguments before the panel in March, lawyers for Maryland and the District said Trump's status as president is a driving factor for foreign and domestic government officials to stay at his hotel.\n\nJust blocks from the White House, the iconic Old Post Office quickly became a hot spot for lobbyists and foreign officials after it reopened in October 2016 as the Trump International Hotel. A public relations firm working for Saudi Arabia spent nearly $270,000 on food and rooms. The Philippine and Kuwaiti embassies have also had parties there.\n\nMaryland and the District claim they have suffered harm because more people would stay at hotels in their jurisdictions if they weren't eager to curry favor with the president by staying at his hotel.\n\nTrump's legal team argued that Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh and District of Columbia Attorney General Karl Racine - both Democrats - lack authority to sue the president in his official capacity.\n\nTrump's lawyers also argued that the emoluments clause only bars compensation made in connection with services provided in his official capacity or in \"an employment-type relationship\" with a foreign or domestic government.\n\nThe 4th Circuit's decision to hear the unusual mid-case appeal put the lawsuit on hold before deadlines to respond to subpoenas issued in December seeking tax returns, receipts and other records from more than 30 entities, including 13 Trump businesses and the federal agency that oversees the lease for Trump's hotel.\n\nIt appears likely the panel's ruling will not be the end of the case. Racine has said that if the panel ruled against Maryland and the District, the legal team would seriously consider asking for a rehearing before the full 4th Circuit. He also said it wouldn't surprise him if the case ended up in the U.S. Supreme Court.\n\nA spokeswoman for Frosh's office didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Racine's office said a statement would be forthcoming.\n\nAll three judges on the panel were nominated by Republican presidents: Paul Niemeyer, by George H.W. Bush; Dennis Shedd, by George W. Bush, and Judge A. Marvin Quattlebaum, by Trump.\n\nA similar case brought by nearly 200 congressional Democrats in the District of Columbia's federal court also deals with the idea that Trump is using the presidency for his personal profit, but that case is uniquely different in that the Congress is specifically mentioned in the emoluments clause itself. On Monday, the Justice Department petitioned for a writ of mandamus in the D.C. appeals court and asked for a stay on the 37 subpoenas issued in that case.\n\nAssociated Press writers Tami Abdollah in Washington and Sarah Rankin in Richmond, Virginia, contributed to this report.", "July 10 (UPI) -- A federal appeals court on Wednesday dismissed a lawsuit by the attorneys general of Washington, D.C., and Maryland accusing President Donald Trump of violating emoluments clauses.\n\nThe 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the two attorneys general didn't prove their case, which argued that Trump violated the Constitution by accepting money from domestic and foreign governments through his hotels and other businesses.\n\nThe panel also said the attorneys general couldn't show that Trump's ownership of the hotels created competition with other similar businesses like convention centers.\n\n\"The District and Maryland's interest in enforcing the Emoluments Clauses is so attenuated and abstract that their prosecution of this case readily provokes the question of whether this action against the president is an appropriate use of the courts, which were created to resolve real cases and controversies between the parties,\" Judge Paul Niemeyer wrote in the opinion.\n\nThe three-judge panel ordered the lower court to dismiss the lawsuit.\n\nThe suit said the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C., diverts customers away from businesses the District of Columbia and Maryland own, license or tax, causing those governments direct financial harm. The Trump International Hotel competes with convention facilities owned by the city's government, as well as with a resort in Prince George's County that generates tax revenue for Maryland.\n\nThe suit contended it wasn't clear whether Trump is making decisions in the country's best interest or out of \"self-interested motivations grounded in the international and domestic business dealings in which President Trump's personal fortune is at stake.\"\n\nTrump increases business from foreign diplomats and others doing business at his family's hotels and the restaurants, the suit alleged.\n\nThis wasn't the only lawsuit accusing Trump of violating the emoluments clause. A group of some 200 Democrats sued him on similar grounds. On Tuesday, they issued dozens of subpoenas seeking documents from Trump's private businesses."], "summary": "The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit dismisses a lawsuit by the state of Maryland and the District of Columbia against President Donald Trump, citing lack of legal standing in challenging payments to President Trump's private properties by foreign customers."}
{"document": ["Image copyright Katerina Harvati, Eberhard Karls Uni Tüb Image caption Apidima 1 (shown here in a reconstruction) has all the characteristics of a modern human skull\n\nResearchers have found the earliest example of our species (modern humans) outside Africa.\n\nA skull unearthed in Greece has been dated to 210,000 years ago, at a time when Europe was occupied by the Neanderthals.\n\nThe sensational discovery adds to evidence of an earlier migration of people from Africa that left no trace in the DNA of people alive today.\n\nThe findings are published in the journal Nature.\n\n\"It's about five times older than any other evidence of modern humans in Europe. And obviously it's older even than Misliya from Israel (a 150,000-year-old early modern human fossil). The shape of the back of the skull is very modern looking and it's potentially the oldest fossil that shows this modern look to the back of the skull,\" Prof Chris Stringer, from London's Natural History Museum, told BBC News.\n\nThe earliest proposed Homo sapiens, a 300,000-year-old skull from Jebel Irhoud in Morocco, does not show this rounded, high back.\n\nThe latest evidence was uncovered at the site of Apidima Cave in Greece in the 1970s. Two skulls were found; one was very distorted and the other incomplete, however, and it took computed tomography scanning and uranium-series dating to unravel their secrets.\n\nThe more complete skull appears to be a Neanderthal. But the other shows clear characteristics, such as a rounded back to the skull, diagnostic of modern humans.\n\nModern humans left Africa much earlier\n\nWhat's more, the Neanderthal skull was younger.\n\n\"Now our scenario was that there was an early modern group in Greece by 210,000 years ago, perhaps related to comparable populations in the Levant, but it was subsequently replaced by a Neanderthal population (represented by Apidima 2) by about 170,000 years ago,\" said Prof Stringer.\n\nImage caption Apidima 2 appears to be a Neanderthal and is later than the modern human skull\n\nPeople living outside Africa today trace their ancestry to a migration that left the continent 60,000 years ago.\n\nAs these modern humans expanded across Eurasia, they largely replaced other species they encountered, such as the Neanderthals and Denisovans.\n\nBut this wasn't the first migration of modern humans (Homo sapiens) from Africa.\n\nHomo sapiens fossils from Skhul and Qafzeh in Israel were dated in the 1990s to between 90,000 and 125,000 years ago.\n\nThese were viewed as anomalies - a brief foray outside our African homeland that came to very little.\n\nHowever, in recent years, we've come to understand that our species ranged outside Africa even earlier and further than we'd previously believed.\n\nIn the last few years, palaeontologists have discovered modern human fossils from Daoxian and Zhirendong in China dating to between 80,000 and 120,000 years ago.\n\nDNA studies have turned up signs of early interbreeding between African humans and Neanderthals. Evidence from German Neanderthals shows that mixing occurred between 219,000 and 460,000 years ago, although it's not clear if Homo sapiens was involved, or another early African group.\n\n\"The movement of the people into Europe, that was actually was a warm stage - Marine Isotope Stage 7 - when it did warm up. So that may have been a reason why the population was able to expand into Europe at that time,\" said Prof Stringer.\n\n\"Soon afterwards, we get a much colder stage starting. Possibly, climate change was a reason why the group died out and Neanderthals re-established themselves.\"\n\nOn the affinities of the Apidima 1 skull, Prof Stringer says: \"It's obviously only on the parts preserved. We have to be careful, it is only on the back of the skull, the front might have been more primitive, who knows. But going on what we've got it can be diagnosed as a modern human going on the parts preserved.\n\n\"If we're right about it, there must be some more evidence of this population and ones like it, still to be discovered.\"\n\nFollow Paul on Twitter.", "1. Dennell, R. W., Martinón-Torres, M. & Bermúdez de Castro, J. M. Hominin variability, climatic instability and population demography in Middle Pleistocene Europe. Quat. Sci. Rev. 30, 1511–1524 (2011).\n\n2. Tourloukis, V. & Harvati, K. The Palaeolithic record of Greece: a synthesis of the evidence and a research agenda for the future. Quat. Int. 466, 48–65 (2018).\n\n3. Roksandic, M., Radović, P. & Lindal, J. Revising the hypodigm of Homo heidelbergensis: a view from the Eastern Mediterranean. Quat. Int. 466, 66–81 (2018).\n\n4. Pitsios, T. K. Paleoanthropological research at the cave site of Apidima and the surrounding region (South Peloponnese, Greece). Anthropol. Anz. 57, 1–11 (1999).\n\n5. Bartsiokas, A., Arsuaga, J. 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Sci. 20, 169–174 (1993).\n\n25. Hershkovitz, I. et al. The earliest modern humans outside Africa. Science 359, 456–459 (2018).\n\n26. Stringer, C. & Galway-Witham, J. When did modern humans leave Africa? Science 359, 389–390 (2018).\n\n27. Harvati, K., Panagopoulou, E. & Karkanas, P. First Neanderthal remains from Greece: the evidence from Lakonis. J. Hum. Evol. 45, 465–473 (2003).\n\n28. Harvati, K. et al. New Neanderthal remains from Mani peninsula, Southern Greece: the Kalamakia Middle Paleolithic cave site. J. Hum. Evol. 64, 486–499 (2013).\n\n29. Tourloukis, V. et al. New Middle Paleolithic sites from the Mani peninsula, Southern Greece. J. Field Archaeol. 41, 68–83 (2016).\n\n30. Elefanti, P., Panagopoulou, E. & Karkanas, P. The transition from the Middle to the Upper Paleolithic in the Southern Balkans: the evidence from Lakonis 1 Cave, Greece. Eurasian Prehistory 5, 85–95 (2008).\n\n31. Douka, K., Perlès, C., Valladas, H., Vanhaeren, M. & Hedges, R. E. M. Francthi Cave revisited: the age of the Aurignacian in south-eastern Europe. Antiquity 85, 1131–1150 (2011).\n\n32. Lowe, J. et al. Volcanic ash layers illuminate the resilience of Neanderthals and early modern humans to natural hazards. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 109, 13532–13537 (2012).\n\n33. De Lumley, M. A. Les Restes Humains Anténéanderthaliens Apidima 1 et Apidima 2 (CNRS, 2019).\n\n34. Kormasopoulou-Kagalou, L., Protonotariou-Deilaki, E. & Pitsios, T. K. Paleolithic skull burials at the cave of Apidima. Acta Anthropol. 1, 119–124 (1995).\n\n35. Zollikofer, C. P. et al. Virtual cranial reconstruction of Sahelanthropus tchadensis. Nature 434, 755–759 (2005).\n\n36. Gunz, P., Mitteroecker, P., Neubauer, S., Weber, G. W. & Bookstein, F. L. Principles for the virtual reconstruction of hominin crania. J. Hum. Evol. 57, 48–62 (2009).\n\n37. Harvati, K., Hublin, J.-J. & Gunz, P. Evolution of middle–late Pleistocene human cranio-facial form: a 3-D approach. J. Hum. Evol. 59, 445–464 (2010).\n\n38. Harvati, K., Gunz, P. & Grigorescu, D. Cioclovina (Romania): affinities of an early modern European. J. Hum. Evol. 53, 732–746 (2007).\n\n39. Slice, D. E. Morpheus et al., Java Edition. http://morphlab.sc.fsu.edu/ (The Florida State University, 2013).\n\n40. Mardia, K. V., Bookstein, F. L. & Moreton, I. J. Statistical assessment of bilateral symmetry of shapes. Biometrika 87, 285–300 (2000).\n\n41. R Development Core Team. R: A Language and Environment for Statistical Computing. http://www.R-project.org/ (R Foundation for Statistical Computing, 2008).\n\n42. Claude, J. Morphometrics with R (Springer Science & Business Media, 2008).\n\n43. Schlager, S. in Statistical Shape and Deformation Analysis (eds Zheng, G. et al.) 217−256 (Academic, 2017).\n\n44. Bookstein, F. L. Landmark methods for forms without landmarks: morphometrics of group differences in outline shape. Med. Image Anal. 1, 225–243 (1997).\n\n45. O’Higgins, P. & Jones, N. Morphologika: Tools for Shape Analysis. Version 2.2 https://sites.google.com/site/hymsfme/resources (Hull York Medical School, 2006).\n\n46. Hammer, Ø., Harper, D. A. T. & Ryan, P. D. PAST: paleontological statistics software package for education and data analysis. Palaeontol. Electronica 4, 1–9 (2001).\n\n47. Field, A. Discovering Statistics using SPSS (Sage, 2013).", "Two skulls found in a Grecian cave paint a surprising portrait of who lived there hundreds of thousands of years ago. One fragmentary skull has been dated to 210,000 years ago, and researchers believe that it is the earliest evidence of modern humans living in Eurasia, according to a new study. The other, more complete skull belonged to a Neanderthal who lived 170,000 years ago.\n\nFinding both in the same cave illustrates that multiple early migrations out of Africa, rather than a single event, helped early humans spread, according to the researchers. Southeast Europe is considered to be one of those major migration corridors out of Africa.\n\nThe study was published in the journal Nature on Wednesday.\n\nBoth skulls were found in a block of breccia, or broken fragments of rock and fossil cemented together, wedged high between the walls of the Apidima Cave in southern Greece. The skulls were discovered in 1978, when the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens was conducting research.\n\nThe breccia was dated to between 100,000 and 190,000 years old at the time. The skulls were not removed from the breccia and remained at the museum. Given the fragmentary nature of the skulls, they were difficult to remove and clean, though that eventually happened in the 1990s.\n\nApidima 1 was in pieces, and Apidima 2, the most complete skull belonging to the Neanderthal, was distorted. At the time, researchers focused on the latter. It had all of the characteristics of a Neanderthal, like a thick and rounded brow ridge.\n\nResearcher Katerina Harvati and her colleagues, who focus on reevaluating the existing fossil record with cutting-edge dating techniques, were invited to study the Apidima fossils.\n\nThey scanned the fossils and created 3D reconstructions of them. The shape of each skull was compared with those of other species from the fossil record.\n\nApidima 2, which is essentially just the facial region of a skull without the lower jaw, matched yet again as a Neanderthal skull, despite its distortion.\n\nApidima 1, just the back of a skull, was fragmented but not distorted, so the researchers were able to use mirroring to re-create it.\n\nThe researchers were surprised to find all of the signatures of an early member of the Homo sapiens family in the Apidima 1 skull. The rounded back is just like a modern human's; Neanderthals have a bulge at the back of the skull that almost resembles a hair bun.\n\nThe oldest known fossils of early humans were found at Jebel Irhoud in Morocco, dating to 315,000 years ago. But the Jebel Irhoud fossils display more primitive features than Apidima 1.\n\nApidima 1 is now the oldest known European modern human fossil, 160,000 years older than previous discoveries.\n\nThe researchers also used uranium-series dating to determine the ages of each skull, putting Apidima 1 at 210,000 years old and Apidima 2 at 170,000 years old. Previously, it had been assumed they would both be the same age, given that they were found in the same breccia and only the breccia was initially dated.\n\nBut the cave system where they were found allowed for the remains of humans and animals from different time periods to accumulate.\n\nThe cave is reachable only by water now. At the time when modern humans and Neanderthals lived there separately, sea levels were lower. The cave overlooked a coastal plain that was probably perfect for hunting, while the cave itself provided shelter. Southern Greece would have been attractive during glacial times, offering a milder climate, the researchers said.\n\nGiven the fact that the modern human skull is older than the Neanderthal skull, which was unexpected, researchers believe that a group of modern humans lived in the area but didn't thrive. Climactic events or competition from Neanderthals caused them to die off, leaving no genetic trace behind in the population. Without further evidence, it's difficult to know what happened to them.\n\nThen, Neanderthals lived in the area. And about 40,000 years ago, the last of the Neanderthals died off, and modern humans thrived.\n\nPrevious discoveries of early modern human fossils in Israel, dated between 90,000 and 194,000 years ago, could also represent populations that failed to thrive after leaving Africa.\n\nMany questions remain for the researchers. They want to know the underlying cause for the early migrations, if there were technological advancements that allowed for those migrations and why some of the modern human populations didn't persist in the areas where they migrated.\n\nThey were also unable to recover DNA from the skulls but will analyze ancient proteins that could be preserved in the fossil, a method known as palaeoproteomics.", "Researchers have claimed that a broken skull found from a cave in Greece is the oldest modern human fossil ever found outside Africa, The Guardian reported.\n\nThe partial skull was discovered in the Apidima cave on the Mani peninsula in southern Greece and is estimated to be at least 2,10,000 years old, becoming the oldest known modern human fossil in Europe.\n\nA second skull found in the Grecian cave belonged to a Neanderthal who lived 1,70,000 years ago, according to a new study published in Nature. Researchers believe that finding both skulls in the same cave illustrate that early humans migrated in multiple stages out of Africa rather than a single event, CNN reported. Southeast Europe is considered to be a major migration corridor out of Africa.\n\n“Our results indicate that an early dispersal of Homo sapiens out of Africa occurred earlier than previously believed, before 2,00,000 years ago,” said Katerina Harvati, the director of paleoanthropology at the University of Tübingen in Germany. “We’re seeing evidence for human dispersals that are not just limited to one major exodus out of Africa.” Harvati is among the authors of the study.\n\nThe skulls were discovered in 1978 when the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens was conducting research, according to CNN. They were found in a block of broken fragments of rock and fossil cemented together and wedged between the walls of the Apidima Cave.\n\nThe skulls were stored in a museum in Athens, but received little attention as they were damaged and incomplete. The second skull, which retains a face, was studied the most and identified as Neanderthal, according to The Guardian. The first skull, consisting only of the back of the skull, was largely ignored,\n\nHarvati and her colleagues took CT scans of the fossils and created virtual 3D reconstructions. The models were then compared with skulls from various ancient Homo sapiens, Neanderthals and modern humans. The researchers found that the partial skull closely matched that of a modern human.", "A 210,000-year-old human skull could provide new evidence that our species left Africa much earlier than previously thought. A new study published in Nature of two fossils found in Greece in the 1970s shows that one of them is the oldest Homo sapiens specimen ever found outside Africa by more than 50,000 years.\n\nThis exciting discovery adds to a list of recent finds that shows the story of humanity's spread across the world and interaction with other related species is much more complicated than we once thought.\n\nThe human skull was one of two cranial fossils found in Apidima Cave, one of a series of cave sites along the southwestern coast of the Peloponnese in Greece. The first, known as Apidima 1, comprised half of the rear of a skull case. Apidima 2 was a largely complete skull with a clear face, but had been heavily distorted during the fossilisation process.\n\nBoth were initially identified as Neanderthals and, as uncontroversial specimens, disappeared into the general table of fossils from humans and their closest extinct relatives (hominins).\n\nBut the recent study from a multinational team led by Katerina Harvati reconstructed the specimens digitally and dated them by measuring their radioactive decay. \"Geometric-morphometric\" analysis allowed the researchers to reverse model the distortions of Apidima 2 to estimate what it would have originally looked like. This confirmed it was an early Neanderthal dating from around 150,000 years ago.\n\nThey also digitally recreated what the whole of the Apidima 1 skull would have looked like and realised it was more likely a modern human (Homo sapiens), dating it to 210,000 years ago.\n\nHuman evolution is often thought of as a linear story of new species developing and replacing older, simpler ones. This narrative originally said that modern humans in the southern cape of Africa developed a suite of original ways of thinking and communicating approximately 80,000 years ago.\n\nThey dispersed out of Africa and across the world, sweeping all before them from about 70,000 years ago, leading to the demise of Neanderthals in Europe around 40,000 years ago.\n\nBut this narrative has grown ever more difficult to sustain because of a range of new fossil discoveries, improvements in their dating and genetic evidence. We now know that modern humans have existed for at least 300,000 years, thanks to a fossil from the site of Jebel Irhoud in Morocco. But they didn't form a single population with a coherent pattern of behaviour before they left the continent.\n\nSpecimens from sites in the Levant (modern day Israel, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan) suggest the first wave of modern humans out of Africa were replaced by Neanderthals, before the final, more successful human migration later on.\n\nIn southern Africa, modern humans were alive at the same time as a much smaller and seemingly more primitive species called Homo naledi. Genetic evidence from Siberia and recently Tibet has identified a new hominin species – the Denisovans – that shared a history of interbreeding and interaction with Neanderthals. And the presence of Neanderthal DNA in our own genomes shows they also bred with our species.\n\nThe new data from Apidima further extends this complex picture of modern human dispersal and interaction with other hominin species. For example, the earlier human skull came from a time when the surrounding environment was warmer and wetter than the cold and arid conditions the later Neanderthal specimen would have lived in.\n\nThis emphasises that our explanations for population dispersals need to take into account the context of major environmental change and the opportunities and challenges that went with it.\n\nOur traditional narratives and implicit assumptions of the evolutionary history of modern humans are well and truly broken. The ever-increasing complexity of the evidence we now have means there is no simple reason for hominin dispersal or replacement.\n\nWe now need a renewed emphasis on the archaeological evidence to understand and compare what hominins were actually doing in the landscapes where we find their remains. This will enable us to explore the nature of their interactions and not just narrate their consequences.\n\nAnthony Sinclair is Professor of Archaeological Theory and Method at the University of Liverpool. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.", "A 210,000-year-old skull has been identified as the earliest modern human remains found outside Africa, putting the clock back on mankind’s arrival in Europe by more than 150,000 years, researchers said.\n\nIn a startling discovery that changes our understanding of how modern man populated Eurasia, the findings support the idea that Homo sapiens made several, sometimes unsuccessful migrations from Africa over tens of thousands of years.\n\nSoutheast Europe has long been considered a major transport corridor for modern humans from Africa. But until now the earliest evidence of Homo sapiens on the continent dated back only around 50,000 years.\n\nThere has however been a number of discoveries indicating the ancient presence of Neanderthals — an early human cousin — across the continent.\n\nTwo fossilised but badly damaged skulls unearthed in a Greek cave in the 1970s were identified as Neanderthal at the time.\n\nIn findings presented in the journal Nature, an international team of researchers used state-of-the art computer modelling and uranium dating to re-examine the two skulls.\n\nOne of them, named Apidima 2 after the cave in which the pair were found, proved to be 170,000 years old and did indeed belong to a Neanderthal.\n\nBut, to the shock of scientists, the skull named Apidima 1 predated Apidima 2 by as much as 40,000 years, and was determined to be that of a Homo sapiens.\n\nThat makes the skull by far the oldest modern human remains ever discovered on the continent, and older than any known Homo sapiens specimen outside of Africa.\n\n“It shows that the early dispersal of Homo sapiens out of Africa not only occurred earlier, before 200,000 years ago, but also reached further geographically, all the way to Europe,” Katerina Harvati, a palaeoanthropologist at the Eberhard Karls University of Tuebingen, Germany, told AFP.\n\n“This is something that we did not suspect before, and which has implications for the population movements of these ancient groups.” Apidima 1 lacked classic features associated with Neanderthal skulls, including the distinctive bulge at the back of the head, shaped like hair tied in a bun.\n\nHominins — a subset of great apes that includes Homo sapiens and Neanderthals — are believed to have emerged in Africa more than six million years ago. They left the continent in several migration waves starting about two million years ago.\n\nThe oldest known African fossil attributed to a member of the Homo family is a 2.8 million-year-old jawbone from Ethiopia.\n\nHomo sapiens replaced Neanderthals across Europe for good around 45,000-35,000 years ago, in what was long considered a gradual takeover of the continent involving millennia of coexistence and even interbreeding.\n\nBut the skull discovery in Greece suggests that Homo sapiens undertook the migration from Africa to southern Europe on “more than one occasion”, according to Eric Delson, a professor of anthropology at City University of New York.\n\n“Rather than a single exit of hominins from Africa to populate Eurasia, there must have been several dispersals, some of which did not result in permanent occupations,” said Delson, who was not involved in the Nature study.\n\nHarvati said advances in dating and genetics technology could continue to shape our understanding of how our prehistoric ancestors spread throughout the world.\n\n“I think recent advances in palaeoanthropology have shown that the field is still full of surprises,” she said.", "Our ancestors migrated to Europe some 150,000 years earlier than we thought.\n\nRecent analysis of a Homo sapiens skull, discovered decades ago in Greece, dates the cranium to about 210,000 years ago.\n\nWhich makes it the earliest modern human known outside Africa.\n\nA pair of partial skulls uncovered from Apidima Cave in southern Greece in 1978 were initially believed to be at least 160,000 years old.\n\nNamed Apidima 1 and Apidima 2, the fragments were reportedly wedged so high between two walls that they lacked any context to make dating more accurate.\n\nFour decades of doubt later, a new international team of researchers took matters into their own hands—er, labs.\n\nBased on the skull shapes alone, it is clear there are significant differences: Apidima 2 is more complete and shows similarities to Neanderthals, while Apidima 1 is reminiscent of modern human fossils.\n\n“When we submitted the first draft of our paper for possible publication, the reviewers were naturally skeptical,” Chris Stringer, a merit researcher at London’s Natural History Museum, said in a statement. “So we conducted further analyses and dating work, which produced even more surprises.”\n\nNew dating of the Neanderthal-esque Apidima 2 fell in line with previous estimates: about 170,000 years old.\n\nApidima 1, however, appears to belong to a much earlier time frame: at least 210,000 years ago.\n\n“Our results suggest that at least two groups of people lived in the Middle Pleistocene in what is now southern Greece: an early population of Homo sapiens and, later, a group of Neanderthals,” lead study author Katerina Harvati, from the Senckenberg Center for Human Evolution and Paleoenvironment at the University of Tübingen in Germany, explained.\n\nMoving forward, researchers will continue studying Apidima material, excavated in the 1970s and ’80s by the Museum of Anthropology of the Medical School of the University of Athens.\n\nThis discovery could change the course of history altogether.\n\n“If these latest analyses are correct, H. sapiens entered Europe over 150,000 years earlier than we thought,” Stringer said, “raising a whole new range of questions and possibilities, including where they came from and what happened to them.”\n\nA full study was published this week in the journal Nature.\n• None New Species of Ancient Human Discovered in Philippine Cave", "In the late 1970s, two fossilized human crania were discovered in the Apidima cave in southern Greece. Researchers were somewhat befuddled by the remains; they were incomplete and distorted, for one, and had been found without any archaeological context, like stone tools. But because the skulls had been encased in a single block of stone, experts assumed they were the same age and of the same species—possibly Neanderthals.\n\nNow, a bombshell study published in Nature posits that one of the crania, dubbed “Apidima 1,” in fact belonged to an early modern human that lived 210,000 years ago. The report has been met with skepticism by some experts, but if its conclusions are correct, Apidima 1 represents the oldest Homo sapiens fossil in Europe by some 160,000 years.\n\nFor the past 40-odd years, Apidima 1 and the other cranium, “Apidima 2,” have been held at the University of Athen’s Museum of Anthropology. Scientists there recently reached out to Katerina Harvati, director of paleoanthropology at the Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, to see if she would be interested in taking a fresh look at the skulls, reports Maya Wei-Haas of National Geographic.\n\nHarvati and a team of colleagues analyzed the remains using cutting-edge techniques. First, they CT-scanned both fossils and generated 3D reconstructions in an attempt to get a better picture of what the skulls looked like. Though it had been badly damaged over the centuries, Apidima 2 is the more complete fossil; it includes the facial region, and the new models affirmed previous research indicating that the specimen belonged to a Neanderthal. Apidima 1 consists of just the back of the crania, but the team’s reconstructions and analyses revealed something surprising: the fossil’s features were consistent not with those of Neanderthals, but with those of modern humans.\n\nTellingly, the Apidima 1 fossil lacks a “chignon,” the distinctive bulge at the back of the skull that is characteristic of Neanderthals. The posterior of the skull is also rounded, which “is considered to be a uniquely modern human feature that evolved relatively late,” Harvati tells Ed Yong of the Atlantic. And when the team dated the fossils by analyzing the radioactive decay of trace uranium in the specimens, they got another shock. Apidima 2 was found to be around 170,000 years old, which is consistent with the age of other Neanderthal fossils in Europe. But Apidima 1 was dated to 210,000 years ago, making it by far the oldest Homo sapiens fossil found on the continent.\n\n“I couldn’t believe it at first,” Harvati tells Yong, “but all the analyses we conducted gave the same result.”\n\nThis discovery may add a wrinkle to the commonly accepted timeline of modern humans’ dispersal from Africa and arrival in Europe. It is widely accepted that our species evolved in Africa—the oldest known Homo sapiens fossils were found in Morocco and date back 315,000 years ago—and first ventured out of the continent between 70,000 and 60,000 years ago. All the while, Neanderthals were evolving in Europe, genetically isolated from other hominid species. Homo sapiens are thought to have arrived on the scene around 45,000 years ago, interbreeding with Neanderthals and eventually emerging as the dominant species.\n\nBut the authors of the new study contend that their findings “support multiple dispersals of early modern humans out of Africa.” Given that no similarly old human fossils have been found in Europe, it is possible that Apidima 1 belonged to a population that could not compete with the continent’s resident Neanderthals, paleoanthropologist Eric Delson writes in a Nature article about the new paper. “Perhaps one or more times, the two species replaced each other as the main hominin group present in this region,” Delson adds.\n\nThere have been signs that other “failed” human groups were migrating out of Africa at a relatively early date. Last year, for instance, researchers announced the discovery of a 175,000 year old jawbone in Israel, which appeared to belong to a member of Homo sapiens. At the time, the specimen was hailed as “by far the oldest human fossil ever uncovered outside Africa.” Apidima 1 is even older, and “indicates that early modern humans dispersed out of Africa starting much earlier, and reaching much further, than previously thought,” the study authors write.\n\nBut not all experts are convinced. Melanie Lee Chang, an evolutionary biologist at Portland State University, tells Joel Achenbach of the Washington Post that Apidima 1 is an “outlier,” and that she is “not willing to sign on to all of [the researchers’] conclusions here.” And Juan Luis Arsuaga, a paleoanthropologist from the University of Madrid, tells National Goegraphic’s Wei-Haas that he is “astonished” by the team’s interpretation of the fossils. Arsuaga was part of a 2017 study that dated Apidima 2 to approximately 160,000 years ago.\n\n“I cannot see anything suggesting that [Apidima 1] belongs to the sapiens lineage,” he says.\n\nEven Chris Stringer, a co-author of the study and paleoanthropologist at London’s Natural History Museum, acknowledges in an email to Achenbach that the paper represents “challenging new find.”\n\n“We don’t have the frontal bone, browridge, face, teeth or chin region, any of which could have been less ‘modern’ in form,” Stringer says, though he notes that Apidima 1 “certainly shows the high and rounded back to the skull that is typical only of H. sapiens.”\n\nDNA analysis would certainly lend some clarity to this debate, but it isn’t always possible to extract DNA from ancient, decaying specimens. According to Delson, palaeoproteomics, or the analysis of ancient proteins preserved in fossils, might be the next best option; this technique was recently used to identify a fossil from a Siberian cave as belonging to a Denisovan.\n\n“Proteins are composed of a sequence of amino acids, and this sequence is coded for in the genome,” Frido Welker, the author of that study explained at the time. “[A]ncient proteins survive longer than DNA, making them a suitable molecular alternative for evolutionary analyses in cases where ancient DNA does not survive.”\n\nBut for now, Delson maintains, studies like the one by Harvati and her team “provide our best handle on the complex history of our species and our close relatives as these populations dispersed out of Africa—from the early, unsuccessful dispersals to the migrations that eventually succeeded.”", "A few fossilized bones from the back of a skull may prove that our species spread into Eurasia much earlier than previously suspected. A new study of the partial skull, which was excavated from Apidima Cave in southern Greece 40 years ago, suggests that the fossil is Homo sapiens and that it’s roughly 210,000 years old. That makes it the oldest member of our species ever found outside of Africa.\n\nThe fossil, known as Apidima 1, is likely the remains of a member of an early wave of humans who spread into Eurasia. Based on genetic studies and the fossil record, anthropologists think these early pioneers failed to gain a successful foothold and ended up being replaced by Neanderthals (for a while, at least).\n\nA new look at an old skull\n\nArchaeologists excavating Apidima Cave in the 1970s found the partial skull lodged in a chunk of breccia, just a few centimeters away from a broken and distorted Neanderthal skull called Apidima 2, which dated to 170,000 years old. For decades, archaeologists assumed Apidima 1 was a Neanderthal, too. But Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen paleoanthropologist Katerina Harvati and her colleagues recently took a second look at Apidima 1. The partial skull included just the right pieces of bone to reveal something important: the skull was rounded at the back—a feature that’s unique to Homo sapiens.\n\nAnd according to uranium-series dating, the skull could be as much as 210,000 years old. That’s a few thousand years older than Misliya-1, the previous holder of the Oldest Human Outside Africa title (at 194,000 to 177,000 years old). It fits pretty well with the growing pile of evidence that the earliest humans (like many of our hominin relatives) spread farther and faster than anthropologists have previously given them credit for.\n\n“We never imagined anything like this for this area, but in hindsight, it's not actually a very surprising result,” said Harvati. Evidence of Homo sapiens in Israel dates to at least 177,000 years ago, and southeastern Europe was probably an important route from the Levant into Europe and parts of Asia. “It’s not actually so unimaginable that some of these populations would have expanded their range to reach southeast Europe,” said Harvati.\n\nHarvati and her colleagues CT scanned the bone so they could digitally reconstruct the broken, distorted pieces of skull, then performed statistical analysis of how its dimensions and shape compared to other fossil skulls from humans, Neanderthals, and even older hominins. Consistently, the analysis suggested that Apidima 1 was human.\n\nBut that’s not to say there won’t be some debate, especially about the fossil’s age. Most calcium carbonate rocks, minerals that precipitate out of flowing water, also contain some uranium. By looking at the ratios of uranium isotopes in a rock or fossil, geochemists can date when it formed. In this case, Harvati and her colleagues came up with several potential dates, some of which are much earlier than 210,000 years ago. Geochemist Rainer Grün of Griffith University says that those earlier dates are probably the product of uranium from the breccia deposit—where the partial skull ended up after being washed through the cave sometime after death—leaching into the fossil bone over time.\n\nIt’s pretty common for paleoanthropologists to re-analyze, re-date, and argue about fossils, especially when they’re the centerpiece of a superlative claim like this one. Although Apidima 1 isn’t that much older than Misliya-1, it’s the oldest Homo sapiens fossil in Europe by a margin of about 150,000 years, and that’s a significant claim. It’s probably reasonable to expect to hear more about Apidima 1 in the future, one way or another.\n\n“It's a fantastic coincidence that you have two skulls together, 30cm (11.8 inches) apart,” said Grün. “In all of Greece, you have one more skull—that’s it—in that timeframe. It's a wonder of nature that you find the two together.” The human and the Neanderthal probably died around 40,000 years apart, in different places in the labyrinthine Apidima cave system. At some point, water flowing through the cave washed both skulls down into the same chamber. The uranium isotope ratios in Apidima 1 were different from the surrounding rock, suggesting that they started out in different places and formed at different times. The Neanderthal’s signature, meanwhile, was more similar to the surrounding breccia.\n\nThe result may offer an uncanny fossil snapshot of our complicated history with the Neanderthals. Genetic studies of Neanderthal DNA have suggested that those living in Europe sometime after 270,000 years ago met early waves of human migrants. Those encounters left traces of human alleles in Neanderthal genomes, in the same way that Neanderthals, in turn, left traces in our modern genomes. Harvati says that Apidima 1 may be part of that long-lost group of humans who mingled with Neanderthals and then, apparently, disappeared.\n\nGenetic evidence suggests that non-African populations today all descend from the wave of humans who dispersed into the rest of the world between 70,000 and 50,000 years ago. Older waves of dispersal, humans who left tools and bones at sites like Misliya, Qafzeh, and Skhul Caves in Israel, seem to have faded away without leaving descendants behind. And at several of those sites in Israel, the fossil record contains Homo sapiens remains in earlier layers, followed by Neanderthals in later ones. That suggests that somehow, Neanderthals temporarily replaced humans living in the area. Something similar likely happened to the first wave (or waves) of humans in Europe, as well.\n\n“I would suspect that these were relatively small populations that made it all the way to Greece—for example, probably smaller than the source population in Israel, and of course ultimately from Africa,” said Harvati. Smaller groups would have been more vulnerable to local extinction. The first Homo sapiens may have arrived in the Levant and Europe to find Neanderthals already living there, and they co-existed for awhile before somehow dying out. Or perhaps the humans moved into unoccupied territory, only to later be edged out or absorbed by groups of Neanderthals migrating into the same region.\n\nBut for now, paleoanthropologists don’t know exactly what transpired between the two species, or why—just as they don’t know exactly why the Neanderthals went extinct around 40,000 years ago. They need more evidence to tackle those questions and to understand exactly when, where, and why our species began to explore the world outside Africa. That means looking for more fossils, of course, but it also means prying more information out of the fossil record that’s already sitting in museums and university collections.\n\n“I think the questions that will be asked now are what caused this early dispersal? What enabled it in terms of land bridges or particular routes of dispersal? Were there any technological advances that enabled such a far geographic intrusion into Europe?” said Harvati. “And also why did they die out?”\n\nHarvati and her colleagues plan to try to find ancient DNA and proteins in the skulls from Apidima Cave, though she admits she’s not optimistic because the fossils are so old and the site is in such a warm region. Heat seldom bodes well for DNA preservation.\n\nMeanwhile, Greece, like much of southeastern Europe, hasn’t exactly been a hotspot for paleoanthropology—despite its geographic importance. That’s mostly because archaeology in the region has been more focused on much later periods of human history. Paleoanthropology has started to get more attention in recent years, though, and that may eventually yield more finds like Apidima 1.\n\n“We did not suspect this, so it's possible that we will find [early human fossils] also elsewhere. It's possible that they reached further than we thought before,” said Harvati. We can only answer this by finding more evidence.”", "There is a lot we don’t know about human history. Where did we come from? Who did we come from? And how did we get to where we are now? Well, we may have some answers — or, at least, more specific questions — as scientists have identified the oldest human remains outside of Africa known to modern science. The finding may shift the story of prehistoric humans.\n\nIn the 1970s, scientists uncovered a fragment of a skull fossil in a cave in Greece. Thanks to modern dating technology, researchers have now been able to put a timestamp on this fossil. This new skull is 210,000 years old. For context, the earliest evidence of homo sapiens was 50,000 years ago in Southeast Europe, making this new skull fossil more than four times older than previous evidence suggested. Here’s where things get a little confusing. (As if understanding how we can date a piece of a fragment of a fossil hundreds of thousands of years ago weren’t confusing enough...but I digress.)\n\nThe research, published in the scientific journal Nature, found two different types of skull fragments, which they call Apidima 1 and Apidima 2 in their study. “Apidima 2 dates to more than 170 thousand years ago and has a Neanderthal-like morphological pattern,” the study explains. “By contrast, Apidima 1 dates to more than 210 thousand years ago and presents a mixture of modern human and primitive features.”\n\nIn other words, the finding suggests there was a more modern Homo sapien population that existed before a more prehistoric Neanderthal population.\n\n“Our findings support multiple dispersals of early modern humans out of Africa, and highlight the complex demographic processes that characterized Pleistocene human evolution and modern human presence in southeast Europe,” the study continues. Apidima 2, the Neanderthal, was discovered to be older than the previous estimate. The same was true of Apidima 1, the Homo sapiens skull, as researchers realized it was actually more than 40,000 years older than Apidima 2.\n\nOne of the identifying features of Neanderthals and extinct human relatives like them is a skull that bulgest outward in the back. “It looks like when you put your hair up in a bun,” Dr. Katerina Harvati, lead study author of Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen, told the New York Times.\n\nHomo sapiens and more modern human ancestors, however, have a more rounded back of the skull. After digitally rebuilding the skull from the fragment that was found in the ‘70s, researchers realized the back of Apidima 1’s skull was round.\n\n“It is very exciting!” Dr. Harvati told National Geographic. “It is gratifying to see that my hypotheses about the importance of the region for human evolution are supported by our findings.”\n\nThis is also exciting for hair history: man buns come and go. Hair fashion is a flat circle.\n\n“As with any challenging new find, the appropriate initial reaction should be a healthy skepticism, even when my own name is on the paper,” study author Chris Stringer said in a tweet. For example, researcher don’t have the parts of the skull like the frontal bone, brow ridge, teeth, or chin region, which Stringer notes could have been “less ‘modern’ in form.” Stringer continues, “However, we tested the reconstruction in various ways, and we have compared it with a large range of other human fossils, to increase the resolving power of our analyses.”\n\nThis new research poses a lot of questions about where early human descendants migrated from. Dr. Harvati, lead author of the new study, told the Times said that “it’s impossible to say how long the earliest Europeans endured on the Continent, or why they disappeared.”\n\n“It’s a very good question, and I have no idea,” Dr. Harvati said. “I mean, this is the first time that we’ve found them.” Here's hoping we find another fragment that adds a piece to the ever-growing puzzle that is human history."], "summary": "Paleoanthropologists announce, through the Nature journal, that a human skull (Apidima 1) discovered inside a cave in Greece, is dated to 210,000 years ago, making it the oldest known Homo sapiens individual found outside of Africa."}
{"document": ["New Zealand reached their second successive World Cup final after dramatically toppling India by 18 runs, Ravindra Jadeja’s swashbuckling 77 from 59 balls coming in a losing cause.\n\nStar batsmen Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli had misfired at Old Trafford, India’s top three making just one apiece, as they lurched to 24 for four and then 92 for six chasing 240 on the reserve day of this semi-final.\n\nJadeja’s pyrotechnics gave India a fleeting hope but he departed with 32 required off 13 balls before Mahendra Singh Dhoni was run out for 50 from 72 deliveries as the Asian giants were skittled for 221 from 49.3 overs.\n\nWe’ll tell you what’s true. You can form your own view. From 15p €0.18 $0.18 USD 0.27 a day, more exclusives, analysis and extras.\n\nThe Kiwis will therefore face England or Australia in Sunday’s showpiece at Lord’s after successfully defending 239 for eight, their watchful approach on Tuesday vindicated following India’s struggles.\n\nRoss Taylor top-scored with 74 from 90 balls as the Black Caps added 28 runs in the remaining 3.5 overs of their innings, deferred until Wednesday morning because of persistent rain on Tuesday afternoon.\n\nShape Created with Sketch. Cricket World Cup best pictures Show all 25 left Created with Sketch. right Created with Sketch. Shape Created with Sketch. Cricket World Cup best pictures 1/25 Cricket World Cup best pictures AFP/Getty Images 2/25 Cricket World Cup best pictures AFP/Getty Images 3/25 Cricket World Cup best pictures Getty Images 4/25 Cricket World Cup best pictures AFP/Getty Images 5/25 Cricket World Cup best pictures AFP/Getty Images 6/25 Cricket World Cup best pictures AFP/Getty Images 7/25 Cricket World Cup best pictures AFP/Getty Images 8/25 Cricket World Cup best pictures AFP/Getty Images 9/25 Cricket World Cup best pictures AFP/Getty Images 10/25 Cricket World Cup best pictures AFP/Getty Images 11/25 Cricket World Cup best pictures AFP/Getty Images 12/25 Cricket World Cup best pictures AFP/Getty Images 13/25 Cricket World Cup best pictures AFP/Getty Images 14/25 Cricket World Cup best pictures AFP/Getty Images 15/25 Cricket World Cup best pictures AFP/Getty Images 16/25 Cricket World Cup best pictures AFP/Getty Images 17/25 Cricket World Cup best pictures AFP/Getty Images 18/25 Cricket World Cup best pictures AFP/Getty Images 19/25 Cricket World Cup best pictures AFP/Getty Images 20/25 Cricket World Cup best pictures Getty Images 21/25 Cricket World Cup best pictures Getty Images 22/25 Cricket World Cup best pictures Getty Images 23/25 Cricket World Cup best pictures Getty Images 24/25 Cricket World Cup best pictures Getty Images 25/25 Cricket World Cup best pictures PA 1/25 Cricket World Cup best pictures AFP/Getty Images 2/25 Cricket World Cup best pictures AFP/Getty Images 3/25 Cricket World Cup best pictures Getty Images 4/25 Cricket World Cup best pictures AFP/Getty Images 5/25 Cricket World Cup best pictures AFP/Getty Images 6/25 Cricket World Cup best pictures AFP/Getty Images 7/25 Cricket World Cup best pictures AFP/Getty Images 8/25 Cricket World Cup best pictures AFP/Getty Images 9/25 Cricket World Cup best pictures AFP/Getty Images 10/25 Cricket World Cup best pictures AFP/Getty Images 11/25 Cricket World Cup best pictures AFP/Getty Images 12/25 Cricket World Cup best pictures AFP/Getty Images 13/25 Cricket World Cup best pictures AFP/Getty Images 14/25 Cricket World Cup best pictures AFP/Getty Images 15/25 Cricket World Cup best pictures AFP/Getty Images 16/25 Cricket World Cup best pictures AFP/Getty Images 17/25 Cricket World Cup best pictures AFP/Getty Images 18/25 Cricket World Cup best pictures AFP/Getty Images 19/25 Cricket World Cup best pictures AFP/Getty Images 20/25 Cricket World Cup best pictures Getty Images 21/25 Cricket World Cup best pictures Getty Images 22/25 Cricket World Cup best pictures Getty Images 23/25 Cricket World Cup best pictures Getty Images 24/25 Cricket World Cup best pictures Getty Images 25/25 Cricket World Cup best pictures PA\n\nIndia made an abject start to their reply, losing three wickets in the space of 11 balls, including the prize scalps of Rohit and Kohli, who had contributed in excess of 1,000 runs in the group stage.\n\nJadeja, batting for the first time in the tournament, put on a World Cup record 116 for the seventh wicket alongside the more subdued Dhoni, who was content to defer the big-hitting responsibilities to his junior partner.\n\nJadeja obliged, clubbing four fours and as many sixes, before holing out to long-off off Trent Boult and though Dhoni attempted to up the ante, the veteran was run out following a direct hit from Martin Guptill in the penultimate over as India’s hopes vanished.\n\nPA", "New Zealand captain Kane Williamson won the toss and opted to bat against India in the first World Cup semi-final at Old Trafford on Tuesday.\n\nAll of the five previous matches in the tournament played on the Manchester ground have been won by the side batting first but the overcast conditions promised to assist India's pacemen.\n\n\"We're going to bat,\" said Williamson, who has been responsible for more than 28 percent of his side's runs at the World Cup, at the toss.\n\n\"It looks like a good surface. We've played a number of matches here so we know it's a good pitch,\" added Williamson, whose side beat West Indies by five runs at Old Trafford in a thrilling group match on June 22.\n\n\"It was 50-50 with the overheads (cloud cover) but we just have to bat well. We've got a great opportunity today.\"\n\nTwo-time former champions India made one change from the side that beat Sri Lanka by seven wickets at Headingley on Saturday to top the 10-team round-robin, with Yuzvendra Chahal replacing fellow spinner Kuldeep Yadav.\n\nThat meant there was no place in their side for experienced paceman Mohammed Shami.\n\n\"We would have batted first,\" said India captain Virat Kohli. \"It is a fresh wicket and is nice and hard and not moist.\n\n\"I think it will remain similar throughout the day. With a bit of rain around, the ball will get more wet as the game goes on.\n\n\"We have played really good cricket in Manchester. There have been two good games for us here (wins over Pakistan and the West Indies).\"\n\n\"We are treating this game as normal as we can,\" added Kohli, whose side includes Rohit Sharma, the tournament's leading run-scorer with 647 runs.\n\nNew Zealand, the 2015 runners-up, qualified fourth after edging out Pakistan on net run-rate.\n\nThe Black Caps, appearing in their eighth semi-final but yet to win the World Cup, came into this match on the back of three straight defeats by Pakistan, Australia and England.\n\nNew Zealand made one change to the side that suffered a 119-run defeat by England at Chester-le-Street last week.\n\nFast bowler Lockie Ferguson, their leading wicket-taker at the tournament with 17 scalps, returned following a hamstring injury in place of Tim Southee.\n\nIndia and New Zealand have yet to meet at this World Cup as their scheduled group match at Nottingham's Trent Bridge on June 13 was washed out without a ball bowled.\n\nRain has been forecast for Manchester on Tuesday but there are reserve days for both semi-finals and the final.\n\nIndia or New Zealand will play the team that wins Thursday's second semi-final between hosts England and reigning champions Australia at Edgbaston in the July 14 final at Lord's.", "MANCHESTER, United Kingdom (AFP) - The opening Cricket World Cup semi-final between India and New Zealand will be played over two days after rain at Old Trafford prevented the match finishing as scheduled on Tuesday (July 9).\n\nNew Zealand were 211-5 off 46.1 overs when persistent rain worsened sufficiently for the umpires to halt play at 2pm (9pm Singapore time) with 23 balls left in the innings.\n\nBut after more than four hours off the field, the umpires eventually decided there was no prospect of even a 20 overs per side match - the minimum required under the Duckworth-Lewis method for rain-affected matches - being completed on Tuesday and they abandoned play for the day at 6.20pm.\n\nThe match, which remains a 50 overs per side contest, will now resume at 10.30am, weather permitting, with New Zealand on what will be their overnight score of 211-5, with Ross Taylor 67 not out and Tom Latham unbeaten on three.\n\nNew Zealand captain Kane Williamson had earlier made 67 after winning the toss, with Jasprit Bumrah (1-25 off eight overs) leading a disciplined India bowling attack.\n\nIf a 20 overs per side match cannot be completed on Wednesday as well, India would go through to Sunday's final at Lord's on the basis of having finished first to New Zealand's fourth in the 10-team group stage.\n\nNo reserve days were scheduled for the group matches of this World Cup, which has already featured a record four washouts.\n\nTournament hosts England and reigning champions Australia will contest the second semi-final at Edgbaston on Thursday, with that match able to continue on to Friday if a reserve day is required.", "In a match that was spread over two days, it was India which came up short. New Zealand reached the final of World Cup 2019 after stunning India with an 18-run win in a rain-affected match.\n\nDespite Ravindra Jadeja’s late heroics at Old Trafford on Wednesday, New Zealand held their nerves to reach their second consecutive World Cup final.\n\nChasing 240 for a win, India were bowled out for 221 in what was their second consecutive exit from the semi-final of a World Cup.\n\nJadeja kept India in chase with a stunning 77-run innings but once Trent Boult got him out, it was over for India.\n\nNew Zealand will face the winners of Thursday’s second semi-final between Australia – the team that beat them in the 2015 final – and hosts England in Sunday’s title match at Lord’s.", "The Kiwis will take on India in the first semi-final at Old Trafford in this year’s World Cup’s first semi-final. Both the teams have won 53 matches each in ODI World Cups. New Zealand defeated India in the practice match while India topped the points table in the league stage, therefore, it will be interesting to see who comes out on top but before that let’s have a look at few of the stats and facts.\n\nNew Zealand have beaten India in all the three matches that they have played against them in England. However, New Zealand have lost their last three matches in this World Cup — the first instance when they lost three consecutive matches in an ODI World Cup.\n\nNew Zealand have lost six semi-finals in ODI World Cups which is a record. Their only win in a World Cup semi-final came against South Africa in 2015.\n\nIndia’s top-order batting average of 69.86 is the highest among all teams in the tournament so far. The difference between India and New Zealand’s top-order batting average is 28.81 while the difference in average in middle-order is reduced to 4.29 which means that it is a concern for both the teams. Therefore, if New Zealand bowlers can put some pressure early on the Indian top-order, it will make for an intriguing battle.\n\nNew Zealand are the only team to have an economy rate under five in the league stage of this year’s World Cup. Moreover, they also had the best average, while India had the best bowling strike rate. Therefore, it can be said that whichever team’s batsmen play well, will win the game as bowlers have performed almost equally well for both teams so far in the tournament.\n\nCaptains of both teams also performed more or less the same during the league stage. It’s just that Kohli has not been able to convert his fifties into centuries. If he does convert in the semis, it will be tough for Williamson and Co to stop India from winning the battle.\n\nFor all the latest news, opinions and analysis from ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, click here", "Several parliamentarians cheered for Team India today as they clash with New Zealand in the World Cup 2019 semi-final in Manchester. The Indian cricket team faces New Zealand in what is anticipated to be a high-powered contest with Virat Kohli's team seeking to become the fourth Indian team to enter the final of this premier cricket tournament and lift the coveted trophy for the third time.\n\n\"I wish our Indian cricket team all the best. I know they all are smart and wonderful boys. I am sure they will do their best. I pray that they bring the World Cup,\" said Hema Malini, actor and BJP parliamentarian from Uttar Pradesh's Mathura.\n\nThe sky above the Old Trafford stadium, which is match is taking place, has been declared a \"no-fly zone\" for Tuesday, an action prompted by a private plane displaying anti-India banners during the team's league encounter against Sri Lanka in Headingley.\n\nUnion Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju tweeted wishes and letter to Virat Kohli & Co. \"I have sent my good wishes to the Indian cricket team and I am hopeful they will perform well,\" Mr Rijiju told news agency ANI.\n\n\"I pray to god that they win the semi-final today and bring the World Cup too. I remember the 1983 victory,\" noted classical dancer and Rajya Sabha lawmaker Sonal Mansingh said.\n\nParliamentarian from Bihar Chirag Paswan too wished the Indian team.\n\nIndia have won the World Cup twice - in 1983 and in 2011 - whereas New Zealand are yet to lift the trophy. Along with the West Indies team, India is the second most successful team in World Cup history.\n\nIndia entered the semi-final with winning momentum behind their back as they won their last two matches. On the other hand, the Kiwis lost their last two matches and they would look to change their fortunes around.\n\nGet Breaking news, live coverage, and Latest News from India and around the world on NDTV.com. Catch all the Live TV action on NDTV 24x7 and NDTV India. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagram for latest news and live news updates.", "New Delhi [India], July 9 (ANI): Union Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju on Tuesday sent good wishes to the Indian cricket team, ahead of their semi-final clash against New Zealand in the ongoing ICC Men's Cricket World Cup.\n\n\"I have sent my good wishes to the Indian cricket team and I am hopeful they will perform well,\" Rijiju told ANI.\n\nIndia have won the World Cup twice (1983 and 2011) whereas New Zealand are yet to lift the trophy.\n\nThe Men in Blue finished the group stage at the top of the standings with 15 points, whereas New Zealand finished fourth with 11 from nine matches each.\n\nIndia would enter the semi-finals with winning momentum behind their back as they won their last two matches. On the other hand, the Kiwi side have lost their last two matches and they would look to change their fortunes around.\n\nIndia will take on New Zealand in the semi-final match later in the day. (ANI)", "England cruised past Australia to reach their first Cricket World Cup final since 1992 by a comfortable eight wickets. Trevor Bayliss and his side will take on New Zealand at Lord’s on Sunday in what could become England’s first world cup triumph. Sky Sports, who have broadcasted all 2019 Cricket World Cup fixtures up to now for their subscribers, have now teamed up the Channel 4 to ensure all England fans can watch the fixture. The final will be shown from 9am UK time on both Sky Sports and Channel 4.\n\nTheir statement, that was released before the semi-final victory, read: “It would be the first time since 1979 that England have reached the final on home soil, and Sky will ensure as wide an audience as possible is able to watch the game should England qualify.” Sky UK and Ireland Chief Executive Stephen van Rooyen outlined the reasons behind the decision shortly at the same time as it was announced. He added: “Our aim has always been to celebrate what could be a 'once in a generation' moment of a home team in a big final on home soil. “So, if England reach the final, we will make the match available to everyone so the whole country can be part of a rare and special big sporting moment.\"\n\nChris Woakes was named the Player of the Match for England’s incredible semi-final victory, and he was quick to praise the entire squad. He said: “I’m speechless. It was an incredible performance from the whole team. There were some nerves this morning but I think that’s natural. “The way we produced the goods shows how good we are and where we’re at as a team.\n\n“I don’t think it was a bad wicket by any means, but I think we found the right length and when they lost early wickets we were able to keep the pressure on. “It hasn’t really sunk in that we’re in a World Cup final, but hopefully we can go all the way. “To win this in the fashion we have, against a good Australian side – on the best ground in the world, may I say - means we’re really looking forward to Sunday.”", "New Zealand has pulled off a staggering upset to knock India out of the World Cup and advance to the final after a dramatic second innings in their blockbuster clash.\n\nRain cancelled play near the end of New Zealand's batting innings on the day the first semi-final was scheduled and both teams had to come back again on Wednesday to finish the match.\n\nThe extra night's sleep worked wonders for the Kiwis but not for India, who collapsed with the bat to ensure Kane Williamson and Co. qualified for their second successive World Cup final - but not before an almighty scare.\n\nChasing 240 for victory, MS Dhoni and Ravindra Jadeja took the game to the wire, rescuing their side after a flurry of early wickets to make Kiwi hearts beat faster but in the end they fell agonisingly short.\n\nFrom 4/24 India found itself needing 37 to win with three overs left and four wickets in hand, but the duo couldn't get the job done.\n\nJadeja skied Trent Boult into the air and was caught for a magnificent 77 off 59 balls and next over Dhoni was run out for 49 to end the Indian resistance and New Zealand celebrated a nerve-racking 18-run win.\n\n\"Great semi-final over two days and very pleased to be on the right side of it. It was really tough and we had to assess the conditions,\" Kiwi skipper Williamson said.\n\n\"We were underdogs coming into the semis ... and all these sides have beaten each other. Anything can happen on any day. It was nice to see the guys fight for two days.\"\n\nThe cricket world raved about the thriller in Manchester.\n\nOn Twitter, former England star Adam Hollioake wrote: \"Unbelievable a country of 4.8m whose national sport is rugby can defeat a country of 1.2bn whose national sport is cricket...Unbelievable achievement.\"\n\nAfter finishing its 50 overs at 8/239 - a sub-par score most pundits thought would be far too meagre to defend in the face of an explosive Indian batting line-up - the Black Caps stunned everyone as they began their bowling effort with a bang.\n\nThree wickets in nine balls reduced the Indians to 3/5 after four overs as Rohit Sharma - who had scored five centuries already in the World Cup - Virat Kohli and KL Rahul were all sent packing for one.\n\nMatt Henry had Sharma and Rahul caught behind while Boult trapped Kohli LBW.\n\nThe Indian skipper went upstairs to review the decision but Hawkeye showed the inswinging delivery was going to clip the very top of the bails and he was on his way back to the pavilion.\n\nNew Zealand turned the screws and soon had its fourth wicket when Jimmy Neesham took an absolute screamer at backward point to dismiss Dinesh Kartik.\n\nThe middle order batsman got a thick outside edge and Neesham dived low to his left to pluck a one-handed beauty just above the turf, giving Henry his third scalp and India was 4/24.\n\nHardik Pandya joined Rishabh Pant at the crease and India fans on social media couldn't believe Dhoni was being held back in the sheds.\n\nThe veteran wicketkeeper has played the anchor role with the bat all tournament - at times being criticised for scoring too slow at the end of an innings - and although this situation seemed tailor made for him he was kept on ice.\n\nPant fell for 32 in the 22nd over after miscuing a wild heave that left Kohli absolutely filthy.\n\nLeft-arm spinner Mitchell Santner had started economically and Pant lost patience at the end of the tweaker's second over, trying to slog sweep him for six only to find the safe hands of Colin de Grandhomme at deep mid-wicket.\n\nCameras quickly panned to Kohli in the dressing room and his reaction made it perfectly clear he was ropeable with his young teammate, even rushing out onto the balcony to complain to coach Ravi Shastri.\n\nPandya also fell for 32 in the same fashion when he top edged a swipe across the line off Santner and all hope looked lost for India, who had been reduced to 6/92.\n\nBut Dhoni stayed calm and Jadeja came out firing to keep their team in the hunt. Jadeja blasted a half century off 39 balls with two fours and three sixes and, as he always does upon reaching a milestone, waved his bat like a sword as he acknowledged him teammates' applause from the dressing room.\n\nThe pair kept chugging along and even though they required more than 10 runs an over, the target was still within their grasp as they reached the final overs.\n\nIndia needed 37 runs to win from the final 18 deliveries but Boult produced a near-perfect over, conceding just five runs from the first four balls getting the vital wicket of Jadeja.\n\nThe left-hander tried to bomb Boult down the ground but could only sky the ball in the air and Williamson swallowed the catch under immense pressure and Jadeja departed for 77 off 59 balls.\n\nA direct hit run out in the penultimate over then got rid of Dhoni for 49 and the fat lady was warming up her vocal chords.\n\nAnother wicket in the same over was followed by Neesham's first scalp in the final over and India was all out for 221, 18 runs shy of the target.\n\nKohli said: \"Difficult to take it, but New Zealand deserve it. Our shot selection could have been better, but we played a good standard of cricket throughout. New Zealand were braver in crunch situations and they deserve it.\"\n\nNew Zealand will play either Australia or India in the final at Lord's on Sunday.\n\nOn day one of what turned out to be a two-day clash, the Kiwi batsmen struggled for rhythm and found scoring difficult. Only Williamson (67 off 95) and Ross Taylor (74 off 90) made any impact with the willow before the rain came.\n\nDay two started with the final few overs of New Zealand's innings and Taylor and Tom Latham both fell in quick succession, leaving India with what looked like a comfortable chase.", "In just a few hours, India and New Zealand will lock horns against each other in the first semi-finals of 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup at Old Trafford cricket ground in Manchester.\n\nOld Trafford is one of the oldest venues in the cricket world. The Old Trafford cricket ground is England's second oldest test venue after The Oval. It hosted the first Ashes Test in England in July 1884. Old Trafford has hosted the Cricket World Cup for as many as five time. Also, the venue has hosted a record four semi-finals in 1979, 1983, 1999 and 2019.\n\nIf you have been wondering how has India performed at the Old Trafford stadium, then the answer is - 'Not that great'! India has won five out of the 10 matches it played at the venue, while New Zealand has won two out of the total 10 match played at the venue. The highest win margin India saw at the stadium is of 125 runs against West Indies in this edition of the tournament.\n\nMoreover, India has already won two matches in Manchester in this World Cup. The Men in Blue defeated Pakistan and West Indies by 89 runs and 125 runs respectively. Additionally, India also won two of its matches in the Old Trafford stadium in 1983 World Cup. It had won against West Indies and England by 36 runs and six wickets, respectively.\n\nOut of the five matches India lost in Manchester, one is against New Zealand and Sri Lanka each, and three are against England.\n\nOverall, Manchester has witnessed five 300-plus scores at Old Trafford. The lowest score is 45 by Cananda against England in the 1979 World Cup. The highest is England's 397 for 6 against Afghanistan this tournament.\n\nEngland cricketer Graham Gooch has the highest aggregate at Old Trafford with 405 runs - also the highest at this venue. On the other hand, West Indies' Sir Viv Richards had accumulated several records in his name - he scored 284 runs in just 3 innings (?) at an average of 142 and strike rate of 97.93. Sir Richard's unbeaten 189 against England in 1984 is the highest score at Old Trafford.\n\nThe highest partnership at the Old Trafford Stadium is between Saeed Anwar and Wajahatullah Wasti. The duo scored 194 run partnership against New Zealand in the 1999 World Cup.\n\nEngland's legendary bowler Bob Willis has taken the highest number of wickets at Manchester - 15 in 9 matches.\n\nAlso read: India vs New Zealand World Cup 2019: Virat Kohli and Co emerge as favourites to win semi-final match\n\nAlso read: India vs New Zealand Manchester weather forecast: Light rain expected; this will happen if match is washed out\n\nAlso read: Deja vu: Virat Kohli to face Kane Williamson in the World Cup's semi-finals again"], "summary": "New Zealand defeats India in the first semi-final of the Cricket World Cup."}
{"document": ["The U.S. women's national soccer team accepts the award for Best Team at The ESPYS. (0:50)\n\nThe U.S. women's national soccer team's day started with a parade through New York City's Canyon of Heroes, included a flight to Los Angeles and then saw Alex Morgan and the USWNT shine as the big winners at The ESPYS on Wednesday at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.\n\nMorgan earned the ESPY for best female athlete, beating overall women's World Cup Alpine skiing champion Mikaela Shiffrin, Breanna Stewart of the WNBA's Seattle Storm and gymnast Simone Biles.\n\nThe USWNT then won best team, topping the World Series champion Boston Red Sox, the College Football Playoff-winning Clemson Tigers, the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots, the NBA champion Toronto Raptors, the NCAA women's college basketball champion Baylor Bears and the NCAA men's basketball champion Virginia Cavaliers.\n\nThe two ESPYS wins were the latest reasons for the USWNT to celebrate after it captured its second consecutive World Cup title by beating the Netherlands 2-0 on Sunday.\n\nMorgan joked that her ESPY for best female athlete was the second-best trophy she earned this week.\n\n\"I think about the greats that have won this award in the past, and I'm just so honored to follow in their amazing footsteps,\" Morgan said in her acceptance speech. \"They not only won championships and countless records but were an inspiration to so many, including me, as I dreamed of playing the sport that I love. As athletes we try to surround ourselves with the best people to help lift us up and to help make this journey possible, and I'm so fortunate to have that in my life.\"\n\nMorgan set the tone for the World Cup champions when she scored five goals in the team's tournament-opening 13-0 victory over Thailand.\n\nShe shook off critics who claimed she and her teammates celebrated goals excessively and continued celebrating all the way to the championship.\n\nplay 2:17 Morgan: Women are 'more than just athletes' In her acceptance speech for Best Female Athlete, Alex Morgan sends a message about teamwork and advocates for the rights of female athletes.\n\nIn addition to its dominant play on the field, the USWNT's advocacy for the LGBTQ community and pay equity off the field has also drawn plenty of acclaim.\n\nOscar-winning actress Sandra Bullock, who announced the Best Team winner on Wednesday, said upon presenting the award to the USWNT: \"All those in favor of equal pay, say aye.\" ESPYS host Tracy Morgan added as he signed off for the night: \"Let's pay these ladies, and let's fight cancer.\"\n\nWednesday's awards show marked the 27th edition of The ESPYS. The V Foundation for Cancer Research has been synonymous with the show since the late Jim Valvano announced its beginning during a memorable speech at the 1993 ceremony.\n\nIt was announced Wednesday that the V Foundation has raised more than $100 million for cancer research since its inception.\n\nBest Male Athlete\n\nplay 1:15 Giannis humbled after winning Best Male Athlete Giannis Antetokounmpo accepts the award for Best Male Athlete, and thanks God, his family and his teammates for getting him to where he is today.\n\nMilwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo added to his offseason hardware haul, pulling in the ESPY for Best Male Athlete.\n\nThe \"Greek Freak\" topped fellow nominees Mookie Betts of the Red Sox, Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs and PGA Tour star Brooks Koepka.\n\nLast month, the 24-year-old Antetokounmpo became the third-youngest player to win NBA MVP in the past 40 seasons, behind Derrick Rose and LeBron James.\n\nAntetokounmpo was emotional when he accepted the MVP award but said upon receiving the ESPY: \"Just letting you guys know I'm not going to cry today.\"\n\nHe then added: \"As a kid, I never thought I was going to win the ESPYS, so this is all about hard work, and when you believe in your dreams, things like this can happen.\"\n\nAntetokounmpo averaged 27.7 points, 12.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game during the regular season as the Bucks finished an NBA-best 60-22. He was voted a 2019 All-Star team captain alongside James. He became the first player to average 25 points and 10 rebounds per game on a team with the league's best record since Shaquille O'Neal did so as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers in 1999-2000.\n\nBest Breakthrough Athlete\n\nplay 0:40 Saquon Barkley thanks Giants, family after Best Breakthrough Athlete award Saquon Barkley wins the ESPY for Best Breakthrough Athlete and says he respects all the nominees he was up against for the award.\n\nSaquon Barkley, who finished second in the NFL with 1,307 rushing yards as a rookie with the New York Giants, earned the ESPY for best breakthrough athlete.\n\nThe Milwaukee Brewers' Christian Yelich, the Atlanta Hawks' Trae Young and tennis player Naomi Osaka, the reigning women's singles champion at the US Open and the Australian Open, were the other nominees.\n\n\"I want to say thank you to God for blessing me with the opportunity to wake up every single day and play the sport I love and have impact on others,\" Barkley said upon receiving the award. \"I want to say thank you to the Giants organization for drafting me and taking a chance on me. I wouldn't be able to play the sport I love without you guys also.\"\n\nBarkley was named the 2018 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year by The Associated Press and also won the fan voting for the Pepsi Rookie of the Year.\n\nBarkley had a team-high 91 receptions -- an NFL record for a rookie running back -- for 721 yards, and his 2,028 yards from scrimmage led the league.\n\nHe was the third rookie in NFL history to have 2,000 scrimmage yards, joining Eric Dickerson in 1983 and Edgerrin James in 1999.\n\nHis six rushes of 50-plus yards this season were the most by a Giants player in a season since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970, according to Elias Sports Bureau research.\n\nBest Record-Breaking Performance\n\nplay 1:33 Drew Brees thanks USWNT, sends message about playing sports In his acceptance speech for Best Record-Breaking Performance, Drew Brees commends the U.S. women's national team on its commitment to the game of soccer and sends the crowd a message about what can be learned from playing sports.\n\nNew Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees received the ESPY for best record-breaking performance for becoming the NFL's all-time leading passer.\n\nHe won the award over Oregon's Sabrina Ionescu, who became women's basketball's all-time leader in triple-doubles; Golden State's Klay Thompson, who set the record for 3-pointers in an NBA game with 14; and Matthew Boling, who set the high school track record in the 100 meters.\n\nBrees broke Peyton Manning's record of 71,940 career passing yards with a 62-yard touchdown pass to receiver Tre'Quan Smith in the second quarter of a 43-19 victory over the Washington Redskins in October.\n\nThe game was one of the best performances of his 18-year career, as Brees completed 26 of 29 passes for 363 yards and 3 touchdowns. His completion percentage of 89.7 was a career best.\n\nBrees is the unlikeliest of all-time great quarterbacks. Just 6 feet tall and barely recruited out of high school, he fell to the San Diego Chargers in the second round of the NFL draft out of Purdue in 2001 and was doubted by most of the league when he became a free agent after a career-threatening shoulder injury in 2005. Brees, 40, finished last season with 74,437 passing yards.\n\nBest Game\n\nThe Los Angeles Rams' 54-51 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday Night Football in November won the ESPY for best game.\n\nWith 105 total points, it marked the first time an NFL game had more than 100 points with 50 from each team. The game also totaled 14 touchdowns, including three by defensive players, and 56 first downs.\n\nThe Texas A&M; football team's 74-72 victory over LSU in seven overtimes and the Notre Dame women's basketball team's 81-76 upset of UConn in the Final Four were the other nominees.\n\nBest Play\n\nplay 1:47 Ohashi takes home award for Best Play, spreads message about female stereotypes Upon accepting the award for Best Play, Katelyn Ohashi sends a message about stereotypes of females and the acceptance of female athletes.\n\nKatelyn Ohashi's star-making floor exercise routine in January, which earned her a perfect 10.0 score and went instantly viral, won the ESPY for best play.\n\nOhashi, 22, electrified the crowd -- and the judges -- at the 2019 Collegiate Challenge with her routine, which amassed nearly 100 million views on YouTube.\n\n\"Overnight fame from one in a million. Over 100 million views. I started seeing myself in the news,\" the UCLA star said in her acceptance speech. \"Trying to infuse a little bit of joy into the world in my sport. After all the abuse and misuse of people in higher power. It's no wonder why our voices went silent as theirs would just tower. But today, mine no longer cowers.\"\n\nOhashi topped the Miami Dolphins' \"Miami Miracle\" that downed the Patriots, Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard's Game 7 buzzer-beater against the Philadelphia 76ers and Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry's record-setting 99-yard touchdown run.\n\nPat Tillman Award\n\nplay 5:14 Veteran Kirstie Ennis receives Pat Tillman Award for Service Veteran Kirstie Ennis, who lost her left leg while serving in Iraq, receives the 2019 Pat Tillman ESPY Award for Service.\n\nFormer U.S. Marine Corps Sgt. Kirstie Ennis, an athlete for most her life before suffering severe injuries in a helicopter crash while on active duty in Afghanistan, received the Pat Tillman Award for Service.\n\nEnnis, who has undergone more than three dozen surgeries, including the amputation of her left leg above the knee, after suffering facial trauma, a traumatic brain injury, cervical and lumbar spine trauma, and bilateral shoulder damage in the 2012 crash, turned to sports during her recovery. She has won three gold medals in swimming at the Warrior Games, but competitions are only part of her story.\n\nShe has also walked 1,000 miles across Britain and has reached the top of Mount Kilimanjaro, Carstensz, Mount Elbrus and Aconcagua in her attempt to become the first female above-the-knee amputee to summit all seven of the world's highest peaks.\n\n\"I started my mission because I didn't have the role model I needed or wanted while I was in the hospital,\" Ennis said in her acceptance speech. \"Now when I don't have the fight within to put one foot in front of the other, I remind myself of the people who may be watching. The young ones who need a pillar of hope, the men and women who may need inspiration to keep going and the nonbelievers waiting for me to prove them wrong. I'm one of the lucky ones who came home. Broken, but I'm still here, and I still can. So I will continue every day for those who can't.\"\n\nThe award is named after former NFL linebacker and U.S. Army Ranger Pat Tillman, who died during active service in Afghanistan after he enlisted in the military following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.\n\nJimmy V Award\n\nplay 5:06 Mendez has never accepted failure as the end of his story 2019 Jimmy V Award recipient Rob Mendez, who was born without arms and legs, always persevered and never gave up on his dream of being a head football coach.\n\nHigh school football coach Rob Mendez, who was born with tetra-amelia syndrome, a rare disorder that caused him to be born without arms or legs, was the recipient of the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance.\n\nMendez, who developed a passion for football at an early age and taught himself the fundamentals of football using the Madden video games, spent 12 years as an assistant coach for various programs.\n\nIn 2018, he was hired as a head coach for the junior varsity football team at Prospect High School in Saratoga, California. In his first season, he led his team to an 8-2 record and narrowly lost the league championship game 3-0.\n\n\"It's honestly been hard for me to fathom receiving this award, being recognized alongside heroes of mine like Coach Valvano, Stuart Scott, Jim Kelly and so many others,\" Mendez said in his acceptance speech. \"But the reality is that I am here. And if there's any message that I want to give to you tonight, it's to look at me and see how much passion I put into coaching and how far it's gotten me. When you dedicate yourself to something and open your mind to different possibilities and focus on what you can do instead of what you can't do, you really can go places in this world.\"\n\nArthur Ashe Award\n\nplay 10:26 Russell's career highlighted by fight for civil rights 2019 Arthur Ashe Courage Award winner Bill Russell has demonstrated a lifetime of fighting against injustice. Samuel L. Jackson and Barack Obama speak about the legend in a feature narrated by Angela Bassett.\n\nNBA legend Bill Russell was honored with this year's Arthur Ashe Courage Award.\n\nFormer Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant presented Russell with the award, which is given annually to someone who embodies the spirit of its namesake, tennis legend and longtime human rights campaigner Arthur Ashe.\n\nIn addition to being an 11-time NBA champion, the 85-year-old Russell has been a leader in the civil rights movement.\n\n\"Every generation has a responsibility to teach the next,\" Bryant said while presenting the award. \"One thing I learned about Bill was how he drew inspiration from his grandfather, whose motto was, 'A man has to draw a line within himself, that he will not allow any man to cross.' Bill learned from that and added his own motto: 'You disrespect the line, you disrespect me.' More than 50 years later, Bill and his grandfather's mottos still resonate powerfully and still speak loudly for Bill's beliefs.\"\n\nBoston Mayor Marty Walsh tweeted in honor of Russell on Wednesday, posting a photo of City Hall, which he said had been \"lit green to honor one of Boston's greats.\"\n\nTonight City Hall is lit green to honor one of Boston's greats, Bill Russell, as he receives the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage. Congratulations! #ArthurAsheAward @celtics @ESPYS pic.twitter.com/Y9sta7FVIr — Mayor Marty Walsh (@marty_walsh) July 11, 2019\n\nAmong the other notable winners announced Wednesday night:\n\nBest NFL Player: Mahomes, Chiefs\n\nBest MLB Player: Yelich, Brewers\n\nBest NHL Player: Alex Ovechkin, Washington Capitals\n\nBest College Athlete: Zion Williamson, Duke\n\nBest Coach: Jim Calhoun\n\nBest WNBA Player: Stewart, Storm\n\nBest Male Golfer: Koepka\n\nBest Female Golfer: Brooke Henderson\n\nBest Female Tennis Player: Serena Williams\n\nBest Male Tennis Player: Roger Federer\n\nBest Driver: Kyle Busch\n\nBest International Women's Soccer Player: Sam Kerr\n\nBest International Men's Soccer Player: Lionel Messi\n\nBest MLS Player: Zlatan Ibrahimovic\n\nBest MMA Fighter: Daniel Cormier\n\nBest Upset: Andy Ruiz Jr. defeats Anthony Joshua\n\nBest Comeback: St. Louis Blues", "LOS ANGELES (AP) — The U.S. women's national soccer team celebrated its Women's World Cup victory on both coasts Wednesday, honored with a ticker-tape parade in New York City before jetting to the West Coast and collecting trophies at The ESPYS in the evening.\n\nAlex Morgan won female athlete of the year and shared the best team award with her soccer mates.\n\n\"Sorry, but this is probably the second-best trophy we won this week,\" Morgan said jokingly, hoisting her individual trophy.\n\nAs she got up from the front row, Megan Rapinoe's black tuxedo jacket opened and exposed her left breast, which was caught by cameras showing the in-house feed of the show. It wasn't immediately known whether it went out over the live national telecast.\n\n\"I've dropped the F-bomb on every stage the last four days, so we'll just spare you that,\" Rapinoe told the audience.\n\nGiannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks won male athlete of the year at the show honoring the past year's top athletes and moments in sports.\n\n\"This is all about hard work. When you believe in your dreams this can happen,\" Antetokounmpo said. \"Hopefully, if I keep working hard there's more to come.\"\n\nComedian Tracy Morgan presided over the show at Microsoft Theater in downtown Los Angeles.\n\nAlex Morgan thanked ESPN for its recent deal to carry NWSL games.\n\n\"When the World Cup is behind us, it is the professional league that we need to continually lift up and grow,\" she said. \"Investment in women and girls should not only occur on the playing fields but in more storytelling of badass, amazing women who continue to show that we are more than just athletes.\"\n\nSandra Bullock announced the best team award, saying, \"All those in favor of equal pay say aye.\"\n\nThe U.S. women's team is suing to receive pay equal to their male counterparts.\n\n\"Keep fighting for equality,\" Billie Jean King told the team from the stage earlier in the show.\n\nCarli Lloyd informed the crowd the team had its hair and makeup done during the flight from New York.\n\n\"We look pretty fabulous, I think,\" she said.\n\nLloyd added, \"It's been an incredible journey. Here's to the next World Cup.\"\n\nOther athletes acknowledged the Women's World Cup victory from the stage, including Drew Brees, winner for best record-breaking performance.\n\n\"It's going to be in history forever,\" new New Orleans Pelicans player Lonzo Ball said on the red carpet. \"I don't even watch soccer and I watched it. That means a lot.\"\n\nZion Williamson, the No. 1 pick in last month's NBA draft, earned best college athlete honors for his one-and-done season at Duke.\n\n\"Wish I could have stayed a second year, but I had other things to do,\" a smiling Williamson said.\n\nThe best moment award was shared by a trio of recent retirees: Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn, NFL player Rob Gronkowski and NBA player Dwyane Wade.\n\nUCLA gymnast Katelyn Ohashi collected two trophies: best play and best viral sports moment for her floor exercise routine that earned a perfect score of 10.\n\nOhashi accepted her best play trophy by giving her remarks in rhyme.\n\nAntetokounmpo was a double winner, too, adding best NBA player honors.\n\nThe St. Louis Blues earned best comeback for going from worst team in the NHL early in the season to the Stanley Cup championship. Center Ryan O'Reilly removed his tooth to thank the crowd.\n\nKansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes won best NFL player; Milwaukee Brewers slugger Christian Yelich earned best MLB player; and Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals won best NHL player.\n\n— Bill Russell, Arthur Ashe Award for Courage. The 85-year-old basketball Hall of Famer was saluted for his dedication to fighting for social justice and ensuring opportunity for all young people. Introduced by Kobe Bryant, Russell acknowledged a standing ovation from an upper level box but didn't speak.\n\n— Former Marine Sgt. Kirstie Ennis, Pat Tillman Award for Service. While on duty in Afghanistan, Ennis was in a crash that resulted in traumatic injuries and ultimately led to an above-knee amputation of her left leg. She is trying to become the first woman above-the-knee amputee to summit all seven of the world's highest peaks.\n\n— Rob Mendez, Jimmy V Award for Perseverance. The high school football coach was born without arms or legs due to a rare disorder. Mendez taught himself football fundamentals using video games. He is head coach of the junior varsity team at Prospect High in Saratoga, California. They went 8-2 in his first season and reached the league title game.\n\n\"I also want to thank the game of football for all that it's given me, for allowing me to be part of a team,\" Mendez said from motorized chair. \"Look at me and see how much passion I put into coaching and how far it's gotten me. I made it this far and who says I can't go further?\"\n\n— Jim Calhoun, best coach. The three-time national champion coach at UConn now guides Division III University of St. Joseph.\n\nBy BETH HARRIS AP Sports Writer. AP freelance writer Jolene Latimer contributed to this report.", "Alex Morgan, US women's soccer team honored at The ESPYS\n\nLOS ANGELES (AP) — Alex Morgan won female athlete of the year and shared the best team award with her U.S. women's national soccer teammates at The ESPYS, hours after the group was honored with a ticker-tape parade in New York City to celebrate their Women's World Cup championship.\n\nGiannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks won male athlete of the year Wednesday night at the show honoring the past year's top athletes and moments in sports.\n\nComedian Tracy Morgan presided over the show at Microsoft Theater in downtown Los Angeles.\n\nZion Williamson, the No. 1 pick in last month's NBA draft, earned best college athlete honors for his one-and-done season at Duke.\n\nThe best moment award was shared by a trio of recent retirees: Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn, NFL player Rob Gronkowski and NBA player Dwyane Wade.", "LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – JULY 10: (L-R) Jared Goff and Patrick Mahomes accept the Best Game Award for Kansas City Chiefs vs Los Angeles Rams onstage during The 2019 ESPYs at Microsoft Theater on July 10, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)\n\nLOS ANGELES (KSNW) – The awards and accolades haven’t stopped coming for Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.\n\nThe 2018 NFL Most Valuable Player received the Best NFL Player award at the 2019 ESPY’s in Los Angeles Wednesday evening.\n\nThis comes as Mahomes threw for over 5,000 yards and 50 touchdowns for a Chiefs team that went 12-4 and made it all the way to the AFC Championship game.\n\nMahomes was also on stage with Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jared Goff to receive the award for ‘Best Game.’ The Rams defeated the Chiefs, 54-51, back in November of last year.\n\nThe Chiefs third-year quarterback was also up for ‘Male Athlete of the Year’, but lost out to Milwaukee Bucks forward and 2018-19 MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo.", "LOS ANGELES — UCLA gymnast Katelyn Ohashi continued to reap the rewards of her perfect-10 floor exercise routine at the ESPYs Award Show on Wednesday night at the Microsoft Theater.\n\nOhashi, 22, electrified the crowd – and the judges – at the 2019 Collegiate Challenge with her routine, which amassed nearly 100 million views on YouTube. Ohashi’s routine was voted as the Best Play and Best Viral Sports Moment.\n\nShe used the national platform to address cyberattacks on social media and the objectification of women in sports by giving her acceptance remarks in rhyme.\n\nPhotos: ESPYs red carpet: Katelyn Ohashi, Lonzo Ball, Rob Gronkowski and all the arrivals\n\n“Overnight fame from one in a million. Over 100 million views. I started seeing myself in the news,” Ohashi said. “Trying to infuse a little bit of joy into the world in my sport. After all the abuse and misuse of people in higher power. It’s no wonder why our voices went silent as theirs would just tower. But today, mine no longer cowers. Thankful for the internet that made this all happen but along with that it is important to understand cyberattacks … the respect that people unfortunately lack.”\n\nAlex Morgan and the U.S. women’s national soccer team walked away with two awards just days removed from beating the Netherlands 2-0 to win the World Cup in France.\n\nMorgan, a native of Diamond Bar, was voted the Best Female Athlete and the U.S. women were voted as the Best Team.\n\n“Sorry, but this is probably the second-best trophy we won this week,” Morgan said jokingly, hoisting her individual trophy.\n\nThe women’s team arrived at the award show just hours removed from a ticker-tape parade in New York City in honor of their World Cup success. Carli Lloyd informed the crowd the players had their hair and makeup done during the cross-country flight.\n\n“We look pretty fabulous, I think,” she said.\n\nQuarterbacks Jared Goff of the Los Angeles Rams and Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs accepted the ESPY for Best Game on behalf of their teams for the wildly entertaining Week 11 Monday Night Football game won by the Rams, 54-51.\n\nThe duo also thanked the first responders, that fought the series of California wildfires last year, in attendance at the show. The acknowledgment was met with a standing ovation from the crowd.\n\nNBA legend Bill Russell received the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage. The 85-year-old Hall of Famer was saluted for his dedication to fighting for social justice and ensuring opportunity for all young people. Introduced by former Lakers star Kobe Bryant, Russell acknowledged a standing ovation from an upper-level box but didn’t speak.\n\nProfessional NBA 2K League player Timothy “oLARRY” Anselimo of the Cleveland Cavaliers Legion Gaming Club won the inaugural ESPY for best esports moment.\n\nAnselimo was shot last year at an NFL Madden tournament in Jacksonville that killed two other gamers. Two bullets ripped into his hand and led to reconstructive surgery on his thumb.\n\n“I had to change the way I play,” Anselimo said. “I can’t use my thumb anymore. I don’t have feeling or motion.”\n\nDespite the use of a modified grip on his controller, Anselimo has managed to continue playing in the league’s second season and is in consideration for defensive player of the year.\n\n“I feel like I am a little bit better than I was last year,” he said. “The road to recovery is a long process but I am here.”\n\nComedian Tracy Morgan presided over the show at Microsoft Theater in downtown Los Angeles.\n\nWednesday’s awards show was the 27th edition of The ESPYs. The V Foundation for Cancer Research has been synonymous with the show since the late Jim Valvano announced its beginning during a memorable speech at the 1993 ceremony.\n\nIt was announced Wednesday that the V Foundation has raised more than $100 million for cancer research since its inception.\n\nHere are the 2019 ESPY Award winners:\n\nBest Esports Moment (Finals): Timothy “oLARRY” Anselimo returns to 2K League after surviving Jacksonville shooting\n\nBest WWE Moment: Roman Reigns returns to WWE Raw and announces his Leukemia is in remission", "After celebrating their victory at the FIFA Women’s World Cup with a ticker-tape parade in New York City Wednesday morning, the athletes headed to Los Angeles for ESPN’s annual ESPY Awards, celebrating achievements across all sports.\n\nRead More: Women, Young Girls Show Support for Women’s Soccer Team at Parade\n\nThe team scored two wins at the awards ceremony, the first for Best Female Athlete going to Alex Morgan. Morgan used her acceptance speech to highlight the importance of continually supporting women and girls in every situation, not just on the soccer field. Her remarks continue the team’s fight for equal pay, as attention continues to grow surrounding the team’s large pay gap with their male counterparts by FIFA.\n\n“We obviously enjoy this success on the biggest stage right now but when the World Cup is behind us, it is a professional league that we need to continually lift up and grow,” she said. “Investment in women and girls should not only occur on the playing fields, but in more storytelling of badass, amazing women that continue to show that we are more than just athletes.”\n\nThe athletes then went on to win one of the night’s biggest awards: Best Team. The award was presented by Sandra Bullock, who announced their win by stating: “All those in favor of equal pay, say aye!”\n\nThe award was accepted by Carli Lloyd, who thanked the team’s supporters from all over the world. Megan Rapinoe, who was presented with the World Cup’s Golden Boot and Golden Ball awards and has made headlines for her critical remarks toward President Trump, kept her speech short, stating: “I’ve dropped the F-bomb on every stage I’ve been on for the last three days, so I’ll spare you,” she said. “Thanks for having us!”\n\nWATCH: An Inside Look at Fendi’s 2019 Couture Show", "Live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, California, Tracy Morgan hosts the 2019 ESPY Awards!\n\nThe best and brightest stars from the NBA, NFL, WWE, and many more will be out tonight as a host of athletes compete for ESPY glory. Will Saquon Barkley win Best Breakthrough Athlete? Can Becky Lynch once again defeat Ronda Rousey to capture Best WWE Moment? Will Kansas City Chief’s QB Patrick Mahomes be named Best NFL Player? We’ll soon find out!\n\nWhat time are The ESPYS on tonight? How can you find an ESPY Awards 2019 live stream? Here’s everything you need to know!\n\nWHAT TIME ARE THE ESPYS ON TONIGHT?\n\nThe 2019 ESPY Awards will air from 8:00-11:00 p.m. ET on ABC.\n\nWHAT TIME DOES THE ESPYS RED CARPET START?\n\nThe ESPYS Live on the Red Carpet special will air from 7:00-8:00 p.m. ET on ESPN.\n\nHOW CAN I FIND AN ESPY AWARDS 2019 LIVE STREAM? HOW TO WATCH THE ESPY AWARDS ONLINE:\n\nThe 2019 ESPY Awards will air on ABC, which means depending on your location, you may be able to live stream The ESPYS on ABC.com or with the ABC app by signing in with a participating TV provider. Once you sign in, you can watch at abc.com/watch-live or you can select ‘live TV’ in the ABC app.\n\nYou can also find an ESPYS live stream if you’re a DIRECTV NOW, YouTube TV, Hulu With Live TV, or PlayStation Vue subscriber. All of the aforementioned platforms offer ABC.\n\nCAN I LIVE STREAM THE ESPY AWARDS ON HULU?\n\nYou can’t watch The ESPYS with a traditional Hulu account, but you can, however, live stream the show with an active subscription to Hulu with Live TV.\n\nWILL THE ESPY AWARDS BE ON HULU?\n\nNope. The ESPYs won’t be streaming on Hulu, but they may be available for next day streaming (Thursday morning) on ABC.com.\n\nRELATED: ‘Pardon The Interruption’ Is Still The Best Sports Show On TV", "Alex Morgan walked away with some hardware Wednesday night at the ESPYs.\n\nThe American-born soccer superstar won Best Female Athlete, and I have to say we fully agree with her walking away with the award. (SLIDESHOW: These Women On Instagram Hate Wearing Clothes)\n\nNot only did she just lead the women’s national team to another World Cup title, but she’s arguably the coolest woman in all of sports. (SLIDESHOW: 142 Times Josephine Skriver Barely Wore Anything)\n\nAlex Morgan is literally everything I want in an American icon. She’s a freak-of-nature athlete, she’s a winner, she’s charismatic, she’s funny and she’s an absolute smoke. (SLIDESHOW: 71 Times Samantha Hoopes Stripped Down)\n\nSeriously, what more could you want?\n\nI know plenty of people hate the women’s national team because some of the members are ultra-political, but I don’t care about that at all when it comes to Morgan.\n\nShe wins and she wins big. The woman is damn near unstoppable in the world of soccer, and she just comes off as such a chill person.\n\nIf you cheer against her, then you probably also cheered against our Miracle on Ice team and hate freedom.\n\nDo you really want to be known as somebody who hates freedom? If not, then you need to support Alex Morgan like the rest of us.\n\nShe’s an American icon and I’m happy as all hell that she won Best Female Athlete at the 2019 ESPYs. There’s not a single other woman I can think of that could even compare or compete with her.\n\nProps to Morgan for being an absolute badass. It’s good to know she’s on our side.", "LOS ANGELES — UCLA gymnast Katelyn Ohashi continued to reap the rewards of her perfect-10 floor exercise routine at the ESPYs Award Show on Wednesday night at the Microsoft Theater.\n\nOhashi, 22, electrified the crowd – and the judges – at the 2019 Collegiate Challenge with her routine, which amassed nearly 100 million views on YouTube. Ohashi’s routine was voted as the Best Play and Best Viral Sports Moment.\n\nShe used the national platform to address cyberattacks on social media and the objectification of women in sports by giving her acceptance remarks in rhyme.\n\nPhotos: ESPYs red carpet: Katelyn Ohashi, Lonzo Ball, Rob Gronkowski and all the arrivals\n\n“Overnight fame from one in a million. Over 100 million views. I started seeing myself in the news,” Ohashi said. “Trying to infuse a little bit of joy into the world in my sport. After all the abuse and misuse of people in higher power. It’s no wonder why our voices went silent as theirs would just tower. But today, mine no longer cowers. Thankful for the internet that made this all happen but along with that it is important to understand cyberattacks … the respect that people unfortunately lack.”\n\nAlex Morgan and the U.S. women’s national soccer team walked away with two awards just days removed from beating the Netherlands 2-0 to win the World Cup in France.\n\nMorgan, a native of Diamond Bar, was voted the Best Female Athlete and the U.S. women were voted as the Best Team.\n\n“Sorry, but this is probably the second-best trophy we won this week,” Morgan said jokingly, hoisting her individual trophy.\n\nThe women’s team arrived at the award show just hours removed from a ticker-tape parade in New York City in honor of their World Cup success. Carli Lloyd informed the crowd the players had their hair and makeup done during the cross-country flight.\n\n“We look pretty fabulous, I think,” she said.\n\nQuarterbacks Jared Goff of the Los Angeles Rams and Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs accepted the ESPY for Best Game on behalf of their teams for the wildly entertaining Week 11 Monday Night Football game won by the Rams, 54-51.\n\nThe duo also thanked the first responders, that fought the series of California wildfires last year, in attendance at the show. The acknowledgement was met with a standing ovation from the crowd.\n\nNBA legend Bill Russell received the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage. The 85-year-old Hall of Famer was saluted for his dedication to fighting for social justice and ensuring opportunity for all young people. Introduced by former Lakers star Kobe Bryant, Russell acknowledged a standing ovation from an upper-level box but didn’t speak.\n\nComedian Tracy Morgan presided over the show at Microsoft Theater in downtown Los Angeles.\n\nWednesday’s awards show was the 27th edition of The ESPYs. The V Foundation for Cancer Research has been synonymous with the show since the late Jim Valvano announced its beginning during a memorable speech at the 1993 ceremony.\n\nIt was announced Wednesday that the V Foundation has raised more than $100 million for cancer research since its inception.", "Serena Williams, U.S. Olympic gymnast Simone Biles, WNBA star Breanna Stewart and Alex Morgan, who helped lead the U.S. women's national soccer team to victory in the 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup, are nominated for top honors at the 2019 ESPY Awards.\n\nThe annual ceremony celebrates the best stars in sports. Other nominees include tennis star Naomi Osaka, Norway soccer star Ada Hegerberg, golfers Brooke Henderson and Jin-Young Ko and Estonian freestyle skiier Kelly Sildaru.\n\nThe 2019 ESPY Awards will be hosted by Tracy Morgan and will air live on ABC on Wednesday, July 10, at 8 p.m. ET from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles."], "summary": "The 27th annual ESPY Awards are held in the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, California. The United States women's national soccer team wins the Outstanding Team Award for their 2019 FIFA Women's World Cup victory, Giannis Antetokounmpo wins the Best Male Athlete Award, Alex Morgan wins the Best Female Athlete Award, and Saquon Barkley wins the Breakthrough Athlete of the Year Award."}
{"document": ["People gather at the site where a car bomb hit a funeral of a former senior military commander at Huwari cemetery in Benghazi, Libya July 11, 2019. REUTERS/Ayman al-Warfalli\n\nBENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) - At least four people were killed and 33 wounded when a car bomb hit a funeral of a former senior military commander in the east Libyan city of Benghazi, a spokesman for the eastern administration’s interior ministry said.\n\nThe funeral at Benghazi’s Huwari cemetery was for Khalifa Mismari, the assistant commander of Libya’s special forces under former leader Muammar Gaddafi, who was toppled in 2011, a military source said.\n\nA Reuters witness saw two burned out cars at the scene of the blast.\n\nAccording to the military source, the current head of the special forces, Wanis Bukhamada, was attending the funeral but was unharmed.\n\nSince 2014, Libya has been divided between rival political and military factions based in Tripoli and the eastern part of the country.\n\nThe special forces have become a key unit aligned with Khalifa Haftar, the military commander who controls eastern Libya.\n\nSince early April, Haftar has been waging an offensive to try to take the capital Tripoli, in the west of the country, though his campaign has stalled.", "Benghazi - A car bomb exploded during the funeral of an ex-army commander in the Libyan city of Benghazi on Thursday, killing at least three people and wounding 15, a hospital said.\n\nA security official said the attack, the first in over a year in the bastion of Libyan military commander Khalifa Haftar, targeted servicemen at the funeral of Khalifa Al Mesmari, a special forces chief under Libya’s ousted leader Muammar Gaddafi.\n\nThe Benghazi Medical Centre said the blast in a cemetery left three dead and 15 wounded, without specifying whether the victims were civilian or military.\n\nAl Jala, another hospital in the city, said it was treating wounded but did not specify the number.\n\nBenghazi, Libya’s second city and the cradle of the 2011 uprising that overthrew Gaddafi, was hit by years of violence targeting diplomatic offices and security forces after his fall.\n\nAn attack on the US consulate on September 11, 2012, killed US ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans.\n\nThe last attack in Benghazi was in May 2018 and left seven people dead.\n\nHe went on to seize Derna, the only city in eastern Libya outside his control.\n\nIn early 2019, Haftar ordered his Libyan National Army to purge the south of what he called “terrorist groups and criminals”.\n\nOn the heels of that campaign, his LNA launched in April an offensive to take the Libyan capital from the UN-recognised Government of National Accord.\n\nFighting on Tripoli’s outskirts has since killed 1,048 people, including 106 civilians, and left 5,558 wounded, including 289 civilians, according to a report released Tuesday by the UN’s World Health Organisation.", "BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) - At least two people were killed and three wounded when a car bomb hit a funeral of former senior military commander in the east Libyan city of Benghazi, a military source said.\n\nThe funeral at Benghazi’s Huwari cemetery was for Khalifa Mismari, the assistant commander of Libya’s special forces under former leader Muammar Gaddafi, who was toppled in 2011, the source said.", "A car bomb exploded during the funeral of an ex-army commander in the Libyan city of Benghazi on Thursday, killing at least four people and wounding more than 30 others, hospitals said.\n\nA security official said the attack, the first in over a year in the bastion of Libyan military strongman Khalifa Haftar, targeted servicemen at the funeral of Khalifa al-Mesmari, a special forces chief under Libya's ousted leader Moamer Kadhafi.\n\nThe Mediterranean city's hospitals, giving a revised casualty toll of four dead and 33 wounded, said two of those killed were civilians.\n\nThe other two were special forces members, Haftar's spokesman General Ahmad al-Mesmari, who was among the mourners at the funeral, told a press conference.\n\nThere was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.\n\nBenghazi, Libya's second city and the cradle of the 2011 uprising that overthrew Kadhafi, was hit by years of violence targeting diplomatic offices and security forces after his fall.\n\nAn attack on the US consulate on September 11, 2012, killed US ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans.\n\nThe last attack in Benghazi in May 2018 left seven people dead.\n\nIn 2017, Haftar drove hardline Islamists and jihadists out of Benghazi after a brutal three-year battle.\n\nHe went on to seize Derna, the last city in eastern Libya outside his control.\n\nIn early 2019, Haftar ordered his self-styled Libyan National Army to purge the south of what he called \"terrorist groups and criminals\".\n\nOn the heels of that campaign, his LNA launched in April an offensive to take the Libyan capital from the UN-recognised Government of National Accord.\n\nFighting on Tripoli's outskirts has since killed 1,048 people, including 106 civilians, and left 5,558 wounded, including 289 civilians, according to a report released Tuesday by the UN's World Health Organization.", "At least three people were killed and 15 wounded when a car bomb exploded in a cemetery of the Libyan city of Benghazi during an ex-army commander's funeral Thursday, a hospital source said\n\nBenghazi, Libya, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - APP - 11th Jul, 2019 ) :At least three people were killed and 15 wounded when a car bomb exploded in a cemetery of the Libyan city of Benghazi during an ex-army commander's funeral Thursday, a hospital source said.\n\nA security official said the attack, the first in over a year in the bastion of Libyan military strongman Khalifa Haftar, targeted servicemen at the funeral of Khalifa al-Mesmari, a special forces chief under Libya's ousted leader Moamer Qaddifi.", "BENGHAZI, Libya: A car bomb exploded during the funeral of an ex-army commander in the Libyan city of Benghazi on Thursday, killing at least three people and wounding 15, a hospital said.\n\nA security official said the attack, the first in over a year in the bastion of Libyan military strongman Khalifa Haftar, targeted servicemen at the funeral of Khalifa al-Mesmari, a special forces chief under Libya´s ousted leader Moamer Qaddafi.\n\nThe Benghazi Medical Centre said the blast in a cemetery left three dead and 15 wounded, without specifying whether the victims were civilian or military. Al-Jala, another hospital in the city, said it was treating wounded but did not specify the number.\n\nBenghazi, Libya´s second city and the cradle of the 2011 uprising that overthrew Kadhafi, was hit by years of violence targeting diplomatic offices and security forces after his fall. An attack on the US consulate on September 11, 2012, killed US ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans. The last attack in Benghazi was in May 2018 and left seven people dead. In 2017, Haftar drove hardline Islamists and jihadists out of Benghazi after a brutal three-year battle. He went on to seize Derna, the only city in eastern Libya outside his control.", "At least four people are now known to have been killed in an explosion targeting the funeral of a soldier of the Libyan National Army in Benghazi.The spokesman of the army, Ahmed Mesmary told journalists that a car rigged with explosives had gone off during the funeral of Khalifa Mesmari in Hawari cemetery in Libya’s eastern city on Thursday.\n\nHe said aside from the four people killed, 26 others were wounded in the blast as a number of officers of the LNA attended the funeral.\n\nThis incident comes amidst an ongoing campaign by the Libyan National Army under the command of Khalifa Hafter to wrest control of Tripoli from the internationally backed National Accord Government.\n\nMeanwhile health officials in the country have put fatality figures since the battle for Tripoli began in April at 100 people killed, 500 wounded and about 120, 000 displaced.", "BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) - At least three people were killed and 15 wounded when a car bomb hit a funeral of former senior military commander in the east Libyan city of Benghazi, medical and military sources said.\n\nThe funeral at Benghazi’s Huwari cemetery was for Khalifa Mismari, the assistant commander of Libya’s special forces under former leader Muammar Gaddafi, who was toppled in 2011, the military source said.\n\nA Reuters witness saw two burned out cars at the scene of the blast.\n\nAccording to the military source, the current head of the special forces, Wanis Bukhamada, was attending the funeral but was unharmed.\n\nSince 2014, Libya has been divided between rival political and military factions based in Tripoli and the east.\n\nThe special forces have become a key unit aligned with Khalifa Haftar, the military commander who controls eastern Libya.\n\nSince early April Haftar has been waging an offensive to try to take the capital Tripoli, in the west of the country, though his campaign has stalled.", "Two killed, three wounded in car bomb targeting funeral of ex high ranking military officer in Libya’s Benghazi, says a military source.\n\nThe funeral at Benghazi’s Huwari cemetery was for Khalifa Mismari, the assistant commander of Libya’s special forces under former leader Muammar Gaddafi, who was toppled in 2011, the source said.", "BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) - At least four people were killed and 33 wounded when a car bomb..."], "summary": "Four people are killed and over 30 injured in a car bomb attack at a funeral for a senior Libyan National Army commander in Benghazi."}
{"document": ["People gather at the site of a car bomb blast in front of a church in Qamishli, Syria July 11, 2019. REUTERS/Rodi Said\n\nBEIRUT (Reuters) - A car bomb killed 11 people and wounded many others on Thursday in the Syrian city of Afrin, which Turkey-backed rebels captured from Kurdish fighters last year, medical sources and a monitor said.\n\nThe blast struck an entrance to the city, killing civilians including children, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitoring group said.\n\nThe Observatory and the medical sources said many other people had been injured in the explosion, some very badly.\n\nAfrin lies north of Aleppo near the border with Turkey. It was held by the Kurdish YPG militia until last year when rebels seized it and the countryside around it in a Turkey-backed offensive.\n\nLater in the afternoon, a car bomb exploded in front of a church in the northeast city of Qamishli, which the YPG controls, injuring 8 people, local security forces said.\n\nIslamic State claimed responsibility for the Qamishli blast.\n\nWhile major fighting has died down for now, there is still much insecurity in many parts of Syria, with bombings and other attacks targeting civilians in areas controlled by all sides in the conflict.\n\nIn June, a car bomb in Azaz, a town near Afrin also controlled by Turkey-backed rebels, killed at least 10 people when it struck in a busy marketplace on a Ramadan night.", "BEIRUT, July 11 (Reuters) - A car bomb killed 11 people and wounded many others on Thursday in the Syrian city of Afrin, which Turkey-backed rebels captured from Kurdish fighters last year, medical sources and a monitor said.\n\nThe blast struck an entrance to the city, killing civilians including children, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitoring group said.\n\nThe Observatory and the medical sources said many other people had been injured in the explosion, some very badly.\n\nLater in the afternoon, a car bomb exploded in front of a church in the northeast city of Qamishli, which the YPG controls, injuring 8 people,local security forces said.\n\nWhile major fighting has died down for now, there is still much insecurity in many parts of Syria, with bombings and other attacks targeting civilians in areas controlled by all sides in the conflict.\n\nIn June, a car bomb in Azaz, a town near Afrin also controlled by Turkey-backed rebels, killed at least 10 people when it struck in a busy marketplace on a Ramadan night.", "Beirut - A car bomb near a checkpoint manned by Turkey-backed rebels in the northern Syrian town of Afrin killed 13 people including eight civilians Thursday, a war monitor said.\n\n“The car bomb exploded near the checkpoint at the entrance to the town where vehicles were gathering to be checked,” the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.\n\nTurkish troops and their Syrian proxies took control of Afrin from Kurdish forces in March last year after a two-month air and ground offensive.", "BEIRUT, July 11 (Reuters) - A car bomb killed 11 people and wounded many others on Thursday in the Syrian city of Afrin which Turkish-backed rebel groups captured from Kurdish fighters last year, medical sources and a war monitor said.\n\nThe blast struck an entrance to the city, killing civilians including children, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitoring group reported.\n\nThe Observatory and the medical sources said many other people had been injured in the explosion, some very badly.\n\nAfrin is located north of Aleppo near the border with Turkey. It was held by the Kurdish YPG militia until last year when rebels seized it and the surrounding countryside in a Turkey-backed offensive.\n\nWhile major fighting has ended, for now, in many parts of Syria, there is still much insecurity, with bombings and other attacks that have targeted civilians in areas controlled by all sides in the conflict.\n\nIn June, a car bomb in Azaz, a town near Afrin also controlled by Turkey-backed rebels killed at least 10 people when it struck in a busy marketplace on a Ramadan night.", "A car bomb killed 11 people and wounded many others on Thursday in Syria’s Afrin city, which Turkey-backed rebels captured from Kurdish fighters last year, medical sources and a monitor said, Reuters reports.\n\nThe blast struck an entrance to the city, killing civilians including children, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitoring group said.\n\nThe Observatory and the medical sources said many other people had been injured in the explosion, some very badly.\n\nAfrin lies north of Aleppo near the border with Turkey. It was held by the Kurdish YPG militia until last year when rebels seized it and the countryside around it in a Turkey-backed offensive.\n\nLater in the afternoon, a car bomb exploded in front of a church in the northeast city of Qamishli, which the YPG controls, a witness and state news agency SANA said.\n\nWhile major fighting has died down, for now, in many parts of Syria, there is still much insecurity, with bombings and other attacks targeting civilians in areas controlled by all sides in the conflict.\n\nIn June, a car bomb in Azaz, a town near Afrin also controlled by Turkey-backed rebels, killed at least 10 people when it struck in a busy marketplace on a Ramadan night.", "A car bomb near a checkpoint manned by Turkey-backed rebels in the northern Syrian city of Afrin killed 13 people including eight civilians Thursday, a war monitor said.\n\nTurkish troops and their Syrian proxies took control of Afrin from Kurdish forces in March last year after a two-month air and ground offensive.\n\n\"The car bomb exploded near the checkpoint at the entrance to the town where vehicles were gathering to be checked,\" the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.\n\nThose killed also included four fighters and an unknown person, the Observatory said.\n\n\"Among the victims, at least six are originally from Eastern Ghouta\", a former rebel stronghold outside Damascus retaken by the regime last year, Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said.\n\nThere was no immediate claim for the blast, which is the latest deadly explosion to rock the city.\n\nIn January, a bomb placed on a bus killed three people.\n\nIn December, a car bomb took the lives of nine people.\n\nSince Turkish troops and pro-Ankara Arab rebels captured the town from the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), the United Nations and human rights groups, including Amnesty International, have documented widespread abuses.\n\nThe UN and Amnesty have also reported patterns of house appropriations by fighters and civilians bussed to Afrin during the surrender last year of Eastern Ghouta.\n\nHalf of the enclave's 320,000 residents fled, according to a report by the UN Commission of Inquiry, and most are unable to return.\n\nSyria's war has killed more than 370,000 people and displaced millions since starting in 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-government protests.\n\nTurkey accuses the YPG of being \"terrorists\", but the Kurdish militia also forms the backbone of a US-backed alliance fighting the Islamic State group in Syria.", "As many as 11 people have been killed and over two dozen others suffered injuries after a bomb-laden car exploded in the northwestern Syrian city of Afrin, a source in the opposition Free Syrian Army told Sputnik on Thursday\n\nANTAKYA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 11th July, 2019) As many as 11 people have been killed and over two dozen others suffered injuries after a bomb-laden car exploded in the northwestern Syrian city of Afrin, a source in the opposition Free Syrian Army told Sputnik on Thursday.\n\nEarlier in the day, media reported that five people had been killed in a car bomb blast in Afrin.\n\nThere were also reports claiming that two explosions had taken place: one in Afrin and the other one in the nearby village of Turanda.\n\n\"Eleven people were killed, 25 were injured � six of them are in serious condition � when a car bomb exploded in a residential area in the Syrian city of Afrin,\" the source said.\n\nHe added that some of the injured had been taken to hospitals in Turkey.", "A car bomb near a checkpoint manned by rebels in the northern Syrian town of Afrin killed 13 people including eight civilians Thursday, a war monitor said\n\nBeirut, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - APP - 11th Jul, 2019 ) :A car bomb near a checkpoint manned by rebels in the northern Syrian town of Afrin killed 13 people including eight civilians Thursday, a war monitor said.\n\n\"The car bomb exploded near the checkpoint at the entrance to the town where vehicles were gathering to be checked,\" the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.", "According to sources with the Free Syrian Army that controls the city of Afrin, the blast occurred near the Turanda highway, killing 11 people. Police have reportedly blamed militants from the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) for the incident.\n\nOver a year ago Ankara and the FSA forces that oppose President Bashar al-Assad launched Operation Olive Branch in the northern Syrian district of Afrin in order to repel the YPG and the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) from Turkey's Syrian border.\n\nSince March 2018 the city has been under the complete control of the FSA and Turkish forces.", "At least 11 civilians were killed and 35 others injured on Thursday when a bomb-laden tanker exploded in Afrin, northwestern Syria.\n\nInitial reports said five people died in the blast, while nine others were injured.\n\nAccording to an Anadolu Agency correspondent on the ground, a bomb planted in a diesel fuel tanker was detonated in a residential area in Tirende, south of the Afrin district center.\n\nThe fuel spread around the explosion triggered a fire. Many homes, businesses and vehicles were damaged due to the blast.\n\nThe Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights Observatory and the medical sources said many other people had been injured in the explosion, some very badly.\n\nThe Observatory said the blast occurred near a checkpoint at the entrance to the town where vehicles were lined up.\n\nIn early 2018, Turkey conducted Operation Olive Branch to remove the PKK terror group's Syrian affiliate the People's Protection Units (YPG) from Afrin. The Turkish military and the Free Syrian Army (FSA) entered Afrin town center and liberated it from terrorists on March 18.\n\nFollowing the operation, Turkey has been involved in efforts to rebuild the town's infrastructure, as well as health and education institutions.\n\nFollowing the attack, security measures were increased in Turkish military installations and bases in the region."], "summary": "A car bomb detonates in a Turkey-backed rebel city, Afrin, near the entrance, killing 11 and injuring over 30 badly."}
{"document": ["As many as 11 people were wounded on Thursday in a car bomb blast that occurred in the northeastern Syrian city of Qamishli, Syrian state television reported on Thursday\n\nMOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 11th July, 2019) As many as 11 people were wounded on Thursday in a car bomb blast that occurred in the northeastern Syrian city of Qamishli, Syrian state television reported on Thursday.\n\nThe car bomb exploded near a Christian church in the city's central district of al-Wasta.\n\nSeveral cars were damaged by the explosion.\n\nEarlier in the day, media reported that a car bomb blast took place in the northwestern Syrian city of Afrin. Some media outlets claimed that there were two explosions one in Afrin and the other one in the nearby village of Turanda. A source told Sputnik that 11 people were killed and at least 38 were injured in the incident.", "", "A car bomb detonated near a church in the Kurdish-majority city of Qamishli in northeast Syria on Thursday wounding almost a dozen people, an AFP journalist and state media said.\n\nThere was no immediate claim for the attack, which Syrian state television said wounded 11 people and damaged several cars.\n\nSyria's Kurds have led the U.S.-backed fight in the war-torn country against the Islamic State group, which continues to claim deadly attacks despite its territorial defeat in March.", "QAMISHLI, Syria — A car bomb detonated near a church in the Kurdish-majority city of Qamishli in northeast Syria on Thursday wounding several people, an AFP journalist and state media say.\n\nThe metal gate of the church was slightly dented by the blast, but the building otherwise emerged intact, the correspondent says.\n\nThere is no immediate claim for the attack, which Syrian state television says wounded 11 people and damaged nearby cars.\n\nThe Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor, says only seven people were wounded, and that three among them were in critical condition.\n\nLast month, a car bombing near Kurdish security offices in the same city wounded seven civilians, including a child, the Observatory said.\n\nSyria’s Kurds have led the US-backed fight in the war-torn country against the Islamic State jihadist group, which continues to claim attacks despite its territorial defeat earlier this year.", "A car bomb detonated near a church in the Kurdish-majority city of Qamishli in northeast Syria on Thursday wounding several people, an AFP journalist and state media said.\n\nThe metal gate of the church was slightly dented by the blast, but the building otherwise emerged intact, the correspondent said.\n\nThere was no immediate claim for the attack, which Syrian state television said wounded 11 people and damaged nearby cars.\n\nThe Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor, said only seven people were wounded, and that three among them were in critical condition.\n\nLast month, a car bombing near Kurdish security offices in the same city wounded seven civilians, including a child, the Observatory said.\n\nSyria's Kurds have led the US-backed fight in the war-torn country against the Islamic State group, which continues to claim attacks despite its territorial defeat earlier this year.\n\nThese have included arson attacks on wheat fields and deadly car bombs.\n\nThe jihadist group still maintains a presence in the country's vast Badia desert, as well as in areas controlled by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in the country's northeast and east.\n\nThe SDF, backed by the war planes of a US-led coalition, announced the end of the group's self-proclaimed \"caliphate\" in March in Syria's far eastern village of Baghouz.\n\nSyria's war has killed a total of more than 370,000 people and displaced millions since it started in 2011 with the repression of anti-government protests.", "At least 12 civilians were wounded Thursday in a car bomb explosion that occurred near a church in Qamishli in northeast Syria. The Islamic State terror group claimed responsibility for the attack. VOA's Zana Omar was at the scene.", "(Hatha al-Youm | Iraq News )- A car bomb exploded near Azra church in the Christian-majority neighborhood of Wasta in Qamishlo, Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava), July 11, 2019. Photo: ANHAQAMISHLO, Syrian Kurdistan,— Twelve people were injured on Thursday when a car bomb exploded near a church in a Christian-majority neighborhood of Qamishlo in Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava), northern Syria, ANHA news agency reported.The bomb was caused by a booby-trapped vehicle in the neighborhood of Wasta in Qamishlo near Azra church, according to media outlets in Rojava.The metal gate of the church was slightly dented by the blast, but the building otherwise emerged intact, AFP reported.There was no immediate claim for the attack, which Syrian state television said wounded 11 people and damaged nearby cars.The blast caused significant material damage, but no fatalities were reported.The security forces were deployed to the venue and ambulances evacuated the wounded to the hospital for treatment.The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor, said only seven people were wounded, and that three among them were in critical condition.In June, a car bombing near Kurdish security offices in Qamishlo city wounded seven civilians, including a child, the Observatory said.A car bomb killed 11 people and wounded many others on Thursday in the Syrian Kurdish city of Afrin which Turkish forces and Ankara-backed Syrian mercenary fighters captured from Kurdish fighters in 2018, medical sources and a war monitor said.Syria’s Kurds have led the US-backed fight in the war-torn country against the Islamic State group, which continues to claim attacks despite its territorial defeat earlier this year.These have included arson attacks on wheat fields and deadly car bombs.The jihadist group still maintains a presence in the country’s vast Badia desert, as well as in areas controlled by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in the country’s northeast and east.The Kurdish PYD and its powerful military wing YPG/YPJ considered the most effective fighting force against IS. The YPG, which make up the backbone of the SDF forces, has seized swathes of Syria from Islamic State.The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces expelled the extremist group from its last patch of territory in the eastern Syrian village of Baghouz in March 2019.In 2013, the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party PYD — the political branch of the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) — has established three autonomous Cantons of Jazeera, Kobani and Afrin and a Kurdish government across Syrian Kurdistan in 2013. On March 17, 2016, Kurdish and Arab authorities announced the creation of a “federal region” made up of those semi-autonomous regions in Syrian Kurdistan.U.S. has for years supported the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the fight against the Islamic State group in Syria, as part of an international anti-jihadist coalition dominated by the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG). But in December 2018 U.S. President Donald Trump abruptly announced the pullout from Syria.Copyright © 2019, respective author or news agency, Ekurd.net | AFP | nrttv.com | hawarnews.comComments Comments", "At least 11 people were injured in a car bombing outside a Syriac Christian church in a Kurdish-majority city in northeast Syria on Thursday while at least 13 others were killed in another car bombing in Afrin.\n\nAFP reports that IS (also known as ISIS, ISIL or Daesh) has claimed responsibility for Thursday’s car bombing outside of the Virgin Mary Syriac Orthodox Church in Qamishli, a city located along Syria’s northeastern border with Turkey.\n\nAccording to Syrian state media, 11 people were wounded in the bombing and cars were damaged.\n\nCommunications intercepted by the SITE Intelligence Group showed that jihadis were targeting a gathering of “belligerent Christians.”\n\nAccording to AFP, the front gate of the church was dented but the church building itself did not sustain structural damage.\n\n“A car bomb detonated at the Virgin Mary Syriac Orthodox church in my city Qamishli, in Syria today wounding almost a dozen people including an 8 year old,” one Assyrian Syriac Orthodox Christian wrote on Twitter. “I hope for a day where I never hear of news like this again. Pray for my people please.”\n\nAFP posted a video of the aftermath of the bombing that shows dozens of people standing around while smoke billows out of the destroyed vehicle out front of the church’s entrance.\n\nWhile Syria has been torn by civil conflict since 2011 and has dealt with the presence of religious extremism, millions of Syrians have fled the nation as refugees in search of better lives elsewhere.\n\nBut according to International Christian Concern, Christians in Qamishli have maintained a stronger presence in the city than in most other locations throughout Syria.\n\n“Our prayers are with the victims and families of those affected by the car bombing in Qamishli. This kind of attack serves as a reminder for all Syrian Christians on just how much work needs to be done to protect their lives and their rights,” said ICC Regional Manager Claire Evans.\n\n“The Syrian conflict is constantly evolving, and Christians are always left in the crosshairs of opposing factions. We must work to ensure that any solution to the conflict preserves a place for Christians in society.”\n\nQamishli was not the only Syrian town victimized by a bombing on Thursday. Reports indicate that as many as 13 were killed and 30 others injured by a car bombing that took place in the northwestern city of Afrin, a town that was seized by Turkey-backed rebels last year and now administered by Turkish forces and allied Syrian rebels.\n\nThe bombing took place at a checkpoint manned by the Turkey-backed rebels. Among those killed were eight civilians, two of whom were children, and four were militants, according to the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.\n\nThere was no immediate claim of responsibility for the Afrin car bombing.\n\nAfrin was victimized by a bombing last December that took the lives of nine people and another in January that took the lives of three.\n\nIn March, it was reported that five children were killed while playing near a monastery in the northwest Syrian Christian town of al-Suqaylabiyah.\n\nOver 100 have been killed in recent days as fighting between regime forces and rebel groups sparked up last Wednesday in northwest Syria. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, 57 of the killed have been Assad regime forces while 44 were rebels or jihadis.\n\n“The fighting is ongoing as regime planes and artillery pound the area,” Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said, according to the Kurdish news outlet Rudaw.\n\nSince the beginning of the Syrian civil war eight years ago, more than 370,000 people have been killed.\n\nLast year, President Donald Trump vowed to withdraw all U.S. ground troops from Syria.\n\nThat was a decision that was unpopular among some within his conservative evangelical base who feel that a “full” and “rapid” withdrawal of U.S. troops could put Christian communities in Northern Syria in “mortal danger.”\n\nAdditionally, there was some speculation that the decision to withdraw troops from Syria is what led former Defense Secretary James Mattis’ decision to retire."], "summary": "Another car bomb detonates in the city of Qamishli near a church, injuring 11. The Islamic State claimed responsibility."}
{"document": ["As a dangerous weather system spinning toward the Gulf coast intensified Thursday to become Tropical Storm Barry, some Louisiana residents aren't taking any chances and are choosing to evacuate. Others say they plan to ride the storm out.\n\nHeather Cafarella, 41, a bartender at R Bar, said people aren't panicked, but they are asking each other if they're going to evacuate.\n\n\"It's not just the hurricane. We flood when there's heavy rain. It doesn't take much, unfortunately,\" she said Thursday.\n\nLooking outside at the sunny street, Cafarella said, \"The calm before the storm is so deceiving.\"\n\nMichael Nedelman/ CNN\n\nHerb James, 38, has lived in New Orleans since he was 11.\n\nHe is renting a scooter, but it got stuck in a flood and isn't starting. James is worried about the storm and about having to pay the rental company for the damaged vehicle. He's crashing on friends' couches at the moment.\n\n\"If I have to evacuate, I don't have anywhere to evacuate to,\" James said.", "How are you preparing for Tropical Storm Barry? When it's safe, you can text, iMessage or WhatsApp your videos, photos and stories to CNN at +1 347-322-0415\n\n(CNN) Samantha Kincaid was forced to evacuate during Hurricane Gustav in 2008, her first year in New Orleans. Now, she's leaving again.\n\nThis week's widespread flooding in New Orleans ahead of a slow-moving storm system made her uneasy, she told CNN in a Facebook message.\n\n\"Being stuck in the flood and then waiting for the waters to go down was a real wake up call,\" said Kincaid, who made plans Thursday to head to west to Lafayette. \"I was lucky to not have my car stall out.\"\n\nAs a dangerous weather system spinning toward the Gulf coast intensified Thursday to become Tropical Storm Barry, some Louisiana residents aren't taking any chances and are choosing to evacuate. Others say they plan to ride the storm out.\n\nBarry is the first tropical storm to threaten the United States this year. The forecast shows it as a tropical storm at landfall, possibly by Saturday morning on the Louisiana coast, probably west of New Orleans. There is a significant chance that Barry could be a hurricane, with sustained winds of 74 miles per hour, when it makes landfall.\n\nBut it's not the wind that makes this storm so treacherous. It's the colossal rainfall and massive storm surge.\n\n\"This is a life-threatening situation,\" the National Hurricane Center said. Those in the storm's path should \"take all necessary actions to protect life and property from rising water and the potential for other dangerous conditions.\"\n\nStreets in New Orleans turned into lakes after getting pummeled with up to 9 inches of rain Wednesday -- a day before the system was declared a tropical storm.\n\nThe Broadmoor neighborhood in New Orleans was flooded Wednesday.\n\nWhether to stay or whether to go\n\nClaire Hartley Grogan of New Orleans said she too was preparing to evacuate. She will probably head toward Florida and have a \"hurrication.\"\n\nThe Mississippi River was too high, and she was scared to stay.\n\n\"My entire life, I have lived blocks from the Mississippi River and not been scared. Today, and for the last month or so, [I] have been terrified,\" she said.\n\nPamela Hughes said she will ride out the storm in her mother's trailer in Port Sulphur, south of New Orleans in Plaquemines Parish, which is under a mandatory evacuation order.\n\nBut Hughes said she knows the risk and is staying, even though the trailer isn't on high ground.\n\n\"I really don't think it's going to be too bad,\" she said.\n\nHughes says she's prepared with gas, food and water. She said the levels of the Mississippi River near Port Sulphur, and the nearby bayou, look low to her.\n\nBut Hughes said she evacuated her mother, who has breast cancer and recently got out of the hospital.\n\nAs of late Thursday, Barry was hurling winds of 50 mph in the Gulf of Mexico, but it's expected to continue to intensify, the National Hurricane Center said.\n\nBecause Barry is a slow-moving storm -- crawling across the Gulf at just 3 mph -- it will hover over the same places for a long time, dropping relentless rain and adding to widespread flooding.\n\nThe National Hurricane Center issued hurricane warnings for the Louisiana coast from Intracoastal City to Grand Isle.\n\nThe mayor and town council in Grand Isle, on a barrier island the Gulf of Mexico, ordered everyone to evacuate Thursday.\n\n\"We are expecting a rain fall total that can range from 6\" to 10\",\" they said in a statement. \"We will be experiencing unusual high tides that will range more than 3 feet above ground.\"\n\nBaton Rouge, which is northwest of New Orleans, is expected to get 10 to 15 inches of rain. Resident Rusty Miller said that his experience with previous storm evacuations taught him to hunker down and hope the electricity stays on. He is staying put for now. But this time, he said, he's worried about flooding.\n\n\"As long as this thing doesn't stall, we should be fine,\" Miller said.\n\nMississippi, Alabama and the western Florida Panhandle are also at risk for extreme rain, CNN meteorologist Haley Brink said Thursday.\n\nAn unprecedented challenge\n\nBarry will inundate Louisiana at a terrible time: when rivers like the Mississippi are already extremely high.\n\n\"This is the 258th day of a flood fight on the Mississippi River,\" Gov. John Bel Edwards said Thursday.\n\nUnusually high river levels will lead to an unprecedented challenge when Barry makes landfall.\n\n\"This is the first time we've had a tropical system with water levels on the river this high,\" said Jeffrey Graschel, a hydrologist with the National Weather Service's Lower Mississippi River Forecast Center.\n\nIn New Orleans, the Mississippi River was more than 16 feet high on Thursday. At this time of year, it should be more like 6 to 8 feet, Graschel said.\n\nIn the coming days, the river could crest at 19 feet, 1 foot lower than previously forecast. But the bloated river is still risky, because New Orleans is protected only to a height of 20 feet.\n\nIn preparation for the onslaught, Louisiana officials have started closing floodgates. The Southeast Louisiana Flood Protection Authority has about 250 floodgates, spokesman Antwan Harris said.\n\nMore than 200 floodgates in Orleans and St. Bernard parishes are expected to be closed by Friday to protect the area from the expected storm surge, local media reported.\n\nLouisiana's governor warned that \"no one should take this storm lightly,\" as 10 to 15 inches of rain could fall within 24 hours between Friday and Saturday.\n\nThe governor sent a letter to President Donald Trump requesting a federal declaration of emergency as the storm approached.\n\nHe also declared a state of emergency and urged residents to have a contingency plan for family and pets.\n\nThe US Postal Service temporarily relocated operations to other parts of the state due to mandatory evacuations.\n\n'The calm before the storm'\n\nIn one part of New Orleans, some residents have remained calm.\n\nHeather Cafarella, a bartender at R Bar, said people didn't appear to be panicking. She asking each other if they're going to evacuate is almost like asking \"how's the weather?\"\n\n\"It's not just the hurricane. We flood when there's heavy rain. It doesn't take much, unfortunately,\" Cafarella, 41, said.\n\nShe glanced outside at a sunny, dry street. \"The calm before the storm is so deceiving,\" she said.", "The latest on a tropical weather system in the Gulf of Mexico (all times local):\n\nLouisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards has asked the Trump administration for a federal declaration of emergency ahead of Tropical Storm Barry’s expected landfall late Friday or early Saturday along the state’s coast.\n\nIn a letter Thursday to President Donald Trump, Edwards asks that the state receive supplementary federal resources as soon as possible should they be needed. His letter notes that in the past 24 hours, 28 parishes have issued emergency declarations and 14 are in the process of completing such declarations.\n\nEdwards says it is necessary that critical pre-positioning be provided through federal assistance.\n\nMeanwhile, the Louisiana National Guard says Edwards has authorized activating up to 3,000 soldiers and airmen ahead of the storm. Officials say high-water vehicles and boats have been staged and helicopters are ready to support as needed.\n\nA hurricane warning has been issued for parts of the Louisiana coast ahead of Tropical Storm Barry’s arrival.\n\nThe U.S. National Hurricane Center issued the warning Thursday afternoon for the Louisiana coast from Intracoastal City to Grand Isle. A tropical storm warning is in effect for other areas including the New Orleans metro area.\n\nBarry is currently a tropical storm with winds of about 40 mph (65 kph), and was offshore about 90 miles (145 km) south of the mouth of the Mississippi River.\n\nForecasters say the storm is likely to become a Category 1 hurricane before making landfall Friday or early Saturday.\n\nThe Mississippi Emergency Management Agency is telling people in the southern part of the state to be prepared for heavy rain from Tropical Storm Barry as it pushes northward through the Gulf of Mexico.\n\nThe agency says people in low-lying areas should have a plan to evacuate before waters rise.\n\nForecasters say the storm could become a hurricane and make landfall in Louisiana. Effects could be felt in Mississippi by early Friday.\n\nMEMA says there’s the potential for storm surge greater than 3 feet (1 meter) on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and the south and central parts of the state could have heavy rainfall and flooding.\n\nLouisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards says authorities don’t expect the Mississippi River to overflow levees as Tropical Storm Barry moves toward the Gulf Coast.\n\nAt a Thursday news conference, the governor said high water forecasts for the river have gone down slightly but a change in the storm’s direction or intensity could renew the possibility of the levees being topped by a river already swollen by heavy rains and snow melt.\n\nForecasters say Barry could hit Louisiana as a weak hurricane over the weekend. Edwards said it would be the first time a hurricane made landfall in Louisiana when the Mississippi River was already at flood stage.\n\nThe mayor of New Orleans says the city’s water pumps are “working at optimal capacity” as Tropical Storm Barry moves toward the state’s Gulf coast.\n\nBut speaking at a Thursday news conference, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell added that flooding is a threat because slow-moving, heavy rains are expected from the storm.\n\nNational Weather Service meteorologist says New Orleans could get 10 to 15 inches (25 to 38 centimeters) of rain Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Some isolated areas could see 20 inches (50 centimeters).\n\nBarry could hit Louisiana as a weak hurricane over the weekend.\n\nTropical Storm Barry has formed in the Gulf of Mexico and forecasters say it could become a hurricane as it threatens Louisiana’s coast.\n\nThe U.S. National Hurricane Center says the storm’s maximum sustained winds Thursday morning are near 40 mph (64 kph) with additional strengthening expected during the next day or two.\n\nA tropical storm warning is now in effect for the Louisiana coast from the mouth of the Pearl River to Morgan City.\n\nPlaquemines (PLAK-uh-minz) Parish spokeswoman Jade Duplessis says about 8,000 to 10,000 parish residents are under a mandatory evacuation order as a potential tropical storm brews in the Gulf of Mexico and half of them may need help.\n\nAll of the parish’s east bank and part of its west bank are under mandatory evacuation orders.\n\nThe parish government has set up pickup points on both sides of the Mississippi River. From there, school buses will take people to a registration point and then to evacuation centers.\n\nDuplessis says cats and dogs will be taken in separate vehicles and if owners don’t have their own travel crates, the parish will provide them.\n\nThe evacuation order took effect at 6 a.m. Thursday. Duplessis says officials hope everyone is out by Friday afternoon.\n\nThe disturbance in the Gulf is expected to develop into a tropical storm late Thursday and could hit southern Louisiana as a weak hurricane this weekend.\n\nThe mayor of a barrier island town on Louisiana’s coast has ordered a mandatory evacuation as a potential tropical storm brews in the Gulf of Mexico.\n\nMayor David Camardelle’s order takes effect at noon Thursday on Grand Isle, which is accessible only by boat or a single flood-prone state highway.\n\nOther low-lying areas of coastal Louisiana including the towns of Lafitte, Crown Point and Barataria also came under evacuation orders Thursday.\n\nThat follows similar orders Wednesday for parts of Plaquemines Parish,. The Mississippi River runs through the parish and could overtop some levees.\n\nThe disturbance in the Gulf is expected to develop into a tropical storm late Thursday and could hit southern Louisiana as a weak hurricane this weekend.\n\nCarnival Cruise Line says it rerouted a cruise ship headed to New Orleans because of the potential tropical storm brewing in the Gulf of Mexico.\n\nThe Miami-based company says the more than 3,700-passenger Carnival Valor was sent to Mobile, Alabama, in the interest of safety. A company statement notes that coastal Louisiana is under a hurricane watch and water levels are high on the Mississippi River.\n\nMobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson tweeted a welcome to Valor passengers and a photo of the ship docked in Mobile on Thursday.\n\nCarnival says arriving passengers will be taken from Mobile to New Orleans on complimentary buses.\n\nThe ship was supposed to depart Thursday from New Orleans on its next four-day cruise to Cozumel, Mexico. Instead, passengers will be taken to Mobile by bus from New Orleans.\n\nA potential tropical storm brewing in the Gulf of Mexico presents twin troubles for parts of southeast Louisiana.\n\nIt could contribute to the rising of an already high Mississippi River, with water reaching the tops of levees this weekend. And there is also the widespread danger of flash floods like the one that walloped New Orleans on Wednesday. Officials said that storm dumped as much as 8 inches (20 centimeters) in parts of the metro area in three hours.\n\nThe Gulf disturbance that spawned the floods was forecast to strengthen into a tropical storm by Thursday night.\n\nForecasters said Louisiana could see up to 12 inches (30 centimeters) of rain by Monday. Some areas could get 18 inches (46 centimeters).\n\nMississippi and Texas were also at risk of torrential rains.", "Louisiana authorities are urging residents not to underestimate the danger and destruction Tropical Storm Barry threatens as it nears the coast Friday.\n\n“Look, there are three ways that Louisiana floods: storm surge, high rivers and rain. We’re going to have all three,” Gov. John Bel Edwards said Thursday in a news conference.\n\nBarry is getting stronger as it creeps across the Gulf of Mexico’s warm waters en route to a landfall expected early Saturday in Louisiana.\n\nWhile it could reach hurricane strength, the real peril it poses to roughly 10 million people in its path is rain, which could quickly trigger unprecedented flooding.\n\nTen to 15 more inches of rain are on the way, CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam said, threatening to inundate ground already soaked from a Wednesday storm that flooded some New Orleans homes and businesses.\n\nMeantime, another risk looms in the Mississippi River. Usually at 6 to 8 feet this time of year around the Big Easy, the river is at 16 feet after a year of record flooding, and Barry could push in a storm surge of 2 to 3 feet.\n\nOfficials are “confident that there will not be overtopping of the levees in New Orleans,” Edwards told CNN Friday. Still, the unusual confluence of factors is rattling nerves along the “sliver by the river,” a swath of relatively high ground along the Mississippi that’s less likely to flood in typical rain and hurricane storm surge events than other areas.\n\nAt 8 a.m. ET Friday, Barry was 95 miles southwest of the mouth of the Mississippi River with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph. About 800,000 people are under a hurricane warning along the Louisiana coast from south of Lafayette to south of New Orleans.\n\nBarry is the first storm of the 2019 season to approach the United States.\n\nStocking up or moving out\n\nPresident Donald Trump has declared a state of emergency for Louisiana, where officials activated 3,000 National Guard members in anticipation of the destruction Barry might bring, the governor said.\n\n“Heed the warnings,” he told CNN’s John Berman on Friday morning, pointing out that fatalities often happen when motorists try to drive through floodwater.\n\n“It’s deeper than they believe it to be, and also there’s current that sometimes is imperceptible,” Edwards said. “We need individuals to not drive through standing water.”\n\nWhile some in low-lying places have been directed to evacuate, officials haven’t ordered mandatory evacuations in the most populated areas.\n\nMany residents aren’t eager to endure the expense and effort of leaving, compared with what could be a few uncomfortable hours or days without power. Many also want to stay home so they can bail water if it rises, then dry out floors and drywall as soon as it recedes.\n\nPamela Hughes will ride out the storm in her mother’s trailer in Port Sulphur, which is under a mandatory evacuation order, she said.\n\n“I really don’t think it’s going to be too bad,” she told CNN.\n\nOthers, including Kristopher Williams, are staying behind to protect their pets and their belongings.\n\n“Everything I own is in it,” he said of his truck. “I’m not an ignorant person. I know the dangers. I also know how to get out of just about any bind I encounter.”\n\nAs others head to higher ground, Chef José Andrés’ nonprofit World Central Kitchen announced Thursday it would set up kitchens in Lafayette and New Orleans ahead of the storm.\n\nNew Orleans’ network of drainage pumps, underground pipes and canals were overwhelmed earlier this week by rain. And though water piled up briefly on some streets, the storm was a good test of the drainage system, Edwards said.\n\n“It performed well,” he said, adding, “you never know exactly what Mother Nature’s going to throw at you. … But I’m confident that New Orleans is going to weather this storm (Barry) in pretty good fashion.”\n\nFlooding concerns are not limited to Louisiana. Mississippi, Alabama and the western Florida Panhandle are also at risk for extreme rain, CNN meteorologist Haley Brink said Thursday.\n\nMobile, Alabama, can expect heavy rain that may lead to flash flooding, as well as a high risk of rip currents and a surf up to 8 feet, the National Weather Service tweeted early Friday.\n\nThe Florida Panhandle has seen double red flags go up in some areas, closing beaches, the weather service said.\n\nThe Mississippi Delta Region is also at risk for tornadoes beginning Friday evening.", "DAUPHIN ISLAND, Ala. -- The worst of Tropical Storm Barry is yet to come, but one Alabama resident is already dealing with a mess after the rising tide swallowed a car parked near the beach.Footage from Dauphin Island, Alabama, showed the grey Dodge sedan submerged up to its wheel wells in sand as the tide continued to rise around it.It's not clear why the car was left parked so close to the shore as the storm approached.Dauphin Island, a community about 30 miles south of Mobile, is under flood and high surf advisories and a flash flood watch and could see dangerous rip currents, according to the National Weather Service.Forecasters said slow-moving Barry could unload 10 to 20 inches of rain through Sunday across a swath of Louisiana that includes New Orleans and Baton Rouge, as well as southwestern Mississippi, with pockets in Louisiana getting 25 inches.The storm's leading edges lashed the state with bands of rain for most of the day, and some coastal roads were already under water Friday morning.Barry was expected to arrive as a weak hurricane, just barely over the 74 mph windspeed threshold. But authorities warned people not to be fooled by that.\"Nobody should take this storm lightly just because it's supposed to be a Category 1 when it makes landfall,\" Gov. John Bel Edwards said. \"The real danger in this storm was never about the wind anyway. It's always been about the rain.\"", "NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Tropical Storm Barry's wind and rain began hitting parts of Louisiana Friday as New Orleans and coastal communities braced for a drenching from what could be the season's first hurricane.\n\nA hurricane warning was in effect along the Louisiana coast, with forecasters predicting landfall as a hurricane by early Saturday.\n\nThe storm's rains are expected to pose a severe test of New Orleans' improved post-Katrina flood defenses . Barry is forecast to bring more than a foot and a half (0.5 meters) of rain to parts of the state as it moves slowly inland.\n\n\"There are three ways that Louisiana can flood: storm surge, high rivers and rain,\" Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards said. \"We're going to have all three.\"\n\nEdwards warned of a dangerous combination with the already-high Mississippi River, which has been swelled by heavy rain and snowmelt upriver this spring. He said authorities do not expect the river to spill over its levees, but cautioned that a change in the storm's direction or intensity could alter that.\n\nNational Hurricane Center Director Ken Graham said pockets of Louisiana could have as much as 25 inches (63 centimeters) of rain.\n\n\"So here's the takeaway: Dangerous situation,\" he said during an online presentation Thursday. \"That kind of rainfall in this system could cause flash flooding, cause ponding of water.\"\n\nNational Guard troops and rescue crews were stationed around the state with boats and high-water vehicles. Helicopters were also on standby, and supplies including drinking water and blankets were ready for distribution, the Guard said.\n\nPresident Donald Trump on Thursday night declared a federal declaration of emergency for Louisiana, authorizing the Department of Homeland Security and Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate all disaster relief efforts.\n\nBarry could have winds of about 75 mph (120 kph), just barely over the 74 mph threshold for a hurricane , when it comes ashore, making it a Category 1 storm. Forecasters said Friday morning that while their models don't \"explicitly show Barry becoming a hurricane, it is still possible for that to occur before landfall.\"\n\nAs of early Friday, Barry was about 80 miles (130 kilometers) south of the mouth of the Mississippi, with winds around 50 mph (80 kph). Tracking forecasts showed the brunt of the storm blowing into the Louisiana delta west of New Orleans on a path that could continue toward Chicago, swelling the Mississippi River basin with water that must eventually flow south again.\n\nLouisiana's low-lying southeastern tip was getting hit first. Many heeded evacuation orders affecting 10,000 people in Plaquemines Parish, leaving communities largely empty by Thursday afternoon.\n\nAmong the last to leave the town of Phoenix was 65-year-old Clarence Brocks and his family. The Plaquemines Parish native has evacuated many times and had to rebuild after Katrina wiped out his home. But he said that he wouldn't want to live anywhere else, despite the yearly threat of hurricanes.\n\n\"I was born and raised here. This is all I know,\" the Air Force veteran said. \"I've been all over the world and guess where I want to be at? Right here.\"\n\nJesse Schaffer III of Meraux (MEE-roh) in St. Bernard Parish to the north was helping his relatives in Plaquemines Parish get to family members' houses in safer areas. He said around 20 relatives were staying with him and his wife because their house is safer.\n\n\"We're trying to evacuate and get all of our family members up and go to St. Bernard Parish,\" he said.\n\nWith lightning flashing in the distance and some streets already covered with water from heavy rains, shoppers at an Albertsons grocery store in Baton Rouge stripped shelves bare of bread by Thursday night. Half the shelves normally filled with bottled water were empty.\n\nA radar loop of Barry filled a TV screen at a brewery near downtown. Nearby, the sign outside a convenience store read: \"Barry needs a beer and a nap.\"\n\nMeanwhile, utility crews with bucket trucks that could be needed after the storm filled hotel parking lots along Interstate 59 in southern Mississippi.\n\nThe National Hurricane Center said as much as 20 inches (50 centimeters) of rain could fall in parts of eastern Louisiana, including Baton Rouge, and the entire region could get as much as 10 inches (25 centimeters). The New Orleans area could get 10 to 15 inches (25 to 38 centimeters) through Sunday, forecasters said.\n\nNew Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell said Thursday that the pumping system that drains the city's streets is working as designed but that Barry could dump water faster than the pumps can move it.\n\n\"We cannot pump our way out of the water levels ... that are expected to hit the city of New Orleans,\" she warned.\n\nHowever, the city did not plan to order evacuations because Barry was so close and because it was not expected to grow into a major hurricane. Officials instead advised people to keep at least three days of supplies on hand and to keep their neighborhood storm drains clear so water can move quickly.\n\nHurricane Katrina caused catastrophic flooding in New Orleans in 2005 and was blamed altogether for more than 1,800 deaths in Louisiana and other states, by some estimates.\n\nIn its aftermath, the Army Corps of Engineers began a multibillion-dollar hurricane-protection system that isn't complete. The work included repairs and improvements to some 350 miles (560 kilometers) of levees and more than 70 pump stations that are used to remove floodwaters.\n\nAssociated Press reporters Chevel Johnson and Rebecca Santana in New Orleans, Sarah Blake Morgan in Plaquemines Parish and Jay Reeves in Baton Rouge contributed to this report.", "Tropical Storm Barry forms in Gulf, could become hurricane\n\nNEW ORLEANS (AP) — Tropical Storm Barry formed off the coast of Louisiana on Thursday and threatened to blow ashore as a hurricane with relatively weak winds but torrential rains that could test the flood-control improvements made in New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina 14 years ago.\n\nForecasters said the first hurricane of the Atlantic season could hit the state's swampy southern tip Friday night or early Saturday, with potentially ruinous downpours that could go on for hours as the storm passes through the metropolitan area of nearly 1.3 million people and pushes inland.\n\nPlaquemines Parish, at Louisiana's low-lying southeastern tip, ordered the mandatory evacuation of as many as 10,000 people, and communities began handing out sandbags. Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards declared an emergency and said National Guard troops and high-water vehicles will be positioned all over the state.\n\n\"The entire coast of Louisiana is at play in this storm,\" he warned.\n\nOn Wednesday, with the gathering storm still out over the Gulf of Mexico, it dumped as much as 8 inches (20 centimeters) on metro New Orleans in just three hours. The deluge triggered flash flooding in the city's streets and raised fears about the even heavier rains on the way.\n\nThe National Hurricane Center said as much as 20 inches (50 centimeters) of rain could fall in parts of eastern Louisiana, including Baton Rouge, and the entire region could get as much as 10 inches (25 centimeters). The New Orleans area could get 10 to 15 inches (25 to 38 centimeters) through Sunday, forecasters said.\n\nThe storm's surge also could prevent water from emptying out of the already-swollen Mississippi River, possibly sending water over levees near New Orleans, forecasters said. The river has been running high for months.\n\nBarry could have winds of about 75 mph (120 kph), just over the 74 mph threshold for a hurricane, when it comes ashore, making it a Category 1 storm, forecasters said.\n\nNational Weather Service meteorologist Benjamin Schott said the big concern is water, not wind: \"Rainfall and flooding is going to be the No. 1 threat with this storm.\"\n\nNew Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell said that the pumping system that drains the city's streets is working as designed but that the slow-moving storm could dump water faster than the pumps can move it.\n\n\"We cannot pump our way out of the water levels ... that are expected to hit the city of New Orleans,\" she warned.\n\nHowever, the city did not plan to order evacuations because the storm was so close and because it was not expected to grow into a major hurricane. Officials instead advised people to keep at least three days of supplies on hand and to keep their neighborhood storm drains clear so water can move quickly.\n\nKatrina caused catastrophic flooding in New Orleans in 2005 and was blamed altogether for more than 1,800 deaths in Louisiana and other states.\n\nIn its aftermath, the Army Corps of Engineers began a multibillion-dollar hurricane-protection system that isn't yet complete. The work included repairs and improvements to some 350 miles (563.24 kilometers) of levees and more than 70 pump stations that are used to remove floodwaters.\n\nThe weather service said it expects the Mississippi to rise to 19 feet (5.8 meters) by Saturday morning at a key gauge in the New Orleans area, which is protected by levees 20 to 25 feet (6 to 7.6 meters) high.\n\n\"We're confident the levees themselves are in good shape. The big focus is height,\" Corps spokesman Ricky Boyett said.\n\nIn Plaquemines Parish, Justice of the Peace David McGaha waited with his mother, his wife and their 15-year-old son and 11-year-old daughter for a ferry so they could evacuate to his mother's house in Alabama.\n\n\"If the river wasn't so high, we'd probably stay. You have to worry about the water that'll be pushing against those levees,\" he said. \"They made a lot of improvements to the levee, but they haven't completed all the projects.\"\n\nAssociated Press reporters Chevel Johnson and Janet McConnaughey contributed to this report from New Orleans.", "If there is one thing you need to know about Tropical Storm Barry, it is this: The storm bearing down on Louisiana is forecast to be a flooding disaster.\n\nBasically every aspect of the setup for Barry is lined up to unleash multiple types of flooding that could last for days on end, potentially placing the flooding on par with Hurricanes Florence and Harvey. The Gulf Coast from the Florida Panhandle to Louisiana is covered in a panoply of flood warnings from the National Weather Service. The variety and extent could expand in the coming days as Barry gathers strength and its path becomes more clear.\n\nThe reason for Barry’s prolific flood forecast has very little to do with its official strength. While the category it reaches on the Saffir-Simpson scale as its winds speed up will be the primary way Barry is defined meteorologically, the rainfall and storm surge will define how much damage this storm does.\n\nRain, which is expected to begin in earnest on Saturday, is the biggest concern, with Barry forecast to drop 10-15 inches of rain over a wide area of Louisiana and Mississippi and locally higher amounts of 20 inches or more possible. That would be bad news enough. An unnamed storm dumped more than 20 inches of rain across a large portion of Louisiana in August 2016, causing $10 billion in damage. Baton Rouge was particularly hard-hit as rain hammered the state capital.\n\nBarry may not match the exact rainfall totals from that storm, which topped 31 inches, but the rain that does fall will do so on already swollen rivers and soggy land that can’t hold an iota more water. That can lead to two types of flooding: your standard but still terrible standing water floods, and flash floods with rushing water that can wash away cars, people, and infrastructure in their path. Both already racked New Orleans and the surrounding area on Wednesday, which is in part why everything is so soggy ahead of Barry.\n\n\n\nThe timing of Barry is also particularly bad from a river flood perspective. The Mississippi River is still shuttling record-setting spring floodwater from the Midwest to the Gulf of Mexico. The high state of the river coupled with an approaching hurricane “would be the first time we’ve had the hurricane hit the state with rising rivers” according to a tweet from Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards.\n\n“Hurricanes/tropical storms usually impact Louisiana later in the season,” Hal Needham, a hurricane expert and founder of Marine Weather and Climate, told Earther in an email. “Barry is arriving earlier and encountering Mississippi River levels that are high.”\n\nAny rain that falls will engorge the river further, and could threaten to overtop levees in New Orleans. If that happens—or if a levee fails—the result would be catastrophic for the city. And that brings us to yet another type of flood the Gulf Coast could see. As floodwaters rush down rivers and creeks toward the Gulf of Mexico, they’ll run into a wall of saltwater trying to come up as Barry plows inland.\n\nBarry’s storm surge is expected to be relatively minor compared to, say, Hurricane Michael from last year, because the storm is likely to be smaller and less organized, according to Needham. But Barry will raise water levels along the coast and push at least some surge inland, essentially damming freshwater coming downstream in place and leading to something known as compound flooding. Something similar happened during Hurricane Florence last year where water levels stayed elevated even after the storm had passed.\n\n“Even if a community is not flooded by saltwater, elevated salt water levels along the coast can contribute to flooding by slowing the drainage process,” Needham said.\n\nThis whole setup also neatly illustrates how climate change and the way we’ve developed can create overlapping risks that will only increase in the coming decades. Heavy precipitation events like the ones that inundated the Midwest this spring and are now clogging the Mississippi River in Louisiana are becoming more common in every corner of the U.S. The warmer atmosphere human carbon pollution has created simply holds more water, leading to more prolific downpours. While no research has been done to attribute any aspect of Barry to climate change, the expected heavy rain also certainly fits that pattern. And attribution research for Harvey two years ago showed that climate change did increase the odds of the storm’s record-setting rainfall.\n\nAt the same time, the infrastructure we rely on has also added to the flooding woes we’re facing today. In Houston, for example, paving over the prairie grass that used to absorb floodwaters with concrete that accelerates runoff and keeps waters aboveground contributed to Harvey-related woes. Ditto for New Orleans, which is partly located below sea level and relies on a series of levees largely built in the 20th century. And with days of rain ahead, we’re about to see if last century’s protections can keep this century’s water at bay.", "Louisiana residents are bracing for a possible hurricane as Tropical Storm Barry continues to threaten the state’s coast.\n\nMandatory evacuations were issued for parts of Louisiana on Thursday — specifically in Plaquemines Parish where — as of Thursday morning — 8,000 to 10,000 parish residents were under a mandatory evacuation order, spokeswoman Jade Duplessis said.\n\nBarry, which is the second named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, is expected to strengthen into a hurricane by late Friday and make landfall by early Saturday along the Louisiana coast.\n\nThe National Weather Service also warned flooding is a threat as New Orleans could get 10 to 15 inches of rain Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Some isolated areas could see 20 inches. Storm surges watches and warnings are also in effect for various areas along the coast.\n\nRead on for a look at the storm’s expected path and other information.\n\nWhere is Tropical Storm Barry now?\n\nThe National Hurricane Center said in a 1:00 p.m. update on Thursday that the slow-moving storm is located about 90 miles south of the mouth of the Mississippi River. It noted the storm is “moving slowly westward across the northern Gulf of Mexico,” and warned “dangerous storm surge, heavy rains and wind conditions [are] expected across the north-central Gulf Coast.”\n\nAs of that same time, Tropical Storm Barry had maximum sustained winds of 40 mph.\n\nHow is the state preparing?\n\nOn Wednesday, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards declared a state of emergency for all of Louisiana.\n\n\"This is going to be a Louisiana event with coastal flooding and widespread, heavy rainfall potentially impacting every part of the state,” Edwards said in a statement. “No one should take this storm lightly. As we know all too well in Louisiana, low intensity does not necessarily mean low impact.”\n\nThe governor also encouraged residents to “check [their] emergency supplies and get a game plan for [their] family and pets. He also urged residents to monitor local media for “weather developments and follow the directions of local officials.”\n\nHURRICANE HEALTH RISKS: 3 THINGS TO WATCH OUT FOR\n\nNew Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell said the city's water pumps are \"working at optimal capacity\" as Tropical Storm Barry moves toward the state's Gulf coast. That said, at a Thursday news conference, she added that flooding is a threat because slow-moving, heavy rains are expected from the storm.\n\n“We cannot pump our way out of the water levels ... that are expected to hit the city of New Orleans,” she warned.\n\nFox News' Travis Fedschun and The Associated Press contributed to this report.", "The first tropical system to slam the US this year lashed parts of the Deep South with heavy rains Thursday morning as it spins through the Gulf of Mexico.\n\nMore than 4 million people are under flash flood watches from south-central Louisiana to the western Florida panhandle as the system moves over the warm waters, CNN meteorologist Haley Brink said.\n\nIf it reaches winds of 39 mph, it will officially become Tropical Storm Barry and could intensify into a Category 1 hurricane by late Friday. The storm had maximum sustained winds of 30 mph Thursday, and is expected to make landfall along the Louisiana or upper Texas coast Saturday.\n\nBut even before it reaches tropical storm status, it’ll deluge the Gulf Coast region with heavy rains, leading to flash flooding that could cause the Mississippi River to rise to dangerous levels.\n\nSouthern Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama, along with the western Florida Panhandle, will especially get drenched Thursday, Brink said.\n\nGovernors to residents: Prepare and stock up\n\nAs the tropical system strengthens, regional leaders are urging people in the area not to get caught off guard.\n\n“Begin preparing your property, your supplies, your lines of communication to your family members,” Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said. “Begin preparing to know exactly where you need to go if you need to evacuate.”\n\nThe governor said the state has high-water rescue boat squads ready to help, CNN affiliate KEYE reported.\n\nIn Louisiana, Gov. John Bel Edwards declared a state of emergency and asked residents to have a contingency plan for family and pets. About 10 to 15 inches of rain could fall within 24 hours between Friday and Saturday, he said.\n\n“This is going to be a Louisiana event with coastal flooding and heavy rainfall potentially impacting every part of the state,” he said. “No one should take this storm lightly. As we know all too well in Louisiana, low intensity does not necessarily mean low impact.”\n\nNew Orleans got a taste of the tropical system after it spawned its first tornado warning and flash flood emergency in the area Wednesday. It dumped up to 9 inches of rain in parts of the city, flooding streets, homes and hotel lobbies.\n\nThe slow-moving storm was crawling at 9 mph Thursday morning, and was 125 miles southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River, the National Hurricane Center said.\n\nThat means it could hover over the same place for long time, dumping rain relentlessly. Storm surge, hurricane force winds and extensive flooding are forecast in the Gulf Coast region into the weekend.\n\nThe potential storm surge has prompted the National Weather Service to warn that the Mississippi River could crest at 20 feet in New Orleans, or 1.3 feet below the record. The city is protected to a height of 20 feet.\n\nLouisiana officials started closing flood gates over concerns that the storm surge could cause additional flooding. More than 200 flood gates in Orleans and St. Bernard parishes are expected to be closed by Friday, local media reported."], "summary": "Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards declares a state of emergency as Tropical Storm Barry makes unprecedented levels of rainfall on Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and the western Florida Panhandle."}
{"document": ["Greece storm: Two children among seven people dead in rare Halkidiki storm\n\nGreece storm: Two children among seven people dead in rare Halkidiki storm\n\nAn overturned vehicle on a beach at Sozopoli village in Halkidiki region, northern Greece\n\nTwo children are among seven people to have died after a severe storm struck a tourist hotspot in Greece.\n\nGale-force winds, rain and hailstorms swept through the northern region of Halkidiki late on Wednesday, with two elderly tourists from the Czech Republic killed when strong winds and water hit their travel trailer.\n\nTwo Russians - a man and a boy - died after a tree came down near their hotel in the town of Potidea, while a woman and an eight-year-old boy from Romania were killed after a roof collapsed on a restaurant in Nea Plagia.\n\nA body was also found at sea, identified as a local missing fisherman.\n\nMore than 100 people have also been injured due to the extreme conditions, with a local hospital treating patients aged from eight months to over 70.\n\nAthansios Kaltsas, director of the Nea Moudania Medical Centre, where many of the injured were treated for fractures, said the weather was unprecedented.\n\n\"It is the first time in my 25-year career that I have lived through something like this,\" he told Greek television.\n\n\"It was so abrupt, and so sudden.\"\n\nMeteorologist Klearxos Marousakis described the conditions as \"extremely unusual\" for this time of year, with Greece accustomed to hot and dry summers.\n\nCrews are also working to restore power that was knocked out to 80% of the area, whilst the fire service said it had received more than 1200 requests for assistance.\n\nTemperatures had soared to around 37C (98.6F) in the days leading up to the storm.\n\nSome 140 firefighters are still operating in the area, which is located near the city of Thessaloniki and encompasses a number of scenic seaside towns and villages, with authorities having declared a state of emergency.\n\nMany homes and businesses have been left without power, with the winds having toppled electricity pylons.\n\nThe citizens' protections minister - newly appointed by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis - was due to visit the region early on Thursday, although heavy rain was forecast to continue until around 9am local time (7am BST).", "ATHENS (Reuters) - Six foreign nationals, including two children, were killed and more than 100 other people injured after gale-force winds, rain and hailstorms struck northern Greece late on Wednesday, uprooting trees and collapsing roofs, authorities said.\n\nTelevision footage showed strong winds sweeping through a restaurant in the Halkidiki peninsula, a region popular with tourists in the summer.\n\nStreets in towns in the area were dotted with uprooted pine trees and overturned motorcycles, photographs posted on websites showed.\n\n“It is the first time in my 25-year career that I have lived through something like this,” Athansios Kaltsas, director of the Nea Moudania Medical Centre, where many of the injured were treated for fractures, told Greek television.\n\n“It was so abrupt, and so sudden,” he said.\n\nKaltsas said patients taken to the clinic ranged in age from 8 months to over 70. Some suffered head injuries from trees and other falling objects.\n\nTwo elderly Czech tourists were killed when strong winds and water swept away their travel trailer, police said.\n\nElsewhere in the region, a woman and an 8-year-old boy, both Romanian nationals, were killed after a roof collapsed on a restaurant in Nea Plagia. A man and a young boy, both Russians, died after a tree collapsed near their hotel in the seaside town of Potidea, authorities said.\n\nSuch severe weather is unusual in Greece, where summers are typically hot and dry. Meteorologist Klearxos Marousakis described conditions as “extremely unusual” for this time of year.\n\nMeteorologists forecast it would continue to rain in the area until about 9 a.m. on Thursday.\n\nAuthorities declared Halkidiki in a state of emergency, and Greece’s newly appointed citizens’ protection minister was due to visit early on Thursday. At least 140 firefighters were operating in the area.", "Gale-force winds, torrential rain and hail were reported across parts of northern Greece on Wednesday evening as a freak storm took hold.\n\nThe storm, which hit the popular tourist peninsula of Halkidiki, left at least six foreign nationals dead, including two children.\n\nTwo elderly Czech nationals were killed after their caravan was swept away, while a Romanian woman and an eight-year-old boy were killed after a restaurant roof collapsed.\n\nTwo Russian nationals, a man and young boy, were also killed after they were caught under a collapsed tree.\n\nVideos captured by local media showed the storm damage, including vehicles crushed by uprooted trees and debris, and roofs that had been ripped off buildings.\n\nRestaurant fronts were also destroyed in the severe weather.\n\nPeople living on the peninsula described having never experienced a storm like Wednesday night's events.\n\nOne Facebook user, Despina Chitri, said she had lived in Potidaea for three decades, but it was the first time she had seen such \"dramatic moments\".\n\nShe shared pictures of debris and objects overturned on her balcony, adding: \"We do not have light, our houses took in water, hail, rain, lightning, thunder, destruction.\"\n\nAthansios Kaltsas, the director of the Nea Moudania Medical Centre, told Greek television that it was \"the first time in my 25-year career that I have lived through something like this.\"\n\nHe added: \"It was so abrupt, and so sudden.\"\n\nKaltsas made the comments after treating many of the more than 100 wounded in the storm.\n\nHe said his patients ranged from 8 months in age to 70 years old, and some had suffered head injuries from falling objects.\n\nA state of emergency was put in place on the Halkidiki peninsula amid what has been described by meteorologists as \"extremely unusual\" conditions for the time of year.\n\nGreece usually experiences hot and dry months over the summer period.\n\nGreece's newly-appointed citizens' protection minister is due to visit the region on Thursday.", "Debris are seen after a storm on a beach at Vergia village in Halkidiki region, northern Greece on July 11, 20...\n\n(GREECE): Tornadoes and violent hailstorms killed six tourists in northern \n\nDozens more were injured when strong winds hit the region of Halkidiki, near the city of Thessaloniki, authorities added. \n\nTelevision footage showed overturned cars, fallen trees, torn roofs and mudslides. \n\n\"Six tourists were killed and at least 30 people were injured during this cyclone,\" Charalambos Steriadis, head of civil protection in northern Greece, said. \n\nThe freak storm only lasted about 20 minutes, according to witnesses interviewed by state television ERT. \n\nA Czech couple died when strong winds blew their caravan away while a Russian man and his son were killed by a falling tree, police said. \n\nDebris from a building killed a woman from \n\nAccording to port police, a fisherman in his sixties was also missing. \n\n\"It was an unprecedented phenomenon,\" very strong winds, tornadoes and violent hailstorms, Steriadis said, adding that Halkidiki had declared a state of emergency. \n\nAt least 140 rescue workers were involved in the operation, emergency chief Vassilis Varthakoyannis said. \n\nThe minister for citizen protection, Michalis Chryssohoidis, will visit the site on Thursday morning. \n\nThe storms came after temperatures in Greece soared to 37 degrees centigrade (98 degrees Fahrenheit) over the past two days. \n\n Download The Times of India News App for Latest World News (GREECE): Tornadoes and violent hailstorms killed six tourists in northern THESSALONIKI (GREECE): Tornadoes and violent hailstorms killed six tourists in northern Greece late Wednesday, police said.Dozens more were injured when strong winds hit the region of Halkidiki, near the city of Thessaloniki, authorities added.Television footage showed overturned cars, fallen trees, torn roofs and mudslides.\"Six tourists were killed and at least 30 people were injured during this cyclone,\" Charalambos Steriadis, head of civil protection in northern Greece, said.The freak storm only lasted about 20 minutes, according to witnesses interviewed by state television ERT.A Czech couple died when strong winds blew their caravan away while a Russian man and his son were killed by a falling tree, police said.Debris from a building killed a woman from Romania and her child.According to port police, a fisherman in his sixties was also missing.\"It was an unprecedented phenomenon,\" very strong winds, tornadoes and violent hailstorms, Steriadis said, adding that Halkidiki had declared a state of emergency.At least 140 rescue workers were involved in the operation, emergency chief Vassilis Varthakoyannis said.The minister for citizen protection, Michalis Chryssohoidis, will visit the site on Thursday morning.The storms came after temperatures in Greece soared to 37 degrees centigrade (98 degrees Fahrenheit) over the past two days.", "At least seven people died, including two children, and dozens were injured when a freak storm struck northern Greece.\n\nStrong winds and torrential rain hit the popular tourist area of Halkidiki, near the city of Thessaloniki, on Wednesday night.", "ATHENS/NEA PLAYIA — Six foreigners including two children were killed and more than 100 other people injured when a violent, short-lived storm lashed northern Greece overnight, felling trees and ripping off rooftops.\n\nWitnesses reported the storm had come and gone in a matter of minutes. Winds of over 100 kph (60 mph) were reported on the Halkidiki peninsula, popular with tourists in the summer.\n\nTwo elderly Czech tourists were killed when strong winds and water overturned their travel trailer, police said.\n\nA woman and an 8-year-old boy from Romania were killed when a roof collapsed on a restaurant in the beach resort of Nea Plagia. And a man and a young boy, both Russians, died when a tree fell near their hotel in the seaside town of Potidea, authorities said.\n\nStreets in the area were dotted with uprooted pine trees and overturned motorcycles, and wooden rooftops had been torn off and dumped on beaches. A Reuters correspondent saw sun loungers strewn in mangled heaps with other debris across Nea Plagia’s golden beaches.\n\nPrime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, whose government was sworn in this week after winning elections on July 7, canceled his morning schedule and was being continuously briefed, a government official said.\n\nCivil Protection Minister Mihalis Chrisochoidis, at the scene, said Greece was mourning the loss of life, adding: “In coming days all damage will be repaired.”\n\nSuch severe storms are unusual in Greece, where summers are typically hot and dry. But the tragedy had echoes of a wildfire almost a year ago that raced through the resort of Mati almost without warning, fanned by hot winds, trapping many inhabitants before they could flee and killing 100 people.\n\n“It is the first time in my 25-year career that I have lived through something like this,” Athansios Kaltsas, director of the Nea Moudania Medical Centre, where many of the injured were treated for fractures, told Greek television.\n\n“It was so abrupt, and so sudden.”\n\nKaltsas said patients taken to the clinic ranged in age from 8 months to over 70. Some had head injuries from trees and other falling objects.\n\nAuthorities said around 100 people, mostly tourists, had been injured, and 23 of those had been admitted to hospital. There were widespread power cuts.\n\n“Here we dealing with a new situation,” geology and natural disasters expert Efthymios Lekkas told Skai TV. “Climate change is an accelerated and self-sustaining cycle that creates new hazards, with increased duration and intensity.”", "Tornadoes and violent hailstorms killed six tourists including two children in northern Greece late Wednesday, police said.\n\nEstimates of the injured ranged from at least 30 to more than 100 after the sudden and violent storm hit Halkidiki, near the city of Thessaloniki, on Wednesday night.\n\nTrees were uprooted, vans flipped over and motorcycles scattered through the streets by gale-force winds, as rain and hail pelted the streets.\n\nVideos from Halkidiki, which sits on the Greek mainland facing the Aegean Sea, shows lighting striking a tower block while wind and rain lashes against vehicles.\n\nTwo elderly Czech tourists were killed when strong winds and water swept away their travel trailer, police said.\n\nElsewhere in the region, a woman and an 8-year-old boy, both Romanian nationals, were killed after a roof collapsed on a restaurant in Nea Plagia.\n\nA man and a young boy, both Russians, died after a tree collapsed near their hotel in the seaside town of Potidea, authorities said.\n\nAccording to port police, a fisherman in his sixties was also missing.\n\nSuch severe weather is unusual in Greece, where summers are typically hot and dry. Meteorologist Klearxos Marousakis described conditions as 'extremely unusual' for this time of year.\n\n'It is the first time in my 25-year career that I have lived through something like this,' Athansios Kaltsas, director of the Nea Moudania Medical Centre, where many of the injured were treated for fractures, told Greek television.\n\n'It was so abrupt, and so sudden,' he said.\n\nKaltsas said patients taken to the clinic ranged in age from 8 months to over 70. Some suffered head injuries from trees and other falling objects.\n\nMeteorologists forecast it would continue to rain in the area until about 9 a.m. on Thursday.\n\nThe freak storm only lasted about 20 minutes, according to witnesses interviewed by state television ERT.\n\nAuthorities declared Halkidiki in a state of emergency, and Greece's newly appointed citizens' protection minister was due to visit early on Thursday.\n\nAt least 140 rescue workers were involved in the operation, emergency chief Vassilis Varthakoyannis said.\n\nThe minister for citizen protection, Michalis Chryssohoidis, will visit the site on Thursday morning.\n\nThe storms came after temperatures in Greece soared to 37 degrees centigrade (98 degrees Fahrenheit) over the past two days.", "ATHENS (REUTERS) - Six foreign nationals, including two children, were killed and more than 100 other people injured after gale-force winds, rain and hailstorms struck northern Greece late on Wednesday (July 10), uprooting trees and collapsing roofs, authorities said.\n\nTelevision footage showed strong winds sweeping through a restaurant in the Halkidiki peninsula, a region popular with tourists in the summer.\n\nStreets in towns in the area were dotted with uprooted pine trees and overturned motorcycles, photographs posted on websites showed.\n\n\"It is the first time in my 25-year career that I have lived through something like this,\" Athansios Kaltsas, director of the Nea Moudania Medical Centre, where many of the injured were treated for fractures, told Greek television.\n\n\"It was so abrupt, and so sudden,\" he said.\n\nMr Kaltsas said patients taken to the clinic ranged in age from 8 months to over 70. Some suffered head injuries from trees and other falling objects.\n\nTwo elderly Czech tourists were killed when strong winds and water swept away their travel trailer, police said.\n\nElsewhere in the region, a woman and an 8-year-old boy, both Romanian nationals, were killed after a roof collapsed on a restaurant in Nea Plagia. A man and a young boy, both Russians, died after a tree collapsed near their hotel in the seaside town of Potidea, authorities said.\n\nSuch severe weather is unusual in Greece, where summers are typically hot and dry. Meteorologist Klearxos Marousakis described conditions as \"extremely unusual\" for this time of year.\n\nMeteorologists forecast it would continue to rain in the area until about 9am on Thursday.\n\nAuthorities declared Halkidiki in a state of emergency, and Greece's newly appointed citizens' protection minister was due to visit early on Thursday. At least 140 firefighters were operating in the area.", "Tornadoes and violent hailstorms killed six tourists in northern Greece late Wednesday, police said.\n\nDozens more were injured when strong winds hit the region of Halkidiki, near the city of Thessaloniki, authorities added.\n\n\"Six tourists were killed and at least 30 people were injured during this cyclone,\" Charalambos Steriadis, head of civil protection in northern Greece, said.\n\nThe freak storm only lasted about 20 minutes, according to witnesses interviewed by state television ERT.\n\nA Czech couple died when strong winds blew their caravan away while a Russian man and his son were killed by a falling tree, police said.\n\nDebris from a building killed a woman from Romania and her child.\n\nAccording to port police, a fisherman in his sixties was also missing.\n\n\"It was an unprecedented phenomenon,\" very strong winds, tornadoes and violent hailstorms, Steriadis said, adding that Halkidiki had declared a state of emergency.\n\nAt least 140 rescue workers were involved in the operation, emergency chief Vassilis Varthakoyannis said.\n\nThe minister for citizen protection, Michalis Chryssohoidis, will visit the site on Thursday morning.\n\nThe storms came after temperatures in Greece soared to 37 degrees centigrade (98 degrees Fahrenheit) over the past two days.", "A freak storm in northern Greece killed six tourists and left more than 30 others injured on Wednesday.\n\nEyewitness video shows violent winds and rain hitting Halkidiki, an area near Thessaloniki popular with holidaymakers, around 9.45 p.m. local time (2.45 p.m. ET).\n\nAn elderly Czech couple were killed when their caravan was blown over, and two Russians and two Romanians also died, according to CNN affiliate CNN Greece.\n\nThe localized storm reportedly only lasted around 10-15 minutes.\n\nOther injured people were transferred to local hospitals and one was taken to intensive care, but all of them are in a stable condition, government spokesman Stelios Petsa was reported as saying by CNN Greece.\n\nThe local coastguard was also searching for a 62-year-old fisherman who went out to sea around 6 p.m. local time.\n\nBritish tourist Kirstie Taylor, who filmed the video above, told CNN she was at Ikos resort in Halkidiki when the storm hit.\n\n“It started with constant lightning, which went on for about 15 minutes. It was like someone switching a light on and off,” she said.\n\n“Then the storm happened very quickly. Chairs and tables were blown everywhere.”\n\nFamily travel blogger Emily Kishtoo was at a beach party when the storm struck and the power cut out.\n\n“There was screaming and people running about trying to get out of the beach bar and off the beach – there were probably around 200 people or so,” she told CNN.\n\nKishtoo described grabbing her children and running back to her hotel in the torrential rain, with fallen trees and debris on the road.\n\n“Things are still not back to normal here this morning, she said.\n\n“The hotel is still on a generator, there is no running water, and the weather has turned cold.”\n\nTemperatures hit 37 degrees Celsius in the area on Monday, but dropped to 19 degrees Celsius early Thursday.\n\nIn September 2018 a rare hurricane-like storm triggered flooding as it hit southern Greece.\n\nThe storm, called Zorba, was dubbed a “Medicane” because of its location in the Mediterranean and its tropical-storm-like qualities.\n\nSuch storms only occur once or twice a year, usually during September and October, when sea surface temperatures are warm.\n\nIn early July large swathes of Europe were struck by a heatwave that pushed temperatures to record breaking levels.\n\nThe mercury reached 45.9 degrees Celsius (114.6 Fahrenheit) in Gallargues-le-Montueux in the Gard department in southern France, according to the French national weather service Météo-France."], "summary": "Seven people, including six foreign tourists, are killed and 100 others injured during a violent storm that swept across Thessaloniki, Greece."}
{"document": ["Image copyright Getty Images\n\nTommy Robinson has been jailed for nine months for contempt of court.\n\nThe ex-English Defence League leader was found guilty last week of interfering with the trial of a sexual grooming gang at Leeds Crown Court in May 2018.\n\nTwo Old Bailey judges said his Facebook Live video of defendants in the trial had encouraged \"vigilante action\".\n\nA social media account in Robinson's name called his sentence an \"absolute joke\" and said it was time to protest.\n\nOutside court, his supporters pelted police with bottles and cans.\n\nLater, journalists filming on College Green outside the Houses of Parliament were verbally abused, physically intimidated and had their equipment attacked before police officers arrived.\n\nThe BBC News at One cut short a broadcast from College Green as protesters interrupted a live report.\n\nPolice said no arrests had yet been made in relation to Thursday's protests.\n\nBut officers did arrest three people for affray, and one for a public order offence in relation to a protest that happened outside court on the day of Robinson's conviction last Friday.\n\nFour other people had already been arrested for affray on Friday.\n\nImage copyright Reuters Image caption Supporters of Tommy Robinson gathered outside Parliament\n\nOutside the Old Bailey, supporters of Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, booed and chanted \"we want Tommy out\" after his sentencing, before some began throwing missiles at police.\n\nAs a prison van thought to contain Robinson drove away, several people shouted \"we love you, Tommy\".\n\nImage copyright Getty Images Image caption Protesters also gathered in large numbers outside the Old Bailey\n\nDuring the 2018 case at Leeds Crown Court, reporting restrictions had been put in place postponing the publication of any details until the end of a series of linked trials involving 29 defendants.\n\nHowever, Robinson, 36, from Luton, broadcast footage from outside the court on 25 May 2018, while the jury in the second trial of the series was considering its verdict.\n\nThe video lasted an hour-and-a-half and was viewed online 250,000 times, after being live-streamed on Facebook.\n\nIn a written ruling, Dame Victoria Sharp said Robinson had claimed his intention in making the broadcast was to \"denounce the media\" for their behaviour.\n\nBut the judges found he had encouraged others \"to harass a defendant by finding him, knocking on his door, following him, and watching him\".\n\nThis created \"a real risk that the course of justice would be seriously impeded\", she said.\n\nPossible appeal\n\nRobinson was originally jailed for 13 months on the day of the Facebook broadcast, but was released two months into his sentence after winning an appeal.\n\nThe case was then referred back to Attorney General Geoffrey Cox, who announced, in March this year, that it was in the public interest to bring fresh proceedings.\n\nThe nine month jail sentence served on Thursday includes six months for the Leeds Crown Court offence last year and another three months for contempt of court, following a suspended sentence given at Canterbury Crown Court in May 2017.\n\nAt the Old Bailey on Thursday, Dame Victoria told Robinson that the time he previously spent behind bars for contempt would be taken into account, reducing his sentence to 19 weeks - of which he would serve half before being released.\n\nRobinson's barrister Richard Furlong raised the possibility of an appeal against the court's decision and was told he has 28 days to apply.\n\nThe attorney general said the sentencing illustrated how seriously the courts would take matters of contempt.\n\n\"I would urge everyone to think carefully about whether their social media posts could amount to contempt of court,\" Mr Cox added.\n\nWhat is contempt of court?\n\nContempt of court laws exist to ensure people have fair trials. The idea is that juries must not be influenced by anything but the evidence they hear in court.\n\nThe rules apply to everyone from journalists to people posting comments on social media, and even jurors.\n\nIf someone interferes with a trial, the defendants can walk free and a new trial may have to be held.\n\nThe maximum sentence for contempt of court is two years in prison, but it can also be punished with an unlimited fine.\n\nContempt includes publishing anything that creates a substantial risk of seriously prejudicing \"active\" criminal proceedings. Proceedings become \"active\" when a suspect is arrested.\n\nSomeone could also be in contempt by actions including taking photographs or film, recording what is said in court or talking to a jury member about a case.", "‘Tommy Robinson’ has been sentenced to 9 months in prison for contempt of court, and has been ordered to pay the court’s costs. Developing…", "Tommy Robinson was sentenced to nine months – six months plus three suspended for contempt of court over a video he broadcast on social media which featured defendants in a criminal trial.\n\nOnly immediate custody was commensurate with the seriousness of the case the court heard. Passing sentence today, judge Dame Victoria Sharp said of Robinson:\n\n“He has lied about a number of matters and sought to portray himself as the victim of unfairness and oppression.”\n\nThe suspended committal order was activated in full. Total penalty was therefore was nine months — 39 weeks.\n\nThe former English Defence League (EDL) founder, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, had already served 10 weeks: 138 days. So he has been imprisoned for 19 weeks but will be released halfway.\n\nHis lawyer was forced to apologise when he arrived late for court. replied Dame Victoria Sharp.\n\nAnyone found in contempt of court can be jailed for up to two years, receive an unlimited fine, or both.\n\nRobinson’s supporters thronged outside the Old Bailey – including attention-seeking controversialist Katie Hopkins, who he arrived with – and UKIP leader Gerard Batten, who addressed those gathered, insisting “ this is a political not a judicial decision.” Batten was greeted by chants of ” and “\n\nViolent clashes erupted outside court after the sentencing was booed by Robinson’s supporters. Some pelted police with bottles and cans and officers donned their helmets.\n\nRobinson was found to have committed contempt of court following a two-day hearing at the Old Bailey last Friday.\n\nDame Victoria Sharp and Mr Justice Warby found Robinson was in contempt in three respects when he filmed men accused of the sexual exploitation of young girls and live-streamed the footage on Facebook, in breach of a reporting ban, outside Leeds Crown Court in May 2018.\n\nSpeaking after sentencing, the Attorney General Geoffrey Cox said:\n\n“Today’s sentencing of Yaxley-Lennon serves to illustrate how seriously the courts will take matters of contempt.\n\n“Posting material online that breaches reporting restrictions or risks prejudicing legal proceedings has consequences, and I would urge everyone to think carefully about whether their social media posts could amount to contempt of court.”\n\nGiving reasons for the decision on Tuesday, Dame Victoria said Robinson encouraged in the video, which lasted an hour-and-a-half and was viewed online 250,000 times on the morning of the broadcast.\n\nThe judge said the words he used in the video would have been understood by viewers as “ to harass the defendants and “gave rise to a real risk the course of justice would be seriously impeded”.\n\nThe full judgement can be found here.\n\nIn an appearance on the far-right conspiracy theory website InfoWars on Monday, Robinson asked US President Donald Trump to grant him asylum in America, claiming he faced being killed in prison if he was jailed on Thursday.\n\nAnd then seemed to contradict the plea, with another plea for cash donations from his supporters, in a video filmed ahead of his sentencing on Thursday. Robinson claimed: “I genuinely believe that the best thing they can do for our cause is send me to jail.”\n\n“You’ve added more support for me and for my cause,” Robinson added, addressing judges who considered the case.\n\n“Depending what decision you make on Thursday, my support will be stronger than ever … either way I win.”\n\nThroughout the Old Bailey hearing, Robinson denied any wrongdoing, saying he did not believe he was breaching reporting restrictions and only referred to information that was already in the public domain.\n\nBut Dame Victoria and Mr Justice Warby found he was in contempt by breaching the reporting restriction imposed on the trial, by live-streaming the video from outside the public entrance to the court and by “ some of the defendants.\n\nA number of Robinson’s supporters who gathered outside the court on Thursday and Friday reacted angrily after the verdict was announced.\n\nRobinson, 36, from Luton, Bedfordshire, broadcast the footage while the jury in the second of a series of linked grooming trials was considering its verdict.\n\nThe video was eventually viewed 3.4 million times after being shared following his arrest.\n\nA reporting restriction was in place which postponed the publication of any details of the case until the end of all the trials involving 29 people, in a bid to ensure all defendants received a fair trial.\n\nRobinson was jailed for 13 months after being found in contempt of court on the day of the broadcast.\n\nHe served two months in jail before being freed after the original finding of contempt was overturned by the Court of Appeal in August 2018.\n\nBut the case was then referred back to the Attorney General, who announced in March that it was in the public interest to bring fresh proceedings against Robinson.\n\nDame Victoria and Mr Justice Warby gave permission for the Attorney General to bring a new case against Robinson at a hearing in May.", "The venerable Old Bailey courthouse was the scene on Thursday as citizen-journalist Tommy Robinson was sentenced to nine months in prison after being convicted of contempt-of-court last Friday. Robinson will reportedly serve only 10 additional weeks of the sentence as he was previously jailed last year on the same charge.\n\nRobinson, wearing a dark tee-shirt with the phrase, “Convicted of Journalism” on the front with “Britain = North Korea” on the back, turned to the public gallery and winked as he was being led back to the holding cells.\n\nRobinson is being imprisoned for the crime of livestreaming outside the Leeds Crown Courthouse in May of 2018, while the trial of several Muslim men accused of committing sexual abuse against minor girls was ongoing. The 20 men, collectively known as the Huddersfield Grooming Gang, were convicted of 120 separate offenses against 15 girls in October of 2018.\n\nThe three-judge panel concluded that they had no choice but to imprison Robinson. “We are in no doubt that the custody threshold is crossed in this case, in particular having regard to the common law contempt that the respondent committed,” said Dame Victoria Sharp, one of the judges.\n\n“Nothing less than a custodial penalty would properly reflect the gravity of the conduct we have identified.”\n\nRobinson — real name Steven Yaxley-Lennon — is the former head of the English Defense League, an organization dedicated to preventing the slow takeover of British society by Islamic immigrants. The organization still exists although it has been de-platformed by every major social media company.\n\nRobinson reportedly breached a reporting restriction on the trial with his livestream and, according to the judges, interfered with the trial by “aggressively confronting and filming” some of the defendants. Sharp said last week, “In our judgment, the respondent’s conduct in each of those respects amounted to a serious interference with the administration of justice.”\n\nSharp also claimed that Robinson encouraged “vigilante action” during his livestream outside of the court.\n\nRobinson, 36, vehemently denies the charge and claims he was very careful in only relaying information that was already public knowledge.\n\nAttorney General Geoffrey Cox was delighted with the verdict. “Posting material online that breaches reporting restrictions or risks prejudicing legal proceedings is a very serious matter and this is reflected in the court’s decision today.”\n\nHe added, “I would urge everyone to think carefully about whether their social media posts could amount to contempt-of-court.”\n\nCox was responsible for bringing the fresh contempt charges against Robinson back in March.\n\nRobinson’s sentencing caused chaos outside the court as his supporters reacted to the decision with chants demanding his release. Supporters then marched to Parliament Square. Protestors also reportedly hurled objects and riot police needed to be brought in. London police reported eight arrests.\n\nToday, on his Telegram account, Robinson posted, “Sentenced to prison for journalism. Time for protests to start, this is an absolute joke!” Robinson added, “Protest outside whatever prison I’m in on Saturday please.”\n\nEarlier this week, Robinson was seen on Alex Jones’ Infowars program where he begged President Trump to grant him and his family emergency political asylum. During the appearance, Robinson lamented, “I feel like I’m two days away from being sentenced to death.”\n\nUnfortunately for Robinson, the president was unmoved by his plea. “I beg Donald Trump, I beg the American government, to look at my case. I need evacuation from this country because dark forces are at work.”\n\nDark forces indeed. For more than a decade, Robinson has been busy exposing the phenomenon of the sexual grooming gangs in the United Kingdom. One statistic shows that 84 percent of these gangs are of “Asian” decent. But really, the more important identifier of the gangs is not their “Asian” decent, but their religion, which is predominantly Muslim.\n\nBut Great Britain’s PC culture cannot abide the fact that the vast majority of these sexual exploitive gangs are Muslim. Politicians and media in the UK wanted to keep that fact a secret. Thus, Robinson’s real crime is shedding a bright light on that fact.", "Tommy Robinson, Britain's most prominent far-right activist, has been sent to jail after being found guilty of contempt of court for livestreaming outside of a child grooming trial.\n\n\n\nRobinson, 36, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, was found to have breached reporting restrictions in a child grooming gang trial, which High Court judges ruled had encouraged \"vigilante action\" against the defendants.\n\nOn Thursday morning at London's Old Bailey, Robinson was given a nine-month sentence. However, he will only serve 10 weeks in prison to reflect time already served.\n\nIt's the second time the anti-Muslim activist has been sent to jail over the hourlong Facebook Live broadcast, which had been viewed 250,000 times.\n\nLast year, Robinson was jailed for 13 months, but the Court of Appeal later quashed the conviction. The attorney general brought fresh contempt proceedings against Robinson this year.\n\nRobinson had been filming the defendants of a child grooming trial at Leeds Crown Court in May 2018, streaming confrontations with the men directly to his once-popular Facebook page.\n\nReporting restrictions had been put in place, which stopped journalists from publicising details of the case until three separate trials involving more than two dozen people had been completed. In October last year, the restrictions were lifted and news outlets reported that 20 men had been found guilty of a gang that had raped and groomed young girls.\n\nRobinson founded the English Defence League and in recent years has risen to become the UK's most infamous far-right activist online. He gathered a huge following on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube through provocative videos and stunts targeting the Muslim community.\n\n\n\nSince last year, major social media platforms have taken action against Robinson to restrict his reach: Facebook removed his million-strong fan page and Instagram account, Twitter deleted his account, and YouTube restricted the reach of his videos.\n\n\n\nBut Robinson has still been able to rely on the global network of far-right news outlets and YouTube personalities to boost his cause — Canada's far-right Rebel Media has repeatedly featured Robinson in videos and its campaigns, with the network's host Katie Hopkins also pictured at Robinson's sentencing today,\n\nThis week, ahead of the sentencing, Robinson \"cohosted\" Alex Jones' Infowars programme; he used the platform to make a direct plea to US president Donald Trump to give him asylum.", "Tommy Robinson will be sentenced for contempt of court over a video he broadcast on social media which featured defendants in a criminal trial.\n\nThe former English Defence League (EDL) founder, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, was found to have committed contempt of court following a two-day hearing at the Old Bailey on Friday.\n\nDame Victoria Sharp and Mr Justice Warby found Robinson was in contempt in three respects when he filmed men accused of the sexual exploitation of young girls and live-streamed the footage on Facebook, in breach of a reporting ban, outside Leeds Crown Court in May 2018. Tommy Robinson greets supporters as he arrives at the Old Bailey (Yui Mok/PA)\n\nGiving reasons for the decision on Tuesday, Dame Victoria said Robinson encouraged “vigilante action” in the video, which lasted an hour-and-a-half and was viewed online 250,000 times on the morning of the broadcast.\n\nThe judge said the words he used in the video would have been understood by viewers as “an incitement” to harass the defendants and “gave rise to a real risk the course of justice would be seriously impeded”.\n\nThroughout the Old Bailey hearing, Robinson denied any wrongdoing, saying he did not believe he was breaching reporting restrictions and only referred to information that was already in the public domain.\n\nBut Dame Victoria and Mr Justice Warby found he was in contempt by breaching the reporting restriction imposed on the trial, by live-streaming the video from outside the public entrance to the court and by “aggressively confronting and filming” some of the defendants.\n\nA number of Robinson’s supporters who gathered outside the court on Thursday and Friday reacted angrily after the result was announced. Supporters of Tommy Robinson clash with police outside the Old Bailey (Aaron Chown/PA)\n\nRobinson, 36, from Luton, Bedfordshire, broadcast the footage while the jury in the second of a series of linked grooming trials was considering its verdict.\n\nThe video was eventually viewed 3.4 million times after being shared following his arrest.\n\nA reporting restriction was in place which postponed the publication of any details of the case until the end of all the trials involving 29 people, in a bid to ensure all defendants received a fair trial.\n\nRobinson was jailed for 13 months after being found in contempt of court on the day of the broadcast.\n\nHe served two months in jail before being freed after the original finding of contempt was overturned by the Court of Appeal in August 2018.\n\nBut the case was then referred back to the Attorney General, who announced in March that it was in the public interest to bring fresh proceedings against Robinson.\n\nDame Victoria and Mr Justice Warby gave permission for the Attorney General to bring a new case against Robinson at a hearing in May.\n\nAnyone found in contempt of court can be jailed for up to two years, receive an unlimited fine, or both.\n\nIn an appearance on the far-right conspiracy theory website InfoWars on Monday, Robinson asked US President Donald Trump to grant him asylum in America, claiming he faced being killed in prison if he was jailed on Thursday.", "British far-right figurehead Tommy Robinson was jailed for contempt of court on Thursday, having live-streamed a confrontation with defendants in a criminal trial that was subject to reporting restrictions.\n\nRobinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, was sentenced to nine months in jail, minus the time he has already spent in prison, reducing his term to 19 weeks, of which he will serve half before being released.\n\n“Nothing less than a custodial penalty would properly reflect the gravity of the conduct we have identified,” judge Victoria Sharp said at the Old Bailey in London, England’s central criminal court.\n\n“The respondent cannot be given credit for pleading guilty. He has lied about a number of matters and sought to portray himself as the victim of unfairness and oppression.”\n\nSharp and fellow judge Mark Warby last Friday found Robinson had acted in contempt when broadcasting footage of defendants arriving at Leeds Crown Court in northern England in May 2018.\n\nHe live-streamed footage of men accused of the sexual exploitation of young girls, while the jury in the second of a series of linked grooming trials was considering its verdicts.\n\nReporting restrictions postponed the publication of any details until the end of all the cases, in a bid to ensure all defendants received a fair trial.\n\nRobinson, 36, denied any wrongdoing, saying he did not believe he was breaching any reporting restrictions and had only referred to information that was already in the public domain.\n\nRobinson was jailed for 13 months in May 2018 after being found in contempt of court on the day of the broadcast.\n\nHe served 10 weeks in prison before being freed after the original finding of contempt was overturned by the Court of Appeal in August.\n\nBut the case was then referred back to Attorney General Geoffrey Cox, who announced in March that it was in the public interest to bring fresh proceedings against Robinson.\n\n“Posting material online that breaches reporting restrictions or risks prejudicing legal proceedings has consequences,” Cox said Thursday after the sentencing.\n\n“I would urge everyone to think carefully about whether their social media posts could amount to contempt of court.”\n\nScores of Robinson’s supporters had gathered outside the court on Thursday, chanting his name and waving flags. He entered the building wearing a t-shirt saying “convicted of journalism”.\n\nRobinson has 28 days to appeal against his conviction.", "Tommy Robinson has been jailed for contempt of court after he filmed defendants accused of the sexual exploitation of young girls and live-streamed the footage, in breach of a reporting ban.\n\nHere are some key questions arising from the case.\n\n– What is contempt of court?\n\nContempt of court legislation exists to ensure the fairness and integrity of criminal trials.\n\nThe law is contained in the Contempt of Court Act 1981, which states that contempt arises when there is a “substantial risk of serious prejudice”.\n\nAs in the Robinson case, an order may be made under section 4(2) of the Act to postpone reporting of a trial until its conclusion, where a judge believes it is necessary.\n\nWhen making such an order, a judge has to balance the interests of justice in a fair trial taking place with other interests including free speech and open justice.\n\nIn most cases when someone is alleged to be in contempt of court, the matter will be referred to the Attorney General.\n\nAs well as breaching a reporting restriction, contempt can also be committed in other ways, including by taking photographs in the precincts of the court or attempting to speak to a juror.\n\n– Why was Tommy Robinson found to be in contempt of court?\n\nTwo senior judges found English Defence League founder Robinson was in contempt when he filmed defendants accused of the sexual exploitation of young girls and live-streamed the footage, in breach of a reporting ban, outside Leeds Crown Court in May 2018.\n\nDame Victoria Sharp and Mr Justice Warby found him in contempt in three respects.\n\nThey concluded he was in contempt by breaching the reporting restriction imposed on the trial, by live-streaming the video from outside the public entrance to the court and by “aggressively confronting and filming” some of the defendants.\n\n– What exactly was wrong with what Robinson did?\n\nA reporting restriction was put in place to postpone the publication of any details of the case until the end of a series of linked trials involving 29 defendants to ensure all defendants received a fair trial.\n\nBy filming defendants and broadcasting the footage on social media, Robinson was in breach of the reporting restriction.\n\nThe judge said the content of the video “gave rise to a substantial risk that the course of justice in that case would be seriously impeded” and the confrontation of the defendants was a direct interference with the course of justice.\n\n– Why have journalists been allowed to film Robinson arriving at the Old Bailey?\n\nThere were no reporting restrictions imposed on Robinson’s case so therefore members of the press were allowed to film him entering and leaving the court building.\n\n– What is the punishment for contempt of court?\n\nThe potential penalties for contempt of court are imprisonment, a suspended sentence or an unlimited fine. It carries a maximum sentence of two years.", "Tommy Robinson has been re-sentenced to nine months in prison following his reconviction for contempt of court.\n\nRobinson had instructed his lawyer “to read out a series of past Contempt of Court findings against newspapers which (in summary) had not led to jail terms for editors or reporters accused of disrupting trials”, according to BBC reporter Dominic Casciani, but to no avail, with judges imposing a custodial term only one month shorter than his previous sentence, declaring that “the main purpose of the penalty is punishment and deterrence”.\n\nRobinson was initially arrested, tried, and imprisoned within a matter of hours after livestreaming accused grooming gang members — later convicted — whose case was subject to reporting restrictions, but freed by appellate judges who ruled his initial hearing had been rushed and unfair.\n\nAttorney-General Geoffrey Cox was given leave to relitigate the case, however, which he chose to do — resulting in Robinson being reconvicted, despite his defence team’s arguments that his behaviour was “not materially different to the behaviour we see outside courts day in and day” from mainstream media reporters.\n\nThe sentencing comes days after Mr Robinson appealed to U.S. president Donald Trump to grant him political asylum.\n\nThe activist has said the sentence following his previous, overturned convcition saw him “imprisoned for over 2.5 months in solitary confinement, held against my categorisation, moved to the highest Muslim population Category C prison, subjected to mental torture and constant threats and abuse and had all of my rights removed in the interest of prison safety”, and he believes his treatment by the courts and the state more generally is “political persecution”.\n\nThe nine months comprises six months for Robinson’s actions outside Leeds Crown Court, and the activation of a separate three-month suspended sentence for similar actions at Canterbury Crown Court.\n\nTime served will be discounted, however, meaning Robinson should eligible for automatic release on licence after roughly two months.", "The UK Central Criminal Court sentenced far-right activist Tommy Robinson to nine months in prison on Thursday for contempt of court over a video he livestreamed on social media back in May 2018 featuring defendants in a sexual grooming gang trial in breach of reporting restrictions, media reported\n\nMOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 11th July, 2019) The UK Central Criminal Court sentenced far-right activist Tommy Robinson to nine months in prison on Thursday for contempt of court over a video he livestreamed on social media back in May 2018 featuring defendants in a sexual grooming gang trial in breach of reporting restrictions, media reported.\n\nRobinson, who founded the anti-Islamic English Defence League movement in 2009 but later left it over what he described as \"dangers of far-right extremism,\" was initially sentenced to 13 months in prison for filming defendants and making insulting comments about their Muslim background. In August 2018, the UK Court of Appeal, however, decided to free Robinson on bail. The case was later referred back to the attorney general.\n\nUnder the fresh verdict, he got six months for filming suspects involved in an ongoing trial then subject to blanket reporting restrictions and three more months for an earlier contempt, according to the Independent newspaper.\n\nGiven the time that he previously spent in prison, a judge reduced his sentence to 19 weeks, of which he will serve half before being allowed to go free, the media outlet specified.\n\nDelivering the verdict, Judge Dame Victoria Sharp said that \"nothing less than a custodial penalty would reflect the gravity of the conduct.\" She went on to note that the words Robinson used could have been interpreted by his audience as \"an incitement\" to harass the defendants, threatening to put at risk the course of justice.\n\nRobinson, wearing a T-shirt that read \"Convicted of Journalism,\" denied any guilt, maintaining that he had been unaware of breaching a reporting ban.\n\nSoon after the verdict was announced, Robinson's supporters, who gathered outside the court, started hurling bottles at police. Several people have been reportedly arrested.\n\nThe defense now has 28 days to file an appeal.\n\nIn a comment to Sputnik, former UK Independence Party leader Gerard Batten called the verdict for Robinson an \"absolute disgrace.\n\n\"I cannot believe I'm here in my own country, under a legal system that is one of the best in the world, in a free democratic country ... where we have been reduced to this because of the establishment's fear and submission to fundamentalist islam. And that they will victimize one of their own people in order to submit to it,\" he said.\n\nAccording to the politician, the court should have let the activist walk out a free man because he has \"already served a lot of time in prison, including time in solidarity confinement.\"\n\n\"They have said that they want to make an example of him and in my opinion they have shown up that this is an entirely malicious prosecution and a malicious conviction. The question now is what prison they will send him to. Are they going to put him in a safe prison or are they going to put him in one of those run by Muslim gangs where his life will be under threat and they'll have to put him back in solidarity confinement. And what a choice that would be. Solidarity confinement, which is going to damage him psychologically, or being out in the general population where he could be attacked or murdered,\" he argued.\n\nSpeculating on the essence of the conviction, Batten opined that Robinson \"was outside a court doing what the mainstream media do all the time.\"\n\n\"He tried to establish if there were reporting restrictions, which he was told there weren't, and he made every reasonable effort to try and find out. He asked defendants going in to hear the sentence, hear their convictions, how they felt about the conviction ... the verdict ... which is something the mainstream media do all the time. Everything that he said regarding that case was in the public domain, but that's what he's been convicted on,\" he pointed out.\n\nThe politician concluded that, with such verdicts, the country was reducing itself \"to the level of some tin-pot dictatorship or a satellite of the old Soviet Union,\" which was \"enough to make anybody sick.\""], "summary": "British right-wing activist Tommy Robinson is sentenced to nine months in prison for contempt of court — minus time served equals about another 10 weeks in prison. Supporters attacked police and journalists following the court proceedings. Police say no new arrests were made."}
{"document": ["R&B star R. Kelly was arrested in Chicago on Thursday night in a sweeping new federal sex-crime prosecution, officials said.\n\nRobert Kelly, 52, was taken into custody by New York police detectives and investigators from the Department of Homeland Security, law enforcement sources said.\n\nA senior law enforcement official told NBC News that separate federal indictments were filed against Kelly in Chicago and Brooklyn. The arrest was first reported by NBC New York.\n\nKelly was arrested when he stepped outside to walk a dog and smoke a cigarette, a law enforcement official said.\n\nJoseph Fitzpatrick, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Chicago, told The Associated Press that Kelly was taken into custody about 7 p.m. Thursday.\n\nHe faces a 13-count indictment out of federal court in Chicago and five additional charges out of New York, according to court documents. The charges include racketeering, forced labor and sexually exploiting children.\n\nKelly engaged in \"sexual activity with girls under 18 years old, engaging in and facilitating sexual activity without disclosing a sexually transmitted disease Kelly had contracted and producing child pornography,\" according to the New York indictment.\n\nView this graphic on nbcnews.com\n\nKelly is expected to appear in federal courtroom in Chicago on Friday afternoon.\n\nA bail hearing for Kelly is expected to be held early next week, according to a statement Friday by the singer's defense lawyer, Steve Greenberg.\n\nGreenberg said the new federal charges stem from \"decades-old\" allegations that \"he was acquitted of\" previously. The attorney didn't elaborate.\n\nKelly just wants to make \"wonderful music and perform for his legions of fans that believe in him,\" according to Greenberg.\n\nHomeland Security's investigations division and New York police declined to comment. Calls to the U.S. attorney in Brooklyn, New York, weren't immediately returned.\n\nDarrell Johnson, a crisis manager for R. Kelly, tried to defend his client at a press conference in Atlanta — but his meeting with reporters was interrupted by parents of Joycelyn Savage, who claim their daughter has been brainwashed and held by the singer.\n\n\"I want to know where my daughter is?!\" dad Timothy Savage screamed, as he was held back from approaching Johnson.\n\nJohnson said Joycelyn Savage and other women connected to R. Kelly are with him on their own free will.\n\n\"These are grown women, I'm not in charge of them,\" Johnson said. \"I'm not a babysitter.\"\n\nIn a video released in May 2018, Joycelyn Savage denied she was being held against her will.\n\nKelly has been the subject of sexual abuse allegations for almost two decades, some of them alleging acts as far back as 1998. He has vigorously denied the allegations.\n\nKelly was charged in Illinois in February with aggravated sexual abuse involving four women, three of whom were minors when the alleged abuse occurred. He pleaded not guilty.\n\nThen, in May, he was charged with 11 more counts of sexual assault and sex abuse, according to court documents.\n\nAllegations of sexual misconduct against Kelly gained renewed interest following the release in January of a six-part Lifetime documentary series, \"Surviving R. Kelly,\" which detailed a number of women's claims that they were sexually, physically and mentally abused. Kelly denied all of those accusations.\n\nIn 2008, a Cook County, Illinois, jury acquitted Kelly of child pornography charges stemming from a video that prosecutors said showed him having sex with a girl as young as 13. The young woman denied that it was her in the video and didn't testify.", "(Reuters) - Grammy Award-winning singer R. Kelly was arrested in Chicago on federal sex crime charges, NBC News said, citing unidentified law enforcement officials.\n\nR&B singer Kelly, 52, was arrested on Thursday by New York police detectives and investigators with the Department of Homeland Security, and is expected to be taken to New York City, the agency said.\n\nEarly on Friday, the Chicago Sun-Times said Kelly faces a 13-count sex crime indictment, citing the U.S. Attorney's office.\n\nThe R&B singer has vehemently denied abuse allegations for decades. In 2008, he was tried on child pornography charges and found not guilty.\n\nThe Sun-Times said Kelly's attorney Steve Greenberg, on Thursday confirmed the arrest, but declined to give details.\n\nGreenberg was not immediately available for comment to Reuters.\n\nChicago police referred all questions on the matter to the U.S. attorney's office or New York police, but representatives were not immediately available for comment.\n\nIn June, Kelly pleaded not guilty to 11 felony counts of sexual assault and abuse at a Chicago court hearing after prosecutors expanded an indictment against him.\n\nThose counts, unveiled in late May in an indictment by a Cook County grand jury, involve alleged abuse of a victim between the ages of 13 and 16.\n\nThe accusations center on someone identified only as J.P. and the crimes are alleged to have taken place between May 2009 and January 2010.\n\nKelly could face up to 30 years in prison if convicted on those charges.\n\nIn February, Kelly pleaded not guilty to charges that he sexually assaulted three teenage girls and a fourth woman.\n\nThe charges were brought after seven women, including his ex-wife, appeared on a Lifetime television documentary and accused him of emotional and sexual abuse.\n\nThe singer, known for such hits as \"I Believe I Can Fly\" and \"Bump N' Grind,\" spent a weekend in jail on the sex charges before being released on $100,000 bail on Feb. 25.\n\nIt was not immediately clear if the new federal charges against Kelly were related to previous cases. It was unclear where he was being held or when he would appear before a judge on the new charges.", "CHICAGO (AP) — A U.S. Attorney's office spokesman says singer R. Kelly has been arrested on federal sex-crime charges in Chicago.\n\nU.S. attorney spokesman Joseph Fitzpatrick says the 52-year-old Kelly was arrested Thursday night. Fitzpatrick says the 13-count indictment includes charges of child pornography, enticement of a minor and obstruction of justice. Other details were not immediately released.\n\nThe R&B singer already faces state sex-related charges in Illinois involving four women, three of whom were minors when the alleged abuse occurred. He pleaded not guilty to those charges and was released on bail.", "CHICAGO - A U.S. Attorney's office spokesman says singer R. Kelly has been arrested on federal sex-crime charges in Chicago.\n\nU.S. attorney spokesman Joseph Fitzpatrick says the 52-year-old Kelly was arrested Thursday night. Fitzpatrick says the 13-count indictment includes charges of child pornography, enticement of a minor and obstruction of justice. Other details were not immediately released.\n\nThe R&B singer already faces state sex-related charges in Illinois involving four women, three of whom were minors when the alleged abuse occurred. He pleaded not guilty to those charges and was released on bail.\n\n-- Jan. 8, 1967: Robert Sylvester Kelly is born in Chicago to Joann Kelly, a school teacher. R. Kelly is third of four children and lives with his family in Chicago's housing projects. Little is known about his father.\n\n -- 1975: At age 8, Kelly begins singing in church. Around the same time, his mother teaches him how Stevie Wonder sings by putting a nickel on the record player needle to slow down the revolutions. \"So the runs could go really slow and then you learn them,\" Kelly told ABC News in 2004.\n\n -- 1979: At age 12, Kelly said, he \"experienced a lot of things at a very young age that I don't know if I was supposed to,\" including witnessing older youth rape one of his girlfriends.\n\n -- 1983: At age 16, his mother moves the family from the projects and enrolls her son at the prestigious Kenwood Academy, a Chicago public school. Kelly meets his mentor, Lena McLin, who chairs Kenwood's music faculty. \"She was my second mother. She made me feel I could do anything,\" Kelly told People in 1994.\n\n -- 1984: At age 17, his music teacher places him in a local talent show to perform a version of \"Ribbon in the Sky,\" a Stevie Wonder song. \"That night it was like Spider-Man being bit. I discovered the power you get from being onstage,\" he told Newsweek in 1995. In the years that follow, he performs in Chicago's subway stations full time with his Casio keyboard, often pretending he's blind to avoid arrest.\n\n -- 1990: R. Kelly's R&B group MGM wins the $100,000 grand prize on the syndicated television talent show, \"Big Break,\" hosted by Natalie Cole. Because of money disagreements, that was the last time the group performed. Music executive Wayne Williams of Jive Records discovers Kelly singing at a barbecue that summer.\n\n -- January 1992: R. Kelly & Public Announcement debut \"Born Into The `90s.\" Released a year later, the album goes platinum.\n\n -- Fall 1992: R. Kelly tours on a 10-week nationwide run that includes billings with En Vogue, CC Penniston and High Five.\n\n -- November 1993: His album \"12 Play\" is released and eventually sells more than 5 million copies. Hit singles include \"Sex Me\" and \"Bump N' Grind,\" which becomes the longest-running No. 1 R&B song in more than 30 years.\n\n -- Aug. 31, 1994: At age 27, R. Kelly marries 15-year-old R&B singer Aaliyah D. Haughton. The couple weds in a secret ceremony arranged by Kelly at a hotel in Chicago. The marriage is annulled months later because of Aaliyah's age.\n\n -- September 1994: Aaliyah's debut album, \"Age Ain't Nothing But A Number,\" which Kelly produces, is certified platinum. (Aaliyah died in a plane crash seven years later, at age 22.)\n\n -- September 1995: Produces Michael Jackson's hit single \"You Are Not Alone.\" Kelly also produces songs for Whitney Houston, Quincy Jones, Toni Braxton, and Janet Jackson.\n\n -- November 1996: R. Kelly releases his third album, \"R. Kelly.\" A month later, he incorporates Rockland Records, where he can groom new artists, and his song \"I Believe I Can Fly,\" from the \"Space Jam\" soundtrack, peaks at No. 2 on the Billboard pop chart. The same year, he marries 22-year-old Andrea Lee, a dancer from his touring troupe. The couple goes on to have three children: Joanne, Jaya and Robert Jr.\n\n -- Feb. 18, 1997: Tiffany Hawkins files a complaint against Kelly alleging intentional sexual battery and sexual harassment while she was a minor, according to court records.\n\n -- January 1998: Hawkins' lawsuit is reportedly settled for $250,000, shortly after she gave a seven-hour deposition.\n\n -- February 1998: Kelly wins three Grammys for \"I Believe I Can Fly,\" including best R&B song and best male R&B performance.\n\n -- November 1998: His album \"R.\" hits stores. It has since sold 6 million copies.\n\n -- November 2000: His album \"TP-2.com\" debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard album chart.\n\n -- August 2001: Tracy Sampson files a lawsuit against Kelly, alleging their sex was illegal under Illinois law because he was in \"a position of authority\" over her. The case is reportedly settled out of court in the spring of 2002, for an undisclosed amount.\n\n -- Feb. 8, 2002: The Chicago Sun-Times reports that it received a 26-minute, 39-second videotape allegedly showing Kelly having sex with a minor. The paper reports Chicago police began investigating allegations about Kelly and the same girl three years earlier. At the time, the girl and her parents deny she was having sex with Kelly.\n\n The same day the news breaks, Kelly performs at the opening ceremonies for the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.\n\n -- June 5, 2002: Kelly is indicted in Chicago on 21 counts of child pornography, stemming from the sex tape. He pleads not guilty and is released on $750,000 bail.\n\n -- January 2003: Kelly is arrested at a Miami Dade hotel in Florida on additional child pornography charges after investigators said they found photos of him having sex with a girl. Kelly is released from jail on $12,000 bond. Charges are later dropped after judge rules police didn't have a warrant to search Kelly's house.\n\n -- Feb. 18, 2003: Kelly's album \"Chocolate Factory\" is released, selling 538,000 copies in its first week.\n\n -- February 2004: In Chicago, Cook County prosecutors drop seven of the 21 child pornography charges against Kelly.\n\n -- November 2004: Kelly files a $90 million lawsuit against Jay-Z and a promoter, claiming breach of contract and sabotage. Jay-Z kicked Kelly off their 40 city tour, citing Kelly's \"unpredictable behavior.\"\n\n -- July 2005: Kelly's seventh solo album, \"TP.3 Reloaded,\" hits No. 1 spot on the Billboard chart.\n\n -- September 2005: Andrea Kelly asked for an order of protection from her husband, accusing the singer of hitting her when she said she wanted a divorce. The couple reconciles. She says later they live in different homes.\n\n -- February 2006: R. Kelly's brother, Carey Kelly, says his brother offered him $50,000 and a record deal to say he was the person on the sex video.\n\n -- May 29, 2007: Kelly releases his album \"Double Up,\" which peaks at No. 1 on the Billboard albums chart.\n\n -- August 2007: In Chicago, Judge Vincent Gaughan rules that jurors and the public will see the sex tape in open court, rejecting arguments from defense lawyers and prosecutors that it shouldn't be shown.\n\n -- September 2007: Following a five year delay, the trial is scheduled to start -- but Gaughan postpones it until 2008. He doesn't explain why.\n\n -- Dec. 21, 2007: Gaughan decides not to revoke Kelly's bond after threatening to do so when the singer failed to show up at a hearing a few days earlier. Kelly was in the middle of a 45-city tour and said his bus had been held up by police for speeding in Utah.\n\n -- May 9, 2008: Kelly's child pornography trial finally begins.\n\n -- June 13, 2008: Kelly acquitted on all counts after less than a full day of deliberations.\n\n -- Jan 8, 2009: Kelly and his former wife, Andrea, confirm had divorced after 11 years of marriage.\n\n -- July 12, 2011: Crain's Chicago Business reported that a $2.9 million foreclosure was filed by JPMorgan Chase bank against Kelly's suburban Chicago mansion. A spokesman claims the singer was not having financial trouble.\n\n -- March 21, 2012: Kelly announced he was reviving his cult classic video series, \"Trapped in the Closet.\" The project began as five videos for his dramatic cliffhanger songs in 2007, and eventually grew to several dozen musical chapters dealing with a web of sexual deceit. Kelly teamed with IFC to premiere the old and new series, and performed the rap opera at event such as a sing-along at Bonnaroo. There was talk of a Broadway show.\n\n -- Sept. 4, 2012: After successful romantic albums \"Write Me Back\" and 2010's \"Love Letter,\" Kelly vowed not to abandon the explicit music that helped make him famous. \"Make no mistake about it, R. Kelly is not going anywhere. It's just that R. Kelly has such a unique talent, and I've been blessed to be able to do all type of genres of music ... I'm exploring my gift right now,\" Kelly told The Associated Press.\n\n -- June 15, 2012: The Chicago Sun-Times reports Kelly owes the IRS more than $4.8 million in back taxes.\n\n -- June 27, 2012: Kelly publishes his autobiography, \"Soulacoaster: The Diary of Me,\" focusing on his creative and family life rather than his legal troubles.\n\n -- Sept. 29, 2012: Kelly was nominated for two Soul Train Awards, making him the most nominated act ever at the awards show.\n\n -- March 18, 2013: Kelly's custom-built mansion, once valued at more than $5 million, sells for $950,000 in a foreclosure auction.\n\n -- July 17, 2017: BuzzFeed reports on parents' claims that Kelly brainwashed their daughters and was keeping them in an abusive \"cult.\" One woman says she was with Kelly willingly. Following the BuzzFeed report, activists launched the (hash)MuteRKelly movement, calling for boycotts of his music.\n\n -- Feb. 13, 2018: Kelly evicted from two Atlanta-area homes over more than $31,000 owed in unpaid back rent.\n\n -- April 30, 2018: The Time's Up campaign, devoted to helping women in the aftermath of sexual abuse, joined the (hash)MuteRKelly social media campaign and issued a statement urging further investigation into Kelly's behavior, which had come under closer scrutiny over the last year as women came forward to accuse him of everything from sexual coercion to physical abuse. An appearance at a concert in his native Chicago was canceled after protests. Kelly's camp responded: \"We will vigorously resist this attempted public lynching of a black man who has made extraordinary contributions to our culture.\"\n\n -- May 11, 2018: Spotify cuts R. Kelly's music from its playlists, citing its new policy on hate content and hateful conduct. Kelly's team says he has only promoted love in his music and that Spotify is acting on \"false and unproven allegations.\" They note other artists on the service have been accused or convicted of crimes.\n\n -- May 21, 2018: News outlets report that Apple and Pandora are also not promoting Kelly's music, though both companies haven't officially made announcements.\n\n -- May 21, 2018: Faith Rodgers, 20, accuses R. Kelly of sexual battery, mental and verbal abuse, and knowingly inflicting her with herpes during a yearlong relationship, according to a lawsuit filed in New York.\n\n -- Aug. 15, 2018: An Atlanta-area property company sued Kelly for $203,400 over \"extensive damage\" to two homes he rented. An associate of Kelly's was previously accused of robbing the same homes in 2017. Kelly and the company settled for $170,000, but lawsuit says Kelly has only paid $20,000.\n\n -- Jan. 3, 2019: Lifetime airs the documentary \"Surviving R. Kelly,\" which revisited old allegations against him and brought new ones into the spotlight. The series follows the BBC's \"R Kelly: Sex, Girls & Videotapes,\" released the previous year, that alleged the singer was holding women against their will and running a \"sex cult.\"\n\n -- Jan. 8, 2019: Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx holds press conference after her office is inundated with calls about the allegations in the documentary, some tied to Kelly's Chicago-area home. Foxx says there's no active investigation of Kelly and that launching one would require victims and witnesses.\n\n -- Jan. 9, 2019: Lady Gaga apologizes for her 2013 duet with R. Kelly in the wake of the sexual misconduct allegations against him, saying she intended to remove the song, \"Do What U Want (With My Body),\" from streaming services. The collaboration had been intensely criticized when it was released, in part because of the allegations against him and because of the sexually charged performances they did on \"Saturday Night Live\" and the American Music Awards in 2013.\n\n -- Jan. 10, 2019: Nielsen Music says streaming numbers for R. Kelly nearly doubled after the Lifetime documentary. Kelly averaged more than 955,600 streams in the last week of 2018. He averaged more than 1.5 million streams from Jan. 3-6.\n\n -- Jan. 14, 2019: Faith Rogers said Kelly had written a letter last October to one of her lawyers, threatening to reveal embarrassing details of her sexual history if she didn't drop her May 2018 lawsuit accusing him of sexual abuse. The Chicago Tribune publishes a story detailing court records it obtained on a July lawsuit seeking payment of $174,000 in back rent and other costs for his Chicago recording studio. A signed eviction notice was put on hold for Kelly to pay by Jan. 21.\n\n -- Jan. 21, 2019: Multiple media outlets report Kelly and his label, Sony subsidiary RCA Records, had parted ways. Lady Gaga and Celine Dion recently removed their duets with Kelly from streaming services, and French rock band Phoenix apologized for collaborating with Kelly in 2013. Kelly continues to deny all allegations of sexual misconduct.\n\n -- Feb. 1, 2019: An estimated 25.8 million people had seen all or some of the six-part documentary series that brought together dozens of people who accused Kelly of sexual misconduct, primarily contact with underage girls, since the first episode aired Jan. 3, according to the Nielsen company.\n\n -- Feb. 6, 2019: Kelly announced by tweet a new tour outside the U.S., saying he'd be going to Australia, New Zealand and Sri Lanka. The tweet was later deleted following a backlash from Twitter users who urged fans not to buy concert tickets.\n\n -- Feb. 14, 2019: Attorney Michael Avenatti said he gave Chicago prosecutors new video evidence of Kelly having sex with an underage girl, and that it is not the same evidence used in Kelly's 2008 trial, when he was acquitted on child pornography charges.\n\n -- Feb. 22, 2019: Kelly is charged with 10 counts of aggravated sexual abuse. He is arrested after turning himself in to police.\n\n -- Feb. 23, 2019: A judge sets Kelly's bond at $1 million, saying it amounts to $250,000 for each of the four people he's charged with abusing.\n\n -- Feb. 25, 2019: Kelly's attorney enters not guilty pleas on the singer's behalf. Hours later, Kelly posts $100,000 bail -- 10 percent of the $1 million bond set by the judge -- and is released from jail in Chicago.\n\n -- March 6, 2019: CBS airs interview in which Kelly vehemently denies the sexual abuse charges against him. Later, authorities in Cook County take Kelly into custody after he tells a judge he couldn't pay $161,000 in back child support he owes his children's mother.\n\n ---- May 30, 2019: Kelly is charged with 11 new sex-related counts in Chicago. They involve one of the women who accused him of sexually abusing her when she was underage.\n\n ---- July 11, 2019: Kelly is indicted by a federal grand jury in Chicago on 13 counts including child pornography, enticement of a minor and obstruction of justice. He is again arrested in Chicago. The federal charges are in addition to the charges brought by Illinois prosecutors.\n\n ------\n\n Compiled by News Researchers Jennifer Farrar and Randy Herschaft in New York.\n\nCopyright 2019 by WDIV ClickOnDetroit. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.", "Singer R. Kelly, already facing sexual abuse charges brought by Illinois prosecutors, was arrested in Chicago Thursday on a federal grand jury indictment listing 13 counts including sex crimes and obstruction of justice.\n\nCHICAGO — Singer R. Kelly, already facing sexual abuse charges brought by Illinois prosecutors, was arrested in Chicago Thursday on a federal grand jury indictment listing 13 counts including sex crimes and obstruction of justice.\n\nU.S. Attorney’s office spokesman Joseph Fitzpatrick said the R&B singer was taken into custody about 7 p.m. local time and was being held by federal authorities.\n\nHe was arrested after the federal indictment was handed down earlier Thursday in federal court for the Northern District of Illinois.\n\n“The counts include child porn, enticement of a minor and obstruction of justice,” Fitzpatrick said, adding that further details would be released Friday.\n\nThe arrest was the second time this year that Kelly has been taken into custody in Chicago on sex charges. The 52-year-old Grammy winner, whose real name is Robert Kelly, was arrested in February on 10 counts in Illinois involving four women, three of whom were minors when the alleged abuse occurred. He pleaded not guilty to those charges and was released on bail.\n\nThen on May 30, Cook County prosecutors added 11 more sex-related counts against the R&B singer involving one of the women who accused him of sexually abusing her when she was underage.\n\nHis attorneys could not immediately be reached for comment on the federal charges. Fitzpatrick said Kelly’s arraignment date and time had not yet been set.\n\nKelly has faced mounting legal troubles this year after Lifetime aired a documentary “Surviving R. Kelly,” which revisited allegations of sexual abuse of girls. The series followed the BBC’s “R Kelly: Sex, Girls & Videotapes,” releasedin 2018, that alleged the singer was holding women against their will and running a “sex cult.”\n\nSoon after the release of the Lifetime documentary, Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx said her office had been inundated with calls about the allegations in the documentary. Her office’s investigation led to the charges in February and additional counts added in May.\n\nKelly avoided prison after similar allegations were made more than a decade ago. A jury in 2008 acquitted him of child pornography charges that stemmed from the publication by the Chicago Sun-Times of a videotape allegedly showing Kelly having sex with a minor.", "(Reuters) – Grammy Award-winning singer R. Kelly, who already faces state sexual assault charges, has been arrested in Chicago on federal charges after having been indicted there and in Brooklyn, New York, a law enforcement source said on Friday.\n\nThe source, who requested anonymity because the indictments were still under seal, declined to characterize the nature of the charges. NBC News, citing unidentified law enforcement officials, said they were for alleged sex crimes.\n\nKelly, 52, an R&B singer, was arrested on Thursday by New York police detectives and investigators with the Department of Homeland Security, and is expected to appear before a judge in Chicago later on Friday, the law enforcement source said.\n\n“He’s expected to be arraigned today in federal court in Chicago and at later date in Brooklyn,” the source said.\n\nKelly faces a 13-count federal indictment in Chicago and five counts in Brooklyn, the source said, adding that both indictments remain under seal.\n\nLast month, the singer pleaded not guilty to 11 new felony counts of sexual assault and abuse at a Cook County, Illinois, court hearing, after state prosecutors expanded an indictment against him.\n\nThe R&B singer has vehemently denied abuse allegations for decades. In 2008, he was tried on child pornography charges and found not guilty.\n\nThe Chicago Sun-Times said Kelly’s attorney Steve Greenberg, on Thursday confirmed the arrest, but declined to give details. Greenberg was not immediately available for comment to Reuters.\n\nThe Cook County charges involve alleged abuse of a victim between the ages of 13 and 16. The accusations center on someone identified only as J.P. and the crimes are alleged to have taken place between May 2009 and January 2010.\n\nKelly could face up to 30 years in prison if convicted on those charges.\n\nIn February, Kelly pleaded not guilty to charges that he sexually assaulted three teenage girls and a fourth woman.\n\nThe charges were brought after seven women, including his ex-wife, appeared on a Lifetime television documentary and accused him of emotional and sexual abuse.\n\nThe singer, known for such hits as “I Believe I Can Fly” and “Bump N’ Grind,” spent a weekend in jail on the sex charges before being released on $100,000 bail on Feb. 25.", "CHICAGO (AP) — Singer R. Kelly, already facing sexual abuse charges brought by Illinois prosecutors, was arrested in Chicago on Thursday after he was indicted by a grand jury on 13 federal counts including sex crimes, a U.S. Attorney's office spokesman said.\n\nJoseph Fitzpatrick said the R&B singer was taken into custody about 7 p.m. local time and was being held by federal authorities.\n\nHe was arrested after a 13-count federal indictment was handed down earlier Thursday in federal court for the Northern District of Illinois.\n\n\"The counts include child porn, enticement of a minor and obstruction of justice,\" Fitzpatrick said, adding that further details would be released later Friday.\n\nThe arrest was the second time this year that Kelly has been taken into custody in Chicago on sex charges. The 52-year-old Grammy winner, whose real name is Robert Kelly, was arrested in February on 10 counts in Illinois involving four women, three of whom were minors when the alleged abuse occurred. He pleaded not guilty to those charges and was released on bail.\n\nThen on May 30, Cook County prosecutors added 11 more sex-related counts to the charges against the R&B singer involving one of the women who accused him of sexually abusing her when she was underage.\n\nKelly's attorneys could not immediately be reached for comment the Thursday arrest. Fitzpatrick said Kelly's arraignment date and time had not yet been set.", "R. Kelly was arrested Thursday night by Homeland Security officers while walking his dog. Kelly will be brought to New York to face a 13-count indictment including charges of child pornography, enticement of a minor and obstruction of justice.\n\nThe indictments were filed separately in Chicago and Brooklyn. More details are expected to be announced on Friday.\n\nThis continues a year of Kelly’s legal troubles and alleged misconduct receiving a bigger spotlight than ever before. In January, Lifetime aired the docuseries “Surviving R. Kelly” which featured several women detailing their improper relationships with the singer. In February, Kelly was charged with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse.\n\nRELATED: Keke Palmer On “Surviving R. Kelly”: “The Whole Thing Was Eye-Opening, Painful, Sad, Disappointing And Heartbreaking” [VIDEO]\n\nRELATED: R. Kelly’s Accusers Share Testimonies To Federal Grand Jury, Say Singer Flew Them In For Sex\n\nReport: R. Kelly Arrested On Federal Sex Crime Charges was originally published on kysdc.com", "Singer R. Kelly has reportedly been arrested on federal sex crime charges.\n\nCiting “two law enforcement sources,” Chicago TV station WMAQ reported Thursday night that the 52-year old performer had been arrested in Chicago.\n\nThe arrest was made by New York Police Department detectives and federal officials with the Homeland Security Department, the NBC affiliate reported.\n\nAccording to TMZ, Mr. Kelly was arrested under a 13-count indictment returned Thursday that includes charges of child porn and obstruction of justice.\n\nWMAQ reported that Mr. Kelly is expected to be brought to New York for the next steps in the case.\n\nMr. Kelly has a lengthy arrest record on charges of sexual abuse involving minors.\n\nHe was arrested earlier this year and charged with aggravated sex abuse involving three minor girls and a woman. He pleaded not guilty and was released on bond.\n\nMore than a decade ago, Mr. Kelly was tried on child-pornography charges over a sex video, but the girl whom prosecutors said was shown (and would’ve been 13 at the time) denied it was her and Mr. Kelly was acquitted.", "FILE – In this June 6, 2019 file photo, musician R. Kelly departs the Leighton Criminal Court building after pleading not guilty to 11 additional sex-related charges in Chicago. A U.S. Attorney’s office spokesman says Kelly was arrested Thursday night, July 11 on federal sex-crime charges in Chicago. (AP Photo/Amr Alfiky, File)\n\nCHICAGO (AP) — Singer R. Kelly, already facing sexual abuse charges brought by Illinois prosecutors, was arrested in Chicago on a sweeping federal indictment that accuses him and members of his entourage of recruiting women and girls to engage in illegal sexual activity with the performer.\n\nThe indictment unsealed Friday in the Eastern District of New York includes charges of racketeering, kidnapping, forced labor and the sexual exploitation of a child.\n\nIt says Kelly and his managers, bodyguards and other assistants picked out women and girls at concerts and other venues and arranged for them to travel to see Kelly. They also set rules the women and girls had to follow, including not leaving their rooms — even to eat or go to the bathroom — without Kelly’s permission, calling the singer “Daddy,” and not looking at other men, the indictment alleges.\n\nU.S. Attorney’s Office spokesman Joseph Fitzpatrick said the R&B singer was out walking his dog when he was taken into custody about 7 p.m. Thursday and was being held by federal authorities. According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons website, Kelly is being held at the high-rise Metropolitan Correctional Center, in downtown Chicago.\n\nHe was arrested after the indictment was handed down earlier Thursday in federal court for the Northern District of Illinois.\n\nKelly’s attorney, Steve Greenberg, said Friday that federal agents arrested Kelly on charges out of Illinois and New York. The singer hopes to be released after a bail hearing early next week, Greenberg said.\n\nThe conduct Kelly is charged with in federal court “appears to largely be the same” as what he is charged with in state court, Greenberg said, adding that Kelly “was aware of the investigations and the charges were not a surprise.”\n\nThe arrest was the second time this year that Kelly has been taken into custody in Chicago on sex charges. The 52-year-old Grammy winner, whose real name is Robert Kelly, was arrested in February on 10 counts in Illinois involving four women, three of whom were minors when the alleged abuse occurred. He pleaded not guilty to those charges and was released on bail.\n\nThen on May 30, Cook County prosecutors added 11 more sex-related counts involving one of the women who accused him of sexually abusing her when she was underage.Full Coverage: R. Kelly\n\nDarrell Johnson, a publicist for Kelly, said he planned to deliver a statement about the latest developments at a Friday morning news conference in Atlanta. He declined to comment ahead of that time.\n\nKelly’s attorneys could not immediately be reached for comment on the federal charges. Fitzpatrick said Kelly’s arraignment date and time had not yet been set.\n\nKelly has faced mounting legal troubles this year after Lifetime aired a documentary “Surviving R. Kelly,” which revisited allegations of sexual abuse of girls. The series followed the BBC’s “R Kelly: Sex, Girls & Videotapes,” released in 2018, that alleged the singer was holding women against their will and running a “sex cult.”\n\nSoon after the release of the Lifetime documentary, Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx said her office had been inundated with calls about the allegations in the documentary. Her office’s investigation led to the charges in February and additional counts added in May.\n\nKelly avoided prison after similar allegations were made more than a decade ago. A jury in 2008 acquitted him of child pornography charges that stemmed from a videotape, obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times, allegedly showing Kelly having sex with a minor."], "summary": "American R&B singer R. Kelly is arrested in Chicago on federal sex crime charges."}
{"document": ["Unmanned craft – about the size of a large refrigerator – plans to collect ground samples, some 300 million kilometres from Earth\n\nThis article is more than 1 month old\n\nThis article is more than 1 month old\n\nA Japanese spacecraft has successfully landed on a distant asteroid where it hopes to collect samples that could shed light on the evolution of the solar system.\n\nScientists at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (Jaxa) observing the landing from a control room on the southern island of Tanegashima applauded and made “V” for victory signs after the Hayabusa2 probe landed on the asteroid on Thursday morning local time.\n\n“The touchdown is successful,” Jaxa spokesman Takayuki Tomobe said.\n\nThe agency said the probe had been working normally above Ryugu asteroid, some 300m km (185m miles) from Earth.\n\nIts landing is the second time the probe has touched down on the desolate asteroid as part of a complex mission that has also involved sending rovers and robots.\n\nHAYABUSA2@JAXA (@haya2e_jaxa) [PPTD] July 11 at 10:51 JST: Gate 5 check. The state of the spacecraft is normal and the touchdown sequence was performed as scheduled. Project Manager Tsuda has declared that the 2nd touchdown was a success!\n\nThe mission hopes to collect pristine materials from beneath the surface of the asteroid that could provide insights into what the solar system was like at its birth 4.6bn years ago. The agency said it would be the first time a probe has taken particles from below the surface of an asteroid.\n\nTo get at those crucial materials, in April an “impactor” was fired from Hayabusa2 towards Ryugu in a risky process that created a crater on the asteroid’s surface and stirred up material that had not previously been exposed to the atmosphere.\n\nJaxa said the samples could contain organic materials and water.\n\n“This is the second touchdown, but doing a touchdown is a challenge whether it’s the first or the second,” Yuichi Tsuda, Hayabusa2 project manager, told reporters ahead of the mission.\n\n“The whole team will do our best so that we’ll be able to complete the operation,” he said.\n\nJapan’s Hayabusa 2 probe to fire pellet at asteroid to obtain samples Read more\n\nHayabusa2’s first touchdown was in February, when it landed briefly on Ryugu and fired 5g pellet at more than 1,050km per hour (650mph) into the asteroid’s surface to puff up dust for collection, before blasting back to its holding position.\n\nThursday’s second touchdown required special preparations because any problems could have meant the probe lost the precious materials already gathered during its first landing.\n\nThe probe began its descent on Wednesday from its usual stationary position 20km above the asteroid, and is believed to have touched down on a targeted area located about 20 metres from the artificial crater’s centre.\n\nDuring its brief time on the asteroid, Hayabusa2 collected samples from the crater formed in February via a tube that retrieved the unidentified “ejecta” as it floated up.\n\nA photo of the crater taken by Hayabusa2’s camera showed that parts of the asteroid’s surface are covered with materials that are “obviously different” from the rest of the surface, mission manager Makoto Yoshikawa told reporters. “I’m really looking forward to analysing these materials.”\n\nTsuda said: “It would be safe to say that extremely attractive materials are near the crater.”\n\nThe probe will return to Earth next year, when scientists hope to learn more about the history of the solar system and even the origin of life from its samples.\n\nAt about the size of a large refrigerator and powered by solar panels, Hayabusa2 is the successor to Jaxa’s first asteroid explorer, Hayabusa – Japanese for falcon.\n\nThat probe returned with dust samples from a smaller, potato-shaped asteroid in 2010, despite various setbacks during its epic seven-year odyssey and was hailed as a scientific triumph.\n\nHayabusa2’s photos of Ryugu, which means “Dragon Palace” in Japanese and refers to a castle at the bottom of the ocean in an ancient Japanese tale, show the asteroid has a rough surface full of boulders.\n\nThe Hayabusa2 mission was launched in December 2014 at a cost of around 30bn yen ($270m). It reached its stationary position above Ryugu in June last year after travelling 3.2bn km on an elliptical orbit around the sun for more than three years, according to Kyodo news agency.\n\nIf the rest of its historical mission goes to plan, Hayabusa2 will return to its landing site in Woomera, South Australia, at the end of 2020.\n\nIn 2005, NASA’s Deep Impact project succeeded in creating an artificial crater on a comet but only for observation purposes.", "TOKYO (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 11th July, 2019) Japanese asteroid explorer Hayabusa2 has successfully performed its second landing on the surface of asteroid Ryugu, Japanese space agency JAXA said on Thursday.\n\n\"July 11 at 10:51 JST [01:51 GMT]: Gate 5 check. The state of the spacecraft is normal and the touchdown sequence was performed as scheduled. Project Manager Tsuda has declared that the 2nd touchdown was a success!\" JAXA wrote on the probe's Twitter.\n\nA webcast on the JAXA website showed that the probe began descending from an altitude of 20 kilometers (13 miles) on Wednesday, aiming to land near a crater that it created in April by firing a bullet into the asteroid's soil.\n\nDuring the touchdown, the probe will collect the samples of material released from firing the projectile into the surface for bringing them to Earth.\n\nScientists believe that the samples, which the Japanese probe will try to collect, may shed light on how the Solar System was created and how life appeared on Earth.\n\nHayabusa2 was launched in 2014 and is expected to return to Earth in 2020.\n\nRyugu is currently over 300 million kilometers away from Earth.", "The Hayabusa2 space probe on Thursday successfully completed a second landing on the asteroid Ryugu after its first landing in February, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said.\n\nThe unmanned probe touched down on an area near a crater it had created previously on the asteroid, JAXA said, and the mission this time was to collect material from subsurface rocks that were exposed when the crater was formed. If successful, the world may obtain important clues to the evolution of the solar system.\n\nHayabusa2 is engaged in the world’s first attempt to create an artificial crater on an asteroid and collect samples from its subsurface rocks. It is believed that the subsurface materials of the asteroid are less weathered by cosmic radiation than rocks on the surface.\n\nIn April, a device called an impactor detached from the explorer and fired a copper plate weighing about 2 kilograms into the surface of Ryugu, successfully creating the crater, which is about 10 meters in diameter. Subsurface materials that were thrown out by the impact are believed to have piled up around the crater to a height of about 1 centimeter.\n\nRyugu is currently about 240 million kilometers from Earth. On Wednesday, Hayabusa2 began descending from a point about 20 kilometers away from the asteroid. On Thursday, the explorer shifted to autonomous operation when it reached an altitude of less than 500 meters.\n\nIt came close to the crater while identifying a target marker that had been dropped on the surface in advance. Hayabusa2 then successfully touched down on Ryugu after 10 a.m. Japan time on Thursday. At about the same time, it fired a bullet to stir up the material in order to collect samples of it, before swiftly ascending.\n\nThe samples collected this time will be kept in a container aboard the spacecraft, but in a separate chamber from where samples collected previously are already kept, in order to avoid mixing.\n\nAsteroids are small bodies that gradually formed when bits of cosmic dust repeatedly coalesced, and their makeup is believed to reflect conditions from the time the solar system was formed 4.6 billion years ago. The sand and rocks of Ryugu, in particular, are expected to contain organic substances that are essential for life. There is great anticipation that the material sampled from Ryugu will be key to learning more about the evolution of the solar system and the origin of life.\n\nHayabusa2 arrived at Ryugu in June 2018. The explorer will drop a small robot probe, developed by a joint team of five universities, on the surface of Ryugu sometime in this summer, and Hayabusa2 will leave Ryugu’s orbit sometime in November or December for its return journey to Earth, arriving at the end of 2020 to deliver the samples it holds\n• Back after six-months in space, Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques feels a ‘renewed love for life on Earth’\n• Elon Musk’s SpaceX launches new mission, sending world’s most powerful operating rocket into space\n• What the Space Age taught us: Earth is the best of all possible worlds for humans\n• Amazon wants to send a spaceship to the moon", "Tokyo, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 11th Jul, 2019 ) :Japan's Hayabusa2 probe landed successfully Thursday on a distant asteroid for a final touchdown, hoping to collect samples that could shed light on the evolution of the solar system.\n\n\"The touchdown is successful,\" spokesman Takayuki Tomobe from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) told AFP.\n\nThe successful touchdown was greeted with cheering and applause in the JAXA mission control room, with officials grinning and shaking hands.\n\nJAXA officials said earlier that the probe appeared to have landed successfully, but confirmation came only after Hayabusa2 lifted back up from the asteroid and resumed communications with the control room.\n\n\"All of us are relieved to see that the probe has resumed sending data from its antenna, which can send a large amount of data to us,\" Tomobe said.\n\n\"This means that the probe is not in a serious condition,\" he added.\n\nThe brief landing Thursday is the second time Hayabusa2 has touched down on the desolate asteroid Ryugu, some 300 million kilometres (185 million miles) from Earth.\n\nThe complex multi-year mission has also involved sending rovers and robots down to the surface.\n\nThursday's touchdown was intended to collect pristine materials from beneath the surface of the asteroid that could provide insights into what the solar system was like at its birth, some 4.6 billion years ago.\n\nTo get at those crucial materials, in April an \"impactor\" was fired from Hayabusa2 towards Ryugu in a risky process that created a crater on the asteroid's surface and stirred up material that had not previously been exposed to the atmosphere.", "TOKYO (AFP) - Japan’s Hayabusa2 probe touched down on a distant asteroid on Thursday (July 11), the country’s space agency said, on a mission to collect samples that could shed light on the history of the solar system.\n\n“The control room received Doppler data showing that the probe appears to have touched down successfully,” Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (Jaxa) spokesman Takayuki Tomobe told Agence France-Presse.\n\n“But Doppler only shows the speed and altitude so we will need definitive confirmation,” he added. Additional data readings are expected later in the day.\n\nA successful landing on the Ryugu asteroid, about 300 million kilometres from Earth, would make it the second time the probe has touched down on the asteroid as part of a complex mission that has also involved sending rovers and robots.\n\nA livestream of JAXA’s control room for the mission showed scientists standing nervously watching monitors with incoming data as the probe neared Ryugu.\n\nAs the data came in showing the apparently successful touchdown, agency officials broke into applause and shook hands with each other.\n\nThe much-anticipated touchdown was only brief, and intended to allow Hayabusa2 to collect samples blasted from beneath Ryugu’s surface.\n\nThe mission hopes the samples could provide insights into what the solar system was like at its birth, some 4.6 billion years ago.\n\nTo get at those crucial materials, an \"impactor\" was fired from Hayabusa2 towards Ryugu in April, in a risky process that created a crater on the asteroid's surface and stirred up material that had not previously been exposed to the atmosphere.\n\n\"This is the second touchdown, but doing a touchdown is a challenge whether it's the first or the second,\" Mr Yuichi Tsuda, Hayabusa2 project manager, told reporters ahead of the mission.\n\n\"The whole team will do our best so that we'll be able to complete the operation,\" he said.\n\nHayabusa2's first touchdown was in February, when it landed briefly on Ryugu and fired a bullet into the surface to puff up dust for collection, before blasting back to its holding position.\n\nThe second touchdown requires special preparations because any problems could mean the probe loses the precious materials already gathered during its first landing.\n\nA photo of the crater taken by Hayabusa2's camera shows that parts of the asteroid's surface are covered with materials that are \"obviously different\" from the rest of the surface, mission manager Makoto Yoshikawa told reporters.\n\nThe probe is expected to make a brief touchdown on an area some 20m away from the centre of the crater to collect the unidentified materials believed to be \"ejecta\" from the blast.\n\n\"It would be safe to say that extremely attractive materials are near the crater,\" Mr Tsuda said.\n\nThe touchdown will be the last major part of Hayabusa2's mission, and when the probe returns to Earth next year, scientists hope to learn more about the history of the solar system and even the origin of life from its samples.\n\n\"I'm really looking forward to analysing these materials,\" Mr Yoshikawa said.\n\nThe Hayabusa2 mission has attracted international attention, with Queen guitarist and astrophysicist Brian May sending a video to the probe's team ahead of the landing.\n\n\"The world is watching. We love you, take care Hayabusa2,\" the iconic musician told the team.\n\nAt about the size of a large refrigerator and equipped with solar panels to keep it powered, Hayabusa2 is the successor to Jaxa's first asteroid explorer, Hayabusa - Japanese for falcon.\n\nThat probe returned with dust samples from a smaller, potato-shaped asteroid in 2010, despite various setbacks during its epic seven-year odyssey, and was hailed as a scientific triumph.\n\nHayabusa2's photos of Ryugu, which means \"Dragon Palace\" in Japanese and refers to a castle at the bottom of the ocean in an ancient Japanese tale, show the asteroid has a rough surface full of boulders.\n\nThe Hayabusa2 mission was launched in December 2014, and has a price tag of around 30 billion yen (S$376 million). The probe is scheduled to return to Earth with its samples in 2020.\n\nBut its has already made history, including with the creation of the crater on Ryugu's surface.\n\nIn 2005, Nasa's Deep Impact project succeeded in creating an artificial crater on a comet, but only for observation purposes.", "In this picture taken on July 10, 2019 a man walks past a screen displaying a computer-generated image of the Hayabusa2 probe, during a news broadcast at Akihabara district in Tokyo. Japan's Hayabusa2 probe landed successfully on a distant asteroid for a final touchdown on July 11, 2019, hoping to collect samples that could shed light on the evolution of the solar system. Source: Behrouz MEHRI / AFP\n\nJapan’s Hayabusa2 probe landed successfully Thursday on a distant asteroid for a final touchdown, hoping to collect samples that could shed light on the evolution of the solar system.\n\n“The touchdown is successful,” spokesman Takayuki Tomobe from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) told AFP.\n\nThe successful touchdown was greeted with cheering and applause in the JAXA mission control room, with officials grinning and shaking hands.\n\nJAXA officials said earlier that the probe appeared to have landed successfully, but confirmation came only after Hayabusa2 lifted back up from the asteroid and resumed communications with the control room.\n\n“All of us are relieved to see that the probe has resumed sending data from its antenna, which can send a large amount of data to us,” Tomobe said.\n\n“This means that the probe is not in a serious condition,” he added.\n\nThe brief landing Thursday is the second time Hayabusa2 has touched down on the desolate asteroid Ryugu, some 300 million kilometres (185 million miles) from Earth.\n\nThe complex multi-year mission has also involved sending rovers and robots down to the surface.\n\nThursday’s touchdown was intended to collect pristine materials from beneath the surface of the asteroid that could provide insights into what the solar system was like at its birth, some 4.6 billion years ago.\n\nTo get at those crucial materials, in April an “impactor” was fired from Hayabusa2 towards Ryugu in a risky process that created a crater on the asteroid’s surface and stirred up material that had not previously been exposed to the atmosphere.\n\nHayabusa2’s first touchdown was in February, when it landed briefly on Ryugu and fired a bullet into the surface to puff up dust for collection, before blasting back to its holding position.\n\nThe second touchdown required special preparations because any problems could mean the probe would lose the precious materials already gathered during its first landing.\n\nA photo of the crater taken by Hayabusa2’s camera after the April blast showed that parts of the asteroid’s surface are covered with materials that are “obviously different” from the rest of the surface, mission manager Makoto Yoshikawa told reporters before the latest touchdown.\n\nThe probe was expected to land briefing in an area some 20 metres away from the centre of the crater to collect the unidentified materials believed to be “ejecta” from the blast.\n\n“It would be safe to say that extremely attractive materials are near the crater,” Tsuda said.\n\nThe touchdown is the last major part of Hayabusa2’s mission, and when the probe returns to Earth next year scientists hope to learn more about the history of the solar system and even the origin of life from its samples.\n\n“I’m really looking forward to analysing these materials,” Yoshikawa said.\n\nThe Hayabusa2 mission has attracted international attention, with Queen guitarist and astrophysicist Brian May sending a video to the probe’s team ahead of the landing.\n\n“The world is watching. We love you, take care Hayabusa2,” the musician told the team.\n\nAt about the size of a large refrigerator and equipped with solar panels to keep it powered, Hayabusa2 is the successor to JAXA’s first asteroid explorer, Hayabusa — Japanese for falcon.\n\nThat probe returned with dust samples from a smaller, potato-shaped asteroid in 2010, despite various setbacks during its epic seven-year odyssey and was hailed as a scientific triumph.\n\nHayabusa2’s photos of Ryugu, which means “Dragon Palace” in Japanese and refers to a castle at the bottom of the ocean in an ancient Japanese tale, show the asteroid has a rough surface full of boulders.\n\nThe Hayabusa2 mission was launched in December 2014, and has a price tag of around 30 billion yen ($270 million).\n\nIt has already made history, including with the creation of the crater on Ryugu’s surface.\n\nIn 2005, NASA’s Deep Impact project succeeded in creating an artificial crater on a comet but only for observation purposes.", "Japan's Hayabusa 2 space probe made its second touchdown on a distant asteroid on Thursday June 11, in a bid to collect mineral samples that could reveal more about the solar system's evolution. Already on February 22, the \"Falcon 2\" had touched down on asteroid Ryugu for the first time.\n\nThen, Hayabusa 2 touched down briefly on the Ryugu asteroid, fired a bullet into the surface to puff up dust for collection and blasted back to its holding position, said officials from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). Later, in April, the space probe fired another bullet at the asteroid, stirring up more dust and creating a crater.\n\n\"We've collected a part of the solar system's history,\" project manager Yuichi Tsuda said at a jubilant press conference hours after the successful landing was confirmed. \"We have never gathered sub-surface material from a celestial body further away than the Moon. We did it, and we succeeded in a world first.\"\n\nThe fridge-sized probe made its second landing on the asteroid at around 10:30 a.m. in Japan (0130 GMT), with officials from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) breaking into applause and cheers as initial data suggested the touchdown had been a success.\n\nConfirmation of the landing came only after Hayabusa 2 lifted back up from the asteroid and resumed communications with the control room.\n\nResearch director Takashi Kubota told reporters that the touchdown operation was \"more than perfect.\" And Tsuda, with a grin, said he rated it \"1,000 points out of 100.\" \"The probe moved perfectly and the team's preparation work was perfect,\" he said.\n\nHayabusa 2 had blasted off in December 2014 on a 3.2 billion-kilometer journey (equivalent to roughly 80,000 trips around the Earth's circumference) to Ryugu, whis named after a mythical Japanese underwater castle. The probe carried several landers that touched down on the asteroid in 2018 and collected information.\n\nAmong them: the \"Mobile Asteroid Surface Scout\" (MASCOT) landing vehicle, built by the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and the French space agency CNES, that took images, investigated minerals, gauged surface temperatures and measured magnetic fields on the asteroid.\n\nHayabusa 2's mission is to collect asteroid dust and rocks to bring back to Earth. Researchers hope the information gathered will help them understand more about the origins of our universe.\n\nAn earlier Hayabusa mission from 2003 to 2010 was unable to collect as many samples as hoped from a different space rock, but still made history by being the first mission to bring back samples from an asteroid.\n\nIf all goes well, Hayabusa 2 will return to Earth with soil and rock samples in 2020, according to JAXA.", "A Japanese spacecraft has landed on a distant asteroid and collected underground samples that scientists hope will provide clues to the origin of the solar system billions of years ago.\n\nJapan's space agency said on Thursday that the Hayabusa2 spacecraft landed inside a crater it had created on the Ryugu asteroid months earlier and collected samples that scientists believe contain valuable data unaffected by space radiation and other environmental factors.\n\nHayabusa2 is the first spacecraft to successfully collect underground samples from an asteroid. A similar mission is planned by NASA on another asteroid, Bennu.\n\nThe Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, said the data shows Hayabusa2 touched down and rose safely after collecting the samples.\n\nThe news was greeted with cheering and applause in the JAXA mission control room, with officials grinning and shaking hands.\n\nJAXA officials said earlier that the probe appeared to have landed successfully, but confirmation came only after Hayabusa2 lifted back up from the asteroid and resumed communications with the control room.\n\nResearch director Takashi Kubta told reporters that the touchdown operation was \"more than perfect\", adding that project manager Yuichi Tsuda told the team: \"We have made history\".\n\nThursday's brief landing is the second time Hayabusa2 has touched down on the desolate asteroid Ryugu, which lies some 300 million kilometres from Earth.\n\nThe complex multi-year mission has also involved sending rover and robots down to the surface.\n\n\"I hope Hayabusa2 will return to Earth safely after successfully extracting samples from the asteroid, which would be a first,\" Kotaro Nogami, Japanese deputy government spokesperson said.\n\nThe touchdown was intended to collect pristine materials from beneath the surface of the asteroid that could provide insights into what the solar system was like at its birth, some 4.6 billion years ago.\n\nTo get at those crucial materials, in April an \"impactor\" was fired from Hayabusa2 towards Ryugu in a risky process that created a crater on the asteroid's surface and stirred up material that had not previously been exposed to the atmosphere.\n\nThe second touchdown required special preparations because any problems could mean the probe would lose the precious materials already gathered during its first landing.\n\nA photo of the crater taken by Hayabusa2's camera after the April blast showed that parts of the asteroid's surface are covered with materials that are \"obviously different\" from the rest of the surface, mission manager Makoto Yoshikawa told reporters before the latest touchdown.\n\n\"It would be safe to say that extremely attractive materials are near the crater,\" Project Manager Yuichi Tsuda said.\n\nThe touchdown is the last major part of Hayabusa2's mission, and when the probe returns to Earth next year, scientists hope to learn more about the history of the solar system and even the origin of life from its samples.\n\n\"I'm really looking forward to analysing these materials,\" Yoshikawa said.\n\nAt about the size of a large refrigerator and equipped with solar panels to keep it powered, Hayabusa2 is the successor to JAXA's first asteroid explorer, Hayabusa - Japanese for falcon.\n\nThe Hayabusa2 mission was launched in December 2014, and has a price tag of around 30 billion yen ($270m).", "Japan's space agency said data transmitted from the Hayabusa2 spacecraft indicated it successfully landed on a distant asteroid Thursday and completed its historic mission of collecting underground samples that scientists hope will provide clues to the origin of the solar system.\n\nHayabusa2 had created itself a landing crater in April by dropping a copper impactor. Thursday's mission was to land inside that crater and collect underground samples that scientists believe contain more valuable data.\n\nHayabusa2 is the first to successfully collect underground soil samples from an asteroid and comes ahead of a similar mission planned by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration team at another asteroid.\n\nThe Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, said it has confirmed data showing Hayabusa2 touched down and rose safely after collecting the samples as planned.\n\nTakashi Kubota, a Hayabusa2 project member at JAXA, was beaming when he showed up at an unexpectedly early news conference to announce the result. The moment the success was announced in the command center, everyone stood up, cheered and applauded, some of them making victory signs.\n\n\"It was a success, a big success,\" Kubota said. \"We achieved success in all scheduled procedures.\"\n\nThe spacecraft had started its gradual descent from its home location Wednesday. In the final landing phase Thursday, Hayabusa2 hovered at the height of 30 meters (100 feet) above the asteroid and quickly found its landing marker left from the earlier mission.\n\nActual landing was just few seconds. During the touchdown, Hayabusa2 would extend its sampling tube to the ground, shoot a pinball-size bullet to crack the surface and suck up the debris that got blasted off. Landing was a challenge for Hayabusa2 because of a risk of getting hit by dust and debris that remain at the crater, Kubota said.\n\n\"Everything went perfectly, even better than perfect, as if Hayabusa were reading our minds,\" he said.\n\nHe said JAXA plans to send the spacecraft, which was on its way back to the home position above the asteroid, to examine the landing site from above.\n\nThe asteroid, named Ryugu after an undersea dragon palace in a Japanese folktale, is about 300 million kilometers (180 million miles) from Earth. Hayabusa2 is expected to leave the asteroid to return to Earth at the end of next year, with the samples for scientific study.\n\n© Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.", "Japan's Hayabusa2 probe began descending on Wednesday for its final touchdown on a distant asteroid, hoping to collect samples that could shed light on the evolution of the solar system.\n\n\"At 9:58, we made a 'Go' decision for the Hayabusa2 probe's second touchdown,\" the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said in a statement.\n\n\"Currently the probe is working normally.\"\n\nThe probe is expected to touch down Thursday on the Ryugu asteroid, some 300 million kilometres (185 million miles) from Earth.\n\nIf successful, it will be the second time it has landed on the desolate asteroid as part of a complex mission that has also involved sending rovers and robots down onto it.\n\nThe mission hopes to collect pristine materials from beneath the surface of the asteroid that could provide insights into what the solar system was like at its birth, some 4.6 billion years ago.\n\nTo get at those crucial materials, in April an \"impactor\" was fired from Hayabusa2 towards Ryugu in a risky process that created a crater on the asteroid's surface and stirred up material that had not previously been exposed to the atmosphere.\n\n\"This is the second touchdown, but doing a touchdown is a challenge whether it's the first or the second,\" Yuichi Tsuda, Hayabusa2 project manager, told reporters ahead of the mission.\n\n\"The whole team will do our best so that we'll be able to complete the operation,\" he said.\n\nHayabusa2's first touchdown was in February, when it landed briefly on Ryugu and fired a bullet into the surface to puff up dust for collection, before blasting back to its holding position.\n\nThe second touchdown requires special preparations because any problems could mean the probe loses the precious materials already gathered during its first landing.\n\nA photo of the crater taken by Hayabusa2's camera shows that parts of the asteroid's surface are covered with materials that are \"obviously different\" from the rest of the surface, mission manager Makoto Yoshikawa told reporters.\n\nThe probe is expected to make a brief touchdown on an area some 20 metres away from the centre of the crater to collect the unidentified materials believed to be \"ejecta\" from the blast.\n\n\"It would be safe to say that extremely attractive materials are near the crater,\" Tsuda said.\n\nThe touchdown will be the last major part of Hayabusa2's mission, and when the probe returns to Earth next year scientists hope to learn more about the history of the solar system and even the origin of life from its samples.\n\n\"I'm really looking forward to analysing these materials,\" Yoshikawa said.\n\nAt about the size of a large refrigerator and equipped with solar panels to keep it powered, Hayabusa2 is the successor to JAXA's first asteroid explorer, Hayabusa -- Japanese for falcon.\n\nThat probe returned with dust samples from a smaller, potato-shaped asteroid in 2010, despite various setbacks during its epic seven-year odyssey and was hailed as a scientific triumph.\n\nHayabusa2 observes the surface of Ryugu with its camera and sensing equipment but has also dispatched two tiny MINERVA-II rover robots as well as the French-German robot MASCOT to help surface observation.\n\nIts photos of Ryugu, which means \"Dragon Palace\" in Japanese and refers to a castle at the bottom of the ocean in an ancient Japanese tale, show the asteroid has a rough surface full of boulders.\n\nLaunched in December 2014, the Hayabusa2 mission has a price tag of around 30 billion yen ($270 million) and is scheduled to return to Earth with its samples in 2020.\n\nBut its mission has already made history, including with the creation of the crater on Ryugu's surface.\n\nIn 2005, NASA's Deep Impact project succeeded in creating an artificial crater on a comet but only for observation purposes."], "summary": "JAXA's Hayabusa2 space probe makes its second successful and final landing on Apollo asteroid 162173 Ryugu."}
{"document": ["Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Damage and shock after the worst attack in Kismayo for years\n\nAt least 26 people, including a prominent journalist and several foreigners, have been killed in an attack on a hotel in southern Somalia.\n\nA suicide bomber rammed a car containing explosives into the Asasey hotel in the port of Kismayo, and gunmen then stormed the building.\n\nJournalist Hodan Nalayeh, 43, and her husband Farid were among the dead.\n\nIslamist group al-Shabab has claimed the attack, the worst to hit Kismayo since they were forced out in 2012.\n\nA local politician, three Kenyans, three Tanzanians, two Americans and one Briton were also killed, authorities say.\n\nHow did the attack unfold?\n\nRegional politicians and clan elders were inside the hotel discussing a forthcoming regional election when the attack began on Friday.\n\nWitnesses said they heard a huge blast before several heavily armed men forced their way in.\n\n\"There is chaos inside, I saw several dead bodies carried from the scene and people are fleeing from the nearby buildings,\" one witness, Hussein Muktar, said during the attack.\n\nIt took 12 hours for authorities to regain control over the hotel.\n\nRegional President Ahmed Mohamed put the death toll at 26 with more than 50 people wounded. Three attackers died in the raid while one was captured.\n\nWho were the victims?\n\nHodan Nalayeh founded the media platform Integration TV to tell stories about life in Somalia and in the Somali diaspora.\n\nRecent episodes had focused on Somalia's female entrepreneurs and things to do in the city of Las Anod.\n\nShe moved to Canada with her family when she was six years old and went on to become a figurehead of the Somali community there. But the mother of two had recently returned to Somalia.\n\nShe once spoke about how she would like to be remembered after her death.\n\n\"My vision is not to be famous and to make money. My mission is what I will leave behind when I die and what will I be remembered for,\" she said.\n\n\"One of the things is that I want people to remember that I loved the Somali people and want them to be brothers and to remember the importance of our unity for our country.\"\n\nTributes have been paid, with BBC journalist Farhan Jimale calling her \"a beautiful soul\" while Canada's Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen said she was a \"voice for many\".\n\nThe Somali Journalists Syndicate said that Nalayeh and another reporter also killed in Kismayo, Mohamed Omar Sahal, were the first journalists to be killed in the country this year.\n\nHow common is this type of attack?\n\nSomalia sees frequent militant attacks but after al-Shabab was driven out of Kismayo the port has been relatively peaceful.\n\nThe militants have been carrying out regular attacks in the capital Mogadishu, despite the heavy presence of African Union peacekeepers and US-trained Somali troops.\n\nAl-Shabab is affiliated with al-Qaeda and remains a powerful presence in rural Somalia.", "MOGADISHU/GAROWE, Somalia (Reuters) - Islamist gunmen killed 26 people, including Kenyans, Americans, a Briton and Tanzanians, when they stormed a hotel in Somalia’s southern port city of Kismayo, a regional state president said on Saturday, the deadliest day in the city since insurgents were driven out in 2012.\n\nA car bomb exploded at the hotel where local elders and lawmakers were having a meeting on Friday night, and then three gunmen stormed in, police said. It took 11 hours before security forces ended the all-night siege, police officer Major Mohamed Abdi told Reuters.\n\nThe dead included a presidential candidate for August’s regional elections, Jubbaland state president Ahmed Mohamed Madobe said in a statement. At least two journalists and a U.N. agency staff member were also reported to have been killed.\n\nAl Qaeda-linked Islamist group al Shabaab, which is trying to topple Somalia’s weak U.N.-backed government, immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.\n\nAbdiasis Abu Musab, the group’s military operations spokesman, said on Saturday the militants had killed 30 people and four al Shabaab fighters had also been killed. The jihadist group and government officials tend to give differing casualty figures for attacks.\n\nRegional president Madobe said three Kenyans, one Briton, two Americans and three Tanzanians were among those killed.\n\n“Among the dead was also a Jubbaland presidential candidate named Shuuriye. Four militants attacked the hotel. One of them was the suicide car bomber, two were shot dead and one was captured alive by Jubbaland security forces,” he said.\n\nHe said 56 people were wounded in the attack, including two Chinese citizens.\n\nPolice had said earlier all the attackers had been killed.\n\nThe UK Foreign Office said in a statement it was in touch with local authorities seeking more information. U.S. authorities did not immediately respond to requests for comment.\n\nKismayo resident Osman Nur told Reuters the explosion had destroyed huge parts of the hotel and nearby businesses and security forces were deployed all over the city. TV footage showed walls peppered with bullet holes and furniture strewn across the hotel courtyard.\n\nAnother anguished resident said she lost relatives in the attack.\n\n“I have been looking for the whereabouts of my nephew who worked at the hotel. I got his dead body this morning and have just buried him,” Halima Nur, a mother of four, told Reuters by phone.\n\n“And this afternoon I will attend the burial of other relatives.”\n\nThe Somalia office of the U.N.’s International Organization for Migration said one of its local staff members, Abdifatah Mohamed, was among those killed. SADO Somalia, a local non-governmental organization, said its executive director Abdullahi Isse Abdulle had died in the attack.\n\nTwo journalists were among the dead; Somali-Canadian Hodan Naleyah, the founder of Integration TV, and Mohamed Sahal Omar, a reporter for SBC TV in Kismayo.\n\nJubbaland president Madobe said Jama Fariid, Naleyah’s husband, had also been killed.\n\n“Through her work as a journalist, Hodan highlighted the community’s positive stories and contributions in Canada. She became a voice for many. We mourn her loss deeply, and all others killed in the #KismayoAttack,” Ahmed Hussen, Canada’s immigration minister, said on Twitter.\n\nAlso among those killed was Mahad Nur, a Tanzanian hotelier, property developer and supermarket owner.\n\n“Saddened by the death of Mahad Nur following a bomb blast in Kismayu yesterday... My thoughts and prayers are with his family.” Tanzanian deputy health minister Faustine Ndugulile said on Twitter.\n\nJubbaland’s minister of planning, Just Aw Hersi, confirmed the deaths of several prominent Somalis on Twitter. He said some of the foreigners held dual Somali citizenship.\n\nAl Shabaab was forced out of Mogadishu in 2011 and has since lost most of its other strongholds.\n\nIt was driven out of Kismayo in 2012 by Kenyan forces supporting a regional militia headed by Madobe. The city’s port had been a major source of revenue for the group from taxes, charcoal exports and levies on arms and other illegal imports.\n\nKismayo is the commercial capital of Jubbaland, a region of southern Somalia still partly controlled by al Shabaab.\n\nThe group remains a major security threat, with fighters frequently carrying out bombings in Somalia and neighboring Kenya, whose troops form part of the African Union-mandated peacekeeping force that helps defend the Somali government.\n\nSomalia is scheduled to have parliamentary elections this month and presidential elections next month. But relations between the central government and its federal states have sometimes been rocky amid arguments over power and resources.", "MOGADISHU: Twenty-six people were killed and 56 injured in a 12-hour attack by Al Shabaab fighters on a popular hotel that ended early Saturday in the southern Somali port city of Kismayo.\n\n A suicide bomber rammed a vehicle loaded with explosives into the Medina hotel on Friday before several heavily armed gunmen forced their way inside, shooting as they went, authorities said.\n\n It was the largest coordinated attack by the Shabaab in Kismayo since 2012 when it lost control of the city.\n\n The victims included several foreigners and a prominent Somali-Canadian journalist, Nodan Halayeh, who perished along with her husband.\n\n Three Kenyans, three Tanzanians, two Americans, one Briton and one Canadian were among the dead, president Ahmed Mohamed Islam of the semi-autonomous Jubaland region told a news conference.\n\n “There are also two wounded Chinese citizens,” he added.\n\n The hotel was packed with politicians and prominent businessmen as meetings were underway for upcoming presidential elections in Jubaland, due in August.\n\n One of the candidates in the election died in the siege, local authorities said.\n\n “The whole building is in ruins, there are dead bodies and wounded who have been recovered from inside. The security forces have cordoned off the whole area,” said witness Muna Abdirahman. Another witness Hussein Muktar said: “The blast was very big.”\n\n “The security forces are in control now and the last terrorist was shot and killed”, security official Mohamed Abdiweli said.\n\n “There are dead bodies and wounded people strewn inside the hotel,” Abdiweli added.\n\n He said authorities believed four gunmen, who one witness described as wearing Somali police uniforms, were involved in the attack.\n\n Halayeh’s death sparked an outpouring of grief on social media.\n\n She was an ardent campaigner for Somali unity and peace and had started an online TV show named Integration.\n\n In a recent podcast, Nalayeh said her television programme about the Somali diaspora gave the community a voice.\n\n “Social media has changed the game for how people learn about culture. So, if we don’t become the creators of our own content, we are going to be at the mercy of other people telling the stories of Africa,” she had said.\n\n A local journalist, Mohamed Omar Sahal, also died in the siege, the Somali journalists’ union SJS said, adding that these were the first journalist deaths in the country this year.\n\n Shabaab, the Al Qaeda-linked group, claimed responsibility for the siege describing it as “a martyrdom attack”.\n\n The US Mission to Somalia condemned the attack and said it would “continue to work with our Somali and other international partners in the fight against violent extremism.”\n\n The African Union’s Special Representative in Somalia, Francisco Madeira, said the attack was “meant to derail progress in Somalia as the country rebuilds and consolidates the gains made on peace and security.\n\n “The attackers are a group of people with a criminal, murderous and destructive agenda. They cannot claim to be fighting to bring good governance to the country,” he said.\n\n — AFP", "MOGADISHU/GAROWE, Somalia (Reuters) - Islamist gunmen killed 26 people, including Kenyans, Americans, a Briton and Tanzanians, when they stormed a hotel in Somalia’s southern port city of Kismayo, a regional state president said on Saturday, the deadliest day in the city since insurgents were driven out in 2012.\n\nA car bomb exploded at the hotel where local elders and lawmakers were having a meeting on Friday night, and then three gunmen stormed in, police said. It took 11 hours before security forces ended the overnight attack, police officer Major Mohamed Abdi told Reuters.\n\nThe dead included a presidential candidate for August’s regional elections, Jubbaland state president Ahmed Mohamed Madobe said in a statement. At least two journalists and a U.N. agency staff member were also reported to have been killed.\n\nAl Qaeda-linked Islamist group al Shabaab, which is trying to topple Somalia’s weak U.N.-backed government, immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.\n\nRegional president Madobe said that three Kenyans, one Briton, two Americans and three Tanzanians were among those killed.\n\n“Among the dead was also a Jubbaland presidential candidate named Shuuriye. Four militants attacked the hotel. One of them was the suicide car bomber, two were shot dead and one was captured alive by Jubbaland security forces,” he said.\n\nHe said 56 people were wounded in the attack, including two Chinese citizens.\n\nPolice had said earlier all the attackers had been killed.\n\nJubbaland’s minister of planning, Just Aw Hersi, confirmed the deaths of several prominent Somalis on Twitter.\n\n“We admit, we are heartbroken by their sudden violent deaths. But rest assured, we are also as mad as hell because of it,” he tweeted.\n\nThe Somalia office of the U.N.’s International Organization for Migration said on Twitter one of its local staff members, Abdifatah Mohamed, was among those killed.\n\nSADO Somalia, a local non-governmental organisation, also said on Twitter its executive director Abdullahi Isse Abdulle had been killed in the attack.\n\nA journalists’ group had confirmed on Friday that two journalists were among the dead; Somali-Canadian journalist Hodan Naleyah, the founder of Integration TV, and Mohamed Sahal Omar, reporter of SBC TV in Kismayo.\n\nJubbaland president Madobe said Jama Fariid, Naleyah’s husband, had also been killed.\n\nSeparately, Mohamed Ibrahim Moalimuu, general secretary of the Federation of Somali Journalists, said in a statement: “We are saddened and outraged by this loss of life, and condemn in the strongest possible terms this appalling massacre.”\n\nAl Shabaab was ejected from Mogadishu in 2011 and has since been driven from most of its other strongholds.\n\nIt was driven out of Kismayo in 2012 by Kenyan forces supporting a regional militia headed by Mohamed. The city’s port had been a major source of revenue for the group from taxes, charcoal exports and levies on arms and other illegal imports.\n\nKismayo is the commercial capital of Jubbaland, a region of southern Somalia still partly controlled by al Shabaab.\n\nAl Shabaab remains a major security threat, with fighters frequently carrying out bombings in Somalia and neighbouring Kenya, whose troops form part of the African Union-mandated peacekeeping force that helps defend the Somali government.\n\nIt is scheduled to have parliamentary elections this month and presidential elections next month. But relations between Somalia’s central government and its federal states have sometimes been rocky amid arguments over power and resources.", "Twenty-six people have been killed after Al Shabaab Islamist extremists detonated a suicide car bomb and stormed a hotel in Somalia, with a regional presidential candidate, journalists and a humanitarian worker among the dead.\n\nPolice earlier said at least 13 had been killed at the hotel in Kismayo, but the death toll rose sharply.\n\nKenyans, Americans, a Briton and Tanzanians are among the dead, Jubbaland region's president Ahmed Mohamed said in a statement.\n\nA presidential candidate for upcoming regional elections was also killed in the attack.\n\nProminent Somali-Canadian journalist Hodan Nalayeh was among those killed, alongside her husband.\n\nAbdiasis Abu Musab, Al Shabaab's military operation spokesman, said the Al Qaeda-linked militant group had been behind the attack.\n\n\"First we targeted [the hotel] with a suicide car bomb and then armed mujahideen [guerrilla fighters] stormed the hotel. We are still fighting inside the hotel,\" he said.\n\nMembers of the militant group carried out the attack on Friday (local time) while local elders and politicians were meeting to discuss the approaching regional elections.\n\nThe same group claimed responsibility for an attack on a hotel in Kenya in January that killed 21 people.\n\nPolice officer Major Mohamed Abdi said security forces had ended the all-night siege.\n\n\"Many people have been rescued. The four attackers were shot dead,\" he said.\n\nLocal elder Ahmed Abdulle said the attack had claimed many lives.\n\n'We are heartbroken by their sudden violent deaths'\n\nThe Somali Journalists Syndicate said in a statement that two journalists based in Kismayo had been confirmed dead in the attack.\n\n\"Mohamed Omar Sahal, SBC TV correspondent based in Kismayo and Hodan Nalayeh, female TV journalist and founder of Integration TV [are] both among [those] killed,\" Abdalle Ahmed Mumin, the syndicate's secretary general, said.\n\nIt said Ms Nalayeh had recently returned from Canada.\n\nHarun Maruf, a Voice of America journalist and author of Inside Al Shabaab, said on Twitter Ms Nalayah strived to write uplifting stories about Somalia and the Somali diaspora.\n\nMr Maruf said Ms Nalayeh's husband, Farid Jama, had also been confirmed dead, as has prominent civil society figure and humanitarian worker Deq Isse Abdulle.\n\nAden Aw Hirsi, Somalia's Minister of Planning and International co-operation, said on Twitter: \"we are heartbroken by their sudden violent deaths\".\n\n\"But rest assured, we are also as mad as hell because of it.\"\n\nHussein Nur, a shopkeeper in Kismayo, told Reuters: \"There were many people including officials and elders, mostly from one clan, who were discussing the coming Kismayo election.\"\n\nMr Nur was referring to elections in the city due sometime in August.\n\nState-run Somali National News Agency said in a statement Prime Minister Hassan Ali Khaire had condemned the attack.\n\nAl Shabaab was ejected from Mogadishu in 2011 and has since been driven from most of its other strongholds.\n\nIt was driven out of Kismayo in 2012. The city's port had been a major source of revenue for the group from taxes, charcoal exports and levies on arms and other illegal imports.\n\nKismayo is the commercial capital of Jubbaland, a region of southern Somalia still partly controlled by Al Shabaab.\n\nIt remains a major security threat, with fighters frequently carrying out bombings in Somalia and neighbouring Kenya, whose troops form part of the African Union-mandated peacekeeping force that helps defend the Somali Government.", "Somali forces Saturday morning ended an all-night siege on a hotel in the southern port city of Kismayo, in which the death toll was 26 people, including a prominent Canadian-Somali journalist and several foreigners, officials say.\n\nThose killed include three Kenyans, three Tanzanians, two Americans, one Canadian and one Briton, said Ahmed Madobe, the president of Jubbaland regional state which controls Kismayo. Fifty-six people, including two Chinese, were injured in the hotel attack, he told reporters.\n\nAt least four al-Shabab assailants attacked the Asasey Hotel Friday evening, beginning with a suicide car bomb at the entrance gate and followed by an assault by gunmen who stormed the hotel, which is frequented by politicians, patrons and lawmakers.\n\nThe attack lasted more than 14 hours before troops shot dead all attackers inside the hotel compound, Col. Abdiqadir Nur, a local police officer, told The Associated Press.\n\nSomalia’s Islamic extremist rebels, al-Shabab, claimed responsibility for the attack. Al-Shabab, which is allied to al-Qaida, often uses car bombs to infiltrate heavily fortified targets like the hotel in Kismayo, which has been relatively quiet in recent years.\n\nCanadian journalist Hodan Nalayeh and her husband, Farid Jama Suleiman, died in the attack, Mogadishu-based independent radio station Radio Dalsan confirmed to AP.\n\n“I’m absolutely devastated by the news of the death of our dear sister Hodan Nalayeh and her husband in a terrorist attack in Somalia today. What a loss to us. Her beautiful spirit shined through her work and the way she treated people,” Omar Suleiman, a Texas-based imam who knew the victim, wrote on social media.\n\nNalayeh was born in Somalia in 1976, but spent most of her life in Canada, first in Alberta and then in Toronto. She founded Integration TV, an international web-based video production company aimed at Somali viewers around the world. She was the first Somali woman media owner in the world.", "At least seven people were killed on Friday in a suicide bomb and gun attack claimed by Al-Shabaab militants on a hotel in southern Somalia, a security official said.\n\nAuthorities said a suicide bomber rammed a vehicle loaded with explosives into the popular Medina hotel in the southern port town of Kismayo before several heavily armed gunmen forced their way inside, shooting as they went.\n\nThe attack is the latest in a long line of bombing and assaults claimed by the Al-Qaeda-linked group.\n\n\"We have confirmed the death of seven people including a former local administration minister and a lawmaker,\" said Abdi Dhuhul, a security official. \"The toll may increase since the attack is not over yet.\"\n\n\"The blast rocked the popular Medina hotel formerly known as Cascasey which is located in downtown Kismayo,\" said security official Abdiweli Mohamed.\n\n\"Several gunmen entered and started shooting but the security forces responded quickly and engaged in a gunfight with the terrorists inside the building,\" he added.\n\n\"There is chaos inside, I saw several dead bodies carried from the scene and people are fleeing from the nearby buildings,\" Muktar said.\n\n\"The relatives of local journalist Mohamed Sahal confirmed his death and I'm getting that social media activist Hodan Naleyeh and her husband also died in the blast,\" another witness, Ahmed Farhan, said.\n\nThe Somali journalists' union SJS confirmed the reporters' deaths. \"It is a very sad day for Somalian journalists,\" the union's secretary-general Ahmed Mumin said in a statement.\n\n\"Mujahidin fighters carried out a martyrdom attack on one of the hotels accommodating the apostate officials of the Jubaland administration,\" the group said, referring to an autonomous southern zone in the troubled country whose main city is Kismayo.\n\nAccording to several sources, most of those staying in the hotel were politicians and traders ahead of upcoming regional elections.\n\nThe militant group emerged from Islamic Courts that once controlled central and southern Somalia and are variously estimated to number between 5,000 and 9,000 men.\n\nIn 2011, they fled positions they once held in Mogadishu, and have since lost many strongholds.\n\nBut they retain control of large rural swathes of the country and continue to wage a guerrilla war against the authorities.", "At least 26 people, including a prominent journalist and several foreigners, have been killed in an attack on a hotel in southern Somalia.\n\nA suicide bomber rammed a car containing explosives into the Asasey hotel in the port of Kismayo, and gunmen then stormed the building\n\nJournalist Hodan Naleyah and her husband are thought to be among the dead.\n\nA local politician, three Kenyans, three Tanzanians, two Americans and and one Briton were also killed, authorities say.\n\nHow did the attack unfold?\n\nRegional politicians and clan elders were inside the hotel discussing a forthcoming regional election when the attack began.\n\nWitnesses said they heard a huge blast before several heavily armed men forced their way in.\n\nThere is chaos inside, I saw several dead bodies carried from the scene and people are fleeing from the nearby buildings,” one witness, Hussein Muktar, said during the attack.\n\nIt took several hours for authorities to regain control over the hotel.\n\nRegional President Ahmed Mohamed put the death toll at 26 with more than 50 people wounded. Four attackers were also killed in the raid.\n\nWho were the victims?\n\nLocal media and a Somali journalists’ association said Nalayeh, 43, and her husband Farid were among the dead.\n\nNalayeh founded the media platform Integration TV to tell stories about life in Somalia and in the Somali diaspora. Recent episodes had focused on Somalia’s female entrepreneurs and things to do in the city of Las Anod.\n\nShe moved to Canada with her family when she was six years old and went on to become a figurehead of the Somali community there. But the mother of two had recently returned to Somalia.\n\nTributes have been paid to her, with BBC journalist Farhan Jimale calling her “a beautiful soul” while Canada’s immigration minister Ahmed Hussen said she was a “voice for many”.", "At least 26 people, including a prominent journalist and several foreigners, have been killed in an attack on a hotel in southern Somalia.\n\nA suicide bomber rammed a car containing explosives into the Asasey hotel in the port of Kismayo, and gunmen then stormed the building\n\nJournalist Hodan Naleyah and her husband are thought to be among the dead.\n\nA local politician, three Kenyans, three Tanzanians, two Americans and and one Briton were also killed, authorities say.\n\n\n\nHow did the attack unfold?\n\nRegional politicians and clan elders were inside the hotel discussing a forthcoming regional election when the attack began.\n\nWitnesses said they heard a huge blast before several heavily armed men forced their way in.\n\n\"There is chaos inside, I saw several dead bodies carried from the scene and people are fleeing from the nearby buildings,\" one witness, Hussein Muktar, said during the attack.\n\nIt took several hours for authorities to regain control over the hotel.\n\nRegional President Ahmed Mohamed put the death toll at 26 with more than 50 people wounded. Four attackers were also killed in the raid.\n\nWho were the victims?\n\nLocal media and a Somali journalists' association said Nalayeh, 43, and her husband Farid were among the dead.\n\nNalayeh founded the media platform Integration TV to tell stories about life in Somalia and in the Somali diaspora. Recent episodes had focused on Somalia's female entrepreneurs and things to do in the city of Las Anod.\n\nShe moved to Canada with her family when she was six years old and went on to become a figurehead of the Somali community there. But the mother of two had recently returned to Somalia.\n\nTributes have been paid to her, with BBC journalist Farhan Jimale calling her \"a beautiful soul\" while Canada's immigration minister Ahmed Hussen said she was a \"voice for many\".\n\nThe Somali Journalists Syndicate said that Nalayeh and another reporter also killed in Kismayo, Mohamed Omar Sahal, were the first journalists to be killed in the country this year.\n\nHow common is this type of attack?\n\nSomalia sees frequent militant attacks but after al-Shabab was driven out of Kismayo in 2012 the port has been relatively peaceful.\n\nThe militants have been carrying out regular attacks in the capital Mogadishu, despite the heavy presence of African Union peacekeepers and US-trained Somali troops.\n\nAl-Shabab is affiliated with al-Qaeda and remains a powerful presence in rural Somalia.", "At least 10 people have been killed in an extremist attack on a hotel in the port city of Kismayo, Somalia, officials have announced. Abdi Ahmed, a local district official, told The Associated Press Friday night that the...Read more via Olisa.tv – https://ift.tt/2NT02vW Get more World News"], "summary": "A car bomb and a gun attack kill at least 26, including two prominent journalists and nine foreigners, in Kismayo, Somalia."}
{"document": ["Image copyright EPA Image caption Afghan security forces are fighting both IS and Taliban militants in Nangarhar (file picture)\n\nAt least nine people died and 12 others were injured on Friday when a child was used to carry out a suicide attack on a wedding party in eastern Afghanistan, local officials said.\n\nThe attack took place in Nangarhar province's Pachiragam district.\n\nProvincial spokesman Attaullah Khugyani said the child was used to target a pro-government militia commander in Friday morning's attack.\n\nThe Islamic State group (IS) later said it carried out the attack.\n\nIS in Afghanistan, also known as IS Khorasan, is known to be active in Pachiragam.\n\nThe group has been blamed for a number of deadly attacks in Afghanistan - including a suicide bombing at a Kabul education centre last year that killed dozens of people.\n\nThe Press Trust of India news agency reported that the child used in Friday's suicide attack was a young teenager. Malik Noor, the pro-government militia commander targeted in the attack, and two of his sons were among the dead.\n\nPro-government militias often work alongside Afghan security forces to prevent territory falling into the hands of Taliban and IS militants\n\nThe attack comes days after a historic peace conference between Taliban insurgents and Afghan representatives saw a pledge to minimise civilian casualties. The two sides agreed on a \"roadmap to peace\" seen as having laid the ground for formal talks in the future.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Ogai Wardak, 18: \"If the Taliban come, I will fight them\"\n\nThe Taliban is negotiating with the United States in a bid to try to end the 18-year war. It hopes to reach an agreement that would see US troops pull out in return for a commitment that Afghanistan would not be used as a base for terrorism.\n\nThis is not the first time that children have been used to carry out suicide attacks. Earlier this year, two girls and one boy in Nigeria's Borno State were used as suicide bombers in a triple attack.\n\nIn Indonesia last year, two girls aged 9 and 12 were among those used to attack a church in Surabaya.", "An injured man receives treatment at the hospital, after a suicide attack in Jalalabad, Afghanistan July 12, 2019. REUTERS/Parwiz\n\nKABUL (Reuters) - A suicide bomber on foot targeted a wedding party in Afghanistan’s eastern province of Nangarhar on Friday, killing at least five people and injuring 40, local officials said.\n\nAtahullah Khogyani, a spokesman for Nangarhar province’s governor, said a boy set off his explosives inside the house of a pro-government militia commander in Pacheragam district.\n\nKhogyani said 40 wounded men and women were rushed to hospital and local residents said 10 people were killed.\n\nPro-government militias often work with overstretched Afghan security forces to prevent territories falling into the hands of the Taliban and Islamic State fighters.\n\nLast month, Taliban militants killed at least 26 members of a pro-government militia in northern Afghanistan.\n\nNo group has claimed responsibility for the wedding party attack but Islamic State militants have carried a string of suicide bombings and attacks on government offices, schools, and aid groups in recent years in Jalalabad, Nangarhar’s main city.", "A 13-year-old suicide bomber blew himself up at a wedding in eastern Afghanistan's Nangarhar province, killing five people and injuring 11 others.\n\nA 13-year-old suicide bomber blew himself up at a wedding in eastern Afghanistan's Nangarhar province, killing five people and injuring 11 others.\n\nSuicide bomber (13) blew himself up at Afghan wedding, killing five people\n\nPolice official Fayz Mohammad Babarkhil said the child blew himself up early Friday at a wedding organised by Malik Toor, a commander of a pro-government militia.\n\nToor died in the attack and officials said he was the likely target of the bomber.\n\nThe attack took place in Pachirwa Agham district of Nangarhar province.\n\nNo-one took responsibility for the attack, but both the Taliban and the Islamic State affiliate have a strong presence in eastern Afghanistan, and the IS group is headquartered in Nangarhar province.", "KABUL, Afghanistan — A 13-year-old suicide bomber blew himself up at a wedding in eastern Afghanistan's Nangarhar province, killing five people and injuring 11 others.\n\nPolice official Fayz Mohammad Babarkhil said the child blew himself up early Friday at a wedding organized by Malik Toor, a commander of a pro-government militia. Toor died in the attack, and officials said he was the likely target of the bomber. The attack took place in Pachirwa Agham district of Nangarhar province.\n\nNo one took responsibility for the attack, but both the Taliban and the Islamic State affiliate have a strong presence in eastern Afghanistan, and the IS group is headquartered in Nangarhar province.", "A 13-year-old suicide bomber killed at least five people and wounded 40 today in an attack on a wedding ceremony in eastern Afghanistan.\n\nNeither the Taliban nor Islamic State claimed responsibility for this morning's attack in Nangarhar, a volatile province on the border with Pakistan.\n\nAmong those killed was Malik Toor, a commander of a pro-government militia who had organised the wedding, police official Fayz Mohammad Babarkhil said. It is understood Toor was likely the target.\n\n'This morning at 8am, a suicide bomber detonated himself at a wedding ceremony...in Pachiragam district', Attaullah Khogyani, the Nangarhar governor's spokesman, told AFP. 'As a result, five killed, more than 40 wounded.'\n\nHazrat Khan Khaksar, the Pachiragam district governor, put the toll at 14 killed and 14 wounded but he cautioned the figures might change.\n\nZahir Adil, the Nangarhar regional hospital spokesman, told AFP that two bodies and 11 wounded victims had been taken to the hospital in central Nangarhar city.\n\nThe explosion comes just days after historic talks between Afghan representatives and the Taliban wrapped up as part of a US-led effort to end the war.\n\nAt the conclusion of the two-day summit in Doha, parties unveiled a joint resolution pledging a 'roadmap for peace' in which they sought to reduce civilian casualties to 'zero'.\n\nDirect talks between US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and the Taliban also took place last week.", "The explosion comes just days after historic talks between Afghan representatives and the Taliba, as part of a US-led effort to end the war.\n\nThe attack took place in Pachirwa Agham district of Nangarhar province. (Photo: Representative Image/AP)\n\nJalalabad: A 13-year-old suicide bomber blew himself up at a wedding in eastern Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province, killing five people and injuring 11 others.\n\nPolice official Fayz Mohammad Babarkhil said the child blew himself up early Friday at a wedding organized by Malik Toor, a commander of a pro-government militia.\n\nToor died in the attack, and officials said he was the likely target of the bomber.\n\nThe Taliban, who have pledged to try to reduce civilian casualties, denied responsibility for the blast in Nangarhar province.\n\nThe area close to the Pakistan border is teeming with other insurgent organisations including the ISIS group, who have carried out previous attacks.\n\n\"This morning at 8:00 am (0330 GMT), a suicide bomber detonated himself at a wedding ceremony,\" Attaullah Khogyani, the Nangarhar governor's spokesman, told AFP.\n\n\"As a result, five killed, more than 40 wounded.\"\n\nZahir Adil, the Nangarhar regional hospital spokesman, told AFP that two bodies and 11 wounded victims had been taken to the hospital in central Nangarhar city.\n\nThe explosion comes just days after historic talks between Afghan representatives and the Taliban wrapped up as part of a US-led effort to end the war.\n\nAt the conclusion of the two-day summit in Doha, parties unveiled a joint resolution pledging a \"roadmap for peace\" in which they sought to reduce civilian casualties to \"zero\".\n\nDirect talks between US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and the Taliban also took place last week.", "KABUL, Afghanistan : A 13-year-old suicide bomber blew himself up at a wedding early Friday in eastern Afghanistan's Nangarhar province, killing five people and injuring 11 others, police officials said.\n\nAmong those killed was Malik Toor, a commander of a pro-government militia who had organized the wedding, police official Fayz Mohammad Babarkhil said.\n\nOfficials said Toor was the likely target of the attack, which took place in Pachirwa Agham district of Nangarhar province.\n\nNo one took responsibility for the bombing, but the Taliban said it was not involved in the wedding explosion, according to a statement posted on its official website.\n\nBoth the Taliban and the Islamic State affiliate have a strong presence in eastern Afghanistan, and the IS group is headquartered in Nangarhar province.", "Five people were killed and dozens more wounded Friday when a suicide bomber attacked a wedding ceremony in eastern Afghanistan, an official told AFP.\n\nThe Taliban, who have pledged to try to reduce civilian casualties, denied responsibility for the blast in Nangarhar province.\n\nThe area close to the Pakistan border is teeming with other insurgent organisations including the ISIS group, who have carried out previous attacks.\n\n\"This morning at 8:00 am (0330 GMT), a suicide bomber detonated himself at a wedding ceremony\", Attaullah Khogyani, the Nangarhar governor's spokesman, told AFP.\n\n\"As a result, five killed, more than 40 wounded.\"\n\nZahir Adil, the Nangarhar regional hospital spokesman, told AFP that two bodies and 11 wounded victims had been taken to the hospital in central Nangarhar city.\n\nThe explosion comes just days after historic talks between Afghan representatives and the Taliban wrapped up as part of a US-led effort to end the war.\n\nAt the conclusion of the two-day summit in Doha, parties unveiled a joint resolution pledging a \"roadmap for peace\" in which they sought to reduce civilian casualties to \"zero\".\n\nDirect talks between US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and the Taliban also took place last week.\n\nGet Breaking news, live coverage, and Latest News from India and around the world on NDTV.com. Catch all the Live TV action on NDTV 24x7 and NDTV India. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagram for latest news and live news updates.", "July 12 (UPI) -- A teenage suicide bomber killed at least six people at a wedding in Afghanistan Friday, authorities said.\n\nPolice said the explosion in Nangarhar occurred as guests gathered before the wedding ceremony, which was organized by Malik Toor, commander of the pro-government forces. Toor died in the attack, and investigators believe he was likely the primary target.\n\nOfficials said the suicide bomber was 13 years old.\n\nThe Tablian said in a statement it had no involvement in the attack. Both the Taliban and the Islamic State have a strong presence in eastern Afghanistan.\n\nFriday's violence followed peace talks this week between Taliban and certain Afghan leaders that aimed for a \"united\" and \"Islamic\" Afghinistan that sets aside \"all ethnic differences.\" The negotiations for the end of the 18-year conflict involving U.S. troops called for an end to civilian casualties.", "A suicide bomber on foot targeted a wedding party in Afghanistan’s eastern province of Nangarhar on Friday, killing at least five people and injuring 40, local officials said.\n\nAtahullah Khogyani, a spokesman for Nangarhar province’s governor, said a boy set off his explosives inside the house of a pro-government militia commander in Pacheragam District.\n\nKhogyani said 40 injured victims were rushed to hospital, but local residents put the figure of those that died at 10.\n\nPro-government militias often work with overstretched Afghan security forces to prevent territories falling into the hands of the Taliban and Islamic State fighters.\n\nIn June, Taliban militants killed at least 26 members of a pro-government militia in northern Afghanistan.\n\nNo group has however, claimed responsibility for the attack.\n\nIslamic State militants have carried a string of suicide bombings and attacks on government offices, schools, and aid groups in recent years in Jalalabad, Nangarhar’s main city."], "summary": "A suicide bomber kills nine people and injures 40 others at a wedding in the Nangarhar Province in Afghanistan. The bomber is believed to be a minor."}
{"document": ["CARACAS (Reuters) - Two members of Venezuelan National Assembly chief Juan Guaido’s security detail were detained on Friday, both the opposition leader and government officials said on Saturday, during a pause in negotiations between the two divided political factions.\n\nInformation Minister Jorge Rodriguez said in a television broadcast that Erick Sanchez and Jason Parisi were arrested for attempting to sell rifles he said were taken from a National Guard armoury at the legislative palace in preparation for Guaido’s failed attempt to unseat President Nicolas Maduro on April 30.\n\nThe arrests came just days after representatives of both Maduro and Guaido returned from negotiations in Barbados to resolve a political crisis that began in January, when Guaido invoked the constitution to assume a rival interim presidency, arguing Maduro’s 2018 re-election was illegitimate.\n\nNorway’s government, which is mediating the talks, has said they are expected to continue. But the arrests could exacerbate tensions between the two sides at a time when other members of Guaido’s inner circle, including his chief of staff Roberto Marrero and National Assembly deputy chief Edgar Zambrano, remain in state custody.\n\n“They are going to plant arms on them, like with Roberto Marrero. This is not new: we know what we are up against,” Guaido said in a speech in the western state of Trujillo, where he is rallying supporters this weekend.\n\nMarrero was accused of smuggling guns and explosives from Colombia when he was arrested in March. His lawyer, Joel Garcia, has said Marrero denies all the charges and alleges that the Sebin intelligence agency planted weapons in Marrero’s home.\n\nVenezuela’s chief prosecutor’s office has not commented on the arrest of Sanchez and Parisi.\n\nRodriguez said he would bring evidence of the weapons accusations against the two guards to the next round of negotiations with the opposition.\n\n“We have to play clean,” Rodriguez said. “There cannot continue to be different agendas.”\n\nMaduro calls Guaido a puppet of the United States seeking to oust him in a coup.", "CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) - Venezuelan authorities have detained two members of opposition leader Juan Guaidó's security team and accused them of trying to sell weapons belonging to the state.\n\nSocialist party boss Diosdado Cabello said Saturday that the suspects planned to sell four guns allegedly used during Guaidó's failed military rebellion on April 30.\n\nGuaidó on Friday tweeted that two members of his team, Erick Sánchez y Jason Parisi, had been taken into custody in Caracas while providing security for his family as he traveled outside the capital. He addressed supporters in the western state of Trujillo on Saturday.\n\nThe arrests come after several days of talks between the Venezuelan government and the opposition as the two sides seek a solution to the country's political standoff.", "Venezuelan authorities have detained two members of opposition leader Juan Guaidó's security team, keeping pressure on their U.S.-backed adversary even as the two sides hold talks aimed at finding a solution to the country's political standoff.\n\nThe two men planned to sell four guns belonging to the state that were allegedly used during Guaidó's failed military rebellion on April 30, socialist party boss Diosdado Cabello said Saturday. Information Minister Jorge Rodríguez also said on national television that the alleged attempt to sell weapons while negotiating with the government reflected opposition deceit.\n\nGuaidó on Friday tweeted that two members of his team, Erick Sánchez y Jason Parisi, had been taken into custody in Caracas while providing security for his family as he traveled outside the capital. He said the allegations against them were false and speculated that authorities would plant weapons on the two men in order to frame them.\n\n\"We know what we're fighting against: A dictatorship,\" said Guaidó, who addressed supporters in the western state of Trujillo on Saturday.\n\nDespite tension over the arrests, there was no immediate indication that plans to resume talks between the Venezuelan government and the opposition would be disrupted. The two sides held several days of discussions on the Caribbean island of Barbados last week, and said they will continue negotiations next week.\n\nThe government of Nicolás Maduro and the opposition gave upbeat assessments after the last round of talks, though negotiations in previous years have collapsed and major issues remain contentious. Guaidó contends Maduro's re-election last year was invalid and wants early presidential elections: the government accuses the opposition of fomenting violence.\n\nAs the political dispute drags on, Venezuela is sinking deeper into an economic and humanitarian crisis that has forced millions of people to leave the country in recent years.\n\nThe United States has imposed sanctions on Venezuela to try to dislodge Maduro, compounding hardship in a country whose economy, including its key oil industry, has been in sharp decline for many years.\n\nAlso Saturday, Cabello and other key supporters of Maduro held a demonstration to condemn a scathing report on Venezuela by Michele Bachelet, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. Rally speakers said the report, which chronicles torture, sexual abuse and extrajudicial killings by government security forces, is inaccurate and biased."], "summary": "The Venezuelan government arrests two members of disputed Interim President Juan Guaidó's personal security. The government claims that the pair were trying to sell weapons stolen from the national army and organising the failed coup attempt on 30 April. The opposition denies the weapons charges."}
{"document": ["Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption A demonstration of the S-400 missile system\n\nTurkey has received the first parts of a Russian S-400 missile defence system despite opposition from the US.\n\nThe shipment arrived in an airbase in the capital Ankara on Friday, the Turkish defence ministry says.\n\nThe move will anger the US, which has warned that Turkey cannot have both the S-400 anti-aircraft defence system and US F-35 fighter jets.\n\nTurkey and the US are Nato allies - but Turkey has also been establishing closer links with Russia.\n\nA Nato official told the AFP news agency that the body was \"concerned\" about Turkey's acquisition.\n\nWhat have both countries said?\n\nActing US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said on Friday that the US position had not changed.\n\nRepublican and Democratic leaders of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee called the Turkish action \"a troubling signal of strategic alignment with Putin's Russia\".\n\nMr Esper spoke with his Turkish counterpart for 30 minutes but a planned Pentagon briefing in response to the moves by Turkey was called off.\n\nThe Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said the two men had discussed the purchase of the S-400 missile system, but insisted that it did not mean a change of Turkey's strategic orientation.\n\nMr Akar said the pair also discussed a bid to acquire US Patriot air defence systems.\n\nWhat's the argument about?\n\nTurkey has signed up to buying 100 US F-35 warplanes and has invested heavily in the F-35 programme. Turkish companies produce 937 of the plane's parts.\n\nBut Turkey has also pursued an increasingly independent defence policy amid strained ties with the US and Europe. It has purchased Russia's advanced S-400 air defence system for $2.5bn and sent members of its armed forces to Russia for training.\n\nUS defence officials said the S-400 is incompatible with the wider Nato air-defence system in the region.\n\nImage copyright Russian Ministry of Defence Image caption The Russian defence ministry has published footage of what it says are the first components of the system being delivered to Turkey\n\nThe officials said they did not want the F-35 jets to be near S-400 systems because they feared Russian technicians would be able to access the F-35's vulnerabilities.\n\nThe US warned that it would exclude Turkey from the F-35 programme if the S-400 deal went ahead, and warned that it could impose economic sanctions.\n\nTurkey has argued that the two systems would be located in separate locations, and that the US was slow to offer an alternative missile defence shield.\n\nPresident Recep Tayyip Erdogan said after a meeting with US President Donald Trump that he believes the US will not impose sanctions.\n\nThis looks set to prompt a major rift between Washington and one of its key Nato allies. For an alliance member to buy this kind of equipment from Russia is almost unprecedented.\n\nThe US has already halted deliveries of the aircraft to Turkey and suspended the training of Turkish pilots.\n\nPlans are also under way to remove Turkey from the programme altogether. It manufactures part of the F-35 and is due to be a regional hub for maintenance of the aircraft.\n\nTurkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan seems to believe that, whatever the Pentagon may say, Donald Trump himself is less hostile to the purchase of the Russian missiles.\n\nA major test of ties between Ankara and Washington beckons.\n\nHow important is Turkey?\n\nTurkey has the second-largest army in Nato, a 29-member military alliance.\n\nIt is one of the US's key allies, and is located in a strategic position, sharing borders with Syria, Iraq and Iran.\n\nIt has also played an important role in the Syria conflict, providing arms and military support to some rebel groups.\n\nHowever, it has seen relations deteriorate with some Nato members and the EU, who have accused Mr Erdogan of adopting an increasingly authoritarian style following a failed coup in 2016.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Nato explained in 80 seconds\n\nHow does the S-400 work?", "Turkey on Friday (July 12) received first shipment of Russian S-400 missile defense system hardware from Russia, Turkish Defense Ministry announced.\n\n“The first batch of equipment of S-400 missile defense system, which is procured to meet Turkey’s air and missile defense needs, has started to arrive at Murted Air Base in Ankara,” the ministry said in a statement.\n\nThe second Russian military transport aircraft carrying the S-400 missile systems will depart for Turkey soon, according to the Russian news agency TASS.\n\n“The Russian Aerospace Force’s military transport aircraft carrying parts of a S-400 regiment set has arrived in Turkey. Another plane will soon deliver the second batch of equipment to the country,” TASS quoted a diplomatic source as saying. “The third batch, containing more than 120 guided missiles of various types, will be dispatched later by sea. It is expected to happen at the end of the summer,” the agency added.\n\nTurkish S-400 operators plan to train Turkish military service members this month and in August, according to TASS. In May, about 20 Turkish service members underwent training at a Russian training center.\n\nThe S-400 Triumph, which became operational in 2007, is designed to destroy aircraft, cruise and ballistic missiles, including medium-range ones. The S-400 system can hit targets at a distance of round 250 miles and at an altitude up to around 22 miles.\n\nThe purchase sparked a row within NATO, with the US threatening sanctions against Turkey for buying the Russian-made military technology.\n\nSpecifically, the Pentagon fears that Russia will be able to spy on the US-made F-35, the latest generation fighter jet, once S-400 becomes part of Turkey’s defense network, according to German news agency Deutsche Welle. Earlier this year, the US suspended deliveries related to the F-35 and gave Turkey a deadline until the end of July to cancel the S-400 deal. If Ankara did not comply, Turkish pilots training to fly F-35 in the US would be expelled from the country.\n\nUS officials also pressured Turkey to buy the more expensive, US-made Patriot missiles instead.\n\n“S-400 is at least twice as cheap as the US system Patriot-2,” UK military expert Richard Connolly at Birmingham University told DW’s Russian service.\n\n“The Russians and before them the Soviet Union were always leading in missile technology,” he added. “The reason for that was that the Americans and the West produced better aircraft.”\n\nLess than two weeks ago, Turkish strongman Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that US President Donald Trump reassured him there will be no sanctions over buying the S-400s.\n\n“We heard from him that there won’t be anything like this (sanctions),” Erdogan told a press conference in Osaka, Japan, following a meeting with Trump on the sidelines of the G20 summit.\n\n“It is out of the question that such a thing takes place between two strategic allies. I believe it cannot happen,” Erdogan said.\n\n“By accepting delivery of the S-400 from Russia, President Erdogan has chosen a perilous partnership with Putin at the expense of Turkey’s security, economic prosperity and the integrity of the NATO alliance,” the Wall Street Journal reported a joint statement by Sens. Jim Risch (R., Idaho), Bob Menendez (D., N.J.), Jim Inhofe (R., Okla.) and Jack Reed (D., R.I.).\n\nDuring a visit to NATO headquarters in Belgium late last month, acting Secretary of Defense Mark Esper said: “If Turkey accepts delivery of the S-400, they will not receive the F-35. It’s that simple.”\n\nAccording to the UPI, Shanahan sent a letter on June 6 to Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar that Turkey would be pulled from the F-35 Lightning II jet program — including sales and the banning of Turkish contractors — unless Ankara decides not to go ahead with purchasing S-400.\n\nThe events in the coming weeks could determine the future of U.S.-Turkish relations, and raise questions about Turkey’s long-term role in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization as Russia attempts to build on its own influence in the country in a bid to weaken the alliance, the Wall Street Journal said adding:\n\n“Turkey’s decision to source critical weapons from Russia is a setback for the U.S., which courted Ankara throughout the Cold War for its strategic location on the southwestern flank of the Soviet empire. It is also an economic issue. The U.S. and Russia are world’s biggest arms exporters and their contractors compete for dominance in the sector.”\n\n“The S-400 issue has further roiled years of frayed U.S.-Turkey relations. U.S. officials still recall a key breaking point in 2003 when Turkish officials refused to allow U.S. troops to use Turkey as a launch pad for the invasion of Iraq. American presidents have tried repeatedly to reset relations with Turkey, only to hit new snags,” the Wall Street Journal argued and said:\n\n“Former President Obama’s initial strong relationship with Mr. Erdogan was strained by the U.S. decision to arm and train Syrian Kurdish fighters in the battle against Islamic State that Turkey views as terrorists. The same issue has dogged relations between Messrs. Trump and Erdogan.\n\n“The relationship also was strained by an American refusal to deport a U.S.-based cleric who Mr. Erdogan accuses of fomenting a failed coup in 2016 that led Mr. Erdogan to impose mass arrests and purges. The cleric, Fethullah Gulen, denies the accusation.\n\n“Last summer, Washington imposed sanctions on Turkey when Ankara failed to release an American pastor who had been detained as part of the post-coup sweeps. Turkey eventually released the pastor, Andrew Brunson, and the U.S. partly lifted the sanctions, but the episode left scars, say U.S. diplomats.”\n\n“For the political elite of both countries, for Erdogan and Putin, it became kind of a symbol of their resistance of Western hegemony,” Ruslan Pukhov, director of the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies, think tank in Moscow. “That’s why they try to peddle the deal by showing both the internal and external public…that surrender is not an option, Pukho was quoted by WSJ as saying.”\n\nThe S-400 reflects growing cooperation between Turkey and Russia, including construction of the Russia-financed Akkuyu nuclear power plant, Turkey’s first such facility, and the TurkStream natural-gas pipeline that runs from Russia to Turkey.\n\nMaking good on the delivery of the S-400s “shows the whole world that Russia is a reliable supplier,” Mr. Pukhov said. “Imagine: Turkey was a longstanding partner for F-35s, paid down-payments, and the United States refused to deliver.”\n\nDeployed across Russia, from its Kaliningrad exclave in the Baltics to Vladivostok in the Far East, the S-400 has also become a successful export product. In addition to Turkey, Russia has sold the weapon to China and India. Saudi Arabia, one of the top buyers of U.S. military equipment, is in talks with Moscow over a possible S-400 purchase.\n\nRussian state-owned holding conglomerate Rostec said earlier this year that as of late 2018 its arms export order book exceeded $51 billion, a record for the past 10 years, with S-400 supply contracts accounting for some of the largest deals.\n\n“Turkish officials say closer ties with the Kremlin are compatible with NATO membership, and have expressed interest in not being entirely dependent on Russia for air-defense equipment. While taking delivery of the S-400, Turkey has been pursuing talks with France and Italy over the joint production of a rival European system. Industrial partners in the project are expected to submit a detailed study on how to divide workload in the autumn, according to European officials. Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said Friday that Ankara had not closed the door to buying Patriots from the U.S.,” the Wall Street Journal concluded.\n\nAbdus Sattar Ghazali is the Chief Editor of the Journal of America (www.journalofamerica.net) email: asghazali2011 (@) gmail.com", "The system, called the S-400, includes advanced radar to detect aircraft and other targets, and the United States has been unyielding in its opposition to Turkey’s acquisition of the equipment, which is deeply troubling to Washington on several levels.\n\nIt puts Russian technology inside the territory of a key NATO ally — one from which strikes into Syria have been staged. The Russian engineers who will be required to set up the system, US officials fear, will have an opportunity to learn much about the US-made fighter jets that are also part of Turkey’s arsenal.\n\nThat is one reason the Trump administration has already moved to block the delivery of the F-35 stealth fighter jet, one of the United States’ most advanced aircraft, to Turkey, and has suspended the training of its pilots, who were learning how to fly it. (Whether NATO, in turn, might glean some Russian secrets from Turkey’s acquisition of the S-400 is unclear.)\n\nBut the problem runs far deeper. A breach with Turkey over the S-400 casts into question the future of the Incirlik air base, a critical post for US forces in the region. And while US officials never discuss it in public, the base is also the storage site for scores of US tactical nuclear weapons, a leftover of the Cold War.\n\nTo the minds of Pentagon strategists, the S-400 deal is part of President Vladimir Putin’s plan to divide NATO. US officials are clearly uneasy when asked about the future of the alliance, or even how Turkey could remain an active member of NATO while using Russian-made air defences.\n\n“The political ramifications of this are very serious because the delivery will confirm to many the idea that Turkey is drifting off into a non-Western alternative,” said Ian Lesser, director of the German Marshall Fund in Brussels. “This will create a lot of anxiety and bad feelings inside NATO — it will clearly further poison sentiment for Turkey inside the alliance.”\n\nStrategically positioned at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, and sharing a border on the Black Sea with Russia, Turkey has long been both a vital peg in NATO and one of its more prickly members.\n\nWith one foot in the conflicts of the Middle East and a toehold in Europe, its interests have not always easily aligned with an alliance originally forged as a Western European defence against the Soviets. Instead, under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey has increasingly played both sides in the East-West struggle.\n\nNATO has stationed the American-made Patriot surface-to-air missile system on Turkish soil since the outbreak of the civil war in Syria, but Erdogan has insisted his country needs its own long-range system.\n\nTurkey tried for years to buy its own Patriot system, but talks with Washington never produced a deal — a result that President Donald Trump, at the Group of 20 meeting last month, said was the fault of the Obama administration.\n\n“It’s a mess,” Trump said. “And honestly, it’s not really Erdogan’s fault.”\n\nEven as he announced the arrival of three planes bearing the first parts of the Russian system, Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said Turkey still hoped to buy its US counterpart. “We are looking for Patriot procurement and our institutions are working intensively in that regard,” he said in remarks shown on the state-owned TRT channel.\n\nTurkey does need to fill a gap in its defences, but in purchasing the S-400, “the political-military outcomes could turn into a weakness for Turkey’s security,” said Ahmet Han, professor of international relations at Altinbas University in Istanbul. “The delivery has already caused a creeping vulnerability because it has damaged Turkey’s relations with NATO.”\n\nThe presence of the Russian system — which includes truck-mounted radars, command posts and missiles and launchers — would introduce an extra consideration into every NATO operation, he said, and that added strain “is the exact thing that Russia is after.”\n\nTurkey’s turn to Russia for its own system is a success for Putin, who has sought to draw Turkey closer since a dramatic falling-out over the Syrian war, in which the Kremlin has backed the Assad government, while Turkey has supported a rebel faction.\n\nThe S-400 delivery comes just before celebrations Monday in Turkey to mark the third anniversary of a failed coup attempt against Erdogan. That upheaval marked a turn in relations with Russia, said Diba Nigar, the Turkey director for the International Crisis Group, a research institute based in Brussels.\n\nMany Turks, she said, believe “that NATO allies didn’t stand up for Turkey, that the West turned a blind eye during the coup but that Moscow was more supportive.”\n\nThe sale also promises to add to Russia’s growing reach in the greater Middle East. Moscow’s decisive intervention in the conflict in Syria has cemented Russia’s dominance there, and Libyan strongman Khalifa Hifter is another beneficiary of its support.\n\nA NATO spokesman said Friday, “We are concerned about the potential consequences of Turkey’s decision to acquire the S-400 system,” in part because it is considered technically incompatible with the weapons systems used by NATO countries.\n\n“Interoperability of our armed forces is fundamental to NATO for the conduct of our operations and missions,” said the spokesman who, in keeping with the organisation’s protocol, declined to be quoted by name. “We welcome that Turkey is working with several Allies on developing long-range air and missile defence systems.”\n\nThe Turkish and Russian defence ministries both reported that the first parts of the system arrived at the Murted airfield in Ankara on Friday. Turkish news media reported that a team of Russian specialists had also arrived to assemble the system.\n\nRussian officials used the occasion to boast of the S-400’s effectiveness and to tweak the United States.\n\nTurkey “came under unprecedented pressure and nevertheless prioritized national security,” Franz Klintsevich, a Russian senator, told the Interfax news agency. He claimed that Patriot missiles are made to be incapable of locking onto “a target carrying the US flag,” adding, “everyone knows that.”\n\n“Russian S-400 systems guarantee preservation of their sovereignty,” he said of Turkey. “No wonder the Americans are irate.”", "ISTANBUL — The first shipment of a sophisticated Russian surface-to-air missile system arrived in Turkey on Friday, the Turkish Defense Ministry announced, a process that is expected to incur United States sanctions and will test the NATO alliance.\n\nPresident Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been insistent in his determination to purchase the S-400 system, Russia’s most advanced antiaircraft weaponry, despite warnings from the United States. Washington has warned that the deal will lead to economic penalties against Turkey, a fellow NATO member, and cancellation of Turkey’s purchase of American F-35 fighter jets.\n\nThe United States has been unyielding in its opposition to Turkey’s acquisition of the S-400. American officials have argued that the missile system is incompatible with NATO equipment, and that having Turkey operating both the Russian weapons and the F-35 could give Russia access to the American jets’ secret stealth technology.\n\nMr. Erdogan has pursued the missile system despite American warnings and the damage that sanctions would do to his country’s already suffering economy. Speaking last month, he warned the United States not to risk a larger fissure in ties with Turkey over the missile system, and seemed optimistic that his country would not face any kind of financial penalty from the Americans.", "Turkey gets first shipment of S-400 air defence systems\n\nAnkara, July 12: The first shipment of a Russian missile defence system has arrived in Turkey, the Turkish Defence Ministry said Friday, moving the country closer to possible US sanctions and a new standoff with Washington. A Defence Ministry statement said \"the first group of equipment\" of the S-400 air defence systems has reached an air base near the capital, Ankara.\n\nThe U.S. has strongly urged NATO member Turkey to pull back from the deal - reportedly costing more than USD 2 billion - warning the country that it will face economic sanctions under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act if it goes ahead with the purchase. It has also said Turkey won't be allowed to participate in the program to produce high-tech F-35 fighter jets. The US has repeatedly said that the Russian system is incompatible with NATO systems and is a threat to the F-35. Sanctions would mark a new low in the already-tense relations between Turkey and the U.S.\n\nLast year, the United States imposed sanctions on Turkey over its detention of an American pastor, triggering a Turkish currency crisis. The deal with Russia - the first such deal between Russia and a NATO member - has also raised concerns that Turkey is drifting closer to Moscow's sphere of influence. Turkey has refused to bow to US pressure, insisting that choosing which defence equipment to purchase is a matter of national sovereignty.", "ISTANBUL: Turkey received the first batch of Russia 's S-400 missile defence system on Friday, the defence ministry said, despite repeated warnings from its NATO ally United States against the purchase.\"The delivery of the first shipment of parts of the S-400 long range regional air missile defence system began as of July 12, 2019 to Murted air base in Ankara ,\" the ministry said in a statement.The delivery, which was made by plane, is likely to escalate tensions with the US after Washington warned this week that there would be \"real and negative\" consequences if Ankara bought the Russian defence system.The US State Department has said that Turkish officials are fully aware of the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, a law passed by Congress in 2017 that mandates sanctions for any \"significant\" purchases of weapons from Russia.Washington has threatened to remove Turkey from its F-35 fighter jet programme, giving Ankara until July 31 to cancel the S-400 purchase or have its pilots kicked off the training course and expelled from the US.But Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said after meeting US counterpart Donald Trump last month that he was confident Ankara would not face sanctions for buying the Russian missile system.Erdogan told Trump during their meeting on the margins of the G-20 meeting in Japan that former president Barack Obama did not allow Ankara to buy Patriot missiles -- an equivalent of the S-400s.Trump sounded convinced and said: \"You can't do business that way. It's not good.\"The Turkish air force changed the name of the base in Ankara from Akinci to Murted after it was the centre of a 2016 failed coup attempt.", "ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Russia began delivery of an advanced missile defense system to Turkey on Friday, a move expected to trigger U.S. sanctions against a NATO ally and drive a wedge into the heart of the Western military alliance.\n\nThe first parts of the S-400 air defense system were flown to a military air base near the capital Ankara, the Turkish Defense Ministry said, sealing Turkey’s deal with Russia which Washington had struggled for months to prevent.\n\nThe United States says the Russian military hardware is not compatible with NATO systems and that the acquisition may lead to Ankara’s expulsion from an F-35 fighter jet program.\n\nInvestors in Turkey have been unsettled by the deal. The Turkish lira weakened to 5.717 against the dollar from 5.683 before the ministry announced the arrival of the S-400 consignment to the Murted Air Base, northwest of Ankara.\n\n“The delivery of parts belonging to the system will continue in the coming days,” Turkey’s Defense Industry Directorate said. “Once the system is completely ready, it will begin to be used in a way determined by the relevant authorities.”\n\nAt least two Russian Air Force AN-124 cargo planes flew to Turkey on Friday morning, data from plane tracking website Flightradar24 showed. Turkish broadcasters showed footage of one plane parked at airbase and a second one landing at around 12.30 pm (0930 GMT).\n\nRussia’s Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation confirmed on Friday it had started delivering the S-400 systems and that the deliveries would continue in accordance with an agreed schedule, the RIA news agency reported.\n\nTurkey says the system is a strategic defense requirement, particularly to secure its southern borders with Syria and Iraq. It says that when it made the deal with Russia for the S-400s, the United States and Europe had not presented a viable alternative.\n\nPresident Tayyip Erdogan said after meeting President Donald Trump at a G20 summit last month that the United States did not plan to impose sanctions on Ankara for buying the S-400s.\n\nTrump said Turkey had not been treated fairly but did not rule out sanctions. U.S. officials said last week the administration still plans to impose sanctions on Turkey.\n\nUnder legislation known as Countering America’s Adversaries through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), which targets purchases of military equipment from Russia, Trump should select five of 12 possible measures.\n\nThese range from banning visas and denying access to the U.S.-based Export-Import Bank, to the harsher options of blocking transactions with the U.S. financial system and denying export licenses.\n\nWashington says the S-400s could compromise its Lockheed Martin F-35 stealth fighter jets, an aircraft Turkey is helping to build and planning to buy.\n\nTurkey could also face expulsion from the F-35 program under the sanctions. Erdogan has dismissed that possibility, but Washington has already started the process of removing Turkey from the program, halting training of Turkish pilots in the United States on the aircraft.\n\nInvestors in Turkey have been concerned about the impact of potential U.S. sanctions on an economy which fell into recession after a currency crisis last year.\n\nThe S-400 acquisition is one of several issues which have frayed ties between the two allies, including a dispute over strategy in Syria east of the Euphrates River, where the United States is allied with Kurdish forces that Turkey views as foes.\n\nThe detention of U.S. consular staff in Turkey has also strained relations, along with disagreements over Iran, Venezuela and Middle East policy. Turkey has long demanded Washington hand over a Muslim cleric which Ankara holds responsible for an attempted coup in 2016.\n\nThe Murted base was formerly known as Akinci Air Base and was used by putschist soldiers in the failed 2016 coup.", "\"The delivery of parts belonging to the system will continue in the coming days,\" Turkey's Defense Industry Directorate said. \"Once the system is completely ready, it will begin to be used in a way determined by the relevant authorities.\"\n\nRussia has completed its first delivery of their S-400 missile system to Turkey, making the latter the first NATO nation to receive this advanced weapon.\n\nAccording to the Turkish Ministry of Defense, the first parts of the Russian-made S-400 system were flown to an airbase near the capital city of Ankara.\n\nThe United States says the Russian military hardware is not compatible with NATO systems and that the acquisition may lead to Ankara's expulsion from an F-35 fighter jet program.\n\nInvestors in Turkey have been unsettled by the deal. The Turkish lira weakened as far as 5.728 against the dollar from 5.683 before the ministry announced the arrival of the S-400 consignment to the Murted Air Base, northwest of Ankara. The main Istanbul share index\n\n\"The delivery of parts belonging to the system will continue in the coming days,\" Turkey's Defense Industry Directorate said. \"Once the system is completely ready, it will begin to be used in a way determined by the relevant authorities.\"\n\nAt least two Russian Air Force AN-124 cargo planes flew to Turkey on Friday morning, data from plane tracking website Flightradar24 showed. Turkish broadcasters showed footage of one plane parked at airbase and a second one landing at around 12.30 pm (0930 GMT).\n\nRussia's Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation confirmed on Friday it had started delivering the S-400 systems and that the deliveries would continue in accordance with an agreed schedule, the RIA news agency reported.\n\nAn unnamed military-diplomatic source was cited by Russia’s TASS news agency as saying a second delivery would be carried out by plane soon. A third delivery – of 120 guided missiles – will be carried out by ship at the end of the summer, the source was quoted as saying.\n\nTwenty Turkish servicemen received training from Russia in May-June and 80 more Turkish servicemen will receive training to use the S-400 system, the source was quoted as saying.", "Turkey says 1st shipment of Russian S-400 missile defense systems have arrived\n\nANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkey says 1st shipment of Russian S-400 missile defense systems have arrived.", "Turkey says 1st shipment of Russian S-400 missile defense systems have arrived."], "summary": "Turkey receives its first shipment of the S-400 missile system from Russia, defying U.S. and NATO calls to cancel the deal."}
{"document": ["Trump Labor Secretary Acosta resigning after criticism over Epstein plea deal in sex case\n\nThe wealthy financier was arrested over the weekend and charged in the Southern District of New York with sex trafficking dozens of girls.", "On Friday, July 12, Labor Secretary Alex Acosta resigned from President Donald Trump's cabinet after continued scrutiny over his involvement in a 2008 plea deal for billionaire and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Acosta made the announcement while standing next to Trump, who said, “I hate to see this happen” about Acosta's decision and insisted he had nothing to do with it.\n\nAcosta was appointed to the position of Secretary of Labor in 2017. Before that, between 2005 and 2009, he served as the U.S. Attorney for Southern Florida. It was during that time that he issued a plea deal to Epstein, reducing federal charges for the financier's alleged abuse of 36 teenage girls down to state charges, allowing Epstein to avoid federal prosecution. The deal was reached without the knowledge or consent of many of Epstein's alleged victims.\n\nYears later, in 2018, a Miami Herald investigation revealed the specific details of the deal that Acosta made with Epstein, noting that it enabled Epstein to serve just 13 of an 18-month jail sentence. Now Epstein is facing new charges for sex trafficking and sex abuse, in New York and in Florida. Multiple women have come forward alleging that as minors, Epstein sexually abused them. Some women have also said claimed that Epstein let his wealthy friends, including Prince Andrew and lawyer Alan Dershowitz, allegedly abuse them as well. Andrew and Dershowitz have both denied these allegations.\n\nEpstein has also been connected to President Trump and former President Bill Clinton, the latter of whom traveled with the billionaire around the world in the early 2000s. Both men have repeatedly denied any knowledge of Epstein's crimes, according to the New York Times. Epstein, who was arrested in New York on July 6, has pled not guilty to all charges brought against him. If convicted, he could face up to 45 years in jail.\n\nTwo days before Acosta's resignation, he gave a press conference defending his decision to cut Epstein such a lenient deal years ago. “We believe that we proceeded appropriately,” Acosta said on July 10, according to the Associated Press. “We did what we did because we wanted to see Epstein go to jail. He needed to go to jail.”\n\nIn a series of tweets posted the day before, Acosta condemned Epstein's alleged crimes, and thanked prosecutors for finding new evidence and building a stronger case against the billionaire.\n\n\"Now that new evidence and additional testimony is available, the NY prosecution offers an important opportunity to more fully bring him to justice,\" Acosta wrote.\n\nThe Secretary's resignation has prompted strong reactions from several Democratic politicians. Presidential candidate and Senator Elizabeth Warren simply wrote \"Good\" in response to a tweet announcing the news.\n\nBeto O'Rourke, who is also running for president, condemned Acosta for his actions — but also wrote that he should never have been appointed to the role of Secretary of Labor in the first place.\n\nCandidate and Senator Bernie Sanders echoed a similar sentiment in his own statement, adding that a Secretary of Labor should not put the needs of billionaires before working people.\n\nAs Secretary of Labor, Acosta oversaw a federal agency that enforces 180 federal laws concerning nearly 10 million employers and 125 employees, according to the Associated Press. His resignation will go into effect on July 19, after which time Acosta's Deputy Secretary, Patrick Pizzella will serve as the new acting Secretary of Labor, Trump announced during the Friday morning press conference.", "WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta resigned on Friday amid fresh scrutiny of his handling of the sex abuse case against financier Jeffrey Epstein, becoming President Donald Trump’s latest adviser to leave the administration in controversy.\n\nAcosta, joining Trump at the White House before the president left for a trip to Wisconsin, said he did not want to be a distraction to the administration’s work because of his leadership of the Epstein case more than a decade ago.\n\n“As I look forward, I do not think it is right and fair for this administration’s Labor Department to have Epstein as a focus rather than the incredible economy we have today,” Acosta said.\n\nTrump, who has fired numerous cabinet and other administration officials during his 2 1/2 years in the White House, said it was Acosta’s idea to step down.\n\n“Alex called me this morning and wanted to see me,” Trump told reporters. “I just want to let you know this is him, not me.”\n\nAcosta’s resignation is effective in seven days. Trump named Deputy Labor Secretary Patrick Pizzella as the acting secretary of Labor.\n\nAcosta has served in Trump’s cabinet since April 2017 and from 2005 through 2009 was the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida. It was there that he handled Epstein’s first case involving sex with girls, which resulted in a punishment that critics say was far too lenient.\n\n“Mr. Acosta now joins the sprawling parade of President Trump’s chosen advisors who have left the administration under clouds of scandal and corruption, leaving rudderless and discouraged agencies in their wake. Taxpayers deserve better,” Democratic U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse said in a statement.\n\nEpstein, a billionaire hedge fund manager, pleaded not guilty to new federal charges in New York this week. Epstein had a social circle that over the years has included Trump, former President Bill Clinton and Britain’s Prince Andrew.\n\nNancy Pelosi, the Democratic speaker of the House of Representatives, and Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer had called on Tuesday for Acosta to resign.\n\nAcosta responded to the criticism on Tuesday with tweets saying Epstein’s crimes were “horrific” and that he was glad prosecutors were moving forward based on new evidence and testimony that could “more fully bring him to justice.”\n\nOn Wednesday Acosta held a news conference to defend his handling of the deal, which allowed Epstein to plead guilty to a state charge and not face federal prosecution. Acosta said Epstein would have had an even lighter sentence if not for the deal.\n\nAcosta would not say if he would make the same decision regarding Epstein now, considering the power of the #MeToo movement that led to the downfall of several powerful men publicly accused of sex crimes by women.\n\nU.S. prosecutors in New York on Monday accused Epstein, 66, of sex trafficking, luring dozens of girls, some as young as 14, to his luxury homes and coercing them into sex acts.\n\nDemocratic U.S. Representative Elijah Cummings, chair of the House Oversight and Reform Committee who has called on Acosta to testify on the Epstein matter, said in a statement: “Secretary Acosta’s role in approving the extremely favorable deal for Jeffrey Epstein raises significant concerns about his failure to respect the rights of the victims, many of whom were children when they were assaulted.”\n\nThe federal prosecutors in New York said they were not bound by the deal arranged by Acosta, which allowed Epstein to plead to a lesser offense and serve 13 months in jail with leave during the day while registering as a sex offender.\n\nIn February, a federal judge in West Palm Beach, Florida, ruled that the 2007 agreement violated the victims’ rights. Epstein’s case and Acosta’s role in the plea deal had come under scrutiny earlier this year after an investigation by the Miami Herald.\n\nThe Epstein case came up during Acosta’s Senate confirmation hearing but the Republican-majority Senate approved him in a 60-38 vote.\n\nHe is the latest top Trump administration official to depart under a cloud. The heads of the Interior, Justice, State and Health departments have also either been fired or resigned, among other top staff during Trump tenure so far.\n\nAcosta, the son of Cuban refugees and the first Hispanic member of Trump’s Cabinet, previously served on the National Labor Relations Board and in the U.S. Department of Justice under Republican President George W. Bush.", "FILE- In this July 30, 2008 file photo, Jeffrey Epstein is shown in custody in West Palm Beach, Fla. Labor Secretary nominee Alexander Acosta is expected to face questions at his Senate confirmation hearing about an unusual plea deal he oversaw for Epstein, a Florida billionaire and sex offender, as U.S. attorney in Miami. Federal prosecutors say a once-secret plea deal reached over a decade ago with Epstein must stand, despite objections from many of his victims. Prosecutors said in a new court filing that a violation of the Crime Victims’ Rights Act does not allow for the agreement to be voided. (Uma Sanghvi/Palm Beach Post via AP)\n\nWASHINGTON (AP) – President Donald Trump says Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta is stepping down following criticism of his handling of a plea deal with a wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein, who is accused of sexually abusing dozens of underage girls.\n\nTrump announced the news with Acosta by his side at the White House as Trump left on a trip to the Midwest.\n\nAcosta says stepping aside was the right decision.\n\nHe was the U.S. attorney in Miami when he oversaw a 2008 nonprosecution agreement with Epstein. Epstein avoided federal charges and served 13 months in jail.\n\nSimilar charges recently filed against Epstein by federal prosecutors in New York had put Acosta’s role in the 2008 deal under renewed scrutiny.", "WASHINGTON (AP) — Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta said Friday he is resigning following renewed scrutiny of his handling of a 2008 secret plea deal with wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein , who is accused of sexually abusing dozens of underage girls.\n\nPresident Donald Trump, with Acosta at his side, made the announcement as he left the White House for a trip to Wisconsin and Ohio. The president said “I hate to see this happen” and he did not ask Acosta to leave the Cabinet. But conservatives, who are unhappy with steps Acosta has taken at the department, had been pushing for his ouster.\n\nTrump, who publicly faults the news media nearly every day, said Acosta put the blame there, too, for his departure.\n\nThe president tweeted from aboard Air Force One that Acosta “informed me this morning that he felt the constant drumbeat of press about a prosecution which took place under his watch more than 12 years ago was bad for the Administration, which he so strongly believes in, and he graciously tendered his resignation.”\n\nAcosta was the U.S. attorney in Miami when he oversaw a 2008 non-prosecution agreement that allowed Epstein to avoid federal charges but plead guilty to state charges and serve 13 months in jail. Similar charges filed against Epstein by federal prosecutors in New York this week had put Acosta’s handling of the 2008 agreement with the now-jailed financier back in the spotlight.\n\nOver the years, Epstein has counted Trump and former President Bill Clinton among his powerful friends, and Trump was quoted in 2002 as saying the financier was “a lot of fun to be with,” a “terrific guy” of whom “it is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.” Trump now says he and Epstein had a falling-out and he is “not a fan.”\n\nAcosta said his resignation would be effective in seven days. He said he didn’t think it was right for his handling of Epstein’s case to distract from the president’s agenda and his work as secretary of labor.\n\n“My point here today is we have an amazing economy, and the focus needs to be on the economy,” Acosta said.\n\nTop Democratic lawmakers and presidential candidates had demanded that Acosta resign. But Acosta defended his actions, insisting at a news conference Wednesday that he got the toughest deal on Epstein that he could get at the time.\n\nA federal judge said Acosta violated federal law by not notifying Epstein’s victims of the arrangement. The Justice Department has been investigating.\n\nA Florida lawyer who represents several Epstein victims welcomed of Acosta’s resignation.\n\n“Mr. Acosta broke the law when he was a U.S. attorney by failing to keep the victims informed about the negotiations taking place in 2008,” said attorney Spencer Kuvin. “We should never allow an official who has been held to break the law by a Federal Court, to hold an office in the president’s Cabinet. His resignation today is hopefully only the first step in holding those accountable.”\n\nAcosta had also frustrated some conservatives who had been pushing for his ouster long before the Epstein uproar. Among their objections were Acosta’s decisions to proceed with several employment discrimination lawsuits and to allow certain Obama administration holdovers to keep their jobs.\n\nTrump had initially defended Acosta but said he’d look “very closely” at his handling of the 2008 agreement.\n\nThe deal had come under scrutiny earlier this year following reporting by The Miami Herald.\n\nEpstein, 66, reached the deal to secretly end a federal sex abuse investigation involving at least 40 teenage girls that could have landed him behind bars for life. He instead pleaded guilty to Florida state charges, spent 13 months in jail, paid settlements to victims and registered as a sex offender.\n\nAcosta had attempted to clear his name, and held a news conference — encouraged by Trump — to defend his actions. In a 50-plus-minute lawyerly rebuttal, Acosta argued his office had secured the best deal it could at the time and had worked in the best interests of Epstein’s victims.\n\n“We did what we did because we wanted to see Epstein go to jail,” he said. “We believe that we proceeded appropriately.”\n\nPressed on whether he had any regrets, Acosta repeatedly said circumstances had changed since then.\n\n“We now have 12 years of knowledge and hindsight and we live in a very different world,” he said. “Today’s world treats victims very, very differently.”\n\nAfter federal attorneys in New York announced the new charges against Epstein this week, Acosta tweeted that he was pleased by their decision.\n\n“The crimes committed by Epstein are horrific,” Acosta tweeted. “With the evidence available more than a decade ago, federal prosecutors insisted that Epstein go to jail, register as a sex offender and put the world on notice that he was a sexual predator.”\n\n“Now that new evidence and additional testimony is available, the NY prosecution offers an important opportunity to more fully bring him to justice.”\n\nAcosta took office as the nation’s 27th labor secretary in early 2017, leading a sprawling agency that enforces more than 180 federal laws covering about 10 million employers and 125 million workers. The department also plays a role in combatting human trafficking.\n\nTrump said Acosta would be replaced by Pat Pizzella, currently the department’s deputy secretary.\n\nBefore he was named a U.S. attorney, Acosta was an assistant attorney general for the civil rights division in President George W. Bush’s first term. Before joining the Trump administration, Acosta was dean of the Florida International University law school.\n\n___\n\n By DARLENE SUPERVILLE and JILL COLVIN Associated Press\n\nAP Legal Affairs Writer Curt Anderson in Miami and Associated Press writer Deb Riechmann in Washington contributed to this report.", "Updated at 10:22 a.m. ET\n\nLabor Secretary Alexander Acosta is stepping down after criticism over his role in a nonprosecution deal reached years ago with the well-connected businessman accused of sex crimes, Jeffrey Epstein.\n\nAcosta appeared on Friday at the White House with President Trump and announced his resignation.\n\n\"I do not think it is fair for this administration's Labor Department to have Epstein as its focus rather than the incredible economy we have today,\" Acosta said. \"The right thing was to step aside.\"\n\nAcosta said his departure would be effective in one week.\n\nTrump said Acosta had called him to convey his decision and the choice to step down had been Acosta's. The president praised Acosta as a \"fantastic secretary of Labor\" and \"a tremendous talent. He's a Hispanic man; he went to Harvard.\"\n\nTop Democrats in Congress had called for Acosta's removal in the wake of new charges against multimillionaire Epstein by federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York.\n\nEpstein is accused of sexually abusing underage girls as young as 14, some of whom he allegedly recruited in what prosecutors called a sex trafficking network.\n\nIn 2008, then-U.S. Attorney Acosta oversaw an agreement that permitted Epstein to plead guilty to some related charges but which critics have since called far too lenient.\n\nThe Miami Herald detailed Acosta's handling of the Epstein case, and the account has drawn condemnations from victims' advocates and others.\n\nAcosta gave his own account of the circumstances of that agreement in a news conference earlier this week. He said if his office hadn't stepped in, Epstein would have enjoyed an even lighter punishment at the hands of state or local authorities.\n\nAcosta said it's always possible to look back and wish arrangements had been made differently, but he said his handling of the Epstein matter as U.S. attorney had worked out as well as it could have under the circumstances at the time.\n\nHouse Oversight Chairman Elijah Cummings invited Acosta to testify on July 23 about the nonprosecution agreement.\n\nIt wasn't immediately clear on Friday whether the Oversight Committee would continue to ask Acosta to appear if he is out of government then.\n\nCummings and other House Democrats also sent a letter to the Office of Professional Responsibility at the Justice Department requesting a briefing about their investigation of the matter.\n\n\"There are significant concerns with Secretary Acosta's actions in approving an extremely favorable deal for an alleged sexual predator while concealing the deal from the victims of Mr. Epstein's crimes, which a judge found violated the Crime Victims' Rights Act,\" the lawmakers wrote.\n\nIn his news conference on July 10, Acosta said he was \"pleased\" that the Southern District of New York was moving forward with new charges.\n\n\"His acts are despicable,\" Acosta said. \"Epstein's actions absolutely deserve a stiffer sentence.\"\n\nAcosta was confirmed to President Trump's Cabinet in 2017 with a bipartisan vote of 60-38. During his time as head of the Labor Department, he has cut regulations and pushed for the expansion of apprenticeship programs.\n\nTrump defended Acosta's role as labor secretary on July 9, saying he has been \"really, really great.\"\n\n\"The rest of it, we will have to look at,\" the president added.\n\nAcosta said on July 10 that his relationship with Trump is \"outstanding.\"", "(07/12/19) - President Donald Trump says Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta is stepping down following criticism of his handling of a plea deal with a wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein, who is accused of sexually abusing dozens of underage girls.\n\nTrump announced the news with Acosta by his side at the White House as Trump left on a trip to the Midwest.\n\nAcosta says stepping aside was the right decision.\n\nHe was the U.S. attorney in Miami when he oversaw a 2008 nonprosecution agreement with Epstein. Epstein avoided federal charges and served 13 months in jail.\n\nSimilar charges recently filed against Epstein by federal prosecutors in New York had put Acosta's role in the 2008 deal under renewed scrutiny.\n\n(Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)", "WASHINGTON (AP) — Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta is resigning following criticism of his handling of a plea deal with a wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein, who is accused of sexually abusing dozens of underage girls.\n\nPresident Donald Trump announced the news Friday with Acosta by his side at the White House as Trump left on a trip to the Midwest.\n\nAcosta says stepping aside was the right decision.\n\nHe was the U.S. attorney in Miami when he oversaw a 2008 nonprosecution agreement with Epstein. Epstein avoided federal charges and served 13 months in jail.\n\nSimilar charges recently filed against Epstein by federal prosecutors in New York had put Acosta’s role in the 2008 deal under renewed scrutiny.\n\nTop Democratic lawmakers and presidential candidates had demanded that Acosta resign.\n\nTrump had defended Acosta but said he’d look “very closely” his handling of the 2008 agreement.\n\nThe deal came under scrutiny earlier this year following reporting by the Miami Herald.", "US Labor Secretary Alex Acosta resigned Friday, amid a backlash over a secret plea deal he negotiated a decade ago with Jeffrey Epstein, the financier accused of sexually abusing young girls\n\nWashington, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - APP - 12th Jul, 2019 ) :US Labor Secretary Alex Acosta resigned Friday, amid a backlash over a secret plea deal he negotiated a decade ago with Jeffrey Epstein, the financier accused of sexually abusing young girls.\n\n\"I called the president this morning and told him that I thought the right thing was to step aside,\" Acosta said in a joint appearance with President Donald Trump at the White House.\n\nAcosta, 50, a former Federal prosecutor, has been facing mounting calls to resign over the deal that saw Epstein serve just 13 months in a county jail.\n\nTrump said the decision to go came from Acosta, who telephoned the president Friday morning. He described Acosta as a \"tremendous talent\" and \"great secretary of labor\" who had done a \"very good job.\" Epstein, 66, was charged on Monday by prosecutors in New York with one count of sex trafficking of minors and one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of minors.\n\nThose charges carry a maximum of 45 years in prison.\n\nAccording to prosecutors, Epstein sexually exploited dozens of underage teen girls at his homes in Manhattan and Palm Beach, Florida, between 2002 and 2005. Some were as young as 14.\n\nAcosta fielded a barrage of questions Wednesday from reporters about his office's handling of the Epstein case when he was a federal prosecutor in Florida.\n\nThe deal reached with Epstein required him to admit a single state charge of soliciting prostitution from a minor and register as a sex offender.\n\nAcosta said prosecutors agreed to the deal rather than take Epstein to trial on more serious charges because that would have been a \"roll of the dice\"", "FILE – In this Sept. 17, 2018, file photo, President Donald Trump, left, and Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta listen during a meeting of the President’s National Council of the American Worker in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington. The arrest of billionaire financier Jeffrey Epstein on child sex trafficking charges is raising new questions about the future of Acosta as well as Epstein’s relationships with several major political figures, including President Donald Trump and former President Bill Clinton. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)\n\nWASHINGTON (AP) — Trying to tamp down calls for his resignation, Labor Secretary Alex Acosta on Wednesday defended his handling of a sex trafficking case involving now-jailed financier Jeffrey Epstein, insisting he got the toughest deal he could at the time.\n\nIn a nearly hour-long news conference, Acosta retraced the steps that federal prosecutors took in the case when he was U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida a decade ago, insisting that “in our heart we were trying to do the right thing for these victims.” He said prosecutors were working to avoid a more lenient arrangement that would have allowed Epstein to “walk free.”\n\n“We believe that we proceeded appropriately,” he said, a contention challenged by critics who say Epstein’s penalty was egregiously light.\n\nThe episode reignited this week when federal prosecutors in New York brought a new round of child sex trafficking charges against the wealthy hedge fund manager. And on Wednesday, a new accuser stepped forward to say Epstein raped her in his New York mansion when she was 15.\n\nJennifer Araoz, now 32, told “Today” she never went to police because she feared retribution from the well-connected Epstein. She now has filed court papers seeking information from Epstein in preparation for suing him.\n\nWhile the handling of the case arose during Acosta’s confirmation hearings, it has come under fresh and intense scrutiny after the prosecutors in New York brought their charges on Monday, alleging Epstein abused dozens of underage girls in the early 2000s, paying them hundreds of dollars in cash for massages, then molesting them at his homes in Florida and New York. Epstein has pleaded not guilty to the charges; if convicted he could be imprisoned for the rest of his life.\n\nAcosta’s lawyerly presentation was an effort to push back against growing criticism of his work in a secret 2008 plea deal that let Epstein avoid federal prosecution on charges that he molested teenage girls. A West Palm Beach judge found this year that the deal had violated the Crime Victims’ Rights Act because the victims were not informed or consulted.\n\nHe was also out to persuade President Donald Trump to keep him on the job as Democratic presidential candidates and party leaders called for his ouster.\n\nAcosta insisted his office did the best it could under the circumstances a decade ago. He said state authorities had planned to go after Epstein with charges that would have resulted in no jail time until his office intervened and pressed for tougher consequences, a contention that is supported by the record. The alternative, he said, would have been for federal prosecutors to “roll the dice” and hope to win a conviction.\n\n“We did what we did because we wanted to see Epstein go to jail,” Acosta said. “He needed to go to jail.”\n\nBut Epstein only was given 13 months in a work-release program, which let him work out of the jail six days a week. Acosta said it was “entirely appropriate” to be outraged about that leniency, but he blamed that on Florida authorities. “Everything the victims have gone through in these cases is horrific,” he said, while repeatedly refusing to apologize to them.\n\n“I think it’s important to stand up for the prosecutors” in his old office, he said.\n\nHis account did not sit well with Barry Krischer, who was the Palm Beach County attorney during the case. Krischer, a Democrat, said Acosta “should not be allowed to rewrite history.”\n\nAcosta’s South Florida office had gotten to the point of drafting an indictment that could have sent Epstein to federal prison for life. But it was never filed, leading to Epstein’s guilty plea to two state prostitution-related charges. In addition to the work-release jail sentence, Epstein was required to make payments to victims and register as a sex offender.\n\nKrischer said the federal indictment was “abandoned after secret negotiations between Mr. Epstein’s lawyers and Mr. Acosta.” He added: “If Mr. Acosta was truly concerned with the State’s case and felt he had to rescue the matter, he would have moved forward with the 53-page indictment that his own office drafted.”\n\nAcosta has said he welcomes the new case, and earlier defended himself on Twitter, crediting “new evidence and additional testimony” uncovered by prosecutors in New York for providing “an important opportunity to more fully bring him to justice.”\n\nPressed on whether he had any regrets, Acosta repeatedly suggested that circumstances had changed since the case arose. “We now have 12 years of knowledge and hindsight and we live in a very different world,” he said. “Today’s world treats victims very, very differently.”\n\nTrump has, so far, also defended Acosta, praising his work as labor secretary and saying he felt “very badly” for him “because I’ve known him as being somebody that works so hard and has done such a good job.”\n\nThough Trump may have made the tagline “You’re fired!” famous on his reality show “The Apprentice,” he has shown a pattern of reluctance to fire even his most embattled aides. Trump, for instance, took months to dismiss Scott Pruitt as Environmental Protection Agency administrator despite a dizzying array of scandals, and allowed Jeff Sessions to remain as attorney general for more than a year even as he railed at and belittled him.\n\nTrump typically gives his Cabinet secretaries the opportunity to defend themselves publicly in interviews and press conferences before deciding whether to pull the plug. Indeed, he encouraged Acosta to hold Wednesday’s press conference laying out his thinking and involvement in the plea deal, according to a senior administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.\n\nEarly reaction in the White House appeared to be positive, with one official saying the performance was likely enough to buy Acosta more time unless questions about his part in the 2008 case linger in the news. Vice President Mike Pence said he was “pleased to see Secretary Acosta step forward.”\n\nTrump has his own long personal history with Epstein, but has dissociated himself from the wealthy hedge fund manager, saying this week the two had a falling out 15 or so years ago and haven’t spoken since.\n\nAcosta told reporters that his relationship with Trump remains “outstanding,” but also noted that every member of Trump’s Cabinet serves at the president’s pleasure.\n\nDemocratic presidential contenders and party leaders have been calling for Acosta to resign or be fired, and he has been called to testify in front of the House Oversight Committee on July 23.Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Florida, welcomed that move, saying Acosta “has a disturbing record on sexual and human trafficking that stretches from the horribly permissive plea agreement he gave to Jeffrey Epstein, up to his time now as Labor Secretary.”\n\nMany Senate Republicans, meanwhile, have taken a wait-and-see approach.\n\nAssociated Press writers Alan Fram, Zeke Miller and Darlene Superville in Washington and Curt Anderson in Miami contributed to this report."], "summary": "U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta announces his resignation from office amid growing public criticism over his past role in securing a 2008 plea deal for former financier Jeffrey Epstein, after Epstein was arrested and charged with sex trafficking of minors. He is to be replaced by Acting Secretary Patrick Pizzella effective July 19."}
{"document": ["At least four Afghan security forces and a US service member have been killed in two separate attacks claimed by the Taliban as violence continues across Afghanistan despite efforts to end the 18-year war.\n\nAn attack on a commercial building housing a hotel and shops in Qala-e-Naw, the capital of Badghis province in western Afghanistan, killed four security personnel and wounded 20 others, including civilians, officials said on Saturday.\n\n\"The attackers took over a building near the governor's office and police headquarters,\" Badghis Governor Abdul Ghafoor Malikzai told the AFP news agency.\n\nAfghanistan's Defence Ministry said at least three Taliban attackers were also killed in the attack and two others arrested.\n\nIn a separate incident, NATO said a US service member was killed in action on Saturday in Sayed Abad district of central Wardak province, some 70km south of the Afghan capital, Kabul.\n\n\"The name of the service member killed in action is being withheld until 24 hours after notification of next of kin is complete,\" Resolute Support, the US-led NATO mission in Afghanistan, said in a statement.\n\nWhile NATO did not provide further details, the Taliban claimed responsibility for killing \"two US soldiers\" by \"blowing up an American tank\". The United States does not use tanks in Afghanistan.\n\nThe discrepancy between the number of fatalities given by the US and the Taliban could not immediately be explained, but the Taliban often exaggerates its claims.\n\nSeries of attacks after Doha talks\n\nThe two incidents on Saturday came less than a week after Taliban officials sat face-to-face with Afghan leaders as well as US negotiators in Qatar in a bid to end the 18-year war in Afghanistan.\n\n190708113429836\n\nOn Friday, at least six people were killed and 14 others wounded after a suicide bomber, believed to be in his early teens, targeted a wedding celebration in Afghanistan's eastern Nangarhar province.\n\nThe Nangarhar attack came three days after Afghan forces killed several civilians, including a mother and her six children, during an air and ground raid in the northern Baghlan province on Tuesday.\n\nOn Monday, Afghan leaders and Taliban pledged to \"minimise civilian casualties to zero\" and guarantee the security of public institutions such as schools, religious centres, mosques and hospitals at a meeting in Qatar's capital Doha, where the two sides continue to hold peace talks.\n\nBetween January and March this year, air operations by Afghan and international forces have caused at least 145 deaths, accounting for nearly 25 percent of the total deaths during that period, UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said in its quarterly report in April.\n\nWomen and children comprised half of those casualties (145 deaths and 83 injuries), according to the UN agency.\n\nUS special envoy for Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, has been holding peace talks with Taliban aimed at hammering out the details of a framework agreement reached in January.\n\nThe framework agreement includes a timeline for US troops withdrawal from Afghanistan, a ceasefire and a Taliban guarantee to not allow foreign forces to use the country as a staging ground for foreign attacks.", "KABUL: A US service member was killed in action in Afghanistan on Saturday, NATO said, in a Taliban-claimed attack that comes as America tries to forge a peace deal with the insurgents.\n\nThe soldier is the 10th member of the US military to be killed this year — compared to 12 in all of 2018. “The name of the service member killed in action is being withheld until 24 hours after notification of next of kin is complete,” Resolute Support, the US-led NATO mission in Afghanistan, said in a statement.\n\nNATO did not provide any details about the incident for which the Taliban claimed responsibility.\n\nThey said they had blown up an “American tank” in the Sayed Abad district of Wardak province. The US does not use tanks in Afghanistan. The insurgents, who frequently exaggerate claims, said two US “invaders” were killed and three wounded. Two US troops were killed in the same area last month in another Taliban-claimed attack, while the US and Afghan forces continue to conduct daily operations against the insurgents.\n\nThe US now has some 14,000 troops in Afghanistan — down from a peak of around 100,000 — most of them deployed to train and advise Afghan counterparts. In the nearly 18 years since the US-led invasion to oust the Taliban in late 2001, some 2,300 American soldiers have died and more than 20,400 have been wounded. President Donald Trump has said he wants America out of Afghanistan as soon as possible and his special envoy, Zalmay Khalilzad, is pushing for a peace deal that would see international forces withdraw in return for various guarantees."], "summary": "A U.S. soldier is also killed in a separate bombing in Wardak Province."}
{"document": ["Willem Van Spronsen was an anarchist and anti-fascist from Washington who was fatally shot by police on July 13 while trying to set a fire with incendiary devices during an attack at an ICE detention center in Tacoma. Authorities say Van Spronsen was armed with a rifle and threw “lit objects” at buildings and vehicles in the parking lot of the Northwest Detention Center.\n\nVan Spronsen, a Vashon Island musician, was shot and killed by Tacoma Police officers, the Seattle Times reports. No one else was injured.\n\nVan Spronsen also went by the name Emma Durutti on a now-deleted Facebook profile and on an album titled “the audio manifesto” that was posted to Bandcamp a week before he was killed. While some have said the Emma Durutti name indicated Van Spronsen was trans — and Emma Durutti did post on Facebook in 2018 calling Willem Van Spronsen a dead name — friends of Van Spronsen say he did not identify as trans and used Emma Durutti as a pen name. The nom de plume is a reference to two of Van Spronsen’s inspirations: Emma Goldman, an anarchist activist, and Spanish insurrectionary Buenaventura Durruti.\n\nThe detention center is run by GEO Group, a private company, and has a capacity to hold 1,575 people detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The incident comes amid nationwide protests against planned raids targeting undocumented immigrants announced by President Donald Trump and his administration and outcry against the conditions of facilities being used to hold detained migrants and asylum seekers.\n\nVan Spronsen was previously arrested in 2018 at the Tacoma detention facility when he was accused of lunging at a police officer who was detaining another protester. Van Spronsen later pleaded guilty to obstructing a law enforcement officer and was given a deferred sentence. On Facebook, using the Emma Durutti name, Van Spronsen had posted frequently about issues connected to ICE detention centers and posted photos protesting outside of the Tacoma facility.\n\nThe incident occurred about 4 a.m., Tacoma Police said. Officers responded after receiving a call from an ICE employee at the detention center, according to the police department.\n\n“We are extremely grateful to the officers of the Tacoma Police Department who reacted quickly to the incident that occurred outside the Northwest Detention Center this morning,” Michael Melendez, acting field office director for Seattle Enforcement and Removal Operations at ICE, said in a statement to The Washington Post. “This incident could have resulted in the loss of many more lives, were it not for the brave actions of all the officers involved.”\n\nGEO Group told The Associated Press, that “baseless accusations,” about the facility, “have led to misplaced aggression and a dangerous environment for our employees, whose safety is our top priority. Violence of any kind against our employees and property will not be tolerated. We are thankful for the quick and brave action by the Tacoma Police Department, which prevented innocent lives from being endangered.” The company said the Tacoma detention center has air conditioning and other modern amenities, recreational activities, a bed for every detainee and medical care available at all hours.\n\nPolice said they were at the scene investigating throughout the day Saturday. “The facility has been operating normally with detainees able to move about inside the building,” Tacoma Police said.\n\nHere’s what you need to know about Willem Van Spronsen:\n\n1. Police Say Van Spronsen Used Flares During the Parking Lot Incident & He Tried to Set a Propane Tank on Fire Before He Was Shot Dead by 4 Officers\n\nTacoma Police responded about 4 a.m. for a report of someone trying to set fires at the Northwest Detention Center, the department said. According to the Seattle Times, Willem Van Spronsen was armed with a rifle and was also carrying flares that he was using to set things on fire as incendiary devices. Police said Van Spronsen tossed lit objects at vehicles and buildings, causing one car fire. He also unsuccessfully tried to set a propane tank on fire.\n\nIn a statement, Tacoma Police said, “It was reported the male was throwing incendiary devices at the Detention Center and then at vehicles in the parking lot. A vehicle was set on fire. The male attempted to ignite a large propane tank and set out buildings on fire. The male continued throwing lit objects at the buildings and cars.” Police said he had a “satchel” and “flares.”\n\n“He was throwing these items at the building in an effort to set it on fire. It didn’t work, it’s a concrete building,” Tacoma Police Officer Loretta Cool told KOMO-TV.\n\nBREAKING: Tacoma PD says officers shot and killed a man after the Northwest Detention Center reported someone outside their facility with a rifle attempting to set the building on fire. pic.twitter.com/Ys5rWeyULQ — #Q13FOX (@Q13FOX) July 13, 2019\n\nLocal activists told the Seattle Times and KOMO that Van Spronsen appears to have been targeting a fleet of buses that are used to transport detainees to the Yakima airport. The detainees are then put on flights for deportation at the airport. It is not known if any of the deportation buses were damaged. An activist group, La Resistencia, said in a statement:\n\nToday marks yet another death linked to the detention center, and another death at the hands of the police. Based on available information, including the police scanner recording, Willem Van Spronsen, the protestor killed, appears to have been targeting not the detention center itself, as has been widely reported in the media, but the parking lot across the street from the detention center which houses the NWDC’s transportation infrastructure. This infrastructure includes a fleet of buses that transports immigrants to be caged at the detention center, and that transports immigrants from the detention center to the Yakima Airport, from which they are deported. Mr. Van Spronsen was apparently trying to set the deportation buses on fire when he was shot and killed. His actions sadly reflect the level of desperation people across this country feel about the government’s outrageous violence against immigrants, which includes the use of detention centers to cage migrants both currently living in the U.S. and those seeking asylum. This death results from the federal government’s unresponsiveness to the anger and despair people feel at the horrors unfolding both at the border and in the interior, and from the inability of officers to de-escalate rather than shooting to kill. But for the City of Tacoma allowing the GEO Group’s facility to be built and expanded in Tacoma, this death, and the death and suffering of those inside the detention center would have been avoided. The NWDC has become a liability not just for the tens of thousands who have been caged there, but for the city of Tacoma itself. It’s past time for the city of Tacoma to cancel GEO’s business license. It’s clear that this “business” is a deadly one, that has only brought pain and suffering to our region. La Resistencia calls on the City of Tacoma to hold immediate public hearings addressing the Tacoma Police’s actions today that resulted in the loss of life at the Detention Center and why the City continues to allow GEO to operate with a city business license.\n\nTacoma Police said four officers shot at Van Spronsen. Police have not said he fired first or if he fired at all. The four officers retreated and took cover after shooting Van Spronsen. Medics were called, but were staged away from the scene and police said that when officers eventually did approach Van Spronsen, they found he was dead.\n\nAn investigation into the shooting is ongoing, police said. The four officers, who have not been named, were all placed on paid administrative leave. The officers range in experience from 20 years with the department to 9 months, according to the Seattle Times.\n\nShawn Fallah, who heads the ICE Office of Professional Responsibility, told The Washington Post, “This could have resulted in the mass murder of staff and detainees housed at the facility had he been successful at setting the tank ablaze. These are the kinds of incidents that keep you up at night.”\n\nAfter police identified Van Spronsen at the scene, investigators searched his Vashon Island home with assistance from the King County SWAT team, the Seattle Times reports.\n\nWashington Governor Jay Inslee, who is seeking the Democratic nomination for president in the 2020 election, wrote in a statement on Facebook, “Along with many Americans, I object with every fiber of my being to Donald Trump’s inhumane treatment of immigrants in America. But if today’s attack was motivated by opposition to the federal government’s actions, it was totally unacceptable. Violence is not acceptable.”\n\nInslee added, “Our democracy is strong and we are a resilient people. But it is, again, unacceptable to turn to violence. Hate crimes are on the rise, as is divisive and incendiary rhetoric. We must be better than that and find non-violent ways of pursuing the better world we want, as many groups are doing.”\n\nOfficer Cool said the FBI, Department of Homeland Security and the ATF are assisting in the ongoing investigation of the incident.\n\n2. Van Spronsen’s Friends Say He Likely Planned to Die During the Attack & Had Sent a Manifesto Out Before His Death Saying ‘It’s Time to Take Action Against Evil’\n\nVan Spronsen was arrested during a protest at the Tacoma detention facility on June 26, 2018, according to court documents. Court documents show that Van Spronsen was accused of lunging at a police officer who was trying to arrest a 17-year-old protester. Van Spronsen was accused of wrapping his arms around the officer’s neck and shoulders. Officers found a collapsible baton and a knife in his possession when he was handcuffed.\n\nThe officer was not injured. In October 2018, Van Spronsen pleaded guilty to the lesser obstruction charge and was given a deferred sentence, meaning he would not have to spend time in jail as long as he did not violate the conditions of his probation. Prosecutors said he had no known criminal record prior to that arrest.\n\nWillem Van Spronsen’s friends said he likely planned to die during the attack on the ICE facility, the Seattle Times reports. He mailed a manifesto to several of his friends in recent days.\n\n“He was ready to end it,” Van Spronsen’s friend of 20 years, Deb Bartley, told the Seattle Times. “I think this was a suicide. But then he was able to kind of do it in a way that spoke to his political beliefs. … I know he went down there knowing he was going to die.”\n\nVan Spronsen said he was “just saying goodbye” in the message along with the manifesto. Parts of the manifesto have been posted online:\n\nThese are a few pages from #WillemVanSpronsen's goodbye letter. He wrote this before attacking the ICE facility. Some are calling a \"manifesto\". pic.twitter.com/9kofi2yqPK — Jake Hanrahan (@Jake_Hanrahan) July 14, 2019\n\n“There’s wrong and there’s right. It’s time to take action against the forces of evil,” Van Spronsen wrote. “Evil says one life is worth less than another. Evil says the flow of commerce is our purpose here. Evil says concentration camps for folks deemed lesser are necessary. The handmaid of evil says the concentration camps should be more humane. Beware the centrist.”\n\nHe added, “I have a father’s broken heart. I have a broken down body and I have an unshakeable abhorrence of injustice. That is what brings me here. This is my clear opportunity to make a difference, I’d be an ingrate waiting for a more obvious invitation.”\n\n“In these days of fascist hooligans preying on vulnerable people on our streets, in the name of the state or supported and defended by the state, in these days of highly profitable detention/concentration camps and a battle over the semantics, in these days of hopelessness, empty pursuit and endless yearning, we are living in visible fascism ascendant,” Van Spronsen wrote.\n\nVan Spronsen said “rich guys,” including Jeff Bezos, Warren Buffett, Elon Musk, Tim Cook, Bill Gates, Betsy DeVos, George Soros, Donald Trump, and others, “really dig government” and “fascism serves the needs of the state serves the needs of business and at your expense.”\n\nFollowing yesterday's officer involved shooting outside the Northwest Detention Center, demonstrators have come back to protest the facility and ICE raids that are supposed to begin today. There's also a small contingency of anti-protestors from the WA 3% org. #KOMONews pic.twitter.com/WNUhVxOgeU — Nick Popham (@KOMOPopham) July 14, 2019\n\nVan Spronsen said that when he was a boy in post-war Holland and later France, he had his head filled with stories about the rise of fascism in the 30s and, “I promised myself I would not be one of those who stands by as neighbors are torn from their homes and imprisoned for somehow being perceived as lesser. You don’t have to burn the motherf*cker down, but are you just going to stand by?”\n\nHe said, “To my comrades: I regret that I will miss the rest of the revolution. Thank you for the honor of having been in your midst. Give me space to be useful, to feel that I was fulfilling my ideas, has been the spirited pinnacle of my life. My trans comrades have transformed me, solidifying my conviction that we will be guided to a dreamed of future by those marginalized among us today. I have dreamed it so clearly that I have no regret for not seeing how it turns out.”\n\nVan Spronsen wrote, “I am antifa, I stand with comrades around the world who act from the love of life in every permutation. Comrades who understand that freedom means real freedom for all.”\n\nVan Spronsen said he was “radicalized in civics class at 13 when we were taught about the electoral college. It was at that point I decided that the status quo might be a house of cards. Further reading confirmed in the positive. … I am not affiliated with any organization. I have disaffiliated from any organizes who disagree with my choice of tactics. The semi-automatic weapon I used was a cheap, home built unregistered “ghost ar15. I had six magazines. I strongly encourage comrades and incoming comrades to arm themselves. We are now responsible for defending people from the predatory state. Ignore the law in arming yourself if you have the luxury. I did.”\n\n3. Van Spronsen Called Himself an Anarchist & Others in the Community Say They Are ‘Inspired’ by His Actions & Was Also Once a Part of the Puget Sound John Brown Gun Club\n\nWill Van Spronsen called himself an anarchist and was active in the Washington state anarchist community. He was also once a member of the left-wing defense group called the Puget Sound John Brown Gun Club.\n\nA post on the Puget Sound Anarchists website reads, “All we know about what lead up to this comes from the cops, who are notoriously corrupt and unreliable sources for such a narrative.”\n\n“We find his actions inspiring. The vehicles outside the detention facility are used to forcibly remove people from their homes and deport them, often to situations where they will face severe danger or death. Those vehicles being destroyed is only a start of what is needed,” the Puget Sound Anarchists wrote. “We wish the fires Will set had freed all the inmates and razed the entire Northwest Detention Center to the ground. And we miss our friend and wish from the bottom of our hearts that his action had not ended in his death.”\n\nThe anonymous author wrote:\n\nWill Van Spronsen was a long-time anarchist, anti-fascist and a kind, loving person. Here in Olympia some of us remember him as a skilled tarp structure builder from the Occupy encampment in 2011. Others remember him from the protests outside the NWDC last summer where he was accused of lunging at a cop and wrapping his arms around the officer’s neck and shoulders, as the officer was trying to arrest a 17-year-old protester. The very next day when he was released from jail he came right back to the encampment outside the center to support the other protesters. He is also remembered as a patient and thoughtful listener who was always willing to hear people out. We are grief stricken, inspired and enraged by what occurred early this morning. ICE imprisons, tortures and deports hundreds of thousands of people and the brutality and scale of their harm is only escalating. We need every form of resistance, solidarity and passion to fight against ICE and the borders that they defend. Will gave his life fighting ICE we may never know what specifically was going through his head in the last hours of his life but we know that the NWDC must be destroyed and the prisoners must be freed. We do not need heroes, only friends and comrades. Will was simply a human being, and we wish that he was still with us. It’s doubtless that the cops and the media will attempt to paint him as some sort of monster, but in reality he was a comrade who fought for many years for what he believed in and this morning he was killed doing what he loved; fighting for a better world.\n\nIn August 2011, he wrote a letter to the editor published in the Vashon-Maury Island Beach Comber in opposition to the support for regulations that allow households to capture rain.\n\n“Are we really willing to submit to laws regulating every little detail of our existence on this planet? Inane laws imposed by those who simultaneously allow and encourage the exploitation and despoiling of the planet and life upon it for the sake of ‘progress’ and ‘growth’ and a house of cards called ‘the economy,’ he wrote. “There’s staggering change on the horizon; it would behoove us to take note and learn the skills, among them how best to use rainwater, to cope with the radically different world bearing down upon us. Regardless of silly laws and regulations.”\n\nThe Puget Sound John Brown Gun Club says on its website, “PSJBGC is an anti-fascist, anti-racist, pro-worker community defense organization committed to accountable, community-led defense in the Puget Sound (aka Salish Sea) region of western Washington, in the Pacific Northwest, USA. … We believe in active resistance to the corrosive and destructive social effects of white supremacy, sexism, bigotry, and economic exploitation. We stand in defense of the well-being of the community over the enrichment of the individual, and we stand in solidarity with those who share our mission for a just future.”\n\nThe John Brown Gun Club said on Facebook:\n\nEarly in the morning on July 13, Willem Van Spronsen, a former member of Puget Sound John Brown Gun Club, was killed in an altercation at a facility adjacent to the Northwest Detention Center. We’re stunned, shocked, and saddened by his death. Will was known for his kindness, gentleness, and warm heart. He was a father, a folk singer, and friend. Will cared deeply about making the world a better place and he felt injustice towards others as personal as a wound. He took direct action to protect traditionally marginalized and threatened communities. The rounding up of our neighbors into for-profit detention centers was not a semantics debate for Will, it was an abomination. We are mourning and hope that in the days, weeks, and months ahead, people who knew and loved Will can find a way to grapple with his loss and honor his memory. Will often talked of being useful. If you need to take something away from his action we hope it’s that if the rest of us were all more useful towards compassion and justice then he could have stayed with us.\n\nSeattle Antifascist Action wrote on Facebook, “martyrs never die.” The antifa page added, “When our good friend and comrade Willem Van Spronsen took a stand against the fascist detention center in Tacoma, he became a martyr who gave his life to the struggle against fascism. He was kind and deeply loved by many communities; we cannot let his death go unanswered. Throughout history we idolize figures like John Brown for their courage to take the ultimate stand against oppression, and today we stand strong in our support for yet another martyr in the struggle against fascism. May his death serve as a call to protest and direct action.”\n\nDirect Action Alliance said on Facebook, “This is Willem Van Spronsen, he was killed by Tacoma police on the morning of July 13 while attempting to destroy transportation infrastructure of an American gestapo prison in Tacoma, WA. As far as we know, he is the first American to die in an attempt to liberate the current internment/concentration camps in the stolen lands of America. He joins a long legacy of anarchists who have fought and died for the liberation of the oppressed. He is a #hero. #RestInPower #NeverAgainIsNow #CloseTheConcentrationCamps #ReturnTheChildren #AbolishICE.”\n\n4. He Had Been Going Through a Divorce & Child Custody Battle Since 2013 & Was Accused of Domestic Violence by His Estranged Wife\n\nIn his manifesto, Van Spronsen mentioned having a “broken heart” as a father. Court documents and an online fundraising campaign started by his daughter show that he had been going through a bitter divorce and custody battle since 2013. Van Spronsen had been accused of domestic violence by his ex-wife and had been limited in the amount he was allowed to see his young son, his adult daughter wrote.\n\n“In March of this year, my dad’s wife Shelley left him and accused him of domestic violence. I can’t imagine what prompted Shelley to take such dramatic action, but Will has never, ever been threatening or violent in the entire time I’ve been alive. Unfortunately in the state of Washington, hearsay evidence is enough to have orders placed against anyone regardless of evidence to the contrary,” Ariel Van Spronsen wrote on Indiegogo. “This accusation has prevented Will from being able to see his son Boots more than 4 supervised hours per week. Boots needs the love and care of both of his parents. This is a balance that is very important. Will has tried up to this point to defend himself because he is unable to afford an attorney.”\n\nDuring his divorce case, Van Spronsen’s estranged wife received a domestic violence protection order against him four times. Those four orders were issued after hearings. The protective orders were issued in 2013, 2014, 2016 and in February 2019.\n\nAfter her father’s death, Ariel Van Spronsen wrote on Facebook, “Hi everyone, thank you so much for the outpouring of love regarding the loss of my father. My heart is broken but I am ok. Thank you too for all of the messages I’ve received. If I don’t get back to you please know it’s only because I’m overwhelmed right now. I am receiving, and feeling, your support. I’m going to need it in the coming shitstorm. I have subjected myself to a very small part of the hurricane of media, tweets, posts, etc. about the shooting. I am too deep in emotions and basic logistics to engage in a conversation about it. All I ask is that people remember that he was a human being, with a family and friends who loved him.”\n\nShe added, “I believe he carefully planned his actions so as not to harm any innocents. I have yet to physically ID it, but based on media photos I believe the car that was burnt was my old 2002 VW GTI, which I had loaned to him. It was on its last legs anyway. He operated alone, at a time of day (4:00 am, I am told) where no one else would be around. I believe that was intentional. I’m not condoning it. I’m just asking for people to try to chill out about characterizing it. You don’t know even the half of it.”\n\n5. Van Spronsen, Who Was a Folk Singer & Posted an ‘Audio Manifesto’ a Week Before His Death, Worked as a Carpenter & Contractor\n\nWill Van Spronsen was a self-employed carpenter and contractor and was also a folk singer. He played at events and venues around his Vashon Island home.\n\nHe had published several songs online under the name the Super8, including a recent digital album called “the audio manifesto.” The album concludes with a song Van Spronsen dedicated to his son.\n\nSince his death, a Facebook page created by Van Spronsen under the name Emma Durutti has caused some confusion. A friend wrote on Twitter, “As far as we (friends of the fallen) know, this isn’t accurate. Emma was likely a nom de guerre for the purposes of antifascist work online. And while no shortage of love for us trans comrades was shown, he used exclusively male pronouns and hadn’t hinted otherwise to any of us.”\n\nAnother friend wrote, “Will self-identified as a cis male. This is a conversation had as recently as 2 weeks ago. He used a nom de plume based on the names of 2 of his inspirations online. That does not reflect his chosen gender. However, the Trans community and protecting it was very important to him. His song ‘I Was a Girl’ is about someone very important to Will, it was not autobiographical. That being said, please know that the Trans Community was important to Will and just last month he helped ensure the safety of participants in a TransPride event.”\n\nREAD NEXT: Teen Pilot & Beauty Queen Killed in Plane Crash", "Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The shooting took place several hours after a peaceful rally protesting against immigrant detentions\n\nAn armed man who attacked an immigration detention centre in the US city of Tacoma died after police officers opened fire, authorities say.\n\nPolice said they received reports that a man, armed with a rifle, was throwing \"incendiary devices\" at the Northwest Detention Center early on Saturday.\n\nHe was later identified as Willem Van Spronsen, who was reportedly involved in an earlier protest at the centre.\n\nThe shooting came a day before a major deportation operation was due to begin.\n\nThe raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials will target hundreds of illegal immigrant families across 10 cities who have recently been ordered deported but have not yet left the country. It marks the latest move in US President Donald Trump's crackdown on migration.\n\nSunday's raids are not expected to affect Tacoma.\n\nA police spokesperson told Reuters the incident on Saturday took place several hours after a peaceful rally outside the Washington state facility protesting against immigrant detentions.\n\nIn a statement, the Tacoma Police Department said the four police officers involved in the shooting had been placed on administrative leave, as is standard procedure in such cases, and an investigation into the incident was underway.\n\nPolice arrived at the privately run Northwest Detention Center at about 04:00 local time (11:00 GMT) after receiving reports that a man was throwing \"incendiary devices\" at the facility and at vehicles in the car park, the statement said. The man allegedly set a vehicle on fire and attempted to ignite a propane tank and set buildings on fire.\n\nOfficers said he was wearing a satchel and carrying flares.\n\nTacoma Police Department confirmed that all four officers opened fire on the suspect, while it remains unclear if he fired at the officers.\n\nHe was found shot dead at the scene. A police official said it could not yet be confirmed who was responsible for his death.\n\nPierce County Medical Examiner's Office identified Van Spronsen, a man in his late 60s, on Saturday night, according to local media reports.\n\nHe was reportedly accused of assaulting a police officer during a protest at the same centre last year.\n\nCourt documents cited by local media outlets said he wrapped his arms around the officer's neck and shoulders, as the officer was trying to detain another protester. After handcuffing him, police found that he had a collapsible baton and folding knife in his pocket.\n\nA friend of Van Spronsen described him to the Seattle Times newspaper as an anarchist and anti-fascist. She said she believes he planned to provoke a fatal conflict with his actions on Saturday.\n\n\"I think this was a suicide. But then he was able to kind of do it in a way that spoke to his political beliefs,\" she said.\n\nNorthwest Detention Centre holds migrants pending deportation proceedings and has also held immigration-seeking parents separated from their children, the Associated Press reports.\n\nGEO Group, which runs the facility, told the Associated Press that \"baseless accusations\" about how detainees are treated there \"have led to misplaced aggression and a dangerous environment for our employees, whose safety is our top priority\".\n\nWhat is President Trump's policy on migration?\n\nPresident Donald Trump has always taken a hard line on immigration and during his election campaign made the building of a wall along the Mexican border a key pledge.\n\nEarlier this year he declared a national emergency on the US southern border, claiming he needed special powers to build the wall to halt all illegal migration.\n\nControversial policies implemented by his administration in recent years include prosecuting adults who crossed the border illegally, resulting in children being separated from their parents.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption US migrant children \"hungry, dirty, sick and scared\" – lawyer Elora Mukherjee\n\nThere have been reports of \"dangerous overcrowding\" and inhumane conditions at migrant detention centres.\n\nFour questions about US migration\n\nWhere do these people come from?\n\nTraditionally large numbers of Mexican economic migrants have declined, replaced in part by a surge in families with children from Central American countries - particularly Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador.\n\nWhy are they fleeing?\n\nMany of these families are fleeing extreme poverty or the risk of gang violence.\n\nWhy are there still separated children?\n\nAlthough the separation of migrant families was officially halted in June 2018, the New York Times reported that 700 families had been separated in the year since via \"loopholes\" in the court order - when parents have a criminal conviction or a disease, or when it is an aunt, uncle, or sibling accompanying the child. Some parents may be children themselves.\n\nHow many people cross the border?\n\nIt is impossible to say how many people have crossed the border. As of last month, the US Border Patrol said it had made 593,507 \"southwest border apprehensions\" since October 2018.", "This post was originally published on this site\n\nU.S. NEWS Rifle-toting man throwing \"incendiary devices\" at ICE detention center fatally shot by police https://linewsradio.com/rifle-toting-man-throwing-incendiary-devices-at-ice-detention-center-fatally-shot-by-police/ http://abcnewsradioonline.com/national-news/\n\nJason Redmond/AFP/Getty Images(TACOMA, Wash.) — A man armed with a rifle, flares and “incendiary devices” at an U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center in Washington state was fatally shot by police early Saturday, authorities said.\n\nThe unidentified man was allegedly throwing lit objects at buildings at Tacoma’s North West Detention Center on Saturday when he was shot following a confrontation with responding officers, Tacoma Police Department officials said in a statement released on Saturday.\n\nA worker first reported that a man outside the facility was armed with a rifle around 4 a.m., Tacoma police said.\n\n“It was reported the male was throwing incendiary devices at the Detention Center and then at vehicles in the parking lot,” the statement said. “A vehicle was set on fire. The male attempted to ignite a large propane tank and set out buildings on fire. The male continued throwing lit objects at the buildings and cars.”\n\nUpon arriving on the scene and locating the man, “officers called out shots were fired,” according to the Tacoma Police statement. “Officers noted that in addition to the weapon, he was wearing a satchel and had flares on his person.”\n\nPolice did not immediately identify the deceased man, citing an ongoing investigation.\n\nNone of the police officers involved in the incident were injured. They were not identified by name but police officials said that the four male officers involved were placed on paid leave per department policy after an officer-involved shooting.\n\nThe officers involved include: a 45-year-old who has been with the Tacoma Police Department for 20 years, a 27-year old with four years on the force, a 28-year old with one year as a Tacoma police officer, and a 24-year old with nine months on the force.\n\nAgents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) from the Seattle field office also responded to the scene, according to officials.", "Police in Tacoma, Washington, say they shot and killed a man armed with a rifle and throwing flammable objects at a migrant detention center. The attack followed a rally outside the facility by several hours. The motivation of the attacker has not been released at this time.\n\nAn employee at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma called police early Saturday morning to report a man with a rifle who was throwing “incendiary devices” and setting vehicles on fire, according to a report by QFox13.\n\nThe attack on the migrant detention center followed by several hours, a rally by migrant supporters outside the facility operated for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement by GEO Group.\n\nIt is unknown at this time if the individual was attacking the facility with anti-ICE motivations, anti-migrant motivations, or if it was unrelated to either motive; however, a statement from GEO Group, a Florida based company that operates the facility in Tacoma, attributed the attack to the anger resulting from misrepresentations in media.\n\nThe statement, published by QFox13 blamed a “factually inaccurate portrayal” of their detention centers for spurring “misplaced aggression and a dangerous environment for our employees.”\n\nTacoma police reported that officers responded to the call at about 4 a.m. on Saturday. The officers say the man wore a satchel and was holding flares, the Seattle Times reported. Spokeswoman Loretta Cool told reporters that officers reported, “shots fired.” The officers then fired at the suspect, she said. When officers approached the man, they determined he had been shot and killed.\n\n“Police fired on the man in a parking lot across from the facility, striking him fatally,” QFox 13 reported.\n\nCool told the Seattle Times it is not clear at this time if the suspect shot himself or if police officers shot him. Officials have not yet released the suspect’s identity.\n\nA rally planned for Saturday afternoon by the group La Resistencia had to be postponed due to road closures around the facility and the ongoing investigation, the group posted on its Facebook page.\n\nCool said that four officers were involved in the shooting. The four officers have been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.\n\nThe statement from GEO Group concluded, “Violence of any kind against our employees and property will not be tolerated. We are thankful for the quick and brave action by the Tacoma Police Department, which prevented innocent lives from being endangered.”\n\nBob Price serves as associate editor and senior political news contributor for the Breitbart Border team. He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX and Face book.", "A man died early Saturday morning after he reportedly tried to attack a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in Washington state. More specifically, the man was targeting the Northwest Detention Center, which is the holding facility in Tacoma for ICE. The man apparently approached the privately run facility that is used to hold migrants while they await their deportation proceedings at around 4 a.m. That is when an employee at the prison reported that a man armed with a rifle was throwing homemade incendiary devices at the detention center as well as cars in the parking lot. The man was also allegedly trying to set a propane tank on fire.\n\nLaw enforcement officers went to the scene and reported seeing a man holding flares and a rifle. Officers called out to the man and then reported “shots fired.” It isn’t clear whether the gunman also opened fire on police. When medical help arrived, officers confirmed the gunman had been shot and killed but said it remains unclear whether he was killed by officers or whether he shot himself. The gunman has yet to be identified and there is no word about a possible motive. GEO Group, which runs the facility in Tacoma, said in a statement that incorrect claims about mistreatment of detainees at the facility “have led to misplaced aggression and a dangerous environment for our employees, whose safety is our top priority.”\n\nThe shooting came a day before the national raids by ICE are set to begin. The effort that had been delayed is meant to arrest 2,000 undocumented migrants with deportation orders. A few hours earlier, protesters had gathered at the detention center in Tacoma to protest. The raids were originally planned for 10 cities: San Francisco, Los Angeles, Houston, Denver, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Baltimore, Chicago and Atlanta. Officials, however, said that due to Hurricane Barry, Houston and New Orleans will not be targeted.", "Police in Washington state say an armed man was shot and killed early Saturday after trying to attack a local Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center.\n\nThe Seattle Times reported that the unidentified man appeared outside of the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma with a rifle and threw incendiary devices at both the facility and nearby propane tanks, at one point setting a vehicle on fire.\n\nOfficers responded to the incident around 4 a.m. and called out to the man before shots were fired. It was not clear how many shots were fired or whether the man fired at police.\n\nSOME DEMOCRATS GIVE TIPS TO MIGRANTS ON HOW TO AVOID ICE DEPORTATIONS\n\nPolice spokesman Loretta Cool said the officers weren't wearing body cameras, but the area is covered by surveillance cameras from the detention center. The four officers involved were placed on administrative leave in accordance with the department's policy. None of them were injured.\n\nICE said in a statement that no employees \"were harmed nor involved in this tragic incident.\"\n\nThe shooting took place hours after a rally in front of the detention center to protest planned mass deportation raids around the country. The Tacoma facility, which is run by the Department of Homeland Security, holds migrants pending deportation proceedings. The detention center has also held immigration-seeking parents separated from their children under President Donald Trump's \"zero tolerance\" policy, an effort meant to deter illegal immigration.\n\nGEO Group, which runs the 1,575-bed Northwest Detention Center, in an email to The Associated Press said baseless accusations about how detainees are treated at its facilities \"have led to misplaced aggression and a dangerous environment for our employees, whose safety is our top priority. Violence of any kind against our employees and property will not be tolerated. We are thankful for the quick and brave action by the Tacoma Police Department, which prevented innocent lives from being endangered.\"\n\nGEO Group said the detention center in Tacoma has modern amenities with air conditioning, recreational activities, a bed for every individual and medical care available at all hours.\n\nLast year, a federal judge ruled that Washington state could pursue its lawsuit seeking to force GEO Group to pay minimum wage for work done by detainees at the detention center.\n\nThe planned raids come me at a time of intense scrutiny surrounding ICE and the treatment of migrants at detention centers. The administration's child separation policy was the subject of a contentious Congressional hearing Friday, during which former ICE director Tom Homan vehemently defended law enforcement amid criticism from Democratic politicians.\n\n“As a 34-year veteran of law enforcement, it is shocking, shocking to see constant attacks against those that leave the safety and security of their homes every day, put on a Kevlar vest and put a gun on their hip and risk their own safety to defend this nation,” he said, at times appearing to get choked up as he defended his former colleagues.\n\nCLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP\n\nWhile President Trump and others have defended immigration authorities, some Democrats have called to either restrict federal funding for ICE or abolish the agency outright.\n\nRep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., for example, said on Thursday that she and her colleagues still supported defunding ICE. She and other freshmen, like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., tried blocking funding for ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) in June, accusing authorities of \"killing innocent children.\"\n\nFox News' Adam Shaw, Edmund DeMarche, Brie Stimson, and Danielle Wallace contributed to this report.\n\nClick for more from Q13Fox.com.", "TACOMA, Washington - A man armed with a rifle and throwing \"incendiary devices\" at an immigration jail in Washington state on Saturday died after four police officers arrived and opened fire, authorities said.\n\nThe Tacoma Police Department said the officers responded to the privately run Tacoma Northwest Detention Center, a U.S. Department of Homeland Security detention facility that holds migrants pending deportation proceedings. The detention center has also held immigration-seeking parents separated from their children under President Donald Trump’s “zero tolerance” policy, an effort meant to deter illegal immigration.\n\nThe shooting took place about six hours after a peaceful rally in front of the detention center, police spokeswoman Loretta Cool said. She said another rally was planned for later Saturday, but it would have to be held in a different area because of the investigation into the police shooting.\n\nPolice said the man caused a vehicle to catch fire and that he attempted to ignite a large propane tank and set buildings on fire. Police said that besides the rifle, he had a satchel and flares.\n\nPolice said officers called out to the man, and shots were fired.\n\nCool said all four officers fired their weapons, but she didn’t have specific details of what took place. She said the officers weren’t wearing body cameras, but the area is covered by surveillance cameras from the detention center. She said she didn’t know if the man fired at the officers.\n\nAfter the gunfire, officers took cover, contained the area and set up medical aid a short distance away, police said.\n\nOfficers then located the man and determined he had been shot and was dead at the scene. His name hasn’t been released.\n\nAuthorities say investigators are processing the scene and police are continuing to investigate. No law enforcement officers were injured. The four Tacoma police officers who fired their weapons have been placed on paid administrative leave as is standard in officer-involved shootings.\n\nA motive for the man’s actions hasn’t been determined, Cool said.\n\nGEO Group, which runs the 1,575-bed Northwest Detention Center, in an email to The Associated Press said baseless accusations about how detainees are treated at its facilities “have led to misplaced aggression and a dangerous environment for our employees, whose safety is our top priority. Violence of any kind against our employees and property will not be tolerated. We are thankful for the quick and brave action by the Tacoma Police Department, which prevented innocent lives from being endangered.”\n\nGEO Group said the detention center in Tacoma has modern amenities with air conditioning, recreational activities, a bed for every individual and medical care available at all hours.\n\nLast year, a federal judge ruled that Washington state could pursue its lawsuit seeking to force GEO Group to pay minimum wage for work done by detainees at the detention center.\n\nIn November, a Russian asylum-seeker who conducted a hunger strike to protest the conditions at the detention center died by suicide, the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled.\n\nMergensana Amar, 40, was taken off life support after attempting to kill himself while in voluntary protective custody at the detention center on Nov. 15, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said.", "'This morning's attack at the ICE detention center in Tacoma was a horrific act of violence that has shaken us all,' said Washington Governor Jay Inslee.\n\nA man armed with a rifle attempted to attack a Tacoma, Washington, immigrant detention facility with incendiary devices early Saturday morning, before dying in a shootout with police, Yahoo News reports.\n\nAt about 4:00 a.m. on Saturday, according to police, a man approached the Northwest Detention Center — which is privately operated by The GEO Group, through a contract with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) — and began throwing incendiary devices at the building and at cars in the parking lot. By the time an employee realized what was happening, a car was on fire and the suspect was attempting to ignite a propane tank outside the facility.\n\nWhen police arrived, the suspect opened fire. Police returned fire, and the unnamed suspect was shot dead. No police were injured in the shootout. All of the police officers involved in the incident have been placed on paid administrative leave, per Tacoma Police Department policy.\n\nAccording to a police statement, the man was carrying a bag that had flares in it.\n\nWashington Governor Jay Inslee called the incident “a horrific act of violence that has shaken us all.” Meanwhile, the man’s identity and motives remain unclear.\n\nThe treatment of immigrants at detention facilities has been under fire of late, with some describing inhumane conditions, such as lack of food and lack of clean water, at some facilities. Hours before the attack on the Northwest Detention Center, there had been a protest that police spokeswoman Loretta Cool described as “peaceful.” Another protest had been scheduled for Saturday, but since the Northwest Detention Facility was an active crime scene, that protest had to be moved.\n\nIn this particular case, however, the man’s motive remains unclear. A spokesperson for The GEO Group said in a statement that the allegations about inhumane conditions at immigration detention facilities played a role in the attack.\n\nThe spokesperson went on to say that none of the allegations about inhumane conditions at immigrant detention facilities apply to those run by The GEO Group. The spokesperson said that all of its facilities are modern and that no unaccompanied minors are kept there.\n\nAs for the suspect, he remains unidentified, and an autopsy is scheduled for the coming days. Authorities hope to be able to identify him by Monday.", "A friend of the man who authorities say died after throwing explosive devices at an immigration jail in Tacoma, Washington says that she thinks he wanted to provoke a fatal conflict.\n\nDeb Bartley, who tells the Times she has been a friend of Willem Van Spronsen's for about 20 years, described him as an anarchist and anti-fascist, and believes his attack on the detention center was intended to provoke a fatal conflict.\n\n'He was ready to end it,' Bartley told the Seattle Times. 'I think this was a suicide. But then he was able to kind of do it in a way that spoke to his political beliefs . I know he went down there knowing he was going to die.'\n\nShe says that she and other friends of Van Spronsen, 69, got letters in the mail 'just saying goodbye.' He also wrote what she referred to as a manifesto, which she declined to discuss in detail, the Times reports.\n\nVan Spronsen was accused of assaulting a police officer during a protest outside the detention center in 2018.\n\nThe newspaper also reports that court documents say he lunged at the officer and wrapped his arms around the officer's neck and shoulders, as the officer was trying to detain a 17-year-old protester June 26, 2018.\n\nAccording to court documents, police handcuffed Van Spronsen and found that he had a collapsible baton and a folding knife in his pocket.\n\nVan Spronsen pleaded guilty to the charge of obstructing police, and was given a deferred sentence in October.\n\nBut on Saturday, Van Spronsen, armed with a rifle threw incendiary devices at an immigration jail in Tacoma.\n\nHe was killed after four police officers arrived and opened fire.\n\nThe Tacoma Police Department said the officers responded at about 4am to the privately run Tacoma Northwest Detention Center, a U.S. Department of Homeland Security detention facility that holds migrants pending deportation proceedings.\n\nThe detention center has also held immigration-seeking parents separated from their children under President Donald Trump's 'zero tolerance' policy, an effort meant to deter illegal immigration.\n\nThe shooting took place about six hours after a peaceful rally in front of the detention center, police spokesman Loretta Cool said.\n\nCool said all four officers fired their weapons, but she didn't have specific details of what took place. She said the officers weren't wearing body cameras, but the area is covered by surveillance cameras from the detention center.\n\nPolice said the man caused a vehicle to catch fire and that he attempted to ignite a large propane tank and set buildings on fire.\n\nPolice said that besides the rifle, he had a satchel and flares. Police said officers called out to the man, and shots were fired.\n\nAfter the gunfire, officers took cover, contained the area and set up medical aid a short distance away, police said.\n\nOfficers then located the man and determined he had been shot and was dead at the scene.\n\nAuthorities say investigators are processing the scene and police are continuing to investigate. No law enforcement officers were injured.\n\nThe four Tacoma police officers who fired their weapons have been placed on paid administrative leave as is standard in officer-involved shootings.\n\nThe incident occurred just a day ahead of ICE's planned national raids in 10 cities, targeting hundreds of immigrants who were given deportation orders. Nearby Seattle, however, is not one of those cities on the list.\n\nActivist group La Resistencia — ⁠ also known as NWDC Resistance, after Northwest Detention Center — has postponed its planned Saturday afternoon protest of the facility after reporting road closures and the facility's 24-hour lock down following the incident.\n\nLa Resistancia activist Maru Mora-Villalpando told the Seattle Times that they were notified about what occurred, but that the detainees inside the facility had no idea about the incident.\n\n'They were not told that visits would not happen, were not told that the accident happened in the early morning. People in detention always are the last ones to know what's happening outside,' Mora-Villalpando told the newspaper.\n\nShe added that the organization handled three cases of medical neglect recently, including one that resulted in deportation and then death.\n\nGEO Group, which runs the 1,575-bed Northwest Detention Center, in an email to The Associated Press said baseless accusations about how detainees are treated at its facilities 'have led to misplaced aggression and a dangerous environment for our employees, whose safety is our top priority. Violence of any kind against our employees and property will not be tolerated. We are thankful for the quick and brave action by the Tacoma Police Department, which prevented innocent lives from being endangered.'\n\nGEO Group said the detention center in Tacoma has modern amenities with air conditioning, recreational activities, a bed for every individual and medical care available at all hours.\n\nLast year, a federal judge ruled that Washington state could pursue its lawsuit seeking to force GEO Group to pay minimum wage for work done by detainees at the detention center.\n\nIn November, a Russian asylum-seeker who conducted a hunger strike to protest the conditions at the detention center died by suicide, the Pierce County Medical Examiner's Office ruled.\n\nMergensana Amar, 40, was taken off life support after attempting to kill himself while in voluntary protective custody at the detention center on November 15, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said.", "TACOMA, Washington — A 69-year-old man armed with a rifle threw incendiary devices at an immigration jail in Washington state early Saturday morning, then was found dead after four police officers arrived and opened fire, authorities said.\n\nThe Tacoma Police Department said the officers responded about 4 a.m. to the privately run Tacoma Northwest Detention Center, a U.S. Department of Homeland Security detention facility that holds migrants pending deportation proceedings. The detention center has also held immigration-seeking parents separated from their children under President Donald Trump’s “zero tolerance” policy, an effort meant to deter illegal immigration.\n\nThe shooting took place about six hours after a peaceful rally in front of the detention center, police spokesman Loretta Cool said.\n\nOn Saturday night, the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office identified the man as Willem Van Spronsen of Vashon Island, the Tacoma News-Tribune and the Seattle Times reported.\n\nPolice said Van Spronsen caused a vehicle to catch fire and that he attempted to ignite a large propane tank and set buildings on fire. Police said that besides the rifle, he had a satchel and flares.\n\nPolice said officers called out to Van Spronsen, and shots were fired.\n\nCool said all four officers fired their weapons, but she didn’t have specific details of what took place. She said the officers weren’t wearing body cameras, but the area is covered by surveillance cameras from the detention center. She said she didn’t know if the man fired at the officers.\n\nAfter the gunfire, officers took cover, contained the area and set up medical aid a short distance away, police said.\n\nOfficers then located Van Spronsen and determined he had been shot and was dead at the scene.\n\nAuthorities say investigators are processing the scene and police are continuing to investigate. No law enforcement officers were injured. The four Tacoma police officers who fired their weapons have been placed on paid administrative leave as is standard in officer-involved shootings.\n\nA friend of Van Spronsen said that she thinks he wanted to provoke a fatal conflict, the Seattle Times reported.\n\nDeb Bartley, who told the Times she has been a friend of Willem Van Spronsen’s for about 20 years, described him as an anarchist and anti-fascist, and believes his attack on the detention center intending to provoke a fatal conflict.\n\n“He was ready to end it,” Bartley said. “I think this was a suicide. But then he was able to kind of do it in a way that spoke to his political beliefs. I know he went down there knowing he was going to die.”\n\nShe said that she and other friends of Van Spronsen got letters in the mail “just saying goodbye.” He also wrote what she referred to as a manifesto, which she declined to discuss in detail, the Times reported.\n\nVan Spronsen was accused of assaulting a police officer during a protest outside the detention center in 2018, The News-Tribune reported. According to court documents, he lunged at the officer and wrapped his arms around the officer’s neck and shoulders, as the officer was trying to detain a 17-year-old protester June 26, 2018, the newspaper reported.\n\nAccording to court documents, police handcuffed Van Spronsen and found that he had a collapsible baton and a folding knife in his pocket. Van Spronsen pleaded guilty to the charge of obstructing police, and was given a deferred sentence in October, the News-Tribune reported.\n\nGEO Group, which runs the 1,575-bed Northwest Detention Center, in an email to The Associated Press said baseless accusations about how detainees are treated at its facilities “have led to misplaced aggression and a dangerous environment for our employees, whose safety is our top priority. Violence of any kind against our employees and property will not be tolerated. We are thankful for the quick and brave action by the Tacoma Police Department, which prevented innocent lives from being endangered.”\n\nGEO Group said the detention center in Tacoma has modern amenities with air conditioning, recreational activities, a bed for every individual and medical care available at all hours.\n\nLast year, a federal judge ruled that Washington state could pursue its lawsuit seeking to force GEO Group to pay minimum wage for work done by detainees at the detention center.\n\nIn November, a Russian asylum-seeker who conducted a hunger strike to protest the conditions at the detention center died by suicide, the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled.\n\nMergensana Amar, 40, was taken off life support after attempting to kill himself while in voluntary protective custody at the detention center on Nov. 15, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said."], "summary": "Four policemen kill a suspect attempting to attack an ICE immigrant detention center in Tacoma, Washington. The perpetrator was armed with a rifle and incendiary devices, and had left a three-page manifesto advocating political violence (BBC) (Heavy)"}
{"document": ["(CNN) Power was starting to come back to parts of New York on a warm Saturday night as ConEdison restored electrical service on the west side of Manhattan after widespread power outages canceled shows and sent tens of thousands of people onto darkened streets, officials said.\n\nThere were 16,000 customers without power in Midtown Manhattan and the Upper West Side, utility company ConEdison said. At its peak, the number was about 72,000, it said.\n\nThe company estimated most customers will have power restored by midnight.\n\nAs he spoke to reporters, the lights came on in buildings behind him and the crowd cheered loudly.\n\nJust before the lights and air conditioners began to come back on, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the numbers of customers without power had soared from 20,000 right after the blackout started because transformers kept tripping.\n\nThe power outage sent people into intersections to direct traffic, brought at least one troupe from a canceled Broadway show out to perform for fans on a crowded sidewalk, and prompted giddy tourists and locals to point smart phones at darkened neon signs in Times Square and other places.\n\nIt also temporarily trapped people on trains and in elevators.\n\nMayor Bill de Blasio, who was returning to the city after a presidential campaign stop in Iowa, said it appears the outage was the result of a mechanical problem in the electrical grid.\n\n\"This appears to be something that just went wrong in the way that they transmit power from one part of the city to another,\" he told CNN. \"It sounds like it is addressable in a reasonable amount of time.\"\n\nConEd CEO John McAvoy said the company is working to understand the cause of the outage and needs to do a full engineering analysis.\n\nPhotos: Parts of Manhattan in the dark after power outage Seen from the air, a large section of Manhattan's Upper West Side and Midtown neighborhoods stand coated in darkness on Saturday, July 13. Hide Caption 1 of 18 Photos: Parts of Manhattan in the dark after power outage Times Square's billboards are black as people fill the street. Hide Caption 2 of 18 Photos: Parts of Manhattan in the dark after power outage People use their phones as flashlights. Hide Caption 3 of 18 Photos: Parts of Manhattan in the dark after power outage Pedestrians looks at their cellphones in midtown Manhattan. Hide Caption 4 of 18 Photos: Parts of Manhattan in the dark after power outage Radio City Music Hall is dark during the blackout. Hide Caption 5 of 18 Photos: Parts of Manhattan in the dark after power outage An entrance to the C and E trains at the 50th Street Subway Station is dimly lit. Hide Caption 6 of 18 Photos: Parts of Manhattan in the dark after power outage People sit inside a bar during the power outage. Hide Caption 7 of 18 Photos: Parts of Manhattan in the dark after power outage Dark buildings along a dark street are seen near the Times Square area. Hide Caption 8 of 18 Photos: Parts of Manhattan in the dark after power outage Con Edison workers stand around a barricaded transformer cover. Hide Caption 9 of 18 Photos: Parts of Manhattan in the dark after power outage People are evacuated outside Row NYC hotel. Hide Caption 10 of 18 Photos: Parts of Manhattan in the dark after power outage A convenience shop is closed. Hide Caption 11 of 18 Photos: Parts of Manhattan in the dark after power outage A man directs traffic on 8th Avenue and West 58th Street. Hide Caption 12 of 18 Photos: Parts of Manhattan in the dark after power outage The Upper West Side of Manhattan is in the dark. The city's fire department was responding to numerous transformer fires, the first of which occurred in Manhattan on West 64th Street and West End Avenue, officials said. Hide Caption 13 of 18 Photos: Parts of Manhattan in the dark after power outage People walk along a dark street near Times Square. Hide Caption 14 of 18 Photos: Parts of Manhattan in the dark after power outage A police officer directs traffic in Times Square. Hide Caption 15 of 18 Photos: Parts of Manhattan in the dark after power outage A view of the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood shows buildings in darkness. Hide Caption 16 of 18 Photos: Parts of Manhattan in the dark after power outage A train sits out of service at Penn Station. Hide Caption 17 of 18 Photos: Parts of Manhattan in the dark after power outage Buildings near Columbus Circle are dark. Hide Caption 18 of 18\n\nThe city's fire department responded to numerous transformer fires, the first of which occurred in Manhattan on West 64th Street and West End Avenue, officials said.\n\nSeveral Broadway and off-Broadway shows said they were canceling performances, according to tweets aggregated by The Broadway League\n\nFirefighters also responded to people trapped in elevators and subway cars, and they are operating all over Manhattan's West Side from streets in the 40s to the 60s, according to an FDNY spokesman.\n\nSome of the cast from \"Come From Away\" came outside as people awaited news of whether the show would be call off and they sang a number.\n\nThe outage was having a widespread effect on the New York subway system, which was experiencing power outages in its stations, the agency managing the trains said.\n\n\"Subway service remains significantly disrupted across the system, although there is limited service on the 1/2/3 and 4/5/6 lines,\" the Metropolitan Transportation Authority tweeted.\n\nUpdate: Con Edison continues to work to resolve the power outage in Manhattan.\n\n\n\nSubway service remains significantly disrupted across the system, although there is limited service on the 1/2/3 and 4/5/6 lines.\n\n\n\nLocal bus routes are your best bet for travel within Manhattan. (1/2) pic.twitter.com/RV8EiFLYZx — NYCT Subway (@NYCTSubway) July 14, 2019\n\nThe MTA advised people to stay away from underground stations.\n\nThe outages were affecting \"multiple lines,\" the MTA said, so trains were using a \"local track.\"\n\nThe MTA told people to consider taking the bus.\n\nThe lack of power was a major issue on the streets and in buildings, too.\n\nA CNN producer on the Upper West Side said he was at a movie when the theater went dark at about 7 p.m. He went outside and saw traffic and street lights were out. Traffic was jamming up in intersections but it wasn't gridlocked, he said.\n\nTwitter user Sahid Abraham posted a photo from Times Square that showed some of the famous electronic billboards dark.\n\nTimes Square is down, i repeat, Times Square is down. This is not a drill!! #Blackout #NYC pic.twitter.com/8IUfER7ozl — Sahid Abraham (@Sahid0) July 13, 2019\n\nAnother user posted a photo showing a man at 66th Street and Broadway directing traffic.\n\nNo cops directing traffic at 66th Street and Broadway. Up to the #fruitstandguy to direct traffic because of the #blackout in nyc pic.twitter.com/jQpCC8TgMI — wilkssc (@wilkssc) July 13, 2019\n\nA woman jumped in to help at a nearby intersection.\n\nLake Escobosa, 23, a dancer living in Brooklyn, spent nearly an hour directing traffic, marshaling cars, ambulances and pedestrians through a busy, three-way intersection near New York's Lincoln Center on Manhattan's Upper West Side.\n\nShe said she learned her traffic directing skills from her father, a former police officer who walked the beat in Coney Island.\n\n\"I know how tricky it is when it comes to that intersection and I just saw in my mind car accidents people getting hit, people screaming,\" she said. \"So I felt like I should have just tried.\"\n\nOn Columbus Avenue, outside Fordham University's campus, the scope of the outage was becoming more apparent as daylight waned. There were very few lights in building windows and brightly lit food carts were some of the few sources of light beyond vehicle headlights.\n\nThere were no reports of injuries.\n\nThe outages come 42 years to the day of an extensive blackout that affected much of the city.", "New York City Experiences Blackout On The 42nd Anniversary Of The 1977 Power Outage\n\nThe city that never sleeps took a little nap...unexpectedly.\n\nNew York City, known as the City that Never Sleeps took an unexpected nap Saturday night (July 14) when a reported 73,000 customers from Midtown to Times Square 42nd Street and the Upper West Side were without power.\n\nOfficials said that a transformer fire at West 64th Street and West End Avenue is likely the cause of the power outage, however, at about 12:30 AM Sunday (July 14) Con Edison CEO Jon McAvoy said electricity had been restored in most parts of the city.\n\nDuring the nearly five-hour blackout traffic lights in the touristy section of New York were down, while 10 subway lines were also halted, forcing some riders to leave the station and walk on foot or remain underground, bearing the humidity. Despite the spotty cell phone service, some who were trapped in elevators were able to call firefighters to help.\n\nSt. Luke's Roosevelt Hotel, Times Square, Rockefeller Center, and Radio City Music Hall (pictured above) were all without power during the outage.\n\nNew York City Mayor and 2020 Democratic presidential hopeful Bil de Blasio took to Twitter instructing New Yorkers to stay inside if they can, and said city agencies would \"work with ConEd to get to the bottom of what happened tonight and prevent another widespread outage like this.\"\n\nThe 2019 blackout isn't a first for native New Yorkers. Coincidently, on July 13, 1977, a power outage affecting most of the city took place, while in 2003 New York, along with most of the east coast, midwest, and Ontario, Canada lost power on August 14 of that year. It took about two days to restore power to most of the city.\n\nAnd just because the power was gone, doesn't mean people stopped having fun. The cast of Broadway's Hadestown did an impromptu performance outside, the theater which brought light to many.", "Times Square has gone dark after a major power outage is affecting parts of New York City. A large portion of Times Square was plunged into darkness, people in the area are reporting. Learn more about what’s happening and see photos from Times Square below.\n\nThe large monitors and digital screens in Times Square went dark, which immediately clued people into something being wrong.\n\nChristian on Twitter said that the entire block in Times Square, including stores and buildings, had now power. This has led to some people being stuck in elevators.\n\nIt’s a surreal experience to see that the large screens are now blank.\n\nTheaters are out too.\n\nBut half of Times Square is still holding on, people in the area are reporting.\n\nA reporter with the New York Times said that the buildings were blacked out, but some of the electrical billboards are back on as of 8:00 p.m. Eastern.\n\nThis video gives a good look at how it felt to be in the region without power:\n\nSteve Herman from VOA News shared a map of the outage area. You can see the marked locations on Con Edison, showing 38,863 customers out of service:\n\nOne of the earlier blackouts was reported right around the time a transformer fire happened nearby, but it’s unclear if that was the cause.\n\nThe outage was reported on Manhattan’s west side, and it affected subway stations, movie theaters, and stores, the New York Post reported. This also just happened to be the 42nd anniversary of the 1977 blackout in New York that lasted 25 hours.\n\nLights were on in the east direction of Times Square but off on the west side.\n\nSo essentially, half of Times Square has been without power.\n\nSome New York residents stepped up and started directing traffic themselves to help ensure safety.\n\nThe Lion King on Broadway was canceled because of the power outage.\n\nREAD NEXT: Power Out in Manhattan", "On the anniversary of a 1977 blackout that hit most of New York City, a massive power outage brought the curtain down on Broadway shows and stalled traffic on Manhattan streets. Underground, the power outage affecting 73,000 customers for hours also left the subway system in disarray.\n\nCon Edison CEO John McAvoy said a problem at a substation caused the 6:47 p.m. ET power failure, which stretched 30 blocks from Times Square to 72nd Street and Broadway and spread to Rockefeller Center. Electricity was restored to customers and businesses in midtown Manhattan and the Upper West Side by around midnight, according to a statement from the utility.\n\nMcAvoy said the exact cause of the blackout would not be known until an investigation is completed.\n\nThe outage affected the entire subway system, closing four Manhattan stations to the public — Columbus Circle, Rockefeller Center, Hudson Yards and Fifth Avenue at 53rd Street. But Metropolitan Transportation Authority spokesman Maxwell Young said train operators were able to manually change the signals and bring at least one car into stations so passengers could disembark.\n\nNew York City’s Emergency Management Department said the A, C, D, E, F, M, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 trains had resumed running in both directions by around 2 a.m. Sunday, following service disruptions from the blackout. Multiple street lanes between the Hudson River and Fifth Avenue had also reopened by 1:30 a.m.\n\nThe temperature was in the low 80s as the sun set just before 8:30 p.m., treating those who had streamed into the streets to one of the city’s famed “Manhattanhenge” sunsets. While hot, the temperature didn’t reach the highs of Manhattan in July, which often challenges the city’s power grid.\n\nNew York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said no injuries were reported and praised emergency officials for their response to the blackout, which he called “unacceptable.”\n\n“You just can’t have a power outage of this magnitude in this city” Cuomo said. “It is too dangerous, the potential for public safety risk and chaos is too high, we just can’t have a system that does that, it’s that simple at the end of the day.”\n\nNew York City Mayor Bill de Blasio was campaigning on the presidential trail in Waterloo, Iowa, when the power outage struck. His press secretary, Freddi Goldstein, tweeted just before 10 p.m. that de Blasio cut short his Iowa visit and was headed back to the city.\n\nThe mayor commended New Yorkers for handling the blackout “with that trademark NYC grit and toughness” in a tweet.\n\nFor hours before the power flickered back on, doormen stood with flashlights in the darkened entrances of upscale apartment buildings along Central Park West, directing residents up flights of stairs. Police and deployed troopers directed traffic at intersections to the soundtrack of sirens and horns, while people in the neighbourhood known as Hell’s Kitchen took it upon themselves to guide traffic in the absence of stoplights and walking signals.\n\nIn the theatre district, marquees darkened just before evening performances were set to begin. Most Broadway musicals and plays cancelled their Saturday evening shows, though some cast members staged impromptu performances in the street.\n\nJennifer Lopez’s concert at Madison Square Garden was cut short in the middle of her fourth song of the night, although officials at Penn Station below used backup generators to keep the lights on. Madison Square Garden, Carnegie Hall and the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts were all evacuated. Lopez later tweeted that she would reschedule the stop on her “It’s My Party” tour for Monday night at the same venue.", "A wide swath of New York's Manhattan borough was plunged into darkness Saturday following a transformer explosion, knocking out power to subways, stores and Broadway theatres, but the city's main utility began restoring power several hours later.\n\nNo deaths or injuries were reported due to the blackout, which officials said began at 6:47 p.m. EDT (2247 GMT), and darkened a stretch of the city from West 42nd Street to West 72nd Street, 42 years to the day from a major 1970s blackout that sparked rioting and looting.\n\n\"We are proceeding on a path to restore all customers, hopefully, by midnight tonight,\" John McAvoy, chief executive of utility Con Edison told a news conference. More than 70,000 homes and businesses lost power, officials said.\n\nShouts of celebration could be heard in parts of Manhattan as power was restored, bringing lights and air conditioners back to life. The cause of the outage was unclear, McAvoy said, adding \"it does not appear related to excessive load.\" A Reuters witness in the area reported hearing an explosion around 7 p.m. (2300 GMT), and a city Fire Department spokesman said firefighters were on the scene of a transformer fire.\n\nSidewalks in Times Square that are usually crowded with tourists on a balmy summer Saturday night were overflowing as at least some Broadway theatres cancelled performances. The lights of nearby Radio City Music Hall were dark. In an attempt to cheer customers, the cast from the musical \"Come From Away\" performed a song in front of the stage door.\n\n\"Hadestown\" cast members also staged a street-side performance. With traffic lights out, cars and taxis jammed intersections as emergency vehicles and fire engines with sirens blaring tried to pass. In some places, civilians stepped in to direct traffic. New York has endured large-scale blackouts before, most recently following Superstorm Sandy in 2012 as well as the widespread 2003 blackout across the U.S. Northeast that left most of the city without power for a day. Saturday's outage occurred on the 42nd anniversary of a New York blackout that crippled the city during a heat wave on July 13, 1977. Power was not restored until the next day.", "New York City was plunged into darkness last night after parts of Manhattan were hit by a blackout.\n\nTimes Square, Midtown and Hell’s Kitchen were all among the areas left without electricity, which began at 6.47pm.\n\nBroadway shows were forced to halt their performances, while Jennifer Lopez had to abandon her concert at Madison Square Garden after just four songs.\n\nThe New York City Fire Department said the outages were caused by a transformer fire which started at West 64th Street and West End Avenue on the Upper West Side.\n\nMore than 73,000 Con Edison customers without power until the lights came back on the next day.\n\nDuring the blackout, New Yorkers shared pictures and videos of themselves at train stations, eating in restaurants or trapped in lifts in the dark.\n\nJeff O’Malley, 57, said he was stuck on a train carriage for about 75 minutes.\n\nHe said: ‘It’s completely dark [in the station]. People were coming up using their flashlights on their phones.’\n\nSome Broadway shows decided to continue their cancelled performances in the street, with cast members from Waitress, Hadestown and Rock of Ages singing in the open-air.\n\nJennifer Lopez told her fans she was ‘devastated and heartbroken’ by her cancelled concert, but vowed to reschedule the performance for Monday.\n\nVideos shared online showed members of the public stepping into the road in a bid to try and help direct traffic.\n\nNew York Gov. Andrew Cuomo called the power outage ‘unacceptable’ and said the Department of Public Service would be investigating the blackout.\n\nHe sent 100 State Police officers and some National Guard troops to help with traffic control during the blackout.\n\nThe outage occurred on the 42nd anniversary of a New York blackout that crippled nearly the entire city during a heat wave on July 13, 1977.\n\nCon Edison and New York officials said power was restored just before midnight.", "Power was restored to all 72,000 customers in New York City early Sunday after a massive outage left a portion of Manhattan’s West Side in the dark — causing canceled shows, traffic jams and chaos in the subway system for hours.\n\nCon Edison said at 1 a.m. Sunday that electricity was restored to the remaining 9,700 customers after a problem at a substation just before 7 p.m. Saturday led to a power failure that affected those from Times Square to 72nd Street and Broadway and spread to Rockefeller Center.\n\n“With all customers back in service, the company will focus on investigating the cause of the equipment failures and on getting the electrical-delivery system back to its normal level of reliability,” the utility company said in a statement.\n\nThe blackout affected the entire subway system, causing four Manhattan stations to shut down. Photos and videos showed people attempting to make their way out of dark subway stations. Some were also briefly trapped on the trains before operators were able to manually change the signals and bring at least one car into the stations to allow passengers to disembark.\n\nSome screens in Times Square went black, while most Broadway musicals and plays announced cancellations Saturday evening. Jennifer Lopez, who had just begun her performance at Madison Square Garden for her “It’s My Party” tour, also took to social media to say the concert was canceled for the night.\n\n“They just told me to get off stage. I was waiting there, obviously, all the power went out in the city and obviously here at Madison Square Garden … we had just started our show,” Lopez said in a video posted to her social media accounts.\n\nShe later said she was “devastated and heartbroken” by the incident, but added the show is set to be rescheduled for Monday night at the same venue.\n\nAlong with Madison Square Garden, Carnegie Hall and the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts were also evacuated.\n\nCon Edison CEO John McAvoy said the exact cause of the blackout would not be known until an investigation is completed.\n\nNew York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said during a Saturday night news conference that no injuries were reported from the blackout that he labeled as “unacceptable.”\n\n\"You just can't have a power outage of this magnitude in this city,\" Cuomo said. \"It is too dangerous, the potential for public safety risk and chaos is too high, we just can't have a system that does that, it's that simple at the end of the day.\"\n\nCuomo also said in a statement, \"While this situation was luckily contained, the fact that it happened at all is unacceptable. I have directed the PSC to do a full and thorough investigation into the cause of tonight's blackout and we will hold all parties accountable in ensuring this does not happen again.\"\n\nNew York City Mayor Bill de Blasio was campaigning on the presidential trail in Waterloo, Iowa when the power outage struck. His press secretary, Freddi Goldstein, tweeted just before 10 p.m. that de Blasio cut short his Iowa visit and was headed back to the city.\n\nCLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX BUSINESS APP\n\nThe mayor commended New Yorkers for handling the blackout \"with that trademark NYC grit and toughness\" in a tweet.\n\nThe Associated Press contributed to this report.", "When the lights went out in New York City on Saturday evening, many were quick to realize it was on this same day that New York City suffered a major blackout decades ago.Here's a look back at how the Big Apple made it through the blackout from Jul 13-14, 1977.", "A wide swath of New York's Manhattan borough was plunged into darkness Saturday following a transformer explosion, knocking out power to subways, stores and Broadway theatres, but the city's main utility began restoring power several hours later.\n\nNo deaths or injuries were reported due to the blackout, which officials said began at 6:47 p.m. EDT (2247 GMT), and darkened a stretch of the city from West 42nd Street to West 72nd Street, 42 years to the day from a major 1970s blackout that sparked rioting and looting.\n\n\"We are proceeding on a path to restore all customers, hopefully, by midnight tonight,\" John McAvoy, chief executive of utility Con Edison told a news conference. More than 70,000 homes and businesses lost power, officials said.\n\nShouts of celebration could be heard in parts of Manhattan as power was restored, bringing lights and air conditioners back to life. The cause of the outage was unclear, McAvoy said, adding \"it does not appear related to excessive load.\" A Reuters witness in the area reported hearing an explosion around 7 p.m. (2300 GMT), and a city Fire Department spokesman said firefighters were on the scene of a transformer fire.\n\nSidewalks in Times Square that are usually crowded with tourists on a balmy summer Saturday night were overflowing as at least some Broadway theatres cancelled performances. The lights of nearby Radio City Music Hall were dark. In an attempt to cheer customers, the cast from the musical \"Come From Away\" performed a song in front of the stage door.\n\n\"Hadestown\" cast members also staged a street-side performance. With traffic lights out, cars and taxis jammed intersections as emergency vehicles and fire engines with sirens blaring tried to pass. In some places, civilians stepped in to direct traffic. New York has endured large-scale blackouts before, most recently following Superstorm Sandy in 2012 as well as the widespread 2003 blackout across the U.S. Northeast that left most of the city without power for a day. Saturday's outage occurred on the 42nd anniversary of a New York blackout that crippled the city during a heat wave on July 13, 1977. Power was not restored until the next day.\n\n'Are you ok?'\n\nMemories of rioting, looting and violence during the 1977 blackout spooked some tourists visiting the city, including Dave and Dara Campbell, of Gilbert, Arizona.\n\n\"People from home were texting us, asking, 'Are you OK?'\" said Dara Campbell, 40. New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo said he was sending 100 State Police officers and some National Guard troops to the city to help with traffic control.\n\nAs darkness fell just before 9 p.m. (0100 GMT), people on the Upper West Side had to use their mobile phone flashlights to negotiate normally brightly lit streets. There were reports of people trapped in building elevators without power. Subways throughout the city were affected by the outage, with some lines skipping stations that lacked power and even lines in other boroughs diverted. City Council Speaker Corey Johnson wrote on Twitter that the ConEd substation on the West Side had a \"major disturbance\" and that the utility was working on fixing it.\n\nMayor Bill de Blasio, who was in Iowa campaigning for the Democratic presidential nomination when the outage struck, told CNN he had spoken with the police commissioner and the deputy commissioner responsible for counterterrorism.\n\n\"From what we're seeing at this moment, this is simply a mechanical problem,\" de Blasio said. Emerging from a subway station next to Central Park, Jeff O'Malley, a consultant who lives in Manhattan, said he was stuck in a subway car for more than an hour.\n\n\"We were stuck for about 75 minutes,\" said O'Malley, 57.\"It's completely dark. People had to use the flashlights on their phones to see their way out.\"\n\n\"People were having fun at first when the lights went out; it was something different,\" said the manager on duty at the Oxbow Tavern on Columbus Avenue and 71st Street, who declined to give his name. With some stations and traffic lights dark, many residents and visitors alike took to the streets and walked, according to social media posts, many of which had the hashtag #blackoutnyc.", "NEW YORK (Reuters) - Government and utility officials were still searching for definite reasons on Sunday for a five-hour blackout in a large section of New York City’s Manhattan borough that left 73,000 customers without power on Saturday.\n\nNo deaths or injuries resulted from the blackout that stretched from West 30th Street to West 72nd Street, an area filled with tourist attractions and Broadway theaters.\n\nA transformer explosion at West 49th Street cascaded into a widespread outage that cut power subways, homes and businesses.\n\nMayor Bill de Blasio said the city and Consolidation Edison Co. of New York, the city’s main utility, ruled out a surge in usage as a factor for the blackout on Saturday.\n\nNeither a cyber attack nor a terrorist act were to blame, de Blasio added at a press conference. “Definite causes will take some time” to figure out, he said.\n\nActivity in the Times Square appeared back to normal on Sunday. Traffic and subways returned to their summer weekend flow.\n\nBroadway theaters reopened after shows were canceled the evening before.\n\nDuring Saturday’s blackout, Broadway performers entertained on sidewalks to delighted crowds, while a few citizens directed cars and trucks after traffic lights went down.\n\nCon Edison President Timothy Cawley assured that its electrical system will be able to handle a pickup in demand in air conditioning in the coming days. “We are prepared to the end of the week,” he said. “We could still serve the system on the hottest day of the year.”\n\nThe city is bracing for daily peak temperature in the high-80s to low-90s Fahrenheit (low-to-mid 30 Celsius) over the next five days, according to the National Weather Service."], "summary": "A blackout in New York City affects 42,000 people near Times Square."}
{"document": ["Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Floods cause death and destruction in north India\n\nMore than three million people have been displaced across north and north-eastern India amid monsoon rain that has cost lives and destroyed homes.\n\nStorms and floods have ripped through areas of Nepal, Bangladesh and India, killing more than 130 people.\n\nAt least 67 people lost their lives in Nepal in torrential rains, police there said on Monday.\n\nThirty people were reported missing while 38 were injured, Nepalese police added.\n\nHeavy rains also caused deaths in Bangladesh, including in overcrowded Rohingya refugee camps. More bad weather is expected in the coming days.\n\nThe Brahmaputra River, which flows through India, Bangladesh and China, burst its banks, swamping more than 1,800 villages in India's north-east Assam state, Reuters reported on Monday.\n\nAlmost 2 million have been displaced in the northern Indian state of Bihar due to rising flood waters, the government said. More than 1.7 million people in Assam fled their homes.\n\nAt least 29 people died in Bangladesh in the past week, including 18 hit by lightning and seven who drowned when their boat sank in the Bay of Bengal.\n\nImage copyright Reuters Image caption A man carries his belongings towards dry ground in Kathmandu\n\nCox's Bazar in Bangladesh - where more than a million Rohingya refugees are encamped after fleeing a military crackdown in Myanmar - has been hit by at least 58.5cm (23 inches) of rain this month, according to the country's meteorological department on Sunday.\n\nHundreds of landslides since April have killed at least 10 people in the camps, including two Rohingya children in the past week.\n\nThe monsoon season lasts from June to September and wreaks havoc across South Asia every year. More than 1,200 people died in the region amid storms and landslides last year, when India's Kerala faced its worst floods in nearly a century.", "Flooding and landslides triggered by heavy rainfall have killed at least 50 people in Nepal in the past few days, with more deaths reported across the border in India and Bangladesh.\n\nFlooding and landslides triggered by heavy rainfall have killed at least 50 people in Nepal in the past few days, with more deaths reported across the border in India and Bangladesh.\n\nAt least 30 other people were missing in Nepal, either swept away by swollen rivers or buried by mudslides since monsoon rains began pounding the region on Friday, Nepal’s National Emergency Operation Centre said.\n\nIt said nine key roads remained blocked by floods and mudslides, and attempts were under way to open them up for traffic.\n\nAmong them is the East-West Highway, which connects Nepal’s southern districts.\n\nOther roads were being cleared by thousands of police and soldiers.\n\nWorkers were also repairing fallen communication towers to restore phone lines.\n\nThirty people have been treated for injuries and more than 1,100 others rescued from flooded areas.\n\nMore than 10,000 are estimated to have been displaced.\n\nNepal’s Department of Hydrology and Meteorology warned of more troubles ahead for the southern region near the main rivers, urging people to keep watch on rising water levels and move to higher ground when needed.\n\nRain-triggered floods, mudslides and lightning have left a trail of destruction in other parts of South Asia.\n\nIn Bangladesh, at least a dozen people, mostly farmers in rural areas, have been killed by lightning since Saturday as monsoon rains continue to batter parts of the low-lying country, according to officials and news reports.\n\nWater Development Board official Rabiul Islam said about 40,000 people have been affected, mostly due to their homes being submerged under water.\n\nBangladesh, a low-lying delta nation of 160 million people with more than 130 rivers, is prone to monsoon floods because of overflowing rivers and the heavy onrush of water from upstream India.\n\nOfficials in north-eastern India said at least 14 people were killed and more than a million affected by flooding.\n\nSix deaths were reported in neighbouring Arunachal state.\n\nAssam’s Kaziranga National Park, home to the endangered one-horn rhinoceros, has been flooded.\n\nFloods and mudslides have also hit some other north east Indian states, including Meghalaya, Sikkim and Mizoram.\n\nIn Mizoram, floods have submerged about 400 homes in the small town of Tlabung, police said.", "In this Friday, July 12, 2019 photo, Indian villagers cross floodwaters on country boats in Ashighar village, Morigaon district, in the northeastern Indian state of Assam. Rain-triggered floods and mudslides have left a trail of destruction across northeastern India, killing at least a dozen people and affecting over a million, officials said Saturday. (AP Photo)\n\nKATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Flooding and landslides triggered by heavy rainfall have killed at least 50 people in Nepal in the past few days, with more deaths reported across the border in India and Bangladesh, officials said Sunday.\n\nAt least 30 other people were missing in Nepal, either swept away by swollen rivers or buried by mudslides since monsoon rains began pounding the region on Friday, Nepal’s National Emergency Operation Center said.\n\nThe center said nine key highways remained blocked by floods and mudslides, and attempts were underway to open them up for traffic. Among them is the East-West Highway, which connects Nepal’s southern districts.\n\nOther roads were being cleared by thousands of police and soldiers. Continuing bad weather has grounded helicopter rescue flights. Workers were also repairing fallen communication towers to restore phone lines.\n\nThirty people have been treated for injuries and more than 1,100 others rescued from flooded areas. More than 10,000 are estimated to have been displaced.\n\nNepal’s Department of Hydrology and Meteorology warned of more troubles ahead for the southern region near the main rivers, urging people to keep watch on rising water levels and move to higher ground when needed.\n\nRain-triggered floods, mudslides and lightning have left a trail of destruction in other parts of South Asia.\n\nIn Bangladesh, at least a dozen people, mostly farmers in rural areas, have been killed by lightning since Saturday as monsoon rains continue to batter parts of the low-lying country, according to officials and news reports.\n\nWater Development Board official Rabiul Islam said about 40,000 people have been affected, mostly due to their homes being submerged underwater.\n\nBangladesh, a low-lying delta nation of 160 million people with more than 130 rivers, is prone to monsoon floods because of overflowing rivers and the heavy onrush of water from upstream India.\n\nOfficials in northeastern India said at least 14 people were killed and over a million affected by flooding, state official Kumar Sanjay Krishna said. Six deaths were reported in neighboring Arunachal state.\n\nAssam’s Kaziranga National Park, home to the endangered one-horn rhinoceros, has been flooded.\n\nFloods and mudslides have also hit some other northeast Indian states, including Meghalaya, Sikkim and Mizoram. In Mizoram, floods have submerged about 400 homes in the small town of Tlabung, police said.\n\nAssociated Press writer Julhas Alam in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and Wasbir Hussain in Gauhati, India, contributed to this report.", "\n• None Monsoon rains have triggered widespread flooding and landslides across three countries\n• None Over two million people have been displaced as a result of the floods\n• None Nepal has recorded the most fatalities, with 55 people confirmed dead\n\nMillions of people have been displaced across India, Nepal and Bangladesh after monsoon rains triggered flash floods and landslides over the past week.\n\nIndia's north-eastern state of Assam has been hit hard by the floods brought by the monsoon, with at least 1.5 million people displaced and 10 dead.\n\nIn the Chittagong division of Bangladesh, there have been 10 deaths and about 500,000 displaced as 200 villages have been flooded.\n\nThe disaster's death toll has been highest in Nepal, which recorded 55 fatalities on Sunday, with 30 missing and 33 injured, the Government said.\n\nTen thousand people have been displaced from their homes as incessant monsoon rains pounded many areas in the country since Thursday, submerging large swathes of land, inundating homes and destroying bridges and roads across the country.\n\nNepalese cabinet spokesman Gokul Banskota said, \"the disaster has caused a big loss to the economy\".\n\nThe Government will make an assessment soon, he added.\n\nNepal Red Cross spokesman Dibya Raj Poudel said the displaced had been sheltered in schools and other public buildings.\n\nTelevision channels showed roofs of houses submerged in floodwaters in the southern plains and people wading through chest-deep water with their belongings on their heads.\n\nNepalese officials said in some areas rains had eased but some rivers in the eastern part of the country were still above flood level. Authorities asked residents to remain alert.\n\nThe Kosi River, which flows into the eastern Indian state of Bihar, was among those that had risen above the flood level.\n\nNepal police official Ishwari Dahal said all 56 gates of the Kosi barrage on the Nepal-India border had been opened last night for six hours to drain out 371,000 cusecs of water, the highest accumulation in 15 years.\n\nA cusec is a measurement of flow, equivalent to one cubic foot per second.\n\n\"Its water level has gone down now,\" Mr Dahal said from the barrage site in south-east Nepal.\n\nThe Kosi has been a serious concern for both India and Nepal since it broke its banks in 2008 and changed course, submerging swathes of land and affecting more than 2 million people in India's Bihar state.\n\nAbout 500 people died in that disaster.", "Kathmandu: The death toll from flooding and other rain-triggered incidents in Nepal climbed to 34 on Saturday with over 24 persons still missing, officials said.\n\nHeavy monsoon rains for the past few days have left many settlements at high risk of floods and landslides in several places in Nepal. Transportation has also been disrupted in all major highways.\n\nRain-fed rivers have also started to erode embankments putting nearby settlements at high risk of flooding.\n\nOfficials said the Kosi River in eastern Nepal, which flows into the eastern Indian state of Bihar, had risen above the danger mark.\n\nThe Kosi has been a serious concern for both India and Nepal since it broke its banks in 2008 and changed course, submerging swathes of land and affecting more than two million people in Bihar. About 500 people died in that disaster.\n\nThirty of the 56 sluice gates at a barrage along the Kosi at the Indo-Nepal border have been opened, and rescue teams deployed to evacuate villagers, officials said\n\n\"The rain-triggered disasters have caused havoc across the country,\" the Nepal Police said in its news bulletin.\n\nDeaths were reported from various districts, including Lalitpur, Kavre, Kotang, Bhojpur and Makanpur.\n\nThe death toll has reached 34, authorities said.\n\nMeanwhile, human resources and equipment from police offices have been mobilised in the areas affected by the rain-triggered disasters.\n\n\"The works related to rescue operation have been intensified,\" a senior Home Ministry official said.\n\nIt is estimated that around 6,000 people have been badly affected by floodwaters that inundated their houses.", "Flooding and landslides triggered by heavy rainfall have killed at least 45 people in Nepal in the past few days, with more deaths reported across the Himalayan border in India, officials said Sunday.\n\nAt least 31 others are missing in Nepal, either swept by swollen rivers or buried by mudslides since delayed monsoon rains began pounding the region Friday, Nepal's National Emergency Operation Center said.\n\nThe center said nine key highways remained blocked by floods and mudslides and attempts are underway to open them up for traffic. Among them is the East-West Highway that connects the country's southern districts.\n\nOther roads were being cleared by thousands of police and soldiers. Continuing bad weather has grounded helicopter rescue flights.\n\nWorkers were also repairing fallen communication towers to restore phone lines.\n\nTwenty-eight people have been treated for injuries and more than 1,100 others rescued from flooded areas. More than 10,000 people are estimated to have been displaced.\n\nNepal's Department of Hydrology and Meteorology warned of more troubles ahead in a flood warning for the southern region near the main rivers, urging people to keep watch on rising water levels and move to higher grounds when needed.\n\nRain-triggered floods and mudslides have left a trail of destruction in other parts of South Asia. Officials and media outlets in northeastern India have reported at least 39 people dead and more than 1.5 million affected.\n\nAt least 19 people have been killed in incidents of house collapses and electrocution during rains in Uttar Pradesh state bordering Nepal since July 10, an official at the state disaster management control room said.\n\nIn the north-eastern state of Assam, 11 people were killed in the same period, as incessant rains flooded 25 of the state's 33 districts.\n\nOver 1.5 million people have been affected, including being displaced, stranded in their homes and suffering damage to their crops, lands and livelihood, state officials said.\n\nOver 20,000 people have been shifted to 234 government-run relief camps and centers, they said.\n\nElsewhere in Assam, Kaziranga National Park, home to the endangered one-horn rhinoceros, has been flooded. The park is located 225 kilometers (140 miles) east of Gauhati, the state capital.\n\nThe dead included two schoolchildren who were buried when their boarding school collapsed while they were asleep in Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh state.\n\nFloods and mudslides have also hit some other northeastern states, including Meghalaya, Sikkim and Mizoram. In Mizoram, floods have submerged about 400 homes in the small town of Tlabung, police said. At least seven others died due to rain-related issues in Meghalaya and Mizoram in the last four days, local media reported.\n\nThe weather office has forecast more rainfall in the regions over the next few days, prompting the federal home ministry to direct officials to ensure proper rescue and relief mechanisms are in place to help flood victims.\n\nIn Bangladesh, aid groups were providing rations to Rohingya refugees in the southeast of the country with the UN World Food Programme saying Friday that two people including a child had died.\n\nIndia's monsoon season between June and September often sees heavy rains that are vital for agriculture but can cause immense destruction.\n\nLast year, more than 1,200 people were been killed across South Asia in monsoon storms, with India's Kerala suffering its worst floods in nearly 100 years.", "GUWAHATI, India (Reuters) - Heavy monsoon rains in India’s northeast Assam state displaced more than a million people from their homes and flash floods killed at least 10 in the past 72 hours, state authorities said on Saturday, warning the situation could worsen in coming days.\n\nThe Brahmaputra river, which flows from the Himalayas into India and then through Bangladesh, has burst its banks, swamping more than 1,800 villages in the state.\n\n“10 people have died in separate incidents of drowning in the past three days and more than one million people (have been) affected, with the flood situation turning grave,” a state government flood bulletin said.\n\nTorrential rains have affected at least 25 of Assam’s 32 districts and the federal water resources body said water levels in the Brahmaputra were expected to rise, with more rains forecast over the next three days.\n\nAssam, known for its fine quality teas, has for several years battled floods and heavy rains that have claimed dozens of lives and displaced hundreds of thousands of people.\n\nAssam was on a maximum alert due to heavy rains forecast over the next few days, government officials said.\n\nPeople in the state were also at threat from Japanese encephalitis, a mosquito-borne viral infection, government officials said. More than 160 people have been killed since January by the infection.\n\nThe federal government said it had met on Saturday to review flooding across different parts of the country, and emergency teams had rescued 750 people in Assam and nearby Bihar state, where the Kosi River had risen above the danger mark.\n\nFlash floods and landslides in Nepal also triggered by monsoon rains killed 15 people and injured 12 overnight.", "Rain-triggered floods and mudslides in India's northeast have killed over a dozen people and displaced more than a million from their homes, with officials warning the situation could worsen in the coming days.\n\nHeavy monsoon rains in Assam state killed at least 10 people in the past 72 hours, state authorities said on Saturday, while six people were reportedly killed in Arunachal Pradesh, which borders China's Tibet region.\n\n\"Ten people have died in separate incidents of drowning in the past three days and more than one million people [have been] affected, with the flood situation turning grave,\" a flood bulletin issued by the Assam government said.\n\nThe Brahmaputra River, which flows from the Himalayas into India and then through Bangladesh, has burst its banks, swamping more than 1,800 villages in the state, which is on maximum alert due to heavy rains.\n\nTorrential rains have affected at least 25 of Assam's 33 districts and the federal water resources body said water levels in the Brahmaputra were expected to rise, with more rains forecast over the next three days.\n\nElsewhere in Assam, the Kaziranga National Park - home to the endangered one-horn rhinoceros - has been flooded. The park is located 185km from the state capital, Dispur.\n\n\"The rhinos and other animals are taking shelter in artificially created higher ground or have crossed the highway to higher areas,\" said Jukti Borak, a park official.\n\nAuthorities prohibited vehicles from speeding on the highway that runs along the park. Apart from the estimated 2,500 rhinos, Kaziranga is home to a variety of wild animals that cross the highway in search of higher ground during floods.\n\nOther states also on alert\n\nIn Arunachal Pradesh, a 36-year-old woman was swept away and three other people were killed when their car skidded and fell into a gorge, the Associated Press news agency reported.\n\nTwo schoolchildren were killed and several others injured earlier in the week near the town of Tawang when a wall of their boarding school collapsed as they were sleeping.\n\n\"My appeal to people is to be on alert and those living in lowlands may move to safer higher grounds,\" said the state's Chief Minister Pema Khandu.\n\n\"We have put the entire disaster management agencies besides the police and the paramilitary on alert and have issued an advisory to the people not to travel unless required in unavoidable situations,\" Bamang Felix, Arunachal Pradesh's home minister, said by phone from the state's capital, Itanagar.\n\nFloods and mudslides have also hit some other northeast states, including Meghalaya, Sikkim and Mizoram. In Mizoram, floods have submerged about 400 homes in the town of Tlabung, police said.\n\nMeanwhile, India's federal government met on Saturday to review flood situation across the country. It said emergency teams had rescued 750 people in Assam and nearby state of Bihar, where the Kosi River had risen above the danger mark.\n\nIn neighbouring Nepal, flash floods and landslides triggered by monsoon rains killed at least 27 people, while dozens of others were wounded or missing.", "KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — Police in Nepal say flooding and landslides triggered by heavy rainfall have killed at least 43 people in the past few days, with more deaths reported across the Himalayan border in India.\n\nAt least 24 others are missing in Nepal, either swept by swollen rivers or buried by mudslides since rains began pounding the region Friday. Roads and highways have been blocked in parts of Nepal while communication towers are knocked down.\n\nRain-triggered floods and mudslides have left a trail of destruction in other parts of South Asia. Officials in northeastern India have reported at least a dozen people dead and over a million affected.\n\nThe dead include two schoolchildren who were buried when their boarding school collapsed while they were asleep in Tawang in Arunachal Pradesh state.", "The death toll from floods and landslides caused by two weeks of torrential monsoons in South Asia has reached 85, officials and news sources reported on Sunday. In Nepal alone, up to 50 people were said to have died in floods and landslides caused by monsoon rains across the country, while dozens more were missing.\n\nNepal's weather department issued a high alert for the southern Koshi River and sent SMS warnings to people in the area. \"Our first priority is lifesaving rescue,\" Nepalese Home Ministry official Umakanta Adhikari told the AFP news agency, \"and all our resources have been deployed.\"\n\nIn Bangladesh, at least 16 people have been killed in lightning strikes, flooding and landslides. The country's weather agency warned of further landslides and urged locals to move to safe locations.\n\nPolice used boats to bring people to safety as rivers swelled, inundating their settlements, while parents carrying children on their shoulders waded across chest-high waters. About 8,000 people rendered homeless by the floods have taken refuge in 68 government-run relief camps.\n\nRead more: Is Netflix bad for the environment? How streaming video contributes to climate change\n\nThe monsoon season, which lasts from June to September, causes widespread death and destruction across South Asia each year. Last year, more than 1,200 people died across the region in monsoon storms.\n\nAid groups have distributed rations to Rohingya refugees in southeastern Bangladesh. On Friday, the UN World Food Programme reported that two people, including a child, had died there.\n\nIn India, disaster teams worked to rescue residents from 1,556 inundated villages across 21 of the 33 districts in the northeastern state of Assam, while agencies provided food and medical supplies to flood victims. The waters in Assam's Brahmaputra River and its tributaries have continued to rise, inundating new areas in recent days.\n\nRead more: Mumbai wall collapses onto shanties during monsoon\n\n\"The flood situation is serious,\" an official at the state disaster management control room told news agencies on Saturday. \"A total of 869,024 people have been affected, including being displaced, stranded in their homes, or having suffered damages to their crops, land and livelihood.\" The official added: \"While five people died washed away by floods, one was killed in a landslide. All the deaths were reported since Wednesday.\"\n\nThe weather office predicts that heavy rains will continue to lash the region for days.\n\nEvery evening, DW sends out a selection of the day's news and features. Sign up here."], "summary": "Three days of heavy rain in Nepal trigger floods and landslides resulting in at least 67 deaths. India was also affected by heavy floods, resulting in the death of 34 people, while 29 others died in Bangladesh."}
{"document": ["McAllen, Texas (CNN) Vice President Mike Pence saw the overcrowded conditions facing migrant adults and children in Customs and Border Protection custody firsthand Friday, becoming the highest-ranking member of the Trump administration to visit two federal detention centers in Texas ahead of controversial Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids targeting undocumented immigrants this weekend.\n\n\"To be honest with you, I was not surprised by what we saw,\" Pence told reporters Friday, citing the humanitarian crisis and congestion. \"This crisis is real, the time for action is now.\"\n\nJoined by a group of reporters, Senate Republicans and acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan, Pence visited two facilities in the Rio Grande Valley: the Donna Processing Facility, temporarily housing families, and the McAllen Border Patrol Station, housing single adults who have been found crossing into the United States illegally.\n\nIn Donna, Pence saw oversized, air-conditioned facilities, with children and their parents lying on cots, watching animated movies and eating snacks.\n\nIn McAllen, it was a much different scene: Pence toured a swelteringly hot room called a sally port with hundreds of men, a strong smell of sweat and overcrowding so extreme there was no room for cots, the migrants left to sleep on concrete beneath mylar blankets.\n\n\"The Vice President's office specifically instructed CBP to not clean up or sanitize the facility beyond what is routine so the American people could see how serious the crisis at our border is (overcrowding, lack of resources, beds),\" an administration official said in an email, noting that there were Secret Service concerns over Pence entering the sally port, but the Vice President's office pushed for press access.\n\n'Time for Congress to act'\n\nAsked by CNN whether the conditions for the detained single adult immigrants were acceptable, Pence said no.\n\n\"No, it's not. That's the reason why we demanded that Congress provide $4.6 billion in additional support to Customs and Border Protection,\" the vice president said in an interview following both tours and a roundtable with Border Patrol officials. \"The McAllen station, where our cells are overflowing ... ought to be a very clear message to every American that the time for action is now and the time for Congress to act to end the flow of families that are coming north from Central America to our border is now.\"\n\nPence's visit comes ahead of Sunday's scheduled ICE raids targeting migrant families with court-ordered removals that had previously been called off by President Donald Trump. The upcoming ICE operation is expected to target approximately 2,000 people and take place over several days in major cities across the nation.\n\nAdvocacy groups have been hosting \"Know Your Rights\" trainings and circulating fliers and social medial posts with guidelines about what they say immigrants should do if ICE agents show up at their door.\n\nPence would not answer four repeated questions from CNN on whether the Sunday ICE raids will separate families.\n\n\"The upcoming efforts are going to focus exclusively on individuals who have been fully adjudicated and ordered by a judge to be deported,\" he said.\n\nPence said ICE will prioritize immigrants with deportation orders who have also committed crimes in the US, though he was vague on whether those who had not committed crimes could be targeted as well.\n\n\"These will be individuals who are facing a deportation order, and the priority that Homeland Security and ICE will be placing will be on those individuals that have also committed crimes in this country, and represent a threat to our communities,\" he said.\n\nIn McAllen, Pence did not engage directly with any of the men, but he did speak with some of the children and mothers in Donna, asking them if they were well cared for. They all nodded yes. Children told him their journey to the United States by foot took two and three months. In Donna, there were rooms filled with health supplies, snacks and changes of clothes for the migrants, many of whom had arrived at the facility with shoes and pants crusted in mud from the journey.\n\nDonna was one of the facilities built to accommodate the recent large increase of family crossings. Standing in a supply room in front of a wall stacked with Kool-Aid Jammers, Pence asked officials whether the children in custody are receiving adequate meals and snacks. They answered affirmatively. The level of care at Donna hasn't necessarily been the case for children at other facilities.\n\nYazmin Juarez, a mother whose toddler died weeks after they were released from ICE custody in 2018, recalled the death of her child in emotional testimony before a House panel Wednesday.\n\n\"I watched my baby girl die, slowly, and painfully, just a few months before her second birthday,\" she said through an interpreter, later beginning to cry recounting her 19-month-old daughter being admitted to the ICU.\n\nAnd in testimony from Elora Mukherjee, attorney and Clinical Professor of Law at Columbia Law School, at a House Oversight Committee hearing on the border on Friday, Mukherjee said that in her interviews with hundreds of immigrant children and families that many children in custody are embarrassed to use the toilets because \"they are open\" and have no privacy.\n\n\"In Clint, we talked to girls who were so embarrassed that boys could see them while they were using the toilet,\" she said. \"We talked to a boy who tried not to eat because he was so embarrassed to use the toilet.\"\n\nVice President Mike Pence visited the McAllen Border Patrol Station in McAllen, Texas on July 12, 2019\n\n'This isn't human'\n\nThe men in the sally port in McAllen told CNN they had been in Customs and Border Protection custody for more than 40 days. They said they hadn't had access to showers or toothbrushes. They yelled before reporters that they were hungry.\n\n\"This isn't human. I'm not a terrorist,\" one man said.\n\nPatrol agent in charge Michael Banks disputed some of those characterizations. He said a trailer with showers had arrived Thursday, though it was possible some of the men had not bathed yet. He said there were 88,000 disposable toothbrushes on site and that the migrants got three hot meals a day from local restaurants. He said the space, which, despite the heat, does have air-conditioning, was cleaned three times a day. He said none of the migrants had been there longer than 32 days.\n\nThe trip came weeks after unannounced inspections of Border Patrol facilities by an internal Department of Homeland Security watchdog found extreme overcrowding and children younger than 7 being held in custody for longer than two weeks -- far more than the allotted 72 hours -- among other \"urgent\" issues discovered. The watchdog found additional violations of detention policy, such as a lack of hot meals, inadequate access to showers and limited access to a change of clothes.\n\nAdditionally, images of squalid conditions and thinly stretched resources found in news reports and congressional Democrats' descriptions of their own visits have captured the nation's attention.\n\nPence said there should be the \"same standard of care\" for both families and single adults, defending the disparate conditions.\n\n\"What you saw today was a very clean facility where people were being detained indoors, and then you saw a temporary facility that was constructed because this facility is overcrowded. And we can't keep people in a cell beyond what the rules and regulations allow for, but everyone in that temporary facility is getting health care, they're getting hygiene and the Customs and Border Protection is doing their level best in an overcrowded environment and a difficult environment to address this issue, but Congress has got to act,\" he said.\n\nThe images of the vice president walking through the Donna facility Friday stand in stark contrast to photographs of overcrowded conditions facing families with children by DHS inspector general just weeks before. Overcrowded conditions have eased considerably following the movement of most migrant children to Health and Human Services facilities thanks to new funding from Congress. There was a 28% drop in numbers of migrants apprehended at the border in June, in part due to the season, but also, Pence said, because of support from Mexico.\n\nPence said he had read the report, but added, \"I can't account for that,\" when pressed by CNN about images of conditions similar to those of the McAllen facilities for families with children featured in the DHS inspector general's report.\n\n\"The facility you saw today represents the level and the standards of care that we are working to bring to all those caught up in this crisis. Remember, it was just a few short weeks ago that Congress finally acknowledged the crisis and gave us an additional $4.6 billion in humanitarian aid. Now we're going to continue to improve, we're going to continue to provide care at the standard the American people expect,\" he said, calling on Congress to overhaul asylum laws and close what he characterized as legal loopholes.\n\nOfficials say the overcrowding among children has largely been alleviated because of the supplemental funding that Congress just passed . As a result, most have been moved out within the 72-hour time limit to HHS facilities.\n\nThough Pence's office also extended invitations to Senate Democrats for the Friday visit, none were in attendance, underscoring the highly politicized situation as the humanitarian crisis at the US-Mexico border unfolds. A group of congressional Democrats will tour the area on Saturday.\n\nDemocratic Sen. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii had told CNN on Thursday that she did not want to be part of a politicized trip.\n\n\"I don't want to participate in what is basically the Trump show, the Trump-Pence show. What do you think they are going to see? You have a President saying, 'Everything's just fine. These facilities, these detention centers are just being run great.' Yeah, that's what they're going to see. But we know from all of the reports that things are not great,\" she said.\n\nHirono continued, \"Believe me, when any of us visit, they will make sure that they see what they want us to see. And that's not real.\"", "Vice President Mike Pence played down reports of overcrowding and unsanitary conditions at two migrant detention centres in Texas that he visited Friday, but he acknowledged the gravity of the humanitarian crisis unfolding along the United States’ southwestern border.\n\nThe tour gave journalists covering the vice president a rare glimpse inside a Border Patrol station near McAllen, Texas, where they observed nearly 400 men crammed inside a cage with no space to lie down and no mats or pillows, according to pool reports.\n\nBefore members of the news media were ushered out of the facility, some of the detainees shouted that they had been there for more than 40 days, were hungry and could not brush their teeth. One pool reporter described the stench as “horrendous” — some of the agents wore face masks — and said it was sweltering inside the detention centre, which is less than 10 miles from the Rio Grande, the river that divides the United States and Mexico.\n\n“I was not surprised by what I saw,” Pence said later at a news conference. “I knew we would see a system that was overwhelmed. This is tough stuff.”\n\nPence was effusive in his praise of Border Patrol agents, whom he referred to as “compassionate.” But instead of tamping down criticism of the Trump administration’s handling of the tide of refugees, many from Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador, the photos and videos that emerged from the tightly choreographed tour further inflamed critics.\n\nThe visit came 10 days after the release of a scathing report by the independent watchdog arm of the Department of Homeland Security on the poor conditions at migrant holding centres near the border. More than a dozen adult detainees have died while in custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement since the beginning of last year, according to the American Immigration Lawyers Association.\n\nThe same day Pence visited the border, thousands of demonstrators across the United States held protests and candlelight vigils to express their opposition to the White House’s immigration policy. In Aurora, Colorado, protesters raised a Mexican flag in front of a local detention centre.\n\n“It’s apparent that crowding hundreds of people in cages in sweltering heat without showers or basic necessities is neither humane nor compassionate.”\n\nAt the news conference, Pence tried to deflect the criticism to Democrats in Congress, calling on them to provide additional funding for more beds for the unauthorized immigrants detained by ICE. He also sought to highlight his role in a $4.6 billion emergency spending bill that tries to address the border crisis; it was approved by Congress last month and signed by President Donald Trump on July 1.\n\nMichael Banks, the patrol agent in charge of the McAllen detention centre, said in a news media briefing that the migrants had been provided three meals a day by local restaurants, along with juice and crackers.\n\nBecause of space limitations, he said, male detainees cannot have cots, but they had been given mylar blankets that look like aluminum foil. Crinkling sounds from the blankets could be heard by journalists, who were allowed inside the facility for about 90 seconds.\n\nEarlier Friday, Pence visited a cavernous detention centre in Donna, Texas, that can accommodate up to 1,000 people. It was built in May and houses about 800 migrants, according to pool reports.\n\nThe vice president was accompanied by the second lady, Karen Pence, and three Republican senators: Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, John Cornyn of Texas and Mike Lee of Utah. Lee helped interpret for Pence, who had asked several migrant children questions in English, according to a pool reporter.\n\nWhen Pence asked the children if they had food and were being taken care of, they nodded and a few said “sí,” according to the pool report. But when he inquired if they had a place to “get cleaned up,” the children shook their heads.\n\nTwo children told Pence that they had walked for two to three months to reach the United States. He then said “God bless you” in English and “gracias,” according to the pool report.\n\nSeveral Democratic presidential candidates criticized Pence’s appearance at the detention centres. Among them was Julián Castro, the former San Antonio mayor and a secretary of housing and urban development under President Barack Obama.\n\n“Make no mistake, @VP, this is the result of your administration slashing aid to Central America and undermining the asylum process,” Castro said on Twitter on Saturday. “You and Donald Trump share the blame.”\n\nOn Friday, Pence excoriated one of Trump’s favourite targets, CNN, calling its coverage of his visit to the detention centres “dishonest.”\n\n“And while we hear some Democrats in Washington, D.C., referring to U.S. Customs and Border facilities as ‘concentration camps,’ what we saw today was a facility that is providing care that every American would be proud of,” he said, according to a transcript of his remarks in McAllen.", "Vice President Mike Pence saw the overcrowded conditions facing migrant adults and children in Customs and Border Protection custody firsthand when the highest ranking member of the Trump administration visited two federal detention centers in Texas Friday ahead of controversial Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids targeting undocumented immigrants.\n\n\"To be honest with you, I was not surprised by what we saw,\" Pence told reporters Friday, citing the humanitarian crisis and congestion. \"This crisis is real, the time for action is now.\"\n\nJoined by a group of reporters, Senate Republicans and acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan, Pence visited two facilities in the Rio Grande Valley: the Donna Processing Facility, temporarily housing families, and the McAllen Border Patrol Station, housing single adults who have been found crossing into the United States illegally.\n\nIn Donna, Pence saw oversized, air-conditioned facilities, with children and their parents lying on cots, watching animated movies and eating snacks.\n\nIn McAllen, it was a much different scene: Pence toured a swelteringly hot room called a sally port with hundreds of men, a strong smell of sweat and overcrowding so extreme there was no room for cots, the migrants left to sleep on concrete beneath mylar blankets.\n\n\"The Vice President's office specifically instructed CBP to not clean up or sanitize the facility beyond what is routine so the American people could see how serious the crisis at our border is (overcrowding, lack of resources, beds),\" an administration official said in an email, noting that there were Secret Service concerns over Pence entering the sally port, but the Vice President's office pushed for press access.\n\nAsked by CNN whether the conditions for the detained single adult immigrants were acceptable, Pence said no.\n\n\"No, it's not. That's the reason why we demanded that Congress provide $4.6 billion in additional support to Customs and Border Protection,\" the vice president said in an interview following both tours and a roundtable with Border Patrol officials. \"The McAllen station, where our cells are overflowing ... ought to be a very clear message to every American that the time for action is now and the time for Congress to act to end the flow of families that are coming north from Central America to our border is now.\"\n\nPence's visit comes ahead of Sunday's scheduled ICE raids targeting migrant families with court-ordered removals that has previously been called off by President Donald Trump. The upcoming ICE operation is expected to target approximately 2,000 people and take place over several days in major cities across the nation.\n\nAcross the country, advocacy groups have been hosting \"Know Your Rights\" trainings and circulating fliers and social medial posts with guidelines about what they say immigrants should do if ICE agents show up at their door.\n\nIn McAllen, Pence did not engage directly with any of the men, but he did speak with some of the children and mothers in Donna, asking them if they were well cared for. They all nodded yes. Children told him their journey to the United States by foot took two and three months. In Donna, there were rooms filled with health supplies, snacks and changes of clothes for the migrants, many of whom had arrived at the facility with shoes and pants crusted in mud from the journey.\n\nThe men in the sally port in McAllen told CNN they had been in Customs and Border Protection custody for more than 40 days. They said they hadn't had access to showers or toothbrushes. They yelled before reporters that they were hungry.\n\n\"This isn't human. I'm not a terrorist,\" one man said.\n\nPatrol agent in charge Michael Banks disputed some of those characterizations. He said a trailer with showers had arrived Thursday, though it was possible some of the men had not bathed yet. He said there were 88,000 disposable toothbrushes on site and that the migrants got three hot meals a day from local restaurants. He said the space, which, despite the heat, does have air-conditioning, was cleaned three times a day. He said none of the migrants had been there longer than 32 days.\n\nThe trip came weeks after unannounced inspections of Border Patrol facilities by an internal Department of Homeland Security watchdog found extreme overcrowding and children younger than 7 being held in custody for longer than two weeks -- far more than the allotted 72 hours -- among other \"urgent\" issues discovered. The watchdog found additional violations of detention policy, such as a lack of hot meals, inadequate access to showers and limited access to a change of clothes.\n\nAdditionally, images of squalid conditions and thinly stretched resources found in news reports and congressional Democrats' descriptions of their own visits have captured the nation's attention.\n\nPence said there should be the \"same standard of care\" for both families and single adults, defending the disparate conditions.\n\n\"What you saw today was a very clean facility where people were being detained indoors, and then you saw a temporary facility that was constructed because this facility is overcrowded. And we can't keep people in a cell beyond what the rules and regulations allow for, but everyone in that temporary facility is getting health care, they're getting hygiene and the Customs and Border Protection is doing their level best in an overcrowded environment and a difficult environment to address this issue, but Congress has got to act,\" he said.\n\nThe images of the vice president walking through the Donna facility Friday stand in stark contrast to photographs of overcrowded conditions facing families with children by DHS inspector general just weeks before. Overcrowded conditions have eased considerably following the movement of most migrant children to Health and Human Services facilities thanks to new funding from Congress. There was a 28% drop in numbers of migrants apprehended at the border in June, in part due to the season, but also, Pence said, because of support from Mexico.\n\nPence said he had read the report, but added, \"I can't account for that,\" when pressed by CNN about images of conditions similar to those of the McAllen facilities for families with children featured in the DHS inspector general's report.\n\n\"The facility you saw today represents the level and the standards of care that we are working to bring to all those caught up in this crisis. Remember, it was just a few short weeks ago that Congress finally acknowledged the crisis and gave us an additional $4.6 billion in humanitarian aid. Now we're going to continue to improve, we're going to continue to provide care at the standard the American people expect,\" he said, calling on Congress to overhaul asylum laws and close what he characterized as legal loopholes.\n\nOfficials say the overcrowding among children has largely been alleviated because of the supplemental funding that Congress just passed. As a result, most have been moved out within the 72-hour time limit to HHS facilities.\n\nThough Pence's office also extended invitations to Senate Democrats for the Friday visit, none were in attendance, underscoring the highly politicized situation as the humanitarian crisis at the US-Mexico border unfolds. A group of congressional Democrats will tour the area on Saturday.\n\nDemocratic Sen. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii had told CNN on Thursday that she did not want to be part of a politicized trip.\n\n\"I don't want to participate in what is basically the Trump show, the Trump-Pence show. What do you think they are going to see? You have a President saying, 'Everything's just fine. These facilities, these detention centers are just being run great.' Yeah, that's what they're going to see. But we know from all of the reports that things are not great,\" she said.\n\nHirono continued, \"Believe me, when any of us visit, they will make sure that they see what they want us to see. And that's not real.\"", "Vice President Mike Pence speaks to the media during a visit to the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Munro, Thursday, July 11, 2019, in Coronado, Calif. Pence will visit McAllen, Texas, on Friday to tour a migrant detention facility.(AP Photo/Denis Poroy)\n\nThe Livestream has ended. A story on the roundtable will be posted shortly.\n\n(NEXSTAR) Vice President Mike Pence will visit the U.S.-Mexico border on Friday while in McAllen, Texas.\n\nThe Vice President will be accompanied by his wife Karen and a bipartisan delegation of members from the Senate Judiciary Committee.\n\nWe will also be posting live updates and stories from McAllen on Friday.\n\nCheck back on Border Report for the latest information.", "WASHINGTON — Vice President Mike Pence toured two detention facilities on the Texas border Friday, including a Border Patrol station where hundreds of men were crowded in sweltering cages without cots.\n\nSome of the men said they were hungry and had been held there for 40 days or longer.\n\n“Look, this is tough stuff,” Pence acknowledged at a later news conference.\n\n“I knew we’d see a system that is overcrowded,” he added. “It’s overwhelmed and that’s why Congress has to act.”\n\nPence’s office said the tour was part of an effort to show the Trump administration is providing adequate care for migrants. But the scene the vice president witnessed is sure to spark new criticism of the conditions facing migrants in U.S. government facilities.\n\nThe caged migrants were being held in an area at the McAllen Border Patrol station. When detainees saw reporters arrive, many began shouting, saying they had been there for 40 days or more and they were hungry and wanted to brush their teeth. Agents guarding the cages were wearing face masks. The press pool covering the vice president was removed within 90 seconds.\n\nThe conditions were described by a pool reporter from The Washington Post, who said the fenced cages were so crowded that it was impossible for all the men to lie on the concrete.\n\nThe scene resembled what an inspector general found in a scathing report delivered last week based on trips to Border Patrol facilities near the Rio Grande, including the station Pence visited. The report quoted a senior government manager as calling the situation a “ticking time bomb.”\n\nMichael Banks, the agent in charge of the McAllen station Pence visited, said the men held there were allowed to brush their teeth once a day. He said they were given deodorant after showering, but conceded many of the men had not showered for 10 or 20 days. He also said the longest any man had been there was 32 days.\n\nPresident Donald Trump said earlier Friday that he had dispatched Pence to the border to dispel reports of dire conditions at the migrant detention centers.\n\n“They’re crowded because we have a lot of people, but they’re in good shape,” Trump said. He complained about “phony” reporting on conditions by The New York Times.\n\nEarlier in his tour, Pence visited another detention facility with a series of large white tents where most of the detainees were lying on kindergarten-like mats with thin, tinfoil-like blankets. Many of the families there were to be released within 72 hours. Pence told reporters every family he spoke to there said they were being well cared for.\n\n“And while we hear some Democrats in Washington, D.C., referring to U.S. Customs and Border facilities as ‘concentration camps,’ what we saw today was a facility that is providing care that every American would be proud of,” Pence said.\n\nAfter visiting the second site, Pence had a more sober assessment. He stressed that he had called for more Department of Homeland Security spending because of the overcrowded situation, including a $4.6 billion humanitarian aid package that Congress passed recently.\n\nThe Trump administration has also been under fire over conditions inside a Border Patrol station in Clint, Texas, where children were found in filthy conditions and keeping watch over younger kids amid the overcrowding. Five immigrant children have died since late last year after being detained by the government.\n\nCentral American families fleeing violence, poverty and drought have been coming to the U.S. in record numbers this year, peaking in May, when the Border Patrol made nearly 133,000 apprehensions. Facilities to detain adults and children quickly filled up, forcing many migrants to languish in unsuitable Border Patrol facilities much longer than the 72 hours normally required by law.", "WASHINGTON – With television cameras in tow, Vice President Mike Pence toured a Border Patrol facility in Texas on Friday as Republicans pushed back on reports that migrants detained in such centers are being held in deplorable and dangerous conditions.\n\nBeneath a vinyl tent that doubles as a processing center for migrants who cross the southern border illegally, Pence approached a woman bouncing a young boy on her lap and asked where she’s from.\n\n“El Salvador,” she said through a interpreter.\n\n“Are you and your children being taken care of here?” Pence asked. “Are they treating you well here? Do you have food?”\n\nThe woman nodded her head yes.\n\nPence’s trip to the facility near McAllen, Texas, with a group of Republican senators, comes amid reports of dangerously overcrowded conditions at some detention facilities. At least six migrant children in border facilities have died since December.\n\nAs Pence was touring the facility, House Democrats back in Washington were holding a high-profile hearing on what they said were inhumane conditions they found when they toured another detention facility in Clint, Texas.\n\nBut Pence told reporters he “couldn’t be more impressed” by what he described as “the compassionate work” by Border Patrol agents at the facility near McAllen.\n\n“Every family that I spoke with told me they were being well cared for,” he said, noting what he heard was different from what he called “the harsh rhetoric” coming from Democrats.\n\nBut it’s not just Democrats who have complained about the conditions at detention facilities.\n\nIndependent investigators for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security visited Border Patrol facilities in western Texas in May and found dozens of migrants packed into spaces so tight that some had to stand on toilets.\n\nAfter visiting five facilities in June, the inspector general released a report describing dangerously overcrowded conditions.\n\nMore: Protesters turn out ahead of Vice President Mike Pence's visit to Texas detention center\n\nThe facility that Pence toured on Friday is a processing center and not one of those cited as being chronically overcrowded. But it's also where the Department of Homeland Security's inspector general has said migrants are receiving substandard care.\n\nThe facility, an air-conditioned tent complex, opened in early May on the border about 20 miles from McAllen and just yards from an international bridge connecting the United States to Mexico. It is broken up into four 8,000-square-foot pods that resemble a high school gymnasium with a linoleum, rock-patterned floor. There is space for intake processing and restrooms with showers and laundry facilities.\n\nAbout 800 people were being held Friday in the facility, which officials said had a capacity of 1,000.\n\nA reporter traveling with Pence described seeing detainees lying on kindergarten-like napping mats on the floor, covered with a thin tinfoil-like blanket. In one room, the intake facility, a crowd that appeared to be more than 100 people sat on benches. Most appeared dirty, and officials said they were waiting for showers and had been brought in earlier Friday. Some of the children were crying and sleeping.\n\nIn one room, Pence and second lady Karen Pence approached a couple of boys sitting on a bench.\n\n“I’m the vice president,” he said. “Are they taking good care of you here? Do you have enough to eat?”\n\nThe boys nodded their heads yes.\n\nTouching testimony: ‘They tore out a piece of my heart’: Migrant mother describes toddler’s illness, death\n\n“What we saw today is a facility that is providing care that every American would be proud of,” Pence said later at a roundtable discussion that included Border Patrol officials and Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee.\n\nSlamming Democrats who have called the situation on the border “a manufactured crisis,” Pence said the U.S. has a moral obligation to overhaul the nation’s immigration laws.\n\n“The facts are, we have a crisis on our southern border that is being driven by human traffickers,” he said.\n\nMigrant roundup: Donald Trump: Immigration raids begin Sunday, will target criminals 'as much as we can'", "Vice President Mike Pence visited two migrant detention centers in Texas Friday, and the conditions that greeted him at the McAllen Border Patrol Station, which houses adult migrants, were horrifying.\n\nAccording to The Washington Post, Pence saw more than 400 caged men at the McAllen detention center, “appeared to scrunch his nose when entering the facility,” and stayed only “for a moment then left.” WaPo reporter Josh Dawsey, who also toured the facility, described the stench there as “horrendous.”\n\n\"The cages were so crowded that it would have been impossible for all of the men to lie on the concrete,\" Dawsey wrote in his press pool report of the visit:\n\nDuring the visit, the some of the men were recorded shouting, \"No shower.\" Pence and the Senate Republicans who accompanied him, including South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, did not speak to the caged men.\n\nPence acknowledged the unacceptable conditions at McAllen. \"I knew we’d see a system that was overwhelmed,\" he told reporters. \"This is tough stuff.\"\n\nBut the Vice President later took to Twitter to complain that some journalists had overlooked the comparatively better conditions at the other detention center he had toured, the Donna Processing Facility, which is housing families. \"CNN is so dishonest,\" the Vice President tweeted. \"Today we took reporters to a detention facility on the border for families and children and all told us they were being treated well.\"\n\nThe Donna camp is newer than the one at McAllen, and had air conditioning. During the Vice President’s visit, children watched television and ate snack foods, and at that facility Pence did interact with migrants. But images there showed the kids using aluminum blankets and sleeping cots on the floor, and when asked if they had a place to “get cleaned up,” some children shook their heads to indicate that they did not.\n\nOn Twitter, Pence blamed the conditions at McAllen on congressional Democrats. \"These men were in a temporary holding area because Democrats in Congress have refused to fund additional bed space,\" he wrote.\n\nHouse Democrats passed the Republican-controlled Senate’s $4.6 billion border aid package in June. But many congressional progressives do not support efforts to provide more funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Customs and Border Protection agency for fear of placing additional resources in the hands of a Trump administration that has an ongoing history of mistreating migrants.\n\n\"It’s deeply difficult, with the cruelty and the abuses that are happening,\" Democratic Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal told Politico Saturday. \"To give more money — it’s just impossible for some people to vote for that.\"\n\nPresident Trump’s promised ICE raids, targeting thousands of migrant families in 10 cities, are scheduled to begin Sunday.", "MCALLEN, Texas – When Vice President Mike Pence visited a migrant detention center here Friday, he saw nearly 400 men crammed behind caged fences with not enough room for them all to lie down on the concrete ground. There were no mats or pillows for those who found the space to rest. A stench from body odor hung stale in the air.\n\nWhen reporters toured the facility before Pence, the men screamed that they’d been held there 40 days, some longer. They said they were hungry and wanted to brush their teeth. It was sweltering hot, but the only water was outside the fences and they needed to ask permission from the Border Patrol agents to drink.\n\nPence toured two migrant holding facilities Friday with Republican senators in an effort to defend the administration’s handling of the migrant crisis following reports of inhumane conditions at the facilities.\n\nThe first center he visited, while not homey or comfortable, was only two months old, cleaner and allowed Pence to paint a rosier picture of the treatment of migrants held in federal custody. But it was much harder for Pence to deny what he’d seen at the second facility, and he instead described the conditions as the result of the migrant border crisis the administration has been warning about for months.\n\n“I was not surprised by what I saw,” Pence said later at a news conference. “I knew we’d see a system that was overwhelmed.”\n\nThe vice president’s office said it specifically instructed the Border Patrol agents not to clean up or sanitize the facility beyond what is routine so the American people could see the overcrowding and scarce resources, like lack of beds, and see how serious the crisis is at the border.\n\n“That’s the overcrowding President [Donald] Trump has been talking about. That’s the overwhelming of the system that some in Congress have said was a manufactured crisis,” Pence said during a news conference after visiting the second facility. “But now I think the American people can see this crisis is real.”\n\nPence’s comments were at odds with recent statements from Republicans, as well as Trump, who have accused Democrats who have visited similar facilities of exaggerating the poor conditions. Trump earlier Friday called recent media reports and comments from Democrats about poor conditions “phony.”\n\nAnd earlier this month, the president downplayed concerns about how migrants are being treated at the facilities.\n\n“Many of these illegals aliens are living far better now than where they came from, and in far safer conditions,” Trump wrote in a July 3 tweet.\n\nPence said the rough conditions are why the administration recently requested and Congress approved $4.6 billion in aid for the border, and he accused Democrats of not supporting more funding for additional beds at facilities for migrants.\n\nHe also defended the job being done by the employees at the detention centers.\n\n“I was deeply moved to see the care that our Customs and Border Protection personnel are providing,” Pence said. “Coming here, to this station, where single adults are held, I’ve equally been inspired by the efforts of Customs and Protection doing a tough job in a difficult environment.”\n\nPence’s visit was the latest move by both political parties to use border trips to highlight their case for who is at fault for the border crisis caused by a surge in Central American migrants and what should be done to remedy it.\n\nRepublicans have accused Democrats of failing to get on board with legal changes to the asylum system that would make the flow of migrants easier to handle, while Democrats have charged Trump’s policies and rhetoric are callous and making a bad situation worse.\n\nThe political fight over the border is likely to only intensify as both parties prepare for the 2020 presidential race, in which immigration will be a top issue.\n\nBorder officials sought to counter some of the men’s claims at the second facility Pence visited.\n\nMichael Banks, the patrol agent in charge of the McAllen facility, said the men there are allowed to brush their teeth once a day and are given deodorant after showering. But he conceded that many of the men had not showered for 10 or 20 days because the facility previously didn’t have showers.\n\nThere were no cots for them to sleep on because there wasn’t room, Banks said. Instead, they are each given a Mylar blanket. He said they are also given three hot meals a day, along with juice and crackers.\n\nAfter he toured the first facility, Pence described a much better situation than the one that has been relayed by Democrats and in news reports.\n\nHe said Trump wanted him there with media cameras to see for themselves how people were being treated.\n\n“Every family I spoke to said they were being well cared for, and that’s different than some of the harsh rhetoric we hear from Capitol Hill,” Pence said. “Customs and Border Protection is doing its level best to provide compassionate care in a manner the American people would expect.”\n\nPence first toured the cavernous facility built in May to handle overcrowding, where 800 people are living. Most were lying on kindergarten-style napping mats on the floor, covered with thin, tinfoil blankets. In another room, children, all under 8 years old, were seated in front of a television watching an animated Spanish film.\n\nPence asked the children if they had food and were being taken care of. They all nodded, and some said “sí.” A few children shook their heads no when asked if they had a place to “get cleaned up.”\n\nAs Pence toured the facilities, a House committee was having a contentious, partisan debate back in Washington over how migrants have been treated. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., requested to be sworn in when appearing as a witness before the panel to show she was telling the truth when she retold a story about a migrant woman who said she had to drink water from the toilet because her sink broke.\n\nRep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, accused her of playing to her millions of Twitter followers.\n\nSome Democrats have described the detention centers as “concentration camps” and say the U.S. government is holding children in “cages.” Several children have died after crossing the border and being taken into federal custody.\n\nPence said it was heartbreaking to hear from children who had walked two or three months to come to America and cross the border illegally, but he ultimately blamed Congress for failing to pass legislation that would deal with the influx of migrants at the southern border.", "In this photo tweeted by Vice President Mike Pence on Friday, July 12, 2019, Pence shakes hands with a Border Patrol agent during a tour of a migrant detention facility in Donna, Texas. (@VP)\n\nWASHINGTON, D.C. (NEXSTAR) — Vice President Mike Pence was in Texas Friday to show support for U.S. agents at the border.\n\nThe Vice President and a group of Republican Senators toured a migrant detention center in McAllen and sat down with border patrol officers to see how Washington can help with the influx of migrants crossing into Texas.\n\nPence met migrant children inside one of the country’s busiest detention centers and says the conditions he observed inside are good.\n\n“Each and everyone one of the children and each and every one of the parents I spoke to told me they are being treated well,” Pence said Friday. “Our customs and border protection are doing their level best to provide compassionate care to these families.”\n\nPence painted a very different picture of how the migrants are being treated than New York Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.\n\n“Their sink was not working and we tested the sink ourselves and the sink was not working and they were told to drink out of a toilet bowl,” said Ocasio-Cortez.\n\nBoth Democrats and Republicans agree more needs to be done.\n\nCongress passed a $4.6 billion-dollar immigration funding bill last month, but Senator Lindsey Graham says now it’s time to fix the system. He says that means adding more resources to keep up with the growing crisis.\n\nGraham says the lawmakers will return to Washington and get to work to pass legislation as soon as possible.", "Just a day after Vice President Mike Pence made a trip to the Texas-Mexico border near McAllen, Rep. Scott Peters, D-San Diego, will do the same.\n\nPeters, at the invitation of Texas Reps. Filemon Vela and Vicente Gonzalez, will visit the U.S.-Mexico border near McAllen and Brownsville, Texas, Saturday where he will meet with Border Patrol agents, detention center staff, migrant families and nonprofit organizations that are supplying humanitarian aid.\n\n“The San Diego community has come together and provided for those seeking asylum, but we are not the only community to see the rise in asylum-seekers at our border,” Peters said in a statement. “As a member of Congress, it is my job to investigate the result of this administration’s policies, and I need to see the conditions in South Texas for myself. I look forward to talking to families and children who are living through this crisis and hearing from the organizations on the ground who are providing vital services.”\n\nPeters is one of at least 19 congressional members from across the country who are visiting border facilities following a report last week from the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General that highlighted dangerous overcrowding, squalid conditions and prolonged detention of children at five migrant detention facilities in Texas.\n\nSome facilities are so intensely crowded that they lack the number of needed beds and the report includes photographs of detained migrants sleeping nearly on top of each other on napping mats with only tinfoil-like blankets for warmth.\n\nAt some of these facilities, migrants were given wet wipes to clean themselves, according to the report, and inspectors also found no laundry facilities.\n\nInvestigators also reported that children in custody had few spare clothes, and some were not being given hot meals.\n\nThe conditions at some of the facilities also pose a serious safety risk for agents and detainees, according to several senior managers at the facilities, with one senior manager at a facility telling investigators the situation was a “ticking time bomb,” according to the report.\n\nDuring a stop in San Diego earlier this week, Pence defended detention conditions while being questioned by reporters and criticized Democratic members of Congress who have compared the facilities to concentration camps.\n\nThe vice president told reporters that Customs and Border Protection agents are providing migrants aid, and after visiting the newer Donna detention facility near McAllen on Friday along with nine Republican congressional members, he told a group of reporters the work of the CBP agents would make every American proud.\n\n“I couldn’t be more impressed,” he told reporters. “Every family I spoke to said they were being well cared for.”"], "summary": "U.S. Vice President Mike Pence says the conditions under which asylum seekers are being held in facilities along the U.S. border with Mexico are unacceptable, after visiting two federal detention centers in Texas, remaining the highest-ranking member of the Trump administration to say so. He calls upon the U.S. Congress to act."}
{"document": ["United States’ Serena Williams returns to Czech Republic’s Barbora Strycova in a Women’s semifinal singles match on day ten of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Thursday, July 11, 2019. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)\n\nSerena Williams goes for her 24th Grand Slam title when she faces Simona Halep in the Wimbledon final. Williams is already a seven-time champion at the All England Club. Halep is appearing in her first final at Centre Court. Her only major championship came at the French Open last year. Williams has beaten Halep nine times in their 10 previous matches. If Williams wins this one, she will equal Margaret Court’s record for most Grand Slam singles titles. But Court won 13 of her major trophies before professionals were admitted to Grand Slam tournaments, while all 23 of Williams’ major titles have come in the Open era, which began in 1968.\n\nNo. 1 Novak Djokovic beat No. 23 Roberto Bautista Agut 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2; No. 2 Roger Federer beat No. 3 Rafael Nadal 7-6 (3), 1-6, 6-3, 6-4.\n\n45 — Number of strokes in a point won by Djokovic, the longest on record at Wimbledon, where such stats date to 2005.\n\nQUOTE OF THE DAY\n\n“You don’t get to a Wimbledon finals playing average, you know.” — Roger Federer talking about having a winning mentality.", "Simona Halep played a near-flawless final on Saturday to become the first Romanian woman to win Wimbledon, simultaneously wrecking Serena Williams’s bid for a record-equalling 24th major, a dream that grows more unlikely by the day.\n\nThe 37-year-old American – still one short of Margaret Court’s all-time tally – smiled graciously at the end but will have been crying inside, while Halep beamed like a lighthouse in celebration of a 6-2, 6-2 drubbing in 56 minutes of perhaps the game’s greatest player.\n\n“She really played out of her mind,” Williams said. “Whenever a player plays that amazing you just have to take your hat off and give her a nod.”\n\nWimbledon women's singles final: Halep storms past Williams – live! Read more\n\nHalep, charm and joy personified, agreed she had never played a better match. “I had nerves,” she said. “My stomach was not very well before the match. But I had no time for emotions and just came out and tried my best.\n\n“It was my mum’s dream when I was about 10. And the day came and my mum is here to see it. I have worked a lot to change a little bit my game to play on grass. I started to feel this year when the ball comes to me I knew what to do with it. I can’t wait to come back here.”\n\nA hat-trick of errors, culminating in a forehand wide, cost Williams her opening service game and Halep held to love to go 2-0 up inside five minutes, the perfect start.\n\nWhen she ran down a third angled reply to hit a winner on the run in the third game, Halep was like a terrier snapping at the wheels of a Rolls-Royce. Williams’s coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, shook his head in the stands when Halep went 3-0 up with a sublime return into the forehand corner. “This is the best returning I’ve seen since I can’t remember when,” John McEnroe observed.\n\nIt was 4-0 Halep in 11 minutes. This was Serena-pace demolition. Writers in the press seats looked around, wondering if they would have enough copy to fill their alloted wordages. And then a love hold for Williams. Was normal service about to be resumed?\n\nThe first five games had taken less than a quarter of an hour – but this did not resemble Williams’s odd struggle in the quarter-finals against Alison Riske, when her tennis deserted her for long periods. She was still hitting the ball with deadly precision; it was just that Halep was hitting it back at her in nearly every rally.\n\nFacebook Twitter Pinterest Halep celebrates during the match. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian\n\nWilliams finally made some inroads on the Halep serve in the sixth game, taking her to deuce with a wicked crosscourt forehand and getting her first break point with another down the line. But she could do nothing about the Halep forehand with which she held for 5-1 after just 20 minutes. Within six minutes the set belonged to Halep, although the manner of her taking it left Centre Court stunned.\n\nWilliams had not done a lot wrong. She had just been out-hustled in a whirlwind start and her challenge was first to stem the bleeding, then to get up and start winning the race. There was a moment of almost existential release after she hit a solid winner in the opening game of the second set, when she bent over the turf and screamed at it for 10 seconds.\n\nShot by shot, she got back into the fight. Her sister, Venus, looked on calmly from her box, no doubt quietly worrying for her as hard as she would for herself. Over in the royal box her best royal friend, Meghan Markle, smiled benignly, in a Duchess of Sussex sort of way. Cambridge was near to Sussex, for royal box purposes anyway, and she smiled brightly too.\n\nSign up to The Recap, our weekly email of editors’ picks.\n\nIf there were any Romanians up there, they probably were not smiling like this. Williams did not smile. She never does, until the job is done and then she gives it the full lights-on treatment. She had some work to do to get the opportunity.\n\nHalep stayed steady, kept running, kept getting the forehand killers back, kept asking the questions. She got another look on the Williams serve in the fifth game that might have opened up a pathway to the finish line. Williams spoilt the good work in a long rally by putting a straightforward winner long.\n\nCrisis now enveloped Williams, a set and a break down with history calling her. She had been here so many times before but, since becoming a mother in September 2017 she had not won a tournament in what has been a stuttering comeback.\n\nSimona Halep: ‘My dream was to be the best. I did everything for tennis’ Read more\n\nIn key moments Halep was not making dumb mistakes, and that was the difference between them. Her serve was less than lethal but it was serviceable; she gave Williams very few opportunities to hurt her second serve and she led 4-2 after a solid hold.\n\n“She seems to have lost her spirit, her belief,” Tracy Austin observed of her fellow American, as she struggled to get back in the match, an anaemic backhand at 40-30 dribbling into the net. Another gave Halep break point.\n\nShe had won all three to come her way to this point – but Williams found an ace, when the Romanian misjudged the flight of the ball. Again, however, Williams netted and her head dropped, her 24th unforced error, to three from Halep.\n\nA 25th arrived immediately and Halep had her fifth break point of the match. This time she drove it down the line and, after 54 minutes, she stepped up to serve for her second slam title.\n\nWilliams thudded a backhand into the net: 15-0. Her nervous forehand went long: 30-0. Halep served big down the middle: 40-0 and three championship points. One more desperate Williams forehand, almost in angry response to her wretched slippage, and the job was done.\n\nFacebook Twitter Pinterest Halep poses with the spoils of her victory. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian\n\nIt was the most unexpected finish to a match few had predicted would go this way. But there was no denying Halep, who played the near-perfect match in the middle of a storm that eventually ran out of force.\n\nWilliams has won only two of her past six finals in majors. The last was two and a half years ago in Melbourne. She is 38 in September. If she is to add to her story, she had better do it soon.", "LONDON (Reuters) - Simona Halep became the first Romanian to win a Wimbledon singles title after she beat seven-times champion Serena Williams 6-2 6-2 in the final on Saturday.\n\nIt was Halep’s second Grand Slam title following her triumph at Roland Garros last year.\n\nThe result denied Williams from equaling Margaret Court’s all-time record of winning 24 Grand Slam singles titles.", "Simona Halep has stunned Serena Williams to claim her maiden Wimbledon title with a 6-2 6-2 demolition of the American that stunned the tennis world.\n\nAfter taking the opening set in just 26 minutes it appeared Williams was set to make more of a contest of the second but at 2-2 Halep got what would prove the decisive break.\n\n\"Simply irresistible - Williams is in real trouble now,\" Sam Smith said on commentary and co-commentator Tracy Austin agreed.\n\n\"She is in the zone, it's like Halep is there before Serena even hits it,\" Austin said.\n\nHalep then went on to hold and break Williams again before serving the match out in just 56 minutes to claim her second career slam title, to go with her 2018 French Open.\n\nThe win makes Halep the first Romanian player to win Wimbledon, eclipsing the great Ilie Nastase, who made the final in London in both 1972 and 1976.\n\nFor Williams it was another crushing defeat in a grand slam final, as she again tried in vain to tie Margaret Court's record of 24 major titles.\n\nShe has now lost her last three slam finals: the 2018 Wimbledon final to Angelique Kerber, the 2018 US Open final to Naomi Osaka and this Wimbledon decider to Halep.\n\nWilliams was never really in the match and admitted to being a \"deer in the headlights\" in her on court interview post-match.\n\nWilliams started the match looking nervous and Halep broke the American in her opening two service games as Williams committed multiple unforced errors.\n\nHalep then rattled through the first set in 26 minutes as commentator Sam Smith opined \"this wasn't in the script\".\n\nShe was right - but it was entertaining and from Halep one of the best displays of tennis of her career.\n\nAsked on court after the match if she had played better, Halep had a resounding answer.\n\n\"Never,\" she said. \"It was the best match - I have worked a lot for this moment. I have no words to explain, I feel great.\"\n\nAnd so she should, the performance was almost flawless.\n\nEarly on Halep would hold for a 4-0 lead in the first set before Williams finally steadied to hold serve at 1-4 - the first set though was gone in the blink of an eye.\n\nThe second was just the same and it was bizarre to see one of the greats of the game unable to do anything about the performance of her opponent.\n\nJohn McEnroe described the Romanian's performance as \"unbelievable\" before comparing it to his 1984 6-1 6-1 6-2 annihilation of Jimmy Connors in the men's final.\n\n\"There's literally five matches or less that you feel like you're in the zone from start to finish and that was one of them,\" McEnroe said before being asked if it was like his '84 masterpiece.\n\n\"It does bring back some memories and it does feel unbelievably good and that's why you won't be able to get that smile off her face for the next month.\"", "Wimbledon is back with a host of exciting talents gunning for glory in the Women’s Singles final.\n\nSerena Williams will be the one to watch as long as she graces Centre Court, but a host of contenders are poised ready to seize the spotlight.\n\nNine different winners have triumphed in the last 10 Women’s Grand Slam finals, with only Naomi Osaka recording more than one Slam victory in the last three years.\n• Wimbledon 2019: Schedule, how to watch on TV and live stream, prize money, dates, times\n\nThe Japanese star is among the favourites, while 23-year-old Ashleigh Barty’s confidence will be sky-high after lifting the French Open trophy this year.\n\nFans will be desperate to tune in for the main event, but how can you watch the action on TV and online?\n\nRadioTimes.com has rounded up everything you need to know about how to watch the Women’s Singles Wimbledon final.\n\nWhen is the Women’s Singles Wimbledon final?\n\nThe Women’s Singles Wimbledon final will take place on Saturday 13th July with the day of action starting from 2:00pm (UK time).\n\nHow to watch the Women’s Singles Wimbledon final\n\nFans can tune in to watch the match for free on BBC1.\n\nYou can also live stream the showpiece event via BBC iPlayer on a range of devices including laptops, smartphones and tablets so you never have to miss a moment.\n\nWho won the Wimbledon final in 2018?\n\nAngelique Kerber triumphed over Serena Williams in last year’s final following a sensational tournament in 2018.\n\nThe German star won 6-3 6-3 in the final as she took control of the match throughout.\n\nKerber dropped just one set in her seven matches at the 2018 Championships, and swept aside rising star Naomi Osaka in the Round of 32.\n\nWho will play the Women’s Singles Wimbledon final in 2019?\n\nThe unpredictable women’s game could once again throw up a rogue winner, according the Annabel Croft.\n\nThe former British star has picked her players to look out for in the RadioTimes.com guide below.", "Simona Halep has stunned Serena Williams to claim her maiden Wimbledon title with a 6-2 6-2 demolition of the American that stunned the tennis world.\n\nAfter taking the opening set in just 26 minutes it appeared Williams was set to make more of a contest of the second but at 2-2 Halep got what would prove the decisive break.\n\n\"Simply irresistible - Williams is in real trouble now,\" Sam Smith said on commentary and co-commentator Tracy Austin agreed.\n\n\"She is in the zone, it's like Halep is there before Serena even hits it,\" Austin said.\n\nHalep then went on to hold and break Williams again before serving the match out in just 56 minutes to claim her second career slam title, to go with her 2018 French Open.\n\nThe win makes Halep the first Romanian player to win Wimbledon, eclipsing the great Ilie Nastase, who made the final in London in both 1972 and 1976.\n\nFor Williams it was another crushing defeat in a grand slam final, as she again tried in vain to tie Margaret Court's record of 24 major titles.\n\nShe has now lost her last three slam finals: the 2018 Wimbledon final to Angelique Kerber, the 2018 US Open final to Naomi Osaka and this Wimbledon decider to Halep.\n\nWilliams was never really in the match and admitted to being a \"deer in the headlights\" in her on court interview post-match.\n\nWilliams started the match looking nervous and Halep broke the American in her opening two service games as Williams committed multiple unforced errors.\n\nHalep then rattled through the first set in 26 minutes as commentator Sam Smith opined \"this wasn't in the script\".\n\nShe was right - but it was entertaining and from Halep one of the best displays of tennis of her career.\n\nAsked on court after the match if she had played better, Halep had a resounding answer.\n\n\"Never,\" she said. \"It was the best match - I have worked a lot for this moment. I have no words to explain, I feel great.\"\n\nAnd so she should, the performance was almost flawless.\n\nEarly on Halep would hold for a 4-0 lead in the first set before Williams finally steadied to hold serve at 1-4 - the first set though was gone in the blink of an eye.\n\nThe second was just the same and it was bizarre to see one of the greats of the game unable to do anything about the performance of her opponent.\n\nJohn McEnroe described the Romanian's performance as \"unbelievable\" before comparing it to his 1984 6-1 6-1 6-2 annihilation of Jimmy Connors in the men's final.\n\n\"There's literally five matches or less that you feel like you're in the zone from start to finish and that was one of them,\" McEnroe said before being asked if it was like his '84 masterpiece.\n\n\"It does bring back some memories and it does feel unbelievably good and that's why you won't be able to get that smile off her face for the next month.\"", "Simona Halep won her first Wimbledon title and kept Serena Williams from winning her eighth on Saturday. Halep defeated Williams 6-2, 6-2 on Centre Court for her second major title.\n\nWilliams was trying to win her record-equaling 24th Grand Slam singles title, but she failed in a final for the third time. Williams lost to Angelique Kerber in last year’s Wimbledon final and lost to Naomi Osaka in the championship match at the U.S. Open.\n\nWilliams still holds the record for most major singles titles in the professional era with 23, one more than Steffi Graf. But Margaret Court, who won 13 of her Grand Slam singles titles in the amateur era, has 24 overall.\n\nHalep, who won last year’s French Open title, had only three unforced errors to Williams’ 25 in the final.", "SENERA Williams's place among the legends of tennis is assured but her mission will not be accomplished unless she at least equals Margaret Court's record haul of 24 Grand Slam singles titles.\n\nThe 37-year-old American gets a third chance in a year to go level with the Australian legend when she plays another former world No.1, Simona Halep, in the Wimbledon final on Saturday night (AEST).\n\nAside from the one-on-one rivalry on court, both women have a member of the royal family rooting for them - Williams's friend Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, and Halep favouring Kate, Duchess of Cambridge.\n\nWilliams will hope for a happier ending after eing outplayed by Angelique Kerber in last year's Wimbledon final and Naomi Osaka in the US Open final, where a spectacular meltdown torpedoed the American's cause and led her to eventually consult a therapist.\n\nHalep, the first Romanian woman to play in the Wimbledon final, has the weaponry to upset Williams.\n\nHowever, she will want her serve to be more reliable than it was in the early stages of her ultimately easy semi-final win over Elina Svitolina.\n\nThe 27-year-old has won just one of the four Grand Slam finals in which she has appeared - last year's French Open.\n\nWilliams and Halep square off at 10.45pm (AEST) on Saturday night, with Seven's coverage starting on 7mate in Sydney, Brisbane and Perth before switching to 7.\n\nSydney - 10.45pm on 7mate, 11.15pm on Channel 7; Melbourne - 10.45pm on Channel 7; Brisbane - 10.45pm on 7mate, 11.15pm on Channel 7; Adelaide - 10.15pm on Channel 7; Perth - 8.45pm on 7mate, 11.15pm on Channel 7.\n\nWilliams has won nine of the 10 matches the pair have played, including all three times in grand slams (2019 Australian Open round of 16 - 6-1 4-6 6-4; 2016 US Open quarterfinal 6-2 4-6 6-3; 2011 Wimbledon second round 3-6 6-2 6-1).\n\nBoth players benefited from a number of early exits by top players in the women's draw. Williams only faced two seeds - Julia Goerges (18) and Carla Suarez Navarro (30) - while Halep only played one - Elina Svitolina (8).\n\nWilliams - First round: Giulia Gatto Monticone (ITA) 6-2 7-5; Second round: Kaja Juvan (SLO) 2-6 6-2 6-4; Third round: Julia Goerges (GER) 6-3 6-4; Round of 16: Carla Suarez Navarro (ESP) 6-2 6-2; Quartefinal: Alison Riske (USA) 6-4 4-6 6-3; semi-final: Barbora Strycova (CZE) 6-1 6-2.\n\nHalep - First round: Aliaksandra Sasnovich (BLR) 6-4 7-5; Second round: Mihaela Buzarnescu (ROM) 6-3 4-6 6-2; Third round: Victoria Azarenka (BLR) 6-3 6-1; Round of 16: Coco Gauff (USA) 6-3 6-3; Quartefinal: Zhang Shuai (CHN) 7-6 (7/4) 6-1; semi-final: Elina Svitolina (UKR) 6-1 6-3.\n\nWilliams is gunning for her eighth Wimbledon crown, which would take her past German great Steffi Graf and behind only nine-time champion Navratilova. Here's a look at her seven previous wins:\n\nSerena defeats two-time defending champion and sister Venus to win her first Wimbledon singles title. Serena also claims the world No.1 ranking for the first time, adding the All England Club crown to her win the previous month at the French Open.\n\nSerena clinches her second straight Wimbledon crown with victory coming in the wake of her defeat to Justine Henin in the Roland Garros semi-finals. Venus struggled with an abdominal and thigh injury that affected her serve and movement as the final went on. \"She's tougher than I ever thought she was,\" said Serena. \"I knew she was tough but she's gone on to a whole different level. To play today knowing she was injured, she's definitely up there with the real fighters and champions.\"\n\nSerena again defeats her sister, the two-time defending champion. It is her third Wimbledon singles title and 11th Grand Slam singles trophy overall. She takes victory after having saved a match point against Elena Dementieva in the semi-finals. Venus was attempting to become the first player to win the women's singles title for three consecutive years since Steffi Graf from 1991-1993.\n\nWorld No.1 Serena powers past Vera Zvonareva in just 66 minutes to win a fourth Wimbledon, preserving her record of not having dropped a set in the process. It is her 13th Grand Slam singles title.\n\nThe 30-year-old American wins a fifth Wimbledon and 14th major, becoming the oldest winner since Martina Navratilova in 1990. The younger Williams sister draws level with Venus on five titles at the tournament. Radwanska is the first Polish woman in a Grand Slam final since 1939.\n\nA 21st major for Serena as she adds Wimbledon to her Australian and French Open titles in 2015, completing the \"Serena Slam\" having also won the US Open in the previous year. \"There was definitely pressure towards the end. Garbine started playing really well and I just had to think to stay out there and work really hard,\" she said. Serena was unable to complete the calendar Grand Slam when she went on to lose in the semi-finals in New York to Roberta Vinci.\n\nA seventh Wimbledon for the American and 22nd Grand Slam title, equalling Steffi Graf's Open era record of major titles. \"It makes the victory even sweeter to know how hard I worked hard for it. This court definitely feels like home,\" she said.", "Simona Halep wins her first Wimbledon title, beating Serena Williams in less than an hour\n\nSimona Halep has beaten Serena Williams to claim her first ever Wimbledon title.\n\nThe former World Number One beat the American in straight sets, taking the first 6-2.\n\nShe served for the Championship, to make the second 6-2.\n\nIf Williams had won, it would have been her eighth Wimbledon title and her 24th Grand Slam.\n\nDespite a strong start in the second set from Williams, the Romanian was able to overcome and won her first grass Grand Slam title.\n\nHalep, 27, also denied Williams the opportunity to equal the record for most Grand Slam titles, currently held by Margaret Court.\n\nThe match took less than an hour, and is one of the shortest finals ever played.\n\nHalep has recently spoken of enjoying playing on grass. Her only other Grand Slam title came from the French Open last year, played on clay.\n\nShe has not previously been a fan of grass, but found her game at this year's Wimbledon. In the semi-finals she saw off Elina Svitolina, losing just four games.\n\nThe ladies' final was attended by dozens of celebrities as well as Williams' close friend, Meghan the Duchess of Sussex.\n\nShe sat alongside her sister-in-law Catherine the Duchess of Cambridge.\n\nAlso spotted in the stands were Jodie Whittaker, Aidan Turner, Lily James, Gill Brook and Theresa May, enjoying her last Wimbledon as Prime Minister.\n\nFor Williams, it's the second year in a row she's made it to the Wimbledon final and been beaten - losing to Angelique Kerber last year.\n\nAfter the match, Williams said Halep \"literally played out of her mind\".\n\nShe said: \"It was a little bit 'deer in the headlights' for me. Whenever someone plays like that you just have to take your hat off and nod your head.\"\n\nWilliams has not played any matches before Wimbledon and teamed up with former world number one Andy Murray to get more matches in the mixed doubles.\n\nHalep was asked if she ever played a better match than that, and said: \"Never.\"\n\nShe said: \"I came on court and gave my best.\n\n\"It's something very special and I will never forget this day. It was my mum's dream that I would play the final of Wimbledon - thanks to my parents.\"\n\nPaying tribute to her opponent, she said: \"It was the best match and Serena always inspired us. I have worked a lot for this moment, it is hard to explain so I feel great.\"\n\nSpeaking about her new love for grass, Halep said she did lots of work to change her game to adapt for grass courts.\n\nShe said: \"It was an amazing year, an amazing tournament, I can't wait to come back.\"\n\nHalep said she had hoped she would see the Duchess of Cambridge, and admitted she was \"excited\" to meet the royals after, having been unaware she would be greeted by the family after the match.\n\nHalep made just three unforced errors throughout the match, while Williams racked up 26.\n\nIt's the third consecutive Grand Slam final Williams has lost with the record-equalling target in her mind. She lost Naomi Osaka in the US Open last September.\n\nShe has not won a tournament since the 2017 Australian Open, when she was pregnant. She took a year off the tour after Olympia was born, and has dealt with injuries since her return.\n\nTennis great Billie Jean King tweeted: \"Congratulations to @Simona_Halep on a tremendous win. One of the most perfectly executed matches I've ever seen. She's Romania's first-ever singles champion! Incredible tennis.\"", "WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — Simona Halep was not focused on trying to prevent Serena Williams from winning a 24th Grand Slam title. All Halep cared about was winning Wimbledon for the first time.\n\nPretty much perfect from start to finish, Halep beat Williams 6-2, 6-2 in stunning fashion in the final at the All England Club on Saturday.\n\nThe whole thing took only 56 minutes.\n\nHalep made only three unforced errors, a remarkably low total and 23 fewer than Williams.\n\nThis is the third consecutive Grand Slam final lost by Williams as she tries to equal the all-time record with 24 major trophies. She was the runner-up to Angelique Kerber at Wimbledon a year ago."], "summary": "Simona Halep defeats Serena Williams (6–2, 6–2) to win the 2019 Wimbledon women's singles championship, her first Wimbledon victory and her second Grand Slam singles title. Williams was attempting to equal Margaret Court's all-time record of 24 Grand Slam singles titles."}
{"document": ["Reports say witnesses saw parachutists try to jump clear of GippsAero GA8 Airvan as it plunged into islands\n\nThis article is more than 1 month old\n\nThis article is more than 1 month old\n\nA small plane carrying parachutists crashed in northern Sweden soon after takeoff on Sunday and all nine people on board were killed, officials said.\n\nThe accident took place a little after 2pm local time on Storsandskar island. Swedish media quoted witnesses reporting that some of the parachutists were seen trying to jump off the plane just before the crash.\n\nSwedish airport authority Swedavia said the crashed aircraft was a GippsAero GA8 Airvan, an Australian-made single-engine plane popular with parachutists, that took off from Umea airport. The cause of the crash was not yet known.\n\n“I can confirm that all those aboard the plane have died,” said Vasterbotten municipality spokeswoman Gabriella Bandling.\n\nOne witness told Swedish broadcaster SVT she heard a loud noise from above before she saw the plane going straight down and crashing into the island.\n\nThe Swedish prime minister, Stefan Lofven, expressed “great sadness” over the accident in a statement to Swedish news agency TT. He sent condolences to the families of the victims and said the government would stay in close touch with officials probing the crash “as it is important to investigate the cause”.", "STOCKHOLM — A single-engine plane crashed on a small island in northern Sweden killing all nine people onboard, the authorities said on Monday.\n\nThe plane took off from a regional airport near the university city of Umea at 1:30 p.m. and crashed on a tiny island in a river not far away, according to Malin Axroth, a police spokeswoman.\n\nMs. Axroth said that it appeared the plane had been in the air for a short time and that the first report of a crash came in at 2:10 p.m.\n\nThe cause is under investigation, the Swedish Accident Investigation Authority said.\n\nIn a statement on Sunday, Prime Minister Stefan Lofven of Sweden expressed “great sorrow” about the crash. “My thoughts go to the victims and their families at this difficult time,” he said.", "Nine people were killed when their plane plummeted out of the sky during a skydiving trip in northern Sweden, authorities said on Sunday.\n\nThe single-engine plane, a GippsAero GA8 Airvan which is popular with parachutists and ordinarily seats eight people including the pilot, crashed on an island on the Ume river shortly after take-off from Umea airport.\n\nThe accident took place a little after 2 pm local time on Storsandskar island.\n\nShocking footage shows the moment the out-of-control plane plummeted out of the sky above rows of trees.\n\nSwedish media quoted witnesses reporting that some of the parachutists were seen trying to jump off the plane just before the crash.\n\nThe police said that all the victims were Swedish, with one person holding dual citizenship. The names of the victims were not been disclosed.\n\n'I can confirm that all those aboard the plane have died,' Region Vasterbotten municipality spokeswoman Gabriella Bandling said.\n\nOne witness told Swedish broadcaster SVT she heard a loud noise from above before she saw the plane going straight down and crashing into the island.\n\n'In view of today's tragic air crash outside Umea, which took nine people's lives, I want to convey my condolences.\n\n'My family and I send our thoughts to their families and relatives,' he said on Facebook.\n\nSweden's Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said the government was in close contact with the relevant authorities as they investigate the cause of the crash.\n\nHe sent condolences to the families of the victims and said the government would stay in close touch with officials probing the crash 'as it is important to investigate the cause'.", "HELSINKI -- Swedish officials said a small plane carrying parachutists crashed in northern Sweden soon after takeoff on Sunday and all nine people on board were killed.\n\nThe accident took place a little after 2 p.m. local time on Storsandskar island. Swedish media quoted witnesses reporting that some of the parachutists were seen trying to jump off the plane just before the crash.\n\nSwedish airport authority Swedavia said the crashed aircraft was a GippsAero GA8 Airvan, an Australian-made single-engine plane popular with parachutists, that took off from Umea Airport. The cause of the crash is not yet known.\n\n“I can confirm that all those aboard the plane have died,” Region Vasterbotten municipality spokeswoman Gabriella Bandling said.\n\nOne witness told Swedish broadcaster SVT she heard a loud noise from above before she saw the plane going straight down and crashing into the island.\n\nSwedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven expressed “great sadness” over the accident in a statement to Swedish news agency TT.\n\nHe sent condolances to the families of the victims and said the government would stay in close touch with officials probing the crash “as it is important to investigate the cause”.", "Nine people are dead after a small plane carrying parachutists crashed into an island Sweden.\n\nWitnesses watched in horror as the aircraft plummeted into the island outside the northern city of Umea, on Sweden's eastern coastline, killing all aboard.\n\nOne witness said he heard the strange sound and watched as the plane plummeted, nose-first toward the River Ume, then crashed out of sight with a loud 'bang'.\n\nAxel Pettersson, 16, told Aftonbladet he was sitting on the couch at his home near Umea Airport eating when heard a sound from the skies becoming higher, and higher-pitched.\n\nDid you witness the crash? Email webnews@mirror.co.uk\n\nAxel said he is used to the sounds of the planes arriving and departing, but described the noise as like one he had never heard before.\n\nHe went outside and saw a plane circling.\n\nHe began filming, and seconds later captured the plane plummeting rapidly.\n\nHe said he heard it crash with a loud \"bang\" then everything went quiet.\n\nAxel said his pulse rose and he barely breathed, thinking: \"what the hell is happening now, what the hell is happening now, what do I do now\".\n\nHe called for his parents who immediately alerted emergency services.\n\n\n\nAuthorities in Sweden said the plane had taken off from Umea Airport shortly after 1.30pm and sounded an alarm at 2.12pm.\n\nLocal police told Sweden's SVT reports of the crash came in about 2pm.\n\nIt crashed in the river near the island of Storsandskar, which is located about 2km from Umea airport.\n\nA police spokesman said early reports suggested the plane had gone down in the river in an area south of the airport, on Storsandskar.\n\nThe aircraft was said to have been a single-engine and was carrying parachutists.\n\nWitnesses living nearby the airport told Expressen they had heard a 'bang' and saw the plane dip.\n\nAnother witness said she saw the plane spin with its nose facing downwards before it plummeted.\n\n\"We are already on the scene with a rescue team which is assisting the ambulance and we have opened a location, together with aid organisations, to give psychological and social care,\" Conny Qvarfordt from the local rescue services told Sweden's TT newswire, reports Sweden's The Local.\n\n\"It's a parachute plane, and something seems to have happened just after take-off.\"\n\nUmea Airport operator Swedavia, said the plane was a GippsAero GA8 Airvan, which is a single-engine eight-seater utility aircraft, similar to a Cessna.\n\nThe small plane designed to carry parachutists crashed on an island on the Ume river shortly after take off, police spokesman Peder Jonsson said.\n\nHe added the cause for the accident was unknown.\n\nHe said those on board were on a skydiving trip.\n\nThe region's main University Hospital of Umea confirmed there were no survivors and relatives of the deceased had been notified.\n\nNeither Jonsson nor the hospital immediately identified the victims' names or nationalities.", "Helsinki: Swedish officials said a small plane carrying parachutists crashed in northern Sweden soon after takeoff on Sunday and all nine people on board were killed.\n\nThe accident took place a little after 2pm local time on Storsandskar island. Swedish media quoted witnesses reporting that some of the parachutists were seen trying to jump off the plane just before the crash.\n\nSwedish airport authority Swedavia said the crashed aircraft was a GippsAero GA8 Airvan, an Australian-made single-engine plane popular with parachutists, that took off from Umea Airport. The cause of the crash is not yet known.\n\n\"I can confirm that all those aboard the plane have died,\" Region Vasterbotten municipality spokeswoman Gabriella Bandling said.", "Nine people died in Sweden when a skydiving plane crashed shortly after take off on Sunday.\n\nThe plane appeared to plunge nearly straight into the ground on a island in the middle of a river.\n\nA helicopter and rescue boat responded to the scene was well as emergency services.\n\nHospital officials said there were no survivors. All were Swedish citizens.\n\nThe cause of the crash is not yet known.", "Nine killed as plane crashes during skydiving trip in Sweden\n\nNine Swedes were killed when their plane crashed during a skydiving trip near Umea, a small university city in northern Sweden, authorities said on Sunday.The small plane designed to carry parachutists crashed on an island on the Ume river shortly after takeoff from Umea airport, police spokesman Peder Jonsson said, adding that those on board were on a skydiving trip. The police said that all the victims were Swedish, with one person holding dual citizenship. The names of the victims were not been disclosed. King Carl XVI Gustaf expressed his sorrow in a statement. \"In view of today's tragic air crash outside Umea, which took nine people's lives, I want to convey my condolences. My family and I send our thoughts to their families and relatives,\" he said on Facebook. Sweden's Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said the government was in close contact with the relevant authorities as they investigate the cause of the crash.\n\nFor the latest news in entertainment check out Sde.co.ke and Pulser.co.ke , for everything sports visit Gameyetu.co.ke and ladies we have you covered on Evewoman", "Nine people died on Sunday when a plane carrying them for a parachute jump crashed in northern Sweden soon after taking off.\n\nThe GippsAero GA8 Airvan, a single engine plane popular with skydivers, crashed shortly after 14:00 (12:00 GMT), having left Umea airport.\n\nThe plane crashed on an island on the Ume river, a police spokesman said.\n\nAll those on board were Swedish, police added.\n\nThe cause of the crash was not immediately clear. Swedish media quoted witnesses as saying some of the parachutists were seen trying to jump off the plane just before it crashed.\n\n“I heard a weird sound, which didn’t sound normal. I looked up and saw a plane spinning like a top,” witness Peter Larsson told the daily newspaper Dagens Nyheter.\n\n“At first, I thought it was an acrobatic flight, but we quickly realised that something was wrong,” he said.\n\nSweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf expressed his condolences in a statement published on Facebook.\n\nHe said: “In view of today’s tragic air crash outside Umea, which took nine people’s lives, I want to convey my condolences.”", "Nine people, including the pilot, were killed when a small sports plane used for skydiving crashed shortly after takeoff near the small university town of Umea in northern Sweden. Reuters reports that the plane, which was heading out on a parachuting adventure, went down on an island in the Ume river moments after take off. Local Swedish police spokesman Peder Jonsson confirmed that no one survived but would not release the identities and nationalities of the victims until all relatives have been contacted."], "summary": "A GippsAero GA8 Airvan sky diving operation plane crashes on an island outside Umeå, Sweden, killing all nine people onboard."}
{"document": ["Image copyright PA\n\nEurope's satellite-navigation system, Galileo, remains offline.\n\nThe network suffered an outage on Friday due to what has been described as a \"technical incident related to its ground infrastructure\".\n\nEngineers worked around the clock over the weekend but there is no update yet on when the service will resume.\n\nThe problem means all receivers, such as the latest smartphone models, will not be picking up any useable timing or positional information.\n\nThese devices will be relying instead on the data coming from the American Global Positioning System (GPS).\n\nAnd depending on the sat-nav chip they have installed, cell phones and other devices might also be making connections with the Russian (Glonass) and Chinese (Beidou) networks.\n\nGalileo is still in a roll-out, or pilot phase, meaning it would not yet be expected to lead critical applications.\n\n\"People should remember that we are still in the 'initial services' phase; we're not in full operation yet,\" a spokesperson for the European GNSS Agency (GSA) told BBC News.\n\n\"This is something that can happen while we build the robustness into the system. We have recovery and monitoring actions, and we are implementing them, and we are working 24/7 to fix this as soon as possible.\"\n\nThe GSA issued a notification on Thursday warning users that Galileo's signals might become unreliable. An update was then sent out at 01:50 Central European Time on Friday to say that the service was out of use until further notice.\n\nThe search and rescue function on Galileo satellites that picks up the distress beacon messages from those at sea or up high mountains is said to be unaffected by the outage.\n\nWhat is Galileo?\n\nA project of the European Commission and the European Space Agency\n\n24 satellites constitute a full system but it will also have spares in orbit\n\n24 spacecraft are in orbit today; two more will launch next year\n\nOriginal budget was €3bn but will now cost more than three times that\n\nWorks alongside the US GPS, Chinese Beidou and Russian Glonass systems\n\nPromises eventual real-time positioning down to a metre or less\n\nGalileo is a multi-billion-euro project of the European Union and the European Space Agency. The EU owns the system, and Esa acts as the technical and procurement agent.\n\nThere are currently 22 operational satellites in orbit (another two are in space but in testing), with a further 12 under construction with industry. In addition to the spacecraft, Galileo relies on a complex ground infrastructure to control the network and monitor its performance.\n\nEurope's alternative to GPS went \"live\" with initial services in December 2016 after 17 years of development. The European Commission promotes Galileo as more than just a back-up service; it is touted also as being more accurate and more robust.\n\nAn outage across the entire network is therefore a matter of significant concern and no little embarrassment.\n\nSince its launch in 1978, GPS has become integral to the functioning of all modern economies.\n\nUsage goes far beyond just finding one's way through an unfamiliar city. The system's timing function has now become ubiquitous in many fields, including in the synchronisation of global financial transactions, telecommunications and energy networks.\n\nJonathan.Amos-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk and follow me on Twitter: @BBCAmos", "The EU's new satellite navigation system - which the UK is set to be controversially excluded from due to Brexit - has suffered a major outage.\n\nInitial outage reports came through on Thursday, when the system suffered a \"technical incident related to its ground infrastructure\" which has affected all of its users.\n\nAccording to the European Global Navigation Satellite Systems Agency, or GSA, the issue specifically affects the European spacecraft ground station in Fucino, in Italy, where atomic clocks are used to synchronise the signals from the satellites.Quick publish\n\nBrussels has insisted that the UK cannot remain a full member of the Galileo system for security reasons following its departure from the EU, although negotiations on the matter remain ongoing.\n\nLast August, Theresa May announced a £92m satellite project for the UK to develop a rival to the EU's Galileo in a sign she expected Britain to be frozen out of the project following Brexit.\n\nThe UK is currently dependent on the US for access to its GPS system, and the EU for the Galileo satellite navigation system.\n\nThis dependence leaves the UK's navigation systems exposed to both the risks of international politics, as well as the availability of the signal itself - which has taken a significant hit this weekend.\n\nGalileo is still in a trial period, and the EU has said that it wouldn't be fully operational until 2020, when it is expected to provide positioning data of unprecedented accuracy.\n\nEven during its early development the Galileo project was hit by several technical and budgetary setbacks, including the launch of two satellites into the wrong orbit in 2014.", "Disruption means receivers are not picking up usable signals ‘until futher notice’, reportedly due to a fault at a ground station in Italy\n\nThe European Union’s Galileo satellite navigation system is suffering an ongoing outage that has effectively taken the entire system offline since early on Friday morning.\n\nThe system is offline until further notice, said the European GNSS Agency (GSA) in a notification sent out at 1:50 Central European Time on Friday.\n\nThe problem is down to a fault at a Precise Timing Facility (PTF) in Fucino, Italy, specialist satellite navigation publication Inside GNSS reported, citing unnamed sources.\n\nA European spacecraft ground station has been maintained in Fucino since the 1960s.\n\nPrecise Timing Facilities generate the reference time against which Galileo’s clocks are calibrated, and are part of the complex ground infrastructure that maintains the system.\n\nGalileo’s function that picks up distress beacon messages for search and rescue operations is reportedly unaffected by the outage.\n\n“Experts are working to restore the situation as soon as possible,” the GSA said. “An Anomaly Review Board has been immediately set up to analyse the exact root cause and to implement recovery actions.”\n\nThe outage means that Galileo receivers are not picking up usable position and timing information, and must fall back on systems including the US’ GPS, Russia’s Glonass and China’s Beidou.\n\nThe system, which went live in December 2016, is in a pilot phase until next year, meaning that it is not currently intended for use with critical applications.\n\nHowever, the outage is an embarrassment for the EU, which has spent billions on the system, arguing in part that it offers an additional level of reliability.\n\nGalileo is also said to be more accurate than rival systems.\n\nThe UK has contributed more than £1 billion to the project, but its continued involvement with Galileo is in question following the vote to leave the European Union.\n\nIn August of last year Prime Minister Theresa May said £92m had been set aside to investigate possible Galileo alternatives.", "Brussels [Belgium], July 16 (ANI): The European Union's (EU) Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), Galileo, suffered a full system failure over the weekend due to a \"technical incident related to its ground infrastructure.\"\n\nWhile the project is in its pilot phase, it was imagined as a competitor to the US-controlled Global Positioning System (GPS) and Russia's GLONASS system, according to CNN. Galileo is slated to be fully operational by next year.\n\n\"Experts are working to restore the situation as soon as possible. An Anomaly Review Board has been immediately set up to analyze the exact root cause and to implement recovery actions,\" the European GNSS Agency (GSA) said.\n\nFaults with the system were first reported last week.\n\nThe 22-satellite system, which was launched in 2016, prides itself on being a programme which operates under civilian --and not military -- control.\n\nGalileo is run by the GSA, European Commission and the European Space Agency.\n\nEuropeans are currently using data from American and Russian GPS networks in the wake of the outage. While Galileo's navigation system is down, its Search and Rescue service is unaffected. (ANI)", "The European Union's satellite navigation system, Galileo, has been down for four days due to a technical incident on the ground, the European Global Navigation Satellite Systems Agency (GSA) said on Sunday.\n\nAs of Monday morning, 24 of the 26 satellites in Galileo's constellation are still \"not usable\", according to the GSA's system status.\n\nThe GSA has so far provided little information for the major outage, which started on Thursday, with the agency saying at the time that \"the signals may not be available nor meet the minimum performance levels.\"\n\nIt then told service users on Saturday that \"the cause of the technical incident is identified\" and on Sunday revealed that the incident is \"related to its ground infrastructure.\"\n\n\"Experts are working to restore the situation as soon as possible. An Anomaly Review Board has been immediately set up to analyse the exact root cause and to implement recovery actions,\" it added.\n\nOnly Galileo Search and Rescue (SAR) service — used for locating and helping people in distress situations — is unaffected and remains operational.\n\nGalileo was first launched in 2016 and is expected to be fully deployed in 2020. It is meant to improve GPS services on the Old Continent and end the reliance on US, Russian and Chinese systems.\n\nIt is intended to be used by civilians, commercial endeavours, governments and the military.", "MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 14th July, 2019) The European Union's Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Galileo experienced an unexpected signal outage over the weekend, the European GNSS Service Centre said.\n\nThe signals are not to be used,\" an advisory notice to Galileo users, issued by the center on Saturday, read.\n\nThe Galileo system was launched in 2016.\n\nIts space segment consists of a constellation of satellites that transmit radio signals for position, navigation and timing purposes.", "Europe’s satellite-navigation system has suffered a major outage this week, following a ‘technical incident related to its ground infrastructure.’\n\nThe network, called Galileo, went offline on Friday, meaning all receivers will not be picking up any timing or positional information.\n\nWorryingly, this includes most smartphones , which instead must now rely on data from the American Global Positioning System, or Russian and Chinese networks.\n\nThe issue was first flagged by the European GNSS Agency (GSA) on Thursday.\n\nThe GSA said: “Experts are working to restore the situation as soon as possible.\n\n“An Anomaly Review Board has been immediately set up to analyse the exact root cause and to implement recovery actions.”\n\nAccording to specialist publication ‘Inside GNSS’, the problem lies with a fault at a Precise Timing Facility (PTF) in Italy.\n\nAs the name suggests, a PTF generates the precise time against which all close in the Galileo system are calibrated.\n\nGalileo’s system comprises of 22 operational satellites, and is Europe’s ‘alternative’ to GPS.\n\nThe system has been live since December 2016, following 17 years of development by the European Space Agency.\n\nHow will the outage affect you?\n\nGalileo has several functions, meaning an outage could have a direct effect on you.\n\nLike GPS, the system provides timing and positional information to smartphones, feeding directly into navigational apps such as Maps and Google Maps.\n\nThankfully, during the Galileo outage, smartphones can instead use data from GPS, as well as Russian and Chinese networks.\n\nOther uses include the synchronisation of global financial transactions, energy networks and telecommunications.\n\nIt remains unclear when the network will be back up and running.", "European Union‘s Galileo satellite network is down. According to reports, EU’s satellites for its global positioning system have suffered severe outage since July 11th.\n\nIn a notice advisory posted by the European Global Navigation Satellite Systems Agency online for all Galileo users, it said:\n\n“Until further notice, users may experience service degradation on all Galileo satellites. This means that the signals may not be available nor meet the minimum performance levels defined in the service definition documents and should be employed at user’ own risk. The nominal service will be resumed as soon as possible.”\n\nAs per GNSS‘ last update about the status of its GPS satellites, Galileo network remains affected by a technical incident allegedly related to its ground infrastructure.\n\n“The incident has led to a temporary interruption of the Galileo initial navigation and timing services, with the exception of the Galileo Search and Rescue (SAR) service. The SAR service – used for locating and helping people in distress situations for example at sea or mountains – is unaffected and remains operational.”\n\nThe Galileo satellite network was developed and launched by GNSS on December 2016. Its primary purpose is to provide member nations of the Europen Union an independent high-precision positioning system, stopping their reliance on the United States’ GPS and Russia’s GLONASS.\n\nThe Galileo satellite constellation offers lower-precision service free of charge to anyone. However, its high-precision service is available for paying commercial users\n\nJust recently, the Federal Communications Commission has approved the utilization of Galileo GPS on U.S. smartphones. The approval reportedly aims to provide users with faster and more accurate sat nav capabilities.\n\nTo date, the Galileo satellite network is widely used not just by government agencies, but by private tech firms and most of the world’s academic institutions.\n\nRead More: SpaceX Launches The First Batch Of Starlink Internet Satellites", "The EU's satellite navigation system, developed as an alternative to the United States' GPS, is fully offline due to \"a technical incident related to its ground infrastructure,\" the bloc's space agency said Sunday.\n\n\"The incident has led to a temporary interruption of the Galileo initial navigation and timing services,\" the Prague-based European Global Navigation Satellite Systems Agency said, adding that Galileo's search and rescue system used to locate distress signals at sea or in mountainous regions was still operational.\n\nGalileo is the world's fourth geo-location satellite system, after ones created by the U.S, Russia and China, and has been pitched by the EU as a more accurate alternative to GPS. The EU has poured some €10 billion into the system, which has operated on a trial basis since late 2016 and is set to be fully operational by the mid-2020s with 30 satellites in orbit.\n\nThe current problems with the nascent system were first reported on Thursday, but by Saturday evening, all 22 satellites in orbit were listed as offline. On Sunday, a public notice was posted and GNSS has so far given no timeline for fixing the issue.\n\nCurrently, only a limited number of consumer mobile phones are equipped to pick up Galileo's signal. In the meantime, GPS is used to augment Galileo and spot problems with the new system, GNSS said.", "Since July 11, the regular functions of the European satellite navigation system Galileo have no longer been available to users. The European Global Navigation Satellite Systems Agency (GSA) in Prague informed its customers of the failure.\n\nUse at your own risk\n\nThe GSA warns that there is a \"degradation on all Galileo satellites\" and that \"the signals may not be available nor meet the minimum performance levels\" promised by Galileo. Customers who nevertheless continue to use devices that calculate their position using Galileo satellites would do so at their \"own risk.\"\n\nIn a further communication on July 14, the GSA added that the cause of the breakdown was to be found in ground-based infrastructure and not in the satellites themselves.\n\nThe Search and Rescue (SAR) function, with which ships in distress at sea or injured mountaineers can call for help, continues to function undisturbed, the operating company says.\n\nGSA did not comment on the technical cause of the failure, but the company has set up a an \"Anomaly Review Board\" to discover the error.\n\nRead more: Post-Brexit UK won't use EU Galileo satellite system, British PM says\n\nGalileo behind schedule and over budget\n\nCurrently, the GSA only offers initial services from Galileo, meaning navigation signals only come from 26 satellites. Once 30 Galileo satellites are in their final orbit and fully deployed by 2020, the European satellite navigation system will go into regular operation.\n\nThis means the European Union's prestigious project is well behind schedule. Initially, Galileo was supposed to be fully operational by 2008. In terms of costs, the EU was also unable to stick to its original plans. In 1999, it had budgeted between 2.2 and 2.9 billion euros for the construction of the system, whereas the EU budget now provides for 7.2 billion euros to be spent on the construction of the system by 2020 — plus a further 3 billion euros for its operation.\n\nThis failure highlights the vulnerability and risks of satellite navigation systems. Galileo and the Global Positioning System (GPS) in the US, both of which are constantly being upgraded, are to assume important tasks in the field of autonomous driving, flying and shipping in the future. However, if autonomous vehicles, aircraft and ships are dependent on only one navigation system at a time, this could lead to a loss of control in the event of a failure.\n\nMany receivers are therefore designed to evaluate signals from several satellite providers, such as Galileo, GPS and Russia's Glonass. More complex systems also use additional locating signals from terrestrial radio systems, such as mobile phone transmitters. This makes them more reliable and less susceptible to interference.\n\nAutonomous vehicles also have radar — and often, additional optical sensors — to ensure that there is no sudden collision in the case of incorrect or missing satellite data.\n\nRead more: Four more Galileo satellites enter space"], "summary": "The European Union's Galileo satellite navigation system suffers a major outage due to a \"technical incident related to its ground infrastructure,\" taking all active Galileo satellites offline."}
{"document": ["LONDON (AFP) - Defending champion Novak Djokovic claimed his fifth Wimbledon title on Sunday (July 14) beating eight-time champion Roger Federer 7-6 (7/5), 1-6, 7-6 (7/4), 4-6, 13-12 (7/3) in the longest ever final and settled by an historic tie-break.\n\nThe 32-year-old Serbian saved two match points as he took his Grand Slam tally to 16, four off Federer's overall record.\n\nDjokovic's victory extends to 11 successive Grand Slams won by the big three, himself, Federer and Rafael Nadal.\n\nAt 4 hours and 57 minutes it was the longest final at Wimbledon.\n\nStan Wawrinka was the last player outside the trio to win a Grand Slam, the 2016 US Open beating Djokovic.\n\nThe last player to win a Grand Slam aged under 30 was Andy Murray, who won the 2016 Wimbledon title aged 29.", "Novak Djokovic outlasts Roger Federer in a marathon fifth set to win his fifth Wimbledon title and 16th Grand Slam. (3:06)\n\nNovak Djokovic outlasted Roger Federer in an epic five-set match Sunday, winning the first fifth-set tiebreaker in a Wimbledon men's final to repeat as the men's champion for the second time and win his fifth title at the All England Club.\n\nThe fifth-set tiebreaker was also the first in any men's final at the four Grand Slams.\n\nThe top-seeded Djokovic defeated Federer 7-6 (5), 1-6, 7-6 (4), 4-6, 13-12 (3) to remain unbeaten against the second-seeded Swiss in three Wimbledon final matchups. Djokovic also won in 2014 and '15, when he repeated as champion for the first time.\n\nHe won his first Wimbledon title in 2011.\n\nAt four hours and 57 minutes, it was the longest final in Wimbledon history, featuring 68 games, 422 points (218 for Federer and 204 for Djokovic) and 35 aces.\n\n\"Unfortunately in these kinds of matches,'' Djokovic said, \"one of the players has to lose.''\n\nDjokovic, 32, saved two match points to reach the fifth-set tiebreaker, becoming the first man since 1948 to save championship points in the final and go on to win.\n\n\"I'm just obviously thrilled and overjoyed with emotions to be sitting here in front of you as a winner. It was one shot away from losing the match, as well,\" he said. \"This match had everything. It could have gone easily his way. He was serving extremely well, I thought, the entire match.\"\n\nFirst it was Federer who kept falling behind, then coming back. He twice trailed by a set even though he came quite close to winning the match in three: Federer was two points from grabbing the opening set on seven occasions but couldn't do it; he was one point from seizing the third, but again came up short.\n\nNovak Djokovic outlasted Roger Federer in the longest final in Wimbledon history to win his fifth men's title at the All England Club. Daniel Leal-Olivas/AFP\n\nThen Federer was down a break early in the fifth. And after seemingly gaining the upper hand, standing a single point from winning while serving for the victory at 8-7, 40-15, he faltered.\n\nHe sent a forehand wide on the first championship point, and Djokovic produced a crosscourt forehand winner on the next. Soon enough, Djokovic had broken back and on they would play for another 45 minutes.\n\n\"Definitely tough to have those chances,\" Federer said.\n\nThe crowd was decidedly pro-Federer and Djokovic said it was \"hard not to be aware.\"\n\n\"I like to transmutate it in a way: When the crowd is chanting 'Roger,' I hear 'Novak,' he said, smiling. \"It sounds silly, but it is like that. I try to convince myself that it's like that.\"\n\nplay 1:44 Djokovic: When the crowd chanted 'Roger,' I heard 'Novak' 2019 Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic outlines how he phased out the All England Club crowd's heavy support for his opponent, Roger Federer.\n\nFederer, at 37 years and 340 days old, was seeking to become the oldest men's Grand Slam winner in the Open era (since 1968).\n\nIt is Djokovic's 16th Grand Slam title overall, moving him to within four of Federer's record 20. Rafael Nadal is second on the list with 18 Grand Slam victories.\n\nFederer said he isn't thinking about Nadal and Djokovic threatening his record.\n\n\"I take motivation from different places, you know. Not so much from trying to stay ahead because I broke the record, and if somebody else does, well, that's great for them. You can't protect everything anyway,\" he said.\n\n\"I didn't become a tennis player for that. I really didn't. It's about trying to win Wimbledon, trying to have good runs here, playing in front of such an amazing crowd in this Centre Court against players like Novak and so forth. That's what I play for.\"\n\nWimbledon traditionally didn't play tiebreakers in the final set of matches but introduced one for this year if the score reaches 12-12.\n\nESPN Stats & Information and The Associated Press contributed to this report.", "London: Roger Federer admitted that it felt “strange” he and Serena Williams will compete for Wimbledon titles this weekend, 16 years after he made his Grand Slam breakthrough. The 37-year-old Swiss reached his 12th final at the All England Club with a 7-6 (7/3), 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 defeat of old rival Rafael Nadal. On Sunday, he will face world number one Novak Djokovic where he hopes to capture a ninth Wimbledon and record-extending 21st Grand Slam crown.\n\nFederer won his first Wimbledon in 2003, beating Mark Philippoussis in the final. That same weekend, Serena was beating sister Venus for the second successive year in the women’s final. On Saturday, Serena faces Simona Halep for an eighth Wimbledon title and record-equalling 24th major. “Yeah, it’s definitely a bit unusual, a bit strange,” said Federer who will be the third oldest man to play in a Slam final on Sunday.\n\n“I hope it’s going to happen again for somebody, to have such a big span between the first final.”It’s definitely special I think for both of us. Serena was even earlier on tour than me because she made the breakthrough earlier. It’s amazing what she’s been able to do. “For me, it’s not something I ever expected. Winning that ’03 title was something so surreal that it’s nice to be back in another final. Means really a lot to me.”\n\nFederer’s win over Nadal on Friday came in the pair’s 40th career meeting and 11 years after the Spaniard triumphed in a mesmeric, epic final. The Swiss needed five match points to secure the victory, his 16th of their 15-year rivalry. “It lived up to the hype, especially from coming out of the gates, we were both playing very well. Then the climax at the end with the crazy last game, some tough rallies there. It had everything at the end, which was great. I’m just relieved it’s all over at this point.”But it’s definitely going to go down as one of my favorite matches to look back at because it’s Rafa, it’s at Wimbledon.”\n\nDjokovic leads Federer 25-22 in career meetings with the Serb holding a 2-1 edge in Wimbledon clashes. Federer won their first duel in the 2012 semi-finals but Djokovic triumphed in the 2014 and 2015 championship matches. Overall, Djokovic holds a 9-6 edge in the Slams.However, Federer said he won’t be over-awed by the challenge as he chases a 21st major and Djokovic targets a 16th.\n\n“Age kicks in. I know it’s not over yet. There’s no point to start partying tonight or get too emotional, too happy about it, even though I am extremely happy,” said Federer. “I think I can with experience really separate the two. “If it was the end of the tournament, it would be very different right now. I’d be speaking very different, feeling very different. There is fortunately, one more.”It’s great on many levels. But got to put my head down and stay focused.”", "Roger Federer is set to take on Novak Djokovic in Wimbledon 2019 final. The duo is scheduled to lock horns at the Centre Court shortly where Federer will look to win his 9th Wimbledon title against the defending champion.\n\nFederer defeated Rafael Nadal in the quarter-finals to set up his 2015 Wimbledon final rematch against Djokovic. He is expected to put up the most difficult challenge against Djokovic on the last day of the tournament.\n\nHowever, Serena Williams’ coach Patrick Mouratoglou feels that Federer will face a tougher challenge in the shape of Djokovic. He believes that Federer’s strategies against Nadal won’t be helpful the Swiss star against World No. 1.\n\nAlso Read — Wimbledon 2019: Nick Kyrgios pleads to Roger Federer to win against Novak Djokovic\n\nTalking about Roger Feder’s previous game, he said, “Roger stayed aggressive. Took time from Rafa, non-stop. It reminded me a bit of what Novak does to Rafa pushing him all the time.”\n\nHe then went on to compare the same match with the one that lies ahead of Federer and said, “Against Novak, it has to be completely different, that’s why you can’t beat both these guys in a Grand Slam.”\n\n“I don’t think he can play fast like that against Novak, he’s gonna be killed”, he concluded.", "The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will be in the crowd as Roger Federer makes a bid for a record extending ninth Wimbledon title.\n\nWilliam and Kate will be in the royal box on Centre Court on Sunday for the Swiss great’s match against defending champion Novak Djokovic.\n\nThe duchess, patron of the All England Lawn Tennis Club, will be making her third visit to the championships in SW19 this year.\n\nOn Saturday, she sat alongside her sister-in-law the Duchess of Sussex to watch Serena Williams crash to a straight sets defeat against Simona Halep in the women’s final.\n\nHalep, who previously shared her hopes of seeing Kate in the royal box, said it was an “honour” and “an extra boost” to play in front of the duchesses.\n\nKate was among the first people to congratulate the Romanian as she left the court to celebrate her maiden Wimbledon title.\n\nEarlier in the tournament, Kate enjoyed a behind-the-scenes tour of the club and made the rare move of watching a game on one of its outside courts.\n\nHer visits have included meeting British players past and present, junior competitors and the project managers behind the recently redeveloped Number One Court.\n\nThe duchess also received a few gardening tips from Marion Regan, one of the owners of Hugh Lowe Farms which has supplied the famous Wimbledon strawberries for more than 25 years.\n\nLast week, Federer revealed he had recently played tennis with Kate’s son Prince George, with the 20-time grand slam winner describing the young royal as a “cute boy” who had “good” technique.\n\nAccording to Met Office forecaster Sophie Yeomans, weather conditions on Sunday are expected to be “mainly fine, dry and sunny”.\n\nShe added: “There will be a few patches of cloud around through the afternoon.\n\nShe said there is a “small chance” of “a light bit of rain”, but it is forecast to be warm with temperatures rising to 23C.\n\nShe advised spectators to drink plenty of water and use sun cream to protect against high UV levels.", "(Reuters) - Factbox on Serbia’s Novak Djokovic, who beat Switzerland’s Roger Federer 7-6(5) 1-6 7-6(4) 4-6 13-12(3) to win his 16th Grand Slam title on Sunday:\n\n** His father was a professional skier and wanted his son to follow in his footsteps or play professional soccer but changed his mind when Djokovic excelled at tennis from an early age.\n\n** First full year on tour in 2005. Made Grand Slam debut as a qualifier at the Australian Open, losing to Russian Marat Safin in the first round. Finished as the youngest player (18 years, five months) inside the top 100.\n\n** In 2006, he won his first ATP tour title at Amersfoort.\n\n** Retired in the 2006 French Open quarter-finals against Nadal when trailing by two sets, and again a year later due to blisters in the Wimbledon semi-final against the same opponent.\n\n** Won five titles in 2007 (Adelaide, Miami, Estoril, Montreal and Vienna) and reached his first Grand Slam final at the U.S. Open, losing to Roger Federer.\n\n** Beat Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga to win his maiden Grand Slam title at the 2008 Australian Open — becoming the first Serbian man to win one of the four majors.\n\n** Failed to defend his title in Melbourne the following year after pulling out of his quarter-final against American Andy Roddick citing heat exhaustion.\n\n** Led Serbia to their first Davis Cup title with victory over France in Belgrade in December 2010.\n\n** Began 2011 by winning the Australian Open, beating Briton Andy Murray in the final, to end his three-year wait for a second Grand Slam title.\n\n** Won his next six tournaments in Dubai, Indian Wells, Miami, Belgrade, Madrid and Rome. Did not lose again until June 3 when Federer ended his 41-match winning streak in the French Open semi-finals.\n\n** Secured the number one spot on July 4, 2011 by beating Tsonga in the Wimbledon semi-finals, then beat Nadal to clinch his first Wimbledon crown, his first title on grass.\n\n** Saved two match points to beat Federer in the semi-finals of the U.S. Open then defeated Nadal in the final to become the seventh man to win three Grand Slam titles in a year since tennis turned professional in 1968.\n\n** Won his third Australian Open title in 2012 by beating Nadal in five hours and 53 minutes.\n\n** Began 2013 by beating Murray to become the first man in the professional era to win three successive Australian Open titles.\n\n** Reached all four Grand Slam finals in 2015. Began the year by capturing a fifth Australian Open title, then missed out on the French Open again — his third loss in the title match —after falling to Stan Wawrinka in the final.\n\n** Five weeks later drew level with his coach Boris Becker’s Wimbledon haul of three titles by defeating Federer in the All England Club final. Beat Federer in U.S. Open final, giving him three Grand Slam titles in a year for a second time.\n\n** Beat Murray in the 2016 Australian Open final to win his 11th Grand Slam trophy.\n\n** Beat Murray again in the French Open final that year to finally win the claycourt major at his 12th attempt. The win not only completed his Grand Slam collection but he also became only the third man — after Don Budge and Rod Laver — to hold all four majors at the same time.\n\n** Advanced to his 21st Grand Slam final overall at the 2016 U.S. Open but was beaten by Stan Wawrinka.\n\n** Retired in the 2017 Wimbledon quarter-finals against Tomas Berdych and ended his season on July 26 with a right elbow injury.\n\n** Returned from a six-month injury absence at the Australian Open last year. Had elbow surgery following a last-16 exit to South Korean youngster Chung Hyeon.\n\n** Beat Kevin Anderson in the 2018 Wimbledon final to seal his 13th Grand Slam.\n\n** Capped off the year in style by beating Juan Martin del Potro to win the U.S. Open crown for a third time.\n\n** Defeated Nadal in their 53rd career meeting to claim his 15th major and seventh Australian Open title.\n\n** Djokovic’s 26-match winning streak in Grand Slams ended with a loss to Dominic Thiem in the French Open semi-final.\n\n** Defeated Federer to claim his fifth Wimbledon title.", "Defending champion Novak Djokovic claimed his fifth Wimbledon title on Sunday beating eight-time champion Roger Federer 7-6 (7/5), 1-6, 7-6 (7/4), 4-6, 13-12 (7/3) in the longest ever final and settled by an historic tie-break.\n\n The 32-year-old Serbian saved two match points as he took his Grand Slam tally to 16, four off Federer’s overall record.\n\n Djokovic’s victory extends to 11 successive Grand Slams won by the big three, himself, Federer and Rafael Nadal.\n\n At 4 hours and 57 minutes it was the longest final at Wimbledon.\n\n Stan Wawrinka was the last player outside the trio to win a Grand Slam, the 2016 US Open beating Djokovic.\n\n The last player to win a Grand Slam aged under 30 was Andy Murray, who won the 2016 Wimbledon title aged 29.", "WIMBLEDON, England (AP) - Three days after losing in her first major semifinal in singles, Barbora Strycova won her first major title in doubles.\n\nStrycova and Hsieh Su-wei won the women's doubles at Wimbledon on Sunday by beating Gabriela Dabrowski of Canada and Xu Yifan of China 6-2, 6-4 on Centre Court.\n\n\"There is no word to describe the feeling,\" said Strycova, a Czech veteran who will take over the No. 1 rankings in doubles on Monday. \"It's kind of like unreal, but in the same time it's amazing.\"\n\nThe match had been scheduled for Saturday, but it was postponed a day because the men's doubles final ran long, finishing in five sets. So the women's doubles instead followed the men's singles final on Centre Court while the mixed doubles was relocated to No. 1 Court.\n\n\"We were waiting a long time,\" Strycova said of Saturday's delay. \"Yesterday was tough because we were ready, ready, then suddenly the supervisor came to us. If they just split sets, we cancel. We were just warming up. It was tough.\"\n\nEven on Sunday they had to wait. The men's singles final between Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer went to a tiebreaker at 12-12 in the fifth set - the first year that rule has been in place.\n\n\"I was thinking (I'm) glad Wimbledon change the rules,\" said Hsieh, who is from Taiwan. \"Otherwise I will keep eating and I will get fat.\"\n\nThe 33-year-old Strycova produced the best singles run of her career at this year's Wimbledon tournament, becoming the oldest first-time major semifinalist in the professional era. She ended up losing to Serena Williams 6-1, 6-2 on Thursday.\n\nFor Hsieh, it was her third Grand Slam doubles title. She won the 2013 Wimbledon and 2014 French Open titles with partner Peng Shuai.\n\nStrycova and Hsieh have only played together 10 times, with nine of those partnerships coming this season. They won three titles this year, including on grass in Birmingham before Wimbledon started, but lost in the third round at the French Open.\n\n\"We definitely talked about playing together because we have a good chance to play the Masters,\" Strycova said. \"We will play together until the end of the year, and then we sit down and we will see how it goes, how we feel.\"\n\nShintaro Mochizuki became the first Japanese player to win a Grand Slam junior boys' title by beating Carlos Gimeno Valero of Spain 6-3, 6-2 in the Wimbledon final.\n\nMochizuki used his serve-and-volley style to great effect, winning 17 of 23 points when he went to the net. In comparison, Gimeno Valero won only one of four points at the net.\n\n\"I like coming into the net, yeah, a lot,\" Mochizuki said. \"I'm good at that.\"\n\nMochizuki won the last three games of the first set and then broke for a 3-1 lead in the second. He broke again in the final game, converting his fourth match point.\n\nGimeno Valero was playing his first tournament on grass.\n\nIvan Dodig of Croatia and Latisha Chan of Taiwan won the mixed doubles title at Wimbledon.\n\nThe eighth-seeded pair beat Robert Lindstedt of Sweden and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia 6-2, 6-3.", "Roger Federer is one victory away from a ninth Wimbledon title. Four-time champion Novak Djokovic is standing in the way. Federer and Djokovic will meet in the men's final at the All England Club for the third time. Djokovic won both of those previous matchups, in 2014 and 2015. Federer did get the better of Djokovic at Wimbledon on Centre Court once, beating the Serb in the semifinals in 2012. Federer, who is 37, is going for his 21st major title, while Djokovic, 32, is eyeing his 16th. Djokovic leads their head-to-head series 25-22, including 9-6 at Grand Slam tournaments.\n\nSwitzerland's Roger Federer returns to Spain's Rafael Nadal in a Men's singles semifinal match on day eleven of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Friday, July 12, 2019. (Adrian Dennis/Pool Photo via AP)\n\n3 - Unforced errors made by Simona Halep, the fewest on record in a Wimbledon final.\n\nQUOTE OF THE DAY\n\n\"The day I stop fighting for equality and for people that look like you and me will be the day I'm in my grave.\" - Serena Williams, responding to a reporter's question at her post-match news conference.\n\nSerbia's Novak Djokovic returns to Spain's Roberto Bautista Agut in a Men's singles semifinal match on day eleven of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Friday, July 12, 2019. (Andy Rain/Pool Photo via AP)\n\nRomania's Simona Halep poses with the trophy after defeating United States' Serena Williams during the women's singles final match on day twelve of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Saturday, July 13, 2019. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)\n\nUnited States' Serena Williams reacts after losing a point to Romania's Simona Halep, background right, during the women's singles final match on day twelve of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Saturday, July 13, 2019. (AP Photo/Tim Ireland)", ""], "summary": "In the men's singles final match, Serbian Novak Djokovic beats Swiss Roger Federer in five sets for his 16th Grand Slam title win in a match that lasted four hours and 56 minutes. It was the longest Wimbledon final of all time, and also the first men's singles final in any of the four Grand Slam events that went to a fifth-set tiebreaker."}
{"document": ["#PoliteEnquiries: Did the best team in the World Cup win the tournament? 04:24\n\n'Did that just happen? Is that real? And then it hits you' - Williamson on the final 02:13\n\nVettori: All the little moments went against NZ 00:49\n\nOpening batsman says New Zealand were \"right in the box seat\" until his throw deflected for four off Ben Stokes' bat\n\nNew Zealand captain Kane Williamson is also in contention for the award\n\nThe England captain says the sides were so evenly matched there wasn't a defining moment\n\nThe decision to award England six runs in the final over of the World Cup final was made in consultation with all match officials, says umpire\n\nThe England wicketkeeper has revealed how a chat with team psychologist David Young helped him overcome his fear of failure ahead of the World Cup final\n\nJofra Archer, and England, held their nerve in the World Cup's first Super Over finish to claim the trophy for the first time\n\nABOUT COOKIES\n\nTo help make this website better, to improve and personalize your experience and for advertising purposes, are you happy to accept cookies and other technologies?", "Several Bollywood celebrities took to Twitter and shared their thoughts after England's historic win against New Zeland\n\nA great finish to the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 as England emerged victorious in a nail-biting Super Over thriller. Eoin Morgan's boys are the new world champions in the 50-over format of the gentleman's game and the crown couldn't have come at a better place than the historic Lord's, the home of cricket.\n\nThe winner could not be decided as both the normal 50 overs and super-over action ended up in a tie. In the super over, England scored 15 runs and they were able to restrict New Zealand to 15 runs. They won the match as they had scored more boundaries in the match.\n\nAs soon as England won after a thrilling match, fans from all over the world took to social media to congratulate the team members for their efforts. Several Bollywood celebrities too shared their thoughts after England's historic win against the Kiwis.\n\nSome celebrities hailed England for their excellent gameplay. However, a few of them were unhappy with the way England won the match depending on the maximum number of boundaries in the match.\n\nVarun Dhawan, who is a cricket buff, wrote, \"What a #WorldCupfinal. Unbelievable my entire family is awake. Who u got.\"\n\nRiteish Deshmukh congratulated the England cricket team for their win but called the Black Caps \"the uncrowned champs.\"\n\n\"Cricket at its best - Epic #WorldCupFinals - Congratulations @englandcricket the Champions of world cricket. My heart goes out to @BLACKCAPS - they were so so good- for me they are the uncrowned champs of #WorldCup2019,\" he tweeted.\n\nAce filmmaker Karan Johar, who was rooting for New Zealand, tweeted, \"England had a better kundli! NZ had the better game!!! #NZLvENG.\"\n\nJust like all the other cricket fans, Sidharth Malhotra too found the match \"crazy, mad and emotional.\"\n\n\"What an epic final! Amazing cricket from both sides, intense crazy, mad, emotional what a high! #ICCCricketWorldCup2019 #EnglandvsNewzealand,\" he wrote.\n\nTerming the rule as \"stupid\", Anurag Kashyap called New Zealand the \"true winner.\"\n\n\"England is a winner because of stupid fuckin rules. New Zealand is a true winner,\" he tweeted.\n\nAmitabh Bachchan wrote, \"There have been far too many PLUCKY losers in the World of Sport the past few days .. well played India .. well played New Zealand .. well played Federer\"\n\nShahid Kapoor wrote, \"I was not supporting either. Just watched a great match. And at the end just felt for the kiwis. England played amazing cricket. But so did the kiwis. They didn’t deserve to be second. No way\"\n\nMany other celebrities including Farhan Akhtar, Raveena Tandon, Mira Kapoor, Hazel Keech, Surveen Chawla, Paresh Rawal, and Vivek Oberoi took to Twitter to share their reactions on England's win.\n\nElecting to bat first, New Zealand put up 241/8 in 50 overs. Chasing the target, England rode Stokes' unbeaten 84 off 98 balls with Jos Buttler also scoring 59. The pair added 110 runs for the fifth wicket to tie the game at 241 all out and take it to a Eliminator.\n\nIn the Eliminator, Stokes and Buttler helped England post 15 which New Zealand matched but in heart-wrenching fashion, fell behind due to inferior position in the points table.\n\nAlso Read: World Cup 2019: England create history, win World Cup 2019 in Super Over Thriller\n\nCatch up on all the latest entertainment news and gossip here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates", "England, who reach their fourth final, the first since 1992, are the favourites to win ICC Men Cricket World Cup 2019 when they take on underdogs’ New Zealand in the final at the Lord’s on Saturday.\n\nBut what if the match turns into a tie? The World Cup final could be decided by a Super Over in case the match ends in a tie.\n\nWhile some fans have wildly guessed if the ICC would have a bowl-out that used to be used as T20 tie-breakers, the rules for the finals are simple and easy in case of a tie.\n\nReplicating the arrangements of the previous edition of the cricket World Cup in 2015, the ICC Board reinstated the use of a ‘Super Over’ in the event of a tie in the final of the 50-over showpiece event.\n\nHowever, if the final and reserve day are washed out then the two finalists share the trophy.\n\nOn-field umpires taking charge of the final between New Zealand and England will be Sri Lankan Kumar Dharmasena and South African Marais Erasmus.\n\nFollow the Cricket World Cup 2019 live updates and real-time analysis on IndianExpress.com. Check the ICC Cricket World 2019 Schedule, Teams and Points Table.", "Hosts England won a thrilling 2019 Cricket World Cup final Sunday, beating New Zealand after the match went to a dramatic super over following a tie at Lord's:\n\nNew Zealand went into bat after winning the toss and produced a competitive total of 241 for eight from their 50 overs.\n\nThe Kiwis then produced a brilliant bowling display to move to the brink of victory. Lockie Ferguson was the key for the Black Caps with three wickets and a superb catch to dismiss captain Eoin Morgan.\n\nHowever, England hit back through a late surge from Ben Stokes. He managed 84 not out from 98 balls to drive the hosts to 241 and send the final into a super over.\n\nStoke and Jos Buttler then came back out to hit 15 in their super over which New Zealand matched but could not beat to give England their first World Cup win.\n\nThis article will be updated to provide more information soon.\n\nGet the best sports content from the web and social in the new B/R app. Get the app to get the game.", "New Delhi [India], July 15 (ANI): England created history after lifting their first ever trophy in the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup at the Lord's Cricket Ground.\n\nTeam England defeated New Zealand in a match that had to be settled with the help of a super over. Cricketers Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes helped England to tie the 241-run total, that was set by New Zealand.\n\nThe winner could not be decided as both the normal 50 overs and super-over action ended up in a tie. In the super over, England scored 15 runs and they were able to restrict New Zealand to 15 runs. They won the match as they had scored more boundaries in the match.\n\nAs soon as England won after a thrilling match, fans from all over the world took to social media to congratulate the team members for their efforts. Several Bollywood celebrities too shared their thoughts after England's historic win against the Kiwis. \n\nSome celebrities hailed England for their excellent gameplay. However, a few of them were unhappy with the way England won the match depending on the maximum number of boundaries in the match.\n\nVarun Dhawan, who is a cricket buff, wrote, \"What a #WorldCupfinal. Unbelievable my entire family is awake. Who u got.\"\n\n \n\nRiteish Deshmukh congratulated the England cricket team for their win but called the Black Caps \"the uncrowned champs.\"\n\n\"Cricket at its best - Epic #WorldCupFinals - Congratulations @englandcricket the Champions of world cricket. My heart goes out to @BLACKCAPS - they were so so good- for me they are the uncrowned champs of #WorldCup2019,\" he tweeted.\n\n \n\nAce filmmaker Karan Johar, who was rooting for New Zealand, tweeted, \"England had a better kundli! NZ had the better game!!! #NZLvENG.\"\n\n \n\nJust like all the other cricket fans, Sidharth Malhotra too found the match \"crazy, mad and emotional.\"\n\n\"What an epic final! Amazing cricket from both sides, intense crazy, mad, emotional what a high! #ICCCricketWorldCup2019 #EnglandvsNewzealand,\" he wrote.\n\n \n\nTerming the rule as \"stupid\", Anurag Kashyap called New Zealand the \"true winner.\"\n\n\"England is a winner because of stupid fuckin rules. New Zealand is a true winner,\" he tweeted.\n\n \n\nWhile, Anupam Kher called cricket \"the true winner\". He also congratulated England and called New Zealand a \"team of heroes.\"\n\n\"CRICKET IS THE WINNER in this #WorldCupFinal2019. What an unbelievable match!!! Congratulations England. Amazing Victory!! And #NewZealand is a team of Heroes. Jai Ho!!,\" he wrote alongside a video from the stadium.\n\n \n\nMany other celebrities including Farhan Akhtar, Raveena Tandon, Mira Kapoor, Hazel Keech, Surveen Chawla, Paresh Rawal, and Vivek Oberoi took to Twitter to share their reactions on England's win. (ANI)", "New Zealand’s captain Kane Williamson, center right facing camera, stands with teammates during a training session ahead of the Cricket World Cup final match against England at Lord’s cricket ground in London, England, Saturday, July 13, 2019. (AP Photo/Aijaz Rahi)\n\nLONDON (AP) — There will be a first-time winner of the Cricket World Cup trophy when England takes on New Zealand in the final at Lord’s on Sunday.\n\nEngland is in the title match for the fourth time, and the first since 1992, while New Zealand is playing in a second final, after losing to Australia in 2015.\n\nAfter some early-morning rain, the covers are off at the home of cricket, revealing a green-looking pitch. World Cup finals tend to be low-scoring matches and this is likely to be no exception, if previous matches at Lord’s are anything to go by.\n\nEngland starts as the favorite, having been the top-ranked one-day side for the past year and beaten India, New Zealand and then Australia — in the semifinals — in its last three games this tournament.\n\nNew Zealand, No. 3 in the ODI rankings, defeated India in the semifinals and should be better for its experience of the final four years ago.", "England will bid to bring 'cricket home' at Lord's on Sunday when they face New Zealand in the World Cup final. (FULL COVERAGE)\n\nThe home of cricket will host a clash between two countries seeking their first ever World Cup triumph.\n\nALSO READ: Road To Lord's - How New Zealand And England Made It To Final\n\nEoin Morgan's England crushed Australia by eight wickets in the second semi-final, after Kane Williamson's Black Caps stunned India at Old Trafford in their last-four encounter.\n\nALSO READ: Can Adil Rashid Spin England To Cricket World Cup Glory?\n\nHere we take a look at the numbers behind Sunday's showpiece -\n\n6 - Whichever team lifts the trophy at the weekend will become the sixth nation to win the World Cup - after West Indies, India, Australia, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.\n\n2 - England have met New Zealand in two previous ODIs at Lord's, the Black Caps winning on both occasions - by five wickets in 2013 and 51 runs in 2008.\n\n548 - No New Zealander has scored more runs at a World Cup than Williamson has managed in this edition.\n\n4 out of 5 - The team that has won the toss has lost four of the previous five World Cup finals. Australia's victory over Sri Lanka in 2007 is the exception.\n\n275 - The highest successful chase in a World Cup final came in 2011 when India (277-4) beat Sri Lanka.\n\n359 - Only one team has managed to score more than 300 in a World Cup final when batting first, Australia posting 359-2 against India 16 years ago.\n\n1,029 - England (2,942) have scored 1,029 more runs than New Zealand (1,913) at the tournament, though they played an extra group game as the Black Caps' fixture with India was washed out.\n\n100 - Morgan's men have been explosive in obtaining those runs too, scoring 100 more fours and 53 more maximums than their upcoming opponents.\n\n3 - Jason Roy's return to the side has coincided with three consecutive century stands alongside Jonny Bairstow. There have been never been four successive opening partnerships worth three figures in England's ODI history.\n\n338 - No bowler has produced more dot balls than England paceman Jofra Archer's 338. New Zealand seamer Trent Boult (320) is third on the list behind Australia's Pat Cummins (323).", "The England cricket team takes on New Zealand in the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup Final on Sunday, July 14, 2019 (7/14/19) at 5:30 a.m. EDT.\n\nFans can watch the game, and every game of the tournament online via Sling. The streaming service holds rights to broadcast Willow, a channel which holds exclusive rights to the ICC Cricket World Cup in the United States.\n\nHere’s what you need to know:\n\nWho: New Zealand vs. England\n\nPreview of the final, via the Associated Press:\n\nNew Zealand and England have waited four years for this moment, for this life-changing shot at redemption.\n\nFor the Kiwis, the Cricket World Cup final at Lord's on Sunday is a chance to avenge their drubbing at the hands of Australia in the 2015 showpiece. It was their first World Cup final and they didn't do themselves justice in Melbourne.\n\n\"A little bit overawed,\" recalled batsman Ross Taylor, who will be one of five New Zealand survivors from that seven-wicket loss.\n\nFor the English, it's a very different opportunity for atonement from 2015, when a group-stage exit proved to be an all-time ODI low for the country that invented cricket. What has happened since — an overhaul of domestic white-ball cricket, a new team and mindset, and a rise to the top of the ODI rankings — has been both surprising and stunning to watch.\n\n\"They have been the benchmark in one-day cricket for a fair while now,\" Australia captain Aaron Finch said after his team's semifinal loss to England .\n\nSo, a new name — the sixth — will be etched on the World Cup trophy at the home of cricket after Australia, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and West Indies.\n\nThat it is New Zealand and England vying for the trophy is perhaps validation of the approach both countries have taken to the one-day game in recent years. Indeed, England captain Eoin Morgan has openly acknowledged that his team has copied the New Zealand model in this format, playing with fun and a smile on your face.\n\nEngland — in its fourth final, the first since 1992 — is the favorite, with potential match-winners everywhere.\n\nThere are the openers, Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow, brimming with belief and strokeplay. They are on a run of four straight century partnerships and if they provide another such platform, England will be hard to stop.\n\nThere's the middle order, blessed with dependability (Joe Root), experience (Eoin Morgan), exuberance (Jos Buttler) and a mix of all those qualities (Ben Stokes).\n\nAnd then there's the bowling department. Jofra Archer, fast-tracked into the team just before the World Cup following a change in residency rules, mixes sheer pace with accuracy (he has more dot balls, 338, than anyone this tournament) and has struck up a great new-ball partnership with allrounder Chris Woakes; Liam Plunkett and Mark Wood are solid first-change options; and legspinner Adil Rashid can be a partnership breaker in the middle over.\n\nWith openers Martin Guptill, Henry Nicholls and Colin Munro enduring a dismal World Cup, captain Kane Williamson has taken on most of the batting burden and stood up to the task. Understated, determined and simply brilliant, Williamson is averaging a tournament-high 91.33 and challenges Virat Kohli as probably the best batsman in the world, though Australia's Steve Smith and Root run them close.\n\nTaylor, in next at No. 4, is New Zealand's other key batsman but it is the team's bowling attack that will strike most fear into the hearts of England fans who will dominate Lord's on Sunday.\n\nUnder cloudy skies offering movement in the air, there might not be a better asset than left-arm seam bowler Trent Boult, as he showed against India in the semifinals . He will enjoy using the slope from the Pavilion End. Fellow strike bowler Matt Henry is a danger at the top of the innings, not so much at the death, while Lockie Ferguson at first change is New Zealand's leading wicket-taker this tournament with 17.\n\nIf this World Cup is anything to go by, England's batters will look to bludgeon New Zealand out of the game if they bat first. The Blacks Caps, alternatively, would likely be satisfied putting 250 runs on the board and letting their bowlers and outstanding fielders defend it with their lives.\n\nIf the past six weeks is anything to go by, much will hinge on the toss (even if the team winning it has lost four of the last five World Cup finals).\n\nYet both teams have such self-belief that there's a sense little will faze them.\n\nEngland is looking to complete the set of men's World Cup wins in the country's top team sports, after the footballers in 1966 and the rugby players in 2003. If England does win, the trophy will be lifted by an Irishman, Dublin-born Morgan, while there is a multi-cultural make-up to the side through Barbados-born Archer, South Africa-born Roy and both Rashid and Moeen Ali, with their Asian ancestry. There's also the formidable Stokes, born in Christchurch, New Zealand, no less.\n\nA win Sunday would also complete the cricket double for England, with the women's team winning the World Cup in 2017.\n\nA victory for Williamson's side would kick off what could be a memorable year for New Zealand, which is favorite to win the Rugby World Cup in Japan, starting in September.\n\nBoth teams have been in jeopardy this World Cup, with England playing knockout cricket for nearly three weeks after back-to-back group losses to Sri Lanka and Australia, and New Zealand squeezing through to the playoffs on net run-rate after defeats in their last three group matches.\n\nYet England is in a better place now, buoyed by successive wins over India, New Zealand, and then Australia in the semis. Every facet of the team is firing.\n\nNew Zealand, playing on the other side of the world from home, has it all to do.", "LONDON (AP) — In the 48th game of the Cricket World Cup, in the astonishing ninth hour of the final, with shadows creeping across the Lord’s pitch and the heartbeats of 28,500 spectators on pause, the outcome hung on one last ball.\n\nThe first ever Super Over after the first ever tied final in World Cup history brought the mounting tension to breaking point.\n\nTwo runs scored, and New Zealand would win the World Cup for the first time.\n\nOne or no runs scored, and England would win the World Cup for the first time.\n\nHow had it come to this?\n\nAfter 100 regular overs of the final, the scores were tied on 241 when New Zealand ran out England’s last two batsmen on the last two balls.\n\nAn unprecedented Super Over decider was required, and the rules were displayed on the video boards for stumped spectators.\n\nTeams nominate three batsmen, get only two wickets, and face one bowler.\n\nBen Stokes and Jos Buttler, who engineered England’s recovery from 86-4 with a century partnership, faced Trent Boult, who had just bowled the last regular over.\n\nStokes, who finished regulation on 84 not out, ran himself out of breath as he and Buttler scored 3, 1, 4, 1, 2, 4, each greeted by a roar from the home crowd. What a time to pull out England’s highest scoring over all day.\n\n“I encouraged them to smile, laugh, enjoy, because it was such a ridiculous situation where there was quite a lot of pressure in that particular moment,” captain Eoin Morgan said. “It was to release a bit of tension and the guys responded brilliantly.\n\n“To play in a Super Over at the end of an extremely draining day takes a huge amount out of you, so it was, remain calm but make sure we enjoy this. Whether we win or lose, we have done incredible things.”\n\nAs England took the field, Buttler rechecked the rules with umpire Marais Erasmus. A tie in the Super Over would give England the trophy on a countback of boundaries and sixes in the 50-over final and Super Over. England led that count by 26-16. Erasmus told Buttler that New Zealand needed an ungettable 11 boundaries. Buttler told him they would try not to give the Kiwis even one.\n\nJofra Archer, the fast-bowling sensation for whom England changed its rules to clothe in blue just weeks before the tournament, charged up the Lord’s slope at Jimmy Neesham, the New Zealand allrounder who was close to retiring from cricket in 2017.\n\nArcher started with a wide. Neesham then hit 2, a 6 into the Mound Stand, 2 off a Jason Roy misfield, 2, 1. Guptill only had to run, and was on strike for the first time.\n\nOne ball left. Trophy on the line.\n\nArcher angled the delivery into the pads of Guptill, the batting star who has struggled to score in this World Cup.\n\nGuptill guided the ball to deep midwicket, and scored one run. He turned for the second and glory but by the time he was halfway down the pitch, Roy’s throw was rocketing to wicketkeeper Buttler, who smashed the bails with Guptill out by at least three meters.\n\nNew Zealand captain Kane Williamson didn’t regret asking Guptill to bat.\n\n“He is such a fast runner and that is all he had to do, and he was short by a little bit,” the skipper said. “Unfortunately, it didn’t happen. It is one of those days.”\n\nArcher, playing only his 14th ODI, wheeled away to slide across the grass in joy.\n\n“I was pretty sure I was going to bowl,” he said. “Heart’s still racing.”\n\nStokes, named the player of the final, was impressed with the bowler: “We backed the new kid, Jofra Archer, the talent that he’s got. He showed the world today.”\n\nButtler, who’d thrown his gloves in the air to hug as many teammates as possible, was unequivocal.\n\n“I thought I’d seen everything in cricket,” he said. “That game was just ridiculous.”", "LONDON (AP) — There will be a first-time winner of the Cricket World Cup trophy when England takes on New Zealand in the final at Lord's on Sunday.\n\nEngland is in the title match for the fourth time, and the first since 1992, while New Zealand is playing in a second final, after losing to Australia in 2015.\n\nAfter some early-morning rain, the covers are off at the home of cricket, revealing a green-looking pitch. World Cup finals tend to be low-scoring matches and this is likely to be no exception, if previous matches at Lord's are anything to go by.\n\nEngland starts as the favorite, having been the top-ranked one-day side for the past year and beaten India, New Zealand and then Australia — in the semifinals — in its last three games this tournament.\n\nNew Zealand, No. 3 in the ODI rankings, defeated India in the semifinals and should be better for its experience of the final four years ago."], "summary": "England beats New Zealand in the 2019 Cricket World Cup Final on total boundaries after both regulation play and a super over end in a tie."}
{"document": ["Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The missile was in a large cache of guns and ammunition\n\nAnti-terrorism police in northern Italy have seized an air-to-air missile and other sophisticated weapons during raids on far-right extremist groups.\n\nThree people were arrested, two of them near Forli airport. Neo-Nazi propaganda was also seized.\n\nThe raids were part of an investigation into Italian far-right involvement in the conflict in eastern Ukraine, the Turin police said.\n\nThe missile originated from the Qatari armed forces, the police said.\n\nImage copyright EPA Image caption The missile is reported to be in good condition for combat use\n\nThe Turin special police force, called Digos, led the operations, assisted by police in Milan, Varese, Forli and Novara.\n\nItalian media named those arrested as Fabio Del Bergiolo, 50, an Italian ex-customs officer and far-right Forza Nuova party activist; Alessandro Monti, 42, a Swiss national; and Fabio Bernardi, 51, also Italian.\n\nInitially, on 15 July, the police said the arrests were part of an investigation, started about a year ago, into far-right groups \"who have fought in Ukraine's Donbass region against the separatists\".\n\nBut the latest police statement did not mention groups fighting the pro-Russian separatists, referring only to an investigation into Italian extremists who had \"taken part in the armed conflict in Ukraine's Donbass region\". The police did not make it clear which side the Italians were on in this case.\n\nThe missile appears to be a French-made Matra Super 530 F.\n\n\"During the operation, an air-to-air missile in perfect working order and used by the Qatari army was seized,\" police said in a statement.\n\nSeparately, a court in Genoa jailed three men on 3 July who were found guilty of fighting alongside the Russian-backed separatists, who control a large swathe of Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk regions.\n\nImage copyright Italian police Image caption A big cache of guns and ammunition was seized\n\nImage copyright AFP Image caption Turin police displayed this haul of Nazi memorabilia and weapons\n\nIn the Genoa case, two men - Italian Antonio Cataldo and Albanian-born Olsi Krutani - got terms of two years and eight months. The third, Moldovan citizen Vladimir Vrbitchii, got one year and four months.\n\nMore than 10,000 people have died in fighting since the heavily-armed separatists launched an insurgency in eastern Ukraine in April 2014. Skirmishes with Ukrainian government troops continue, but the frontline has remained generally static for more than a year.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Tom Burridge looks at life on both sides of the frontline\n\nUpdate 16th July 2019: This story was amended after Italian police dropped a reference to the Italian extremists having fought against the Donbass separatists.", "A neo-Nazi group in northern Italy had sent members to fight alongside Russia-backed separatists in the Donbass region of Ukraine. Apparently, the group brought some things back from their adventures—including a French-made air-to-air missile that somehow found its way from Qatar into the home of a neo-fascist extremist.\n\nThe missile and an assortment of other weapons were discovered in the latest of a series of raids by Italian federal police from the General Investigations and Special Operations Division (DIGOS). The raids are part of an ongoing investigation into the Forza Nuova political party and Rebel Firm extremist groups that had fought in the Donbass region.\n\nOther raids had turned up pro-Nazi and pro-fascist propaganda and relics alongside caches of knives and other illegal weapons—including brass knuckles, and a baseball bat inscribed with the words \"Dux Mussolini\" (Leader Mussolini) and a portrait of Italian Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini. The groups were also being investigated under Italy's anti-fascist laws, following pro-fascist comments by Forza Nuova's leader in Turin, Luigi Cortese. But in a raid today in the province of Pavia, south of Milan, police discovered a collection of modern automatic weapons—including nine assault rifles, a submachine gun, seven pistols, silencers, bayonets, and other military weapons.\n\nOn top of all that, there was also the missile. The Matra Super 530 F, a short-to-medium range air to air missile, was initially sold to Qatar to arm the Qatar Emiri Air Force's Mirage 2000 (and previously, Mirage F1) fighter aircraft. The missile was found in a shipping canister during this latest raid, and it appears to be in working order—though it did not have an explosive warhead installed, according to DIGOS.\n\nJust how a French-built Qatari missile found its way into the collection of a group of neo-fascists in the Italian Piedmont region is not clear. But Forza Nuevo has supported the Syrian government, and one of those arrested in the raid—Fabio Del Bergiolo, 50, who ran for the Italian Senate in 2001 as a Forza Nuova candidate—is a former customs anti-fraud inspector. Del Bergiolo was apparently attempting to sell the missile for 470,000 Euros to \"a foreign government official,\" according to police.", "Italian police said on Monday they had seized weapons including an air-to-air missile in raids sparked by an investigation into far-right extremist groups.\n\n“During the operation, an air-to-air missile in perfect working order and used by the Qatari army was seized,” police said.\n\nAs well as the 800kg Matra missile, the bust in northern Italy uncovered a whole host of sophisticated weapons, including “latest generation” automatic assault rifles and rocket launchers.\n\n“This is a significant seizure, with few precedents in Italy,” said Turin police commissioner Giuseppe De Matteis.\n\nPolice arrested three people including Fabio Del Bergiolo, 50, a former candidate for the Neo-Fascist Forza Nuova party.\n\nThe missile, 3.54 metres long was made in France and Del Bergiolo had been hoping to sell it for €470,000 ($A752,000), according to Italian media reports.\n\nThe missile was “without explosive charge, but re-armable by people specialised in the field,” police said.\n\n“For now, nothing leads us to suspect” an active plot to use the weapons, said counter-terrorism official Eugenio Spina.\n\nThe Super 530 F was a modernisation of the R530 missile that went into service in 1980, and has a range of 25 kilometres, with an explosive charge of 30 kilos.\n\n“It is extremely dangerous and risky to turn it into a missile to fire from the ground, unless you have good engineers and equipment,” a missile expert who asked not to be named told AFP.\n\nSimilarly, because of its age, it is “extremely unlikely that it can be used, but its use can be changed,” he added.\n\nThe raids were the result of a separate police probe into Italian extremists known to have joined pro-Russian rebels in fighting Ukrainian troops.\n\nMessages intercepted by the police led them to investigate Del Bergiolo, who had sent photographs of the missile for sale through the Whatsapp messaging service.\n\nThey put him under surveillance before raiding his home and finding neo-Nazi propaganda, Hitler memorabilia, and a stash of weapons including a Scorpion machine gun, 306 firearm parts and 20 bayonets.\n\nThe other arrests were a Swiss, 42, and an Italian, 51, accused of holding and marketing the missile, which was found by police at a warehouse near the small Rivanazzano Terme airport in the Pavia province.\n\nThe Digos law enforcement agency, which deals largely with terrorism and organised crime, led the operation from Turin with assistance from police in Forli, Milan, Novara and Varese.\n\n“We have some idea about what the seized equipment could be used for, but will not speculate,” Mr De Matteis told reporters.\n\nThe Forza Nuova party released a statement Monday distancing itself from Del Bergiolo.\n\nPolice have carried out several raids in recent weeks on far-right targets around Turin, with a man arrested earlier this month for advocating fascism and possessing illegal weapons.\n\nWhile Italy’s far-right interior minister Matteo Salvini was uncharacteristically quiet following the raid, the opposition centre-left Democratic Party (PD) urged the country’s populist government to do more to tackle right-wing extremists.\n\n“The far right in this country traffics weapons of war, and even missiles. It’s an incredible, very serious event,” said Maurizio Martina, the PD’s former party head.", "ROME, Italy (AFP) — Italian police seized an air-to-air missile, machine guns and rocket launchers during raids sparked by an investigation into far-right extremist groups on Monday, a huge haul of weapons that authorities said was almost without precedent.\n\nPolice arrested three people, including Fabio Del Bergiolo, 50, a former candidate for the neo-fascist Forza Nuova party, whose home was found to contain a huge stash of arms as well as neo-Nazi propaganda and Hitler memorabilia.\n\n“During the operation, an air-to-air missile in perfect working order and used by the Qatari army was seized,” police said of the 245-kilogram (540-pound) Matra missile.\n\nGet The Times of Israel's Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Free Sign Up\n\nThey also found automatic assault rifles that they described as “latest generation” among the cache.\n\n“This is a significant seizure, with few precedents in Italy,” said Turin police commissioner Giuseppe De Matteis.\n\nThe missile, 3.54 meters (more than 11 feet) long was made in France and Del Bergiolo had been hoping to sell it for 470,000 euros ($529,000), according to Italian media reports.\n\nThe missile was “without explosive charge, but re-armable by people specialized in the field,” police said.\n\n“For now, nothing leads us to suspect” an active plot to use the weapons, said counter-terrorism official Eugenio Spina.\n\nThe other arrests were a Swiss national, 42, and an Italian, 51, accused of holding and marketing the missile, which was found by police at a warehouse near the small Rivanazzano Terme airport in the Pavia province.\n\nThe Mantra Super 530 F was a modernization of the R530 missile that went into service in 1980, and has a range of 25 kilometers (15 miles), with an explosive charge of 30 kilos.\n\n“It is extremely dangerous and risky to turn it into a missile to fire from the ground, unless you have good engineers and equipment,” a missile expert who asked not to be named told AFP.\n\nSimilarly, because of its age, it is “extremely unlikely that it can be used, but its use can be changed,” he added.\n\nThe raids were the result of a police probe into Italian extremists known to have fought against pro-Russian rebels in Ukraine.\n\nMessages intercepted by the police led them to investigate Del Bergiolo, who had sent photographs of the missile for sale through the WhatsApp messaging service.\n\nThey put him under surveillance before raiding his home and finding a stash of weapons including a Scorpion machine gun, 306 firearm parts and 20 bayonets.\n\nHis collection included street signs from the Nazi era, including one reading “Adolf-Hitler Platz.”\n\nPolice in Pavia also found the cockpit of a military plane.\n\nThe Digos law enforcement agency, which deals largely with terrorism and organised crime, led the operation from Turin with assistance from police in Forli, Milan, Novara and Varese.\n\n“We have some idea about what the seized equipment could be used for, but will not speculate,” De Matteis told reporters.\n\nThe Forza Nuova party released a statement Monday distancing itself from Del Bergiolo.\n\nPolice have carried out several raids in recent weeks on far-right targets around Turin, with a man arrested earlier this month for advocating fascism and possessing illegal weapons.\n\nWhile Italy’s far-right interior minister Matteo Salvini was uncharacteristically quiet following the raid, the opposition center-left Democratic Party (PD) urged the country’s populist government to do more to tackle right-wing extremists.\n\n“The far right in this country trafficks weapons of war, and even missiles. It’s an incredible, very serious event,” said Maurizio Martina, the PD’s former party head.", "Italian police have seized a large arsenal of weapons, including an air-to-air missile, in raids on neo-Nazi sympathisers.\n\nElite police officers searched properties across northern Italy following an investigation into Italians who had fought alongside Russian-backed separatist forces in eastern Ukraine, a police statement said.\n\nThree men were arrested, including a customs officer who has previously stood for parliament for an extreme right party.\n\nDuring their raids, police discovered a French-made Matra air-to-air missile that appeared to have once belonged to the Qatar armed forces. Subsequent checks showed the weapon was in working condition but lacked an explosive charge.\n\nPolice said the suspects had tried to sell the missile in conservations with contacts on the WhatsApp messaging network.\n\nAmong other weapons uncovered were 26 guns , 20 bayonets, 306 gun parts, including silencers and rifle scopes, and more than 800 bullets of various calibres. The arms were primarily from Austria, Germany and the United States.\n\nPolice also seized Nazi memorabilia from the properties.\n\n\"The police investigation came into being because of the activities of some Italian fighters with extremist backgrounds who had taken part in the armed conflict in the Ukrainian region of Donbass,\" a police statement said.\n\nMore than 10,000 people have been killed since 2014 in fighting between pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian forces in eastern Ukraine.", "Italian police seized an air-to-air missile, rifles, rocket launchers and other weapons in raids on alleged neo-Nazis.\n\nThe authorities found a variety of Nazi memorabilia in the raids, which were carried out as part of a probe into the far-right's involvement in the Ukrainian civil war.\n\nThree men were arrested in the operation after allegedly attempting to sell a French Matra missile to an official from a foreign government for €470,000 (£422,924).\n\nPolice said the raids were the result of an investigation into members of the country's far-right fighting with Russian-backed militias in eastern Ukraine.\n\nCounter-terrorism officers arrested Fabio Del Bergiolo, 50, a Swiss man, 42, and a 51-year-old Italian over a failed bid to sell the rocket.\n\nThe authorities discovered 30 hunting rifles, nine assault weapons, pistols, bayonets, ammunition and swastika-emblazoned Nazi memorabilia at Del Bergiolo's home, The Times reports.\n\nDel Bergiolo previously ran as a candidate for Italy's Senate as part of the far-right Forza Nuova party and most recently worked as a customs officer.\n\nHe was arrested after police allegedly heard him over a wiretap trying to sell the missile.\n\nItalian police said the air-to-air missile was used by the Qatari army and was in perfect working order, although it lacked an explosive charge.\n\nEarlier this month an Italian court found three men guilty of fighting alongside Russian separatists in Ukraine.\n\nThe Times reports that Giuseppe De Matteis, the chief of police in Turin, Italy, said officers rarely encountered 'weapons of this quality and violent potential'.", "Italian police have seized a large arsenal of weapons, including an air-to-air missile and rocket launchers, in raids on neo-Nazi sympathisers in an arms haul that authorities said was almost without precedent.\n\nElite police forces searched properties across northern Italy following an investigation into Italians who had fought alongside Russian-backed separatist forces in eastern Ukraine, a police statement said on Monday.\n\nAmong other weapons uncovered were 26 guns, 20 bayonets, 306 gun parts, including silencers and rifle scopes, and more than 800 bullets of various calibres. The arms were primarily from Austria, Germany and the United States.\n\n\"This is a significant seizure, with few precedents in Italy,\" said Turin police commissioner Giuseppe De Matteis.\n\n\"During the operation, an air-to-air missile in perfect working order and used by the Qatari army was seized,\" police said of the 245km Matra missile.\n\nThey also found automatic assault rifles that they described as \"latest generation\" among the cache.\n\nAt least three people, including Fabio Del Bergiolo - 50, a former candidate for the neo-fascist New Force, or Forza Nuova party (FN) - have been arrested.\n\nThe missile, 3.54 metres long was made in France and Del Bergiolo had been hoping to sell it for 470,000 euros ($529,000), according to Italian media reports.\n\nThe missile was \"without explosive charge, but re-armable by people specialised in the field,\" police said.\n\n\"For now, nothing leads us to suspect\" an active plot to use the weapons, said Eugenio Spina, head of the counterterrorism unit.\n\nThe other arrests were a Swiss, 42, and an Italian, 51, accused of holding and marketing the missile, which was found by police at a warehouse near the small Rivanazzano Terme airport in the Pavia province.\n\nThe Mantra Super 530 F was a modernisation of the R530 missile that went into service in 1980, and has a range of 25km, with an explosive charge of 30 kilos.\n\n\"It is extremely dangerous and risky to turn it into a missile to fire from the ground, unless you have good engineers and equipment,\" a missile expert who asked not to be named told the AFP.\n\nSimilarly, because of its age, it is \"extremely unlikely that it can be used, but its use can be changed,\" he added.\n\nMessages intercepted by the police led them to investigate Del Bergiolo, who had sent photographs of the missile for sale through the Whatsapp messaging service.\n\nDel Bergiolo's home was found to contain a huge stash of arms as well as neo-Nazi propaganda and Hitler memorabilia.\n\nThey put him under surveillance before raiding his home and finding a stash of weapons including a Scorpion machine gun, 306 firearm parts and 20 bayonets.\n\nHis collection included street signs from the Nazi era, including one reading \"Adolf-Hitler Platz\".\n\nPolice in Pavia also found the cockpit of a military plane.\n\nThe Digos law enforcement agency, which deals largely with terrorism and organised crime, led the operation from Turin with assistance from police in Forli, Milan, Novara and Varese.\n\n\"We have some idea about what the seized equipment could be used for, but will not speculate,\" De Matteis told reporters.\n\nThe FN released a statement on Monday distancing itself from Del Bergiolo.\n\nPolice have carried out several raids in recent weeks on far-right targets around Turin, with a man arrested earlier this month for advocating fascism and possessing illegal weapons.\n\nWhile Italy's far-right interior minister, Matteo Salvini, was uncharacteristically quiet following the raid, the opposition centre-left Democratic Party (PD) urged the country's populist government to do more to tackle right-wing extremists.\n\n\"The far right in this country trafficks weapons of war, and even missiles. It's an incredible, very serious event,\" said Maurizio Martina, the PD's former party head.", "A missile once owned by the Qatari army and seized by police in Italy among other weapons was sold to a third country in 1994, Doha said Tuesday.\n\n\"Qatar is working very closely now with the pertinent parties, including Italy, to unveil the facts and it is very concerned as to how a missile sold 25 years ago ended up in the hands of a third non-state party,\" said foreign ministry spokeswoman Lolwah al-Khater on Twitter.\n\nPolice arrested three people, including Fabio Del Bergiolo, 50, a former candidate for the neo-fascist Forza Nuova party, whose home was found to contain a huge stash of arms as well as neo-Nazi propaganda and Hitler memorabilia.\n\n\"During the operation, an air-to-air missile in perfect working order and used by the Qatari army was seized,\" police said of the 245-kilogramme (540-pound) Matra missile.\n\nKhater said the seized Matra missile was sold by Doha \"in 1994 in a deal that included 40 Matra Super 530 missiles to a friendly nation that wishes not to be named at this point of the investigation\".\n\nThe missile, 3.54 metres (more than 11 feet) long was made in France and Del Bergiolo had been hoping to sell it for 470,000 euros ($529,000), according to Italian media reports.\n\nThe missile was \"without explosive charge, but re-armable by people specialised in the field,\" police said.\n\nThe raids were the result of a police probe into Italian extremists known to have fought against pro-Russian rebels in Ukraine.\n\nMessages intercepted by the police led them to investigate Del Bergiolo, who had sent photographs of the missile for sale through the Whatsapp messaging service.\n\nThey put him under surveillance before raiding his home and finding a stash of weapons including a Scorpion machine gun, 306 firearm parts and 20 bayonets.\n\nThe other arrests were a Swiss national, 42, and an Italian, 51, accused of holding and marketing the missile, which was found by police at a warehouse near the small Rivanazzano Terme airport in the Pavia province.\n\nThe Mantra Super 530 F was a modernisation of the R530 missile that went into service in 1980, and has a range of 25 kilometres (15 miles), with an explosive charge of 30 kilogrammes.", "Police in northern Italy have detained three men, including one linked to a neo-fascist Italian political party, after uncovering a huge stash of automatic weapons, a missile and material featuring Nazi symbols.\n\nPolice in northern Italy have detained three men, including one linked to a neo-fascist Italian political party, after uncovering a huge stash of automatic weapons, a missile and material featuring Nazi symbols.\n\nOfficers said the discoveries stemmed from a previous investigation into Italians who took part in the Russian-backed insurgency in eastern Ukraine.\n\nIn a statement, Turin police said one of the men arrested had in 2001 run unsuccessfully as a Senate candidate for the neo-fascist Forza Nuova party.\n\nAt his home in Gallarate, police found nine assault weapons, nearly 30 hunting rifles, pistols and bayonets as well as ammunition and antique Nazi plaques featuring swastikas.\n\nTwo other men were detained after police found a French-made missile at an airport hangar that they were apparently seeking to sell.", "Counterterrorism police in northern Italy on Monday seized a huge cache of weapons including an air-to-air missile following an investigation into far-right extremist groups.\n\nPolice in Italy released pictures of the weapons they seized.\n\nThe missile was found along with a range of assault rifles, shotguns, pistols, bayonets, many weapon parts and almost a thousand cartridges of ammunition, police said in a statement . Nazi signs and other far-right material was also recovered.\n\nPolice in Turin led the raids after a yearlong investigation into Italians with extreme ideologies, who took part in the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine.\n\nMore than 10,000 people have died in fighting since Russian-backed separatists launched an insurgency in the Donbass region of Ukraine in April 2014, according to the United Nations.\n\nThe air-to-air missile seized is French-made and appeared to have belonged to the Qatari armed forces, police said."], "summary": "A police raid on a neo-Nazi group in northern Italy results in the arrest of three people. Sophisticated weaponry, including a Matra Super 530F air-to-air missile, are seized during the operation."}
{"document": ["Your opinions matter to us times;\n\nFeedback 0 / 5", "At least nine civilians were killed and 14 others injured in fresh regime airstrikes in the de-escalation zones in northwestern Syria on Tuesday.\n\nThe attacks targeted residential areas in the towns of Jisr al-Shughur, Khan Shaykhun, Maar Shoreen, Hantoteen and Ain Al Bardeh in Idlib province, according to an Anadolu Agency correspondent on the ground.\n\nTurkey and Russia inked a deal in Sochi for a buffer zone in September to prevent a massive regime offensive on the Idlib region near the Turkish border.\n\nFollowing eight months of calm provided by the Sochi deal, the Assad regime intensified its attacks starting April 26 under the pretext of fighting Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) militants holed up in Idlib.\n\nThe offensive has displaced over 300,000 within the opposition-held area and killed hundreds, including medical staff. Residential areas have been destroyed by indiscriminate attacks, while numerous educational facilities, health facilities and residential areas have collapsed or have become unusable after being targeted by bombs.\n\nAid agencies say the scale of bombardment in the northwest risks further humanitarian disaster, hundreds of thousands of people have already fled toward the Turkish border."], "summary": "Syrian government airstrikes targeting residential areas in the towns of Jisr al-Shughur, Khan Shaykhun, Maar Shoreen, Hantoteen and Ain Al Bardeh in Idlib province, kill at least nine civilians and injure 14 others."}
{"document": ["R. Kelly pleads not guilty, denied bail in sweeping sex crime prosecution\n\nTwo women who say they’re living with Kelly attended his arraignment Tuesday and sat in the front row.", "CHICAGO (Reuters) - R&B singer R. Kelly pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to a raft of federal charges accusing him of running a scheme to force women and girls to provide sex for himself and others, and a judge ordered that he remain in jail without bail.\n\nA federal judge said the main reason he was denying bail was obstruction of justice charges, part of a multi-count indictment unveiled on Friday in Chicago and New York.\n\nWearing an orange prison jumpsuit and handcuffed at a hearing in federal court, the 52-year-old singer entered his plea of not guilty and answered “Yes, sir,” to all of U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber’s questions. He made no eye contact with supporters in the Chicago courtroom.\n\n“Kelly is an extreme danger to the community, especially teenage girls,” federal prosecutor Angel Kroll argued.\n\nProsecutors brought 18 counts against the Grammy Award-winning artist with allegations he preyed on teenagers and young women for two decades, forcing them into sexual acts.\n\nUnder the obstruction of justice charges, R. Kelly and his entourage are accused of paying hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes to buy victims’ silence, even giving a car to one young woman, and using intimidation and threats of violence.\n\nThe singer, who rose to fame in the 1990s, has been jailed in solitary confinement since he was arrested on Thursday night walking his dog in downtown Chicago, his lawyer Steve Greenberg said.\n\nR. Kelly has faced sexual abuse allegations dating back to the 1990s, which were documented in a television series “Surviving R. Kelly” and aired in January.\n\nIn February he was charged with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse in Illinois state.\n\nGreenberg said R. Kelly was not a flight risk as he spent all his time in his one bedroom apartment on the 48th floor of the Trump Tower in Chicago and had no money.\n\n“If he was going to flee he would have done so already,” Greenberg said. He later said that he would appeal the judge’s bail decision.\n\nTwo women who say they have been in consensual relationships with the singer were at the hearing, but did not speak in court or comment to reporters.\n\nThe women, Joycelyn Savage and Azriel Clary, expressed their support for R. Kelly in a video posted this week on entertainment news site TMZ.\n\nBest known for hits “Bump n’ Grind,” and “I Believe I Can Fly,” R. Kelly faces a maximum prison sentence of over 190 years for the Chicago charges and decades more for those filed in New York. He is already fighting sexual assault charges in Illinois that carry a prison sentence of up to 30 years.\n\nThe musician and record producer is charged with sexual misconduct with 12 teenage girls and young women. Prosecutors said they had evidence in three videotapes of women performing sexual acts with Kelly.\n\nCelebrity lawyer Michael Avenatti, who says he represents three of Kelly’s victims, on Monday said the singer paid over $2 million to keep one young woman off the stand in his 2008 trial on child pornography charges, in which he was acquitted.\n\n“The difference between his old cases and now is that his victims are cooperating with law enforcement,” said prosecutor Kroll.", "R&B singer R. Kelly pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to a raft of federal charges accusing him of running a scheme to force women and girls to provide sex for himself and others, and a judge ordered that he remain in jail without bail.\n\nA federal judge said the main reason he was denying bail was obstruction of justice charges, part of a multi-count indictment unveiled on Friday in Chicago and New York.\n\nWearing an orange prison jumpsuit and handcuffed at a hearing in federal court, the 52-year-old singer entered his plea of not guilty and answered \"Yes, sir,\" to all of US District Judge Harry Leinenweber's questions. He made no eye contact with supporters in the Chicago courtroom.\n\n\"Kelly is an extreme danger to the community, especially teenage girls,\" federal prosecutor Angel Kroll argued.\n\nProsecutors brought 18 counts against the Grammy Award-winning artist with allegations he preyed on teenagers and young women for two decades, forcing them into sexual acts.\n\nUnder the obstruction of justice charges, R. Kelly and his entourage are accused of paying hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes to buy victims' silence, even giving a car to one young woman, and using intimidation and threats of violence.", "CHICAGO (Reuters) - R&B singer R. Kelly pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to a raft of federal charges accusing him of running a scheme to force women and girls to provide sex for himself and others, and a judge ordered that he remain in jail without bail.\n\nA federal judge said the main reason he was denying bail was obstruction of justice charges, part of a multi-count indictment unveiled on Friday in Chicago and New York.\n\nWearing an orange prison jumpsuit and handcuffed at a hearing in federal court, R. Kelly entered his plea of not guilty and answered “yes, sir,” to all of U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber’s questions. He made no eye contact with supporters in the Chicago courtroom.\n\n“Kelly is an extreme danger to the community, especially teenage girls,” federal prosecutor Angel Kroll argued. “Mr Kelly has done extensive obstruction of justice.”\n\nProsecutors brought 18 indictments against the Grammy award-winning artist with allegations he preyed on teenagers and young women for two decades, forcing them into sexual acts.\n\nKelly and his entourage are accused of paying hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes, using intimidation and even giving a car to one victim to keep them quiet, all part of the obstruction of justice charges.\n\nThe singer’s lawyer Steve Greenberg has said the charges stem from “decades-old” conduct and were already part of an existing Illinois sexual assault case or previous allegations that resulted in Kelly’s acquittal.\n\nGreenberg said R. Kelly was not a flight risk as he spent all his time in his one bedroom apartment on the 48th floor of the Trump Tower in Chicago and had no money.\n\n“If he was going to flee he would have done so already,” Greenberg said in court.\n\nTwo women who say they’ve been in a consensual relationship with R. Kelly were at the hearing, but did not speak in court or comment to reporters.\n\nThe women, Joycelyn Savage and Azriel Clary, expressed their support for the singer this week in a video posted on entertainment news site TMZ.\n\nBest known for his hits “Bump n’ Grind” and “I Believe I Can Fly,” R. Kelly faces a maximum prison sentence of over 190 years for the Chicago charges and decades more for those filed in New York. He is already fighting sexual assault charges in Illinois that could put him behind bars for up to 30 years.\n\nThe singer and record producer faces charges dating back as far as 1998 for counts ranging from enticing a minor, to producing child pornography and obstruction of justice.\n\nCelebrity lawyer Michael Avenatti, who says he represents three of Kelly’s victims, on Monday said the singer paid over $2 million to keep one young woman off the stand in his 2008 trial on child pornography charges, in which he was acquitted.\n\n“The difference between his old cases and now is that his victims are cooperating with law enforcement,” said prosecutor Kroll.", "FILE – In this June 6, 2019 file photo, musician R. Kelly departs the Leighton Criminal Court building after pleading not guilty to 11 additional sex-related charges in Chicago. A U.S. Attorney’s office spokesman says Kelly was arrested Thursday night, July 11 on federal sex-crime charges in Chicago. (AP Photo/Amr Alfiky, File)\n\nprosecutors, was arrested in Chicago Thursday on a federal grand jury indictment listing 13 counts including sex crimes and obstruction of justice.\n\nU.S. Attorney’s Office spokesman Joseph Fitzpatrick said the R&B singer was taken into custody about 7 p.m. local time and was being held by federal authorities. According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons website, Kelly is being held at the Metropolitan Correctional Center, Chicago.\n\nHe was arrested after the indictment was handed down earlier Thursday in federal court for the Northern District of Illinois.\n\n“The counts include child porn, enticement of a minor and obstruction of justice,” Fitzpatrick said, adding that further details would be released Friday.\n\nThe arrest was the second time this year that Kelly has been taken into custody in Chicago on sex charges. The 52-year-old Grammy winner, whose real name is Robert Kelly, was arrested in February on 10 counts in Illinois involving four women, three of whom were minors when the alleged abuse occurred. He pleaded not guilty to those charges and was released on bail.\n\nThen on May 30, Cook County prosecutors added 11 more sex-related counts involving one of the women who accused him of sexually abusing her when she was underage.\n\nHis attorneys could not immediately be reached for comment on the federal charges. Fitzpatrick said Kelly’s arraignment date and time had not yet been set.\n\nKelly has faced mounting legal troubles this year after Lifetime aired a documentary “Surviving R. Kelly,” which revisited allegations of sexual abuse of girls. The series followed the BBC’s “R Kelly: Sex, Girls & Videotapes,” released in 2018, that alleged the singer was holding women against their will and running a “sex cult.”\n\nSoon after the release of the Lifetime documentary, Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx said her office had been inundated with calls about the allegations in the documentary. Her office’s investigation led to the charges in February and additional counts added in May.\n\nKelly avoided prison after similar allegations were made more than a decade ago. A jury in 2008 acquitted him of child pornography charges that stemmed from a videotape, obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times, allegedly showing Kelly having sex with a minor.\n\nFor more stories like this that matter to you, click here to download the CBS 17 News app for free.\n\nWatch live newscasts, get breaking news and sign up for push alerts – download now", "R. Kelly has pled not guilty to 13 alleged sex trafficking charges. The 'Ignition' hitmaker was arrested on the charges - which also included charges for alleged child pornography and obstruction of justice - earlier this month, after he was already arrested on two separate occasions for 11 felonies related to sexual assault and abuse, and a further 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, all of which he has denied.\n\nAnd after a court hearing on Tuesday, July 16, the disgraced RnB star entered a plea of not guilty to the latest charges.\n\nBut despite his not guilty plea, TMZ reports he will stay behind bars for the time being, after a judge denied his bond and sided with his prosecutors, who argued he shouldn't be allowed on the streets.\n\nProsecutors claimed the risk of obstruction is still ongoing, and alleged Kelly is a danger to the community, especially young girls.\n\nThey said: \"[Kelly has the] unique ability to influence and intimidate witnesses and victims, and that continues to this day. It's who the defendant is.\"\n\nKelly's lawyer, Steve Greenberg, then argued Kelly is no longer a risk to minors as all but one of the allegations against him date back to the 90s, and insisted his client isn't a flight risk as he's already surrendered his passport to the authorities and doesn't like to fly.\n\nGreenberg also noted the 52-year-old musician would make a \"difficult prisoner\" because of his notoriety, but the judge eventually sided with the prosecution, saying that the allegation of child pornography alone comes with a \"presumption of detention\".\n\nKelly has been ordered to stay in jail without bond.\n\nThe news comes just one month after the musician was last in court to plead not guilty to 11 felonies related to sexual assault and abuse in Illinois, including five counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse, four counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault and two counts of criminal sexual assault.\n\nIn those legal documents, Kelly was accused of committing an act of sexual penetration on a victim known as \"J.P.\" in an incident which allegedly took place in January 2010, when the victim was under the age of 18.\n\nKelly was also previously faced with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse when four women accused him of sexually abusing them, three of whom claim they were underage at the time of the alleged incidents.\n\nThe musician has denied all allegations against him.", "Embattled R&B singer R. Kelly pleaded not guilty in a Chicago courtroom Tuesday to 13 federal charges, including child pornography and obstruction of justice.\n\nThe indictment was one of two federal cases issued against the singer last week, one in Illinois and the other in New York. Federal prosecutors in the Northern District of Illinois say that Kelly made substantial hush-money payments to silence the alleged victims — five girls — and members of their families.\n\nDespite a history of allegations that stretches over a quarter century, this is the first time that Kelly was charged with federal crimes. In addition to the Illinois federal indictment, federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of New York unsealed a separate, five-count indictment of Kelly last Friday. Those charges include one count of racketeering related to kidnapping and four violations of the Mann Act, which refers to transporting girls over state lines for sexual trafficking. There are five alleged victims in the New York indictment, including three girls.\n\nThe alleged incidents referenced in the two federal indictments span 1998 to 2018. In total, the two federal indictments contain 18 counts, including child pornography, kidnapping, obstruction of justice and trafficking minors and women for sexual purposes.\n\nDuring Tuesday's court appearance, Judge Harry D. Leinenweber also decided that Kelly will remain in custody as he awaits trial in Chicago. According to the Chicago Tribune, he will be taken by U.S. marshalls to face the New York indictment in Brooklyn; the Chicago Sun-Times reports that he will be transferred to Brooklyn sometime before Sept. 4.\n\nAlso charged in the Illinois indictment were two of Kelly's associates: his manager Derrell McDavid and an employee, Milton \"June\" Brown. Prosecutors say that Kelly and his associates paid out hundreds of thousands of dollars to collect copies of his child pornography videos that had begun circulating. In addition, prosecutors assert Kelly and others in his circle paid out cash, substantial gifts and foreign travel to alleged victims, their parents, other family members and witnesses to prevent them from testifying in court or otherwise coming forward publicly.\n\nOn Monday, celebrity lawyer Michael Avenatti — who says that he represents three alleged victims of Kelly as well as six other people, ranging from parents of alleged victims to three Kelly associates whom Avenatti calls \"whistleblowers\" — claimed that Kelly paid out $2 million to keep the alleged victim in a 2008 criminal trial in Chicago from testifying. In that case, Kelly was accused of making child pornography with a teenage girl. Neither the girl nor her parents testified in the case, though multiple family members, friends and even a basketball coach identified her on the witness stand. In June 2008, Kelly was acquitted on all counts.\n\nKelly also continues to face a range of criminal charges in Cook County, Ill., including aggravated criminal sexual assault and abuse.", "CHICAGO (CBS) — R. Kelly appeared in a Chicago court Tuesday where a federal judge ruled the singer will remain in jail without bond as he faces a myriad of federal sex crime charges. Prosecutors argued that Kelly is a flight risk and an “extreme danger to the community.”\n\nKelly’s attorney, Steve Greenberg, entered a plea of not guilty on all charges.\n\nU.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber made the ruling Tuesday after R. Kelly was arrested last week, he faces charges in both Illinois and New York.\n\nAccording to the 13 count federal indictment in Illinois, the 52-year-old Kelly recorded himself having sex with minors. His former manager, Derrel McDavid, who was also charged in the coverup, pleaded not guilty.\n\nThe singer is also facing federal charges in New York that he engaged in sexual abuse with underage girls. The New York federal charges Kelly faces include racketeering, kidnapping and interstate transportation of victims for illegal sex acts.\n\nMore than 10 years ago, Kelly faced child pornography charges after he allegedly appeared in a video with a minor. Kelly was found not guilty in a 2008 trial. Prosecutors on Tuesday said they had three videos in their possession, which allegedly show Kelly sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl. They said the videos feature “extreme close ups” of the singer’s face.\n\nProsecutors said the victim testified that the singer appeared in all three videos. Two of tapes were not part of the 2008 case, they said.\n\n Kelly had previously been free on a $1 million bond but was arrested on Thursday on child pornography charges. He has since been held at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Chicago.", "CHICAGO -- Singer R. Kelly will be in federal court in Chicago Tuesday for an arraignment on sex crimes involving children and obstruction of justice.Last week, he was indicted on multiple federal charges in Chicago and New York, where a separate indictment returned in Brooklyn accuses him of racketeering sex trafficking.Kelly has been in jail since he was arrested while walking his dog last week near his Trump Tower apartment in Chicago. His attorney denies the charges, saying Kelly is innocent.In addition to the arraignment, a consolidated detention hearing will be held on both the Illinois and New York indictments. The issue of removal to New York is expected to be addressed if Kelly is released on bond.Federal prosecutors want Kelly to remain in custody, saying he's dangerous and they believe he would try to run. Kelly's attorneys will be asking for bail.As part of the indictment filed in Chicago, Kelly has been charged with one count of conspiracy to receive child pornography, two counts of receiving child pornography, four counts of producing child pornography, five counts of enticement of a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity, and one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice.The five alleged victims were all underage when prosecutors said they had sex with Kelly in the late 1990s. Prosecutors also charged Kelly and two associates, including manager Derrel McDavid, with a decades-long conspiracy to silence victims and witnesses.\"All of these charges are decades old, and all of a sudden people are coming forward,\" said Steve Greenberg, Kelly's attorney.In the second indictment out of Brooklyn, New York, Kelly is charged with racketeering, including acts of coercing and transporting minor girls to engage in sex, spanning two decades in New York, Connecticut, Illinois and California. Prosecutors said he was at the center of an \"enterprise\" to recruit women and underage girls.Between the two indictments, there are a total of 10 alleged victims. If Kelly is convicted, it could mean decades behind bars.Monday, attorney Michael Avenatti, who represents three of R. Kelly's accusers, spoke about the current charges and a 2008 child porn case in which Kelly was acquitted. Avenatti said the Chicago native paid off the 14-year-old alleged victim not to testify in that case.\"I would very surprised if Mr. Kelly ever sees the light of day outside of federal custody in life,\" Avenatti said.Avenatti also represents three whistleblowers who claim Kelly paid off associates to recover videotapes of the singer sexually abusing underage girls.While he's helping federal investigators in the Kelly case, Avenatti has his own legal problems with the feds. The lawyer faces fraud and embezzlement charges in California and New York.\"It doesn't matter what happens to me in my own personal legal issues relating to this case, it will have absolutely no impact whatsoever, I stand by the work I've done in this case,\" he said.Kelly is already facing sexual abuse charges brought by Illinois prosecutors. The 52-year-old was taken into custody back in February, accused of sexually abusing three girls and a woman in Illinois.Last May, Cook County prosecutors added 11 more sex-related counts. Kelly has maintained his innocence and pleaded not guilty to the Illinois charges.", "FILE – In this June 6, 2019 file photo, musician R. Kelly departs the Leighton Criminal Court building after pleading not guilty to 11 additional sex-related charges in Chicago. A U.S. Attorney’s office spokesman says Kelly was arrested Thursday night, July 11 on federal sex-crime charges in Chicago. (AP Photo/Amr Alfiky, File)\n\nCHICAGO (AP) — R. Kelly and his entourage recruited girls and women to engage in illegal sexual activity with the singer and covered up the crimes by paying off and threatening victims and witnesses, federal prosecutors alleged Friday in indictments that could keep the Grammy winner behind bars for decades.\n\nBecause they come from the federal government, the accusations add a new dimension to the allegations against Kelly, who was already facing sexual abuse charges brought by Illinois prosecutors earlier this year.\n\nOne federal indictment in Chicago said Kelly arranged for a girl and her parents to travel overseas to prevent them from talking with police prior to his 2002 indictment on 21 counts of child pornography. The R&B artist allegedly later instructed them to lie to a grand jury about the case. Kelly was acquitted in 2008 of the charges, which accused him of recording a video of sex acts with the girl, who was 12 or 13 when they met in the mid-1990s.\n\nA separate indictment filed in the Eastern District of New York included charges of racketeering, kidnapping, forced labor and the sexual exploitation of a child.\n\nIt said Kelly and his managers, bodyguards and other assistants picked out women and girls at concerts and other venues and arranged for them to travel to see Kelly. They also set rules the women and girls had to follow, including not leaving their rooms — even to eat or go to the bathroom — without Kelly’s permission, calling the singer “Daddy” and not looking at other men, the indictment alleges.\n\nThe allegations have swirled for years around Kelly, whom federal prosecutors said Friday was “emboldened by his fame and the lack of any real consequences.” The charges come after two documentaries and a series of news articles about the accusations, as well as pleas from prosecutors who have urged new victims and witnesses came forward.\n\nKelly was arrested Thursday evening while walking his dog “Believe” in Chicago. He appeared in court Friday, standing before the judge in an orange jumpsuit, with his hands clasped behind his back. The only words he spoke during the 15-minute hearing were “yes, ma’am.”\n\nHe will remain in federal custody at least until Tuesday, when he’s scheduled for a detention hearing. Prosecutors want him held without bail.\n\nHis attorney, Steve Greenberg, said the latest charges were “not a surprise” and that Kelly should be allowed to post bail.\n\n“It’s the worst kept secret he was going to get charged federally, and he hasn’t fled,” he said following Friday’s hearing.\n\nHe also accused the federal government of “piling on” with the new charges and described his client as unflappable despite a series of indictments in recent months.\n\n“I’m amazed he hasn’t had a complete breakdown in the face of all of this pressure,” he said. He questioned if the victims referenced in the indictments were actually victims.\n\n“They’ve charged him in New York with enticing people and encouraging people to have sex with him,” Greenberg said. “I don’t think people accidentally have sex so I’m not really sure what the criminal activity is there.”\n\nThe New York indictment alleges that the criminal acts occurred over two decades dating back to 1999, both in the U.S. and overseas. It accuses Kelly of engaging in sexual acts with girls under 18, of having sex with a woman without disclosing that he had a sexually transmitted disease and of producing child pornography.\n\nThe Chicago indictment charges Kelly with child sex crimes, including producing child pornography, and conspiracy to defraud the U.S. government. It also names Kelly’s business manager, Derrel McDavid, and another employee.\n\nIt says Kelly recorded himself engaged in sex acts with several minor girls and went to great lengths to recover the videos when he realized some were missing from his “collection.” Kelly allegedly made some victims and witnesses take lie-detector tests to ensure they had returned all copies of the videos.\n\nKelly’s acquittal in his previous child pornography trial came after he and the girl who prosecutors said was in the video denied they were in the footage, even though the picture quality was good and witnesses testified it was them. She did not take the stand.\n\nThe indictment says Kelly continued to make payments to the girl after the trial, and that Kelly also transferred the title on a luxury SUV to the girl in 2013.\n\nDarrell Johnson, a publicist for Kelly, delivered a statement at a chaotic news conference Friday in Atlanta, where he was interrupted seconds after beginning by the family of a woman who lived with Kelly in Chicago. The relatives of Joycelyn Savage pleaded to speak with their daughter.\n\n“I want to know where my daughter is,” Timothy Savage, Joycelyn Savage’s father, angrily interrupted Johnson. “Where is she at? Answer that question!”\n\nJohnson said he had “nothing to do” with Joycelyn Savage and that she was not being held. In an interview with “CBS This Morning” co-host Gayle King in March, Joycelyn Savage defended her relationship with Kelly and denied reports she was being held against her will.\n\nKelly, whose real name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, was arrested in February on 10 counts in Illinois of sexually abusing three girls and a woman. He pleaded not guilty to those charges and was released on bail.\n\nThen on May 30, Cook County prosecutors added 11 more sex-related counts involving one of the women who accused him of sexually abusing her when she was underage.\n\nAttorney Gloria Allred, who represents three of the victims identified as “Jane Does” in the New York indictment, predicted that long-overdue justice “will soon be done.”\n\n“This is a very positive day for those who allege that they are victims of Mr. Kelly, and it is a day that I’m sure that Mr. Kelly hoped would never come,” she said.\n\nAssociated Press writers Amanda Seitz in Chicago and Ben Nadler in Atlanta contributed to this report.\n\nThis story has been corrected to show that defense attorney Steve Greenberg, not U.S. Attorney’s Office spokesman Joseph Fitzpatrick, said Kelly was arrested Thursday while walking his dog."], "summary": "American musician R. Kelly pleads not guilty to federal sex-assault charges but is denied bail."}
{"document": ["ROME, July 17 (Reuters) - Italy's coalition parties clashed on Wednesday over the election of Germany's Ursula von der Leyen as the next president of the European Commission, in a vote that could endanger Rome's hopes of securing a top job in the new EU executive.\n\nWhile the anti-system 5-Star Movement endorsed von der Leyen in Tuesday's ballot in the European Parliament, the far-right League denounced her as a representative of old-school, mainstream EU politics that it wants dismantled.\n\n\"By voting for Ursula von der Leyen, Di Maio has betrayed Italian interests,\" the League said on Twitter, referring to 5-Star leader Luigi Di Maio.\n\nVon der Leyen secured victory by just nine votes, meaning the support of 5-Star was vital -- a fact that the Italian group hopes will stand it in good stead in the future political horse-trading in Brussels.\n\n\"The League has decided to condemn itself to irrelevance (by opposing von der Leyen),\" 5-Star said in a statement.\n\nIndeed, the League, which is headed by Matteo Salvini, might pay an immediate price for emphatically rejecting von der Leyen.\n\nItalian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte told reporters earlier this month he had extracted a promise from other EU leaders to obtain an important economic portfolio in the next Commission.\n\nEach of the 28 EU member states has a commissioner but von der Leyen, a close ally of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, has to approve each choice as she builds the new executive that will help her steer the European Union through the next five years.\n\nThe League emerged as Italy's largest party at the European Parliamentary election in May and Conte, a law professor with no party affiliation, has said Salvini's group should therefore pick the country's sole commissioner.\n\nHowever, a 5-Star European lawmaker, who declined to be named, said Salvini's chances of seeing a close aide, such as cabinet under secretary Giancarlo Giorgetti, receive a powerful job in von der Leyen's team were non existent.\n\n\"I think someone from the League will never pass,\" the 5-Star source said.\n\nA source within Conte's office also expressed frustration, saying the prime minister had done all he could to secure a good role for Italy, adding that the League had a \"peculiar vision\" of what was in the nation's best interests.\n\nA separate government source said Italy still expected to receive one of three portfolios -- trade, competition or the internal market. \"It would be a huge mistake if we did not get one of these posts. We are Italy,\" he said.\n\nHowever, he acknowledged that if Giorgetti's name was rejected, someone from outside the League would probably end up as Italy's representative in Brussels.\n\nItaly's outgoing commissioner is Federica Mogherini, from the opposition centre-left Democratic Party, who served as the bloc's foreign policy chief. (Reporting by Angelo Amante and Crispian Balmer; Editing by Gareth Jones)", "The Latest: Von der Leyen ready for further Brexit extension\n\nBRUSSELS (AP) — The Latest on the EU parliament vote on Commission President (all times local):\n\nUrsula von der Leyen, the candidate to succeed Jean-Claude Juncker as head of the EU executive, says she would grant another extension to the Brexit deadline if Britain needed it to assure an orderly withdrawal from the bloc.\n\nBritain is slated to leave the bloc on Oct. 31, which is already a half-year delay from the original departure date.\n\nBritain, however, has been wracked by internal division over the terms of departure agreed with the EU.\n\n\"I stand ready for a further extension of the withdrawal date should more time be required,\" she told EU lawmakers Tuesday.\n\nBoris Johnson, the favorite to succeed outgoing British Prime Minister Theresa May, has said that he wants to leave the EU on Oct. 31, with or without an agreement.\n\nOutgoing German defense minister Ursula von der Leyen is seeking to woo enough legislators at the European Parliament to secure the job of European Commission President in a secret vote late Tuesday.\n\nThe Christian Democrat of the European People's Party is promising the parliamentarians she will put climate and social issues at the heart of her program over the next five years as she seeks to gather the requisite 374 votes out of 747.\n\nVon der Leyen was a last-minute candidate to succeed Jean-Claude Juncker that the EU leaders agreed on as part of a package of top jobs that were decided on early this month.\n\nUnder the package, the free-market liberal Renew Europe group got Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel as Council President and the Socialists won the top parliament job.", "Ursula von der Leyen, a German conservative tipped to head the European Commission, outlined her vision of EU policies ahead of a crunch vote on her confirmation on Tuesday\n\nMOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 16th July, 2019) Ursula von der Leyen, a German conservative tipped to head the European Commission, outlined her vision of EU policies ahead of a crunch vote on her confirmation on Tuesday.\n\nThe former defense minister sought to appease the 747-seat European Parliament where she needs at least 374 votes. If approved, she will be the first woman to take on the key EU role.\n\nShe vowed to present a bold green policy within her first 100 days in office, including a 50-55 percent cut in carbon emissions by 2030 and a trillion Euros' ($1.1 trillion) worth of investment within a decade.\n\nOn migration, she said she would commit to saving migrants at sea, boost the number of Frontex border guards to 10,000 by 2924, renegotiate asylum rules and ensure that all EU countries take in their fair share of migrants.\n\nShe promised to make foreign tech giants pay more to EU countries whose human and social labor they benefit from and tried to win over EU lawmakers by offering them the right of legislative initiative.\n\nGermany's preferred Commission candidate Manfred Weber of the Parliament's biggest center-right European People's Party confirmed its support for her, saying it \"will implement these pledges together with her.\"\n\nIratxe Garcia of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats demanded that she needed to present more detailed plans for how she planned to respond to citizens' demands to secure the Socialist backing.\n\nThe Green alliance seemed reluctant to vote for the German conservative, with Philippe Lamberth saying his group was not ready to hand over the EU helm to her at a time when \"our common house is burning\" but promised to work together with her if she gets elected.\n\nJoerg Meuthen of the recently formed far-right Identity and Democracy group said it would vote against von der Leyen. He stated that she was unfit for the job and had no convincing vision for Europe.", "The European Parliament confirmed Ursula von der Leyen as EU Commission president in a secret ballot on Tuesday. She succeeds Jean-Claude Juncker to become the first woman to head the commission, which oversees policies for 500 million Europeans.\n\nVon der Leyen received 383 of 747 votes, surpassing the 374 needed to secure the presidency. There were 22 abstentions and one blank vote cast.\n\nGermany's defense minister emerged as the favourite to head the European Commission at the 11th hour of an epic EU emergency summit on July 2. The surprise announcement came after weeks of intense wrangling between EU leaders, which, until the final hours of a three-day emergency summit, had centered on three completely different candidates: German conservative Manfred Weber, Dutch Socialist Frans Timmermans and Danish liberal Margrethe Vestager.\n\nVon der Leyen’s last-minute nomination saved EU leaders from having to hand over the crucial pick to the EU Parliament but resulted in them circumventing the so-called “spitzenkandidaten” process, a system in which the main party blocs in the European Parliament nominate their lead candidates.\n\nTo the frustration of many lawmakers, von der Leyen was also an EU institution outsider and widely seen as someone chosen from behind closed doors, a compromise between French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.\n\nOnce seen as Merkel successor\n\nVon der Leyen, 60, was born in Brussels as one of eight children to Ernst Albrecht, one of Europe’s first civil servants. When she was 13, the family moved to Germany, where von der Leyen went on to study economics at the University of Göttingen. In 1978 she was forced to spend more than a year in hiding in London after her family learned that the far-left militant group, the notorious Baader-Meinhof gang, planned to kidnap her in order to extort her father. While in London, von der Leyen lived under the fake name “Rose Ladson” and studied at the London School of Economics.\n\nIn 1979 she returned to Germany, where she trained as a doctor and went on to work in a women’s clinic in Hanover until she and her husband, Professor Heiko von der Leyen, started a family. Throughout much of the 1990s she took a break from her career to be a stay-at-home mum to care for the couple’s seven children. During this time, the family also spent four years in Stanford, California.\n\nAfter returning to Germany, von der Leyen got involved in local politics. In the early 2000s she joined Merkel’s conservative Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU) party. When Merkel took office in 2005, she joined the federal cabinet as a family affairs minister, and between 2009 and 2013 she worked as a labour and social affairs minister. Von der Leyen is the only minister to have served continuously in Merkel’s government and was long seen as the likely successor to the chancellor.\n\nIn 2013, von der Leyen was appointed Germany’s first female defence minister, but problems involving failing army equipment and shortcomings within military training quickly saw her popularity plummet. Her reputation received an even bigger blow when the defence ministry was accused of ignoring the public procurement process when allocating multimillion-euro contracts to external companies, including to the firm where her son works. A recent poll by Germany’s Bild am Sonntag newspaper showed that von der Leyen was the second-least-popular member of Merkel’s cabinet.\n\nOn Monday she said she would resign from her defence ministry post no matter what the EU decided.\n\nInternationally, however, von der Leyen – who speaks fluent French and English – has built up a strong profile advocating greater EU integration, pushing for what she calls the \"United States of Europe\".\n\nHer stance seems to have impressed French President Macron in particular, who has repeatedly praised her for having “the DNA of the European community” and lauded her for her cooperation on Franco-German defence issues.\n\nOn the eve of EU lawmakers voting on her nomination for the commission's top post, von der Leyen attempted to shore up support by announcing a raft of economic, environmental and social reforms.\n\nIn letters to lawmakers, von der Leyen pledged to back a guaranteed EU minimum wage as well as an unemployment benefit scheme. She also said she would advocate more flexibility in the interpretation of EU budget rules. In addition, she said she would seek a cut in EU carbon emissions of up to 55 percent by 2030 and promised an overhaul of the bloc’s migration and foreign policies.", "In his first speech in the new Parliament, Nigel Farage hit out against EU Commission nominee Ursula von der Leyen before MEPs vote to confirm her in post. Which they will because the whole thing was stitched up beforehand…\n\n“She wants the European Union to take control of every single aspect of our lives. She wants to build a centralised undemocratic updated form of communism… where the state controls everything, where nation state parliaments will cease to have any relevance at all.”", "Germany's Ursula von der Leyen on Tuesday pledged to address climate change, as she attempted to win support in her final speech to the European Parliament before it votes on her nomination for president of the European Commission.\n\n\"Our most pressing challenge is keeping our planet healthy,\" von der Leyen told EU lawmakers, adding that she will propose legislation within her first 100 days to make Europe the \"first climate neutral continent in the world by 2050.\"\n\nVon der Leyen said all sectors would have to contribute, \"from aviation to maritime transport to the way each and every one of us travels and lives, emissions must have a price that changes our behavior.\"\n\nShe said there would be a \"just transition fund\" to support economies were not as advanced.\n\n\"Not all about regions have the same starting point but we all share the same destination,\" Von der Leyen said. \"This is why I will propose a just transition fund to support those most affected. This is the European way, we are ambitious we leave nobody behind.\"\n\nMore to come...", "STRASBOURG: The European Parliament on Tuesday confirmed Ursula von der Leyen, a German conservative, as the next president of the executive EU Commission by 383 votes to 327 against, the speaker of the assembly, David Sassoli, said.\n\nVon der Leyen, a close ally of German Chancellor Angela Markel, needed a minimum 374 votes to be confirmed. There were 22 abstentions and one blank vote, he added.", "Ursula von der Leyen has been confirmed as the new European Commission President.\n\nThe European Parliament voted 383-327 with 22 abstentions on to approve Ms von der Leyen’s nomination. The confirmation required an absolute majority of 374 votes.\n\nShe said: “I feel so honoured and I am overwhelmed. The task ahead of us humbles me.”\n\nThe outgoing German defence minister was nominated by EU leaders as part over an overall appointments package, but still needed the backing of the parliament.\n\nShe was a last-minute candidate and many MEPs were angry none of their lead candidates were picked for the job.\n\nShe said: “My message to all of you is: let us work together constructively.”\n\nMs Von der Leyen set out her political objectives on a greener, gender-equal Europe where the rule of law continues to hold sway earlier in the day.\n\nHer approval was a key part in the package of top jobs that EU leaders agreed upon early this month.\n\nUnder the deal, the free-market liberal Renew Europe group got Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel as European Council President and the Socialists won the top parliament job. France’s Christine Lagarde was put forward as head of the European Central Bank.\n\nMs Von der Leyen told MEPs in Strasbourg that the gender element will be an essential part of her job.\n\n“I will ensure full gender equality” in her team of 28 commissioners.\n\nPointing out that since its inception in 1958, less than 20% of commissioners had been women, she said: “We represent half of our population. We want our fair share.”\n\nPrior to the vote, some MEPs voiced their anger that they were sidelined in the appointment process. Their candidates for the commission post, arguably the most important of all the jobs, were all rejected by the EU leaders.", "German defence minister Ms von der Leyen, a close ally of Chancellor Angela Merkel, scraped home after securing 383 votes in the European Parliament - just nine more than she needed for an absolute majority. Poland’s ruling party, Law and Justice (PiS), has a total of 26 MEPs, and Hungary’s Fidesz has 13, and both opted to back Ms von der Leyen, strongly indicating her bid would have failed without their backing. PiS and Fidesz have been highly critical of Ms von der Leyen’s predecessor Jean-Claude Juncker and his deputy Frans Timmermans, both of whom are seen as instrumental in the steering EU investigations into Poland over concerns about wide-ranging legal reforms, and Hungary, which has been accused of eroding democracy and failing to uphold “fundamental European Union values”, a reference to its controversial immigration policy.\n\nPolish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki alluded to the situation hours after the vote, saying: “I am a cautious optimist. The president of the European commission gives hope for a new opening.” Mr Morawiecki said PiS had only opted to back Ms von der Leyen after he had a conversation with Ms Merkel on Tuesday. Prior to that MEPs had been set to vote against her, as revealed to Express.co.uk by Polish-born MEP Daniel Kawczynski last week. The Polish PM also suggested with Ms von der Leyen’s election would enable Poland to agree a common position with the EU on security, energy and climate issues.\n\nHe later tweeted: “We showed our effectiveness and the fact that we are in favour of a Europe of normality.” Polish MEP Ryszard Legutko said: “You can say that thanks to us, there is no chaos, because the whole puzzle regarding top positions would be crumbling. “We have turned out to be those who have kept up the stability.” Hungary’s Government, led by Prime Minister Victor Orban, suggested it would look to exert leverage on the new commission after Fidesz MEPs gave Ms von der Leyen the nod.\n\nIn a blog published today, Hungarian state secretary Zoltan Kovacs said: “In curbing migration, the new European commission president will also have to play a leading role in establishing stronger European borders and developing a culture where the states that undertake vast border protection efforts are rewarded rather than punished. “Ursula von der Leyen prevailed by only a thin margin, one that she wouldn’t have had without the support of Fidesz-KDNP and, of course, prime minister Viktor Orban. “But Hungary’s ongoing support is not unconditional: we have definite expectations of the new EC president and we will look out for the interests of the Hungarian people every step of the way.” Ms von der Leyen is thought to have had to dangle a range of promises on migration, taxes, climate change and the rule of law to secure even a wafer-thin margin of support in the European Parliament to become the EU’s first female chief executive.\n\nHowever, delivering on those pledges will be an even harder task for von der Leyen, a close ally of Ms Merkel, because the EU’s national leaders, although they picked her for the job, are deeply at odds over many of those issues. The 28 member states are divided on how to handle refugees, on committing to carbon neutrality by 2050 and on the question of safeguarding democracy in the bloc. The European Union’s executive yesterday agreed new measures to better police democracy across the bloc in a move which is unlikely to impress either Mr Morawiecki or Mr Orban. The latest proposal from the European Commission to promote the rule of law, prevent violations and respond to any perceived deficiencies.", "Ms Von der Leyen won 383 votes in a secret ballot, only a little above the absolute majority of 374 she required to be elected. She had the declared backing of the three mainstream, pro-EU groups — the center-right European People's Party, the Progressive Alliance of Socialists & Democrats, and the centrist-liberal Renew Europe group. In a reaction video uploaded onto fellow Brexit Party MEP Michael Heaver’s Twitter, the two reveal why they are so infuriated with the result.\n\nMr Heaver said: “So, we’ve just come out of the European Parliament where Ursula von der Leyen has won a one horse race by nine votes.” Ms Rees-Mogg added: “It’s an absolute stitch-up yet again from the European project. “And she wants to make it even worse than it has been already. “Dragging us into a common foreign policy, losing the veto and also having a European defence force to defend its borders. JUST IN: Von der Leyen looks set to win EU presidency as MEPs fall in line\n\n“But what’s different to an attack force? “And if you’ve got control of foreign policy, thats actually quite worrying.” Mr Heaver concluded: “And it all underlines once again that we must leave in October at the very latest. “Let’s get out of this thing.” Meanwhile, Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage was even more vociferous in his condemnation.\n\n“She absolutely wants the EU to expand, she wants foreign policy to take place without any nation state having a veto. “She isn’t going to give an inch on the backstop - she’s made that clear already. “But she is prepared to extend UK membership. “I did say this morning in my speech that I thought what she was offering Europe was an updated form of communism. “And I have to say, I did get quite a few boos and jeers for saying it. DON'T MISS\n\nEuropean Commission vote results: Who is Ursula von der Leyen? [RESULT]\n\nBoris Johnson left with three Brexit options if he becomes PM - [VIDEO]\n\nEU farce: Ursula von der Leyen confuses institutions in speech blunder [VIDEO]"], "summary": "The European Parliament elects Ursula von der Leyen of Germany as the new President of the European Commission. Succeeding Jean-Claude Juncker, she will be sworn in on 1 November 2019. She is the first woman to be elected to this office in EU history."}
{"document": ["Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Christine Lagarde has become known as the \"rock star\" of international finance\n\nChristine Lagarde has said she will step down as managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).\n\nIt comes ahead of a decision on her nomination to become head of the European Central Bank (ECB).\n\nMs Lagarde said she would leave the IMF on 12 September.\n\n\"With greater clarity now on the process for my nomination as ECB president and the time it will take, I have made this decision in the best interest of the fund,\" she said.\n\n\"The executive board will now be taking the necessary steps to move forward with the process for selecting a new managing director.\"\n\nThe former French cabinet minister has been head of the IMF since 2011.\n\nIf the European Council approves her ECB nomination, she will become the central bank's first ever female leader, responsible for the euro and the monetary policy of the eurozone.\n\nKnown as the \"rock star\" of international finance, Ms Lagarde, 63, began her career as a lawyer before moving into politics.\n\nShe served in various ministerial posts under Nicolas Sarközy before being elected as the first female boss of the IMF - replacing Dominique Strauss Khan.\n\nAnalysis by Andrew Walker, BBC economics correspondent\n\nWho will take over at the IMF? The nominations will start coming in soon enough. But the selection raises once again an old sore in arrangements for the leadership of the IMF and the World Bank.\n\nThere was a post-Second World War understanding - or carve-up if you prefer - that the top job at the IMF would go to a European, while an American would run the World Bank. Christine Lagarde continued that tradition.\n\nShe was the IMF's fifth French managing director. The issue was last reopened earlier this year, when a vacancy suddenly arose at the top of the World Bank. President Trump's nominee, David Malpass got the job. There have been challenges to the established practice.\n\nWhen Ms Lagarde was selected, the Mexican central banker Agustin Carstens ran against her, and there were non-European nominations before that. It would not be a surprising if there were more this time. So far, however the post war deal has held up.\n\nImage copyright Getty Images Image caption Ms Lagarde is known as the \"rock star\" of international finance\n\nConsistently ranked among the top 10 most powerful women globally, Ms Lagarde has helped to rebuild the IMF's credibility following Greece's 2010 bailout, which bent the fund's rules.\n\nShe also presided over the IMF's biggest bailout, a $57bn deal for Argentina last year that many credited with arresting emerging market turbulence.\n\nLast year, she was reported to have said \"no, no, no no, no no\" when asked if she was interested in running the European Central Bank (ECB).\n\nHowever, she later described receiving the nomination as \"an honour\".\n\nThe role is likely to test the silver-haired 63-year-old, who has admitted before that she lacks economic experience. Dark clouds are hovering over Italy's banking sector and the bloc is in the midst of a slowdown.\n\nHowever, one former IMF official said her leadership of the fund meant she was \"exceptionally qualified\" to run the ECB.\n\nChristine Lagarde's career\n\n1956: Born in Paris\n\n1973: Wins scholarship to exclusive US school for a year, where she perfects her English\n\n1981: After law school in Paris, joins international law firm Baker & McKenzie as an associate, becoming chair 18 years later\n\n2005: Becomes France's trade minister in 2005\n\n2007: Becomes France's finance minister, the first woman to hold this post not just in France but in any of the G8 major industrial countries\n\n2011: Becomes head of the IMF\n\n2019: Nominated to become president of the European Central Bank", "Christine Lagarde is resigning as managing director of the International Monetary Fund in light of her nomination to be the next president of the European Central Bank.\n\nLagarde has already given up her day-to-day duties as head of the IMF, and the international lending agency has named a top deputy, David Lipton, as acting managing director.\n\n\"I have made this decision in the best interest of the Fund, as it will expedite the selection process for my successor,\" Lagarde said today.\n\nLagarde said her resignation will be effective on September 12.\n\nLagarde took over the IMF in 2011 after her predecessor, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, was ensared in sexual assault allegations.\n\nAs managing director, she coordinated large bailout loans for Greece in concert with the ECB and European Union.\n\nShe was nominated to be the first woman president of the ECB July 2 by the eurozone's 19 member governments.\n\nIf her nomination is approved, Lagarde will replace Mario Draghi, who has pushed the ECB's benchmark interest rate to record lows near zero and has spent 2.6 trillion euros on European financial assets in an effort to boost growth and inflation.\n\nUnder Lagarde's leadership, the IMF has supported those efforts and warned against premature rate hikes.", "International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde resigned from her post on Tuesday. “I have met with the Executive Board and submitted my resignation from the Fund with effect from September 12, 2019,” she said, according to a statement released by the fund.\n\n“The relinquishment of my responsibilities as Managing Director announced previously will remain in effect until then,” Lagarde added. She said she made the decision to resign due to her nomination as the head of the European Central Bank, “in the best interest of the Fund”.\n\n“The Executive Board [of IMF] will now be taking the necessary steps to move forward with the process for selecting a new Managing Director,” Lagarde said. “David Lipton remains our Acting Managing Director.”\n\nLagarde, a former French Cabinet minister, has been the head of the IMF since 2011. If the European Council approves her nomination to the European Central Bank, she will become the bank’s first ever female leader.", "Christine Lagarde on Tuesday resigned as the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). This comes just hours before a vote on her nomination to become head of the European Central Bank (ECB). Lagarde's resignation comes into effect from September 12, 2019.\n\n“Today the IMF Executive Board accepted Managing Director Christine Lagarde’s resignation from the Fund with effect from September 12, 2019.\n\n“We would like to express our greatest appreciation for all that Managing Director Lagarde has done for the institution. Her legacy of achievements has made a lasting imprint on the Fund. Under her guidance, the Fund successfully helped its members navigate a complex and unprecedented set of challenges, including the impact of the global financial crisis and its aftershocks.”\n\n“The Fund has excelled in serving its entire membership over the course of her tenure with cutting-edge policy advice supported by ground-breaking analytical work on a range of macro-critical issues. Her stewardship has been exceptional, and we are grateful for her innovative and visionary leadership.”\n\n“With this decision by Managing Director Lagarde, the IMF Executive Board will initiate promptly the process of selecting the next Managing Director and will communicate in a timely fashion. The Executive Board has the utmost confidence in Mr. David Lipton, who remains Acting Managing Director of the Fund in the interim period.”", "Christine Lagarde will leave the International Monetary Fund in September, as her nomination to lead Europe’s central bank gathers pace.\n\nIn a statement, Ms Lagarde said she had made the decision to quit in order to hasten the appointment of her successor as managing director of the fund.\n\nIt comes following her nomination to succeed Mario Draghi as president of the European Central Bank on July 2.\n\n“With greater clarity now on the process for my nomination as ECB President and the time it will take, I have made this decision in the best interest of the Fund, as it will expedite the selection process for my successor,” she said.\n\nMs Lagarde’s nomination triggered the temporary handover of her duties to David Lipton, who is acting as managing director of the IMF.\n\nThis arrangement will continue while the fund’s executive board selects a new head.\n\nThe IMF’s executive board said: “We would like to express our greatest appreciation for all that Managing Director Lagarde has done for the institution.\n\n“Her legacy of achievements has made a lasting imprint on the Fund. Under her guidance, the Fund successfully helped its members navigate a complex and unprecedented set of challenges, including the impact of the global financial crisis and its aftershocks.\n\n“The Fund has excelled in serving its entire membership over the course of her tenure with cutting-edge policy advice supported by ground-breaking analytical work on a range of macro-critical issues.\n\n“Her stewardship has been exceptional, and we are grateful for her innovative and visionary leadership.”", "Christine Lagarde announced Tuesday that she has resigned as managing director of the International Monetary Fund, effective from Sept. 12. Lagarde is set to take over as president of the European Central Bank on Nov. 1. In a separate statement, the IMF executive board said it had accepted Lagarde's resignation. David Lipton will remain the acting managing director of the IMF during a search for a new leader. There has been speculation that Bank of England governor Mark Carney might replace Lagarde. In addition, George Osborne, the former chancellor of the UK exchequer and Bulgaria's Kristalina Georgieava, the No. 2 at the World Bank, have been mentioned in various news reports. Since 1945, the IMF managing director has been from Europe.", "WASHINGTON (AP) - Christine Lagarde is resigning as managing director of the International Monetary Fund in light of her nomination to be the next president of the European Central Bank.\n\nLagarde has already given up her day-to-day duties as head of the IMF, and the international lending agency has named a top deputy, David Lipton, as acting managing director.\n\n\"I have made this decision in the best interest of the Fund, as it will expedite the selection process for my successor,\" Lagarde said Tuesday.\n\nLagarde said her resignation will be effective on Sept. 12.\n\nLagarde took over the IMF in 2011 after her predecessor, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, was ensared in sexual assault allegations. As managing director, she coordinated large bailout loans for Greece in concert with the ECB and European Union.\n\nShe was nominated to be the first woman president of the ECB July 2 by the eurozone's 19 member governments.\n\nFILE - In this April 13, 2019, file photo, International Monetary Fund (IMF) managing director Christine Lagarde speaks during a news conference after the International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMFC) conference at the World Bank/IMF Spring Meetings in Washington, Lagarde said Tuesday, July 16, 2019, she will resign as managing director of the International Monetary Fund in light of her nomination to be the next president of the European Central Bank. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)\n\nIf her nomination is approved, Lagarde will replace Mario Draghi, who has pushed the ECB's benchmark interest rate to record lows near zero and has spent 2.6 trillion euros on European financial assets in an effort to boost growth and inflation.\n\nUnder Lagarde's leadership, the IMF has supported those efforts and warned against premature rate hikes.\n\nFILE- In this Jan. 21, 2019, file photo International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde briefs the media during a news conference at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum, WEF, in Davos. Christine Lagarde said Tuesday, July 16, she will resign as managing director of the International Monetary Fund in light of her nomination to be the next president of the European Central Bank. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber, File)", "The International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director, Christine Lagarde, has resigned her appointment and will be leaving the Bretton Woods institution on September 12.\n\nIMF’s Executive Board in a statement yesterday in Washington DC, said it had accepted her resignation and would soon kick-start the process to find her replacement.\n\n“Today the IMF Executive Board accepted Managing Director Christine Lagarde’s resignation from the Fund with effect from September 12, 2019.\n\n“With this decision by Managing Director Lagarde, the IMF Executive Board will initiate promptly the process of selecting the next managing director and will communicate in a timely fashion.\n\n“The Executive Board has the utmost confidence in Mr. David Lipton, who remains Acting Managing Director of the Fund in the interim period,” it said.\n\nLagarde had announced in a statement yesterday that she had submitted her resignation from the IMF and it would go into effect in September.\n\n“I have met with the Executive Board and submitted my resignation from the Fund with effect from September 12, 2019.\n\n“The relinquishment of my responsibilities as managing director announced previously will remain in effect until then.\n\n“With greater clarity now on the process for my nomination as ECB President and the time it will take, I have made this decision in the best interest of the Fund, as it will expedite the selection process for my successor,” Lagarde said.\n\nAccording to her, while the Executive Board would be taking the needed steps to proceed toward selecting a new managing director, David Lipton would remain the Fund’s acting managing director.\n\nOn July 9, the EU Economic and Financial Affairs Council adopted a formal recommendation to nominate Lagarde as president of the European Central Bank.\n\nHer nomination will now be discussed by the ECB governing council and the European Parliament, and the final appointment by European Council in October.\n\nShe was named as the next Managing Director of the IMF for a five-year term, starting on July 5, 2011, replacing Dominique Strauss-Khan.\n\nHer appointment is the 11th consecutive appointment of a European to head the IMF.\n\n In 2014, Lagarde was ranked the fifth most powerful woman in the world by Forbes magazine.\n\nShe was reelected by consensus for a second five-year term, starting July 5, 2016, being the only candidate nominated for the post.\n\nIn December 2016, a French court found her guilty of negligence for her role in the Bernard Tarpie arbitration, but did not impose a penalty.\n\nIn 2018, Forbes ranked her number three on its World’s 100 Most Powerful Women list.\n\nOn July 2, 2019, she was nominated by the European Council to succeed Mario Draghi as President of the European Central Bank on November 1, 2019.\n\nAfter consultations with the European Parliament, Lagarde is about to be the first woman in the position of President of the European Central Bank.", "Christine Lagarde has resigned as the managing director of International Monetary Fund (IMF).\n\nIn a statement released on Tuesday, Lagarde said her resignation will be effective from September 12.\n\nThe 63-year-old was appointed to lead the Bretton Wood institution in 2011.\n\nShe got re-elected for a second term in 2016.\n\n“I have met with the Executive Board and submitted my resignation from the Fund with effect from September 12, 2019. The relinquishment of my responsibilities as Managing Director announced previously will remain in effect until then.\n\n“With greater clarity now on the process for my nomination as ECB President and the time it will take, I have made this decision in the best interest of the Fund, as it will expedite the selection process for my successor.\n\n“The Executive Board will now be taking the necessary steps to move forward with the process for selecting a new Managing Director.”\n\nLagarde had previously stepped aside temporarily from her position at the IMF after she was nominated to be the president of the European Central Bank.\n\nDavid Lipton, the first deputy managing director, has been the acting managing director.\n\nIMF’s executive board has accepted her resignation, announcing that the process of selecting the next managing director would begin promptly.", "Washington: International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde resigned from the role that she’s held for nearly a decade as she prepares to lead the European Central Bank.\n\nThe resignation will be effective September 12, the fund said in a statement in Washington Tuesday. Lagarde, 63, has held the top role at the IMF since 2011 and is in line to succeed ECB President Mario Draghi in November.\n\nSince being nominated for the top ECB spot in July, Lagarde took a step back from her duties. David Lipton, first deputy managing director of the fund, has been filling in for her.\n\nMinisters have discussed the process for nominating a European candidate as managing director but don’t have a clear plan and won’t discuss names yet. While the post has traditionally gone to a European, emerging-market nations have pressed to play a bigger role."], "summary": "Christine Lagarde announces that she will step down as managing director of the International Monetary Fund on 12 September 2019."}
{"document": ["San Juan, P.R. — Defying growing calls for his immediate resignation, Puerto Rico's beleaguered Gov. Ricardo Rosselló on Tuesday vowed to remain in office and bring more transparency and accountability to the Puerto Rican government. In recent days, his office has been rocked by high-profile corruption arrests and escalating protests over the revelation of vulgar and inappropriate private messages between the governor and his staff.\n\nA political crisis has swept the Caribbean island — home to approximately 3.2 million U.S. citizens — since a non-profit journalism group, Puerto Rico's Center for Investigative Journalism, published a trove of messages in which Rosselló and his top lieutenants mocked political opponents, talked about retaliating against journalists and made sexist and homophobic remarks. The scandal prompted the resignation of several officials in the messaging group, including his secretary of state and chief financial officer, but the governor has tried to quell the fallout and save his political career.\n\nProtesters call for Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló's ouster outside his official residence in the heart of San Juan. LUIS ALCALA DEL OLMO / AP\n\nDuring his first press conference since the crude messages were leaked, Rosselló said that after days of introspection, he had determined that it was in the best interest of the island for him to continue in his role.\n\n\"I'm not proud of what I did,\" he told reporters at his official residence in the capital on Wednesday when asked about the leaked messages by CBS News. \"Those were merely comments — but they were hurtful comments. So, I apologize for what I've done but again, I need to move forward and continue on the work we're doing for Puerto Rico.\"\n\nPressed about the leaked messages, dubbed #Telegramgate by Puerto Ricans in reference to the app used by the group, Rosselló cited a legal analysis that supposedly determined that they did not contain evidence of any criminal act. \"I did not commit illegal acts or ones of corruption. I did commit inappropriate acts,\" he told reporters.\n\nHe would not say who conducted the analysis and demurred when asked by CBS News if the findings of the internal probe would be released.\n\nPuerto Rico‘s Governor told us a legal analysis was done to determine that the contents in the 889 page chats, that were leaked, were not illegal. He wouldn’t tell us who did that legal analysis and he wouldn’t give us a copy. — David Begnaud (@DavidBegnaud) July 16, 2019\n\nThe embattled governor stressed he was committed to protecting the First Amendment rights of his detractors — who in recent days have surrounded Rosselló's residence, La Fortaleza, to call for his ouster and clashed with police. On Monday night, police equipped with riot gear used tear gas and pepper spray to disperse the crowd outside La Fortaleza. But the governor urged the protesters to not turn to violence.\n\nRosselló also strongly denied that either he or his wife were were being investigated by federal authorities conducting a sweeping corruption probe on the island. Last week, the FBI arrested two former agency directors in Rosselló's administration and accused them of illegally diverting federal funds to political consultants.\n\nThe White House on Tuesday said the political crisis vindicated President Trump's repeated accusations that the Puerto Rican government is corrupt.\n\n\"The unfortunate events of the past week in Puerto Rico prove the President's concerns about mismanagement, politicization, and corruption have been valid,\" White House spokesman Judd Deere said in a statement. \"We remain committed to Puerto Rico's recovery and steadfast in protecting taxpayers and the Puerto Rico survivors from political corruption and financial abuse.\"\n\nDuring the press conference, Rosselló, who has sparred with Mr. Trump repeatedly over Washington's handling of recovery efforts in the aftermath of the devastation caused by hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017, responded to the White House's statement by saying corruption is a social \"ill\" rampant in both government and the private sector. He vowed to combat it during the remainder of his tenure.\n\n\"I just hope we can have a serious conversation about what we're doing to battle it as opposed to pointing fingers,\" he said.", "Rosselló’s administration was rocked by the publication of a trove of derisive messages sent by the governor and some of his Cabinet members and top aides in a private chat on the messaging app Telegram. The messages mocked political foes and allies alike, often with profanity.\n\nOn Saturday, the governor tried to contain the fallout of the rapidly unfolding scandal by announcing that his chief financial officer and secretary of state had stepped down over their participation in the chat. But the high-profile exits proved insufficient to quell the widespread furor on the island that mushroomed in the hours after 889 pages of Telegram messages were published by Puerto Rico’s Center for Investigative Journalism.\n\nProtesters gathered outside the governor’s mansion, La Fortaleza, in San Juan late into the night Saturday and demanded Rosselló’s resignation, less than 18 months before the end of his term.\n\nOn Sunday, Rosselló attended services at an evangelical church in Carolina, Puerto Rico, and said he had sought forgiveness.\n\n“I humble myself before you and before the Almighty for the faults I have committed,” he said, according to a report in the El Nuevo Día newspaper. Outside of the governor’s mansion, demonstrators used a previously planned march to insist on Rosselló’s resignation. The protests continued into the afternoon. The authorities deployed police officers in riot gear.\n\nThe governor’s office said in a statement Sunday that Rosselló was not resigning, in spite of the recent “difficulties,” and added that he had spent the day holding meetings with agency directors. He plans to announce a government reorganization and anti-corruption measures in the coming days, the statement said.\n\n“We do not give up on the work underway, and today more than ever, many people are counting on my commitment to that work,” Rosselló said in a statement in Spanish.\n\nThe messages in the private chat, which Puerto Ricans dubbed #TelegramGate and #RickyLeaks, appeared to unleash anger over grievances against the Rosselló administration that had begun accumulating even before Hurricane Maria decimated the island in 2017.\n\nPuerto Rico’s finances have been controlled by a federal oversight board since 2016, the year Rosselló was elected, limiting his ability to govern and simultaneously making him party to unpopular economic austerity policies. The bankrupt island has been in a recession for 12 years.\n\nBut it was Rosselló’s handling of the slow storm recovery, including what many Puerto Ricans viewed as his meek approach toward President Donald Trump, that put him under increased scrutiny. His government took nearly a year to acknowledge that thousands of people had died in Maria’s aftermath. A series of corruption scandals, including the arrests Wednesday of two former Cabinet members, further diminished Rosselló’s power. Still, he had been expected to run for re-election in 2020.\n\nSome of Rosselló’s critics, including Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz of San Juan, a candidate for governor, said on Puerto Rican radio Saturday that the scandal surrounding the governor would only fuel more distrust from Washington, where Trump has made clear that he does not want to send the island more federal aid.\n\nCruz also said she had filed a police complaint against Rosselló and his former chief financial officer, Christian Sobrino, over a leaked message in which Sobrino had written in Spanish about Cruz: “I am salivating to shoot her.”\n\n“You do me a favor,” Rosselló appeared to respond.\n\nRadio and television stations on the island ran special coverage about the scandal over the weekend, extending their broadcasts into the night much as they had done during Hurricane Maria. Pundits opined that Rosselló’s departure would be imminent, whether he resigned or lawmakers convened to push him out.\n\nAny intended transition was complicated by the departure Saturday of Luis Rivera Marín, Rosselló’s secretary of state and lieutenant governor, who would have assumed the governorship in the event Rosselló chose to resign. The next official in the line of succession is the secretary of justice, Wanda Vázquez Garced.\n\nRosselló, 40, apologized Thursday after an excerpt from the chat was first published by local media showing he had referred to Melissa Mark-Viverito, the former speaker of the New York City Council, who was born in Puerto Rico, using the Spanish word for “whore.” In English, he also used a profane expression in reference to the oversight board that controls Puerto Rico’s finances, followed by emojis of a raised middle finger.\n\nIn a news conference held shortly after he returned from cutting short a family vacation in France, Rosselló insisted late Thursday that he would remain in office.\n\nBut on Saturday morning, the Center for Investigative Journalism published the entirety of the leaked chat, which spanned from late 2018 to January and included Rosselló and 11 other men in his close political circle. The cache of messages showed that the governor and his current and former aides had also derided many others, including leaders of their New Progressive Party and the Puerto Rican celebrity Ricky Martin.\n\nBy Saturday afternoon, Rep. Jenniffer González-Colón, Puerto Rico’s nonvoting member in Congress and a member of the New Progressive Party, said that Rosselló should not seek reelection in 2020 and the governor should “immediately reflect on his role as governor.”\n\n“I feel ashamed by everything being said in these private communications,” she said. “The people are disgusted, disappointed by this telenovela.”\n\nPuerto Rico’s Senate president and House majority leader, both of whom are members of Rosselló’s party and had been mocked in the chat, also said they had lost faith in the governor. So did Martin, an actor and singer. The trap artist Bad Bunny urged Puerto Ricans to take to the streets.\n\nRosselló and the other participants also conducted public business on the chat, even though some of the men no longer worked in the administration and should not have been privy to some of the internal details under discussion.\n\nIn one exchange, Sobrino, the former chief financial officer who also was the governor’s representative to the oversight board, responded to a question about the budget for forensic pathologists by cracking a joke about the dead bodies accumulating during and after the hurricane at the understaffed morgue.\n\n“Now that we are on the subject, don’t we have some cadavers to feed our crows?” he wrote, apparently referring to the administration’s critics. “Clearly they need attention.”\n\nThis article originally appeared in The New York Times.", "- Nearly two years ago, Hurricane María exposed the raw dysfunction of Puerto Rico, collapsing long-neglected infrastructure and leaving several thousand dead on Gov. Ricardo Rosselló's watch. Last week, the FBI arrested two of his top former officials on corruption charges.\n\nBut the scandal that is threatening to buckle the boyish 40-year-old governor are the details of a profanity-laced and at times misogynistic online chat with nine other male members of his administration in which some of the U.S. territory's most powerful men act like a bunch of teenagers. The leak of at least 889 pages of the private chat has sunk Rosselló into the deepest crisis of his career.\n\nIn the chats on the encrypted messaging app Telegram, Rosselló calls one New York female politician of Puerto Rican background a \"whore,\" describes another as a \"daughter of a bitch\" and makes fun of an obese man he posed with in a photo. The chat also contains vulgar references to Puerto Rican star Ricky Martin's homosexuality and a series of emojis of a raised middle finger directed at a federal control board overseeing the island's finances.\n\nFor many Puerto Ricans still recovering from one of the United States' worst-ever disasters, on the back of the island's biggest public financial collapse, the scandal analysts and ordinary people are calling \"Chatgate\" has proven to be too much.\n\nProtesters marched in the capital for the third day on Monday to call for Rosselló's resignation. The leaders of the U.S. territory's house and senate said they weren't planning impeachment proceedings, but an influential association of mayors from Rosselló's pro-statehood party said he had lost their support. Puerto Rican artists Benito A. Martínez Ocasio, known Bad Bunny, and René Pérez, known as Residente, both said on Twitter they planned to return to Puerto Rico to join the protests.\n\nPlaywright Lin-Manuel Miranda, whose production of \"Hamilton\" on the island is mentioned in the chats, called them \"a very disturbing portrait of how this Administration operates.\"\n\nEven if Rosselló survives until election day next year, it seems clear to many observers that he has been profoundly weakened and less able to deal with crises ranging from the island's bankruptcy proceedings to its continued efforts to receive federal funding to help recovery from María.\n\nChatgate erupted a day after Rosselló's former secretary of education and five other people were arrested on charges of steering federal money to unqualified, politically connected contractors. Starting Thursday, an anonymous person or people with access to the chats leaked dozens of pages of them to two local outlets. On Saturday, Puerto Rico's Center for Investigative Journalism published 889 pages.\n\nIn the chat group were Luis Rivera Marín, Rosselló's secretary of state; Christian Sobrino, who held a series of important economic posts; Carlos Bermúdez, a one-time communications aide; Edwin Miranda, a communications consultant; Interior Secretary Ricardo Llerandi; Public Affairs Secretary Anthony Maceira and Elías Sánchez, one-time representative to the board overseeing Puerto Rico's bankruptcy.\n\nThe group mentions then-New York City Council speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, who had criticized Democratic Party head Tom Pérez for opposing Puerto Rican statehood, with Rosselló calling her the Spanish word for \"whore.\"\n\nReferring to Carmen Yulín Cruz, the mayor of San Juan who had announced her intent to run against Rosselló in 2020, the governor says, \"she's off her meds.\"\n\n\"Either that, or she's a tremendous HP,\" he continues, using the Spanish initials for \"son/daughter of a bitch.\"\n\nFederal officials said Wednesday morning that former Education Secretary Julia Keleher; former Puerto Rico Health Insurance Administration head Ángela Ávila-Marrero; businessmen Fernando Scherrer-Caillet and Alberto Velázquez-Piñol, and education contractors Glenda E. Ponce-Mendoza and Mayra Ponce-Mendoza, who are sisters, were arrested by the FBI on 32 counts of fraud and related charges.\n\nThe alleged fraud involves $15.5 million in federal funding between 2017 and 2019. Thirteen million was spent by the Department of Education during Keleher's time as secretary while $2.5 million was spent by the insurance administration when Ávila was the director.\n\nDespite widespread cynicism in Puerto Rico about politicians' corruption and self-dealing, the chat shocked residents in a way that other scandals haven't, particularly given Rosselló's image as a gentle, even meek family man, said Mario Negrón Portillo, a professor at the University of Puerto Rico's school of public administration.\n\n\"Everyone woke up one day and the governor was spouting vulgarities,\" Negrón said. \"There's nothing worse for a politician than losing legitimacy. I think Ricardo Rosselló has lost legitimacy.\"\n\nOne chat member calls the head of the federal oversight board a \"kitten.\" Another participant jokes that a female member of the territory's senate belonged in a whorehouse. Along with a photo of himself greeting an obese man, the governor writes \"I'm still there. It's my fourth orbit. He generates a strong gravitational pull.\" Talking about a lack of forensic pathologists at a government forensic agency, Sobrino says \"can't we feed a body to the crows?\"\n\nRivera Marín, Sobrino, Bermúdez and Miranda have already resigned or been fired.\n\nRosselló, the son of former governor Pedro Rosselló, said in a radio interview Monday that \"I'm committed to keep working.\"\n\n\"I know some people think differently, but I've determined that it's better to keep working without distraction, dealing with all the different issues that this situation has created.\"\n\nThe president of the commonwealth's House of Representatives, Carlos Méndez Núñez, said Sunday night that legislators from Rosselló's pro-statehood New Progressive Party, which has a majority in both houses, did not support starting impeachment proceedings against the governor.\n\nMéndez Núñez said Rosselló had been given a one-week deadline to reflect, show contrition and prove he could continue to govern.\n\n\"This week he'll meet with mayors, with legislators, and we have to give him this time,\" Méndez Núñez said. \"Impeachment isn't on the table yet. But we reserve the right to evaluate if that's merited.\"", "Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings.\n\nPuerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló doubled down on his plans to stay in his job after protests calling for his resignation turned violent Monday night. The massive protests injured about two dozen police officers and roughly five protesters were arrested as a result of the demonstration, according to authorities.\n\nDuring a press conference Tuesday afternoon, the embattled governor said, “I was elected by the people,” citing this as one of his main reasons for not resigning.\n\nThe remarks and the protests come in the wake of multiple scandals that have hit the Rosselló administration during recent weeks regarding corruption investigations and the leaking of private chats between the governor and some officials and close associates.\n\nAt least 889 pages of the private chats, which included profanity-laced, misogynistic and homophobic comments were released Saturday by Puerto Rico’s top investigative journalism media outlet after excerpts were first reported days before.\n\nIn the chats on the encrypted messaging app Telegram, Rosselló made fun of an obese man he posed with in a photo, called former New York City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito a “whore” and said Carmen Yulín Cruz, the mayor of San Juan who had announced her intent to run for governor against Rosselló in 2020, was “off her meds.”\n\n“Either that, or she’s a tremendous HP,” the governor said, using the Spanish initials for “son/daughter of a b----.”\n\nThe members of the chat group were Luis Rivera Marín, Rosselló’s secretary of state; Christian Sobrino, who held a series of important economic posts; Carlos Bermúdez, a one-time communications aide; Edwin Miranda, a communications consultant; Interior Secretary Ricardo Llerandi; Public Affairs Secretary Anthony Maceira, and Elías Sánchez, one-time representative to the board overseeing Puerto Rico’s bankruptcy.\n\nThe chat also contains vulgar references to Puerto Rican star Ricky Martin’s homosexuality and a series of emojis of a raised middle finger directed at a federal control board overseeing the island’s finances.\n\nTalking about a lack of forensic pathologists as the death toll rose after Hurricane Maria, Sobrino said, “Can’t we feed a body to the crows?”\n\nThe scandal has sunk Rosselló into the deepest crisis of his career.\n\nThe messages were leaked shortly after Puerto Rico's former secretary of education, former Puerto Rico Health Insurance Administration head Ángela Ávila-Marrero and four other people with government contracts under Rosselló’s administration were arrested last week and are facing 32 counts of money laundering, fraud and other related charges for the alleged embezzlement of $15.5 million in federal funding between 2017 and 2019.\n\nThe White House reacted to the unrest in Puerto Rico on Tuesday afternoon saying, “The unfortunate events of the past week in Puerto Rico prove the President’s concerns about the mismanagement, politicization, and corruption have been valid.”\n\n“We remain committed to Puerto Rico’s recovery and steadfast in protecting taxpayers and the Puerto Rico survivors from political corruption and financial abuse,” the statement said.\n\nIn reaction to comments from the White House, Rosselló said that “corruption is a social evil” and it “has occurred in all administrations.”\n\nThe U.S. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, is expected to make a stop in San Juan on Thursday, as part of an official trip that will take him to Argentina, Ecuador, Mexico and El Salvador.\n\nThe scandal comes as the U.S.Senate is prepared to add more restrictions that could limit federal funds for the island, including $12 billion in Medicaid appropriations for the next four years and other hurricane-recovery aid.\n\nPuerto Rico is still recovering from the category 4 hurricane that destroyed the island’s long-neglected infrastructure and power grid and resulted in the deaths of at least 2,975 people, making it the deadliest U.S.-based natural disaster in 100 years and has come to define a sad turning point in the island's history.\n\nFor many Puerto Ricans still recovering from Hurricane Maria and on the back of the island’s biggest public financial collapse, the scandal analysts and ordinary people are calling “Chatgate” or “Rickyleaks” has resulted in unprecedented protests against the U.S. commonwealth's chief executive.\n\nAs thousands marched in the capital Monday calling for Rosselló’s resignation, police tried to disperse them with pepper spray in front of the Fortaleza governor’s residence, which was protected by barricades.\n\nPuerto Rico police spokesperson Axel Valencia told Telemundo during live coverage of the demonstrations that such protests are one of the biggest, most intense he’d seen in the island in recent history — leaving about 40 properties in Old San Juan, where protests took place, damaged.\n\nThe U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Drug Enforcement Administration are investigating the violent acts and vandalism that took place Monday.\n\nProtesters have been calling for Rosselló's resignation for over three consecutive days. Demonstrations first started with hundreds of people, then growing to the thousands. The growth was reflected on Twitter as the hashtag #RickyRenuncia (Resign Ricky, a shortened version of his name, Ricardo) was trending worldwide Monday.\n\nSome leaders of the U.S. territory’s Legislature said they weren’t planning impeachment proceedings. Others introduced a resolution to initiate a process of impeachment for Rosselló. In it, House Rep. Dennis Márquez outlined 18 possible crimes that stem from the leaked chats.\n\nAt the same time, an influential association of mayors from Rosselló’s pro-statehood party said he had lost their support.\n\nThe president of the commonwealth’s House of Representatives, Carlos Méndez Núñez, said Sunday night that legislators from Rosselló’s pro-statehood New Progressive Party, which has a majority in both houses, did not support starting impeachment proceedings against the governor. He said they gave Rosselló a one-week deadline to reflect, show contrition and prove he could continue to govern.\n\n“Impeachment isn’t on the table yet,\" he said. \"But we reserve the right to evaluate if that’s merited.”\n\nPuerto Rican artists Benito A. Martínez Ocasio, known as Bad Bunny, and René Pérez, known as Residente, both said on social media they planned to return to Puerto Rico to protest Rosselló’s administration on Wednesday.\n\nPlaywright Lin-Manuel Miranda, whose production of “Hamilton” on the island is mentioned in the chats, called them “a very disturbing portrait of how this Administration operates.”\n\nEven if Rosselló survives until next year's election, it's clear to many observers that he has been profoundly weakened and less able to deal with crises.\n\nDespite widespread cynicism in Puerto Rico about politicians’ corruption and self-dealing, the chat shocked residents in a way that other scandals haven’t, particularly given Rosselló’s image as a gentle, even meek family man, said Mario Negrón Portillo, a professor at the University of Puerto Rico’s school of public administration.\n\n“Everyone woke up one day and the governor was spouting vulgarities,” Negrón said. “There’s nothing worse for a politician than losing legitimacy. I think Ricardo Rosselló has lost legitimacy.”", "Puerto Rico governor Ricardo Rossello holds a press conference, almost two days after federal authorities arrested the island’s former secretary of education and five other people on charges of steering federal money to unqualified, politically connected contractors, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Thursday, July 11, 2019. At the time of the arrests, Rossello was in the middle of a family vacation in France, which he canceled to travel back to the Island. U.S. Attorney for Puerto Rico Rosa Emilia Rodríguez said Gov. Ricardo Rossello was not involved in the investigation. (AP Photo/Carlos Giusti)\n\nSAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Nearly two years ago, Hurricane María exposed the raw dysfunction of Puerto Rico, collapsing long-neglected infrastructure and leaving several thousand dead on Gov. Ricardo Rosselló’s watch. Last week, two of his top former officials were arrested by the FBI on corruption charges.\n\nBut the scandal that is threatening to buckle the boyish 40-year-old governor centers on a profanity-laced and at times misogynistic online chat with nine other male members of his administration in which some of the U.S. territory’s most powerful men act like a bunch of teenagers. The leak of at least 889 pages of the private chat has sunk Rosselló into the deepest crisis of his career.\n\nIn the chats on the encrypted messaging app Telegram, Rosselló calls one New York female politician of Puerto Rican background a “whore,” describes another as a “daughter of a bitch” and makes fun of an obese man he posed with in a photo. The chat also contains vulgar references to Puerto Rican star Ricky Martin’s homosexuality and a series of emojis of a raised middle finger directed at a federal control board overseeing the island’s finances.\n\nFor many Puerto Ricans still recovering from one of the United States’ worst-ever disasters, on the back of the island’s biggest public financial collapse, the scandal analysts and ordinary people are calling “Chatgate” or “Rickyleaks” has proven to be too much.\n\nThousands of protesters marched in the capital for a third day Monday to call for Rosselló’s resignation. Police tried to disperse the marchers with pepper spray in front of the Fortaleza governor’s residence, which was protected by barricades.\n\nThe leaders of the U.S. territory’s house and senate said they weren’t planning impeachment proceedings, but an influential association of mayors from Rosselló’s pro-statehood party said he had lost their support. Puerto Rican artists Benito A. Martínez Ocasio, known Bad Bunny, and René Pérez, known as Residente, both said on Twitter they planned to return to Puerto Rico to join the protests. Playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda, whose production of “Hamilton” on the island is mentioned in the chats, called them “a very disturbing portrait of how this Administration operates.”\n\nEven if Rosselló survives until election day next year, it seems clear to many observers that he has been profoundly weakened and less able to deal with crises ranging from the island’s bankruptcy proceedings to its continued efforts to receive federal funding to help recovery from María.\n\nThe governor repeated at a news conference on Tuesday that he has no plan to resign.\n\n“I have not committed an illegal act and I have not committed an act of corruption,” he said. “I committed some improper acts and I asked forgiveness for that.”\n\nChatgate erupted a day after Rosselló’s former secretary of education and five other people were arrested on charges of steering federal money to unqualified, politically connected contractors. Starting Thursday, an anonymous person or people with access to the chats leaked dozens of pages of them to two local outlets. On Saturday, Puerto Rico’s Center for Investigative Journalism published 889 pages.\n\nIn the chat group were Luis Rivera Marín, Rosselló’s secretary of state; Christian Sobrino, who held a series of important economic posts; Carlos Bermúdez, a one-time communications aide; Edwin Miranda, a communications consultant; Interior Secretary Ricardo Llerandi; Public Affairs Secretary Anthony Maceira and Elías Sánchez, one-time representative to the board overseeing Puerto Rico’s bankruptcy.\n\nThe group mentions then-New York City Council speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, who had criticized Democratic Party head Tom Pérez for opposing Puerto Rican statehood, with Rosselló calling her the Spanish word for “whore.”\n\nReferring to Carmen Yulín Cruz, the mayor of San Juan who had announced her intent to run against Rosselló in 2020, the governor says, “she’s off her meds.”\n\n“Either that, or she’s a tremendous HP,” he continues, using the Spanish initials for “son/daughter of a bitch.”\n\nFederal officials said Wednesday morning that former Education Secretary Julia Keleher; former Puerto Rico Health Insurance Administration head Ángela Ávila-Marrero; businessmen Fernando Scherrer-Caillet and Alberto Velázquez-Piñol, and education contractors Glenda E. Ponce-Mendoza and Mayra Ponce-Mendoza, who are sisters, were arrested by the FBI on 32 counts of fraud and related charges.\n\nThe alleged fraud involves $15.5 million in federal funding between 2017 and 2019. Thirteen million was spent by the Department of Education during Keleher’s time as secretary while $2.5 million was spent by the insurance administration when Ávila was the director.\n\nJudd Deere, the deputy press secretary for President Donald Trump said Tuesday that “the unfortunate events of the past week in Puerto Rico prove the President’s concerns about mismanagement, politicization, and corruption have been valid.\n\n“We remain committed to Puerto Rico’s recovery and steadfast in protecting taxpayers and the Puerto Rico survivors from political corruption and financial abuse,” he added.\n\nDespite widespread cynicism in Puerto Rico about politicians’ corruption and self-dealing, the chat shocked residents in a way that other scandals haven’t, particularly given Rosselló’s image as a gentle, even meek family man, said Mario Negrón Portillo, a professor at the University of Puerto Rico’s school of public administration.\n\n“Everyone woke up one day and the governor was spouting vulgarities,” Negrón said. “There’s nothing worse for a politician than losing legitimacy. I think Ricardo Rosselló has lost legitimacy.”\n\nOne chat member calls the head of the federal oversight board a “kitten.” Another participant jokes that a female member of the territory’s senate belonged in a whorehouse. Along with a photo of himself greeting an obese man, the governor writes “I’m still there. It’s my fourth orbit. He generates a strong gravitational pull.” Talking about a lack of forensic pathologists at a government forensic agency, Sobrino says “can’t we feed a body to the crows?”\n\nRivera Marín, Sobrino, Bermúdez and Miranda have already resigned or been fired.\n\nRosselló, the son of former governor Pedro Rosselló, said in a radio interview Monday that “I’m committed to keep working.”\n\n“I know some people think differently, but I’ve determined that it’s better to keep working without distraction, dealing with all the different issues that this situation has created.”\n\nThe president of the commonwealth’s House of Representatives, Carlos Méndez Núñez, said Sunday night that legislators from Rosselló’s pro-statehood New Progressive Party, which has a majority in both houses, did not support starting impeachment proceedings against the governor.\n\nMéndez Núñez said Rosselló had been given a one-week deadline to reflect, show contrition and prove he could continue to govern.\n\n“This week he’ll meet with mayors, with legislators, and we have to give him this time,” Méndez Núñez said. “Impeachment isn’t on the table yet. But we reserve the right to evaluate if that’s merited.”", "ROCHESTER, NY (WROC) — Puerto Ricans in Rochester are uniting in solidarity Wednesday with other Boricuas across the country and on the island, demanding justice for the people in Puerto Rico. They’re are calling for the embattled Governor Ricardo Rosselló to be ousted.\n\nThis comes after leaked chat room conversations between Rosselló and 11 others are laced with profane, homophobic, sexist comments and mocked victims of Hurricane Maria.\n\nLast week the FBI arrested two of his former top officials on fraud charges. Rosselló’s administration has been under scrutiny for its spending of government funds after Hurricane Maria devastated the island in 2017.\n\nLocal activists say they have lost confidence in the leaders.\n\n“It speaks volumes to the level of arrogance that the governor has. There are Puerto Ricans who are displaced. In fact the building here houses the majority of the folks were displaced from Puerto Rico,” said Mercedes Vazquez-Simmons, rally organizer & activist.\n\n“It’s embarrassing that we trust a leader and he just literally betrayed us as a country. and we deserve an explanation and we deserve respect, it’s about respect,” said Madeline Santana, activist. “We don’t want him there. It’s very insulting to our community to have a person that makes fun of us, instead of helping us.”\n\nMeanwhile, after several violent protests in the last few days, Governor Rosselló said he will not step down.\n\n“I am not proud of what I did. Those were merely comments they were hurtful comments. I apologize for what I’ve done. I need to move forward and continue doing the work for Puerto Rico.”\n\nShortly after Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, more than 160,000 residents fled the island, to which 3,000 relocated to the greater Rochester area.\n\nThe peaceful protest is scheduled for 6pm at Don Samuel Torres Park 50 Oakman Street Rochester, NY.", "Florida political leaders responded to protests taking place in Puerto Rico amid the publication of a private chat. In it, the governor of Puerto Rico and top officials wrote misogynist and homophobic comments about artists and politicians.\n\nMore: ’Chatgate’ scandal threatens to doom Puerto Rico's governor: 'I think Ricardo Rosselló has lost legitimacy'\n\nU.S. Senator Marco Rubio said today in a tweet that he doesn't have an opinion on whether Governor Ricardo Rosselló should step down but that the scandal engulfing his administration is negatively affecting his efforts to help Puerto Rico in Washington.\n\n\"I'm not going to opine on whether Governor Rosselló should resign because I'm not a voter in Puerto Rico, he is not accountable to me,\" Rubio said in a 38-second video uploaded to his Twitter account. \"What I can tell you as a federal official who cares a lot about Puerto Rico and its future is that this controversy has made it more difficult to work on behalf of Puerto Rico.\"\n\nHe continued: \"I can tell you that as long as governor Rosselló is in his position, it's going to make it difficult,\" Rubio said. \"We are going to continue to do everything we can because I don't believe that the people of Puerto Rico should be punished for the wrong doings of politicians.\"\n\nU.S. Senator Rick Scott made several trips to Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria decimated the island in 2017, leaving millions of American citizens without power for months. \"Puerto Rican families deserve better,\" Scott said in a tweet on July 14. \"I’ve been there for the island and I remain committed to the families of Puerto Rico.\"\n\nScott went further in a following tweet. \"But all credibility has been lost,\" he wrote. \"It is clear that the families of Puerto Rico need leadership committed to creating better opportunities on the island.\"\n\nThe chat is not the only reason why some Puerto Ricans are protesting in the island and in cities like Miami and Orlando.\n\n\"Former Education Secretary Julia Keleher and Ángela Ávila-Marrero, former head of Puerto Rico's Health Insurance Administration, were arrested on 32 counts of fraud, theft and money laundering, along with two businessmen and two sisters who worked as education contractors,\" USA Today reported last week.\n\nMore than 1 million Puerto Ricans lived in Florida in 2016, according to the Bureau of Economic and Business Research at the University of Florida. This figure has likely gone up after thousands of Puerto Ricans moved to Florida amid the Hurricane Maria crisis.\n\nPuerto Rico is a U.S. territory of the United States and has one non-voting representative in U.S. Congress.\n\nMore: US lawmaker who oversees Puerto Rico calls for governor to resign after 6 arrested on corruption charges", "Protests demanding the immediate resignation of Puerto Rico governor Ricardo A. Rosselló erupted for a third day Monday night, with police in riot gear creating a human barricade outside of the governor’s mansion and launching tear gas and pepper spray into the crowd.\n\nDemonstrations began after hundreds of pages from a private group chat between the 40-year-old governor and nine confidants leaked Saturday, exposing a profanity-riddled conversation.\n\nThe newest scandal — which has been called “Chatgate” or “Rickyleaks” — led several country officials to pull their support for Rosselló and comes days after the FBI arrested two former officials on corruption charges for the misuse of $15.5 million in federal funding between 2017 and 2019.\n\nThe misogynistic chat, stored on the encrypted messaging app Telegram, used racial and homophobic slurs and included derogatory comments about Rosselló’s political rivals.\n\nThere are crude comments directed at a federal control board overseeing Puerto Rico’s financial crisis, singer Ricky Martin’s sexuality and former New York City Council speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito.\n\nFormer chief fiscal officer Sobrino complained about San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz in the leaked conversations, according to CNN. After saying he would like to shoot her, Rosselló replied, “You’d be doing me a grand favor.”\n\nIn the Telegram group were Luis Rivera Marín, Rosselló’s secretary of state; Christian Sobrino, the one-time chief fiscal officer who sat on the board managing Puerto Rico’s fiscal crisis; Carlos Bermúdez, a former communications aide; Edwin Miranda, a communications consultant; Interior Secretary Ricardo Llerandi; Public Affairs Secretary Anthony Maceira and Elías Sánchez, who once worked on the board overseeing the country’s bankruptcy.\n\nOf the men, Rivera Marín, Sobrino, Bermúdez and Miranda have resigned or been fired and Llerandi has tendered his resignation.\n\nMark-Viverito has traveled to Puerto Rico to join demonstrators calling for his resignation.\n\nOther Puerto Rican artists — like Lin Manuel Miranda and Benito A. Martínez Ocasio, known Bad Bunny — have voiced their support of the protests.\n\n[FBI makes arrests in Puerto Rico corruption scandal, prompting calls for governor’s ouster and concerns about billions in storm aid]\n\nAccording to CNN, the first lady, Beatriz Rosselló, defended her husband in a letter to the nation, claiming that he “made a mistake, he recognized it, and immediately apologized for it.\"\n\nLate Monday, Rosselló released a statement saying he respected the protests and was taking their message into account.\n\n[Puerto Rico corruption scandal ripples through Washington as White House, Congress call for greater spending scrutiny]\n\nLópez Obrador’s cost-cutting spree is transforming Mexico — and drawing blowback from bureaucrats\n\nHe’s the Rush Limbaugh of Brazil. He has Bolsonaro’s ear. And he lives in rural Virginia.", "Embattled Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló refused to step down Tuesday amid demonstrations calling for his resignation after a series of scandals that continue to rock his administration of the island territory.\n\n“Aside from these [protests] I recognize their importance, I recognize the magnitude, and it’s important to me that the government continues working for the island and we get results,” he said at a news conference, according to McClatchy D.C.\n\nRosselló’s government was thrown into chaos Saturday after the Center for Investigative Journalism in Puerto Rico released 889 pages containing sexist, homophobic and profane text messages from the encrypted app Telegram between him and 11 other male members of his administration.\n\nPUERTO RICO GOVERNOR CAUTIONS WHITE HOUSE: ‘IF THE BULLY GETS CLOSE, I’LL PUNCH THE BULLY IN THE MOUTH’\n\nThe chat group included Luis Rivera Marín, Rosselló’s secretary of state; Christian Sobrino, who held a series of important economic posts; Carlos Bermúdez, a onetime communications aide; Edwin Miranda, a communications consultant; Interior Secretary Ricardo Llerandi; Public Affairs Secretary Anthony Maceira; and Elías Sánchez, onetime representative to the board overseeing Puerto Rico’s bankruptcy\n\nIn the leaks, Rosselló describes New York politician Melissa Mark-Viverito, who was born in Puerto Rico, as the Spanish word for “wh—,” and made fun of Puerto Rican pop star Ricky Martin for being gay.\n\nSan Juan Mayor — and frequent critic of President Trump — Carmen Yulin Cruz was also targeted. “I’m dying to shoot her up,” Rosselló’s chief financial officer, Christian Sobrino, said of Cruz in the chat.\n\nThe chat also contained emojis of a raised middle finger directed at the federal control board that oversees the island’s finances. Rivera Marín, Sobrino, Bermúdez and Miranda have already resigned or been fired.\n\nThe leaks came days after six former government officials and contractors, including the commonwealth’s former education secretary, were arrested in a federal corruption probe.\n\nProtesters took to the cobblestone streets of Old San Juan on Monday evening holding signs and chanting, “Ricky, renuncia,” or Ricky, resign. Some participants spray-painted insults used in the chats on walls.\n\nRosselló said 21 police officers were injured during confrontations with the crowd; police used tear gas to disperse protesters who lit fireworks in front of the governor’s mansion.\n\n“We cannot protect vandalism, aggression and violence,” the governor said. “I want to make sure that following this blow, we can rise again.”\n\nThe scandals are a blow to Puerto Rico, which is still recovering from the devastation left by Hurricane Maria in 2017 and a continuing debt crisis and 13-year recession.\n\nSENATE APPROVES $19 BILLION DISASTER-RELIEF BILL AFTER TRUMP BACKS OFF FROM DEMAND FOR BORDER SECURITY MONEY\n\nRosselló’s refusal to resign has elicited outrage from Puerto Ricans in Florida, many whom migrated after the hurricane.\n\n“The institutions of government in Puerto Rico are as fragile as its infrastructure after Maria,” Jorge Bonilla, a conservative Puerto Rican talk-show host based in Central Florida, told McClatchy. “I think it’s unsustainable that he continues to be governor. … At this point you have to wonder what more can happen before Congress takes control” of the island.”\n\nMembers of Rosselló’s pro-statehood New Progressive Party do not support beginning impeachment proceedings against him, said Carlos Méndez Núñez, the president of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives.\n\nCLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP\n\nHe said Rosselló was given a one-week deadline to show he can govern.\n\n“This week he’ll meet with mayors, with legislators, and we have to give him this time,” Méndez Núñez said. “Impeachment isn’t on the table yet. But we reserve the right to evaluate if that’s merited.”\n\nFox News reporter Robert Gearty and The Associated Press contributed to this report.", "SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- Karla Villalón has three elementary-age children and an 81-year-old grandmother.Her kids have been uprooted twice in two years when first one school, then another, was closed by budget cuts under Gov. Ricardo Rosselló. Her grandmother, a retired teacher, is anguished over the possibility of losing her pension in future rounds of cutbacks.Villalón was outraged when Rosselló's former education secretary was arrested and accused of steering millions in improper contracts to politically connected contractors. Then hundreds of pages of online chats between Rosselló and members of his administration leaked, revealing the men mocking women, the handicapped and victims of Hurricane Maria.Villalón has had enough.\"It's the final straw,\" the 31-year-old homemaker said as she prepared to march with thousands of other Puerto Ricans from the capital to the governor's residence Wednesday afternoon. \"My kids' classrooms have mold in them.... There's just so much outrage that's been building over time.\"That feeling was rippling across Puerto Rico Wednesday - the feeling of a people fed up with neglect from Washington and the U.S. territory's own government.The island is mired in crises. It is struggling to emerge from a debt-driven financial failure and receive federal funding to help recovery from Hurricane Maria. The September 2017 storm left thousands dead in its wake due to the collapse of the island's electrical system and a months-long failure to provide care to the elderly and medically vulnerable. Since then, hundreds of schools have been closed to save money and a wide range of social services and pensions are being cut back, or are under threat.\"Puerto Rico has suffered so much and we can't deal with the cynicism of these leaders anymore,\" singer Ricky Martin said in a video message posted online. \"Enough already. Enough already.\"Martin said he was flying to Puerto Rico to march along with other Latin music stars from the island, including singer/producer Benito A. Martínez Ocasio, known as Bad Bunny, and rapper René Pérez, known as Residente, who released a song online Wednesday morning calling people to the streets.\"This is coming out early so you can eat it for breakfast,\" Residente raps on the song, \"Sharpening the Knives.\" ''Fury is the only political party that unites us.\"In colonial Old San Juan, police were erecting concrete barricades and shop owners were covering store windows with metal sheeting or plywood as if a hurricane were coming. The multi-colored umbrellas that form a photogenic awning over the street in front of the governor's mansion were taken down.The scandal erupted as Rosselló's former secretary of education and five other people were arrested on charges of steering federal money to unqualified, politically connected contractors. Starting Thursday, an anonymous person or people with access to the chats leaked dozens of pages of them to two local outlets. On Saturday, Puerto Rico's Center for Investigative Journalism published 889 pages.In the chat group were Luis Rivera Marín, Rosselló's secretary of state; Christian Sobrino, who held a series of important economic posts; Carlos Bermúdez, a one-time communications aide; Edwin Miranda, a communications consultant; Interior Secretary Ricardo Llerandi; Public Affairs Secretary Anthony Maceira and Elías Sánchez, one-time representative to the board overseeing Puerto Rico's bankruptcy.The group mentions then-New York City Council speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito, who had criticized Democratic Party head Tom Pérez for supporting Puerto Rican statehood, with Rosselló calling her the Spanish word for \"whore.\"Referring to Carmen Yulín Cruz, the mayor of San Juan who had announced her intent to run against Rosselló in 2020, the governor says, \"she's off her meds.\"\"Either that, or she's a tremendous HP,\" he continues, using the Spanish initials for \"son/daughter of a bitch.\"One chat group member calls the head of the federal oversight board a \"kitten.\" Another participant jokes that a female member of the territory's senate belonged in a whorehouse. Along with a photo of himself greeting an obese man, the governor writes \"I'm still there. It's my fourth orbit. He generates a strong gravitational pull.\" Talking about a lack of forensic pathologists at a government forensic agency, Sobrino says \"can't we feed a body to the crows?\"Rivera Marín, Sobrino, Bermúdez and Miranda have already said they were resigning or been fired.Nicole Howard Arroyo, a 36-year-old store manager, said the chats revealed \"a total lack of political and social ethics on the part of a leader.\"\"I think the chat has taken off the reins, it's something bigger, across the island,\" she said. \"People are waking up.\""], "summary": "Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rosselló says that he will remain in office despite protests."}
{"document": ["The Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is a public health emergency of international concern, the World Health Organization has declared, calling for more funds and support to close it down.\n\nThe second biggest Ebola outbreak ever, after the 2014-16 epidemic in west Africa, has reached a critical point with the diagnosis of a case in Goma, a city of 2 million people, which is a transport hub on the border with Rwanda. That follows the case last week of a women who crossed into Uganda to buy fish – and the arrival of a family harbouring the virus, three of whom died, in Uganda last month.\n\nDr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO director general, appealed on Wednesday for the international community to help with funds. WHO is working on a new plan to control the epidemic, he said, which would cost “hundred of millions” of dollars.\n\n“It is time for the world to take notice and redouble our efforts. We need to work together in solidarity with the DRC to end this outbreak and build a better health system,” said Tedros.\n\nEbola virus reaches Congolese city of Goma Read more\n\n“Extraordinary work has been done for almost a year under the most difficult circumstances. We all owe it to these responders – coming from not just WHO but also government, partners and communities – to shoulder more of the burden.”\n\nHe has made previous appeals for donors to provide the money they have promised. So far, only about half the pledges have come in. The WHO was not aware of any donor who has withheld funding because an emergency had not been declared, he said, “but if that was the excuse, it can no longer be used”.\n\nTedros appealed for countries not to seal their borders or close down travel to the DRC, arguing that it would only harm the attempts to end the epidemic.\n\nOne year on from the start of the epidemic in North Kivu, there have been 2,512 cases of the disease and 676 deaths, most of which have been confirmed.\n\nThis is the second biggest Ebola outbreak, after the west Africa epidemic, where 28,616 cases of disease and 11,310 deaths were reported in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone between 2014 and 2016.\n\nThe WHO is not only alarmed about the arrival of the virus in Uganda and on the Rwandan border, but also by the flare-up again in Beni. “The geographical expansion is now 500km,” said Prof Robert Steffen, chair of the IHR emergency committee on Ebola in DRC, as he announced their advice to Tedros.\n\nThe WHO’s declaration was widely applauded by Ebola experts and the aid organisations struggling with the epidemic on the ground.\n\n“This is perhaps the most complicated epidemic the world has ever had to face, yet still the response in the DRC remains overstretched and underfunded,” said Dr Josie Golding, epidemics lead at Wellcome. “A step-up in the response, led by the DRC and with full international support, is critical if we are to bring the epidemic to an end. This must include enhanced diplomatic, public health, security and logistic efforts as well as releasing much needed financial resources.”\n\nLarry Gostin, the director of the O’Neill Institute in Washington DC and an expert on global health law, said the announcement gave the clearest possible signal that the WHO needs more financial and human resources. “Without a surge response, it will be impossible to bring the DRC Ebola epidemic under control.”\n\nHe called for bold action. “Standard strategies like case identification, vaccination and treatment can’t succeed in a complex humanitarian crisis like the situation in the DRC. Responders in the field are facing intense violence along with deep community mistrust. They often can’t get into the hot zone due to escalating violence and they can’t find cases to vaccinate and treat because families are hiding the sick. There has been no clear strategy to break the vicious cycle of disease, violence and distrust.”\n\nThe status quo is no longer tenable, Gostin said. “The complacency in the international community, including the United States, is crippling the response.”\n\nThe British Red Cross, Mercy Corps and World Vision, all of which are working on the ground, said they hoped the declaration would lead to a significant scale-up in the response. “A huge push and significant funding across the region are now required to contain this outbreak and bring it to an end. Otherwise, there is a real risk we will see a catastrophic spread of this deadly virus,” said Sarah Clayton-Fisher of the British Red Cross.\n\nThe possible arrival of the virus in Goma has long been feared by the agencies responding to the outbreak, because of its density and the movement of people through it to Rwanda.\n\nEbola in the DRC: everything you need to know Read more\n\n“Ring” vaccination of the contacts of those who fall ill and their contacts has not succeeded in limiting the spread of the virus. There is mistrust of the vaccine. Some people falsely believe that the vaccine is what is making people sick, in part because it cannot protect anyone who is already infected when they have the shot. It is also very hard to track and trace the friends and relatives of the sick in areas where violent conflict is taking place.\n\n“If we cannot contain Ebola at the epicentre, we will continue to see cases spread to metropolitan areas and across borders,” said Bob Kitchen, International Rescue Committee’s vice-president for emergencies.\n\n“The inability to build community trust has proven a major barrier to stopping the spread of this disease. Local communities are perplexed and frustrated by continued increase in the number of people dying juxtaposed with a massive influx of international organisations into the region during the past year.”\n\nThere have been four declarations of public health emergencies since 2005, when the WHO’s new regulations were introduced: swine flu in 2009, polio in 2014, when there was a resurgence after near-eradication, Ebola in west Africa in 2014 and the Zika virus in Brazil in 2016.", "The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Wednesday officially declared the current Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.\n\nWHO chief, Tedros Ghebreyesus, who announced the declaration in Geneva, called on countries to “take notice and redouble our efforts”.\n\nThe announcement followed the fourth meeting of the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee assessing the outbreak, according to a statement by the UN.\n\nThis is coming ahead of the first anniversary of the complex outbreak in the volatile Eastern part of the country in August adjudged the second worst outbreak of the disease.\n\nGhebreyesus said that it was time to “work together in solidarity with the DRC to end this outbreak and build a better health system”, for its people.\n\nSo far, there have been more than 2,500 cases of infection, and nearly 1,670 have died in the provinces of Ituri and North Kivu.\n\nMultiple armed groups and lack of local trust have hampered efforts to get the outbreak under control in the area.\n\n“Extraordinary work has been done for almost a year under the most difficult circumstances.\n\n“We all owe it to these responders – coming from not just WHO but also Government, partners and communities – to shoulder more of the burden,” the WHO said.\n\nA Public Health Emergency of International Concern, according to the WHO’s International Health Regulations, is an “extraordinary event which is determined to constitute a public health risk to other States through the international spread of disease and to potentially require a coordinated international response.\n\nThe International Health Regulations constitute a binding legal agreement involving 196 countries across the globe.\n\nThe definition means a situation that is serious, sudden, unusual or unexpected, that may require immediate international action.\n\nIt also applies to a situation that carries implications for public health beyond the affected State’s national border, the UN said.\n\nThe WHO committee cited recent developments in the outbreak in making its recommendation.\n\nThese include the first confirmed case in Goma, a city of almost two million people on the border with Rwanda, and the gateway to the rest of DRC and the world.\n\nThe committee also issued specific conclusions and advice to affected countries, their neighbours, and for all states, in terms of how the outbreak needs to be dealt with moving forward.\n\nIt expressed disappointment in recent delays in securing more international funds to fight the disease, which has constrained the response.\n\nMembers also reinforced the need to protect livelihoods of the people most affected by the outbreak by keeping transport routes and borders open.\n\nThe experts said it was “essential to avoid the punitive economic consequences of travel and trade restrictions, on affected communities.”", "The World Health Organisation has declared the Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo a public health emergency of international concern, eleven months after it first began.\n\nMore than 1,600 people have died from the virus, making it the second biggest Ebola outbreak in recorded history. Single cases have now reached Goma, a busy city on the Rwandan border, and neighbouring Uganda.\n\nThis is only the fifth time the WHO has made this declaration: the others were for swine flu in 2009, a 2014 polio outbreak, the East Africa Ebola outbreak in 2014 and the Zika virus epidemic in 2016.\n\nMaking the announcement, chairman of the WHO’s emergency committee Robert Steffen said it was dealing with a “tremendously complex situation”.\n\nWhile it was still a regional emergency and in no way a global threat, the failure to contain it so far meant the chances of Ebola spreading further were high, he said. “There must be more engagement by the global community to end this outbreak,” he added.\n\nThe WHO is not recommending any restrictions on travel or trade being implemented on the DRC’s borders, as such measures could hamper the fight against the virus, rather than helping it, by damaging the economy of the affected regions, it says.\n\nAttempts to contain Ebola have been hampered by an ongoing conflict in eastern DRC – where dozens of armed groups are active.\n\nCongolese communities are also suspicious of the sudden influx of money to what is a long-neglected, traditionally opposition-supporting part of the country, with many rumours circulating that Ebola is fake, or that the government or international organisations are deliberately infecting or even killing people. Other misbeliefs include that aid workers are harvesting the organs of victims.\n\n“The situation is bad,” Aime, a health promoter in Beni, one of the areas affected by the outbreak, told The Irish Times through the messaging service WhatsApp. He said Ebola response workers were regularly attacked and beaten by members of the local community.\n\nMany Congolese people involved in the response are also working on short term or daily contracts. Aime was let go from his job as a WHO hygienist in June after funding ran out.\n\nOn Wednesday, Uganda’s Ministry of Health said it was working with the WHO to identify people who had come in contact with a woman who recently travelled to the country to trade in fish while she was contagious with Ebola, before returning to the DRC, where she died.\n\nThe woman evaded formal border controls, where travellers have their temperatures checked, highlighting the porous nature of the border. The Ugandan government advised citizens to avoid handshaking, hugging and mass gatherings.", "\n• The World Health Organization declared the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo a global health emergency on Wednesday.\n• The declaration, which critics say is long overdue, could increase the amount of funding and assistance other countries are willing to provide to the response effort.\n• This marks only the fifth time the WHO has declared a public health emergency of international concern.\n\nThe World Health Organization declared the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo a global health emergency on Wednesday, a move that is likely to escalate international attention on a crisis that has flared for a year despite aggressive efforts to stamp it out.\n\nThe declaration, which critics have contended is long overdue, could increase the amount of funding and assistance other countries are willing to provide to the response effort.\n\nDirector-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared the public health emergency of international concern — known as a PHEIC— as his organization and its partners scramble to contain what they've described as the most challenging outbreak ever and struggled to raise the funding needed to finance the operation. He did so on the recommendation of a panel of outside experts.\n\nThe emergency committee had recommended against the declaration of a PHEIC for the outbreak on three previous occasions.\n\n\"This is still a regional emergency and by no means a global threat,\" said the head of the emergency committee, Robert Steffen.\n\nTedros, as the director-general is known, reconvened the group after health officials discovered Sunday that a man infected with Ebola had traveled to Goma, a city of 2 million south of the outbreak zone. Goma is located near DRC's border with Rwanda and it is a regional transportation hub. The man, a pastor, has since died.\n\nThough there is no indication yet whether the man infected anyone in Goma, the presence of a case there raises serious concerns. It had long been feared that the disease might take root in Goma, and that the city would serve as a launching pad to send cases both to regional neighbors and potentially further afield.\n\nRead more: 1,400 people have died so far in the second largest outbreak of Ebola in history\n\nTo date the outbreak has spread broadly within North Kivu and Ituri, two northeastern provinces on DRC's border with Uganda, South Sudan, and Rwanda. But so far only four cases are known to have crossed the border into Uganda. Three members of a family traveling from the funeral of an Ebola victim became ill and went to hospital for care; they were quickly isolated. All three died in early June, but they appear not to have infected anyone in Uganda.\n\nOn Wednesday, Uganda's health minister announced an infected woman from DRC crossed into Uganda to sell fish; she later returned to DRC, where she died. Authorities are looking for people who were in contact with her while she was in Uganda so they can be vaccinated.\n\nAugust 1 marks the first anniversary of the declaration that an outbreak was underway in the DRC. Since then, more than 2,500 cases have been reported and the death toll is approaching 1,700 people.\n\nIn that time, nearly 164,000 people have been vaccinated with an experimental Ebola vaccine being developed by Merck. While the WHO credits the vaccine for preventing a larger disaster, the outbreak response has struggled to find a way to bring this outbreak to an end.\n\nRead more: An Ebola outbreak has killed more than 1,000 people in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and containment efforts are being hampered by armed attacks\n\nThe outbreak is occurring in a part of DRC that has been a conflict zone for decades. A United Nation peacekeeping force operates in the area and has had to provide security for outbreak responders who have come under attack from people in the region, some of whom believe Ebola was brought to the region by the outsiders.\n\nSeven people working on the response have been killed, teams trying to conduct safe burials to prevent transmission have been attacked, and Ebola treatment centers have been fire bombed. The violence and the distrust has sharply impeded the outbreak responders' ability to bring the outbreak under control and it's not clear at this point what will swing the trajectory toward a conclusion of the outbreak.\n\nThis marks only the fifth time the WHO has declared a public health emergency of international concern. The previous PHEICs were the 2009 H1N1 flu pandemic, the 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak in West Africa, and the Zika outbreak in Latin America in 2016. Setbacks in the polio eradication effort in 2014 led WHO to declare the spread of wild poliovirus a public health emergency; that PHEIC remains in place today.\n• The latest reports from Congo show patients not usually known to contract Ebola are infected: newborn babies\n• An Ebola case has been discovered in a city of 1.2 million people — a 'game changer' that makes fighting the outbreak much more difficult\n• 9 dangerous diseases that could be prevented by vaccines within the next decade, from HIV to cancer", "It comes after former Tory leadership candidate Rory Stewart demanded Britain send more money to DR Congo to help tackle the Ebola crisis. Mr Stewart, who dropped out of the Tory leadership race when he failed to get enough backing in the early stages, said the UK must “get serious” about the growing threat of Ebola - before the World Health Organisation (WHO) today declared the outbreak an international public health emergency. The International Development Secretary said he has just returned from the Ebola-struck region of Beni and Butembo in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and answered questions from fellow Tory MP James Duddridge on what lessons had been learnt “to help countries become more resistant to Ebola particularly in the health sector”.\n\nMr Stewart said: “There is an Ebola outbreak now in Congo that has already crossed the border to Uganda. “We had an outbreak in Goma (DRC) a city of two million people on Sunday. “If we do not get this under control this, which is already the second biggest Ebola outbreak in history, will cause devastating problems for the region. “We must invest much more in the World Health Organisation (WHO), in developing the public health services in the neighbouring countries and above all step up to the challenge and be serious as a nation about this deadly disease.”\n\nIn what could be his last Commons appearance in his current role, Mr Stewart made a bid to increase the number of British civil servants working overseas on development. He said: “The central challenge in international development going forward is going to be the quality, the expertise and the number our permanent staff on the ground. “As international development becomes more complex, with conflict and climate, as we have to work closely with other Government departments, and above all in a world in which countries are looking not for money but for expertise, what we will have to do over the next 15 years is increase the expertise, increase the quality, but above all the number of civil servants moving away from short-term consultants to having British experts on the ground.” Mr Stewart’s criticisms come as health chief’s admitted that Ebola’s first victim in the Congo’s largest city managed to slip through three virus checkpoints.\n\nThe WHO today declared the Ebola crisis is a public health emergency after 1,600 have died since the start of a new outbreak. WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: “It is time for the world to take notice and redouble our efforts. We need to work together in solidarity with the DRC to end this outbreak and build a better health system.”", "The deadly Ebola outbreak in Congo is now an international health emergency, the World Health Organization announced Wednesday after the virus spread this week to a city of 2 million people .", "The World Health Organization said Wednesday the deadly Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is now an international health emergency after the virus spread this week to a city of 2 million people.\n\nThe WHO declared the outbreak a \"public health emergency of international concern,\" a rare designation only used for the gravest epidemics.\n\n\"It is time for the world to take notice,\" WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement, as he accepted the advice of his advisory board to invoke emergency provisions only used by the U.N. health agency four times previously.\n\nA WHO expert committee declined on three previous occasions to advise the United Nations health agency to make the declaration, but other experts say the outbreak has long met the conditions.\n\nMore than 1,600 people have died since August in the second deadliest Ebola outbreak in history, which is unfolding in a region described as a war zone.\n\nThis week the first Ebola case was confirmed in Goma, a major regional crossroads on the Rwandan border with an international airport. Experts have feared this for months.\n\nA declaration of a global health emergency often brings greater international attention and aid.", "GENEVA: The World Health Organization on Wednesday declared the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo a \"public health emergency of international concern,\" a rare designation only used for the gravest epidemics.\n\nThe year-old Ebola epidemic in eastern DR Congo, the second deadliest on record, has largely been contained to remote areas, but this week saw a patient diagnosed with the virus in provincial capital Goma, the first case in a major urban hub.\n\nALSO READ: Death toll due to Ebola outbreak breaches 1000-mark in DR Congo\n\n\"It is time for the world to take notice,\" WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement, as he accepted the advice of his advisory board to invoke the emergency provision, activated by the UN health agency only four times previously.\n\nThose included the H1N1, or swine flu, pandemic of 2009, the spread of poliovirus in 2014, the Ebola epidemic that devastated parts of West Africa from 2014 to 2016 and the surge of the Zika virus in 2016.\n\nThe Ebola virus is highly contagious and has an average fatality rate of around 50 per cent. It is transmitted to humans from wild animals and spreads among people through close contact with the blood, body fluids, secretions or organs of an infected person.\n\nResponders had hoped that this Ebola outbreak would be easier to control, thanks in part to a new vaccine.\n\nWhile more than 160,000 people in the affected provinces of North Kivu and Ituri have been vaccinated, containment efforts have been hampered by chronic unrest in the region and a lack of trust in communities for health workers.\n\nA panel of top WHO officials that met in Geneva on Wednesday to issue the emergency call expressed \"disappointment about delays in funding which have constrained the response.\"\n\nA fresh UN funding appeal for several hundred million dollars to cover the ensuing six months is expected in the coming days.\n\nReacting to the emergency declaration, the president of Doctors Without Borders, Joanne Liu, called for \"a change of gear\" in response to the outbreak.\n\n\"We need to take stock of what is working and what is not working,\" she said.\n\nThe International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies welcomed the decision, voicing hope that the emergency call \"will bring the international attention that this crisis deserves.\"\n\nSince August last year, the DRC Ebola outbreak has killed more than 1,600 people out of more than 2,500 cases.\n\nWHO has held off on making the emergency declaration on three previous occasions, but the confirmation of a case in North Kivu's capital Goma escalated the crisis.\n\nTedros this week called the Goma patient a \"potential game-changer,\" because the city is a \"gateway\" to Africa's Great Lakes region and the wider world.\n\nThe Goma patient has been described as an evangelical preacher who travelled to Goma from Butembo, one of the towns hardest hit by Ebola.\n\nHe had reportedly touched several Ebola patients in Butembo and concealed his identity in order to evade health screenings while en route to Goma.\n\nThe emergency committee cited the patient, who has died, as a \"specific cause for concern\".\n\nEven if the risk of global spread is \"still low\", the Goma case posed \"worrying signs of possible extension of the epidemic,\" the committee said.\n\nA city of about one million people, Goma sits on the northern shore of Lake Kivu, adjacent to Rwanda's town of Gisenyi.\n\nIt has a port that links to DRC city Bukavu and the South Kivu province as well as an airport with flights to the capital Kinshasa, Uganda's Entebbe and Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia.\n\nAt the Goma-Gisenyi crossing on Wednesday, megaphone announcements instructed all travellers to wash their hands \"to prevent Ebola sickness virus,\" using basins of water with added bleach.\n\nHealth workers wearing yellow high-visibility jackets took the temperature of people crossing the border, in both directions.\n\nWHO's announcement provoked a mixed response from DR Congo's Health Minister Oly Ilunga Kalenga, who has been critical of the motive of some non-governmental organisations in raising donations for the crisis.\n\nHe said that while he \"accepts\" WHO's decision, he hoped it was not \"the result of pressure from different groups... who want to use the statement as an opportunity to raise funds for humanitarian actors\".\n\n\"We hope there will be greater transparency and accountability by humanitarian actors in how they use their funds to respond to this Ebola outbreak,\" he said in a statement.\n\nThe WHO's international health regulations, drafted in 2005, say that the emergency label should apply to a situation that is \"an extraordinary event that poses a public health risk to other countries through international spread and that potentially requires a coordinated international response.\"\n\nSome fear that making the emergency call could trigger border closures, which the head of the WHO emergency panel, Robert Steffen, strongly urged against.", "The second-worst Ebola outbreak in history has killed more than 1,500 people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) since it began last August. And on Wednesday, nearly a year after the outbreak began, and in the midst of renewed concerns over its spread, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak a public-health emergency of international concern.\n\nThe decision is meant to spur a stronger response from the international community in hopes of ending the outbreak, which has proved difficult to contain due to a humanitarian crisis DRC, attacks on health care workers and rampant misinformation within the country. Concerns of further spread were reignited last month when infected individuals died in neighboring Uganda after traveling from the DRC. The disease’s presence was also recently confirmed in the DRC city of Goma, which is considered a transport hub and is near the Rwandan border.\n\n“Now is the time for the international community to stand in solidarity with the people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a press conference Wednesday. “I stress this: The government of DRC is doing everything it can. They need the support of the international community.”\n\nThe declaration came at the recommendation of the International Health Regulations (IHR) Emergency Committee, which cited possible increased national and regional risks associated with the outbreak. At three prior meetings on the topic, the WHO declined to declare the outbreak an international public-health emergency.\n\nWhile Ghebreyesus said Wednesday that he hopes countries continue to contribute funding to the response, the emergency declaration is meant as a call for strengthened and streamlined international effort to slow the outbreak, which has thus far infected more than 2,400 people. The IHR recommends that affected countries improve their preparedness for detecting and treating cases of Ebola, enhance screening and public education in key areas, minimize security threats and embrace the use of preventive tools such as vaccines.\n\nThe IHR does not, however, recommend that countries restrict travel or trade to the DRC, as “such measures are usually implemented out of fear and have no basis in science.” It also said screening at airports and other ports of entry outside the region is unnecessary.\n\nThus far, U.S. involvement in the Ebola outbreak has been fairly minimal, though the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced in June that it would activate an Emergency Operations Center in the DRC to help support outbreak response. The World Bank in May also pledged to release an additional $10 million from its Pandemic Emergency Financing Facility to help with response; the WHO has to-date received $6.5 million, officials said at the press conference Wednesday. (UNICEF has also received $13.5 million, they said.) Countries, including the U.K., have also recently promised financial contributions.\n\nGhebreyesus stressed that public-health funding must address not only existing outbreaks, but also the prevention of future ones.\n\n“Financing should be for preparedness,” he said. “Financing should be to fix the roof before the rain comes.”", "The World Health Organization on Wednesday declared the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo a “public health emergency of international concern,” a rare designation only used for the gravest epidemics.\n\n“It is time for the world to take notice,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a statement, as he accepted the advice of his advisory board to invoke the emergency provision (PHEIC), only used by the UN health agency four times previously.\n\nThose included the H1N1, or swine flu, pandemic of 2009, the spread of poliovirus in 2014, the Ebola epidemic that devastated parts of West Africa from 2014 to 2016 and the surge of the Zika virus in 2016.\n\nThe International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said it “welcomed” the decision.\n\n“While it does not change the reality on the ground for victims or partners engaged in the response, we hope it will bring the international attention that this crisis deserves,” the IFRC said in a statement.\n\nThe WHO’s international health regulations, drafted in 2005, say that the international emergency label should apply to a situation that is “serious, unusual or unexpected; carries implications for public health beyond the affected State’s national border; and may require immediate international action”.\n\nMore than 1,600 people have died from Ebola since August 1, when the haemorrhagic virus erupted in DR Congo’s North Kivu and spread to neighbouring Ituri."], "summary": "The World Health Organisation declares the most recent Ebola outbreak in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo a Public Health Emergency of International Concern."}
{"document": ["Health officials in the Philippines declared a national emergency this week after a record-breaking 106,630 cases of Dengue fever were reported since January.\n\nHealth Secretary Francisco T. Duque III issued the alert Monday after pointing to several regions that are experiencing the 85 percent uptick in the disease when compared to last year’s figures.\n\n“From January 1 to June 29 this year, most cases are from Western Visayas (13,164), Calabarzon (11,474), Central Visayas (9,199), Soccsksargen (9,107), and Northern Mindanao (8,739),” the health ministry said in a statement.\n\nPHILIPPINES’ DUTERTE SAYS HE WAS ONCE GAY BU ‘CURED’ HIMSELF AFTER MEETING HIS EX-WIFE\n\n“Dengue cases nationwide now reach a cumulative figure of 106,630. This is 85 percent higher compared to the same period last year.”\n\nThe spike in cases usually comes every 3-4 years with the last known increase having been in 2016, Duque said, making this year’s figures as expected.\n\nAccording to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dengue is common to more than 100 countries and, on average, about 400 million people will get infected with the disease each year. Of that number, 100 million will get sick and 22,000 will die from the infection.\n\nThe virus is usually spread through the bite of an infected mosquito.\n\nCLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP\n\nSymptoms include nausea, vomiting, rashes, and aches and pains. There is no known cure or medication for the disease.\n\nHealth officials warned the public to implement the “4S strategy” which encourages them to “search and destroy mosquito breeding places.” It also advises them to wear long sleeves and wear insect repellent and, if any symptoms show, they should consult a doctor immediately.", "Dengue cases have doubled in Thailand this year. And in The Philippines a similar situation is unfolding. Health authorities in The Philippines are declaring a national dengue alert after a spike in cases leaving more than 450 people dead since the start of 2019.\n\nAround 100,000 dengue cases were reported across The Philippines in the first six months of 2019, an increase of 85% on the same period last year. This surge in dengue cases comes as the country is grappling with a nationwide measles outbreak, which authorities say has killed more people so far this year than all of 2018 and puts 2.6 million children at risk.\n\nEpidemics of dengue have been declared in Mimaropa, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, and Northern Mindanao, areas that contain about 20 million people – 20% of The Philippines population. Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said 106,630 dengue cases had been reported from January 1 to June 29, 2019 – 85% more than the 57,564 cases reported from the same period in 2018.\n\nWhile it is most common in tropical and sub-tropical climates such as Te Philippines, India and Brazil, a recent study shows that global rising temperatures caused by the climate change are likely to see mosquitoes which carry dengue – along with other diseases such as chikungunya, yellow fever and Zika – move further north (in the northern hemisphere and south in the southern hemisphere), affecting states in the southern US, inland Australia and coastal areas of China and Japan.\n\nDengue cases in the Philippines have historically surged every three to four years, and the sharp increase this year is in line with expectations after a spike in cases nationwide in 2016.", "Rawalpindi - Around 1,000 dengue fever suspects have so far been brought to the allied hospitals of the city, out of which 8 patients were tested positive who were provided the required treatment.\n\nIn-charge anti-dengue campaign for Municipal Corporation area Dr Zeeshan said that arrangements for the treatment of dengue fever patients had been made; besides all possible preventive measures were in place to meet any eventuality.\n\nHe said that a full-scale fumigation drive was underway in different localities of the city, especially from where dengue patients were being reported.\n\nHe advised the citizens to adopt precautionary measures and do not be panic as the dengue fever was curable with time. Zeeshan asked the residents to use mosquito nets or mosquito repellents like mats and coils. He said that dengue was under control in Rawalpindi and health department was on high alert to cope with any situation.", "Philippines Health Department declared on Monday a nationwide dengue alert amid a 85-percent year-on-year increase in the number or registered cases of the disease in the first half of this year\n\nMOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 16th July, 2019) Philippines Health Department declared on Monday a nationwide dengue alert amid a 85-percent year-on-year increase in the number or registered cases of the disease in the first half of this year.\n\n\"Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III today declared a National Dengue Alert due to the rapidly increasing number of cases observed in several regions,\" the department said in a statement published on Facebook.\n\nAccording to the health department, the death toll from the disease reached 456 people in the first half of this year, representing a 39 percent year-on-year increase.\n\nFour regions have exceeded the epidemic threshold, another nine are being monitored after exceeding the alert threshold, it added.\n\n\"Dengue cases nationwide now reach a cumulative figure of 106,630. This is 85% higher compared to the same period last year (57,564),\" the department said.\n\nOn June 11, the World Health Organization called for action to minimize illness and deaths from dengue as several Asian countries, including Cambodia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam, are experiencing unusually high numbers of dengue cases.\n\nDengue fever is transmitted by mosquitoes found in many areas in the world, including in the countries of Southeast Asia. Symptoms might include headache, vomiting, skin rash and low blood pressure among others. It is mostly non-fatal, however complications could lead to the death of the patient.", "According to the Thai Bureau of Epidemiology at the Department of Disease Control, there have already been more than 28 thousand cases and 53 death cases from the mosquito-borne Dengue virus. Last year, there were only 33 death cases. The Chiang Rai Times reports that medics have commented on the situation as “one of the most severe Dengue outbreaks in recent years.” The article also states that health officials have reported more than 40 thousand cases which is 1.6 times more than that of 2018.\n\nDr. Cheewanan Lertpiriyasuwat, the Vector-Borne Disease Bureau Director at the country’s Department of Disease Control (DDC) stated that the “current Dengue outbreak situation was worrisome.” She also underlined that the prevalence of Dengue Fever in Thailand has increased significantly from last year’s figure of 38.6 people per 100,000 of the population to about 61 people per 100,000. The Thaiger reported that the Public Health Ministry has signed an agreement with seven state agencies to control mosquito larvae during the annual wet-season which is when cases peak each year. It continues to report that the Defense Ministry, Tourism and Sports Ministry, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Interior Ministry, Culture Ministry, Education Ministry, and Bangkok Metropolitan Administration are going to co-ordinate improvements for the control of mosquito larvae.\n\nIf there are agreements signed by the different departments and ministries as stated above, it is an indication that the nation’s authorities are taking initiatives in battling the spreading diseases which cause severe threats and death to the people of Thailand. There are four closely related but antigenically different serotypes of the virus that can cause Dengue, and they are DEN 1, DEN 2, DEN 3, DEN 4. Since Dengue is a viral infection disease which is caused by the transmission of a bite by a mosquito, it is difficult to terminate the disease especially when mosquitoes are found in most places such as tall grasses and weeds near inhabited locations.\n\nMosquitoes breed in stagnant, standing freshwater and are oftentimes found around the home including inside tin cans, buckets, discarded tires, and other artificial containers. Insect sprays and insect incense are commonly used in Southeast Asian nations like Cambodia, Thailand, and Laos. According to Outbreak News Today, Dengue Fever is also classified into different types which provide different symptoms and levels of threat. Dengue Fever (DF) is marked by an onset of sudden high fever, severe headache, pain behind the eyes, and pain in muscles and joints. Some may also have a rash and varying degrees of bleeding from various parts of the body. Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever (DHF) is a more severe form, seen only in a small proportion of those infected. DHF is a stereotypic illness characterized by 3 phases; febrile phase with high continuous fever usually lasting for less than 7 days; critical phase (plasma leaking) lasting 1-2 days usually apparent when fever comes down, leading to shock if not detected and treated early; convalescence phase lasting 2-5 days with improvement of appetite, bradycardia, convalescent rash (white patches in red background), often accompanied by generalized itching (more intense in palms and soles), and diuresis (increase urine output). Dengue Shock Syndrome (DSS) is a dangerous complication of Dengue infection and is associated with high mortality. Severe Dengue occurs as a result of secondary infection with a different virus serotype. Increased vascular permeability, together with myocardial dysfunction and dehydration, contribute to the development of shock, with results in multi-organ failure.\n\nAll in all, the outbreak of Dengue Fever has been spreading across Thailand and is extremely life-threatening to the population. The government is taking massive initiatives to encounter the issue in the hopes of preventing further escalation of the virus.", "With 106,630 dengue cases reported through the Philippines Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (PIDSR) system from 1 January to 29 June 2019, including 456 deaths, the current dengue incidence is 85% higher than in 2018, in spite of a delayed rainy season. Whereas the Case Fatality Rate (CFR) of 0.43% as of 29 June 2019 is lower than in the same time period in 2018 (0.55%), this is still significantly higher than the regional average of 0.22% in the Western Pacific.\n\nThe Philippines Department of Health (DoH) declared a National Dengue Alert on 15 July 2019, urging regional DoH offices to step up dengue surveillance, case management and outbreak response in primary health facilities and hospitals, as well as through community and school-based health education campaigns, clean-up drives, surveillance activities, case investigations, vector control, and logistics support for dengue control (insecticides, RDTs, medicine, etc) in line with an Advisory on Dengue Preparedness and Outbreak Response issued earlier this year. The National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (NDRRMC), raised the code blue alert, activating the national Health Cluster, led by DoH.\n\nBetween 1 January to 29 June 2019, including 456 deaths were officially reported through the routine surveillance system from the DOH, with a CFR of 0.43% (see Table 1).\n\nWith a median age of 12 years, the most affected age group among dengue cases is 5-9 years (23%). Similarly, the most affected age group among dengue deaths is 5-9 years (39%). The majority of dengue cases are male (53%), whereas the majority of dengue deaths are female (52%).\n\nMost affected regions are II, IVA, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, II, BARMM and NCR. Iloilo, Capiz, Aklan, Antique and Guimaras provinces in Region VI declared an outbreak, with many municipalities seeking a state of calamity to access emergency funding to mobilise additional resources.", "Another boy, who cannot be named, has been admitted to a private hospital with his fever and blurring of vision. His platelet count, fall of which is a usual suspect of dengue, is okay. But doctors found his ‘dengue NS1 antigen’ test positive, which means he gets the mosquito-borne viral infection. He is also under watch with fluid management.\n\n“In both cases, dengue involves the brain. This is rare. But now we are frequently getting this type of dengue patients,” said Dr Md Titu Miah, professor of medicine at the DMCH, who is treating both the patients.\n\nHe called it ‘atypical’ presentation of the otherwise seasonal fever, dengue, which has taken a bad turn this June, months before its usual peak season in September. Counting the cases becomes useless as any fever is a suspect of dengue to doctors.\n\n“Now it (dengue) involves different organs like brain, heart, liver, and kidney. We also found in most of the critical patients, who came to the hospital, the condition worsened when their fever has gone. They went home relax, but after a couple of days fell ill again. We found fluid leakage began,” Prof Titu Miah said, suggesting adhering to follow-up for few days.\n\nDengue first struck Bangladesh in 2000, killing 93 people. Since 2003, the death rate has gradually declined with zero fatalities in some years.\n\nBut last year it took a devastating turn with over 10,000 infections and 26 deaths, according to the government statistics. This year, according to the government control room, so far 4,852 people were affected with only three deaths. The media, however, reported over 10 deaths citing different hospital sources.\n\nAccording to the WHO, the global incidence of dengue has grown dramatically in recent decades. About half of the world's population is now at risk.\n\nThere is no specific treatment for dengue or severe dengue, but early detection and access to proper medical care lowers fatality rates below 1 percent. Dengue prevention and control depends on effective vector control measures.\n\nDengue mosquito, Aedes aegypti, breeds in clean water mostly in and around the houses. Household flower vase, buckets, tyre, and tubes where water remains stored are the perfect place for the breeding of the dengue mosquito.\n\n“Still municipality authorities have a strong role to play. Dengue breeds around the home or abandoned or under-construction buildings where clear water can be accumulated. So they can spray (insecticides) there and at the same time raise awareness by distributing leaflets, handbills to the people who live around that place,” said Prof Mahmudur Rahman, former director of IEDCR.\n\nIntermittent rains might be the reason for a June spike of dengue, Dr Meerjady Sabrina Flora, director of the government’s disease monitoring arm, IEDCR, told bdnews24.com.\n\n“Globally, we have also noticed a rise of dengue cases in that period,” she said, citing examples of Malaysia and Thailand.\n\nIn Malaysia, 91 people died while 70 died in Thailand.\n\nBut for public, doctors advised them not to neglect fever.\n\n“See a doctor when you have fever. And also follow it up few days even after (fever) subsides,” Prof Titu Miah said. He also urged doctors to follow the government guidelines in dengue treatment.\n\nNo improvement of fever or worsening of the situation, persistent vomiting, severe abdominal pain, bleeding, a tendency to fall or giddiness, pale, cold and clammy hands and feet, less or no urine output for 4-6 hours, lethargy, restlessness, and sudden behavioural changes are some of the warning signs of dengue.\n\nWith co-morbid conditions such as pregnancy, elderly, infant, diabetes, blood pressure, chronic liver disease, and kidney disease, dengue demands special attention, according to Prof Titu Miah.\n\nHe suggested hospitals treat dengue patients separately under mosquito net for taking extra care. “This (special unit care) will also help spread the disease to others in the hospitals”.", "July 16 (UPI) -- More than 450 people have died in the Philippines of dengue, a viral disease that has affected a region of more than 20 million people.\n\nPhilippine health authorities this week issued a \"national dengue alert\" as cases have nearly doubled from same time last year, CNN reported Tuesday.\n\nAbout 100,000 dengue cases have been reported in the Philippines in the first six months of 2019, up 85 percent from 2018, according to the report.\n\nRegions affected include Mimaropa, Western Visayas, Central Visayas and Northern Mindanao, regions home to 20 percent of the country's population.\n\nDengue induces fever in patients, and is a mosquito-borne viral infection. The disease includes symptoms similar to the flu: painful headaches, muscle and joint pain and full body rashes.\n\nThe World Health Organization says about half a million people, out of the \"millions\" infected with dengue worldwide, require hospitalization. About 12,500 people die annually from the disease.\n\nClimate change could be responsible for the rise in dengue cases in countries like the Philippines, India and Brazil.\n\nIn addition to dengue, diseases like chikungunya, yellow fever and Zika have moved north as temperatures rise in the southern United States, inland Australia and coastal China and Japan, according to CNN.\n\nRappler reported the national alert in the Philippines came on Monday. Other regions, including Muslim Mindanao have been designated as regions that have exceeded the alert threshold.", "The Department of Health (DOH) on Monday, July 15, declared a national dengue alert after 450 people, including infants and a centenarian, died in the first six months of the year due to rapidly increasing cases of dengue in several regions.\n\n“This is the first time we’re declaring a national alert because the objective is clear: We want to raise awareness among the public and, more importantly, in communities where signs of early dengue increases are evident,” said Health Secretary Francisco Duque III at a press briefing.\n\nDOH records show that from Jan. 1 to June 29, 106,630 cases were reported nationwide, including 456 deaths.\n\n“This is 85 percent higher compared to the same period last year, which is 57,564,” Duque said.\n\nThe biggest number of reported dengue cases came from Western Visayas (13,164), Calabarzon (11,474), Central Visayas (9,199), Soccsksargen (9,107) and Northern Mindanao (8,739).\n\nDuque also announced that Code Blue Alert has been raised as well for the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) health cluster.\n\nWith this, there will be heightened surveillance by the DOH’s regional offices for dengue and heightened implementation of anti-dengue strategies. Half of all hospital personnel will also report for duty.\n\nRegions that have exceeded the epidemic threshold are Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan), Western Visayas (Region VI), Central Visayas (Region VII) and Northern Mindanao (Region X).\n\nMeanwhile, regions being monitored after having exceeded the alert threshold are Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon), Bicol, Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Davao, Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and Cordillera Administrative Region.\n\nAccording to World Health Organization (WHO) country representative Gundo Weiler, the Philippines must brace for severe dengue this year.\n\nHe said the rise in dengue can be attributed to various factors such as migration and climate change.\n\n“Dengue globally is a huge issue. More than half of the world’s population is living in areas where there is exposure to dengue,” he said.\n\n“There are lots of efforts we can do and we can alleviate severity of dengue outbreak. Like if we pursue some of the simple community measures – search and destroy the breeding sites of mosquitoes and self protection against mosquito bites,” he added.\n\nSenate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto on Monday proposed that screened windows and doors be installed in public schools to prevent the spread of dengue.\n\n“During school days, one in four Filipinos are in public schools,” Recto said, citing his computation from 27 million students taught by 830,000 teachers in about 47,000 schools this year.\n\n“If Filipinos congregate there, then we should make sure that mosquitoes don’t go to school with them. Aedes aegypti should not be enrolled, or if they’re there, they should be expelled,” he added.", "MANILA: The Philippines will prepare military hospitals and clinics for a possible surge in dengue patients after a spike in the number of cases this year, said the Department of Health (DOH) on Wednesday (Jul 17).\n\nThe DOH on Monday declared a national dengue alert for the first time.\n\nA total of 106,630 dengue cases have been reported from Jan 1 to Jun 29 - 85 per cent more than the number of cases in the same period in 2018.\n\nAbout 450 people have died from dengue this year, Philippine media reported.\n\nREAD: More mosquitoes or mutating virus? Experts have different views on dengue spike\n\n\n\nAccording to Philippine Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, dengue cases spike every three to four years. The last peak was in 2016, he added.\n\n\n\nRegions that have exceeded the epidemic threshold include Mimaropa, Western Visayas, Central Visayas and Northern Mindanao.\n\n\n\nREAD: The Big Read: As temperatures and urbanisation increase, fight against dengue will only get tougher\n\n\n\nA meeting was convened by the DOH on Wednesday to discuss an action plan among various agencies.\n\nThe Armed Forces of the Philippines and Philippine National Police will help the DOH in the mobilisation of medical teams and logistics.\n\nThe Philippine National Red Cross will boost medical teams to affected area and provide emergency transport, while the Department of Education will enhance dengue awareness and install insecticide-treated screens in schools."], "summary": "A national emergency is declared in the Philippines after more than 100,000 people contract dengue fever."}
{"document": ["Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption A demonstration of the S-400 missile system\n\nThe US says it is removing Turkey from its F-35 fighter jets programme, after Ankara received the first parts of a Russian missile defence system.\n\nThe US says the \"F-35 cannot coexist with a Russian intelligence collection platform that will be used to learn about its advanced capabilities\".\n\nRussia began delivering its advanced S-400 system to Turkey last week.\n\nTurkey and the US are key Nato allies - but Ankara has also been establishing closer links with Russia.\n\nTurkey has so far not publicly reacted to the latest US move, which was widely expected.\n\nWhat did the US say?\n\nIn a statement on Wednesday, White House spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham said: \"Unfortunately, Turkey's decision to purchase Russian S-400 air defence systems renders its continued involvement with the F-35 impossible.\n\n\"The United States has been actively working with Turkey to provide air defence solutions to meet its legitimate air defence needs, and this administration has made multiple offers to move Turkey to the front of the line to receive the US Patriot air defence system.\n\n\"Turkey has been a longstanding and trusted partner and Nato ally for over 65 years, but accepting the S-400 undermines the commitments all Nato allies made to each other to move away from Russian systems.\"\n\nAt the same time Ms Grisham stressed that \"the United States still greatly values our strategic relationship with Turkey.\n\n\"As Nato allies, our relationship is multi-layered, and not solely focused on the F-35,\" she said.\n\nTurkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan believed that President Trump would ultimately allow him to have both the Russian S-400 missile system and F-35 US warplanes. But he was wrong.\n\nCould things get worse ? Will Turkey's suspension from the F-35 programme be followed up by other measures ? The 2017 Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act mandates action against any country making significant purchases from the Russian defence industry. The big question now is how much damage will this do to bilateral ties between Washington and Ankara and more broadly between Turkey and Nato.\n\nThere is already a sense in the alliance that Turkey is drifting away from the West, flirting with Russia and pursuing a kind of authoritarian democracy at odds with liberal values. So is this a temporary shift in Ankara's outlook or a more significant turning point in Turkish foreign policy?\n\nWhat's the argument about?\n\nTurkey had signed up to buying 100 F-35s, America's most sophisticated warplanes, and had invested heavily in the US programme. Turkish companies produce 937 of the plane's parts.\n\nBut Turkey has also pursued an increasingly independent defence policy amid strained ties with the US and Europe.\n\nIt has purchased Russia's advanced S-400 air defence system for $2.5bn (£2bn) and sent members of its armed forces to Russia for training.\n\nImage copyright Russian Ministry of Defence Image caption The Russian defence ministry has published footage of what it says are the first components of the system being delivered to Turkey\n\nTurkey had also argued that the US was slow to offer an alternative missile defence shield.\n\nUS defence officials say the S-400 is incompatible with the wider Nato air-defence system in the region.\n\nThey say they do not want F-35s to be near S-400 systems because they fear Russian technicians will be able to access the warplane's vulnerabilities.\n\nHow important is Turkey?\n\nTurkey has the second-largest army in Nato, a 29-member military alliance.\n\nIt is one of the US's key allies, and is located in a strategic position, sharing borders with Syria, Iraq and Iran.\n\nIt has also played an important role in the Syria conflict, providing arms and military support to some rebel groups.\n\nHowever, it has seen relations deteriorate with some Nato members and the EU, who have accused Mr Erdogan of adopting an increasingly authoritarian style following a failed coup in 2016.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Nato explained in 80 seconds\n\nHow does the S-400 work?", "US kicking NATO ally Turkey out of fighter program\n\nWASHINGTON (AP) — In a significant break with a longtime NATO ally, the Trump administration on Wednesday said Turkey can no longer be part of the American F-35 fighter jet program.\n\nIn a written statement, the White House said that Turkey's decision to buy the Russian S-400 air defense system \"renders its continued involvement with the F-35 impossible.\"\n\nThe White House did not say explicitly that Turkey will be kicked out of the F-35 program, but the Pentagon was expected to do so.\n\nTurkey makes numerous components for the stealth aircraft, which is sold internationally. If Turkey is removed from the program, as expected, the U.S. will have to find alternative suppliers.\n\n\"The F-35 cannot coexist with a Russian intelligence collection platform that will be used to learn about its advanced capabilities,\" the White House statement said, referring to the S-400 air defense system as a means for Russia to probe U.S. capabilities.\n\nPresident Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that the S-400 purchase means Turkey will not be allowed to purchase any F-35 planes.\n\nYet to be announced is whether the U.S. will impose economic sanctions on Turkey for its decision.\n\nThe break with Turkey over its purchase of a Russian weapon system is symptomatic of a deeper division between Ankara and its Western allies and partners.\n\nArmy Secretary Mark Esper, Trump's nominee to become secretary of defense, told his Senate confirmation hearing Tuesday he is troubled by Turkey's decision to defy the United States on the S-400, suggesting that it reveals a broader strategic problem.\n\n\"It is very disheartening to see how they have drifted over the past several years,\" Esper said.\n\nTurkey has complained that it was not given favorable terms to buy the American alternative to the Russian S-400 air defense system. The White House, however, said in its statement Wednesday that Turkey had plenty of chances to buy the U.S. Patriot system.\n\n\"This administration has made multiple offers to move Turkey to the front of the line to receive the U.S. Patriot air defense system,\" it said.", "FILE – In this March 29, 2019, photo, a U.S. F-35A fighter jet prepares to land at Chungju Air Base in Chungju, South Korea. The White House says Turkey can no longer be part of the American F-35 fighter jet program. In a written statement, the White House said Wednesday that Turkey’s decision to buy the Russian S-400 air defense system “renders its continued involvement with the F-35 impossible.” (Kang Jong-min/Newsis via AP)\n\nWASHINGTON (AP) — In a major break with a longtime ally, the Trump administration on Wednesday said Turkey is being kicked out of an American-led fighter aircraft program because it is buying a Russian air defense system that would aid Russian intelligence.\n\nThe decision has significant implications for the cohesion of NATO, whose central strategic purpose is to defend against Russian aggression. Now that NATO member Turkey has chosen to buy and deploy the Russian-made S-400 air defense, it will no longer be fully part of the alliance’s air defenses, which are at the core of NATO strategy.\n\nThe U.S. government’s concern is that the S-400 could be used to gather data on the capabilities of the F-35, and that the information could end up in Russian hands.\n\nPentagon officials sought to downplay the rift, noting that Turkey has been a key ally for more than six decades.\n\n“The U.S. still values our strategic partnership with Turkey,” said Ellen Lord, the Pentagon’s chief weapons buyer, who told a news conference that the U.S. has suspended Turkey from the F-35 program and is beginning the process of its formal removal. Lord said Turkey stands to lose $9 billion in future earnings as an F-35 parts supplier.\n\nDavid Trachtenberg, the deputy undersecretary of defense for policy, told reporters the U.S.-Turkey military partnership “remains very strong,” and U.S. and Turkish forces will continue to exercise together. He declined to explain how Turkey can remain a full partner in NATO’s integrated air defense while using a weapon system built by NATO’s chief adversary.\n\nIt’s clear, however, that senior U.S. officials worry about the future of the relationship with Turkey. Mark Esper, Trump’s nominee to be the next secretary of defense, told his Senate confirmation hearing on Tuesday that it is “very disheartening to see how they have drifted over the past several years” away from the West.\n\nAlthough it is never publicly acknowledged by the U.S. government, the Pentagon stores nuclear weapons at Turkey’s Incirlik air base. Some national security experts question the wisdom of continuing that arrangement, given Turkey’s drift.\n\nEarlier this week, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his government hopes to co-produce high-tech weaponry systems with Russia in the future, further defying the United States and other NATO allies. Turkey refused to bow to U.S. pressure, saying its Russia deal is a matter of national sovereignty and that the agreement could not be cancelled.\n\nThe decision to remove Turkey from the F-35 program had been expected, although administration officials spent months trying to talk the Turks into reversing course. The final straw was Turkey’s announcement last weekend that it has begun taking delivery from Russia of components for the air defense system, called the S-400.\n\n“Unfortunately, Turkey’s decision to purchase the Russian S-400 air defense systems renders its continued involvement with the F-35 impossible,” a White House statement said. “The F-35 cannot coexist with a Russian intelligence collection platform that will be used to learn about its advanced capabilities.” That “platform” is the S-400.\n\nThe White House did not say explicitly that Turkey will be kicked out of the F-35 program, but the Pentagon did.\n\nLord said the process of fully removing Turkey is under way and should be completed by next March 31. She refused to say whether the decision could be reversed.\n\nTurkey makes more than 900 components for the stealth aircraft, which is sold internationally. Removing it as a supplier means the Pentagon is lining up alternative manufacturers for those parts. Lord said many of those alternatives will be American suppliers, and that the Pentagon is spending between $500 million and $600 million “to shift the supply chain.”\n\nCongress appears generally supportive of the administration’s moves against Turkey.\n\n“America simply cannot send its most advanced military technology to countries where adversaries like Russia will have access to it,” said Sen. Tom Cotton, an Arkansas Republican who sits on the Armed Services Committee.\n\nTrump announced on Tuesday that the S-400 purchase means Turkey will not be allowed to purchase any F-35 planes, but he did not address the related questions of Turkey’s role in F-35 production or the likelihood that the S-400 purchase from Russia will trigger U.S. sanctions under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act. The State Department this week has been silent on whether those sanctions will be imposed.\n\nThe break with Turkey over its purchase of a Russian weapon system is symptomatic of a deeper division between Ankara and its Western allies and partners.\n\nArmy Secretary Mark Esper, Trump’s nominee to become secretary of defense, told his Senate confirmation hearing Tuesday he is troubled by Turkey’s decision to defy the United States on the S-400, suggesting that it reveals a broader strategic problem.\n\n“It is very disheartening to see how they have drifted over the past several years,” Esper said.\n\nTurkey has complained that it was not given favorable terms to buy the American alternative to the Russian S-400 air defense system. The White House, however, said in its statement Wednesday that Turkey had plenty of chances to buy the U.S. Patriot system.\n\n“This administration has made multiple offers to move Turkey to the front of the line to receive the U.S. Patriot air defense system,” it said.", "WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States said on Wednesday that it was removing Turkey from the F-35 fighter jet program, a move long threatened and expected after Ankara began accepting delivery of an advanced Russian missile defense system last week.\n\nThe first parts of the S-400 air defense system were flown to the Murted military air base northwest of Ankara on Friday, sealing NATO ally Turkey's deal with Russia, which Washington had struggled for months to prevent.\n\n\"The U.S. and other F-35 partners are aligned in this decision to suspend Turkey from the program and initiate the process to formally remove Turkey from the program,\" Ellen Lord, the undersecretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment, told a briefing.\n\nTurkey's foreign ministry said the move was unfair and could affect relations between the two countries.\n\nLord said moving the supply chain for the advanced fighter jet would cost the United States between $500 million and $600 million in non-recurring engineering costs.\n\nTurkey makes more than 900 parts of the F-35, she said, adding the supply chain would transition from Turkish to mainly U.S. factories as Turkish suppliers are removed.\n\n\"Turkey will certainly and regrettably lose jobs and future economic opportunities from this decision,\" Lord said. \"It will no longer receive more than $9 billion in projected work share related to the F-35 over the life of the program.\"\n\nThe F-35 stealth fighter jet, the most advanced aircraft in the U.S. arsenal, is used by NATO and other U.S. allies.\n\nWashington is concerned that deploying the S-400 with the F-35 would allow Russia to gain too much inside information about the aircraft's stealth system.\n\n\"The F-35 cannot coexist with a Russian intelligence collection platform that will be used to learn about its advanced capabilities,\" the White House said in a statement earlier on Wednesday.\n\nWashington had long said the acquisition of the S-400 might lead to Turkey's expulsion from the F-35 program.\n\nAfter the Pentagon announcement, Turkey's foreign ministry said in a statement: \"We invite the United States to return from this mistake which would open irreparable wounds in strategic relations.\"\n\nNATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, speaking at the Aspen Institute's annual security forum in Aspen, Colorado, said he was concerned at Turkey's expulsion from the F-35 program.\n\nBut while the S-400 could not become part of NATO's shared air and missile defenses, he said, Turkey has aircraft and radars that would remain part of the system.\n\n\"The S-400, the Russian air defense system, it’s not possible to integrate into the integrated NATO air defense and missile system, which is about sharing, you know, radar picture, about joint air policing, which is about shared capabilities. And Turkey has not asked for that,\" Stoltenberg said.\n\nThe S-400 acquisition is one of several issues that have frayed ties between the two allies, including a dispute over strategy in Syria east of the Euphrates River, where the United States is allied with Kurdish forces that Turkey views as foes.\n\nThe Pentagon had already laid out a plan to remove Turkey from the program, which included halting training for Turkish pilots on the aircraft.\n\nLord said all the Turkish F-35 pilots and personnel had \"firm plans\" to leave the United States and were scheduled to leave by July 31.\n\nTurkey will no longer be able to buy the 100 F-35s it had agreed to purchase.\n\n\"These would likely have been delivered at an annual rate of 8-12 aircraft/year through the 2020s,\" Byron Callan, an analyst at Capital Alpha Partners, said in a research note on Wednesday.\n\nThe jet's prime contractor, Lockheed Martin Corp and the jet's program office at the Pentagon \"should be able to re-market those delivery positions,\" Callan said.\n\nLockheed Martin spokeswoman Carolyn Nelson said: \"Over the last several months we've been working to establish alternative sources of supply in the United States to quickly\" adjust for the loss of Turkey's contribution to the program.\n\nThe United States is considering expanding sales of the jets to five other nations, including Romania, Greece and Poland, as European allies bulk up their defenses in the face of a strengthening Russia.\n\nDavid Trachtenberg, the deputy undersecretary of defense for policy, told reporters at the briefing that the United States still valued its relationship with Turkey.\n\n\"Our strategic partnership continues, but as I said, this is a specific response to a specific action,\" Trachtenberg said.", "Turkey will not be getting the F-35 Lightning II fifth-generation stealth fighters from the United States of America because it has bought the S-400 Triumf air defence missile system from Russia. US President Donald Trump on Tuesday declared that Turkey cannot buy the over 100 F-35 Lightning II fighters that the country had ordered from American defence major Lockheed Martin.\n\n\"Turkey has also ordered over a hundred F-35 planes - substantially over a hundred - and they have plans to order more. But because they have a system of missiles that's made in Russia, they're now prohibited from buying over a hundred planes. I would say that Lockheed isn’t exactly happy. That's a lot of jobs,\" Trump said during a press conference at the White House on Tuesday.\n\n\"So what happens is we have a situation where Turkey is very good with us. Very good. And we are now telling Turkey that, because you have really been forced to buy another missile system, we’re not going to sell you the F-35 fighter jets. It's a very tough situation that they're in. And it’s a very tough situation that we’ve been placed in - the United States. With all of that being said, we’re working through it. We’ll see what happens. But it’s not really fair. They wanted to buy - I don’t stick up for countries. I don’t stick up for Turkey. I don’t stick up - other than I've had a good relationship with President Erdogan,\" said the US President.\n\nTill July 16, 2019, 12 Russian aircraft have landed in Turkey with S-400 Triumf missile systems. Turkey, which is a member of the F-35 Lightning II development programme, has ordered 116 jets but the US has refused to deliver the stealth fighters. Even the four F-35s that were delivered to the Turkish Air Force inventory are being held in the US after Ankara announced that it would go ahead with buying the S-400 Triumf missiles despite the threat of sanctions and action by America.\n\nTrump also blamed his predecessor and former US president Barack Obama for pushing Turkey towards Russia for its defence needs. \"The Obama administration would not sell them the Patriot missiles. They need the Patriot missiles for defense. They would not sell them, under any circumstance,\" he claimed.\n\n\"And Turkey tried very hard to buy them, and they wouldn’t sell them, and this went on for a long period of time. And it was as soon as they found out that they were going to have to buy the missiles - a comparable missile - not as good a missile, but a comparable, almost, missile from Russia, all of a sudden everybody started rushing and saying to Turkey, \"Okay, we'll sell you the Patriot missile.\" It was only when they found out they couldn’t get it, then, they say, \"Let’s go, we’ll sell you the Patriot missile.\" But, by that time, Turkey had already signed and paid a lot of money to Russia for the missile system that they were not allowed to buy here, foolishly - because Turkey is a NATO member,\" said Trump.\n\nAccording to the US defence officials, the S-400 Triumf missiles cannot operate with NATO's air defence systems as the two systems are incompatible and the Russian platform may also compromise operations of the F-35.", "US kicking NATO ally Turkey out of fighter program\n\nWASHINGTON (AP) — The White House says Turkey can no longer be part of the American F-35 fighter jet program.\n\nIn a written statement, the White House said Wednesday that Turkey's decision to buy the Russian S-400 air defense system \"renders its continued involvement with the F-35 impossible.\"\n\nThe White House did not say explicitly that Turkey will be kicked out of the F-35 program, but the Pentagon was expected to do so.\n\nTurkey makes numerous components for the stealth aircraft. If Turkey is removed, as expected, the U.S. will have to find alternative suppliers.\n\nPresident Donald Trump announced Tuesday that the S-400 purchase means Turkey will not be allowed to purchase any F-35 planes.\n\nYet to be announced is whether the U.S. will impose economic sanctions on Turkey for its decision.", "The White House confirmed Wednesday that Turkey would be excluded from the F-35 stealth fighter jet program after it purchased a Russian missile defense system in defiance of warnings from Western allies\n\nWashington, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - APP - 18th Jul, 2019 ) :The White House confirmed Wednesday that Turkey would be excluded from the F-35 stealth fighter jet program after it purchased a Russian missile defense system in defiance of warnings from Western allies.\n\n\"Unfortunately, Turkey's decision to purchase Russian S-400 air defense systems renders its continued involvement with the F-35 impossible,\" White House spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham said in a statement.\n\nThe US-made F-35 Joint Strike Fighter \"cannot coexist with a Russian intelligence collection platform that will be used to learn about its advanced capabilities,\" she added.\n\nTurkey's foreign ministry termed the move \"unfair,\" saying in a statement that \"this one-sided step neither complies with the spirit of alliance nor is it based on legitimate reasons.\" Grisham said that Washington had made \"multiple\" offers of its own Patriot missile defense system to Turkey, but Ankara went ahead and acquired the S-400, running counter to a NATO pledge to avoid adopting Russian systems.\n\n\"This will have detrimental impacts on Turkish interoperability with the Alliance,\" she said.\n\nGrisham added that the United States \"still greatly values\" its strategic relationship with Ankara and would \"continue to cooperate with Turkey extensively, mindful of constraints due to the presence of the S-400 system in Turkey.\" - Trump:'tough situation' - The announcement came five days after Turkey began taking delivery of the Russian missile system, shrugging off two years of warnings from the United States and other NATO allies that it could imperil their relationship.\n\nThe US action will lock out a number of Turkish manufacturers that were producing parts and components for the F-35, and block Turkey's plans to purchase about 100 of the advanced fighters.\n\nOn Tuesday, President Donald Trump declined to criticize Turkey for the S-400 purchase, falsely charging that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was unfairly forced into the move by his White House predecessor Barack Obama.\n\n\"It's a very tough situation that they're in and it's a very tough situation that we've been placed in.\n\n.. With all of that being said, we're working through it -- we'll see what happens,\" he said.\n\nTrump rued the loss of the sale of up to 100 F-35s to Turkey, saying manufacturer Lockheed Martin would suffer.\n\n\"Because they have a system of missiles that's made in Russia, they're now prohibited from buying over 100 planes. I would say that Lockheed isn't exactly happy. That's a lot of jobs,\" Trump said.\n\n- Turkish manufacturers dropped - At the Pentagon, officials said operations were already underway to move the production of around 900 parts Turkey was to provide for the F-35s to suppliers in the United States and other countries.\n\nTurkish F-35 technicians and pilots training in the United States would also be sent back by the end of this month.\n\n\"Turkey's purchase of the S-400 is inconsistent with its commitments to NATO,\" said Under Secretary of Defense Ellen Lord.\n\n\"Turkey will certainly and regrettably lose jobs and future economic opportunities from this decision,\" she said.\n\nTurkey had work commitments worth $1 billion to supply the F-35 program, and could have expected a total of $9 billion in orders over the life of the program, according to Lord.\n\nIn addition, the US Congress has required countries that make significant purchases of Russian defense equipment to be subjected to punitive sanctions.\n\nThe State Department said Wednesday that no decision has been made yet on sanctions over the S-400 deal.\n\n- 'Still a strong ally' - David Trachtenberg, deputy undersecretary at the US Defense Department, repeated that Turkey remains a strong ally of the United States and would still join NATO exercises.\n\n\"We will continue to participate with Turkey in multilateral exercises to improve readiness and interoperability, including upcoming exercises in Georgia, Germany and Ukraine,\" he told reporters.\n\nAsked if Turkey could be ejected from NATO after nearly seven decades as a member, he replied: \"That's a decision for the NATO alliance... That's not for us here to decide.\" LOCKHEED MARTIN", "US removing Turkey from F-35 program after its Russian missile defense purchase\n\nWASHINGTON: The United States said on Wednesday that it was removing Turkey from the F-35 fighter jet program, a move that had been long threatened and expected after Ankara began accepting delivery of an advanced Russian missile defense system last week.\n\nThe first parts of the S-400 air defense system were flown to the Murted military air base northwest of Ankara on Friday, sealing Turkey’s deal with Russia, which Washington had struggled for months to prevent.\n\n“The U.S. and other F-35 partners are aligned in this decision to suspend Turkey from the program and initiate the process to formally remove Turkey from the program,” said Ellen Lord, the under secretary of defense for acquisition and sustainment.\n\n“The United States is spending between $500 and $600 million in non-recurring engineering in order to shift the supply chain,” she said.\n\nUsed by NATO and other U.S. allies, the F-35 stealth fighter jet is the world’s most advanced jet fighter. Washington is concerned that deploying the S-400 with the F-35 would allow Russia to gain too much inside information of the stealth system.\n\n“The F-35 cannot coexist with a Russian intelligence collection platform that will be used to learn about its advanced capabilities,” the White House said in a statement earlier on Wednesday.\n\nWashington has long said the acquisition may lead to Turkey’s expulsion from the F-35 program.\n\nThe Pentagon had already laid out a plan to remove Turkey from the program, including halting any new training for Turkish pilots on the advanced aircraft.\n\n“The situation with Turkey is a government-to-government matter and we’ll comply with any guidance issued by the United States Government,” said a spokesperson for Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N), the prime contractor on the jet.", "ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — NATO ally Turkey is being kicked out of the U.S.-led F-35 fighter jet program over its decision to buy the Russian-made S-400 air defense system.\n\nThe White House said Turkey's decision to buy the Russian system \"renders its continued involvement with the F-35 impossible\" while the Pentagon suspended Turkey from the program and said it will be removed as a partner in making the planes.\n\nHere is a look at the rift between the NATO allies over the deal.\n\nThe Russian-made S-400 Triumph is a sophisticated long-range surface-to-air missile defense system capable of striking enemy aircraft and cruise missiles. It has a range of 400 kilometers (250 miles). The system can simultaneously engage multiple targets and is capable of shooting down ballistic missile warheads along with aircraft and cruise missiles.\n\nTurkey reached a deal with Russia for the purchase of two batteries at a reported cost of $2.5 billion in December 2017. Erdogan has said the systems will both be operational by April 2020. Officials have refused to disclose where the systems will be deployed.\n\nWHY IS NATO-MEMBER TURKEY BUYING THE RUSSIAN SYSTEM?\n\nTurkey, which neighbors trouble spots such as Syria, Iraq and Iran, has long sought to address shortcomings concerning its air defenses. It says it was forced to negotiate with Russia for the purchase of the S-400s after the U.S. refused to sell the American-made Patriot system. Turkey has also argued that the S-400 is one of the best available systems and says the deal with Russia involves joint production and technology transfers which meet its long-term goals of defense self-sufficiency.\n\nThe United States says talks on a potential Patriot deal failed over Turkey's insistence on technology transfer rights that would have allowed it eventually to make the missiles themselves. This ran against U.S. manufacturer's propriety interests in addition to any national security concerns.\n\nTurkey's rapprochement with Russia and its decision to buy the Russian system also coincides with growing Turkish mistrust of the U.S. over its policies in Syria. More specifically, Turkey has been angered with U.S. support for a Syrian Kurdish group in Syria that is affiliated with Kurdish rebels fighting Turkey.\n\nTurkey also distrusts Washington because Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom Ankara says orchestrated a 2016 failed coup, remains free in the U.S. Gulen denies involvement in the coup attempt.\n\nWHY DOES THE US OBJECT TO TURKEY'S S-400 PURCHASE?\n\nThe U.S. says the S-400s can't be integrated into the NATO system and pose a threat to the F-35 fighter jet program. Washington is concerned that system could be used to gather data on the capabilities of the F-35, and that the sensitive information could end up in Russian hands.\n\nTurkey insists the U.S. fighter jets won't be compromised because the S-400 and F-35s will be deployed in separate locations and the S-400 will be under Turkish control. Turkey has also proposed the setting up of a joint working group to study how the S-400 system would interact with the fighter jets.\n\nWHAT DOES TURKEY'S SUSPENSION FROM THE F-35 PROGRAM MEAN?\n\nPentagon's chief weapons buyer, Ellen Lord, told a news conference that the U.S. has suspended Turkey from the F-35 program and is beginning the process of its formal removal. The process of removing Turkey permanently is underway and should be completed by March 31, she said.\n\nLord said Turkey, which makes more than 900 components of the stealth aircraft, stands to lose $9 billion in future earnings as its parts supplier.\n\nWashington has already suspended a program of F-35 flight training for Turkish student pilots and instructor pilots at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona and given those personnel a July 31 deadline to leave the U.S.\n\nSeparately, the U.S. has also warned that Turkey could face economic sanctions under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA). Previous U.S. sanctions on Turkey over its detention of an American pastor had caused a slide in the Turkish lira.\n\nHowever, President Donald Trump, who has struck cordial relations with Erdogan, has taken a more conciliatory approach to Turkey, raising hopes in the country that it will avert harsh penalties. The U.S. State Department this week has been silent on whether those sanctions will be imposed.\n\nTurkey says it is prepared for U.S. sanctions and can impose countermeasures of its own. Some media reports have said Turkey could launch an operation into northeast Syria in reaction to the U.S. sanctions.\n\nHOW DOES THE DEAL AFFECT NATO?\n\nTurkey has been a key member of the NATO alliance since it joined in 1952. It has the second-largest army in NATO after the U.S. and has been protecting the alliance's southeastern flank for years.\n\nIt is unprecedented for a NATO ally to purchase such advanced defense weaponry from Russia, which is considered to be NATO's main adversary. Turkey's deal with Russia has raised questions over whether the country is moving under Russia's influence and over its future membership.\n\nHowever, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has said Turkey's contributions to NATO and the alliance's cooperation with Ankara \"is much broader\" than the F-35 issue. He said: \"I'm not underestimating the difficulty related to (the) S-400, but I'm saying that Turkey, as a NATO member, is much more than S-400.\"\n\nTurkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar has said the purchase \"was not an option but rather a necessity\" because of Turkey's security concerns. He stressed that there was no change in Turkey's \"strategic orientation.\"", "WASHINGTON (AP) — In a significant break with a longtime NATO ally, the Trump administration on Wednesday said Turkey can no longer be part of the American F-35 fighter jet program.\n\nIn a written statement, the White House said that Turkey's decision to buy the Russian S-400 air defense system \"renders its continued involvement with the F-35 impossible.\"\n\nThe White House did not say explicitly that Turkey will be kicked out of the F-35 program, but the Pentagon was expected to do so.\n\nTurkey makes numerous components for the stealth aircraft, which is sold internationally. If Turkey is removed from the program, as expected, the U.S. will have to find alternative suppliers."], "summary": "The United States removes NATO ally Turkey from the Joint Strike Fighter program, following the country's acquisition of the Russian S-400 missile system. Turkey had planned to buy 100 F-35 Lightning II jets."}
{"document": ["BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Argentina's government on Thursday branded Hezbollah a terrorist organization and froze its assets, 25 years to the day after a bombing blamed on the Lebanese-based group destroyed a Jewish community center in Argentina's capital, killing 85 people.\n\nThe nation's Financial Information Unit took the action a day after President Mauricio Macri's government created a list of terrorist organizations to help coordinate actions with other nations and as the nation held memorial services for victims of the attack, for which no one has been convicted.\n\nThe unit noted that Hezbollah has been accused of responsibility for a 1992 attack on the Israeli Embassy in Argentina that killed 29 people, as well as the 1994 attack on the Argentine-Israelite Mutual Association in Buenos Aires. Hundreds were injured in both bombings.\n\n\"At the present time, Hezbollah continues to represent a current and active threat to national security and the integrity of the financial, economic order of the Argentine Republic,\" the unit said.\n\nIt's not clear how much impact the ruling will have or how many assets Hezbollah might have in Argentina. The group already has been put on terrorism lists by the U.S., the European Union and several other nations.\n\nAt midmorning Thursday, sirens resounded across the Argentine capital to honor the 85 people who died the nation's worst terrorist attack.\n\nArgentine prosecutors blame Iranian officials for plotting the attack and say Hezbollah operatives carried it out. But nobody has been convicted despite years of tangled investigations. Iran has refused to turn over the former officials and ex-diplomats who now face charges, and denies any involvement.\n\nThe memorial service began with a moment of silence, followed by a reading of the names of each of the 85 victims.\n\n\"How is it possible that 25 years later there has not been a single responsible person imprisoned for this crime against humanity?\" asked Ariel Eichbaum, president of the association, which is known by its Spanish initials, AMIA.\n\n\"We continue to have questions to which there are still no answers. Twenty-five years have passed and the wound remains open, a wound that cannot be closed without justice,\" he added.\n\nThe investigation into the attack was plagued with irregularities from the start. A court in 2004 absolves about 20 people who initially had been accused of being the \"local connection\" for the attack and called for an investigation into a possible coverup by the government of President Carlos Menem, who had left office in 1999.\n\nA court this year cleared Menem of charges he had interfered to protect a friend implicated in the case. But the initial judge in the case, two prosecutors and a former intelligence police chief were found guilty of embezzlement and cover-up in the case.\n\nAnother former president, Cristina Fernández, faces trial along with 11 other people on separate charges of cover-up based on a deal with Iran that would have let a special international truth commission question those accused in the case, but with no guarantee they would be arrested. She denies any wrongdoing.\n\nSpecial prosecutor Alberto Nisman originally brought such charges in 2015, but was found dead of a gunshot wound in his apartment a few days later. No one has been convicted in that case.\n\nU.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was flying to Argentina to attend another memorial service on Friday as well as an international counterterrorism conference.\n\nAssociated Press journalist Natacha Pisarenko contributed to this report.", "BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Argentina's government on Thursday branded Hezbollah a terrorist organization and froze its assets, 25 years to the day after a bombing blamed on the Lebanese-based group destroyed a Jewish community center in Argentina's capital, killing 85 people.\n\nThe nation's Financial Information Unit took the action a day after President Mauricio Macri's government created a list of terrorist organizations to help coordinate actions with other nations and as the nation held memorial services for victims of the attack, for which no one has been convicted.\n\nThe unit noted that Hezbollah has been accused of responsibility for a 1992 attack on the Israeli Embassy in Argentina that killed 29 people, as well as the 1994 attack on the Argentine-Israelite Mutual Association in Buenos Aires. Hundreds were injured in both bombings.\n\n\"At the present time, Hezbollah continues to represent a current and active threat to national security and the integrity of the financial, economic order of the Argentine Republic,\" the unit said.\n\nIt's not clear how much impact the ruling will have or how many assets Hezbollah might have in Argentina. The group already has been put on terrorism lists by the U.S., the European Union and several other nations.\n\nAt midmorning Thursday, sirens resounded across the Argentine capital to honor the 85 people who died the nation's worst terrorist attack.\n\nArgentine prosecutors blame Iranian officials for plotting the attack and say Hezbollah operatives carried it out. But nobody has been convicted despite years of tangled investigations. Iran has refused to turn over the former officials and ex-diplomats who now face charges, and denies any involvement.\n\nThe memorial service began with a moment of silence, followed by a reading of the names of each of the 85 victims.\n\n\"How is it possible that 25 years later there has not been a single responsible person imprisoned for this crime against humanity?\" asked Ariel Eichbaum, president of the association, which is known by its Spanish initials, AMIA.\n\n\"We continue to have questions to which there are still no answers. Twenty-five years have passed and the wound remains open, a wound that cannot be closed without justice,\" he added.\n\nThe investigation into the attack was plagued with irregularities from the start. A court in 2004 absolves about 20 people who initially had been accused of being the \"local connection\" for the attack and called for an investigation into a possible coverup by the government of President Carlos Menem, who had left office in 1999.\n\nA court this year cleared Menem of charges he had interfered to protect a friend implicated in the case. But the initial judge in the case, two prosecutors and a former intelligence police chief were found guilty of embezzlement and cover-up in the case.\n\nAnother former president, Cristina Fernández, faces trial along with 11 other people on separate charges of cover-up based on a deal with Iran that would have let a special international truth commission question those accused in the case, but with no guarantee they would be arrested. She denies any wrongdoing.\n\nSpecial prosecutor Alberto Nisman originally brought such charges in 2015, but was found dead of a gunshot wound in his apartment a few days later. No one has been convicted in that case.\n\nU.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was flying to Argentina to attend another memorial service on Friday as well as an international counterterrorism conference.\n\nAssociated Press journalist Natacha Pisarenko contributed to this report.", "BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Argentina’s government on Thursday branded Hezbollah a terrorist organization and froze its assets, 25 years to the day after a bombing blamed on the Lebanese-based group destroyed a Jewish community center in Argentina’s capital, killing 85 people.\n\nThe nation’s Financial Information Unit took the action a day after President Mauricio Macri’s government created a list of terrorist organizations to help coordinate actions with other nations and as the nation held memorial services for victims of the attack, for which no one has been convicted.\n\nThe unit noted that Hezbollah has been accused of responsibility for a 1992 attack on the Israeli Embassy in Argentina that killed 29 people, as well as the 1994 attack on the Argentine-Israelite Mutual Association in Buenos Aires. Hundreds were injured in both bombings.\n\n“At the present time, Hezbollah continues to represent a current and active threat to national security and the integrity of the financial, economic order of the Argentine Republic,” the unit said.\n\nIt’s not clear how much impact the ruling will have or how many assets Hezbollah might have in Argentina. The group already has been put on terrorism lists by the U.S., the European Union and several other nations.\n\nAt midmorning Thursday, sirens resounded across the Argentine capital to honor the 85 people who died the nation’s worst terrorist attack.\n\nArgentine prosecutors blame Iranian officials for plotting the attack and say Hezbollah operatives carried it out. But nobody has been convicted despite years of tangled investigations. Iran has refused to turn over the former officials and ex-diplomats who now face charges, and denies any involvement.\n\nThe memorial service began with a moment of silence, followed by a reading of the names of each of the 85 victims.\n\n“How is it possible that 25 years later there has not been a single responsible person imprisoned for this crime against humanity?” asked Ariel Eichbaum, president of the association, which is known by its Spanish initials, AMIA.\n\n“We continue to have questions to which there are still no answers. Twenty-five years have passed and the wound remains open, a wound that cannot be closed without justice,” he added.\n\nThe investigation into the attack was plagued with irregularities from the start. A court in 2004 absolves about 20 people who initially had been accused of being the “local connection” for the attack and called for an investigation into a possible coverup by the government of President Carlos Menem, who had left office in 1999.\n\nA court this year cleared Menem of charges he had interfered to protect a friend implicated in the case. But the initial judge in the case, two prosecutors and a former intelligence police chief were found guilty of embezzlement and cover-up in the case.\n\nAnother former president, Cristina Fernández, faces trial along with 11 other people on separate charges of cover-up based on a deal with Iran that would have let a special international truth commission question those accused in the case, but with no guarantee they would be arrested. She denies any wrongdoing.\n\nSpecial prosecutor Alberto Nisman originally brought such charges in 2015, but was found dead of a gunshot wound in his apartment a few days later. No one has been convicted in that case.\n\nU.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was flying to Argentina to attend another memorial service on Friday as well as an international counterterrorism conference.\n\nAssociated Press journalist Natacha Pisarenko contributed to this report.", "BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Argentina's government on Thursday branded Hezbollah a terrorist organization and froze its assets, 25 years to the day after a bombing blamed on the Lebanese-based group destroyed a Jewish community center in Argentina's capital, killing 85 people.\n\nThe nation's Financial Information Unit took the action a day after President Mauricio Macri's government created a list of terrorist organizations to help coordinate actions with other nations and as the nation held memorial services for victims of the attack, for which no one has been convicted.\n\nThe unit noted that Hezbollah has been accused of responsibility for a 1992 attack on the Israeli Embassy in Argentina that killed 29 people, as well as the 1994 attack on the Argentine-Israelite Mutual Association in Buenos Aires. Hundreds were injured in both bombings.\n\n\"At the present time, Hezbollah continues to represent a current and active threat to national security and the integrity of the financial, economic order of the Argentine Republic,\" the unit said.\n\nIt's not clear how much impact the ruling will have or how many assets Hezbollah might have in Argentina. The group already has been put on terrorism lists by the U.S., the European Union and several other nations.\n\nAt midmorning Thursday, sirens resounded across the Argentine capital to honor the 85 people who died the nation's worst terrorist attack.\n\nArgentine prosecutors blame Iranian officials for plotting the attack and say Hezbollah operatives carried it out. But nobody has been convicted despite years of tangled investigations. Iran has refused to turn over the former officials and ex-diplomats who now face charges, and denies any involvement.\n\nThe memorial service began with a moment of silence, followed by a reading of the names of each of the 85 victims.\n\n\"How is it possible that 25 years later there has not been a single responsible person imprisoned for this crime against humanity?\" asked Ariel Eichbaum, president of the association, which is known by its Spanish initials, AMIA.\n\n\"We continue to have questions to which there are still no answers. Twenty-five years have passed and the wound remains open, a wound that cannot be closed without justice,\" he added.\n\nThe investigation into the attack was plagued with irregularities from the start. A court in 2004 absolves about 20 people who initially had been accused of being the \"local connection\" for the attack and called for an investigation into a possible coverup by the government of President Carlos Menem, who had left office in 1999.\n\nA court this year cleared Menem of charges he had interfered to protect a friend implicated in the case. But the initial judge in the case, two prosecutors and a former intelligence police chief were found guilty of embezzlement and cover-up in the case.\n\nAnother former president, Cristina Fernández, faces trial along with 11 other people on separate charges of cover-up based on a deal with Iran that would have let a special international truth commission question those accused in the case, but with no guarantee they would be arrested. She denies any wrongdoing.\n\nSpecial prosecutor Alberto Nisman originally brought such charges in 2015, but was found dead of a gunshot wound in his apartment a few days later. No one has been convicted in that case.\n\nU.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was flying to Argentina to attend another memorial service on Friday as well as an international counterterrorism conference.\n\nAssociated Press journalist Natacha Pisarenko contributed to this report.", "BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Argentina's government on Thursday branded Hezbollah a terrorist organization and froze its assets, 25 years to the day after a bombing blamed on the Lebanese-based group destroyed a Jewish community center in Argentina's capital, killing 85 people.\n\nThe nation's Financial Information Unit took the action a day after President Mauricio Macri's government created a list of terrorist organizations to help coordinate actions with other nations and as the nation held memorial services for victims of the attack, for which no one has been convicted.\n\nThe unit noted that Hezbollah has been accused of responsibility for a 1992 attack on the Israeli Embassy in Argentina that killed 29 people, as well as the 1994 attack on the Argentine-Israelite Mutual Association in Buenos Aires.\n\n\"At the present time, Hezbollah continues to represent a current and active threat to national security and the integrity of the financial, economic order of the Argentine Republic,\" the unit said.\n\nIt's not clear how much impact the ruling will have or how many assets Hezbollah might have in Argentina. The group already has been put on terrorism lists by the U.S., the European Union and several other nations.\n\nAt midmorning Thursday, sirens resounded across the Argentine capital to honor the 85 people who died the nation's worst terrorist attack.\n\nArgentine prosecutors blame Iranian officials for plotting the attack and say Hezbollah operatives carried it out. But nobody has been convicted despite years of tangled investigations. Iran has refused to turn over the people who now face charges, and denies any involvement.\n\nThe memorial service began with a moment of silence, followed by a reading of the names of each of the 85 victims.\n\n\"How is it possible that 25 years later there has not been a single responsible person imprisoned for this crime against humanity?\" asked Ariel Eichbaum, president of the association, which is known by its Spanish initials, AMIA.\n\n\"We continue to have questions to which there are still no answers. Twenty-five years have passed and the wound remains open, a wound that cannot be closed without justice,\" he added.\n\nU.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was flying to Argentina to attend another memorial service on Friday and attend a meeting of international officials on fighting terrorism.\n\nAssociated Press journalist Natacha Pisarenko contributed to this report.", "BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Argentina's government on Thursday branded Hezbollah a terrorist organization and froze its assets, 25 years to the day after a bombing blamed on the Lebanese-based group destroyed a Jewish community center in Argentina's capital, killing 85 people.\n\nThe nation's Financial Information Unit took the action a day after President Mauricio Macri's government created a list of terrorist organizations to help coordinate actions with other nations and as the nation held memorial services for victims of the attack, for which no one has been convicted.\n\nThe unit noted that Hezbollah has been accused of responsibility for a 1992 attack on the Israeli Embassy in Argentina that killed 29 people, as well as the 1994 attack on the Argentine-Israelite Mutual Association in Buenos Aires. Hundreds were injured in both bombings.\n\n\"At the present time, Hezbollah continues to represent a current and active threat to national security and the integrity of the financial, economic order of the Argentine Republic,\" the unit said.\n\nIt's not clear how much impact the ruling will have or how many assets Hezbollah might have in Argentina. The group already has been put on terrorism lists by the U.S., the European Union and several other nations.\n\nAt midmorning Thursday, sirens resounded across the Argentine capital to honor the 85 people who died the nation's worst terrorist attack.\n\nArgentine prosecutors blame Iranian officials for plotting the attack and say Hezbollah operatives carried it out. But nobody has been convicted despite years of tangled investigations. Iran has refused to turn over the former officials and ex-diplomats who now face charges, and denies any involvement.\n\nThe memorial service began with a moment of silence, followed by a reading of the names of each of the 85 victims.\n\n\"How is it possible that 25 years later there has not been a single responsible person imprisoned for this crime against humanity?\" asked Ariel Eichbaum, president of the association, which is known by its Spanish initials, AMIA.\n\n\"We continue to have questions to which there are still no answers. Twenty-five years have passed and the wound remains open, a wound that cannot be closed without justice,\" he added.\n\nThe investigation into the attack was plagued with irregularities from the start. A court in 2004 absolves about 20 people who initially had been accused of being the \"local connection\" for the attack and called for an investigation into a possible coverup by the government of President Carlos Menem, who had left office in 1999.\n\nA court this year cleared Menem of charges he had interfered to protect a friend implicated in the case. But the initial judge in the case, two prosecutors and a former intelligence police chief were found guilty of embezzlement and cover-up in the case.\n\nAnother former president, Cristina Fernández, faces trial along with 11 other people on separate charges of cover-up based on a deal with Iran that would have let a special international truth commission question those accused in the case, but with no guarantee they would be arrested. She denies any wrongdoing.\n\nSpecial prosecutor Alberto Nisman originally brought such charges in 2015, but was found dead of a gunshot wound in his apartment a few days later. No one has been convicted in that case.\n\nU.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was flying to Argentina to attend another memorial service on Friday as well as an international counterterrorism conference.\n\nAssociated Press journalist Natacha Pisarenko contributed to this report.", "BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Argentina's government on Thursday branded Hezbollah a terrorist organization and froze its assets, 25 years to the day after a bombing blamed on the Lebanese-based group destroyed a Jewish community center in Argentina's capital, killing 85 people.\n\nThe nation's Financial Information Unit took the action a day after President Mauricio Macri's government created a list of terrorist organizations to help coordinate actions with other nations and as the nation held memorial services for victims of the attack, for which no one has been convicted.\n\nThe unit noted that Hezbollah has been accused of responsibility for a 1992 attack on the Israeli Embassy in Argentina that killed 29 people, as well as the 1994 attack on the Argentine-Israelite Mutual Association in Buenos Aires.\n\n\"At the present time, Hezbollah continues to represent a current and active threat to national security and the integrity of the financial, economic order of the Argentine Republic,\" the unit said.\n\nIt's not clear how much impact the ruling will have or how many assets Hezbollah might have in Argentina. The group already has been put on terrorism lists by the U.S., the European Union and several other nations.\n\nAt midmorning Thursday, sirens resounded across the Argentine capital to honor the 85 people who died the nation's worst terrorist attack.\n\nArgentine prosecutors blame Iranian officials for plotting the attack and say Hezbollah operatives carried it out. But nobody has been convicted despite years of tangled investigations. Iran has refused to turn over the people who now face charges, and denies any involvement.\n\nThe memorial service began with a moment of silence, followed by a reading of the names of each of the 85 victims.\n\n\"How is it possible that 25 years later there has not been a single responsible person imprisoned for this crime against humanity?\" asked Ariel Eichbaum, president of the association, which is known by its Spanish initials, AMIA.\n\n\"We continue to have questions to which there are still no answers. Twenty-five years have passed and the wound remains open, a wound that cannot be closed without justice,\" he added.\n\nU.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was flying to Argentina to attend another memorial service on Friday and attend a meeting of international officials on fighting terrorism.\n\nAssociated Press journalist Natacha Pisarenko contributed to this report.", "BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Argentinian authorities designated Hezbollah, which it blames for two attacks on its soil, a terrorist organization on Thursday and ordered the freezing of the Lebanese Islamist group’s assets in the country.\n\nThe announcement coincided with a visit by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo as Argentina marks the 25th anniversary of the deadly bombing of a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires in which 85 people died. Argentina blames Iran and Hezbollah for the attack. Both deny any responsibility.\n\nArgentina also blames Hezbollah for an attack on the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires in 1992 that killed 29 people.\n\nThe Argentine government’s Financial Information Unit, ordered the freezing of assets of members of Hezbollah and the organization a day after the country created a new list for people and entities linked to terrorism.\n\n“At present, Hezbollah continues to represent a current threat to security and the integrity of the economic and financial order of the Argentine Republic,” the unit said in a statement.\n\nThe freezing of assets automatically places Hezbollah on Argentina’s registry, designating it a terrorist organization, a government source with direct knowledge of the action confirmed. The designation is the first by any country in Latin America.\n\nLast year, Argentina froze the assets of 14 members of the Barakat Clan, an extended family that officials say has close ties to Hezbollah.\n\nU.S. and Argentine officials say Hezbollah operates in what is known as the tri-border area of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay, where an illicit economy funds its operations elsewhere.\n\nIt is not yet clear whether Argentina’s new designation will lead to other concrete actions against Hezbollah in the area, but some kind of U.S. security support, including increased intelligence sharing, could follow, said Benjamin Gedan, director of the Wilson Center’s Argentina Project in Washington.\n\nArgentina’s decision to join the United States in designating Hezbollah a terrorist group is a significant win for President Donald Trump’s administration and could put pressure on Brazil and Paraguay to follow suit, Gedan said.\n\nThe United States, looking to revive a security relationship that suffered after a souring in diplomatic ties during the previous administration of President Cristina Fernandez, views President Mauricio Macri as a partner, particularly as traditional European allies have been slower to offer support amid U.S. tensions with Iran.\n\n“Clearly, they are not a good replacement for European allies, because they don’t engage Iran significantly, so they cannot put on the same commercial and economic pressure as the Europeans,” Gedan said of Washington’s allies in Latin America.\n\n“But at least it gives the impression that the Trump administration is not standing alone,” he said, adding that the United States put significant pressure on Argentina to prepare the announcement in time for Pompeo’s visit.\n\nOther U.S. allies that designate Hezbollah or its military wing a terrorist organization include Canada, Britain, Australia, New Zealand, the European Union and Israel.\n\nIsraeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz was quick to praise Argentina’s action, tweeting that Israel welcomed Macri’s “important decision” to recognize Hezbollah as a terrorist organization.\n\n“The entire world must unite in the struggle against the terror activities by Iran and its proxies,” Katz added.\n\nArgentina’s investigation into the 1994 truck bomb attack on the Argentine Israeli Mutual Association (AMIA), meanwhile, has made little progress. No one has been brought to trial in either that case or the Israeli embassy bombing.", "BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Argentina's government on Thursday branded Hezbollah a terrorist organization and froze its assets, 25 years to the day after a bombing blamed on the Lebanese-based group destroyed a Jewish community center in Argentina's capital, killing 85 people.\n\nThe nation's Financial Information Unit took the action a day after President Mauricio Macri's government created a list of terrorist organizations to help coordinate actions with other nations and as the nation held memorial services for victims of the attack, for which no one has been convicted.\n\nThe unit noted that Hezbollah has been accused of responsibility for a 1992 attack on the Israeli Embassy in Argentina that killed 29 people, as well as the 1994 attack on the Argentine-Israelite Mutual Association in Buenos Aires. Hundreds were injured in both bombings.\n\n\"At the present time, Hezbollah continues to represent a current and active threat to national security and the integrity of the financial, economic order of the Argentine Republic,\" the unit said.\n\nIt's not clear how much impact the ruling will have or how many assets Hezbollah might have in Argentina. The group already has been put on terrorism lists by the U.S., the European Union and several other nations.\n\nAt midmorning Thursday, sirens resounded across the Argentine capital to honor the 85 people who died the nation's worst terrorist attack.\n\nArgentine prosecutors blame Iranian officials for plotting the attack and say Hezbollah operatives carried it out. But nobody has been convicted despite years of tangled investigations. Iran has refused to turn over the former officials and ex-diplomats who now face charges, and denies any involvement.\n\nThe memorial service began with a moment of silence, followed by a reading of the names of each of the 85 victims.\n\n\"How is it possible that 25 years later there has not been a single responsible person imprisoned for this crime against humanity?\" asked Ariel Eichbaum, president of the association, which is known by its Spanish initials, AMIA.\n\n\"We continue to have questions to which there are still no answers. Twenty-five years have passed and the wound remains open, a wound that cannot be closed without justice,\" he added.\n\nThe investigation into the attack was plagued with irregularities from the start. A court in 2004 absolves about 20 people who initially had been accused of being the \"local connection\" for the attack and called for an investigation into a possible coverup by the government of President Carlos Menem, who had left office in 1999.\n\nA court this year cleared Menem of charges he had interfered to protect a friend implicated in the case. But the initial judge in the case, two prosecutors and a former intelligence police chief were found guilty of embezzlement and cover-up in the case.\n\nAnother former president, Cristina Fernández, faces trial along with 11 other people on separate charges of cover-up based on a deal with Iran that would have let a special international truth commission question those accused in the case, but with no guarantee they would be arrested. She denies any wrongdoing.\n\nSpecial prosecutor Alberto Nisman originally brought such charges in 2015, but was found dead of a gunshot wound in his apartment a few days later. No one has been convicted in that case.\n\nU.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was flying to Argentina to attend another memorial service on Friday as well as an international counterterrorism conference.\n\nAssociated Press journalist Natacha Pisarenko contributed to this report.", "BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Argentina's government on Thursday branded Hezbollah a terrorist organization and froze its assets, 25 years to the day after a bombing blamed on the Lebanese-based group destroyed a Jewish community center in Argentina's capital, killing 85 people.\n\nThe nation's Financial Information Unit took the action a day after President Mauricio Macri's government created a list of terrorist organizations to help coordinate actions with other nations and as the nation held memorial services for victims of the attack, for which no one has been convicted.\n\nThe unit noted that Hezbollah has been accused of responsibility for a 1992 attack on the Israeli Embassy in Argentina that killed 29 people, as well as the 1994 attack on the Argentine-Israelite Mutual Association in Buenos Aires. Hundreds were injured in both bombings.\n\n\"At the present time, Hezbollah continues to represent a current and active threat to national security and the integrity of the financial, economic order of the Argentine Republic,\" the unit said.\n\nIt's not clear how much impact the ruling will have or how many assets Hezbollah might have in Argentina. The group already has been put on terrorism lists by the U.S., the European Union and several other nations.\n\nAt midmorning Thursday, sirens resounded across the Argentine capital to honor the 85 people who died the nation's worst terrorist attack.\n\nArgentine prosecutors blame Iranian officials for plotting the attack and say Hezbollah operatives carried it out. But nobody has been convicted despite years of tangled investigations. Iran has refused to turn over the former officials and ex-diplomats who now face charges, and denies any involvement.\n\nThe memorial service began with a moment of silence, followed by a reading of the names of each of the 85 victims.\n\n\"How is it possible that 25 years later there has not been a single responsible person imprisoned for this crime against humanity?\" asked Ariel Eichbaum, president of the association, which is known by its Spanish initials, AMIA.\n\n\"We continue to have questions to which there are still no answers. Twenty-five years have passed and the wound remains open, a wound that cannot be closed without justice,\" he added.\n\nThe investigation into the attack was plagued with irregularities from the start. A court in 2004 absolves about 20 people who initially had been accused of being the \"local connection\" for the attack and called for an investigation into a possible coverup by the government of President Carlos Menem, who had left office in 1999.\n\nA court this year cleared Menem of charges he had interfered to protect a friend implicated in the case. But the initial judge in the case, two prosecutors and a former intelligence police chief were found guilty of embezzlement and cover-up in the case.\n\nAnother former president, Cristina Fernández, faces trial along with 11 other people on separate charges of cover-up based on a deal with Iran that would have let a special international truth commission question those accused in the case, but with no guarantee they would be arrested. She denies any wrongdoing.\n\nSpecial prosecutor Alberto Nisman originally brought such charges in 2015, but was found dead of a gunshot wound in his apartment a few days later. No one has been convicted in that case.\n\nU.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was flying to Argentina to attend another memorial service on Friday as well as an international counterterrorism conference.\n\nAssociated Press journalist Natacha Pisarenko contributed to this report."], "summary": "At the request of Israel and the United States, Argentina officially declares Hezbollah a terrorist organization, freezing assets and expelling all members of the organization from the country. It also holds it responsible for the 1994 attack against AMIA."}
{"document": ["Joaquin Guzman Loera, also known as 'El Chapo' is transported to Maximum Security Prison of El Altiplano in Mexico City, Mexico on January 08, 2016.\n\nThe Mexican drug lord known as \"El Chapo\" was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison plus thirty years at a hearing where he accused the U.S. government of corruption and of torturing him during his confinement.\n\nEl Chapo, whose real name is Joaquin Guzman Loera, also was ordered to forfeit $12.6 billion during his sentencing in U.S. District Court in Brooklyn, New York.\n\nJudge Brian Cogan, who cited what he called Guzman's \"overwhelming evil\" in announcing the mandated sentence, will determine later how much he must pay in restitution.\n\nThe kingpin, who had twice escaped maximum security prisons in Mexico, was convicted earlier this year of presiding over a vast criminal operation, the Sinaloa Cartel, which funneled immense quantities of narcotics, including heroin and methamphetamine, into the United States.\n\nGuzman did not testify during the three-month trial, but broke his silence Wednesday.\n\nHe claimed, in a tear-choked statement, that he had been denied justice during his trial and confinement in New York City.\n\n\"Since the government will send me to a jail where my name will not ever be heard again, I take this opportunity to say: There was no justice here,\" El Chapo told Cogan, according to the New York Daily News.\n\n\"I drink unsanitary water, no air or sunlight, and the air pumped in makes my ears and throat hurt. In order to sleep, I put toilet paper in my ears. My wife had not been allowed to visit, and I can't hug my daughters,\" he said, according to NBC News. \"This has been psychological, emotional and mental torture 24 hours a day.\"\n\n\"My case was stained and you denied me a fair trial when the world was watching. What happened here is the U.S. is not better than any other corrupt country,\" Guzman added.\n\nGuzman spoke in Spanish. His comments were translated by one of his lawyers.\n\nThe defense indicated to Cogan that they plan to appeal on the grounds of juror misconduct, according to Vice News, which was at the hearing.\n\nA juror told that news outlet in February that jurors violated the judge's orders barring them from following the case in the media.\n\n\"What occurred here was not justice. How we treat our most reviled is a measuring stick for our own society,\" defense attorney Jeffrey Lichtman said, according to NBC News.\n\nBut prosecutors said that Guzman was \"uniquely deserving\" of the harsh sentence.\n\n\"There were countless victims of his orders to kill,\" prosecutor Gina Parlovecchio said. \"He has shown no remorse.\"\n\nOne of Guzman's alleged victims, Andrea Velez Fernandez, spoke at the sentencig.\n\n\"Today I come here a miracle of god,\" Velez Fernandez said. \"Mr. Guzman used me as bait to kidnap someone in Ecuador. He offered one million dollars to Hells Angels to end my life. Fortunately I found out and escaped with the help of the FBI.", "A US judge has sentenced Mexican drug kingpin Joaquín \"El Chapo\" Guzmán to life in prison plus 30 years.\n\nGuzmán, 62, was found guilty of 10 charges, including drug trafficking and money laundering, by a federal court in New York in February.\n\nHe escaped a Mexican jail through a tunnel in 2016, but was later arrested. He was extradited to the US in 2017.\n\nHe is a former head of the Sinaloa cartel, which officials say was the biggest supplier of drugs to the US.\n\nDuring the trial, witnesses said he had tortured his cartel's enemies.\n\nSpeaking through an interpreter just before Wednesday's sentencing, Guzmán said in the Brooklyn courtroom his confinement in the US had amounted to \"psychological, emotional, mental torture 24 hours a day\".\n\nHe also said he had received an unfair trial, accusing jurors of misconduct.", "Guzmán, who was convicted on 10 charges in February, said he believed his trial was unfair.\n\nDrug Lord Joaquín Guzmán, known as “El Chapo” and for his prison escapes and his role as a drug kingpin, will spend the rest of his life behind bars, a federal court in New York ruled Monday.\n\nBefore his sentencing by U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan, who presided over the trial, Guzmán said he believed his trial was unfair, per The Washington Post.\n\n“When extradited, I expected to have a fair trial where justice was blind and my fame would not be a factor, but what happened was actually the opposite,” he said. “The government of the United States will send me to a prison where my name will never be heard again. I will take this opportunity to say there was no justice here.”\n\nIn addition to his prison sentence, which includes life plus 30 years, the drug lord is expected to forfeit his $12.6 million fortune, CNN reported.\n\nThe trial lasted three months and included details of Guzmán’s rise to power.\n\nAccording to The Washington Post, the prosecution presented a case that detailed gruesome murders and the trafficking of drugs including marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamine and heroin across the border from Mexico into the United States.\n\nProsecution presented its case with testimony from 14 witnesses and one million messages sent between alleged members of Guzmán’s cartel.\n\nGuzmán’s attorneys argued that he was merely a scapegoat for those who testified against him. A jury took six days to decide to convict Guzmaán on all 10 charges.\n\nFor its protection the jury in the case has been kept anonymous, although one juror anonymously spoke with VICE News and said that at least five jurors violated a judge’s orders by watching or reading news coverage about the trial while it was ongoing.\n\nGuzmán is planning to appeal the sentence, though will likely not be present at those proceedings. Attorney Mariel Colon said that Wednesday’s court appearance might be the last time the public sees ‘El Chapo,’ per CNN. She also noted it might be the last time his wife sees him, as she is not permitted to visit or speak to him on the phone.\n\nAs CNN notes, Guzmán is only permitted to speak to a few select family members on the phone from prison, which include his two daughters but not his wife.\n\nThe 61-year-old was found guilty in February on all 10 counts he was accused including engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise and drug trafficking charges. The first charge has a mandatory life in prison sentence, per CNN.\n\nGuzmán, who has previously escaped from two maximum security prisons in Mexico, is expected to serve at a Supermax prison in Colorado.", "Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman will be rest of his life behind bars. A judge sentenced the drug lord to life in prison plus 30 years in federal court in Brooklyn, New York on Wednesday.\n\nHe has also been ordered to pay $12.6 billion in forfeiture. Guzman, 62, was convicted in February by a jury of all 10 counts he faced, including engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise and drug trafficking charges, among others.\n\nText “RICKEY” to 71007 to join the Rickey Smiley Morning Show mobile club for exclusive news. (Terms and conditions).\n\nProsecutors have called him a “ruthless and bloodthirsty leader” of the Sinaloa cartel and are seeking a life sentence. Witnesses during the trial testified that Guzman ordered and sometimes took part in the torture and murder of perceived cartel enemies.\n\nSign Up For Our Newsletter!\n• Ja Rule’s Daughter Brittney Atkins Looking Like Her Daddy’s Twin [PHOTOS]\n• Karlie Redd’s Rarely Seen Daughter Appeared On Love And Hip Hop Atlanta And She’s Her Mom’s Twin [VIDEO]\n\nMexican Drug Lord El Chapo Sentenced To Life In Prison was originally published on wolbbaltimore.com", "Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman will be rest of his life behind bars. A judge sentenced the drug lord to life in prison plus 30 years in federal court in Brooklyn, New York on Wednesday.\n\nRelated: UPDATE: Got To Be Kidding: El Chapo Just Went For The Three-Peat\n\nHe has also been ordered to pay $12.6 billion in forfeiture. Guzman, 62, was convicted in February by a jury of all 10 counts he faced, including engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise and drug trafficking charges, among others.\n\nProsecutors have called him a “ruthless and bloodthirsty leader” of the Sinaloa cartel and are seeking a life sentence. Witnesses during the trial testified that Guzman ordered and sometimes took part in the torture and murder of perceived cartel enemies.\n\nMexican Drug Lord El Chapo Sentenced to Life Behind Bars was originally published on wolbbaltimore.com", "A federal judge in Brooklyn, N.Y., has sentenced drug kingpin Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán to a term of life in prison without the possibility of parole plus 30 years for his role in leading Mexico’s Sinaloa cartel. A life sentence was mandatory; U.S. prosecutors had asked that three decades be added onto Guzmán’s punishment.\n\nOne of the only suspenseful questions that remained Wednesday was whether Guzmán, who did not speak during his long trial, would speak in court in what’s expected to be his last public appearance before heading to the Supermax prison in Florence, Colo.\n\n“Guzmán told U.S. District Judge Brian Cogan before he was sentenced Wednesday that he was denied a fair trial,” The Associated Press reports. AP added, “He said Cogan failed to thoroughly investigate claims of juror misconduct in the case.”\n\nGuzmán, 62, was extradited from his native Mexico to the U.S. in January 2017. The terms of his extradition included a pledge that U.S. authorities would not seek the death penalty.\n\n“Mr. Guzmán thought for more than 25 years that he was untouchable, that there was no problem affecting the Sinaloa cartel that he couldn’t bribe, intimidate, torture or kill his way out of,” Assistant Attorney General Brian Benczkowski said.\n\nGuzmán’s punishment, Benczkowski said, “brings a measure of justice” to people in both the U.S. and Mexico who have been affected by his crimes.\n\nU.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Ariana Fajardo Orshan said the life sentence was the only option for “somebody who has spent a lifetime poisoning the streets of our communities.”\n\nA federal jury convicted Guzmán in February, finding him guilty of a raft of serious charges, from drug crimes to a murder conspiracy. His conviction included 10 counts of crimes such as narcotics trafficking, using a firearm in drug crimes and money laundering.\n\nAt Wednesday’s sentencing, Guzmán’s attorneys reiterated their call for a new trial, asking for a hearing to go over their allegations of jury misconduct.\n\n“This case was simply an inquisition. It was a show trial, and how it ended is exactly perfect for that description,” defense attorney Jeffrey Lichtman said. He said the government’s witnesses had included “lunatics and sociopaths and psychopaths” and that “up to five jurors broke the law — violated the law while they were judging Mr. Guzmán for crimes.”\n\nAfter Guzmán was convicted, his defense team said the trial was tainted, claiming that members of the jury had ignored the judge’s orders not to read about the trial outside of court proceedings.\n\n“I’m not here to tell you that Joaquín Guzmán is a saint,” he said, speaking to journalists outside the courthouse. “All we asked for was fairness. And no matter what you think of Joaquín Guzmán, he still deserves a fair trial.”\n\nThe U.S. sentence was announced 18 years after President George W. Bush formally declared Guzmán a drug lord, imposing U.S. sanctions on him under the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin Act.\n\nThe drug kingpin has repeatedly made headlines during his criminal career — first for the vast power he ruthlessly amassed and later for his seeming ability to break out of any prison in Mexico. In 2015, he escaped from a maximum security prison for the second time, after spending more than a decade eluding Mexican authorities. He lived outside the law for an additional six months, before he was captured in a high-profile operation in early 2016.\n\nWednesday’s sentencing took place amid heightened security. In addition to a police contingent, helmeted soldiers stood guard on the sidewalk outside the doors of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York, holding automatic rifles and wearing camouflage.\n\nGuzmán’s lucrative and extensive criminal network extended well beyond Mexico’s borders. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration says his Sinaloa cartel put an exceptionally potent methamphetamine into illegal drug markets in “virtually every corner of Colorado, Utah, Montana, and Wyoming.” During his trial, prosecutors presented evidence that Guzmán sent methamphetamine to numerous U.S. locations, from Los Angeles to Minneapolis and from Ohio to Tucson, Ariz.\n\nThe agency also said the cartel supplied cocaine and fentanyl in the U.S. “through sophisticated and efficient transportation and distribution networks.”\n\nTo elude detection, Guzmán paid $1 million to an information technology engineer to set up what authorities called an encrypted communications network to operate his global drug-trafficking operation. By using encrypted cellphones and encrypted apps, prosecutors said, the drug lord could communicate freely with his partners in Colombia, Ecuador, Canada and the U.S.\n\nAs his cartel did billions of dollars in business, Guzmán rose to become a pop-culture figure in Mexico, where his visage frequently appears on T-shirts and graffiti. In his poverty-stricken home town of Badiraguanto in northwest Mexico, many locals viewed him as a benefactor who sometimes helped them. But elsewhere in his country, he’s viewed as a key figure in a devastating string of drug wars and violence. When the criminal mastermind slipped away from Mexican custody in 2015, he was quickly featured in dozens of narcocorrido songs — ballads about the drug business.\n\nFueled by drug profits and a growth strategy that relied on brutality and sicario hitmen, Guzmán’s godfather-like stature rose above international borders. As The Associated Press reported in 2015:\n\nDays after Guzmán was found guilty in a New York courtroom, U.S. authorities unsealed new criminal indictments against two of his sons in Mexico. Joaquín Guzmán Lopez and Ovidio Guzmán Lopez were charged with conspiracy to import and distribute cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana into the United States.", "NEW YORK – Joaquín \"El Chapo\" Guzmán Loera is set to face the music Wednesday, learning the sentence for his February conviction as a notorious drug lord who was a leader of Mexico's Sinaloa narcotics cartel.\n\nAnd the tune for the 62-year-old convict who was extradited to the United States from Mexico for trial is expected to be downbeat – life behind bars.\n\nThe outcome likely won't surprise a man who, in the testimony of a onetime lieutenant, had a favorite song called Un Puño de Tierra – A Fistful of Dirt. The corrido, or ballad, advises listeners to live one's life intensely because when death comes, all that's left is dust and clay.\n\nU.S. District Court Judge Brian Cogan is expected to impose the sentence amid bomb-sniffing dogs, automatic rifle-toting agents and other extra security measures at the Brooklyn federal courthouse for all of Guzmán's appearances.\n\nThe line to get into the proceeding started forming around 7 p.m on Tuesday. By dawn on Wednesday, more than 50 media representatives and spectators lined the sidewalk outside the courthouse.\n\nGuzmán, who did not testify in his own defense during the trial, may or may not speak during the sentencing.\n\nIn a sentencing letter filed last week, prosecutors reiterated that life behind bars is the mandatory punishment for one of the crimes on which a federal jury found Guzmán guilty five months ago. They also revealed that at least one person would give a victim impact statement.\n\nDefense lawyers have signaled that they plan to appeal the conviction, as well as Cogan's recent denial of a motion for an evidentiary hearing and new trial based on potential evidence of jury misconduct.\n\nGuzmán is best known as a former leader of Mexico's Sinaloa drug cartel who gained fame by twice breaking out of high-security prisons in his native country – but hasn't managed to pull off a similar feat in the U.S.\n\nDepending on U.S. Bureau of Prisons decisions, he could be sent to the so-called Alcatraz of the Rockies, the \"administrative maximum\" prison in Florence, Colorado. There he would join, but likely never meet, fellow inmates such as Unabomber Ted Kaczynski, Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, Sept. 11 conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui and Oklahoma City bombing accomplice Terry Nichols.\n\nGuzmán's nearly 12-week trial ended in February with a jury of eight women and four men finding the defendant guilty on all counts during the sixth day of deliberations.\n\nThe charges against Guzmán included drug trafficking and weapons counts stemming from his leadership role in the cartel's smuggling tons of cocaine and other drugs into major U.S. cities during a criminal career that stretched for decades.\n\nAlthough his nickname means shortie in Mexican Spanish, Guzmán has long been a larger-than-life narcotrafficante whose persona has been featured in web TV, online and other media productions. Fittingly, his sentence was large, too.\n\nThe guilty verdict on the charge he engaged in a continuing criminal enterprise mandated a life prison term because of the jury's separate guilty votes on three sentencing enhancements.\n\nIn a legal quirk, Guzmán's conviction for unlawful use of a machine gun in tandem with the drug crimes means he also faces a mandatory but likely unnecessary 30-year sentence that must run consecutively with the life term.\n\nThe sentencing seemingly marks an official end of Guzmán's reign as one of the world's most notorious drug lords, though his more than two years in solitary confinement in U.S. jails before the conviction had already removed him from the narcotics trafficking fray.\n\nBy many accounts, however, the Sinaloa cartel continues to thrive as it competes with other international drug trafficking organizations and diversifies into other businesses.\n\nGuzmán's trial unfolded like a must-see telenovela as millions of readers and viewers followed the developments through traditional and online media, and scores trekked to the Brooklyn courthouse in the middle of the night in hope of landing one of the few available seats in the courtroom.\n\nThere was the grisly, like the testimony by a drug underling who told jurors Guzmán interrogated, tortured and shot enemies, even ordering one badly injured man buried alive.\n\nThere was the comic, as a former mistress testified how she and a naked Guzmán escaped a Mexican authorities raid on a Culiacán safe house by ducking into a shaft hidden beneath a bathtub and then fleeing through a water tunnel.\n\nThere was business news, as former Guzmán lieutenants and co-conspirators recounted how he oversaw secret tunneling along the Mexico-U.S. border that outpaced competitors in speeding cocaine to Los Angeles, Chicago, New York and other cities.\n\nAnd there were tech developments, too, as government witnesses testified that the drug lord dubbed \"El Rapido\" used cars, trucks, trains, planes, fishing boats and even submarines for the long-distance drug smuggling from clandestine production labs in Colombia, through Mexico, and on to the U.S.", "A United States judge on Wednesday sentenced Mexican drug lord Joaquín Guzman alias El Chapo to life in prison plus 30 years, BBC reported. A New York court found Guzmán, 62, guilty of 10 charges, including drug trafficking and money laundering.\n\nThe additional 30 years have been given for illegal use of firearms. The judge also ordered Guzman to pay a fine of $12.6 billion (Rs 86,749 crore).\n\nA jury had in February found Guzman guilty of smuggling cocaine, heroin, methamphetamine and marijuana into the United States, as well as using firearms and conspiracy to launder narcotics proceeds. Mexico had extradited Guzmán to the United States in January 2017. His trial began in November 2018.\n\nAt present, Chapo is being held in solitary confinement in the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan, The Guardian reported. US District Judge Brian Cogan last month rejected Chapo’s request for more time to exercise on the jail’s roof, as prosecutors said this might lead to his escape.\n\nGuzman said before Wednesday’s verdict that his solitary confinement had amounted to “psychological, emotional, mental torture 24 hours a day”. He also alleged that he had been given an unfair trial. “It’s been torture, the most inhumane situation I have lived in my entire life,” he said, according to CNN. “There was no justice here.”\n\n“The long road that led ‘El Chapo’ Guzman from the mountains of Sinaloa to the courthouse was paved with death, drugs and destruction, but it ended today with justice,” Assistant Attorney General Brian A Benczkowski said. Defence lawyer Jeffrey Lichtman said it was very likely that Guzman would be imprisoned in a high-security prison in Colorado.", "MEXICAN drug lord Joaquin \"El Chapo\" Guzman has been sentenced to life in prison plus 30 years.\n\nGuzman, 62, was found guilty of 10 charges - including drug trafficking and money laundering - after an 11-week trial at federal court in New York which ended in February.\n\nThe world's most feared drugs kingpin famously tunnelled out of a jail cell in 2015 and fled to freedom on a makeshift motorbike.\n\nHe was later arrested and was extradited to the US in 2017.\n\nGuzman's Sinaloa cartel was said to be the biggest supplier of drugs to the US and during the trial witnesses said he tortured his cartel's enemies.\n\nMexico has tried to bring Guzmán to justice before, but he has twice escaped from maximum security prisons in his homeland.\n\nDuring his imprisonment in 2001, he enlisted the help of the prison guards to sneak him to safety — hiding in a laundry cart.\n\nHe famously escaped again in 2015, breaking out of Mexico’s most secure prison by motorbike via a mile-long tunnel and evading capture for six months.\n\nWhat was the verdict of his trial?\n\nOn February 12 2019 El Chapo was found guilty of all counts against him.\n\nHe was sentenced to life behind bars on July 17, a humbling end for a drug lord notorious for his ability to kill, bribe or tunnel his way out of trouble.\n\nA federal judge in Brooklyn handed down the sentence, five months after Guzman's conviction in an epic drug-trafficking case.\n\nPrior to his sentencing, he complained about the conditions of his confinement and told the judge he was denied a fair trial.\n\nHe said: \"I take advantage of the opportunity to say there was no justice here. My case was stained and you denied me a fair trial while the whole world was watching. The United States is no better than any other corrupt country.\"\n\nThe life sentence was the minimum he could face and the additional 30 years were for unlawful uses of firearms including machine guns.\n\nHe was also ordered to pay 10 billion pounds in forfeiture - money his drug-trafficking organization made distributing cocaine and other drugs around the US.\n\nBrooklyn Federal Judge Brian Cogan told the former kingpin, who's nickname means \"shorty\": \"We're here for sentencing. There's not much I have to say about that because Congress has mandated that I impose life plus 30 years' imprisonment. That's the law.\"\n\n\n\nThe cartel chief rose from poverty in rural Mexico and through the ranks of the country’s underworld. He was jailed for 20 years in Mexico on trafficking and bribery charges but cut his sentence short in 2001, escaping in a laundry cart.\n\nThe following years were spent moving from one mountain hideout to another - guarded by a private army.\n\nEventually recaptured and thrown in a maximum-security prison in 2014, Guzman pulled off his best-known escape a year later digging below the shower cubicle in his cell and escaping through a mile long tunnel just wide enough for the drug lord to ride away on a makeshift motorcycle which ran on rails.\n\nWhere will he now be held?\n\nHis chance of escaping again appear slim as he is expected to serve his sentence at notorious lock-up ADX Florence, America's highest security prison in Colorado.\n\nProsecutors described the prison as\"tonnes of steel\".\n\nNo one has escaped from the prison since it opened in 1994, and Guzman would join a long list of the most infamous of criminals and terrorists who call it home.\n\nWhat impact will it have in Mexico?\n\nThe sentencing was headline news in Mexico, but it was seen as unlikely to make a ripple in terms of the country's politics, security or the unabated drug trade.\n\nMexican security analyst Alejandro Hope said Guzman's fate will have \"no impact\" on trafficking. In the wake of Guzman's arrest and extradition, alleged capo Ismael \"El Mayo\" Zambada is believed to have long-ago consolidated control of the Sinaloa cartel.\n\n\"El Chapo is now an old story,\" Hope said.", "Joaquín Archivaldo Guzmán Loera, the famed drug lord known as \"El Chapo\" who faces life in prison for leading what prosecutors called \"the world's largest and most prolific drug trafficking organization,\" will be sentenced Wednesday in federal court in New York.\n\nGuzmán, 61, was convicted in February after a three-month trial.\n\nAs head of the Sinaloa Cartel, Guzmán presided over a violent and vast criminal enterprise that, over two decades, moved billions of dollars' worth of heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana from Mexico to the United States. Prosecutors introduced extensive evidence — including 1 million intercepted messages between alleged cartel members and testimony from 14 cooperating witnesses — detailing ghastly killings in addition to the smuggling.\n\nThe proceedings offered vivid insight into the cartel's \"brutal force and intimidation,\" its reach and the profits it reaped. Over 25 years, Guzmán earned the organization more than $14 billion while exhibiting an extraordinary ability to evade law enforcement.\n\nAfter the conviction, Richard P. Donoghue, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York, pronounced that Guzmán's \"bloody reign\" had come to an end. \"And the myth that he could not be brought to justice has been laid to rest,\" Donoghue said at the time.\n\nDefense attorneys argued that Guzmán was a scapegoat, railroaded by witnesses who were \"gutter human beings\" lying to save themselves. After six days of deliberations, the jury found him guilty on all 10 counts on the indictment.\n\nRenowned for escaping two maximum-security prisons in Mexico — first in 2001, with the assistance of prison guards, and again in 2015 through a tunnel beneath the shower in his jail cell — Guzmán was recaptured in 2016 after a meeting with actor Sean Penn tipped authorities to his whereabouts near Mexico's northwestern coast. He has lived in solitary confinement since his extradition from Mexico the following year.\n\nU.S. District Judge Brian Cogan last month denied Guzmán's application for more comfortable prison conditions, citing prosecutors' suggestions that the request could be part of a ploy to escape from prison for a third time."], "summary": "Mexican drug lord Joaquín \"El Chapo\" Guzmán is sentenced to life in prison plus thirty years, and is ordered to forfeit US$12.6 billion. He accused the U.S. government of \"torture and corruption\" during his sentencing hearing in the U.S. District Court in Brooklyn, New York. He will likely be sent to ADX Florence in Colorado to serve his sentence."}
{"document": ["Hafiz Saeed speaks at a rally in Lahore, Pakistan, April 3, 2015. Getty\n\nLondon -- Pakistan has arrested the founder of a militant group blamed by the United States and India for the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks that left more than 160 people dead, including six Americans. Hafiz Saeed was taken into custody Wednesday while travelling to the eastern city of Gujranwala, where he appeared before a judge on terror finance charges, according to a Pakistani counterterrorism spokesman.\n\nHis arrest came just days ahead of Prime Minister Imran Khan's first official visit to Washington to meet President Trump.\n\nIn June, Khan vowed to crack down on militant groups operating in Pakistan amid growing U.S. and international pressure.\n\nAt the time, the country's counterterrorism department said it had launched 23 cases against Saeed and 12 of his aides for collecting funds and donations for alleged terrorist activities.\n\nA familiar foe\n\nSaeed founded the Lashkar-e-Taiba militant group blamed for the Mumbai attacks, but says he hasn't played a role in the banned organization since 2001. He denies his vast network of some 300 seminaries and schools, hospitals, a publishing house and ambulance services is linked to violence or the funding of militant groups.\n\nThe U.S. has labelled Saeed a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, and since 2012 has offered a $10 million reward for information that helps bring him to justice.\n\nSaeed has been arrested before in Pakistan and repeatedly set free by the country's courts, frustrating Washington and angering neighbor India. He was most recently released from custody late in 2017, drawing a rebuke from the State Department in Washington, which said \"the Pakistani government should make sure that he is arrested and charged for his crimes.\"\n\nPresident Trump noted the arrest with a tweet on Wednesday, saying, \"Great pressure has been exerted over the last two years to find him!\" It was unclear what Mr. Trump meant with a reference to a \"ten year search\" for Saeed, as the extremist was under house arrest in Pakistan until November 2017, and he has since appeared repeatedly in public to address large crowds of his supporters.\n\nAfter a ten year search, the so-called “mastermind” of the Mumbai Terror attacks has been arrested in Pakistan. Great pressure has been exerted over the last two years to find him! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 17, 2019\n\nBut Pakistan has faced international pressure for years to choke-off financing to militant groups allegedly operating from its soil.\n\nIn 2017 the country was placed on a \"greylist\" by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), a 39-member inter-governmental body that monitors terrorism financing and money laundering. In October, the FATF will make a final adjudication on whether to blacklist Pakistan, a move that could isolate the country from the international economy.\n\nDespite repeatedly pledging action, Islamabad's attempts to crack down on terror financing networks and militant groups have been inconsistent.\n\nDifficult U.S. ties\n\nKhan has indicated that with his visit to the White House early next week, he hopes to repair his country's often acrimonious relationship with the U.S.\n\nHis trip comes as the Trump administration aggressively pursues a political deal with the Taliban in Pakistan's neighbor Afghanistan. Observers believe the nearly 18-year conflict will be a major focus of talks between Khan and Mr. Trump when they meet on July 22.\n\nFormer cricket legend wins Pakistan election\n\nKhan has publicly sparred with Mr. Trump in the past and once described a potential meeting with him as a \"bitter pill\" to swallow.\n\nOn Tuesday, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said Mr. Trump's invitation to the Pakistani premier reflected the \"importance of the relationship for both sides.\"\n\nRelations between Islamabad and Washington have been turbulent since Mr. Trump took office in 2017, with the U.S. leader frequently singling out Pakistan for failing to rein in extremists and being an unfaithful partner in the fight against them.\n\nLast year, Mr. Trump accused Islamabad of \"nothing but lies & deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools,\" and suspended $300 million in military aid to the Pakistani government.\n\nThe United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15 years, and they have given us nothing but lies & deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools. They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 1, 2018\n\nPakistan refutes the accusations and notes that its alliance with the U.S. in the so-called \"war on terror\" has cost thousands of civilian lives in militant attacks on Pakistani soil.", "FILE – In this Friday, Oct. 26, 2018 file photo, Hafiz Saeed, founder of Pakistani religious group Jamaat-ud-Dawa addresses an anti-Indian rally in Lahore, Pakistan. Pakistani authorities say they have arrested Saeed, a radical cleric and U.S.-wanted terror suspect blamed for the 2008 Mumbai attacks, just days ahead of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s trip to Washington. (AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary, File)\n\nMULTAN, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistan on Wednesday arrested a radical cleric and U.S.-wanted terror suspect implicated in the 2008 Mumbai attacks, officials said, just days ahead of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s trip to Washington.\n\nHafiz Saeed was taken into custody in Punjab province while traveling from the eastern city of Lahore to the city of Gujranwala, according to counterterrorism official Mohammad Shafiq.\n\nSaeed founded the Lashkar-e-Taiba group, which was blamed for the Mumbai attacks that killed 166 people. His charity organizations, Jamaat-ud-Dawa and Falah-e-Insaniat, are alleged fronts for Lashkar-e-Taiba.\n\nThe United States has offered a $10 million reward for Saeed’s arrest and Washington recently stepped up pressure on Islamabad to crack down on terror groups.\n\nIn response, Pakistan registered over a dozen cases against Saeed and several of his associates, accusing them of funding militant groups through charities and leading to Wednesday’s arrest.\n\n“After a ten year search, the so-called “mastermind” of the Mumbai Terror attacks has been arrested in Pakistan,” President Donald Trump tweeted Wednesday. “Great pressure has been exerted over the last two years to find him!”\n\nPrime Minister Imran Khan was to leave for Washington over the weekend on his first official visit to the United States as premier.\n\nAfter his arrest, Saeed was taken before a judge and was ordered held in jail until the next hearing on Tuesday, Shafiq said. The cleric had been en route to Gujranwala to post bail in the terror financing case but was detained before he could do so.\n\nIn Pakistan, a suspect can be free on bail pending investigation and trial.\n\nSaeed’s spokesman Nadim Awan denounced the arrest and said the cleric had dissociated himself from Lashker-e-Taiba in 2001 and has had no links with the organization since then. Lashker-e-Taiba was banned in 2002.\n\nAwan said they would challenge Saeed’s arrest before a higher court.\n\nUntil the terror financing case, Saeed had for months lived freely in Pakistan, often addressing anti-India rallies for which he became popular amid a dramatic confrontation between the two nuclear-armed rivals earlier this year.\n\nSaeed’s two charities were banned in February last year, and the government froze their assets in compliance with a U.N. request. Pakistan’s Supreme Court last September allowed them to resume operations only to be banned again earlier this year under a government action plan against terrorism and extremism.\n\nPreviously, Saeed had been detained several times, along with some of his close aides, but had not been charged or put on trial.\n\nHe was taken into custody in January last year and kept under house arrest for 11 months until a court order ended his detention in November. He was also detained in 2001 and 2008, when he was kept confined to a government-run house and at his home.\n\nIn recent months, the government also took over schools, mosques, seminaries and all properties linked to Saeed’s charities and froze their assets.\n\nPakistan is currently on the Financial Action Task Force’s grey list, denoting its status as a haven for money laundering. It has until October to avoid black listing.\n\nAssociated Press writers Zaheer Babar in Lahore, Pakistan; Zarar Khan in Karachi, Pakistan and Darlene Superville in Washington contributed to this report.", "Pakistan on Wednesday arrested a radical cleric and U.S.-wanted terror suspect implicated in the 2008 Mumbai attacks, officials said, just days ahead of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s trip to Washington.\n\nREAD MORE: Pakistan plans to seize charities run by Islamist leader Hafiz Saeed\n\nHafiz Saeed was taken into custody in Punjab province while traveling from the eastern city of Lahore to the city of Gujranwala, according to counterterrorism official Mohammad Shafiq.\n\nSaeed founded the Lashkar-e-Taiba group, which was blamed for the Mumbai attacks that killed 166 people. His charity organizations, Jamaat-ud-Dawa and Falah-e-Insaniat, are alleged fronts for Lashkar-e-Taiba.\n\nThe United States has offered a $10 million reward for Saeed’s arrest and Washington recently stepped up pressure on Islamabad to crack down on terror groups.\n\nREAD MORE: White House issues warning to Pakistan over release of militant suspect\n\nIn response, Pakistan registered over a dozen cases against Saeed and several of his associates, accusing them of funding militant groups through charities and leading to Wednesday’s arrest.\n\n“After a ten year search, the so-called ‘mastermind’ of the Mumbai Terror attacks has been arrested in Pakistan,” President Donald Trump tweeted Wednesday. “Great pressure has been exerted over the last two years to find him!”\n\nPrime Minister Imran Khan was to leave for Washington over the weekend on his first official visit to the United States as premier.\n\nAfter his arrest, Saeed was taken before a judge and was ordered held in jail until the next hearing on Tuesday, Shafiq said. The cleric had been en route to Gujranwala to post bail in the terror financing case but was detained before he could do so.\n\nIn Pakistan, a suspect can be free on bail pending investigation and trial.\n\nREAD MORE: As global pressure mounts, Pakistan promises to take action against terrorist groups\n\nSaeed’s spokesman Nadim Awan denounced the arrest and said the cleric had dissociated himself from Lashker-e-Taiba in 2001 and has had no links with the organization since then. Lashker-e-Taiba was banned in 2002.\n\nAwan said they would challenge Saeed’s arrest before a higher court.\n\nUntil the terror financing case, Saeed had for months lived freely in Pakistan, often addressing anti-India rallies for which he became popular amid a dramatic confrontation between the two nuclear-armed rivals earlier this year.\n\nREAD MORE: Video shows far-right extremist setting himself on fire while firebombing U.K. synagogue\n\nSaeed’s two charities were banned in February last year, and the government froze their assets in compliance with a UN request. Pakistan’s Supreme Court last September allowed them to resume operations only to be banned again earlier this year under a government action plan against terrorism and extremism.\n\nPreviously, Saeed had been detained several times, along with some of his close aides, but had not been charged or put on trial.\n\nHe was taken into custody in January last year and kept under house arrest for 11 months until a court order ended his detention in November. He was also detained in 2001 and 2008, when he was kept confined to a government-run house and at his home.\n\nIn recent months, the government also took over schools, mosques, seminaries and all properties linked to Saeed’s charities and froze their assets.\n\nPakistan is currently on the Financial Action Task Force’s grey list, denoting its status as a haven for money laundering. It has until October to avoid black listing.", "Pakistan authorities on Wednesday arrested Hafiz Saeed, the alleged mastermind of a four-day militant attack on the Indian city of Mumbai in 2008, on terror finance charges, a spokesman for the chief minister of Punjab said.\n\nThe move came days before a visit to Washington by Prime Minister Imran Khan, who has vowed to crack down on militant groups operating in Pakistan.\n\nSaeed, designated a terrorist by the United States, is the founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), or Army of the Pure, the militant group blamed by the United States and India for the Mumbai attacks, which killed more than 160 people.\n\nHe has denied any involvement and said his network, which includes 300 seminaries and schools, hospitals, a publishing house and ambulance services, has no ties to militant groups.\n\nA spokesman for Punjab Governor Shahbaz Gill said Saeed was arrested near the town of Gujranwala in central Pakistan.", "Pakistan authorities on Wednesday arrested Hafiz Saeed, the alleged mastermind of a four-day militant attack on the Indian city of Mumbai in 2008, on terror finance charges, a spokesman for the chief minister of Punjab said.\n\nThe move came days before a visit to Washington by Prime Minister Imran Khan, who has vowed to crack down on militant groups operating in Pakistan.\n\nSaeed, designated a terrorist by the United States, is the founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), or Army of the Pure, the militant group blamed by the United States and India for the Mumbai attacks, which killed more than 160 people.\n\nHe has denied any involvement and said his network, which includes 300 seminaries and schools, hospitals, a publishing house and ambulance services, has no ties to militant groups.\n\nA spokesman for Punjab Governor Shahbaz Gill said Saeed was arrested near the town of Gujranwala in central Pakistan.\n\n“The main charge is that he is gathering funds for banned outfits, which is illegal,” the spokesman said.\n\nPakistan, which is included on the so-called “grey list” of the Financial Action Task Force, a money laundering and terror finance watchdog, has been under increasing pressure to stop the financing of militant groups.\n\nThe United States has offered a $10 million reward for information leading to Saeed’s conviction over the Mumbai attacks.", "LAHORE: Pakistan authorities on Wednesday (Jul 17) arrested Hafiz Saeed, the alleged mastermind of a four-day militant attack on the Indian city of Mumbai in 2008, on terror finance charges, a spokesman for the chief minister of Punjab province said.\n\nThe arrest came days before a visit to Washington by Prime Minister Imran Khan, who has vowed to crack down on militant groups operating in Pakistan.\n\nSaeed, designated a terrorist by the United States and the United Nations, is the founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), or Army of the Pure, the militant group blamed by the United States and India for the Mumbai attacks, which killed more than 160 people.\n\nHe has denied any involvement and said his network, which includes 300 seminaries and schools, hospitals, a publishing house and ambulance services, has no ties to militant groups.\n\nA spokesman for Punjab Governor Shahbaz Gill said Saeed was arrested near the town of Gujranwala in central Pakistan.\n\n\"The main charge is that he is gathering funds for banned outfits, which is illegal,\" the spokesman said.\n\nThe Punjab Counter Terrorism Department said in a statement that Saeed had been arrested while going to a court in Gujranwala to seek pre-arrest bail but was remanded in custody.\n\nPakistan, which is included on a so-called grey list compiled by the Financial Action Task Force, a money laundering and terror finance watchdog, has been under increasing pressure to stop the financing of militant groups.\n\nHowever, an Indian government official said that merely arresting Saeed was not enough and that he should be put on trial and convicted.\n\n\"We want real action, not these kinds of steps that are reversible. One court orders his arrest, another frees him,\" said the official, who has close knowledge of diplomatic issues with Pakistan.\n\nHe said the sense in New Delhi was that Pakistan was taking steps such as these before Khan's trip to the United States, which has offered a US$10 million reward for information leading to Saeed's conviction over the Mumbai attacks.\n\n\"We have seen this before,\" the official said. \"After the visit is over, things are usually back to what they were before.\"\n\nIn 2017, Saeed was put under house arrest by Pakistani authorities and subsequently released after being cleared of charges against him, drawing strong criticism from Washington and New Delhi.\n\nLashkar-e-Taiba, designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the US State Department, aims to drive India out of the disputed region of Kashmir and establish an Islamic state across Kashmir, Pakistan, and India.", "Authorities in Pakistan have arrested Hafiz Saeed, founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), or Army of the Pure, the militant group blamed by the United States and India for a four-day attack on Mumbai in 2008, Geo Television said on Wednesday.\n\n \n\nA spokesman for Jammaat ud-Dawa (JuD), a charity run by Saeed, said counter-terrorism officials arrested Saeed while he was on his way to the central Pakistan town of Gujranwala. The charges he faces are still unknown but appear to be linked to terrorism financing, the spokesman added.", "Hafiz Muhammad Saeed holds two master's degrees from the University of Punjab and a specialization in Islamic Studies and Arabic Language from King Saud University. (Photo: File)\n\nIslamabad/Mumbai: The chief of Jamaat-ud-Dawa and co-founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba Hafiz Muhammad Saeed was arrested on Wednesday. India has always considered him as a most wanted terrorist because of his ties to LeT and his alleged involvement in the 2008 Mumbai attacks, the 2006 Mumbai train bombings and the 2001 Indian Parliament attack.\n\nHafiz -- a title bestowed upon people who know the Quran by heart -- was born to a conservative family in Pakistan Punjab in 1950. His family members were allegedly killed during their Partition journey from Shimla to Lahore.\n\nHis first big break came when Pakistani dictator General Mohammad Zia-ul-Haq appointed him to the state-run Council on Islamic Ideology. Later, he was posted as professor of Islamic studies at the University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore.\n\nThe university sent him to Saudi Arabia in the early eighties, where he began his journey as a jihadist, supporting the Mujahideen in Afghanistan.\n\nHafiz Muhammad Saeed holds two master's degrees from the University of Punjab and a specialization in Islamic Studies and Arabic Language from King Saud University.\n\nIn 1987, Saeed founded Markaz Dawa-Wal-Irshad, a part of the organisation Jamait Ahl-e-Hadis, which spawned the jihadist group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) in 1990.\n\nDecember 2001: Pakistan took Saeed into custody on December 21, 2001 due to an Indian government assertion that he was involved in the December 13, 2001 attack on the Lok Sabha.\n\nHe was held until March 31 2002, released, and then taken back into custody on May 15.\n\nHe was placed under house arrest on October 31 2002 after his wife Maimoona Saeed sued the province of Punjab and the Pakistan federal government for what she claimed was an illegal detention\n\nAugust 2006: After the July 11, 2006 Mumbai train bombings, the provincial government of Punjab, Pakistan arrested him on August 9 2006 and kept him under house arrest.\n\nHe was released on August 28 2006 after a Lahore High Court order. He was arrested again on the same day by the provincial government and was kept in the Canal Rest House in Sheikhupura. He was finally released after the Lahore High Court order on October 17 2006.\n\nNovember 26, 2008: Ten members of the Lashkar-e-Taiba carried out synchronised attacks at multiple locations in Mumbai and killed 166 civilians. Nine militants were killed. Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab was the sole attacker to be caught alive.\n\nDecember 2008: India sent formal request to United Nations Security Council to list Hafiz Saeed and his charity organisation, Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), as known aliases of Lashkar-e-Taiba. India said, “The close links between the (two) organisations are of immediate concern with regard to their efforts to mobilise and orchestrate terrorist activities.”\n\nSaeed denied this. \"No Lashkar-e-Taiba man is in Jamaat-ud-Dawa and I have never been a chief of Lashkar-e-Taiba,\" he told a TV channel on December 10, 2008. The following day he was placed under house arrest, accused of having links to the 2008 Mumbai attacks which killed at least 166 people.\n\nJune 2009: The case against Saeed dragged on, until the Lahore High Court deems his containment to be unconstitutional, and ordered his release.\n\nJuly 2009: The Punjab provincial government filed an appeal in the Supreme Court against the release order.\n\nAugust 2009: On August 25, Interpol issued a Red Corner Notice (RCN) against Saeed, which was intended to compel Pakistan to share information about crimes, criminals, and threats etc. with intelligence counterparts around the world.\n\nSeptember 2009: Saeed was placed under house arrest again.\n\nOctober 2009: The Lahore High Court dropped all criminal charges against Saeed. It said there was not enough evidence, and that Jamaat-ud-Dawa is not a banned organization. This order came after India gave Pakistan information against Saeed which is based on the testimony of Kasab.\n\nMay 2011: In an effort to pressure Pakistan into action, India published a list of its 50 most wanted fugitives hiding in Pakistan.\n\nApril 2012: On 3 April, 2012, the United States placed a 10 million dollar bounty on Saeed. JuD and Lashkar-e-Taiba are both blacklisted by the US. The JuD, however, responded by describing the US move as “yet another attack on Islam and Muslims”.\n\nFebruary 2013: Saeed “lived an open, and apparently fearless, life in a middle-class neighbourhood” in Pakistan, according to this account by New York Times reporter Declan Walsh.\n\n“I move about like an ordinary person — that’s my style,” Saeed, now 64-years-old, told the reporter.\n\nJanuary 2015: In a move towards the execution of the National Action Plan against terrorism, Pakistan’s interior ministry included the Jamaat-ud-Dawa and the Haqqani network on a list of banned outfits.\n\nSaeed said the ban would make no difference and his party “will continue serving humanity on the same pattern.”\n\nNovember 2016: Pakistan government banned the coverage of Jamaat-ud-Dawa and Saeed after the organisation was added to the international list of terrorist groups.\n\nJanuary 2017: On January 31, the Trump administration threatened to put Pakistan on the list of nations against whom an immigration ban is imposed because their citizens are seen as a threat.\n\nA day later, Hafiz Saeed was put under house arrest by Pakistani authorities. The government announced that the 90-day detention period could be extended if needed.\n\nSeptember 2017: Pakistan banned Saeed’s new terror front Tehreek-e-Azadi-Jammu & Kashmir (TAJK). As JuD was earlier put on the list of proscribed organisations, Saeed was forced to run his activities under the TAJK banner.\n\nPakistan Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif acknowledged that Hafiz Saeed, the Haqqanis and the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) are “liabilities” for the country, but Pakistan did not have the required “assets” to get rid of them.\n\nOctober 2017: Lahore High Court warned that Saeed would have to be freed from house arrest unless enough evidence is generated against him.\n\nNovember 2017: Approximately 10 months after his house arrest in January, Saeed was freed once again on the orders of the Lahore High Court. The high court overruled the government’s request to extend the detention period. The government said the release of a world recognised terrorist may trigger international sanctions against Pakistan.\n\nJune 2019: Financial Action Task Force (FATF) voiced concern over Pakistan's failure to do enough to contain terror funding in its soil and not registering cases against terror masterminds Hafiz Saeed and Masood Azhar under anti-terror laws.\n\nJuly 2019: Pakistan arrested Saeed and has been sent to judicial custody. According to Pakistan’s media, he will face trial.", "Pakistani authorities Wednesday detained the alleged mastermind of the 2008 Mumbai attacks, a security official said, as the country faces increased pressure to crack down on militants operating on its soil.\n\nFirebrand cleric Hafiz Saeed — declared a global terrorist by the US and UN, and who has a $10 million US bounty on his head — was taken into custody following a raid by counter-terrorism forces in the eastern city of Gujranwala.\n\n“Hafiz Saeed was going to Gujranwala to apply for bail in another case when he was arrested,” said a security official with knowledge of the arrest, who requested anonymity.\n\nA spokesman for Saeed’s group, Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), a wing of the militant organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), confirmed the arrest to AFP, but gave no further details.\n\nSaeed has spent years rotating in and out of varying forms of detention, sometimes under house arrest, sometimes briefly arrested then released again by authorities.\n\nBut for the most part he has been free to move at will around Pakistan, enraging India which has repeatedly called for his prosecution over his alleged role in the 2008 attack that killed more than 160 people.\n\nLashkar-e-Taiba is accused by India and Washington of masterminding the four-day assault on Mumbai. Saeed has denied involvement.\n\nThe move against Saeed comes as Pakistan is facing a potential blacklisting by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) — an anti-money-laundering monitor based in Paris — for failing to do enough to combat terror financing.\n\nFATF is set rule on its fate in the coming months after placing the country on a watchlist last year.\n\nIn February, Pakistani authorities banned Saeed’s Jamaat-ud-Dawa and Falah-e-Insaniat Foundation — charities that have long been considered fronts for militant activity targeting India.\n\nWashington and New Delhi have long urged Pakistan to take action against LeT, which was banned by Islamabad in 2002 but re-branded itself as JuD and FIF.\n\nAnd earlier this year, Pakistan arrested more than 100 suspected militants and shuttered hundreds of religious schools.\n\nThe arrests came during an ongoing crackdown on extremists, following clashes with India after a Pakistan-based group killed dozens of Indian security forces in a suicide bombing in Kashmir.", "LAHORE, Pakistan, July 17 (Reuters) - Pakistan authorities on Wednesday arrested Hafiz Saeed, the alleged mastermind of a four-day militant attack on the Indian city of Mumbai in 2008, on terror finance charges, a spokesman for the chief minister of Punjab said.\n\nThe move came days before a visit to Washington by Prime Minister Imran Khan, who has vowed to crack down on militant groups operating in Pakistan.\n\nSaeed, designated a terrorist by the United States, is the founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), or Army of the Pure, the militant group blamed by the United States and India for the Mumbai attacks, which killed more than 160 people.\n\nHe has denied any involvement and said his network, which includes 300 seminaries and schools, hospitals, a publishing house and ambulance services, has no ties to militant groups.\n\nA spokesman for Punjab Governor Shahbaz Gill said Saeed was arrested near the town of Gujranwala in central Pakistan.\n\n\"The main charge is that he is gathering funds for banned outfits, which is illegal,\" the spokesman said.\n\nPakistan, which is included on the so-called \"grey list\" of the Financial Action Task Force, a money laundering and terror finance watchdog, has been under increasing pressure to stop the financing of militant groups.\n\nHowever an Indian government official said that merely arresting Saeed was not enough and that he should be put on trial and convicted.\n\n\"We want real action, not these kind of steps that are reversible. One court orders his arrest, another frees him,\" said the official, who has close knowledge of diplomatic issues with Pakistan.\n\nHe said the sense in New Delhi was that Pakistan was taking steps such as these before Khan's trip to the United States, which has offered a $10 million reward for information leading to Saeed´s conviction over the Mumbai attacks.\n\n\"We have seen this before,\" the official said. \"After the visit is over, things are usually back to what they were before.\" (Additional reporting by Sanjeev Miglani in NEW DELHI Editing by Clarence Fernandez and Nick Macfie)"], "summary": "Pakistan arrests Hafiz Saeed, the founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba, which has been blamed by the United States and India for the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks that left more than 160 people dead."}
{"document": ["A gunman shot dead a Turkish diplomat in the Kurdish Iraqi city of Erbil on Wednesday, before fleeing the scene. A local citizen was also killed, according to the Kurdish security service.\n\nTurkey's Foreign Ministry said one of its staff had been killed in the shooting at the popular HuQQabaz restaurant close to Ankara's diplomatic mission to the autonomous region. Local media reported that the individual was Turkey's vice-consul in the city.\n\n\"The attacker walked into the restaurant and headed to a table where the three were sitting. He drew out two pistols and started shooting intensely at them. Then, he — the shooter — escaped,\" the owner told journalists.\n\nThere was no immediate claim of responsibility for the shooting.\n\nRead more: Kurdish pursuit of an independent sovereign nation\n\nThe Turkish Foreign Ministry confirmed in a statement an employee was killed in an \"atrocious attack.\"\n\n\"We are continuing our efforts with the Iraqi authorities and local authorities to ensure that the perpetrators of the attack are found quickly,\" Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Twitter.\n\nUS Secretary of State Mike Pompeo condemned the killing. \"There can be no justification for such acts of wanton violence,\" he said in a statement.\n\nWitnesses in the city said roadblocks had been quickly thrown up around the Ainkawa neighborhood, which is home to the consulate and numerous restaurants.\n\nRead more: Who are the Kurds?\n\nTurkish jets regularly bomb positions belonging to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which Ankara has outlawed, in northern Iraq. The Turkish Defense Ministry said on Saturday that its military offensive in the region, which started in May, had been expanded.\n\nrc/ng (Reuters, AFP, AP)\n\nEach evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.", "(Hatha al-Youm | Iraq News )- Kurdish security members stand guard near a restaurant where Turkish diplomats and Turkish consulate employee were killed in Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan, July 17, 2019. Photo: ReutersHEWLÊR-Erbil, Iraq’s Kurdistan region,— At least two people including a Turkish diplomat were shot dead on Wednesday in a rare attack in the Iraqi Kurdistan capital city of Erbil, Kurdish security officials and Turkey’s foreign ministry said.A gunman opened fire at a restaurant where Turkish diplomats were dinning before fleeing in a car driven by an accomplice, two Kurdish security officials and a witness said.Security forces began a search for the attackers, the Kurdish officials said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.Turkey’s foreign ministry said one of those killed was a diplomat working at its consulate to Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region in Erbil.A statement from the Kurdistan region’s internal security service said two people were killed – the diplomat and another civilian – and one other person wounded.The Kurdish officials and Iraqi state television earlier said three people were killed and that they were all Turkish diplomats and included the deputy consul.One witness told Reuters that an attacker entered the restaurant and started shooting before he fled in a car that was waiting for him outside.Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan, the Kurdish security service and Iraq’s Baghdad-based foreign ministry condemned the attack.Turkey’s main enemy in Iraqi Kurdistan is the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group, which has waged a decades-long insurgency in Turkish Kurdistan in the southeast of the country and has bases across the border.Ankara’s forces regularly carry out air raids against PKK targets in Iraqi Kurdistan with the tacit approval of the KDP which has close ties with the Turkish government.Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG), led by Barzani’s KDP party blames the PKK for instigating Turkish airstrikes in Iraqi Kurdistan.Iraq’s central government in Baghdad has occasionally condemned those air strikes, but has not moved to halt them.The PKK took up arms in 1984 against the Turkish state, which still denies the constitutional existence of Kurds, to push for greater autonomy in Turkish Kurdistan for the Kurdish minority who make up around 22.5 million of the country’s 79-million population. More than 40,000 Turkish soldiers and Kurdish rebels, have been killed in the conflict.A large Kurdish community in Turkey and worldwide openly sympathise with PKK rebels and Abdullah Ocalan, who founded the PKK group in 1974 and currently serving a life sentence in Turkey, has a high symbolic value for most Kurds in Turkey and worldwide according to observers.Copyright © 2019, respective author or news agency, Ekurd.net | ReutersComments Comments", "Azad Lashkari | Kurdish security officials secure the area around a restaurant where a Turkish diplomat was shot dead in Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan, July 17, 2019.\n\nAt least two people, including a Turkish diplomat, were killed in a shooting Wednesday at a restaurant in the Iraqi Kurdish capital Erbil in a rare attack in the semi-autonomous region that could raise tensions and Turkish ire.\n\nThe Asayish, the Kurdish security and intelligence organisation operating in Iraqi Kurdistan, confirmed the deaths of a Turkish diplomat and a civilian Wednesday. Another civilian was injured, said the statement, which was posted on Twitter.\n\nUnidentified gunmen opened fire at a restaurant where Turkish diplomats were dining Wednesday afternoon, according to Kurdish security officials.\n\nSecurity officials responded to an incident at the HuQQabaz restaurant located in an upscale commercial area on Erbil's main Airport Road, according to the local Rudaw news service.\n\nThe area was immediately sealed off and office workers, shoppers and diners were told to avoid the neighbourhood.\n\nA witness told AFP that one attacker entered the restaurant and started shooting before he fled in a car waiting outside.\n\nThe victims have not been identified although Ankara has confirmed the killing of “an employee” at its consulate in Erbil.\n\nThe shooting came days after Turkey launched “Operation Claw-2” against what Ankara calls “PKK terrorists” in northern Iraq. The PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party) is considered a terrorist group by Turkey, the EU, the US and the UN. Ankara has vowed to destroy PKK bases operating in northern Iraq.\n\nIt was not known if Wednesday’s incident was linked to Operation Claw 2.\n\nResponding to Wednesday's incident, Turkey vowed to retaliate against the “atrocious attack”.\n\nTurkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalim vowed a response against “those who are responsible for this atrocious attack,” in a Twitter post in Turkish.\n\nTurkey has been engaged in military operations in the Kurdish areas of Syria and Iraq, including the Sinjar area and Qandil Mountains in northern Iraq.\n\nWhile the autonomous Kurdish zone in northern Iraq is relatively secure, Turkish diplomats have been targeted in the broader region in the past. In 2014, the Islamic State (IS) group kidnapped Turkish diplomats in the Iraqi city of Mosul. They were released after more than three months in captivity.", "The Turkish Vice Consul was killed in the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan Erbil in an attack by armed men, according to the Iraqi channel Al Sumaria.\n\nAccording to initial reports, killed three employees of the Turkish Consulate. However, it turned out that one of the victims survived. Assault with a firearm was committed in that moment, when the diplomat and his companions had dinner in the restaurant. The area of the incident was cordoned off by security forces, reports “Interfax”.\n\nThe Ministry of foreign Affairs of Turkey confirmed the death of an employee of the Consulate General in Iraq during the attack in Erbil. “Our Consulate in the Iraqi Erbil were killed in an armed attack outside the Embassy”, – said in a communiqué.\n\nThe report says that Ankara “continues to work closely with the Iraqi authorities for the operational establishment of the attackers”. This is the first time that diplomats were attacked in Erbil, reports TASS.\n\nThe official representative of the Turkish President Ibrahim Kalin promised that Ankara will respond in who was behind the attack on Turkish diplomats. “I Express my deep condolences to the relatives of the consular officer, who was killed during a brutal attack in Erbil. We are working on finding the perpetrators. Those who are behind the attack, will get our answer,” the representative wrote Erdogan on Twitter.\n\nThe situation commented the head of Turkey. “I condemn the attack on our consular staff in Erbil, We continue to make efforts together with Iraqi authorities to ensure that criminals were arrested in the nearest future”, – wrote President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on his Twitter page.\n\nThe Iraqi foreign Ministry also condemned the killing of the diplomat and its accompanying Iraqi province of Erbil (part of the Kurdish Autonomous region (KAR), having the status of broad autonomy within Iraq). This was announced on Wednesday the official representative of the Iraqi foreign Ministry, Ahmed al-Sahaf.\n\n“We condemn the incident that happened with the Turkish diplomat in Erbil and Iraqi escort, and also led to the wounding of one man,” said the spokesman.\n\nU.S. Secretary of state Michael Pompeo called the incident in Erbil act of wanton violence. “We strongly condemn the recent attack in Erbil, where he was killed at least one Turkish diplomat. There can be no justification for such acts of unwarranted violence, – said the state Secretary. – The United States confirmed its commitment to support the government and people of Turkey and Iraq.” Statement by Secretary of state published on the state Department website.", "(Hatha al-Youm | Iraq News )- Kurdish security members stand guard near a restaurant where Turkish diplomats and Turkish consulate employee were killed in Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan, July 17, 2019. Photo: ReutersHEWLÊR-Erbil, Iraq’s Kurdistan region,— At least two people including a Turkish diplomat were shot dead on Wednesday in a rare attack in the Iraqi Kurdistan capital city of Erbil, Kurdish security officials and Turkey’s foreign ministry said.A gunman opened fire at a restaurant where Turkish diplomats were dinning before fleeing in a car driven by an accomplice, two Kurdish security officials and a witness said.Security forces began a search for the attackers, the Kurdish officials said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.Turkey’s foreign ministry said one of those killed was a diplomat working at its consulate to Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region in Erbil.A statement from the Kurdistan region’s internal security service said two people were killed – the diplomat and another civilian – and one other person wounded.The Kurdish officials and Iraqi state television earlier said three people were killed and that they were all Turkish diplomats and included the deputy consul.One witness told Reuters that an attacker entered the restaurant and started shooting before he fled in a car that was waiting for him outside.Security officials responded to an incident at the HuQQabaz restaurant located in an upscale commercial area on Erbil’s main Airport Road, according to Rudaw TV.The area was immediately sealed off and office workers, shoppers and diners were told to avoid the neighbourhood.A witness told AFP that one attacker entered the restaurant and started shooting before he fled in a car waiting outside.Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan, the Kurdish security service and Iraq’s Baghdad-based foreign ministry condemned the attack.The shooting came days after Turkey launched “Operation Claw-2” against Kurdish PKK rebels. It was not known if Wednesday’s incident was linked to Operation Claw 2.Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalim vowed a response against “those who are responsible for this atrocious attack,” in a Twitter post in Turkish.Turkey fights Kurdish militantsTurkey’s main enemy in Iraqi Kurdistan is the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group, which has waged a decades-long insurgency in Turkish Kurdistan in the southeast of the country and has bases across the border.Ankara’s forces regularly carry out air raids against PKK targets in Iraqi Kurdistan with the tacit approval of the KDP which has close ties with the Turkish government.Turkey and the ruling Kurdish party in Erbil, the Barzani’s KDP, have blamed the PKK for other Turkey-related incidents in Iraqi Kurdistan including the storming of a Turkish military camp earlier this year.It was a rare major security incident in Erbil, where a new Kurdistan president and prime minister, part of a clan that has controlled the KDP for decades, recently took office. The KDP has said it will continue to cooperate closely with Ankara against the PKK.“Nobody invited them (the PKK) here,” Prime Minister Masrour Barzani said in an interview with Reuters this month.“We disapprove of their activities and … of their presence here. We understand the concerns of the neighbouring countries about security issues,” he said, adding that Erbil would look to strengthen relations with Turkey.Iraq’s central government in Baghdad has occasionally condemned those air strikes, but has not moved to halt them.Turkey has been engaged in military operations in the Kurdish areas of Syria and Iraq, including the Yazidi Sinjar area and Qandil Mountains in northern Iraq.The PKK took up arms in 1984 against the Turkish state, which still denies the constitutional existence of Kurds, to push for greater autonomy in Turkish Kurdistan for the Kurdish minority who make up around 22.5 million of the country’s 79-million population. More than 40,000 Turkish soldiers and Kurdish rebels, have been killed in the conflict.A large Kurdish community in Turkey and worldwide openly sympathise with PKK rebels and Abdullah Ocalan, who founded the PKK group in 1974 and currently serving a life sentence in Turkey, has a high symbolic value for most Kurds in Turkey and worldwide according to observers.Copyright © 2019, respective author or news agency, Ekurd.net | Reuters | AFPComments Comments", "(Hatha al-Youm | Iraq News )- ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) on Thursday condemned a deadly shooting that killed a Turkish consular official and two others a day earlier in the regional capital of Erbil as a “premeditated terrorist attack.”“We are now treating the shooting incident in Erbil on Wednesday 17 July 2019, which killed three people, as a premeditated terrorist attack,” the KRG said, in a statement.“Our investigation is ongoing, and we will provide regular updates concerning its progress.”The shooting occurred early in the afternoon as a group of employees and diplomats from the Turkish consulate in Erbil arrived at a restaurant in a neighborhood on the western side of the city. An unidentified assailant opened fire and killed two people and severely injured another who later died of his wounds while receiving medical care at a nearby hospital.Read More: Turkish consulate employee, 2 civilians killed in Erbil shooting: SecurityNo group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack and the gunman is still at large, but many observers speculate the involvement of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), engaged in a decades-long insurgency against Turkey over Kurdish rights and self-rule that has resulted in the death of over 40,000 people on both sides.Wednesday's shooting comes amid a recent uptick in deadly clashes between Turkish forces and PKK fighters in which Ankara’s fighter jets have killed multiple high-ranking members of the group while bombarding its bases and outposts within the Kurdistan Region.One PKK official, however, has denied its fighters had anything to do with the killings.“We have no information regarding the incident and only heard about it through the media,” read a statement by Diyar Deniz, media director of the PKK’s armed wing, the People’s Defense Forces (HPG).In the hours that followed the shooting, Kurdish security (Asayish) said, “We condemn in the strongest terms the shooting in a restaurant in Erbil today,” adding, “We assure our citizens and foreign diplomats in particular that all necessary precautions will be taken to ensure the safety and security of the Kurdistan Region and its peoples.”The Turkish Foreign Ministry also confirmed on Wednesday that “an official” from their Erbil Consulate-General was killed in “a heinous attack,” while outside the compound.Editing by John J. Catherine", "A Turkish diplomat has been martyred in an armed attack at a restaurant in Erbil, Iraq on Wednesday\n\nErbil, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - APP - 17th Jul, 2019 ) :A Turkish diplomat has been martyred in an armed attack at a restaurant in Erbil, Iraq on Wednesday.\n\nAccording to the restaurant owner, attacker -- civil dressed and carrying two guns -- targeted the Turkish diplomats dining in the restaurant.\n\nOne Turkish diplomat, who was working at Turkey's Consulate General in Erbil, was martyred after the shooting attack.\n\nErbil's police chief Abdulhalik Talat said an investigation was immediately launched into the incident and detailed information will be shared later.\n\nAll the roads leading to other cities were blocked to prevent the attacker from escaping.\n\nSecurity forces took measures in front of the restaurant after the attack.", "Turkish diplomat was killed on Wednesday in a shooting that took place in the Iraqi Kurdish capital Erbil, two Kurdish security officials told said.\n\nTurkish diplomat was killed on Wednesday in a shooting that took place in the Iraqi Kurdish capital Erbil, two Kurdish security officials told said.\n\nUnknown gunmen opened fire at a restaurant where the diplomats were dinning, the sources said.", "Three people, including the Turkish deputy consul, have been killed in a shooting at a restaurant in Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan, according to local media. Police confirmed the death of the Turkish diplomat.\n\nThe shooting was reported shortly after 2pm local time, and took place at a restaurant in an upmarket area of Iraqi Kurdistan’s capital city. Several officials from the Turkish Consulate General were present at the restaurant when the attack took place.\n\nThough no group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, tension between Turkey and the Kurds is nothing new. Turkey has fought a low-level armed campaign against Kurdish separatists for more than four decades, including raids and incursions into Kurdish territory in Iraq. Wednesday’s attack in Erbil comes just over a week after Turkish airstrikes killed Diyar Gharib Mohammed, a senior leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), in a mountainous area near the Iraq-Turkey border.\n\nIn addition, Turkey has been poised for months to send its forces into Manbij, Syria, an area partially under the control of Kurdish militias. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has long angled for the creation of a ‘security zone’ along his country’s Syrian border, in a bid to blunt the threat of Kurdish fighters there.\n\nThink your friends would be interested? Share this story!", "(Hatha al-Youm | Iraq News )- The Iraqi foreign ministry condemned the attack against Turkish diplomats in Erbil that took place earlier Wednesday, adding that they are cooperating with the concerned apparatuses to identify the assailants.\"We condemn the attack that targeted a Turkish diplomat in Erbil and the Iraqi citizen in Erbil,\"Iraq's Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Ahmad al-Sahaf said in a statement.\"We will resume our efforts in coordination with the official authorities to unfold the accident's mystery,\" al-Sahaf added.At least two people including a Turkish diplomat were shot dead on Wednesday in a rare attack in the capital of Iraq's northern Kurdish region.A gunman opened fire at a restaurant in Erbil where Turkish diplomats were dining before fleeing in a car driven by an accomplice, two Kurdish security officials and a witness said.There was no immediate claim of responsibility as security forces began a search for the attackers."], "summary": "A shooting in Erbil, Iraqi Kurdistan, leaves two dead, including a Turkish diplomat."}
{"document": ["BERLIN (Reuters) - Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, a close ally of German Chancellor Angela Merkel and head of her Christian Democrat party, will succeed Ursula von der Leyen as defense minister, government spokesman Steffen Seibert told Reuters.\n\nVon der Leyen, who was confirmed on Tuesday by the European Parliament as the next head of the European Union’s executive commission, steps down from her German role on Tuesday.\n\nThe choice of Kramp-Karrenbauer, a follower of Merkel’s centrist politics, came as a surprise to many in Berlin, where many had expected Jens Spahn, the arch-conservative health minister, to take the defense job.\n\nBut Kramp-Karrenbauer, widely seen as the long-serving chancellor’s favored candidate to succeed her, currently has no government role, a reason critics have given in the past to oppose her possible rise to the chancellorship.", "Ursula von der Leyen gestures after being elected as the new European Commission President at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, eastern France, Tuesday, July 16, 2019. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)\n\nBRUSSELS (AP) — For Ursula von der Leyen, becoming European Commission president and perhaps the most important official in the European Union felt like coming home.\n\nAfter she was confirmed by the European Parliament in a cliffhanger ballot that saw her scrape through with nine votes beyond a necessary absolute majority of 374, the sigh of relief was there for all to see.\n\n“I always wanted to come back to my roots,” she said, geographically because she was born in Brussels, and politically since she came from a pro-European family where her father already held a high-level EU position.\n\n“I come from a family that has a European history,” she said Tuesday.\n\nStill, little more than two weeks ago, her name was a near-total surprise when EU leaders proposed her to succeed Jean-Claude Juncker.\n\nShe is a strong supporter of closer European cooperation who has been Germany’s defense minister since 2013 and a fixture in Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Cabinet over the longtime leader’s nearly 14 years in power.\n\nVon der Leyen, 60, spent her early years in the Belgian capital and speaks fluent English and French, having studied at the London School of Economics in the 1970s. She also lived in Stanford, California, from 1992 to 1996, where two of her seven children were born.\n\nShe was long viewed as a potential successor to Merkel, but has had a tough tenure at the head of the notoriously difficult defense ministry and had long since faded out of contention by the time Merkel stepped down last year as leader of her center-right Christian Democratic Union, or CDU, party.\n\nStill, von der Leyen, a medical doctor, played a significant role in modernizing the image of her party during the Merkel years. As minister for families in Merkel’s first Cabinet from 2005 to 2009, she introduced benefits encouraging fathers to look after their young children.\n\nVon der Leyen then served as labor minister until 2013, when she became Germany’s first female defense minister.\n\nPushing for gender equality will mark her next five years too, she said. She only got the job, she said, “thanks to all the men and women who have broken down barriers and defied convention.”\n\nShortly after Britain voted to leave the European Union in 2016, she said as defense minister that Brexit offered the bloc an opportunity to press ahead with greater military cooperation.\n\n“Britain consistently blocked everything that had Europe written on it,” von der Leyen said. She argued that closer military ties between member states could help ease the frustration many voters feel about the EU’s inability to tackle major issues.\n\nHer views on Europe are anathema to the spirit of Brexit sweeping the United Kingdom.\n\nIn an interview with news magazine Der Spiegel in 2011, as the eurozone debt crisis rumbled, von der Leyen declared a loftier goal for Europe.\n\n“My aim is the United States of Europe — on the model of federal states such as Switzerland, Germany or the U.S.” She said that Europe could use its “size advantage” on financial, taxation and economic questions.\n\nHer views, if anything, are even stronger now.\n\nVon der Leyen comes from a political family and is the daughter of a former governor of her home state of Lower Saxony, Ernst Albrecht, who before that was a senior European civil servant. She has been a deputy leader of Merkel’s CDU since 2010. Despite being mentioned over the years as a potential successor to Merkel, she herself publicly dismissed such talk.\n\n“In every generation, there is one chancellor,” she said in 2013. “In my generation, that is Angela Merkel.”\n\nIn her generation, von der Leyen is now the first female European Commission president.", "Ursula von der Leyen, new head of the commission, with her family in 2003 EPA\n\nHad a committee in Brussels sat down to design the ideal Eurocrat, the result would have strongly resembled Ursula von der Leyen.\n\nThe German defence minister is, on paper, perfectly suited for the job. She speaks good English and better French. She is a canny enough political operator to have survived for 14 years in Angela Merkel’s cabinet — longer than any of her peers — and is well placed to triangulate between Berlin and Paris, where President Macron is one of her most prominent supporters.\n\nShe has a strong record of fighting for women’s equality during her time as family minister but shares Mrs Merkel’s ideological suppleness and predilection for compromise.\n\nYet there is a lingering sense in Germany that Mrs Von der Leyen,…", "Ursula von der Leyen gestures after being elected as the new European Commission President at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, eastern France, Tuesday, July 16, 2019. (AP Photo/Jean-Francois Badias)\n\nBRUSSELS (AP) — For Ursula von der Leyen, becoming European Commission president and perhaps the most important official in the European Union felt like coming home.\n\nAfter she was confirmed by the European Parliament in a cliffhanger ballot that saw her scrape through with nine votes beyond a necessary absolute majority of 374, the sigh of relief was there for all to see.\n\n“I always wanted to come back to my roots,” she said, geographically because she was born in Brussels, and politically since she came from a pro-European family where her father already held a high-level EU position.\n\n“I come from a family that has a European history,” she said Tuesday.\n\nStill, little more than two weeks ago, her name was a near-total surprise when EU leaders proposed her to succeed Jean-Claude Juncker.\n\nShe is a strong supporter of closer European cooperation who has been Germany’s defense minister since 2013 and a fixture in Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Cabinet over the longtime leader’s nearly 14 years in power.\n\nVon der Leyen, 60, spent her early years in the Belgian capital and speaks fluent English and French, having studied at the London School of Economics in the 1970s. She also lived in Stanford, California, from 1992 to 1996, where two of her seven children were born.\n\nShe was long viewed as a potential successor to Merkel, but has had a tough tenure at the head of the notoriously difficult defense ministry and had long since faded out of contention by the time Merkel stepped down last year as leader of her center-right Christian Democratic Union, or CDU, party.\n\nStill, von der Leyen, a medical doctor, played a significant role in modernizing the image of her party during the Merkel years. As minister for families in Merkel’s first Cabinet from 2005 to 2009, she introduced benefits encouraging fathers to look after their young children.\n\nVon der Leyen then served as labor minister until 2013, when she became Germany’s first female defense minister.\n\nPushing for gender equality will mark her next five years too, she said. She only got the job, she said, “thanks to all the men and women who have broken down barriers and defied convention.”\n\nShortly after Britain voted to leave the European Union in 2016, she said as defense minister that Brexit offered the bloc an opportunity to press ahead with greater military cooperation.\n\n“Britain consistently blocked everything that had Europe written on it,” von der Leyen said. She argued that closer military ties between member states could help ease the frustration many voters feel about the EU’s inability to tackle major issues.\n\nHer views on Europe are anathema to the spirit of Brexit sweeping the United Kingdom.\n\nIn an interview with news magazine Der Spiegel in 2011, as the eurozone debt crisis rumbled, von der Leyen declared a loftier goal for Europe.\n\n“My aim is the United States of Europe — on the model of federal states such as Switzerland, Germany or the U.S.” She said that Europe could use its “size advantage” on financial, taxation and economic questions.\n\nHer views, if anything, are even stronger now.\n\nVon der Leyen comes from a political family and is the daughter of a former governor of her home state of Lower Saxony, Ernst Albrecht, who before that was a senior European civil servant. She has been a deputy leader of Merkel’s CDU since 2010. Despite being mentioned over the years as a potential successor to Merkel, she herself publicly dismissed such talk.\n\n“In every generation, there is one chancellor,” she said in 2013. “In my generation, that is Angela Merkel.”\n\nIn her generation, von der Leyen is now the first female European Commission president.", "BERLIN: Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday congratulated her outgoing defence minister Ursula von der Leyen for being elected the first woman and the first German in more than half a century to run the European Commission.\n\nMerkel praised her long-time ally as a “committed and convincing European” who would “tackle with great vigour the challenges facing us as the European Union”.\n\nShe would be “the fist female President of the European Commission and the first German in more than 50 years at the head of the European executive”, Merkel said in a statement.\n\n“Even if I lose a long-standing minister today, I win a new partner in Brussels. I am therefore looking forward to good cooperation.”\n\nGerman Foreign Minister Heiko Maas of the Social Democrats, reacting on Twitter, praised the fact von der Leyen had “promoted a united & strong EU, on which we now want to work together with her”.\n\n“Time to look ahead, because the world is not waiting for Europe.”\n\nTop-selling Bild daily’s website cheered her appointment with the simple and enthusiastic headline “Ja! Ja! Ja! Ursula!”", "BERLIN (AP) — The new leader of Chancellor Angela Merkel's party is taking over Germany's defense ministry in a risky but potentially rewarding move, reversing her previous insistence that she wouldn't join the Cabinet.\n\nAnnegret Kramp-Karrenbauer is to be formally appointed Wednesday as the successor to Ursula von der Leyen, who was elected Tuesday as the new head of the European Commission.\n\nKramp-Karrenbauer narrowly won the leadership of Merkel's center-right Christian Democratic Union in December. She has concentrated so far on trying to renew the party, among other things seeking to heal divisions with conservatives who were irked by Merkel's welcoming approach to migrants in 2015 and other moves.\n\nHowever, she has seen her poll ratings drop sharply following several gaffes, and has struggled to raise her profile given that she lacks a seat in parliament and also wasn't in the Cabinet. Kramp-Karrenbauer had insisted in recent days that she would continue to concentrate on the party, but has now changed tack abruptly.\n\nMerkel says she won't seek a fifth term as chancellor and it isn't yet clear who will run as the CDU's candidate for chancellor in Germany's next election — which is due in 2021 but could come earlier if her fractious coalition with the struggling center-left Social Democrats collapses.\n\nThe defense ministry offers Kramp-Karrenbauer, 56, who has served as governor of Saarland state but not in the federal government, a chance to gain foreign and security policy experience.\n\nBut it also is notoriously difficult to run, with concerns including the poor state of the German military's equipment and managing a transition from conscription to a professional force.\n\nWhile von der Leyen's unexpected elevation to the European Union's top job after 5½ years as defense minister suggests that the post can be a springboard to promotion, it has left most recent occupants as diminished figures in domestic politics. Von der Leyen herself was long considered a potential successor to Merkel but faded out of contention while at the defense ministry.\n\nAn ambitious younger conservative who also ran in last year's CDU leadership election, Health Minister Jens Spahn, had been considered favorite to become defense minister. Kramp-Karrenbauer's move to take the job avoids giving a potential rival more exposure.", "German politician Ursula von der Leyen has been voted in as the new President of the European Commission. The Angela Merkel ally, who is the first woman to take on the role, said ahead of her election she would be willing to allow another Brexit extension beyond 31 October. She was confirmed in the role by a European Parliament vote of 383-327, with 22 abstentions.", "BERLIN (AP) — The new leader of Chancellor Angela Merkel's party is taking over Germany's defense ministry in a risky but potentially rewarding move, reversing her previous insistence that she wouldn't join the Cabinet.\n\nAnnegret Kramp-Karrenbauer is to be formally appointed Wednesday as the successor to Ursula von der Leyen, who was elected Tuesday as the new head of the European Commission.\n\nKramp-Karrenbauer narrowly won the leadership of Merkel's center-right Christian Democratic Union in December. She has concentrated so far on trying to renew the party, among other things seeking to heal divisions with conservatives who were irked by Merkel's welcoming approach to migrants in 2015 and other moves.\n\nHowever, she has seen her poll ratings drop sharply following several gaffes, and has struggled to raise her profile given that she lacks a seat in parliament and also wasn't in the Cabinet. Kramp-Karrenbauer had insisted in recent days that she would continue to concentrate on the party, but has now changed tack abruptly.\n\nMerkel says she won't seek a fifth term as chancellor and it isn't yet clear who will run as the CDU's candidate for chancellor in Germany's next election — which is due in 2021 but could come earlier if her fractious coalition with the struggling center-left Social Democrats collapses.\n\nThe defense ministry offers Kramp-Karrenbauer, 56, who has served as governor of Saarland state but not in the federal government, a chance to gain foreign and security policy experience.\n\nBut it also is notoriously difficult to run, with concerns including the poor state of the German military's equipment and managing a transition from conscription to a professional force.\n\nWhile von der Leyen's unexpected elevation to the European Union's top job after 5½ years as defense minister suggests that the post can be a springboard to promotion, it has left most recent occupants as diminished figures in domestic politics. Von der Leyen herself was long considered a potential successor to Merkel but faded out of contention while at the defense ministry.\n\nAn ambitious younger conservative who also ran in last year's CDU leadership election, Health Minister Jens Spahn, had been considered favorite to become defense minister. Kramp-Karrenbauer's move to take the job avoids giving a potential rival more exposure.", "BRUSSELS (AP) — For Ursula von der Leyen, becoming European Commission president and perhaps the most important official in the European Union felt like coming home.\n\nAfter she was confirmed by the European Parliament in a cliffhanger ballot that saw her scrape through with nine votes beyond a necessary absolute majority of 374, the sigh of relief was there for all to see.\n\n\"I always wanted to come back to my roots,\" she said, geographically because she was born in Brussels, and politically since she came from a pro-European family where her father already held a high-level EU position.\n\n\"I come from a family that has a European history,\" she said Tuesday.\n\nStill, little more than two weeks ago, her name was a near-total surprise when EU leaders proposed her to succeed Jean-Claude Juncker.\n\nShe is a strong supporter of closer European cooperation who has been Germany's defense minister since 2013 and a fixture in Chancellor Angela Merkel's Cabinet over the longtime leader's nearly 14 years in power.\n\nVon der Leyen, 60, spent her early years in the Belgian capital and speaks fluent English and French, having studied at the London School of Economics in the 1970s. She also lived in Stanford, California, from 1992 to 1996, where two of her seven children were born.\n\nShe was long viewed as a potential successor to Merkel, but has had a tough tenure at the head of the notoriously difficult defense ministry and had long since faded out of contention by the time Merkel stepped down last year as leader of her center-right Christian Democratic Union, or CDU, party.\n\nStill, von der Leyen, a medical doctor, played a significant role in modernizing the image of her party during the Merkel years. As minister for families in Merkel's first Cabinet from 2005 to 2009, she introduced benefits encouraging fathers to look after their young children.\n\nVon der Leyen then served as labor minister until 2013, when she became Germany's first female defense minister.\n\nPushing for gender equality will mark her next five years too, she said. She only got the job, she said, \"thanks to all the men and women who have broken down barriers and defied convention.\"\n\nShortly after Britain voted to leave the European Union in 2016, she said as defense minister that Brexit offered the bloc an opportunity to press ahead with greater military cooperation.\n\n\"Britain consistently blocked everything that had Europe written on it,\" von der Leyen said. She argued that closer military ties between member states could help ease the frustration many voters feel about the EU's inability to tackle major issues.\n\nHer views on Europe are anathema to the spirit of Brexit sweeping the United Kingdom.\n\nIn an interview with news magazine Der Spiegel in 2011, as the eurozone debt crisis rumbled, von der Leyen declared a loftier goal for Europe.\n\n\"My aim is the United States of Europe — on the model of federal states such as Switzerland, Germany or the U.S.\" She said that Europe could use its \"size advantage\" on financial, taxation and economic questions.\n\nHer views, if anything, are even stronger now.\n\nVon der Leyen comes from a political family and is the daughter of a former governor of her home state of Lower Saxony, Ernst Albrecht, who before that was a senior European civil servant. She has been a deputy leader of Merkel's CDU since 2010. Despite being mentioned over the years as a potential successor to Merkel, she herself publicly dismissed such talk.\n\n\"In every generation, there is one chancellor,\" she said in 2013. \"In my generation, that is Angela Merkel.\"\n\nIn her generation, von der Leyen is now the first female European Commission president.", "BERLIN: Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, the head of German Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrat party, will succeed Ursula von der Leyen as German defence minister, a source within the party told Reuters on Tuesday (Jul 16).\n\nVon der Leyen, who was confirmed on Tuesday by the European Parliament as the next head of the European Union's executive, steps down from her German role on Tuesday.\n\nKramp-Karrenbauer, a close Merkel ally who is widely seen as the long-serving chancellor's favoured candidate to succeed her, currently has no government role, which critics say would make it more difficult for her to transition to the chancellorship."], "summary": "President-elect of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen resigns from her position as Federal Minister of Defence of Germany. Chancellor Angela Merkel appoints Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, the leader of the ruling CDU, as her successor."}
{"document": ["Sudan's ruling military council and an alliance of opposition groups on Wednesday signed the first of two documents as part of a power-sharing deal that activists hope will pave the way for democracy in the east African country.\n\nThe two sides inked the \"Political Declaration\" in Khartoum in front of African Union and Ethiopian mediators following overnight talks to iron out the final elements of the agreement. Sudan's deputy chief of the ruling military council, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, described it as a \"historic moment.\"\n\nIbrahim al-Amin, a leader of the opposition Forces of Freedom and Change coalition, said: \"Today, we completed the political declaration. For the constitutional document we will resume talks on Friday.\"\n\nStability\n\n\"We want a stable homeland, because we have suffered a great deal,\" the protest leader added. \"We are ushering in a new era. The upcoming government will be a government of all Sudanese, for all citizens.\n\nWe have suffered enough from the totalitarian dictatorial regime.\"\n\nThe military and the pro-democracy movement agreed on July 5 to a joint sovereign council that would rule Sudan until elections are organized in 2022.\n\nA general is set to head the ruling body for the next 21 months, followed by a civilian for the remaining 18 months. The interim government will be comprised of six civilians and five military representatives.\n\nSudan has been in a state of flux since former President Omar al-Bashir was ousted in April in a military coup brought about after large-scale protests against his regime.\n\nEarlier this month, dozens were killed during opposition rallies against the military council. The protests — dubbed Justice First — were a direct response to the military council's use of brutal force against civilian protesters in June.\n\nThe women of Sudan's protests The returnee Khadija Saleh lived abroad for six years before she returned to her homeland in March to take part in the anti-Bashir protests. \"I came back from a safer place because I want a better future for this country,\" the 41-year-old said.\n\nThe women of Sudan's protests The activist On June 3, security forces violently disbanded a protest camp near the Ministry of Defense in Khartoum. Nahid Gabralla, 53, was beaten and threatened with rape. \"My daughter deserves to live in a nice country... we will fight for a democratic Sudan, real change and for our rights\"\n\nThe women of Sudan's protests The adviser Hadia Hasaballah works for an NGO that takes care of the victims of the June 3 crackdown. Witnesses and activists reported that women were sexually abused during the operation. The government has not confirmed the reports. \"None of the Sudanese women will officially say that they were raped because of the stigma,\" Hasaballah said.\n\nThe women of Sudan's protests The silent fighter Under al-Bashir's rule, women were forced to adhere to strict codes of conduct. They could be arrested if they wore trousers. Mahi Aba-Yazid wore trousers while she took part in the protests at the camp on June 3. She too was beaten by security forces. The 35-year-old believes that her choice of clothing has had more of an impact than her engagement.\n\nThe women of Sudan's protests The self-determined student \"I don't want to wear headscarf, but it is not my choice. I want my right to wear what I want,\" says Duha Mohmed. The 23-year-old student explains one of the reasons she took part in the protests.\n\nThe women of Sudan's protests The optimist Nagda Mansour sat for 75 days in a prison because she took part in a demonstration in December. The 39-year-old translator has a problem with accepting the idea of negotiating with the military because of its role in the war in Darfur. The agreement protesters have made to share power with the military is in her eyes only \"the beginning, not the end.\"\n\nThe women of Sudan's protests The mother Manal Farah, 49, begged her son not to take part in the protests because she feared the violence. The 22-year-old student was killed on June 3. \"When he started in university he started to ask why there is corruption in Sudan. He said there must be a change, a new Sudan ... I pray for my son's dreams to come true,\" she said. Author: Sabine Faber (with Reuters)\n\n\n\njsi/amp (AFP, Reuters, AP)\n\nEach evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.", "Sudan’s ruling military council and an opposition alliance this morning signed a political accord as part of a power-sharing deal aimed at leading the country to democracy following three decades of autocratic rule, Reuters reported.\n\nThe agreement, which ended days of speculation about whether a deal announced earlier this month would hold, was initialled in Khartoum in the presence of African mediators following a night of talks to iron out some details of the agreement.\n\nThe deal is meant to pave the way to a political transition after military leaders ousted former President Omar Al-Bashir in April following weeks of protests against his rule.\n\nAt least 128 people were killed during a crackdown that began when security forces dispersed a protest camp outside the Defence Ministry in central Khartoum in June, according to medics linked to the opposition. The Health Ministry had put the death toll at 61.\n\nA political standoff between Sudan’s military rulers and protesters threatened to drag the country of 40 million towards further violence before African mediators managed to bridge the gap between the two sides.\n\nGeneral Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the deputy head of Sudan’s Transitional Military Council, hailed the agreement as the start of a new partnership between the armed forces, including the paramilitary forces he leads, and the opposition coalition of Forces of Freedom and Change (FFC).\n\nIbrahim Al-Amin, an FFC leader, said the accord signalled a new era of self-reliance for Sudan’s people.\n\n“We want a stable homeland, because we have suffered a great deal,” Amin said in a speech after the ceremony.\n\nThe sides are still working on a constitutional declaration, which is expected to be signed on Friday.\n\nUnder the power-sharing deal reached earlier this month, the two sides agreed to share power in a sovereign council during a transitional period of just over three years.\n\nThey also agreed to form an independent government of technocrats to run the country and to launch a transparent, independent investigation into the violence.\n\nREAD: What next for Sudan?\n\nThe power-sharing agreement reached earlier this month called for a sovereign council comprised of 11 members – five officers selected by the military council, five civilians chosen by the FFC and another civilian to be agreed upon by both sides.\n\nThe constitutional declaration will now decide the duties and responsibilities of the sovereign council.\n\nThe military was to head the council during the first 21 months of the transitional period while a civilian would head the council during the remaining 18 months.\n\nBut the agreement was thrown into doubt when new disputes surfaced last week over the military council’s demand for immunity for council members against prosecution.\n\nThe military council also demanded that the sovereign council would retain ultimate decision-making powers rather than the government.", "Sudan's ruling military council and an alliance of opposition groups on Wednesday signed the first of two documents as part of a power-sharing deal that activists hope will pave the way for democracy in the east African country.\n\nThe two sides inked the \"Political Declaration\" in Khartoum in front of African Union and Ethiopian mediators following overnight talks to iron out the final elements of the agreement. Sudan's deputy chief of the ruling military council, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, described it as a \"historic moment.\"\n\nIbrahim al-Amin, a leader of the opposition Forces of Freedom and Change coalition, said: \"Today, we completed the political declaration. For the constitutional document we will resume talks on Friday.\"\n\n\"We want a stable homeland, because we have suffered a great deal,\" the protest leader added. \"We are ushering in a new era. The upcoming government will be a government of all Sudanese, for all citizens.\n\n We have suffered enough from the totalitarian dictatorial regime.\"\n\nThe military and the pro-democracy movement agreed on July 5 to a joint sovereign council that would rule Sudan until elections are organized in 2022.\n\nA general is set to head the ruling body for the next 21 months, followed by a civilian for the remaining 18 months. The interim government will be comprised of six civilians and five military representatives.\n\nSudan has been in a state of flux since former President Omar al-Bashir was ousted in April in a military coup brought about after large-scale protests against his regime.\n\nEarlier this month, dozens were killed during opposition rallies against the military council. The protests — dubbed Justice First — were a direct response to the military council using brutal force against civilian protesters in June.\n\nEach evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.", "Sudan's ruling military, pro-democracy movement sign political document as part of power-sharing deal to end deadlock\n\nCAIRO (AP) — Sudan's ruling military, pro-democracy movement sign political document as part of power-sharing deal to end deadlock.", "Sudan's military council and an alliance of opposition groups have signed an initial political accord as part of a power-sharing deal that would lead to a civilian administration of the country. Live television reports showed the signing ceremony, in the presence of African mediators.\n\nRepresentatives of the military, and Forces for Declaration of Freedom and Change, which represents the protesters, initialled a document called the \"Political Declaration\" after a marathon negotiating session overnight to iron out details of the agreement, decided earlier this month. It is one of two documents as part of the deal; the other, a constitutional declaration, is expected to be signed on Friday.\n\nThe deal has a joint Sovereign Council ruling the country for a little over three years while elections are organised. The opposition has been calling for a move to civilian rule since street protests prompted the military to oust president Omar al-Bashir in April.\n• Hopes for civilian rule in Sudan after compromise deal\n\nThe military and protesters had found themselves in a deadlock, since security forces broke up a sit-in protest in Khartoum last month.\n\nA major sticking point has been the granting of immunity to military rulers against possible prosecution for violence against protesters. Opposition groups accuse the Rapid Support Forces, a paramilitary organisation linked to the military council, of being responsible for the death of more than 125 protesters.\n\nThe military council has confirmed at least 61 deaths and has blamed officers for the violence, promising to bring them to justice, but it denied that members of the military council were behind the violence.", "CAIRO (AP) — Sudan’s ruling military, pro-democracy movement sign political document as part of power-sharing deal to end deadlock.", "The leaders of Sudan's pro-democracy movement and the country's ruling military council signed a power-sharing agreement on Wednesday. The two sides held a signing ceremony in the capital, Khartoum, marking the end of three months of protests and negotiations. The document is a step toward civilian rule, but details of the agreement, including how power would be divided, still need to be worked out.\n\nThe deal establishes a joint civilian-military sovereign council to govern Sudan during a three-year transition period before elections. The council will be made up of five civilians, five people from the military, and an 11th person to be chosen by the council. A military leader will head the council for the first 21 months, and then a civilian leader will lead it for the following 18 months.\n\nFurther terms of the transitional period will be detailed in a constitutional declaration, but disagreements persist over how power would be shared among the sovereign council, the Cabinet and the legislative body, and some protesters have criticized the deal for not handing power over to civilians immediately.\n\nThere is also disagreement over an investigation into military leaders' role in the use of violence to crush protests, and whether they can have immunity from prosecution, according to The Associated Press.\n\nOn June 3, troops opened fire on demonstrators in Khartoum and killed at least 128 people.\n\nOn the day of the protest NPR spoke with the Central Committee of Sudan Doctors, which was helping to coordinate the demonstrations. The committee told NPR of violence inflicted on protesters by Sudanese troops: \"The Transitional Military Council forces are firing live ammunition inside East Nile Hospital and chasing peaceful protestors inside the hospital's campus. Royal Care Hospital in Buri area is under siege by the Transitional Military Council (TMC) forces at the moment. TMC's forces are preventing volunteers from reaching the hospital.\"\n\nWednesday in Khartoum, Lt. Gen. Mohamed Hamdan was a signatory for the military to the power-sharing deal. The New York Times reported on the signing, \"Protest leaders are uncomfortable with the prominence of General Hamdan and his Rapid Support Forces, which have emerged as the dominant group in a byzantine security apparatus that under Mr. al-Bashir included military units, security agencies and semiofficial militias.\"\n\nFormer president Omar Hassan al-Bashir, a former military general, was ousted in April. He ruled Sudan for 30 years. Bashir is now wanted by international prosecutors for war crimes in Darfur.", "Sudan's ruling military council and an alliance of opposition groups on Wednesday signed the first of two documents as part of a power-sharing deal that activists hope will pave the way for democracy in the east African country.\n\nThe two sides inked the \"Political Declaration\" in Khartoum in front of African Union and Ethiopian mediators following overnight talks to iron out the final elements of the agreement. Sudan's deputy chief of the ruling military council, Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, described it as a \"historic moment.\"\n\nIbrahim al-Amin, a leader of the opposition Forces of Freedom and Change coalition, said: \"Today, we completed the political declaration. For the constitutional document we will resume talks on Friday.\"\n\n\"We want a stable homeland, because we have suffered a great deal,\" the protest leader added.\n\nSudan has been in a state of flux since former President Omar al-Bashir was ousted in April in a military coup brought about after large-scale protests against his regime.\n\nEarlier this month, dozens were killed during opposition rallies against the military council. The protests — dubbed Justice First — were a direct response to the military council using brutal force against civilian protesters in June.\n\nEach evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.", "Sudan’s ruling military council and opposition leaders have signed a power-sharing accord after all-night talks.\n\nIt is a “historic moment” for the country, the deputy head of Sudan’s ruling military council, Mohamed Mohamed Hamdan “Hemeti” Dagolo, is quoted as saying by AFP news agency.\n\nThe military seized power in April after deposing Omar al-Bashir.In clashes with the military which have turned deadly, protesters demanded the military hand power to civilians.\n\nThe signing of the document appears to confirm an agreement made in principle earlier this month.\n\nThat agreement laid out a plan rotate control of the sovereign council – the top tier of power – for just over three years.It said the military would be in charge for the first 21 months, then a civilian-run administration would take over the following 18 months, followed by elections.A second agreement on constitutional issues is expected to be finalised on Friday.", "CAIRO -- Sudan's ruling military and the pro-democracy movement on Wednesday signed a political document that's part of a power-sharing deal meant to end the country's deadlock after weeks of stalled talks.\n\nThe two sides -- representatives from the military council and the Forces for Declaration of Freedom and Change -- signed a so-called political declaration, one of two documents that are part of the deal, at a ceremony in Khartoum.\n\nThe other document, a constitutional declaration, is likely to be signed within days, perhaps as early as Friday.\n\nThe signing is a key step in Sudan's transition after months of street protests that prompted the military to oust autocratic ruler Omar al-Bashir and take over the country in April. But the protesters, though initially cheering al-Bashir's ouster, remained on the streets for several weeks, demanding the military hand over power to a civilian authority.\n\nThe military and the pro-democracy movement, which represents the protesters, had agreed earlier this month on a joint sovereign council that will rule Sudan for a little over three years while elections are organized.\n\nThe power-sharing deal, which also includes a Cabinet appointed by the pro-democracy movement, was meant to end weeks of deadlock between the two sides since a Khartoum protest sit-in was razed by security forces last month.\n\nProtest organizers say security forces killed at least 128 people during that dispersal and subsequent crackdown. Authorities, however, put the death toll at 61, including three members of the security forces.\n\nAnd on June 30, tens of thousands of demonstrators flooded the streets of Khartoum in the biggest show of numbers in the uprising. At least 11 people were killed in clashes with security forces, according to protest organizers.\n\nThe two sides subsequently resumed talks and also agreed on an independent Sudanese investigation into the deadly crackdown, though it is unclear if anyone will be held accountable.\n\n\"We are ushering in a new era,\" Ibrahim al-Amin, a negotiator for the protesters said at Wednesday's signing ceremony. \"The upcoming government will be a government of all Sudanese, for all citizens ... we have suffered enough from the totalitarian dictatorial regime.\"\n\nGen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, deputy head of the military council, hailed the signing as a \"historic moment in Sudan\" as representatives of both sides shook hands.\n\nWednesday's development came after intensive efforts and pressure form regional and international powers. The African Union and Ethiopia led the diplomatic mediation, following the deadly break-up of the Khartoum protest camp in June.\n\nEthiopian mediator, Mohamoud Dirir, called it a \"great moment for the people of Sudan\" and lauded the \"united front that represents the gallant army of the Sudan, the transitional military council, and of course the revolutionary youth, the intellectuals who have taken to the streets to stand for democracy.\"\n\nAU envoy Mohammed el-Hassan Labat said the signing was \"a decisive moment.\" Both Labat and Dirir, who attended the Khartoum ceremony, also shook hands and embraced.\n\nThe deposed strongman al-Bashir, who ruled Sudan for 30 years, has been under arrest in Khartoum since his ouster. He appeared in public in June for the first time since the military toppled him on April 11, as he was led to a prosecutor's office in a corruption investigation.\n\nIn May, al-Bashir was charged with involvement in killing protesters and incitement to kill protesters during the popular uprising that started in December, initially over price increases of basic goods and a failing economy, but which later turned into calls for his ouster.\n\nHe is also wanted by the International Criminal Court over charges of war crimes and genocide linked to the Darfur conflict in the 2000s, but the Sudanese military has said it would not extradite him to The Hague. He was the only sitting head of state for whom an international arrest warrant had been issued."], "summary": "Representatives of Sudan's military and the civil opposition sign the first of two parts of a power-sharing deal which is supposed to last until free elections in 2022."}
{"document": ["President Donald Trump speaks during a Cabinet meeting in the Cabinet Room of the White House, Tuesday, July 16, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)\n\nWASHINGTON (AP) — The House easily killed a maverick Democrat’s effort Wednesday to impeach President Donald Trump for his recent racial insults against lawmakers of color , in a vote that provided an early snapshot of just how divided Democrats are over trying to oust him in the shadow of the 2020 elections.\n\nDemocrats leaned against the resolution by Texas Rep. Al Green by about a 3-2 margin as the chamber killed the measure 332-95. The vote showed that so far, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has been successful in her effort to prevent a Democratic stampede toward impeachment before additional evidence is developed that could win over a public that has so far been skeptical about ousting Trump.\n\nEven so, the numbers also showed that the number of Democrats open to impeachment remains substantial. About two dozen more conversions would split the party’s caucus in half over an issue that could potentially dominate next year’s presidential and congressional campaigns.\n\n“There’s a lot of grief, from a lot of different quarters,” Green, speaking to reporters after the vote, said of the reaction he’s received from colleagues. “But sometimes you just have to take a stand.”\n\nPelosi and other party leaders considered his resolution a premature exercise that needlessly forced vulnerable swing-district lawmakers to cast a perilous and divisive vote. It also risked deepening Democrats’ already raw rift over impeachment, dozens of the party’s most liberal lawmakers itching to oust Trump.\n\nRecent polling has shown solid majorities oppose impeachment. Even if the Democratic-run House would vote to impeach Trump, the equivalent of filing formal charges, a trial by the Republican-led Senate would all but certainly acquit him, keeping him in office.\n\nPelosi, D-Calif., told reporters earlier that six House committees are investigating Trump.\n\n“That is the serious path we’re on,” she said.\n\nDemocrats are also eagerly awaiting next week’s scheduled public testimony to two House committees by special counsel Robert Mueller.\n\nWith Democrats preparing to defend their House majority in next year’s elections, Green’s measure put incumbents in closely divided districts in a difficult spot. Democrats owe their House majority to 39 challengers who won in 2018 in what had been GOP-held districts, places where moderate voters largely predominate.\n\n“It’s not ideal for a lot of people to have to take that vote right now,” one of them, Rep. Katie Hill, D-Calif., said Wednesday of impeachment. She said “if and when” the House votes on impeaching Trump, it should happen when “we can make sure our constituents understand and can get behind” the move.\n\nDemocrats are also concerned that Republicans could use a failed impeachment vote to try taking the steam out of the continuing probes into Trump’s performance in office by arguing that the House had demonstrated it had no appetite for removing him from office.\n\n“This is all they’ve ever wanted to do from the day of the election” in 2016, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said in a brief interview.\n\nGreen’s measure cites Trump’s recent “racist” comments imploring Democratic congresswomen of color to go back to their native countries. The House voted Tuesday largely along party lines to condemn those statements . His targets were Democratic Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan.\n\nAll are American and all but Omar were born in the U.S. They’ve also been among the party’s most outspoken advocates of impeachment.\n\nTrump is “unfit to be President, unfit to represent the American values of decency and morality, respectability and civility, honesty and propriety, reputability and integrity, is unfit to defend the ideals that have made America great, unfit to defend liberty and justice for all,” Green’s resolution said.\n\nGreen’s resolution does not mention Mueller’s investigation into whether Trump’s 2016 campaign conspired with Russia to influence that year’s congressional election or whether the president obstructed Mueller’s probe.\n\nThose threads have been why some Democrats have backed impeachment. More than 80 of the 235 House Democrats have said an impeachment inquiry is merited.\n\nMueller’s 448-page report detailed several episodes in which Trump tried to influence his investigation. Mueller said he could not exonerate Trump on obstruction and indicated in a May news conference that it was up to Congress to decide what to do.\n\nThose who support an impeachment inquiry have argued that it would accelerate the process and bolster their arguments in court. Some Democrats are frustrated with the slow pace of their party’s investigations of the president. Democrats have had little success so far in their attempts to investigate beyond what Mueller detailed, as the White House has blocked several witnesses from answering questions.\n\nGreen’s measure was the third resolution to impeach Trump he has brought to the House floor since 2017. The eight-term veteran has spurned leadership entreaties to hold off in the past.\n\nBut while his first two efforts were symbolic because they came with Republicans controlling the House, this time Democrats run the chamber.", "WASHINGTON (AP) — The House easily killed a maverick Democrat's effort Wednesday to impeach President Donald Trump for his recent racial insults against lawmakers of color , in a vote that provided an early snapshot of just how divided Democrats are over trying to oust him in the shadow of the 2020 elections.\n\nDemocrats leaned against the resolution by Texas Rep. Al Green by about a 3-2 margin as the chamber killed the measure 332-95. The vote showed that so far, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has been successful in her effort to prevent a Democratic stampede toward impeachment before additional evidence is developed that could win over a public that has so far been skeptical about ousting Trump.\n\nEven so, the numbers also showed that the number of Democrats open to impeachment remains substantial. About two dozen more conversions would split the party's caucus in half over an issue that could potentially dominate next year's presidential and congressional campaigns.\n\n\"There's a lot of grief, from a lot of different quarters,\" Green, speaking to reporters after the vote, said of the reaction he's received from colleagues. \"But sometimes you just have to take a stand.\"\n\nPelosi and other party leaders considered his resolution a premature exercise that needlessly forced vulnerable swing-district lawmakers to cast a perilous and divisive vote. It also risked deepening Democrats' already raw rift over impeachment, dozens of the party's most liberal lawmakers itching to oust Trump.\n\nRecent polling has shown solid majorities oppose impeachment. Even if the Democratic-run House would vote to impeach Trump, the equivalent of filing formal charges, a trial by the Republican-led Senate would all but certainly acquit him, keeping him in office.\n\nPelosi, D-Calif., told reporters earlier that six House committees are investigating Trump.\n\n\"That is the serious path we're on,\" she said.\n\nDemocrats are also eagerly awaiting next week's scheduled public testimony to two House committees by special counsel Robert Mueller.\n\nWith Democrats preparing to defend their House majority in next year's elections, Green's measure put incumbents in closely divided districts in a difficult spot. Democrats owe their House majority to 39 challengers who won in 2018 in what had been GOP-held districts, places where moderate voters largely predominate.\n\n\"It's not ideal for a lot of people to have to take that vote right now,\" one of them, Rep. Katie Hill, D-Calif., said Wednesday of impeachment. She said \"if and when\" the House votes on impeaching Trump, it should happen when \"we can make sure our constituents understand and can get behind\" the move.\n\nDemocrats are also concerned that Republicans could use a failed impeachment vote to try taking the steam out of the continuing probes into Trump's performance in office by arguing that the House had demonstrated it had no appetite for removing him from office.\n\n\"This is all they've ever wanted to do from the day of the election\" in 2016, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said in a brief interview.\n\nGreen's measure cites Trump's recent \"racist\" comments imploring Democratic congresswomen of color to go back to their native countries. The House voted Tuesday largely along party lines to condemn those statements . His targets were Democratic Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan.\n\nAll are American and all but Omar were born in the U.S. They've also been among the party's most outspoken advocates of impeachment.\n\nTrump is \"unfit to be President, unfit to represent the American values of decency and morality, respectability and civility, honesty and propriety, reputability and integrity, is unfit to defend the ideals that have made America great, unfit to defend liberty and justice for all,\" Green's resolution said.\n\nGreen's resolution does not mention Mueller's investigation into whether Trump's 2016 campaign conspired with Russia to influence that year's congressional election or whether the president obstructed Mueller's probe.\n\nThose threads have been why some Democrats have backed impeachment. More than 80 of the 235 House Democrats have said an impeachment inquiry is merited.\n\nMueller's 448-page report detailed several episodes in which Trump tried to influence his investigation. Mueller said he could not exonerate Trump on obstruction and indicated in a May news conference that it was up to Congress to decide what to do.\n\nThose who support an impeachment inquiry have argued that it would accelerate the process and bolster their arguments in court. Some Democrats are frustrated with the slow pace of their party's investigations of the president. Democrats have had little success so far in their attempts to investigate beyond what Mueller detailed, as the White House has blocked several witnesses from answering questions.\n\nGreen's measure was the third resolution to impeach Trump he has brought to the House floor since 2017. The eight-term veteran has spurned leadership entreaties to hold off in the past.\n\nBut while his first two efforts were symbolic because they came with Republicans controlling the House, this time Democrats run the chamber.", "The Democrat-controlled House of Representatives passed a resolution condemning President Donald Trump for his “racist comments” about four Democratic congresswomen of color.\n\n » Subscribe to MSNBC:\n\nMSNBC delivers breaking news and in-depth analysis of the headlines, as well as informed perspectives. Find video clips and segments from The Rachel Maddow Show, Morning Joe, Hardball, All In, Last Word, 11th Hour, and more.\n\nConnect with MSNBC Online\n\n Visit msnbc.com:\n\n Subscribe to MSNBC Newsletter: MSNBC.com/NewslettersYouTube\n\n Find MSNBC on Facebook:\n\n Follow MSNBC on Twitter:\n\n Follow MSNBC on Instagram:\n\nHouse Votes To Condemn President Trump’s Statements – The Day That Was | MSNBC", "The Latest: House derails move to impeach Trump for insults\n\nWASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on a House Democrat's effort to impeachment President Donald Trump (all times local):\n\nThe House has derailed an effort by a maverick Democrat to impeach President Donald Trump because of his racial insults against four of the party's congresswomen of color.\n\nWednesday's vote to kill the proposal by Texas congressman Al Green was 332-95. Democrats opposed the effort by a 3-to-2 margin, while all Republicans voted to kill it.\n\nGreen's resolution did not mention special prosecutor Robert Mueller's unanswered questions about whether Trump obstructed his probe of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential campaign.\n\nIt was the third time the Houston lawmaker has forced the House to vote on removing Trump, but the first since Democrats took control of the chamber this year.\n\nMany liberal Democrats have favored impeaching Trump. Speaker Nancy Pelosi has preferred a go-slow approach to develop a stronger case that could be more acceptable to the public.\n\nHouse Speaker Nancy Pelosi says her chamber will derail a maverick Democrat's drive to impeach President Donald Trump.\n\nTexas Rep. Al Green's resolution cites Trump's \"racist\" words this week urging Democratic congresswomen of color to go back to their native countries. And he says Trump is unfit to be president.\n\nPelosi and other party leaders worry that the vote needlessly forces vulnerable swing-district lawmakers to cast a perilous and divisive vote. Even if the House voted to impeach Trump now, the Republican-run Senate would be certain to acquit him.\n\nPelosi tells reporters about Green's resolution, \"We'll get rid of all this right now.\"\n\nGreen's measure also risks widening the rift between liberal Democrats itching to oust Trump and Pelosi and others who want to first build stronger public support.", "Washington, July 18 (IANS) The US House of Representatives has killed a resolution to impeach US President Donald Trump over his “racist” tweets against four Democratic lawmakers.\n\nThe House on Wednesday voted 332-95 to table the bill, signifying a deeply divided Democratic Party on whether to impeach Trump, especially after Trump fired racially charged tweets at progressive lawmakers that evoked outcry from both sides of the aisle, Xinhua reported.\n\nHouse Speaker Nancy Pelosi tried to persuade fellow Democratic lawmakers that impeaching Trump was not the best strategy, but frustration against the Trump administration over immigration policies, obstruction of justice allegations and personal attacks on political opponents gave a sizable portion of House Democrats enough reason to rebel against party leadership and back impeachment proceedings.\n\nTrump on Sunday told a group of four ethnic minority female lawmakers to “go back” to the “places from which they came,” and later doubled down on his position in saying that the lawmakers “hate” the US.\n\nThe remarks received universal criticism from the Democratic Party, and many Republican lawmakers also said such statements were inappropriate.\n\nThe US House of Representatives voted Tuesday to condemn Trump for the remarks, with four Republican lawmakers joining the ranks of Democrats in supporting the bill.\n\nAccording to the Pew Research Center, there are currently 52 voting members in the House and 16 members in the Senate who are immigrants or children of immigrants, most of them are Democrats.", "President Donald Trump has an established reputation as a polarising figure with his bigotry becoming an established part of American public discourse since the days of his first presidential campaign where he issued slurs against Mexicans and refused to disavow the endorsement of the Ku Klux Klan. Yesterday, the House of Representatives tabled a vote on the topic of Mr Trump’s impeachment brought by the congressman Al Green of Texas. This move by Mr Green was a result of Representatives’ claims that racist tweets made by Mr Trump on Sunday directed at four congresswomen of colour calling for them to “go back” where they came from brought “disgrace” to the presidential office. So is it possible the President could be impeached as a result of these racist tweets and what the latest odds on this happening?\n\nOn Sunday, Mr Trump, who has a Twitter following of 62 million, shared a three-tweet thread where he accused four female Democrats of “viciously” criticising him and the USA. The outburst came after three of the women had spoken out about the conditions of migrant detention centres they had visited, describing alleged mistreatment happening “under American flags”. His comments sparked racial controversy over the weekend when he called for the four women of colour to “go back” to where they came from.\n\nHe tweeted: “So interesting to see “Progressive” Democrat Congresswomen, who originally came from countries whose governments are a complete and total catastrophe, the worst, most corrupt and inept anywhere in the world (if they even have a functioning government at all), now loudly...... “....and viciously telling the people of the United States, the greatest and most powerful Nation on earth, how our government is to be run. Why don’t they go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came. Then come back and show us how.... “....it is done. These places need your help badly, you can’t leave fast enough. I’m sure that Nancy Pelosi would be very happy to quickly work out free travel arrangements!”\n\nAlthough the president did not specifically identify the four women, it was clear he was referring to a group of women known as “the squad”. The group is made up of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib and Ayanna Pressley, all of whom were born in the US, and Ilhan Omar, who came to America as a refugee at the age of 12. Following these controversial tweets, the women and many others in the US accused Mr Trump of being racist. Many have called for the impeachment of the 45th US president claiming his actions brought “the high office of the President of the United States in contempt, ridicule, disgrace and disrepute”.\n\nIn his resolution drafted by Mr Green, he said Mr Trump had: “By his statements brought the high office of the President of the United States in contempt, ridicule, disgrace, and disrepute, has sown seeds of discord among the people of the United States, has demonstrated that he is unfit to be President, and has betrayed his trust as President of the United States to the manifest injury of the people of the United States, and has committed a high misdemeanor in office”. However, the House of Representatives killed Mr Green’s attempt to impeach Donald Trump, with 137 Democrats joining Republicans to table a vote on articles of impeachment. A total of 95 Democrats voted to advance the impeachment resolution, but “tabling” this impeachment article means it is, in effect, dead. While many Democrats said they agreed with the sentiment, the caucus followed the lead of the House speaker Nancy Pelosi who said multiple investigations into the president, his associates and their activities should be played out before impeachment should be considered.\n\nThe vote yesterday provided an early snapshot of how divided Democrats are regarding ousting Mr Trump, with members of congress split over whether it is necessary or others who believe it could backfire and in fact galvanize Republican support increasing his chances of re-election. This means while Mr Trump will not be impeached immediately, the prospect is still possible once the ongoing investigations into the current US president and alleged misconduct. According to Ladbrokes, the odds of Mr Trump being impeached during his first time are 3/1 odds, compared to 1/5 odds that he will not. While it still looks unlikely he will be impeached, these odds have dropped over the past few days as the racism row rages on 10/3 into 3/1.", "person well, a hazy mechanism to fog up the lenses of law makers. When President Donald Trump needs an air-wave filling distraction, a bilious splurge of interest in the blogosphere, he is always happy to lob a grenade of 280 characters or so. His targets and recipients oblige in an unsettling dance. Speeches are made, press galleries filled and resolutions submitted to Congress.\n\nTrump’s last round of fired remarks found their targets in Representatives Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan. They were not mentioned by name, but presumption can be all powerful. “So interesting to see ‘Progressive’ Democrat Congresswomen, who originally came from countries whose governments are a complete and total catastrophe, the worst, most corrupt and inept anywhere in the world (if they even have a functioning government at all), now loudly and viciously telling the people of the United States, the greatest and most powerful Nation on earth, how our government is to be run.” Then came his none-too constructive suggestion: “Why don’t they go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came.”\n\nWhile his remarks against “The Squad” are in characteristic poor taste, not to mention inaccurate (three of the representatives were born in the United States) they remain characteristic, brutish panto and all part of the boundless show that is Trumpism. They are not designed to convert the unconverted or convince the unsure with rhetorical sharpness or insight. Anti-Trump and pro-Trump lines are firmed, concretely paved for the next election. The issue, till then, is merely to occupy space with venom and fury, to divide and hope that the house will fall when the votes are tallied.\n\nSuch space of distraction assumes a few forms, all ultimately lending false credibility to incendiary smatterings. Words are broken down, assumptions unpacked. Were his words racist? Yes, claim some. Did he articulate a substantive vision? Most certainly, go others. (House Speaker Nancy Pelosi deemed them “xenophobic”.) For Omar, Trump’s words are programmatic, “a blatantly racist attack on four duly elected members of the United States House of Representatives, all of whom are women of colour. This is an agenda of white nationalists.”\n\nPresident Barack Obama’s chief election strategist David Axelrod, similarly sees a program, albeit encased in a trap, with Trump wanting “to raise the profile of his targets, drive Dems to defend them and make them emblematic of the entire party. It’s a cold, hard strategy.” The none-too-implicit suggestion here is that the quartet risk being hung out to dry come 2020 by the party strategists.\n\nIn solidarity, the four representatives expressed their marshalled outrage, all the time attempting to give a sense of elevated fury to the garbage gilded twittersphere while denying its enduring relevance. Omar fell for the laid bait on the issue of impeachment, claiming on Monday that “it is time for us to impeach this president” having “openly” violated his constitutional oath.\n\nThe quartet managed to get up a House resolution, passed by 240 to 187 votes, condemning Trump for “racist comments that have legitimised fear and hatred of New Americans and people of colour”. The resolution, for good measure, also praised the value immigrants had brought to the United States. Trump ventured his own view. “I don’t have a racist bone in my body.”\n\nThe show delighted commentators dazzled by the fireworks. It was seen as historic, because it was the first time in over a century a President had received such a vote of disapproval. But it was true polarising fodder for the Trump administration, bound to inflict indigestion for anybody keen to seek a united stance. Division reigned; disorder prevailed and the representatives stuck to firmly etched party lines, with the exception of four Republicans who crossed the floor.\n\nDemocrat Representative John Lewis, Democrat from Georgia, spoke of knowing racism when seeing it and feeling it “and at the highest level of government”. Pelosi claimed that to not condemn Trump’s words “would be a shocking rejection of our values and a shameful abdication of our oath of office to protect the American people.”\n\nRepresentative Dan Meuser, Republican of Pennsylvania, was ill-tempered in response, insisting that the whole show had been a “ridiculous slander” which did a “disservice to our nation”. “What has really happened here is that the president and his supporters have been forced to endure months of allegations of racism.”\n\nRepublicans slanted their attack on procedural improprieties, less on the nature of Trump’s words than the behaviour of their Democrat colleagues, who they regarded as impugning the motives of the President. A failed effort was made to excise any suggestive words from the House Speaker’s record in accordance with the Jefferson Manual, a text authored by Thomas Jefferson in 1801. Quaintly if revealingly, the manual states that “references to racial or other discrimination on the part of the President are not in order.” Appalled by the bickering and disagreement, Representative Emanuel Cleaver II, Democrat of Missouri, banged the gavel and took his leave. “We just want to fight.”\n\nWhile the president versus squad show was boiling over, an arguably more significant resolution failed to gather the numbers. Sponsored by Representative Al Green, Democrat from Texas, the measure seeking to impeach Trump in light of his comments on the four representatives, failed by 332 votes to 95. Bigotry, argued Green, was “a high crime and misdemeanour.”\n\nThe president, while publically condemning the exercise as “time consuming”, would have been heartened: the squabbling Democrats may well have been united in their rebuke of the president’s tweets, but such consensus was momentary. In Pelosi’s words, “We have six committees working on following the facts in terms of any abuse of power, obstruction of justice and the rest that the president may have engaged in”. With unwitting comedic effect, the House Speaker found herself claiming that to be “the serious path we’re on – not that Mr Green is not serious, but we’ll deal with that on the floor.” And dealt with it they did, putting the pro-impeachment Democrats back into their crammed box.", "(CNN) The House on Wednesday easily defeated an effort from a Texas Democrat to impeach President Donald Trump in a vote that highlighted the Democratic fissures when it comes to impeachment.\n\nRep. Al Green was able to force the vote under House rules — the first that Congress has taken related to impeachment since Democrats took control of the chamber this year — in what amounted to the most direct challenge yet to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's handling of impeachment.\n\nThe 332-95 vote divided Democrats, with 95 — a little more than 40% of the Democratic caucus -- voting against tabling it, or voting to keep it alive. There were 137 Democrats who joined all Republicans in voting to defeat the measure.\n\nGreen's decision to bring up his resolution presented a dilemma for impeachment supporters and moderate Democrats alike, as they're now on the record for their vote, even if Green's resolution was only focused on one issue — what he says is the President's \"bigotry and racism\" — out of many Democrats are wrestling with on whether to move forward on impeachment.\n\nGreen was able to force the House to take up his impeachment articles because it's considered a privileged resolution under the House rules. While any House member can introduce a privileged resolution on the floor — and Green introduced similar resolutions twice while Republicans were control — Pelosi has until now held her party back from doing so since Democrats took control of chamber, despite more than 80 members pushing for the start of an impeachment inquiry.\n\nRepublicans helped Democrats table the resolution to show bipartisan opposition to impeaching the President on the grounds laid out in the Green resolution, according to a senior GOP leadership aide. The White House wanted a strong vote to kill the resolution, a source familiar with White House thinking said.\n\nDemocrats debated how to handle Green's resolution, and they were considering a vote to delay consideration of the measure, according to a House leadership aide. The aide said that Democrats wanted to delay the vote to provide more time to educate the caucus on the resolution and the implications of it. But Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy stepped in and offered the motion to table the resolution, which is given primary consideration on the floor before a motion to postpone, according to a Republican aide.\n\nTrump cheered the vote at his North Carolina rally Wednesday evening.\n\n\"I just heard that the US House of Representatives has overwhelmingly voted to kill the most ridiculous project I have ever been involved in. The resolution -- how stupid is that -- on impeachment,\" he said.\n\nAhead of the vote, Green dismissed calls from within his party to hold off on the resolution, which he introduced Tuesday evening, arguing that impeachment should follow Tuesday's House vote that condemned the President's racist tweets.\n\n\"I should not hold off, we should go forward as expeditiously as possible and we should do so because on yesterday we convicted the President ... The condemnation was a conviction. Today we have the opportunity to punish,\" Green said a reference to the resolution that passed Tuesday condemning racist language used by the President. \"As a result of what we did yesterday, the President suffers no harm, he doesn't have to pay any fine, he's not going to lose his job. But today we have the opportunity to punish.\"\n\nDemocrats have been wrestling with the question of impeachment since taking control of the House, and now more than a third of House Democrats publicly support opening an impeachment inquiry. But Pelosi has resisted those efforts, saying they should not move forward with impeachment unless the public is on their side.\n\n\"With all the respect in the world for him, we have six committees that are working on following the facts in terms of any abuse of power, obstruction of justice and the rest that the President may have engaged in,\" Pelosi said. \"That is the serious path that we are on, not that Mr. Green is not serious, but we'll deal with that on the floor.\"\n\nGreen brought up the impeachment resolution a week before special counsel Robert Mueller testifies publicly before the House, an event that many impeachment backers say will be key to sway the public — and skeptical lawmakers — on impeachment.\n\n\"Our focus should be on making sure that the Mueller hearing goes well,\" said House Democratic Caucus Chair Hakeem Jeffries of New York.\n\nOther House Democrats who support beginning an impeachment inquiry — and in some cases moving forward with articles of impeachment — said they would support Green's measure, even if they didn't agree with his decision to bring it up now.\n\n\"If I thought it was a really good idea I'd have done it myself,\" said Rep. Steve Cohen, a Tennessee Democrat who will support Green's resolution.\n\n\"I don't think this is the wisest moment,\" said Rep. Veronica Escobar, a Texas Democrat on the Judiciary Committee. \"I mean, believe me, this is something that I wrestle with myself and I think that the president is unfit for office and so I need to think through it, but ... we have an important process ahead that we really need to follow.\"\n\nBut Green said he chose to move forward with his resolution because he thinks Congress should send Trump \"a powerful message that this country will not tolerate bigotry, racism, hate, xenophobia, Islamophobia.\"\n\nHe noted that his impeachment resolution is not connected to Mueller or the findings of his investigation.\n\n\"You don't delay justice. The Mueller hearing has nothing to do with what we're doing now. The Mueller hearing is all about obstruction, this is about bigotry and racism and that racism that's been infused into policy,\" Green said.\n\nIn December 2017 and January 2018, Green also introduced privileged impeachment resolutions, which were both tabbed by the Republican-led House. The resolutions were killed in votes of 364-58 and 355-66, respectively, with a majority of Democrats joining Republicans to defeat them in both cases.\n\nThe number of Democrats voting with Green increased Wednesday to 95, up from 58 in the first vote and 66 in the second.\n\nEven in defeat, Green said the vote was a positive development \"because people are starting to understand this process.\"\n\nAnd he said that he might bring impeachment resolutions to the floor in the future, potentially on other topics like obstruction.\n\n\"I don't want to ... but if it is not done by someone, I will,\" he said. \"This resolution was the right thing to do ... the President at some point will be impeached.\"\n\nThis story has been updated with additional developments Wednesday.", "WASHINGTON - The Democratic-led House has voted to condemn President Donald Trump's tweets telling four Democratic congresswomen of color to \"go back\" to their countries of origin.\n\nTuesday's vote was 240-187 and was solidly opposed by Republicans. It came after Trump and top congressional Republicans denied he is a racist and urged GOP lawmakers to oppose the Democratic measure.\n\nThe resolution says the House \"strongly condemns\" Trump's \"racist comments that have legitimized and increased fear and hatred of new Americans and people of color.\"\n\nRepublicans say Democrats are using the uproar over Trump's comments to score political points. But Democrats say such comments were revolting and needed to be vilified, especially coming from the president.\n\nTrump didn't back down and tweeted that lawmakers unhappy with the U.S. \"can leave.\"\n\n\n\nCopyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.", "WASHINGTON — House Democrats rejected an attempt Wednesday to force a vote on impeaching President Donald Trump, showing that anger and frustration over the president’s racially-charged tweets and other actions have not yet convinced a majority to push for his removal.\n\nThe clash over impeachment came shortly before Democrats voted to hold in contempt Attorney General William Barr and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross for refusing to comply with congressional subpoenas seeking information about why the Trump administration wanted to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census.\n\nIt marked the first time the full House held members of Trump’s Cabinet in contempt since Democrats took over the chamber in January, and it came days after Trump announced he would give up his battle to use the census for what critics said was an effort to cut federal support for immigrant-heavy, largely Democratic districts.\n\nThe conflicting votes Wednesday thus reflected how far Democrats are willing to go — at least for now — as they confront Trump over an array of legal and political disputes, from getting access to his tax returns to oversight of security clearances at the White House.\n\nThey’ve struggled to pry documents and witnesses out of the Trump administration for congressional investigations, issuing subpoenas and going to court. But they’ve shied away from seeking impeachment, even while harshly denouncing the president.\n\nOn Tuesday the House passed a resolution, largely on party grounds, that “strongly condemned” Trump for telling four liberal members of Congress, all women of color and all U.S. citizens, to leave the country.\n\nAlthough Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., strongly backed that resolution, she has pushed back against efforts to start impeachment proceedings against the president, in part because of concerns it would backfire against Democrats in the 2020 election.\n\nRep. Al Green, D-Texas, tried to force a vote on impeaching Trump anyway Wednesday, introducing a resolution that called him “unfit to be president” and calling for his removal. For procedural reasons, the House was forced to consider — or derail — the resolution within two days.\n\nTrump has “brought the high office of the president of the United States in contempt” and “sown seeds of discord among the people of the United States,” Green wrote.\n\nHe cited Trump’s racist tweets telling the four lawmakers to “go back” to the countries “from which they came.”\n\nThe House could have voted to proceed with the measure, formally opening a debate on the floor over whether the president should be impeached, but Pelosi and other Democrats helped block the effort. The measure was tabled by a bipartisan vote of 332 to 95, effectively killing it.\n\nGreen said he considered his effort worthwhile because 95 Democrats voted against sidelining his resolution, an increase over the two times he has previously tried to force a vote on impeachment.\n\n“Whether we got 95 or 5, the point is we have to make a statement to the American people that there are some among us who believe that this president is unfit and should be impeached,” he said after the vote.\n\n“That’s the end of it,” he told reporters after landing in Greenville, N.C., for a political rally.\n\nDespite the vote, impeachment is gaining traction among some Democrats and emerging as a divisive issue in the party. Several Democrats running for president, including Sens. Kamala Harris of California and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, have urged Congress to start impeachment proceedings.\n\nPelosi has warned that an impeachment probe could draw attention away from Democrats’ policy goals, energize Trump’s supporters and ultimately be thwarted by the Republican-controlled Senate, which almost certainly would not vote to convict the president.\n\nGreen’s resolution did not address the investigation led by former special counsel Robert S. Mueller III, who uncovered multiple episodes where Trump tried to limit or block the investigation into whether Trump or his aides assisted Russian interference in the 2016 election. Some 34 people ultimately were charged or indicted, but no Americans were accused of conspiring with the Russians.\n\nMueller is scheduled to appear on Capitol Hill next Wednesday and his testimony — his first since the redacted version of his report was released in mid-April — could spur other Democrats to call for impeachment.\n\nGreen’s resolution cited the House vote to censure Trump for his racist tweets about four freshmen lawmakers: Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich.\n\nOcasio-Cortez was among those who voted for Green’s resolution, and she described Trump’s presidency as an emergency that needs to be addressed by removing him from office.\n\n“I think that each day that passes our democracy, our institutions, are imperiled,” she said.\n\nThe House later voted 230 to 198 to hold Barr and Ross in contempt for refusing to comply with subpoenas regarding next year’s census.\n\nIn June, the Supreme Court ruled 5 to 4 that the reason Ross had provided for adding the citizenship question — to help enforce the Voting Rights Act — was “contrived.” The justices blocked the Commerce Department from adding the question unless administration officials could provide a more compelling rationale.\n\nCritics say the administration sought to suppress census turnout in Democratic-majority states like California, where large immigrant populations would be afraid to respond. That would lead to a drop in congressional seats and federal funds for those states.\n\nThe House Reform and Oversight Committee voted last month to advance the contempt resolution to the full House after Barr and Ross declined to share documents detailing the rationale for the citizenship question. The contempt citation will be automatically referred to the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington, D.C., for prosecution, but Barr oversees that office so it is unlikely to proceed."], "summary": "The U.S. House of Representatives votes 332–95 to table an impeachment-related measure against U.S. President Donald Trump."}
{"document": ["Washington: United States President Donald Trump has said the four Congresswomen, whom he accused of hating the country, could go wherever they want, but they need to love the country to stay here.\n\nTrump said it was terrible when people speak so \"badly\" and \"horribly\" about the country. \"It's my opinion they (the four Congresswomen) hate our country and that's not good. It's not acceptable,\" Trump told reporters during his cabinet meeting at the White House on Tuesday. \"It's up to them. Go wherever they want or they can stay. But they should love our country. They shouldn't hate our country,\" he said.\n\nThe response comes amid outrage over the president's comments against four Democratic progressive women -- Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib and Ayanna Pressley -- that they hate the US and should leave. The Democrats described this as a racist comment, charge refuted by Trump and the White House.\n\n\"You look at what they've said. I have clips right here. The most vile, horrible statements about our country, about Israel, about others,\" Trump said. \"It's up to them to do what they want. They can leave, they can stay, but they should love our country and they should work for the good of our country.\" The Republican leadership has strongly defended Trump and maintained that Trump was not a racist. \"I think there's a consensus that political rhetoric has really gotten way, way overheated all across the political spectrum,\" Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell told reporters at the Capitol.\n\n\"Lower all this incendiary rhetoric. Everyone should do it.\" House Majority Leader Stoney Hoyer, meanwhile, said the remarks of Trump were racist and run counter to the nation's values. \"Our diversity makes us stronger. The president cannot and will not change that,\" Hoyer said.\n\n\"We condemn the racist remarks of the President of the United States.\" Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said what Trump did was \"despicable\". \"To divide America is not what any president has done. We have seen other presidents make these kinds of appeals a little bit sub rosa,\" Schumer said. \"No one has been so baldly overt in the appeal to bigotry as President Trump and I think it's very bad for the country.\"", "WASHINGTON - The US House of Representatives formally condemned Donald Trump on Tuesday for xenophobic attacks on four minority Democratic lawmakers and hostile language targeting immigrants, as the president pushed back at accusations of racism.\n\nTop Republican leaders rallied around Trump, but four members of the president's party voted with the 235 Democrats to condemn him for \"racist comments that have legitimised and increased fear and hatred of new Americans and people of colour.\"\n\nOne independent lawmaker also supported the measure, which takes aim at Trump's weekend tweets telling a group of progressive Democratic congresswomen of colour to \"go back\" to other countries.\n\nThe resolution also takes the president to task for \"referring to immigrants and asylum seekers as 'invaders.'\"\n\nTrump has a long history of pandering to white suspicions about other ethnic groups, and the resolution criticizes him for \"saying that Members of Congress who are immigrants (or those of our colleagues who are wrongly assumed to be immigrants) do not belong in Congress or in the United States of America.\"\n\nDemocrats hold a majority in the 435-member House but are outnumbered by Republicans in the Senate, where the resolution is unlikely to be considered.\n\nThe four congresswomen - all but one of whom were born in the US - are of Hispanic, Arab, Somali and African-American descent.\n\nTrump has stuck by the provocative comments.\n\n\"Our Country is Free, Beautiful and Very Successful. If you hate our Country, or if you are not happy here, you can leave!\" the president tweeted Tuesday.\n\nDemocratic leaders denounced Trump's remarks, and rallied around the lawmakers - Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar and Ayanna Pressley.\n\nOmar is the only one born outside the United States.\n\nSlamming the \"so-called vote\" as a \"Democrat con game,\" Trump urged Republicans not to \"show 'weakness' and fall into their trap.\"\n\n\"Those Tweets were NOT Racist. I don't have a Racist bone in my body!\" Trump said.\n\n\"This should be a vote on the filthy language, statements and lies told by the Democrat Congresswomen, who I truly believe, based on their actions, hate our Country,\" he wrote.\n\n\"Nancy Pelosi tried to push them away, but now they are forever wedded to the Democrat Party,\" Trump added, in a jab at the House speaker who has had a tenuous relationship with the four left-leaning first-term congresswomen.\n\nSpeaking on the House floor prior to the vote, Pelosi said: \"Every single member of this institution, Democratic and Republican, should join us in condemning the president's racist tweets.\"\n\n\"To do anything less would be a shocking rejection of our values and a shameful abdication of our oath of office to protect the American people.\"\n\n\"I know racism when I see it. I know racism when I feel it. And at the highest level of government, there's no room for racism,\" Representative John Lewis, an American civil rights icon, said in remarks on the House floor.\n\nTrump's repeated attacks appear to be aimed at galvanising his mostly white electoral base ahead of the 2020 presidential vote.\n\n\"See you in 2020!\" said Trump, who before becoming president pushed the racist \"birther\" conspiracy theory that Barack Obama was not born in the United States.\n\nOcasio-Cortez dismissed Trump's denial that he is a racist.\n\n\"You're right, Mr. President - you don't have a racist bone in your body,\" she tweeted. \"You have a racist mind in your head, and a racist heart in your chest.\"\n\nShe also took aim at Republican lawmakers who voted against the resolution, telling CBS News that \"they could not bring themselves to have the basic human decency to vote against the statement that the president made.\"\n\nWhile some Republican members of Congress have condemned Trump's remarks, House Republican leaders closed ranks behind the president.\n\n\"This is all about politics,\" said House Republican minority leader Representative Kevin McCarthy of California.\n\nSenator Mitch McConnell, the leader of the Republican majority in the Senate, said \"the president is not a racist.\"\n\nImmediately after the House vote a Democratic congressman, Al Green of Texas, filed articles of impeachment against Trump.\n\nDozens of other Democratic members of the House have reportedly called for an impeachment inquiry to be opened against the president but Pelosi, the House speaker, has said she does not favour such a move at the moment.", "THE US HOUSE of Representatives has voted to formally condemn Donald Trump for his attacks on four Democratic congresswomen, describing his tweets as racist.\n\nThe measure, in itself, has no legal ramifications for the president and the vote was mostly partisan with Democrats backing the rebuke en masse.\n\nTop Republican leaders rallied around Trump, but four members of the president’s party voted with the 235 Democrats to condemn him for “racist comments that have legitimised and increased fear and hatred of new Americans and people of colour”.\n\nOne independent congressman also supported the measure, which takes aim at Trump’s weekend tweets telling a group of progressive Democratic congresswomen of colour to “go back” to other countries.\n\nThe resolution also takes the president to task for “referring to immigrants and asylum seekers as ‘invaders’”.\n\nIt further criticises him for “saying that Members of Congress who are immigrants (or those of our colleagues who are wrongly assumed to be immigrants) do not belong in Congress or in the United States of America”.\n\nDemocrats hold a majority in the 435-member House but are outnumbered by Republicans in the Senate, where the resolution is unlikely to be considered.\n\nThe four congresswomen – all but one of whom were born in the US – are of Hispanic, Arab, Somali and African-American descent.\n\nTrump has stuck by the provocative comments.\n\n“Our Country is Free, Beautiful and Very Successful. If you hate our Country, or if you are not happy here, you can leave!” the president tweeted yesterday.\n\nDemocratic leaders denounced Trump’s remarks, and rallied around the congresswomen – Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar and Ayanna Pressley.\n\nOmar is the only one born outside the United States.\n\nSlamming the “so-called vote” as a “Democrat con game,” Trump urged Republicans not to “show ‘weakness’ and fall into their trap.”\n\n“Those Tweets were NOT Racist. I don’t have a Racist bone in my body!” Trump said.\n\n“This should be a vote on the filthy language, statements and lies told by the Democrat Congresswomen, who I truly believe, based on their actions, hate our Country,” he wrote.\n\n“Nancy Pelosi tried to push them away, but now they are forever wedded to the Democrat Party,” Trump added, in a jab at the House speaker who has had a tenuous relationship with the four congresswomen.\n\nSpeaking on the House floor prior to the vote, Pelosi said: “Every single member of this institution, Democratic and Republican, should join us in condemning the president’s racist tweets.\n\n“I know racism when I see it. I know racism when I feel it. And at the highest level of government, there’s no room for racism,” Representative John Lewis, an American civil rights icon, said in remarks on the House floor.\n\nTrump’s repeated attacks appear to be aimed at galvanising his mostly white electoral base ahead of the 2020 presidential vote.\n\nOcasio-Cortez dismissed Trump’s denial that he is a racist.\n\n“You’re right, Mr President – you don’t have a racist bone in your body,” she tweeted. “You have a racist mind in your head, and a racist heart in your chest.”\n\nShe also took aim at Republican lawmakers who voted against the resolution, telling CBS News that “they could not bring themselves to have the basic human decency to vote against the statement that the president made.”\n\nTrump meanwhile took to Twitter last night to hail “how unified the Republican Party was on today’s vote”.\n\nWhile some Republican members of Congress have condemned Trump’s remarks, House Republican leaders closed ranks behind the president.\n\n“This is all about politics,” said House Republican minority leader Representative Kevin McCarthy of California.\n\nSenator Mitch McConnell, the leader of the Republican majority in the Senate, said “the president is not a racist”.\n\nImmediately after the House vote a Democratic congressman, Al Green of Texas, filed articles of impeachment against Trump.\n\nDozens of other Democratic members of the House have reportedly called for an impeachment inquiry to be opened against the president but Pelosi has said she does not favour such a move at the moment.", "CLOSE \"Send her back\" chants erupted at a Trump rally as the president criticized Rep. Ilhan Omar for her \"contempt\" for the \"hard-working Americans.\" Storyful\n\nWASHINGTON – Outrage and expressions of support for Rep. Ilhan Omar flooded social media after a crowd of President Donald Trump's supporters chanted, \"Send her back\" when he verbally attacked the Minnesota Democrat at a rally Wednesday in North Carolina.\n\nTrump called out Omar and three other liberal congresswomen, all of them minorities, who he said \"hate our country.\" He has leveled volleys against the four women, who call themselves \"the Squad,\" every day this week, beginning with a series of tweets Sunday telling them to \"go back\" to their countries of origin. A House resolution condemned those comments as racist.\n\nOmar, who arrived in the USA more than 20 years ago after her family fled war-torn Somalia, is the only one of the four congresswomen not born in the USA. Wednesday, Trump criticized Omar for comments she made about Israel that Republican and Democratic lawmakers called anti-Semitic and remarks that were perceived as dismissive of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. He repeated some false claims about Omar that circulated online.\n\n\"And she looks down with contempt on the hardworking Americans, saying that ignorance is pervasive in many parts of this country,\" Trump said.\n\n\"Send her back,\" some in the crowd chanted.\n\nOmar quoted from \"Still I Rise,\" a poem by Maya Angelou, which reads, \"You may kill me with your hatefulness. But still, like air, I'll rise.\"\n\nPoll: Most Americans call Trump's tweets targeting 4 congresswomen 'un-American'\n\nAnalysis: Tweet, outrage, double-down: Will the furor over Trump's tweets be any different?\n\nFact check: Trump’s false claims about Rep. Ilhan Omar\n\nYou may shoot me with your words,\n\nYou may cut me with your eyes,\n\nYou may kill me with your hatefulness,\n\nBut still, like air, I’ll rise.\n\n\n\n-Maya Angelou https://t.co/46jcXSXF0B — Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) July 18, 2019\n\n\"This is what this president and his supporters\" have done to change the USA, which is \"supposed to be a country where we allow democratic debate and dissent to take place,\" Omar said Thursday. \"And so this is not about me. This is about us fighting for what this country truly should be and what it deserves to be.\"\n\nThough Trump did not object to the chants during the rally, he said Thursday that he disagreed with the chant and \"wasn't happy with that message.\"\n\nA number of Democratic presidential candidates were among those who denounced the incident.\n\n\"#IStandWithIlhan and am proud to work with her in Congress,\" said Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. \"Trump is stoking the most despicable and disturbing currents in our society. And that very hatred and racism fuels him. We must fight together to defeat the most dangerous president in the history of our country.\"\n\nThe list of 2020 candidates: Who is running for president? An interactive guide\n\nMore: Donald Trump blames supporters for 'send her back' rally chant that triggers outrage\n\n#IStandWithIlhan and am proud to work with her in Congress.\n\n\n\nTrump is stoking the most despicable and disturbing currents in our society. And that very hatred and racism fuels him. We must fight together to defeat the most dangerous president in the history of our country. — Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) July 18, 2019\n\n\"Tonight on a stage the President returned to bigotry once again. Inciting hatred – it's what he likes to do,\" said Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.\n\nTonight on a stage the President returned to bigotry once again. Inciting hatred—it's what he likes to do. The words “Are there no limits to what he will say or do?” ring hollow here, until you answer: there is a limit, & it rests with me—stand up, speak out, organize and VOTE. — Amy Klobuchar (@amyklobuchar) July 18, 2019\n\n\"These chants don’t happen by accident,\" former Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke said. \"They are the product of a president who sees our diversity not as a strength, but as a weakness.\"\n\nThese chants don’t happen by accident. They are the product of a president who sees our diversity not as a strength, but as a weakness. I believe in our country. And I believe, together, not allowing our differences to divide us, we will defeat him and everything he stands for. https://t.co/RKZ6PTQM4g — Beto O'Rourke (@BetoORourke) July 18, 2019\n\nSen. Kamala Harris of California said, \"It’s vile. It’s cowardly. It’s xenophobic. It’s racist. It defiles the office of the President. And I won't share it here. It’s time to get Trump out of office and unite the country.\"\n\nIt’s vile.\n\nIt’s cowardly.\n\nIt’s xenophobic.\n\nIt’s racist.\n\nIt defiles the office of the President.\n\nAnd I won't share it here.\n\n\n\nIt’s time to get Trump out of office and unite the country. — Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) July 18, 2019\n\n\"Four days ago, the President of the United States suggested that four elected members of Congress, all women of color, ought to 'go back' to the countries 'from which they came.' And every day since he has repeated this ugly, racist refrain,\" former Vice President Joe Biden tweeted.\n\nFour days ago, the President of the United States suggested that four elected members of Congress, all women of color, ought to \"go back\" to the countries \"from which they came.\" And every day since he has repeated this ugly, racist refrain. — Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 18, 2019\n\n\"We’ve heard it before throughout our history, but it has no place in America in 2019,\" Biden said.\n\n\"This kind of politics, sadly, we've seen before,\" said Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey on MSNBC. He compared Trump's rhetoric to that of the 19th-century anti-immigrant American Party – commonly known as the \"Know-Nothing Party\" – and to that of the 20th-century segregationist George Wallace.\n\nSen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York equated it to the \"lock her up\" chant about Trump's 2016 opponent Hillary Clinton that was regularly heard at his other rallies. She compared it to Trump's infamous remarks on an \"Access Hollywood\" recording in 2005 as expressions of \"contempt for women and anyone who threatens this president's fragile ego.\"\n\n\"He should be afraid. We are his worst nightmare. And we will beat him,\" Gillibrand said.\n\nWhether it's \"send her back\" or \"lock her up,\" \"there has to be some form of punishment\" or \"grab her by the p***y\"—the throughline is contempt for women and anyone who threatens this president's fragile ego.\n\n\n\nHe should be afraid. We are his worst nightmare. And we will beat him. — Kirsten Gillibrand (@SenGillibrand) July 18, 2019\n\n\"This president is desperate,\" tweeted Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. \"Calling out his racism, xenophobia, and misogyny is imperative.\"\n\nWarren said the president is \"trying to divide us and distract from his own crimes, and from his deeply unpopular agenda of letting the wealthy and well-connected rip off the country.\" She called for his impeachment.\n\nThis president is desperate. Calling out his racism, xenophobia, and misogyny is imperative. But he’s trying to divide us and distract from his own crimes, and from his deeply unpopular agenda of letting the wealthy and well-connected rip off the country. We must do more. — Elizabeth Warren (@ewarren) July 18, 2019\n\nWashington Gov. Jay Inslee said Omar \"makes our country and our Congress better.\"\n\n\"The hate Donald Trump is stoking in North Carolina tonight is odious and un-American,\" he said.\n\n.@IlhanMN makes our country and our Congress better. The hate Donald Trump is stoking in North Carolina tonight is odious and un-American. https://t.co/w6UsYwuLGb — Jay Inslee (@JayInslee) July 18, 2019\n\nSouth Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg said, \"We denounce and reject the president's racist demagoguery – without letting him deny attention to today's extremely important vote on the minimum wage.\"\n\nThis is a day for doing more than one thing at a time. We must denounce and reject the president’s racist demagoguery—without letting him deny attention to today’s extremely important vote on the minimum wage. — Pete Buttigieg (@PeteButtigieg) July 18, 2019\n\nRep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., called the chant \"horrific, racist garbage.\"\n\nThis is horrific, racist garbage. Rep. Omar is a Congresswoman and an American. https://t.co/UVg2bCbhx0 — Seth Moulton (@sethmoulton) July 18, 2019\n\n\"I have just one question after the president's rally last night,\" billionaire Tom Steyer tweeted. \"Why aren't racism and inciting a mob against an American & sitting Congresswoman impeachable offenses?\"\n\nTo each of the 137 Democrats who voted to table an impeachment resolution yesterday, I have just one question after the president's rally last night: Why aren't racism and inciting a mob against an American & sitting Congresswoman impeachable offenses? — Tom Steyer (@TomSteyer) July 18, 2019\n\nAuthor Marianne Williamson said on CNN that Trump's speech was \"dangerous\" and that it was very important \"for all patriotic Americans, whether we're on the left or the right, to be very clear that we don't do that in America. Our political opponents are not our enemies.\"\n\n\"I challenge every Republican to watch @realDonaldTrump’s rally last night, complete with chants of 'Send her back', and ask if that is the Party of Lincoln and Reagan we signed up for,\" tweeted former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld, Trump's lone challenger for the Republican nomination.\n\nI challenge every Republican to watch @realDonaldTrump’s rally last night, complete with chants of “Send her back”, and ask if that is the Party of Lincoln and Reagan we signed up for. We are in a fight for the soul of the GOP, and silence is not an option. #AmericaDeservesBetter — Gov. Bill Weld (@GovBillWeld) July 18, 2019\n\nMinority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., addressed the chant during a speech from the Senate floor Thursday, denouncing \"the way the president appeals to the worst instincts of people.\"\n\n\"What was shouted and chanted at the rally last night without the president upbraiding them\" was \"despicable,\" he said.\n\nSchumer said it was \"eerily familiar to what happens in dictatorships.\"\n\nHouse Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., said it was \"chilling and horrifying\" to watch Trump \"spreading racist and xenophobic propaganda\" about Omar.\n\n\"There is no place for such racism in our public discourse,\" he said.\n\nWatching the President lie (again) to the American people, spreading racist and xenophobic propaganda against @Ilhan with the crowd being goaded into chants of “send her back” was both chilling and horrifying. There is no place for such racism in our public discourse. https://t.co/SHm3Svb8Mx — (((Rep. Nadler))) (@RepJerryNadler) July 18, 2019\n\nSen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, said the \"send her back\" chant was worse than \"lock her up\" because \"they don’t even have the false pretext of alleged corrupt behavior.\"\n\n\"They are just telling an American with whom they disagree to go back to Africa.\"\n\nOn some level “send her back” sounds similar to “lock her up.” But here is how it is worse to my ears. Now they don’t even have the false pretext of alleged corrupt behavior. They are just telling an American with whom they disagree to go back to Africa. — Brian Schatz (@brianschatz) July 18, 2019\n\nLike Gillibrand, Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., saw the chant as an expression of misogyny and compared it to other insults Trump leveled at women over the years.\n\n“Send her back. Lock her up. Nasty woman. Horse face. That dog. Face of a pig. Not my type. Fat. Disgusting. Low IQ. Slob. Pocahontas. Blood coming out of her wherever. Look at that face. Grab them by the pussy.”\n\n\n\nBut nobody has more respect for women? #IStandWithIlhanOmar — Jackie Speier (@RepSpeier) July 18, 2019\n\nRep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., said that if Omar \"was white, they would not use that racist trope.\"\n\n.@realDonaldTrump & @GOP enablers have legitimized the racist chant of \"send her back\" to an American citizen. If @IlhanMN was white they would not use that racist trope.\n\n\n\nIf this horrifies you then vote, donate & organize like never before. The soul of our country is at stake. https://t.co/ZeYVX0HqAJ — Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) July 18, 2019\n\nWeld was not the only Republican who spoke out against the chant.\n\nRep. Mark Walker, R-N.C., said on Twitter that even though \"it was brief\" and Omar had a \"great disdain\" for the USA and Israel, he \"struggled\" with the chant. He said the focus should be on Omar's positions and \"not phrasing that's painful to our friends in the minority communities.\"\n\n'Disgusted': How Republicans are reacting to 'send her back' chants at Donald Trump's rally\n\nThough it was brief, I struggled with the “send her back” chant tonight referencing Rep. Omar. Her history, words & actions reveal her great disdain for both America & Israel. That should be our focus and not phrasing that’s painful to our friends in the minority communities. — Rep. Mark Walker (@RepMarkWalker) July 18, 2019\n\n\"I deeply disagree with the extreme left & have been disgusted by their tone,\" tweeted Rep. Adam Kinzinger, R-Ill. \"I woke up today equally disgusted – chants like 'send her back' are ugly, wrong, & would send chills down the spines of our Founding Fathers. This ugliness must end, or we risk our great union\".\"\n\nI deeply disagree with the extreme left & have been disgusted by their tone. I woke up today equally disgusted - chants like “send her back” are ugly, wrong, & would send chills down the spines of our Founding Fathers. This ugliness must end, or we risk our great union. — Adam Kinzinger (@RepKinzinger) July 18, 2019\n\n\"A chant like 'Send her back!' is ugly and dangerous, and it is the inevitable consequence of President Trump’s demagoguery,\" said Rep. Justin Amash, who recently left the Republican Party. \"This is how history’s worst episodes begin. We must not allow this man to take us to such a place.\"\n\n\"It saddens me beyond belief that the standard-bearer for the Republican Party, my Party, is making 'Send her back' his re-election rallying cry. It’s so ugly. It’s so un-American. It just saddens me beyond belief,\" said former Illinois Rep. Joe Walsh.\n\nIt saddens me beyond belief that the standard-bearer for the Republican Party, my Party, is making “Send her back” his re-election rallying cry.\n\n\n\nIt’s so ugly. It’s so un-American. It just saddens me beyond belief. https://t.co/eM7WT5HZVq — Joe Walsh (@WalshFreedom) July 18, 2019\n\nGuy Benson, editor of the conservative website Townhall, said it was \"an appalling chant.\"\n\n“Send her back” is an appalling chant. Omar is a US citizen.\n\n\n\nMy less-catchy chant would be: “Condemn her bigotry, combat her radicalism, and investigate her seriously alleged fraud!” — Guy Benson (@guypbenson) July 18, 2019\n\n\" 'Send her back' conservatism is not a conservatism worth defending,\" conservative commentator Bill Kristol said.\n\n\"Send her back\" conservatism is not a conservatism worth defending. — Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) July 18, 2019\n\nConservative radio host Hugh Hewitt called it a \"nativist, terrible chant\" and \"electoral suicide.\"\n\n\"Send her back\" is a nativist, terrible chant. Also electoral suicide. There're more than 400,000 naturalized residents in PA, w/ 200,000 more in Michigan. @realdonaldTrump won PA by and MI by 11K, PA by 44K. #VoteHerOut --fine. #SendHerBack --nativist. Catholics, btw, remember. — Hugh Hewitt (@hughhewitt) July 18, 2019\n\n\"We need to be better than chanting #SendHerBack,\" tweeted self-described Christian conservative Carmine Sabia. \"Rep. Ilhan Omar is an American citizen. A self righteous, America hating, anti semitic, bigoted, socialist citizen. But a citizen nonetheless. We do not deport citizens. Disagree with her but do not chant that.\"\n\nWe need to be better than chanting #SendHerBack. Rep. Ilhan Omar is an American citizen. A self righteous, America hating, anti semitic, bigoted, socialist citizen. But a citizen nonetheless. We do not deport citizens. Disagree with her but do not chant that. — Carmine Sabia (@CarmineSabia) July 18, 2019\n\nSome conservatives pushed back against the criticism. An #IStandWithPresTrump hashtag competed with #IStandWithIlhan as a trending hashtag on Twitter on Thursday morning.\n\n\"Never-Trumpers and radical Democrats misdiagnosing the audience as racist deplorables because they’re too elitist to even attempt to understand Trump culture hyperbole,\" conservative commentator Candace Owens tweeted. \"Conclusion: Guaranteed re-election for #MAGA.\"\n\nElection 2016 dejavú! #SendHerBack instead of #LockHerUp\n\n\n\nNever-Trumpers and radical Democrats misdiagnosing the audience as racist deplorables because they’re too elitist to even attempt to understand Trump culture hyperbole.\n\n\n\nConclusion: Guaranteed re-election for #MAGA — Candace Owens (@RealCandaceO) July 18, 2019\n\nHere are some other reactions from celebrities, pundits and politicians:\n\nSo as to this “send her back” thing: any American Jew who doesn’t understand our obligation to protect and speak on her behalf is ignoring the true lesson of the holocaust. Othering people leads to desensitizing leads to dehumanizing leads to destruction. — Brian Koppelman (@briankoppelman) July 18, 2019\n\nYou don't have to agree with everything (or anything) naturalized US citizen Rep. Ilhan Omar says to stand with her tonight. I hope you will RETWEET this if, like me, your response to the vile chants of \"Send her back!\" at Trump's hateful North Carolina rally is #IStandWithIlhan. — Seth Abramson (@SethAbramson) July 18, 2019\n\nThis is one of the single most racist moments in modern American political history. As Trump began attacking my friend Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, the crowd began chanting “SEND HER BACK, SEND HER BACK.” It’s utterly despicable and dangerous. We are here. We are in THAT time. UGLY. pic.twitter.com/6M0PBXe4Lr — Shaun King (@shaunking) July 17, 2019\n\nThe crowd at Trump’s rally chanting “send her back” after the President viciously and dishonestly attacked Ilhan Omar is one of the most chilling and horrifying things I’ve ever seen in politics. — Jon Favreau (@jonfavs) July 17, 2019\n\nTrump and his followers, who now chant “Send her back” at his rallies, have shown the vile depth they will go to just to hold on to power. Now it is time each of us showed how far we will go to defeat Trumpism in 2020. It’s all hands on deck, all good people to the ballot box. — George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) July 18, 2019\n\nSad part is most at the #TrumpRally wouldn't be able to point out Somalia or even Minnesota on a map. Geography is not a strength. But sure send her back...if you can even place it on a map. — Wajahat Ali (@WajahatAli) July 18, 2019\n\nI don't know what I'd do if a rally of white nationalists chanted \"Send her back!\" about myself. #IStandWithIlhan — Diana Hussein (@heyadiana) July 18, 2019\n\nA cult of white supremacists chanting “send her back” in support of Donald Trump’s racist attack on Ilhan Omar. Fascism spreads like wildfire. Especially when it comes from the President of the United States of America. Chilling to my core. pic.twitter.com/mQ0Cy0ffMw — David Lammy (@DavidLammy) July 18, 2019\n\nTrump's History of Racism:\n\n1. Housing discrimination\n\n2. Central Park 5\n\n3. Casino workers discrimination\n\n3. Birtherism\n\n4. Mexicans are rapists\n\n5. Ban on Muslims\n\n6. \"Very fine people\" in Charlottesville\n\n7. Black athletes \"SOBs\"\n\n8. Black countries \"shitholes\"\n\n9. \"Send Her Back\" — Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) July 18, 2019\n\nTrump:Send Her Back (p.s not racist)\n\n\n\nHistory: pic.twitter.com/6Q9BZZV5Pc — Ryan Deitsch (@Ryan_Deitsch) July 18, 2019\n\nVile.\n\nRepellent.\n\nShameful.\n\nShocking.\n\nDisturbing.\n\nRACIST.\n\nMy verdict on President Trump's 'SEND HER BACK!' rally last night - the most sickening moment of his presidency. https://t.co/IipNjRsI5zpic.twitter.com/cnbfv4Gxoo — Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) July 18, 2019\n\nRead or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/07/18/ilhan-omar-send-her-back-chant-reactions/1764651001/", "Going after four Democratic congresswomen one by one, a combative President Donald Trump turned his campaign rally into an extended dissection of the liberal views of the women of color, deriding them for what he painted as extreme positions and suggesting they just get out.\n\n“Tonight I have a suggestion for the hate-filled extremists who are constantly trying to tear our country down,” Trump told the crowd in North Carolina, a swing state he won in 2016 and wants to claim again in 2020. “They never have anything good to say. That’s why I say, ‘Hey if you don’t like it, let ’em leave, let ’em leave.'”\n\nEager to rile up his base with the some of the same kind of rhetoric he targeted at minorities and women in 2016, Trump declared Wednesday night, “I think in some cases they hate our country.”\n\nTrump’s jabs were aimed at the self-described “squad” of four freshmen Democrats who have garnered attention since their arrival in January for their outspoken liberal views and distaste for Trump: Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan. All were born in the U.S. except for Omar, who came to the U.S. as a child after fleeing Somalia with her family.\n\nTaking the legislators on one at a time, Trump ticked through a laundry list of what he deemed offensive comments by each woman, mangling and misconstruing many facts along the way.\n\nOmar came under the harshest criticism as Trump played to voters’ grievances, drawing a chant from the crowd of “Send her back! Send her back!”\n\nShe responded Wednesday night with a series of tweets, including one quoting Maya Angelou’s defiant poem, “Still I Rise,” with the words “You may shoot me with your words… But still, like air, I’ll rise.”\n\n“I am where I belong, at the people’s house and you’re just gonna have to deal!” she wrote in another.\n\nTrump set off a firestorm Sunday when he tweeted that the four should “go back” to their home countries — though three were born in the United States. Trump has accused them of “spewing some of the most vile, hateful and disgusting things ever said by a politician.”\n\nHe expanded on his criticisms in Greenville.\n\nAmong his complaints against Tlaib, Trump correctly reported that she had referred to the president by the “F-word,” adding, “That’s not nice, even for me.” Trump himself had unloaded a vulgarity earlier in his speech, denouncing the Russia probe of his campaign and administration as “bulls—.”\n\nAs for Ocasio-Cortez, Trump fumbled over her name and declared, “I don’t have time to go with three different names.” He then referred to her as just “Cortez” as he challenged her complaints about dire conditions at migrant detention centers at the border.\n\nIn a lighter moment, Trump wondered if Pressley was related to Elvis Presley, then pivoted to more serious points, claiming she thought people of color should “think the same.”\n\nAs for Omar, Trump unfurled a whole list of complaints, including a false accusation that she voiced pride in al-Qaida.\n\nBefore he left Washington, Trump said he has no regrets about his ongoing spat with the four. Trump told reporters he thinks he’s “winning the political argument” and “winning it by a lot.”\n\n“If people want to leave our country, they can. If they don’t want to love our country, if they don’t want to fight for our country, they can,” Trump said. “I’ll never change on that.”\n\nTrump’s harsh denunciations were another sign of his willingness to exploit the nation’s racial divisions heading into the 2020 campaign.\n\nHis speech was filled with Trump’s trademark criticisms about the news media, which he says sides with liberals, and of special prosecutor Robert Mueller’s Russia probe. Mueller had been scheduled to testify Wednesday on Capitol Hill, but it was postponed . Trump brought him up anyway.\n\n“What happened to me with this witch hunt should never be allowed to happen to another president,” he said.\n\nHe also talked about illegal immigration, a main theme of his first presidential bid that is taking center stage in his re-election campaign. He brushed off the criticism he has gotten for saying that the congresswomen should go back home.\n\nThe four Democratic freshmen have portrayed the Republican president as a bully who wants to “vilify” not only immigrants but all people of color. They say they are fighting for their priorities to lower health care costs and pass a Green New Deal addressing climate change while his thundering attacks are a distraction and tear at the core of American values.\n\nThe Democratic-led U.S. House voted Tuesday to condemn Trump’s “racist comments” despite near-solid GOP opposition and the president’s own insistence that he doesn’t have a “racist bone” in his body.\n\nTrump hasn’t shown signs of being rattled by the House rebuke and called an impeachment resolution that failed in Congress earlier Wednesday “ridiculous.” The condemnation carries no legal repercussions, and his latest harangues struck a chord with supporter in Greenville, whose chants of “Four more years!” and “Build that wall!” bounced off the rafters.\n\nIt was Trump’s sixth visit to the state as president and his first 2020 campaign event in North Carolina, where he defeated Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in 2016.", "(GREENVILLE, N.C.) — Going after four Democratic congresswomen one by one, a combative President Donald Trump turned his campaign rally Wednesday into an extended dissection of the liberal views of the women of color, deriding them for what he painted as extreme positions and suggesting they just get out.\n\n“Tonight I have a suggestion for the hate-filled extremists who are constantly trying to tear our country down,” Trump told the crowd in North Carolina, a swing state he won in 2016 and wants to claim again in 2020. “They never have anything good to say. That’s why I say, ‘Hey if you don’t like it, let ’em leave, let ’em leave.'”\n\nEager to rile up his base with the some of the same kind of rhetoric he targeted at minorities and women in 2016, Trump declared, “I think in some cases they hate our country.”\n\nTrump’s jabs were aimed at the self-described “squad” of four freshmen Democrats who have garnered attention since their arrival in January for their outspoken liberal views and distaste for Trump: Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan. All were born in the U.S. except for Omar, who came to the U.S. as a child after fleeing Somalia with her family.\n\nTaking the legislators on one at a time, Trump ticked through a laundry list of what he deemed offensive comments by each woman, mangling and misconstruing many facts along the way.\n\nOmar came under the harshest criticism as Trump played to voters’ grievances, drawing a chant from the crowd of “Send her back! Send her back!”\n\nTrump set off a firestorm Sunday when he tweeted that the four should “go back” to their home countries — though three were born in the United States. Trump has accused them of “spewing some of the most vile, hateful and disgusting things ever said by a politician.”\n\nBefore he left Washington, Trump said he has no regrets about his ongoing spat with the four. Trump told reporters he thinks he’s “winning the political argument” and “winning it by a lot.”\n\n“If people want to leave our country, they can. If they don’t want to love our country, if they don’t want to fight for our country, they can,” Trump said. “I’ll never change on that.”\n\nTrump’s harsh denunciations were another sign of his willingness to exploit the nation’s racial divisions heading into the 2020 campaign.\n\nHis speech was filled with Trump’s trademark criticisms about the news media, which he says sides with liberals, and of special prosecutor Robert Mueller’s Russia probe. Mueller had been scheduled to testify Wednesday on Capitol Hill, but it was postponed. Trump brought him up anyway. “What happened to me with this witch hunt should never be allowed to happen to another president,” he said.\n\nHe also talked about illegal immigration, a main theme of his first presidential bid that is taking center stage in his re-election campaign. He brushed off the criticism he has gotten for saying that the congresswomen should go back home. “So controversial,” he said sarcastically.\n\nThe four freshmen have portrayed the president as a bully who wants to “vilify” not only immigrants, but all people of color. They say they are fighting for their priorities to lower health care costs and pass a Green New Deal addressing climate change, while his thundering attacks are a distraction and tear at the core of America values.\n\nThe Democratic-led U.S. House voted Tuesday to condemn Trump for what it labeled “racist comments,” despite near-solid GOP opposition and the president’s own insistence that he doesn’t have a “racist bone” in his body.\n\nTrump hasn’t shown signs of being rattled by the House rebuke, and called an impeachment resolution that failed in Congress earlier Wednesday “ridiculous.” The condemnation carries no legal repercussions and his latest harangues struck a chord with supporter in Greenville, whose chants of “Four more years!” and “Build that wall!” bounced off the rafters.\n\nVice President Mike Pence was first up after spending the day in Fayetteville, North Carolina, and visiting troops at Fort Bragg. “North Carolina and America needs four more years,” Pence said.\n\nIt was Trump’s sixth visit to the state as president and his first 2020 campaign event in North Carolina, where he defeated Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in 2016.\n\nBefore Trump arrived, Wayne Goodwin, chairman of the North Carolina Democratic Party, spoke at a rally in Greenville and called Trump “just another corrupt snake oil salesman.”\n\n“From sparking a harmful trade war that puts our farmers in the crosshairs, to giving corporations a billion-dollar giveaway at the expense of our middle class, to repeatedly pushing to end protections for pre-existing conditions and raise health care costs, his broken promises have hurt hard-working families across North Carolina,” Goodwin said.", "Donald Trump has said he was unhappy with his supporters chanting “send her back” after he criticised a young Democratic congresswoman who he suggested should leave the US.\n\nDonald Trump has said he was unhappy with his supporters chanting “send her back” after he criticised a young Democratic congresswoman who he suggested should leave the US.\n\nTrump says he was unhappy with supporters chanting ‘send her back’\n\nSpeaking in the Oval Office, the US president claimed he tried to stop the chant, which came after he recited a litany of complaints about Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, who fled to the US as a child with her family from Somalia.\n\nVideo shows the president pausing his remarks, appearing to drink in the uproar and not admonishing his supporters as they chanted.\n\n“I was not happy with it,” Mr Trump said a day later as some prominent Republicans criticised the chant at the president’s re-election event.\n\nHe said he “would certainly try” to stop the chant should it return at a subsequent rally.\n\nSo far, no Republican lawmakers are directly taking on Mr Trump over the episode.\n\nThe muted reactions by congressional Republicans followed a pattern that has become familiar after numerous incidents in Mr Trump’s presidency when he has made antagonistic or racially provocative comments.\n\nAt the campaign rally in Greenville, North Carolina, Mr Trump tore into four progressive congresswomen who last weekend he tweeted should return to their native countries if they “hate America”.\n\nOf the four, who strongly oppose many of Mr Trump’s policies, one is black, one is Hispanic and two are Muslim. All are American citizens, and three were born here.\n\nHouse Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy told reporters that such cries “have no place in our party and no place in this country”.\n\nBut Mr McCarthy, a staunch Trump ally, said the president’s aversion to Ms Omar is based on ideology, not race.\n\n“This is about socialism v freedom,” he said, a refrain Republicans are increasingly using as they begin trying to frame their offensive against Democrats for the 2020 presidential and congressional campaigns.\n\nRepublican Adam Kinzinger of Illinois tweeted that the “send her back” chant was “ugly, wrong, & would send chills down the spines of our Founding Fathers. This ugliness must end, or we risk our great union”.\n\nFellow Republican Tom Emmer said: “There’s no place for that kind of talk. I don’t agree with it.”\n\nBut he defended Mr Trump, saying there is not “a racist bone in this president’s body” and asserting that Mr Trump “said wrong” what he actually meant.\n\n“What he was trying to say is that if you don’t appreciate this country, you don’t have to be here. That goes for every one of us. It has nothing to do with your race, your gender, your family history. It has to do with respecting and loving the country that has given you the opportunities which you have.”\n\nSenate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on Fox Business News that it is time to “lower the rhetoric” about racism. He did not mention the crowd’s chants or Mr Trump’s acceptance of them.\n\nMr Trump has also been criticising Democrats Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts.\n\nThe Democratic-led House voted on Tuesday to condemn Mr Trump’s tweets as racist. On Wednesday, it rejected an effort by one Democrat that was opposed by party leaders to impeach Mr Trump.", "GREENVILLE, N.C. (AP) — A combative President Donald Trump rallied Republican supporters Wednesday in North Carolina, harshly criticizing four fiery, left-wing congresswoman of being un-American and claiming they are the face of the Democratic Party that will ruin the country.\n\n“I think in some cases they hate our country,” Trump said to the crowd in North Carolina, a swing state he won in 2016 and wants to win again next year.\n\nTrump’s jabs were aimed at the four freshman Democrats, self-described as “the squad,” who have garnered attention since their arrival in January for their outspoken liberal views and distaste for Trump: Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan. All were born in the U.S. except for Omar, who came to the U.S. as a child after fleeing Somalia with her family.\n\nTrump recently tweeted that the Democratic congresswomen of color should “go back” to their home countries — though three were born in the United States.\n\nTrump has accused the four of “spewing some of the most vile, hateful and disgusting things ever said by a politician” and has told them, “If you hate our Country, or if you are not happy here, you can leave!”\n\nWhen he named them at Wednesday’s rally, the crowd booed and launched into chants of “Send her back!”\n\nBefore he left Washington, Trump said he has no regrets about his ongoing spat with the four. Trump told reporters he thinks he’s “winning the political argument” and “winning it by a lot.”\n\n“If people want to leave our country, they can. If they don’t want to love our country, if they don’t want to fight for our country, they can,” Trump said. “I’ll never change on that.”\n\nTrump’s harsh denunciations were another sign that the nation is in store for a combative presidential election.\n\nHis speech was filled with Trump’s trademark criticisms about the news media, which he says sides with liberals, and special prosecutor Robert Mueller’s Russia probe. Mueller had been scheduled to testify Wednesday on Capitol Hill, but it was postponed. Trump brought him up anyway. “What happened to me with this witch hunt should never be allowed to happen to another president,” he said.\n\nHe also talked about illegal immigration, a main theme of his first presidential bid that is taking center stage in his reelection campaign. He brushed off the criticism he has gotten for saying that the congresswomen should go back home. “So controversial,” he said sarcastically.\n\nThe four freshmen have portrayed the president as a bully who wants to “vilify” not only immigrants, but all people of color. They say they are fighting for their priorities to lower health care costs and pass a Green New Deal addressing climate change, while his thundering attacks are a distraction and tear at the core of America vales.\n\nThe Democratic-led U.S. House voted Tuesday to condemn Trump for what they considered “racist comments,” despite near-solid GOP opposition and the president’s own insistence that he doesn’t have a “racist bone” in his body.\n\nTrump hasn’t shown signs of being rattled by the House rebuke, and called an impeachment resolution that failed in Congress earlier in the day “ridiculous.” The condemnation carries no legal repercussions and his latest harangues struck a chord with his die-hard conservative base. Trump’s comments about it in Greenvilleonly fired up the crowd, whose chants of “Four more years!” and “Build that wall!” bounced off the rafters.\n\nTrump was greeted in an arena at East Carolina University by supporters, many sporting red-white-and-blue outfits and waving “Trump 2020” and “Women for Trump” signs. Vice President Mike Pence was first up after spending the day in Fayetteville, North Carolina, and visiting troops at Fort Bragg.\n\n“North Carolina and American needs four more years,” Pence said.\n\nIt was Trump’s sixth visit to the state as president and his first 2020 campaign event in North Carolina, where he defeated Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in 2016.\n\nBefore Trump arrived, Wayne Goodwin, chairman of the North Carolina Democratic Party, spoke at a rally in Greenville and called Trump “just another corrupt snake oil salesman.”\n\n“From sparking a harmful trade war that puts our farmers in the crosshairs, to giving corporations a billion-dollar giveaway at the expense of our middle class, to repeatedly pushing to end protections for pre-existing conditions and raise health care costs, his broken promises have hurt hard-working families across North Carolina,” Goodwin said.", "GREENVILLE – President Donald Trump approached center stage at East Carolina University’s Minges Coliseum and brought up the recent Twitter war between him and U.S. Rep. Ilhan Abdullahi Omar.\n\nJust three days ago, Trump Tweeted that U.S. Reps. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna Pressley, Rashida Tlaib and Omar should “go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came.”\n\nBoos traveled throughout the 8,000-plus packed coliseum Wednesday, July 17, from Trump’s supporters as he said Omar blames the United States on the terrorist attacks of 9/11. They continued to boo as they looked to the right of the stage where security approached a protester who ran behind a Keep America Great sign.\n\nSecurity escorted the protester out during Trump’s Keep America Great rally.\n\n“Great thing about live television is you can’t cut it,” Trump said.\n\nHe turned his focus on North Carolina by praising women for filling 60 percent of American jobs in 2018.\n\n“Three years ago – time is flying,” Trump said. “I want to thank you. Donald Trump has won the great state of North Carolina.”\n\nTrump supporters chanted, “Four more years, four more years.”\n\nTrump said 6 million jobs have been created since his election in 2016, and he congratulated N.C. on picking up 180,000 jobs last year.\n\n“North Carolina has had its best economic year in the history of the state,” he said.\n\n“You have a lot of good things going on,” he said. “But let’s not just talk about North Carolina. This election is nationwide.”\n\nHe spoke of the “Russian hoax” by thanking Republican leadership for stopping it, and he talked about Joe Biden, who is running for President in 2020.\n\n“Sleepy Joe wasn’t prepared during a debate,” he said. “Could you imagine if I said, ‘I’m not prepared.’”\n\nVice President Mike Pence’s visit to the Fayetteville-Fort Bragg community included a stop at Highland Country Club in Fayetteville to raise money for Republican 9th Congressional District candidate Dan Bishop.\n\nBishop is running against Democrat Dan McCready in a special election this summer that was ordered because of evidence of election fraud on the part of an operative working for Republican Mark Harris in the 2018 election.\n\nThe Bishop fundraiser luncheon was closed to the general public and the news media. Those who wanted to attend had to pay at least $1,000, according to an invitation.\n\n“I was very happy — we had more folks show up than we had seats for, so we had to improvise,” he said on Wednesday afternoon. “I think everyone was pleased with both the attendance and the contributions.”\n\nBishop campaign spokeswoman Jessica Proud on Wednesday afternoon described the event as “a huge success.” About 80 people attended, she said.\n\nThe guests included 8th District U.S. Rep. Richard Hudson (who also serves Fort Bragg and Fayetteville) and a Gold Star wife — a military widow whose husband was killed in combat — Proud said.\n\nTrump ended his rally by saying, \"keep America great. Thank you, North Carolina, thank you!\"\n\nGREENVILLE — Before President Donald Trump arrived at East Carolina University’s Minges Coliseum, his supporters swayed to music, waved “Keep America Great” signs in the air and chanted “Trump 2020, Trump 2020!”\n\nAn empty podium awaited Trump in the center of the packed coliseum for a 7 p.m. start to his Keep America Great rally Wednesday, but his fans remained patient with their signs, red hats, and conversations with fellow supporters.\n\n“I’m here for the party to see the President of the United States,” Vinny Grifton of New Jersey said. “He’s doing what he says he will do and he’s a man of his word.”\n\nThe party atmosphere never slowed down as Grifton and others booed media, chanted for four more years from Trump and listened to Lara Trump — a native of Wrightsville Beach — N.C. House Rep. John Bell and Greenville’s Republican candidate for congress Dr. Greg Murphy.\n\n“Hillary Clinton said we are ‘deplorables,’” Bell said. “We are Americans who want to fight and make America great.”\n\nTrump’s supporters cheered in unison and continued to wait for their Commander in Chief.\n\nIn the time after Lara Trump's comments, some supporters danced along to \"YMCA\" and Michael Jackson's \"Beat it\" while waiting for the president.\n\nWandering supporters often stopped by the press pit to speak with members of the media or take pictures.\n\nYou don’t go to a Trump rally looking for subtlety.\n\nTake the rally held Wednesday at the Williams Arena in Greenville, North Carolina’s ECU campus.\n\nThe arena grounds was a cacophony of Keep America Great caps and red shirts. Umbrellas were a notable part of the human skyline, an attempt by Trump supporters to beat off a drop-dead, 96-degree temperature and humidity so high you could squeeze the air with your fist and get water.\n\nWell, maybe that’s an exaggeration but we’re trying to get into the spirit of a Trump rally here.\n\nCampus and city police collected at checkpoints and manned a long row of tables and machinery where rally-goers would have to walk a metal-detecting gauntlet. As you approach the gentle rifts of “We Will Rock You” boom over speakers; a giant screen recounts the Trump victory of 2016, playing snippets of politicians and stars declaring the impossibility of a win.\n\nThe line of attendees is long. You’ll swear if you walk to the end of it you’ll find yourself standing on Atlantic Beach, even though that’s 80-odd miles away. And, if you’re expecting only the aged you would be surprised at the number of young people, and a smattering of black fans whose numbers are significant if not overwhelming.\n\nTake Chris Bethea of Greensboro, who sits in the precious shade of a tree with a display of Trump shirts, hats and flags that he hawks to passers-by.\n\n“No,” he says. “I’m not a Trump man. I’m my own man. But I’m a Trump supporter.”\n\nLike the president or hate him, he said, everyone needs to support him because he’s president. “If you don’t support your president, you don’t support America.”\n\nMost of the selling tents are lined up down the long walk where Trumpers await entrance. A bottle of Dasani goes for four bucks.\n\nThe shirts and banners are bold and sometimes in your face.\n\n“Trump: No man, no woman, no Commie can stop him,” reads one, featuring a a Rambo-esque president with six-pack abs and a great big gun.\n\nAnother uses the imagery of the Second Amendment to push the president: “Trump .45 Cause the .44 didn’t work the last 8 years.”\n\nAnd how about, “Trump: No more bull…” Well, you get the drift.\n\nOne booth sells a stars-and-bars flag with the “Don’t Tread On Me” coiled snake superimposed. We ask the young seller, a black man, what he thinks of it? “Most African Americans would find it offensive.”\n\nHe shrugs and smiled. “Well, I’m not most African Americans.”\n\nThen there was Jon Silver, director of North Carolina for Donald Trump, who carried a sign. It had a map of the state in blue, capped with a Donald Trump hairpiece stretched across the top.\n\nThe crowd is enormous – they usually are, at these events, and you’d think the heat would have driven many away. It might explain the relatively low turnout of the senior crowd. One senior citizen, following his adult granddaughter along, commented that, “I didn’t know if I would come with this heat index. But this young lady talked me into it.”\n\nTerry Train, a Memphis band composed of a father and his four home-schooled son, performs for the crowd, belting out rock-and-roll originals. “We write everything we sing,” drummer Justin Terry proclaims, and his father addresses the crowds, “We’re gonna sing a song for CNN.”\n\nAbsent are protestors. Perhaps it’s the heat, or perhaps they plan to show up closer to showtime. This is a college campus in the middle of a big college town, so anti-Trumpers must be nearby. But on the grounds, they can’t be found. Asked where they might be gathering, one police officer points to a purple bus and says that it brought a few. But no one is standing around.\n\nAfter standing on baking pavement in a heat-index of above 100 for several hours, the crowd will finally be let into the stadium at 4 p.m. – where they will wait bake on stadium seats until 7 p.m. when the President is expected to arrive.\n\nNot everyone is in the line. A few people have retreated to lawn chairs in the shade. It remains to be seen if they’ll ever get inside. They bodies may be wilted by the heat, but not their enthusiasm. Even the recent flack of the president telling minority congresswomen to go back where they came from doesn’t make them flinch. “It makes me mad,” Carol Morrison of nearby Winterville said. “The liberals can slam him any way they want. (But) he slams them right back in the face.”\n\nThe president tells everyone exactly what he thinks, she says.\n\nAnd so does this crowd.\n\n“I like Trump,” she notes, a voice for these Trumpian masses. “I want him to win again.”\n\nReporters and photographers with ENC Media will be on scene at Minges Coliseum tonight for President Donald Trump's rally. Follow their coverage here:", "US Democratic congresswoman, Ilhan Omar, has responded via Twitter after crowds at a presidential rally chanted \"send her back.\"\n\nThe chants started after remarks by President Donald Trump about Omar and they resembled those Mr Trump's supporters had chanted against Hillary Clinton during his presidential campaign in 2016."], "summary": "During a campaign rally, U.S. President Donald Trump says \"Squad\" members \"hate our country\". In light of recent statements made by Trump deemed as racist, the crowd of Trump supporters started chanting \"send her back\" in regards to Representative Ilhan Omar."}
{"document": ["Asteroid YB35 safely flew by Earth on 27 March 2014, and was spotted by NASA and observed by the Goldstone Observatory on 20 March 2015. On this day, the asteroid was expected to be in a optimal position so that the observatory could obtain coarse radar images. Credit: European Space Agency\n\nAsteroid 2006 QV89, a small object 20 to 50 metres in diameter, was in the news lately because of a very small, one-in-7000 chance of impact with Earth on 9 September 2019.\n\nIn the first known case of ruling out an asteroid impact through a \"non-detection,\" ESA and the European Southern Observatory have concluded that asteroid 2006 QV89 is not on a collision course this year—and the chance of any future impact is extremely remote.\n\nCatching a glimpse\n\nAsteroids come and go, quite literally, often frustrating astronomers. You can catch sight of a hurtling space rock, take some measurements to narrow down its orbit, and days later it's gone—potentially remaining unobservable for decades.\n\nIn general, when an asteroid is found to have even a tiny chance of impacting Earth, further observations and measurements are taken. These \"astrometric\" data refine our understanding of the asteroid's path, improving our understanding of the risk it poses and often excluding any chance of collision altogether.\n\nHowever, the case of asteroid 2006 QV89 is peculiar. The object was discovered in August 2006 and then observed for only ten days. These observations suggested it had a 1-in-7000 chance of impacting Earth on 9 September 2019.\n\nThis artist’s impression, based on detailed spacecraft observations, shows the strange peanut-shaped asteroid Itokawa. By making exquisitely precise timing measurements using ESO’s New Technology Telescope a team of astronomers has found that different parts of this asteroid have different densities. As well as revealing secrets about the asteroid’s formation, finding out what lies below the surface of asteroids may also shed light on what happens when bodies collide in the Solar System, and provide clues about how planets form. Credit: JAXA, ESO/L. Calçada/M. Kornmesser/Nick Risinger (skysurvey.org)\n\nAfter the tenth day, the asteroid was unobservable and has not been seen since. Now, after more than a decade, we can predict its position with only very poor accuracy. As a result it is extremely difficult for astronomers to re-observe it, as no one knows exactly where to point a telescope.\n\nNevertheless, there is a way to obtain the information needed.\n\nNice to not see you\n\nWhile we do not know 2006 QV89's trajectory exactly, we do know where it would appear in the sky if it were on a collision course with our planet. Therefore, we can simply observe this small area of the sky to check that the asteroid is indeed, hopefully, not there.\n\nThis way, we have the chance to indirectly exclude any risk of an impact, even without actually seeing the asteroid.\n\nThis is precisely what ESA and the European Southern Observatory (ESO) did on 4 and 5 July, as part of the ongoing collaboration between the two organizations to observe high-risk asteroids using ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT).\n\nOrbit of asteroid 2006 QV89. Credit: European Space Agency\n\nTeams obtained very \"deep\" images of a small area in the sky, where the asteroid would have been located if it were on track to impact Earth in September.\n\nNothing was seen.\n\nThe image above shows the region of the sky where asteroid 2006 QV80 would have been seen if on a collision course with Earth this year.\n\nThe three red crosses reveal the specific locations, where the asteroid could have appeared as a single, bright, round source, had it been on a collision course.\n\nEven if the asteroid were smaller than expected, at only a few metres across, it would have been seen in the image. Any smaller than this and the VLT could not have spotted it, but it would also be considered harmless as any asteroid this size would burn up in Earth's atmosphere.\n\nExplore further Video: ESA defending Earth\n\nMore information: Find out more about ESA's work to detect risky asteroids, and one day even to mitigate the risk they pose, here: Find out more about ESA's work to detect risky asteroids, and one day even to mitigate the risk they pose, here: www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Spa … fety/Risky_asteroids", "Asteroid 2006 QV89, a small object 20 to 50 metres in diameter, was in the news lately because of a very small, one-in-7000 chance of impact with Earth on 9 September 2019.\n\nIn the first known case of ruling out an asteroid impact through a \"non-detection,\" ESA and the European Southern Observatory have concluded that asteroid 2006 QV89 is not on a collision course this year—and the chance of any future impact is extremely remote.\n\nAsteroids come and go, quite literally, often frustrating astronomers. You can catch sight of a hurtling space rock, take some measurements to narrow down its orbit, and days later it's gone—potentially remaining unobservable for decades.\n\nIn general, when an asteroid is found to have even a tiny chance of impacting Earth, further observations and measurements are taken. These \"astrometric\" data refine our understanding of the asteroid's path, improving our understanding of the risk it poses and often excluding any chance of collision altogether.\n\nHowever, the case of asteroid 2006 QV89 is peculiar. The object was discovered in August 2006 and then observed for only ten days. These observations suggested it had a 1-in-7000 chance of impacting Earth on 9 September 2019.\n\nAfter the tenth day, the asteroid was unobservable and has not been seen since. Now, after more than a decade, we can predict its position with only very poor accuracy. As a result it is extremely difficult for astronomers to re-observe it, as no one knows exactly where to point a telescope.\n\nNevertheless, there is a way to obtain the information needed.\n\nNice to not see you\n\nWhile we do not know 2006 QV89's trajectory exactly, we do know where it would appear in the sky if it were on a collision course with our planet. Therefore, we can simply observe this small area of the sky to check that the asteroid is indeed, hopefully, not there.\n\nThis way, we have the chance to indirectly exclude any risk of an impact, even without actually seeing the asteroid.\n\nThis is precisely what ESA and the European Southern Observatory (ESO) did on 4 and 5 July, as part of the ongoing collaboration between the two organizations to observe high-risk asteroids using ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT).\n\nTeams obtained very \"deep\" images of a small area in the sky, where the asteroid would have been located if it were on track to impact Earth in September.\n\nNothing was seen.\n\nThe image above shows the region of the sky where asteroid 2006 QV80 would have been seen if on a collision course with Earth this year.\n\nThe three red crosses reveal the specific locations, where the asteroid could have appeared as a single, bright, round source, had it been on a collision course.\n\nEven if the asteroid were smaller than expected, at only a few metres across, it would have been seen in the image. Any smaller than this and the VLT could not have spotted it, but it would also be considered harmless as any asteroid this size would burn up in Earth's atmosphere.", "Asteroids frequently frustrate astronomers observing these space rocks. Once an asteroid is detected, space scientists must rush to take some measurements to narrow down its orbit before disappearing, for period potentially lasting decades. When an asteroid is discovered to have even a remote possibility of slamming into our planet, highly-detailed measurements are understandably necessary. Such “astrometric: data improve our understanding of the asteroid’s trajectory and refine the risk the space rock poses.\n\nThe distant space rock was discovered in August 2006, where it was observed for only ten days. These observations indicated the asteroid had a 1-in-7,000 chance of hitting Earth on September 9 this year. After the tenth day, the asteroid was unobservable and has not been seen since. Now, after more than a decade, we can predict its position with only very poor accuracy. READ MORE: NASA wants You to submit song for future Moon missions\n\nIt is consequently extremely difficult for astronomers to observe it again, as no-one is sure where it is. Regardless there is an ingenious method of getting the information needed. While ESA scientists do not know 2006 QV89’s exact telemetry, they do know where it would appear in the solar system if it were on a collision course with Earth. Therefore, this small area of space is under surveillance to check the rogue asteroid is not there. READ MORE: What time did Neil Armstrong land on the Moon 50 years ago?\n\nThis method is our best chance to indirectly exclude any risk of an impact, even without actually seeing the asteroid. This is precisely what ESA and the European Southern Observatory did on July 4 and 5, using the ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT). Scientific teams obtained very “deep” images of a small area in the sky, where the asteroid would have been located if it were on track to impact Earth in September. The resulting image above shows the region of the sky where asteroid 2006 QV89 would have been seen if on a collision course with Earth this year.", "Good news: Asteroid 2006 QV89 is not on a collision course for Earth this year.\n\nEven better news: The chance of future impact is “extremely remote,” according to the European Space Agency (ESA).\n\nThe small object—about 65 to 165 feet in diameter—made headlines recently based on a very small chance of contact this September.\n\nNow, in the first known case of using “non-detection” to rule out the horror of a minor planet crashing into Earth, ESA and the European Southern Observatory (ESO) confirmed we are not in danger.\n\nAt least not from asteroid 2006 QV89.\n\n“In general, when an asteroid is found to have even a tiny chance of impacting Earth, further observations and measurements are taken,” an ESA blog post explained.\n\nBut this case is “peculiar.”\n\nDiscovered in August 2006, the object was observed for only 10 days, leading scientists to conclude that it had a 1-in-7,000 chance of impacting Earth on Sept. 9, 2019.\n\n“After the tenth day, the asteroid was unobservable and has not been seen since,” the agency continued. “Now, after more than a decade, we can predict its position with only very poor accuracy.”\n\nDon’t start ringing the bells of the apocalypse, though.\n\nWhile astronomers don’t know 2006 QV89’s exact trajectory, they do know where it would appear in the sky if it were on a collision course with our planet.\n\n“Therefore, we can simply observe this small area of the sky to check that the asteroid is indeed, hopefully, not there,” the ESA said.\n\nWhich is precisely what the ESO and ESA did.\n\nAs folks in the US ate hot dogs, watched fireworks, and enjoyed a long weekend, analysts in Europe searched the heavens: Teams obtained “deep” images of an area of sky—where the asteroid would be if it were on track to impact Earth later this year.\n\n“Even if the asteroid were smaller than expected, at only a few meters across, it would have been seen in the image,” according to the ESA. “Any smaller than this and the VLT could not have spotted it, but it would also be considered harmless as any asteroid this size would burn up in Earth’s atmosphere.”\n• None Hayabusa-2 to Land on Asteroid Ryugu for Second Sample Collection\n• None ‘Double Asteroid’ Speeding by Earth at 43,000 MPH Captured in Photo", "Astronomers shocked the world earlier a few weeks ago by warning that a space rock called Asteroid 2006 QV89 had a very small chance of smashing into Earth.\n\nNow the European Space Agency has released a new analysis of the risk posed by the object which contains the startling revelation that it has simply disappeared and can no longer be tracked by telescopes.\n\nAsteroid 2006 QV89 is 40 meters is wide and headed our way, with scientists previously calculating that it had a 1-in-7,000 chance of hitting our fragile planet on September 9.\n\nThe space rock was first spotted in 2006. It was observed for 10 days and then simply vanished.\n\n‘Asteroids come and go, quite literally, often frustrating astronomers,’ the European Space Agency wrote.\n\n‘You can catch sight of a hurtling space rock, take some measurements to narrow down its orbit, and days later it’s gone – potentially remaining unobservable for decades.’\n\nBut although we can’t see the asteroid and don’t really have the foggiest idea where it is, we know where it would be if it was headed our way.\n\nESA astronomers have carefully surveyed an area of sky in which the rock would appear it it was doomed to smash into humanity’s homeworld.\n\nWe’re glad to report that the killer space rock was nowhere to be seen, meaning it’s not going to smash into Earth and kill vast numbers of people.\n\nESA added: ‘In the first known case of ruling out an asteroid impact through a “non-detection”, ESA and the European Southern Observatory have concluded that asteroid 2006 QV89 is not on a collision course this year – and the chance of any future impact is extremely remote.’\n\nAsteroid 2006 QV89 is quite small so would not destroy humanity if it smashed into our world.\n\nIn 1908, 80 million trees were knocked down over an area of 800 square miles hidden deep in the Siberian forest when a meteor thought to be up to 190 metres wide crashed into Earth.\n\nIf the object which caused this devastation had hit a populated area, it could have killed millions and razed a city to the ground.\n\nThe mysterious ‘Tunguska event’ was the largest asteroid impact in recorded history and caused an explosion 1,000 times more powerful than the Hiroshima bomb.", "An asteroid predicted to have a small chance of one day colliding with Earth will miss us this time around when it makes a close approach on September 9, the European Space Agency says.\n\nESA has ruled out an impact this year from an asteroid called 2006 QV89, and found that any future impacts are extremely unlikely.\n\nAnd, for the first time, the scientists made this determination not by assessing where the asteroid is, but by where it isn’t.\n\nAccording to ESA, asteroid 2006 QV89 has not been seen since it was first discovered back in August 2006.\n\nWhile that might sound unsettling, the space agency has ruled out a September 9 impact by way of ‘non-detection,’ after looking where it would be if it were on the collision course and (thankfully) spotting no sign of it.\n\nUsing the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope in Chile, scientists have pinpointed the precise area of the sky asteroid 2006 QV89 would be if it were going to collide with Earth.\n\nEven if it were smaller than expected, ESA says the object would show up as a bright speck if it were traveling through.\n\nAnd, any smaller than that and it would pose no risk at all, as it would burn up in the atmosphere.\n\nInitial calculations had put the chances of an impact on September 9 at just 1-in-7000, according to ESA.\n\nBut, the space agency now says it’s ruled that out entirely.\n\nAsteroid 2006 QV89 is estimated to be 20-50 meters wide and was first observed in August 2006, when scientists tracked it for ten days before it disappeared.\n\n‘After the tenth day, the asteroid was unobservable and has not been seen since,’ ESA says.\n\n‘Now, after more than a decade, we can predict its position with only very poor accuracy.\n\n‘As a result it is extremely difficult for astronomers to re-observe it, as no one knows exactly where to point a telescope.’\n\nEven with minimal chances of slamming into Earth, scientists still must take further measurements to pinpoint any future risks.\n\nWithout its exact location, the team had to go with what it does know: where it would be if it were a danger to us.\n\n‘Therefore, we can simply observe this small area of the sky to check that the asteroid is indeed, hopefully, not there,’ ESA says.\n\n‘This way, we have the chance to indirectly exclude any risk of an impact, even without actually seeing the asteroid.’", "Breaking news for all you doomsday lovers out there: The 20-50 meter asteroid 2006 QV8 will NOT hit the Earth on September 9th. \n\n\n\nThere was a one in 7,000 chance (this is fleetingly small) that asteroid 2006 QV89 would impact Earth in two months, according to a European Space Agency and European Southern Observatory release. But follow-up observations have once again confirmed that none of the asteroids we know about are at risk of impacting the Earth. The same cannot be said of asteroids we don’t know about, of course.\n\nAt present, scientists monitor the sky for asteroids using a few surveys, and then a host of telescopes around the world are tasked with following up—taking more observations to gather the asteroid’s properties and trajectories. The more we know about these objects, the better we can calculate their orbits and assess how much of a risk they pose.\n\nScientists spotted 2006 QV89 in 2006, watched it for 10 days, and then couldn’t find it again. That’s not so surprising, given that 20-50 meters is quite small as far as space rocks go. Nonetheless, no one wants their community to be hit by an asteroid that large. A 20-meter asteroid exploded over Chelyabinsk, Russia back in 2013, shattering windows throughout the city and injuring nearly 1,500 people (thankfully no deaths were linked to the blast). The effects of a larger asteroid might be worse.\n\nSo, rather than try to find the asteroid again to get better observations, scientists operating the ESO’s Very Large Telescope looked to a part of the sky on July 4 and 5 that the asteroid should have passed through if it were going to hit Earth this year. There was no asteroid—and thus, no need to worry about the impact, or future impacts, based on all of the data combined. This could be the first time that an asteroid strike has been ruled out in a method like this, according to the ESA.\n\nThough we’re not threatened by any known asteroids today, space agencies make a big deal out of planetary defense—and they have a long way to go to improve their monitoring. Congress has tasked NASA to find 90 percent of the asteroids bigger than 140 meters (around the size of a football stadium), but simulations and estimates suggest only around a third have been found so far, Kelly Fast, NASA’s Near-Earth Object Observations program manager, recently told Gizmodo. The size of 140 meters was selected because these rocks could have catastrophic regional effects, but smaller asteroids can still pack a punch. Thankfully, statistics are on our side, and asteroids grow increasingly less common as they increase in radius.\n\n\n\nThis asteroid non-detection demonstrates an important, less-exciting piece of the scientific method. Sometimes, finding nothing is as important as finding something.", "If you’ve been wringing your hands and saying your goodbyes in advance of the visit from asteroid 2006 QV89 later this year, you can relax. The space rock, which had a very, very tiny chance of posing a threat to Earth, has been under close observation by astronomers who have since confirmed that it will indeed miss our planet entirely.\n\nAs the ESA and European Southern Observatory explain in a new post, the asteroid was thought to have a roughly 1-in-7,000 shot at impacting Earth. That’s an incredibly tiny percentage, but it was still a risk that had to be investigated. Thankfully, we can all breathe easy. Probably.\n\nThe asteroid wouldn’t exactly be a “planet killer” even if it did strike Earth. Upper ranges of its estimated size put it at just over 160 feet across, so it would likely do some serious damage if it exploded in the skies above a populated region, but it’s not the kind of doomsday asteroid that we imagine from science fiction flicks.\n\n“While we do not know 2006 QV89’s trajectory exactly, we do know where it would appear in the sky if it were on a collision course with our planet,” ESA explains. “Therefore, we can simply observe this small area of the sky to check that the asteroid is indeed, hopefully, not there.”\n\nThe researchers did exactly that and saw that the asteroid was indeed not on the potentially dangerous course that would make it a risk for us on Earth.\n\n“Even if the asteroid were smaller than expected, at only a few metres across, it would have been seen in the image,” ESA says. “Any smaller than this and the VLT could not have spotted it, but it would also be considered harmless as any asteroid this size would burn up in Earth’s atmosphere.”", "Asteroid 2006 QV89 just performed the cosmic equivalent of shouting \"Boo!\" It might have startled us, but it won't cause any real damage.\n\nThe European Space Agency said the asteroid had an extremely tiny 1-in-7,000 chance of impacting Earth in September when it visits our neighborhood. ESA has now adjusted that to zero.\n\nScientists first spotted the asteroid in 2006, but had only a short window of opportunity for observations, leaving us uncertain about its trajectory.\n\n\"We do know where it would appear in the sky if it were on a collision course with our planet. Therefore, we can simply observe this small area of the sky to check that the asteroid is indeed, hopefully, not there,\" ESA said in a statement on Tuesday.\n\nESA and the European Southern Observatory scanned that bit of sky and thankfully found no asteroid. This is the \"first known case of ruling out an asteroid impact through a 'non-detection,'\" ESA said.\n\nThe agency released an image of that section of sky showing the absence of the asteroid.\n\nWhile 2006 QV89 is small at somewhere around 65 to 165 feet (20 to 50 meters) in diameter, it could potentially have a devastating effect along the lines of what happened when an asteroid exploded over the city of Chelyabinsk in Russia in 2013. That event caused over 1,200 injuries and extensive damage to buildings.\n\nOur sigh of relief at not being in the asteroid's path can continue for many years. ESA says any chance of future impact is extremely remote.", "Exhale. We are safe from the asteroid that scary headlines were warning us about in early June, according to new observations from the European Space Agency and the European Southern Observatory.\n\nThe space rock is called 2006 QV89. It's around 20 to 50 metres (65 to 164 feet) across, and its orbit around the Sun crosses Earth's in such a way that there was a one in 7,000 chance of a collision on 9 September.\n\nThat's a 0.00014 percent probability, which put it pretty high up on the European Space Agency's (ESA) risk list, a catalogue of all extraterrestrial objects with a non-zero impact chance.\n\nOne could interpret that as a comforting reminder that the chance of an asteroid impact is actually really low, but this is the real world, so we got a bunch of alarmist news reports instead.\n\nNow, we have the truth.\n\n\"The European Southern Observatory have concluded that asteroid 2006 QV89 is not on a collision course this year - and the chance of any future impact is extremely remote,\" the ESA clarified in an announcement.\n\nBut this whole debacle has turned out to be a good thing - because, for the first time ever, astronomers have ruled out an asteroid collision by way of not detecting it.\n\nAsteroids are actually hard to see. They're rather small, moving around at great distances, and often not very reflective. Also, the smaller they are - obviously - the harder they are to detect. Often an asteroid shows up, astronomers take a bunch of measurements, and then the asteroid moves along and becomes undetectable again.\n\n2006 QV89 is an asteroid of this kind. It was discovered in 2006, and over the course of 10 days, astronomers took observations. Then it vanished. We've not seen hide nor hair of it since.\n\nBut those 10 days provided enough data for scientists to calculate its elliptical orbit - arriving at the conclusion that the asteroid would cross Earth's orbit on 9 September 2019 at a close-enough point to our planet that there was some risk of collision.\n\nBut, although that's some pretty nifty calculation based on limited data, we still don't know exactly where it is at any given point in time. This is where the non-detection method comes in - and this is really clever.\n\n\"While we do not know 2006 QV89's trajectory exactly, we do know where it would appear in the sky if it were on a collision course with our planet,\" wrote the ESA. \"Therefore, we can simply observe this small area of the sky to check that the asteroid is indeed, hopefully, not there.\"\n\nSo, that's what they did. On 4 and 5 July, they turned one of the most powerful telescopes on Earth to search that patch of sky, the Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Paranal, Chile.\n\nEven if the asteroid had been much smaller than thought - only a few metres across, as opposed to tens - the VLT would have been able to detect it as a patch of brightness in that area of the sky.\n\nAs you've already gathered, there's nothing there - nothing within the VLT's capabilities, anyway. Which is great, because anything smaller than the VLT could detect would be too small to impact; it would burn up in reentry.\n\nSo you can rest easy in your beds. At least until 2022. That's when the 13-metre asteroid 2009JF1 has a one in 4,464 chance of hitting Earth. Stay tuned for the headlines."], "summary": "Astronomers rule out the chances of ~30-meter asteroid 2006 QV89's impacting Earth in September 2019 by eliminating the possibility of its passing through an area where it would have to be if it were on an impacting orbit. Prior to this, the asteroid had been given a one-in-7,000 chance of impacting Earth."}
{"document": ["KABUL (Reuters) - Twelve people were killed and more than 80 wounded when Taliban fighters detonated two car bombs at a gate outside police headquarters in the Afghan city of Kandahar on Thursday, police and medical officials and the Taliban said.\n\nAn Afghan police officer keeps watch near the site of a suicide car bomb blast in Kandahar, Afghanistan July 18, 2019. REUTERS/Ismail Sameem NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES\n\nAfter the blasts, militant gunman opened fire from nearby positions and members of the security forces were battling them, said Tadeen Khan, the southern city’s chief of police.\n\nThe attackers targeted the police force’s counter-narcotics wing, Khan said.\n\nEyewitnesses said that following the first explosion, three back-to-back explosions were heard and the gunfight was still going on.\n\nPolice cordoned off the area as passers-by fled.\n\nThose killed were both policemen and civilians, said Bahir Ahmadi, a spokesman for the provincial governor, giving the death toll.\n\nA doctor on duty in Kandahar provincial hospital said 83 wounded people had been taken to the hospital, most of them civilians.\n\nThe Taliban said in a statement their fighters had detonated car bombs and clashes were continuing as some fighters had entered the police offices.\n\nKandahar was the former seat of the Taliban when they ruled Afghanistan from 1996 until they were ousted by a U.S.-led coalition in 2001.\n\nThe militants have fought on and while U.S. officials and Taliban militants have been discussing a peace deal since late last year to end the war, the violence has not abated.\n\nAt least 20 Afghan forces members were killed in a Taliban ambush in Abkamari district in western Badghis province on Wednesday.\n\nThe Taliban also killed an Afghan commander on Wednesday in central Afghanistan. Mateen Mujtaba, who headed an army division in Ghazni province, was conducting a security check in Qarabagh district when an Afghan soldier started shooting.\n\nOfficials said the soldier was an infiltrator of the hardline Islamist group.", "Kabul: At least eight people have been killed and 33 others injured after an explosion struck near the south entrance to Kabul University, Afghanistan’s Health Ministry said on Friday.\n\nDr. Wahidullah Mayar, the Health Ministry spokesman, wrote on Twitter that eight died and another 33 people were wounded in Friday’s explosion.\n\nThere was no immediate claim of responsibility and it was not clear if the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber or remotely detonated.\n\nFerdous Faramarz, a spokesman for the Kabul police chief, said two vehicles caught fire after the blast. He said police defused a second bomb that was placed close to the explosion site.\n\nThe explosion occurred as students were waiting outside Kabul University to attend exams.\n\nThe blast came after at least 12 people were killed and almost 90 wounded on July 18 when Taliban militants detonated two car bombs at a gate outside police headquarters in the southern city of Kandahar.\n\nAfter the car bombs, Taliban gunmen opened fire from nearby positions, triggering a battle with security forces, said Tadeen Khan, the city’s police chief. The attackers targeted the counternarcotics wing of the police, Khan said.", "A car bomb exploded at a gate of police headquarters in Afghanistan’s southern city of Kandahar on Thursday, a police official said.\n\n“Militants detonated a car loaded with explosives, and some gunmen have entered the buildings around our main office,” said a police official requesting anonymity.\n\nNo militant group has claimed responsibility so far. There was no immediate word on casualties.", "Twelve people were killed and more than 80 injured when Taliban fighters detonated two car bombs at a gate outside police headquarters in the Afghan city of Kandahar on Thursday, Reuters reported.\n\nMilitant gunman then opened fire from nearby positions and members of the security forces were battling them, according to Tadeen Khan, the southern city’s chief of police. The attackers targeted the police force’s counter-narcotics wing, he said.\n\nThree back-to-back explosions followed the first blast, eyewitnesses said.\n\nThe Taliban said in a statement their fighters had detonated car bombs and clashes were continuing as some fighters had entered police offices.", "At least twelve people were killed and almost 90 were injured as eight Taliban militants exploded two car bombs and stormed police headquarters in the city of Kandahar in southern Afghanistan, the office of Kandahar governor said in a statement on Thursday\n\nKABUL (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th July, 2019) At least twelve people were killed and almost 90 were injured as eight Taliban militants exploded two car bombs and stormed police headquarters in the city of Kandahar in southern Afghanistan , the office of Kandahar governor said in a statement on Thursday.\n\nEarlier in the day, a source told Sputnik that at least nine people had been killed and over 50 injured in the attack.\n\n\"There were two detonated car bombs, which killed three policemen and wounded three others. [At least] 89 civilians were killed or wounded in the attack. Nine civilians were killed and 80 more wounded, four women and 11 children among those wounded,\" the statement says.\n\nAccording to local officials, the attack started at around 4 p.m. local time (noon GMT) and lasted for at least two hours.�\n\nPhotos published in social media show black plumes of smoke billowing from the police headquarters building.\n\nTaliban has claimed responsibility for the attacks, saying that dozens of soldiers have been killed so far.\n\nTaliban has recently intensified its attacks in the country. Afghan government carries out regular security raids against the insurgents as part of a lengthy civil conflict between the parties.", "At least nine people have been killed and 60 more injured in a car bomb attack on police headquarters in Kandahar Province in southern Afghanistan, Pajhwok news agency reported on Thursday\n\nMOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th July, 2019) At least nine people have been killed and 60 more injured in a car bomb attack on police headquarters in Kandahar Province in southern Afghanistan , Pajhwok news agency reported on Thursday.\n\nPhotos released on social media show black plumes of smoke billowing from the place of the alleged attack.\n\nEarlier in the day, Jamal Naseer Barakzai, the spokesman of the police command, told Sputnik that a group of Taliban gunmen attacked the police command in Kandahar after detonating an explosive-laden vehicle close to the building.\n\nLocal sources have reported at least two explosions, while the official confirmed one to Sputnik.", "KABUL (Reuters) - A car bomb exploded at a gate of police headquarters in the Afghan city of Kandahar on Thursday, a police official said.\n\nThere was no immediate word on casualties.\n\n“The attackers have targeted the counter-narcotics wing in the Kandahar police,” said Tadeen Khan, the southern city’s chief of police.\n\nAfter the blast, militant gunman opened fire from nearby positions and members of the security forces were battling them, Khan said.\n\nPolice cordoned off the area as passersby fled.\n\nU.S. officials and Taliban miliants have been discussing a peace deal since late last year but despite the talks, the level of violence has not fallen off.", "KABUL (Reuters) - Taliban fighters detonated a car bomb at a gate of police headquarters in the Afghan city of Kandahar on Thursday, wounding at least 20 people, police and medical officials and the Taliban said.\n\nAfter the blast, militant gunman opened fire from nearby positions and members of the security forces were battling them, said Tadeen Khan, the southern city’s chief of police.\n\nThe attackers targeted the police force’s counter-narcotics wing, Khan said.\n\nPolice cordoned off the area as passersby fled.\n\nA doctor on duty in Kandahar provincial hospital said 20 wounded people had been taken to the hospital, most of them members of the security forces.\n\nThe Taliban said in a statement their fighters had detonated a car bomb and clashes were continuing as some fighters had entered the police offices.\n\nKandahar was the former seat of the Taliban when they ruled Afghanistan from 1996 until they were ousted by a U.S.-led coalition in 2001.\n\nThe militants have fought on and while U.S. officials and Taliban militants have been discussing a peace deal since late last year to end the war, the violence has not abated.\n\nAt least 20 Afghan forces members were killed in a Taliban ambush in Abkamari district in western Badghis province on Wednesday.\n\nThe Taliban also killed an Afghan commander on Wednesday in central Afghanistan. Mateen Mujtaba, who headed an army division in Ghazni province, was conducting a security check in Qarabagh district when an Afghan soldier started shooting.\n\nOfficials said the soldier was an infiltrator of the hardline Islamist group.", "At least nine people have been killed and over 50 injured in a car bomb attack on police headquarters in Kandahar Province in southern Afghanistan, a source told Sputnik on Thursday\n\nKABUL (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th July, 2019) At least nine people have been killed and over 50 injured in a car bomb attack on police headquarters in Kandahar Province in southern Afghanistan , a source told Sputnik on Thursday.\n\n\"So far nine people have been killed and more than 50 have been wounded in the attack,\" the source said.\n\nPhotos released on social media show black plumes of smoke billowing from the place of the alleged attack.\n\nEarlier in the day, Jamal Naseer Barakzai, the spokesman of the police command, told Sputnik that a group of Taliban gunmen attacked the police command in Kandahar after detonating an explosive-laden vehicle close to the building.\n\nLocal sources have reported at least two explosions, while the official confirmed one to Sputnik.", "A group of heavily armed Taliban militants attacked the police headquarters in the Afghan city of Kandahar on Thursday with a car bomb explosion at its gate and then started firing at security forces, officials said.\n\nKandahar governor's spokesperson, Ahmad Bahir Ahmadi, told EFE that the attackers detonated a Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive Device (VBIED) at the entrance of the heavily guarded complex in the southern province.\n\n“The attackers (then) tried to force their way into the facility but were prevented by the security forces,” Ahmadi said.\n\nSecurity forces were battling the militants in a bid to stop from entering the police headquarters, he said.\n\n\"We still don’t know about the exact number of the attackers...the fighting is still under way,” the spokesperson said, adding that it was also not known if there were any casualties.\n\nQari Yusuf Ahmadi, a Taliban leader, said in a statement that the attack was carried out by suicide bombers \"armed with light and heavy weapons and explosives vests\".\n\nThe attack comes days after the Afghanistan government reported “positive results” from a peace conference between Taliban insurgents and Afghan representatives in Qatar.\n\nThe two-day conference, which brought together 60 Afghans, representing all spheres of society, including Taliban and government officials, pledged “to minimize the civilian casualties to zero” in the war in Afghanistan and work on a \"road map to peace\" for formal talks in the future.\n\nTaliban leaders and officials from the United States, led by envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, have separately held several rounds of peace talks in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates for ending the 18-year-old war in Afghanistan.\n\nDespite talks, violence has spiked across Afghanistan in recent years. The government currently controls around 55 percent of Afghan territory, while the Taliban holds nearly 11 percent.\n\nThe remaining territory is disputed, according to the US Congress’ special inspector general for Afghanistan reconstruction. EFE-EPA"], "summary": "Twelve people are killed and over 80 injured by two car bombs at a gate outside police headquarters in Kandahar, Afghanistan."}
{"document": ["A suicide bomber killed two people in Egypt's restive North Sinai region on Thursday, a day after four headless bodies were found there.\n\nThe victims of the bombing were a civilian and a member of the security forces, security and medical sources said.\n\nThe bomber was shot before he reached a military checkpoint, his intended target, but his explosive belt detonated and killed the soldier and civilian, an Egyptian military spokesman said in a statement.\n\nThe Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIS) armed group claimed responsibility for the attack via its Amaq website, saying five members of the security forces were killed or wounded.\n\nMultiple armed groups, some linked to ISIL, are active in the Sinai Peninsula and Egypt's army launched a major operation there in February last year.\n\nThursday's bombing took place at a car park in the town of Sheikh Zuweid, near the border with the Gaza Strip.\n\n190528065142778\n\nSeparately, two security sources said four headless bodies were found in an empty street in the North Sinai town of Bir al-Abd on Wednesday. Their families reported that the four men, aged 23 to 51, had been kidnapped.\n\nFighters stopped several cars before taking five people away and forcing them to lie down on the ground, a security source and three residents said. They killed four and kidnapped the fifth.\n\nISIL claimed responsibility for the beheadings, saying the four were spies for the Egyptian military. Security services were hunting down the perpetrators.\n\nEgypt's State Information Service could not immediately be reached for comment.\n\nThe Egyptian military, which launched its campaign in Sinai after an attack in November 2017 on a mosque in which hundreds of worshippers died, says hundreds of fighters have been killed.", "IS claims suicide bombing that killed 2 in Egypt's Sinai\n\nCAIRO (AP) — The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing that killed two people, including a civilian, and wounded three in Egypt's restive northern Sinai Peninsula.\n\nThe militant group says in a statement on an IS-affiliate website that an IS militant named Abu Omar El-Seedy had detonated his explosive-laden vest near a military checkpoint at dawn on Thursday.\n\nEgyptian security officials had said the bomber targeted an armored vehicle near the local market of the northern Sinai town of Sheikh Zuweid, killing a soldier and a civilian and wounding three soldiers.\n\nEgypt has battled Islamic militants for years in the Sinai Peninsula in an insurgency that has occasionally spilled over to the mainland, striking minority Christians and also at times tourists.", "CAIRO — The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for a suicide bombing that killed two people, including a civilian, and wounded three in Egypt’s restive northern Sinai Peninsula.\n\nThe militant group says in a statement on an IS-affiliate website that an IS militant named Abu Omar El-Seedy had detonated his explosive-laden vest near a military checkpoint at dawn on Thursday.\n\nEgyptian security officials had said the bomber targeted an armored vehicle near the local market of the northern Sinai town of Sheikh Zuweid, killing a soldier and a civilian and wounding three soldiers.\n\nEgypt has battled Islamic militants for years in the Sinai Peninsula in an insurgency that has occasionally spilled over to the mainland, striking minority Christians and also at times tourists.\n\nCopyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.", "CAIRO, July 18 (Reuters) - At least two people were killed by a suicide bombing in North Sinai on Thursday, a day after four headless bodies were found there, security and medical sources said.\n\nThe victims of the bombing were a civilian and a member of the security forces, the sources said. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack.\n\nAn Egyptian military spokesman said in a statement that security forces killed the bomber before he reached a checkpoint, which was his intended target. The spokesman confirmed that a member of the armed forces was killed.\n\nIslamist militants, some linked to Islamic State, are active in the Sinai Peninsula, and security forces launched a major operation there in February last year.\n\nThursday's bombing happened at a car park in the town of Sheikh Zuweid, near the border with the Gaza Strip, a security source and a medical source said.\n\nSeparately, two security sources said four headless bodies were found in an empty street in the North Sinai town of Bir al-Abd on Wednesday. Their families had reported that the four men, aged 23 to 51, had been kidnapped, the sources said.\n\nA security source and three residents said that militants stopped several cars before taking five people away and forcing them to lie down on the ground. They killed four and kidnapped the fifth, the security source and the residents said.\n\nIslamic State claimed responsibility for the beheadings via its Amaq agency, saying the four were spies for the Egyptian military. A security source said the security services were trying to find and identify the perpetrators.\n\nEgypt's State Information Service could not immediately be reached for comment.\n\nEgypt's military campaign in Sinai was launched after a jihadist attack in November 2017 on a mosque in which hundreds of worshippers died.\n\nThe military says hundreds of militants have been killed in the campaign. (Reporting by Ahmed Mohamed Hassan, Ahmed Tolba, Yusri Mohamed and Haitham Ahmed; writing by Lena Masri; editing by Larry King)", "Dear Reader, As you can imagine, more people are reading The Jerusalem Post than ever before. Nevertheless, traditional business models are no longer sustainable and high-quality publications, like ours, are being forced to look for new ways to keep going. Unlike many other news organizations, we have not put up a paywall. We want to keep our journalism open and accessible and be able to keep providing you with news and analysis from the frontlines of Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World.\n\nCAIRO - A suicide bombing killed at least two people in Egypt's North Sinai region on Thursday, a day after four headless bodies were found there, security and medical sources said.\n\n\n\nThe victims of the bombing were a civilian and a member of the security forces, the sources said.\n\nAn Egyptian military spokesman said in a statement that security forces killed the bomber before he reached a checkpoint, which was his intended target. The spokesman confirmed that a member of the armed forces was killed after the bomber's explosive belt detonated.Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack via its Amaq agency, saying five members of the security forces were killed or injured.Islamist militants, some linked to Islamic State, are active in the Sinai Peninsula, and security forces launched a major operation there in February last year.Thursday's bombing took place at a car park in the town of Sheikh Zuweid, near the border with the Gaza Strip, a security source and a medical source said.Separately, two security sources said four headless bodies were found in an empty street in the North Sinai town of Bir al-Abd on Wednesday. Their families had reported that the four men, aged 23 to 51, had been kidnapped, the sources said.A security source and three residents said that militants stopped several cars before taking five people away and forcing them to lie down on the ground. They killed four and kidnapped the fifth, the security source and the residents said.Islamic State claimed responsibility for the beheadings via the Amaq agency, saying the four were spies for the Egyptian military. A security source said the security services were trying to find and identify the perpetrators.Egypt's State Information Service could not immediately be reached for comment.The Egyptian military, which launched its campaign in Sinai after a jihadist attack in November 2017 on a mosque in which hundreds of worshippers died, says hundreds of militants have been killed in the campaign.\n\nJoin Jerusalem Post Premium Plus now for just $5 and upgrade your experience with an ads-free website and exclusive content. Click here>>", "A suicide bomber killed a soldier on Thursday in an attack on security forces in Egypt's restive North Sinai province, a military spokesman said\n\nCAIRO (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th July, 2019) A suicide bomber killed a soldier on Thursday in an attack on security forces in Egypt 's restive North Sinai province, a military spokesman said.\n\nA man wearing an explosive belt approached security forces near a parking lot in the city of Sheikh Zuweid, prompting the troops to open fire.\n\nThe ensuing explosion killed the attacker and a serviceman and wounded three other personnel, the spokesman said.\n\nThe bombing was claimed by Islamic State terrorist group (IS, banned in Russia), according to SITE Intelligence Group, a US website monitoring extremist online activity.\n\nIslamist insurgents have long been targeting security forces in the Sinai Peninsula. Egypt has been conducting a massive security operation in North Sinai for over a year to weed out armed groups, killing and arresting hundreds of militants.", "A suicide bombing killed at least two people in Egypt’s North Sinai region on Thursday, a day after four headless bodies were found there, security and medical sources said, Reuters reported.\n\nThe victims of the bombing were a civilian and a member of the security forces, the sources said.\n\nAn Egyptian military spokesman said in a statement that security forces killed the bomber before he reached a checkpoint, which was his intended target. The spokesman confirmed that a member of the armed forces was killed after the bomber’s explosive belt detonated.\n\nIslamic State claimed responsibility for the attack via its Amaq agency, saying five members of the security forces were killed or injured.\n\nIslamist militants, some linked to Islamic State, are active in the Sinai Peninsula, and security forces launched a major operation there in February last year.\n\nThursday’s bombing took place at a car park in the town of Sheikh Zuweid, near the border with the Gaza Strip, a security source and a medical source said.\n\nREAD: Over 1,000 rights violations in Egypt in 2019, says NGO\n\nSeparately, two security sources said four headless bodies were found in an empty street in the North Sinai town of Bir al-Abd on Wednesday. Their families had reported that the four men, aged 23 to 51, had been kidnapped, the sources said.\n\nA security source and three residents said that militants stopped several cars before taking five people away and forcing them to lie down on the ground. They killed four and kidnapped the fifth, the security source and the residents said.\n\nIslamic State claimed responsibility for the beheadings via the Amaq agency, saying the four were spies for the Egyptian military. A security source said the security services were trying to find and identify the perpetrators.\n\nEgypt’s State Information Service could not immediately be reached for comment.\n\nThe Egyptian military, which launched its campaign in Sinai after a jihadist attack in November 2017 on a mosque in which hundreds of worshippers died, says hundreds of militants have been killed in the campaign.", "Egypt: At least 20 killed in airstrikes in northern Sinai\n\nEL-ARISH, Egypt (AP) — Egyptian security officials say airstrikes targeting Islamic militants are underway in the restive northern Sinai Peninsula, killing at least 20 insurgents.\n\nOfficials said that Egypt's air force on Friday hit more than 100 mountainous hideouts of militant groups in the city of El-Arish and the small town of Bir al-Abd. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.\n\nThe airstrikes come on the heels of a suicide bombing attack that left two killed, including a soldier and a civilian Thursday in the northern Sinai town of Sheikh Zuweid.\n\nA day earlier, militants beheaded four people and kidnapped a fifth in Bir al-Abd, after accusing them of cooperating with security forces. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for both attacks.", "Egyptian security officials say airstrikes targeting Islamic militants are underway in the restive northern Sinai Peninsula, killing at least 20 insurgents.\n\nOfficials said that Egypt's air force on Friday hit more than 100 mountainous hideouts of militant groups in the city of El-Arish and the small town of Bir al-Abd. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.\n\nThe airstrikes come on the heels of a suicide bombing attack that left two killed, including a soldier and a civilian Thursday in the northern Sinai town of Sheikh Zuweid.\n\nA day earlier, militants beheaded four people and kidnapped a fifth in Bir al-Abd, after accusing them of cooperating with security forces. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for both attacks.\n\n© Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.", "Two people including a civilian were killed in a suicide bomb attack Thursday targeting security forces in the restive Sinai Peninsula, medical and security sources said\n\nCairo, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - APP - 18th Jul, 2019 ) :Two people including a civilian were killed in a suicide bomb attack Thursday targeting security forces in the restive Sinai Peninsula, medical and security sources said.\n\nThe attack hit forces stationed near a parking lot in the city of Sheikh Zuweid in North Sinai, the sources told AFP.\n\nOne member of the security forces was killed and three others were wounded, while a civilian also died in the bombing.\n\nThere was no immediate comment from Egyptian officials on the attack, which has not yet been claimed by any group.\n\nNorth Sinai has long been a hotspot of Islamist insurgents, mainly the local affiliates of the extremist Islamic State group.\n\nLast year, Egypt launched a massive offensive mainly with the aim of wiping out the militants in the turbulent region.\n\nHundreds of militants have been killed along with dozens of soldiers, according to official figures which cannot be verified as Sinai is largely cut off to journalists and independent investigators."], "summary": "A suicide bombing kills two people in northern Sinai a day after four bodies were found decapitated."}
{"document": ["WASHINGTON — A U.S. warship on Thursday destroyed an Iranian drone in the Strait of Hormuz after it threatened the ship, President Donald Trump said. The incident marked a new escalation of tensions between the countries less than one month after Iran downed an American drone in the same waterway and Trump came close to retaliating with a military strike.\n\nIn remarks at the White House, Trump blamed Iran for a \"provocative and hostile\" action and said the U.S. responded in self-defense.\n\nHe said the Navy's USS Boxer, an amphibious assault ship, took defensive action after the Iranian aircraft closed to within 1,000 yards of the ship and ignored multiple calls to stand down.\n\n\"The United States reserves the right to defend our personnel, facilities and interests and calls upon all nations to condemn Iran's attempts to disrupt freedom of navigation and global commerce,\" Trump said.\n\nThe Pentagon said the incident happened at 10 a.m. local time Thursday in international waters while the Boxer was transiting the waterway to enter the Persian Gulf. The Boxer is among several U.S. Navy ships in the area, including the USS Abraham Lincoln, an aircraft carrier that has been operating in the nearby North Arabian Sea for weeks.\n\n\"A fixed-wing unmanned aerial system approached Boxer and closed within a threatening range,\" chief Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said in a written statement. \"The ship took defensive action against the UAS to ensure the safety of the ship and its crew.\"\n\nRELATED: Trump: US was 'cocked & loaded' to strike Iran, but I called it off\n\nRELATED: Iran shoots down US drone in latest incident of increasing tensions\n\nThe Iranians and Americans have had close encounters in the Strait of Hormuz in the past, and it's not unprecedented for Iran to fly a drone near a U.S. warship.\n\nIn December, about 30 Iranian Revolutionary Guard vessels trailed the USS John C. Stennis aircraft carrier and its strike group through the strait as Associated Press journalists on board watched. One small vessel launched what appeared to be a commercial-grade drone to film the U.S. ships.\n\nOther transits have seen the Iranians fire rockets away from American warships or test-fire their machine guns. The Guard's small fast boats often cut in front of the massive carriers, running dangerously close to running into them in \"swarm attacks.\" The Guard boats are often armed with bomb-carrying drones and sea-to-sea and surface-to-sea missiles.\n\nThursday's incident was the latest in a series of events that raised U.S.-Iran tensions since early May when Washington accused Tehran of threatening U.S. forces and interests in Iraq and in the Gulf. In response, the U.S. accelerated the deployment of the Lincoln and its strike group to the Arabian Sea and deployed four B-52 long-range bombers to the Gulf state of Qatar. It has since deployed additional Patriot air defense missile batteries in the Gulf region.\n\nShortly after Iran shot down a U.S. Navy drone aircraft on June 20, Trump ordered a retaliatory military strike but called it off at the last moment, saying the risk of casualties was disproportionate to the downing by Iran, which did not cost any U.S. lives.\n\nIran claimed the U.S. drone violated its airspace; the Pentagon denied this.\n\nIran's foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif , said Thursday that Iran and the U.S. were only \"a few minutes away from a war\" after Iran downed the American drone. He spoke to U.S.-based media on the sidelines of a visit to the United Nations.\n\nZarif also blamed Washington for the escalation of tensions.\n\n\"We live in a very dangerous environment,\" he said. \"The United States has pushed itself and the rest of the world into probably the brink of an abyss.\" Zarif accused the Trump administration of \"trying to starve our people\" and \"deplete our treasury\" through economic sanctions.\n\nEarlier Thursday, Iran said its Revolutionary Guard seized a foreign oil tanker and its crew of 12 for smuggling fuel out of the country, and hours later released video showing the vessel to be a United Arab Emirates-based ship that had vanished in Iranian waters over the weekend.\n\nThe announcement cleared up the fate of the missing ship but raised a host of other questions and heightened worries about the free flow of traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most critical petroleum shipping routes. One-fifth of global crude exports passes through the strait.\n\nAssociated Press writers Ian Phillips in New York and Aya Batrawy in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report.", "TEHRAN, Iran — Iran said Friday it can provide images that disprove President Donald Trump’s statement that a U.S. warship destroyed an Iranian drone near the Persian Gulf after it threatened the ship. The incident marked a new escalation of tensions between the countries, less than a month after Iran downed an American drone in the same waterway and Trump came close to retaliating with a military strike.\n\nThe Iranian military said all its drones had returned safely to their bases and denied there was any confrontation with a U.S. vessel the previous day.\n\n“We have not lost any drone in the Strait of Hormuz nor anywhere else,” tweeted Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.\n\nThe strait is at the mouth of the Persian Gulf and serves as the passageway for a fifth of all global crude exports; a clash there highlights the risk of war between Iran and the U.S.\n\nTrump on Thursday said the USS Boxer took defensive action after an Iranian drone closed to within 1,000 yards of the warship and ignored multiple calls to stand down.\n\nTrump blamed Iran for a “provocative and hostile” action and said the U.S. responded in self-defense. Iran’s foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, told reporters as he arrived for a meeting at the United Nations that “we have no information about losing a drone today.”\n\nIran’s Revolutionary Guard said on its website Friday that it would release images from the drone — taken both before and after the U.S. claimed it was destroyed.\n\nThe Guard said the drone had been carrying out regular surveillance when the USS Boxer arrived, and transmitted photos of the ship. The statement added that Guard forces continue to carefully monitor all movements of foreigners — especially “the terrorist forces” of the U.S. and the British in the strategic Strait of Hormuz and Persian Gulf.\n\nThe Guard did not say when the images would be released.\n\nAfter Trump pulled the U.S. out of the Iran nuclear deal with world powers last year and imposed economic sanctions on Tehran, the Iranians have pushed back on the military front, shooting down a U.S. drone on June 20.\n\nThe others involved in the deal — Germany, France, Britain, Russia, China and the European Union — have been struggling to keep it alive, and Iran has begun breaching some of its limitations to put pressure on them to find a solution to offset crippling American sanctions.\n\nFollowing remarks in New York from Zarif suggesting that Iran could immediately ratify an agreement to allow broader inspections of its nuclear facilities by U.N. inspectors if the U.S. dropped its sanctions, China on Friday urged Washington to consider the offer.\n\nZarif’s statement sends “a positive signal that Iran is willing to seek a compromise solution,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said.\n\nIn an attempt to defuse another issue, the head of Gibraltar’s government, Chief Minister Fabian Picardo, said he met with Iranian officials earlier in the week in London to discuss the seizure of an Iranian supertanker near the British overseas territory.\n\nThe tanker was seized July 4 on suspicion it was carrying Iranian oil to Syria in breach of EU sanctions on Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government, further stoking tensions over the Persian Gulf. Picardo characterized his meeting with the Iranians as “constructive and positive.”\n\nThe Pentagon said Thursday’s incident happened at 10 a.m. local time in international waters while the Boxer was transiting the waterway to enter the Persian Gulf. The Boxer is among several U.S. Navy ships in the area, including the USS Abraham Lincoln, an aircraft carrier that has been operating in the nearby North Arabian Sea for weeks.\n\nNeither Trump nor the Pentagon spelled out how the Boxer destroyed the drone. CNN reported that the ship used electronic jamming to bring it down rather than hitting it with a missile.\n\nIn Tehran, the semi-official Tasnim news agency quoted military spokesman Gen. Abolfazl Shekari as saying that “all Iranian drones that are in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, including the one which the U.S. president mentioned, have … returned to their bases.”\n\nThe Iranians and Americans have had close encounters in the Strait of Hormuz in the past, and it’s not unprecedented for Iran to fly a drone near a U.S. warship.\n\nThe U.S. benchmark for crude oil rose 77 cents on Friday, or 1.4%, to $56.07 per barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange following the drone claims. Brent, the international oil standard, picked up $1.03, or 1.7%, to $62.96 per barrel.\n\nThursday’s incident was latest in a series of events that raised U.S.-Iran tensions since early May when Washington accused Tehran of threatening U.S. forces and interests in Iraq and in the Gulf.\n\nIn response, the U.S. accelerated the deployment of the Lincoln and its strike group to the Arabian Sea and deployed four B-52 long-range bombers to the Gulf state of Qatar. It has since deployed additional Patriot air defense missile batteries in the Gulf region.\n\nShortly after Iran shot down a U.S. Navy drone aircraft in June, Trump ordered a retaliatory military strike but called it off at the last moment, saying the risk of casualties was disproportionate to the downing by Iran, which did not cost any U.S. lives.\n\nIran claimed the U.S. drone violated its airspace; the Pentagon denied this.\n\nZarif said Thursday that Iran and the U.S. were only “a few minutes away from a war” after Iran downed the American drone. He spoke to U.S.-based media on the sidelines of his visit to the U.N.\n\n“We live in a very dangerous environment,” he said. “The United States has pushed itself and the rest of the world into probably the brink of an abyss.”\n\nZarif blamed Washington for the escalation and accused the Trump administration of “trying to starve our people” and “deplete our treasury” through economic sanctions.\n\nEarlier Thursday, Iran said the Guard seized a foreign oil tanker and its crew of 12 for smuggling fuel out of the country, and hours later released video showing the vessel to be a United Arab Emirates-based ship that had vanished in Iranian waters over the weekend.\n\nThe announcement cleared up the fate of the missing ship but raised a host of other questions and heightened worries about the free flow of traffic in one of the world’s most critical petroleum shipping routes.", "Iran says new images will 'disprove' Trump claim that US destroyed its drone\n\nIran says new images will 'disprove' Trump claim that US destroyed its drone\n\nMr Trump says the USS Boxer destroyed the drone after it came too close. File pic\n\nIran has said it will release drone images that disprove President Donald Trump's claims that a US warship destroyed an Iranian drone in the Strait of Hormuz after it ignored warnings to back off.\n\nThe incident escalated tensions between the countries, less than a month after Iran downed an American drone in the same waterway and Mr Trump came close to retaliating with a military strike.\n\nThe Iranian military said all of its drones had returned safely to their bases and denied there was any confrontation with a US vessel the previous day.\n\nOn Friday, Iran's deputy foreign minister Abbas Aragchi tweeted: \"We have not lost any drone in the Strait of Hormuz nor anywhere else.\"\n\nMr Trump said USS Boxer took \"defensive action\" after the drone ignored repeated warnings and came within 1,000 yards of the ship.\n\nIran's Revolutionary Guard said it would provide images from the drone, taken both before and after the US claimed it was destroyed.\n\nIt said the drone had been carrying out regular surveillance when the American vessel arrived and transmitted photos of the ship, but did not say when the images would be released.\n\nThe statement added that Guard forces continued to carefully monitor all movements of foreigners, especially the \"terrorist forces\" of the US and the British in the strategic Strait of Hormuz and Persian Gulf.\n\nIn response to the statement, the US said it would destroy any Iranian drones that fly too closely to its ship.\n\nA senior Trump administration official said they have \"clear evidence\" that it shot down such a drone on Thursday.\n\n\"If they fly too close to our ships, they'll continue to be shot down,\" the official told reporters at a briefing.\n\nThe official added that a video of the incident could be released by the Pentagon.\n\nThe strait is a vital shipping lane for oil and gas and is at the mouth of the Gulf.\n\nHowever, it has become a flash-point following the US decision to pull out of a nuclear deal with Iran and impose strict sanctions that are seriously damaging its economy.\n\nA foreign tanker was seized by Iranian authorities in the strait on Sunday, according to state television.\n\nIt claimed the ship - which was not named but is believed to be the Panamanian-flagged MT Riah - was smuggling a million litres of oil out of the country.\n\nEarlier this week, the head of Gibraltar's government met privately with Iranian officials in a bid to defuse tensions surrounding the seizure of an Iranian supertanker near the British overseas territory.\n\nChief minister Fabian Picardo said on Friday that the meeting at the Foreign Office in London \"was both constructive and positive\".\n\nHe said he wants to \"de-escalate\" the situation after the interception of the Panama-flagged Grace 1 tanker off the southern tip of Spain on 4 July.\n\nGibraltar later said the Supreme Court has extended for 30 days the detention of the supertanker. The government said the court has set 15 August as the date for the new hearing.\n\nBritish Royal Marines boarded the ship on 4 July and Gibraltar police have arrested the vessel's captain and chief officer, as well as two second mates as part of their investigation.", "WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump says a U.S. warship destroyed an Iranian drone in the Strait of Hormuz amid heightened tensions between the two countries.\n\nREAD MORE: Iran seizes foreign oil tanker and crew in the Gulf, state media says\n\nTrump says it’s the latest “hostile” action by Iran. He’s calling on other countries to condemn what he says are Iran’s attempts to disrupt the freedom of navigation and global commerce in the strategic waterway in the Persian Gulf region.\n\nTrump says the USS Boxer took defensive action after the drone closed to within 1,000 yards of the warship and ignored multiple calls to stand down.\n\nWATCH: Iran seizes foreign oil tanker and crew in the Gulf, state media says\n\nThe president says the drone threatened the safety of the American ship and its crew.\n\nIran recently shot down a U.S. drone that it said was flying over Iran. Trump called off a planned retaliatory airstrike at the last minute.", "Iran denies US destroyed an Iranian drone near Persian Gulf\n\nTEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran is denying a U.S. warship destroyed an Iranian drone in the strategic Strait of Hormuz after it threatened the ship.\n\nDeputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi tweeted on Friday: \"We have not lost any drone in the Strait of Hormuz nor anywhere else.\"\n\nForeign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who is in New York for U.N. meetings, said there's \"no information about losing a drone.\"\n\nPresident Donald Trump on Thursday said the USS Boxer took defensive action after an Iranian drone closed to within 1,000 yards of the warship and ignored multiple calls to stand down.\n\nThe incident marked a new escalation of tensions between the countries, less than one month after Iran downed an American drone in the same waterway and Trump came close to retaliating with a military strike.", "DUBAI — Iran on Friday denied President Donald Trump’s assertion that the U.S. Navy has destroyed one of its drones, saying all of its unmanned planes were safe, but there was no sign of a major Gulf escalation despite fears both sides could blunder into war.\n\nIn the latest episode to test nerves around the strategic waterway, Trump said on Thursday the drone had flown to within 1,000 yards (914 meters) of the U.S. warship Boxer in a “provocative and hostile action” and had ignored several calls to stand down.\n\n“All drones belonging to Iran in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz … returned safely to their bases after their mission of identification and control,” Abolfazl Shekarchi, a senior armed forces spokesman, was quoted as saying by the semi-official Tasnim news agency.\n\n“And there is no report of any operational response by USS Boxer.”\n\nA U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the drone on Thursday was brought down through electronic jamming.\n\nGulf tensions are high, with fears the United States and its longtime foe Iran could stumble into war. But despite tough talk on both sides, Washington and Tehran have shown restraint.\n\nThe United States has blamed Iran for a series of attacks since mid-May on shipping around the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most important oil artery. Tehran rejects the allegations.\n\nIran in June shot down a U.S. military surveillance drone in the Gulf with a surface-to-air missile, saying the drone was in its airspace. Washington says it was in international skies.\n\nThe increased use of drones by Iran and its allies for surveillance and attacks across the Middle East is raising alarms in Washington.\n\n“We have not lost any drone in the Strait of Hormuz nor anywhere else. I am worried that USS Boxer has shot down their own UAS [Unmanned Aerial System] by mistake!,” said Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Twitter, referring to a U.S. warship in the strategic waterway.\n\nRelations between the United States and Iran have worsened since last year when Trump abandoned a 2015 a nuclear deal between world powers and Tehran. Under the pact, Iran agreed to restrict nuclear work long seen by the West as a cover for developing atomic bombs in return for the lifting of sanctions.\n\nThe United States has reimposed sanctions to throttle Iran’s oil trade and says it wants to increase pressure on Tehran to renegotiate the accord, discuss its ballistic missile program and modify its policies in the Middle East, where Washington is allied to several Arab states opposed to Iran.\n\nIranian oil exports have dropped nearly ten fold to around 0.3 million bpd in June from regular levels of 2.8 million bpd in early 2018.\n\nThe United States is struggling to win its allies’ support for an initiative to heighten surveillance of vital Middle East oil shipping lanes because of fears it will increase tension with Iran, six sources familiar with the matter said.\n\nWashington proposed on July 9 boosting efforts to safeguard strategic waters off Iran and Yemen where it blames Iran and its proxies for tanker attacks. Iran denies the charges.\n\nBut with Washington’s allies reluctant to commit new weaponry or fighting forces, a senior Pentagon official told Reuters that the United States’ aim was not to set up a military coalition but to shine a “flashlight” in the region to deter attacks on commercial shipping.\n\nFor more details, please click on\n\nFACTBOX-Strait of Hormuz: the world’s most important oil artery", "President Donald Trump speaks during a ceremony where Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte will present a 48-star flag flown on a U.S. Naval vessel during the D-Day invasion, in the East Room of the White House, Thursday, July 18, 2019, in Washington. The flag will be given to the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. The vessel was control vessel Landing Craft, Control 60 (LCC 60). (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)\n\nWASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says a U.S. warship destroyed an Iranian drone in the Strait of Hormuz amid heightened tensions between the two countries.\n\nTrump says it’s the latest “hostile” action by Iran. He’s calling on other countries to condemn what he says are Iran’s attempts to disrupt the freedom of navigation and global commerce in the strategic waterway in the Persian Gulf region.\n\nTrump says the USS Boxer took defensive action after the drone closed to within 1,000 yards of the warship and ignored multiple calls to stand down.\n\nThe president says the drone threatened the safety of the American ship and its crew.\n\nIran recently shot down a U.S. drone that it said was flying over Iran. Trump called off a planned retaliatory airstrike at the last minute.", "Iran denies US destroyed an Iranian drone near Persian Gulf\n\nTEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran is denying a U.S. warship destroyed an Iranian drone in the strategic Strait of Hormuz after it threatened the ship.\n\nDeputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi tweeted on Friday: \"We have not lost any drone in the Strait of Hormuz nor anywhere else.\"\n\nForeign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, who is in New York for U.N. meetings, said there's \"no information about losing a drone.\"\n\nPresident Donald Trump on Thursday said the USS Boxer took defensive action after an Iranian drone closed to within 1,000 yards of the warship and ignored multiple calls to stand down.\n\nThe incident marked a new escalation of tensions between the countries, less than one month after Iran downed an American drone in the same waterway and Trump came close to retaliating with a military strike.", "WASHINGTON (AP) — A U.S. warship on Thursday destroyed an Iranian drone in the Strait of Hormuz after it threatened the ship, President Donald Trump said. The incident marked a new escalation of tensions between the countries less than one month after Iran downed an American drone in the same waterway and Trump came close to retaliating with a military strike.\n\nIn remarks at the White House, Trump blamed Iran for a \"provocative and hostile\" action and said the U.S. responded in self-defense. Iran's foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, told reporters as he arrived for a meeting at the United Nations that \"we have no information about losing a drone today.\"\n\nTrump said the Navy's USS Boxer, an amphibious assault ship, took defensive action after the Iranian aircraft closed to within 1,000 yards of the ship and ignored multiple calls to stand down.\n\n\"The United States reserves the right to defend our personnel, facilities and interests and calls upon all nations to condemn Iran's attempts to disrupt freedom of navigation and global commerce,\" Trump said.\n\nThe Pentagon said the incident happened at 10 a.m. local time Thursday in international waters while the Boxer was transiting the waterway to enter the Persian Gulf. The Boxer is among several U.S. Navy ships in the area, including the USS Abraham Lincoln, an aircraft carrier that has been operating in the nearby North Arabian Sea for weeks.\n\n\"A fixed-wing unmanned aerial system approached Boxer and closed within a threatening range,\" chief Pentagon spokesman Jonathan Hoffman said in a written statement. \"The ship took defensive action against the UAS to ensure the safety of the ship and its crew.\"\n\nThe Iranians and Americans have had close encounters in the Strait of Hormuz in the past, and it's not unprecedented for Iran to fly a drone near a U.S. warship.\n\nIn December, about 30 Iranian Revolutionary Guard vessels trailed the USS John C. Stennis aircraft carrier and its strike group through the strait as Associated Press journalists on board watched. One small vessel launched what appeared to be a commercial-grade drone to film the U.S. ships.\n\nOther transits have seen the Iranians fire rockets away from American warships or test-fire their machine guns. The Guard's small fast boats often cut in front of the massive carriers, running dangerously close to running into them in \"swarm attacks.\" The Guard boats are often armed with bomb-carrying drones and sea-to-sea and surface-to-sea missiles.\n\nThursday's incident was the latest in a series of events that raised U.S.-Iran tensions since early May when Washington accused Tehran of threatening U.S. forces and interests in Iraq and in the Gulf. In response, the U.S. accelerated the deployment of the Lincoln and its strike group to the Arabian Sea and deployed four B-52 long-range bombers to the Gulf state of Qatar. It has since deployed additional Patriot air defense missile batteries in the Gulf region.\n\nShortly after Iran shot down a U.S. Navy drone aircraft on June 20, Trump ordered a retaliatory military strike but called it off at the last moment, saying the risk of casualties was disproportionate to the downing by Iran, which did not cost any U.S. lives.\n\nIran claimed the U.S. drone violated its airspace; the Pentagon denied this.\n\nZarif said Thursday that Iran and the U.S. were only \"a few minutes away from a war\" after Iran downed the American drone. He spoke to U.S.-based media on the sidelines of a visit to the United Nations.\n\nZarif also blamed Washington for the escalation of tensions.\n\n\"We live in a very dangerous environment,\" he said. \"The United States has pushed itself and the rest of the world into probably the brink of an abyss.\" Zarif accused the Trump administration of \"trying to starve our people\" and \"deplete our treasury\" through economic sanctions.\n\nEarlier Thursday, Iran said its Revolutionary Guard seized a foreign oil tanker and its crew of 12 for smuggling fuel out of the country, and hours later released video showing the vessel to be a United Arab Emirates-based ship that had vanished in Iranian waters over the weekend.\n\nThe announcement cleared up the fate of the missing ship but raised a host of other questions and heightened worries about the free flow of traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most critical petroleum shipping routes. One-fifth of global crude exports passes through the strait.", "At the White House, President Donald Trump said flatly of the Iranian drone: \"We shot it down.\" But Pentagon and other officials have said repeatedly that the USS Boxer, a Navy ship in the Strait of Hormuz, actually jammed the drone's signal, causing it to crash, and did not fire a missile. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive technology.\n\nTrump's national security adviser, John Bolton, said, \"There is no question this was an Iranian drone, and the USS Boxer took it out as the president announced yesterday because it posed a threat to the ship and its crew. It's entirely the right thing to do.\"\n\nIn Tehran, the Iranian military said all its drones had returned safely to their bases and denied there was any confrontation with the USS Boxer, an amphibious assault ship.\n\n\"We have not lost any drone in the Strait of Hormuz nor anywhere else,\" tweeted Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.\n\nIran's Revolutionary Guard on its website Friday said the drone recorded three hours of video of the USS Boxer and five other vessels Thursday beginning when the ships first entered the Strait of Hormuz. There was no immediate explanation as to how the video was evidence that no Iranian drone was destroyed.\n\nThe strategically vital Strait of Hormuz is at the mouth of the Persian Gulf and serves as the passageway for one-fifth of all global crude exports.\n\nTrump on Thursday said the USS Boxer took action after the Iranian drone closed to within 1,000 yards of the warship and ignored commands to stay away. The president accused Iran of \"provocative and hostile\" action and said the U.S. acted in self-defence.\n\nThe Revolutionary Guard said its forces continue to monitor all movements by foreigners — especially \"the terrorist forces\" of the U.S. and the British in the Strait and the Gulf.\n\nAfter Trump pulled the U.S. out of the Iran nuclear deal with world powers last year and imposed economic sanctions against Tehran, the Iranians have pushed back on the military front in recent weeks, with Washington accusing Tehran of threatening American forces and interests in the region.\n\nIran's foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, suggested in New York as he arrived for a meeting at the United Nations that Iran could immediately ratify an agreement to allow broader checks of its nuclear facilities by U.N. inspectors if the U.S. dropped its sanctions.\n\nChina urged Washington to consider the offer, calling it \"a positive signal that Iran is willing to seek a compromise solution.\"\n\nThe Pentagon said Thursday's incident happened in international waters while the Boxer was entering the Gulf. The Boxer is among several U.S. Navy ships in the area, including the USS Abraham Lincoln, an aircraft carrier that has been operating in the North Arabian Sea for weeks in response to rising tensions.\n\nThe Iranians and Americans have had close encounters in the Strait of Hormuz in the past, and it is not unprecedented for Iran to fly a drone near a U.S. warship.\n\nZarif blamed Washington for the escalation and accused the Trump administration of \"trying to starve our people\" and \"deplete our treasury\" through sanctions."], "summary": "U.S. President Donald Trump reports the United States Navy's USS Boxer \"destroys\" an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) drone in a \"defensive action\", in the Strait of Hormuz. The Iranian drone reportedly came within 1,000 yards (3,000 ft) of the U.S. vessel and ignored multiple calls to stand down."}
{"document": ["In this photo released by the official website of the office of the Iranian Presidency, President Hassan Rouhani speaks in a meeting during his provincial tour to the North Khorasan, Iran, Sunday, July 14, 2019. Rouhani said his country is ready to negotiate with the United States if Washington lifts its economic sanctions. (Iranian Presidency Office via AP)\n\nTEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard forces seized a foreign oil tanker accused of smuggling oil, Iran’s state TV reported Thursday. The vessel appears to be a United Arab Emirates-based tanker that had disappeared off trackers in Iranian territorial waters over the weekend.\n\nThe seizure was the latest in a series of dramatic developments as tensions mount between the United States and Iran over the unravelling nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers.\n\nThe Panamanian-flagged oil tanker MT Riah stopped transmitting its location early Sunday near Qeshm Island, which has a Revolutionary Guard base on it, according to data listed on tracking site Maritime Traffic.\n\nIran’s state television did not identify the seized vessel or nationalities of the crew, but said it was intercepted on Sunday. It said the oil tanker had 12 foreign crew members on board and was involved in smuggling some 1 million liters (264,000 gallons) of fuel from Iranian smugglers to foreign customers.\n\nThe report said the oil tanker was intercepted south of Iran’s Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz. Larak is a smaller island just southeast of the larger Qeshm Island.\n\nCrude prices, which had been falling since last week, ticked higher almost immediately after reports of the incident.\n\nThe seizure of the ship does not immediately appear to directly target any one particular country and shows the Revolutionary Guard cracking down on illegal smuggling of Iranian oil.\n\nIf the MT Riah was indeed the ship seized, the move directly singles out UAE-bound and based vessels. The 58-meter (190-foot) Riah typically made trips from Dubai and Sharjah on the UAE’s west coast before going through the strait and heading to Fujairah on the UAE’s east coast.\n\nThe UAE has been calling for a de-escalation of tensions between the U.S. and Iran in past weeks, but has also lobbied for tougher U.S. policies on Iran and supports the maximum pressure campaign of sanctions imposed by the Trump administration since the U.S. unilaterally pulled out of Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers.\n\nThe ship’s seizure comes after a tense, but brief standoff last week between the British navy and Iran’s Revolutionary Guard in the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which a fifth of all crude oil passes. The British government said a navy frigate had to warn away the paramilitary vessels from disrupting the passage of a British oil tanker through the strait.\n\nIt also comes after British marines helped seize an Iranian supertanker off Gibraltar, a British overseas territory at the southern tip of Spain. Britain has since said it would facilitate the release of the tanker if Iran can provide guarantees the vessel would not breach European Union sanctions on shipments to Syria.\n\nIran has recently increased uranium production and enrichment over the limits of its 2015 nuclear deal, trying to put more pressure on Europe to offer it better terms and allow it to sell its crude oil abroad.\n\nThe U.S. has sent thousands of additional troops, B-52 bombers and advanced fighter jets to the region amid the heightened tensions. Iran also shot down a U.S. surveillance drone, raising fears of a wider conflict.\n\nIn May, two Emirati oil tankers were among four tankers attacked in acts of sabotage that the U.S. has blamed on Iran. The UAE has stopped short of blaming any country for the attacks off its coast of Fujairah and maintains that diplomacy is the way forward.\n\nLast month saw two other attacks on oil vessels. Iran denies involvement in any of the vessel attacks.\n\nA U.S. defense official had told The Associated Press earlier this week that America had suspicions that Iran had seized the MT Riah when its tracker was turned off in the Strait of Hormuz. An Emirati official had told the AP the small oil tanker made no distress call before switching off its tracker.\n\nIran’s acknowledgement that a vessel has been seized by the Revolutionary Guard appears to contradict statements by Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman on Wednesday saying Iran had aided a foreign oil tanker with a malfunction.\n\nThe ship’s registered owner, Dubai-based Prime Tankers LLC, told the AP earlier this week it had sold the ship to another company called Mouj Al-Bahar. A man who answered a telephone number registered to the firm told the AP it didn’t own any ships.\n\nBatrawy reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Associated Press writer Jon Gambrell contributed to this report from Dubai.", "Iran on Friday denied President Donald Trump's statement that a United States warship destroyed an Iranian drone near the Persian Gulf after it threatened the ship, an incident that marked a new escalation of tensions between the countries less than a month after Iran downed an American drone in the same waterway and Trump came close to retaliating with a military strike.\n\nThe Iranian military said all its drones had returned safely to their bases and denied there was any confrontation with a US vessel the previous day.\n\n“We have not lost any drone in the Strait of Hormuz nor anywhere else,” tweeted Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.\n\nThe strait is at the mouth of the Persian Gulf and serves as the passageway for a fifth of all global crude exports; a clash there highlights the risk of war between Iran and the US.\n\nTrump on Thursday said the USS Boxer took defensive action after an Iranian drone closed to within 1,000 yards of the warship and ignored multiple calls to stand down.\n\nTrump blamed Iran for a “provocative and hostile” action and said the US responded in self-defence. Iran's foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, told reporters as he arrived for a meeting at the United Nations that “we have no information about losing a drone today\".\n\nAfter Trump pulled the US out of the Iran nuclear deal last year and imposed economic sanctions on Tehran, the Iranians have pushed back on the military front, shooting down a US drone on June 20.\n\nAlso in the past weeks, the Persian Gulf region has seen six attacks on oil tankers that the US has blamed on Iran, and a tense encounter between Iran's Revolutionary Guard and the British navy. Iran has denied involvement in the attacks or the British naval encounter.\n\nThe US has also sent thousands of additional troops and increased its security presence in the region.\n\nAdding to the economic pressure on Tehran, the Treasury Department said on Thursday it was imposing sanctions on what it called a network of front companies and agents involved in helping Iran buy sensitive materials for its nuclear programme. It said the targeted individuals and entities are based in Iran, China and Belgium.\n\nThe Pentagon said Thursday's incident happened at 10am local time in international waters while the Boxer was transiting the waterway to enter the Persian Gulf. The Boxer is among several US Navy ships in the area, including the USS Abraham Lincoln, an aircraft carrier that has been operating in the nearby North Arabian Sea for weeks.\n\nNeither Trump nor the Pentagon spelled out how the Boxer destroyed the drone. CNN reported that the ship used electronic jamming to bring it down rather than hitting it with a missile.\n\nIn Tehran, the semi-official Tasnim news agency quoted military spokesman Gen. Abolfazl Shekari as saying that “all Iranian drones that are in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, including the one which the US president mentioned, after carrying out scheduled identification and control missions, have returned to their bases.”\n\nThe Iranians and Americans have had close encounters in the Strait of Hormuz in the past, and it's not unprecedented for Iran to fly a drone near a US warship.\n\nIn December, about 30 Iranian Revolutionary Guard vessels trailed the USS John C. Stennis aircraft carrier and its strike group through the strait as Associated Press journalists on board watched. One small vessel launched what appeared to be a commercial-grade drone to film the US ships.\n\nOther transits have seen the Iranians fire rockets away from American warships or test-fire their machine guns. The Guard's small fast boats often cut in front of the massive carriers, running dangerously close to running into them in “swarm attacks\". The Guard boats are often armed with bomb-carrying drones and sea-to-sea and surface-to-sea missiles.\n\nThursday's incident was the latest in a series of events that raised US-Iran tensions since early May when Washington accused Tehran of threatening US forces and interests in Iraq and in the Gulf.\n\nIn response, the US accelerated the deployment of the Lincoln and its strike group to the Arabian Sea and deployed four B-52 long-range bombers to the Gulf state of Qatar. It has since deployed additional Patriot air defense missile batteries in the Gulf region.\n\nShortly after Iran shot down a U.S. Navy drone aircraft in June, Trump ordered a retaliatory military strike but called it off at the last moment, saying the risk of casualties was disproportionate to the downing by Iran, which did not cost any US lives.\n\nIran claimed the US drone violated its airspace; the Pentagon denied this.\n\nZarif said on Thursday that Iran and the US were only “a few minutes away from a war” after Iran downed the American drone. He spoke to US-based media on the sidelines of his visit to the UN.\n\n“We live in a very dangerous environment,” he said. “The United States has pushed itself and the rest of the world into probably the brink of an abyss.”\n\nZarif blamed Washington for the escalation and said that the Trump administration was “trying to starve our people” and “deplete our treasury” through economic sanctions.\n\nEarlier on Thursday, Iran said the Revolutionary Guard seized a foreign oil tanker and its crew of 12 for smuggling fuel out of the country, and hours later released video showing the vessel to be a United Arab Emirates-based ship that had vanished in Iranian waters over the weekend.\n\nThe announcement cleared up the fate of the missing ship but raised a host of other questions and heightened worries about the free flow of traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most critical petroleum shipping routes. One-fifth of global crude exports pass through the strait.", "WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States is aware of reports that Iran seized a British oil tanker and it will work with its allies and partners to defend against Iran, a White House National Security Council spokesman said on Friday.\n\n“We are aware of reports that Iranian forces seized a British oil tanker,” spokesman Garrett Marquis said.\n\n“The U.S. will continue to work with our allies and partners to defend our security and interests against Iran’s malign behavior,” he added.", "In this photo released by the official website of the office of the Iranian Presidency, President Hassan Rouhani speaks in a meeting during his provincial tour to the North Khorasan, Iran, Sunday, July 14, 2019. Rouhani said his country is ready to negotiate with the United States if Washington lifts its economic sanctions. (Iranian Presidency Office via AP)\n\nDUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran said Thursday its Revolutionary Guard seized a foreign oil tanker and its crew of 12 for smuggling fuel out of the country, and hours later released video showing the vessel to be a United Arab Emirates-based ship that had vanished in Iranian waters over the weekend.\n\nThe announcement solved one mystery — the fate of the missing ship — but raised a host of other questions and heightened worries about the free flow of traffic in the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical petroleum shipping routes. One-fifth of global crude exports passes through the strait.\n\nThe incident happened with tensions running high between Iran and the United States over President Donald Trump’s decision to pull the U.S. out of the Iran nuclear deal.\n\nIranian state television did not at first identify the seized vessel but said it was intercepted on Sunday and was involved in smuggling some 1 million liters (264,000 gallons) of Iranian fuel. Iran did not identify the nationalities of the crew.\n\nCrude prices, which had been falling since last week, ticked higher almost immediately after the announcement.\n\nIran said the tanker was seized south of its Larak Island in the Strait of Hormuz. Neighboring Qeshm Island has a Revolutionary Guard base on it.\n\nHours after that initial report, Iranian TV released footage of the ship surrounded by Guard vessels and showed the registration number painted on its bridge, matching that of the UAE-based MT Riah.\n\nThe Panamanian-flagged tanker stopped transmitting its location early Sunday near Qeshm Island, according to data on the tracking site Maritime Traffic. However, it often did so over the past two years when nearing Iranian waters, other tracking data shows.\n\nU.S. Central Command, which oversees American military operations in the Middle East, declined to comment.\n\nIt was not immediately clear whether the seizure was a straightforward attempt by Iran to curb oil smuggling or also an effort to assert its authority in the strait and send a message to its rivals in the region. The UAE has long lobbied for tougher U.S. policy toward Iran, though more recently it has called for de-escalation.\n\nIran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said that the seized vessel was at best a “small tanker” and that Iranian forces are cracking down on fuel smuggling daily.\n\n“We live in a very dangerous environment. The United States has pushed itself and the rest of the world into probably the brink of an abyss,” he told reporters at the United Nations in New York. Zarif accused the Trump administration of “trying to starve our people” and “deplete our treasury” through sanctions.\n\nIranian media reported earlier this month that some 8 million liters of government-subsidized Iranian fuel are smuggled daily through Iran’s borders to other countries where prices are much higher.\n\nAnalysts at the Israeli-based maritime risk analytics company Windward said that the Riah has been at sea for the past two years and has a pattern of turning off its location transmitters for days at a time, particularly when entering Iranian waters.\n\nThe firm said data suggests that for more than two years that the 58-meter (190-foot) Riah had been clandestinely receiving fuel from an unknown source off the UAE coast and delivering it to other tankers, which then take it to Yemen and Somalia.\n\nNo distress calls were made from the Riah, and no ship owner reported a missing vessel.\n\nThe ship’s registered owner, Dubai-based Prime Tankers LLC, told The Associated Press it had sold the vessel to another company, Mouj Al-Bahar. A man who answered a telephone number registered to the company told the AP it didn’t own any ships.\n\nOfficials in the UAE said the ship was neither UAE-owned nor operated and carried no Emirati personnel.\n\nIn past weeks, the Persian Gulf region has seen six attacks on oil tankers that the U.S. has blamed on Iran, the downing of a U.S. surveillance drone by Iranian forces and a tense encounter between Iran’s Guard and the British navy. Iran has denied involvement in the attacks or the British naval encounter.\n\nThe U.S. has also sent thousands of additional troops and increased its security presence in the region.\n\nMeanwhile, Iran has begun increasing uranium production and enrichment beyond the limits of the 2015 accord in a bid to pressure Europe to find ways around U.S. sanctions.\n\nOn Thursday, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, in a phone conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron, urged European signatories of the deal to speed up their efforts to stop U.S. pressure, his website reported. He said efforts to stop Iran’s nuclear activities “are not acceptable under any circumstance.”\n\nKarimi reported from Tehran, Iran. Associated Press writers Ian Phillips in New York and Jon Gambrell in Dubai contributed to this report.", "In this picture released by an official website of the office of the Iranian supreme leader, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks in a meeting with a group of clerics, in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, July 16, 2019. Khamenei said Tuesday his country will retaliate over the seizure of an Iranian supertanker carrying 2.1 million barrels of light crude oil. The vessel was seized with the help of British Royal Marines earlier this month off Gibraltar. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP)\n\nDUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A small oil tanker from the United Arab Emirates traveling through the Strait of Hormuz entered Iranian waters and turned off its tracker three days ago, leading the U.S. to suspect Iran seized the vessel amid heightened tensions in the region.\n\nIranian state media quoted its Foreign Ministry spokesman early Wednesday as saying the Islamic Republic had aided a foreign oil tanker with a malfunction, but the report didn’t explain further. Oil tankers previously have been targeted in the wider region amid tensions between the U.S. and Iran over its unraveling nuclear deal with world powers.\n\nThe Panamanian-flagged Riah turned off its transponder late Saturday night but an Emirati official said it sent no distress call. The concern over its status comes as Iran continues its own high-pressure campaign over its nuclear program after President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew America from the accord over a year ago.\n\nRecently, Iran has inched its uranium production and enrichment over the limits of its 2015 nuclear deal, trying to put more pressure on Europe to offer it better terms and allow it to sell its crude oil abroad.\n\nHowever, those tensions also have seen the U.S. send thousands of additional troops, nuclear-capable B-52 bombers and advanced fighter jets into the Mideast. Mysterious attacks on oil tankers and Iran shooting down a U.S. military surveillance drone has added to the fears of an armed conflict breaking out.\n\nThe 58-meter (190-foot) Riah typically made trips from Dubai and Sharjah on the UAE’s west coast before going through the strait and heading to Fujairah on the UAE’s east coast. However, something happened to the vessel after 11 p.m. on Saturday, according to tracking data.\n\nCapt. Ranjith Raja of the data firm Refinitiv told The Associated Press on Tuesday that the tanker hadn’t switched off its tracking in three months of trips around the UAE. “That is a red flag,” Raja said.\n\nA U.S. defense official later told the AP that the Riah was in Iranian territorial waters near Qeshm Island, which has a Revolutionary Guard base on it.\n\n“We certainly have suspicions that it was taken,” the official said. “Could it have broken down or been towed for assistance? That’s a possibility. But the longer there is a period of no contact … it’s going to be a concern.”\n\nThe official spoke on condition of anonymity as the matter did not directly involve U.S. interests.\n\nAn Emirati official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing security matter, said the vessel “did not emit a distress call.”\n\n“We are monitoring the situation with our international partners,” the official said.\n\nIran’s IRNA news agency quoted Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi as saying Iran had helped an unnamed tanker by towing it to an Iranian port, without elaborating. The report did not identify the ship, nor explain the malfunction and the lack of a distress call or any crew contact with home.\n\nThe ship’s registered owner, Dubai-based Prime Tankers LLC, told the AP it had sold the ship to another company called Mouj Al-Bahar. A man who answered a telephone number registered to the firm told the AP it didn’t own any ships. The Emirati official said the ship was “neither UAE owned nor operated” and carried no Emirati personnel, without elaborating.\n\nSeparately Tuesday, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said his country will retaliate over the seizure of an Iranian supertanker carrying 2.1 million barrels of light crude oil. The vessel was seized with the help of British Royal Marines earlier this month off Gibraltar over suspicion it was heading to Syria in violation of European Union sanctions, an operation Khamenei called “piracy” in a televised speech.\n\n“God willing, the Islamic Republic and its committed forces will not leave this evil without a response,” he said. He did not elaborate.\n\nBritish Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said Saturday that Britain will facilitate the release of the ship if Iran can guarantee the vessel will not breach European sanctions on oil shipments to Syria.\n\nIran previously has threatened to stop oil tankers passing through the strait, the narrow mouth of the Persian Gulf through which 20% of all crude oil passes, if it cannot sell its own oil abroad.\n\nMeanwhile, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif seemed to suggest in a television interview that the Islamic Republic’s ballistic missile program could be up for negotiations with the U.S., a possible opening for talks as tensions remain high between Tehran and Washington. Zarif suggested an initially high price for such negotiations — the halt of American arms sales to both Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, two key U.S. allies in the Persian Gulf.\n\nIran’s ballistic missile program remains under the control of the Iranian paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, which answers only to Khamenei.\n\nZarif brought up the ballistic missile suggestion during an interview with NBC News that aired Monday night while he is in New York for meetings at the United Nations. He mentioned the UAE spending $22 billion and Saudi Arabia spending $67 billion on weapons last year, many of them American-made, while Iran spent only $16 billion in comparison.\n\n“These are American weaponry that is going into our region, making our region ready to explode,” Zarif said. “So if they want to talk about our missiles, they need first to stop selling all these weapons, including missiles, to our region.”\n\nIran’s mission to the United Nations later called Zarif’s suggestion “hypothetical.”\n\n“Iran’s missiles … are absolutely and under no condition negotiable with anyone or any country, period,” the mission said.\n\nHowever, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo seized on Zarif’s comments in comments at a Cabinet meeting Tuesday at the White House as a sign the U.S. maximalist campaign against Iran was working.\n\n“For the first time, the Iranians have said that they’re prepared to negotiate about their missile program,” he said. “So we will have this opportunity, I hope.”\n\nTrump during his time in the White House has pointed to arms sales to the Mideast as important to the American economy, so it remains unclear how he’d react to cutting into those purchases. In pulling out of the Iran nuclear deal, Trump in part blamed the accord not addressing Iran’s ballistic missile program. The U.S. fears Iran could use its missile technology and space program to build nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missiles, something Tehran denies it wants to do.\n\nAyham Kamel, an analyst for the Eurasia Group, said Zarif’s comments were aimed at show flexibility for possible.\n\n“I think there’s probably some space before we get to any serious negotiation but several regional powers are already paving the way for some form of talks between the two sides,” he said.\n\nAssociated Press writer Nasser Karimi in Tehran, Iran, contributed to this report.", "WASHINGTON, July 19 (Reuters) - The United States is aware of reports that Iran seized a British oil tanker and it will work with its allies and partners to defend against Iran, a White House National Security Council spokesman said on Friday.\n\n“We are aware of reports that Iranian forces seized a British oil tanker,” spokesman Garrett Marquis said.\n\n“The U.S. will continue to work with our allies and partners to defend our security and interests against Iran’s malign behavior,” he added. (Reporting by Steve Holland; Writing by Mohammad Zargham; editing by Jonathan Oatis)", "Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Thursday they had detained a \"foreign tanker\" and its crew for allegedly smuggling fuel, in the latest incident to send tensions soaring in the Gulf.\n\nThe announcement follows Iran saying it had come to the aid of a foreign tanker after receiving a distress call -- making no mention of the vessel being seized.\n\nThe Guards did not confirm whether the vessel they detained on Sunday in the strategic Strait of Hormuz was the same ship as that mentioned Tuesday by the foreign ministry.\n\n\"With a capacity of two million barrels and 12 foreign crew on board, the vessel was en route to deliver contraband fuel received from Iranian boats to foreign ships in farther regions when it was intercepted,\" the force's Sepahnews website said.\n\nIt was seized south of the Iranian island of Larak, the Guards said without detailing the name or provenance of the vessel.\n\nThe Guards' statement came after officials said Iran had come to the aid of an ailing tanker on Sunday.\n\n\"Iranian forces approached it and using a tugboat brought it into Iranian waters for necessary repairs,\" foreign ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said.\n\nTankerTrackers reported that the Panamanian-flagged tanker Riah, used in the Strait of Hormuz \"for fuelling other vessels\", had crossed into Iranian waters on Sunday.\n\nAccording to the online oil shipment tracking service, at that point, the tanker's automatic identification system stopped sending signals.\n\nThe incident comes amid a spike in tensions in the Gulf, with US President Donald Trump calling off airstrikes against Iran at the last minute after Tehran downed an American drone.\n\nWashington has blamed Tehran for a series of tanker attacks in recent months in the Gulf, charges Iran denies.\n\nThe United States said last week it was discussing military escorts for vessels in the Gulf after Britain claimed Iranian boats threatened one of its tankers.\n\nLondon said three Iranian vessels had attempted to \"impede the passage\" of a British oil tanker in Gulf waters, forcing its warship HMS Montrose to intervene.\n\nIran has rejected the accusation, which followed Tehran warning of \"consequences\" over an Iranian tanker being seized off the coast of Gibraltar earlier this month.\n\nBritish Royal Marines helped the Gibraltar authorities detain the vessel, which US officials believe was trying to deliver oil to Syria in violation of separate sets of EU and US sanctions -- a claim denied by Iran.", "The vessel carrying contraband fuel and seized by Iran in the Persian Gulf sailed under the flag of the United Kingdom, local media reported on Thursday\n\nMOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th July, 2019) The vessel carrying contraband fuel and seized by Iran in the Persian Gulf sailed under the flag of the United Kingdom, local media reported on Thursday.\n\nEarlier in the day, Tehran said that the Iranian Armed Forces' Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said that it seized on Sunday a foreign vessel carrying contraband fuel in the Persian Gulf.\n\n\"The vessel detained by the IRGC was sailing in the Strait of Hormuz [a strategic waterway that links the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf] under the UK flag,\" a source told YJC news agency.\n\nAccording to the source, the United Kingdom and the United States wanted the vessel to be presented as belonging to the United Arab Emirates. However, the latter refused to recognize the vessel because it did not want a new round of tensions with Iran.", "TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran on Friday denied President Donald Trump’s statement that a U.S. warship destroyed an Iranian drone near the Persian Gulf after it threatened the ship — an incident that marked a new escalation of tensions between the countries less than a month after Iran downed an American drone in the same waterway and Trump came close to retaliating with a military strike.", "A Panamanian-flagged oil tanker disappeared Saturday night as it made its way through the ever-increasingly dangerous Strait of Hormuz.\n\nThe Riah — a 190-foot tanker based in the United Arab Emirates — stopped transmitting its location around 11 p.m. as it moved into Iranian waters, Fox News reported.\n\nWhile it’s unclear what happened to the ship, the disappearance is raising concerns as tensions between the United States and Iran continue to mount.\n\nThe oil tanker typically makes trips from Dubai and Sharjah before moving through the Strait of Hormuz as it heads to Fujairah.\n\nTRENDING: Breaking: Top Dem Nadler Openly Defies Pelosi on Impeachment… News Indicates She May Have Lost Control\n\nCapt. Ranjith Raja of the data firm Refinitiv said that the oil tanker hasn’t switched off its tracking in three months, the Associated Press reported. “That is a red flag,” he said.\n\nIt appeared, however, that both Iranian officials and officials in the UAE were staying silent on the disappearance of the tanker.\n\nHowever, on Tuesday, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a televised statement that it would retaliate for the seizure of an Iranian oil tanker by British forces earlier this month, the Associated Press reported.\n\n“God willing, the Islamic Republic and its committed forces will not leave this evil without a response,” he said.\n\nJeremy Hunt, British secretary of state for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, said that Britain would have the ship returned if Iran promised not to breach European sanctions regarding oil shipments to Syria.\n\nOil tankers have increasingly become the target of several attacks in or near the Strait of Hormuz.\n\nLast week, Iranian vessels tried to block an oil tanker entering the Strait but quickly backed off after the British Navy warned them and trained their 30mm guns on them.\n\nSimilarly, two oil tankers were attacked in the Gulf of Oman last month.\n\nWhile Iran denied any involvement in the attacks, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo claimed the Iranian regime was behind the attacks.\n\nRELATED: Iran Tries and Fails To Seize British Boat as Aggression Ramps Up\n\n“It is the assessment of the United States government that the Islamic Republic of Iran is responsible for the attacks that occurred in the Gulf of Oman today,” Pompeo said in a news conference following the attacks.\n\n“Taken as a whole, these unprovoked attacks present a clear threat to international peace and security, a blatant assault on the freedom of navigation and an unacceptable campaign of escalating tension by Iran,” he added.\n\nWe are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards."], "summary": "Iran confirms its seizure of a Panamanian-flagged oil tanker traveling from the United Arab Emirates, and its 12 crewmembers, in the Persian Gulf last week. The tanker is being held at Qeshm Island, and is accused by Iran of smuggling oil. The United Arab Emirates denies owning or operating the tanker."}
{"document": ["Argentina marks the 25th anniversary of the bomb attack on a Jewish center that left 85 people dead with a day of mourning on Thursday, but the relatives of victims are still waiting for justice.\n\n“What comes to mind when I think of it is this moment of obscurity, a moment that was interminable, a noise, but also the silence of those of us who were there. I don’t think our minds could understand,” Anita Weinstein, a survivor of the attack, told AFP.\n\n“This attack, even if there was a large anti-Jewish, anti-Semitic component — of course — was an attack on Argentina and Argentine society,” said Weinstein, who worked at the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association (AMIA), where the attack was carried out.\n\nA truck loaded with explosives was driven into the AMIA center in a densely populated central area of Buenos Aires, also leaving 300 people wounded.\n\nOn Wednesday, three commemorative murals to the victims were unveiled at the adjacent Clinicas Hospital where many of the victims were treated.\n\nWith its 300,000-strong Jewish community — second only to the US in the Americas — Argentina is the only country in Latin America to have suffered such an anti-Semitic attack.\n\nBut the AMIA bombing wasn’t the only one.\n\nTwo years earlier, in a context of extreme tensions between Israel and Iran, the Jewish state’s Buenos Aires embassy was hit by a suicide bomber driving a truck, killing 29 people and wounding 200.\n\nThat attack was claimed by the Islamic Jihad group while the later bombing was widely blamed on Iran and its ally, the Lebanese Shiite Hezbollah movement.\n\nIslamic Jihad is widely believed to have been assimilated into Hezbollah when it disappeared in the early 1990s.\n\nOn Wednesday, Argentina created a register of people and entities linked to acts of terrorism, an important step in allowing it to declare any group or person a terrorist not already listed as such by the United Nations.\n\nBut there’s no guarantee this move will ever lead to justice.\n\nArgentina has accused top Iranian ex-officials of being behind the AMIA attack but has never been able to question them.\n\nDecades of investigations have been beset by political interference and allegations of high-level corruption.\n\nIn 2012, then-president Cristina Kirchner signed a memorandum of understanding with Iran, which was never ratified, that would have allowed Iranian suspects in the bombing to be questioned back home.\n\nProsecutors investigating Kirchner for corruption now say it was effectively a cover-up to absolve Iran in return for lucrative trade deals with her government.\n\nDespite numerous investigations into a “local connection” and a “Syrian link,” no one has ever been charged with involvement in the bombing.\n\nA former judge who led the probe, Juan Jose Galeano, was jailed for six years in February for his role in a cover-up.\n\nEx-president Carlos Menem, who was the country’s leader at the time of both attacks, was acquitted of involvement in the cover-up, but his former intelligence chief Hugo Anzorreguy was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in jail for his role in obstructing the probe.\n\n“Justice has failed miserably. It’s been 25 years since the attack and the truth is we don’t have anything,” said Diana Malamud, the wife of one of the victims and leader of a group of victims’ families called Memoria Activa (Active Memory.)\n\n“The political power has no interest in advancing the AMIA cause,” said Mario Cimadevilla, the former head of an investigative unit into the 1994 bombing.", "Argentina marks the 25th anniversary of the bomb attack on a Jewish center that left 85 people dead with a day of mourning on Thursday, but the relatives of victims are still waiting for justice.\n\n\"What comes to mind when I think of it is this moment of obscurity, a moment that was interminable, a noise, but also the silence of those of us who were there. I don't think our minds could understand,\" Anita Weinstein, a survivor of the attack, told AFP.\n\n\"This attack, even if there was a large anti-Jewish, anti-Semitic component -- of course -- was an attack on Argentina and Argentine society,\" said Weinstein, who worked at the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association (AMIA), where the attack was carried out.\n\nA truck loaded with explosives was driven into the AMIA center in a densely populated central area of Buenos Aires, also leaving 300 people wounded.\n\nOn Wednesday, three commemorative murals to the victims were unveiled at the adjacent Clinicas Hospital where many of the victims were treated.\n\nWith its 300,000-strong Jewish community -- second only to the US in the Americas -- Argentina is the only country in Latin America to have suffered such an anti-Semitic attack.\n\nBut the AMIA bombing wasn't the only one.\n\nTwo years earlier, in a context of extreme tensions between Israel and Iran, the Jewish state's Buenos Aires embassy was hit by a suicide bomber driving a truck, killing 29 people and wounding 200.\n\nThat attack was claimed by the Islamic Jihad group while the later bombing was widely blamed on Iran and its ally, the Lebanese Shiite Hezbollah movement.\n\nIslamic Jihad is widely believed to have been assimilated into Hezbollah when it disappeared in the early 1990s.\n\nOn Wednesday, Argentina created a register of people and entities linked to acts of terrorism, an important step in allowing it to declare any group or person a terrorist not already listed as such by the United Nations.\n\nBut there's no guarantee this move will ever lead to justice.\n\nArgentina has accused top Iranian ex-officials of being behind the AMIA attack but has never been able to question them.\n\nDecades of investigations have been beset by political interference and allegations of high-level corruption.\n\nIn 2012, then-president Cristina Kirchner signed a memorandum of understanding with Iran, which was never ratified, that would have allowed Iranian suspects in the bombing to be questioned back home.\n\nProsecutors investigating Kirchner for corruption now say it was effectively a cover-up to absolve Iran in return for lucrative trade deals with her government.\n\nDespite numerous investigations into a \"local connection\" and a \"Syrian link,\" no one has ever been charged with involvement in the bombing.\n\nA former judge who led the probe, Juan Jose Galeano, was jailed for six years in February for his role in a cover-up.\n\nEx-president Carlos Menem, who was the country's leader at the time of both attacks, was acquitted of involvement in the cover-up, but his former intelligence chief Hugo Anzorreguy was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in jail for his role in obstructing the probe.\n\n\"Justice has failed miserably. It's been 25 years since the attack and the truth is we don't have anything,\" said Diana Malamud, the wife of one of the victims and leader of a group of victims' families called Memoria Activa (Active Memory.)\n\n\"The political power has no interest in advancing the AMIA cause,\" said Mario Cimadevilla, the former head of an investigative unit into the 1994 bombing.", "Buenos Aires (AFP) — Argentina marks the 25th anniversary of the bomb attack on a Jewish center that left 85 people dead with a day of mourning on Thursday, but the relatives of victims are still waiting for justice.\n\n“What comes to mind when I think of it is this moment of obscurity, a moment that was interminable, a noise, but also the silence of those of us who were there. I don’t think our minds could understand,” Anita Weinstein, a survivor of the attack, told AFP.\n\n“This attack, even if there was a large anti-Jewish, anti-Semitic component — of course — was an attack on Argentina and Argentine society,” said Weinstein, who worked at the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association (AMIA), where the attack was carried out.\n\nA truck loaded with explosives was driven into the AMIA center in a densely populated central area of Buenos Aires, also leaving 300 people wounded.\n\nOn Wednesday, three commemorative murals to the victims were unveiled at the adjacent Clinicas Hospital where many of the victims were treated.\n\nWith its 300,000-strong Jewish community — second only to the US in the Americas — Argentina is the only country in Latin America to have suffered such an anti-Semitic attack.\n\nBut the AMIA bombing wasn’t the only one.\n\nTwo years earlier, in a context of extreme tensions between Israel and Iran, the Jewish state’s Buenos Aires embassy was hit by a suicide bomber driving a truck, killing 29 people and wounding 200.\n\nThat attack was claimed by the Islamic Jihad group while the later bombing was widely blamed on Iran and its ally, the Lebanese Shiite Hezbollah movement.\n\nIslamic Jihad is widely believed to have been assimilated into Hezbollah when it disappeared in the early 1990s.\n\nOn Wednesday, Argentina created a register of people and entities linked to acts of terrorism, an important step in allowing it to declare any group or person a terrorist not already listed as such by the United Nations.\n\nBut there’s no guarantee this move will ever lead to justice.\n\nArgentina has accused top Iranian ex-officials of being behind the AMIA attack but has never been able to question them.\n\nDecades of investigations have been beset by political interference and allegations of high-level corruption.\n\nIn 2012, then-president Cristina Kirchner signed a memorandum of understanding with Iran, which was never ratified, that would have allowed Iranian suspects in the bombing to be questioned back home.\n\nProsecutors investigating Kirchner for corruption now say it was effectively a cover-up to absolve Iran in return for lucrative trade deals with her government.\n\nDespite numerous investigations into a “local connection” and a “Syrian link,” no one has ever been charged with involvement in the bombing.\n\nA former judge who led the probe, Juan Jose Galeano, was jailed for six years in February for his role in a cover-up.\n\nEx-president Carlos Menem, who was the country’s leader at the time of both attacks, was acquitted of involvement in the cover-up, but his former intelligence chief Hugo Anzorreguy was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in jail for his role in obstructing the probe.\n\n“Justice has failed miserably. It’s been 25 years since the attack and the truth is we don’t have anything,” said Diana Malamud, the wife of one of the victims and leader of a group of victims’ families called Memoria Activa (Active Memory.)\n\n“The political power has no interest in advancing the AMIA cause,” said Mario Cimadevilla, the former head of an investigative unit into the 1994 bombing.", "Argentina marks the 25th anniversary of the bomb attack on a Jewish center that left 85 people dead with a day of mourning on Thursday, but the relatives of victims are still waiting for justice.\n\n\"What comes to mind when I think of it is this moment of obscurity, a moment that was interminable, a noise, but also the silence of those of us who were there. I don't think our minds could understand,\" Anita Weinstein, a survivor of the attack, told AFP.\n\n\"This attack, even if there was a large anti-Jewish, anti-Semitic component -- of course -- was an attack on Argentina and Argentine society,\" said Weinstein, who worked at the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association (AMIA), where the attack was carried out.\n\nA truck loaded with explosives was driven into the AMIA center in a densely populated central area of Buenos Aires, also leaving 300 people wounded.\n\nOn Wednesday, three commemorative murals to the victims were unveiled at the adjacent Clinicas Hospital where many of the victims were treated.\n\nWith its 300,000-strong Jewish community -- second only to the US in the Americas -- Argentina is the only country in Latin America to have suffered such an anti-Semitic attack.\n\nBut the AMIA bombing wasn't the only one.\n\nTwo years earlier, in a context of extreme tensions between Israel and Iran, the Jewish state's Buenos Aires embassy was hit by a suicide bomber driving a truck, killing 29 people and wounding 200.\n\nThat attack was claimed by the Islamic Jihad group while the later bombing was widely blamed on Iran and its ally, the Lebanese Shiite Hezbollah movement.\n\nIslamic Jihad is widely believed to have been assimilated into Hezbollah when it disappeared in the early 1990s.\n\nOn Wednesday, Argentina created a register of people and entities linked to acts of terrorism, an important step in allowing it to declare any group or person a terrorist not already listed as such by the United Nations.\n\nBut there's no guarantee this move will ever lead to justice.\n\nArgentina has accused top Iranian ex-officials of being behind the AMIA attack but has never been able to question them.\n\nDecades of investigations have been beset by political interference and allegations of high-level corruption.\n\nIn 2012, then-president Cristina Kirchner signed a memorandum of understanding with Iran, which was never ratified, that would have allowed Iranian suspects in the bombing to be questioned back home.\n\nProsecutors investigating Kirchner for corruption now say it was effectively a cover-up to absolve Iran in return for lucrative trade deals with her government.\n\nDespite numerous investigations into a \"local connection\" and a \"Syrian link,\" no one has ever been charged with involvement in the bombing.\n\nA former judge who led the probe, Juan Jose Galeano, was jailed for six years in February for his role in a cover-up.\n\nEx-president Carlos Menem, who was the country's leader at the time of both attacks, was acquitted of involvement in the cover-up, but his former intelligence chief Hugo Anzorreguy was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in jail for his role in obstructing the probe.\n\n\"Justice has failed miserably. It's been 25 years since the attack and the truth is we don't have anything,\" said Diana Malamud, the wife of one of the victims and leader of a group of victims' families called Memoria Activa (Active Memory.)\n\n\"The political power has no interest in advancing the AMIA cause,\" said Mario Cimadevilla, the former head of an investigative unit into the 1994 bombing.", "", "Argentina designated the Iranian proxy organization Hezbollah an “Entity Tied to Acts of Terrorism” this week in anticipation of the anniversary of the 1994 bombing of the Argentine-Israeli Mutual Association (AMIA) headquarters Thursday, at its time the deadliest terrorist attack in the modern history of the Western Hemisphere.\n\nThe 1994 AMIA bombing – the second against an Israeli target in Argentina in as many years, believed to have been orchestrated by the same actors tied to the Iranian regime – remains the second-deadliest attack in the hemisphere’s history after the al-Qaeda attacks on September 11, 2001, killing 85 people between five and 73 years old.\n\nArgentina’s Financial Information Unit (UIF) added Hezbollah to its Public Registry of Persons and Entities Tied to Acts of Terrorism on Wednesday, which freezes the organization’s assets and any assets that Hezbollah’s leaders may have stashed in the country. UIF chief Mariano Federici called Hezbollah “a current and active threat” to the Argentine homeland.\n\nArgentina’s Public Registry of Persons and Entities Tied to Acts of Terrorism was only one day old when the UIF added Hezbollah to it. Macri created it on Tuesday to help the Ministry of Justice more easily keep funds out of terrorists’ hands. Buenos Aires’ announcement of the new registry also stated it would “allow access to and exchanges over information on people and entities tied to acts of terrorism and/or their financing and facilitate domestic and international cooperation to prevent, combat, and eradicate terrorism and its financing.”\n\nMacri led an observance ceremony on Thursday for the victims of the AMIA attack, calling for those responsible to “be judged on Argentine soil,” for Interpol not to withdraw its red alerts, and “for no other country to give them diplomatic immunity,” which some of the suspects have received from Iran. In reporting on the new Hezbollah terrorist designation, Iranian’s state-run PressTV once again refuted any involvement in the attack, calling Argentina’s evidence “trumped-up charges.”\n\n“Argentina accuses the Lebanese movement of carrying out the bombing, an allegation that Hezbollah describes as ‘categorically false,'” PressTV noted. “However, Buenos Aires has so far failed to provide substantial evidence and prove that Hezbollah was behind the attack.”\n\nThrough the work of Argentine prosecutor Alberto Nisman, authorities in Buenos Aires identified multiple Hezbollah and Iranian government officials as the culprits of the attack, successfully securing six Interpol red notices in 2007, which advise governments to arrest the men if they enter their respective territories. Nisman was found dead with a gunshot wound in his head in January 2015, the night before he was scheduled to present to the Argentine Congress a 300-page report accusing then-President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner of protecting the AMIA culprits in exchange for favorable trade deals with Iran.\n\nPolice have not arrested, or even identified, anyone tied to Nisman’s death. In the immediate aftermath of his shooting, Fernández’s top prosecutor ruled the death a “suicide,” triggering widespread national protests against the socialists in power.\n\nThis week, the Argentine newspaper Clarín revealed that, according to intelligence documents, many of the same Hezbollah members and Iranian agents tied to the 1992 bombing of the Israeli embassy in Argentina also participated in the AMIA bombing, taking advantage of lax border security measures in the South American country to smuggle explosives into the capital.\n\n“All of the Hezbollah jihadist activists and logistics operatives left the country after that terrorist attack,” Clarín noted. “And they returned. The same ones. … the bombs were different but manufactured by the same person.”\n\nThe newspaper identifies Hezbollah bombmaker Malek Obeid as the “engineer” behind the attacks. According to Nisman’s investigations, Hezbollah targeted Argentina because Buenos Aires failed to deliver on an agreement to sell nuclear weapons materials to Tehran.\n\nCurrent President Mauricio Macri, a conservative, won the 2015 election largely on his promise to bring both the AMIA terrorists and Nisman’s killers to justice. His first act as president was to cancel a “memorandum of understanding” with Iran that Fernández had signed limiting investigations on the AMIA bombing.\n\nThe administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has offered Macri its full backing in bringing Iran to justice. In a statement honoring the victims of the AMIA bombing, the U.S. Department of State categorically described the attack as being “perpetrated by Hizballah at the direction of the Iranian regime” and said it “targeted the Jewish community and affected all those who support democratic values.”\n\n“We remind the world that, while Argentine authorities continue their work to bring the perpetrators of these attacks to justice, the Iranian regime has yet to cooperate fully with them,” State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said in a statement, adding that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo would attend an anti-terror event in Buenos Aires this weekend.\n\nIn Congress, Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Ben Cardin (D-MD) sent a letter Thursday to Attorney General William Barr urging the Department of Justice to do more to enforce the Interpol red alerts against the suspected AMIA jihadists.\n\n“While the red notices remain valid, however, INTERPOL member states have not acted on them with sufficient urgency for the previous 12 years,” the senators wrote. “Despite international recognition that these Iranian officials were the masterminds of the AMIA bombing, they continue to hold positions of responsibility in the Iranian government, engaging in or supporting troubling malign activity worldwide.”\n\n“We therefore urge the Department of Justice to support Argentina each time one of the implicated Iranian individuals in question travels outside of Iran. This is an important action that the U.S. can take to ensure Iran is not able to engage in terrorism with impunity, even 25 years after an attack,” the senators wrote.", "Argentina is moving ahead with legislation that could enable the prosecution in absentia of suspects in the 1994 AMIA Jewish community center bombing, and is determined to keep seeking justice for the 85 fatalities in the attack, Israeli and Argentinian ambassadors said Wednesday night.\n\nAt an event marking the 25th anniversary of the July 18, 1994 bombing, the worst act of terrorism on Argentinian soil, Ilan Sztulman, who has just returned from a three-year term as Israel’s ambassador in Buenos Aires, noted approvingly that Argentinian lawmakers are now considering legislation to enable the trial in absentia of suspects in the bombing.\n\nSztulman was referring to a decision Tuesday by the Criminal Legislation Committee of Argentina’s Lower House to advance legislation providing for such trials to the house floor for further debate — a move backed by the ruling PRO party.\n\nGet The Times of Israel's Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Free Sign Up\n\nAt the same event, organized by the ADL (Anti-Defamation League) together with the Museum of the Jewish People (Beit Hatfutsot) in Tel Aviv, Argentina’s Ambassador to Israel Mariano Caucino reiterated his government’s determination to see justice in the case. He said that the failure to do so thus far was “partly our fault” and partly a consequence of the fact that suspects in the attack are from a country — Iran — that will not make them available for prosecution.\n\nCaucino said the 1994 bombing, and the bombing of the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires two years earlier that killed 29 people, had marked “the end of innocence” for Argentina, which had hitherto regarded itself as far removed from the world’s conflicts.\n\nThe event, which was attended by relatives of some of the victims and several other ambassadors, included recollections from Rabbi Daniel Szlaifsztein, who was in the area of the blast on the day. Szlaifsztein led the Mourner’s Kaddish prayer for the victims.\n\nIn a panel discussion hosted by The Times of Israel’s editor David Horovitz, both ambassadors highlighted the strong ties between Argentina and Israel, and the shared determination to combat terrorism and battle anti-Semitism. Sztulman said that all appropriate tools needed to be used in the battle against terror, and lamented that Iran is still allowed to maintain an embassy in Buenos Aires, but noted that at least it was not headed by an ambassador-level diplomat, but rather by a charge d’affaires.\n\nThe late Argentinian prosecutor Alberto Nisman established that leading Iranian officials orchestrated the bombing of the multi-story AMIA building, which was carried out by a Hezbollah suicide bomber. Presented with Nisman’s evidence, the Interpol international police agency has issued at least nine “red notice” arrest warrants for Iranian and Hezbollah officials wanted in connection with the blast.\n\nHorovitz, who recalled that he reported from Buenos Aires for The Jerusalem Report in the immediate aftermath of the bombing, and who later interviewed Nisman, noted that the prosecutor had defied death threats from Iran and “swore that he would not cease his work on the case until the perpetrators and orchestrators had been tried, convicted and jailed.”\n\nIn fact, Nisman was assassinated in 2015, hours before he had been set to speak to a congressional panel about his latest allegations, regarding then president Cristina Kirchner’s alleged efforts to cover up Iran’s role in the AMIA bombing.\n\n“What seems particularly tragic about the death of Nisman, a determined seeker of justice,” said Horovitz, “is the fear that there will be nobody of comparable caliber and guts to ensure justice for him.”\n\nKirchner is again seeking office, as vice president, in Argentina’s October elections.", "Washington, DC - On this day twenty-five years ago, Hizballah—an Iranian proxy designated by the United States as a Foreign Terrorist Organization—bombed the Argentine-Israelite Mutual Association (AMIA) community center in Buenos Aires, Argentina, killing 85 innocent civilians and injuring hundreds more. The AMIA bombing, carried out by key Hizballah operatives and coordinated by Salman Raouf Salman, remains the deadliest terrorist attack in Argentina’s history.\n\nToday, at the Western Hemisphere Counterterrorism Ministerial in Buenos Aires, America’s counterterrorism partners from around the globe have gathered to commemorate this somber anniversary and to renew our shared commitment to jointly combat terrorism and its enablers. The United States stands with the people of Argentina and the Jewish community as we reflect upon that terrible day in Argentina’s history.\n\nWhen President Donald J. Trump released the National Strategy for Counterterrorism in October 2018, he made a solemn promise to the American people to spare no effort to preserve the safety and security of the United States and its citizens. The United States and its partners throughout the Western Hemisphere will continue to take meaningful steps to ensure that our countries defend against the threat of terrorism and that we continue to do all that we can to protect our citizens.\n\nToday’s Ministerial, hosted by the Government of Argentina and attended by members of my Administration, highlights the importance of our continued efforts to strengthen regional counterterrorism capabilities and enhance cooperation. Through these efforts, we will more effectively identify and disrupt terrorist threats and networks around the world.", "This has been disputed by Iran and by independent experts who say negotiations over the contract were still ongoing at the time of the bombing and it did not make sense for Tehran to bomb a target in Argentina.\n\nThe US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo is visiting Argentina this week to mark the 25th anniversary of the bombing at the Asociacion Mutual Israelita Argentina (AMIA) centre in Buenos Aires on 18 July 1994. The attack killed 85 members of Argentina's Jewish community, the sixth largest in the world.The decision to outlaw Hezbollah in Argentina - based on a request from the US and Israel - comes amid rising tensions between the US, the UK and Iran after a series of accusations and counter-accusations, which started with the US alleging Iran had bombed of oil tankers off the coast of the United Arab Emirates in May, which Tehran vehemently denied.The US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo is heading to Argentina for meetings with President Macri and after the commemoration ceremony he will attend theAt the Santiago ceremony Adrián Werthein, President of the Latin American Jewish Congress, said:Several of those accused of involvement in the AMIA bombing remain influential in Iran - Ali Fallahijan served on Iran's influential Assembly of Experts until 2016, Mohsen Rezai, is a senior adviser to Iran's supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, and Ahmad Vahidi is president of Iran's Supreme National Defence University.At 9.53am on 18 July 1994 a Renault Trafic van packed with 275 kilograms of explosives was driven into the front of the AMIA building in the centre of Buenos Aires, killing 85 people including the van's driver, who has never been conclusively identified.Eight days after the bombing, a car bomb went off outside the Israeli embassy in London, injuring 14 people.Israel's Mossad intelligence agency and the FBI both claim the Buenos Aires van driver was Ibrahim Hussein Berro, 21, a Hezbollah operative from Beirut​[Tweet: \"Macri declares Hezbollah as a terrorist organisation 25 years after The AMIA bombing\"]The Argentinian judge in charge of the investigation, Juan Jose Galeano discovered the Renault Trafic van which contained the bomb had been sold by Carlos Telleldin, a dealer in stolen auto parts.But Judge Galeano was supposedly encouraged to investigate the \"local connection\" -Telleldin had reportedly received a phone call a few days before the bombing from Syrian-born Alberto Kanoore Edul, whose parents were friend of President Menem, who was also of Syrian origin.It was claimed Edul had the phone number of Moshen Rabbani, a cultural attache at the Iranian Embassy in Buenos Aires, in his contacts book.while Rabbani returned to Iran after the bombing.Syria and Iran have been allies for many years - ever since the Islamic Revolution in 1979 when Syria's then President Hafez Assad saw in Iran a natural ally against Israel as well as Iraq.Former President Menem, now 88, was cleared of meddling in the investigation.The AMIA bombing was not out of the blue.In March 1992 a car bomb had gone off outside the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires, killing 29 people.In 2003 Argentina requested Interpol served red notices on 12 Iranians and the agency agreed but the notices were cancelled in 2005 because of alleged misconduct by the judge investigating the bombing.against Ali Fallahijan, Mohsen Rabbani, Ahmad Reza Asghari, Ahmad Vahidi, Mohsen Rezai and Imad Moughnieh, but he was killed in a car bombing in Damascus in 2008.In 2013 Argentina's President Cristina Fernandez Kirchner signed a memorandum of understanding with Iran, which would create a \"truth commission\" to get to the bottom of the AMIA bombing.An Argentinian report into the 1994 bombing, compiled by prosecutor Alberto Nisman in 2006, stated:Nisman claimed Iran had targeted the Jewish community in Argentina because it was angry Buenos Aires had decided to suspend a nuclear technology transfer contract.The debate about whether it was murder or suicide continues in Argentina to this day.[Tweet: \"Carlos Telleldin, key man in the AMIA bombing, defends a family killed for an inheritance.\"] ​But Pablo Duggan, author of Quien Mato a Nisman? (Who Killed Nisman?), said his research has undermined the claims of Iranian involvement.Mr Duggan told Sputnik in March this year:​[Tweet: \"Today begins the trial of Carlos Telleldi for the attack on the AMIA. Active Memory is part of a unified file with other family groups. The trial can be followed online here.\"]Mr Duggan said:Whatever the truth of the matter, nobody has been brought to justice for either the 1992 or the 1994 bombings and Iran still stands innocent until proven guilty.", "Although no one has been brought to justice for the AMIA attack in the quarter century since it took place, Argentine prosecutors have accused the Iranian government of directing it and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah of carrying it out. In January 2015, Alberto Nisman, the Argentine special prosecutor investigating the bombing, was found dead hours before he was to meet with Argentine legislators to discuss accusation that then-President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner and then-Foreign Minister Hector Timerman covered up for former Iranian officials accused of being involved in the attack."], "summary": "Argentine Justice and Human Rights Minister Germán Garavano says that all countries are responsible to extradite the Iranian accused of the AMIA bombing to Argentina in case they ever set foot on their soil."}
{"document": ["An arson attack on an anime studio in Japan has left at least 33 people dead and dozens injured in Japan’s worst mass murder in nearly two decades.\n\nThe perpetrator, who was also injured and has been taken into police custody, walked into the 1st Studio building of Kyoto Animation in Fushimi ward, Kyoto, at about 10.30am. He poured what is suspected to be petrol in multiple areas of the building before igniting it.\n\nThe prime minister, Shinzo Abe, called the attack “too appalling for words” and offered condolences.\n\nThere were more than 70 people in the building, which is Kyoto Animation’s main studio.\n\nAbout 30 fire engines and ambulances went to the three-storey building after an explosion. Victims were taken to various hospitals in Kyoto.\n\nThe suspect, identified only as a 41-year-old male, was reportedly taken to hospital before being arrested by police, who said he had admitted starting the fire.\n\nNo motive for the arson attack has been reported, but Japan’s public broadcaster said he had shouted “drop dead” as he set the petrol alight.\n\nPreliminary investigations by the police have uncovered no links between the subject, who has yet to be named, and the animation studio.\n\nFacebook Twitter Pinterest Firefighters at the Kyoto Animation building. Photograph: Kyodo/Reuters\n\n“A man threw liquid and set fire to it,” said a Kyoto prefectural police spokesman.\n\nEmergency calls to the city fire department reported there had been an explosion on the ground floor, while later calls included people shouting: “Help us, the fire is climbing.”\n\nImages shot from a helicopter for NHK showed smoke billowing from the top floor and fire crews still battling the blaze of the badly damaged building hours after it had started. Fire crews said there might be more people left in the building.\n\nThe fire department said the three floors of the building covered a total of 700 sq metres and that every storey had been damaged by the fire.\n\nProfessor Yuji Hasemi, an expert in fire safety and materials at Tokyo’s Waseda University, told NHK that a combination of poor ventilation, an abundance of paper used by artists and the large amount of petrol likely caused the fire to spread too quickly for people to escape. No fire escape stairs were visible in images of the building.\n\nViolent crime is rare in Japan, though it is not unknown. In July 2016, a mass stabbing at a care home by a former employee killed 16 and injured more. In September 2001, a fire at a building in the Kabukicho entertainment district of central Tokyo killed 44. Arson was suspected, but nobody was ever charged, meaning the Kyoto Animation attack is the worst confirmed mass murder in Japan’s post-war history.\n\nAkidearest (@akidearest) I’m heartbroken seeing what happened to Kyoto Animation. I don’t know what that sick person must have had against that studio to set it on fire, but my condolences to all the hard working employees. I wish you all a safe recovery...\n\nKyoto Animation\n\nKyoto Animation, known as KyoAni, was founded in 1981 by Yoko Hatta, an anime producer. Her husband, Hideaki, serves as the company’s president. KyoAni has produced popular anime TV series and feature films, as well as publishing illustrated novels and manga. It is well known among anime aficionados around the world for its dedication to high-quality production techniques, with a catalogue that includes A Silent Voice: The Movie, K-On!, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya and Lucky Star. Its company headquarters are in Uji city.\n\nKyoto Animation has a reputation for treating its employees well in an industry infamous for harsh working conditions, long hours and, for junior animators, very low pay. The growth of the genre’s popularity worldwide and increased demand for content from streaming platforms such as Netflix has put even more pressure on the studios at a time when Japan is experiencing a severe labour shortage. Most studios are booked out with projects up to two years ahead.\n\nMany anime artists are paid on a per-frame basis and tight deadlines make the work gruelling and long hours inevitable. Kyoto Animation bucks the trend by making its animators full-time employees. This allows them to spend more time on each image and create high-quality anime.\n\nOne of its best-known franchises is K-On!, a comedy about a band formed by high-school girls. It started life as a manga comic book, before Kyoto Animation created two TV anime series that aired between 2009 and 2010. It was also broadcast overseas and released on DVD in the UK. Kyoto also produced a film directed by Naoko Yamada – which followed the girls’ graduation trip to London – that was released at the end of 2011 and grossed ¥1.64bn (£12.2m) in Japan. The film featured a cafe based on the Troubadour in Earl’s Court, south-west London, which has become a popular destination for fans.\n\nA Silent Voice, also by Yamada, which dealt with childhood suicide, was hailed by critics and fans when it was released in 2016. Although overshadowed at the time by Your Name, whose director Makoto Shinkai lavished praise on it, it still took £29.4m ($33m) globally.\n\n• This article was amended on 23 July 2019 to correct the location of the fire. It was at the company’s studio in Kyoto’s Fushimi ward, not at the headquarters in Uji as an earlier version said. A misspelling of Fushimi ward has also been corrected.\n\n\n\n", "Japan fire official says several people found unresponsive after Kyoto animation studio fire\n\nTOKYO (AP) — Japan fire official says several people found unresponsive after Kyoto animation studio fire.", "At least 33 people have died in a suspected arson attack\n\nAt least 33 people were killed in a fire at the acclaimed Kyoto Animation Co. in Kyoto, Japan on Thursday. Dozens more were injured, some of whom are in critical condition. The fire appears to have been the result of arson, and police are waiting to question the suspect, who is also injured.\n\nFirefighters worked for hours to contain the blaze, located in a residential area of Kyoto’s Fushimi=ku district.\n\nKyoto Animation’s president, Hideaki Hatta, said that the company had received threatening emails before the attack.\n\nThe manga and anime series produced by Kyotro Animation include “K-On!”, “Haruhi Suzumiya,” and “Violet Evergarden.”\n\nJapanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, tweeted, “So many people have lost their life and been injured as a result of the arson and murder case that took place in Kyoto today. It’s so tragic that I am at a loss for words.”\n\nWe invite you to share condolences for the victims in our Guest Book.", "Thirty-three people have died and dozens have been left injured after a suspected arson attack in an animation studio in Kyoto, Japan.\n\nA man reportedly shouted “You die!” before setting fire to Kyoto Animation studio on Thursday, local media reports.\n\nThe fire started in the three-story building after the suspect sprayed an unidentified liquid accelerant, Kyoto prefectural police and fire department officials said, according to the Associated Press.\n\nWith 33 dead, the fire is the worst mass killing in Japan since a man stabbed and killed 19 people at an assisted living facility in western Tokyo in 2016. In 2001, 44 people died in a fire in Tokyo’s busy entertainment district, but that it ruled accidental according to the New York .\n\nThirty six others were injured.\n\nJapan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the fire was “too appalling for words” in a post on Twitter, adding: “I would like to express my sympathies to the injured people and pray for a quick recovery.”\n\nJapan has a famously low crime rate. The number of crimes fell to about 915,000 in 2017, the lowest level in the post-war era.\n\nHere’s what to know about the suspected arson attack on Kyoto Animation Co.\n\nWho is suspected of starting the fire?\n\nA 41-year-old man was reportedly seen pouring flammable liquid and setting it alight. A Kyoto prefectural police spokesperson told CNN he had a backpack containing several knives.\n\nBroadcaster NHK said the suspect had been detained in connection with the fire and was later taken to hospital for treatment. A witness told NHK that the suspect was burned on his armed and legs and complained that something had been “stolen” from him, according to the AP.\n\nHe has not been identified by authorities.\n\nWhat is Kyoto Animation Co.?\n\nKyoto Animation, better known as KyoAni, is unlike many other animation studios. Founded in 1981 by producer Yoko Hatta, is known for its focus on quality rather than quantity, preferring to hire full time illustrators rather than freelance ones.\n\nThe studio has produced TV series and feature films, as well as publishing illustrated novels and manga.\n\nWhat shows and movies have they produced?\n\nIts hits include anime such as , and . Its anime adaptation of the manga is one of its best-known works. The TV series, a comedy about five high school girls who play in a band, was very successful when it aired in Japan in 2009, according to the Japan . It was also broadcast overseas.\n\n, a feature film that arrived on Netflix in the U.S. last month, was hailed by critics and fans when it was released in 2016. The drama based on manga by Yoshitoki Oima deals with fracturing friendships and childhood suicide. The gave it a four-star review, calling it “a beguiling film: subtle, sensuous and delicate.”\n\nHow are the fans reacting?\n\nThousands of fans and anime industry professionals have taken to Twitter to pay tribute to the studio. Many praised Kyoto Animation for treating its employees well in an industry known for harsh working conditions and low pay. A labour shortage combined with a growing demand for content around the world has put pressure on studios in recent years.\n\nMike Toole, editor-at-large at Anime News Network, wrote: “Kyoto Animation are a rarity in the anime business: they treat their people well, they strive to own part of their works, and their creations are consistently excellent, at the very least on a technical level.”\n\nSentai Filmworks, a licensing company specializing in Japanese animation and film based in Houston, Texas, has launched a crowdfunding campaign called Help KyoAni Heal. The campaign has raised over $300,000 our of its $500,000 goal.", "An alleged arson attack on a respected Japanese animation studio left a shocked nation in mourning, as investigators looked to identify victims and determine a possible motive in one of the deadliest acts of violence in Japan’s modern history.\n\nAt least 33 people — many of them young — were killed a day earlier when a man appeared to douse flammable liquid through the Kyoto Animation Co. studio and set it alight, triggering an inferno, officials said. Some 36 others were injured, about 10 critically.\n\nThe blaze at the production house struck at a pillar of Japan’s anime industry, an obsession in the country. Kyoto Animation, known as KyoAni, had produced hits such as “Lucky Star,” “K-On!” and “Haruhi Suzumiya,” winning worldwide acclaim for its skilled drawings.\n\nOutside the charred shell of the company’s workspace in Kyoto’s outskirts on Friday, crowds of well-wishers left flowers and messages of support for the victims. Many bowed, or knelt down and prayed as they offered their respects.\n\nPolice investigators, meanwhile, scoured the three-story building. Their probe covers suspected arson, murder and attempted murder, the Kyodo news agency reported.\n\nA 41-year-old male suspect remained in police custody in the hospital after suffering burns all over his body, said Hiroyuki Sakai, deputy police chief in Fushimi, Kyoto. He said police would investigate the man’s circumstances once he had recovered sufficiently.\n\nA woman who saw police detain the man a day earlier told reporters that he “seemed to be discontented, he seemed to get angry, shouting something about how he had been plagiarized,” according to Reuters.\n\nThe suspect had no connection with Kyoto Animation and was thought to have been living near Tokyo, public broadcaster NHK said.\n\n[Suspected arson attack on Japanese animation studio leaves more than 30 dead]\n\nHideaki Hatta, a co-founder and president of Kyoto Animation, said Thursday that the studio had been receiving threats, including emails threatening murder. He said the attack had “broken our hearts.”\n\nWitnesses said they heard a man yell, “Die!” at startled employees just before the building erupted in flames.\n\nThe tragedy was the worst mass killing in Japan since 2001, when 44 people died in a suspected arson attack on a gambling parlor in Tokyo.\n\n“We are at a loss to imagine what drove him to commit such an act of extreme violence, if he was the arsonist,” the Asahi Shimbun newspaper said in a commentary on Friday.\n\nViolent crime is unusual in Japan. On social media, many people offered condolences and expressed shock at the loss of life. Some posted creative tributes under the hashtag #PrayForKyoani.\n\nMessages of sympathy and supported flowed from around the world following the disaster.\n\nA GoFundMe page set up by Sentai Filmworks, a Texas-based animation company, had raised $1.3 million for victims and their families by Friday afternoon in Japan.\n\nPixomondo, another visual-effects company, offered its support. The attack on Kyoto Animation was “an assault on art itself,” CEO Jonny Slow said in a statement.\n\nToday’s coverage from Post correspondents around the world\n\nLike Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news", "At least 12 people were feared dead after a suspected arsonist barged into an animation production studio in Japan’s city of Kyoto and started a fire in the early hours of Thursday. Around 35 people were injured, AP reported. Some reports, however, claimed as many as 24 people had died.\n\nThe fire erupted in the three-storey building of Kyoto Animation after the suspect spread an unidentified liquid to fuel the fire, Kyoto prefectural police and the fire department said. Fire department officer Satoshi Fujiwara said that 12 people, found on the building’s first and second floors, were presumably dead.\n\nThe injured along with the suspect, a 41-year-old man, have been rushed to the hospital, Kyodo News quoted the police as saying. The police said that eyewitnesses saw a man screaming “die” as he started the fire, adding that knives were found at the crime scene.\n\nFootage from the scene showed thick smoke emanating out of the building as firefighters worked on extinguishing the flames, CNN reported.\n\nA Kyoto city fire department spokesperson said that the department had sent 35 fire engines and other firefighting vehicles to the site, The Guardian reported. Kyoto Animation is known for anime productions like Sound! Euphonium, A Silent Voice and Violet Evergarden.", "Firefighters work as smoke billows from a three-story building of Kyoto Animation in a fire in Kyoto, western Japan, Thursday, July 18, 2019. Kyoto prefectural police said the fire broke out Thursday morning after a man burst into it and spread unidentified liquid and put fire. (Kyodo News via AP)\n\nTOKYO (AP) — The Latest on a fire in a Japanese animation studio (all times local):\n\nA Japanese fire official says the death toll from the Kyoto Animation studio fire is now 33 and nobody else is believed to be still missing.\n\nKyoto fire department official Kazuhiro Hayashi says 36 others have been injured, 10 of them critically.\n\nHayashi says firefighters found the largest number of victims on the top floor of the three-story building, including some who had collapsed on the stairs leading to the roof. Two of the dead were found on the first floor, 11 on the second and 20 on the third floor.\n\nJapanese media reports said the suspect may have set the fire at the front door, forcing people to try to find other exits and slowing their escape.\n\nThe outcome makes the case the deadliest fire since a 2001 fire that killed 44 in Tokyo’s Kabukicho entertainment district.\n\nThe suspect was injured and is in a hospital.\n\nJapan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe mourned for the victims of a deadly fire at a Kyoto animation production office.\n\nAbe, in his tweet Thursday, said he was speechless at the horrendous scene of the building that gutted out by the explosion and fire.\n\nAbe tweeted: “I express my condolences to the people who were killed, and pray for the earliest possible recovery of those who were injured.”\n\nA man suspected of starting the fire Thursday is among those injured and treated in a hospital.\n\nA Japanese fire official says nearly 30 people are now confirmed or presumed dead in a suspected arson at a popular animation production studio in Kyoto.\n\nKyoto fire department official Mikihide Daikoku says 36 others have been injured, some of them critically.\n\nDaikoku says firefighters found more than a dozen people presumed dead on the top floor of a three-story building, some of them collapsed on the stairs leading to the roof.\n\nAuthorities say 20 people have been now confirmed dead, with nearly 10 others presumed dead. The outcome makes the case the deadliest fire since a 2001 fire that killed 44 in Tokyo’s Kabukicho entertainment district.\n\nA man is suspected of starting the fire Thursday. He is among those injured in a hospital.\n\nThe president of a popular Japanese animation production company that was gutted in a deadly fire has said his company has received anonymous death threats.\n\nHideaki Hatta, head of Kyoto Animation, told reporters the company had gotten threats by emails in the past but responded “sincerely” each time.\n\nJapanese fire officials said at least 13 people have been confirmed dead and more than 10 others were presumed dead in Thursday’s suspected arson.\n\nHatta asked, “Why on earth did such violence have to be used?”\n\nJapanese fire department officials said at least 13 people have been confirmed dead and more than 10 others were presumed dead in the suspected arson at the studio Thursday.\n\nA man suspected of starting the fire Thursday was also injured and being treated in a hospital.\n\nA Japanese fire official says at least 23 people are now confirmed or presumed dead in a suspected arson at a popular animation production studio in Kyoto.\n\nKyoto fire department official Satoshi Fujiwara says 36 others have been injured, some of them critically.\n\nHe says firefighters found more than 10 people presumed dead on the top floor of a three-story building, some of them collapsed on the stairs leading to the roof.\n\nEarlier, authorities have confirmed seven dead and six others presumed dead.\n\nA man is suspected of starting the fire early Thursday. He is among those injured in a hospital.\n\nA Japanese fire official says at least 12 people are presumed dead and more could be missing after they were trapped by fire at a popular animation production studio in Kyoto.\n\nKyoto fire department official Satoshi Fujiwara says 35 others have been injured, some of them critically.\n\nHe says firefighters found 12 people who are presumed dead inside the three-story building that was gutted by the blaze.\n\nHe says there are several others — up to 18 — who could not be reached but it is not clear if all those had reported to work Thursday.\n\nA man is suspected of starting the fire early Thursday. He is among those injured in a hospital.\n\nJapanese authorities say at least 38 people have been injured, some critically, after a man started a fire at a famous animation production studio in Kyoto.\n\nKyoto prefectural police say the fire broke out Thursday morning at a three-story building of Kyoto Animation after a man burst in and spread unidentified liquid that set off the blaze.\n\nFire department officials say 10 of the injured are in serious condition.\n\nRescue officials set up a tent outside the building to provide first aid and sort out the injured. Fire department officials say more than 70 people were in the building at the time of the fire, but most of them ran outside.", "Japanese fire official says more than 20 now confirmed or presumed dead after Kyoto animation studio fire.\n\nTOKYO (AP) — Japanese fire official says more than 20 now confirmed or presumed dead after Kyoto animation studio fire.", "A Japanese fire official says nearly 30 people are confirmed or presumed dead after Kyoto animation studio fire\n\nTOKYO (AP) — A Japanese fire official says nearly 30 people are confirmed or presumed dead after Kyoto animation studio fire .", "Japanese authorities say at least 38 injured in fire at a Kyoto animation studio, a man arrested on suspicion of arson.\n\nTOKYO (AP) — Japanese authorities say at least 38 injured in fire at a Kyoto animation studio, a man arrested on suspicion of arson."], "summary": "A 41-year old man sets fire to the main offices of Kyoto Animation, an animation studio based in Kyoto, Japan. At least 34 people are confirmed dead and 35 injured. Many of the victims are in their 20s and 30s."}
{"document": ["Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Friday they had captured a British-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf after Britain seized an Iranian vessel this month, ratcheting up tension along a vital international oil shipping route.", "In this image from file video provided by UK Ministry of Defence, British navy vessel HMS Montrose escorts another ship during a mission to remove chemical weapons from Syria at sea off coast of Cyprus in February 2014. The British Navy said it intercepted an attempt on Thursday, July 11, 2019, by three Iranian paramilitary vessels to impede the passage of a British commercial vessel just days after Iran’s president warned of repercussions for the seizure of its own supertanker. A U.K. government statement said Iranian vessels only turned away after receiving “verbal warnings” from the HMS Montrose accompanying the commercial ship through the narrow Strait of Hormuz. (UK Ministry of Defence via AP)\n\nTEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran on Friday demanded the British navy release an Iranian oil tanker seized last week off Gibraltar, accusing London of playing a “dangerous game” and threatening retribution, while London announced it was sending a destroyer to the Persian Gulf.\n\nThe comments from Iran’s Foreign Ministry came the day after police in Gibraltar, a British overseas territory on the southern tip of Spain, said they arrested the captain and chief officer of the supertanker suspected of breaching European Union sanctions by carrying a shipment of Iranian crude oil to Syria.\n\nForeign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi told Iranian state news agency IRNA that “the legal pretexts for the capture are not valid … the release of the tanker is in all countries’ interest.”\n\n“This is a dangerous game and has consequences,” Mousavi warned.\n\nDuring Friday prayers, Kazem Sedighi, an adviser to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, threatened retribution.\n\n“Rest assured, Britons will soon feel the slap of the powerful hands of the Islamic Republic,” he said.\n\nThe British navy said Thursday it had stopped three Iranian paramilitary vessels from disrupting the passage of a British oil tanker through the Strait of Hormuz, a critical shipping lane at the mouth of the Persian Gulf. Iran’s Revolutionary Guard denied any incident had occurred in the strait.\n\nThat brief but tense standoff is believed to have stemmed from the British seizure of the Iranian tanker off Gibraltar on July 4.\n\nOn Friday, the British Ministry of Defense said it was moving up its timetable for relieve the HMS Montrose, a frigate operating in the Persian Gulf, with the larger HMS Duncan destroyer in the wake of the recent developments.\n\n“This will ensure that the UK alongside international partners can continue to support freedom of navigation for vessels transiting through this vital shipping lane,” the ministry said.\n\nAt the same time, British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt called for “cool heads” to prevail to ensure there is no “unintended escalation.”\n\n“We are being clear to Iran that we are not seeking to escalate this situation,” he said, adding that the British response had been “measured and careful.”\n\nThe Iranian tanker intercepted last week was carrying 2.1 million barrels of light crude oil, the head of Gibraltar’s government said Friday.\n\nA senior Spanish official had previously said the interception was carried out at the request of the United States, but Gibraltar’s Chief Minister Fabian Picardo told parliament no other government had asked the territory to act.\n\n“These important decisions about breaches of our laws were certainly not decisions taken at the political behest or instruction of any other state or of any third party,” he said.\n\nHe said the ship is suspected of breaching European Union sanctions on Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government and that any nation with a claim to the vessel and its cargo can file a claim in court.\n\nIn addition to the tanker’s captain and chief officer arrested Thursday, Gibraltar police said they arrested the two second mates of the Panama-flagged tanker on Friday. The two are in custody and are assisting police with their inquiries, authorities said. All four are Indian citizens.\n\nIranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif scoffed at the accusation Iran was violating sanctions, which he said “are meant to stop Europe from buying Syria’s oil, they are not about another country selling oil to Syria.” Zarif spoke in an interview Thursday with the pro-Iran Lebanese satellite news channel Al-Mayadeen.\n\n“This is a very childish and ridiculous excuse by the British,” he said “They should officially announce that we are servants of America and act on behalf of America. America has returned their favor well by insulting their ambassador and their prime minister.”\n\nThe tanker’s interception has stoked already high tensions in the region, as the Trump administration continues its campaign of maximum pressure on Iran.\n\nThe U.S. has sent thousands of troops, an aircraft carrier, nuclear-capable B-52 bombers and advanced fighter jets to the Middle East, and fears are growing of a wider conflict after mysterious oil tanker attacks near the Strait of Hormuz blamed on Iran, attacks by Iranian-backed rebels in Yemen on Saudi Arabia and Iran’s downing of a U.S. military drone.\n\nIran has recently begun surpassing uranium enrichment limits set in its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers in response to President Donald Trump’s decision to pull the U.S. out of the accord a year ago.\n\nThe U.S. has also re-imposed tough sanctions on Tehran’s oil exports, exacerbating an economic crisis that has sent its currency plummeting.\n\nIran has said its breaches of the nuclear pact can be reversed if the other parties to the agreement — Germany, France, Britain, China, Russia and the European Union — can come up with enough economic incentives to effectively offset the American sanctions.\n\nChina on Friday reiterated it opposes unilateral sanctions against Iran and criticized what it described as the “long arm jurisdiction” of the United States.\n\nA Foreign Ministry spokesman in Beijing said that international trade with Iran “within the framework of international law is reasonable and legitimate and deserves to be respected and protected.”\n\n“We will resolutely defend our legitimate and lawful rights and interests,” the spokesman added.\n\nRising reported from Berlin. Barry Hatton in Lisbon and Danica Kirka and Jill Lawless in London contributed to this story.", "Topline: Iran captured two oil tankers off its coast: one Liberian, the other British. The British tanker was seized Friday in the Strait of Hormuz, and it's unclear when the Liberian tanker was taken, according to CNN.\n• Twenty-three crew were aboard the Stena Impero, according to the ship’s owner. Contact was lost with the Saudi Arabia-bound ship before it headed towards Iranian waters.\n• In addition to the tanker captures, the U.S. claimed Thursday it downed an Iranian drone in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran rejected this version of events, and suggested the U.S. destroyed its own aircraft. Iran announced Thursday it seized an Emirati-owned tanker that went missing on Sunday.\n• The Revolutionary Guard website said the British tanker was seized for “non-compliance with international maritime laws and regulations” and brought the vessel to an Iranian port.\n• When asked by a reporter on the White House lawn Friday about the tanker captures, President Trump said, \"We'll see what happens.\" He also said he would discuss the situation with the U.K. government.\n• The Strait of Hormuz off the Iranian coast is a chokepoint for international oil shipping. About 40% of the global supply is transported through it.\n• Just two weeks ago, British forces captured an Iranian oil tanker off the coast of Gibralter, and reported they chased away Iranian vessels attempting to capture one of their tankers in retaliation. The U.K. suspected the Iranian tanker was bound for Syria, according to the BBC.\n\nKey background: Since the U.S. withdrew from Obama’s Iran deal, tensions have steadily escalated between Iran and the West. In May and June, two different oil tanker attacks occurred off Iran’s coast. Iran denied involvement, but the U.S. blamed the nation for both incidents. When Iran downed a U.S. Navy drone in June, the incident led to Iran severing diplomatic ties with America. Meanwhile, Iran announced this month that it exceeded the limit of enriched uranium in the Obama-era nuclear deal but insisted it would use the material for peaceful purposes only, according to the New York Times.", "A second 'British' tanker near Iran has veered off course - after a first was seized in Iranian waters.\n\nOwners of the first British tanker say they are unable to contact crew onboard.\n\nIt has now been reported that the second ship, the Mesdar Crude Oil Tanker, is also heading towards Iran.\n\nThe ship is operated by Norbulk Shipping UK Ltd.\n\nIt is unknown how many people were aboard the Mesdar ship.\n\nThe Ministry of Defence says it is urgently seeking information about the unfolding incident.\n\nA meeting of the Government's emergency committee, Cobra, is believed to be underway.\n\nIranian state TV has said authorities seized the Stena Impero, Reuters reports.\n\nAccording to reports in Iran, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard surrounded the tanker because it did \"not following international maritime regulations\".\n\nThe vessel was shown on tracking systems taking a sudden turn in the Gulf, having been headed to Saudi Arabia.\n\nThe company that owns the vessel said it was approached by \"unidentified small crafts\" and a helicopter in the Strait of Hormuz.\n\nIn a statement Northern Marine Management said: \"We are presently unable to contact the vessel which is now heading north towards Iran.\n\n\"There are 23 seafarers aboard. There have been no reported injuries and their safety is of primary concern to both owners and managers.\"\n\nThe company said the tanker was in international waters when it was approached.\n\nIts statement continues: \"Northern Marine Management has not been able to establish contact directly with the vessel since it was notified of the incident at approximately 1600 Today, 19th July 2019.\n\n\"We are in close contact with UK government authorities.\"\n\nThe Stena Impero had left Fujairah in Dubai before being intercepted in the Strait of Hormuz.\n\nA National Security Council statement said: “We are aware of reports that Iran seized a UK oil tanker. This is the second time in just over a week the UK has been targeted by [Iran].\n\n\"The US will continue to work with our allies to defend our security and interests against Iran’s malign behavior.\"\n\nAn MOD spokesman said: “We are urgently seeking further information and assessing the situation following reports of an incident in the Gulf.”\n\nRelations between Iran and the West have been increasingly strained after Britain seized an Iranian tanker in Gibraltar on suspicion of smuggling oil to Syria in breach of European Union sanctions.\n\nIran said it would retaliate and days later three Iranian vessels tried to block a British-owned tanker passing through the Strait of Hormuz.\n\nBut on that occasion, the Iranian vessels backed off when confronted by a British Royal Navy warship.\n\nRefinitiv data showed the Stena Impero is a British-flagged vessel owned by Stena Bulk and it had been en route to Jubail in Saudi Arabia.\n\nAnother map tracking the location of the Stena Impero showed it making a sharp turn in the Strait of Hormuz, at the southern entrance to the Gulf, and heading toward Iranian waters.", "Gibraltar's Supreme Court ruled Friday that a seized Iranian tanker suspected of breaching sanctions by shipping oil to Syria can be detained for 30 more days, the British territory's attorney general said\n\nGibraltar, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - APP - 19th Jul, 2019 ) :Gibraltar's Supreme Court ruled Friday that a seized Iranian tanker suspected of breaching sanctions by shipping oil to Syria can be detained for 30 more days, the British territory's attorney general said.\n\nThe Grace 1 supertanker, carrying 2.1 million barrels of oil, was intercepted by British Royal Marines and Gibraltar's police on July 4 as it transited through waters claimed by Gibraltar, which is located on Spain's southern tip.\n\nAn initial order by the court authorising the detention of the vessel would lapse after Friday. The order can be renewed for up to 90 days.\n\n\"We look forward to continuing to work constructively and positively with officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran to facilitate the release of the Grace 1 pursuant to the satisfaction of all legal requirements,\" Gibraltar's Chief Minister Fabian Picardo told the territory's parliament.\n\nPicardo said Thursday he had a \"constructive and positive\" meeting with Iranian officials in London aimed at defusing tensions around the detention of the tanker in the British territory's waters.\n\nGibraltar and US officials believed the tanker was destined for Syria to deliver oil, in violation of separate sets of EU and US sanctions.\n\nIran has reacted with fury to what it termed \"piracy\" and warned it would not let the interception go unanswered.\n\nLast week, a British warship in the Gulf warned off armed Iranian boats that tried to stop a UK supertanker. London has since announced the deployment of two more warships to the Gulf region for the coming months.\n\nThe Gibraltar court ruling comes as tensions in the Gulf region mounted Friday after Washington said an Iranian drone was destroyed after threatening an American naval vessel at the entrance to the Strait of Hormuz.\n\nIt was believed to be the first US military engagement with Iran following a series of increasingly serious incidents. Iran denied losing any drones.", "Recent seizures and attacks aimed at oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz will raise insurance rates for shipping companies and, if unchecked, reduce tanker traffic in the vital waterway, according to energy experts.\n\nBritain's foreign secretary said Iranian authorities on Friday seized two ships, one flying under the British flag, the other registered in Liberia. The events occurred in a passageway that carries one-fifth of the world's crude exports.\n\n\"If this kind of problem continues, you might see people start to shy away from the (Persian) Gulf or try to reflag — not be a British tanker,\" said energy economist Michael Lynch.\n\nThe near-term impact will fall most heavily on the shipping industry in the form of higher insurance rates, said Lynch, president of Strategic Energy & Economic Research Inc.\n\nRichard Nephew, a Columbia University researcher who wrote a book on sanctions, also believes the tanker seizures could create \"a real risk premium\" for companies that operate in the Gulf and insurers that underwrite them.\n\n\"Certainly we've seen concern with this in the past on sanctions grounds, and I would imagine security groups would be a far more complicating element,\" Nephew said.\n\nOn Friday, Iran's Revolutionary Guard said it took the British tanker Stena Impero to an Iranian port because it allegedly violated international shipping regulations. An Iranian news agency said the Liberian-flagged Mesdar was briefly detained and then released after being told to comply with environmental rules.\n\nThe seizures marked a sharp escalation of tension in the region that began rising when the Trump administration withdrew from a 2015 nuclear deal with Iran and imposed severe restrictions on Iranian oil exports and other sanctions.\n\nMany of the 2,000 companies operating ships in the region have ordered their vessels to transit the Strait of Hormuz only during the daylight hours and at high speed. But only a handful of the companies have halted bookings.\n\nThe tensions in the Gulf also pushed oil prices slightly higher. Brent crude, the international standard, rose 0.9% to $62.47 a barrel on Friday, while benchmark U.S. crude gained 0.6% to settle at $55.63.\n\nThere's a long history of shippers enduring threats in the region.\n\n\"There have always been little problems around the Gulf where people will say, 'You're in our territorial waters,' but usually that doesn't go so far as the seizure of tankers,\" Lynch said.\n\nCopyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.", "LONDON/DUBAI, July 19 (Reuters) - Iran's Revolutionary Guards said on Friday they had captured a British-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf after Britain seized an Iranian vessel earlier this month, further raising tensions along a vital international oil shipping route.\n\nBritain said it was urgently seeking information about the Stena Impero after the tanker, which had been heading to a port in Saudi Arabia, suddenly changed course after passing throughthe Strait of Hormuz at the mouth of the Gulf.\n\nThe Revolutionary Guards said they seized the tanker at the request of Iranian maritime authorities for \"not following international maritime regulations,\" state television reported.\n\nIran said it would retaliate and days later three Iranian vessels tried to block a British-owned tanker passing through the Strait of Hormuz. But on that occasion, the Iranian vessels backed off when confronted by a British Royal Navy warship.\n\n\"We are urgently seeking further information and assessing the situation following reports of an incident in the Gulf,\" a spokesman for Britain'sMinistry of Defence said on Friday.\n\nA person familiar with the matter said a meeting of the British government's emergency committee was being held.\n\nRefinitiv data showed the Stena Impero was a British-flagged vessel owned by Stena Bulk. It showed the vessel's destination as the Saudi port of Jubail on the Gulf.\n\nThe map tracking the ship's course showed it veering off course with a sharp turn north at about 1517 GMT on Friday and heading towards the Iranian coast.", "The British oil tanker Stena Impero is shown at an unknown location. (Stena Bulk via AP)\n\nLONDON (AP/CNN) — Britain’s foreign secretary said Iranian authorities seized two vessels Friday in the Strait of Hormuz, actions signaling intensifying tensions in the strategic waterway that has become a flashpoint between Tehran and the West.\n\nForeign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said one of the seized ships, the tanker Stena Impero, was British-flagged and the other, the MV Mesdar, sailed under Liberia’s flag. Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency tweeted shortly after Hunt’s statement that the second tanker had left Iran’s territorial waters.\n\n“These seizures are unacceptable,” Hunt said as he prepared to enter an emergency government meeting Friday night. “It is essential that freedom of navigation is maintained and that all ships can move safely and freely in the region.”\n\nThe seizing of the British tanker marked perhaps the most significant escalation since tensions between Iran and the West began rising in May. At that time, the U.S. announced it was dispatching an aircraft carrier and additional troops to the Persian Gulf, citing unspecified threats posed by Iran.\n\nThe ongoing showdown has caused jitters around the globe, amid fears that any misunderstanding or misstep by either side could lead to war.\n\nDetails of what took place Friday remained sketchy. Iran said earlier Friday that it had seized a British oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, which is at the mouth of the Persian Gulf and serves as the passageway for one-fifth of all global crude exports.\n\nThe tanker Stena Impero was taken to an Iranian port because it was not complying with “international maritime laws and regulations,” Iran’s Revolutionary Guard declared.\n\nBritain’s Royal Marines assisted in the seizure of an Iranian oil supertanker on July 4 by Gibraltar, a British overseas territory off the southern coast of Spain.\n\nBritain said it would release the vessel if Iran could prove it was not breaching European sanctions on oil shipments to Syria. The seized vessel was loaded with over 2 million barrels of Iranian crude oil.\n\nA statement from Stena Bulk, which owns the tanker, said it was unable to contact the ship after it was approached by unidentified vessels and a helicopter in the Strait of Hormuz.\n\nThe company said the tanker, with 23 crew members aboard, was in international waters when it was approached but subsequently appeared to be heading toward Iran.\n\nU.K. Chamber of Shipping chief executive Bob Sanguinetti said the seizure represented an escalation in tensions in the Persian Gulf and made it clear more protection for merchant vessels was urgently needed.\n\nHe claimed the action is “in violation of international regulations which protect ships and their crews as they go about their legitimate business in international waters.”\n\nThe British government should do “whatever is necessary” to ensure the safe and swift return of the ship’s crew, Sanguinetti said.\n\nCrude oil prices climbed following Iran’s announcement as traders worried the escalating tensions could affect crude supplies. The price of oil was lower earlier in the day. U.S. stocks also fell as traders sold to avoid holding stocks into the weekend. The S&P 500 dropped 0.6% Friday after being up 0.4% in the morning.\n\nThe incident came just two days after Washington claimed that a U.S. warship downed an Iranian drone in the Strait. Iran denied that it lost an aircraft in the area.\n\nPresident Donald Trump said U.S. officials would talk with Britain about the unfolding crisis.\n\n“This only goes to show what I’m saying about Iran: Trouble, nothing but trouble,” he said.\n\nTrump said “Iran is showing their colors” and “in big trouble right now” because its economy has been crippled by U.S. economic sanctions.\n\nThe U.S. has asked Mideast allies like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in past weeks to contribute financially and militarily to a Trump administration proposal called the Sentinel Program — a coalition of nations working with the U.S. to preserve maritime security in the Persian Gulf and keep eyes on Iran.\n\nOn June 20, Iran shot down an American drone in the same waterway, and Trump came close to retaliating but called off an airstrike at the last moment.\n\nTensions in the region have been escalating since the Trump administration withdrew from Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers and imposed sweeping sanctions on Iran, including its oil exports, that have hit its economy hard.\n\nIran’s government has desperately tried to get out of the chokehold, appealing to the other partners in the deal, particularly Europe, to pressure the U.S. to lift the bruising sanctions. Europe wants to maintain the nuclear deal, but has not been able to address Iranian demands, particularly concerning the sale of oil, without violating U.S. sanctions.\n\nOn Friday, Iran and the United States emphatically disagreed over Washington’s claim that a U.S. warship downed an Iranian drone in the Strait of Hormuz. American officials said they used electronic jamming to bring down the unmanned aircraft, while Iran said it simply didn’t happen.\n\nNeither side provided evidence to prove its claim.\n\nAt the White House, Trump said flatly of the Iranian drone: “We shot it down.” But Pentagon and other officials have said repeatedly that the USS Boxer, a Navy ship in the Strait of Hormuz, actually jammed the drone’s signal, causing it to crash, and did not fire a missile. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive technology.\n\nTrump’s national security adviser, John Bolton, said, “There is no question this was an Iranian drone, and the USS Boxer took it out as the president announced yesterday because it posed a threat to the ship and its crew. It’s entirely the right thing to do.”\n\nIn Tehran, the Iranian military said all its drones had returned safely to their bases and denied there was any confrontation with the USS Boxer, an amphibious assault ship.\n\n“We have not lost any drone in the Strait of Hormuz nor anywhere else,” tweeted Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi.\n\nIran’s Revolutionary Guard on its website Friday said the drone recorded three hours of video of the USS Boxer and five other vessels Thursday beginning when the ships first entered the Strait of Hormuz. There was no immediate explanation as to how the video was evidence that no Iranian drone was destroyed.\n\nThe Revolutionary Guard said its forces continue to monitor all movements by foreigners — especially “the terrorist forces” of the U.S. and the British in the Strait and the Gulf.\n\nAfter Trump pulled the U.S. out of the Iran nuclear deal with world powers last year and imposed economic sanctions against Tehran, the Iranians have pushed back on the military front in recent weeks, with Washington accusing Tehran of threatening American forces and interests in the region.\n\nIran’s foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, suggested in New York as he arrived for a meeting at the United Nations that Iran could immediately ratify an agreement to allow broader checks of its nuclear facilities by U.N. inspectors if the U.S. dropped its sanctions.\n\nChina urged Washington to consider the offer, calling it “a positive signal that Iran is willing to seek a compromise solution.”\n\nThe Pentagon said Thursday’s incident happened in international waters while the Boxer was entering the Gulf. The Boxer is among several U.S. Navy ships in the area, including the USS Abraham Lincoln, an aircraft carrier that has been operating in the North Arabian Sea for weeks in response to rising tensions.\n\nThe Iranians and Americans have had close encounters in the Strait of Hormuz in the past, and it is not unprecedented for Iran to fly a drone near a U.S. warship.\n\nZarif blamed Washington for the escalation and accused the Trump administration of “trying to starve our people” and “deplete our treasury” through sanctions.\n\nJill Lawless in London and David Rising in Berlin contributed.", "Iran says it has captured British oil tanker in Strait of Hormuz\n\nIran's Revolutionary Guard claims to have captured British oil tanker Stena Impero in the Strait of Hormuz, Iranian state television reports.\n\nThe IRGC seized the tanker at the request of the maritime authorities in the Iranian province of Hormozgan for \"not following international maritime regulations,\" state television cited an IRGC statement as saying.\n\nThe tanker was taken to a coastal area and turned over to the authorities to take the necessary legal steps, state television said.\n\nThe operator of the Stena Impero said it was unable to contact the ship after it was approached by unidentified vessels and a helicopter in the Strait of Hormuz. The ship has 23 crew aboard.\n\n\"We are urgently seeking further information and assessing the situation following reports of an incident in the Gulf,\" a spokesman for Britain's Ministry of Defence said.\n\nFurther protection must be provided for merchant vessels, the head of the UK Chamber of Shipping said.\n\n\"We condemn unreservedly the capture of Stena Impero as she transited the Strait of Hormuz earlier today,\" the Chamber's chief executive, Bob Sanguinetti, said in a statement.\n\n\"This incident represents an escalation. Whilst we call for measured response, it is also clear that further protection for merchant vessels must be forthcoming to ensure enhanced security to guarantee free flow of trade in the region.\"\n\nThe incident came as Iran and the United States emphatically disagreed on Friday over Washington's claim that a US warship downed an Iranian drone near the Persian Gulf.\n\nAmerican officials said they used electronic jamming to bring down the unmanned aircraft, while Iran said it simply didn't happen.\n\nThe United States is aware of reports that Iran seized the tanker and it will work with its allies and partners to defend against Iran, a White House National Security Council spokesman said.\n\n\"We are aware of reports that Iranian forces seized a British oil tanker,\" spokesman Garrett Marquis said.\n\n\"The US will continue to work with our allies and partners to defend our security and interests against Iran's malign behavior,\" he added. \n\n\n\nMore to come.", "(Hatha al-Youm | Iraq News )- The British-operated oil tanker Mesdar, which had turned in the direction of Iran, changed course again on Friday to head back into the Gulf, Refinitiv tracking data showed.Britain said the Mesdar and another tanker, the Stena Impero, had been seized by Iran, making the announcement after both suddenly took up a course towards the Iranian coast.But an Iranian news agency said the Mesdar had not been seized but had been issued a warning, while the Iranian military said it had captured the Stena Impero."], "summary": "Iranian Navy of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps captures British tanker Stena Impero and temporarily seizes British-operated and Liberian-flagged tanker Mesdar in the Persian Gulf. British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt says there will be \"serious consequences\" if Iran does not release the tanker."}
{"document": ["'No doubt about it,' Trump says as Iran disputes his report of drone downing \n\n\n\nDUBAI/WASHINGTON, July 19 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump said there was \"no doubt\" the U.S. Navy had brought down an Iranian drone in the Strait of Hormuz this week while Tehran showed video footage that it said disproved the incident even happened.\n\nTrump and his national security adviser, John Bolton, told reporters at the White House they were certain the USS Boxer warship had downed an Iranian pilotless aircraft on Thursday at the Gulf's strategic waterway.\n\nSpeaking of Iran, he said the United States hopes \"for their sake they don't do anything foolish. If they do they will pay a price like nobody has ever paid a price.\"\n\nBolton said: \"There's no question that it was an Iranian drone and the USS Boxer took it out yesterday.\"\n\nBut Iran said all of its drones were accounted for, amid growing international concern that both sides could blunder into a war in the strategic waterway.\n\nIran's state television broadcast a video showing aerial views of ships that it said disproved the U.S. assertion. The television station said a drone had captured the footage, which came from Iran's Revolutionary Guards, and that timing notations indicated the pilotless aircraft was still filming after Washington said it had been downed.\n\nThe episode is the latest test of nerves around the Strait of Hormuz, a major chokepoint for oil tankers. Oil prices rose on Friday because of the tension.\n\nDespite tough talk on both sides and an Iranian downing of a U.S. drone in June, Washington and Tehran have so far shown restraint.\n\nTrump announced on Thursday the Boxer, an amphibious assault ship, had destroyed an Iranian drone because it had flown to within 1,000 yards (914 meters) of the ship in a \"provocative and hostile action.\"\n\nA U.S. official said the drone was brought down by electronic jamming.\n\nAbolfazl Shekarchi, a senior Iranian armed forces spokesman, was quoted by the semi-official Tasnim news agency as saying there was no report of any \"operational response\" by the USS Boxer.\n\n\"All drones belonging to Iran in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz ... returned safely to their bases after their mission of identification and control,\" he said.\n\nIran and the United States are in a series of disputes over issues including security in the Gulf, Tehran's nuclear ambitions and U.S. sanctions.\n\nRelations worsened last year when Trump abandoned a 2015 international nuclear deal between world powers and Iran. Under the pact, Iran agreed to restrict nuclear work, long seen by the West as a cover for developing atomic bombs, in return for lifting sanctions. Economic sanctions have since been imposed again, badly hurting Iran's economy.\n\nTehran on Thursday signaled a willingness to engage in diplomacy with a modest offer on its nuclear work - ratification of a document prescribing more intrusive nuclear inspections if Washington abandoned its sanctions.\n\nA senior Trump administration official dismissed the offer by Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.\n\nZarif appeared to have no decision-making ability and that Washington \"would not consider anything from him serious,\" the official said.\n\nAsked whom the United States would need to hear from in order to have negotiations over Tehran's nuclear program, the official said: \"I would say the supreme leader or the president.\"\n\nTrump remained open to negotiations with Iran without preconditions on its nuclear program and will maintain a tough economic sanctions regime on Tehran in the meantime, the official said.\n\nGerman Chancellor Angela Merkel said that she was concerned about the situation in the Gulf.\n\n\"You can't look at this region without being concerned at the moment,\" she said at a news conference. \"Every opportunity for diplomatic contact should be attempted to avoid an escalation.\"\n\nIn the latest development in a standoff between Iran and Britain that has also stoked Gulf tensions, Gibraltar's supreme court granted a 30-day extension to allow authorities to detain the Iranian oil tanker Grace 1 until Aug. 15.\n\nThe United States has blamed Iran for a series of attacks since mid-May on shipping around the Strait of Hormuz, the world's most important oil artery. Tehran rejects the allegations.\n\nThe United States has reimposed sanctions to throttle Iran's oil trade and pressure Tehran to renegotiate the accord, discuss its ballistic missiles and modify its regional policies.\n\nThe United States is struggling to win its allies' support for an initiative to heighten surveillance of vital Middle East oil shipping lanes because of fears it will increase tension with Iran, six sources familiar with the matter said.", "It’s quite obvious that certain neocon war hawks surrounding President Trump are pushing for a conflict with Iran, but will he take the bait?\n\nTwo drones have allegedly been shot down in the past month, the first was said to be an American drone shot down by Iran and the second an Iranian drone shot down by the U.S.\n\nHowever, there is reason to believe both incidents could have been false flag operations intended to trick President Trump into attacking the Middle Eastern nation.\n\nWhile discussing the June 20, 2019 incident where Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’s (IRGC) supposedly shot down a United States military surveillance drone, President Trump made a possible Freudian slip while talking with Tucker Carlson.\n\nCarlson asked Trump about his last-minute decision to withdraw from a planned strike on Iran in response to the event and POTUS said, “So, we shot down an unmanned drone. They claim it was over their territory, but it wasn’t.”\n\nDespite the president’s potential slip of the tongue, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard did take credit for the June 20 attack.\n\nOn Thursday, President Trump told reporters at the White House that American assault ship the USS Boxer had destroyed an Iranian drone that came within 1,000 yards and ignored “multiple calls to stand down.”\n\n“This is the latest of many provocative and hostile actions against vessels operating in international waters,” he said.\n\nHowever, on Friday Iran denied losing the drone and suggested the U.S. may have shot down their own aircraft.\n\n“We have not lost any drone in the Strait of Hormuz nor anywhere else. I am worried that USS Boxer has shot down their own UAS (Unmanned Aerial System) by mistake!,” Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi wrote in a Twitter post.\n\nPresident Trump responded to Araghchi on Friday, saying, “We shot it down!”\n\nNational Security Advisor and avid fan of warfare John Bolton also chimed in, adding, “There’s no question that this was an Iranian drone.”\n\nCould Deep State globalists try to derail the Trump presidency by coaxing him into an unnecessary war with Iran?", "WASHINGTON/DUBAI (Reuters) - The United States threatened on Friday to destroy any Iranian drones flying too closely to its ships and said it had “clear evidence” that it shot one down in a festering stand-off with Tehran in the world’s most important oil shipping zone.\n\nIran earlier on Friday denied losing one of its drones to U.S. forces, while a Gibraltar court extended the detention of an Iranian oil tanker caught in the high-stakes quarrel between Tehran and Washington and its allies.\n\nTensions in the Gulf soared after the United States withdrew last year from world powers’ 2015 nuclear deal with Iran and reimposed sanctions to strangle Iran’s oil trade, with Tehran retaliating by unfettering its disputed nuclear program.\n\nExplosions that holed six oil tankers in the Gulf in May and June, Iran’s downing of a U.S. surveillance drone last month, its alleged harassment of a British tanker and the reported downing of an Iranian drone this week have raised fears of war.\n\nBut despite the rash of incidents and plenty of menacing rhetoric, Tehran and Washington appear to be steering clear of acts that could cost lives and boil over quickly into conflict, and glimmers of a willingness to negotiate have surfaced.\n\nOn Friday, Iran waved off U.S. President Donald Trump’s assertion that the U.S. Navy destroyed one of its drones on Thursday, saying all its unmanned aircraft were accounted for.\n\nHours later, a senior official in Trump’s administration warned that if Iranian drones “fly too close to our ships, they’ll continue to be shot down”.\n\nSpeaking on condition of anonymity, the official said “we have very clear evidence” that U.S. Navy warship Boxer had downed an Iranian drone. “We’re confident,” the official said, adding that a video of the incident could be released.\n\nUnder the nuclear deal reached by then-U.S. President Barack Obama but denounced as a sham by Trump, Iran curbed enrichment of uranium long seen by the West as a disguised bid to develop atomic bombs. Iran won a lifting of global sanctions in return.\n\nIran recently resumed refining uranium to fissile purities above limits set by the deal as a means of leverage on European signatories to protect trade dividends, especially oil exports, promised it under the 2015 deal from Trump’s sanctions squeeze.\n\nTehran says its nuclear breaches are reversible if Washington rescinds sanctions and returns to the agreement.\n\nTehran on Thursday signaled a willingness to negotiate with a modest offer on its nuclear activity - ratification of a document prescribing more intrusive U.N. nuclear inspections if Washington abandoned its economic sanctions.\n\nAnalysts said Iran’s gesture could provide an opening for Trump’s administration to pursue diplomacy.\n\nBut the administration official on Friday dismissed the offer made by Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, saying he had no apparent decision-making ability and that Washington “would not consider anything from him serious”.\n\nAsked whom Washington would need to hear from in order to have negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear activity, the official said: “I would say the supreme leader or the president.”\n\nHe was referring to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, an anti-Western hardliner and the ultimate authority in Iran, and President Hassan Rouhani, a more pragmatic figure who engineered the 2015 deal to ease Iran’s global isolation but now signals no compromise in the confrontation with Washington.\n\nThe Trump administration official said the president - who is seeking stricter restraints on Iran’s nuclear activity and regional behavior - remained open to negotiations with Tehran without preconditions. He said Washington would maintain the tough economic sanctions regime in the meantime.\n\n“You can’t look at this region without being concerned at the moment,” German Chancellor Angela Merkel told reporters in Berlin on Friday. “Every opportunity for diplomatic contact should be attempted to avoid an escalation.”\n\nIn the latest episode to rattle nerves, Trump said an Iranian drone had flown to within 1,000 yards (914 meters) of the U.S. warship Boxer in a “provocative and hostile action” on Thursday and ignored several calls to stand down. The drone was downed through electronic jamming, according to a U.S. official.\n\nThe Islamic Republic denied the report and on Friday Iranian state television aired what said was footage disproving that the U.S. Navy had destroyed the drone over the Strait of Hormuz, through which tankers take Gulf oil to world markets.\n\nThe video released by the Revolutionary Guards showed aerial views of warships, which it said included the USS Boxer. Iranian TV said the drone had captured the footage and timing notations showed the drone was still filming after Washington said it had been downed.\n\nOn July 4, an Iranian oil tanker was seized by British Royal Marines off the coast of the British Mediterranean territory of Gibraltar on suspicion of smuggling oil to Tehran’s close ally Syria in violation of European Union sanctions.\n\nOn Friday, Gibraltar’s supreme court granted a 30-day extension to allow authorities to detain the tanker Grace 1 until Aug. 15.\n\nIran has threatened to respond to what it calls Britain’s “piracy” over the tanker’s seizure. Britain last week said it had fended off Iranian ships trying to block a British tanker.\n\nIranian oil exports have plummeted to around 0.3 million bpd in June from 2.8 million bpd in early 2018.", "Iran‘s top military spokesman said all the country’s drones had returned safely to base, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported, after President Donald Trump said a U.S. Navy ship had “destroyed” one.\n\n“All drones belonging to Iran in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz … returned safely to their bases after their mission of identification and control, and there is no report of any operational response by USS Boxer,” Abolfazl Shekarchi, a senior armed forces spokesman, was quoted as saying by Tasnim.\n\nTrump said on Thursday that the drone had flown to within 1,000 yards of the U.S. warship Boxer and had ignored “multiple calls to stand down” in the latest episode to stir tensions in the Gulf.", "on Friday denied US President Donald Trump’s assertion that the has destroyed one of its drones, saying all of its unmanned planes were accounted for, amid growing concern that both sides could blunder into a war in the Gulf.\n\nIn the latest episode to test nerves around the strategic waterway, Trump said on Thursday the drone had flown to within 1,000 yards (914 metres) of the US warship Boxer in a “provocative and hostile action” and had ignored several calls to stand down.\n\n“All drones belonging to in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz ... returned safely to their bases after their mission of identification and control,” said Abolfazl Shekarchi, a senior armed forces spokesman.\n\n\n\n“And there is no report of any operational response by USS Boxer.” A US official said the drone on Thursday was brought down through electronic jamming.\n\n\n\nGulf tensions are high, with fears the United States and its longtime foe Iran could stumble into war. But despite tough talk on both sides, Washington and Tehran have shown restraint.\n\n\n\nTehran on Thursday signalled a willingness to engage in diplomacy with a modest offer on its nuclear work - ratification of a document prescribing more intrusive nuclear inspections if Washington abandoned its economic sanctions.\n\n\n\nWhile U.S. officials suggested they viewed the idea as a non-starter, analysts said it could provide an opening for Trump’s administration to pursue diplomacy.\n\n\n\nGerman Chancellor Angela Merkel said that she was concerned about the situation in the Gulf.\n\n\n\n“Of course I’m concerned. You can’t look at this region without being concerned at the moment,” Merkel told a news conference. “Every opportunity for diplomatic contact should be attempted to avoid an escalation.”\n\n\n\nIn the latest development in a standoff between Iran and Britain that has also stoked Gulf tensions, Gibraltar’s supreme court granted a 30-day extension to allow authorities to detain the Iranian oil tanker Grace 1 until Aug. 15.\n\n\n\nIran has vowed to respond to what it calls Britain’s “piracy” over the seizure of the vessel.\n\n\n\nThe tanker was seized earlier this month by British Royal Marines off the coast of the British Mediterranean territory on suspicion of violating sanctions against Syria.\n\n\n\nThe United States has blamed Iran for a series of attacks since mid-May on shipping around the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most important oil artery. Tehran rejects the allegations.\n\n\n\nIran in June shot down a U.S. military surveillance drone in the Gulf with a surface-to-air missile, saying the drone was in its airspace. Washington says it was in skies.\n\n\n\nThe increased use of drones by Iran and its allies for surveillance and attacks across the Middle East is raising alarms in Washington.\n\n\n\nIran’s elite Revolutionary Guards said in a statement they would release images to disprove Trump’s contention that the U.S. Navy had destroyed a drone.\n\n\n\n“Soon, images captured by the Guards drones from the US warship Boxer will be published to expose to world public opinion as lies and groundless the claim,” the Guards said.\n\n\n\nRelations between the United States and Iran have worsened since last year when Trump abandoned a 2015 a nuclear deal between world powers and Tehran. Under the pact, Iran agreed to restrict nuclear work long seen by the West as a cover for developing atomic bombs in return for the lifting of sanctions.\n\n\n\nThe United States has reimposed sanctions to throttle Iran’s oil trade and pressure Tehran to renegotiate the accord, discuss its ballistic missiles and modify its regional policies.\n\n\n\nIranian oil exports have dropped nearly ten fold to around 0.3 million bpd in June from 2.8 million bpd in early 2018.\n\n\n\nThe United States is struggling to win its allies’ support for an initiative to heighten surveillance of vital Middle East oil shipping lanes because of fears it will increase tension with Iran, six sources familiar with the matter said.\n\n\n\nWashington proposed on July 9 boosting efforts to safeguard strategic waters off Iran and Yemen where it blames Iran and its proxies for tanker attacks. Iran denies the charges.\n\n\n\nBut with Washington’s allies reluctant to commit new weaponry or fighting forces, a senior Pentagon official told Reuters that the United States’ aim was not to set up a military coalition but to shine a “flashlight” in the region to deter attacks on commercial shipping.", "DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran’s top military spokesman said all the country’s drones had returned safely to base, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported, after President Donald Trump said a U.S. Navy ship had “destroyed” one.\n\n“All drones belonging to Iran in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz ... returned safely to their bases after their mission of identification and control, and there is no report of any operational response by USS Boxer,” Abolfazl Shekarchi, a senior armed forces spokesman, was quoted as saying by Tasnim.\n\nTrump said on Thursday that the drone had flown to within 1,000 yards (914 meters) of the U.S. warship Boxer and had ignored “multiple calls to stand down” in the latest episode to stir tensions in the Gulf.", "DUBAI, July 19 (Reuters) - Iran's top military spokesman said all the country's drones had returned safely to base, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported, after President Donald Trump said a U.S. Navy ship had \"destroyed\" one.\n\n\"All drones belonging to Iran in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz ... returned safely to their bases after their mission of identification and control, and there is no report of any operational response by USS Boxer,\" Abolfazl Shekarchi, a senior armed forces spokesman, was quoted as saying by Tasnim.\n\nTrump said on Thursday that the drone had flown to within 1,000 yards (914 metres) of the U.S. warship Boxer and had ignored \"multiple calls to stand down\" in the latest episode to stir tensions in the Gulf. (Reporting by Dubai newsroom; Editing by Jan Harvey)", "Donald Trump insisted Friday that reports of the U.S. Navy bringing down an Iranian drone in the Strait of Hormuz are accurate – despite the Islamic nation's denials.\n\n'We shot it down,' the president told reporters in the Oval Office, adding that there is 'no doubt about it.'\n\nTrump warned Tehran's mullahs that the U.S. military has 'the most deadly ships ever conceived.'\n\n'And we hope for their sake they don't do anything foolish. If they do, they will pay a price like nobody's ever paid a price.'\n\nNational Security Advisor John Bolton said the identity of the drone's owners and operators was not a mystery.\n\n'There’s no question that this was an Iranian drone,' Bolton announced.\n\nThe pair spoke at an event commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing mission.\n\nIran had accused the U.S. of taking out an American drones by mistake after Donald Trump said the Navy had destroyed an unmanned craft over the Strait of Hormuz.\n\nTehran's deputy foreign minister Abbas Araghchi declared that none of its drones had been destroyed, neither 'in the Strait of Hormuz nor anywhere else.'\n\n'I am worried that USS Boxer has shot down their own UAS (Unmanned Aerial Systems) by mistake!' he tweeted on Friday.\n\nThat came after the president announced Thursday that an Iranian drone making 'provocative and hostile' maneuvers had been destroyed, in what the Pentagon later said was an electronic warfare attack.\n\nTrump seemed to disagree on Friday, saying the U.S. 'shot it down.'\n\nThe Strait of Hormuz is a strategic bottleneck through which a fifth of the world's oil passes each day, and sits partially in Iranian waters.\n\nThe president on Thursday called the incident 'the latest of many provocative and hostile actions by Iran against vessels operating in international waters.'\n\nIranian armed forces spokesman Brigadier General Abolfazl Shekarchi also denied the claims Friday, saying: 'Despite Trump's baseless and delusional claims, all of [Iran's] drones... have safely returned to their bases.'\n\n'There have been no reports of a confrontation with the American USS Boxer,' he claimed.\n\nIran's military recently shot down a U.S. drone that it said was flying in Iranian airspace, firing a strike with a surface-to-air missile.\n\nPresident Trump called off a planned airstrike at the last moment, saying later that retaliating would have killed approximately 150 people on the ground.\n\nTrump made his announcement Thursday at the beginning of a White House ceremony to mark the return of an American flag that flew from the stern of an American ship in the D-Day invasion.\n\nAn hour earlier he had told reporters at the end of a pohto-op with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte that 'a big event just happened in Iran. A big event.'\n\nThe drone was downed in international waters, according to a Pentagon official.\n\nThe increased use of drones by Iran and its allies for surveillance and attacks across the Middle East is raising alarms in Washington, according to a Reuters report this week.\n\nThe U.S. believes Iran-linked militias in Iraq have recently increased their surveillance of American troops and bases in the country by using off-the-shelf, commercially available drones.\n\nThe disclosure comes at a time of heightened tensions with Iran and underscores the many ways in which Tehran and the forces it backs are increasingly relying on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in places like Yemen, Syria, the Strait of Hormuz and Iraq.\n\nBeyond surveillance, Iranian drones can drop munitions and even carry out 'a kamikaze flight where they load it up with explosives and fly it into something,' according to a U.S. official who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity.\n\nIran now flies two or three drones over Gulf waters every day, the U.S. official estimated, making it a core part of Tehran's effort to monitor the Strait of Hormuz.\n\nThe United States and Saudi Arabia have accused Iran of carrying out attacks against six oil tankers near the Strait in the past two months, a claim Tehran has denied.\n\n'We have seen an uptick in drone activity in Iraq near our bases and facilities,' the official said. 'Certainly the drones that we have seen are more of the commercial off-the-shelf variant. So they're obviously a deniable type UAV-activity in Iraq.'\n\nIn recent weeks, mortars and rockets have been fired at bases in Iraq where U.S. forces are located but no American troops have been injured.\n\nIraqi militia groups linked to Iran began using drones in 2014 and 2015 in battles to retake territory from ISIS.\n\nThese groups received training on the use of drones from members of Iran's Revolutionary Guards and Lebanon's Iranian-backed Hezbollah, according to Iraqi security officials with knowledge of militia activities.\n\n'Key militia groups have the ability to launch aerial attacks using drones. Will they target American interests? That hasn't happened yet,' said one Iraqi security official.\n\n'They used Katyusha and mortars in very restricted attacks against American interests in Iraq to send a message rather than trying to inflict damage. Using explosive-laden drones is very possible once we have a worsening situation between Tehran and Washington.'\n\nIn March, Iran boasted about a complex military exercise involving 50 drones. In a slickly edited video aired on state TV, waves of drones streak across a clear blue sky, bombing buildings on an island in the Gulf.\n\nThe show of force was intended to highlight Iran's locally developed UAV program, which it has been building up for several years.\n\nU.S. forces shot down Iranian-made drones in 2017 in Syria, after deeming them a threat to both U.S.-backed forces and their advisers.", "WASHINGTON/DUBAI (Reuters) – The United States threatened on Friday to destroy any Iranian drones flying too closely to its ships and said it had “clear evidence” that it shot one down in a festering stand-off with Tehran in the world’s most important oil shipping zone.\n\nIran earlier on Friday denied losing one of its drones to U.S. forces, while a Gibraltar court extended the detention of an Iranian oil tanker caught in the high-stakes quarrel between Tehran and Washington and its allies.\n\nTensions in the Gulf soared after the United States withdrew last year from world powers’ 2015 nuclear deal with Iran and reimposed sanctions to strangle Iran’s oil trade, with Tehran retaliating by unfettering its disputed nuclear program.\n\nExplosions that holed six oil tankers in the Gulf in May and June, Iran’s downing of a U.S. surveillance drone last month, its alleged harassment of a British tanker and the reported downing of an Iranian drone this week have raised fears of war.\n\nBut despite the rash of incidents and plenty of menacing rhetoric, Tehran and Washington appear to be steering clear of acts that could cost lives and boil over quickly into conflict, and glimmers of a willingness to negotiate have surfaced.\n\nOn Friday, Iran waved off U.S. President Donald Trump’s assertion that the U.S. Navy destroyed one of its drones on Thursday, saying all its unmanned aircraft were accounted for.\n\nHours later, a senior official in Trump’s administration warned that if Iranian drones “fly too close to our ships, they’ll continue to be shot down”.\n\nSpeaking on condition of anonymity, the official said “we have very clear evidence” that U.S. Navy warship Boxer had downed an Iranian drone. “We’re confident,” the official said, adding that a video of the incident could be released.\n\nUnder the nuclear deal reached by then-U.S. President Barack Obama but denounced as a sham by Trump, Iran curbed enrichment of uranium long seen by the West as a disguised bid to develop atomic bombs. Iran won a lifting of global sanctions in return.\n\nIran recently resumed refining uranium to fissile purities above limits set by the deal as a means of leverage on European signatories to protect trade dividends, especially oil exports, promised it under the 2015 deal from Trump’s sanctions squeeze.\n\nTehran says its nuclear breaches are reversible if Washington rescinds sanctions and returns to the agreement.\n\nTehran on Thursday signaled a willingness to negotiate with a modest offer on its nuclear activity – ratification of a document prescribing more intrusive U.N. nuclear inspections if Washington abandoned its economic sanctions.\n\nAnalysts said Iran’s gesture could provide an opening for Trump’s administration to pursue diplomacy.\n\nBut the administration official on Friday dismissed the offer made by Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, saying he had no apparent decision-making ability and that Washington “would not consider anything from him serious”.\n\nAsked whom Washington would need to hear from in order to have negotiations over Tehran’s nuclear activity, the official said: “I would say the supreme leader or the president.”\n\nHe was referring to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, an anti-Western hardliner and the ultimate authority in Iran, and President Hassan Rouhani, a more pragmatic figure who engineered the 2015 deal to ease Iran’s global isolation but now signals no compromise in the confrontation with Washington.\n\nThe Trump administration official said the president – who is seeking stricter restraints on Iran’s nuclear activity and regional behavior – remained open to negotiations with Tehran without preconditions. He said Washington would maintain the tough economic sanctions regime in the meantime.\n\n“You can’t look at this region without being concerned at the moment,” German Chancellor Angela Merkel told reporters in Berlin on Friday. “Every opportunity for diplomatic contact should be attempted to avoid an escalation.”\n\nIn the latest episode to rattle nerves, Trump said an Iranian drone had flown to within 1,000 yards (914 meters) of the U.S. warship Boxer in a “provocative and hostile action” on Thursday and ignored several calls to stand down. The drone was downed through electronic jamming, according to a U.S. official.\n\nThe Islamic Republic denied the report and on Friday Iranian state television aired what said was footage disproving that the U.S. Navy had destroyed the drone over the Strait of Hormuz, through which tankers take Gulf oil to world markets.\n\nThe video released by the Revolutionary Guards showed aerial views of warships, which it said included the USS Boxer. Iranian TV said the drone had captured the footage and timing notations showed the drone was still filming after Washington said it had been downed.\n\nOn July 4, an Iranian oil tanker was seized by British Royal Marines off the coast of the British Mediterranean territory of Gibraltar on suspicion of smuggling oil to Tehran’s close ally Syria in violation of European Union sanctions.\n\nOn Friday, Gibraltar’s supreme court granted a 30-day extension to allow authorities to detain the tanker Grace 1 until Aug. 15.\n\nIran has threatened to respond to what it calls Britain’s “piracy” over the tanker’s seizure. Britain last week said it had fended off Iranian ships trying to block a British tanker.\n\nIranian oil exports have plummeted to around 0.3 million bpd in June from 2.8 million bpd in early 2018.", "WASHINGTON/DUBAI, July 19 (Reuters) - The United States threatened on Friday to destroy any Iranian drones flying too closely to its ships and said it had \"clear evidence\" that it shot one down in a festering stand-off with Tehran in the world's most important oil shipping zone.\n\nIran earlier on Friday denied losing one of its drones to U.S. forces, while a Gibraltar court extended the detention of an Iranian oil tanker caught in the high-stakes quarrel between Tehran and Washington and its allies.\n\nTensions in the Gulf soared after the United States withdrew last year from world powers' 2015 nuclear deal with Iran and reimposed sanctions to strangle Iran's oil trade, with Tehran retaliating by unfettering its disputed nuclear programme.\n\nExplosions that holed six oil tankers in the Gulf in May and June, Iran's downing of a U.S. surveillance drone last month, its alleged harassment of a British tanker and the reported downing of an Iranian drone this week have raised fears of war.\n\nBut despite the rash of incidents and plenty of menacing rhetoric, Tehran and Washington appear to be steering clear of acts that could cost lives and boil over quickly into conflict, and glimmers of a willingness to negotiate have surfaced.\n\nOn Friday, Iran waved off U.S. President Donald Trump's assertion that the U.S. Navy destroyed one of its drones on Thursday, saying all its unmanned aircraft were accounted for.\n\nHours later, a senior official in Trump's administration warned that if Iranian drones \"fly too close to our ships, they'll continue to be shot down\".\n\nSpeaking on condition of anonymity, the official said \"we have very clear evidence\" that U.S. Navy warship Boxer had downed an Iranian drone. \"We're confident,\" the official said, adding that a video of the incident could be released.\n\nUnder the nuclear deal reached by then-U.S. President Barack Obama but denounced as a sham by Trump, Iran curbed enrichment of uranium long seen by the West as a disguised bid to develop atomic bombs. Iran won a lifting of global sanctions in return.\n\nIran recently resumed refining uranium to fissile purities above limits set by the deal as a means of leverage on European signatories to protect trade dividends, especially oil exports, promised it under the 2015 deal from Trump's sanctions squeeze.\n\nTehran says its nuclear breaches are reversible if Washington rescinds sanctions and returns to the agreement.\n\nTehran on Thursday signalled a willingness to negotiate with a modest offer on its nuclear activity - ratification of a document prescribing more intrusive U.N. nuclear inspections if Washington abandoned its economic sanctions.\n\nAnalysts said Iran's gesture could provide an opening for Trump's administration to pursue diplomacy.\n\nBut the administration official on Friday dismissed the offer made by Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, saying he had no apparent decision-making ability and that Washington \"would not consider anything from him serious\".\n\nAsked whom Washington would need to hear from in order to have negotiations over Tehran's nuclear activity, the official said: \"I would say the supreme leader or the president.\"\n\nHe was referring to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, an anti-Western hardliner and the ultimate authority in Iran, and President Hassan Rouhani, a more pragmatic figure who engineered the 2015 deal to ease Iran's global isolation but now signals no compromise in the confrontation with Washington.\n\nThe Trump administration official said the president - who is seeking stricter restraints on Iran's nuclear activity and regional behaviour - remained open to negotiations with Tehran without preconditions. He said Washington would maintain the tough economic sanctions regime in the meantime.\n\n\"You can't look at this region without being concerned at the moment,\" German Chancellor Angela Merkel told reporters in Berlin on Friday. \"Every opportunity for diplomatic contact should be attempted to avoid an escalation.\"\n\nIn the latest episode to rattle nerves, Trump said an Iranian drone had flown to within 1,000 yards (914 metres) of the U.S. warship Boxer in a \"provocative and hostile action\" on Thursday and ignored several calls to stand down. The drone was downed through electronic jamming, according to a U.S. official.\n\nThe Islamic Republic denied the report and on Friday Iranian state television aired what said was footage disproving that the U.S. Navy had destroyed the drone over the Strait of Hormuz, through which tankers take Gulf oil to world markets.\n\nThe video released by the Revolutionary Guards showed aerial views of warships, which it said included the USS Boxer. Iranian TV said the drone had captured the footage and timing notations showed the drone was still filming after Washington said it had been downed.\n\nOn July 4, an Iranian oil tanker was seized by British Royal Marines off the coast of the British Mediterranean territory of Gibraltar on suspicion of smuggling oil to Tehran's close ally Syria in violation of European Union sanctions.\n\nOn Friday, Gibraltar's supreme court granted a 30-day extension to allow authorities to detain the tanker Grace 1 until Aug. 15.\n\nIran has threatened to respond to what it calls Britain's \"piracy\" over the tanker's seizure. Britain last week said it had fended off Iranian ships trying to block a British tanker.\n\nIranian oil exports have plummeted to around 0.3 million bpd in June from 2.8 million bpd in early 2018. (Additional reporting by Michael Georgy in Dubai, Guy Faulconbridge and Michael Holden in London, Michelle Martin and Thomas Seythal in Berlin Writing by Mark Heinrich; Editing by Toby Chopra)"], "summary": "Iran denies that one of its drones was shot down by the United States on July 18, saying all of their drones \"returned to their bases.\""}
{"document": ["A bomb explosion outside the Kabul University in Afghanistan has killed 6 people and injured 27 others. The powerful bomb explosion took place outside the gate of University on today morning. The blast has also set two vehicles on fire. No militant group has claimed the responsibility of the attack.", "Kabul, July 19 (IANS) Four people were killed and 16 others sustained injuries as a blast hit the southern gate of Kabul University here on Friday, news agency Xinhua reported.\n\n“A bomb went off at 07.10 a.m. local time at the southern gate of Kabul University when a number of students gathered for examination, killing four people including a traffic police and injuring 16 others including a girl,” , Kabul police spokesman Ferdaus Faramarz told Xinhua. Two cars were also destroyed in the blast, the official added.\n\nWahid Mayar, the spokesman for Public Health Ministry tweeted that six dead bodies and 27 injured persons had been taken to hospital following the blast. No group has claimed responsibility for the blast.\n\nThe Taliban claimed responsibility for the deadly attack on a police station in southern Kandahar province that left 12 dead and more than 90 others injured on Thursday.", "An Afghan policeman keeps watch at the site of a blast near Kabul University in Kabul, Afghanistan July 19, 2019. REUTERS/Omar Sobhani\n\nKABUL (Reuters) - A powerful bomb blast outside the gates of Kabul University in the Afghan capital on Friday killed at least eight people and wounded 33, as students and lawyers waited to take an examination, officials said.\n\nTaliban militants are carrying out almost daily attacks, despite reported progress in efforts by the United States to broker an end to Afghanistan’s nearly 18-year war.\n\nThere was no immediate claim of responsibility for Friday’s blast. On Thursday Taliban insurgents set off two car bombs outside police headquarters in the southern city of Kandahar, killing at least 12 and wounding more than 80.\n\nTaliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said he was not aware of any Taliban involvement in Friday’s attack.\n\nHealth ministry spokesman Wahidullah Mayar said there were students among the 33 injured taken to hospital after the blast, which a student at the university campus said occurred while some were waiting to take a law exam.\n\nAn eyewitness and an interior ministry official said a vehicle caught fire after a bomb stuck to its underside exploded.\n\n“The blast happened when hundreds of students were entering the campus. We were scheduled to appear for the law exam but the blast shook all of us,” said Karima Wardak, a student at the Kabul University.\n\nA police team defused a second bomb placed near the explosion site, Kabul police spokesman Faramarz Firdaws said.\n\nAlso on Friday, a roadside mine killed five people who were riding in a car in central Ghazni province.", "A powerful bomb exploded outside the gates of Kabul University in the Afghan capital on Friday, killing at least six people and wounding 27, according to police and health officials.\n\nNo group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, the latest to target Kabul. Both the Taliban and Daesh terrorist group often stage large-scale bombings in the city, targeting Afghan forces, government officials and minority Shiites.\n\nThe early morning blast also set two vehicles ablaze although it wasn't clear if the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber or a remotely detonated bomb, said Kabul police spokesman Ferdous Faramarz.\n\nThe casualty tolls were released by the Health Ministry spokesman, Dr. Wahidullah Mayar, who tweeted that \"6 people have been martyred & 27 more wounded, as a result of today's explosion in Kabul. All the wounded patients were evacuated to our hospitals and have been receiving the required treatment.\"\n\nThe university compound houses several hostels where many students stay over the summer, attending classes and conducting research. The university is co-educational.\n\nThough Friday is the start of the weekend in Afghanistan, Massoud, an economics professor at the university who like many Afghans uses only one name, said that several lawyers were taking their exams to become judges when the explosion occurred.\n\nIt wasn't immediately clear if the lawyers were the target. In recent months, at least two professors at Kabul University with alleged links to Afghanistan's Daesh affiliate have been arrested, and last year the wall that surrounds the university was emblazoned with graffiti reading, \"Long Live Daesh\".\n\nA U.S. Department of Defense intelligence official told The Associated Press that the Daesh affiliate has stepped up efforts to recruit students from Kabul's universities, particularly those who are tech savvy, to expand the group's strength and reach. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to talk to the media.\n\nTaliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said he was not aware of Taliban involvement in Friday's attack.\n\nIn a 2016 attack, 13 people were killed, mostly students, and more than 40 people were wounded when militants attacked the American University in Kabul. In that attack, a car bomb exploded outside the university gates, followed by a blistering, hours-long attack in which gunmen roamed through the compound shooting at students and teachers.", "Police and health officials say a powerful bomb has exploded outside the gates of Kabul University in the Afghan capital, killing two people and injuring another 10.\n\nKabul Police chief spokesman Ferdous Faramarz says two vehicles are ablaze following Friday's early morning explosion. It isn't immediately clear if the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber or remotely detonated.\n\nThe university compound houses several hostels where many students stay over the summer, attending classes and conducting research. The university is co-educational.\n\nTraffic was light in the area because Friday is a weekly holiday in Afghanistan.\n\nNo one has claimed responsibility for the explosion but both the Taliban and the Islamic State group affiliate are active in Kabul.", "Kabul: According to the information given by the officials, minimum of nine people were killed and 33 others injured after a suicide bomber detonated his explosives-laden car near a gate of Kabul University.\n\nThe blast occurred around 7.10 a.m. (local time) near the southern gate of the university when a number of students gathered at the campus for examination, Kabul police spokesman Firdaws Faramarz told Efe news.\n\nPublic Health Ministry spokesman Wahidullah Mayar confirmed the number of casualties to Efe news and said that the injured were admitted into hospitals and were receiving medical treatment.\n\nCiting preliminary investigations, the Interior Ministry said that the bomb used was an improvised explosive device attached to a Toyota Corolla car.\n\nA traffic policeman was among the dead, the Ministry said.\n\nFaramarz said the police were on an alert and had received an intelligence input about a possible car bombing in Kabul. Two cars were also destroyed in the blast.\n\n“Initial investigation shows the intended target was not the university. The security forces already had intelligence and the car was under hunt of the police and the attacker (was) forced to detonate it on the roadside. Otherwise, the attack could have been deadlier,” he said.", "At least eight killed in blast near Kabul University\n\nKabul: At least eight people were killed and dozens more wounded Friday when a bomb detonated near a major university in Kabul while students were waiting to take an exam, officials said.\n\n\n\nThe blast comes amid an unending wave of violence across Afghanistan, where civilians are being killed every day in the country´s gruelling conflict, now in its 18th year.\n\nThe Taliban denied any involvement in Friday´s blast, which took place near the southern entrance to Kabul University, an official with the interior ministry´s media office told AFP.\n\nHealth ministry spokesman Wahidullah Mayar said the death toll had reached eight, with another 33 injured.\n\n\"Wounded patients have been receiving the required medical and surgical treatment,\" he said on Twitter.\n\nThe heavily militarised Afghan capital remains one of the highest-profile targets for both the Taliban and the so-called Islamic State group, with both regularly launching devastating attacks that often kill and maim civilians.\n\nBahar Mehr, the interior ministry official, said five people had been killed including a traffic police officer.\n\n\"The wounded were law students gathered for (an examination). We do not know how many students had gathered there,\" he said.\n\nThe blast had been caused by a sticky bomb, he said, a common threat in Kabul where criminals and insurgents often slap explosives under vehicles.\n\nLocal media reports said police had been pursuing the vehicle when it detonated.\n\n\"The university and the examination ceremony were not the target of the attack, and we are investigating,\" Firdaws Faramarz, Kabul police spokesman, told TV network TOLO.\n\nLast week, IS claimed responsibility for a suicide attack at a wedding ceremony in Nangarhar province.", "An explosion on Friday outside an entrance to Kabul University in the Afghan capital killed at least two people and injured 10, officials said.\n\nHealth ministry spokesman Wahid Mayar said two bodies and 10 injured people had been taken to hospital after the blast.\n\nNo militant group has yet claimed responsibility.A student at the university campus said the explosion happened when a number of students were waiting near the campus gate to attend an exam.\n\nAn eyewitness said that a vehicle caught fire after the explosion.Kabul police spokesman Faramarz Firdaw said a police team defused a second bomb that was placed close to the explosion site near a university gate.\n\nGet Breaking news, live coverage, and Latest News from India and around the world on NDTV.com. Catch all the Live TV action on NDTV 24x7 and NDTV India. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagram for latest news and live news updates.", "KABUL: At least four people have been killed and several wounded after a bomb detonated near a university in Kabul Friday, officials said, the latest violence to hit the war-torn Afghan capital.\n\nThe explosion took place near the southern entrance to Kabul University, an official with the interior ministry's media office told AFP.\n\n\"4 people have been martyred (killed), & 16 more wounded, as a result of today's explosion in Kabul,\" tweeted health ministry spokesman Wahidullah Mayar, adding that all the injured had been taken to hospital.\n\nThe interior ministry official confirmed the toll of four dead but gave a lower wounded toll of four.\n\nHe said the blast had been caused by a sticky bomb, a common threat in Kabul where criminals and insurgents often slap explosives under vehicles.\n\nThe heavily militarised Afghan capital remains one of the highest-profile targets for both the Taliban and the so-called Daesh extremist group, with both regularly launching devastating attacks that often kill and maim civilians.", "A NATO forces stands guard during the graduation ceremony of newly Afghan National Army soldiers after a 3-month training program at the Afghan Military Academy in Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, July 10, 2019. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)\n\nKABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A powerful bomb exploded outside the gates of Kabul University in the Afghan capital on Friday, killing at least eight people and wounding 33, according to police and health officials.\n\nSeveral of the wounded were in critical condition, they said.\n\nNo group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, the latest to target Kabul. Both the Taliban and the Islamic State group often stage large-scale bombings in the city. The Taliban generally target Afghan forces and government officials and the Islamic State also often attacks minority Shiites.\n\nThe early morning blast also set two vehicles ablaze although it wasn’t clear if the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber or a remotely detonated bomb, said Kabul police spokesman Ferdous Faramarz.\n\nThe casualty tolls were released by the Health Ministry spokesman, Dr. Wahidullah Mayar, who tweeted: “All the wounded patients were evacuated to our hospitals and have been receiving the required treatment.”\n\nAfter initial reports of six dead, Mayer said two people died of their wounds and that the number of wounded rose to 33, following reports from hospitals around the city.\n\nThe university compound houses several hostels where many students stay over the summer, attending classes and working on research projects. The university is co-ed and has women attending classes, something the Taliban oppose.\n\nThough Friday is the start of the weekend in Afghanistan, Massoud, an economics professor at the university who like many Afghans uses only one name, said that several lawyers were taking their exams to become judges when the explosion occurred.\n\nIt wasn’t immediately clear if the lawyers were the target. In recent months, at least two professors at Kabul University with alleged links to Afghanistan’s Islamic State affiliate have been arrested, and last year the wall that surrounds the university was emblazoned with graffiti reading, “Long Live Daesh,” the Arabic name for the Islamic State group.\n\nA U.S. Department of Defense intelligence official told The Associated Press that the IS affiliate has stepped up efforts to recruit students from Kabul’s universities, particularly those who are tech savvy, to expand the group’s strength and reach. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to talk to the media.\n\nTaliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said he was not aware of any Taliban involvement in Friday’s attack.\n\nIn a 2016 attack, 13 people were killed, mostly students, and more than 40 people were wounded when militants attacked the American University in Kabul. In that attack, a car bomb exploded outside the university gates, followed by a blistering, hours-long attack in which gunmen roamed through the compound shooting at students and teachers.\n\nAlso on Friday, a roadside mine killed five people who were riding in a car in eastern Ghazni province. Their identities were not immediately known. There was no claim of responsibility for that attack, though the Taliban control vast sections of the province.\n\nThe Taliban control roughly half of Afghanistan now and are at their strongest since the 2001 defeat when the U.S.-led invasion toppled their five-year government that had harbored al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden. Bin Laden was killed in a 2011 U.S. Navy SEAL raid of his compound in the Pakistani garrison town of Abbottabad. Pakistan’s military and intelligence leaders have repeatedly denied any knowledge of bin Laden’s presence in their country."], "summary": "A car bombing at Kabul University kills eight and injures dozens."}
{"document": ["Twenty-one New Zealand planes - which are used globally for skydiving and scenic flights - have been banned from flying out of fear they may not be safe.\n\nToday Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) director Graeme Harris suspended the airworthiness certificates of all 21 Gippsland GA8 Airvan aircraft currently operating in New Zealand saying he had \"sufficient concerns about the safety of these aircraft\".\n\nIt's a direct response to the crash that killed nine people when a GA8 Airvan plane carrying them for a parachute jump crashed in northern Sweden soon after taking off.\n\nHarris told the Herald until more was known about the cause of the Sweden crash the suspension would remain in place.\n\nAdvertisement\n\n\"We do not take these steps lightly but when there is a reasonable doubt about the safety of an aircraft, the flying public, operators and pilots of the affected aircraft in New Zealand must be satisfied that the CAA will act with their safety as a priority.\n\n\"While I regret any inconvenience this grounding will cause and acknowledge its significant commercial impact; I simply cannot compromise when I have information that indicates any unacceptable risk,\" he said.\n\nHarris said he had been in contact with his Australian counterpart at CASA (Civil Aviation Safety Authority) as the GA8 was Australian manufactured and they were the designated state of design and manufacture.\n\n\"I understand that CASA has sent a technical specialist to Sweden to gain first hand insight into the progress of the crash investigation.\n\n\"Based on information coming out of the initial investigation into the crash it appears the aeroplane, at 4000 meters altitude, suffered structural failure, but, at this time, the root cause of the accident cannot be confirmed,\" Harris said.\n\nThe grounding of the New Zealand planes is effective immediately and will be reviewed as further information becomes available from Sweden and Australia.", "This article is more than 1 month old\n\nThis article is more than 1 month old\n\nSixty-three Victorian-made planes have been grounded in Australia after a fatal crash in Sweden that killed nine people.\n\nThe Civil Aviation Safety Authority has suspended operations of GippsAero GA8 aircraft after the accident in Umeo on 14 July. No one on board survived the crash.\n\nThe GA8 is manufactured in Australia by GippsAero, which is based in the Latrobe Valley.\n\nCASA said in a statement it had temporarily suspended all flights pending the outcome of an investigation by Swedish and European authorities.\n\nThe suspension will be for up to 15 days from 20 July to midnight 3 August and affects all GA8 aircraft operating in Australia and all Australian-registered GA8 aircraft operating overseas. There are 63 GA8 aircraft registered in Australia out of a worldwide fleet of 228.\n\nThe GA8 is a single-engine high-wing aeroplane with fixed tricycle landing gear. In Australia, the GA8 is used in a range of operations including charter, aerial work and parachuting.\n\n“CASA has written to all Australian operators of GA8 aircraft advising them of the temporary suspension and reminding them of their obligation to comply with all applicable GA8 airworthiness directives issued by CASA,” a spokesman said.\n\n“CASA has also written to all national aviation authorities who have GA8 aircraft operating in their jurisdiction advising them that CASA has imposed a 15-day temporary operating suspension on these aircraft.”\n\nCASA said the authority had been working closely with Sweden and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency.\n\nIt said in response to the temporary suspension of GA8 operations in Australia, EASA had issued an emergency airworthiness directive to European GA8 aircraft owners and operators to not operate the aeroplane except for ferry flights.\n\nCASA has also sent an airworthiness engineer to Sweden to observe the accident investigation and collect safety information.\n\nThe authority said GippsAero held a production certificate issued by CASA to manufacture the GA8 and the company was subject to regular surveillance and safety checks by CASA.\n\nThe aircraft type was certified in 2000 by CASA for normal operations, which includes skydiving.", "The Civil Aviation Authority is grounding all 21 Gippsland GA8 Airvan aircraft in New Zealand after a crash in Sweden which killed 9 people last week.\n\nAviation New Zealand Chief Executive John Nicholson said three flight companies currently operated the aircraft including Salt Air, which operates in Auckland and Northland, Air Safari, which operates at Mt Cook and Southern Alps Air.\n\nThe aircraft generally seats eight passengers and a pilot, with many used in the South Island around the Milford Sounds and Queenstown.\n\nDirector of Civil Aviation Graeme Harris said the grounding was not a decision made lightly.\n\n“I have sufficient concerns about the safety of these aircraft to make it necessary for me to ground them until more is known about the cause of the 14 July crash in Sweden that killed all 9 people on board a GA8 Airvan,” he said in a statement.\n\n“We do not take these steps lightly but when there is a reasonable doubt about the safety of an aircraft, the flying public, operators and pilots of the affected aircraft in New Zealand must be satisfied that the CAA will act with their safety as a priority.”\n\n“Whilst I regret any inconvenience this grounding will cause and acknowledge its significant commercial impact, I simply cannot compromise when I have information that indicates any unacceptable risk.”\n\nA technical specialist from Australia is off to Sweden to help with the investigation into the crash.", "Victorian-made aeroplanes have been grounded after a fatal crash in Sweden left nine people dead.\n\nOperations of the GippsAero GA8 plane have been suspended for 15 days, the Civil Aviation Safety Authority announced on Saturday.\n\nIt comes after the same model of plane crashed during a skydiving flight near Umea in northern Sweden on July 14.\n\n\"CASA has temporarily suspended GA8 operations as a precautionary step pending the outcome of further investigation by Swedish and European authorities,\" the authority said in a statement.\n\nThe European Union's aviation safety agency has issued an order to GA8 aircraft owners and operators across the EU not to operate the plane except for ferry flights.\n\nThe temporary suspension will last up to 15 days from midnight on July 20 and affects all GA8 aircraft in Australia and all Australian-registered GA8 planes overseas.\n\nThe single engine, high wing aeroplane with fixed tricycle landing gear is made in the Latrobe Valley by GippsAero.", "(Bloomberg) -- Australia and New Zealand grounded Gippsland GA8 Airvan planes over safety concerns after a deadly crash in Sweden this month killed nine.\n\nAustralia’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority halted operations of the planes made by Gippsaero Pty Ltd for 15 days from July 20, it said in a statement, adding it has sent an airworthiness engineer to Sweden to observe the crash investigation and collect relevant safety information. There are 63 GA8 aircraft registered in Australia out of a global fleet of 228, it said.\n\n“CASA has been working closely with the Swedish and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency,” it said. “In response to CASA temporarily suspending GA8 operations in Australia, EASA has issued an Emergency Airworthiness Directive to European GA8 aircraft owners and operators to not operate the aeroplane except for ferry flights.”\n\nThe fatal crash occurred near Umea in northern Sweden during a skydiving flight, CASA said. The Civil Aviation Authority of New Zealand said separately that information coming out of an initial probe showed the plane appeared to have suffered structural failure at 4,000 meters altitude.\n\nThe GA8 is mainly used in New Zealand on tourist flight-seeing operations, the N.Z. authority said, adding that 21 aircraft and 10 operators would be affected.\n\nTo contact the reporter on this story: Eduard Gismatullin in Hong Kong at egismatullin@bloomberg.net\n\nTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Shamim Adam at sadam2@bloomberg.net, Subramaniam Sharma", "The Nevada Highway Patrol is investigating a fatal crash that involved three vehicles, west of Tonopah.\n\nThe Nevada Highway Patrol is investigating a fatal crash that involved three vehicles, west of Tonopah.\n\nThe crash was reported the afternoon of July 14 along U.S. Highway 95 south of Luning.\n\nThe name of the victim and circumstances leading to the crash were not immediately known.\n\nMultiple other people with serious injuries were transported from the scene, the NHP said.\n\nThe crash shut down both northbound and southbound travel lanes in the crash aftermath.\n\nA fatal investigation team was dispatched to the scene.\n\nInformation was released via Twitter by the Nevada Highway Patrol’s Northern Command in Reno.", "Australian-made GippsAero GA8 aircraft grounded after nine die in Sweden plane crash\n\nAviation authorities have grounded an Australian-made aircraft involved in a crash in Sweden in which nine people were killed.\n\nThe Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) has suspended operations of the GippsAero GA8 aircraft for 15 days as a precaution, as investigations continue into the cause of the crash near Umea in northern Sweden on July 14.\n\nAll nine people on the skydiving flight died in the crash.\n\n\"While we gather more information about that, we thought it was prudent to put them on the ground,\" CASA spokesman Peter Gibson said.\n\nSwedish authorities have expressed concern that the aircraft may have broken up during the flight.\n\nThe GA8 is manufactured in Australia by GippsAero, which is based in the Latrobe Valley.\n\nCASA said there were 228 of the planes in service globally, including 63 in Australia.\n\nSpokesman Peter Gibson said the GA8 was first certified in 2000 and had not had a difficult safety history prior to the crash.\n\nHe said GippsAero held a production certificate issued by CASA to manufacture the GA8 and was subject to regular surveillance and safety checks by the authority.\n\nThe GA8 is a single-engine high-wing aeroplane with fixed tricycle landing gear.\n\nIt is used in Australia for a range of purposes, including charter flights and skydiving.\n\nCASA has written to all Australian operators of GA8 aircraft, advising them of the suspension.\n\nIt has also written to all national aviation authorities who have GA8 aircraft operating in their jurisdictions.\n\nIn response to CASA's suspension, the European Union Aviation Safety Authority has issued an emergency airworthiness directive to European GA8 aircraft owners and operators to not fly the aeroplane except for ferry flights — for example, to return the aircraft to base.\n\nCASA has sent an airworthiness engineer to Sweden to observe the accident investigation."], "summary": "The Gippsland GA8 Airvan is grounded in Australia, New Zealand and the European Union following a fatal crash on July 14."}
{"document": ["An EU-backed war crimes court called on Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj to show up for questioning in the Hague, causing Haradinaj to unexpectedly resign on Friday.\n\nBefore going into politics, Haradinaj was one of the top commanders of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), a guerrilla formation that fought Serbian forces during the 1998/1999 conflict.\n\n\"I received a call by the special court as a suspect and was given the option to go as the prime minister, or as an ordinary citizen of Kosovo,\" the 51-year-old politician told reporters in Pristina on Friday.\n\n\"I chose the latter,\" he added. The interview is set for next week.\n\nThird trip to The Hague\n\nPreviously, Haradinaj was charged with war crimes at the now-defunct International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague. He was already forced to step down as prime minister in 2005 after a summon from the ICTY.\n\nThe UN court acquitted him in 2008, but that ruling was later declared invalid due to reports of witness intimidation. The court eventually upheld the verdict in 2012.\n\nEven so, he was detained in Slovenia in 2015 and France in 2017 over a separate arrest warrant filed by Serbia for alleged war crimes.\n\nHaradinaj is now to appear before the Kosovo Specialist Chamber, an EU-backed body set up in 2015 and also based in The Hague. The Chamber is ruled by Kosovo law, but funded by the EU and staffed by international judges and prosecutors.\n\nBoth Haradinaj and the current president, Hashim Thaci (left), were high-ranking KLA commanders during the Kosovo war\n\nKosovo heading for election\n\nAt the Friday press conference, Haradinaj emphasized he was a suspect, but not facing charges.\n\nHe also said that he would run at the election which is now likely to be called by Kosovo President Hashim Thaci.\n\n\"Responsibility now goes to the president to start consultations to set the date of the election,\" Haradinaj said. \"I will offer myself to the people again to get their trust.\"\n\nThe former militant leader has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing during the war. Earlier this year, however, he was criticized for appointing Sylejman Selimi, a convicted war criminal and another KLA commander, as his political advisor.\n\nFollowing the news of Haradinaj's resignation, President Thaci said he respected the prime minister's decision and pledged to \"act based on my constitutional and legal competences,\" adding that Kosovo citizens will be informed on time about his next move.\n\nWatch video 26:00 Share Ramush Haradinaj on Conflict Zone Send Facebook google+ Whatsapp Tumblr linkedin stumble Digg reddit Newsvine Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/2rsIA Ramush Haradinaj on Conflict Zone\n\ndj/jm (Reuters, Beta, AFP)", "Kosovo's prime minister, Ramush Haradinaj, has announced his resignation after his designation as a suspect by The Hague-based arm of Kosovo's judicial system that pursues serious crimes committed during and immediately after the 1998-99 Kosovo War.\n\n\"I am resigning from the position of the prime minister of the Republic of Kosovo. I want to thank you for your trust and support. The reason has to do with the invitation I have received from the Specialist Chambers in The Hague, as a suspect,\" Haradinaj said during a government meeting in Pristina.\n\nThe Kosovo Specialist Chambers and Specialist Prosecutor's Office, which was established under the constitution to try people suspected of serious violations of international law, allows prosecutors to relocate proceedings outside Kosovo.\n\nThis marks the second time Haradinaj has stepped down from the prime minister's seat as a result of accusations from The Hague.\n\nHis first resignation came in 2005, after the UN's International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) indicted him for alleged war crimes in connection with his wartime role as a top commander in the Kosovo Liberation Army (UCK).", "PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — Kosovo's prime minister resigned Friday after being invited for questioning by a Hague-based court investigating crimes against ethnic Serbs during and after the country's 1998-99 war.\n\nRamush Haradinaj said he had agreed to be interviewed at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers and Specialist Prosecutor's Office next week and didn't want to appear there as prime minister.\n\n\"I considered that I cannot go to the questioning as head of the government,\" Haradinaj said during a news conference.\n\nHaradinaj, who took office as prime minister in September 2017, said that while he thought the summons was politically bad for Kosovo, \"I will respect the legal request. I will go there. I will defend myself as a fighter of my country.\"\n\nThe Kosovo Specialist Chambers and the Specialist Prosecutor's Office were established at the European Union's urging after human rights body the Council of Europe in 2011 catalogued allegations of widespread war crimes committed by the separatist Kosovo Liberation Army.\n\nThe court started questioning former Kosovo fighters this year. Haradinaj was one of the top KLA commanders during the war. A United Nations tribunal cleared him three times of war crimes charges.\n\nAt the time of the war, Kosovo was a Serbian province and KLA members mostly were ethnic Albanians. A bloody Serb crackdown against Kosovo Albanian separatists and civilians led NATO to intervene by bombing Serbia in spring 1999.\n\nKosovo eventually made a unilateral declaration of independence in 2008 and it is recognized by the U.S. and most of the West, but not by Serbia and its allies Russia and China.", "PRISTINA, Kosovo — Kosovo's prime minister resigned Friday after being invited for questioning by a Hague-based court investigating crimes against ethnic Serbs during and after the country's 1998-99 war. \n\n \n\n Ramush Haradinaj said he had agreed to be interviewed at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers and Specialist Prosecutor's Office next week and didn't want to appear there as prime minister. \n\n \n\n ``I considered that I cannot go to the questioning as head of the government,'' Haradinaj said during a news conference. \n\n \n\n Haradinaj, who took office as prime minister in September 2017, said that while he thought the summons was politically bad for Kosovo, ``I will respect the legal request. I will go there. I will defend myself as a fighter of my country.'' \n\n \n\n Haradinaj urged Kosovo's president to call an early parliamentary election and said he would be a candidate so he could return as prime minister ``because I am not accused.'' \n\n \n\n The Kosovo Specialist Chambers and the Specialist Prosecutor's Office were established at the European Union's urging after the Council of Europe, a human rights body, in 2011 reported allegations of widespread war crimes committed by the separatist Kosovo Liberation Army. \n\n \n\n The court, which is part of the Kosovo judicial system despite being based in the Netherlands, started questioning former Kosovo fighters this year. Haradinaj was one of the top KLA commanders during the war.\n\nHe has been prosecuted for alleged war crimes and acquitted twice before. A U.N. tribunal first cleared him of war crimes and crimes against humanity charges in 2008. \n\n \n\n The appeals chamber of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia concluded in 2010 that witnesses had been intimidated and sent the case back for a partial retrial. Haradinaj and two other former KLA commanders were acquitted in November 2012. \n\n \n\n A French court refused to extradite him to Serbia to face war crimes charges there, expressing concern he would not get a fair trial. \n\n \n\n At the time of the war, Kosovo was a Serbian province and KLA members mostly were ethnic Albanians. A bloody Serb crackdown against Kosovo Albanian separatists and civilians led NATO to intervene by bombing Serbia in spring 1999. \n\n \n\n Kosovo eventually made a unilateral declaration of independence in 2008 and it is recognized as a nation by the U.S. and most of the West, but not by Serbia and allies Russia and China. \n\n \n\n A European Union-facilitated dialogue to normalize ties between Kosovo and Serbia stalled last year after Haradinaj won approval for a 100% tax on imported Serb goods until Belgrade recognizes Pristina. \n\n \n\n Haradinaj resisted entreaties from the United States and the EU to lift or suspend the tax. \n\n \n\n ``Kosovo is having an unfair pressure for the price of Serbia's recognition,'' he said Friday. \n\n \n\n His resignation does not mean the tax will be lifted soon. Holding an election and forming a new government has taken at least three months in previous years.", "FILE – In this Friday, Dec. 3, 2004 file photo, Ramush Haradinaj, right, former rebel commander elected Kosovo’s Prime Minister, listens during the inaugural session of Kosovo’s parliament in Kosovo’s capital Pristina. Kosovo’s prime minister has resigned from the post after he has been invited to be questioned from a European Union-funded court investigating crimes against ethnic Serbs during and after the 1998-99 independence war with Serbia. Haradinaj said on Friday, July 19, 2019 he had informed the Cabinet of his resignation and urged the country’s president to set a date for an early parliamentary election. (AP Photo / Visar Kryeziu)\n\nPRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — Kosovo’s prime minister resigned Friday after being invited for questioning by a Hague-based court investigating crimes against ethnic Serbs during and after the country’s 1998-99 war.\n\nRamush Haradinaj said he had agreed to be interviewed at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers and Specialist Prosecutor’s Office next week and didn’t want to appear there as prime minister.\n\n“I considered that I cannot go to the questioning as head of the government,” Haradinaj said during a news conference.\n\nHaradinaj, who took office as prime minister in September 2017, said that while he thought the summons was politically bad for Kosovo, “I will respect the legal request. I will go there. I will defend myself as a fighter of my country.”\n\nThe Kosovo Specialist Chambers and the Specialist Prosecutor’s Office were established at the European Union’s urging after human rights body the Council of Europe in 2011 catalogued allegations of widespread war crimes committed by the separatist Kosovo Liberation Army.\n\nThe court started questioning former Kosovo fighters this year. Haradinaj was one of the top KLA commanders during the war. A United Nations tribunal cleared him three times of war crimes charges.\n\nAt the time of the war, Kosovo was a Serbian province and KLA members mostly were ethnic Albanians. A bloody Serb crackdown against Kosovo Albanian separatists and civilians led NATO to intervene by bombing Serbia in spring 1999.\n\nKosovo eventually made a unilateral declaration of independence in 2008 and it is recognized by the U.S. and most of the West, but not by Serbia and its allies Russia and China.", "FILE – In this Friday, Dec. 3, 2004 file photo, Ramush Haradinaj, right, former rebel commander elected Kosovo’s Prime Minister, listens during the inaugural session of Kosovo’s parliament in Kosovo’s capital Pristina. Kosovo’s prime minister has resigned from the post after he has been invited to be questioned from a European Union-funded court investigating crimes against ethnic Serbs during and after the 1998-99 independence war with Serbia. Haradinaj said on Friday, July 19, 2019 he had informed the Cabinet of his resignation and urged the country’s president to set a date for an early parliamentary election. (AP Photo / Visar Kryeziu)\n\nPRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — Kosovo’s prime minister resigned Friday after being invited for questioning by a Hague-based court investigating crimes against ethnic Serbs during and after the country’s 1998-99 war.\n\nRamush Haradinaj said he had agreed to be interviewed at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers and Specialist Prosecutor’s Office next week and didn’t want to appear there as prime minister.\n\n“I considered that I cannot go to the questioning as head of the government,” Haradinaj said during a news conference.\n\nHaradinaj, who took office as prime minister in September 2017, said that while he thought the summons was politically bad for Kosovo, “I will respect the legal request. I will go there. I will defend myself as a fighter of my country.”\n\nHaradinaj urged Kosovo’s president to call an early parliamentary election and said he would be a candidate so he could return as prime minister “because I am not accused.”\n\nThe Kosovo Specialist Chambers and the Specialist Prosecutor’s Office were established at the European Union’s urging after the Council of Europe, a human rights body, in 2011 reported allegations of widespread war crimes committed by the separatist Kosovo Liberation Army.\n\nThe court, which is part of the Kosovo judicial system despite being based in the Netherlands, started questioning former Kosovo fighters this year. Haradinaj was one of the top KLA commanders during the war.\n\nHe has been prosecuted for alleged war crimes and acquitted twice before. A United Nations tribunal first cleared him of war crimes and crimes against humanity charges in 2008.\n\nThe appeals chamber of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia concluded in 2010 that witnesses had been intimidated and sent the case back for a partial retrial. Haradinaj and two other former KLA commanders were acquitted in November 2012.\n\nA French court refused to extradite him to Serbia to face war crimes charges there, expressing concern he would not get a fair trial.\n\nAt the time of the war, Kosovo was a Serbian province and KLA members mostly were ethnic Albanians. A bloody Serb crackdown against Kosovo Albanian separatists and civilians led NATO to intervene by bombing Serbia in spring 1999.\n\nKosovo eventually made a unilateral declaration of independence in 2008 and it is recognized as a nation by the U.S. and most of the West, but not by Serbia and allies Russia and China.\n\nA European Union-facilitated dialogue to normalize ties between Kosovo and Serbia stalled last year after Haradinaj won approval for a 100% tax on imported Serb goods until Belgrade recognizes Pristina.\n\nHaradinaj resisted entreaties from the United States and the EU to lift or suspend the tax.\n\n“Kosovo is having an unfair pressure for the price of Serbia’s recognition,” he said Friday.\n\nHis resignation does not mean the tax will be lifted soon. Holding an election and forming a new government has taken at least three months in previous years.\n\nThis story has been corrected to show a U.N. tribunal acquitted Haradinaj twice, not three times.", "FILE – In this Friday, Dec. 3, 2004 file photo, Ramush Haradinaj, right, former rebel commander elected Kosovo’s Prime Minister, listens during the inaugural session of Kosovo’s parliament in Kosovo’s capital Pristina. Kosovo’s prime minister has resigned from the post after he has been invited to be questioned from a European Union-funded court investigating crimes against ethnic Serbs during and after the 1998-99 independence war with Serbia. Haradinaj said on Friday, July 19, 2019 he had informed the Cabinet of his resignation and urged the country’s president to set a date for an early parliamentary election. (AP Photo / Visar Kryeziu)\n\nPRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — Kosovo’s prime minister resigned Friday after being invited for questioning by a Hague-based court investigating crimes against ethnic Serbs during and after the country’s 1998-99 war.\n\nRamush Haradinaj said he agreed to be interviewed at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers next week and didn’t want to appear there as prime minister. However, he said he and his Cabinet would continue running the country until a new prime minister is chosen.\n\n“I considered that I cannot go to the questioning as head of the government,” Haradinaj said at a news conference.\n\nHaradinaj urged Kosovar President Hashim Thaci to call an early parliamentary election and said he would be a candidate in hopes of regaining office. He said the special court summoned him as a suspect but also told reporters he wanted to run for reelection “because I am not accused.”\n\nKosovar President Hashim Thaci wrote on his Facebook page that he would take the necessary steps to install a new government.\n\nHaradinaj’s government held together Cabinet was held with a delicate balance in the 120-seat parliament with some votes from the ethnic Serb minority parties too.\n\nHaradinaj, who became prime minister in September 2017, said that while he thought the summons was politically bad for Kosovo, “I will respect the legal request. I will go there. I will defend myself as a fighter of my country.”\n\nThe Kosovo Specialist Chambers and a separate Specialist Prosecutor’s Office were established in 2015 based on war crimes allegations against the separatist Kosovo Liberation Army catalogued by the Council of Europe, a human rights body.\n\nA 2011 council report reported allegations that included the trafficking of human organs from prisoners and killings of Serbs and KLA members’ fellow ethnic Albanians.\n\nThe court, which is part of the Kosovo judicial system despite being based in the Netherlands, started questioning former Kosovo fighters this year. Haradinaj was one of the top KLA commanders during the war.\n\nHe has been prosecuted for alleged war crimes and acquitted twice before. A United Nations tribunal first cleared him of war crimes and crimes against humanity charges in 2008.\n\nThe appeals chamber of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia concluded in 2010 that witnesses had been intimidated and sent the case back for a partial retrial. Haradinaj and two other former KLA commanders were acquitted in November 2012.\n\nA French court refused to extradite him to Serbia to face war crimes charges there, expressing concern he would not get a fair trial.\n\nAt the time of the war, Kosovo was a Serbian province and KLA members mostly were ethnic Albanians. A bloody Serb crackdown against Kosovo Albanian separatists and civilians led NATO to intervene by bombing Serbia in spring 1999.\n\nThaci said Friday that one of his advisers, Bislim Zyrapi, and other former top KLA commanders also were to be questioned at the Hague.\n\n“I believe in the purity of the KLA war and the high moral values of the freedom fighters,” he said.\n\nKosovo eventually made a unilateral declaration of independence in 2008 and it is recognized as a nation by the U.S. and most of the West, but not by Serbia and allies Russia and China.\n\nA European Union-facilitated dialogue to normalize ties between Kosovo and Serbia stalled last year after Haradinaj won approval for a 100% tax on imported Serb goods until Belgrade recognizes Pristina.\n\nHaradinaj resisted entreaties from the United States and the EU to lift or suspend the tax.\n\n“Kosovo is having an unfair pressure for the price of Serbia’s recognition,” he said Friday.\n\nHis resignation does not mean the tax will be lifted soon. Holding an election and forming a new government has taken at least three months in previous years.\n\nThis story has been corrected to show a U.N. tribunal acquitted Haradinaj twice, not three times.", "‘‘I considered that I cannot go to the questioning as head of the government,’’ Haradinaj said at a news conference.\n\nRamush Haradinaj said he agreed to be interviewed at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers next week and didn’t want to appear there as prime minister. However, he said he and his Cabinet would continue running the country until a new prime minister is chosen.\n\nPRISTINA, Kosovo — Kosovo’s prime minister resigned Friday after being invited for questioning by a Hague-based court investigating crimes against ethnic Serbs during and after the country’s 1998-99 war.\n\nHaradinaj urged Kosovar President Hashim Thaci to call an early parliamentary election and said he would be a candidate in hopes of regaining office. He said the special court summoned him as a suspect but also told reporters he wanted to run for reelection ‘‘because I am not accused.’’\n\nThaci wrote on his Facebook page that he would take the necessary steps to install a new government.\n\nHaradinaj, who became prime minister in September 2017, said that while he thought the summons was politically bad for Kosovo, ‘‘I will respect the legal request. I will go there. I will defend myself as a fighter of my country.’’\n\nThe Kosovo Specialist Chambers and a separate Specialist Prosecutor’s Office were established in 2015 based on war crimes allegations against the separatist Kosovo Liberation Army catalogued by the Council of Europe, a human rights body.\n\nA 2011 council report described allegations that included the trafficking of human organs from prisoners and killings of Serbs and KLA members’ fellow ethnic Albanians.\n\nThe court, which is part of the Kosovo judicial system despite being based in the Netherlands, started questioning former Kosovo fighters this year. Haradinaj was one of the top KLA commanders during the war.", "PRISTINA, Kosovo — Kosovo's prime minister has resigned after being invited for questioning by a Hague-based court investigating crimes against ethnic Serbs during and after the country's 1998-99 war.\n\nRamush Haradinaj said on Friday he had agreed to be interviewed at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers next week and didn't want to do it as prime minister.\n\nHe said he had informed the Cabinet he was stepping down and urged the president to call an early parliamentary election.\n\nThe Kosovo Specialist Chambers was set up after a 2011 report by the Council of Europe catalogued allegations of widespread war crimes committed by ethnic Albanian members of the Kosovo Liberation Army.\n\nThe court started questioning some former Kosovo fighters this year. Haradinaj was one of the top KLA commanders during the war.", "PRISHTINA - Kosovo’s prime minister has resigned after a war crimes court in The Hague summoned him for questioning as a suspect.\n\nRamush Haradinaj, 51, served as a rebel commander in the 1998-1999 Kosovo conflict, which eventually led to Kosovo declaring independence.\n\nHe said he stepped down so he could attend court as an ordinary citizen.\n\nMr Haradinaj, who denies war crimes charges, has been tried and acquitted twice at the UN tribunal.\n\n“I received a call by the special court as a suspect and was offered to go as the prime minister or as an ordinary citizen of Kosovo,” he told reporters on Friday. “I chose the latter.”\n\n“Responsibility now goes to the president to start consultations to set the date of the [general] election,” he added.\n\nMr Haradinaj said he would be questioned next week.\n\nThe special EU-backed court was set up in 2015 to try war crimes allegedly committed by the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) against ethnic minorities and political opponents.\n\nMr Haradinaj served as a commander of the KLA during the war with Serbia. Serbia has alleged that he oversaw a campaign of torture and murder against ethnic Serbs during the conflict.\n\nHe has been acquitted twice on war crimes charges at The Hague - first in 2008 and then in 2012. But Serbia said it had further evidence involving civilian murders.\n\nMr Haradinaj has consistently denied the allegations, and stepped down as prime minister after just 100 days in 2005 to face the charges.\n\nThe judge at his most recent trial in 2012 said there was no evidence to support the claims.\n\nKosovo was formerly a province of Serbia. Years of tensions turned into open conflict in 1998, when the Serbian government launched a crackdown.\n\nIt eventually withdrew its troops from Kosovo after a two-month campaign of air strikes by Nato in 1999. An estimated 10,000 people died in the conflict and about 1,700 remain missing.\n\nKosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, although Serbia has never recognised this.\n\nMr Haradinaj was held for over a week in France in 2017 on a Serbian arrest warrant before being released."], "summary": "Ramush Haradinaj, Prime Minister of Kosovo, resigns after receiving a summons from the Kosovo Specialist Prosecutor's Office as a war crimes suspect."}
{"document": ["The record books may not show exactly how Algeria won their first Africa Cup of Nations since 1990 and, in any case, it is probably best left to the imagination. Their performances over the past month merit the accolade and that much cannot be denied; the pity was that they dropped any pretensions towards making this final a footballing spectacle after going ahead through Baghdad Bounedjah’s heavily deflected early goal, the result being a tedious encounter that grabbed the attention only during those few episodes when it seemed Senegal might punish their voracious lust for attrition.\n\nIt all amounted to a colossal riding of their luck but also a personal triumph for Djamel Belmadi, their impressive coach, who took the job only last August but has delivered a continental title where none was expected. He celebrated with his players, who raced towards a delirious 15,000-strong travelling support at full-time, while his childhood friend Aliou Cissé held a lengthy on-pitch debrief after narrowly failing to deliver Senegal a first title of their own.\n\nSenegal 0-1 Algeria: Africa Cup of Nations 2019 final – as it happened Read more\n\nCissé might have had better fortune if the referee, Neant Alioum, had not reversed a second-half penalty award, given when the ball struck Adlene Guedioura’s right arm, after a VAR consultation. Spot kicks have certainly been awarded for less in major finals this year. But ultimately Senegal ran into too many of the traps Algeria set for them and the moments when Sadio Mané, as well as the rest of a vaunted front line, could influence proceedings were vanishingly rare.\n\n“I’m so happy for my people, who have waited for such a long time,” Belmadi said. “We have won the cup outside our country for the first time. If you look at where we came from, I took a team that faced difficulties. To achieve what we have achieved, to finish on top of Africa, I have to say it is excellent.”\n\nDespite the deeply frustrating fare they produced, this was indisputably a meeting of the tournament’s two best teams. In the end Algeria capitalised on the slight edge they held.\n\nThey had beaten Senegal by a single goal in the group stage and repeated the trick through their one attempt of the game, a moment that briefly confused the stadium into silence.\n\nBoundejah’s burst down the inside-left channel past Lamine Gassama oozed menace but the shot he produced after cutting inside, which looped high into the air off Salif Sané, seemed destined for the athletics track behind the goal. But it spun downwards sharply, eventually dropping into the far corner, and the dawning realisation took a few moments to morph into unbridled delight.\n\nFacebook Twitter Pinterest Algeria captain Riyad Mahrez lifts the trophy as his team celebrate. Photograph: Visionhaus\n\nSané, injured earlier in the tournament, had returned to the starting lineup in place of the suspended Kalidou Koulibaly and Senegal’s weakness had been highlighted in the unluckiest fashion.\n\nIt did not take a doctorate in Algerian football ethics to divine that, from there, Belmadi’s side might seek to niggle this all the way out. They have played some fine attacking football in Egypt and such a grim final does not erase any of that. But few have quite as firm a handle on the dark arts and they successfully squeezed the air out of what followed.\n\nAlgeria deserved their Afcon triumph but a shame they decided to win ugly | Jonathan Wilson Read more\n\n“They say you don’t play finals, you win them,” Belmadi said. “I don’t really believe that. We prepared and wanted to play against this talented team, Senegal. It wasn’t our best match. We didn’t have ball possession nor impose our play.”\n\nIn fairness it made some sense to cede the initiative to Senegal, for whom guile has long been an achilles heel. If their opponents began to get too clever, Algeria simply stuck spokes in the works. Aissa Mandi felled Mané with a crude challenge led from the knee and Ismaïla Sarr found himself on the end of a hack from Ramy Bensebaini. Sofiane Feghouli collapsed near the goalline before dusting himself down when sympathy proved in short supply. When tempers briefly flared on the half-time whistle, their substitute goalkeeper Alexandre Oukidja took a dramatic tumble while Cissé and Mandi argued their way down the tunnel.\n\nThe break felt like a relief from the sheer cynicism of it all but the game did open up enough for Senegal to believe they had found a way back. Sarr, their best attacker on the day, made excellent ground down the right before seeing his cross hit Guedioura inside the area. It recalled Mané’s slice of fortune for Liverpool in Madrid two months previously but this time, after a delay of around a minute, Alioum opted to restart with a drop ball.\n\nThe Fiver: sign up and get our daily football email.\n\n“We played well and had our chances over the course of the match but against this aggressive bloc we couldn’t find a solution,” Cissé said. Mbaye Niang, from a tight angle after rounding Rais Mbolhi, and Sarr did spurn opportunities to make Algeria regret stalling to such an extreme degree. By the conclusion, though, their dirty work had been done to a strange, unsatisfactory perfection.", "CAIRO - Sadio Mane's Senegal and an Algeria side captained by Riyad Mahrez will attempt to secure their place in Africa Cup of Nations history in Friday's final in Cairo.\n\nSenegal, the 2002 runners-up, are desperate to end a long wait for a first continental title, while Algeria are looking to add to the trophy they lifted as hosts 29 years ago.\n\nFor Senegal, Africa's top-ranked side, the ride to the final has encountered its share of bumps in the road but there is little doubt the showpiece at the 75,000-capacity Cairo International Stadium will feature the tournament's two standout teams.\n\nA Youcef Belaili goal gave Algeria a 1-0 win when the countries met in the group stage, but this time there is no second chance with Cup of Nations immortality awaiting the victor.\n\n\"If you get to the final, the aim is obviously to win it. The game in the group stage wasn't decisive but now it is and that's the difference,\" said Algeria boss Djamel Belmadi.\n\nSenegal coach Aliou Cisse is on a mission for personal redemption as the skipper of the side beaten on penalties in the 2002 final, when his missed kick handed the title to Cameroon.\n\n\"Having lost that final, I still have it on my mind,\" said Cisse. \"What motivated me to become a coach was to be able to take Senegal to the final. My players told me they would do better than my generation.\"\n\n\"Algeria are a great team and we respect them,\" he added. \"We're in the final now and determined to win.\"\n\nLiverpool star Mane is hoping to fulfil his \"wildest dream\" as one of just a handful of Africans to win both the UEFA Champions League and Cup of Nations.\n\n\"I'm ready to even swap a Champions League for a Cup of Nations. Going to Dakar with the trophy would be extraordinary. It would be my wildest dream,\" Mane told France Football ahead of the competition.\n\nStanding in the way, however, is an Algerian outfit that has undergone a remarkable transformation since the arrival of the straight-talking Belmadi as coach a year ago.\n\nThe Desert Foxes crashed out of the 2017 edition in the first round and flopped badly in World Cup qualifying, but former Qatar boss Belmadi has healed divisions in the squad to lead his nation to the brink of a first continental crown on foreign land.\n\n\"To the Algerian people, I want to say I'm not a politician, not a miracle worker or a wizard, but that we will fight like we have fought to this point,\" Belmadi said after the 2-1 semifinal win over Nigeria.\n\nAlgeria owed that victory to a stunning last-gasp free-kick from Mahrez, who is craving further honours here after a domestic treble with Pep Guardiola's Manchester City.\n\n\"We are very happy to be in the final of the Africa Cup of Nations because it is something very special,\" said Mahrez.\n\n\"It was our goal to do it for the people and for our families. We know they are behind us all the way. It's my dream to win the Cup of Nations.\"\n\nIt will be the first final to feature two local coaches since 1998, when Mahmoud El Gohary's Egypt defeated Jomo Sono and South Africa 2-0 in Ouagadougou.\n\nSenegal had already lost first-choice goalkeeper Edouard Mendy to a broken finger and must now do without defensive rock Kalidou Koulibaly, who is suspended after two yellow cards in the knockout phase.\n\nThe occasion will also mark the climax not only of Algeria's campaign on the field, but of their fans' recent political campaign in the stands.\n\nIn April, long-standing president Abdelaziz Bouteflika resigned after weekly Friday protests against his expected candidacy for elections, and football fans have been heavily involved in demonstrations.\n\nAlgeria will have the backing of an additional 4,800 supporters for the final. Some of them will arrive in Cairo on military planes organised by Prime Minister Noureddine Bedoui, who has also been a target of the demonstrations.", "Algeria captured their second Africa Cup of Nations title with a 1-0 victory over Senegal in Friday night's final, adding to the other championship they won in 1990.\n\nThe victory at Cairo International Stadium was Algeria's second over the Lions of Teranga in this year's edition of Africa's biennial soccer championship, the other one coming in the teams' second match of the group stage, also by the score of 1-0.", "Algeria won the Africa Cup of Nations for the second time as a freak early goal secured a 1-0 win against Senegal in the final in Cairo.\n\nBaghdad Bounedjah’s shot took a huge deflection off Salif Sane and looped over goalkeeper Alfred Gomes.\n\nSenegal, who have never won the competition, were awarded a penalty for handball in the second half but it was overturned after a VAR review.\n\nAlgeria closed out the rest of the game to win their first title since 1990.\n\nSenegal’s players collapsed on the pitch in tears at the final whistle.\n\nLiverpool forward Sadio Mane, who said before the game he would swap his Champions League winners medal for Africa Cup of Nations success, looked disconsolate as Algeria players celebrated around him.\n\n“Without the players I am nothing,” said Algeria boss Djamel Belmadi. “They are the main ones. I suppose the staff played its part in guiding the players but they applied the instructions incredibly well.”\n\nAfrica Cup of Nations\n\nAlgeria have gone from failing to get out of the group stage two years ago to winning the tournament\n\nSenegal, making only their second appearance in the final since 2002, dominated for large periods but struggled to make the most of their possession.\n\nM’Baye Niang was at the centre of two of their best chances as he flashed a fierce drive over the bar just before the break, and rounded keeper Rais M’bolhi early in the second half only to shoot wide from a tight angle.\n\nM’Bolhi also did well to palm over a stinging effort from Youssouf Sabaly.\n\nThe decisive moment for Senegal was the reversal of the decision to award a penalty on the hour mark.\n\nIsmaila Sarr’s cross was blasted straight at Adlene Guedioura’s arm, referee Neant Alioum pointed to the spot, but, just as the Senegal players started celebrating the decision, he quickly indicated that a VAR review was under way.\n\nAfter watching the replays on the pitch-side monitor, which clearly showed Guedioura’s arm being by his side, Alioum reversed the decision.\n\nAlthough the decision was correct, the result was harsh on Senegal, with Algeria managing only one shot on goal.\n\nPremier League stars fail to shine\n\nRiyad Mahrez\n\nBoth Mane and Mahrez scored three goals in the Africa Cup of Nations\n\nThe game was billed by many as a battle between Liverpool’s Mane and Manchester City’s Riyad Mahrez, but both were on the periphery of this encounter.\n\nMahrez’s lack of contribution was largely down to Algeria’s defensive approach after taking the lead, but Mane will perhaps be disappointed with his input.\n\nHe was clearly the player Algeria fans feared most – every touch of the ball was met with boos – but he showed only glimpses of his pace and danger on the ball, possibly showing the signs of fatigue following a long season for club and country.\n\nIt is 363 days since Mane began pre-season with Liverpool – and he will only have a couple of weeks rest before the new campaign gets under way on 9 August.\n\nAlgeria were very lucky to get their first goal from a deflected shot by Bounedjah. But they made the most of their luck.\n\nTheir defence has been formidable all tournament and as much as Senegal tried to create chances, it was just so difficult for them.\n\nThe Teranga Lions raised their level after half-time and had a great chance that was missed by Niang, one of two players Algeria were giving very close attention – the other, of course, being Mane.\n\nOne goal was enough for Algeria to win a well deserved tournament even though they weren’t their best in the final. Senegal were so close this time but they needed luck and more clinical finishing – and they found neither.", "Cairo, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - APP - 20th Jul, 2019 ) :Baghdad Bounedjah's early goal propelled Algeria to a first Africa Cup of Nations title in 29 years after a fiery 1-0 victory over Sadio Mane's Senegal in Friday's final in Cairo.\n\nBounedjah gave Algeria a dream start in the second minute when his deflected shot looped over Senegal goalkeeper Alfred Gomis, and it proved enough for the 1990 champions to lift the trophy on foreign soil for the first time.\n\n\"It's incredible. The win is for the whole country,\" Algeria goalkeeper Rais M'Bolhi told beIN sports. \"We have to thank (coach) Djamel Belmadi. The situation was tricky in the past before he arrived.\" \"It's a bit hard to soak in right now but I think we'll realise what we've done when we return home,\" he added.\n\nFor Senegal, who lost to Algeria by the same scoreline in the group stage, the long wait for a first continental crown goes on as coach Aliou Cisse, the captain of the 2002 runners-up, again fell short in the final.\n\n\"We conceded the goal very early and on the whole I think we deserved to equalise but it didn't happen,\" said Cisse.\n\n\"I want to congratulate my players. We've been working together a long time for this Cup of Nations and we wanted it but tonight it didn't go our way.\" It was the first title-decider to feature two African coaches since 1998, with Algeria boss Djamel Belmadi completing a whirlwind 12 months at the helm after inheriting a side that failed to make it out of the group stage two years ago.\n\n\"Without the players I am nothing. They are the main ones. I suppose the staff played its part in guiding the players but they applied the instructions incredibly well,\" said Belmadi.\n\nWith defensive rock Kalidou Koulibaly suspended for Senegal, Salif Sane deputised at the back and Ismaila Sarr was recalled in attack, while Belmadi kept faith in the same side that overcame Nigeria with an injury-time free-kick from Riyad Mahrez.\n\n- Gomis finally beaten - Senegal had understandably feared the absence of Napoli star Koulibaly, banned after two bookings in the knockout rounds, although the towering Sane was desperately unlucky as Algeria grabbed the lead with scarcely a minute played.\n\nAs Bounedjah took aim from 20 yards his effort smacked off Sane and arced high into the air before dropping underneath the crossbar and beyond a static Gomis, sparking delirious celebrations from both players and fans, some of whom arrived for the final on military planes provided by the Algerian government.\n\nIt was the first time Gomis had conceded in almost 400 minutes in Egypt having replaced the injured Edouard Mendy ahead of Senegal's final group game.\n\nHenri Saivet, who missed a penalty in the 1-0 victory over Tunisia, tried to catch M'Bolhi out with a free-kick while Mbaye Niang fizzed a powerful drive just over as Senegal gradually showed signs of life before the half ended with both sets of players embroiled in a scuffle as they headed for the tunnel.\n\nSenegal thought they had won a penalty on the hour when Cameroonian referee Alioum Alioum pointed to the spot for a suspected handball by Adlene Guedioura, but the official reversed his decision after a VAR review.\n\nNiang rounded an advancing M'Bolhi after a searching ball through from Cheikhou Kouyate but the forward sliced wide of the target from a tough angle, with the Algeria 'keeper then acrobatically tipping over a rasping drive from Youssouf Sabaly.\n\nThe Desert Foxes started to look jaded as Senegal brought on fresh legs in Krepin Diatta and Mbaye Diagne, but Youcef Belaili nearly made it 2-0 when his cross brushed the head of a defender and skimmed the roof of the net.\n\nSarr blazed over on the volley as Algeria clung on to their advantage in the closing minutes, the final whistle greeted by an outpouring of raw emotion as the North Africans emerged worthy winners of the expanded 24-team event.", "Senegal on Friday will battle Algeria for the trophy of the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations at the Cairo International Stadium, Egypt.\n\nSenegal has never won the trophy.\n\nThe tournament has thrown up surprises such as Madagascar and Benin having good showing at quarter finals while big names such as Egypt, Morocco and defending champions Cameroon had falling by the way side.\n\nAlgeria’ performance has been superlative with their wins against Nigeria and Cote d’Ivoire.\n\nWith four wins from their last five over Senegal, including the 1-0 win in the group stages, Algeria may feel the more confident of the two going into the final.\n\nIn Group C back on June 27, the Lions of Teranga were narrowly edged out as Algeria’s Youcef Belaili scored the only goal of the game just after half-time.\n\nIn terms of their head-to-head record, Senegal and Algeria have faced each other 22 times and it is the latter who have the superior record winning 13 and only losing four. Also, Senegal have never beaten Algeria at an AFCON in eight attempts.\n\nBoth sides have had impressive tournaments and have genuine world-class, match-winning talents in Sadio Mane and Riyad Mahrez.\n\nBoth players are still vying for the Golden Boot with three goals each so far, while the possibility of renewing their English Premier League rivalry should not be ruled out.\n\nHowever, Senegal appear to be weaker with players like Mbaye Diagne, M’baye Niang and Keita Balde Diao struggling to replicate their club form and failing to ease the burden on Mane.\n\nAlgeria are leading the overall scoring charts of the tournament with some of its players recording multiple goals.", "A second-minute goal from Baghdad Bounedjah was enough for Algeria to seal a 1-0 win against Senegal in the Africa Cup of Nations final.\n\nIt was an unusual goal that ultimately sealed the title as Bounedjah's shot pinged off Salif Sane's leg before looping into the back of the net, with Senegal goalkeeper Alfred Gomis left stranded.\n\nBut Senegal's defeat was not through lack of trying. They had 62.2 per cent of possession and some superb second-half chances, as well as a withdrawn penalty after a VAR review.\n\nThey were unable to go one better than their last appearance in an Africa Cup of Nations final in 2002, while Algeria have won the competition for the second time.\n\nAlgeria had the dream start in Cairo as they took the lead inside two minutes. Ismael Bennacer slipped the ball down the wing for Bounedjah, who got ahead of Cheikhou Kouyate to stride towards the edge of the area. He hit a powerful drive that deflected off the outstretched leg of Sane and looped into the net.\n\nThe remainder of the half had few clear-cut chances but was littered with fouls and free-kicks - mostly in Senegal's favour. Their best chance of the half came in the 38th minute as M'Baye Niang tried to curl a volley into the far corner but it just fizzed past the post.\n\nSenegal went close again in the 58th minute as Sadio Mane had a rare moment of brilliance. Youssouf Sabaly touched the ball into his path and he wriggled into space inside the area before trying to hammer home - losing a boot in the process. However, Algeria defender Djamel Benlamri was there to block inside the six-yard box.\n\nTwo minutes later Senegal thought they had the lifeline of a penalty as Ismaila Sarr's cross hit the arm of Adlene Guedioura, although he had them very close to his body. Referee Sidi Alioum initially pointed to the spot, but the decision was checked with VAR and after a short consultation, the decision was - correctly - reversed.\n\nDespite time not being on their side, Senegal continued to see chances come their way. Niang raced onto a superb through-ball with Algeria goalkeeper Rais M'Bohli coming out to try and smother. However, the Senegal forward rounded him but took on his shot too quickly and it flew over. Not long after, Sabaly tried his luck with a wonderful strike from range, but again, it went wide.\n\nSenegal continued to probe in the Algeria half and with seven minutes to play they spurned another glorious chance. Sarr collected a loose defensive header after a corner and sent it goalwards with his first touch, but it went over the crossbar once again.\n\nBut ultimately, Algeria did well to ride the wave of the Senegal's second-half pressure as they claimed their first Africa Cup of Nations title since 1990.", "Hello and welcome. Moments after missing the decisive penalty in the shootout at the end of the 2002 Africa Cup of Nations final, Senegal’s Aliou Cissé made a vow. One day, he said, he would go that last step and make his country African champions for the first time. Now, 17 years later, here he is, the manager of the Teranga Lions as they bid to make history.\n\nBut in their way stand Algeria, whose yearning his equally strong, not least because most of the crowd in the stadium in Cairo is made up of their compatriots. Djamel Belmadi’s men have looked slightly sharper throughout this tournament and, indeed, beat Senegal 1-0 during the group stages, albeit after Sadio Mané was denied a blatant penalty. But Senegal have been solid grinders, aided by sporadic flourishes from players such as Mané, Idrissa Gueye and Krépin Diatta, plus raids from right-back by Yousouf Sabaly. Their main strength, however, has been their solidity and that is likely to be weakened today by the suspension of the majestic Kalidou Koulibaly.\n\nAlgeria are also deprived of an important player – right-back Youcef Atal – but he is easier to replace than Koulibaly, who has been the bulwark of Senegal’s defence and a frequent instigator of their attacks. Baghdad Bounedjah, the Algerian striker who plays with a savvy brand of rambunctiousness (and erratic finishing), could spread mayhem in a rejigged backline; and Riyad Mahrez’s late rocket in the semi-final suggests he’s hitting form at just the right time. So Cissé and Senegal have a big job on their hands – but history is within their grasp. It’s showtime!", "Senegal forward Sadio Mane says he would swap his Champions League winning medal with Liverpool for winning the Africa Cup of Nations on Friday.\n\nSenegal seek to win Afcon for the first time when they face Algeria in the final this evening in Cairo, Egypt.\n\nMane helped Liverpool beat Tottenham to win the Champions League final on 1 June, and has three goals in five starts at the Africa Cup of Nations.\n\n“For sure, I would be ready even today (to swap),” Mane told BBC Sport.\n\nThe former Southampton player, 27, added: “Maybe I don’t need to swap when we win it hopefully.\n\n“We know it won’t be easy but it’s normal, it’s part of football. Algeria is a great team and now I’m just looking forward to playing in the final and to win it.”\n\nAlgeria boss Djamel Belmadi said his side would “fight” to try and win the tournament for a second time.\n\n“To the Algerian people, I want to say: I’m not a politician, not a miracle worker or a wizard,” he added.\n\n“But we will fight like we have fought to this point.”\n\nSenegal and Algeria met in the group stages, with 1990 champions Algeria winning 1-0.\n\nThe biggest team news is that Senegal’s star defender Kalidou Koulibaly will miss the game after picking up his second yellow card of the tournament in the semi-final win over Tunisia.\n\nIt is only the fifth Africa Cup of Nations final to have two African head coaches – and the first since 1998.\n\nSenegal boss Aliou Cisse and Algeria’s Belmadi both played for their countries in the early 2000s.\n\nAlgeria have been the best team in the tournament, coming through a group including Friday’s opponents Senegal, Kenya and Tanzania with three wins.\n\nThey beat Guinea 3-0 in the last 16 and the Ivory Coast on penalties in the quarters.\n\nManchester City’s Riyad Mahrez scored a dramatic free-kick with the last kick of the game as they beat Nigeria 2-1 in the semi-final.\n\nSenegal, after picking up six points in the group stages, won all their knockout games 1-0. They beat Uganda and Benin, and needed an extra-time own goal to get past Tunisia in the semi-finals.\n\nRemarkably, for a team who have reached the World Cup quarter-finals, Senegal are not one of the 14 countries to have previously been crowned champions of Africa.\n\nThey have reached the Afcon final once, in 2002 – the year of that World Cup run – but lost the final on penalties to Cameroon. Cisse, their current head coach, missed the decisive penalty that day.\n\nAlgeria have played in two finals, both against Nigeria – losing in 1980 and winning in 1990.\n\nThe game sees two of the Premier League’s top players go head to head. Algeria captain Mahrez won the Premier League with Manchester City in 2018-19, with Mane a key part of the Liverpool team that conquered the Champions League.", "Baghdad Bounedjah's early goal propelled Algeria to a first Africa Cup of Nations title in 29 years after a fiery 1-0 victory over Sadio Mane's Senegal in Friday's final in Cairo.\n\nBounedjah gave Algeria a dream start in the second minute when his deflected shot looped over Senegal goalkeeper Alfred Gomis, and it proved enough for the 1990 champions to lift the trophy on foreign soil for the first time.\n\nAs Bounedjah took aim from 20 yards his effort smacked off Sane and arced high into the air before dropping underneath the crossbar and beyond a static Gomis, sparking delirious celebrations from both players and fans, some of whom arrived for the final on military planes provided by the Algerian government.\n\nIt was the first time Gomis had conceded in almost 400 minutes in Egypt having replaced the injured Edouard Mendy ahead of Senegal's final group game.\n\nHenri Saivet, who missed a penalty in the 1-0 victory over Tunisia, tried to catch Rais Mbohli out with a free-kick while Mbaye Niang fizzed a powerful drive just over as Senegal gradually showed signs of life before the half ended with both sets of players embroiled in a scuffle as they headed for the tunnel.\n\nSenegal thought they had won a penalty on the hour when Cameroonian referee Alioum Alioum pointed to the spot for a suspected handball by Adlene Guedioura, but the official reversed his decision after a VAR review.\n\nNiang rounded an advancing Mbohli after a searching ball through from Cheikhou Kouyate but the forward sliced wide of the target from a tough angle, with the Algeria 'keeper then acrobatically tipping over a rasping drive from Youssouf Sabaly.\n\nThe Desert Foxes started to look jaded as Senegal brought on fresh legs in Krepin Diatta and Mbaye Diagne, but Youcef Belaili nearly made it 2-0 when his cross brushed the head of a defender and skimmed the roof of the net.\n\nSarr blazed over on the volley as Algeria clung on to their advantage in the closing minutes, the final whistle greeted by an outpouring of raw emotion as the North Africans emerged worthy winners of the expanded 24-team event."], "summary": "Algeria defeats Senegal in the Africa Cup of Nations Final, winning their second continental championship."}
{"document": ["New York (CNN Business) \"Avengers: Endgame,\" the Disney and Marvel blockbuster, will move past \"Avatar\" on the list of all-time highest grossing films on Sunday in its 13th weekend of release, Disney reported Saturday night.\n\n\"Avatar,\" James Cameron's science fiction film set on the planet of Pandora, held the record for 10 years.\n\nThe latest \" Avengers \" film, starring Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans, has made more than $2.789 billion worldwide.\n\n\"A huge congratulations to the Marvel Studios and Walt Disney Studios teams, and thank you to the fans around the world who lifted 'Avengers: Endgame' to these historic heights,\" Alan Horn, co-chairman and chief creative officer of The Walt Disney Studios, said in a statement.\n\nTo get to the top spot, \"Endgame\" passed some of the biggest blockbusters in film history such as \"Titanic,\" \"Star Wars: The Force Awakens\" and its predecessor, \"Avengers: Infinity War.\"\n\n\"'Endgame' has cemented the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a cornerstone of modern mythos that will be passed down to generations of fans,\" Shawn Robbins, chief analyst at Boxoffice.com , told CNN Business. \"That would have been true regardless of its monetary position relative to 'Avatar.'\"\n\nRobbins added that the title of highest-grossing film of all time is \"the cherry on top for Marvel's first decade.\"\n\n\"Never before had audiences experienced an episodic, cinematic journey over the span of 11 years,\" Robbins added. \"It's nearly impossible to predict something like that, just as 'Avatar's' own run was widely unexpected. In a way, they share that common bond.\"\n\n\"Endgame\" shattered records when it opened in late April.\n\nThe superhero film, which had the Avengers take on the villainous Thanos, made $1.2 billion at the worldwide box office for its global opening. It took just five days for the film to cross $1 billion at the box office.\n\nDisney DIS acquired the \"Avatar\" franchise when it completed its $71 billion purchase of most of 21st Century Fox's assets earlier this year.\n\nThe space series will have a chance to take back its box office crown from \"Endgame.\" Disney is planning four \"Avatar\" sequels between 2021 and 2027.\n\n\"Even with the passage of a decade, the impact of James Cameron's 'Avatar' remains as powerful as ever,\" Horn added. \"The talented filmmakers behind these worlds have much more in store, and we look forward to the future of both the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Pandora.\"", "The blockbuster “Avengers: Endgame” is now the highest- grossing film of all time.\n\nDisney said the superhero movie has now brought in more than $2.7 billion worldwide.\n\n“Endgame” shattered records when it opened in late April, making $1.2 billion around the world on its debut.\n\nBut “Avatar” will have a chance to take back its box office crown from “Endgame.”\n\nDisney is planning four “Avatar” sequels between 2021 and 2027.", "Avengers: Endgame has surpassed Avatar to become the highest-grossing movie of all time, without adjusting for inflation.\n\nMarvel chief Kevin Feige and his team announced the milestone late Saturday afternoon on stage at Comic-Con in San Diego\n\nJames Cameron´s Avatar set the record with a $2.788 billion haul in 2009.\n\nReleased in April, Avengers remained in some 1,400 U.S. theaters over the weekend.\n\nThe movie was re-released in June with an additional six minutes of footage in a bid to top Avatar's record.\n\nAdjusted for inflation, the highest grossing movie of all time remains 1939's Gone With The Wind, which took in the equivalent of roughly $3.5 billion in today's dollars.\n\nOn Friday, Avengers: Endgame directors Joe and Anthony Russo it would be a \"big thrill\" to pass the all-time box office record held by \"Avatar.\"\n\n\"James Cameron has always been an idol of ours -- he fed our passion for filmmaking from the beginning, and to be so close to one of his great films is really special,\" said Anthony at San Diego Comic-Con, the world's largest pop culture convention.\n\n\"By the way has, anyone not seen 'Endgame?'\" Joe Russo asked, as the crowd of 8,000 laughed. \"If not you should leave now.\"\n\nAs Feige took the stage at Comic-Con, many expected him to announce plans for the next phase of Marvel films.\n\nHowever, details of what exactly will happen and who might appear at this point are being more closely guarded than one of the series' infinity stones.", "Well, it’s finally happened after months of trying, and a cheeky re-release, Avengers: Endgame has officially become the highest-grossing movie ever.\n\nThe news is sure to delight Marvel-heads around the world who have been desperate for Endgame to unseat Avatar from the top of the box-office ever since it was released earlier this year.\n\nOf course, it’s worth noting that as Disney bought Fox they now own the Avatar properties as well, so they’re technically in competition with themselves…\n\nBut while the studio wins either way, so too do the Avengers have final victory over those blue, jungle-dwelling creatures.\n\nDisney and Marvel recently revealed the new global intake for Avengers: Endgame was $2.7892 billion in raw grosses, which is $500,000 more than the James Cameron’s Avatar, which was released in 2009.\n\nDisney added they expect an additional half a million dollars for Avengers to roll in by tomorrow, July 22, too.\n\nIt’s an impressive feat for Endgame to unseat Avatar, which has been sitting pretty at the top of the Box Office for the past ten years. However, thanks to a slight re-release around the July 4 weekend (which put the film back in 2,000 theatres), the totting up of overseas grosses, a huge over-performance in China, and 10 years of hard work by Marvel, Endgame finally did it.\n\nMarvel and Disney announced the inevitable news at, you guessed it, this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, as Forbes reports.\n\nIt was a safe bet Endgame would take the title – the film had a $1.223 billion opening weekend, and sailed past Titanic (yup) in less than two weeks.\n\nEndgame earned around $629 million in China alone, a whopping 75 per cent jump up from its predecessor Infinity War. Had the Marvel movie only taken the ‘average’ 29 per cent of its grosses from China, it probably wouldn’t have surpassed Cameron’s epic.\n\nAnd while, if you take domestic inflation into account, Avatar sold more tickets in North America than Endgame, it seems the Box Office figures speak for themselves. Cameron certainly has his work cut out for Avatar 2.\n\nIf you have a story you want to tell, send it to [email protected]", "Disney and Marvel studios are currently celebrating after announcing at Comic-con that Avengers: Endgame has officially passed James Cameron’s 2009 movie Avatar to become the top-grossing film of all-time at the worldwide box office, not adjusted for inflation.\n\nMarvel chief Kevin Feige announced the milestone on stage at Comic-Con late Saturday afternoon in San Diego.\n\n“A huge congratulations to the Marvel Studios and Walt Disney Studios teams, and thank you to the fans around the world who lifted Avengers: Endgame to these historic heights,” Disney Studios co-chairman and chief creative officer Alan Horn said in a statement.\n\nA of Friday, Avengers: Endgame’s global gross was $2,789.2 billion, just $500,000 behind Avatar’s $2,789.7 billion (R39 billion) with the gap expected to be overcome once weekend box office grosses are tallied. The target should be reached comfortably as last weekend Endgame brought in $2.8 million globally.\n\nAvengers: Endgame had already shattered the record for the biggest global opening of all time with $1.22 billion (R16.7 billion) in the first weekend.\n\nThe film is the fourth outing in the blockbuster Avengers series and the 22nd film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.", "Thanos would say it was… inevitable.\n\nMarvel’s superhero epic Avengers: Endgame is set to unseat James Cameron’s sci-fi smash Avatar as the highest-grossing film ever at the worldwide box office, Disney announced Saturday. As of Friday, Endgame’s global haul clocked in at $2,789,200,000, just $500,000 short of Avatar’s $2,789,700,000, and it should close the gap by Sunday.\n\nDirected by Anthony and Joe Russo, Endgame has been in theaters for 13 weeks and has been a box office juggernaut. Last month, Disney re-released the movie with additional footage to get it over the hump. (Avatar, which was first released in 2009, has also been reissued in various territories over the years.)\n\nAlan Horn, co-chairman and chief creative officer of the Walt Disney Studios, said in a statement, “A huge congratulations to the Marvel Studios and Walt Disney Studios teams, and thank you to the fans around the world who lifted Avengers: Endgame to these historic heights. Of course, even with the passage of a decade, the impact of James Cameron’s Avatar remains as powerful as ever, and the astonishing achievements of both of these films are ongoing proof of the power of movies to move people and bring them together in a shared experience. The talented filmmakers behind these worlds have much more in store, and we look forward to the future of both the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Pandora.”\n\nOnce Endgame passes Avatar, which was first released in 2009, Cameron will still lay claim to the No. 2 and No. 3 films of all time, the latter being 1997’s Titanic, with $2,187,500,000.\n\nDisney, meanwhile, now controls the Avatar franchise since acquiring Fox’s film and TV assets in a huge deal earlier this year. Cameron is working on four Avatar sequels.\n\nAs for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Endgame marked the end of an era, but Marvel Studios began unveiling plans for the future of the franchise at San Diego Comic-Con on Saturday. Upcoming movies include The Eternals and Shang-Chi.\n• Avengers: Endgame directors really wanted Thanos to cut off Captain America’s head\n• Marvel introduces The Eternals at Comic-Con with Angelina Jolie, Richard Madden, and more", "Avengers: Endgame has topped Avatar to become the highest-grossing film of all time.\n\nMarvel boss Kevin Feige made the news official at the studio’s Comic-Con panel in San Diego, California on Saturday, announcing the blockbuster would pass Avatar‘s US$2.78-billion global box office mark over the weekend, ending the James Cameron-directed movie’s nine-year reign.\n\n“Thanks to you, Avengers: Endgame is the biggest film of all-time,” Feige told fans in Comic-Con’s fabled Hall H.\n\nThe blockbuster has passed Avatar’s record in just 13 weeks and comes as bosses at Marvel’s parent company Disney celebrate another record-breaking weekend in North America, as The Lion King roars to the top of the box office to become the biggest July opening of all time.", "Just over a month ago, Avengers: Endgame fans conceded defeat to James Cameron’s 2009 Avatar, acknowledging it would remain the biggest movie of all time. Last night at San Diego Comic-Con, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige announced that’s no longer true.\n\nEndgame, the culmination of a 22-movie arc started by Marvel in 2008, will officially surpass Avatar as the highest grossing movie of all time either today or tomorrow. There is an approximate $500,000 difference between Endgame and Avatar, which analysts predict will close within a day. It’s why Feige could make the announcement he did at Comic-Con.\n\n“Thanks to you, Avengers: Endgame is the biggest film of all-time,” Feige said on stage.\n\nDisney and Marvel Studios have been gunning for the top spot, which has been held by Cameron and 20th Century Fox (now a Disney property) for a decade. The company released a different version of Endgame in theaters on June 28th to help draw in audiences once again, promising a deleted scene (one that underwhelmed fans), a Stan Lee tribute, and an official post-credits scene. Disney and Marvel essentially sold theatergoers extras that would usually appear on the Blu-ray release, in the hope that that would be enough to drive people back into the theater one more time to put the film over the edge.\n\n“Thanks to you, Avengers: Endgame is the biggest film of all-time.”\n\n“At that time, Endgame was $37M from toppling Avatar, and many — both Disney insiders and rival distribution sources — didn’t believe the re-release would put the superhero pic over the top; Endgame‘s foreign territories outside China and the U.S. were quite short when compared to those of Avatar,” Deadline’s Anthony D’Alessandro wrote.\n\nMost of the $37 million is believed to have come from offshore markets, according to Deadline, but there was a real campaign in the US to make Endgame the biggest movie of all time. (Endgame is the top movie now, but that could change due to inflation.) People on popular Marvel subreddits were organizing watch parties and encouraging their friends to go out and buy another ticket. In 2010, Den of Geek’s Simon Brew noted that fans were forced to care about box office numbers — something that up until semi-recently was largely a conversation among trades, analysts, and people who made the actual thing — because box office success translated to continuation. That’s not true with Endgame, though.\n\nThe Marvel Cinematic Universe is already too big for Disney to suddenly worry about whether Endgame is the biggest movie of all time or the second. This isn’t a suffering independent film. Marvel’s time at Hall H last night was a reminder that, over the next three years, Disney’s superhero division is set to dominate both theatrical and streaming worlds. The message that Feige sent was simple: We own it all. Why bother competing? In many ways, it’s similar to the message Disney sent in its open and shameless attempt to surpass Avatar. It’s not success driven by shareholder concerns; Endgame already did what it was supposed to. This was success driven by ego. The brilliant move was looping in fans to make it seem like their success.\n\n“At that time, Endgame was $37M from toppling Avatar, and many — both Disney insiders and rival distribution sources — didn’t believe the re-release would put the superhero pic over the top.”\n\n“A huge congratulations to the Marvel Studios and Walt Disney Studios teams, and thank you to the fans around the world who lifted Avengers: Endgame to these historic heights,” Disney chairman Alan Horn added in a statement to Deadline.\n\nEndgame became more than a singular movie because Marvel Studios, which leans on making fans feel like their part-time investors in the franchise, made it feel like more than just a franchise film to fans. Marvel Studios is about to do the same thing with Disney+, Disney’s upcoming streaming service. Fans will spend $7 a month to keep up with their favorite superheroes, and an additional $15 at the movie theater — not one, not twice, but several times. Endgame became a new stepping point for Marvel. They couldn’t just be good, they had to be the best. They couldn’t just win, they had to dominate.\n\n“The Marvel fans’ desire to unseat Avatar as the top grossing film of all time is ultimately an attempt to help one of the largest corporations on this planet squeeze more money from fans and provide more value for stockholders,” Cameron Kunzelman wrote at Polygon. “It is an endeavor to strengthen a titan of entertainment that is already so swollen and dominant that some are calling for it to be broken up.”\n\nDisney nor Marvel Studios are being broken up. They’re only getting bigger. And, as Feige basically pointed out at Comic-Con, it’s up to fans to help them stay that way.", "The most awaited film Avengers: Endgame has broken all records recently by becoming the highest-grossing film of all time at the worldwide box office. Avengers: Endgame is the 22nd film of the Marvel Studios and before its release, it was anticipated that the penultimate movie in The Infinity Saga will definitely break James Cameron’s Avatar record at the box office.\n\nThe time when Avengers: Endgame was released it broke all the box office records like opening day and weekend. The movie was appreciated not only in the US but in other parts of the country as well including India. Later, after a few weeks, it was noticed that the business of the movie slowed down but Marvel Studios used a strong strategy and re-released the film on the big screens with some new footage. It was done a week before Spider-Man: Far From Home was released.\n\nAfter the re-release of the film, Avengers: Endgame had it’s game strong on the big screens and again became trending amongst its fans. According to sources, Avengers: Endgame will finally beat Avatar as its gross total has reached up to $2.7892 billion which is expected to break the record of Avatar tomorrow which currently is $2.7897 billion.\n\nIt should be noted that Avatar was re-released after one year of the original release but on the other hand, Avengers: Endgame was re-released while it was already running in theatres. Meanwhile, fans are excited for Avatar 2 which is slated to release next year.\n\nDisney co-chairman Alan Horn said Marvel Studios has recently announced Avengers: Endgame is the new king of the box office at the San Diego Comic-Con.", "Marvel Studios' \"Avengers: Endgame,\" is set to pass James Cameron's \"Avatar\" in box office sales, making the film the highest grossing film in cinema history, Disney announced on Saturday night.\n\n\n\nThe film has made $2.7982 billion at the box office and is currently only $500,000 behind the Cameron box office mega-hit. Disney expects the film to surpass the film's $2.7987 billion box office sales on Sunday.\n• None Street artist hangs 'Jawny Ratchets' sign at former Johnny Rockets in South Philly\n\nTen days after \"Endgame\" was released on April 26, the film surpassed James Cameron's \"Titanic\" to become the second-highest grossing film on record.\n\nMany people, including Disney, were reluctant that the film could top \"Avatar,\" even after the company re-released the film on June 28 with a new deleted scene, Stan Lee tribute, and a post-credits scene. At the time of the film's re-release, it was $37 million behind \"Avatar.\"\n\n“Thanks to you, 'Avengers: Endgame' is the biggest film of all-time,” Kevn Feige, Marvel Studios president, said on stage at Comic-Con in San Diego on Saturday night.\n\n\"Avatar\" held the record for highest grossing film for almost 10 years after its release on Dec. 18, 2009. The top five highest grossing films now include \"Avengers: Endgame\" in the top spot, followed by James Cameron's \"Avatar\" and Titanic\" in the second and third spot, J.J. Abram's \"Star Wars: The Force Awakens\" sits at no. 4, while \"Avengers: Infinity War\" stays at no. 5.\n\n\n\nFollow Virginia & PhillyVoice on Twitter: @vastreva | @thePhillyVoice\n\n Like us on Facebook: PhillyVoice\n\n Add Virginia's RSS feed to your feed reader\n\n Have a news tip? Let us know."], "summary": "The Walt Disney Company reports that Avengers: Endgame has surpassed Avatar as the highest grossing movie of all time, unadjusted for inflation."}
{"document": ["British Airways and Lufthansa said Saturday that they were temporarily suspending flights to the Egyptian capital of Cairo over unspecified safety and security concerns.via FOX NEWS https://ift.tt/2XVb8Vz", "British Airways suspends flights to Cairo for seven days\n\nBritish Airways abruptly suspended all flights to Cairo for a week from Saturday over security concerns, giving no details about what prompted the move.", "A spokeswoman for the airline said it could not immediately offer more information about the suspensions.\n\nSome affected passengers posted pictures on social media appearing to show a letter handed out by BA with a similar message.\n\nBritish Airways said Saturday it had suspended flights to Cairo for seven days as a precautionary measure following a security review.\n\nThe flag carrier said it would not operate its aircraft unless it feels it is safe to do so.\n\n\"We constantly review our security arrangements at all our airports around the world, and have suspended flights to Cairo for seven days as a precaution to allow for further assessment,\" the airline said in a statement.\n\n\"The safety and security of our customers and crew is always our priority, and we would never operate an aircraft unless it was safe to do so.\"\n\nEgypt's civil aviation ministry said it was \"coordinating\" with the British embassy in Cairo and the local BA representative and starting an extra EgyptAir flight to London every day to carry stranded passengers.\n\nA spokeswoman for the airline said it could not immediately offer more information about the suspensions.\n\nIn its travel advice for British nationals heading to Egypt, the Foreign Office in London warns: \"There's a heightened risk of terrorism against aviation.”\n\n\"Additional security measures are in place for flights departing from Egypt to the UK. You should co-operate fully with security officials at airports.\"\n\nBritain advises against all but essential travel by air to or from the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on the Sinai peninsula.\n\n\"Terrorists are very likely to try to carry out attacks in Egypt. Although most attacks occur in North Sinai, there is a risk of terrorist attacks across the country,\" Britons are warned.\n\n\"The greatest threat is on the Sinai peninsula where Daesh operate with greater freedom, but terrorists are active in mainland Egypt, including Cairo.\"\n\nThe Foreign Office warns that it \"can't offer advice on the safety of individual airlines\".\n\nBritain cancelled flights to Egypt's Sharm El-Sheikh in 2015 after jihadists bombed a Russian airliner carrying holidaymakers from the Red Sea resort, killing more than 220 people on board.", "BA did not say why Cairo had been singled out in a security review TIM OCKENDEN\n\nBritish Airways has suspended all flights to Cairo for seven days as part of a review of security arrangements.\n\nThe airline said last night that flights into the Egyptian capital had been halted with immediate effect but did not offer more information about why Cairo had been singled out for the suspension of services.\n\nThe move will cause disruption to holiday plans, coming on the first weekend of the summer holidays for children at most state schools in England and Wales.\n\nBA said: “We constantly review our security arrangements at all our airports around the world, and have suspended flights to Cairo for seven days as a precaution to allow for further assessment.\n\n“The safety and security of our customers and crew is always our…", "British Airways is suspending flights to Cairo for a week from Saturday, the airline said. but gave no reasons for the move.via FOX NEWS https://ift.tt/2xXIFiP", "British Airways has suspended all flights to Cairo for seven days as a security precaution.\n\nThe airline announced on Saturday evening that all flights into the Egyptian capital were halted.\n\nA statement said: “We constantly review our security arrangements at all our airports around the world, and have suspended flights to Cairo for seven days as a precaution to allow for further assessment.\n\n“The safety and security of our customers and crew is always our priority, and we would never operate an aircraft unless it was safe to do so.”\n\nSome affected passengers used social media to share pictures which appeared to show a letter handed out by British Airways with a similar message about security.\n\nA spokeswoman for the airline said it could not immediately offer more information about the suspensions.", "studioEAST/Getty Images(LONDON) — British Airways and the German carrier Lufthansa said on Saturday they had suspended all flights to Cairo for seven days as a security “precaution,” but offered no additional details.\n\n“We constantly review our security arrangements at all our airports around the world, and have suspended flights to Cairo for seven days as a precaution to allow for further assessment,” British Airways said in a statement.\n\n“As safety is the number one priority of Lufthansa, the airline has temporarily suspended its flights to Cairo today as a precaution, while further assessment is being made,” Lufthansa said in a statement. “We do not have any additional information at this time.”\n\nTicketed BA customers were caught off guard at Heathrow on Saturday, as they suddenly received notice their flights would not take off.\n\n“Currently about to board a @British_Airways flight to Cairo and it’s cancelled. Not for a day. Not for two days but for seven. Security risk. Someone knows something we don’t,” tweeted\n\nThis is a developing story. Please check back for updates.", "British Airways has suspended all flights to Cairo for seven days as a security precaution.\n\nThe airline announced on Saturday evening that all flights into the Egyptian capital were halted.\n\nA statement said: “We constantly review our security arrangements at all our airports around the world, and have suspended flights to Cairo for seven days as a precaution to allow for further assessment.\n\n“The safety and security of our customers and crew is always our priority, and we would never operate an aircraft unless it was safe to do so.”\n\nSome affected passengers used social media to share pictures which appeared to show a letter handed out by British Airways with a similar message about security.\n\nA spokeswoman for the airline said it could not immediately offer more information about the suspensions.", "British Airways suspended flights to Cairo for seven days starting Saturday as a precaution to allow for an assessment of security there, the airline said in a statement.\n\n“We constantly review our security arrangements at all our airports around the world, and have suspended flights to Cairo for seven days as a precaution to allow for further assessment,” the statement said.", "London, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 21st Jul, 2019 ) :British Airways said Saturday it had suspended flights to Cairo for seven days after a security review.\n\n\"We constantly review our security arrangements at all our airports around the world, and have suspended flights to Cairo for seven days as a precaution to allow for further assessment,\" Britain's flag carrier airline said in a statement."], "summary": "British Airways halts flights to Cairo for at least seven days, citing security concerns. Lufthansa also halts all flights, although only for one day."}
{"document": ["An explosion at a gas plant in China's central Henan province has killed at least 12 people and seriously injured 15 others, Chinese authorities said Saturday.\n\nThe blast rocked the factory in the city of Yima on Friday evening, damaging buildings and blowing out windows and doors within a 3-kilometer (2-mile) radius, state media reported.\n\nRead more: Deadly chemical plant explosion hits Zhangjiakou\n\nThe official Xinhua news agency said the explosion occurred in the state-owned Henan Coal Gas facility's air separation unit.\n\nPictures from the site showed plumes of smoke rising from the factory premises\n\nAll production at the site has stopped. Officials said an investigation was underway to determine the cause of the incident.\n\nDeadly industrial accidents are fairly common in China. Safety regulations are often poorly enforced, despite recent orders from the government in Beijing to improve standards at factories and power plants.\n\nIn March, a major blast at a chemical plant in eastern Jiangsu province killed 78 people and injured hundreds. The explosion led to two dozen arrests and prompted a nationwide inspection of chemical companies. One of the country's worst workplace accidents occurred in 2015, when a massive explosion at a chemical warehouse in the northern port city of Tianjin killed 165 people.\n\nWatch video 01:24 Share Blast in China kills at least 47 Send Facebook google+ Whatsapp Tumblr linkedin stumble Digg reddit Newsvine Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/3FV3o Chemical plant explosion in China kills at least 47\n\nnm/jlw (AP, AFP, Reuters, dpa)\n\nDW sends out a selection of the day's news and features. Sign up here.", "An explosion at a gas factory in central China has left at least 12 people dead, authorities said.\n\nAn explosion at a gas factory in central China has left at least 12 people dead, authorities said.\n\nExplosion at gas factory in central China kills at least 12\n\nAnother 13 people were seriously injured and three others are missing, the Sanmenxia city publicity department said in a social media post.\n\nThe Friday evening explosion in Yima city in Henan province shattered windows 1.9 miles away, and knocked off doors inside buildings, Chinese state media reports said.\n\nThe official Xinhua news agency said the explosion occurred in the air separation unit of the Yima gas factory of the Henan Coal Gas (Group) Co.\n\nThe blast was not in the gas tank areas, and all production has been stopped.\n\nChina experiences frequent industrial accidents despite orders from the central government to improve safety at factories, power plants and mines.\n\nMore than 60 people died in March in a chemical plant explosion in eastern Jiangsu province.\n\nAmong the worst accidents was a massive 2015 explosion at a chemical warehouse in the port city of Tianjin that killed 173 people, most of them firefighters and police officers.\n\nThat blast was blamed on illegal construction and unsafe storage of volatile materials.", "Explosion at gas factory in central China kills at least 12\n\nBEIJING (AP) — The death toll has risen to 12 in a gas plant explosion in central China, authorities said Saturday.\n\nAnother 13 people were seriously injured and three others remained missing, China's Ministry of Emergency Management said. About 270 firefighters and rescue workers have completed three rounds of search and rescue, the ministry said.\n\nThe Friday evening explosion in Yima city in Henan province shattered windows 3 kilometers (2 miles) away and knocked off doors inside buildings, Chinese state media reports said.\n\nThe official Xinhua news agency said the explosion occurred in the air separation unit of the Yima gas factory of the Henan Coal Gas (Group) Co., Ltd. The blast was not in the gas tank areas, and all production has been stopped.", "Explosion at gas factory in central China kills at least 10\n\nBEIJING (AP) — The death toll has risen to 10 in a gas plant explosion in central China, authorities said Saturday.\n\nAnother 19 people were seriously injured and five others are missing, the Sanmenxia city publicity department said in a social media post.\n\nThe Friday evening explosion in Yima city in Henan province shattered windows 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) away, and knocked off doors inside buildings, Chinese state media reports said. Yima is part of Sanmenxia city.\n\nThe official Xinhua news agency said the explosion occurred in the air separation unit of the Yima gas factory of the Henan Coal Gas (Group) Co., Ltd. The blast was not in the gas tank areas, and all production has been stopped.\n\nChina experiences frequent industrial accidents despite orders from the central government to improve safety at factories, power plants and mines.\n\nMore than 60 people died in March in a chemical plant explosion in eastern Jiangsu province.\n\nAmong the worst accidents was a massive 2015 explosion at a chemical warehouse in the port city of Tianjin that killed 173 people, most of them firefighters and police officers. That blast was blamed on illegal construction and unsafe storage of volatile materials.", "BEIJING, July 19 (Reuters) - An explosion at a gasification plant in China's central Henan province has killed two people and seriously injured eighteen, state-run CCTV reported on Friday.\n\nThe blast occurred around 5.50pm local time (0950 GMT) in an air separation unit of the Yima plant. Production has been halted after the accident, according to a statement published by local government on the twitter-like Weibo platform.\n\nA video broadcast by CCTV showed mushroom clouds rising from the blast site. Windows and doors of neighbourhoods within three kilometres were shattered from the blast.\n\nThe Yima gasification plant is a unit of the state-owned Henan Coal Gas (Group) Co Ltd. The company had been listed as one of the provincial models for safe production earlier this month, according to state-backed Beijing News.\n\nChina has a history of major workplace accidents. A plant explosion that killed 78 in Jiangsu province in March triggered a nationwide safety inspection campaign.", "BEIJING (AP) — An explosion Friday evening at a gas factory in central China left two people missing and multiple people injured, state media said.\n\nState broadcaster CCTV reported the blast occurred in Henan province around 5:50 p.m. Windows were shattered within 3 kilometers (1.9 miles) of the blast, and some doors inside buildings were toppled.\n\nXinhua news agency cited the Yima city government as saying two people were missing and multiple people were taken to the hospital with injuries.\n\nThe report said the explosion occurred in the air separation unit at the Yima gas factory of the Henan Coal Gas (Group) Co., Ltd. But the report said the blast did not occur in the gas tank areas, and all production has been stopped.\n\nMore than 60 people died in March in a chemical plant explosion in eastern Jiangsu province.", "The death toll has risen to 12 in a gas plant explosion in central China, authorities said Saturday.\n\nAnother 13 people were seriously injured and three others remained missing, China’s Ministry of Emergency Management said. About 270 firefighters and rescue workers have completed three rounds of search and rescue, the ministry said.\n\nThe Friday evening explosion in Yima city in Henan province shattered windows 3 kilometers (2 miles) away and knocked off doors inside buildings, Chinese state media reports said.\n\nThe official Xinhua news agency said the explosion occurred in the air separation unit of the Yima gas factory of the Henan Coal Gas (Group) Co., Ltd. The blast was not in the gas tank areas, and all production has been stopped.\n\nChina experiences frequent industrial accidents despite orders from the central government to improve safety at factories, power plants and mines.\n\nMore than 60 people died in March in a chemical plant explosion in eastern Jiangsu province.\n\nAmong the worst accidents was a massive 2015 explosion at a chemical warehouse in the port city of Tianjin that killed 173 people, most of them firefighters and police officers.\n\nThat blast was blamed on illegal construction and unsafe storage of volatile materials.", "Chinese state media is reporting an explosion at a gas factory in central China.\n\nState broadcaster CCTV reported that the blast took place in Sanmenxia, Henan province, at around 5.50pm on Friday.\n\nWindows were shattered within three kilometres of the blast, and some doors inside buildings were toppled.\n\nNo further details were reported, and the possibility of casualties was unclear.\n\nMore than 60 people died in March in a chemical plant explosion in eastern Jiangsu province.", "BEIJING — An explosion at a gas plant in central China has killed at least 10 people and seriously injured others, the authorities said on Saturday. Five people were missing.\n\nThe explosion on Friday evening, in the city of Yima in Henan Province, sent a ball of fire and thick plumes of smoke into the air, according to local state media. The fire charred the factory building, leaving only the frame, the accounts said.\n\nAs the fire spread, nearby houses collapsed, and windows were shattered as far as two miles away, residents said.\n\nThe explosion occurred in the air separation unit of a factory owned by the Henan Coal Gas (Group) Co., according to Xinhua, the state-run news agency. No explanation was given for the explosion.", "BEIJING: The death toll from a huge factory blast in China's Yima city has risen to 15 with as many people seriously injured, a media report said Saturday.\n\nThe incident took place on Friday when a huge explosion rocked a gas plant in the central Chinese city. Fifteen people were killed and 15 others were injured in the incident, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.\n\nAccording to the officials, the explosion did not involve tanks of dangerous materials. \"The sound was extremely loud with a ball of fire and clouds of smoke in the air,\" a local resident, who was 500 meters away from the gas plant when the explosion occurred, was quoted as saying in the report. \"Customers who bought goods outside were hurt by broken glass,\" he said.\n\nThe factory was named as the first provincial-level enterprise to put in place a double prevention system for safety production risks in Henan this month.\n\nThe Yima gas plant of Henan Gas Co Ltd was established in 1997, covering an area of 87 hectares, with more than 1,200 employees. It is listed as a key monitoring enterprise by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment. Investigation into the cause of the accident is underway, the state-run China Daily reported."], "summary": "An explosion at a gas factory in China's Henan Province kills at least 15 people and leaves 256 injured."}
{"document": ["According to CompuBox numbers, Keith Thurman hit his target with greater efficiency than Pacquiao. Joe Camporeale, USA Today Sports/Reuters\n\nKeith Thurman landed more punches than Manny Pacquiao, 210-195, and was more efficient at hitting him in their world-title fight in Las Vegas on Sunday (Manila time), fight stats provided by CompuBox showed.\n\nThurman landed 210 punches, most of a Pac opponent in 43 fights that CompuBox has charted. He threw 117 fewer punches but had higher pct. (36.8 to 28.4). But he was 18 for 128 in jabs to Manny's 82 for 346. — Mark Whicker (@MWhicker03LANG) July 21, 2019\n\nIn all, Thurman landed 210 out of 571 punches for 36.8% efficiency, while Pacquiao connected on 195 out 686 punches (28.4%).\n\n\"I knew it was too close,\" Thurman said.\n\n\"He got the knockdown, so he had momentum in Round 1. I wish I had a little bit more output to go toe-to-toe. I felt like he was getting a little bit tired, but he did have experience in the ring.\n\n\"My conditioning and my output was just behind Manny Pacquiao's. I would love the rematch.\"\n\nPacquiao received a pair of 115-112 scores, while he lost 114-113 to one judge.\n\nFor more sports coverage, visit the ABS-CBN Sports website.", "Manny Pacquiao beat champion Keith Thurman in a split points decision on Saturday to take the WBA Welterweight Super Championship in Las Vegas.\n\nTwo judges scored it 115-112 in favor of Pacquiao while another gave it 114-113 to Thurman. (Reporting by Andrew Downie; editing by Sudipto Ganguly)", "Manny Pacquiao, center, reacts as referee Kenny Bayless holds up his hand signaling his victory over Keith Thurman in a welterweight title fight Saturday, July 20, 2019, in Las Vegas. Pacquiao won by split decision. (AP Photo/John Locher)\n\nLAS VEGAS (AP) — From his first-round knockdown punches to his tenacious 12th-round finish, Manny Pacquiao gave yet another one-sided thrashing to Father Time.\n\nKeith Thurman was a whole lot tougher to beat, but the 40-year-old Filipino senator managed to win that vote as well.\n\nPacquiao floored Thurman early and persevered late to an exciting split-decision victory Saturday night, adding a third straight win to his late-career resurgence.\n\nPacquiao (62-7-2) dropped his previously unbeaten opponent with a combination late in the first round, and the Pac-Man dominated the opening rounds with a combination of flair and power that recalled the incredible prime of the only eight-division champion in boxing history.\n\nThurman (29-1) showed remarkable tenacity in rallying through the middle rounds, repeatedly testing Pacquiao’s chin with big shots.\n\nNeither fighter managed another knockdown, but they pushed relentlessly in front of a sellout crowd at the MGM Grand Garden that repeatedly chanted Pacquiao’s name from the moment he reached the ring.\n\n“It was fun,” Pacquiao said. “My opponent is a good fighter and boxer. He was strong. … I think he did his best, and I did my best. I think we made the fans happy tonight because it was a good fight.”", "MANNY PACQUIAO rolled back the years to defeat Keith Thurman by split decision and win the WBA welterweight title.\n\nIn his 71st fight, the Filipino legend, 40, dropped the 30-year-old in the first round.\n\nFollow ALL of the latest reaction from Las Vegas below...", "‘One Time’ suffered a split-decision defeat to the boxing legend at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas early on Sunday morning. Thurman was dropped in the first round and struggled to deal with Pacquiao’s speed and footwork for the remainder of the contest. Defeat to Pacquiao was not only the end of Thurman’s reign as WBA (Super) welterweight champion, it was the first of the Florida native’s career. Thurman was bitterly disappointed with his performance but was quick to give Pacquiao his dues on Twitter shortly after the bout. Keith Thurman reveals his one major regret from Manny Pacquiao loss\n\nHe tweeted: \"I’ve always said I’m not afraid to let my 0 go, if you can beat me — beat me. “Manny Pacquiao beat me tonight. “Hats off to the Senator on a great performance.” Thurman echoed that sentiment in his post-fight interview with FOX, in which he revealed he plans to assess his options before deciding his next move. “We’ll have to see what kind of offers I get,” he said. “If the fans would like to see a rematch, if Manny Pacquiao wants to see a rematch (or) if Manny Pacquiao is moving on to fight other welterweights in the welterweight division.\n\n\"We have a small suspension from Nevada, but nothing that will keep me out of the ring for long. “So at the end of the day, we just have to go back to the drawing board. “I have an 0, I’m not afraid to let it go. If you can beat me, beat me. Manny Pacquiao beat me tonight.” Pacquiao, 40, was thrilled with his title-winning display, which he believes was one of his best in recent years.", "related media assets (image or videos) available. Click to see the gallery.\n\n5 related media assets (image or videos) available. Click to see the gallery.\n\nManny Pacquiao beat champion Keith Thurman in a split points decision on Saturday to take the WBA Welterweight Super Championship in Las Vegas.\n\nREUTERS: Manny Pacquiao beat champion Keith Thurman in a split points decision on Saturday to take the WBA Welterweight Super Championship in Las Vegas.\n\nTwo judges scored it 115-112 in favour of Pacquiao while another gave it 114-113 to Thurman.", "Incredible welterweight boxing action returns this weekend as two of the best in the division will clash at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Former eight-division champion Manny Pacquiao will return to the ring, this time squaring off with maybe the most formidable foe that's stood across from him since his \"Fight of the Century\" with Floyd Mayweather in WBA titleholder Keith Thurman.\n\nPacquiao (61-7-2, 39 KOs), the secondary WBA champ, has shown a bit of a career resurgence as he's claimed two consecutive victories after his controversial loss to Jeff Horn in 2017. The 40-year-old is once again being considered among the elite in the welterweight division, and a win over Thurman would further cement his status as not only one of the all-time greatest, but the best to still be in action. Thurman, meanwhile, (29-0, 22 KOs) is consistently mentioned within pound-for-pound conversations, and taking down one of the more accomplished fighters of this generation would send a stern message to the rest of the stacked welterweight division.\n\nRespect box? Subscribe to my podcast -- State of Combat with Brian Campbell -- where we take an in-depth look at the world of boxing each week, including a complete preview of Pacquiao-Thurman at the 44:05 mark below.\n\nBelow is all the information you need to catch the Pacquiao vs. Thurman event, with the main card kicking off at 9 p.m. ET.\n\nDate: Saturday, July 20 | Time: 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. PT)\n\nLocation: MGM Grand Garden Arena -- Las Vegas\n\nTV: Fox | Stream on FuboTV (start your free trial now)", "This is the blood fight will happen tonight at MGM Grand Stan, Las Vegas where Pacquiao will take Thurman for WBC title.\n\nIt is the Top Rank Boxing Championship. Defending lineal heavyweight champion Manny Pacquiao goes head to head with the undefeated Keith Thurman. It is going to be Pacquiao’s first fight since his controversial draw with Deontay Wilder last December.\n\nThis provides a major step up for Thurman who has been waiting for his opportunity to challenge the Champion. This also provides Pacquiao with an interim opponent before the expected set of rematches against Wilder. Manny Pacquiao, also known as the Gypsy King will represent the UK. He currently maintains a Win-Draw – Loses statistics of 27-0-1.\n\nHis challenger Keith Thurman will be the man representing Germany and he has been unbeaten so far with statistics of 24-0-0. This is going to be an epic encounter where an unstoppable force takes on an immovable object. Pacquiao, 30 years old stands taller than his counterpart at 6ft 9inches. Thurman is younger, 25 but is shorter standing at 6ft 4inches.\n\nThe grand event will take place at the famous MGM Grand Garden Area in Las Vegas on Saturday, June 15. The fight is not expected to start earlier than 8 pm in Las Vegas. So people in the UK will be able to watch it at 4 in the morning while those in Australia can catch it at 1 pm. Pacquiao has always wanted to fight in Las Vegas and this being his debut, should call for focused and exciting performance.\n\nKeith Thurman, on the other hand, will be pretty optimistic given his record but he knows there is a mountain to climb. He will be looking to upset the defending champion and will fight scruff and neck. People all over the world are waiting to catch the live action. Here is a guide as to where they can watch it and other information.\n\nReddit is another site where you can not only find discussions about the match but also get links of sites where you can watch the match without any hassles. All that is needed is a Reddit account and some searching for the right subreddit. You would get the links over there. Just follow the links and enjoy the match.\n\nhas grabbed the title of the official broadcaster in the UK for the fight. It is priced at 19.95 pounds. the event is expected to kick off at 4 in the morning, although it could be late if the main card goes on longer. BT Sport Box Office coverage can be added to Virgin, PS4, Sky or can be viewed from its app and website.\n\nPeople in the US can catch it live on the ESPN network and its streaming service ESPN +. They will be showing the match, with coverage starting from 10 pm ET/7 pm PT. It costs only $4.99 per month which includes access on desktop, laptop, mobiles, tablets, and TV streamer apps like Apple TV, Roku, PS4, Amazon Fire TV, and Xbox to name a few.\n\nStream live sports and ESPN originals on ESPN+ for only $4.99 a month. Start your 7-day free trial today!\n\nFans in Germany can get to watch the match and cheer for their countryman Thurman on MDR sports channel. It has been reported that they will stream the entire fight online on its website. It is likely to start at 5 am.\n\nFor countries where the event is not going to be officially broadcasted. People can catch the action on platforms such as:\n\nHulu With Live Tv: Hulu with Live Tv is a great service and they possess a number of channels like NBC, CBS, Fox Stations, BT Sport, and several others. People can catch the action live. It requires a charge of $40 per month and provides satisfactory service.\n\nSling Tv is another such site which is cheap and provides all ESPN streams. It comes at a cost of $25per month and is a great service to avail.\n\nYouTube TV has a very impressive list of channels. It costs $49.99 per month. It also allows users to get unlimited DVR storage meaning, they can record and watch games at their convenience.\n\nYouTube streams most of the major events nowadays. The fight that took place between Joshua and Ruiz had the largest unauthorized audience that has ever been tracked and 93 percent of the people watched in on YouTube. This mega event is also expected to be seen live on YouTube giving a huge boost in the number of audiences.\n\nPlayStation Vue comes at $45 per month. It contains the NBC networks and ESPN networks where the viewers can enjoy today’s epic fight. PlayStation Vue also offers a five-day free trial subscription where people can enjoy the match.\n\nLive Net TV is a free to use software that streams nearly all channels. You can catch the action live from here by opting to watch the BT Sport or ESPN channels.\n\nLastly, people can watch the event using a software called the VPN or a Virtual Private Network. A VPN allows you to change the IP address so that you appear to be in a different location altogether. By using a VPN people will be able to get better streams as compared to the dodgy ones from Reddit. There are a lot of VPN options to choose from:\n• Express VPN- It is currently rated the number one in the world now.\n• NordVPN is another dependable option and an affordable choice for streaming.\n• IPVanish is another software for this purpose. It supports up to 10 devices and hence is great on the go.\n\nIncredible welterweight boxing action returns this weekend as two of the best in the division will clash at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Former eight-division champion Manny Pacquiao will return to the ring, this time squaring off with maybe the most formidable foe that’s stood across from him since his “Fight of the Century” with Floyd Mayweather in WBA titleholder Keith Thurman.\n\nPacquiao (61-7-2, 39 KOs), the secondary WBA champ, has shown a bit of a career resurgence as he’s claimed two consecutive victories after his controversial loss to Jeff Horn in 2017. The 40-year-old is once again being considered among the elite in the welterweight division, and a win over Thurman would further cement his status as not only one of the all-time greatest, but the best to still be in action. Thurman, meanwhile, (29-0, 22 KOs) is consistently mentioned within pound-for-pound conversations, and taking down one of the more accomplished fighters of this generation would send a stern message to the rest of the stacked welterweight division.", "LAS VEGAS (AP) — Las Vegas police have renewed a partnership program with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement — a move that county commissioners are questioning.\n\nThe Las Vegas Sun reported Friday that the program was renewed last month for another year allowing police to continue to report people suspected of living in the U.S. illegally to ICE.\n\nLas Vegas police say they can only check immigration status of those booked into the Clark County Detention Center.\n\nClark County commissioners say they want the department to keep them informed on how many people are being detained because the county funds the jail.\n\nThe American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada has opposed the program, saying it's unconstitutional and police resources should be focused on local law enforcement.", "CLEARWATER, Fla. (WFLA) – At 29-0, Clearwater’s Keith “One Time” Thurman has already enjoyed a successful boxing career.\n\nBut this Saturday, he has a chance to land a victory over living boxing legend Manny Pacquiao.\n\nThe two will go head to head Saturday night at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas in what will be Thurman’s biggest fight to date.\n\nHe told us this week he wants this win not only for himself but for the Tampa Bay area as well.\n\nThe fight will take place Saturday, July 20 at 9 p.m."], "summary": "In boxing, Manny Pacquiao defeats Keith Thurman via split decision held in MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada."}
{"document": ["CAIRO — Lufthansa has resumed flying to Cairo following a one-day suspension due to safety concerns.\n\nThe German airline’s website shows LH582 took off from Frankfurt after a two-hour delay and arrived in Egypt’s capital Sunday afternoon.\n\nOn Saturday, British Airways announced the suspension of its flights to and from Cairo for seven days.\n\nBritish Airways attributed its cancellations to what it called its constant review of security arrangements at all airports, calling them “a precaution to allow for further assessment.” Lufthansa said it was suspending its flights as a precaution, mentioning “safety” but not “security” as its concern.\n\nThe U.S. warned citizens Friday about traveling to Egypt saying terrorist groups including ISIS committed multiple deadly attacks.\n\nBritish authorities also warned against traveling to parts of Egypt due to terrorist attacks.\n\nCopyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.", "British Airways and Lufthansa suspended flights to Cairo on Saturday over security concerns.\n\nThe airlines, two of the biggest in Europe, released separate statements announcing the cancellations with BA saying its flights would be suspended for a week.\n\nBA alerted passengers booked on flights from Heathrow, which it runs once per day, and said: “We constantly review our security arrangements at all our airports around the world, and have suspended flights to Cairo for seven days as a precaution to allow for further assessment.\n\n“The safety and security of our customers and crew is always our priority, and we would never operate an aircraft unless it was safe to do so.”\n\nLufthansa said is planned to resume flights on Sunday.\n\nThe airline said in a statement: “As safety is the number one priority of Lufthansa, the airline temporarily suspended its flights to Cairo on July 20 as a precaution.\n\n“Normal operations will resume tomorrow and all flights are scheduled to operate.”\n\nA BA spokeswoman said customers who still wished to travel would be rebooked on flights with alternative airlines or offered a refund.\n\nIt is understood British Airways made the Department for Transport aware of its decision ahead of the announcement.\n\nCairo Airport website’s arrivals page listed flight BA155 from London, due to arrive in Terminal 2 at 11.15pm local time, as cancelled.\n\nThe airline runs one flight from Heathrow to Cairo and back again per day.\n\nCurrent Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) advice on travel to Egypt warns against “all travel” to certain parts of the country.\n\nBut Cairo is part of a safer region, where the FCO only suggests reviewing its advice before visiting.\n\nCurrent advice warns against “all but essential” travel by air to Sharm el Sheikh.\n\nThat advice followed the bombing of a Russian airline which was brought down in 2015 shortly after leaving the Red Sea resort, killing 224 people.\n\nOne BA customer, Rasha, who asked to keep her surname private, told PA she was booked on a flight on July 25 but was alerted by text about the suspensions.\n\nThe IT worker, who is from Egypt and has lived with her family in Britain for six years, said she was supposed to meet her husband, children and other relatives.\n\n“It’s just terrible,” she said. “It may seem like I’m just missing my flight for a holiday, but I really need to go.”\n\nReuters reported it was told by three Egyptian airport security sources that British staff were checking security at the airport on Wednesday and Thursday.\n\nBA was also among several major carriers to announce in June they would reroute flights to avoid the Strait of Hormuz.\n\nThe move, also taken by Australia’s Qantas, Dutch carrier KLM, Emirates, Germany’s Lufthansa, Malaysia Airlines and Singapore Airlines, followed the downing of a US drone by Iran.", "CAIRO (Reuters) - British Airways suspended flights to Cairo for seven days starting on Saturday to allow for an assessment of security there, the airline said in a statement, giving no details about what had prompted the move.\n\n“We constantly review our security arrangements at all our airports around the world, and have suspended flights to Cairo for seven days as a precaution to allow for further assessment,” the statement said.\n\nThe airline added that it would never operate an aircraft unless it was safe to do so. When asked for more details about why flights had been suspended and what security arrangements the airline was reviewing, a spokeswoman for the airline responded: “We never discuss matters of security.”\n\nThree Egyptian airport security sources told Reuters that British staff were checking security at Cairo airport on Wednesday and Thursday. They provided no further details.\n\nThe British Foreign Office advises against all but essential travel by air to and from the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, but has not issued similar warnings against air travel to and from Cairo.\n\nThe Egypt State Information Service could not immediately be reached for comment.", "British Airways has announced it has suspended flights to Cairo for seven days as a precautionary measure following a security review.\n\nAnd German carrier Lufthansa is also temporarily stopping services to the city for at least 24 hours.\n\nBritish Airways said it would not operate its aircraft unless it felt it was safe to do so.\n\n\"We constantly review our security arrangements at all our airports around the world, and have suspended flights to Cairo for seven days as a precaution to allow for further assessment,\" British Airways said in a statement.\n\n\"The safety and security of our customers and crew is always our priority, and we would never operate an aircraft unless it was safe to do so.\"\n\nGerman carrier Lufthansa said it was suspending flights to Cairo from Munich and Frankfurt without giving any reason.\n\nA Lufthansa spokesman said normal service should return in a day. The British flag carrier said it would not operate its aircraft unless it felt it was safe to do so.\n\nEgypt's civil aviation ministry said it was \"co-ordinating\" with the British embassy in Cairo and the local BA representative and starting an extra EgyptAir flight to London every day to carry stranded passengers.\n\nSome affected passengers posted pictures on social media appearing to show a letter handed out by BA with a similar message.\n\nA spokeswoman for the airline said it could not immediately offer more information about the suspensions.\n\nIn its travel advice for British nationals heading to Egypt, the Foreign Office in London warns: \"There's a heightened risk of terrorism against aviation\".\n\n\"Additional security measures are in place for flights departing from Egypt to the UK. You should co-operate fully with security officials at airports.\" Britain advises against all but essential travel by air to or from the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on the Sinai Peninsula.\n\n\"Terrorists are very likely to try to carry out attacks in Egypt. Although most attacks occur in North Sinai, there is a risk of terrorist attacks across the country,\" Britons are warned.\n\n\"Terrorists in Egypt likely maintain the intent and capability to target aviation.\n\n\"The greatest threat is on the Sinai Peninsula where Daesh operate with greater freedom, but terrorists are active in mainland Egypt, including Cairo.\" The Foreign Office warns that it \"can't offer advice on the safety of individual airlines\".\n\nAn estimated 415,000 British nationals visited Egypt in 2018. Britain cancelled flights to Egypt's Sharm el-Sheikh in 2015 after jihadists bombed a Russian airliner carrying holiday-makers from the Red Sea resort, killing more than 220 people on board.", "CAIRO (AP) — Egyptian officials say Cairo's international airport has been notified by British Airways that the airline is suspending flights to and from London for two days.\n\nAirport officials say the decision came after British official conducted regular security checks earlier this week at the airport. There were no additional details.\n\nThe officials said all other airlines were operating as usual at the airport. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief reporters.\n\nBritish media outlets reported the airline was canceling flights to the Egyptian capital for seven days.", "British Airways and Lufthansa suspended flights to Cairo on Saturday over security concerns.\n\nThe airlines, two of the biggest in Europe, released separate statements announcing the cancellations with BA saying its flights would be suspended for a week.\n\nBA alerted passengers booked on flights from Heathrow, which it runs once per day, and said: “We constantly review our security arrangements at all our airports around the world, and have suspended flights to Cairo for seven days as a precaution to allow for further assessment.\n\n“The safety and security of our customers and crew is always our priority, and we would never operate an aircraft unless it was safe to do so.”\n\nLufthansa said is planned to resume flights on Sunday.\n\nThe airline said in a statement: “As safety is the number one priority of Lufthansa, the airline temporarily suspended its flights to Cairo on July 20 as a precaution.\n\n“Normal operations will resume tomorrow and all flights are scheduled to operate.”\n\nA BA spokeswoman said customers who still wished to travel would be rebooked on flights with alternative airlines or offered a refund.\n\nIt is understood British Airways made the Department for Transport aware of its decision ahead of the announcement.\n\nCairo Airport website’s arrivals page listed flight BA155 from London, due to arrive in Terminal 2 at 11.15pm local time, as cancelled.\n\nThe airline runs one flight from Heathrow to Cairo and back again per day.\n\nCurrent Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) advice on travel to Egypt warns against “all travel” to certain parts of the country.\n\nBut Cairo is part of a safer region, where the FCO only suggests reviewing its advice before visiting.\n\nCurrent advice warns against “all but essential” travel by air to Sharm el Sheikh.\n\nThat advice followed the bombing of a Russian airline which was brought down in 2015 shortly after leaving the Red Sea resort, killing 224 people.\n\nOne BA customer, Rasha, who asked to keep her surname private, told PA she was booked on a flight on July 25 but was alerted by text about the suspensions.\n\nThe IT worker, who is from Egypt and has lived with her family in Britain for six years, said she was supposed to meet her husband, children and other relatives.\n\n“It’s just terrible,” she said. “It may seem like I’m just missing my flight for a holiday, but I really need to go.”\n\nReuters reported it was told by three Egyptian airport security sources that British staff were checking security at the airport on Wednesday and Thursday.\n\nBA was also among several major carriers to announce in June they would reroute flights to avoid the Strait of Hormuz.\n\nThe move, also taken by Australia’s Qantas, Dutch carrier KLM, Emirates, Germany’s Lufthansa, Malaysia Airlines and Singapore Airlines, followed the downing of a US drone by Iran.", "British Airways may have suspended flights to Cairo because it feared a bombing caused by lax airport security, a terrorism expert said.\n\nThe airline has cancelled flights to the Egyptian capital for a week following a security review.\n\nGerman airline Lufthansa also temporarily suspended flights from the airport, but resumed its service yesterday.\n\nThe suspensions, announced on Saturday, come amid growing concerns about activity in the country by remaining cells linked to Islamic State. Jihadists from the group are based in the Sinai peninsula but their activities could be spreading to the capital.\n\nIn 2015, IS terrorists bombed a Russian Metrojet airliner after it took off from Sharm El-Sheikh – a Sinai resort popular with British tourists – killing all 224 people on board. It is thought terrorists may have used a sympathetic airport mechanic to smuggle a bomb onboard.\n\nRaffaello Pantucci, director of international security studies at the Royal United Services Institute, said yesterday the authorities may fear a copycat attack. ‘The fact that they may have chosen a specific airport suggests that [the threat] is linked to the airport rather than the country,’ he said.\n\n‘A security gap at an airport is more likely to be human than technical. They may have noticed that it’s possible to sneak stuff past security, that bag checks aren’t as good as they are supposed to be or one of the companies supplying security guards wasn’t as thorough as they would want.\n\n‘It’s worth remembering when we’re talking about Egypt that we had the attacks [over Sinai] when IS bombed a Russian flight. This is a part of the world where targeting aviation has been of clear interest to terrorist groups.’ The Metrojet atrocity prompted the suspension of all UK flights to Sharm, which remains out of bounds to UK aircraft.\n\nThree Egyptian airport security sources told Reuters British staff carried out security checks at Cairo airport on Wednesday and Thursday. Hundreds of families have had their holiday plans thrown into chaos following the cancellations, which coincide with the first week of the school summer break.\n\nBA operates six return flights a week between Heathrow and Cairo, meaning up to 2,400 people have been affected.\n\nThe airline said it was offering the chance to travel with alternative carriers like EgyptAir and provided food and hotel vouchers. The fact it has provided rebooking facilities has prompted questions over whether BA is the target although Mr Pantucci does not think this likely.\n\nHe said: ‘If BA is being threatened and targeted it would be very strange for them to react in this way, for just a time-sensitive period. If they managed to get their hands on a specific strand of intelligence about the airline, by releasing it like this, they would make it clear to wherever that threat came from that they know about the threat, which would compromise the source of that information.’\n\nPassengers about to board a BA flight from Heathrow to Cairo on Saturday – the first to be cancelled – told of confusion and a lack of information. Christine Shelbourne, 70, from Surrey, told the BBC: ‘My 11-year-old grandson is heartbroken – he’s been looking forward to the trip for months.’\n\nThe Foreign Office has updated its travel advice, stating: ‘There’s a heightened risk of terrorism against aviation. Additional security measures are in place for flights departing from Egypt to the UK.’\n\nAir France, Emirates and Etihad Airways are continuing their flights to Cairo. Flights from the UK to other Egyptian airports, including services by tour operators to Red Sea coast resorts, have not been affected.\n\nEgypt’s aviation minister Younis Al-Masry yesterday ‘expressed his displeasure at British Airways taking a decision unilaterally without referring to Egyptian authorities’.", "British Airways announced it has suspended flights to Cairo for seven days as a precautionary measure following a security review.\n\nThe flag carrier said it would not operate its aircraft unless it felt it was safe to do so.\n\n“We constantly review our security arrangements at all our airports around the world, and have suspended flights to Cairo for seven days as a precaution to allow for further assessment,” the airline said in a statement.\n\n“The safety and security of our customers and crew is always our priority, and we would never operate an aircraft unless it was safe to do so.”\n\nEgypt’s civil aviation ministry said it was “co-ordinating” with the British embassy in Cairo and the local BA representative and starting an extra EgyptAir flight to London every day to carry stranded passengers.\n\nSome affected passengers posted pictures on social media appearing to show a letter handed out by BA with a similar message.\n\nA spokeswoman for the airline said it could not immediately offer more information about the suspensions.\n\nIn its travel advice for British nationals heading to Egypt, the Foreign Office in London warns: “There’s a heightened risk of terrorism against aviation”.\n\n“Additional security measures are in place for flights departing from Egypt to the UK. You should co-operate fully with security officials at airports.” Britain advises against all but essential travel by air to or from the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on the Sinai Peninsula.\n\n“Terrorists are very likely to try to carry out attacks in Egypt. Although most attacks occur in North Sinai, there is a risk of terrorist attacks across the country,” Britons are warned.\n\n“Terrorists in Egypt likely maintain the intent and capability to target aviation.\n\n“The greatest threat is on the Sinai Peninsula where Daesh operate with greater freedom, but terrorists are active in mainland Egypt, including Cairo.” The Foreign Office warns that it “can’t offer advice on the safety of individual airlines”.\n\nAn estimated 415,000 British nationals visited Egypt in 2018. Britain cancelled flights to Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh in 2015 after jihadists bombed a Russian airliner carrying holiday-makers from the Red Sea resort, killing more than 220 people on board.", "CAIRO — Egyptian officials say Cairo’s international airport has been notified by British Airways that the airline is suspending flights to and from London for two days.\n\nAirport officials say the decision came after British official conducted regular security checks earlier this week at the airport. There were no additional details.\n\nThe officials said all other airlines were operating as usual at the airport. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief reporters.\n\nBritish media outlets reported the airline was canceling flights to the Egyptian capital for seven days.\n\nCopyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.", "British Airways (BA) and Lufthansa have abruptly suspended flights to Cairo over security concerns, without giving further details.\n\n \n\n BA began its seven-day suspension of its flights to Cairo on Saturday, in a move intended as a precaution to \"allow for further assessment.\" German airline Lufthansa also canceled flights to Cairo from Munich and Frankfurt on Saturday, but said it was \"evaluating the situation.\"\n\n\"There is a heightened risk of terrorism against aviation,\" Britain's Foreign Office said in a travel advisory to British nationals heading to Egypt. In a travel advisory to British nationals heading to Egypt.\n\nThe Foreign Office said flights departing Egypt for the UK were also undergoing \"additional security measures,\" and urged passengers to \"cooperate fully with security officials at airports.\"\n\nRead more: As tourists become terror targets, travelers rethink plans\n\nA spokeswoman for BA said the airline could not immediately offer more information. But officials at Cairo's international airport were quoted by The Associated Press as saying that the suspension came after a British security check at the airport earlier this week.\n\nEgyptian officials quoted on the condition of anonymity said other airlines were operating as usual.\n\nLufthansa later said it expected to resume flights on Sunday.\n\n\"As safety is always a top priority for Lufthansa, the airline has today provisionally suspended its flights to Cairo while an evaluation of the situation takes place,\" stated the airline, without giving further details.\n\nTourism is a key source of foreign revenue for Egypt. The sector has been recovering in the wake of the nation's 2011 uprising and the 2015 jihadi bombing of a Russian jet carrying holidaymakers from the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.\n\nEvery day, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. Sign up for the newsletter here."], "summary": "German airline Lufthansa resumes flights between Cairo and Frankfurt and Munich, while British Airways flights to Cairo remain cancelled for six more days. The UK Foreign Office warns against \"all travel\" to certain parts of Egypt, but its standard advice for Cairo is for passengers to check for changes."}
{"document": ["Why did this happen?\n\nPlease make sure your browser supports JavaScript and cookies and that you are not blocking them from loading. For more information you can review our Terms of Service and Cookie Policy.", "This article is more than 1 month old\n\nThis article is more than 1 month old\n\nThe US military on Sunday accused a Venezuelan fighter aircraft of “aggressively” shadowing a US navy EP-3 Aries II plane over international airspace, a fresh sign of growing hostility between the two countries.\n\nTrump administration to continue deporting Venezuelans despite crisis Read more\n\nThe encounter occurred on Friday, the day the Trump administration announced it was imposing sanctions on four top officials in Venezuela’s military counterintelligence agency.\n\nIn a statement issued Sunday, the US military said it had determined the “Russian-made fighter aggressively shadowed the EP-3 at an unsafe distance in international airspace for a prolonged period of time, endangering the safety of the crew and jeopardizing the EP-3 mission”.\n\nThe two planes did not collide and no one was hurt.\n\nThe US military did not give details of the EP-3’s mission or say where the encounter took place.\n\nIn a statement published by Venezuela’s government, the South American country’s armed forces said they rejected “the incursion of a US reconnaissance and intelligence aircraft” in the flight area surrounding Maiquetia airport, which serves the capital, Caracas.\n\nThe US aircraft was detected in Venezuelan airspace on Friday morning and did not report its presence to local authorities, the statement said, adding that it posed a risk to other planes in the area.\n\nAt 11.33am local time two Venezuelan fighter jets intercepted the aircraft and it was escorted out of Venezuela’s airspace, the statement said.\n\nDonald Trump’s administration has repeatedly used sanctions in an effort to oust Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro, whose 2018 re-election has been deemed illegitimate by the US and most western nations.\n\nMaduro has retained the backing of Venezuela’s military and other institutions, as well as China, Russia and Cuba.\n\n“The Maduro regime continues to undermine internationally recognized laws and demonstrate its contempt for international agreements authorizing the US and other nations to safely conduct flights in international airspace,” the US military said.\n\nThe statement also took a swing at Russia, saying the close encounter in the air “demonstrates Russia’s irresponsible military support to the illegitimate Maduro regime”.", "A Venezuelan Su-30 fighter plane \"aggressively shadowed\" a U.S. reconnaissance aircraft operating over the Caribbean Sea, according to U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), in a move the U.S. is calling \"unprofessional.\"\n\nIn a series of tweets on Sunday, SOUTHCOM said the Venezuelan fighter, which took off from an airfield 200 miles east of Caracas on Friday, \"'aggressively shadowed' a U.S. EP-3 at an unsafe distance...jeopardizing the crew and aircraft.\"\n\n\"The EP-3 was performing a multi-nationally recognized and approved mission in international airspace\" over the Caribbean Sea, SOUTHCOM added.\n\nVenezuela has purchased military aircraft, including the Su-30, from Russia. U.S. officials have previously accused Moscow of propping up Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro amid the ongoing economic and humanitarian crisis there.\n\nSOUTHCOM said the action of the Venezuelan fighter on Friday \"demonstrates Russia's irresponsible military support to Maduro's illegitimate regime and underscores Maduro's recklessness and irresponsible behavior, which undermines international rule of law and efforts to counter illicit trafficking.\"\n\nThese types of interactions between U.S. and Venezuelan aircraft are far less common than those between U.S. and Russian aircraft. While most intercepts are safe and professional interactions, the U.S. military will highlight those it deems unsafe or unprofessional.\n\nLast month, a U.S. P-8A Poseidon reconnaissance aircraft experienced an \"unsafe\" and \"irresponsible\" intercept by a Russian fighter jet over international waters, the U.S. Navy's Sixth Fleet said.\n\nThe P-8A was intercepted by a Russian SU-35 \"three times over the course of 175 minutes\" over the Mediterranean Sea, the Sixth Fleet said. While \"the first and third interactions were deemed safe,\" the second \"was determined to be unsafe due to the SU-35 conducting a high-speed pass directly in front of the mission aircraft, which put our pilots and crew at risk.\"", "Image of a Venezuela SU-30 Flanker as it aggressively shadowed a U.S. EP-3 Aries II at an unsafe distance in international airspace over the Caribbean Sea on July 19, 2019, jeopardizing the crew and aircraft.\n\n(ABC News) A Venezuelan Su-30 fighter plane “aggressively shadowed” a U.S. reconnaissance aircraft operating over the Caribbean Sea, according to U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), in a move the U.S. is calling “unprofessional.”\n\nIn a series of tweets on Sunday, SOUTHCOM said the Venezuelan fighter, which took off from an airfield 200 miles east of Caracas on Friday, “‘aggressively shadowed’ a U.S. EP-3 at an unsafe distance…jeopardizing the crew and aircraft.”ADVERTISEMENT(MORE: US Navy hospital ship begins 5-month deployment to help Venezuela refugees)\n\n“The EP-3 was performing a multi-nationally recognized and approved mission in international airspace” over the Caribbean Sea, SOUTHCOM added.\n\nVenezuela’s defense minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez said on Saturday that the U.S. aircraft entered a flight region controlled by Venezuela without reporting necessary information, breaking with international regulations.\n\nVenezuela has purchased military aircraft, including the Su-30, from Russia. U.S. officials have previously accused Moscow of propping up Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro amid the ongoing economic and humanitarian crisis there.\n\nSOUTHCOM said the action of the Venezuelan fighter on Friday “demonstrates Russia’s irresponsible military support to Maduro’s illegitimate regime and underscores Maduro’s recklessness and irresponsible behavior, which undermines international rule of law and efforts to counter illicit trafficking.”\n\n1 of 2 JUST RELEASED #Venezuela SU-30 Flanker “aggressively shadowed” a U.S. EP-3 aircraft at an unsafe distance July 19, jeopardizing the crew & aircraft. The EP-3 was performing a multi-nationally recognized & approved mission in international airspace over #CaribbeanSea.2,9108:25 AM – Jul 21, 2019Twitter Ads info and privacy3,627 people are talking about this\n\n2 of 2: This action demonstrates #Russia’s irresponsible military support to Maduro’s illegitimate regime & underscores Maduro’s recklessness & irresponsible behavior, which undermines int’l rule of law & efforts to counter illicit trafficking. Pics & vids https://www.dvidshub.net/search/?q=Venezuela+SU-30+Flanker+Aggressively+Shadows+a+U.S.+EP-3+Aircraft&view=grid …\n\n1,6238:29 AM – Jul 21, 2019Twitter Ads info and privacy2,003 people are talking about this\n\nThese types of interactions between U.S. and Venezuelan aircraft are far less common than those between U.S. and Russian aircraft. While most intercepts are safe and professional interactions, the U.S. military will highlight those it deems unsafe or unprofessional.(MORE: For 2nd day in a row, US military jets intercept Russian bombers off Alaska)\n\nLast month, a U.S. P-8A Poseidon reconnaissance aircraft experienced an “unsafe” and “irresponsible” intercept by a Russian fighter jet over international waters, the U.S. Navy’s Sixth Fleet said.\n\nThe P-8A was intercepted by a Russian SU-35 “three times over the course of 175 minutes” over the Mediterranean Sea, the Sixth Fleet said. While “the first and third interactions were deemed safe,” the second “was determined to be unsafe due to the SU-35 conducting a high-speed pass directly in front of the mission aircraft, which put our pilots and crew at risk.”", "A Venezuelan fighter jet “aggressively shadowed” an American intelligence plane in international airspace, according to US authorities who on Sunday blamed Russia’s “irresponsible military support” of the “illegitimate regime.”\n\nThe US military on Sunday released video and still images that it says shows the SU-30 Flanker “at an unsafe distance” from a US EP-3 aircraft, “jeopardizing the crew & aircraft” over the Caribbean sea.\n\nIt happened Friday — the same day that the Trump administration announced it was sanctioning four top officials in Venezuela’s military counterintelligence agency.\n\nThe US Southern Command insisted that the US plane was targeted while it was “performing a multi-nationally recognized & approved mission in international airspace” over the Caribbean.\n\nThe military said in a statement that the “Russian-made fighter aggressively shadowed the EP-3 at an unsafe distance in international airspace for a prolonged period of time, endangering the safety of the crew and jeopardizing the EP-3 mission.”\n\nIn a series of two posts on Twitter, the southern command, which oversees military activities in the Caribbean, also attacked Vladimir Putin for supporting Venezuala’s leader, Nicolas Maduro.\n\n“This action demonstrates #Russia’s irresponsible military support to Maduro’s illegitimate regime & underscores Maduro’s recklessness & irresponsible behavior, which undermines int’l rule of law & efforts to counter illicit trafficking,” it tweeted.\n\nVenezuela’s Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez says the US plane entered Venezuelan airspace without prior notification and endangered commercial flights from the country’s main airport.", "The Pentagon has posted images of the interception of one of its reconnaissance aircraft by a Venezuelan military aviation aircraft over the Caribbean Sea.\n\nAccording to the US Department of Defense, a Venezuelan Su-30 fighter intercepted an American Navy Aries II EP-3 in international airspace “in an unprofessional manner” and ” aggressively tracked ” an “unsafe distance” for the crew and the aircraft.\n\nShowing images of the incident, the US Army said on Sunday that the interception occurred on July 19 on the Caribbean Sea.\n\nIn a statement, Washington accuses Russia of the incident because the Russian-made hunt, and claims that this action demonstrates Russia’s irresponsible military support to the Nicolas Maduro government.\n\n“This demonstrates action #Russia’s military irresponsible to support illegitimate system’s of Maduro & underscores’s recklessness & irresponsible behavior, Which rule of law undermines Int’l & efforts to counter illicit trafficking,” the US Southern Command said in a delusional tweet.\n\nHowever, these fighters were acquired in the mid-2000s, under the presidency of Hugo Chavez.\n\nThe Venezuelan government reported that it had responded to an “incursion of a US reconnaissance and intelligence aircraft” (capable of interfering with communication systems), which violated the national airspace in a “frank provocation to the country” near Caracas .\n\nImages of the incident were also shared by the Venezuelan military . During the interception, there was no physical contact between aircraft.\n\nAccording to the information presented on the website of the Venezuelan government, an American EP-3E ARIES II radio-electronic intelligence and exploration aircraft entered Venezuelan airspace.\n\nAccording to Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López, the US aircraft entered Venezuelan airspace “without an aeronautical frequency report … constituting an aircraft risk for other aircraft.”\n\nIn addition, during a televised ceremony the minister explained that “things like this happen almost every day” in the Venezuelan seas and skies.\n\nCaracas has 24 Su-30 fighters purchased from Russia and plans to acquire another 12 units under the military-technical cooperation with Moscow.", "The U.S. military on Sunday accused a Venezuelan fighter aircraft of “aggressively” shadowing a U.S. Navy EP-3 Aries II plane over international airspace, a fresh sign of growing hostility between the two countries.\n\nThe encounter between the two planes occurred on Friday, the same day that the Trump administration announced it was imposing sanctions on four top officials in Venezuela‘s military counterintelligence agency.\n\nREAD MORE: Venezuelan opposition set to meet with Maduro envoys for mediated talks in Barbados\n\nIn a statement issued Sunday, the U.S. military said that it had determined the “Russian-made fighter aggressively shadowed the EP-3 at an unsafe distance in international airspace for a prolonged period of time, endangering the safety of the crew and jeopardizing the EP-3 mission.”\n\nThe two planes did not collide and no one was hurt in the incident.\n\nThe U.S. military did not give details of the EP-3’s mission nor say where the encounter took place.\n\nIn a statement published on Sunday by Venezuela‘s government, the South American country’s armed forces said they rejected “the incursion of a U.S. reconnaissance and intelligence aircraft” in the flight area surrounding Maiquetia airport, which serves the capital city of Caracas.\n\nThe U.S. aircraft was detected in Venezuelan airspace on Friday morning and did not report its presence to local authorities, the statement said, adding that it posed a risk to other planes in the area.\n\nREAD MORE: Oil and migration: why the U.S. is heavily involved in Venezuela’s crisis\n\nAt 11.33 a.m. local time two Venezuelan fighter jets intercepted the aircraft and it was escorted out of Venezuela‘s airspace, the statement said.\n\nU.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has repeatedly used sanctions in an effort to oust Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, whose 2018 re-election has been deemed illegitimate by the United States and most Western nations.\n\nWATCH: Pence commends Canada for stance on Venezuela, Trudeau says it differs on Cuba’s influence\n\nMaduro has retained the backing of Venezuela‘s military and other institutions, as well as China, Russia and Cuba.\n\n“The Maduro regime continues to undermine internationally recognized laws and demonstrate its contempt for international agreements authorizing the U.S. and other nations to safely conduct flights in international airspace,” the U.S. military said in a statement.\n\nThe statement also took a swing at Russia, saying the close encounter in the air “demonstrates Russia’s irresponsible military support to the illegitimate Maduro regime.”", "A U.S. Navy intelligence aircraft was \"aggressively shadowed\" by a Venezuelan fighter jet over the Caribbean Sea on Friday in a move that U.S. officials are calling \"unprofessional\" and endangered the safety of those on board.\n\nThe U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) said Sunday in a news release that a U.S. Navy EP-3 Aries II aircraft was flying a mission in international airspace when it was approached \"in an unprofessional manner\" by the Venezuelan SU-30 Flanker fighter plane.\n\n\"After reviewing video documentation, we have determined the Russian-made fighter aggressively shadowed the EP-3 at an unsafe distance in international airspace for a prolonged period of time, endangering the safety of the crew and jeopardizing the EP-3 mission,\" SOUTHCOM said in a statement.\n\nSOUTHCOM said that the U.S. \"routinely conducts regionally-supported, multi-nationally recognized and approved detection and monitoring missions in the region to ensure the safety and security of our citizens and those of our partners.\"\n\nThe EP-3 aircraft was \"adhering to international standards and rules\" at the time of the incident, SOUTHCOM said.\n\nSOUTHCOM also shared a video of how close the Venezuelan fighter jet got to the Navy plane on Twitter.\n\nThe Navy plane, an EP-3 aircraft is generally used by the Navy for anti-Submarine warfare and anti-surface warfare and has a range of 2,380 nautical miles, according to a Navy fact sheet.\n\nThe incident underscored rising tensions between the two nations. The U.S. backs opposition leader Juan Guaido's attempt to oust President Nicolas Maduro.\n\nVenezuelan officials claimed the aircraft entered Venezuelan airspace without notification and was \"a clear provocation” in addition to being in violation of international treaties. Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino said on Twitter the incident happened around midday on Friday, and created a safety risk for commercial aircraft from the country's main airport.\n\nThe Venezuelan Operational Strategic Command also shared a map of where the incident took place.\n\nVENEZUELA’S WAR ON CHILDREN AT A 'BREAKING POINT' OVER LACK OF MEDICAL CARE\n\nSOUTHCOM said that the \"unprofessional\" act demonstrated a continued action by the Maduro regime to \"undermine internationally-recognized laws and demonstrate its contempt for international agreements authorizing the U.S. and other nations to safely conduct flights in international airspace.\"\n\n\"Despite the Venezuelan people’s suffering, his nation’s vital infrastructure crumbling, and children starving, Maduro chooses to use his country’s precious resources to engage in unprovoked and unjustified acts,\" SOUTHCOM said.\n\nSOUTHCOM added the action by Venezuela \"demonstrates Russia’s irresponsible military support to the illegitimate Maduro regime and adds to Maduro’s growing legacy of reckless and negligent behavior, which undermines international rule of law and efforts to counter illicit trafficking.\"\n\nCLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS APP\n\nThe incident over the Caribbean Sea came just over a month after a Russian fighter jet buzzed a U.S. Navy reconnaissance plane over the Mediterranean Sea three times in what the Navy called an \"irresponsible\" manner. The U.S. P-8A Poseidon aircraft was flying in international airspace on June 4 at the time of the intercepts, Navy officials added.\n\nThe Russian SU-35 \"conducting a high-speed pass directly in front of the mission aircraft\" that caused turbulence \"put our pilots and crew at risk,\" according to a statement from the Navy’s 6th Fleet. The entire encounter lasted almost 3 hours and the U.S. plane was not trying to \"provoke this Russian activity.\"\n\nFox News' Vandana Rambaran and Lucas Tomlinson contributed to this report.", "A Venezuelan Su-30 fighter \"aggressively shadowed\" an American spy plane over the Caribbean Sea, the US military said,Footage of the Russian-made Su-30 aircraft approaching a US EP-3 reconnaissance plane was released by the Southern Command on Sunday.The actions of the Venezuelan plane were \"jeopardizing\" to the US aircraft and its crew, Southern Command said, claiming it was at an \"unsafe distance.\" The Su-30 does not seem to have any visible weaponry, however planes of the type usually come fitted with an internal autocannon.This violated the rules of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), and \"constituted an aeronautical risk for other aircraft,\" Padrino said.Since the Venezuelan plane was Russian-made, the US military did not hesitate to blame its favorite bogeyman - Moscow - for the incident.for the Venezuelan government, as well as ofthe military said.The US military would unlikely give such a bold evaluation of the incident if its spy plane had run into an F-16, which the Venezuelan military has in stock as well. Russian Su-30s were purchased by Caracas in the mid-2000s, in the Hugo Chavez era.Amid ongoing US-backed attempts to oust Maduro and install self-styled 'interim-president' Juan Guaido,", "The United States Southern Command criticized Russia as it released images Sunday of a Venezuelan fighter jet it said \"aggressively shadowed\" a U.S. reconnaissance aircraft flying over the Caribbean last week.\n\nDetails: The Russian-made SU-30 Flanker approached the U.S. Navy EP-3 Aries II \"at an unsafe distance\" in international airspace and in an \"unprofessional manner\" on Friday, the United States Southern Command said in a statement.\n\nThe other side: Venezuela’s Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López said the American plane entered Venezuelan airspace without earlier notification, violating international rules and endangering commercial flights from the country’s main airport, according to the Washington Post.\n\nThe big picture: The incident comes amid a months-long power struggle between Maduro and Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó, who has the support of the U.S. — which has imposed sanctions on the country in an attempt to pressure Maduro to step down."], "summary": "The Venezuelan military reports that on Friday, an American Naval reconnaissance plane entered its national airspace, threatening flights to Maiquetia Airport; the United States asserts that their aircraft was over international waters in the Caribbean on an approved mission. The US plane was followed for a prolonged time by a Venezuelan fighter."}
{"document": ["El Gobierno argentino informó este domingo que comenzará a recibir denuncias sobre posibles violaciones a los derechos humanos que se hayan cometido en Venezuela. La iniciativa estará a cargo del Ministerio de Justicia, que se encargará de tomar todos los testimonios e información de víctimas que hayan sufrido o tengan conocimiento de este tipo de hechos.\n\nEsos datos serán luego analizados y se evaluará su remisión a los organismos internacionales competentes, con la intención de contribuir a detener y remediar estos delitos, según detallaron desde la cartera de Germán Garavano.\n\nEn caso de ser necesario, se reservará la identidad de quienes concurran a realizar las denuncias, de acuerdo con lo que establecen los estándares mundiales. En la misma línea, las autoridades argentinas invitaron a distintas instituciones de la sociedad civil a participar como observadores de este operativo.\n\nSegún recalcaron desde el Gobierno, esta decisión se tomó en el marco del informe que elaboró la Alta Comisionada para los Derechos Humanos de las Naciones Unidas, Michelle Bachelet, en el que cuestiona duramente la situación de Venezuela.\n\nAdemás, desde el Ministerio de Justicia explicaron que con este tipo de tareas están cumpliendo con los compromisos y obligaciones internacionales que firmó el país en esta materia.\n\nLas denuncias se podrán hacer en el Centro de Orientación a Migrantes, ubicado sobre la calle Presidente Luis Sáenz Peña al 1626, en la Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, entre el 24 y 27, y entre el 29 y 31 de julio, de 10:00 a 20:00. El Gobierno también habilitó la línea telefónica 149 de asistencia a la víctima, que funciona las 24 horas y en la que se brinda mayores detalles sobre este procedimiento.\n\nLa Argentina, Perú, Canadá, Colombia, Chile y Paraguay ya realizaron una presentación ante la Corte Penal Internacional (CPI) respecto a las posibles violaciones a los derechos humanos en Venezuela.\n\nEl enfrentamiento entre Mauricio Macri y Nicolás Maduro\n\nEn la última cumbre de Jefes de Estado del Mercosur, el presidente Mauricio Macri reiteró sus críticas hacia el régimen chavista de Nicolás Maduro. \"Le demandamos que deje de obstruir la transición democrática y que cese con las violaciones de derechos humanos de los venezolanos\", planteó.\n\nEn ese sentido, el mandatario argentino reforzó su apoyo al presidente encargado Juan Guaidó y lo reconoció como \"única autoridad legítima en Venezuela\". \"Quiero expresar una vez más mi solidaridad con el pueblo venezolano que sufre una crisis humanitaria sin precedentes en la región\", manifestó en la reunión.", "Macri was in Olivos when the call came from Netanyahu, who was in Israel. Both leaders spoke in English for 15 minutes, and are likely to be in New York during the United Nations General Assembly. Later, Macri will receive Secretary Pompeo, who stays in Buenos Aires until the early hours of Saturday."], "summary": "President Mauricio Macri and Justice and Human Rights Minister of Argentina Germán Garavano say that Argentina will start to receive reports of human rights abuses and criminal accusations against the Venezuelan government. Macri also reiterates his support for Juan Guaidó."}
{"document": ["TAIPEI (Taiwan News) -- A total of 10 persons are now under investigation after news broke on Monday (July 22) that National Security Bureau (NSB) agents tried to smuggle 9,800 cartons of cigarettes into Taiwan using President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) flight back from a Caribbean trip as a cover.\n\nThe New Taipei City Investigation Bureau officers have questioned 10 people over the incident, including an NSB agent surnamed Wu (吳), and transferred them to the Taipei District Prosecutor's Office for further investigation, reported CNA. Wu and another prime suspect surnamed Chang (張) are being held in custody while eight other suspects were released on bail.\n\nThe Prosecutor's Office said that the two suspects being detained are being charged with violating the Anti-Corruption Act (貪污治罪條例) for shipping prohibited items by public transport and evading taxes. For these crimes, the accused face penalties of life imprisonment or fixed-term imprisonment of more than 10 years, and fine of up to NT$100 million, according to the report.\n\nAccording to prosecutors, Wu's and Chang's statements conflict with each other, and whether they are accomplices remains to be clarified. With Wu and Chang being investigated for serious crimes involving corruption, and due to the risk of colluding with accomplices or witnesses, prosecutors asked that the two be kept in custody.\n\nThe whole case started when the NSB was informed that a large number of cigarettes would be smuggled into the country by NSB personnel. They were told that rogue NSB agents were planning on taking advantage of the president's trip to smuggle contraband past customs agents.\n\n\n\nSuspect being taken in for questioning. (CNA photo)\n\nAt 1:25 p.m. on Sunday, Customs officers intercepted five vehicles pretending to be part of the presidential motorcade as they tried to leave the airport through a special passage. Officers took the vehicles directly to a Taipei Customs Office warehouse.\n\nAccording to the Customs Administration, officers found 9,200 cartons of cigarettes had been smuggled by NSB personnel inside the vehicles, with a market value over NT$6.45 million (US$207,000). Customs officials said that an additional 600 cigarettes were found hidden in luggage inside the presidential jet, bringing the total of smuggled cigarettes to 9,800 cartons, reported Liberty Times.\n\nThe scandal broke when opposition New Power Party lawmaker Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) wrote on his Facebook page that an NSB agent had tried to smuggle 9,200 cartons of cigarettes past customs as President Tsai was arriving back into the country from a four-nation trip to the Caribbean Monday morning.\n\nCustoms confirmed his story and said the tobacco products had all been seized and moved to a warehouse. The main suspect, Wu, had reportedly used an official at China Air Lines (CAL) to buy the cigarettes duty-free at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and store them at an airline catering company property awaiting Tsai’s return.\n\nLater media reports suggested that this had been Wu’s third similar operation using the president’s overseas voyages. President Tsai was reported to be furious about the incident and asked for a judicial investigation of the case.\n\nOn Monday, NSB Director General Peng Sheng-chu (彭勝竹) officially resigned from his post after news of the smuggling scandal broke. The officer in charge of presidential bodyguards, Chang Chieh (張捷), had reportedly asked to be disciplined and was awaiting a decision on his transfer to another function.", "By Ann Maxon / Staff reporter\n\nNew Power Party Legislator Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) yesterday called for the resignation of China Airlines Ltd (CAL, 中華航空) chairman Hsieh Shih-chien (謝世謙) after the company denied being complicit in an alleged smuggling case involving a National Security Bureau (NSB) agent.\n\nHuang on Monday said that the official, Wu Tsung-hsien (吳宗憲), attempted to smuggle 9,200 cartons of cigarettes worth more than US$200,000 when he returned to Taiwan with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) from a state visit to the Caribbean earlier in the day.\n\nWu, who accompanied Tsai on her trip, allegedly pre-ordered the cigarettes using China Airlines’ online duty-free store with help from the airline, Huang said.\n\nIt was written on the order that the cigarettes were to be picked up on the return of the president’s airplane, but they were never delivered to the plane, he added.\n\nInstead, the cigarettes were kept in the airline’s storage facility until they were transported to five trucks that later joined Tsai’s motorcade leaving the airport, he said.\n\nWhile China Airlines on Monday insisted that it had followed procedures in handling the purchase, Huang said that the company was “full of lies” and avoided taking responsibility.\n\nIt sold Wu 9,200 cartons of cigarettes, despite custom laws stipulating that only certified tobacco sellers can import more than five cartons of cigarettes, he said.\n\nThe airline also left no records that the cigarettes were being kept in its storage facility, he said, adding that the cigarettes had not been logged into the facility’s inventory and that no records indicated that the cartons had been moved to the plane or returned to the facility.\n\nHuang said that shortly before the news conference yesterday, a China Airlines representative had told him that the chairman knew nothing about the matter and was unable to provide any information about the case.\n\n“If that is the attitude of the chairman, I would say please resign,” he said.\n\nHuang added that National Security Council Secretary-General David Lee (李大維) still owes the public an explanation.\n\n“Please tell us if anyone in the council is involved in the case. How can the secretary-general of the National Security Council be hiding this whole time?” he asked.\n\nTwo other people on the flight ordered duty-free goods that were not sent to the plane for pickup, Huang said.\n\nThe legislator added that he could not reveal further details as they were part of an ongoing investigation.", "TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – An employee of the National Security Bureau (NSB) tried to smuggle NT$6.45 million (US$207,000) worth of cigarettes into Taiwan on board of President Tsai Ing-wen’s flight back from a Caribbean trip.\n\nTsai arrived back in the country Monday (July 22) after a tour of its four allies Haiti, Saint Christopher and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Saint Lucia with stopovers in New York City and Denver, Colorado.\n\nThe NSB staff member went through a senior official at China Air Lines (CAL) to buy 9,200 tax-free cigarettes and bring them into Taiwan on the presidential plane, New Power Party lawmaker Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) wrote on his Facebook page.\n\nHowever, customs officials found the tobacco products Saturday morning and impounded the whole batch, the United Daily News reported. The cigarettes had been moved to the main customs warehouse in Taipei.\n\nIn order to prevent smugglers using diplomatic privilege to bring banned products into Taiwan, customs would sit down with representatives of the Presidential Office and of security agencies to discuss more efficient measures, the report said.\n\nThe NSB said it could not comment on the case as the incident was already being handled by the judiciary.\n\nHuang demanded disciplinary action both against the NSB employee and against the CAL official, according to the Liberty Times.", "Tsai Says Taiwan’s 2020 Election Will Be a Test of Its Democracy\n\n(Bloomberg) -- Taiwan’s presidential election next year will be a test of its democracy and value system, President Tsai Ing-wen said at the end of a U.S. trip that drew rebuke from China.\n\n“Voters in Taiwan will be focused on the future of our country, especially whether we can keep our democratic and freedom way of life,” she said at a press conference in Denver on Saturday, and televised at the Presidential Office in Taipei.\n\nSeeking a second term, Tsai will face Kuomintang nominee Han Kuo-yu -- a firebrand mayor who advocates closer ties with China -- in the election on Jan. 11. She, on the other hand, dismisses Beijing’s claims to sovereignty over Taiwan and has strengthened the island’s informal alliance with America.\n\nThe president has also sought to bolster Taiwan’s defense capabilities against a potential Chinese invasion with a series of military-hardware purchases. Taiwan and China have been governed separately since 1949, and only 17 countries have formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan. Tsai’s Democratic Progressive Party advocates formalizing Taiwan’s independence.\n\nTsai stopped over in Denver after an official trip to four Caribbean countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan. She was also in New York City before visiting Haiti, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent & the Grenadines and Saint Lucia.\n\nTo contact the reporter on this story: Chinmei Sung in Taipei at csung4@bloomberg.net\n\nTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Samson Ellis at sellis29@bloomberg.net, Shamim Adam, Stanley James", "BEIJING (AP) — China said Friday that the U.S. should not allow an ongoing visit by Taiwan’s president to New York and that it would impose sanctions on American companies that sell arms to the self-governing island as part of an expected $2.2 billion deal.\n\nPresident Tsai Ing-wen is in New York on a two-night “transit” stop en route to an official visit to four Caribbean nations. She was scheduled to deliver a speech to a U.S.-Taiwan business summit and attend a dinner with members of the Taiwanese-American community.\n\n“We urge the U.S. to abide by the ‘one China’ principle and … not allow Tsai Ing-wen’s stopover, cease official exchanges with Taiwan and refrain from providing any platform for separatist Taiwan independence forces,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said at a daily briefing.\n\nIn a separate statement on the foreign ministry’s website, Geng announced sanctions on companies involved in the arms deal, which he said “undermines China’s sovereignty and national security.” The four-sentence statement did not provide any details about the sanctions.\n\nThe Trump administration said Tuesday that it is proposing a $2.2 billion sale that would include 108 Abrams tanks and 250 Stinger surface-to-air missiles. The tanks represent a significant upgrade to Taiwan’s aging fleet.\n\nTaiwan split from China during a civil war in 1949, and Tsai has resisted Chinese pressure for reunification under the “one country, two systems” framework that governs Hong Kong.\n\nThe United States recognizes Beijing as the government of China, but provides military and other support to Taiwan. China objects to such support as an interference in what it considers its internal affairs.\n\nChinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, on a visit to Hungary, said his country has grave concern about Tsai’s U.S. visits. She is scheduled to make another two-night stop on her way home.\n\nShe is visiting Haiti, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and St. Lucia on a 12-day trip. The island nations are among the few countries that recognize Taiwan instead of China.\n\nBefore departing, Tsai said Thursday that she wants to share the values of democracy and perseverance with Taiwan’s friends.\n\n“Our democracy has not come easily and now is facing the threat and technological penetration of foreign forces,” she said, in a veiled reference to China.\n\nCopyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.", "On a two-day visit to New York this month, Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen vowed in a speech never to “succumb to any threats” from China. She mixed too with U.S. Congress members in America’s largest city. Reporters were allowed to cover some of her events. It is more open and welcoming than past U.S. trips by Taiwan presidents.\n\nTsai, passing through New York on her way to visit former diplomatic allies in the Caribbean, will return to Taipei after spending another two days in the United States before July 22.\n\nIn the past, Washington has held visits by Taiwanese presidents to shorter periods, smaller cities and lower-profile activities – sometimes just aircraft refueling. The idea was to offer transit stops, for comfort and convenience, but avoid upsetting China. China sees self-ruled Taiwan as part of its territory rather than a state entitled to foreign relations. Washington and Beijing recognize each other diplomatically.\n\nTsai is getting to do more than usual this month because the U.S. government is upgrading relations with Taiwan and expressing exasperation with China, experts believe.\n\n“At this moment, I think both the Taiwan government and the U.S. government prefer to see this as kind of a one-step further enhancement of diplomatic relationships,” said Liu Yih-jiun, public affairs professor at Fo Guang University in Taiwan.\n\nTaiwan presidents have been allowed stopovers in the United States since the 1990s. They are officially transit stops between Taipei and visits to diplomatic allies in the Americas and South Pacific.\n\nIn 2006, Taiwan ex-president Chen Shui-bian stopped in the relatively remote city of Anchorage for a simple refueling – and he complained then of inconvenience. But Chen had ruffled the United States by provoking China at a time when U.S. officials hoped the two Asian governments would seek peace.\n\nSeven years later, Taiwan’s ex-president Ma Ying-jeou visited New York for 40 hours but avoided slamming China in any meetings there. Ma had set aside disputes with China to start landmark negotiations with the Communist government.\n\nLast August, in a move that upset China, Tsai became the first Taiwanese president since the 1970s to visit a U.S. federal property, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.\n\nChina has blamed Tsai for shunning more negotiations. Unlike Ma, she rejects Beijing’s dialogue conditions that both sides fall under one flag.\n\nU.S. policy toward stopovers has not changed over the years, said Aaron Huang, acting spokesman for the de facto U.S. embassy in Taipei. But the Trump government has tightened Taiwan-U.S. ties by offering military aid for Taiwan as well as support for more high-level visits.\n\nTrump, unlike his predecessors, is battling Beijing over trade. He is resisting Chinese military expansion in the South China Sea at the same time, largely by sending Navy ships and enlisting help from third countries.\n\nThe length of Tsai’s U.S. stays this month, the choice of New York as a venue and China’s past criticism of Tsai will stir China again, said Yun Sun, East Asia Program senior associate at the Stimson Center think tank in Washington.\n\n“I think from those perspectives, her visit will be interpreted as more provocative than otherwise it would have been,” Sun said.\n\nBetween her U.S. stops, Tsai is scheduled to visit Haiti, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and St. Kitts and Nevis. Beijing protested before Tsai started her journey.\n\nTsai hopes to grow closer with the United States, especially as China pressures her toward talks through military aircraft flybys and squelching Taiwanese foreign relations, political scientists in Taipei say.\n\nBut with U.S. stopovers routine, Taiwanese voters hope their president can take her U.S. visits even further, said Ku Chung-hua, standing board member with the Taiwan advocacy group Citizens’ Congress Watch.\n\nCommon Taiwanese often resent China’s pressure and hope the U.S. government can help in their defense.\n\nTsai almost got the chance earlier in the year, when a group of U.S. senators asked, unsuccessfully, that she be able to address Congress.\n\n“If she went and spoke to the U.S. Congress, that would be a big breakthrough, but if she’s just passing through for a few nights, though there’s some relaxation compared to the past, it doesn’t change approval ratings that much,” Ku said.", "Details: President Tsai’s \"Journey of Freedom, Democracy, Sustainability,\" wrapping up Monday, focused on Haiti and several smaller Caribbean nations.\n• In Haiti, Tsai met with President Jovenel Moise, who praised Taiwan’s assistance \"in agricultural and energy matters, as well as other investments essential to the development of Haiti.\"\n• Tsai's 4-day trip to St. Kitts and Nevis marked the first-ever visit by a Taiwanese president to the island of Nevis, where Tsai broke ground on a national park.\n• In St. Vincent and the Grenadines, President Tsai met with Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves and addressed the parliament to praise joint efforts on sustainable development.\n• Tsai concluded her trip in St. Lucia, where she met with government leaders and toured agricultural and infrastructure projects.\n\nYes, but: Notably absent from the itinerary were visits to Guatemala, Honduras and Belize — longstanding allies considered likely to switch support to China. Although these countries are not yet a lost cause, and all recently sent high-level visitors to Taiwan, Tsai's trip redoubled efforts with smaller allies.\n• The Trump administration has supported Taiwan and harshly criticized countries that have changed sides, but its efforts haven't reversed the larger trend.\n\nWhat to watch: Taiwan’s Caribbean campaign is likely to buy time as China continues making economic inroads across the region. However, the emphasis on photo ops, symbolism and warm words over substantive new projects leaves an opening for deeper Chinese engagement that will likely irritate Washington when it comes to pass.\n\nDaniel P. Erikson is managing director at Blue Star Strategies and a senior fellow at the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement.", "TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwan on Saturday defended a proposal to purchase $2.2 billion in arms from the U.S., following a Chinese announcement that it would sanction any American companies involved in the deal.\n\nU.S. weapons help strengthen Taiwan’s self-defense in the face of a growing military threat from China, the defense ministry said.\n\n“The national army will continue to strengthen its key defense forces, ensure national security, protect its homeland and ensure that the fruits of freedom and democracy won’t be attacked,” the ministry said in a statement.\n\nChina announced late Friday that it would impose sanctions on any U.S. enterprises involved in the deal, saying it “undermines China’s sovereignty and national security.”\n\nTaiwan split from China during a civil war in 1949, but the mainland still considers the self-governing island as part of its territory.\n\nThe U.S., which recognized Beijing as the government of China in 1979, does not have formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, but U.S. law requires that it provide Taiwan with sufficient defense equipment and services for self-defense.\n\nThe Trump administration announced the proposed $2.2 billion sale, which would include 108 Abrams tanks and 250 Stinger surface-to-air missiles, earlier in the week.\n\nTaiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, speaking in New York on Friday, said that her government has strengthened Taiwan’s national defense to protect its democracy, according to a transcript posted on the presidential office website.\n\nChina has objected to her U.S. visit, which Taiwan calls a “two-evening transit stop” on the way to Haiti and three other Caribbean nations that recognize Taiwan.\n\n“We urge the U.S. to abide by the ‘One China’ principle and … not allow Tsai Ing-wen’s stopover, cease official exchanges with Taiwan and refrain from providing any platform for separatist Taiwan independence forces,” foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said Friday in Beiijng.\n\nTsai dismissed Chinese criticism of both her visit and the arms deal. “We don’t need our neighbor to make irresponsible remarks,” she told reporters in New York, according to Taiwan’s official Central News Agency.\n\nShe has rejected Chinese pressure to reunite Taiwan and China under the “one-country, two-systems” framework that governs Hong Kong. She said Friday that the people of Taiwan stand with the young people of Hong Kong who are fighting for democratic freedoms in ongoing protests.\n\n“Hong Kong’s experience under ‘one country, two systems’ has shown the world once and for all that authoritarianism and democracy cannot coexist,” she said.\n\nCopyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.", "Taiwan's president was greeted by a large group of supporters and a handful of pro-China protesters as she entered a downtown Denver hotel before dinner.\n\nPresident Tsai Ing-wen plans to be in Colorado for two days on her way back home after visiting Caribbean countries with which Taiwan has diplomatic relations. She will dine Friday with officials, some of whom traveled from Wyoming, which recently opened a trade office in Taiwan.\n\nThe U.S. visit comes about six months before a general election in Taiwan and amid rising frustration from China over the Trump administration's sales of sophisticated weapons to Taiwan, as well as Tsai's independence policy.\n\nSupporter Cheng Chih Ko, who is visiting Denver from Tainan, Taiwan, says, \"We're not part of China\" and \"we're here to support our president and here to support our own country.\""], "summary": "Taiwan Customs officers discover 9800 cartons of cigarettes worth more than 200,000 USD smuggled in five trucks of presidential motorade when President Tsai Ing-wen has returned from an official trip to the Caribbean and leaves the airport via a VIP lane. A security agent of National Security Bureau within Tsai's entourage allegedly pre-ordered the cigarettes duty-free from China Airlines and stored them at a warehouse of the airline's catering company at Taoyuan International Airport. National Security Bureau Director-General Peng Sheng-chu resigns over the scandal on the following day."}
{"document": ["At least 45 injured as rod-wielding mob dressed in white rampages through Yuen Long MTR station, beating screaming protesters", "Pro-democracy activists and lawmakers in Hong Kong have accused the police of standing by as men dressed in white attacked commuters and protesters, leaving 45 people hospitalised, including one who is critically injured.\n\nVideo footage showed dozens of men, mostly in masks, storming a mass transit station in Yuen Long late on Sunday, chasing passengers and beating them with sticks. Among those hurt in the attack were demonstrators returning from a large anti-government rally, as well as a pregnant woman and a woman holding a child, according to witnesses.\n\nThe footage, which emerged after an anti-government march by hundreds of thousands of people, caused widespread anger and condemnation as protesters and critics accused pro-Beijing officials of hiring thugs to intimidate protesters – a charge that Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam vehemently denied in a briefing Monday afternoon.\n\n“Is Hong Kong now allowing triads to do what they want, beating up people on the street with weapons?” the Democratic party lawmaker Lam Cheuk-ting, who was among the injured, asked reporters.\n\nA former legislator previously with a pro-Beijing party that usually supports Hong Kong’s leader, Carrie Lam, also criticised her over the attack. James Tien on Facebook called on Lam to resign, writing: “Chief executive Lam, are you still a chief executive? Or are triads ruling Hong Kong now?”\n\nThe pro-democracy lawmaker Ray Chan tweeted: “Hong Kong has one of the world’s highest cop to population ratio. Where were @hkpoliceforce?” Another lawmaker Gary Fan said: “Hong Kong is no longer a safe city”.\n\nFlanked by Hong Kong’s police commissioner, security chief and government ministers on Monday, Lam attempted to deflect blame by condemning both sides. “Violence will only breed more violence and at the end of the day the whole of Hong Kong and the people will suffer,” she said.\n\nFacebook Twitter Pinterest Journalist Ryan Lau Chun Kong tends to his wounds after he was attacked at Yuen Long station. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images\n\nDetails of the attack shocked residents. A woman sobbed while recounting what happened during the Yuen Long attack, telling one witness in audio circulated online: “They beat people in the carriage indiscriminately whoever they were, even people who were returning home from work … Some men were shielding us. They didn’t fight back otherwise we would have been beaten even worse. They beat even women and children.”\n\nVideo filmed inside the train showed passengers screaming and crying as they attempted to shield themselves with umbrellas. The attackers used metal and wooden rods, as well as canes and brooms.\n\nFootage showed a young man dressed in black being punched and kneed in the stomach by several men. A female journalist was beaten while filming the attack. Photos showed commuters bleeding and smears of blood on the station ground.\n\nWhen police arrived at the station after 11pm, the assailants had left and angry protesters demanded to know why they had taken so long to get there. Police left and the attackers later came back a second time, breaking into a closed gate of the train station.\n\nHong Kong’s hospital authority said 45 people between the ages of 18 and 64 were injured in the attack, including one man who was in a critical condition and three in a serious condition. Late on Monday, police said they had arrested five people – some of them allegedly Triads – in relation to the attacks on charges of “unlawful assembly”.\n\nRay Chan (@ray_slowbeat) Snippet of a live broadcast from lawmaker Lam Cheuk ting, showing self-professed pro-Gov't mobsters attacking passengers in train cars at #MTR #YuenLong Stn. #HongKong has 1 of the world's highest cop to population ratio. Where were @hkpoliceforce? Lam was injured as shown live. pic.twitter.com/Aq5JmJlf5u\n\nOn Monday, Yoho Mall, a shopping centre connected to the Yuen Long mass transit station, said some shops had closed amid rumours the armed men would return in the evening. Businesses outside the station in Yuen Long were also closed on Monday afternoon, leaving the normally colourful streets eerily quiet. Local public recreation centres were closed at 7pm due to “public safety considerations,” according to Hong Kong’s leisure and cultural services department. Many shops in the normally bustling shopping centres in the towns of Shatin and Tuen Mun have also closed.\n\nHiring men to beat up protesters is not a new tactic, according to activists and observers, who say thugs were also behind attacks on pro-democracy protests in 2014. Men, possibly from southern China, where the practice is more common, heckled and assaulted demonstrators.\n\nA widely circulated video showed the pro-Beijing lawmaker Junius Ho, who lives in Yuen Long, shaking hands with men in white and giving them a thumbs up. In response to accusations that he had hired the men to go after protesters, Ho said in a press briefing on Monday that he had nothing to do with the attack. Asked why he did not call the police, Ho said: “They appeared to be normal residents, just like the protesters in your eyes.”\n\nProtesters later covered Ho’s office in pro-democracy sticky notes and threw documents of his over an escalator. Several who covered their faces with scarves and hats later broke down a glass wall of his office in a shopping mall in Tsuen Wan. One poster on the wall stuck on by protesters said: “Rural bullies beat up people and carry out terrorist attacks!”\n\nFacebook Twitter Pinterest Junius Ho’s office after it was trashed by protesters. Photograph: Philip Fong/AFP/Getty Images\n\nIn the early hours of Monday, morning police entered a village near the station in Yuen Long where groups of men in white had gathered but said they had seen no weapons and made no arrests because they “could not be sure of who was involved”.\n\nOn Monday, Lam and her colleagues were pressed on why police took so long to reach the attacks, even after several people had called emergency services. The police chief, Stephen Lo, said officers, at the time facing down protesters who had amassed near Beijing’s liaison office, had to be redeployed.\n\nLam was criticised after lambasting protesters for their “blatant challenge to national sovereignty” before condemning the Yuen Long attack in statements issued late on Sunday after protesters clashed with police. Asked if she would characterise the attack in Yuen Long as a terrorist attack, Lam said only that she condemned all kinds of violence.\n\nFacebook Twitter Pinterest Demonstrators march in Hong Kong on Sunday. Photograph: Ivan Abreu/SOPA Images/REX/Shutterstock\n\nThe protests, which began over a bill that would allow suspects in Hong Kong to be extradited to mainland China, have take on wider demands, including an investigation into police behaviour. The violence in Yuen Long and the police’s response is likely to be the focus of another protest.\n\nOn Sunday, thousands of protesters attending a peaceful anti-government march defied the police-sanctioned route and pushed westwards to Beijing’s representative office in Hong Kong, where they graffitied the building’s walls, threw eggs at it, and defaced the emblem of the People’s Republic of China.\n\nSpeaking outside the building on Monday, Wang Zhimin, the director of Beijing’s liaison office, said an “illegal mob” had “seriously hurt the feelings of the entire Chinese people”. Chinese state media called the attack a “blatant challenge to the central government”.\n\nThe demonstrations challenge Beijing’s authority over the former British colony, returned to Chinese control in 1997. Under the one country, two systems framework, Hong Kong is meant to maintain a high degree of autonomy from the mainland, with an independent judiciary and a free press. But critics say they have witnessed Hong Kong’s freedoms quickly disappearing.\n\nAmong protesters’ demands are democratic reforms that would give Hong Kongers the ability to directly elect their leaders. Protest groups have vowed to continue until their demands are met. “I don’t see this ending. It looks like it’s just going to escalate … it’s almost becoming ungovernable,” said Victoria Hui, a political scientist from Hong Kong, now at Notre Dame University.", "Hong Kong: A mob of masked men armed with batons stormed a train station in the Hong Kong district of Yuen Long. Footage posted on social media showed the men, all in white T-shirts, violently attacking people on platforms and inside train carriages, the BBC reported.\n\nAt least 36 people were injured in the violence on Sunday, according to local media reports. The mob attack followed the latest pro-democracy rally in the centre of Hong Kong, where riot police had fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters.\n\nIt is unclear who the mob were or what the motives for the attack were. In a statement, the government said that in Yuen Long \"some people congregated at the platforms of the MTR station and train compartments, attacking commuters\".\n\n\"This is absolutely unacceptable to Hong Kong as a society that observes the rule of law. The SAR (Special Administrative Region) government strongly condemns any violence and will seriously take enforcement actions.\"\n\nHong Kong Police also said: \"Some people attacked commuters at the platforms of the Yuen Long MTR station and train compartments, resulting in multiple injuries.\"\n\nThe mob stormed Yuen Long MTR station at about 10.30 p.m., hours after clashes between protesters and police in the Sheung Wan area earlier in the day. Yuen Long is a more remote district of Hong Kong, and is far away from the site of the main pro-democracy protests.\n\nRiot police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters in Hong Kong at a large pro-democracy rally, and charged demonstrators who threw objects at police lines.\n\nThe protest route was altered with protesters told to stop at Wan Chai rather than Central, where the key government offices are located. Some 4,000 police officers were deployed.", "\n• A group of assailants stormed a train station in Hong Kong on Sunday night following a pro-democracy march, attacking passengers with batons, sticks, and other makeshift weapons.\n• Video from the event shows a group of men, some wearing masks and many in white t-shirts, storming the Yuen Long Station in the city’s north and attacking commuters.\n• Hong Kong’s hospital authority said at least 45 people were injured as of 2:30 a.m., the South China Morning Post reported, with one in critical condition.\n• The train station violence follows clashes between police and protesters earlier in the day.\n\nA group of assailants stormed a train station in Hong Kong on Sunday night following a pro-democracy march, attacking passengers with batons, sticks, and other makeshift weapons.\n\nVideo from the event shows a group of men, some wearing masks and many in white t-shirts, storming the Yuen Long Station in the city’s north and attacking commuters.\n\nLive video posted to Facebook by pro-democracy lawmaker Lam Cheuk Ting shows men with sticks attacking passengers on a train car stopped at the station. Lam was reportedly attacked during the scuffle and can be seen with a bloodied lip.\n\nJournalists were also reportedly injured in the attack. According to Jerome Taylor, Hong Kong bureau chief for AFP, vigilantes were working to identify the attackers and post their identities online.\n\nVideo showed paramedics on the scene unable to leave the station because of the clashes. Other footage appeared to show police turning a blind eye amid the violence.\n\nHong Kong’s hospital authority said at least 45 people were injured as of 2:30 a.m., South China Morning Post reported, with one in critical condition.\n\nWitnesses say the gang appeared to be targeting commuters in black-shirts who had been at anti-government protests earlier in the day, according to Reuters.\n\nPolice clashed with protesters on Sunday, in the seventh week of protests against proposed legislation which would allow for the extradition of Hong Kong residents to mainland China to face trial.\n\nThe march, organized by the Civil Human Rights Front, began as a peaceful protest but quickly descended into chaos as some protesters advanced past police barricades and stormed the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (CPGLO), spraying graffiti on China’s national emblem and egging the entrance to the office.\n\nAccording to police, those who charged police lines hurled bricks, smoke grenades, and set fires\n\nAccording to the Civil Human Rights Front, 430,000 people turned up for the protests, while police put the figure closer to 138,000. Police dressed in riot gear fired rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse crowds.\n\nOn Monday, pro-democracy activists and lawmakers accused the police of purposely ignoring the violent actions taken by the rogue assailants.\n\nRay Chan, a pro-democracy lawmaker and member of the Legislative Council of Hong Kong, criticized perceived lack of police response to the incident.\n\n“#HongKong has 1 of the world’s highest cop to population ratio,” he wrote. “Where were @hkpoliceforce?”\n\nWilson Leung, a member of Hong Kong’s Progressive Lawyer’s Group, called the alleged indifference demonstrated by police “absolutely disgraceful.”\n\nHong Kong Police condemned the violent attacks on commuters as well as clashes with police earlier in the day.\n\n“Police do not tolerate any violent behaviors,” it wrote in a statement on the force’s website. “Police are now actively following up the two incidents in order to bring the offenders to justice.”\n\nHong Kong’s government issued a statement just after midnight, promising to take “enforcement action” against those responsible for both incidences of violence.\n\n“Following the storming of the CPGLO building, some radical protesters initiated a series of violent acts in Sheung Wan area, despite repeated warnings by the Police. These outrageous, violent acts included hurling petrol bombs, setting fires and throwing bricks. Thoroughfares were also blocked.” “Meanwhile in Yuen Long, some people congregated at the platforms of the MTR station and train compartments, attacking commuters. It led to confrontations and injuries. “This is absolutely unacceptable to Hong Kong as a society that observes the rule of law. The SAR Government strongly condemns any violence and will seriously take enforcement actions,” it said.", "HONG KONG: At least 45 people were injured, with one person in critical condition, after a group of masked men attacked anti-government protesters and commuters at a Hong Kong train station on Sunday night (Jul 21), according to the city's hospital authorities.\n\n\n\nThe group, many wielding sticks and clad in white T-shirts, flooded into a Mass Transit Railway (MTR) station in the rural Yuen Long district, storming a train and attacking passengers, according to footage taken by commuters and opposition lawmaker Lam Cheuk-ting.\n\n\n\nFootage from the attack broadcast live on Facebook showed people screaming as the men beat multiple protesters and journalists in the station, leaving pools of blood on the floor.\n\nCritics rounded on the city's embattled police force, accusing officers of taking more than an hour to reach the station despite frantic calls from those under attack and then failing to arrest the armed men who stayed in the streets around the station into Monday morning.\n\nSome men in white shirts were later filmed leaving the scene in cars with Chinese mainland number plates.\n\nLam, a pro-democracy lawmaker, was one of those wounded in the melee, sustaining lacerations to his face and arms. He criticised police for their response and accused \"triad members\" of being behind the attacks.\n\n\"Their very barbaric and violent acts have already completely violated the bottom line of Hong Kong's civilised society,\" he told reporters early on Monday.\n\n\n\n\"Is Hong Kong now allowing triads to do what they want, beating up people on the street with weapons?\"\n\n\n\nNathan Law, a prominent pro-democracy activist, added on Twitter: \"When the Chinese mobs are attacking the citizens, no law enforcement are there. Shame on the government.\"\n\nThe clashes have ratcheted up fears that the city's feared triad gangs are wading into the political conflict.\n\nYuen Long lies in the New Territories near the Chinese border where the criminal gangs and staunchly pro-Beijing rural committees remain influential.\n\nSimilar assaults by pro-government vigilantes against demonstrators during the 2014 \"Umbrella Movement\" protests were blamed on triads.\n\nREAD: Tear gas and rubber bullets fired as Hong Kong returns to chaos\n\n\n\nAs the mob rampage unfolded in Yuen Long, police were simultaneously battling hardcore democracy protesters in the middle of the city's commercial district.\n\nRiot officers fired tear gas and rubber bullets at anti-government protesters, hours after China's office in the city was daubed with eggs and graffiti in a vivid rebuke to Beijing's rule.\n\nAnother 13 people were injured after the clashes on Hong Kong island, one seriously, the Hospital Authority said.\n\nIn a statement on Monday, police \"strongly condemned\" both the violent incidents in Yuen Long and Hong Kong island, and said they were investigating both cases. Police added no arrests had been made at the station or during a follow-up search of a nearby village.\n\n\n\nYau Nai-keung, Yuen Long assistant district police commander, told reporters that an initial police patrol had to wait for more reinforcements given a situation involving more than 100 people.\n\nHe added police saw no weapons when they arrived although eyewitnesses said they saw groups of men in white with poles and bamboo staves at a nearby village.\n\n\n\n\"We can't say you have a problem because you are dressed in white and we have to arrest you. We will treat them fairly no matter which camp they are in,\" Yau said.\n\n\n\nSome police had been injured in the clashes after protesters hurled bricks, smoke grenades and petrol bombs, the statement said.\n\nREAD: What lies ahead for Hong Kong, a city on edge\n\n\n\nHong Kong has been plunged into its worst crisis in recent history by weeks of marches and sporadic violent confrontations between police and pockets of hardcore protesters.\n\nThe initial protests were lit by a now-suspended Bill that would have allowed extraditions to mainland China.\n\nBut they have since evolved into a wider movement calling for democratic reforms, universal suffrage and a halt to sliding freedoms in the semi-autonomous territory.\n\nThe city's parliament was trashed by protesters earlier this month, as Beijing's authority faces its most serious challenge since Hong Kong was handed back to China in 1997.", "Anger soared in Hong Kong today over a vicious assault on pro-democracy protesters by suspected triad gangsters that left dozens wounded, a dramatic escalation of the political turmoil plaguing the Chinese city.\n\nThe financial hub's roiling unrest took a dark turn late Sunday when gangs of men - most wearing white T-shirts and carrying bats, sticks and metal poles - set upon anti-government demonstrators as they returned from another huge march earlier that day.\n\nFootage from the attack circulating on social media showed people screaming as the men beat groups of protesters and journalists in Yuen Long station and inside subway trains, leaving pools of blood on the floor.\n\nHospital authorities said 45 people were wounded in the attack, with one man in critical condition and five others with serious injuries.\n\nCritics rounded on the city's embattled police force by accusing them of colluding with those who carried out the attack.\n\nProtesters said officers of took more than an hour to reach the station despite frantic calls from those under attack, and then failing to arrest the armed assailants who stayed in the streets around the station into this morning.\n\nSome men in white shirts were later filmed leaving the scene in cars with Chinese mainland number plates.\n\nOne video showed pro-Beijing lawmaker Junius Ho shaking hands with the suspected gang members after the the attack, praising them as his heroes.\n\nWitnesses of the attack, including Democratic lawmaker Lam Cheuk-ting, said the men appeared to target black-shirted passengers who had been at the anti-government march.\n\nLam, who was wounded in the face and hospitalised, said the police ignored calls he made, pleading with them to intervene and prevent bloodshed.\n\n'They deliberately turned a blind eye to these attacks by triads on regular citizens,' he told Reuters, saying the floors of the station were streaked with blood.\n\n'Their very barbaric and violent acts have already completely violated the bottom line of Hong Kong's civilised society,' he told reporters early today.\n\nA senior district police commander, Yau Nai-keung, said an initial police patrol had to wait reinforcements given a situation involving more than 100 people.\n\nYau told reporters the police had not made any arrests at the station or during a follow-up search of a nearby village, but were investigating.\n\nWitnesses saw groups of men in white with poles and bamboo staves at the village but Yau said police saw no weapons when they arrived. Following some questioning of the men, they were allowed to leave, he told reporters.\n\n'We can't say you have a problem because you are dressed in white and we have to arrest you. We will treat them fairly no matter which camp they are in,' Yau said.\n\nFurious fellow pro-democracy lawmakers held a press conference on Monday where they accused the city's pro-Beijing leaders of turning a blind eye to the attacks.\n\n'This is triad gangs beating up Hong Kong people,' fumed Alvin Yeung. 'Yet you pretend nothing had happened?'\n\nThe clashes have ratcheted up concern that the city's feared triad gangs are wading into the political conflict.\n\nYuen Long lies in the New Territories near the Chinese border where the criminal gangs and staunchly pro-Beijing rural committees remain influential.\n\nSimilar assaults by pro-government vigilantes against demonstrators during the 2014 'Umbrella Movement' protests were blamed on triads.\n\nHong Kong has been plunged into its worst crisis in recent history by weeks of marches and sporadic violent confrontations between police and pockets of hardcore protesters.\n\nThe initial protests were lit by a now-suspended bill that would have allowed extraditions to mainland China, but they have since evolved into a wider movement calling for democratic reforms, universal suffrage and a halt to sliding freedoms in the semi-autonomous territory.\n\nThe city's parliament was trashed by protesters earlier this month, as Beijing's authority faces its most serious challenge since Hong Kong was handed back to China in 1997.\n\nAs the mob rampage unfolded in Yuen Long police were simultaneously battling hardcore democracy protesters in the middle of the city's commercial district.\n\nRiot officers fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters, hours after China's Hong Kong Liaison Office was daubed with eggs and graffiti in a vivid rebuke to Beijing's rule.\n\nWang Zhimin, the head of the office, blasted the protesters on Monday, saying they had insulted 'all Chinese people' as he called on Hong Kong's government to pursue the 'rioters'.\n\nXinhua added the demonstration 'blatantly challenged the authority of the central government' and was 'absolutely intolerable'.\n\nEarlier in the day, another huge and peaceful anti-government march had made its way through the city -- the seventh weekend in a row that residents have come out en masse.\n\nSix weeks of huge protests have done little to persuade the city's unelected leaders -- or Beijing -- to change tack on the hub's future.\n\nUnder the 1997 handover deal with Britain, China promised to allow Hong Kong to keep key liberties such as its independent judiciary and freedom of speech.\n\nBut many say those provisions are already being curtailed, citing the disappearance into mainland custody of dissident booksellers, the disqualification of prominent politicians and the jailing of pro-democracy protest leaders.\n\nAuthorities have also resisted calls for the city's leader to be directly elected by the people.\n\nProtesters have vowed to keep their movement going until their core demands -- such as an independent inquiry into police tactics, an amnesty for those arrested, a permanent withdrawal of the bill, universal suffrage and Lam's resignation -- are met.\n\nThere is little sign that either Lam or Beijing will budge.\n\nBeyond agreeing to suspend the extradition bill there have been few other concessions and fears are rising that Beijing's patience is running out.", "Anger soared in Hong Kong today over a vicious assault on pro-democracy protesters by suspected triad gangsters that left dozens wounded, a dramatic escalation of the political turmoil plaguing the Chinese city.\n\nThe financial hub's roiling unrest took a dark turn late last night when gangs of men - most wearing white T-shirts and carrying bats, sticks and metal poles - set upon anti-government demonstrators as they returned from another huge march earlier that day.\n\nFootage from the attack circulating on social media showed people screaming as the men beat groups of protesters and journalists in Yuen Long station and inside subway trains, leaving pools of blood on the floor.\n\nHospital authorities said 45 people were wounded in the attack, with one man in critical condition and five others with serious injuries.\n\nThere are fears that more violent attacks would be carried out by triads today, prompting businesses in Yoho Mall, which is connected to the metro station, to close early, according to Apple Daily.\n\nCritics rounded on the city's embattled police force by accusing them of colluding with those who carried out the attack.\n\nProtesters said officers took more than an hour to reach the station despite frantic calls from those under attack, and failing to arrest the armed assailants who stayed in the streets around the station into this morning.\n\nSome men in white shirts were later filmed leaving the scene in cars with Chinese mainland number plates.\n\nOne video showed pro-Beijing lawmaker Junius Ho shaking hands with the suspected gang members after the attack, praising them as his heroes.\n\nWitnesses of the attack, including Democratic lawmaker Lam Cheuk-ting, said the men appeared to target black-shirted passengers who had been at the anti-government march.\n\nLam, who was wounded in the face and hospitalised, said the police ignored calls he made, pleading with them to intervene and prevent bloodshed.\n\n'They deliberately turned a blind eye to these attacks by triads on regular citizens,' he told Reuters, saying the floors of the station were streaked with blood.\n\n'Their very barbaric and violent acts have already completely violated the bottom line of Hong Kong's civilised society,' he told reporters early today.\n\nBowie Tin, 28, said she was travelling on the subway on her way home when the train stopped at Yuen Long station at about 10:55pm for more than 15 minutes.\n\n'There were protesters dressed in black telling people not to get off the train because there was an ongoing attack downstairs at the station lobby,' she told MailOnline.\n\n'They were also asking if there are doctors or nurses on the train because some people were hit in the head and were bleeding,' she added. 'I went out and saw masked men dressed in white attacking people in front of children, women and elderly people.'\n\n'It was horrifying. I wanted to cry. I prayed for the train doors to close as soon as possible and I feared for my life,' she said.\n\nA senior district police commander, Yau Nai-keung, said an initial police patrol had to wait reinforcements given a situation involving more than 100 people.\n\nYau told reporters the police had not made any arrests at the station or during a follow-up search of a nearby village, but were investigating.\n\nWitnesses saw groups of men in white with poles and bamboo staves at the village but Yau said police saw no weapons when they arrived. Following some questioning of the men, they were allowed to leave, he told reporters.\n\n'We can't say you have a problem because you are dressed in white and we have to arrest you. We will treat them fairly no matter which camp they are in,' Yau said.\n\nChief Superintendent John Tse Chun-chung, head of the police public relations bureau, denied the accusations, despite it taking officers more than half an hour to arrive at the scene.\n\n'I cannot agree. Just because we were not at the scene right away, doesn't mean we colluded with any party,' he said in a radio programme today.\n\nFurious pro-democracy lawmakers held a press conference today where they accused the city's pro-Beijing leaders of turning a blind eye to the attacks.\n\n'This is triad gangs beating up Hong Kong people,' fumed Alvin Yeung. 'Yet you pretend nothing had happened?'\n\nThe clashes have ratcheted up concern that the city's feared triad gangs are wading into the political conflict.\n\nYuen Long lies in the New Territories near the Chinese border where the criminal gangs and staunchly pro-Beijing rural committees remain influential.\n\nSimilar assaults by pro-government vigilantes against demonstrators during the 2014 'Umbrella Movement' protests were blamed on triads.\n\nAs the mob rampage unfolded in Yuen Long police were simultaneously battling hardcore democracy protesters in the middle of the city's commercial district.\n\nRiot officers fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters, hours after China's Hong Kong Liaison Office was daubed with eggs and graffiti in a vivid rebuke to Beijing's rule.\n\nWang Zhimin, the head of the office, blasted the protesters on Monday, saying they had insulted 'all Chinese people' as he called on Hong Kong's government to pursue the 'rioters'.\n\nXinhua added the demonstration 'blatantly challenged the authority of the central government' and was 'absolutely intolerable'.\n\nHong Kong chief executive Carrie Lam said the targeting of the office was a 'challenge' to national sovereignty, condemning violent behaviour of any kind.\n\nShe also described as 'shocking' the attack by organised triad criminal gangs on ordinary citizens and protesters at Yuen Long, saying authorities would investigate fully.\n\nEarlier in the day, another huge and peaceful anti-government march had made its way through the city - the seventh weekend in a row that residents have come out en masse.\n\nHong Kong has been plunged into its worst crisis in recent history by weeks of marches and sporadic violent confrontations between police and pockets of hardcore protesters.\n\nThe initial protests were lit by a now-suspended bill that would have allowed extraditions to mainland China, but they have since evolved into a wider movement calling for democratic reforms, universal suffrage and a halt to sliding freedoms in the semi-autonomous territory.\n\nThe city's parliament was trashed by protesters earlier this month, as Beijing's authority faces its most serious challenge since Hong Kong was handed back to China in 1997.\n\nSix weeks of huge protests have done little to persuade the city's unelected leaders - or Beijing - to change tack on the hub's future.\n\nUnder the 1997 handover deal with Britain, China promised to allow Hong Kong to keep key liberties such as its independent judiciary and freedom of speech.\n\nBut many say those provisions are already being curtailed, citing the disappearance into mainland custody of dissident booksellers, the disqualification of prominent politicians and the jailing of pro-democracy protest leaders.\n\nAuthorities have also resisted calls for the city's leader to be directly elected by the people.\n\nProtesters have vowed to keep their movement going until their core demands - such as an independent inquiry into police tactics, an amnesty for those arrested, a permanent withdrawal of the bill, universal suffrage and Lam's resignation - are met.\n\nThere is little sign that either Lam or Beijing will budge.\n\nBeyond agreeing to suspend the extradition bill there have been few other concessions and fears are rising that Beijing's patience is running out.", "At least 45 people have been injured, one critically, after dozens of masked men attacked pro-democracy demonstrators in Hong Kong. The protests against a Chinese extradition bill have been ongoing for seven weeks, but this is the first time this kind of violence has been seen, the BBC reports. The masked men were dressed in white shirts and are reportedly suspected to be triad gangsters. They attacked protesters and passers-by with wooden and metal rods inside a train station. In a statement, the government said: “This is absolutely unacceptable to Hong Kong as a society that observes the rule of law. The SAR [Special Administrative Region] Government strongly condemns any violence and will seriously take enforcement actions.”", "A mob of armed, masked pro-China assailants beat and severely injured peaceful protesters, pregnant women, and journalists in Hong Kong’s rural Yuen Long region Sunday night, resulting in no arrests and triggering widespread condemnation of the government’s suspected collusion with organized crime gangs.\n\nReports on the ground estimate that the white-clad mob numbered in the “hundreds” and targeted individuals in Yuen Long’s West Rail Line mass transit station that wore black, the color of the anti-China protests. At least one lawmaker – Democratic Party legislator Lam Cheuk-ting, who had joined the protesters in solidarity to call for an end to Beijing’s erosion of civil rights in the region – was among those that endured significant injury.\n\nMembers of the pro-democracy coalition against the Chinese Communist Party produced photos and videos showing the attackers violently assaulting individuals they believed tied to the protests and journalists that attempted to document the attacks. They also published footage appearing to show mob members chatting with police casually, with no apparent fear of being arrested for their violence.\n\nWhile the mobs, which protesters tied to local “triad” organized crime groups, stormed Yuen Long, most police activity in Hong Kong Sunday night occurred in Sheung Wan, north Hong Kong island – far from Yuen Long and against a group that had organized to protest against China peacefully there. In Sheung Wan, protesters allege, the police fired rubber bullets and tear gas into a crowd that had not shown any signs of becoming unruly.\n\nPolice have made no arrests at press time in connection to the Yuen Long attacks.\n\nHong Kong erupted in protests that have yet to abate in early June, a response to an attempt by the nominally autonomous region of China’s Legislative Council (LegCo) to pass a law granting greater influence to China’s Communist Party police. Pro-China lawmakers introduced a law that would allow Beijing to extradite any person physically present in Hong Kong accused of violating China’s authoritarian laws. Opponents complained that the law would essentially turn Hong Kong into a communist city and violate the “One Country, Two Systems” policy China agreed to upon receiving Hong Kong from the U.K. in 1997.\n\nAccording to the Hong Kong Free Press (HKFP), the violence in Yuen Long followed a peaceful protest; the mob attacked protesters walking towards mass transit on their way home. The protest had attracted nearly half a million people, organizers said, without incident. The attackers indiscriminately beat crowds wearing black shirts, the color of the protests, and stormed a mass transit train, where they could successfully cause more damage given the enclosed space.\n\nAccording to the South China Morning Post, at least 45 protesters were hospitalized following the attack, one remaining in critical condition.\n\nPro-democracy movement leader Joshua Wong accused the mob on Twitter of attacking “pregnant women, elderly, journalist[s], children,” publishing images of bloodied protesters, including a visibly pregnant woman.\n\nLawmaker Lam Cheuk-ting, a victim of the mob violence, broadcast live video on his mobile phone showing the attackers beating protesters, including himself. In a clip republished by another lawmaker, Ray Chan, the mob can be seen surrounding a train and beating passengers inside with sticks.\n\nAfter the attacks, Lam said he asked police for help containing the mob but they did not respond. He accused the triads of working with police to harm citizens.\n\n“They deliberately turned a blind eye to these attacks by triads on regular citizens,” Lam told Reuters “I won’t speculate on why they didn’t help immediately.”\n\nLam later published photos of his injuries on his Facebook page.\n\nA coalition of 24 Hong Kong lawmakers issued a statement Monday after the attacks accusing Hong Kong police of cooperating with triads to silence protesters, revealing that multiple protesters called the government emergency number, 999, and received either no responses or tepid suggestions to leave the streets if they wish to avoid trouble.\n\n“Last night, the 999 reporting hotline would not connect for a long time and the police station was closed. There were even police officers who pretended they didn’t see the actions of those in white shirts and red ribbons, and turned around to leave,” the lawmakers alleged. “The police, who are like the servants of triads, have completely lost the public’s trust, forcing people to defend themselves. The situation makes people wonder if [Chief Executive] Carrie Lam received instructions from the party to cause divisions among the public.”\n\nThe Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported on Sunday that many of the white-shirted attackers appeared to drive into and out of Yuen Long in cars with Chinese license plates, suggesting the government had allied with the communist regime to bring violent criminals into Hong Kong. Locals on social media also posted videos appearing to show representatives of the mob speaking casually to police officers – indicating that the police knew the identities of the attackers and had a chance to arrest them, but chose not to.\n\nThe Civil Human Rights Front, the most prominent pro-democracy organization behind the protests, issued a statement saying that its members had experienced violent attacks by “thugs” working with the government against them in the past.\n\n“Real thugs have attacked passersby, a journalist and a lawmaker, badly injuring them, but the police have failed to enforce the law. This has angered us greatly,” the statement read.\n\nDuring the 2014 anti-China “Umbrella Revolution” protests, peaceful Hong Kongers faced large crowds of triad-organized assailants attempting to beat them. As the New Yorker reported at the time:\n\nChina has not faced protests of the magnitude currently occurring in Hong Kong in the post-Tiananmen Square era – one in which the internet facilitates the propagation of violent images and global solidarity against authoritarian regimes. Thus, China has no domestic strategy for handling such protests without deploying the military to kill the protesters. It appears to be importing the tactic of using vulgar, violent mobs against the people from Latin America, where the Cuban communist regime and its proxy in Venezuela have long used mobs or armed gangs (colectivos) to insult, injure, rape, and kill protesters. Cuba has gone so far as to ship out its angry mobs to berate and insult representatives from democratic countries at the United Nations.\n\nHong Kong Chief of Police Stephen Lo adamantly denied his officers had any ties to triad groups.", "HONG KONG: A group of masked men, many wielding sticks and dressed in white clothes, attacked anti-government protesters and commuters inside a Hong Kong Mass Transit Railway (MTR) station on Sunday night (Jul 21).\n\nAt the station in the New Territories district of Yuen Long, screams rang out as protesters who had attended a demonstration earlier in the day were attacked by men in white T-shirts, some armed with poles, as they arrived home.\n\nREAD: Tear gas and rubber bullets fired as Hong Kong returns to chaos\n\nREAD: Singaporeans in Hong Kong advised to avoid large crowds ahead of planned extradition Bill protest: MFA\n\nThe attack has ratcheted up fears that the city's feared triad gangs are wading into the political conflict.\n\nSunday evening's coordinated assault took place in a district in the city's New Territories near the Chinese border where the criminal gangs remain influential.\n\nFootage showed the men attacking protesters on the platform and inside trains.\n\nA live Facebook broadcast by local news outlet Stand News showed the men charging into a crowd of protesters in Yuen Long, a district in the city's northwest, close to the border with China.\n\nThe female reporter who was broadcasting Stand News' footage was one of those attacked as she was knocked to the ground and kicked multiple times.\n\nLam Cheuk Ting, a Hong Kong opposition lawmaker, live-streamed the scene at Yuen Long MTR station on Facebook.\n\nIn the video, people clad in white could be seen violently facing off with black-clad protesters.\n\n\n\nBlood could be seen on the station's floor, along with broken batons and debris.\n\nThe violence then spread onto a crowded train at a platform, with the people in white seen boarding the train and attacking those on board with sticks and batons and throwing items at them from the platform.\n\nSimilar assaults by pro-government vigilantes took place against demonstrators during the 2014 \"Umbrella Movement\" protests.\n\nThe incident at Yuen Long came after tens of thousands of protesters marched through the streets of Hong Kong - the seventh weekend in a row that residents have come out en masse amid anger over a controversial extradition Bill.\n\nLate in the evening, thousands defied police orders and marched beyond the official end-point of the rally as they made their way toward the Liaison Office, in a direct challenge to authorities in Beijing.\n\nSome protesters pelted eggs at the walls of the office, while others spray-painted graffiti.\n\nResponding to the \"violent acts\" in Sheung Wan and Yuen Long, the Hong Kong government issued a statement condemning the violence.\n\n\"Following the storming of the CPGLO (Central People's Government Liaison Office) building, some radical protesters initiated a series of violent acts in Sheung Wan area, despite repeated warnings by the police,\" said the statement. \"These outrageous, violent acts included hurling petrol bombs, setting fires and throwing bricks. Thoroughfares were also blocked.\n\n\n\n\"Meanwhile in Yuen Long, some people congregated at the platforms of the MTR station and train compartments, attacking commuters,\" said the statement. \"It led to confrontations and injuries.\"\n\nIt added: \"This is absolutely unacceptable to Hong Kong as a society that observes the rule of law. The SAR government strongly condemns any violence and will seriously take enforcement actions.\"\n\nThe police similarly condemned the incidents, adding that some police officers were injured in the Sheung Wan incident and that protesters had charged police lines and hurled bricks, smoke grenades, petrol bombs and had set fires.\n\n\"Meanwhile, assault cases also happened in Yuen Long. Some people attacked commuters at the platforms of the Yuen Long MTR station and train compartments, resulting in multiple injuries,\" said the police statement published on the Hong Kong government's website.\n\nThe city has seen millions turn out in protest over the past months, demonstrating against an extradition Bill to allow extraditions to the Chinese mainland.\n\n\n\nHong Kong's Chief Executive Carrie Lam has apologised for the turmoil the extradition Bill has caused and declared it \"dead\". Opponents of the Bill, which they fear could be used to silence dissent, say nothing short of its withdrawal will do.\n\nChina has condemned the violent protests as an \"undisguised challenge\" to the one country, two systems formula."], "summary": "A mob of suspected masked triad members dressed in white and armed with batons attack commuters indiscriminately at Yuen Long station, injuring 45, including a pro-democracy legislator and a pregnant woman. Hong Kong police have been accused of allowing the violence to happen due to their delayed response and decision to limit emergency services in the area."}
{"document": ["Pro-Beijing lawmaker Junius Ho defends white-clad mob that attacked civilians in Hong Kong MTR station, says they can be ‘pardoned for defending their home’", "Hundreds of masked assailants dressed in white have assaulted residents, protesters, journalists and a lawmaker in Yuen Long, hours after an anti-extradition law march ended.\n\nUpdate: Hong Kong police made no arrests after mob assaulted commuters, protesters, journalists\n\nThe group used bamboo sticks and other weapons to attack people in the area and in the West Rail Line station, injuring Democratic Party lawmaker Lam Cheuk-ting, who was seen bleeding from his mouth in a social media live stream.\n\nPolice officers were not visibly present when the skirmish occurred.\n\nSee also: Hong Kong police deploy tear gas, rubber bullets against protesters as gov’t slams ‘direct challenge to national sovereignty’\n\nA photo circulated online by the Civil Human Rights Front, which organised the rally attended by “430,000” earlier in the day, showed a person with multiple bloody lashes on his back.\n\nUpdate: Church worker and Demosisto member left severely injured by Yuen Long attackers\n\n﻿\n\nThe Front accused the police of failing to take actions in Yuen Long while people were being attacked and instead, unnecessarily firing tear gas at protesters in Sheung Wan.\n\n“Real thugs have attacked passersby, a journalist and a lawmaker, badly injuring them, but the police have failed to enforce the law. This has angered us greatly,” the statement read.\n\nThe group said certain “powerful authorities” have been using “thugs” to attack protesters since the 2014 pro-democracy Umbrella Movement. “Hong Kong people must unite to oppose personal violence and structural violence,” they added.\n\nStand News reporter Gwyneth Ho said she was left bleeding and injured with swelling at the back of the head and slight dizziness after she was attacked. Ho was sent to hospital to receive treatment.\n\nThe Hong Kong Journalists Association said a male reporter was beaten and left bleeding in his mouth.\n\nThe men also took a reporter’s TV camera and destroyed it, the press freedom watchdog said.\n\nPolice in riot gear arrived at Yuen Long station at around 11:30pm.\n\nThe MTR announced at around 11pm that West Rail Line trains will not stop at Yuen Long because of the crowds gathering. Train services resumed at 11:25pm.\n\nIn a statement, a government spokesperson condemned the violent scenes: “This is absolutely unacceptable to Hong Kong as a society that observes the rule of law. The SAR Government strongly condemns any violence and will seriously take enforcement actions.”\n\nMeanwhile, in a widely circulated online video, pro-Beijing lawmaker Junius Ho could be seen applauding and giving a “thumbs up” to people dressed in white. He also shook hands with two men who held small Hong Kong bauhinia flags. When a man told Ho, “you are my idol,” the lawmaker replied: “All of you are my heroes.”\n\n﻿\n\nEarlier, Yuen Long District Councillor To Ka-lun wrote in a Facebook post that he had received a complaint from a resident, who said he had called the police for help. However, he was told to “not go out into the streets” if he was afraid, To said."], "summary": "Pro-Beijing legislator Junius Ho applauds the assailants for their actions, saying they should be \"pardoned for defending their homes\" and calling them his \"heroes\"."}
{"document": ["Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party and allied forces fell short of a critical two-thirds majority of the 245-seat Upper House in Sunday’s election, according to final media tallies — a significant setback in their bid to revise the nation’s postwar Constitution.\n\nAbe’s ruling coalition, however, won enough seats to control a majority in the chamber, with voters apparently prioritizing stability in economic and social welfare policies. Its control of the chamber would at least give Abe a semblance of a win, as the figure met the self-imposed “victory line” he set during the campaign.\n\nAccording to Kyodo News, voter turnout stood at 48.80 percent, the second lowest since the end of World War II. The lowest was 44.52 percent in the 1995 Upper House election, internal affairs ministry statistics show.\n\nThe low turnout rate probably means that opposition parties had failed to drum up support from swing voters, a key element in recent national elections as more and more voters have become individualistic, dropping their loyalty to organizations they belong to.\n\nFinal tallies showed the LDP and its coalition partner Komeito won 57 seats and 14 seats, respectively, well surpassing a majority of the 124 up for grabs. This, combined with 70 seats already controlled by the coalition in the uncontested half of the Upper House, will enable the bloc to retain a comfortable majority.\n\nOn the opposition side, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan significantly increased its number of seats to 17, the tallies showed.\n\n“Through this election, I felt that to a certain degree many people are critical of the Abe administration’s political dominance,” Tetsuro Fukuyama, secretary-general of the CDP, told NHK.\n\nMeanwhile, conservative opposition Nippon Ishin no Kai earned 10 seats, the Japanese Communist Party won seven, the Democratic Party for the People took six and the Social Democratic Party finished with one, final results showed.\n\nReiwa Shinsengumi, an iconoclastic opposition group founded by actor-turned-politician Taro Yamamoto, successfully won two seats, both of which went to candidates with severe disabilities who use specially designed wheelchairs. Yamamoto himself didn’t get a seat. A political group that professes to “protect” the public from broadcaster NHK, whose subscription fee system it blasts as unfair, also won one seat.\n\nThe election was widely seen as make-or-break for Abe’s longtime ambition to revise the postwar Constitution. Abe has argued that the war-renouncing Article 9 of the supreme charter should be revised to formalize the legal status of the Self-Defense Forces.\n\nWithout a pro-revision supermajority in the Upper House, Abe will not be able to initiate a national referendum on revising the Constitution, which is often regarded by nationalists as a humiliating postwar imposition by the U.S.-led Occupation forces. Therefore, there is a risk that Abe may slide into a lame-duck position, having lost momentum for a key political push that has helped rally his conservative base and in no small way defined his identity as a politician.\n\nOne possible way he could maintain momentum for the pro-revision camp without the two-thirds majority — as he himself suggested during the campaign — would be to reach out to the opposition Democratic Party for the People, which is seen as being more flexible than other opposition parties in terms of amending the charter.\n\nSome political observers speculate that Abe, when push comes to shove, may give up on pursuing changes to Article 9 and settle for an amendment proposal more palatable to the DPP so he can absorb its members into a pro-revision group.\n\nOn Sunday night, Abe reiterated his hopes for cooperation with the DPP.\n\n“Whether we can form a two-thirds majority depends on how discussions at the Diet will proceed,” he said in a post-election interview with TV Asahi.\n\n“There are many lawmakers within the DPP who believe discussions on constitutional amendment should kick off. … I hope that not just the DPP, but other parties and independent lawmakers, will press ahead with honest debate,” he added.\n\nStill, Abe said he will take the LDP’s strong performance Sunday as proof of voters’ endorsement of his campaign pledge to revise the Constitution.\n\n“We won more than half of the seats contested. This means people urged us to steadily promote discussion” on constitutional revision, Abe said.\n\n“I hope debates at the Diet will make progress,” he added.\n\nWhile stumping for LDP candidates in the lead-up to Sunday’s vote, Abe, according to media reports, repeatedly stressed his promise to rewrite the supreme law, daring voters to choose between parties that “fulfill their responsibilities” to discuss its revision and those that don’t.\n\nThis was rather atypical of Abe, who in past election campaigns opted to avoid addressing constitutional revision head-on, apparently out of fear that bringing to the fore such a divisive topic could backfire.\n\nAbe’s road ahead, however, is bumpy nonetheless.\n\nFor one thing, he may face stiff resistance from coalition partner Komeito to any attempt to rewrite war-renouncing Article 9, which the Buddhist-backed party has traditionally been quite reluctant to change.\n\nIf it turns out constitutional revision is more elusive than he’d hoped, Abe might have no other choice but to set his sights on other potential “legacy” projects to maintain momentum for his leadership, which is set to end in September 2021, observers say.\n\n“Foreign affairs will play an outsized role on Abe’s agenda regardless of the outcome on Sunday, but especially if Abe fails to receive a pro-revision supermajority,” Tobias Harris, an expert on Japanese politics at Teneo Intelligence, a consulting firm in Washington, said in an emailed newsletter.\n\n“If revision appears to be foreclosed, Abe will likely look abroad for a legacy issue,” he said.\n\nAlthough having been unable to make any significant headway, Abe has also been keen to resolve the territorial dispute with Russia and repatriate Japanese nationals kidnapped by North Korean agents in the 1970s and 1980s.\n\nUltimately, the election was to many voters first and foremost a chance for them to endorse or repudiate the Abe administration’s performance since he returned to power in December 2012.\n\nHis main campaign pitch centered on the “stability” of his government, a message he repeatedly referenced to evoke memories of chaos and high leadership turnover that pervaded the brief period in power of the Democratic Party of Japan.\n\nParticularly at issue was Abe’s pledge to raise the consumption tax from the current 8 percent to 10 percent in October. The LDP-Komeito coalition has justified the hike as a way of covering the costs of ballooning social security costs and free preschool education, despite claims by the opposition that the hike will be detrimental to household finances.\n\nObservers say Abe could become a lame duck as the end of his third term approaches.\n\nHowever, according to NHK, LDP Secretary-General Toshihiro Nikai told a radio program Sunday that Abe “has won much support” from party members through Sunday’s election and that it would not be “unnatural at all” if rules were revised to allow Abe to be elected party president for an unprecedented fourth time.\n\nWhen asked to elaborate on the possibility of Abe’s fourth term during a separate media appearance, Nikai said he believes “that’s what the public wants.”\n\nGiven the support for the LDP, “I don’t think it’s unnatural at all to think there are huge expectations for Abe,” he said.\n\nAsked about Nikai’s remark, Abe said he will perform his duties as party president until the end of his term as set by party rules.\n\n“I very much appreciate (Nikai’s) comment, but I’d rather focus on producing results and dedicate myself wholeheartedly to the rest of my term (as LDP president) as per the current LDP rule,” he said\n\nAbe’s current term as LDP president ends in fall 2021. Given the majority held by the LDP-Komeito coalition, the head of the LDP would usually serve as the prime minister.\n\nStaff writers Sakura Murakami and Satoshi Sugiyama contributed to this report.", "Japan went to polls Sunday to elect about half of the seats of parliament's Upper House in which the prime minister's ruling party hopes to re-validate its wide majority.\n\nPolling stations opened across most of the Japanese archipelago at 8am Sunday and will close at 8pm.", "The Japanese prime minister's political coalition on Monday won the partial legislative elections to the upper house of parliament, though it failed to secure the number of seats needed to push forward the constitutional reform it was hoping for, according to results released Monday.\n\nJapanese citizens had voted Sunday to elect half of the House of Councillors, whose member serve for six-year terms and have fewer legislative functions than members of the House of Representatives, of which Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is a member.", "Tokyo: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s political coalition has won the partial legislative election to the upper house of Parliament, though it failed to secure the number of seats needed to push forward the constitutional reform it was hoping for, according to results released on Monday.\n\nJapanese citizens had voted on Sunday to elect half of the House of Councillors, whose member serve for six-year terms and have fewer legislative functions than members of the House of Representatives, of which Abe is a member.\n\nThe result leaves Abe with a clear majority in both houses of Parliament, following a landslide win in the lower house in 2017. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) won 71 of the 124 seats in the 245-member House of Councillors in the Sunday polls, according to public broadcaster NHK.\n\nHowever, he failed to achieve the two-thirds majority needed to amend the Constitution — a signature goal for which Abe has set a 2020 deadline.\n\n“I would like to express my gratitude to the voters,” Abe said in a press conference on Monday. “This is a choice about the political stability and chaos. We asked the voters to choose between these two options and many people listened to our speeches on the streets.\n\n“In this election, the constitutional amendment was also a big issue – it will be finally determined by the national referendum,” Abe said, calling the two-thirds requirement “a very tall order”.\n\n“The people of Japan will have a final say on this matter.”\n\nAbe’s goal is to amend the Constitution – which was approved after World War II – to change its pacifist character so that the country’s Self-Defence Forces can play a more active role. The amendment must be approved by both houses and put to a referendum.\n\nHe said he wanted to demonstrate his own leadership to be able to discuss the reform and make a draft that can secure two-thirds of the votes between the ruling and opposition legislators.\n\nVoter turnout on Sunday was the second-lowest since the end of World War II, as only 48.8 per cent of the electoral census went to the polls, slightly higher than the record low of 44.52 per cent turnout in the 1995 elections.", "MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 21st July, 2019) Japanese voters will cast their ballots for 124 of the 245 seats in the country's upper house, the House of Councilors, on Sunday with the ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and Komeito party projected to ensure a solid victory.\n\nAccording to a poll by the Nikkei newspaper, Shinzo Abe's LDP and its coalition partner Komeito are projected to secure together 63 seats out of 124, and therefore will maintain the majority in the upper chamber.\n\nSimilarly, the latest poll by the Kyodo news agency carried out on July 14-16 showed that popular support for the LDP stood at 33.8 percent and for Komeito - at 5.1 percent, while the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party ranked second with 9.1 percent and other parties having less than 5 percent. Yet, nearly 30 percent of respondents said that they do not have any party they support, which still change the situation.\n\nNevertheless, Abe's coalition appears to be on track to secure a win in the elections due to the lack of any serious opponents, Purnendra Jain, a professor in the Department of Asian Studies at the University of Adelaide, noted in his comments to Sputnik.\n\n\"Abe's opponents are extremely weak and there is no immediate political challenge to his party and to his leadership,\" Jain said.\n\nThe expert stressed Abe's success in assuring voters of having firm hand in foreign policy - not only with the nation's main ally, the United States, but also with North Korea on the abduction issue, South Korea on trade spat and war-time grievances, and Russia on the territorial dispute.\n\n\"Japanese voters cannot see any alternative to the LDP and to Abe at this stage,\" Jain said.\n\nProfessor Jeffrey Kingston, the director of Asian Studies at the Temple University, Japan Campus, also pointed out that Abe's main trump card was not his qualities or policies, but rather a lack of alternative among the opposition parties.\n\n\"There is great apathy about this upper house election ... Turnout will be low,\" he suggested in his comments to Sputnik, noting that it would only benefit the LDP.\n\nDespite the apathy toward the upcoming vote, it might enable Abe to move forward with his long-held ambition to revise Japan's post-war pacifist constitution that bans country from maintaining an army and participating in overseas military operations. To do so he has to ensure a two-thirds majority of parties supporting the constitutional amendment. Yet, even this might not be enough for Abe to go through with his plan, Jain noted.\n\n\"If it is passed in both houses, the key would be whether Japanese voters are ready to endorse it in a national referendum. The signs are mixed,\" the expert said.\n\nAbe's ambitious goal to turn Japan into a \"normal country,\" as pro-amendment supporters put it, might be even challenged even with the prime minister's coalition, Kingston suggested.\n\n\"Almost nobody prioritizes constitutional revision - even the leader of Komeito, the main coalition partner, says it's not necessary, so Abe will have an uphill struggle. Even those who support say they don't want it to happen under Abe ... Major trust deficit,\" he stressed.\n\nYet, according to Professor Jain of the University of Adelaide, the victory itself would be an important mandate for Abe to continue his policies, taking into account that he himself and his entourage had been mired in a string of scandals recently.\n\n\"This is the first national election in the Reiwa era. A win by the LDP would endorse confidence in the party and Abe as its Prime Minister. Since Abe has been under criticism for his handling of the Moritomo Gakuen scandal, pension funds and increasing the consumption tax from 8 percent to 10 percent from October, victory of the LDP will give Abe some political space to move ahead with his reform agenda, including opening up the economy and Japan's doors to more foreign workers and immigrants,\" the expert stressed.\n\nIn the past couple of years, Abe's government faced major public discontent over cronyism scandals. It was alleged that Abe along with his wife and Finance Minister Taro Aso were involved in manipulating the sales of public land for the Moritomo Gakuen private school at artificially lowered prices, while the Japanese prime minister was also believed to give preferential treatment to the Kake Gakuen veterinary school project linked to his close friend Kotaro Kake.\n\nFurthermore, Abe's government has been at the center of a scandal over the disclosure of activity logs of Japanese troops in Iraq between 2003 and 2009, the existence of which had earlier been denied by the Japanese Defense Ministry. Japan's Defense Minister Tomomi Inada subsequently resigned over the scandal.\n\nAbe did not only manage to secure a majority in a snap vote to the lower chamber in 2017 immediately after the scandals erupted, but also get reelected as the LDP president for the third term in September last year, therefore retaining his position as the country's prime minister.", "BENGALURU: Irrespective of their party affiliations, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) councillors on Saturday said they will not disclose their assets and liabilities before the Lokayukta.\n\nSpeaking at the BBMP Council meeting, they termed the Karnataka Municipal Council to be higher and more powerful than the Lokayukta.\n\nThe councillors unanimously voiced their concern against a query from the Lokayukta.\n\nA complaint has been filed in the Lokayukta against the councilors for not disclosing their assets and liabilities before the Lokayukta, to which they said they have disclosed their details before the Karnataka Municipal Council and there was no need to disclose them once again.\n\nThey also said it was now for the government to take a decision.\n\n“If the government thinks the details are not proper and are not satisfied with what is presented before the KMC, the government can take action against us,” the councillors said.\n\nThey also demanded that the complaint filed before the Lokayukta be cancelled.\n\n“The assets and liabilities of each councillor is uploaded on the websites for people to see. There is nothing to hide and nothing to show. The Lokayukta does not have the powers to take details of Palike members and in 2016, the state election commission had directed that details be submitted to the KMC and state government which has been done. The KMC has been approved by the state and Central governments and even the President of India,” the councillors said.\n\nThey also pointed out, “As per the Lokayukta Act, inquiry and action can be taken against those who get more than Rs 20,000 salary. But the councillors get an honorarium of Rs 8,000 and so we do not fall under the Lokayukta’s purview.”\n\nReacting to this, BBMP Commissioner Manjunath Prasad said he had consulted the matter with the legal team of the BBMP.\n\nBut more details were required and the matter will again be discussed with legal experts before any decision is taken, he added.\n\nCouncillors on Saturday said the transfer of developmental rights (TDR) scam allegedly involving Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) engineers is bigger than the 2G scam. At the BBMP Council meeting, the councillors demanded an Anti-Corruption Bureau inquiry into the matter.\n\nCouncillor Padmanabha Reddy said, “The TDR scam is worse than the 2G scam and the government and Council should address it.”\n\n“The engineers joined hands with builders and showed that these lands fall under CBD areas,” the councillors said. BBMP Commissioner Manjunath Prasad said on option is an inquiry could be handed over to the ACB as they suggested.\n\nThe second is to form a committee under the mayor, the leaders of the ruling and opposition parties and special commissioner (project) to look into the issue.\n\nThe councillors agreed to the second option, but said if results were not satisfactory then the matter should be handed over to the ACB."], "summary": "Japanese citizens head to the polls to elect one half of the members of the country's House of Councillors."}
{"document": ["Still up in the air, however, is whether the ruling bloc and its allies will keep the two-thirds “supermajority”\n\nPrime Minister Shinzo Abe’s ruling bloc is set to keep a solid majority in Japan’s upper house election on Sunday and with allies could seal the two-thirds majority needed to keep alive his dream of revising the pacifist constitution, an NHK exit poll showed.\n\nAbe, who took office in December 2012 pledging to restart the economy and bolster defence, is already on track to become Japan’s longest-serving premier if he stays on until November, a stunning comeback after he abruptly ended a first, troubled one-year term in 2007.\n\nAbe’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its junior partner, the Komeito party, will take 67-77 of the 124 seats being contested in parliament’s 245-seat upper house. That, together with uncontested seats, assures them a majority.\n\nStill up in the air, however, is whether the ruling bloc and its allies will keep the two-thirds “supermajority” needed to begin the process of revising the constitution’s pacifist Article 9 to further legitimize the military, a controversial step.\n\nTo maintain that majority, pro-revision forces need to win 85 seats. NHK’s exit poll said they would take 76 to 88 seats.\n\nThe charter has not been amended since it was enacted in 1947 and changing it would be hugely symbolic, underscoring a shift away from post-war pacifism already underway.\n\nArticle 9, if taken literally, bans maintenance of military but has been stretched to allow armed forces for self-defense.\n\nGaining a two-thirds majority, however, would not ensure Abe’s proposal to enshrine the military in the constitution would succeed, given differences among lawmakers on what exactly should be changed, political analysts noted.\n\nSurveys show voters are divided over changing it, with opponents worried doing so would increase the risk of Japan getting entangled in U.S.-led conflicts.\n\nAny change must be approved by two-thirds of both houses of parliament and a majority in a public referendum. The LDP-led bloc has a two-thirds majority in the lower house.\n\nAbe pushed his LDP-led coalition as the best bet for political stability during his campaign.\n\nOpposition parties focused on voters finances, including a potential hit on spending from an October rise in the sales tax to 10% and strains in the public pension system due to Japan’s quickly aging population.\n\nLDP Secretary-General Toshihiro Nikai told a TV broadcaster on Sunday that he’d support Abe if he wanted to seek a fourth term as ruling party president when his current tenure ends in September 2021. That would require a change in party rules.\n\n“Of course, I’d support him. Because he has the support of the people,” Nikai said.\n\nAbe has led his party to victory in five national elections since 2012 helped in part by a fragmented opposition. That pattern looked set to repeat on Sunday, according to media reports.\n\nThe main opposition Constitution Democratic Party of Japan (CDPJ) was set to increase its seats and alongside the Democratic Party for the People (DPFP), the Japanese Communist Party and the Social Democratic Party fielded joint candidates in all 32 constituencies where one seat is up for grabs, setting the goal of winning at least 11 seats, the same number they won in the 2016 upper house election.", "July 22 (UPI) -- Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe won a victory Monday as his Liberal Democratic Party took a clear majority of seats in Japan's upper-chamber House of Councillors.\n\nDespite the victory, the party fell short of the two-thirds majority needed to keep a major campaign pledge to amend the Japanese Constitution to clarify its Self-Defense Forces status in Article 9 of its supreme law. Abe said while the party stance has not changed, it's willing to be \"flexible.\"\n\nThe vote positions Abe to become Japan's longest-serving prime minister. The Liberal Democratic Party captured 71 seats in Sunday's election and, with its junior partner Komeito, controls 141 seats.\n\n\"Although we have provided a basis for debate, which we believe is the best but we want to have flexible discussions without sticking to our proposal,\" Abe said, dismissing the party's falling short of a two-thirds majority.\n\n\"Many said it would be extremely difficult to gain a majority when advocating tax hikes, but we have the public's understanding. This upper house election was not about winning two-thirds of the seats, it was about maintaining stability. We achieved that goal.\"\n\nVoter turnout for the House of Councillor's election was well below its 2016 election tally. Japan's Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry said 49 percent of eligible voters participated, compared to 55 percent in 2016. Sunday marked the first time since 1995 that fewer than 50 percent voted in an upper house election.", "(Corrects July 22 story inserting “male” in 12th paragraph to show that Taiga Ishikawa became country’s only openly gay male parliamentarian)\n\nJapan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who is also leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), puts a rosette on the name of a candidate who is expected to win the upper house election, at the LDP headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, July 21, 2019. REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon\n\nBy Linda Sieg\n\nTOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has avoided lame-duck status after his ruling bloc won a solid victory in Sunday’s upper house election but the poll - with nearly record-low turnout - has dented his hopes of revising the pacifist constitution and left him facing tough diplomatic challenges.\n\nBelow are five takeaways from the voting for 124 seats in the 245-member chamber, elections for half of which are held every three years.\n\nFOREIGN POLICY CHALLENGES\n\nU.S. President Donald Trump has made clear he’s unhappy over Japan’s $67.6 billion trade surplus with the United States and said he expected an announcement on a deal after the upper house poll. The two sides are working on an agreement involving agriculture and autos that could be clinched in September, but talks are fluid. Any agreement would likely be just part of a broader deal sought by Trump - who has threatened to put 25% tariffs on imported Japanese cars.\n\nAbe also faces U.S. pressure to join a military coalition to safeguard strategic waters off Iran and Yemen. Trump’s national security adviser John Bolton was in Tokyo on Monday and was expected to raise the issue, debate over which could inflame a divide in public opinion over sending Japanese troops abroad.\n\nAbe is expected to maintain a tough stance - which many voters support - in a bitter feud with South Korea over compensation for South Koreans forced to work for Japanese occupiers during World War Two. The dispute worsened this month when Japan tightened export controls on high-tech materials to South Korea.\n\nABE’S FUTURE, VOTERS’ OPTION\n\nThe solid showing by Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party-led bloc means Abe has avoided becoming a lame duck in the final two years of his third three-year term as party leader and is on track to become Japan’s longest-serving premier if he stays in his post until November.\n\nAbe, who made a surprise come-back in 2012 after a troubled 2006-2007 term, has now led the LDP to six national election wins and LDP Secretary-General Toshihiro Nikai has suggested Abe for a fourth term as party chief. That would require a change in LDP rules.\n\nTurnout in the election, however, fell below 50% to the lowest level since 1995, media estimates showed, due to a perceived lack of viable alternatives among a fragmented opposition camp and an absence of heated debate on issues.\n\nCONSTITUTION REVISION DREAM DENTED, NOT DEAD\n\nAbe’s long-held dream of revising the post-war, pacifist constitution was dented when his coalition and other allies failed to keep the two-thirds “super majority” needed to start the controversial process of revising the charter, never amended since it was enacted after Japan’s defeat in World War Two.\n\nAbe said after the victory that the results meant voters accepted the need for debate on the divisive issue, and is expected to try to persuade some opposition lawmakers to back change. The premier wants to enshrine the nation’s military in the constitution, a change that would be hugely symbolic and underscore a shift away from pacifism already underway.\n\nDIVERSITY\n\nA record 28% percent of candidates were women in the first national election since Japan enacted a law setting a non-binding target for parties to run an equal number of men and women, and a record-tying 28 women were elected.\n\nLGBT candidate Taiga Ishikawa won a seat with support from the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan - which had made diversity a campaign slogan - to become the country’s only openly gay male member of parliament.\n\nSlideshow (2 Images)\n\nAnd two severely disabled candidates including Yasuhiko Funago, who has the progressive neurological disease Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), won seats with the backing of a small opposition group.\n\nECONOMIC POLICIES\n\nAbe’s victory assures that a scheduled sales tax rise to 10% from 8% will take place in October and that the government will ramp up fiscal spending if the higher levy, coupled with the pressure on exports from the global economic slowdown, push Japan into recession. The Bank of Japan will remain under pressure to expand monetary stimulus if risks to the economy heighten, though the premier has signalled the central bank has done enough by creating jobs with hits ultra-loose policy.", "Japan Prime Minister and ruling Liberal Democratic Party President Shinzo Abe at an election campaign rally in Japan.\n\nJapan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his ruling coalition party won a majority in the country's upper house elections on Sunday — but they failed to secure enough votes needed for Abe's long-held dream of revising the constitution.\n\nAbe's Liberal Democratic Party and its partner, the Komeito Party, won at least 69 of the 124 seats contested in parliament's 245-seat upper house — with nine seats yet to be called, according to Japanese media reports.\n\nBut the coalition fell short of a two-thirds \"super majority\" — or 85 seats — needed to revise the country's constitution. The move would allow Japan to further legitimize its military, and end a ban that has kept its armed forces from fighting abroad since 1945, when World War II ended.", "The Latest: Abe falls short of seats to change constitution\n\nTOKYO (AP) — The Latest on Japanese upper house elections (all times local):\n\nJapanese media say Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ruling bloc will not reach the two-thirds majority in the upper house needed to propose a constitutional revision even if joined by supporters from another party and independents.\n\nAbe's ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its junior partner Komeito have so far won 69 seats, securing the majority of the 124 seats up for grabs in Sunday's upper house election. The less powerful of Japan's parliamentary chambers does not choose the prime minister.\n\nAbe had hoped to win enough seats to increase his chances of a revision to Japan's pacifist constitution to allow Japanese forces a greater role in international disputes. Constitutional reform has already been a challenge because voters are more concerned about jobs, economy and social security.\n\nHe now has slimmer chances of achieving his long-cherished goal before his term ends in 2021.\n\nJapanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has welcomed results showing his coalition bloc has secured a majority in upper house elections, saying it reflects a public mandate for his policies.\n\nAbe said, \"I believe the people chose political stability, urging us to pursue our policies and carry out diplomacy to protect Japan's national interests.\"\n\nAbe was at his party's election headquarters following Sunday's election, placing red ribbons on winners' names written on a panel.\n\nHe hopes to gain enough seats to boost chances for revising the pacifist constitution, his long-cherished goal before his term ends in 2021, though it's a challenge because voters are mainly interested in jobs and economy. Abe said he is not considering running for another term.\n\nMedia reports say Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ruling coalition has secured a majority in upper house elections.\n\nPublic broadcaster NHK says Abe's ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its junior partner Komeito won 64 seats in Sunday's election, exceeding the majority.\n\nNHK says Abe's bloc could also reach the two-thirds super-majority needed to propose constitutional revisions.\n\nAbe hopes to gain enough seats to boost chances for revising the constitution, his long-cherished goal before his term ends in 2021.\n\nSunday's election was for the less powerful of Japan's two parliamentary chambers. The upper house does not choose the prime minister.\n\nExit polls show Japanese Prime Minster Shinzo Abe's ruling coalition is certain to secure the majority of 124 seats contested in upper house elections.\n\nPublic broadcaster NHK says Abe's ruling bloc is sure to win 63 seats, and may reach the two-thirds super majority needed to propose a constitutional revision.\n\nAbe hopes to gain enough seats to boost chances for revising the constitution, his long-cherished goal before his term ends in 2021.\n\nSunday's election was for the less powerful of Japan's two parliamentary chambers. The upper house does not choose the prime minister.\n\nJapanese are voting in an election for the upper house of parliament, where Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ruling bloc is expected to keep the majority.\n\nUp for grabs Sunday are 124 seats in the less powerful of Japan's two chambers that doesn't choose the prime minister.\n\nMedia polls have indicated Abe's ruling bloc is expected to keep the majority as most voters consider it as a safer choice over an opposition with uncertain track records.\n\nOpposition parties have focused on concerns over household finances, such as the impact from an upcoming sales tax increase and strains on the public pension system amid an aging population.\n\nAbe hopes to gain enough seats to boost chances for a constitutional revision, his long-cherished goal before his term ends in 2021.", "Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe enters the headquarters of his Liberal Democratic Party in Tokyo, Sunday, July 21, 2019. Japanese voted Sunday in an election for the upper house of parliament, where Prime Minister Abe’s ruling bloc is expected to keep the majority.(Naoya Osato/Kyodo News via AP)\n\nTOKYO (AP) — Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s ruling coalition secured a majority in Japan’s upper house of parliament in elections Sunday, but it lost ground and fell short of the super-majority needed to propose constitutional revisions, according to vote counts by public television and other media.\n\nNHK public television said Monday that Abe’s Liberal Democratic Party and its junior partner Komeito won 71 seats. If Abe gained support from members of another conservative party and independents, he would reach 76, still short of the 85, NHK said.\n\nAbe’s ruling bloc has a super-majority of two-thirds of the seats in the lower chamber, but Sunday’s results mean he has a slimmer chance of achieving his long-cherished goal of reforming Japan’s postwar pacifist constitution before his term ends in 2021.\n\nNonetheless, Abe welcomed the results, saying winning the majority means the public’s mandate for his government.\n\n“I believe the people chose political stability, urging us to pursue our policies and carry out diplomacy to protect Japan’s national interests,” Abe told an interview with NHK. He was at his party’s election headquarters where he monitored results, placing red ribbons on winners’ names written on a panel.\n\nUp for grabs were 124 seats in the less powerful of Japan’s two parliamentary chambers. There are 245 seats in the upper house — which does not choose the prime minister — about half of which are elected every three years.\n\nMedia surveys had indicated Abe’s ruling bloc would keep a majority, with most voters considering it a safer choice over an opposition with an uncertain track record.\n\nTwo-thirds of both houses must approve a constitutional revision before the revision can be decided in a national referendum.\n\nHis goal was already a challenge because voters are more concerned about their jobs, economy and social security. Abe, who wants to bolster Japanese defense capability and role, is now proposing adding the Self-Defense Force, or Japan’s military, in the war-renouncing Article 9 of the constitution. Abe said he plans to start from deepening discussion at parliamentary constitutional review board. He said he aims to propose a revision during his current leadership, and that he is not considering running for another term, denying growing speculation he might.\n\nAbe said resolving the decades-old issue of Japanese citizens abducted to North Korea and signing a peace treaty with Russia would be his diplomatic priorities during the rest of his term.\n\nMain opposition parties have focused on concerns over household finances, such as the impact from an upcoming 10% sales tax increase and strains on the public pension system amid Japan’s aging population, while also trying to block Abe’s ambition for a constitutional change.\n\nAbe has led his Liberal Democratic Party to five consecutive parliamentary election victories since 2012. He has prioritized revitalizing Japan’s economy and has steadily bolstered the country’s defenses in the backdrop of North Korea’s missile and nuclear threats and China’s growing military presence. He also has cultivated warm ties with President Donald Trump.\n\nThe main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and three other liberal-leaning parties teamed up in some districts. They stressed support for gender equality and LGBT issues — areas Abe’s ultra-conservative lawmakers are reluctant to back. Constitutional Democratic Party nearly doubled its presence to 17 seats. Party chief Yukio Edano said his party’s advance underscored a growing number of voters who are dissatisfied with Abe’s policies.”We’ll keep working so that we can be a viable option for voters who want a leadership change.”\n\nAt a polling station in Tokyo’s Chuo district on Sunday, voters were divided over Abe’s 6 1/2-year rule.\n\nA voter who identified himself only as a company worker in his 40s said he chose a candidate and a party that have demonstrated an ability to get things done, suggesting he voted for Abe’s ruling party and its candidate, as “there is no point in casting my vote for a party or a politician who has no such abilities.”\n\nAnother voter, Katsunori Takeuchi, a 57-year-old fish market worker, said it was time to change the dominance of Abe and his ultra-conservative policies.\n\n“I think the ruling party has been dominating politics for far too long and it is causing damage,” he said.", "TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s ruling bloc won a solid majority in an upper house election on Sunday but his coalition and allies fell short of a two-thirds majority needed to begin revising the pacifist constitution, public broadcaster NHK said.\n\nAbe, who took office in December 2012 pledging to restart the economy and bolster defense, is on track to become Japan’s longest-serving premier if he stays in office until November, a stunning comeback after he abruptly ended a first, troubled one-year term in 2007.\n\nHowever, turnout fell below 50% for the first time in a national election since 1995, a sign many voters feel they lack an attractive option. It would be the second-lowest level since records began after World War Two, the government said.\n\nAbe’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and its junior partner, the Komeito party, were assured 71 of the 124 seats being contested in parliament’s 245-seat upper house, NHK showed.\n\nHowever, NHK said the ruling bloc and its allies fell short of the 85 seats needed to retain the two-thirds “super majority” required to begin revising the constitution’s pacifist Article 9 to further legitimize the military, a controversial step.\n\nAbe said the size of the victory showed voters wanted to debate changing the charter for what would be the first time since its enactment after Japan’s defeat in World War Two.\n\n“Of course, we cannot take the timing as a given, but I would like to achieve it (constitutional reform) somehow during my term,” Abe said on television on Sunday evening. His term as LDP president runs until September 2021.\n\nChanging the charter would be hugely symbolic, underscoring a shift away from post-war pacifism already underway.\n\nArticle 9, if taken literally, bans maintenance of a military but has been stretched to allow armed forces for self-defense.\n\nWithout the two-thirds majority, Abe is likely to try to lure other opposition lawmakers to back his proposal to enshrine the military in the constitution, but that could be tough with a lower house election certain between now and 2021.\n\nSurveys show voters are divided over changing the charter, with opponents worried doing so would increase the risk of Japan getting entangled in U.S.-led conflicts.\n\nAny change must be approved by two-thirds of both houses of parliament and a majority in a public referendum. The LDP-led bloc has a two-thirds majority in the lower house.\n\nAbe pushed his LDP-led coalition as the best bet for political stability during his campaign.\n\nOpposition parties focused on voters’ finances, including a potential hit on spending from an October rise in the sales tax to 10% and strains in the public pension system due to Japan’s quickly ageing population.\n\nLDP Secretary-General Toshihiro Nikai told a TV broadcaster he would support Abe if the premier wanted to seek a fourth term as party president, which would require a change in party rules. “Of course, I’d support him. Because he has the support of the people,” Nikai said.\n\nAbe, however, said later that he was “not thinking at all” now about running for a fourth term and was focusing on the tasks that remained during the rest of his term.\n\nAbe had already led his party to victory in five national elections since 2012, helped in part by a fragmented opposition and low turnout by voters.\n\nThe biggest opposition force, Constitution Democratic Party of Japan, was set to increase its seats but remain dwarfed by the LDP, NHK reported.", "Mari Yamaguchi And Kaori Hitomi, The Associated Press \n\n \n\n\n\nTOKYO - Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ruling coalition secured a majority in 's upper house of parliament in elections Sunday, but it lost ground and will not reach the super-majority needed to propose constitutional revisions, according to vote counts by public television and other media.\n\nNHK public television said Abe's Liberal Democratic Party and its junior partner Komeito won 69 seats with nine remaining to be decided after midnight. If Abe gained support from members of another conservative party and independents, he would reach 76, still short of the 85 needed, NHK said.\n\nAbe's ruling bloc has a super-majority of two-thirds of the seats in the lower chamber, but Sunday's results mean he has a slimmer chance of achieving his long-cherished goal of reforming 's postwar pacifist constitution before his term ends in 2021.\n\nNonetheless, Abe welcomed the results, saying winning the majority means the public's mandate for his government.\n\n“I believe the people chose political stability, urging us to pursue our policies and carry out diplomacy to protect 's national interests,” Abe told an interview with NHK. He was at his party's election headquarters where he monitored results, placing red ribbons on winners' names written on a panel.\n\nUp for grabs were 124 seats in the less powerful of 's two parliamentary chambers. There are 245 seats in the upper house - which does not choose the prime minister - about half of which are elected every three years.\n\nMedia surveys had indicated Abe's ruling bloc would keep a majority, with most voters considering it a safer choice over an opposition with an uncertain track record.\n\nTwo-thirds of both houses must approve a constitutional revision before the revision can be decided in a national referendum.\n\nHis goal was already a challenge because voters are more concerned about their jobs, economy and social security. Abe, who wants to bolster ese defence capability and role, is now proposing adding the Self-Defence Force, or 's military, in the war-renouncing Article 9 of the constitution. Abe said he plans to start from deepening discussion at parliamentary constitutional review board. He said he is not considering running for another term.\n\nAbe said resolving the decades-old issue of ese citizens abducted to North Korea and signing a peace treaty with Russia would be his diplomatic priorities during the rest of his term.\n\nMain opposition parties have focused on concerns over household finances, such as the impact from an upcoming 10% sales tax increase and strains on the public pension system amid 's aging population, while also trying to block Abe's ambition for a constitutional change.\n\nAbe has led his Liberal Democratic Party to five consecutive parliamentary election victories since 2012. He has prioritized revitalizing 's economy and has steadily bolstered the country's defences in the backdrop of North Korea's missile and nuclear threats and China's growing military presence. He also has cultivated warm ties with President Donald Trump.\n\nThe main opposition constitutional Democratic Party of and three other liberal-leaning parties teamed up in some districts. They stressed support for gender equality and LGBT issues - areas Abe's ultra-conservative lawmakers are reluctant to back.\n\nAt a polling station in Tokyo's Chuo district on Sunday, voters were divided over Abe's 6 1/2-year rule.\n\nA voter who identified himself only as a company worker in his 40s said he chose a candidate and a party that have demonstrated an ability to get things done, suggesting he voted for Abe's ruling party and its candidate, as “there is no point in casting my vote for a party or a politician who has no such abilities.”\n\nAnother voter, Katsunori Takeuchi, a 57-year-old fish market worker, said it was time to change the dominance of Abe and his ultra-conservative policies.\n\n“I think the ruling party has been dominating politics for far too long and it is causing damage,” he said.", "Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ruling coalition secured a majority in Japan's upper house of parliament in elections Sunday but will not reach the super-majority needed to propose constitutional revisions, according to vote counts by public television and other media.\n\nNHK public television said shortly after midnight that Abe's Liberal Democratic Party and its junior partner Komeito had won 69 seats in the upper house, with nine seats remaining. If Abe gained support from members of another conservative party and independents, it would make only 76 seats, short of 85 he would have needed, NHK said.\n\nAbe's ruling bloc already has a two-thirds majority in the lower house, but without such control of the upper chamber, he has a slim chance of achieving his long-cherished goal of constitutional reform.\n\nNonetheless, Abe welcomed the results, saying winning a majority indicates a public mandate for his government.\n\n\"I believe the people chose political stability, urging us to pursue our policies and carry out diplomacy to protect Japan's national interests,\" Abe said in an interview with NHK.\n\nAbe hopes to gain enough seats to boost his chances to revise Japan's pacifist constitution — his long-cherished goal before his term ends in 2021.\n\nBut it's a challenge because voters are more concerned about their jobs, economy and social security. Abe, who wants to bolster Japan's defense capability, is now proposing adding the Self-Defense Force, or Japan's military, to the war-renouncing Article 9 of the constitution. He said he is not considering running for another term.\n\nAbe said resolving the decades-old issue of Japanese citizens abducted by North Korea and signing a peace treaty with Russia would be his diplomatic priorities during the rest of his term.\n\nOpposition parties have focused on concerns over household finances, such as the impact from an upcoming 10% sales tax increase and strains on the public pension system amid Japan's aging population.\n\nAbe has led his Liberal Democratic Party to five consecutive parliamentary election victories since 2012.\n\nHe has prioritized revitalizing Japan's economy and has steadily bolstered the country's defenses in the backdrop of North Korea's missile and nuclear threats and China's growing military presence. He also has showcased his diplomatic skills by cultivating warm ties with President Donald Trump.\n\nAbe needs approval by a two-thirds majority in both houses to propose a constitutional revision and seek a national referendum. His ruling bloc has a two-thirds majority in the more powerful lower house.\n\nThe main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and three other liberal-leaning parties teamed up in some districts. They stressed support for gender equality and LGBT issues — areas Abe's ultra-conservative lawmakers are reluctant to back.\n\nAt a polling station in Tokyo's Chuo district on Sunday, voters were divided over Abe's 6 1/2-year rule.\n\nA voter who identified himself only as a company worker in his 40s said he chose a candidate and a party that have demonstrated an ability to get things done, suggesting he voted for Abe's ruling party and its candidate, as \"there is no point in casting my vote for a party or a politician who has no such abilities.\"\n\nAnother voter, Katsunori Takeuchi, a 57-year-old fish market worker, said it was time to change the dominance of Abe and his ultra-conservative policies.\n\n\"I think the ruling party has been dominating politics for far too long and it is causing damage,\" he said.", "(UPDATED) Shinzo Abe's ruling coalition retains its majority in the upper house in Sunday's vote for around the half the seats in the chamber, but falls short of securing a two-thirds majority in favor of revising the constitution\n\nTOKYO, Japan (UPDATED) – Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Monday, July 22, pledged to keep alive his plans to amend the country's pacifist constitution, despite failing to secure a \"supermajority\" in upper house elections.\n\nHis ruling coalition retained its majority in the upper house in Sunday's vote for around the half the seats in the chamber, but fell short of securing a two-thirds majority in favour of revising the constitution.\n\n\"The hurdle of two thirds in both the lower and upper houses is extremely high,\" Abe told a news conference at his party headquarters.\n\n\"I want to produce a reform proposal that can be agreed upon by two thirds beyond the borders of the ruling and opposition camps,\" he said.\n\nAbe has long harbored dreams of revising the constitution, which prohibits the country from waging war and maintaining a military.\n\nBut public support for revising the document is low and there is discomfort with the idea even among the ruling coalition.\n\nExperts said that since many within Abe's coalition were already uneasy about the plans, the failure to secure a supermajority was unlikely to change the prime minister's calculations significantly.\n\n\"Losing the supermajority is not necessarily a major setback for Abe,\" wrote analyst Tobias Harris of the Teneo consultancy group in a note.\n\n\"Instead, by leading the ruling coalition to another national election victory – his sixth in his nearly 7 years as LDP (Liberal Democratic Party) leader – Abe has cemented his status atop Japan's political system,\" Harris added.\n\nAbe's LDP and its coalition partner Komeito took 71 of the 124 seats up for grabs in Sunday's vote, accounting for about half of the upper chamber.\n\nThe two parties already control 70 seats in the other half of the 245-seat chamber that was not being contested.\n\nAnalysts said Abe's coalition benefitted from a weak opposition, and voter turnout underscored apathy among the electorate, falling below 50% for the first time since a 1995 upper house election.\n\nAbe's win is likely however to shore up his support ahead of a controversial hike of the consumption tax to 10 percent later this year, as well as trade negotiations with Washington.\n\nThe outcome of Sunday's election means Abe remains on track to become the country's longest-serving prime minister later this year. – Rappler.com"], "summary": "The Liberal Democratic Party of Japan, led by Prime Minister Shinzō Abe, wins a clear, but reduced, majority of the seats but falls short on gaining the two-thirds supermajority needed to start the pursued process of amending the constitution."}
{"document": ["Volodymyr Zelenskiy has managed to conquer Ukraine in barely seven months. The 41-year-old TV comedian announced he was making a presidential bid on New Year's Eve, and won the election in April with 73% of the vote.\n\nNow, his party also looks likely to score a massive victory in Sunday's snap parliamentary election. The previously little-known Servant of the People party, named after a comedy series that featured Zelenskiy in the main role, is polling at between 41-52% in voter surveys — a record high. And only half the delegates to the Ukrainian parliament are elected from party lists. If direct mandates are also counted, Zelenskiy has good reason to hope for an absolute majority. Four other parties will also probably make it over the threshold of 5% needed to make it into parliament, but they are all lagging far behind.\n\nIn May, the new president dissolved parliament and brought forward by three months an election originally scheduled for the fall. His strategy seems to be working: The party is profiting from his high popularity ratings. Its formula is the same one he used for electoral success in April: Most of its members are young political newcomers without any connections with previous parties, which are extremely unpopular with many Ukrainians. One exception is the leader of the election campaign, Dmytro Razumkov, a 35-year political adviser who was once a member of former President Viktor Yanukovych's Party of Regions.\n\nRead more: Why Putin wants to make 'new Russians' out of Ukrainians\n\nZelenskiy's party is headed for a likely victory in Sunday's election\n\nRadical plans\n\nSunday's election will be decisive for Zelenskiy: For his radical fresh start, the former comedian needs a broad majority. Zelenskiy wants to reform almost all sectors, press ahead with digitization and fight corruption. He has also hinted at a reckoning with the legacy left by former President Petro Poroshenko.\n\nHe has already fired several officials left over from Poroshenko's days in office, and proposed to extend a current ban preventing officials from the Yanukovych era from working in the public service to Poroshenko and his team. A draft bill to this end is already before the parliament. Legal prosecutions also seem possible, especially as the Servant of the People party would like to abolish the general immunity enjoyed by parliamentarians. A majority of the population is likely to welcome such a move.\n\nZelenskiy's party also wants to limit the influence oligarchs have on Ukrainian politics. But it's not clear whether this will also apply to Ihor Kolomoyskyi, with whom Zelenskiy was associated before his election, at least business-wise. Critics have accused Zelenskiy of being politically allied with the businessman as well, something both men deny. Yet the presidential office is headed by one of Kolomoyskyi's former lawyers, and one of the top candidates of the Servant of the People party is the managing director of Kolomoyskyi's TV station .\n\nRead more: Investigative journalism is a dangerous job in Ukraine\n\nWatch video 04:30 Share Zelenskiy raises hopes for peace in Ukraine Send Facebook google+ Whatsapp Tumblr linkedin stumble Digg reddit Newsvine Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/3LobJ Zelenskiy raises hopes for peace in Ukraine\n\nReturn of the Yanukovych elites\n\nThe extent to which these plans can be implemented is something that is likely to depend on whether Zelenskiy's party governs alone or as part of a coalition. A possible partner would be the Opposition Platform–For Life party, which currently holds second place in surveys with 12-15% support. So far, little has been said on the subject of a coalition, but there are some key issues where the two parties overlap.\n\nThe Opposition Platform consists above all of former Yanukovych supporters. The party itself, which has its roots in Ukraine's Russian-speaking east and southeast, supports a new rapprochement with Moscow and promises an end to the long-running war with the separatists in the coal-rich Donbass region.\n\nZelenskiy has set himself up as a president for peace, and aims to cater to the yearning many Ukrainians have for an end to the war. \"We are prepared to do everything required by the Minsk agreements,\" Zelenskiy said earlier this month in a DW interview, referring to the international agreements aimed at bringing peace to Ukraine's east. He appears willing to make more concessions than his predecessor, and many are expecting a new approach to this key issue after the election.\n\nMedia and political support from Russia has been very noticeable in the runup to this election. The last time Moscow showed its hand so clearly in the Ukrainian political process was during the 2004 presidential poll, when the Kremlin backed Yanukovych. And this time, Yanukovych's former party colleagues, now organized within the Opposition Platform, are enjoying similar Russian support.\n\nThe Fatherland party of the former prime minister, Yulia Tymoshenko, has also displayed a willingness to form a coalition. Just a year ago, Tymoshenko was seen as an influential politician, but her popularity has since plummeted: surveys show only around 8-9% support.\n\nWar crimes in Ukraine? The war enters the cities Fighting between pro-Russian separatists and the Ukrainian army has intensified around the cities of Luhansk and Donetsk. The situation for the local population keeps getting worse, the UN Human Rights Commission finds. It especially accuses the pro-Russian separatists of severe crimes.\n\nWar crimes in Ukraine? In mourning for father and son More than 1,100 people have been killed in the fighting since mid-April, according to the UN. Not just armed fighters, but also countless civilians, among them many children, have lost their lives. These people grieve for a father and his little son who died in artillery fire near Luhansk.\n\nWar crimes in Ukraine? Heavy weaponry in residential areas Civilians often get caught in the crossfire, according to the UN. Heavy weaponry is being employed in densely populated areas not just by the separatists, like here in Donetsk, but also by the Ukrainian army. The United Nations urge all sides to exercise better measures of precaution to protect civilians’ lives.\n\nWar crimes in Ukraine? Reign of terror by separatists The report accuses the pro-Russian separatists of abducting, torturing and executing people. The separatists are \"rough and brutal\" as well as \"well-equipped and organized\" and often under the command of Russian nationals, according to the UN Human Rights Commission. The UN body has 39 observers on the ground and has documented more than 800 cases of abductions by separatists since mid-April.\n\nWar crimes in Ukraine? Fleeing the East More than 100,000 people have had to leave their homes. Many live in emergency shelters, like here in Kharkiv, to escape the terror of the separatists and the fighting. There are also reports about Russian-speaking residents of eastern Ukraine who have fled to neighboring Russia.\n\nWar crimes in Ukraine? Shooting down MH17: a war crime On July 17, a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 crashed in eastern Ukraine. All 298 people on board were killed. The passenger jet was most probably shot down by pro-Russian separatists. That could be interpreted as a war crime, said UN Human Rights Commissioner Navi Pillay.\n\nWar crimes in Ukraine? Justice in The Hague? Those responsible could face charges before the International Criminal Court. The UN Human Rights Commissioner warns: anybody violating international law will be brought to justice. That also applies to foreign fighters involved in the conflict. Author: Peter Hille\n\n\n\nEx-president and rock singer in opposition\n\nPoroshenko's party, European Solidarity, and the new party Golos (Voice, in English) led by rock singer Svyatoslav Vakarchuk are both likely to be in opposition in the new parliament. Both have targeted voters in western Ukraine, the only region where Zelenskiy does not enjoy a majority. While Poroshenko touts his party as a power opposed to a \"pro-Russian revanchism,\" the 44-year-old Vakarchuk makes the impression of a moderate and tries to copy Zelenskiy's formula for success. Like the Servant of the People, Golos is also made up mostly of young, unknown politicians. The best way to change the country, Vakarchuk told DW, is \"to stand for parliament and bring young people with me.\"\n\nExperts in Kyiv see Sunday's parliamentary election as a chance for a fresh start and point to many new faces embodying the change of generations. But they have also warned about a U-turn toward Russia, despite all pro-Western rhetoric. Such a development would inevitably bring about new tensions.\n\nEvery day, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. Sign up for the newsletter here.", "President Volodymyr Zelenskyy does not intend to interact with the chairperson of the Verkhovna Rada, Andriy Parubiy, but will talk with the new parliament.\n\nHe told journalists about this, Ukrainian News Agency reports.\n\n“I don’t see any further actions with Mr. Parubiy as speaker of the Verkhovna Rada... After his last response, I don’t see any sense in continuing the conversation. We will already talk with another parliament,” he said.\n\nIn particular, Zelenskyy emphasized that he proposed to abolish the majority component of parliamentary election and lower the entry barrier for parties to 3%, but the Verkhovna Rada did not do that.\n\n“Unfortunately, many parties will not be able to pass the 5% barrier. Unfortunately. And this will be precisely because of Mr. Parubiy. Greetings to him,” he said.\n\nThe President also commented on the initiative of the exchange of the Ukrainian film director Oleh Sentsov, who was convicted in Russia, for the director of RIA Novosti Ukraine, Kyrylo Vyshynskyi.\n\n\"We are not talking about the exchange of our sailors. The sailors must be returned to us. If we talk about goodwill, we are ready to exchange Vyshynskyi. Sentsov is an example. We are ready to change for Sentsov, but this is not loose change. We would like to receive all our political prisoners and military. If these are the first steps, then we are ready,\" he said.\n\nOn the question of whether Ukraine is ready to return Vyshynskyi first, Zelenskyy replied that the exchange should take place simultaneously.\n\nAs Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, on July 21, the snap parliamentary election will be held.", "Ukrainian citizens living or temporarily staying in Estonia voted in Sunday's parliamentary elections at the Ukrainian Embassy in Tallinn on Sunday. According to the chair of the polling division, over 4,700 Ukrainians were registered to vote in Estonia, nearly 730 of whom had voted by evening, indicating a 15-percent voter turnout.\n\nMiddday saw many voters turn up at the embassy to vote, with a line even forming at the door at one point, reported ETV news broadcast \"Aktuaalne kaamera.\" According to polling division director Mihhail Vaitman, however, Sunday's Verkhovna Rada elections nonetheless attracted fewer voters than the April 21 presidential election did.\n\n\"We believe that we likely won't see the sheer number of voters today that we did for the presidential election,\" Vaitman said. \"Also because it's summer. But we hope that overall turnout is respectable and that people make the right choices for them.\"\n\nApril's presidential election, however, should increase voters' interest in the parliamentary elections as well.\n\n\"In connection with the change in president, these elections should be of slightly greater interest, as the positioning of political powers will change, and a lot will change in general [in Ukraine], \" Vaitman said. \"Of course, time will tell to what extent these changes are positive and successful. Time will tell. But citizens who feel responsible for what is happening [in Uraine], have to come and vote.\"\n\n\"You have to vote to ensure that people live well,\" Viktor said. \"If everyone were to skip it — I'm not going and I'm not going — what are you left with? Nothing good would come of it.\"\n\nAmong those willing to disclose for whom they voted, two voted in favor of candidates on the list of Servants of the People, the party of President Volodymr Zelensky.\n\n\"In favor of Zelensky,\" Roman explained. \"If he is at the forefront and his party is also at the forefront, then that will mean results. He can influence them. That's why.\"\n\n\"You know, the president's party,\" Vassil said. \"Perhaps something will come of it. God willing!\"\n\nDownload the ERR News app for Android and iOS now and never miss an update!", "President Volodymyr Zelenskyy does not want the new prime minister to be the leader of the Verkhovna Rada faction or the former head of government.\n\nHe told this to journalists, Ukrainian News Agency report.\n\nZelenskyy noted that he was already holding consultations on the candidacy of the prime minister.\n\nAs Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, on Sunday, July 21, voting in parliamentary election began in Ukraine.\n\nVoting will last until 08:00 p.m.", "Poland expects Polish-Ukrainian affairs be an important part of the new Ukrainian government’s agenda, said a Polish presidential aide after early results of Ukraine’s Sunday parliamentary election showed the Ukrainian president’s party is on course to win big.\n\nPresident Volodymyr Zelensky’s Servant of the People party will likely to form a one-party parliamentary majority, for the first time in Ukraine’s history.\n\n“One party rule is not only an opportunity for full implementation of the political programme, but also a responsibility,” the head of Polish President Andrzej Duda’s office, Krzysztof Szczerski said on Monday, adding that, after the elections to the Ukrainian parliament on Sunday, Verkhovna Rada, the political milieu of Zelensky, will take full responsibility for the future fate of Ukraine.\n\n“We will therefore wait for the formation of a new cabinet and information on its political priorities,” the Polish president’s aide said.\n\n“We expect, as President Andrzej Duda said after the first meeting with President Zelensky, that the matters which are important in Polish-Ukrainian relations, will be an important part of the political agenda of the new government, and politically coherent with the President of Ukraine,” Szczerski said. “We are ready to cooperate, but we also expect good talks with the new Ukrainian authorities on common Polish-Ukrainian topics,” he added.\n\nKrzysztof Szczerski also said that President Zelensky is expected to visit Warsaw to attend events marking the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II, on September 1.\n\n“There is such a will, so I also do not rule out that the Ukrainian president’s first official visit to Poland will take place on September 2, the Polish official said, adding that it would be a good opportunity to talk about the new Ukrainian government’s policy.\n\nUkraine’s Central Election Commission (CEC) said the ruling party had secured 42.3 percent of the votes, after almost half had been counted on Monday. The Russian-friendly party, Opposition Platform for Life, was in a distant second place with 12.7 pct, followed by former Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko’s party, European Solidarity, which secured 8.7 pct. The party of former Ukrainian PM Yulia Tymoshenko, garnered a little above 8 pct support, while Voice, fronted by rock star Sviatoslav Vakarchuk, received 6.3 pct.\n\nThe remaining parties did not pass the 5 pct threshold to enter parliament. (PAP)", "DONBASS – President of Ukraine Zelensky will end the war in the Donbass by arranging the “night of long knives” for the Nazis and the radicals. So says Ukrainian ex-deputy Oleg Tsarev, reports “TsarGrad” , referring to the comment of the policy of the FAN .\n\nAccording to him, Zelensky is 90% likely to end the war in the Donbass by fulfilling the Minsk agreements in the form in which they were signed. At the same time, he will try to negotiate with the LDNR directly, removing his rival Medvedchuk from them.\n\nTsarev notes that Zelensky is not going to share his power with anyone, including with the Ukrainian Nazis. The former parliamentarian does not exclude that in the near future the radicals are waiting for the “night of long knives.”\n\nHe assumes that as a step towards Russia to the Crimea, the water supply from Ukraine, which was suspended in 2014, can be restored. As for the recognition of the Crimea as a territory of Russia, this is a more complicated question.\n\n“Not a single Ukrainian politician can not afford to give up the Crimea. At least, as long as there is no “transfer of power” in Kiev, – explained Tsarev.\n\nToday, parliamentary deputy Rabinovich said that the party of war is leading in parliament, which will lead Ukraine to a catastrophe .\n\nEarlier, a Ukrainian political analyst said that, according to the preliminary results of the elections to the Verkhovna Rada, the forces leading up to the country’s entry into NATO and the EU and for hundreds of years of war with Russia are leading in the Ukrainian parliament .\n\nNote that today the leader of the party “Servant of the People” Razumkov said that the new composition of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine may begin work in late August .\n\nAlso today, he said that the party “Servant of the People” does not see the point in creating a coalition in the Rada .\n\nIn addition, it was reported that the CEC of Ukraine processed half of the electronic protocols .\n\nThe Central Election Commission has not recorded serious violations in the elections to the Verkhovna Rada.\n\nYesterday after the closure of polling stations in Ukraine, official exit poll data were published. The first place in the elections to the Verkhovna Rada was predictably occupied by the party of the current president of Zelensky, “The Servant of the People”. The second is behind the Boyko-Medvedchuk Opposition Platform.\n\nEarlier, the Kiev police reported massive violations of electoral legislation on the eve of elections.", "4% of voters in the constituency in Australia have voted in the parliamentary election.\n\nThe Ukrainian Embassy in Australia has said this in a statement, Ukrainian News Agency reports.\n\n\"In Australia, the voting at the polling station No. 900001, located at the Ukrainian Embassy in Canberra, has ended,\" reads the statement.\n\nAccording to the report, 57 people took part in the election to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, which is 4% of all registered voters.\n\nAs Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, on Sunday, July 21, at 8 a.m., voting in the snap parliamentary election began in Ukraine.", "Party “servant of the people” President Vladimir Zelensky is leading in the elections to the Verkhovna Rada with separation from the nearest competitor by almost 30% of the vote. This is evidenced by the data on the CEC website.\n\nAt the end of counting of 35.5% of protocols, “servant of the people” gathered of 42.19%, second place in the “Opposition platform for life” Victor Medvedchuk from 12.75% in the third – party former President Poroshenko “European solidarity” from 8.71%. Also the five-percent barrier overcome the “Fatherland” from 8.15% and the party of the musician Svyatoslav Vakarchuk’s “the Voice” – 6,39%.\n\nAccording to the calculations of “the Ukrainian truth”, after the seats in Parliament are distributed as follows: “the Servant of the people” – 228, “the Opposition platform – for Life” – 43 “European solidarity” – 27, “Batkivshchyna” – 26 and “the Voice” – 20. Given the victories in single-member districts, party Zelensky is likely to receive more than 50% of the seats in the Parliament of Ukraine.\n\nZelensky, thanked voters for the confidence in his political team. “It’s not just a lot of trust, it’s a big responsibility for me personally, for our team,” he said, adding that he wants to see the Prime Minister of the economist, which had not previously been involved in politics. His words are quoted by the BBC Russian service.\n\nA priority Zelensky called the return of Ukrainian prisoners of war and end the war, adding that his party would consider a coalition with the party of “the Voice” Svyatoslav Vakarchuk. The leader of the group “Okean Elzy” said that people voted “for change”. “From what we see, we can say that people voted for change. And we are ready to be part of these changes,” he said, calling that “the old policy, with its methods of the past.”\n\nOne of the future members of the “public Servants” David Arachnia told the BBC that the party does not know what odnomandatniki from “public Servants” will win the election, so “we will all need to get acquainted”. It is noted that in the party “very satisfied” with the outcome of the election, but don’t want to talk about the candidacy of the Prime Minister. This position may qualify several top members of the party Zelensky from its head Dmitry Razumkov up to security Council Secretary Alexander danyluk. They themselves say they are going to wait for the decision of the President and the coalition, while Razumkova also predicting an armchair of the head of the Verkhovna Rada.\n\nZelensky also promised that there would soon be appointed a new attorney General whose name do not begin with “Lu” and end on “Cinco”, obviously hinting at the current Prosecutor General Yury Lutsenko, whom the President of Ukraine at the inauguration urged to resign.\n\nThe head of Committee of the Federation Council international Affairs Konstantin Kosachev said that Zelensky has managed to transform the Parliament from the opposition in a relatively loyal. According to him, Poroshenko’s team and the most extremist political forces in Ukraine finally be history. “If his artistic period can be compared with a political childhood, the period between victory in the presidential election and the current day was his adolescence. Now, in any case, the coming presidential youth to refer to destructive the Parliament will not succeed,” – said Kosachev.\n\nThe leader of “the Opposition platform” Yuriy Boiko thanked voters who “voted for peace, for that the country returned to normal life.” Another key member of the party Viktor Medvedchuk, a well-known Pro-Russian views and cronyism with Russian President Vladimir Putin, said that after the elections, there is a “serious stage of the struggle,” and explained that against the party were “very dirty and cynical” campaign. “We are pleased, but not satisfied,” he added.\n\n“The opposition platform” has declared that is ready to help party Zelensky “servant of the people”, but would not cooperate with Pro-European parties. “We will be happy to help those who will establish peace in the Donbass. If the party Zelensky “servant of the people” will strive for peace, we will render assistance, regardless of what our arrangements. All the rest, who will lead us into NATO, the IMF, and it is unclear where we operate will not” – said one of the heads of the party Vadim Rabinovich.\n\nDuring the day members of all parties that are in Parliament, have stated that they will not enter into a coalition with the Pro-Russian party “the Opposition platform”, and even before the announcement of the results of the exit polls guests of staff was given a huge notebook, where I collected examples of “cinicnnati violations” opponents in the election.\n\nIt is noted that the turnout amounted to 49,84% and was lower than usual. According to the CEC, the highest turnout recorded in Chernihiv (41,69%) and Poltava (41,52%) regions. The lowest in the Chernivtsi region, where voted only 27,91% of the voters. One of the leaders of the party “European solidarity” Irina Gerashchenko said that the low turnout in these elections, “distorts the actual sympathy of the whole community.”\n\nPolice announced the 2105 registered statements and reports related to the elections. 504 – about illegal campaigning, 74 – bribery of voters, 67 – of obstructing the exercise of electoral rights, 46 different kinds of conflicts, 39 – photographing of ballots, 31 – damage of bulletins and 26 reports of mining, the Ministry of internal Affairs of Ukraine.", "The result of the elections to the Ukrainian parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, shows that the Ukrainians are tired of the policy of intimidation and terror carried out by the previous Kiev authorities, Moscow will assess the new Ukrainian authorities by their practical steps\n\nMOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd July, 2019) The result of the elections to the Ukrainian parliament , the Verkhovna Rada, shows that the Ukrainians are tired of the policy of intimidation and terror carried out by the previous Kiev authorities, Moscow will assess the new Ukrainian authorities by their practical steps.\n\n\"It is important to note that the nationalist forces did not receive broad support from the Ukrainian population. The European Solidarity led by [former president] Petro Poroshenko demonstrated quite modest results. The group of extremists from the Svoboda and other radical organizations is not going to parliament at all,\" the ministry said in a commentary to the preliminary outcome of the Sunday snap general election in Ukraine.\n\n\"All this indicates that the Ukrainians are tired of the policy of intimidation and terror carried out by previous authorities. We can, apparently, call the past vote 'a vote of hope',\" the ministry said.\n\nThe ministry added that Moscow would continue to closely monitor the situation in Ukraine after the Verkhovna Rada election, and \"would assess the new Ukrainian authorities by their practical actions.\"", "KIEV (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd July, 2019) Five Ukrainian political parties collect enough vote in snap parliamentary elections to enter Ukraine's legislature, the Verkhovna Rada, the latest exit polls suggested on Sunday.\n\nAs of 8 p.m. Moscow time (17:00 GMT), exit polls, sponsored by the Ukraine 112 broadcaster, suggest that five parties make it beyond the 5 percent threshold to win parliament seats. The Servant of the People party of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy leads the vote with 43.5 percent. Opposition Platform - For Life comes second with 12.5 percent, followed by former President Petro Poroshenko's European Solidarity party with 8.7 percent. Former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko's Fatherland gathers 8.\n\n1 percent of the vote, and the Voice party of Svyatoslav Vakarchuk has 6.6 percent.\n\nThe Ukrainian parliament has 450 seats, of which 225 will be taken through party lists and the other 225 by a majority vote in single-mandate electoral districts. The minimum vote threshold to win a seat is 5 percent.\n\nThe election was initially scheduled to be held in October. On May 17, the ruling coalition broke down after the People's Front party announced its decision to leave. Parties had 30 days to form a new coalition, as required by law, but failed to meet the deadline. In light of these developments, Zelenskyy dissolved the legislature and called a snap election."], "summary": "Ukrainian citizens vote for the new members of the Verkhovna Rada, following its dissolution by President Volodymyr Zelensky in May."}
{"document": ["KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Early results show the Ukrainian president's party winning a majority of seats in Sunday's parliamentary election.\n\nUkraine's Central Election Commission said Monday that 34% of the ballots counted show President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's party, Servant of the People, getting 42.1% of the vote with its closest rival trailing behind with 13% of the vote.\n\nIn addition, results from single-mandate constituencies also show Zelenskiy's allies winning in at least 115 of the 199 districts, meaning that Servant of the People is projected to win an outright majority of seats at the Supreme Rada.\n\nOut of the 424 seats at the Ukrainian parliament, 225 lawmakers are elected on party rolls and 199 in single-mandate districts.", "KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Early results show the Ukrainian president's party winning a majority of seats in Sunday's parliamentary election.\n\nUkraine's Central Election Commission said Monday that 34% of the ballots counted show President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's party, Servant of the People, getting 42.1% of the vote with its closest rival trailing behind with 13% of the vote.\n\nIn addition, results from single-mandate constituencies also show Zelenskiy's allies winning in at least 115 of the 199 districts, meaning that Servant of the People is projected to win an outright majority of seats at the Supreme Rada.\n\nOut of the 424 seats at the Ukrainian parliament, 225 lawmakers are elected on party rolls and 199 in single-mandate districts.", "Early results show the Ukrainian president's party winning a majority of seats in Sunday's parliamentary election.\n\nUkraine's Central Election Commission said Monday that 34% of the ballots counted show President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's party, Servant of the People, getting 42.1% of the vote with its closest rival trailing behind with 13% of the vote.\n\nIn addition, results from single-mandate constituencies also show Zelenskiy's allies winning in at least 115 of the 199 districts, meaning that Servant of the People is projected to win an outright majority of seats at the Supreme Rada.\n\nOut of the 424 seats at the Ukrainian parliament, 225 lawmakers are elected on party rolls and 199 in single-mandate districts.", "KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Early results show the Ukrainian president's party winning a majority of seats in Sunday's parliamentary election.\n\nUkraine's Central Election Commission said Monday that 34% of the ballots counted show President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's party, Servant of the People, getting 42.1% of the vote with its closest rival trailing behind with 13% of the vote.\n\nIn addition, results from single-mandate constituencies also show Zelenskiy's allies winning in at least 115 of the 199 districts, meaning that Servant of the People is projected to win an outright majority of seats at the Supreme Rada.\n\nOut of the 424 seats at the Ukrainian parliament, 225 lawmakers are elected on party rolls and 199 in single-mandate districts.", "KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Early results show the Ukrainian president's party winning a majority of seats in Sunday's parliamentary election.\n\nUkraine's Central Election Commission said Monday that 34% of the ballots counted show President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's party, Servant of the People, getting 42.1% of the vote with its closest rival trailing behind with 13% of the vote.\n\nIn addition, results from single-mandate constituencies also show Zelenskiy's allies winning in at least 115 of the 199 districts, meaning that Servant of the People is projected to win an outright majority of seats at the Supreme Rada.\n\nOut of the 424 seats at the Ukrainian parliament, 225 lawmakers are elected on party rolls and 199 in single-mandate districts.", "Ukraine’s comedian-turned-president is on course for full domination of the country’s political scene after results from Sunday’s parliamentary elections indicated his newly founded Servant of the People party would win a majority of seats.\n\nVolodymyr Zelenskiy, a political neophyte whose only previous experience was playing the president in a television sitcom also called Servant of the People, won presidential elections in April and called for early parliamentary elections soon after his inauguration.\n\nWith 70% of the votes counted on Monday, Servant of the People was projected to win 43% of the vote. Combined with a strong showing in single-mandate districts, Zelenskiy was on course to win an absolute majority in the Rada, Ukraine’s parliament. If confirmed, it would be the first time in Ukraine’s post-Soviet history that a single party commands an outright majority.\n\nFour other parties were set to clear the 5% threshold required for getting into parliament through the party list seats. The pro-Russian businessman Viktor Medvedchuk, who visited Vladimir Putin in Moscow days before the election, came second in the vote with 13%, gaining the majority of his support from the Russian-speaking east of the country.\n\nThe party of former president Petro Poroshenko, who was trounced by Zelenskiy in the presidential elections, came third, while parties led by veteran politician Yulia Tymoshenko and the country’s best-known rock star, Svyatoslav Vakarchuk, were also set to gain seats.\n\nPrior to the vote there had been suggestions that Servant of the People could form a coalition with Vakarchuk’s Voice party, given that both parties ran on a platform of reforms and political changes. With an absolute majority, that will not be necessary.\n\nSpeaking on Sunday night at his campaign headquarters, Zelenskiy said his main priorities were “to end the war, return our prisoners and defeat the corruption that persists in Ukraine”. He said he wanted a “new face and a specialist in the economy” to become the next prime minister.\n\nZelenskiy’s popularity has come amid widespread disillusionment with politics in Ukraine, five years after the Maidan revolution brought a change of the political guard. Most Ukrainians were disappointed with Poroshenko’s tenure, believing he did not do enough to tackle entrenched corruption and the grip over politics of powerful oligarchs.\n\nPoroshenko’s time in office was made more difficult by Russia’s backing for a separatist movement in east Ukraine. The separatist territories, funded and armed by Russia, are not under the control of Kyiv and the war has cost more than 13,000 lives.\n\nNow, Zelenskiy will face the same challenges, and could see his popularity fall fast if he does not make progress. He has already faced questions about his closeness to controversial oligarch Ihor Kolomoyskiy, who returned to Ukraine from exile shortly after Zelenskiy’s victory.\n\nIn the east, occasional fighting continues, and four Ukrainian soldiers were killed by sniper fire and mine blasts over the weekend. Zelenskiy has used the language of compromise and dialogue, discarding Poroshenko’s more divisive nationalist rhetoric, but how much progress he can make will depend in part upon the will of the Kremlin. Zelenskiy held his first telephone conversation with Putin recently, but the two have yet to meet.", "KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Early results show the Ukrainian president's party winning a majority of seats in Sunday's parliamentary election.\n\nUkraine's Central Election Commission said Monday that 34% of the ballots counted show President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's party, Servant of the People, getting 42.1% of the vote with its closest rival trailing behind with 13% of the vote.\n\nIn addition, results from single-mandate constituencies also show Zelenskiy's allies winning in at least 115 of the 199 districts, meaning that Servant of the People is projected to win an outright majority of seats at the Supreme Rada.\n\nOut of the 424 seats at the Ukrainian parliament, 225 lawmakers are elected on party rolls and 199 in single-mandate districts.", "KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Early results show the Ukrainian president's party winning a majority of seats in Sunday's parliamentary election.\n\nUkraine's Central Election Commission said Monday that 34% of the ballots counted show President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's party, Servant of the People, getting 42.1% of the vote with its closest rival trailing behind with 13% of the vote.\n\nIn addition, results from single-mandate constituencies also show Zelenskiy's allies winning in at least 115 of the 199 districts, meaning that Servant of the People is projected to win an outright majority of seats at the Supreme Rada.\n\nOut of the 424 seats at the Ukrainian parliament, 225 lawmakers are elected on party rolls and 199 in single-mandate districts.", "KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Early results show the Ukrainian president's party winning a majority of seats in Sunday's parliamentary election.\n\nUkraine's Central Election Commission said Monday that 34% of the ballots counted show President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's party, Servant of the People, getting 42.1% of the vote with its closest rival trailing behind with 13% of the vote.\n\nIn addition, results from single-mandate constituencies also show Zelenskiy's allies winning in at least 115 of the 199 districts, meaning that Servant of the People is projected to win an outright majority of seats at the Supreme Rada.\n\nOut of the 424 seats at the Ukrainian parliament, 225 lawmakers are elected on party rolls and 199 in single-mandate districts.", "KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Early results show the Ukrainian president's party winning a majority of seats in Sunday's parliamentary election.\n\nUkraine's Central Election Commission said Monday that 34% of the ballots counted show President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's party, Servant of the People, getting 42.1% of the vote with its closest rival trailing behind with 13% of the vote.\n\nIn addition, results from single-mandate constituencies also show Zelenskiy's allies winning in at least 115 of the 199 districts, meaning that Servant of the People is projected to win an outright majority of seats at the Supreme Rada.\n\nOut of the 424 seats at the Ukrainian parliament, 225 lawmakers are elected on party rolls and 199 in single-mandate districts."], "summary": "Servant of the People, President Zelensky’s party, wins most of the seats with a comfortable majority."}
{"document": ["Ireland's Shane Lowry was happy to share the joy of clinching the 2019 Open at Royal Portrush with his family and his friend Padraig Harrington. (1:56)\n\nPORTRUSH, Northern Ireland -- Shane Lowry made the 68 years between Open Championships in Northern Ireland worth the wait.\n\nThe silver claret jug is staying on the Emerald Isle.\n\nLowry, the 32-year-old Irishman with stout nerves and a soft touch around the greens, endured the worst weather of the week and the Sunday pressure of a sellout crowd cheering him along to win The Open by six shots at Royal Portrush.\n\nEven as the rain stopped, the tears began flowing.\n\n\"I can't believe this is me standing here,\" Lowry said as he cradled golf's oldest trophy. \"I can't believe this is mine.\"\n\nIt was never really in doubt.\n\nLowry closed with a 1-over 72, the first time since 1996 the Open champion was over par in the final round, and it was no less impressive. More difficult than the rain was wind strong enough to break an umbrella. Lowry began making bogeys in the middle of the round without losing ground. No one from the last 12 groups broke par.\n\nAnd no one got closer than three shots all day of Lowry, who finished at 15-under 269.\n\nThousands of fans who filled these links off the North Atlantic began to celebrate when Lowry, after his fourth bogey in seven holes, rolled in an 8-foot birdie putt on the 15th hole to stretch his lead to six with three holes to play.\n\nLowry's smile got wider with every hole coming in.\n\nWhen his approach to the 18th was just on the fringe, he stretched out his arms, hugging caddie Bo Martin. The loudest cheer of a raucous week was for a tap-in par that made Lowry a major champion.\n\n\"He's done brilliantly,\" Lee Westwood said after grinding out a 73 to tie for fourth. \"All the chasers would have wanted tough conditions and he's clearly played brilliantly to be on the score he has, under the pressure he's under.\"\n\nTommy Fleetwood had to settle for his second runner-up finish in a major. He missed a 10-foot birdie putt on the opening hole that would have cut the deficit to two, and he missed a 5-footer for par on the third hole. His hopes ended with a double bogey from the bunker and the rough, and he closed with a 74.\n\nTony Finau shot 71 to finish alone in third, though he was never closer than seven shots. Brooks Koepka, going for his fourth major in the last seven, began the final round seven shots behind and opened with four straight bogeys. He shot 74 and tied for fourth.\n\nA man of the people, Ireland's own Shane Lowry wins the first Open Championship played on the island since 1951. Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images\n\nRoyal Portrush last hosted The Open in 1951, the only time it had been outside Scotland and England. It pinned hopes at the start of the week on Rory McIlroy, who missed the cut by one shot. It celebrated Darren Clarke hitting the first tee shot Thursday. The other Ulstersman, Portrush native Graeme McDowell, basked in the loudest cheers he has heard this side of the Ryder Cup when he walked up the 18th green on Sunday.\n\nAnd then along came Lowry, who teamed with McIlroy to bring Irish golf a European Amateur title in 2007, and who won the Irish Open as an amateur 10 years ago. He joins Padraig Harrington as Irishmen to win majors, while McIlroy, McDowell, Clarke and Fred Daly are major champions from Northern Ireland.\n\n\"Everyone knows we're all one country when it comes to golf,\" Lowry said.\n\nIt was one big group hug when it ended, starting with his wife and daughter, and his parents. Harrington and McDowell were among those waiting behind the 18th green to share in the celebration, along with Koepka and his caddie, Ricky Elliott, once a promising amateur who grew up at Royal Portrush.\n\n\"I didn't feel great out there. It was probably the most uncomfortable I've ever felt on a golf course,\" Lowry said. \"You're out there trying to win an Open in your home country, and it's just incredibly difficult.\"\n\nIt showed early when Lowry pulled his tee shot into the rough, hit into a deep bunker well short of the green and had to make an 8-foot putt just to escape with bogey. The wind was picking up and it was relentless for so much of the day. Lowry made his move on the more forgiving start, with three birdies in a four-hole stretch through the par-5 seventh that boosted his lead to six.\n\nEveryone except Fleetwood fell back.\n\nIsland of Champions With Sunday's win at Royal Portrush, Shane Lowry is now the sixth Irishman to win a golf major. Major Titles Shane Lowry 1 Rory McIlroy* 4 Darren Clarke* 1 Graeme McDowell* 1 Padraig Harrington 3 Fred Daly* 1 Listed in order of most recent major win * From Northern Ireland\n\nJ.B. Holmes, who shared the 36-hole lead with Lowry until falling back Saturday, really went the wrong direction. He hit his first tee shot out-of-bounds. And it only got worse. He made one birdie and shot 87, the highest final-round score at The Open since Lew Taylor also shot 87 at Muirfield in 1966, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Holmes finished tied for 67th.\n\nLowry's lead was four shots when he saved par from a bunker left of the par-3 13th. Even on his bogey at the hole, he added to his lead when Fleetwood hit a poor shot from the fairway bunker into the rough, couldn't get to the green and three-putted for a double bogey.\n\n\"I never really got close enough, and Shane played great,\" Fleetwood said. \"The conditions were horrendous. It was Shane's time, Shane's tournament.\"\n\nLowry shared it with his family who paved the way, the players who inspired him. And after he was introduced as \"champion golfer of the year,\" he shared it with thousands of people he didn't even know, all of them crammed along the hillocks and swales, along the edge of the ocean, and who sat in the horseshoe-shaped grandstands under umbrellas waiting for the Irishman to arrive.\n\nHolding up the claret jug, Lowry said to them, \"This one's for you.\"\n\nInformation from The Associated Press was used in this report.", "Irishman Shane Lowry won the British Open on Sunday by six strokes in his first major title.\n\nLowry, who brought out loud cheers from the sellout crowd on every shot, began the day with a four-stroke lead. He shot one-over 72 and finished with a 15-under 269 total.\n\nHe marked the moment he became a major champion with a wide smile and an embrace of his caddie.\n\nThe 32-year-old took the title at the Royal Portrush Golf Club in Northern Ireland, just a few hours from where he grew up.\n\nDespite rainfall and gusty winds, Lowry beat Tommy Fleetwood of England, who applied pressure to Lowry but ended in second place, having shot 74.\n\nLowry's win signaled the first Open played in Northern Ireland since 1951, and he became the second player from south of the border to lift the Claret Jug.", "Shane Lowry of Mullingar, Ireland has won the 2019 British Open from the Royal Portrush Golf Club in Portrush, Northern Ireland. On Sunday, Lowry shot a fourth round score of one over par 72, but was still strong enough to beat his nearest competitor, Tommy Fleetwood of England, by six strokes.\n\nLowry had a 72 hole score of -15. He was in second place after round one when he shot a four under par 67. Lowry then tied first round leader J.B. Holmes of Campbellsville, KY at -8 on Friday when he shot a score of four under par 67 again. Then on Saturday, Lowry took a four stroke lead on Fleetwood after delivering a sizzling third round score of -8.\n\nLowry’s eight-under par 63 broke the Portrush Golf Club course record since the golf course was remodelled in 2016. He also set the record for the best score after the third round in the history of the British Open. The previous record belonged to Tom Lehman of Austin, MN, who was at -15 after the first three rounds of the 1996 British Open from the Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club in Lytham St Annes, England. Like Lowry, Lehman was over par for his final round (shot a score of two over par), but was able to hang on and win the tournament as he beat Ernie Els of South Africa and Mark McCumber of Jacksonville, FL by two strokes.\n\nOn Sunday, Lowry was able to beat Fleetwood in the rain and wind. It was the kind of conditions that helped make the Royal Portrush Golf Club a difficult test for all the players involved.\n\nLowry becomes the second Irishman to win the British Open. He follows in the footsteps of Padraig Harrington, who won the British Open title in back to back years in 2007 and 2008. In 2007, Harrington beat Sergio Garcia of Spain in a playoff in Carnoustie and in 2008, Harrington beat Ian Poulter of England by four strokes at Royal Birkdale.", "Ireland's Shane Lowry has won his first major golfing title at the British Open.\n\nThe 32-year-old held on through a wet and windy day at Royal Portrush to beat England's Tommy Fleetwood by six strokes.\n\nThe heavy rain and blustery conditions had prompted tee times to be brought forward.\n\nLowry, who looked understandably nervous at times, took a four-shot lead into the final round and overcame a shaky start to extend his advantage.\n\nFollowing his emphatic triumph on the 18th hole, Lowry hugged his caddie Brian \"Bo\" Martin before being embraced by wife Wendy and two-year-old daughter Iris.\n\nIn emotional scenes during the 158th championship, a sellout crowd cheered Lowry on after every shot.\n\nHe has become the fifth Irish player to lift the Claret Jug - following in the footsteps of Fred Daly, Padraig Harrington, Darren Clarke and Rory McIlroy.\n\nLowry finished 15 under par - while Fleetwood, the only player who managed to apply any semblance of pressure on him, wrapped up the tournament nine under par. America's Tony Finau was third.\n\nIt was a disappointing result for world number one Brooks Koepka, who was attempting to become the first player in the modern era to finish in the top two in all four majors of a calendar year.\n\nIn the end, he had to share fourth place with Lee Westwood.\n\nThis is the first time that a British Open has been held in Northern Ireland since 1951.\n\nSky News correspondent Ian Woods, who is at Royal Portrush, said: \"Fantastic for him - and fantastic for everyone who was here as well.\n\n\"It was going to be very difficult for anyone to catch him.\"", "England’s Tommy Fleetwood reacts after he missed a putt on the 2nd green during the final round of the British Open Golf Championships at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland, Sunday, July 21, 2019.(AP Photo/Peter Morrison)\n\nPORTRUSH, Northern Ireland (AP) — The rain was verging on torrential, the putts weren’t dropping, and Tommy Fleetwood was looking thoroughly miserable on the most remote part of the soggy Dunluce Links.\n\n“Oh, Tommy,” he said, his shoulders slumping as his third shot from the middle of the fairway at the par-4 seventh hole fell short and into the greenside bunker on the right.\n\nA Sunday charge never materialized at the British Open for Fleetwood, the Englishman with the long locks only once getting within three strokes of playing partner and eventual champion Shane Lowry after starting four shots back.\n\nThat first major title will have to wait at least another year.\n\n“I’m trending in the right way,” said Fleetwood, who now has two runner-up finishes at the majors on his resume. “I just hope my time will come eventually.”\n\nIt ended up being a slog for Fleetwood on a wet and wild day at Royal Portrush, when there was barely a smile from one of the most easy-going guys in golf as he shot a 3-over 74 to finish six strokes behind Lowry.\n\nThe pro-Lowry crowd was fair to the man who came to spoil the party — there were regular roars of “Come on, Tommy!” and polite applause for his best of his shots — and there must have been concerns across the Emerald Isle when Lowry bogeyed the first hole after hitting his opening drive left and then finding the greenside bunker.\n\nBut Fleetwood needed to make the most of every opportunity to pressure Lowry, and he didn’t.\n\nHe missed to the right a birdie putt from 6 feet at No. 1 that would have halved the deficit. He sent a 12-foot putt for birdie too far right at No. 2, after Lowry had made par. Then he slid left a 5-foot par putt at No. 3, to some whispers of “Yes!” by fans huddled round the green.\n\nFleetwood’s putter stayed cold. He left a 10-foot putt for birdie centimeters short at No. 4, meaning he dropped a shot to Lowry. After reaching the fifth green with a 3-wood off the tee, he pushed an eagle putt from 12 feet and could only match Lowry’s birdie.\n\nIndeed, Fleetwood’s first putt that wasn’t from tap-in range was at No. 6, and that was to save par.\n\nBy then, Lowry had moved six shots clear and was on his way to what Fleetwood described as a “bit of a procession” in the final holes.\n\n“Those first few holes, when you start four back, are pretty crucial,” Fleetwood said, “and I didn’t do a good enough job pressing at that point.”\n\nFleetwood knew the game was up when he drove into a bunker at the par-4 14th hole.\n\n“You never want to think like that, and you obviously carry on, but that was pretty much it,” he said.\n\nPlaying in the final group at a major for the first time, Fleetwood at least had a front-row seat for a clinic on how to seal victory at one of the biggest events in golf.\n\nHe praised Lowry’s shot selection, his composure, and his putting under pressure. Lowry’s short game was better, too.\n\nThe two players embraced on the 18th green, seconds after Lowry was confirmed as the champion golfer of the year, before Fleetwood left the stage for the Irishman.\n\n“He literally controlled the tournament from the start of today until the end,” Fleetwood said, “and that’s a very, very impressive thing to do.”\n\nFleetwood’s other second-place finish at a major was at the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills last year. That felt different, though, because he shot a scarcely believable final round of 63 as one of the early starters in the best conditions of the day, and finished one stroke behind Brooks Koepka.\n\nHere, Fleetwood was in the thick of contention, the claret jug in his sights.\n\nGiven his age — 28 — and his talent, there will surely be more chances for the 20th-ranked Fleetwood to win a major.\n\nIt didn’t stop this one from hurting.\n\n“I’m not putting down the U.S. Open, but if I could pick one event it would be the (British) Open,” he said. “It’s my dream, and it always will be. And you’re teeing off in the last group on Sunday with a very, very good chance.\n\n“So it feels a lot rougher finishing when you feel like you’ve come so close to what you’ve dreamt as a kid.”", "PORTRUSH, Northern Ireland, July 21 (Reuters) - Irishman Shane Lowry staved off the biggest nerves of his golfing life, handling the wind and the rain to win the British Open by six strokes amid emotional scenes at Royal Portrush on Sunday.\n\nFervently cheered on every shot by the sellout crowd, the 32-year-old from Clara, who began the day with a four stroke lead, was never seriously troubled in the final round with England’s Tommy Fleetwood unable to take his chances to put him under pressure.\n\nLowry carded one-over-par 72 in strong winds and at times driving rain, but he was rewarded with wild celebrations as the fans charged on to the fairway behind him as he approached the 18th green.\n\n“It’s like an out of body experience. I was so calm coming down the last, I cannot believe it. The weather was awful but I had a look around, and everyone was struggling,” said Lowry who was greeted by his family on the green.\n\n“It became a two horse race with Tommy, and I just tried to focus on staying ahead.”\n\nLowry finished at 15-under 269, while Fleetwood, shot 74 for second place.\n\n“To lead by four at the start of the day and to keep that and to just control, he literally controlled the tournament from the start of today until the end, that’s a very, very impressive thing to do,” said Fleetwood, who was left to rue the early birdie opportunities he failed to convert.\n\nWith the weather making it hard for anyone to make a run from down the leaderboard it quickly turned into a head-to-head duel between Lowry and Fleetwood.\n\n“I got off to a very shaky start,” said Lowry, who had to sink a six-foot putt to salvage bogey at the first.\n\n“I didn’t feel great out there. It’s probably the most uncomfortable I’ve ever felt on a golf course. You’re trying to win an Open in your home country, it’s incredibly difficult.”\n\nBut once he settled down and looked at a leaderboard he noticed that nobody was making a run at him.\n\nHe needed to avoid any big numbers on his card and duly did so, making nothing worse than bogey.\n\nEven three straight bogeys around the turn hardly dented his lead, and a six-foot birdie at the 15th hole that extended his margin to six strokes allowed him to almost enjoy a processional victory march up the final three holes.\n\n“It was just so difficult,” he said. “I kept telling myself bogeys are not going to hurt you, let’s just keep the ball in play and if I make the odd par it will be pretty good.\n\nLowry savoured the walk up the 18th, greeted with delight by the singing gallery who packed the stands, with some Irish tricolours in the crowd.\n\nAfter hitting his final approach shot he held his arms aloft in celebration and hugged his caddie, assured finally that there would be no late disaster.\n\nHe became the second player from the Republic of Ireland, after Padraig Harrington in 2007 and 2008, to lift the Claret Jug, a fitting end to the first Open played in Northern Ireland since 1951.\n\nPlayers from Ireland and Northern Ireland have won five of the past 13 Opens, with Darren Clarke (2011) and Rory McIlroy (2014) also hoisting the Claret Jug.\n\nHarrington and 2010 U.S. Open champion Graeme McDowell were among those who greeted Lowry next to the 18th green, while McIlroy, the local favourite who missed the cut, was no doubt cheering from afar, Irish eyes smiling all over.\n\n“We’re all one country when it comes to golf,” Lowry said.\n\n“I said to my caddie walking down the last, ‘I can’t believe this is me, this is mine’.\n\n“I’ve watched the Open since I was a little kid and to be named champion golfer of the year is just incredible.”\n\nThe win ended American hopes of a clean sweep of the year’s majors — Tony Finau was the best finishing American with his even-par 71 securing third place, eight strokes behind Lowry.\n\nIt was a strong showing from British golfers, who secured five of the top ten spots. Scotsman Robert MacIntyre finished sixth in his maiden major after shooting an impressive final round 68.\n\nLee Westwood finished tied for fourth with Brooks Koepka, a result which means the 46-year-old Englishman will return to the Masters after missing out on Augusta in the past two years. (Reporting by Simon Evans; Writing by Andrew Both in Cary, North Carolina Editing by Christian Radnedge)\n\nJuly 18 marks Nelson Mandela day. All over the country, South African citizens devote 67 minutes to charitable causes in memory of Madiba. It's a great initiative and one of those few occasions in South Africa where we come together as a nation in pursuit of a common cause. An annual 67 minutes isn't going to cut it though.\n\nIn the words of Madiba: \"A critical, independent and investigative free press is the lifeblood of any democracy.\"\n\nEvery day Daily Maverick investigates and exposes the deep rot of state capture and corruption but we need your help. Without our readers' support we simply won't survive. We created Maverick Insider as a membership platform where our readers can become part of our community while ensuring that we can keep doing the investigations that we do and, crucially, that our articles remain free to everyone that reads them. Sign up to Maverick Insider this Mandela Month and make that meaningful contribution last longer than 67 minutes.For whatever amount you choose, you can support Daily Maverick and it only takes a minute.", "Lowry was coming off the best day of his career when he shot 8-under 63 Saturday before a raucous gallery at Royal Portrush.\n\nPORTRUSH, Northern Ireland — The long-awaited return of the British Open to Northern Ireland ended with Shane Lowry keeping the silver claret jug on the Emerald Isle.\n\nEven as the rain stopped, the tears began flowing.\n\nLowry, the 32-year-old Irishman with stout nerves and a soft touch around the greens, endured the worst weather of the week and the Sunday pressure of a sellout crowd cheering him along to win the British Open by six shots.\n\nHe closed with a 1-over 72, the first time since 1996 that winner was over par in the final round, and it was no less impressive. More difficult than the rain was wind strong enough to break an umbrella. Lowry began making bogeys on the back nine of Royal Portrush without losing ground.\n\nUltimately, the outcome was never in doubt. No one got closer than three shots all day.\n\nAnd thousands who filled these links off the North Atlantic could sense it when Lowry, after his fourth bogey in seven holes, rolled in an 8-foot birdie putt on the 15th hole to stretch his lead to six shots over Tommy Fleetwood.\n\nWhen his approach to the 18th was just on the fringe, he smiled broadly and stretched out his arms, hugging caddie Bo Martin. The loudest cheer of a noisy week was for a tap-in par that made Lowry a major champion.\n\nFleetwood had to settle for his second runner-up finish in a major. He closed with a 74. Conditions were so rugged that no one from the last 12 groups that teed off in the final round broke par.\n\nBrooks Koepka, who started seven shots behind, began with four straight bogeys and shot 74 to tie for fourth.\n\nRoyal Portrush had to wait 68 years for another shot at hosting golf’s oldest championship. Lowry made it worth the wait. So strong is support of the Irish golf community that Padraig Harrington of Ireland and Graeme McDowell waited for Lowry when he finished.", "Ireland's Shane Lowry overcame a bogey on the first hole of his final round to claim his first ever major championship 17 holes later.\n\nIn difficult conditions, Lowry overcame a few small wobbles to seal a victory that delighted the crowd at the Royal Portrush golf course in Northern Ireland, who were hosting The British Open for the first time in 68 years. In a battle with England's Tommy Fleetwood that eventually became about who could drop fewer shots, Lowry came out on top.\n\nTee times had been moved up an hour to avoid the worst of the conditions, although a brief spell of torrid weather by the time the final pair made the seventh hole did make life harder for all the golfers on the course.\n\nThe winner of the 148th Open picked up three more birdies in the front nine and despite finishing the front nine with back to back bogeys, he was still ahead by five going into the final nine.\n\nThe Irishman bogeyed the 11th and when Fleetwood birdied the 12th to cut the Irishman's lead to four with six holes left suddenly Lowry's lead felt less comfortable.\n\nIn the last 20 years, only four players have not won a major after having a third-round lead of four shots of more. Lowry is one of them, having thrown away his chance to win the 2016 U.S. Open. His tee shot on the 13th landed straight in the bunker, suggesting finishing nerves had arrived again. But Lowry, who came off a career best day having shot an 8-under 63 for a British Open record after three rounds, held his nerve. He chipped beautifully out of the sand to land the ball within a few feet of the hole.\n\nFleetwood, who started the final round just four shots behind Lowry, struggled to put enough pressure on Lowry and was ultimately undone on the 14th. Lowry bogeyed, but Fleetwood double-bogeyed and with that his chance was gone. Lowry led by five with four to play, and when he birdied the 15th even the 32-year-old must have started to believe.\n\nNine of the last 10 men's golf majors have been won by Americans, but Lowry broke the U.S. streak with victory on the links course to the delight of the crowd. Walking up the 18th, Lowry raised his arms in the air, his face full of emotion. Supporters roared and chanted his name. Lowry knew the Claret Jug was his.\n\nLee Westwood, Rickie Fowler and former Masters champion Danny Willett all had highs and lows on their final day, but couldn't stay consistent for long enough to truly challenge.\n\nDefending champion Francesco Molinari finished with a fine 5-under-par 66 to be 3-under for the tournament. World number one and four-time major winner Brooks Koepka struggled to recover after bogeying the first four holes and finished the day 2-over-par, and the tournament 7-under.", "Tommy Fleetwood is England’s best chance at keeping the British Open in-house. He sits at second (12-under-par) on the leaderboard entering the final day at Royal Portrush, as he trails Ireland’s Shane Lowry by four strokes.\n\nThe 28-year-old has played remarkably clean golf through the first three days, posting just two bogeys that have been offset by 14 birdies. Should he continue his consistent form on Sunday, and catch a break with a poor outing from Lowry, he will be in an excellent position to take home his first major championship.\n\nHis best performance came at the 2018 U.S. Open, where he finished a stroke behind Brooks Koepka for second place. Fleetwood lost in heartbreaking fashion, as he missed an eight-foot putt on the 18th hole that would’ve sent the tournament into a playoff. He was also single stroke away from the single-round scoring record, notching a 63.\n\nHis caddie Ian Finnis provided the necessary encouragement afterward.\n\n“He’ll have multiple chances to win majors because he’s got a pair of bollocks,” Finnis told Golfweek afterward. “He’s always believed he has what it takes, but he’s actually doing it now.”\n\nFleetwood’s only other top-10 finish at a major was the year before at the U.S. Open at Erin Hills.\n\nThe Englishman has yet to win on the PGA Tour, but he has five on the international circuit. These include:\n\nFleetwood has raked in $19,970,647 in career earnings since turning pro in 2010, according to Yahoo Sports. About a third of that has come on the PGA Tour with $7,037,318 in prize money.\n\nHe currently ranks No. 27 on the European Tour all-time money list, as well as No. 37 this year on the PGA Tour’s.\n\nHis estimated net worth is in the range of $15 million. This is bolstered by his endorsement partnerships with Nike, Omega, Zurich and BMW.\n\nIn an odd twist, Fleetwood has had trouble cashing his paychecks from his tournament performances in the past. According to The Loop in Aug. 2018, a different Tommy Fleetwood was rewarded the 28-year-old’s prize winnings from his 12th-place finish at last year’s Open Championship.\n\nWe didn’t know whether to believe this at first—so we went to the source. Fleetwood’s wife, Clare, confirmed in an email to Golf Digest that this situation, is, in fact, true. And Fleetwood’s team is now dealing with getting the funds back. Now we know: yes, tour pros receive a direct deposit like the rest of us working folk. And yes, even the world’s best players have issues when it comes to their paychecks.\n\nIt turned out to be a clerical error from the European Tour, which the other Fleetwood caught and reported quickly. The better-known Fleetwood got a kick out of the situation, tweeting about how ESPN reporter Darren Rovell’s reporting on the snafu.\n\n“Hey @darrenrovell tweeted about me !! I’ve made it,” he tweeted.\n\nThe situation was quickly rectified. Now, Fleetwood has a chance at the British Open prize of $1,935,000, as well as the Claret Jug.", "Shane Lowry of Ireland entered the third round of the British Open tied with J.B. Holmes at 8-under par. Several other contenders were within a few strokes, including a pair of Englishman in Lee Westwood and Tommy Fleetwood.\n\nThe 32-year-old Lowry rocketed past the competition with a course record 8-under 63, placing him four strokes ahead of Fleetwood for the lead entering the final day at Royal Portrush. This means he is 18 holes away from his first major championship.\n\n“I just felt so comfortable out there and hope I do tomorrow,” he told the Telegraph. “I have a tough 24 hours ahead of me, but there’s nowhere I would rather be. I have a four-shot lead in an Open in Ireland. Tomorrow is going to be incredible no matter what happens.”\n\nIf he holds onto the lead on Sunday, Lowry would be the second golfer from the Republic of Ireland to win the Open Championship. Padraig Harrington won two in a row in 2007 and 2008.\n\nIn addition, three Northern Irish golfers have claimed the Claret Jug. Rory McIlroy won in 2014 at Royal Liverpool, as did Darren Clarke in 2011 at Royal St. George’s. Fred Daly also won at Liverpool in 1947.\n\nLowry’s Irish heritage is a very visible part of his brand. He sports Bank of Ireland apparel, and his reddish-brown beard is one of his more distinguishable features.\n\nLowry was born in Clara, County Offaly, Ireland. Clara is located in central Ireland along the Brosna River.\n\nLowry honed his skills at the Esker Hills Golf Club, where he began his amateur career. He won the 2007 Irish Amateur Close Champion, then took the 2009 Irish Open while still an amateur.\n\nHe attended University College Dublin and eventually turned pro in 2009.\n\nIf he can win at Royal Portrush, which is located about a half-hour southeast of Belfast in Northern Ireland, it would hold special significance for the local audience.\n\nAs Michael Bamberger at Golf.com states, the reason it took 68 years for the British Open to return to Portrush was due to the civil strife between the Irish Catholics and Irish Protestants.\n\nThe real importance has everything to do with The Troubles, the euphemistic name for the war that divided Irish Catholics and Irish Protestants, Irish citizens in the north and Irish citizens in the south. The resounding cheering that greeted Lowry, a son of greater Dublin, received on Saturday for every birdie he made meant several things: II. To the fans gathered here, a golfer from Ireland is to be celebrated, without reservation, no matter what part of the island nation he comes from.\n\nThis weekend has seen several examples of Irish golfers earning praise. Clarke was the first to tee off on Thursday, which led to an emotional reaction from Northern Irishman, as well as the crowd.\n\nIn addition, McIlroy earned several big cheers for his excellent second round, which still managed to fall short of the cut due to a dreadful start.\n\nPoint being, many of the local at Royal Portrush are pulling for Lowry, even if he’s Irish rather than Northern Irish."], "summary": "In golf, Shane Lowry of Ireland wins the year's final men's major at Portrush, Northern Ireland by 6 shots over England's Tommy Fleetwood."}
{"document": ["A warplane belonging to eastern Libyan forces fighting the internationally recognized Tripoli government is seen after an emergency landing on a road in the southern Tunisian town of Beni Khadash, July 22, 2019. REUTERS/Stringer\n\nTUNIS (Reuters) - A warplane belonging to eastern Libyan forces fighting the internationally recognised Tripoli government made an emergency landing in Tunisia on Monday and the pilot was detained, the self-declared eastern foreign ministry said.\n\nNegotiations with Tunisian authorities to secure the release of the pilot were under way, the ministry said in a statement.\n\nThe plane landed on a road in the southern Tunisian town of Beni Khadash, Tunisia’s state news agency TAP said. Tunisia’s defence ministry said the pilot informed the authorities that he was forced to make the landing after his plane was damaged.\n\nTunisia’s air force scrambled jets to intercept the L-39 but it landed first, a defence ministry statement said.\n\nWitnesses said the plane touched down on a road and was surrounded by civilian vehicles that stopped to watch.\n\nLibya has been splintered by violent turmoil since the 2011 fall of Muammar Gaddafi. The eastern Libyan National Army under Khalifa Haftar is trying to take Tripoli from forces allied to the U.N.-backed Government of National Accord (GNA), but the LNA offensive has bogged down on the capital’s outskirts.", "TUNIS, July 22 (Reuters) - A Libyan warplane made an emergency landing on a road in the southern Tunisian town of Beni Khadash on Monday and its pilot has been detained, according to Tunisia's state news agency TAP.\n\nThe Tunisian Ministry of Defence said the pilot informed the authorities that he was forced to make the landing due to damage to his plane.\n\nTunisia's air force prepared to intercept the L-39 warplane but it landed before it could be reached, the ministry said in a statement on its website.\n\nKhalifa Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA), which is allied to a rival administration in eastern Libya and which mounted an offensive on Tripoli in early April, could not immediately be reached for comment.\n\nWitnesses said the plane had landed on a road and been surrounded by civilian vehicles stopping to watch.", "TUNIS — A Libyan warplane made an emergency landing on a road in the southern Tunisian town of Beni Khadash on Monday and its pilot has been detained, according to Tunisia’s state news agency TAP.\n\nThe Tunisian Ministry of Defence said the pilot informed the authorities that he was forced to make the landing due to damage to his plane.\n\nTunisia’s air force prepared to intercept the L-39 warplane but it landed before it could be reached, the ministry said in a statement on its website.\n\nForces allied to the U.N.-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) denied the warplane was one of theirs.\n\nKhalifa Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA), which is allied to a rival administration in eastern Libya and which mounted an offensive on Tripoli in early April, could not immediately be reached for comment.\n\nWitnesses said the plane had landed on a road and been surrounded by civilian vehicles stopping to watch. (Reporting By Tarek Amara;additional reporting by Ahmed Elumami in Tripoli; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)", "TUNIS, July 22 (Reuters) - A warplane belonging to eastern Libyan forces fighting the internationally recognised Tripoli government made an emergency landing in Tunisia on Monday and the pilot was detained, the self-declared eastern foreign ministry said.\n\nNegotiations with Tunisian authorities to secure the release of the pilot were under way, the ministry said in a statement.\n\nThe plane landed on a road in the southern Tunisian town of Beni Khadash, Tunisia's state news agency TAP said.Tunisia's defence ministry said the pilot informed the authorities that he was forced to make the landing after his plane was damaged.\n\nWitnesses said the plane touched down on a road and was surrounded by civilian vehicles that stopped to watch.\n\nLibya has been splintered by violent turmoil since the 2011 fall of Muammar Gaddafi. The eastern Libyan National Army under Khalifa Haftar is trying to take Tripoli from forces allied to the U.N.-backed Government of National Accord (GNA), but the LNA offensive has bogged down on the capital's outskirts.", "TUNIS — A warplane belonging to eastern Libyan forces fighting the internationally recognized Tripoli government made an emergency landing in Tunisia on Monday and the pilot was detained, the self-declared eastern foreign ministry said.\n\nNegotiations with Tunisian authorities to secure the release of the pilot were under way, the ministry said in a statement.\n\nThe plane landed on a road in the southern Tunisian town of Beni Khadash, Tunisia’s state news agency TAP said. Tunisia’s defense ministry said the pilot informed the authorities that he was forced to make the landing after his plane was damaged.\n\nTunisia’s air force scrambled jets to intercept the L-39 but it landed first, a defense ministry statement said.\n\nWitnesses said the plane touched down on a road and was surrounded by civilian vehicles that stopped to watch.\n\nLibya has been splintered by violent turmoil since the 2011 fall of Muammar Gaddafi. The eastern Libyan National Army under Khalifa Haftar is trying to take Tripoli from forces allied to the U.N.-backed Government of National Accord (GNA), but the LNA offensive has bogged down on the capital’s outskirts. (Reporting By Tarek Amara;additional reporting by Ahmed Elumami in Tripoli and Ayman al-Warfalli in Benghazi Editing by Mark Heinrich)", "TUNIS (Reuters) - A Libyan warplane landed on Monday on a road in the southern Tunisian town of Beni Khadash, witnesses and local media said.\n\nThe state news agency TAP said the plane had made an emergency landing, and that the pilot, the sole occupant, had been arrested by the military units that surrounded the area.\n\nWitnesses said the plane had landed on a road and been surrounded by civilian vehicles stopping to watch.\n\nThe Ministry of Defence was not immediately available for comment.", "A warplane belonging to the forces of Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar made an emergency landing in neighboring Tunisia on Monday, an allied administration based in eastern Libya said.\n\nThe aircraft was on a \"reconnaissance and patrol mission and suffered a technical problem resulting in an emergency landing\" in southern Tunisia, a statement said.\n\nHaftar's self-styled Libyan National Army, which backs the eastern administration, launched an offensive in April to try to seize Tripoli from the U.N.-recognized Government of National Accord.\n\nTunisia's defense ministry said the jet landed at around 0630 GMT on a road near Medenine city, which lies some 100 kilometers (60 miles) from the Libya border.\n\nTunisia mobilized a fighter jet \"to intercept and identify the aircraft, but it had to make an emergency landing,\" said the ministry, adding that one colonel was on board.\n\nAccording to defense specialist Arnaud Delalande, the paintwork shown in bystanders' photos indicated it was \"most probably a pro-Haftar plane\".\n\nWhile some of his sources said it carried out an emergency landing due to a navigation problem, others suggested the \"Libyan pilot could have defected to refuse to bomb citizens\" as in previous military campaigns.\n\nMore than 1,000 people have been killed in the battle for Tripoli, according to the World Health Organization, while more than 100,000 people have been displaced by the violence.", "A Libyan warplane of military commander Khalifa Haftar’s forces made an emergency landing in neighbouring Tunisia on Monday, authorities in Libya said.\n\nThe aircraft was on a “reconnaissance and patrol mission and suffered a technical problem resulting in an emergency landing” in southern Tunisia, said a statement from an administration based in eastern Libya.\n\nHaftar’s self-styled Libyan National Army, which backs the eastern administration, launched an offensive in April to try to seize Tripoli from the UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA).\n\nTunisia’s defence ministry said the jet landed early Monday on a road near Medenine city, which lies some 100 kilometres (60 miles) from the Libyan border.\n\nThe ministry mobilised a fighter jet “to intercept and identify the aircraft, but it had to make an emergency landing”, said the ministry, adding that one colonel was on board.\n\nOnlookers including children gathered near the jet, while the pilot spoke to Tunisian authorities.\n\nThe jet was transporting two bombs, said an AFP photographer at the scene where the warplane had been cordoned off at the roadside.\n\nLibya’s internationally-recognised GNA in Tripoli also said the jet belonged to pro-Haftar forces.\n\nMore than 1,000 people have been killed in the battle for Tripoli, according to the World Health Organization, while more than 100,000 people have been displaced by the violence.", "A warplane belonging to the forces of Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar made an emergency landing in neighbouring Tunisia on Monday, an allied administration based in eastern Libya said\n\nTripoli, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - APP - 22nd Jul, 2019 ) :A warplane belonging to the forces of Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar made an emergency landing in neighbouring Tunisia on Monday, an allied administration based in eastern Libya said.\n\nThe aircraft was on a \"reconnaissance and patrol mission and suffered a technical problem resulting in an emergency landing\" in southern Tunisia, a statement said.\n\nHaftar's self-styled Libyan National Army, which backs the eastern administration, launched an offensive in April to try to seize Tripoli from the UN-recognised Government of National Accord.", "Tunis , Tunisia, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 23rd Jul, 2019 ) :The Tunisian army has defused bombs carried by a Libyan warplane that made an emergency landing in Tunisia the day before, the defence ministry said on Tuesday.\n\nThe aircraft belonged to the forces of commander Khalifa Haftar, who controls the east of Libya and much of the country's south.\n\nHaftar's self-styled Libyan National Army launched an offensive in April to try to seize Tripoli from the UN-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA).\n\nThe jet made an emergency landing after it \"suffered a technical problem\", according to a statement from a parallel administration based in eastern Libya, backed by Haftar.\n\nAn AFP photographer at the scene on Monday had said the plane was transporting two bombs.\n\nThe defence ministry said the jet has since been taken from its landing site near Medenine city, some 100 kilometres (60 miles) from the Libyan border, to a Tunisian storage facility.\n\nThe warplane's pilot, a colonel who was the sole person on board according to the ministry, is being questioned by Tunisian security forces.\n\nThe GNA foreign ministry said Monday on Facebook that a \"liaison commission\" had been set up by its embassy in Tunis to discuss the fate of the plane.\n\nThe rival administration in eastern Libya has meanwhile said it is in contact with Tunis to ensure the safe return of the aircraft and its pilot.\n\n\"The question of which entity this plane should be returned to will be at the centre of the question of restitution\", said Haykel Ben Mahfoudh, an expert on international law.\n\n\"Tunisia, if it has maintained a neutral position toward the conflict in Libya, is particularly keen to respect the status of the GNA recognised by international institutions\", he added.\n\nMore than 1,000 people have been killed since Haftar launched his offensive on Tripoli, according to the World Health Organization, while more than 100,000 people have been displaced by the violence."], "summary": "Tunisia's Ministry of Defence says that a pilot is arrested after a damaged Libyan warplane, reported to be a L-39 Albatros, makes an emergency landing on a road near the southern town of Beni Khadash."}
{"document": ["The song matches the reigns of \"Despacito\" & \"One Sweet Day.\"\n\nLil Nas X's \"Old Town Road,\" featuring Billy Ray Cyrus, rules the Billboard Hot 100 for a 16th week, tying the record for the most time tallied at No. 1 in the chart's six-decade history.\n\n\"Road\" matches Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee's \"Despacito,\" featuring Justin Bieber, and Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men's \"One Sweet Day,\" which spent a record 16 weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100 in 2017 and 1995-96, respectively.\n\nLet's run down the top 10 of the newest Hot 100 (dated July 27), which blends all-genre U.S. streaming, radio airplay and digital sales data. All charts will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (July 23).\n\nWith a 16th week atop the Hot 100 for \"Old Town Road,\" here's a look at the 10 longest-leading No. 1s in the chart's archives:\n\nWeeks at No. 1, Title, Artist, Date Reached No. 1\n\n16, \"Old Town Road,\" Lil Nas X feat. Billy Ray Cyrus, beginning April 13, 2019\n\n16, \"Despacito,\" Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee feat. Justin Bieber, May 27, 2017\n\n16, \"One Sweet Day,\" Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men, Dec. 2, 1995\n\n14, \"Uptown Funk!,\" Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars, Jan. 17, 2015\n\n14, \"I Gotta Feeling,\" The Black Eyed Peas, July 11, 2009\n\n14, \"We Belong Together,\" Mariah Carey, June 4, 2005\n\n14, \"Candle in the Wind 1997\"/\"Something About the Way You Look Tonight,\" Elton John, Oct. 11, 1997\n\n14, \"Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix),\" Los Del Rio, Aug. 3, 1996\n\n14, \"I'll Make Love to You,\" Boyz II Men, Aug. 27, 1994\n\n14, \"I Will Always Love You,\" Whitney Houston, Nov. 28, 1992\n\nAs on the Hot 100, \"Road\" (on Columbia Records) leads the Streaming Songs chart for a 16th week, a likewise record-tying mark, equaling the run of \"Despacito.\" \"Road\" rules Streaming Songs with 86.2 million U.S. streams, up 22%, in the week ending July 18, according to Nielsen Music. Helping power the surge, a new remix of \"Road,\" with Young Thug and Mason Ramsey, was released July 12 (and accounts for less than a quarter of the song's overall streams in the tracking week).\n\n\"Road\" set the record for the top streaming week (143 million) following the April 5 arrival of its remix solely with Cyrus (who has been billed on 15 of the song's 16 weeks atop the Hot 100) and claims nine of the 11 biggest streaming frames to date, including the top three.\n\n\"Road\" spends a 12th week atop the Digital Song Sales chart with 45,000 downloads sold (up 4%; under 15% from the Young Thug and Ramsey remix), in the week ending July 18. On Radio Songs, where it reached No. 2, \"Road\" retreats 8-10, with 53.5 million audience impressions, down 18%, in the week ending July 21.\n\n\"Road\" concurrently leads the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Songs charts for a 16th week each and the Songs of the Summer chart for an eighth frame, having topped the tally each week since its annual return after Memorial Day.\n\nBillie Eilish's \"Bad Guy\" notches a sixth total week at its No. 2 Hot 100 high, as it pushes 4-2 on Streaming Songs (55.7 million, up 39%), as it wins the top Streaming Gainer award on the Hot 100, and 7-2 on Digital Song Sales (33,000, up 64%) and keeps at No. 5 on Radio Songs (85 million, up 7%).\n\nJust as a new remix of \"Road\" helped boost the song in the latest tracking week, a remix of \"Bad Guy\" with Justin Bieber was released Thursday (July 11) afternoon, just ahead of the July 12-18 streaming and sales tracking week that fed this week's July 27-dated charts. (The Bieber remix accounts for around a third of streams and less than half of sales for \"Bad Guy\" in the tracking week.)\n\nWith each song helped by respective new remixes, \"Road\" increases by 13% in overall metrics on the July 27 Hot 100 and \"Bad Guy\" bounds by 32%. Despite the latter's greater growth, \"Road\" sports a 1.3-to-1 points difference over \"Bad Guy,\" after leading by 1.5-to-1 last week (and 1.9-to-1 two weeks ago).\n\nLooking ahead to next week, does \"Old Town Road\" appear likely to notch a record-breaking 17th week atop the Hot 100, besting \"Despacito\" and \"Day\"? Notably, \"Despacito\" in its 16th week at No. 1 also held a 1.3-to-1 points lead over its runner-up, DJ Khaled's \"Wild Thoughts,\" featuring Rihanna and Bryson Tiller. And, \"Day\" in its 16th No. 1 frame led Brandy's \"Sittin' Up in My Room\" by a 1.2-to-1 margin. Still, neither challenger went on to dethrone the song above it: Taylor Swift's \"Look What You Made Me Do\" vaulted 77-1 following its first full tracking week to unseat \"Despacito,\" while Celine Dion's \"Because You Loved Me\" soared 5-1 to supplant \"Day.\"\n\nWith no songs appearing likely to blast to the top, as Swift's \"Look\" or Dion's \"Because\" did, or to debut at No. 1, and with \"Bad Guy\" possibly regressing significantly in the second tracking week for its Bieber remix (moreso than \"Road,\" given the greater gains for the former on this week's charts), the stage could be set for \"Road\" to rewrite history with a 17th week at No. 1 on next week's Hot 100, dated Aug. 3 and whose top 10 is scheduled to be revealed next Monday, July 29.\n\nBeyond the Hot 100's top two contenders, Ed Sheeran and Bieber's No. 2-peaking \"I Don't Care\" ascends 6-3. As previously reported, the duet hits No. 1 on the Pop Songs radio airplay chart, while parent album No.6 Collaborations Project launches as Sheeran's third No. 1 on the Billboard 200.\n\nRounding out the Hot 100's top five, Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello's \"Señorita\" climbs 5-4, after debuting at its No. 2 high, and Khalid's \"Talk\" backtracks 4-5, after reaching No. 3, as it leads Radio Songs for a sixth week (133.3 million, essentially even week-over-week), as well as the streaming-, airplay- and sales-fueled Hot R&B Songs chart for a 13th frame.\n\nLizzo's \"Truth Hurts\" rebounds to its Hot 100 peak so far (7-6), scoring top Airplay Gainer kudos (65 million, up 24%), and Post Malone's \"Goodbyes,\" featuring Young Thug, falls 3-7 in its second week.\n\nJonas Brothers' \"Sucker\" is steady at No. 8 on the Hot 100, after spending a week at No. 1 upon its debut in March, and Post Malone and Swae Lee's \"Sunflower (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse)\" holds at No. 9, after logging a week at No. 1 in January. \"Sunflower\" spends a 31st week in the top 10, becoming just the seventh single ever to reach the longevity milestone; Maroon 5's \"Girls Like You,\" featuring Cardi B, and Sheeran's \"Shape of You\" share the record with 33 weeks each totaled in the top 10.\n\nCapping the Hot 100's top 10, Chris Brown's \"No Guidance,\" featuring Drake, returns to the tier (12-10), after debuting at its No. 9 high five weeks ago.\n\nFind out more Hot 100 news on Billboard.com this week, and, for all chart news, you can listen (and subscribe) to Billboard's Chart Beat Podcast and Pop Shop Podcast and follow @billboard and @billboardcharts. And again, be sure to visit Billboard.com tomorrow (July 23), when all charts, including the Hot 100 in its entirety, will refresh. The next issue of Billboard magazine is on sale Friday (July 26).", "Lil Nas X continues to ride his horse along the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart with his single “Old Town Road.”\n\nThe viral hit has officially tied the record for longest run at the top of the chart with Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men’s “One Sweet Day,” and Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s “Despacito.”\n\nThe single has been getting continuous boosts by Lil Nas X orchestrating three different remixes of the song. First, after Billboard had removed the single from the Country charts, Lil Nas X recruited his dream collaborator Billy Ray Cyrus. Next, he released producer Diplo‘s remix of the song and performed it live for the first time with Cyrus during Diplo’s set at Stagecoach Festival.\n\nThe newest iteration of “Old Town Road” taking it down the final stretch is a remix that keeps Cyrus’s part and adds rapper Young Thug and Mason Ramsey, another viral country star.\n\nLil Nas X has continued to joke that he will just keep releasing “Old Town Road” remixes, with Dolly Parton and Mariah Carey both jokingly teasing collaborations.\n\nHowever, the young musician has already moved on to making the video for his next single, “Panini.”\n\nIf “Old Town Road” is to break the Billboard Hot 100 record, the track will do so next Monday on the chart dated Aug. 3.\n• Lil Nas X’s ‘Old Town Road’ gets another remix with Young Thug and Mason Ramsey the yodeling kid\n• How ‘Truth Hurts’ became Lizzo’s breakout hit two years after its release\n• Lil Nas X goes down the ‘Old Town Road’ with Billy Ray Cyrus, Chris Rock in new video", "NEW YORK (AP) — Lil Nas X has taken his horse to the old town road and ridden it to the top of the Billboard charts for 16 weeks, tying a record set by Mariah Carey and Luis Fonsi.\n\n\"Old Town Road\" logs its 16th week at No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart this week, matching the success that Carey and Boyz II Men's \"One Sweet Day\" achieved in 1995-1996. Fonsi, Daddy Yankee and Justin Bieber's \"Despacito\" accomplished the feat in 2017.\n\nNo song has spent more than 16 weeks at No. 1 on the all-genre Hot 100 chart in the 61-year history of the Billboard charts.\n\nThe country-rap \"Old Town Road\" was originally a solo song, but 20-year-old Lil Nas X added Billy Ray Cyrus to the track and it topped the charts, achieving most of its success through audio streaming.\n\nLil Nas X is looking forward to setting a new Billboard record next week. He posted a video Monday on social media of the \"SpongeBob SquarePants\" character Squidward Tentacles saying, \"Please stream 'Old Town Road.'\"\n\n\"Me on the internet this whole week tryna break the billboard record,\" he wrote in the caption.\n\n\"Old Town Road\" initially was in a bit of controversy in March when Billboard removed it from its country charts, deeming it not country enough (it peaked at No. 19 on the country charts). But the drama didn't hurt the song; it only propelled it.\n\n\"This song has been a uniter not a divider,\" Cyrus said in a statement Monday. \"I'm giving God the glory now for allowing me the gift to be part of such a special song. It's a unique moment in time where people from all over the world and all walks of life find they have more in common than they do different. It's a moment we've all shared and I'm grateful for it.\"\n\n\"Old Town Road\" appears on Lil Nas X's debut EP \"7,\" which peaked at No. 2 on Billboard's 200 albums chart earlier this month. The EP also features the Top 40 hits \"Panini\" and \"Rodeo\" with Cardi B.\n\n\"Old Town Road\" is also spending its 16th week on top of both the R&B/Hip-Hop and rap songs charts. The song has several versions, including remixes featuring Diplo, Young Thug and Mason Ramsey; Billboard counts the original song and its remix versions as one when calculating chart position, thus helping \"Old Town Road\" stay on top.\n\nA number of songs have debuted at No. 2 on the Hot 100 chart, unable to push \"Old Town Road\" out of its top position, including two tunes from Taylor Swift (\"You Need to Calm Down,\" ''ME!\"); Ed Sheeran and Bieber's \"I Don't Care\"; and two songs from Shawn Mendes (\"If I Can't Have You,\" ''Senorita\" with Camila Cabello).\n\nSwift's \"Look What You Made Me Do\" stopped \"Despacito\" from reaching a 17th week at No. 1 when the pop smash jumped from No. 77 to No. 1 in 2017. Celine Dion's \"Because You Loved Me\" ended Carey and Boyz II Men's epic run in 1996.", "NEW YORK—Lil Nas X has taken his horse to the old town road and ridden it to the top of the Billboard charts for 16 weeks, tying a record set by Mariah Carey and Luis Fonsi.\n\n\"Old Town Road\" logs its 16th week at No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart this week, matching the success that Carey and Boyz II Men's \"One Sweet Day\" achieved in 1995-1996. Fonsi, Daddy Yankee and Justin Bieber's \"Despacito\" accomplished the feat in 2017.\n\nNo song has spent more than 16 weeks at No. 1 on the all-genre Hot 100 chart in the 61-year history of the Billboard charts.\n\nThe country-rap \"Old Town Road\" was originally a solo song, but 20-year-old Lil Nas X added Billy Ray Cyrus to the track and it topped the charts, achieving most of his success through audio streaming.\n\nThe song initially was in a bit of controversy in March when Billboard removed it from its country charts, deeming it not country enough (it peaked at No. 19 on the country charts). But the drama didn't hurt the song; it only propelled it.\n\n\"Old Town Road\" appears on Lil Nas X's debut EP 7, which peaked at No. 2 on Billboard's 200 albums chart earlier this month. The EP also features the Top 40 hits \"Panini\" and \"Rodeo\" with Cardi B.\n\n\"Old Town Road\" is also spending its 16th week on top of both the R&B/Hip-Hop and rap songs charts.\n\nA number of songs have debuted at No. 2 on the Hot 100 chart, unable to push \"Old Town Road\" out of its top position, including two tunes from Taylor Swift (\"You Need to Calm Down,\" \"ME!\"); Ed Sheeran and Bieber's \"I Don't Care\"; and two songs from Shawn Mendes (\"If I Can't Have You,\" \"Senorita\" with Camila Cabello).\n\nSwift's \"Look What You Made Me Do\" stopped \"Despacito\" from reaching a 17th week at No. 1 when the pop smash jumped from No. 77 to No. 1 in 2017. Céline Dion's \"Because You Loved Me\" ended Carey and Boyz II Men's epic run in 1996.", "Lil Nas X has taken his horse to the old town road and ridden it to the top of the Billboard charts for 16 weeks, tying a record set by Mariah Carey and Luis Fonsi.\n\n\"Old Town Road\" logs its 16th week at No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart this week, matching the success that Carey and Boyz II Men's \"One Sweet Day\" achieved in 1995-1996. Fonsi, Daddy Yankee and Justin Bieber's \"Despacito\" accomplished the feat in 2017.\n\nNo song has spent more than 16 weeks at No. 1 on the all-genre Hot 100 chart in the 61-year history of the Billboard charts.\n\nThe country-rap \"Old Town Road\" was originally a solo song but 20-year-old Lil Nas X added Billy Ray Cyrus to the track and it topped the charts.", "FILE – This June 1, 2019 file photo shows Lil Nas X performing at HOT 97 Summer Jam 2019 in East Rutherford, N.J. The rapper has taken his “Old Town Road” to the top of the Billboard charts for 16 weeks, tying a record set by Mariah Carey and Luis Fonsi. (Photo by Scott Roth/Invision/AP, File)\n\nNEW YORK (AP) — Lil Nas X has taken his horse to the old town road and ridden it to the top of the Billboard charts for 16 weeks, tying a record set by Mariah Carey and Luis Fonsi.\n\n“Old Town Road” logs its 16th week at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart this week, matching the success that Carey and Boyz II Men’s “One Sweet Day” achieved in 1995-1996. Fonsi, Daddy Yankee and Justin Bieber’s “Despacito” accomplished the feat in 2017.\n\nNo song has spent more than 16 weeks at No. 1 on the all-genre Hot 100 chart in the 61-year history of the Billboard charts.\n\nThe country-rap “Old Town Road” was originally a solo song, but 20-year-old Lil Nas X added Billy Ray Cyrus to the track and it topped the charts, achieving most of its success through audio streaming.\n\nThe song initially was in a bit of controversy in March when Billboard removed it from its country charts, deeming it not country enough (it peaked at No. 19 on the country charts). But the drama didn’t hurt the song; it only propelled it.\n\n“Old Town Road” appears on Lil Nas X’s debut EP “7,” which peaked at No. 2 on Billboard’s 200 albums chart earlier this month. The EP also features the Top 40 hits “Panini” and “Rodeo” with Cardi B.\n\n“Old Town Road” is also spending its 16th week on top of both the R&B/Hip-Hop and rap songs charts. The song has several versions, including remixes featuring Diplo, Young Thug and Mason Ramsey; Billboard counts the original song and its remix versions as one when calculating chart position, thus helping “Old Town Road” stay on top.\n\nA number of songs have debuted at No. 2 on the Hot 100 chart, unable to push “Old Town Road” out of its top position, including two tunes from Taylor Swift (“You Need to Calm Down,” ”ME!”); Ed Sheeran and Bieber’s “I Don’t Care”; and two songs from Shawn Mendes (“If I Can’t Have You,” ”Senorita” with Camila Cabello).\n\nSwift’s “Look What You Made Me Do” stopped “Despacito” from reaching a 17th week at No. 1 when the pop smash jumped from No. 77 to No. 1 in 2017. Celine Dion’s “Because You Loved Me” ended Carey and Boyz II Men’s epic run in 1996.", "Lil Nas X Ties Chart Record For Longest Streak At No. 1\n\nLil Nas X's \"Old Town Road\" rode right into its 16th week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 today, tying the record for longest consecutive time in the top spot.\n\nOnly two songs have achieved this long of a streak before in the chart's history. Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men's \"One Sweet Day\" was first in 1995, and held the record for more than two decades until Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee — with an assist from Justin Bieber on the remix — tied it in 2017 with \"Despacito.\"\n\nLil Nas X seemed confident this weekend, tweeting \"what we doing to celebrate the billboard record when we break it y'all.\" But his chart victory was a close one — especially once Billie Eilish, the artist best positioned to break his streak, seemed to figure out one of the keys to his success.\n\nThe rapper had dominated the Hot 100 in part by exploiting Billboard's murky remix policy, which counts the original song and its remixes as one when it comes to calculating chart position (as long as the remixes don't deviate too far in composition). Lil Nas X has released four official versions of \"Old Town Road,\" the newest of which, featuring rapper Young Thug and viral star Mason Ramsey, came just last week, in time to push listening numbers up ahead of week 16.\n\nEilish effectively deployed the same tactic, enlisting veteran chart-booster Bieber for a remix of her No. 2 song, \"bad guy,\" also released last week. Today's chart unveiled the results of their remix race: Adding Bieber wasn't quite enough for Eilish to catch up to the hundreds of millions of listens \"Old Town Road\" and its many permutations have generated.\n\nIt's worth noting that this deft manipulation is happening at the hands of two very young artists — Eilish is 17, Lil Nas X is 20 — who each clearly understand the power of virality and taking advantage of a moment. The original \"Old Town Road\" first entered the Hot 100 in March after going viral on the social media platform TikTok, and was propelled upward by attention from a controversy over whether the song belonged on Billboard's country chart, which fatefully led to a collaboration with Billy Ray Cyrus, resulting in the most popular remix of the bunch.\n\nNPR Music's Rodney Carmichael asked Lil Nas X in April if the rapper was simply trolling the music industry with all these games. His answer was characteristically self-assured: \"Even if they like ['Old Town Road'] as a joke, they're not liking this as a joke and putting it at No. 1, too.\"", "Lil Nas X's \"Old Town Road\" Ties Record For Longest-Running Number One Of All Time\n\nFor the 16th week in a row, Lil Nas X’s hit “Old Town Road” sits atop the Billboard Hot 100. This means that the track from the 20-year-old ATLien is tied for the longest-running No. 1 of all time.\n\nAccording to reports, the single from the 7 EP ties Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee and Justin Bieber’s ”Despacito,\" as well as Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men's \"One Sweet Day” for the record. If he stays at No. 1 for one more week, he will be the first song in the history of American popular music to reign for an unprecedented 17 weeks.\n\nThe initial song made waves earlier this year after getting the boot from Billboard’s Country charts for allegedly not implementing enough elements of the genre. Since then, “Old Town Road” has seen three featured artists on two separate remixes– Billy Ray Cyrus, Young Thug and Mason Ramsey. Last week, country music icon Dolly Parton hinted at hopping on the song’s next remix.\n\nDo you think “Old Town Road” will set a new record next week? Sound off in the comments.", "Can't nobody tell Lil Nas X he doesn't have one of the biggest hits in Billboard history.\n\n\"Old Town Road\" tops Billboard's Hot 100 chart for a record-tying 16th consecutive week, the third song to reach that mark in six decades. It shares the record with 2017 smash \"Despacito\" and 1995 Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men hit “One Sweet Day.\"\n\nLil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus' western rap held off a contested bid by left-of-pop breakout star Billie Eilish and her \"Bad Guy\" remix, featuring Justin Bieber. \"Bad Guy\" sits at No. 2 on the Hot 100 for a sixth consecutive week, Billboard reports.\n\nThe budding stars went to battle in the days leading up to Monday's chart report, with Lil Nas X enlisting 'Yodeling Kid' Mason Ramsey and rapper Young Thug for an \"Old Town Road\" remix that dropped hours after Eilish unveiled her Bieber collaboration.\n\nBillboard combines data from original and remix entries of the same track; Lil Nas X has released four total \"Old Town Road\" entries: The original, a remix featuring Cyrus, a remix featuring electronic star Diplo and the latest, four-part collaboration with Ramsey and Young Thug.\n\n\"Old Town Road\" tops the Digital Songs Sales chart for a 12th week, Billboard reports, moving an estimated 45,000 units; the song spends a 16th week atop the Streaming Song chart.\n\nIf \"Old Town Road\" holds for a 17th week, it'll stand alone as the longest-running No. 1 in Billboard Hot 100 history.", "Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” has officially tied the record for the most weeks spent on top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song has spent 16 weeks at #1, a feat achieved by only two other songs in history: Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men’s “One Sweet Day” (1995) and Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee, and Justin Bieber’s “Despacito” (2017).\n\nThe achievement hasn’t come without its own series of modern-day chart finagling. On 7/12, Lil Nas X released a new “Old Town Road” remix featuring Young Thug and Mason Ramsey — the plays for that remix count for this past week’s numbers.\n\n“Old Town Road” has to spend one more week on top of the chart to break the record. Last week, Lil Nas X released an animated Area 51-themed video in an effort to capitalize on its current popularity.\n\nIn potential “Old Town Road” competition on the horizon: Billie Eilish’s “Bad Guy,” with help from a new remix featuring Justin Bieber, stays steady at #2 for yet another week. Jumping up to #3 is Ed Sheeran and Justin Bieber’s “I Don’t Care,” which peaked at #2. Post Malone and Young Thug’s “Goodbyes,” which debuted at #3 last week, drops to #7.\n\nWill “Old Town Road” become the longest-reigning #1 single? Stay tuned next week."], "summary": "Billboard reports that Lil Nas X tied the all-time record on the Billboard Hot 100 with his song \"Old Town Road\", as it spends its sixteenth week atop the chart; the other record-holders are Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men with \"One Sweet Day\", and Luis Fonsi with \"Despacito\" featuring Daddy Yankee. The song broke the record the next week."}
{"document": ["CLOSE\n\nHealth and wellness retailer GNC plans to close up to 900 stores with big cuts to mall locations expected.\n\nOfficials with the Pittsburgh-based chain spoke of their continued \"store optimization effort\" during the GNC's second-quarter earnings call with analysts Monday.\n\n“I think it could be likely that we'll reduce our mall count by a nearly half,” said Tricia Tolivar, GNC chief financial officer. “So we've got a little over 800 malls today and over the long-term, we could bring that closer to 400 to 500.”\n\nIn the first six months of 2019, company records show 192 company-owned and franchise locations have already closed.\n\nGNC officials had announced in November 2018 that they would close up to 900 stores over the next three years in the U.S. and Canada as leases expire. Now, looking at the current foot-traffic trends in malls, \"it's likely that we will end up closer to the top end of our original optimization estimate,\" GNC Chairman and CEO Ken Martindale said.\n\nMore store closings coming: An estimated 12,000 shops could close by the end of 2019\n\nDressbarn store closings: Retailer announces 53 stores will close in August and nine in July. Is yours on the list?\n\nCLOSE Over 7,000 store closings have already been announced in 2019. Time\n\nOf GNC’s approximately 4,100 U.S. locations, 61% are in strip centers and 28% are in malls, Martindale said, noting strip center locations have been “relatively stable from a comparable sales perspective.”\n\nThere also are around 2,200 locations in Rite Aid stores and officials said Monday that the company is expanding on partnerships with Dick's Sporting Goods and Hudson News.\n\nOverall across the retail sector, more than 7,400 store closings are already in the works or completed so far in 2019, which is 27% more than all of 2018, according to Coresight Research's latest store closings report.\n\nCoresight, which has offices in Manhattan, London and Hong Kong, tracked 5,864 closings in 2018, which included all Toys R Us stores and hundreds of Kmart and Sears locations.\n\nThe \"going-out-of-business\" sales and liquidation of other brands are expected to continue. Coresight estimates closures could reach 12,000 by the end of the year, the report said.\n\nFollow USA TODAY reporter Kelly Tyko on Twitter: @KellyTyko\n\nRead or Share this story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2019/07/22/gnc-store-closings-up-900-could-close-focus-mall-stores/1800287001/", "Topline: Health and nutrition retailer GNC will close up to 900 stores—mostly in shopping malls—due to declining foot traffic, CEO Ken Martindale said in the company’s second-quarter earnings call, reflecting a persistent issue retailers have to contend with as thousands of physical stores belonging to large retailers have closed this year.\n• By the end of 2020, Martindale said GNC will close 700-900 stores because “the negative trends in traffic that we’ve seen in mall stores over the past several years has accelerated during the last few quarters.”\n• Currently, 61% of GNC stores are in strip centers while 28%, or about 800, are located in shopping malls. Martindale said.\n• The closures will cut the company’s mall presence nearly in half to 400 or 500.\n\nIn November 2018 GNC said it would close 700-900 stores over the next three years , but the severity of declining mall traffic will cause the retailer to shut down closer to the top of that range, Martindale said.\n\nGNC, based in Pittsburgh, has 8,000 locations worldwide, with 5,900 in the U.S.", "GNC says it is planning to close up to 900 stores in the us\n\nThe vitamin and supplement store “GNC” has announced it will close up to 900 stores in mall locations.\n\nOfficials confirmed the move Monday during a second-quarter earnings call with analysts.\n\nThe company’s chief financial officer said they would likely be cutting the number of stores in malls by half.\n\nGNC has about 4,100 locations in the US.\n\nCompany records show that nearly 200 stores have already closed during the first six months of 2019.", "(WTNH)– GNC is scaling back the number of locations it has in malls in a big way.\n\nThe company is closing 900 of those stores from coast to coast.\n\nThe vitamin and supplement retailer is trying to solidify its footing in the market.\n\nCompany records show that GNC closed 200 stores in the first six months of this year.", "Pittsburgh-based health and wellness chain GNC has announced it plans to close about 900 locations.\n\nCEO Ken Martindale told investors that the company plans to close roughly 900 locations by the end of next year, according to a BusinessInsider report.\n\nIn 2018, GNC told investors that the company planned to close 700 to 900 locations over the following three years but BusinessInsider is reporting that number will now be at the high end and that about half of those stores will be located at malls.\n\nIn central Pennsylvania, there are GNC locations at the Colonial Park Mall, Capital City Mall, the Lebanon Valley Mall, the York Galleria Mall, the Park City Center and at The Point at Carlisle Plaza.\n\nGNC has 18 stores within a 30 mile radius of Harrisburg, according to its website.", "In another sign of the troubles facing shopping malls, vitamin and supplement retailer GNC says it plans to slash its mall footprint by as much as half, closing hundreds of locations.\n\nSpeaking to analysts this week after reporting quarterly financial results, executives said that with declining traffic in malls, GNC may close 300 to 400 of its 800 mall locations.\n\nThe Pittsburgh-based retailer operates several stores in southeastern Wisconsin, including shops in Mayfair, Southridge, Brookfield Square and Bayshore. All four of those shopping centers already are wrestling with the loss of anchors as department store chains have struggled.\n\nGNC said it will close nearly 900 stores overall. Most of the firm’s stores are in strip centers or other non-mall locations. GNC has 8,000 stores worldwide, including 3,900 in the U.S., plus another 2,000 locations within Rite Aid drugstores.\n\nA falloff in traffic at mall stores over the last several years has accelerated in recent quarters, hurting performance at those locations, CEO Ken Martindale told analysts on a conference call, according to a transcript posted on investor research site Seeking Alpha.\n\nSales at GNC’s U.S. stores open at least a year were down 4.6% in the quarter ended June 30, compared with the second quarter of 2018.\n\nContact Rick Romell at (414) 224-2130 or rick.romell@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @RickRomell", "GNC Holdings Inc. GNC, -9.57% stock has tanked 10.6% in Tuesday trading after the struggling health-and-wellness retailer reported second-quarter sales that missed expectations and said that it will close as many as 900 stores in the coming months. Net income totaled $16.1 million, or 11 cents per share, after net income of $13.3 million, or 16 cents per share, last year. Adjusted EPS was 13 cents, beating the FactSet consensus for 12 cents per share. Sales of $534.0 million was down from $617.9 million last year and below the FactSet guidance for $553.0 million. Domestic same-store sales fell 4.6%, deeper than the 2% FactSet forecast. GNC Chief Executive Kenneth Martindale said deteriorating mall traffic, a trend for the past several year, \"accelerated\" during the last few quarters. More than a quarter (28%) of GNC stores are in malls while 61% are in strip centers, which he said are \"relatively\" stable. \"We remain on pace to achieve our 2019 and 2020 cost savings targets and the results from our store optimization effort continue to meet our expectations,\" he said on the call, according to a FactSet transcript. \"As a result of the current mall traffic trends, it's likely that we will end up closer to the top end of our original optimization estimate of 700 to 900 store closures.\" The company is also battling headwinds on Amazon.com Inc. AMZN, +0.14% and says it's working closely with the e-commerce giant to drive sales in a \"different\" marketplace environment. GNC shares fell 25% over the past three months, and more than 48% over the past year. The S&P 500 index SPX, +0.52% is up 6.7% for the past 12 months.", "Health and nutrition store GNC plans to close up to 900 stores with most of the cuts coming to their mall locations.\n\nBack in November 2018, GNC announced they planned to close between 700 and 900 stores. On a call with investors Monday, GNC CEO Ken Martindale said the company will meet the higher end of their estimate.\n\n\"It's likely that we will end up closer to the top end of our original optimization estimate of 700 to 900 store closures,\" Martindale said.\n\nThe call focused on decreased traffic at GNC's mall locations. GNC CFO Tricia Tolivar said out of GNC's 800 current mall locations, the company expects to keep 400 and 500 stores due to overall mall traffic deceleration.\n\n\"As part of our work to optimize our store footprint, we're increasing our focus on mall locations,\" Martindale said. \"And as you know, we have a great deal of flexibility to take further action here due to the short lease terms we have across our store portfolio.\"\n\nRELATED: Toys R Us kicking off its US comeback with 2 stores\n\nRELATED: Woman buys everything at closing shoe store for Nebraska flood victims\n\nOf the 4,000 GNC retail locations 61% are in strip centers where as 28% are in malls.\n\nGNC is just the latest retailer to close stores. Payless ShoeSource, Gymboree and DressBarn are just a few of the companies closing a majority of their stores. A recent analysis from Business Insider found more than 7,500 retail stores plan to close in 2019.", "As a result of slowing foot traffic in malls, health and nutrition chain GNC is targeting hundreds of its stores for closure by the end of 2020.\n\nChairman and CEO Ken Martindale said 700 to 900 low-performing locations could close as a result of ongoing streamlining, he revealed during a quarter 2 earnings call on Tuesday.\n\nHe said, “the negative trends in traffic that we’ve seen in mall stores over the past several years has accelerated during the past few quarters.\"\n\nMartindale noted that the GNC portfolio includes a number of stores with short-term leases, and “store optimization\" efforts are ongoing.\n\nRoughly 28% percent of GNC stores are located within malls, with the other 61% in strip centers.\n\nGNC said its U.S. and Canada earnings decreased $41.2 million, or 8%, to $476.1 million in quarter 2, compared to the second quarter of 2018.\n\n“During the second quarter of 2019, although we experienced some softness in our sales, we delivered meaningful growth in our operating income margins consistent with our long-term strategy,” Martindale said.\n\nGNC has 8,020 locations, including store-within-a-store partnerships with other retailers.\n\nBrick and mortar retailers have been facing difficulties competing with online behemoths such as Amazon.\n\nSome retailers have gone out of business this year, including Gymboree, Dressbarn and Charlotte Russe, CNN reported.", "PITTSBURGH (WOWK/CNN Newsource) – The vitamin and supplement store GNC has announced it will close up to 900 stores in mall locations. Officials confirmed the move Monday, July 22nd, 2019, during a second-quarter earnings call with analysts.\n\nThe company’s Chief Financial Officer said they would likely be cutting the number of stores in malls by half. GNC has about 4,100 locations in the US.\n\nCompany records show that nearly 200 stores have already closed during the first six months of 2019.\n\nFor local and breaking news, weather alerts, video and more, download the FREE WOWK 13 News App from the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store."], "summary": "Due to declining sales, American retailer GNC announces it will close between 700 and 900 stores."}
{"document": ["The Iranian government said on Monday that it had broken up a CIA spy ring, in the latest sign of increased tensions between Iran, the US and other NATO powers.\n\nA statement carried on public television from the Intelligence Ministry in Tehran claimed that they had detained 17 suspected agents. The Fars news agency, nominally independent but considered at least partly state-influenced, said that some of them had been given death sentences.\n\n\"Some were sentenced to death and some to long-term imprisonment,\" the ministry told reporters.\n\nOfficial: Suspects were Iranians recruited by CIA\n\nIran recently claimed to have exposed a large cyber espionage network which it said was run by the CIA. At a press conference, an intelligence official said that the arrests had taken place over the past months. He did not specify how many suspects had been sentenced to capital punishment. In an unusual move, the official did not identify himself at the press gathering.\n\nHe said that some had been recruited by a \"visa trap\" scheme, set up by the CIA for Iranians looking to travel to the US. They were allegedly promised immigration documents or jobs in the US in return for espionage work. All the suspects were Iranian nationals who had acted independently of one another, he told journalists.\n\n\"Some were approached when they were applying for a visa, while others had visas from before and were pressured by the CIA in order to renew them.\"\n\nThe official added that some of those arrested had received \"sophisticated training\" and worked at nuclear and military facilities, then said that none had succeeded in their missions of sabotage.\n\nThey had been \"employed at sensitive and crucial centers and also the private sector related to them, working as contractors or consultants,\" he said.\n\nIran said in April that it had uncovered nearly 300 CIA spies working in Iran over the past few years.\n\nTrump: Iran is a mess and it is fabricating stories\n\nPresident Donald Trump categorically denied the reports of Iran capturing spies from the CIA. He tweeted the claims are \"totally false\" and that the Middle Eastern state \"is a total mess!\"\n\nMeanwhile, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo poured more scorn on the claims, saying \"the Iranian regime has a long history of lying.\"\n\nHe declined to comment specifically on the arrests, but added: \"I would take with a significant grain of salt any Iranian assertion about actions that they've taken.\"\n\nThe announcement came after months of rapidly escalating confrontation between Tehran and Washington, and other NATO members after US President Donald Trump withdrew from a landmark nuclear deal and imposed economic sanctions, and more recently over the detainment of an oil tanker by British authorities that prompted a retaliatory seizure by Iran.\n\nes/msh (AFP, AP, Reuters)\n\nEach evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.", "\n• Iran’s intelligence ministry said it broke up a CIA spying ring in the country, and detained 17 Iranian suspects.\n• The suspects were employed in “vital private sector centers in the economic, nuclear, infrastructural, military and cyber areas,” where they “collected classified information,” the ministry said, according to Sky News.\n• They were lured into working for the CIA by being offered a chance to move to the US and work there, CNN reported the ministry as saying.\n• Iranian news agencies also published photos of several men purported to be the spying ring’s handlers.\n• Monday’s announcement comes as nuclear and military tensions between Tehran and the West continue to mount.\n\nIran says it has detained 17 citizens accused of spying for the CIA, and that some of them will be executed.\n\nThe country’s intelligence ministry said it had broken up a spying ring consisting of Iranian who were lured by a chance to move to the US and work there, CNN reported on Monday.\n\nThe suspects were “employed in sensitive and vital private sector centers in the economic, nuclear, infrastructural, military and cyber areas … where they collected classified information,” an Iranian intelligence official told state TV on Monday, according to Sky News.\n\nThe intelligence official did not give his name, which Sky News said is unusual.\n\nThe CIA has not yet responded to Iran’s announcement.\n\nThe mission of the alleged spies had been to collect classified information “from substantial centers as well as intelligence/technical operations,” the intelligence ministry said in a document, cited by CNN.\n\nIranian authorities arrested the alleged spies months ago, and many of them have been detained in prison since, according to Sky News and CNN reported.\n\nSome of the suspects have also been sentenced to death, though the unnamed intelligence official did not say how many, Sky News reported.\n\nIran’s intelligence ministry said in a document, as cited by CNN: “Defendants serving their sentences in prison mentioning tempting promises of CIA officers including emigration to USA, a proper job in America, and money.”\n\nAll 17 suspects have confessed to spying for the CIA, CNN said.\n\nAmnesty International reported last week, however, that Iranian authorities have a history of using solitary confinement and threats against family members to make people unsavory to the regime confess to crimes they didn’t commit.\n\nThe ministry also appeared to suggest that Iranian authorities plan to retaliate against the CIA.\n\nIt said, according to CNN: “Individuals who consciously and deliberately betrayed the country and refused to compensate for the losses have been handed over to the judiciary system.”\n\n“Others, who honestly cooperated with the security system and their remorsefulness have been proved, have been managed with intelligence direction against Americans,” the ministry added.\n\nTehran’s announcement comes amid weeks of spiraling tensions with the West.\n\nThere have been several maritime skirmishes on the Strait of Hormuz – a narrow waterway to Iran’s south that’s crucial to global oil trade – since mid-June.\n\nIranian authorities seized two British-linked oil tankers in the strait last Friday, in what appears to be retaliation to the UK’s seizure of an Iranian oil tanker off the British territory of Gibraltar on July 4. Iran seized the British-flagged Stena Impero, and briefly detained another ship, the Mescar.\n\nRead more: A radio recording reveals the exchange between a Royal Navy frigate and Iranian armed forces vessels moments before a UK tanker was seized\n\nUS President Donald Trump last week also said a US warship had shot down an Iranian drone, though Tehran has repeatedly said this didn’t happen.\n\nIran and the West remain at odds over the 2015 nuclear deal and crippling US sanctions. Tehran violated a 300 kg limit on enriched uranium earlier this month and has vowed to increase its stockpile.", "Help us grow and continue telling Israel’s story to the world.\n\nFor $5 a month you will receive access to the following:\n\nAs one of our loyal readers, we ask you to be our partner.\n\nDear Reader, As you can imagine, more people are reading The Jerusalem Post than ever before. Nevertheless, traditional business models are no longer sustainable and high-quality publications, like ours, are being forced to look for new ways to keep going. Unlike many other news organizations, we have not put up a paywall. We want to keep our journalism open and accessible and be able to keep providing you with news and analysis from the frontlines of Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World.\n\nIran has captured 17 spies working for the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and some have been sentenced to death, Iranian media reported on Monday, according to Fars.\n\nState television quoted the Intelligence Ministry as saying it had broken up a CIA spying ring and captured 17 suspects. None of the spies were in contact with each other and all of those arrested were Iranian citizens, according to Fars.\n\nThe announcement comes after three months of spiraling confrontation with the West that began when new tighter US sanctions took effect at the start of May, Reuters reported. Last week Iran captured a British tanker in the Strait of Hormuz after Britain's Royal Marines seized an Iranian tanker off the coast of Gibraltar in July 4.\n\n\"The identified spies were employed in sensitive and vital private sector centers in the economic, nuclear, infrastructural, military and cyber areas... where they collected classified information,\" said a ministry statement read on state television.\n\nThe CIA recruited some of the spies by offering to aid them with the US visa application process and promises of permanent residence permits, according to Fars. The Iranian nationals were also assured of their safety in Iran and abroad.\n\nSome of the recruitments were conducted by CIA officers on the sidelines of scientific conferences in Europe, Africa and Asia. The CIA also began correspondence with some of the Iranian nationals through social networks and email.\n\nAs part of the espionage operation, the CIA established fake companies to communicate with the Iranian nationals on the pretext of hiring Iranian experts or supplying equipment from abroad.\n\nThe spies established secure communications with the CIA with the help of intelligence tools and complex technical equipment from the agency.\n\nEspionage equipment and money were transported into the country inside stones with spyware embedded in them. Agents would then retrieve the stones from various areas in cities, parks and mountain areas and remove the equipment by breaking the stones.\n\nThe agents were also provided with fake identity documents.\n\nThe CIA had developed an emergency escape plan for the spies, in which the agents would meet CIA officers at a predetermined place in a border town and then exit the country with the agent. Instead, the agents were captured by Iranian officials when they arrived at the predetermined escape point, according to Fars.\n\nThe Intelligence Ministry stated that although the spies had undergone training to withstand interrogation, all the members of the spy network ended up confessing to communicating with the CIA. Fars also reported that information from the spies was directed against the US.\n\nThe Iranian Intelligence Ministry wil provide information found in the uncovering of this spy ring to intelligence services in other countries in order to cause further defeats in CIA espionage attempts. This will most likely affect other European and Asian countries as well, according to Fars.\n\nThe arrests were made in the Iranian calendar year ending in March 2019, according to Iranian state media, according to Reuters.\n\nThe Iranian judiciary issued sentences for the spies a few days ago, according to Fars. Some were sentenced to death while others received a long term prison sentence. Those arrested were professionals and experts in Iran, but did not serve any official roles.\n\nAccording to the Intelligence Ministry, the spy network failed to sabotage or disrupt activities in the Islamic Republic.\n\nIt was not immediately clear if the arrests were linked to the case in which Iran said in June it had exposed a large cyber espionage network it alleged was run by the CIA, and that several US spies had been arrested in different countries as a result of this action, according to Reuters.\n\nJoin Jerusalem Post Premium Plus now for just $5 and upgrade your experience with an ads-free website and exclusive content. Click here>>", "Iranian officials said Monday that 17 people have been captured who were allegedly spies working for the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, NBC News reported.\n\nThe Iranian Intelligence Ministry held a briefing on Monday where they announced the alleged spies were Iranian citizens but trained by the CIA.\n\nSome of those arrested have been sentenced to death, the Intelligence Ministry said.\n\nU.S. officials have not yet responded to the allegations. The Iranian government occasionally makes similar claims and it was not immediately possible to determine whether they are legitimate. The U.S. government never acknowledges CIA recruitment abroad.", "Iran has detained 17 Iranian citizens accused of acting as spies for the United States Central Intelligence Agency, according to the country's Ministry of Intelligence.\n\nAn Intelligence Ministry document sent to CNN claims Iran had broken up a CIA spying ring and captured 17 suspects, all of whom confessed to acting as spies for the CIA.\n\n\"Defendants serving their sentences in prison mentioning tempting promises of CIA officers including emigration to USA, a proper job in America, and money,\" the Intelligence Ministry document said. It added that the spy mission was to collect classified information \"from substantial centers as well as intelligence/technical operations.\"\n\nThe ministry said some of the 17 will be executed.\n\nUS Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged caution in response to the announcement. Speaking on the Fox & Friends morning news show, he said: \"The Iranian regime has a long history of lying ... I would take with a significant grain of salt any Iranian assertion about actions they've taken.\"\n\nThe announcement comes amid a standoff between Tehran and Western powers following President Donald Trump's 2018 decision to withdraw from the nuclear deal and reimpose sanctions on Iran, and an accelerating series of recent maritime episodes, including Iran's seizure of a UK-flagged oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz on Friday.\n\nUnder the heading \"Destiny of Spies,\" Iran's Intelligence Ministry said in the document: \"Individuals who consciously and deliberately betrayed the country and refused to compensate for the losses have been handed over to the judiciary system. Others, who honestly cooperated with the security system and their remorsefulness have been proved, have been managed with intelligence direction against Americans.\"\n\nCNN has approached the CIA for comment.\n\nTensions in the region escalated further over the weekend after Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) captured a British-flagged tanker in the Strait of Hormuz on Friday.\n\nThe IRGC accused the vessel of \"violating international regulations.\"\n\nBritain has warned Iran it would take \"robust\" action in response. The UK government's emergency response committee, known as COBRA, is meeting on Monday to discuss the situation.\n\nIran's actions in the strait came just hours after authorities in Gibraltar agreed to extend the detention of an Iranian oil tanker in its custody for 30 days. That ship, the Grace 1, was seized by British authorities on July 4, accused of attempting to transport oil to Syria in violation of European Union sanctions.", "Iran’s Intelligence Ministry on Monday announced that it has dismantled a spying network inside the country serving the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of the United States.\n\nA total of 17 people were arrested linked to the network, said a statement from the ministry carried by the official IRNA news agency.\n\nSome of the detainees have been sentenced to death, it said, but did not identify those arrested.\n\n“The identified spies were employed in sensitive and vital private sector centres in the economic, nuclear, infrastructural, military and cyber areas… where they collected classified information,” it said.\n\nThe statement was also cited by Press TV.\n\nA detailed statement was later published by Fars news agency, with photographs of some of the spies captured:\n\nThe director-general of the intelligence ministry’s counterespionage department said in a press conference in Tehran on Monday that the detained spies had been trained by the CIA and were captured inside the country.\n\n“The rulings for these spies have been issued and a number of them will be executed as corruptors on Earth,” he added.\n\nIdentified spies are staffs of sensitive and significant centers and their counterpart private sectors, working as contractors or consultors.\n\nTotally, 17 spies have been identified who were operating in unlinked cells.\n\n“Since CIA abuses the process of US visa application, some of the Iranian citizens get into the visa trap and they are asked to be hired as spies in return for a US visa. Some others who intended to maintain or extend their visas, have been framed up by the CIA, in violation of the US laws,” the intelligence ministry official said, and added, “Some of the CIA’s baits managed to escape this trap with the help of their lawyers.”\n\n“Through establishing windon companies and under the pretext of hiring Iranian specialists in these corporations or supplying equipment from abroad, the CIA arranges to get up approaches to Iranian citizens,” he added.\n\nDirect propaganda of CIA officers under “diplomatic titles” to Iranian citizens on the sidelines of scientific conferences in European, African, and Asian countries was one of the intelligence approach methods. In some cases, CIA officers introduced themselves as an American intelligence agent and then through E-mails or messages in social networks invited users of these networks to intelligence cooperation.\n\nTempting promises of CIA officers, including emigration to USA, a proper job in America, and money has been among other ways used by the US intelligence body to hire spies, the intelligence ministry said, and added, “Even, medical aid abroad had been promised to some spies, but none of them came true.”\n\n“Something in common among all members of this network is the promise to guarantee spies safety both in and outside Iran and the full assurance about not being detected by Iran counter espionage, the official said.\n\nLater it released the photos of the CIA handlers of the captured spies as well as some relevant documents pertaining the case.\n\nCollecting classified information from substantial centers as well as intelligence-technical operations, were the assigned missions to this network, according to the official.\n\nHe said all individuals had been trained by CIA officers in complicated courses about how to set up a safe communication from inside Iran to abroad.", "Iran said Monday it has arrested 17 Iranians accused of spying on the country’s nuclear and military sites for the CIA.\n\nThe alleged spies had “sophisticated training” and worked on “sensitive sites” in “economic, nuclear, infrastructural, military and cyber fields or their counterpart private sector,” the Iranian Intelligence Ministry’s director of counterespionage reportedly said at a rare press conference in Tehran.\n\nAll the alleged spies are reportedly Iranian nationals arrested in the past few months. Some of the 17 who resisted cooperating with Iranian intelligence will be locked up for a lengthy period, and some have already been sentenced to death, the counterintelligence director said.\n\n“The Report of Iran capturing CIA spies is totally false. Zero truth,” the president wrote on Twitter. “Just more lies and propaganda (like their shot down drone) put out by a Religious Regime that is Badly Failing and has no idea what to do. Their Economy is dead, and will get much worse. Iran is a total mess!”\n\nSecretary of State Mike Pompeo, who previously was CIA director, appeared to agree.\n\n“The Iranian regime has a long history of lying,” Pompeo said Monday. “It’s part of the nature of the ayatollah to lie to the world. I would take with a significant grain of salt any Iranian assertion about actions that they’ve taken.”\n\nThe latest conflict comes amid a continuing escalation of bilateral tensions that started when President Trump pulled out of the Obama administration’s nuclear deal with Iran last May. Last month, Iran shot down an unmanned American military-surveillance drone over the Gulf of Oman. Trump originally ordered military strikes on Iranian targets as retaliation but canceled that order at the last minute.", "DUBAI, United Arab Emirates >> Iran today announced the arrest of 17 Iranians it accused of spying on the country’s nuclear and military sites for the CIA and said some of them have been sentenced to death. President Donald Trump said there was “zero truth” to the claims.\n\nThe arrests happened over the past months, an Iranian intelligence official said at a news conference in Tehran. He said those taken into custody worked on “sensitive sites” in military and nuclear installations. The official did not say how many were given death sentences.\n\nThe announcement came amid weeks of rising tensions between Washington and Tehran over Trump’s decision to pull the United States out of Iran’s nuclear agreement with world powers last year and impose sweeping sanctions on the country.\n\nThe official said the 17 were recruited by the CIA and had “sophisticated training” but did not succeed in their sabotage missions. Their spying missions included collecting information at the facilities where they worked and installing monitoring devices, he said.\n\nHe said some were staff members at the targeted facilities, and the rest were working as consultant and contractors. The official said the CIA had promised them U.S. visas or jobs in America.\n\n“The Report of Iran capturing CIA spies is totally false. Zero truth. Just more lies and propaganda,” Trump tweeted, noting Iran’s denials that a U.S. warship in the Strait of Hormuz had destroyed an Iranian drone last week.\n\n“Their Economy is dead, and will get much worse. Iran is a total mess!” he added.\n\nU.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, a former CIA director, declined to address specifics of the arrests but said: “The Iranian regime has a long history of lying.”\n\n“I think everyone should take with a grain of salt everything that the Islamic Republic of Iran asserts today,” he added.\n\nWith tensions rising recently, the U.S. has increased its military presence in the region and is sending at least 500 U.S. soldiers to Saudi Arabia, Iran’s rival.\n\nLast month, U.S. officials said American military cyberforces struck Iranian Revolutionary Guard computers, disabling systems that controlled its rocket and missile launchers. The cyberattack came after Trump backed away from an airstrike in response to Iran’s downing of a U.S. surveillance drone.\n\nThe Iranian official did not give his name but was identified as the director of the counterespionage department of Iran’s Intelligence Ministry. It is rare in Iran for intelligence officials to appear before media, or for any official to give a news conference without identifying himself.\n\nThe official said some of the agents recruited by the CIA had turned and are now working with his department against the United States.\n\nHe also handed out a CD with video of what Iran said was a foreign female spy working for the CIA. The disc also included the names of several U.S. Embassy staff members in Turkey, India, Zimbabwe and Austria who Iran said were in touch with the recruited Iranian spies.\n\nIran occasionally announces the detention of people it says are spying for foreign countries, including the U.S. and Israel. In June, Iran said it executed a former Defense Ministry employee convicted of spying for the CIA. In April, it said it uncovered 290 CIA spies inside and outside the country over the past several years.", "DUBAI (Reuters) - An Iranian television documentary aired on Monday purported to show an officer of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) recruiting an Iranian man in the United Arab Emirates.\n\n“Because there are so many intelligence officers in Dubai. It is very dangerous... Iranian intelligence,” a woman was shown telling an Iranian in the documentary about alleged CIA spying in Iran which was broadcast on state television.\n\nThe woman spoke Persian with an accent which appeared to be American.", "Teheran hat 17 Iraner festgenommen, die für den US-Geheimdienst CIA gearbeitet haben sollen. Das teilte die Agentur Tasnim unter Verweis auf den iranischen Geheimdienst mit.\n\nIranian television has aired a Farsi language documentary detailing CIA operations in Iran, including a clip showing one alleged CIA officer in the United Arab Emirates trying to recruit an unidentified Iranian."], "summary": "The Iranian government announces the arrest of 17 citizens in the last months who are accused of spying in favour of the CIA."}
{"document": ["South Korea's Defense Ministry on Tuesday said its fighter jets fired hundreds of warning shots after Russian and Chinese planes entered the country's airspace.\n\nThe Russian and Chinese warplanes were flying in the first joint operation of its kind, according to Moscow. South Korea scrambled F-16 fighters to intercept the Russian and Chinese warplanes, saying they were not authorized to enter its airspace.\n\n\"The South Korean military took tactical action including dropping flares and firing warning shots,\" the South Korean ministry said.\n\nThe alleged airspace violation occurred over the Dokdo islets, which are occupied by South Korea but also claimed by Japan. Tokyo also lodged complaints with South Korea and Russia.\n\nRead more: Can Chinese weapons contribute to peace in Africa?\n\n'Perfecting' joint actions\n\nMeanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry denied that its aircraft had illegally entered South Korean airspace. It said the joint operation was part of a new air patrol between Russia and China.\n\n\"The joint patrol was carried out with the aim of deepening Russian-Chinese relations within our all-encompassing partnership, of further increasing cooperation between our armed forces, and of perfecting their capabilities to carry out joint actions, and of strengthening global strategic security,\" the ministry said.\n\nFrom the Sea of Japan to the South China Sea, tensions between regional military powers have risen over the past decade.\n\nSouth Korea said the incident was the first time since fighting ended in the 1950-53 Korean War that a foreign military aircraft had entered its airspace without permission.\n\nRead more: Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping talk Russia-China relations\n\nEvery evening, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.\n\nRussian Tu-95 strategic bombers were conducting drills in the area\n\nls,cw,jm/se (AP, Reuters, AFP)", "South Korea says it has fired warning shots after Russian military planes intruded into airspace", "Seoul says it has fired warning shots after Russian military planes entered South Korea’s airspace.\n\nSouth Korea’s defence ministry said multiple Russian military planes violated the South Korean airspace off its east coast on Tuesday.\n\nThe ministry said South Korea launched fighter jets and that they fired warning shots.\n\nIt added that Chinese military planes also intruded into South Korea’s aerial identification zone on Tuesday.\n\nThe ministry gave no further details. – PA", "Seoul says it has fired warning shots after Russian military planes entered South Korea's airspace.\n\nSouth Korean air force jets fired 360 rounds of warning shots after a Russian military plane briefly violated South Korea's airspace, off its east coast, twice on Tuesday, Seoul officials said.\n\nIt is the first such incident between the two countries.\n\nThe ministry said South Korea launched fighter jets and that they fired warning shots.\n\nIt added that Chinese military planes also intruded into South Korea's aerial identification zone on Tuesday.\n\nThe ministry gave no further details.", "SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea said its air force jets fired warning shots on Tuesday to ward off a Russian military plane that intruded upon its territorial airspace, the first such encounter between the countries in decades.\n\nThree Russian military planes, as well as two Chinese warplanes, entered South Korea’s air defense identification zone off its east coast, where foreign military aircraft must identify themselves in advance to South Korea, the South’s military said.\n\nBut one of the Russian planes flew closer to South Korea, intruding twice into its territorial airspace near Dokdo, a cluster of South Korean-held islets that are also claimed by Japan and are known as Takeshima to the Japanese, the South Korean military said.\n\nBoth times, the Russian plane violated South Korea’s airspace for a few minutes, prompting South Korean F-15 and F-16 fighter jets operating nearby to fire warning shots, the officials said.", "South Korea says it has fired warning shots after Russian military planes intruded into South Korea's airspace\n\nSEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea says it has fired warning shots after Russian military planes intruded into South Korea's airspace.", "SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea says it has fired warning shots after Russian military planes intruded into South Korea's airspace.", "SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korean fired warning shots after a Russian military plane violated South Korea's airspace on Tuesday, Seoul officials said, in the first such incident between the countries.\n\nThree Russian military planes initially violated South Korea's aerial identification zone off its east coast before one of them entered the country's territorial sky, the South's Defense Ministry said.\n\nSouth Korean fighter jets then scrambled to the area to fire warning shots, a ministry official said, requesting anonymity due to department rules.\n\nThe Russian plane left the area but it returned and violated the South Korean airspace again later Tuesday, the ministry official said. He said the South Korean fighter jets fired warning shots again.\n\nIt was the first time a Russian military plane violated South Korean airspace, according to South Korean officials.\n\nThe three Russian planes had violated the South Korean aerial identification zone with two Chinese military planes. But it wasn't immediately known whether the two countries deliberated did so, according to the South Korean official.\n\nSouth Korea's Defense Ministry said it plans to summon Russian and Chinese Embassy officials later Tuesday to register formal protests.", "South Korean jets fired warning shots after a Russian military plane violated South Korea's airspace on Tuesday, Seoul officials said, in the first such incident between the countries.\n\nThree Russian military planes initially entered South Korea's air defence identification zone off its east coast before one of them entered the country's territorial sky, the South's Defence Ministry said.\n\nSouth Korean fighter jets then scrambled to the area to fire warning shots, a ministry official said, requesting anonymity due to department rules.\n\nThe Russian plane left the area but it returned and violated the South Korean airspace again later Tuesday, the ministry official said. He said the South Korean fighter jets fired warning shots again. Each time, the Russian plane didn't return fire, the official said.\n\nIt was the first time a Russian military plane violated South Korean airspace, according to South Korean officials.\n\nThe airspace the Russian plane violated was above a group of South Korean-held islets roughly halfway between South Korea and Japan that has been a source of territorial disputes between them. Russia isn't a party in those disputes.\n\nThe three Russian planes had entered the South Korean air defence identification zone with two Chinese military planes. But it wasn't immediately known whether the two countries deliberately did so, according to the South Korean official.\n\nBefore their joint flights with the Russian planes, the Chinese planes entered South Korea's air defence identification zone off its southwest coast earlier Tuesday, according to the South Korean official. Chinese planes have occasionally entered South Korea's air defence identification zone in recent years.\n\nSouth Korea's Defence Ministry said it plans to summon Russian and Chinese Embassy officials later Tuesday to register formal protests.", "South Korea says its jets fired hundreds of warning shots at a Russian surveillance plane that entered its airspace on Tuesday\n\nSeoul (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / Online - 23rd July, 2019) South Korea says its jets fired hundreds of warning shots at a Russian surveillance plane that entered its airspace on Tuesday.Officials said the plane twice violated the airspace over the Dokdo/Takeshima islands, which are occupied by Seoul but also claimed by Japan.South Korea's Ministry of Defence said it scrambled fighter jets in response and fired 360 warning shots.Russia has denied violating the country's airspace.Moscow said two of its bombers carried out a planned drill over \"neutral waters\" and denied any warning shots were fired by South Korean jets.This is the first incident of its kind between Russia and South Korea.South Korea's military said the aircraft was one of three Russian and two Chinese military aircraft that entered the Korea Air Defense Identification Zone (KADIZ) on Tuesday morning.\n\nOverseas aircraft must identify themselves before entering the KADIZ.Russian and Chinese bombers and reconnaissance planes have occasionally entered the zone in recent years.However, South Korea said one of the Russian planes - an A-50 reconnaissance aircraft - flew further and entered the country's territorial airspace at around 09:00 local time (00:00 GMT).South Korean F-15 and F-16 planes were deployed to intercept it.The head of South Korea's National Security Office, Chung Eui-yong, has lodged a strong objection with the Security Council of Russia, and asked the council to take appropriate action.\"We take a very grave view of this situation and, if it is repeated, we will take even stronger action,\" the South Korean president's office quoted Mr Chung as saying.There has been no comment from China."], "summary": "South Korean fighter jets fire warning shots at three Russian planes as a reaction to an alleged violation of the country's national airspace."}
{"document": ["BERLIN - The German government says the country's ambassador to Venezuela has returned to Caracas, four months after Venezuelan authorities ordered him to leave.\n\nForeign Ministry spokesman Rainer Breul said Monday that ambassador Daniel Kriener returned to Venezuela on Saturday. Venezuela previously withdrew its classification of Kriener as persona non grata.\n\nKriener and some other diplomats greeted opposition leader Juan Guaido, whom Germany and many other countries recognize as Venezuela's interim president, when he returned to Venezuela from a trip abroad in early March.\n\nThe government ordered him to leave and Germany said it was recalling him to Berlin for consultations.\n\nBreul stressed that “our political position on the issue of Venezuela is unchanged” and said that Guaido wanted Kriener to return.", "BERLIN (AP) — The German government says the country’s ambassador to Venezuela has returned to Caracas, 4 ½ months after Venezuelan authorities ordered him to leave.\n\nForeign Ministry spokesman Rainer Breul said Monday that ambassador Daniel Kriener returned to Venezuela on Saturday. Venezuela previously withdrew its classification of Kriener as persona non grata.\n\nKriener and some other diplomats greeted opposition leader Juan Guaidó, whom Germany and many other countries recognize as Venezuela’s interim president, when he returned to Venezuela from a trip abroad in early March. The government ordered him to leave and Germany said it was recalling him to Berlin for consultations.\n\nBreul stressed that “our political position on the issue of Venezuela is unchanged” and said that Guaidó wanted Kriener to return.\n\nCopyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.", "Germany's ambassador to Venezuela has returned after being expelled by President Nicolas Maduro's government in March over Berlin's backing of opposition leader Juan Guaido's claim to the presidency, the German embassy said on Monday.\n\nDaniel Kriener arrived back in the crisis-hit South American nation at the weekend to \"once again perform his duties from Caracas,\" the German embassy said on Twitter.\n\nIn March, Venezuela's Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza declared Kriener \"persona non grata\" as he was given 48 hours to leave the country.\n\nThe move was criticized both by Germany and the European Union.\n\nMaduro's government had accused Kriener of \"interference\" after he welcomed Guaido back at Caracas airport following the National Assembly speaker's controversial trip abroad to meet allied regional leaders.\n\nGuaido -- who in January declared himself acting president in a direct challenge to the socialist leader's authority -- was under a travel ban imposed by the regime.\n\nGermany is one of the more than 50 countries to have recognized Guaido's claims.\n\n\"Our position with respect to recognizing Juan Guaido as Venezuela's interim president, in accordance with the Venezuelan constitution, has not changed,\" said Germany's foreign ministry.\n\nVenezuela's foreign ministry said the move had initiated a \"process of normalization of relations between the two states.\"\n\nGuaido and Venezuela's opposition have branded Maduro a \"usurper\" over his re-election last year in a poll widely dismissed as having been rigged.\n\nThey want Maduro to resign so new elections can be held.\n\nThe two sides have held talks in Norway and Barbados to try to resolve the political impasse.\n\nVenezuela is crippled by an economic crisis that has left a quarter of the 30 million population needing humanitarian aid, according to the United Nations.", "The controversial legislation would give hardline Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton the ability to prevent suspected terrorists from returning to Australia. — AFP", "The German ambassador to Venezuela has returned to Caracas just over four months after the government forced him out of the South American country.\n\nDaniel Kriener returned to the Venezuelan capital on Saturday following Venezuela's decision in early July to re-recognize his diplomatic status, according to the German Foreign Office.\n\nThe office's deputy spokesperson, Rainer Breul, said he was \"glad that Ambassador Kriener is able to take up his duties as ambassador to Venezuela again.\"\n\nRead more: What does it mean to be declared persona non grata?\n\nVenezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said he hoped to build \"an agenda of mutual interest, in accordance with the principles of international cooperation\" with Kriener after he returned.\n\nMaduro's government declared Kriener a persona non grata on March 6, alleging that he had interfered in Venezuelan home affairs. The move came after Kriener greeted opposition leader Juan Guaido as he returned from a trip abroad.\n\nGermany is one of more than 50 countries that have recognized Guaido as interim president over allegations that Maduro's 2018 re-election was fraudulent.\n\nBreul made it clear that the German position on Venezuelan affairs \"is unchanged,\" and confirmed that Maduro had requested Kriener's return.\n\nA severe economic crisis has caused some 8 million Venezuelans to flee the country, many of them going into Colombia.\n\nHuman Rights Watch has called the situation in Venezuela a \"humanitarian crisis,\" citing widespread shortages of medicine and food.\n\nEach evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here."], "summary": "Four months after being expelled from the country, German Ambassador to Venezuela Daniel Kriener [de] returns to his post in the nation."}
{"document": ["A shooting in the central German town of Wächtersbach left a 26-year-old Eritrean wounded, with the shooter fleeing the scene. On Monday afternoon, police found the \"apparently lifeless\" body of the suspected shooter in a car in the neighboring town of Biebergemünd. He shot himself in the head and later died in hospital.\n\n\"We are currently working on the assumption of a very clear xenophobic motive,\" Frankfurt state prosecutors' spokesman Alexander Badle said on Tuesday, adding that the victim, currently in a stable condition following an operation, had apparently been chosen \"because of his skin color,\" and that the dead suspect appeared to have chosen him at random.\n\nA search of the 55-year-old man's home confirmed suspicions of a racist motive, a spokesman said. Investigators found a letter apparently referring to the crime in the apartment, as well as three firearms (a semi-automatic handgun and two rifles, all legally owned). The suspected perpetrator had also recently sold another gun, the spokesman said, which has been tracked down and seized. Two more guns were found in the suspect's car.\n\nThe incident happened near Kassel, scene of the killing in early June of the conservative politician Walter Lübcke. The main suspect in that case is Stephan E., a known neo-Nazi who is now in custody. Investigators also noted that the incident happened on the anniversary of the mass-murder of 77 people in Oslo and Utoya, Norway, in 2011, by far-right terrorist Anders Breivik.\n\n\"Whether there is a correlation with Breivik is an aspect that is interesting for us,\" Badle said.\n\nSpeaking to news agency dpa, Biebergemünd Mayor Manfred Weber said the dead suspect had been living in the area for two years, and had not drawn attention. \"He lived a withdrawn life,\" Weber said. He was not a member of a local sports shooting club.\n\nWatch video 02:05 Share German politician killing Send Facebook google+ Whatsapp Tumblr linkedin stumble Digg reddit Newsvine Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/3Kesc Politician's killing an 'alarm bell' for Germany\n\nNo apparent contacts with neo-Nazis\n\nDespite the indications of a racist motive, the prosecutor's spokesman added, \"we have no valid evidence that there were contacts to the right-wing nationalist or far-right scene,\" though he emphasized the investigation was still in its early stages.\n\nSome 400 people attended a vigil at the crime scene on Tuesday evening as a protest against far-right violence. In a joint statement, the town's leaders including Mayor Andreas Weiher said people were invited to \"think of the victim and his family, and send a signal against racist violence.\"\n\nFar-right extremism is currently experiencing a rise in Germany. A report released by the domestic intelligence agency, the BfV, in late June counted some 12,700 \"violence-oriented\" far-right extremists in the country.\n\nWhile the overall number of right-wing crimes dropped by 0.3% in 2018, the number of violent crimes committed by right-wing extremists rose by 3.2% (from 1,054 to 1,088), according to the report.\n\nThe killing of Walter Lübcke has refocused attention on far-right terrorism in Germany in recent weeks. Stephan E. was known to have links with the international neo-Nazi network Combat 18.\n\nMeanwhile, the German government's commissioner for migration, refugees, and integration, Annette Widmann-Mauz, took to Twitter to draw a connection between the incident in Wächtersbach and the racist hate-speech.\n\n\"In the middle of Germany someone shoots at a man from Eritrea,\" she wrote. \"Out of hate speech comes violence, out of hatred comes murder. We cannot and must not tolerate this! For this reason: no relativization, but consistent action against racism and far-right extremism.\"\n\nPolice have said they are investigating a number of social media posts related to the incident.\n\nEvery evening, DW sends out a selection of the day's news and features. Sign up here.", "Prosecutors say an Eritrean man has been shot and seriously wounded in western Germany and that the suspect, who apparently had an anti-foreigner motive, fatally shot himself hours later.\n\nAlexander Badle, a spokesman for prosecutors in Frankfurt, said Tuesday the 26-year-old Eritrean was shot in the stomach Monday lunchtime in nearby Waechsterbach. He was taken to a hospital where he underwent surgery and his life is not in danger.\n\nAbout three hours later, a 55-year-old German man was found in his car in a neighboring town. He had shot himself in the head.\n\nBadle said Tuesday the victim appeared to have been chosen at random because of his skin color. Authorities have no evidence yet that the suspect had ties to far-right groups.", "A 26-year-old Eritrean national became the victim of a \"xenophobic\" attack when a 55-year-old German man shot him in the stomach from his car before shooting himself in the head, according to prosecutors.\n\nA spokesman for the Frankfurt prosecutor's office said that the perpetrator had been acting out of racist hatred when he shot the Eritrean man in the town of Waechtersbach in the central state of Hesse late Monday.\n\nThe 26-year-old seems to have been a random victim, the spokesman added on Tuesday.\n\nInvestigators have not been able to link the shooter to any particular right-wing extremist group and the reasons he subsequently killed himself with a shot to the head have yet to be determined.\n\nThe spokesman said that two semi-automatic weapons were found in the shooter's car and further weapons - all owned legally - were found in a subsequent raid on the perpetrator's house.\n\nThe victim was brought to the hospital but his condition is now stable, according to local media reports.", "A shooting in the central German town of Wächtersbach left a 26-year-old Eritrean wounded, with the shooter fleeing the scene. On Monday afternoon, police found the \"apparently lifeless\" body of the suspected shooter in a car in the neighboring town of Biebergemünd. The man died later in hospital.\n\n\"We are currently working on the assumption of a very clear xenophobic motive,\" a spokesman for Frankfurt state prosecutors said on Tuesday, adding that the victim, currently in a stable condition following an operation, was chosen \"because of his skin color,\" and that the dead suspect had been seeking out a victim.\n\nA search of the man's home confirmed suspicions of a racist motive, a spokesman said. Investigators found a letter apparently referring to the crime in the apartment, as well as three firearms (a semi-automatic handgun and two rifles, all legally owned). The suspected perpetrator had also recently sold another gun, the spokesman said, which had also been tracked down and seized.\n\nAuthorities did not say how the 55-year-old lost his life, but stressed that \"the death of the suspected shooter was not caused by police forces.\" According to a report in Germany's Der Spiegel magazine, who was a German national, killed himself.\n\nThe incident happened near Kassel, scene of the killing in early June of the conservative politician Walter Lübcke. The main suspect in that death is Stephan E., a known neo-Nazi who is now in custody.\n\nDespite the indications of a racist motive, the prosecutor's spokesman added, \"we have no valid evidence that there were contacts to the right-wing nationalist or far-right scene,\" though he emphasized the investigation was still in its early stages.\n\nThe town of Wächtersbach is due to hold a vigil at the crime scene on Tuesday as a protest against far-right violence, which is currently experiencing a new rise in Germany.\n\nThe killing of Walter Lübcke by a suspected neo-Nazi in Kassel has refocussed attention on far-right terrorism in Germany in recent weeks.\n\nEvery evening, DW sends out a selection of the day's news and features. Sign up here.", "A shooting in the central German town of Wächtersbach left a 26-year-old Eritrean wounded, with the shooter fleeing the scene. On Monday afternoon, police found the \"apparently lifeless\" body of the suspected shooter in a car in the neighboring town of Biebergemünd. The man was taken to the local hospital and soon died.\n\n\"We are currently working on the assumption of a very clear xenophobic motive,\" a spokesman for Frankfurt state prosecutors said on Tuesday, adding that the victim, currently in a stable condition in hospital, was chosen \"because of his skin color.\"\n\nThe incident happened near Kassel, scene of the killing in early June of the conservative politician Walter Lübcke. The main suspect in that death is Stephan E., a known neo-Nazi who is now in custody.\n\nAuthorities did not say how the 55-year-old lost his life, but stressed that \"the death of the suspected shooter was not caused by police forces.\" According to a report in Germany's Der Spiegel magazine, who was a German national, killed himself.\n\nThe wounded Eritrean underwent an operation and his condition seemed to be stable.\n\nAccording to local public broadcaster hr, investigators found a note written by the suspected perpetrator apparently about the crime, and Frankfurt prosecutors have said that a motive of xenophobia should be \"taken into consideration.\"\n\nDer Spiegel reported that police searched the apartment of the suspected shooter and found objects indicating he was a right-wing extremist.\n\nGerman authorities were due to share more information about the case on Tuesday.\n\nEvery evening, DW sends out a selection of the day's news and features. Sign up here.", "A shooting in the central German town of Wächtersbach left a 26-year-old Eritrean wounded, with the shooter fleeing the scene. On Monday afternoon, police found the \"apparently lifeless\" body of the suspected shooter in a neighboring town. The man was taken to the local hospital and soon died.\n\nAuthorities did not say how the 56-year-old lost his life, but stressed that \"the death of the suspected shooter was not caused by police forces.\" According to a report in Germany's Spiegel magazine, investigators assume that the man, who was a German national, killed himself.\n\nThe wounded Eritrean, however, underwent an operation and his condition seemed to be stable.\n\nFrankfurt prosecutors said that a motive of xenophobia should be \"taken into consideration.\" According to Spiegel, the authorities searched the apartment of the suspected shooter and found objects indicating he was a right-wing extremist.\n\nGerman authorities were due to share more information about the case on Tuesday.\n\nEvery evening, DW sends out a selection of the day's news and features. Sign up here.", "Police markings on the road where the bullets had been fired\n\nAn Eritrean man was wounded in the stomach in a drive-by shooting in central Germany in what police have condemned as a xenophobic attack.\n\nThe gunman targeted his victim \"completely at random and purely because of the colour skin,\" said Frankfurt prosecutor Alexander Badle.\n\nA 55-year-old man, whom police believe to be the gunman, was found dead in a car with a bullet wound to his head.\n\nPolice believe he killed himself and they found weapons at his home.\n\nThough the attack in Wächtersbach was being seen as racist, German authorities have warned against links to the far right.\n\n\"We have no evidence in our current investigation that there were contacts with the right-wing or far-right scene,\" Mr Badle said.\n\nGermans were shocked last month when a politician who had spoken out in favour of migrants was shot dead in an attack linked to the far right.\n\nA far-right suspect, Stephan Ernst, confessed to murdering Walter Lübcke outside his home but has since retracted his confession. Both attacks took place in the central state of Hesse.\n\nGermany's intelligence services have been criticised for their slow response to extreme right violence.\n\nA report by the BfV domestic security agency last month estimated that the country's far-right scene had attracted as many as 24,000 people, of whom 12,700 were described as violence-orientated far-right extremists.\n\nOfficials said the victim of Monday's shooting, which took place in the north-east of Frankfurt, was in a stable condition on Tuesday. A vigil against racism was due to take place in the town on Tuesday evening.\n\nAt least three bullets were fired at the Eritrean man. The body of the suspected gunman was then found by police seven kilometres (four miles) away at Biebergemünd.\n\nTwo semi-automatic guns were found in the man's car and three other guns at his home. All of the man's guns were legally owned. A sixth gun had been sold shortly before the attack.\n\nA letter was also found at the suspect's home but its contents were not made public.", "A shooting in the central German town of Wächtersbach left a 26-year-old Eritrean wounded, with the shooter fleeing the scene. On Monday afternoon, police found the \"apparently lifeless\" body of the suspected shooter in a car in the neighboring town of Biebergemünd. The man was taken to the local hospital and soon died.\n\n\"We are currently working on the assumption of a very clear xenophobic motive,\" a spokesman for Frankfurt state prosecutors said on Tuesday, adding that the victim, currently in a stable condition in hospital, was chosen \"because of his skin color,\" and that the dead suspect had been seeking out a victim.\n\nA search of the man's home confirmed suspicions of a racist motive, a spokesman said, without naming any more details.\n\nAuthorities did not say how the 55-year-old lost his life, but stressed that \"the death of the suspected shooter was not caused by police forces.\" According to a report in Germany's Der Spiegel magazine, who was a German national, killed himself.\n\nThe incident happened near Kassel, scene of the killing in early June of the conservative politician Walter Lübcke. The main suspect in that death is Stephan E., a known neo-Nazi who is now in custody.\n\nBut despite the indications of a racist motive, the prosecutor's spokesman added, \"we have no valid evidence that there were contacts to the right-wing nationalist or far-right scene,\" though he emphasized the investigation was still in its early stages.\n\nAccording to local public broadcaster hr, investigators found a note written by the suspected perpetrator apparently about the crime, and Frankfurt prosecutors have said that a motive of xenophobia should be \"taken into consideration.\"\n\nDer Spiegel reported that police searched the apartment of the suspected shooter and found objects indicating he was a right-wing extremist.\n\nGerman authorities were due to share more information about the case on Tuesday.\n\nEvery evening, DW sends out a selection of the day's news and features. Sign up here.", "A young man allegedly committed suicide at his home in the Orangi Town area on Sunday.\n\nAccording to police officials, the incident took place in Gulshan-e-Zia Sector 11.5 near Liaquat Chowk within the limits of the Pakistan Bazaar police station.\n\nFollowing the incident, the police reached the site and shifted the body to Abbassi Shaheed Hospital for medico-legal formalities where he was identified as 28-year-old Farhan, son of Nadeem. The police said the deceased had hanged himself with a ceiling fan over unexplained reasons.\n\nFurther investigations are under way.", "Police at scene of incident in Chester-le-Street\n\nPolice at scene of incident in Chester-le-Street"], "summary": "A shooting in the town of Wächtersbach, Hesse, Germany gravely injures an Eritrean man. The suspect commits suicide after fleeing the scene. Police treat the incident to be inspired by xenophobia."}
{"document": ["The news of the Prime Minister's resignation comes against the backdrop of a situation of political and economic uncertainty.\n\nHaitian Prime Minister Jean Michel Lapin presented Monday his resignation, according to a high-ranking official who asked for anonymity.\n\n“I have made a choice for Haiti,” Lapin said in an interview with local newspaper “Le Nouvelliste”.\n\nIn a letter released by local media, President Jovenel Moise called a meeting with the presidents of the Chamber of Deputies, Gary Bodeau and the Senate, Carl Murat Cantave, to appoint Fritz William Michel as interim prime minister, in accordance with article 137 of the 1987 Constitution.\n\nLapin was appointed as prime minister on March 21, after 93 deputies out of 103 voted in favor of removing former Prime Minister Jean-Henry Ceant, making him the third official to hold the post since Moise took office in 2017.\n\nHe has since failed to form a government and his appointment was never ratified by the Senate nor the Chamber of Deputies.\n\nLapin began his public career in 1988 as a public servant in the Ministry of Public Health, he then served as an administrator in the National Library of Haiti (1989-2007) until February 2007 when he moved to the Ministry of Culture, to later become Minister of that entity, as well as director of the National Institute of Music of Haiti.\n\nAs interim PM and under his government, Haiti’s Lower House had approved on March a salary increase project to raise the minimum wages for workers from 420 gourdes (about US$ 5.25) to 750 gourdes (US$ 9.38) per day.\n\nThe move did not please private sector representatives who threatened to fire over 60,000 workers if the bill went through. Trade union groups neither were satisfied as they considered it insufficient regarding the cost of living in the country.\n\nPour faire face aux urgences de l’heure,et suite à la démission de M. Lapin, j’ai fait choix,en consultation avec les présidents du Sénat et de la Chambre des Députés,du citoyen Fritz William Michel comme PM, en attendant la ratification de sa Déclaration de politique générale. — Président Jovenel Moïse (@moisejovenel) July 22, 2019\n\nTo deal with the emergencies of the day, and following the resignation of Mr. Lapin, I have chosen, in consultation with the Presidents of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies, Fritz William Michel as PM.\n\nThe news of his resignation comes against the backdrop of a situation of political and economic uncertainty and ends up disrupting the extremely fragile stability of the poorest country in Latin America.\n\nSince February, Haiti has been the scene of massive and deadly protests demanding the resignation of Moise and his administration amid scandals of corruption.\n\nWhen the country was already dealing with a tense economic crisis and high inflation, the Senate published a report accusing dozens of officials and heads of private firms of having embezzled US$2 billion from Petrocaribe, the cut-price-oil aid program that Venezuela offered to several Caribbean countries.\n\nThe funds were meant to finance infrastructure development along with health, education and social programs.\n\nThe report sustained already existing questions about what the successive governments have to show for some US$9 billion received for almost ten years, in foreign aid.\n\nThe Carribean country of 11 million people has been struggling for decades to overcome extreme poverty along with widespread corruption. These last ten years were particularly harsh for the Caribbean island which went through one of the deadliest earthquakes in 2010, an epidemic of cholera, brought in accidentally by United Nations peacekeepers, and Hurricane Matthew in October 2016.", "Haiti’s President Jovenel Moise on Monday named Fritz-William Michel prime minister, following the resignation of his predecessor who failed to win parliamentary approval for his government.\n\nFormerly an executive in the Ministry of Economy and Finance, Michel is Moise’s fourth head of government in his two-and-a-half years in office.\n\nThe president made the announcement in a Monday night Twitter post, but must formalize it with an official decree.\n\nMichel’s appointment came after consultations between Moise and the leaders of the two chambers of parliament, signaling a resumption of dialogue between the three political heavyweights after months of turmoil.\n\nMoise has had his power to appoint ministers challenged and faced calls to resign after the High Court of Auditors in May released a report saying Moise was at the center of an “embezzlement scheme” that siphoned off Venezuelan aid money meant for fixing roads.\n\n“I am looking you right in the eye to tell you today: your president, the one you voted for, is not involved in corruption,” Moise responded at an official ceremony in the capital Port-au-Prince last month.\n\nMichel faces the tough task of restoring public confidence in Haiti’s leadership.\n\nSixty percent of Haitians live below the poverty line, the inflation rate has risen past 18 percent and violent crime has surged.\n\nThe United Nations in June released a report saying that at least 26 people were killed during a 2018 massacre in a slum in the capital, at which several members of the police and a government representative were allegedly present.", "PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) - Haitian Prime Minister Jean Michel Lapin resigned on Monday, according to a high-ranking government official who asked not to be named, presenting a shakeup at the highest levels of government in the Western Hemisphere’s poorest nation.\n\nHours after Lapin’s resignation, the Haitian government announced that Fritz William Michel, who previously worked in the finance ministry, had been selected to succeed Lapin as prime minister.\n\nMichel’s nomination must now be approved by legislators in Haiti.\n\nLapin’s tenure as prime minister was brief. He took the reins after Jean Henry Ceant was ousted as prime minister in March.\n\nHaitian newspaper Le Nouvelliste first reported on Monday that Lapin had offered his resignation to President Jovenel Moïse.\n\n“I have made a choice for Haiti,” Lapin said in an interview with the newspaper.", "PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) - Haitian newspaper Le Nouvelliste reported on Monday that the country’s Prime Minister Jean Michel Lapin had offered his resignation to President Jovenel Moïse.\n\n“I have made a choice for Haiti,” Lapin said in an interview with the newspaper.", "PORT-AU-PRINCE (Haiti) — Haitian President Jovenel Moisehas named Fritz William Michel as the new prime minister, after Jean Michel Lapin announced his resignation earlier in the day, Xinhua news agency reported, quoting Moise’s twitter.\n\n“Following the resignation of Mr. Lapin, I chose, in consultation with the leaders of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies, citizen Fritz William Michel as PM,” Moise tweeted on Monday.\n\nMichel’s nomination must be approved by legislators.\n\n“I have made a choice for Haiti,” Lapin said in an interview with the newspaper Le Nouvelliste. Lapin’s tenure as prime minister was brief. He assumed office after his predecessor Jean Henry Ceant was ousted in March.\n\nMichel faces the tough task of restoring public confidence in Haiti’s leadership.\n\nSixty percent of Haitians live below the poverty line, the inflation rate has risen past 18 percent and violent crime has surged.\n\nPort-au-Prince is particularly hard-hit, with clashes between armed gangs occurring almost daily.\n\nThe United Nations in June released a report saying that at least 26 people were killed during a 2018 massacre in a slum in the capital, at which several members of the police and a government representative were allegedly present.", "Haitian media reported late Monday that Prime Minister Jean Michel Lapin had offered his resignation to President Jovenel Moise (pictured).\n\n\"I have made a choice for Haiti,\" Lapin told the newspaper Le Nouvelliste.\n\nRead more: Haiti paralyzed by fifth day of protests against president\n\nIn a Twitter post late Monday, Moise announced that he had appointed Fritz-William Michel to replace Lapin, but he still must formalize his decision with an official decree. Formerly an executive in the Economy and Finance Ministry, Michel would become Moise's fourth head of government in his two-and-a-half years in office.\n\nMichel's appointment came after consultations between Moise and the leaders of the two chambers of parliament — signaling a resumption of dialogue between the three political heavyweights after months of turmoil. He would face the tough task of restoring public confidence in Haiti's leadership.\n\nMoise has had his power to appoint ministers challenged and has faced calls to resign after the High Court of Auditors released a report in May that put the president at the center of an embezzlement scheme that siphoned off aid money from Venezuela intended for fixing roads. \"I am looking you right in the eye to tell you today: Your president, the one you voted for, is not involved in corruption,\" Moise said at an official ceremony in Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, last month.\n\nRead more: Dozens of Haitian refugees die after Bahamas shipwreck\n\nAlso on Monday, the UN Security Council held closed doors consultations in New York on Haiti’s ongoing political crisis. In his latest report to the council on Haiti, Secretary General Antonio Guterres said the political situation, food shortages and deteriorating economy had created a \"potentially explosive\" situation.\n\nIn June, the United Nations released a report that calculated at least 26 people killed during a 2018 massacre in a slum in the capital, with several members of the police and a government representative believed present. Clashes between armed gangs occur almost daily in Port-au-Prince. Sixty percent of Haitians live below the poverty line, the inflation rate has risen past 18%, and violent crime continues to increase.\n\nEvery evening, DW sends out a selection of the day's news and features. Sign up here.", "Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel, who is set to become the president of the European Council, a format that brings together EU leaders, has been through several tough months at home, punctuated by the break-up of a ruling coalition and his party losing some seats in the federal election\n\nBRUSSELS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd July, 2019) Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel, who is set to become the president of the European Council, a format that brings together EU leaders, has been through several tough months at home, punctuated by the break-up of a ruling coalition and his party losing some seats in the Federal\n\nA lot of press coverage in the past three weeks has been focused on the nomination of Germany's Ursula von der Leyen as the head of the European Commission. The appointment made by the European Council had to be confirmed by the European Parliament, and its approval had not been a given. The decision was reportedly not an easy one for the council, either. By contrast, Michel's appointment, which does not need the parliament's approval, seemed to elicit little drama.\n\n\"There was not much contest on the name of Charles Michel, probably because he is not known by many, and ... he is saying all the right words in the right order,\" Gilles Lebreton, a member of the European Parliament for the French National Rally party, told Sputnik.\n\nAccording to Lebreton, Michel had ensured that he had the backing of French President Emmanuel Macron, while German Chancellor Angela Merkel \"did not mind as long as she got a German in the seat of the most important job, president of the commission.\"\n\nBelgian politics is notoriously complicated, with several different governments and the need to maintain balance between the French-speaking and Flemish-speaking communities. Michel will be leaving behind a difficult situation at home when he starts his new job in December this year.\n\nThe Belgian government formed by Michel after the 2014 election was made up of his Reformist Movement (MR), The New Flemish Alliance (N-VA), the Christian Democratic and Flemish party and Open Flemish Liberals and Democrats party. The center-right coalition fell apart in December after the N-VA quit in protest against Michel's decision to sign a global compact on migration.\n\nMichel handed in his resignation shortly afterward but remained a caretaker prime minister until the election held in May.\n\nMR retained 14 seats in a 150-seat Chamber of Representatives, but lost six. The N-VA won the most seats of all parties 25 but nevertheless fell short of a majority.\n\nDidier Reynders of MR and Johan Vande Lanotte of the Socialist Party Differently were tasked with exploring options for a new government and reporting back to the king. A new cabinet has not been announced yet.\n\n\"So Charles found a great way to escape. Remarkable,\" Mischael Modrikamen, a former leader of People's Party, told Sputnik.\n\nCharles Michel comes from a family with a certain political weight his father, Louis Michel, was a foreign minister and a European commissioner as well as a key member of MR.\n\nCharles Michel became the youngest regional minister ever in Belgium when he was appointed minister of home affairs in the Walloon government in 2000. He was 24 at the time. In 2007, Michel became the minister of development cooperation in the federal government.\n\n\"The relentless and aggressive support of the father, Louis Michel, propelled Charles rapidly, but you must admit that it would have been impossible if Charles had not been intelligent and competent,\" a former minister of the Belgian government, from the same MR party, told Sputnik on the condition of anonymity.\n\nAccording to this politician, Michel could be reproached only over knowing very little of \"the real life of people, whatever their social class.\"\n\n\"He lives in a bubble,\" the former minister said.\n\nMeanwhile, Modrikamen believes that Michel is well-suited to become the head of the European Council.\n\n\"His qualities will make him probably a great secretary of the European Council; that is all the function actually means,\" the Belgian politician said.\n\nAs the head of the European Council, Michel will be responsible for organizing and chairing the meetings of EU leaders. He will also represent the bloc at the international summits.", "PORT-AU-PRINCE (Reuters) - Haitian Prime Minister Jean Michel Lapin resigned on Monday, according to a high-ranking government official who asked not to be named, presenting a shakeup at the highest levels of government in the Western Hemisphere’s poorest nation.\n\nPresident Jovenel Moïse also wrote in a post on Twitter that a new prime minister will be announced shortly, saying he had been in consultations with congressional leaders about the matter.\n\nHaitian newspaper Le Nouvelliste first reported on Monday that Lapin had offered his resignation to Moïse.\n\n“I have made a choice for Haiti,” Lapin said in an interview with the newspaper.", "PORT-AU-PRINCE, July 22 (Reuters) - Haitian Prime Minister Jean Michel Lapin resigned on Monday, according to a high-ranking government official who asked not to be named, presenting a shakeup at the highest levels of government in the Western Hemisphere’s poorest nation.\n\nPresident Jovenel Moïse also wrote in a post on Twitter that a new prime minister will be announced shortly, saying he had been in consultations with congressional leaders about the matter."], "summary": "Haitian Prime Minister Jean-Michel Lapin, who was appointed 4 months ago, resigns amidst renewed protests. President Jovenel Moïse appoints Fritz-William Michel as the new Prime Minister."}
{"document": ["AFP Copyright: AFP A video shows an aid worker, who gives her name as Grace, asking for help from the international community Image caption: A video shows an aid worker, who gives her name as Grace, asking for help from the international community\n\nThe Nigerian government says it is negotiating with captors of the six aid workers abducted last week in the north-east of the country.\n\nThe news comes after a video of the aid workers emerged.\n\nIn the video the only female among them made a passionate appeal to the authorities and the international community to facilitate their release.\n\nThe hostages, who work with aid agency Action Against Hunger, were abducted last week in Borno state when suspected Boko Haram militants ambushed their convoy and killed one of their drivers.\n\nGovernment spokesperson Garba Shehu told the BBC that the authorities are hopeful the aid workers would be freed.\n\nMr Shehu has not given details of the negotiations but he called on the captors to show mercy.\n\nEarlier, Action Against Hunger said the six - comprised of one staff member, plus drivers and health workers employed locally - are \"apparently in a good condition of health\".\n\nThe kidnapping has once again highlighted the risks humanitarian workers face as they try to deliver aid to millions of people affected by the Boko Haram conflict in the Lake Chad region.\n\nLast year, two female staff members from the International Committee of the Red Cross were abducted and executed by militants in north-east Nigeria.", "Many killed in Nigerian protests for release of Shia leader\n\nLAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — Security was high in Nigeria's capital, Abuja, Tuesday, a day after several people were killed in clashes between police and the country's main Shia group.\n\nA police officer and a reporter for the Channels television network were among those killed in the clashes in the capital, Abuja, on Monday, police said.\n\nAt least 11 members of the Shia group were killed by police gunfire, said Ibrahim Musa, spokesman for the Islamic Movement of Nigeria.\n\nPolice spokesman Frank Mba blamed the Shias for the deaths. He said \"heavily armed protesters defying all sense of decency violently attacked innocent citizens and police personnel on duty.\" He said an additional two police officers were injured.", "Exactly 13 days after they wreak havoc on the National Assembly complex during a violent protest, members of Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky’s Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), also known as Shiite, yesterday clashed with the police in Abuja.\n\nIn the bloody clash, a deputy commissioner of police (DCP) Usman Umar and six other persons were killed. One of the victims was a journalist, Precious Owolabi, serving with Channels Television.\n\nOwolabi died in the hospital where he was rushed to for treatment. The police had earlier announced that he was injured and taken to the hospital for medical attention.\n\nThe irate IMN members burnt down the ambulance bay of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), private and public property, including federal government’s vehicles.\n\nIn the July 9, 2019 attack on the NASS complex, the IMN members destroyed several vehicles and injured seven policemen and several innocent civilians.\n\nOn the latest incident, Force spokesman, DCP Frank Mba, said yesterday that “another violent protest by members of the El-Zazakky group involving over 3,000 of its followers, at about 12:30pm within the Central Business District (CBD) of Abuja; heavily armed and defying all sense of decency violently attacked innocent citizens and police personnel on duty.\n\n“In the process, the deputy commissioner of police in charge of Operations, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Command, DCP Usman Umar, was shot and fatally injured by the protesters. The officer who was immediately rushed to the hospital died moments later while receiving treatment. Also, two assistant superintendents of police (ASP) and a staff of Channels Television sustained serious injuries and are currently receiving treatment,” Mba said.\n\nHe confirmed that the police arrested 54 suspects in connection with the incident, adding that they were undergoing interrogation and would be arraigned in court as soon as possible.\n\nMba said that the inspector-general of police (IGP), who commiserated with the family of the late DCP, condemned the incident and warned that “enough is enough” as the Force and the country at large would not continue to suffer losses on account of reckless and lawless persons and groups in the society.\n\nMeanwhile, NEMA spokesperson, Sani Datti, who confirmed the attack on the agency’s bay, said: “This is to confirm that the Emergency Response and Ambulance Bays (ERABs) of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) located on Ahmadu Bello Way beside the Federal Secretariat was attached with two vehicles burnt down.\n\n“Members of Islamic Movement of Nigeria commonly known as Shiites carried out the attack.\n\n“The two burnt vehicles were the Mobile Intensive Care Unit (MICU), which is a life-support ambulance and a multi-purpose Response Intervention Van (Rescue Tender).\n\n“The ERABs was situated at the location for timely response to emergencies and disasters to reduce loss of life and property,” Datti said.\n\nThe director-general of NEMA, Engr. Mustapha Maihaja, immediately visited the bay and inspected the damage.\n\nBut unofficial sources claimed that over eight persons were killed in the attack, with the casualties on from both the Police and the Shiite members, while several others were injured.\n\nAfter the attack on NASS complex, the police had restricted all protests in Abuja to the popular Unity Fountain, which the IMN members defied yesterday.\n\nThe IGP, Mr. Mohammed Adamu, who had visited the National Hospital, Abuja, where the wounded officers were receiving treatment, had cautioned aggrieved members of the public to channel their grievances through the appropriate means, instead of resorting to taking laws into their hands.\n\nHe reiterated his order for a 24-hour police surveillance in the FCT and its environs and placed the commissioners of police and their supervisory assistant inspectors-general of police (AIG) in states contiguous to the FCT on the alert to ensure maximum security in their respective areas of jurisdiction.\n\nIn its reaction yesterday, IMN said that 11 of its members were killed and at least 30 others seriously injured during the protest by its members in Abuja.\n\nThe violent clash with the police was reported live on Iran’s Press TV, which may have prompted the federal government to call on the Iranian government to withdraw its support for the IMN towards discouraging the Shiites’ protest.\n\nLEADERSHIP gathered that there was a sit-in outside the Nigeria High Commission in London and a similar protest in Iran to seek the freedom of Nigeria’s IMN leader Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky who has been in detention since December 2015.\n\nIn a statement by the president, Media Forum of IMN, Ibrahim Musa, said that the trouble started when the police prevented the members who were on a peaceful protest from accessing their way to the Federal Secretariat.\n\nMusa said that the procession was attended by thousands of members, including children, the aged, women and the physically-challenged.\n\nAccording to him, ‘’Abuja today yet again witnessed one of the worst cases of blatant trampling on the rights of citizens ever seen in the federal capital, when joint security forces consisting of both uniformed men and officers of the Nigeria Police Force and others in mufti, unleashed their fury on a ‘Free Zakzaky’ protest by members of the Islamic Movement.\n\n‘’What actually happened was that the protesters started the procession from NITEL junction and on getting to the Federal Secretariat the police cordoned off the road and started firing at them.\n\n‘’A lot of people have been shot but for now, we can only confirm 11 deaths, but several are injured, the figure, for now, stood at 30. Though we are aware of the fact that the security agents have been going around taking off those they killed from the streets,’’ he said.\n\nMusa alleged that some seriously injured persons numbering 11 that were rushed to University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Gwagwalada, were taken away by the police.\n\n‘’We strongly dispute the claim by the police that the protesters shot at them because throughout our processions we have not been carrying any arms right from 2015 till date. It was also the police who shot at the Reporter of Channels TV, another indication that many innocent people were shot at by the police, including some of their own,’’ Musa said.\n\nHe added that the brutality displayed by the police had been captured with some pictures showing the police setting up the bonfires and there were videos that captured the police carting away their victims.\n\nPresident Muhammadu Buhari yesterday summoned the Inspector General of Police ( IGP) Mohammed Adamu over the violent protest by the Islamic Movement of Nigeria in Abuja.\n\nSpeaking to State House correspondents after meeting the president,the IGP said the president charged the force to provide security for the residents of Abuja and the whole country.\n\n“We came this morning to brief Mr. President on the security situation in the country, especially the activities of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN). Just to give him an update of what is happening in the country vis a vis their activities.\n\n“Specifically we briefed him of the incessant act coming out of this group of people, protesting here and there. We briefed him on the fact that we have been able to curtailed their excesses and to let him understand that everything is under control.", "LAGOS, Nigeria - Security was high in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, Tuesday, a day after several people were killed in clashes between police and the country’s main Shia group.\n\nA police officer and a reporter for the Channels television network were among those killed in the clashes in the capital, Abuja, on Monday, police said.\n\nAt least 11 members of the Shia group were killed by police gunfire, said Ibrahim Musa, spokesman for the Islamic Movement of Nigeria.\n\nPolice spokesman Frank Mba blamed the Shias for the deaths. He said “heavily armed protesters defying all sense of decency violently attacked innocent citizens and police personnel on duty.” He said an additional two police officers were injured.\n\nThis is the most recent violence in a series of protests in which the Shias are urging the government to release their leader, Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky, who has been in jail without trial since 2015 and is reported to be in failing health.", "Many killed in Nigerian protests for release of Shia leader\n\nLAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — Security was high in Nigeria's capital, Abuja, Tuesday, a day after several people were killed in clashes between police and the country's main Shia group.\n\nA police officer and a reporter for the Channels television network were among those killed in the clashes in the capital, Abuja, on Monday, police said.\n\nAt least 11 members of the Shia group were killed by police gunfire, said Ibrahim Musa, spokesman for the Islamic Movement of Nigeria.\n\nPolice spokesman Frank Mba blamed the Shias for the deaths. He said \"heavily armed protesters defying all sense of decency violently attacked innocent citizens and police personnel on duty.\" He said an additional two police officers were injured.\n\nThis is the most recent violence in a series of protests in which the Shias are urging the government to release their leader, Sheikh Ibraheem Zakzaky, who has been in jail without trial since 2015 and is reported to be in failing health.\n\nLast week the Shia group said four of its members were shot dead during protests in Abuja and the northern city of Kaduna.\n\nZakzaky, his wife and many Shias were arrested following a military raid on the group's headquarters in the northern city of Zaria.\n\nMore than 300 Shias were killed during the military operation, according to officials, but the Shias claim that more than 1,000 were killed.\n\nNigeria's Shias say they are being persecuted by the country's larger Muslim group, the Sunnis.", "ABUJA — Nigerian troops and police clashed on Tuesday with Shi’ite Muslim marchers in the capital Abuja and gunfire could be heard, according to a Reuters witness.\n\nThe air was thick with teargas as soldiers and police officers made arrests. The Shi’ite group marched in protest against the continued detention of its leader, despite a court ruling that he be released.\n\nThe violence happened a day after at least three people – including a journalist and senior policeman – were killed in a similar confrontation in the administrative heart of Abuja. As many as 10 more people may have died in the violence, a spokesman for the Shi’ites said that day.\n\nPresident Muhammadu Buhari, a Sunni like the vast majority of Nigeria’s Muslim community, warned in a statement before Tuesday’s protest: “Let nobody or group doubt or test our will to act in the higher interest of the majority of our citizens.”\n\nHe added: “Perpetrators of the mayhem will not go unpunished (and) no government can tolerate unceasing affront to constituted authority.”\n\nIslamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) members regularly take to the streets of Abuja to call for the release of Ibrahim Zakzaky, who has been in detention since 2015. They say Zakzaky requires medical help. Live ammunition and teargas have been used by security forces in recent weeks.\n\nClashes between police and Zakzaky’s backers have raised fears that the IMN might turn to violent insurgency as did Sunni Islamist group Boko Haram after police killed their leader in 2009.", "ABUJA, July 23 (Reuters) - Nigerian troops and police clashed on Tuesday with Shi'ite Muslim marchers in the capital Abuja and gunfire could be heard, according to a Reuters witness.\n\nThe air was thick with teargas as soldiers and police officers made arrests. The Shi'ite group marched in protest against the continued detention of its leader, despite a court ruling that he be released.\n\nPresident Muhammadu Buhari, a Sunni like the vast majority of Nigeria's Muslim community, warned in a statement before Tuesday's protest: \"Let nobody or group doubt or test our will to act in the higher interest of the majority of our citizens.\"\n\nHe added: \"Perpetrators of the mayhem will not go unpunished (and) no government can tolerate unceasing affront to constituted authority.\"\n\nIslamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) members regularly take to the streets of Abuja to call for the release of Ibrahim Zakzaky, who has been in detention since 2015. They say Zakzaky requires medical help. Live ammunition and teargas have been used by security forces in recent weeks.\n\nClashes between police and Zakzaky's backers have raised fears that the IMN might turn to violent insurgency as did Sunni Islamist group Boko Haram after police killed their leader in 2009.", "At least six Shiite Muslim protesters were killed in clashes with Nigerian police in the capital Abuja on Monday, witnesses told AFP, the latest deadly violence over the lengthy detention of a religious leader.\n\nHundreds of protesters from the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), a Shia sect, marched demanding the release of pro-Iranian cleric Ibrahim Zakzaky, who has been held since December 2015 on various charges, including terrorism.\n\nHundreds of his supporters, including women and children, were killed by the security forces, in December 2015, according to a toll established by rights watchdogs.\n\nAfter witnessing the violence on Monday, a Shiite protestor, Abdullahi Musa, said: “I am right now in front of six dead bodies, one of them is an underage boy.”\n\nIMN kicks as court adjourns El Zakzaky’s bail hearing(Opens in a new browser tab)\n\nAn AFP journalist said he saw police open fire with live ammunition as well as tear gas, while protesters threw petrol bombs at the officers.\n\n“I saw six people dead in different places, one of them was a teenager,” the journalist said.\n\nA senior police officer was also killed in the violence, according to local reports, which the journalist verified.\n\nThe IMN have held almost daily marches in the capital in recent months amid concerns Zakzaky’s health is deteriorating.\n\nZakzaky remains in government custody despite the federal high court ordering his release.\n\nThe government has refused and filed fresh criminal charges, including culpable homicide that is “punishable with death”.\n\nThe move has enraged his supporters who say Zakzaky is in urgent need of medical treatment being denied by the authorities.\n\nPolice on Monday described the clashes as “a violent protest” but gave no casualty figures.\n\n“The police are taking adequate measures to bring the situation under control,” Nigerian police spokesperson Frank Mba said.\n\nAmnesty International condemned the police action as a “reckless use of force”.\n\n“This new crackdown is part of a shocking pattern in which security forces have used live ammunition to disperse IMN supporters who are simply exercising their freedom of expression,” the rights group said.\n\nNigerian broadcast company Channels TV said one of its journalists was hit by a stray bullet.\n\nZakzaky has been at loggerheads with Nigeria’s secular authorities for years because of his call for an Iranian-style Islamic revolution.\n\nHe was detained after violence during a religious procession in Kaduna State, northern Nigeria in December 2015.\n\nRights groups say some 350 mostly unarmed Shiite marchers were killed by the Nigerian army and buried in mass graves.\n\nSince then, several protest marches by IMN supporters have led to violence with the police.\n\nIn October 2018, the IMN and human rights groups said, more than 40 people were killed when the security forces opened fire on crowds on the outskirts of the capital. The official toll is six.\n\nAfter a rare visit by medical staff, the IMN said Zakzaky was suffering from a number of conditions including lead poisoning, high blood pressure, and glaucoma which can lead to partial blindness.\n\nZakzaky’s wife, Zeenah Ibrahim, has also been detained since 2015. She had an un-treated bullet wound, medical staff said.\n\nTheir son Mohammed Zakzaky earlier this month said it was a miracle they were still alive.\n\n“It appears that there is a deliberate attempt to assassinate my parents through deliberate negligence towards their health,” he said.\n\nA spokesperson for President Muhammadu Buhari last week called for an end to the IMN’s protests which “openly insult the President”.\n\nThe IMN said they would continue demonstrating as past court orders for Zakzaky’s release had been ignored.\n\n“This government deliberately intends to provoke the movement into violence,” said IMN spokesperson Ibrahim Musa in a statement.\n\nThe IMN, which emerged as a student movement in the late 1970s, was inspired by the Islamic revolution in Iran.\n\nThe sect is met with hostility in Nigeria, where the Sunni elite are allied with Saudi Arabia.", "Members of Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN) have vowed to continue their daily protest on the streets of the federal capital territory (FCT) until Ibrahim Zakzaky, their leader, is freed.\n\nBut the Shi’ites dared the police to be ready to kill more of their members who will be out on the streets.\n\n“Why is government hunting somebody that is out to fight for his or her right? You have killed more than a thousand of his (Zakzaky’s) followers and put them in a mass grave. You keep on violating the law of the land and you think nobody should come out and challenge you? That is bad. This shows that the government of is oppressing its citizens. And you do not expect me to cross my legs and allow President Muhammadu Buhari to kill my leader,” he said.\n\n“The protest will continue, and if they do not want to see us on the street, government should free our leader. If they want to kill, they should go ahead and kill. We are ready to die for our leader. Failure to free our leader, the government should get ready to kill more of us.\n\n“The protests on the streets of Abuja are as a result of the government’s disregard for the judgment of a court of competent jurisdiction, the Federal High Court Abuja, which freed the revered leader of the movement from an illegal detention described by the government as ‘protective custody’.”\n\n“It is not possible under every logical reasoning to exonerate President Buhari from the genocide perpetrated by the Nigerian Army under his command as the Commander-in-Chief, where over 1,000 unarmed members of the movement, including men, women and children, were killed from December 12 to 14, 2015,” he said.\n\n“The government has declared illegally burying 347 members of the movement in a mass grave at Mando Village in Kaduna after the mass murder, in violation of the Geneva Convention and every known law in the country.\n\n“The movement has never been violent or taken over streets, as falsely claimed by the presidency. The Islamic Movement has been in existence for about 40 years. It is on record that the movement has been peaceful and has never resorted to violence.\n\n“It is only when government sends its police or Army to attack the peaceful processions that fracas sets in, courtesy of the security agents planted in the movement. We once again dissociate ourselves from any act of brigandage during our protests on the streets.”", "Islamic Movement of Nigeria said today that 11 people who joined in the Free El-Zakzaky protest in Abuja on Monday were killed by the Nigerian police.\n\nIbrahim Musa, president of the Media Forum of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria said an additional 30 people were injured.\n\nThere has been no official figure of casualties by the police.\n\nThe IMN spokesman said the protest by its members was peaceful.\n\nHe said trouble started when the police prevented the group who are on a peaceful protest from moving to the Federal Secretariat.\n\nHis statement was silent on the burning of the outpost of the National Emergency and Management Agency and two of its Rapid Response vehicles.\n\nHere is the full statement:\n\nAbuja today yet again witnessed one of the worst cases of blatant trampling of the rights of citizens ever seen in the Federal Capital, when joint security forces consisting of both uniformed men and officers of the Nigerian Police Force and others in mufti, unleashed their fury on a Free Zakzaky protest by members of the Islamic Movement.\n\nThe procession, attended by several thousands of persons, including very young children, the aged, women and the physically challenged, met with an extreme rage indicative of deep seated animosity the Nigerian authorities bear for the Movement.\n\nWhat actually happened was that the protesters started the procession from NITEL junction and on getting to Federal Secretariat, the police cordoned off the road and started firing at them.\n\nA lot of people have been shot but for now we can only confirm 11 deaths, but several are injured.The figure for now stood at 30. Though we are aware of the fact that the security agents have been going around taking off those they killed from the streets.\n\nEven some seriously injured persons that were taken to Abuja University teaching Hospital Gwagwalada; the police went there and took away about 11 people they shot during the protest.\n\nWe strongly dispute the claim by the police that the protesters shot at them because throughout our processions we have not been carrying any arms right from 2015 to date. It was also the police who shot at the Reporter of Channels TV, another indication that many innocent people were shot at by the police, including some of their own.\n\nIn this era so social media the brutality displayed by the police today has been captured with some pictures showing the police setting up the bonfires and there are videos that captured the police carting away their victims”.\n\nMembers of IMN took to the streets of Abuja on Monday to demand the release of Ibrahim Zakzaky, their leader, who has been in detention since 2015.\n\nThe protest, which began from NITEL junction at Wuse zone 2, was disrupted by armed policemen who cordoned off the road leading to the national assembly and three arms zone.\n\nBullets were fired at the protesters as they advanced towards the Eagle Square. The situation sparked tension as workers fled while motorists abandoned their vehicles on the road."], "summary": "Hundreds of followers from the Shia group Islamic Movement for Nigeria were out on the streets in Abuja to demand the release of their leader Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky, who has been detained since 2015. Police opened fire and killed eleven protesters and a journalist. A police officer was also killed in the fight."}
{"document": ["Kavya Narayanan\n\nWith the spectacularly successful launch of ISRO's Chandrayaan 2 mission on 22 July, the three-part spacecraft carrying a lunar orbiter, lander, and rover destined for the moon's surface was launched into the Earth's Parking Orbit, a temporary orbit used during the launch of a satellite or spacecraft.\n\nSurely there was a lot going on between the launch and the planned landing on 7 September. How was the journey for the Chandrayaan spacecraft?\n\nUpdate: After successfully performing its second de-orbiting manoeuvre, Chandrayaan 2 is now heading for a powered descent on the lunar surface.\n\nThe Earth-bound Phase: 23 July-13 August\n\nThe Chandrayaan 2 composite spacecraft spent the next three weeks making larger and larger elliptical orbits of the moon. From a 170 x 40,400 km (its nearest x farthest distance from the Earth) elliptical orbit, the spacecraft performed five \"orbit-raising\" shifts to higher orbits — bringing it closer to the moon with each subsequent one. These five manoeuvres required \"Earth burns\" of the spacecraft's onboard engines, with each thrust moving it closer to the moon's gravity.\n\nOrbit raises: 24 July-6 August\n\nThe spacecraft used Earth's gravity to amp-up its own velocity using a technique popularly referred to as 'gravity assist', to conserve fuel. The final orbit raising took Chandrayaan 2 to a distance of 1,43,585 km from the Earth — halfway between our planet and the moon. This is when the next critical manoeuvre of the mission was performed: translunar injection, where the spacecraft's trajectory was adjusted so it reaches the moon.\n\nHere's a timeline for how each of these manoeuvers was performed:\n\n24 July 2019, 2 - 3.30 pm: First orbit-raising manoeuver to a final orbit of 230 x 45,162 km (closest x farthest distance of its elliptical orbit around the Earth)\n\n26 July 2019, 1 - 2 am: Second orbit-raising manoeuver to a final orbit of 250 x 54,689 km\n\n29 July 2019, 2.30 - 3.30 pm: Third orbit-raising manoeuver to a final orbit of 268 x 71,558 km\n\n2 August 2019, 2 - 3 pm: Fourth orbit-raising manoeuver to a final orbit of 248 x 90,229 km\n\n6 August 2019, 2.30 - 3.30 pm: Fifth and final orbit-raising manoeuver to a final orbit of 221 x 1,43,585 km\n\nTranslunar injection: 14 August, 3-4 pm IST\n\nFor the spacecraft to enter the lunar orbit, it needed to be put on a trajectory to arrive at a constantly-moving moon. The translunar injection, or TLI, is a manoeuvre of the thrusts used to set a spacecraft on this moon-bound path. The Chandrayaan 2 composite took less than a week to arrive in the proximity of the moon. This manoeuver placed the spacecraft on a 266 x 4,13,623 orbit that ended in the next stage of the mission: lunar transfer. The spacecraft's Liquid Apogee Motor (a.k.a. thruster engines) are retrofitted to make this lunar orbit insertion possible.\n\nGradually, the spacecraft was closer to the moon with five 'Lunar burns'. This part of the mission is where the bulk of the adjustments were made to make the planned landing date of 7 September despite the one-week delay in the mission's launch.\n\nLunar transfer: 14-20 August\n\nThe Chandrayaan 2 composite was then put on a 'lunar transfer trajectory'. During this week-long phase, the spacecraft left Earth's orbit and began its 3,84,000 kilometre journey to the moon. The last of Chandrayaan 2's Earth-bound orbits brought it halfway to the moon. It used its thrusters to come under the moon's 'orbit of influence'.\n\nThe Chandrayaan 2 composite then had to slow itself down just enough by using its thrusters to fall into the moon's reach — gravitationally speaking. This was the main goal of the lunar transfer phase of the mission.\n\nLunar orbital insertion: 20 August\n\nThe location of the moon relative to the Earth is constantly changing. Thus, the intersection of Chandrayaan 2's path with the moon's was predicted and planned well ahead of time. When the moon approached the apogee of Chandrayaan 2 — its farthest point from the Earth — the on-board thrusters fired up precisely and slowed itself down for the 'lunar capture'.\n\nThis controlled transfer — breaking free from the Earth's orbit of influence and into the moon's — took place over days. This required the liquid apogee motors to be fired in the opposite direction to the spacecraft's movement, therefore slowing it down in a manoeuvre called \"retrofiring\". This allowed the spacecraft to come under the influence of the moon's orbit.\n\nThe lunar orbital insertion was successfully completed on 20 August 2019 at 9.02 am to a final orbit of 114 x 18,072 km.\n\nLunar-bound phase: 21 August-1 September\n\nThe lunar-bound phase, which was 28 days-long in the earlier launch schedule was shrunk to just 13 days. This is an important part of the orbiter's mission: surveilling its year-long home for the first time, ensuring that no damage was caused to its instruments on the journey thus far, and a thorough examination of the Vikram lander's landing site on the moon's South Polar region.\n\nThe lunar orbital insertion ended with the Chandrayaan 2 orbiter-lander composite entering a circular 100 km-altitude-orbit around the moon.\n\nHere's a quick timeline of how the lunar bound manoeuvers were performed after the lunar orbital insertion:\n\n21 August 2019, 12.30 - 1.30 pm: First lunar bound orbit manoeuver to a final orbit of 118 x 4,412 km\n\n28 August 2019, 5.30 - 6.30 am: Second orbit manoeuver to a final orbit of 179 x 1,412 km\n\n30 August 2019, 6 - 7 pm: Third orbit manoeuver to a final orbit of 124 x 164 km\n\n1 September 2019, 12.30 - 1.30 pm: Fourth and final lunar bound orbit manoeuver to a final orbit of 119 x 127 km\n\nSeparation of the Vikram lander & Deboosting: 2-6 September\n\nTill the 100 km orbit was attained, the spacecraft's three components were travelling together. After a few circular orbits at 104 x 128 km, the lunar lander separated from the orbiter on 2 September at 1.15 pm. The lander Vikram then used its propulsion system to lower its orbit to 35 x 101 km by deboosting. The lander continued moving in this new orbit for three days, during which it carried out checks on its systems and the landing system.\n\nDeboosting is another challenging and critical milestone in the mission. The process of deboosting was necessary to slow the velocity of the spacecraft enough to drop/deliver it into the moon's gravitational field. This way, it achieved a \"nominal\" orbit around the moon.\n\nPowered descent of the lander: 7 September\n\nOn the day of landing, that is expected tonight between 1 - 2 am, the propulsion system of the lander will perform an important task. It will break the velocity of the lander in a controlled way, where the engines are shut off well before the spacecraft touches the moon's surface. In the final seconds before landing, the Vikram lander will be assisted only by the moon's gravity and not the spacecraft's thrusters. This move is to prevent a mini-plume of lunar dust from covering the lander — and its solar panels.\n\nFrom the 35 km orbit that the lander will use until the landing is going to be a 15-minute window of \"terror\". These 15 minutes, during which the lander will undergo an automated, pre-programmed landing sequence, \"will be the most terrifying moment\" for ISRO, the agency's Chairman said. This 15-minute flight is something ISRO has never undertaken – it is the most complex mission it has ever undertaken.\n\nFor the landing site, ISRO has picked a high plain between two craters Manzinus C and Simpelius N near the moon's South Pole. The spacecraft's onboard Navigation, Guidance and Control (NGC) system as well as the propulsion system of the module will need to work in perfect unison for the autonomous landing to be a success.\n\nFind our entire collection of stories, in-depth analysis, live updates, videos & more on Chandrayaan 2 Moon Mission on our dedicated #Chandrayaan2TheMoon domain.", "The Chandrayaan-2 mission is officially off to a promising start, as India vies to become the fourth nation to land on the Moon.\n\nThe Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) launched the three-stage GSLV Mk-III rocket on Monday, July 22 at 2:43 p.m. local time from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota, an island off the coast of Andhra Pradesh, according to a press release from the space agency. The rocket successfully deployed its cargo—the 3,840-kilogram (8,465-pound) Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft—into Earth orbit a short time later. ISRO says the spacecraft is in “good health” and moving in the “right direction,” as the Times of India reports.\n\nThe rocket was originally scheduled to go up on July 15, but ISRO had to cancel the launch due to technical issues. Yesterday’s successful effort was met with intense relief, after fears that the launch might not happen at all due to the technical snag and short launch window.\n\nOver the next few days, mission controllers will use Chandrayaan-2’s onboard propulsion system to perform a series of orbital adjustments. The spacecraft is not taking a direct path to the Moon. Instead, it will perform a series of ever-widening Earth orbits until it’s far enough away to be captured by the Moon’s gravity. This process will take 48 days, after which time the spacecraft will be close enough to the Moon such that it can dispatch the Vikram lander to the lunar surface.\n\n\n\nThe Vikram lander, named in honor of Vikram Sarabhai, a pioneering figure in the Indian space program, will attempt to make a soft landing on September 7, 2019. The probe will descend toward the lunar surface at a rate of 2 meters per second (6.5 feet per second) and land on a high plain between two craters, Manzinus C and Simpelius N, at the Moon’s south pole region, according to an ISRO press kit.\n\nIf successful, India will become just the fourth country in the world to land a spacecraft on the Moon, the others being the U.S., the Soviet Union, and China. Earlier this year, Israel’s Beresheet Probe crashed on the Moon, dashing its hope to do the same. The Chandrayaan-2 mission will be the first to explore the Moon’s south pole region.\n\nThis is the second time India has sent a spacecraft to the Moon. In 2008, ISRO launched Chandrayaan-1, which involved a lunar orbit and an impactor, the latter of which deliberately crashed into the Moon.\n\nOnce on the lunar surface, the Chandrayaan-2 mission is expected to last for one lunar day, which is roughly equal to 14 Earth days. The Vikram lander will deploy Pragyan, a six-wheeled robotic vehicle (Pragyan means “wisdom” in Sanskrit). This rover will travel a maximum 500 meters (1,640 feet) from the landing site, moving at a rate of 1 centimeter (0.4 inches) per second. Neither Vikram nor Pragyan are equipped to survive the lunar night, in which temperatures can drop as low as -170 degrees Celsius (-274 degrees F).\n\nDuring the 14 Earth days in which Pragyan will be active, the rover will use its onboard particle x-ray spectrometer and laser spectroscope to study the chemical composition of the lunar surface near the landing site. Meanwhile, the Vikram lander will try to detect moonquakes, measure the Moon’s thermal conductivity (the degree to which the lunar surface can conduct electricity), and study the lunar ionosphere (the zone that’s ionized by solar and cosmic radiation). Vikram will be able to communicate with Pragyan, the Chandrayaan-2 lunar orbiter, and mission controllers back on Earth.\n\nAs for the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter, it will function in lunar orbit for about one year, and it will observe the surface from a height of around 100 kilometers (60 miles). The orbiter is equipped with a suite of instruments that will allow for topographical scans of the lunar surface, measurements of the Moon’s chemical composition, and surveys of lunar minerals and (possibly) water. The orbiter will also study the Sun with a solar x-ray monitor. Happily, the orbiter is also equipped with a high-resolution camera, so we should get to see some fantastic photos of the Moon’s south pole region. In all, the Chandrayaan-2 mission involves 13 different elements, all of which were developed in-house by ISRO.\n\nIndeed, this is very much a “we did it ourselves” mission for India. The country is striving to become a space power in its own right, and it hopes to show the world that it can do a lot more than just launch satellites into space.\n\nIn March of this year, India purposefully shot down one of its own satellites to showcase its growing influence in space. Looking ahead, a third Chandrayaan mission is scheduled for sometime around 2023 or 2024 (possibly in conjunction with JAXA, Japan’s space agency). There’s even talk of putting astronauts in space by 2022 and sending a probe to Venus by 2023.\n\n“India wants to show, especially since Prime Minister [Narendra] Modi came into office, that India is a major power, and that India has to be treated as a major Indo-Pacific power,” Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan, head of the nuclear and space policy initiative at the Observer Research Foundation, told CNN.\n\nBut this is all for the future. For now, India still needs to safely place the Vikram lander on the lunar surface, a feat scheduled for September 7. As Israel learned earlier this year, nothing should be taken for granted. Space, as it’s often said, is hard.", "China's lunar exploration programme chief on Monday congratulated India on its successful launch of Chandrayaan-2 and said Beijing was actively pursuing its own moon mission and is not in competition with any other country in planning its space explorations.\n\nIndia on Monday successfully launched its second lunar mission Chandrayaan-2 on board its powerful rocket GSLV-MkIII-M1 from the spaceport in Sriharikota to explore the unchartered south pole of the celestial body by landing a rover.\n\nThe geosynchronous satellite launch vehicle lifted-off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre into cloudy skies at 2.43 pm and successfully placed the 3,850-kg Chandrayaan-2 into the earth orbit about 16 minutes later.\n\nWu Weiren wished India's Chandrayaan-2 a success and said China which is actively pursuing its own moon mission and is not in competition with any other country in planning its space missions.\n\nInternational efforts to explore the moon - including made by India, Israel and the US - which is determined to send its astronauts back to the moon within five years, will be pressuring and motivating China's lunar probe missions to further develop, Wu was quoted as saying by the state-run Global Times commenting on the successful launch of the Chandrayaan-2 into space.\n\n\"The international trend will not play a decisive role in China's planning on its lunar missions, and China is not going to compete with any one over the matter,\" Wu said.\n\n\"China will pace itself against plans that have been already laid out in advance with each step surely achieving set goals,\" he said.\n\nWu said China's space projects have always been carried out in an independent and controllable fashion.\n\nChina's Chang'e-4 has become the first spacecraft to land on the lunar far side also known as the dark side of the moon in January this year.\n\nThe rover Yutu-2 then rolled off the lander to explore its surroundings.\n\nChina is planning several space missions including to Mars as well as building its own space station by 2022.\n\nThe success of Chandrayaan-2 has brought a huge relief for the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) scientists after they postponed the launch on July 15 following a technical glitch in the rocket.\n\nThe Rs 978-crore unmanned mission also brought woman power to the fore as it was helmed by two woman scientists of the ISRO - Ritu Karidhal and M Vanitha, the Mission and Project directors respectively.\n\nJoined by President Ram Nath Kovind and leaders across the political spectrum, Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the scientists and said every Indian is immensely proud today.\n\nIn a series of tweets, Modi referred to the indigenous systems used in Chandrayaan-2 and said the mission is \"Indian at heart, Indian in spirit!...\n\nAccording to ISRO, the lunar South Pole is an interesting surface area which remains in shadow than North Pole.\n\nThere is a possibility of the presence of water in permanently shadowed areas around it, the agency said, adding craters in the South Pole region have cold traps and contain fossil record of the early solar system.\n\nAlso Read: Chandrayaan-2 launched by ISRO, but what next? India plans mission for Sun\n\nAlso Read: Postcards from Chandrayaan 2 launch: Magnificient pictures of ISRO's second moon mission\n\nAlso Read: India's tryst with destiny: 'Bahubali' puts Chandrayaan-2 into orbit | Highlights", "The Indian Space Research Organisation launched India’s second lunar mission, Chandrayaan-2, at 2.43 pm on Monday.\n\nA Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III-M1 was the vehicle used to launch Chandrayaan-2 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh.\n\nThe spacecraft is expected to land on the south side of the moon, making it the first to attempt this manoeuvre. The lander, Vikram, and the rover, Pragyan, are expected to touch down on the surface of the moon by September 7.", "Sriharikota(AP): India’s second moon mission Chandrayaan-2 aimed at landing a rover on unchartered Lunar South Pole was launched Monday with the country’s most powerful geosynchronous launch vehicle successfully injecting the spacecraft in the Earth orbit after lift-off from the spacesport here Monday.\n\nThe 43.43m tall three stage rocket GSLV-MkIII-M1 blasted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre here into cloudy skies at 2.43 p.m and about 16 minutes later released the 3,850 kg Chandrayaan-2 into the orbit, a week after the earlier launch was called off on July 15 following a technical snag observed during the propellant filling stage.\n\nThe injection of the Chandrayaan-2 into the Earth orbit marks the successful accomplishment of the first phase of the ambitious mission that will take about 48 days to land on the Moon surface.\n\nThe launch took place at the end of a 20-hour countdown that started at 6.43 p.m Sunday after Indian Space Research Organisation scientists rectified the glitch that prompted them to call of the earlier launch.\n\nThe three-component Chandrayaan-2 comprising an orbiter, a lander and a rover will undergo 15 crucial manoeuvres before landing on the moon, expected by the first week of September, ISRO said.\n\nBilled as the most complex and prestigious mission undertaken by the ISRO since its inception, Chandrayaan-2 will make India the fourth country to soft land a rover on the lunar surface after Russia, the United States and China.@PTI", "India launched a rocket into space on Monday in an attempt to safely land a rover on the moon, the country’s most ambitious mission yet in the effort to establish itself as a low-cost space power.\n\nIf successful, the 10 billion rupee ($130 million) mission will allow Indian scientists to carry out studies regarding the presence of water at the moon’s south pole, unexplored by any other nation before.\n\n“This mission will offer new knowledge about the Moon,” prime minister Narendra Modi said in a Twitter post, praising the scientists responsible for what he called a fully indigenous mission.\n\nChina, Russia and the United States are the only other nations to have sent missions to the moon.\n\nA live broadcast showed images of the rocket, carrying the unmanned Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft, blasting off from a space centre in southern India as thousands of onlookers cheered the launch, delayed for a week by a technical snag.\n\nThe boosters separated safely as the craft began its nearly 50-day journey, after which the lander will attempt a controlled landing to deploy a rover at the moon’s south pole.\n\nThe spacecraft had been successfully injected into the earth’s orbit, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said.\n\nThe next month and a half will see the spacecraft perform crucial maneuvers to ensure a smooth landing, ISRO chairman K Sivan said, as the agency’s officials congratulated each other with handshakes and bear hugs after the launch.\n\n“We are going to experience 15 minutes of terror, to ensure that the landing is done safely near the south pole,” he told reporters, describing the final moments before the craft is expected to land on the moon, about 47 days from now.\n\nThe space agency has previously said the descent on the moon could be complex, with potential problems from variations in lunar gravity, terrain and dust having to be taken into account.\n\nGlobally, Chandrayaan-2, whose name means “moon vehicle” in Sanskrit, will be the year’s third bid at a moon landing, following China’s successful launch of a lunar probe and the Israeli Beresheet spacecraft, which failed and crashed on the moon in April.\n\nIndia’s space agency suspects the south pole region of the moon contains water in the form of ice as well as craters that could reveal fossilized information about the early solar system.\n\nLast week saw the 50th anniversary of humankind’s first steps on the moon in 1969. – Reuters", "India's second moon mission Chandrayaan 2 seeking to explore the unchartered lunar south pole by landing a rover will be launched onboard its most powerful rocket GSLV-Mk0III-M1 from Sriharikota on July 22, a week after the lift-off was aborted due to a technical snag.\n\nThe Rs 978 crore mission, which has been rescheduled for Monday after scientists corrected the glitch in the rocket, will be launched at 2.43 pm from the second launchpad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre here, over 100 km from Chennai.\n\nThe Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) scientists, who aborted the previous launch with 56 minutes left for the countdown to end on July 15, have taken quick remedial action based on an analysis carried out by a team set up to look into the snag and announced the rescheduled launch three days ago.\n\nA 20-hour countdown for the launch began at 6.43 pm on July 21, ISRO announced.\n\nChandrayaan 2 comes 11 years after ISRO's successful first lunar mission Chandrayaan 1 which scripted history by making more than 3,400 orbits around the Moon and was operational for 312 days till August 29, 2009.\n\n\"Chandrayaan 2 is ready to take a billion dreams to the Moon now stronger than ever before! Join us for the launch on Monday 22 July, 2019 at 2.43 pm IST,\" ISRO had tweeted on July 18 while announcing the rescheduled launch.\n\nOn the eve of launch, ISRO Chairman K Sivan said all preparations were on and the glitch had been rectified.\n\n\"Whatever technical snag we observed on July 15 has been rectified. The vehicle is in good health... The (pre-launch) rehearsal has been successfully completed,\" he told reporters at the Chennai airport on brief a stopover enroute Sriharikota.\n\nThe 43.43m tall three-stage rocket dubbed 'Baahubali' for its ability to carry heavy payloads would blast-off carrying Chandrayaan-2 and inject the spacecraft into Earth orbit about 16 minutes later. After lift-off, the 3,850 kg Chandrayaan-2, comprising an orbiter, lander and rover, will undergo 15 crucial manoeuvres before landing on the Moon, expected by the first week of September, Sivan said. Scientists would make soft landing of the lander in the South Pole region of the Moon where no country has gone so far, the ISRO chief said.\n\nBilled as the most complex and prestigious mission undertaken by the ISRO since its inception, Chandrayaan-2 will make India the fourth country to soft land a rover on the lunar surface after Russia, the United States and China. About 16.20 minutes after the lift-off, the GSLV rocket will inject Chandrayan-2 into 170 km x 39059 kms Earth orbit. From then onwards, the mission will witness a series of manoeuvres by scientists to carry out different phases of the mission over the next 48 days.\n\nSubsequent to the rescheduling of the launch, the space agency has tweaked the orbital phases, increasing Earth-bound phase to 23 days as against 17 days planned orginally.\n\nAt the end of the Earth-bound phase, the orbit of the spacecraft will be finally raised to over 1.05 lakh km before nudging it into the Lunar Transfer Trajectory taking it to the proximity of Moon in the next two days. Then gradually over the next few days it will be brought to 100 X 100 km circular orbit when the lander will separate and after another few days of orbiting it will make a soft landing at a chosen place on the Lunar surface.\n\nThe soft landing of the lander - Vikram carrying rover 'Pragyan', one of the toughest phases of the mission and described by the ISRO chief as \"15 minutes of terror (filled moments), would be attempted between September 6-8.\n\n\"Chandrayaan-2 is the next leap in technology as we attempt to soft land close to South Pole of Moon. The soft landing is extremely complex and we will experience approximately 15 minutes of terror,\" he had said earlier.\n\nThe mission, which carries a total of 13 payloads, including three from the Europe, two from the US and one Bulgaria, seeks to improve understanding of the Moon which could lead to discoveries that will benefit India and humanity as a whole.\n\nA Laser Retroreflector Array (LRA) of US space agency NASA is among the payloads and is aimed at understanding dynamics of Earth's Moon system and deriving clues on Lunar interior. Sivan Sunday said Chandrayaan-1 revealed the presence of water molecules and similarly there were possibilities of the latest mission returning successful scientific experiments.\n\n\"It is because of these reasons that Chandrayaan-2 has attracted attention not only from the Indian scientists but also from global scientists,\" he said.\n\nISRO encountered the snag on July 15 when the liquid propellant was being loaded into the rocket's indigenous cryogenic upper stage engine. Veteran scientists heaped praise on ISRO for calling off the launch rather hurrying into a major disaster. President Ram Nath Kovind was present here on July 15 to witness the launch.\n\nThe launch of Chandrayaan-2 had missed its date earlier too when it was fixed for the first week of January. But it was shifted to July 15. According to ISRO, the lunar South Pole is an interesting surface area which remains in shadow than North pole.\n\nThere is a possibility of the presence of water in permanently shadowed areas around it, the agency said, adding craters in the South Pole region have cold traps and contain fossil record of the early solar system. The lander 'Vikram', named after father of Indian space research programme Dr Vikram A Sarabhai, carrying the rover 'Pragyan', will be landed in a high plain between two craters at a latitude of about 70 degrees South of the moon.\n\nThen the 27-kg 'Pragyan' meaning 'wisdom' in Sanskrit and a six-wheeled robotic vehicle, will set out on its job of collecting information on lunar surface. A safe site free of hazards for landing would be decided based on pictures sent back by the camera onboard the lander and after touchdown the rover will carry out experiments for 14 Earth days, equals one Lunar Day.\n\nThe launch would be witnessed by nearly 5,000 people who will be accommodated at a viewing gallery, located a few kms from the launch pad, thrown open to the public by the ISRO in last May.", "This photo released by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) shows its Geosynchronous Satellite launch Vehicle (GSLV) MkIII carrying Chandrayaan-2 lift off from Satish Dhawan Space center in Sriharikota, India, Monday, July 22, 2019. India successfully launched an unmanned spacecraft to the far side of the moon on Monday, a week after aborting the mission due to a technical problem. (Indian Space Research Organization via AP)\n\nNEW DELHI (AP) — India sent a spacecraft to explore water deposits on the far side of the moon in a successful launch Monday after a technical problem caused a week’s delay.\n\nScientists at the mission control center burst into applause as the rocket lifted off in clear weather as scheduled at 2:43 p.m. from Sriharikota in southern India. K. Sivan, head of India’s space agency, said the rocket successfully injected the spacecraft into orbit.\n\n\n\nThe Chandrayaan, the Sanskrit word for “moon craft,” is scheduled to land on the lunar south pole in September and send a rover to explore water deposits confirmed by an earlier, orbiting mission. India would become only the fourth nation to land on the moon, following the U.S., Russia, and China.\n\nIndia’s first moon mission in 2008 helped confirm the presence of water.\n\nThe country plans to send its first manned spaceflight by 2022.\n\nIndia’s launch coincided with the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission this month. It came at a time when the world’s biggest space agencies are returning their gaze to the moon, seen as an ideal testing ground for technologies required for deep space exploration, and with the confirmed discovery of water, as a possible pit stop along the way. The U.S. is working to send a manned spacecraft to the moon’s south pole by 2024.\n\nIndian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the country’s lunar program will get a substantial boost, writing on Twitter that the country’s existing knowledge of the moon “will be significantly enhanced.”\n\nSivan said at a news conference that the successful launch of the spacecraft was the “beginning of India’s historic journey” to the moon.\n\nThe launch of the $141 million moon mission last week was called off less than an hour before liftoff because of a “technical snag.” Media reports scientists from the Indian Space Research Organization identified a leak while filling helium in the rocket’s cryogenic engine. The space agency neither confirmed nor denied the reports, saying instead that the problem had been identified and corrected.\n\nThe spacecraft that launched Monday is carrying an orbiter, lander, and rover that will move around on the lunar surface for 14 Earth days. It will travel about 47 days before landing on the moon.\n\nIndia put a satellite into orbit around Mars in the nation’s first interplanetary mission in 2013 and 2014.\n\nWith India poised to become the world’s fifth-largest economy, Modi’s ardently nationalist government is eager to show off the country’s prowess in security and technology.\n\nIndia successfully test-fired an anti-satellite weapon in March, which Modi said demonstrated the country’s capacity as a space power alongside the United States, Russia, and China.", "The launch of Chandrayaan-2, India's second mission to the Moon which was called off due to a technical snag on 15 July 2019, will be taking off on Monday, 22 July 2019 at 2.43 pm IST.\n\nIn a dramatic and anti-climactic turn of events, the Indian Space and Research Organisation (ISRO) called off the highly-anticipated Chandrayaan 2 launch 56 minutes before its scheduled liftoff at 2.51 am on 15 July.\n\nThe Indian Space Research Organisation is counting down to the launch of India's second mission to the Moon, Chandrayaan-2. The spacecraft, carrying an orbiter, lander and a rover, will be launched on a Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle-MkIII from a launchpad in Sriharikota, as was planned earlier.\n\nWhen & where you can watch it live\n\nThe mission will be streamed live on DD National's YouTube channel and tech2's Youtube, Facebook and Twitter handles, made available 30 minutes before the launch window opens, at 2.43 pm IST on 22 July.\n\nWhat does the mission comprise off?\n\nISRO said that the Orbiter and Lander modules of Chandrayaan-2 have been stacked together with the rover tucked away inside the lander as a single integrated module that was recently fit into the GSLV MK-III-M1 rocket for a ride to orbit. The Chandrayaan-2 integrated module is expected to reach the Moon's orbit by September, and make a landing on 6 September.\n\nThis spacecraft has its own Orbiter propulsion module which will power the vehicle's escape out of Earth's orbit and into the Moon's. Once the spacecraft reaches the Moon's orbit, it will attempt to make a soft landing in a region 600 kilometres away from the lunar South pole. This would be the first time any mission touched down so far from the equator, according to a report in Science. The lander will separate from the orbiter and descend to the surface to make India's first-ever moon landing around 6 September, ISRO estimates in the release.\n\nThe Pragyaan rover will roll out of the Vikram lander carrying an array of scientific instruments meant to study the lunar surface. Some of the instruments in the mission will also be mounted on the lander and orbiter. The orbiter module of Chandrayaan-2 will circle the moon and relay data and information about conditions on the surface, ISRO states on its website.\n\n\"The payloads will collect scientific information on lunar topography, mineralogy, elemental abundance, lunar exosphere and signatures of hydroxyl and water-ice,\" the statement adds.\n\nThe 20-kilogram, six-wheeled Pragyaan rover is a semi-autonomous robot that is tasked with studying the composition of regolith, the mixture of tiny moon rocks and fine dust the blankets the Moon's surface.\n\nChandrayaan-2 will be India's second mission to the moon, and the first to attempt a soft landing. It is a follow-up mission to Chandrayaan-1, which launched in October 2008 and helped provide the first confirmation of water (in the form of hydroxyl ions) on the moon in 2009.\n\nFind our entire collection of stories, in-depth analysis, live updates, videos & more on Chandrayaan 2 Moon Mission on our dedicated #Chandrayaan2TheMoon domain.", "Chandrayaan-2 project is led by Muthyya Vanitha as project director and Ritu Karidhal as mission director.\n\nThis project is very special for the Indian Space Research Organisation as for the first time a woman is heading any project at the ISRO. (Photo: File)\n\nSriharikota: Satish Dhawan Space Research Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh is all set to launch India’s Moon Mission on Monday at 14:53 hours. The Chandrayaan-2 project is led by Muthyya Vanitha as project director and Ritu Karidhal as mission director, News18 reported.\n\nThis project is very special for the Indian Space Research Organisation as for the first time a woman is heading any project at the ISRO, said K Sivan, Chairman of ISRO. Also, 30 per cent of the team comprises women. Vanitha and Karidhal have been associated with ISRO for more than two decades.\n\nApart from leading this project, Vanitha has also served as the deputy project director for the remote sensing satellites. She was also awarded the best woman scientist award in 2006.\n\n“Vanitha is an expert in data handling. She was comfortable in her digital/ hardware section and was hesitant to move to a project director role. This role not only involves nearly 18 hours of work a day at its peak, which means many sacrifices but is also in the national limelight bringing heavy responsibility of its own,” News18 quoted Dr M Annadurai, the project director of Chandrayaan-1, who persuaded Vanitha to lead Chandrayaan – 2.\n\nKaridhal is known as one of the “Rocket Women” of India. Ritu always wanted to get into the field of space. Graduating from Lucknow University after doing M.Sc. in Physics, she completed M.Tech from Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru.\n\nApart from her role as the Mission Director for Chandrayaan-2, Karidhal was associated with the Mars Orbiter Mission in 2013. Karidhal carried out the operations of the satellite."], "summary": "The Indian Space Research Organization successfully launches Chandrayaan-2 to survey lunar water from Satish Dhawan Space Center, India's second lunar exploration mission. If successful, Chandrayaan-2 will become the first spacecraft to land on the lunar south pole."}
{"document": ["Los países del Grupo de Lima acordaron este martes investigar a los funcionarios del régimen de Maduro que estén involucrados en hechos irregulares de narcotráfico y violación de derechos humanos.\n\n«Condenamos el accionar de los grupos terroristas en la región; es objeto de seguimiento por todos los países, además de la vinculación del régimen con estos grupos», dijo el grupo.\n\nLas naciones que integran el Grupo de Lima respaldaron a Juan Guaidó, presidente interino de la República, y también le reafirmaron su apoyo.\n\n“Hemos renovado nuestro pleno apoya a las acciones del presidente encargado Juan Guaidó para recobrar la democracia y hemos acordado promover una instancia de seguimiento en Venezuela».\n\nEl organismo también pidió que el informe de Michelle Bachelet, alta comisionada de los Derechos Humanos de la ONU, sea remitido a la Corte Penal Internacional.\n\nResaltaron que continuarán impulsando un cambio pacifico en Venezuela y que esperan que se realicen elecciones en el país. Informaron que el próximo encuentro se realizará en Brasil.\n\n«Apoyamos los esfuerzos de Juan Guaidó en realizar elecciones libres y con observación internacional».\n\n.@JorgeFaurie, canciller de Argentina, indica que el Grupo de Lima ratifica todas las denuncias que ha realizado sobre violaciones de DDHH en Venezuela y de igual manera el informe presentado por la Alta Comisionada Michelle Bachelet. #TVVenezuela por: https://t.co/kXgvXDeMSP pic.twitter.com/V0YpzjZLmR — TVVenezuela Noticias (@TVVnoticias) July 23, 2019\n\nCanciller de Argentina @JorgeFaurie: En estos momentos estamos comprometidos con una solución pacífica. El pedido de reingreso del TIAR tiene previsiones de todo tipo (…) siempre el uso de la fuerza será un recurso que quedará para el momento que correspondiera. #23Jul pic.twitter.com/62Qv5IFrZj — Gabriel Bastidas (@Gbastidas) July 23, 2019", "The Lima Group on Tuesday said Venezuela's political crisis threatened regional peace and international security, and urged the global community to make a \"huge effort to re-establish\" democracy in the South American country.\n\nThe group of a dozen Latin American countries and Canada helping to mediate the Venezuelan crisis urged the world to push Caracas to hold new presidential elections -- a move socialist leader Nicolas Maduro has refused to consider.\n\nVenezuela was thrust into a political impasse six months ago when opposition leader Juan Guaido declared himself acting president after branding Maduro a \"usurper\" because of his \"fraudulent\" 2018 re-election.\n\nGovernment-opposition talks are stalled as Guaido, recognized by more than 50 countries, is demanding that Maduro step down and hold new elections.\n\n\"While a dictator is in power in Venezuela, all our democracies are more fragile,\" said Argentine Foreign Minister Jorge Faurie at the Lima Group meeting in Buenos Aires.\n\nHe said the Venezuelan crisis \"threatens regional peace and security\" as well as international security.\n\nMost Lima Group members recognize Guaido, who participated by video link.\n\nA quarter of Venezuela's 30 million people are in need of humanitarian aid, according to the United Nations, while three million have left the country since early 2016.\n\nColombia has taken in 1.3 million Venezuelans while another 768,000 live in Peru.\n\nNestor Popolizio, Peru's foreign minister, asked for \"urgent and concrete help in the form of international cooperation\" to relieve the burden on countries hosting the migrants.\n\n\"The crisis is worsening and requires an urgent solution in the form of credible, transparent, free and fair elections,\" Popolizio said.\n\nSeparately, Venezuela's opposition-controlled legislature approved re-joining a regional defense treaty that could provide a legal framework for a foreign military intervention.\n\nVenezuela withdrew from the Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance (TIAR) -- a defense pact involving 17 countries including the United States -- seven years ago under the late president Hugo Chavez.\n\nGuaido said that re-joining the treaty would let Venezuela establish \"international alliances\" to \"protect and defend the people and Venezuelan sovereignty,\" but didn't mention foreign intervention.\n\nThe vote however does not necessarily mean Venezuela will be re-join the TIAR.\n\nThe National Assembly's decisions are routinely annulled by the Supreme Court, which is filled with Maduro loyalists, and the body has been effectively replaced by the staunchly pro-government Constituent Assembly.", "A group consisting of a dozen Latin American countries and Canada has said Venezuela's political turmoil is threatening regional peace and global security, and urged the international community to make a \"huge effort to re-establish\" democracy in the South American country.\n\nThe Lima Group on Tuesday began its 15th meeting in Argentina's capital with a message of support for opposition leader Juan Guaido and a request for democratic elections in Venezuela - a call rejected by President Nicolas Maduro.\n\n\"We have to make a great effort to ensure that the restoration of the democratic order in Venezuela is achieved through the call for elections,\" Argentine Foreign Minister Jorge Faurie said during the meeting in Buenos Aires.\n\nVenezuela was thrust into a political impasse six months ago when Guaido declared himself acting president after branding Maduro a \"usurper\" because of his \"fraudulent\" 2018 re-election.\n\nMaduro instead calls Guaido a United States-backed puppet seeking to remove him in a coup.\n\nThe Lima Group meeting came as members of the government and opposition representatives were holding talks in Barbados in an attempt to break the stalemate.\n\n\"In certain sectors inside the international community, there is this perception that the [government] is using current negotiations as a delaying tactic to gain some time, while they continue to weaken the figure of Guaido,\" Venezuelan analyst Carlos Pina told Al Jazeera from Caracas.\n\n\"As a response, the opposition and its international allies are increasing the pressure to be able to generate an internal change,\" he added.\n\nIn Buenos Aires, Nestor Popolizio, Peru's foreign minister, asked for \"urgent and concrete help in the form of international cooperation\" to relieve the burden on countries hosting the migrants.\n\n\"The crisis is worsening and requires an urgent solution in the form of credible, transparent, free and fair elections,\" Popolizio said.\n\nA quarter of Venezuela's 30 million people are in need of humanitarian aid, according to the United Nations, while three million have left the country since early 2016.\n\nThe regional bloc also called on the UN Security Council to discuss Venezuela after the world body's High Commission for Human Rights released a damning report on Maduro's government\n\nIn a UN report released earlier this month, the international body said Venezuelan security forces were sending death squads to murder young men and staged the scenes to make it look like the victims critical of the government resisted arrest.\n\nThe report added the killings were part of a strategy by the government aimed at \"neutralising, repressing and criminalising political opponents\".\n\n\"The report from the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights makes it clear that there is no room for any country to continue to support the illegitimate regime of Maduro,\" Argentina's Faurie said.\n\n\"(The Lima Group) urges the UN Security Council to join the Lima Group's commitments and to contribute to the return of the rule of law and democracy in Venezuela.\"\n\nMaduro's government has rejected the results of the report and has accused UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet of offering \"a selective and openly biased vision\" of human rights in Venezuela.", "MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd July, 2019) The ministers of foreign affairs of the Lima Group will hold the 15th meeting in the Argentinean capital on July 23.\n\nThe meeting will be focus on the situation in Venezuela and will be attended by representatives of Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Guyana, Peru, Canada, Honduras, Panama, Paraguay and Saint Lucia, as well as observers from Ecuador and, for the first time, El Salvador.\n\nColombia is expected to propose additional sanctions against Venezuela, as announced by Colombian Foreign Minister Carlos Holmes Trujillo last week.\n\nThe Lima Group was created in 2017 to attempt settling the crisis in Venezuela. The group includes Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Chile, Guyana, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru and Saint Lucia. Most member states back opposition leader and self-proclaimed interim president Juan Guaido, who is opposed by the incumbent president, Nicolas Maduro."], "summary": "Through Argentine Foreign Affairs Minister Jorge Faurie, the Lima Group say that \"the use of force in Venezuela will be implemented when required\"."}
{"document": ["Itongadol.- “La clasificación de esta entidad como una organización terrorista por Argentina es una postura política adoptada por las presiones de Washington”, indicó el vicesecretario general de Hezbollah, que en árabe significa Partido de Dios, cuya pronunciación es Jizbalá, el sheij Naim Qasem, en una entrevista concedida ayer lunes a la cadena libanesa Al Mayadeen.\n\nEl Gobierno argentino, presidido por Mauricio Macri, ordenó congelar el pasado jueves los activos de Hezbolah en este país sudamericano después de haberle designado como un grupo “terrorista” a petición de Estados Unidos y el régimen de Israel, consignó el portal de noticias iraní en idioma español HispanTV.\n\nEsta medida fue adoptada unos días después de que el Departamento del Tesoro de Estados Unidos incluyera en su lista negra a algunos representantes de Hezbolah en el Parlamento libanés, así como un responsable de las coordinaciones entre este movimiento y las agencias de seguridad del país árabe.\n\nEl sheij Qasem, no obstante, describió estas sanciones como parte de la “guerra” impulsada por Washington contra Hezbolah, asegurando que estas medidas no podrán detener el avance de las fuerzas de resistencia para conseguir sus objetivos.\n\n“A pesar de que ya pasó mucho tiempo desde la imposición de las sanciones contra Hezbolah, este movimiento se encuentra en el apogeo de sus actividades y de su resistencia indetenible”, sostuvo Qasem, quien añadió: “Estamos tratando de enfrentar esta guerra con medidas apropiadas, pasos prácticos y la búsqueda de alternativas”.\n\nLa reciente medida argentina fue adoptada al cumplirse 25 años del atentado contra el Centro Judío en este país, conocido como AMIA (la Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina), perpetrado el 18 de julio de 1994. La Justicia del país sudamericano señala a Irán como responsable intelectual y a Hezbollah como brazo ejecutor del ataque, pero desde Teherán y la organización chií niegan toda vinculación.", "BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Argentina’s government on Thursday branded Hezbollah a terrorist organization and froze its assets, 25 years to the day after a bombing blamed on the Lebanese-based group destroyed a Jewish community center in Argentina’s capital, killing 85 people.\n\nThe nation’s Financial Information Unit took the action a day after President Mauricio Macri’s government created a list of terrorist organizations to help coordinate actions with other nations and as the nation held memorial services for victims of the attack, for which no one has been convicted.\n\nThe unit noted that Hezbollah has been accused of responsibility for a 1992 attack on the Israeli Embassy in Argentina that killed 29 people, as well as the 1994 attack on the Argentine-Israelite Mutual Association in Buenos Aires.\n\n“At the present time, Hezbollah continues to represent a current and active threat to national security and the integrity of the financial, economic order of the Argentine Republic,” the unit said.\n\nIt’s not clear how much impact the ruling will have or how many assets Hezbollah might have in Argentina. The group already has been put on terrorism lists by the U.S., the European Union and several other nations.\n\nAt midmorning Thursday, sirens resounded across the Argentine capital to honor the 85 people who died the nation’s worst terrorist attack.\n\nArgentine prosecutors blame Iranian officials for plotting the attack and say Hezbollah operatives carried it out. But nobody has been convicted despite years of tangled investigations. Iran has refused to turn over the people who now face charges, and denies any involvement.\n\nThe memorial service began with a moment of silence, followed by a reading of the names of each of the 85 victims.\n\n“How is it possible that 25 years later there has not been a single responsible person imprisoned for this crime against humanity?” asked Ariel Eichbaum, president of the association, which is known by its Spanish initials, AMIA.\n\n“We continue to have questions to which there are still no answers. Twenty-five years have passed and the wound remains open, a wound that cannot be closed without justice,” he added.\n\nU.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was flying to Argentina to attend another memorial service on Friday and attend a meeting of international officials on fighting terrorism.\n\nAssociated Press journalist Natacha Pisarenko contributed to this report.\n\nCopyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.", "WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States is targeting a senior operative of the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group with sanctions as part of its pressure campaign against Tehran. The government is also issuing a $7 million reward for information leading to the capture of the operative, Salman Rauf Salman.\n\nThe action by the Treasury Department falls on the 25th anniversary of an attack Salman is said to have coordinated on a Jewish center in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The attack killed 85 people and wounded hundreds of others. The Treasury Department’s action freezes all assets that Salman has within U.S. jurisdiction. Treasury says Salman is also accused of planning other terror attacks abroad from a base in Lebanon.\n\nOn Thursday, Argentina’s government branded Hezbollah a terrorist organization and froze its assets.", "Argentina maintains a high country risk. In fact, it is currently the second-highest in Latin America and the third of the emerging countries if we include Turkey.\n\nWhat is the country risk? It is the spread between the yield of the sovereign bond of a nation compared with the United States Treasury bonds, the lowest risk asset. Investors demand higher-yielding bonds due to the risk of the issuer's economy, to compensate for the currency and solvency risk.\n\nArgentina's country risk increased by 130% in 2018 due to delayed reforms, constant devaluation and loss of foreign exchange reserves. The country risk has fallen significantly from its high of 817 basis points to the current 706. However, it remains the second-highest in the region after Venezuela.\n\nThe reasons why a rich and high-potential country like Argentina has a higher country risk than allegedly weaker developing countries are easy to explain:\n• The countries with the highest country risk are also those that have abused most of the financing of public spending by the central bank through the printing of currency.\n• Argentina has a higher country risk than apparently more fragile economies due to the constant refusal on the part of the successive governments to adopt a prudent monetary policy and to defend the purchasing power of the currency. When inflation rises and the currency is devalued due to this misguided monetary policy, the purchasing power of that currency is destroyed, and the country's investor security erodes.\n\nRisk increases because investors perceive that no relevant structural reforms are being carried out, and this limits potential growth and increases the risk of inflation and default. The default probability increases with the downward spiral of printing money to finance increasing public and extractive spending, triggering inflation and raising taxes, which leads to lower growth, less investment and more displacement of the private sector.\n\nThat is the reason why countries with a relatively low debt to GDP ratio but huge monetary imbalances fail before countries with high debt to GDP but a prudent monetary policy that does not directly finance public spending. It is not the same to create a transmission mechanism of monetary policy such as quantitative easing - with all its flaws - which curbs inflationary risk by generating firewalls in the transmission process because it is done through credit, unlike directly prints money to finance current spending. The second destroys the economy, it is a direct transfer of wealth from the savers and salaries to the government and makes confidence in the currency disappear. Argentine citizens know this well.\n\nCountry risk must be contained not only because it leads the state to finance itself at a higher cost and with less demand, but because it drags the financing capacity of the real economy, companies, and families.\n\nIt is not just bad for public finances. If yield soars in the asset that supposedly has less risk of the nation, the sovereign bond, it leads to a whole chain of negative impacts on the financing of the real economy, the cost of financing of companies and families rises much more and credit dries up.\n\nThe only way that Argentina will erase its unnecessarily high country risk is by cutting bloated public spending, lowering taxes, attracting investment and improving ease of doing business. But more importantly, it needs to stop financing public spending by printing pesos once and for all.\n\nIn 2018, Argentina was among the four countries in the world with the highest inflation, below Venezuela, South Sudan, and Iran, according to the International Monetary Fund.\n\nArgentina is also among the countries with the highest tax wedge, in fact, the highest total tax burden in the world, according to the World Economic Forum. The total tax rate absorbs all corporate profits.\n\nIn the index of economic freedom published by the Heritage Foundation, Argentina has improved; but it continues to appear in one of the worst positions, number 144 of a total of 180 countries. We must emphasize that the Nordic countries, which are used constantly in television debates in Argentina as an example, are among the countries with the greatest economic freedom, ranking between 12 (Denmark) and 26 (Finland). It is worth remembering this factor when talking about prosperity and redistribution. There is no social policy if economic liberty and prosperity are not the primary objectives.\n\nSimilarly, in the Doing Business index - which measures the ease of creating jobs and companies - Argentina appears in a slightly improved position with respect to 2017, but far below where it should be. Argentina occupies a very poor position, 117 of 190 countries. Again, the Nordic countries rank between number 3 and 13, at the head of the table.\n\nHigh inflation, high taxes, low economic freedom and very high burdens on investment. Four factors that worsened significantly in the Cristina Fernández de Kirchner tenure and that the Macri administration has not done enough to improve.\n\nOnly eliminating the unbridled printing of pesos from the Central Bank and the useless political spending financed with the rising money supply, Argentina would climb at least twenty positions in these indexes. If the tax and bureaucratic burden were reduced to levels similar to those of the surrounding countries and the OECD average, Argentina would be - as it deserves - an international center of capital attraction and global investment and one of the countries with more solid growth. Only by cutting the impoverishing inflation, the crazy printing of pesos and reducing taxation and bureaucracy, Argentina would climb to the Top 50 in the aforementioned rankings, quickly approaching Chile and Costa Rica, and shortening the enormous distance with France, the United Kingdom or the Netherlands. This would reduce the country risk to at least region average levels.\n\nA public expenditure that already reaches more than 45% of GDP and denying the devastating effect of the predatory monetary policy lead Argentina to constant and uninterrupted currency crises, unbridled inflation and to discourage long-term investment and prudent saving. The imprudent use of the national currency as a subterfuge to cover enormous internal imbalances has only led to the fact that, again, it has lost 51% of its value in 2018 and that inflation continues to undermine the country's potential.\n\nArgentina has all the ingredients to be a global leading economy. But the erroneous monetary policy, the unbridled political spending and the extractive bureaucracy and taxation make the country a promise that always seems to be a disappointment because of internal factors.\n\nEditor’s Note: The summary bullets for this article were chosen by Seeking Alpha editors.", "Asuncion: Argentina captain Lionel Messi has been banned for one game and fined $1,500 after being sent off against Chile in the Copa America third-place playoff and levelling accusations of \"corruption\" at South American football chiefs.\n\nMessi was shown the red card after clashing with Gary Medel and afterwards alleged that the tournament had been fixed in favour of the hosts Brazil, who beat Argentina in a controversial semi-final on their way to claiming the title.\n\nMessi called the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) \"corrupt\" and did not attend the ceremony to pick up his medal.\n\nCONMEBOL said on Tuesday that Messi's comments were \"unacceptable\" but backed down from imposing a tougher sanction on the five-times world player of the year.\n\nThe ban is expected to be served in Argentina's first qualifier for the 2022 World Cup.\n\nIn another Argentina-related decision on Tuesday, CONMEBOL removed the head of the Argentine Football Association's Claudio Tapia as their official representative at FIFA.\n\nTapia also sharply criticized CONMEBOL during and after the Copa America.", "New Zealand fended off an impressive Argentina side 20-16 in Buenos Aires to secure a winning start to their Rugby Championship campaign.\n\nAfter South Africa's earlier resounding victory over Australia, this was a match of a different nature and the All Blacks were clinging on at the end for their success on Saturday.\n\nFirst-half tries from Ngani Laumape and Brodie Retallick looked to have put the visitors in control, but New Zealand went scoreless in the second 40 minutes.\n\nEmiliano Boffelli pulled a try back and, come the closing stages, Argentina were camped close to the New Zealand line.\n\nHowever, they could not find the second try they required to earn what would have been Argentina's first victory over world champions the All Blacks in 33 attempts.\n\nThis clash followed the Jaguares' stunning run to the Super Rugby final, where they fell to New Zealand outfit the Crusaders.\n\nArgentina's starting line-up includes 13 Jaguares players and head coach Mario Ledesma hoped they could deliver a major upset.\n\nA pair of early penalties, the first from Nicolas Sanchez and the second a long-range kick from Boffelli, gave Argentina a 6-0 lead inside six minutes.\n\nArgentina were behind, though, after Laumape breached their defences in the 17th minute and Beauden Barrett booted the conversion.\n\nSanchez and Barrett traded penalties in quick succession before the latter added his second three-pointer, and Retallick seized on a loose pass to run clear for a crucial try prior to half-time.\n\nBarrett added the two points again, but surprisingly New Zealand would make no further contribution to the scoresheet – the All Blacks failing to score in the second half of A test for the first time since 2011.\n\nNew Zealand still achieved a 450th international win but not without a scare.\n\nA fine kick from Sanchez created the chance for Boffelli to dot down in the 47th minute. Sanchez added the conversion and Argentina, largely camped in New Zealand's half, were within a try with over half an hour left on the clock.\n\nSanchez missed a penalty that could have made it closer still as the Pumas pushed hard to break down New Zealand, being defied at the death when they forced two lineouts close to the try line but could get over from neither.", "South American football's ruling body CONMEBOL on Tuesday sanctioned Argentine federation president Claudio Tapia over an attack on a Copa America referee.\n\nTapia saw red after Argentina led by Lionel Messi were knocked out 2-0 in the semi-finals by eventual winners Brazil.\n\nIn a letter to CONMEBOL Tapia complained of \"serious and gross refereeing mistakes\" which he claimed had penalised Argentina.\n\nArgentina felt they were denied two clear penalties in the defeat, complaining that Ecuadorian referee Roddy Zambrano had refused to consult VAR to check the validity of their claims.\n\nIn response, CONMEBOL announced it had withdrawn \"with immediate effect its confidence in Mr Claudio Tapia as its interim representative on the FIFA executive committee\".\n\nTapia alleged that Zambrano \"unjustifiably omitted the use of VAR in at least two specific moves that clearly influenced the final result of the match.\" \n\n\n\nAnd he questioned whether \"the principles of ethics, loyalty and transparency\" had been observed during the match.\n\nFive-time world player of the year Messi had fumed that CONMEBOL was biased towards tournament hosts Brazil.\n\nHe said he'd \"grown tired of talking about the bullshit in this Copa,\" adding that \"Brazil were the hosts and they're managing a lot in CONMEBOL these days, which makes it complicated\" for everyone else.\n\nArgentina went on to finish third, beating Chile 2-1 in a match in which Messi was harshly sent off, while Brazil earned a ninth title with a 3-1 victory over Peru in the final.", "A lot has been made about Lionel Messi’s failure to win a title with his national side Argentina. Messi has tried and failed in several finals to guide his country to a title in Copa America or in the World Cup. It has often been said that Messi’s name cannot be considered in the same breadth as Diego Maradona and Pele until he wins a title with his national side. Argentina recently failed to advance beyond the semi-finals in the recently-concluded Copa America, losing to Brazil 2-0.\n\nNow, Al Ahly coach Martin Lasarte has commented that it is ‘painful’ to see Argentina player Lionel Messi’s career progressing without clinching a title with the national team.\n\n“It is painful to see Messi’s career going on without titles with Argentina,” Goal.com quoted Lasarte as saying.\n\nArgentina faced a semi-final exit in the Copa America at the hands of Brazil, who later won the tournament.\n\nLasarte also said that Barcelona star should not be blamed as he is just a human.\n\n“Often Messi has been excessively blamed but he is a human. Both in Argentina and with Barcelona, I have the feeling he is surrounded, maybe badly surrounded,” Goal.com further quoted Lasarte as saying.\n\nREAD | Lionel Messi needs to have more respect, says Brazil coach Tite after winning Copa America 2019\n\nMessi, on numerous occasions, is compared with former Argentina player Diego Maradona. However, Lasarte feels the comparison between both is terrible.\n\n“The comparison with Maradona is terrible. It must be hard to be compared to him,” he said. (with agency inputs)", "related media assets (image or videos) available. Click to see the gallery.\n\n2 related media assets (image or videos) available. Click to see the gallery.\n\nArgentina coach Mario Ledesma has made five changes from the side that ran the All Blacks close in their Rugby Championship opener for Saturday's test against Australia in Brisbane.\n\nSYDNEY: Argentina coach Mario Ledesma has made five changes from the side that ran the All Blacks close in their Rugby Championship opener for Saturday's test against Australia in Brisbane.\n\nStalwart hooker Agustin Creevy did not make the trip to Australia because of a shoulder injury and will be replaced in the front row by Julian Montoya with uncapped rake Santiago Socini set to make his debut from the bench.\n\nAt number eight, Facundo Isa will get his first taste of test rugby since he moved back to France in 2016 after replacing Javier Ortega Desio at the back of the scrum.\n\nLedesma is using the Rugby Championship to try and work some of Argentina's Europe-based talent back into the squad heavily reliant on the Jaguares team.\n\nThe other changes continued the policy of rotation that the Jaguares employed so successfully on their run to this year's Super Rugby final.\n\nTomas Lezana replaced Marcos Kremer at openside flanker, Santiago Cordero will start on the wing in place of Matias Moroni who moves into the centres, and Joaquin Tuculet gets a run at fullback with Emiliano Boffelli left out of the squad.\n\nExperienced loose forward Juan Manuel Leguizamon was included on a forward-heavy bench along with Socini, who came through in English rugby but will join the Jaguares for next season.\n\nThere is more experience at halfback where flyhalf Nicolas Sanchez and scrumhalf Tomas Cubelli resume the combination that helped Argentina give the All Blacks a scare in a 20-16 loss to the world champions in Buenos Aires last week.\n\nArgentina got their first Rugby Championship win over the Wallabies on Australian soil on the Gold Coast last year.", "In this Feb. 6, 2019 photo, Amin Sherri, a Lebanese lawmaker of the Hezbollah bloc, attends a rally to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Iran’s Islamic Revolution in southern Beirut, Lebanon. The U.S. Treasury Department is imposing sanctions Lebanon Parliament members Amin Sherri and Muhammad Hasan Ra’d, and Hezbollah official Wafiq Safa, who are suspected of using their positions to further the aims of the Iran-backed military group and “bolster Iran’s malign activities. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)\n\nWASHINGTON (AP) — The Treasury Department on Tuesday targeted a Hezbollah security official and two members of Lebanon’s parliament suspected of using their positions to further the aims of the Tehran-backed militia and “bolster Iran’s malign activities.”\n\nIt’s the first time that the U.S. has targeted lawmakers currently seated in Lebanon’s parliament. Trump administration officials said Treasury’s action makes clear that there is no dividing line between Hezbollah’s political and militant wings.\n\nThe U.S. designated lawmakers Amin Sherri and Mohammad Raad as well as Hezbollah security official Wafiq Safa under a U.S. executive order, which targets terrorists and those providing support to terrorists or acts of terrorism.\n\n“Hezbollah uses its operatives in Lebanon’s parliament to manipulate institutions in support of the terrorist group’s financial and security interests, and to bolster Iran’s malign activities,” said Sigal Mandelker, undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence.\n\nLebanon’s finance minister, Ali Hassan Khalil, denounced the sanctions and said they did nothing to foster financial stability in the country. “There is no justification whatsoever for escalating these sanctions,” he tweeted.\n\nHezbollah lawmaker Ali Fayyad described the U.S. move as “an insult for all the Lebanese people.” He told reporters the Lebanese government must take a stand against the sanctions because they infringe on Lebanese sovereignty.\n\nHezbollah, whose Arabic name translates into “Party of God,” was established by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard during Lebanon’s civil war in the 1980s. Today, it is among the most effective armed groups in the region, extending Iran’s influence to Israel’s doorstep. At home, the group’s power exceeds that of the Lebanese armed forces, and along with its allies Hezbollah has more power than ever in the parliament and government.\n\nThe Treasury Department alleges that Sherri has used his influence to pressure financial institutions to help Hezbollah limit the impact of U.S. sanctions. Sherri threatened Lebanese bank officials and their family members after the bank froze the accounts of a Hezbollah member already sanctioned by the U.S., according to a statement issued by the department. Sherri also has ties to Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the leader of Iran’s elite Quds Force and the architect of Tehran’s regional strategy.\n\nRaad, the other lawmaker sanctioned, was elected to Hezbollah’s Shura Council in 2009 and is part of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah’s inner circle. He also is the leader of the Hezbollah lawmakers’ bloc, which works in the parliament to carry out the group’s agenda.\n\nTreasury said that in 2017, Raad met with Hezbollah businessmen Adham Tabaja and Husayn Ali Fa’ur, who was sanctioned by the U.S. in 2015, to make sure the group’s avenues of funding would remain open despite sanctions. Raad and Safa maintained a list of a hundred Hezbollah members who were to acquire foreign passports so they could be sent on long-term missions to Arab and Western countries, the department said.\n\nSince 1987, Safa has been responsible for Hezbollah’s coordination with the international community and with Lebanese security agencies. Treasury officials alleged that he exploited Lebanon’s ports and border crossings to smuggle contraband, including illegal drugs and weapons, and facilitate travel for members of the group.\n\nTuesday’s action blocks any property or interests in property that the three have within U.S. jurisdiction. It also bans Americans from engaging in transactions with them and prohibits transactions involving the three from moving through the United States."], "summary": "Hezbollah condemns Argentina over its designation of their group as a \"terrorist organization\", saying Argentina did so under \"United States pressure\"."}
{"document": ["British Prime Minister Boris Johnson vows he will get 'a new deal, a better deal' from the EU on Brexit\n\nLONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson vows he will get 'a new deal, a better deal' from the EU on Brexit.", "British Prime Minister Boris Johnson vows UK will leave the EU on Oct. 31, 'no ifs, ands or buts'\n\nLONDON (AP) — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson vows UK will leave the EU on Oct. 31, 'no ifs, ands or buts'", "LONDON (REUTERS) - Mr Boris Johnson, the ebullient Brexiteer who has promised to lead Britain out of the European Union with or without a deal by Halloween, will replace Mrs Theresa May as prime minister after winning the leadership of the Conservative Party on Tuesday (July 23).\n\nHis victory catapults the United Kingdom towards a Brexit showdown with the EU and towards a constitutional crisis at home, as British lawmakers have vowed to bring down any government that tries to leave the bloc without a divorce deal.\n\nMr Johnson, the face of the 2016 Brexit referendum, won the votes of 92,153 members of the Conservative party, to 46,656 for his rival, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt.\n\nMrs May will leave office on Wednesday after going to Buckingham Palace to see Queen Elizabeth, who will formally appoint Mr Johnson before he enters Downing Street.\n\nThe result is a spectacular victory for one of Britain’s most flamboyant politicians, and places an avowed Brexit supporter in charge of the government for the first time since the United Kingdom voted to leave the EU in the shock 2016 referendum.\n\nBut Mr Johnson – known for his ambition, mop of blond hair, flowery oratory and cursory command of policy detail – takes office at one of the most tumultuous junctures in post-World War II British history.\n\nThe 2016 Brexit referendum showed a United Kingdom divided about much more than the European Union, and has fuelled soul-searching about everything from regional secession and immigration to capitalism, the legacy of empire, and modern Britishness.\n\nBrexit, which has already toppled two Conservative prime ministers, will dominate.\n\nMr Johnson has pledged to negotiate a new Brexit divorce deal with the EU to secure before Oct 31.\n\nBut if the bloc refuses, as it insists it will, he has promised to leave anyway – “do or die” - on Halloween.\n\nIt is a step that many investors and economists say would send shock waves through world markets and tip the world’s fifth-largest economy into recession or even chaos.\n\nA Brexit without a divorce deal would also weaken London’s position as the pre-eminent international financial centre while jolting the northern European economy.\n\nMr Johnson’s Conservatives have no majority in Parliament and need the support of 10 lawmakers from Northern Ireland’s Brexit-backing Democratic Unionist Party to govern.\n\nEven then, the majority is wafer-thin – and some lawmakers have threatened to bring down the government, a step that would probably deepen Britain’s political crisis and lead to an election.", "BRUSSELS (AP) — Brussels is bracing for Boris and Brexit.\n\nThree decades ago, journalist Boris Johnson wrote stories for London’s Daily Telegraph playing up stereotypes about bumbling bureaucrats in the European Union wasting money and tying up U.K. businesses in red tape — articles the European officials deemed to be so false that they coined the word “Euromyth” to describe them.\n\nNow he is becoming Britain’s prime minister, set to lead the country out of the EU, and Johnson showed last week that little has changed.\n\nBrandishing a kipper at a campaign rally, Johnson alleged the EU had forced fishermen to plastic-wrap the British smoked fish delicacy in a special pillow of ice, pushing up costs and damaging the environment in another example of Brussels’ “regulatory overkill.”\n\nThe EU quickly said the allegation was false: The wrapping was a U.K. national regulation outside of the bloc’s scope.\n\nEU Food Safety Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis fired back at “Boris” in a tweet noting that “a fish rots from the head down. As potential future PM you need to keep a cool head.”\n\nJohnson’s allegation was similar to what he and other like-minded British journalists in Brussels wrote in the early 1990s. Back then, European officials sought to debunk their stories that said things like all EU manure had to smell the same, or that it would outlaw excessively curved bananas. Johnson even returned to the banana ban theme during the Brexit referendum campaign three years ago.\n\nThe EU parliament’s chief Brexit official, Guy Verhofstadt, last month called Johnson “a man who continues to dissemble, exaggerate, and dis-inform the public about Brexit.”\n\n“Reality does not square with Johnson’s ensorcelling combination of false promises, pseudo-patriotism, and foreigner bashing,” he added.\n\nOn Tuesday, EU Commission Vice President Frans Timmermans noted that Johnson had been ambivalent about Britain leaving the EU before he threw his weight behind the Brexit campaign.\n\n“I would just suggest that you look at what he has been writing over the years. He took a long time deciding whether he was for or against the EU,” Timmermans said, adding: “The world’s politics is rife with ‘colorful’ people these days, so if you can’t deal with them, there’s not much you could do.”\n\nDespite the disparaging comments on both sides, both Johnson and the EU will now have to work together on Brexit. He has committed to taking Britain out of the EU on Oct. 31 “do or die.” In political terms, that most likely means with or without a deal to soften the economic impact of the divorce\n\nJohnson and his predecessor, Theresa May, are both Conservatives, but he vehemently opposes the EU divorce deal that she struck with the EU. Under the plan, Britain must pay a departure fee of 39 billion pounds ($48 billion), and adhere to its guarantees to avoid a hard customs border on the frontier between EU member Ireland and Northern Ireland, which is part of the U.K.\n\nThe EU is holding out the possibility of giving Britain another extension to the Brexit deadline if Johnson wants. But Johnson already has been preparing for withdrawing without a deal, something that financial experts say would be chaotic, costly and damaging to the British economy. Most economists think it would lead to a severe recession as firms face tariffs and other barriers on their exports. Brexit worries have weighed heavily on the British pound, which has fallen this month to near two-year lows.\n\nJohnson has not made it easy for the EU to warmly embrace him.\n\nAlong with Nigel Farage of the Brexit Party, Johnson became a political foe of the EU during the Brexit referendum in spring 2016. The populist “Leave” campaign claimed, erroneously, that leaving the bloc would somehow get Britain’s National Health Service an additional 350 million pounds ($429 million) a week. There also were posters warning of a flood of immigrants to Britain from Turkey.\n\nWhen the Leave side won by a margin of 52% to 48%, Johnson did not gain any friends in Brussels.\n\nThe same year, Johnson compared the EU’s aims to those of Adolf Hitler, arguing the bloc was trying to create a superstate that mirrored the Nazi leader’s attempts to dominate the European continent. At the time, EU Council President Donald Tusk called the comment “absurd.”\n\nWhen negotiations on the withdrawal from the EU began in 2017, Johnson said the bloc could “go whistle” if it wanted a big exit payout from Britain for outstanding debts.\n\nHe also claimed his Brexit policy would be “having our cake and eating it.”\n\nTusk quickly retorted: “I propose a simple experiment. Buy a cake, eat it, and see if it is still there on the plate.”", "It may have been a scorcher in Cleethorpes yesterday, but news that Boris Johnson is to be the next Prime Minister wasn't greeted quite so warmly.\n\nMr Johnson comfortably beat Jeremy Hunt to the post, winning 92,153 votes to his opponent’s 46,656 after a hard-fought contest.\n\nIt means the new Conservative leader officially takes over from Theresa May today after Mrs May addresses her final PMQs at lunchtime.\n\nWe asked visitors to Cleethorpes what they thought of Boris in three words.\n\nRalph Wright, a 76-year-old Conservative voter, said: “When I think of Boris - I think Trump.\n\n“I think the two are very similar. Johnson might be different when he has advisors around him.”\n\nHerbert Brown, an 80-year-old who was just tucking into an ice cream and making the most of the glorious weather, said: “He’s just unpredictable.\"\n\nHe added: \"I thought Hunt would’ve got it. Boris slips up from time to time.”\n\nAllan and Ann Parker (75 and 74), who were enjoying a day sitting watching the sea, believed that he was the best of a bad bunch and were interested to see how it would go.\n\nThey said: “Terrible, that’s it,\" were their three words.\n\nWe haven’t got to put up with him for as long as the young people.\n\n“Out of the five that did the first TV debate I don’t think that anyone was great.”\n\nUpon his victory, Mr Johnson addressed staff: \"We are going to energise the country.\n\n\"We are going to get Brexit done on October 31 and take advantage of all the opportunities it will bring with a new spirit of can do.”\n\nAlmost 160,000 Conservative members were eligible to vote and the final turnout was recorded at 87.4%.\n\nRaymond Draper, 85, said: “He’s a big pillock. There’s nobody better. May has been spun around so many times that she’s dizzy.”\n\nMr Johnson was also described by two couples, who wished to remain anonymous, as a ‘buffoon, idiot and dangerous’ while being a ‘passionate, scruffy git’.\n\nOne woman claimed Mr Johnson was 'not the smartest and will probably appoint his friends' when he begins to select his new cabinet later this week.\n\nThe new PM is expected to announce his Brexit plans on Thursday and take questions before Parliament breaks up for recess.\n\nContact us: Email the reporter who wrote this story.\n\nFollow Grimsby Live on Facebook - Like our Facebook page to get the latest news in your feed and join in the lively discussions in the comments. Click here to like it or message us with a comment or story.\n\nFollow us on Twitter - For breaking news and the latest stories, click here to follow Grimsby Live on Twitter.\n\nFollow us on Instagram - On the Grimsby Live Instagram page we like to feature great pictures from our area - and if you tag us in your posts, we could repost your picture on our page! Click here to follow Grimsby Live on Instagram.", "Who is he?\n\nHow old is he?\n\nDoes that qualify Johnson to be a US citizen?\n\nHow many children does he have?\n\nIs it true that Borish Johson has both Muslim and Jewish ancestry?\n\nHow did he get his name?\n\nWhere did he study?\n\nWhat about his journalistic career?\n\nWhat makes him so controversial?\n\nWhen will Boris Johnson take over from PM Theresa May?\n\nWhat are the toughest issues demanding Johnson’s immediate attention?\n\nIran: There is an escalating crisis with Iran, too. Hunt, in his role as foreign secretary, on Monday set out a European plan to assemble a naval mission to provide safe passage for ships through the Arabian Gulf. That came after Iran seized a British oil tanker, the Stena Impero, in the region last week, an act that Hunt described as \"state piracy.\" Managing that crisis will mean dealing not just with EU leaders, but also with President Donald Trump. At present, the UK is trying to keep its own efforts distinct from America's. Unlike the U.S., Britain still supports the Iranian nuclear deal that it helped to negotiate.\n\nHow does the on-going sex assault case of a Conservative partymate affect Johnson?\n\nWhy did Johnson renounce his US citizenship?", "ISTANBUL: Turkey celebrated incoming British prime minister Boris Johnson's Turkish heritage on Wednesday (Jul 24), with politicians and media proclaiming that the \"Ottoman grandson\" could strengthen ties between two countries on Europe's fringes.\n\nThe former London mayor is the great-grandson of the Ottoman Empire's last interior minister, Ali Kemal, and his ancestry has been a source of pride for many Turks.\n\nDespite his sometimes disparaging remarks about Turkey, including a crude limerick about President Tayyip Erdogan and demands in 2016 that Britain veto Turkey's accession to the European Union, Johnson is affectionately referred to as \"Boris the Turk\" by some Turkish media.\n\n\"Ottoman grandson becomes prime minister,\" read a front-page headline of the opposition newspaper Sozcu. \"For England, a prime minister with roots in Cankiri,\" it said, referring to Kemal's home province in central Turkey.\n\nLike Johnson, his great-grandfather was a journalist who went into government, a move that proved ill-fated. In the final days of the Ottoman Empire, Kemal was captured and lynched by nationalists fighting to establish the Turkish state.\n\nErdogan congratulated Johnson on Twitter, adding that ties between Turkey and the United Kingdom were set to improve. Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu also congratulated him, sharing a video of Turkish reporters asking Johnson about his roots in Cankiri during a 2016 visit to Ankara.\n\nDemiroren News Agency quoted a resident of Cankiri's Kalfat village as saying it was an honour that someone from their village had become prime minister, adding that Johnson owed his distinctive mop of blond hair to his Turkish forefathers.\n\n\"They call his ancestors from this house 'Blond Boys'. Boris Johnson's blondness comes from this lineage,\" Mustafa Bal said.\n\nJohnson's own relations with Turkey have sometimes been rocky.\n\nThree years ago he won first prize in a British magazine competition which asked readers to compose limericks about Erdogan \"as filthy and insulting as possible\". He later said the Turkish leader had not brought up the verse when they met.\n\nJohnson, a leading campaigner for Brexit in Britain's 2016 EU referendum, wrote to then-Prime Minister David Cameron before the vote calling for the government to veto Turkish EU accession and stop a planned extension of visa-free travel to Turkey.\n\nTurkey's EU accession talks are now stalled, while Johnson has barely three months to meet an Oct 31 deadline to negotiate Britain's exit from the bloc.\n\nPro-government newspaper Aksam said Johnson, who succeeds Theresa May as prime minister after winning the leadership of the ruling Conservative Party, may have been helped by a bit of Turkish folklore.\n\nReceiving a Turkish award in 2012 for his work as London mayor, Johnson was told of a belief in the Black Sea province of Rize, where then-premier Erdogan's family hail from, that no one could become prime minister unless they could play the kemence, a traditional stringed instrument.\n\nJohnson had a go, video footage shows, and despite his limited skills the instrument appears to have worked its charm. \"The kemence brought good luck,\" Aksam newspaper said.", "Boris Johnson promised to deliver Brexit on Oct. 31 after he was chosen by UK Conservative Party members to succeed Theresa May as Britain’s prime minister on Tuesday.\n\n“We are going to energise the country. We are going to get Brexit done on October 31 and we are going to take advantage of all the opportunities it will bring,” Johnson said in a speech after defeating rival candidate Jeremy Hunt.", "Boris Johnson will become Britain’s next prime minister after being elected leader of the Conservative party, defeating Jeremy Hunt in the party’s leadership contest.\n\nThe former mayor of London, who has long cherished an ambition to lead his country, won the contest by 92,153 votes to 46,656, with 66% of the vote. Turnout was 87.4% among 159,320 party members.\n\nJohnson will not take office formally until Wednesday afternoon. Theresa May will face her final prime minister’s questions in the House of Commons before tendering her resignation to the Queen.\n\nJohnson will then go to Buckingham Palace himself for his appointment to be confirmed – before being driven to Downing Street to give a speech in front of the black door of No 10.\n\nHe takes charge at a perilous political moment. The Conservatives’ wafer-thin parliamentary working majority is expected to be eroded further next week – to just two – if the Liberal Democrats win the Brecon and Radnorshire byelection.\n\nJohnson has faced a furious internal revolt even before arriving in Downing Street, with several key cabinet ministers, including the chancellor, Philip Hammond, saying they will resign rather than serve under him.\n\nThey have been alarmed by Johnson’s insistence that he is willing to countenance leaving the European Union without a deal on 31 October, rather than postpone Brexit once again – even if that meant proroguing parliament.\n\nAnd despite painstaking media management, his campaign has been dogged by a series of controversies, including the revelation that police had been called to a noisy argument at the home he shared with his partner, Carrie Symonds.\n\nHe was also blamed by some colleagues, including the Foreign Office minister Alan Duncan, for the resignation of the ambassador to Washington, Kim Darroch, after confidential diplomatic cables about Donald Trump were leaked.\n\nDuncan – who resigned on Tuesday rather than serve under Johnson – said the former foreign secretary had thrown Darroch “under a bus”.\n\nHowever, Johnson had been the runaway favourite to become leader after securing support from both wings of the bitterly divided Tory party, from the health secretary, Matt Hancock, to the chair of the European Research Group, Jacob Rees-Mogg.\n\nHe is regarded by colleagues as an impressive political campaigner, and the man with the best chance of seeing off the formidable electoral challenge from Nigel Farage’s Brexit party, which beat the Tories soundly in May’s European elections.\n\nMay will leave Downing Street on Wednesday after three years, after a premiership overwhelmingly defined by the failure of her government to implement Brexit.\n\nJohnson is likely to embark on fresh negotiations with EU leaders and key Brussels decision-makers as soon as possible, with a view to securing changes to May’s deal in time for the Halloween deadline.\n\nBut with no secure majority, and Labour determined to demand a referendum on any deal he brings back from Brussels, many MPs believe he could be forced to call a general election within months in order to win a mandate for his plan.", "Boris Johnson is now prime minister of Great Britain, and the British establishment, including much of his own party, is horrified at this turn of events, just like the American Establishment (including the GOP hierarchy) were horrified by Donald Trump’s election.\n\nI can report on some of the early sentiment. Queen Elizabeth and Prince Charles are said to be “bitterly opposed” to Johnson becoming prime minister. A cabinet secretary has been quoted anonymously that while there had been an air of “malaise” around the previous prime minister, Theresa May, Johnson will be worse: “The mere thought of Johnson as Prime Minister sends a cold chill down the spines of the staff working at 10 Downing Street. . . Seldom can a Prime Minister have taken office with the Establishment. . . so dubious of the choice and so prepared to find its doubts justified.” “This is not the last Brexit administration by a long way,” a leading member of Johnson’s own party has remarked. Another Tory MP, Peter Eckersley, wrote: “Boris won’t last five months! Opposition from Tories is already beginning.” Another MP, David Kier, has written in his diary that: “The more I think of the position, the more uncertain the future of Boris’s present Government is.”\n\nWait—did I say Boris Johnson?? My bad. All of these quotes come from the spring and summer of 1940, and were said about Churchill. I merely swapped out “Johnson” for “Churchill.” (Also the Queen for King George.)\n\nSo let’s wait and see. I rather like his prospects, precisely because of this Establishment opposition to him. And just think of the joint press conferences with Trump. The hair alone will be awesome. They can start the “Heads of State Hair Club.”\n\nMeanwhile, here’s a short clip of Johnson explaining rather cogently why and how Churchill’s rhetoric worked:"], "summary": "Boris Johnson is elected as Leader of the UK Conservative Party, and as a result is expected to become Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on 24 July 2019."}
{"document": ["Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Mayor of Mogadishu Abdirahman Omar Osman was seriously injured in the attack\n\nA suicide bomber has seriously injured the mayor of Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, killing at least six other people, officials told the BBC.\n\nThe female bomber blew herself up inside the office of Mayor Abdirahman Omar Osman during a security meeting.\n\nMilitant Islamist group al-Shabab says it carried out the attack, hoping to target the new UN special envoy to Somalia, James Swan, a US citizen.\n\nBut he had met the mayor earlier, leaving before the blast occurred.\n\nIt is unclear how the bomber managed to enter the heavily guarded building.\n\nThe victims, five men and one woman, were all government officials, the BBC was told.\n\nAl-Shabab seeks to overthrow Somalia's central government and has been carrying out regular attacks in Mogadishu, despite the heavy presence of African Union peacekeepers and US-trained Somali troops.\n\nThe group is affiliated with al-Qaeda and remains a powerful presence in rural Somalia.", "Medical workers help civilian on stretcher who was wounded in suicide bomb, at Madina hospital, Mogadishu, Wednesday, July 24, 2019. A suicide bomber walked into the office of Mogadishu’s mayor and detonated explosives strapped to his waist, killing several people and badly wounding the mayor, Somali police said Wednesday. (AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh)\n\nMOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — A suicide bomber walked into the office of Mogadishu’s mayor and detonated explosives strapped to his waist, killing six people and badly wounding the mayor minutes after a visit from the new United Nations envoy, Somali officials said Wednesday.\n\nThe attack claimed by the al-Shabab extremist group occurred after the envoy to Somalia, James Swan, paid the mayor a “courtesy call” and left the compound, an official at the mayor’s office told The Associated Press. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.\n\nThe U.N. mission in Somalia in a tweet before the bombing posted photos of the smiling mayor and envoy, saying Swan had received an overview of the “challenges” in the region.\n\nThe mayor, Abdirahman Omar Osman, and his deputy were rushed to a hospital with critical wounds, police Capt. Mohamed Hussein said.\n\nSomalia’s information minister Mohamed Abdi Hayir said six officials were killed and six others were wounded. He told reporters the mayor was being treated and gave no further details. He also confirmed an investigation was underway.\n\nA Somali intelligence official said the officials killed included two district commissioners, two local government directors and a senior adviser to the mayor. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.\n\nIt was not clear how the bomber managed to enter the mayor’s office during a security meeting. Some security officials said the attacker might have coordinated with corrupt officials, offering them bribes for access.\n\nThe al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab often targets government buildings such as the presidential palace and other high-profile parts of Mogadishu with bombings.\n\nThe security officials said Wednesday’s attack appeared to be a shift in tactics, as the extremists in the past had rarely managed to infiltrate heavily fortified government buildings without first detonating one or more vehicle bombs.\n\nThe Somalia-based al-Shabab was chased out of Mogadishu years ago but still controls parts of the Horn of Africa nation’s south and central regions and is a frequent target of U.S. airstrikes.", "MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — A suicide bomber walked into the office of Mogadishu's mayor during a security meeting and detonated explosives strapped to his waist, killing several people and badly wounding the mayor, Somali police said Wednesday.\n\nPolice Col. Mohamed Abdi confirmed the brazen attack in Somalia's capital to The Associated Press. Mayor Abdirahman Omar Osman and his deputy were rushed to a hospital with critical wounds and two district commissioners were among the dead, said police Capt. Mohamed Hussein.\n\nIt was not clear how the bomber managed to enter the mayor's office.\n\nThe al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab extremist group often targets government buildings such as the presidential palace and other high-profile targets in Mogadishu with bombings.\n\nThe Somalia-based group was chased out of Mogadishu years ago but still controls parts of the Horn of Africa nation's south and central regions and is a frequent target of U.S. airstrikes.", "MOGADISHU, Somalia\n• A suicide bomber walked into the office of Mogadishu’s mayor and detonated explosives strapped to his waist, killing six people and badly wounding the mayor minutes after a visit from the new United Nations envoy, Somali officials said Wednesday.\n\nThe attack claimed by the al-Shabab extremist group occurred after the envoy to Somalia, James Swan, paid the mayor a “courtesy call” and left the compound, an official at the mayor’s office told the AP.\n\nThe official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.\n\nThe U.N. mission in Somalia in a tweet before the bombing posted photos of the smiling mayor and envoy, saying Swan had received an overview of the “challenges” in the region.\n\nThe mayor, Abdirahman Omar Osman, and his deputy were rushed to a hospital with critical wounds, police Capt. Mohamed Hussein said.\n\nSomalia’s information minister Mohamed Abdi Hayir said six officials were killed and six others were wounded.\n\nHe told reporters the mayor was being treated and gave no further details. He also confirmed an investigation was underway.\n\nA Somali intelligence official said the officials killed included two district commissioners, two local government directors and a senior adviser to the mayor.\n\nThe official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.\n\nIt was not clear how the bomber managed to enter the mayor’s office during a security meeting.\n\nSome security officials said the attacker might have coordinated with corrupt officials, offering them bribes for access.\n\nThe al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab often targets government buildings such as the presidential palace and other high-profile parts of Mogadishu with bombings. The security officials said Wednesday’s attack appeared to be a shift in tactics, as the extremists in the past had rarely managed to infiltrate heavily fortified government buildings without first detonating one or more vehicle bombs.", "MOGADISHU, Somalia - A suicide bomber walked into the office of Mogadishu's mayor and detonated explosives strapped to his waist, killing several people and badly wounding the mayor, Somali police said Wednesday.\n\nThe attack occurred shortly after the new United Nations envoy to Somalia, James Swan, had paid the mayor a \"courtesy call\" and left the compound, an official at the mayor's office told The Associated Press. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.\n\nThe U.N. mission in Somalia in a tweet before the bombing posted photos of the smiling mayor and new envoy, saying Swan had received an overview of the \"challenges\" in the region.\n\nThe mayor, Abdirahman Omar Osman, and his deputy were rushed to a hospital with critical wounds and two district commissioners were among the dead, said police Capt. Mohamed Hussein.\n\nIt was not clear how the bomber managed to enter the mayor's office during a security meeting.\n\nThe al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab extremist group often targets government buildings such as the presidential palace and other high-profile targets in Mogadishu with bombings.\n\nThe Somalia-based group was chased out of Mogadishu years ago but still controls parts of the Horn of Africa nation's south and central regions and is a frequent target of U.S. airstrikes.", "MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — Police in Somalia say a suicide bomber has walked into the office of Mogadishu's mayor during a security meeting and detonated explosives strapped to his waist.\n\nThere is no immediate information about other casualties in Wednesday's blast in the capital. Police Col. Mohamed Abdi confirmed the attack to The Associated Press.\n\nIt is not clear how the bomber managed to enter the mayor's office or what officials were attending the security meeting.\n\nThe al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab extremist group often targets government offices and other high-profile targets in Mogadishu with bombings.\n\nThe Somalia-based group was chased out of Mogadishu years ago but still controls parts of the Horn of Africa nation's south and central regions and is a frequent target of U.S. airstrikes.", "Medical workers help civilian on stretcher who was wounded in suicide bomb, at Madina hospital, Mogadishu, Wednesday, July 24, 2019. A suicide bomber walked into the office of Mogadishu’s mayor and detonated explosives strapped to his waist, killing several people and badly wounding the mayor, Somali police said Wednesday. (AP Photo/Farah Abdi Warsameh)\n\nMOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — A rare female suicide bomber used in the deadly al-Shabab attack in the office of Mogadishu’s mayor was aiming for the American who is the new United Nations envoy to Somalia and had left the office just minutes earlier, the extremist group and officials said.\n\nThe death toll in Wednesday’s attack rose to seven and the seriously wounded Mayor Abdirahman Omar Osman was in a coma on Thursday. He and other officials were expected to be airlifted to Qatar for treatment, said Mohamed Ahmed, a government official at the Mogadishu hospital treating the mayor.\n\nThe new U.N. envoy, James Swan, was the bomber’s intended target, Abdiaziz Abu Musab, al-Shabab’s military spokesman, told local media.\n\nCapt. Mohamed Hussein, a senior police officer, said the female bomber walked into a security meeting and blew herself up a few yards away from the mayor. It was just the fourth time the al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab had been known to use a female bomber in a suicide attack.\n\nSwan had paid the Somali capital’s mayor a brief visit and left the compound less than an hour before the bombing, an official at the mayor’s office told The Associated Press.\n\nIn a statement, Swan condemned “this heinous attack which not only demonstrates a violent disregard for the sanctity of human life, but also targets Somalis working to improve the lives of their fellow Somalis.” U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also condemned the attack.\n\nIt was not clear how the bomber managed to enter the mayor’s office as visitors are required to pass through at least four metal detectors. Some security officials said the attacker might have coordinated with corrupt officials, offering them bribes for access.\n\nAl-Shabab often targets government buildings such as the presidential palace and other high-profile parts of Mogadishu with bombings. The Somalia-based group was chased out of Mogadishu years ago but still controls parts of the Horn of Africa nation’s south and central regions and is a frequent target of U.S. airstrikes.\n\nThe security officials said Wednesday’s attack appeared to be a shift in tactics, as the extremists in the past had rarely managed to infiltrate heavily fortified government buildings without first detonating one or more vehicle bombs.", "MOGADISHU/NAIROBI — The mayor of Mogadishu had fled Somalia for Britain as a refugee and earned a master’s degree, citizenship and years of experience as a councilor in London before deciding to return home to help rebuild his war-torn country.\n\nOn Wednesday, Abdirahman Omar Osman and nine of his staff were badly wounded when a suicide bomber blew up in his offices. Six of his colleagues were killed..\n\nFrom his passage to Britain after civil war broke out in Somalia in 1991 to his wounding back at home, Osman’s life story seems to illuminate the hopes and dangers of some of the world’s most divisive political topics: migration and radicalisation.\n\nAl Qaeda-linked Islamist militant group al Shabaab, which aims to topple Somalia’s U.N.-backed government, claimed responsibility for Wednesday’s bombing, the latest of many such attacks. Osman and nine other people were flown to Qatar for further medical treatment on Thursday, lawmaker Dahir Amin Jesow said.\n\nBritish communications consultant Richard Bailey first met Osman after he had been appointed Somalia’s information minister in 2010, not long after his return.\n\n“He was living and working in a ministry building that lay beneath a 50-foot radio transmitter mast which acted as an aiming post for repeated Shabaab mortar practice,” Bailey said.\n\nIn London, Osman had been a councilor for the Labour Party and Bailey, a former Conservative counselor, said he used to tease Osman about politics over goat stew and coffee.\n\nOsman was struggling to keep a generator going so Radio Mogadishu could broadcast to a city largely held at that time by al Shabaab. Insurgents frequently targeted the city’s journalists.\n\nLater, Osman served a stint as the prime minister’s chief of staff as African Union peacekeepers helped the U.N.-backed federal government claw back territory outside the capital from the insurgency.\n\nHe worked as minister of information for a second time and then was appointed mayor of Mogadishu in 2018, putting to work both his engineering degree and his years of experience working for the housing department in the London borough of Ealing.\n\nOsman – nicknamed Engineer Yarisow (or “the young engineer”) – has tried to clean up the city and construct roads from the rubble, said lawmaker Jesow.\n\n“He was in the middle of constructing Mogadishu streets and roads. He always struggled to tighten Mogadishu’s security,” he said, adding that Osman has always spoken out against militancy.\n\nAl Shabaab has lost territory but kept up a relentless campaign of bombings and assassinations. Osman has introduced more measures to intercept potential car bombs and tried to find land, shelter and jobs for those fleeing the conflict, the British ambassador to Somalia, Ben Fender, told Reuters.\n\nFender wished Osman and his wounded staff well.\n\n“Eng. Yarisow is a kind and gentle man. His team are young, smart and idealistic,” he said. (Writing by Katharine Houreld Editing by Frances Kerry)", "The al-Shabab extremist group says a rare female suicide bomber used in the deadly attack in the office of Mogadishu's mayor was aiming for the American who is the new United Nations envoy to Somalia. He had left the office just minutes earlier.\n\nThe death toll in Wednesday's attack has risen to seven, and a hospital official says the seriously wounded Mayor Abdirahman Omar Osman is in a coma. He and other officials are expected to be airlifted to Qatar for treatment.\n\nIt was not clear how the bomber managed to enter the mayor's office as visitors are required to pass through at least four metal detectors. Some security officials said the attacker might have coordinated with corrupt officials, offering them bribes for access.", "A suicide bomber walked into the office of Mogadishu’s mayor and detonated explosives strapped to his waist, killing several people and badly wounding the mayor, Somali police said Wednesday.\n\nThe attack occurred shortly after the new United Nations envoy to Somalia, James Swan, had paid the mayor a “courtesy call” and left the compound, an official at the mayor’s office told The Associated Press. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.\n\nThe UN mission in Somalia in a tweet before the bombing posted photos of the smiling mayor and new envoy, saying Swan had received an overview of the “challenges” in the region.\n\nThe mayor, Abdirahman Omar Osman, and his deputy were rushed to a hospital with critical wounds and two district commissioners were among the dead, said police Capt. Mohamed Hussein.\n\nIt was not clear how the bomber managed to enter the mayor’s office during a security meeting. Some security officials said the attacker might have co-ordinated with corrupt officials, offering them bribes for access.\n\nThe al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabab extremist group claimed responsibility. It often targets government buildings such as the presidential palace and other high-profile parts of Mogadishu with bombings.\n\nThe security officials said Wednesday’s attack appeared to be a shift in tactics as the extremists in the past had rarely managed to infiltrate heavily fortified government buildings without first detonating one or more vehicle bombs.\n\nThe Somalia-based al-Shabab was chased out of Mogadishu years ago but still controls parts of the Horn of Africa nation’s south and central regions and is a frequent target of U.S. airstrikes.\n\nOur Morning Update and Evening Update newsletters are written by Globe editors, giving you a concise summary of the day’s most important headlines. Sign up today."], "summary": "A suicide bomber detonates inside the office of Mogadishu's mayor Abdirahman Abdi Osman, killing six government officials. Osman is seriously injured in the attack and his condition is critical."}
{"document": ["The company lost $2.9bn in the three months to the end of June, compared to a profit of $2.2bn for the same period last year\n\nBoeing said it could halt production of the 737 Max jet on Wednesday as it reported the company’s largest ever quarterly loss following two fatal accidents involving the plane.\n\nThe company lost $2.9bn in the three months to the end of June, compared to a profit of $2.2bn for the same period last year. Sales fell 35% to $15.8bn. Chief executive Dennis Muilenburg said production of the plane could be slowed or halted if regulators do not move to lift the ban on the plane.\n\nThe 737 Max was Boeing’s best selling aircraft until the fleet was grounded worldwide in March following crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia. In January Boeing’s executives said the Max was the fastest selling plane in its history and the company expected to deliver between 895 and 905 airplanes this year.\n\nNow it has become the most costly plane in Boeing’s history.\n\nBoeing has predicted that the Max will be flying again by the end of the year, but this month the Wall Street Journal reported that government and industry officials believe a return date of January 2020 is more likely.\n\nOn a call with analysts Muilenburg said the company may have to consider slowing or halting production if there are further delays in getting the plane back into the skies.\n\nBoeing is still producing 42 of its 737 jets a month and plans to boost that rate to 57 next year. But if there are further setbacks, Muilenberg said: “We might need to consider possible further rate reductions or other options including a temporary shutdown of the Max production.”\n\nMuilenberg added that Boeing expected to submit its “final certification package” to the Federal Aviation Administration, the US regulator, in September.\n\nLast week Boeing said it would take a $5.6bn charge to cover potential compensation to customers. The company also expects the cost of manufacturing the 737 to rise by $2.7bn due to production slowdowns. A $100m fund is being established to compensate the families and communities affected by the crashes.\n\n“This is a defining moment for Boeing and we remain focused on our enduring values of safety, quality, and integrity in all that we do, as we work to safely return the 737 Max to service,” Muilenburg, said in a statement.\n\n“During these challenging times, teams across our enterprise continue to perform at a high level while delivering on commitments and capturing new opportunities driven by strong, long-term fundamentals.”\n\nRegulators across the world continue to investigate the fatal crashes of a Lion Air Max in Indonesia and an Ethiopian Airlines flight in Ethiopia that claimed a total of 346 lives.\n\nInvestigations have centered on the plane’s Manoeuvring Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS) flight control software, which was designed to keep the aircraft stable in flight. In both crashes the pilots appear to have fought in vain to keep the plane’s nose up as the system, triggered by flawed sensor readings, dragged it down. Boeing executives subsequently tried to share some of the blame with the pilots.\n\nLast week a father who lost five family members in the Ethiopian disaster accused the company of “utter prejudice and disrespect” and said Boeing had pursued higher a higher share price and profits “at the expense of the safety of human life”.\n\nThe grounding of the 737 Max has had wider consequences for the US aerospace industry. American Airlines, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines all used the Max and have canceled flights into November as a result of the grounding, depressing revenues. Ryanair, another major customer and Europe’s largest short-haul airline, has said late deliveries of the 737 Max will force it to cut routes and shut bases as it curbs expansion plans.", "Boeing reported its largest ever quarterly loss on Wednesday, as the cost of grounding its fleet of 737 Max airliners took its toll.\n\nThe company lost $2.9bn in the three months to the end of June, compared to a profit of $2.2bn for the same period last year. Sales fell 35% to $15.75bn.\n\nThe 737 Max was Boeing’s best selling aircraft until the fleet was grounded worldwide in March following two fatal crashes.\n\nLast week Boeing said it would take a $5.6bn charge to cover potential compensation to customers. The company also expects the cost of manufacturing the 737 to rise by $2.7bn due to production slowdowns. A $100m fund is being established to compensate the families and communities affected by the crashes.\n\n“This is a defining moment for Boeing and we remain focused on our enduring values of safety, quality, and integrity in all that we do, as we work to safely return the 737 Max to service,” Boeing’s chief executive, Dennis Muilenburg, said in a statement.\n\n“During these challenging times, teams across our enterprise continue to perform at a high level while delivering on commitments and capturing new opportunities driven by strong, long-term fundamentals.”\n\nRegulators across the world continue to investigate the fatal crashes of a Lion Air Max in Indonesia and an Ethiopian Airlines flight in Ethiopia that claimed a total of 346 lives.\n\nLast week a father who lost five family members in the Ethiopian disaster accused the company of “utter prejudice and disrespect” and said Boeing had pursued higher a higher share price and profits “at the expense of the safety of human life”.\n\nThe grounding of the 737 Max has had wider consequences for the US. American Airlines, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines all used the Max and have canceled flights into November as a result of the grounding, depressing revenues.\n\nBoeing has predicted that the Max will be flying again by the end of the year and appears to be preparing to change the plane’s name to the 737 8200.", "Boeing is warning that it might have to halt production of the 737 Max if grounding continues much longer.\n\nThe company reported its largest-ever quarterly loss of three billion dollars on Wednesday because of the troubled aeroplane.\n\nIf hurdles with regulators worldwide continue, Boeing said it would consider reducing or shutting down production of the 737 Max entirely.\n\nHowever, Boeing boss Dennis Muilenburg is confident the plane will be back in the air by October.", "Boeing Co. said it may slow or halt production of its 737 MAX jetliner if regulators don't approve its return to service by the end of this year.\n\nThe warning came as the aerospace giant on Wednesday reported its biggest-ever quarterly loss after taking an initial $7 billion hit on the grounding and slowed production of the MAX.\n\nChief Executive Dennis Muilenburg said on a call with analysts that while Boeing plans to continue producing 42 of its 737 jets a month and boost that rate to 57 next year, any slippage in the timeline for the return of the MAX could oblige the company to lower output.\n\n\"We might need to consider possible further rate reductions or other options including a temporary shutdown of the MAX production,\" Mr. Muilenburg said.\n\nBoeing has said it hopes to restart MAX deliveries in the fourth quarter, but some officials and airlines don't expect it to fly again until next year. The MAX has been barred by regulators from commercial flight since March following two fatal crashes.\n\nHis comments sent Boeing shares lower, extending a drop of more than 2.5% on the day.\n\nBoeing lost $2.94 billion in the June quarter, compared with a profit of $2.2 billion a year earlier, a slightly smaller loss than analysts expected. Sales dropped 35% to $15.75 billion as it delivered only 90 jetliners with MAX shipments on hold. Boeing didn't reinstate the financial guidance it suspended in April.\n\nA huge $5.6 billion charge in the quarter to compensate MAX customers marked Boeing's latest effort to guide investors on the mounting cost of the crisis that has engulfed its best-selling jetliner.\n\nBoeing also said the first flight of its new 777X jetliner would be delayed until early next year because of problems with the new engines General Electric Co. is making for it.\n\nThe halt in MAX deliveries since April dented Boeing's closely watched free cash flow, which turned negative for the first time in more than four years, draining $1 billion from its balance sheet, though recent debt issuance boosted its liquidity to $9.6 billion at the end of the quarter.\n\nThe cash outflow was less than analysts expected, though, as a result of higher defense sales and shipments of the 787 Dreamliner.\n\nBoeing last week said it would take the $5.6 billion pretax charge in the June quarter to cover potential compensation to MAX customers, which could include discounts and services, as well as cash payments. The charge is expected to cost $4.4 billion after tax.\n\nThe compensation charge left Boeing's commercial airplanes unit with a $4.95 billion operating loss for the quarter, mitigated by increased production of the 787 Dreamliner.\n\nThe company also estimated the costs to manufacture the MAX would increase by $2.7 billion due to a production slowdown that has lasted longer than expected, set against an undelivered block of 3,100 MAX jets.\n\nBoeing's defense unit reported a profit of $975 million, and the two-year-old services business added $687 million.\n\nOverall, Boeing reported a per-share loss of $5.21, the first deficit since a $234 million deficit in the second quarter of 2016 when it booked charges on the 787, 747-8 and KC-46A Pegasus military tanker.", "Boeing said Wednesday that it was considering halting production of the 737 Max if the grounding of its most popular plane persists, a move that could damage airlines, suppliers and even the U.S. economy.\n\nThe company is struggling to contain the fallout from two deadly crashes of the Max. It has already announced more than $8 billion in costs related to the accidents and is producing the planes at a slower rate.\n\nThe damage is spreading through the constellation of companies connected to Boeing, the nation’s largest aerospace manufacturer. Airlines around the world have canceled thousands of flights, costing them billions of dollars, and some carriers have reined in expansion plans. Suppliers like General Electric, which makes engines for the Max, are expecting lower revenue in the quarter.\n\nThe economic toll is also rising. Orders of durable goods in the United States, which include commercial airplanes, were down 1.3% in May, the third drop in four months, according to the Census Bureau.\n\n“The fact that they talked about it for the first time is significant,” said Scott Hamilton, managing director of Leeham Co., an aviation consultancy. “When Boeing starts talking about a topic and repeating it, especially in the same event, they’re signaling that something is going on.”\n\nAfter the crashes, Boeing slowed production of the 737 family to 42 planes per month in April, down from 52. It cannot deliver any Max jets until regulators clear the plane to fly and has stockpiled more than $30 billion worth of planes in Seattle.\n\nBoeing has said it expected the Max to return to service late this year. But Boeing and regulators keep finding new problems with the model, leading to a cascading series of delays.\n\nMuilenburg said the decision to halt production would depend on various issues, including the date the Max is likely to return to service as well as its ability to store and maintain the hundreds of completed planes not yet delivered.\n\nHe added that temporarily halting Max production might make more sense than reducing production levels. Given what it costs to operate and staff the production line, the Max program could become unprofitable if Boeing does not make enough planes each month.\n\n“It is significant that not only Muilenburg talked about, but that Greg Smith talked about it, too,” Hamilton said. “For those of us that have followed Boeing for decades, this is them raising the caution flag.”\n\nThe three U.S. carriers that fly the Max - Southwest Airlines, American Airlines and United Airlines - have canceled thousands of flights into November, depressing their revenue. Ryanair, the Irish budget airline, said this month that it would scale back expansion plans because the Max planes it ordered were delayed.\n\nSpiritAerosystems, the largest supplier for the Max, has already cut hours and pay for 4,000 workers and is especially vulnerable to a production halt. And General Electric, which makes the Max engines through a partnership with Safran of France, is also expected to record a dip in revenue as a result of the grounding when it reports earnings next week.\n\n“If Boeing has to halt production, which we do not expect but which is a possibility, it would have a big ripple effect on suppliers throughout the supply chain,” said Jim Corridore, an analyst at CFRA Research.", "(Reuters) - Boeing Co (BA.N) posted its largest-ever quarterly loss on Wednesday due to the spiraling cost of resolving issues with its 737 MAX, warning it may have to shut production of the grounded jet completely if it runs into new hurdles with global regulators getting its best-selling aircraft back in the air.\n\nBoeing Chief Executive Dennis Muilenburg said he was confident the MAX would be back in service as early as October, but acknowledged for the first time that Boeing may have to slow or completely halt production of the 737 MAX, a step it has not had to resort to on any commercial plane for more than 20 years.\n\nThe world’s largest planemaker also reported a fresh delay on its 777X widebody program as General Electric Co (GE.N) engine problems pushed the first flight into 2020.\n\nBoeing is looking to restore customers’ faith in its 737 MAX and to satisfy the requirements of regulators by reprogramming the software pinpointed as a common factor in two deadly crashes in the span of five months.\n\n“This is a defining moment for Boeing,” Muilenburg told analysts. He said Boeing has held weekly technical calls and a number of conferences with MAX operators around the world and nearly 225 sessions in flight simulators testing its software.\n\nMuilenburg’s comments came after the company posted its largest-ever quarterly loss, diving nearly $3 billion into the red while burning $1.01 billion in cash in the quarter.\n\nInvestors shrugged off the large loss after Boeing announced heavy charges last week, bringing the total cost so far of the 737 MAX crisis to more than $8 billion, mainly due to compensation the planemaker will have to pay airlines for the delayed deliveries and lower production.\n\nBoeing’s shares dipped only slightly after second-quarter results were announced, but slipped 3 percent after Muilenburg’s comments on the possibility of lowering production further, or stopping it temporarily.\n\nChicago-based Boeing has been unable to deliver any 737 MAX aircraft since the single-aisle plane was grounded worldwide in March after two fatal crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia killed 346 people.\n\nClick here to view an interactive graphic: tmsnrt.rs/2MaWqTt.\n\nMuilenburg said the company would consider further 737 output cuts below the current rate of 42 aircraft per month, or potentially suspending production if warranted - a step Boeing has not taken since 1997 when it halted 747 production and delayed introduction of a new 737 so suppliers could catch up.\n\nBoeing reduced the number of single-aisle aircraft it produces monthly in the Seattle area to 42 from 52 after the second crash in Ethiopia while suspending deliveries to airlines, cutting off a key source of cash and hitting margins.\n\nThe lower rate means Boeing has to pay more for parts, which are priced according to the volume Boeing buys. Boeing said it was working toward building 57 of the 737s a month in 2020.\n\nBoeing also faces issues with other planes. It said its first flight of the 777X - the latest iteration of its popular long-range twin-aisle aircraft - is now delayed until early 2020 due to the engine problems announced last month, while its current plan for a first delivery to customers in late 2020 faced significant risk.\n\nThe 777-9, the larger of two new jets in the 777 family, was initially scheduled for first flight in the fourth quarter of 2018 with delivery to the first customer in the second quarter of 2020, according to a Boeing certification plan seen by Reuters.\n\nBoeing would have to sell more 777 freighters to avoid a slowdown in output caused by 777X delays, but Muilenburg pointed to what he called “strong demand signals” despite global trade tensions.\n\nThe grounding of the 737 MAX has sent shockwaves through the industry and also pushed back the launch of a new Boeing aircraft, a twin-aisle jet for the middle of the market.\n\nThat jetliner, known as NMA, is not just a crucial piece in Boeing’s fight with archrival Airbus (AIR.PA) in the lucrative longer-haul market but also lays foundations for the eventual development of a 737 replacement, industry sources have said.\n\nMuilenburg said the company is making progress on building the business case for NMA, but getting the MAX flying commercially remains its “top priority.”\n\n“We’re not going to run to any artificial timeline,” Muilenburg said, referring to a decision whether to launch the aircraft.\n\nBoeing said free cash flow fell to a negative $1.01 billion in the quarter, the first full quarter of operations since the MAX was banned commercially, though that was narrower than the negative $2.09 billion analysts had expected, according to IBES data from Refinitiv.\n\nBoeing Chief Financial Officer Greg Smith told analysts the 737 MAX compensation to airlines could hurt cash flow in 2019 and beyond, and said Boeing will continue to “diligently review all levers available” to minimize the financial impact.\n\nIndustry sources say the company has already embarked on cost cuts across the board.\n\nVertical Research Partners analyst Robert Stallard said in a note, however, that Boeing’s results “could have been worse.”\n\n“Although the headline numbers for 2Q look pretty grim, they are not as bad as we had been forecasting,” he said.\n\nThe company said it would issue a new 2019 outlook at a future date. It suspended giving any 2019 guidance in April.\n\nBoeing’s net loss for the second quarter was $2.94 billion, compared with a profit of $2.20 billion, a year earlier.\n\nSales slipped 35% to $15.75 billion and also came in below the average estimate of $18.55 billion, according to Refinitiv data.\n\nGlobal airlines have had to cancel thousands of flights and use spare aircraft to cover routes that were previously flown with the fuel-efficient MAX, eating into their profitability.", "NEW YORK (AFP) - Boeing reported its biggest loss ever on Wednesday (July 24) as the 737 Max crisis drags on, and the company warned it could be forced to temporarily halt production of the plane if the grounding is extended much longer.\n\nThe aviation giant's troubles have been mounting since the Max was taken out of service worldwide in March following two deadly crashes that claimed 346 lives, and it already set aside nearly US$5 billion to compensate customers.\n\nBut the warning it might have to suspend production of the aircraft jolted Wall Street, prompting losses to accelerate during a late-morning conference call with Boeing executives that reinforced the cloudiness surrounding the outlook.\n\nGetting the Max back in the air is a \"complex\" multi-regulator process \"that will take time to get done,\" Boeing chief executive Dennis Muilenburg said.\n\n\"We have a clear understanding of the work that has to be done but there is still uncertainty in the timeline.\"\n\nBoeing reported a loss of US$2.9 billion for the second quarter, a huge drop from the US$2.2 billion profit posted in the same period of last year.\n\nThe loss was not surprising following last week's announcement the company had set aside US$4.9 billion after taxes to compensate airlines for canceled flights and the delay in plane deliveries.\n\nMeanwhile, revenues in the latest quarter tumbled 35.1 per cent to US$15.8 billion, reflecting the hit suffered due to halted deliveries of the 737 Max, a top-selling plane.\n\nAnalysts from Cowen, an investment bank, pointed to a \"strong performance\" in production of Boeing's 787, another big seller, but noted the company pushed back first flight of the 777X, a new long-haul plane under development.\n\nThe company has blamed the delay on problems with the engine, which is being built by General Electric.\n\nAdding to the confused outlook, Boeing has still not updated its full-year profit forecast after withdrawing its targets in April due to uncertainty about the Max.\n\nHowever, at the same time it boosted dividend payments in the second quarter. Compared with last year, Boeing spent US$1.2 billion on dividends, up 20 percent from the year-ago period.\n\nTemporarily halting output \"is not something we want to do but it is an alternative we have to prepare for as a smart part of our thorough and disciplined process here to make sure we're covering all scenarios,\" Muilenburg said.\n\nBoeing in April cut production on the Max to 42 a month from 52, storing planes until the jet is cleared to fly. But it has not cut jobs at its Washington state factory.\n\nThe crisis already has rippled through the US economy, hitting manufacturing output as well as exports, which widens the politically-sensitive trade deficit and could drag on growth.\n\nTreasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Wednesday the Max is a priority for the White House.\n\n\"We want to absolutely make sure that before the 737 Max flies that it's safe,\" Mnuchin told CNBC. \"We need to figure out how they continue to compete against Airbus because they are a leading US company.\"\n\nAirlines have repeatedly pushed back the target date for returning the jets to service as the regulatory timeframe has dragged on.\n\nThe Federal Aviation Administration in June identified problems with microprocessor which extended the timeline.\n\nBoeing is developing a software fix to address a problem the \"MCAS\" flight handling system linked to both crashes.\n\nMuilenburg said the company is in daily contact with the FAA and still expects to submit its software fix to regulators in September, with approval about a month later. However, that timeframe is \"dynamic.\"\n\nHe also said the company also is in \"the middle of working our way\" through the FAA microprocessor issue.\n\n\"We know we're making progress,\" he said. \"But until we complete all of the certification activities, there's always some risk of new items opening up.\"\n\nBoeing shares have lost about 14 per cent since the Ethiopian Airlines crash in March, while the broader S&P 500 has gained about 10 per cent.", "July 24 (Reuters) - Boeing Co posted its largest-ever quarterly loss on Wednesday, diving nearly $3 billion into the red as it wrestles with a longer-than-expected grounding of its best-selling 737 MAX.\n\nThe world's largest planemaker also reported a fresh delay on its 777X widebody program as engine problems pushed the first flight into 2020 and it warned of possible further delays.\n\nInvestors largely shrugged off the large loss, which the company flagged last week, but sent shares lower after Muilenburg's comments on production, to trade about 2 percent lower.\n\nChicago-based Boeing has been unable to deliver any 737 MAX aircraft since the single-aisle plane was grounded worldwide in March after two fatal crashes in IndonesiaEthiopia and Indonesia killed 346 people in a span of five months.\n\nThe total cost so far of the 737 MAX crisis now exceeds $8 billion after Boeing disclosed a $4.9 billion charge last week that includes compensation the planemaker will have to pay airlines for the delayed deliveries.\n\nThe second-quarter loss was Boeing's biggest ever, according to company records. Click here to view an interactive graphic:\n\nBoeing has embarked on a campaign to restore faith in its most popular jet and has pledged to remove any risk by reprogramming the software pinpointed as a common factor in both crashes as it faces pressure to convince MAX operators and global regulators that the aircraft is safe to fly again.\n\n\"This is a defining moment for Boeing,\" Muilenburg told analysts, adding that the company has held weekly technical calls and a number of conferences with MAX operators around the world and nearly 225 sessions in flight simulators testing its software.\n\nMuilenburg said the company would consider further 737 output cuts below the current rate of 42 aircraft per month, or potentially suspending production if warranted.\n\nBoeing reduced the number of single-aisle aircraft it produces monthly in the Seattle area from 52 to 42 after the second crash in Ethiopia while suspending deliveries of the aircraft to airlines, cutting off a key source of cash and hitting margins.\n\nThe lower rate means Boeing has to pay more for parts, which are priced according to the volume Boeing buys. Boeing said it was working toward building 57 of the 737s a month in 2020, and that airplanes produced during the grounding and included within inventory will be delivered over several quarters following return to service.\n\nExecutives on the call were also expected to explain how Boeing will try to repair its image with the flying public and stem its loses, as well as more details on General Electric Co engine delays on the 777X widebody program.\n\nBoeing said its first flight of the 777X - the latest iteration of its popular long-range twin-aisle aircraft - is now delayed until early 2020 due to the engine problems announced last month, while its current plan for a first delivery to customers in late 2020 faced significant risk.\n\nThe 777-9, the larger of two new jets in the 777 family - was initially scheduled for first flight in the fourth quarter of 2018 with delivery to the first customer in the second quarter of 2020, according to a Boeing certification plan seen by Reuters.\n\nThe grounding of the 737 MAX has sent shockwaves through the industry and also pushed back the launch of a new Boeing aircraft, a twin-aisle jet for the middle of the market. That jetliner, known as NMA, is not just a crucial piece in Boeing's fight with archrival Airbus in the lucrative longer-haul market but also for the eventual development of a 737 replacement, industry sources have said.\n\nBoeing said free cash flow fell to a negative $1.01 billion in the quarter, the first full quarter of operations since the MAX was banned commercially, though that was narrower than the negative $2.09 billion analysts had expected, according to IBES data from Refinitiv.\n\nBoeing Chief Financial Officer Greg Smith told analysts the 737 MAX compensation to airlines could hurt cash flow in 2019 and beyond, and said Boeing will continue to \"diligently review all levers available\" to minimize the financial impact.\n\nVertical Research Partners analyst Robert Stallard said in a note that, \"although the headline numbers for 2Q look pretty grim, they are not as bad as we had been forecasting.\"\n\nThe company said it would issue a new 2019 outlook at a future date, as the current forecast, which was suspended in April following the two deadly crashes, does not reflect the recent charges.\n\nBoeing's net loss for the first full quarter of operations since 737 MAX commercial flights were halted was $2.94 billion, compared with a profit of $2.20 billion, a year earlier.\n\nSales slipped 35% to $15.75 billion and also came in below the average estimate of $18.55 billion, according to Refinitiv data.\n\nGlobal airlines have had to cancel thousands of flights and use spare aircraft to cover routes that were previously flown with the fuel-efficient MAX, eating into their profitability.", "Washington D.C.: Boeing on Wednesday (local time) said that it was considering the possibility of halting the production of 737 Max if the grounding of the aircraft continues further. Boeing has continued to build the 737 Max, its bestselling jet, although at a slower pace. The plane has been grounded since mid-March because of two fatal crashes that killed more than 300 people.\n\nBoeing hopes to get approval for the plane to fly again sometime early in the fourth quarter. CEO Dennis Muilenburg was quoted as saying by CNN that any further delays in approval to fly the 737 Max again could jeopardize its production. A further slowdown or temporary shutdown of 737 Max production is “not something we want to do, but an alternative that we have to prepare for,” Muilenburg told investors on a conference call.\n\nHe added that the company needs to prepare for that “to make sure we’ve covered all scenarios.” It is unclear when the 737 Max will be allowed to return to service. Boeing is working on a software fix to a safety system which is believed to have caused the two crashes.\n\n But it says it won’t be able to present that fix to aviation authorities until September at the earliest, and it hopes to have a certification flight in October.\n\nBecause of the grounding, the company reported its largest loss ever – amounting to USD 3.7 billion in the second quarter. Boeing said any slowdown or halt in production could lead to even more losses. The slower pace of 737 Max production has already increased Boeing’s production costs by about USD 1.7 billion. The company had already warned investors that it would take a USD five billion profit hit from its inability to deliver the 737 Max to its customers.", "DALLAS — Boeing Co.'s top executive said the company will consider temporarily shutting down production of the 737 Max if the plane's return is significantly delayed beyond the company's October forecast.\n\nThe comment by CEO Dennis Muilenburg underscores the uncertainty swirling around the company and its best-selling plane, which has been grounded since March after two deadly crashes.\n\nBoeing reported Wednesday that it suffered its biggest quarterly loss in at least two decades, nearly $3 billion, as it absorbed financial damage caused by the Max. Revenue plunged 35% after Boeing halted deliveries of any new Max jets.\n\nThe huge second-quarter loss was expected. Boeing removed much of the suspense from earnings day when it announced last week that it would take a $4.9 billion after-tax charge for the Max. The charge was calculated from Boeing's estimate of the cost of compensating airlines for lost use of their Max planes for several months. It did not include Boeing's potential liability from dozens of lawsuits filed by relatives of the 346 passengers who died in the two crashes.\n\nBoeing is updating U.S. and foreign regulators daily on its work to fix the plane. Based on those discussions, the company said last week that it expects the Max to resume flying early in the fourth quarter.\n\nThe Max assembly line near Seattle has stayed open, although at a reduced rate. The company even hopes to boost production gradually from the current 42 a month to 57 a month next year, but that assumes the plane will fly and Boeing will soon resume deliveries to airlines — jets have been piling up in Boeing lots since March.\n\n\"If that estimate of (an October) return to service substantially changes, then we'll have to consider alternatives,\" Muilenburg told analysts. \"Those alternatives could include different production rates, they could include a temporary shutdown of the line.\"\n\nMuilenburg's comments implied that the Federal Aviation Administration can review the company's changes to flight-control software in one month. The FAA has already been analyzing much of Boeing's work. An FAA spokesman said the agency has no preconceived timeline for returning the Max to service, and will do so only when it determines that the plane is safe.\n\nThe grounding of Boeing's plane has caused airlines including American, United and Southwest to cancel thousands of flights into early November. A pause in Max production would hit Boeing assembly workers and the company's suppliers, including engine maker General Electric.\n\nThe Max saga is already dinging durable-goods orders and U.S. exports.\n\nOrders for U.S. nondefense aircraft and parts fell 39.4% in the first five months of 2019, compared with the same period last year, according to Commerce Department figures. Exports of civilian aircraft fell 12% in that stretch, a drop of nearly $2.8 billion.\n\nTreasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin weighed in on the importance of fixing the Max, which was designed to compete with a plane built by Europe's Airbus.\n\n\"There is no question this is very important to us,\" he said on CNBC. \"We compete, Boeing versus Airbus, every day.\"\n\nThe company is one of the largest employers in the Charleston area, where it builds the 787 Dreamliner and has support operations for other aircraft programs.\n\nBoeing, which also builds planes in Washington state, said it lost $2.94 billion in the quarter, compared with a profit of $2.2 billion a year earlier. It reported an adjusted loss of $5.82 per share.\n\nWhile most of the focus Wednesday was on the troubled single-aisle 737 Max, Muilenburg said Boeing’s widebody planes, including the Dreamliners built in North Charleston, have done well “despite a fairly tough marketplace in terms of overall orders.”\n\nBoeing’s widebody production backlog includes 5,500 airplanes worth $390 billion, with 787s making up more than 550 of that count.\n\nMuilenburg pointed to a combined 33 Dreamliner sales — including 18 787-10 models built exclusively at the North Charleston campus — to Air New Zealand, Korean Air and Air Lease Corp. as a second-quarter highlight, adding that higher margins on the 787 helped to offset some of the 737 Max losses.\n\nMuilenburg said he expects demand for wide-bodies to grow as airlines look to replace their aging fleets in coming years.\n\n“We continue to see a significant wave of replacement demand early in the next decade,” he said. “And we believe our 787 and 777X families are perfectly positioned for that replacement wave that's coming. And you can see that our products are winning in the marketplace.”\n\nHe said Boeing remains confident in its build rate of 14 Dreamliners per month, split between North Charleston and Everett, Wash.\n\n“We're continuing to gain efficiency on that line and that's allowing us to be even more competitive in the marketplace,” Muilenburg said."], "summary": "Boeing reports its largest-ever quarterly loss, of US$2.9 billion, as a result of the grounding of its 737 MAX series, with the company saying that it could halt its production."}
{"document": ["\n• Europe is being blasted by another massive heat wave, that could break records again, one month after some countries experienced their highest-ever temperatures.\n• Two swimmers were found dead this week in England in the high heat, and two more are missing.\n• One French city has already set a new heat record, while temperatures across France, England, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany are expected to peak on Thursday.\n• Countries are on high alert as Paris, France, could reach 42 C (107.6 F), while parts of Germany could reach 41 C (105.8 F), and parts of Belgium are forecast to reach 40 C (104 F).\n\nEurope is battling a second extreme heat wave of the summer, which could break temperature records, and has already been associated with at least two deaths.\n\nThe heat is blasting northern and western Europe with temperatures that have already beaten some all-time records, and is yet to peak.\n\nMany places in Europe have not long recovered from a heatwave a few weeks ago which set new records.\n\nLondon is expected to reach 37 degrees Celsius (98.6 degrees Fahrenheit) on Thursday, and temperatures in England could top the all-time record there of 38.5 C Celsius (101.3 F).\n\nFrance, Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands are all preparing to be hit by extreme heat as well.\n\nLondon’s Metropolitan police said Wednesday that it found the body of one man who went swimming in the Thames, and that it was still searching for two other men who went missing in the river.\n\nPolice also found a body in a water park in Gloucestershire, south-western England, on Tuesday.\n\nRead more: How extreme summer heat affects your body and brain\n\nSwimming-related deaths tend to spike in extreme heat as people enter bodies of water – like the Thames – which are rarely used for swimming.\n\nThe French city of Bordeaux hit its highest-ever recorded temperature on Tuesday, at 41.2 degrees C (106.1 F), and France’s emergency services are on high alert as temperatures are set to rise into Thursday.\n\nParis could then reach 42 C (107.6 Farenheit) – the highest temperature ever recorded in the city.\n\nRead more: 6 unexpected ways to survive a heat wave without air conditioning, from freezing your sheets to practicing a ‘cooling breath’\n\nGerman Meteorological Service DWD warned that temperatures could reach 41 C (105.8 F) in some parts of the country on Thursday.\n\nAndreas Friedrich, a spokesperson for DWD, said: “If these predictions are met, this heatwave would go down in the history books\n\n“As a meteorologist, I have never seen anything like this before.”\n\nBrussels, Belgium, is forecast to reach 40 C on Thursday, and much of the country is on red alert, which Belgian authorities say are only issued for “extremely high temperatures.”\n\nRead more: The climate crisis is inherently unfair. These 9 countries will get hit especially hard as the globe heats up.\n\nThe Netherlands is under an orange alert until Friday, with authorities implementing the country’s national heat plan. Parts of the country could reach 39 C (102.2 F) on Thursday. The current record is 38.6 C (101.5 F).\n\nEngland’s public health service told people to “know the steps to take for keeping cool and that you’re looking out for those who are more vulnerable in the heat.”\n\nThe UK Met Office also urged people to look out for vulnerable people, like the elderly, and to keep out of direct sunlight. Train companies ran reduced services as they were forced to slow down to prevent railway lines from buckling in the heat.\n\nAccording to The Local France, 80 of the 96 regions in mainland France are on alert because of the heat, and water restrictions are in place across the country.\n\nLuxembourg, Italy, Austria, and Sweden are also facing temperatures higher than 30 degrees C (86 F).\n\nThe heat comes just one month after a huge heatwave gripped much of the continent, breaking June temperature records in Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic, giving France its highest-ever recorded temperature, and prompting one Spanish meteorologist to tweet: “Hell is coming.”\n\nOne French village recorded temperatures of 45.1 C (113.18 F), and France opened new public pools and parks in a bid to keep people cool and avoid a repeat of a 2003 heatwave was linked to the deaths of 15,000 French people.\n\nJune ended up being the hottest month ever on record around the world.\n\nMuch of the eastern US has also been hit by a heatwave this month, with “oppressive and dangerous” heat.", "Much of Western Europe is expected to face record-breaking temperatures again, with its second heatwave in a month set to reach its peak.A red alert has been issued in Northern France - with temperatures of 41C forecast in Paris\n\nBrussels (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News / Online - 25th July, 2019) Much of Western Europe is expected to face record-breaking temperatures again, with its second heatwave in a month set to reach its peak.A red alert has been issued in Northern France - with temperatures of 41C forecast in Paris.The UK is expecting 39C heat and trains have been ordered to run more slowly to stop rail tracks buckling in the heat.Belgian, German and Dutch temperature records could be broken for the second time in two days.\"Climate change has increased the likelihood and severity of heatwave episodes across Europe,\" the UK's national weather service said.Authorities have launched a red alert - the highest state of alert - in the Paris region and 19 other districts, and say temperatures could reach 42-43C in parts of the country.Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands had already recorded their highest-ever temperatures on Wednesday - of 39.9C, 40.5C and 39.3C respectively.But forecasters believe the mercury could soar even higher on Thursday, and the Netherlands could see a new record of 40C in the south-east.In France, officials have warned people to avoid travelling, and to work from home if possible.\n\nChildren's nurseries have also been closed.The chief architect responsible for restoring the Notre-Dame has warned that the extreme heat could lead to the cathedral roof collapsing if the joints and masonry holding up the roof dry up.French reports suggest five deaths might have been linked to the heatwave so far,Comparisons have been drawn to a heatwave in August 2003, which contributed to almost 15,000 deaths in the country.\n\nIn parts of north Germany, rivers and lakes have been drying up - with warnings that fish and mussels could be \"severely threatened\".Meanwhile, on Wednesday, a Eurostar train from Belgium to London broke down, trapping passengers.While extreme weather events like heatwaves occur naturally, \"research shows that with climate change they are likely to become more common, perhaps occurring as regularly as every other year\", the UK's Met Office says.Dr Peter Stott from the Met Office told BBC 5Live the latest heatwave is the result of both \"weather and climate acting in concert.\"What we have at the moment is this very warm stream of air, coming up from northern Africa, bringing with it unusually warm weather.\n\nBut without climate change we wouldn't have hit the peaks that we're hitting right now.\"The Met Office conducted a study last year that found that the UK was now 30 times more likely to experience heatwaves compared to the year 1750, because of \"the higher concentration of carbon dioxide (a greenhouse gas) in the atmosphere\".Records going back to the late 19th Century show that the average temperature of the Earth's surface has increased by about one degree since industrialisation.A climatology institute in Potsdam, Germany, says Europe's five hottest summers since 1500 have all been in the 21st Century.Scientists are concerned that rapid warming linked to use of fossil fuels has serious implications for the stability of the planet's climate.", "Europeans cooled off in public fountains Wednesday as a new heat wave spread across parts of the continent and was already breaking records.\n\nBelgium and Germany registered their highest-ever temperatures, while the Netherlands saw its hottest day in 75 years.\n\nAnd the mercury is expected to rise even further.\n\nParis and other parts of France could see temperatures exceeding 40 C (104 F) on Thursday along with Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg and Switzerland.\n\nThe heat is putting pressure on authorities to help protect the elderly and the sick. Air conditioning is not common at homes, offices, schools or hospitals in European cities.\n\nThe weather is also aggravating droughts since it hasn’t rained much in many parts of Europe this summer. The combination of heat, wind and possible lightning from thunderstorms also increases the risk of wildfires.\n\nWHY IS IT SO HOT?\n\nThe second likely-to-be-record-breaking heat wave in two months in Europe includes some of the same ingredients of the first — hot dry air coming from northern Africa. That hot air is trapped between cold stormy systems in the Atlantic and eastern Europe and forms “a little heat dome,” said Ryan Maue, a private meteorologist in the U.S.\n\nThis heat wave is a relatively short event where the heat comes with a southerly wind — and dust — from Africa’s Sahara Desert, in contrast to the big European heat waves of 2003 and 2010 which lasted much longer and were sustained by a stationary high pressure system with little wind, experts say.\n\nAt the end of June, several countries reported record temperatures, and France hit its all-time heat record: 46 C (114.8 F) in the small southern town of Verargues.\n\nHeat waves are happening more frequently in large parts of Europe, Asia and Australia, experts say. As the world warms, scientists say there will be more and hotter heat waves, but attributing single events to climate change involves precise computer modeling and calculations.\n\nA team of European climate scientists did a quick, non-peer reviewed analysis of Europe’s June heat wave and found man-made warming made it at least five times more likely.\n\n“Either of the two European heat waves this summer would have been remarkable in isolation. But now we are seeing multiple episodes of record heat in a given summer. By mid-century, we will simply call these episodes ‘summer’ — if we continue on this trajectory,” said Pennsylvania State University climate scientist Michael Mann, who wasn’t part of the European group.\n\nThe heat waves aren’t just because the world is 1 degree Celsius warmer than before the industrial era, but also because climate change and the melting of Arctic sea ice has slowed down the jet stream, which is the river of air that moves weather along, Mann said. The slow jet stream is “a big part of the story when it comes to these very persistent heat extremes we have seen in recent summers,” Mann said in an email.\n\nHOW HOT COULD IT GET THIS WEEK AND WHERE?\n\nTemperatures in France especially are likely to be 15 C (27 F) higher than normal, with Paris likely to break its all-time hottest record mark of 40.4 degrees (104.7 Fahrenheit). Surrounding areas around Paris may hit 41 or 42 C (106 to 108 Fahrenheit), weather experts said.\n\nThe Dutch meteorological institute tweeted that Wednesday’s heat wave broke a record that stood for nearly 75 years of the hottest temperature ever recorded in the Netherlands. The Dutch weather service Weerplaza said that the southern city of Eindhoven reported a temperature of 39.3 (102.7 F) Wednesday afternoon.\n\nBelgium measured its highest temperature since records were first kept in 1833. In sun-baked Kleine Brogel in northeastern Belgium, temperatures rose to 39.9 C (102.3 F), and the weather forecaster of the Royal Meteorological Institute said that it was “the highest ever Belgian temperature.”\n\nAlso, temperatures won’t cool down much at night, and maybe stay around 24 C (75 F) or higher.\n\nThe German Weather Service said a probable record high of 40.5 C (104.9 F) for the country was recorded in Geilenkirchen and put the entire country on heat alert. The previous record of 40.3 C (104.5 F) was set in 2015.\n\nWHAT ARE PEOPLE AND AUTHORITIES DOING TO STAY COOL?\n\nFrance in particular is haunted by the 2003 heat wave that killed an estimated 15,000 people there, most of them isolated elderly people whose families in many cases were on vacation. The country has since taken measures to try to ensure such a catastrophe isn’t repeated.\n\nThose measures include a color-coded heat alert system to warn people when temperatures are expected to rise to dangerous levels in their area. The alert system went to its maximum level of red for the first time during last month’s heat wave, when France saw its highest-ever recorded temperature.\n\nThere are also public service announcements on media and in public transportation systems about risks of high temperatures, telling people to drink water and watch out for isolated elderly people.\n\nMillions of euros in extra funding for emergency services, including more staff members in hospitals and nursing homes overwhelmed in 2003. A government report at the time blamed the death toll on lack of coordination among government agencies, nursing homes that lacked air conditioning and overnight staff, lack of a public alert system, and other problems.\n\nStill, few homes in France or Germany have air conditioning, and many public buildings also lack air conditioning, including hospitals and schools.\n\nIn the Netherlands, local authorities have taken an unusual precaution — with trucks scattering salt on the roads like they usually do in the winter.\n\nThe salt spreaders are usually used to prevent ice forming on Dutch roads in the cold, but Arnhem municipality started using them to cool off asphalt that is baking in the heat wave.\n\nThe city says in a statement that the salt “attracts moisture from the air and cools the asphalt.” It also prevents the asphalt from becoming sticky.\n\nAcross London, authorities started handing out water and sunscreen to homeless people and opened day centers for them to rest and shower. In the Lewisham district of the British capital, garbage collectors will start working as early as 5 a.m. in the morning to beat the heat.\n\nLondon police warned people not to swim in the city’s River Thames after a young man died there Tuesday night.\n\n“Whilst at times, the Thames may look appealing, especially in this hot weather, it remains very dangerous all year round,” police said in a statement. “On initial entry the water can seem warm on the surface, but further in it can be freezing cold and there are often very strong undercurrents.”\n\nWHEN IS IT OVER?\n\nThe heat wave will end in a few days. On the weekend, temperatures are expected to fall. However, quite often end of a heat wave brings storms, including lightning and heavy flooding.", "New maximums set in Belgium, Germany and Netherlands, as citizens swelter across Europe\n\nThis article is more than 1 month old\n\nThis article is more than 1 month old\n\nBelgium, Germany and the Netherlands have recorded their highest ever temperatures as the second extreme heatwave in as many months to be linked by scientists to the climate emergency grips the continent.\n\nThe Dutch meteorological service, KNMI, said the temperature reached 39.2C (102.5F) at the Gilze-Rijen airbase near Breda on Wednesday afternoon, exceeding the previous high of 38.6C set in August 1944.\n\nIn Belgium, the temperature in Kleine-Brogel hit 38.9C on Wednesday afternoon, fractionally higher than the previous record of 38.8C set in June 1947, and then subsequently rose to 39.9C. Forecasters said temperatures could climb further on Thursday.\n\nGermany’s national weather service, DWD, said it believed a new all-time national high of 40.5C – 0.2C higher than the record – had been set in the town of Geilenkirchen near the Dutch and Belgian borders, but had still to confirm it.\n\n“The most extreme heat will build from central and northern France into Belgium, the Netherlands and far western Germany into Thursday,” said Eric Leister of the forecasting group AccuWeather.\n\nAfter several cities in France broke previous temperature records on Tuesday, including Bordeaux, which hit 41.2C, the national weather service, Météo France, said Paris was likely to beat its all-time high of 40.4C, set in July 1947, with 42C on Thursday.\n\nCity records in Amsterdam and Brussels are also expected to fall. Cities are particularly vulnerable in heatwaves because of a phenomenon known as the urban heat island effect, in which concrete buildings and asphalt roads absorb heat during the day and emit it again at night, preventing the city from cooling.\n\nThe latest heatwave, caused by an “omega block” – a high-pressure pattern that blocks and diverts the jet stream, allowing a mass of hot air to flow up from northern Africa and the Iberian peninsula – follows a similar extreme weather event last month that made it the hottest June on record.\n\nQuick guide What is causing Europe's heatwaves? Show Hide Is this a record-breaking heatwave? Temperature records for this time of year have already been broken across much of Europe. The highest ever June temperatures were recorded in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria, Andorra, Luxembourg, Poland and Germany, while France registered an all-time record high of 45.9C. Why is it so hot? The latest heatwave, caused by an “omega block” – a high-pressure pattern that blocks and diverts the jet stream, allowing a mass of hot air to flow up from northern Africa and the Iberian peninsula – follows a similar extreme weather event last month that made it the hottest June on record. Is this heatwave a result of climate breakdown? It is not possible to pin the heatwave definitively on climate change because weather varies naturally. Moreover, the effects of climate change are not simple. For example, heavy rain and cloud across northern Europe is likely to become more common as the buildup of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere causes the jet stream weather system to become fixed in position. However, this year’s weather is certainly in line with the predictions scientists have made of rising temperatures, more heatwaves and prolonged droughts interspersed with periods of heavy flooding. What are the negative impacts of a heatwave? The body’s ability to regulate its own temperature is crucial; babies and older people are less well able to regulate their temperature and should stay in well-ventilated conditions. In the 2003 European heatwave there were about 70,000 excess deaths attributed to the long hot spell. People with underlying illnesses can also have problems, and even those who are healthy can experience difficulty sleeping and discomfort, so people are advised to stay hydrated and wear loose clothing at night. There is also an impact on farmers. While warmth at the right time is crucial for crop growth, excessively high temperatures can inhibit that growth, particularly if they are prolonged. Livestock can also suffer in the heat and need extra care. Fiona Harvey Environment correspondent\n\n\n\nThe highest ever June temperatures were recorded in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria, Andorra, Luxembourg, Poland and Germany, while France registered an all-time record high of 45.9C in the southern commune of Gallargues-le-Montueux.\n\nClare Nullis, a World Meteorological Organization spokeswoman, said the heatwaves bore the “hallmark of climate change”. The extreme events were “becoming more frequent, they’re starting earlier, and they’re becoming more intense”, she said. “It’s not a problem that’s going to go away.”\n\nThe 26-28 June heatwave in France was 4C hotter than a June heatwave would have been in 1900, according to World Weather Attribution, a new international programme helping the scientific community to analyse the possible influence of climate breakdown on extreme weather events.\n\nA study published earlier this year by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zürich said the summer heatwave across northern Europe last year would have been “statistically impossible” without climate change driven by human activity.\n\nFacebook Twitter Pinterest Rail passengers in Paris are given bottled water as temperatures on the city’s transport network soar. Photograph: Dominique Faget/AFP/Getty Images\n\nKNMI has issued a code orange extreme temperature warning for all of the Netherlands except the offshore Wadden Islands and implemented its “national heat emergency” plan, while Belgium has taken the unprecedented step of placing the entire country on a code red warning.\n\nSpain has also declared a red alert in the Zaragoza region, where the worst wildfires in 20 years took place last month. The EU’s Copernicus Emergency Management Service warned of an extreme danger of further forest fires in France and Spain on Thursday, with a high or very high threat level in Belgium, Germany, Italy and Portugal.\n\nTwenty French départements were also placed on red alert. Agnès Buzyn, the health minister, said: “Nobody is immune in the face of such extreme temperatures. There are risks even if you are not particularly vulnerable.”\n\nBritain’s Met Office issued similar advice and said the UK all-time high of 38.5C, recorded in Faversham, Kent, in August 2003, could be exceeded on Thursday.\n\nLocal authorities in France have placed restrictions on water usage in 73 of the country’s 96 départements following dramatic falls in ground and river water levels. “It’s tricky but under control, but we need to be very vigilant,” said the junior environment minister, Emmanuelle Wargon.\n\nFacebook Twitter Pinterest A thermometer shows the temperature outside the town hall of Belin-Béliet in south-western France. Photograph: Georges Gobet/AFP/Getty Images\n\nThe French energy company EDF said it was shutting down two reactors at its Golfech nuclear power plant in the southern Tarn-et-Garonne region in order to limit the heating of water used to keep the reactors cool.\n\nScientists have said such heatwaves are closely linked to the climate emergency and will be many times more likely over the coming decades.\n\nLast month, the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research said Europe’s five hottest summers since 1500 had all occurred in the 21st century – in 2002, 2003, 2010, 2016 and 2018.\n\nMonthly records were now falling five times as often as they would in a stable climate, the institute said, adding that this was “a consequence of global warming caused by the increasing greenhouse gases from burning coal, oil and gas”.\n\n• This article was amended on 25 July 2019 to add a temperature announced after publication. The Belgian weather service initially announced that Kleine-Brogel had hit 38.9C, but the temperature later rose to 39.9C.", "Tweet with a location\n\nYou can add location information to your Tweets, such as your city or precise location, from the web and via third-party applications. You always have the option to delete your Tweet location history. Learn more", "Records also tumbled in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany while Paris saw its highest ever temperature of 42.6 degrees Celsius (108.7 Fahrenheit), beating the previous top of 40.4C (104.7F) set in July 1947.\n\nTrains have been slowed in several European countries to avoid damage to the railway networks and French national operator SNCF urged travellers to delay journeys planned for Thursday.\n\nIn the sweltering French capital, tourists and locals alike made a beeline for fountains and even pools laid on by the authorities next to the Ourcq canal in the north of the city.\n\nAuthorities have warned people to keep an eye on those living alone and also to beware of taking the plunge to cool down after a spike in drownings.\n\nThe scorching weather spelled misery for millions of commuters on public transport.\n\n\"Its so hot in the metro, it's unbearable. There are so many people, no air conditioning and everyone is on top of each other,\" said Paris commuter Petra Ulm, 34, a clinical researcher.\n\nThe heatwave, which was expected to ease up on Friday as rain and thunderstorms move in, had again focused public attention on the problems caused by climate change.\n\nIn Britain, temperatures reached 36.9C (98.4F) at Heathrow, a record for July but still below the UK's all time high of 38.5C.\n\nThose lucky enough to be by the sea could still enjoy the weather.\n\n\"It's obviously not so good for some people, but if you've got the day off and young kids then it's great for a day on the beach,\" said Graham Clarke, 50, an insurance agent, enjoying the sands of Broadstairs in southeast England.\n\nThe Netherlands, which broke a record dating back to 1944 on Wednesday, hit a new high Thursday of 40.4C in the south.\n\nOn Thursday, Germany again hit a national record of 41.5 C (106.7F) in Lingen, western Germany.\n\nBelgium on Thursday also reached a new record high of 40.6 degrees Celsius (105F), on the Kleine-Brogel military base, in northeastern Belgium.\n\nTwo suspected drug smugglers had to call police in the Belgian port city of Antwerp after becoming trapped in a shipping container filled with cocaine, prosecutors said.\n\nHundreds of travellers were stuck on trains in sweltering conditions outside Paris for several hours late Wednesday after an electrical fire halted traffic in and out of the Gare de l'Est station in Paris.\n\nEurostar and Thalys services from Brussels to London and Paris also experienced major delays and cancellations after cable failure the day earlier.\n\n\"I ask everyone who can avoid or delay their journeys to do so,\" said French Environment Minister Elisabeth Borne, advising workers who could do their jobs at home not go to their offices.\n\nThe northern third of France, including Paris, was under a red alert while the rest of the country had a yellow warning and water-use restrictions were in force.\n\nIn Austria, a three-year-old child died of dehydration after going to sleep in a car parked in full sunshine at the family farm, local authorities said.\n\n'Look after others'\n\nFrance remains haunted by the early summer of 2003 when 15,000 deaths were blamed on the heat and the authorities were bitterly criticised for not mobilising fast enough.\n\n\"We need to take care of ourselves but above all others especially those who are alone, and be able to detect the first symptoms of heatstroke,\" said Prime Minister Edouard Philippe.\n\nLocal authorities have placed restrictions on water usage in many areas due to drought-like conditions that have seen ground and river water levels fall dramatically.\n\nThis summer's second heatwave has amplified concerns in Europe that human activity is heating the planet at a dangerous rate.\n\nThe June 26-28 blast of heat in France was four degrees Celsius (7.2 degrees Fahrenheit) hotter than an equally rare June heatwave would have been in 1900, the World Weather Attribution (WWA) team said this month.\n\nOne study by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology said the deadly, weeks-long heatwave across northern Europe in 2018 would have been statistically impossible without climate change.", "Kirsten Grieshaber and Seth Borenstein, The Associated Press \n\n \n\n\n\nBERLIN -- Europeans cooled off in public fountains Wednesday as a new heat wave spread across parts of the continent and was already breaking records.\n\nBelgium and Germany registered their highest-ever temperatures, while the Netherlands saw its hottest day in 75 years.\n\nAnd the mercury is expected to rise even further.\n\nParis and other parts of France could see temperatures exceeding 40 C (104 F) on Thursday along with Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg and Switzerland.\n\nThe heat is putting pressure on authorities to help protect the elderly and the sick. Air conditioning is not common at homes, offices, schools or hospitals in European cities.\n\nThe weather is also aggravating droughts since it hasn't rained much in many parts of Europe this summer. The combination of heat, wind and possible lightning from thunderstorms also increases the risk of wildfires.\n\nWHY IS IT SO HOT?\n\nThe second likely-to-be-record-breaking heat wave in two months in Europe includes some of the same ingredients of the first -- hot dry air coming from northern Africa. That hot air is trapped between cold stormy systems in the Atlantic and eastern Europe and forms \"a little heat dome,\" said Ryan Maue, a private meteorologist in the U.S.\n\nThis heat wave is a relatively short event where the heat comes with a southerly wind -- and dust -- from Africa's Sahara Desert, in contrast to the big European heat waves of 2003 and 2010 which lasted much longer and were sustained by a stationary high pressure system with little wind, experts say.\n\nAt the end of June, several countries reported record temperatures, and France hit its all-time heat record: 46 C (114.8 F) in the small southern town of Verargues.\n\nHeat waves are happening more frequently in large parts of Europe, Asia and Australia, experts say. As the world warms, scientists say there will be more and hotter heat waves, but attributing single events to climate change involves precise computer modeling and calculations.\n\nA team of European climate scientists did a quick, non-peer reviewed analysis of Europe's June heat wave and found man-made warming made it at least five times more likely.\n\n\"Either of the two European heat waves this summer would have been remarkable in isolation. But now we are seeing multiple episodes of record heat in a given summer. By mid-century, we will simply call these episodes 'summer' -- if we continue on this trajectory,\" said Pennsylvania State University climate scientist Michael Mann, who wasn't part of the European group.\n\nThe heat waves aren't just because the world is 1 degree Celsius warmer than before the industrial era, but also because climate change and the melting of Arctic sea ice has slowed down the jet stream, which is the river of air that moves weather along, Mann said. The slow jet stream is \"a big part of the story when it comes to these very persistent heat extremes we have seen in recent summers,\" Mann said in an email.\n\nHOW HOT COULD IT GET THIS WEEK AND WHERE?\n\nTemperatures in France especially are likely to be 15 C (27 F) higher than normal, with Paris likely to break its all-time hottest record mark of 40.4 degrees (104.7 Fahrenheit). Surrounding areas around Paris may hit 41 or 42 C (106 to 108 Fahrenheit), weather experts said.\n\nThe Dutch meteorological institute tweeted that Wednesday's heat wave broke a record that stood for nearly 75 years of the hottest temperature ever recorded in the Netherlands. The Dutch weather service Weerplaza said that the southern city of Eindhoven reported a temperature of 39.3 (102.7 F) Wednesday afternoon.\n\nBelgium measured its highest temperature since records were first kept in 1833.In sun-baked Kleine Brogel in northeastern Belgium, temperatures rose to 39.9 C (102.3 F), and the weather forecaster of the Royal Meteorological Institute said that it was \"the highest ever Belgian temperature.\"\n\nAlso, temperatures won't cool down much at night, and maybe stay around 24 C (75 F) or higher.\n\nThe German Weather Service said a record high of 40.5 C (104.9 F) for the country was recorded in Geilenkirchen and put the entire country on heat alert. The previous record of 40.3 C (104.5 F) was set in 2015.\n\nWHAT ARE PEOPLE AND AUTHORITIES DOING TO STAY COOL?\n\nFrance in particular is haunted by the 2003 heat wave that killed an estimated 15,000 people there, most of them isolated elderly people whose families in many cases were on vacation. The country has since taken measures to try to ensure such a catastrophe isn't repeated.\n\nThose measures include a colour-coded heat alert system to warn people when temperatures are expected to rise to dangerous levels in their area. The alert system went to its maximum level of red for the first time during last month's heat wave, when France saw its highest-ever recorded temperature.\n\nThere are also public service announcements on television, radio and in public transportation systems about risks of high temperatures, telling people to drink water and watch out for isolated elderly people.\n\nMillions of euros in extra funding for emergency services, including more staff members in hospitals and nursing homes overwhelmed in 2003. A government report at the time blamed the death toll on lack of co-ordination among government agencies, nursing homes that lacked air conditioning and overnight staff, lack of a public alert system, and other problems.\n\nStill, few homes in France or Germany have air conditioning, and many public buildings also lack air conditioning, including hospitals and schools.\n\nIn the Netherlands, local authorities have taken an unusual precaution -- with trucks scattering salt on the roads like they usually do in the winter.\n\nThe salt spreaders are usually used to prevent ice forming on Dutch roads in the cold, but Arnhem municipality started using them to cool off asphalt that is baking in the heat wave.\n\nThe city says in a statement that the salt \"attracts moisture from the air and cools the asphalt.\" It also prevents the asphalt from becoming sticky.\n\nAcross London, authorities started handing out water and sunscreen to homeless people and opened day centres for them to rest and shower. In the Lewisham district of the British capital, garbage collectors will start working as early as 5 a.m. in the morning to beat the heat.\n\nLondon police warned people not to swim in the city's River Thames after a young man died there Tuesday night.\n\n\"Whilst at times, the Thames may look appealing, especially in this hot weather, it remains very dangerous all year round,\" police said in a statement. \"On initial entry the water can seem warm on the surface, but further in it can be freezing cold and there are often very strong undercurrents.\"\n\nWHEN IS IT OVER?\n\nThe heat wave will end in a few days. On the weekend, temperatures are expected to fall. However, quite often end of a heat wave brings storms, including lightning and heavy flooding.\n\nSeth Borenstein reported from Washington. Elaine Ganley and Angela Charlton in Paris, Natasha Livingstone in London, Mike Corder in The Hague, Netherlands, and Raf Casert in Brussels contributed reporting", "Temperature records began to fall across France on Tuesday, and more are expected in the upcoming days as locations brace for the second major heat wave of the summer.(106.2 F). Several other locations across southwestern France also reported all-time high temperatures on Tuesday, according to Meteo France Temperature records continued to be shattered on Wednesday asIn Belgium, a high temperature of 39.9 C (103.8 F) was reported in Kleine Brogel, settingThe most extreme heat will now build from central and northern France into Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg and far western Germany into Thursday.Record-breaking temperatures are possible in several major metropolitan areas including Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam on Thursday.Despite Wednesday's record heat, the hottest day of the heat wave is expected on Thursday, when(104.7 F) at Parc Montsouris, set more than 70 years ago. AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures will mirror actual temperatures throughout the day. Despite the intense July sunshine, a moderate breeze, occasional clouds and relatively low humidity will prevent it from feeling hotter than the readings on thermometers.The French government has also banned animal transportation \"for economic reasons\" between the hours 1:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m., local time, in areas affected by orange and red heat alerts, according to AFP Meanwhile, the cities of Paris and Lyon have also banned heavily polluting vehicles from entering the center of both cities in a bid to keep the air clean during the heat wave.High temperatures of 38 C (101 F) and 36 C (97 F) in Brussels and Amsterdam will also threaten all-time high temperatures records for each city.Farther east, several days of temperatures in excess of 32 C (90 F) are forecast for Frankfurt, Berlin, Munich and Milan.The interior of Spain will also endure several more days of intense heat. A high temperature of 38 C (100 F) on Wednesday and Thursday is expected and would result in a seven-day stretch of such temperatures.The United Kingdom will also have to cope with the brutal heat as the county's all-time high temperature record may fall on Thursday. The current record is 38.5 C (101.3 F).Warm nights with temperatures failing to fall below 21 C (70 F) will make sleeping difficult for anyone without air conditioning and also raise the risk of heat-related illnesses in the youth and elderly as buildings are unable to cool before intense sunshine causes temperatures to rise the following day.Residents should be sure to drink plenty of water, wear light clothing and avoid strenuous activities during the hottest times of the day.The heat could affect riders and spectators through the final stages of the Tour de France. The highest temperatures of the next several days are expected on Wednesday as riders approach the mountains in temperatures near 38 C (100 F).Stages in the mountains from Thursday to Saturday will limit the extreme heat, but riders will still have to contend with above-normal temperatures during several mountain climbs. Saturday's stage will also be at risk for rain and thunderstorms as cooler air arriving from the northwest clashes with the heat.The Tour de France will conclude on Sunday in Paris where a shower or thunderstorm will be possible, but heat will not be an issue with a high temperature of 22 C (71 F).Residents should ensure that the elderly, children and pets have sufficient ways to stay cool. Finding shade is also important in order to get out of the direct rays of the sun.Remember that locked vehicles without air conditioning can quickly become death traps for children and pets.Relief from the heat will first come to areas from the United Kingdom to northern Spain and parts of France on Friday.Following Thursday's record-challenging heat, Friday's temperatures will fall a few degrees but remain unseasonably high from Paris to Madrid.Dangerous heat will continue to grip areas from northeastern France into western Germany and Netherlands on Friday where temperatures will approach 38 C (100 F).Showers and thunderstorms will accompany the arrival of the cooler air bringing the risk of localized flash flooding, damaging winds and hail.The influx of cold air will struggle to expand eastward into Germany and Poland where many locations will continue to endure high temperatures near 32 C (90 F) on Saturday before temperatures trend closer to normal on Sunday.The intense heat will also elevate the risk for wildfires across the region. Several large wildfires broke out across central Portugal in recent days, injuring at least 39 people according to the Associated Press", "After a June heat wave smashed national temperature records in France and broke historic June records across Europe, a mass of hot air has returned to the continent.\n\nOn Wednesday, the Netherlands Meteorological Institute reported that the nation's all-time temperature record, which stood for the last 75 years, fell as temperatures hit 101.8 degrees Fahrenheit (38.8 C).\n\nBelgium broke its national heat record too, as temperatures reached 103.8 F (39.9 C), reported David Dehenauw, the head of forecasting at the Royal Meteorological Institute of Belgium. And the the German Meteorological Service announced its highest temperature in recorded history, of 104.9 degrees Fahrenheit (40.5 C).\n\nThe Germany weather agency noted that this brand new record might last for one day.\n\nThat's because there's substantially more heat to come. On Thursday, the UK Met Office expects temperatures to reach over 102 F (39 C), easily toppling the nation's previous temperature record by nearly 1 degree F. Meanwhile, France's weather agency, Météo-France, predicts temperatures could reach 107.6 F (42 C) in Paris. This would smash the previous Parisian record of 40.4 C, set over 70 years ago. (Paris has temperature records going back to 1658, when Louis the Great reigned over the country.)\n\nWhile heat waves are natural occurrences — typically caused by persistent weather patterns that allow big zones of high pressure to settle over a region and bring clear skies and warm air — Earth's relentlessly rising levels of background warming amplify heat waves, like an athlete pumping performance-enhancing drugs. This means that historic temperatures are expected to fall, have been falling, and will continue to fall.\n\n\"Global temperatures are increasing due to climate change and this means that Europe can expect more record-breaking heatwaves in the future,\" Len Shaffrey, a climate scientist at the University of Reading in the UK, told Mashable during June's heat wave.\n\nBoosted global temperatures have at least doubled the probability of heat extremes in Europe, similar to last summer's scorching events, Shaffrey added.\n\nOver the last 100 years, Europe has experienced an increase in heat waves. Since 1500 AD, the region's five hottest summers have occurred in 2018, 2016, 2010, 2003, and 2002.\n\nEuropean warming is right in line with the overall warming trend seen around the globe: Since 2001,18 of the last 19 years have been the warmest on record.\n\nJune 2019 rounded out as the warmest June in 139 years of record keeping. July could soon follow in its footsteps, meaning this July is in the running to be the hottest month ever recorded.\n\nUPDATE: July 24, 2019, 3:44 p.m. EDT: This story was updated to include Germany's temperature record.", "PARIS (AP) — Hot, hotter, hottest! Paris, London and places across Europe are sweltering under all-time high temperatures or near-record heat Thursday as the second heat wave this summer bakes the continent.\n\nClimate scientists warn this could become the new normal in many parts of the world. But temperate Europe — where air conditioning is rare — isn’t equipped for the temperatures frying the region this week.\n\nSo tourists frolicked in fountains to seek relief, and authorities and volunteers fanned out to help the elderly, sick and homeless hit hardest by the heat. Trains were canceled in Britain and France, and French authorities urged travelers to stay home.\n\nOne by one, heat records are being broken across Europe. On Thursday afternoon the Paris area hit 40.6 C (105.1 F,) beating the previous record of 40.4 C (104.8 F) in 1947. Authorities said the temperature was still rising, as a result of hot, dry air coming from northern Africa that’s trapped between cold stormy systems.\n\nLondon expects to see 39 C (102 F). And swaths of Germany, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Switzerland could face temperatures exceeding 40 C (104 F).\n\n In Belgium, the meteorological institute said the nation saw temperatures rise past the 40 C mark for the first time since records were kept in 1833. The new all-time high now stood at 40.2 C (104.4 F), recorded close to Liege in eastern Belgium’s Angleur on Wednesday.\n\nGermany recorded 40.5 degrees (104.9 F) Wednesday, and the German Weather Service is expecting even higher temperatures Thursday.\n\n In Austria, a 2-year-old died of dehydration in the country’s Styria region after he climbed into an overheated parked car without his family noticing and fell asleep in it."], "summary": "Highest-ever temperatures are recorded in Germany (at 40.5°C or 104.9°F), the Netherlands (at 39.2°C or 102.5°F), and Belgium (at 38.9°C or 102.0°F)."}
{"document": ["Theresa May leaves Buckingham Palace after resigning as U.K. prime minister\n\nLONDON (AP) — Theresa May leaves Buckingham Palace after resigning as U.K. prime minister.", "The votes are in and the new Tory leader is being announced at 11.40am today.\n\nBoris Johnson is expected to win the contest after a ballot of around 160,000 Conservative Party members across the UK.\n\nThe winner gives a short acceptance speech laying out their ambitions for the role.\n\nThey then become Prime Minister tomorrow, after Theresa May goes to Buckingham Palace to hand in her resignation following PMQs .\n\nThe announcement is being held at the Queen Elizabeth II conference centre in Westminster - opposite the Houses of Parliament.\n\nWatch live on the stream above or you can visit our full live blog here.", "The Queen uses this £550 Dyson fan to keep cool at home at Buckingham Palace\n\nWhile meeting new Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, the Queen revealed how she keeps cool at Buckingham Palace.\n\nThis week is an absolute scorcher - with the weather forecast predicting sweltering temperatures of almost 30 degrees.\n\nAnd while it stands to reason that even Liz has her ways of keeping her cool in the hot weather, we're a little surprised the British monarch doesn't have AC set up in her home at Buckingham Palace.\n\nInstead, it's been revealed that Queen Elizabeth II uses a £550 Dyson fan.\n\nEagle-eyed Twitter users spotted the floor fan during her meeting with the UK's new Prime Minister, Boris Johnson - the 14th leader to serve under the monarch.\n\nOne user wrote: \"BREAKING NEWS... Forget the new prime minister, the Queen has a Dyson cool fan.\"\n\nAnother added: \"I usually enjoy seeing HM The Queen meeting a new PM. However, I was more admiring her choice of Dyson fan. Probably to help clear the mugginess from the room...\"\n\nA third chimed in: \"F**king hell the Queen really is rich. She's got a Dyson fan.\"\n\nBozza, 55, met with Her Majesty earlier today, after it was announced that the Tory candidate won comfortably against Jeremy Hunt. Boris received a whopping 92,153 votes compared to his rival's 46,656.\n\nAs is tradition, the monarch extended an invite to Johnson, asking him to form a new government.\n\nHis journey along London's Mall was not without its dramas, as climate change protestors attempted to block the PM's motorcade. They were quickly removed by police, however.", "Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II looks at a painting of Queen Victoria inspecting wounded Coldstream Guardsmen, 1855, by artist John Gilbert, as part of the exhibition to mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of Queen Victoria, for the Summer Opening of Buckingham Palace, London, Wednesday July 17, 2019. Queen Elizabeth toured the exhibition featuring the story of her great-grandmother Queen Victoria. (Victoria Jones/Pool via AP)\n\nLONDON (AP) — Queen Elizabeth II has seen this production before. Before Wednesday, the monarch has had 13 people form a government for her since becoming queen in 1952. That means Boris Johnson was the 14th prime minister of her reign so far. Here’s a look at the British power handover:\n\nAfter being applauded by Downing Street staff, Prime Minister Theresa May traveled the mile (1.6 km) to Buckingham Palace to resign and asked the monarch to invite fellow Conservative Johnson to form a new government.\n\nMay entered the palace as the nation’s leader but upon departing she was just a lawmaker for her Maidenhead constituency, joining the 649 other lawmakers in the House of Commons.\n\nMay is one of Britain’s shortest-serving prime ministers in the last 100 years. Her premiership has lasted a total of 1,106 days — enough to outrun just six of the 22 people to have been prime minister since the start of the last century.\n\nOUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW\n\nAfter her visit to the queen, May did not return to 10 Downing St., a Georgian residence in London with approximately 100 rooms just a few minutes’ walk from Parliament.\n\nJohnson, on the other hand, went to see the queen shortly after May left Buckingham Palace. He then returned to No. 10 as the country’s new prime minister and outlined his vision for the future in a rousing speech Wednesday afternoon that promised to deliver Brexit by Oct 31 with “no ifs, ands or buts.” Resignations and firings of government ministers and top officials then went on for hours.\n\nWith the revolving door of government spinning, one key member of the Downing Street team will stay on the job: Larry the Cat.\n\nThe 12-year-old tabby is the government’s official Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office. Larry’s Twitter feed proudly notes that he’s been in office longer than the current leader of any U.K. political party.\n\nLarry’s tenure in office began with former Prime Minister David Cameron, who tired of television crews spotting mice on the doorstep. Cameron and his family picked out Larry at a London animal shelter.\n\nThe gleaming black door of No. 10 Downing Street offers the backdrop for Larry’s daily catwalk, but since appearing on the street he has also been photographed in less glamorous poses. He’s also known for catfights with Palmerston, the chief mouser at the nearby Foreign Office.\n\nSome in government just never get along.\n\nFor more on AP’s Brexit coverage, https://www.apnews.com/Brexit", "Theresa May leaves Buckingham Palace after resigning as U.K. prime minister\n\nLONDON (AP) — Theresa May leaves Buckingham Palace after resigning as U.K. prime minister.", "New British Prime Minister Boris Johnson leaves Buckingham Palace after being appointed by Queen Elizabeth II\n\nLONDON (AP) — New British Prime Minister Boris Johnson leaves Buckingham Palace after being appointed by Queen Elizabeth II.", "Theresa May leaves Buckingham Palace after resigning as U.K. prime minister\n\nLONDON (AP) — Theresa May leaves Buckingham Palace after resigning as U.K. prime minister.", "(LONDON) — Buckingham Palace says that Theresa May has tendered her resignation to Queen Elizabeth II, clearing the way for Boris Johnson to become the new prime minister of the United Kingdom.\n\nThe monarch accepted, setting in train the handover of power.\n\nJohnson arrived at the palace a short time later on Wednesday, having been briefly interrupted by climate protesters who formed a human chain attempting to stop his motorcade.", "Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday congratulated Boris Johnson on becoming the new Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. (Photo: Twitter/ @narendramodi)\n\nNew Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday congratulated Boris Johnson on becoming the new Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.\n\n\"Congratulations @BorisJohnson on assuming office as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. I wish you success and look forward to working with you to further strengthen India - UK partnership in all spheres. @10DowningStreet,\" Modi twote on Twitter.\n\nBeginning a new chapter in the British politics, Boris Johnson on Wednesday officially became the Prime Minister of the country, following the official step down of his predecessor Theresa May.\n\nJohnson visited Buckingham Palace where he met Queen Elizabeth II for over half an hour. The Royal family tweeted an image of Johnson with the queen and confirmed that he has been asked to form the government, reported CNN.\n\nJohnson on Tuesday had won the race to become the head of the conservative party after securing 92,153 votes to his rival Jeremy Hunt's 46,656 votes. 1,60,000 grassroots Conservative party members across the UK had voted to choose the next occupant of 10 Downing Street after May's departure.", "New British Prime Minister Boris Johnson leaves Buckingham Palace after being appointed by Queen Elizabeth II\n\nLONDON (AP) — New British Prime Minister Boris Johnson leaves Buckingham Palace after being appointed by Queen Elizabeth II."], "summary": "Theresa May visits Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace to officially resign and recommend her replacement as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom."}
{"document": ["LONDON — Boris Johnson arrives at Buckingham Palace to be appointed Britain’s next prime minister.\n\nCopyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.", "What will British foreign policy be like under Boris Johnson’s leadership? With tensions rising between the U.K. and Iran, this is a pressing question.\n\nJohnson, Britain’s newly confirmed prime minister, has been described as the U.K.’s “worst foreign secretary in living memory.” To be fair, this description was by Matthew Parris, an anti-Brexit columnist at the Times of London who, along with many others, blames Johnson for Britain’s decision to leave the EU in 2016. Parris has also described Johnson as a “habitual liar,” “cheat,” “conspirator,” and “cruel betrayer [of women].”\n\nNonetheless, there are plenty of reasons to be concerned.\n\nJohnson served as Britain’s highest-ranking diplomat under Theresa May from July 2016 until his resignation in 2018 (thanks to irreconcilable differences over Brexit). May’s decision to give Johnson a cabinet role was widely considered an indictment of keeping one’s friends close and one’s enemies closer. But it wasn’t exactly plain sailing from thereon.\n\nOn a rhetorical level, Johnson’s journalistic flair and polemical tendencies have brought problems. In the realm of diplomacy, gaffes have consequences.\n\nTwo months prior to his appointment, Johnson had won The Spectator’s “most offensive Erdogan poem” contest — a competition devised by Douglas Murray in response to Angela Merkel’s decision to censor a German comedian who had been rude about Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Murray wanted to prove that “in Britain we still live and breathe free.” Johnson’s victorious entry was as follows:\n\nNaturally, this made Johnson’s visit to Turkey as foreign secretary rather awkward. A far graver indelicacy was in 2017 when Johnson endangered a British-Iranian woman imprisoned in Tehran by mistakenly saying she had been “teaching people journalism.” Though Johnson corrected this, it was used as evidence against her. His decision to cite Rudyard Kipling’s poem Mandalay (a product of the colonialist era) during a visit to the Myanmar temple was described as “not appropriate” by the British ambassador — and caught on mic.\n\nOn a policy level, Johnson has also been criticized for being too cozy with the Saudis. He disagreed with Trump’s decision to withdraw from the Iran deal. He appears sympathetic to Israel. Johnson has been highly critical of President Trump in the past; however, his Euroskepticism is accompanied by an enthusiasm for the special (U.K.-U.S.) relationship and genuine desire to work closely with the 45th president. Trump seems receptive to this.\n\nBoris Johnson’s foreign policy — unpredictable as it is consequential — will be worth watching closely.", "The Queen invited the new Tory leader to become Prime Minister during an audience at Buckingham Palace this afternoon. But Mr Johnson broke royal protocol when he went on to share what Her Majesty said to him when they met, Euronews and NBC News journalist Vincent McAviney claimed.\n\nThe reporter tweeted that Mr Johnson said the Queen told him: “I don’t know why anyone would want the job [of Prime Minister].” McAviney added: “The PM revealed it during a tour in Number 10 before being told off by staff not to repeat those things so loudly.” In a statement Buckingham Palace said: “The Queen received in Audience The Right Honourable Boris Johnson MP this afternoon and requested him to form a new Administration.\n\n“Mr Johnson accepted Her Majesty’s offer and kissed hands upon his appointment as Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury.” Following his meeting with the Queen, the new Prime Minister delivered a rousing speech outside 10 Downing Street. He said: “I pay tribute to the fortitude and patience of my predecessor and her deep sense of public service, but in spite of all her efforts, it has become clear that there are pessimists at home and abroad who think after three years of indecision that this country has become a prisoner to the old arguments of 2016 and in this home of democracy we are incapable of honouring a democratic mandate. “And so I am standing before you today, to tell you the British people, that those critics are wrong - the doubters, the doomsters, the gloomsters are going to get it wrong again.\n\n“The people who bet against Britain are going to lose their shirts because we are going to restore trust in our democracy. “And we are going to fulfil the repeated promises of Parliament to the people and come out of the EU on October 31 no ifs or buts. “And we will do a new deal, a better deal that will maximise the opportunities of Brexit while allowing us to develop a new and exciting partnership with the rest of Europe based on free trade and mutual support.", "In Derry the talk is of sunshine, football, and Boris Johnson.\n\nThe city centre is crowded with spectators waiting for the parade which marks the beginning of the Foyle Cup. The youth football tournament takes place in the northwest every July; this year’s competition will see more than 400 teams compete in over 1,500 matches.\n\nTeams are visiting from as far away as Finland and France; big names such as Hibernians and Sheffield United are taking part, as well as local teams including Buncrana Hearts and Eglinton Eagles. Yet as families try to spot their children or grandchildren in the crowd, it’s the day of the Conservative party leader announcement and many are also checking their phones. “Is the result in yet?” one asks.\n\nBy the time the parade reaches the main Guildhall Square, it is confirmed, Boris Johnson will be the UK’s next prime minister.\n\nFrom Kyra McDowell, there is a grimace at the mention of Johnson’s name. She and her son Rory (9) are keeping watch for his older brother Ryan, who plays for Oxford United in Derry.\n\n“I don’t think either Jeremy Hunt or Boris Johnson care about Northern Ireland but he [Johnson] is the greater of the two evils. He’s definitely the Donald Trump of the UK, unfortunately.”\n\n“It’s the hair, obviously,” one bystander chips in.\n\n“I’m extremely concerned that we’ll just be forgotten about,” says McDowell. “Again.” She gestures towards the parade. “There’s been such great work done to bring everybody together and I just think now we’re going to take a few steps back – maybe we won’t ever go forwards.\n\n“A lot of the steps forward that Derry has made have been as a result of European funding, like the Peace Bridge, so my concern is about what’s going to happen to that. It’s not going to be one of Boris Johnson’s priorities.\n\n“I was telling my son this morning that there are teams from all over the world here and that it gets bigger every year, so what impact is Brexit going to have on that? Teams stay in Donegal because the hotels in Derry are completely full, so what are they going to do next year if there is a Border up?”\n\nBeside her Denise Armstrong, from Kesh, Co Fermanagh, is waiting for her grandson Matthew and his team, NFC Kesh.\n\n“A no-deal Brexit would be a disaster financially,” she says. “You look at the farmers, all the milk that goes across the Border, we’re so insignificant to people like Boris Johnson. It scares me, it definitely does scare me\n\n“He’s committed to Brexit regardless and I can’t see us getting a deal between now and then, so if there’s going to be no backstop that just leaves us totally isolated.”\n\nHer sentiment is repeated among those watching. Colin Grimes’ son Cormac plays for Tummery Athletic, based in Dromore, Co Tyrone. “I was just thinking, watching the parade going down the hill, that it was lovely to see such a big crowd and it for to be all non-political, that’s something different for this country.\n\n“But to have Boris Johnson and Donald Trump at the same time – it’s a difficult time for Ireland.”\n\nIs he concerned? “Absolutely. You just get the feeling Boris Johnson doesn’t really care about us. He’s willing to do a no-deal Brexit so he obviously doesn’t care about here, or about whatever local people think. It’s whatever suits his agenda.”\n\nHe is one of many to reference the US president alongside Johnson. Also watching are Robert and Alice Dawson from Portadown, who are trying to spot their grandson in the parade.\n\n“I think it’ll be alright,” says Robert. “He [Johnson] is like Donald Trump, he’s very impetuous. Some people don’t like Donald Trump, but other people love him.\n\n“The reality is for any prime minister, for any county, they’re only a figurehead. It’s the civil servants who run the country, and his advisors.\n\n“I think he’s a good thing, because he’s different from the rest,” adds Robert. “And he can’t be any worse. I thought Theresa May was good but then she became too weak when she went across to Europe, she allowed herself maybe to be pushed about a bit.”\n\nHis wife Alice disagreed. “Sometimes when you read things about him and the life he has lived you think, is this the man we want to lead our nation, is this the man to be prime minister, is he a man of integrity?”\n\nWhat does she think? “No” – then qualifies: “But I don’t know him. I only know Boris Johnson from what’s in the media, and can you believe anything in the media these days?”\n\n“I think he acts the fool a lot, he doesn’t seem to be a responsible type of person,” says Maria Mooney. “Well, he gives that impression anyway. He and Trump are very similar.”\n\nShe and her family are waiting for her grandson Shea (9), a member of the Eglinton Eagles.\n\n“I’ve no time for Boris. I don’t think he’s any time for Northern Ireland at all or the people on the Border. I’m concerned about jobs, about the impact on farmers, about everything.”\n\nHer daughter-in-law Darina Mooney agrees. “I am worried. He comes across as if he’s not very serious. To me, he’s not like a leader.”\n\n“I think he just wants to please the British people,” says her father-in-law Pat Mooney, “and doesn’t care what happens here.” His final piece of advice? “Good luck to our country.”", "Boris Johnson has become Prime Minister after a meeting with the Queen in Buckingham Palace.\n\nThe Tory leader, whose progress to his meeting with the Queen was briefly disrupted by climate change protesters, was appointed after Theresa May resigned.\n\nREAD MORE: Senior SNP figures acting like ‘golf club bores’ over IndyRef2\n\n\n\nThe new Prime Minister has made clear he will leave the European Union on October 31, with or without a deal, but Mrs May used her farewell statement to say his priority must be a Brexit \"that works for the whole United Kingdom\".\n\nMinutes after Mrs May left Buckingham Palace to offer her resignation to the Queen, Mr Johnson arrived to be appointed as her successor.\n\nAs his car drove along The Mall to the palace, banner-waving climate change protesters from Greenpeace attempted to impede its journey.\n\nMr Johnson used his first speech as Prime Minister to insist that Brexit will be delivered, and that he will give the country \"the leadership it deserves\".\n\nSpeaking outside 10 Downing Street, the Tory leader said he would meet the October 31 deadline \"no ifs or buts\".\n\nWatched by girlfriend Carrie Symonds, Mr Johnson promised he would \"change this country for the better\".\n\nHe said: \"I am standing before you today, to tell you the British people, that those critics are wrong - the doubters, the doomsters, the gloomsters are going to get it wrong again.\"\n\nHe predicted that \"the people who bet against Britain are going to lose their shirts because we are going to restore trust in our democracy\".\n\nHe added: \"And we are going to fulfil the repeated promises of Parliament to the people and come out of the EU on October 31, no ifs or buts.\n\n\"And we will do a new deal, a better deal that will maximise the opportunities of Brexit while allowing us to develop a new and exciting partnership with the rest of Europe based on free trade and mutual support.\n\n\"I have every confidence that in 99 days' time we will have cracked it.\n\n\"But you know what we aren't going to wait 99 days, because the British people have had enough of waiting.\n\n\"The time has come to act, to take decisions, to give strong leadership and to change this country for the better.\"\n\nHe promised action to fix the social care crisis, make the streets safe and improve the NHS.\n\nHe said: \"I will take personal responsibility for the change I want to see.\n\n\"Never mind the backstop, the buck stops here.\"\n\nREAD MORE: PMQs: Theresa May fights back tears at final Commons appearance as PM\n\n\n\nBut on the issue of the Irish border - the main stumbling block in reaching a Brexit deal - Mr Johnson said he was \"convinced\" a solution could be found without checks at the Irish border and without the \"anti-democratic backstop\".\n\nHe added: \"It is of course vital at the same time that we prepare for the remote possibility that Brussels refuses any further to negotiate and we are forced to come out with no-deal.\n\n\"Not because we want that outcome, of course not, but because it is only common sense to prepare.\"\n\nMrs May had used her farewell address in Downing Street to urge Mr Johnson to secure a Brexit deal.\n\nShe said the \"immediate priority\" was \"to complete our exit from the European Union in a way that works for the whole United Kingdom\".", "\n• Johnson traveled to the Palace to be anointed prime minister by the Queen.\n• However, activists formed a human chain which briefly stopped his car.\n• Police intervened to break up the protest.\n\nA group of protesters formed a human chain in front of the car taking Boris Johnson to Buckingham Palace.\n\nProtesters in red t-shirts held hands and stood across the Mall – the road leading to the Palace – as Johnson was making his way to meet the Queen and be anointed as the next prime minister of the United Kingdom.\n\nClimate change-fighting group Greenpeace has claimed responsibility for the stunt.\n\nPolice quickly intervened to break up the protest and allow Johnson’s car to continue to the Palace.\n\nJohnson succeeded Theresa May as prime minister on Wednesday after winning the Conservative party leadership contest. He comfortably defeated rival Jeremy Hunt, winning 66% of votes cast by party members.", "The Queen left social media users in stitches after she kept hold hold of her handbag during her first meeting with Boris Johnson as Prime Minister yesterday.\n\nThe monarch, 93, welcomed the new Prime Minister to Buckingham Palace yesterday afternoon, shortly after accepting Theresa May's resignation.\n\nThe Queen was typically elegant in a vibrant blue and purple dress for the occasion - but it was her trusty Launer handbag held firmly in the crook of her arm that caught royal watchers' eyes.\n\nOne joked it looked like the Queen was 'about to pop to the shops', while others suggested it was simply too much part of her ensemble to be put down.\n\n'I love the Queen understands the handbag is part of the look,' one tweeted.\n\n'I love the way the Queen still carries her handbag around in the house like, for just in case,' a third added.\n\nA fourth said: 'Haha look at the Queen throwing shade by wearing a handbag as if she wants to go out haha.'\n\nOthers questioned whether the Queen was trying to send a message with her handbag placement.\n\nAccording to royal historian Hugo Vickers, the monarch uses her bag to send secret signals to her staff to indicate when she's ready to move on from a conversation.\n\nHe told People magazine that shifting her bag from one hand to the other is an indication the royal is ready to end a chat, and it's been said the Queen will place her bag on a table at events to signal that she's ready to leave.\n\nA third secret signal is a discreet twist of her wedding ring, which the Queen uses to emphasise that she'd like to be moved on from a conversation quickly.\n\nBased on this, the Queen looked entirely comfortable while speaking to Mr Johnson.\n\nThe Queen put on an impeccable display as she welcomed Britain's new Prime Minister.\n\nBoris was seen bowing to the monarch, as he was appointed to form a new government.\n\nThe Queen will now retire to Balmoral Castle in Scotland for the summer, where she will no doubt escape some of the city's heat.", "LONDON: Greenpeace activists on Wednesday (Jul 24) briefly blocked incoming British prime minister Boris Johnson's convoy as it made its way to Buckingham Palace, urging him to take action on climate change.\n\nActivists wearing sashes reading \"Climate Emergency\" linked arms across The Mall, the road that leads to Queen Elizabeth II's London residence, where Johnson was heading to be confirmed as prime minister.\n\nPolice quickly bundled the protesters to the side of the road, but they were also able to unfurl a banner reading \"Climate Emergency\" in front of Johnson's car.\n\nGreenpeace UK Executive Director John Sauven also attempted to hand Johnson the group's climate manifesto.\n\n\"Climate change needs to be front and centre of this new administration from day one,\" Sauven said in a statement issued after the protest.\n\n\"We can't blunder and bluster our way out of this emergency. Boris Johnson must get to grips with the climate emergency or be remembered as the prime minister who jeopardised our children's future\".", "For the 13th time in her 67-year reign, Queen Elizabeth II participated in the quaint-but-crucial royal ritual of the transfer of power from one U.K. prime minister to the next – as Twitter watched from the sidelines and hooted.\n\nFirst, PM No. 13, Theresa May, arrived at Buckingham Palace Wednesday for an audience to tender her resignation, \"which Her Majesty was graciously pleased to accept,\" said the one-line palace press release.\n\nWithin the hour, incoming PM Boris Johnson arrived for his audience with Her Majesty and, as called for under the ritual, the queen requested he form a new government. He is the 14th prime minister of the queen's reign; Winston Churchill was already in office when the queen came to the throne in 1952.\n\n\"Mr. Johnson accepted Her Majesty's offer and kissed hands upon his appointment as Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury,\" the palace statement reported.\n\nThe picture showed him bowing a bit awkwardly, half clasping her hand. She was dressed in her usual royal outfit of a blue patterned dress, her black handbag on her left arm.\n\nThe jibes about Boris and the queen on Twitter began immediately, focused along the lines of fantasizing \"what if\" the queen had not carried out her constitutional task: Put her royal imprimatur on what politicians have already decided will be done.\n\n\"Wouldn't it have been great if the Queen had just said \"No\" to Boris Johnson?\" tweeted Mal.\n\n\"Wouldn’t be funny if the Queen actually said No to Boris,\" asked Jane Nightingale, following her question with laughing emojis.\n\nAnd there were memes. \"Wouldn't it be great if the Queen said to Boris, feck off no chance!,\" tweeted Cheryl with a video clip of the queen looking grumpy and the words \"One is Not Amused\" flashing.\n\nOf course, the queen can't say no – as head of state, her job is to officially \"appoint\" the prime minister, following her government's instructions. But even some Brits wondered if she could, uh, refuse.\n\n\"Can the Queen say no?\" tweeted Steve over a video clip of a child throwing a tantrum.\n\nMeanwhile, on The Mall outside the palace, climate-change protesters briefly blocked Johnson's car from entering the palace gates.\n\nThus began a new governing administration for the British people and for Johnson's Conservative Party.\n\nAnd thus began the queen's much beloved annual holiday in Scotland, which she had delayed in order to be in London to participate in the ritual. Vanity Fair reported the queen’s demeanor, \"while professional, also screams 'I am going on vacation the minute you leave.' ”\n\nThe transfer of power has been inevitable for months, ever since May announced she would resign after her repeated failures to persuade Parliament to approve her Brexit deal.\n\nIt became certain Tuesday after Tories (those who were paid up in their party dues) voted Johnson to be their next leader, thus allowing the rambunctious former London mayor to achieve his longtime dream of being in charge. (The Tories run the government because they won the last general election.)\n\nIt may all seem a little puzzling to Americans accustomed to years-long presidential campaigns: A tiny percentage of the national population can vote to change leaders and suddenly he's the head of government? Well, yes, that's how they do it in a parliamentary system – and the Brits have been doing it this way more or less for hundreds of years.\n\nEveryone has a role to play: May surely did not relish giving up power to Johnson (her party rival, a fierce critic and \"do-or-die\" Brexiteer), but during her audience with the monarch she has to \"advise\" the queen about who to call on to form the next government.\n\nWhich, of course, the queen already knows; she reads the newspapers, too. And she's been on the job a lot longer than any current politician. Once she does so, it's announced in the court circular and the new PM is officially appointed.\n\nBut what did the queen really think about the momentous changes she had just presided over? The monarch is supposed to be above politics and Queen Elizabeth II has stuck to those rules throughout her reign. So she'll never tell – but Johnson might.\n\nAccording to Vincent McAviney, a correspondent for NBC News and Euronews, Johnson broke with convention by repeating something he said the queen told him, and had to be warned not to do that again.\n\n“ 'I don’t know why anyone would want the job' – what Johnson says HM the Queen told him during his audience! The PM revealed it during a tour in Number 10 before being told off by staff not to repeat those things so loudly,\" McAviney tweeted of Johnson's trip to 10 Downing Street, the prime minister's official residence.\n\nOf course, the palace would never confirm such a thing, and Johnson's relationship with the truth has been shown in the past to be sometimes tenuous.\n\nBut for however long his time as PM lasts, he will meet weekly with the queen for an audience that is supposed to require zipped lips by the two participants. But Johnson might spill more beans than any of his 13 predecessors.", "Boris Johnson's car came to a halt as it travelled towards Buckingham Palace on Wednesday as a group of protesters dressed in red rushed to the street to block him. A group of seven climate change activists linked arms on The Mall as the car in which the Prime Minister-elect was driving in headed toward the royal residence. A police officer on a motorbike, riding to escort the new Tory leader, quickly jumped off his vehicle to barge into three of the protesters and push them onto the pavement.\n\nLBC’s Political Editor Theo Usherwood wrote on Twitter: “Extraordinary scenes on the Mall. Climate change protesters manage to get worryingly close to Boris Johnson’s car. Police outriders barge them out the way. His car safely makes it to Buckingham Palace. Expect much tighter security for journey to Downing Street.” Sky News’ Beth Rigby wrote: “Climate protesters tried to form a human chain across the mall to stop Johnson’s entry to palace. Police outriders having none of it”. The former foreign secretary secured more than two-thirds of the votes in the Conservative Party leadership contest and will put together his cabinet as he prepares for Government. LISTEN HERE: Latest Brexit news from the Express.co.uk Final Countdown podcast\n\nMr Johnson secured 92,153 votes - 66.4 percent - to defeat Mr Hunt, who was backed by 46,656 Tory members. Speaking after the result on Tuesday, the new Tory leader used his victory speech to promise he will \"energise the country\" and meet the October 31 Brexit deadline with a \"new spirit of can-do\". He added: “I know that there will be people around the place who will question the wisdom of your decision. And there may even be some people here who still wonder quite what they have done. \"I would just point out to you of course nobody, no one party, no one person has a monopoly of wisdom. Boris meets Queen as her 14th PM -May quits and Remainers flee Cabinet [LIVE]\n\nPolling guru John Curtice delivers shock Brexit prediction [VIDEO]\n\nBoris Johnson poll RESULTS: Express.co.uk readers happy with Boris [POLL]\n\n“But if you look at the history of the last 200 years of this party's existence you will see that it is we Conservatives who have had the best insights, I think, into human nature.\" Theresa May was given a standing ovation at the end of her final PMQs session on Wednesday afternoon by her own backbenches and some other MPs in the Commons. During her final speech at Downing Street, Mrs May insisted it had been “the greatest honour” to serve her country. She added: “This is a country of aspiration and opportunity, and I hope that every young girl who has seen a woman prime minister now knows there are no limits to what she can achieve.\"\n\nThe former Prime Minister also had to contend with some interruptions during her speech, as one protester cut in shouting “stop Brexit.” Mrs May however did not let the shouting stop her as she hit back: “I think the answer too that is – I think not.” Her departure from Number 10 was accompanied by Chancellor Philip Hammond’s resignation who had announced last week he would not be serving in the Cabinet under the leadership of Boris Johnson. In his resignation letter to Theresa May, he sent a pointed message to her successor, warning the headroom built up in the public finances can only be used for tax cuts and spending boosts if a Brexit deal is secured. Mr Hammond said: ”We bequeath to our successors genuine choices, once a Brexit deal is done: the ability to choose, within the fiscal rules, between increased public spending, reduced taxes, higher investment or progress towards faster debt reduction - or some combination of all four. \"After a decade when the aftermath of the 2008-09 recession meant we had no choices, this is a luxury which our successors should use wisely.\""], "summary": "Greenpeace protesters block The Mall, the drive to Buckingham Palace, holding up Prime Minister-designate Boris Johnson on his way to visit the Queen."}
{"document": ["That finishes our coverage of Boris Johnson’s first day as prime minister.\n\nIt came with the biggest ever clear out of cabinet without a change of party in power.\n\nBBC political editor Laura Kuensberg said it was “not a reshuffle it’s a new government”.\n\nTomorrow, Mr Johnson chairs his first cabinet meeting and faces the House of Commons. And of course we'll bring you full coverage of that across the BBC.\n\nGood night!", "Conservative lawmaker Dominic Raab arrives at 10 Downing Street, London, Wednesday, July 24, 2019. Boris Johnson has replaced Theresa May as Prime Minister, following her resignation last month after Parliament repeatedly rejected the Brexit withdrawal agreement she struck with the European Union. Johnson seems to be clearing out top ministers, firing several members of former leader Theresa May’s Cabinet. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)\n\nLONDON (AP) — The latest on Boris Johnson officially becoming Britain’s new prime minister (all times local):\n\nAustralia’s prime minister has congratulated Boris Johnson and hopes to ink one of Britain’s first bilateral trade deals after Brexit.\n\nPrime Minister Scott Morrison said on Thursday he and Johnson are both looking forward to meeting at the Group of 7 summit in France next month and to “moving very quickly, when the opportunity presents” to reach a trade deal.\n\nMorrison told reporters that “this is a time of change for the United Kingdom” and Johnson “will bring a new opportunity … to resolve what had been some very difficult issues.”\n\nMorrison says it is in the interests of the “broader global economy” that Britain and Europe resolve outstanding Brexit issues.\n\nDominic Raab has been named Britain’s foreign secretary, the country’s top diplomat and one of the most senior roles in government.\n\nRaab was appointed as new Prime Minister Boris Johnson assembles a Cabinet he hopes can help him deliver Brexit. Raab is a former Brexit secretary and a staunch supporter of Britain’s exit from the European Union.\n\nBrexit Secretary Stephen Barclay is keeping his job in the government shakeup.\n\nMichael Gove, who ran the 2016 campaign to leave the EU alongside Johnson before the pair fell out, was named Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, a powerful Cabinet post with no specific portfolio.\n\nBritish Prime Minister Boris Johnson has appointed Sajid Javid the country’s new Treasury chief, one of the most senior jobs in Cabinet.\n\nJavid will be responsible for spending and economic policy in Johnson’s government.\n\nJavid, a former banker and ex-home secretary, is the first ethnic minority politician to hold the post of Chancellor of the Exchequer.\n\nJohnson is forming his Cabinet after taking office on Wednesday. He has cleared out many of the ministers who served under predecessor Theresa May. More than half have either quit or been fired.\n\nJeremy Hunt says he’s leaving the job of foreign secretary as new Prime Minister Boris Johnson sweeps into office with a fresh team at the top.\n\nHunt’s position had been closely watched. He had challenged Johnson for the job of Conservative leader, and says he wanted to stay on as foreign secretary. But Hunt says Johnson offered another role.\n\nHunt tweeted that “after 9 yrs in Cabinet & over 300 cab mtgs now is the time to return 2 backbenches from where PM will have my full support.”\n\nFormer Prime Minister Theresa May’s secretaries in defense, business, education, transport, local government and international trade have all announced they are leaving the government. Treasury chief Philip Hammond, Justice Secretary David Gauke, International Development Secretary Rory Stewart and May’s de-facto deputy, David Lidington, resigned.\n\nNew Prime Minister Boris Johnson seems to be clearing out top ministers, firing several members of former leader Theresa May’s Cabinet.\n\nSo far, May’s secretaries in defense, business, education, transport, local government and international trade have all announced they are leaving government. That comes hours after Treasury chief Philip Hammond, Justice Secretary David Gauke, International Development Secretary Rory Stewart and May’s de-facto deputy, David Lidington, resigned.\n\nSome of those leaving had said they would rather go than serve under Johnson, who wants to leave the European Union even if no Brexit agreement is in place to ease the transition. Johnson insists the country will leave the EU by Oct. 31 — “do or die.”\n\nHowever many British lawmakers, including some in Johnson’s Conservative party, worry that the shock of severing decades of frictionless trade would devastate the country’s economy.\n\nGerman Chancellor Angela Merkel says she wishes new British Prime Minister Boris Johnson much luck and success and is looking forward to “good cooperation and further deepening of our bilateral relations.”\n\nMerkel said in a statement Wednesday that the relationship of Germany and Britain is “shaped by deep friendship and close partnership.”\n\nShe wrote “we’re connected by personal relations of people, economic ties between companies, our united engagement for a rule-based international order as well as our common European heritage.”\n\nBritain’s new Prime Minister Boris Johnson has vowed the U.K. will leave the European Union on Oct. 31 — “no ifs, ands or buts.”\n\nSpeaking just moments after Queen Elizabeth II asked him to form a government Wednesday, Johnson sought to persuade the public to back him — saying that the time has come to act on the nation’s departure from the European Union.\n\nIn his first speech as leader outside 10 Downing Street, Johnson says “he will get ‘a new deal, a better deal’ from the EU on Brexit.\n\nHe added that while there will be difficulties, much of the nation’s confidence has been sapped by the refusal to take action.\n\nJohnson left Buckingham Palace after being appointed by Queen Elizabeth II. The palace confirmed that Johnson had been appointed “as Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury,” another of the British leader’s titles.\n\nHe visited the palace to meet with the monarch Wednesday after predecessor Theresa May resigned, failing to secure parliamentary approval for her deal to leave the European Union.\n\nJohnson is going to 10 Downing St. to start work on forming his new administration.\n\nGreenpeace climate protesters have interrupted the motorcade of Boris Johnson as he was traveling to Buckingham Palace to meet with Queen Elizabeth II to get the nod to form a government.\n\nDemonstrators in red shirts and sashes formed a human chain on The Mall, a road leading to the palace, prompting a police officer on a motorcycle to stop just in front of them. Other demonstrators unfurled a banner reading “Climate Emergency.”\n\nThe chain was broken when another officer came up from behind and pushed the demonstrators to the side of the road.\n\nGreenpeace said in a statement that U.K. Executive Director John Sauven attempted to hand Johnson Greenpeace’s 134 point Climate Emergency manifesto, which detailed “the wide-ranging policies the new administration must implement to prevent catastrophic climate breakdown.”\n\nBuckingham Palace says that Theresa May has tendered her resignation to Queen Elizabeth II, clearing the way for Boris Johnson to become the new prime minister of the United Kingdom.\n\nThe monarch accepted, setting in train the handover of power.\n\nJohnson arrived at the palace a short time later on Wednesday, having been briefly interrupted by climate protesters who formed a human chain attempting to stop his motorcade.\n\nTheresa May has left 10 Downing St. for the final time as prime minister and is heading for Buckingham Palace to resign.\n\nIn a formal handover of power, May will ask Queen Elizabeth II to invite her successor Boris Johnson to form a government. Johnson will then visit the palace, and leave as Britain’s new prime minister.\n\nMay is stepping down after failing to secure lawmakers’ support for a Brexit deal and lead Britain out of the European Union.\n\nIn a final speech outside 10 Downing St. with husband Philip by her side, May said it had been “the greatest honor” to serve as Britain’s prime minister.\n\nAnd she said “I hope that every young girl who has seen a woman prime minister now knows for sure there are no limits to what they can achieve.”\n\nSenior members of Prime Minister Theresa May’s government, including her Treasury chief Philip Hammond, are resigning just hours before Conservative Party leader Boris Johnson succeeds her.\n\nThe departures clear the way for Johnson to appoint a raft of fresh faces to his government.\n\nJustice Secretary David Gauke and International Development Secretary Rory Stewart have also resigned.\n\nThe three had previously announced they would rather leave rather than serve Johnson, who wants to leave the European Union even if no agreement is in place to ease the transition to a new relationship between Britain and the bloc. He insists that the country will leave the EU by Oct. 31 — “do or die.”\n\nMany lawmakers worry the shock of severing decades of frictionless trade would devastate the country’s economy.\n\nDavid Lidington, effectively May’s deputy prime minister, also resigned, saying it was “the right moment.” to go. He had not previously pre-announced his departure.\n\nA Russian Foreign Ministry official says no immediate changes in relations with Britain are expected upon Boris Johnson becoming Britain’s new prime minister.\n\nAndrei Kelin, head of the ministry’s European cooperation department, said Wednesday that “I don’t think that something will change in the near future, because Boris Johnson belongs to the team that has spoiled these relations for quite a long time.”\n\nMoscow-London relations have plummeted since the nerve agent poisoning of a Russian former double agent and his daughter in the town of Salisbury last year. Britain blames the poisoning on Russian military intelligence.\n\nPrime Minister Theresa May says she’s glad her successor, Boris Johnson, is committed to “delivering on the vote of the people in 2016” to leave the European Union.\n\nMay offered muted praise of the incoming leader in her last Prime Minister’s Questions session in the House of Commons. She said she was pleased to be handing power to another Conservative leader.\n\nAfter Wednesday’s question period, May will travel to Buckingham Palace and submit her resignation to Queen Elizabeth II. Johnson, who won a contest to replace her as Conservative leader, will become prime minister later in the day.\n\nMay said she would “continue my duties in this House from the back benches” as an ordinary lawmaker.\n\nMay shook her head at a suggestion from Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn that she join opposition attempts to stop the “reckless” Johnson, who has vowed to take Britain out of the EU with or without a divorce deal.\n\nThe European Parliament is warning new Boris Johnson, who in a few hours is set to become British prime minister, not to count on any renegotiation of the Brexit deal that his predecessor Theresa May negotiated with the EU.\n\nThe legislature’s Brexit steering group said in a statement that the statements made by Johnson during his campaign to lead the Conservative Party “have greatly increased the risk of a disorderly exit of the UK.”\n\nIt adds that a no-deal exit would be “economically very damaging, even if such damage would not be inflicted equally on both parties.”\n\nThe group, including the top Brexit legislators, held talks in a conference call the day after Johnson won the race to succeed May, who is due to quit as prime minister in the next couple of hours.\n\nJohnson has said he would take the UK out of the EU on the Brexit departure date of Oct. 31 “come what may.”\n\nIncoming British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is assembling his top team, with a key job set to go to a controversial figure from the country’s Brexit referendum campaign.\n\nJohnson’s allies say Dominic Cummings, director of the “Vote Leave” campaign in the 2016 referendum, will become a senior adviser to the prime minister.\n\nCummings has been both praised and criticized for his work as the campaign’s lead strategist. Lawmakers and electoral officials have investigated Vote Leave’s links to the firm Cambridge Analytica, which harvested Facebook users’ data to help political campaigns.\n\nCummings — who was played by Benedict Cumberbatch in the TV drama “Brexit: The Uncivil War” — was found to be in contempt of Parliament earlier this year for refusing to give evidence to a committee of lawmakers investigating “fake news.”\n\nBoris Johnson is set to form a “cabinet for modern Britain” as he prepares to become prime minister following his victory in an election to lead the governing Conservatives.\n\nThe incoming leader has just over three months to make good on his promise to lead the U.K. out of the European Union by Oct. 31.\n\nJohnson easily defeated Conservative rival Jeremy Hunt, winning two-thirds of the votes of about 160,000 party members across the U.K. He becomes prime minister once Queen Elizabeth II formally asks him to form a government.\n\nHe will replace Theresa May, who announced her resignation last month after Parliament repeatedly rejected the withdrawal agreement she struck with the 28-nation bloc.\n\nFor more on AP’s Brexit coverage, https://www.apnews.com/Brexit", "Boris Johnson has been welcomed to his post in the Commons as \"the last Prime Minister of the United Kingdom\".\n\nSNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford made the claim as he urged the new Prime Minister to call an early general election, telling Johnson he has \"no mandate\" in Scotland.\n\nBlackford accused the PM of living in \"fantasy land\" by thinking he can strike a new Brexit deal with Brussels - but Johnson dismissed his remarks as \"defeatism and pessimism\".\n\nJohnson's first parliamentary appearance as Prime Minister will be the only such appearance until September, due to MPs rising for recess at the end of Thursday.\n\nIt comes as he held his first Cabinet meeting on Thursday morning, following a savage cull of former ministers and a raft of new appointments.\n\nThe departures included ex-Scottish secretary David Mundell, who has been replaced by Dumfries and Galloway MP Alister Jack.\n\nAddressing MPs, Blackford hailed Johnson as the \"last Prime Minister of the United Kingdom\".\n\nHe added: \"It's often said the Prime Minister lives in a parallel universe - that's been proven beyond any reasonable doubt this morning.\"\n\nBlackford told him: \"Scotland's First Minister has been clear that she is now reviewing the timetable for a second independence referendum.\n\n\"Scotland will not stand by and let decisions be taken by charlatans on our behalf.\"\n\nThe SNP Westminster leader added: \"Do the honourable thing. Call a general election. Let the people of Scotland have their say.\n\nJohnson replied: \"The people of this country have voted in 2015, 2016, 2017 - what they want to see is this Parliament delivering on the mandate they give us, including him.\"\n\nThe Prime Minister accused Blackford of \"defeatism and pessimism\" on the future of the UK.\n\nHe said: \"If we can deliver a fantastic, sensible and progressive Brexit, which I believe we can, and the whole United Kingdom comes out, as I know that it will, what happens then to the arguments of the Scottish National Party?\n\n\"Will they seriously continue to say Scotland must join the euro? Will they seriously suggest that Scotland must submit to the entire panoply of EU law?\"\n\nEarlier, Johnson said he still believed a new agreement could be struck with the European Union - one that did not include the Irish backstop.\n\nHe told MPs: \"I would prefer us to leave the EU with a deal - I would much prefer it.\n\n\"I believe that it is possible even at this late stage and I will work flat out to make it happen.\n\n\"But certain things need to be clear: the Withdrawal Agreement negotiated by my predecessor has been three times rejected by this House.\n\n\"Its terms are unacceptable to this Parliament and to this country.\"\n\nDownload: The STV News app is Scotland's favourite and is available for iPhone from the App store and for Android from Google Play. Download it today and continue to enjoy STV News wherever you are."], "summary": "Johnson is asked by the Queen to form a government, making him the 55th Prime Minister of the United Kingdom."}
{"document": ["Hardline Brexiteer Boris Johnson has won the UK’s Conservative Party leadership contest and will take over from outgoing Prime Minister Theresa May when she steps down on Wednesday.\n\nJohnson, a former Mayor of London and British Foreign Secretary, was officially named the new Tory leader on Tuesday, beating his rival Jeremy Hunt in a ballot of party members.\n\nThe leadership vote was triggered after an embattled May was forced into resigning after losing the support of her cabinet, many of whom were fed up with her inability to secure the UK’s departure from the European Union (EU).\n\nAs prime minister, Johnson, 55, will inherit the same problems of a deeply divided Parliament — and nation — when he assumes the role.\n\nThroughout his leadership campaign, Johnson was vocal about his willingness to exit the EU without a deal, pledging to leave “do or die” on October 31, the latest deadline for the UK to depart the bloc.\n\nHe said that he’d be willing to force Brexit through on that date by suspending Parliament, if he’s unable to negotiate a new exit deal with EU officials.\n\nThe EU has said there is no chance of reopening the Withdrawal Agreement, the deal that May made with the bloc in 2018 but which has failed to satisfy both the Europhile and Euroskeptic wings of both the Tory party and Parliament.\n\nWhile Johnson’s stance on Brexit have defined his leadership bid, his incendiary remarks on religion and race have sparked criticism about his character.\n\nWriting in his weekly column in the British newspaper the Daily Telegraph last August, he likened Muslim women wearing veils to “letter boxes” and “bank robbers.”\n\nEarlier this month, he faced new accusations of Islamophobia after claiming in a newly-unearthed 2007 text that Islam left Muslim countries “centuries behind” the Western world.\n\nPreviously, Johnson called people from the British Commonwealth “flag-waving piccaninnies,” referred to the “watermelon smiles” of people from the Congo, and suggested that former US President Barack Obama held an “ancestral dislike of the British Empire” because he was “part-Kenyan.”\n\nAnd, as foreign secretary, erroneous comments he made about Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe — a British-Iranian charity worker who was arrested on spying charges in Iran more than three years ago and remains detained — could have damaged her case.\n\nDuring the 2016 campaign for Britain to leave the EU, Johnson was accused of lying to the public by stating that the country’s membership of the bloc cost £350 million ($442 million) a week.\n\nThat controversial claim was plastered on the side of a bus that toured the UK prior to the vote that resulted in a 52-48% result in favor of Brexit.\n\nJohnson’s hardline stance led to Foreign Office minister Alan Duncan resigning on Monday — and it is expected to trigger several more resignations in the coming days.\n\n“It is tragic that just when we could have been the dominant intellectual and political force throughout Europe, and beyond, we have had to spend every day working beneath the dark cloud of Brexit,” Duncan said in his resignation letter.\n\nRory Stewart, the UK International Development Secretary who made a high-profile but unsuccessful bid to lead the Conservative Party, also reiterated on Monday that he would resign rather than serve under Johnson’s leadership.\n\nAnd last week, both the Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond and Justice Secretary David Gauke confirmed they will step down before Johnson becomes prime minister.", "Boris Johnson's Cabinet: How Did They Vote On Brexit And Theresa May's Deal?\n\nBoris Johnson's newly-appointed cabinet has been seen as Vote Leave taking back control. But the facts show something very different.\n\nSome hardline Brexiteers such as Priti Patel and Jacob Rees-Mogg have been given key roles in the new Prime Minister's team.\n\nBut they are actually outnumbered by ministers who voted for Remain. We looked at the make-up of the new team and their views on Brexit.\n\nHow many Cabinet members voted for Brexit?\n\n64% of the 22 members of the extended cabinet voted Remain, compared to just 36% who voted for Brexit.\n\nIt's important to note that a number of those who voted Remain have since stated they now support Brexit.\n\nObviously three of the four top posts have gone to Brexiteers.\n\nHow did Boris Johnson's new Cabinet vote on Theresa May's Brexit deal?\n\nWith Boris Johnson being such a strong critic of Theresa May's EU Withdrawal Agreement, it had been assumed that he would fill his Cabinet with those who voted against it.\n\nBut again, the facts do not actually bear that out.\n\nIn Theresa May's first and second votes, only five of the 22 Cabinet members voted against the deal. They were Boris Johnson, Priti Patel, Dominic Raab, Grant Shapps and Theresa Villiers.\n\nIn the third vote, it was just two of the 22 who voted against it - Patel and Villiers.\n\nHow did Boris Johnson's cabinet vote on no-deal Brexit?\n\nBoris Johnson has said that the UK will leave the EU on 31st October, with or without a deal. But his cabinet has not previously backed that option.\n\nIn the first indicative vote in parliament, just five voted to accept no-deal: Johnson, Patel, Raab, Shapps and Wallace.\n\nFive voted against no-deal: Buckland, Jack, Jenrick, Morgan and Sharma.\n\nThe rest abstained as part of the previous cabinet.\n\nOne new cabinet minister voted for a Second Referendum\n\nIn those indicative votes, one of the MPs appointed to Boris Johnson's team actually voted for a confirmatory referendum on the Prime Minister's deal.\n\nRobert Jenrick, the new Housing and Communities Secretary, voted in favour, while 11 voted against it.", "Boris Johnson has rubbished Britain's \"doubters, doomsters and gloomsters\" in his first speech as Prime Minister and received a welcome from the European Council leader dubbed by some a masterclass in throwing shade.\n\nThe Queen met the new Conservative leader on Wednesday afternoon where she asked him to become the 14th prime minister of her reign.\n\nHe went straight to his new home at Number 10 and said \"after three years of unfounded self doubt, it is time to change the record.\"\n\n\"The people who bet against Britain are going to lose their shirts,\" he said in a passionate first speech. He took aim at \"pessimists\" who \"think this country has become a prisoner to the old arguments of 2016\".\n\nMORE: Who is Boris Johnson?\n\nHe vowed to take Britain out of the EU on October 31 - in 99 days time - \"no ifs or buts\" with a \"better deal\" than the one currently on the table.\n\n\"In 99 days time we would have cracked it … but we aren't going to wait 99 days,\" he said.\n\nWatched by his incoming staff, including girlfriend Carrie Symonds who is expected to serve as chief of staff, the former mayor of London said \"my job is to serve you\" and promised more police on the streets, spending on healthcare and a higher living wage.\n\nMr Johnson talked up the \"awesome foursome\" of UK nations and promised to \"create a new partnership\" on Europe.\n\n\"Never mind the backstop the buck stops here,\" he said about the issue that forced Brexit to an impasse and ultimately led to Theresa May's resignation.\n\n\"We in this government will work flat out to give this country the leadership it deserves, and that work will begin now.\"\n\nThe new leader said he would step up preparations for a no deal outcome and would use a £39 billion divorce bill due to the EU as a contingency fund.\n\nHis appointment was quickly followed by a tweet from European Council President Donald Tusk who said he looked forward to discussing Brexit plans \"in detail\".\n\nLack of detail has been a major criticism of Mr Johnson's plans and the message was seized upon as a subtle dig and \"seriously classy trolling\".\n\nOne hour earlier in the same spot, Theresa May paid an emotional tribute to her husband and thanked the country for the opportunity to serve in her final speech as leader.\n\nShe offered \"warm congratulations\" to Mr Johnson and said she wished him \"every good fortune\" in running the country.\n\n\"Their successes will be our country's successes and I hope that they will be many,\" she said.\n\n\"This is a country of aspiration and opportunity and I hope that every young girl who has seen a woman prime minister knows that there are no limits to what they can achieve,\" she said.\n\nIn an emotional moment she thanked her husband Philip, who was \"my greatest supporter and my closest companion.\"\n\nShe was heckled by a protester outside the gates yelling \"Stop Brexit\" and she went off script to say: \"I think not\".\n\n\"Thank you for putting your faith in me and giving me the chance to serve,\" she said.\n\nTheresa May will return to serve as a politician for her Maidenhead constituency and as a backbencher in the House of Commons. She is one of the shortest serving Prime Minister's in the last century, lasting a total of 1,106 days in office.\n\nDuring her last Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday Mrs May said she was \"pleased\" to hand over to Mr Johnson \"who is committed to delivering … on the vote of the British people.\"\n\nShe also offered some cheeky advice for Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn who is facing collapsing support amid a row over anti-Semitism in the Labour Party, saying she accepted when her \"time was up\".\n\n\"Perhaps is now the time for him to do the same,\" she quipped.\n\nBoris Johnson will face an inbox stuffed full of difficult tasks when he takes office, from negotiating Brexit strategy to handling an escalating diplomatic crisis with Iran.\n\nHe will also appoint a new cabinet after a series of resignations including Chancellor Philip Hammond, International Development Secretary Rory Stewart and Justice Secretary David Gauke.\n\nEuropean media reacted to the news Mr Johnson would be leader with incredulity on Wednesday morning. Germany's Stern magazine lead with the cover line \"What?! and a picture of a surprised looking Mr Johnson on the front page.\n\nDer Spiegel had a picture of Mr Johnson as Alfred E Neuman from Mad magazine with the headline \"Mad in England\". France's Le Soir showed a cartoon of him on a tightrope as a clown juggling balls of Iran, Brexit, Ireland and Scotland while a clapping Donald Trump watched on.\n\nIn editorials from the UK to France and Spain he was depicted as a jester who has suddenly found himself in a position to make the rules. Politico said his biggest challenge is to prove to European leaders \"there is more to him than being a clown.\"\n\nHis reputation for being fast and loose with the facts was raised by several editors - Mr Johnson was sacked from The Times as a journalist for making up quotes. The Times political editor Francis Elliot dubbed him the \"insider's outsider\" who has more status anxiety and is more \"prone to nurse a grudge than his image as a maverick might suggest.\"\n\nMr Johnson vowed to get to work developing a new Brexit negotiating strategy, uniting the country defeating Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn in his first speech as Conservative leader.\n\nHe will also have to deal with a foreign policy crisis in Iran, where the Revolutionary Guard has seized a British oil tanker seemingly in retaliation for Britain detaining an Iranian tanker of Gibraltar. A free-trade deal with the US is a top priority and Mr Johnson has already been endorsed as \"Britain Trump\" by the US president.\n\nMeanwhile European leaders are bracing a tough series of negotiations. Mr Johnson is no stranger to the EU having worked as Brussels correspondent for Britain's Daily Telegraph. In the role, he played up stereotypes about bumbling bureaucrats in the EU wasting time and money - something that also featured heavily in his leadership campaign.\n\nEU Food Safety Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis fired back at him after Mr Johnson recently brandished a kipper with a plastic ice pillow as an example of EU \"regulatory overkill.\" He said the rule was a British regulation, and added some \"friendly advice\".\n\n\"A fish rots from the head down. As potential future PM you need to keep a cool head. So after all, Boris, that ice pillow may turn out to be not so 'pointless,'' he said.", "Boris Johnson will spend his first few days as leader of the Conservative Party putting together a team to run Downing Street and assembling his Cabinet to run the country. In doing so he will have to fill the gaps left behind by a number of ministers who have chosen to resign rather than acquiesce to Mr Johnson’s no-deal plans.\n\nKnow variously as Team Hammond, after Theresa May’s Chancellor, and the Gaukeward Squad, after David Gauke, the former Lord Chancellor, they plan to make life as difficult as possible for Mr Johnson if he tries to push for a no-deal Brexit.\n\nWho are they?\n\nThe figureheads of the group are Mr Gauke, Philip Hammond, Rory Stewart, the former Development Secretary, and Greg...", "Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has urged Boris Johnson, Britain’s incoming prime minister, to avoid a no-deal exit from the European Union.\n\nThe request was included in a message, sent on Tuesday to congratulate the former foreign secretary on being elected leader of Britain’s ruling Conservative Party.\n\nAbe said he strongly hopes that Britain will continue to listen to voices from the business world, including those from Japan-affiliated companies, and to lead a free and active economy in Europe and around the globe.\n\nAbe said he has high hopes for an orderly Brexit to minimize the negative effects of the move on Japan-affiliated firms in Britain and on the world economy.\n\nAbe also voiced eagerness to deepen ties between Japan and Britain. He said Tokyo wants to work closely with London in tackling international and regional issues, including in security and defense.\n\nOn Wednesday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga echoed Abe’s remarks, saying Tokyo will continue to urge Britain not to leave the European Union without a deal.\n\n“We have been watching the situation surrounding Britain’s exit from the EU with great interest, and have asked both Britain and the EU to ensure that the negative impact, including of a no-deal exit, on Japanese companies and the global economy is kept to a minimum,” Suga told a news conference.\n\n“Our stance on the issue remains unchanged, and we will be closely watching the new government’s actions,” he added.\n\nJohnson was one of the biggest figures in the campaign for the 2016 referendum on Brexit and has vowed to take Britain out of the European Union by the Oct. 31 deadline.\n\nJohnson, best known for his gaffes, rhetorical flourishes and turbulent love life, was announced as the new party leader on Tuesday.\n\nThe 55-year-old was scheduled to officially take over the reins of power during a meeting with Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace on Wednesday.\n\nJohnson’s predecessor Theresa May was forced out after failing to get Parliament to support a Brexit deal she struck with EU leaders that he has promised to overhaul, despite Brussels insisting no changes are possible.\n\nDuring his victory speech on Tuesday, Johnson urged the country to “ping off the guy ropes of self-doubt and negativity” and pledged to unite a badly divided country.\n\nBut his promise of leaving the European Union with or without a deal puts him on a collision course with high-profile MPs in his own party who do not want a no-deal Brexit, threatening his wafer-thin majority and raising the prospect of an early general election.\n\nThe former London mayor easily beat his rival, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, in a vote of party members.\n\nU.S. President Donald Trump was the first world leader to offer his congratulations, saying: “He will be great!”\n\nJohnson has never hidden his ambition for power, using his trademark jokes and bluster to pull off unlikely electoral victories, but he takes over at a time of immense upheaval.\n\nThree years after the referendum vote to leave the EU, Britain remains a member after twice delaying its departure.\n\nJohnson led the 2016 “Leave” campaign and — after May delayed Brexit twice — insists the latest deadline must be kept, calling it a “pivotal moment” in Britain’s history.\n\n“We’re going to get Brexit done on October 31,” he declared after winning 66 percent of almost 160,000 votes cast.\n\nHowever, Brussels says it will not renegotiate the divorce deal it struck with May to end the 46-year partnership — even though MPs rejected it three times.\n\nEU negotiator Michel Barnier said he wanted to work with Johnson “to facilitate the ratification of the withdrawal agreement and achieve an orderly Brexit.”\n\nJohnson faces significant opposition from parliament over his threat to leave with no deal, including from Conservative colleagues.\n\nAddressing party members after his win, Johnson promised to “work flat out from now on,” saying he would announce his top team in the coming days.\n\nHis government has a majority of just two — 320 votes to 318 — in parliament’s lower House of Commons and Westminster is watching for any signs of an immediate challenge to his power.\n\nThe main opposition Labour Party is not expected to force a confidence vote this week.\n\nMPs are expected to go on their holidays on Friday, giving Johnson some breathing room over the summer to try to get a new Brexit deal.\n\nBut when he returns, if “no deal” looks likely, many MPs have vowed to stop him — a move that could trigger an early election.", "Boris Johnson, the Brexiteer who has promised to lead Britain out of the European Union with or without a deal by the end of October, will replace Theresa May as prime minister after winning the leadership of the Conservative Party.\n\nHis convincing victory catapults the United Kingdom towards a showdown with the EU and towards a constitutional crisis at home, as British MPs have vowed to bring down any government that tries to leave the bloc without a divorce deal.\n\nJohnson, the face of the 2016 Brexit referendum, won the votes of 92,000 members of the Conservative Party, almost twice as many as his rival, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt.\n\nMay will leave office on Wednesday after going to Buckingham Palace to see Queen Elizabeth, who will formally appoint Johnson.\n\n\"We are going to get Brexit done on October 31, and we are going to take advantage of all the opportunities it will bring in a new spirit of 'can do',\" Johnson, 55, said on Tuesday after the result was announced.\n\n\"Like some slumbering giant, we are going to rise and ping off the guy-ropes of self-doubt and negativity.\"\n\nJohnson said the mantra of his leadership campaign had been to \"deliver Brexit, unite the country and defeat (opposition Labour leader) Jeremy Corbyn - and that is what we are going to do\".\n\nWithin less than half an hour, US President Donald Trump had tweeted his congratulations, adding: \"He will be great!\"\n\nThe men have recently been complimentary about each other yet Trump is one of the many leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, about whom Johnson has previously made derogatory remarks.\n\nIn 2015, he accused Trump, then a candidate for office, of \"stupefying ignorance\" that made him unfit to be president.\n\nAn avowed Brexit supporter will now lead the government for the first time since the United Kingdom voted to leave the EU.\n\nAt one of the most tumultuous moments in Britain's modern history, it will be now led by a flamboyant figure known for his ambition, untidy blond hair, flowery oratory and cursory command of policy detail.\n\nThe 2016 referendum showed a United Kingdom divided about much more than the EU, and fuelled soul-searching about everything from regional secession and immigration to capitalism, the legacy of empire, and modern Britishness.\n\nJohnson has pledged to negotiate a new divorce deal with the EU to secure a smooth transition out of the EU. But if the bloc continues to refuse, he has promised to leave anyway - \"do or die\" - on the current agreed date of October 31.\n\nMany investors and economists say this would shake global markets and tip the world's fifth-largest economy into recession or even chaos.\n\nThe EU said a no-deal Brexit would be a tragedy for both parties but again said the withdrawal deal was not up for negotiation.\n\n\"We look forward to working constructively with PM Johnson when he takes office, to facilitate the ratification of the withdrawal agreement and achieve an orderly Brexit,\" tweeted EU negotiator Michel Barnier.\n\nA Brexit without a divorce deal would also weaken London's position as the leading international financial centre while jolting the northern European economy.\n\nJohnson's Conservatives need the support of 10 MPs from Northern Ireland's Brexit-backing Democratic Unionist Party for even a wafer-thin majority in parliament.\n\nSome Conservative MPs have threatened to topple the government to avert a no-deal Brexit, a step that would probably deepen Britain's crisis and lead to an election.", "Boris Johnson has given key cabinet roles to leading Brexiteers after becoming the UK’s new prime minister.\n\nDominic Raab and Priti Patel return to government as foreign secretary and home secretary respectively.\n\nSajid Javid has been named as the new chancellor as more than half of Theresa May’s old cabinet, including leadership rival Jeremy Hunt, quit or were sacked.\n\nEarlier, Mr Johnson said the Brexit “doomsters and gloomsters” were wrong and the UK would leave on 31 October.\n\nSpeaking outside No 10, he said the UK would meet that deadline “no ifs, no buts”, adding: “The buck stops with me.”\n\nMr Johnson then turned his attention to a radical overhaul of the government, with 17 of Mrs May’s former senior ministers being axed or stepping down.\n\nAnnouncing his departure, Foreign Secretary Mr Hunt said he had been offered an alternative role but had turned it down.\n\nDefence Secretary Penny Mordaunt, a leading Brexiteer who is popular across the party, was the most surprising departure. She has been replaced by Ben Wallace, a former soldier and longstanding ally of Mr Johnson’s.\n\nAnother prominent Brexiteer, International Trade Secretary Liam Fox, was also ousted, along with Business Secretary Greg Clark – a vocal opponent of a no-deal Brexit.\n\nAll three supported Mr Hunt in the Tory leadership contest.\n\nEducation Secretary Damian Hinds, Northern Ireland Secretary Karen Bradley, Immigration Minister Caroline Nokes, Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright and Communities Secretary James Brokenshire have also gone, along with Chris Grayling, whose record as Transport Secretary was much criticised.\n\nScottish Secretary David Mundell, who has left his position after four years, joked whether there would be “room” on the backbenches after all the dismissals.\n\nThis comes on top of the earlier resignations of four leading ministers, including Chancellor Philip Hammond, Justice Secretary David Gauke and Cabinet Office minister David Lidington.\n\nConservative MP Nigel Evans described the changes as a “summer’s day massacre”. (Excerpted from BBC)", "London, 23 July 2019 (dpa/MIA) – British leader-in-waiting Boris Johnson vowed on Tuesday to “get Brexit done” after the ruling Conservatives chose him in a run-off to succeed Prime Minister Theresa May.\n\nJohnson won about two-thirds of the votes by 160,000 Conservative party members in a contest with Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, putting him one day away from becoming Britain’s new leader.\n\nAddressing hundreds of party members – including his father, sister and brother – Johnson said he wants to unite Britain and “get Brexit done” by the delayed EU exit date of October 31, with or without a deal.\n\nIn brief remarks after the ballot result, he praised May for her “extraordinary service” and for her “passion and determination” in politics.\n\n“We’re going to get Brexit done … in a new spirit of can-do,” Johnson said in a prepared victory speech.\n\n“And like some slumbering giant we are going to rise and ping off the guy ropes of self-doubt and negativity.”\n\nJeremy Corbyn, the leader of Britain’s main opposition Labour party, called for a general election, saying Johnson was chosen via an “unrepresentative” ballot.\n\n“Johnson’s no-deal Brexit would mean job cuts, higher prices in the shops, and risk our NHS [national health service] being sold off to US corporations in a sweetheart deal with Donald Trump,” Corbyn tweeted.\n\nEU officials congratulated Johnson but wasted no time in signalling the bloc won’t budge on the divorce bill it negotiated with Britain.\n\n“We look forward to working constructively [with Johnson] when he takes office, to facilitate the ratification of the Withdrawal Agreement and achieve an orderly #Brexit,” the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, wrote on Twitter.\n\nBarnier said Brussels is, however, ready to rework the political declaration on future relations that accompanies the withdrawal agreement.\n\nIncoming European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen congratulated Johnson and also said she is looking forward to having a good working relationship with Johnson.\n\nUS President Donald Trump tweeting that Johnson “will be great!” as prime minister.\n\nJohnson has said a post-Brexit trade deal with the United States would be an early priority for him as prime minister.\n\nMay urged him to “work together to deliver a Brexit that works for the whole UK.”\n\nShe urged him to ensure the Conservatives “keep Jeremy Corbyn out of government.”\n\nAnti-EU campaigner Nigel Farage, who leads the rising Brexit Party, asked if Johnson will “have the courage to deliver” on his “do or die” promise to leave the EU by October 31.\n\n“It is do or die, not just for Brexit but for the future of the Conservative party,” Farage tweeted.\n\nMay resigned after she failed to persuade lawmakers to back the Brexit deal she had agreed with Brussels.\n\nJohnson is expected to make sweeping changes to her cabinet.\n\nHunt, who is not expected to stay in the cabinet, said Johnson would be “a great PM for our country at this critical moment!”\n\nChancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond, Justice Secretary David Gauke, International Development Secretary Rory Stewart and junior foreign office minister Alan Duncan have already said they will not serve in a Johnson-led government.", "CITY MP Penny Mordaunt has announced she is heading to the backbenches and will no longer be defence secretary.\n\nMs Mordaunt was in the role for 85 days but will no longer hold the government role. It is not clear whether she quit or was pushed out.\n\nShe tweeted: ‘I’m heading to the backbenches from where the PM will have my full support, as will my successors at @DefenceHQ & @WomenEqualities.\n\n‘Thank you to everyone who’s helped me get things done, especially our Armed Forces and civilians in defence for the last 85 days. We achieved much.’\n\nIt comes after Boris Johnson officially took over as prime minister today.\n\nTheresa May left Number 10 for the final prime minister's questions of her premiership at just after 11am.\n\nChancellor Philip Hammond quit the government, along with development secretary Rory Stewart in the wake of Mr Johnson being elected.\n\nMr Johnson is set to carry out a no-deal Brexit if an agreement cannot be reached by October 31.\n\nHe said: ‘The people who bet against Britain are going to lose their shirts because we are going to restore trust in our democracy and we are going to fulfil the repeated promises of Parliament to the people and come out of the EU on October 31, no ifs or buts.\n\n‘And we will do a new deal, a better deal that will maximise the opportunities of Brexit while allowing us to develop a new and exciting partnership with the rest of Europe based on free trade and mutual support.\n\n'I have every confidence that in 99 days time we will have cracked it.’", "The European Commission has repeatedly insisted no further changes to the Brexit withdrawal agreement would take place as the bloc announced talks have concluded for them. But Henry Newman, the director of think tank Open Europe, suggested Brussels has been engaging in talks to agree on \"surgical changes\" to the deal to avoid a hard Brexit. Addressing members of the European Union Select Committee in the Lords on Tuesday, Mr Newman said: \"There are discussions happening inside the Commission team about the possibility of surgical changes to the withdrawal agreement itself.\n\n\"It’s not necessarily saying they are about to make those offers but they would clearly try to work out what could be done in that direction - there is some interest in giving the new Prime Minister a proper hearing.\" Mr Newman suggested the refusal from Parliament to pass the withdrawal agreement through the Commons three times, and the resignation of Theresa May, had put an end to hopes the deal could come to be accepted in its current form. He also suggested \"exasperation\" over the ongoing Brexit debate had increased in European quarters. He continued: \"If there is to be a negotiated exit, it would need some movement. I don’t think that takes you as far as some critics of the withdrawal agreement, particularly inside the Conservative Party, would like but nonetheless there is a changed landscape. LISTEN HERE: Latest Brexit news from the Express.co.uk Final Countdown podcast\n\n\"In terms of other European attitudes, I’ve noticed a high degree of exasperation, frustration and boredom with Brexit overall talking to interlocutors in the Elysée and elsewhere. \"I think we can all perhaps share that sentiment.\" The European Commission has been contacted for comment. Boris Johnson was confirmed as the new Prime Minister of the UK on Tuesday following a month-long contest against current Foreign Minister Jeremy Hunt. Mr Johnson has pledged he will seek to convince Brussels to reopen negotiations on the withdrawal agreement to expunge controversial aspects of the deal, including the Irish backstop.\n\nIn his victory speech, Mr Johnson said: \"We are going to get Brexit done on 31 October, we are going to take advantage of all the opportunities that it will bring in a new spirit of can-do. \"And we are once again going to believe in ourselves and what we can do and like some slumbering giant we are going to rise and ping off the guy ropes of self-doubt and negativity.\" The new Prime Minister continued: \"At this pivotal moment in our history, we again have to reconcile two sets of instincts, two noble instincts, between the deep desire of friendship and trade and mutual support and security between Britain and our European partners, and the simultaneous desire equally deep and heartfelt for democratic self-government in this country. \"Some people say they are irreconcilable and it just can’t be done.\" Barnier just reacted to Boris becoming PM - might not be what you expect [LIVE]\n\nBoris Johnson poll: Are YOU happy with Boris Johnson as PM? [POLL]\n\nExasperated Stanley Johnson loses it at anti-Brexit protestors [VIDEO]"], "summary": "Multiple cabinet members resign on the day of Johnson's ascension to premiership, or in the days preceding it, in response to Johnson's politics and views on Brexit, including Philip Hammond, Jeremy Hunt, David Gauke, Sir Alan Duncan, Rory Stewart, Anne Milton, and David Lidington."}
{"document": ["The European Commission confirmed Wednesday that Selmayr would not stay on as secretary general when fellow German Ursula von der Leyen takes over as president of the EU's executive in November.\n\nInstead, Selmayr is set to head the EU's mission in Austria, the Commission said.\n\nEU Commissioner for Personnel Günter Oettinger said it was \"self evident\" that the general secretary \"should not have the same nationality\" as the president.\n\nOettinger heaped praise on Selmayr, thanking him for his \"effective management\" as head of the EU's 32,000-member civil service.\n\n\"I think the five years of the Jean-Claude Juncker Commission would not be conceivable in this form without his [Selmayr's] involvement,\" said Oettinger.\n\n\"I think most are thankful to him. And those that are not thankful have respect for him, at least,\" added Oettinger.\n\nSelmayr had hinted at his departure last week. Wednesday's decision was reached by the EU's College of Commissioners.\n\nWatch video 01:50 Share Von der Leyen voted in Send Facebook google+ Whatsapp Tumblr linkedin stumble Digg reddit Newsvine Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/3MBDA Von der Leyen elected first woman EU Commission president\n\nRebukes last year\n\nSelmayr, a 48-year-old who studied law in Germany, the United States and Britain, was fast-tracked to become the commission's secretary general in February 2018, earning rebukes from the bloc's ombudswoman Emily O'Reilly and the European Parliament.\n\nBetween 2004 and 2010, he served as Commission spokesman on telecommunications and media policy.\n\nBefore taking up duties in Vienna on November 1, Selmayr will continue acting as an adviser to Juncker on \"important strategic matters,\" according to the Commission.\n\nWho will succeed Selmayr hinges upon von der Leyen, who takes office as Commission president on November 1.\n\nLatvia's Juhansone acting secretary general\n\nIn the interim, the top post will be handled on a temporary basis by Ilze Juhansone of Latvia, the EU bureaucracy's longest-serving deputy general secretary.\n\nIn Vienna, Selmayr will replace Jörg Wojahn, who is set to move to Berlin to head the Commission's mission there, Politico magazine reported.\n\nipj/amp (AFP, dpa)\n\nEvery evening, DW sends out a selection of the day's news and features. Sign up here.", "Martin Selmayr, the outgoing European Commission secretary-general, will become the Commission's representative to Austria | Frederick Florin/AFP Via Getty Images Martin Selmayr’s new job: The EU’s man in Vienna European Commission’s most powerful civil servant will become chief representative in Austria.\n\nVienna, brace for impact.\n\nMartin Selmayr, the outgoing European Commission secretary-general, will become the Commission's representative to Austria later this year. The College of Commissioners decided on the German official's move at their Wednesday meeting, according to two EU officials.\n\nSelmayr, who will rank as an hors classe adviser to Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker until he takes up his new role in Vienna in November, had announced his swift resignation as the EU executive's highest-ranking civil servant in an interview with Playbook last week in Strasbourg. “I won’t stay in Brussels,” Selmayr told Playbook in the interview, adding he would move to Austria after taking a \"long holiday.\"\n\nNow the nature of his new role in Austria has become clear. A post as the European Commission's emissary to a small member state is certainly far cry from the influence Selmayr currently enjoys in the EU's top administration job. But the same would apply to any other post the EU could offer.\n\nIn the interview with Playbook, Selmayr indicated he felt he had worked hard enough “on the 12th and 13th floor” of the Commission's Berlaymont headquarters for one and a half decades as a spokesperson and head of Cabinet, as a campaign manager to Jean-Claude Juncker, and in his current position and now wants \"a life.\"\n\nThe College of Commissioners, according to the Commission's chief spokesperson Mina Andreeva, \"bid farewell, expressed gratitude and wished well to\" Selmayr and two more departing senior officials, former chief spokesman Margaritis Schinas — who is Greece's proposed next commissioner — and Johannes Laitenberger, director general for competition, who will be a judge at the EU's General Court in Luxembourg.\n\nSelmayr will take over as the European Commission's representative in Vienna from Jörg Wojahn, who'll move to Berlin to head the Commission's mission there, according to two EU officials. Current Berlin representative Richard Kühnel, meanwhile, will return to Brussels for a senior role at the Commission's directorate general for communication.\n\nThe College also decided about \"arrangements ad interim,\" one official said, to replace Selmayr: As reported by Playbook, his deputy Ilze Juhanzone will take over as acting secretary-general, while it will be for the next College of Commissioners to decide about who to appoint on a permanent basis, the official said.", "The outgoing Secretary-General of the European Commission, Martin Selmayr, has been appointed to Vienna as head of the EU’s delegation in Austria while also being named as a special advisor to EU President Jean-Claude Juncker.\n\nBefore taking up duties in Vienna on 1 November, Selmayr will continue acting as an adviser to Juncker on “important strategic matters,” according to the Commission’s announcement, which also stated, “In this function, Selmayr will continue to advise European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker on important strategic issues until 31 October.”\n\nSelmayr is expected to act as an advisor on Brexit now that Boris Johnson has become the UK’s new prime minister, who has reiterated that he intends for Britain to quit the EU without a deal on 31 October if there is no better divorce deal between Brussels and London. Juncker and the entire College of EU Commissioners expressed their appreciation to Selmayr for his “outstanding qualities and achievements” and thanked him for his “effective management”. Until a successor for Selmayr has been found, Jivka Petkova, a Bulgarian who is responsible for strategy, better lawmaking and organization leadership, and Michael Karnitschnig of Austria, head of foreign relations, will support the General Secretariat beginning on 1 August. Selmayr had been a major power broker in the Juncker Commission but his sudden appointment as secretary-general last year proved highly unpopular with many in Brussels.", "Martin Selmayr, the most controversial, powerful and shortlived head of the European Commission’s civil service who one critic said should be sent to “Outer Mongolia”, is leaving Brussels for the relative backwater of Austria.\n\nIn what the German official’s many antagonists will see as an abrupt demotion, Mr Selmayr is to be posted to Vienna as head of the EU’s delegation there, representing the bloc in what is a quasi-ambassadorial role.\n\nA close lieutenant of Jean-Claude Juncker, the outgoing president, Mr Selmayr’s unrivalled grip on the bureaucracy of Brussels, as well as his notoriety and ruthless working methods, quickly overshadowed many of the politicians on the commission.\n\n“The five years of the Jean Claude Juncker commission would be inconceivable without his contribution,” said Günther Oettinger, the commissioner for human resources.\n\nBut Mr Selmayr’s all-powerful reputation as Mr Juncker’s chief of staff and later commission secretary-general made him countless enemies in other parts of Brussels.\n\nHe shrugged off the criticisms, once telling the Financial Times: “You cannot run the European Commission like a Montessori school.”\n\nThe announcement of his move, to take effect from November, comes just days after Ursula von der Leyen was confirmed as the next president of the commission.\n\nThe incoming head of the EU executive has decided to replace Mr Selmayr to satisfy his opponents in the European Parliament and dispel doubts about her authority when she takes over.\n\nMany MEPs had demanded Mr Selmayr’s departure as a condition for supporting Ms von der Leyen, including Socialists, Greens and even some German centre-right MEPs who hail from the same CDU party as Mr Selmayr.\n\nPhilippe Lamberts, the leader of the Green group, had suggested Ms von der Leyen dispatch Mr Selmayr to represent the EU “in Outer Mongolia”.\n\nEven a less controversial figure than Mr Selmayr might have struggled to overcome objections to Brussels’ top civil servant being of the same nationality as the incoming president, Germany’s former defence minister.\n\nHis stint as secretary general has been dogged by controversy over the nature of his sudden appointment in March last year, which involved a double promotion in the space of a few minutes. The European Parliament alleged the switch of jobs was “coup-like”.\n\nOne ambassador in Brussels said: “He lived by the sword and in the end they cut him down”. Another said: “We are sorry to see him go. He was very capable. Every man has his weaknesses. But he got things done.”\n\nThere has long been speculation that Mr Selmayr would seek a top posting in Washington, at the European Central Bank or as the EU’s envoy to London after Brexit – a country where perhaps his notoriety is greatest.\n\nBut Mr Selmayr told friends he wants to go to Vienna for three or four years so he can devote more time to teaching EU law at the universities of Saarbrücken, Passau and Krems – a sideline he kept during his time at the commission.\n\nUntil November, Mr Selmayr will remain an adviser to Mr Juncker. The commission said the president and his team paid tribute to Mr Selmayr’s “outstanding qualities and achievements”.\n\nMs von der Leyen is not expected to appoint Mr Selmayr’s replacement until later in the year. – Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2019", "Latvia’s former permanent representative to the European Union, Ilze Juhansone, has been named interim Secretary-General of the European Commission, following the departure of Martin Selmayr, a close all of outgoing Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, from the bloc’s top administrative post.\n\nPreviously, Juhansone served as a Deputy Secretary-General of the Commission, and will now step in to replace Selmayr, who resigned from the post earlier this month after the European Council tapped Germany’s former defence minister, Ursula von der Leyen, to replace Juncker in the EU’s top post.\n\n“I am very pleased with today’s decision by the European Commission to entrust the task of Secretary-General to Ilze Juhansone. This is one of the highest civil servant positions in the EU, leading to a very high level of professional appreciation. Congratulations and good luck. Let’s work together!” tweeted the European Commission’s Latvian-born vice-president, Valdis Dombrovskis.\n\nThe most credible long-term successor for Selmayr is the current Director-General of the Financial Stability, Financial Services, and Capital Markets Union Olivier Guersent.\n\nJuhansone has been serving as a Deputy Secretary-General for Selmayr in 2015. She was Latvia’s ambassador and served in her country’s with foreign ministry as well as Deputy Secretary of State and Head of the EU Directorate.", "The European Union’s most senior official has been sacked and demoted as Ursula von der Leyen, the new European Commission president, tightens her grip on the levers of power in Brussels.\n\nMartin Selmayr, 48, who had a meteoric rise to the top of the EU, has now established a dubious record as the shortest-lived secretary-general in the commission’s 62-year history.\n\nThe German official, who was made the EU’s most senior civil servant last year, will be posted to head the EU’s delegation in Vienna in November in what is regarded as a sacking and rapid demotion. His civil service rank and salary of over €220,000 will not be affected.\n\nMr Selmayr will stay on as a special adviser to Jean-Claude Juncker, the current commission president,…", "Thursday, July 25, the Ministry of internal Affairs of Austria declared in the international search 65-year-old citizen of Russia Igor Zaitsev. He is suspected of espionage.“Zaitsev, Igor Zhukovsky is suspected of conducting secret activities for the Russian Main intelligence Directorate to the detriment of the Austrian Republic”, — said in a statement.\n\nAccording to Austrian police, Zaitsev was born on 6 APR 1954 in Moscow. Local media reported that this man is directly linked to high-profile espionage scandal which broke out in Austria in November 2018.\n\nThen in Salzburg was arrested 70-year-old Martin M., a retired Colonel of the armed forces of Austria. It turned out that he was many years ago, recruited by the GRU. For at least 20 years old officer passed on to Moscow the classified information, concerning the Austrian army, and shared important information about the many high-ranking military of Austria. Birds, apparently, was the liaison. He was taken to Moscow information received from Martin M.\n\nWe read in the Telegram channel, Facebook and Twitter", "Jivka Petkova, a Bulgarian national, has been appointed Director for Strategy, Better Regulation and Corporate Governance at the European Commission as of August 1 2019, the Commission announced on July 24.\n\nPetkova joined the European Commission from the Bulgarian public administration in 2007 where she was leading Bulgaria’s EU accession negotiations team in the Prime Minister’s office, the Commission said.\n\nShe was the deputy chief of staff of the first European Commissioner of Bulgarian nationality, in charge of consumer affairs, Meglena Kouneva, and also worked in the private office of High Representative/Vice-President Catherine Ashton and in the EU’s diplomatic service (EEAS).\n\nShe was a Head of Unit in the European Commission’s Spokesperson’s Service, a Principal Adviser in the Commission’s communications department (DG COMM) and is currently part of the transition team of European Commission President-elect Ursula von der Leyen, the Commission said."], "summary": "Secretary-General of the European Commission Martin Selmayr is appointed as EC representative in Austria from November 1 on."}
{"document": ["Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer was sworn in as Germany's new defense minister on Wednesday morning at a special session of the lower house of the German parliament, the Bundestag.\n\nThe ceremony itself had a makeshift air about it. German lawmakers were called in from their summer holidays, with some opposition members grumbling at the fact that attendance had been made obligatory (with non-attendees forced to pay a fine). Others also pointed out the cost of the extra session — estimated at €100,000 ($112,000).\n\nThe swearing-in took place in a provisional plenary hall rather than the main chamber, which is being renovated over the summer break.\n\nIn her speech, Kramp-Karrenbauer emphasized the special bond between the Bundestag and the German military, which requires parliamentary approval before any foreign mission.\n\nBolstering the defense budget\n\nThe new minister also hit all the important notes in her declaration. She promised to bolster defense cooperation within the European Union, and repeated her calls to increase the German defense budget, a controversial demand for some in the Social Democratic Party (SPD, the junior partners in the government coalition,\n\nBut the US and other NATO partners have long demanded that Germany boost defense spending to meet the alliance's target of spending 2% of GDP on defense.\n\n\"I am committed to the government's target of 2%, a target that all allies have repeatedly agreed to,\" Kramp-Karrenbauer said in her speech. The government's current defense budget plans would see Germany reach 1.5% by 2024, but its rhetoric in the past few years has been about increasing its responsibility abroad.\n\n\"For a long time, perhaps too long, we believed that the world around us would become more and more peaceful, and the order more stable,\" the new minister said. \"Developments in the last few years have shown that was deceptive. That's why we have now flipped the switch.\"\n\nShe went on to promise that Bundeswehr soldiers would be provided with enough equipment and training hours, a sore point over the past few years, which have seen several reports that the German military equipment is short of spare parts.\n\nExperience counts after all\n\nThe defense minister's seat was abruptly vacated last week, when the incumbent Ursula von der Leyen was elected as the new European Commission president by the European Parliament.\n\nKramp-Karrenbauer was a surprising choice to take over, given she has only recently been elected leader of Angela Merkel's conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU), and had repeatedly promised that she would concentrate on reinvigorating the party ahead of crucial regional elections in the fall.\n\nIn the meantime, though, the CDU leadership appears to have decided that the 56-year-old former state premier of Saarland did need federal government experience after all. With the CDU still polling as Germany's biggest party, Kramp-Karrenbauer is currently in pole position to succeed Merkel as chancellor.\n\nIn the hour-long debate after Kramp-Karrenbauer's speech, opposition members lost no time accusing the CDU of using the defense ministry as a training ground for a chancellor-in-waiting.\n\n\"The CDU is the biggest threat to our security,\" said Rüdiger Lucassen, of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD), before dismissing Kramp-Karrenbauer as a \"security policy novice.\"\n\nThe Green party's Agnieszka Brugger made the same point in her equally critical remarks. \"This office is too important to just be a way station for people who see themselves on the way up,\" she told the chamber. What the military needs, she said, was political leadership that \"dedicates itself unglamorously and solidly to the Bundeswehr's immense problems.\"\n\nBrugger also argued that the German military's problems wouldn't be solved with money, pointing out that the German defense budget had already risen by €10 billion since 2014 (from €32 billion to €42 billion).\n\nFor the sharp-eared political pundit, the debate also offered some clues to the potential tension within the government coalition. The Social Democrats' interim parliamentary leader Rolf Mützenich criticized the tone of Kramp-Karrenbauer's speech, which he deemed too confrontational. He wondered whether her \"concept of security\" was still up to date, and suggested she might consider \"easing tensions, with for example Russia.\"\n\nWatch video 02:49 Share New German defense minister Send Facebook google+ Whatsapp Tumblr linkedin stumble Digg reddit Newsvine Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/3Me4w Germany's new defense minister already making her mark\n\nEvery evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.", "Former soldier and lobbyist Mark Esper sworn in as US Defence Secretary\n\nUS Army Secretary Mark Esper has been sworn in as Secretary of Defence, hours after being confirmed by the Senate in a strong bipartisan vote that ended the longest period by far the Pentagon had been without a permanent top official.\n\nMr Esper, 55, was sworn in at the White House by US Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito in a ceremony hosted by President Donald Trump and attended by a number of Republican politicians. He was confirmed by the US Senate on a vote of 90-8.\n\n\"That's a vote that we're not accustomed to, Mark. I have to say that, so congratulations,\" Mr Trump told Mr Esper.\n\nA former soldier, Mr Esper has also previously been a lobbyist for weapons maker Raytheon Co, the third-largest US defence contractor.\n\nHe received strong bipartisan support despite sharp questioning during his confirmation hearing by Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren.\n\nSenator Warren questioned his ties to Raytheon and his refusal to extend an ethics commitment he signed in 2017 to avoid decisions involving the company.\n\nSenator Warren, a 2020 presidential hopeful, was the only member of the Senate Armed Services Committee to voice opposition to Mr Esper's confirmation during the hearing.\n\nFour of the eight \"no\" votes came from other senators running for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination — Cory Booker, Kirsten Gillibrand, Kamala Harris and Amy Klobuchar.\n\nThere has been no confirmed defence secretary since Jim Mattis resigned in December over policy differences with Mr Trump.\n\nMany members of Congress from both parties had urged the Republican President to act urgently to fill the powerful position.\n\nMr Trump's previous pick to be secretary of defence, former Boeing Co executive Patrick Shanahan, withdrew from consideration after reports emerged of domestic violence in his family.\n\nAn Army veteran, Mr Esper served as a congressional aide and a Pentagon official under former president George W Bush before working for Raytheon.\n\nHe had been Army Secretary since November 2017.", "\"It is an honour of a lifetime to be appointed Secretary of Defence,\" Esper said on Tuesday after being sworn in by US Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito.\n\nUS President Donald Trump said he is confident that he will be an outstanding Secretary of Defence.\n\nEarlier on Tuesday, the US Senate confirmed Esper's nomination with a 90-8 vote. He previously served as the defence chief in an acting capacity.\n\nEsper stepped in after the previous nominee, Patrick Shanahan, withdrew his nomination and also resigned as acting defence secretary amid reports about possible domestic violence in a marriage that ended in divorce eight years earlier.\n\nShanahan had served as acting defence chief since Mattis’ December resignation, reportedly over a disagreement over plans by President Donald Trump to withdraw US troops from Syria.", "New Delhi (India), Jul 25 (ANI): Defence Minister Rajnath Singh today launched a dashboard of Department of Defence Production to help in effective monitoring of various initiatives and schemes of the department.\n\nSecretary (Defence Production) Ajay Kumar explained the features and the main objectives of the Dashboard.\n\nHe informed that through this initiative, the Ministry will be able to keep track of the major components of Defence Production, including defence exports, defence offsets, Intellectual Property Rights and Mission Raksha Gyan Shakti.\n\nHe also gave a detailed account of the subjects on which the Dashboard will have capsulated information in a user-friendly interface that includes defence projects under 'Make in India', startups in the defence sector, investments in defence corridors in Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu and artificial intelligence projects in defence.\n\nThe dashboard is also available for the general public at www.ddpdashboard.gov.in.\n\nSome of the data on the dashboard is available for restricted viewing under access control. (ANI)", "Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer was sworn in as Germany's new defense minister on Wednesday morning at a special session of the lower house of the German parliament, the Bundestag.\n\nThe ceremony itself had a makeshift air about it. German lawmakers were called in from their summer holidays to attend the ceremony, with some opposition members grumbling at the fact that attendance had been made obligatory (with non-attendees forced to pay a fine). Others also pointed out the cost of the extra session — estimated at €100,000 ($112,000).\n\nThe swearing-in took place in a provisional plenary hall rather than the main chamber, which is being renovated over the summer break.\n\nIn a speech, Kramp-Karrenbauer emphasized the special bond between the Bundestag and the German military, which requires parliamentary approval before any foreign mission.\n\nThe new minister has already called for an increase to the defense budget, a controversial demand for the junior partners of the government coalition, the Social Democratic Party (SPD).\n\nThe defense minister's seat was abruptly vacated last week, when the incumbent Ursula von der Leyen was elected as the new European Commission president by the European Parliament.\n\nKramp-Karrenbauer was a surprising choice for the post, given she has only recently been elected leader of Angela Merkel's conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU), and had repeatedly promised that she would concentrate on reinvigorating the party ahead of crucial regional elections in the fall.\n\nIn the meantime, though, the CDU leadership appears to have decided that the 56-year-old former state premier of Saarland did need federal government experience after all. With the CDU still polling as Germany's biggest party, Kramp-Karrenbauer is currently in pole position to succeed Merkel as chancellor.", "Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer was sworn in as Germany's new defense minister on Wednesday morning at a special session of the lower house of the German parliament, the Bundestag.\n\nThe ceremony itself had a makeshift air about it. German lawmakers were called in from their summer holidays, with some opposition members grumbling at the fact that attendance had been made obligatory (with non-attendees forced to pay a fine). Others also pointed out the cost of the extra session — estimated at €100,000 ($112,000).\n\nThe swearing-in took place in a provisional plenary hall rather than the main chamber, which is being renovated over the summer break.\n\nIn her speech, Kramp-Karrenbauer emphasized the special bond between the Bundestag and the German military, which requires parliamentary approval before any foreign mission.\n\nThe new minister also hit all the important notes in her declaration. She promised to bolster defense cooperation within the European Union, and repeated her calls to increase the German defense budget, a controversial demand for some in the Social Democratic Party (SPD, the junior partners in the government coalition,\n\nBut the US and other NATO partners have long demanded that Germany boost defense spending to meet the alliance's target of spending 2% of GDP on defense.\n\n\"I am committed to the government's target of 2%, a target that all allies have repeatedly agreed to,\" Kramp-Karrenbauer said in her speech. The government's current defense budget plans would see Germany reach 1.5% by 2024, but its rhetoric in the past few years has been about increasing its responsibility abroad.\n\n\"For a long time, perhaps too long, we believed that the world around us would become more and more peaceful, and the order more stable,\" the new minister said. \"Developments in the last few years have shown that was deceptive. That's why we have now flipped the switch.\"\n\nShe went on to promise that Bundeswehr soldiers would be provided with enough equipment and training hours, a sore point over the past few years, which have seen several reports that the German military equipment is short of spare parts.\n\nThe defense minister's seat was abruptly vacated last week, when the incumbent Ursula von der Leyen was elected as the new European Commission president by the European Parliament.\n\nKramp-Karrenbauer was a surprising choice to take over, given she has only recently been elected leader of Angela Merkel's conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU), and had repeatedly promised that she would concentrate on reinvigorating the party ahead of crucial regional elections in the fall.\n\nIn the meantime, though, the CDU leadership appears to have decided that the 56-year-old former state premier of Saarland did need federal government experience after all. With the CDU still polling as Germany's biggest party, Kramp-Karrenbauer is currently in pole position to succeed Merkel as chancellor.\n\nIn the hour-long debate after Kramp-Karrenbauer's speech, opposition members lost no time accusing the CDU of using the defense ministry as a training ground for a chancellor-in-waiting.\n\n\"The CDU is the biggest threat to our security,\" said Rüdiger Lucassen, of the Alternative for Germany (AfD), before dismissing Kramp-Karrenbauer as a \"security policy novice.\"\n\nEvery evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.", "Inglourious Basterds star Til Schweiger has taken aim at Germany’s new defence minister Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer on social media and posted a collage, suggesting that the 56-year-old CDU chief might not be a good choice for the top job.\n\nThe meme picture that he posted included Kramp-Karrenbauer’s portrait along with the images of her counterparts – the newly-appointed US Secretary of Defence Mark Esper and Russia’s Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu. While the two men looked seriously into the camera, wearing a smart suit and a uniform with medals respectively, AKK, as the German media has dubbed the CDU politician, was pictured dressed as a cleaning lady. Schweiger noted in the caption: “Epic!” and posted numerous ROFL emojis.\n\nThe German outlet Bild points out the photo was taken this February during a show at the Carnival in AKK’s home state Saarland. As the actor told the magazine, this picture caught his attention on Instagram, he thought it was funny and decided to share.\n\n\"It speaks for itself… I think the bargaining for the post and if Kramp-Karrenbauer will become chancellor is rather sad”, he said.\n\nAnnegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, who succeeded Angela Merkel as the head of the CDU in December 2018, replaced former Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen on 24 July. The latter left the ministry after six years because she was elected EU Commission President.\n\nThe appointment is said to be surprising, considering that AKK earlier said she intended to concentrate on party leadership instead of government service, a DW report says. It also added that many had expected Health Minister Jens Spahn to become the new defence minister.", "Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer was sworn in as Germany's new defense minister on Wednesday morning at a special session of the lower house of the German parliament, the Bundestag.\n\nThe ceremony itself had a makeshift air about it. German lawmakers were called in from their summer holidays to attend the ceremony, with some opposition members grumbling at the fact that attendance had been made obligatory (with non-attendees forced to pay a fine). Others also pointed out the cost of the extra session — estimated at €100,000 ($112,000).\n\nThe swearing-in took place in a provisional plenary hall rather than the main chamber, which is being renovated over the summer break.\n\nIn a speech, Kramp-Karrenbauer emphasized the special bond between the Bundestag and the German military, which requires parliamentary approval before any foreign mission.\n\nThe new minister also repeated her call for an increase to the defense budget, a controversial demand for some in the junior partners of the government coalition, the Social Democratic Party (SPD). But the US and other NATO partners have long demanded that Germany increase its budget to meet the alliance's target of spending 2% of GDP on defense.\n\n\"I am committed to the government's target of 2%, a target that all allies have repeatedly agreed to,\" Kramp-Karrenbauer said in her speech.\n\nThe defense minister's seat was abruptly vacated last week, when the incumbent Ursula von der Leyen was elected as the new European Commission president by the European Parliament.\n\nKramp-Karrenbauer was a surprising choice to take over, given she has only recently been elected leader of Angela Merkel's conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU), and had repeatedly promised that she would concentrate on reinvigorating the party ahead of crucial regional elections in the fall.\n\nIn the meantime, though, the CDU leadership appears to have decided that the 56-year-old former state premier of Saarland did need federal government experience after all. With the CDU still polling as Germany's biggest party, Kramp-Karrenbauer is currently in pole position to succeed Merkel as chancellor.\n\nIn the hour-long debate after Kramp-Karrenbauer's speech, opposition members lost no time in criticizing the CDU for allegedly using the defense ministry as a training ground for a chancellor-in-waiting.\n\n\"The CDU is the biggest threat to our security,\" said Rüdiger Lucassen, of the Alternative for Germany (AFD).", "Nicholas Kamm, AFP | US Defense Secretary Mark Esper speaks after he was sworn in as President Donald Trump looks on in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, DC, on July 23, 2019.\n\nArmy Secretary Mark Esper was sworn in as U.S. secretary of defence on Tuesday, hours after being confirmed by the Senate in a strong bipartisan vote that ended the longest period by far the Pentagon had been without a permanent top official.\n\nEsper was sworn in at the White House by U.S. Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito in a ceremony hosted by President Donald Trump and attended by a number of Republican lawmakers.\n\nHe was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on a vote of 90-8 several hours earlier. \"That's a vote that we're not accustomed to, Mark. I have to say that, so congratulations,\" Trump told Esper, a former professional staff member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and Senate Governmental Affairs Committee.\n\nEsper, 55, a former soldier and lobbyist for weapons maker Raytheon Co, received strong bipartisan support despite sharp questioning during his confirmation hearing by Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren about his ties to Raytheon and his refusal to extend an ethics commitment he signed in 2017 to avoid decisions involving the company.\n\nWarren, a 2020 presidential hopeful, was the only member of the Senate Armed Services Committee to voice opposition to Esper's confirmation during the hearing.\n\nRaytheon is the third-largest U.S. defence contractor.\n\nThere has been no confirmed defense secretary since Jim Mattis resigned in December over policy differences with Trump.\n\nMany members of Congress from both parties had urged the Republican president to act urgently to fill the powerful position.\n\nTrump's previous pick to be secretary of defence, former Boeing Co executive Patrick Shanahan, withdrew from consideration on June 18 after reports emerged of domestic violence in his family.\n\nSenate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell called on members to support Esper as he opened the Senate on Tuesday morning.\n\n\"The nominee is beyond qualified. His record of public service is beyond impressive. His commitment to serving our service members is beyond obvious. And the need for a Senate-confirmed secretary of defense is beyond urgent,” McConnell said.\n\nFour of the eight \"No\" votes came from senators running for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination - Cory Booker, Kirsten Gillibrand, Kamala Harris and Amy Klobuchar.\n\nAn Army veteran, Esper served as a congressional aide and a Pentagon official under Republican President George W. Bush before working for Raytheon. He had been Army secretary since November 2017.", "WASHINGTON - It took seven months, but President Donald Trump on Tuesday finally got a Senate-confirmed secretary of defence to succeed Jim Mattis.\n\nMark Esper, an Army veteran and former defence industry lobbyist, won Senate confirmation by a vote of 90-8 and was sworn in at the White House by Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito in a ceremony attended by Trump and several members of Esper's family.\n\n\"He's going to be a great one,\" Trump said.\n\nEsper's swearing-in ended the longest period the Pentagon has gone without a confirmed leader in its history.\n\nThe turmoil atop the Pentagon began when Mattis stepped down last New Year's Eve after a series of policy disputes with Trump. He offered to stay two more months to get a successor in place and ensure continuity, but Trump said no.\n\nThe president was high on Mattis at the start of his administration. He liked to call the retired Marine general \"Mad Dog,\" but the affection waned and shortly before Mattis quit Trump referred to him as \"sort of a Democrat.\"\n\nEven with Esper now in charge, the problem of leadership instability at the Pentagon is not fully resolved. There still is no Senate-confirmed deputy secretary of defence, though David Norquist on Tuesday was nominated for the post and is scheduled to have a confirmation hearing Wednesday. Norquist has been filling in as deputy since January; his regular job is Pentagon budget chief.\n\nThe senior leadership vacancies increased again last week with the departure of David Trachtenberg, the Pentagon's second-ranking civilian policy official.\n\nBeyond that, the No. 2-ranking military officer, Gen. Paul Selva, is retiring Friday as vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. No Senate confirmation hearing has been set for the man picked by Trump to replace Selva: Gen. John Hyten, who has been commander of U.S. nuclear forces as head of U.S. Strategic Command.\n\nA military officer has accused Hyten of sexual misconduct . An investigation found insufficient evidence to charge Hyten, but some members of Congress have raised questions about that process. It's unclear when or whether Hyten's nomination will proceed.\n\nAt his confirmation hearing on July 16, Esper promised that one of his first priorities would be to fix the problem of leadership vacancies.\n\n\"I need to staff up the top tier of the Pentagon soonest,\" he said.\n\nCarl Tobias, a professor of law at the University of Richmond, said he believes that in the months since Mattis left, the Pentagon's sway within the administration has weakened.\n\n\"This seems to be the primary challenge that Esper confronts: regaining the power to set the Defence Department agenda and defend it by doing what is best for the nation and the world, not what advances the president's political agenda,\" Tobias said by email.\n\nEsper had been the Army secretary when Mattis resigned in December. On Jan. 1, the deputy defence secretary, Patrick Shanahan, became the acting secretary. But after nearly six months as the fill-in, the former Boeing executive abruptly quit .\n\nEsper then became the acting defence secretary, but once he was nominated last week, he had to step aside until after a Senate vote. So, for the past week, the Pentagon had been run by yet another fill-in: Navy Secretary Richard V. Spencer.\n\nEsper, who has a wide range of experience in defence matters, including time on Capitol Hill as a congressional staff member, has said he intends to continue the Trump administration's focus on improving the combat preparedness of the military, nurturing security alliances around the world and reforming Pentagon business practices.\n\nAll eight senators who voted against Esper's nomination are Democrats. They include Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination, who has sharply criticized Esper for declining to recuse himself from all matters involving his former employer, Raytheon Co., for the duration of his time as defence secretary.\n\nDemocratic Rep. Adam Smith, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said he was encouraged by Esper's confirmation but worried by the continuing problem of vacancies in the Pentagon.\n\n\"The complex challenges that we face around the globe are too serious for key positions at the Department of Defence to remain transient,\" Smith said. \"Instead, our country needs predictable leadership at the Pentagon, capable of withstanding internal political pressure in what has been a historically turbulent administration.\"\n\nEsper was a lobbyist for Raytheon, a major defence contractor, for several years before becoming Army secretary. He told Warren that Defence Department ethics officials recommended he not make the recusal commitment she asked about, but pledged to abide by all ethics rules and regulations."], "summary": "Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer is sworn in as German defence minister."}
{"document": ["SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea said on Friday its latest missile launch was a warning to South Korean “warmongers” to stop importing weapons and conducting joint military drills, a message that analysts said was also aimed at the United States.\n\nNorth Korean leader Kim Jong Un personally watched the test-fire of two short-range ballistic missiles on Thursday, the first test since Kim met with U.S. President Donald Trump last month and agreed to revive denuclearization talks.\n\nThe missile tests raises doubts about the revival of denuclearization talks, which stalled after the collapse of a second summit between Kim and Trump in Hanoi in February.\n\n“We cannot but develop nonstop super-powerful weapon systems to remove the potential and direct threats to the security of our country that exist in the south,” Kim said, according to state news agency KCNA.\n\nAn official at Seoul’s defense ministry said the missiles were believed to be a new type of short-range ballistic missile, an assessment echoed on Friday by the U.S.-South Korea Combined Forces Command (CFC).\n\nA joint review with the United States showed that both missiles flew some 600 km (373 miles), further than similar previous missile tests, the defense official told Reuters.\n\nThe official also said the missiles bore features similar to Russia’ SS-26 Iskander and the ones the North tested in May - a relatively small, fast missile that experts say is easier to hide, launch and maneuver in flight.\n\nA spokesman for the CFC said in a statement the launches were “not a threat directed at [South Korea] or the U.S., and have no impact on our defense posture.”\n\nPyongyang has shown increasing frustration via state media that South Korea has not followed through on promised economic cooperation or peace agreements, all while importing the latest F-35 stealth fighters and conducting military drills with the United States.\n\nThe KCNA report did not mention Trump or the United States, but said Kim criticized South Korean authorities for staging joint military exercises, which Trump promised to end after his first meeting with Kim in June 2018.\n\nNorth Korea accused Washington of breaking that promise by planning to hold joint military exercises with South Korea next month and warned of a possible end to its freeze in nuclear and long-range missile tests.\n\nWhile Friday’s message is very clearly directed at Seoul, it does send signals to Washington as well, said Jenny Town, managing editor at 38 North, a project that studies North Korea.\n\n“On some level, this is like North Korea’s version of maximum pressure on South Korea and the United States.”\n\nNorth Korean state newspaper Rodong Sinmun showed photos of the missile launching, Kim Jong Un looking through binoculars and at screens appearing to show the missile trajectory, and smiling and clapping with his officials.\n\nKim said the test was “a solemn warning to the south Korean military warmongers” and accused South Koreans of “double dealing” for saying they support peace but simultaneously importing new weapons and conducting military drills.\n\nSouth Korea’s leader should stop such “suicidal acts” and “should not make a mistake of ignoring the warning,” Kim said.\n\nKim said he was satisfied with the rapid response and low-altitude trajectory of the weapon, which he said would make it difficult to intercept.\n\nNorth Korea may have made some modifications to its missiles since the May test, based on initial photos and the distances traveled, said Jeffrey Lewis, a missile researcher at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS).\n\nKim Dong-yup, a former naval officer who teaches at Seoul’s Kyungnam University, said the North could have launched the same weapon as May but from the maximum firing angle this time.\n\n“The latest launch has more political purposes as the North called it a show of force rather than firing drills like before, targeting the South’s weapons purchases and joint exercises with the United States,” Kim said.\n\nBallistic missile tests would be a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions that ban North Korean use of such technology. North Korea rejects the restriction as an infringement of its right to self-defense.\n\nWhen asked what message the Trump administration was taking from North Korea’s launch of short-range missiles, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Fox News that prior to U.S.-North Korea negotiations Pyongyang had been engaged in activity “far more dangerous for America and Japan and for South Korea”.\n\nPompeo said when Kim met Trump at the DMZ he had agreed to “avoid launching intermediate-range and long-range ballistic missiles” and “put his negotiating team back in the game”. He said fresh talks were still possible.\n\n“You know, lots of countries posture before they come to the table,” Pompeo told Fox News.", "A day after two North Korean missile launches rattled Asia, the nation announced Friday that it had tested a \"new-type tactical guided weapon\" that was meant to be a \"solemn warning\" about South Korean weapons development and its rival's plans to hold military exercises.\n\nThe message in the country's state media quoted North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and was directed at \"South Korean military warmongers.\" It comes as U.S. and North Korean officials struggle to set up talks after a recent meeting on the Korean border between Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump seemed to provide a step forward in stalled nuclear negotiations.\n\nAlthough the North had harsh words for South Korea, the statement stayed away from the kind of belligerent attacks on the United States that have marked past announcements, a possible signal that it's interested in keeping diplomacy alive.\n\nIt made clear, however, that North Korea is infuriated over U.S.-South Korean plans to hold military drills this summer that the North says are rehearsals for an invasion and proof of the allies' hostility to Pyongyang.\n\nThe message was gloating at times, saying the test \"must have given uneasiness and agony to some targeted forces enough as it intended.\"\n\nSouth Korean Defense Ministry spokeswoman Choi Hyunsoo on Thursday urged the North to stop acts that are \"not helpful to efforts to ease military tensions on the Korean Peninsula.\"\n\nThe North's firing of what the South called a new type of short-range ballistic missile in two launches into the sea Thursday was its first weapons launches in more than two months.\n\nThe South's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missiles were fired from near the eastern coastal town of Wonsan and flew about 430 kilometers (270 miles) and 690 kilometers (430 miles), respectively, before landing off the country's east coast.\n\nA South Korean defense official, requesting anonymity because of department rules, said an initial analysis showed both missiles were fired from mobile launchers and flew at a maximum altitude of 50 kilometers (30 miles).\n\nThe North's statement Friday said the weapons had \"rapid anti-firepower capability\" and \"low-altitude gliding and leaping flight orbit ... which would be hard to intercept.\"\n\nKim was paraphrased as saying that the North \"cannot but develop nonstop super powerful weapon systems to remove the potential and direct threats to the security of our country that exist in the south.\"\n\nNorth Korea is banned by U.N. Security Council resolutions from engaging in any launch using ballistic technology. While the North could face international condemnation over the latest launches, it's unlikely that the nation, already under 11 rounds of U.N. sanctions, will be hit with fresh punitive measures. The U.N. council has typically imposed new sanctions only when the North conducted long-range ballistic launches, not short-range ballistic launches.\n\nU.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for the swift resumption of talks between the United States and North Korea following the new missile launches.\n\nNorth Korea has been urging the U.S. and South Korea to scrap their military drills. Last week, the North said it may lift its 20-month suspension of nuclear and long-range missile tests in response.\n\nSeoul said Wednesday that North Korea was protesting the drills by refusing to accept its offer to send 50,000 tons of rice through an international agency.\n\nNorth Korea also may be trying to get an upper hand ahead of a possible resumption of nuclear talks. Pyongyang wants widespread sanctions relief so it can revive its dilapidated economy.\n\nU.S. officials demand North Korea first take significant steps toward disarmament before they will relinquish the leverage provided by the sanctions.\n\n\"North Korea appears to be thinking its diplomacy with the U.S. isn't proceeding in a way that they want. So they've fired missiles to get the table to turn in their favor,\" said analyst Kim Dae-young at the Korea Research Institute for National Strategy.\n\nA senior U.S. official said the Trump administration knew about the launches. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to provide a response, said the administration had no further comment.\n\n\"If they were ballistic missiles, they violate the U.N. resolutions, and I find it extremely regrettable,\" Japan's Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya told reporters in Tokyo.\n\nChina, the North's last major ally and biggest aid provider, said both Washington and Pyongyang should restart their nuclear diplomacy as soon as possible.\n\nIt was the first missile launch since Seoul said North Korea fired three short-range missiles off its east coast in early May. At the time, many experts said those missiles strongly resembled the Russian-designed Iskander, a short-range, nuclear-capable ballistic missile that has been in the Russian arsenal for more than a decade.\n\nAnalyst Kim Dong-yub at Seoul's Institute for Far Eastern Studies said the latest missiles could be Scud-C ballistic missiles or KN-23 surface-to-surface missiles, a North Korean version of the Iskander.", "South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said Thursday that two missiles were fired by their North Korean neighbors.\n\nThe ministers added that the projectiles originated from near the east coast city of Wonsan and went in excess of 430 kilometers (267 miles) before landing in the sea off its east coast.\n\nThe reported firing comes as US and North Korean officials work to restart nuclear talks, and as the North has also sharply criticized planned joint military drills between US and South Korean troops. The country had warned it might resume missile tests in protest at the drills, which it sees as a threat. North Korea's last weapons testing was in May.\n\nRead more: Trump meets Kim at Korean Demilitarized Zone\n\nThe North \"fired one unidentified projectile at 5:34 a.m. (2034 UTC Wednesday) and the other at 5:57 a.m., from Wonsan areas into the East Sea,\" the Joint Chiefs of Staff said.\n\n\"We have confirmed they were missiles. One missile flew 430 kilometers (267 miles) and the other is estimated to have flown a little further,\" the officials told AFP, adding that a joint analysis with the US was underway.\n\n\"It's not clear whether Kim Jong Un oversaw the launch on-site,\" the official said, referring to the North Korean leader.\n\n\"Our military is closely monitoring the situation in case of additional launches and maintaining a readiness posture,\" the South's Yonhap news agency quoted the Joint Chiefs of Staff as saying.\n\nUS reaction\n\nA United States official also confirmed the reports but refused to say when the incidents occurred.\n\nThe official, who wished to remain anonymous, said the White House was aware of a \"short-range projectile launched from North Korea. We have no further comment.\"\n\nPresident Trump’s security adviser John Bolton did not mention the launches when he tweeted in reference to \"productive meetings\" with South Korean officials on regional security and building a stronger relationship.\n\nJapan gives more details\n\nA Japanese government source, meanwhile, shed more light on the nature of the projectiles, saying they were short-range ballistic missiles.\n\nThe source said the missiles did not reach Japan's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and had no impact on national security.\n\nNevertheless, Japanese Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya told reporters the actions were \"extremely regrettable,\" and that \"if they were ballistic missiles, that would violate a UN security council resolution.\"\n\n\"We will continue to make efforts to collect and analyse information while coordinating with the United States and South Korea,\" Iwaya added.\n\njsi/se (AFP, Reuters, AP)\n\nEach evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.", "North Korea fired two short-range missiles into the sea on Thursday, South Korea's joint chiefs of staff said, after warnings from Pyongyang over military exercises between Washington and Seoul next month.\n\n\n\nThe North has warned the annual military drill could affect the planned resumption of denuclearisation talks between Washington and Pyongyang.\n\nThe two missiles were launched just after dawn from Wonsan on the east coast and flew more than 430km before falling into the East Sea, also known as the Sea of Japan, the South's military said.\n\n\"Our military is closely monitoring the situation in case of additional launches and maintaining a readiness posture,\" it said.\n\n\"We urge the North to stop actions that do not help ease military tensions,\" said Choi Hyun-soo, a defence ministry spokeswoman for South Korea.\n\nTokyo said the launches did not reach Japanese waters, with Japan's defence minister calling Pyongyang's move \"extremely regrettable\".\n\n\"We have confirmed so far that they did not reach our country's territory or exclusive economic zone,\" Defence Minister Takeshi Iwaya told reporters.\n\n'A sign of North's frustration'\n\nAl Jazeera's Rob McBride, reporting from Seoul, said the launch is seen as a sign of North Korea's frustration at stalled nature of negotiations, primarily with the US.\n\n\"It's also North Korea's way of showing its displeasure against holding of military exercises next month between South Korea and the US forces. These exercises have been scaled down but they still do take place, and North Korea is not happy about that,\" he said.\n\n\"There is a sense of frustration from North Korean point of view. They see in [US President] Donald Trump the best hope to get relief from sanctions, and this is a way of reminding the world and the US they are still nuclear-armed power, they still have unfinished business, and they want to get back to the negotiation table.\"\n\nPyongyang last fired short-range missiles on May 9, which the US president called \"very standard stuff\" that, he said, had not affected his relationship with the North's leader Kim.\n\nKim and Trump agreed to a resumption of dialogue at an impromptu June 30 meeting they held in the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ) that divides the two Koreas.\n\nFollowing that meeting, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said working-level talks would probably start in mid-July.\n\n'Blatant pressure'\n\nBut last week, North Korea issued a warning over the military drills, which have been held for years and were scaled down to ease tensions with the nuclear-armed state.\n\nNorth Korean leader Kim Jong Un visits a submarine factory in an undisclosed location in North Korea in this undated picture [KCNA/Reuters]\n\nThe North condemned the exercises as \"blatant pressure\" and a \"violation of the spirit\" of the joint statement Trump and Kim signed at their first summit in Singapore last year.\n\nThe North even hinted it could reconsider its moratorium on nuclear testing because of the drills, although the US State Department had remained upbeat over commitments made by Kim and Trump during the DMZ encounter and at a February summit in Vietnam.\n\nAt their first summit in Singapore in June 2018, Trump and Kim adopted a vaguely worded statement on \"complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula\" and agreed to \"establish new US-DPRK relations\".\n\nBut the failure to reach an agreement over relief from US sanctions, and what the North was willing to give in return, led to the collapse of the leaders' second summit in Hanoi.\n\nTensions rose in May, during the standstill in negotiations between Trump and Kim, when North Korea fired short-range missiles for the first time since November 2017.\n\n\"I don't consider that a breach of trust at all. And, you know, at some point I may. But at this point no,\" Trump said in an interview with Politico magazine at the time.\n\nAsked on Tuesday whether any meetings were scheduled with the North, Trump said: \"No, we just have a very good relationship. And probably they would like to meet and we'll see what happens.\"\n\nEarlier this month, North Korea's Foreign Ministry said Washington's pattern of \"unilaterally reneging on its commitments\" by holding military exercises with South Korea was leading Pyongyang to reconsider its own commitments to discontinue tests of nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles.\n\nOn Tuesday, state news agency KCNA reported Kim inspecting a large, newly built submarine, accompanied by missile programme leaders. It potentially signalled continued development of a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) programme.", "Seoul — North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has said two missiles fired under his supervision were newly designed tactical weapons that sent a “solemn warning” to the South over plans to hold military drills with the US.\n\nThursday’s missile tests were the first since Kim and US President Donald Trump agreed to resume nuclear talks during an impromptu meeting in June in the demilitarised zone between North and South Korea.\n\nThat working-level dialogue has yet to begin and, even before Thursday's launches, Pyongyang had warned the talks could be derailed by Washington and Seoul’s refusal to scrap joint military exercises scheduled for August.\n\nNorth Korean state media provided no technical specifications, but said on Friday the latest tests were of a “new-type tactical guided weapon” that sent a “solemn warning to the South Korean warmongers” over their insistence on holding the joint drills “in defiance of repeated warnings”.\n\nThere are close to 30,000 US troops stationed in South Korea and their annual manoeuvres with South Korean soldiers have always infuriated Pyongyang.\n\nSouth Korean military monitors said the two short-range missiles fired on Thursday flew nearly 450km and 700km respectively, before splashing down in the sea between the Korean peninsula and Japan.\n\nThat range would allow them to hit any target in South Korea.\n\nJapan’s defence minister called the launches “extremely regrettable” while Seoul’s National Security Office expressed “strong concern” and the US called for an end to such “provocations”.\n\nAccording to state-run KCNA, Kim said the new “state-of-the-art” missiles were capable of low-altitude flight that made them difficult to intercept and cautioned Seoul against “ignoring the warning” implicit in their development.\n\nUS secretary of state Mike Pompeo said he believed the working-level talks would still go ahead, and that the latest tests were a negotiating tactic.\n\n“Everybody tries to get ready for negotiations and create leverage and create risk for the other side,” Pompeo said in an interview with Bloomberg Television.\n\n“We remain convinced that there’s a diplomatic way forward, a negotiated solution to this,” he said, adding he was unconcerned at the delay in getting back to the table.\n\n“If it takes another two weeks or four weeks, so be it,” he said.\n\nPyongyang carried out similar short-range launches in May, which Trump dismissed at the time as “very standard stuff”, an assessment he repeated after the latest tests on Thursday.\n\n“They really haven’t tested missiles other than smaller ones, which is something that lots test,” the president said in an interview with Fox News.\n\nThursday’s launches came a day after US national security adviser John Bolton – an arch-hawk regularly vilified by North Korean state media – spoke with senior South Korean officials in Seoul.", "North Korea Conducts Missile Tests While Bolton Meets With Officials In Seoul\n\nNorth Korea has fired two short-range missiles into the Sea of Japan, the first such test since a high-profile meeting last month between President Trump and Kim Jong Un.\n\nOfficial North Korean media on Thursday described the test of \"projectiles,\" but Western experts quickly noted that the range, about 270 miles, and flight path of at least one of the missiles pointed strongly to it being a KN-23 SRBM, which was previously tested in May, a month before Trump and Kim met at the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas.\n\nHowever, an unnamed South Korean defense official was quoted by Reuters as saying one of the missiles appeared to be of a new, longer-range design, flying about 430 miles.\n\nThe move by Pyongyang is seen as tactic to pressure the U.S. as it tries to get nuclear negotiations with Korea back on track. Even so, it is considered less provocative than 2017 tests of North Korea's ICBMs, which are capable of reaching the U.S.\n\nIt comes as National Security Adviser John Bolton, a hardliner on relations with North Korea, is meeting with South Korean officials in Seoul to discuss strengthening the U.S.-South Korea alliance.\n\nIt also follows a warning less than a week ago from North Korea that exercises planned between the U.S. and South Korea could jeopardize further denuclearization talks.\n\nAfter a historic summit last June between Trump and Kim in Singapore, the president boasted that he had persuaded North Korea to denuclearize. But a follow up summit in Hanoi earlier this year quickly fell apart and the North Korean regime has shown few, if any, signs of taking concrete steps to end its nuclear or ballistic missile programs.\n\nThe White House did not immediately respond to the news, but South Korea's Defense Ministry spokesman Choi Hyun-soo called the test \"not helpful\" in reducing tensions between the Koreas. Japan's Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya told reporters in Tokyo that \"If they were ballistic missiles, they violate the U.N. sanctions, and I find it extremely regrettable.\"\n\nA South Korean defense official, speaking to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, said the missiles were launched from mobile platforms at a site near Wonsan on North Korea's coast.\n\nNorth Korea has also been working on submarine-launched ballistic missiles and earlier this week, North Korea's Central News Agency released photographs of leader Kim inspecting a newly built submarine. Although there were no details released, Kim was quoted as expressing \"great satisfaction over the fact that the submarine was designed and built to be capable of fully implementing the military strategic intention\" of North Korea.", "The Latest on North Korea firing short-range missiles into the sea (all times local):\n\nJapan's Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya says North Korea's missile test launches are probably a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions.\n\nIwaya told reporters Japan is still analyzing what type of missiles North Korea fired into the sea early Thursday. South Korea's military says they were two short-range missiles, leading some observers to suggest they were not a major provocation but rather the North's warning of what may happen if the nuclear negotiations with the U.S. fail.\n\nIwaya says, \"If they were ballistic missiles, they violate the U.N. sanctions, and I find it extremely regrettable.\"\n\nJapan's Defense Ministry says it has not found any flying objects reaching the Japanese territory or its 200-mile exclusive economic zone from the North Korean launch of two short-range missiles.\n\nThe ministry has not detected signs that Thursday morning's missile launches posed any immediate threat to Japan's national security.\n\nSouth Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff says the missiles fired from around the North's eastern coastal town of Wonsan flew about 430 kilometers (270 miles) before landing in the waters off the country's east coast.\n\nSouth Korea says North Korea has launched two identified projectiles into the sea off its east coast.\n\nThe South's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the projectile launch came from an area near the eastern city of Wonsan on Thursday.\n\nIt said the projectiles flew 430 kilometers.", "North Korea fired two short-range missiles into the sea, South Korea’s military has said, the first weapons launches in more than two months and an apparent pressuring tactic aimed at Washington.\n\nNorth Korea fired two short-range missiles into the sea, South Korea’s military has said, the first weapons launches in more than two months and an apparent pressuring tactic aimed at Washington.\n\nThe South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missiles fired from around the North’s eastern coastal town of Wonsan flew about 430km (270 miles) before landing in the waters off the country’s east coast.\n\nA South Korean defence official said that an initial South Korean analysis showed both missiles were fired from mobile launchers and flew at a maximum altitude of 50km (30 miles).\n\nThe North is unhappy with planned US-South Korean military drills that it says are an invasion preparation, and the missile tests may be aimed at sending a message to Washington about what would happen if diplomacy fails.\n\nThe timing was also interesting, coming not long after many in the United States were focused on testimony before Congress by Robert Mueller, the former special counsel, about his two-year probe into Russian election interference.\n\nAnd a day earlier, US national security adviser John Bolton left Seoul after agreeing with South Korean officials to boost cooperation to achieve North Korea’s denuclearisation.\n\nBut the relatively short flight distance by the missiles also suggests the launches were not a major provocation, such as a test of a long-range missile capable of reaching the US mainland, and that North Korea does not appear to be pulling out of a US-led diplomacy on its nuclear programme.\n\nIn recent days, North Korea has been ramping up the pressure on the US and South Korea over their expected summertime military drills that it views as an invasion rehearsal.\n\nLast week, the North said it may lift its 20-month suspension of nuclear and long-range missile tests in response to the drills.\n\nUS president Donald Trump has considered the weapons moratorium a major achievement in his North Korea policy.\n\nSome experts say it was a negotiating tactic by North Korea to take issue with the drills in order to get an upper hand ahead of the possible resumption of talks.\n\nNorth Korea wants to get widespread sanction relief to revive its dilapidated economy, but US officials want the country to take significant disarmament steps before they give up the leverage provided by the sanctions.\n\nA senior US official said the Trump administration was aware of the reports of a short-range projectile launched from North Korea.\n\nThe official said the administration had no further comment at this time.\n\nSouth Korean Defence Ministry spokeswoman Choi Hyunsoo urged Pyongyang to stop acts that are “not helpful to efforts to ease military tensions on the Korean Peninsula.”\n\nIf North Korea fired ballistic missiles, it could have ramifications because UN Security Council resolutions ban the North from engaging in any launch using ballistic technology.\n\nStill, the US Security Council has typically imposed fresh sanctions on North Korea only when it conducted long-range ballistic missile tests.\n\n“If they were ballistic missiles, they violate the UN resolutions, and I find it extremely regrettable,” Japan’s Defence Minister Takeshi Iwaya told reporters in Tokyo.\n\nIt was the first such launch since Seoul said North Korea fired three short-range missiles off its east coast in early May.\n\nMany experts said at the time that those missiles bore a strong resemblance to the Russian-designed Iskander, a short-range, nuclear-capable ballistic missile that has been in the Russian arsenal for more than a decade.\n\nAnalyst Kim Dong-yub at Seoul’s Institute for Far Eastern Studies said the latest North Korean missiles could be Scud-C ballistic missiles or KN-23 surface-to-surface missiles, a North Korean version of the Iskander.\n\nSouth Korea’s military said it and the US military were analysing details of Thursday’s launches.\n\nSouth Korea said it was monitoring possible additional launches by North Korea.\n\nDuring a third summit at the Korean border late last month, Mr Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un agreed to resume nuclear negotiations, which had been deadlocked since their second summit in Vietnam in February ended without an agreement because of disputes over US-led sanctions.\n\nBoth the launches in May and on Thursday will not end that weapons test moratorium, which applies to firing intercontinental ballistic missiles.", "SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea fired two short-range missiles into the sea Thursday, South Korea's military said, the first weapons launches in more than two months and an apparent pressuring tactic aimed at Washington as North Korean and U.S. officials struggle to restart nuclear negotiations.\n\nThe South's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missiles that were fired from near the eastern coastal town of Wonsan flew about 430 kilometers (270 miles) before landing in the waters off the country's east coast.\n\nA South Korean defense official, requesting anonymity because of department rules, said that an initial South Korean analysis showed both missiles were fired from mobile launchers and flew at a maximum altitude of 50 kilometers (30 miles).\n\nThe North is unhappy with planned U.S.-South Korean military drills that it says are an invasion preparation, and the missile tests may be aimed at sending a message to Washington about what would happen if diplomacy fails.\n\nThe timing was also interesting, coming not long after many in the United States were focused on testimony before Congress by Robert Mueller, the former special counsel, about his two-year probe into Russian election interference.\n\nBut the missiles' relatively short flight distance also suggests the launches were not a major provocation, such as a test of a long-range missile capable of reaching the U.S. mainland, and that North Korea doesn't appear to be pulling away from U.S.-led diplomacy aimed at curbing its nuclear program.\n\nIn recent days, North Korea has been pressuring the U.S. and South Korea to scrap their summertime military drills. Last week, the North said it may lift its 20-month suspension of nuclear and long-range missile tests in response to the drills. Trump has considered the weapons moratorium a major achievement in his North Korea policy.\n\nSome experts North Korea's recent actions are an attempt to get an upper hand ahead of the possible resumption of talks. North Korea wants widespread sanctions relief so it can revive its dilapidated economy, but U.S. officials are pushing the country to take significant disarmament steps before they give up the leverage provided by the sanctions.\n\nA senior U.S. official said the Trump administration was aware of the reports of a short-range projectile launched from North Korea. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to provide a response, said the administration had no further comment at this time.\n\nSouth Korean Defense Ministry spokeswoman Choi Hyunsoo urged Pyongyang to stop acts that are \"not helpful to efforts to ease military tensions on the Korean Peninsula.\"\n\nIf North Korea fired ballistic missiles, it could have ramifications because U.N. Security Council resolutions ban the North from engaging in any launch using ballistic technology. Still, the U.N. Security Council has typically imposed fresh sanctions on North Korea only when it conducted long-range ballistic missile tests.\n\n\"If they were ballistic missiles, they violate the U.N. sanctions, and I find it extremely regrettable,\" Japan's Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya told reporters in Tokyo.\n\nIt was the first such launch since Seoul said North Korea fired three short-range missiles off its east coast in early May. Many experts said at the time that those missiles bore a strong resemblance to the Russian-designed Iskander, a short-range, nuclear-capable ballistic missile that has been in the Russian arsenal for more than a decade.\n\nSouth Korea's military said it and the U.S. military were analyzing details of Thursday's launches. South Korea said it was monitoring possible additional launches by North Korea.\n\nDuring a third summit at the Korean border late last month, Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un agreed to resume nuclear negotiations, which had been deadlocked since their second summit in Vietnam in February ended without an agreement because of disputes over U.S.-led sanctions.\n\nBoth the launches in May and on Thursday won't end that weapons test moratorium, which applies to firing intercontinental ballistic missiles.\n\nOn Tuesday, North Korean state media said Kim inspected a newly built submarine and ordered officials to further bolster the country's military capabilities. The Korean Central News Agency said the submarine's operational deployment \"is near at hand.\"\n\nAfter analyzing North Korea-dispatched photos of the submarine, experts said the submarine likely has three launch tubes for missiles. South Korean government documents say North Korea has about 70 submarines, but analysts say they mostly have a single launch tube.\n\nThe construction of such a new submarine suggests North Korea has been increasing its military capability despite nuclear diplomacy that it began with the United States early last year.\n\nThe latest launches came amid a recent flare-up of tensions on the Korean Peninsula after South Korean fighter jets on Tuesday fired hundreds of warning shots to repel a Russian reconnaissance plane that Seoul says violated its airspace. Before that alleged intrusion, Seoul said Russian and Chinese warplanes including the reconnaissance aircraft made an extremely unusual joint entrance into South Korea's air defense identification zone, prompting South Korean military jets to scramble.\n\nRussia and China have said they carried out their first joint patrol in the waters between the Korean Peninsula and Japan but said none of their planes violated South Korea's airspace. Experts say the joint patrol may have been aimed at testing readiness of trilateral security cooperation among the United States, South Korea and Japan.\n\nAssociated Press writers Deb Riechmann in Washington and Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo contributed to this report.", "North Korea fired a new type of short-range ballistic missile in two launches into the sea, South Korean officials have said.\n\nNorth Korea fired a new type of short-range ballistic missile in two launches into the sea, South Korean officials have said.\n\nNorth Korean missiles fired into the sea believed to be new weapons\n\nThey were North Korea’s first weapons launches in more than two months and appeared to be a pressuring tactic as Pyongyang and Washington struggle to restart nuclear negotiations.\n\nThe South’s joint chiefs of staff said the missiles were fired from near the eastern coastal town of Wonsan and flew about 270 miles and 430 miles respectively before landing off the country’s east coast.\n\nThe Joint Chiefs of Staff described both missiles as short-range but did not elaborate.\n\nBut after a national security council meeting later Thursday, South Korea’s presidential Blue House said the weapons North Korea launched were assessed as “a new kind of short-range ballistic missiles”.\n\nNorth Korea is banned by UN security council resolutions from engaging in any launch using ballistic technology.\n\nSo North Korea could face international condemnation over the latest launches.\n\nBut it is still unlikely for the North, already under 11 rounds of UN sanctions, to be hit with fresh punitive measures because the UN council has typically imposed new sanctions only when the North conducted long-range ballistic launches, not short-range ballistic launches.\n\nA South Korean defence official, requesting anonymity because of department rules, said that an initial analysis showed both missiles were fired from mobile launchers and flew at a maximum altitude of 30 miles.\n\nThe North is unhappy over planned US-South Korean military drills that it says are preparation for an invasion.\n\nThe missile tests may be meant as a warning to Washington.\n\nThey came as many in the United States were focused on evidence before Congress by Robert Mueller, the former special counsel, about his two-year probe into Russian election interference.\n\nA day earlier, US national security adviser John Bolton left Seoul after agreeing with South Korean officials to work closely to achieve North Korea’s denuclearisation.\n\n“North Korea appears to be thinking its diplomacy with the US isn’t proceeding in a way that they want. So they’ve fired missiles to get the table to turn in their favour,” said analyst Kim Dae-young at the Korea Research Institute for National Strategy.\n\nBut North Korea does not appear to be pulling away from US-led diplomacy aimed at curbing its nuclear programme, analysts say.\n\nThe relatively short distance travelled by the missiles suggests the launches were not intended as a major provocation, unlike a test of a long-range missile capable of reaching the US mainland.\n\nNorth Korea has been urging the US and South Korea to scrap their summertime military drills.\n\nLast week, the North said it may lift its 20-month suspension of nuclear and long-range missile tests in response to the drills.\n\nSeoul said on Wednesday North Korea was refusing to accept its offer to send 50,000 tons of rice through an international agency to protest the drills.\n\nSome experts say North Korea is trying to get an upper hand ahead of a possible resumption of talks.\n\nPyongyang wants widespread sanctions relief so it can revive its dilapidated economy.\n\nUS officials demand North Korea first take significant steps toward disarmament before they will relinquish the leverage provided by the sanctions.\n\nA senior US official said the Trump administration was aware of the reported launches.\n\nThe official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to provide a response, said the administration had no further comment.\n\nSouth Korean defense ministry spokeswoman Choi Hyunsoo urged Pyongyang to stop acts that are “not helpful to efforts to ease military tensions on the Korean Peninsula”.\n\n“If they were ballistic missiles, they violate the UN resolutions, and I find it extremely regrettable,” Japan’s defence minister Takeshi Iwaya told reporters in Tokyo.\n\nChina, the North’s last major ally and biggest aid provider, said both Washington and Pyongyang should restart their nuclear diplomacy as soon as possible.\n\n“All parties concerned should cherish the hard-won opportunity for dialogue and the easing of tensions, express goodwill, meet each other halfway and jointly make positive efforts to promote denuclearisation,” said Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying.\n\nIt was the first missile launch since Seoul said North Korea fired three short-range missiles off its east coast in early May.\n\nAt the time, many experts said those missiles strongly resembled the Russian-designed Iskander, a short-range, nuclear-capable ballistic missile that has been in the Russian arsenal for more than a decade.\n\nAnalyst Kim Dong-yub at Seoul’s Institute for Far Eastern Studies said the latest missiles could be Scud-C ballistic missiles or KN-23 surface-to-surface missiles, a North Korean version of the Iskander.\n\nDuring a third summit at the Korean border late last month, President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un agreed to resume nuclear negotiations that had been deadlocked since their second summit in Vietnam in February.\n\nIt ended in disagreement over US-led sanctions.\n\nOn Tuesday, North Korean state media said Mr Kim inspected a newly built submarine and ordered officials to further bolster the country’s military capabilities.\n\nThe Korean Central News Agency said the submarine’s operational deployment “is near at hand”.\n\nAfter analysing North Korea-dispatched photos of the submarine, experts said it likely has three or more launch tubes for missiles.\n\nSouth Korean government documents say North Korea has about 70 submarines.\n\nMost have only torpedo, not missile launch tubes, except for a test platform with a single launch tube the North has used when it fired ballistic missiles in recent years, according to Kim Dae-young, the analyst.\n\nThe new submarine suggests North Korea has been increasing its military capability despite nuclear diplomacy that it began with the United States early last year.\n\nThe latest launches came amid a flaring of tensions in North Asia after South Korean fighter jets on Tuesday fired warning shots to drive away a Russian reconnaissance plane that Seoul says violated its airspace.\n\nBefore that alleged intrusion, South Korean military jets scrambled after Russian and Chinese warplanes including the reconnaissance aircraft made an extremely unusual joint entrance into South Korea’s air defence identification zone."], "summary": "North Korea tests two new missiles that land in the Sea of Japan, though not within Japanese territory. Japanese Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya condemns the testing as \"extremely regrettable\"."}
{"document": ["On a day that no one on the continent will ever forget, two potential drug dealers in Belgium even called the police, begging to be rescued from the locked container they managed to get themselves trapped in.\n\nTemperature records that had stood for decades or even just days fell minute by minute Thursday afternoon and Europeans and tourists alike jumped into fountains, lakes, rivers or the sea to escape a suffocating heat wave rising up from the Sahara.\n\nIt was nearly impossible to keep up with the falling records as temperatures climbed higher and higher under a brutal sun — in Paris and London, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands — all places where air conditioning is not typically installed in homes, cafes, or stores. Even office air conditioning systems strained under the hot, dry air that was trapped between two stormy weather systems.\n\nClimate scientists warned these types of heat waves could become the new normal but they loom as a giant challenge for temperate Europe. As emissions keep warming the planet, scientists say there will be more and hotter heat waves, although it’s too early to know whether this specific hot spell is linked to man-made climate change.\n\n‘‘There is likely the DNA of climate change in the record-breaking heat that Europe and other parts of the world are experiencing. And it is unfortunately going to continue to worsen,’’ said Marshall Shepherd, professor of meteorology at University of Georgia.\n\nElectric fans sold out across Paris — and traditional folding fans made a comeback on the city’s stuffy Metro. Trains were canceled in Britain and France, and authorities in both nations urged travelers to stay home. Messages to ‘‘Hydrate yourselves!’’ blared from the radio and TV.\n\nStill, the atmosphere was buoyant, as people sought to stay cool yet embrace the heat blast from the south.\n\nKaty James, visiting Paris from Chicago, was one of the lucky ones to have a room with air conditioning but she was still out in the streets, enjoying the atmosphere.\n\n‘‘We’ve had such a good time. The Parisians have been so accommodating. We’ve been getting water where ever we go. We got to play in the fountain. This was amazing,’’ James said.\n\nFrance’s heat alert system went to its maximum level of red for the first time during last month’s heat wave , when France saw its highest-ever recorded temperature of 46 degrees. On Thursday, about one-fifth of French territory was under a red alert, stretching from the English Channel through the Paris region and down to Burgundy and affecting at least 20 million people.\n\nFrench authorities have been particularly wary, since a 2003 heat wave killed nearly 15,000 people, many of them elderly people alone in stiflingly hot apartments.\n\n‘‘The science behind heat wave attribution is very robust — the first extreme weather event to be definitively linked to global warming was the 2003 European heat wave,’’ said NASA climate scientist Kate Marvel. ‘‘We know that as the climate warms, heat waves become more likely and more severe.’’\n\nSo as tourists frolicked in fountains, authorities and volunteers in Paris and London fanned out to help the elderly, sick and homeless, opening centers for them to rest, cool down and shower.\n\n‘‘They are in the street all day, under the sun. No air conditioning, no way to protect oneself from the heat,’’ said Ruggero Gatti, an IT worker joining other Red Cross volunteers handing out water bottles, soup and yogurt to the homeless in the Paris suburb of Boulogne.\n\nAcross the Channel, the heat damaged overhead electric wires between London’s St. Pancras train station and Luton Airport, blocking all train lines. East Midlands Trains posted a message to passengers on Twitter, saying simply ‘‘DO NOT TRAVEL.’’\n\nThe sheer levels of heat on Thursday afternoon were nothing short of astonishing:\n\n— The Paris area hit 42.6 degrees Celsius (108.7 degrees Fahrenheit), beating the previous record of 40.4 C (104.7 F) set in 1947.\n\n— The Netherlands’ meteorological institute announced a record that beat the previous record set just a day ago: 40.4 C (104.7 F) Thursday in the municipality of Gilze Rijen, near the border with Belgium.\n\n— Belgium hit all-time records twice in the day, rising to 40.7 C (105.3 F) in the western town of Beitem. ‘‘This is the highest recorded temperature for Belgium in history since the beginning of the measurements in 1833,’’ said Alex Dewalque of the country’s Royal Meteorological Institute.\n\n— The northern German town of Lingen set a new national temperature record at least three times Thursday afternoon, finally hitting 42.6 C (108.7 F). Those repeated records came after the country had set a national record Wednesday of 40.5 C (104.9 F) in Geilenkirchen near the Belgian border.\n\n— London recorded its hottest day on record for July, with the mercury climbing to 36.9 C (98.4 F) at Heathrow Airport. The previous July record was 36.7 C (98 F) in 2015.\n\n— Britain was waiting to see if temperatures blow by the national record of 38.5 C (101.3 F) set back in August 2003. Britain’s Met Office said its temperature records go back to 1865.\n\n— The Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment issued a ‘‘smog alarm’’ Thursday for areas including the densely populated cities of Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague due to high ozone levels.\n\nIn Germany, Switzerland and Austria, some communities painted vital rail tracks white in hopes the light color would bring down the temperature by a few degrees and the tracks would not get warped by the heat. German railways Deutsche Bahn said passengers who had booked tickets for Thursday or Friday and wanted to delay their trips could do so without charge.\n\nIn Cologne in western Germany, volunteers offered free water to passersby while others sunbathed on the dried-up banks of the Rhine River. In Bavaria’s prisons, inmates were getting cold cucumber soup, fruit and yoghurt for lunch and more water than normal.\n\nIn Austria, a 2-year-old died of dehydration Wednesday in the country’s Styria region after he climbed into an overheated parked car without his family noticing.\n\nSocial media had fun with an image that showed that even Queen Elizabeth II, one of the world’s wealthiest women, needed relief from the heat. An image of the monarch meeting new British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday showed what appears to be a Dyson fan, a tower-like design that stood out against the delicate gilt edged decor at Buckingham Palace.\n\nAs intense as it was, the heat in Europe is expected to be short, with temperatures forecast to drop on Friday and Saturday.\n\nGrieshaber reported from Berlin. Deborah Gouffran in Boulogne, France, Mike Corder in The Hague, Netherlands, Bishr Eltouni and Raf Casert in Brussels, Daniel Niemann in Cologne, Germany, Danica Kirka in London and Seth Borenstein in Washington contributed.", "PARIS/LONDON (Reuters) - Soaring temperatures broke records in Germany, France, Britain and the Netherlands on Thursday, as a heatwave gripped Europe for the second time in a month in what scientists said were becoming more frequent events as the planet heats up.\n\nAs a cauldron of hot air from the Sahara desert moved across the continent, drawn northwards by high pressure, Paris saw its highest temperature since records began and Britain reported its hottest weather for the month of July.\n\nAn all-time high was measured in Germany for a second day running, at 41.5 degrees Celsius (106.7 degrees Fahrenheit) in the northwestern town of Lingen - similar temperatures to those in some Gulf Arab capitals on Thursday.\n\nThe unusual conditions brought a reduction in French and German nuclear power output, disrupted rail travel in parts of Britain and sent some Europeans, not habitual users of air conditioning in their homes, out to the shops in search of fans.\n\nHealth authorities issued warnings to the elderly, especially vulnerable to spikes in temperature. In cities, children splashed about in water fountains to cool off.\n\n“It’s very hot at the moment. I saw 42 degrees (Celsius) is forecast for today,” said 19-year-old French tourist Ombeline Massot in the capital’s Montmartre district, where visitors drank chilled bottles of water and fanned themselves.\n\nThe mercury in Paris touched 42.6 C (108.68 F) in mid-afternoon, above the previous Paris record of 40.4 C (104.72 F) recorded in July 1947.\n\nIn Britain, the temperature reached its highest for July, hitting 38.1 C (100.58 F), said the Met Office, the national weather service. The temperature, recorded in Cambridge, beat the previously July record of 36.7 C (98.06°F) in 2015.\n\nThis was the second highest temperature recorded in the country. The hottest day, in August 2003, saw 38.5 C (101.3 F).\n\nIn the southern Netherlands, the temperature peaked at 40.4 C (104.7 F), topping 40 C (104 F) for the first time on record, Dutch meteorology institute KNMI said. That broke the national record of 39.3 C set the previous day. Before this week, the national heat record of 38.6 C had stood for 75 years.\n\nThe heat is expected to persist until Friday.\n\nClimate specialists said such heatwaves are becoming more frequent as a result of global warming from greenhouse gas emissions.\n\nBritons faced travel disruption, with trains being forced to slow down to prevent tracks buckling in the heat. Several train operators asked commuters not to travel or set off very early.\n\nA Met Office study found that a heatwave like one that broke records last year was 30 times more likely to occur than in 1750, because of the high amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Since the pre-industrial period the Earth’s surface temperature has risen by 1 degree Celsius.\n\n“There is a 40-50% chance that this will be the warmest July on record. This heatwave is exactly in line with climate change predictions,” said Dr Karsten Haustein at the Environmental Change Institute at the University of Oxford.\n\nPeter Inness, senior research fellow at the University of Reading, said: “The fact that so many recent years have had very high summer temperatures both globally and across Europe is very much in line with what we expect from man-made global warming.”\n\nIn northern Poland, toxic algae in the Baltic sea led to the closure of more than 15 beaches this summer, authorities said.\n\n“The Baltic sea isn’t the cleanest and when the temperatures are so high, then these organisms multiply at lightning speed and beaches need to be closed,” said Jan Bondar, a spokesman for Poland’s Chief Sanitary Inspectorate.\n\nVery high temperatures across Europe coupled with prolonged dry weather has cut French nuclear power generation by around 5.2 gigawatts (GW) or 8%, French power grid operator RTE’s data showed.\n\nElectricity output was curtailed at six reactors by 0840 GMT on Thursday, while two other reactors were offline, data showed. High water temperatures and sluggish flows limit the ability to use river water to cool reactors.\n\nIn Germany, PreussenElektra, the nuclear unit of utility E.ON, said it would take its Grohnde reactor offline on Friday due to high temperatures in the Weser river.", "Europe is sweltering in intense heat, suffering through the latest heat wave in a summer that has seen at least 12 countries experience record-breaking temperatures.\n\nMeteorologists say Europe is on track for the hottest July on record, following the warmest June since records began in 1880.\n\nScientists warn the world should expect more scorching heat waves due to climate change and that current temperature highs are in line with predictions made over a decade ago.\n\nBelgium, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK all reached record-breaking temperatures this week.\n\nOn Wednesday, Belgium endured its hottest day ever recorded, with temperatures rising to 39.9 degrees Celsius (102 Fahrenheit). The Netherlands broke a 75-year record Wednesday, and then hit another all-time high of 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) Thursday, the national weather forecasting institute said. Temperatures there are still climbing.\n\nIn the German town of Geilenkirchen, a temperature high of 40.5 degrees Celsius (104.9 Fahrenheit) was recorded Wednesday. The UK experienced its hottest ever July day Thursday, with temperatures predicted to beat the hottest ever recorded temperature of 38.5 Celsius, set in 2003.\n\nAll four countries remain on extreme heat alert.\n\nIn June, a heat wave broke temperature records in eight countries, including France, the Czech Republic and Switzerland.\n\nFrance reached a scorching 45.9 degrees Celsius (114.6 Fahrenheit). The country is on high alert again, with temperatures of 42 Celsius (107.6 Fahrenheit) expected in Paris.\n\nThe current heat wave presents a serious threat to Notre Dame Cathedral. The roof of Paris’ beloved cathedral, which survived a massive fire months ago, is at risk of collapse, according to chief architect Philippe Villeneuve.\n\n“What I fear is that the joints or the masonry, as they dry, lose their coherence, their cohesion and their structural qualities and that all of sudden, the vault gives way,” he said.\n\nHeat waves such as this one could become the new normal for Europe, driven by rising temperatures caused by greenhouse gas emissions, scientists say.\n\n“Climate change is without doubt ‘loading the dice’ and making heat waves much more likely and much more severe,” according to Michael Byrne, professor of earth and environmental sciences at the University of St Andrews, in Scotland.\n\nA group of European scientists concluded that the June heat wave was made at least five times more likely because of climate change — and perhaps 100 times more likely.\n\nFrance’s weather service also made the link, issuing a warning that without serious carbon dioxide reductions, heat waves could become more intense and frequent than in the past.\n\nWhile temperatures around 100 degrees Fahrenheit might not seem high in comparison to some other parts of the world, they are way above seasonal averages for much of Europe.\n\nMany European cities are not designed to deal with such temperatures. Less than 5% of all European households have been air-conditioned, according to a 2017 report, and public transport can grind to a halt in intense heat.\n\nAmid the sweltering heat, trains were canceled in a number of European countries due to risk of derailment.\n\nA Eurostar train traveling from Belgium to London broke down Wednesday, trapping passengers in 40 degrees Celsius heat, without air conditioning.\n\nNetwork Rail, which operates the UK’s rail infrastructure, said track temperatures in and around London were set to exceed 50 Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit), almost double the average summer rail temperature in the UK.\n\nRailway tracks expand in heat and are prone to buckling when temperatures rise.\n\nOne solution is to paint rail tracks white to reflect the sun’s heat, according to John Easton, a rail expert at the Institution of Engineering and Technology.\n\n“This can reduce the track temperature by 5°C and reduces signaling failures which lead to significant disruption,” he said, adding that Italy uses the technique to lower the risk of buckling.\n\nIt is not just public transport that is grinding to a halt because of the heat. In southern France, EDF energy group closed its nuclear power plant as temperatures rose above 40 Celsius (104 Fahrenheit).\n\n“The reason for the cut in output is not because of a technical problem, but an environmental one regarding heating up the river water beyond what is safe for marine life,” according to a spokesperson for the Nuclear Industry Association.\n\nHeat waves pose serious health risks and can cause cardiovascular and respiratory systems to fail, resulting in premature death, Clare Heaviside, of the University of Oxford’s Environmental Change Institute (ECI), told CNN.\n\nElderly people are most at risk as they are more prone to heatstroke. Experts advise they should keep windows closed and pull blinds down during the hottest part of the day.\n\nEuropean countries must accept the reality of climate change and learn to adapt to extreme weather events, according to Dr Friederike Otto, director of the ECI.\n\nOtto said France took important mitigation measures after a heat wave in 2003 contributed to tens of thousands of premature deaths.\n\n“France made heat plans to better prepare and reduce mortality. These were activated during the June 2019 heat wave and measures including closing schools and setting up helplines reduced the impacts,” he said.\n\nPaolo Ruti, a climate scientist at the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), told CNN cities could adopt a host of measures to reduce heat impacts, including installing mist spray systems at bus stops and stations, as well as whitening roofs, which would help cool buildings.\n\nIt’s not just heat waves, and it’s not just Europe. Countries around the world are experiencing extreme weather catastrophes that threaten to render entire regions unlivable — India is swinging between extreme drought and fatal flooding, 157 million Americans were gripped by a stifling heat wave last week, and the Arctic is facing “unprecedented” wildfires.", "Paris has recorded the hottest day in its history, hitting 40.6 degrees amid a heatwave breaking barriers across Europe.\n\nAuthorities say the temperature is still rising. The national weather service Meteo France announced that the new record was reached on Thursday afternoon, beating the previous record of 40.4 degrees in 1947.\n\nIt is one of several records set in this week’s heatwave, the second wave baking the continent this summer. France saw its hottest-ever day on record last month, when a southern town reached 46 degrees.\n\nMeanwhile, Britain could bake under record-breaking heat as temperatures could potentially climb to 39 degrees on Thursday.\n\nThe scorching conditions may spark thunderstorms which could trigger travel delays, flash flooding, and power cuts.\n\nThe dangers of cooling off in lakes, rivers and the sea were highlighted by emergency services after the bodies of three people were pulled from the water on Wednesday after they reportedly got into difficulty swimming.\n\nA yellow weather warning is in force for most of England, except the South West, and parts of Scotland from 3pm on Thursday until 4am on Friday.\n\nExtreme weather action teams (Ewats) have been “activated” to keep passengers safe and trains running, it said.\n\nThe Rail Delivery Group, which represents the industry, advised passengers in London and the South East to consider changing their travel plans on Thursday owing to the heat.\n\nLondon North Eastern Railway (LNER), which runs inter-city services on the East Coast Main Line, is advising customers against travelling on Thursday.\n\nIt said some services were likely to be cancelled or delayed as speed restrictions will be imposed between Peterborough and London King’s Cross.\n\nThose making long car journeys cannot rely on the radio for company — FM and AM radio signals can be disrupted in hot weather because signals from local stations can travel further and cause interference outside their usual range.\n\nThe Met Office has warned heatwaves are on the increase as a result of climate change.\n\nIt is even possible the mercury could climb to 40 degrees, which would be “unprecedented” for the UK climate, weather forecasters said.\n\nParts of Europe are bracing for record temperatures as the second heatwave of the summer bakes the continent.\n\nSwathes of Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Switzerland could also face temperatures exceeding 40 degrees.\n\nClimate scientists have warned this could become the new normal.\n\nBut temperate Europe — where air conditioning is rare — is not equipped for the kind of temperatures in the region this week.\n\nTourists have been jumping in fountains in a bid to cool down, while authorities are looking to help those such as the elderly, who are often hit hardest by the heat. – PA", "Much of Western Europe is facing record-breaking temperatures again, with the second heatwave in a month set to reach its peak on Thursday.\n\nA red alert has been issued in northern France – with Paris temperatures reaching a record-breaking 40.6C.\n\nThe UK is expecting 39C heat and trains have been ordered to run more slowly to stop rail tracks buckling in the heat.\n\nBelgian, German and Dutch temperature records could be broken for the second time in two days.\n\n“Climate change has increased the likelihood and severity of heatwave episodes across Europe,” the UK’s national weather service said.\n\nAuthorities have launched a red alert – the highest state of alert – in the Paris region and 19 other districts, and say temperatures could eventually reach 42-43C in parts of the country.\n\nFrench media say Wednesday night was “probably” the hottest-ever recorded in France.\n\nBelgium, Germany and the Netherlands had already recorded their highest-ever temperatures on Wednesday – of 40.2C, 40.5C and 39.3C respectively.\n\nBut forecasters believe the mercury could soar even higher on Thursday, and the Netherlands could see a new record of 40C in the south-east.\n\nIn France, officials have warned people to avoid travelling, and to work from home if possible. Children’s nurseries have also been closed.\n\nThe chief architect responsible for restoring the Notre-Dame has warned that the extreme heat could lead to the cathedral roof collapsing if the joints and masonry holding up the roof dry up.\n\nFrench reports suggest five deaths might have been linked to the heatwave so far,\n\nComparisons have been drawn to a heatwave in August 2003, which contributed to almost 15,000 deaths in the country.\n\nIn parts of north Germany, rivers and lakes have been drying up – with warnings that fish and mussels could be “severely threatened”.\n\nIn the Netherlands, hundreds of pigs died earlier this week after a ventilator at a farm failed.\n\nMeanwhile, on Wednesday, a Eurostar train from Belgium to London broke down, trapping passengers.", "A heatwave gripping Europe has toppled all-time temperature records in Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany — and further records could be broken in the UK today.\n\nOn Wednesday afternoon, Dutch meteorological service KNMI said it had recorded a temperature of 39.3°C in Eindhoven, breaking a national record set in Warnsveld in August 1944.\n\nThis was broken again on Thursday with a reading of 41.7°C in Deelen.\n\nIn Belgium, the all-time temperature high was broken on Wednesday in Kleine Brogel with 39.9°C. The former record was set in 1833 with 38.9°C.\n\nGermany's meteorological service DWD released provisional temperature data on Wednesday, saying a temperature of 40.5°C had been reached in Geilenkirchen.\n\nThe data was not recorded within the DWD-monitored network, and is therefore still awaiting confirmation on a final result.\n\nIf confirmed, it would topple the nationwide record set in Kitzingen in 2015 with a temperature of 40.3°C.\n\nTemperatures are also expected to reach national all-time highs in the UK on Thursday, surpassing a 38.5°C record set in August 2003.\n\nBy 10 a.m. local time on Thursday, temperatures had already hit 30°C at Heathrow airport.\n\nNational Rail has issued a warning to passengers and said speed restrictions would be in place throughout the day in order to prevent the tracks from buckling in the heat.\n\n\"A heavily reduced service is expected across many parts of the network today, and a number of train operators are advising customers not to travel unless absolutely necessary,\" a statement from the rail network said.\n\nRecord-breaking temperatures were also reported in Paris with a reading of 40.6°C at Montsouris weather station, breaking a 1947 high of 40.4°C.\n\nThe French cities of Lille, Rouen, Dijon and Strasbourg were also expected to break records on Thursday, following Reims, Dijon, Nancy, which broke their all-time highs the day before.\n\nMeteo France, the country's national weather service, placed 80 departements on alert, with 20 on red — the highest level.\n\nPatrick Galois, a senior weather forecaster at Meteo France, said there have been three times the number heatwaves in the last three decades than in the four decades before that.\n\nHe added: \"The frequency has clearly increased and it should continue to do so in the decades to come.\"\n\nMeanwhile, French health minister Agnès Buzyn cautioned everyone to take care by saying no one person was immune to extreme temperatures.\n\n\"There are risks even if you are not particularly vulnerable,\" she said.\n\nLast month, the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research said Europe’s five hottest summers since 1500 had all occurred in the 21st century — in 2002, 2003, 2010, 2016 and 2018.\n\nThe current heatwave is being caused by an ‘omega block’ — a high-pressure pattern that is blocking and diverting a jet stream of warm air from Northern African and the Iberian Peninsula.\n\nDr Jean-Noël Thépaut, the director of Copernicus Climate Change Service at the European Weather Centre, told Euronews that while it was \"difficult to attribute\" the repeated hot weather to a singular event, there were \"studies looking at attributions of heatwaves to climate change.\"\n\nReferring to another record-breaking heatwave in June, he added: \"It was at least five times more likely to have this type of heatwave [in Europe] because of climate change than without it.\n\nWatch our Good Morning Europe report on the latest heatwave in the player above.", "PARIS/LONDON (Reuters) - Soaring temperatures broke records in Germany, France, Britain and the Netherlands on Thursday, as a heatwave gripped Europe for the second time in a month in what scientists said were becoming more frequent events as the planet heats up.\n\nAs a cauldron of hot air from the Sahara desert moved across the continent, drawn northwards by high pressure, Paris saw its highest temperature since records began and Britain reported its hottest weather for the month of July.\n\nAn all-time high was measured in Germany for a second day running, at 41.5 degrees Celsius (106.7 degrees Fahrenheit) in the northwestern town of Lingen - similar temperatures to those in some Gulf Arab capitals on Thursday.\n\nThe unusual conditions brought a reduction in French and German nuclear power output, disrupted rail travel in parts of Britain and sent some Europeans, not habitual users of air conditioning in their homes, out to the shops in search of fans.\n\nHealth authorities issued warnings to the elderly, especially vulnerable to spikes in temperature. In cities, children splashed about in water fountains to cool off.\n\n“It’s very hot at the moment. I saw 42 degrees (Celsius) is forecast for today,” said 19-year-old French tourist Ombeline Massot in the capital’s Montmartre district, where visitors drank chilled bottles of water and fanned themselves.\n\nThe mercury in Paris touched 42.6 C (108.68 F) in mid-afternoon, above the previous Paris record of 40.4 C (104.72 F) recorded in July 1947.\n\nIn Britain, the temperature reached its highest for July, hitting 38.1 C (100.58 F), said the Met Office, the national weather service. The temperature, recorded in Cambridge, beat the previously July record of 36.7 C (98.06°F) in 2015.\n\nThis was the second highest temperature recorded in the country. The hottest day, in August 2003, saw 38.5 C (101.3 F).\n\nIn the southern Netherlands, the temperature peaked at 40.4 C (104.7 F), topping 40 C (104 F) for the first time on record, Dutch meteorology institute KNMI said. That broke the national record of 39.3 C set the previous day. Before this week, the national heat record of 38.6 C had stood for 75 years.\n\nThe heat is expected to persist until Friday.\n\nClimate specialists said such heatwaves are becoming more frequent as a result of global warming from greenhouse gas emissions.\n\nBritons faced travel disruption, with trains being forced to slow down to prevent tracks buckling in the heat. Several train operators asked commuters not to travel or set off very early.\n\nA Met Office study found that a heatwave like one that broke records last year was 30 times more likely to occur than in 1750, because of the high amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Since the pre-industrial period the Earth’s surface temperature has risen by 1 degree Celsius.\n\n“There is a 40-50% chance that this will be the warmest July on record. This heatwave is exactly in line with climate change predictions,” said Dr Karsten Haustein at the Environmental Change Institute at the University of Oxford.\n\nPeter Inness, senior research fellow at the University of Reading, said: “The fact that so many recent years have had very high summer temperatures both globally and across Europe is very much in line with what we expect from man-made global warming.”\n\nIn northern Poland, toxic algae in the Baltic sea led to the closure of more than 15 beaches this summer, authorities said.\n\n“The Baltic sea isn’t the cleanest and when the temperatures are so high, then these organisms multiply at lightning speed and beaches need to be closed,” said Jan Bondar, a spokesman for Poland’s Chief Sanitary Inspectorate.\n\nVery high temperatures across Europe coupled with prolonged dry weather has cut French nuclear power generation by around 5.2 gigawatts (GW) or 8%, French power grid operator RTE’s data showed.\n\nElectricity output was curtailed at six reactors by 0840 GMT on Thursday, while two other reactors were offline, data showed. High water temperatures and sluggish flows limit the ability to use river water to cool reactors.\n\nIn Germany, PreussenElektra, the nuclear unit of utility E.ON, said it would take its Grohnde reactor offline on Friday due to high temperatures in the Weser river.", "PARIS: Trains were slowed down and holidaymakers flocked to swimming pools, beaches and lakes in western Europe on Wednesday as another heatwave set new temperature records.\n\nA host of French cities saw their highest levels since records began on Tuesday, with wine capital Bordeaux recording 41.2 degrees Celsius (106.16 Fahrenheit), beating the previous high of 40.7C registered in August 2003, weather service Meteo-France said.\n\nForecasters predicted new temperature highs in neighbouring countries Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany and the Netherlands, where the mercury could beat the previous record of 38.6 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, according to the Dutch weather office.\n\nMany Dutch farmers are leaving their cows outside to sleep, rather than bringing them in at night, while some kindergartens have closed their doors because of the risks for young children.\n\nBritain´s Met Office has said there is a chance that the UK temperature record of 38.5 degrees Celsius, which was recorded in Faversham, Kent, in August 2004, will also be exceeded on Thursday at the peak of the heat.\n\nThe operator of the British rail network, Network Rail, said it was slowing down trains in response to the extreme weather, which comes only weeks after another record-breaking heatwave in Europe in June. \"Extreme heat can cause overhead wires to sag and become damaged by fast trains. We slow down services to keep passengers safe when this happens,\" the company said on Twitter. Across the area affected by the unusually high heat, stretching from France up to Norway in the north, people sought out ways to cool off in lakes and rivers, leading to an increase in drowning incidents.\n\nIn London, police were searching for three people who have gone missing in the River Thames while swimming.\n\nFrance´s weather office said the scorching conditions \"require particular care, notably for vulnerable or exposed people\" with almost the entire country under an orange-level weather alert, the second highest level.", "Official meteorologists registered a record high temperature for Belgium on Wednesday as western Europe sweltered under a heatwave that has disrupted transport and triggered safety warnings.\n\nDavid Dehenauw, chief forecaster at the Royal Meteorological Institute, said Thursday that a high of 40.2 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) had been recorded the day before in the eastern city of Liege -- the highest ever since records began in 1833.\n\nDue to the high temperatures, the institute issued a \"red alert\" for almost all of Belgium -- except the North Sea coast -- through Friday.\n\nIn Brussels on Thursday the Royal Meteorological Institute measured 34.2 degrees at noon (10:00 GMT), where Wednesday's 35.7 degrees looked set to be exceeded in the afternoon.\n\nGet Breaking news, live coverage, and Latest News from India and around the world on NDTV.com. Catch all the Live TV action on NDTV 24x7 and NDTV India. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagram for latest news and live news updates.", "In Western Europe remains abnormally hot weather. Third day in a row temperature records are recorded in France, second in Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands, the first in Luxembourg.\n\nIn France the day of July 25 was updated highs in many cities. In Paris, the temperature rose to 42.6°C, the previous record of July 28, 1947, was 40.4°C. the New maximum value by more than 2 degrees higher than the previous one. In Lille the difference between a new high (41,4°C) and previous (37.6°C, July 27, 2018) is about 4 degrees, said Stormnews.\n\nIn 20 departments of the country remain alert “red” level, in the 60 “orange.” In the North of France on red alert introduced for the first time. Earlier, during the previous peak heat at the end of June, a red alert level was introduced in the four southern departments of the country, reports RFI.\n\nDue to the heat wave France is suffering from a drought. According to the government portal Propluvia, drought touched the 77 departments of the country, which has faced water shortages. 29 of them were in a crisis situation – there are measures of water saving for businesses and private individuals.\n\nNational record to 46°C recorded in France last month, will not be beaten.\n\nIn Germany, where yesterday in Gelsenkirchen, the thermometer rose to the level of 40.5°C, the air is heated up to 42.6°C in Lingen – a city in the northwestern part of the country.\n\nIn Belgium on Wednesday, the record was recorded in the village, the Kleine Brogel, he stood at 39.9°C. on Thursday in the village Batam for the North-West of the country the temperature rose to 40.7°C.\n\nIn the Netherlands, on 24 July in Eindhoven, the thermometer rose to the level of 39.3°C, July 25, in the municipality of Gilze-EN-Rijen warmed up to 40.7°C.\n\nIn Luxembourg on 25 July, the temperature rose to 39°C. This value was recorded at the international airport Luxembourg-Findel. The previous record was held at the same place August 12, 2003, it was 37.9°C, according to Stormnews with reference to the Tageblatt.\n\nIn the UK the temperature did not reach the national record, which was recorded on 10 August 2003 in Faversham and is 38.5°C. But also it was very hot in the southern half of England today’s high in Cambridge made up to 38.1°C."], "summary": "A number of national maximum temperature records are broken, several surpassing records set the previous day: Germany sees 42.6 °C (108.7 °F) at Lingen, Belgium 41.8 °C (107.2 °F) at Begijnendijk and The Netherlands 40.7 °C (105.3 °F) at Gilze en Rijen."}
{"document": ["EUROPE TODAY – Highest temperature ever recorded in Germany: 109° – Highest temperature ever recorded in the Netherlands: 105° – Highest temperature ever recorded in Belgium: 105° – Highest temperature ever recorded in Paris: 109° – Highest temperature ever recorded in Edinburgh Scotland: 89°\n\nThe picture below is a tweet sent from the UK Met Office. The temperatures in this picture are in Celsius.", "Clouds in the sky above the ground during the second day of the test match between England and Ireland at Lord’s cricket ground in London, Thursday, July 25, 2019. Weather forecasters predict the UK could encounter the hottest July day on record later Thursday. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)\n\nBRUSSELS (AP) — The Latest on Europe’s heat wave (all times local):\n\nBritain’s weather service says a provisional temperature of 38.7 degrees Celsius (101.7degrees Fahrenheit) was recorded Thursday, which if confirmed would be the highest ever recorded in the U.K.\n\nThe Met Office says the temperature was recorded at Cambridge University Botanic Garden in eastern England.\n\nIt says “quality control and analysis over the next few days” will determine whether the reading becomes official.\n\nThe existing record for the U.K. is 38.5 Celsius (101.3 Fahrenheit), was set in August 2003.\n\nTemperature records have fallen across Europe this week as a suffocating heat wave swept up from the Sahara.\n\nBritain was back to rain and lower temperatures on Friday.\n\nPeople hoping to catch some sleep and maybe a cooling sea breeze during Europe’s heat wave got a rude awakening in a Dutch seaside suburb.\n\nPolice in The Hague said Friday that they handed out 140-euro ($155) fines overnight to 13 people sleeping on the beach and cafe terraces in Scheveningen.\n\nPolice say some of the sleepers were napping in the sand and getting in the way of local authority workers trying to clean up the beach before another sweltering day Friday.\n\nThe U.N. weather agency is voicing “concern” that the hot air which produced a record-breaking heat wave across much of western Europe this week is headed toward Greenland and that it could lead to increased melting of ice.\n\nHeat records in France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany tumbled in recent days as hot air surged from North Africa and Spain.\n\nWorld Meteorological Organization spokeswoman Clare Nullis said in Geneva that forecasts suggest the air is heading towards Greenland.\n\nThis, she said, “will result in high temperatures and consequently enhanced melting of the Greenland ice sheet.”\n\nNullis said ice has been melting at high levels over the last few weeks in Greenland.\n\nTravelers are facing a second day of disruption in Britain after record breaking July temperatures gave way to thunderstorms.\n\nNetwork Rail, which oversees the majority of Britain’s railway network, is advising commuters to “only travel if their journey is absolutely necessary,” after Thursday’s disturbances left trains in haphazard locations and a fire damaged networks in the north.\n\nThe Met office says the mercury reached 38.1 C (100.6 F) in Cambridge on Thursday, only the second time temperatures over 100 F have ever been recorded in the UK.\n\nThe heat eased Friday, but Heathrow, Europe’s biggest airport, was forced to cancel or delay flights amid severe weather conditions. The airport admits they don’t know how many flights have been affected.\n\nBritish Airways also announced that “severe thunderstorms are causing significant delays and cancellations to our operation in and out of London.”\n\nBelgium suffered a first death as a direct result of the record-breaking heat wave when a woman was found dead near her caravan close to the beach.\n\nThe 66-year-old woman was found by a neighbor late Thursday afternoon after she had apparently been basking in the blazing sun. The incident happened in Middelkerke on the Belgian coast as temperatures rose in the region to over 40 degrees Celsius.\n\nMiddelkerke police commissioner Frank Delva told The Associated Press that the death is “very clearly linked to the heat.”\n\nEmergency services rushed to the scene but could not resuscitate the woman.\n\nOn Thursday, Belgium endured, like many parts of Western Europe, its hottest day on record when the temperature rose to 41.8 C in Begijnendijk, 30 kilometers (20 miles) east of Brussels.", "Clouds in the sky above the ground during the second day of the test match between England and Ireland at Lord’s cricket ground in London, Thursday, July 25, 2019. Weather forecasters predict the UK could encounter the hottest July day on record later Thursday. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)\n\nBRUSSELS (AP) — The Latest on Europe’s heat wave (all times local):\n\nBritain’s weather service says a provisional temperature of 38.7 degrees Celsius (101.7degrees Fahrenheit) was recorded Thursday, which if confirmed would be the highest ever recorded in the U.K.\n\nThe Met Office says the temperature was recorded at Cambridge University Botanic Garden in eastern England.\n\nIt says “quality control and analysis over the next few days” will determine whether the reading becomes official.\n\nThe existing record for the U.K. is 38.5 Celsius (101.3 Fahrenheit), was set in August 2003.\n\nTemperature records have fallen across Europe this week as a suffocating heat wave swept up from the Sahara.\n\nBritain was back to rain and lower temperatures on Friday.\n\nPeople hoping to catch some sleep and maybe a cooling sea breeze during Europe’s heat wave got a rude awakening in a Dutch seaside suburb.\n\nPolice in The Hague said Friday that they handed out 140-euro ($155) fines overnight to 13 people sleeping on the beach and cafe terraces in Scheveningen.\n\nPolice say some of the sleepers were napping in the sand and getting in the way of local authority workers trying to clean up the beach before another sweltering day Friday.\n\nThe U.N. weather agency is voicing “concern” that the hot air which produced a record-breaking heat wave across much of western Europe this week is headed toward Greenland and that it could lead to increased melting of ice.\n\nHeat records in France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany tumbled in recent days as hot air surged from North Africa and Spain.\n\nWorld Meteorological Organization spokeswoman Clare Nullis said in Geneva that forecasts suggest the air is heading towards Greenland.\n\nThis, she said, “will result in high temperatures and consequently enhanced melting of the Greenland ice sheet.”\n\nNullis said ice has been melting at high levels over the last few weeks in Greenland.\n\nTravelers are facing a second day of disruption in Britain after record breaking July temperatures gave way to thunderstorms.\n\nNetwork Rail, which oversees the majority of Britain’s railway network, is advising commuters to “only travel if their journey is absolutely necessary,” after Thursday’s disturbances left trains in haphazard locations and a fire damaged networks in the north.\n\nThe Met office says the mercury reached 38.1 C (100.6 F) in Cambridge on Thursday, only the second time temperatures over 100 F have ever been recorded in the UK.\n\nThe heat eased Friday, but Heathrow, Europe’s biggest airport, was forced to cancel or delay flights amid severe weather conditions. The airport admits they don’t know how many flights have been affected.\n\nBritish Airways also announced that “severe thunderstorms are causing significant delays and cancellations to our operation in and out of London.”\n\nBelgium suffered a first death as a direct result of the record-breaking heat wave when a woman was found dead near her caravan close to the beach.\n\nThe 66-year-old woman was found by a neighbor late Thursday afternoon after she had apparently been basking in the blazing sun. The incident happened in Middelkerke on the Belgian coast as temperatures rose in the region to over 40 degrees Celsius.\n\nMiddelkerke police commissioner Frank Delva told The Associated Press that the death is “very clearly linked to the heat.”\n\nEmergency services rushed to the scene but could not resuscitate the woman.\n\nOn Thursday, Belgium endured, like many parts of Western Europe, its hottest day on record when the temperature rose to 41.8 C in Begijnendijk, 30 kilometers (20 miles) east of Brussels.", "Measurement was taken in Cambridge last Thursday and checked over the weekend\n\nThe highest temperature ever recorded in the UK – 38.7C – has been confirmed by the Met Office.\n\nThe measurement, taken at Cambridge Botanic Garden last Thursday, was subject to quality control and analysis by meteorologists over the weekend. The previous record of 38.5C was recorded in Faversham, Kent, in August 2003.\n\nThe recording was taken at a Met Office climate observation site at the University of Cambridge. Some observation sites report monthly, meaning there is still a chance that higher temperatures were recorded elsewhere.\n\nCountries across central and western Europe were gripped by exceptionally high temperatures last week, with Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands also breaking national temperature records.\n\nScientists have said July is on track to be the hottest month ever recorded on Earth, and 2019 is expected to be the second hottest year. The hottest was 2016, which was boosted by an El Niño weather system. Nine of the 10 hottest years ever recorded have occurred since 2000.\n\nAlthough the recent heatwave cannot unequivocally be attributed to global heating, scientists found it made another European heatwave in June at least five times more likely, and made the lengthy hot spell experienced by the UK last year at least 30 times more likely.\n\nDr Mark McCarthy, from the Met Office National Climate Information Centre, said: “Historically UK summer heatwaves would typically tend to peak in the low 30s celsius, with extreme events reaching the mid-30s. Climate change has increased the likelihood and severity of heatwave episodes across Europe, which will have also increased the risks of a 40C temperature event in the UK.”\n\nLast week’s heatwave was caused by hot air from north Africa being pulled up from continental Europe because of high pressure to the east of the UK and low pressure to the west.\n\nProf Peter Stott, from the Met Office, said: “Although the average rise of global temperature is around 1C compared with pre-industrial times, we mustn’t forget that the rise isn’t even across the globe as some regions have warmed more than others.\n\n“Temperatures in parts of north Africa, for example, have risen by around 2C. This can have a marked effect on UK weather because when the weather patterns like we saw last week bring air from this region to our shores it can bring a stronger signal of climate change with it too, boosting temperatures.\n\n“The UK receives influences from other neighbouring regions and as many of these regions are warming at a faster rate than the UK, our climate can receive a greater boost from climate change.”\n\nMany scientists believe the jet stream is weakening, which could help explain the increase in extended weather spells both hot and cold, such as the summer heatwave last year and the “beast from the east” in March 2018.\n\nBob Ward, the director of policy at the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change, said: “Heatwaves are becoming more frequent and more intense due to climate change, and the risk of heat-related deaths is increasing. Sadly this trend will continue for the next few decades and so we will have to adapt more quickly, for instance by ensuring our buildings do not dangerously overheat.\n\n“However, we can expect new records to be set regularly. It is inevitable that we will eventually see a temperature of more than 40C in the UK.”\n\nMore extreme weather is expected to hit the UK this week, with thunderstorms expected on Tuesday and Wednesday.\n\nOver the weekend heavy downpours left parts of the north-west flooded, including Greater Manchester where commuters awoke to road closures and diverted trains after two weeks’ worth of rain fell in 24 hours.\n\nEight flood alerts remained in place across parts of the West Midlands and north-west England on Monday evening.\n\nKate Sambrook, a climate scientist at the University of Leeds, said high temperatures like those seen last week could become the new normal.\n\n“Year after year we are seeing more and more extreme events, not only in the UK but worldwide. Last week temperature records were not just broken, they were smashed by 1C or more, which is unprecedented,” she said.\n\n“We need to act now to urgently and decisively bring greenhouse emissions to zero. We must halve emissions in 10 years and reach net zero in 30. If we don’t, we can expect global temperatures 3.7C warmer by 2100 and still rising.”", "THE UK has experienced the hottest July day on record and the second hottest since records began.\n\nA scorching 38.1C was recorded in Cambridge beating the previous July record of 36.7C. The highest recorded temperature still remains the 38.5C reached in Faversham, Kent, on August 10, 2003.\n\nPortsmouth topped the thermometer at a sweltering 30C, making it the hottest day in the city this year.\n\nIt was a record breaking day across Western Europe with Paris registering a record high temperature of 42.6C. The heatwave also saw Germany set a new national temperature record of 41.5C with the Netherlands also recording its highest ever temperature at 40.7C.\n\nThe warm weather brought out sun worshippers with the region’s beaches enjoying a bumper day.\n\nHowever conditions across Hampshire look set to cool across the weekend with the Met Office forecasting rain for Saturday and a high of 23C with cloudy conditions and a high of 22C on Sunday.", "A temperature of 38.7C has been recorded in Cambridge, which if validated would be a new record for the UK, the Met Office has said.\n\nThe figure was recorded at Cambridge University Botanic Gardens on Thursday, and will require “quality control and analysis” over the next few days, the forecasters said.\n\nIf validated it will become the highest temperature officially recorded in the UK, outstripping the 38.5C seen in Faversham, Kent, in August 2003.\n\nOfficial figures, which recorded 38.1C in Cambridge, already put Thursday as the hottest July day on record, beating the previous high for the month of 36.7C set at Heathrow in July 2015.\n\nIt was also the second hottest UK day on record, beating the 37.1C recorded in August 1990, as a plume of hot air was funnelled from the south and leaving much of the country sweltering.\n\nDr Mark McCarthy from the National Climate Centre (NCIC) at the Met Office said: “As the official source of meteorological statistics for the UK, we take the quality of our recordings very seriously.\n\n“We are talking about a potential new record for the highest temperature recorded in the UK and we therefore need to thoroughly investigate the observation with our partners from Cambridge University Botanic Garden through statistical analysis and by visiting, to check the site and equipment and ensure there are no potential problems.”\n\nThe Met Office says weather records are only used from weather observation sites with calibrated, standard instruments and carefully monitored exposure.\n\nThe organisation has individual station observations in a digital database going back to 1853, but there are also historical paper records stretching back even further.", "LONDON, July 26 (Reuters) - A British record high temperature was recorded in Cambridge, eastern England, on Thursday, when a provisional reading of 38.7 degrees Celsius (101.66°F) was recorded at the Cambridge University Botanic Garden, the Met Office said.\n\nThe current confirmed highest-ever temperature for Britain is 38.5 Celsius, recorded in Faversham, southeast England, in August 2003.\n\nThe new temperature will require quality control and analysis before being confirmed as the highest officially recorded in the UK, the Met office said on Friday.", "A record UK temperature of 38.7C has been recorded in Cambridge University Botanic Garden - but is only provisional at the moment.\n\nThe previous record was 38.5C, recorded in Faversham, Kent, in August 2003.\n\nThursday was already the hottest July day on record. A temperature recorded at another site in Cambridge - 38.1C - beat the previous high for the month of 36.7C, set at Heathrow in July 2015.\n\nThe Met office said its \" a number of different types of data collection in collaboration with a range of partners\".\n\nThe potential new record will not be confirmed \" until the quality control process has been completed\" which is likely to be early next week.\n\nDr Mark McCarthy from the National Climate Centre (NCIC) at the Met Office said: \"As the official source of meteorological statistics for the UK, we take the quality of our recordings very seriously.\n\n\"We are talking about a potential new record for the highest temperature recorded in the UK and we therefore need to thoroughly investigate the observation with our partners from Cambridge University Botanic Garden through statistical analysis and by visiting, to check the site and equipment and ensure there are no potential problems.\"", "Cambridge University Botanic Garden have claimed temperatures in the area soared to 38.7°C yesterday – which means it could be the hottest day ever recorded in the UK.\n\nThe Met Office are now investigating the provisional figure and will confirm whether the record was broken in the coming days.\n\nCambridge was already confirmed as the hottest place in the country yesterday, setting a new record for the warmest July day ever.\n\nThe National Institute of Agricultural Botany (NIAB) published a reading of 38.1°C in the city.\n\nBut today it was announced that a thermometer in the Cambridge University Botanic Garden weather station had reached 38.7°C.\n\nThe current record for the hottest UK day was set on August 10 2003 at Brogdale near Faversham in Kent, with a temperature of 38.5°C.\n\nA Met Office spokesperson said: ‘A new provisional value of 38.7°C has been submitted from Cambridge Botanic Garden that will require further quality control and analysis as part of our routine practices.\n\n‘The Met Office observation network uses a number of different types of data collection in collaboration with a range of partners. Not all provide real time data.\n\n‘As the official source of meteorological statistics for the UK we take the quality of our recordings very seriously and will not confirm the new record until the quality control process has been completed, this is likely to be early next week.’\n\nThe Cambridge University Botanic Garden has been open to the public since 1846.\n\nIt currently houses a collection of 8,000 plants, trees and shrubs from all over the world.", "Met office RECORD: UK heatwave the HOTTEST on record, says Met Office\n\nBritons across the UK sweltered in roasting temperatures yesterday as hot air from Africa swept through Europe.\n\nNow the Met Office has said Thursday, July 26 could be the hottest day on record in the UK after receiving a provisional figure of 38.7C at Cambridge University Botanic Garden.\n\nIn a tweet, the Met Office said: “It will be quality controlled & if validated would be the highest temperature officially recorded in the UK.”\n\nThe current all-time UK temperature high is 38.5C in Faversham, Kent, in August 2003.\n\nWeather forecasters said yesterday the mercury had officially hit 38.1C in Cambridge at 4pm."], "summary": "The United Kingdom reports a temperature reading of 38.1 °C (100.6 °F) in Cambridge, the second highest UK temperature yet recorded. It is subsequently confirmed that a reading of 38.7 °C (101.7 °F) is verified, also in Cambridge, beating the previous record of 38.5 °C (101.3 °F) set in Faversham, Kent on 10 August 2003 to become the new national record."}
{"document": ["Mr. Kehoe had stepped in when Mr. Lee said he could not kill a child, The New York Times reported in an article about the murders in 1999, although Mr. Lee was convicted of three counts of murder.\n\nIn a statement on Thursday, Mr. Lee’s lawyer, Morris Moon, said Mr. Kehoe “was alone responsible for the death of the child in this case” and added that he believed that executing his client would be a “grave injustice.”\n\nThe case was a federal one because Mr. Lee was accused, and later convicted, of three counts of murder to aid racketeering, a federal crime. Mr. Lee is known as “Cyclops” because he lost an eye in a bar fight, according to the 1999 article. His execution has been scheduled for Dec. 9.\n\nAlfred Bourgeois, 55, who tortured and killed his daughter\n\nMr. Bourgeois, a trucker from La Place, La., was sentenced to death in 2004 after he was convicted of murdering his 2-year-old daughter at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, making it a federal crime.\n\nAt his trial, eight people who knew Mr. Bourgeois, including family members, said they had been threatened or assaulted by him, according to The Plainview Daily Herald in Texas. They said he had tortured and repeatedly beaten his daughter, referred to as “JG” in court documents, in the months before killing her in June 2002.\n\n“Bourgeois preyed on an innocent child — one of the most vulnerable among us,” Ryan K. Patrick, the United States attorney for the Southern District of Texas, said in a statement on Thursday. “She should have been protected and loved, but was instead robbed of her young life after being brutalized by her very own.”\n\nOf the five men whom the Justice Department said it wanted to execute, Mr. Bourgeois is the only one who is black, even though the federal death row is composed of a disproportionate number of black men, adding to criticism that jurors disproportionately favor the death penalty for black defendants. The Justice Department is seeking to execute Mr. Bourgeois on Jan. 13.", "The federal government will resume executing death row inmates after nearly two decades without doing so, the Department of Justice announced Thursday.\n\nAttorney General William Barr directed the Bureau of Prisons to schedule the executions of five inmates convicted of murder and other crimes. The executions have been scheduled for December 2019 and January 2020.\n\nThe department also announced a new execution protocol, replacing the three-drug cocktail previously used in federal executions with the single drug, pentobarbital.\n\nThe last federal execution was carried out in 2003. There are 62 individuals on federal death row, according to a tracker maintained by the Death Penalty Information Center.\n\nThe Supreme Court outlawed state and federal death penalty laws in the 1972 decision Furman v. Georgia. The ruling invalidated the laws then on the books, but did not outlaw the death penalty under all circumstances, leading states and the federal government to draft new legislation.\n\nThe federal death penalty was reinstated in 1988, and expanded by Congress in 1994. No federal executions took place, however, until 2001, according to to the Bureau of Prisons website.\n\n\"Congress has expressly authorized the death penalty through legislation adopted by the people's representatives in both houses of Congress and signed by the President,\" Barr said in a statement. \"Under Administrations of both parties, the Department of Justice has sought the death penalty against the worst criminals, including these five murderers, each of whom was convicted by a jury of his peers after a full and fair proceeding.\"", "Attorney General William Barr has directed the Federal Bureau of Prisons to resume capital punishment, nearly two decades after the death penalty was last used at the federal level.\n\nBarr has also directed the acting director of the BOP, Hugh Hurwitz, to schedule the executions of five death row inmates beginning this December.\n\nExecutions had lapsed due to a shortage of sodium thiopental, an anesthetic that’s part of a three-drug cocktail used in executions as stipulated by the Federal Execution Protocol.\n\nBarr directed the BOP on Thursday to adopt an addendum to the protocol, replacing the three-drug procedure with a single drug — pentobarbital.\n\nSingle doses of pentobarbital have been used before at the state level, where sodium thiopental shortages have prompted potentially unconstitutional workarounds.\n\nIn 2014, then-President Barack Obama ordered a review of the lethal injection drugs that states had begun to use instead of sodium thiopental, following a horrific, botched execution in Oklahoma.\n\nThat following year, Oklahoma legalized execution by nitrogen asphyxiation, and also authorized the use of either electrocution or the firing squad in the event traditional drugs are unavailable.\n\n“Congress has expressly authorized the death penalty through legislation adopted by the people’s representatives in both houses of Congress and signed by the President,” Barr said in a statement. “Under Administrations of both parties, the Department of Justice has sought the death penalty against the worst criminals, including these five murderers, each of whom was convicted by a jury of his peers after a full and fair proceeding.\n\n“The Justice Department upholds the rule of law—and we owe it to the victims and their families to carry forward the sentence imposed by our justice system,” he added.\n\nThe last execution under the federal death penalty took place on March 18, 2003, according to data from the Death Penalty Information Center. Sixty two inmates are currently on federal death row.", "The US is reinstating the use of capital punishment and has immediately scheduled the executions for five death row federal inmates.\n\nThe policy, announced by the Justice Department, has been dormant for almost two decades, with the last execution carried out in 2003.\n\n\"Congress has expressly authorised the death penalty through legislation adopted by the people's representatives in both houses of congress and signed by the president,\" Attorney General William Barr said in a statement on Thursday.\n\n\"The Justice Department upholds the rule of law - and we owe it to the victims and their families to carry forward the sentence imposed by our justice system.\"\n\nPresident Donald Trump has called for increasing use of the death penalty for drug traffickers and mass shooters.\n\nThe Justice Department said it has scheduled executions for five federal inmates who have been convicted of horrific murders and sex crimes.\n\nThose inmates include Daniel Lewis Lee, a white supremacist who was convicted in Arkansas for murdering a family of three, including an eight-year-old girl.\n\nAnother one of the five is Lezmond Mitchell, who was found guilty by a jury in Arizona of stabbing a 63-year-old grandmother and forcing her young granddaughter to sit next to her lifeless body on a car journey before slitting the girl's throat.\n\n\"Each of these inmates has exhausted their appellate and post-conviction remedies,\" the department said, adding that all five executions will take place at the US Penitentiary Terre Haute in Indiana.\n\nThe first execution is scheduled for December 9 and the remaining four over the following weeks.\n\n\"Additional executions will be scheduled at a later date,\" a statement from the Department of Justice said.\n\nThe federal decision will affect only cases within that system, as US states separately decide whether to use capital punishment in their criminal justice systems.\n\nTwenty states have banned the death penalty while others have not carried out executions in decades.\n\nThe last time the federal government executed someone was in 2003, one of less than a handful of such cases since the death penalty was reinstated at the federal level in 1988.\n\nWhile there has not been a federal execution in more than 15 years, federal attorneys have continued to carry out death penalty prosecutions.", "The Justice Department says it will carry out executions of federal death row inmates for the first time since 2003, US Attorney-General William Barr announced.\n\nThe department says five inmates who have been sentenced to death will be executed between December 2019 and January 2020.\n\nOn Mr Barr’s order, the Federal Bureau of Prisons has scheduled executions for those five people who were all found guilty 15 years ago or more in brutal murders that involved children.\n\n“The Justice Department upholds the rule of law — and we owe it to the victims and their families to carry forward the sentence imposed by our justice system,” Mr Barr said in a statement.\n\nActing on US President Donald Trump’s call for tougher penalties on violent crimes, Mr Barr directed the Federal Bureau of Prisons to adopt a new lethal injection protocol to clear the way to carry out death sentences.\n\nThe department announced that it will be replacing the three-drug cocktail previously used in federal executions with the single drug, pentobarbital.\n\nIn 2014, following a botched state execution in Oklahoma, then-President Barack Obama directed the department to conduct a broad review of capital punishment and issues surrounding lethal injection drugs.\n\nIt remains unclear today what came of that review and whether it will change the way the federal government carries out executions.\n\nThat review has been completed and the executions can continue, the department said.\n\n“Since 2010, 14 states have used pentobarbital in over 200 executions, and federal courts, including the Supreme Court, have repeatedly upheld the use of pentobarbital in executions as consistent with the Eighth Amendment” of the constitution, which bars cruel and unusual punishment, the Justice Department said.\n\nThere were 25 executions in the United States last year, all carried out by state authorities on people convicted on state charges.\n\nExecutions on the federal level have been rare.\n\nThe government has put to death only three defendants since restoring the federal death penalty in 1988, the most recent of which occurred in 2003, when Louis Jones was executed for the 1995 kidnapping, rape and murder of a young female soldier.\n\n“Congress has expressly authorised the death penalty through legislation adopted by the people’s representatives in both houses of Congress and signed by the President,” Mr Barr said in a news release.\n\n“The Justice Department upholds the rule of law-and we owe it to the victims and their families to carry forward the sentence imposed by our justice system.”\n\nThere are 62 individuals currently on federal death row, according to a tracker maintained by the Death Penalty Information Center.\n\nCapital punishment has emerged as a flashpoint in the Democratic presidential primary, with former Vice President Joe Biden this week shifting to call for the elimination of the federal death penalty after years of supporting it.\n\nMr Biden’s criminal justice plan also would encourage states to follow the federal government in ending the death penalty, 25 years after he helped pass a tough crime bill that expanded capital punishment for more potential offences.", "July 25 (UPI) -- U.S. Attorney General William Barr ordered the government Thursday to resume capital punishment, 16 years after the last federal execution.\n\nBarr said he asked Hugh Hurwitz, the acting director of the Bureau of Prisons, to schedule executions for five death row inmates starting in December.\n\n\"Congress has expressly authorized the death penalty through legislation adopted by the people's representatives in both houses of Congress and signed by the President,\" Barr said. \"The Justice Department upholds the rule of law -- and we owe it to the victims and their families to carry forward the sentence imposed by our justice system.\"\n\nThe last federal execution was that of Gulf War veteran Louis Jones Jr. in March 2003 for the rape and murder of a fellow soldier, Pvt. Tracie McBride in 1995.\n\nJones admitted kidnapping the young female recruit at Goodfellow Air Force Base in San Angelo, Texas, but his lawyer sought clemency by arguing Jones suffered behavior-altering brain damage from exposure to nerve gas during the Gulf War that gave him uncontrollable, violent urges.\n\nJones' was the third federal execution in 40 years. In 2014, former President Barack Obama ordered then-Attorney General Eric holder to review the use of the death penalty in the United States, effectively implementing a moratorium on executions.\n\nHurwitz has scheduled the executions -- for Daniel Lewis Lee on Dec. 9, Lezmond Mitchell on Dec. 11, Wesley Ira Purkey on Dec. 13, Alfred Bourgeois on Jan. 13 and Dustin Lee Honken on Jan. 15.", "The U.S. Justice Department has scheduled the execution of five death row federal inmates, after Attorney General William Barr announced he has reinstated a two-decades long dormant policy to resume the federal government's use of capital punishment.\n\n\"Congress has expressly authorized the death penalty through legislation adopted by the people's representatives in both houses of Congress and signed by the president,\" Barr said in a statement.\n\n\"The Justice Department upholds the rule of law — and we owe it to the victims and their families to carry forward the sentence imposed by our justice system.\"\n\nThe Justice Department said it has scheduled executions for five men who have been convicted of horrific murders and sex crimes.\n\nThose inmates include Daniel Lewis Lee, a white supremacist who was convicted in Arkansas for murdering a family of three, including an eight-year-old girl.\n\nAnother one of the five is Lezmond Mitchell, who was found guilty by a jury in Arizona of stabbing a 63-year-old grandmother and forcing her young granddaughter to sit next to her lifeless body on a car journey before slitting the girl's throat.\n\n\"Each of these inmates has exhausted their appellate and post-conviction remedies,\" the department said, adding that all five executions will take place at the U.S. Penitentiary Terre Haute in Indiana.\n\nCurrently, 29 states have the death penalty on the books, according to the Death Penalty Information Center, but a dozen states have accounted for every execution to take place in the U.S. over the last five years, while 10 other death-penalty states haven't carried out an execution in more than a decade.\n\nThe federal government hasn't executed a prisoner since 2003, with the last high-profile death penalty carried out two years earlier in the case of Timothy McVeigh, convicted in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.\n\nThere are currently 62 federal inmates sentenced to death, a population that has more than doubled since 2003.\n\nU.S. President Donald Trump has called for increasing use of the death penalty for drug traffickers and mass shooters.", "WASHINGTON (CBS SF/AP/CNN) — The Justice Department said Thursday that it will carry out executions of federal death row inmates for the first time since 2003.\n\nFive inmates who have been sentenced to death are scheduled to be executed starting in December, according to Attorney General William Barr.\n\nIn 2014, following a botched state execution in Oklahoma, then-President Barack Obama directed the department to conduct a broad review of capital punishment and issues surrounding lethal injection drugs. It remains unclear today what came of that review and whether it will change the way the federal government carries out executions.\n\nThat review has been completed and the executions can continue, the department said.\n\nThere are currently only two California men on federal death row. Jurijus Kadamovas and Iouri Mikhel were sentenced to death for the 2001 killings and kidnappings-for-ransom of five Russian and Georgian immigrants whose bodies were dumped in a reservoir near Yosemite National Park.\n\nTexas leads the national with inmates on federal death row with 13, Missouri follows with 8 and Virginia 7.\n\nThe five federal inmates ordered to be executed are Daniel Lewis Lee for murdering a family of three, including an 8-year-old girl; Lezmond Mitchell for murdering a 63-year-old and her 9-year-old granddaughter; Wesley Ira Purkey for raping and murdering a 16-year-old girl; Alfred Bourgeois for torturing and killing his own 2-year-old daughter; Dustin Lee Honken, for shooting and killing five people, including two young girls.\n\nBarr described the five as “five death-row inmates convicted of murdering, and in some cases torturing and raping, the most vulnerable in our society — children and the elderly.”\n\nExecutions on the federal level have been rare. The government has put to death only three defendants since restoring the federal death penalty in 1988, the most recent of which occurred in 2003, when Louis Jones was executed for the 1995 kidnapping, rape and murder of a young female soldier.\n\n“Congress has expressly authorized the death penalty through legislation adopted by the people’s representatives in both houses of Congress and signed by the President,” Barr said in a news release. “The Justice Department upholds the rule of law_and we owe it to the victims and their families to carry forward the sentence imposed by our justice system.”\n\nCapital punishment has emerged as a flashpoint in the Democratic presidential primary, with former Vice President Joe Biden this week shifting to call for the elimination of the federal death penalty after years of supporting it. Biden’s criminal justice plan also would encourage states to follow the federal government in ending the death penalty, 25 years after he helped pass a tough crime bill that expanded capital punishment for more potential offenses.\n\nThe lone Democratic White House hopeful who has publicly supported preserving capital punishment in certain circumstances is Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, who has said he would leave it open as an option for major crimes such as terrorism.\n\nAt the state level, the clock stopped ticking for more than 730 inmates housed on San Quentin’s Death Row including Scott Peterson, Richard Allen Davis, Charles Ng and Cary Stayner after Gov. Gavin Newsom officially signed a moratorium on executions in March.\n\nThere are currently 737 inmates on California’s largest-in-the-nation death row. Of those, more than six in 10 condemned California inmates are minorities, which his Newsom’s office cited as proof of racial disparities in who is sentenced to die. Since 1973, five California inmates who were sentenced to death were later exonerated.\n\nEighty condemned California inmates have died of natural causes since the state reinstated capital punishment in 1978. Another 26 committed suicide. California has executed 13 inmates, while two were executed in other states.\n\n© Copyright 2019 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten. AP and CNN contributed to this report.", "The gas chamber at San Quentin prison was dismantled in March. Public support for the death penalty has fallen GETTY IMAGES\n\nThe US federal government is to begin executing death row inmates after a 15-year hiatus, the Trump administration announced yesterday.\n\nWilliam Barr, the attorney-general, directed the US Bureau of Prisons to schedule executions in December and January for five inmates.\n\nThe condemned men are Daniel Lee, Lezmond Mitchell, Wesley Purkey, Alfred Bourgeois and Dustin Honken. Each had committed multiple murders that fell under federal jurisdiction and had exhausted all legal appeals. The executions are to take place in Indiana.\n\nFederal capital cases are rarer than those prosecuted by individual states, given the more limited set of crimes that fall under the national jurisdiction. These include terrorism and large-scale drug-trafficking.\n\nOnly three federal executions have taken place since a Supreme Court ban was overturned in 1988:…", "The US justice department has said the federal government will resume executing death-row inmates for the first time since 2003.\n\nAttorney general William Barr instructed the Bureau of Prisons to schedule executions starting in December for five men, all accused of murdering children.\n\nAlthough the death penalty remains legal in 30 states, executions on the federal level are rare.\n\n“The justice department upholds the rule of law – and we owe it to the victims and their families to carry forward the sentence imposed by our justice system,” Mr Barr said.\n\nThe move is likely to stir up fresh interest in an issue that has largely lain dormant in recent years, adding a new front to the culture battles that US president Donald Trump already is waging on matters such as abortion and immigration in the lead-up to the 2020 elections.\n\nFormer vice president Joe Biden this week shifted to call for the elimination of the federal death penalty after years of supporting it.\n\nBy contrast, Mr Trump has spoken often – and sometimes wistfully – about capital punishment and his belief that executions serve as both an effective deterrent and appropriate punishment for some crimes, including mass shootings and the killings of police officers.\n\n“I think they should very much bring the death penalty into vogue,” Mr Trump said last year after 11 people were gunned down in a Pittsburgh synagogue.\n\nMr Trump was a vocal proponent of the death penalty for decades before taking office, most notably in 1989 when he took out full-page advertisements in New York City newspapers urging elected officials to “Bring back the death penalty” following the rape of a jogger in Central Park.\n\n“If the punishment is strong,” he wrote then, “the attacks on innocent people will stop.”\n\nFive Harlem teenagers were convicted in the Central Park case but had their convictions vacated years later after another man confessed to the rape.\n\nMore than a decade after their exoneration, the city agreed to pay the so-called Central Park Five $41 million, a settlement Mr Trump blasted as “outrageous”.\n\nThe death penalty remains legal in 30 states, but only a handful regularly conduct executions. Texas has executed 108 prisoners since 2010, far more than any other state.\n\nExecutions on the federal level have long been rare.\n\nThe government has put to death only three defendants since restoring the federal death penalty in 1988, the most recent of which occurred in 2003, when Louis Jones was executed for the 1995 kidnapping, rape and murder of a young female soldier.\n\nIn 2014, following a botched state execution in Oklahoma, then-president Barack Obama directed the justice department to conduct a broad review of capital punishment and issues surrounding lethal injection drugs.\n\nThat review has been completed, Mr Barr said Thursday, and it has cleared the way for executions to resume.\n\nMr Barr approved a new procedure for lethal injections that replaces the three-drug cocktail previously used in federal execution with a single drug, pentobarbital. This is similar to the procedure used in several states, including Georgia, Missouri and Texas.\n\nAlthough there has not been a federal execution since 2003, the justice department has continued to approve death penalty prosecutions and federal courts have sentenced defendants to death.– AP"], "summary": "U.S. Attorney General William Barr resumes the federal usage of the death penalty. Five inmates are expected to be executed between December 2019 and January 2020. If carried out, these would be the first federal executions in the United States in sixteen years."}
{"document": ["Four people were shot dead and two wounded on Thursday in a shooting spree that spread across four three Los Angeles neighborhoods and touched off a 12-hour manhunt before police tackled and arrested an armed suspect.\n\nA Los Angeles police spokesman identified the suspect as Gerry Zaragoza, 26, and said he was held on pending murder charges in the shooting deaths of his father and brother, and the wounding of his mother with a gun shot. The spokesman did not identify the victims.\n\nThe shooting spree started at an apartment the suspect shared with his parents at about 2 a.m. on Thursday in LA's Canoga Park, police said.\n\nPolice said the suspect also allegedly shot and killed a woman he knew at a gas station in North Hollywood about 45 minutes later, but did not characterize their relationship.\n\nSome media referred to her as a former girlfriend, others as an acquaintance.\n\nAt the same time, he allegedly shot and wounded a gas station clerk. The man was shot five times and was in critical condition, the Los Angeles Times and other media reported.\n\nLater, at about 7:45 a.m., police said Zaragoza allegedly shot a gardener he tried to rob at an ATM machine. And at about 1 p.m. he allegedly shot and killed a man on a bus in the Van Nuys neighborhood, police said.\n\nMedia reports say he did not know the man on the bus and that the shooting appeared to be random.\n\nThe Los Angeles Times reported that Zaragoza was arrested in Canoga Park after being tackled by plain clothes officers about 2:30 p.m. Police used a taser to subdue him.\n\nAn LAPD spokesman had no information on any bond set for Zaragoza, but said he remained in police custody early Friday. It was unclear if he had an attorney.\n\nMore from :\n\nInmate questioned after Jeffrey Epstein is found nearly unconscious in jail cell\n\nTexas woman escapes kidnapper after slipping note to Domino's Pizza employee\n\nAlly Kostial murder: Former-neighbor shares dark details about suspect in Ole Miss student's death", "Los Angeles (CNN) At least four people were shot dead and two others were wounded Thursday in Los Angeles before the gunman was captured, authorities said.\n\nGerry Dean Zaragoza, 26, killed his father and brother at their home, fatally wounded a woman he knew at a gas station and shot a man on a bus who died, police said.\n\nThere is no obvious motive for any of the killings, said Capt. William Hayes of the Robbery-Homicide Division of the Los Angeles Police Department.\n\n\"We're evaluating it, we're interviewing witnesses but we can't come up with a specific answer,\" he told reporters.\n\nHayes said the shootings began at about 1:20 a.m. in Canoga Park when Zaragoza shot his parents and brother. Zaragoza's father and brother were killed and his mother injured, Officer Greg Kraft said.\n\nRead More", "LOS ANGELES, July 26 — Four people were shot dead and two wounded today in a shooting spree that spread across four three Los Angeles neighbourhoods and touched off a 12-hour manhunt before police tackled and arrested an armed suspect.\n\nA Los Angeles police spokesman identified the suspect as Gerry Zaragoza, 26, and said he was held on pending murder charges in the shooting deaths of his father and brother, and the wounding of his mother with a gun shot. The spokesman did not identify the victims.\n\nThe shooting spree started at an apartment the suspect shared with his parents at about 2am yesterday in LA's Canoga Park, police said.\n\nPolice said the suspect also allegedly shot and killed a woman he knew at a gas station in North Hollywood about 45 minutes later, but did not characterise their relationship.\n\nSome media referred to her as a former girlfriend, others as an acquaintance.\n\nAt the same time, he allegedly shot and wounded a gas station clerk. The man was shot five times and was in critical condition, the Los Angeles Times and other media reported.\n\nLater, at about 7.45am, police said Zaragoza allegedly shot a gardener he tried to rob at an ATM machine. And at about 1pm he allegedly shot and killed a man on a bus in the Van Nuys neighbourhood, police said.\n\nMedia reports say he did not know the man on the bus and that the shooting appeared to be random.\n\nThe Los Angeles Times reported that Zaragoza was arrested in Canoga Park after being tackled by plain clothes officers about 2.30pm. Police used a taser to subdue him.\n\nAn LAPD spokesman had no information on any bond set for Zaragoza, but said he remained in police custody early Friday. It was unclear if he had an attorney. — Reuters", "Dear Reader, As you can imagine, more people are reading The Jerusalem Post than ever before. Nevertheless, traditional business models are no longer sustainable and high-quality publications, like ours, are being forced to look for new ways to keep going. Unlike many other news organizations, we have not put up a paywall. We want to keep our journalism open and accessible and be able to keep providing you with news and analysis from the frontlines of Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World.\n\nJuly 26 - Four people were shot dead and two wounded on Thursday in a shooting spree that spread across four three Los Angeles neighborhoods and touched off a 12-hour manhunt before police tackled and arrested an armed suspect.\n\n\n\nA Los Angeles police spokesman identified the suspect as Gerry Zaragoza, 26, and said he was held on pending murder charges in the shooting deaths of his father and brother, and the wounding of his mother with a gun shot. The spokesman did not identify the victims.The shooting spree started at an apartment the suspect shared with his parents at about 2 a.m. on Thursday in LA's Canoga Park, police said.\n\n\n\nPolice said the suspect also allegedly shot and killed a woman he knew at a gas station in North Hollywood about 45 minutes later, but did not characterize their relationship.\n\n\n\nSome media referred to her as a former girlfriend, others as an acquaintance.\n\n\n\nAt the same time, he allegedly shot and wounded a gas station clerk. The man was shot five times and was in critical condition, the Los Angeles Times and other media reported.\n\n\n\nLater, at about 7:45 a.m., police said Zaragoza allegedly shot a gardener he tried to rob at an ATM machine. And at about 1 p.m. he allegedly shot and killed a man on a bus in the Van Nuys neighborhood, police said.\n\n\n\nMedia reports say he did not know the man on the bus and that the shooting appeared to be random.\n\n\n\nThe Los Angeles Times reported that Zaragoza was arrested in Canoga Park after being tackled by plain clothes officers about 2:30 p.m. Police used a taser to subdue him.\n\n\n\nAn LAPD spokesman had no information on any bond set for Zaragoza, but said he remained in police custody early Friday. It was unclear if he had an attorney.\n\n\n\nJoin Jerusalem Post Premium Plus now for just $5 and upgrade your experience with an ads-free website and exclusive content. Click here>>", "A California man was arrested Thursday after he went on the run following an early-morning shooting spree that killed at least three victims and wounded two others, investigators announced.\n\nThe manhunt for Gerry Dean Zaragoza, 26, ended more than 12 hours after the rampage across the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles. Police said he killed two family members and wounded a third person in an apartment complex in Canoga Park and shot two other people at a North Hollywood gas station, killing one of them.\n\nFATHER OF CANADA HIGHWAY MURDER SUSPECT SAYS SON ON 'SUICIDE MISSION,' WANTS TO DIE IN 'BLAZE OF GLORY'\n\nZaragoza was last seen driving a blue Jeep Liberty with paper plates and may have tried to rob a man at an ATM, Fox 11 Los Angeles reported.\n\nThe Canoga Park double homicide unfolded around 2 a.m., police told Fox 11. The victims were believed to be Zaragoza’s father and brother. His mother also was wounded and reportedly hid in the bathroom to call police. She was rushed to a hospital but her condition wasn’t immediately released.\n\nA second shooting took place just before 3 a.m. outside a gas station in North Hollywood, Fox 11 reported. A man and a woman, reportedly Zaragoza’s ex-girlfriend, were both found with gunshot wounds. The woman died at a hospital, while the man underwent surgery and was listed in critical condition.\n\nCALIFORNIA COUPLE HURT IN 'VERY BRUTAL' ATTACK BY GROUP OF TEENAGERS OUTSIDE THEIR HOME\n\nPolice didn’t immediately release the names of the dead.\n\nCLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS APP\n\nPolice also were investigating whether Zaragoza was connected to a deadly shooting and attempted robbery outside a bank in Canoga Park.\n\nThe Associated Press contributed to this report.", "Los Angeles police say suspect in deadly shooting rampage has been arrested.\n\nLOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles police say suspect in deadly shooting rampage has been arrested.", "LOS ANGELES (AP) — Los Angeles police say suspect in deadly shooting rampage has been arrested.", "A man fatally shot his father, brother and two others on Thursday during a 12-hour rampage in Los Angeles’ San Fernando Valley, eluding an intense manhunt until plainclothes officers arrested him soon after he gunned down a city bus passenger, authorities said.\n\nPolice said they did not know what had motivated the suspect, identified as Gerry Dean Zaragoza, 26, in the attacks. “It is obviously an individual that went on a violent spree,” Capt William Hayes said. “We knew he was a danger to the community.”\n\nPolice said Zaragoza killed his father and brother and wounded his mother at an apartment complex in the Canoga Park area.\n\nA neighbor, Ruth Barcena, told CBS Los Angeles that Zaragoza’s mother was always friendly. “Really hurt, about what happened,” she said.\n\nZaragoza is also suspected of shooting two people at a gas station in North Hollywood, killing a woman believed to be an acquaintance and critically wounding a man, authorities said.\n\nHe also has been linked to an attempted robbery outside a bank. That victim was not hurt and nothing was taken, police said.\n\nHours later, Hayes said, Zaragoza shot and killed a stranger on a bus in Van Nuys before he was arrested with a small amount of force in Canoga Park.", "Los Angeles police say suspect in deadly shooting rampage has been arrested.\n\n(AP) — Los Angeles police say suspect in deadly shooting rampage has been arrested.\n\nCopyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.", "LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles police say suspect in deadly shooting rampage has been arrested.\n\nCopyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed."], "summary": "At least four people are killed and two wounded in a shooting spree that spread across multiple Los Angeles neighborhoods. Police tackled and arrested the suspect, Gerry Zaragoza, after a 12-hour manhunt."}
{"document": ["Tunisian parliament president Mohamed Ennaceur, puts his hand on the Quran to be sworn in as Tunisian interim President in Tunis, Tunisia, Thursday, July 25, 2019. Ennaceur, the leader of Tunisia's parliament has been sworn in as the interim president of the North African country after 92-year-old President Beji Essebsi died in office. The state news agency TAP reported that Mohamed Ennaceur, president of the Assembly of People's Representatives, took the oath of office Thursday July 25, hours after Essebsi's death in the morning. (Lassad Manai/Tunisian Assembly via AP)\n\nTunisian parliament president Mohamed Ennaceur, puts his hand on the Quran to be sworn in as Tunisian interim President in Tunis, Tunisia, Thursday, July 25, 2019. Ennaceur, the leader of Tunisia's parliament has been sworn in as the interim president of the North African country after 92-year-old President Beji Essebsi died in office. The state news agency TAP reported that Mohamed Ennaceur, president of the Assembly of People's Representatives, took the oath of office Thursday July 25, hours after Essebsi's death in the morning. (Lassad Manai/Tunisian Assembly via AP)\n\nTUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — The Latest on the death of Tunisia’s president (all times local):\n\n7:15 p.m.\n\nU.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has described late Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi as “a pivotal figure” who “was instrumental in successfully steering the country through its historic and peaceful transition to democracy.”\n\nThe United Nations chief said after the death of the North African country’s first democratically elected leader that “President Essebsi was a Tunisian pioneer, an Arab and African trailblazer, and a global leader.”\n\nGuterres said he was “deeply saddened” to learn of the president’s passing at age 92 on Thursday.\n\nHe says Essebsi will be remembered for promoting rights of Tunisian women and other citizens.\n\nU.N. General Assembly President María Fernanda Espinosa also praised Essebsi, saying he “played a key role in promoting the consolidation of political institutions and the rule of law in his country.”\n\nShe expressed hope “that his legacy will inspire many others and contribute to further strengthen unity and stability in Tunisia.”\n\n___\n\n5:15 p.m.\n\nThe leader of Tunisia’s parliament has been sworn in as the interim president of the North African country after 92-year-old President Beji Essebsi died in office.\n\nThe state news agency TAP reported that Mohamed Ennaceur, president of the Assembly of People’s Representatives, took the oath of office Thursday, hours after Essebsi’s death in the morning.\n\nAccording to the Tunisian constitution, the parliament chief takes over for a period of 45 to 90 days if the president is incapacitated, until new elections are organized.\n\nEnnaceur appealed for unity in a country still struggling to stabilize its democracy after a 2011 Arab Spring uprising.\n\nA funeral for Essebsi is planned Saturday, and the government declared seven days of mourning.\n\nCondolences came in from other Arab countries, with Jordan and Lebanon also announcing multiple days of mourning.\n\n___\n\n2 p.m.\n\nThe head of Tunisia’s parliament says he is taking over as the country’s interim president after the death of 92-year-old President Beji Caid Essebsi.\n\nThe legislature’s President Mohamed Ennaceur made the announcement on state television Thursday soon after Essebsi’s death, asking Tunisians to unite and praising the former leader’s contributions.\n\nThe Tunisian constitution calls for the parliament leader to take over temporarily in case the president is incapacitated.\n\nHowever the Constitutional Court is first supposed to formally confirm that the presidency is vacant, and the court doesn’t exist yet. So there is some uncertainty over the legitimacy of Ennaceur’s leadership.\n\nThe prime minister’s office announced seven days of mourning and canceled festivals and other events until further notice.\n\n___\n\n11:25 a.m.\n\nTunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi, the North African country’s first democratically elected leader, has died. He was 92.\n\nAn official in the president’s office told The Associated Press that Essebsi died Thursday morning at the Tunis military hospital, where he was taken the night before.\n\nThat was the third time in recent weeks that he had been hospitalized.\n\nUnder Tunisia’s constitution, the president of the parliament will assume the presidency for 45 to 90 days while elections are organized.\n\nEssebsi won office in 2014 in the wake of the country’s Arab Spring uprising.\n\nHe recently announced he wouldn’t run in the election scheduled for November, saying a younger person should lead the country.\n\n___\n\n6:10 a.m.\n\nTunisian media are reporting the country’s 92-year-old president has been taken to a military hospital for the third time in recent weeks.\n\nRadio station Mosaique and state broadcaster Wataniya have reported Beji Caid Essebsi was hospitalized Wednesday night for unspecified health trouble.\n\nEssebsi’s office did not make an announcement or respond to requests for comment.\n\nHe is Tunisia’s first democratically elected president, having won office in 2014 in the wake of the country’s Arab Spring uprising. He recently announced he wouldn’t run in the election scheduled for November, saying a younger person should lead the country.\n\nEssebsi was hospitalized twice in June. His office released a video of the president meeting with the defense minister Monday, and Essebsi was visibly weakened, raising concerns about his fitness for office.", "Image copyright AFP Image caption Beji Caid Essebsi was admitted to hospital on Wednesday night\n\nTunisia's first freely elected President, Beji Caid Essebsi, has died aged 92, the country's presidency says.\n\nHe was the world's oldest sitting president. He was admitted to hospital on Wednesday but officials did not say why he was receiving treatment.\n\nEssebsi won Tunisia's first free elections in 2014 following Arab uprisings across the region.\n\nHe was admitted to hospital last month after suffering what officials said was a severe health crisis.\n\nThey gave no further details at the time. But Prime Minister Youssef Chahed, who visited him in hospital, urged people to stop spreading \"fake news\" about his condition.\n\nSeven days of national mourning have been declared following his death. The speaker of parliament, Mohamed Ennaceur, is to take over as interim president.\n\nEarlier this year, MEssebsi announced that he would not stand in elections expected in November.\n\nHe told a meeting of his ruling Nidaa Tounes party that someone younger should take charge. He said it was time to \"open the door to the youth\".\n\nThe elections will now be held before the scheduled date on 17 November, according to the country's electoral commission.\n\nImage copyright AFP/Getty Image caption Members of Essebsi's party had wanted him to run in the November elections\n\nEssebsi was a former lawyer who studied and trained in the French capital Paris. During his long political career he also served as interior minister and speaker of parliament.\n\nHe rose to prominence after former Tunisian President Zine el-Abedine Ben Ali was ousted in 2011 after 23 years in office.\n\nAs president, Essebsi largely maintained stability in Tunisia. But critics said his government was too authoritarian in its response to security challenges.\n\nTunisia has won praise as the only democracy to emerge from the revolutions of the so-called Arab spring.\n\nBut in recent years the country has suffered attacks by Islamists and economic problems, with unemployment a persistent issue.", "Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi, the country's first democratically elected leader, has died at 92, his office says\n\nTUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi, the country's first democratically elected leader, has died at 92, his office says.", "FILE – In this Thursday, Oct. 25, 2018 file photo Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi gestures during a press conference in Tunis. Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi, the country’s first democratically elected leader, has died at 92, his office announced Thursday July 25, 2019. (AP Photo/Hassene Dridi, FILE)\n\nTUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — The Latest on the death of Tunisia’s president (all times local):\n\nTunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi, the North African country’s first democratically elected leader, has died. He was 92.\n\nAn official in the president’s office told The Associated Press that Essebsi died Thursday morning at the Tunis military hospital, where he was taken the night before.\n\nThat was the third time in recent weeks that he had been hospitalized.\n\nUnder Tunisia’s constitution, the president of the parliament will assume the presidency for 45 to 90 days while elections are organized.\n\nEssebsi won office in 2014 in the wake of the country’s Arab Spring uprising.\n\nHe recently announced he wouldn’t run in the election scheduled for November, saying a younger person should lead the country.\n\nTunisian media are reporting the country’s 92-year-old president has been taken to a military hospital for the third time in recent weeks.\n\nRadio station Mosaique and state broadcaster Wataniya have reported Beji Caid Essebsi was hospitalized Wednesday night for unspecified health trouble.\n\nEssebsi’s office did not make an announcement or respond to requests for comment.\n\nHe is Tunisia’s first democratically elected president, having won office in 2014 in the wake of the country’s Arab Spring uprising. He recently announced he wouldn’t run in the election scheduled for November, saying a younger person should lead the country.\n\nEssebsi was hospitalized twice in June. His office released a video of the president meeting with the defense minister Monday, and Essebsi was visibly weakened, raising concerns about his fitness for office.", "Tunisia's 92-year-old president, Beji Caid Essebsi, who helped guide the North African country's transition to democracy after a 2011 revolution, has died, the presidency said on Thursday.\n\nA leading figure in the country's fortunes since the 'Arab Spring' uprising eight years ago, Essebsi was hospitalised late last month for a week after suffering what authorities described as a severe health crisis.\n\n'On Thursday morning, the President of the Republic died at the military hospital in Tunis...The burial ceremony will be announced later,' a presidency statement said. The prime minister declared seven days of national mourning.\n\nTunisia's foreign minister said a state funeral for Essebsi would be held on Saturday and the presidency urged Tunisians to unite and safeguard the nation's present and future.\n\nThe country has been hit by occasional unrest over high unemployment and by several deadly Islamist militant attacks.\n\nThe speaker of parliament, Mohamed Ennaceur, said he would become the temporary president, in line with the constitution.\n\nThe next presidential election, hitherto set for Nov. 17, will now be held earlier, the electoral commission chief said, without elaborating. A parliamentary vote is set for Oct. 6.\n\nThe coming elections will be the third set of polls in which Tunisians have been able to vote freely since the 2011 revolution.\n\nEssebsi rose to prominence after the overthrow of veteran autocrat Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali, which was followed by Arab Spring uprisings against authoritarian leaders across the Middle East, including in nearby Libya and Egypt.\n\nDrafted in as premier in 2011 after Ben Ali was toppled, Essebsi was elected president three years later, becoming Tunisia's first directly elected head of state. He founded one of the secular parties in Tunisia's governing coalition.\n\n'After the revolution, the president led the people to avoid confrontation, led the democratic transition and was keen to build and complete the constitutional institutions,' the presidency statement said.\n\nAnalyst Ibrahim Ouslati said the death of Essebsi, one of the world's oldest leaders, was not likely to disrupt politics.\n\n'I don't think there will be any problem because Tunisians have a constitution that clearly shows that the speaker of the parliament occupies the position temporarily,' he said.\n\n'Politically, there will be no problem. The political elite has enough awareness to manage it wisely like any democratic country.'\n\nTunisia has been hailed as the only democratic success of the Arab Spring uprisings, with a new constitution, free elections and a coalition government with secular and moderate Islamists in a region otherwise struggling with upheaval.\n\nBut political progress has not been matched by economic advances. Unemployment stands at about 15 percent, up from 12 percent in 2010, due to weak growth and low investment.\n\nEssebsi's death comes at a time of fresh attempts to replace dictatorships with democracy in the Middle East.\n\nThe armed forces of neighbouring Algeria and Sudan ousted long-serving rulers of those countries after mass protests. But it remains unclear whether greater freedoms will result.\n\nRached Ghannouchi, influential leader of Tunisia's moderate Islamist Ennahda Party, which governs in coalition with two secular parties, said Essebsi was credited with leading a smooth transition to democracy by promoting inclusive politics.\n\nEssebsi faced criticism, however, that he was seeking a return to a strong state with power concentrated in the presidency, whose role is limited to foreign and defence policies under the new constitution.\n\nCritics also accused him of seeking a dynastic handover to his son and a retreat from post-revolution freedoms, and failing to support a truth commission seeking justice for the victims of authoritarian rule.\n\nEssebsi, who served as a speaker of parliament under Ben Ali, denied all such accusations.\n\nTunisia has been spared much of the violence seen elsewhere in the Middle East since 2011, although it has been the target of militant Islamists over the years.\n\nGovernment troops have been battling militant groups in remote areas near the border with Algeria, while high unemployment has also stoked disturbances in recent years.", "FILE – In this March 31, 2019, file photo, Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi chairs the opening session of the 30th Arab Summit in Tunis, Tunisia. Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi, the country’s first democratically elected leader, has died at 92, his office announced Thursday July 25, 2019. (Fethi Belaid/ Pool Photo via AP, File)\n\nTUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi, the North African country’s first democratically elected leader and a symbol of the generation of Tunisians who shook off French rule in the 1950s, died Thursday. He was 92.\n\nIn a hasty ceremony hours after Essebsi died at a military hospital in Tunis, the leader of parliament took over as interim president. However, Essebsi’s death while still in office could lead to new power struggles in the only country to emerge from the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings with a functioning democracy and relative stability.\n\nThe government declared seven days of mourning, as condolences poured in from several Arab countries and the United Nations, A funeral is planned for Saturday.\n\nU.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Essebsi was “a pivotal figure” in Tunisia’s history who “was instrumental in successfully steering the country through its historic and peaceful transition to democracy.”\n\n“President Essebsi was a Tunisian pioneer, an Arab and African trailblazer, and a global leader,” the United Nations chief said in a statement.\n\nHeir to Tunisia’s founding father, Essebsi emerged from retirement at age 88 to win office in 2014 in the wake of the country’s Arab Spring revolt.\n\nHe presented his centrist Nida Tounes movement as a bulwark against rising Islamic fundamentalism and against the political chaos that rocked Tunisia after the “jasmine revolution” overthrew a longtime dictator and unleashed similar protests for democracy throughout the region.\n\nEssebsi was seen as a unifying figure, but was ultimately unable to bring prosperity or lasting calm to a country beset by economic crises and fending off sporadic deadly terror attacks.\n\nUnder the Tunisian Constitution, parliament president Mohamed Ennaceur should serve as interim president for 45 to 90 days while a new election is organized.\n\nIn a brief speech after he took the oath of office, Ennaceur called on Tunisians “to strengthen your unity and solidarity so that the country can pursue its march toward progress.”\n\nHowever, questions about the legitimacy of Ennaceur assuming the presidency could arise because the Constitutional Court was supposed to confirm the office was vacant. But the court itself doesn’t exist yet because lawmakers disagree over who its members should be.\n\nTunisia remains a haven of political openness and relative peace compared to the countries led by strongmen elsewhere in the Arab world and to the chaos reigning in neighboring Libya.\n\nAs Lebanon’s prime minister and Jordan’s royal court declared multiple days of mourning over Essebsi’s death, Syria’s government was notably silent. Demonstrations that broke out in Syria in 2011, in part inspired by Tunisia, have turned into a bloody civil war.\n\nMost of Essebsi’s political career came well before the Arab Spring uprisings, and he outlived most of his peers in Tunisia’s independence generation.\n\nIn April, he announced he wouldn’t run in a November election, saying a younger person should lead the country instead.\n\nBorn Nov. 29, 1926, when Tunisia was a French protectorate, Essebsi entered politics in the 1940s and trained as a lawyer in Paris. But his name is most associated with Tunisia’s first president, Habib Bourguiba, who built up the country and educated its people yet brooked little opposition.\n\nEssebsi proudly claimed to be Bourguiba’s disciple, and from 1965 to 1986, he held several senior roles including defense minister, foreign minister and interior minister.\n\nAs a supporter of openness toward more political pluralism, Essebsi occasionally clashed with Bourguiba, who was known as Tunisia’s “supreme fighter.”\n\nAfter Bourguiba was overthrown in a bloodless coup by Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali in 1987, Essebsi left politics to be a lawyer and author, including writing a biography of Bourguiba. He was little heard from but never fully renounced his political ambitions.\n\nBen Ali’s fall in the Arab Spring of 2011 led to a difficult democratic transition for Tunisians. By the time Essebsi founded his own party in 2012 — already deep into his 80s — many were ready for a familiar face.\n\nEssebsi often claimed with pride that it was the overwhelming support of Tunisian women that propelled him to power in 2014. Women in Tunisia won relatively broad rights under Bourguiba decades ago and many feared an Islamist wave would threaten those freedoms.\n\nHowever, not having a majority in parliament, Essebsi had to make an alliance with Islamist party Ennahdha, which caused discontent in his party and cost him a good part of his electorate.\n\nEssebsi also angered many of those who labored to build Tunisia’s democracy by seeking to increase presidential power, despite a landmark 2014 constitution that created a strong parliament to keep the president’s authority in check.\n\nAnd he remained ever loyal to his mentor, restoring Bourguiba’s statue to the central Tunis avenue that bears his name.\n\nBut Tunisia has gone through nine governments since its 2011 uprising and each one has failed to resolve widespread poverty and unemployment, leading some to lose hope in the new democratic system.\n\nAttacks by Islamic extremists, including some trained in neighboring Libya, have killed dozens and sent foreign tourists fleeing, damaging Tunisia’s key tourism industry.\n\n“A democracy cannot be built in eight years,” he said in January. “Tangible results need time.”\n\nEssebsi had hoped, before leaving office, to see a law passed giving women equal inheritance rights, overturning the current system based on Islamic Shariah law that entitles daughters to only half the inheritance given to sons. But the measure was highly controversial and drew street protests by thousands of fundamentalists, who remain a potent force.\n\nAngela Charlton in Paris, Nadine Achoui-Lesage in Rabat, Morocco, Sarah El Deeb in Beirut and Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations contributed.", "Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi, the country’s first freely and democratically elected president, died Thursday aged 92. A champion of equal rights for women, Essebsi sought to reconcile secularist beliefs with Sharia law.\n\nThe 92-year-old Essebsi died in hospital, where he had been admitted into intensive care with a severe illness.\n\nThe veteran Tunisian politician was the world’s oldest head of state after Queen Elizabeth and Malaysian President Mahathir Mohamad.\n\nHe was elected the fourth president of Tunisia on December 31, 2014, three years after the Arab Spring uprising ousted the long-serving dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.\n\nOn April 6, 2019, Essebsi announced he would not be seeking a second term in the forthcoming November elections, explaining that it was time to “open the door to the youth”. This announcement came on the heels of protests in neighbouring Algeria, which resulted in President Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s April 2 resignation and the end of his 20-year rule.\n\nEssebsi showed political leanings early on. Born on November 29, 1926 in Sidi Bou Said to a well-heeled Tunisian family, at the age of 12 he was heavily influenced by the violent riots of April 9, 1938, in which 21 Tunisians died in the name of reforms to end France’s sphere of influence in Tunisia.\n\nLater, Essebsi would become active in the socialist, pro-independence Néo-Destour party. Its leader and founder Habib Bourguiba was a vocal advocate for the removal of French rule who had been instrumental in the April 9 protests. While studying law in Paris, he became a great admirer of Bourguiba’s teachings, which formed Essebsi’s beliefs in Tunisian independence from French rule.\n\nHis first political forays could be traced back to his Parisian student years; he became vice president of the Association of North-African Muslim Students, as well as an active member of the resistance against French colonial rule.\n\nEssebsi returned to Tunis after completing his studies and embarked on a legal career. After Tunisia’s independence in 1956, Essebsi truly came into his own politically.\n\nWhen his idol Habib Bourguiba became president of Tunisia in 1957, Essebsi was appointed director of national security. He rose through the ranks to hold several prominent positions, including minister of the interior and minister of defence.\n\nHe briefly served as ambassador to France in 1970 before returning to a law career. In 1981, he re-entered Tunisian politics with his appointment as minister of foreign affairs before taking up the post of ambassador to West Germany in 1987.\n\nA coup d’état on November 7, 1987 saw Bourguiba replaced by his own prime minister, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. Under the latter’s rule, Essebsi continued to serve at high levels of government, including posts as minister of the interior and president of the Tunisian national assembly.\n\nAfter the Arab Spring of 2011, Essebsi became interim prime minister on February 27 of that year, leaving the post on December 24 to be replaced by Hamadi Jebali.\n\nIn 2012, he formed his own political party, Nidaa Tounes -- a diverse party made up of business leaders, intellectuals, unionists, and leftist militants as well as members of the old regime who were allied with the Islamist Ennahdha movement. In 2014, just two years after the party’s creation, Nidaa Tounes swept the legislative elections, which paved the way for Essebsi to run for president.\n\nPlaying off his image as a wise elder, he defeated incumbent Moncef Markouzi to become the nation’s fourth president, and its first democratically elected one. Essebsi led Tunisia towards numerous reforms, including gender equality and election reform. His death leaves the presidency vacant at a time of increasing tensions for Tunisia.", "Under Mr. Essebsi’s leadership, Tunisia largely avoided the fate of Arab countries that were plunged into civil war after their uprisings, such as Syria, Libya, and Yemen. But the transition has remained fragile — vulnerable to Tunisia’s fractured politics, an economy heavily dependent on tourism and the threat of deadly militant attacks.\n\nMr. Essebsi was admitted to the hospital on Wednesday, following another brief hospitalization last month, shortly after two suicide bombers attacked security forces in Tunis, killing one police officer and wounding eight other people. Days later, local media reports showed Mr. Essebsi leaving the hospital appearing in good health.\n\nWASHINGTON — Beji Caid Essebsi, a fixture of Tunisia’s political establishment who became the country’s first freely elected president after its 2011 pro-democracy uprising, died Thursday in a military hospital in Tunis, the capital, according to a statement by the Tunisian presidency. He was 92.\n\nHis death on Thursday will pose a fresh test to Tunisia’s democratic credentials as the nation contends with setting up a snap election. Parliament convened following the announcement of Mr. Essebsi’s death to discuss succession and it was agreed that the president of the Legislature, Mohamed Ennaceur, will temporarily occupy the office vacated by Mr. Essebsi.\n\nThe government declared a seven-day period of mourning, while celebrating Mr. Essebsi as one of Tunisia’s greatest figures.\n\nRached Ghannouchi, the president of the moderate Islamist party Ennahda, paid tribute to his political rival as a ‘‘true patriot and a pillar of Tunisia’s democratic transition.’’\n\n‘‘He would have wanted all Tunisians to uphold the Constitution and rule of law and to maintain our democratic path, no matter what challenges we face,’’ Ghannouchi said in a statement.\n\nMr. Essebsi was first appointed as Tunisia’s interim leader after nationwide protests ended the 23-year dictatorship of President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali in 2011. He was later elected president in the nation’s first free and fair elections in 2014.\n\nHe was not a fresh face. Mr. Essebsi had served in various posts, including foreign minister, under Habib Bourguiba, Tunisia’s first post-independence leader, and as head of the Parliament under Ben Ali. Some viewed that experience as useful with the country still reeling from revolution, at a time when Tunisia was unsettled by protests, political assassinations, and terrorist attacks.\n\nBut for others, Mr. Essebsi was a symbol of the old autocratic establishment: aligned with other regional authoritarian leaders who were seeking to contain pro-democracy sentiments in the region, and indifferent, at best, to popular demands that officials from previous governments face justice for their alleged crimes.\n\nAfter he was elected president, he detailed his priorities in a column written for The Washington Post. ‘‘We must solve the daunting economic and social problems that began in the Ben Ali era and were aggravated by three years of incompetent Islamist administration,’’ he wrote. ‘‘We must establish security in a country surrounded by insecurity. And we must strengthen our young democracy at a time when hopes for democracy elsewhere in the region are failing to take root.’’\n\nAfter briefly holding the post of prime minister in the wake of Ben Ali’s ouster, Mr. Essebsi stepped down in December 2011 after the newly elected Islamist-led assembly chose Moncef Marzouki as president.\n\nMr. Essebsi then founded a political party, Nidaa Tounes, in 2012 largely as a counterweight to Ennahda, the Islamist party that quickly ascended from the most heavily repressed group under the old regime to become Tunisia’s most powerful political group.\n\nNidaa Tounes attracted an array of secular-minded Tunisians hoping to challenge Ennahda’s rise. The rival parties dominated the Tunisian political scene for several years after Mr. Essebsi’s 2014 victory, forming an uneasy governing coalition in Parliament that ultimately splintered in September.\n\nMr. Essebsi appealed to Bourguiba’s legacy during his 2014 campaign, casting himself in the mold of a secularist reformer and portraying his Islamist rivals as extremists out of step with Tunisia’s cosmopolitan character.\n\nAs president, he pursued several gender-equality initiatives that challenged religious orthodoxy, including an order he issued in 2017 allowing Muslim women to marry non-Muslim men.\n\nBut critics said those moves masked Mr. Essebsi’s efforts to undermine accountability for crimes in the Bourguiba and Ben Ali eras. Mr. Essebsi spearheaded an ‘‘economic reconciliation’’ law passed in 2017 that granted conditional amnesty to former regime figures accused of corruption.\n\nMr. Essebsi himself faced scrutiny for his role in authoritarian abuses. A truth commission appointed to investigate and bring to light the human rights violations of Tunisia’s authoritarian regimes accused him of committing crimes while serving in Bourguiba’s government.\n\nSpecifically, its final report alleged that Mr. Essebsi oversaw mass arrests and unfair trials of political dissidents in the early 1960s in the wake of a failed coup attempt. The report also described him as complicit in the torture of prisoners while he was interior minister from 1965 to 1969.\n\nMr. Essebsi repeatedly dismissed the truth commission, saying he was ‘‘against settling the scores of the past.’’ His administration denied the group access to national archives, and parliamentary deputies from Mr. Essebsi’s party sought to obstruct its work.\n\nWhen the truth commission released its final report in March, it called on Mr. Essebsi to offer an official state apology for more than 62,000 cases of human rights violations it chronicled between 1955 and 2013. Mr. Essebsi did not heed that call.", "Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi has died at the age of 92. He was the country's first democratically elected leader, coming to power in the wake of the Arab Spring revolution. Essebsi was admitted to a hospital in Tunisia on Wednesday, but officials haven't specified what he was receiving treatment for.\n\nAnnouncing the leader's death, Tunisia's presidential Facebook page said funeral plans for Essebsi would be announced soon.\n\nEssebsi helped bring stability to Tunisia after a series of street demonstrations ousted former President Zine el-Abedine Ben Ali in 2011. Tunisia is the only democracy to emerge from the Arab Spring — the public protests that spread to other countries in North Africa and Middle East.\n\n\"As leader, he relaxed a sweeping inheritance law to improve equality between men and women, and called for Tunisian women to be able to marry non-Muslims,\" NPR's Ruth Sherlock reports for our Newscast unit. \n\n \n\nEarlier this year, Essebsi said he would not run for office again, saying it was time for younger people to step up. Tunisia is scheduled to hold a new election in November.\n\nIn Tunisia's reformed government, Essebsi served as interim prime minister before being elected president in 2014. By then, he had already had a long political career, serving for decades under Ben Ali. As NPR's Scott Neuman reported on his election, \"Essebsi's support comes from the wealthy coastal regions and he has used his experience and the prospect of stability to woo voters.\"\n\nEssebsi led the secular-leaning Nidaa Tounes (Tunisia Calls) party. The Associated Press reports that in the lead-up to his election, Essebsi presented \"his centrist movement as a bulwark against rising Islamic fundamentalism and political chaos that rocked Tunisia after the people's revolt overthrew a longtime dictator and unleashed similar movements throughout the region.\"\n\nAfter taking up politics in the 1940s, Essebsi later joined the fight for de-colonization.\n\nHe served under Tunisia's first president, Habib Bourguiba, who took power after the country gained independence from France. Essebsi held several senior roles under Bourguiba, including director of security, minister of defense, foreign minister and interior minister.\n\nAfter retiring from politics in 1994, Essebsi returned to help lead the government in 2011.\n\nEssebsi's reputation took a hit in the wake of the Arab Spring, when Tunisia's Truth and Dignity Commission released its tally of abuses under years of authoritarian rule. He was accused of human rights violations related to the put-down of a coup attempt in 1963, as The New York Times has reported.\n\nThe International Center for Transitional Justice said the commission's report referenced Essebsi's tenure as minister of the interior \"when torture was rampant.\"\n\nAs president, Essebsi's tenure ushered in political openness and freedom of speech, but he was unable to ease Tunisia's economic problems, which sparked new protests. Earlier this year Essebsi said, \"A democracy cannot be built in eight years. Tangible results need time,\" according to the AP.\n\nIn 2018, NPR's Sherlock reported from Tunisia, \"One thing everyone does agree on is that freedom of expression is the main reward of the 2011 revolution,\" but by then, economic problems were prompting strikes and protests.\n\nAs Sherlock said in that story, new tensions over poverty, unemployment and other social issues gave rise to a new movement led by young people. In English, Sherlock said, the group's name translates to \"What are we waiting for?\"", "Beji Caid Essebsi, a fixture of Tunisia’s political establishment who became the country’s first freely elected president after the 2011 pro-democracy uprising, died on Thursday in a military hospital in Tunis, the capital, according to a statement by the Tunisian presidency. He was 92 years old.\n\nEssebsi was admitted to the hospital on Wednesday, following another brief hospitalization last month, shortly after two suicide bombers attacked police in Tunis, killing at least one police officer, according to the Interior Ministry.\n\nUnder Essebsi’s leadership, Tunisia largely avoided the fate of Arab countries that were plunged into civil war after their uprisings, such as Syria, Libya and Yemen. But the transition has remained fragile — vulnerable to Tunisia’s fractured politics, an economy heavily dependent on tourism and the threat of deadly militant attacks.\n\nEssebsi was appointed as Tunisia’s interim leader after nationwide protests ended the 23-year dictatorship of President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali in 2011. He was elected president in 2014.\n\nHe was not a fresh face. Essebsi had served various posts, including foreign minister, under Habib Bourguiba, Tunisia’s first post-independence leader, and as head of the parliament under Ben Ali. Some viewed that experience as useful with the country still reeling from revolution, at a time when Tunisia was unsettled by protests, political assassinations and terrorist attacks.\n\n[Tunisia feared the return of militants from abroad. The threat now is those who never left.]\n\nBut for others, Essebsi was a symbol of the old autocratic establishment: aligned with other regional authoritarian leaders who were seeking to contain pro-democracy sentiments in the region, and indifferent, at best, to the popular demands that officials from previous governments face justice for their alleged crimes.\n\nAfter he was elected president, he detailed his priorities in an column written for the The Washington Post. “We must solve the daunting economic and social problems that began in the Ben Ali era and were aggravated by three years of incompetent Islamist administration,” he wrote. “We must establish security in a country surrounded by insecurity. And we must strengthen our young democracy at a time when hopes for democracy elsewhere in the region are failing to take root.”\n\nAfter briefly holding the post of prime minister in the wake of Ben Ali’s ouster, Essebsi stepped down in December 2011 after the newly elected Islamist-led assembly chose Moncef Marzouki as president.\n\nEssebsi then founded a political party, Nidaa Tounes, in 2012 largely as a counterweight to Ennahda, the Islamist party that quickly ascended from the most heavily repressed group under the old regime to become Tunisia’s most powerful political group.\n\nNidaa Tounes attracted an array of secular-minded Tunisians hoping to challenge Ennahda’s rise. The rival parties dominated the Tunisian political scene for several years after Essebsi’s 2014 victory, forming an uneasy governing coalition in parliament that ultimately splintered in September.\n\nEssebsi appealed to Bourguiba’s legacy during his 2014 campaign, casting himself in the mold of a secularist reformer and casting his Islamist rivals as extremists out of step with Tunisia’s cosmopolitan character.\n\nAs president, he pursued several gender equality initiatives that challenged religious orthodoxy, including an order he issued in 2017 allowing Muslim women to marry non-Muslim men.\n\nBut critics said those moves masked Essebsi’s efforts to undermine accountability for Bourguiba- and Ben Ali-era crimes. Essebsi spearheaded an “economic reconciliation” law passed in 2017 that granted conditional amnesty to former regime figures accused of corruption.\n\nEssebsi himself faced scrutiny for his role in authoritarian abuses. A truth commission appointed to investigate and bring to light the human rights violations of Tunisia’s authoritarian regimes accused Essebsi of committing crimes while serving in Bourguiba’s government.\n\nSpecifically, its final report alleged Essebsi oversaw mass arrests and unfair trials of political dissidents in the early 1960s in the wake of a failed coup attempt. The report also described him as complicit in the torture of prisoners while he was interior minister from 1965 to 1969.\n\nEssebsi repeatedly dismissed the truth commission saying he was “against settling the scores of the past.” His administration denied the group access to national archives and parliamentary deputies from Essebsi’s party sought to obstruct its work.\n\nWhen the truth commission released its final report in March, it called on Essebsi to offer an official state apology for more than 62,000 cases of human rights violations it chronicled between 1955 and 2013. Essebsi did not heed that call.\n\nIt was unclear who will succeed him. Tunisia’s constitution, ratified in 2014, permits the president to delegate his or her duties to the head of government for 30 days if temporarily incapacitated. If the president is unable to do so, the constitution stipulates that the country’s Constitutional Court should convene and declare the office of the presidency vacant. But Tunisia does not yet have a Constitutional Court.\n\nFour years after the new democracy was supposed to have set up the court, parliamentary squabbling over its composition has delayed its establishment. Without it, the process for appointing a presidential successor remains unclear — and some experts warn that Essebsi’s death could usher in a constitutional crisis.\n\nSharan Grewal, a fellow at the Brookings Institution, said a legal loophole could stave off such a scenario. A temporary judicial body created in 2014 as a placeholder for a constitutional court is still operating, he said, and the parliament could pass a law granting it the power to declare the presidency vacant.\n\n“I think you would avoid the constitutional crisis if you just amend the law in this way, and I think that is the most likely scenario,” he said. “I don’t think anyone has an interest in creating a constitutional crisis at this moment.”\n\nThe 2014 constitution indicates that after the presidency is declared vacant, the prime minister would take over for up to 60 days. If Tunisia reaches this step, that means Prime Minister Youssef Chahed will temporarily occupy the presidential seat in Carthage.\n\nChahed, who has served as prime minister since 2016, recently became one of Essebsi’s chief political rivals after breaking with Essebsi’s Nidaa Tounes party last year. Chahed now leads a new party, Tahya Tounes, composed of like-minded Nidaa Tounes defectors. Speculation has abounded that Chahed has been mulling a presidential run ahead of the upcoming election in November.\n\nA Tunisian gravedigger gives migrants what they were deprived of in life: Dignity\n\nNo nationality heeded the call to come fight for ISIS like Tunisians did. Now they’re stuck.\n\nHow Tunisia is addressing its authoritarian past — and why it matters\n\nToday’s coverage from Post correspondents around the world\n\nLike Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news"], "summary": "The 92-year-old and first freely-elected President of Tunisia, Beji Caid Essebsi, dies. Tunisian parliament President Mohamed Ennaceur takes the role of interim president."}
{"document": ["ALGIERS (Reuters) - Algerian interim president Abdelkader Bensalah has set up a six-member panel to oversee a national dialogue and hold a presidential election aimed at ending months of political crisis, the presidency said on Thursday.\n\nFILE PHOTO: Algerians protest in Algiers against the appointment of interim president Abdelkader Bensalah and demand radical changes to the political system, April 10, 2019. REUTERS/Ramzi Boudina\n\nPresident Abdelaziz Bouteflika stepped down on April 2 after 20 years in power, under pressure from mass protests demanding the removal of the ruling elite and the prosecution of people suspected of corruption.\n\nAuthorities has canceled a presidential election previously planned for July 4, citing a lack of candidates. No new date has been set.\n\nThe panel, led by former parliament speaker Karim Younes, also includes two experts in law, an economic expert and two politicians.\n\n“The dialogue will cover all aspects related to the organization of this election, its necessary conditions ... and the date of the election,” the statement quoted Bensalah as telling the panel at a meeting on Thursday.\n\n“The dialogue must be inclusive of the whole political class, national figures and civil society.”\n\nThe army is now the main player in Algerian politics, and its chief of staff, Lieutenant General Ahmed Gaed Salah, has repeatedly urged the opposition to cooperate in the holding of an election as soon as possible.\n\nThe panel will immediately start consultations with people willing to take part in the dialogue, the statement said.\n\n“National dialogue remains the only way that can guarantee a peaceful outcome in line with what Algerians are expecting,” Younes said. “We are aware of the national impasse in which we live.”\n\nIn a bid to appease protesters, the judiciary has started corruption investigations involving several former senior officials.\n\nMany prominent businessmen and ex-officials, including former prime ministers Ahmed Ouyahia and Abdelmalek Sellal, have been placed in custody on charges including “dissipation of public funds”.\n\nProtesters are now demanding the departure of Bensalah, a former head of the upper house of parliament, and Prime Minister Noureddine Bedoui, who are regarded by demonstrators as part of the old guard that has governed the North African country since independence from France in 1962.", "THE WAY has been paved for the staging of the Arima Race Club’s annual general meeting. It has been set for August 11. The staging of the club’s AGM was set for May but was cancelled because of an injunction filed by Robert Bernard and John O’Brien on May 25.\n\nHowever, asked about the new AGM date, ARC president Baskaran Bassawh declared, “They have to refund the money to the 36 new members. I did not set any date. I saw an email from a member informing the other management committee members of the date. I could tell you that date is illegal. Today is when we were supposed to decide on that. I am looking at tentatively for 18th August.”", "President David Granger on Thursday stressed that the court could not instruct when general elections must be held because the Guyana Elections Commission (GECOM) is an independent agency and that his administration remained committed to “free, fair and credible” elections with an acceptable voters’ list.\n\n“The President cannot tell the Elections Commission (when elections) must be held; neither can the courts,” he told representatives of the private sector, religious organisations and trade unions at State House. He said there are no deadlines or timelines and there is no date for Guyanese to return to the polls to elect a government of its choice.\n\nGranger made known his position a day after Chief Justice Roxane George-Wiltshire said the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) indicated that polling day should be no later than September 18 or a new date if set by two-thirds of the Parliament.\n\nMeanwhile, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo, in a swift response, criticised the President for seemingly intimidating the judiciary. “It’s impossible to take a President who is so ill-advised seriously. He should familiarize himself with the Esther Perreira case in which the court actually ordered elections by a certain date. In this case the Constitution sets the timeframe for elections when a government is defeated on a vote of no confidence. GECOM was a party to the proceedings in the court and the CCJ orders are binding on it. I interpret his comments as intending to intimidate the Judiciary and reveals an authoritarian instinct. The president who says he respects the rule of law is now telling a separate, independent branch of government what it cannot do.”\n\nThe Chief Justice refused Christopher Ram’s request for a conservatory order to stop the house-to-house registration process that began on July 20 for a lack of evidence. However, she is accepting submissions from lawyers representing government, GECOM and Ram on arguments that the registration process is unconstitutional and will collide with the three-month timeframe within which general elections must be called upon the successful passage of a no-confidence motion. The motion was passed on December 21, 2018, and after a long-running legal battle, the Caribbean Court of Justice on June 18 ruled that it was validly passed by a majority of 33 to 32 votes.\n\nPresident of the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce and Industry Nicholas Deygoo-Boyer was comforted by the fact that the Guyanese leader acknowledged government’s interim status. The business executive said he was, however, concerned that the President’s position conflicted with the Chief Justice’s over the timeframe within which elections must be held.\n\n“It causes some concern because there are two conflicting interpretations. That’s something I want to discuss with more people and get some more opinions,” he said in response to questions by Demerara Waves Online News.\n\nThe CCJ had declined to issue conservatory orders such as a date by which general elections should be held, only saying that Guyana’s constitution lays down roles for the President, Opposition Leader, Parliament and GECOM in arriving at a date for polling.\n\nBoyer and GTUC General Secretary, Lincoln Lewis preferred to analyse the President’s address before giving a full reaction in writing. GTUC President, Coretta McDonald expressed disappointment that the President left immediately after addressing the attendees. McDonald said she went to the meeting with questions she had intended to ask the Guyanese leader but instead he left without an interactive session.\n\n“While clarification was brought to some of the issues, we were left halfway, we were like shocked because we came here with the expectation that we were going to be able to ask questions and to have some other issues being clarified but the intention of the President was not to answer questions,” she said. McDonald declined to divulge the questions she came ready to ask.\n\nWhile the President repeatedly stressed that the Elections Commission has “total control of the electoral process”, he contended that the credibility of the general elections partly depends on the integrity of the voters’ list because “a corrupted or contaminated list can undermine the electoral process, encourage mischief and malpractice and result in the elections being nullified.”\n\nHe said general elections would not be practicable unless GECOM is prepared and advises the President that is ready to conduct free, fair and credible elections. “It will be reckless and irresponsible on my part to name a date for the elections without the commission’s assurance and advice that it will be ready to conduct the elections on such a date,” he said.\n\n“The proclamation of an unrealistic date for elections or the adoption of an unacceptable official list of electors will impair the credibility of the elections,” he said. Then GECOM Chairman, James Patterson and the pro-government elections commissioners had agreed that house-to-house registration should be conducted before the next general elections."], "summary": "Algerian interim president Abdelkader Bensalah appoints a six-member panel to set a presidential election date. The previous date of July 4 was cancelled due to lack of candidates amid mass protests."}
{"document": ["Stevie Wilkerson made history for closing the Baltimore Orioles' 10-8 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday night, but you'll never guess how.\n\nAs a reserve outfielder, not only did the 27-year-old utility man become the first position player in MLB history to record a save, but he did so with pitches that never topped 56 mph in the 16th inning of a six-hour game.\n\nWilkerson, a Clemson product who debuted in the majors in 2018, pitched two other times in \"mop-up duty\" this month, but nothing will compare to the stunt he pulled off Thursday night.\n\nHe preserved a lead he helped blow earlier in the game when he misplayed fly ball a in center field that gave Los Angeles a seventh-inning edge. Wilkerson then came onto the mound and retired the side (including Albert Pujols) in order with \"a bunch of tepid lobs\" in the mid-50s, to seal the save.\n\nThe first position player to log a save since the stat became official in 1969, Wilkerson obviously capped the game in odd fashion, but it fit the evening, as Thursday's contest ended up as the second longest game in Orioles history.\n\n\"I don't think I've wrapped my head around it yet,\" Wilkerson said. \"What a wild game. That was just crazy.\"", "Major League Baseball history was made on Thursday as Baltimore Orioles center fielder Stevie Wilkerson of Roswell, GA became the first positional player ever to record a save. Wilkerson, who began Baltimore’s game against the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday in the outfield, came into pitch in the bottom of the 16th inning with the Orioles leading 10-8 and was able to close out the game without giving up any damage.\n\nWith the Orioles leading by two runs, Wilkerson faced the minimum number of batters in the inning as he retired Brian Goodwin, Kole Calhoun and Albert Pujols. Goodwin and Pujols flew out to center field and Calhoun grounded out to shortstop as the Orioles hung on to the two run victory.\n\nWilkerson came into throw 14 pitches and had 10 strikes. Interestingly, it was not the first time he has pitched this season. He also pitched one shutout inning in a 16-4 Orioles loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on July 12 and gave up one earned run in two innings in a 17-6 loss to the Boston Red Sox on July 20. However it should be noted that Thursday night Wilkerson was used in a meaningful situation for the first time and delivered an outstanding performance.\n\nOffensively, Wilkerson had one hit in seven at bats. His hit was a ground rule double with two out in the eighth inning which at the time tied the game at four runs apiece. Wilkerson’s double scored Jonathan Villar.\n\nWilkerson was the 10th Orioles pitcher used in the 16 inning marathon. The other nine Orioles pitchers used were Jimmy Yacabonis, Tom Eshelman, Shawn Armstrong, Paul Fry, Mychal Givens, Miguel Castro, Richard Bleier, Gabriel Ynoa and Tanner Scott. Despite giving up three runs in the 15th inning and blowing the save, Scott recorded his first win of the 2019 Major League Baseball regular season.", "That's understandable, as Stevie Wilkerson is a center fielder for the Baltimore Orioles. Still, he has pitched before at the major-league level -- albeit in mop-up duty situations.\n\nThis was not one of those times.\n\nIt was getting so late it was getting early -- as Thursday's marathon game against the Los Angeles Angels moved into the early hours of Friday -- and the Orioles were out of pitchers. It was the bottom of the 16th inning when Wilkerson took the mound with his team up 10-8.\n\nPitching a perfect inning, Wilkerson became the first position player ever in Major League Baseball to record a save, MLB says. He retired Albert Pujols on a fly ball, ending the game just before 1:30 a.m. local time (4:30 a.m. ET) after six hours, 19 minutes. \"I don't think I've wrapped my head around it yet,\" Wilkerson said, according to MLB.com Good morning to Stevie Wilkerson and Stevie Wilkerson only. pic.twitter.com/fRBttNhioD — Orioles on MASN (@masnOrioles) July 26, 2019 Earlier in the night, Wilkerson hit a game-tying double the top of the eighth inning, redeeming himself after misplaying a fly ball that had given the Angels the lead in the seventh. The score continued to climb, but neither team could seize control. Around the 13th inning in Anaheim, Wilkerson knew pitching may be a possibility, as he went to get his pitching glove. This was his third career pitching appearance, with his last coming on Saturday against the Boston Red Sox. \"I knew we were running thin on guys,\" the 27-year-old Wilkerson said. \"I knew it was a possibility when the game was getting late.\" In a game where both teams coughed up leads, the Angels had a chance to win in the bottom of the 15th, but David Fletcher was called out at home trying to score on a Mike Trout bases-loaded double. The call stood after review. The Orioles then took the lead in the top of the 16th with a two-run home run from Jonathan Villar, setting up the save opportunity -- which became an official stat in 1969 -- for Wilkerson. \"I was just hoping somehow they would hit three balls at somebody,\" Baltimore manager Brandon Hyde said. \"It's below hitting speed, so that's hard.\" Mission accomplished: Fly out, ground out, fly out. \"Just a great, great baseball game,\" Hyde said. \"A really gutty performance from our guys. It was a boxing match back and forth.\"", "July 26 (UPI) -- Baltimore Orioles outfielder Stevie Wilkerson became the first position player to record a save in Major League Baseball history during a 10-8 win against the Los Angeles Angels.\n\nWilkerson pitched a perfect 16th inning in the victory Thursday at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, Calif. Orioles infielder Jonathan Villar hit a two-run homer in the top of the inning for the go-ahead runs in the win.\n\nWilkerson entered the game as the Orioles' 10th pitcher. He forced the Angels' Brian Goodwin to fly out to center field in his first exchange. He followed by getting Kole Calhoun to ground out. He ended the game by getting Albert Pujols to fly out to center field. Wilkerson's fastest pitch was 56 mph.\n\nJustin Upton gave the Angels a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning, scoring Mike Trout on a sacrifice fly. Anthony Santander tied the score with an RBI single in the fourth frame. Renato Nunez gave the Orioles a 2-1 advantage with an RBI single in the fifth inning.\n\nCalhoun gave the Angels a 4-2 lead with a three-urn double in the bottom of the seventh inning. Baltimore responded with two runs in the eight inning, tying the score at 4-4.\n\nBaltimore's Trey Mancini hit his 23rd home run of the season in the ninth frame. Angels slugger Brian Goodwin sent the game to extra innings with a solo shot in the bottom of the ninth inning.\n\nEach team plated three runs in the 15th inning, before Villar headed to the plate as the fourth batter of the 16th inning. The Orioles infielder took two balls from Angels reliever Griffin Canning. He then smoked an 89.8 mph slider over the right center field fence for his 12th home run of the season. The two-run shot traveled 396 feet and had an exit velocity of 102 mph, according to Statcast.\n\nWilkerson then entered the game and put the Angels away on 14 pitches, picking up a historic save. Hanser Alberto and Pedro Severino each went 4-for-8 for Baltimore in the victory. Mike Trout went 3-for-7 with two RBIs, two runs scored, three strikeouts and a walk for the Angels.\n\nThe Angels host the Orioles at 10:07 p.m. EDT Friday in Anaheim.", "Baltimore Orioles outfielder Stevie Wilkerson throws to the plate as he pitches during the 16th inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels Friday, July 26, 2019, in Anaheim, Calif. He became the first position player to earn a save with the Orioles defeating the Angels 10-8 in 16 innings. Thursday's performance was the third of the season for Wilkerson. In his first appearance against the Tampa Bay Rays on July 12, Wilkerson pitched a perfect ninth inning. He needed just 10 pitches, seven of which were strikes.", "Baltimore Orioles outfielder Stevie Wilkerson gestures after the Orioles defeated the Los Angeles Angels 10-8 and pitching the 16th inning of a baseball game Friday, July 26, 2019, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)\n\nANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Even after a postgame beer shower from his ecstatic Baltimore Orioles teammates, Stevie Wilkerson was shocked to learn he had just become the first position player in major league history to earn a save.\n\nThe Orioles’ center fielder certainly couldn’t believe he did it by throwing a perfect 16th inning way past midnight with a bunch of tepid lobs that never topped 56 mph.\n\n“I don’t think I’ve wrapped my head around it yet,” Wilkerson said. “It was a wild game. It was crazy. I’m just glad I was a part of it.”\n\nWilkerson’s singular performance as the Orioles’ 10th pitcher was only the final flourish on a 6-hour, 19-minute epic that just might have been struggling Baltimore’s best win of the season.\n\nJonathan Villar threw out the Angels’ potential winning run at the plate in the 15th inning and then hit a two-run homer in the 16th as the Orioles persevered for a wild 10-8 victory over Los Angeles early Friday.\n\nWilkerson and Villar were the unlikely heroes of what turned into a thoroughly unique night at Angel Stadium. The Orioles have had little to celebrate during their woeful season, but they were proud of their grit and resilience while this game got weird.\n\n“Yeah, I think that was the best day of the year for all of us,” said Villar, who snapped a 1-for-22 slump with his homer.\n\nBoth teams blew multi-run leads, and the Angels came within a desperate tag of walking off on Mike Trout’s bases-loaded double against Tanner Scott (1-0) in the bottom of the 15th. David Fletcher tried to score from first, but was called out on a bang-bang play at the plate.\n\nWilkerson went to get his pitching glove around the 13th inning because he figured he might be needed for his third relief appearance of the year. He moved from center to the mound in the 16th and sparked a few chuckles from the hearty remaining crowd in Anaheim with his underwhelming pitches.\n\nBut he got three straight outs when sluggers Brian Goodwin, Kole Calhoun and Albert Pujols all made easy outs.\n\n“I was just hoping somehow they would hit three balls at somebody,” Baltimore manager Brandon Hyde said. “It’s below hitting speed, so that’s hard.”\n\nWilkerson also became the first player in major league history to start and earn a save in the same game.\n\nMoments before his homer, Villar also saved the game as the shortstop in the 15th when he cut down the potential winning run with a relay throw home on Trout’s two-run double that tied it at 8. The play was reviewed and the out call upheld just after 4 a.m. at the replay center in New York.\n\n“Quite frankly, in my mind, he was safe,” Angels manager Brad Ausmus said. “His hand was in there before the glove hit him in the chest. It’s a tough call for (plate umpire) Tony Randazzo, but I think New York missed it.”\n\nVillar then connected off Griffin Canning (3-6), the Angels’ 10th pitcher and their scheduled starter for Friday’s game before this series opener spiraled into a magnificent mess.\n\nThe last-place Orioles rallied from a late two-run deficit and eventually snapped the Angels’ four-game winning streak, with the final out recorded just before 1:30 a.m.\n\nBaltimore also improved to 1-62 when trailing after seven innings this season, while the Angels dropped to 46-1 when leading after seven.\n\nThe game seemed much simpler three hours earlier when the Angels were up 4-2 heading to the eighth inning after Calhoun’s three-run double. Trey Mancini put Baltimore up 5-4 with a homer in the ninth before Goodwin tied it in the bottom half with a one-out homer of his own.\n\nAnd after five scoreless extra innings, the teams scored three runs apiece and resolved nothing in the surreal 15th.\n\nBaltimore went up 8-5 in the top half with a rally highlighted by a two-run single from Jace Peterson, who was making his major league season debut.\n\nBut the Angels improbably answered — and came within a whisker of walking off. Pujols led off with a single before the Halos drew three walks from Scott to force in a run.\n\nAfter winning 12 of their previous 18 games, the Angels were hoping for a dominant week at home against cellar-dwelling Baltimore and Detroit to make a push for the AL wild-card race heading into August. But now they’ll have to try it with their pitching staff in disarray for the next two days.\n\nPujols beat out an infield single in the seventh for his 3,155th career hit, passing George Brett for sole possession of 16th place in baseball history.\n\nBaltimore rookie Tom Eshelman entered in the third and pitched 4 1/3 innings of four-hit ball in his fourth big league appearance. Eshelman is a native of Carlsbad, California, who played down the street from Angel Stadium at Cal State Fullerton.\n\nAngels: C Jonathan Lucroy will begin a rehab assignment Friday. He hasn’t played since Houston’s Jake Marisnick gave him a concussion and a broken nose in a collision at the plate right before the All-Star break.\n\nThe Angels will have some scrambling to do on the mound after Canning had to pitch in this game. They will face Baltimore’s Asher Wojciechowski (1-3, 3.91 ERA), who pitched 7 1/3 brilliant innings of scoreless 10-strikeout ball against Boston last week to get his first win of the season.", "If you’ve spent your whole career attempting to learn how to hit 90-something MPH baseballs with unreal movement, it turns out it’s super hard to hit a 54 MPH ball thrown by someone who does not make a living as a Major League relief pitcher.\n\nThat’s perhaps the lesson we learned when Stevie Wilkerson made history on Thursday night, becoming the first position player to earn a save (although let’s remember MLB started keeping saves as a stat in 1969).\n\nThe Baltimore Orioles outfielder was forced to come in during the 16th inning of a game against the Los Angeles Angels with his team up 10-8 … and he threw a 1-2-3 inning with pitches that averaged a paltry 54.3 MPH:\n\nStevie Wilkerson is the first position player to record a save (saves became an official stat in 1969). #SCFacts He threw 14 pitches and NONE of them were faster than 60 mph 😳 pic.twitter.com/rkSpGUbMew\n\nYou want to poke fun at the Angels hitters — including Albert Pujols — here, but it seems like these are so much harder to hit.", "If the MLB's Cut4 Twitter account had its way, position players would pitch every night . Fortunately for them, it's happened quite a bit in 2019, much to the chagrin of many managers. It's a situation no team wants to be in, because it almost always means you're getting blasted by the opponent, and rather than waste an actual bullpen arm with your team down by 10 runs, you might as well trot a position guy out there and hope he gets a few outs.\n\nRELATED: The Baltimore Orioles infield made one of the most embarrassing plays in baseball history\n\nOn very rare occasions, though, a team could be in the lead and a position player pitching is that team's only option. This was the case on Thursday night for Baltimore Orioles manager Brandon Hyde, who had no actual pitcher to turn to with his team up, 10-8, in the bottom of the 16th against the L.A. Angels. After using all eight bullpen arms and one of his starters, Hyde brought in utility man Stevie Wilkerson, who had made two appearances on the hill already this season. Wilkerson had previously pitched three innings in total, striking out a batter and giving up only one run on two hits. Pretty damn good for a position player.\n\nThose stats look even better when you see how Wilkerson actually pitches. The right-hander throws 54-mile-per-hour meatballs right over the center of the plate, and on Thursday night, it worked! Wilkerson got the Angels to go three up, three down, giving him the save. Oh, and by the way, one of the batters he faced was Albert Pujols, who is only one of the top-10 hitters in the history of the sport:\n\nIncredible. These guys can't touch Stevie! I'd imagine it's tough waiting on these slow-pitch softball-esque hangers after facing heaters and junk all night, but c'mon, you're still in the MLB. You should be able to tee off on one of these, no? Guess not. Wilkerson's save proved to be historic, as it was the first to be recorded by a position player since saves became a statistic in 1969. He's now made three appearances and has an ERA of 2.25, giving up two hits in four innings pitched. The Boston Red Sox would kill for that kind of production from somebody in their pen.\n\nRELATED: Future member of the Orioles gets Barry Bonds treatment in college game", "Baltimore’s Stevie Wilkerson became the first position player in Major League Baseball history to record a save (which has been an official stat since 1969) by blanking the Angels in the bottom of the 16th inning early this morning. Wilkerson retired all three batters he faced with truly nasty stuff you have to see to believe.\n\nLook at that filth. A mid-50s fastball that doesn’t do anything and … well, nothing else. Tough to step into the box and feel confidence against such an overpowering arsenal.\n\nWilkerson may have failed to top 56 mph on any delivery, but he did channel the Earth’s gravitational forces to make his ball drop into the strike zone and then harmlessly into a fielder’s glove.\n\nThe righthanded utility man has made three appearances this year. He’s allowed a single run in four innings of work and has a WHIP of .50. So, like, an actual asset.\n\nIt makes sense that Major League hitters have a tough time adjusting to what amounts to a slow-pitch softball lob. But that doesn’t make it any less fun.", "ARLINGTON, Texas — Tyler Skaggs had persevered through injuries to be a valuable pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels.\n\nThe left-hander had posted a photo of himself and teammates in cowboy hats for their weeklong trip to Texas where he was set to start on the Fourth of July holiday.\n\nThe 27-year-old pitcher died Monday, when he was found unresponsive in his hotel room in Texas, stunning Major League Baseball and leading to the postponement of Los Angeles’ series opener against the Rangers.\n\nSkaggs was “an important part of the Angels Family,” the team said in a statement. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Carli, and his entire family during this devastating time.”\n\nPolice said they were investigating but that no foul play was suspected. Skaggs was pronounced dead at the scene.\n\nSkaggs, who would have turned 28 on July 13 and was married just seven months ago, had been a regular in the Angels’ starting rotation since late 2016, when the left-hander returned from Tommy John surgery. He struggled with injuries repeatedly in that time but was 7-7 in 15 starts this season to help an injury-plagued rotation.\n\nIn his cowboy-themed Instagram post Sunday, Skaggs wrote “Howdy y’all” and made reference to the Texas trip for games against the Rangers and the Houston Astros this weekend.\n\nBaseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said he was “deeply saddened” by Skaggs’ death.\n\n“We will support the Angels’ organization through this most difficult period, and we will make a variety of resources available to Tyler’s teammates and other members of the baseball family,” Manfred said in a statement.\n\nAt the team’s hotel about 20 miles from the ballpark, All-Star center fielder Mike Trout was among players in the lobby and a nearby patio before they all left together to go to another part of the hotel. None of the players spoke to reporters, but Trout shared his thoughts on Twitter .\n\n“Words cannot express the deep sadness we feel right now. Our thoughts and prayers are with Carli and their families. Remembering him as a great teammate, friend, and person who will forever remain in our hearts… we love you, 45,” Trout said in the post.\n\nA fan with an Angels jersey sat on a rock wall near the hotel entrance with a bouquet of flowers attached to a balloon that read “thank you.”\n\nSkaggs is the first Angels player to die during a season since Nick Adenhart was killed by a drunken driver 10 years ago. The 22-year-old rookie right-hander was coming off his first start of the 2009 season, his fourth career game in the big leagues.\n\nJose Fernandez, a two-time All-Star pitcher for the Miami Marlins, was killed in a boating crash near Miami Beach, Florida, in September 2016. He was 24.\n\nPitcher Darryl Kile, who played in the majors for 12 seasons (1992-2002) was on the road with the St. Louis Cardinals when he died in June 2002 in his Chicago hotel room at age 33. Albert Pujols, now a member of the Angels, was Kile’s teammate then.\n\nThe Angels clubhouse was never opened to the media before players and coaches who had already arrived for Monday night’s game left together to return to the hotel.\n\nTexas general manager Jon Daniels and manager Chris Woodward told their players what had happened and dismissed them.\n\nWoodward described it as “one of those moments where you’re just kind of numb” and said the Rangers were thinking about Skaggs’ family and the Angels organization.\n\n“There were a lot of pretty emotional guys in there,” Woodward said. “Some guys that didn’t even know him were visibly shaken.”\n\nRangers officials said there had been no discussions on the status of Tuesday’s game or the rest of what was supposed to be a four-game series. They said only that Monday’s game would not be made up this week.\n\n“Real life takes precedence here,” Daniels said. “Some things are a lot bigger than baseball.”\n\nThe Angels’ Triple-A team, the Salt Lake Bees, also postponed their scheduled game at Tacoma on Monday night.\n\nSkaggs was born in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Woodland Hills, in the far western part of the sprawling San Fernando Valley. He graduated from Santa Monica High School in 2009, when the Angels drafted him in the first round.\n\nThe Angels traded Skaggs to Arizona in 2010, and he started his big league career with 13 appearances over two seasons for the Diamondbacks. The Angels reacquired him in December 2013, and he won 25 games over five seasons with the club.\n\nSkaggs started a career-high 24 games last season, going 8-10 with a 4.02 ERA. He missed playing time in April this season with a sprained ankle but came back strong.\n\nSkaggs was part of the same Angels’ draft class as Trout, and they were roommates in the low minor leagues before Skaggs was traded to Arizona. They played on the same team in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in 2010.\n\nCleveland Indians pitcher Trevor Bauer, who played with Skaggs in the Diamondbacks organization, tweeted: “We came up together. We won together. We laughed and celebrated together. Today, we all lose and mourn together.”\n\nSkaggs’ mother, Debbie, was the longtime softball coach at Santa Monica High School. She famously provided postgame tips on his pitching mechanics, even deep into his big-league career.\n\nSkaggs grew up in Santa Monica, on the west side of the sprawling Los Angeles metroplex, but rooted for the Angels instead of the closer Dodgers.\n\nAP Sports Writers Greg Beacham, Jay Cohen and Schuyler Dixon, and AP writer Terry Wallace in Dallas contributed to this report."], "summary": "Outfielder Stevie Wilkerson of the Baltimore Orioles becomes the first position player in Major League Baseball history to record a save, doing so in a 10–8 victory over the Los Angeles Angels."}
{"document": ["WASHINGTON (Reuters) - T-Mobile US Inc won U.S. antitrust approval for its $26 billion takeover of rival Sprint Corp, the Justice Department said Friday, clearing a major hurdle to a deal that merges the nation’s third and fourth largest wireless carriers.\n\nThe companies have agreed to divest Sprint’s prepaid businesses, including Boost Mobile, to satellite television firm Dish Network Corp to create a fourth U.S. wireless carrier.\n\nThe Justice Department indicated the deal would improve competition and the rollout of faster 5G networks by combining weaker players and creating a strong, new No. 4, in Dish, that has unused spectrum, which can be activated. Critics, including some state attorneys general, say competition won’t increase and prices for mobile phone plans will rise.\n\nThe deal is a clear success for T-Mobile Chief Executive Officer John Legere, who will be the CEO of the combined company and who pushed back at critics arguing a more concentrated market would lead to higher prices.\n\n“It’s a bit dumbfounding to think that we’ve decided to go and build this network and go through this merger so that we can become the basic, lazy, fat, dumb and arrogant players that we were born to teach how to behave,” he told analysts in a conference call.\n\nAssistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim, head of the Justice Department’s antitrust division, said the deal would hasten the development of 5G, the next generation of wireless.\n\nShares of T-Mobile, which is about 63 percent owned by Deutsche Telekom AG, were up 5.3% at $84.17. Shares of Sprint, which is about 84 percent owned by Softbank Group Corp, rose 7.1% to $7.97. Dish was up 0.7% at $39.44.\n\nBut the deal still faces a significant challenge: A group of U.S. state attorneys general, including from New York and California, have sued to block the merger on antitrust grounds, arguing the proposed deal would cost consumers more than $4.5 billion annually.\n\nNew York State Attorney General Letitia James indicated the lawsuit would continue, at least in part because of what critics see as Dish’s failure to live up to pledges it had made.\n\n“We have serious concerns that cobbling together this new fourth mobile player, with the government picking winners and losers, will not address the merger’s harm to consumers, workers, and innovation,” she said.\n\nThe Justice Department, backed by five state attorneys general, said the deal required the merging companies to sell Virgin Mobile and Sprint’s prepaid business and provide Dish with access to 20,000 cell sites and hundreds of retail locations.\n\nPrepaid wireless phones are generally sought by lower-income people who cannot pass a credit check.\n\nDish has agreed to acquire spectrum, or airwaves that carry data, in a deal valued at $3.6 billion from the merged firm and pay $1.4 billion for Sprint’s prepaid business that serves about 9.3 million customers. Dish will get access to the new T-Mobile’s network for seven years while it builds its own 5G network.\n\nT-Mobile and Dish are also required to work out a deal where T-Mobile can use Dish’s unused 600 MHz spectrum and the companies are required to use eSIM, which allows consumers to switch easily between carriers, a Justice Department official said.\n\nSKEPTICAL LAWMAKERS\n\nT-Mobile competes with Verizon Communications Inc and AT&T; Inc (T.N).\n\nU.S. consumers tend to stick with one mobile carrier for years, giving companies a steady stream of cash. As more people rely on cell phones for social media, banking or news and entertainment, the lines have blurred between telecom, content and cable companies, just as so-called 5G technology promises to make mobile phones even more powerful.\n\nFederal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai said in a statement on Friday he would soon circulate a formal order supporting the deal. The FCC could vote on final approval in August or September, officials said.\n\nThe FCC agreed to give Dish more time to use spectrum it previously acquired. The company could face up to $2.2 billion in penalties and lose its spectrum licenses if it fails to meet its commitments to build its network, according to a letter filed Friday with the FCC. Dish must have a 5G network covering at least 70% of the U.S. population no later than June 14, 2023.\n\nDish has spent years stockpiling wireless spectrum and faced a looming March 2020 deadline to build a product using the spectrum in order to fulfill its license requirements.\n\nA smartphones with Sprint logo are seen in front of a screen projection of T-mobile logo, in this picture illustration taken April 30, 2018. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration\n\nSome senior lawmakers remained skeptical about the merger, including Senators Mike Lee, a Republican, and Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat, the top lawmakers on the Senate Judiciary Committee’s antitrust subcommittee.\n\nLee said he was hopeful the divestiture would succeed but uneasy about Dish’s dual role as a critic of the transaction and a buyer of divested assets.\n\nKlobuchar, who is running for president, reiterated that she had wanted the deal stopped. “It looked like a bad deal then, and it looks like a bad deal today, despite the parties’ promises and this proposed consent decree,” she said.", "The Justice Department approved T-Mobile US Inc.’s merger with Sprint Corp. after the companies agreed to create a new wireless carrier by selling assets to satellite-TV provider Dish Network Corp. The landmark antitrust agreement seeks to address concerns that the combination of T-Mobile, the nation’s No. 3 carrier by subscribers, and No. 4 Sprint will drive up prices for consumers. It would leave more than 95% of American cellphone customers with the top three U.S. operators.\n\nA deal brokered by the Justice Department will require Dish, which has been sitting on valuable airwaves, to build a 5G network for cellphone customers. To help it get started, T-Mobile will sell Sprint’s prepaid brands to Dish and give access to the combined carrier’s network for seven years. “The remedies set up Dish as a disruptive force in wireless” with the pieces needed for the company to have a cellphone service that is ready to go, Makan Delrahim, the Justice Department’s antitrust chief, said in a news conference. Critics of the arrangement include a group of state attorneys general that broke with the Justice Department and have filed an antitrust lawsuit seeking to block the more than $26 billion merger. Five states that weren’t part of the lawsuit joined the federal government in the settlement announced Friday.\n\n“Why scramble so much to create a fourth competitor when you already have one?” said Samuel Weinstein, an assistant law professor at the Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University who worked previously in the Justice Department’s antitrust unit. The deal gives Dish, a satellite-TV provider, about 9 million Sprint prepaid cellphone customers and additional wireless spectrum. Those subscribers, which mostly come from its Boost Mobile business, represent about one-fifth of Sprint’s customer base. Dish’s service, which could keep the Boost brand or take on a new name, would also be able to move from pay-as-you-go plans to postpaid service, which tends to be more profitable. T-Mobile and Sprint must also give Dish access to at least 20,000 cell sites and hundreds of retail locations. The new T-Mobile must provide “robust access” to its network, the Justice Department said. The union of T-Mobile and Sprint, years in the making, would create a wireless company surpassing 90 million U.S. customers, closing the gap with Verizon Communications Inc. and AT&T Inc., which each have roughly 100 million wireless customers. It also would fulfill a long-held goal of Japan’s SoftBank Group Corp., which owns most of Sprint, and Deutsche Telekom AG, which controls T-Mobile. Shares of T-Mobile rose on the news and are trading near all-time highs. Sprint shares also were higher. Dish, whose stock price has slumped this week on news of the arrangement, were up Friday.\n\nFederal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai, who had previously backed the deal, said Friday the Justice Department settlement, coupled with T-Mobile and Sprint’s earlier commitments to deploy a nationwide 5G network, will preserve competition and advance U.S. leadership in rolling out next-generation networks. U.S. carriers have been battling for customers in the $180 billion voice-and-data market, where growth has slowed now that the companies have rolled out unlimited data plans and most Americans have upgraded to smartphones.\n\nThe federal approval for T-Mobile and Sprint caps a more than yearlong review of a combination that fell apart twice in the past five years over terms of the deal or fears that the Justice Department would object. The Justice Department, under the Obama administration, told the companies that shrinking from four to three national providers was anticompetitive. The companies tried again under Trump appointees to push the deal through, ultimately agreeing to divest assets to Dish to win approval. In its agreement with the government, T-Mobile promised not to raise prices for three years and cover 97% of the U.S. population with 5G service in three years. T-Mobile has been adding millions of customers at the expense of its rivals, pushing unlimited data plans and lower prices than the incumbents. Sprint, despite owning valuable airwaves, has been shedding millions of subscribers and has struggled to be profitable. T-Mobile surpassed Sprint to become the No. 3 player by subscribers and argued the acquisition of the smaller carrier’s airwaves would help speed its deployment of a 5G network so that it could better compete with Verizon and AT&T. Dish, which generated $13.6 billion in annual revenue last year, had about $13 billion of net debt before the deal. It will need to shell out billions of dollars in the coming years to absorb the wireless carriers’ castoff assets, build its own network and vie for customers. A group of states led by the attorneys general of New York and California are pressing ahead with an antitrust lawsuit seeking to block the combination, saying it would harm consumers. All the officials who joined the suit are Democrats; those who decided to support the Justice Department on Friday are Republicans. Letitia James, the New York attorney general, said the coalition of state officials seeking to block the deal oppose the Justice Department’s settlement. “We have serious concerns that cobbling together this new fourth mobile player, with the government picking winners and losers, will not address the merger’s harm to consumers, workers and innovation,” she said.\n\nMr. Delrahim said his office will share its settlement with the federal judge overseeing the states’ lawsuit. “Sometimes independent sovereigns do make independent determinations,” he said. The trial is scheduled to start in October. On Friday, T-Mobile and Sprint extended the deadline to close their deal, from July 29 to Nov. 1. T-Mobile said it expects to close its Sprint purchase in the second half of this year despite the states’ lawsuit. The Justice Department stopped sharing information with the Democratic attorneys general after they decided to file their lawsuit in June without notifying their federal counterparts, Mr. Delrahim said. “That was their choice, not ours,” he said. Under the deal, Dish will pay $1.4 billion for the Sprint customer accounts, most of which come from its Boost prepaid brand, and $3.6 billion three years later to buy Sprint spectrum licenses in the 800-megahertz range, which can travel long distances and cover rural areas. The new T-Mobile will have the option to lease back part of that spectrum for an additional two years after the airwaves sale closes. The companies have also agreed to negotiate for T-Mobile to lease Dish spectrum in the 600-megahertz range. Dish is set to start its wireless life with a base of Sprint’s pay-as-you-go customers, though carriers often struggle to keep those so-called prepaid subscribers. More than 4% of Sprint’s prepaid customers choose to drop their service or are disconnected for nonpayment each month, according to company filings. The deal creates a fake competitor, said Andrew Jay Schwartzman, a lecturer at Georgetown Law, adding that even if Dish builds out its own network it will take years. During that time, the three large carriers will be able to introduce 5G and lock in their subscriber bases, he said. “Rather than having Sprint as a weak fourth competitor, the combined companies will now face an extremely weak fourth competitor,” Mr. Schwartzman said. Sprint ended March with nearly $33 billion of net debt on its balance sheet. Even though it had more than 40 million customers, Sprint said during deal negotiations that it was in poor health and wouldn’t be able to launch nationwide 5G service without the merger. Dish has argued it can build a better network by starting from scratch. Even before he pursued a deal with the Justice Department, Dish Chairman Charlie Ergen said his business could invest capital more efficiently without the burden of old equipment and software holding back its ambitions. Dish hasn’t made public the prices or structure of the wireless plans it will sell. Senior FCC officials said on a call with reporters that they are confident the new carrier under Dish will be viable because the wholesale deal it has struck with the new T-Mobile is more aggressive than any other such arrangement the carrier and Sprint currently have. Its terms give Dish the financial ability to compete in the prepaid market against T-Mobile’s Metro brand, they said. The settlement also included provisions designed to make sure Dish actually builds the promised infrastructure. Among other penalties, the satellite company agreed to pay the government up to $2.2 billion if it fails to meet its network expansion requirements. Write to Drew FitzGerald at andrew.fitzgerald@wsj.com and Sarah Krouse at sarah.krouse@wsj.com", "The Justice Department has approved the merger of T-Mobile and Sprint under the condition that Sprint sells off several assets to Dish Network, so that Dish can become a viable fourth competitor in the US mobile carrier space.\n\nUnder the deal, Sprint must divest its prepaid business, Boost Mobile, and Virgin Mobile to Dish Network, a satellite TV provider. In addition, T-Mobile and Sprint will need to give Dish access to at least 20,000 cell sites and hundreds of retail locations.\n\n\"T-Mobile must also provide Dish with robust access to the T-Mobile network for a period of seven years while Dish builds out its own 5G network,\" the Justice Department said in Friday's announcement.\n\nAlthough T-Mobile and Sprint have cleared a major hurdle to the proposed merger, the two companies are still facing resistance from 14 state attorneys general, who filed a lawsuit last month to block the deal. They're concerned the merger would reduce competition in the wireless market and result in price increases and shoddier services for consumers.\n\n\"We have serious concerns that cobbling together this new fourth mobile player, with the government picking winners and losers, will not address the merger's harm to consumers, workers, and innovation,\" said New York state attorney general Letitia James in a statement.\n\nThe Justice Department attempted to address the antitrust concerns by forcing Sprint to divest its assets to Dish Network, which responded to today's settlement by declaring it's entering the wireless market. The company said it's committed to deploying its own 5G broadband network capable of serving 70 percent of the population by June 2023.\n\nIn total, Dish is buying about $10 billion worth in assets from Sprint to create the carrier business. Assuming the T-Mobile-Sprint merger gets full approval, Dish will immediately take over Sprint's prepaid business, which covers about 9.3 million customers across the US.\n\n\"Dish will activate all new wireless customers on the New T-Mobile network. Existing prepaid customers will be supported on the Sprint legacy network and will eventually transition to the New T-Mobile network,\" Dish said.\n\nDespite the plan, not everyone is convinced today's settlement will help turn Dish into a viable fourth competitor.\n\n\"Dish hasn't made any effort to provide real, consumer-facing wireless services that could offset the high prices of the major players,\" said S. Derek Turner, research director at consumer advocacy group Free Press. \"The company is years and billions of dollars of investment away from doing any such thing.\"\n\nToday's settlement has received the support of the FCC, which recommended the merger's approval earlier this year. With the Dish deal added by the DOJ, the FCC must now vote to formally approve the merger. Senior FCC officials say that will happen soon, but declined to give an exact time frame. It will likely be approved by the commission on party lines.\n\n\"The commitments made to the FCC by T-Mobile and Sprint to deploy a 5G network that would cover 99 percent of the American people, along with the measures outlined in the Department's consent decree, will advance US leadership in 5G and protect competition,\" FCC Chairman Ajit Pai said in a statement.\n\nFCC officials pushed back on the idea that Dish will not be able compete against huge rivals like AT&T and Verizon, pointing to commitments it's made to the FCC and DOJ regarding 5G service and nationwide buildouts. T-Mobile and Sprint have made similar commitments for their part of the deal; failing to hit those targets could result in hundreds of millions to billions in fines, according to FCC officials.\n\nEditor's Note: This story has been updated with comment from New York's attorney general.", "WASHINGTON, July 26 (Reuters) - The U.S. Justice Department said on Friday it is approving T-Mobile US Inc's$26 billion takeover of rival Sprint Corp , clearing a major hurdle to a deal that would merge the nation's third and fourth largest wireless carriers.\n\nThe companies have agreed to divest Sprint's prepaid businesses including Boost Mobile to Dish Network Corp in order to move ahead with the merger, which was announced in April 2018.\n\nT-Mobile Chief Executive Officer John Legere, who will be the CEO of the combined company, said it would deliver a 5G network with lower prices, better quality and thousands of jobs, while unlocking $43 billion in synergies.\n\n\"We are pleased that our previously announced target synergies, profitability and long-term cash generation have not changed,\" Legere said.\n\nOn Friday, the Justice Department and five state attorneys general said they were filing suit to enforce the settlement conditions that also include selling Virgin Mobile and Sprint prepaid and providing Dish with access to 20,000 cell sites and hundreds of retail locations.\n\nDish has agreed to acquire spectrum in a deal valued at $3.6 billion from the merged firm and pay $1.4 billion for Sprint's prepaid business that serves about 9.3 million customers. Dish will get access to the combined firm's network for seven years while it builds out its own 5G network.\n\nShares of T-Mobile, which is about 63 percent owned by Deutsche Telekom AG , were up 3.7% at $82.90. Shares of Sprint, which is about 84 percent owned by Softbank Group Corp , were up 6.5% at $7.92.\n\nPrepaid wireless phones are generally sought by lower-income people who cannot pass a credit check.\n\nT-Mobile, the third largest U.S. wireless carrier with about 80 million customers, pursued the deal in order to seek scale to compete with bigger rivals Verizon Communications Inc and AT&T Inc . Sprint has about 55 million customers.\n\nT-Mobile US on Thursday beat analysts' estimates for second-quarter net new phone subscribers who pay a monthly bill, boosted by the U.S. mobile carrier's wireless plans aimed at fending off its bigger rivals. The mobile carrier said it added a net 710,000 phone subscribers in the three months ended June 30.\n\nFederal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai has given his blessing to the merger in principle and said in a statement on Friday he would soon circulate a formal order.\n\nThe FCC is expected to give Dish more time to use spectrum it previously acquired but also impose strict penalties if it fails to create a consumer wireless network within a set timeframe.", "The Justice Department on Friday approved the merger of T-Mobile and Sprint, the third- and fourth-largest wireless companies in the United States, saying its antitrust concerns had been addressed and giving its blessing to a deal that would reshape the nation’s wireless industry.\n\nCritics of the merger have said it would reduce competition by lowering the number of wireless carriers from four to three, resulting in higher cellphone bills. On Friday, those critics, a group that includes attorneys general from several states and Democratic presidential candidates, continued to voice their objections to the deal, saying the combination would harm consumers.\n\nUntil recently, the Justice Department shared those concerns. In a news briefing on Friday, Makan Delrahim, the Trump administration’s top antitrust regulator, said the agency had only decided to approve the deal after T-Mobile and Sprint agreed last week to sell off significant portions of their businesses to the pay-television operator Dish Network as part of a plan to create a potential new major wireless company. Under the agreement’s terms, Delrahim said, “Dish is in a unique position to succeed.”\n\nThe merger deal’s terms call for T-Mobile, the larger of the two companies, to effectively buy Sprint in an all-stock transaction valued at $26.5 billion. The combined company, to be called T-Mobile and led by T-Mobile’s chief executive, John Legere, would be a formidable rival to AT&T, the largest wireless carrier in the country, and Verizon, the second-largest.\n\nBefore getting the Justice Department’s approval, T-Mobile and Sprint took steps to win over the Federal Communications Commission, which oversees the telecommunications industry. In May, Ajit Pai, the commission’s chairman, signaled his support after the companies committed to investing heavily in rural broadband service and the fifth-generation cellular networks known as 5G, which brings faster-than-broadband speeds through the air.\n\nIn addition to extending reliable internet access to rural areas, 5G is expected to fuel the development of autonomous cars and other so-called moonshot projects. President Donald Trump has argued that the technology is critical to national security, citing its importance in his administration’s crackdown on the Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei. T-Mobile and Sprint have said they would have a more difficult time making progress with 5G as separate businesses than they would as one entity.\n\nAlthough the Justice Department’s approval was a crucial step forward for the merger, it is not a done deal. In a rare move last month, the attorneys general of 13 states and the District of Columbia threw a significant obstacle in its path when they sued to block the transaction.\n\nOn a conference call Friday, Letitia James, the New York attorney general, said the plan to transform Dish into a fourth major wireless carrier was not realistic.\n\n“Dish has never owned any kind of mobile wireless business,” she said. “Dish has no experience building or operating a nationwide mobile wireless network.” James added that the agreement brokered by the Justice Department would hurt consumers and “violates antitrust laws.”\n\nT-Mobile and Sprint have reached a $5 billion agreement to give Dish Sprint’s prepaid wireless businesses, including Boost Mobile, which is popular with lower-income customers, and some of its airwaves, known as spectrum.\n\nCritics have contended that Dish would not be a legitimate competitor to the merged companies because it would only have about 9 million customers and its wireless service would have to operate on T-Mobile’s network, generating more revenue for T-Mobile.\n\nDish plans to create a fully owned network, but building the infrastructure for it would be expensive, and Dish has been losing subscribers steadily to cheaper streaming services.\n\nThe Justice Department’s approval of the merger relies on the future actions of Dish, a company with a history of violations that is controlled by billionaire Charles Ergen, an expert poker player and tough negotiator. Dish would face millions of dollars in fines if it failed to build out its cellular service, Delrahim said.\n\nIn a statement on Friday, Dish said it would voluntarily pay a fine of up to $2.2 billion if it failed to deploy a 5G network covering at least 70 percent of the country’s population in the next four years.", "The U.S. Department of Justice approved the $26 billion between Sprint Corp. and T-Mobile U.S., the department said Friday.\n\nThe approval clears a major hurdle for the proposed deal between the two telecom giants.\n\n“With this merger and accompanying divestiture, we are expanding output significantly by ensuring that large amounts of currently unused or underused spectrum are made available to American consumers in the form of high-quality 5G networks,” said Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division.\n\nAs part of its Justice Department agreement, both carriers will be required to sell assets including prepaid brand Boost Mobile to satellite TV provider Dish Network Corp.\n\nDish will also get the first crack to purchase telephone towers that T-Mobile declares redundant, the Justice Department said.\n\nThose conditions would make Dish a new, fourth wireless competitor taking Sprint’s place in the marketplace.\n\n“Today’s settlement will provide Dish with the assets and transitional services required to become a facilities-based mobile network operator that can provide a full range of mobile wireless services nationwide,” Mr. Delrahim said.\n\nThe Justice Department also announced that the attorneys general for five states opposing the deal reached a settlement. In June, the officials filed a lawsuit in a New York federal court to block the merger. They argued the deal will cost consumers more than $4.5 billion annually.", "More than a year after Sprint and T-Mobile announced plans to join forces, we could finally find out if this merger of wireless carriers is going to get the regulatory green light that both companies have been seeking.\n\nMultiple reports say that a decision on the merger is coming this week, and it's looking good for the combined company that plans to bill itself as New T-Mobile. Fox Business Network says that regulators are on the verge of OKing the merger while CNBC reports that an announcement could come as soon as Wednesday (July 24).\n\nShould T-Mobile and Sprint get the go-ahead from the U.S. Department of Justice, there will be a lot of questions the combined carrier will need to answer for current and potential customers. And while we expect a lot of those details to emerge fairly soon after the merger's approval, here are the things to keep an eye on should T-Mobile and Sprint form a combined company?\n\nWho's going to emerge as a new fourth nationwide carrier?\n\nThis has apparently been the sticking point in the Justice Department's regulatory review up until now. While T-Mobile and Sprint have argued that joining forces is the only way for them to compete with market leaders Verizon and AT&T, regulators have worried that removing one of the Big Four carriers will lead to less choice — and potentially higher prices — for consumers.\n\nThe apparent solution? Just add a new member to the Big Four.\n\nBased on reports, that new entry appears to be Dish, which would be in a position to snap up spectrum that a merger agreement forces T-Mobile and Sprint to divest. Dish would have access to the T-Mobile/Sprint network for a set period of time while it builds up its own nationwide network.\n\nDeutsche Telekom, which owns T-Mobile, had been worried about Dish using its newfound access to T-Mobile's spectrum to attract a more formidable buyer — Comcast, say, which operates a mobile network of its own in the form of Xfinity Mobile. But the most recent reports suggest those concerns have either been resolved or that Deutsche Telekom is willing to live with that possibility if it means that the merger goes through.\n\nShould the Justice Department give its blessing to the combination of Sprint and T-Mobile, we'd expect details on just how a Dish-operated mobile carrier would work and when it would launch right away.\n\nWhat happens to Boost?\n\nThe Justice Department isn't the only government entity that has to sign off on the Sprint/T-Mobile merger. The Federal Communications Commission has to OK the deal, too. But it gave the FCC gave tentative approval back in May, and the fate of prepaid carrier Boost Mobile is at the center of that thumbs up.\n\nBoost is currently owned by Sprint, using the wireless network of its parent company to provide prepaid wireless service to customers who either balk at paying the prices charged by Big Four carriers or who don't want to submit to the credit check required by postpaid wireless service. But Sprint also owns and operates Virgin Mobile US while T-Mobile controls Metro By T-Mobile (formerly known as MetroPCS). That's one prepaid brand too many as far as regulators are concerned, so New Mobile has promised to sell off Boost once the merger goes through.\n\nIt's unclear whether Boost will be swallowed up by Dish under this divesture plan or whether New T-Mobile would open the bidding to other would-be buyers. T-Mobile and Sprint have promised that it would submit a name of Boost's buyer within 120 days of the merger going through, and that Boost traffic wouldn't be slowed or de-prioritized once it has a new owner.\n\nWhat happens to existing T-Mobile and Sprint customers?\n\nWell, that's the $70-a-month or so question for current subscribers. And customers mulling a jump to New T-Mobile are going to be curious as to what rates the combined carrier will offer and what customer perks might be made available.\n\nBack in February, Sprint and T-Mobile executives promised that rates would remained unchanged, committing to offering \"the same or better rate plans\" for the next three years. The companies reaffirmed that commitment in May to win the FCC's favor.\n\nMORE: Best Cell Phone Plans: Where Sprint and T-Mobile Rank\n\nThe exact details on what that means — will you be locked in at your exact rate of service at the time of the merger for the next three years or some other approach? — are going to need to come out just as soon as the ink is dry on the merger's regulatory approval.\n\nWhat about carriers that use Sprint and T-Mobile's networks?\n\nSprint and T-Mobile subscribers aren't the only ones who benefit from the carriers' respective networks. Both Sprint and T-Mobile also rent out space on their networks to mobile virtual network operators (MVNO), who are able to offer low-cost nationwide coverage to their customers.\n\nIt will take some time after the merger goes through to see what a combined Sprint and T-Mobile will mean for MVNOs and the people who subscribe to those lower-cost services. But hopefully we'll start to see some clarity on what a merged company will mean for customers who get their wireless service from other providers.\n\nAlready the uncertainty surrounding the merger has affected one low-cost carrier — Ting said that it's ending its contract with T-Mobile at the end of the year. Ting will continue to use Sprint's network, re-upping its contract with that carrier through September 2020, and it's also going to add Verizon as a network partner later this year.\n\nBesides Ting, MVNOs that use the networks of either Sprint or T-Mobile include Mint, Republic Wireless, Simple Mobile, Tello and TextNow. Google's Project Fi uses both carriers' networks in addition to US Cellular. FreedomPop and Unreal Mobile both Sprint in addition to AT&T, while Consumer Cellular uses T-Mobile in addition to AT&T. US Mobile offers service through both T-Mobile and Verizon.\n\nHow will this affect T-Mobile's 5G plans?\n\nThe new 5G networking standard has been at the heart of the argument both T-Mobile and Sprint have made for joining forces — only a combined company will be able to build out a competitive 5G network fast enough, the carriers have argued. And based on media reports, that's been good enough for the Trump administration, which has indicated that it's eager for the merger to go through.\n\nBoth Sprint and T-Mobile have already rolled out 5G networks in some markets. Sprint's 5G service is now available in Atlanta, Dallas, Kansas City, Houston and Chicago, while T-Mobile's 5G service launched in six cities at the end of June. The two carriers are taken different approaches to get their 5G networks live — Sprint is relying on 2.5-GHz technology while T-Mobile is going with millimeter-wave initially before incorporating more low-band spectrum to build out coverage.", "T-Mobile’s mega-merger with Sprint can move forward, the Justice Department said Friday, paving the way for an unprecedented combination of America’s third- and fourth-largest wireless providers.\n\nThe DOJ’s blessing marks a critical breakthrough for T-Mobile and Sprint as they seek to join forces against Verizon and AT&T, which owns CNN. The smaller carriers argue they must merge in order to compete more effectively, especially as the industry moves toward next-generation 5G technology. But critics argue the tie-up will lead to higher prices and less innovation, and the merger may not close until a multi-state lawsuit to block the deal is resolved.\n\nThe DOJ’s settlement was joined by five states that are not part of the lawsuit.\n\nFor weeks, Sprint and T-Mobile have been negotiating an agreement with the DOJ to address concerns that the merger may harm competition. The resulting settlement Friday requires the combined company to spin off customers and assets to create a fresh replacement for Sprint in the cutthroat wireless business.\n\nPicking up the pieces will be satellite provider Dish Network. Under the deal with DOJ, Dish will take over Boost Mobile, Virgin Mobile and Sprint’s prepaid wireless business, totaling about 9 million subscribers. Dish will also purchase a chunk of valuable wireless airwaves from Sprint. Those airwaves could help rural Americans gain access to mobile Internet, according to the Justice Department.\n\nThe settlement also gives the new Dish-owned carrier the right to use T-Mobile’s network for seven years, a condition meant to create breathing room for the new provider.\n\nThe new carrier will likely be tiny compared to its prospective rivals. Verizon currently leads with 118 million prepaid and postpaid customers, according to financial filings, followed by AT&T with 94 million. Following the sale of Boost, the new T-Mobile will have about 92 million phone subscribers. (By comparison, Sprint had about 42 million prepaid and postpaid users at the end of March.)\n\nThe merger is not yet final. It must still be cleared by the Federal Communications Commission. And while a majority of that commission has signaled support for the deal, 13 states and the District of Columbia have also sued to block it from taking effect within their respective borders.\n\nThe fate of the transaction had hung in the balance for months as Justice Department antitrust chief Makan Delrahim deliberated on whether to block it. Briefing reporters on Friday, a Justice Department official said the proposed merger could have been anti-competitive but that the concessions by T-Mobile and Sprint had lessened the risks.\n\n“Without the remedies, combined T-Mobile and Sprint would have reduced competition for wireless services,” the official said. The Justice official said the department had been prepared to sue to block the deal had the companies failed to reach an agreement on the conditions.\n\nIn a Justice Department release, Delrahim said, “With this merger and accompanying divestiture, we are expanding output significantly by ensuring that large amounts of currently unused or underused spectrum are made available to American consumers in the form of high quality 5G networks.”\n\nT-Mobile has proven to be an aggressive competitor in the wireless industry — slashing rates, ending consumer annoyances such as long-term contracts and early termination fees, and reintroducing unlimited data plans. In many cases, those initiatives attracted customers and forced the larger providers to respond in kind.\n\nSprint had a role to play in reshaping the industry, too — deeply undercutting rivals on price and using big promotions to lure subscribers.\n\nOpponents of the merger say some of that vibrancy could soon be lost from the wireless sector, and that Dish’s fourth competitor will hardly compare.\n\n“A new mobile wireless entrant that starts with zero postpaid subscribers and that must rely on its much bigger rival, the new T-Mobile, just to operate is not a competitor. It’s a mobile Frankenstein,” said Gigi Sohn, a distinguished fellow at Georgetown University’s Institute for Technology Law and Policy.\n\nSohn served as an FCC adviser during the Obama administration, when the US government repeatedly indicated that the country is better off with at least four competing national wireless carriers. That unofficial policy drove the FCC and DOJ to oppose AT&T’s attempted purchase of T-Mobile in 2011. The agencies were similarly critical when Sprint unsuccessfully sought to acquire T-Mobile in 2015.\n\nWhile Friday’s settlement preserves the existence of a four-carrier industry, today’s regulators have expressed openness to alternatives. For example, at DOJ, Delrahim has argued there is no “magical number” of competitors that guarantees a healthy wireless sector.\n\nMeanwhile, a majority of the FCC, led by Chairman Ajit Pai, came out publicly in May to voice support for the T-Mobile and Sprint deal even before an agreement involving Dish had been reached.\n\nIn a statement at the time, Pai said his support for the merger rested on two key principles: The US taking leadership in 5G technology and improving internet access in rural and underserved areas. The Sprint and T-Mobile merger would help fulfill those goals, he said.\n\n“I believe that this transaction is in the public interest and intend to recommend to my colleagues that the FCC approve it,” Pai said in the statement, indicating he would soon move for the FCC to complete the merger review. (He has not yet done so, but with DOJ’s announcement on Friday, Pai is now likely to move forward swiftly.)\n\nPai’s remarks in May took industry analysts by surprise. Normally DOJ and the FCC coordinate their merger announcements, market research firm New Street Research noted in an investor memo at the time. But in this case, it said, the FCC appeared to show its hand well before DOJ was ready. It is not clear why the FCC did so, but it could have been calculated to pressure Delrahim into approving the deal, New Street added.\n\nEven if the FCC blesses the merger, the ongoing state lawsuit could still complicate matters.\n\nCalifornia, New York, Wisconsin and a handful of other states have alleged that the merger is anti-competitive because it could eventually allow T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T to raise prices in lockstep. T-Mobile has promised not to raise prices for at least three years after the close of the deal, but the states have said those and other pledges are not enough to limit the potential harm to competition. The states, Sprint and T-Mobile have agreed to a trial date of Oct. 7 in federal court in New York.\n\nThe states involved in the case are home to so many of T-Mobile and Sprint’s customers that the lawsuit poses a significant challenge to the carriers’ plans, said Gene Kimmelman, a former Justice Department antitrust official who led the advocacy group Public Knowledge, which opposes the deal, until earlier this month.\n\n“If the states win the suit, I have to believe the deal falls apart,” he said. “The deal would be effectively dead.”", "NEW YORK, July 26 (Reuters) - T-Mobile US said on Friday that the cost required to acquire smaller rival Sprint will come down by 10 percent from the initial $26.5 billion following the divesture of assets to Dish Network .\n\nT-Mobile said in a call with analysts that it is likely to raise about 10 percent less, or about $3 billion less, to acquire Sprint after agreeing to sell Sprint’s prepaid businesses including Boost Mobile. Dish will be the fourth largest U.S. wireless carrier if the deal goes through.", "T-Mobile’s planned takeover of Sprint took a sizable step forward on Friday after a deal negotiated with the U.S. Justice Department behind closed doors was announced.\n\n\n\nUnder the proposed scheme, the nation’s third and fourth-largest wireless carriers would be forced to sell off wireless spectrum and prepaid businesses (such as Boost Mobile) to Dish Network, the Colorado-based satellite TV provider, effectively making it the country’s fourth-largest wireless carrier, even though it would rely entirely on T-Mobile’s own network.\n\nT-Mobile and Sprint “must make available to Dish at least 20,000 cell sites and hundreds of retail locations,” the Justice Department said in a statement. The company that results from the deal, which would be known as T-Mobile, must also provide Dish with “robust access” to its network for a period of seven years, as Dish attempts to build out its own 5G network.\n\nThe $26 billion deal, which enjoys vocal support from the White House, still faces one significant hurdle: a lawsuit brought by 14 state attorneys general, all of whom are Democrats.\n\nWhile T-Mobile applauded the settlement, promising it would create new jobs, lower prices, and better quality internet, consumer advocates long critical of the deal said it would accomplish precisely the opposite. Many characterized the deal as impossible to carry out given the government’s own history of lax enforcement around megamergers.\n\n“No one who has followed merger enforcement over the past decade can seriously believe this will work,” Joshua Stager, senior counsel at New America’s Open Technology Institute said in a statement sent to Gizmodo. “The government’s track record of enforcing merger conditions is exceptionally poor.”\n\n“The FCC, in particular, lacks credibility given that it has already announced a decision to rubber-stamp the merger without such a remedy,” he added.\n\nGigi Sohn, a fellow at the Georgetown Law Institute for Technology Law & Policy, accused Justice Department officials of bowing to political pressure from the White House. “The state AGs who sued to block the merger shouldn’t be fooled by this weak attempt to maintain competition in the mobile wireless market,” she said in her statement.\n\n“A new mobile wireless entrant that starts with zero postpaid subscribers and that must rely on its much bigger rival, the new T-Mobile, just to operate is not a competitor. It’s a mobile Frankenstein,” added Sohn.\n\nJessica Rosenworcel, an FCC commissioner, tweeted that she remains skeptical that settlement will be good for consumers and the economy. She urged the Federal Communications Commission, which previously rubberstamped the merger without the Justice Department’s new conditions in place, to allow the public the opportunity to weigh in and comment.\n\n“Too much here has been done behind closed doors,” she said."], "summary": "The U.S. Department of Justice approves a $26 billion merger between T-Mobile and Sprint. If finalized, they will become the third-largest mobile network operator in the nation."}
{"document": ["Authorities have so far recovered the bodies of 18 of the victims, including women and children.\n\nRabat – On the night of Wednesday July 24, in the region of El Haouz (a province in the region of Marrakesh-Safi), a vehicle transporting several people flipped on national road n° 7.\n\nA section of a mountain located between the municipalities of Ijoukak and Asni collapsed on top of the vehicle which was traveling to Taliouine (212 kilometers south of Marrakech).\n\nAccording to local sources, the passengers were from Casablanca and were heading to Taliouine to celebrate Eid El Adha with their families.\n\nIn a press release, the Ministry of the Interior reported that the landslide was due to heavy rainfall in the area a few days before the accident.\n\nMore than 6 hours after the accident, the emergency services are still active. Rescue teams are still on-site trying to extract victims’ bodies and find possible survivors.\n\nAli Tani, a councilor in the rural commune of Tizi N’Test (135 kilometers south-west of Marrakech), explains that Civil Protection officers have so far uncovered 18 bodies.\n\nThe authorities have opened an investigation into the incident under the supervision of the Prosecutor’s Office. The 18 bodies were taken to the morgue of Marrakech hospital.", "A landslide killed 15 people riding in a van in the Atlas Mountains south of Marrakech, Morocco local authorities said on Friday.\n\nThe landslide, caused by heavy rain, buried the van on Wednesday evening in the area of Asni.\n\nXenophobia: Protesting students shut MTN, DSTV offices in Kaduna, Benue(Opens in a new browser tab)\n\nThe bodies of 11 women, three men and a child were extracted overnight from the van, authorities said in a statement.\n\nThe van was carrying passengers from Casablanca to the village of Taliouine, 670 kilometres south of Rabat, witnesses said.\n\nThe landslide created a pile of earth and mud 20 meters high that blocked the mountainous road.", "Moroccan authorities say 15 people have been killed in a landslide that buried their van under 20 metres of earth, leaving no survivors.\n\nThe dead include a six-year-old, according to a local official at the scene of Thursday's tragedy.\n\nHeavy rainfall triggered multiple landslides in the area, blocking a road connecting Casablanca to southern Morocco and hindering rescue efforts.\n\nIt took nearly 24 hours for emergency workers to dig out the van. The bodies were dug out overnight and transported to the Marrakech morgue, where the victims' families are now waiting, said the official, who wasn't authorized to be publicly named.\n\nThe Interior Ministry announced the deaths Friday, without providing further details.", "RABAT (AFP) - Moroccan emergency crews pulled 15 bodies from the mud after a rare summer downpour triggered a landslide that buried a minibus, the authorities said on Friday (July 26).\n\nThe victims - eleven women, three men and one child - were found in the bus buried about 20m under the masses of earth and rock dislodged by the rain, local authorities said.\n\n\"There are no survivors,\" they said in a statement.\n\nThe official toll comes after public broadcaster 2M reported on Friday morning that 16 bodies had been recovered.\n\nThe bus was buried on Wednesday evening when a deluge in the Atlas mountains south of Marrakesh triggered flash flooding.\n\nImages released by the authorities show excavators working to dig a path to the bus, more than 24 hours after it was engulfed by the debris.\n\nA weather alert on Tuesday warned of storms in several provinces in the North African country, which rarely receives summer rains.\n\nInvestment in Morocco's road network has largely focused on the main transport arteries and many rural areas can be reached only by dirt tracks that are vulnerable to extreme weather.\n\nEvery year, nearly 3,500 people are killed on the North African country's roads."], "summary": "Heavy rains in Al Haouz Province, Morocco, trigger a landslide, resulting in the deaths of 15 people."}
{"document": ["Image copyright AFP Image caption Several hundred people were in the Coyote Ugly club when the balcony collapsed\n\nTwo people have died and more than 17 were injured, after an internal balcony collapsed at a nightclub in the South Korean city of Gwangju early on Saturday, the local fire service says.\n\nSeveral athletes at the World Swimming Championships were slightly injured, Yonhap news agency reported.\n\nThey are from the US, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Italy and Brazil.\n\nTwo South Koreans were taken to hospital in a serious condition and later died, Yonhap reports.\n\nThe deceased were 38 and 27, and were not competitors at the championships.\n\nA balcony and staircase inside the Coyote Ugly nightclub collapsed at 02:29 on Saturday (17:29 GMT Friday), while about 370 people were inside.\n\nAt the time, several water polo teams were at the club, which is near the athletes' village.\n\nA male diver and a female water polo player from the United States team were slightly hurt.\n\n\"This is an awful tragedy,\" said Christopher Ramsey, head of USA Water Polo.\n\n\"Players from our men's and women's teams were celebrating the women's world championship victory when the collapse occurred at a public club.\n\n\"Our hearts go out to the victims of the crash and their families.\"\n\nImage copyright AFP Image caption Rescuers were soon on the scene at the club\n\n\"We were just dancing and then the next minute we dropped five or six metres and everyone started rushing out of the club after that,\" New Zealand's men's water polo captain Matt Small told Radio Sport.\n\nIt was \"business as usual and then it literally collapsed beneath our feet,\" he added.\n\nMembers of the Australian water polo team were also in the club.\n\n\"All Australian players are safe and escaped without injury,\" a statement from Water Polo Australia said.\n\nThe 2019 Fina World Swimming Championships end on Sunday.\n\n\"Fina deeply regrets the situation and sends its best wishes to any victims of this accident.\" said a statement from the world swimming body.", "Two people have died and 10 others were injured after an internal balcony collapsed at a South Korean nightclub.\n\nTwo people have died and 10 others were injured after an internal balcony collapsed at a South Korean nightclub.\n\nHundreds were at the nightclub in the southern South Korean city of Gwangju when the incident occurred near the athletes’ village of the World Aquatics Championships, according to a local anti-disaster agency.\n\nThe dead are South Korean men, while the 10 injured include four foreigners — two Americans who were in Gwangju for the world swimming championships and two Uzbekistan exchange students, an agency official said.\n\nThe status of the injured was not immediately known. But South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reported none of the injured are in critical condition.\n\nMembers of the US national water polo team were in the nightclub on Saturday. All are safe and accounted for, Christopher Ramsey, of USA Water Polo, said.\n\n“This is an awful tragedy,” said he added.\n\n“Players from our men’s and women’s teams were celebrating the women’s world championship victory when the collapse occurred at a public club. Our hearts go out to the victims of the crash and their families.”", "Two people died and many more were injured, including two American athletes at the world swim championships, after a balcony collapsed in a South Korean nightclub, local police said Saturday.\n\n\"An internal balcony collapsed at a club in Gwangju, killing two and injuring many, though the number of those injured could increase,\" said Song Gi-ju, a detective with the Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency.\n\n\"An autopsy is planned for the two tomorrow. The two, who are locals, are not related to the swimming competition. Among the injured, two are athletes -- one an American diver, male -- and the other an American polo player, female.\"\n\nA 38-year-old and a 27-year-old were rushed to hospital in grave condition after the inside balcony gave away at around 2:30am Saturday, but both died from their injuries, according to local media, reporting that at least 10 people sustained injuries in the accident.", "A collapsed internal balcony is seen at a nightclub in Gwangju, South Korea, Saturday, July 27, 2019. Members of the U.S. national water polo team were in a South Korean nightclub on Saturday when an internal balcony collapsed, killing at least one person. (Chun Jung-in/Yonhap via AP)\n\nSEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A balcony inside a nightclub in South Korea collapsed on Saturday, killing two people and injuring 16, including American and other athletes at the world swimming championships, officials said.\n\nHundreds were at the nightclub in the southern city of Gwangju when the collapse occurred next to the athletes’ village.\n\nTwo South Korean men died while 16 others were injured, police said. According to a police account, the injured include 10 foreigners, eight of them athletes who were in Gwangju to participate in the swimming championships.\n\nAmong the athletes were three Americans, two New Zealanders, one Dutch, one Italian and one Brazilian, a police officer said, requesting anonymity ahead of an official announcement. He said most had minor injuries but an American female water polo player required surgery. The other two Americans — a man and a woman — are also water polo players, the police officer said.\n\nPolice said they detained one of the nightclub’s co-owners and summoned three other club officials to investigate whether the collapsed balcony was an unauthorized structure.\n\n“This is an awful tragedy,” said Christopher Ramsey, CEO of USA Water Polo. “Players from our men’s and women’s teams were celebrating the women’s world championship victory when the collapse occurred at a public club. Our hearts go out to the victims of the crash and their families.”\n\nAmong the Americans, Kaleigh Gilchrist of Newport Beach, California, suffered a deep left leg laceration and underwent surgery at a hospital in Gwangju, said Greg Mescall, director of communications for USA Water Polo. He said Paige Hauschild of Santa Barbara, California, suffered lacerations on the right arm and Johnny Hooper of Los Angeles on the left hand that required stitches.\n\nBen Hallock of Westlake Village, California, suffered minor scrapes on the legs, he said.\n\nThe anti-disaster agency said the injured also included two Uzbekistan exchange students. None of the injured was in life-threatening condition.\n\nMembers of the New Zealand men’s and women’s water polo teams were also at the nightclub. The men’s captain, Matt Small, described a chaotic scene and said that his team tried to help the injured.\n\n“(It was) business as usual and then it literally collapsed beneath our feet,” Small said, speaking to New Zealand Radio Sport by phone. “None of the boys are hurt or injured though — so that’s good. But everyone’s a bit shaken up at the moment.”\n\n“We did what we could but we couldn’t really do too much. Some of them were pretty dire cases,” he said. “We were more so just concerned about everyone else, we were trying to do a number count and make sure all the boys were there.”\n\nThe local organizing committee for the world swimming championships said that eight of the athletes attending the event were injured, most slightly.\n\nA committee statement said seven of them had already returned to the athletes’ village after minor treatments at hospitals. It said one player had a leg lacerated and was to receive stitches at a hospital.\n\nThe organizing committee said it won’t disclose other personal information about the athletes at the request of their national teams.\n\nFINA, international swimming’s governing body, said in a statement that it was “carefully monitoring the situation and will activate all measures to ensure health care and assistance is provided whenever necessary.”\n\nWhat others are clicking on:\n• Couple arrested in Carbon County after traffic stop yields large amounts of drugs\n• 2 dead, 8 athletes injured, including 3 from the U.S., after balcony collapses in South Korea\n• Troopers issue warning after 6 accidents in Richfield in 2 days", "A collapsed internal balcony is seen at a nightclub in Gwangju, South Korea, Saturday, July 27, 2019. Members of the U.S. national water polo team were in a South Korean nightclub on Saturday when an internal balcony collapsed, killing at least one person. (Chun Jung-in/Yonhap via AP)\n\nGWANGJU, South Korea (AP) — Members of the U.S. national water polo team were in a South Korean nightclub on Saturday when an internal balcony collapsed, killing at least one person.\n\nA local news agency has reported that one person has died, with 13 injured. No U.S. swimmers were at the club at the time.\n\n“This is an awful tragedy,” said Christopher Ramsey, CEO of USA Water Polo. “Players from our men’s and women’s teams were celebrating the women’s world championship victory when the collapse occurred at a public club. Our hearts go out to the victims of the crash and their families.”\n\nRamsay said all U.S. water polo athletes were safe and accounted for.\n\nThe American athletes are in Gwangju, South Korea, for the world swimming championships.\n\nThe incident occurred early Saturday in a nightclub next to the athletes’ village.", "Gwangju, South Korea, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 27th Jul, 2019 ) :Two people died and 16 were injured, including eight athletes taking part in swimming's world championship, after a balcony collapsed under the weight of party-goers at a South Korean nightclub, local police said Saturday.\n\nThe balcony at the Coyote Ugly club close to the athletes' village was a mangled wreck after it gave way and plummeted around five metres (16 feet) onto people below, sending terrified clubbers running to the exit screaming.\n\n\"An internal balcony collapsed at a club in Gwangju, killing two,\" said Song Gi-ju, a detective with the Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency.\n\n\"We have a total of 16 injured and among them 10 are foreigners. Of the 10, eight are athletes participating in the championships.\n\n\" Song said the two dead were locals and not involved in the swimming championships, adding that police were investigating the possibility the balcony may have been illegally constructed.\n\nThe eight injured athletes include three Americans, two New Zealanders, one Dutch, one Brazilian and one Italian. Police said earlier that among the Americans was a male diver and a female polo player.\n\n\"A structure collapsed all of a sudden with people standing on it. Screams filled the area with broken parts flying all over, said a 32-year-old who was injured in the collapse, according to South Korea's Kukmin Ilbo.\n\n\"The site of the collapse was at the centre of the club where customers were most heavily located,\" said the party-goer, surnamed Kim.", "Two people died and many more were injured, including two American athletes at the world swim championships, after a balcony collapsed in a South Korean nightclub, local police said Saturday.\n\n\"An internal balcony collapsed at a club in Gwangju, killing two and injuring many, though the number of those injured could increase,\" said Song Gi-ju, a detective with the Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency.\n\n\"An autopsy is planned for the two tomorrow. The two, who are locals, are not related to the swimming competition. Among the injured, two are athletes -- one an American diver, male -- and the other an American polo player, female.\"\n\nA 38-year-old and a 27-year-old were rushed to hospital in grave condition after the inside balcony gave away at around 2:30am Saturday, but both died from their injuries, according to local media, reporting that at least 10 people sustained injuries in the accident.\n\n\"This is an awful tragedy,\" said Christopher Ramsey, CEO of USA Water Polo.\n\n\"Players from our men's and women's teams were celebrating the women's world championship victory when the collapse occurred at a public club.\n\n\"Our hearts go out to the victims of the crash and their families.\"\n\nRamsey added that all the American water polo players were \"safe\".\n\nPictures showed the mangled wreckage of the balcony that collapsed under the weight of party-goers and dropped around five metres (16 feet).\n\nThe New Zealand water polo teams were also present, according to the New Zealand Herald.\n\nTheir men's captain told Radio Sport: \"We were just dancing and then the next minute we dropped five or six metres and everyone started rushing out of the club after that.\n\n\"We, I guess, fell on top of the heads of other people that were beneath us.\"", "Gwangju, South Korea, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 27th Jul, 2019 ) :Two people died and 10 were injured, including two American athletes at the world swimming championships, after a nightclub balcony collapsed in Gwangju, South Korea, early on Saturday morning, local media reported.\n\nA 38-year-old and a 27-year-old were rushed to hospital in grave condition after an internal balcony gave away at 2:29am Saturday, but both died from their injuries, according to Yonhap news agency.\n\nAmong the injured were four foreigners, including an American diver and an American water polo player, reports added.\n\nPictures showed the mangled wreckage of the balcony which collapsed under the weight of party-goers and dropped around five metres (16 feet).\n\nThe New Zealand water polo teams were also present, according to the New Zealand Herald.\n\nMen's captain told Radio Sport: \"We were just dancing and then the next minute we dropped five or six metres and everyone started rushing out of the club after that. We, I guess, fell on top of the heads of other people that were beneath us.\"The world championships end on Sunday.", "Athletes taking part in swimming's World Aquatics Championships were injured in an accident in South Korea, where a balcony collapsed. There were eight athletes present.\n\nThe balcony at the Coyote Ugly club close to the athletes' village was a mangled wreck after it gave way and plummeted around five metres (16 feet) onto people below, sending terrified clubbers running to the exit screaming.\n\n\"An internal balcony collapsed at a club in Gwangju, killing two,\" said Song Gi-ju, a detective with the Gwangju Metropolitan Police Agency.\n\n\"We have a total of 16 injured and among them 10 are foreigners. Of the 10, eight are athletes participating in the championships.\" Song said the two dead were locals and not involved in the swimming championships, adding that police were investigating the possibility the balcony may have been illegally constructed.\n\nThe eight injured athletes include three Americans, two New Zealanders, one Dutch, one Brazilian and one Italian. Police said earlier that among the Americans was a male diver and a female polo player.\n\n\"A structure collapsed all of a sudden with people standing on it. Screams filled the area with broken parts flying all over, said a 32-year-old who was injured in the collapse, according to South Korea's Kukmin Ilbo.\n\n\"The site of the collapse was at the centre of the club where customers were most heavily located,\" said the party-goer, surnamed Kim.\n\nA 38-year-old and a 27-year-old were rushed to hospital in grave condition but both died from their injuries, according to local media.\n\nALSO READ: Japan Open Badminton: Sai Praneeth Crashes Out Of Semifinals, Loses To Kento Momota\n\nThe world championships organising committee said the eight athletes were treated for minor injuries and have returned to their accommodation. Another will have stitches on a leg wound Saturday.\n\n\"This is an awful tragedy,\" said Christopher Ramsey, CEO of USA Water Polo.\n\n\"Players from our men's and women's teams were celebrating the women's world championship victory when the collapse. Our hearts go out to the victims of the crash and their families.\" Ramsey added that all the American water polo players were \"safe\".\n\nThe Australian water polo team were also present but escaped without injury.\n\nThe New Zealand men's captain told Radio Sport: \"We were just dancing and then the next minute we dropped five or six metres and everyone started rushing out of the club after that.\n\n\"We, I guess, fell on top of the heads of other people that were beneath us.\" Swimming's world body FINA said it would \"activate all measures to ensure health care and assistance is provided whenever necessary\".\n\n\"FINA deeply regrets the situation and sends its best wishes to any victims of this accident,\" it added.", "GWANGJU, South Korea — Athletes competing in the FINA aquatic world championships were dancing at a nightclub early Saturday morning when an interior structure collapsed, reportedly killing two people and injuring more than a dozen others.\n\nTwo South Koreans reportedly died when an interior balcony collapsed inside the club around 2 a.m., according to Reuters. Media reports have confirmed that water polo athletes from the United States, Australia and New Zealand were among those at the nightclub. It wasn’t clear how many athletes suffered injuries in the accident; South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency reported at least nine athletes, including four Americans, were injured, but none seriously.\n\nA spokesman for USA Water Polo declined to comment on any injuries out of “respect to athlete privacy” but said Saturday morning that all American water polo athletes “are safe and accounted for.” The U.S. women’s team concluded its tournament Friday, winning the world title over Spain.\n\n“This is an awful tragedy,” Christopher Ramsey, CEO of USA Water Polo, said in a statement. “Players from our men’s and women’s teams were celebrating the women’s world championship victory when the collapse occurred at a public club. Our hearts go out to the victims of the crash and their families.”\n\nFINA, the international governing body for aquatic sports, said in a statement Saturday, “As some Championships’ participants were present at the moment of the accident, FINA is carefully monitoring the situation and will activate all measures to ensure health care and assistance is provided whenever necessary.”\n\nA USA Swimming spokeswoman said no American swimmers were at the club.\n\nThe nightclub was located near the Athletes’ Village, a recently constructed area that features two dozen high-rise buildings housing 4,000 athletes and officials during this month’s biannual championships, which has brought the world’s best swimmers, divers, water polo athletes and synchronized swimmers to Gwangju.\n\n“We were just dancing, and then the next minute we dropped five to six meters, and everyone started rushing out of the club after that,” New Zealand water polo captain Matt Small told the New Zealand Herald.\n\n“[It was] business as usual, and then it literally collapsed beneath our feet,” he said.\n\nSmall said the interior balcony appeared to crash down on other people, pinning and crushing late-night revelers.\n\n“We did what we could, but we couldn’t really do too much,” Small said. “Some of them were pretty dire cases.”"], "summary": "Two people die and more than 17 are injured when an internal balcony collapses at a nightclub in the South Korean city of Gwangju."}
{"document": ["Updated @ 9:16 p.m., July 27, 2019\n\nBASCO, Batanes, Philippines – Six of the nine Itbayat town residents killed during the Saturday (July 27) earthquake that struck at dawn were buried at the cemetery in the afternoon due to insufficient embalming materials there.\n\nADVERTISEMENT\n\nThe Itbayat hospital, which was damaged, has no facilities to store the dead, some of the families of the dead agreed to proceed with a mass funeral at about 5 p.m., according to Josefa Ponce, secretary of the Itbayat Municipal Council.\n\nGenward Mina, who was crushed by a boulder while protecting his girlfriend, was laid to rest.\n\nAlso buried were Fiona Valiente, a 10-day-old baby; Tito Asa, 88; Teresita Gulaga, 76; Eva Valiente, 19; and Edwin Ponce, 32, who was initially reported to be missing.\n\nREAD: 1 remains missing after Batanes twin quakes—Itbayat vice mayor\n\nEarlier, it was reported that all nine fatalities were buried, but three fatalities were not buried — 73-year-old Fausta Caan; her granddaughter, 5-day-old baby Haisly Cheffe Naquita; and 13-year old Mary Rose Valiente.\n\nTheir relatives had not allowed their burial as of this writing.\n\nValiente’s mother is at the Basco hospital where her other child is being treated as of this writing.\n\nMost Itbayat residents have opted to stay in tents outside their houses, fearing aftershocks, some of which were stronger than the 5.4 tremor that rocked the town at 4:16 a.m.\n\nADVERTISEMENT\n\nJust hours apart\n\nTwo strong earthquakes struck just hours apart, killing at least nine people, injuring about 60 and damaging ancestral houses famous among tourists.\n\nThe quakes collapsed homes of stone and wood and roused residents from sleep, said Roldan Esdicul, who heads the Batanes provincial disaster-response office. Footage showed people clearing boulder-size stone bricks to pull out one body from the rubble.\n\n“Our bed and everything were swaying from side to side like a hammock,” Esdicul told The Associated Press by cellphone from Basco town, the provincial capital. “We all ran out to safety.”\n\nOn hard-hit Itbayat island, school teacher Agnes Salengua-Nico said she and her husband woke up horrified with the ground shaking and a cabinet crashing to the floor. Their house withstood the shaking but others in the neighborhood crumbled, pinning residents inside, she said.\n\n“We’re out now in the farm with our three pigs because we’re very, very scared of the aftershocks,” she told AP by phone, her voice trembling shortly after the ground shook again.\n\nMore than 2,000 residents of Itbayat — nearly all of the island’s population of mostly fishermen — were advised not to return to their homes and stay in the town plaza as successive aftershocks shook the region, Esdicul said.\n\nArmy troops and additional doctors later flew in after Itbayat’s airport runway was declared safe.\n\nThe quakes measured 5.4 and 5.9 at relatively shallow depths, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said.\n\nA third quake with a magnitude of 5.8 struck at sea west of Batanes later Saturday, it said.\n\n‘Can’t stand or walk’\n\nEsdicul said he was already in his office with the provincial governor when the second and more powerful quake struck about three hours after the first shock.\n\n“We have to hold on because you can’t stand or walk. It was that strong,” he said.\n\nThe initial quake severely cracked the bell tower of the island’s old limestone church, the 19th-century Santa Maria de Mayan, a popular tourist attraction. The tower crumbled down when the second temblor hit the island, he said.\n\nA one-story hospital was damaged, prompting patients to be evacuated and brought out in the open with dozens of injured quake victims. Some were later crammed into a basketball court with a roof due to heavy rains, Esdicul said.\n\nSeven of those injured who sustained serious fractures were airlifted out of Itbayat to a bigger provincial hospital, he said.\n\nItbayat, part of the country’s northernmost Batanes Islands, has a population of about 2,800 people and lies in the Luzon Strait that separates the Philippines and Taiwan. The islands are famous for their tiny ancestral stone houses with coral walls and cogon grass roofs and are often lashed by seasonal typhoons.\n\nAs Metro Manila was having quake drill\n\nAs the quake jolted Batanes, thousands of residents were holding a pre-dawn earthquake drill about 250 kilometers (155 miles) to the south in Metro Manila, which was not affected by the quake.\n\nSome journalists asked why the drills needed to be held so early in the morning, said Renato Solidum, a prominent seismologist and disaster-response expert who helped lead the drills.\n\nWhen the earthquake hit Batanes shortly after, it helped officials underscore the fact that disaster can strike anytime, Solidum said.\n\nOne of the world’s most disaster-prone countries, the Philippines has frequent earthquakes and volcanic eruptions because it lies on the so-called Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a seismically active arc of volcanos and fault lines in the Pacific Basin.\n\nA magnitude 7.7 quake killed nearly 2,000 people in Luzon in 1990.\n\n/atm\n\nInquirer calls for support for the victims of twin earthquakes in Batanes\n\nResponding to appeals for help, the Inquirer is extending its relief to the families affected by the recent twin earthquakes in Batanes.\n\nCash donations may be deposited to the Inquirer Foundation Corp. Banco De Oro (BDO) Current Account No: 007960018860.\n\nInquiries may be addressed and emailed to Inquirer’s Corporate Affairs office through founda[email protected] or call 8978808 local 238 or 352\n\nRead Next\n\nLATEST STORIES\n\nMOST READ", "At least eight people have been killed after three earthquakes struck a province in the Philippines. The...", "Philippines earthquakes kill at least eight people and injure 60\n\nPhilippines earthquakes kill at least eight people and injure 60\n\nCracks are seen on the facade of a building\n\nAt least eight people have been killed after three earthquakes struck a province in the Philippines.\n\nThe earthquakes hit the province of Batanes, an archipelago in the north of the country, within a few hours on Saturday.\n\nFootage showed people clearing boulder-size stone bricks to pull out one body from the rubble of a home.\n\nMayor Raul de Sagon said around 60 people were hurt and many people were in their homes when the earthquakes struck.\n\nHe said injured people were still being taken to hospitals and more doctors may be needed.\n\nThe Philippine seismology agency said the quakes measured 5.4 and 5.9 and a third quake with a magnitude 5.7 struck later on Saturday.\n\nRoldan Esdicul, head of the Batanes provincial disaster office said he was in his office when the second and more powerful quake struck about three hours after the first shock.\n\nHe said: \"We have to hold on because you can't stand or walk. It was that strong.\"\n\nThe first earthquake severely cracked the bell tower of the island's old limestone church, the 19th-century Santa Maria de Mayan which is a popular tourist attraction.\n\nMr Esdicul said the tower collapsed when the second quake hit the island.\n\nA hospital was damaged but remained open and an air force helicopter and a plane had been deployed to Batanes to help ferry and provide aid to victims.\n\nThe islands are famous for their stone-built houses, coral walls and cogon grass roofs and are often battered by typhoons.", "At least eight people were killed and around 60 were injured in the Philippines after a series of earthquakes with magnitudes ranging from 5.4 to 5.9 struck the northern Batanes islands in the early hours of Saturday, provincial authorities said.\n\nThe National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council warned the population to stay inside their homes ahead of expected aftershocks.\n\nAuthorities said several churches and residential buildings had sustained damages and announced that army troops had been deployed to carry out rescue operations.\n\nThe tremors were first felt before dawn and continued with hours-long gaps between them, near the city of Itbayat in the Batanes islands, according to the United States Geological Survey, which records seismic activity around the world,\n\nThe last quake, which had a 5.7-magnitude, was registered at 9.24 am, around 21 kilometers (13 miles) away from Itbayat at a depth of 10 kilometers, according to the USGS.\n\nThe Philippines is located along the Ring of Fire, a region of high volcanic and seismic activity that is shaken every year by some 7,000 quakes, most of them moderate.\n\nEarthquakes with a magnitude higher than 5 are recorded sporadically in southern Mindanao, Batanes and the eastern region of Bicol. EFE-EPA", "A rescue operation is under way in the Philippines after earthquakes killed at least eight people.\n\nDozens more were injured in the magnitude 5.4 and 5.9 earthquakes, which struck on Saturday.", "– Philippine police said at least five people were killed and 12 other injured after twin earthquakes struck islands in the north of the Philippines on July 27 morning.Both quakes hit the province of Batanes, a group of sparsely populated islets north of the nation's largest Luzon island.Batanes governor Marilou Cayco said the first quake of magnitude 5.4 occurred at 4.16am (Philippines time) at a depth of 12km, while the second of magnitude of 6.4 at a depth of 43km jolted the province three hours later. - VNA", "At least eight people were killed and 60 more injured after two earthquakes shook Batanes islands, the north of the Philippines, early July 27, according to the Philippine Government.The quakes were magnitude of 5.4 and 5.9 respectively. Several big aftershocks hit the area later.The first quake killed five people while three others lost their lives in the aftershocks, according to Ricardo Jalad, executive director of the Philippines’ national disaster agency.The agency has been sending medical and rescue teams to the islands, while the military was also deploying an aircraft to transport supplies and bring out injured, he said.Mayor Raul de Sagon said the number of dead and injured people may be higher.The Philippines is on the geologically active Pacific Ring of Fire and experiences frequent earthquakes. Latest 6.3-magnitude quake in April killed 11 people and collapsed a market in the north of Manila capital. –VNA", "At least 8 people have been killed and dozens injured after a series of powerful earthquakes struck the northern Philippines archipelago province of Batanes.Substantial damage is being reported in Itbayat municipality after two consecutive earthquakes measuring 5.4 and 5.9 struck the region around 4:16am and 7:30am local time, followed by an aftershock. Amid ongoing large scale rescue operations a third quake measuring 5.7 struck the same area at 09:24am.Eight people were killed and 60 others injured, according to preliminary information from Batanes Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office.All of the jolts were centered within 15 kilometers of Itbayat. The municipality, which is home to roughly 3,000 people, has suffered a power outage.A historic Maria de Mayan church was damaged. Some damage has also been reported in the local Jorge Abad airport.", "This post was originally published on this site\n\nWORLD NEWS Back-to-back earthquakes strike Philippines killing 8 and injuring at least 63 https://linewsradio.com/back-to-back-earthquakes-strike-philippines-killing-8-and-injuring-at-least-63/ http://abcnewsradioonline.com/world-news/\n\niStock/hepatus(NEW YORK) — Back-to-back strong earthquakes struck the northern Philippines just hours apart early Saturday, killing at least eight people, injuring at least 63 residents and damaging historic stone buildings, officials said.\n\nEarly Saturday, tremors hit Itbayat, one of the sparsely-populated Batanes Islands located in the Luzon Strait that separates the Philippines and Taiwan. The region is part of the Pacific “Ring of Fire” — a zone of major seismic activity.\n\nThe Philippines National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), which reported the casualties, also said at least one person was missing and 911 families or 2,963 people were displaced from their homes and currently staying at a public marketplace.\n\nThe quake also damaged at least 15 houses and two schools, according to the Philippine government.\n\nThe first quake struck at 4:16 a.m. local time and measured 5.4 on the Richter scale. The second struck at 7:37 a.m. and measured 5.9, Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology reported. After several aftershocks, a third quake which measured 5.7 struck on Saturday evening at 6:11 p.m.\n\nThere was no tsunami warning following the quake.", "Seven people were killed after back-to-back earthquakes struck the northern Philippines Saturday morning, according to CNN Philippines, citing a disaster official.\n\nA 5.9-magnitude earthquake struck the Batanes archipelago, the US Geological Survey reported.\n\nAbout 20 minutes later, a second quake hit the same area near Itbayat at a magnitude of 4.5.\n\nPhotos from the Philippine Red Cross showed damage to homes."], "summary": "At least nine people are killed and 60 others injured when two earthquakes strike the province of Batanes in the Philippines."}
{"document": ["Saudi Arabia has banned entry to travellers coming from the Democratic Republic of the Congo over fears Ebola could spread during next month's Hajj pilgrimage.\n\nThe decision, announced in a note issued on Wednesday by the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs, cited last week's move by the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare the Ebola outbreak in DRC's eastern North Kivu and Ituri provinces a public health emergency of international concern.\n\n\"The granting of arrivals visas for people entering from DRC has been stopped, to conserve the well-being of pilgrims,\" the Saudi ministry's note said.\n\nIt was not clear how many people's applications had been affected by the move.\n\nAbout three percent of DRC's population is Muslim, according to a poll by the New York-based Congo Research Group, while people from sub-Saharan Africa make up about 10 percent of the more than two million annual pilgrims to the holy city of Mecca.\n\nWHO plea ignored\n\n\n\nRiyadh's move came despite the WHO saying at the time of its international emergency declaration that no country should close its borders or place any restrictions on travel or trade because of Ebola and urging governments elsewhere in Africa and around the world not to \"panic\" in response to the decision.\n\nThe epidemic has killed more than 1,700 people - more than two-thirds of those who contracted it - since it emerged last August, according to the DRC's health ministry. It is the second-worst outbreak of its kind on record.\n\n190717173410993\n\nSaudi Arabia also partially shuttered its borders to travellers amid fears over Ebola during the world's deadliest ever eruption of the virus, which killed more than 11,300 people as it surged through West Africa during 2014-2016.\n\nThe kingdom suspended pilgrimage visas for travellers from Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia - the three worst-affected countries.\n\nFor Muslims, the Hajj re-enacts the actions of the Prophet Muhammad in his \"farewell pilgrimage\" in 632 BCE. It is a central pillar of the Islamic faith meant to cleanse followers of sin and bring them closer to God.\n\nThe six-day pilgrimage is obligatory once in a lifetime for all Muslims with the means to afford it.", "Riyadh [Saudi Arabia], July 27 (ANI): Saudi Arabia has suspended issuing visas to pilgrims from the Democratic Republic of the Congo over fears that Ebola could spread during next month's Hajj pilgrimage there.\n\nThe Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday announced the decision in a note cited by Al Jazeera, saying, \"The granting of arrivals visas for people entering from DRC has been stopped, to conserve the well-being of pilgrims.\"\n\nThe suspension came after the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared that the Ebola outbreak in Congo's eastern North Kivu and Ituri provinces a public health emergency of international concern.\n\nIt was not clear how many people's applications had been affected by the move.\n\nAbout three per cent of Congo's population is Muslim who had planned to take part in the annual hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia next month.\n\nRiyadh's move came despite the World Health Organisation saying at the time of its international emergency declaration that no country should close its borders or place any restrictions on travel or trade because of Ebola and urging governments elsewhere in Africa and around the world not to \"panic\" in response to the decision.\n\nThe epidemic has killed more than 1,700 people - more than two-thirds of those who contracted it - since it emerged last August, according to the Congo's health ministry. It is the second-worst outbreak of its kind on record.\n\nThe Kingdom also suspended pilgrimage visas for travellers from Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia - the three worst-affected countries.\n\nSaudi Arabia also suspended visas during West Africa's Ebola outbreak a few years ago in which more than 11,000 people died. (ANI)", "Saudi Arabia suspends visas to people from Congo over Ebola\n\nJOHANNESBURG (AP) — Saudi Arabia has stopped issuing visas to people from Congo while citing the Ebola outbreak there, even as the World Health Organization recommends against travel restrictions.\n\nSome Muslims in Congo had planned to take part in the annual hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia next month. A letter from the Saudi foreign ministry to Congo's embassy in Riyadh, obtained by The Associated Press and dated Wednesday, says the kingdom made the decision to protect pilgrims and others.\n\nThe letter refers to the WHO decision this month to declare the Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo a global health emergency. More than 1,700 people have died in the year-long outbreak.\n\nSaudi Arabia also suspended visas during West Africa's Ebola outbreak a few years ago.\n\nThe decision affects anyone coming from Congo, including non-citizens.", "JOHANNESBURG: Saudi Arabia has stopped issuing visas to people from Congo while citing the Ebola outbreak there, even as the World Health Organization recommends against travel restrictions.\n\nSome Muslims in Congo had planned to take part in the annual hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia next month.\n\nALSO READ: World Bank grants USD 300 million to DR Congo to contain Ebola outbreak\n\nA letter from the Saudi foreign ministry to Congo's embassy in Riyadh, obtained by The Associated Press and dated Wednesday, says the kingdom made the decision to protect pilgrims and others.\n\nThe letter refers to the WHO decision this month to declare the Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo a global health emergency.\n\nALSO READ: DR Congo's Ebola spearhead Health Minister Oly Ilunga resigns after he was replaced\n\nMore than 1,700 people have died in the year-long outbreak.\n\nSaudi Arabia also suspended visas during West Africa's Ebola outbreak a few years ago.\n\nThe decision affects anyone coming from Congo, including non-citizens.", "The first batch of Palestinian pilgrims from Gaza arrived on Thursday in Saudi Arabia, passing through Egypt and flying from Cairo airport, the Palestinian Waqf Ministry said.\n\nPalestinian Authority (PA) Ambassador to Cairo Diab Al-Louh received 795 pilgrims in Egypt. He thanks Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi for facilitating and securing the trip from the Rafah crossing to Cairo, through Sinai.\n\nThe pilgrims then flew to Saudi Arabia and landed in Jeddah airport before heading to Madina where they will spend the first few days of their stay in Saudi Arabia before carrying on to Mecca to complete the Hajj.\n\nEgypt re-enforces a strict Israeli siege on the Gaza Strip banning Palestinians from travelling and limiting the entry of essentials. Special approvals and measures have been taken to cater for the transfer of pilgrims for the Hajj period.", "JEDDAH: Saudi Minister of Hajj and Umrah Dr. Mohammed Salih Bentin received Sergey Kozlov, the extraordinary and plenipotentiary ambassador of Russia to Saudi Arabia, at his office in Jeddah on Thursday.\n\nDuring the meeting, they exchanged cordial talks and topics related to Hajj, the Saudi Press agency reported.\n\nFor his part, the ambassador praised the efforts and services provided by the Kingdom to the pilgrims.", "As many as 116,000 Pakistan pilgrims including 83,000 government and 33,000 private scheme have so far reached Saudi Arabia for performing the sacred religious obligation of Hajj\n\nISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Jul, 2019 ) :As many as 116,000 Pakistan pilgrims including 83,000 government and 33,000 private scheme have so far reached Saudi Arabia for performing the sacred religious obligation of Hajj, said spokesman of the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony on Friday.\n\nAccording to a whatsApp message received here from Makkah, 35,000 intending pilgrims of government scheme were still at Madina Munawwara. A total of 176 officials and officers of ministry were serving the pilgrims in Makkah. 469 doctors, nurses and paramedics.\n\nHajj Medical Mission has provided medical aid to over 31,000 pilgrims while 113 patients were referred to Saudi hospitals for further treatment. Wheel chairs had been provided to 168 patients.\n\n416 Pakistan Muavineen and 900 local Khuddam have also been deployed in Saudia Arabia to guide pilgrims.\n\nThe monitoring teams of the ministry have completed the monitoring of 295 Hajj Group Organisars (HGOs). Haram guides have helped over 49,000 pilgrims. The lost and found department has located over 3,400 missing bags and handed over to the pilgrims.\n\nCall Centre has so far received 432 calls for help and registered 406 complaints. Out of which 86 complaints were irrelevant, 255 resolved and working on 65 complaints still continues.\n\nAs many as 13 intending pilgrims including 11 government and two private scheme pilgrims have died. They have been buried at Jannat-ul-Baqi graveyard.", "The Chief Custodian of the holy mosques of Makkah and Madinah, Sheikh Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais, has assured pilgrims currently performing the 2019 hajj exercise of equal opportunities while in the holy land.\n\nAl-Sudais gave the assurance during his meeting with the heads of hajj missions of various countries currently participating in the 2019 hajj in Saudi Arabia.\n\nThis is contained in a statement by the head of Public Affairs of the Nigeria Hajj Commission, Fatima Usara, on Wednesday in Abuja.\n\nAl-Sudais appealed to various hajj missions to guide their pilgrims to remain focused on the act of worship.\n\nAccording to him, that is the main reason pilgrims visited the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.\n\nHe, however, warned pilgrims not to involve themselves in the political activities of Saudi Arabia.\n\nAl-Sudais also enjoined pilgrims to respect the rules and regulations of the holy land and abide by the supremacy of Saudi aligned school of thought.\n\n” Rulings under Saudi supported school of thought takes precedence on general activities over those of other countries or individuals while in the holy land” he added.\n\nHe also advised them to be a good ambassador of their countries.", "Etihad Airways will deploy additional flights between Abu Dhabi and Saudi Arabia to facilitate the movement of thousands of pilgrims during the Hajj season.\n\nThe airline will operate 15 extra flights between July 28th and August 25th to transport pilgrims to Medina.\n\nAdditionally, Etihad will operate six charter flights dedicated to the General Authority of Islamic Affairs, Sheikh Zayed Foundation and Abu Dhabi police.\n\nThe outbound flights will operate from Abu Dhabi to Jeddah and Medina between August 1st-5th, with return flights scheduled for August 16th-17th.\n\nHoussam Weiss, head of UAE sales at Etihad Airways: “Etihad has been operating Hajj flights since 2007 and we remain committed to providing our additional services during this important season for the Muslim world.\n\n“In total, we carried approximately 300,000 pilgrims to the city of Mecca to perform Hajj.\n\n“We aim to help our guests to complete this once-in-a-lifetime religious journey with ease and peace of mind. This year we expect approximately 25,000 Hajj travellers on our flights, with most originating in Australia, Pakistan, Morocco, United Kingdom, India and Indonesia, travelling via our Abu Dhabi hub.”\n\nTo facilitate the Hajj travel experience, Etihad will assign a dedicated staff and check-in counters at Abu Dhabi International Airport to ensure a seamless ground experience.\n\nExtra provisions will be made inflight by the cabin crew to meet pilgrims’ requirements, including facilitating the performing of ablutions, advising them of the entry into Al Miqat (state of sanctity), and the changing into Ihram robes.\n\nOn return flights from Saudi Arabia, Etihad Airways will permit Hajj pilgrims to carry a five-litre container of Zamzam water free of charge and will provide extra care for its handling.", "Some Muslim clerics in Omu-Aran, Kwara, have advised Nigerian pilgrims to Saudi Arabia to be good ambassadors of Nigeria throughout their stay in the Holy land.\n\nThe clerics gave the advice in separate interviews in Omu-Aran on Thursday.\n\nThe pilgrimage to Mecca, also known as Hajj, is one of the five pillars of Islam.\n\nThe clerics urged the pilgrims to pray for Nigeria’s unity, socioeconomic development and sustenance of the democratic system.\n\nAlhaji Sodiq Afolayan, the Chief Imam of Omu-Aran Central Mosque, described Hajj as “sacred period for prayers and devotion”.\n\n“It is in the light of the holiness of the Holy pilgrimage (Hajj) that we should not hesitate in offering prayers for guidance for our leaders,” Afolayan said.\n\nHe urged the pilgrims to see the exercise as a divine call to the service of Allah and humanity and to be good representatives of Nigeria.\n\n“We, as patriotic citizens and Muslims from Nigeria, should specifically offer prayers for workable solutions to the socioeconomic and security challenges confronting the nation.\n\n“Surely, this is one sacred period where prayers of the righteous are promptly accepted and granted,” Afolayan said.\n\nAlhaji Mustapha Abdulsalam, the Missioner of Omu-Aran Chapter of Nasrullahi-lifathi Society of Nigeria (NASFAT), urged the pilgrims to shun drug trafficking and other illicit acts during their stay in Saudi Arabia.\n\nHe urged the pilgrims to imbibe exemplary leadership style of Prophet Muhammad.\n\n“Prophet Muhammad was an epitome of humility, honesty and integrity.\n\n“This is just few of the sterling qualities that endeared Him to his followers during and after his sojourn on earth,” he said.\n\nAbdulsalam urged the pilgrims to reflect on their pilgrimage and rededicate themselves to the service of Allah and humanity.\n\n“We have to reflect on our past mistakes and misdeeds and seek for forgiveness for us to become righteous.\n\n“This is the only way we can be able to intercede on behalf of the leaders through prayers, to solve our challenges,” he said.\n\nAlhaji Issa Salahudeen, the Chief Imam of Omu-Aran Chapter of Ansarudeen Society of Nigeria, charged the pilgrims to be dedicated to their spiritual services and engage less in social media stuff.\n\n“Face your spiritual devotion squarely and don’t allow social media activities to overshadow your basic Hajj services,” Salahudeen said.\n\nHe urged wealthy Muslims to extend their hands of assistance to the needy and the less privileged in the society.\n\nSalahudeen said that the current economic situation in the country required citizens to be their brothers’ keepers.\n\nAccording to him, the current situation is not about being a Muslim or a Christian or Yoruba or Igbo or Hausa but a Nigerian citizen.\n\n“This is the only way we can collectively tackle the numerous challenges confronting our country,” he said."], "summary": "Saudi Arabia suspends visas for Hajj pilgrims arriving from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, amid safety concerns regarding the ongoing Ebola epidemic in Kivu."}
{"document": ["Bronx man arrested at JFK Airport for allegedly seeking to join Taliban: Source By\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nWATCH: Catch up on the developing stories making headlines.\n\n< p > A B r o n x m a n h a s b e e n a r r e s t e d F r i d a y a t J o h n F . K e n n e d y I n t e r n a t i o n a l A i r p o r t o n t e r r o r - r e l a t e d c h a r g e s , a l a w e n f o r c e m e n t o f f i c i a l t o l d A B C N e w s . < / p > < p > A c c o r d i n g t o t h e s o u r c e , t h e m a n , w h o w a s n o t i m m e d i a t e l y i d e n t i f i e d , w a n t e d t o j o i n t h e < a h r e f = \" h t t p s : / / a b c n e w s . g o . c o m / a l e r t s / t a l i b a n \" i d = \" _ a p _ l i n k _ T a l i b a n _ T a l i b a n _ \" t a r g e t = \" _ b l a n k \" > T a l i b a n < / a > i n < a h r e f = \" h t t p s : / / a b c n e w s . g o . c o m / a l e r t s / a f g h a n i s t a n \" i d = \" _ a p _ l i n k _ A f g h a n i s t a n _ A f g h a n i s t a n _ \" t a r g e t = \" _ b l a n k \" > A f g h a n i s t a n < / a > a n d w a s b o a r d i n g a f l i g h t t o P a k i s t a n w h e n h e w a s a r r e s t e d . < / p > < f i g u r e c l a s s = \" a m p - e m b e d - i m a g e \" > < d i v c l a s s = \" c o n t a i n e r \" > < a m p - i m g s r c = \" h t t p s : / / s . a b c n e w s . c o m / i m a g e s / U S / j f k - a i r p o r t - g t y - j t - 1 9 0 7 2 6 _ h p M a i n _ 4 x 3 _ 1 6 0 0 . j p g \" w i d t h = \" 2 5 9 2 \" h e i g h t = \" 1 7 4 3 \" l a y o u t = \" r e s p o n s i v e \" a t t r i b u t i o n = \" R o b e r t A l e x a n d e r / G e t t y I m a g e s , F I L E \" > < / a m p - i m g > < / d i v > < f i g c a p t i o n > < d i v c l a s s = \" a m p - e m b e d - i m g - c a p t i o n \" > A D e l t a A i r l i n e s p a s s e n g e r j e t t a x i s a t J o h n F . K e n n e d y I n t e r n a t i o n a l A i r p o r t i n N e w Y o r k , i n t h i s S e p t . 2 4 , 2 0 1 7 , f i l e p h o t o . < / d i v > < / f i g c a p t i o n > < / f i g u r e > < a m p - a d w i d t h = 3 3 0 h e i g h t = 2 1 5 c l a s s = \" a m p - a d \" l a y o u t = r e s p o n s i v e t y p e = \" y i e l d m o \" d a t a - y m i d = \" 1 3 7 1 6 6 6 0 3 0 7 5 5 4 2 8 6 9 7 \" > < / a m p - a d > < p > T h e d e f e n d a n t i s e x p e c t e d t o m a k e a n i n i t i a l c o u r t a p p e a r a n c e i n l o w e r M a n h a t t a n l a t e r F r i d a y . < / p > < p > T h e s o u r c e s a i d t h e m a n d i d n o t r e p r e s e n t a t h r e a t t o t h e h o m e l a n d , b u t w a s a r r e s t e d b a s e d o n h i s i n t e n t i o n t o t r a v e l i n p u r s u i t o f j o i n i n g t h e r a n k s o f t h e T a l i b a n . < / p >", "NEW YORK -- A New York City man was arrested at JFK International Airport Friday morning after allegedly trying to join the Taliban.He will appear in court in Lower Manhattan Friday afternoon.Authorities said he was accused of attempting to board a flight to Pakistan with the intent was to join the Taliban in Afghanistan.There is no threat to the New York City area.The identity of the individual has not yet been released, but authorities said he had been living in the Bronx.----------", "iStock/XavierMarchant(NEW YORK) — A Bronx man has been arrested Friday at John F. Kennedy International Airport on terror-related charges, a law enforcement official told ABC News.\n\nAccording to the source, the man, who was not immediately identified, wanted to join the Taliban in Afghanistan and was boarding a flight to Pakistan when he was arrested.\n\nThe defendant is expected to make an initial court appearance in lower Manhattan later Friday.\n\nThe source said the man did not represent a threat to the homeland, but was arrested based on his intention to travel in pursuit of joining the ranks of the Taliban.", "New York Police Commissioner James O'Neil said attempting to support terrorist attacks will lead to arrest, as has been seen time and again.\n\nNew York: A 33-year old New York man, plotting to travel to Pakistan and then cross the border into Afghanistan to join the Taliban, was arrested and charged with attempting to provide material support for terror plots to kill US nationals and soldiers abroad.\n\nDelowar Mohammed Hossain of the Bronx was charged on Friday in a criminal complaint with attempting to provide material support for acts of terrorism, specifically in support of killing US nationals located overseas.\n\nThe charge carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison.\n\nHossain was arrested at the John F Kennedy International Airport in New York by the Federal Bureau of Investigation or FBI as he attempted to board a plane to Thailand.\n\n\"As alleged, Hossain planned to travel overseas and join the Taliban in order to kill American soldiers,\" Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Demers said.\n\nThe criminal complaint filed in the Manhattan federal court said that beginning in the fall of 2018, Hossain expressed his desire to join the Taliban and fight against American forces. Over the months that followed, he attempted to recruit a confidential source of the FBI to travel with him from the United States to Pakistan and then to cross the border into Afghanistan to join the Taliban.\n\nHossain told the source that his purpose was to \"fight the American government from there...combined with the Taliban\", and that \"I want to kill some...(non-believers) before I die\".\n\nHe also described to the undercover source the steps he had taken to prevent detection of his plan, such as planning to reach Pakistan by first flying to Thailand, which Hossain believed would conceal his ultimate goal of joining the Taliban.\n\nAt the same time, he made preparations to fight in Afghanistan, including buying equipment such as walkie-talkies and trekking gear and instructing the source to save money \"to buy weapons\" after reaching Afghanistan.\n\nHossain had purchased an airline ticket for a plane scheduled to depart from JFK to Thailand on Friday.\n\nUS Attorney for the Southern District of New York Geoffrey Berman said Hossain wanted to kill Americans and particularly wanted to target members of the US armed forces serving overseas.\n\nAssistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of the FBI William Sweeney Jr said the \"lure of radical ideologies comes from many sources and just because the Taliban may seem like an old and out of vogue extremist group, it should not be underestimated\".\n\nHe added that law enforcement authorities stopped Hossain from travelling overseas to allegedly support a \"deadly organisation and kept him from his alleged plan to kill innocent people\".\n\nNew York Police Commissioner James O'Neil said attempting to support terrorist attacks will lead to arrest, as has been seen time and again.", "US man accused of seeking to join Taliban to fight Americans\n\nNEW YORK (AP) — Federal authorities arrested a New York City man Friday on charges accusing him of seeking to join the Taliban to fight American forces.\n\nThe FBI intercepted Delowar Mohammed Hossain on Friday morning at Kennedy Airport before he could carry out a plan to travel to Afghanistan, prosecutors said.\n\nHossain, 33, of the Bronx, was ordered held without bail after appearing in federal court in Manhattan. He is charged with one count of attempting to provide material support for terrorism.\n\nA criminal complaint says that starting in 2018, Hossain expressed interest in joining the Taliban and sought to recruit a government informant to do the same. It claims he told the informant: \"I want to kill some kufars (non-believers) before I die.\"\n\nHossain's preparations included buying equipment like walkie-talkies and trekking gear, prosecutors said. He instructed the informant to save enough money \"to buy some weapons\" once they reached Afghanistan, it added.\n\nThe case follows a series of arrests of self-radicalized terror suspects on charges they tried to join or support the Islamic State group by making contacts on social media.\n\nFBI official William Sweeney said in a statement: \"The lure of radical ideologies comes from many sources, and just because the Taliban may seem like an old and out of vogue extremist group, it shouldn't be underestimated.\"", "A 33-year-old American man living in New York City's Bronx borough faces terror charges after his arrest at a New York airport while allegedly en route to join the Taliban in Afghanistan to kill U.S. soldiers, according to federal court documents.\n\nDelowar Mohammad Hossain, who is originally from Bangladesh and later became a U.S. citizen, was arraigned Friday in federal court in New York City. He was arrested Friday at John F. Kennedy International Airport as he was about to board a flight to Thailand on the first leg of his journey to Afghanistan, prosecutors said.\n\nHossain is accused of allegedly trying to provide \"material support\" for the Taliban, a U.S.-designated terrorist group, by joining their ranks.\n\nAccording to prosecutors, Hossain had been under surveillance since at least September 2018. He was allegedly recorded telling an FBI informant that \"attacking the U.S. Army, attacking stuff like that is legitimate because the world is against the American government, not its people.\"\n\nAt one point, according to court documents, he told the informant: \"I just want to take a frickin' machine gun and just shoot everybody and kill 'em all.\"\n\nMore than 2,400 U.S. service personnel have died in Afghanistan since the U.S.-led coalition invaded the country after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The coalition sought to crush the Taliban and hunt down al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden.\n\nIn the past eight years, almost 80 Americans have gone abroad to join jihadist groups, CBS News reports, although most have sought to join ISIS or al-Qaeda in Syria and Iraq.", "FBI agents arrested a Bronx man at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City on Friday for allegedly trying to travel to Afghanistan to join the Taliban, according to federal prosecutors.\n\nThe man, identified as Delowar Mohammed Hossain, plotted to go to Afghanistan so he could kill American soldiers abroad, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York said in a statement.\n\nHossain, 33, purchased a ticket for a flight scheduled to depart from New York to Thailand on July 26, according to the criminal complaint. He was arrested while trying to board the flight.\n\n“Delowar Hossain had a despicable goal. He wanted to make his way to Afghanistan, join up with Taliban forces, and kill Americans,” FBI Assistant Director of Counterterrorism Michael McGarrity said, citing the criminal complaint. “But he failed because members of the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force interrupted his plans.”\n\nHossain is a U.S. citizen who was born in Bangladesh, New York City news station WPIX reported.\n\nHossain allegedly began expressing a desire to join the Taliban and fight against U.S. forces in early fall 2018. The criminal complaint claims that Hossain tried to recruit a confidential FBI source to travel with him to Pakistan, where they would cross the border to Afghanistan to join the Taliban.\n\nTo disguise his intent, the complaint says Hossain wanted to first fly to Thailand before reaching Pakistan. Hossain allegedly purchased walkie-talkies and trekking gear to prepare for his travels and encouraged the FBI source to save money for weapons in Afghanistan.\n\nProsecutors quoted Hossain in the complaint as saying, “I want to kill some kufars [non-believers] before I die.”\n\nHossain was criminally charged with attempting to provide material support for acts of terrorism, a crime punishable by up to 15 years in prison. He appeared before a judge in a federal court in Manhattan on Friday.", "A man was arrested on terror charges today at a New York City airport. Investigators said he was about to fly off to join the Taliban, with the goal of killing American soldiers.\n\nInvestigators say the 33-year-old Bronx resident was arrested at John F. Kennedy International Airport Friday.\n\nDelowar Mohammad Hossain, originally from Bangladesh, but now a U.S. citizen, was about to board a flight to Thailand with a final destination of Afghanistan. His goal, according to authorities, was to fight for the Taliban against us soldiers.\n\nHossain, dressed casually and shackled at the ankles, was arraigned in federal court on terror charges Friday afternoon.\n\nInvestigators said he had been planning to join the Taliban since September 2018, and had been under constant surveillance by the FBI. In conversation with one agent, Hossain allegedly said “I just want to take a frickin’ machine gun and just shoot everybody and kill em all.”\n\nAmericans attempting to join foreign terror groups is not uncommon. Since 2011, nearly 80 Americans from 20 states have traveled abroad to fight with jihadist organizations, though most have gone to Syria and Iraq to join ISIS or al Qaeda.", "United States (US) authorities have arrested a Bangladeshi-American man on charges accusing him of seeking to join the Taliban to fight American forces in Afghanistan\n\nNEW YORK, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - APP - 27th Jul, 2019 ) : United States (US) authorities have arrested a Bangladeshi-American man on charges accusing him of seeking to join the Taliban to fight American forces in Afghanistan\n\nInvestigators say Delowar Mohammad Hossain, 33, was arrested at John F. Kennedy International Airport Friday.\n\nHossain, originally from Bangladesh, but now a U.S. citizen, was about to board a flight to Thailand with a final destination of Afghanistan. His goal, according to authorities, was to fight for the Taliban against us soldiers.\n\nHossain, dressed casually and shackled at the ankles, was arraigned in Federal court on terror charges later on Friday.\n\nInvestigators said he had been planning to join the Taliban since September 2018, and had been under constant surveillance by the FBI. In conversation with one agent, Hossain allegedly said \"I just want to take a ... machine gun and just shoot everybody and kill 'em all.\"Since 2011, nearly 80 Americans from 20 states have traveled abroad to fight with jihadist organizations, though most have gone to Syria and Iraq to join ISIS or al Qaeda, it was pointed out.", "NEW YORK (AP) - A New York City man has been arrested on charges accusing him of wanting to join the Taliban to fight American forces.\n\nProsecutors say the FBI arrested Delowar Mohammed Hossain on Friday morning at Kennedy Airport before he could carry out a plan to travel to Afghanistan.\n\nThe 33-year-old Hossain is being held without bail after appearing in federal court in Manhattan. His attorney, Amy Gallicchio, declined to comment later Friday.\n\nHossain is charged with one count of attempting to provide material support for terrorism.\n\nA criminal complaint says Hossain sought to recruit a government informant to join the Taliban with him. It says he told the informant he was eager to kill American soldiers."], "summary": "A man from the Bronx, New York City, is arrested for attempting to join the Taliban."}
{"document": ["Sixteen Marines at California's Camp Pendleton have been arrested following a human smuggling investigation, according to the Marine Corps.\n\nThe 16 Marines were arrested Thursday morning on allegations ranging from human smuggling to drug-related offenses, the 1st Marine Division said in a statement. The arrests were carried out by division officials and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service during battalion formation.\n\nThe arrests come only weeks after two Marines at the base were arrested near the border by a Border Patrol agent. The two Marines were accused of smuggling three Mexicans into the United States. The base is located north of San Diego about 55 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border. The Marine Corps said information gained from those arrests led to Thursday's arrests.\n\nEight additional Marines were reportedly questioned about unrelated drug offenses.\n\nThe two Marines arrested previously, Byron Darnell Law II and David Javier Salazar-Quintero, face federal charges of transporting unauthorized immigrants for financial gain, reports the San Diego Union-Tribune.\n\nThey were reportedly pulled over by a Border Patrol agent July 3, driving a car near the border in Jacumba Hot Springs with three undocumented immigrants riding in the back seat. Citing a federal criminal complaint, Law allegedly said Salazar-Quintero had called him the previous night \"and asked him if he was willing make $1,000 picking up an illegal alien,\" the paper reports. Salazar-Quintero allegedly said it was Law who introduced him to a recruiter who dispatched them to pick up people near the border, according to the paper.\n\nAs CBS News correspondent Jamie Yuccas reports, the undocumented immigrants said they had agreed to pay the Marines $8,000 to get them onto U.S. soil.\n\nYuccas reported that all the Marines placed under arrest on Thursday were being held in the brig at Camp Pendelton. They are all members of the oldest active-duty Marine division, headquartered at the military base just 60 miles north of the Mexican border. None of them were among the 6,600 active duty and National Guard troops who have been assigned to bolster Border Patrol forces along the U.S.-Mexico border.\n\n\"1st Marine Division is committed to justice and the rule of law, and we will continue to fully cooperate with NCIS on this matter,\" the Marine Corps statement said. \"Any Marines found to be in connection with these alleged activities will be questioned and handled accordingly with respect to due process.\"\n\nMarines this year were brought in to help support the Department of Homeland Security in reinforcing the border by installing razor wire on top of existing barriers. Military troops are barred from making arrests of immigrants.", "16 Marines at California's Camp Pendleton arrested following human smuggling investigation, Marine Corps says.", "Naval law enforcement investigators arrested 16 U.S. Marines in connection to human smuggling and drug-related charges. The arrests follow allegations of human smuggling made against two other Marines earlier this month.\n\nOfficials of the 1st Marine Division and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) arrested 16 Marines assigned to Camp Pendleton, California, Thursday morning. The 16 are facing charges related to human smuggling and other drug-related offenses, according to a statement from officials at Camp Pendleton.\n\nThe new arrests follow the arrests of two other Camp Pendleton Marines earlier this month. U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested the two Marines, Byron Darnell Law, II and David Javier Salazar-Quintero, on July 3 after they observed suspicious behavior near the border, Breitbart News reported. NCIS investigators followed up on information received during the first two arrests, leading to Thursday’s arrest of 16 Marines.\n\nLaw and Salazar-Quintero allegedly received money from a human smuggling organization to pick up migrants near the border and move them inland past Border Patrol checkpoints. The Mexican nationals being smuggled during the arrest told the Border Patrol agent they agreed to pay $8,000 for transit into the U.S., according to a criminal complaint. They listed their destinations as New Jersey and Los Angeles. All three identified Law as the driver of the smuggling vehicle, the complaint concludes.\n\nCamp Pendleton officials also announced on Thursday that eight additional Marines are being taken aside to be questioned about their involvement in drug offenses that are not related to the charges being faced by the other 16 Marines.\n\nOfficials reported that none of the Marines who are arrested or being investigated are connected to the Department of Defense efforts to support the Southwest Border Support mission.", "Sixteen U.S. Marines have been arrested on human smuggling and drug-related offenses at a base in Southern California, military officials said.\n\nThe Marines were taken into custody at Camp Pendleton on Thursday morning during battalion formation. Eight other Marines were taken aside for questioning about their possible involvement in the drug offenses as well, the Marine Corps said in a statement. Officials did not give further details about the allegations.\n\nThe arrests were “a public display for the entire unit to see,” 1st Lt. Cameron Edinburgh, a division spokesman, told The Los Angeles Times.\n\nMore than a dozen Marines (not pictured) were arrested at Camp Pendleton on Thursday during what has been described as \"a public display for the entire unit to see.\"\n\nThe arrests are related to information officials say they gained from a previous human smuggling investigation, the Marine Corps said.\n\nThough officials did not specify which investigation, earlier this month two other Camp Pendleton Marines were charged with transporting unauthorized immigrants along the U.S.-Mexico border.\n\nThose two Marines, Byron Darnell Law II and David Javier Salazar-Quintero, are accused of carrying out the trips for financial gain, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported.\n\n“Any Marines found to be in connection with these alleged activities will be questioned and handled accordingly with respect to due process,” the Marine Corps said.", "Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings.\n\nSixteen U.S. Marines were arrested Thursday on human smuggling and drug allegations at a base in Southern California, military officials said.\n\nThe Marines were arrested at Camp Pendleton based on information gained from a previous human smuggling investigation, the Marine Corps said in a statement Thursday. At least eight other Marines have also been questioned about their involvement in alleged drug offenses.\n\nNone of the arrested or detained Marines were a part of the Southwest Border Support mission, according to the military's statement.\n\nTwo Marines had been taken into custody July 3 for allegedly helping to smuggle undocumented immigrants across the southern border into San Diego County. The men allegedly received the migrants at pickup point about 20 miles east of a U.S. port of entry at Tecate and seven miles north of the border, officials said earlier this month.\n\nThe drug charges are unrelated to moving drugs across the southern border. During the Naval Criminal Investigative Service investigation into the smuggling, investigators found a number of Marines involved with illegal drugs.\n\nMeanwhile, the arrests come hours after United States Special Operations Command separately announced that a Navy SEAL platoon from San Diego would be sent home early from a mission in Iraq \"due to a perceived deterioration of good order and discipline.\" A U.S. defense official told NBC News that the allegations against the Navy SEALs were related to drinking.\n\nTamara Lawrence, public affairs officer for Naval Special Warfare Command, said in a statement that \"the loss of confidence outweighed potential operational risk.\"\n\n\"Leaders at all levels must lead in a way that sustains and sharpens that foundation,\" Lawrence said. \"Discipline is a competitive advantage and enforcing those standards is critical to our success on the battlefield.\"\n\nThe U.S. Marine Corps could not immediately be reached for further information.", "SAN DIEGO (AP) — Military officials have arrested 16 Marines following an investigation into human smuggling.\n\nThe Marine Corps said the arrests at Camp Pendleton, California, were carried out during a battalion formation Thursday morning at the base, north of San Diego. It is about 55 miles (90 kilometers) from the U.S.-Mexico border.\n\nThe Marine Corps said in a news release that information gained after two Marines were arrested on human smuggling charges earlier this summer led to the arrests.\n\nOfficials say the Marines are charged with various illegal activities ranging from human smuggling to drug-related offenses.\n\nAnother eight are being questioned about their alleged involvement in drug offenses as part of a separate investigation.\n\nThe military says none of the Marines were involved in helping to enforce border security.", "SAN DIEGO — A human smuggling investigation by the military led to the arrest of 16 Marines Thursday while carrying out a battalion formation at California's Camp Pendleton, a base about an hour's drive from the U.S.-Mexico border.\n\nNone of the Marines were involved in helping to enforce border security, the Marine Corps said in a news release. Officials could not be immediately reached for comment.\n\nThe arrests come only weeks after two Marines were arrested near the border by a Border Patrol agent. The two Marines were accused of smuggling three Mexicans into the United States.\n\nThe Marine Corps said information gained from those arrests led to Thursday's arrests.\n\nOfficials say the Marines are charged with various crimes ranging from human smuggling to drug-related offenses.\n\nAnother eight are being questioned about their alleged involvement in drug offenses as part of a separate investigation.\n\nCamp Pendleton, the Marine Corps' largest base on the West Coast, is about 55 miles (90 kilometers) from the U.S.-Mexico border.\n\nMarines this year were brought in to help support the Department of Homeland Security in reinforcing the border by installing razor wire on top of existing barriers. Military troops are barred from making arrests of immigrants.", "LOS ANGELES — Sixteen U.S. Marines were arrested on Thursday at their base in Southern California on suspicion of drug-related offenses and the smuggling of undocumented migrants along the U.S.-Mexico border, U.S. military officials said.\n\nThe arrests at Camp Pendleton stemmed from a separate investigation of two other Marines arrested earlier this month on human trafficking charges filed by federal prosecutors in San Diego, a base spokesman said.\n\nThose two Marines, Lance Corporals Byron Darnell Law II and David Javier Salazar-Quintero, were also stationed at Camp Pendleton, about 55 miles (88 km) north of San Diego, according to the spokesman, Marine First Lieutenant Cameron Edinburgh.\n\n“Information gained from the previous investigation gave way to this string of arrests,” Edinburgh told Reuters.\n\nThe Marine Corps said that in addition to the Marines arrested on Thursday, eight others were detained for questioning on unrelated alleged drug offenses.\n\nThe 16 taken into custody were all part of the 1st Marine Division at Camp Pendleton, one of the largest Marine Corps bases in the United States.\n• U.S. Marines killed in California crash include new dad, Iraq vet\n• U.S. Navy SEAL demoted for posing with dead prisoner but spared jail\n\nNone one of those arrested or detained on Thursday was serving in support of the military’s mission along the border with Mexico, the Marine Corps said.\n\nUnlike Salazar and Law, the Marines faced prosecution under the military justice system but no formal charges have been brought against them as yet, Edinburgh said.\n\nThe precise nature of the alleged wrongdoing was not disclosed, but Edinburgh said the troops were suspected of involvement in the smuggling of undocumented immigrants into the United States from Mexico and various unspecified drug-related offenses.\n\nThe two Marines arrested July 3 on charges of transporting aliens for financial gain were arrested by U.S. Border Patrol agents several miles north of the border along a highway in San Diego County.\n\nAccording to court documents filed in that case, Salazar and Law picked up three undocumented Mexican immigrants by car near the border, guided to a pre-arranged location via cellphone instructions. The three migrants were found riding in the back seat of the Marines’ car, and they told investigators they had agreed to pay $8,000 to be smuggled into the United States.\n\nThursday’s arrests came a day after the military said a Navy SEAL team was sent back from Iraq because of discipline issues. An official said it was because, in part, they had been drinking alcohol, something that is prohibited.", "The US military said on Thursday it had arrested 16 Marines on human trafficking and drug-related charges.\n\nThe group was taken into custody during a battalion formation at Camp Pendleton, a major Marine base in California about 65 miles (90 kilometers) north of the Mexican border.\n\n\"The 16 Marines were arrested for alleged involvement in various illegal activities ranging from human smuggling to drug-related offenses. Information gained from a previous human smuggling investigation precipitated the arrests,\" the military said in a statement.\n\nIt added that eight other Marines \"were taken aside to be questioned on their involvement in alleged drug offenses unrelated to today's arrests.\"\n\nMarine spokeswoman Major Kendra Motz said the charges were a \"mixed bag\" and not all of the arrested Marines were accused of human trafficking.\n\nThursday's arrests came after Marines Byron Darnell Law II and David Javier Salazar-Quintero were taken into custody earlier in the month for allegedly smuggling undocumented Mexican migrants into the US.\n\nThe pair were charged after three Mexican nationals who were prepared to pay $8,000 \"to be smuggled into the United States\" were found in the back of their vehicle about six miles over the border, a court document said.\n\nMotz said the case against Law and Salazar-Quintero \"identified the allegations\" against the 16 Marines arrested Thursday, who also belonged to the same unit at Camp Pendleton as the two men.\n\n\"There could potentially be a connection\" between the cases, Motz said, declining to give further details as both investigations remain ongoing.\n\nSimilar instances of US military members helping migrants enter the US were reported in 2014, 2017 and last year.\n\nThe military said the Marines arrested Thursday were not part of the military deployment ordered to the US-Mexico border as part of President Donald Trump's plan to stem the flow of undocumented migrants.", "More than a dozen U.S. Marines were arrested early Thursday on a variety of charges ranging from human smuggling to drug-related offenses, according to officials.\n\nThe U.S. Marine Corps said in a news release that 16 Marines were arrested during a Battalion formation at Camp Pendleton in California.\n\n“Information gained from a previous human smuggling investigation precipitated the arrests,” USMC officials said in a statement.\n\nCALIFORNIA COUPLE HURT IN ‘VERY BRUTAL’ ATTACK BY GROUP OF TEENAGERS OUTSIDE THEIR HOME\n\nAn additional eight Marines were “taken aside” for questioning of their involvement in alleged drug offenses unrelated to the main arrests on Thursday, officials added.\n\nNone of the Marines arrested or detained to questioning on Thursday were serving in support of the ongoing Southwest Border Support mission, the Marine Corps said. – READ MORE"], "summary": "Sixteen American Marines are arrested at Camp Pendleton, California, on suspicion of aiding human smuggling and drug charges."}
{"document": ["North Korea has fired at least two projectiles from its eastern coast, which Japanese government sources confirmed were short-range ballistic missiles, according to Kyodo news.\n\nThe projectiles launched early on Thursday from near Wonsan flew about 430km to the east, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff says.\n\nA Japanese government source told Kyodo the missiles did not reach Japan's exclusive economic zone and had no impact on Japan's national security.\n\nThe firing of ballistic missiles would cast new doubts on efforts to restart denuclearisation talks after US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met at the demilitarised zone (DMZ) at the end of June.\n\nThe White House, Pentagon and US State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.\n\nA senior US administration official said: “We are aware of reports of a short-range projectile launched from North Korea. We have no further comment.”\n\nTrump’s national security adviser John Bolton, who has taken a hardline towards North Korea, made no mention of the launches in a tweet on Thursday morning after a visit to South Korea, referring only to “productive meetings” with South Korean officials on regional security and building a stronger alliance.\n\nThe United States and North Korea vowed to soon hold new rounds of working-level talks but Pyongyang has since sharply criticised coming joint military drills by US and South Korean troops.\n\nNorth Korea's foreign ministry said earlier this month that Washington's pattern of \"unilaterally reneging on its commitments\" by holding military exercises with South Korea was leading Pyongyang to reconsider its own commitments to discontinue tests of nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles.\n\nYou might also be interested in:\n• Tensions mount in the Persian Gulf as UK oil tanker seized by Iran in Strait of Hormuz\n• Robert Mueller testimony: Former special counsel grilled in US congress\n\nNorth Korea's weapons testing in May included short-range missiles as well as smaller rockets. At the time, Kim oversaw the first flight of a previously untested weapon: a relatively small, fast missile that experts believe will be easier to hide, launch and manoeuvre in flight.\n\nOn Tuesday, state news agency KCNA reported that Kim inspected a large, newly built submarine, accompanied by missile program leaders. It potentially signalled continued development of a submarine-launched ballistic missile program. Denuclearisation talks between North Korea and the United States have stalled after a second summit between Trump and Kim in Vietnam in February broke down.", "North Korea said on July 26 that two missiles fired under the supervision of leader Kim Jong Un the day before...\n\nSEOUL: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un inspected the demonstration of a \"new-type tactical guided weapon\" on Thursday as a warning to South Korean \"warmongers\" to stop importing weapons and conducting joint military drills, state media said on Friday. North Korea test-fired two new short-range ballistic missiles on Thursday, South Korean officials said, its first missile test since Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump agreed to revive denuclearisation talks last month.\"We cannot but develop nonstop super-powerful weapon systems to remove the potential and direct threats to the security of our country that exist in the south,\" Kim said, according to state news agency KCNA.The U.S. State Department urged Pyongyang to refrain from further provocations and hoped for a resumption of working-level talks on North Korea's denuclearisation. South Korea also urged Pyongyang to stop acts unhelpful to easing tension and said the tests posed a military threat.The KCNA report did not mention Trump or the United States, but said Kim criticised South Korean authorities for staging joint military exercises, which are usually conducted with U.S. troops.Kim said the test was \"a solemn warning to the south Korean military warmongers\" and accused South Koreans of \"double dealing\" for saying they support peace but simultaneously importing new weapons and conducting military drills.South Korea's leader should stop such \"suicidal acts\" and \"should not make a mistake of ignoring the warning,\" Kim said.Kim said he was satisfied with the rapid response and low-altitude trajectory of the weapon, which he said would make it difficult to intercept.South Korea's defence ministry said the missiles were launched from North Korea's east coast near Wonsan city travelled about 267 miles (430 km) and 428 miles (688 km) over the sea. They both reached an altitude of 30 miles (48 km).Seoul's National Security Council said on Thursday it believed the missiles were a new type of ballistic missile , but it would make a final assessment with the United States.Ballistic missile tests would be a violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions that ban North Korean use of such technology. North Korea rejects the restriction as an infringement of its right to self-defence.When asked what message the Trump administration was taking from North Korea's launch of short-range missiles, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Fox News that prior to U.S.-North Korea negotiations Pyongyang had been engaged in activity \"far more dangerous for America and Japan and for South Korea\".Pompeo said when Kim met Trump at the DMZ he had agreed to \"avoid launching intermediate-range and long-range ballistic missiles\" and \"put his negotiating team back in the game\". He said fresh talks were still possible.\"You know, lots of countries posture before they come to the table,\" Pompeo told Fox News.While the message is very clearly directed at Seoul, it does send signals to Washington as well, said Jenny Town, managing editor at 38 North, a project that studies North Korea.\"On some level, this is like North Korea's version of maximum pressure on South Korea and the United States.\"", "Japan warned on Saturday that the new North Korean projectiles have trajectories that are not typical for conventional ballistic missiles which makes it difficult to intercept them.\n\nThe new North Korean projectiles had irregular trajectories and flew at lower altitudes than conventional ballistic missiles which makes it difficult to intercept them, the Japanese Defense Ministry said, as quoted by the NHK broadcaster.\n\nWith that, the defense officials acknowledged that this type of projectiles could reach Japan as, based on findings of the US and South Korean military, the ones launched on Thursday flew about 600 km (373 miles), the report added.\n\nAccording to the broadcaster, Japan is determined to work out appropriate countermeasures in close collaboration with the United States.\n\nOn Thursday, North Korea fired two projectiles from an area close to its coastal city of Wonsan. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff subsequently said that the launches were of two short-range missiles that flew around 267 miles at an altitude of 31 miles before falling into the Sea of Japan.\n\nOn Friday, North Korea’s state-run media reported that the launches were tests of a new tactical guided weapon and were observed by leader Kim Jong-un.\n\nThe reports come less than a month after Kim and US President Donald Trump met in the Korean demilitarized zone and agreed to restart denuclearization talks.\n\nSource: Sputnik", "North Korea said on Friday its latest missile launch was a warning to South Korean \"warmongers\" to stop importing weapons and conducting joint military drills, a message that analysts said was also aimed at the United States.\n\nNorth Korean leader Kim Jong Un personally watched the test-fire of two short-range ballistic missiles on Thursday, the first test since Kim met with US President Donald Trump last month and agreed to revive denuclearization talks.\n\nThe missile tests raise doubts about the revival of denuclearization talks, which stalled after the collapse of a second summit between Kim and Trump in Hanoi in February.\n\n\"We cannot but develop nonstop super-powerful weapon systems to remove the potential and direct threats to the security of our country that exist in the south,\" Kim said, according to state news agency KCNA.\n\nIn a statement on Friday, Colonel Lee Peters, a spokesman for the combined command of US and South Korean troops, said the launches \"were not a threat directed at [South Korea] or the US, and have no impact on our defence posture.\"\n\nIn public statements, Pyongyang has shown increasing frustration that South Korea has not followed through on promised economic cooperation or peace agreements, all while importing the latest F-35 stealth fighters and conducting military drills with the United States.\n\nThe KCNA report did not mention Trump or the United States but said Kim criticized South Korean authorities for staging joint military exercises, which Trump promised to end after his first meeting with Kim in June 2018.\n\nNorth Korea accused Washington of breaking that promise by planning to hold joint military exercises with South Korea next month and warned of a possible end to its freeze in nuclear and long-range missile tests.\n\nWhile Friday's message is very clearly directed at Seoul, it does send signals to Washington as well, said Jenny Town, managing editor at 38 North, a project that studies North Korea.\n\n\"On some level, this is like North Korea's version of maximum pressure on South Korea and the United States.\"\n\nNorth Korean state newspaper Rodong Sinmun showed photos of the missile launching, Kim Jong Un looking through binoculars and at screens appearing to show the missile trajectory, and smiling and clapping with his officials.\n\nKim said the test was \"a solemn warning to the south Korean military warmongers\" and accused South Koreans of \"double-dealing\" for saying they support peace but simultaneously importing new weapons and conducting military drills.\n\nSouth Korea's leader should stop such \"suicidal acts\" and \"should not make a mistake of ignoring the warning,\" Kim said.\n\nKim said he was satisfied with the rapid response and low-altitude trajectory of the weapon, which he said would make it difficult to intercept.\n\nPeters said the combined US and South Korean command assessed the ballistic missiles as \"a new type of missile\" for North Korea.\n\nBased on initial photos released by North Korea, the missile appears to be a similar type as those first launched in May, said Jeffrey Lewis, a missile researcher at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies (CNS).\n\nAt least one of the missiles on Thursday flew much farther, however, suggesting that the North Koreans may have made some modifications since May, Lewis said.\n\nBallistic missile tests would be a violation of UN Security Council resolutions that ban North Korean use of such technology. North Korea rejects the restriction as an infringement of its right to self-defense.\n\nWhen asked what message the Trump administration was taking from North Korea's launch of short-range missiles, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Fox News that prior to US-North Korea negotiations Pyongyang had been engaged in activity \"far more dangerous for America and Japan and for South Korea\".\n\nPompeo said when Kim met Trump at the DMZ he had agreed to \"avoid launching intermediate-range and long-range ballistic missiles\" and \"put his negotiating team back in the game\". He said fresh talks were still possible.\n\n\"You know, lots of countries posture before they come to the table,\" Pompeo told Fox News.", "North Korea fired two short-range missiles into the sea, South Korea’s military has said, the first weapons launches in more than two months and an apparent pressuring tactic aimed at Washington.\n\nThe South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missiles fired from around the North’s eastern coastal town of Wonsan flew about 430km (270 miles) before landing in the waters off the country’s east coast.\n\nA South Korean defence official said that an initial South Korean analysis showed both missiles were fired from mobile launchers and flew at a maximum altitude of 50km (30 miles).\n\nThe North is unhappy with planned US-South Korean military drills that it says are an invasion preparation, and the missile tests may be aimed at sending a message to Washington about what would happen if diplomacy fails.\n\nThe timing was also interesting, coming not long after many in the United States were focused on testimony before Congress by Robert Mueller, the former special counsel, about his two-year probe into Russian election interference.\n\nAnd a day earlier, US national security adviser John Bolton left Seoul after agreeing with South Korean officials to boost cooperation to achieve North Korea’s denuclearisation.\n\nBut the relatively short flight distance by the missiles also suggests the launches were not a major provocation, such as a test of a long-range missile capable of reaching the US mainland, and that North Korea does not appear to be pulling out of a US-led diplomacy on its nuclear programme.\n\nIn recent days, North Korea has been ramping up the pressure on the US and South Korea over their expected summertime military drills that it views as an invasion rehearsal.\n\nLast week, the North said it may lift its 20-month suspension of nuclear and long-range missile tests in response to the drills.\n\nUS president Donald Trump has considered the weapons moratorium a major achievement in his North Korea policy.\n\nSome experts say it was a negotiating tactic by North Korea to take issue with the drills in order to get an upper hand ahead of the possible resumption of talks.\n\nNorth Korea wants to get widespread sanction relief to revive its dilapidated economy, but US officials want the country to take significant disarmament steps before they give up the leverage provided by the sanctions.\n\nA senior US official said the Trump administration was aware of the reports of a short-range projectile launched from North Korea.\n\nThe official said the administration had no further comment at this time.\n\nSouth Korean Defence Ministry spokeswoman Choi Hyunsoo urged Pyongyang to stop acts that are “not helpful to efforts to ease military tensions on the Korean Peninsula.”\n\nIf North Korea fired ballistic missiles, it could have ramifications because UN Security Council resolutions ban the North from engaging in any launch using ballistic technology.\n\nStill, the US Security Council has typically imposed fresh sanctions on North Korea only when it conducted long-range ballistic missile tests.\n\n“If they were ballistic missiles, they violate the UN resolutions, and I find it extremely regrettable,” Japan’s Defence Minister Takeshi Iwaya told reporters in Tokyo.\n\nIt was the first such launch since Seoul said North Korea fired three short-range missiles off its east coast in early May.\n\nMany experts said at the time that those missiles bore a strong resemblance to the Russian-designed Iskander, a short-range, nuclear-capable ballistic missile that has been in the Russian arsenal for more than a decade.\n\nAnalyst Kim Dong-yub at Seoul’s Institute for Far Eastern Studies said the latest North Korean missiles could be Scud-C ballistic missiles or KN-23 surface-to-surface missiles, a North Korean version of the Iskander.\n\nSouth Korea’s military said it and the US military were analysing details of Thursday’s launches.\n\nSouth Korea said it was monitoring possible additional launches by North Korea.\n\nDuring a third summit at the Korean border late last month, Mr Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un agreed to resume nuclear negotiations, which had been deadlocked since their second summit in Vietnam in February ended without an agreement because of disputes over US-led sanctions.\n\nBoth the launches in May and on Thursday will not end that weapons test moratorium, which applies to firing intercontinental ballistic missiles.", "North Korea fired two missiles off its east coast early Thursday, South Korea’s military said, Pyongyang’s latest provocation that threatens to further delay stalled nuclear talks.\n\nSouth Korea’s joint chiefs of staff said the missiles were launched from near North Korea’s eastern city of Wonsan and traveled about 430 kilometers at an altitude of 50 kilometers before splashing into the East Sea.\n\nThe statement did not say what kind of projectiles were fired. If Seoul’s estimate is correct, however, they would appear to be relatively short-range projectiles, similar to the range of missiles launched by North Korea in May.\n\n“It is likely that it is the same ISKANDER type that was shot in May,” Jeffrey Lewis, an expert in nuclear nonproliferation with the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, told VOA’s Korea Service.\n\nNo US response yet\n\nJapan’s defense ministry said it has not detected any ballistic missiles entering its exclusive economic zone. U.S. officials have not responded to the launch.\n\nThe launch underscores the inability of U.S. officials to advance working-level nuclear talks with North Korea, despite three meetings between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.\n\nIt has been less than a month since Trump shook hands with Kim at the demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas, a meeting White House officials portrayed at the time as a breakthrough.\n\nSince then, North Korea has not responded to U.S. requests to begin working-level negotiations. Instead, the North has continued ramping up provocations and threats, in what analysts say is an attempt to improve its negotiating position.\n\nLast week, North Korea’s foreign ministry hinted Pyongyang could forgo the talks, and may resume intercontinental ballistic missile launches and nuclear tests, if the U.S. and South Korea go ahead with planned joint military exercises.\n\nOn Tuesday, North Korean state media published photos of Kim and several other top military officials inspecting a newly built submarine that apparently can carry nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles.\n\nThe provocations are a reminder that North Korea is taking advantage of the stalled talks to continue developing its nuclear and weapons programs, despite Trump’s insistence that talks are progressing.\n\n“The Kim regime likely times these tests for international signaling purposes, applying political pressure on the U.S. and South Korea in an effort to get more for less in future negotiations,” says Leif-Eric Easley, a professor at Ewha Womans University in Seoul.\n\n“This contrast raises questions about North Korean intentions,” Easley says. “Kim’s plan appears to be keeping his country relatively closed and nuclear armed, while pocketing any political or economic benefits on offer.”\n\nKim declared a moratorium on all nuclear and ICBM tests in April 2018. Pyongyang, however, launched several short-range ballistic missiles and other projectiles in early May.\n\nThose missiles appeared to be North Korea’s version of Russian-made ISKANDER quasi-ballistic missiles, which, though short-range, are able to be maneuvered in-flight and are apparently designed to evade South Korean and U.S. missile defenses.\n\nThe tests violated United Nations Security Council resolutions, which ban North Korea from conducting any ballistic missile activity.\n\nIn an apparent effort to preserve the talks, Trump and other top White House officials refused to criticize those missile tests, noting that short-range missile launches do not violate Kim’s self-imposed moratorium.\n\nAnalysts at the time said that approach virtually ensured Kim would continue testing short-range missiles. Many are now calling for a firmer U.S. response to the latest launch.\n\n“Trump, the U.N. Security Council and Seoul should not turn a blind eye to short-range ballistic missile tests. They can react without killing diplomacy,” says Duyeon Kim, an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security.\n\nNorth Korea has given the U.S. until the end of the year to change its approach to the talks. Pyongyang wants the U.S. to provide security guarantees and relax sanctions in exchange for steps to partially dismantle its nuclear program.\n\nTrump insists he is in no hurry to reach a deal, insisting his friendship with Kim will eventually convince the young North Korean leader to give up his nuclear weapons.\n\n“Our relationship with North Korea has been very good,” Trump said Monday. “We’ve really established a good relationship with Kim Jong Un. I have personally. There’s no rocket testing. There’s no missile testing.”\n\nAt their first meeting last June in Singapore, Trump and Kim agreed to work toward the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. But the two sides have been unable to agree on what denuclearization means or how to move the process forward.\n\nNorth Korea’s latest launch demonstrates the limits of Trump’s personal outreach to Kim, says Vipin Narang, a nuclear and geopolitical expert at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.\n\n“It suggests what many feared: that Trump ceded leverage to Kim by acting like he wanted a deal — or talks — more than Kim did, and went to him,” Narang says.\n\n“But as Kim is pointing out: you came, but you didn’t change your negotiating position or attitude, and you’re going ahead with exercises, which you said you wouldn’t do after Singapore. So here’s a reminder of where things can go: I need more than a handshake,” Narang added.", "Japan and South Korea are mired in a trade dispute that runs the danger of further damaging their already fraught relationship at a time when the political situation in North Asia demands closer cooperation in the face of threats from a pugnacious government in North Korea, backed by Russian and Chinese governments happy to cause mischief.\n\nDavid Stilwell, a former Air Force general recently appointed assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, is shuttling between the two countries in an attempt to cool the situation, with the State Department saying it is “critical to ensure strong and close relationships between and among our three countries in the face of shared regional challenges” including that posed by North Korea.\n\nThe latest episode began on July 1 when Japan imposed export restrictions on three important industrial materials used by South Korean companies to make semiconductors and display screens. South Korea has now taken the dispute to the World Trade Organization (WTO).\n\nJapan is also mulling a plan to remove South Korea from a list of countries that face minimum trade restrictions, a so-called “white list,” insisting that its planned removal of preferential trade treatment for Seoul is similar to its requirements for over 160 countries across the world and that South Korea’s listing as the only Asian country on this white list ‘was a privilege and not a right.’\n\nThe Japanese government charges that Seoul was unable to prevent hydrogen fluoride from being passed on to North Korea. Hydrogen fluoride can be used in weapons development and given Tokyo’s worries vis-à-vis Pyongyang, its concerns seem valid. Seoul has, of course, denied the accusations.\n\nA Japanese Ministry of Trade, Economy and Industry statement on the issue notes that “through careful consideration among the relevant ministries in Japan, the government of Japan cannot help but state that the Japan-ROK relationship of trust including in the field of export control and regulation has been significantly undermined.”\n\nHowever, the dispute has to be seen in conjunction with many other issues, some going back for decades, that are bedeviling the ties between the neighbors. Earlier last year, for instance, a South Korean court ruled that Japanese companies should pay compensation to South Koreans who the court said were forced to work in Japanese factories when the Korean peninsula was under Japanese control between 1910 and 1945.\n\nThere are many other issues too, where the two countries do not see eye-to-eye. South Korean President Moon Jae-in favors a cautious approach which seeks to build better ties with the North. On the other hand, for Japan the crucial issue is the decades-old abduction of Japanese nationals by North Korea and without their return, the potential for normalization of ties between Japan and North Korea looks very dim.\n\nOther issues arise from the colonial period when Japan controlled the Korean peninsula although the issues were deemed to have settled by the 1965 Treaty of Basic Relations between Japan and South Korea.\n\nAll these come against the backdrop of the US-China trade war and Japan’s own trade tensions with the US. Although Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has managed to build a close relationship with US President Donald Trump, it hasn’t prevented Trump from taking aim at Japan’s exports to the US, especially in areas like automobiles.\n\nThe dispute is likely to have consequences on both the economic and political fronts, not only for the two countries, but beyond their borders too. There are fears that this could affect global supply chains and could hurt the fortunes of large tech companies across the world.\n\nOn the bilateral front, it is likely to worsen relations between the two countries, at one of the lowest points in the wake of a series of incidents. Already some South Korean businesses have called for a boycott of Japanese products.\n\nIt is also likely to make the resolution of the North Korean dispute even more difficult especially with respect to Japan’s ties with North Korea. Pyongyang has just tested two short-range missiles which clearly indicates that it is not willing to let go of its arsenal of nuclear weapons or missiles.\n\nIn addition, it is likely to make Washington’s task in Northeast Asia much more complicated. Both South Korea and Japan are strong US allies and any US misstep might see South Korea moving closer to China in the region.\n\nFor Abe, this comes at a time when his ruling coalition has secured a majority in the recent Upper House elections, though it won’t be enough to help him proceed with his pet project of constitutional amendment. For South Korean President Moon Jae-in, he is appealing to his domestic constituency as well through this issue. He has already been at loggerheads with Tokyo on a host of issues.\n\nEven though South Korea has taken the dispute to the World Trade Organization, it has failed to elicit support there. What is clear is that we are unlikely to see a quick resolution to this trade dispute between Japan and South Korea. Tokyo under Abe clearly has an edge over Seoul on this issue and hence can afford to bide its time and this is exactly what it seems to be doing at the moment.\n\nRupakjyoti Borah (rupakj@gmail.com) is a research fellow with the Tokyo-based Japan Forum for Strategic Studies. He has been an Assistant Professor of International Relations in India and a Visiting Fellow with the Japan Institute of International Affairs. The views expressed are personal. He tweets at @rupakj", "SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea fired two unidentified projectiles into sea on Thursday, South Korea's military said, the first launches in more than two months as North Korean and U.S. officials work to restart nuclear diplomacy.The South's Joint Chiefs of Staff said the projectiles fired from the eastern coastal town of Wonsan flew 430 kilometers (267 miles).It wasn't immediately known what type of projectiles North Korea fired. But in the past, such launches have involved missiles or artillery.The joint chiefs said South Korean and U.S. militaries were analyzing details of the launches.Thursday's launches came as the North was ramping up pressure on the United States ahead of the possible resumption of nuclear diplomacy.During a third summit at the Korean border late last month, U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un agreed to resume nuclear negotiations, which had been deadlocked since their second summit in Vietnam in February ended without any agreement due to disputes over U.S.-led sanctions.North Korea said last week it may lift its 20-month suspension of nuclear and missile tests to protest expected military drills between the United States and South Korea that Pyongyang says are an invasion rehearsal.On Tuesday, North Korean state media said Kim inspected a newly built submarine and ordered officials to further bolster the country's military capabilities.", "A day after two North Korean missile launches rattled Asia, the nation announced Friday that it had tested a “new-type tactical guided weapon” that was meant to be a “solemn warning” about South Korean weapons development and its rival’s plans to hold military exercises.\n\nThe message in the country’s state media quoted North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and was directed at “South Korean military warmongers.” It comes as U.S. and North Korean officials struggle to set up talks after a recent meeting on the Korean border between Kim and U.S. President Donald Trump seemed to provide a step forward in stalled nuclear negotiations.\n\nAlthough the North had harsh words for South Korea, the statement stayed away from the kind of belligerent attacks on the United States that have marked past announcements, a possible signal that it’s interested in keeping diplomacy alive.\n\nIt made clear, however, that North Korea is infuriated over U.S.-South Korean plans to hold military drills this summer that the North says are rehearsals for an invasion and proof of the allies’ hostility to Pyongyang.\n\nThe message was gloating at times, saying the test “must have given uneasiness and agony to some targeted forces enough as it intended.”\n\nSouth Korean Defense Ministry spokeswoman Choi Hyunsoo on Thursday urged the North to stop acts that are “not helpful to efforts to ease military tensions on the Korean Peninsula.”\n\nThe North’s firing of what the South called a new type of short-range ballistic missile in two launches into the sea Thursday was its first weapons launches in more than two months.\n\nThe South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the missiles were fired from near the eastern coastal town of Wonsan and flew about 430 kilometers (270 miles) and 690 kilometers (430 miles), respectively, before landing off the country’s east coast.\n\nA South Korean defense official, requesting anonymity because of department rules, said an initial analysis showed both missiles were fired from mobile launchers and flew at a maximum altitude of 50 kilometers (30 miles).\n\nThe North’s statement Friday said the weapons had “rapid anti-firepower capability” and “low-altitude gliding and leaping flight orbit … which would be hard to intercept.”\n\nKim was paraphrased as saying that the North “cannot but develop nonstop super powerful weapon systems to remove the potential and direct threats to the security of our country that exist in the south.”\n\nNorth Korea is banned by U.N. Security Council resolutions from engaging in any launch using ballistic technology. While the North could face international condemnation over the latest launches, it’s unlikely that the nation, already under 11 rounds of U.N. sanctions, will be hit with fresh punitive measures. The U.N. council has typically imposed new sanctions only when the North conducted long-range ballistic launches, not short-range ballistic launches.\n\nU.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for the swift resumption of talks between the United States and North Korea following the new missile launches.\n\nNorth Korea has been urging the U.S. and South Korea to scrap their military drills. Last week, the North said it may lift its 20-month suspension of nuclear and long-range missile tests in response.\n\nSeoul said Wednesday that North Korea was protesting the drills by refusing to accept its offer to send 50,000 tons of rice through an international agency.\n\nNorth Korea also may be trying to get an upper hand ahead of a possible resumption of nuclear talks. Pyongyang wants widespread sanctions relief so it can revive its dilapidated economy.\n\nU.S. officials demand North Korea first take significant steps toward disarmament before they will relinquish the leverage provided by the sanctions.\n\n“North Korea appears to be thinking its diplomacy with the U.S. isn’t proceeding in a way that they want. So they’ve fired missiles to get the table to turn in their favor,” said analyst Kim Dae-young at the Korea Research Institute for National Strategy.\n\nA senior U.S. official said the Trump administration knew about the launches. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to provide a response, said the administration had no further comment.\n\n“If they were ballistic missiles, they violate the U.N. resolutions, and I find it extremely regrettable,” Japan’s Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya told reporters in Tokyo.\n\nChina, the North’s last major ally and biggest aid provider, said both Washington and Pyongyang should restart their nuclear diplomacy as soon as possible.\n\nIt was the first missile launch since Seoul said North Korea fired three short-range missiles off its east coast in early May. At the time, many experts said those missiles strongly resembled the Russian-designed Iskander, a short-range, nuclear-capable ballistic missile that has been in the Russian arsenal for more than a decade.\n\nAnalyst Kim Dong-yub at Seoul’s Institute for Far Eastern Studies said the latest missiles could be Scud-C ballistic missiles or KN-23 surface-to-surface missiles, a North Korean version of the Iskander.", "Editor’s note: This is from 2017 but very useful as background on the deeper issues behind the current Japan-South Korea tensions.\n\nA continuing frustration for US strategic planners is the deep mistrust and division between Japan and South Korea.\n\nYou’d think it would be: You hate Communists, we hate Communists. You hate China, we hate China. We’re both US allies! We should hang out!\n\nBut it’s never like that, as US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has found out as he tries to wrangle Japan and South Korea into line on North Korea policy.\n\nThe current friction point is furious sparring over the placement of a “comfort woman” statue in front of the Japanese consulate in Busan, South Korea. It is there to confront and shame Japan over its use of 200,000 Korean women as sex slaves for the Japanese army throughout Asia during World War II.\n\nJapan decided to be angry instead of ashamed and withdrew its consul from Busan as a sign of its disapproval.\n\nThe rancor between Japan and South Korea is deep and has its roots in a century of injustice.\n\nAwkwardly for the United States, the key injustice is the US and Japan ganging up to screw Korea at the so-called San Francisco Peace Conference of 1951.\n\nSan Francisco was not a peace conference dealing out victor’s justice to Japan after World War II.\n\nBig Four Allies China and the Soviet Union weren’t invited. It wasn’t a peace conference dealing out human justice for the victims of Japanese aggression in World War II. China, as victim with 40 million dead, wasn’t there. Neither was Korea.\n\nNo, the San Francisco conference was the announcement of the new Cold War order in Asia, in which Japan was rehabilitated as America’s indispensable partner against Communist expansion.\n\nWorld War II was officially in the rear view mirror, and Japan’s victims were called on to suck it up and let bygones be bygones.\n\nThe biggest ripoff of the San Francisco Treaty was to allow Japan to set aside indefinitely the issue of reparations for countries it had ravaged during the war.\n\nAs for Korea…well, nobody wanted to talk about Korea. In fact, keeping Korea out of the San Francisco Conference and the Koreans in legal limbo was vital to the joint US-Japanese project.\n\nJapan had annexed Korea to the empire in 1910. Japanese rule over Korea did not go very well.\n\nRule was often clumsy and brutal and it was resisted. And when the horror of World War II descended, Korea was stripped of hundreds of thousands of its people to serve the Japanese war machine as soldiers and policemen, workers in its mines and factories, and sex slaves.\n\nBecause of the 1910 annexation, Koreans lived and died as full citizens of the Japanese empire.\n\nBut as the Japanese empire crumbled in the waning days of World War II, it appears Japan decided to abandon its dreams of empire and re-invent itself as a monoethnic nationalistic bastion, as Ataturk reinvented the core of the Ottoman empire as Turkey after the catastrophe of World War I. That meant dumping Korea…and forgetting the Koreans.\n\nLiterally the last act of the Japanese emperor before submitting to the US occupation in 1945 was to downgrade the citizenship of Koreans, both in Korea and in Japan, by stripping them of their right to vote.\n\nBy 1951 over 600,000 Koreans, many of whom had resided there for decades, remained in Japan. Now known as zainichi or “sojourners”, they were considered to be an unwelcome, unassimilable underclass riddled with criminals and Communists, that the US and Japanese authorities were eager to repatriate to Korea as soon as possible.\n\nWhen it came time to negotiate a peace treaty and restore Japanese sovereignty, Japan was prepared to fling aside its claim to rule Korea without a thought. However, Japan and the US saw a danger that the zainichi might agitate for rights and residence and citizenship and compensation in Japan and mess up the nice neat settlement that was planned.\n\nThe inconvenience was removed by refusing to let the Republic of Korea participate in the conference and put the zainichi on the agenda. As soon as the San Francisco Treaty was ratified and Japan regained its sovereignty, it passed a law stripping the Korean zainichi of their Japanese citizenship and turned them into stateless persons.\n\nAnd once the Koreans were stripped of their Japanese citizenship, they were not entitled to share in the benefits of Japanese citizens, such as the compensation the postwar Japanese government voted to Japanese war veterans…even though the Korean veterans had been full Japanese citizens during the war.\n\nHaving denied the Koreans Japanese citizenship to strip them of any current rights, the US and Japan colluded to use Koreans’ previous Japanese citizenship to strip them of their past rights.\n\nAccording to the US and Japan, all those things that Japan had done to Koreans before and during World War II were legal, because Koreans were citizens of the Japanese empire and subject to Japanese law. Just like Japanese citizens on the main islands, they were not entitled to compensation for their suffering and ill treatment during the war.\n\nKoreans, in other words, were only Japanese citizens when it could hurt them and not when it could help them.\n\nAs to the legal standing of the Republic of Korea, Japan and the United States certainly didn’t regard it as the restored government of pre-1910 independent Korea. It was simply a successor administration put in place by the United States, which had taken over land that Japan had legally annexed with extensive international recognition in 1910 but then formally renounced in 1951 per the terms of the peace treaty.\n\nObligation of Japan to the ROK: nothing.\n\nLess than nothing, in fact.\n\nAs late as 1957, the Japanese government was still claiming that the South Korean government should compensate Japan for Japanese property lost after the war. And when Japan and South Korea finally normalized relations, it was not on the basis of criminal liability and reparations; it was on the basis of mutual commercial restitution, tying up a few loose ends after Japan had legally walked away from Korea.\n\nThe negotiations took 15 years In 1965, the Park dictatorship concluded an agreement to normalize relations with Japan that many Koreans regarded as a sellout. Japan promised $300 million in cash and $500 million in soft loans; and with the encouragement of the United States, the ROK endorsed the San Francisco Treaty as a “final settlement”. The resultant demonstrations and rioting brought martial law to the streets of Seoul.\n\nAs far as Japan was concerned, that was the end of it. It had no obligation either for 35 years of colonization or for its conduct during the war.\n\nBut for Korea it was just the beginning of decades of legal arguing and moral hectoring in an attempt to get Japan to acknowledge it had done wrong on the Korean peninsula.\n\nA variety of arguments were put forth: that the 1910 annexation was illegal, because a key document lacked the Korean emperor’s official seal; that despite the 1965 agreement, individual Koreans still had the legal right to pursue compensation for abuses during colonial rule; and since the Dokdo islands had not been explicitly mentioned in the San Francisco Peace Treaty as Japanese territory, Japan should accept them as ROK territory.\n\nIn short, the entire historical record was trawled to discover any plausible legal grounds for compelling acknowledgment of culpability and compensation by Japan.\n\nBy review of thousands of pages of Korean government documents relating to negotiations over normalization with Japan, a new issue was discovered, one that had not in any way shaped the 1965 treaty negotiations: the comfort women.\n\nIt was an especially compelling issue because apparently only Korean and Chinese women were subjected to forced conscription as sex workers serving the Japanese military, not ethnic Japanese or Okinawans. This gave the lie to to Japanese claim of equal treatment to Koreans as full Japanese citizens during the war and exposed the exploitative and colonial aspect of Japanese rule.\n\nThe Japanese government dodged and weaved to try to minimize the public relations fallout of the wrenching testimony of Korean women who were taken from their homes, shipped overseas to military brothels, and forced to have sex with up to 50 Japanese soldiers a day. No, smearing them as willing prostitutes was not the way out. The Japanese government stammered out some apologies and mediated the establishment of a comfort women fund…funded by private contributions.\n\nIn other words, no acknowledgment of Japanese government responsibility, no admission of legal liability for acts during the period of Japanese rule, and no obligation to pay compensation.\n\nWhen arch-nationalist Shinzo Abe came to power, Japan rejected the “victor’s justice” of World War II and changed the frame of Korean dialogue to Japan’s victimhood. Instead of talking about the millions of Korean lives shattered by Japan’s imperial misdeeds, he obsessed with 13 Japanese abductees kidnapped by North Korea. And by an act of the Japanese parliament, it was officially confirmed that Japan had never officially apologized for the treatment of the comfort women.\n\nNo surprise, then, that resentment still smolders at the heart of Japanese-Korean relations.\n\nIn the United States, jumping in bed with Japanese war criminals is seen as George Kennan’s masterstroke that kept America in the game in the Western Pacific. In fact, the post World War II security structure in Asia is called the San Francisco System.\n\nAs one group of US diplomats put it:\n\nBeginning of a Beautiful Friendship: The 1951 Treaty of Peace with Japan\n\nThe US has pretty much written the betrayal of Korea at San Francisco out of history. Maybe that’s why it finds Korea-Japan hostility so baffling.\n\nLet me try to help.\n\nInstead of the beautiful friendship between the United States and Japan, think of San Francisco as the horrible end of a horrible marriage between Korea and Japan.\n\nThe husband, Japan, beat the wife, Korea, raped the daughters, sent the sons off to die on battlefields and in the mines. Then he abandoned the family, found a crooked court, and bribed the judge. He got an ironclad divorce and dodged alimony. And then the husband married the crooked judge—the United States—and started a new life of riches and honor. And then came back to tell the ex-wife she’s not doing enough to make the relationship work.\n\nIf Koreans don’t find that kind of relationship beautiful, maybe we can…forgive them."], "summary": "Japan warns on Saturday that the new North Korean projectiles have trajectories that are not typical for conventional ballistic missiles, making them difficult or impossible to intercept en route to Japan."}
{"document": ["Abuja, Nigeria (CNN) At least 65 people are dead following a suspected attack by Boko Haram on a funeral gathering in northeastern Nigeria, according to local officials.\n\nThe attack occurred Saturday during a burial in the Nganzai district, near the Borno state capital, Maiduguri, local government chairman Muhammed Bulama said.\n\nTwenty-one people were initially killed during the burial ceremony, Bulama said. An additional 44 people were killed when villagers ran after the assailants, the official said.\n\nAt least 10 people were injured in the attack. Eight of them were critically wounded and were being treated at an area hospital, he said.\n\nBoko Haram militants have inhabited the northern states of Nigeria for the past decade. The terror group says its aim is to impose a stricter enforcement of Sharia law across Africa's most populous nation, which is split between a majority Muslim north and a mostly Christian south.\n\nRead More", "An attack by Boko Haram terrorists on a funeral in northeast Nigeria left 65 people dead, almost triple the initial toll, a local official said Sunday.\n\nDozens more bodies were discovered following the assault Saturday by gunmen on a village close to the regional capital Maiduguri in Borno State.\n\n\"It is 65 people dead and 10 injured,\" local government chairman Muhammed Bulama said.\n\nBulama said more than 20 people died in the initial attack on a funeral gathering. Dozens more were killed as they tried to chase after the terrorists.\n\nThe leader of a local anti-Boko Haram militia confirmed the death toll, while giving a slightly different account of the attack.\n\nBunu Bukar Mustapha told AFP 23 people were killed as they returned from the funeral and \"the remaining 42 were killed when they pursued the terrorists.\"\n\nBulama said he thought the latest attack was in retaliation for the killing two weeks ago of 11 Boko Haram fighters by local residents when the fighters approached their village. The residents also captured 10 automatic rifles.\n\nBoko Haram has waged a decade-long insurgency in northeast Nigeria that has killed around 27,000 people and displaced more than 2 million.\n\nThe group has splintered between the Boko Haram faction loyal to historic leader Abubakar Shekau and an affiliate of the Daesh terror group.\n\nShekau's group tends to hit softer targets including civilians, while the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) has since last year ratcheted up its campaign against the military.", "An attack this weekend by Boko Haram fighters on a funeral in the northeastern state of Borno in Nigeria has left 65 people dead, almost three times the initial toll, a local official said.\n\nDozens of more bodies were discovered on Sunday following the assault a day before by gunmen on a village close to the regional capital, Maiduguri.\n\n\"It is 65 people dead and 10 injured,\" said Muhammed Bulama, the local government chairman.\n\nBulama added that more than 20 people had died in the initial attack on a funeral gathering. Dozens more were killed as they tried to chase after the attackers.\n\nThe leader of a local anti-Boko Haram militia confirmed the death toll, giving a slightly different account of the attack.\n\nBunu Bukar Mustapha told AFP news agency that 23 people were killed as they returned from the funeral and \"the remaining 42 were killed when they pursued the terrorists\".\n\nBulama said he thought the latest attack was in retaliation for the killing two weeks ago of 11 Boko Haram fighters by local residents when the fighters approached their village. The residents also captured 10 automatic rifles.\n\nNigerian President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday condemned the attack and directed the country's air force and army to begin air patrols and ground operations to hunt down the attackers, a statement released by the president's office said.\n\nBoko Haram has waged a decade-long in northeast Nigeria that has killed around 27,000 people and displaced more than two million.\n\nThe group has splintered between the Boko Haram faction loyal to historic leader Abubakar Shekau and an affiliate of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIS) group.\n\nShekau's group tends to hit softer targets including civilians, while the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) has since last year ratcheted up its campaign against the military.", "An attack by Boko Haram fighters on a funeral in northeast Nigeria left 65 people dead, almost triple the initial toll, a local official said Sunday.\n\nDozens of more bodies were discovered following the assault Saturday by gunmen on a village close to the regional capital Maiduguri.\n\n\"It is 65 people dead and 10 injured,\" local government chairman Muhammed Bulama said.\n\nBorno is the epicentre of the Boko Haram and related Islamic State in West Africa (ISWA) insurgency. The conflict has lasted a decade, during which time the militants have killed thousands and millions have fled from their homes in the region.\n\nResident Bakura Mallam Amadu said he saw the insurgents gather before opening fire at funeral attendees in a village on Saturday.\n\nDan Batta, a state emergency official, confirmed the attacks and said authorities had mobilised to support injured civilians.\n\nHe declined to comment on the death toll.", "Dozens of mourners ‘killed by Boko Haram’ at a funeral in north Nigeria\n\nAt least 65 people have lost their lives after suspected Boko Haram militants opened fire on a funeral in Nigeria’s north-eastern state of Borno.\n\nGunmen arrived on motorcycles and in vans at the village near the state capital, Maiduguri, on Saturday, eyewitnesses say.\n\nA number of mourners were reportedly killed straight away, while others died trying to chase off the attackers.\n\nThere has been an increase in Islamist attacks across the region.\n\nLocal government official Muhammed Bulama said he thought the latest attack was in revenge for the killing of 11 Boko Haram fighters by the villagers two weeks ago.\n\nTens of thousands of civilians have been killed and more than two million displaced over the past decade of conflict.\n\nBoko Haram, loosely translated, means “Western education is banned” and promotes a version of Islam that forbids Muslims to take part in any political or social activity associated with the West. The group is fighting to overthrow the government and create an Islamic state.\n\nIt has been active not only in Nigeria, but also in the neighbouring countries of Chad, Niger and Cameroon.\n\nBoko Haram has been notorious for kidnapping schoolchildren and attracted global media attention in 2014 following the abduction of almost 300 girls from a school in the town of Chibok, in Borno, the state where the militant group has been most active.\n\nIn 2015, it was ranked the world’s deadliest terror group by the Institute for Economics and Peace.\n\nTerritory controlled by the group has declined in recent years and it has splintered into competing factions.\n\nHowever, the Islamist militants remain active in the region, defying attempts by the army to bring the insurgency to an end. BBC News", "Boko Haram gunmen on Saturday killed 23 mourners in Borno state in Nigeria's restive northeast after they attended a funeral, local militia and residents said.\n\nAt about 10:30 GMT, the attackers on three motorbikes opened fire on a group of men as they walked back from a funeral in Nganzai district near the state capital Maiduguri, local militia leader Bunu Bukar Mustapha said.\n\n\"Our men recovered 23 dead bodies from the scene of the attack, which happened this morning,\" Mustapha said.\n\nThe men were returning to Badu Kuluwu from nearby Goni Abachari village where they had attended funeral prayers for a relative, said Mustapha.\n\nA Nganzai district official confirmed both the incident and death toll.\n\n\"I received calls from Nganzai that Boko Haram killed 23 people near Badu Kuluwu this morning,\" said the official, who asked not to be identified for his own safety.\n\nLocal hunters and militia recovered the bodies after survivors returned to the village and alerted them, Nganzai resident Saleh Masida said.\n\nIn September last year, the group killed eight people and stole livestock in two villages in the area after residents tried to stop them from taking their animals.\n\nBoko Haram and its Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant-supported ISWAP splinter have intensified attacks on civilian and military targets in recent months.\n\nLate Thursday, Boko Haram fighters attacked a camp for displaced people outside Maiduguri, killing two residents and looting food supplies after burning a nearby military base.\n\nThe decade-long conflict has spilled over into neighbouring Chad, Niger and Cameroon, claiming about 27,000 lives and forcing more than two million people to flee their homes.", "MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AP) — Suicide bombings, mass kidnappings, tens of thousands of people killed. A ghastly insurgency by the homegrown Islamic extremist group Boko Haram marks 10 years this week in northeastern Nigeria, where many residents say life has been set back by decades.\n\n\"It feels like 100 years, because everything seems to be moving slowly and not getting any better for me and my family,\" said Hassan Mamman, who fled to Maiduguri, the region's main city, after Boko Haram attacks on his rural home. He is among millions of people displaced. \"I miss my community and always crave it but the merchants of death just won't let us have that much-needed peace.\"\n\nFriday marks a decade since Nigerian forces clashed with the extremists at Maiduguri's central mosque. More than 700 people were killed, including leader Mohammed Yusuf, according to officials and rights groups.\n\nFrom that violence sprang the insurgency of Boko Haram, which in the Hausa language means \"Western education is taboo.\" The extremists have sought to establish a strict Islamic caliphate in Nigeria, carrying out attacks as far away as the capital, Abuja. The violence has also spilled into neighboring Chad, Cameroon and Niger. In recent years some fighters have pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group, creating a new threat.\n\nBoko Haram seized the world's attention with the mass kidnapping of nearly 300 schoolgirls from Chibok in 2014, sparking a #BringBackOurGirls campaign supported by then-U.S. first lady Michelle Obama and others. While many schoolgirls have since been freed, countless other people abducted over the decade remain lost to their loved ones. They include aid workers; on Wednesday a recently seized nurse pleaded in a video for Nigeria's government to help, saying they could be killed.\n\nWhile Nigerian officials have repeatedly claimed victory over Boko Haram, weary residents say there is no end in sight to the attacks that have created one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, with more than 7 million people still dependent on food aid.\n\nIn interviews with The Associated Press, a range of people described how their lives and culture have been torn apart. \"Our age-long legendary values for decency, where there is mutual respect and regard between men and women, have been eroded in just 10 years,\" said Hamsatu Allamin, who leads a peacebuilding foundation. Women widowed by the fighting have become beggars or sex workers, she said. Children no longer respect their elders.\n\n\"We have been plunged backward by many decades,\" said Abba-Aji Kalli, who leads a civilian self-defense force. Sometimes the damage appears irreversible, he said.\n\nSome observers allege that certain Nigerian officials are profiting from the unrest via corruption and have little interest in ending the bloodshed. Rights groups have accused some Nigerian security forces of abuses in the fight against Boko Haram including extra-judicial killings and mass arrests. Nigeria's government has angrily rejected such allegations.\n\n\"We will continue to pursue and strengthen all options for peace and will not relent,\" said Baba Sheikh Haruna, spokesman for the governor of Borno state where Maiduguri is located. He said the government recently welcomed more than 150 Boko Haram members who surrendered and expressed hope that the 10-year anniversary would cause other fighters to reflect and lay down their arms.\n\nSome 1.9 million displaced people are waiting for the chance to go home, said Hilde Jorgensen with the Norwegian Refugee Council. \"Many of them are in camps that are overcrowded, without proper shelter or access to clean water.\"\n\nNot even the camps are safe. Boko Haram gunmen on motorcycles stormed a military-guarded camp in Maiduguri on Thursday night, killing a woman and child and looting shops, local authorities said.\n\nOne of the many displaced people is Musa Jidda, who fled after Boko Haram attacked his rural home in Marte.\n\n\"Here I am, stripped of all that made me a man and a breadwinner,\" Jidda said. \"Every day my heart bleeds in bitterness of seeing my family and I turned beggars. I cannot feed my family. Even what they give us here to feed on is not enough. All I want is for them to open this camp gate and let me go home.\"\n\nEven though Boko Haram has been in the public eye for 10 years, not much is still known about the extremist group, said Matthew Page, associate fellow with the London-based international affairs group Chatham House.\n\n\"It's a very decentralized group, which contrasts with other jihadist groups that are tightly organized,\" Page said. \"Boko Haram doesn't have much in the way of coherent strategy and focus, yet they have defied the odds and survived.\"\n\nHe said Nigeria's government has been ineffective in combatting Boko Haram, largely as a result of corruption. \"So there is a kind of uneasy standoff. Boko Haram could continue for 30 years.\"\n\nSome residents of Maiduguri, however, are not giving up hope that peace can return.\n\nMamman, whose displaced family has sheltered in the city for five years, said he imagined the extremists could be weary as well after a decade on the run.\n\n\"Ten years is just enough for them to give up and embrace peace,\" he said. He plans to do his part. He is now studying at the University of Maiduguri and says he will use his experience to persuade Boko Haram's members \"in my own little ways\" to put down their arms for good.", "Many people were killed when suspected members of the Boko Haram attacked a funeral procession in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.\n\nThe attack is believed to have occurred on Sunday, with the presidency saying “tens of mourners” were killed.\n\nMaiduguri is considered the safest part of Borno State, but attacks by the Boko Haram still occur in and around the city.\n\nIn a statement on Sunday night, presidential aide, Garba Shehu, said President Muhammadu Buhari strongly condemned the attack on the mourners.\n\nThe president has received assurances from the armed forces that the terrorists who committed these killings “will pay a big price for their action,” Mr Shehu said.\n\n“The federal government is firmly and resolutely committed to taking all necessary measures to safeguard the nation’s security. This administration is determined to end the menace of terrorism,” the spokesperson quoted Mr Buhari as saying.\n\nHe said a major exercise has begun to hunt down the attackers with air patrols by the nation’s Air Force and ground operations by the army.\n\nThe president assures the residents of Maiduguri and the citizens settled in IDP camps that they will receive increased protection from further attacks by the assailants, Mr Shehu said.\n\nThe latest attack occurs about 10 years since the Boko Haram insurgency began in Borno State.\n\nThe insurgency has led to tens of thousands of deaths and the displacement of about two million people.\n\nMany of the displaced persons live in internally displaced persons’ camps in Borno State. About 30 of such camps are believed to be in Borno, a majority in Maiduguri.\n\nThe Boko Haram, which wants to establish an Islamic caliphate in northern Nigeria, has carried out several attacks across Northern Nigeria including in Abuja.\n\nThe group’s activities have, however, been limited to Adamawa, Borno and Yobe by security operatives since 2016.\n\nDespite the efforts of the security services, however, the group is still able to carry out attacks on civilians and soldiers in the three affected states.", "MAIDUGURI, Nigeria, July 28 (Reuters) - At least 65 people died in an attack by suspected Islamists on a group returning from a funeral in Nigeria's northeastern Borno region, state television reported on Sunday, one of the deadliest attacks on civilians in recent years.\n\nThere was no immediate claim of responsibility, but the Boko Haram group and rival Islamic State in West Africa (ISWA) splinter group have often carried out attacks in the area.\n\nLocal government chairman Mohammed Bulama was quoted as saying on state television that the assailants killed 21 people returning from the funeral on Saturday and another 44 people when they tried to regroup to defend themselves.\n\nOthers were injured, he said, meaning the death toll may rise.\n\nPresident Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday condemned the attack and directed the military to hunt down the perpetrators, a statement from the presidential office said.\n\nBorno state is the epicenter of the Boko Haram and ISWA insurgency. The conflict has lasted a decade, during which time the militants have killed thousands and millions have fled from their homes in the region.\n\nResident Bakura Mallam Amadu said he saw the insurgents gather before firing on the funeral attendees. A security source said Islamists attacked on motorbikes and in vans.\n\nBuhari won a second term in February promising to improve security in Nigeria.\n\nNigeria's government says Boko Haram and ISWA have been largely defeated and driven out of territory they once held, but they continue to attack both civilian and military targets. (Reporting by Maiduguri newsroom; Additional reporting by Felix Onuah in Abuja Writing by Chijioke Ohuocha; Editing by Dale Hudson, Andrew Cawthorne and Sonya Hepinstall)", "Boko Haram gunmen on Saturday killed 23 mourners in Borno state in Nigeria's restive northeast after they attended a funeral, local militia and residents said.\n\nAt around 1030 GMT, the attackers on three motorbikes opened fire on a group of men as they walked back from a funeral in Nganzai district near the state capital Maiduguri, local militia leader Bunu Bukar Mustapha said.\n\n\"Our men recovered 23 dead bodies from the scene of the attack, which happened this morning,\" Mustapha told AFP.\n\nThe men were returning to Badu Kuluwu from nearby Goni Abachari village where they had attended funeral prayers for a relative, Mustapha said.\n\nA Nganzai district official confirmed both the incident and death toll.\n\n\"I received calls from Nganzai that Boko Haram killed 23 people near Badu Kuluwu this morning,\" said the official, who asked not to be identified for his own safety.\n\nLocal hunters and militia recovered the bodies after survivors returned to the village and alerted them, Nganzai resident Saleh Masida said."], "summary": "At least 65 people are killed and 10 injured in an attack by Boko Haram at a funeral in Maiduguri, Nigeria."}
{"document": ["ROME — Two teenage American tourists were arrested on Saturday and accused of murder and attempted extortion in the fatal stabbing of a military police officer in Rome, Italian officials said.\n\nThe teenagers, identified as Finnegan Lee Elder, 19, and Gabriel Christian Natale Hjorth, 18, both born in San Francisco, were accused of stabbing the officer, Deputy Brig. Mario Cerciello Rega of Italy’s military police, or carabinieri, on Friday morning. The officer had tried to recover a backpack the two men were accused of stealing a few hours earlier, officials said.\n\nThe suspects have admitted to the crime, according to a statement by the carabinieri press office.\n\nThe killing of the 35-year-old officer, who had recently returned to work after his honeymoon, shook Italians and spurred front-page newspaper headlines. “Rome, violent city. Carabiniere murdered” was the headline emblazoned on the Roman daily Il Tempo. The front page of another newspaper, Il Messaggero, read: “Killed to defend Rome,” while La Repubblica wrote, “Carabiniere killed in Rome’s drugland.”", "Two 19-year-old Americans have been arrested while on vacation in Rome over the murder of an Italian police officer Friday, Italian police told CNN Saturday.\n\nThe Carabinieri police force said in a statement that the pair were arrested Friday night for “the crime of aggravated murder and attempted extortion.”\n\nPolice named the suspects as Christian Gabriel Natale Hjorth and Elder Finnegan Lee, and said both were from San Francisco. Photos of the pair have not been released.\n\nItalian police officer Mario Cerciello Rega was stabbed eight times at 2 a.m. local time on Friday, in the Prati neighborhood of Rome on Via Pietro Cossa, near the hotel where the two young men were staying, police said. Officer Rega was declared dead at 4:30 a.m.\n\nThe police statement said surveillance footage and witness testimonies had allowed the Capitoline Investigative Unit to identify the two responsible for the “heinous crime.”\n\nThe two Americans were arrested inside their hotel room in Rome.\n\n“They were already ready to leave the country,” police said. “During the search of the hotel room, which was occupied by the two detainees, the murder weapon was found and seized, a knife of considerable size, cleverly hidden behind a ceiling panel, as well as the clothes worn during the crime.\n\n“The two, once at the station, were interrogated by the Carabinieri, under the direction of the magistrates of the Public Prosecutor of Rome, in the face of overwhelming evidence, they confessed to the charge.”\n\nOnly one of the men is accused of stabbing the officer, but both admit to taking part in the fracas, police said.\n\nPolice also noted that the Americans had stolen a backpack from an Italian citizen shortly before the murder. The suspects subsequently answered the owner’s cellphone, which they had also taken, and told him “they would not return the backpack without 100 euros and 1 gram of cocaine,” police added.\n\nAfter police were contacted by the victim, officers met the American suspects under the guise of retrieving the backpack.\n\nThey subsequently identified themselves as law enforcement officers, upon which one of the suspects took out a knife and stabbed the officer eight times before fleeing the scene, police said.\n\nThe police said that the pair “did not hesitate to engage in a scuffle which culminated in the tragic deadly wounding of Mario Rega Cerciello.”\n\nMatteo Salvini, Italy’s far right interior minister, expressed his condolences over the officer’s death. “Mario, a police officer, a hero, a boy with all his life ahead of him, who had been married for just 40 days,” he wrote on Twitter. “How much sadness, how much anger. A prayer, a hug to his loved ones.”\n\nItalian state police (Polizia di Stato, in Italian) also paid tribute to the murdered officer shortly after news of his death emerged, with a number of police cars sounding their sirens outside the Carabinieri headquarters in Rome.\n\nLee “has maintained his right to remain silent,” his lawyer Francesco Codini told media outside Rome’s Regina Coeli prison. “Looking at the circumstances, it doesn’t seem right to do interviews also because an officer is dead and for respect of the family, I would stop here.”\n\nThe US State Department said Saturday it is aware of the arrests.\n\n“We stand ready to provide all appropriate consular services in cases where US citizens are detained or arrested abroad,” the State Department said in a brief statement to CNN.\n\nThe investigation into the officer’s murder is ongoing.", "Two US teenagers held over killing of Italian cop\n\nROME: Two US teenagers appeared at a court hearing in Rome on Saturday after being arrested over the murder of an Italian police officer whose death has sparked a national outcry.\n\nOfficer Mario Rega Cerciello died after being stabbed eight times as he and a colleague tried to arrest two men following a complaint for theft. Cerciello, 35, had only recently returned from his honeymoon.\n\nHis killing took on a political aspect when the country's far-right Interior Minister Matteo Salvini, responding to initial reports that the suspects were North African, denounced the killers as \"bastards\". Police said they arrested the two American teens on Friday as they were preparing to check out of their Rome hotel and fly home.\n\nProsecutors have charged them over the killing, which occurred in the small hours of Friday morning in Rome´s city centre. Media reports citing the police have named the two suspects as Christian Gabriel Natale Hjorth and Elder Finnegan Lee, both aged 19.\n\nOne of them has confessed to the killing but said that he did not realise that Cerciello was a police officer because both the officers involved were in plain clothes, according to Italian media reports, citing the police.\n\nThe incident happened in an up-market neighbourhood near Vatican City. A statement from Italian police said that the two Americans had confessed to stealing a bag from an Italian. They were demanding 100 euros ($111) and a gramme of cocaine for its return.\n\nThe victim of the theft tipped off the police, but when the two officers went to arrest the pair, one of them pulled a knife. Italian media reports, citing investigators, said that the two US teenagers told police that the man they had stolen from had sold them aspirin powder instead of cocaine.\n\nThe suspect who confessed to stabbing Cerciello said he had taken the officers for friends of the alleged dealer and had panicked.", "ROME — Two teenage tourists from San Francisco were arrested Saturday and accused of murder and attempted extortion in the fatal stabbing of a military police officer in Rome, Italian officials said.\n\nThe teenagers, identified as Finnegan Lee Elder, 19, and Gabriel Christian Natale Hjorth, 18, both born in San Francisco, were accused of stabbing the officer, Deputy Brig. Mario Cerciello Rega of Italy’s military police, or carabinieri, on Friday morning. The officer had tried to recover a backpack the two men were accused of stealing a few hours earlier, officials said.\n\nThe suspects admitted to the crime, according to a statement by the carabinieri press office.\n\nThe killing of the 35-year-old officer, who had recently returned to work after his honeymoon, shook Italians and spurred front-page headlines. “Rome, violent city. Carabiniere murdered” was the headline emblazoned on the Roman daily Il Tempo.\n\nThe two Americans were arrested at a four-star hotel room in the Prati neighborhood of Rome on Friday as they were getting ready to leave the country, according to the carabinieri press office.\n\nThe statement said officers found “a knife of considerable size,” believed to be the weapon used to kill Cerciello Rega, hidden behind a panel in the hotel room ceiling, along with clothes that the men had apparently worn during the attack.\n\nA military police spokesman said the crime had unfolded after the two Americans approached an Italian man asking where they could buy drugs, and he indicated a seller nearby. The spokesman said the Americans bought drugs, but “according to what they say, they weren’t real drugs,” so they sought out the seller to get their money back.\n\nWhen they couldn’t find him, the spokesman said, they returned to the first Italian man and stole his backpack, which contained his cell phone. Later, when the man called his phone, the Americans demanded “100 euros and a gram of cocaine” for its return, police said.\n\nThey made an appointment to meet near the hotel where the two men were staying. The victim of the theft called the carabinieri, and two plainclothes officers went to the meeting in his place.\n\nA fight ensued, and Elder then stabbed Cerciello Rega eight times, police said.\n\nElder’s lawyer, Francesco Codini, said in a phone interview that the two teenagers had availed themselves of the right to remain silent during a court hearing on Saturday. A judge in Rome must rule on whether to confirm the arrest.\n\nAsked how his client, whom he first met Saturday morning, was doing, Codini replied, “Not well.” Elder does not speak Italian, said the lawyer, who declined to address his client’s purported confession.\n\nThe suspects are being held in the Regina Coeli prison. A lawyer for the younger man could not immediately be reached for comment.\n\nreadFull Witnesses and surveillance video cameras soon put the carabinieri on the trail of the Americans. They were tracked from their first encounter with the Italian with the backpack in the Trastevere neighborhood to a street where they were running with the backpack in hand. Some Italian news outlets linked the killing to Rome’s underground drug trade and to bigger operations that finance other illicit trafficking. Other reports wondered why the officer and his partner did not use their firearms during the encounter. Others asked why the two carabinieri did not wait for backup, as protocol would suggest. The Italian affiliate of the broadcaster Sky News reported that the funeral of Cerciello Rega will be held Monday in the city of Somma Vesuviana, in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius, at the same church where he was married less than two months ago.", "(CBS) – Two American teenagers have been implicated in an Italian policeman’s murder and are being held pending formal charges, Italy’s Carabinieri police force said Saturday.\n\nThe two, both 19 years old, “confessed their deeds” after an Italian paramilitary policeman was fatally stabbed in Rome on Friday while investigating the theft of a bag with a cellphone. Elder Finnegan Lee and Christian Gabriel Natale Hjorth are being detained for aggravated murder and attempted extortion, correspondent Seth Doane reports.\n\nA 35-year-old newlywed Carabinieri officer, Mario Rega, was stabbed to death on a Rome street early Friday morning. The Carabinieri said their investigation reveals that shortly before the murder, the two young men stole a backpack from an Italian man, and then threatened him during a phone call that they would not return the backpack unless they were given 100 euros and a gram of cocaine.\n\nThe man reported the incident to the Carabinieri, who came to the meeting to stop the criminals. But a scuffle unfolded, and the Carabinieri officer was stabbed to death.\n\nLaw enforcement found the Americans in their hotel room at Le Méridien Visconti, ready to leave Italy. Police say they searched the room and found the murder weapon – a “knife of considerable size,” hidden behind a ceiling panel.\n\nPopulist politicians have taken to social media today railing against “foreign animals” being allowed in Italy.\n\nRega, the slain officer, was from Somma Vesuviana, Italy. He did volunteer work with the poor, accompanied sick people to Catholic shrines, and brought meals to the homeless at Rome’s main station. His funeral on Monday will be at the same church where he was married just 43 days ago.\n\nThe two Americans are reportedly from California. A lawyer for one of the men was spotted arriving at Regina Coeli, the Rome jail where they are being held.\n\nA preliminary hearing is being held to determine whether to formally charge them.", "Two Americans arrested in connection with the death of an Italian paramilitary officer had blamed each other for committing murder, court documents sent to reporters show.\n\nGabriel Christian Natale-Hjorth, 18, and Finnegan Lee Elder, 19, both from Mill Valley, California, were detained by police in Rome on Friday for alleged homicide and attempted extortion.\n\nPolice have said the pair had a violent encounter with two plainclothes members of the storied Carabinieri paramilitary corps, after having stolen a backpack from an Italian national and demanded money and a gram of cocaine in exchange for its return.\n\nOn Sunday, police released audio files of two calls with the Italian national who allegedly had his backpack stolen. He alleged he had spoken to the people who stole his bag by calling his cellphone, which had been inside the bag, adding that the suspects demanded money for the return of his belongings.\n\nThe dispatcher agreed to send an officer to meet the victim.\n\nMario Cerciello Rega, 35, who had just returned to duty a few days earlier from his honeymoon, was dispatched on Friday to meet with the Americans as part of the investigation, authorities said.\n\nA detention order says Natale-Hjorth, who can understand Italian, confirmed that Rega identified himself as a Carabiniere officer. Elder, who doesn't speak the language, denies the officer revealed who he was.\n\nThe encounter quickly turned deadly with a violent struggle that resulted in Rega's stabbing. The pair then fled to their hotel room at the four-star Le Meridien, where police found them hours later, the order says.\n\nWhen separately interrogated, each suspect blamed the other for the stabbing, according to the document. However, Elder had recognized the weapon — a large knife seized from their hotel room — as his own and also confirmed it was the murder weapon, the document says.\n\nThe detention order requires the men to be detained in isolation and forbids them from meeting. It also deems them a flight risk because they are foreign citizens.\n\nA leaked photo that appears to show one of the men in police custody, blindfolded and handcuffed while sitting with his head bowed, is being investigated by police.\n\nIn a phone interview with the Associated Press, Provincial Cmdr. Francesco Gargaro confirmed the photo's authenticity and added that blindfolding a suspect is illegal.\n\nThe officer who put the blindfold on committed a “mistake” but did so to prevent Natale-Hjorth from seeing documents related to the investigation, the commander said. The officer has been transferred to a different unit.\n\nItaly's Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini tweeted that anyone concerned about the treatment of those arrested should remember the only real victim is the officer who died. He added that if the suspects are found guilty, they deserve life in prison.\n\nElder's family issued a statement Sunday saying that they had not been able to contact their son since he called after his arrest. The family said they were working with the State Department to try and gain access to their son and that he was being represented by an Italian public defender.\n\n\"We plan to go to Rome as soon as the State Department assures us we will be able to see our son,\" the statement said. \"We are also aware of the funeral plans for Officer Rega, and wish to be respectful of his family and friends at this devastating time.\"\n\nRega is expected to be buried on Monday after a public viewing is held on Sunday. It is unclear when the next court hearing will be scheduled.", "Rome (CNN) Italian police have launched an investigation into a shocking image that shows one of the two young Americans arrested over the killing of an Italian police officer , blindfolded at a police station in Rome.\n\nThe image was leaked to the respected Italian newspaper, Corriere della Sera.\n\nItalian police have confirmed the authenticity of the photo, and told CNN that a two-pronged investigation has been launched into both why the suspect was blindfolded -- and who leaked the photo to the press.\n\n\"The general command of the Carabinieri police strongly distances itself from the photo and the distribution of the photo of the people detained for the homicide of the Officer Mario Cerciello Rega. The provincial Carabinieri command of Rome is quickly carrying out investigations to locate who is responsible,\" police said in a statement Sunday.\n\nThe two Americans, Finnegan Lee Elder, 19, and Gabriel Natale Hjorth, 18, were arrested while on vacation in Rome in connection with the murder of Italian police officer Mario Cerciello Rega on Friday, Italian police told CNN Saturday.\n\nOfficer Rega, 35, was stabbed eight times at 2 a.m. local time on Friday, in the Prati neighborhood of Rome, near the hotel where the two young men were staying, police said. He was declared dead at 4:30 a.m.\n\nSurveillance footage and witness testimonies had allowed the Capitoline Investigative Unit to identify the two responsible for the \"heinous crime,\" according to the police statement.\n\nThe two Americans, both from San Francisco, were arrested inside their hotel room in Rome.\n\nPolice allege the boys stole a backpack from a man whom they had approached about buying drugs. The order and details of what happened next are still being investigated. However, police allege the Americans stole the backpack because they were sold crushed aspirin instead of cocaine.\n\nThe teenagers subsequently answered the owner's cellphone, which they had also taken, and told him \"they would not return the backpack without 100 euros and 1 gram of cocaine,\" police added.\n\nAfter police were contacted by the owner of the stolen bag, officers met the American suspects under the guise of retrieving the backpack, police said.\n\nBoth the Americans are accused of assaulting the police officers, who reportedly identified themselves as law enforcement officers. Then one of the suspects took out a knife and stabbed the officer eight times before fleeing the scene, police said. The officers were unarmed, police added.\n\nThe Carabinieri police force said in a statement that the Americans were arrested Friday night for \"the crime of aggravated murder and attempted extortion.\"\n\nPolice allege both Americans confessed to taking part in the assault, and say Elder confessed in the early hours of the interrogation on Friday to murder.\n\nElder's public prosecutor appointed lawyer, Francesco Codini, said that during his court appearance Saturday his client had \"maintained his right to remain silent\" in front of a judge.\n\nIn a statement to CNN, Elder's family said: \"We write as a family to express our deepest condolences to the grieving family and community that loved Brigadier Cerciello Rega. We are shocked and dismayed at the events that have been reported, but have very little independent information about these events.\"\n\nElder's family added that haven't been able to have any communication with their son, so far, and appealed to the public to respect their privacy.\n\nItalian police can legally hold the suspects for an entire year without official charges.\n\nItaly's far-right Interior Minister Matteo Salvini commented on the blindfold photo Sunday, saying in a statement: \"To those complaining about the blindfolding of the arrested, remember that the only victim to cry for is the man, the son, the husband who is 35 years old, a Carabinieri officer, a servant of the homeland who died in service at the hands of the people who, if guilty, deserve only life imprisonment.\"\n\nThe day before, Salvini had called for life-long prison sentences for the accused teens, despite them not having even been put on trial.\n\n\"Hoping that the murderers of our poor policeman will never get out of prison, I remind the do-gooders that in the United States whoever kills risks the death penalty. I'm not saying we should go that far, but life in prison (obviously working), this, yes!\" Salvini wrote in a message on Twitter on Saturday.\n\nSlain police officer Rega had only recently returned to work from his honeymoon after getting married on June 13 in his hometown of Somma Vesuvianna, near Naples.\n\nA wake will be held for him Sunday evening at the chapel of Piazza Monte di Pieta, Rome, near the police station where he was based. His funeral will be held Monday in the same church where he was married.", "In this photo released by Carabinieri, is portrayed officer Mario Cerciello Rega, 35, who was stabbed to death in Rome early Friday, July 26, 2019. Italian police said Saturday that two 19-year-old American tourists have confessed to fatally stabbing the Italian paramilitary policeman who was investigating the theft of a bag with a cellphone.\n\nROME (AP) — The Latest on two Americans in custody over the killing of a policeman (all times local):\n\nAn Italian detention order says two American teenagers from California are being held in jail for investigation of murder in the fatal stabbing of a police officer.\n\nThe detention order was displayed on Italian state broadcaster RAI and it named the two suspects as Gabriel Christian Natale Hjorth and Finnegan Lee Elder. The order says they were both born in San Francisco in 2000. Police confirmed that the detention order shown on state TV was authentic.\n\nBoth are suspected in the fatal stabbing of 35-year-old officer Mario Cerciello Rega after a drug deal gone wrong. They are also being investigated for attempted extortion.\n\nElder’s lawyer, Francesco Codini, said his client exercised his right not to respond to questions during a detention hearing held Saturday in the Rome jail where the two teens are being kept.\n\nThe judge hasn’t ruled if they will be kept in jail beyond an initial three-day period.\n\nItalian police say two young American tourists have confessed in the fatal stabbing of an Italian paramilitary policeman investigating the theft of a bag with a cellphone.\n\nIn a statement Saturday, Carabinieri officers investigating the death Friday of officer Mario Cerciello Rega, 35, said the Americans, both 19, have been detained for alleged murder and attempted extortion.\n\nSeparately, an investigator who declined to be named said the two had snatched the bag of a drug dealer in Rome who had given them “a different substance” instead of cocaine.\n\nThe Carabinieri said the Americans demanded a 100-euro ($112) ransom and a gram of cocaine to return the bag. The man called police, saying he had arranged a meeting with the thieves to get his bag back. There was a scuffle at the meeting and the policeman was stabbed to death.", "\n• Two American tourists admitted to the fatal stabbing of an Italian military officer, but not before accusing each other of the crime, NBC News reported of police documents.\n• Finnegan Lee Elder, 19, and Gabriel Christian Natale Hjorth, 18, were first accused of stabbing the officer on Friday morning in what has since been reported to be a drug bust gone wrong.\n• Rega was stabbed eight times and left on a street close to the teens’ upscale hotel near Rome’s Tiber River.\n\nTwo American tourists admitted to the fatal stabbing of an Italian military officer, but not before accusing each other of the crime, NBC News reported.\n\nFinnegan Lee Elder, 19, and Gabriel Christian Natale Hjorth, 18 were first accused Friday morning of stabbing Deputy Brigadier Mario Cerciello Rega of Italy’s military police, or Carabinieri.\n\nRega was reportedly stabbed eight times and left on a street close to the teens’ upscale hotel near Rome’s Tiber River.\n\nWhen they were interrogated separately, both of the suspects blamed the other for the stabbing, according to a document viewed by NBC, though Elder recognized the large knife that was seized from their hotel room as his own and confirmed it was the murder weapon.\n\nAccording to reported statements by police, the killing of the 35-year-old officer, who had recently returned to work after his honeymoon, was the result of a drug deal gone awry.\n\nElder and Hjorth had bought drugs from an Italian man but found “they weren’t real drugs,” and went to get their money back, The New York Times reported, citing police.\n\nHowever, they couldn’t find the seller, the Times reported, so they instead confronted a different Italian man, who had pointed out the seller, and stole his backpack, with his phone inside. When the man called his phone to recover his bag, the teens demanded “100 euros and a gram of cocaine,” police reportedly said.\n\nThe three then agreed to meet near the Americans’ hotel, police told the Times, and the man missing his backpack called the carabinieri, so two plainclothes officers went to the meeting in his place.\n\nThe officers tried to recover the backpack but a fight ensued, which is when police reportedly said Elder stabbed Rega eight times.\n\nNatale Hjorth, who can understand Italian, told investigators that officer Rega identified himself as a Carabinieri officer while on the phone, but Elder, who doesn’t speak the language, said the officer did not, according to the report.\n\nRega is reportedly expected to be buried on Monday.\n\nElder’s family reportedly released a statement that said, “We are shocked and dismayed at the events that have been reported,” adding that they had not been in touch with the teen. “We write as a family to express our deepest condolences to the grieving family and community that loved Brigadier Cerciello Rega.”\n\nBoth Elder and Natale Hjorth are being held in isolation and are deemed a flight risk because they are foreign citizens, NBC reported, adding that it is unclear when the next hearing will be held.\n\nAnother blue lake is drawing in Instagrammers, but it’s actually a toxic dump that causes rashes and digestive problems\n\nA cruise ship passenger in a clown suit reportedly sparked a violent fight where families used furnitures and plates as weapons against each other\n\nA New York man was arrested at JFK Airport en route to join Taliban, according to authorities", "A woman leaves flowers in front of the Carabinieri station where Mario Cerciello Rega was based, in Rome, Saturday, July 27, 2019. In a statement Saturday, Carabinieri officers investigating the death Friday of officer Cerciello Rega, 35, said two American turists, both 19, have been detained for alleged murder and attempted extortion. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)\n\nROME (AP) — Italian police said Saturday that two 19-year-old American tourists have confessed to fatally stabbing an Italian paramilitary policeman who was investigating the theft of a bag with a cellphone.\n\nIn a statement, Carabinieri officers investigating the death early Friday of officer Mario Cerciello Rega, 35, said the American men were detained for alleged murder and attempted extortion after being questioned overnight. They were taken to a Rome jail as the investigation continues. Italian authorities have not released their names.\n\nThe two had snatched the bag of a drug dealer in Rome after the man apparently gave them “a different substance” instead of cocaine, according to an Italian investigator who spoke on condition of anonymity since the probe was ongoing.\n\nThe Carabinieri said the Americans demanded a 100-euro ($112) ransom and a gram of cocaine to return the bag. The alleged dealer called police, saying he had arranged a meeting with the thieves to get his bag and cellphone back. Police says there was a scuffle at the rendezvous site and the policeman was stabbed eight times, dying shortly afterward in the hospital.\n\nThe Carabinieri said video surveillance cameras and witnesses allowed them to quickly identify the two Americans and find them in a hotel near the scene of the slaying. Police said the two Americans were “ready to leave” Italy when they were found.\n\nIn a search of their hotel room, the Carabinieri said they found a long knife, possibly the one used to attack Cerciello Rega. Police said the knife had been hidden behind a panel in the room’s ceiling. Police also said they found clothes the two apparently were wearing during the attack.\n\nThe Carabinieri statement said the two Americans admitted responsibility after being questioned by prosecutors and faced with “hard evidence.”\n\nIt was not known if the Americans had an Italian lawyer.\n\nCarabinieri Lt. Col. Orazio Ianniello said Saturday the suspects weren’t being immediately named because they have no criminal records."], "summary": "Two American teenagers are arrested in Rome for extortion and murder of an Italian military officer."}
{"document": ["The two rival political camps in DR Congo Friday forged a pact on forming a government, six months after President Felix Tshisekedi took power from veteran ruler Joseph Kabila, officials said.\n\nTshisekedi was elected in December to replace Kabila who presided over sub-Saharan Africa's biggest country for nearly two decades.\n\nHe took power at the end of January but has struggled to form a government as Kabila's Common Front for Congo (FCC) coalition won comfortable majorities in both houses of parliament as well as provincial assemblies.\n\nKabila's supporters also dominated elections for governorships across the country.\n\nThe current, outgoing government comprises ministers from the Kabila era.\n\nTshisekedi's CACH alliance in the legislature has been holding tortuous talks with the FCC to break the stalemate.\n\n\"An agreement has just been reached on Friday between the FCC and CACH,\" Nehemie Mwilanya, the coordinator of the pro-Kabila alliance, announced on Twitter.\n\nHe said Prime Minister Sylvestre Ilunkamba, who was proposed by Kabila and backed by Tshisekedi, could be formally nominated as early as next week.\n\n\"This will be a government of 65 members: 42 coming from the FCC and 23 from CACH,\" said Jean-Baudouin Mayo, a negotiator for CACH.\n\nMwilanya said both sides had made \"reciprocal concessions\" but neither provided details on who would get key ministries such as interior, defence, economy, finance and mining.\n\n\"Now we are going to join forces. That is to say we will be of the same political family,\" Tshisekedi said a month ago.\n\nThe opposition views Tshisekedi as a puppet of Kabila.\n\nTshisekedi emerged victorious in elections that marked the Democratic Republic of Congo's first peaceful transition of power since the vast mineral-rich country gained independence from Belgium in 1960.\n\nBut the vote was marred by allegations of rigging, and Tshisekedi is struggling to push ahead with pledges of reform.\n\nThe unstable country's politics remain overshadowed by Kabila, who amassed extensive clout after 18 years in power.\n\nGET THE NEWS at your fingertips and download the News24 app for Android or iPhone.\n\nKEEP UPDATED on the latest news by subscribing to our FREE newsletter.\n\n- FOLLOW News24 on Twitter", "KINSHASA, July 26 (Reuters) - Allies of Congo President Felix Tshisekedi and his predecessor Joseph Kabila said they had reached an agreement on Friday on the division of cabinet posts between the two political camps.\n\nNegotiations have dragged on since Tshisekedi's inauguration in January. They have been seen as a test of the power balance between the president and Kabila, who governed Democratic Republic of Congo for 18 years and maintains significant influence over state institutions.\n\nIt will also control the ministry of the public portfolio, which oversees state companies like copper and cobalt miner Gecamines, a joint venture partner of Glencore and China Molybdenum , they said.\n\nTshisekedi's CACH coalition will control the fourth main ministry, foreign affairs, as well as the ministries of the interior, budget and economy, the sources said.\n\nThe FCC's demands that it control of most of the highest-profile ministries by virtue of its sizable majorities in parliament had held up the talks.\n\n\"An agreement has just been found this Friday between the FCC and CACH,\" the FCC said in a tweet. \"The FCC pays tribute to ... Joseph Kabila and his partner President Felix Tshisekedi for their positive drive and complete involvement.\"\n\nFrancois Muamba, who is close to Tshisekedi, also said on Twitter that a deal had been reached.\n\nThe three sources said the names of the ministers would be discussed over the weekend.\n\nJean-Baudouin Mayo, one of Tshisekedi's negotiators, said this week that the new government would have 65 members - 42 from Kabila's camp and 23 from Tshisekedi's - larger than any of Kabila's governments.\n\nKabila was barred by constitutional term limits from standing in the Dec. 30 election, leading to Congo's first transfer of power at the ballot box after decades marked by coups and civil conflict.\n\nTshisekedi won a surprise victory ahead of Kabila's preferred successor, former interior minister Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, and opposition leader Martin Fayulu.\n\nMultiple sources told Reuters the results were rigged to prevent Fayulu, who was seen as more hostile to Kabila's interests than Tshisekedi, from winning.\n\nKabila and Tshisekedi's camps deny the vote was rigged or that they struck any deal before the results were announced.\n\nTshisekedi named Sylvestre Ilunga, a Kabila ally, as prime minister in May. The two sides also formed a coalition in parliament, but they have quarrelled over appointments and Tshisekedi's criticisms of Kabila's government as dictatorial and corrupt.", "KINSHASA, July 26 (Reuters) - Congo President Felix Tshisekedi and his predecessor Joseph Kabila reached an agreement on Friday to divide the main security and economic cabinet posts roughly evenly between their two camps, three sources familiar with the negotiations said.\n\nKabila's FCC and Tshisekedi's CACH coalitions both announced publicly that an agreement had been reached after six months of negotiations over the formation of a new government, but they did not immediately provide details.\n\nThe discussions since Tshisekedi's inauguration in January have been seen as a test of the power balance between Tshisekedi and Kabila, who governed Congo for 18 years and maintains significant influence over state institutions.\n\n\"An agreement has just been found this Friday between the FCC and CACH,\" the FCC said in a tweet. \"The FCC pays tribute to ... Joseph Kabila and his partner President Felix Tshisekedi for their positive drive and complete involvement.\"\n\nFrancois Muamba, who is close to Tshisekedi, also said on Twitter that a deal had been reached. The three sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the names of the ministers would be discussed over the weekend.\n\nThey said the FCC would control the ministries of defence, finance, justice as well as the ministry of the public portfolio, which oversees state companies like copper and cobalt miner Gecamines, a joint venture partner of Glencore and China Molybdenum .\n\nCACH will control the ministries of the interior, foreign affairs, budget and economy, the sources said.\n\nKabila was barred by constitutional term limits from standing in the Dec. 30 election, leading to Congo's first transfer of power at the ballot box after decades marked by coups and civil conflict.\n\nTshisekedi won a surprise victory ahead of Kabila's preferred successor, former interior minister Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, and opposition leader Martin Fayulu.\n\nMultiple sources told Reuters the results were rigged to prevent Fayulu, who was seen as more hostile to Kabila's interests than Tshisekedi, from winning.\n\nKabila and Tshisekedi's camps deny the vote was rigged or that they struck any deal before the results were announced.\n\nTshisekedi named Sylvestre Ilunga, a Kabila ally, as prime minister in May. The two sides also formed a coalition in parliament, but they have quarrelled over appointments and Tshisekedi's criticisms of Kabila's government as dictatorial and corrupt.", "Kinshasa. The two rival political camps in DR Congo Friday forged a pact on forming a government, six months after President Felix Tshisekedi took power from veteran ruler Joseph Kabila, officials said.\n\nTshisekedi was elected in December to replace Kabila who presided over sub-Saharan Africa's biggest country for nearly two decades.\n\nHe took power at the end of January but has struggled to form a government as Kabila's Common Front for Congo (FCC) coalition won comfortable majorities in both houses of parliament as well as provincial assemblies.\n\nTshisekedi's CACH alliance in the legislature has been holding tortuous talks with the FCC to break the stalemate.\n\n\"An agreement has just been reached on Friday between the FCC and CACH,\" Nehemie Mwilanya, the coordinator of the pro-Kabila alliance, announced on Twitter.\n\nHe said Prime Minister Sylvestre Ilunkamba, who was proposed by Kabila and backed by Tshisekedi, could be formally nominated as early as next week.\n\n\"This will be a government of 65 members: 42 coming from the FCC and 23 from CACH,\" said Jean-Baudouin Mayo, a negotiator for CACH.\n\nMwilanya said both sides had made \"reciprocal concessions\" but neither provided details on who would get key ministries such as interior, defence, economy, finance and mining.\n\n\"Now we are going to join forces. That is to say we will be of the same political family,\" Tshisekedi said a month ago.\n\nTshisekedi emerged victorious in elections that marked the Democratic Republic of Congo's first peaceful transition of power since the vast mineral-rich country gained independence from Belgium in 1960.\n\nBut the vote was marred by allegations of rigging, and Tshisekedi is struggling to push ahead with pledges of reform.", "The two rival political camps in DR Congo Friday forged a pact on forming a government, six months after President Felix Tshisekedi took power from veteran ruler Joseph Kabila, officials said\n\nKinshasa, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - APP - 26th Jul, 2019 ) :The two rival political camps in DR Congo Friday forged a pact on forming a government , six months after President Felix Tshisekedi took power from veteran ruler Joseph Kabila, officials said.\n\nTshisekedi was elected in December to replace Kabila who presided over sub-Saharan Africa's biggest country for nearly two decades.\n\nHe took power at the end of January but has struggled to form a government as Kabila's Common Front for Congo (FCC) coalition won comfortable majorities in both houses of parliament as well as provincial assemblies.\n\nKabila's supporters also dominated elections for governorships across the country."], "summary": "President Félix Tshisekedi and the Congolese parliament, controlled by a rival party, agree to form a new government following negotiations, six months after he replaced Joseph Kabila during the 2018 DR Congo general election. Sylvestre Ilunga will be formally nominated for the post of Prime Minister in the coming week."}
{"document": ["Congressman Michael Waltz voted for temporary protective status for Venezuelans, a move not yet embraced by Trump administration and in opposition to majority of House Republicans.\n\nCongressman Michael Waltz, who has previously called for a humanitarian effort in Venezuela, took it a step further this week by voting, in essence, for protections for Venezuelans living in the United States.\n\n[FROM VENEZUELA TO U.S.: Family finds a better, safer life in DeLand]\n\n[HOW VENEZUELA GOT TO WHERE IT'S AT]\n\nThe Democrat-controlled House this week passed a bill to award temporary protective status, or TPS, to Venezuelans in the United States.\n\nFood shortages, hyperinflation and other economic woes have led the nation on the northern coast of South America into political chaos, including a struggle over the presidency between incumbent Nicholas Maduro and Juan Guaidó, who's been recognized as acting president by the National Assembly and more than 50 countries including the United States. The situation has led to about 4 million refugees from Venezuela, including 290,000 in the United States.\n\nTemporary protective status extends the legal stays of eligible Venezuelans by 18 months. The U.S. Senate has not taken up the measure, which can be enacted without Congress by the Department of Homeland Security.\n\nWaltz was one of 39 Republicans, six of whom were from Florida, to vote in favor. The others: Mario Diaz-Balart, a cosponsor, and Brian Mast, Frances Rooney, Ross Spano and Ted Yoho.\n\nWaltz, who represents Volusia and Flagler counties as part of his district, explained his position in an emailed statement this week.\n\n“The situation in Venezuela is dire and the U.S. must act to protect Venezuelans until they can return home. This is exactly what TPS is designed for,\" Waltz said. \"These temporary protections buy these victims time for survival until freedom and democracy return to Venezuela and Maduro’s tyranny is relegated to the ash heap of history.”\n\nAlthough his administration has not yet offered TPS to Venezuelans, President Trump has said the United States \"is standing right by their side,\" including stepping up sanctions against Maduro associates it says have enriched themselves through the Local Committees for Supply and Production (CLAP).\n\n\"Nicolas Maduro’s socialist regime has plunged Venezuela into catastrophe and I’m glad President Trump has sided with the Venezuelan people in standing up to Maduro,\" Waltz said.\n\nFlorida Democratic Party Chair Terrie Rizzo praised the passage of the Venezuela TPS Act, cosponsored by U.S. Rep. Darren Soto, and advocated for passage in the Republican-controlled U.S. Senate.\n\n\"Now it is on Sens. Marco Rubio and Rick Scott to stand up for the Venezuelan community and put pressure on Senate Leader Mitch McConnell and allow this bill to be heard and voted on in the Senate,\" Rizzo said in a news release.", "CARACAS, July 27 (Reuters) - Venezuelan Socialist Party Vice President Diosdado Cabello on Saturday predicted U.S. Marines will \"likely\" enter the South American country, speaking a week after a confrontation between aircraft belonging to the two countries' armed forces.\n\n\"We are few, a small country, we are very humble, and here it is likely that the U.S. Marines enter. It is likely that they enter,\" Cabello told the Sao Paulo Forum, a gathering of leftist politicians and activists from across Latin America, without citing evidence.\n\n\"Their problem will be getting out of Venezuela.\"\n\nU.S.-Venezuela tensions have escalated this year since Juan Guaido, leader of the opposition-controlled National Assembly, invoked the constitution to assume an interim presidency in January, arguing socialist President Nicolas Maduro's 2018 re-election was illegitimate.\n\nThe United States and most Western democracies have recognized Guaido as the rightful leader. The Trump administration has said it prefers to continue to use sanctions and diplomacy to pressure Maduro to step down, but has not ruled out military action as an option.\n\nCabello presides over the Constituent Assembly, a legislative superbody loyal to Maduro which is not recognized by the opposition. He is widely viewed as the second most powerful official in Venezuela's government, after Maduro.\n\nThe U.S. military accused a Venezuelan fighter aircraft of \"aggressively\" shadowing a U.S. Navy plane in international airspace over the Caribbean Sea on July 19. Venezuela's government said the \"reconnaissance and intelligence aircraft\" had entered its airspace.\n\nThe Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Cabello's remarks.\n\nThe National Assembly this week approved Venezuela's reentry into a regional defense treaty the country left in 2013. Opposition hardliners had pressured Guaido to re-join the treaty as a precursor to requesting foreign military assistance to oust Maduro, but Guaido has warned it was no \"magic solution.\"\n\nMaduro retains control of state functions and calls Guaido a U.S. puppet seeking to oust him in a coup.\n\nOn Saturday, Maduro called the decision to rejoin the treaty \"illegal\" and \"treasonous.\" Venezuela's Supreme Court on Friday ruled the reincorporation was \"null\" and that efforts to invoke the treaty would be considered a \"hostile act.\" (Reporting by Luc Cohen; Additional reporting by Idrees Ali in Washington; Editing by Richard Chang and Sonya Hepinstall)\n\nThis story has not been edited by The Times of India and is auto–generated from a syndicated feed we subscribe to.", "CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan Socialist Party Vice President Diosdado Cabello on Saturday predicted U.S. Marines will \"likely\" enter the South American country, speaking a week after a confrontation between aircraft belonging to the two countries' armed forces.\n\n\"We are few, a small country, we are very humble, and here it is likely that the U.S. Marines enter. It is likely that they enter,\" Cabello told the Sao Paulo Forum, a gathering of leftist politicians and activists from across Latin America, without citing evidence.\n\n\"Their problem will be getting out of Venezuela.\"\n\nU.S.-Venezuela tensions have escalated this year since Juan Guaido, leader of the opposition-controlled National Assembly, invoked the constitution to assume an interim presidency in January, arguing socialist President Nicolas Maduro's 2018 re-election was illegitimate.\n\nThe United States and most Western democracies have recognized Guaido as the rightful leader. The Trump administration has said it prefers to continue to use sanctions and diplomacy to pressure Maduro to step down, but has not ruled out military action as an option.\n\nCabello presides over the Constituent Assembly, a legislative superbody loyal to Maduro which is not recognized by the opposition. He is widely viewed as the second most powerful official in Venezuela's government, after Maduro.\n\nThe U.S. military accused a Venezuelan fighter aircraft of \"aggressively\" shadowing a U.S. Navy plane in international airspace over the Caribbean Sea on July 19. Venezuela's government said the \"reconnaissance and intelligence aircraft\" had entered its airspace.\n\nThe Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Cabello's remarks.\n\nThe National Assembly this week approved Venezuela's reentry into a regional defense treaty the country left in 2013. Opposition hardliners had pressured Guaido to re-join the treaty as a precursor to requesting foreign military assistance to oust Maduro, but Guaido has warned it was no \"magic solution.\"\n\nMaduro retains control of state functions and calls Guaido a U.S. puppet seeking to oust him in a coup.\n\nOn Saturday, Maduro called the decision to rejoin the treaty \"illegal\" and \"treasonous.\" Venezuela's Supreme Court on Friday ruled the reincorporation was \"null\" and that efforts to invoke the treaty would be considered a \"hostile act.\"\n\nThis story has not been edited by The Times of India and is auto–generated from a syndicated feed we subscribe to.", "CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan Socialist Party Vice President Diosdado Cabello on Saturday predicted U.S. Marines will “likely” enter the South American country, speaking a week after a confrontation between aircraft belonging to the two countries’ armed forces.\n\n“We are few, a small country, we are very humble, and here it is likely that the U.S. Marines enter. It is likely that they enter,” Cabello told the Sao Paulo Forum, a gathering of leftist politicians and activists from across Latin America, without citing evidence.\n\n“Their problem will be getting out of Venezuela.”\n\nU.S.-Venezuela tensions have escalated this year since Juan Guaido, leader of the opposition-controlled National Assembly, invoked the constitution to assume an interim presidency in January, arguing socialist President Nicolas Maduro’s 2018 re-election was illegitimate.\n\nThe United States and most Western democracies have recognized Guaido as the rightful leader. The Trump administration has said it prefers to continue to use sanctions and diplomacy to pressure Maduro to step down, but has not ruled out military action as an option.\n\nCabello presides over the Constituent Assembly, a legislative superbody loyal to Maduro which is not recognized by the opposition. He is widely viewed as the second most powerful official in Venezuela’s government, after Maduro.\n\nThe U.S. military accused a Venezuelan fighter aircraft of “aggressively” shadowing a U.S. Navy plane in international airspace over the Caribbean Sea on July 19. Venezuela’s government said the “reconnaissance and intelligence aircraft” had entered its airspace.\n\nThe Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Cabello’s remarks.\n\nThe National Assembly this week approved Venezuela’s reentry into a regional defense treaty the country left in 2013. Opposition hardliners had pressured Guaido to re-join the treaty as a precursor to requesting foreign military assistance to oust Maduro, but Guaido has warned it was no “magic solution.”\n\nMaduro retains control of state functions and calls Guaido a U.S. puppet seeking to oust him in a coup.\n\nOn Saturday, Maduro called the decision to rejoin the treaty “illegal” and “treasonous.” Venezuela’s Supreme Court on Friday ruled the reincorporation was “null” and that efforts to invoke the treaty would be considered a “hostile act.”", "CARACAS. El Comando Sur de Estados Unidos reconoció que realiza vuelos de recononocimiento sobre Venezuela cuando una semana antes lo había negado ante las denuncias del gobierno de Nicolás Maduro sobre varias incursiones en su espacio aéreo de un avión espía estadounidense en el último mes.\n\nEl Comando Sur de EU negó hace una semana la primera incursión que denunció Venezuela este mes, y aseguró que su avión \"estaba realizando una misión reconocida y aprobada en espacio aéreo internacional sobre el mar Caribe\".\n\nSin embargo, ayer el jefe del Comando Sur, almirante de la Armada, Craig Faller, reconoció en una entrevista que Estados Unidos realiza vuelos de vigilancia “totalmente profesionales” para entender mejor la crítica situación sobre Venezuela y por la preocupación de sus aliados latinoamericanos debido al impacto que podría tener en la seguridad de la región.\n\nVenezuela denunció el sábado otra incursión en su espacio aéreo de un avión espía estadounidense, el tercero del que informa este mes, y aseveró que esta violación constituyó una \"franca ofensa\" al país y al mundo.\n\nAl respecto, Nicolás Maduro alertó que considerará como un \"acto hostil\" la invocación del Tratado de Río (TIAR), luego de que el Parlamento, que controla la oposición, aprobara esta semana la reincorporación del país al pacto de defensa mutua que abriría la puerta a una incursión militar extranjera.\n\nAsimismo, advirtió que \"la grúa está lista\" para detener a quienes insistan en llevar adelante el tratado.\n\nAyer, el presidente de Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel, arribó a Venezuela para el acto de clausura del XXV Foro de Sao Paulo, que se celebra desde el pasado día 25 en Caracas, y se reunió con Maduro en el palacio presidencial de Miraflores.\n\nDíaz-Canel fue recibido con honores en el aeropuerto internacional de Caracas por el canciller venezolano, Jorge Arreaza.\n\n\"Cuba viene a ratificar en este foro su apoyo incondicional con Venezuela, con la revolución bolivariana (y) viene también a exponer en este foro la necesidad de articulación de todas las fuerzas de izquierda en América Latina y el Caribe\", dijo el mandatario cubano en un breve discurso apenas tocar tierra.\n\nEn el cierre de la cumbre, Maduro reiteró sus denuncias sobre el \"espionaje militar\" que, aseguró, practica Estados Unidos en contra de su gobierno.", "PARAMARIBO (Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Saturday a dialogue to resolve Venezuela’s political crisis should have “no preconditions,” as he visited the small South American country of Suriname at the end of a multi-nation Latin American tour.\n\nVenezuela’s bitterly divided government and opposition are engaged in a dialogue mediated by Norway’s government. The opposition, led by National Assembly president Juan Guaido, has insisted President Nicolas Maduro step down to allow a transition government to call fresh elections.\n\nGuaido in January invoked the constitution to assume a rival presidency, arguing Maduro’s 2018 re-election was illegitimate. He has been recognized as the rightful leader by most Western nations, including the United States, but Maduro retains control of state functions and the backing of Russia, China and Cuba. Maduro has denounced Guaido as a U.S. puppet who is seeking to foment a coup.\n\n“We, just like our Surinamese friends, are convinced that it can result through a direct dialogue between the government and opposition with no preconditions, and without any threats that we hear coming from various capitals,” Lavrov said alongside Surinamese Foreign Minister Yldiz Pollack-Beighle in the capital Paramirabo.\n\nThe reference to “threats” was a jibe at the United States, which has said military intervention is “on the table” to resolve the crisis in Venezuela, which is marked by a hyperinflationary economic collapse and an exodus of more than 4 million people to neighboring countries.\n\nEarlier this week, Lavrov said Venezuela’s opposition was in contact with Moscow, and that the world should foster dialogue in Venezuela rather than impose its own agenda. [nL8N24P6UG][nL8N24O6FE]\n\nPollack-Beighle did not mention Venezuela during her remarks. During a meeting of the Mercosur trade bloc earlier this month, Suriname’s ambassador to Cuba, Marciano Edgar Armaketo, said the country’s position on Venezuela was based on “non-interference in the affairs of states.”", "CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan Socialist Party Vice President Diosdado Cabello on Saturday predicted U.S. Marines will “likely” enter the South American country, speaking a week after a confrontation between aircraft belonging to the two countries’ armed forces.\n\n“We are few, a small country, we are very humble, and here it is likely that the U.S. Marines enter. It is likely that they enter,” Cabello told the Sao Paulo Forum, a gathering of leftist politicians and activists from across Latin America, without citing evidence.\n\n“Their problem will be getting out of Venezuela.”\n\nU.S.-Venezuela tensions have escalated this year since Juan Guaido, leader of the opposition-controlled National Assembly, invoked the constitution to assume an interim presidency in January, arguing socialist President Nicolas Maduro’s 2018 re-election was illegitimate.\n\nThe United States and most Western democracies have recognized Guaido as the rightful leader. The Trump administration has said it prefers to continue to use sanctions and diplomacy to pressure Maduro to step down, but has not ruled out military action as an option.\n\nCabello presides over the Constituent Assembly, a legislative superbody loyal to Maduro which is not recognized by the opposition. He is widely viewed as the second most powerful official in Venezuela’s government, after Maduro.\n\nThe U.S. military accused a Venezuelan fighter aircraft of “aggressively” shadowing a U.S. Navy plane in international airspace over the Caribbean Sea on July 19. Venezuela’s government said the “reconnaissance and intelligence aircraft” had entered its airspace.\n\nThe Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Cabello’s remarks.\n\nThe National Assembly this week approved Venezuela’s reentry into a regional defense treaty the country left in 2013. Opposition hardliners had pressured Guaido to re-join the treaty as a precursor to requesting foreign military assistance to oust Maduro, but Guaido has warned it was no “magic solution.”\n\nMaduro retains control of state functions and calls Guaido a U.S. puppet seeking to oust him in a coup.\n\nOn Saturday, Maduro called the decision to rejoin the treaty “illegal” and “treasonous.” Venezuela’s Supreme Court on Friday ruled the reincorporation was “null” and that efforts to invoke the treaty would be considered a “hostile act.”", "CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Thursday called on Colombia’s military to “disobey orders to disrupt Venezuela’s peace,” in the latest sign of deteriorating relations between the neighboring South American countries.\n\nMaduro frequently calls Colombian President Ivan Duque a lackey for the United States and accuses him of conspiring to overthrow him. Duque says Maduro provides a safe haven to leftist Colombian rebel groups and has accused him of providing arms to the leadership of the National Liberation Army (ELN).\n\n“To the armed forces of Colombia, let us unite in one sole military force in the spirit of the great fatherland to unite our peoples in peace, to reject gringo military bases in Colombia, to reject plans for military aggression against Venezuela,” Maduro said in a state television broadcast.\n\n“To the armed forces of Colombia, who receive daily orders to conspire against Venezuela’s peace: Disobey orders to disrupt Venezuela’s peace,” he added.\n\nMaduro, a socialist, broke off diplomatic relations with Bogota in February, after a failed U.S.-backed effort to transport humanitarian aid into Venezuela from the Colombian border.\n\nThe aid had been requested by Juan Guaido, the head of the opposition-controlled National Assembly who in January invoked the constitution to assume a rival presidency, arguing Maduro’s 2018 re-election was illegitimate. He has been recognized as the rightful leader by most Western countries, including the United States and Colombia.\n\nIn recent years, both countries have accused the other’s armed forces of cross-border incursions. Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino called on Colombian troops last month not to back Duque’s “interventionism” after Duque said Venezuelan troops’ support for Guaido could fracture the armed forces.\n\nColombia is hosting more than 1 million Venezuelan migrants who have fled their country’s humanitarian crisis, according to the United Nations.", "July 26 (UPI) -- The U.S. Treasury Department applied sanctions against a slew of individuals and entities, including three stepsons of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and a Columbian businessman, for running a \"network of corruption and nepotism\" to profit from the country's food subsidy program.\n\nAnnounced Thursday, the sanctions target Maduro's stepsons Walter, Yosser and Yoswal, their cousin Carlos Erica Malpica Flores and Colombian Alex Nain Saab Moran for profiting from food imports intended for Venezuela's poor.\n\n\"Alex Saab engaged with Maduro insiders to run a wide-scale corruption network they callously used to exploit Venezuela's starving population,\" Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said. \"Treasury is targeting those behind Maduro's sophisticated corruption schemes, as well as the global network of shell companies that profit from the former regime's military-controlled distribution program.\"\n\nMnuchin said the program, called Local Committees for Supply and Production, or CLAP, an acronym of its Spanish name, was used by the corruption network to benefit Maduro and his family at the cost of Venezuela.\n\n\"They use food as a form of social control, to reward political supporters and punish opponents, all the while pocketing hundreds of millions of dollars through a number of fraudulent schemes,\" he said.\n\nThe collapse of the Venezuelan economy has caused a mass exodus of some 4 million people and widespread hunger and severe food shortages in the past few years. According to a Human Rights Watch report, 80 percent of households are food insecure, two-thirds of its population had reported losing weight and almost 12 percent was undernourished.\n\nCLAP, which was founded in 2016, was supposed to provide subsidized food ration boxes to the country's poor.\n\nSaab, who met Maduro's three sons in 2011 after winning government contracts to build low-income housing, used his relationship with them to gain a foothold in the government and secure further lucrative contracts, including the food subsidy program.\n\nHe became involved in CLAP in 2016, and with his business partner, Alvaro Enrique Publido Vargas, concocted a scheme to acquire food from a foreign distributor and ship it to Venezuela at great profit.\n\n\"Under Maduro's watch, Saab reaped substantial profits and imported only a fraction of the food needed for the CLAP program,\" according to the Treasury Department.\n\nSeveral shell companies were established as part of the scheme to siphon money from commercial contracts, which also made it more difficult for U.S. financial institutions to identify the corrupt businesses related to CLAP, it said.\n\nIn total, 13 entities and 10 individuals were sanctioned and all are now barred from the U.S. financial system. All properties or interest in properties residing in the United States are blocked and U.S. citizens are prohibited from all dealings with those listed.\n\n\"Today, the United States sanctioned 10 individuals, including three of Maduro's stepsons, and 13 entities, disrupting a broad corruption network that has taken food off the tables of Venezuelans for years,\" Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted. \"Venezuela deserves a government for the people not against them.\"", "Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro says Washington, “desperate” over its defeats, is resorting to acts of sabotage against the country’s power system, including a “high-tech electromagnetic” attack that resulted in a massive power cut Monday.\n\nCaracas and other parts of Venezuela were hit by a massive power cut on Monday, a few months after a similar nationwide blackout, which Maduro blamed on Washington as well.\n\nThe Monday blackout was caused by a “high-tech electromagnetic attack,” Maduro said Wednesday while addressing the opening of military exercises.\n\nSabotage at a hydroelectric plant that provides 80 percent of the country’s power has caused the outage, Maduro suggested, adding that the electricity system has suffered “dozens of attacks” over the last four months.\n\n“The US imperialism is desperate because of its defeats in Venezuela,” Maduro said in the speech carried on radio and television, pinning the blame for the outages on the US government.\n\nThe Monday blackout reportedly left chaos on the streets of the capital as traffic lights lost power, and the metro stopped running, forcing many people to walk home from work.\n\nWhile the government said power has been restored in much of Venezuela on Tuesday, opposition leader Juan Guaido denied that, saying that 16 of the country’s 23 states were still facing at least partial outages.\n\nThe blackout came a few months after another major outage in March 2019, which affected at least 18 of 23 Venezuelan states. That blackout was also blamed by Venezuelan authorities on anti-government saboteurs working for the United States.\n\nFifteen Venezuelan kids with kidney disease reportedly died after being unable to get dialysis during the power outage as President Maduro said at the time a cyber attack prevented authorities from restoring power."], "summary": "Venezuela's Nicolás Maduro again accuses the United States of flying over its national waters."}
{"document": ["Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Police marched away detainees on the 27 July protest\n\nPolice in Moscow have detained more than 1,000 people at a rally, in one of the biggest crackdowns in years.\n\nDemonstrators were dragged away from the city hall as security forces used batons against the crowd.\n\nPeople were protesting against the exclusion of opposition candidates from local polls. The opposition say they were barred for political reasons.\n\nSome of the candidates banned from standing in the 8 September election had been detained earlier.\n\nOfficials disqualified about 30 people, saying they had failed to collect enough valid signatures to stand.\n\nAt least 1,074 arrests were made at the banned rally, officials say, while monitors reported 1,127 detentions.\n\nMoscow's Mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, has called the demonstration a \"security threat\", and promised to maintain public order.\n\nAnger is widespread among opposition supporters at the way the city is run and the ruling United Russia party.\n\nOpposition leader Alexei Navalny, a fierce critic of President Vladimir Putin, was jailed for 30 days on Wednesday after calling for Saturday's unapproved demonstration.\n\nMr Putin was on a trip to the Baltic Sea on Saturday for a dive in a submersible. \"There are a lot of problems on Earth, so to diminish their amount one has to go up and deep down,\" he remarked.\n\nWhat happened this Saturday?\n\nLast Saturday, more than 20,000 Russians took to the streets, demanding fair elections, and dozens were arrested.\n\nIt is unclear how many people turned up for the new unauthorised rally on 27 July but the numbers seem to have been sharply down.\n\nAccording to police, about 3,500 people gathered, including about 700 journalists.\n\nImage copyright Reuters Image caption Riot police detained hundreds of protesters on Saturday\n\nPolice in riot gear pushed back the crowd from barriers surrounding the mayor's office in central Moscow, hauling off detainees to police stations.\n\nA number of protesters could be seen bleeding while at least two members of the security forces reportedly received eye injuries from pepper spray.\n\nA powerful message to the regions?\n\nOleg Boldyrev, BBC News, Moscow\n\nNo -one was under any illusion that the large gathering would impress authorities into letting people express themselves peacefully. This rally went very much the same way others have done - arbitrary detentions, standoffs, crowds breaking off into the side streets.\n\nThe question is whether the anger over not being able to nominate a candidate - even for lower-level, city elections - would galvanise Muscovites into bigger, sustained expressions of dissent. After all, there are lots of residents not happy with the way Moscow government and Mayor Sobyanin run the city, or respond to popular concerns.\n\nImage copyright Reuters\n\nCertainly, the would-be candidates, most of them seasoned anti-Putin activists, are hoping that the resentment will linger. That is exactly why policy handlers in the Kremlin are desperate to put a lid on it.\n\nWith both Mr Putin's ratings falling and the United Russia party deeply unpopular, chanting crowds in the capital may send a very powerful message to other regions preparing to hold their elections.\n\nHow did we get here?\n\nLocal elections usually attract little attention in Russia.\n\nThe Moscow authority does not control the city's budget or choose key official appointments, and previous votes have passed without major protests or press interest.\n\nBut this year some Muscovites are infuriated at what they see as brazen attempts to disqualify independent politicians from running.\n\nImage copyright AFP/Getty Image caption Lyubov Sobol is one of the opposition candidates barred from standing\n\nCandidates were asked to collect 5,000 signatures to stand. This limit was made even harder to match because a signature \"means volunteering one's personal information for the government's database of opposition supporters\", democracy activist Vladimir Kara-Murza wrote in the Washington Post.\n\nMany candidates managed to meet the threshold but the electoral commission ruled some signatures ineligible, saying they were unclear or the addresses provided were incomplete, and barred the candidates from taking part.\n\nOpposition groups say the authorities had no reason to rule them ineligible - claims that electoral officials denied. \"We have no reason to doubt our experts,\" commission member Dmitry Reut said, according to media reports.\n\nMr Navalny, who addressed the crowds last Saturday, is not one of the candidates, although he stood in Moscow's mayoral elections in 2013 and won 27% of the vote in a result he disputed.\n\nElla Pamfilova, the head of the electoral commission, said the protests would not change their decisions. \"It doesn't matter, not even a bit of it,\" she said, dismissing the demonstrations as \"political\".\n\nThe authorities banned this Saturday's rally on the grounds that there were threats of violence against the commission.\n\nPolice then raided the homes of several opposition politicians, and called them in more for questioning.\n\nWhat's been the reaction?\n\nElection candidate and opposition leader Dmitry Gudkov tweeted that the council had \"died under Putin\".\n\n\"The last illusion that we are able to participate legally in politics has disappeared.\"\n\nSome newspapers also denounced the raids. Novaya Gazeta ran the headline Moscow City Terror on Friday, while Vedomosti said authorities were using force to suppress the protest \"having failed to counter it with political means\".\n\nSkip Twitter post by @BBCSteveR After a wave of police searches & detention of opposition activists in Moscow, one Russian paper today claims that “political terror in Russia is flourishing” & warns that “one day the terror will rebound on those who started it.” #ReadingRussia pic.twitter.com/TedBt3bkZE — Steve Rosenberg (@BBCSteveR) July 26, 2019 Report\n\nRussian government paper Rossiyskaya Gazeta, however, accused the opposition of \"blackmail\" and \"an unacceptable attitude to the statutes of law\".\n\nPolitical analyst Abbas Gallyamov told BBC Russian that the official response was designed to dissuade people from taking part. Any mass action would suggest the opposition had taken the initiative from the government.\n\nSome believe the demonstrations could actually benefit the local authorities by reducing turnout.\n\n\"Young opposition supporters will not come to the polls, while the older generation whom the authorities are counting on vote out of habit,\" Denis Volkov, an expert at independent think tank Levada Center, told the BBC. \"The authorities will orient themselves towards them.\"", "Moscow (CNN) Hundreds of protesters have been arrested by police in the center of Moscow Saturday, in a crackdown on opposition supporters demanding free and fair elections.\n\nThousands of Russians pledged to attend the protest in the capital Saturday, after Russian authorities banned a number of independent and opposition candidates from taking part in municipal elections in September.\n\nAuthorities stated that the candidates were barred from running because they had failed to obtain a sufficient number of signatures to be put on the ballot paper. Opposition politicians and supporters have rejected this allegation.\n\nThe decision has sparked a number of protests across Russia this month, including the largest demonstration in recent years last weekend, when 22,000 people took to the streets. Protesters threatened to hold an even larger demonstration Saturday, which was subsequently declared illegal by the authorities.\n\nProtesters take to the streets of Moscow after a number of opposition politicians were barred from running in municipal elections in September.\n\nHundreds of riot police were witnessed preparing for the protests Saturday morning, and were later seen linking arms to form a line, pushing protesters away from Moscow's City Hall.\n\nOVD-info, a Russian democracy monitoring organization, said that at least 561 people have been detained thus far during the protests.\n\nCNN witnessed clashes between protesters and police, with at least two protesters left with bloodied faces.\n\nMoscow police said that 3,500 people took part in the protests, including 700 journalists and bloggers.\n\n\"A significant number of detainees are not residents of Moscow. All detainees are brought to the territorial police units for investigation,\" the State Ministry of Internal Affairs in Moscow said in the statement.\n\nA number of arrests and raids were also carried out on opposition candidates in the days and hours leading up to the protest.\n\nAlexei Navalny, Russia's most outspoken opposition figure, was among those detained during the week, and was later sentenced to 30 days in prison for allegedly violating the country's protest laws by calling for the demonstrations Saturday.\n\nNavalny said on Instagram that he was detained as he left his apartment to go on a jog. \"People are right when they say that sport is not always good for your health,\" he quipped. \"I have been detained and am now at a police station wearing shorts like a stupid man.\"\n\nDmitry Gudkov, a fellow disqualified candidate, was also detained hours before Saturday's protest. He had previously claimed that the country's future was at stake due to the barring of opposition candidates.\n\n\"If we lose now, elections will cease to exist as a political instrument,\" he said. \"What we're talking about is whether it's legal to participate in politics today in Russia, we're talking about the country we're going to live in.\"\n\nIlya Yashin, an ally of Navalny, reported on Facebook that he had also been detained hours before the demonstration following a raid on his house, and had been taken out of the Russian capital.\n\nOther prominent activists to be detained include Kira Yarmysh, Navalyny's spokeswoman, Lyubov Sobo and Ivan Zhdanov.\n\nMoscow's mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, warned on Twitter that police would react decisively to restore public order.\n\n\"According to information from law enforcement authorities, serious provocations are being prepared which pose a threat to the safety, lives and health of people,\" he said. \"Attempts at ultimatums, disorder will not lead to anything good. Order in the city will be maintained.\"", "Four days after being arrested by Russian authorities, Alexei Navalny, a longtime critic of President Vladimir Putin, has been hospitalized with what his spokeswoman has described as an \"allergic reaction.\"\n\nNavalny, one of the most prominent leaders of Russia's opposition movement, was arrested after calling for protests on Saturday against the exclusion of opposition candidates from city council elections in Moscow. He was sentenced to 30 days in prison.\n\nThe demonstration drew thousands of supporters. Russian police detained more than 1,300 people according to the OVD-Info group, an independent monitor that tracks police departments in Russia.\n\nOn the day of his arrest, Navalny posted an Instagram video, saying that police arrested him as he left his apartment to go for a jog and buy flowers for his wife's birthday.\n\nKira Yarmysh, Navalny's spokeswoman, wrote in a Twitter post that he had been hospitalized on Sunday morning with \"severe swelling of the face and skin redness.\"\n\nShe said the cause of Navalny's allergic reaction was unknown, and \"he had never suffered from such reactions in the past.\" The Associated Press reported that according to Yarmysh, as of Sunday afternoon in Moscow Navalny was in \"satisfactory condition.\"\n\nElection authorities barred opposition candidates from upcoming elections for Moscow's city council because they said they didn't have enough valid signatures on nominating petitions. Candidates are required to collect about 5,000 signatures to run for election. The opposition candidates say they've been kept from the ballot for political reasons.\n\nEarly Saturday, Moscow police rounded up and detained several high-profile opposition politicians, including Ilya Yashin, Dmitry Gudkov and Ivan Zhdanov.\n\nThe 45-seat Moscow City Duma is controlled by the pro-Kremlin United Russia party. Those seats have a five-year term, and the entire council is up for re-election on Sept. 8.\n\nNPR's Moscow correspondent Lucian Kim wrote in a tweet, \"Reason for crackdown: Allowing even a few opposition politicians into Moscow city council would grant them legitimacy and exposure. And that could be a slippery slope to further erosion of Kremlin power.\"\n\nEarlier this week, Kim reported Putin's approval rating has dropped in recent years. He noted, \"The party has become so unpopular nationally that Putin ran for reelection as an independent last year. In upcoming Moscow city council elections, United Russia members have abandoned the party ticket and registered as independents.\"\n\nThe decision to bar some candidates from the city council elections has triggered multiple protests across Russia this month.", "MOSCOW (AP) — Police have established a heavy presence at the Moscow mayor's office ahead of an expected protest rally and several opposition figures have been detained.\n\nThe unauthorized demonstration planned for later Saturday in Moscow aims to protest authorities' refusal to put several opposition members on the ballot for September's city council election. The decision to bar the candidates for allegedly insufficient signatures on nominating petitions sparked several days of demonstrations this month.\n\nAlexei Navalny, Russia's most prominent opposition activist, had called Saturday's protest, saying it would continue until the rejected candidates are allowed to run. Navalny was jailed for 30 days Wednesday for calling an unauthorized protest.\n\nA top Navalny associate, Ivan Zhdanov, said Saturday on Twitter that he had been detained. Ilya Yashin, another leading opposition member, also has been detained.", "Police arrested more than 500 people as they gathered in Moscow on Saturday to demand fair local elections, the latest in a wave of protests after authorities blocked opposition candidates from the ballot paper. The demonstration came a week after the capital’s biggest protest in years, when some 22,000 marchers called on officials to reverse rulings and allow opposition activists to stand for the city council in September. Since then investigators have raided the homes and headquarters of several disqualified candidates, while top Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny was jailed for 30 days for calling the fresh protest.", "MOSCOW: Russian police have detained prominent members of the opposition in Moscow ahead of a planned protest later on Saturday (Jul 27) which the authorities have declared illegal and warned could become violent.\n\nThe demonstration, due to be held outside the Moscow mayor's office from 11am GMT, is designed to protest against what the opposition says is the unfair exclusion of a raft of opposition-minded candidates from a Sept 8 local election in Moscow.\n\nThe authorities say the candidates were barred from running because they had failed to collect a sufficient number of genuine signatures in their support, an allegation the opposition rejects as false.\n\nAlthough the election to select members of Moscow city's parliament is not a national one, opposition activists view it as an opportunity to try to gain a foothold in the Russian capital where Kremlin-backed candidates have proved less popular in the past than in other parts of the country.\n\nKremlin critic Alexei Navalny was jailed for 30 days on Wednesday ahead of Saturday's protest and other members of the opposition have previously had their homes searched.\n\nIlya Yashin, a Navalny ally, said on Facebook on Saturday that police had searched his Moscow flat overnight before detaining him and driving him out of the Russian capital.\n\nKira Yarmysh, Navalny's spokeswoman, said on Twitter she and another activist had been detained on Saturday morning. Other activists had their homes searched.\n\nMoscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin warned on social media that the authorities would act decisively to guarantee public order.\n\n\"According to information from law enforcement authorities serious provocations are being prepared which pose a threat to the safety, lives and health of people,\" Sobyanin said in a statement.\n\n\"Attempts at ultimatums, disorder will not lead to anything good. Order in the city will be maintained.\"\n\nReuters reporters said there was a heavy police presence in central Moscow ahead of the protest with groups of ununiformed athletic-looking young men accompanying police.\n\nRussia's Investigative Committee has already opened a criminal investigation into an opposition rally in June which it said may have obstructed the work of Moscow's electoral commission.\n\nA protest in Moscow last weekend calling for the disbarred candidates to be registered was attended by more than 20,000 people, according to a monitor.", "Mordolff/iStock(MOSCOW) — Russian police arrested more than 1,000 protesters at an anti-Kremlin opposition rally in Moscow on Saturday, raiding key opposition leaders before the demonstration even began and roughly corralling them into vans afterward.\n\nThe demonstrators were protesting to demand opposition candidates be allowed to take part in Moscow’s city council elections, after authorities barred several this month, setting off widespread anger among the city’s liberal society.\n\nSeveral thousand protesters on Saturday tried to gather outside Moscow’s mayor’s office on the city’s main street. But police deployed in force to block the protest, placing hundreds of riot officers and buses around the building and arresting demonstrators ahead of the event.\n\nPolice wearing helmets and body armor put up barriers along several key streets and closed off the Kremlin. From there, they roughly pushed back the demonstrators, arresting hundreds.\n\nAhead of the protest, Moscow’s mayor, Sergey Sobyanin, on Twitter warned that “attempts at ultimatums, organization at disorders will lead to nothing good.”\n\n“Order in the city will be ensured in accordance with the law,” he wrote.\n\nOVD-Info, a group that monitors arrests, said at least 648 people had been detained by early evening in Moscow. Police said of the 3,500 protesters they say attended, at least 300 were arrested.\n\nPolice employed unusually aggressive tactics ahead of the demonstration, raiding the homes of key activists and arresting several this week, including several of the candidates barred from the election. A high-profile opposition politician, Dmitry Gudkov, was detained by police as he drove into Moscow on Saturday morning, his wife told the liberal channel, TV Rain.\n\nAlexey Navalny, the country’s most prominent opposition figure, called for the protest. He, too, was arrested earlier this week and sentenced to 30 days in jail for organizing an authorized demonstration.\n\nAnother top opposition leader, Ilya Yashin, and two of Navalny’s key associates, Ivan Zhdanov and Lyubov Sobol, were also detained on Saturday.\n\nPolice also visited the offices of Navalny’s Anti-Corruption Foundation, as well as TV Rain’s studios, while they were live-streaming the demonstration. Security camera footage posted online by one of Navalny’s supporters appeared to show masked officers bursting into the Anti-Corruption Foundation’s office and forcing people to lie on the floor.\n\nAuthorities largely prevented protesters from approaching the mayor’s office, heading them off on the narrow streets nearby. There, they tried to shove them back while pulling people out of the crowd one by one and sometimes clubbing people with batons.\n\nForced backward, the demonstrators began moving in large groups around the city’s avenues for hours, chased by squads of police. On one street, a group of people took shelter in a church, hiding behind its gates while a line of helmeted police looked on.\n\nThe protest was called after election authorities refused to register almost a dozen well-known opposition candidates for the city council election on September 8. Moscow’s election commission has said some of the thousands of signatures that the candidates are required to collect were fabricated, but critics have said it a ploy to keep the opposition off the ballot.\n\nThe move touched off unusual anger among Russian liberal society, who see it as a sign that the Kremlin under president Vladimir Putin will now not tolerate even low-level, legal political opposition. The searches and arrests targeting the candidates since have reinforced that belief, observers said.\n\n“The searches against independent candidates for Moscow’s city parliament mean that legal politics has finished in Russia. From now on in practice they will only allow individuals agreed in advance, and all the rest they will try to frighten and declare criminals,” an op-ed in the renowned opposition investigative newspaper, Novaya Gazeta, said this week.\n\nMoscow’s city council, which has 45 seats, manages a huge municipal budget and is currently controlled by the ruling Kremlin party, United Russia. A number of the candidates arrested this week, such as Yashin, Sobol and Zhdanov, have built a following beyond Moscow through their activism, publishing investigations into alleged corruption and other abuses by officials.", "Protest monitor says at least 561 people are arrested at the rally – more than one in 7 of those officially taking part\n\nMOSCOW, Russia – Police arrested more than 500 people as they gathered in Moscow on Saturday, July 27, to demand fair local elections, the latest in a wave of protests after authorities blocked opposition candidates from the ballot paper.\n\nAround 3,500 people took to the streets for the unauthorized rally, according to official figures. Several of the arrests were violent and police used batons against protestors, Agence France-Presse reporters at the scene saw.\n\nThe demonstration came a week after the capital's biggest protest in years, when some 22,000 marchers called on officials to reverse rulings and allow opposition activists to stand for the city council in September.\n\nSince then investigators have raided the homes and headquarters of several disqualified candidates, while top Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny was jailed for 30 days for calling the fresh protest.\n\n\"Honestly, I'm scared,\" 42-year-old IT worker Alexei Sprizhitsky told AFP at the demonstration on Saturday. (READ: Russian protesters rally against Kremlin policies)\n\nHe said the last time he had seen this level of pressure on activists was in 2012, when President Vladimir Putin's return to the Kremlin after 4 years as prime minister sparked popular dissent.\n\nOther leading opposition figures and would-be candidates were arrested in the hours leading up to the Saturday's protest, which comes amid declining living standards and a fall in Putin's approval ratings.\n\nLocal polls are a rare opportunity for dissenting voices to participate in political life as anti-Kremlin parties have been squeezed out of parliament over Putin's two decades in charge.\n\nOVD Info, which monitors demonstration, said at least 561 people had been arrested at the rally – more than one in 7 of those officially taking part.\n\nThe organization reported that arrested protesters suffered from various injuries including a broken nose and head fractures.\n\nSecurity was tight in central Moscow and police shut down the area outside city hall where protesters were planning to gather, forcing participants out onto side streets.\n\n\"This is our city!\", \"Shame!\" and \"We want free elections,\" the crowd chanted as police blocked off the site.\n\nPolitician and disqualified candidate Dmitry Gudkov was arrested shortly before the march. Earlier he had said the future of the country was at stake.\n\n\"If we lose now, elections will cease to exist as a political instrument,\" he said.\n\n\"What we're talking about is whether it's legal to participate in politics today in Russia, we're talking about the country we're going to live in.\"\n\nWhile pro-Kremlin candidates enjoy the support of the state, independent candidates say they have been made to jump through countless hoops in order to get on the ballot for the city polls.\n\nAfter activists and ordinary Muscovites staged pickets last week, including outside the local election commission building, investigators said they were launching a criminal probe into obstructing the work of election officials.\n\nIf found guilty, organizers risk up to 5 years in prison.\n\nNavalny ally Ivan Zhdanov said he had been arrested shortly ahead of the demonstration. Barred candidate Ilya Yashin meanwhile announced he was detained in the early hours of Saturday morning following a raid on his home.\n\nWould-be candidate Lyubov Sobol, who this week launched a hunger strike, was arrested at the demonstration.\n\nMoscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin called the unauthorized protest a \"security threat\", adding that \"order will be ensured according to the relevant laws\".\n\nElena Rastovka, a 68-year-old pensioner at the demonstration, told AFP: \"I've been afraid all my life, but enough is enough. If we stay at home, nothing will change.\n\n\"Authorities arrest people who want to challenge them. Look at what they're doing – the authorities do not like the people.\"\n\nSome said it was the authorities' heavy response that had turned a local issue into a major protest movement.\n\n\"Who would have thought it would become important to take part in such a bizarre and boring affair as the Moscow parliament election?\" asked Viktoria Popova, a 30-year-old illustrator, ahead of the rally. – Rappler.com", "Moscow police detained more than 1,000 people including several prominent independent politicians Saturday and blocked the city’s major thoroughfares in an attempt to prevent a protest demanding that opposition candidates be allowed to run in a city council election.\n\nHeavy police presence throughout the city kept what police estimated were at least 3,500 people from participating in the protest. The demonstration was the latest in a series of protests over the last month against the Moscow city government’s rejection of applications from independent candidates to run for the 45-seat Moscow city council on the Sept. 8 ballot.\n\nWhile the protest, and others elsewhere in Russia, was sparked by a feeling of disenfranchisement in the local government decision-making process, the anger appears to have the Kremlin concerned. Trust in the central government has dropped in recent months, a year after Russian President Vladimir Putin was re elected to a fourth term by a landslide. Much of the hostility is due to Putin’s support for an unpopular pension bill that raises the retirement age by five years. In addition, Russia’s economy is stagnating while real incomes shrink and inflation rises.\n\nOpposition leaders had called for Saturday’s protest to begin in front of Moscow City Hall on the Russian capital city’s Tverskaya Street, a broad avenue lined with Stalin-era buildings that ends at the Red Square and the Kremlin’s red walls.\n\nPolice cordoned off the sidewalks near the city hall hours early to prevent people from gathering. Walls of police officers in riot gear locked arms to form columns that pushed demonstrators into side streets, where small skirmishes between protesters and police ensued. Many were beaten with batons before being dragged into police buses and taken to detention centers.\n\nMoscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin sent out warnings earlier in the week that Saturday’s protest was unsanctioned and said participants would be prosecuted. In a tweet Saturday morning, Sobyanin said the opposition was planning provocations that could put city the public’s safety as risk.\n\nSobyanin’s warning showed that the government was clearly shaken by last weekend’s demonstration in a Moscow central square that saw 22,000 protesters calling for free and fair elections. That city government had granted a permit for that protest but were surprised when it grew into one of the largest in Moscow since 2012, when tens of thousands demonstrated against election fraud and government authoritarianism.\n\nThis month’s protests started after the Moscow Election Committee declared ineligible several independent candidates’ applications to run for a city council seat in a September election. The council currently is dominated by the Kremlin-favored United Russian party.\n\nIn recent days, Alexei Navalny, a leading opposition leader and fierce critic of Putin, was arrested and sentenced to 30 days in jail for organizing an unsanctioned demonstration. Police then searched the homes of and arrested at least four other opposition candidates seeking to get on the ballot and opened an investigation into their participation in a demonstration held outside of the election commission July 14.\n\nThe protests come at a time when Russians across the country are voicing their frustrations about a lack of local participation in regional issues. In the last two years, large protests with several thousand people have sprung up in regional capitals and in provincial cities outside of Moscow to demand the closure of garbage dumps. In Ekaterinburg, Russia’s third largest city, thousands protested against the city’s plans to build a large cathedral in one of its last remaining central parks. Authorities then agreed to relocate the cathedral’s construction site.\n\nIn Moscow, demonstrators said they were tired of blatant corruption associated with an expensive makeover program that has torn up and replaced sidewalks and streets across the city of nearly 13 million people. As lucrative procurement deals have been approved by City Hall, residents have had little say on the spending, protesters said.\n\n“The government has made a mistake, and it’s showing its weakness,” said Viktor Yelkin, 69, a retired military officer. “The powers don’t want to let the opposition candidates on the ballot because they know that people will vote for them.”\n\nClashes between police and demonstrators lasted for several hours in downtown Moscow, where at least 638 were detained, according to OVD-Info, an independent monitoring agency.", "More than 500 protesters, including prominent activists, were detained Saturday near the Moscow mayor's office as Russian police jostled with demonstrators demanding that opposition-backed candidates be allowed to run for city council elections.\n\nOpposition figure Alexei Navalny was jailed Wednesday for calling the protest, which police deemed illegal. A similar protest last weekend at a location farther from the center of Moscow had been officially approved.\n\nAlso detained in advance were other prominent opposition politicians, including Ilya Yashin, Dmitry G. Gudkov and Ivan Zhdanov, depriving those who turned up of any leadership.\n\nMoscow's Mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, had called the demonstration a \"security threat,\" and promised to maintain public order, the BBC reported.\n\nThe crowd appeared to number several thousand people, but there was no official estimate of its size.\n\nOVD-Info, an organization that monitors political arrests, said 520 people had been detained about an hour after the protest began, while the city police department put the number at 295, according to state news agency TASS.\n\nAs the demonstration got underway, lines of helmeted riot police tried to push back the protesters, some of whom resisted physically. Demonstrators shouted slogans including “Russia will be free!”\n\nAuthorities have denied the opposition-backed candidates from appearing on the Sept. 8 ballot, claiming that they failed to garner enough valid signatures. The opposition said the allegations were false.\n\nThe 45-seat Moscow city council is controlled by the pro-Kremlin United Russia party.\n\nThe street in front of city hall was blocked by riot police and members of the National Guard, according to The Moscow Times. Some protesters, driven into nearby streets, tore down some police barriers, the newspaper said.\n\nNavalny's video studio, which had been sending a live webcast of the protest via YouTube, was shut down by helmeted police who forced their way into the room.\n\nThe Dozhd television channel, an independent operation also known as TV Rain, streamed a live video of the events.\n\nThis article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Moscow protests: Hundreds detained in demonstration over election"], "summary": "Several thousand people attend a rally in Moscow organized by opposition members due to several opposition candidates being disqualified from regional elections. The protests turned violent and police detained about 1,000 people, including politician Alexei Navalny."}
{"document": ["Image copyright Reuters Image caption No group has yet to claim responsibility for the attack\n\nAt least 20 people have been killed in an attack targeting the Kabul office of vice-presidential election candidate Amrullah Saleh.\n\nFifty other people were injured in the attack on the Green Trend office in the capital on Sunday.\n\nThe violence came on the first day of campaigning for Afghanistan's upcoming presidential elections.\n\nMr Saleh, who was slightly injured, is the running mate of President Ashraf Ghani.\n\nThe attack saw a suicide bomber detonate a car packed with explosives near the office building, said a spokesman for the interior ministry.\n\nSeveral militants then entered the office and remained for about six hours before being killed by security forces.\n\nAbout 150 civilians were rescued from inside the building where Green Trend - a social, grassroots and anti-corruption organisation led by Mr Saleh - is located.\n\nPresident Ashraf Ghani had earlier on Sunday said that \"peace was coming\" to the nation.\n\nNo militant group has claimed responsibility for the attack.\n\nAfghanistan's election is expected to take place in September, but has already been postponed twice.", "KABUL (Reuters) – At least 20 people were killed and 50 injured in a powerful explosion followed by a gun battle at vice presidential candidate Amrullah Saleh’s office on Sunday in Afghanistan’s capital city Kabul, the government said in a statement on Monday.\n\nSaleh, a running mate of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, was slightly injured in the attack. The interior ministry said Afghan forces shot four militants and rescued over 150 civilians during the six-hour-long operation.", "At least 20 people were killed and 50 injured in Afghanistan’s capital Kabul on Sunday in a suicide bombing and gun battle at vice presidential candidate Amrullah Saleh’s office, the government said in a statement on Monday.\n\nAfghan forces killed three militants who entered Saleh’s four-story office after a suicide bomber blew himself up during rush hour, said the interior ministry.\n\nMore than 150 civilians were rescued during the six-hour-long operation, said interior ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi.\n\nThe attack that came only hours after Ghani and Saleh, along with more than a dozen Afghan politicians, launched their two-month long election campaign.\n\nSaleh, a running mate of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, was slightly injured in the attack.", "KABUL: At least 20 people were killed and 50 injured in Afghanistan's capital Kabul on Sunday (Jul 28) in a suicide bombing and gun battle at vice presidential candidate Amrullah Saleh's office, the government said in a statement on Monday.\n\nSaleh, a running mate of Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, was slightly injured in the attack.\n\nAfghan forces killed three militants who entered Saleh's four-storey office after a suicide bomber blew himself up during rush hour, said the interior ministry.\n\nMore than 150 civilians were rescued during the six-hour-long operation, said interior ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi.\n\nNo militant group has claimed responsibility for the attack that came only hours after Ghani and Saleh, along with more than a dozen Afghan politicians, launched their two-month long election campaign.\n\nPresidential polls are expected to be held on Sep 28 but the security situation has been deteriorating across the country with the Taliban and Islamic State fighters mounting near-daily attack on Afghan forces, government employees and civilians.", "Afghan VP candidate injured as Kabul blast kills two, wounds another 25\n\nA powerful explosion hit central Kabul on Sunday, wounding Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s running mate in the upcoming election and killing at least two others, officials said.At least 25 civilians were injured in the blast that occurred on a road near the private Ghalib University and Shahid Square, a four-way intersection, interior ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi said. Rahimi said that immediately after the blast, gunmen had entered the university building and were targeting the main political office of the vice presidential candidate, Amrullah Saleh. Saleh was wounded by shrapnel before being safely evacuated from the office of his Afghan Green Trend Party. The party office is located adjacent to the university.\n\nPhotographs shared by a government official showed Saleh sitting in a garden with blood stains on his right arm. He was surrounded by security guards. Saleh is an uncompromising opponent of the Taliban and other hardline Islamist groups. Ghani, Saleh and over a dozen other Afghan politicians launched their presidential campaign on Sunday. Ghani said in a tweet: “My brother, true son of the Afghan soil and first VP candidate of my electoral team, Amrullah Saleh has survived a complex attack by enemies of the state. We are relieved and thank the almighty that the attack has failed.” Saleh, who commands strong support among Afghanistan’s minority ethnic Tajiks, was not immediately available for comment.\n\nSEE ALSO :Taliban kills eight poll commission staff in south Afghanistan-officials\n\n“The explosion hit a very busy part of the city. Our rescue teams have been rushed to the site,” Rahimi said. No militant group has claimed responsibility. Last week, Kabul was hit by three consecutive bomb blasts claimed by Islamic State and the Taliban, killing 11 people and injuring more than 40.\n\nWe are undertaking a survey to help us improve our content for you. This will only take 1 minute of your time, please give us your feedback by clicking HERE. All responses will be treated with the confidentiality that they deserve.", "Kabul: Deadly violence marred the start of Afghanistan's election season on the weekend, after President Ashraf Ghani insisted \"peace is coming\" to the war-torn nation. At least 20 people were killed and 50 others wounded on Sunday in an attack targeting the Kabul office of Ghani's running mate, Amrullah Saleh.\n\nThe violence came on the first day of campaigning for the upcoming presidential elections, serving as a grim reminder of Afghanistan's woeful security situation and the sort of mayhem and murder that have beset previous polls.\n\nThe attack began around 4.40 pm (12.10 GMT), when a huge blast struck near the office of Green Trend, a youth and reform-focused civil society organisation Saleh heads. He escaped without serious injury, his office said. The interior ministry said the assault began when a suicide bomber detonated an explosives-packed car at the entrance to the building, then three attackers ran inside.\n\nAfter about six hours the siege ended with all attackers killed and the rescue of about 150 people who had been trapped in the building, according to the interior ministry, which also provided the toll of 20 dead and 50 wounded. No group immediately claimed responsibility.\n\nEarlier on Sunday, a buoyant Ghani kicked off his campaign by insisting \"peace is coming,\" after nearly 18 years of conflict, and that pivotal talks with the Islamist extremist Taliban would take place. He is hoping to fend off challenges from 17 other candidates to score a second term at twice-postponed presidential elections now slated for 28 September.\n\nOn Saturday Ghani's peace minister, Abdul Salam Rahimi, said direct talks would take place with the Taliban within two weeks as part of a larger, US-led push for peace. Such a development could be crucial, as the Taliban, who now control or influence about half of Afghanistan, have so far refused to speak to Ghani's government. They consider the Kabul administration illegitimate.\n\nWar aside, the country faces a host of major issues ahead of the election, including rocketing crime, a lacklustre economy, soaring unemployment, and crumbling infrastructure. Voters are despondent about the prospects of a fair election.\n\nMany worry about a repeat of violent attacks on previous polling stations by the Taliban and other insurgent groups trying to undermine Afghanistan's fragile democracy. Ghani insisted this year's vote would be \"clean\", but distrust is rife.\n\nSayed Jan, a 27-year-old student, said he won't be voting as he has lost faith since the 2014 election that was mired in allegations of fraud and ballot stuffing. \"We have been betrayed by the candidates in the past. We cannot trust them this time,\" he said. \"We need peace in Afghanistan instead of elections. Even if I vote, the election will be fraudulent.\"\n\nIn Kabul, security forces fanned out across the city as leading candidates held rallies. Ghani's top rival is Abdullah Abdullah, who currently serves as the president's chief executive under an awkward power-sharing arrangement brokered by the US after the 2014 election. \"It is our national and religious duty to take advantage of any opportunities for peace,\" Abdullah told a campaign rally.\n\nOne crucial issue is that the elections happen at all, they were postponed twice this year and further delays could lead to more distrust. Despite Ghani's claim that a summit between his government and the Taliban would take place shortly, the insurgents said they would only talk to Kabul after the US had announced a timeline for a withdrawal of foreign forces, a major part of any deal.\n\n\"The Kabul administration will be considered a political side, just like others, and not a government,\" Taliban political spokesman Suhail Shaheen wrote in Pashto on Twitter. Diplomatic sources have said the Afghan-Taliban talks are scheduled to begin in Oslo on 7 August.\n\nUS peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad said Saturday that new \"intra-Afghan\" negotiations would only take place after the US and Taliban had concluded their own agreements. Washington is hoping for a political agreement with the insurgents ahead of the September presidential election.\n\nOther presidential candidates include Ghani's former national security advisor Hanif Atmar and former warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, nicknamed the \"Butcher of Kabul\" for his alleged role in the killing of thousands of people in the capital in the 1990s.", "Kabul [Afghanistan], July 28 (ANI): Former National Directorate of Security (NDS) chief and Vice-Presidential candidate Amrullah Saleh survived a major attack on his residence here on Sunday that claimed the lives of at least seven people and left 15 others injured.\n\n\"My brother, true son of the Afghan soil and first VP candidate of my electoral team, @AmrullahSaleh2 has survived a complex attack by enemies of the state. We are relieved and thank the almighty that attack has failed,\" Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani wrote on Twitter.\n\n \n\nThe car explosion took place at Shaheed Circle in Kabul's Police District 4 (PD4) at around 4.40 pm (local time).\n\nAccording to Afghan journalist Bilal Sarwary, three attackers were involved in the attack.\n\n\"At least 3 attackers are involved in this complex attack. A car bomb was detonated. At least 2 attackers there. Afghan Special Forces are now in charge of the operation. The office of Amrullah Saleh was attacked, multiple sources tell me,\" he tweeted.\n\n\"At least 7 people killed. At least 15 people wounded. I picked up 6 bodies right after a car bomb, a police officer in PD4 in Kabul Cory tells me,\" the journalist said in another tweet.\n\nSources told TOLOnews that the blast was a car bomb targetting the office of Afghanistan Green Trend, a political movement run by Saleh, who is also a former National Directorate of Security (NDS) chief.\n\nSaleh, who Ghani's running mate, is a vocal critic of Pakistan and its manipulation of Afghanistan through the Taliban.\n\nMany believe that Saleh's inclusion in the presidential electoral team helped bolster Ghani's prospects among the country's minorities.\n\nSaleh has survived several attacks by the Taliban and the latest incident is suspected to be the group's handiwork. (ANI)", "Kabul: A large explosion hit the office of the Afghan President's running mate on Sunday as gunmen stormed the building and remained holed up inside, officials said.\n\nThe attack in the capital, Kabul, killed at least two people and came on the first day of campaigning for presidential elections, scheduled for late September.\n\nVice-presidential candidate and former intelligence chief Amrullah Saleh was evacuated from the building and moved to a safe location, said Nasrat Rahimi, the interior ministry spokesman.\n\nHe said that while the gun battle was ongoing, security forces had cleared the first and second floors of the building. Two attackers were still inside the building late on Sunday afternoon, with another killed in the shootout.", "A massive blast, thought to be a car bomb, was detonated before gunmen stormed the vice-presidential candidate’s offices in Kabul RAHMAT GUL/AP\n\nAt least 20 people were killed and scores injured in an attack on the office of President Ghani’s running mate, as Afghanistan’s presidential election campaign got off to a bloody start on Sunday.\n\nThe onslaught began with a massive blast, thought to be a car bomb, outside the Kabul office of Green Trend, the civil society organisation of Amrullah Saleh, the vice-presidential candidate. Gunmen then stormed the building, triggering a siege that lasted several hours.\n\nMr Saleh, the former intelligence chief, was reported to be slightly injured as staff fled the building. No group has yet admitted carrying out the attack but the Taliban and Islamic State, who have both carried out attacks in the capital, have rejected the elections.", "KABUL (Reuters) - A powerful explosion hit central Kabul on Sunday, wounding Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s running mate in the upcoming election and killing at least two others, officials said.\n\nAt least 25 civilians were injured in the blast that occurred on a road near the private Ghalib University and Shahid Square, a four-way intersection, interior ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi said.\n\nRahimi said that immediately after the blast, gunmen had entered the university building and were targeting the main political office of the vice presidential candidate, Amrullah Saleh. Saleh was wounded by shrapnel before being safely evacuated from the office of his Afghan Green Trend Party.\n\nThe party office is located adjacent to the university.\n\nPhotographs shared by a government official showed Saleh sitting in a garden with blood stains on his right arm. He was surrounded by security guards.\n\nSaleh is an uncompromising opponent of the Taliban and other hardline Islamist groups.\n\nGhani, Saleh and over a dozen other Afghan politicians launched their presidential campaign on Sunday.\n\nGhani said in a tweet: “My brother, true son of the Afghan soil and first VP candidate of my electoral team, Amrullah Saleh has survived a complex attack by enemies of the state. We are relieved and thank the almighty that the attack has failed.”\n\nSaleh, who commands strong support among Afghanistan’s minority ethnic Tajiks, was not immediately available for comment.\n\n“The explosion hit a very busy part of the city. Our rescue teams have been rushed to the site,” Rahimi said.\n\nLast week, Kabul was hit by three consecutive bomb blasts claimed by Islamic State and the Taliban, killing 11 people and injuring more than 40."], "summary": "Gunfire and an explosion kills 20 and injures over 50 in an attack at the Kabul office of the Vice Presidential candidate Amrullah Saleh, who was slightly injured in the attack."}
{"document": ["Image copyright AFP Image caption The government says a warplane belonging to rogue general Khalifa Hafta carried out the attack\n\nAn air strike has killed five doctors in a hospital in the southern outskirts of Libya's capital Tripoli, an official from the UN-backed government says.\n\nA warplane belonging to Khalifa Hafta, the rogue general who commands the Libyan National Army, carried out the attack, the health ministry spokesman added.\n\nThe LNA has not commented.\n\nLibya has been roiled in conflict since the fall of long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.\n\nFighting between the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) led by Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, and Mr Haftar's LNA, has claimed 1,100 lives since April, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).\n\nThe fighting has remained deadlocked on the outskirts of the capital, with both sides resorting to air strikes, news agency AFP reports.\n\nSaturday's bombing also wounded seven people, including some rescuers, Lamine al-Hashem, the spokesman from the health ministry, said.\n\n\"It was a direct hit against the field hospital which was packed with medical teams,\" Mr Hashemi added.\n\nThe attack was the third to target a hospital in the capital's south, AFP reports.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Libya crisis: The fight for Tripoli explained from the frontline\n\nAfrican migrants who use Libya as a key crossing point to Europe have also been caught up in the fighting.\n\nThe GNA blamed the LNA for last month's air strike on a detention centre that killed at least 50 migrants.\n\nHowever, the LNA said it had attacked a pro-government camp near the centre and pro-government forces had fired shells in response, hitting the migrant centre by accident.\n\nThe UN's High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, said the attack could constitute a war crime.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Inside a Libyan migrant detention camp\n\nWho controls Libya?\n\nOnly Libya's myriad armed militias really hold sway - nominally backing two centres of political power in the east and west with parallel institutions.\n\nTripoli administration, the internationally recognised government, known as the Government of National Accord (GNA)\n\nThis is under the leadership of Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj, an engineer by profession. He arrived in Tripoli in March 2016, four months after a UN-brokered deal to form a unity government, to set up his administration. Over the last three years he has worked to gain the support of the various militias and politicians, but he has little real power over the whole country or the forces ostensibly under his control.\n\nTobruk administration, includes the parliament elected in 2014 after disputed elections\n\nWhen those who held power in Tripoli refused to give it up in 2014, the newly elected MPs moved to the port of Tobruk, 1,000km (620 miles) away, along with the old government. In 2015 some of these MPs backed the UN deal for a unity government, but the parliament has since refused to recognise it and has been blocking efforts to organise fresh elections because it wants rogue General Khalifa Haftar, who leads a powerful force called the Libyan National Army (LNA), to be guaranteed a senior role in any new set-up.", "An air strike has killed five doctors in a hospital in the southern outskirts of Libya's capital...", "Tripoli [Libya], July 29 (ANI): At least five doctors lost their lives after an air raid by Khalifa Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA) targeted a hospital in the southern outskirts of Libya's capital Tripoli, an official from the UN-recognised government of the war-ravaged country said on Sunday.\n\n\"The field hospital located on the airport road [southern Tripoli] was hit by an air raid,\" health ministry spokesperson Lamine al-Hashemi was quoted as saying by Al Jazeera.\n\n\"Five doctors were killed and seven other people, including rescuers, [were] wounded\" in Saturday's attack that al-Hashemi said was carried out by \"a Haftar warplane\".\n\nThe LNA enjoys the backing of France, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Russia, and had launched an offensive in early April to seize control of Tripoli.\n\nThe UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) in the Libyan capital weathered the initial onslaught and since then fighting has remained deadlocked on the outskirts of the capital, with both sides resorting to air attacks in recent days.\n\nNo immediate confirmation or denial of responsibility from Haftar's forces was made.\n\nSaturday's attack was the third to target a hospital south of Tripoli.\n\nOn July 16, three doctors and a paramedic were wounded in an air attack on Swani Hospital near the capital, the second time it was targeted.\n\nThe World Health Organisation (WHO) and rights groups have repeatedly called on both sides in the conflict to spare medical personnel, clinics and hospitals.\n\nThe fighting since April has killed nearly 1,100 people and injured more than 5,750, according to the WHO. More than 100,000 civilians have fled their homes. (ANI)", "An airstrike that hit a field hospital south of the Libyan capital, Tripoli, has killed at least four doctors and a paramedic, the country’s health authorities said on Sunday.\n\nMalek Merset, a spokesman for the health ministry of the United Nations-backed government, said the attack took place late Saturday in the Zawya District.\n\nForces based in the country’s east are fighting for control of the capital’s southern outskirts against militias allied with the Tripoli-based government.\n\nThe health authorities did not say which side was behind the airstrike, which also wounded at least eight health workers. But the Tripoli-based government blamed the airstrike on the self-styled Libyan National Army, led by Gen. Khalifa Hifter. The group could not immediately be reached for comment.", "An airstrike on a field hospital on the outskirts of Tripoli killed five doctors, the UN-backed government said.\n\nThe attack on the Libyan capital on Saturday is believed to have been carried out by forces loyal to Marshal Khalifa Haftar, who controls large parts of the east of the country and has been battling to take Tripoli since April.\n\nMarshal Haftar’s forces, the Libyan National Army (LNA), have not yet commented on the attack, which also wounded eight people, including rescue workers. The strike hit the Airport Road field hospital south of the capital. Malik Marseet, a spokesman for the hospital, said there was pandemonium after the airstrike. It is the third medical facility to be targeted in the latest round of fighting.", "Fathi Nasri, AFP |A Libyan L-39 Albatros warplane belonging to forces of strongman Khalifa Haftar, after it made an emergency landing in the southeastern Tunisian town of Medenine on July 22, 2019\n\nLibyan authorities say an airstrike hit a field hospital south of the capital, Tripoli, killing at least four doctors and a paramedic.\n\nA spokesman for the health ministry of the UN-supported government of Libya, says the attack took place late Saturday in the Zawya district.\n\nForces based in the country's east are currently fighting for control of the capital's southern outskirts against militias allied with the Tripoli-based government.\n\nThe government blamed the airstrike on the self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA), led by commander Khalifa Haftar. The LNA could not immediately be reached for comment.\n\nThe government in Tripoli has weathered the initial onslaught and since then fighting has remained deadlocked on the outskirts of the city, with both sides resorting to air strikes.\n\n\"The field hospital located on the airport road (south of Tripoli) was hit by an air raid. Five doctors were killed and seven other people, including rescuers, wounded,\" health ministry spokesman Lamine al-Hashemi said.\n\nThe strike occurred on Saturday and was carried out by \"a Haftar warplane\", he said.\n\n\"It was a direct hit against the hospital which was packed with medical teams,\" Hashemi added.\n\nThe attack was the third to target a hospital south of the capital.\n\nOn July 16 three doctors and a paramedic were wounded in a strike on the Swani hospital near the capital, the second time it was targeted.\n\nThe World Health Organisation and rights groups have repeatedly called on both sides in the conflict to spare medical personnel, clinics and hospitals.\n\nThe fighting since April has left nearly 1,100 people dead and wounded more than 5,750, according to the WHO. More than 100,000 civilians have fled their homes.\n\nHaftar's LNA began its offensive on Tripoli in early April, but the battle lines have changed little in recent weeks.", "The Libyan National Army has been trying to seize the capital since April, engaging in violent combat with the forces of the UN-recognized government.\n\nAn airstrike allegedly by forces loyal to General Khalifa Haftar hit a field hospital near the Libyan capital of Tripoli killing five doctors and injured at least eight medical personnel late Saturday, according to the Tripoli-based and U.N.-backed Government of National Accord (GNA).\n\n\"The field hospital located on the airport road [southern Tripoli] was hit by an air raid,\" said health ministry spokesperson Lamine al-Hashemi.\n\n\"Five doctors were killed and seven other people, including rescuers, were wounded,\" in the assault that al-Hashemi said was carried out by \"a Haftar warplane.\" Haftar's forces have not yet made any confirmation or denial of responsibility.\n\nHaftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA) has been trying to capture Tripoli since April, engaging in violent combat with GNA forces on the capital’s outskirts. The fighting has killed local civilians and refugees, as airstrikes and skirmishes have wounded 5,000 and killed nearly 1,000 people, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).\n\nFrom 2014 and on, Libya has had two political power centers, the U.N.-backed government in Tripoli, that is having a hard time governing the capital city and some western areas, and another government in Tobruk, an eastern city which has remained under Haftar's control.\n\nThe North-African nation which has major oil reserves had been under foreign rule for centuries and gained independence in 1951. Colonel Muammar Gaddafi seized power in 1969 and ruled the country for four decades until he was ousted in 2011 by Western military intervention.\n\nThe country has since been in chaos with political forces unable to stabilize it. It also transformed in a key point of departure for migrants heading for Europe, and a source of international concern over the rise of Islamists groups.", "CAIRO (AP) — Libyan health authorities say an airstrike hit a field hospital south of the capital, Tripoli, killing at least four doctors and a paramedic.\n\nMalek Merset, a spokesman for the health ministry of the U.N.-supported government, says the attack took place late Saturday in the Zawya district.\n\nForces based in the country's east are currently fighting for control of the capital's southern outskirts against militias allied with the Tripoli-based government.\n\nHealth authorities did not say which side was behind the airstrike, which wounded eight health workers.", "Libyan health authorities say an airstrike hit a field hospital south of the capital, Tripoli, killing at least four doctors and a paramedic.\n\nMalek Merset, a spokesman for the health ministry of the U.N.-supported government, says the attack took place late Saturday in the Zawya district.\n\n \n\n Forces based in the country's east are currently fighting for control of the capital's southern outskirts against militias allied with the Tripoli-based government.\n\n \n\n Health authorities did not say which side was behind the airstrike, which wounded eight health workers.\n\n \n\n The Tripoli-based government blamed the airstrike on the self-styled Libyan National Army, led by commander Khalifa Hifter. The LNA could not immediately be reached for comment.\n\n \n\n Hifter's LNA began its offensive on Tripoli in early April. In past weeks, the battle lines have changed little.", "TRIPOLI: Five doctors were killed in an air strike by forces of Libyan strongman Khalifa Haftar on a field hospital near the capital, the health ministry of the UN-recognised government said.\n\nHaftar´s self-styled Libyan National Army launched an offensive in April to try to wrest Tripoli from forces of the Government of National Accord which is based in the capital.\n\nPro-GNA forces have weathered the initial onslaught and since then fighting has remained deadlocked on the outskirts of the city, with both sides resorting to air strikes."], "summary": "An airstrike kills five doctors in a hospital in the southern outskirts of Libya's capital Tripoli."}
{"document": ["Image copyright AFP Image caption The Wajãpi indigenous community live in a remote area in northern Brazil\n\nHeavily armed gold miners have invaded a remote indigenous reserve in northern Brazil and stabbed to death one of its leaders, officials say.\n\nResidents of the village in Amapá state fled in fear and there were concerns violent clashes could erupt if they tried to reclaim the gold-rich land.\n\nPolice have arrived in the area.\n\nTensions in the Amazon region are on the rise as far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, who is against the reserves, vows to open some of them to mining.\n\nMr Bolsonaro says the indigenous territories are too big given the number of people living there, and critics accuse him of encouraging illegal mining and invasions of reserves.\n\nThe group of 10 to 15 heavily armed miners overran the village Yvytotõ of the Wajãpi community and \"tensions were high\", according to Brazil's indigenous rights agency, Funai.\n\nThe residents fled to the Mariry village, some 40 minutes away by foot, and have been warned not to try to come into any contact with the invaders.\n\nBased on accounts from the Wajãpi, Funai said the miners had killed 68-year-old Emyra Wajãpi, whose body was found with stab marks in a river near Mariry on Wednesday. It said, though, it had not been to the crime scene because of the difficulty of access.\n\nDespite the rising tensions, killings of indigenous leaders in Brazil are rare.\n\nThe incident appears to confirm the worst fears for the fate of Brazil's protected indigenous territories, the BBC's Julia Carneiro in Rio reports.\n\nFederal police and an elite force arrived in the area on Sunday, and both the federal police and the federal prosecutors' office said they will investigate the events, reported by a local leader on Saturday.\n\n\"This is the first violent invasion in 30 years since the demarcation of the indigenous reserves in Amapá,\" Senator Rodolfe Rodrigues told local newspaper Diário do Amapá (in Portuguese), warning of a \"blood bath\".\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The Uru-Eu-Wau-Wau are among groups that say Brazil's president wants to allow deforestation in protected areas\n\nThe 1,200 members of the Wajãpi community live in dozens of villages in a 600,000-hectare reserve in Amapá, next to French Guiana.\n\nSpeaking earlier on Saturday, Mr Bolsonaro said some of the indigenous territories were on \"very rich [mineral] land\" and that he was \"looking for the 'first world' to explore these areas in partnership and add value,\" according to O Globo newspaper (in Portuguese).\n\n\"That's the reason for my decision to get closer to the US. That's why I want a person of trust in the embassy in the US,\" said Mr Bolsonaro, who wants to appoint his own congressman son, Eduardo, as ambassador.\n\nHe has not commented on the events in Amapá.\n\nMr Bolsonaro, who took office in January, has promised to integrate indigenous people into the rest of the population and questioned the existence of their protected territories, which are rights guaranteed in the country's Constitution.\n\nThe president has also criticised the environmental protection agency, Ibama, and accused the national space institute, Inpe, of lying about the scale of deforestation in the Amazon.\n\nActivists say the relaxation of the protections could lead to greater deforestation of the Amazon rainforest and threaten the existence of indigenous people.", "Rio de Janeiro [Brazil], July 29 (ANI): Several dozen heavily armed miners dressed in military fatigues invaded an indigenous village in remote northern Brazil this week and fatally stabbed at least one of the community's leaders, authorities have said.\n\nThe killing comes as miners and loggers are making increasingly bold and defiant incursions into protected areas, including indigenous territories, with the explicit encouragement of Brazil's far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro, The New York Times reported.\n\nBolsonaro has said that the indigenous communities are in control of vast territories that should be opened up to industries to make them profitable.\n\nIndigenous territories and communities have come under regular threats by miners and loggers due to land invasions that are on a rise across the South American country in recent months. Yet assassinations of indigenous leaders are a rare case.\n\nLeaders of the Wajapi indigenous community made urgent pleas to the federal government on Saturday, warning that the conflict between the miners and members of their community who live in the remote villages in the northern state of Amapa risked turning into a blood bath.\n\n\"They are armed with rifles and other weapons,\" Jawaruwa Waiapi, a leader of the community, was quoted as saying in a voice message sent to one of the state's senators, referring to the miners.\n\n\"We are in danger. You need to send the army to stop them,\" he urged\n\nHowever, the details over the killing are yet to be divulged.\n\nRodolfe Rodrigues, the senator, said on Saturday night (local time) that residents of the village that had been invaded had fled. Citing local accounts, he said there was a concern in the area that men from the tribe would return to the village to try to reclaim it.\n\n\"There is a significant risk that the conflict will escalate in the coming hours,\" Rodrigues said in a phone interview.\n\n\"The Indians are going to retaliate,\" he warned.\n\nRodrigues, who belongs to an opposition party, said Bolsonaro's views on indigenous territories and the rights of native communities had put the descendants of Brazil's original inhabitants in mortal danger.\n\n\"The president is responsible for this death,\" he said.\n\nA representative for the president declined to comment on Saturday night.\n\nRodrigues identified the slain indigenous leader as Emyra Wajapi. He said the miners tossed his body in a river after stabbing him to death.\n\nOn Saturday night, an elite police force was en route to the area. The National Indian Foundation, a federal agency that was created to protect indigenous rights, said on Saturday that its personnel in the area were trying to ascertain the facts surrounding the killing.\n\nThe Wajapi, who have lived for centuries in the area that straddles northern Brazil and French Guiana, lived in isolation until the 1970s, when the Brazilian government built a road that made their areas accessible to miners and other outsiders.\n\nTheir territory was designated a protected area in 1996 as part of the process established by Brazil's 1988 Constitution. That charter, which was adopted after a 21-year period of military rule, set out to make amends for the brutality indigenous communities had endured since Europeans arrived on the continent in the 1400s. (ANI)", "Dozens of armed miners have invaded a remote indigenous reserve in northern Brazil and stabbed to death at least one of its leaders, officials say.\n\nResidents of a village in Amapá state fled in fear but a community leader said they could try to reclaim it, warning of the risk of violent clashes.\n\nPolice have been sent to the area.\n\nTensions in the Amazon region are on the rise as far-right President Jair Bolsonaro has vowed to open some of the protected areas to mining.\n\nMr Bolsonaro says the indigenous territories are too big given the number of people living there. Critics accuse him of encouraging illegal mining and invasions of reserves.\n• 'We fight for the right to exist'\n• Is the Amazon facing new dangers?\n\nOn Saturday, Jawaruwa Wajãpi, a leader of the Wajãpi community, said the miners had occupied the Mariry village. He pleaded with the federal government to send in the army.\n\n\"[The miners] are armed with rifles and other weapons. We're in danger,\" he said in a voice message sent to Rodolfe Rodrigues, one of the state's senators. \"There's risk of [more] deaths and conflict because I think the Wajãpi will act soon.\"\n\nMr Rodrigues, whose party opposes the Bolsonaro government, said 50 miners had invaded the reserve, and that the situation was \"very serious\".\n\n\"This [would be] the first violent invasion in 30 years since the demarcation of the indigenous reserves in Amapá,\" he told local newspaper Diário do Amapá, saying a \"blood bath\" could happen (in Portuguese).\n\nDespite the rising tensions, killings of indigenous leaders are rare. The assassinated indigenous leader has been identified as Emyra Wajãpi, whose body was found with stab marks in a river near Mariry on Wednesday.\n\nOn Saturday night, Brazil's indigenous rights agency, Funai, said the federal police and an elite force had been sent to the area to investigate. It confirmed that one person had been killed, but said the details were not yet clear.\n\nThe 1,200 members of the Wajãpi community live in dozens of villages in a 600,000-hectare reserve in Amapá, next to the French Guiana.\n\nSpeaking earlier on Saturday, Mr Bolsonaro said some of the indigenous territories were on \"very rich [mineral] land\" and that he was \"looking for the 'first world' to explore these areas in partnership and add value,\" according to O Globo newspaper (in Portuguese).\n\n\"That's the reason for my decision to get closer to the US. That's why I want a person of trust in the embassy in the US,\" said Mr Bolsonaro, who wants to appoint his own congressman son, Eduardo, as ambassador.\n\nHe has not commented on the events in Amapá.\n\nMr Bolsonaro, who took office in January, has promised to integrate indigenous people into the rest of the population and questioned the existence of their protected territories.\n\nHe has already transferred the creation and limitation of reserves from Funai to the agriculture ministry, a controversial decision that was seen as a victory for the powerful agribusiness sector.\n\nThe president has also criticised the environmental protection agency, Ibama, and accused the national space institute, Inpe, of lying about the scale of deforestation in the Amazon.\n\nActivists say the relaxation of the protections could lead to greater deforestation of the Amazon rainforest and threaten the existence of indigenous people.", "Dozens of gold miners have invaded a remote indigenous reserve in the Brazilian Amazon where a local leader was stabbed to death and have taken over a village after the community fled in fear, local politicians and indigenous leaders said. The authorities said police were on their way to investigate.\n\nIllegal gold mining is at epidemic proportions in the Amazon and the heavily polluting activities of garimpeiros – as miners are called – devastate forests and poison rivers with mercury. About 50 garimpeiros were reported to have invaded the 600,000-hectare Waiãpi indigenous reserve in the state of Amapá on Saturday.\n\nThe men were spotted days after the murder of Emyra Waiãpi, a community leader, whose body was found near the village of Mariry early on Wednesday.\n\nIndigenous people evacuated Mariry and fled to the bigger village of Aramir, where shots were fired on Saturday. Indigenous leaders and local politicians have called for urgent police help, fearing a bloodbath.\n\n“The garimpeiros invaded the indigenous village and are there until today. They are heavily armed, they have machine guns. That is why we asking for help from the federal police,” said Kureni Waiãpi (26) a member of the tribe who lives in the nearest town of Pedra Branca do Amapari, two hours away and 189km from Amapá state capital Macapa. “If nothing is done they will start to fight.”\n\n“We have a very tense situation,” said Beth Pelaes, mayor of Pedra Branca do Amapari, who said the tribe was very traditional and allowed only authorised visitors.\n\nThe crisis was revealed on Saturday by Randolfe Rodrigues, a senator for Amapá state, who received desperate audio messages pleading for police and army help from Jawaruwa Waiãpi, a local councillor and leader. Brazilian singer Caetano Veloso was among those who shared the tribe’s appeal for help on Saturday.\n\n“I ask the Brazilian authorities for help, in the name of the dignity of Brazil in the world, hear this cry,” Veloso said in a video recorded in Mexico City, where he is on tour.\n\nKureni Waiãpi said Brazil’s far-right president Jair Bolsonaro had encouraged invasions like this. “It is because he, the president, is threatening the indigenous peoples of Brazil,” he said.\n\nSenator Rodrigues blamed Bolsonaro’s repeated promises to allow mining on protected indigenous reserves, where it is currently prohibited, for the first invasion of Waiãpi land in decades. In the 1970s, the tribe was almost wiped out by disease after their land was invaded by gold prospectors. In 2017, the then president Michel Temer moved to open the vast Renca reserve the tribe’s land falls within to mining but backed off after an international outcry.\n\n“The Jair Bolsonaro government is encouraging this conflict, encouraging garimpeiros to enter. Their hands are dirty,” Senator Rodrigues said.\n\nRecently Bolsonaro compared indigenous people living traditional lives on their reserves to “prehistoric men”. On Saturday he once again talked up the mineral riches in the Raposa Serra do Sol and Yanomami reserves – currently inundated with thousands of garimpeiros.\n\n“I’m looking for the ‘first world’ to explore these areas in partnership and add value. That’s the reason for my approximation with the United States. That’s why I want a person of trust in the embassy in the USA,” Bolsonaro said on Saturday, according to the O Globo newspaper. His plans to appoint his congressman son, Eduardo, as Brazil’s US ambassador have caused an outcry in Brazil.\n\nKureni Waiãpi said the body of Emyra Waiãpi was found with stab wounds early on Wednesday morning in a river near his village of Mariry. On Friday, local man Arawyra Waiãpi and his wife spotted a group of men they believed to be garimpeiros at their plantation near the village. The community fled to the bigger village of Aramira. Shots were fired near Aramira around 6pm local time on Saturday but nobody was hurt. “I think the garimpeiros are shooting to scare the Waiãpi,” Kureni Waiãpi said.\n\nFederal and Amap police were heading to the area, a spokeswoman from Brazil’s indigenous agency Funai said. “For now there are no records of conflict, although a death has been confirmed, but no details of the circumstances. The place is difficult to access,” she said.\n\nThe state government of Amapá said it was “engaging all efforts to support federal police in the investigation” and had sent an elite troop of police to accompany officers sent to the area.– Guardian", "BRASILIA – Heavily armed gold miners have invaded a remote indigenous reserve in northern Brazil and stabbed to death one of its leaders, officials say.\n\nResidents of the village in Amapá state fled in fear and there were concerns violent clashes could erupt if they tried to reclaim the gold-rich land. Police have arrived in the area.\n\nTensions in the Amazon region are on the rise as President Jair Bolsonaro, who is against the reserves, vows to open some of them to mining.\n\nMr Bolsonaro says the indigenous territories are too big given the number of people living there, and critics accuse him of encouraging illegal mining and invasions of reserves.\n\nThe group of 10 to 15 heavily armed miners overran the village Yvytotõ of the Wajãpi community and “tensions were high”, according to Brazil’s indigenous rights agency, Funai.\n\nThe residents fled to the Mariry village, some 40 minutes away by foot, and have been warned not to try to come into any contact with the invaders.\n\nBased on accounts from the Wajãpi, Funai said the miners had killed 68-year-old Emyra Wajãpi, whose body was found with stab marks in a river near Mariry on Wednesday. It said, though, it had not been to the crime scene because of the difficulty of access.\n\nDespite the rising tensions, killings of indigenous leaders in Brazil are rare.\n\nThe incident appears to confirm the worst fears for the fate of Brazil’s protected indigenous territories. Federal police and an elite force arrived in the area on Sunday, and both the federal police and the federal prosecutors’ office said they will investigate the events, reported by a local leader on Saturday.\n\n“This is the first violent invasion in 30 years” since the demarcation of the indigenous reserves in Amapá,” Senator Rodolfe Rodrigues told local newspaper Diário do Amapá (in Portuguese), warning of a “blood bath”.\n\nThe 1.200 members of the Wajapi community live in dozens of villages in a 600,000-hectare reserve in Amapá, next to French Guiana.\n\nSpeaking earlier on Saturday, Bolsonaro said some of the indigenous territories were on “very rich meneral land” and that he was “looking for the ‘first world’ to explore these areas in partnership and add value,” according to O Globo newspaper.\n\n“That’s the reason for my decision to get closer to the US. That’s why I want a person of trust in the embassy in the US,” said Bolsonaro, who wants to appoint his own congressman son, Eduardo, as ambassador.–MercoPress", "Rio de Janeiro: Several dozen heavily armed miners dressed in military fatigues invaded an indigenous village in remote northern Brazil this past week and fatally stabbed at least one of the community's leaders, officials have said.\n\nThe killing comes as miners and loggers are making increasingly bold incursions into protected areas, including indigenous territories, with the explicit encouragement of Brazil's far-right President, Jair Bolsonaro. Officials warned that the conflict could escalate in the coming hours.\n\nBolsonaro has said that indigenous communities are in control of vast territories that should be opened up to industries.\n\nLand invasions in indigenous territories are on the rise across Brazil, where indigenous leaders say they regularly come under threat by miners, loggers and farmers. Yet assassinations of indigenous leaders are rare.", "Around 50 gold miners have invaded a remote indigenous reserve in the Brazilian Amazon, taking over a village after a local leader was stabbed to death.\n\nDozens of gold miners – known as ‘garimpeiros’ – were sighted mere days after the murder of community leader Emyra Waiãpi, whose body was found close to the the village of Mariry on Wednesday, July 24.\n\nLocal politicians and indigenous leaders reported gold miners invaded on Saturday, July 27, causing the traditional community to flee from the 600,000-hectare Waiãpi indigenous reserve in fear. They headed over to the larger village of Aramirã, where shots were fired on the same day.\n\nAs reported by The Guardian, both Indigenous leaders and local politicians are now fearful of a potential bloodbath, calling upon police officers for urgent assistance.\n\nTribe member Kureni Waiãpi, 26 – who lives in the nearby town of Pedra Branca do Amapari – told The Guardian:\n\nThe garimpeiros invaded the indigenous village and are there until today. They are heavily armed, they have machine guns. That is why we asking for help from the federal police, If nothing is done they will start to fight.\n\nOn Saturday July 27, Amapá state senator Randolfe Rodrigues raised the alarm about this crisis after receiving requests for immediate police and army assistance from local councillor and leader Jawaruwa Waiãpi.\n\nI want to thank the director general of the Federal Police, Ranucci Júnior, for attending to our requests and relocating a PF contingent to the land of the Waijãpis, invaded by prospectors at dawn in Amapá. The situation is very serious! We are attentive to the defence of indigenous peoples.\n\nOn the very same day the indigenous community fled from their village, President Jair Bolsonaro publicly defended the exploitation of minerals in indigenous areas, as reported by O Globo.\n\nSpeaking at the graduation of 26th Parachute Infantry Battalion skydiving recruits in the West Zone of Rio, the divisive president made the following remarks:\n\nBolsonaro has repeatedly criticised the indigenous communities of Brazil, and has also taken aim at those trying to preserve the Amazon.\n\nAs reported by The Guardian, a spokesperson from Brazil’s indigenous agency FUNAI said Federal and Amapá police were heading to the area where the crisis is unfolding:\n\nThe state government of Amapá has reportedly sent an elite police troop to accompany officers who are heading over to the remote area.\n\nIf you have a story you want to tell send it to UNILAD via [email protected]", "Brazilian authorities are investigating the death of an indigenous man after villagers reported illegal miners invaded their land and fatally stabbed their leader.\n\nOfficials of the National Indian Foundation arrived Sunday at the indigenous reserve in Amapa state, located in northern Brazil, where the Wajapi people live. Public Ministry officials and police accompanied them.\n\nARMED MEN DISGUISED AS COPS TAKE $40M IN GOLD, PRECIOUS METAL AND HOSTAGES IN BRAZILIAN AIRPORT HEIST\n\nA day earlier, indigenous leaders and politicians reported a Wajapi village was attacked. They said the dozens of attackers consisted of people who mine illegally for precious metals. The attackers were described as heavily armed and outfitted in military fatigues, The New York Times reported.\n\nRodolfe Rodrigues, a Senator for the state of Amapa, told The Times that miners had stabbed the indigenous leader to death and dumped his body in a river while other villagers fled. Rodrigues identified the slain leader as Emyra Wajapi.\n\nWhile Federal Police have yet to release the identity of the man, officials confirmed a man died last Monday and officers were investigating to clarify the circumstances surrounding his death.\n\nRodrigues, a member of Brazil’s opposition party, blamed the alleged incursion on Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, telling The Times that “the president is responsible for this death.”\n\nBolsonaro has faced recent criticism for the Amazon rainforest's deforestation after preliminary data released in July showed a drastic acceleration in the levels of forest removed, Reuters reported. Bolsonaro has denied the claims, telling reporters “the data is a lie.”\n\nCLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS APP\n\nU.N. human rights chief Michele Bachelet on Monday called for an investigation into the alleged murder, calling it a “disturbing symptom of the growing problem of encroachment on indigenous land,” the outlet reported. She urged the Bolsonaro government to halt the “invasion” of miners and loggers.\n\nThe Wajapi lived in isolation within the Amazon until 1970, when the area became accessible with a road built by the Brazillian government, The Times reported. The land became protected under Brazil’s constitution in 1996, according to the paper.\n\nThe Associated Press contributed to this report.", "\"The Jair Bolsonaro government is encouraging this conflict\n\nlocal politicians and indigenous leaders said. The authorities said police were on their way to investigate.About 50 garimpeiros were reported to have invaded the 600,000-hectare Waiãpi indigenous reserve in the state of Amapá on Saturday.The men were spotted days after the murder of Emyra Waiãpi, a community leader, whose body was found near the village of Mariry early on Wednesday.Indigenous people evacuated Mariry and fled to the bigger village of Aramirã - where shots were fired on Saturday. Indigenous leaders and local politicians have called for urgent police help, fearing a bloodbath., they have machine guns. That is why we asking for help from the federal police,\" said Kureni Waiãpi, 26, a member of the tribe who lives in the nearest town of Pedra Branca do Amapari, two hours away and 189km from Amapá state capital Macapá. \"If nothing is done they will start to fight.\"\"We have a very tense situation,\" said Beth Pelaes, mayor of Pedra Branca do Amapari, who said the tribe are very traditional and allow only authorised visitors.The crisis was revealed on Saturday by Randolfe Rodrigues, aBrazilian singer Caetano Veloso was among those who shared the tribe's appeal for help on Saturday.\"I ask the Brazilian authorities for help, in the name of the dignity of Brazil in the world, hear this cry,\" Veloso said in a video recorded in Mexico City, where he is on tour.Kureni Waiãpi said Brazil's far-right president Jair Bolsonaro had encouraged invasions like this. \"It is because he, the president, is threatening the indigenous peoples of Brazil,\" he said., where it is currently prohibited, for the first invasion of Waiãpi land in decades. In the 1970s, the tribe was almost wiped out by disease after their land was invaded by gold prospectors. In 2017, the then-president Michel Temer moved to open the vast Renca reserve the tribe's land falls within to mining but backed off after an international outcry., encouraging garimpeiros to enter. Their hands are dirty,\" Senator Rodrigues said.On Saturday he once again talked up the mineral riches in the Raposa Serra do Sol and Yanomami reserves - currently inundated with thousands of garimpeiros.\"I'm looking for the 'first world' to explore these areas in partnership and add value. That's the reason foron Saturday, according to the O Globo newspaper.Kureni Waiãpi said the body of Emyra Waiãpa was found with stab wounds early on Wednesday morning in a river near his village of Mariry. On Friday, local man Arawyra Waiãpa and his wife spotted a group of men they believed to be garimpeiros at their plantation near the village. The community fled to the bigger village of Aramirã. Shots were fired near Aramirã around 6pm local time on Saturday but nobody was hurt.Kureni Waiãpi said.Federal and Amapá police were heading to the area, a spokeswoman from Brazil's indigenous agency FUNAI said. \"For now there are no records of conflict, although a death has been confirmed, but no details of the circumstances. The place is difficult to access,\" she said.The state government of Amapá said it was \"engaging all efforts to support federal police in the investigation\" and had sent an elite troop of police to accompany officers sent to the area.", "Brazilian authorities are investigating a possible incursion by illegal miners in an indigenous reserve in northern Brazil that may have resulted in the death of one man.\n\nOfficials of the National Indian Foundation arrived Sunday at the reserve where Wajapi people live in Amapa state, accompanied by police and Public Ministry officials.\n\nA day earlier, indigenous leaders and politicians reported that a Wajapi village was attacked a week ago by about 50 armed people. The indigenous leaders said the attackers were people who mine illegally for precious metals.\n\nFederal Police said they had confirmed a man died last Monday and officers are investigating to clarify the circumstances in which he died. The victim's identity was not released."], "summary": "During conflicts in the state of Amapá in northern Brazil, armed miners invade a native reserve and stab to death an indigenous man."}
{"document": ["Image copyright AFP Image caption The landslide was caused by heavy rains that have struck China this summer\n\nAt least 36 people are now known to have died in a landslide that struck a village in southern China on Tuesday.\n\nState-run local media also report that 15 people have been missing since a wave of mud buried more than 20 houses in the province of Guizhou.\n\nChinese authorities told Xinhua news agency that another 40 people had been rescued from the landslide in Shuicheng county.\n\nIt comes as heavy rains continue to batter parts of the country.\n\nTwo children and a mother with a baby are reportedly among the dead, but details are still unclear.\n\nFootage from state broadcaster CCTV show rescue workers using diggers to unearth survivors from a huge mound in the village.\n\nImage copyright AFP Image caption The government has reportedly earmarked 30 million yuan ($4.4m; £3.5m) for rescue efforts\n\nA local school has also been commandeered as a emergency medical and rescue centre for victims.\n\nAccording to Xinhua, the government has reportedly set aside 30 million yuan ($4.4m; £3.5m) for rescue efforts and the relocation of victims.\n\nLandslides are common in rural and mountainous areas of China, especially after heavy rain.\n\nLast month, footage emerged of a landslide in Fujian province in the country's southeast.\n\nSeveral other people have also been killed and thousands have been evacuated from their homes this year as a result of rain and flooding.", "The death toll in a landslide which buried a village in southwest China rose to 42, state broadcaster CCTV said Monday, with nine still missing days after the disaster struck\n\nBeijing, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - APP - 29th Jul, 2019 ) :The death toll in a landslide which buried a village in southwest China rose to 42, state broadcaster CCTV said Monday, with nine still missing days after the disaster struck.\n\nSearch and rescue operations at the site in Shuicheng county, Guizhou province -- where a thick torrent of mud buried 22 houses in the landslide on Tuesday -- were stopped on Sunday night, the provincial government said.\n\nThe government has earmarked 30 million Yuan ($4.35 million) for search and rescue efforts in the province, Xinhua reported, as well as the relocation of victims.\n\nLandslides are a frequent danger in rural and mountainous parts of China, particularly after heavy rain, and the country has suffered severe flooding this year.\n\nIn August 2017 at least 30 people were killed in two separate landslides in the same rural province of Guizhou.", "At least 36 people are now known to have died in a landslide that struck a village in southern China.State-run local media also report that 15 people have been missing since a wave of mud buried more than 20 houses in the province of Guizhou\n\nISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 29th Jul, 2019 ) :At least 36 people are now known to have died in a landslide that struck a village in southern China .State-run local media also report that 15 people have been missing since a wave of mud buried more than 20 houses in the province of Guizhou.\n\nChinese authorities told Xinhua news agency that another 40 people had been rescued from the landslide in Shuicheng County, reported by BBC News.\n\nLandslides are common in rural and mountainous areas of China, especially after heavy rain.Several other people have also been killed and thousands have been evacuated from their homes this year as a result of rain and flooding.", "The death toll in a landslide which buried a village in southwest China rose to 42, state broadcaster CCTV said Monday, with nine still missing days after the disaster struck.\n\nSearch and rescue operations at the site in Shuicheng county, Guizhou province -- where a thick torrent of mud buried 22 houses in the landslide on Tuesday -- were stopped on Sunday night, the provincial government said.\n\nThe government has earmarked 30 million yuan ($4.35 million) for search and rescue efforts in the province, Xinhua reported, as well as the relocation of victims.\n\nLandslides are a frequent danger in rural and mountainous parts of China, particularly after heavy rain, and the country has suffered severe flooding this year.\n\nIn August 2017 at least 30 people were killed in two separate landslides in the same rural province of Guizhou.", "The death toll in a landslide which buried a village in southwest China rose to 42, state broadcaster CCTV said Monday, with nine still missing days after the disaster struck.\n\nSearch and rescue operations at the site in Shuicheng county, Guizhou province -- where a thick torrent of mud buried 22 houses in the landslide on Tuesday -- were stopped on Sunday night, the provincial government said.\n\nThe government has earmarked 30 million yuan ($4.35 million) for search and rescue efforts in the province, Xinhua reported, as well as the relocation of victims.\n\nLandslides are a frequent danger in rural and mountainous parts of China, particularly after heavy rain, and the country has suffered severe flooding this year.\n\nIn August 2017 at least 30 people were killed in two separate landslides in the same rural province of Guizhou.\n\nGet Breaking news, live coverage, and Latest News from India and around the world on NDTV.com. Catch all the Live TV action on NDTV 24x7 and NDTV India. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagram for latest news and live news updates.", "The death toll in a landslide which buried a village in southwest China rose to 29, according to state media, with 22 still missing days after the disaster struck.\n\nOfficial news agency Xinhua said Saturday night that 40 people have been rescued from the site in Shuicheng county, Guizhou province, according to the local emergency rescue command.\n\nA thick torrent of mud buried 21 houses in the landslide on Tuesday, and state broadcaster CCTV showed footage of rescue workers trying to reach survivors through a huge mound of earth.\n\nTwo children and a mother with a baby were among those dead.\n\nXinhua said a local school had been set up as an emergency medical and rescue centre, with \"multiple rescue teams and experts\" still searching for those missing.\n\nThe government has earmarked 30 million yuan ($4.35 million) for search and rescue efforts in the province, Xinhua reported, as well as the relocation of victims.\n\nLandslides are a frequent danger in rural and mountainous parts of China, particularly after heavy rain, and the country has suffered severe flooding this year.\n\nIn August 2017 at least 30 people were killed in two separate landslides in the same rural province of Guizhou.", "42-coin (CURRENCY:42) traded down 7.3% against the U.S. dollar during the 24-hour period ending at 13:00 PM ET on July 29th. One 42-coin coin can currently be bought for approximately $19,420.81 or 2.03118427 BTC on popular cryptocurrency exchanges including Cryptopia, Trade Satoshi and Livecoin. 42-coin has a market capitalization of $815,673.00 and $256.00 worth of 42-coin was traded on exchanges in the last 24 hours. Over the last week, 42-coin has traded 12.7% lower against the U.S. dollar.\n\nHere is how similar cryptocurrencies have performed over the last 24 hours:\n• vTorrent (VTR) traded flat against the dollar and now trades at $0.10 or 0.00001375 BTC.\n• LiteDoge (LDOGE) traded 57.3% higher against the dollar and now trades at $0.0000 or 0.00000000 BTC.\n• AquariusCoin (ARCO) traded 5.7% lower against the dollar and now trades at $0.0512 or 0.00000536 BTC.\n• Sequence (SEQ) traded flat against the dollar and now trades at $0.0026 or 0.00000024 BTC.\n• BitBar (BTB) traded up 0.3% against the dollar and now trades at $2.87 or 0.00029963 BTC.\n• ChessCoin (CHESS) traded flat against the dollar and now trades at $0.0020 or 0.00000020 BTC.\n• SpaceCoin (SPACE) traded flat against the dollar and now trades at $0.0040 or 0.00000062 BTC.\n• BillaryCoin (BLRY) traded flat against the dollar and now trades at $0.0107 or 0.00000114 BTC.\n• BriaCoin (BRIA) traded 2% lower against the dollar and now trades at $0.12 or 0.00001254 BTC.\n• WomenCoin (WOMEN) traded 0.6% lower against the dollar and now trades at $0.0000 or 0.00000000 BTC.\n\n42 is a PoW/PoS coin that uses the\n\n Scrypt hashing algorithm. It launched on January 5th, 2014. 42-coin’s total supply is 42 coins. 42-coin’s official website is 42-coin.org. 42-coin’s official Twitter account is @42newchain and its Facebook page is accessible here.\n\n42-coin can be purchased on the following cryptocurrency exchanges: Trade Satoshi, Livecoin and Cryptopia. It is usually not possible to purchase alternative cryptocurrencies such as 42-coin directly using US dollars. Investors seeking to trade 42-coin should first purchase Bitcoin or Ethereum using an exchange that deals in US dollars such as Coinbase, Changelly or Gemini. Investors can then use their newly-acquired Bitcoin or Ethereum to purchase 42-coin using one of the aforementioned exchanges.\n\nReceive News & Updates for 42-coin Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and updates for 42-coin and related cryptocurrencies with MarketBeat.com's FREE CryptoBeat newsletter.", "Death toll rises to 38 in China landslide, 13 still missing\n\nBEIJING (AP) — Search and rescue workers have found 38 bodies from a landslide that struck a village in China last week, with 13 other people still unaccounted for.\n\nState broadcaster CCTV said Monday that the search operation was continuing.\n\nThe landslide buried 21 houses last Tuesday night in Shuicheng county in Guizhou province. Eleven people were rescued and treated at a hospital. Searchers have been using excavators to dig through the damaged area.\n\nAnother landslide earlier the same day left one dead and six missing at a highway construction site about 90 kilometers (55 miles) north in Guizhou province's Hezhang county.\n\nHeavy seasonal rains have been battering southern China and caused extensive flooding and landslides."], "summary": "At least 42 people die in a landslide striking a village in southern China."}
{"document": ["Danni ingenti e intere regioni flagellate da violenti temporali e trombe d'aria, ma soprattutto tre morti: l'ondata di maltempo, seppur ampiamente annunciata con una lunga lista di avvisi meteo, sta per essere archiviata con la conta dei danni e con l'ennesimo tributo di vite umane. Molti i territori colpiti da acquazzoni e trombe d'aria, con la consueta cornice di strade allagate, abitazioni crollate, alberi caduti, detriti e tetti scoperchiati. A pagare con la vita ieri è stata un'atleta 44enne di nazionalità norvegese morta durante una competizione podistica (la \"Suedtirol Ultra Skyrace\") mentre stava correndo nei pressi del lago di San Pancrazio, in Alto Adige, a circa 2.100 metri di quota.\n\nFiumicino, morta Noemi: lavorava nel lido della famiglia. Il sindaco: «Una ragazza d'oro»\n\nLa donna intorno alle 19.15 è stata colpita da un fulmine, il tutto peraltro a gara interrotta dagli organizzatori per il maltempo, ma sfortunatamente l'atleta nel momento della disgrazia non era ancora stata avvertita trovandosi in una zona intermedia della competizione. Il fulmine ha colpito anche un altro atleta, per sua fortuna senza conseguenze. Ad Arezzo un uomo di 72 anni è stato trovato senza vita questa mattina dopo che si erano perse le sue tracce nella frazione di Olmo. Il corpo è stato recuperato in un canale di scolo in mezzo al fango e ai detriti, non distante dalla propria auto, travolta dalla massa d'acqua.\n\n​Maltempo, donna uccisa da fulmine durante gara in montagna. A Verona crolla parte del tetto del Duomo\n\nLa terza vittima, una donna di 27 anni, è morta nel comune di Fiumicino, sul litorale laziale, dopo che la sua auto è stata investita da una tromba d'aria. La vittima era a bordo di una Smart che è stata spostata con violenza dalle raffiche di vento per decine di metri fino a un canale di bonifica. C'è poi il caso di una persona data per dispersa in mare al largo di Terracina: in questo caso le ricerche dell'Aeronautica militare non hanno dato finora esito positivo. Nel frattempo la Protezione Civile comunica che le precipitazioni temporalesche nel Centro-Nord, seppur in diminuzione, continueranno a interessare molte regioni, per alcune delle quali - Veneto, Umbria, parte dell'Abruzzo, Basilicata e Calabria - è stata emessa per domani una allerta gialla. Diverso il quadro per il Centro-Sud dove ancora la Protezione Civile annuncia l'arrivo di venti forti «o di burrasca forte» sulle vette appenniniche e sulle coste. Tra i territori più colpiti dal maltempo la provincia di Arezzo: nella notte scorsa le piogge cadute hanno provocato il crollo di una settantina di metri del muro di cinta dello stadio comunale di Rassina.\n\nMaltempo, grandine e temporali in Veneto. ​A Bolzano sgomberato campo scout\n\nI problemi hanno riguardato anche le infrastrutture elettriche e oggi E-Distribuzione, società del Gruppo Enel, ha fatto sapere che l'erogazione di elettricità ad Arezzo e provincia sta tornando alla normalità. Nel Grossetano un giovane è rimasto intrappolato con la sua auto in un sottopasso ferroviario a Follonica, ma è stato tratto in salvo dai vigili del fuoco dopo essere salito sul tetto della vettura per sfuggire alla piena dell'acqua. Il governatore della Toscana Enrico Rossi ha reso noto che domani comunicherà alla Protezione civile nazionale la dichiarazione dello stato di emergenza e che verrà avviato un conteggio meticoloso dei danneggiamenti subiti. Tra i territori colpiti anche quello di Fiumicino: il sindaco Esterino Montino, giunto a Focene, una località del comune colpita duramente dal maltempo e dove è deceduta in nottata la 27enne, ha fatto sapere di aver trovato «un teatro di guerra».\n\n\n\nLa situazione, ha aggiunto, «è grave ma per fortuna non ci sono stati altri feriti. Una ventina di case coinvolte, una piccola abitazione crollata. Ci sono tetti, tegole, recinzioni divelte, giardini distrutti. La potenza era enorme». A Roma e provincia i vigili del fuoco hanno effettuato durante la notte oltre 150 interventi. A Casal Lumbroso, alla periferia della città, è venuto giù un muro di cinta, ma danni sono stati registrati anche in alcuni comuni dell'hinterland, come Riano Flaminio e Cerveteri.\n\n\n\n\n\nA Roma si prospetta una notte tranquilla\n\nIl rumore del vento mi mette un'ansia assurda. Non oso immaginare domani mattina i disagi vari...#Roma #temporale pic.twitter.com/12ch6BN9ix — Giada♀️🏳️‍🌈 (@giadanajarro) July 28, 2019\n\nUltimo aggiornamento: 20:08\n\n© RIPRODUZIONE RISERVATA\n\nha tratto in salvo un velista francese a largo della costa laziale in difficoltà per le difficili condizioni del mare. Allagamenti e alberi caduti anche in Liguria, in particolare nello Spezzino, e in provincia di Isernia, in Molise. In Veneto il permanere delle perturbazioni ha spinto la Protezione Civile regionale a prolungare lo stato di allerta gialla, su tutto il territorio, fino alle 14 di domani.", "ROME: Freak storms and flash flooding following last week´s heatwave in Italy claimed three lives this weekend, including a young woman caught up in a mini-tornado near Rome´s Fiumicino airport.\n\nThe 26-year-old woman was driving home at around 2:00 am Sunday when the mini-tornado lifted her car and sent it crashing against a railing.\n\nThe highly localised winds tore up trees and scattered debris across the zone it hit.\n\nFurther north, a 45-year-old Norwegian competing in an ultramarathon in the Dolomite Mountains died after being hit by lightning as he ran at 2,000 metres altitude on Saturday afternoon. And on Sunday, near Arezzo, south of Florence in the northern Tuscany region, a 70-year-old man died after his car got caught by flash-flooding.\n\nThe emergency services found his body in a mud-filled canal.\n\nColdiretti, Italy´s main agricultural organisation, said hail storms over the last 24 hours had caused millions of euros worth of damage across the country.\n\nWorst hit was the Arezzo province in Tuscany, they said. Orchards, as well as fields of tobacco, sunflowers and corn were completely destroyed, they said."], "summary": "Heavy storms across central Italy kill three people and cause damages. One death was caused by lightning, one by a tornado, and one by getting caught in a flood."}
{"document": ["Floods and landslides triggered by incessant monsoon rains across Nepal have claimed at least 113 lives while 38 people are still missing, officials said Sunday.\n\nParts of central and southern Nepal including some areas of Kathmandu valley have been inundated due to incessant rains since last two weeks.\n\nAt least 113 people were killed and 67 others injured in the rain induced disasters in this monsoon, Home Ministry officials said.\n\nAt least 38 people have gone missing in the latest incidents of landslide and floods across Nepal.\n\nThe rain induced disasters have affected 67 out of total of 77 districts of the country.\n\nThe government has mobilised army and police personnel for rescue works.\n\nWith the situation remaining grim, Nepal has appealed to the international agencies for help to prevent the possible water-borne diseases and to ensure proper health services to the tens of thousands of people affected.", "Floods and landslides triggered by incessant monsoon rains across Nepal have claimed at least 113 lives while 38 people are still missing, officials said on Sunday. Parts of central and southern Nepal including some areas of Kathmandu valley have been inundated due to incessant rains since last two weeks.\n\nAt least 113 people were killed and 67 others injured in the rain-induced disasters in this monsoon, Home Ministry officials said.\n\nAt least 38 people have gone missing in the latest incidents of landslide and floods across Nepal.\n\nThe rain-induced disasters have affected 67 out of a total of 77 districts of the country.\n\nThe government has mobilised army and police personnel for rescue works.\n\nWith the situation remaining grim, Nepal has appealed to the international agencies for help to prevent the possible water-borne diseases and to ensure proper health services to the tens of thousands of people affected.\n\nAlso Read: Agra receives heavy rains after much delay, low-lying areas flooded\n\nAlso Read: 600 Killed, 25 Million Affected By Floods In South Asia: United Nations\n\nAlso Read: Tripura MP Pratima Bhowmik donates first salary for Assam flood relief", "Floods and landslides triggered by incessant monsoon rains across Nepal have claimed at least 113 lives while 38 people are still missing, officials said today.\n\nParts of central and southern Nepal including some areas of Kathmandu valley have been inundated due to incessant rains since last two weeks.\n\nAt least 113 people were killed and 67 others injured in the rain induced disasters in this monsoon, Home Ministry officials said.\n\nAt least 38 people have gone missing in the latest incidents of landslide and floods across Nepal.\n\nThe rain induced disasters have affected 67 out of total 77 districts of the country.\n\nThe government has mobilised army and police personnel for rescue works.\n\nWith the situation remaining grim, Nepal has appealed to the international agencies for help to prevent the possible water-borne diseases and to ensure proper health services to the tens of thousands of people affected.\n\nGet Breaking news, live coverage, and Latest News from India and around the world on NDTV.com. Catch all the Live TV action on NDTV 24x7 and NDTV India. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagram for latest news and live news updates.", "A Nepali resident walks through floodwaters after the Balkhu River overflowed following monsoon rains at the K...\n\nKATHMANDU: Floods and landslides triggered by incessant monsoon rains across Nepal have claimed at least 113 lives while 38 people are still missing, officials said on Sunday.Parts of central and southern Nepal including some areas of Kathmandu valley have been inundated due to incessant rains since last two weeks.At least 113 people were killed and 67 others injured in the rain induced disasters in this monsoon, home ministry officials said.The rain induced disasters have affected 67 out of total 77 districts of the country.The government has mobilised army and police personnel for rescue works.With the situation remaining grim, Nepal has appealed to the international agencies for help to prevent the possible water-borne diseases and to ensure proper health services to the tens of thousands of people affected.", "India is hoping to turn its economy into an US$ five trillion powerhouse, and the Modi government says it will..."], "summary": "The death toll of the heavy floods in Nepal rise to 113."}
{"document": ["A gunman with an assault-type rifle opened fire at the Gilroy Garlic Festival on Sunday evening, killing three and wounding 12 others, some critically, before being killed by police, Gilroy police said. A 6-year-old boy was among the dead.\n\nRead the latest on this story here.\n\nPolice Chief Scot Smithee said the gunman — identified in news reports as 19-year-old Santino William Legan — and a companion accessed the festival through a creek and cut through a perimeter fence to avoid metal detectors. Gilroy police did not know what motivated the shooter or how the second suspect may have been involved. Authorities searched the Gilroy home of Legan’s family Monday morning, and neighbors confirmed that he lived at the home.\n\nWitnesses reported a second suspect, and a search continued late Sunday night for that person, police said. Authorities were unsure what role the second individual played in the shooting.\n\nThe barrage of shots that rang out in the final hour of the three-day festival sent attendees diving to the ground, crawling under tables, screaming in fear and sprinting for safety.\n\nNow Playing:\n\n“It was quite shocking, and I’m fortunate to be alive,” said Michael Paz, 72, a hat vendor at the festival.\n\nPaz said he was about 80 feet away from the shooter, whom he described as being in his 30s and armed with a rapid-fire assault rifle.\n\n“He came ready to shoot because he was wearing a protective vest,” Paz said. “He was shooting left; he was shooting right without any particular aim.”\n\nPaz said everyone immediately dropped to the ground as law officers converged on the gunman and opened fire.\n\nAt a street corner not far from the festival, officers were standing with drawn weapons. Officers were telling pedestrians to stay away from the area at Filbro Drive and Princevalle Street. It was unclear whether the activity there was related to the search for the gunman.\n\n“Go that way! Get outta here!” officers screamed at passing pedestrians.\n\nA chaotic video posted on Twitter shortly after 6 p.m. showed dozens of visitors running on the festival grounds. Panicked voices could be heard in the background.\n\n“What’s going on? ... Oh, they’re shooting,” the unidentified voices said.\n\nAnother video posted to social media showed a bloodied shooting victim lying in the back of a white pickup truck, bleeding from his arm and waist.\n\nThe first 911 calls came in at 5:41 p.m. with witnesses telling police the shooter was a white male in his 20s wearing a camouflage uniform and hat with a long rifle with removable clips.\n\nShortly thereafter, a police officer told dispatch that he saw a Ford pickup driving off, likely to a hospital, while someone gave CPR to a victim in the bed of the truck.\n\nAt about 5:53 p.m., dispatch logs show, there was the first report of a possible shooter down in the northeast section of park.\n\nSanta Clara Valley Medical Center was treating 11 gunshot victims and seven others wounded in the panic, said hospital spokeswoman Joy Alexiou. Eight non-gunshot wound victims were treated at St. Louise Regional Hospital in Gilroy, including one person who broke an ankle running away from the scene.\n\nThe gunshot victims’ conditions ranged from critical to fair. Some victims were treated and released.\n\nAlexiou said the hospital system has never handled a mass shooting in Santa Clara County, but staffers were called in to triage the situation.\n\n“This is just a tough situation for our community,” she said. “Hopefully I’ll never see anything ever like this again.”\n\nAt Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose, at least a dozen people inside the front door could be seen crying and embracing each other.\n\nMark Mendoza, 16, and his family said they were heading into the emergency room to find his cousin, who had been shot in the leg at the festival. Mendoza said he was near a children’s play area when a man near him opened fire.\n\nThe gunman wore a “sheriff-type outfit” and was armed with what appeared to be a semiautomatic rifle, the teenager said. He said he watched as the shooter pointed the gun at a food vendor area and began firing.\n\n“A couple bullets hit the ground, I just ran,” Mendoza said. “I looked back, and a couple shots went by me.”\n\nOne of the bullets struck his cousin, whom he did not identify, in the leg. The family split up, some scrambling into a wooded area and through a fence. A bystander helped some of the children climb through. Mendoza’s cousin was able to run away.\n\nHerman Solis of Hollister (San Benito County), who was attending the festival with his girlfriend, said he dropped to the ground when he heard gunfire.\n\n“You could hear the bullets whizzing by,” he said. “It was unreal. We ran and ducked for cover. It was chaos. At first I thought it was fireworks. Then I realized it wasn’t.”\n\nSolis and his girlfriend ran from the festival, took shelter in a nearby convenience store, and watched ambulances and police cars whiz past, heading for the festival grounds.\n\nAnother festivalgoer, Felton Amos, 60, of Rio Vista had just finished eating dinner at a food tent with his family when he heard what he thought were firecrackers. He said the shooting lasted for about a minute.\n\n“Everybody just ran, panicked,” he said. “It sounded like more than one gun, like they were having a shootout.”\n\nAmos pushed his family to the ground as shots rang out nearby. Then he noticed that a woman was standing nearby, frozen in fear.\n\n“I got up and snatched her back down,” Amos said. “My mind was saying, ‘I’m going to get hit,’ but it didn’t matter.”\n\nMarybelle Arebalo, 23, had just finished a meal of garlic ice cream, bread and fries when the crowd of panicked festivalgoers began surging past. She said she did not hear the gunfire but saw the frightened festivalgoers heading for a rocky path leading away from the festival grounds.\n\nArebalo said she scooped up her 1-year-old niece, plopped her in the stroller and began running with everyone else.\n\n“I didn’t believe it actually happened,” Arebalo said. “I was in shock. It’s so sad that we couldn’t even enjoy that day. We had to think about an escape plan and safety, and people dying. I came home and started crying. I can’t put my head around it.”\n\nElena Diaz was waiting for her husband to pick her up from an emergency staging area at Gavilan College. She had to flee with the rest of the festivalgoers when the shooting started. She was working her booth, selling toe rings by the music stage when she heard two pops, “like fireworks” and then a rapid succession of gunfire.\n\nShe and her customers huddled behind a table, for how long she wasn’t sure.\n\n“It was so scary,” she said. “It was like a scary movie.”\n\nGilroy police asked anyone with any information about the shootings to call 408-846-0583. It also is a family-reunification line.\n\nAnother festivalgoer, Briana Wilson, 20, said she had been volunteering in an olive oil booth when shots rang out. A man pushed her to the ground and, she said, told her to “hide or run.”\n\nWilson said she heard about half a dozen shots that sounded to her like corn popping in a microwave oven. She ran. People running alongside her were calling out for their loved ones, she said.\n\nAfter running for what seemed like 2 miles, she and her friends found a man watering his lawn. He let them take refuge inside his house.\n\nCandice Marquez, 51, a honey vendor at the festival, said she was just 10 feet from the shooter and saw him replace a clip of ammunition.\n\n“He was super quiet, he was reloading, and we ran,” she said.\n\nBrian Bowe, executive director of the festival, told dozens of reporters gathered in the parking lot of Gavilan College that for four decades the festival has been an “annual family reunion” for the Gilroy community.\n\n“It is such a sad, horribly upsetting circumstance,” Bowe said. “It’s one of the most tragic and sad things that I’ve ever had to see.”\n\nState elected officials condemned the violence even as police were still seeking the shooter.\n\n“This is nothing short of horrific,” tweeted Gov. Gavin Newsom.\n\nSanta Clara County sheriff’s deputies assisted Gilroy police officers at the scene, a sheriff’s department spokeswoman said. First responders from San Jose and Salinas also assisted, as did units from the San Francisco office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.\n\nThe violence in Gilroy is among the few hundred mass shootings in the U.S. each year, generally defined as killing or injuring four or more people. Last week, a shooter in the San Fernando Valley killed four people, two of whom were the gunman’s family members.\n\nCalifornia’s deadliest shooting in recent years was November’s bloodshed in Thousand Oaks (Ventura County), where a shooter killed 12 at a crowded bar. The nation’s worst shooting remains the 2017 rampage in Las Vegas, where a gunman killed 58 and injured more than 500 at a country music concert.\n\nWhile the number of mass shootings hasn’t necessarily risen in recent decades, the death tolls have generally grown. While legislators have tightened gun laws in some states, including California, other states have resisted changes — and few reforms have come on the national level.\n\nNotably, federal law still allows private-party sales without background checks, known as the gun-show loophole.\n\n“Our country has a gun violence epidemic that we cannot tolerate,” tweeted Sen. Kamala Harris.\n\nChronicle staff writers Lizzie Johnson, Kurtis Alexander, Ashley McBride and Matthias Gafni contributed to this report.", "Popular\n\nDrinking culture and American kids\n\nOn America's college campuses, there are epidemics we talk about and those we don't. When sexual assaults or fraternity hazing deaths make headlines, court cases follow and new rules are enacted, but less attention is paid to an underlying issue – binge drinking culture. CBSN Originals explores how drinking to excess is not only considered normal, but cool, and how for many young people \"blacking out\" is less a rarity than an every weekend occurrence – with grave consequences.", "Boy, 6, among three killed as gunman opens fire at US food festival\n\nBoy, 6, among three killed as gunman opens fire at US food festival\n\nSix-year-old Steven Romero was among those killed in the shooting. Pic: NBC Bay Area\n\nA six-year-old boy was among three people killed after a gunman opened fire at a food festival in California.\n\nSteven Romero had been visiting the garlic festival in the city of Gilroy with his mother and grandmother when he was shot and killed, according to NBC Bay Area.\n\nAnother 15 people were injured in the attack at 5.41pm local time (1.41am UK time) after the gunman began \"shooting in every direction\".\n\nHe killed three people before being shot dead by police in attendance within a minute.\n\nSteven's father, Alberto, said he was at home when he got the call that his son had been killed.\n\n\"My son had his whole life to live and he was only six,\" he told NBC Bay Area.\n\nWhen asked what his thoughts were following the tragedy, he said: \"Hopefully they get the shooters and basically that's it right now.\n\n\"I lost my son and that's the only thing I really can do besides trying to be with him until I could put him in his resting spot, wherever that is.\"\n\nChief of Police Scot Smithee said the gunman, and a suspected second gunman or supporter, came into the festival via a creek which borders a parking area.\n\nHe said it was thought they used \"some sort of a tool to cut through the fence\".\n\nMr Smithee confirmed it was still an active scene.\n\n\"There were reports of a shooting on the north side of the garlic festival area,\" he said. \"Officers were in that area and engaged that suspect in less than a minute. The suspect was shot and killed.\"\n\nWitness Julissa Contreras told reporters she saw the gunman firing a rifle that was \"able to shoot three to four shots a second\".\n\n\"It was just rapid firing,\" she said.\n\n\"I could see him shooting in just every direction. He wasn't aiming at anyone specifically. It was just left to right, right to left. He definitely was prepared for what he was doing.\"\n\nA number of videos posted to social media showed people running away from the event. Gunshots could be heard in the background of some of the clips.\n\nIn one of the videos a woman can be heard asking: \"Who would shoot up a garlic festival?\"\n\nJulissa Contreras said she was about 20ft from the shooter when he opened fire.\n\nIn a video posted on social media, she said the alleged shooter was a white man wearing a \"utility outfit, like he looked like he was private security\".\n\nThe suspect shot at police officers with what appeared to be a \"semi-automatic rifle\".\n\nA 13-year-old girl told San Jose Mercury News she had initially thought the noise had been fireworks, but saw a man that had a bandana tied around his leg wound.\n\nThe singer of a band who had been performing at the festival said he saw a man wearing a green shirt and a handkerchief around his neck firing into the food area with what appeared to be an assault rifle.\n\nJack van Breen and his bandmates dived under the stage before hearing someone shout: \"Why are you doing this?\"\n\nHe said the reply came \"Because I'm really angry\".\n\nPresident Donald Trump tweeted: \"Law Enforcement is at the scene of shootings in Gilroy, California. Reports are that shooter has not yet been apprehended. Be careful and safe!\"\n\nThe governor of California, Gavin Newsom, tweeted: \"This is nothing short of horrific. Tonight, CA stands with the Gilroy community. My office is monitoring the situation closely. Grateful for the law enforcement's efforts and their continued work as this situation develops.\"\n\nOne of the largest food festivals in the US, the Gilroy Garlic Festival is an annual three-day event south of San Jose at the outdoor Christmas Hill Park.\n\nThe event's website says weapons of any kind are prohibited and that 4,000 people work and volunteer at the festival.", "Video posted to social media shows confusion after a gunman opened fire at the Gilroy garlic festival in northern California. At least three people were killed and 15 injured before the assailant was shot dead by police\n• California garlic festival shooting: gunman kills at least three at Gilroy event", "A gunman opened fire at the Gilroy Garlic Festival in northern California, leaving four dead and others injured, officials say.\n\nGilroy Police Chief Scott Smithee told a news conference late on Sunday that the suspected gunman appeared to have cut through a fence to get into the annual event before randomly shooting at festival-goers.\n\nHe added that the gunman was among those who have died, and may have had one accomplice.\n\n\"It's just incredibly sad and disheartening that at an event that does so much good the community had to suffer from a tragedy like this,\" said Smithee.", "GILROY, Calif. (Reuters) - A California teenager was identified by police on Monday as the gunman who opened fire with an assault rifle at a garlic festival in Gilroy, California, killing three people, including two children.\n\nSantino William Legan, 19, cut through a fence at the festival on Sunday evening and shot people seemingly at random with an “AK-47-style” assault rifle, Gilroy Police Chief Scot Smithee told reporters. Legan was fatally shot by three police officers armed with handguns.\n\n“It could have gone so much worse so fast,” Smithee said, noting the festival, which takes place about 30 miles (48 km) southeast of Silicon Valley, is attended by thousands of visitors.\n\nPolice were still trying to determine a motive for the shooting and investigating unconfirmed reports by eyewitnesses that Legan may have had an accomplice.\n\nLegan killed a 6-year-old boy, a 13-year-old girl and a man in his 20s, Smithee said. Police believe Legan, who was originally from Gilroy, purchased the rifle legally on July 9 in Nevada, where he had been living with family members.\n\nAt least 12 people were injured, but it was unclear how many of them were struck by gunfire. Police had initially said that 15 people were injured.\n\nSeven of the victims, ranging in age between 12 and 69 years old, were taken to nearby Santa Clara Valley Medical Center. One was released and another was transferred to another facility, according to the hospital .\n\nOf the five remaining patients, one was listed in critical condition, one in serious condition and the other in fair condition. Two patients have requested no information be released.\n\nSt. Louise Regional Medical Center in Gilroy received six patients with gunshot wounds, including one of the victims who later died, the hospital said.\n\nTwo other victims were transferred to another hospital and three were discharged. Another eight people came with non-gunshot injuries, but were not admitted to the hospital.\n\nPresident Donald Trump described the gunman as a “wicked murderer” during an event at the White House, and asked Americans to pray for the victims.\n\n“We grieve for their families, and we ask that God will comfort them with his overflowing mercy and grace,” he said.\n\nThe gunman was believed to have cut through a fence in order evade metal detectors and other security at the festival entrance, police said.\n\nLegan appeared to post a photograph from the festival on his Instagram account shortly before the shooting, with captions expressing his disdain for the event.\n\n“Ayyy garlic festival time,” he wrote beneath a picture of people walking through the festival grounds. “Come get wasted on overpriced shit.”\n\nAnother photograph posted on Sunday showed a sign warning of a high danger of forest fires. Its caption urged people to read “Might is Right,” a racist and sexist treatise written by the pseudonymous author Ragnar Redbeard in the 19th century.\n\n“Why overcrowd towns and pave more open space to make room for hordes of mestizos and Silicon Valley white twats?” the caption said. The account was only a few days old, and was deactivated on Monday..\n\nFootage uploaded to social media showed festival attendees scattering in fear and confusion as loud popping sounds could be heard in the background.\n\nPolice declined to name the fatalities on Monday, but one of them was identified by his grandmother in an interview with the local ABC affiliate as Stephen Romero, 6. Maribel Romero described Stephen as a “loving boy” who was “always kind, happy and ... playful.”\n\nRomero was near a bouncy house when he was shot, the San Jose Mercury News reported.\n\nHis mother and the boy’s other grandmother were also shot and were being treated in a hospital, Maribel Romero told local media.\n\nKeyla Salazar, 13, of San Jose was also killed in the shooting, the Santa Clara Coroner’s Office said.\n\nFounded in 1979, the Gilroy Garlic Festival is an annual event run by volunteers and held outdoors at Christmas Hill Park. The agricultural community bills itself as the “Garlic Capital of the World.”\n\nWeapons of any kind are prohibited, according to the event’s website, which also said anyone wearing clothing or paraphernalia indicating membership in a gang, including a motorcycle club, would be refused entry.", "A six-year-old boy was among the dead after a gunman cut through a fence to avoid security and opened fire at Northern California’s popular Gilroy Garlic Festival.\n\nThree people were killed and at least 15 wounded before police fatally shot the gunman as terrified people and performers ran for cover.\n\nGilroy Police Chief Scot Smithee said the assailant was armed with a rifle and sneaked in through a fence that borders a parking lot next to a creek.\n\nHe appeared to randomly target people when he opened fire at the conclusion of the three-day festival that attracts more than 100,000 people to the city known as the Garlic Capital Of The World.\n\nPolice responded within a minute, engaged the suspect and killed him, Mr Smithee said.\n\nSome witnesses reported a second suspect, Mr Smithee said, but it was unclear whether that person was armed or simply provided assistance.\n\nMr Smithee called the scene at the festival a “nightmare you hope you never have to live”.\n\nA six-year-old boy was one among those killed, his father said.\n\n“My son had his whole life to live and he was only six,” the father of Stephen Romero told NBC Bay Area.\n\nThe wounded were taken to multiple hospitals, and their conditions ranged from fair to critical, with some in surgery Sunday night.\n\nAt least five were treated and released.\n\nIt is a decades-old staple in the agricultural city of 50,000 about 80 miles south east of San Francisco.\n\nSecurity is tight, festival-goers pass through metal detectors and their bags are searched.\n\nOn Sunday, the band TinMan was starting an encore with the song We’re An American Band when the shooting started.\n\nSinger Jack van Breen said he saw a man wearing a green shirt and greyish handkerchief around his neck fire into the food area with what looked like an assault rifle.\n\nVan Breen and other members of the band sought cover under the stage.\n\nVan Breen, from nearby Santa Clara, said he heard someone shout: “Why are you doing this?” and the reply: “Because I’m really angry.”\n\nTheir audience began screaming and running, and the five members of TinMan and others dove under the stage.\n\nVan Breen’s bandmate, Vlad Malinovsky of Walnut Creek, California, said he heard a lot of shots and then it stopped.\n\nLater, police came by and told the band members and others hiding with them to come out with their hands up.\n\nTaylor Jackson was working at a booth drawing caricatures of festival-goers when she heard gunfire, saw people running and “ran for the hills.”\n\nShe said her boss ran in the opposite direction.\n\nSeveral hours later, Ms Jackson was at a reunification centre trying to get information on her whereabouts.\n\nDonna Carlson of Reno, Nevada, was helping a friend at a jewellery booth when “all of a sudden it was pop, pop, pop. And I said, ‘I sure hope that’s fireworks’.”\n\nShe got on her hands and knees and hid behind a table until police told her it was safe to leave.\n\nIn a tweet, California governor, Gavin Newsom called the bloodshed “nothing short of horrific” and expressed appreciation for the police response.\n\nPresident Donald Trump tweeted before authorities confirmed the gunman was dead and urged people to “be careful and safe!”\n\nVideo posted to social media showed people running in terror as shots rang out.\n\nEvenny Reyes of Gilroy, 13, told the Mercury News that she spent the day at the festival with her friends and relatives.\n\n“We were just leaving and we saw a guy with a bandanna wrapped around his leg because he got shot. And there were people on the ground, crying,” Evenny said.\n\n“There was a little kid hurt on the ground. People were throwing tables and cutting fences to get out.”\n\nEvenny said that she did not run at first because the gunshots sounded like fireworks.\n\n“It started going for five minutes, maybe three. It was like the movies, everyone was crying, people were screaming,” she said.\n\nMr Smithee said the festival is a source of pride for the community and that thousands donate their time to make it a success.\n\n“It’s incredibly sad and disheartening that an event that does so much good for our community has to suffer from a tragedy like this,” he said.", "At least five people were injured Sunday at an annual food festival in Northern California, a hospital spokeswoman says. (Photo: KNTV/NBC Newschannel)\n\nGILROY, Calif. (AP) — The Latest on a shooting at a food festival in Northern California (all times local):\n\nVendors at California’s Gilroy Garlic Festival say a 10-year-old girl saved their bosses’ 3-year-old son from harm after a gunman shot at their tent, wounding the toddler’s parents.\n\nCandice Marquez told The Associated Press on Monday that she was working the Honey Ladies stand with Cheryl Low when they stepped away to go to nearby portable restrooms.\n\nWhen they left the restrooms, they heard what they said sounded like fireworks. They looked to their left and saw a shooter putting another clip into a gun and heading toward the Honey Ladies tent.\n\nMarquez says she and Low ran in the other direction while the gunman continued.\n\nWhile this was happening, Marquez says, her 10-year-old niece was still in the tent and helped their bosses’ 3-year-old son to safety under a table.\n\nMarquez says her niece told her she looked the gunman right in the eye, but that he didn’t shoot.\n\nAuthorities in northern Nevada say they searched an apartment believed to have been used by the 19-year-old man responsible for the California garlic festival shooting that killed two children and a recent college graduate.\n\nMineral County District Attorney Sean Rowe confirmed the search by the FBI and local sheriff’s deputies of one of three homes in a modest stucco single-story building overlooking Walker Lake a few miles north of Hawthorne, Nevada.\n\nMineral County Sheriff Randy Adams called the investigation ongoing and declined in a statement to provide information about what was sought or found.\n\nA spokeswoman for the FBI in Nevada declined to comment.\n\nAnother apartment in the triplex appeared to be vacant, and no one answered the door at the third.\n\nA northern Nevada gun shop says the gunman in the California festival shooting purchased his rifle through the store’s online shop and appeared happy and presented “no reasons for concern” when he appeared in person.\n\nBig Mike’s Guns and Ammo in Fallon posted on the shop’s Facebook page that “we are heartbroken this could ever happen,” and the business “would never sell any firearm to anyone who acted wrong or looks associated with any bad group like white power.”\n\nThe post’s author, who signed off as “Mike,” said he did not know the gunman, but “when I did see him, he was acting happy and show no reasons for concern.”\n\nA law enforcement official said investigators believe the gunman used a WASR-10, which was purchased from Big Mikes Gun and Ammo in Nevada earlier this month. The official was not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity\n\nOne of the three people killed in a shooting at California’s Gilroy Garlic Festival has been identified as a recent graduate of a college in upstate New York.\n\nKeuka College President Amy Storey says in statement Monday that Trevor Irby, a biology major who graduated in 2017, was among the victims of the Sunday shooting.\n\nKeuka College is about 70 miles (113 kilometers) southwest of Syracuse, New York.\n\nThe others killed were a 6-year-old boy, Stephen Romero, and a 13-year-old girl whose name has not been released.\n\nAuthorities say three police officers fatally shot the gunman.\n\nThe gunman in the California festival shooting appears to have posted two photos on Instagram that day, including one minutes before he opened fire.\n\nPolice say Santino William Legan killed three victims and wounded 12 others Sunday at the Gilroy Garlic Festival.\n\nLegan’s since-deleted Instagram account says he is Italian and Iranian. It also shows a photo he posted earlier depicting Smokey the Bear in front of a “fire danger” sign. In the caption, Legan said to read “Might is Right,” a book published in the 1800s.\n\nThe misogynist and anti-Semitic work is used by neo-Nazis and white supremacists on extremist sites.\n\nMinutes before the shooting, he posted a photo from the festival: “Ayyy garlic festival time” and “come get wasted on overpriced (stuff).”\n\nThe mayor of the California city where a gunman killed three at an annual food festival says the community will mourn the tragedy but will get through it.\n\nGilroy Mayor Roland Velasco told a press conference Monday that gun violence is an epidemic in the United States and it’s “beyond sad” that a charitable event such as the Gilroy Garlic Festival was targeted.\n\nThe gunman opened fire Sunday as the festival was in its closing hours, sending the crowd scattering.\n\nThree police officers immediately engaged and killed the gunman, who was armed with an assault-type rifle.\n\nThe mayor commended the officers’ “remarkable bravery” in running toward the shooter and says they undoubtedly saved many lives by putting their own lives in danger.\n\nAuthorities say the shooter who attacked a California food festival used an assault-type rifle and opened fire on three local police officers who immediately responded.\n\nGilroy Police Chief Scot Smithee says even though the handgun-equipped officers were outgunned, the officers were able quickly fatally shoot the gunman.\n\nThe shooting occurred on the closing day of the annual Gilroy Garlic Festival.\n\nThe gunman killed a 6-year-old boy, a 13-year-old girl and a man in his 20s. There’s no immediate word on the other 15 people who were either wounded or suffered injuries such as scrapes and bruises.\n\nSmithee says the motive remains unknown. Police are still investigating whether there is a second suspect.\n\nA woman who lives across the street from the family of a man who opened fire at California food festival says SWAT officers came to the home.\n\nJan Dickson says the officers ordered those inside to come out with their hands up Sunday night and one person did. She says the parents had four boys: one who’s a boxer and another who’s a runner.\n\nDickson said Monday that they were “a nice, normal family.” She says Santino William Legan hadn’t lived there for at least a year.\n\nA law enforcement official who wasn’t authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity said Legan opened fire at the Gilroy Garlic Festival on Sunday.\n\nThe shooting killed three people, including a 6-year-old boy, and injured about 15 before police killed the gunman.\n\n— Associated Press reporters Kathleen Ronayne in Gilroy and Michael Balsamo in Washington\n\nPresident Donald Trump is condemning the “wicked murderer” who opened fire at a California garlic festival, killing three and wounding at least 15 others.\n\nTrump spoke Monday before an event at the White House to sign a bill ensuring that a victims’ compensation fund related to the Sept. 11 attacks never runs out of money.\n\nThe president said that the nation would “grieve” for the victims’ families and “ask that God comfort them.”\n\nTrump, who has steadfastly opposed ambitious gun control measures, said the nation would “answer violence with the courage of our national resolve.”\n\nPolice said the gunman appeared to randomly target people when he opened fire just after 5:30 p.m. Sunday at the large festival in Gilroy.\n\nAmong those killed was a 6-year-old boy.\n\nA law enforcement official says the gunman in the California festival shooting has been identified as Santino William Legan.\n\nThe official wasn’t authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Monday morning.\n\nThe shooter was killed after opening fire on the Gilroy Garlic Festival on Sunday. Three victims were killed and at least 15 others injured.\n\nAuthorities say he used a rifle and gained entry to the packed festival by cutting through a fence to avoid security measures, including metal detectors.\n\nA 6-year-old boy was one of the three people killed when a gunman opened fire at a Northern California garlic festival.\n\nAlberto Romero told NBC Bay Area that his son Stephen was killed.\n\n“My son had his whole life to live and he was only 6,” his father Alberto Romero told NBC Bay Area. “That’s all I can say.”\n\nAuthorities say three people were killed and at least 15 others injured in the shooting at the Gilroy Garlic Festival.\n\nThe shooter also was killed. Authorities say he used a rifle and gained entry to the packed festival by cutting through a fence to avoid security measures, including metal detectors.\n\nEdward and Jane Jacobucci said they were standing at their booth selling garlic graters when the shooting started Sunday afternoon at the Gilroy Garlic Festival.\n\nEdward Jacobucci said the shooting was “absolute chaos.” ”It happened right in front of our booth,” he said.\n\nJane Jacobucci described the shooter as a tall, thin young man in camouflage with a big gun.\n\nShe said her husband threw her to the ground when the shooting started.\n\nThree people were killed and at least 15 others injured in the shooting. Also dead is the shooter, who used a rifle and gained entry to the packed festival by cutting through a fence to avoid the tight security, including metal detectors, police said.\n\nThe wounded from a shooting at a food festival in Northern California were taken to multiple hospitals and their conditions ranged from fair to critical.\n\nSeveral of the victims from the shooting at the Gilroy Garlic Festival were in surgery Sunday night. At least five had been treated and released, said officials from the hospitals.\n\nEarlier Sunday, Stanford Medical Center reported having two patients from the shooting. Spokeswoman Julie Greicius said she had no details on their injuries or conditions. Santa Clara Valley Medical Center received five victims, spokeswoman Joy Alexiou said. She also had no information on their conditions.\n\nPolice say a suspect cut through a fence to gain access to a California festival before opening fire with a rifle and killing three people.\n\nPolice Chief Scot Smithee says attendees at Sunday’s garlic festival in Gilroy, California, had to go through security checkpoints with metal detectors.\n\nSmithee says police are looking for a possible second suspect, who may have accompanied the gunman. He says a search is underway to find that person.\n\nSmithee says investigators believe the gunman used “some sort of tool” to cut through a fence and gain access to the secure festival area.\n\nThe shooting occurred during the annual three-day celebration featuring food, cooking competitions and music that attracts more than 100,000 people.\n\nPolice say a suspect has been killed after opening fire, killing three others, at a food festival in California.\n\nPolice Chief Scot Smithee says Sunday that witnesses reported a second suspect, but it was unclear whether that person opened fire.\n\nSmithee says the suspects had used a tool to cut through a fence and access the annual garlic festival in Gilroy, California.\n\nHe says one of the suspects opened fire and police and officers in the area confronted the suspect in less than a minute. He says that suspect was shot and killed.\n\n“He had some sort of a rifle”\n\nMayor Roland Velasco asked for the public’s support of the investigation. “I would ask for the thoughts and prayers of the community as our Gilroy police officers continue to investigate this tragic and senseless crime,” he said.\n\nThe band Tin Man was just starting an encore when shots rang out at the Gilroy Garlic Festival in Northern California.\n\nSinger Jack van Breen said he saw a man wearing a green shirt and grayish handkerchief around his neck fire into the food area with what looked like an assault rifle.\n\nVan Breen and other members of the band dove under the stage. Van Breen says he heard someone shout: “Why are you doing this?” and the reply: “Because I’m really angry. “\n\nHis bandmate Vlad Malinovsky from Walnut Creek, California, said he heard a lot of shots and then it stopped. Later, law enforcement came by and told the band members and others hiding with them to come out with their hands up.\n\nA city official says the gunman killed three and wounded 12 in the late Sunday afternoon shooting.\n\nA city councilman says three people have been killed and 12 others are injured after a shooting at a festival in Gilroy, California.\n\nCouncilman Dion Bracco tells The Associated Press those are preliminary figures following Sunday’s shooting.\n\nWitnesses reported confusion and panic as shots rang out at the festival in the city of 50,000 located about 80 miles (176 kilometers) southeast of San Francisco.\n\nThe shooting occurred during the annual garlic festival, a three-day celebration featuring food, cooking competitions and music that attracts more than 100,000 people.\n\nSunday was the final day of this year’s event.\n\nA spokeswoman for Stanford Medical Center says they have two patients there being treated from a shooting Sunday at an annual food festival in Northern California. Julie Greicius says she has no details on their injuries or conditions.\n\nEarlier Sunday, Santa Clara Valley Medical Center spokeswoman Joy Alexiou said the hospital has received two victims from the shooting and expects three more. She also had no information on their conditions.\n\nMeanwhile, President Donald Trump sent a tweet saying: “Law Enforcement is at the scene of shootings in Gilroy, California. Reports are that shooter has not yet been apprehended. Be careful and safe!”\n\nWitnesses to the shooting Sunday at an annual food festival in Northern California described the confusion and panic at the scene, the Mercury News reported.\n\nEvenny Reyes of Gilroy, 13, told the newspaper that spent the day at the Gilroy Garlic Festival with her friends and relatives.\n\n“We were just leaving and we saw a guy with a bandanna wrapped around his leg because he got shot. And there were people on the ground, crying,” Reyes said. “There was a little kid hurt on the ground. People were throwing tables and cutting fences to get out.”\n\nReyes told the Mercury News that she didn’t run at first because the gunshots sounded like fireworks. “It started going for five minutes, maybe three. It was like the movies — everyone was crying, people were screaming.”\n\nTodd Jones, a sound engineer, told the newspaper that he was at the front of the festival’s Vineyard stage when he heard what sounded like a firework. “But then it started to increase, more rapidly, which sounded more like gunfire, and at that point people realized what was happening,” Jones said.\n\nAt least five people were hospitalized Sunday at the Gilroy Garlic Festival, a hospital spokeswoman says.\n\nSanta Clara Valley Medical Center spokeswoman Joy Alexiou says the hospital has received two victims from the shooting and expects three more. She had no information on their conditions.\n\nVideo first posted on social media sites about an hour ago showed people running for safety at the festival,\n\nAgents from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are responding to the scene of a shooting at an annual food festival in northern California.\n\nAt least five people were hospitalized Sunday after the shooting at the Gilroy Garlic Festival, a hospital spokeswoman says.\n\nSanta Clara Valley Medical Center spokeswoman Joy Alexiou says the hospital has received two victims from the shooting and expects three more. She had no information on their conditions.\n\nVideo first posted on social media sites about an hour ago showed people running for safety at the festival,\n\nThe Gilroy Police Department on its Twitter account issued a statement saying: “The hearts of Gilroy PD and entire community go out to the victims of today’s shooting at the Garlic Festival.The scene is still active. If you are looking for a loved one, please go to the reunification center at Gavilan College at parking lot B.”\n\nThe festival is a nationally known three-day event that attracts thousands of garlic lovers. Sunday was the final day of the festival.\n\nAt least five people were injured Sunday after a shooting an annual food festival in Northern California, a hospital spokeswoman says.\n\nSanta Clara Valley Medical Center spokeswoman Joy Alexiou says the hospital has received two victims from the shooting and expects three more. She had no information on their conditions.\n\nVideo first posted on social media sites about an hour ago showed people running for safety at the festival,\n\nThe Gilroy Garlic Festival is a nationally known three-day event that attracts thousands of garlic lovers. Sunday was the final day of the festival.\n\nThere are reports of a shooting at the annual Gilroy Garlic Festival in California.\n\nThe San Francisco Chronicle did not know how many people were involved in the shooting Sunday.\n\nVideo on social media sites showed people running for safety at the festival,\n\nThe festival is a nationally known three-day event that attracts thousands of garlic lovers. Sunday was the final day of the festival.", "GILROY (KRON) — A shooting at the Gilroy Garlic Festival Sunday has left three people dead, including a 6-year-old boy, and 15 others wounded.\n\nThe gunman was shot and killed by police, according to Gilroy Police Chief Scot Smithee.\n\nSome witnesses are reporting a second suspect but police have not been able to confirm that, Chief Smithee said. They are still actively looking for a possible second individual who may have been involved.\n\nThe shooter was able to gain access to the festival by cutting through the fence.\n\nThe incident started at around 5:41 p.m. at Christmas Hill Park in Gilroy when police received reports of shooting on the north side of the festival.\n\nOfficers were in the area and engaged the suspect in less than a minute.\n\nChief Smithee says the shooter had a some type of rifle.\n\nWitnesses say gunfire started near one of the musical acts. That witness says bullets were flying near the stage as people ran for cover.\n\nAt least eight people have been hospitalized. Santa Clara Valley Medical Center spokeswoman Joy Alexiou says the hospital has received two victims from the shooting and expects three more.\n\nA spokeswoman for Stanford Medical Center says they have two patients there being treated from a shooting Sunday at an annual food festival in Northern California. Julie Greicius says she has no details on their injuries or conditions.\n\nVideo on social media sites showed people running for safety at the festival.\n\nWitnesses have told KRON4 News that they saw a shooter in green camouflage, however that is not confirmed by police.\n\nPolice advise if you are looking for a loved one, please go to the reunification center at Gavilan College at parking lot B.\n\nPolice are asking for witnesses to call (408) 846-0583.\n\nThe festival is a nationally known three-day event that attracts thousands of garlic lovers. Sunday was the final day of the festival.\n\nCalifornia Governor Gavin Newsom has responded to the shooting:\n\nPresident Trump also took to Twitter to respond to the shooting:\n• The Gunman: How he got into the Garlic Festival\n• 3 Guns: Witness describes when shots rang out at Gilroy Garlic Festival", "GILROY, Calif. — Authorities on Monday were searching for answers to why a 19-year-old opened fire on a popular food festival less than a mile from his parents' home in California, killing two children and another young man, but believe many more people would have died if officers patrolling the event had not stopped the gunman so quickly.\n\nSantino William Legan, 19, cut through a fence and appeared to randomly target people with an \"assault-type rifle\" Sunday afternoon, the end of the three-day Gilroy Garlic Festival that attracts about 100,000 people to the city known as the \"Garlic Capital of the World,\" Gilroy Police Chief Scot Smithee said.\n\nPolice responded in less than a minute, and Legan turned his \"AK-47-type\" gun on them, Smithee said. Three officers fired back and killed Legan, who legally purchased the weapon this month in Nevada, where his last address is listed.\n\n\"I can't tell you how proud I am of the officers who were able to engage this guy as quickly as they did,\" the police chief said. \"We had thousands of people there. It could have gone so much worse so fast. ... There absolutely would have been more bloodshed.\"\n\nLegan's motive wasn't known, Smithee said. Legan posted two photos on Instagram not long before the attack that injured 12 other people.\n\nOne photo depicted Smokey the Bear in front of a \"fire danger\" sign, with a caption that said to read the 19th century book \"Might is Right,\" a work that claims race determines behavior and is popular among white nationalists and far-right extremist groups.\n\nLegan's since-deleted Instagram account says he is Italian and Iranian. Minutes before the shooting, he had posted a photo from the festival saying, \"Ayyy garlic festival time\" and \"come get wasted on overpriced (stuff).\"\n\nThe festival in the agricultural city of 50,000 about 80 miles (176 kilometers) southeast of San Francisco had security that required people to pass through metal detectors and have their bags searched.\n\nThe shooter sneaked in through a fence that borders a parking lot next to a creek, Smithee said, and the gunfire sent panicked people running away and diving for cover under tables and a concert stage.\n\nSome witnesses reported a second suspect, Smithee said, but it was unclear whether that person was armed or just helped in some way. A manhunt stretched into Monday.\n\nThe shooting killed 6-year-old Stephen Romero, a 13-year-old girl and recent college graduate Trevor Irby, who was in his 20s, authorities and family said.\n\n\"My son had his whole life to live and he was only 6,\" Alberto Romero told San Francisco Bay Area news station KNTV. \"That's all I can say.\"\n\nThe boy's grandmother, Maribel Romero, told Los Angeles station KABC-TV that she searched several hospitals before learning he had died. She said he was \"always kind, happy and, you know, playful.\"\n\nRELATED: Gilroy Garlic Festival Shooting: Grandmother of 6-year-old boy killed says he was 'always kind, happy... playful'\n\nKeuka College said Irby was a biology major who graduated in 2017 from the school in upstate New York.\n\nOfficials didn't release the name of the girl who died. The wounded were taken to multiple hospitals, and their conditions ranged from fair to critical, with some undergoing surgery. At least five have been released.\n\nPolice searched the two-story home of Legan's family less than a mile from the garlic festival and a dusty car parked outside before leaving the house Monday with paper bags and what appeared to be other evidence.\n\nJan Dickson, a neighbor across the street, said Santino Legan had not lived there for at least a year and that SWAT officers came to the home Sunday night. She called the Legans \"a nice, normal family.\"\n\n\"How do you cope with this? They have to deal with the fact that their son did this terrible thing and that he died,\" Dickson said.\n\nThe Gilroy Garlic Festival features food, cooking contests and music and is a decades-old staple in the city. Authorities said police, paramedics and firefighters were stationed throughout the event.\n\nThe band TinMan was starting an encore Sunday when the shooting started. Singer Jack van Breen said he saw a man wearing a green shirt and grayish handkerchief around his neck fire into the food area.\n\nVan Breen, from nearby Santa Clara, said he heard someone shout: \"Why are you doing this?\" The reply: \"Because I'm really angry.\"\n\nThe audience began screaming and running, and the five members of the band and others dove under the stage.\n\nBandmate Vlad Malinovsky said he heard a lot of shots and then it stopped. Later, law enforcement told those hiding to come out with their hands up.\n\nDonna Carlson of Reno, Nevada, was helping a friend at a jewelry booth when \"all of a sudden it was pop, pop, pop. And I said, 'I sure hope that's fireworks.'\" She got on her hands and knees and hid behind a table until police told her it was safe to leave.\n\n\"We express our deepest sadness and sorrow for the families who lost a precious loved one in the horrific shooting last night in Gilroy, California,\" Trump said before an event at the White House.\n\nIn a tweet, California Gov. Gavin Newsom called the bloodshed \"nothing short of horrific\" and said he was grateful for the police response.\n\nVideo posted to social media showed people running in terror as shots rang out.\n\nEvenny Reyes of Gilroy, 13, told the Mercury News in San Jose that she spent the day at the festival with her friends and relatives.\n\n\"We were just leaving and we saw a guy with a bandanna wrapped around his leg because he got shot. And there were people on the ground, crying,\" Reyes said. \"There was a little kid hurt on the ground. People were throwing tables and cutting fences to get out.\"\n\nReyes said that she didn't run at first because the gunshots sounded like fireworks.\n\n\"It started going for five minutes, maybe three. It was like the movies — everyone was crying, people were screaming,\" she said.\n\nAssociated Press reporter Mike Balsamo in Washington and Martha Mendoza in Gilroy contributed to this report."], "summary": "A gunman opens fire at the Gilroy Garlic Festival in Gilroy, California, killing three people and wounding at least twelve others. The gunman is killed after engaging with the police. Police believe an accomplice is still at large."}
{"document": ["HONG KONG (AP) — Protesters crowded into one of the world’s busiest airports, greeting international visitors to Hong Kong with anti-government chants Friday in an effort to raise awareness of their pro-democracy movement.\n\nMore than 1,000 demonstrators dressed in black filled the arrival hall at Hong Kong International Airport, chanting, “There are no riots, there’s only tyranny!”\n\nFor several weeks, Hong Kong residents have been protesting for democratic reforms and the withdrawal of an extradition bill that has now been suspended. Their demands include direct elections, the dissolution of the current legislature, and an investigation into alleged police brutality.\n\nAndy Ho, one of the protest’s organizers, said its main goal “is to let more people around the world know what is actually happening in Hong Kong in recent months.”\n\n“Hong Kong doesn’t look like how it did before,” said Ho, 22.\n\nAbout two hours after the event started, protesters had filled up arrival hall A in Terminal 1 and were spreading out to arrival hall B.\n\nAhead of Friday’s action, protesters released a tongue-in-cheek video in the style of an airplane landing announcement.\n\n“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Hong Kong,” the polished voiceover says. “It is a safety requirement that you remain alert and vigilant at all times because the police will no longer answer your calls when you have any needs.”\n\nAfter nearly two months of large-scale protests on streets and around government buildings, clashes with police and other parties have become increasingly violent.\n\nAnother march is planned for Saturday in Yuen Long, the neighborhood where a mob of white-clad men brutally attacked people at a rail station last Sunday following a large pro-democracy rally. Dozens were injured and six arrested, with police alleging some had gang ties.\n\nPolice have refused to permit the Saturday march, citing the risk of confrontations, but protesters say they will move forward anyway. They have created posters advertising the rally as a nondenominational gathering to mourn Li Peng, a former Chinese premier who died this week. Under Hong Kong’s Public Order Ordinance, religious gatherings and funerals do not require police permission.\n\nLi was a hard-liner who announced martial law during the 1989 Tiananmen Square pro-democracy protests, which ended in bloodshed. Satirical posters called Saturday’s planned march a “memorial gathering” and dubbed Li “Hong Kong’s father of democracy.”\n\nLast Sunday, after a large but mostly calm march, some protesters vandalized the Liaison Office, which represents China’s Communist Party-ruled central government in Hong Kong. They spray-painted the office’s surveillance cameras and threw eggs and black paint at the Chinese national emblem on the building. That last move incensed mainland authorities who called it an affront to the “one country, two systems” framework through which the Chinese territory is promised certain freedoms not afforded in the mainland.\n\nSome protesters called on foreign consulates to issue a travel warning for the city after the Yuen Long attacks.\n\nChinese Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Hua Chunying said the move is “an attempt to incite external forces to intervene in Hong Kong affairs.”\n\n“I advise those who invite a wolf into the room to learn from history,” she said at a regular briefing Friday. “Has anyone in history met a good end after colluding with external forces and blaming their own country and people?”\n\nHua also addressed concerns that China’s People’s Liberation Army will get involved. A Defense Ministry official this week cited an article in Hong Kong’s Garrison Law which allows army troops stationed in the city to help with public order maintenance at the Hong Kong government’s request.\n\nThe army troops based in Hong Kong have become essential to “Hong Kong’s long-term prosperity and stability,” she said.\n\nWang reported from Beijing. Associated Press news assistant Phoebe Lai in Hong Kong contributed to this report.\n• Tractor-trailer with 40,000 pounds of Hershey’s chocolate crashes in Maryland\n\nFor more stories like this that matter to you, click here to download the CBS 17 News app for free.\n\nWatch live newscasts, get breaking news and sign up for push alerts – download now", "Protesters and police prepared for another showdown in central Hong Kong on Sunday, a day after clashes led to 11 arrests and left at least two dozen people injured in an outlying district towards the border with mainland China.\n\nA mid-afternoon rally has been called at Chater Garden, an urban park in the financial district and about 500 yards west of the city’s government headquarters and legislature.\n\nPolice have denied a request from protest organisers to march about 1.4 miles (2km) west to Sun Yat-sen Memorial Park, but at least some of the demonstrators may still try to push forward.\n\nHong Kong has been wracked by protests for seven weeks as opposition to an extradition Bill has morphed into demands for the resignation of the city’s leader, Carrie Lam, and an investigation into whether police have used excessive force in quelling the protests.\n\nUnderlying the movement is a broader push for full democracy in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory. The city’s leader is chosen by a committee dominated by a pro-Beijing establishment, rather than by direct elections.\n\nIn denying the march, police cited escalating violence in clashes with protesters that have broken out after past marches and rallies.\n\n“The police must prevent aggressive protesters from exploiting a peaceful procession to cause troubles and violent clashes,” said Superintendent Louis Lau, of the police public relations branch.\n\nThe police had denied permission for Saturday’s march in Yuen Long, where a mob apparently targeting demonstrators brutally beat people in a railway station the previous weekend.\n\nProtesters and police faced off in the streets well into the night, as they have done repeatedly during the summer’s pro-democracy protests.\n\nPolice said protesters removed fences from roads to make their own roadblocks and charged police lines with metal poles.\n\nOne group surrounded and vandalised a police vehicle, posing a danger to the officers on board, a police news release said.\n\nOfficers fired tear gas and rubber bullets as demonstrators threw bricks and other objects and ducked behind makeshift shields.\n\nLater, police wearing helmets charged into the railway station where a few hundred protesters had taken refuge from the tear gas.\n\nSome officers swung their batons at demonstrators, while others appeared to be urging their colleagues to hang back. For the second week in a row, blood was spattered on the station floor.\n\nPolice said in a statement that they arrested 11 men, aged between 18 and 68, for offences including unlawful assembly, possession of offensive weapon and assault. At least four officers were injured.\n\nThe Hospital Authority said 24 people were taken to five hospitals. As of Sunday morning, eight remained in hospital, two in a serious condition.\n\n“While police must be able to defend themselves, there were repeated instances today where police officers were the aggressors,” Man-kei Tam, the director of Amnesty International Hong Kong, said in a news release.\n\nPolice said they had to use what they termed “appropriate force” because of the bricks and other objects thrown at them, including glass bottles with a suspected corrosive fluid inside. – AP", "Demonstrators gather at Chater Garden during a protest in the Central district of Hong Kong on Sunday, July 28, 2019.\n\n[HONG KONG] Hong Kong demonstrators and police clashed for a second straight day as the city's China-backed government struggles to quell growing discontent and amid violent clashes that have marred the historic movement in recent weeks.\n\nPolice fired volleys of tear gas at hundreds of black-shirted protesters Sunday in Sai Ying Pun, a residential and business area where the Chinese government's liaison office in Hong Kong is located. Protesters vandalized the liaison building last week, drawing stern warnings from Beijing and sparking fears that China's military would be called in to restore order.\n\nA number of stores in the neighbourhood were closed ahead of the tense standoff, as riot police carrying shields marched in rows down a main street. Police said they used tear gas to disperse protesters who hurled bricks at officers, in a situation that was \"drastically deteriorating.\"\n\nThousands of people initially gathered at centrally-located Chater Garden and marched without a definite plan toward the Admiralty, Wan Chai and Causeway Bay areas that were ground zero for previous mass rallies. They had chanted slogans including \"liberate Hong Kong, revolution of our time,\" \"shame on police who beat people\" and \"return us the right to demonstrate.\"\n\nThe sprawling Sogo department store in Causeway Bay, owned by Lifestyle International Holdings, was closed though the situation in that area remained peaceful.\n\nSunday's march came the day after thousands of protesters descended on the suburb of Yuen Long near the Chinese border to condemn a mob attack against train commuters and demonstrators that shocked the city last weekend. A Friday sit-in at Hong Kong's international airport also drew thousands and underscored the economic risk of continued unrest.\n\nPolice on Saturday used batons, tear gas and pepper spray on people throwing stones and wielding metal rods. Thirteen people were arrested for their involvement in Yuen Long, Yolanda Yu, a senior superintendent at the Police Public Relations Branch, told reporters on Sunday. That march's organiser, Max Chung, had been taken into custody, she said.\n\nPolice early Sunday said the protesters disregarded the personal safety of residents and the public. The demonstrators used metal poles and self-made shields to attack officers and charge the cordon line - they even removed fences from roads to form road blocks, according to a police statement.\n\nThe former British colony's government is reeling from its biggest political crisis since its return to Chinese rule in 1997. The movement to oppose a bill allowing extraditions to the mainland has expanded to include calls for genuine universal suffrage, an inquiry into excessive force by police and demands for Chief Executive Carrie Lam's resignation.\n\nThe unrest has put pressure on Chinese President Xi Jinping to find a solution. Beijing has so far backed Mrs Lam's government, in part to avoid setting a precedent in which street protests lead to political change. His government has also accused the US of supporting the demonstrations, a charge the Trump administration has denied.\n\n\"Even Carrie Lam's resignation and universal suffrage aren't going to resolve the crisis in Hong Kong. The truth is China is having a tighter and tighter grip on Hong Kong and our rights,\" said Oscar Cheung, an office worker in his twenties, as he stood in Chater Garden Sunday in a black shirt and sunglasses.\n\nWith the unrest showing no signs of ending, the city's reputation among investors as a stable environment for business has taken a hit. Local retailers are bracing for poor sales figures as demonstrations keep tourists out of shops and ordinary residents seek to avoid major malls that have been targeted.\n\nFinancial Secretary Paul Chan said in a blog post Sunday that many local retail and catering businesses had experienced a \"sharp decline\" in business, warning that the longer the historic protests go on, the more pressure they will pile on small and medium-sized enterprises.", "Hong Kong: Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters defied authorities to hold unsanctioned marches through Hong Kong on Sunday, a day after riot police fired rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse another illegal gathering, plunging the financial hub deeper into crisis.\n\nHuge crowds made their way through the main island's streets in a now-familiar scene, but Sunday's marches had a key difference -- police had banned them. Officials had initially only given permission for a rally in a park in the commercial district known as Central, but the crowds quickly spilled into the surrounding streets. Some headed east to Causeway Bay, a popular shopping district, where they then erected barricades and took over a main thoroughfare as shops and malls shuttered.\n\nAnother group headed west towards the Liason Office -- the department that represents China's central government -- which was guarded by lines of riot police.\n\nTensions rose as the standoff ensued. \"I feel so conflicted, seeing young people sacrifice their future for Hong Kong,\" a 22-year-old student protester called Marcus told AFP, bursting into tears. The latest march comes a day after a town near the border with mainland China descended into chaos as police battled protesters holding another banned rally against suspected pro-government triad gangs who beat up democracy demonstrators there last weekend.\n\nRiot police used tear gas throughout the afternoon and evening in Yuen Long after tense standoffs with protesters, some of whom were throwing projectiles and had surrounded a police van. Rubber bullets were fired later in the clashes, which ended when officers baton-charged the last remaining demonstrators inside the town's metro station, leaving pools of blood in the same concourse where the suspected triads had attacked the previous weekend. Saturday's violence compounds the political crisis engulfing the city's pro-Beijing leadership who are seemingly unable, or unwilling, to end the chaos.\n\nSemi-autonomous Hong Kong has been plunged into its worst crisis in recent history after millions of demonstrators took to the streets and sporadic violent confrontations erupted between police and pockets of hardcore protesters. The demonstrations over the last seven weeks were triggered by a controversial bill which would have allowed extraditions to mainland China, but have evolved into a call for wider democratic reforms and a halt to sliding freedoms. Yet the unprecedented protests with huge turnouts -- as well as frequent clashes and the sacking of parliament -- have had little luck persuading Beijing or Hong Kong's leaders.\n\nBeijing has issued increasingly shrill condemnations in the last two weeks, but has left it to the city's government to deal with the situation. City leader Carrie Lam has shown no sign of backing down beyond agreeing to suspend the extradition bill. Her administration has faced down weeks of public anger and she has made few public appearances beyond visiting injured officers and holding a handful of press conferences.\n\nPro-democracy lawmaker Claudia Mo said the city was now trapped in a \"vicious cycle\" where huge peaceful marches that have been ignored by the government end with violence between police and small groups of hardcore protesters. \"You see force being escalated on both sides but then this is a huge imbalance because the police are in possession of deadly weapons. This sums up Hong Kong today,\" she told AFP.\n\nTensions were significantly raised after last weekend's attack by a pro-government mob in Yuen Long. The town is in Hong Kong's rural New Territories where many of the surrounding villages are known for triad connections and their staunch support for the pro-Beijing establishment. That brazen assault resulted in at least 45 people being taken to hospital. Police were heavily criticised for being too slow to respond to the violence, fuelling accusations of collusion or turning a blind eye to the pro-government mob -- allegations the force has denied.\n\nIn a rare move, police banned Saturday's rally saying they feared reprisal attacks against villagers from protesters, a decision that only heightened anger towards a force already perceived to be protecting pro-government aggressors. Tens of thousands of people defied the ban on Saturday and began a peaceful rally. But small groups of more hardcore protesters, many in helmets and carrying shields, confronted police outside the villages and accused them of protecting triads.\n\nTensions quickly rose and a now-familiar pattern of running battles between police and protesters began. Police on Sunday said 13 arrests were made in Yuen Long. Among them was Max Chung, a young activist who had initially applied for permission to hold the Yuen Long protest. He was arrested for inciting an illegal assembly. Hospital authorities said 24 people were injured, most of whom have been discharged but with two remaining in a serious condition.", "Hong Kong authorities stepped up security and fired tear gas around China’s main representative office on Sunday as several protests broke out, with anger among the crowds simmering over what many see as an increasing cycle of violence against them.\n\nProtests over the past two months spearheaded by pro-democracy activists against a proposed bill that would allow people to be extradited from the city to stand trial in courts in mainland China have grown increasingly violent.\n\nA march on Saturday against a violent assault the previous weekend, by suspected triad gang members, ended in violent turmoil as riot police waded in to disperse crowds.\n\nOn Sunday, a gathering in a park in the city’s central business district began spilling into surrounding roads and black-clad protesters set off in several directions, clogging up major thoroughfares.\n\nThousands of people headed east, towards the shopping district of Causeway Bay, while another large contingent headed west, towards the Chinese government’s representative office, known as the Central Government Liaison Office.\n\nThere, hundreds of riot police blocked activists from advancing towards the building, which had been heavily fortified with water-filled plastic barricades. A clear plastic shield had been erected around a national emblem above its front doors.\n\nPolice fired multiple rounds of tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters in a densely populated neighbourhood nearby. The protesters, wearing helmets, gas masks and body armour responded with bricks, eggs and other objects, hunkering behind makeshift barricades and umbrellas. Many hit metallic surfaces with sticks to create a loud beat that sounded down the streets.\n\nThe office has become a focus for the anger of protesters alarmed by what many see as Beijing’s increasing control despite guarantees of autonomy under a “one country, two systems” formula, struck when the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997.\n\nLast Sunday, protesters took police by surprise with a swoop on the Liaison Office, scrawling graffiti and throwing paint bombs at walls, the national emblem and a plaque. Chinese officials described the vandalism as a challenge to the central government’s authority which would not be tolerated.\n\n“Everyone knows very well that the current Hong Kong government has been controlled by some outside forces, like those in the Liaison Office,” said an activist surnamed Chan.\n\n“Now Hong Kong doesn’t even have basic freedom of assembly. We have come here to make a symbolic expression.”\n\nChina denies interfering in Hong Kong and has warned that the violent protests over the proposed legislation allowing extraditions to mainland China were an “undisguised challenge” to the formula under which it is ruled.\n\nMany of the marchers on Sunday chanted slogans against the police. Some held up banners reading: “We rise as one, we fight as one” and “Stop violence”.\n\n“I have been to every protest and I never wear a mask,” said Phong Luk, wearing a Spider Man suit to match one worn by his 6-year-old son.\n\n“I’m doing nothing wrong. It is those in power that are wrong … At this point, there is nothing to be done except for Carrie Lam to step down, because she obviously cannot rule.”\n\nThe protests have brought the most serious political crisis to Hong Kong since it returned to China.\n\nWhat began as a movement to oppose the extradition law that would have allowed people to be sent to China for trial, has taken on broader demands including the resignation of Hong Kong’s Beijing-backed leader Carrie Lam, calls for full democracy and an independent inquiry into what some say has been excessive police force against protesters.\n\nThe protests are also one of the most direct challenges to the authority of China’s President Xi Jinping.\n\nThe protests appeared to be getting more organised, as well as more violent. On Sunday, activists said they hoped to stretch the police by splitting up their marches.\n\n“The police usually surround us and we have nowhere to go. So we adjust our strategy this time. This is much more fluid and flexible,” said protester Edward Ng.", "HONG KONG (AP) — Clashes involving Hong Kong’s protest movement escalated violently late Sunday as police launched tear gas at protesters who didn’t disband after a massive march and subway riders were attacked by masked assailants who appeared to target the pro-democracy demonstrators.\n\nThe firing of tear gas was the latest confrontation between police and protesters who have taken to the streets for almost two months to fight a proposed extradition bill and call for electoral reforms in the Chinese territory.\n\nThe march had been peaceful when it reached its police-designated end point in Hong Kong’s Wan Chai district in the late afternoon, but thousands continued onward, at various points occupying key government and business districts. They then headed for the Liaison Office, which represents China’s Communist Party-led central government within the city.\n\nProtesters threw eggs at the building and spray-painted its surrounding surveillance cameras. China’s national emblem, which adorns the front of the Liaison Office, was splattered with black ink. The Liaison Office said in comments published on Chinese state media that the acts “openly challenged the authority of the central government and touched the bottom line of the ‘one country, two systems’ principle.”\n\nLater, police threw tear gas canisters at protesters to try to disperse them. Protesters scattered, some heading back in the direction of a key business and retail district. Police remained in place, protecting themselves with shields. Police said on their official social media accounts that protesters threw bricks and petrol bombs at them and attacked the Central police station.\n\nHong Kong media released video showing masked assailants attacking commuters in a subway station. Among those attacked were protesters clad in their trademark black clothing and yellow hard hats.\n\nThe attackers, meanwhile, were dressed in white with black masks pulled over their heads. On Saturday, demonstrators wore white at a counter-rally in support of police.\n\nFootage from Apple Daily showed the attackers using umbrellas to beat people in the station and inside a subway car. Subway passengers filmed by Stand News and iCABLE angrily accused police officers of not intervening in the attack. Stand News reporter Gwyneth Ho said on Facebook that she suffered minor injuries to her hands and shoulder, and was dizzy from a head injury. The South China Morning Post reported several people were bleeding following the attacks, and that seven people were sent to the hospital.\n\nThe Hong Kong government said in a statement shortly after midnight that commuters were attacked at a subway station in the city’s Yuen Long neighborhood, leading to “confrontations and injuries.”\n\nThe statement also said some “radical protesters initiated a series of violent acts … despite repeated warnings” by police. They said the acts included hurling petrol bombs, setting fires and throwing bricks.\n\n“This is absolutely unacceptable to Hong Kong as a society that observes the rule of law,” the statement said, referring to the acts of the subway attackers as well as the protesters.\n\nOrganizers said 430,000 people participated in Sunday’s march, while police said there were 138,000 during the procession’s “peak period.”\n\nLarge protests began early last month in opposition to a contentious extradition bill that would have allowed Hong Kong residents to stand trial in mainland China, where critics say their rights would be compromised.\n\nHong Kong’s leader, Carrie Lam, has declared the extradition bill dead, but protesters are dissatisfied with her refusal to formally withdraw the legislation. Some are also calling for her to resign amid growing concerns about the steady erosion of civil rights in the city.\n\nHong Kong, a former British colony, was handed back to China in 1997 and was promised certain democratic freedoms under the framework of “one country, two systems.” Fueled by anger at Lam and an enduring distrust of the Communist Party-ruled central government in Beijing, the current demonstrations have ballooned into calls for electoral reform and an investigation into alleged police brutality at the protests.\n\nWalking in sweltering heat, protesters dressed in black kicked off Sunday’s march at a public park, carrying a large banner that read “Independent Inquiry for Rule of Law.”\n\n“Free Hong Kong! Democracy now!” the protesters chanted, forming a dense procession through Wan Chai as they were joined by others who had been waiting in side streets.\n\n“The government has never responded to our demands,” said Karen Yu, a 52-year-old Hong Kong resident who has attended four protests since they started. “No matter how much the government can do, at least it should come out and respond to us directly.”\n\nProtesters repeated the five points of their “manifesto,” which was first introduced when a small group of them stormed the legislature earlier this month. Their main demands include universal suffrage — direct voting rights for all Hong Kong residents — as well as dropping charges against anti-extradition protesters, withdrawing the characterization of a clash between police and protesters as a “riot” and dissolving the Legislative Council.\n\nProtesters read the demands aloud in both English and Cantonese in videos released Saturday.\n\n“We did not want to embark on this path of resisting tyranny with our bare bodies,” they said, “but for too long, our government has lied and deceived, and refused to respond to the demands of the people.”\n\nWhile the demonstrations have been largely peaceful, some confrontations between police and protesters have turned violent. In Sha Tin district the previous Sunday, they beat each other with umbrellas and bats inside a luxury shopping center. Demonstrators broke into the Legislative Council building on July 1 by moving past barricades and shattering windows.\n\nOn Friday, Hong Kong police discovered a stash of a powerful homemade explosive in a commercial building and arrested a man. Materials voicing opposition to the extradition bill were found at the site, local media said, but a police spokesman said no concrete link had been established and the investigation was continuing.\n\nThe People’s Daily, the Communist Party’s official newspaper, condemned “radical extremists” who attacked the legislature and “trampled” on Hong Kong’s rule of law in a front-page column Sunday. The paper said the counter-rally Saturday intended to show support for the police reflected “mainstream public opinion” in Hong Kong.\n\nWang reported from Beijing. Associated Press news assistants Phoebe Lai, Nadia Lam and Chanwoo Bang in Hong Kong contributed to this report.\n\nCopyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.", "Thousands of protesters on Saturday marched through a Hong Kong town to demand action against suspected triad gangs who beat up pro-democracy demonstrators last weekend.\n\nThe rally in the New Territories close to the border with mainland China went ahead despite a police ban over concerns about reprisal attacks.\n\nHuge crowds spilled out of the town's main station and into surrounding streets where police maintained a large presence but kept their distance. Many shops were shuttered.\n\nSome protesters chanted anti-police slogans such as \"black police\" and \"know the law, break the law.\"\n\nPublic anger has been raging since last Sunday when a gang of men in white t-shirts, armed with poles and batons, set upon anti-government protesters and bystanders in Yuen Long station. Forty-five people needed hospital treatment.\n\nProtesters say that paid gangs from the local area were responsible for the attacks and accuse the police of not protecting them. Police say they have already made a dozen arrests.\n\nThe New Territories is a more rural area of Hong Kong where many of the surrounding villages are known for links to the triad and their staunch support for the pro-Beijing establishment.\n\nRead more: Hong Kong protests: Is the government losing control of law and order?\n\nSaturday's rally marked the eighth consecutive week of protests in the former British colony. The demonstrations first erupted last month in opposition to plans by the local government to allow the extradition of suspected criminals to China.\n\nThe mainland's justice system is widely criticized as lacking independence and respect for human rights.\n\nThose marches saw more than a million people take to the streets, prompting the territory's leader, Carrie Lam, to put the proposed bill on hold.\n\nSince then, the movement has grown to include demands for direct elections, the dissolution of the current legislature, an investigation into police brutality and less Chinese interference in Hong Kong affairs.\n\nThe movement's leaders have however failed to persuade Beijing or Hong Kong's leaders to change course amid clashes with police and the storming of Hong Kong's parliament in early July by some protesters.\n\nThe United Kingdom handed Hong Kong to China in 1997 as part of an agreement that included Beijing's pledge to respect the territory's semi-autonomous status until 2047.\n\nEach evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.", "HONG KONG (Reuters) - Hong Kong police clashed with thousands of protesters on Sunday, as they sought to defend China’s main representative office from crowds seething over what many see as an increasing cycle of violence against them.\n\nProtests over the past two months spearheaded by anti-government activists against a proposed bill that would allow people to be extradited from the city to stand trial in courts in mainland China have grown increasingly violent.\n\nA march on Saturday against an assault the previous weekend by suspected triad gang members ended in violent turmoil as riot police waded in to disperse crowds.\n\nOn Sunday, a peaceful gathering in a park in the city’s central business district rapidly morphed into a march, as tens of thousands of black-clad protesters set off in several directions, clogging up major thoroughfares.\n\nThousands of people headed east, towards the shopping district of Causeway Bay, while another large contingent headed west, towards the Chinese government’s representative office, known as the Central Government Liaison Office.\n\nThere, hundreds of riot police blocked activists from advancing towards the building, which had been heavily fortified with barricades after it was surrounded and defaced a week earlier. A clear plastic shield had been erected around a national emblem above its front doors.\n\nAs the crowds surged, hundreds of riot police with shields advanced, firing rounds of tear gas, rubber bullets and sponge grenades - a crowd-control weapon - at protesters, sending clouds of acrid, burning smoke through the streets.\n\nSome protesters were on their knees choking as ambulances raced to take away the injured.\n\nThe mostly young activists in hard hats, gas masks and body armour dug in, dismantling street signs and fences which they used to form makeshift barricades to slow police advances.\n\nMany hit metallic surfaces with sticks to create an ominous drum beat that echoed down the streets.\n\nChina’s Liaison Office, a potent symbol of Beijing’s rule over the city since Hong Kong returned from British to Chinese rule in 1997, has become a target for growing ranks of increasingly emboldened youngsters, angry at China’s tightening grip on the city’s freedoms.\n\nUnder a “one country, two systems” formula instituted as part of China’s sovereignty, the city was promised wide-ranging freedoms denied citizens in mainland China.\n\n“We call this Hong Kong’s age of revolution,” said a masked protester who called himself K Lee. “This movement has been sparked by China’s refusal to respect Hong Kong’s freedoms, and the failure of authorities to listen to the people’s voice.”\n\nAfter multiple weekends of unrest, the protests have continued to draw large and apparently growing ranks of protesters in increasingly violent stand-offs.\n\nProtesters responded to police with bricks, eggs and sling shots, as well as home-made gas canisters and paint balls.\n\nLast Sunday, protesters took police by surprise with a swoop on the Liaison Office, scrawling graffiti and throwing paint bombs at walls, the national emblem and a plaque. Chinese officials described the vandalism as an attack on China’s sovereignty that would not be tolerated.\n\n“I have no words for Xi Jinping, he is very arrogant in his belief in communism,” said a university student who called herself Miss Ho, referring to the Chinese president. “He is taking away our freedom, and that is something we cannot bear.”\n\nChina denies interfering in Hong Kong and has warned that the violent protests over the proposed legislation allowing extraditions to mainland China were an “undisguised challenge” to the formula under which it is ruled.\n\nMany of the marchers on Sunday chanted slogans against the police. Some held banners reading: “We rise as one, we fight as one” and “Stop violence”.\n\nThe protests have brought the most serious political crisis to Hong Kong since it returned to China, and have posed an increasingly delicate national security headache for China’s Xi at a time of trade tensions with the United States and a slowing Chinese economy.\n\nWhat began as a movement to oppose the extradition law has taken on broader demands. They include the resignation of Hong Kong’s Beijing-backed leader Carrie Lam, calls for full democracy and an independent inquiry into what some say has been excessive police force against protesters.\n\nLam has so far refused to accede to any of the demands.\n\nThe protesters appeared to be getting more organised and willing to use violence to achieve their aims. On Sunday, activists said they hoped to stretch the police by splitting their marches.\n\n“The police usually surround us and we have nowhere to go. So we adjust our strategy this time. This is much more fluid and flexible,” protester Edward Ng said.\n\nAs riot police advanced at the end of the night from several fronts, the protesters, hemmed in and unable to see a way out, began streaming down into the Sheung Wan underground metro station.\n\nThe black-clad protesters clambered onto and filled a passenger train, chanting “Free Hong Kong. Age of Revolution”, in an orderly retreat. Many changed out of their black shirts, then changed trains, and vanished into the night.", "Police in Hong Kong have fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters in a second day of violent clashes.\n\nThe latest trouble erupted when thousands of people occupied opposite ends of the centre of the former British colony on Sunday.\n\nProtesters occupied two areas in central Hong Kong following a mid-afternoon rally against police use of tear gas at a demonstration the previous weekend.\n\nOne group blocked an area near Chinese government offices and began to move forward as night fell but after they threw eggs and ignored police warnings, officers fired tear gas to halt the advance.\n\nHiding behind barriers, the protesters used umbrellas to protect their identities and defend themselves from police.\n\nThe latest confrontation came after a demonstration at Chater Garden Park in the financial district – the second to take place without police permission.\n\nProtest leaders said they had to speak out about the violence.\n\nOrganiser Ventus Lau said: ‘We need to have a protest to show that we are strongly against this kind of brutality and we need them to respond to our demands.’\n\nPolice superintendent Louis Lau said: ‘The police must prevent aggressive protesters from exploiting a peaceful procession to cause trouble and violent clashes.’\n\nLater on Saturday, police and protesters squared up to each other in the town of Yuen Long where demonstrators in a railway station were attacked last week.\n\nOfficers made 11 arrests and over 20 people were injured, including march organiser Max Chung, while 24 people were taken to hospital.\n\nAmnesty International condemned the police response after Hong Kong has been engulfed by violence for nearly two months.\n\nAfter a proposed extradition law to send suspects to China to stand trial was scrapped, protesters have been calling on chief executive Carrie Lam to step down.\n\nThey also want an investigation launched into whether police have used too much force to quell the uprising.", "Defiant pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong were readying for another big rally later Sunday, a day after police fired rubber bullets and tear gas in the latest violent confrontation that has plunged the financial hub deeper into crisis.\n\nA town near the border with China descended into chaos on Saturday as police battled protesters holding a banned rally against suspected pro-government triad gangs who beat up democracy demonstrators there last weekend.\n\nRiot police used tear gas throughout the afternoon and evening in Yuen Long after tense standoffs with protesters, some of whom were throwing projectiles and had surrounded a police van.\n\nRubber bullets were fired later in the clashes which ended when riot police baton charged the last remaining demonstrators inside the town's metro station, leaving pools of blood in the same concourse where the suspected triads had attacked the previous weekend.\n\nPolice said 11 arrests were made. Hospital authorities said 24 people were injured, most of whom have been discharged but two remained in serious condition.\n\nSaturday's violence compounds the political crisis engulfing the city's pro-Beijing leadership who are seemingly unable, or unwilling, to end the chaos.\n\nA rally is planned on the main island on Sunday afternoon.\n\nPolice have given permission for a static protest in a park but have banned a proposed march through the city, ratcheting up the likelihood of renewed clashes.\n\nSemi-autonomous Hong Kong has been plunged into its worst crisis in recent history after millions of demonstrators took to the streets and sporadic violent confrontations erupted between police and pockets of hardcore protesters.\n\nThe demonstrations over the last seven weeks were triggered by a controversial bill which would have allowed extraditions to mainland China, but have evolved into a call for wider democratic reforms and a halt to sliding freedoms.\n\nYet the weeks of unprecedented protests with huge turnouts -- as well as frequent clashes and the sacking of parliament -- have had little luck persuading Beijing or Hong Kong's leaders.\n\nBeijing has issued increasingly shrill condemnations in the last two weeks, but has left it to the city's semi-autonomous government to deal with the situation.\n\nCity leader Carrie Lam has shown no sign of backing down beyond agreeing to suspend the extradition bill.\n\nHer administration has faced down weeks of public anger.\n\nBut the tensions ratcheted up after last week's attack by a pro-government mob in Yuen Long.\n\nThe town is in Hong Kong's rural New Territories where many of the surrounding villages are known for triad connections and their staunch support for the pro-Beijing establishment.\n\nThat brazen assault hospitalised at least 45 people. Police were heavily criticised for being too slow to respond to the violence, fuelling accusations of collusion or turning a blind eye to the pro-government mob -- allegations the force has denied.\n\nIn a rare move, police banned Saturday's rally saying they feared reprisal attacks against villagers from protesters, a decision that only heightened anger towards a force already perceived to be protecting pro-government aggressors.\n\nTens of thousands of people defied the ban on Saturday and began a peaceful rally.\n\nBut small groups of more hardcore protesters, many in helmets and carrying shields, confronted police outside the villages and accused them of protecting triads.\n\nTensions quickly rose with projectiles hurled. Soon tear gas rounds were arcing through the air and a now-familiar pattern of running battles between police and protesters began.\n\nOn one road, a parked Lexus that was found to have wooden sticks and clubs similar to those used in Sunday's attacks inside it -- as well as a Samurai-style sword -- had been trashed.\n\nBy late evening only some 200 protesters remained around the main station who were then charged by riot police."], "summary": "Tens of thousands of protesters demanding the resignation of pro-China Chief Executive of Hong Kong Carrie Lam take over the streets in Sai Wan and Causeway Bay, near China's Hong Kong Liaison Office, despite an official police ban on protests near the Chinese government building."}
{"document": ["LIMA (Reuters) - Peruvian President Martin Vizcarra on Sunday proposed ending the legislative and presidential terms of office a year earlier than scheduled and holding elections in 2020 in the face of opposition to his efforts to pass anti-corruption measures.\n\nPeru's President Martin Vizcarra delivers his annual address in Congress, in Lima, Peru July 28, 2019. Peruvian Presidency/Handout via REUTERS\n\nOpposition lawmakers immediately condemned the proposal, saying it created uncertainty and fuelled political conflict.\n\nIn his traditional independence day holiday speech, Vizcarra said the proposal will be presented to Congress and must be ratified in a referendum.\n\n“I present to Congress a constitutional reform for the advancement of general elections, which implies cutting the congressional and presidential term to July 28, 2020,” he said.\n\nPedro Olaechea, leader of the opposition-controlled Congress, said the legislature would defend the institutional framework of the five-year term.\n\n“We do not aim to hold on to our positions, but to defend the institution and the legislative power,” Olaechea said.\n\nIn June, Peru’s government won a confidence vote that Vizcarra asked for as part of his effort to pressure the legislature into approving a reform package that includes measures aimed at cleaning up campaign financing and curbing lawmakers’ immunity from prosecution.\n\n“Our bill proposed that another independent body be responsible for determining whether congressmen may or may not be tried and detained. Where is the confidence that Congress has supposedly granted us to work on anti-corruption policy?” Vizcarra said.\n\nVizcarra said in his address that many people had told him during his travels through Peru in the last year that they do not feel represented by Congress and asked him to shut it down.\n\nParties that expressed opposition to the proposal included the right-wing Popular Force party, whose leader, Keiko Fujimori, has been detained in an investigation into alleged corruption.\n\nLawmakers who support Vizcarra’s government and some independents expressed approval of the idea, however.\n\nA business-friendly former vice president, Vizcarra took office a little over a year ago after his predecessor resigned in disgrace - one of several politicians entangled in a bribery probe involving Brazilian builder Odebrecht.[ODBES.UL]", "A few weeks ago, Audi unveiled the 2020 Q7 facelift. The model comes with some slightly exterior modifications and also with some great improvements inside the cabin.\n\nThe same modifications were carried over on the 2020 SQ7 TDI facelift. The car comes with sports exterior details, some aggressive interior accessories and with a massive engine under the bonnet.\n\nThe 2020 Audi SQ7 TDI is powered by a V8 4.0 liter biturbo engine which delivers 435 horsepower and 900 Nm peak of torque. The unit is matted to an automatic transmission and to an all-wheel drive system. As a result, the 2020 SQ7 TDI facelift can run from not to 100 km/h in just 4.8 seconds, while the top speed is electronically limited to 250 km/h.\n\nThe standard turbines are helped by an electric compressor which is feed by the 48V mild-hybrid system. Audi will start taking orders for the 2020 SQ7 in Europe in the coming days, with pricing in Germany to start from 94,900 euros.", "The 2020 election is a fight for the soul of our nation", "Snap's 2nd quarter 2019 results topped expectations. Revenue increased 48% to $388m from $262m in Q2 2018. Expenses saw significant declines as a percentage of revenue, and Snap's loss per share decreased from $-0.27 a year ago to $-0.19 this quarter. Most importantly however, Snap reported new all time high in global daily active users of 203 million with global user growth of 8%. Snap is on the verge of profitability, but has not yet proven that this return to user growth is sustainable. I need to see multiple quarters of solid user growth before going long this stock.\n\nTaking a look at Snap's income statement for the quarter shows a 48% increase in revenue, with much smaller growth rates in expenses. Total costs and expenses increased 43%. Snap's operating loss decreased 15%, and net loss decreased 28%. Revenue is finally catching up to Snap's wild spending.\n\nSource: Image created by author with data from Snap Filings\n\nGlancing at a common size income statement further illustrates just how dramatic Snap's revenue increase has been. Every expense has declined by double digit percentage points as a percentage of revenue. The company is now growing revenue much faster than expenses, which bodes well for the future of the company.\n\nSource: Image created by author with data from Snap Filings\n\nSnap burned through $96 million in operating cash flow in the quarter. However, with cash and marketable securities sitting on the balance sheet of almost $1.2 billion, it should be a while before the company gets into serious trouble here.\n\nAfter several quarters in a row of very lackluster user growth, Snap redeemed itself adding 13 million new users globally from Q1, and 15 million from Q2 2018.\n\nThe real question here is whether this growth is temporary as a result of app updates, or is this growth sustainable over a longer period of time. For now, it seems to be speculative either way. One quarter does not make a reliable trend.\n\nAlthough Snap did grow users, Snap's impressive revenue growth was mostly due to an increase in revenue per user. Globally, Q2 saw a 37% increase QoQ in ARPU. At $1.91 in revenue per user for the quarter, Snap has a ton of room for growth. For comparison, Facebook (FB) achieved ARPU worldwide of $7.05 in Q2 2019, more than three times that of Snap's number. In Q2 2019 Facebook did over $33 of revenue per user in North America, compared to Snap's measly $3.14 per North American user. Now I do not think Snap is an app that monetizes as well as a platform like Facebook (at-least not right now), but this does help illustrate just how much growth potential still exists for Snap.\n\nSnap's stock price has been on a wild ride over the last 12 months. From a low of $4.82 in December to the $17s immediately after Q2 earnings. Such a large rally warrants skepticism. The price increase has been based on speculation of continued growth. Those that bought when the stock was below $5 were taking a gamble and won this time. That is not how I like to invest. I want to see sustainable growth over several quarters, with fundamental reasons for such growth that can continue to deliver strong numbers going forward.\n\nFrom a multiples perspective, Snap has rallied from being under peer's multiples, to being much higher than peers. Snap currently trades at nearly double the TTM sales multiple of Facebook and Twitter (TWTR). But Snap is also growing revenue much faster. As of the time of writing this article, Twitter has not reported Q2 2019 results, but I'm estimating approximately 20% revenue growth. Facebook reported revenue growth of 28% in Q2 2019 from Q2 2018. Snap's 48% revenue growth blows the others out of the water. Still, it is difficult to justify paying twice the sales multiple in my opinion if you're not extremely confident the growth can continue.\n\nSnap at $17 per share is still highly speculative. It is certainly worth watching, especially as they approach profitability, but guessing on profitability can be a dangerous game. I am not looking to short the stock here either, as there is still plenty of growth in this company. The stock may very well hang around in the mid teens until the company grows into it's valuation, or it could continue upward momentum. There are much better companies to target for a short in my opinion. For these reasons I am neutral on the stock.\n\nSnap has returned to significant user growth, but whether this is temporary, or can last multiple quarters or even years has yet to be seen. One quarter is not indicative of the rest of this year or future years. Snap's share price has come a long way off the lows, and now looks quite pricey. It is as if the market is projecting the most recent quarter's growth into the future to price this stock. As proven in past quarters with SNAP, user growth can be fleeting. But with an app re-work behind them, the company seems to be picking up more users once again.\n\nUltimately, there is a fair amount of risk in this stock. User growth remains speculative. A move down to near $10-$12 could get me interested in taking a position, but I remain on the sidelines watching closely for now.\n\nDisclosure: I/we have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans to initiate any positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.", "Taiwan’s 2020 election candidates? It’s the US vs China", "Democratic White House hopefuls are renewing their calls for gun control following Sunday's shooting in Gilroy, Calif., that left at least three dead.\n\nSen. Kamala Harris Kamala Devi HarrisFormer public defender: DOJ plan to resume federal executions a 'recipe for problems' New York governor signs bill decriminalizing marijuana use 2020 Democrats renew calls for gun reform after Gilroy shooting MORE (D-Calif.), who has pledged executive action on gun control if she is elected president, called the shooting at the yearly garlic festival \"simply horrific.\"\n\n\"Our country has a gun violence epidemic that we cannot tolerate,\" she tweeted.\n\nSen. Cory Booker Cory Anthony Booker2020 Democrats renew calls for gun reform after Gilroy shooting Booker qualifies for fall Democratic debates Most oppose cash reparations for slavery: poll MORE (D-N.J.), who has proposed a national licensing program for guns, called gun violence \"out of control.\"\n\n\"We’re still waiting on all the details from Gilroy, but my heart is already breaking for the victims and their families and the survivors,\" he tweeted. \"The gun violence epidemic in this country is out of control. Please be safe and take care of one another.\"\n\nFormer Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro criticized people who lament attacks but don't defend gun reform.\n\n\"Heartbreaking news out of Gilroy, California as another community copes with a mass shooting,\" the former San Antonio mayor tweeted. \"Thoughts and prayers aren’t enough—we must do more to prevent these tragic attacks.\"\n\nFormer Vice President Joe Biden Joe Biden2020 Democrats renew calls for gun reform after Gilroy shooting Booker qualifies for fall Democratic debates On the debate stage, let it rip, Joe MORE, Sen. Bernie Sanders Bernie Sanders2020 Democrats renew calls for gun reform after Gilroy shooting Inslee proposes opening environmental justice office Trump says Sanders should be labeled a racist for remarks on Baltimore MORE (I-Vt.), Rep. Tim Ryan Timothy (Tim) John Ryan2020 Democrats renew calls for gun reform after Gilroy shooting Pelosi backers feel vindicated after tumultuous stretch Nerves on display as Democrats face do-or-die moment in Detroit MORE (D-Ohio), former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas) and Montana Gov. Steve Bullock Steve Bullock2020 Democrats renew calls for gun reform after Gilroy shooting Warren vs. Sanders and Biden vs. Harris heavyweight matchups will be must-see TV Larry Hogan to take over embattled National Governors Association MORE, who have all called for restricting assault weapons, also joined calls for reform following the shooting.\n\nAs many as 15 people were injured in Sunday's shooting.\n\nGilroy Police Chief Scott Smithee said that gun shots were heard at 5:41 p.m. and officers engaged a shooter, who was killed, in less than a minute.\n\nPolice are looking for a possible second suspect, who Smithee said may have been “involved in some way, we just don’t know in what way.”\n\nThe tragedy is the worst active-shooter incident since May, when 12 people were killed in Virginia Beach."], "summary": "President Martín Vizcarra announces that he will present a constitutional reform that calls a snap election for April 2020."}
{"document": ["Bernal (centre) with the six team-mates who helped him win the race - GB's Luke Rowe was disqualified from the race on stage 17\n\nEgan Bernal became the youngest rider in 110 years to win the Tour de France after Caleb Ewan won the traditional sprint finish in Paris.\n\nWith the race leader not challenged on the final stage, 22-year-old Bernal became the first Colombian winner.\n\nHe crossed the line in the peloton, hand-in-hand with his Ineos team-mate and last year's winner Geraint Thomas, who finished second this time.\n\n\"To finish second behind a team-mate makes it OK,\" said Welshman Thomas.\n\n\"Two years ago I had my arm in a sling with a broken collarbone watching Chris Froome win, wishing I was riding and I would've taken second then, but it just shows how time and expectations have moved on.\n\n\"Egan is the future and when I'm 45 and old and fat and sat in the pub watching him win a 10th Tour de France I can say I told him all I know.\"\n\nThomas went into the three-week race as joint leader with Bernal but his preparations had been disrupted when he crashed while travelling at around 50mph in the Tour de Suisse in June.\n\nHe had to abandon that week-long race and then he had three minor crashes during this year's Tour.\n\nThomas led Bernal for much of the race but his team-mate was stronger in the final week in the Alps, and ended up winning by one minute 11 seconds, with Dutch rider Steven Kruijswijk 20 seconds further adrift in third.\n\n\"Thanks to all my team and thank you G [Geraint Thomas] for giving me the opportunity,\" said Bernal. \"I'm the happiest guy in the world. I have just won the Tour de France and I can't believe it.\"\n\nBernal's victory is the seventh in eight years for a British-based team, after Ineos took over the ownership of the Team Sky squad earlier this year.\n\nBradley Wiggins became the first British winner of the race in 2012, with Chris Froome triumphing in 2013 and then claiming three in succession from 2015 before Thomas took last year's title.\n\nBernal is just the third Colombian to win one of cycling's three Grand Tours. Nairo Quintana won the 2014 Giro d'Italia and 2016 Vuelta a Espana, while Luis Herera won the Vuelta in 1987.\n\nHow the final stage unfolded\n\nCaleb Ewan's victory was his third stage win of the 2019 tour\n\nA largely pedestrian 60km ride from Rambouillet to Paris saw Bernal and his Ineos team-mates sipping a celebratory glass of champagne.\n\nAs the riders entered the capital city, the race crossed the river Seine via Le Pont Neuf, close to the medieval cathedral of Notre-Dame - French television chose not to show the building that was ravaged by fire in April - before the riders swept through the grounds of the Louvre.\n\nLast year's champion Thomas was given the honour of leading the peloton through the Place de la Concorde and up the cobbles of the Champs-Elysees for the first time.\n\nThe pace increased with the passing of each 7km lap, which saw the riders swing round the Arc de Triomphe before hurtling back down the Champs-Elysees at speeds approaching 50mph before heading off back towards the Louvre.\n\nJulian Alaphilippe, who led the race for 14 days, giving French fans hope of first home win since 1985, led the peloton on to the Champs-Elysees for the final time, trying to set up a victory for his Deceuninck Quick Step team-mate Elia Viviani, however, the Italian was nowhere as Lotto Soudal rider Ewan proved quickest in Paris.\n\nThe Australian, who timed his charge to the line to perfection, edging out Dutch rider Dylan Groenewegen to win his third stage on his debut Tour, said: \"It was quite messy I went down the right, I'd been told to avoid there and it is quite bumpy but luckily I had enough speed to come through at the end.\"\n\nFor Alaphilippe, who finished fifth overall, there was the consolation of being named the race's most combatitive rider, while his compatriot Romain Bardet claimed the polka dot King of the Mountains jersey.\n\nSlovakia's three-time world champion Peter Sagan won the green points jersey for a record seventh time.\n\nWhy Bernal's victory is not a surprise\n\nBernal (right) was a key domestique for Thomas when he won his Tour title last year\n\nThe climbing specialist, who was born on 13 January, 1997 in Zipaquira in central Colombia at an altitude of 2,650m, showed his potential at last year's Tour, when he rode as a domestique to Thomas and four-time champion Chris Froome.\n\nAfter pacing Thomas to victory on Alpe d'Huez and ultimately the overall title, Froome said: \"He's got an amazing engine. You only have to look at what he did on Alpe d'Huez, for a 21-year-old, that's amazing.\n\n\"There is a lot in Egan that reminds me of myself when I was younger. It's great having him on the team and he brings a lot of young, new energy to the group.\"\n\nHe joined Team Sky for the 2018 season, after winning the prestigious Tour de l'Avenir - a stage race for under-23 riders that has seen many of its winners go on to Tour de France success.\n\nHe won the Tour Colombia and Tour of California last year before making his Tour de France debut as a domestique to Thomas and four-time winner Froome.\n\nThis year, three crashes helped Bernal arrive at the Tour as joint leader of the Ineos team, formerly Team Sky.\n\nThe first was his own, on a training ride in Andorra, and it ruled him out of May's Giro d'Italia, where he had been due to lead the team for the first time in a Grand Tour.\n\nFroome's season-ending crash at June's Criterium du Dauphine then pushed Bernal up the Ineos pecking order for the Tour de France, while Thomas' spill at the Tour de Suisse later that month saw Bernal take over as the sole leader of that team and he went on to win the race.\n\nAfter riding away from Thomas on the Tourmalet on stage 14 in the Pyrenees, he did so twice again in the Alps in the final week to position himself as Ineos' strongest rider at the Tour and secure his first Grand Tour win in only his second attempt.\n\nBernal is the third youngest winner of the Tour. The youngest is France's Henri Cornet, who was 19 when he was controversially awarded victory in the second edition of the race in 1904, while Luxembourg's Francois Faber was a few days younger than Bernal when he took the 1909 title.\n\nFinal general classification standings:\n\n1. Egan Bernal (Col/Ineos) 82hrs 57mins 00secs\n\n2. Geraint Thomas (GB/Ineos) +1min 11secs\n\n3. Steven Kruijswijk (Ned/Jumbo-Visma) +1min 31secs\n\n4. Emanuel Buchmann (Ger/Bora-Hansgrohe) +1min 56secs\n\n5. Julian Alaphilippe (Fra/ Deceuninck-Quick Step) +3mins 45secs\n\n6. Mikel Landa (Spa/Movistar) +4mins 23secs\n\n7. Rigoberto Uran (Col/EF Education First) +5mins 15secs\n\n8. Nairo Quintana (Col/Movistar) +5mins 30secs\n\n9. Alejandro Valverde (Spa/Movistar) +6mins 12secs\n\n10. Warren Barguil (Fra/Arkea-Samsic) +7mins 32secs\n\nStage 21 result:\n\n1. Caleb Ewan (Aus/Lotto-Soudal)3hrs 04mins 08'secs\n\n2. Dylan Groenewegen (Ned/Jumbo-Visma) Same time\n\n3. Niccolo Bonifazio (Ita/Total Direct Energie)\n\n4. Max Richeze (Arg/Deceuninck-Quick-Step)\n\n5. Edvald Boasson Hagen (Nor/Dimension Data)\n\n6. Andre Griepel (Ger/Arkea-Samsic)\n\n7. Matteo Trentin (Ita/Mitchelton-Scott)\n\n8. Jasper Stuyven (Bel/Trek-Segafredo)\n\n9. Nikias Arndt (Ger/Sunweb)\n\n10. Peter Sagan (Svk/Bora-hansgrohe)", "PARIS (AP) — Egan Bernal has become the first Colombian to win the Tour de France as the three-week race ended with the 21st and final stage on the Champs-Elysees.\n\nAt 22, Bernal is the youngest Tour winner in the post-World War II era.\n\nBernal succeeded Ineos teammate Geraint Thomas as the British outfit posted a seventh Tour victory with a fourth different rider in eight years.\n\nThomas, a 33-year-old from Wales, had to settle for second place this year. Dutch rider Steven Kruijswijk completed the podium on Sunday.", "VAL THORENS, France — Perpetuating the tradition of great Colombian climbers, Egan Bernal left his mark on the Tour de France in the mountains. But unlike his flashy predecessors, he is also poised to win cycling’s biggest race. At just 22.\n\nBernal kept the yellow jersey Saturday after the last Alpine stage, and barring a crash or a last-minute health issue he will become the first Colombian to win the Tour when it ends on Paris’ Champs-Elysees with a largely processional stage on Sunday. Bernal will also become the youngest post-World War II winner of the Tour.\n\n“Colombia always had great climbers,” Bernal said. “We won the Giro, the Vuelta, but it never happened before on the Tour. For many years we had great cyclists, we never managed to win. It did not work out on the Tour de France. Now we have it.”\n\nLong before Bernal was born, Colombian riders like Lucho Herrera and Fabio Parra conquered the hearts of cycling fans with long and spectacular raids in the Tour mountains. But for all their brilliance, they never came close to winning the race. More recently, Nairo Quintana ended up runner-up twice behind Chris Froome but lacked the time trialing abilities required to overcome the British four-time champion.\n\nThis year’s route, the highest in the race history with five summit finishes—including three stages finishing above 2,000 meters and only 54 kilometers of time trialing—gave natural-born climber Bernal a golden opportunity.\n\nUnlike Bradley Wiggins, Froome and Geraint Thomas—the three other riders who won the Tour for the British outfit Ineos — Bernal is not a race-against-the-clock specialist. He has built his success on consistent performances in the Pyrenees and a tremendous attack in the Alps after losing ground in the individual time trial.\n\n“The talent is there to see, he was born to go uphill fast,” said Bernal’s teammate and now deposed champion Geraint Thomas. “He has got many, many great years in front of him. A very bright future.”\n\nThomas, lagging 1 minute and 11 seconds behind overall, should finish runner-up to give the Ineos team a 1-2 finish in Paris, like they did in 2012 when the squad was called Sky.\n\nWeighing only 59 kilograms (130 pounds), the super-light Bernal thrived in rarefied air, and it was fitting that he delivered his fatal blow in the Col de l’Iseran, the Tour’s highest point this year at 2,770 meters.\n\nA cycling star in the making, Bernal took the race lead Friday when Stage 19 was dramatically cut short by a landslide across the route to the Alpine ski station of Tignes and by a violent hailstorm that made road conditions too icy for riders racing on two wheels barely wider than their thumbs. He’d moved away from Julian Alaphilippe, the punchy rider from France who did more than anyone to make this Tour the most exciting in decades and held the race lead for 14 days, on a super-difficult climb to the Iseran. When the race was then stopped with Bernal racing away on the downhill, organizers decided the riders’ timings to the top of the Iseran climb would be used to determine the overall standings.\n\nAnd that put Bernal in yellow.\n\nHe wrapped up his victory during Saturday’s Stage 20 to Val Thorens, won by 2014 champion Vincenzo Nibali. Shortened to just 59 kilometers (36 miles) because of landslide on the route, it featured a 33-kilometer climb up to the ski station that was too difficult for Alaphilippe, who cracked after starting the day in second place and allowed Steven Kruijswijk to secure a third-place finish overall.\n\nThe ascent to Val Thorens was certainly not as terrifying as the Pacho, a Colombian mountain Bernal uses as his training ground.\n\n“It’s my favorite climb, a 23 kilometer-long ascent at 3,000 meters,” he said. “Every time before I travel to Europe, I go there and test myself. And to me, every time we face a long climb at the Tour, it’s like climbing Pacho. That climb really helped me. I’m gaining confidence when I climb it.”\n\nOn the road to Val Thorens, Bernal shook hands with Alaphilippe, who left his mark on the race with his unpredictable attacks and strategies. Throughout the race, Alaphilippe forced the teams of favorites to rethink their strategies as they tried to topple the unconventional Frenchman.\n\n“I don’t think it was the parcours (race route), it was the fact that Alaphilippe started so strongly, had a good advantage and was so strong,” Thomas said. “It was incredible how he stepped up and improved. A big, big well done to him. He fought until the very end. Fair play to him and his team. That was the reason why the race was raced so differently.”\n\nIneos was not as dominant as in previous years and, in addition to Alaphilippe’s bold moves, had to deal with challenges mounted by Thibaut Pinot’s FDJ and Kruijswijk’s Jumbo Visma. With new dynamics, the race was filled with suspense until Pinot withdrew with a leg injury and Bernal stamped his authority for good in the Iseran.\n\nIf he wins, Bernal will achieve a feat unmatched by the Tour’s greatest champions — five-time winners Eddy Merckx, Jacques Anquetil, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain — who were all older when they first won.\n\nAlthough he went through a bad day in the Pau time trial, Bernal has really improved his technique over the past two years to morph into an all-rounder, making many observers believe his reign could be a very long one.\n\n“If you’re just a climber and can’t ride a time trial, you can’t win the Tour de France,” Bernal said. “I work on time trials a lot. I could have lost the Tour on this one.”\n\nBernal has also proved stronger than Thomas, who threw his weight behind the Colombian heading into the penultimate stage. Bernal and Thomas crossed together in Val Thorens, with the Welshman warmly congratulating his successor.\n\nIt has been a meteoric rise to the top for Bernal, who competed at his first Tour last summer and did an impressive job in support of Thomas and Froome.\n\nWith barely any experience in road racing, he turned pro with the small Androni Giocattoli Pro Continental team before Ineos manager Dave Brailsford signed him two years ago following his victory at the Tour de l’Avenir, the most prestigious stage race for Under-23 riders.\n\nThis season, Bernal was set to get a maiden leader experience at the Giro d’Italia. But he fractured his collarbone in a training crash, forcing him to miss the race and 76 days overall. He returned to competition in June to win the Tour de Suisse, another prestigious title to add to his success at Paris-Nice in March.\n\n“All I know is if I had not crashed before the Giro I would not be in that position,” Bernal said. “After riding the Giro at (age) 22, it would have been impossible to recover and to be in this position at the Tour. Things happen for a reason.”", "Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)\n\nPARIS — The skies over Paris were yellow, ignited by a glorious golden sunset.\n\nThe partying fans’ shirts were yellow, Colombians making themselves at home on the Champs-Elysees.\n\nBut the yellow that counted most was the iconic jersey that fit so snugly on the slim shoulders of Egan Bernal.\n\nHis crowning Sunday as the Tour de France’s youngest post-World War II champion, and its first from South America, heralded the birth of a new supernova in the cycling universe.\n\nWinning a Tour for the ages at the unusually young age of 22 immediately prompted the question: How many more might he win?\n\nGet this: He’s younger than the Tour’s greatest champions — five-time winners Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain — all were when they were first crowned. Pity those in the peloton who also hope to win future editions of cycling’s greatest race: They could be in for quite a wait.\n\n“I am the most happy guy in the world. I just won the Tour de France, and, yeah, I can’t believe it,” Bernal said, looking bemused on the podium in the race winner’s jersey and silhouetted by the splendid sunset.\n\nThe slightly built Colombian with a killer instinct on the road proved to be the strongest of the 176 strong men who roared off from the start in Brussels, Belgium, on July 6 on their 3,366-kilometer (2,092-mile) odyssey that delivered the most absorbing, drama-packed Tour in decades and confirmation that the prodigy Bernal is the real deal.\n\nRiding a yellow bike, and cheered by Colombian fans who were partying even before he rattled up the cobblestones of the Champs-Elysees, Bernal crossed the line with his teammate Geraint Thomas, the 2018 champion who this year finished second. Steven Kruijswijk completed what Tour organizers said was the tightest podium in the 116-year history of the race, with just 1 minute, 31 seconds separating first and third places after three weeks of racing.\n\nThe 21st and final stage was won in a sprint finish on the famous avenue by Australian Caleb Ewan, the dominant sprinter of his first Tour with three stage wins. Keeping with race tradition on its final day, the 155 riders who survived the Tour rode at a pedestrian pace and in a joyful atmosphere before hitting the Champs-Elysees. Bernal chatted with French rival Julian Alaphilippe and raised a glass of champagne as he rode.\n\nAt the finish, Bernal fell into the arms of his family.\n\n“I cannot believe it. It’s just incredible. I am sorry. I have no words,” he said through a translator. “I still can’t understand what is happening to me.”\n\n“When I saw that he won, I said, ‘I need to go with my music to support him,’” said clarinet-playing Colombian fan Sebastian Cortes, who traveled from Strasbourg in eastern France for the celebration.\n\nBut millions of French fans who had lined the roads through east, central and southern France, and up into the thinning air of the Pyrenees and Alps, were ruing a bitter-sweet Tour.\n\nFirst, their hearts soared with fabulous racing from French riders Alaphilippe, who held the iconic yellow jersey for 14 days, and Thibaut Pinot, who won on the first of seven 2,000-meter-plus (6,500-feet) peaks scaled by the highest Tour in history.\n\nBut joy turned to sorrow when Alaphilippe and Pinot’s prospects of becoming France’s first winner since Hinault in 1985 were cruelly dashed just two days before the grand finale in Paris, on an epic Stage 19 where Mother Nature became a party-pooping guest. An almighty dump of torrential rain and hail severed the Tour route just as Bernal was succeeding in ripping the race lead off Alaphilippe, who’d clung to it like a kid with a favorite toy.\n\n“Julian Alaphilippe made us dream,” said Celestin Simon, a Parisian who cheered his hero on the Champs-Elysees in a pointy hat of French red, white and blue. “Unfortunately, there’s no victory at the end.”\n\nAlaphilippe, more than anyone, first ignited and then stoked what will long be remembered as a Tour of fireworks. With his goatee beard and can’t-catch-me attacks that rivals couldn’t match, Alaphilippe embodied “panache,” the old-school class so cherished by Tour fans.\n\nAlaphilippe’s enterprise first put him in yellow in Champagne country on Stage 3 and then, after he lost the lead on Stage 6, got him the jersey back on Stage 8, which he held through the Pyrenees and into the Alps.\n\nAnd it was there that Bernal, raised at altitude in Colombia and at home in thinner air, struck.\n\nBernal flew up the Tour’s highest climb, the dizzying Iseran pass at 2,770 meters (9,088-feet) above sea level, demolishing what remained of Alaphilippe’s lead on Stage 19 and building a sizeable one of his own =.\n\nThe watch was then stopped, with Bernal way ahead, when the hailstorm suddenly coated the route with ice, amid fears that riders on tires barely wider than their thumbs could skid off into the rock- and ravine-scarred Alpine décor.\n\nCompounding the misery for France, Pinot abandoned the race in tears, hobbled by a left-thigh muscle tear.\n\nAnd that was that. The Tour that had been careening to a rock ‘n’ roll finish instead had the plug pulled on it. Landslides also truncated the last Alpine Stage 20, which still proved too long for the by-now exhausted Alaphilippe, who slipped off the podium entirely, despite getting words of encouragement in a call the previous night from French President Emmanuel Macron.\n\nThomas used the last Alpine climb to secure the runner-up spot in Paris, giving the Ineos team a podium 1-2 with Bernal. Third-placed Kruijswijk, a Dutch Mr. Steady, pulled off the feat of being wholly unremarkable during the three weeks, while Alaphilippe, Pinot and Bernal and others rocked.\n\nQuite remarkably, none of the top four riders won a stage. Alaphilippe, in fifth, won two.\n\n“Honestly, I prefer having won two stages and 14 days in yellow than doing nothing and finishing third,” Alaphilippe said Sunday.\n\nSo instead of a red-white-and-blue celebration, Paris instead got painted in Colombian red, blue and yellow.\n\nOlympicTalk is on Apple News. Favorite us!", "Egan Bernal has become the first-ever Colombian winner of the Tour de France at the 106th edition of the world’s most prestigious road cycling tournament which wrapped up on Champs-Elysees Avenue in Paris.\n\nOn Sunday, the 22-year-old rider effectively sealed his title prior to the processional 128km stage starting from Rambouillet. He raised glasses of champagne with Ineos teammates for a celebration shortly on the stage after his win, reports Xinhua news agency.\n\n“It’s incredible. I don’t know what to say. I’ve won the Tour but I don’t manage to believe it. I need a couple of days to process all this,” admitted Bernal, also the tournament’s youngest titlist in more a century.\n\nBernal gained the yellow jersey from Frenchman Julian Alaphilippe in a dramatic manner, as Friday’s stage 19 was brought to an early end due to hail storm and riders’ time was recorded at the summit of 2,770m-high Col d’Iseran. Bernal kept his overall lead enroute to the Champs-Elysees.\n\n“This is the first Tour for us Colombians. Many Colombians have tried before. We’ve had great cyclists in the past. But I’m the first one to win the Tour. Colombia deserves it,” commented Bernal, who also won the white jersey for the best young rider.\n\nTeam Ineos, formerly Team Sky, made it seven wins out of eight years, following those of Bradley Wiggins in 2012, Chris Froome in 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2017, and Geraint Thomas in 2018.\n\nThomas finished runner-up, 1 minute and 11 seconds behind teammate Bernal. Dutch rider Steven Kruijswijk and Emanuel Buchmann of Germany were placed third and fourth respectively.\n\nAlaphilippe, the yellow jersey owner for most days of this Tour, ranked fifth overall while winning the Combativity award.\n\nSunday’s finale was won by Australia’s Caleb Ewan, who claimed three stage victories in Tour debut.\n\n155 of 176 starting riders managed to withstand challenges in the 23-day race.\n\nSlovakia’s Peter Sagan won a record seventh sprint green jersey with 316 points, while the polka dot jersey representing the best climber belonged to French rider Romain Bardet with 86 points. Movistar sit atop the overall team standings in 248 hours 58 minutes and 15 seconds.", "VAL THORENS, France (Reuters) - After his troubled preparation for the race, Geraint Thomas is still poised to finish the Tour de France as runner-up — and that persuades the defending champion to believe he can win the title again despite fierce internal competition at Team Ineos.\n\nThomas’s team mate Egan Bernal will become the first Colombian to win the Tour barring a crash on Sunday and at 22, the climbing phenomenon does not just have an outstanding future ahead but also looks a safer bet than Thomas for 2020.\n\nHaving missed out after his horror crash last month, four-time champion Chris Froome is also expected back next year, providing a puzzle for Ineos manager Dave Brailsford, who must choose who to put in pole position in Nice next July.\n\n“He (Bernal) is probably going to dominate for more than a few years, he’s got a great team around him,” said Thomas, who started the race as Team Ineos co-leader with Bernal but had to accept the Colombian’s superiority in the mountains.\n\nThomas crashed during the Tour de Suisse in June and that hampered his preparations and he also hit he deck three times during this year’s race.\n\nBernal was initially scheduled to lead the team at the Giro d’Italia but he broke his collarbone in the lead-up to the race and had to focus on the Tour instead.\n\nFroome’s crash at the Criterium du Dauphine opened the door to Bernal moving up the ranks in the team hierarchy and effectively challenging Thomas, who next season will also have to deal with the return of his fellow Briton Froome.\n\n“(If Froome had been here) I don’t know, maybe it might have been a one-two-three,” said Thomas.\n\n“Froomey is one of the best grand tour riders ever, the way he’s strong physically and his mental attitude as well. He’s going to come back next year. I don’t want to think about it now.”\n\nIt certainly seems as if Thomas will face a huge challenge if he wants to add to his 2018 title but the unassuming 33-year-old Welshman laughs in the face of adversity.\n\nAsked if he could win another Tour, he replied: “I think I do. A lot of people probably don’t, but, whatever, that spurs me on.”\n\nBeing the defending champion meant that over the past year, Thomas has faced plenty of distractions that he will not have to worry about in 2020.\n\n“(I knew it would be hard) from November to be honest, it’s not a joke,” he explained.\n\n“It’s tough. It’s tough to come back and get to the same level, there are so many distractions, a few knocks and crashes and that was it. But I felt I managed to get into good shape.”", "On the Champs-Elysees fittingly bathed in the yellow of a golden dusk, a Tour de France for the ages crowned a champion of an unusually young age yesterday: 22-year-old Egan Bernal, Colombia’s first winner of cycling’s greatest race.\n\n“I am the most happy guy in the world. I just won the Tour de France, and, yeah, I can’t believe it,” he said, looking bemused on the podium in the iconic canary-yellow race winner’s jersey and silhouetted by a stunning sunset.\n\nThe youngest champion of the post-World War II era, the slightly built Team Ineos rider with a killer instinct on the road proved to be the strongest of the 176 strong men who roared off from the start in Brussels, Belgium, on 6 July on their 3,366-kilometre odyssey that delivered the most absorbing, drama-packed Tour in decades and a new cycling superstar in the making: Bernal.\n\nRiding a yellow bike, and cheered by Colombian fans who were partying even before he rattled up the cobblestones of the famous avenue, Bernal crossed the line with his Welsh team-mate Geraint Thomas, the 2018 champion who this year finished second. Dutchman Steven Kruijswijk completed what Tour organisers said was the tightest podium in the 116-year history of the race, with just 1 minute, 31 seconds separating the first and third places after three weeks of racing.\n\nThe 21st and final stage was won in a sprint finish on the Champs-Elysees by Australian Caleb Ewan, pictured right, the dominant sprinter of his first Tour with three stage wins. Keeping with race tradition on its final day, the 155 riders who survived the Tour rode at a pedestrian pace before hitting the Champs-Elysees. Bernal chatted with French rival Julian Alaphilippe and raised a glass of champagne as he rode.\n\nAt the finish, Bernal fell into the arms of his family. “I cannot believe it. It’s just incredible. I am sorry. I have no words,” he said through a translator. “I still can’t understand what is happening to me.”\n\nTearful Colombians celebrated their new hero, who is younger than the Tour’s greatest champions – five-time winners Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain – were when they were first crowned.\n\nBut millions of French fans who had lined the roads through east, central and southern France, and up into the thinning air of the Pyrenees and Alps, were ruing a bitter-sweet Tour. First, their hearts soared with fabulous racing from French riders Alaphilippe, who held the iconic yellow jersey for 14 days, and Thibaut Pinot, who won on the first of seven 2,000m-plus peaks scaled by the highest Tour in history.\n\nBut joy turned to sorrow when Alaphilippe and Pinot’s prospects of becoming France’s first winner since 1985 were cruelly dashed just two days before the grand finale in Paris, on an epic Stage 19 where Mother Nature became a party-pooping guest. An almighty dump of torrential rain and hail severed the Tour route just as Bernal was succeeding in ripping the race lead off Alaphilippe, who’d clung to it like a kid with a favourite toy.\n\nAlaphilippe, more than anyone, first ignited and then stoked what will long be remembered as a Tour of fireworks. With his goatee beard and can’t-catch-me attacks that rivals couldn’t match, Alaphilippe embodied “panache,” the old-school class so cherished by Tour fans.\n\nAlaphilippe’s enterprise first put him in yellow in Champagne country on Stage 3 and then, after he lost the lead on Stage 6, got him the jersey back on Stage 8, which he held through the Pyrenees and into the Alps. And it was there that Bernal, raised at altitude in Colombia and at home in thinner air, struck.\n\nBernal flew up the Tour’s highest climb, the dizzying Iseran pass at 2,770m above sea level, demolishing what remained of Alaphilippe’s lead on Stage 19 and building a sizeable one of his own.\n\nThe watch was then stopped, with Bernal way ahead, when the hailstorm suddenly coated the route with ice, and prompted fears for the riders’ safety. Compounding the misery for France, Pinot abandoned the race in tears, hobbled by a thigh muscle tear.\n\nLandslides also truncated the last Alpine Stage 20, which still proved too long for the by-now exhausted Alaphilippe, who slipped off the podium entirely. Thomas used the last Alpine climb to secure the runners-up spot in Paris, giving Ineos a podium 1-2 with Bernal.\n\n“I left my skin on the road these past weeks,” Alaphilippe told French sports newspaper L’Equipe.\n\nBut instead of a red-white-and-blue celebration, Paris was instead painted in Colombian red, blue and yellow.", "One of cycling's most grueling races reaches its conclusion when Egan Bernal of Colombia crosses the finish line of the Tour de France in Paris after the 23-day event that began in Brussels.\n\nBernal, who will become the first Colombian to win the Tour, has the title locked down entering the largely ceremonial final stage of the race. Bernal first took hold of the yellow jersey after a weather-shortened Stage 19 on Friday saw Frenchman Julian Alaphilippe relinquish the coveted jersey after holding it for the majority of the race.\n\nMORE: Tour de France 2019: What the colored jerseys mean\n\nLast year's champion and Bernal's Team Ineos teammate Geraint Thomas will likely not provide any real competition to his teammate as Thomas' second-place spot on the podium is all but guaranteed.\n\nThis year's Tour de France has been one of the closest in recent memory and has been lead by Alaphilippe or Bernal for nearly the entire duration, two cyclists who have never won the yellow jersey before. At the age of 22, Bernal is also the youngest rider in the race.\n\nWho won the Tour de France in 2019?\n\nEgan Bernal won the 106th edition of the Tour de France. He is the first cyclist from Colombia to win the race and was the youngest rider in this year's race at just 22 years old. Last year's winner Geraint Thomas finished second - one minute and 11 seconds behind Bernal.\n\nYou can find a full list of classifications here.\n\nOver a span of a little more than three weeks, riders endured a grueling course that includes seven mountain stages with five summit finishes, five hilly stages, seven flat stages and an individual and team time trial. Here are the winners of each stage throughout the race.", "London: Geraint Thomas has \"defied the odds\" by occupying second place in the Tour de France behind Colombia teammate Egan Bernal, said Team Ineos boss Dave Brailsford.\n\nBernal, 22, will clinch victory on Sunday as long as he avoids any late disaster on the twilight parade into Paris to become the youngest winner in more than a century.\n\nThomas was hoping to defend the title he won last year but the 33-year-old Welshman has had to settle for second place.\n\n\"He's had a fantastic tour,\" Brailsford told BBC Radio on Sunday. \"The first time someone wins the Tour de France they hardly ever come back and perform well the year afterwards.\n\n\"Geraint's defied all the odds there and could have won the race. He's fair, he's balanced, he wanted to win, but then as soon as the opportunity came for the team to win he was 100 percent behind it and he's just a pleasure to work with. He's a class act.\"\n\nBrailsford said the 2019 Tour had been the \"most exciting, open, topsy-turvy kind of race that we've ever been involved in\".\n\n\"So to come away with first and second on the podium has been tremendously rewarding,\" Brailsford said. \"Of course with a guy so young in Egan it has added an extra bit of enjoyment and a different element because all our previous wins have been with British riders.\"\n\nBernal will be the first Colombian winner of cycling's greatest prize.\n\n\"He was 19 when we first spoke to him but he was so mature for his age,\" Brailsford said.\n\n\"He's such a well-balanced, super-generous, kind, very giving individual, very concerned about everyone else, and yet he's got this incredible winning streak inside him which has made him the champion that he already is.\"\n\nBrailsford said four-time Tour de France winner Chris Froome was making good progress with his recovery from a horrific crash during a practice ride before stage four of the Criterium du Dauphine, which left him in intensive care.\n\n\"He's ahead of schedule,\" Brailsford said. \"He's been riding his static bike with one leg, he's managed to turn a pedal with his other leg so he's well ahead of where he was hoping to be and he's putting everything into his recovery so hopefully we'll see him back at the Tour de France next year.\"", "PARIS (Reuters) - Egan Bernal became the first Colombian to win the Tour de France when he retained the overall leader’s yellow jersey after Sunday’s 21st and final stage won by Caleb Ewan of Australia.\n\nThe 22-year-old Bernal, the youngest rider to win the race in 110 years, gave Team Ineos — formerly Team Sky — their seventh title in the last eight editions.\n\nHe beat team mate and defending champion Geraint Thomas of Britain by 1:11, with Dutchman Steven Kruijswijk coming home third, 1:31 off the pace.\n\nAlso the winner of the white jersey for the best Under-25 rider, Bernal did not win a single stage, but he was first at the top of the Col de l’Iseran when the 19th stage was stopped because of hailstorms and landslides in the Alps.\n\nKruijswijk’s Jumbo-Visma team shone throughout the race, winning four stages through Dylan Groenewegen, Wout van Aert, Mike Teunissen and the team time trial.\n\nBriton Adam Yates failed to impress but his Mitchelton-Scott team also claimed four stages. Yates’ twin brother Simon won two stages while Matteo Trentin and Daryl Impey took one apiece.\n\nFrance’s Julian Alaphilippe, who wore the yellow jersey for 14 days but cracked in the Alps and ended fifth overall, was the race’s most exciting rider.\n\nThe world number one, who had been fighting to become France’s first winner since Bernard Hinault in 1985, was voted this year’s most aggressive rider after also winning two stages.\n\n“Alaphilippe changed the deal of this Tour de France, no question about it,” said Tour director Christian Prudhomme.\n\n“There was also the absence of (four-times champion) Chris Froome, which gave hope to many riders.”\n\nSlovakian Peter Sagan wrapped up a record seventh green jersey for the points classification, surpassing the previous mark he held jointly with German Erik Zabel.\n\nFrenchman Romain Bardet won the polka dot jersey for the mountains classification, a consolation prize after he dropped out of overall contention early on.\n\nSunday’s stage, a mostly processional ride from Rambouillet that ended on the Champs Elysees, as it has done every year since 1975, was won by Ewan, who snatched his third stage win on his Tour debut.\n\nEwan burst through on the right side of the cobbled avenue to beat Dutchman Groenewegen and Italian Niccolo Bonifazio, who were second and third respectively."], "summary": "In road cycling, Colombia's Egan Bernal wins the Tour de France by 1:11 on general classification over his British teammate Geraint Thomas. The 22-year-old Bernal is the first Colombian and first Latin American rider to win the Tour, and the youngest rider to do so since 1909."}
{"document": ["Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The US-Taliban peace talks: What you need to know\n\nTwo US service members have been killed by an Afghan soldier in an apparent insider attack in Afghanistan, local police say.\n\nThe soldier opened fire on the Americans in Shawalikot district, Kandahar, the office of the province's police chief confirmed to the BBC.\n\nUS officials have only confirmed that two soldiers were killed on Monday.\n\nMeanwhile, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he would reduce the number of US troops in Afghanistan by 2020.\n\nA news release by Nato stated only that the soldiers had been killed, and that in accordance with department of defence policy, their names would not be released until 24 hours after the soldiers' families had been notified.\n\nIt is believed the Afghan soldier was wounded.\n\nEarlier on Monday, Mr Pompeo said President Donald Trump had directed him to decrease the number of US troops in the region by the 2020 presidential election next November.\n\nImage copyright Getty Images Image caption Mike Pompeo said the president had directed him to reduce US troop numbers in Afghanistan\n\n\"He's been unambiguous: End the endless wars,\" Mr Pompeo said, speaking at the Economic Club of Washington.\n\n\"Draw down. Reduce. It won't just be us. We hope that overall the need for combat forces in the region is reduced.\"\n\nReuters reported last week that Mr Pompeo and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani had agreed to \"accelerate efforts\" to end the war with the Taliban, and that Mr Pompeo was \"optimistic\" about peace negotiations.\n\nThere are around 14,000 US troops still in Afghanistan.\n\nImage copyright EPA Image caption US soldiers provide training for the Afghan military\n\nThe war in Afghanistan is America's longest. It began after US forces led a campaign to overthrow the Taliban in the wake of the 9/11 attacks in 2001.\n\nAs the Trump administration looks at exit plans, US negotiators have been involved with peace talks between the Taliban and Afghan officials.\n\nThe talks have focused on a safe withdrawal of US troops from the country in return for the insurgents guaranteeing that Afghan territory would not be used by foreign militants, or pose a security threat to the rest of the world.\n\nThe Taliban - which once harboured Osama Bin Laden - have said they will not agree to a ceasefire until foreign forces are withdrawn from Afghanistan and have rejected the Afghan government as \"a US-imposed puppet regime\".\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai: \"Peace is more difficult than war\"\n\nMore than 2,400 American troops have lost their lives - at least 10 in hostile conflict so far this year - according to Department of Defence reports.\n\nMore civilians were killed last year in Afghanistan than at any time since records have been kept, with 3,804 civilians losing their lives.\n\nPrevious attempts at peace have failed in their early stages.\n\nIn 2015, talks in Pakistan between Afghan officials and the Taliban broke down after news emerged of the death of the Taliban leader Mullah Omar - with whose authority the Taliban team was supposedly meeting.", "KABUL (Pajhwok): Two American soldiers have been killed in Afghanistan , NATO ’s Resolute Support mission said on Monday, but provided no further details.\n\nThe service members were both killed on Monday, the Resolute Support said in a statement, which added the names of the fallen soldiers were being withheld for 24 hours after notification of next of kin was complete.\n\nHowever, some sources said an Afghan National Army soldier opened fire at the Americans in Shah Wali Kot district of southern Kandahar province, killing two service members.\n\nThe attacker was also shot injured and arrested by the US forces, the sources said.\n\nTheir deaths come less than a week after a Croatian soldier with the NATO Afghanistan mission was killed and two others seriously wounded in a Taliban suicide attack in Kabul.\n\nOn July 13, a US special forces soldier, Sergeant Major James G. Sartor, was killed by small arms fire during operations in Faryab province in northern Afghanistan.\n\nThe deaths of the two service members on Monday bring to 12 the number of American forces killed in Afghanistan this year, the same number as all of 2018.", "KABUL, Afghanistan — Two American service members were shot dead and a third wounded Monday in a rare “insider” attack when an Afghan soldier opened fire on a group of American forces at a military base in a conflict-torn region of southern Kandahar province, Afghan defense and police officials said Tuesday.\n\nU.S. military officials here confirmed that two American troops had been killed but did not provide any details or identify the victims, saying they needed to wait until their families were notified. A statement from the U.S. Resolute Support mission here said only that two service members had died.\n\nAccording to Afghan officials, the shooter was wounded in return fire and taken into Afghan military custody. It was the first known incident, also known as a “green on blue” attack, since November, when Brent Taylor, a major in the Utah National Guard and the mayor of a town in Utah, was killed by an Afghan soldier in Kabul.\n\nA spokesman for the Afghan Defense Ministry, Fawad Aman, confirmed that the attack had occurred on an army base in the Shah Wali Kot district of Kandahar. “The soldier who fired on them has been wounded in a subsequent firing,” he said in a brief telephone interview early Tuesday.\n\nA police official in Shah Wali Kot also confirmed that the incident had taken place, according to a BBC News report. Other media outlets reported that American military officials in the U.S. had confirmed the basic facts, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information.\n\nAccording to one media report, members of the U.S. Army’s 3rd Brigade Combat team, 82nd Airborne Division, posted a Facebook tribute to their slain comrades but did not identify them.\n\n“It is with a heavy heart that I inform you of the loss of two Paratroopers from the Brigade during combat operations,” the Facebook post read.\n\nNo information was immediately available about the shooter except that he was an Afghan army soldier. In past “green on blue” incidents, the attackers have included both bona fide Afghan troops who were angry, disgruntled or influenced by Taliban propaganda, and insurgent infiltrators who enlisted to attack and sabotage foreign forces.\n\nInsider attacks have been a problem for American forces in Afghanistan over the past decade, peaking in 2012 with several high-profile incidents. But they declined significantly after U.S. military officials began placing “guardian angel” forces in the battlefield, Afghan security officials improved vetting of recruits, and a major U.S. troop drawdown began in 2014.\n\nA total of 2,400 U.S. troops have been killed in the 18-year conflict.\n\nIn August 2014, U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Harold Greene was shot dead while visiting the main Afghan military academy in Kabul. He was the highest-ranking U.S. military officer to be killed in the Afghan war. A uniformed Afghan soldier opened fire on Greene and a group of visiting U.S. and European military officials, wounding 11 people. His motive was not known, but the Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.\n\nIn October, 2018, an attacker in an Afghan army uniform opened fire on a group of Afghan and U.S. military officials who were meeting in Kandahar city, killing a senior Afghan general and two other Afghan officials. The senior U.S. military commander, Gen. Austin Scott Miller, was there at the time but was unharmed.\n\nThe United States currently has about 14,000 troops deployed to Afghanistan in a mission to train, advise and assist Afghan security forces in their fight against Taliban insurgents. They also provide combat air support for Afghan forces in the battlefield.\n\nPresident Trump has said he wants to reduce their numbers significantly, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said this week that Trump had directed him to start withdrawing the rest of the troops before the 2020 U.S. election.\n\nThe Taliban insurgents have intensified their attacks in recent months, as peace negotiations with U.S. officials have continued in Qatar. The country is especially jittery with the presidential election campaign beginning this week amid fears of more insurgent violence against candidates and voters.\n\nOn Sunday, President Ashraf Ghani’s top running mate, former national intelligence chief Amrullah Saleh, narrowing escaped being killed when attackers besieged his political office in Kabul. The attack, which began with a massive suicide bomb in a vehicle, turned into a six-hour gun battle with heavily armed attackers who killed 20 people and injured 50 more.\n• Trump wants forces reduced in Afghanistan by next U.S. election – Pompeo\n• Two U.S. service members killed in Afghanistan\n• Trump says he could end the war in Afghanistan but ‘I just don’t want to kill 10 million people’", "An Afghan soldier was responsible for the killing of two American troops a day earlier, an official told AFP Tuesday, in what appears to be the latest example of an insider attack.\n\nThe US military on Monday said two of its troops had been killed in action in Afghanistan, but did not provide any additional details, pending notification of next of kin.\n\nMohammad Qasam, a deputy police chief in Kandahar province in southern Afghanistan, said the attack took place at an Afghan army base during a visit by US forces.\n\n\"Initial information was two US forces have been killed and one more wounded,\" Qasam said.\n\nIn a statement to AFP, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said an Afghan soldier, not an infiltrator, had killed the two.\n\n\"A patriotic Afghan soldier opened fire on them and killed them\" in the attack in Kandahar, Mujahid said.\n\nBahir Ahmadi, the Kandahar governor's spokesman, also said the incident occurred at an Afghan army base.\n\nOn July 17, an Afghan army soldier shot and killed an influential Afghan army colonel while he was conducting a security assessment in Ghazni province.\n\nThe Taliban claimed responsibility for that killing.\n\nInsider attacks, sometimes referred to as \"green on green,\" are a constant threat in Afghanistan for international and Afghan forces alike.", "An Afghan soldier has shot and killed two U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan's southern province of Kandahar, officials say.The soldier who turned his gun on the Americans was wounded during the attack and is now in custody, said the spokesman, Ahmad Sadiq.The U.S. military said on July 29 that two of its service members were killed in Afghanistan, but provided no details.Speaking on condition of anonymity, U.S. officials said that they had died in a so-called insider attack.In such attacks, sometimes referred to as \"green-on-blue,\" Afghan forces turn their weapons on international soldiers with whom they are working.At least 11 U.S. troops have been killed in Afghanistan since the beginning of the year.The United States has about 14,000 troops in the country as part of a 23,000-strong NATO-led mission that is training and assisting the Afghan government's security forces in their fight against Taliban militants and other extremist groups.", "According to Afghan officials, the shooter was wounded in return fire and taken into Afghan military custody. It was the first known incident, also known as a ‘‘green on blue’’ attack, since November, when Brent Taylor, a major in the Utah National Guard and the mayor of a town in Utah, was killed by an Afghan soldier in Kabul.\n\nUS military officials here confirmed that two American troops had been killed but did not provide any details or identify the victims, saying they needed to wait until their families were notified. A statement from the US Resolute Support mission here said only that two service members had died.\n\nKABUL — Two American service members were shot dead and a third wounded Monday in a rare ‘‘insider’’ attack when an Afghan soldier opened fire on a group of American forces at a military base in a conflict-torn region of southern Kandahar province, Afghan defense and police officials said Tuesday.\n\nA spokesman for the Afghan Defense Ministry, Fawad Aman, confirmed that the attack had occurred on an army base in the Shah Wali Kot district of Kandahar. ‘‘The soldier who fired on them has been wounded in a subsequent firing,’’ he said in a brief telephone interview early Tuesday. A police official in Shah Wali Kot also confirmed the incident had taken place, according to the BBC. Other media outlets reported that American military officials in the United States had confirmed the basic facts, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information.\n\nAccording to one media report, members of the US Army’s 3rd Brigade Combat team, 82nd Airborne Division, posted a Facebook tribute to their slain comrades but did not identify them.\n\nNo information was immediately available about the shooter except that he was an Afghan army soldier. In past ‘‘green on blue’’ incidents, the attackers have included both bona fide Afghan troops who were angry, disgruntled or influenced by Taliban propaganda, and insurgent infiltrators who enlisted to attack and sabotage foreign forces.\n\nInsider attacks have been a problem for American forces in Afghanistan over the past decade, peaking in 2012 with several high-profile incidents. But they declined significantly after US military officials began placing ‘‘guardian angel’’ forces in the battlefield, Afghan security officials improved vetting of recruits, and a major US troop drawdown began in 2014. A total of 2,400 US troops have been killed in the 18-year conflict.\n\nMeanwhile, the UN mission said in a report released Tuesday that more civilians were killed by Afghan and international coalition forces in Afghanistan in the first half of this year than by the Taliban and other militants.\n\nThe report apparently refers to civilians killed during Afghan and US military operations against insurgents, such as airstrikes and night raids on militant hideouts. Insurgents often hide among civilians.\n\nThe UN report said 403 civilians were killed by Afghan forces in the first six months of the year and another 314 by international forces, a total of 717. That’s compared to 531 killed by the Taliban, an Islamic State affiliate, and other militants during the same period.\n\nMaterial from the Associated Press was used in this report.", "Two American service members have been shot dead by an Afghan soldier at a military base in what appears to be an “insider” attack. The Afghan soldier opened fire on a group of U.S. forces at the base in the southern Kandahar province, according to Afghan defense officials. The shooter was wounded in return fire and is now in Afghan military custody. Stars & Stripes reports the two Americans were paratroopers from the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division. It was the first “green on blue” attack since November, when Maj. Brent Taylor was killed by an Afghan soldier in Kabul. In past insider attacks, the attackers have included both genuine Afghan troops who became disaffected and infiltrators who enlisted to attack foreign forces. U.S. military officials confirmed that two American troops had been killed.", "Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings.\n\nTwo U.S. servicemembers were killed in Afghanistan Monday when a member of the Afghan security forces opened fire on them, according to two U.S. military officials.\n\nThe shooting took place in Kandahar. The officials said the Afghan gunman was shot and wounded, and is currently in the custody of Afghan forces.\n\nThe unidentified U.S. service members were assigned to advise and assist Afghan forces but the attack didn't happen during combat, the officials said.\n\nThe deaths bring the number of U.S. troops killed in action in Afghanistan this year to 12; three others died from non-hostile acts. A total of 13 U.S. servicemembers were killed in hostile incidents last year, and two others died from non-hostile acts.\n\nNearly 60 U.S. troops have been wounded in action so far this year.\n\nCases of Afghan security personnel attacking U.S. troops, known as insider attacks, are relatively rare. In one of the most high-profile recent incidents, an Afghan guard opened fire at an October 2018 meeting attended by Gen. Austin Miller, the senior American commander in Afghanistan.\n\nMiller escaped unharmed but Afghan Gen. Abdul Raziq, an American ally, was killed and two Americans were wounded.", "Citing two US military officials, NBC News reported that a member of the Afghan security forces opened fire on the two US servicemen in Kandahar, Afghanistan.\n\nThe officials say the gunman was taken into Afghan custody after sustaining a gunshot-related injury. Both troops were ordered to advise and aid Afghan forces prior to the “insider” attack, a term used to describe conflict between US and Afghan security personnel in the country.\n\nOfficials noted the killings did not occur in combat. The names of the two service members will be released Tuesday, after their family members are contacted.\n\nIncluding this incident, a total of 15 US troops have been killed in Afghanistan this year, with three of them dying as a result of non-hostile acts, according to the Pentagon’s Defense Casualty Analysis System. A total of 15 service members were killed in Afghanistan in all of 2018.\n\nA total of 58 US troops have been wounded while in the line of duty in 2019.", "Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings.\n\nTwo U.S. service members were killed in Afghanistan on Monday when a member of the Afghan security forces opened fire on them, according to two U.S. military officials.\n\nThe shooting took place in Kandahar. The officials said the Afghan gunman was shot and wounded, and is currently in the custody of Afghan forces.\n\nThe unidentified U.S. service members who were attacked had been assigned to advise and assist Afghan forces, the officials said.\n\nThe commanding officer of the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, announced the deaths in a message that was posted to the unit's Facebook page.\n\n\"It is with a heavy heart that I inform you of the loss of two paratroopers from the brigade during combat operations,\" Col. Art Sellers wrote.\n\n\"I ask you to respect the official Department of Defense notification process, a process which may take a few days. If you receive any information about these combat operations, either factual or speculative, I ask you to refrain from sharing it for the sake of the paratroopers’ loved ones.\"\n\nThe deaths bring the number of U.S. troops killed in action in Afghanistan this year to 12; three others died from nonhostile acts. A total of 13 U.S. service members were killed in hostile incidents last year, and two others died from nonhostile acts.\n\nAlmost 60 U.S. troops have been wounded in action so far this year.\n\nCases of Afghan security personnel attacking U.S. troops, known as insider attacks, are relatively rare. In one of the most high-profile recent incidents, an Afghan guard opened fire at an October 2018 meeting attended by Gen. Austin Miller, the senior American commander in Afghanistan.\n\nMiller escaped unharmed but Afghan Gen. Abdul Raziq, an American ally, was killed and two Americans were wounded."], "summary": "An Afghan National Army soldier kills two United States Army soldiers in Kandahar, Afghanistan, which local police suspect is an insider attack. The killer is believed to be wounded."}
{"document": ["At least five protesters, including four high school students, have been shot dead after security forces broke up a student protest in the Sudanese city of El-Obeid, opposition groups have said.\n\nThe killings on Monday came a day before protest leaders and ruling generals are set to hold new talks on Sudan's transition following the removal of former leader, Omar al-Bashir.\n\nGunfire rang out as teenagers rallied against fuel and bread shortages in the capital of North Kordofan state, residents said, at a time of heightened tensions between opposition campaigners and military rulers that took power following Bashir's removal.\n\nA key protest group, the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA), said \"live ammunition\" had been used against a \"rally of school students\" in the central town of El-Obeid.\n\nIn a post on its Facebook page, it urged \"all citizens and medics\" to head to hospitals treating the wounded.\n\n190729112632551\n\n\"We call on our people to take to the streets ... to denounce the Al-Obeid massacre, to demand the perpetrators be brought to justice,\" said the SPA, which had launched the initial protests.\n\nAuthorities announced a nighttime curfew in four Sudanese towns following the incident. There was no immediate statement from the ruling military council.\n\nThe acting governor of North Kordofan, Mohamed Khidr Mohamed Hamid, told Al-Arabiya TV there had been a \"slight friction\" between protesters and security forces. He said he could not confirm who opened fire and a committee would investigate.\n\nVideos circulating on social media purported to show students protesting outside El-Obeid's main hospital against the killings and injuries.\n\nAt least 5 were killed, including 4 school children & 1 medic, after #Hemeti's notorious paramilitary #RSF Janjaweed militia opened fire on a protest in El-Obeid, North Kordofan state, #Sudan's 🇸🇩 opposition-linked doctors' committee @Sd_Doctors https://t.co/Ksx4NLJwxV — Saad (@SaadAbedine) July 29, 2019\n\nAl Jazeera's Hiba Morgan, reporting from neighbouring Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, said students took to the streets demanding justice and better living conditions shortly before the shooting took place.\n\n\"The opposition called for nationwide protests to condemn the violence,\" Morgan said. \"They say they blame the ruling military council for the death of the protesters.\"\n\n190728062135797\n\nMorgan said the protesters and opposition have also demanded that the police protect them.\n\n\"They say the military council and the police should not be attacking protesters as they voice their anger and demand a civilian government,\" she said.\n\nAccording to her, a transition agreement between the military and the civilian opposition has not yet been signed.\n\nSudan's state news agency SUNA said authorities in North Kordofan closed all schools across the state until further notice and described the events as \"regrettable\".\n\nEl-Obeid residents said a funeral would be held on Tuesday for those killed.\n\nIn Khartoum, a witness said dozens of protesters took to the streets in several neighbourhoods after hearing about the El-Obeid violence, Reuters News Agency reported.\n\nDemonstrations in Khartoum against the killing of protesters in El Obeid, western #Sudan, where snipers shot at least 5 during demonstrations against power outages #SudanUprising #KeepEyesOnSudan #السودان #تسقط_بس https://t.co/xJghRB9Bz0 — Isma'il Kushkush (@ikushkush) July 29, 2019\n\n'Independent investigations'\n\nOpposition activists, unions and professional groups launched nationwide protests against mounting economic hardships and long-term leader al-Bashir in December last year.\n\n190727185403197\n\nThe military removed al-Bashir in April as the protests and shortages persisted. But activists kept up their demonstrations, pressing for the military to speed up the move to civilian rule and calling for justice for people killed during a raid on a sit-in protest in Khartoum in June.\n\nThe Forces of Freedom and Change coalition called for Monday's attackers in El-Obeid to be held accountable and for the ruling military council to immediately agree upon the details of a new transitional authority.\n\n\"Forces belonging to the army and Rapid Support (paramilitary force) indiscriminately and violently fired this afternoon at peaceful demonstrations of secondary school students in El-Obeid,\" the coalition said in a statement.\n\n\"Only a civilian authority is capable of carrying out independent investigations into all crimes,\" it added.\n\nMonday's deaths also sparked calls for talks set for Tuesday to be suspended.\n\nThe talks were set to cover issues including the powers of the joint civilian-military ruling body, the deployment of security forces and immunity for generals over protest-related violence, according to protest leaders.\n\nKhartoum has seen angry demonstrations since Saturday, when investigators announced the results of a probe into a deadly crackdown on a protest camp on June 3.\n\nShortly before dawn on that day, gunmen in military fatigues raided the site of a weeks-long sit-in outside the military headquarters in Khartoum, shooting and beating protesters.\n\nDoctors linked to the protest movement said the raid left 127 people dead and scores wounded.\n\nBut a joint investigation by prosecutors and the ruling military council found that just 17 people were killed on June 3, with a total of 87 dying between that day and June 10.\n\n190727133342900\n\nThe probe identified eight officers involved in the violent crackdown on the protest camp, including three from the feared Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group.\n\nBut protest leaders have rejected the findings, saying the inquiry exonerated the military council and gave a far lower death toll than their own figures.\n\nThe investigation was \"commissioned by the military council, this is challenging its integrity as the military council itself is accused in this case,\" said the SPA.\n\nDemonstrators have called for an independent investigation into the raid as the ruling generals insist they did not order the dispersal of the sit-in.", "A committee will investigate the killing of at least four school children and one adult hours after security forces and student-led protesters clashed in the Sudanese city of El-Obeid, acting governor of North Kordofan general al-Sadiq al-Tayeb Abdallah said on Monday.\n\nThe acting governor blamed “infiltrators” that diverted a peaceful demonstration from its course and caused a “state of chaos.”\n\nHe did not say how the victims died but added that a committee was set up to investigate.\n\nA building belonging to the Bank of Khartoum was set on fire during the unrest in El-Obeid, 400 km (250 miles) southwest of the capital Khartoum, residents told Reuters.\n\nThe Forces of Freedom and Change coalition of opposition groups accused military and paramilitary forces of opening fire on the high school pupils and called for nationwide protests in response.\n\nA member of a professional body of pharmacists linked to the opposition captured a video that he said showed several wounded young men inside El-Obeid Teaching Hospital.\n\nThe head of Sudan’s ruling military council, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan said there must be immediate accountability over the incident, Sudan TV announced in a news bulletin on Tuesday.", "The head of Sudan’s military council, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, mourned the death of five people who were shot dead during a protest in the city of El-Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan state.\n\n“Every Sudanese who gets killed is a big loss, and we need to expedite a solution,” al-Burhan said.\n\n“Delaying the transition will lead to more losses and economic deterioration,” he added.\n\nAl-Burhan also said: “We thank the Sudanese people for their patience with the Council and the forces of freedom.”\n\n“Sudan’s youth aspires to have a free and just nation and we have to respond,” he added.", "KHARTOUM — At least two students were shot dead at a protest in the Sudanese city of El-Obeid, capital of North Kordofan state, an opposition-linked doctors’ committee said on Monday.\n\nThe committee said several people had been injured but did not give details.", "KHARTOUM — The head of Sudan’s ruling military council said an incident in which at least four schoolchildren were shot dead at a protest was “regrettable” and called for a quick resumption of negotiations over political transition.\n\nThe children’s deaths came at a time of heightened tension between Sudan’s military rulers and the main opposition coalition, which called for nationwide protests in response – although the turnout was limited.\n\nIn an interview recorded on Monday and aired on state television late on Tuesday, Abdel Fattah al-Burhan said he hoped a deal between the military council and the main opposition coalition could be reached “as soon as possible.”\n\n“What happened in El Obeid and (the incidents) before are all regrettable,” Burhan said. “No one accepts the death or killing of any Sudanese person, and this may be one of the motives prompting us to sign (an agreement) as soon as possible to bring life back to normal,” Burhan said.\n\nMore talks between the two sides on the transition from military rule to a new sovereign council were due to take place on Tuesday but were postponed after the shooting, a pattern that has happened repeatedly after bouts of violence.\n\n“The military council’s delegation is ready to begin negotiations at any time,” he added.\n\nSix people, at least four of whom were students, were shot dead on Monday when security forces broke up a student protest in El-Obeid, some 400 km (250 miles) southwest of Khartoum, opposition-linked doctors said. The teenagers were rallying against fuel and bread shortages, residents said.\n\nThe Forces of Freedom and Change (FFC) coalition of opposition groups accused military and paramilitary forces of opening fire on the high school pupils.\n\nThe governor of North Kordofan state, General Al-Sadiq al-Tayeb Abdallah, said “infiltrators” had diverted a peaceful demonstration from its course and attacked a bank branch and tried to attack another, state news agency SUNA reported.\n\nBurhan told journalists in the state TV interview that the protests in El-Obeid had deviated from their course and that protesters attacked markets and banks. He added he could not as of yet confirm who shot at the school children and that the matter was still under investigation.\n\nSchools have been suspended starting on Wednesday for an indefinite period following instructions from the military council, SUNA said.\n\nAfter occasions when tens of thousands of demonstrators have taken to the streets in the past months, just dozens protested on Tuesday on Sitteen Street, a main thoroughfare in the capital Khartoum, carrying photos of the victims, a Reuters witness said.\n\nDozens also demonstrated in other parts of the capital.\n\nA member of an opposition-linked pharmacists’ committee, who asked not to be named, said students and adults also went out in protest on Tuesday in El-Obeid, the state capital of North Kordofan.\n\nHe said he had accompanied a delegation from the FFC who visited on Monday to console victims’ families and visit the wounded.\n\nThe FFC called for those responsible for the deaths to be held accountable and for the military council to immediately agree the details of a new transitional authority.\n\n“I am outraged by the deaths of protesters including schoolchildren in the city El-Obeid,” said African Union Commission Chair Moussa Faki Mahamat in a tweet on Tuesday. “The right to peaceful assembly and the safety of all citizens, especially children, must be upheld.”\n\nThe U.S. Embassy in Khartoum also condemned the violence on Tuesday, saying, “The use of live ammunition is never an appropriate response to a peaceful demonstration. This tragic event makes even more urgent the formation of a civilian-led transitional government that is broadly supported by the Sudanese people.”\n\nThe military council has been ruling Sudan since generals ousted veteran president Omar al-Bashir on April 11.\n\nLong-stalled negotiations over the path towards the transition collapsed altogether when security forces broke up a protest camp outside the Defence Ministry on June 3, killing dozens of people.\n\nHowever, Ethiopian and African Union mediators were able to bring them back to the table, and they signed a political accord on July 17. They have been wrangling over the details of a constitutional declaration since then.", "At least four school children and one adult were shot dead when security forces broke up a student protest in the Sudanese city of El-Obeid on Monday, campaigners said.\n\nGunfire rang out as teenagers rallied against fuel and bread shortages in the capital of North Kordofan state, residents said, at a time of heightened tension between opposition campaigners and Sudan's military rulers.\n\nThe Forces of Freedom and Change coalition of opposition groups accused military and paramilitary forces of opening fire on the high school pupils and called for nationwide protests in response.\n\nThere was no immediate statement from Sudan's ruling military council.\n\nThe acting governor of North Kordofan, Mohamed Khidr Mohamed Hamid, told Al-Arabiya TV there had been a \"slight friction\" between protesters and security forces. He said he could not confirm who opened fire and a committee would investigate.\n\nA building belonging to the Bank of Khartoum was set on fire during the unrest in El-Obeid, 400 km (250 miles) southwest of the capital Khartoum, residents told Reuters.\n\nVideos circulating on social media purported to show pupils protesting outside El-Obeid's main hospital against the killings and injuries.\n\nHundreds of teenagers in uniform chanted \"blood for blood, we will not accept blood money\" in the footage. Reuters could not immediately verify the authenticity of the videos.\n\nA member of a professional body of pharmacists linked to the opposition captured a video and photographs that he said showed a corpse and several wounded young men inside El-Obeid Teaching Hospital.\n\nOpposition activists, unions and professional groups launched nationwide protests against mounting economic hardships and long-term leader Omar al-Bashir in December last year.\n\nThe military ousted Bashir in April as the protests and shortages persisted. But activists kept up their demonstrations, pressing for the military to speed up the move to civilian rule and calling for justice for people killed during a raid on a sit-in protest in Khartoum in June.\n\nThe Forces of Freedom and Change coalition called for Monday's attackers in El-Obeid to be held accountable and for the ruling military council to immediately agree to the details of a new transitional authority.\n\n\"Forces belonging to the army and Rapid Support (paramilitary force) indiscriminately and violently fired this afternoon at peaceful demonstrations of secondary school students in El-Obeid,\" the coalition said in a statement.\n\n\"Only a civilian authority is capable of carrying out independent investigations into all crimes,” it added.\n\nSudan's state news agency SUNA said that North Kordofan authorities had closed all schools across the state until further notice and described the events as \"regrettable\".\n\nEl-Obeid residents said a funeral would be held on Tuesday for those killed.\n\nIn Khartoum, a Reuters witness said dozens of protesters took to the streets in several neighbourhoods after hearing about the El-Obeid violence.\n\nThe head of an official Sudanese investigation said on Saturday 87 people were killed when security forces broke up a sit-in protest in Khartoum on June 3, a figure that prompted demonstrations across the capital as opponents of Sudan's military rulers dismissed it as far too low.", "At least four school children and one adult were shot dead as security services broke up a protest in the Sudanese city of El-Obeid on Monday, campaigners said.\n\nAt least four school children and one adult were shot dead as security services broke up a protest in the Sudanese city of El-Obeid on Monday, campaigners said.\n\nFour school children among those shot dead by security services during protest in Sudan\n\nA group of doctors linked to the opposition said the five were hit during a demonstration by high school pupils in the main city in Sudan's North Kordofan state.\n\nMany other people were injured, added the Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors - one of a group of unions and professional bodies that helped lead months of protests against Sudan's long-term leader Omar al-Bashir.\n\nThere was no immediate statement from the state security services, or from Sudan's military leaders who ousted Bashir in a coup in April as the protests mounted.\n\nVideos circulating on social media purported to show pupils protesting outside El-Obeid's main hospital against the killings and injuries.\n\nHundreds of teenagers in uniform chanted \"blood for blood, we will not accept blood money\" in the footage.\n\nThe doctors group did not give details on what first started the protest in El-Obeid, around 400km southwest of the capital Khartoum.\n\nBut opposition activists have kept up their demonstrations since April, pressing for the military to speed up the move to civilian rule and calling for justice for people killed during a raid on a sit-in protest in Khartoum in June.\n\nThe main opposition Forces of Freedom and Change coalition is negotiating with the ruling military council to finalise an agreement for a three-year transition to elections.\n\nThe two sides signed a deal on July 17 setting out the transition's institutions. But talks have been repeatedly delayed since then amid disagreements of the wording of a constitutional declaration to determine the role of a new council to run Sudan.", "Sudan’s security services have shot dead four high school students protesting in the city of El-Obeid on Monday, Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors confirmed.Many other people were injured while security service tried to break up the protest, according to the Central Committee of Sudanese Doctors who helped lead months of protests against Sudan’s long-term leader Omar al-Bashir.\n\nSudan’s military leaders who ousted Bashir in a coup in April have not issued any statement concerning the protest and the killing of demonstrators.\n\nA video making the rounds on social media features hundreds of high school students in their uniform chanting “blood for blood” outside El-Obeid’s main hospital where those killed and injured were taken.\n\nDemonstrators who demand the military to speed up the move to civilian rule and call for justice for people killed during a raid on a sit-in protest in Khartoum in June have been staging protests since April.", "Khartoum [Sudan], July 30 (ANI): At least five protesters, including four high school students, have been shot dead after security forces opened fire on a student protest in the central Sudanese city of El-Obeid on Monday (local time), opposition groups have said.\n\nThe killings came a day before protest leaders and ruling generals are set to hold new talks on Sudan's transition government following the removal of former leader, Omar al-Bashir, Al Jazeera reported.\n\nGunfire rang out as teenagers rallied against fuel and bread shortages in the capital of North Kordofan state, residents were quoted as saying, at a time of heightened tensions between opposition campaigners and the military following Bashir's removal.\n\nA key protest group, the Sudanese Professionals Association (SPA), said, \"live ammunition\" had been used against a \"rally of school students\" in the central town of El-Obeid.\n\nIn a post on its Facebook page, it urged \"all citizens and medics\" to head to hospitals treating the wounded.\n\n\"We call on our people to take to the streets ... to denounce the Al-Obeid massacre, to demand the perpetrators be brought to justice,\" said the SPA, which had launched the initial protests.\n\nAuthorities announced a nighttime curfew in four Sudanese towns following the incident. There was no immediate statement from the ruling military council.\n\nThe acting governor of North Kordofan, Mohamed Khidr Mohamed Hamid, told Al-Arabiya TV there had been a \"slight friction\" between protesters and security forces. He added that he could not confirm who opened fire and a committee would investigate the incident. (ANI)", "Five people were shot dead at a protest in the Sudanese city of El-Obeid, capital of North Kordofan state, the Central Committee of Sudan Doctors said on Monday.\n\nThe committee said several people had been injured but did not give details."], "summary": "Five students are shot dead after security forces open fire in the city of El-Obeid during a protest."}
{"document": ["The song passes the reigns of \"One Sweet Day\" & \"Despacito.\"\n\nLil Nas X's \"Old Town Road,\" featuring Billy Ray Cyrus, claims one of the most prized records in the Billboard Hot 100's 60-year history as it spends an unprecedented 17th week at No. 1.\n\n\"Road\" bests the previous record of 16 weeks first achieved by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men's \"One Sweet Day,\" in 1995-96, and later matched by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee's \"Despacito,\" featuring Justin Bieber in 2017.\n\nLet's run down the top 10 of this history-making week on Hot 100 (dated Aug. 3), which blends all-genre U.S. streaming, radio airplay and digital sales data. All charts will update on Billboard.com tomorrow (July 30).\n\nWith a 17th week atop the Hot 100 for \"Old Town Road,\" here's an updated leaderboard of the 10 longest-leading No. 1s in the chart's archives:\n\nWeeks at No. 1, Title, Artist, Date Reached No. 1\n\n17, \"Old Town Road,\" Lil Nas X feat. Billy Ray Cyrus, April 13, 2019\n\n16, \"Despacito,\" Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee feat. Justin Bieber, May 27, 2017\n\n16, \"One Sweet Day,\" Mariah Carey & Boyz II Men, Dec. 2, 1995\n\n14, \"Uptown Funk!,\" Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars, Jan. 17, 2015\n\n14, \"I Gotta Feeling,\" The Black Eyed Peas, July 11, 2009\n\n14, \"We Belong Together,\" Mariah Carey, June 4, 2005\n\n14, \"Candle in the Wind 1997\"/\"Something About the Way You Look Tonight,\" Elton John, Oct. 11, 1997\n\n14, \"Macarena (Bayside Boys Mix),\" Los Del Rio, Aug. 3, 1996\n\n14, \"I'll Make Love to You,\" Boyz II Men, Aug. 27, 1994\n\n14, \"I Will Always Love You,\" Whitney Houston, Nov. 28, 1992\n\n\"Road\" takes its place in Hot 100 history alongside notable record-setters. Among the most distinguished achievements, The Beatles boast the most No. 1s (20), Carey has spent the most time at No. 1 (79 weeks) while, upon the chart's 60th anniversary last August, Chubby Checker's classic \"The Twist\" claimed the top spot on the Hot 100's Greatest of All Time retrospective chart.\n\nAs on the Hot 100, \"Road\" (on Columbia Records) leads the Streaming Songs chart for a 17th week, another record-breaking mark, topping the 16-week run of \"Despacito.\" \"Road\" rules Streaming Songs with 72.5 million U.S. streams, down 16%, in the week ending July 25, according to Nielsen Music. \"Road\" set the record for the top streaming week (143 million) following the April 5 arrival of its remix solely with Cyrus (who has been billed on 16 of the song's 17 weeks atop the Hot 100) and claims nine of the 11 biggest streaming frames to date, including the top three.\n\nHelping its total this week, a meta-named \"Week 17 Version\" video of \"Road\" premiered on July 19. The clip truncates the song’s official music video, released May 17, by removing various skits that feature guest cameos from Chris Rock and others.\n\nTo help his week 18 chances, Lil Nas X unleashed yet another remix of “Road,” this time alongside RM of BTS, at the tail end of the latest tracking week, which closed July 25. That version, “Old Town Road (Seoul Town Road Remix)” will see its full impact on the following week’s Hot 100. The “Seoul” remix is, per Lil Nas X’s tweet shortly before its release, the “last one i PROMISSEE.” The RM collaboration marks the fourth official reworking of the viral smash, following turns by Cyrus; Diplo; and Young Thug and Mason Ramsey.\n\nBack to this week: \"Road\" spends a 13th frame atop the Digital Song Sales chart with 46,000 downloads sold (up 1%) in the week ending July 25. On Radio Songs, where it reached No. 2, \"Road\" backtracks 10-14, with 47 million audience impressions, down 12%, in the week ending July 28.\n\n\"Road\" concurrently leads the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Songs charts for a 17th week each and the Songs of the Summer chart for a ninth frame, having led the list each week since its annual return after Memorial Day.\n\nBillie Eilish's \"Bad Guy\" notches a seventh total week at its No. 2 Hot 100 high, as it holds in the runner-up slot on Streaming Songs (50.9 million, down 9%) slides 2-5 on Digital Song Sales (22,000, down 34%) an climbs 5-4 on Radio Songs (89.3 million, up 5%). The song gained in all metrics the previous week, boosted by a remix with Justin Bieber, released July 11, just ahead of the July 12-18 streaming and sales tracking week that fed last week's July 27-dated charts.\n\nOn this week's Aug. 3-dated Hot 100, \"Road\" dips by 13% in overall metrics and \"Guy\" lowers by 9% as \"Road\" sports a 1.2-to-1 points difference over \"Guy\" (after leading by 1.3-to-1 last week).\n\nShawn Mendes and Camila Cabello’s “Senorita” returns to the Hot 100’s top three with a 4-3 bump after having debuted at No. 2 on the chart dated July 6. The song ascends into the top 10 on Radio Songs (11-9) as it surges to 66.9 million in audience, up 27%, and seizes the Hot 100’s Airplay Gainer award. The bump secures Mendes’ seventh Radio Songs top 10, while Cabello snags her fourth as a soloist.\n\nKhalid’s “Talk,” likewise rises one rung on the Hot 100 (5-4) after having reached No. 3. It leads the all-genre Radio Songs for a seventh week (134.5 million, up 1%) and wins a 14th term atop the streaming-, airplay- and sales-fueled Hot R&B Songs chart.\n\nThe Hot 100 welcomes a new member to the top five as Lizzo’s “Truth Hurts” rises 6-5. The singer-songwriter-flautist’s mainstream breakthrough reaches new highs on both Streaming Songs (7-5) and Radio Songs (8-7), improving 8% to 28.5 million clicks on the former survey and 20% to 77.8 million in audience on the latter.\n\nEd Sheeran and Justin Bieber’s “I Don’t Care” backtracks 3-6 on the Hot 100 as it spends a second week atop the Pop Songs airplay chart. Meanwhile, the track’s parent album, Sheeran’s No.6 Collaborations Project, logs a second week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart.\n\nNos. 7-9 remain steady on the Hot 100, with Post Malone’s “Goodbyes,” featuring Young Thug, holding at No. 7. The Jonas Brothers’ former No. 1, “Sucker,” ranks directly below; the song debuted in the top slot in March. Post Malone also ranks at No. 9 thanks to “Sunflower (Spider-Man: Into the Spider Verse),” with Swae Lee. As “Sunflower” banks its 32nd week in the Hot 100’s top 10, it moves within one week of tying the all-time mark – 33 weeks – shared by Sheeran’s “Shape of You” and Maroon 5’s “Girls Like You,” featuring Cardi B, achieved in 2017 and 2018-19, respectively.\n\nSpeaking of “you,” Shawn Mendes rounds out the Hot 100’s top 10 as “If I Can’t Have You” jumps 13-10 and returns to the Hot 100’s upper reaches for the first time since its No. 2 debut in May. With “Senorita” and “You,” Mendes claims concurrent top 10 hits on the Hot 100 for the first time in his career. He becomes the sixth act to double up in the top 10 in 2019, joining Drake, Ariana Grande, Halsey, Post Malone and Travis Scott.\n\nFind out more Hot 100 news on Billboard.com this week, and, for all chart news, you can listen (and subscribe) to Billboard's Chart Beat Podcast and Pop Shop Podcast and follow @billboard and @billboardcharts on both Twitter and Instagram. And again, be sure to visit Billboard.com tomorrow (July 30), when all charts, including the Hot 100 in its entirety, will refresh.", "Lil Nas X has proven all those remixes were worth it now that his single “Old Town Road” is the longest-running No. 1 song in the history of the Billboard Hot 100.\n\nFor 17 weeks, Lil Nas X’s fusion of country and trap has sat at the top of the Billboard Hot 100. That’s one week longer than previous record holders “Despacito” by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber and “One Sweet Day” by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men.\n\nLil Nas X was quick to share the news first reported by Chart Data, a music industry blog, and confirmed later by Billboard. He followed that up with a celebratory tweet, writing “YEEE TF HAWWW” accompanied by a horse and lighting bolt emoji.\n\nThe musician later got more serious on Instagram posting photos that track the journey of “Old Town Road” to #1, with a caption that explains all the work he did to make the song a hit. “I am so thankful that this blessing has been placed upon me. This song has changed my life and the way i see the world around me in less than a year,” Lil Nas X added between many different emojis, before saying “it’s just the beginning!”\n\nThis achievement comes after “Old Town Road” initially struggled to stay on the country charts because the TikTok-incubated hit was deemed not to be country enough by Billboard. Lil Nas X remedied that situation by recruiting country star Billy Ray Cyrus to join him on the first remix, which in turn propelled the song up the Hot 100 chart.\n\nSince the success of the Billy Ray Cyrus remix, Lil Nas X has recruited Diplo, Young Thug, Mason Ramsey, and RM of BTS to all contribute to several different remixes of the song.\n• Lil Nas X hit with $25 million lawsuit for allegedly sampling song without permission", "It’s one sweet day for Lil Nas X: The breakthrough rapper’s viral “Old Town Road” has broken the Billboard record set by Mariah Carey’s “One Sweet Day” for most weeks at No. 1. Lil Nas X accomplishes the feat this week as his country-trap song spends its 17th week on top of the Hot 100 chart.\n\nCarey and Boyz II Men’s duet set the record in 1996, and the only song to come close to breaking it was the ubiquitous international hit “Despacito,” which tied the 16-week record in 2017.\n\nHours later he posted a video thanking his fans for helping his song set a new record.\n\n“I’m on the toilet right now, but I want to say thank you to every single person who has made this moment possible for me. We just broke the record for the longest-running No. 1 song of all-time,” said Lil Nas X, sporting a cowboy hat as he played “Old Town Road” in the background. “Let’s go!”\n\n“Old Town Road,” which has achieved most of its success through audio streaming, was originally a solo song but 20-year-old Lil Nas X added Billy Ray Cyrus to the track. The song also has remix versions featuring Diplo, Young Thug, Mason Ramsey and BTS, and Billboard counts the original song and its remixes as one when calculating chart position, thus helping “Old Town Road” stay on top.\n\n“17 is my new favorite number,” Cyrus said in a statement Monday, also referring to his debut album “Some Gave All,” which spent 17 weeks at No. 1 in 1992. “My goal was always to make music that would touch people’s lives around the world.”\n\n“Old Town Road” initially was in a bit of controversy in March when Billboard removed it from its country charts, deeming it not country enough (it peaked at No. 19 on the country charts). But the drama didn’t hurt the song; it only propelled it.\n\nSongs have come close to displacing “Old Town Road” from the top spot — including Billie Eilish’s “Bad Guy” and a pair of Taylor Swift singles — but ultimately were unsuccessful.\n\nSwift was successful in 2017 when her song “Look What You Made Me Do” stopped Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee and Justin Bieber’s “Despacito” from reaching a 17th week at No. 1. Celine Dion’s “Because You Loved Me” ended Carey and Boyz II Men’s epic run in 1996.", "The longest-running No. 1 single in the 61-year history of Billboard’s Hot 100 chart is not by Elvis Presley, the Beatles, Michael Jackson or Madonna.\n\nAnd no longer is that record held by “One Sweet Day” by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men, from 1995, or “Despacito,” the 2017 Latin smash by Luis Fonsi, with Daddy Yankee and Justin Bieber — both of which held the top spot for 16 weeks.\n\nThe new champion is as much a novelty song as it is a meme and an object lesson in the state of music marketing: Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road,” which — after its latest blast of remixes and videos — on Monday notched its 17th week atop Billboard’s flagship singles chart.", "NEW YORK (AP) — Lil Nas X has taken his horse to the old town road and ridden it to the top of the Billboard charts for 16 weeks, tying a record set by Mariah Carey and Luis Fonsi.\n\n“Old Town Road” logs its 16th week at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart this week, matching the success that Carey and Boyz II Men’s “One Sweet Day” achieved in 1995-1996. Fonsi, Daddy Yankee and Justin Bieber’s “Despacito” accomplished the feat in 2017.\n\nNo song has spent more than 16 weeks at No. 1 on the all-genre Hot 100 chart in the 61-year history of the Billboard charts.\n\nThe country-rap “Old Town Road” was originally a solo song, but 20-year-old Lil Nas X added Billy Ray Cyrus to the track and it topped the charts, achieving most of its success through audio streaming.\n\nLil Nas X is looking forward to setting a new Billboard record next week. He posted a video Monday on social media of the “SpongeBob SquarePants” character Squidward Tentacles saying, “Please stream ‘Old Town Road.'”\n\n“Me on the internet this whole week tryna break the billboard record,” he wrote in the caption.\n\n“Old Town Road” initially was in a bit of controversy in March when Billboard removed it from its country charts, deeming it not country enough (it peaked at No. 19 on the country charts). But the drama didn’t hurt the song; it only propelled it.\n\n“This song has been a uniter not a divider,” Cyrus said in a statement Monday. “I’m giving God the glory now for allowing me the gift to be part of such a special song. It’s a unique moment in time where people from all over the world and all walks of life find they have more in common than they do different. It’s a moment we’ve all shared and I’m grateful for it.”\n\n“Old Town Road” appears on Lil Nas X’s debut EP “7,” which peaked at No. 2 on Billboard’s 200 albums chart earlier this month. The EP also features the Top 40 hits “Panini” and “Rodeo” with Cardi B.\n\n“Old Town Road” is also spending its 16th week on top of both the R&B/Hip-Hop and rap songs charts. The song has several versions, including remixes featuring Diplo, Young Thug and Mason Ramsey; Billboard counts the original song and its remix versions as one when calculating chart position, thus helping “Old Town Road” stay on top.\n\nA number of songs have debuted at No. 2 on the Hot 100 chart, unable to push “Old Town Road” out of its top position, including two tunes from Taylor Swift (“You Need to Calm Down,” ”ME!”); Ed Sheeran and Bieber’s “I Don’t Care”; and two songs from Shawn Mendes (“If I Can’t Have You,” ”Senorita” with Camila Cabello).\n\nSwift’s “Look What You Made Me Do” stopped “Despacito” from reaching a 17th week at No. 1 when the pop smash jumped from No. 77 to No. 1 in 2017. Celine Dion’s “Because You Loved Me” ended Carey and Boyz II Men’s epic run in 1996.\n\nCopyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.", "Lil Nas X sets new Billboard record for most weeks at No.1\n\nNEW YORK (AP) — It's one sweet day for Lil Nas X: The breakthrough rapper's viral \"Old Town Road\" has broken the Billboard record set by Mariah Carey's \"One Sweet Day\" for most weeks at No. 1.\n\nLil Nas X accomplishes the feat this week as his country-trap song spends its 17th week on top of the Hot 100 chart. Carey and Boyz II Men's duet set the record in 1996, and the only song to come close to breaking it was the ubiquitous international hit \"Despacito,\" which tied the 16-week record in 2017.\n\n\"Old Town Road,\" which has achieved most of its success through audio streaming, was originally a solo song but 20-year-old Lil Nas X added Billy Ray Cyrus to the track. The song also has remix versions featuring Diplo, Young Thug, Mason Ramsey and BTS, and Billboard counts the original song and its remixes as one when calculating chart position, thus helping \"Old Town Road\" stay on top.\n\n\"Old Town Road\" initially was in a bit of controversy in March when Billboard removed it from its country charts, deeming it not country enough (it peaked at No. 19 on the country charts). But the drama didn't hurt the song; it only propelled it.\n\nSongs have come close to displacing \"Old Town Road\" from the top spot — including Billie Eilish's \"Bad Guy\" and a pair of Taylor Swift singles — but ultimately were unsuccessful.\n\nSwift was successful in 2017 when her song \"Look What You Made Me Do\" stopped Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee and Justin Bieber's \"Despacito\" from reaching a 17th week at No. 1. Celine Dion's \"Because You Loved Me\" ended Carey and Boyz II Men's epic run in 1996.", "The Atlanta artist’s “Old Town Road” single with Billy Ray Cyrus made Billboard history on Monday as the song officially topped the Billboard Hot 100 for an unprecedented 17th week.\n\nThe previous record of 16 weeks was held by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee‘s “Despacito” and Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men‘s “One Sweet Day”. “Old Town Road” originated at the top of the Billboard charts back in April, shortly after Billboard removed the song from the Hot Country chart.\n\nSince then there’s been an official video released, a remix with Cyrus, Young Thug, and Mason Ramsey along with a new version with RM of supergroup BTS. Earlier this month, he broke the record for the longest-running hip-hop song on the top of the chart and now, he owns the whole thing outright. By the time Labor Day rolls around, “Old Town Road” will more than likely top the Billboard Songs of the Summer chart.\n\nElsewhere, Lizzo‘s “Truth Hurts” is now at No. 5 as her breakthrough single inches closer and closer to the top three.\n\nLil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” Is The Longest-Running No. 1 Song In History was originally published on theboxhouston.com", "Rapper Lil Nas X is still riding “Old Town Road,” and Billboard mag “can’t tell him nothin’.”\n\nThe 20-year-old’s catchy song of the summer broke records today by remaining on top of the music magazine’s “Hot 100” list for seventeen weeks in a row. That’s more than any other song in Billboard’s sixty years of keeping tabs on tunes, beating out “Despacito,” by Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee, and Justin Bieber plus “One Sweet Day,” sung by Mariah Carey with Boyz II Men, which both saw sixteen weeks at Number One.\n\nNas’s Hall of Fame achievement is made even sweeter by the fact that Billboard booted him from their “Hot Country Songs” chart in March, disqualifying him for falling outside the crooning genre. “ ‘Old Town Road’ does not embrace enough elements of today’s country music to chart in its current version,” read a statement by the music pub to Rolling Stone.\n\nInfectious trap beats and a sample from Nine Inch Nails’ song “34 Ghosts IV” may have caused noses to turn up at Billboard, but it didn’t stop the song from being streamed 72.5 million times last week, according to Nielsen.\n\nThe breakout rapper from Georgia has re-released the song with a chorus of characters including Wal-Mart yodeler Mason Ramsey, electronic musician Diplo, rapper Young Thug, RM, the lead vocalist of the viral K-pop band BTS, and most famously Billy Ray Cyrus, who shares credit on the record-breaking track.\n\nWhile the song sparked debate over straddling categories, it’s clear Lil Nas X got the last “Yeehaw!”", "The rapper’s song “Old Town Road,” featuring Billy Ray Cyrus, has landed at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the 17th consecutive week.\n\nThat makes the song as the longest-running No. 1 single since the chart’s inception, edging out Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s “Despacito,” and “One Sweet Day,” by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men, which both lasted 16 weeks in the top spot.\n\nHelping to fuel the song’s longevity, Lil Nas X has debuted “Old Town Road” remixes of the song in the last few weeks, with the first featuring viral singer/yodeler Mason Ramsey and hip-hop heavyweight Young Thug, followed by a new version with RM of BTS. The result is a special remix titled “Seoul Town Road.”\n\nReacting to news of the song’s success, Lil Nas shared a video of “Old Town Road” being recorded on Monday.\n\n“This song has changed my life and the way I see the world around me,” he wrote.", "And no longer is that record held by “One Sweet Day” by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men, from 1995, or “Despacito,” the 2017 Latin smash by Luis Fonsi, with Daddy Yankee and Justin Bieber — both of which held the top spot for 16 weeks.\n\nThe new champion is as much a novelty song as it is a meme and an object lesson in the state of music marketing: Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road,” which — after its latest blast of remixes and videos — on Monday notched its 17th week atop Billboard’s flagship singles chart.\n\nIn its latest week, “Old Town Road” had 72.5 million streams in the United States and was played 7,200 times on the radio, according to Nielsen. Although the song’s lead has been slipping in recent weeks — Billie Eilish’s “Bad Guy” had 51 million streams last week, and twice as many radio plays as “Old Town Road” — it was enough to lead Lil Nas X to a historic run.\n\nSince it first topped the chart in April, “Old Town Road” has consistently had huge numbers, often with two or three times as many streams as its closest competitor. Along the way it has blocked new songs by chart giants like Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, Eilish and Shawn Mendes from reaching No 1.\n\nAnd the song has been a pervasive cultural phenomenon for much of the year, with an endless series of online memes — many generated by Lil Nas X himself — and in-real-life moments that have then spread across social media. In May, for example, the rapper stirred up a gym full of Ohio schoolchildren; last week, the song even made its way into a Blondie set.\n\nThe rise of “Old Town Road” — and the week-by-week maintenance of its chart position — is in some ways a story of an old-fashioned one-hit wonder, and in some ways a primer on the latest and most effective ways that music is promoted.\n\nAlmost from the moment that Lil Nas X released “Old Town Road” late last year, as an independent act, it was an experiment in both genre and viral marketing.\n\nUsing a backing track he bought online for $30, Lil Nas X — a college dropout from Atlanta whose real name is Montero Hill — created a “country-trap” hybrid, with a boomy bass, plucked strings and cowboyish lyrics about “horses in the back.” (The beat was derived from a Nine Inch Nails track, so Trent Reznor and his partner Atticus Ross were added to the songwriting credits.)\n\nLil Nas X began generating social-media memes for “Old Town Road,” and the song first became a hit on the video sharing app TikTok. Thousands of young people made short clips mugging in cowboy hats and boots with Lil Nas X’s song playing in the background, tagging their clips #yeehaw.\n\n“I promoted the song as a meme for months until it caught on to TikTok and it became way bigger,” Lil Nas X told Time magazine.\n\nBy mid-March, he had signed to Columbia Records and first hit the mainstream news radar after Billboard removed the song from its Hot Country Songs chart, drawing criticism about the conservatism of country radio and accusations of racism. (Billboard denied that race played any part in its decision.)\n\nBut what made “Old Town Road” a lasting hit was its steady and strategic drip of remixes. The first, with Billy Ray Cyrus, sent the song to No. 1 in April. Then came Diplo’s electronic version; another with rapper Young Thug and Mason Ramsey, the 12-year-old “Walmart yodeling kid,” who was summoned awake one night to record his verse; and RM of the K-pop group BTS.\n\nAlong the way were music videos, live appearances at the Stagecoach Festival and on TV award shows, and Lil Nas X’s constant feeding of the phenomenon with tongue-in-cheek tweets that rallied the audience to his side.\n\n“EVERYBODY STREAM ALL 79 VERSIONS OF OLD TOWN ROAD!!” he tweeted two weeks ago. “LETS BREAK THE RECORD!!”\n\n“This is a kid who understands how the web works, how culture moves in 2019,” said Matty Karas, the curator of MusicRedef, an online news aggregator. “He understands the magic of how to make something go viral.”\n\nIn one sign of the song’s status as a classic one-hit wonder, “Old Town Road” continued to rule the singles chart even as Lil Nas X’s debut collection, an eight-song EP called “7,” was a relative dud. It opened at No. 2 — bested by Jack White’s Raconteurs — five weeks ago and has hovered in the Top 5 since. This week “7” holds at No. 4 on Billboard’s album chart.\n\nAlso on this week’s album chart, Ed Sheeran’s “No.6 Collaborations Project” is No. 1 for a second week, and “The Lion King: The Gift,” executive produced and featuring Beyoncé, opens at No. 2.\n\nEilish’s “When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?” is No 3, and J Cole’s “Revenge of the Dreamers III” project is in fifth place."], "summary": "Billboard reports that Lil Nas X has broken the all-time record on the Billboard Hot 100 with his song \"Old Town Road\", as it spends its seventeenth week atop the chart; the previous record-holders are Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men with \"One Sweet Day\", and Luis Fonsi with \"Despacito\" featuring Daddy Yankee."}
{"document": ["Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The alleged hacker was arrested on Monday\n\nThe personal details of about 106 million individuals across the US and Canada were stolen in a hack targeting financial services firm Capital One, the company has revealed.\n\nThe alleged hacker, Paige Thompson, was arrested on Monday after reportedly boasting about the breach online.\n\nCapital One said the data included names, addresses and phone numbers of people who applied for its products.\n\nBut the hacker did not gain access to credit card account numbers, it said.\n\nThe data breach is believed to be one of the largest in banking history.\n\nHow many people have been affected?\n\nCapital One is a major credit card issuer in the US and also operates retail banks.\n\nThe firm said in a statement released on Monday that the breach affected approximately 100 million individuals in the US and six million people in Canada.\n\nThe statement added that about 140,000 social security numbers and 80,000 linked bank account numbers were compromised in the US.\n\nIn Canada, about one million social insurance numbers belonging to Capital One credit card customers were also compromised.\n\nThe hack was identified on 19 July.\n\nCapital One said the hacker was able to \"exploit\" a \"configuration vulnerability\" in the company's infrastructure.\n\nAside from names and dates of birth, the hacker also managed to obtain credit scores, limits, balances, payment history and contact information.\n\nA selection of the biggest data breaches worldwide\n\nHow has Capital One reacted?\n\nCapital One said it was unlikely the information was used for fraud but it would continue to investigate the breach.\n\nThe company will notify those affected and will provide them with free credit monitoring and identity protection.\n\nChairman Richard Fairbank said in a statement: \"While I am grateful that the perpetrator has been caught, I am deeply sorry for what has happened.\n\n\"I sincerely apologise for the understandable worry this incident must be causing those affected and I am committed to making it right. \"\n\nWhat do we know about the alleged hacker?\n\nThe US justice department has confirmed it has arrested a former Seattle technology company software engineer in connection with the breach.\n\nMs Thompson, 33, was arrested on Monday on charges of computer fraud and abuse. She made an initial appearance in federal court in Seattle.\n\nA hearing has been scheduled for 1 August.\n\nCourt documents claim she boasted about the data breach on an online forum.\n\nA statement by the US attorney's office in Washington said: \"On July 17 2019, a GitHub user who saw the post alerted Capital One to the possibility it had suffered a data theft.\"\n\nMs Thompson faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 (£204,713) fine.\n\nYou may also be interested in:", "Woman arrested after hacker steals 106 million people's data from Capital One\n\nWoman arrested after hacker steals 106 million people's data from Capital One\n\nCapital One has admitted approximately 106 million customers' details were stolen\n\nA woman has been arrested in connection with a data breach at credit card firm Capital One affecting approximately 106 million people.\n\nPaige Thompson, 33, was arrested by the FBI in Seattle on Monday on suspicion of computer fraud and abuse.\n\nThe former Amazon employee is accused of stealing customer data from a misconfigured Amazon server which Capital One was using to handle customer credit applications.\n\nCustomer names, physical and email addresses, phone numbers and dates of birth were among the data that the hacker downloaded, as were credit scores.\n\nHowever no credit card account numbers or log-in credentials were accessed, the company added.\n\nThe data breach is believed to have affected approximately 100 million customers in the US and six million more in Canada.\n\nFree credit monitoring services will be offered to those affected.\n\nAccording to the indictment, Thompson operated a Twitter account with the username \"Erratic\" from which she is alleged to have threatened to disseminate the stolen material.\n\nCapital One stated: \"Based on our analysis to date, we believe it is unlikely that the information was used for fraud or disseminated by this individual.\"\n\nThe firm's chairman and chief executive Richard Fairbank said: \"While I am grateful that the perpetrator has been caught, I am deeply sorry for what has happened.\n\n\"I sincerely apologise for the understandable worry this incident must be causing those affected and I am committed to making it right.\"", "SEATTLE -- A hacker gained access to personal information from more than 100 million Capital One credit applications, including six million from Canada, the bank said Monday as federal authorities arrested a suspect in the case.\n\nPaige A. Thompson -- who also goes by the handle \"erratic\" -- was charged with a single count of computer fraud and abuse in U.S. District Court in Seattle. Thompson made an initial appearance in court and was ordered to remain in custody pending a detention hearing Thursday.\n\nThe hacker got information including credit scores and balances plus the Social Security numbers of about 140,000 customers in the United States, the bank said. It will offer free credit monitoring services to those affected.\n\nIn Canada, where it provides Mastercard credit cards for Costco Wholesale's Canadian retail network, Capital One said approximately one million Social Insurance Numbers were compromised in this incident.\n\nThe FBI raided Thompson's residence Monday and seized digital devices. An initial search turned up files that referenced Capital One and \"other entities that may have been targets of attempted or actual network intrusions.\"\n\nA public defender appointed to represent Thompson did not immediately return an email seeking comment.\n\nCapital One, based in McLean, Virginia, said Monday it found out about the vulnerability in its system July 19 and immediately sought help from law enforcement to catch the perpetrator.\n\nAccording to the FBI complaint, someone emailed the bank two days before that notifying it that leaked data had appeared on the code-hosting site GitHub, which is owned by Microsoft.\n\nAnd a month before that, the FBI said, a Twitter user who went by \"erratic\" sent another user direct messages warning about distributing the bank's data, including names, birthdates and Social Security numbers. That user later reported the message to Capital One.\n\n\"Ive basically strapped myself with a bomb vest, (expletive) dropping capitol ones dox and admitting it,\" one said. \"I wanna distribute those buckets i think first.\"\n\nCapital One said it believes it is unlikely that the information was used for fraud, but it will continue to investigate. The data breach affected about 100 million people in the U.S. and six million in Canada.\n\nThe bank said the bulk of the hacked data consisted of information supplied by consumers and small businesses who applied for credit cards between 2005 and early 2019. In addition to data such as phone numbers, email addresses, dates of birth and self-reported income, the hacker was also able to access credit scores, credit limits and balances, as well as fragments of transaction information from a total of 23 days in 2016, 2017 and 2018.\n\n\"While I am grateful that the perpetrator has been caught, I am deeply sorry for what has happened,\" said Capital One CEO Richard D. Fairbank. \"I sincerely apologize for the understandable worry this incident must be causing those affected and I am committed to making it right.\"\n\nCapital One Financial Corp., the nation's seventh-largest commercial bank with $373.6 billion in assets as of June 30, is the latest U.S. company to suffer a major data breach in recent years.\n\nIn Canada, Desjardins Group revealed a data breach in June that saw the leak of names, addresses, birthdates, social-insurance numbers and other private information from roughly 2.7 million people and 173,000 businesses.\n\nDesjardins, a Quebec-based co-operative, said a single employee, who has been fired since the breach was detected in December 2018, was responsible. A police investigation into the incident is ongoing.\n\nIn 2017, a data breach at Equifax, one of the major credit reporting companies, exposed the Social Security numbers and other sensitive information of roughly half of the U.S. population and about 19,000 Canadians.\n\nCanada's Office of the Privacy Commissioner concluded in April that the company fell short of their privacy obligations to Canadians, including poor security safeguards and holding information too long, but it did not level fines.\n\nLast week, Equifax agreed to pay at least $700 million to settle lawsuits over the breach in a settlement with federal authorities and states. The agreement includes up to $425 million in monetary relief to consumers.\n\nThe average cost of a data breach in the U.S. last year was just under $8 million, according to a study by IBM Security and Ponemon Institute.", "Capital One revealed on Monday that it recently suffered a massive security breach when a hacker gained access to personal information from around 100 million people in the U.S. and around 6 million in Canada.\n\nThe Department of Justice simultaneously announced federal authorities had arrested the suspect, Paige A. Thompson, a 33-year-old former Seattle technology company software engineer.\n\nAccording to a release, Thompson used knowledge of servers and cloud storage to steal data from millions of Capital One credit card applications.\n\nThe FBI arrested Thompson Monday for the data theft, which occurred sometime between March 12 and July 17, court records show.\n\nThompson, who also goes by the handle \"erratic,\" made a court appearance Monday and was ordered detained until a hearing Thursday, the Department of Justice said. Thompson was charged with computer fraud and abuse, according to court records. She could face up to 5 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, according to the DOJ.\n\nThe McLean, Virginia-based bank said in a release that the \"largest category of information accessed\" included personal details collected for credit card applications from 2005 through early 2019. The information included applicants' names, addresses, zip codes, phone numbers, e-mail addresses, dates of birth and self-reported income.\n\nThe bank emphasized that it believes no credit card account numbers or log-in credentials were compromised. However, it said about 140,000 credit card customers had their Social Security numbers exposed, and 80,000 bank account numbers linked to credit cards were compromised.\n\nIt plans to offer free credit monitoring services to those affected.\n\nThe company added that based on its analysis so far they believe it's unlikely the information \"was used for fraud or disseminated by this individual.\"\n\nCourt documents allege Thompson posted on the sharing site GitHub about stealing information from servers that stored Capital One data. She was reportedly able to get in through a misconfigured firewall.\n\nOn July 17, another user who saw Thompson's post on GitHub alerted Capital One that a hacker may have stolen some of its data, according to court documents.\n\nRELATED: Equifax to pay up to $700M in data breach settlement\n\nRELATED: Marriott: Up to 500 million guests' information possibly compromised in data breach\n\nCapital One explained that it confirmed two days later, on July 19, that an outside individual had indeed obtained \"certain types of personal information relating to people who had applied for its credit card products and to Capital One credit card customers. The company then alerted the FBI.\n\nAccording to the FBI complaint, a month before a Twitter user who went by \"erratic\" sent Capital One direct messages warning about distributing the bank's data, including names, birthdates and Social Security numbers.\n\n\"Ive basically strapped myself with a bomb vest, (expletive) dropping capitol ones dox and admitting it,\" one said. \"I wanna distribute those buckets i think first.\"\n\nOn Monday morning, the FBI executed a search warrant at Thompson's home and seized storage devices that contained a copy of the data, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of Washington.\n\n“Capital One quickly alerted law enforcement to the data theft -- allowing the FBI to trace the intrusion,” said U.S. Attorney Moran. “I commend our law enforcement partners who are doing all they can to determine the status of the data and secure it.”\n\nCapital One's CEO said they were grateful the hacker has been caught, but are \"deeply sorry for what has happened.\"\n\n\"I sincerely apologize for the understandable worry this incident must be causing those affected and I am committed to making it right,\" CEO Richard D. Fairbank said in a statement.\n\nMonday's disclosure comes just one week after Equifax announced it would be paying up to $700 million to settle lawsuits over its 2017 data breach.\n\nCapital One has set up a website for customers to see updated information about the incident and the company's response. It expects the incident to cost the company $100 to $150 million.\n\nThe average cost of a data breach in the U.S. last year was just under $8 million, according to a study by IBM Security and Ponemon Institute.\n\nAccording to USA TODAY, the Capital One incident is among the top 10 biggest data breaches in history.\n\nThe Associated Press contributed to this report.", "CBJ — Capital One Financial says that the personal information — including names, addresses, phone numbers and credit scores — of about 100 million individuals in the United States and six million people in Canada were obtained by a hacker.\n\nAbout one million social insurance numbers of the company’s Canadian credit card customers were also compromised.\n\nCapital said it became aware of the hack on July 19.\n\nThe U.S. Justice Department said 33-year-old Paige Thompson, a former Seattle technology company software engineer, was arrested on a criminal complaint charging computer fraud and abuse for hacking into Capital One Financial’s stored data.\n\nAbout 140,000 social security numbers and 80,000 linked bank account numbers were compromised, Capital One said. The company also said credit card numbers were not affected.\n\nThe breach is expected to cost between $100 million US and $150 million in 2019, mainly due to customer notifications, credit monitoring and legal support, Capital One said.\n\nThe hacker allegedly posted on the information sharing site GitHub about the theft of information from the servers storing Capital One data. Investigators allege it was obtained through a “misconfigured web application firewall that enabled access.”\n\nA GitHub user alerted Capital One to the potential data theft, who in turn alerted the Federal Bureau of Investigation, according to the DOJ’s statement.\n\nThe allegations have not been proven in court.", "MCLEAN, Va. (WRIC) — Capital One, the Virginia-based bank announced Monday that earlier this month ‘an outside person’ obtained information relating to people who had applied to Capital One credit cards.\n\nIn a press release, Capital One says the breach of data has affected 100 million individuals in the United States and 6 million in Canada.\n\nAccording to Capital One, the data breach took place on July 17. An internal investigation led to the discovery of the incident on July 19.\n\n“While I am grateful that the perpetrator has been caught, I am deeply sorry for what has happened,” Richard D. Fairbank, Chairman and CEO said. “I sincerely apologize for the understandable worry this incident must be causing those affected and I am committed to making it right.”\n\nCapital One says the information accessed pertained to people who had applied to one of their credit card products from 2005 through early 2019.\n\nThe Department of Justice said a Seattle tech worker was arrested for data theft involving large financial services company, Capital One.\n\n33-year-old Paige A. Thompson was arrested and charged for computer fraud and abuse. According to the criminal complaint, Thompson allegedly posted on GitHub about her theft of information from the servers storing Capital One data.\n\nGitHub alerted Capital One, who then called the FBI.\n\n“Capital One quickly alerted law enforcement to the data theft — allowing the FBI to trace the intrusion,” U.S. Attorney Moran said. “I commend our law enforcement partners who are doing all they can to determine the status of the data and secure it.”\n\nComputer fraud is punishable by up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.\n\nCapital One said the hacker was able to collect the ‘personal information Capital One routinely collects at the time it receives credit card applications, including names, addresses, zip codes/postal codes, phone numbers, email addresses, dates of birth, and self-reported income.’\n\nThe company says they will make free credit monitoring and identity protection available to everyone affected.\n\nThe data breach is expected to cost Capital One approximately $100 to $150 million.\n\nCapital One says it will notify all customers affected by the breach in the coming days.", "This Monday, July 22, 2019, photo shows Capital One mailing in North Andover, Mass. Capital One says a hacker got access to the personal information of over 100 million individuals applying for credit. The McLean, Virginia-based bank said Monday, July 29, 2019, it found out about the vulnerability in its system July 19 and immediately sought help from law enforcement to catch the perpetrator. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)\n\nSEATTLE (AP) — A security breach at Capital One Financial, one of the nation’s largest issuers of credit cards, compromised the personal information of about 106 million people, and in some cases the hacker obtained Social Security and bank account numbers.\n\nIt is among the largest security breaches of a major U.S. financial institution on record. The bank’s stock dipped 6% at the opening of trading Tuesday.\n\nPaige A. Thompson, who uses the online handle “erratic” — was charged with a single count of computer fraud and abuse in U.S. District Court in Seattle. Thompson made an initial appearance in court and was ordered to remain in custody pending a detention hearing Thursday.\n\nFederal agents began tracking Thompson online after being notified by Capital One of a possible breach in July.\n\nOn June 18, Thompson sent a message on Twitter to another user saying, “Ive basically strapped myself with a bomb vest, (expletive) dropping capitol ones dox and admitting it.”\n\nThe FBI raided Thompson’s residence Monday and seized digital devices. An initial search turned up files that referenced Capital One and “other entities that may have been targets of attempted or actual network intrusions.”\n\nThompson was a systems engineer at Amazon Web Services between 2015 and 2016, about three years before the breach took place.\n\nWhile that service is used by Capital One, there is no evidence that Amazon’s cloud system was involved in the breach.\n\n“AWS was not compromised in any way and functioned as designed,” a company spokesperson said Tuesday. “The perpetrator gained access through a misconfiguration of the web application and not the underlying cloud-based infrastructure. As Capital One explained clearly in its disclosure, this type of vulnerability is not specific to the cloud.”\n\nCapital One Financial Corp. was notified by a third party on July 19 that their data had appeared on the code-hosting site GitHub, which is owned by Microsoft. The McLean, Virginia, company says it immediately notified the FBI.\n\nThe FBI said a Twitter user who went by “erratic” sent a user direct messages warning about distributing the bank’s data, including names, birthdates and Social Security numbers. That user reported the message to Capital One.\n\nCapital One said it believes it is unlikely that the information was used for fraud, but the investigation is ongoing.\n\nThe data breach involves about 100 million people in the U.S. and 6 million in Canada.\n\nThe bank said the bulk of the hacked data consisted of information supplied by consumers and small businesses who applied for credit cards between 2005 and early 2019. In addition to data such as phone numbers, email addresses, dates of birth and self-reported income, the hacker was also able to access credit scores, credit limits and balances, as well as fragments of transaction information from a total of 23 days in 2016, 2017 and 2018.\n\n“While I am grateful that the perpetrator has been caught, I am deeply sorry for what has happened,” said Capital One CEO Richard Fairbank. “I sincerely apologize for the understandable worry this incident must be causing those affected and I am committed to making it right.”\n\nCapital One Financial Corp., the nation’s seventh-largest commercial bank with $373.6 billion in assets as of June 30, is the latest U.S. company to suffer a major data breach in recent years.\n\nIn 2017, a data breach at Equifax, one of the major credit reporting companies, exposed the Social Security numbers and other sensitive information of roughly half of the U.S. population.\n\nLast week, Equifax agreed to pay at least $700 million to settle lawsuits over the breach in a settlement with federal authorities and states. The agreement includes up to $425 million in monetary relief to consumers.\n\nMany major banks have sought to stem the risk of data breaches in recent years. JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America and Citibank began replacing customers’ debit cards several years ago with more secure chip-based cards. While the cards with chips are common these days, many merchants still rely on the older, less secure card-swiping equipment. Credit card companies have also beefed up fraud monitoring in the wake of high-profile data breaches that hit retailers such as Target and Home Depot.\n\nThe average cost of a data breach in the U.S. last year was just under $8 million, according to a study by IBM Security and Ponemon Institute.\n\nA public defender appointed to represent Thompson did not immediately return an email seeking comment.\n\nThis story has been corrected to show Twitter messages were sent to a third party, not directly to Capital One.\n\nAssociated Press reporter Alex Veiga in Los Angeles contributed to this article.", "Capital One Financial Corp. set up an email address for tipsters — including “white hat” hackers — to alert the company to potential vulnerabilities in its computer systems. On July 17, the company got a hit.\n\n“Hello there,” the email said, according to federal prosecutors. “There appears to be some leaked s3 data of yours in someone’s github/gist.” A link was provided to an account at GitHub, a company that allows users to manage and store project revisions, mostly related to software development.\n\nIt didn’t take Capital One long to figure out who had accessed its files. The GitHub address included a name, Paige Thompson, a former Amazon.com employee who used the online nickname “erratic” and discussed her exploits with others, according to federal prosecutors.\n\n“I’ve basically strapped myself with a bomb vest, (expletive) dropping capitol ones dox and admitting it,” Thompson allegedly wrote, under the “erratic” alias, in a June 18 Twitter message. “There ssns … with full name and dob” — an apparent reference to Social Security numbers.\n\nIt also didn’t take Capital One much time to assess the damage. On Monday, it announced that about 100 million people in the U.S. had been impacted by the breach, and another 6 million in Canada. The illegally accessed data, which was stored on servers rented from Amazon Web Services, was primarily related to credit card applications and included personal information, like names, addresses and dates of birth, and some financial information, including self-reported income and credit scores.\n\nMost Social Security numbers were protected, but about 140,000 were compromised, the bank said. Capital One said it was “unlikely that the information was used for fraud or disseminated by this individual.”\n\nThe company described the tipster to the hack as an “external security researcher.”\n\nThompson, 33, was charged with computer fraud and abuse. In a court hearing Monday, she broke down and laid her head on the defense table.\n\nThe scale of the breach ranks it as possibly one of the largest-ever impacting a U.S. bank, although the consequences may be limited if the data wasn’t distributed to others or used for fraud.\n\nStill, the breach shows how hackers can steal vast troves of consumer data as the result of lapses made by the companies that collect it. In 2017, Equifax Inc. failed to patch a known flaw in its servers, resulting in the theft of 145 million Social Security numbers, along with the names and dates of birth of possibly a third of the U.S. population.\n\nIn the Capital One case, Thompson was allegedly able to steal vast buckets of personal data because of an improperly configured firewall — among the most basic digital security tools. The bank said it immediately fixed the problem once it was discovered.\n\nIn a complaint filed Monday in Seattle, prosecutors said that Thompson accessed the data at various times between March 12 and July 17. A file on her GitHub account, timestamped April 21, contained a list of more than 700 folders and buckets of data, according to prosecutors.\n\nThe Capital One data had been stored on servers it contracted from a cloud computing company that isn’t identified, though the charges against Thompson refer to information stored on S3, a reference to Amazon Web Services’ popular data storage software.\n\nAn AWS spokesman confirmed that the company’s cloud had stored the Capital One data that was allegedly stolen, and said it wasn’t accessed through a breach or vulnerability in its systems.\n\nCapital One has been one of the most vocal advocates for using cloud services among banks. The lender has said it is migrating an increasing percentage of its applications and data to the cloud and plans to completely exit its data centers by the end of 2020. The move will help lower costs, the company has said.\n\nThe lender has been the subject of several case studies published by Amazon Web Services that noted the cloud services provider has helped the company develop new technologies faster and improve certain services including its call center.\n\n“We have embraced the public cloud and are well on our way to migrating our applications and data to the cloud,” Chief Executive Officer Richard Fairbank told analysts on a conference call in April. “We are now considered one of the most cloud forward companies in the world.”\n\nThompson, previously an Amazon Web Services employee, last worked at Amazon in 2016, a spokesman said. The breach described by Capital One didn’t require insider knowledge, he said.\n\nMuch of what could be learned about her Monday was information she had posted online. On her GitHub Account, she was writing code dealing with The Onion Router, or Tor, an anonymity tool that allows users to conceal their identities. Capital One investigators determined that Thompson used it in her hack of the bank, according to federal prosecutors.\n\nIn online interactions, Thompson suggested she was careful to hide her digital tracks with various security tools, including Tor. But the federal complaint against her outlines relatively simple ways Capital One and the FBI were able to establish her identity, including the name on her GitHub Page.\n\nThompson was active in the hacking community on Twitter, and she wrote recently about struggling emotionally, and about euthanizing her beloved cat.\n\nOn June 27, “erratic” posted about several companies, including Capital One, in an online group, according to court records.\n\n“don’t go to jail plz,” another user wrote.\n\n“Wa wa wa wa, wa wa wa wa wa wa wawaaaaaaaaaaaa,” Thompson responded, and later added, “I just don’t want it around though. I gotta find somewhere to store it.”\n\nOn July 29, Federal Bureau of Investigation agents executed a warrant to search Thompson’s residence. In one bedroom, they found digital devices with files that referenced Capital One and its cloud computing company. The devices also included the alias “erratic.”\n\nTo contact the reporters on this story: Christian Berthelsen in New York at cberthelsen1@bloomberg.net;William Turton in New York at wturton1@bloomberg.net;Jenny Surane in New York at jsurane4@bloomberg.net\n\nTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Andrew Martin at amartin146@bloomberg.net, Peter Elstrom\n\nFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com", "Capital One Financial Corp said on Monday personal information including names, addresses, phone numbers and credit scores of about 100 million individuals in the United States and 6 million people in Canada were obtained by a hacker who has been arrested.\n\nThe US credit card issuer said it identified the hack on July 19 and the individual responsible has been arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.\n\nThe incident is expected to cost between $100 million and $150 million in 2019, mainly due to customer notifications, credit monitoring and legal support, Capital One said.\n\nThe hacker did not gain access to credit card account numbers, but about 140,000 social security numbers and 80,000 linked bank account numbers were compromised, Capital One said.\n\nAbout 1 million social insurance numbers of the company’s Canadian credit card customers were also compromised.\n\nThe hacker was able to ‘exploit’ a ‘configuration vulnerability’ in the company’s infrastructure, it said, adding that the vulnerability was reported to Capital One by an external researcher.", "Roman Tiraspolsky/iStock(SEATTLE) — A Seattle-area woman was arrested on Monday morning in connection with a newly-disclosed Capital One data breach that impacted more than 100 million people.\n\nCapital One said it identified a security breach on July 19 when an unauthorized source “obtained certain types of personal information” related to credit card customers and others who had applied for products, the company said in a statement on Monday.\n\n“Capital One immediately fixed the configuration vulnerability that this individual exploited and promptly began working with federal law enforcement,” the statement said. “Based on our analysis to date, this event affected approximately 100 million individuals in the United States and approximately 6 million in Canada.”\n\nSpecifically, the bank believes about 140,000 Social Security numbers of its credit card customers and around 80,000 linked bank account numbers were compromised, according to the statement.\n\nPaige Thompson, who goes by the nickname “erratic,” was arrested on one count of computer fraud and abuse, according to court documents filed in the Western District of Washington on Monday.\n\nThompson attempted to intrude on Capital One’s server numerous times between March and July and succeeded at least once, federal authorities said.\n\nSome of the information was encrypted, according to court documents, but “tens of millions” of credit card applications were not.\n\n“Although some of the items were tokenized or encrypted, other information including applicants’ names, address, dates of birth and information on their credit history has not been tokenized,” prosecutors said in a criminal complaint.\n\nThompson allegedly bragged online about the hack, according to court documents.\n\n“I’ve basically strapped myself with a bomb vest, f—— dropping capitol ones dox and admitting it,” she allegedly wrote in a Twitter direct message, according to court documents. “There ssns (Social Security Number)…full name and dob.”\n\nAuthorities searched Thompson’s home and “agents observed files and items that referenced Capital One and the cloud computing company, other entities that may have been the targets of attempted or actual network intrusions,” the complaint said.\n\nThe breach will cost the firm between $100 million and $150 million in 2019, the company said, citing costs related to customer notifications, credit monitoring, technology costs and legal support."], "summary": "Capital One announces that a major data breach occurred on July 19, 2019, by one individual who compromised the data of about 106 million people in the United States and Canada. The Federal Bureau of Investigation have made an arrest after the alleged hacker, 33-year-old Paige Thompson from Seattle, boasted about her actions online."}
{"document": ["The number of tigers in India has increased in recent years\n\nIndia's tiger population has grown to nearly 3,000 and has been described by the country's prime minister as a \"historic achievement\".\n\nIndia estimates its tiger population every few years and the number for 2018 was released by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday.\n\nThe tiger population was 2,226 in 2014 and just 1,400 about 15 years ago.\n\nMr Modi said the number of protected areas for tigers rose from 692 in 2014 to 860 last year while the number of community reserves went from 43 to 100 over the same period.\n\n\"With around 3,000 tigers, India has emerged as of one of the biggest and safest habitats for them in the world,\" he said.\n\nAdvertisement\n\nBelinda Wright, founder of the Wildlife Protection Society of India, based in New Delhi, said India \"still has a long way to go to secure a long-term future for wild tigers\".\n\nBut she also said India should, nevertheless, be pleased with the results of what was the largest and most thorough estimation of the tiger population.\n\nThe conflict between humans and tigers has made tiger conservation more difficult in recent decades.\n\nProgress has been made since the country started a tiger conservation programme in the 1970s, with the creation of sanctuaries in national parks. It has also been a crime to kill the endangered creatures.\n\nBut, as India's cities and towns expand into tiger habitats, the country's national animal has struggled to adapt.\n\nMs Wright said India should avoid \"huge linear intrusions, including highways, railways, electric power line and canals through protected areas, as this leads to increased human-tiger conflict\".\n\n:: A New Climate is a special series of podcasts from Sky News Daily. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker\n\nOn average, one person is killed each day by tigers or elephants, according to the government, and just last week residents of the northern village of Khiri killed a tiger with sticks after it killed a woman.\n\nTigers and elephants are also still hunted for body parts used in traditional Chinese medicine.", "This article is more than 1 month old\n\nThis article is more than 1 month old\n\nIndia’s wild tiger population has increased by more than 30% in four years, raising hopes for the survival of the endangered species.\n\nA census found there were 2,967 tigers, up from 2,226 four years ago. The prime minister, Narendra Modi, called the figures a “historic achievement” and said India was one of the biggest and safest habitats for tigers around the world.\n\nThe comprehensive survey is conducted every four years and is based on information collected by wildlife officials across 146,000 sq miles (380,000 sq km) of land. It also draws on data collected from almost 350,000 images taken by 26,000 camera traps in known tiger habitats.\n\nConservation experts said the rise in the tiger population was promising but the figures should be treated with some caution. The rise may indicate better counting.\n\nNeha Sinha, a wildlife conservationist, said the census may suggest more tigers are breeding in protected areas but there were worrying signs tigers are not able to safely disperse and find their own territory.\n\n“Every adult tiger needs to create his or her own territory, and this territory is sometimes almost 200 sq km, so they need quite a bit of space,” she said. “If you want our numbers to be stable then tigers need to disperse.”\n\nHabitats are increasingly being encroached upon by development projects such as roads, canals and railways. Conflict between humans and tigers is also a continued threat, conservationists say. Animosity towards tigers, provoked by attacks on humans or the killing of cattle, has led some communities to leave poison or to attack the animals.\n\nLast week Indian police arrested four people in Uttar Pradesh after a group of villagers beat a tiger to death. The tiger had attacked people after straying out of the Pilibhit tiger reserve.\n\nAccording to government data, on average tigers or elephants kill one person a day.\n\nEye on the Tiger: the world’s largest ever exhibition of tiger photography – in pictures Read more\n\nSinha said the concerns of communities should be listened to and compensation should always be provided where tigers kill livestock. “The burden of tiger conservation should not lie on the poorest,” she said.\n\nModi said the number of protected areas in the country rose to 860 last year, from 692 in 2014. The number of community reserves has more than doubled, to 100.\n\nIn 1900 more than 100,000 tigers roamed the planet, but by 2010 the figure had fallen to a record low of 3,200. The decline prompted India and 12 other countries with tiger populations to sign an agreement to double their numbers by 2022 . Modi said India had achieved this goal four years ahead of schedule.", "FILE- In this May 5, 2009 file photo, a tiger cools off at its enclosure at the zoo in Ahmadabad, India. India’s tiger population has grown to nearly 3,000, making the country one of the safest habitats for the endangered animals. Prime Minister Narendra Modi says it’s a “historic achievement” for India as the big cat’s population had dwindled to 1,400 about 14-15 years ago. (AP Photo/Ajit Solanki, File)\n\nNEW DELHI (AP) — India’s tiger population has grown to nearly 3,000, making the country one of the safest habitats for the endangered animals.\n\nPrime Minister Narendra Modi released the tiger count for 2018 on Monday and said it’s a “historic achievement” for India, whose big cat population had dwindled to 1,400 about 14-15 years ago.\n\nIndia estimates its tiger population every four years. Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said the tiger population was 2,226 in the last count, in 2014.\n\nThe tiger is India’s national animal and is categorized as endangered under the Wildlife Protection Act.\n\nThe human conflict with tigers has gradually increased since the 1970s, when India started a tiger conservation program that carved out sanctuaries in national parks and made it a crime to kill them.\n\n“With around 3,000 tigers, India has emerged as of one of the biggest and safest habitats for them in the world,” Modi said, praising all the stakeholders involved in the country’s tiger conservation exercise.\n\n“Nine years ago, it was decided in St. Petersburg (Russia) that the target of doubling the tiger population would be 2022. We in India completed this target four years in advance,” Modi said.\n\nHe also said that the number of protected areas in the country rose to 860 last year from 692 in 2014. Similarly, the number of community reserves has gone up to 100 from 43 in 2014.\n\nBelinda Wright, founder of the Wildlife Protection Society of India, based in New Delhi, said India should be very proud of its conservation achievement as the latest study was a much larger and more thorough estimation of the tiger population than had previously been done.\n\n“But we still have a long way to go to secure a long-term future for wild tigers,” she cautioned, adding that human-tiger conflict was one of the biggest conservation challenges because India has so many people.\n\nThe conflict between wildlife, confined to ever-shrinking forests and grasslands, and India’s human population is deadly. Government data show about one person is killed every day by tigers or elephants.\n\nLast week, some enraged villagers chased and killed a tiger with sticks after it killed a woman working in a farm in the northern Indian village of Khiri. The region is part of the Pilibhit Tiger Range, forest officer Vivek Tiwari said.\n\nTiwari said the police have arrested four villagers. The area is around 350 kilometers (215 miles) east of New Delhi.\n\nWright said the government should not relax any protection measure and should avoid “huge linear intrusions, including highways, railways, electric power line and canals through protected areas, as this leads to increased human-tiger conflict.”\n\nIndia’s elephants and tigers are some of the most hunted animals in the country, sought for their ivory tusks or bones that are sold on the black market for use in unproven, traditional Chinese medicine. Elephants are also threatened by moving trains.", "India's wild tiger population has increased by more than 30 per cent in just four years, according to a new census released Monday, raising hopes for the survival of the endangered species.\n\nThe census found 2,967 tigers in the wild across the country, up from 2,226 four years ago in what Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed as a \"historic achievement\"\n\n\"We reaffirm our commitment towards protecting the tiger,\" Modi said in Delhi as he released the All India Tiger Estimation Report 2018.\n\n\"Some 15 years ago, there was serious concern about the decline in the population of tigers. It was a big challenge for us but with determination, we have achieved our goals.\"\n\nThe massive surveys are conducted every four years, with the latest census using 26,000 camera traps that took almost 350,000 images across known tiger habitats, Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said at the census release.\n\nImages that showed the big cats were analysed using computer programmes to individually identify each creature. Wildlife and forestry officials also scoured 380,000 square kilometres of terrain.\n\nIn 1900, more than 100,000 tigers were estimated to roam the planet. But that fell to a record low of 3,200 globally in 2010.\n\nThat year, India and 12 other countries with tiger populations signed an agreement to double their big cat numbers by 2022.\n\nPopulation numbers in the nation have risen steadily since falling to its lowest-recorded figure of 1,411 in 2006.\n\nBut they are yet to return to the figures recorded in 2002 when some 3,700 tigers were estimated to be alive in the country.\n\nIt is believed some 40,000 tigers lived in India at the time of independence from Britain in 1947.\n\nSince then, the indiscriminate killing of the animal for its organs has led to a sharp decline, bringing them to the edge of extinction.\n\nIndia's growing population has also increasingly eaten into the territory of wild animals, pushing them into conflict with humans.\n\nNew Delhi has sought to improve its management of the predator, reserving 50 habitats - from Himalayan foothills in the northeast to regions in west and central India - exclusively for the animals.", "In 2010, India sought to double its tiger population by 2022. But on International Tiger Day, the country announced it met its goal four years earlier than expected.\n\nNearly 3,000 tigers now reside in India, that's more than 70% of the world's tiger population.\n\nPrime Minister Narendra Modi released the 2018 All India Tiger Estimation count on Monday, attributing the figures to India's hardworking wildlife officials and advocates.\n\n\"Once the people of India decide to do something, there is no force that can prevent them from getting the desired results,\" Modi announced at a news conference. \"Today we reaffirm our commitment towards protecting tigers.\"\n\nHe added that India now takes the lead in being the biggest and safest habitat in the world for tigers. The population, now at 2,967, is up from 2,226 since 2014.\n\n\"There are several plants and animals out there that need our help,\" Modi said. \"What is it that we can do? Either through technology or human action to give them ... a life so that they can add beauty and diversity to our planet.\"\n\nAfter learning that there were a limited amount of tigers left in the world, India decided to strengthen the conservation of tigers in its country. In an effort to protect the endangered species, the National Tiger Conservation Authority was created to count the population.\n\nThe recent survey, believed to be the world's largest effort invested in any wildlife, has been conducted every four years since 2006 when the tiger count was at an all-time low of 1,411. Taking into account \"carnivore signs\" and prey estimation, the 2018 census was carried out using more than 26,000 camera traps across known tiger habitats. Thousands of wildlife foresters and scientists also set out on foot to cover half a million square kilometers to collect physical signs of tiger markings.\n\nAccording to the report, the state of Madhya Pradesh had the highest number with 526 tigers, closely followed by Karnataka with 524 and Uttarakhand with 442 tigers.\n\n\"This news brings us another step closer to securing a future for one of the world's most iconic species and is further proof that tiger recovery is possible when political will and the right conditions exist,\" the World Wide Fund said in a statement.\n\nSenior Vice President Ginette Hemley told NPR that these numbers suggest the government's investments in tiger conservation — on-the-ground monitoring, research regarding tiger distribution, habitat and other survival needs — are really paying off.\n\n\"They also focus a lot on the issues around the interface of communities that live in the buffer zones around these tiger reserves to ensure that people and tigers are able to live compatibly together as best as they can.\"\n\nSince 2006, tigers sightings increased at a rate of 6% per year in India, which Hemley says may signal that the tiger population is headed in the right direction.\n\nOn the other hand, this past week a female tiger was beaten to death by a mob of villagers in India who claimed the animal attacked local people. As a result, the police have filed a First Information Report against more than 40 people, according to the Times of India.\n\nLast year, a man-eating tigress in India was hunted and shot dead after a huge hunt. The female tiger, which evaded capture for 2 years, was said to have been responsible for killing 13 people.\n\nHemley estimates that the world has lost around 95% of tigers that once lived on the planet. Tigers are found in about a dozen countries across Asia yet there are currently fewer than 4,000 tigers left in the wild, she says.\n\nRemaining tigers face constant threats from retaliatory killings, habitat loss and poaching — body parts such as whiskers, teeth and skin are sold on the black market and used in traditional Chinese medicine. The tigers are forced to compete with growing human populations for space.\n\nHemley said she is hopeful that countries can turn the situation around and prevent the endangered species from becoming extinct. She adds that a tiger plays an important role in regulating the ecology of a given area which is a \"big deal to the health of our planet.\"\n\n\"When the tiger recovers, you're not only seeing the recovery of that species but you're also protecting large areas ... and so we're able to help conserve literally hundreds if not thousands of other species,\" she said.\n\nDuring his speech, the prime minister expressed confidence that India would prosper both economically and environmentally without harming wildlife.\n\n\"India will build more roads and India will have cleaner rivers. India will have better train connectivity and also greater tree coverage. India will build more homes for our citizens and at the same time create quality habitats for animals,\" Modi said.", "New Delhi: India´s wild tiger population has increased by more than 30 percent in the last four years, according to a new census released Monday, raising hopes for the survival of the endangered species.\n\nThe census found 2,967 tigers in the wild across the country, up from 2,226 four years ago in what Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed as a \"historic achievement\"\n\n\"We reaffirm our commitment towards protecting the tiger,\" Modi said in Delhi as he released the All India Tiger Estimation Report 2018.\n\n\"Some 15 years ago, there was serious concern about the decline in the population of tigers. It was a big challenge for us but with determination, we have achieved our goals.\"\n\nThe massive surveys are conducted every four years, with the latest census spanning 15 months and using 26,000 camera traps that took almost 350,000 images across known tiger habitats, Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said at the census release.\n\nImages that showed the big cats were analysed using computer programmes to individually identify each creature. Wildlife and forestry officials also scoured 380,000 square kilometres of terrain.\n\nIn 1900, more than 100,000 tigers were estimated to roam the planet. But that fell to a record low of 3,200 globally in 2010.\n\nThat year, India and 12 other countries with tiger populations signed an agreement to double their big cat numbers by 2022.\n\nPopulation numbers in the nation have risen steadily since falling to its lowest-recorded figure of 1,411 in 2006.\n\nBut they are yet to return to the figures recorded in 2002 when some 3,700 tigers were estimated to be alive in the country.\n\nIt is believed some 40,000 tigers lived in India at the time of independence from Britain in 1947.\n\nWildlife experts lauded the government effort and said the rise in numbers heralded a new chapter in the conservation of the big cats in India.\n\n\"The scale and magnitude of the assessment is unparalleled globally,\" Global Tiger Forum secretary general Rajesh Gopal said.\n\nAuthorities across Asia are waging a major battle against poachers, who often sell tiger body parts to the lucrative traditional Chinese medicine market, as well as other man-made problems such as habitat loss.\n\nNew Delhi has sought to improve its management of the predator, reserving 50 habitats -- from Himalayan foothills in the northeast to regions in west and central India -- exclusively for the animals.\n\nBut at the same time, the country´s growing population has increasingly encroached into the territory of the wild animals, pushing them into frequent conflict with humans.\n\nMore than 60 tigers have died or been killed so far this year across India, according to government figures.\n\nLast week, a tigress was beaten to death by a mob a day after it mauled to death a person and injured eight others.\n\nAnother tigress, and her two cubs, died last month after villagers poisoned the carcass of a cow it had hunted a day earlier.\n\nAround 30 people were killed by tigers in India last year, according to the government.", "New Delhi – India’s tiger population has grown to nearly 3,000, making the country one of the safest habitats for the endangered animals.\n\nPrime Minister Narendra Modi released the tiger count for 2018 on Monday and said it’s a “historic achievement” for India, whose big cat population had dwindled to 1,400 about 14-15 years ago.\n\nIndia estimates its tiger population every four years. Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said the tiger population was 2,226 in the last count, in 2014.\n\nThe tiger is India’s national animal and is categorized as endangered under the Wildlife Protection Act.\n\nThe human conflict with tigers has gradually increased since the 1970s, when India started a tiger conservation program that carved out sanctuaries in national parks and made it a crime to kill them.\n\n“With around 3,000 tigers, India has emerged as of one of the biggest and safest habitats for them in the world,” Modi said, praising all the stakeholders involved in the country’s tiger conservation exercise.\n\n“Nine years ago, it was decided in St. Petersburg (Russia) that the target of doubling the tiger population would be 2022. We in India completed this target four years in advance,” Modi said.\n\nHe also said that the number of protected areas in the country rose to 860 last year from 692 in 2014. Similarly, the number of community reserves has gone up to 100 from 43 in 2014.\n\nBelinda Wright, founder of the Wildlife Protection Society of India, based in New Delhi, said India should be very proud of its conservation achievement as the latest study was a much larger and more thorough estimation of the tiger population than had previously been done.\n\n“But we still have a long way to go to secure a long-term future for wild tigers,” she cautioned, adding that human-tiger conflict was one of the biggest conservation challenges because India has so many people.\n\nThe conflict between wildlife, confined to ever-shrinking forests and grasslands, and India’s human population is deadly. Government data show about one person is killed every day by tigers or elephants.", "According to a government estimate, there are nearly 3,000 Bengal tigers in the wild in India, a 33% increase since 2014. Wildlife experts say better safety monitoring and stricter wildlife policies have helped the tiger population grow to its largest in about two decades.\n\n“Once the people of India decide to do something, there is no force that can prevent them from getting the desired results,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at a news conference Monday announcing the figures.\n\nBut as the number of tigers has increased, so have the human-tiger conflicts in India, a country of 1.3 billion.\n\nIndia has created nearly two dozen tiger reserves in the past decade, but many are surrounded by villages. As development projects shrink the space separating humans and tigers, the animals are spilling out of reserves in search of prey — wild pigs, cattle and sometimes people.\n\nFor more than two years, a female tiger that authorities had named T-1 stalked the hills of central India, where she was blamed for the deaths of at least 13 people. Last fall, hundreds of officers and veterinarian sharpshooters riding elephants tried to tranquilise her. When that failed, T-1 was shot and killed.\n\nLast week, a group of villagers beat a tiger to death in the Pilibhit Tiger Reserve, about 200 miles east of New Delhi, after it attacked several people. In a video of the incident that was shared widely, the tiger appeared to be trying to block the blows with its paws. Four people were arrested and charged under a wildlife protection law.\n\nPrerna Singh Bindra, a conservationist and author of “The Vanishing: India’s Wildlife Crisis,” said the country needs “a sound strategy” to avoid human-animal conflicts. “Forests are being fragmented,” she said. “We are saying yes to about 98% of development and other projects in protected areas. If we keep cutting habitats, this tiger utopia is going to come crashing down.”\n\nThe tiger census released Monday, which covered nearly 150,000 square miles and tracked “carnivore signs” using thousands of camera traps, found that India’s tiger population rose to 2,967 in 2018, about 700 more than in 2014. The world has only about 4,000 tigers left in the wild.\n\nThe report found that tiger populations had increased across India, with the highest number in Madhya Pradesh, a hot, shrubby state with more than 500 cats. Apart from the camera traps, thousands of wildlife officials covered more than 300,000 miles on foot to collect dung samples and take photographs from thick green canopies.\n\nThe authors of the report, which was prepared by the central government’s National Tiger Conservation Authority, called it “the world’s largest effort invested in any wildlife survey.”\n\nModi took the opportunity Monday to highlight the success, saying in a tweet that the tiger census would make “every Indian, every nature lover happy.” The report also coincided with the release of a promotional video for an upcoming episode of Bear Grylls’ popular survival television show “Man Vs. Wild” featuring Modi.\n\nValmik Thapar, a prominent Indian naturalist and a wild tiger specialist, said the data seemed mostly accurate and suggested a gradual return to numbers from the 1980s, when India’s tiger population hovered around 4,000. He credited the rebound to closer cooperation between state governments and wildlife experts. (Other experts said the increase might relate to improved counting methods.)\n\nBut Thapar said there was still a long way to go. Training for conservationists in many states remains “abysmal,” he said.\n\nThapar said India had yet to realise its potential as a wildlife tourism destination, which would create jobs for some of the same villagers who are currently hostile toward the cats.\n\nAnd some parts of eastern India are still losing tigers, despite additional funds intended to save them. In several premier reserves, Thapar said, there are “no tigers at all.”\n\n“We need to focus on doing something about these problems,” he said. “We must look after these national treasures.”", "An estimated 80,000 tigers were killed in India between 1875 and 1925 ALAMY\n\nIndia’s tiger population has increased by a third in four years, bringing the animal back from the brink of extinction.\n\nThe census results, a success for government conservation efforts, were unveiled this morning by Narendra Modi, India’s prime minister. They showed that the tiger population rose to 2,967 last year, from 2,226 in 2014.\n\nThe tiger is India’s national animal and the country is home to 70 per cent of the world’s tigers. Successive governments have led the effort to save the animal, with Mr Modi hailing the “historic achievement” since the last census four years ago. The results proved that India was “now one of the biggest and most secure habitats of the tiger”, he said.\n\n“Nine years ago, it was decided in St…", "India's tiger population has increased by a third in the last four years to almost 3,000 animals, according to a national survey.\n\nPrime Minister Narendra Modi announced the results Monday to mark International Tiger Day, the same day video emerged of the politician traveling around the Indian countryside with British survival expert Bear Grylls.\n\nThere were 2,967 tigers in India in 2018, according to the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA), which performs the survey.\n\nThis represents a 33% increase compared to the last survey in 2014, according to a statement from the NTCA, and continues population growth that has been observed since 2006.\n\nFewer than 4,000 tigers remain on Earth, according to the World Wildlife Fund says. Most live in reservations in India, where killing a tiger can result in jail time.\n\nModi, who will appear in a special edition of Gryll's TV show \"Man Vs Wild\" to be aired August 12, said the results show India is one of the world's biggest and most secure habitats for tigers.\n\nGrylls tweeted a teaser video of the program in which he and Modi can be seen exploring the Indian wilderness.\n\n\"People across 180 countries will get to see the unknown side of PM @narendramodi as he ventures into Indian wilderness to create awareness about animal conservation & environmental change,\" wrote Grylls.\n\nOn his own Twitter account, Modi posted a series of tweets arguing that environmental considerations do not need to hold back India's economic development.\n\nWhile infrastructure projects have continued to be built, India has seen an increase in both forest cover and the number of protected areas, said Modi.\n\nThere were 692 such areas in 2014, increasing to 860 in 2019, according to a statement.\n\nAs a result, Modi maintains India doesn't have to choose between development and environmental protections.\n\n\"In our policies, in our economics, we have to change the conversation about conservation,\" he added."], "summary": "The Wildlife Protection Society of India announces that the wild population of tigers in India has increased by a third since 2015 following a comprehensive survey. Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi describes the news as a \"historic achievement\"."}
{"document": ["Boy, eight, dies after he and his mother are pushed in front of train in Germany\n\nBoy, eight, dies after he and his mother are pushed in front of train in Germany\n\nThe eight-year-old boy was pushed in front of a high-speed train at Frankfurt's main station\n\nAn eight-year-old-boy has been killed after he and his mother were pushed into the path of an oncoming train at Frankfurt's main station..\n\nA man pushed the pair onto the tracks as a high-speed ICE train was pulling into the station, police said.\n\nThe mother managed to save herself but the young boy was hit and run over by the train, suffering fatal injuries.\n\nThe 40-year-old suspect unsuccessfully tried to push a third person onto the tracks before attempting to flee the scene.\n\nHe was chased by passers-by and arrested near the station.\n\nAdvertisement\n\nPolice said they do not currently have a motive but a spokeswoman said the suspect and the victims did not appear to know one another.\n\nDetectives are questioning the man.\n\nImage: A 40-year-old suspect was arrested near the scene\n\nThe boy's mother was taken to hospital and also questioned, although it was not clear how badly she was injured.\n\nIsabell Neumann, of Frankfurt Police, said: \"Shortly before 10am an ICE [train] arrived on platform seven and ran over an eight-year-old boy.\n\n\"We have to at this point assume that it was attempted murder.\n\n\"Witnesses relayed the information that a 40-year-old man pushed the boy and his mother onto the tracks while the ICE was rolling into the station.\n\n\"The eight-year-old boy was caught by the train and run over. He suffered fatal injuries.\"", "Frankfurt: A 40-year-old Eritrean man pushed an eight-year-old boy in front of an oncoming train at Frankfurt's main train station in Germany on Monday, killing him, police said.\n\nThe man also pushed the boy's mother but she survived. Police were unaware of any connection between the man and the victims and his motive was unclear, a police spokeswoman said.\n\n\"According to witness reports, a 40-year-old man pushed the boy and his mother onto the track just as the ICE (high-speed train) was arriving. The mother, thank God, was able to save herself,\" the spokeswoman, Isabell Neumann, told reporters.\n\n\"Unfortunately, the eight-year-old boy was run over by the ICE. He suffered fatal injuries,\" she added. \"The man concerned ... fled the station after the crime. Passers-by took up the chase and the man was detained near the station.\"\n\nNeumann said the suspect was being questioned. The boy's mother was taken to hospital and would also be questioned. Frankfurt police said on Twitter the suspected perpetrator was an Eritrean citizen.\n\nSeveral platforms at Frankfurt station, a major rail hub in Germany, were closed after the incident.", "Parts of Frankfurt main station where the incident occurred were closed off by police.\n\nParts of Frankfurt main station where the incident occurred were closed off by police.\n\nAN EIGHT-YEAR-OLD boy died when a man pushed him and his mother in front of a train in Germany’s Frankfurt railway station, police said.\n\nThe suspect, a 40-year-old man of African origin who was unrelated to the victims, ran off but was overpowered by passers-by and detained by police.\n\nThe woman, who is also 40, was being treated in hospital after narrowly escaping from the tracks as an arriving ICE highspeed train ran over the child.\n\nPolice said they had opened a murder inquiry and were questioning the suspect for a possible motive.\n\n“The boy and his mother were pushed in front of an arriving train. The mother was able to save herself,” a police spokeswoman said.\n\nPassers-by ran after the fleeing man who, reports said, had tried but failed to push a third person onto the tracks, and who was arrested near the station.\n\nThe suspect is believed to be Eritrean, said Hesse state interior minister Peter Beuth.\n\nInterior Minister Horst Seehofer broke off his summer holiday because of the killing, saying he planned to meet with the heads of major security authorities.\n\n“The background to this heinous crime is still unclear,” he said.\n\n“It is now the task of the investigating authorities to clear it up as quickly and comprehensively as possible. The perpetrator will be held responsible for the crime by all legal means.”\n\nThe far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party quickly linked the case to a mass influx of migrants and refugees in recent years.\n\n“The hideousness of this act can hardly be surpassed,” wrote the party’s Alice Weidel on Twitter, demanding that the government “finally start to protect the citizens of this country”.\n\nA similar attack took place 10 days earlier when a 34-year-old woman was killed after being pushed in front of a train by a man in Voerde, near Duisburg.", "Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings.\n\nFRANKFURT, Germany — An 8-year-old boy was run over by a train and killed at Frankfurt's main station on Monday after a man pushed him and his mother onto the tracks, German police said.\n\nThe mother and then the boy were pushed onto the tracks as a high-speed ICE train was pulling into the station, one of Germany's busiest. The mother was able to escape but the boy was hit and run over by the train and suffered fatal injuries.\n\nThe suspect then apparently tried unsuccessfully to push another person onto the track, police said.\n\nThe 40-year-old suspect fled the scene with passers-by in pursuit and was arrested near the station. He was being questioned and there was no immediate information on his possible motive.\n\nPolice spokeswoman Isabell Neumann said there appeared to be no connection between the suspect and the victims.\n\nThe boy's mother was taken to a hospital and also was being questioned. There was no immediate information on her injuries.", "(FRANKFURT, Germany) — An 8-year-old boy was run over by a train and killed at Frankfurt’s main station on Monday after a man pushed him and his mother onto the tracks, German police said. The woman and her son were pushed onto the tracks as a high-speed ICE train was pulling into the station, one of Germany’s busiest. The mother was able to escape but the boy was hit and run over by the train and suffered fatal injuries.\n\nThe suspect then apparently tried unsuccessfully to push another person onto the track, police said.\n\nThe 40-year-old suspect fled the scene with passers-by in pursuit and was arrested near the station. He was being questioned and there was no immediate information on his possible motive.\n\nPolice spokeswoman Isabell Neumann said there appeared to be no connection between the suspect and the victims.\n\nThe boy’s mother was taken to a hospital and also was being questioned. There was no immediate information on her injuries.\n\nPolice said that the suspect is an Eritrean citizen but did not immediately release further information.\n\nInterior Minister Horst Seehofer issued a statement condemning “this appalling act in the strongest terms” and cautioning against drawing conclusions before more is known. Seehofer said that in view of “several serious crimes” recently, he would interrupt his vacation and meet the heads of security authorities Tuesday.\n\nHe didn’t specify what he was referring to, but Monday’s incident followed a case earlier this month in which a 34-year-old woman was pushed in front of a train and killed in Voerde in northern Germany. The suspect in that case, a German-born Serb, is in custody.", "Firefighters and Police officers stay next to an ICE highspeed train at the main station in Frankfurt, Germany, Monday, July 29, 2019. German police say a child has died after apparently being pushed onto the tracks in front of a train at Frankfurt’s main station. Frankfurt police tweeted that they believe a man pushed the child onto the track Monday. They said that one person was arrested and they are investigating whether he was the perpetrator. (Frank Rumpenhorst/dpa via AP)\n\nFRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — An 8-year-old boy was run over by a train and killed at Frankfurt’s main station on Monday after a man pushed him and his mother onto the tracks, German police said.\n\nThe mother and then the boy were pushed onto the tracks as a high-speed ICE train was pulling into the station, one of Germany’s busiest. The mother was able to escape but the boy was hit and run over by the train and suffered fatal injuries.\n\nThe suspect then apparently tried unsuccessfully to push another person onto the track, police said.\n\nThe 40-year-old suspect fled the scene with passers-by in pursuit and was arrested near the station. He was being questioned and there was no immediate information on his possible motive.\n\nPolice spokeswoman Isabell Neumann said there appeared to be no connection between the suspect and the victims.\n\nThe boy’s mother was taken to a hospital and also was being questioned. There was no immediate information on her injuries.\n\nPolice said that the suspect is an Eritrean citizen but did not immediately release further information.\n\nInterior Minister Horst Seehofer issued a statement condemning “this appalling act in the strongest terms” and cautioning against drawing conclusions before more is known.\n\nSeehofer said that in view of “several serious crimes” recently, he would interrupt his vacation and meet the heads of security authorities Tuesday.\n\nHe didn’t specify what he was referring to, but Monday’s incident followed a case earlier this month in which a 34-year-old woman was pushed in front of a train and killed in Voerde in northern Germany. The suspect in that case, a German-born Serb, is in custody.", "An eight-year-old boy has been hit and killed by a train at Frankfurt’s main station after a man pushed him and his mother onto the tracks, German police said.\n\nThe boy was killed on Monday as a high-speed ICE train was pulling into the station, one of Germany’s busiest.\n\nThe child's mother was able to escape but the boy was hit and run over by the train and suffered fatal injuries, police spokesperson Isabell Neumann said.\n\nThe 40-year-old suspect fled the scene with passers-by in pursuit and was arrested near the station, police said.", "German authorities have opened a murder investigation against a man who pushed an eight-year-old boy and his mother in front of an oncoming train in a Frankfurt station on Monday, according to reports.\n\nThe 40-year-old man from Eritrea is being investigated on charges of murder and attempted murder after he was arrested outside the station following the incident, according to media reports.\n\nShocked bystanders watched as the man pushed the boy and his mother onto the tracks. The boy was killed by the impact of the train, while his mother survived after she rolled out of harm’s way into a narrow space beside the rails.\n\nAfter the incident, the man attempted to run away from the station but was stopped by bystanders until police officers arrested him.\n\nIn a press conference after the incident, German authorities said the man had also unsuccessfully attempted to push another woman, 78, onto the tracks.\n\nThe man, named only as A. by German police, had been living in Switzerland since 2008, where he was granted asylum after fleeing his native Eritrea.\n\nMedia reports on Tuesday revealed that he is married with three children and that he did not know any of his victims.\n\nWhile German officials said that the man had a steady job and was considered to be “well-integrated” into Swiss society, he had recently been on the radar of Swiss police after reportedly threatening a neighbour for unclear reasons.\n\nThe man is thought to have travelled to Frankfurt a few days before the incident, but the motives behind his actions remain unclear.\n\nGerman news agency dpa said that he was going to be submitted to a psychiatric test and police have ruled out that he was under the influence of drugs or alcohol during the attack.\n\nAdditional media reports say that there is no evidence that the incident is linked with the recent shooting of another Eritrean national by a far-right sympathizer in a town east of Frankfurt.\n\nThe incident shocked Germany and the world, and people in Frankfurt have been laying flowers and candles at the site of the incident, with a memorial planned later on Tuesday.", "Boy, 8, dies in Germany after being pushed onto train tracks\n\nFRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — An 8-year-old boy was run over by a train and killed at Frankfurt's main station on Monday after a man pushed him and his mother onto the tracks, German police said.\n\nThe boy was killed as a high-speed ICE train was pulling into the station, one of Germany's busiest. Police said the mother was able to escape but the boy was hit and run over by the train and suffered fatal injuries, police spokeswoman Isabell Neumann said.\n\nThe 40-year-old suspect fled the scene with passers-by in pursuit and was arrested near the station, police said. He was being questioned and there was no immediate information on his possible motive.\n\nNeumann said there appeared to be no connection between the suspect and the victims.\n\nThe boy's mother was taken to a hospital and also was being questioned. There was no immediate information on her injuries.", "An eight-year-old boy has been run over by a train and killed after a man pushed him and his mother onto the tracks at the central station in Frankfurt, Germany this morning.\n\nTragedy struck as a high-speed train was pulling into the platform, with the boy dying while his mum managed to roll into a narrow gap between tracks, The Sun reports.\n\nPolice spokeswoman Isabell Neumann said the mother was able to escape but the boy was fatally hit and died from his injuries.\n\nA 40-year-old migrant from Eritrea, Africa, fled the scene with passers-by in pursuit at around 10am. He had been living in Switzerland since 2006.\n\nHe was arrested shortly after near the station and questioned by police but his motive remains unclear.\n\nThe man tried to push a third person onto the track but was unable to overpower them, BILD reported.\n\nNeumann said there appeared to be no connection between the suspect and the victims.\n\nThe boy's mother was taken to a hospital.\n\nThere was no immediate information on her injuries.\n\nDramatic scenes unfolded in the station hall with 16 ambulances and a helicopter on site.\n\nOne witness who was sitting in an incoming train from Dusseldorf told German publication Hennenscha commuters \"collapsed\".\n\n\"The people broke down howling,\" the witness said.\n\nAnother said the train station was full of children.\n\nThe unnamed boy is the second person to die after being pushed onto railway track in Germany in two weeks.\n\nOn July 20, a 34-year-old woman was pushed in front of a regional train at Voerde station in North Rhine-Westphalia.\n\nShe died from her injuries.\n\nA 28-year-old man is in custody on suspicion of her murder.\n\nThis article originally appeared on The Sun and has been republished here with permission."], "summary": "An eight-year-old boy is killed and his mother injured after being pushed by a man into the path of an oncoming train at Frankfurt's main station, in Hesse, Germany. The attacker, a 40-year-old immigrant Eritrean man who lives in Switzerland, also attempted to knock a third person onto the tracks. The suspect and the victims did not know each another."}
{"document": ["(CNN) — After Monday's deadly prison riot in northern Brazil , four more inmates involved in the unrest were killed while being moved to a new facility.\n\nOfficials said they found the four prisoners dead inside two cells of a prison bus in the city of Maraba. The inmates, who were identified as all belonging to the same gang, were suffocated, according to the officials.\n\nThe four were among 30 inmates being transferred to a new prison, after being involved in the riot in Altamira earlier this week, the Ministry of Public Security and Social Defense of the state of Para (SEGUP) said in a statement.\n\nAuthorities said all of the prisoners in the bus had been handcuffed and divided into four cells during the transport. The 26 remaining prisoners have been placed in isolation.\n\nThe deaths bring the incident's death toll to 62, including a charred body found \"under the rubble\" by the Institute of Forensic Medicine of Para late on Tuesday, according to a SEGUP statement.", "Sao Paulo: A bloody clash between two prison gangs on Monday left at least 57 inmates dead with 16 of them decapitated, authorities in the state of Para said, the latest deadly clash as Brazil's government struggles to control the country's overcrowded jails.\n\nState authorities said the riot began around 7 a.m. local time (1000 GMT) at a prison in the northern city of Altamira, and involved rival gangs.\n\nPrisoners belonging to the Comando Classe A gang set fire to a cell containing inmates from the rival Comando Vermelho, or Red Command, gang, Para's state government said in a statement.\n\nMost of the dead died in the fire, they said, while two guards were taken hostage, but later released.\n\n\"It was a targeted act,\" state prison director Jarbas Vasconcelos said in the statement, adding there was no prior intelligence that suggested an attack would take place.\n\n\"The aim was to show that it was a settling of accounts between the two gangs.\"\n\nVideos circulating online showed inmates at the prison celebrating as they kicked decapitated heads across the floor. Reuters was unable, however, to independently verify the footage.\n\nElected on a tough-on-crime message, far-right President Jair Bolsonaro has benefited from a sharp drop in homicides so far this year. Nonetheless, endemic prison violence has been a stubborn public security challenge in one of the world's most violent countries.\n\nIn May, at least 55 inmates died during prison attacks in the northern state of Amazonas. Weeks of violence in Amazonas in 2017 resulted in 150 prison deaths as local gangs backed by Brazil's two largest drug factions went to war.\n\nBrazil's justice ministry said in a statement that it was working with Para authorities to identify those behind the latest attack, adding it had opened some space in the federal prison system where those gang leaders would be transferred.\n\nBrazil's incarcerated population has surged eight-fold in three decades to around 750,000 inmates, the world's third-highest tally. Prison gangs originally formed to protect inmates and advocate for better conditions, but have come to wield vast power that reaches far beyond prison walls.\n\nThe gangs have been linked to bank heists, drug trafficking and gun-running, with jailed kingpins presiding over criminal empires via smuggled cellphones.\n\nIn the country's violent northeast, prison gangs have grown powerful by moving cocaine from Colombia and Peru along the Amazon's waterways to the Atlantic coast, where it heads to Africa and Europe. Murderous disputes often arise as they clash over territorial control.\n\nThe Red Command hails from Rio de Janeiro, but has expanded deep into northern Brazil as it seeks to diversify its income. That expansion has often led to confrontations with Brazil's largest and most powerful gang, the First Capital Command, headquartered in Sao Paulo.\n\nThe Comando Classe A gang is seen as a relatively small gang, and is little known outside Para. Its high-profile attack against the Red Command could give it a nationwide reputation.\n\nBolsonaro's government has proposed moving powerful incarcerated drug lords to federal lockups, and building more prisons at the state level. But with the vast majority of prisons run by Brazil's overstretched state governments, Bolsonaro is likely limited in terms of what he can achieve from Brasilia.\n\nIn February, Justice Minister Sergio Moro unveiled his signature crime-fighting bill, including proposals to toughen prison sentences and isolate gang leaders in maximum-security lockups.\n\nThat bill has since struggled in Congress, with the government giving its pension reform legislation priority.", "At least 52 prisoners have been killed - with 16 of them beheaded - in a riot in northern Brazil which saw rival gangs battle for five hours.\n\nTwo rival factions have been blamed for starting the troubles, with one group breaking into a part of the Altamira prison housing the other group, locking the room and setting fire to it.\n\nPrison officials said 16 of the victims were beheaded while others were asphyxiated as parts of the jail were set on fire.\n\nVideo from the scene appeared to show prisoners kicking the heads of the decapitated prisoners, but the footage has not been independently verified.\n\nTwo prison officers who were taken hostage have been freed.\n\nThe violence began at around 7am and ended at around noon, officials said.\n\nVideo reported to be from the prison carried by Brazilian media showed smoke billowing from at least one prison building, while another clip appeared to show inmates walking around on the rooftops.\n\nAuthorities have not named the two rival gangs involved.\n\nThe prison in Altamira where the violence broke out has a capacity of 200 but was occupied by 311 prisoners.\n\nThe killings mirrored those of 55 inmates who died in a series of riots in May in several prisons in the neighbouring state of Amazonas.\n\nIn early 2017, more than 120 inmates died in prisons across several northern states when rival gangs clashed over control of drug-trafficking routes in the region.", "At least 52 people have been killed in a jail in northern Brazil today in a bloody conflict between rival gangs that left 16 decapitated, an official has confirmed.\n\nThe 'rebellion' began at around 7am in the Altamira Regional Recovery Center, in the northern Pará state, where gang members from one prison block invaded the prison annex and reportedly set part of it on fire.\n\nSixteen of the dead were decapitated in the bloody five-hour-long clash that ended around midday (3pm GMT), an official from the Para state government's penitentiary department said.\n\nIt was the latest violence to rock the country's overpopulated and deadly prison system.\n\nLocal reports said gang members from Block A stormed Block B, which was occupied by a rival group, locked a room and set it on fire, causing many prisoners to die of asphyxiation, as per the Oservador.\n\nMilitary police were called to the scene and negotiated with the inmates who had barricaded themselves in a cell block.\n\nBrazilian media have reported that two prison officers were taken hostage in the conflict but were eventually freed following negotiations with civil police and the state's Prosecutor's Office.\n\nReported video of the conflict showed smoke billowing from one prison building. Another showed inmates walking on the roof of the prison, as per BBC.\n\nThe Altamira prison has a capacity of 200 inmates but was occupied by 311 prisoners, according to Brazilian News outlet G1.\n\nBrazilian authorities have not named the two rival gangs involved in the attacks.\n\nA fight between crime organizations would have motivated the rebellion, according to Brazilian newspaper O Globo.\n\nHowever, violence in Brazilian prisons, particularly among gangs, is not uncommon.\n\nThe riot comes exactly two months after 55 people were confirmed dead in a riot in the northern Amazonas state of Brazil in May.\n\nMonday's battle marked the second largest prison massacre in 2019.", "At least 52 people have been killed in a jail in northern Brazil today in a bloody conflict between rival gangs that left 15 decapitated, an official has confirmed.\n\nThe 'rebellion' began at around 7am in the Altamira Regional Recovery Center, in the northern Para state where gang members from one prison block invaded another part of the jail.\n\nIt was the latest violence to rock the country's overpopulated and deadly prison system.\n\nSixteen of the dead were decapitated in the bloody five-hour-long clash that ended around midday (3pm GMT), an official from the Para state government's penitentiary department said.\n\nLocal reports said part of the prison was set on fire, suffocating many of the prisoners.\n\nMilitary officers were brought in to negotiate with the inmates who had barricaded themselves in a cell block.\n\nBrazilian media have reported that two prison officers were taken hostage in the conflict but were eventually freed.\n\nReported video of the conflict showed smoke billowing from one prison building. Another showed inmates walking on the roof of the prison, as per BBC.\n\nThe Altamira prison has a capacity of 200 inmates but was ocupied by 311 prisoners, according to Brazilian News outlet G1.\n\nBrazilian authorities have not named the two rival gangs involved in the attacks.\n\nHowever, violence in Brazilian prisons, particularly among gangs, is not uncommon.\n\nThe riot comes exactly two months after 55 people were confirmed dead in a riot in the northern Amazonas state of Brazil in May.", "At least 52 inmates were killed, many of them beheaded, in a prison riot in northern Brazil on Monday as rival gangs fought each other, local authorities have said.", "A prison riot triggered by gang rivalries in the state of Pará, Brazil, left at least 57 dead – including 16 beheaded – on Monday, leaving authorities to identify the fallen, relocate the culprits, and prevent a revenge attack.\n\nAuthorities believe the attackers are members of Comando Class A (CCA), an organized crime gang that has risen in prominence in northern Brazil, where the riot occurred. CCA members reportedly attacked inmates known to be members of the Red Command (CV) gang, initially locking them in a prison annex and setting it on fire. Reports indicate that, in addition to beheading, smoke inhalation appears to have killed the highest number of inmates.\n\nThe riot is the deadliest since 1992, but only the latest since May. Brazil has long struggled with prison overpopulation enabling violence, as officials have no choice but to place members of rival gangs near each other and guards are often significantly outnumbered.\n\nPolice are reportedly still working on identifying the dead and notifying family members, who have gathered outside of Pará’s Altamira Regional Recovery Center, the prison complex where the riot occurred.\n\nPará state borders Amazonas, the state where members of the CV and the First Capital Command (PCC), the two largest gangs in the country, engaged in violent assaults on each other throughout 2017. In early 2017, gang members rioted in a prison near the city of Manaus, Amazonas – beheading, dismembering, and cooking each other’s bodies and triggering a prison break in which at one point over 100 inmates went missing.\n\nCV and PCC came to a peace agreement in early 2019 and launched a campaign of violence against the incoming administration of President Jair Bolsonaro, which came to power in part on a promise to sternly combat organized crime. The PCC’s profile, Brazilian news organizations noted on Tuesday, has declined since the peace agreement, giving way for gangs like the CCA to stake claims on its drug operations and the prisons the major gangs control.\n\nThe Brazilian newspaper O Globo reported on Tuesday that authorities believe the riot began at 7 a.m. local time on Monday, following the prison’s designated breakfast time. CCA members allegedly went upstairs to a prison annex known to be frequented by CV members, locked them inside, and set the annex on fire. Most of the victims are believed to have suffocated from the smoke, though at least 16 were found beheaded. Authorities have not at press time conclusively determined the timeline of the attacks, including if those beheaded died before or after those who asphyxiated.\n\nThe riot reportedly lasted about five hours. Officials have identified 46 culprits to be transferred out of the prison and away from rival gang members. Ten of the culprits are scheduled to be transferred to higher-security federal prisons, as authorities attribute the plotting and execution of the riot to them.\n\nBrazilian authorities are offering the relatives of the dead mental health assistance and tending to families waiting patiently outside the prison for confirmation of their loved ones’ life and health. Folha de Sao Paulo noted that families were loudly sobbing outside the prison as of Monday and made it difficult for a social worker to read out the names of those confirmed dead, as the relatives of the fallen screamed in agony. The list only included 16 names, leaving many waiting outside for more news.\n\nFolha notes that the prison in question was classified as significantly overcrowded and understaffed and lacked basic prison amenities such as classrooms, libraries, and workshops.\n\nO Globo describes Monday’s riot as the deadliest since a 1992 riot that left 111 inmates dead and the fifth major prison riot since January 2017, when the war between the CV and the PCC broke out. On that occasion, members of the CV beheaded at least six members of the PCC on New Year’s Day, 2017, at the Anisio Jobim Prison Complex of Manaus (Compaj) and tossed their bodies over the side of the prison walls as a message to PCC members outside of prison. The inmates also triggered a massive prison break that allowed at least 184 prisoners to escape in Compaj and a nearby prison. Less than a week later, 33 inmates were killed at the Monte Cristo prison in nearby Roraima, 30 of them beheaded and many with their hearts and other vital organs torn out. The victims were members of the Família do Norte (FDN) drug gang, affiliated with the CV.\n\nThe prison gang war continued throughout the month. By the end of January, 2017, CV members were filming themselves in prison, using illicit mobile phones, roasting PCC members on makeshift grills and making “churrasco.”\n\nThe CV and PCC made their amends in January, choosing the northern state of Ceará as the base for anti-Bolsonaro activities. In January, the gang members joined a third gang, the State Guardians (GDE), and flooded Ceará, spray-painting the message of their truce on city walls and urging imprisoned gang members to cooperate: “My brothers and sisters, we humbly ask you to understand that if any leadership, CCP or CV arrives in our prisons, that the brothers welcome them, give them water, food, toothbrushes, clothes, and sheets.”\n\nThe graffiti also commanded gang members to “set off general terror, set fire to banks, post offices, police stations, and overturn bridges and overpasses,” which the criminals obliged.\n\nThe truce has not stopped inmates from staging attacks on each other, though it has largely taken the PCC out of the war. The most recent riot before Monday’s, occurring in May, featured rival members of the same gang: the FDN, which has ties to the CV.", "At least 52 people have been killed in a prison riot in Brazil which saw rival gangs battle for five hours, officials say.\n\nGang members from one prison block invaded another part of Altamira jail in Pará state, local media reported.\n\nOfficials giving a news conference said 16 of the dead were decapitated. Other reports said part of the prison was set on fire, suffocating many.\n\nTwo prison officers who were taken hostage have since been freed.\n\nThe violence began at around 07:00 local time (10:00 GMT), and ended at around noon, officials said.\n\nVideo reported to be from the prison carried by Brazilian media showed smoke billowing from at least one prison building, while another clip appeared to show inmates walking around on the rooftops.\n\nThe two rival gangs involved have not been named by authorities.\n\nViolence in Brazilian prisons is not uncommon. The country has the world’s third-largest prison population of some 700,000 people, and overcrowding is a widespread problem.\n\nClashes between rival gangs are frequent, as are riots.\n\nIn May, 40 people were killed on the same day in four different prisons in Manaus in Amazonas state – a day after 15 died in prison fights in the area.", "At least 52 inmates died, 16 of whom were decapitated, in a prison riot that broke out on Monday morning in the northern Brazilian state of Para - the latest in a series of deadly clashes.\n\nAuthorities said the riot involved rival criminal gangs who took at least two penitentiary officers hostage as they battled one another.\n\nAs Brazil’s incarcerated population has surged eight-fold in three decades to around 750,000 inmates - the world’s third-highest tally - its prison gangs have come to wield vast power that reaches far beyond prison walls.\n\nBrazil's far-right President Jair Bolsonaro has said he wants to impose tighter controls in the country's prisons, as well as building many more of them.\n\nBolsonaro's ability to curtail violence, however, may be limited as most prisons are controlled at the state level.\n\nIn January 2017, nearly 150 prisoners died during three weeks of violence across several Brazilian prisons as local gangs backed by Brazil's two largest drug factions attacked one another.\n\nIn May, at least 15 inmates were found dead, choked to death or stabbed with toothbrushes, in the city of Manaus.", "SAO PAULO — At least 52 inmates died, with 16 decapitated, in a prison riot on Monday in the northern Brazilian state of Para, the state’s prison authority said, underlining the struggle Brazil’s far-right government faces to restore order in the country’s jails.\n\nState authorities said the riot began around 7am on Monday in a prison in the city of Altamira, and involved rival criminal gangs who took at least two penitentiary officers hostage as they battled one another.\n\nVideos circulating online showed inmates celebrating as they kicked decapitated heads across the floor. Reuters was unable to independently verify the footage.\n\nElected on a tough-on-crime message, far-right President Jair Bolsonaro has benefited from a sharp drop in homicides this year. Nonetheless, endemic prison violence serves as a reminder of the ongoing public security challenges he faces in one of the world’s most violent countries.\n\nThe grisly riot is the latest deadly prison attack this year. At least 55 inmates died in May during an attack in a lockup in the northern state of Amazonas. In 2017, weeks of violence in Amazonas resulted in 150 prison deaths as local gangs backed by Brazil’s two largest drug factions went to war.\n\nAs Brazil’s incarcerated population has surged eight-fold in three decades to around 750,000 inmates, the world’s third-highest tally, its prison gangs have come to wield vast power that reaches far beyond prison walls.\n\nOriginally formed to protect inmates and advocate for better conditions, Brazil’s prison gangs are now involved in bank heists, drug trafficking and gun-running, with jailed kingpins presiding over their empires via smuggled cellphones.\n\nIn the violent northeast, prison gangs have grown powerful moving cocaine from Colombia and Peru along the Amazon’s waterways to the Atlantic coast, where it heads to Africa and Europe. Murderous disputes often arise as they clash over territorial control.\n\nBolsonaro’s government has proposed moving powerful incarcerated drug lords to federal lockups, and building more prisons at the state level. However, with the vast majority of prisons run by Brazil’s overstretched state governments, Bolsonaro is limited on what he can achieve from Brasilia.\n\nIn February, Justice Minister Sergio Moro unveiled his signature crime-fighting bill, which includes proposals to toughen prison sentences and isolate gang leaders in maximum-security lockups.\n\nThat bill, however, has struggled in Congress, with the government prioritizing its pension reform bill. (Reporting by Marcelo Rochabrun and Eduardo Simoes; Editing by Gabriel Stargardter, Christian Plumb and Dan Grebler)"], "summary": "At least 62 people are killed, including sixteen who were beheaded, during prison riots in Pará, Brazil, which saw rival gangs battle for five hours."}
{"document": ["CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Sunday said two former FARC commanders from neighboring Colombia whose whereabouts are unknown were “welcome in Venezuela,” a statement likely to fuel criticism that he is providing a safe haven for armed groups.\n\nVenezuela's President Nicolas Maduro speaks at a meeting of the Sao Paulo Forum in Caracas, Venezuela, July 28, 2019. REUTERS/Manaure Quintero\n\nSpeaking alongside Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel at the closing ceremony of the Sao Paulo Forum, a gathering of regional leftist politicians and activists, Maduro called Ivan Marquez and Jesus Santrich “leaders of peace.”\n\nSantrich and Marquez - the war aliases used by Seuxis Paucias Hernandez and Luciano Marin, respectively - both joined the FARC’s political party after the leftist rebel group demobilized under a 2016 peace deal that ended decades of civil war.\n\nBut Marquez went missing last year after his nephew was arrested and taken to the United States to cooperate with drug-trafficking investigators. And earlier this month, Colombia’s Supreme Court ordered Santrich’s arrest after he failed to appear for questioning about U.S. drug-trafficking charges.\n\nColombian President Ivan Duque later suggested Santrich may have fled to Venezuela. Maduro said he had learned of Santrich’s possible presence in Venezuela from Duque’s statement.\n\n“They had announced that Ivan Marquez and Jesus Santrich were coming, and I was left waiting,” Maduro said. “Ivan Marquez and Jesus Santrich are welcome in Venezuela and at the Sao Paulo Forum, the two of them are leaders of peace.”\n\nColombian authorities believe dissident FARC rebels and fighters for leftist rebel National Liberation Army (ELN) are hiding in Venezuela and receiving protection from Maduro, according to a military intelligence report seen by Reuters. Maduro’s government has denied protecting Colombian rebels.\n\nTensions between the neighboring countries have worsened since Duque joined the United States and most Latin American countries in recognizing Juan Guaido, president of the opposition-controlled National Assembly, as the rightful leader, arguing Maduro’s 2018 re-election was illegitimate.\n\nMaduro, who calls Guaido a U.S. puppet seeking to oust him in a coup, broke off diplomatic relations with Bogota in February after Guaido’s failed attempt to bring humanitarian aid into Venezuela through the Colombian border.\n\nMaduro also said that two other FARC leaders, Timochenko and Pablo Catatumbo, were welcome in Venezuela.", "CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Sunday said two former FARC commanders from neighboring Colombia whose whereabouts are unknown were “welcome in Venezuela,” a statement likely to fuel criticism that he is providing a safe haven for armed groups.\n\nSpeaking alongside Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel at the closing ceremony of the Sao Paulo Forum, a gathering of regional leftist politicians and activists, Maduro called Ivan Marquez and Jesus Santrich “leaders of peace.”\n\nSantrich and Marquez – the war aliases used by Seuxis Paucias Hernandez and Luciano Marin, respectively – both joined the FARC’s political party after the leftist rebel group demobilized under a 2016 peace deal that ended decades of civil war.\n\nBut Marquez went missing last year after his nephew was arrested and taken to the United States to cooperate with drug-trafficking investigators. And earlier this month, Colombia’s Supreme Court ordered Santrich’s arrest after he failed to appear for questioning about U.S. drug-trafficking charges.\n\nColombian President Ivan Duque later suggested Santrich may have fled to Venezuela. Maduro said he had learned of Santrich’s possible presence in Venezuela from Duque’s statement.\n\n“They had announced that Ivan Marquez and Jesus Santrich were coming, and I was left waiting,” Maduro said. “Ivan Marquez and Jesus Santrich are welcome in Venezuela and at the Sao Paulo Forum, the two of them are leaders of peace.”\n\nColombian authorities believe dissident FARC rebels and fighters for leftist rebel National Liberation Army (ELN) are hiding in Venezuela and receiving protection from Maduro, according to a military intelligence report seen by Reuters. Maduro’s government has denied protecting Colombian rebels.\n\nTensions between the neighboring countries have worsened since Duque joined the United States and most Latin American countries in recognizing Juan Guaido, president of the opposition-controlled National Assembly, as the rightful leader, arguing Maduro’s 2018 re-election was illegitimate.\n\nMaduro, who calls Guaido a U.S. puppet seeking to oust him in a coup, broke off diplomatic relations with Bogota in February after Guaido’s failed attempt to bring humanitarian aid into Venezuela through the Colombian border.\n\nMaduro also said that two other FARC leaders, Timochenko and Pablo Catatumbo, were welcome in Venezuela.", "Venezuela’s disputed President Nicolas Maduro said Sunday that he expected missing FARC leaders to attend a public event in the capital Caracas on Sunday, but never came.\n\nMaduro made his comments at the end of the Sao Paulo Forum, an annual summit of leftist parties and groups that was held in the Venezuelan capital this year.\n\n“They told me ‘Ivan Marquez‘ and ‘Jesus Santrich‘ were going to come, but I was left waiting,” the authoritarian leader said.\n\nSantrich became an international fugitive last month after he surprisingly disappeared and failed to appear before the Supreme Court to defend himself against a vague US drug trafficking charge.\n\nEvading justice or death? Colombia’s former rebel leaders in hiding\n\nMarquez went off the grid last year already, but is a free man until Colombia’s war crimes tribunal establishes he is in violation of the 2016 peace deal between the former guerrilla group and former President Juan Manuel Santos.\n\nLeaving Colombia’s national territory would be such a violation, but Maduro said that both Santrich and Marquez “are welcome” to his country “whenever they want.”\n\nThe Venezuelan president’s comments contradict those of his Colombian counterpart, Ivan Duque, who earlier this month claimed that he “believed” the two FARC leaders were in Venezuela under the protection of Maduro’s “dictatorship.”\n\nDuque, whose far-right party fiercely opposes the peace process, is the ideological opposite of of the radically left-wing Maduro. Both leaders share authoritarian tendencies and have been accused that their power is enforced by violent paramilitary groups.\n\nThe apparent no show of the former guerrilla leaders in Caracas maintains the uncertainty about their whereabouts, or whether they are alive or dead.", "Colombian President Ivan Duque accused his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolas Maduro Monday of committing an act of \"stupidity\" by offering refuge to two of his country's former left-wing guerrilla leaders.\n\nMaduro angered Duque on Sunday when he said that missing Colombian former FARC rebels Ivan Marquez and Jesus Santrich were \"welcome\" in Venezuela and that he considered them \"leaders of peace.\"\n\nBogota has long accused Caracas of harboring guerrillas and drug-traffickers, a charge the Venezuelan authorities deny.\n\nMarquez, whose whereabouts are unknown, was the chief negotiator for the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in the historic December 2016 peace accord that ended a half century of armed conflict with the communist rebels.\n\nSantrich disappeared earlier this month after failing to show up in court to testify about an alleged attempt to sell cocaine.\n\nThe Colombian Supreme Court has issued an arrest warrant for Santrich and the government has offered an almost $1 million reward for information that leads to his capture.\n\nThe country hopes to extradite him to the United States where he is wanted for drug trafficking.\n\n\"Once again he (Maduro) has committed an act of stupidity by continuing to protect terrorism,\" Duque, who is on a state visit to China, said in a presidential statement.\n\nBoth Marquez and Santrich, whose real name is Seuxis Paucias Hernandez, were due to take up seats in parliament in July 2018.\n\nMarquez refused to take his seat, accusing the government of Duque's predecessor, Juan Manuel Santos, who signed the accord, of \"betrayal\" for making changes to the agreement.\n\nSantrich was unable to take his seat while in prison, but after his release finally took the oath last month before then going into hiding.\n\nDuque, who took office last August, was elected on a promise to modify the peace accord, which he considers too lenient to ex-fighters guilty of serious crimes.\n\nCaracas broke off diplomatic relations with Colombia in February over Duque's support for Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido.", "BOGOTA: Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has turned his country into a terrorist sanctuary and committed the grave error of protecting guerrilla groups and drug traffickers, Colombian President Ivan Duque said on Monday, as tensions between the neighbouring countries escalated once again.\n\nThe comments came after Maduro said on Sunday that two missing former Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) commanders sought by Colombian judicial authorities were “welcome in Venezuela.” Tensions have worsened since Duque joined the United States and most Latin American countries in recognising Juan Guaido, president of Venezuela’s opposition-controlled National Assembly, as the country’s rightful leader, arguing that Maduro’s 2018 re-election was illegitimate.\n\n“What we are seeing is that not only has [Maduro] harboured Colombian terrorists for many years, but he ratifies more and more that Venezuela is a sanctuary for terrorists and drug traffickers,” Duque said in Shanghai, China, where he is on an official visit.\n\nMaduro said over the weekend that Seuxis Paucias Hernandez and Luciano Marin, known respectively by their nom de guerres Jesus Santrich and Ivan Marquez, were “leaders of peace.” Santrich and Marquez both joined the FARC’s political party after the leftist rebel group demobilised under a 2016 peace deal that ended decades of civil war. They were set to serve in congressional seats reserved for the group.\n\nBut Marquez went missing last year after his nephew was arrested and taken to the United States to cooperate with drug-trafficking investigators.\n\nEarlier this month Colombia’s Supreme Court ordered Santrich’s arrest after he failed to appear for questioning about US drug-trafficking charges.\n\n“There is not one doubt that Santrich is protected by that dictatorial regime,” Duque said of Venezuela. “This is one more motivation to keep strengthening the diplomatic blockade.”\n\nDuque has repeatedly said Santrich might have fled to Venezuela. Maduro said on Sunday he had learned of Santrich’s possible presence in Venezuela from Duque’s statement.\n\nColombian authorities believe dissident FARC rebels, who did not demobilise under the peace accord, and fighters for the leftist National Liberation Army (ELN) rebel group hide in Venezuela and receive protection from Maduro. Maduro’s government has denied protecting rebels.\n\nMaduro, who calls Guaido a US puppet seeking to oust him in a coup, broke off diplomatic relations with Bogota in February after Guaido’s failed attempt to bring humanitarian aid into Venezuela via the Colombian border.", "The embattled leader invited two senior figures of FARC – also known as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – to his country. Speaking alongside Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel at a socialist forum, Mr Maduro called Ivan Marquez and Jesus Santrich “leaders of peace\". The two former commanders went missing after being accused of drug-trafficking charges in the US – and Venezuela may risk a furious response from Washington as well as Colombia if they are found in the country.\n\nColombia President Ivan Duque claimed two weeks ago without evidence that three missing FARC leaders were in Venezuela under Mr Maduro’s protection. He added: “I believe that Jesus Santrich is being protected in Venezuela. “He did not present himself when he was summoned by justice and, because of the proximity of that place where he was, he quite surely is in Venezuela today with the protection of the government. “Over there in Venezuela are Ivan Marquez, El Paisa, Romaña and they are not playing with dolls over there, they are protected by the dictatorship of Nicolas Maduro.”\n\nHowever, Mr Maduro claimed his innocence with a jibe at his Colombian counterpart. He said: “They had announced that Ivan Marquez and Jesus Santrich were coming, and I was left waiting. “Ivan Marquez and Jesus Santrich are welcome in Venezuela and at the Sao Paulo Forum, the two of them are leaders of peace.” He also claimed that two other FARC leaders, Timochenko and Pablo Catatumbo, were welcome. This is not the first time that the two nations have clashed over the alleged harbouring of FARC personnel, though. Until 2016, FARC was a guerilla movement which took on the Colombian state and right-wing paramilitary groups. It aimed to seize power through armed revolution until 2016, when it demobilised and became a political party instead.\n\nDuring their time as a military operation, however, they received great support from Mr Maduro’s predecessor, Hugo Chavez. The infamous 2008 ‘FARC files’ revealed that Mr Chavez was actively permitting safe havens for militants. It has led the Colombian state to believe that FARC dissidents who refused to demobilise are now taking refuge in neighbouring Venezuela. The US, who actively supported the Colombian state against FARC with millions in aid, may also condemn Mr Maduro’s words – and could use them as an excuse to impose more sanctions or take even more drastic action.", "\"The basic terms to build the Colombia each person wants are in that agreement, to work for it in peace, not violence.\"\n\nRodrigo “Timochenko” Londoño, the leader of the demobilized Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrilla group, said in an interview with EFE that one economic power sector was blocking the peace achieved after half a century of war in Colombia.\n\nDespite signing the peace agreement on Nov. 24, 2016, he said it did not achieve \"a complete peace and, unfortunately, there still remains a sector of this country’s ruling class that wants to prevent the words from being heard and that still uses violence as a way of resolving conflicts.\"\n\nBecause of economic inerests at stake, this small sector represented by current President Duque, opposes the agreements and reconciliation, he added.\n\nAsked if he thought Duque would completely empty the agreement of sense, he responded: \"Let him listen to the demands of the people, let him accept an agreement that an insurgent group like the FARC made with the Colombian state.\"\n\n\"An agreement that the majority of Colombians have accepted as their own,\" he insisted.\n\nAbout the poor results of the FARC party in the recent Senate elections, he admitted that it was \"a political mistake\" to launch the election campaignt they did, amid \"extremely complex conditions:\" \"We’re newborns in open politics, we’re learning.\"\n\nTimochenko expressed the FARC's aspitation to create a bloc or become part of an alternative bloc that has leftist forces, center-left or green, saying it has \"not been easy.\"\n\nHe advocated for \"dialogue and mobilization\" as a response to the at least 140 former combatants that have been murdered since the signing of the peace agreement, as well as social leaders.", "Rodrigo \"Timochenko\" Londoño, the leader of the demobilized Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrilla group, said in an interview with EFE that one economic power sector was blocking the peace achieved after half a century of war in Colombia.\n\nQ: At the signing of the peace agreement on Nov. 24, 2016, you said \"that words will be the only weapon of Colombians.\" What is your view today?", "Missing FARC leader “Jesus Santrich” on Monday failed to show up at Colombia’s war crimes tribunal that wanted to hear about his role in the mass kidnapping of civilians.\n\nThe former guerrilla leader has been missing for almost two months. He became a fugitive earlier this month after he missed a hearing at the Supreme Court.\n\nThe Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) is now considering the possible consequences for the former guerrilla leader who was sworn in as the FARC’s faction chief in the House of Representatives shortly before his disappearance.\n\nThe JEP ruled in May that Santrich is shielded from extradition, but has the authority to withdraw this judicial benefit and can even expel him from the peace process of which the court is part.\n\nThe court has not done this before, but has stripped former mid-level commander “El Paisa” from the benefit he doesn’t have to go to prison over war crimes.\n\nSantrich in one of two top commanders who have gone underground together with about 10 mid-level commanders since the peace process began in late 2016.\n\nEvading justice or death? Colombia’s former rebel leaders in hiding\n\nThese FARC members have lost faith in the peace process that has been marred by irregularities and state failures to comply.\n\nThey are, however, a small minority of the 13,000 former guerrillas and militia members who signed up for the peace process that seeks to end more than half a century of armed conflict.\n\nThe JEP is trying to keep as many former FARC commanders and guerrillas inside the process in its attempt to provide as much justice as possible for Colombia’s 8.5 million conflict victims.\n\nThe kidnapping case against Santrich, for example, ought to contribute to the clarification of what happened to approximately 40,000 people who were kidnapped during the conflict, but never returned from captivity.", "CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Wednesday blamed the United States for a second widespread blackout this year that cast most of the South American nation in darkness amid an opposition campaign to overthrow him.\n\nCuban officials, meanwhile, underscored that their support for Maduro is unwavering, saying U.S. attempts have failed to divide the communist island from the ideologically aligned Venezuelan leader.\n\nThe most recent power outage hit Venezuela at rush hour Monday, leaving millions without basic services such as cellphone service, lights and running water while freezing Caracas’ subway and snarling traffic.\n\nMaduro said the U.S. launched a “high-tech electromagnetic attack” to undermine his rule, but he gave no details or evidence linking the power failure to the United States.\n\n“They have not been able, nor will they be able to with the unity, loyalty and cohesion of the Venezuelan armed force, which is making them desperate,” Maduro said.\n\nHe spoke on state TV surrounded by the high military command at the Fuerte Tiuna military base in Caracas overseeing the start to military exercises.\n\nMaduro’s opponents blame the outages on corruption and inadequate maintenance under two decades of socialist rule first launched by the late President Hugo Chavez.\n\nVenezuela is a once-wealthy oil nation that is caught in a historic political and economic crisis that has sent at least four million residents fleeing, driven by a lack of food and medicine.\n\nElectrical power returned to Caracas and several states hours after the most recent failure. Maduro in March also blamed U.S. sabotage for a nationwide blackout lasting nearly a week, considered the nation’s worst power failure in its history.\n\nTensions between Venezuela and the United States intensified this year when it was first among dozens of nations to announce its support of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó.\n\nGuaidó in January declared Maduro’s last election a fraud and cited his role as leader of the National Assembly as giving him powers to oust Maduro and hold new elections. Guaido then in April led a failed military uprising.\n\nVenezuelan officials also say the U.S. twice within the last week has sent a spy plane into its airspace. In one case, a Venezuelan fighter jet intercepted it, which U.S. officials say put the plane’s crew in danger and threating its mission conducted while flying in international airspace.\n\nCuba said the U.S. plan to overthrow Maduro is a failure and Cuba is unshaken in its support for the Venezuelan leader. The U.S. has been imposing new sanctions on Cuba with the stated purpose of forcing the Communist island to cut back its support for Maduro.\n\nU.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo “is trying to disguise the failure of the U.S. plan to intervene in Venezuela with slander and unbelievable excuses,” Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said Wednesday after meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. “Cuba’s cooperation with the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela is unshaken.”\n\nCopyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed."], "summary": "After two FARC leaders go into hiding from drug trafficking charges in Colombia and the United States, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro makes a public statement saying they are welcome to take refuge in his country. He also welcomes other FARC rebels to Venezuela, calling them \"leaders of peace\"."}
{"document": ["Riot police stand behind shields as they face off protesters in Yuen Long district in Hong Kong on Saturday, July 27, 2019. Police in Hong Kong used tear gas against protesters Saturday who defied authorities’ warnings not to march in a neighborhood where six days earlier a mob apparently targeting demonstrators brutally attacked people in a commuter rail station. (AP Photo/Bobby Yip)\n\nHONG KONG (AP) — Police repeatedly fired tear gas and rubber bullets to drive back protesters blocking Hong Kong streets with road signs and umbrellas Sunday in another night of pitched battles as protests for democracy in the Chinese territory escalate.\n\nIt was the second night in a row that tear gas was used against protesters. Their demonstrations began early last month in opposition to an extradition bill that has since been suspended, but the movement has become a broader push for full democracy.\n\nProtesters occupied two areas at opposite ends of central Hong Kong on Sunday following a midafternoon rally against police use of tear gas at a demonstration the previous weekend.\n\nOn the western end of Hong Kong Island, one group blocked areas near the Chinese government’s liaison office and began to move forward as night fell. Police issued warnings, and protesters threw eggs at them. Officers fired tear gas to halt the advance.\n\nPolice then embarked on an hourslong effort to push the protesters eastward and get them to disperse.\n\nIn repeated standoffs, spontaneous but highly organized protesters set up behind scaffolding that they built across a street. Police lined up behind clear shields about 30 meters (100 feet) down the road. Dozens of journalists in bright yellow vests stood on the sidelines between the groups.\n\nThe police would advance gradually, firing bursts of tear gas. Protesters in hard hats scurried about, rearranging makeshift barriers of pilfered road signs and other items. By the time the police reached the scaffolding, they had backed off about 6 meters (20 feet).\n\nAnother team of officers, more mobile with smaller shields, then swept in to clear the area. Local media reported some protesters were detained.\n\nFor more than seven weeks, protesters have taken to Hong Kong streets, initially to demand the scrapping of a proposed extradition law that would send suspects to mainland China to face trials. The legislation is seen as a threat to Hong Kong’s freedoms that were guaranteed for 50 years when China took back control of the former British colony in 1997.\n\nThe bill was eventually suspended, but the protesters then called for the resignation of the city’s leader and an investigation into whether police have used excessive force in quelling the protests.\n\nUnderlying the movement is a push for full democracy in the city, whose leader is chosen by a committee dominated by a pro-Beijing establishment, rather than by direct elections.\n\nEarlier Sunday, protesters rallied at a park in Hong Kong’s financial district before marching out in several directions despite not winning police approval for a public procession. It was the second straight day that protesters took to the streets without official permission.\n\nA sea of black-shirted protesters, some with bright yellow helmets and masks but many with just backpacks, streamed out of Chater Garden park. Chanting “Add oil,” a phrase that roughly means “Keep up the fight,” a huge crowd marched east down a wide thoroughfare.\n\nThey stopped near the Sogo department store and set up barricades to block off the area and defend it against police.\n\nAnother group headed west toward mainland China’s liaison office. Protesters egged the office last weekend and splattered black ink on the national emblem, eliciting an angry reaction from the Chinese government.\n\nSome stopped about two blocks short of the office and used orange and white construction barricades to build a wall spanning a major road. They massed behind the barriers as night fell, with umbrellas pointed forward to shield their identities and ward off any police move to clear them.\n\nSome nearby stores shuttered early as police in riot gear gathered nearby ahead of the all but inevitable clearing operation.\n\nThe rally in Chater Garden was called to protest the police use of tear gas, rubber bullets and other force to break up a protest the previous Sunday.\n\n“We need to have a protest to show that we are strongly against this kind of brutality and we need them to respond to our demands,” said rally organizer Ventus Lau.\n\nPolice had denied Lau’s request to march west to the Sheung Wan district, where the tear gas was used the previous weekend, citing escalating violence in clashes with protesters that have broken out after past marches and rallies.\n\n“The police must prevent aggressive protesters from exploiting a peaceful procession to cause troubles and violent clashes,” said Superintendent Louis Lau of the police public relations branch.\n\nOn Saturday, police fired tear gas and rubber bullets as demonstrators threw bricks and other objects and ducked behind makeshift shields at a march in an outlying district toward the border with mainland China.\n\nPolice had also denied permission for that protest in Yuen Long, where a mob apparently targeting demonstrators had beaten people brutally in a train station the previous weekend.\n\nPolice wearing helmets charged into the same train station, where a few hundred protesters had taken refuge from the tear gas. Some officers swung their batons at demonstrators, while others appeared to be urging their colleagues to hang back. For the second week in a row, blood was splattered on the station floor.\n\nPolice arrested 13 people, including march organizer Max Chung, for offenses including unlawful assembly, possession of offensive weapon and assault, according to police and Hong Kong media. At least four officers were injured.\n\nThe Hospital Authority said 24 people were taken to five hospitals. As of Sunday morning, eight remained hospitalized, two in serious condition.\n\nAmnesty International, the human rights group, called the police response heavy-handed and unacceptable.\n\n“While police must be able to defend themselves, there were repeated instances today where police officers were the aggressors,” Man-kei Tam, the director of Amnesty International Hong Kong, said in a statement.\n\nPolice said they had to use what they termed “appropriate force” because of the bricks and other objects thrown at them, including glass bottles with a suspected corrosive fluid inside.\n\nAssociated Press writer Ken Moritsugu in Beijing contributed to this report.", "Hong Kong: Hundreds of Hong Kong protesters blocked train services during the early morning rush hour on Tuesday, causing commuter chaos in the latest anti-government campaign to roil the former British colony.\n\nWhat started three months ago as rallies against an extradition bill that would have allowed people in Hong Kong to be sent to mainland China for trial, has now morphed into a wider backlash against the city's government and its political masters in Beijing.\n\nProtests have occurred almost daily, sometimes with little notice, disrupting business, piling pressure on Hong Kong's beleaguered government and stretching the city's police force, which some have accused of using excessive force.\n\nActivists blocked train doors, playing havoc with services and forcing hundreds of people to stream out of railway stations in search of alternative transport.\n\n\"We don't know how long we are going to stay here, we don't have a leader, as you can see this is a mass movement now,\" said Sharon, a 21-year-old masked protester who declined to give her full name. \"It's not our intention to inconvenience people, but we have to make the authorities understand why we protest. We will continue with this as long as need.\"\n\nOthers chanted, \"Liberate Hong Kong,\" and \"Revolution of our Time\".\n\nBy mid-morning commuters were crammed into stations across the city, waiting to board trains that were badly delayed, with no service on some lines.\n\nRail operator MTR Corp said urged people to seek other forms of transport, while public broadcaster RTHK reported that Transport Secretary Frank Chan had called on protesters to stop targetting a rail network that provided transport to five million people daily.\n\nHong Kong, which returned to China in 1997, is embroiled in its worst political crisis for decades after two months of increasingly violent protests that have posed one of the gravest populist challenges to Communist Party rulers in Beijing.\n\nChina on Monday reiterated its support for Hong Kong's embattled leader, Carrie Lam, and its police and urged Hong Kong people to oppose violence.\n\nThe latest protest follows a demonstration at the Chinese-ruled city's international airport on Friday and violent protests at the weekend when activists clashed with police who fired rubber bullets, tear gas and sponge grenades - a crowd-control weapon.\n\nSome scuffles broke out between commuters and protesters, who gradually began to disperse, while more police were deployed in train stations, where they stopped protesters to search their bags.\n\nCommuters grew increasingly frustrated over the travel disruption, and shops, including bakeries and convenience stores, had also begun to close.\n\n\"It's so inconvenient and annoying, really. I am in hurry to work, to make a living. Will you give away your salary to me?\" said a 64-year-old man surnamed Liu.\n\nOthers were more supportive, refusing to blame the protesters.\n\n\"This non cooperation movement is caused by Carrie Lam. She doesn't cooperate with the people of Hong Kong or respond to their demands,\" Jason Lo, 31, told Reuters as he waited for a train.", "BEIJING/HONG KONG, July 29 (Reuters) - China reiterated on Monday its support for Hong Kong's leader, Carrie Lam, and its police, and called on Hong Kong people to oppose violence following another weekend of clashes between protesters and police in the city.\n\nHong Kong bore the scars on Monday of its eighth straight weekend of violent protests, with hard hats, umbrellas and water bottles littering some central streets.\n\nThe protests have at times paralysed parts of the financial district, shut government offices and disrupted business operations across the city. Officials have also warned about the impact of the unrest on Hong Kong's economy.\n\nBeijing has stood by the city's leader Lam, and the Chinese government's Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, which has cabinet-level authority over the former British colony, reiterated that support at a news conference in Beijing.\n\n\"The central government firmly supports Carrie Lam leading the Hong Kong government's administration according to law, firmly supports the Hong Kong police strictly enforcing rule of law,\" Yang Guang, a spokesman for the office, told the news conference.\n\n\"We especially appreciate and empathize with Hong Kong police forces and their families for the huge pressure they are bearing,\" he said.\n\nThe most important thing was for Hong Kong to handle the unrest according to the law, Yang said, blaming \"irresponsible people\" in the West for stirring up trouble in a bid to \"contain China's development\".\n\nSuch efforts would fail, he said.\n\nThe briefing was the first held by the office specifically to address the Hong Kong protests, and a moderator at times chided journalists who shouted out questions, telling them not to interrupt.\n\nYang, asked under what conditions the People's Liberation Army (PLA) could intervene, referred, as other officials have done, to Hong Kong's mini constitution, known as the Basic Law, which states that the Hong Kong government can ask the PLA garrison in the city to help maintain order.\n\nYang said Hong Kong's government and society needed to find more effective ways to help young people address concerns over housing, employment and other issues, although officials did not announce any specific measures to address the unrest.\n\nThe protests are the most serious political crisis in Hong Kong since it returned to China 22 years ago. They also pose the greatest popular challenge to Chinese leader Xi Jinping since he came to power in 2012.\n\nHong Kong returned from British to Chinese rule in 1997 under a \"one country, two systems\" formula that promised wide-ranging freedoms denied to citizens in mainland China.\n\nMany fear Beijing is increasingly chipping away at those freedoms.\n\nThe past weekend saw more clashes between protesters and police, who again fired rubber bullets and tear gas as the demonstrations grow increasingly violent.\n\nPolice sought to defend China's main representative office in Hong Kong from protesters on Sunday for the second consecutive weekend, with the building near the heart of the city fortified with barricades.\n\nPolice said they had arrested at least 49 people over Sunday's protests for offences including unauthorised assembly and possession of offensive weapons.\n\nWhat began as a movement to oppose the extradition law has taken on broader demands. They include Lam's resignation, calls for full democracy, and an independent inquiry into what some say has been excessive force used by police against protesters.\n\nLam has refused to accede to any of the demands.\n\nThe American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong said on Monday that, according to a recent survey, international businesses were pessimistic about the short-term prospects for the city due to escalating violence and political deadlock.\n\nRespondents reported a deepening perception within their companies and among overseas customers that Hong Kong had become less safe and a riskier place in which to conduct business, it said.\n\nA series of protests are planned over coming weeks and the outlook is increasingly uncertain.\n\nLabour Party lawmaker Fernando Cheung, who has tried to mediate between activists and police, told Reuters Lam needed to heed demands to withdraw the extradition bill and set up an independent commission, among other requests.\n\n\"Short of that, we would only be spiralling down towards even more violence, death, a curfew and even PLA interference,\" Cheung said.", "Hong Kong has been wracked by protests for seven weeks,\n\nA protester throws a tear gas canister which was fired by riot police during a protest in Hong Kong, Sunday, July 28, 2019. Police fired tear gas at protesters in Hong Kong on Sunday for the second night in a row in another escalation of weeks-long pro-democracy protests in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory. (Ring Yu/HK01 via AP)\n\nPolice fired tear gas at protesters in Hong Kong on Sunday for the second night in a row in another escalation of weeks-long pro-democracy protests in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory.\n\nProtesters occupied two areas at opposite ends of central Hong Kong following a mid-afternoon rally against police use of tear gas the previous Sunday.\n\nAs night fell, one group that had blocked a road near the Chinese government’s liaison office began to move forward. The police issued warnings, and protesters were seen throwing eggs at them. Officers fired tear gas to halt the advance.\n\nProtesters had rallied earlier at a park in Hong Kong’s financial district before marching out in several directions despite not winning police approval for a public procession. It was the second straight day that protesters took to the streets without official permission.\n\nA sea of black-shirted protesters, some with bright yellow helmets and masks but many with just backpacks, streamed out of Chater Garden park. Chanting “Add oil,” a phrase that roughly means “Keep up the fight,” a huge crowd marched east down a wide thoroughfare in what has become a summer of protest in the city.\n\nThey stopped near the Sogo department store and set up barricades to block off the area and defend it against police.\n\nAnother group headed west toward mainland China’s liaison office. Protesters egged the office last weekend and splattered black ink on the national emblem, eliciting an angry reaction from the Chinese government.\n\nThey stopped about two blocks short of the office and used orange and white construction barricades to build a wall spanning a major road. They massed behind the barriers as night fell, with umbrellas pointed forward to shield their identities and ward off any police move to clear them.\n\nSome nearby stores shuttered early as police in riot gear gathered nearby ahead of the all but inevitable clearing operation.\n\nHong Kong has been wracked by protests for seven weeks, as opposition to an extradition bill has morphed into demands for the resignation of the city’s leader and an investigation into whether police have used excessive force in quelling the protests.\n\nUnderlying the movement is a broader push for full democracy in the territory. The city’s leader is chosen by a committee dominated by a pro-Beijing establishment, rather than by direct elections.\n\nThe rally in Chater Garden was called to protest the police use of tear gas, rubber bullets and other force to break up a protest the previous Sunday.\n\n“We need to have a protest to show that we are strongly against this kind of brutality and we need them to respond to our demands,” said rally organizer Ventus Lau.\n\nPolice had denied Lau’s request to march west to the Sheung Wan district, where the tear gas was used the previous weekend, citing escalating violence in clashes with protesters that have broken out after past marches and rallies.\n\n“The police must prevent aggressive protesters from exploiting a peaceful procession to cause troubles and violent clashes,” said Superintendent Louis Lau of the police public relations branch.\n\nOn Saturday, clashes between protesters and police led to 11 arrests and left at least two dozen injured in an outlying district toward the border with mainland China.\n\nThe police had also denied permission for that march in Yuen Long, where a mob apparently targeting demonstrators had beaten people brutally in a train station the previous weekend.\n\nProtesters and police faced off in the streets well into the night, as they’ve done repeatedly during the summer’s pro-democracy protests.\n\nPolice said protesters removed fences from roads to make their own roadblocks and charged police lines with metal poles. One group surrounded and vandalized a police vehicle, causing danger to officers on board, a police statement said.\n\nOfficers fired tear gas and rubber bullets as demonstrators threw bricks and other objects and ducked behind makeshift shields.\n\nLater, police wearing helmets charged into the train station, where a few hundred protesters had taken refuge from the tear gas. Some officers swung their batons at demonstrators, while others appeared to be urging their colleagues to hang back. For the second week in a row, blood was splattered on the station floor.\n\nPolice arrested 13 people, including march organizer Max Chung, for offences including unlawful assembly, possession of offensive weapon and assault, according to police and Hong Kong media. At least four officers were injured.\n\nThe Hospital Authority said 24 people were taken to five hospitals. As of Sunday morning, eight remained hospitalized, two in serious condition.\n\nAmnesty International, the human rights group, called the police response heavy-handed and unacceptable.\n\n“While police must be able to defend themselves, there were repeated instances today where police officers were the aggressors,” Man-kei Tam, the director of Amnesty International Hong Kong, said in a statement.\n\nPolice said they had to use what they termed “appropriate force” because of the bricks and other objects thrown at them, including glass bottles with a suspected corrosive fluid inside.\n\nAssociated Press writer Ken Moritsugu in Beijing contributed to this report.\n\nKatie Tam And Chanwoo Bang, The Associated Press\n\nLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.", "Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The BBC's Nick Beake described the \"chaos\" on the streets over the weekend\n\nChina has condemned the recent anti-government protests in Hong Kong as \"horrendous incidents\" that have caused \"serious damage to the rule of law\".\n\nA spokeswoman for China's top policy office on Hong Kong insisted that the territory's \"top priority\" was to \"restore social order\".\n\nThe comments marked a rare intervention by the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office [HKMAO].\n\nThe city has seen eight consecutive weekends of anti-government protests.\n\nThere were violent clashes on Sunday as police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters. Barricades were also erected at several different locations in the city.\n\nAlthough authorities in Beijing have condemned the protests and reiterated their support for Hong Kong's leader Carrie Lam on several occasions, Monday's intervention is widely seen as conveying the official views of China's top leadership on the civil unrest for the first time.\n\nWhat did China say?\n\nA spokesman for the HKMAO, Yang Guang, condemned what he called the \"evil and criminal acts committed by the radical elements\" in Hong Kong.\n\n\"We call on the general public of Hong Kong to be aware of the grave nature of the current situation,\" he said at the news conference.\n\nImage copyright EPA Image caption Monday's press conference was held by the Chinese government's top office that handles Hong Kong affairs\n\nSpokeswoman Xu Luying added: \"We also believe that Hong Kong's top priority... is to punish violent and unlawful acts in accordance with the law, to restore social order as soon as possible, and to maintain a good business environment.\"\n\nThe office also:\n\nReiterated that the Chinese government \"strongly\" supports the leadership in Hong Kong\n\nCalled on the people of Hong Kong to \"unequivocally oppose and resist violence\"\n\nExpressed support for the city's police force\n\nBlamed the escalating tensions on \"irresponsible figures in Western countries\" who are hoping to \"contain China's development\"\n\nThe intervention came a week after protesters defaced the highly symbolic national emblem on the Chinese government's liaison office in Hong Kong, prompting fury in Beijing.\n\nThe authorities have now installed a protective casing around the sign.\n\nAs a former British colony, Hong Kong has its own legal and judicial systems, and has been promised \"a high degree of autonomy\" from the Chinese government except in foreign and defence affairs.\n\nImage copyright AFP Image caption Protesters defaced the Chinese national emblem at the liaison office in Hong Kong\n\nClaudia Mo, a Hong Kong legislator who supports the protest movement, said Beijing's latest comments could provoke further unrest.\n\n\"I'm so worried what happened in Beijing today [will] actually help fan the fire,\" she told the BBC. \"The way they say they resolutely... support Carrie Lam and the police force. They are trying to divide Hong Kong.\"\n\nBruce Lui, a senior journalism lecturer at the Hong Kong Baptist University, said he could not recall a news conference on Hong Kong being called by the HKMAO.\n\n\"Beijing is repeating what it has said before. It condemns violence, supports Carrie Lam and Hong Kong police,\" he told the BBC. \"But when asked about the deployment of China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) troops, the spokesperson showed a rather distant attitude.\"\n\nAlthough PLA troops are stationed in Hong Kong, they are not expected to interfere in local issues. But the law does permit Hong Kong's government to request assistance from the PLA for the purposes of maintaining public order or disaster relief.\n\nChina's two-pronged strategy\n\nImage copyright AFP\n\nAnalysis by Celia Hatton, BBC News, Beijing\n\nBeijing seems to be trying to get a grip of the turmoil in Hong Kong with a two-pronged strategy.\n\nIt is sharing its views on why the territory's residents are protesting, blaming a small number of \"radicals\" who are influenced by overseas forces. But it is also trying to maintain some distance by reaffirming its support for the authorities there.\n\nThe spokespeople continually praised the actions of the \"courageous\" police. The one question that was quickly batted away in the news conference was a query about the possible intervention by Chinese forces.\n\nAt times they sounded conciliatory. They also expressed support for Hong Kong's unhappy youth, noting that more needed to be done to provide affordable housing and employment.\n\nBut much more time was focused on Beijing's reasoning for what has gone so wrong. The officials repeatedly blamed \"irresponsible figures\" in the West. They also said that many in Hong Kong support the territory's chief executive, Carrie Lam, although they said those individuals are \"relatively quiet\".\n\nIt seemed that Beijing was not even bothering to win over sceptics in Hong Kong. Instead, this press conference repeated views already found in China's state media. This kind of media outreach was new - but the viewpoints don't appear to have changed.\n\nHow did we get here?\n\nDemonstrations began when the Hong Kong government introduced a controversial bill that would have enabled extraditions to mainland China.\n\nIt sparked huge protests as critics feared the bill would undermine Hong Kong's freedoms, and be used to target political activists.\n\nThe row intensified as police were accused of using excessive force on anti-extradition bill protesters.\n\nImage copyright Reuters Image caption There have been clashes near China's liaison office in the territory\n\nTensions increased further last Sunday, when suspected triad members descended on a subway station in Yuen Long, beating protesters, passersby and journalists with sticks.\n\nDemonstrators accused the police of colluding with the triads - claims denied by the police.\n\nThe authorities say they have arrested 12 people over the attack, including nine men with links to triads.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption A large group of masked men in white T-shirts stormed Yuen Long station\n\nThe anti-extradition protests have morphed into a broader movement.\n\nWhile the government has paused work on the extradition bill, protesters now want it withdrawn completely, as well as an independent inquiry into police violence, and democratic reform.\n\nThey want the territory's leader, Carrie Lam, who is not directly elected by voters and whose handling of the crisis has been widely criticised, to resign.\n\nSome protesters have also expressed their anger at the mainland Chinese government, which they say has been eroding freedoms in Hong Kong.\n\nTimeline of events 2019\n\n3 April - Hong Kong government introduces amendments to the city's extradition laws to the legislature that would allow criminal suspects to be extradited to mainland China.\n\n9 June - In the first of many protests against the changes, an estimated one million people march to government headquarters.\n\n12 June - Anti-extradition bill protesters block roads and try to storm government buildings - police fire tear gas, rubber bullets and bean bag rounds at protesters, in the worst violence the city has seen in decades.\n\n15 June - In a dramatic reversal, Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam indefinitely delays the bill.\n\n16 June - Despite the delay, an estimated two million people take to the streets demanding the complete withdrawal of the bill, as well as an investigation into alleged police violence and Carrie Lam's resignation.\n\n21 June - As anger grows towards police, protests blockade police headquarters for 15 hours. They now also want protesters that were arrested to be exonerated.\n\n1 July - On the anniversary of Hong Kong's handover from the UK to China, the Legislative Council (LegCo) building is stormed and broken into by protesters.\n\n21 July- Protesters deface China's Liaison Office in Hong Kong. That same night mobs of men wearing white shirts attack protesters and commuters in Yuen Long station, near mainland China, in a new escalation of violence.", "BEIJING -- A Chinese official said Monday that some Western politicians are stirring unrest in Hong Kong in hopes of creating difficulties that will impede China's overall development.\n\nYang Guang, spokesman for the Cabinet's Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office, said such attempts will come to nothing because Beijing will tolerate no outside interference in the affairs of the former British colony, which has been wracked by nearly two months of pro-democracy protests.\n\nYang said at a news conference that some people in the West applied \"strange logic\" that prompted them to be sympathetic and tolerant to \"violent crimes\" while criticizing the police force's \"due diligence.\"\n\n\"At the end of the day, their intention is to create trouble in Hong Kong, make Hong Kong a problem to China, in order to contain China's development,\" Yang said, without mentioning any specific individuals or countries behind the \"irresponsible remarks.\"\n\nThe protests in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory began in early June as a call to withdraw an extradition bill that would have allowed people in Hong Kong to be sent to mainland China to stand trial. Since the government indefinitely suspended the legislation, demonstrators have broadened their scope to demand greater democracy and government accountability.\n\nPolice on Sunday repeatedly fired tear gas and rubber bullets to drive back protesters blocking Hong Kong streets with road signs and umbrellas.", "Hong Kong protesters, police ready for another likely clash\n\nHONG KONG (AP) — Protesters and police are preparing for a likely showdown in central Hong Kong, one day after clashes led to 11 arrests and left at least two dozen injured in an outlying district toward the border with mainland China.\n\nA rally has been called for Sunday afternoon at Chater Garden, an urban park in the financial district. Police have denied a request to march about 2 kilometers (1.4 miles) west to Sun Yat-sen Memorial Park, but at least some of the demonstrators may still try to push forward.\n\nHong Kong has been wracked by protests for seven weeks, as opposition to an extradition bill has morphed into demands for the resignation of the city's leader and a broader push for democracy in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory.", "China's Hong Kong liaison body has scheduled a rare press conference to talk about the anti-extradition demonstrations in the Special Administrative Region, or SAR in the south of the country. This past weekend dozens of protestors were arrested.\n\nThe street protests against a new measure to allow extraditions from Hong Kong to China have been going on for weeks, since the start of June. They turned unusually violent.\n\nThese demonstrations have been the biggest since the return of the former British Colony to China in 1997.\n\nOn Monday afternoon the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office is due to hold a press conference.\n\nThe United States Chamber of Commerce, Am Cham today called on Hong Kong's leaders to address the grievances and restore stability. Hong Kong is an international financial hub whose stock market opened down at the start of the week.\n\nThe Chinese authorities have suspended the extradition issue that triggered the protests. However, the demonstrators have broadened their call to protect and further democracy in Hong Kong before its 50 year SAR status expires in 2047.", "BEIJING (AP) — China blamed Western forces and defended police conduct after Hong Kong endured another weekend of violent clashes between protesters and police.\n\nSome \"irresponsible people\" in the West have applied \"strange logic\" that made them sympathetic and tolerant to \"violent crimes\" but critical of the police force's \"due diligence,\" a Chinese government spokesman said at a news briefing Monday.\n\n\"At the end of the day, their intention is to create trouble in Hong Kong, make Hong Kong a problem to China, in order to contain China's development,\" said Yang Guang, spokesman for the Chinese Cabinet's Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office, without mentioning any specific individuals or countries.\n\nHe added that such attempts will come to nothing because Beijing will tolerate no outside interference in Hong Kong's affairs.\n\nResidents of the semi-autonomous Chinese territory began protesting in early June for the government to withdraw an extradition bill that would have allowed people to be sent to stand trial in mainland China, where critics say their legal rights would be threatened. The government suspended the bill, but the protests have expanded to calls for democracy and government accountability.\n\nPolice on Sunday repeatedly fired tear gas and rubber bullets to drive back protesters blocking Hong Kong streets with road signs and umbrellas.\n\nThe protesters have demanded an independent inquiry into police conduct at the protests, which they say has been abusive.\n\nAt least one woman was knocked down when police used rods Saturday to disperse crowds in Hong Kong's Yuen Long area, where officers later charged into a train station swinging batons. Protesters were \"holding iron poles, self-made shields and even removing fences from roads,\" police said in a statement that accused demonstrators of putting officers' lives in danger by surrounding an occupied police vehicle.\n\nYang said the Chinese government firmly supports the police in Hong Kong.\n\n\"We understand the huge pressure facing the Hong Kong police and their families,\" he said, \"and would like to salute the Hong Kong police who have been fearlessly sticking to their posts and fulfilling their duties against all odds.\"\n\nHong Kong's government and police force have said the protests have placed considerable strain on their officers, who are dispatched in large numbers for the protests, which occur at least once a week and generally go late into the night despite repeated appeals to disband. Hong Kong authorities said these pressures made it difficult for police to act immediately when a band of white-clad assailants beat people inside the Yuen Long train station on July 21.\n\nProtesters said the slow police response to that attack indicated that officers were colluding with the attackers — an allegation that authorities have refuted. Last Monday, police arrested six men in connection with the attack, including some linked to triad gangs.\n\nPro-Beijing lawmakers in Hong Kong said the \"general wishes\" of the city's residents are for the violence to stop immediately.\n\n\"Regardless of your stance, I think all this violence should not continue because it brings no benefit to any person,\" said legislator Starry Lee.\n\nClaudia Mo, a pro-democracy lawmaker, said she fears the Chinese government's statements will further inflame demonstrators.\n\n\"I'm so worried that what happened in Beijing this afternoon will actually help fan the fire of what's already been a tsunami of protests in Hong Kong,\" Mo said, noting that the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office appeared to fully support the police and Hong Kong's leader, Carrie Lam.\n\nTam reported from Hong Kong. Associated Press news assistants Nadia Lam and Phoebe Lai in Hong Kong contributed to this report.\n\nCopyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.", "Hong Kong has been wracked by protests for seven weeks,\n\nA protester throws a tear gas canister which was fired by riot police during a protest in Hong Kong, Sunday, July 28, 2019. Police fired tear gas at protesters in Hong Kong on Sunday for the second night in a row in another escalation of weeks-long pro-democracy protests in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory. (Ring Yu/HK01 via AP)\n\nPolice fired tear gas at protesters in Hong Kong on Sunday for the second night in a row in another escalation of weeks-long pro-democracy protests in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory.\n\nProtesters occupied two areas at opposite ends of central Hong Kong following a mid-afternoon rally against police use of tear gas the previous Sunday.\n\nAs night fell, one group that had blocked a road near the Chinese government’s liaison office began to move forward. The police issued warnings, and protesters were seen throwing eggs at them. Officers fired tear gas to halt the advance.\n\nProtesters had rallied earlier at a park in Hong Kong’s financial district before marching out in several directions despite not winning police approval for a public procession. It was the second straight day that protesters took to the streets without official permission.\n\nA sea of black-shirted protesters, some with bright yellow helmets and masks but many with just backpacks, streamed out of Chater Garden park. Chanting “Add oil,” a phrase that roughly means “Keep up the fight,” a huge crowd marched east down a wide thoroughfare in what has become a summer of protest in the city.\n\nThey stopped near the Sogo department store and set up barricades to block off the area and defend it against police.\n\nAnother group headed west toward mainland China’s liaison office. Protesters egged the office last weekend and splattered black ink on the national emblem, eliciting an angry reaction from the Chinese government.\n\nThey stopped about two blocks short of the office and used orange and white construction barricades to build a wall spanning a major road. They massed behind the barriers as night fell, with umbrellas pointed forward to shield their identities and ward off any police move to clear them.\n\nSome nearby stores shuttered early as police in riot gear gathered nearby ahead of the all but inevitable clearing operation.\n\nHong Kong has been wracked by protests for seven weeks, as opposition to an extradition bill has morphed into demands for the resignation of the city’s leader and an investigation into whether police have used excessive force in quelling the protests.\n\nUnderlying the movement is a broader push for full democracy in the territory. The city’s leader is chosen by a committee dominated by a pro-Beijing establishment, rather than by direct elections.\n\nThe rally in Chater Garden was called to protest the police use of tear gas, rubber bullets and other force to break up a protest the previous Sunday.\n\n“We need to have a protest to show that we are strongly against this kind of brutality and we need them to respond to our demands,” said rally organizer Ventus Lau.\n\nPolice had denied Lau’s request to march west to the Sheung Wan district, where the tear gas was used the previous weekend, citing escalating violence in clashes with protesters that have broken out after past marches and rallies.\n\n“The police must prevent aggressive protesters from exploiting a peaceful procession to cause troubles and violent clashes,” said Superintendent Louis Lau of the police public relations branch.\n\nOn Saturday, clashes between protesters and police led to 11 arrests and left at least two dozen injured in an outlying district toward the border with mainland China.\n\nThe police had also denied permission for that march in Yuen Long, where a mob apparently targeting demonstrators had beaten people brutally in a train station the previous weekend.\n\nProtesters and police faced off in the streets well into the night, as they’ve done repeatedly during the summer’s pro-democracy protests.\n\nPolice said protesters removed fences from roads to make their own roadblocks and charged police lines with metal poles. One group surrounded and vandalized a police vehicle, causing danger to officers on board, a police statement said.\n\nOfficers fired tear gas and rubber bullets as demonstrators threw bricks and other objects and ducked behind makeshift shields.\n\nLater, police wearing helmets charged into the train station, where a few hundred protesters had taken refuge from the tear gas. Some officers swung their batons at demonstrators, while others appeared to be urging their colleagues to hang back. For the second week in a row, blood was splattered on the station floor.\n\nPolice arrested 13 people, including march organizer Max Chung, for offences including unlawful assembly, possession of offensive weapon and assault, according to police and Hong Kong media. At least four officers were injured.\n\nThe Hospital Authority said 24 people were taken to five hospitals. As of Sunday morning, eight remained hospitalized, two in serious condition.\n\nAmnesty International, the human rights group, called the police response heavy-handed and unacceptable.\n\n“While police must be able to defend themselves, there were repeated instances today where police officers were the aggressors,” Man-kei Tam, the director of Amnesty International Hong Kong, said in a statement.\n\nPolice said they had to use what they termed “appropriate force” because of the bricks and other objects thrown at them, including glass bottles with a suspected corrosive fluid inside.\n\nAssociated Press writer Ken Moritsugu in Beijing contributed to this report.\n\nKatie Tam And Chanwoo Bang, The Associated Press\n\nLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter."], "summary": "The Chinese government's Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office condemns protests in Hong Kong as \"evil and criminal acts committed by the radical elements\", saying that Hong Kong's top priority is to \"punish violent and unlawful acts in accordance with the law\". Hong Kong legislators and journalists reject the statement from Beijing, expressing concern that this will worsen tensions."}
{"document": ["KANDAHAR (TOLO News): At least three children were killed in a roadside bomb blast in southern Kandahar Province on Tuesday morning , local security officials.\n\nBomb was detonated when a suspect was planting it in a roadside in a marketplace Spin Boldak district, which shares border with Pakistan.\n\nKandahar police said in a statement that 23 others, including six children, were wounded in the blast.\n\nLocal health officials told TOLOnews that some of the children are in critical condition.\n\nSo far, no group including the Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack.", "A powerful blast targeting a police vehicle in Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province has killed five people, including two security personnel, and injured 38 others, a top police official said on Wednesday.\n\nThe blast took place close to a police vehicle at the Bacha Khan Chowk in the remit of the City Police Station on Tuesday, Quetta’s Deputy Inspector-General (DIG) of police Abdul Razzaq Cheema said.\n\nThe target of the blast appeared to be the Station House Officer (SHO) of the area who received some injuries and has been shifted to a hospital, the DIG told reporters. “The bomb went off as soon as SHO Shaffat got down from his vehicle,” he said, adding that the condition of the SHO is said to be critical.\n\nAlso Read | 17 killed as military aircraft crashes in residential area near Rawalpindi\n\nCheema said it was too early to confirm whether it was a suicide attack or the blast caused by a remotely triggered device.\n\nPolice said the bomb was planted in a motorcycle parked close to the patrolling vehicle. Five people, including two cops, were killed and 38 others injured in the attack. Three people died on the spot, police said.\n\nThe injured included women and children who were passing through the area when the bomb went off in the heart of the city. The condition of at least six of them was stated to be serious.\n\nEarlier, police officials said terrorists had planted explosives in a motorcycle and parked it near the police vehicle before it was detonated. A contingent of the law enforcement agencies threw a security cordon around the area as rescuers continued evacuations.\n\nThe banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility for the blast, according to a report in a leading Pakistani daily.\n\nThe injured and bodies of the dead were shifted to the Civil Hospital, where officials confirmed the death toll.\n\nThe impact of the blast was so strong that it shattered the glass windows of nearby shopping malls and damaged parked vehicles and motorcycles.\n\nHome Minister Mir Zia Langove said the government would not be cowed down by such attacks and the mission to purge the province of the menace of terrorism would continue.\n\nBalochistan Governor retired Justice Amanullah Khan Yasinzai, Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan and his cabinet members strongly condemned the bomb blast and expressed their grief and sorrow over the loss of lives of innocent people.\n\nIt was the second bomb explosion within the last seven days in the provincial capital. On July 23, a blast had occurred in the Eastern Bypass area which left four people dead and 32 injured.\n\nBalochistan has been wrecked by ethnic, sectarian and separatist violence for more than a decade.", "TEHRAN, Jul. 31 (MNA) – At least four people including two policemen were killed and 27 injured in a blast near a police station in southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta on Tuesday evening.", "At least four people have been killed and more than two dozen injured in an explosion outside a police station in southwest Pakistan, an official said.\n\nThe blast on Tuesday evening, which apparently targeted the police, took place in the car park of the city police station in Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province. It was the latest in a series of similar attacks.\n\nProvincial Home Minister Mir Zia Langov told Anadolu Agency - a news service - that four people were killed and 26 injured, including many policemen in the attack.\n\nHowever, Abdul Razzaq Cheema, the Quetta police chief, told Reuters news agency that five people, including two policemen, had been killed. He added that two women and a child were among the 27 injured.\n\nCheema said an explosive-rigged motorcycle was detonated to target a police van parked outside the station in the heart of the city's busy shopping area.\n\n190524093711661\n\nFootage aired on local broadcaster Dawn News showed ambulances carrying the dead and wounded to hospital. Blood-soaked caps, shoes and other belongings were scattered around the scene among pieces of broken glass and wooden doors.\n\nThere was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.\n\nPakistan Taliban and Baloch separatists have for long been targeting security forces in the region.\n\nIn a similar blast last Tuesday, two people were killed and 16 more injured when an explosive-rigged motorbike went off outside a shop in Quetta.\n\nViolence in the Balochistan province, which borders Afghanistan and Iran, has raised concerns about the security of investments, in particular, an energy link planned to run from western China to Pakistan's southern port of Gwadar.", "At least three persons were killed and several injured in a bomb explosion near city police station in Quetta on Tuesday\n\nISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 30th Jul, 2019 ) :At least three persons were killed and several injured in a bomb explosion near city police station in Quetta on Tuesday.\n\nAccording to police sources, the injured were shifted to civil hospital for treatment. The rescue teams were busy in providing relief to the masses.", "A member of the bomb disposal unit surveys the site after a motorcycle bomb blast near a police station in Quetta\n\nQUETTA, Pakistan (Reuters) - Five people including two policemen were killed and 27 injured in a blast near a police station in southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta on Tuesday evening, a week after a similar blast that killed two people, police said.\n\nAn explosive rigged motorcycle was detonated to target a police van parked outside the police station in the heart of Quetta’s busy shopping area, the city police chief said.\n\n“Five people have been killed, including two policemen,” Abdul Razzaq Cheema, Quetta police chief told Reuters. Two women and a child are among the 27 injured in the blast, he added.\n\nIn a similar blast last Tuesday two people were killed and 16 were injured when an explosive-rigged motorcycle went off outside a store in Quetta.\n\nViolence in the Baluchistan province, which borders Afghanistan and Iran, has fueled concern about the security of investments, in particular an energy link planned to run from western China to Pakistan’s southern port of Gwadar.", "QUETTA: At least five people, including two policemen, were killed and 27 others injured in an explosion near a police station in Quetta on Tuesday, ARY News reported.\n\nQuetta’s Deputy Inspector-General (DIG) police Abdul Razzaq Cheema confirmed that two police personnel among five people were killed in the blast and added that the terrorists targeted a police vehicle near the City police station in Quetta.\n\nHe said that additional station house officer (SHO) Shafaat Ali was among the injured and added that he was in a critical condition at the hospital. The police officer said that the explosive device was planted on a motorcycle.\n\nLaw enforcement agencies and police rushed to the scene, after being informed and cordoned off the area. Bomb disposal squad also reached at the scene to ascertain the intensity, nature and target of the blast.\n\nRescue officials shifted the bodies and the injured to Civil Hospital for medico-legal formalities and treatment. The provincial government imposed an emergency at the hospitals while doctors and paramedical staff were directed to report immediately on their duties.\n\nRead More: Two killed, several injured in Quetta blast\n\nEarlier on July 23, at least two people had been killed and 23 others sustained injuries after a bomb exploded near eastern bypass, area of provincial capital Quetta.\n\nAccording to reports, the bomb was planted in a motorbike at Sher Jan bus stop near eastern bypass of Quetta. Rescue teams had rushed the site and shifted the injured to Civil Hospital Quetta for medical treatment.\n\nPolice had said that the culprits and motive behind the attack were yet to be ascertained while law enforcement agencies personnel had reached at the spot to probe the blast.", "QUETTA: At least four people, including two policemen, were killed and 28 others injured in an explosion near a police station in Quetta on Tuesday, ARY News reported.\n\nAccording to the details, the bomb was exploded near City police station in the Quetta. Law enforcement agencies and police cordoned off the area and launched a search operation.\n\nBomb disposal squad has also reached at the scene to ascertain the intensity, nature and target of the blast. Rescue officials shifted the bodies and the injured to Civil Hospital for medico-legal formalities and treatment\n\nThe provincial government has imposed an emergency at the hospitals while doctors and paramedical staff were directed to report immediately on their duties.\n\nAn official said that apparently the target of the explosion was police personnel.\n\nRead More: Two killed, several injured in Quetta blast\n\nEarlier on July 23, at least two people had been killed and 23 others sustained injuries after a bomb exploded near eastern bypass, area of provincial capital Quetta.\n\nAccording to reports, the bomb was planted in a motorbike at Sher Jan bus stop near eastern bypass of Quetta. Rescue teams had rushed the site and shifted the injured to Civil Hospital Quetta for medical treatment.\n\nPolice had said that the culprits and motive behind the attack were yet to be ascertained while law enforcement agencies personnel had reached at the spot to probe the blast.", "At least five people have been killed after a loud explosion outside the City police station in Quetta, DawnNewsTV reported quoting police and hospital officials.\n\nAccording to the spokesman for Quetta's Civil Hospital, Waseem Baig, around 34 people have also been injured in the blast, the nature of which was not immediately clear.\n\nThe dead and injured have been shifted to Civil Hospital where an emergency was imposed to treat the injured.\n\nBalochistan Inspector General of Police Mohsin Hassan Butt told DawnNewsTV that police were apparently the target of the blast and policemen are among those injured.\n\nThe blast shattered the glass windows of nearby shopping malls and shops. The sound of the explosion was heard far and wide, causing panic among the people.\n\nThe City police station is located near Bacha Khan Chowk area of Quetta. It is one of the busiest neighbourhoods of the city.\n\nSecurity officials have cordoned off the site of the blast.", "Five people were killed and 35 others injured in a bombing outside a police station in Pakistan’s Quetta city, authorities have said.\n\nThe attack on Tuesday was carried out using a motorcycle rigged with explosives and detonated by remote control, police spokesman Mohamed Ramzan told Efe news from Quetta.\n\nThe motorbike was parked near a police station and a van filled with officers.\n\nAll five fatalities were civilians, as were 31 of those wounded, Ramzan said.\n\nEight of the wounded are listed in serious condition at hospitals in Quetta, capital of Balochistan province.\n\nNo group has claimed responsibility for the bombing, which took place late in the afternoon.\n\nPakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan issued a statement condemning the attack and expressing sorrow over “the loss of lives.”\n\nQuetta, home to more than 1 million people, is one of the most dangerous cities in Pakistan due to the presence of armed groups including Baloch separatists, the Pakistani Taliban and other jihadist factions.\n\nTwo people died and 16 were hurt last week in a motorcycle-bomb attack on the outskirts of the city. And a year ago, Quetta suffered the worst terrorist incident in Pakistan’s history: an attack on a political rally that left 149 people dead."], "summary": "Four are killed and over 20 injured in a bomb blast near a police station in Quetta, Pakistan."}
{"document": ["Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Pakistan military plane crash reduces buildings to rubble\n\nAt least 18 people were killed and several injured when a small military plane crashed into a residential area near the Pakistani city of Rawalpindi.\n\nFive crew members and 13 civilians were among the dead, rescue services said.\n\nThe aircraft was on a training flight when it crashed and set off a fire across several homes. One witness said the plane was ablaze before the crash.\n\nThe King Air 350 turboprop reportedly took a steep turn near its destination airport before coming down.\n\nImage copyright AFP Image caption The city of Rawalpindi is the site of the army's headquarters\n\nRawalpindi, near the capital Islamabad, is the site of the Pakistani army's headquarters, and the plane belonged to the Pakistani Army's aviation unit.\n\nPakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan offered his condolences and wished a \"quick recovery for the injured\", according to a tweet sent by the Pakistani government.\n\nHow did the plane come down?\n\nWitnesses at the scene said the aircraft crashed into a family home in a residential area around 02:00 local time (07:00 GMT).\n\n\"I was awake when the plane flew over my room and it was already on fire in the air,\" said resident Ghulam Khan. \"The sound was so scary, it was only a small plane. It then fell on a house where a family used to live.\"\n\nAnother witness, Yasir Baloch, said: \"The tail of the plane was on fire and it took barely two to three seconds and it crashed four houses away from my house and burnt to ashes.\"\n\nA resident near the site of the crash who gave his name as Yamin said he had escaped his burning house with his wife, daughter and parents, but his brother, sister-in-law and nephew died.\n\n\"The window and door to their room was locked. We tried our best to get them out but couldn't,\" he said.\n\nPictures from the scene showed blackened buildings that had been reduced to rubble. A reporter from the AFP news agency said smoke was still rising from the wreckage and pieces of the plane were visible on a nearby roof.\n\nImage copyright Reuters Image caption Mourners gathered at the site of the plane crash\n\nSeveral injured were rushed to hospital, Pakistan's emergency rescue services said. The bodies of the dead were taken away to be identified.\n\n\"All the bodies are badly burned, so DNA tests are required for identification,\" said Farooq Butt, a spokesman for the rescue services.\n\nWhat is Pakistan's safety record like?\n\nPakistan has a chequered aviation safety record, including a number of airliner crashes.\n\nIn 2010, an aircraft operated by private airline Airblue crashed near Islamabad, killing all 152 people on board - the deadliest air disaster in Pakistani history.\n\nIn 2012, a Boeing 737-200 operated by Pakistan's Bhoja Air crashed in bad weather on its approach to land in Rawalpindi, killing all 121 passengers and six crew.\n\nAnd in 2016, a Pakistan International Airlines plane burst into flames while travelling from northern Pakistan to Islamabad, killing 47 people.", "Rescue official: small plane crashes into residential area near Pakistani city of Rawalpindi, killing 5, injuring 20.\n\nISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) — Rescue official: small plane crashes into residential area near Pakistani city of Rawalpindi, killing 5, injuring 20.", "ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (AP) — Rescue official: small plane crashes into residential area near Pakistani city of Rawalpindi, killing 5, injuring 20.", "Fifteen people were killed when a small military plane crashed early Tuesday into a residential area in the Pakistani city of Rawalpindi near the capital Islamabad, a rescue official confirmed.\n\n\"A small plane crashed into a residential area. So far we have retrieved 15 dead bodies, including 10 civilians and five crew members,\" rescue spokesman Farooq Butt said, adding that a further 12 people had been injured.\n\nThe plane belonged to the Pakistani military and crashed near an upscale neighbourhood in the garrison city home to the army's headquarters.\n\nAn AFP reporter at the scene said smoke was still rising from the wreckage and destroyed homes, while pieces of the plane were visible on a nearby roof.\n\nMilitary officials had cordoned off the scene while a crowd of local residents stood nearby, with some sobbing.", "Fifteen people were killed when a small military plane crashed early Tuesday into a residential area in the Pakistani city of Rawalpindi near the capital Islamabad, a rescue official told AFP.\n\n\"A small plane crashed into a residential area. So far we have retrieved 15 dead bodies, including 10 civilians and five crew members,\" rescue spokesman Farooq Butt said, adding that a further 12 people had been injured.\n\nThe plane belonged to the Pakistani military and crashed near an upscale neighbourhood in the garrison city home to the army's headquarters.\n\nAn AFP reporter at the scene said smoke was still rising from the wreckage and destroyed homes, while pieces of the plane were visible on a nearby roof.\n\nMilitary officials had cordoned off the scene while a crowd of local residents stood nearby, with some sobbing.\n\nPakistan has a chequered aviation safety record, with plane and helicopter crashes frequent over the years.\n\nIn 2016, a Pakistan International Airlines plane burst into flames after one of its two turboprop engines failed while travelling from remote northern Pakistan to Islamabad, killing more than 40 people.\n\nThe deadliest air disaster on Pakistani soil was in 2010, when an Airbus 321 operated by private airline Airblue and flying from Karachi crashed into the hills outside Islamabad while coming in to land, killing all 152 on board.", "ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Rescue official: small plane crashes into residential area near Pakistani city of Rawalpindi, killing 5, injuring 20.\n\nCopyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.", "RAWALPINDI: Seventeen people were killed when a small military plane crashed into a residential area in the Pakistani city of Rawalpindi early Tuesday, officials told AFP, in the latest disaster to hit the country’s troubled aviation sector.\n\nThe plane crashed into a poor village near an upscale neighbourhood in the garrison city that is home to the army's headquarters, creating a fireball that lit up the night sky and terrified residents.\n\n\"We have received 17 dead bodies including 12 civilians and five crew members,\" said local rescue spokesman Farooq Butt, adding that a further 12 people had been injured in the accident near the capital Islamabad.\n\nOne resident told AFP that the crash happened around 2am.\n\n\"I woke to the sound of a huge explosion. I stepped out of my house and saw huge flames and we rushed to the site,\" said Mohammad Sadiq.\n\n\"People were screaming. We tried to help them but the flames were too high and the fire too intense, so we could not do anything. The dead includes seven members of one family and most of them were burned to death.\"\n\nAnother resident Ghulam Khan said he heard the plane as it buzzed over his house, adding the aircraft appeared to be on fire before it crashed.\n\n\"The sound was so scary,\" he added.\n\nThe military's information wing said the plane was on a routine training mission when the accident occurred, adding that rescue officials had extinguished the fire caused by the crash and moved the injured to a local hospital.\n\nAn AFP reporter at the scene said smoke was still rising from the wreckage and destroyed homes, while pieces of the plane were visible on a nearby roof.\n\nRescue workers could be seen combing through the smouldering site, gathering debris and inspecting the scene while ambulances swarmed the area.\n\nMilitary officials had cordoned off the crash site while a crowd of residents stood nearby, some of them sobbing.\n\nPakistan has a chequered aviation safety record, with frequent plane and helicopter crashes over the years.\n\nIn 2016, a Pakistan International Airlines plane burst into flames after one of its two turboprop engines failed while travelling from remote northern Pakistan to Islamabad, killing more than 40 people.\n\nThe deadliest air disaster on Pakistani soil was in 2010, when an Airbus 321 operated by private airline Airblue and flying from Karachi crashed into the hills outside Islamabad while coming in to land, killing all 152 on board.", "Small plane crashes in Pakistan, killing at least 12\n\nRAWALPINDI, Pakistan (AP) — A small Pakistani military plane crashed into a residential area near the garrison city of Rawalpindi before dawn Tuesday, killing at least 12 people, including two pilots, officials said.\n\nIn a statement, the military said five soldiers were among those killed in the plane crash. Rescue officials said the death toll could rise further since there are injured in critical condition.\n\nThe military gave no details about the cause of the crash and only said an army aviation aircraft was on a routine training flight when the plane went down in the village of Mora Kalu on outskirts of Rawalpindi. TV footage showed fire erupting in the residential area.\n\nFarooq Butt, an official at the state-run emergency service called 1122, said at least 12 people, including soldiers died in the crash and that authorities had declared an emergency in hospitals. He said about 20 people were injured in the plane crash.\n\nButt said a rescue operation was still ongoing. An AP reporter at scene of the crash saw a burning house and some makeshift homes.\n\nRescue officials say the plane suddenly lost control with the tower and reason for the incident was not known.", "A Pakistan rescue official says, 'so far we have retrieved 15 dead bodies, including 10 civilians and 5 crew members'\n\nRAWALPINDI, Pakistan – Fifteen people were killed when a small plane crashed into a residential area in the Pakistani city of Rawalpindi near the capital Islamabad, a rescue official told AFP early Tuesday, July 30.\n\n\"A small plane crashed into a residential area. So far we have retrieved 15 dead bodies, including 10 civilians and 5 crew members,\" rescue spokesman Farooq Butt said, adding that a further 12 people had been injured.\n\nThe type of plane was not immediately clear. – Rappler.com\n\nThis is a developing story. Refresh this page for updates.", "Rawalpindi: Eighteen people were killed when a small military plane crashed into a residential area in the Pakistani city of Rawalpindi early Tuesday, officials said.\n\n The plane crashed into a poor village near an upscale neighbourhood in the garrison city that is home to the army’s headquarters, creating a fireball that lit up the night sky and terrified residents.\n\n “We have taken 18 dead bodies to hospital… that included 13 civilians and five crew members,” said local rescue spokesman Farooq Butt, adding that a further 12 people had been injured in the accident near the capital Islamabad.\n\n “All the bodies are badly burned, so DNA tests are required for identification,” he added.\n\n One resident said that the crash happened around 2 am.\n\n “I woke to the sound of a huge explosion. I stepped out of my house and saw huge flames and we rushed to the site,” said Mohammad Sadiq.\n\n “People were screaming. We tried to help them but the flames were too high and the fire too intense,” he said, adding he believed seven members of one family were among the dead.\n\n Another resident Ghulam Khan said he heard the plane as it buzzed over his house, adding the aircraft appeared to be on fire before it crashed.\n\n “The sound was so scary,” he said.\n\n The military’s information wing said the plane was on a routine training mission when the accident occurred, adding that rescue officials had extinguished the fire caused by the crash and moved the injured to a local hospital.\n\n An AFP reporter at the scene said smoke was still rising from the wreckage and destroyed homes, while pieces of the plane were visible on a nearby roof.\n\n Hours after the crash rescue workers could be seen combing through the smouldering site, gathering debris and inspecting the scene while ambulances swarmed the area. Military officials had also cordoned off the crash site while a crowd of residents stood nearby, some of them sobbing.\n\n Prime Minister Imran Khan offered his condolences to the affected families and wished a “quick recovery for the injured”, according to a tweet by the Pakistani government.\n\n — AFP"], "summary": "At least 18 people, including thirteen civilians and five crew members, are killed and 12 others injured after a small military plane crashes into a residential area near the Pakistani city of Rawalpindi."}
{"document": ["Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Eleven people have died and 5,000 have been hospitalised\n\nA man dressed in a mascot costume at an amusement park is one of least 11 people who have died as a result of a heatwave sweeping Japan.\n\nThe 28-year-old died from heatstroke on Sunday evening in Hirakata Park, Osaka, after dancing for 20 minutes while wearing a 16kg (35lb) outfit.\n\nIn response, the park has cancelled all events using mascot costumes.\n\nOfficial figures revealed more than 5,000 people sought hospital treatment due to the heatwave in the last week.\n\nAccording to Kyodo news agency, more than 50% of those hospitalised were aged 65 and over.\n\nTemperatures are expected to remain higher than average for the next week.\n\nThe part-time worker at Hirakata Park was dressed in an outfit to play the role of a fairy character who lives in the park, police were quoted by the Asahi Shimbun newspaper as saying.\n\nHe had been rehearsing on stage with other staff members when he fell ill at around 19.30 (10:30 GMT) on 28 July. The highest temperature in Hirakata that day was 33.2C (91.76F), and by 20:00 it was 28.7C, the newspaper added.\n\nThe worker lost consciousness and was rushed to hospital where he died.\n\nIn a statement, owners of the park, Keihan Leisure Service promised to \"find the cause\" of the incident and \"work to prevent it from happening again\", the Japan Times said.\n\nThe highest temperatures, of around 37C, on Monday were recorded in Gifu Prefecture, central Japan, and Iwate Prefecture in the north of the country, the newspaper also reports. Some 80% of the country's 926 temperature monitoring posts marked 30C or above, according to Japan's meteorology agency.\n\nIt's not the first time Japan has been gripped by a deadly heatwave. In July last year, the country's weather agency declared a heatwave a natural disaster after 65 people died from heat-related deaths within one week.", "\n• Temperatures in Japan unexpectedly rose after the end of a rainy season this summer, with highs of about 37 degrees Celsius (98.6 degrees Fahrenheit) expected this week.\n• At least 11 people have died, and 5,600 others have been taken to hospital due to the heat.\n• A 28-year-old part-time theme park worker died from heatstroke after practising a dance in the heat on Sunday.\n\nAt least 11 people, including a theme park mascot, have died due to an unexpected heat wave sweeping Japan.\n\nAn additional 5,664 people around the country were taken to hospital with heat-related medical issues last week, the Japanese government said Tuesday, according to the Kyodo news agency.\n\nTemperatures unexpectedly rose after the end of the country’s rainy season, with most of the country’s monitoring posts recording highs of over 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit), according to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).\n\nThe city of Nagoya, central Japan, is due a high of 37 C (98.6 F) on Thursday and Friday, according to the JMA.\n\nYohei Yamaguchi, a 28-year-old part-time amusement park worker, died from heatstroke after practising a dance outdoors in a 16-kilogram (35.3-pound) mascot costume on Sunday night, Kyodo reported.\n\nYamaguchi had been practising the dance on an outdoors stage in Hirakata amusement park for about 20 minutes from 7:30 p.m., and lost consciousness around 8 p.m., Kyodo and The Asahi Shimbun reported, citing local police.\n\nHe died shortly after being rushed to hospital, Asahi reported. Temperatures were about 28.7 C (83.7 F) at the time, the newspaper said, citing the meteorological agency.\n\nThe operator of Hirakata Park, the amusement park where Yamaguchi worked, apologized for the death and said it would “find the cause of it and work to prevent it from happening again,” according to Asahi.\n\nHirakata Park has also canceled all mascot-related events this summer, Kyodo and Asahi said.\n\nLast summer, seventy-seven people died in an unprecedented heat wave in Japan, with temperatures reaching 41.1 C (105.8 F). The JMA classified it as a natural disaster.\n\nRead more: The climate crisis is inherently unfair. These 9 countries will get hit especially hard as the globe heats up.\n\nEurope also grappled with two separate heat waves this summer, which has broken all-time temperature records in multiple countries and killed at least nine people in total.\n\nIndia has also seen highs of more than 50 C (122 F) this year, leaving more than 100 people dead.\n\nThe US East Coast also grappled with a heat wave in mid-July, with authorities placing 147 million people under a heat advisory or excessive heat warning. At least four people died.", "July has been a hot month, and with only a few days left, why change it now? In fact, to end the month, we’ll likely see our second heat wave of the year and also the month. Yesterday was our first day with Boston Logan hitting 93°. Today we’ll be there again, and Tuesday, and possibly even Wednesday before the heat breaks with evening storms.\n\nWith the heat and humidity the next few days, the heat index values will push the triple digits for a lot of us which prompted the National Weather Service to issue a heat advisory for both today and tomorrow. It does not include Worcester county, not that it will be a lot cooler there. Heat indexes will still likely hit the low 90s.\n\nYou won’t find much relief on the coast in terms of a “cooler coast” scenario. The heat pushes right out to the coast. It will be slightly cooler if you’re on the beach… like literally standing on the sand. There, temperatures will climb to the 80s with water temperatures in the upper 60s to low 70s. Winds will be a little strong today so watch out for an increased rip current risk, especially on the exposed beaches.", "CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) – If you don’t take proper precautions against this heat, it could make you very sick.\n\nHeat exhaustion is very common, and it can lead to heatstroke. Heat stroke symptoms include nausea, migraines, dizziness, and muscle fatigue.\n\nTemperatures on your thermometer can be misleading. With borderline oppressive levels of humidity it can feel much hotter. Staying properly hydrated and taking frequent breaks in the shade will both reduce your chances of suffering in the heat.\n\nHeat Advisory for parts of western Massachusetts Monday and Tuesday\n\nIf you plan to spend anytime outside, Baystate Health recommends avoiding the hottest part of the day between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.\n\nThe potential for a heat wave began Sunday and will go until Tuesday, when we can expect the worst of the heat. The longest heat wave recorded in western Massachusetts history was 10 days of 90º or higher at Westover Air Reserve Base in 1953.", "PARIS — Even ice cream, Italian gelato or Popsicles couldn’t help this time.\n\nTemperature records that had stood for decades or even just hours fell minute by minute Thursday afternoon and Europeans and tourists alike jumped into fountains, lakes, rivers or the sea to escape a suffocating heat wave rising up from the Sahara.\n\nOn a day that no one on the continent will ever forget, two potential drug dealers in Belgium even called the police, begging to be rescued from the locked container they managed to get themselves trapped in.\n\nIt was nearly impossible to keep up with the falling records as temperatures climbed higher and higher under a brutal sun — in Paris and London, in Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands — all places where air conditioning is not typically installed in homes, cafes or stores. Even office air conditioning systems strained under the hot, dry air that was trapped between two stormy weather systems.\n\nClimate scientists warned these types of heat waves could become the new normal but they loom as a giant challenge for temperate Europe. As emissions keep warming the planet, scientists say there will be more and hotter heat waves, although it’s too early to know whether this specific hot spell is linked to man-made climate change.\n\n“There is likely the DNA of climate change in the record-breaking heat that Europe and other parts of the world are experiencing. And it is unfortunately going to continue to worsen,” said Marshall Shepherd, professor of meteorology at University of Georgia.\n\nElectric fans sold out across Paris — and traditional folding fans made a comeback on the city’s stuffy Metro. Trains were canceled in Britain and France, with authorities in both nations urging travelers to stay home. Messages to “Hydrate yourselves!” blared from the radio and TV, and water bottles were handed out with abandon.\n\nStill, the atmosphere was buoyant, as people sought to stay cool yet embrace the moment.\n\nKaty James, visiting Paris from Chicago, was one of the lucky ones with an air-conditioned room but she was still out in the streets, enjoying the atmosphere.\n\n“We’ve had such a good time. The Parisians have been so accommodating. We’ve been getting water where ever we go. We got to play in the fountain. This was amazing,” James said.\n\nFrance’s heat alert system went to its maximum level of red for the first time during last month’s heat wave , when France saw its highest-ever recorded temperature of 46 degrees Celsius (114.8 degrees Fahrenheit). On Thursday, about one-fifth of French territory was under a red alert, stretching from the English Channel through the Paris region and down to Burgundy, affecting at least 20 million people.\n\nFrench authorities have been particularly wary since a 2003 heat wave killed nearly 15,000 people, many of them elderly, stuck alone in stiflingly hot apartments.\n\n“The science behind heat wave attribution is very robust — the first extreme weather event to be definitively linked to global warming was the 2003 European heat wave,” said NASA climate scientist Kate Marvel. “We know that as the climate warms, heat waves become more likely and more severe.”\n\nSo as tourists frolicked in fountains, authorities and volunteers in Paris and London fanned out to help the elderly, the sick and the homeless, opening cooling centers to let people rest, recover or shower.\n\n“They are in the street all day, under the sun. No air conditioning, no way to protect oneself from the heat,” said Ruggero Gatti, an IT worker who joined other Red Cross volunteers handing out water bottles, soup and yogurt to the homeless in the Paris suburb of Boulogne.\n\nAcross the Channel, the heat damaged overhead electric wires between London’s St. Pancras train station and Luton Airport, blocking all train lines. East Midlands Trains posted a message to passengers on Twitter, saying simply “DO NOT TRAVEL.”", "PARIS (AP) — Even ice cream, Italian gelato or Popsicles couldn’t help this time.\n\nTemperature records that had stood for decades or even just days fell minute by minute Thursday afternoon and Europeans and tourists alike jumped into fountains, lakes, rivers or the sea to escape a suffocating heat wave rising up from the Sahara.\n\nOn a day that no one on the continent will ever forget, two potential drug dealers in Belgium even called the police, begging to be rescued from the locked container they managed to get themselves trapped in.\n\nIt was nearly impossible to keep up with the falling records as temperatures climbed higher and higher under a brutal sun — in Paris and London, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands — all places where air conditioning is not typically installed in homes, cafes or stores. Even office air conditioning systems strained under the hot, dry air that was trapped between two stormy weather systems.\n\nClimate scientists warned these types of heat waves could become the new normal but they loom as a giant challenge for temperate Europe. As emissions keep warming the planet, scientists say there will be more and hotter heat waves, although it’s too early to know whether this specific hot spell is linked to man-made climate change.\n\n“There is likely the DNA of climate change in the record-breaking heat that Europe and other parts of the world are experiencing. And it is unfortunately going to continue to worsen,” said Marshall Shepherd, professor of meteorology at University of Georgia.\n\nElectric fans sold out across Paris — and traditional folding fans made a comeback on the city’s stuffy Metro. Trains were canceled in Britain and France, and authorities in both nations urged travelers to stay home. Messages to “Hydrate yourselves!” blared from the radio and TV.\n\nStill, the atmosphere was buoyant, as people sought to stay cool yet embrace the heat blast from the south.\n\nKaty James, visiting Paris from Chicago, was one of the lucky ones to have a room with air conditioning but she was still out in the streets, enjoying the atmosphere.\n\n“We’ve had such a good time. The Parisians have been so accommodating. We’ve been getting water where ever we go. We got to play in the fountain. This was amazing,” James said.\n\nFrance’s heat alert system went to its maximum level of red for the first time during last month’s heat wave , when France saw its highest-ever recorded temperature of 46 degrees. On Thursday, about one-fifth of French territory was under a red alert, stretching from the English Channel through the Paris region and down to Burgundy and affecting at least 20 million people.\n\nFrench authorities have been particularly wary, since a 2003 heat wave killed nearly 15,000 people, many of them elderly people alone in stiflingly hot apartments.\n\n“The science behind heat wave attribution is very robust — the first extreme weather event to be definitively linked to global warming was the 2003 European heat wave,” said NASA climate scientist Kate Marvel. “We know that as the climate warms, heat waves become more likely and more severe.”\n\nSo as tourists frolicked in fountains, authorities and volunteers in Paris and London fanned out to help the elderly, sick and homeless, opening centers for them to rest, cool down and shower.\n\n“They are in the street all day, under the sun. No air conditioning, no way to protect oneself from the heat,” said Ruggero Gatti, an IT worker joining other Red Cross volunteers handing out water bottles, soup and yogurt to the homeless in the Paris suburb of Boulogne.\n\nAcross the Channel, the heat damaged overhead electric wires between London’s St. Pancras train station and Luton Airport, blocking all train lines. East Midlands Trains posted a message to passengers on Twitter, saying simply “DO NOT TRAVEL.”\n\nThe sheer levels of heat on Thursday afternoon were nothing short of astonishing:\n\n— The Paris area hit 42.6 degrees Celsius (108.7 degrees Fahrenheit), beating the previous record of 40.4 C (104.7 F) set in 1947.\n\n— The Netherlands’ meteorological institute announced a record that beat the previous record set just a day ago: 40.4 C (104.7 F) Thursday in the municipality of Gilze Rijen, near the border with Belgium.\n\n— Belgium hit all-time records twice in the day, rising to 40.7 C (105.3 F) in the western town of Beitem. “This is the highest recorded temperature for Belgium in history since the beginning of the measurements in 1833,” said Alex Dewalque of the country’s Royal Meteorological Institute.\n\n— The northern German town of Lingen set a new national temperature record at least three times Thursday afternoon, finally hitting 42.6 C (108.7 F). Those repeated records came after the country had set a national record Wednesday of 40.5 C (104.9 F) in Geilenkirchen near the Belgian border.\n\n— London recorded its hottest day on record for July, with the mercury climbing to 36.9 C (98.4 F) at Heathrow Airport. The previous July record was 36.7 C (98 F) in 2015.\n\n— Britain was waiting to see if temperatures blow by the national record of 38.5 C (101.3 F) set back in August 2003. Britain’s Met Office said its temperature records go back to 1865.\n\n— The Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment issued a “smog alarm” Thursday for areas including the densely populated cities of Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague due to high ozone levels.\n\nIn Germany, Switzerland and Austria, some communities painted vital rail tracks white in hopes the light color would bring down the temperature by a few degrees and the tracks would not get warped by the heat. German railways Deutsche Bahn said passengers who had booked tickets for Thursday or Friday and wanted to delay their trips could do so without charge.\n\nIn Cologne in western Germany, volunteers offered free water to passersby while others sunbathed on the dried-up banks of the Rhine River. In Bavaria’s prisons, inmates were getting cold cucumber soup, fruit and yoghurt for lunch and more water than normal.\n\nIn Austria, a 2-year-old died of dehydration Wednesday in the country’s Styria region after he climbed into an overheated parked car without his family noticing.\n\nSocial media had fun with an image that showed that even Queen Elizabeth II, one of the world’s wealthiest women, needed relief from the heat. An image of the monarch meeting new British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday showed what appears to be a Dyson fan, a tower-like design that stood out against the delicate gilt edged decor at Buckingham Palace.\n\nAs intense as it was, the heat in Europe is expected to be short, with temperatures forecast to drop on Friday and Saturday.\n\nGrieshaber reported from Berlin. Deborah Gouffran in Boulogne, France, Mike Corder in The Hague, Netherlands, Bishr Eltouni and Raf Casert in Brussels, Daniel Niemann in Cologne, Germany, Danica Kirka in London and Seth Borenstein in Washington contributed.\n\nCopyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.", "With 90 degree temperatures on the board for mid-Michigan we thought this week’s edition of Weather Wednesday should address what it means to be in a “heat wave”.\n\nIn the video above, StormTracker 6 chief meteorologist David Young explains a heat wave is more than just temperatures.", "BERLIN (AP) — Europeans cooled off in public fountains Wednesday as a new heat wave spread across parts of the continent and was already breaking records.\n\nBelgium and Germany registered their highest-ever temperatures, while the Netherlands saw its hottest day in 75 years.\n\nAnd the mercury is expected to rise even further.\n\nParis and other parts of France could see temperatures exceeding 40 C (104 F) on Thursday along with Germany, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg and Switzerland.\n\nThe heat is putting pressure on authorities to help protect the elderly and the sick. Air conditioning is not common at homes, offices, schools or hospitals in European cities.\n\nThe weather is also aggravating droughts since it hasn’t rained much in many parts of Europe this summer. The combination of heat, wind and possible lightning from thunderstorms also increases the risk of wildfires.\n\nWHY IS IT SO HOT?\n\nThe second likely-to-be-record-breaking heat wave in two months in Europe includes some of the same ingredients of the first — hot dry air coming from northern Africa. That hot air is trapped between cold stormy systems in the Atlantic and eastern Europe and forms “a little heat dome,” said Ryan Maue, a private meteorologist in the U.S.\n\nThis heat wave is a relatively short event where the heat comes with a southerly wind — and dust — from Africa’s Sahara Desert, in contrast to the big European heat waves of 2003 and 2010 which lasted much longer and were sustained by a stationary high pressure system with little wind, experts say.\n\nAt the end of June, several countries reported record temperatures, and France hit its all-time heat record: 46 C (114.8 F) in the small southern town of Verargues.\n\nHeat waves are happening more frequently in large parts of Europe, Asia and Australia, experts say. As the world warms, scientists say there will be more and hotter heat waves, but attributing single events to climate change involves precise computer modeling and calculations.\n\nA team of European climate scientists did a quick, non-peer reviewed analysis of Europe’s June heat wave and found man-made warming made it at least five times more likely.\n\n“Either of the two European heat waves this summer would have been remarkable in isolation. But now we are seeing multiple episodes of record heat in a given summer. By mid-century, we will simply call these episodes ‘summer’ — if we continue on this trajectory,” said Pennsylvania State University climate scientist Michael Mann, who wasn’t part of the European group.\n\nThe heat waves aren’t just because the world is 1 degree Celsius warmer than before the industrial era, but also because climate change and the melting of Arctic sea ice has slowed down the jet stream, which is the river of air that moves weather along, Mann said. The slow jet stream is “a big part of the story when it comes to these very persistent heat extremes we have seen in recent summers,” Mann said in an email.\n\nHOW HOT COULD IT GET THIS WEEK AND WHERE?\n\nTemperatures in France especially are likely to be 15 C (27 F) higher than normal, with Paris likely to break its all-time hottest record mark of 40.4 degrees (104.7 Fahrenheit). Surrounding areas around Paris may hit 41 or 42 C (106 to 108 Fahrenheit), weather experts said.\n\nThe Dutch meteorological institute tweeted that Wednesday’s heat wave broke a record that stood for nearly 75 years of the hottest temperature ever recorded in the Netherlands. The Dutch weather service Weerplaza said that the southern city of Eindhoven reported a temperature of 39.3 (102.7 F) Wednesday afternoon.\n\nBelgium measured its highest temperature since records were first kept in 1833. In sun-baked Kleine Brogel in northeastern Belgium, temperatures rose to 39.9 C (102.3 F), and the weather forecaster of the Royal Meteorological Institute said that it was “the highest ever Belgian temperature.”\n\nAlso, temperatures won’t cool down much at night, and maybe stay around 24 C (75 F) or higher.\n\nThe German Weather Service said a probable record high of 40.5 C (104.9 F) for the country was recorded in Geilenkirchen and put the entire country on heat alert. The previous record of 40.3 C (104.5 F) was set in 2015.\n\nWHAT ARE PEOPLE AND AUTHORITIES DOING TO STAY COOL?\n\nFrance in particular is haunted by the 2003 heat wave that killed an estimated 15,000 people there, most of them isolated elderly people whose families in many cases were on vacation. The country has since taken measures to try to ensure such a catastrophe isn’t repeated.\n\nThose measures include a color-coded heat alert system to warn people when temperatures are expected to rise to dangerous levels in their area. The alert system went to its maximum level of red for the first time during last month’s heat wave, when France saw its highest-ever recorded temperature.\n\nThere are also public service announcements on television, radio and in public transportation systems about risks of high temperatures, telling people to drink water and watch out for isolated elderly people.\n\nMillions of euros in extra funding for emergency services, including more staff members in hospitals and nursing homes overwhelmed in 2003. A government report at the time blamed the death toll on lack of coordination among government agencies, nursing homes that lacked air conditioning and overnight staff, lack of a public alert system, and other problems.\n\nStill, few homes in France or Germany have air conditioning, and many public buildings also lack air conditioning, including hospitals and schools.\n\nIn the Netherlands, local authorities have taken an unusual precaution — with trucks scattering salt on the roads like they usually do in the winter.\n\nThe salt spreaders are usually used to prevent ice forming on Dutch roads in the cold, but Arnhem municipality started using them to cool off asphalt that is baking in the heat wave.\n\nThe city says in a statement that the salt “attracts moisture from the air and cools the asphalt.” It also prevents the asphalt from becoming sticky.\n\nAcross London, authorities started handing out water and sunscreen to homeless people and opened day centers for them to rest and shower. In the Lewisham district of the British capital, garbage collectors will start working as early as 5 a.m. in the morning to beat the heat.\n\nLondon police warned people not to swim in the city’s River Thames after a young man died there Tuesday night.\n\n“Whilst at times, the Thames may look appealing, especially in this hot weather, it remains very dangerous all year round,” police said in a statement. “On initial entry the water can seem warm on the surface, but further in it can be freezing cold and there are often very strong undercurrents.”\n\nWHEN IS IT OVER?\n\nThe heat wave will end in a few days. On the weekend, temperatures are expected to fall. However, quite often end of a heat wave brings storms, including lightning and heavy flooding.\n\nSeth Borenstein reported from Washington. Elaine Ganley and Angela Charlton in Paris, Natasha Livingstone in London, Mike Corder in The Hague, Netherlands, and Raf Casert in Brussels contributed reporting.\n\nCopyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.", "Tokyo [Japan], July 31 (ANI): High temperature in Japan that rose sharply following the end of the rainy season across most areas in the country last week has killed at least 11 people, authorities said.\n\nQuoting the Fire and Disaster Management Agency, The Japan Times reported on Tuesday that more than 5,000 people have been shifted to hospitals due to heat-related issues.\n\nOf the 5,664 people, 119 displayed severe symptoms that would normally require at least three weeks of treatment as an inpatient, while 1,792 suffered less serious issues, necessitating shorter stays, officials added.\n\nAs the temperature continues to rise, the agency and weather officials have warned people to take preventative measures against heatstroke and other heat-related illnesses.\n\nTajimi in Gifu Prefecture, central Japan, saw the mercury rise to 37.1 degrees Celsius, while Kumagaya in Tokyo's neighbouring prefecture of Saitama and Kyoto saw temperatures rocket to 36.8 degrees Celsius.\n\nIn the capital city of Tokyo, the daytime high was logged at 35.4 degrees Celsius, with temperatures across Japan expected to stay above 25 degrees Celsius overnight.\n\nAcross wide swathes of Japan from north to south, temperatures are forecast to remain upwards of 36 degrees Celsius through Wednesday, weather officials said. (ANI)", "NEWINGTON, CT (WFSB) – Another heat wave is expected, and if you haven’t bought an air conditioning unit yet, you’re not alone.\n\nSome stores have fully stocked up on units after the first heat wave of the summer.\n\nP.C. Richard and Son is one of the many businesses expecting another rush of customers due to the upcoming heat.\n\nThey said they were busy all weekend as people were going to buy air conditioning units to stay cool.\n\nWith temperatures hitting above the 90-degree mark, people will likely want to keep cool inside with the air conditioner on blast.\n\nFor those who don’t have air conditioning, P.C. Richard and Son will be staying busy by selling them.\n\n“We are seeing a good influx of business with the higher temperatures. We find that when the humidity goes up, customers are coming in for air conditioners especially, but air conditioners are where it’s at,” said Matthew LeFrance, assistant manager of P.C. Richard and Son.\n\nMatthew LeFrance was at the Newington store over the weekend and said they had a good amount of business.\n\n“Not as many as the first heat wave when we saw that initial push, but we are still seeing a lot of customers coming in. Sometimes it’s a replacement, maybe something breaks down,” LeFrance said.\n\nIt all depends what a customer is looking for, as some are buying multiple units and fans. They don’t expect it to slow down anytime soon.\n\n“The heat wave has helped our business with refrigeration and air conditioning,” LeFrance said.\n\nThe hot temperatures are expected to last through Tuesday."], "summary": "Eleven deaths and multiple hospitalizations are attributed to the ongoing heat wave in Japan."}
{"document": ["", "KUALA LUMPUR: Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah was today officially installed as the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong in a glorious ceremony in keeping with the splendour of the constitutional monarchy of Malaysia.\n\nFollowing is the oath which Sultan Abdullah took as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong at the installation at Balairung Seri (Throne Room) of Istana Negara:\n\n“We, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah Ibni Almarhum Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Al-Musta’in Billah, express our gratefulness to Allah (God) for, with His will, we have been elected to be the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong.\n\n“We hereby declare to justly perform our duties in reigning Malaysia in accordance with the laws and the Constitution and faithfully uphold, at all times, the Religion of Islam and stand firmly with the just and peaceful administration of the country.”\n\nEarlier, Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad read out the Instrument of Proclamation of Sultan Abdullah as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, as follows:\n\n“It is hereby proclaimed to one and all as well as the people of Malaysia that Their Royal Highnesses, the Rulers, have elected His Majesty, Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah Ibni Almarhum Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Al-Musta’in Billah, on this glorious day, time and second to be installed on the throne of the Government of Malaysia as His Majesty Yang di-Pertuan Agong XVI.” – Bernama", "SUBANG, July 29 — The Sultan of Brunei Darussalam, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, flew in here today to attend the installation of the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong in Kuala Lumpur tomorrow.\n\nThe sultan, who was accompanied by his consort Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Hajah Saleha, arrived at noon at the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) base. Their Majesties were accompanied by a 20-member entourage.\n\nThe Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, and the Raja Permaisuri Agong, Tunku Hajah Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah, welcomed the royal visitors at the airbase.\n\nAlso present was the Regent of Pahang, Tengku Hassanal Ibrahim Alam Shah Al-Sultan Abdullah.\n\nEconomic Affairs Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali was also at the airbase to greet the sultan and his consort. He is the minister-in-attendance.\n\nSultan Hassanal Bolkiah is one of the two foreign royal dignitaries who will attend the installation of Sultan Abdullah as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong at Istana Negara tomorrow.\n\nThe other is the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohamed Zayed Al-Nahyan, who is expected to arrive tomorrow morning.\n\nSultan Hassanal Bolkiah and Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Hajah Saleha are also scheduled to attend the Royal Banquet at Istana Negara on Wednesday in conjunction with the installation. — Bernama", "KUALA LUMPUR, July 30 — Malaysians once again witnessed a historic moment as Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah is officially installed as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong in a ceremony steeped in Malay royal customs and tradition.\n\nSultan Abdullah and the Raja Permaisuri Agong Tunku Hajah Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah entered the Balairung Seri (Throne Room) of Istana Negara at 10.45 am.\n\nThe royal couple were escorted in by Datuk Paduka Maharaja Lela (Grand Chamberlain) Azuan Effendy Zairakithnaini, flanked by Warrior Mace Bearers and Royal Regalia Warrior Bearers, accompanied by the rhythm of the trumpet-like instrument known as 'nafiri' played by Malaysian Armed Forces personnel and the percussion of the Terengganu Royal Nobat Ensemble.\n\nThe Cogan Alam (Mace of the Universe) and the Cogan Agama (Mace of Religion) are part of the Royal regalia which bear great significance in the installation ceremony and symbolise the greatness of the institution of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and the Government of Malaysia.\n\nSultan Abdullah, attired in the official Yang di-Pertuan Agong's black and gold embroidered ‘Muskat’, and Tunku Azizah dressed in a beautiful ivory white attire and matching scarf, then proceeded to the royal dais.\n\nThe ceremony was broadcast live via the national television station which allowed the public to witness the historic event, which also falls on the King’s 60th birthday.\n\nApart from the Malay Rulers and their respective consorts, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohamed Zayed Al-Nahyan and the Sultan of Brunei, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah and his consort Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Hajah Saleha were also present at the ceremony.\n\nAlso in attendance were representatives of the Malay Rulers, heads of state, the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister and Cabinet Ministers, as well as other distinguished guests comprising foreign envoys and senior government officials.\n\nOnce Their Majesties were seated, the Grand Chamberlain then requested the King's consent to begin the installation ceremony by bringing in a copy of the Quran and the rest of the regalia into the Balairung Seri including the Keris Panjang Diraja (Government Keris), the Proclamation Letter, and the Oath of Installation.\n\nThe Quran, which symbolises Islam as the official religion of the country, was then presented to Sultan Abdullah, who kissed it before placing it on a table to his left.\n\nThe Grand Chamberlain then presented the Proclamation Letter to Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad who read it out and formally proclaimed Sultan Abdullah as the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong.\n\nThe Yang di-Pertuan Agong was then entrusted with the Government Keris, which he drew out, kissed, and returned to its scabbard and placed it on the table to his left, before taking the oath as Malaysia’s new King.\n\nRight after the oath, the Grand Chamberlain led the hall in proclaiming 'Daulat Tuanku', three times.\n\nThe national anthem was then played, along with a royal 21-gun salute.\n\nDr Mahathir, representing the Government and the people, then delivered his congratulatory message before Sultan Abdullah proceeded with his address to the people.\n\nFollowing the royal address, the Istana Negara's Religious Officer Datuk Abd Aziz Che Yacob recite the Doa Selamat prayer and the Grand Chamberlain then collected the Quran from the throne before declaring the installation ceremony had been officially completed\n\nThe royal couple was then escorted out of the Balairung Seri by the Grand Chamberlain and Ceremonial Chief, accompanied by warriors carrying the Royal Regalia.\n\nSultan Abdullah was sworn in and signed his oath of office as Malaysia’s new King on Jan 31 to replace Sultan Muhammad V who stepped down on Jan 6.\n\nHis Majesty was proclaimed as the sixth Sultan of Pahang, succeeding his late father Paduka Ayahanda Sultan Ahmad Shah Al-Musta’in Billah, on Jan 15 and was elected as the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong by the Conference of Rulers on Jan 24. — Bernama", "KUALA LUMPUR: The installation of Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah as the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong is set to take place today in a ceremony steeped in royal Malay customs and tradition at Istana Negara, a historic event under the country’s unique system of constitutional monarchy.\n\nTo be held at Balairung Seri or the Throne Room of Istana Negara in Jalan Tuanku Abdul Halim, the installation ceremony will formally mark the beginning of the five-year reign of Sultan Abdullah as the head of state of Malaysia.\n\nThe installation will certainly be of historical significance and sentimental value to Sultan Abdullah and Her Majesty Tunku Hajah Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah as it takes place on the 60th birthday of His Majesty.\n\nAs part of the preparations for today’s event, Istana Negara, as the grand venue, has been beautifully and meticulously decorated to add gaiety to the occasion, highlighting its stature as the landmark of the constitutional monarchy system practised by Malaysia.\n\nIstana Negara’s Grand Chamberlain (Datuk Paduka Maharajalela) Azuan Effendy Zairakithnaini aptly said: “The time has come for the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong to be installed, with the legacy to uphold the Institution of Constitutional Monarchy.”\n\nThe installation ceremony itself, dignified and resplendent, stands testament to the perpetuity of the reign of the Malay monarch in the 62 years since the independence of the country. Fifteen rulers have been installed in a similar ceremony steeped in tradition.\n\nThis will be the second time that a sultan from Pahang is installed as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong after His Majesty’s father, the late Paduka Ayahanda Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Al-Musta’in Billah, was installed as the seventh Yang di-Pertuan Agong and reigned from April 1979 to April 1984.\n\nSultan Abdullah was proclaimed as the sixth Sultan of Pahang, succeeding his father on Jan 15, and was elected as the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong by the Conference of Rulers on Jan 24 and sworn in on Jan 31.\n\n“The preparations at Istana Negara have been meticulously made to meet the expectations of Their Majesties and, of course, without a flaw or imperfection. With the help of the thousands who are involved (in the preparations), we pray that all the hard work will materialise,” said Azuan Effendy.\n\nAbout 700 guests, comprising also the Malay Rulers, Yang Dipertuas Negeri and Cabinet ministers, are expected to attend and witness the ceremony.\n\nAmong them will be foreign royal dignitaries, including the Sultan of Brunei Darussalam, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, and the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohamed Zayed Al-Nahyan.\n\nThe ceremony begins at 9am and will be broadcast live by Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) and other television stations. — Bernama", "KUALA LUMPUR, July 30 — Malaysians of all walks of life have conveyed their congratulations to Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah on His Majesty’s installation today as the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong at Istana Negara.\n\nThe people also offered prayers for Sultan Abdullah and Raja Permaisuri Agong Tunku Hajah Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah in conjunction with the glorious ceremony in accordance with the heritage of the Malay Sultanate.\n\nIn Pahang, Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail said Sultan Abdullah would be able to carry out his role as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and lead Malaysia to greater glory.\n\nSultan Abdullah’s official driver Azman Saadon, on behalf of the general staff of Istana Abdulaziz, prayed for the good health of His Majesty to rule the country.\n\n“We at Istana Abdulaziz know that Their Majesties are so caring and kind. We are proud that Malaysians can now get to know them more closely,” he said.\n\nIn Kelantan, Mentri Besar Datuk Ahmad Yakob said the people had expressed their commitment to defend the institution of the monarchy in the country in line with His Majesty’s position as the head of state which symbolised the nations’s sovereignty, unity, greatness and glory.\n\n“May Allah SWT bless and lead him in carrying out his duty and role as the head of state,” he said.\n\nIn Negri Sembilan, a part-time worker, Muhammad Azri Syazwan Abd Hamid, 23, said Sultan Abdullah was the people’s king and was always concerned about the hardships and problems faced by them, especially those affected by disasters.\n\nA public university student, Sin Run Hui, 23, said the personality of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong who cared about people’s lives had touched her feelings.\n\n“I really admire the personality of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong who is always concerned about the people. His Majesty also regularly uses social media to share his life and interact with the people, thus strengthening his relationship with the people,” she said.\n\nIn Kedah, government pensioner Ibrahim Ahmad, 65, said the leadership and personality of Sultan Abdullah was very much loved by the people.\n\n“His Majesty is a very friendly person, likes to say hello and joke around with ordinary people,” he said.\n\nIn Melaka, Chief Minister Adly Zahari and all the people of Melaka extended their congratulations to His Majesty and prayed that Allah SWT would bless the reign of Sultan Abdullah.\n\nAnother government pensioner, Azmi Hassan, 64, said he was impressed by the friendliness of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong towards the people.\n\n“I pray that His Majesty will continue to be given good health and faith to continue to rule this country... His Majesty is loved by the people,” he told Bernama.\n\nRobert Teo, 44, also hoped that His Majesty would continue to be given good health to rule the country and to look after the welfare of the people.\n\nIn Sarawak, civil servant Norazura Salleh, 34, who is a native of Pahang, said she was proud that Sultan Abdullah had been crowned the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.\n\n“His Majesty is a very special person, especially for the people of Pahang. May the people continue to enjoy peace and harmony under the auspices of His Majesty,” she said.\n\nPrivate sector employee Aloren Lewis Lias, 33, said she was very excited to watch the installation ceremony, which was broadcast live throughout Malaysia.\n\nIn Terengganu, young people were also excited to witness the ceremony even though it was only on television.\n\n“Although we are approaching the year 2020, the rich tradition of the Malay Sultanate was very much felt while watching the ceremony...especially when ‘nobat’ was playing,” said Nik Anis Ayuni Zakaria, 23, a private sector worker from Kuala Terengganu.\n\nUniversity student Wan Zurafifah Wan Zulkifli, 21, said she was pleased to see the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and the Raja Permaisuri Agong held hands when entering Istana Negara.\n\n“They are a very friendly royal couple...this is the first time I’ve seen royal couples holding hands in such ceremony,” she said.\n\nIn Selangor, Mentri Besar Amirudin Shari said he was confident that the people’s king would form a fair and equitable reign.\n\nPrivate sector worker Harun Omar, 42, admired the personalities of His Majesty who regularly help the people during disasters.\n\n“Malaysians are fortunate to have His Majesty as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong. His friendliness would further strengthen the relationship between the king and the people,” he said.\n\nIn Perak, Tebing Tinggi assemblyman Dr Abdul Aziz Bari said the installation ceremony was an important event because it was a national tradition.\n\n“(The installation) started at the Tuanku Abdul Rahman Hall in Jalan Ampang and then at the old Istana Negara and now the new palace at Jalan Tuanku Abdul Halim. All this will be historical treasures,” said Abdul Aziz, who is also a constitutional expert..\n\nHe said Sultan Abdullah’s installation was also a symbol of continuity as well as remembering the reign of his late father Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Al-Musta’in Billah who was installed the seventh Yang di-Pertuan Agong in 1979.\n\n“All this is unique, there is no other monarchical system like this. It puts Malaysia on the world map and can attract tourists and researchers,” he said.\n\nTiti Serong assemblyman Hasnul Zulkarnain Abd Munaim said Sultan Abdullah’s approachable and friendly personalities were highly admired by the people.\n\n“Hopefully under the auspices of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, the country will be more respected and the Malay Rulers will be more beloved by the people,” he said.\n\n“May His Majesty be able to assume this responsibility with justice and fairness,” he said.\n\nJohor Bersatu secretary Mohd Solihan Badri was also confident that Sultan Abdullah was able to be a ruler who respected the people’s desire to live a comfortable and happy life.\n\nPaloh assemblyman Sheikh Umar Bagharib Ali said he welcomed Sultan Abdullah’s effort to promote unity and tolerance among all races and religions in the country.\n\nSheikh Umar, who is also state Youth, Sports, Entrepreneur and Cooperative Development Committee chairman, said he and the state government leaders would also take the advice of Sultan Abdullah to refrain from inciting misunderstanding by raising matters than can undermine and destroy harmony in the country. — Bernama", "The Sultan of Pahang, Abdullah Ahmad Shah, was on Tuesday crowned the 16th king of Malaysia for the next five years under the country’s rotating monarchy system after his proclamation as the monarch in January following an unexpected abdication by his predecessor.\n\nIn an ostentatious ceremony at Kuala Lumpur's National Palace, the monarch's official residence, the 60-year-old sultan wore a traditional black regalia with gold embroidery.\n\nThe sultan and his wife were welcomed into the palace with a red carpet leading into the rooms, and formally ascended the throne in front of 700 invitees, in a ceremony laden with symbolism and amid the sound of flutes and drum beats.\n\nThe new king, in his first speech after the coronation broadcast live on television, promised to promote unity and tolerance among all races and religions in the country.\n\nThe event was attended by seven of the remaining eight sultans of Malaysia, as well as representatives of the federal government, the 13 states and three territories that make up the nation.\n\nShah's appointment came after Muhammad V, Sultan of Kelantan, 49, surprised everyone by announcing his abdication on Jan. 6 without giving any reason for it, after just two years on the throne.\n\nThe abdication took place after Muhammad V was reported to have married 25-year-old Russia’s beauty queen Oksana Voevodina, at a secretive ceremony in Moscow last November. News of their divorce was made public earlier this month.\n\nMalaysia practices the system of a constitutional monarchy. According to its constitution, the king, who represents the country at official events, is elected every five years from among the nine Sultans on a rotational basis.\n\nThe system has been in practice since Malaysia's independence from the United Kingdom in 1957 but the lineage of sultans dates back to Malay Sultans of the 15th century.\n\nThe king, also the commander-in-chief of the Malaysian Armed Forces, is revered as the patriarch of the Malay ethnic group by Malay Muslims, who represent 60 percent of the country's population. EFE-EPA", "13-year-old among 17 held in anti-drug ops in Kuching", "KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's sports-loving Sultan Abdullah Sultan Ahmad Shah called for racial unity as he was installed Tuesday as the country's 16th king under a unique rotating monarchy system. It was a double celebration for Sultan Abdullah from central Pahang state, who turned 59 the same day.\n\nHe was picked as Malaysia's new ruler in January, after Sultan Muhammad V from northeast Kelantan state abruptly resigned after just two years on the throne in the first abdication in the nation's history.\n\nNine ethnic Malay state rulers take turns as king for five-year terms under the world's only such system, which has been maintained since Malaysia's independence from Britain in 1957.\n\nIn his coronation speech, Sultan Abdullah warned that any attempt to sow racial discord in the country was akin to \"playing with fire that will burn not only oneself but also burn down the whole village. \"Unity and national harmony are the country's pillars of strength. Do not ever stoke racial misunderstanding by raising matters that can threaten national unity and harmony,\" he said.\n\nGarbed in black and gold regalia, Sultan Abdullah voiced confidence that Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad's government is able to tackle economic and social challenges in trying to rebuild the country after winning last year's elections.\n\nA large number of ethnic Malay Muslims, who make up about 60 percent of Malaysia's 32 million people, still support the opposition.\n\nWhile carrying out economic and institutional reforms, Mahathir's multiethnic alliance has to quell fears among Malays that their privileges under decades-old affirmative action that favors them in jobs, business and education will be eliminated. Ethnic Chinese and Indians comprise about 30 percent of the population.\n\nMahathir in his speech acknowledged minor incidents of racial strife and said the government has set up an advisory body to strengthen racial unity. He said the government will step up efforts to bolster the economy and fight corruption to ensure that \"no one is above the law.\"\n\nBrunei's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah and Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan also attended the ceremony at the national palace, steeped in centuries-old Malay tradition. British-educated Sultan Abdullah is a prominent figure in sport bodies.\n\nHe is a council member of the world football governing body FIFA, president of the Asian Hockey Federation, and an executive board member of the International Hockey Federation. He took over after Sultan Muhammad V, 49, quit shortly after marrying a 25-year-old former Russian beauty queen last November.\n\nSultan Muhammad however, reportedly divorced his wife recently. Known as the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong, or He Who Is Made Lord, Malaysia's king plays a largely ceremonial role, since administrative power is vested in the prime minister and Parliament.\n\nThe monarch is highly regarded as the guardian of Islam and Malay tradition, particularly among the Malay Muslim majority. He is also the nominal head of the government and armed forces. All laws, Cabinet appointments and the dissolution of Parliament for general elections require his assent. The king also issues pardons for criminals.", "KUALA LUMPUR: The Sultan of Pahang, Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah, was installed as the 16th king of Malaysia on Tuesday (Jul 30) in a ceremony steeped in Malay royal customs and traditions, formally marking his five-year reign as the head of state.\n\nSultan Abdullah, who turned 60 on the same day, was clad in the official ceremonial dress named the Muskat – a long black robe adorned with golden embroidery.\n\nHis consort Tunku Azizah Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah, meanwhile, was dressed in an ivory white attire and matching scarf.\n\nAround 700 guests, comprising the Malay rulers, Cabinet ministers and foreign dignitaries attended the ceremony that was broadcast live on state television.\n\nAmong the notable foreign guests included Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed Zayed Al-Nahyan and Brunei’s Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah.\n\nSultan Abdullah was proclaimed the sixth Sultan of Pahang on Jan 15, succeeding his father. He was subsequently elected as the 16th king at a special meeting of the Conference of Rulers on Jan 24 and was sworn in on Jan 31.\n\n\n\nHis coronation came after the abdication of Kelantan’s Sultan Muhammad V in January."], "summary": "Al-Sultan Abdullah is crowned as the 16th Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia at Istana Negara, Kuala Lumpur."}
{"document": ["BUCHAREST -- Romania's Interior Minister Nicolae Moga has announced he is stepping down, the latest departure of a top official amid public outrage over the suspected kidnapping, rape, and murder of a teenage girl.\n\nMoga said on July 30 that he was stepping down effective immediately, just six days after being sworn into office, following talks with Prime Minister Viorica Dancila.\n\n\n\nOn July 27, thousands of people protested in Bucharest over the slow response by police to the disappearance of 15-year-old Alexandra Macesanu near the southern Romanian city of Caracal.\n\n\n\nRomania's national police chief was fired on July 26 amid criticism that it took police 19 hours last week to locate Macesanu, who had called the national emergency dispatcher three times giving clues about her location.\n\nOn July 27, thousands of people protested in Bucharest over the slow response by police to the disappearance of 15-year-old Alexandra Macesanu near the southern Romanian city of Caracal.\n\nAdding to the growing wave of public outrage over the handling of the case, authorities on July 29 published a short transcript of the first call Macesanu made to the 112 emergency line, during which the operator told the captive girl to hang up because she was \"keeping the line blocked.\"\n\nPolice said they found human bones and jewelry at the site where Macesanu was thought to be held – a disused automobile repair shop.\n\n\n\nThe owner of the building, 65-year-old Gheorghe Dinca, admitted to murdering both Macesanu and 18-year-old Luiza Melencu, who went missing in April.\n\nBut so far authorities have not confirmed that the bones found on Dinca's property match the DNA of either Macesanu or Melencu.\n\nWith reporting by digi24.ro, g4media.ro, and AP", "BUCHAREST – Romania’s police chief and two county officials were fired late on Friday after authorities took 19 hours to respond to emergency calls from a kidnapped 15-year-old girl who died at the hands of her captor in the interim.\n\nInterior Minister Nicolae Moga said he fired Police Chief Ioan Buda, Olt County Prefect Petre Neacsu and Olt County Police Chief Cristian Voiculescu over the case in the southern Romanian town of Caracal.\n\nThe victim called the European emergency number 112 three times for help on Thursday morning, according to the emergency phone center. A 65-year-old mechanic, Gheorghe Dinca, is suspected of killing her.\n\nPolice said they did not enter Dinca’s house until 19 hours after she called. Authorities struggled to locate the source of the calls and secured a search warrant even though it was not legally necessary. After getting the warrant, they waited for hours to enter the premises.\n\n“Why (authorities) waited … must be clarified,” interim general prosecutor Bogdan Licu told private television station Antena3. “A girl who by all indications could have been saved has died.”\n\nThe case sparked outrage and hundreds of people gathered to protest outside the suspect’s house late on Friday. Romania’s president and prime minister called for an analysis of the response and punishment of those responsible.\n\nAt the scene, police found what appeared to be human remains in a barrel and jewelry. Police suspect the remains belong to the 15-year-old victim and to an 18-year-old girl from a nearby village who was reported missing in April. Forensics analysts were working to identify the remains.", "Interior minister Nicolae Moga resigned on Tuesday, July 30, less than a week after taking over the job. This makes Moga the interior minister with the shortest mandate in the history of Romania’s Interior Ministry, according to local Mediafax.\n\nHis resignation comes amid a scandal sparked by the slow intervention of the police and other law enforcement authorities in the case targeting the kidnapping and murder of a young girl in the town of Caracal last week.\n\nNicolae Moga was appointed minister of interior on July 24 after the former minister Carmen Dan resigned. In his first statements as minister, Moga said that he did not want this position but, if “that’s how it was meant to be,” he will try to make things work.\n\nHowever, not long after Moga’s appointment, the news broke out that Alexandra Macesanu, 15, was reported missing and was most likely kidnapped and killed. In the early hours of Friday last week, the police searched the house of a car mechanic from Caracal and found possible human remains and jewelery in a barrel. They arrested the man, who later confessed to murdering Alexandra, and also admitted to killing another girl who was reported missing in mid-April.\n\nThe entire case sparked public outrage, especially as information emerged that the police failed to locate the 15-year-old girl in time although she managed to call the emergency number 112 on Thursday morning and alert the authorities. Accusations were also lunched against the Special Telecommunications Service (STS), which reportedly failed to provide a more accurate location of the girl. The STS director resigned on Monday, July 29, and eight policemen who intervened in this case are currently under investigation.\n\nExplaining his resignation, Nicolae Moga said: “I took this decision to save some of the heavily affected prestige of this institution following the deficient activity of some of its employees who have been dismissed or are to be sanctioned. […] In the six days in which I led the Ministry of Internal Affairs, I ordered all the possible controls to identify the culprits for the tragedy in Caracal. All these investigations will continue.”\n\nNicolae Moga was expected to present the ministry’s report on how the police intervened in the Caracal murder case and how they handled Alexandra's calls to 112.", "Romania’s interior minister resigned Tuesday after it took 19 hours to find a 15-year-old girl who reported her own kidnapping to police three times and then was killed.\n\nAlexandra Macesanu’s rape and murder has sparked outrage in the country over the bumbling police response to her 911 calls.\n\nMinister Nicolae Moga, appointed just six days ago, resigned only days after firing Romania’s top cop.\n\nROMANIA'S TOP COP FIRED OVER BUMBLED RESPONSE TO CALLS FOR HELP FROM KIDNAPPED GIRL\n\n“I have made the decision to resign to save part of the ministry’s prestige which has been strongly impacted by the deficient activity of some if its employees, who were either fired or are about to be sanctioned,” Moga said according to Reuters.\n\nAlexandria was hitchhiking near Caracal in southern Romania Wednesday when she kidnapped.\n\nKIDNAPPED AUSTRIAN TRIATHLETE SWEET-TALKS CAPTOR INTO LETTING HER GO: REPORT\n\nAfter tracing the emergency calls, police waited three hours for a court to approve a search warrant to enter the house, though it was legally necessary.\n\nGheorghe Dinca, 65, has been accused of the murder.\n\nCLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP\n\nDinca confessed to killing Alexandra and Luiza Melencu, 18, a hitchhiker who disappeared in April, Reuters reported.", "* Police slow to respond after she phoned emergency line\n\nBUCHAREST, July 31 (Reuters) - The family of a 15-year-old Romanian girl kidnapped earlier this month and now presumed dead has released recordings of her desperate calls for help to authorities whose handling of the case has caused public outrage and dismissals of officials.\n\nA mechanic from Caracal in south Romania has confessed to killing Alexandra Macesanu, who went missing on July 24, and another 18-year-old girl last seen in April.\n\nWith authorities taking 19 hours to locate Macesanu after she made three calls to the emergency number 112, the case has sparked street protests, the interior minister's resignation, and the firing of some local officials.\n\n\"Please stay with me on the line, I'm really scared,\" Macesanu told a policeman while crying during her third and last call, according to a transcript released on Facebook by her uncle Alexandru Cumpanasu late on Tuesday.\n\n\"I can't stay on the line with you, miss, I have other calls,\" replied the officer Vasilica Viorel Florescu, according to the transcript and audios. \"Stay there, a police car will come without fail, in 2-3 minutes ... what the hell, calm down, the car is en route.\"\n\nReuters has been unable to independently verify the audios, and neither the Special Telecommunications Unit (STS) in charge of directing 112 calls, police nor the Interior Ministry responded to requests to confirm them or comment on their contents.\n\nThe uncle, who has acted as a spokesman for the family, said when he released the transcripts that the parents have asked the media not to use their daughter's voice.\n\nSome Romanian media, however, have broadcast what they said were leaked fragments of the call, so later on Tuesday Cumpanasu released the entire audio recordings, which he had requested from the STS.\n\nFlorescu, a policeman from the nearby town of Slatina, told local media that he talked to Macesanu twice out of the three calls she made, including the last one, and gave her details to Caracal police.\n\n\"I repeatedly told her to stay calm and that a police car was coming,\" he was quoted as saying by the private television station Romania TV. He added he disconnected the call so that local police could get in touch with her.\n\nReuters could not immediately reach Florescu for comment.\n\nHuman remains have been found at the house of 65-year-old mechanic Gheorghe Dinca, where Macesanu was kept. A preliminary forensic report is expected on Friday. (Reporting by Luiza Ilie; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne and Jon Boyle)", "The head of Romania’s Special Telecommunications Service (STS), an agency with military status that coordinates the activities in the field of special secure communications, resigned on Monday, July 29, amid the scandal triggered by the slow intervention of law enforcement authorities in the kidnapping and murder of a young girl in the town of Caracal last week. Meanwhile, eight policemen who intervened in this case are currently under investigation.\n\nThe STS director Sorinel Vasilca announced on Monday that he decided to send his resignation to president Klaus Iohannis, as he doesn’t want “to affect the prestige of the institution.”\n\n“I want to mention that my resignation has not been submitted due to existence of gaps, inconsistencies or the slightest shadow of guilt in the taking over and localization of 112 emergency calls by the STS, due to my negligence or because I haven’t assumed the responsibilities of my job […] The resignation was submitted to not affect the prestige of the institution,” the STS director said in a press release.\n\nMeanwhile, the interior minister’s Control Body proposed a preliminary investigation to see how eight policemen (five officers and three agents) intervened in the case targeting the murder of the 15-year-old girl in Caracal last week.\n\nIn addition, the Caracal Court Prosecutor's Office was asked to check the police officer who took over the 112 calls made by the girl after being reported missing. Judicial sources said that the Interior Ministry’s report in this case shows that the policeman who spoke to the girl when she called the emergency number 112 to ask for help had a reluctant attitude to the situation and didn’t try to obtain more information about the place where she was being held, according to local Hotnews.ro.\n\nBoth the STS and the police have been accused of intervening too slowly in the case of the 15-year-old girl who went missing from home last Wednesday and was killed by a 65-year-old man from Caracal.\n\nThe teenage girl disappeared on Wednesday after hitchhiking. On Thursday morning, at around 11:00, she managed to make three calls to the emergency number 112 and tell the authorities that she was being held captive in a house. The police managed to identify the main suspect’s house after many hours, searching the location only on Friday morning, at about 06:00. The police accused the STS of providing inaccurate information about the girl’s location.\n\nThe entire case sparked public outrage, people being angry at the chaotic intervention in this case. Some even believe that the girl could have been saved if the tracking and intervention systems would have worked better.\n\nMeanwhile, the 65-year-old car mechanic who was arrested as main suspect in this case admitted to killing the 15-year-old girl, and also to killing another young girl who went missing in mid-April.", "Romania's interior minister says he is resigning in the wake of the murders of two teenagers, crimes which have outraged the country partly due to alleged police ineptitude.\n\nNicolae Moga said Tuesday that he was stepping down, just six days after being sworn into office, after a conversation with Prime Minister Viorica Dancila.\n\nMoga said his move \"should be seen as a new beginning for the interior ministry.\"\n\nRomania's national police chief was fired Friday amid criticism that it took police 19 hours last week to locate a 15-year-old girl who called the country's emergency hotline three times saying she had been beaten and raped by an abductor.\n\nA man has since confessed to killing the teen as well as an 18-year-old female missing since April and burning their bodies.", "Romania's Interior Minister Nicolae Moga resigned on Tuesday amid a wave of public revulsion over a murder case in which police failed to react in time to save a teenage girl\n\nBucharest, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - APP - 30th Jul, 2019 ) :Romania's Interior Minister Nicolae Moga resigned on Tuesday amid a wave of public revulsion over a murder case in which police failed to react in time to save a teenage girl.\n\nThe case has sparked an outcry against the authorities, with thousands of demonstrators taking to the streets of Bucharest on Saturday evening.\n\n\"I took this decision to safeguard a part of the prestige of the ministry, which has been severely damaged by the faulty actions of some of its employees,\" said Moga of his resignation.\n\nMoga is the third high-ranking official to quit over the case in the space of a week, following the departure of the chief of police, Ioan Buda, and the head of the Special Telecommunications Service (STS), Ionel Vasilca.\n\nA suspect, 65-year-old Gheorghe Dinca, was arrested on Sunday in the southern town of Caracal.\n\nHe has admitted to kidnapping and killing the 15-year-old girl, Alexandra, but also another girl who disappeared in April called Luiza, according to his lawyer.\n\nDinca's lawyer also says prosecutors have suspicions that he might be responsible for more than the two crimes he has already confessed to.\n\nThree other police chiefs in the region where Caracal is located have also been fired and eight officers are under investigation for alleged negligence in their handling of the case.\n\nOn Thursday, Alexandra, who was abducted while hitch-hiking home, managed to ring the emergency 112 number three times and give police clues about the location where she was being held by her captor.\n\nShe yelled \"he's coming, he's coming\" before the line was cut, police said.\n\nCritics allege that officials failed to take the alert seriously and reacted too late to locate and help save the teen.\n\nRomanian President Klaus Iohannis denounced on Tuesday \"a long chain of errors\" in the case and demanded measures to ensure \"such tragedies can be avoided\".", "BUCHAREST: Romania´s Interior Minister Nicolae Moga resigned on Tuesday amid a wave of public revulsion over a murder case in which police failed to react in time to save a teenage girl.\n\nThe case has sparked an outcry against the authorities, with thousands of demonstrators taking to the streets of Bucharest on Saturday evening. \"I took this decision to safeguard a part of the prestige of the ministry, which has been severely damaged by the faulty actions of some of its employees,\" said Moga of his resignation.\n\nMoga is the third high-ranking official to quit over the case in the space of a week, following the departure of the chief of police, Ioan Buda, and the head of the Special Telecommunications Service (STS), Ionel Vasilca.\n\nA suspect, 65-year-old Gheorghe Dinca, was arrested on Sunday in the southern town of Caracal.\n\nHe has admitted to kidnapping and killing the 15-year-old girl, Alexandra, but also another girl who disappeared in April called Luiza, according to his lawyer. Dinca´s lawyer also says prosecutors have suspicions that he might be responsible for more than the two crimes he has already confessed to.\n\nThree other police chiefs in the region where Caracal is located have also been fired and eight officers are under investigation for alleged negligence in their handling of the case. On Thursday, Alexandra, who was abducted while hitch-hiking home, managed to ring the emergency 112 number three times and give police clues about the location where she was being held by her captor.", "A Romanian gendarme stands outside the Interior Ministry, in Bucharest, Romania, Friday, July 26, 2019, near flowers and candles placed in memory of a 15 year-old girl, killed after after police took 19 hours to locate her after she was kidnapped by a man in southern Romania. The chief of Romania’s national police has been fired by Interior Minister Nicolae Moga over the handling of the kidnapping of the teenage girl, who was raped and killed in the southern city of Caracal. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)\n\nBUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Romania’s prime minister said Saturday she is considering a referendum on harsher penalties for crimes like murder, rape and pedophilia in the wake of the rape and killing of a 15-year-old girl that has shocked the country.\n\nPrime Minister Viorica Dancila also called for efforts to reduce the authorities’ reaction time in similar cases, after police were criticized for reacting too slowly to the girl’s repeated phone calls for help to the country’s emergency hotline. Romania’s national police chief was fired Friday over the handling of the case.\n\nThousands of people took part Saturday evening in a march protesting the handling of the case, blaming Romanian officials for negligence, incompetence and a lack of empathy.\n\nChanting anti-government slogans and carrying Romanian flags, the protesters marched from Victoria Palace, the government headquarters, to Revolution Square, where they lit candles outside the Interior Ministry. Some chanted “Resignation,” ”Corruption kills” and “Down with the government” during the march, while also taunting police officers with shouts of “Hide, your hands are stained with blood!”\n\nAuthorities say the man suspected in the case, Gheorghe Dinca, has been detained on suspicion of trafficking minors and rape. A court is expected to place him under preliminary arrest for up to 30 days.\n\nThe girl, whose identity has yet to be officially confirmed, was raped and killed in the southern city of Caracal.\n\nIt reportedly took police 19 hours until they began to search the suspect’s home after the victim’s calls saying she had been beaten and raped by a man who picked her up in his car as she was hitchhiking to Caracal from a nearby village."], "summary": "Romanian Interior Minister Nicolae Moga [ro] resigns amid outrage over the slow response by police, state prosecutor's office and the secret service in charge of telecomunications to the disappearance and possible murder of a 15-year-old girl in the city of Caracal."}
{"document": ["KABUL, Afghanistan — A roadside bomb tore through a bus in western Afghanistan on Wednesday, killing at least 32 people, including children, a provincial official said.\n\nMohibullah Mohib, spokesman for the police chief in Farah province, said 15 others were wounded with most in critical condition, indicating the death toll could rise.\n\nThe bus was traveling on a main highway between the western city of Herat and the southern city of Kandahar.\n\nNo one immediately claimed responsibility, but Taliban insurgents operate in the region and frequently use roadside bombs to target government officials and security forces. The Taliban have kept up a steady tempo of attacks even as they have held several rounds of peace talks with the United States aimed at ending the 18-year war.\n\nThe attack came a day after the UN mission in Afghanistan released a report saying that most civilian deaths in the first half of the year were caused by Afghan forces and their international allies. The report apparently referred to civilians killed during Afghan and US military operations against insurgents.\n\nThe UN report said 403 civilians were killed by Afghan forces in the first six months of the year and another 314 by international forces, a total of 717. That’s compared to 531 killed by the Taliban, an Islamic State affiliate, and other militants during the same period. It said 300 of those killed by militants were directly targeted.\n\nThe UN said the leading cause of civilian deaths and injuries was “ground engagements,” which caused one in three casualties. Roadside bombs were a close second, accounting for 28%. Afghanistan is one of the most heavily mined countries in the world — a legacy of decades of war.\n\nThe Taliban, who effectively control half the country, have been meeting with US envoy Zalmay Khalilzad since late last year. They appear to be closing in on an agreement whereby American forces would withdraw from Afghanistan in return for guarantees that it would not be used as a launch pad for international terror attacks.", "KANDAHAR, Afghanistan — A civilian bus in western Afghanistan hit a roadside bomb early Wednesday, leaving at least 34 passengers dead and more than a dozen injured, Afghan officials said.\n\nThe attack, in the Balaboluk district of restive Farah Province, was the latest involving mass civilian casualties in a spiraling war that the United Nations says has killed nearly 1,400 civilians — as well as several thousand Afghan soldiers and Taliban fighters — so far this year alone.\n\nFarooq Barakzai, a spokesman for Farah’s governor, said the bus had been traveling from Herat Province in the west to Kandahar in the south.\n\n“The bus hit an improvised explosive device planted by the Taliban,” Mr. Barakzai said. “The dead and wounded have been shifted to Herat Province.”", "At least 34 killed as Afghan bus hits bomb\n\nHerat, Afghanistan: At least 34 people were killed in western Afghanistan Wednesday when the bus, they were travelling in, hit a roadside bomb, officials said, a day after the UN warned civilians were dying at \"shocking\" levels in the war-torn country.\n\n\n\nThe blast ripped through a passenger bus on a main highway in Farah province, at around 6:00 am (0130 GMT), authorities said, killing mainly women and children.\n\n\"A passenger bus travelling on the Kandahar-Herat highway hit a Taliban roadside bomb killing 34 innocent people and wounding 17 others,\" said Muhibullah Muhib, a police spokesman for Farah province.\n\nAll were civilians, mostly women and children, he said.\n\nSediq Sediqqi, a spokesman for the Afghan presidency, confirmed the toll, blaming the incident on the Taliban.\n\nNasrat Rahim, the interior ministry spokesman, called the blast a \"barbaric act of the terrorists\".\n\nThere was no immediate confirmation from the insurgents that they were behind the blast.", "At least 28 killed as Afghan bus hits bomb\n\nHerat: Dozens of passengers, mainly women and children, were killed in western Afghanistan early Wednesday when the bus they were travelling in hit a roadside bomb, officials said.\n\n\n\n\"A passenger bus travelling on the Kandahar-Herat highway hit a Taliban roadside bomb. So far at least 28 killed, 10 wounded,\" said Muhibullah Muhib, the spokesman for Farah province.\n\nAll were civilians, mostly women and children, he said. Farooq Barakzai, a spokesman for Farah´s governor, confirmed the toll but warned it may rise higher.\n\nThere was no immediate confirmation from the Taliban that it was behind the attack.\n\nIt came one day after the United Nations said civilians are being killed and wounded at a \"shocking\" level in Afghanistan´s war, despite a push to end the nearly 18-year-old conflict.\n\nCasualties have dropped 27 percent in the first half of 2019 compared to the same period last year, which was a record, but nonetheless 1,366 civilians were killed and another 2,446 injured. The UN branded efforts to reduce the violence \"insufficient\".\n\nIt also said that US and pro-government forces caused more civilian deaths than the Taliban and other insurgent groups for the second quarter running.\n\nChild casualties represented almost one-third of the overall total of civilian casualties.\n\nThe bloodshed comes amid a months-long, US-led push to forge a peace deal with the Taliban that would see foreign forces quit the country in return for various security guarantees.", "Dozens of passengers, mainly women and children, were killed in western Afghanistan on Wednesday when the bus they were travelling in hit a roadside bomb.\n\nA passenger bus travelling on the Kandahar-Herat highway hit a “Taliban roadside bomb” and at least 32 were killed and 17 wounded, said Muhibullah Muhib, the spokesman for Farah province.\n\nAll were civilians, mostly women and children, he said. Farooq Barakzai, a spokesman for Farah’s governor, confirmed the toll but warned it might rise higher.\n\nNo immediate confirmation from the Taliban was given that it was behind the blast. Taliban fighters operate in the region and frequently use roadside bombs to target government officials and security forces.\n\nThe blast came one day after the United Nations said civilians were being killed and wounded at a “shocking” level in Afghanistan’s war, despite a push to end the nearly 18-year-old conflict.", "At least 32 people were killed in western Afghanistan on Wednesday when the bus they were travelling in hit a roadside bomb, a provincial official told Associated Press. However, TOLO News reported that 34 people had died.\n\nThe bus was on its way to Farah province from Herat province. Spokesperson of Farah province Mohibullah Mohib said that 15 people were severely injured in the incident and were in a critical condition, indicating that the toll could increase. “A passenger bus travelling on the Kandahar-Herat highway hit a Taliban roadside bomb,” Mohib had earlier told AFP.\n\nThere was no confirmation from the Taliban that it was behind the attack. Farooq Barakzai, a spokesperson for Farah’s governor, confirmed the toll, also warning that it may rise.\n\nThe blast came a day after the United Nations said civilians were being killed and wounded at a shocking level in Afghanistan’s war, despite efforts to end the nearly 18-year-old conflict. Casualties have dropped 27% in the first half of 2019 compared to the same period last year, but 1,366 civilians were killed and another 2,446 injured.\n\nThe United Nations said efforts to reduce the violence was insufficient. The organisation said US and pro-government forces caused more civilian deaths than the Taliban and other insurgent groups in the second quarter.", "The bus was full of passengers travelling to Kandahar when it struck a roadside bomb JALIL REZAYEE/EPA\n\nAt least 35 people were killed, including women and children, when a roadside bomb struck a bus in Afghanistan today as security continues to deteriorate in the run-up to elections in September.\n\nThe blast occurred on the main road between the provincial capitals of Herat and Kandahar in western Farah province bordering Iran. Local officials blamed the Taliban, claiming the bomb was meant to target Afghan security forces.\n\n“The bus was full of passengers coming from Herat. The dead and injured include women and children,” said Mohibullah Mohib, a provincial police spokesman. “The explosives were planted by the Taliban to attack a security convoy.”\n\nNo group has admitted carrying out the attack, however. Zabiullah Mujahid, the Taliban spokesman, denied any involvement by the insurgents. The…", "HERAT: At least 34 people were killed in western Afghanistan when their bus hit a roadside bomb, officials said Wednesday, the same day a US peace envoy indicated a peace deal with the insurgents could be imminent.\n\nEven in a conflict where civilians die daily, Wednesday´s blast stood out as particularly devastating, as most of the victims were women and children. The explosion ripped through the bus around 6:00am (01:30 GMT) in Farah province, authorities said, along a busy highway to neighbouring Herat.\n\n\"It was dark, and the bus hit a mine,\" passenger Ali Juma told AFP from a hospital in Herat. \"There were many casualties, martyrs and wounded people.\" The explosion came amid a US push for peace with the Taliban that after several slow months now appears to be making progress. US peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, who spent more than a week in Kabul, on Wednesday left Afghanistan for Pakistan before heading to Doha, where he is expected to hold a fresh round of talks with the Taliban.\n\nKhalilzad, who was formerly US ambassador to Afghanistan, said his visit to Kabul had been his \"most productive\" yet in his new role. \"I’m off to Doha, with a stop in Islamabad. In Doha, if the Taliban do their part, we will do ours, and conclude the agreement we have been working on,\" Khalilzad tweeted.\n\nThe push to end the Afghan war has ignited widespread concern among Afghans that in Washington’s rush to exit its longest war the Taliban will be returned to some semblance of power.\n\nAccording to a UN report released Tuesday, 1,366 civilians were killed and another 2,446 wounded during the first six months of 2019. Afghan officials blamed the Taliban for Wednesday´s explosion, saying they had planted a bomb along a busy highway with the aim of hitting security forces.\n\nThe insurgents did not deny or claim involvement, saying they would investigate the \"sad incident\". Muhibullah Muhib, a police spokesman for Farah province, said all the victims were civilians, mostly women and children.\n\n\"A passenger bus travelling on the Kandahar-Herat highway hit a Taliban roadside bomb killing 34 innocent people and wounding 17 others,\" he said. Sediq Sediqqi, a spokesman for the Afghan presidency, confirmed the toll, blaming the incident on the Taliban, while Nasrat Rahim, the interior ministry spokesman, called the blast a \"barbaric act of the terrorists\".\n\n\"Sadly, this senseless loss of life is all too common in Afghanistan,\" Onno van Manen, the Afghanistan director for Save the Children, said in a statement. \"Just in the past month hundreds of children have been killed or injured as a result of explosive weapons.\"\n\nThe Taliban, who now control or influence about half of Afghanistan´s territory, recently signed on to a vague pledge to reduce civilian casualties, but violence has continued unabated.\n\nCivilians have long paid a disproportionate price in the nearly 18 years since the US invaded Afghanistan, and last year was a record for civilian casualties. Numbers are down by 27 percent so far this year, but children accounted for almost a third of the overall total of civilian deaths and injuries.\n\nPakistan strongly condemned the horrific bomb attack on the passenger bus in Afghanistan in which civilians, including women and children, lost their lives. “Such inhuman acts of violence against innocent civilians are condemnable. Pakistan condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations,” the Foreign Office said in a press release.\n\nIt said Afghan people deserve complete peace and tranquillity in their country. It said Pakistan stands together with the government and people of Afghanistan in the efforts to comprehensively defeat and uproot the scourge of terrorism in the region.\n\n“Our hearts go out to the innocent victims, many of them women and children. We pray for the ‘maghfirah’ of the deceased and extend our heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims,” it added.", "UNITED NATIONS, Jul 31 (APP):UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres “strongly” condemned Wednesday’s attack on a bus traveling along the Kandahar-Herat Highway in Afghanistan.\n\nAccording to press reports, dozens of civilians, mainly women and children, were killed when the bus they were traveling in hit an improvised explosive device.", "At least 28 killed as Afghan bus hits 'Taliban' bomb\n\nDozens of passengers, mainly women and children, were killed in western Afghanistan early Wednesday when the bus they were travelling in hit a roadside bomb, officials said. \"A passenger bus travelling on the Kandahar-Herat highway hit a Taliban roadside bomb. So far at least 28 killed, 10 wounded,\" said Muhibullah Muhib, the spokesman for Farah province. All were civilians, mostly women and children, he said. Farooq Barakzai, a spokesman for Farah's governor, confirmed the toll but warned it may rise higher.\n\nThere was no immediate confirmation from the Taliban that it was behind the attack. It came one day after the United Nations said civilians are being killed and wounded at a \"shocking\" level in Afghanistan's war, despite a push to end the nearly 18-year-old conflict. Casualties have dropped 27 percent in the first half of 2019 compared to the same period last year, which was a record, but nonetheless 1,366 civilians were killed and another 2,446 injured. The UN branded efforts to reduce the violence \"insufficient\".\n\nSEE ALSO :The unseen war - Part 2\n\nIt also said that US and pro-government forces caused more civilian deaths than the Taliban and other insurgent groups for the second quarter running. Child casualties represented almost one-third of the overall total of civilian casualties.\n\nSEE ALSO :Taliban kills eight poll commission staff in south Afghanistan-officials\n\nThe bloodshed comes amid a months-long, US-led push to forge a peace deal with the Taliban that would see foreign forces quit the country in return for various security guarantees.\n\nWe are undertaking a survey to help us improve our content for you. This will only take 1 minute of your time, please give us your feedback by clicking HERE. All responses will be treated with the confidentiality that they deserve."], "summary": "Thirty-two civilians are killed and over 20 are injured after their bus hits a land mine on the main road between Herat and Kandahar."}
{"document": ["Osama bin Laden's son and heir, Hamza, is dead, U.S. officials say\n\nThe officials would not provide details of how bin Laden died. The death occurred in the past 2 years, said the officials, but confirmation came recently.", "US reported to have had a hand in death of heir to al-Qaida ‘sometime in past two years’\n\nThis article is more than 1 month old\n\nThis article is more than 1 month old\n\nOsama bin Laden’s son, Hamza, who was trying to lead an al-Qaida resurgence, is believed dead, according to US reports.\n\nNBC News reported the US had received intelligence that he had died, citing three American officials. The New York Times, quoting two unnamed officials, also reported Hamza bin Laden had been killed sometime over the past two years, and it had taken time to confirm the death.\n\nThe report said the US had a hand in the death of the al-Qaida heir, thought to have been aged about 30.\n\nHamza bin Laden had been seeking to stage attacks on western targets with the aim of restoring al-Qaida’s status at the vanguard of extreme jihadist groups, after many years of decline and eclipse by Islamic State. He was thought to have been based in Pakistan’s tribal areas, along the border with Afghanistan.\n\nWho is Hamza bin Laden? Heir who sought to revive al-Qaida Read more\n\n“They were clearly grooming him to be a next generation successor,” said Peter Bergen, an al-Qaida expert and director of international security programme at the New America foundation. “Ayman al-Zawahiri [al-Qaida’s official leader] hasn’t been a particularly effective leader. He’s got a sort of charisma deficit. And they were trying to put this guy forward.”\n\nAlthough Hamza bin Laden had made public statements in recent years, Bergen raised questions over whether he was an operational leader. While al-Qaida affiliates have been active in Syria, Yemen and Africa, central al-Qaida, which was behind the 9/11 attacks, has not carried out significant operations.\n\n“Had he really done anything? Had he overseen any operation of any significance? It is an interesting question,” Bergen said.\n\nDonald Trump was asked by reporters on Wednesday if the US had intelligence that Hamza bin Laden was dead, to which the US president replied: “I don’t want to comment on that.”\n\nSeparately, the White House declined to comment on whether any announcement was imminent.\n\nIn his last known public statement, made through al-Qaida’s media outlet in March 2018, Hamza bin Laden had threatened Saudi Arabia and called on the people of the Arabian peninsula to revolt.\n\nIn March of this year, Saudi Arabia had revoked his citizenship after the US offered a $1m (£800,000) reward for help locating him as part of its “rewards for justice” programme.\n\nTen days before the Manchester bombing in 2017, Hamza’s voice was heard on an audio recording released by al-Qaida that called for its supporters to strike against “Jews” and “Crusaders”. However, investigators established no link between the attack in the UK and al-Qaida.\n\nIn May 2016, he urged fighters in Syria to unite and “liberate Palestine”, while he also warned Americans they would be targeted.\n\nFrom 9/11 to Sri Lanka: the terrorists’ deadly message we have failed to grasp Read more\n\nHe also called for attacks against US, French and Israeli interests in 2015, as well as acts of terrorism in western capitals on behalf of al-Qaida, according to the UN security council.\n\nOsama bin Laden was killed by US special forces who raided his compound in Pakistan in 2011. Hamza was thought to be under house arrest in Iran at the time, and documents recovered from the compound indicated that aides had been trying to reunite him with his father.\n\nHamza was at his father’s side in Afghanistan before the September 11 attacks on the US, and spent time with him in Pakistan after the US-led invasion of Afghanistan pushed much of al-Qaida’s senior leadership there, according to the Brookings Institution.\n\nA notice on the UN security council website said: “Hamza bin Laden has been given a more prominent role within al-Qaida, and is considered to have the capability to follow through with his threats. Hamza’s popularity is increasing among followers of al-Qaida, and he has become the most probable successor of a new version of al-Qaida.\n\n“Hamza seeks to grow al-Qaida’s network and use a new phase of terrorist attacks in major western cities to raise his profile and announce the return of al-Qaida with himself as a new leader.”\n\nAdditional reporting by Mattha Busby", "Osama bin Laden’s son Hamza, chosen heir to the leadership of Al-Qaeda, has been killed, US media reported Wednesday citing American officials.\n\nNBC News said three US officials had confirmed they had information of Hamza bin Laden’s death, but gave no details of the place or date.\n\nThe New York Times subsequently cited two US officials saying they had confirmation that he was killed during the last two years in an operation that involved the United States.\n\nQuestioned by reporters in the Oval Office, President Donald Trump did not confirm or deny the NBC report.\n\n“I don’t want to comment on it,” he said.\n\nBoth reports suggested that bin Laden may have been killed well before the US State Department announced a $1 million bounty on his head in February 2019.\n\nThe 15th of Osama bin Laden’s 20 children and a son of his third wife, Hamza, thought to be about 30 years old, was “emerging as a leader in the Al-Qaeda franchise,” the State Department said in announcing the reward.\n\nSometimes dubbed the “crown prince of jihad, he had put out audio and video messages calling for attacks on the United States and other countries, especially to avenge his father’s killing by US forces in Pakistan in May 2011, the department said.\n\nDocuments seized in the raid on his father’s house in Abbottabad suggested Hamza was being groomed as heir to the Al-Qaeda leadership.\n\nUS forces also found a video of the wedding of Hamza to the daughter of another senior Al-Qaeda official that is believed to have taken place in Iran.\n\nHamza bin Laden’s whereabouts have never been pinpointed. He was believed to have been under house arrest in Iran but reports suggest he also may have resided in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Syria.\n\nThe group behind the deadly September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, Al-Qaeda’s prominence as a radical Islamist group has faded over the past decade in the shadow of the Islamic State group.\n\nBut the proliferation of branches and associated jihadist groups in Afghanistan, Yemen, Syria and elsewhere have underscored its continuing potency.\n\nHamza bin Laden was not targeted just because he was bin Laden’s son, said Rita Katz, executive director of the SITE Intelligence Group, which tracks extremists.\n\n“He was one of Al-Qaeda’s loudest voices calling for attacks in the West and giving directives. He, with Al-Qaeda’s help, was positioning himself to lead the global jihadi movement,” Katz said on Twitter.\n\n“He was seen as a future leader who would unite the global jihad. Thus, if he is indeed dead, it will be a major blow to the movement,” she said.\n\nAt his father’s side in Afghanistan before the 9/11 attacks, Hamza learnt how to handle weapons, and ranted in his thin voice against Americans, Jews and “Crusaders” in videos uploaded online.\n\nIn 2016 Al-Qaeda released a video message in which he urged Islamic State and other jihadists in Syria to unite, claiming that the fight in the war-torn country paves the way to “liberating Palestine.”\n\n“There is no longer an excuse for those who insist on division and disputes now that the whole world has mobilised against Muslims,” he said.\n\nIn a later message that year he called on Saudi youth to overthrow the kingdom’s rulers, telling them to enlist in the Yemen-based Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) to gain battlefield experience.\n\nIn 2017 he was placed on the US terrorist blacklist, seen as a potent future figurehead for the group then led by Osama bin Laden’s former deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri.\n\n“With the Islamic State ‘caliphate’ apparently on the verge of collapse, Hamza is now the figure best placed to reunify the global jihadi movement,” former FBI special agent and Al-Qaeda specialist Ali Soufan wrote at the time of his blacklisting. – AFP", "US media reports suggest that Hamza bin Laden may have been killed well before the US State Department announced a $1 million bounty on his head in February 2019\n\nWASHINGTON, USA – Osama bin Laden's son Hamza, chosen heir to the leadership of Al-Qaeda, has been killed, US media reported Wednesday citing American officials.\n\nNBC News said 3 US officials had confirmed they had information of Hamza bin Laden's death, but gave no details of the place or date.\n\nThe New York Times subsequently cited two US officials saying they had confirmation that he was killed during the last two years in an operation that involved the United States.\n\nQuestioned by reporters in the Oval Office, President Donald Trump did not confirm or deny the NBC report.\n\n\"I don't want to comment on it,\" he said.\n\nBoth reports suggested that bin Laden may have been killed well before the US State Department announced a $1 million bounty on his head in February 2019.\n\nThe 15th of Osama bin Laden's 20 children and a son of his third wife, Hamza, thought to be about 30 years old, was \"emerging as a leader in the Al-Qaeda franchise,\" the State Department said in announcing the reward.\n\nSometimes dubbed the \"crown prince of jihad, he had put out audio and video messages calling for attacks on the United States and other countries, especially to avenge his father's killing by US forces in Pakistan in May 2011,\" the department said.\n\nDocuments seized in the raid on his father's house in Abbottabad suggested Hamza was being groomed as heir to the Al-Qaeda leadership.\n\nUS forces also found a video of the wedding of Hamza to the daughter of another senior Al-Qaeda official that is believed to have taken place in Iran.\n\nHamza bin Laden's whereabouts have never been pinpointed. He was believed to have been under house arrest in Iran but reports suggest he also may have resided in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Syria.\n\nThe group behind the deadly September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, Al-Qaeda's prominence as a radical Islamist group has faded over the past decade in the shadow of the Islamic State group.\n\nBut the proliferation of branches and associated jihadist groups in Afghanistan, Yemen, Syria and elsewhere have underscored its continuing potency.\n\nAt his father's side in Afghanistan before the 9/11 attacks, Hamza learnt how to handle weapons, and ranted in his thin voice against Americans, Jews and \"Crusaders\" in videos uploaded online.\n\nIn 2016 Al-Qaeda released a video message in which he urged Islamic State and other jihadists in Syria to unite, claiming that the fight in the war-torn country paves the way to \"liberating Palestine.\"\n\n\"There is no longer an excuse for those who insist on division and disputes now that the whole world has mobilized against Muslims,\" he said.\n\nIn a later message that year he called on Saudi youth to overthrow the kingdom's rulers, telling them to enlist in the Yemen-based Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) to gain battlefield experience.\n\nIn 2017 he was placed on the US terrorist blacklist, seen as a potent future figurehead for the group then led by Osama bin Laden's former deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri.\n\n\"With the Islamic State 'caliphate' apparently on the verge of collapse, Hamza is now the figure best placed to reunify the global jihadi movement,\" former FBI special agent and Al-Qaeda specialist Ali Soufan wrote at the time of his blacklisting. – Rappler.com", "Washington: Osama bin Laden's son Hamza bin Laden, who was long viewed as heir to the leadership of al-Qaeda and who had repeatedly threatened to attack the United States, is dead, according to two US officials.\n\nHamza bin Laden was killed in the past two years, during the Trump administration, but it took time to confirm his death, the officials said.\n\nIn February, the State Department announced a $US1 million reward for information about his whereabouts. However, by then, Hazma bin Laden had been killed — but his death had not yet been confirmed by the military and intelligence agencies.\n\nThe United States government had a role in the operation that killed the younger bin Laden, but it was not clear precisely what that role was. Details, including where it happened, were scarce. The officials discussed his death on the condition of anonymity because it involved sensitive operations and intelligence gathering.", "Hamza bin Laden, son of slain Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, is dead, according to the intelligence obtained by the United States.\n\nThe NBC News quoted three unnamed US government officials as saying that the US has obtained intelligence about the death of Hamza bin Laden. The officials did not provide details of where or when he died or whether the US played a role in his death.\n\nOn being asked whether the US had intelligence that Hamza was dead, US President Donald Trump said, \"I don't want to comment on that.\"\n\nHamza bin Laden is believed to have made his last public appearance in 2018. He was regarded as the likely successor to the organisation's chief Ayman al-Zawahiri.\n\nEarlier this year, the US State Department had offered a reward of $1 million for information on the whereabouts of Hamza. The State Department had identified him as a \"Specially Designated Global Terrorist\" in January 2017.\n\nOsama bin Laden was killed on 2 May 2011 in Abbottabad, Pakistan, during a US Navy SEAL special operation following a 10-year manhunt.", "The U.S. has reportedly obtained intelligence that the son of Osama bin Laden and potential heir to his terrorist empire, Hamza bin Laden, is dead.\n\nIt is unclear whether the U.S. played a role in Hamza bin Laden's death or whether the death had been confirmed, according to NBC News, which reported the intelligence on Wednesday citing three U.S. officials.\n\nNo further details were provided about when, where or how Hamza bin Laden is thought to have died.\n\nIn March, the State Department put out at $1 million bounty for information leading to the capture of Hamza bin Laden, who is roughly age 30.\n\nThe State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from DailyMail.com on Wednesday.\n\nAccording to U.S. authorities, Hamza bin Laden carried forward the radial jihadist ambitions of his deceased father, who was the leader of Al-Qaeda and masterminded the terrorist attacks on 9/11.\n\nHamza bin Laden released audio and video messages on the Internet, calling on his followers to launch attacks against the United States and its Western allies, according to the Department of Justice.\n\nHe also threatened attacks against the U.S. in revenge for the May 2011 killing of his father by SEAL Team 6 inside a compound in Pakistan.\n\nHamza bin Laden's last known public statement was released by Al-Qaeda's media arm in 2018, in which he called for followers in Saudi Arabia to rise in revolt against the monarchy.\n\nHamza bin Laden is married to a daughter of Abdullah Ahmed Abdullah, an Al-Qaeda senior leader who was indicted and charged by a federal grand jury in November 1998 for his role in the 1998 bombings of the U.S. embassies in Tanzania and Kenya.\n\nA video of Hamza’s wedding was found in Osama bin Laden’s Abbottabad compound and released by the CIA in 2017.\n\nLetters seized from the compound where Osama bin Laden was killed indicate that he was grooming Hamza to replace him as leader of Al-Qaeda.\n\nHamza bin Laden is believed to have been born in 1989 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.\n\nThe location of Hamza bin Laden, sometimes dubbed the 'crown prince of jihad', has been the subject of speculation for years with reports of him living in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Syria and Iran.\n\nSome believed that he spent years with his mother in Iran, despite Al-Qaeda's strident denunciations of the Shiite branch of Islam that dominates the country.\n\nObservers speculated that the clerical regime in Tehran kept him under house arrest as a way to maintain pressure on rival Saudi Arabia as well as on Al-Qaeda, dissuading the Sunni militants from attacking Iran.\n\nOn March 1, 2019, Saudi Arabia announced that it had revoked Hamza bin Laden's citizenship, concurrent with the reward being announced by U.S. authorities.\n\nAt that time, the Navy SEAL who killed Osama bin Laden exclusively told DailyMailTV that he believed Hamza bin Laden was hiding in Pakistan, protected by drug lords.\n\n'I've heard the Iranian thing, I'm not buying a lot of that. I think they did keep some Al-Qaeda guys in there just because the 'enemy of my enemy is my friend,' O'Neill said.\n\nRob O'Neill told DailyMailTV host Jesse Palmer: 'I liked that the State Department put out $1 million reward even though I think he's worth more than that. It's a lot of money for someone that might turn him in - but $5 million is better. The more they offer, the more chances that someone's going to turn him in.\n\n'It will come down to human intelligence - who saw him and where. You have to wade through the lies because a lot of people will say they saw him now, to try and get the money.'\n\nAl-Qaeda's September 11, 2001 attacks were the largest terrorist loss of life on U.S. soil, claiming the lives of 2,977 victims and sparked the U.S. intervention in Iraq and Afghanistan.\n\nO'Neill was a member of SEAL Team 6 which stormed Osama bin Laden's compound under cover of darkness in Abbottabad, Pakistan, almost eight years ago after a decade of work by multiple U.S. military intelligence agencies had pinpointed a concrete location.\n\nHe reacted to reports of Hamza bin Laden's death on Twitter Wednesday, writing simply: 'Told ya.'", "Osama bin Laden’s son Hamza bin Laden, who was long viewed as heir to the leadership of al-Qaeda, is dead, according to two American officials.\n\nHamza bin Laden, who had repeatedly threatened to attack the United States was killed in the past two years during the Trump administration, but it took time to confirm his death, the officials said.\n\nIn February, the US State Department announced a $1 million reward for information about his whereabouts. However, by then, Hamza bin Laden, who was believed to be aged about 30, had been killed — but his death had not yet been confirmed by the military and intelligence agencies.\n\nThe United States government had a role in the operation that killed him, but it is not clear precisely what that role was.\n\nDetails, including where it happened, are scarce.\n\nThe officials discussed his death on the condition of anonymity because it involved sensitive operations and intelligence gathering.\n\nThe location of bin Laden had been the subject of public speculation.\n\nAfter the September 11th, 2001, attacks, members of al-Qaeda, including Hamza bin Laden, fled to Iran, where they were detained.\n\nSince then, Hamza bin Laden had been reported to be in the Afghanistan and Pakistan border region, as well as in Syria, analysts and former officials have said.\n\nPresident Donald Trump was asked Wednesday about the death, first reported by NBC News, but he declined to comment.\n\nAfter the 2011 death of Osama bin Laden in a US raid in Pakistan, Hamza bin Laden was being groomed for the top leadership role in al-Qaeda by two of his father’s top lieutenants. He married a daughter of one of them.\n\nHamza, the son of Khairiah Sabar of Saudi Arabia, one of bin Laden’s three wives, was thought to be under house arrest in Iran at the time of his father’s death and documents recovered from the compound indicated that aides had been trying to reunite him with his father.\n\nHamza’s older brother Saad was killed in a 2009 US drone strike – New York Times/Reuters", "The United States government believes Hamza bin Laden, son of Osama bin Laden, is dead, according to a U.S. official.\n\nU.S. officials have been working for some time to confirm the death of Hamza bin Laden, but recently, they found evidence that they believe corroborates his death.\n\nEarlier this year, the U.S. government accused Hamza bin Laden of seeking to encourage attacks against the U.S.\n\nThe New York Times reports that Hamza bin Laden was killed sometime in the last two years.\n\nThe Department of State said items seized from Osama bin Laden's hiding place in Pakistan, where he was killed in 2011, indicate he was grooming Hamza bin Laden to replace him as Al Qaeda's leader.", "The son and heir-apparent to Osama bin Laden is reportedly dead, according to U.S. intelligence officials.\n\nSince U.S. Special Forces killed bin Laden during the famous raid on his Pakistani compound in 2011, there have been questions around who could fill his void in Al-Qaeda. While he had several lieutenants who took command, the heir-apparent seemed to be his son, Hamza bin Laden.\n\nHamza bin Laden, who has been in hiding since 2011, released a public statement in 2018 calling for the Arabian Peninsula to rise and overthrow their respective governments, specifically calling out Saudi Arabia.\n\nReports from 2017 also suggested Hamza bin Laden was being groomed to take a leadership role in Al-Qaeda in the next few years. A piece written by counterterror expert and former FBI agent Ali Soufan warned that \"Hamza is being prepared for a leadership role in the organization his father founded.\" He also said Hamza bin Laden was \"perceived favorably by the jihadi rank-and-file\" and could \"reunify the global jihadi movement\" after ISIS' power was weakened.\n\nThe U.S. State Department in February began offering $1 million for information for Hamza bin Laden's whereabouts. He was described on Twitter as \"an emerging al Qaeda leader\" that had been threatening the U.S. and its respective allies.\n\nU.S. officials have yet to provide any details around Hamza bin Laden's reported death or if the U.S. was involved in any manner.\n\nHamza bin Laden is believed to be 29 or 30 years old. His brother, Khalid, was killed along with Osama bin Laden in the 2011 Navy Seal raid.\n\nThis article was first published in IBTimes US. Permission required for reproduction."], "summary": "Unnamed U.S. officials say they have received intelligence that Hamza bin Laden, son of Osama bin Laden and a wanted al-Qaeda terrorist, has been killed. The time, location and cause of death has not been disclosed."}
{"document": ["BRASILIA — Brazil has officially begun negotiating a trade agreement with the United States, the South American country’s economy minister said on Wednesday, adding that the negotiations were compatible with a trade deal recently struck with the European Union.\n\nSpeaking in Brasilia after meeting with U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, Brazilian Economy Minister Paulo Guedes said the United States wants closer ties with Brazil, including the chance to sell Latin America’s largest economy more ethanol. (Reporting by Anthony Boadle Writing by Gabriel Stargardter; Editing by David Gregorio)", "BRASILIA, July 31 (Reuters) - Brazil has officially begun negotiating a trade agreement with the United States, the South American country's economy minister said on Wednesday, adding that the negotiations were compatible with a trade deal recently struck with the European Union.\n\nSpeaking in Brasilia after meeting with U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, Brazilian Economy Minister Paulo Guedes said the United States wants closer ties with Brazil, including the chance to sell Latin America's largest economy more ethanol. (Reporting by Anthony Boadle Writing by Gabriel Stargardter; Editing by David Gregorio)", "BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazil has begun negotiating a trade agreement with the United States, the South American country’s economy minister said on Wednesday, kicking off knotty talks between longstanding competitors whose leaders want closer commercial ties.\n\nU.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross arrives to a meeting with Brazil's Economy Minister Paulo Guedes (not pictured) at the Ministry of Economy building in Brasilia, Brazil July 31, 2019. REUTERS/Adriano Machado\n\nSpeaking in Brasilia after meeting with U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, Economy Minister Paulo Guedes said the United States was eager for a deal and the chance to sell Latin America’s largest economy more goods, including ethanol.\n\nBrazil and the United States compete in key areas like agriculture, making it likely the trade talks will be fraught and long-lasting. Brazil is also part of South America’s Mercosur customs union, which would have to be involved in any tariff reductions.\n\nYet far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, along with Guedes and his team, have pledged to bring down trade barriers, open up the economy and make Brazilian business more competitive.\n\nSince his election last year, Bolsonaro has sought to build close ties with U.S. leader Donald Trump, an ideological ally who favors bilateral commercial pacts over multilateral deals.\n\nAfter meeting with Ross, Bolsonaro echoed his concerns over potential “pitfalls” in a trade deal recently struck between the European Union and the Mercosur bloc that includes Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay.\n\nOn Tuesday, Ross said the trade deal between Mercosur and the European Union, reached in principle last month, should avoid “poison pills” that would obstruct a possible U.S. accord.\n\nMarcos Troyjo, Brazil’s deputy economy minister for foreign trade, said it would be possible to negotiate a trade accord with the United States that does not include changes to tariffs, adding that negotiations will begin with non-tariff areas.\n\nBrazil is considering renewing in September a zero-tariff quota for 600,000 tonnes of ethanol imports per year that has been filled almost entirely by U.S. supplies, Troyjo said.\n\nBrazil is also committed to establishing an import quota for 750,000 tonnes of U.S. wheat a year without tariffs, he said.\n\nRoss on Tuesday reaffirmed U.S. support for Brazil to join the Paris-based Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, a club of the world’s leading market economies. Membership in the OECD would give Brazil a seal of approval that many institutional investors need to invest in the country, Troyjo said.", "U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross arrives to a meeting with Brazil's Economy Minister Paulo Guedes (not pictured) at the Ministry of Economy building in Brasilia\n\nBRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazil has begun negotiating a trade agreement with the United States, the South American country's economy minister said on Wednesday, kicking off knotty talks between longstanding competitors whose leaders want closer commercial ties.\n\nSpeaking in Brasilia after meeting with U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, Economy Minister Paulo Guedes said the United States was eager for a deal and the chance to sell Latin America's largest economy more goods, including ethanol.\n\nBrazil and the United States compete in key areas like agriculture, making it likely the trade talks will be fraught and long-lasting. Brazil is also part of South America's Mercosur customs union, which would have to be involved in any tariff reductions.\n\nYet far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, along with Guedes and his team, have pledged to bring down trade barriers, open up the economy and make Brazilian business more competitive.\n\nSince his election last year, Bolsonaro has sought to build close ties with U.S. leader Donald Trump, an ideological ally who favors bilateral commercial pacts over multilateral deals.\n\nAfter meeting with Ross, Bolsonaro echoed his concerns over potential \"pitfalls\" in a trade deal recently struck between the European Union and the Mercosur bloc that includes Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay.\n\nOn Tuesday, Ross said the trade deal between Mercosur and the European Union, reached in principle last month, should avoid \"poison pills\" that would obstruct a possible U.S. accord.\n\nMarcos Troyjo, Brazil's deputy economy minister for foreign trade, said it would be possible to negotiate a trade accord with the United States that does not include changes to tariffs, adding that negotiations will begin with non-tariff areas.\n\nBrazil is considering renewing in September a zero-tariff quota for 600,000 tonnes of ethanol imports per year that has been filled almost entirely by U.S. supplies, Troyjo said.\n\nBrazil is also committed to establishing an import quota for 750,000 tonnes of U.S. wheat a year without tariffs, he said.\n\nRoss on Tuesday reaffirmed U.S. support for Brazil to join the Paris-based Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, a club of the world's leading market economies. Membership in the OECD would give Brazil a seal of approval that many institutional investors need to invest in the country, Troyjo said.", "WASHINGTON, July 31 — President Donald Trump yesterday said his administration is working on a free-trade agreement with Brazil, to cement closer ties between the two largest economies in the western hemisphere.\n\n“We are going to work on a free-trade agreement with Brazil. Brazil is a big trading partner. Other than that, we love the relationship,” Trump told reporters at the White House.\n\nBrazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is scheduled to host US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in Brasilia today.\n\n“I have a great relationship with Brazil. I have a fantastic relationship with your president,” Trump said of the Brazilian leader, adding: “They call him the Trump of Brazil. I like that.”\n\nFar-right Bolsonaro is part of a populist wave that has swept the Americas and Europe in recent years, making him a kindred spirit with Trump.\n\nWith about US$70 billion (RM288.7 billion) in two-way annual goods exchanges between the two nations, the United States typically enjoys a robust trade surplus with Brazil.\n\nMajor US exports include agriculture goods such as wheat and animal feeds as well as information and telecommunications services.\n\nImports include aircraft, fuels, coffee and meat as well as iron and steel.\n\nIn 2011, the two countries signed an agreement on trade and economic cooperation to ease commercial exchanges.\n\nBut Ross played down expectations for an agreement to be reached quickly.\n\nSpeaking to reporters in Sao Paulo, he also warned that a recent trade pact between the European Union and Mercosur countries — Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay — should not contain anything that would block a deal with the US.\n\nBrazil’s deputy economy minister Marcos Troyjo told AFP a bilateral agreement with the US would be possible if it did not involve tariffs.\n\nOtherwise, it would be necessary to involve its Mercosur partners in the negotiations. — AFP", "Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has stated that his sentiment for US President Donald Trump is growing more intense, the website Brazil 247 reported.\n\n\"After that compliment from Trump yesterday, I'm more and more in love with him\", he said after Trump's speech about US-Brazilian relations.\n\nThe US president earlier expressed hope of reaching a free trade agreement with Brazil and complimented Bolsonaro, noting that Brazil is already a \"big trading partner\" for the United States. Trump, however, complained that the country has imposed \"a lot of tariffs\" on US goods.\n\nBolsonaro previously stated that he was considering appointing his son, lawmaker Eduardo Bolsonaro, as Brazilian ambassador to the United States.\n\nIn June, Bolsonaro said that he supported Trump's 2020 re-election bid during a meeting between the two at the G20 summit in the Japanese city of Osaka.", "President Donald Trump on Tuesday said his administration is working on a free-trade agreement with Brazil, to cement closer ties between the two largest economies in the western hemisphere.\n\n[WASHINGTON] President Donald Trump on Tuesday said his administration is working on a free-trade agreement with Brazil, to cement closer ties between the two largest economies in the western hemisphere.\n\n\"We are going to work on a free-trade agreement with Brazil. Brazil is a big trading partner. Other than that, we love the relationship,\" Mr Trump told reporters at the White House.\n\nBrazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is scheduled to host US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in Brasilia on Wednesday.\n\n\"I have a great relationship with Brazil. I have a fantastic relationship with your president,\" Mr Trump said of the Brazilian leader, adding: \"They call him the Trump of Brazil. I like that.\"\n\nFar-right Bolsonaro is part of a populist wave that has swept the Americas and Europe in recent years, making him a kindred spirit with Trump.\n\nWith about US$70 billion in two-way annual goods exchanges between the two nations, the United States typically enjoys a robust trade surplus with Brazil.\n\nMajor US exports include agriculture goods such as wheat and animal feeds as well as information and telecommunications services.\n\nImports include aircraft, fuels, coffee and meat as well as iron and steel.\n\nIn 2011, the two countries signed an agreement on trade and economic cooperation to ease commercial exchanges.\n\nBut Mr Ross played down expectations for an agreement to be reached quickly.\n\nSpeaking to reporters in Sao Paulo, he also warned that a recent trade pact between the European Union and Mercosur countries - Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay - should not contain anything that would block a deal with the US.\n\nBrazil's deputy economy minister Marcos Troyjo told AFP a bilateral agreement with the US would be possible if it did not involve tariffs.\n\nOtherwise, it would be necessary to involve its Mercosur partners in the negotiations.", "“Oficialmente estamos en negociaciones con Estados Unidos para un acuerdo de libre comercio”. El anuncio lo realizó este miércoles en Brasilia el ministro de Economía de Brasil, Paulo Guedes, tras conversar sobre el lanzamiento de las conversaciones con el secretario de Comercio de Estados Unidos, Wilbur Ross.\n\nNewsletters Clarín Qué pasó hoy | Te contamos las noticias más importantes del día, y que pasará mañana cuando te levantes De lunes a viernes por la tarde. Recibir newsletter\n\nLuego, el viceministro de Economía para Comercio Exterior y Asuntos Internacionales, Marcos Troyjo, detalló que un acuerdo que incluya aranceles se hará en conjunto “con nuestros socios del Mercosur”.\n\nEl anuncio tiene una gran repercusión en Brasil e influirá de un modo decisivo en la campaña política de la Argentina. Troyjo indicó que entendimientos sobre facilitación del comercio, propiedad intelectual, telecomunicaciones y convergencias regulatorias, que no involucran cuestiones tarifarias, podrán ser hechos “país a país”.\n\nAl salir de la reunión, Guedes dijo a periodistas en la puerta del Ministerio que encabeza que las negociaciones con Washington se inscriben en la búsqueda de su país de “un mayor grado de integración a la economía mundial”. El viceministro, a su vez, agregó que con el secretario Ross “combinamos involucrarnos en las dos posibilidades”, pero remarcó que existe “una coyuntura muy favorable para un acuerdo que involucre aranceles” debido a “los jefes de Estado que hoy ocupan el Palacio del Planalto, la Casa Blanca, y diría también, además de Uruguay y Paraguay, la Casa Rosada, Mauricio Macri”.\n\nEn ese sentido, indicó que “hay una excelente conexión, hay una convergencia de propuestas muy grande entre los tres presidentes y podemos aprovechar la voluntad política y de propósito para hacer ese proceso andar”. También indicó que el gobierno brasileño ampliará a sus socios las informaciones sobre las tratativas con Washington durante el actual semestre, en el que Brasilia ejerce la presidencia rotativa del Mercosur.\n\nSaludos. Jair Bolsonaro al recibir en la casa de gobierno de Brasil al secretario de Comercio de Estados Unidos, Wilburg Ross (AFP).\n\nEl comercio entre Brasil y Estados Unidos alcanzó los 29.000 millones de dólares el año pasado. Washington es el segundo mayor socio comercial de Brasil después de China. Argentina se encuentra en tercer lugar.\n\n“Lo más importante desde la perspectiva de Brasil es correr atrás del tiempo perdido. Estamos hablando de las dos mayores democracias de Occidente, las dos mayores economías del continente americano, que tienen un intercambio comercial muy distante de su potencial. Nos quedamos presos de algunas trampas del nacional-desarrollismo, del antiamaericanismo, del tercermundismo, de las viejas doctrinas de sustitución de importaciones, lo que no nos permitió avanzar como deberíamos en relación a la mayor economía del mundo”, aseguró Troyjo.\n\nGuedes, en tanto, dijo que “nos quedamos décadas fuera de estos grandes anuncios comerciales que ocurrieron. Entonces cuando Brasil, la octava economía del mundo, anunció que quiere aumentar su grado de integración, lo que ocurre es que la pelota está rodando y entonces vinieron los americanos a recomenzar”.\n\nLa mayor economía sudamericana “tiene como filosofía una mayor integración, que la llevó primero a reforzar sus lazos con el Mercosur, luego a avanzar en el acuerdo entre el bloque comercial sudamericano con la Unión Europea, y ahora está haciendo un movimiento con Estados Unidos”, explicó.\n\nEl ministro brasileño enfatizó que lo que busca el gobierno de Donald Trump es una alianza estratégica con el sur de América, que el momento es favorable dado que los presidentes de Estados Unidos y de Brasil se llevan bien, y que su orientación es que “quieren estar más cerca, quieren integrar sus economías, inclusive no solo en acuerdos de comercio”, sino también reactivando el foro bilateral de CEOs de empresas brasileñas y estadounidenses.\n\nEnviado. Wilbur Ross, el jefe del área comercial de la Casa Blanca (AFP).\n\nRoss, quien antes de reunirse con Guedes y Troyjo conversó con Bolsonaro, preguntó por el acuerdo comercial entre el Mercosur y la Unión Europea. Además, insistió por la apertura del mercado brasileño al trigo y al etanol de maíz estadounidenses, productos sensibles para Argentina y para Brasil. “Cuando los objetivos son tan grandes, las ganancias son tan grandes en términos de integración, ampliación de flujo de comercio, inversiones, absorción de tecnologías, fusiones de empresas… vemos que los obstáculos, y eso ocurrió cuando conversamos con los argentinos, (…) con los que podemos hacer una gran área común, se llegó a hablar de moneda común en el futuro, más integración, un gran mercado en América del Sur, la ganancia es tan grande que los intereses pueden ser contemplados”, dijo Guedes.\n\n“Se trata de un mercado colosal, imagínense entrar en el Mercosur, EE.UU. y Europa con nuestra azúcar”, concluyó.", "\"We're going to work on a free trade agreement with Brazil,\" Trump told reporters at the White House, without giving details.\n\nTrump raised the possibility of a trade deal as U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross visited Sao Paulo to address business leaders ahead of a Wednesday meeting with Bolsonaro in Brasilia.\n\nThe United States and Brazil, which exchanged more than $100 billion in goods and services last year, have drawn closer since Bolsonaro took office in January following the far-right former army captain's insurgent election campaign modeled after Trump's. He has tapped his son Eduardo Bolsonaro as ambassador in Washington.\n\n\"Brazil is a big trading partner. They charge us a lot of tariffs, but other than that we love the relationship,\" Trump told reporters, citing what he called his great relationship with Brazil and praising Bolsonaro.\n\nMarcos Troyjo, Brazil's deputy economy minister for foreign trade, told Reuters his country has \"ambitious\" goals to facilitate trade and boost investment between the two countries, especially in infrastructure.\n\nBut Troyjo said any talks on tariffs would have to include Brazil's partners in the South American customs union Mercosur, which includes neighbors Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay.\n\nThe powerhouse farm sectors in Brazil and the United States have occasionally found themselves at odds, including a dispute over cotton subsidies resolved at the World Trade Organization in 2014.\n\nThe United States threatened steel and aluminum tariffs on Brazil and a number of other countries last year as part of Trump's \"America First\" agenda, before granting a permanent exemption to Brazil.\n\nRoss is the first U.S. commerce secretary to visit Brazil since 2011. On Wednesday, he will meet with Bolsonaro and hold talks with Brazil's economy and infrastructure ministers, Paulo Guedes and Tarcisio Freitas.", "U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he wants to pursue a trade agreement with Brazil, opening the door to a possible resolution over an ongoing trade dispute between the two nations.\n\nWASHINGTON/BRASILIA: President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he will pursue a U.S. trade agreement with Brazil, suggesting a friendly relationship with President Jair Bolsonaro could help lower trade barriers between the two biggest economies in the Americas.\n\n\"We're going to work on a free trade agreement with Brazil,\" Trump told reporters at the White House, without giving details.\n\nTrump raised the possibility of a trade deal as U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross visited Sao Paulo to address business leaders ahead of a Wednesday meeting with Bolsonaro in Brasilia.\n\nThe United States and Brazil, which exchanged more than US$100 billion in goods and services last year, have drawn closer since Bolsonaro took office in January following the far-right former army captain's insurgent election campaign modeled after Trump's. He has tapped his son Eduardo Bolsonaro as ambassador in Washington.\n\n\"Brazil is a big trading partner. They charge us a lot of tariffs, but other than that we love the relationship,\" Trump told reporters, citing what he called his great relationship with Brazil and praising Bolsonaro.\n\nMarcos Troyjo, Brazil's deputy economy minister for foreign trade, told Reuters his country has \"ambitious\" goals to facilitate trade and boost investment between the two countries, especially in infrastructure.\n\nBut Troyjo said any talks on tariffs would have to include Brazil's partners in the South American customs union Mercosur, which includes neighbors Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay.\n\nThe powerhouse farm sectors in Brazil and the United States have occasionally found themselves at odds, including a dispute over cotton subsidies resolved at the World Trade Organization in 2014.\n\nThe United States threatened steel and aluminum tariffs on Brazil and a number of other countries last year as part of Trump's \"America First\" agenda, before granting a permanent exemption to Brazil.\n\nRoss is the first U.S. commerce secretary to visit Brazil since 2011. On Wednesday, he will meet with Bolsonaro and hold talks with Brazil's economy and infrastructure ministers, Paulo Guedes and Tarcisio Freitas."], "summary": "Brazilian Minister of Economy Paulo Guedes announces that the full members of Mercosur—Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay—are negotiating a free trade deal with the United States."}
{"document": ["Russia Says Trump Offered To Help Putin Fight Forest Fires In Siberia\n\nPresident Trump spoke with President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday and offered U.S. help in fighting widespread forest fires raging in parts of Siberia, according to a Kremlin account of the call.\n\nPutin, in response, expressed his \"sincere gratitude\" to Trump and said that if necessary, he will accept the offer, the Kremlin said on its website.\n\n\"The President of Russia regards the US President's offer as a sign that it is possible that full-scale bilateral relations will be restored in the future,\" the statement from the Kremlin read.\n\n\"The presidents of Russia and the United States agreed to continue contacts both in a telephone format and in person,\" it added.\n\nHowever, the two countries differed somewhat in their interpretations of the call.\n\nAs NPR's Tamara Keith reports, \"Russia announced the call first, saying President Trump offered Putin assistance fighting wildfires in Siberia. ... Putin assessed the offer as a sign that relations between the two countries would be fully restored. Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election, and is still under U.S. sanctions.\"\n\nA few hours later, the White House said Trump \"expressed concern over the vast wildfires afflicting Siberia\" and that the two leaders \"also discussed trade between the two countries.\"\n\nIn recent days, wildfires have scorched parts of Siberia, creating an \"ecological catastrophe,\" according to Greenpeace Russia. The fires have produced 4 million square kilometers of smoke, covering large Siberian cities with a \"toxic haze,\" Greenpeace tweeted.\n\nRelations between the two countries have deteriorated over the years, particularly after Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in 2014 and amid Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.\n\nThe call between Trump and Putin comes just days before Friday's expected U.S. withdrawal from the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty with Russia.", "Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Tackling the wildfires in Russia\n\nRussian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the army to help tackle massive wildfires raging in Siberia and other regions in the east.\n\nThe decision was taken after Mr Putin was briefed on the growing crisis by the head of the emergencies ministry.\n\nAbout three million hectares (7.4 million acres) have been affected, in what Greenpeace is describing as an \"ecological catastrophe\".\n\nMany local residents say not enough is being done to tackle the fires.\n\nMore than 700,000 people have signed a petition calling for tougher action and for an emergency to be declared across the vast Siberia region.\n\nThere has been widespread anger after comments by emergencies officials that they are not planning to tackle wildfires in remote uninhabited areas because there is no direct threat to people.\n\nWhat's the latest situation?\n\nOn Wednesday, President Putin ordered service personnel of the defence ministry to join in the firefighting efforts in Siberia.\n\nTen planes and 10 helicopters with firefighting equipment are being deployed in the region.\n\nA state of emergency was earlier declared in the Irkutsk and Krasnoyarsk regions, two areas of the Republic of Buryatia and one area of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia).\n\nOn Wednesday Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev flew in to Krasnoyarsk city to chair a crisis meeting with local officials.\n\n\"The most important task is to prevent the fire from spreading to populated areas,\" he said.\n\nHe said everything had to be done to avoid a wildfire disaster like the one that hit Russia in 2010, when \"practically the whole country was burning, and there were dozens of dead\".\n\nLast week, Greenpeace Russia tweeted that \"big Siberian cities are covered with toxic haze that had already reached Urals\".\n\nThe organisation estimated that 3.3 million hectares were burning across Russia, adding that this was bigger than territory of Belgium.\n\nThe acrid smoke has affected not only remote villages and small towns but major cities such as Yekaterinburg and Chelyabinsk.\n\nWildfires in Russia have been raging for weeks, caused by record high temperatures combined with lightning and strong winds.", "Russia Says Trump Offered To Help Putin Fight Forest Fires In Siberia\n\nPresident Trump spoke with President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday and offered U.S. help in fighting widespread forest fires raging in parts of Siberia, according to a Kremlin account of the call.\n\nPutin, in response, expressed his \"sincere gratitude\" to Trump and said that if necessary, he will accept the offer, the Kremlin said on its website.\n\n\"The President of Russia regards the US President's offer as a sign that it is possible that full-scale bilateral relations will be restored in the future,\" the statement from the Kremlin read.\n\n\"The presidents of Russia and the United States agreed to continue contacts both in a telephone format and in person,\" it added.\n\nHowever, the two countries differed somewhat in their interpretations of the call.\n\nAs NPR's Tamara Keith reports, \"Russia announced the call first, saying President Trump offered Putin assistance fighting wildfires in Siberia. ... Putin assessed the offer as a sign that relations between the two countries would be fully restored. Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election, and is still under U.S. sanctions.\"\n\nA few hours later, the White House said Trump \"expressed concern over the vast wildfires afflicting Siberia\" and that the two leaders \"also discussed trade between the two countries.\"\n\nIn recent days, wildfires have scorched parts of Siberia, creating an \"ecological catastrophe,\" according to Greenpeace Russia. The fires have produced 4 million square kilometers of smoke, covering large Siberian cities with a \"toxic haze,\" Greenpeace tweeted.\n\nRelations between the two countries have deteriorated over the years, particularly after Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in 2014 and amid Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.\n\nThe call between Trump and Putin comes just days before Friday's expected U.S. withdrawal from the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty with Russia.", "Donald Trump called Russian President Vladimir Putin and offered to help him extinguish wildfires raging through forests in Siberia, the Kremlin has said.\n\n7.4 million acres of Siberian woodland — a patch of land equivalent to the size of Maryland — has so-far been lost, part of damage caused by the record-breaking heatwave which raged across Europe in July.\n\n\"The U.S. president offered Russia cooperation in fighting forest fires in Siberia,\" a statement from the Kremlin, quoted by Reuters, said.\n\nPutin told Trump that Moscow would take him up on the offer if necessary, Reuters said.\n\nSeveral wildfires between about 57°N and 70°N in Krasnoyarsk Krai and Sakha Republic, Russia, July 21, 2019. Flickr/Pierre Markuse\n\nPutin also \"expressed his sincere gratitude for such an attentive attitude and for the offer of help and support.\"\n\nThe Russian army was on Wednesday deployed to contain the blaze, launching 10 planes and 10 helicopters equipped with firefighting capabilities.\n\nRussia declared a state of emergency over wildfires in the southern Siberian provinces Krasnoyarsk Krai and Irkutsk on July 30.\n\nIn November 2018, Trump claimed Russia's neighbor Finland never has any problems with wildfire because they \"rake\" the forest floor.\n\nRead more: The UK confirmed its hottest temperature in history after a blistering heatwave scorched Europe\n\nTrump made the comment while visiting Paradise, California, a town destroyed by the Camp Fire, which killed more than 80 people.\n\nFinland's president Sauli Niinisto later clarified raking was not a tactic they had ever used, and said he did not remember telling Trump it was.\n\nThis satellite image provided by Roscosmos Space Agency, taken on Sunday, July 21, 2019, shows forest fires in Krasnoyarsk region, Eastern Siberia. Roscosmos Space Agency via AP\n\nFires caused by the July heatwave have broken out in other parts of the Arctic region, like in Alaska and Greenland.\n\nSince the beginning of June, the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service observed more than 100 intense and long-lasting fires in the Arctic Circle, the World Meteorological Organization said on July 12.", "Russian emergency services have finally moved to control a wave of wildfires rampaging across Siberia, but environmentalists said it was too late to prevent an environmental disaster.\n\nWildfires in the forests and taiga of eastern Russia already covered some 3 million hectares (an area as large as Portugal) and were spreading rapidly, the Russian emergencies ministry said on Wednesday. A thick smog hanging over much of the Irkutsk, Krasnoyarsk, Buryatia and Yakutsia regions was disrupting air traffic and causing health problems.\n\nLocal people have been appealing for help since the wildfires broke out in June. But Moscow has shifted responsibility to regional governors. They have faced down calls for action saying it was pointless to waste scarce funds fighting remote fires that did not threaten inhabited regions.\n\nDmitri Medvedev, the Russian prime minister, intervened this week, ordering governors in all stricken areas to take personal control of the crisis. “No general statements, no pointing fingers in the air [to the federal authorities],” he told a government meeting on Tuesday.\n\nThe Russian emergencies ministry began co-ordinating efforts to localise and extinguish the fires on Wednesday, saying it had deployed aircraft and personnel to join local firemen and rescuers on the ground. A state of emergency has been declared in four Siberian districts.\n\nAlexander Chupriyan, the deputy Russian emergencies minister, said he agreed with local officials that the high cost of the fire-fighting campaign was not justifiable in economic terms, but officials could not ignore the plight of people living in the region. “What talk can there be of economics when hundreds of villages are engulfed in smoke and citizens are appealing for medical help,” he said.\n\nGreenpeace warned that the wildfires had long ceased to be a local problem and become an “ecological catastrophe on the scale of the whole country”. A toxic smog that has already engulfed major Siberian cities was being carried west in the wind to the populous Urals region.\n\nRussian social media users have been complaining for weeks about the government’s failure to address the escalating disaster as Siberia burns. Emotive photographs posted on the online “Save Siberia” campaign show black smoke bellowing out of forests and reindeer fleeing with their antlers in flames. More than 290,000 people signed a petition demanding action to protect citizens from fire and smog that was delivered by Greenpeace to the Russian government this week.\n\nWildfires frequently occur in Siberia in summer, but this year they have been exceptionally large. Like the devastating floods that hit Siberia’s Irkutsk region in recent weeks, the fires appear to have been caused by abnormal weather conditions.\n\n“Changes in the climate lead to the most unexpected and unpleasant consequences when we drown and burn at the same time,” Vladimir Chuprov, the head of Greenpeace Russia, said on Wednesday. “To avoid a catastrophic scenario it’s necessary to reduce carbon gas emissions, restore forests and change peoples’ wasteful use of the planet’s resources.”", "MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday ordered the army to help firefighters battle wildfires in Siberia but environmentalists said the move was unlikely to produce a quick breakthrough.\n\nWildfires have spread to around 3 million hectares of mostly remote forest, an area almost the size of Belgium, according to the Federal Forestry Agency, wafting smoke across Siberia and prompting several regions to declare states of emergency.\n\nEnvironmentalists have dubbed the fires an ecological catastrophe and a petition circulated online by an ecologist from the Siberian city of Tomsk had garnered 824,000 signatures as of Wednesday demanding authorities take tougher action.\n\nThe Kremlin said on Wednesday that Putin had been briefed and had ordered the defense ministry to help put out the fires and also to permanently station a firefighting unit in Siberia’s Irkutsk region, one of the affected areas, until further notice.\n\nThe defense ministry was sending 10 Ilyushin-76 planes and 10 transport helicopters to the Siberian region of Krasnoyarsk equipped with firefighting equipment following the order from the Kremlin, RIA news agency reported.\n\nFirefighters were working to put out forest fires covering 107,000 hectares in Siberia’s Irkutsk and other regions, but other vast blazes raging on 2.9 million hectares are only being monitored, the Federal Forestry Agency said on Wednesday.\n\nRegional authorities have said they do not plan to expend resources on fighting the latter as they are mainly in remote, uninhabited areas and therefore not a direct threat to people.\n\nAn activist at Greenpeace in Russia told Echo of Moscow radio station that involving the military in the firefighting effort was not likely to yield a breakthrough and that the move had also come “fairly late.”\n\n“As a rule, bringing in the help of army units is ineffective because soldiers don’t know how to put out fires,” Grigory Kuksin, the Greenpeace activist, was quoted as saying.\n\n“It would have been better to put out these fires in the early stages when it was still possible.”", "\n• Donald Trump offered to help Vladimir Putin combat wildfires raging across Siberia, a result of July’s record-breaking European heatwave.\n• The Kremlin said on Wednesday that Trump phoned Putin, who expressed his “sincere gratitude” and promised to take-up the offer if needed.\n• 7.4 million acres of Siberian woodland – a patch of land equivalent to the size of Maryland – has so-far been burned, with Russian military deployed on Wednesday to contain the blaze.\n\nDonald Trump called Russian President Vladimir Putin and offered to help him extinguish wildfires raging through forests in Siberia, the Kremlin has said.\n\n7.4 million acres of Siberian woodland – a patch of land equivalent to the size of Maryland – has so-far been lost, part of damage caused by the record-breaking heatwave which raged across Europe in July.\n\n“The U.S. president offered Russia cooperation in fighting forest fires in Siberia,” a statement from the Kremlin, quoted by Reuters, said.\n\nPutin told Trump that Moscow would take him up on the offer if necessary, Reuters said.\n\nPutin also “expressed his sincere gratitude for such an attentive attitude and for the offer of help and support.”\n\nThe Russian army was on Wednesday deployed to contain the blaze, launching 10 planes and 10 helicopters equipped with firefighting capabilities.\n\nRussia declared a state of emergency over wildfires in the southern Siberian provinces Krasnoyarsk Krai and Irkutsk on July 30.\n\nIn November 2018, Trump claimed Russia’s neighbor Finland never has any problems with wildfire because they “rake” the forest floor.\n\nRead more: The UK confirmed its hottest temperature in history after a blistering heatwave scorched Europe\n\nTrump made the comment while visiting Paradise, California, a town destroyed by the Camp Fire, which killed more than 80 people.\n\nFinland’s president Sauli Niinisto later clarified raking was not a tactic they had ever used, and said he did not remember telling Trump it was.\n\nFires caused by the July heatwave have broken out in other parts of the Arctic region, like in Alaska and Greenland.\n\nSince the beginning of June, the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service observed more than 100 intense and long-lasting fires in the Arctic Circle, the World Meteorological Organization said on July 12.", "MOSCOW: US President Donald Trump in a phone call on Wednesday (Jul 31) offered his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin assistance in putting out wildfires in Russia's Siberia, the Kremlin said in a statement.\n\nPutin has taken Trump's offer as the key for a full-scale restoration of relations between Russia and the United States, the Kremlin's press office said.\n\nWildfires in Russia have already spread to around 3 million hectares of mostly remote forest, an area almost the size of Belgium, wafting smoke across Siberia and prompting several regions to declare states of emergency.\n\nREAD: Russia's Putin orders army to help battle wildfires in Siberia\n\nIn the phone call initiated by Washington, Putin thanked Trump for his offer and told him that Russia has already mobilised air forces to fight Siberian wildfires.", "Putin has taken Trump's offer as the key for a full-scale restoration of relations between Russia and the United States, the Kremlin's press office said.\n\nU.S. President Donald Trump in a phone call on Wednesday offered his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin assistance in putting out wildfires in Russia's Siberia, the Kremlin said in a statement.\n\nWildfires in Russia have already spread to around 3 million hectares (7.4 million acres) of mostly remote forest, an area almost the size of Belgium, wafting smoke across Siberia and prompting several regions to declare states of emergency.\n\nIn the phone call initiated by Washington, Putin thanked Trump for his offer and told him that Russia has already mobilized air forces to fight Siberian wildfires.\n\nA White House spokesman confirmed the call took place, adding that \"the leaders also discussed trade between the two countries.\"", "MOSCOW — U.S. President Donald Trump in a phone call on Wednesday offered his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin assistance in putting out wildfires in Russia’s Siberia, the Kremlin said in a statement.\n\nPutin has taken Trump’s offer as the key for a full-scale restoration of relations between Russia and the United States, the Kremlin’s press office said.\n\nWildfires in Russia have already spread to around 3 million hectares (7.4 million acres) of mostly remote forest, an area almost the size of Belgium, wafting smoke across Siberia and prompting several regions to declare states of emergency.\n\nIn the phone call initiated by Washington, Putin thanked Trump for his offer and told him that Russia has already mobilized air forces to fight Siberian wildfires. (Reporting by Andrey Ostroukh Editing by Bill Berkrot)"], "summary": "Russian President Vladimir Putin orders the Russian Ground Forces to join firefighting efforts to help tackle raging wildfires in Siberia. A state of emergency has been declared in Irkutsk Oblast, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Buryatia and Sakha Republic, where millions of hectares are currently burning out of control."}
{"document": ["A U.S. Navy F/A-18E Super Hornet jet crashed in Death Valley National Park near Father Crowley Vista Point Wednesday morning, leaving seven visitors with minor injuries. The status of the pilot remains unknown.\n\nThe crash occurred at approximately 10 a.m. near an area often referred to as Star Wars Canyon, not far from the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake.\n\nFor the record: A previous version of this article referred to the jet that crashed as an F/A-185E. It is an F/A-18E.\n\n“We’re still trying to figure things out on our end,” said Navy Lt. Cmdr. Lydia Bock. “We have a search-and-rescue that has been dispatched out of China Lake and search-and-rescue out of Naval Station Lemoore with a medic on board.”\n\nSearch-and-rescue teams plan to continue their search for the pilot throughout the night.\n\nAdvertisement\n\n“We’re looking for an aviator out there, hoping for the best,” an official said.\n\nWhile it is not common for military jets to fly low over national parks, it is a standard practice in Death Valley.\n\nPhotographers train their cameras at an F-18 fighter jet from Lemoore Naval Air Station as it dives into Rainbow Canyon. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times)\n\n“It’s one of the main attractions,” said Death Valley National Park public information officer Patrick Taylor.\n\nThe Air Force and Navy have used the area for military training practices since the early 1930s.\n\n\n\nAdvertisement\n\nMost of the aircraft that pass through come from Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, Naval Air Station Lemoore, Edwards Air Force Base, Fresno Air National Guard Base and Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada. International jets are also known to make flybys.\n\nIt’s unclear whether those who reported injuries were in the area to observe the jets. Taylor said the area also provides a parking lot and a restroom.\n\n“There’s a lot of people that stop there totally unassociated with the jets,” he said.\n\nTimes staff writer Ruben Vives contributed to this report.", "U.S. Military Jet Crashes In Death Valley National Park, Injuring 7 On The Ground\n\nA U.S. Navy F/A-18E Super Hornet jet crashed during a training mission Wednesday in Death Valley National Park, resulting in minor injuries for seven park visitors, according to local park officials.\n\nThere is no word yet on the fate of the pilot. A search and rescue team has been dispatched.\n\n\"At approximately 10:00 a.m PST an F/A-18E crashed near @NAWS_CL. Search-and-rescue efforts are underway,\" according to a tweet by the Naval Air Forces. NAWS CL stands for Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake. It is in the Western Mojave Desert region of California, about 150 miles north of Los Angeles.\n\nMilitary jets are not supposed to fly over national parks, but an exception was made for a section of the park that has become a popular site to watch military training flights known as \"Star Wars Canyon,\" because the maneuvers resemble scenes from the science fiction films of aircraft speeding through canyons, according to ABC 10 News in San Diego.", "Authorities say seven people on the ground have been injured in the crash of a Navy jet in California's Mojave Desert.\n\nDeath Valley National Park spokesman Patrick Taylor says the seven were park visitors and have only minor injuries.\n\nThere's no word yet on what happened to the pilot of the F/A-18 Super Hornet, which went down during a training mission Wednesday morning.\n\nUS NAVY JET CRASHES NEAR BOMB TESTING RANGE IN CALIFORNIA, 7 INJURED, OFFICIALS SAY\n\nThe crash occurred near a park area nicknamed Star Wars Canyon where fighter jets practice low-flying maneuvers and tourists often gather to watch.\n\nThe crash area is about 60 miles (96.5 kilometers) north of the Naval Air Weapons Station at China Lake.\n\nCLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP\n\nThe aircraft was from strike fighter squadron VFA-151 stationed at Naval Air Station Lemoore in California's Central Valley.", "The US Navy confirmed Thursday that the pilot of the F/A-18E Super Hornet that crashed Wednesday in Death Valley National Park died as a result of the crash.\n\n“The Navy has confirmed that the pilot of the F/A-18E died in the crash,” US Naval Air Forces said in a statement.\n\n“The Navy mourns the loss of one of our own and our thoughts go out to the family and friends affected by this tragedy,” the statement added.\n\nIn accordance with Department of Defense policy the name of the pilot is being withheld for 24 hours to allow for family notification.\n\nThe crash took place in Death Valley National Park at a spot known to aviation enthusiasts as Star Wars Canyon, according to park spokesman Patrick Taylor, who told CNN that seven visitors had suffered minor injuries as a result.\n\nAs a general rule, military jets are not allowed to fly over national parks, but an exception was made over this section of Death Valley when it became a national park 25 years ago. In fact, Taylor said, that particular vista is a popular place to watch military training flights.\n\nAdm. John Richardson, the chief of naval operations, issued a statement on the crash late Wednesday.\n\n“I ask that we all come together to help support the family, friends, and shipmates of the pilot who crashed in California today. Our thoughts are also with those reported injured on the ground,” Richardson wrote on Twitter.\n\nThe F/A-18 had been assigned to the “Vigilantes” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 151 based at Naval Air Station Lemoore, California.", "A single-seat F/A-18E Super Hornet has crashed near Death Valley in California, and the status of the pilot is unknown, Navy officials said.\n\nThe fighter jet based at Naval Air Station Lemoore crashed on Wednesday morning between 9am and 10am local time, a Navy spokesperson said.\n\nThe plane went down near Death Valley, just north of Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake.\n\nA rescue team from the base and officials from the Inyo County Sheriff's Office are on the scene of the crash.\n\nInitial reports indicated the Boeing F/A-18E Super Hornet went down on the west side of Death Valley National Park, near the Father Crowley Overlook, according to KNTV.\n\nThe overlook is an area informally known as 'Star Wars Canyon,' which has been used for military training flights since the 1930s.\n\nMilitary plane enthusiasts regularly gather there to watch fighter jets make training runs down the tight canyon, evocative of scenes from the Star Wars films.", "A US Navy fighter jet has crashed near a military installation in California, according to the Naval Air Forces. The status of the pilot is currently unknown.\n\nA rescue effort is currently underway, Navy officials said, though it is unclear whether more than one pilot was involved. The aircraft was reportedly a Navy F/A-18E Super Hornet.\n\n“At approximately 10:00 a.m PST an F/A-18E crashed near @NAWS_CL. Search-and-rescue efforts are underway,” the Naval Air Forces tweeted Wednesday.\n\nA spokesperson for the Inyo County Sheriff’s Office told CNN police helped to secure the area of the crash before the military arrived on the scene.\n\nThe Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake is located near Death Valley National Park, approximately 150 miles north of Los Angeles, California.\n\n2018 saw a number of similar accidents with American military aircraft, with at least five non-combat related crashes in 2018, which killed nine US service members, according to Fox News. The accidents prompted calls in Congress to overcome a “crisis” in military aviation.\n\nThe F/A-18 is both a fighter and attack aircraft in one, originally developed by McDonnell Douglas - now Boeing - and Northrop for the US Navy and Marine Corps. It is still the workhorse of both service branches, as its fifth-generation replacement the F-35 continues to be plagued by design flaws and performance problems.", "A U.S. Navy F/A-18E Super Hornet jet has crashed Wednesday in the California desert near Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, according to a tweet from the U.S. Naval Air Forces. Officials said several were injured in the Death Valley National Park as a result of the incident.\n\nThe Navy also said \"search-and-rescue efforts are underway.\" The accident occurred during a routine training exercise at 9:50 a.m. local time. There was no immediate word on the condition of the pilot.\n\nThe fighter jet was assigned to the \"Vigilantes\" of Strike Fighter Squadron VFA-151 based at Naval Air Station Lemoore, California, and crashed east of Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, according to U.S. Navy spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Lydia Bock.\n\nA spokesperson for Death Valley National Park told CBS News there was a report of a plane crash near Father Crowley Vista Point and first responders from the National Park Service (NPS) said there were seven minor park visitor injuries. The extent of the injuries weren't made available. NPS added that Vista Point is a popular destination for jet gazing and has since been closed.\n\nThe base is located some 150 miles north of Los Angeles, according to its website, and is located in the Western Mojave Desert region of California. The installation is the Navy's largest single landholding, representing 85% of the Navy's land for Research, Development, Acquisition, Test and Evaluation (RDAT&E) use and 38% of the Navy's land holdings worldwide. In total, its two ranges and main site cover more than 1.1 million acres, an area larger than the state of Rhode Island, the website said.\n\nThe cause of the crash is under investigation.", "The Navy has confirmed the death of the pilot of the F/A-18E Super Hornet fighter jet, which crashed near a military installation in California. His name will not be released until notification of his next of kin.\n\n“The Navy mourns the loss of one of our own and our thoughts go out to the family and friends affected by this tragedy,” the service branch said on Twitter.\n\nThe fighter-attack aircraft crashed Wednesday morning at the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, which is located near Death Valley National Park, approximately 150 miles north of Los Angeles. A rescue operation followed, as it was unclear if the pilot had managed to eject from the plane.\n\nto RT newsletter to get stories the mainstream media won’t tell you.", "(AP) — The Latest on the crash of a Navy fighter jet in California (all times local):\n\nThe U.S. Navy says it has confirmed the death of the pilot in the crash of a fighter jet in the California desert.\n\nThe Navy says in a statement Thursday that the pilot’s identity will be withheld until 24 hours after notification of next of kin in accordance with Defense Department policy.\n\nThe aircraft belonged to Strike Fighter Squadron VFA-151 based at Naval Air Station Lemoore in California’s Central Valley.\n\nThe single-seat F/A-18E Super Hornet crashed Wednesday morning in a canyon in Death Valley National Park where military aircraft conduct low-level training.\n\nSeven tourists on the ground were treated for minor injuries.\n\nThe Navy says the cause of the crash remains under investigation.\n\nCrews are searching for the pilot of a Navy fighter jet that crashed and exploded in California’s Mojave Desert, injuring seven people on the ground.\n\nDeath Valley National Park spokesman Patrick Taylor said seven park visitors had minor injuries.\n\nKABC-TV talked to tourists who said they were treated for minor burns and cuts after being hit by shrapnel.\n\nThere’s no word yet on the pilot of the F/A-18 Super Hornet, which went down during a Wednesday training mission.\n\nThe crash occurred near a park area nicknamed Star Wars Canyon, where fighter jets practice low-flying maneuvers and tourists watch.\n\nThe crash area is about 60 miles (96.5 kilometers) north of the Naval Air Weapons Station at China Lake.\n\nThe aircraft was from strike fighter squadron VFA-151 stationed at Naval Air Station Lemoore in California’s Central Valley.\n\nAssociated Press reporters Christopher Weber and John Antczak also contributed to this story.", "The Navy has confirmed the pilot of a F/A-18E Super Hornet that crashed Wednesday died in a routine training exercise. In accordance with Department of Defense policy, the identity of the pilot will be withheld until 24 hours following notification of next of kin, the Navy added.\n\nOn Wednesday, the jet went down in the California desert near Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, the U.S. Naval Air Forces said. At least seven people were injured in the Death Valley National Park at a scenic overlook where aviation enthusiasts regularly watch military pilots speeding through a chasm dubbed Star Wars Canyon, according to The Associated Press.\n\nThe accident occurred during a routine training exercise at 9:50 a.m. local time. The fighter jet was assigned to the \"Vigilantes\" of Strike Fighter Squadron VFA-151 based at Naval Air Station Lemoore, California, and crashed east of Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake, according to U.S. Navy spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Lydia Bock.\n\nA spokesperson for Death Valley National Park told CBS News there was a report of a plane crash near Father Crowley Vista Point and first responders from the National Park Service (NPS) said there were seven minor park visitor injuries. The extent of the injuries weren't made available. NPS added that Vista Point is a popular destination for jet gazing and has since been closed.\n\n\"I just saw a black mushroom cloud go up,\" witness Aaron Cassell told the AP. \"Typically you don't see a mushroom cloud in the desert.\" Cassell was working at his family's resort about 10 miles away from the crash and was first to report it to park dispatch.\n\nAP points out the chasm earned its nickname because mineral-rich soil and red, gray and pink walls resemble the home planet of \"Star Wars\" character Luke Skywalker.\n\nThe base is located some 150 miles north of Los Angeles, according to its website, and is located in the Western Mojave Desert region of California. The installation is the Navy's largest single landholding, representing 85% of the Navy's land for Research, Development, Acquisition, Test and Evaluation (RDAT&E) use and 38% of the Navy's land holdings worldwide. In total, its two ranges and main site cover more than 1.1 million acres, an area larger than the state of Rhode Island, the website said.\n\nThe cause of the crash continues to be under investigation."], "summary": "A United States Navy F/A-18E/F Super Hornet crashes in Death Valley National Park, California, leaving seven visitors on the ground with minor injuries. A search and rescue operation is underway for the pilot."}
{"document": ["66 people sent for medical attention after ExxonMobil refinery explosion in Texas\n\nThe facility processes light hydrocarbons including propane and propylene, materials used to make plastic and industrial products.", "Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings.\n\nAuthorities say 66 people were sent for medical evaluation after an explosion and fire at an ExxonMobil oil refinery in Texas on Wednesday.\n\nThe fire began after an explosion just after 11:00 a.m. at an ExxonMobil plant in Baytown, about 25 miles east of Houston. The facility processes light hydrocarbons including propane and propylene, materials used to make plastic and industrial products.\n\nRight after the explosion, the fire sent large plumes of black smoke into the sky. By Wednesday afternoon, the smoke had lessened. The fire was not fully extinguished by Wednesday evening, but authorities lifted a shelter-in-place order that impacted approximately 5,000 people in the area once the blaze was contained.\n\nThe Texas Commission on Environmental Quality was on scene monitoring for air quality issues, but did not report any concerning contaminants.\n\nHarris County Homeland Security and Emergency Management released a statement after the fire was contained that ExxonMobil reported 66 of its employees and contractors were sent for medical evaluation.\n\nJason Duncan, the plant manager, said earlier that many of those hurt suffered minor burns and all were being treated at a local clinic.\n\nAll employees at the plant had been accounted for, officials said.\n\n\"It is our number one priority to protect the people in the community and the people that work for us,\" Duncan said.\n\nThe Harris County Fire Marshal's Office is investigating the what caused the fire.\n\nWednesday's fire is the latest at a Houston-area petrochemical facility this year, including one at another facility on the ExxonMobil Baytown complex.\n\nOn March 16, a fire erupted at a refinery at the complex. The fire was extinguished hours later, but Harris County officials say it continued to release toxic pollutants for eight more days. The county has sued ExxonMobil, accusing the company of violating the federal Clean Air Act.\n\nAlso in March, a fire burned for days at a petrochemical storage facility owned by Intercontinental Terminals Company in nearby Deer Park and caused chemicals to flow into a nearby waterway. After the fire, the Harris County District Attorney's Office filed water pollution charges against ITC.\n\nIn April, one worker died after a tank holding a flammable chemical caught fire at a plant operated by KMCO LLC in nearby Crosby.\n\nPrior to Wednesday's fire, Harris County had conducted an analysis of how local officials and agencies respond to such incidents in the wake of the petrochemical complex fires from earlier this year, said Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo.\n\nSome of the steps the county is taking as a result of this analysis include asking for more air monitors, improving how the public is informed about such incidents and improving communication between agencies that respond to such incidents. Hidalgo said the county fire marshal's office is also working to increase its inspections of area petrochemical facilities.\n\n\"It's not right for us to live next to a petrochemical complex and live in fear sometimes. So we have to improve on the situation and we are doing so,\" said Hidalgo, who is the top administrator in Harris County, where Houston is located.\n\nThe plant in Wednesday's explosion and fire is part of the company's 3,400-acre refinery complex in Baytown.\n\nAccording to records kept by the Environmental Protection Agency, the plant had 68 tons of ethylene on site in 2017. It also had large quantities of other potentially hazardous chemicals, including ammonia, benzene, and propylene.\n\nThe facility is one of eight plants that ExxonMobil agreed to retrofit with anti-pollution technology in a settlement with the U.S. government. The company also agreed to pay $2.5 million in fines to federal and state authorities after being accused of violating the Clean Air Act with industrial flares from its factories.", "City officials said via Twitter Wednesday afternoon that the advisory had been lifted after monitoring failed to detect \"any levels of concern\" in the air.\n\nOfficials said 66 employees and contractors were examined at a health clinic, with some receiving first aid. All were released.\n\nThe fire had been contained by the evening.\n\n\"We realize the people who live here in Baytown and our surrounding communities are worried,\" ExxonMobil spokeswoman Natasha Barrett told reporters. \"We understand that and we've been working hour after hour to check on things, to monitor air quality.\"\n\nThe fire occurred at the company's Baytown Olefins Plant, ExxonMobil spokeswoman Sarah Nordin said. The company website describes the complex as one of the largest refining and petrochemical complexes in the world. It's located about 25 miles east of Houston. Residents have been asked to shelter in place near parts of an ExxonMobil plant in Baytown, Texas. Barrett said the fire began about 11:07 a.m. local time and the precautionary shelter-in-place was issued about 10 minutes later. The blaze is in a unit that contains polypropylene material and Exxon asked that the shelter-in-place order be issued west of the plant and south of the Texas Spur 330 freeway \"out of an abundance of caution,\" the city of Baytown said via Twitter. Flames and smoke rise from the ExxonMobil complex in Baytown, Texas. Duncan said the fire broke out at a polypropylene recovery unit, where the plastic is purified for production. He said crews were working to shut down the units to isolate the fire source. Duncan said the company is conducting air quality monitoring at the site and fence line, and cooperating with regulatory agencies. He said no adverse environmental effects had been detected. Barrett said city and county officials were also monitoring the air. The cause of the explosion is unknown, he said.", "An explosion and fire at an ExxonMobil oil refinery outside of Houston Wednesday has left at least six people injured, reports say.\n\nA unit containing polypropylene material ⁠— a noncarcinogenic plastic ⁠— burst into flames late Wednesday morning at the ExxonMobil Baytown Olefins plant, sending parts of the city into a mandatory shelter-in-place, according to Fox 26. The flames and black smoke from the fire could be seen for miles.\n\n\"Our first priority remains the safety of people, including our employees, contractors and the community,\" ExxonMobil Baytown Area said in a statement. \"As a precaution, our industrial hygiene staff is conducting air quality monitoring at the site and at the fence line, and we are cooperating with regulatory agencies.\"\n\nCLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP\n\nAt least two school districts in the area that didn't fall within the shelter-in-place order for Baytown are also implementing shelter-in-place precautions for their summer activities, according to Fox 26.\n\nSome workers have begun returning to the plant's entrance after evacuating and ExxonMobil will hold a press conference about the incident at 2:30 p.m. ET.", "The lawsuit said Wednesday's fire \"resulted in the emission of multiple air pollutants, including propylene, LPG, propane, and associated products of combustion.\" The county says the company violated the state's clean air act and asks for orders to prevent a recurrence.\n\nThe fire began late Wednesday morning at ExxonMobil's Baytown Olefins Plant at a unit that contains polypropylene material.\n\nResidents were urged to shelter in place for hours because of concern about the air quality. The advisory was lifted after monitoring didn't detect any \"levels of concern,\" Baytown officials said Wednesday afternoon.\n\nOfficials said 66 employees and contractors were examined at a health clinic Wednesday.\n\nExxonMobil is \"currently reviewing\" the lawsuit, spokeswoman Sarah Nordin told CNN in an email. 66 treated after fire breaks out at ExxonMobil plant in Baytown, Texas \"We take public health and environmental protection seriously,\" Nordin said in an earlier email Thursday. \"We will continue to work to identify ways to enhance our environmental performance. Nordin said the fire has been extinguished, and all workers who had been treated are cleared to go back to work. Air monitoring in the area just outside the complex shows \"levels are normal,\" she said. Rock Owens, Harris County's lead environmental lawyer, told CNN the county is asking the State of Texas for temporary and permanent injunctions against the company to fix these alleged violations immediately, and to try to prevent potential violations from happening again in the future. Harris County, along with the state of Texas, is also also suing Exxon because of a March 16 fire at the company's refinery in Baytown, CNN affiliates KPRC-TV and KTRK-TV reported. ExxonMobil's website describes the Baytown Olefins Plant as \"one of the largest ethylene plants in the world,\" and the Baytown complex of operations, including the refinery and chemical plant, as one of the largest refining and petrochemical complexes in the world. The cause of Wednesday's fire is under investigation.", "BAYTOWN, Texas — A fire at the ExxonMobil Baytown Complex in east Harris County has been contained, according to the Harris County Office of Emergency Management.\n\nAir monitoring is expected to continue until the fire is fully extinguished, the emergency management office said.\n\nJason Duncan, the plant manager, said the fire is a result of an explosion that happened at one of the units in the plant on Decker Drive.\n\nThirty-seven people were treated for non-life threatening injuries, including first-degree burns, Duncan said.\n\nA shelter-in-place was issued for areas west of the plant and south of Spur 330 minutes after the plant exploded. The shelter-in-place has since been lifted.\n\nThe explosion happened at approximately 11:07 a.m., officials said. The City of Baytown said as the fire and smoke filled the air, they activated their emergency center and alerted all of their residents to let them know about the precautionary shelter.\n\nAs fire and a plume of smoke filled the sky, the City of Baytown activated their emergency center and alerted all of their residents to let them know about the precautionary shelter in place.\n\nCrews are currently working to shut down the affected units and isolate the source of the fire.\n\nThe cause of the explosion is unknown at this time, but officials said they are working diligently to figure it out.\n\n\"I understand for the people of Baytown it's difficult to look out your window and see a plume of smoke especially what's happened before, said Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo.\n\nThe Texas Commission on Environmental Quality is at the plant and will provide more information as it becomes available.\n\nThe plant's Industrial Hygiene staff said they are monitoring air quality at the site and fence line and at this time there are no adverse impacts to the community.\n\nJoshua Howell, who lives near the plant, said he heard and felt the explosion from his home.\n\n“Sirens going off like crazy, news helicopters overhead. Low constant hum audible from my home. Not sure what exploded but it shook the neighborhood,” Howell tweeted. He said he can see the smoke from his front yard.\n\nSerena Dodds is a manager at Extra Space Storage, which is right across the street from the Exxon plant. She said the fire shook her entire office and lit up the interior of her office walls.\n\n“It made the sound of a jet flying too low to the ground,” said Dodds. “[It] just grew and grew and then boomed and the light from it lit up my whole office.\n\nREAD: What we know about the ExxonMobil Olefins plant in Baytown\n\nThe plant released the following statement on Twitter:\n\n\"A fire has occurred at our Baytown Olefins Plant and our fire team is working to extinguish the fire. We are conducting personnel accounting. Our first priority remains the safety of people, including our employees, contractors and the community. As a precaution, our industrial hygiene staff is conducting air quality monitoring at the sire and at the fenceline, and we are cooperating with regulatory agencies. We regret any disruption or inconvenience this incident may have caused the community.\"\n\nSeveral KHOU 11 viewers have sent in photos and videos of the plant fire.\n\nKHOU 11 Investigates looked into ExxonMobil Baytown Complex and found the Texas Commission on Environmental Agency has fined the plant 22 times in the last decade, resulting in nearly one million dollars in penalties.\n\nA half million of that stems from a single incident in 2009 in which, according to documents, the plant failed to prevent unauthorized emissions from a number of its units.\n\nWe have a crew at the scene gathering more details.\n\n*You will be able to watch the Young and the Restless on CBS.com after 4 p.m. The Bold and the Beautiful will re-air at 3:12 a.m.*\n• Army identifies two soldiers killed in Afghanistan during Operation Freedom's Sentinel\n• Victims ID'd after man shoots his ex and murders her family in Fort Bend County: deputies", "(KPRC) More than 30 people suffered minor injuries Wednesday in an explosion and subsequent fire at the ExxonMobil plant in Baytown, Texas.\n\nJason Duncan, manager of the ExxonMobil plant, said 37 people suffered injuries that were not life-threatening. He described the injuries as minor burns. Officials said 66 people were taken for medical evaluation.\n\nDuncan said the unit that is involved in the fire was isolated.\n\nThe ExxonMobil plant in Baytown is one of the largest of its kind in the world, and is no stranger to violations.\n\nAccording to the Harris County attorney, the plant could be facing a lawsuit after it burned for several hours Wednesday, leaving residents in the area worried about their health and wanting answers.", "BAYTOWN, Texas (KTRK) -- If you were affected by Wednesday's fire at the Baytown ExxonMobil facility, there's a number you can call.The company released the number just over 24 hours after the fire at the olefins plant. Personal claims can be filed by calling 800-241-9010.If you missed work, saw a doctor, or have other expenses tied to the fire, you may wish to file a claim. However, attorneys advise you to make sure you understand the terms of any agreement you may be entering into. If you accept any money, you may be forfeiting your right to sue ExxonMobil in the future.Harris County filed a lawsuit Thursday morning alleging ExxonMobil violated the Texas Clean Air Act due to the release of pollutants.ABC13 has reached out to to ExxonMobil for its response to the lawsuit.The fire occurred at the facility off Highway 146 at Spur 330. The company said 66 people were evaluated. Any injuries reported have been described as non-life-threatening. None of those injured required hospitalization, according to ExxonMobil.The company said Thursday that the fire has been extinguished, and all the workers who were evaluated have been cleared to return to work.A statement said in part,ExxonMobil added that it is cooperating with regulatory agencies and is working to identify ways to enhance environmental performance. ExxonMobil's website states that the Baytown Olefins plant began operations in 1979 and is one of the largest ethylene plants in the world.", "BAYTOWN, Texas (KTRK) -- A fire is burning at the ExxonMobil Olefins Plant off Highway 146 at Spur 330 in Baytown. The company said 66 people have suffered non-life threatening injuries.All workers are said to have been accounted for. None of those injured required hospitalization, according to ExxonMobil.A shelter-in-place that was issued for residents who live west of the plant and south of 330 has been lifted, as of 3:05 p.m. Air monitoring didn't detect any levels of concern, according to the City of Baytown.The material is easily ignited by heat, sparks or flames and will form explosive mixtures with air.Any cylinders exposed to the fire may vent and release flammable gas through pressure relief devices.When it comes to the health impacts of the gas, vapors may cause dizziness or asphyxiation without warning.Contact with gas or liquefied gas can also cause burns, severe injury and/or frostbite.Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez tweeted that his department is monitoring the situation and is ready to respond if needed.The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality is headed to the scene. ExxonMobil's website states that the Baytown Olefins plant began operations in 1979 and is one of the largest ethylene plants in the world.ExxonMobil recently completed the construction of a multi-billion dollar ethane cracker at the Olefins Plant. ExxonMobil says the cracker has a capacity of 1.5 million tons per year and provides ethylene feedstock to two new high-performance polyethylene lines at the Mont Belvieu Plastics Plant, which was built in 1982. The projects were part of ExxonMobil's 10-year, $20 billion Growing the Gulf expansion program.This is the second time within a few months that a fire has broken out at an ExxonMobil plant. That previous incident occurred in March.", "Port of Sillamäe supervisory board chairman Tiit Vähi said that the Northeastern Estonian port is interested in establishing a shale oil pre-refinery on site, regional paper Põhjarannik reports.\n\nAccoring to Vähi, he has been in touch with Estonian state-owned energy group Eesti Energia, shale oil producer Viru Keemia Grupp (VKG) as well as oil products producer Kiviõli Keemiatööstus in connection with the establishment of a proposed pre-refinery.\n\n\"We have not established any binding agreement, but hwe have said that if shale oil producers make a decision and want to establish this plant on the territory of the Port of Sillamäe, we will definitely provide good conditions for doing so,\" he told Põhjarannik.\n\nVähi added that the construction of a pre-refinery in Sillamäe makes sense logically, as large oil plants are located just 25 kilometers away. He recalled that the plan is to also establish a heavy fuel oil refinery on the territory of the port, and its environmental impact assessment has already been conducted in accordance with the law.\n\n\"Further research is needed on the shale oil refinery, but a great deal of progress has already been made in that regard,\" Vähi said.\n\nHando Sutter, CEO of the Estonian state-owned energy group Eesti Energia, said on Tuesday that Sillamäe would be a suitable location for the planned shale oil pre-refinery, although building the refinery in Auvere to the southeast would also have its benefits.\n\nAccording to Sutter, Eesti Energia is expecting co-financing from the state's modernization fund, noting that public aid would cover 20 percent to one third of the total cost of the refinery.\n\nCurrently underway is an analysis aimed at providing a detailed overview of the technological aspects of the project as well as the investment required.\n\nLate last month, the Estonian government endorsed in principle the construction of a shale oil refinery in Northeastern Estonia. Construction is estimated to cost €600 million and be completed by 2024 at the earliest.\n\nThe estimated smallest reasonable output capacity of such a plant is approximately 1 million tons per year. In 2018, more than 1.1 million tons of shale oil was produced in Estonia.\n\nDownload the ERR News app for Android and iOS now and never miss an update!"], "summary": "An explosion at an ExxonMobil oil refinery in Baytown, Texas, hospitalizes 66 people."}
{"document": ["Iranian officials are slamming the United States for imposing sanctions on the country's foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, personally targeting Iran's highest ranking diplomat. The move comes amid rising tensions between the two countries, which have long been at odds.\n\nZarif took to Twitter to criticize the sanctions in a message laced with sarcasm and incredulity.\n\n\"The US' reason for designating me is that I am Iran's 'primary spokesperson around the world' Is the truth really that painful?\" Zarif wrote. \"It has no effect on me or my family, as I have no property or interests outside of Iran. Thank you for considering me a huge threat to your agenda.\"\n\nIran's President Hassan Rouhani described the move as \"childish\" and a barrier to diplomacy. \"Every day they claim: 'We want to negotiate with Iran, without any pre-conditions,' and then they put sanctions on the country's foreign minister,\" Rohuani said in a speech Thursday, the Associated Press reported.\n\nOthers at the United Nations have voiced their own opinions on the U.S.' latest sanction on Iran. U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres took an indirect swipe at the U.S. on the new visa sanctions, saying, \"When I ask for maximum restraint, I ask for maximum restraint at all levels.\"\n\nAnd, when Russia's Deputy U.N. Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy was asked about the new sanctions on Iran's Foreign Minister, he said, \"It is very difficult sometimes to get into the heads of the Americans. It remains an enigma. Like a woman's mind sometimes Americans' minds are very mysterious,\" CBS News' Pamela Falk reports from the U.N.\n\nSecretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the sanctions on Wednesday, describing Zarif as someone \"who enriched himself at the expense of the Iranian people.\" On Twitter, Pompeo posed a picture of Zarif and stated, \"Foreign Minister Zarif, a senior regime official and apologist, has for years been complicit in the Iranian regime's malign activities.\"\n\nRecently, President @realDonaldTrump sanctioned Iran’s Supreme Leader, who enriched himself at the expense of the Iranian people. Today, the U.S. designated his chief apologist @JZarif. He’s just as complicit in the regime’s outlaw behavior as the rest of @khamenei_ir’s mafia. pic.twitter.com/XhDdqR6rik — Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) July 31, 2019\n\nPompeo has recently given mixed signals regarding policy toward Iran. Earlier this week, Pompeo wrote on Twitter, \"I recently offered to travel to Tehran and speak directly to the Iranian people. The regime hasn't accepted my offer.\" Zarif called his offer \"empty and disingenuous.\"\n\nIranian foreign minister \"concerned about hidden agendas\" in U.S.\n\nTensions between the U.S. and Iran have been on the rise this summer. On June 19, Iran seized a British-flagged oil tanker and also detained an additional vessel in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's aggressive posture follows President Trump's 2018 decision to withdraw the U.S. from the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran, the United States and other world powers. The Trump administration has also imposed sweeping economic sanctions on Iran, including restricting its oil exports, leaving the economy in shambles.\n\nIn June, President Trump nearly engaged in a military strike against Iran, after a U.S. drone was shot down in Iranian airspace. Mr. Trump said the U.S. military was \"cocked and loaded\" to retaliate against Iran at three different sites on June 21, but he said he called off the operation after learning 150 people would likely be killed.", "Image copyright Reuters Image caption Mohammad Javad Zarif thanked the US \"for considering me such a huge threat to your agenda\"\n\nThe US Department of the Treasury has imposed sanctions against Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.\n\nThe sanctions freeze any assets Mr Zarif may have in America, the department said.\n\n\"Javad Zarif implements the reckless agenda of Iran's Supreme Leader (Ayatollah Ali Khamenei),\" Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said.\n\nMr Zarif tweeted the US had imposed sanctions on him because it considered him as a threat to its agenda.\n\nTensions between the US and Iran have heightened since the US last year withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal that aimed to curb Iranian nuclear activities.\n\nThere are growing concerns that a number of recent incidents in the Gulf could lead to a military conflict in the vital shipping region.\n\nOn Wednesday, the US extended waivers which allow Russia, China and European countries to continue civilian nuclear cooperation with Iran.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Iran's Foreign Minister: We cannot leave our own neighbourhood\n\nWhite House security adviser John Bolton said on Wednesday that it was a \"short 90 day extension\".\n\n\"I think the idea here is we are watching those nuclear activities very, very closely,\" he added.\n\nWhat did the US say?\n\nMr Mnuchin described Mr Zarif as the Iranian \"regime's primary spokesperson around the world\".\n\n\"The United States is sending a clear message to the Iranian regime that its recent behaviour is completely unacceptable.\n\n\"At the same time the Iranian regime denies Iranian citizens' access to social media, Foreign Minister Javad Zarif spreads the regime's propaganda and disinformation around the world through these mediums,\" Mr Mnuchin said.\n\nHow did Mr Zarif respond?\n\nMr Zarif said the US move \"has no effect on me or my family, as I have no property or interest outside of Iran\".\n\nHe posted a tweet, mocking the US move.\n\n\"The US reason for designating me is that I am Iran's 'primary spokesperson around the world. Is the truth really that painful?\" he asked.\n\n\"Thank you for considering me such a huge threat to your agenda.\"\n\nWhat about the 2015 nuclear deal?\n\nLast year, the US unilaterally withdrew from the agreement between Iran and world powers.\n\nWashington has since reimposed tight sanctions affecting the Iranian economy, and also\n\nThe other parties of the 2015 deal - China, France, Germany Russia and the UK - criticised Mr Trump's decision and said they remained fully committed to the deal.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Inside Iran: Iranians on Trump and the nuclear deal\n\nIran responded by breaching the limit on its stockpile of low-enriched uranium set under the nuclear deal.\n\nTehran stepped up production of enriched uranium, used to make reactor fuel but also potentially nuclear bombs, in May.\n\nLast week, talks were held in Vienna to try to save the nuclear deal.\n\nAfter meeting representatives from Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China, a senior Iranian official said the atmosphere had been \"constructive\".\n\nAnd what about recent tanker incidents?\n\nTensions between the UK and Iran rose in July after British forces seized the Iranian tanker, Grace 1, off Gibraltar. It was alleged to be carrying oil to Syria in breach of EU sanctions, a claim denied by Iran.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Footage released by Iran's Revolutionary Guard-affiliated Fars news agency appears to show Stena Impero being seized\n\nSeveral days later the British-flagged Stena Impero was impounded by Iran, which said it had been \"violating international maritime rules\".\n\nBritain sent a second warship on Sunday to escort its ships sailing through the Strait of Hormuz.\n\nRecent incidents have also included:", "The US government on Wednesday imposed financial sanctions on Iran's foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, as part of its escalating campaign of pressure against the Islamic Republic.\n\nThe highly unusual action of penalizing the top diplomat of another nation comes a month after President Donald Trump signed an executive order placing sanctions on Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.\n\n\"Javad Zarif implements the reckless agenda of Iran’s Supreme Leader, and is the regime’s primary spokesperson around the world,\" Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement announcing the sanctions.\n\nZarif responded swiftly to the US move, stating in a tweet that the sanctions would have “no effect on me or my family, as I have no property or interests outside of Iran”.\n\nThe US' reason for designating me is that I am Iran's \"primary spokesperson around the world\"\n\nIs the truth really that painful?\n\nIt has no effect on me or my family, as I have no property or interests outside of Iran.\n\nThank you for considering me such a huge threat to your agenda. Javad Zarif (@JZarif) July 31, 2019\n\nHe added: “Thank you for considering me such a huge threat to your agenda.”\n\nUS officials say Zarif's travels to New York for official UN business would be uninhibited by the new sanctions, in accordance with America's international obligations.\n\nZarif met earlier this month with Republican Senator Rand Paul, a Trump ally, about potentially opening a back channel for restarting nuclear talks between the two countries.", "WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Wednesday imposed sanctions on Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, targeting the country’s top spokesman and potentially hurting chances of diplomatic talks amid rising tensions between the two countries.\n\nZarif, a critical figure in the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, dismissed the action and said it would not affect him.\n\nU.S. President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the deal last year and ramped up sanctions to put pressure on Iran’s economy. The move dismantled part of President Barack Obama’s legacy and upset U.S. allies who were party to the agreement, which was designed to restrict Tehran’s pathway to a nuclear bomb in exchange for sanctions relief.\n\nStrains between Washington and Tehran have risen more in recent months after attacks on tankers in the Gulf that the United States blames on Iran and Iran’s downing of a U.S. drone that prompted preparations for a U.S. retaliatory air strike that Trump called off at the last minute.\n\n“Javad Zarif implements the reckless agenda of Iran’s Supreme Leader, and is the regime’s primary spokesperson around the world. The United States is sending a clear message to the Iranian regime that its recent behaviour is completely unacceptable,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement.\n\nThe sanctions against Zarif would block any property or interests he has in the United States, but the Iranian foreign minister said he had none.\n\n“The US’ reason for designating me is that I am Iran’s ‘primary spokesperson around the world’,” Zarif said on Twitter. “Is the truth really that painful? It has no effect on me or my family, as I have no property or interests outside of Iran. Thank you for considering me such a huge threat to your agenda.”\n\nZarif lived in the United States, from the age of 17 as a student of international relations in San Francisco and Denver, and subsequently as a diplomat at the United Nations in New York, where he was Iranian ambassador from 2002 to 2007.\n\nThe Trump administration said it would make decisions on whether to grant Zarif travel visas, including for trips to the United Nations, on a case by case basis, holding open the possibility that he might attend the annual U.N. General Assembly in September.\n\nIf Zarif received such a visa, that would allow direct or indirect U.S. contacts with him during that gathering, which brings most of the world’s leaders to New York and has been the venue for previous U.S.-Iranian contacts.\n\nA senior U.S. official reiterated that Trump was open to talks with Iran, but said the administration would want to deal with a key decision maker, which it did not consider Zarif to be.\n\nSenator Chris Murphy, a Democratic member of the Senate’s Foreign Relations Committee, questioned the administration’s move.\n\n“If our position is really that we want to negotiate with Iran than maybe we shouldn’t sanction their chief negotiator,” Murphy posted on Twitter.\n\nOn June 24 Trump targeted Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other top Iranian officials with sanctions.\n\nMnuchin said then that Zarif would be blacklisted that week, but the designation did not happen quickly. Reuters reported in mid-July that the administration had decided to hold off on sanctions against him for the time being.\n\nU.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday the Trump administration still sought a diplomatic solution but said Zarif’s foreign ministry was advancing the Iranian Supreme Leader’s “destabilising” policies.\n\n“The only path forward is a comprehensive deal that addresses the full range of its threats. Until then, our campaign of diplomatic isolation and maximum economic pressure will continue,” Pompeo said.\n\nMnuchin said Zarif used social media to spread Iranian “propaganda and disinformation” while the government did not allow its citizens to use such mediums themselves.", "Iranian officials are slamming the United States for imposing sanctions on the country's foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, personally targeting Iran's highest ranking diplomat. The move comes amid rising tensions between the two countries, which have long been at odds.\n\nZarif took to Twitter to criticize the sanctions in a message laced with sarcasm and incredulity.\n\n\"The US' reason for designating me is that I am Iran's 'primary spokesperson around the world' Is the truth really that painful?\" Zarif wrote. \"It has no effect on me or my family, as I have no property or interests outside of Iran. Thank you for considering me a huge threat to your agenda.\"\n\nIran's President Hassan Rouhani described the move as \"childish\" and a barrier to diplomacy. \"Every day they claim: 'We want to negotiate with Iran, without any pre-conditions,' and then they put sanctions on the country's foreign minister,\" Rohuani said in a speech Thursday, the Associated Press reported.\n\nSecretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the sanctions on Wednesday, describing Zarif as someone \"who enriched himself at the expense of the Iranian people.\" On Twitter, Pompeo posed a picture of Zarif and stated, \"Foreign Minister Zarif, a senior regime official and apologist, has for years been complicit in the Iranian regime's malign activities.\"\n\nPompeo has recently given mixed signals regarding policy toward Iran. Earlier this week, Pompeo wrote on Twitter, \"I recently offered to travel to Tehran and speak directly to the Iranian people. The regime hasn't accepted my offer.\" Zarif called his offer \"empty and disingenuous.\"\n\nTensions between the U.S. and Iran have been on the rise this summer. On June 19, Iran seized a British-flagged oil tanker and also detained an additional vessel in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran's aggressive posture follows President Trump's 2018 decision to withdraw the U.S. from the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran, the United States and other world powers. The Trump administration has also imposed sweeping economic sanctions on Iran, including restricting its oil exports, leaving the economy in shambles.\n\nIn June, President Trump nearly engaged in a military strike against Iran, after a U.S. drone was shot down in Iranian airspace. Mr. Trump said the U.S. military was \"cocked and loaded\" to retaliate against Iran at three different sites on June 21, but he said he called off the operation after learning 150 people would likely be killed.", "Iran's president lambasted new U.S. sanctions by the Trump administration targeting the country's foreign minister, describing the move on Thursday as \"childish\" and a barrier to diplomacy.\n\nHassan Rouhani's remarks came after the Trump administration announced Wednesday it had imposed financial sanctions on Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif as part of its escalating campaign of pressure against the Islamic Republic.\n\nThe highly unusual action of penalizing another nation's top diplomat followed President Donald Trump's executive order placing sanctions on Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.\n\n\"They have started doing childish things,\" Rouhani said in a speech in western Azerbaijan province.\n\n\"Every day they claim: 'We want to negotiate with Iran, without any pre-conditions'. and then they put sanctions on the country's foreign minister,\" he said.\n\nThese new sanctions come amid a spike in tensions between the U.S. and Iran. The U.S. has boosted its military presence in the Persian Gulf while Iran has begun openly exceeding limits on its nuclear activities set in a 2015 accord with world powers.\n\nTrump withdrew the United States from that pact before imposing crippling sanctions on the country, targeting key industries like Iran's oil exports and sending its economy into free fall.\n\nZarif, a relative moderate within Iran's clerically overseen political system, was an architect of the nuclear deal, which offered Iran sanctions relief in exchange for internationally-monitored limits on its nuclear program.\n\nU.S. sanctions targeting the foreign minister, however, do not inhibit Zarif's travels to New York for official United Nations business, in accordance with America's international obligations. They also have little impact on Zarif financially.\n\n\"It has no effect on me or my family, as I have no property or interests outside of Iran,\" Zarif himself tweeted about the U.S. move.", "The United States on Wednesday imposed sanctions against Iran’s foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, effectively slamming the door on the country’s top diplomat.\n\nThe sanctions freeze any of Zarif’s assets in the United States or that are controlled by US entities, the government announced, saying it also will curtail his international travel.\n\n“Zarif implements the reckless agenda of Iran’s Supreme Leader and is the regime’s primary spokesperson around the world. The United States is sending a clear message to the Iranian regime that its recent behavior is completely unacceptable,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement.\n\nThe designation of Zarif under the same sanctions earlier applied to Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is the latest blow by President Donald Trump to the Obama administration’s attempt to end nuclear tensions through negotiations.\n\nBut in a mixed message to Tehran, Washington on Wednesday extended waivers for three Iranian civil nuclear projects, to avoid upsetting the other signatories to the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement — China, Russia, Germany, France and Britain.\n\n“This is a short 90-day extension,” said White House National Security Advisor John Bolton, a champion of the hawkish policy towards Tehran.\n\n“We are watching those nuclear activities very, very closely, they remain under daily scrutiny,” he told Fox Business.\n\nZarif has been at the heart of complex talks with foreign capitals over Iran’s nuclear power industry, which Tehran says is peaceful, but Washington and regional allies including Israel insist is cover for a secret weapons program.\n\nBut a senior Trump administration official said that Zarif’s diplomatic image — bolstered by his fluent English, self-effacing humour and background as a US-educated academic — was false.\n\n“The key issue is that he has had this veneer […] of being the sincere and reasonable interlocutor for the regime. Our point today is that he is no such thing,” the official said on condition of anonymity.\n\n“Today President Trump decided enough was enough,” the official said, accusing Zarif of functioning as “propaganda minister, not foreign minister”.\n\nZarif shot back, tweeting that Washington is trying to silence Iran on the international stage.\n\n“The US’ reason for designating me is that I am Iran’s ‘primary spokesperson around the world’ Is the truth really that painful?” he tweeted.\n\nIranian President Hassan Rouhani said the sanctions on Zarif showed that the US was ‘afraid’ of the top diplomat.", "WASHINGTON, July 31 (Reuters) - The United States on Wednesday imposed sanctions on Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, targeting the country's top spokesman and potentially hurting chances of diplomatic talks amid rising tensions between the two countries.\n\nZarif was an important figure in the 2015 Iran nuclear deal agreed under the administration of President Barack Obama with Tehran and other world powers. President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of the deal last year.\n\n\"Javad Zarif implements the reckless agenda of Iran's Supreme Leader, and is the regime's primary spokesperson around the world. The United States is sending a clear message to the Iranian regime that its recent behavior is completely unacceptable,\" Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement.\n\nThe sanctions against Zarif would block any property or interests he has in the United States, but the Iranian foreign minister said he had none.\n\n\"The US' reason for designating me is that I am Iran's 'primary spokesperson around the world',\" Zarif said on Twitter. \"Is the truth really that painful? It has no effect on me or my family, as I have no property or interests outside of Iran. Thank you for considering me such a huge threat to your agenda.\"\n\nThe Trump administration said it would make decisions on whether to grant Zarif a travel visa, including for trips to the United Nations, on a case by case basis, holding open the possibility that he might attend the annual U.N. General Assembly in September.\n\nIf Zarif received such a visa, that would leave the door open to possible direct or indirect U.S. contacts with Zarif during the gathering, which brings most of the world's leaders to New York and has been the venue for previous U.S.-Iranian contacts.\n\nA senior U.S. official reiterated that Trump was open to talks with Iran, but said the administration did not consider Zarif to be a key decision maker.\n\nMnuchin said Zarif used social media to spread Iranian \"propaganda and disinformation\" while the government did not allow its citizens to use such mediums themselves.", "FILE – In this Nov. 9, 2013, file photo, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zari, center, leaves following a meeting with EU foreign ministers at the Iran Nuclear talks in Geneva, Switzerland. The U.S. government is placing financial sanctions on Iran’s foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, as part of its escalating pressure campaign against that country. The highly unusual action, sanctioning the top diplomat of another nation, comes a month after President Donald Trump signed an executive order placing sanctions on Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. (Jason Reed/Poo Photo via APl, File)\n\nWASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. government on Wednesday imposed financial sanctions on Iran’s foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, as part of its escalating campaign of pressure against the Islamic Republic.\n\nThe highly unusual action of penalizing the top diplomat of another nation comes a month after President Donald Trump signed an executive order placing sanctions on Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.\n\nZarif, in response to the sanctioning, tweeted: “It has no effect on me or my family, as I have no property or interests outside of Iran.”\n\nU.S. officials said Zarif’s travels to New York for official U.N. business will not be inhibited by the new sanctions, in accordance with America’s international obligations.\n\nZarif met earlier this month with Republican Sen. Rand Paul, a Trump ally, about potentially opening a back channel for restarting nuclear talks between the two countries.", "The United States on Wednesday imposed sanctions against Iran’s foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, effectively slamming the door on the country’s top diplomat.\n\nThe sanctions freeze any of Zarif’s assets in the United States or that are controlled by US entities, the government announced, saying it also will curtail his international travel.\n\n“Zarif implements the reckless agenda of Iran’s Supreme Leader, and is the regime’s primary spokesperson around the world. The United States is sending a clear message to the Iranian regime that its recent behaviour is completely unacceptable,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement.\n\nThe designation of Zarif under the same sanctions earlier applied to Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is the latest blow by President Donald Trump to the Obama administration’s attempt to end nuclear tensions through negotiations.\n\nZarif has been at the heart of complex talks with foreign capitals over Iran’s nuclear power industry, which Tehran says is peaceful, but Washington and regional allies including Israel insist is cover for a secret weapons program.\n\nZarif shot back, tweeting that Washington is trying to silence Iran on the international stage.\n\n“The US’ reason for designating me is that I am Iran’s ‘primary spokesperson around the world’ Is the truth really that painful?” he tweeted.\n\nIn addition to attempting to freeze assets, Washington will also squeeze Zarif’s ability to function as a globe-trotting diplomat. He is expected to be able to continue to visit the United Nations in New York, albeit under tight restrictions.\n\n“The United States will continue to uphold our obligations,” the administration official said.\n\nIn mid-July, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that Zarif would be issued a visa but would be limited to the area reaching six blocks around the UN headquarters.\n\nTrump last year left a denuclearization accord negotiated by Zarif with six nations including the United States under former president Barack Obama and imposed crippling sanctions on Tehran’s economy, also vowing to curb Tehran’s regional influence.\n\nWith tensions escalating in June, Trump says he issued a last-minute cancelation of military strikes on Iran after it shot down a US drone.\n\nCritics question the legal or diplomatic rationale for targeting Zarif, however, saying that sanctions will all but end the possibility of dialogue.\n\n“If you sanction diplomats you’ll have less diplomacy,” Republican Senator Rand Paul tweeted.\n\nThe senior administration official insisted that Washington still wants talks — only not with Zarif."], "summary": "The United States Department of the Treasury sanctions Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif for implementing the \"reckless agenda of the Supreme Leader of Iran Ali Khamenei\"."}
{"document": ["Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Footage of the incident was shared on Telegram and Twitter\n\nAt least 10 people were injured when fireworks were shot from a moving car into a crowd of pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong.\n\nVideo on social media showed people running for cover as fiery trails were shot towards them outside a police station in Tin Shui Wai district.\n\nThe activists had been supporting a small number of protesters who had been detained inside the station.\n\nTensions are high in Hong Kong after weeks of anti-government protests.\n\nThe incident early on Wednesday came as more than 40 activists appeared in court charged with rioting, after a protest on Sunday ended in violent clashes with police.\n\nIf convicted, they could face up to 10 years in prison.\n\nCampaigner Jack Hazlewood posted videos of the attacks collated from the private messaging app Telegram and other online sources.\n\nFootage from Tin Shui Wai showed the car from which the attack was launched speeding away. The attackers have not been identified.\n\nPolice \"strongly condemned\" those responsible and said they were investigating.\n\nIt was the second time this month that pro-democracy activists had been attacked.\n\nOn 21 July, men dressed in white shirts and believed to be triad gangsters assaulted protesters and passers-by in the Yuen Long area, after some demonstrators had stormed China's central government building and defaced the national emblem.\n\nProtesters alleged that the gangsters were acting at the behest of the authorities, a claim strongly denied by the government and police.\n\nElsewhere in Hong Kong, another crowd braved an approaching typhoon to gather outside a court where 44 people were charged with rioting. It is the first time the Hong Kong government has used the charge in connection with these anti-government protests.\n\nThe protesters chanted \"revolution of our time\" and \"liberate Hong Kong\".\n\nThe 44 were released on bail until September and most were given a midnight curfew.\n\nThose gathered outside were in defiant mood.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Protesters chased officers and threw projectiles but other demonstrators urged them to stop (EVN/ Aaron McNicholas)\n\n\"I'm not scared to protest. This whole thing today is just making me more angry,\" said one protester, who gave his name as Gartner.\n\nChina has largely allowed Hong Kong's authorities to deal with the protests but fears are growing that it could step in if disruption continues.\n\nIn a rare intervention, China's top policy office in Hong Kong condemned Sunday's violent clashes as \"horrendous incidents\" that have caused \"serious damage to the rule of law\".\n\nA spokeswoman for the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office insisted that the territory's \"top priority\" was to \"restore social order\".\n\nHow did we get here?\n\nDemonstrations in Hong Kong began over a controversial bill that would have enabled extraditions to mainland China.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The BBC's Nick Beake described the \"chaos\" on the streets over the weekend\n\nThe government has since paused work on the bill, but protesters want it withdrawn completely.\n\nThe demonstrations have also broadened into a wider movement, with activists demanding democratic reform and an independent inquiry into police violence.\n\nAs a former British colony, Hong Kong has its own legal and judicial systems, and has been promised \"a high degree of autonomy\" from the Chinese government except in foreign and defence affairs.", "A black car shot firecrackers at a crowd protesting outside the Tin Shui Wai police station in Hong Kong on Tuesday night, injuring at least ten of them.\n\nHundreds had gathered at the site to raise their voice against the arrest of two young protestors.\n\nWhile there is a formal ban on firecrackers in Hong Kong, footage and photos show how the black car zipped through at around 02:30 am, firing rounds of crackers at the crowd. The crowd ran for cover but several people were burnt and knocked to the ground, and are reportedly suffering from sensory damage.\n\nThe car was a Toyota bearing the licence plate LP3369. However, public records show that car registered with the plate should be a black Nissan, raising questions over whether the car was using a false plate, reported the Hong Kong Free Press.\n\nIn over a month of protests, Hong Kongers have delt with rubber pellets, tear gas, an unidentified gang of men in white-shirts who beat them with sticks and rods and now firecracker attacks. What started as protests against an Extradition Bill that would authorise China to declare and take action against anyone they considered a national threat has now become an increasingly violent fight for autonomy.\n\nWatch: In Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters were beaten up by unidentified men in white shirts\n\n\n\nHong Kong: Protestors storm Parliament, deface walls on the anniversary of handover to China\n\n\n\nWatch: In Hong Kong, a crowd of nearly two million protestors parts to make way for an ambulance", "There have been some extraordinary developments in the feud between Beijing and anti-government protesters in Hong Kong, with reports Chinese military units are congregating along the border.\n\nAnd adding to the tension, several protesters were injured outside a Hong Kong police station when fireworks were shot into the crowd from a moving car.", "HONG KONG (AP) — The Latest on protests in Hong Kong (all times local):\n\nHong Kong police say six men were hurt by an eruption of fireworks early Wednesday near a police station where protesters clashed with officers after rioting charges were brought against other demonstrators.\n\nVideo footage on social media appears to show a car driving along the Tin Shui Wai Police Station as flashes of fireworks set off where protesters were gathered.\n\nPolice said it was not an action taken by officials and that officers are investigating the incident that was reported about 2:45 a.m. Wednesday.\n\nFive men were taken to a nearby hospital for their injuries, and the sixth man declined medical treatment at the scene.\n\nSeveral hundred protesters had mobilized in the streets Tuesday night after Hong Kong police said that 44 people had been arrested on riot charges stemming from a demonstration Sunday night.\n\nProtesters have clashed with police again in Hong Kong after reports that some of their detained colleagues would be charged with the relatively serious charge of rioting.\n\nSeveral hundred protesters mobilized in the streets outside a police station Tuesday night after Hong Kong media said that 44 people had been arrested on riot charges stemming from a Sunday night demonstration.\n\nThey and one other charged with possession of offensive weapons were to appear in court on Wednesday, according to public broadcaster RTHK.\n\nLive video streamed by Hong Kong media showed protesters chanting slogans and throwing eggs at the Kwai Chung police station. Police used pepper spray to try to disperse them.\n\nProtesters in Hong Kong have disrupted subway service during the morning commute by blocking the doors on trains, preventing them from leaving the stations.\n\nService was partially suspended on one line and delayed on another line Tuesday. Angry commuters argued with protesters in a stopped train and on the platform at Tiu Keng Leng station.\n\nThe disruption is part of a pro-democracy movement that has seen hundreds of thousands take to the streets this summer for marches and rallies. The protests have shaken the government in Hong Kong and raised concern in Beijing. The city is part of China but has a fair degree of autonomy in local affairs.\n\nPosts on Twitter showed long lines of commuters waiting for shuttle buses provided by the subway operator.\n\nCopyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.", "HONG KONG, Aug 1 — Dozens of Hong Kong pro-democracy protesters appeared in court yesterday after being charged with rioting, setting the stage for further unrest in a weeks-long crisis that has rocked the global financial hub.\n\nThe announcement on Tuesday night that 44 people had been charged with rioting — an offence that carries a jail term of up to 10 years — immediately triggered another round of clashes between police and protesters.\n\nSupporters continued to voice their outrage as they stood for hours on Wednesday outside court, braving heavy winds and rain, as the accused rioters appeared before a judge.\n\n“Release the righteous... no rioters, only tyranny... reclaim Hong Kong, the revolution of our times,” the supporters chanted.\n\nThe protesters were generally calm as they took turns to appear in front of the judge, who formally read the charges and granted them bail.\n\nThe range of their professions reflected the wide support across Hong Kong society for the pro-democracy movement.\n\nThey included a teacher, a nurse, an airline pilot, a barber, a chef, an electrician, a construction worker and unemployed people, according to their charge sheets.\n\nA 16-year-old girl was also among the group.\n\nSemi-autonomous Hong Kong has endured more than seven weeks of unrest that began with a government bid to introduce a law that would have allowed extraditions to mainland China.\n\nThe protests evolved into a movement for deeper democratic reforms and an end to eroding freedoms, in the most significant challenge to Beijing's rule since the city's handover from Britain in 1997.\n\nIn the latest confrontation, police used pepper spray and batons against hundreds of protesters who had gathered outside a police station in solidarity with those who had just been charged.\n\nFootage broadcast live on television showed an officer aiming a shotgun at protesters who were throwing objects at him.\n\nPolice said yesterday evening they had arrested three people after fireworks were fired from a car at protesters gathered outside another police station on Tuesday night.\n\nThe previous two weekends had seen a surge in the level of violence used by both protesters and police, who repeatedly fired rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse projectile-throwing crowds.\n\nA mob of pro-government thugs also attacked protesters, putting 45 people in hospital.\n\nThe 44 protesters were charged for their alleged role in running battles between police and protesters in a well-heeled residential neighbourhood on the main island on Sunday.\n\nThe move to charge protesters with rioting came a day after Beijing publicly threw its weight behind Hong Kong's leader Carrie Lam and the police, saying violent protesters must be swiftly punished.\n\n“No civilised society or rule of law society will tolerate rampant violence,” Yang Guang, spokesman for the cabinet-level Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, told reporters.\n\nBut while Beijing has issued increasingly shrill condemnations of the protests, it has left the city's government to deal with the situation.\n\nLam has shown no sign of backing down beyond agreeing to suspend the extradition bill, and has made few public appearances.\n\nAmnesty International said the charging of the 44 protesters with rioting was aimed at intimidating others from taking part in future pro-democracy rallies.\n\n“By using such vague charges against pro-democracy protesters, the Hong Kong authorities seem intent on sending a chilling warning to anyone considering taking part in future protests,” the global human rights group's Hong Kong director, Man-kei Tam, said in a statement.\n\nBut protesters have vowed to keep their campaign going until their core demands are met.\n\nThey include Lam's resignation, an independent inquiry into police tactics, an amnesty for those arrested, a permanent withdrawal of the bill and the right to elect their leaders.\n\nUnder the terms of the 1997 handover deal from British to Chinese rule, Hong Kong enjoys rights and liberties unseen on the mainland, including an independent judiciary and freedom of speech.\n\nBut many say those rights are being curtailed, citing the disappearance into mainland custody of dissident booksellers, the disqualification of prominent politicians and the jailing of pro-democracy protest leaders.\n\nPublic anger has been compounded by rising inequality, the high costs of living and the perception that the city's distinct language and culture are being threatened by ever closer integration with the Chinese mainland. — AFP", "HONG KONG (AP) — Protesters clashed with police again in Hong Kong on Tuesday night after reports that some of their detained colleagues would be charged with the relatively serious charge of rioting.\n\nSeveral hundred protesters mobilized in the streets outside a police station after 44 people were arrested on riot charges stemming from a Sunday night demonstration.\n\nHong Kong police said in a statement Tuesday that the protesters set up roadblocks, broke fences, damaged street signs and attacked police officers with bricks and iron rods.\n\nOne of the accused is a 33-year-old man who was also charged with assaulting a police officer, police said.\n\nThe accused rioters and a 24-year-old man charged with weapons possession will appear in court Wednesday.\n\nA total of 49 people, including 32 men and 17 women between the ages of 16 and 41, had initially been arrested from the scene. Hong Kong police said it “will not rule out the possibility of further arrest” as it investigates the four others released temporarily or out on bail.\n\nVideo livestreamed by Hong Kong media showed protesters chanting slogans and throwing eggs at the Kwai Chung police station. Police used pepper spray to try to disperse them.\n\nFireworks were set off just before 3 a.m. Wednesday, injuring six men near another police station. Five people were taken to a nearby hospital for their injuries and the sixth man declined medical treatment at the scene, police said.\n\nVideo footage on social media appears to show a car driving by the Tin Shui Wai police station as fireworks flare by where protesters were gathered.\n\nPolice said it was not an action taken by officials and that officers are investigating the incident.\n\nThe unannounced protest capped another day of unrest. During the morning rush hour, commuters argued with demonstrators who blocked subway train doors in their continuing movement to demand greater accountability from the semi-autonomous Chinese territory’s government.\n\nActivists began protesting in early June for the government to withdraw an extradition bill that would have allowed people to be sent to stand trial in mainland China, where critics say their legal rights would be threatened. The government suspended the bill, but the protests have expanded to calls for democracy and government accountability.\n\nService was delayed and partially suspended on the Island and Kwun Tong lines, subway operator MTR said. It cited “a number of train door obstructions” as well as someone activating a safety device at a platform on the Kwun Tong line.\n\nThe action targeted rush hour traffic at several stations. MTR responded by providing minibuses to replace delayed trains, and normal service was restored by around noon.\n\nProtester Ken Chan said he wanted MTR officials to explain why they allegedly failed to take action on July 21 when a large gang of men in white shirts brutally beat dozens of people inside a train station as a massive protest was winding down. Hong Kong’s government and the central authorities in Beijing have blamed protesters for sparking the confrontation.\n\n“How could they let the triads in white attack people on the platform randomly, including the elderly and children in the train?” said Chan, 32, using the common term for members of organized crime groups. “Some of the elderly got smacked on their heads, but (MTR staff) turned a blind eye to it.”\n\nLorraine Lee, 26, said the subway disruption was an attempt to remind people of the government’s alleged failure to deal with social, economic and political injustices.\n\n“The government has not been addressing the problems in our society,” Lee said. “That is why now Hong Kongers have no choice but to use different ‘creative’ approaches to remind people what is happening in Hong Kong.”\n\nAssociated Press video showed heated exchanges at Tiu Keng Leng station, where a crowd of protesters and commuters filled the platform and a stopped train.\n\nPosts on Twitter showed long lines of commuters waiting for free shuttle buses provided by MTR to other subway stops. Protesters conducted a similar action to block trains last week.\n\nThe disruption is part of a pro-democracy movement that has seen hundreds of thousands take to the streets this summer for marches and rallies. The protests have shaken the government in Hong Kong and raised concerns in Beijing. Hong Kong is part of China, but it has a fair degree of autonomy in local affairs.\n\nOn Sunday, police repeatedly fired tear gas and rubber bullets to drive back protesters blocking Hong Kong streets with road signs and umbrellas.\n\nThe protesters have demanded an independent inquiry into police conduct at the demonstrations, which they say has been abusive.\n\nChina on Monday accused unidentified foreign actors of encouraging the protests. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said Tuesday that the central government “resolutely opposes any foreign forces’ attempts to intervene in Hong Kong affairs.”\n\n“We have the determination and ability to safeguard peace and stability in Hong Kong,” Hua said at a daily briefing.\n\nOn Saturday, Hong Kong police fired tear gas, swung batons and forcefully cleared out protesters who defied warnings not to march.", "HONG KONG (AP) — The Chinese army has released a promotional video for its Hong Kong-based troops showing them dealing with a mock street demonstration at a time of uncertainty over whether the military will intervene in the city's summer of protest.\n\nOn the eve of Thursday's anniversary of the army's founding, the Hong Kong Garrison of China's People's Liberation Army posted on its official social media account a three-minute video showing soldiers rappelling from helicopters, aiming sniper guns and, in one sequence, throwing tear gas at a crowd dressed as civilians.\n\nThis section of the footage, labeled \"anti-riot drill,\" shows armed soldiers in riot gear pelting tear gas and shooting water cannons in a scene with stark similarities to the current situation in Hong Kong, where the police have used tear gas, pepper spray and rubber bullets to quell pro-democracy demonstrators.\n\nSome of the targeted civilians shown in the army video are wearing helmets and masks, much like those worn by protesters who have taken to Hong Kong's streets in the hundreds of thousands over the past two months.\n\nSoldiers in the video hold up a red warning banner that declares: \"Stop Charging Or We Use Force\" and shouted that those and the receiving end would bear the consequences.\n\nA similar banner is used by Hong Kong police when they quell protests. At the end of the drill, soldiers are seen taking some handcuffed civilians away.\n\nThis week, Hong Kong police arrested 44 people on rioting charges, which carry a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment.\n\nIn the latest action, hundreds of finance worker participated in Hong Kong flash mob Thursday night, demanding the government answer Hong Kong citizens' demands over a controversial extradition bill that sparked the demonstrations and expressing anger over accusations of collusion last month between police and organized crime groups who attacked protesters.\n\nParticipants carried umbrellas and flashed lights with their cellphones, while chanting \"Hong Kong keep going\" and calling for support for a city-wide strike planned for Monday.\n\n\"I think young people should have more opportunity to speak up and the government should have listened to them because young people are the future pillars of our society,\" said Peggie Wong, 42, who works in public finance.\n\nPast and present pro-Beijing politicians have alleged that the U.S. and Taiwan have been guiding the protests, a claim denied by officials including U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.\n\nA former British colony, Hong Kong was returned to China in 1997 on the principle of \"one country, two systems.\" The framework promises Hong Kong certain democratic freedoms not afforded to the mainland. In recent years, however, Hong Kong residents have complained that Beijing is increasingly encroaching on their freedoms.\n\nAn undercurrent of distrust for the Communist Party-led central government has propelled the mass demonstrations, which began in response to extradition legislation that would have allowed Hong Kong residents to be sent to mainland China to stand trial. Hong Kong suspended the bill, but protests have continued unabated over broader demands for greater democratic rights and government accountability.\n\nAs the movement has progressed, both protesters and police have at times resorted to violence. In response to questions about whether the army will be sent in to handle demonstrators, Chinese officials have pointed to an article in Hong Kong's Garrison Law stating that troops already stationed in the city can be deployed at the request of the Hong Kong government.\n\nArticle 14 of the Basic Law, Hong Kong's mini-constitution, says PLA troops \"shall not interfere\" in local affairs, but that Hong Kong's government can ask for assistance from the garrison \"in the maintenance of public order and in disaster relief.\"\n\nIn remarks ahead of Thursday's anniversary, garrison commander Maj. Gen. Chen Daoxiang said Beijing \"firmly supports\" Hong Kong's embattled leader Carrie Lam and moves by police and the courts to enforce the law and punish \"violent criminals.\"\n\n\"And we firmly support the patriotic people in Hong Kong in defending the rule of law in Hong Kong and safeguarding national sovereignty and security and Hong Kong's prosperity and stability,\" Chen said.\n\n\"We believe that the PLA force stationed in Hong Kong will continue to be the anchor for Hong Kong's long-term prosperity and stability.\"\n\nAny use of the PLA against protesters would conjure up memories of the army's bloody June 1989 crackdown on student pro-democracy protests centered on Beijing's Tiananmen Square in which hundreds, possibly thousands were killed. The PLA struggled in the years afterward to rehabilitate its reputation after turning its guns on its own people.\n\nThe world's largest standing army, the PLA is actually the military wing of the ruling Communist Party with explicit instructions to follow the orders of the party, not the government.", "The world is witnessing something stunning: the complete erosion of Hong Kong. The once shining “Pearl of the Orient” has become a mere fantastical title from a distant era — one that believed in codes of conduct, democracy, and inalienable rights.\n\nInstead, over the last two months, terror and chaos have gradually descended on Hong Kong, leaving the once mighty beacon for Western-styled freedoms in Asia in a state of despair.\n\nOn Saturday, July 27, defying a police ban, nearly 300,000 protesters marched against mob violence. Police fired tear gas and sponge grenades, and beat demonstrators with batons. A key organizer, Max Chung Kin-ping, was later arrested for “inciting unlawful assembly.” And who gets to decide if an assembly is unlawful? The police. The following day, protesters once again blocked most of Hong Kong’s Central district, which is the heart of the city, to further protests against the ongoing police brutality. In one video, a police officer is seen firing rounds from an elevated pedestrian walkway down into an unarmed crowd of fleeing protesters.\n\nWhen the pro-democracy protests started in early June, dissenters were seeking to peacefully demonstrate against their local government, which they saw as Beijing’s puppet. Their demands were old-fashioned: for universal suffrage, the resignation of their leaders, justice against a corrupt police force obsessed with violence, and the release of political prisoners. All of this has been ignored by the Beijing-backed government.\n\nIn the wake of the millions marching in mass protest, Hongkongers have started to take more extreme measures. Peaceful demonstrators have clogged public administration buildings like the tax office, causing lengthy queues that can last hours. They have halted subway trains during rush hour traffic. They have surrounded and vandalized Hong Kong’s police headquarters.\n\nOn Sunday, July 21, protesters even vandalized Beijing’s liaison office in Hong Kong. While they did so, screams rang out: “Free Hong Kong!” “Save Hong Kong!” “Freedom for Hong Kong!” Beijing responded with threats to bring in the People’s Liberation Army to stop any further protests and manage the peace. Like a nightmare, 30 years later, the world can see it: Tiananmen Square, Part II.\n\nProtesters have also stormed and completely destroyed most of the Legislative Council building—home to Hong Kong’s parliament—where they defaced photographs of public officials and displayed the Union Jack, the national flag of the United Kingdom, as a symbol of hope and defiance.\n\nHired thugs in white have begun to violently attack the unarmed pro-democracy protesters in black, while the Hong Kong police have refused to respond. Authorities were even videotaped allowing those dressed in white to walk away without being questioned or identified. Meanwhile, after the pro-democracy protests, the police frequently stop and catalogue protesters, random citizens, and journalists for further scrutiny and investigation. It’s no surprise though. If you live in Hong Kong long enough, you come to understand that the police is one of the most corrupt institutions in the city.\n\nAfter one particularly bad melee in Yuen Long’s subway station, the floor was left covered in blood while scores of the wounded pleaded, “Why? Why?” Lam Cheuk Ting, a pro-democracy politician, was wounded during the onslaught. (You can watch a video of the gory attack on his Facebook page, though viewer discretion is advised.)\n\nFollowing the Yuen Long incident, a pro-Beijing politician and a former president of the Law Society of Hong Kong, Junius Kwan-yiu Ho, called for more violence and death threats. In a live Facebook video posted to his page, he stated in Cantonese: “Today, I want to tell you very clearly: the paths before you? One is a path of being alive, one is a path of not being alive. You must choose which path to take. Decide soon.” This is the true mindset of the pro-Beijing forces: bend to our will or die.\n\nMaking matters worse is that Hong Kong’s Chief Executive Officer Carrie Lam recently submitted her resignation in agreement with one of the demands by the protesters. Beijing, however, refused her resignation, an act that equates to spitting on the people of Hong Kong.\n\nIn addition, multiple Beijing politicians have publicly stated that the Sino-British Joint Declaration of 1984 is a “historic document,” “void” and therefore “no longer valid.” This is a clear indication that China’s government has no intention of preserving the “one culture, two systems” found in Hong Kong. Beijing wants the world to stay out of its business and allow it to control Hong Kong as it sees fit, regardless of any past agreements. “One country, one system” is now, and always has been, the Chinese mantra for Hong Kong.\n\nThis is typical behavior across Asia: agreements are struck to end arguments, after which they no longer serve any purpose. One party then ignores the agreement, which further escalates the conflict, which the world continues to watch, year in and year out, decade after decade.\n\nThe Hong Kong agreement, in China’s view, is not actually about maintaining a pact with Great Britain. The European Parliament disagrees. It has sided with the pro-democracy protesters and called for the release of all political prisoners in Hong Kong.\n\nFor over a decade, Hongkongers have longed to have a government separate and distinct from China, and to be able to elect their own leaders in free and uncorrupted elections. Yet universal suffrage, after more than a decade of protests, is still nothing more than a pipe dream, one Hongkongers nevertheless cling to. What the world is witnessing now in Hong Kong is a city-state, much like Monaco, desperately seeking to escape from the clutches of communist control, a fight that has grown and evolved into calls for absolute freedom, the freedom to choose.\n\nThis is what happens in communist societies: the government, via the police, attacks anyone who does not hold to its authoritarian vision, and if that doesn’t work, it brings out the thugs to beat dissenters into submission.\n\nMeanwhile, China’s immigration control at its border with Hong Kong has recently suspended e-channel lines and forced each individual to endure tighter scrutiny, examining every single piece of written text that comes across its border. It’s clear that China doesn’t want any news of Hong Kong’s dissent reaching its own censored citizens.\n\nThe people of Hong Kong are angry. Their peaceful demonstrations are being violently attacked, forcing them to fight for their lives. They are also fighting for their freedoms, which are rarely won without a battle. Thomas Mann writes in his masterpiece The Magic Mountain: “With horror he understood that at the end of everything only the physical remained, only the teeth and the nails. Yes, they must fight.”\n\nNevertheless, there remain two camps: the Republican Capitalists, who seek those freedoms, and the Communist Socialists, who seek absolute control.\n\nIn addition to their liberty, the people of Hong Kong are fighting for limited space and limited jobs, which have only added to their frustrations and anxieties. Real estate and rental prices have continued to soar, as a result of mainland Chinese companies buying up properties in Hong Kong. Wages remain stagnant. There seems to be no relief in sight. Anger is the most common emotion among the city’s youth. As the political crises in Hong Kong grow more serious, many of them are considering leaving for Singapore, which they view as a haven of opportunity.\n\nHaving a government that doesn’t represent you or your basic needs or rights only makes it worse. What follows that is anarchy. What follows that is destruction. And after that, freedom.\n\nCG Fewston is an American novelist, a former visiting scholar at the American Academy in Rome, and visiting fellow at City University. His most recent novel is A Time to Love in Tehran, published in 2015.", "The Chinese army has released a promotional video for its Hong Kong-based troops at a time of uncertainty over whether the military will intervene in the city's summer of protest.\n\nOn the eve of Thursday's anniversary of the army's founding, the Hong Kong Garrison of China's People's Liberation Army posted on its official social media account a three-minute video showing soldiers rappelling from helicopters, aiming sniper guns and, in one sequence, throwing tear gas at a crowd dressed as civilians.\n\nThis section of the footage, labeled \"anti-riot drill,\" shows armed soldiers in riot gear pelting tear gas and shooting water cannons in a scene with stark similarities to the current situation in Hong Kong, where the police have used tear gas, pepper spray and rubber bullets to quell pro-democracy demonstrators. Some of the targeted civilians shown in the army video are wearing helmets and masks, much like those worn by protesters who have taken to Hong Kong's streets in the hundreds of thousands over the past two months.\n\nSoldiers in the video hold up a red warning banner that declares: \"Stop Charging Or We Use Force\" and shouted that those and the receiving end would bear the consequences.\n\nA similar banner is used by Hong Kong police when they quell protests.\n\nAt the end of the drill, soldiers are seen taking some handcuffed civilians away.\n\nThis week, Hong Kong police arrested 44 people on rioting charges, which carry a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment.\n\nA former British colony, Hong Kong was returned to China in 1997 on the principle of \"one country, two systems.\" The framework promises Hong Kong certain democratic freedoms not afforded to the mainland. In recent years, however, Hong Kong residents have complained that Beijing is increasingly encroaching on their freedoms.\n\nAn undercurrent of distrust for the Communist Party-led central government has propelled the mass demonstrations, which began in response to extradition legislation that would have allowed Hong Kong residents to be sent to mainland China to stand trial. Hong Kong suspended the bill, but protests have continued unabated over broader demands for greater democratic rights and government accountability.\n\nAs the movement has progressed, both protesters and police have at times resorted to violence. In response to questions about whether the army will be sent in to handle demonstrators, Chinese officials have pointed to an article in Hong Kong's Garrison Law stating that troops already stationed in the city can be deployed at the request of the Hong Kong government.\n\nArticle 14 of the Basic Law, Hong Kong's mini-constitution, says PLA troops \"shall not interfere\" in local affairs, but that Hong Kong's government can ask for assistance from the garrison \"in the maintenance of public order and in disaster relief.\"\n\nIn remarks ahead of Thursday's anniversary, garrison commander Maj. Gen. Chen Daoxiang said Beijing \"firmly supports\" Hong Kong's embattled leader Carrie Lam and moves by police and the courts to enforce the law and punish \"violent criminals.\"\n\n\"And we firmly support the patriotic people in Hong Kong in defending the rule of law in Hong Kong and safeguarding national sovereignty and security and Hong Kong's prosperity and stability,\" Chen said.\n\n\"We believe that the PLA force stationed in Hong Kong will continue to be the anchor for Hong Kong's long-term prosperity and stability.\"\n\nAny use of the PLA against protesters would conjure up memories of the army's bloody June 1989 crackdown on student pro-democracy protests centered on Beijing's Tiananmen Square in which hundreds, possibly thousands were killed. The PLA struggled in the years afterward to rehabilitate its reputation after turning its guns on its own people.\n\nThe world's largest standing army, the PLA is actually the military wing of the ruling Communist Party with explicit instructions to follow the orders of the party, not the government.", "China's army in Hong Kong has released a three-minute video showing troops carrying out \"anti-riot\" exercises, in what is being seen as a thinly-veiled warning to pro-democracy protesters.\n\nThe video, posted to social media, begins with a soldier shouting: \"All consequences are at your own risk.\"\n\nTensions are high in Hong Kong after weeks of anti-government protests.\n\nOn Wednesday, more than 40 activists appeared in court charged with rioting, after Sunday's protest turned violent.\n\nIf convicted, they could face up to 10 years in prison.\n• The background you need on the protests\n\nHong Kong, a former British colony, is part of China but enjoys unique freedoms not seen on the mainland.\n\nChina's People's Liberation Army (PLA) has so far stayed out of the protests that have gone on for eight consecutive weekends and brought parts of central Hong Kong to a standstill - leaving the territory's police to deal with the unrest.\n\nBut at a reception to mark the 92nd anniversary of the PLA on Wednesday, the commander of the Chinese army's garrison in Hong Kong said the protests had \"seriously threatened the life and safety of Hong Kong citizens, and violated the bottom line of 'one country, two systems'.\n\n\"This should not be tolerated and we express our strong condemnation,\" Chen Daoxiang said, in comments reported by the South China Morning Post, a Hong Kong newspaper.\n\nThe army video, posted to the Chinese social media site Weibo, shows lines of troops carrying shields and batons performing anti-riot drills. It showcases tanks, rocket launchers, water cannon and barbed wire before featuring heavily-armed troops descending from helicopters and shooting their way through the streets and into people's homes.\n\nProtesters can also be seen being arrested and walked, with their arms tied behind their backs, to \"detention points\".\n\nObservers believe the video was likely to have been filmed in Hong Kong because the local Cantonese dialect is spoken, and it features a Hong Kong taxi and a flag almost identical to one used by Hong Kong police.\n\nThe demonstrations in Hong Kong began in March over a controversial bill that would have enabled extraditions to mainland China.\n\nThe government has since suspended the bill, but protesters want it withdrawn completely.\n\nThe demonstrations have also broadened into a wider movement, with activists demanding democratic reform and an independent inquiry into police violence.\n\nThere have been eight consecutive weekends of protests, and there were violent clashes on Sunday as police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters.\n\nIn a rare intervention on Monday, China's top policy office in Hong Kong condemned Sunday's violent clashes as \"horrendous incidents\" that have caused \"serious damage to the rule of law\".\n\nA spokeswoman for the Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office said the territory's \"top priority\" was to \"restore social order\"."], "summary": "At least 10 people are injured after fireworks were shot from a moving car into a crowd of pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong."}
{"document": ["The Latest: IS in Yemen claims Aden police station attack\n\nSANAA, Yemen (AP) — The Latest on the situation in Yemen (all times local):\n\nThe Islamic State group's affiliate in Yemen has claimed responsibility for a deadly attack on a police station in the southern city of Aden the previous day.\n\nThat attack killed 11 people and involved suicide bombers using a car, a bus and motorcycles laden with explosives that targeted a police station in the city's Omar al-Mokhtar neighborhood during a morning police roll-call.\n\nIt was one of two major attacks in Aden on Thursday that killed a total of 51 people. The other attack involved a ballistic missile fired by Yemen's rebels at a military parade of rival forces and killed at least 40 troops.\n\nThe IS said in a statement posted on Friday on a militant-linked website that it targeted \"apostate\" officers loyal to the United Arab Emirates.\n\nYemeni officials and tribal leaders say al-Qaida militants targeted a military camp in southern Abyan province, killing at least 20 troops.\n\nThe militants attacked the camp with rocket propelled grenades and automatic rifles around midnight, setting off clashes that lasted until early morning on Friday. The troops targeted are members of a force trained by the United Arab Emirates, a member of the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthi rebels since 2015.\n\nThe officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not allowed to talk to reporters. The tribal leaders asked to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation.\n\nAl-Qaida's Yemen branch has exploited the chaos of Yemen's civil war. The attack came a day after Yemen's southern city of Aden was hit by double attacks that killed 51 people.", "At least 32 killed in Yemen military parade attack\n\nAt least 32 people were killed in an attack on a military parade in the Yemeni port city of Aden on Thursday, security and medical sources said.\n\nAny unauthorised use or reproduction of bdnews24.com content for commercial purposes is strictly prohibited and constitutes copyright infringement liable to legal action.", "ADEN (Reuters) - Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement said it launched missile and drone attacks on Thursday on a military parade in Aden, the seat of the Saudi-backed government, killing several people including a commander.\n\nA Reuters witness saw nine bodies on the ground after an explosion hit a military camp belonging to Yemeni forces backed by the United Arab Emirates, which is a member of the Saudi-led military coalition battling the Houthis.\n\nA pro-government military source said a commander was among those killed.\n\n“The blast occurred behind the stand where the ceremony was taking place at Al Jalaa military camp in Buraiqa district in Aden,” the witness said. “A group of soldiers were crying over a body believed to be of the commander.”\n\nThe Houthi’s official channel Al Masirah TV said the group had launched a medium-range ballistic missile and an armed drone at the parade, which it described as being staged in preparation for a military move against provinces held by the movement.\n\nThe parade “was being used to prepare for an advance on Taiz and Dalea”, Masirah cited a Houthi military spokesman as saying.\n\nIn a separate attack in another district of Aden on Thursday, an explosives-laden car blew up at a police station killing three soldiers, a security source said.\n\nIt was not clear if the incidents were related. Previous car attacks in Yemen have been carried out by Islamist militant groups like Al Qaeda.\n\nThe Sunni Muslim coalition intervened in Yemen in 2015 to try to restore the internationally recognized government ousted from power in the capital Sanaa by the Houthis in late 2014. The Houthi movement says its revolution is against corruption.", "ADEN (Reuters) - Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement said it launched missile and drone attacks on Thursday on a military parade in Aden, the seat of the Saudi-backed government, that killed more than 30 people according to medical and security sources.\n\nA Reuters witness saw nine bodies on the ground after an explosion hit a military camp belonging to the Yemeni Security Belt forces backed by the United Arab Emirates, which is a member of the Saudi-led military coalition battling the Houthis.\n\nThe attack killed at least 32 people, a medical and a security source told Reuters. Medecins Sans Frontieres tweeted that tens of wounded were hospitalized.\n\nSoldiers screamed and ran to lift the wounded and place them on trucks. Red berets lay on the ground in pools of blood.\n\nThe Houthi’s official channel Al Masirah TV said the group had launched a medium-range ballistic missile and an armed drone at the parade, which it described as being staged in preparation for a military move against provinces held by the movement.\n\nA pro-government military source and security sources said a commander, Brigadier General Muneer al-Yafee, a leading figure of the southern separatists, was among those killed.\n\n“The blast occurred behind the stand where the ceremony was taking place at Al Jalaa military camp in Buraiqa district in Aden,” the Reuters witness said. “A group of soldiers were crying over a body believed to be of the commander.”\n\nYafee had just stepped off the stage to greet a guest when the explosion took place. Flags of the former South Yemen and those of leading coalition members were fluttering as the military band was waiting for its cue to start playing.\n\nThe Western-backed Sunni Muslim coalition led by Saudi Arabia and the UAE intervened in Yemen in 2015 to try to restore the internationally recognized government ousted from power in the capital Sanaa by the Houthis in late 2014.\n\nThe government of Abdu-Rabbu Mansour Hadi controls the southern port city of Aden. The Houthi movement, which says its revolution is against corruption, holds Sanaa and most of the biggest urban centers in the Arabian Peninsula nation.\n\nThe parade “was being used to prepare for an advance on Taiz and Dalea,” Masirah cited a Houthi military spokesman as saying.\n\nThere was no immediate comment from the Yemeni government or the coalition.\n\nLast month the UAE said it was scaling down its presence in Yemen, pulling some troops from areas including Aden and the western coast deployed for operations against the Houthis in the main port city of Hodeidah, where a U.N.-brokered ceasefire has been in place since last December.\n\nAn Emirati official said the UAE would not leave a vacuum in Yemen as it had trained 90,000 Yemeni forces, drawn from among southern separatists, including Security Belt forces, and coastal plains fighters.\n\nThe Houthis have stepped up cross-border missile and drone attacks on Saudi cities and the coalition has responded with air strikes on Houthi military sites, mostly around Sanaa.\n\nThe escalating violence could complicate U.N.-led efforts to implement a troop withdrawal in Hodeidah, the main entry point for Yemen’s commercial and aid imports, to pave the way for political talks to end the war amid mistrust among all parties and competing agendas of Yemen’s fractious groups.\n\nThe more than four-year conflict, widely seen in the region as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran, has killed tens of thousands and pushed Yemenis to the brink of famine.\n\nIn a separate attack in another district of Aden on Thursday, an explosives-laden car blew up at a police station killing three soldiers, a security source said.\n\nIt was not clear if the incidents were related. Previous car attacks in Yemen have been carried out by Islamist militant groups like al Qaeda.", "At least 32 people have been killed in an attack on a military parade in the Yemeni port city of Aden, security and medical sources say.\n\nThe attack in Aden, the seat of the Saudi-backed government, was earlier claimed by Yemen's Houthi group.\n\nThe group said it launched missile and drone attacks on the parade, killing several people including a commander.\n\nA Reuters witness saw nine bodies on the ground after an explosion hit a military camp belonging to Yemeni forces backed by the United Arab Emirates, which is a member of the Saudi-led military coalition battling the Houthis.\n\nA pro-government military source said a commander was among those killed.\n\n\"The blast occurred behind the stand where the ceremony was taking place at Al Jalaa military camp in Buraiqa district in Aden,\" the witness said. \"A group of soldiers were crying over a body believed to be of the commander.\"\n\nThe Houthi's official channel Al Masirah TV said the group had launched a medium-range ballistic missile and an armed drone at the parade, which it described as being staged in preparation for a military move against provinces held by the movement.\n\nThe parade \"was being used to prepare for an advance on Taiz and Dalea\", Masirah cited a Houthi military spokesman as saying.\n\nIn a separate attack in another district of Aden on Thursday, an explosives-laden car blew up at a police station killing three soldiers, a security source said.\n\nIt was not clear if the incidents were related. Previous car attacks in Yemen have been carried out by Islamist militant groups like al-Qaeda.\n\nThe Sunni Muslim coalition intervened in Yemen in 2015 to try to restore the internationally recognised government ousted from power in the capital Sanaa by the Houthis in late 2014.", "The Latest: IS in Yemen claims Aden police station attack\n\nSANAA, Yemen (AP) — The Latest on the situation in Yemen (all times local):\n\nThe Islamic State group's affiliate in Yemen has claimed responsibility for a deadly attack on a police station in the southern city of Aden the previous day.\n\nThat attack killed 11 people and involved suicide bombers using a car, a bus and motorcycles laden with explosives that targeted a police station in the city's Omar al-Mokhtar neighborhood during a morning police roll-call.\n\nIt was one of two major attacks in Aden on Thursday that killed a total of 51 people. The other attack involved a ballistic missile fired by Yemen's rebels at a military parade of rival forces and killed at least 40 troops.\n\nThe IS said in a statement posted on Friday on a militant-linked website that it targeted \"apostate\" officers loyal to the United Arab Emirates.\n\nYemeni officials and tribal leaders say al-Qaida militants targeted a military camp in southern Abyan province, killing at least 20 troops.\n\nThe militants attacked the camp with rocket propelled grenades and automatic rifles around midnight, setting off clashes that lasted until early morning on Friday. The troops targeted are members of a force trained by the United Arab Emirates, a member of the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthi rebels since 2015.\n\nThe officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not allowed to talk to reporters. The tribal leaders asked to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation.\n\nAl-Qaida's Yemen branch has exploited the chaos of Yemen's civil war. The attack came a day after Yemen's southern city of Aden was hit by double attacks that killed 51 people.", "At least 17 Yemeni police were killed and scores wounded Thursday in a rebel attack on a military camp near the government-held second city of Aden, a medical source said\n\nDubai, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - APP - 1st Aug, 2019 ):At least 17 Yemeni police were killed and scores wounded Thursday in a rebel attack on a military camp near the government-held second city of Aden, a medical source said.\n\nThe rebels who control the capital said that the attack on Al-Jala camp, about 20 kilometres (13 miles) west of Aden, was carried out using a drone and a ballistic missile.\n\nThe attack came as a suicide bomber killed at least three police,trained and backed by the United Arab Emirates, in the Sheikh Othmanarea of the southern port city.", "The Houthi militia in Yemen said it launched missile and drone attacks on Thursday on a military parade in Aden killing several people, including a commander.\n\nA Reuters witness saw nine bodies on the ground after an explosion hit a military camp belonging to Yemeni forces.\n\nA government military source said a commander was among those killed.\n\n“The blast occurred behind the stand where the ceremony was taking place at Al Jalaa military camp in Buraiqa district in Aden,” the witness said. “A group of soldiers were crying over a body believed to be of the commander.”\n\nThe Houthi’s official channel Al Masirah TV said the group had launched a medium-range ballistic missile and an armed drone at the parade, which it described as being staged in preparation for a military move against provinces held by the Houthis.\n\nThe parade “was being used to prepare for an advance on Taiz and Dalea”, Masirah cited a Houthi military spokesman as saying.\n\nIn a separate attack in another district of Aden on Thursday, an explosives-laden car blew up at a police station killing three soldiers, a security source said.\n\nIt was not clear if the incidents were related. Previous car attacks in Yemen have been carried out by extremist militant groups like Al Qaeda.", "* Aden is seat of the Saudi-backed government\n\n* Commander of UAE-backed Yemeni forces among those killed\n\n* UAE has scaled down military presence in Yemen (Updates death toll, details from scene, background)\n\nADEN, Aug 1 (Reuters) - Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi movement said it launched missile and drone attacks on Thursday on a military parade in Aden, the seat of the Saudi-backed government, that killed more than 30 people according to medical and security sources.\n\nA Reuters witness saw nine bodies on the ground after an explosion hit a military camp belonging to the Yemeni Security Belt forces backed by the United Arab Emirates, which is a member of the Saudi-led military coalition battling the Houthis.\n\nThe attack killed at least 32 people, a medical and a security source told Reuters. Medecins Sans Frontieres tweeted that tens of wounded were hospitalised.\n\nSoldiers screamed and ran to lift the wounded and place them on trucks. Red berets lay on the ground in pools of blood.\n\nThe Houthi’s official channel Al Masirah TV said the group had launched a medium-range ballistic missile and an armed drone at the parade, which it described as being staged in preparation for a military move against provinces held by the movement.\n\nA pro-government military source and security sources said a commander, Brigadier General Muneer al-Yafee, a leading figure of the southern separatists, was among those killed.\n\n“The blast occurred behind the stand where the ceremony was taking place at Al Jalaa military camp in Buraiqa district in Aden,” the Reuters witness said. “A group of soldiers were crying over a body believed to be of the commander.”\n\nYafee had just stepped off the stage to greet a guest when the explosion took place. Flags of the former South Yemen and those of leading coalition members were fluttering as the military band was waiting for its cue to start playing.\n\nThe Western-backed Sunni Muslim coalition led by Saudi Arabia and the UAE intervened in Yemen in 2015 to try to restore the internationally recognised government ousted from power in the capital Sanaa by the Houthis in late 2014.\n\nThe government of Abdu-Rabbu Mansour Hadi controls the southern port city of Aden. The Houthi movement, which says its revolution is against corruption, holds Sanaa and most of the biggest urban centres in the Arabian Peninsula nation.\n\nThe parade “was being used to prepare for an advance on Taiz and Dalea,” Masirah cited a Houthi military spokesman as saying.\n\nThere was no immediate comment from the Yemeni government or the coalition.\n\nLast month the UAE said it was scaling down its presence in Yemen, pulling some troops from areas including Aden and the western coast deployed for operations against the Houthis in the main port city of Hodeidah, where a U.N.-brokered ceasefire has been in place since last December.\n\nAn Emirati official said the UAE would not leave a vacuum in Yemen as it had trained 90,000 Yemeni forces, drawn from among southern separatists, including Security Belt forces, and coastal plains fighters.\n\nThe Houthis have stepped up cross-border missile and drone attacks on Saudi cities and the coalition has responded with air strikes on Houthi military sites, mostly around Sanaa.\n\nThe escalating violence could complicate U.N.-led efforts to implement a troop withdrawal in Hodeidah, the main entry point for Yemen’s commercial and aid imports, to pave the way for political talks to end the war amid mistrust among all parties and competing agendas of Yemen’s fractious groups.\n\nThe more than four-year conflict, widely seen in the region as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran, has killed tens of thousands and pushed Yemenis to the brink of famine.\n\nIn a separate attack in another district of Aden on Thursday, an explosives-laden car blew up at a police station killing three soldiers, a security source said.\n\nIt was not clear if the incidents were related. Previous car attacks in Yemen have been carried out by Islamist militant groups like al Qaeda. (Reporting by Fawaz Salman and Mohammed Ghobari; Additional reporting by Mohammed Mokhashef in Aden and Sylvia Westall and Asma Alsharif in Dubai; Writing by Ghaida Ghantous; Editing by Janet Lawrence)", "The Latest: IS in Yemen claims Aden police station attack\n\nSANAA, Yemen (AP) — The Latest on the situation in Yemen (all times local):\n\nThe Islamic State group's affiliate in Yemen has claimed responsibility for a deadly attack on a police station in the southern city of Aden the previous day.\n\nThat attack killed 11 people and involved suicide bombers using a car, a bus and motorcycles laden with explosives that targeted a police station in the city's Omar al-Mokhtar neighborhood during a morning police roll-call.\n\nIt was one of two major attacks in Aden on Thursday that killed a total of 51 people. The other attack involved a ballistic missile fired by Yemen's rebels at a military parade of rival forces and killed at least 40 troops.\n\nThe IS said in a statement posted on Friday on a militant-linked website that it targeted \"apostate\" officers loyal to the United Arab Emirates.\n\nYemeni officials and tribal leaders say al-Qaida militants targeted a military camp in southern Abyan province, killing at least 20 troops.\n\nThe militants attacked the camp with rocket propelled grenades and automatic rifles around midnight, setting off clashes that lasted until early morning on Friday. The troops targeted are members of a force trained by the United Arab Emirates, a member of the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthi rebels since 2015.\n\nThe officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not allowed to talk to reporters. The tribal leaders asked to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation.\n\nAl-Qaida's Yemen branch has exploited the chaos of Yemen's civil war. The attack came a day after Yemen's southern city of Aden was hit by double attacks that killed 51 people."], "summary": "At least 36 security forces, including Southern Movement commander Munir Al Yafi, are killed and scores wounded in a rocket attack on a military camp near the city of Aden, Yemen. In an earlier attack, 13 people are killed by a suicide bomber in Sheikh Othman. The rocket attack was claimed by Houthi movement, while the suicide bombing was claimed by Islamic State."}
{"document": ["MOGADISHU, Somalia — The mayor of Mogadishu has died after being badly wounded in a suicide bombing by Al Shabab in his offices last week, Somalia’s government said on Thursday. Six of his colleagues were also killed in the attack, and nine members of his staff wounded.\n\nMayor Abdirahman Omar Osman had been airlifted to Qatar, along with nine other injured people, for treatment after the attack, which struck on July 24, the lawmaker Dahir Amin Jesow said.\n\nAl Shabaab, the Qaeda-linked Islamist militant group that aims to topple Somalia’s United Nations-backed government, claimed responsibility for the bombing. The militants have lost territory but have kept up a relentless campaign of bombings and assassinations.\n\nThe extremist group and government officials said that the suicide bomber, a woman, had been aiming for James Swan, the new United Nations envoy to Somalia, but that he had left the office minutes before the bombing.", "The mayor of Somalia's capital Mogadishu, who was a former Labour councillor, has died after being wounded in a suicide attack that killed at least six other people last week.\n\nThe female bomber blew herself up inside the office of Mayor Abdirahman Omar Osman during a security meeting.\n\nThe mayor passed away from his injuries in Doha, Qatar, where he was receiving treatment.\n\nIts apparent target was the new UN special envoy to Somalia, James Swan, a US citizen.\n\nMr Swan had already left the building after meeting the mayor on 24 July.\n\nIt is unclear how the bomber managed to enter the heavily guarded building.\n\nWho was the mayor?\n\nOsman fled Somalia in the early 1990s and went on to earn a master's degree and UK citizenship, and served as a Labour councillor in London.\n\nHe later returned to Somalia in an effort to help re-build his war-torn homeland and served as information minister before becoming mayor of Mogadishu last year.\n\nIn a tweet, the US mission to Somalia called Osman \"an excellent partner and tireless advocate for the people of Mogadishu and all Somalis\".\n\nAl-Shabab seeks to overthrow Somalia's central government and has been carrying out regular attacks in Mogadishu, despite the heavy presence of African Union peacekeepers and US-trained Somali troops.\n\nThe group is affiliated with al-Qaeda and remains a powerful presence in rural Somalia.", "The mayor of Somalia's capital Mogadishu has died of wounds sustained in a suicide attack inside his office last month.\n\nMayor Abdirahman Abdi Omar Osman died on Thursday while doctors were treating his wounds at a hospital in Qatar's capital Doha where he was brought to after the attack, a spokesperson for Somalia's presidency said.\n\nSix people were killed and Osman, also referred to as Engineer Yarisow, was wounded in the July 24 attack.\n\nThe Horn of Africa country's information minister, Mohamed Abdi Hayir, said after the attack that the city's district commissioners were among the dead.\n\nThe attack happened just hours after United Nations special envoy James Swan visited the mayor's office.\n\nOsman and several others badly injured in the attack were airlifted to Qatar for treatment.\n\nAl-Shabab, the al-Qaeda-linked armed group fighting to overthrow Somalia's UN-backed government, claimed responsibility for the attack, saying Swan was their target.\n\nSomalia's President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed praised Abdirahman, who worked as a London councillor before returning to his war-torn homeland, as a public servant dedicated to rebuilding the country.\n\n\"He had sacrificed his life and time serving the Somali public,\" the president said in a statement.\n\n\"He will be remembered for his dedication to serving the people and the country, as well as working hard to develop Mogadishu while taking a clear stand in the fight against terrorism.\"\n\n\"Today the people of Mogadishu lose their mayor; but I lost my father,\" he posted on Twitter, accompanied by a picture of his father in a sky-blue suit attending his son's graduation.\n\n\"May Allah grant him the highest rank of paradise.\"\n\nThe UN's special envoy also expressed his sorrow over the loss of the former mayor.\n\n\"Our deepest condolences and thoughts are with the family, friends and colleagues of Engineer Yarisow, who was long dedicated to helping his country on its path to peace and stability, and meeting the needs of Mogadishu's most vulnerable,\" Swan said in a statement.\n\n\"His life reflected a deep commitment to Somalia and his loss is felt by all of us,\" Swan added. \"His work must be continued, and those responsible must be brought to justice.\"\n\nMeanwhile, Abdinur Mohamed Ahmed, a spokesperson for the president, said the mayor's death would \"unite us\" in the fight against the armed group.\n\nAl-Shabab has been fighting sine 2007 to topple Somalia's fragile government, which is backed by a 20,000-strong African Union force, AMISOM, and the UN.\n\nAlthough the armed group was chased out of Mogadishu in 2011, the capital is still hit regularly by its fighters.\n\nThe assault on the mayor's office comes after two other attacks in July.\n\nAt least 17 people were killed and dozens wounded when a bomb went off outside a hotel near the international airport in Mogadishu on July 22. Al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the attack.\n\nOn July 13, 26 people - including prominent Somali-Canadian journalist Hodan Naleyah - were killed and more than 50 others were wounded when al-Shabab attacked a hotel in the Somali city of Kismayo.", "Mogadishu mayor Abdirahman Omar Osman was airlifted with severe wounds to Doha after a female suicide bomber managed to elude security checks and enter the mayor's office on July 24, killing six people and wounding Osman.\n\nResponsibility for the attack was claimed at the time by al-Shabab jihadists suspected to have been planning to kill an American who is the new United Nations envoy to Somalia.\n\nUN envoy James Swan had left Osman's office shortly before the detonation, which happened within meters of Osman and his staff.\n\nRead more: living in Mogadishu despite al-Shabab threats\n\n\"The Mogadishu mayor has died today in Qatar. May Allah rest his soul. The other injured ones are still being treated there in Qatar,\" Saleh Omar Hassan, the spokesman for Mogadishu's local government, told Reuters.\n\nSomali President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed declared three days of mourning for the mayor, ordering that flags be flown at half-mast.\n\nCondolences also included a US mission tweet, describing Osman as a \"tireless advocate for the people of Mogadishu and all Somalis.\"\n\nBritain's ambassador to Somalia, Ben Fender, using Osman's nickname, Yarisow (\"young engineer\"), wrote in a tweet: \"We will join hands to finish the work you started.\"\n\nOsman fled a civil war in Somalia in 1991 for Britain, where he earned an engineering degree and became a Labour Party councilor in London.\n\nHe returned to an uncertain future around 2010 and served the first of two stints as Somalia's information minister.\n\nOsman struggled to keep the electric generator at Radio Mogadishu running, despite it being targeted by al-Shabab, British communications consultant Richard Bailey told Reuters last month.\n\nHe was appointed mayor of Somali in 2018 and set about reconstructing Mogadishu's rubble-strewn streets.\n\nOsman introduced more measures to intercept potential car bombs and tried to find land, shelter and jobs for those fleeing the conflict, Fender also told Reuters.\n\nDays before the assault on the mayor's office, a car bomb detonated at a checkpoint near Somalia's international airport, killing 17 people and wounding more than than two dozen others.\n\nAl-Shabab was evicted from Mogadishu by African Union and Somali transitional government forces in 2011.\n\nThe militia still controls parts of Somalia's southern and central regions and has often targeted high-profile locations and people in Mogadishu.\n\nEach evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.", "Mogadishu - The United Nations joins Somalia in mourning the tragic passing of the Governor of Benadir Region and Mayor of Mogadishu Abdirahman Omar Osman, known as Engineer Yarisow, from injuries he sustained in a terrorist attack in Mogadishu last week.\n\n“Our deepest condolences and thoughts are with the family, friends and colleagues of Engineer Yarisow, who was long dedicated to helping his country on its path to peace and stability, and meeting the needs of Mogadishu’s most vulnerable,” said the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Somalia, James Swan.\n\n“His life reflected a deep commitment to Somalia and his loss is felt by all of us,” Mr. Swan added. “His work must be continued, and those responsible must be brought to justice.”\n\nSeveral members of the Mayor’s staff who were injured remain hospitalized following the 24 July attack, and the United Nations renews its wishes for their full and speedy recovery.", "Mogadishu mayor Abdirahman Omar Osman (seen here 3rd L at a ceremony) has died from wounds sustained in a July 24 attack on his office (AFP Photo/Abdirazak Hussein FARAH)\n\nMogadishu (AFP) - The mayor of Somalia's capital Mogadishu has died of wounds sustained in a militant bombing attack on his office last month, the government said on Thursday.\n\nMayor Abdirahman Omar Osman died while doctors were treating his wounds at a hospital in Doha, a spokesman for the Somali president's office said.\n\nSix people were killed and Osman was seriously wounded in the July 24 attack on a government building claimed by Al-Shabaab jihadists to have been targeting a UN envoy.\n\nAbdinur Mohamed Ahmed, a spokesman for the president, said the mayor's death would \"unite us\" in the fight against the jihadists.\n\n\"We extend our condolences to the family and friends of the Mogadishu mayor, Abdirahman Omar Osman, and we share our grief regarding this painful death with the entire Somali public,\" he said in a statement.\n\nThe mayor and several others badly injured in the suicide attack by Al-Shabaab, an Al-Qaeda-linked militant outfit, were airlifted to Qatar for treatment.\n\nThe bombing occurred just hours after UN Special Representative for Somalia James Swan had been visiting the mayor.\n\nAl-Shabaab were chased out of Mogadishu in 2011 but the capital is still hit regularly by the militants who have fought for more than a decade to topple the Western-backed Somali government.\n\nJust days before the assault on the mayor's office a car bomb detonated at a checkpoint near Somalia's international airport, killing 17 people and wounding more than two dozen others.", "Mayor Abdirahman Omar Osman died while doctors were treating his wounds at a hospital in Doha, says a spokesman for the Somali president's office\n\nKILLED. The mayor of Somalia's capital Mogadishu, Abdirahman Omar Osman, has died of wounds sustained in a militant bombing attack on his office last month, the government said on August 1, 2019. File photo by Stuart Price/Au-un Ist Photo/AFP\n\nMOGADISHU, Somalia – The mayor of Somalia's capital Mogadishu has died of wounds sustained in a militant bombing attack on his office last month, the government said on Thursday, August 1.\n\nMayor Abdirahman Omar Osman died while doctors were treating his wounds at a hospital in Doha, a spokesman for the Somali president's office said.\n\nSix people were killed and Osman was seriously wounded in the July 24 attack on a government building claimed by Al-Shabaab jihadists to have been targeting a UN envoy.\n\nAbdinur Mohamed Ahmed, a spokesman for the president, said the mayor's death would \"unite us\" in the fight against the jihadists.\n\n\"We extend our condolences to the family and friends of the Mogadishu mayor, Abdirahman Omar Osman, and we share our grief regarding this painful death with the entire Somali public,\" he said in a statement.\n\nThe mayor and several others badly injured in the suicide attack by Al-Shabaab, an Al-Qaeda-linked militant outfit, were airlifted to Qatar for treatment.\n\nThe bombing occurred just hours after UN Special Representative for Somalia James Swan had been visiting the mayor.\n\nAl-Shabaab were chased out of Mogadishu in 2011 but the capital is still hit regularly by the militants who have fought for more than a decade to topple the Western-backed Somali government.\n\nJust days before the assault on the mayor's office a car bomb detonated at a checkpoint near Somalia's international airport, killing 17 people and wounding more than two dozen others. – Rappler.com", "The mayor of Somalia’s capital Mogadishu has died of wounds sustained in a suicide bomb attack on his office, Somali government officials said on Thursday. He died in Qatar, where he had gone for treatment after the attack.\n\nAbdirahman Omar Osman was a naturalised Briton who returned to Somalia to help rebuild the war-torn country after serving as a councillor for the British Labour Party.\n\nHe sustained serious injuries when a suicide bomber from the al-Shabaab militant group struck while a meeting was being held at the municipal government headquarters last week, killing six senior local government officials.\n\nOfficials said the mayor had been airlifted to Qatar for treatment along with nine others.\n\n“The Mogadishu mayor has died today in Qatar. May Allah rest his soul. The other injured ones are still being treated there in Qatar,” Saleh Omar Hassan, the spokesman for Mogadishu local government, told Reuters.\n\nPresident Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed declared three days of mourning for the mayor, ordering that flags be flown at half-mast.\n\nAl-Qaeda-linked Islamist group al-Shabaab, which aims to topple Somalia’s UN-backed government, has carried out several attacks against government and civilian targets.\n\nOsman had previously served as Somalia’s information minister, a post he had been appointed to in 2010. He became mayor of Mogadishu last year. – Reuters", "Somalia says Mogadishu mayor dies after attack in office\n\nMOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — Somalia's government said Thursday the mayor of Mogadishu has died after being badly wounded in an al-Shabab extremist attack in his office last week.\n\nThe spokesman for Somalia's president said Abdirahman Omar Osman died Thursday in Qatar, where he had been airlifted for treatment after the July 24 attack. Officials said he had been in a coma.\n\nThe Somalia-based al-Shabab and officials have said a rare female suicide bomber used in the attack had been aiming for the American who is the new United Nations envoy to Somalia. James Swan had left the office just minutes earlier.\n\nIt was not clear how the bomber managed to enter the mayor's office, as visitors are required to pass through at least four metal detectors.\n\nOsman had been a councillor in London before returning to Somalia to enter local politics. Somalia's president expressed condolences and said Osman's service as mayor had been selfless.\n\nThe U.S. mission to Somalia in a tweet called Osman \"an excellent partner and tireless advocate for the people of Mogadishu and all Somalis.\"", "The mayor of Somalia's capital Mogadishu has died of wounds sustained in a terrorist bombing attack on his office last month, the government said on Thursday.\n\nMayor Abdirahman Omar Osman died while doctors were treating his wounds at a hospital in Doha, where he had been airlifted for treatment after the July 24 attack, a spokesman for the Somali president's office said.\n\nSix people were killed and Osman was seriously wounded in the attack on a government building claimed by al-Shabaab terrorists.\n\nThe Somalia-based al-Shabab and officials have said a rare female suicide bomber used in the attack had been aiming for the American who is the new United Nations envoy to Somalia. James Swan had left the office just minutes earlier.\n\nIt was not clear how the bomber managed to enter the mayor's office, as visitors are required to pass through at least four metal detectors.\n\nAbdinur Mohamed Ahmed, a spokesman for the president, said the mayor's death would \"unite us\" in the fight against the terrorists.\n\n\"We extend our condolences to the family and friends of the Mogadishu mayor, Abdirahman Omar Osman, and we share our grief regarding this painful death with the entire Somali public,\" he said in a statement.\n\nOsman had been a councilor in London before returning to Somalia to enter local politics.\n\nAl-Shabaab were chased out of Mogadishu in 2011 but the capital is still hit regularly by the militants who have fought for more than a decade to topple the Western-backed Somali government.\n\nJust days before the assault on the mayor's office a car bomb detonated at a checkpoint near Somalia's international airport, killing 17 people and wounding more than two dozen others."], "summary": "Mayor of Mogadishu Abdirahman Abdi Osman dies from injuries he sustained during the 24 July 2019 Mogadishu bombing."}
{"document": ["President Donald Trump said Thursday that the U.S. is putting 10% tariffs on another $300 billion worth of Chinese goods, effective Sept. 1.\n\n\"Trade talks are continuing, and during the talks the U.S. will start, on September 1st, putting a small additional Tariff of 10% on the remaining 300 Billion Dollars of goods and products coming from China into our Country...We look forward to continuing our positive dialogue with China on a comprehensive Trade Deal, and feel that the future between our two countries will be a very bright one!\" Trump said in a tweet on Thursday.\n\nThe surprise tariff announcement came after the U.S. and China restarted trade talks in Shanghai this week, the first in-person trade talks since a G-20 truce. The White House said Wednesday before this Trump tweet that the meetings were \"constructive,\" adding that China confirmed its commitment to increase purchases of U.S. agricultural exports. Trade negotiations will continue in Washington in early September, according to the White House statement.", "Paul Wiseman, Kevin Freking and Josh Boak , The Associated Press \n\n \n\n\n\nWASHINGTON -- U.S. President Donald Trump intensified pressure Thursday on China to reach a trade deal by saying he will impose 10% tariffs Sept. 1 on the remaining US$300 billion in Chinese imports he hasn't already taxed. The move immediately sent stock prices sinking.\n\nThe president has already imposed 25% tariffs on $250 billion in Chinese products, and Beijing has retaliated by taxing $110 billion in U.S. goods.\n\nU.S. consumers will likely feel the pain if Trump proceeds with the new tariffs. Trump's earlier tariffs had been designed to minimize the impact on ordinary Americans by focusing on industrial goods. But the new tariffs will hit a vast range of consumer products from cellphones to silk scarves.\n\nThe president's announcement via Twitter came as a surprise, in part because the White House on Wednesday had said Beijing confirmed that it planned to increase its purchases of American farm products. That word came just as U.S. and Chinese negotiators were ending a 12th round of trade talks in Shanghai, which the White House called \"constructive.\"\n\nThough the negotiations concluded without any sign of a deal, they are scheduled to resume next month in Washington.\n\nThe Dow Jones Industrial Average, which had been up nearly 300 points earlier in the day, was down nearly 200 points after Trump's tweets announcing the new tariffs. The Dow closed for the day down 280 points -- more than 1 per cent.\n\nTrump has long said he was preparing to tax the $300 billion in additional Chinese tariffs. But he had suspended the threat after meeting with President Xi Jinping in Osaka, Japan, in June.\n\nIt isn't clear when American consumers are likely to feel the impact of the additional tariffs, but higher prices could show up in stores this fall.\n\n\"Attention all Target & Wal-Mart shoppers ... the price on the goods you buy ahead of the holidays are going up due to trade policy,\" tweeted Joseph Brusuelas, chief economist at the consultancy RSM.\n\nBesides announcing the additional tariffs on Chinese imports, Trump tweeted that \"we look forward to continuing our positive dialogue with China on a comprehensive Trade Deal, and feel that the future between our two countries will be a very bright one!\"\n\nThe president accused Beijing of failing to follow through on stopping the sale of fentanyl to the United States or on purchasing large quantities of farm goods such as soybeans. Speaking to reporters Thursday at the White House, Trump complained that President Xi is \"not moving fast enough.\"\n\nTrump said he scheduled the additional tariffs to begin Sept. 1 to give exports already en route from China time to get to the United States -- a journey that can take three or four weeks. By setting the import taxes at 10%, he has leeway to ratchet them higher if necessary to further increase pressure on Beijing.\n\n\"Until such time as there's a deal,\" Trump said, \"we'll be taxing them.\"\n\nThe world's two biggest economies are locked in a trade war over U.S. allegations that Beijing uses predatory tactics -- including stealing trade secrets and forcing foreign companies to hand over technology -- in a drive to overtake American technological dominance.\n\nTalks had broken down in May after the United States accused the Chinese of reneging on earlier commitments.\n\n\"The fact that this tweet comes after only one meeting with the Chinese delegation following the resumption of talks is extremely concerning,\" said Rick Helfenbein, president of the American Apparel & Footwear Association.\n\nWendy Cutler, a former U.S. trade negotiator who is now vice-president at the Asia Society Policy Institute, said: \"These talks are not getting any easier. I don't expect the Chinese to sit by ... The combination of these latest tariffs, with Chinese counter-retaliation, is going to take a heavy toll on U.S. consumers, workers, farmers and businesses.\"\n\nTrump's trade war and its consequences were a key factor in the Federal Reserve's decision Wednesday to cut interest rates in an otherwise healthy U.S. economy. During a news conference, Chairman Jerome Powell pointed repeatedly to the uncertainty caused by Trump's pursuit of trade wars on multiple fronts as a reason for the rate cut.\n\nThe president's decision to impose a 10% tax on an additional $300 billion of Chinese imports might have been predicated, in fact, on his confidence that Powell's Fed stands ready to cut rates again. The bond market signalled its belief in that theory Thursday, with Treasury yields dropping sharply after Trump's announcement.\n\nAnd according to the CME Group, market traders now foresee a roughly 70 per cent likelihood of another rate cut when the Fed next meets in September. Before Trump's announcement, the likelihood was pegged at under 50 per cent.\n\nSarah Bloom Raskin, a former Fed board member, has warned that Fed rate cuts could embolden Trump to escalate trade battles for that very reason.\n\nIn the meantime, the additional Trump tariffs risk further souring the relationship between the world's two largest economies.\n\n\"The stage is now set for a further escalation of trade tensions between China and the U.S.,\" said Eswar Prasad, a Cornell University economist and former head of the China division at the International Monetary Fund. \"It has become clear that there is no clear path to a resolution of the trade dispute in the coming months, and China might choose to live with a trade war while waiting out the Trump presidency.\"\n\nTrump has insisted that the tariff war is hurting China but not the United States. He tweeted two days ago: \"Trumps got China back on its heels, and the United States is doing great.\"\n\nBut his administration is providing $16 billion in aid to American farmers -- on top of $11 billion last year -- to offset sales lost after China imposed retaliatory tariffs on soybeans and other U.S. farm products.", "President Donald Trump intensified pressure Thursday on China to reach a trade deal by saying that beginning Sept. 1, he will impose 10% tariffs on the remaining $300 billion in Chinese imports he hasn’t already taxed. The move immediately sent stock prices sinking.\n\nWASHINGTON — President Donald Trump intensified pressure Thursday on China to reach a trade deal by saying that beginning Sept. 1, he will impose 10% tariffs on the remaining $300 billion in Chinese imports he hasn’t already taxed. The move immediately sent stock prices sinking.\n\nThe president has already imposed 25% tariffs on $250 billion in Chinese products, and Beijing has retaliated by taxing $110 billion in U.S. goods.\n\nU.S. consumers are likely to feel the pain if Trump proceeds with the new tariffs. Trump’s earlier tariffs had been designed to minimize the impact on ordinary Americans by focusing on industrial goods. The new tariffs will hit a vast range of consumer products from cellphones to silk scarves.\n\nThe president’s action came as a surprise, just as U.S. and Chinese negotiators were concluding a 12th round of what the White House called “constructive” trade talks in Shanghai. The negotiations ended Wednesday without any sign of a deal but are scheduled to resume next month in Washington.\n\nThe Dow Jones Industrial Average, which had been up nearly 300 points earlier, was down about 200 points soon after Trump’s tweets announcing the new tariffs and continued to slide before the closing bell.\n\nTrump has long said he was preparing to tax the $300 billion in additional Chinese tariffs. But he suspended the threat after meeting with President Xi Jinping in Osaka, Japan, in June.\n\nIt isn’t clear when American consumers are likely to feel the impact of the additional tariffs, but higher prices could show up in stores this fall.\n\n“Attention all Target & Wal-Mart shoppers … the price on the goods you buy ahead of the holidays are going up due to trade policy,” tweeted Joseph Brusuelas, chief economist at the consultancy RSM.\n\nTrump also tweeted that “we look forward to continuing our positive dialogue with China on a comprehensive Trade Deal, and feel that the future between our two countries will be a very bright one!”\n\nThe president blamed China for not following through on stopping the sale of fentanyl to the United States or purchasing large quantities of farm goods such as soybeans.\n\nTalks broke down in May\n\nThe world’s two biggest economies are locked in a trade war over U.S. allegations that Beijing uses predatory tactics — including stealing trade secrets and forcing foreign companies to hand over technology — in a drive to overtake American technological dominance.\n\nTalks had broken down in May after the United States accused the Chinese of reneging on earlier commitments.\n\n“Unfortunately, these talks are not getting any easier,” said Wendy Cutler, a former U.S. trade negotiator who is now vice president at the Asia Society Policy Institute. “I don’t expect the Chinese to sit by … The combination of these latest tariffs, with Chinese counter retaliation, is going to take a heavy toll on US consumers, workers, farmers, and businesses.”\n\nThe effects of Trump’s trade war were a factor in the Federal Reserve’s decision Wednesday to cut interest rates in an otherwise healthy economy. Chairman Jerome Powell pointed repeatedly to the uncertainty caused by Trump’s pursuit of trade wars on multiple fronts as a reason for the rate cut.\n\nSarah Bloom Raskin, a former Fed board member, and other economists have warned that the rate cut could embolden Trump to escalate trade battles because the president may feel confident that the Fed will then respond with additional rate cuts.", "President Donald Trump's threat to impose 10per cent tariffs on the remaining US$300 billion of Chinese imports from Sept. 1 will hit consumers at the start of the important back-to-school buying season, two large trade groups warned on Thursday.\n\nWASHINGTON: President Donald Trump's threat to impose 10per cent tariffs on the remaining US$300 billion of Chinese imports from Sept. 1 will hurt consumer purchases, raise prices further and limit hiring, four large retail trade groups warned on Thursday.\n\nTrump on Thursday moved to impose fresh tariffs after U.S. and Chinese negotiators failed to kick-start trade talks between the world's two largest economies.\n\nThe National Retail Federation, which counts Walmart Inc and Amazon.com Inc among its members, called the decision to impose new tariffs a flawed strategy that will hurt American consumers.\n\n\"We are disappointed the administration is doubling-down on a flawed tariff strategy that is already slowing U.S. economic growth, creating uncertainty and discouraging investment,\" Senior Vice President for Government Relations David French said in a statement.\n\nAnother influential trade lobby, The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA), which counts retailers like Walmart, Target Corp and Home Depot among its members, said the tariffs will raise prices for everyday items like clothing, toys, home goods and electronics.\n\n\"This new 10per cent tariff is a direct hit on consumer products and family budgets... American families shouldn't be a pawn in this trade war,\" Hun Quach, RILA's vice president of international trade, said in a statement.\n\nThe office of the U.S. Trade Representative did not have an immediate comment on the retailers' protests.\n\nOther trade groups like the Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America said the tariffs could have a chilling effect on hiring.\n\n\"President Trump is, in effect, using American families as a hostage in his trade war negotiations,\" the group's president, Matt Priest, said in a statement.\n\nStephen Lamar, executive vice president of the American Apparel & Footwear Association, told Reuters the tariffs would be \"hugely disruptive.\" He noted that while Trump uses tariffs as a negotiating tool, he had made good on previous threats in regard to Chinese imports.\n\n\"We're telling people they should assume the tariffs will take effect on Sept. 1,\" he said, adding that the group's members were shocked and surprised that Trump had not allowed resumed U.S.-China trade talks to proceed before threatening additional tariffs.\n\nThe measure will hit U.S. consumers far harder than Chinese manufacturers, who produce 42per cent of apparel and 69per cent of footwear purchased in the United States, Lamar said.\n\nWalmart, the world's largest retailer, in May said prices for shoppers will rise due to higher tariffs on goods from China. The company said it will seek to ease the pain, in part by trying to obtain products from different countries and working with suppliers.", "WASHINGTON — The latest tariffs President Donald Trump plans to impose on Chinese goods would cost U.S. households an average of $200 a year, some economists estimate, and would start to bite consumers and retailers just as the holiday shopping season begins.\n\nThat cost would come on top of the roughly $830 cost imposed per household from Trump's existing tariffs, according to a New York Federal Reserve analysis.\n\nTrump plans to tax $300 billion of Chinese imports at 10% starting in September with the goal of accelerating trade talks with Beijing to favor the United States. The new tariffs would be in addition to 25% tariffs Trump has imposed on $250 billion in Chinese products. Those are mostly industrial goods. By contrast, the new tariffs would target products used by American consumers, like shoes, clothing and cellphones.\n\nBy Friday, Trump's new planned tariffs had triggered worries, especially among retailers, about the consequences. Retail stores, many of which have been struggling, would have to make the painful choice of either absorbing the higher costs from the new tariffs or imposing them on price-conscious customers.\n\nRELATED: At Ohio rally, Trump laces into Democrats but avoids race\n\nAdditionally, China has signaled the likelihood of imposing counter-tariffs on U.S. goods, which would hit American exporters. The stock market sold off sharply on Friday, in part over concerns about the effect on corporate profits.\n\nFor retailers already feeling pressure, the higher prices would hit hard just as the critically important holiday shopping season was getting under way.\n\nSome companies are considering moving up their delivery of goods before the new tariffs take effect. Isaac Larian, CEO of Los Angeles-based MGA Entertainment, which makes the popular L.O.L. doll, said the company will be accelerating shipments from China to the U.S. ahead of the Sept. 1 deadline — and will pay an extra $300 to $400 more per shipping container to do so.\n\nHe envisions having to raise prices 10 percent across his entire toy line.\n\n\"A lot of consumers can't afford it, and demand will go down,\" Larian said.\n\niPhone sales would also be hurt if consumers respond to the tariffs by keeping their existing devices to avoid higher prices. Wedbush Securities analyst Daniel Ives estimates that Apple will sell 6 million to 8 million fewer iPhones in the U.S. if it includes the tariff in the sale price.\n\nPeter Bragdon, executive vice president at Columbia Sportswear, said his company had been diversifying away from China and now makes products in more than 20 countries. He said he thinks companies like Columbia Sportswear will fare better than the smaller outdoor rivals.\n\n\"The larger companies that have the experience are going to be able to weather really bad public policy,\" he said.\n\nWashington and Beijing are locked in a battle over complaints that China steals or pressures companies to hand over technology. The Trump administration worries that American industrial leadership might be threatened by Chinese plans for government-led creation of global competitors in robotics and other technologies. Europe and Japan echo U.S. complaints that those plans violate Beijing's market-opening commitments.\n\nCompanies were already shifting to suppliers outside of China in countries such as Vietnam to avoid the existing tariffs on $250 billion worth of Chinese imports. But plenty of clothing and footwear companies are still vulnerable, and the president's announcement means that all Chinese imports might be taxed.\n\nIn 2018, 42% of all U.S. sold apparel was made in China, according to the American Apparel & Footwear Association, a trade group. That number is 69% for footwear.\n\n\"This creates a cash crunch, a lot of confusion and uncertainty,\" said Steve Lamar, executive vice president of the trade group. \"It couldn't come at a worse time.\"\n\nThe Trump administration has publicly denied that consumers would be significantly harmed by the tariffs.\n\n\"Any consumer impact is very, very small,\" Larry Kudlow, director of the National Economic Council, told reporters Friday.\n\nBut based on estimates from Oxford Economics, the planned tariffs would cost $200 per household. This would be in addition to the estimated $831 per household cost from the existing tariffs.\n\nTaken together, the tariffs would more than wipe out the savings a middle-class household received from Trump's 2017 income tax cuts. The average tax filer earning between $50,000 and $75,000 paid $841 less in taxes last year, according to Congress' Joint Committee on Taxation.\n\nMany economists forecast that the proposed tariffs would shave about 0.1% off economic growth but that the real risk is a further escalation and side effects that could be devastating.\n\nDouglas Porter, chief economist at BMO Capital Markets, likened the president's actions to the errors that led to destruction in World War I.\n\nHe said of World War I: \"Leaders were relentlessly overconfident on the prospects of victory, fully convinced that any war would be brief, incompetent in planning and execution, and miscalculated economic damage. Accordingly, the war dragged on for over four years at terrible, terrible costs. See any parallels?\"\n\nAnswering his own question, Porter noted that Trump has declared that trade wars are \"good\" and \"easy to win.\"\n\nOn Friday, China threatened retaliation in ways that could magnify the potential damage to both of the world's two biggest economies. Stocks fell around the globe as investors adjusted to these risks.\n\nBeijing accused Trump of violating his June agreement with President Xi Jinping to revive negotiations aimed at ending a costly fight over Beijing's trade surplus and technological ambitions. China's new U.N. Ambassador Zhang Jun suggested that the new tariffs could halt negotiations that were expected to resume next month.\n\nLater, outside the White House, Trump told reporters that he thinks Xi wants to make a deal but that \"frankly, he's not moving fast enough.\"\n\n\"China has to do a lot of things to turn it around,\" Trump said. The tariff increase \"goes on Sept. 1, and frankly, if they don't do them, I can always increase it very substantially.\"\n\nD'Innocenzio contributed from New York and McDonald from Beijing. AP writers Edith M. Lederer contributed from New York and Michael Liedtke from San Francisco.\n\nRELATED: Pierce County food banks see increase of fresh food due to trade war", "President Donald Trump pumps his fist as he arrives on Air Force One Tuesday, July 30, 2019, at Virginia Beach, Va. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)\n\nWASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump announced Thursday the U.S. will apply a new tariff of 10% on about $300 billion worth of products from China beginning Sept. 1, escalating the two countries’ festering trade dispute.\n\nTrump tweeted amid slow-moving talks with China that negotiations will continue. But he blamed China for not following through on stopping the sale of fentanyl to the United States or purchasing large quantities of farm goods such as soybeans.\n\nStocks immediately tumbled on the news. The Dow Jones Industrial Average, which had been up nearly 300 points earlier, was down nearly 200 points soon after Trump’s tweets.\n\nThe U.S. has already applied tariffs of 25% on $250 billion worth of goods from China. China retaliated with tariffs on $110 billion in American goods, including agricultural products, in a direct shot at Trump supporters in the U.S. farm belt.\n\nTrump’s threats come after a U.S. delegation returned to Washington from what the White House described as “constructive” trade talks. The negotiations were expected to resume in Washington in September, though exact dates were not announced.\n\nTrump issued the tariff threat in a series of tweets. He also tweeted “we look forward to continuing our positive dialogue with China on a comprehensive Trade Deal, and feel that the future between our two countries will be a very bright one!”\n\nThe world’s two biggest economies are locked in a trade war over U.S. allegations that Beijing uses predatory tactics — including stealing trade secrets and forcing foreign companies to hand over technology — in a drive to overtake American technological dominance.\n\nTalks had broken down in May after the United States accused the Chinese of reneging on earlier commitments.", "Chinese Vice Premier Liu He, center, poses with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, right, and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, for photos before holding talks at the Xijiao Conference Center in Shanghai Wednesday, July 31, 2019. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan, Pool)\n\nWASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on President Donald Trump’s plan to impose tariffs beginning Sept. 1 on the $300 billion in Chinese imports he hasn’t already hit with taxes (all times local):\n\n“Imposing tariffs is definitely not the right way to resolve trade frictions,” Wang told reporters in Bangkok, where he was attending a meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.\n\nHe spoke Friday after President Donald Trump said he will impose 10% tariffs Sept. 1 on the remaining $300 billion in Chinese imports he hasn’t already taxed.\n\nThe president has already imposed 25% tariffs on $250 billion in Chinese products, and Beijing has retaliated by taxing $110 billion in U.S. goods.\n\nU.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says he’s worried about tensions between the world’s two largest global economies — the United States and China.\n\nThe U.N. chief told reporters Thursday: “We need to learn the lessons of the Cold War and avoid a new one.”\n\n“Looking into the not so distant future,” Guterres said, “I see the possibility of the emergence of two competing blocs —- each with their own dominant currency, trade and financial rules, their own internet and artificial intelligence strategy, and their own contradictory geopolitical and military views.”\n\nThe secretary-general said there is still time to avoid this scenario, reiterating that “with leadership committed to strategic cooperation and to managing competing interests, we can steer the world onto a safer path.”\n\nGuterres spoke shortly before Trump’s tweet on tariffs against China.\n\nRetailers are lining up against the proposed tariffs. “We are disappointed the administration is doubling-down on a flawed tariff strategy that is already slowing U.S. economic growth, creating uncertainty and discouraging investment,” said David French, senior vice president for government relations at the National Retail Federation. “These additional tariffs will only threaten U.S. jobs and raise costs for American families on everyday goods.\n\n“The tariffs imposed over the past year haven’t worked, and there’s no evidence another tax increase on American businesses and consumers will yield new results.”\n\nMoody’s Investors Service is warning that Trump’s planned tariffs will prove to be an economic drag.\n\n“The escalation of trade tensions will increasingly weigh on the global economy and supply chains in an environment of already decelerating growth in the U.S., the euro area and China,” said Elena Duggar, Moody’s associate managing director.\n\n“The tariffs will be credit negative for a number of U.S. sectors, including computers and electronics, manufacturing and apparel and leather.”\n\nThe top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee denounced Trump’s plan.\n\n“I am always first in line for getting tough on China,” said Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon. “But Trump doesn’t have any strategy to get China to stop cheating on trade. The only thing he knows how to do is raise tariffs.\n\n“The tariffs announced today will raise costs on everything from computers to backpacks to clothes as kids go back to school, without any reason to think that it will make China stop stealing our technology and undercutting American jobs.”", "Beijing/Washington: China on Friday said it would not be blackmailed and warned of retaliation after US President Donald Trump vowed to slap a 10% tariff on $300 billion of Chinese imports from next month, sharply escalating a trade row between the world's biggest economies.\n\nTrump stunned financial markets on Thursday by saying he plans to levy the additional duties from September 1, marking an abrupt end to a truce in a year-long trade war that has slowed global growth and disrupted supply chains.\n\nBeijing would not give an inch under pressure from Washington, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said.\n\n\"If America does pass these tariffs then China will have to take the necessary countermeasures to protect the country's core and fundamental interests,\" Hua told a news briefing in Beijing.\n\n\"We won't accept any maximum pressure, intimidation or blackmail. On the major issues of principle we won't give an inch,\" she said, adding that China hoped the United States would \"give up its illusions\" and return to negotiations based on mutual respect and equality.\n\nTrump also threatened to further raise tariffs if Chinese President Xi Jinping fails to move more quickly to strike a trade deal.\n\nThe newly threatened duties, which Trump announced in a series of tweets after his top trade negotiators briefed him on a lack of progress in talks in Shanghai this week, would extend tariffs to nearly all Chinese goods that the United States imports.\n\nThe president later said if trade discussions failed to progress he could raise tariffs further - even beyond the 25 percent levy he has already imposed on $250 billion of imports from China.\n\nSenior Chinese diplomat Wang Yi told reporters on the sidelines of an Association of Southeast Nations event in Thailand that additional tariffs were \"definitely not a constructive way to resolve economic and trade frictions\".\n\nUS Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who was also in Bangkok, decried \"decades of bad behaviour\" by China on trade and said Trump had the determination to fix it.\n\nThe news hit financial markets hard. On Friday, Asian and European stocks took a battering and safe-haven assets such as the yen, gold and government bonds jumped as investors rushed for cover.\n\nRetail associations in the United States predicted a spike in consumer prices, hitting consumer stocks on Thursday on Wall Street, where Target Corp tumbled 4.2%, Macy's Inc fell 6% and Nordstrom Inc was down 6.2%.\n\nAsked about the impact on financial markets, Trump told reporters: \"I'm not concerned about that at all.\"\n\nMoody's said the new tariffs would weigh on the global economy at a time when growth is already slowing in the United States, China and the euro zone.\n\nThe tariffs may also force the Federal Reserve to again cut interest rates to protect the U.S. economy from trade-policy risks, experts said.\n\nOne Chinese official told Reuters it was not the first time Trump had \"flip-flopped\", and that though the time between the talks being declared constructive and Trump's threat of new tariffs was short, officials in Beijing were already prepared.\n\n\"Discussion followed by a fight has become the normal pattern,\" the official said.\n\nPossible retaliatory measures by China could include tariffs, a ban on the export of rare earths that are used in everything from military equipment to consumer electronics, and penalties against U.S. companies in China, analysts say.\n\nSo far, Beijing has refrained from slapping tariffs on U.S. crude oil and big aircraft, after cumulatively imposing additional retaliatory tariffs of up to 25% on about $110 billion of U.S. goods since the trade war broke out last year.\n\nChina is also drafting a list of \"unreliable entities\" - foreign firms that have harmed Chinese interests. U.S. delivery giant FedEx is under investigation by China.\n\n\"China will deliver each retaliation methodically, and deliberately, one by one,\" ING economist Iris Pang wrote in a note.\n\n\"We believe China's strategy in this trade war escalation will be to slow down the pace of negotiation and tit-for-tat retaliation. This could lengthen the process of retaliation until the upcoming U.S. presidential election,\" Pang said.\n\nUS Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin briefed Trump earlier this week on their first face-to-face meeting with Chinese officials since Trump met Xi at the G20 summit at the end of June and agreed to a ceasefire in the trade war.\n\n\"When my people came home, they said, 'We're talking. We have another meeting in early September.' I said, 'That's fine, but until such time as there's a deal, we'll be taxing them,\" Trump told reporters.\n\nA source familiar with the matter said Trump grew frustrated and composed the tweets shortly after Lighthizer and Mnuchin told him China made no significant movement on its position.\n\nPrevious negotiations collapsed in May, when U.S. officials accused China of backing away from earlier commitments.\n\nAmerican business groups in China expressed disquiet over the latest round of U.S. tariffs. The U.S.-China Business Council said on Friday it was concerned the action \"will drive the Chinese from the negotiating table, reducing hope raised by a second round of talks that ended this week in Shanghai\".\n\n\"We are particularly concerned about increased regulatory scrutiny, delays in licenses and approvals, and discrimination against U.S. companies in government procurement tenders,\" said the U.S.-China Business Council's President Craig Allen in an e-mail.\n\nKer Gibbs, the president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai, said that as market access in China \"remains unnecessarily restricted\", the United States should continue its dialogue with Beijing, and \"also work with like-minded countries to persuade China that fair and reciprocal trade and investment benefits all.\"\n\nTrump said Beijing had failed to fulfil promises to stop sales of the synthetic opioid fentanyl to the United States, which U.S. officials say was to blame for most of more than 28,000 synthetic opioid-related overdose deaths in the United States in 2017.\n\nHe also said Beijing had not followed through on a goodwill pledge to buy more U.S. agricultural products.\n\nThe U.S. Department of Agriculture on Thursday confirmed a small private sale to China of 68,000 tonnes of soybeans in the week ended July 25.\n\nThe United States also has yet to ease restrictions on U.S. companies' sales to Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei, which Trump had pledged as a goodwill gesture to Xi after meeting at the G20 in Osaka.\n\nGet the best of News18 delivered to your inbox - subscribe to News18 Daybreak. Follow News18.com on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and on YouTube, and stay in the know with what's happening in the world around you – in real time.\n\nSubscribe to Moneycontrol Pro and gain access to curated markets data, trading recommendations, equity analysis, investment ideas, insights from market gurus and much more. Get Moneycontrol PRO for 1 year at price of 3 months. Use code FREEDOM.", "WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump announced on Thursday (Aug 1) he will hit China with punitive tariffs on another US$300 billion in goods, escalating the trade war after accusing Beijing of reneging on more promises.\n\nThe 10 per cent duties will take effect Sep 1, and come on top of the 25 per cent tariffs on US$250 billion in imports -- meaning Trump now has targeted virtually all of the US$500 billion in goods America buys from China every year.\n\nTrump said on Twitter that Beijing had agreed \"to buy agricultural product from the US in large quantities but did not do so.\"\n\n\"Additionally, my friend President Xi said that he would stop the sale of fentanyl to the United States - this never happened, and many Americans continue to die!\" Trump said, referring to the highly potent and addictive opioid.\n\nAfter resuming face-to-face talks in Shanghai this week, trade negotiators were set reconvene in Washington in early September for another round of discussions, just after the new tariffs are put in place.\n\nWall Street dove into the red following Trump's announcement, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average down 0.6 per cent toward 1800 GMT.\n\nEven so, Trump seemed upbeat: \"We look forward to continuing our positive dialogue with China on a comprehensive Trade Deal, and feel that the future between our two countries will be a very bright one!\"\n\nUS-China trade talks this year have alternated between progress and disaster, appearing to collapse in May only to be revived two months later after a meeting in Japan between Trump and Xi Jinping, his Chinese counterpart.\n\nAmerican officials accused Beijing of reneging on core commitments they had previously made during the talks.\n\nEconomists say the trade war has increasingly undermined the global manufacturing sector and sapped business sentiment, threatening the global economy at a time when it is already on the wane.", "US President Donald Trump announced Thursday he will hit China with punitive tariffs on another $300 billion in goods, prompting Beijing to warn it was the wrong way to resolve the trade war.\n\nThe sudden deterioration meant the world's two largest economies have now erected trade barriers covering virtually all of their $660 billion in annual trade in merchandise -- confirming economists' fears and sending shudders through Wall Street.\n\nThe 10 percent duties will take effect September 1, and come on top of the 25 percent tariffs on $250 billion in imports already in place.\n\nHe later raised the possibility he could increase the duties further.\n\n\"The 10 percent is... for a short-term period and then I can always do much more or I can do less, depending on what happens with respect to a deal,\" Trump said at the White House, adding, \"it could be lifted up to well beyond 25 percent.\"\n\nAfter resuming face-to-face talks in Shanghai this week, trade negotiators were set to reconvene in Washington in early September for another round of discussions, which means they will take place just after the new tariffs take effect.\n\n\"Slapping on tariffs is definitely not a constructive way to resolve economic and trade frictions, it's not the correct way,\" Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said in brief remarks on the sidelines of a regional meeting of top diplomats in Bangkok on Friday.\n\nChina has yet to say whether and how it will retaliate, but it has hinted in recent months that it could restrict exports of rare earths, which are vital to the US tech industry, and it is also working on a blacklist of \"unreliable\" companies that could target US firms.\n\nWhen he announced the tariffs on Twitter, Trump said Beijing had agreed \"to buy agricultural product from the US in large quantities but did not do so.\"\n\n\"Additionally, my friend President Xi said that he would stop the sale of fentanyl to the United States -- this never happened, and many Americans continue to die!\" Trump said, referring to the highly potent and addictive opioid.\n\nTrade relations with China have swung between progress and disaster, appearing to collapse in May only to be revived two months later after a meeting in Japan between Trump and Xi Jinping, his Chinese counterpart.\n\nThe leaders declared a truce at that meeting in late June, but the new tariffs make good on a threat Trump made in May.\n\n\"The core motivation is the talks clearly weren't going to go anywhere without more pressure on the Chinese,\" said Derek Scissors, an expert on US-China economic ties at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank.\n\n\"Of course, they could react badly now and the talks could end entirely. It's a measured risk,\" he told AFP.\n\nIn prior tariff rounds, US officials had worked prevent the higher costs from hitting popular consumer items.\n\nBut the new duties coming just before the holiday shopping season, will cover the vast expanse of everyday Chinese-made goods and consumer electronics -- mobile telephones, baby carriages, tampons, watches and toys.\n\nTrump has falsely claimed China pays for his mounting tariffs. But Democrats in Congress and business groups say the measures are taxing ordinary consumers and making household goods more expensive.\n\nWhile other parts of the US economy have begun to slow, the dominant retail sector has been a bright spot, helping to bolster growth despite the general slowdown in most other industrialized nations.\n\nIndustries as varied as fashion and oilfield services had pleaded with the Trump administration to hold fire, warning of layoffs, lost markets and fading industrial dominance.\n\nWall Street dove into the red following Trump's announcement, with retailers hit particularly hard. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was closed down more than one percent.\n\nDespite the red arrows on Wall Street, Trump remained upbeat.\n\n\"I'm not concerned about that at all,\" he told reporters. \"I expected that.\"\n\nWashington accuses China of using a state-directed economic model, unfairly subsidizing production and stealing US technology.\n\nBut economists say the trade war has increasingly undermined the global manufacturing sector and sapped business sentiment, threatening the world's economy at a time when it is already on the wane."], "summary": "President of the United States Donald Trump announces in a tweet that the United States will impose import tariffs of 10% on US$300 billion worth of Chinese exports starting September 1."}
{"document": ["Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption An RAF Chinook is dropping 400 tonnes of aggregate to shore up the dam and divert water\n\nThousands of people are being evacuated from a town because part of a reservoir wall has collapsed in floods.\n\nEngineers are pumping water from the 300-million-gallon Toddbrook Reservoir amid fears it could burst and swamp Whaley Bridge in Derbyshire.\n\nPolice have told the town's 6,500 residents to gather at a school, taking pets and medication with them.\n\nA severe flood warning, which means a threat to life, has been issued for the River Goyt below the reservoir.\n\nJulie Sharman, chief operating officer of the Canal and River Trust, said: \"The spillway for the dam has broken away.\n\n\"We are trying to lower the level of the water in the dam in order to reduce the risk of further erosion. There's a risk the dam could break.\"\n\n'Very real danger'\n\nDet Ch Supt Rachel Swann, of Derbyshire Police, said a multi-agency taskforce had drawn up a plan to address damage to the wall.\n\nEngineers would continue to pump water from the reservoir, she said, and a Chinook helicopter would be used to drop 400 tonnes of aggregate on \"surrounding watercourses\".\n\nThis would \"divert water from entering the reservoir,\" she said, so the water could be reduced to a safe level.\n\nOnce this was done, Det Ch Supt Swann said, work on the wall of the dam could begin.\n\n\"With all that said, at this time the future of the dam wall remains in the balance and I would remind people of the very real danger posed to them should the wall collapse,\" she added.\n\nMs Sharman, of the trust, said officials could not say how long the evacuation could last but they could be working on it \"for days\".\n\nTen pumps from fire services across the country are currently pumping out 7,000 litres of water a minute in a bid to bring down the water level.\n\nImage copyright Reuters Image caption The clay under the spillway has been undermined\n\nAssistant Chief Constable Kem Mehmet said police had plans for every scenario including the dam, which holds back 1.3 million tonnes of water, collapsing.\n\nPolice told residents to gather at Chapel High School in the neighbouring town of Chapel-en-le-Frith and to take pets and medication with them as they \"are not sure how long [it] will take\".\n\nThey added it was \"an unprecedented, fast-moving, emergency situation\", and confirmed a small number of houses in the neighbouring villages of Furness Vale and New Mills have also now been evacuated.\n\nThey said evacuated residents should try to arrange their own accommodation as space was limited, but some local pubs and community halls had offered to take in evacuees.\n\nImage caption The town centre is at risk of being swamped\n\nThe Environment Agency has said about 85% of people in Whaley Bridge have left their homes.\n\nArea director Lee Rawlinson said community spirit has been \"fantastic\".\n\n\"A lot of people have gone up to Chapel or to other relatives. Whaley Bridge can be really proud,\" he said.\n\nMeanwhile, trains between Hazel Grove and Buxton have been blocked because of the flooding, affecting Northern train services between Manchester Piccadilly and Buxton.\n\n'Bring the dog'\n\nJennifer, owner of the Goyt Inn, has been evacuated and is currently in the school.\n\nShe said: \"I rang my partner and said, 'Bring the dog. We have to get out'.\n\n\"We've been told if we need accommodation, something will be organised, but at the moment, [the council] are waiting on structural reports from engineers.\n\n\"The dam is a mess. It really looks very unsafe and there's a lot of water in that reservoir.\"\n\nNigel Carson, who lives near the dam, said he felt some people in the area were not taking the problem \"as seriously as they should\".\n\n\"The whole of the village is vulnerable to this,\" he said.\n\n\"They're estimating that without it raining it will take two to three days to get the water level down two metres [but] it's raining heavily again now, and they need to get it down an awful lot more than two metres to make this safe.\"\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Toddbrook Reservoir: Footage shows fast-flowing water before collapse\n\nImage copyright PA Media Image caption Almost all the residents of the town have now been evacuated\n\nDuncan Fife lives on top of the reservoir in the old Reservoir Keeper's house, said: \"We have been telling them for years that the spillway has been clogging up with plants trees and weeds. Just now they are starting to clear it. Why don't they maintain it?\"\n\nBut he added the water has now dropped \"a couple of feet\" since last night.\n\n'People abandoning vehicles'\n\nSymon Trelfa, whose home is near the dam, said he is \"worried I may have no home to return to\".\n\nHe said: \"There were rumours going around about the state of the dam yesterday so I decided to move into my sister's house in Chapel-en-le-Frith.\n\n\"There's gridlock on the local roads at the moment - people are abandoning vehicles.\"\n\nImage copyright PA Media Image caption Rescue teams are trying to pump the water out\n\nFormer Conservative MP Edwina Currie also lives in the town.\n\nShe said: \"Evacuation is absolutely necessary. I don't think they've got any choice. People are being advised not to take pictures. We are really very, very worried.\"\n\nRebecca Morelle - Science correspondent\n\nThe dam is quite old - it was built in 1831 and is an earth-filled construction.\n\nThe problem is the damage is high up. The key is to get the water levels down as fast as you can.\n\nYou can divert it out through channels and there is a plug deep down.\n\nThe key will be to see if it holds overnight. If it does, there's a good chance they can repair the dam but it will take months.\n\n'Mortal danger'\n\nCouncillor Martin Thomas, chair of Whaley Bridge town council, told the BBC the clay under the slabs of the spillway had been undermined when they were lost.\n\nHe said: \"The situation is an unfortunate combination of circumstances.\n\n\"We've had a lot of wet weather recently, the ground is saturated, the reservoir was already full.\n\n\"Something we previously looked at as a benign leisure facility suddenly becomes a real mortal danger.\"\n\nImage copyright PA Media Image caption The worst may not be over as water is still flowing in to the reservoir\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Councillor Martin Thomas said the town was \"eerily quiet\"\n\nRuth George, Labour MP for the area, said the town could be evacuated for \"several days\".\n\n\"It's hard to see how they can get the water in the reservoir down quicker than that,\" she said.\n\n\"The dam had some pretty significant structural repairs a few years ago.\n\n\"We were told after that it was safe but we have had an unprecedented amount of water coming down in the past few days.\n\n\"Nobody is looking at laying the blame. What we want to do is make sure the people in the town are safe.\"\n\nThe Canal and River Trust said it is working with \"other agencies\" and had engineers trying to get water out while sandbags are being put on the edge to shore it up and protect the rest of the concrete.\n\nWhen asked if the dam might \"actually break\" a spokesman responded \"there is a risk of that\".\n\nImage copyright Reuters Image caption Sandbags are being put in to stop further erosion\n\nImage caption Hundreds of people have arrived at the evacuation centre\n\nImage copyright Danny Lawson Image caption Residents are being evacuated to a nearby town\n\nFollow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to eastmidsnews@bbc.co.uk.", "A view of the Toddbrook Reservoir near the village of Whaley Bridge in England. (Danny Lawson/PA via AP)\n\nA view of the Toddbrook Reservoir near the village of Whaley Bridge in England. (Danny Lawson/PA via AP)\n\nAN entire town is being evacuated with fears a reservoir dam could collapse under the pressure of torrential rain.\n\nA \"danger to life\" warning has been issued as more than 6000 people are evacuated from Whaley Bridge in Derbyshire in the UK.\n\nPolice have warned around 200 people living in one of the most at-risk areas of the town that they could face arrest if they don't leave.\n\nThe Environment Agency has said the dam holding back Toddbrook Reservoir above the town could burst at any moment, and desperate action is being taken to pump water away from the scene.\n\nRiver levels in the River Goyt could \"rise rapidly\" if the dam bursts, swamping the town below.\n\nPhotographs appear to show parts of the Toddbrook Reservoir in Derbyshire broken apart, with fears huge panels could fall from the wall.\n\nThe Toddbrook Reservoir contains 1136 megalitres of water, which weighs 1.3 million tonnes.\n\nDerbyshire Police issued a dire warning to locals today, saying: \"Whaley Bridge is being evacuated due to the ongoing situation at Toddbrook Reservoir.\n\n\"If you are being evacuated then please start heading to Chapel High School, Long Lane, ChapelEnLeFrith, High Peak, where further direction will be given.\"\n\nMatt Forrest has watched the chaos unfold in his home town.\n\nThe designer said: \"We live about six feet up from the reservoir, so we have managed to dodge being evacuated but only just. The rest of the entire town has had to leave.\n\n\"I've never seen anything like it, it's the worst flooding in living memory in the village.\"\n\nThis article originally appeared on The Sun and was reproduced with permission", "A team of men look at the damage to the wall of Toddbrook Reservoir near the village of Whaley Bridge, Cheshire, England, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2019. British police have ordered the evacuation of a town of 6,500 residents in northwest England over fears that a dam could collapse. The Derbyshire Police force says residents of Whaley Bridge should leave their homes because of the “significant threat to life.” (Danny Lawson/PA via AP)\n\nLONDON (AP) — British police ordered the evacuation of a town of 6,500 people in northwest England on Thursday over fears that a rain-damaged dam could collapse.\n\nThe Derbyshire Police force said residents of Whaley Bridge should leave their homes immediately because of the “significant threat to life.”\n\nIt said a dam wall at the 19th-century Toddbrook Reservoir above the town had been damaged by days of heavy rain.\n\nPolice officers went door to door in Whaley Bridge telling people to leave and head to a school a few miles (kilometers) away. Residents of the town, located 175 miles (280 kilometers) northwest of London, were advised to stay with friends and family elsewhere if possible, and to take pets and several days’ worth of any essential medications with them.\n\n“This is not a decision that has been taken lightly and we appreciate that there is significant impact on this community, however this is an unprecedented, fast-moving emergency situation,” police tweeted.\n\nA heat wave last week has been followed by heavy rains in many parts of the U.K., causing flash flooding that has inundated homes, roads and train lines across northern England.\n\nWhaley Bridge resident Anna Aspinall said engineers had told residents that a dam wall “is at high risk of failing.”\n\n“We are praying (it) holds whilst the Canal and River Trust try to drain the water from the reservoir,” she said.\n\nPaul Nash, who was evacuated with his partner and their cat, said police had given them no indication of how long they need to away from home.\n\n“If the whole dam goes, it’s going to cause absolute chaos,” he said. “Probably the village will go, because it (the River Goyt) goes straight through.”", "The Derbyshire town of Whaley Bridge is being evacuated following a warning from the Environment Agency that lives are at risk from flooding.\n\nIt follows the partial collapse of a dam wall at Toddbrook Reservoir and the fear is that this could cause the River Goyt to rise \"rapidly\", the agency said.\n\nThe 19th-century reservoir is in the High Peak area and sits above hundreds of homes and businesses in the town.\n\nOn Thursday afternoon, police officers were going door to door to make sure residents were securing their homes before leaving, as a helicopter hovered overhead.\n\nMeanwhile, council workers and mountain rescue vehicles were seen heading the other way - into town.\n\nThere are around 8,000 residents in the town, 16 miles southeast of Manchester, and they are being told to stay with friends or family or to head to a nearby high school for further instructions.\n\nA police spokesperson said anyone who could not stay with friends or family would be accommodated but warned there was \"limited capacity\" for this.\n\nThey added: \"There is a high probability that there will be significant flooding due to damage caused in recent severe weather.\n\n\"We understand that there will be some concern around not being able to return home, however, our priority is to ensure people are kept safe and well and are not taking unnecessary risks.\n\n\"This is not a decision that has been taken lightly and we appreciate that there is significant impact on this community, however, this is an unprecedented, fast-moving, emergency situation.\"\n\nFirefighters are using at least 10 high volume pumps to pump tonnes of water from the reservoir and the National Fire Chiefs Council said in a statement that they expect the major incident to last between two to three days.\n\nThe council said the reservoir contains 1.3 million tonnes of water and the dam holding it back contains 300 million gallons of water.\n\nThe pumps being used can move up to 7,000 litres of water per minute, they added.\n\nFormer MP Edwina Currie, who lives in a cottage above the reservoir, told Sky News the area had seen two weeks' rain in 24 hours and that the reservoir had filled up \"extremely quickly\".\n\nShe said strong winds on Wednesday caused the dam to overflow, which she described as a safety feature and nothing to be concerned about. However, the force of it had carried away some of the dam's concrete facing, leaving a \"great big hole\" with water \"pouring into it\".\n\nShe said residents were \"obviously concerned\" but the small community was focused on how they could help each other.\n\n\"The community here is excellent...absolutely buzzing with people offering help,\" she said. \"I've no doubt everyone will get well looked after.\"\n\nDragging a suitcase up the town's deserted high street, Whaley Bridge resident David Holt said of the dam: \"If it's going to go, it's going to go straight through the village.\"\n\nResident Anna Aspinall said she and others had been called to help place sandbags in the area around the dam but they had been sent away after structural engineers said the \"the wall is at high risk of failing\".\n\nShe added: \"We are praying (the dam wall) holds whilst the Canal and River Trust try to drain the water from the reservoir.\"\n\nPaul Nash said: \"The River Goyt is actually behind us, normally it's 20ft down from our back garden but last night it raised up to nearly 3ft from coming over.\n\n\"If the whole dam goes, it's going to cause absolute chaos. Probably the village will go, because it goes straight through. The River Goyt goes straight through the village centre.\"\n\nThe Canal And River Trust said in a statement: \"We have a team of engineers on site at the moment assessing the damage and determining what the next steps are.\n\n\"We will provide further updates as the picture becomes clearer.\"\n• Heavy rain caused flooding on all railway lines between Manchester Airport and Wilmslow early on Thursday, according to train operator Northern.\n• Flooding has damaged homes and partially destroyed a bridge in Poynton, Cheshire, forcing some to head to a rest centre at the local civic hall. Firefighters responded to 20 incidents, including people stranded by flooding.\n• In nearby Wilmslow, police are \"dealing with flooding\" and had evacuated affected residents, with Oakenclough Children's Centre open as a rest centre.\n• The Environment Agency said its teams were out in Cheshire, Derbyshire and Greater Manchester, where intense rainfall had caused flooding and disruption.\n• There is currently one severe flood warning (relating to Whaley Bridge), five flood warnings meaning flooding is expected and immediate action is required (two for Poynton Brook, two for the River Bollin and one for Timperley Brook at Altrincham) and 15 flood alerts, meaning flooding is possible.\n• The Met Office says the country should dry out over the coming days, with only sporadic rain in central and western Scotland and northern England, possibly as far south as Yorkshire, but not as frequent or as significant as in recent days. South west England and parts of Wales may also see occasional showers.", "LONDON (AP) — British police ordered the evacuation of a town of 6,500 people in northwest England on Thursday over fears that a rain-damaged dam could collapse.\n\nThe Derbyshire Police force said residents of Whaley Bridge should leave their homes immediately because of the “significant threat to life.”\n\nIt said a dam wall at the 19th-century Toddbrook Reservoir above the town had been damaged by days of heavy rain.\n\nPolice officers went door to door in Whaley Bridge telling people to leave and head to a school a few miles (kilometers) away. Residents of the town, located 175 miles (280 kilometers) northwest of London, were advised to stay with friends and family elsewhere if possible, and to take pets and several days’ worth of any essential medications with them.\n\n“This is not a decision that has been taken lightly and we appreciate that there is significant impact on this community, however this is an unprecedented, fast-moving emergency situation,” police tweeted.\n\nA heat wave last week has been followed by heavy rains in many parts of the U.K., causing flash flooding that has inundated homes, roads and train lines across northern England.\n\nWhaley Bridge resident Anna Aspinall said engineers had told residents that a dam wall “is at high risk of failing.”\n\n“We are praying (it) holds whilst the Canal and River Trust try to drain the water from the reservoir,” she said.\n\nPaul Nash, who was evacuated with his partner and their cat, said police had given them no indication of how long they need to away from home.\n\n“If the whole dam goes, it’s going to cause absolute chaos,” he said. “Probably the village will go, because it (the River Goyt) goes straight through.”", "STOCKPORT — An English town was being evacuated on Thursday after the wall of a nearby reservoir was damaged with officials warning that subsequent flooding posed a risk to life.\n\nFootage posted on social media showed water gushing from the Toddbrook Reservoir which sits above Whaley Bridge in Derbyshire, central England.\n\n“Whaley Bridge is being evacuated due to the ongoing situation at Toddbrook Reservoir,” Derbyshire Police said, adding there were reports the wall of the reservoir had been damaged.\n\n“Residents are asked to make alternative arrangements to stay with friends and family, ensure that any pets are taken with them and that all medication that may be needed for a number of days is taken with them.”\n\nBritain’s Environment Agency issued a severe flood warning for the area, saying river levels in the River Goyt which runs through the town could rise rapidly.\n\nIt comes after heavy rain in the last couple of days led to flooding in areas across northern England. (Reporting Andrew Marshall and Phil Noble; writing by Michael Holden; editing by Guy Faulconbridge)", "A dam which is at risk of collapse following heavy rain could affect numerous towns and villages in Derbyshire and Cheshire.\n\nThe 6,500 residents of Whaley Bridge, Derbyshire, have been evacuated amid fears the dam could completely collapse after part of it subsided.\n\nPeople in the town are being told to leave the area as the situation continues at Toddbrook Reservoir.\n\nThe dam is connected to the River Goyt, which runs north towards Stockport, where it joins the River Tame to form the River Mersey.\n\nIf the dam does collapse it will cause a torrent of water rushing past multiple towns and villages which border the river, or are connected via small brooks.\n\nThe Environment Agency issued a severe flood warning for the River Goyt at Whaley Bridge ‘where immediate action is required’.\n\nIt has issued another five flood warnings across Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Cheshire, with flood alerts in Stockport – meaning the threat is lower but still apparent.\n\nThe following towns could be affected if the situation worsens at the reservoir.\n\nBuxworth is a small village around 2 miles north east of Whaley Bridge.\n\nThe River Goyt joins Bugsworth Basin – a canal basin at the terminus of the Peak Forest Canal, in the valley of the Black Brook.\n\nFurther north is the village of Furness Vale, which has multiple businesses next to the river.\n\nNumerous properties in the town of New Mills have already been flooded by heavy rain which battered the High Peak over night.\n\nThe village of Strines, in Greater Manchester, is located in the valley of the River Goyt.\n\nThe small town is also on the River Goyt and is about 9 miles southeast of Manchester.\n\nTorkington Brook, which is connected to the River Goyt, runs south through the villages of Offerton Green and Foggbrook.\n\nThe River Goyt then slopes upwards around Vernon Park, which borders Lower Bredbury, close to Stockport centre.\n\nThe river then meets the River Tame to form the River Mersey, running through the centre of Stockport.", "THIS is the dramatic moment cops tell people living in a town under a reservoir dam at risk of collapse \"get out or DIE\".\n\nPolice were evacuating the 6,500 residents of Whaley Bridge, Derbys., yesterday as the Toddbrook reservoir may flood the town - but one homeowner refused saying it was \"health and safety gone mad\".\n\nThe video, shared on Twitter, shows a policewoman waving her hands at residents who wish to walk towards the dangerous area.\n\nThe cop can be heard asking locals: \"Are you leaving?\"\n\nAfter a man answers \"yes,\" she continues: \"Because you need to be just out of this area or otherwise you're gonna die. I'll put it like that.\"\n\nThe stern warning has frightened locals as most have evacuated from the surrounding area.\n\nOne local resident, however, said he is staying put after police went door to door urging residents to leave their homes within the evacuation zone.\n\nAndrew Mclackland, 46, told Manchester Evening News that the emergency is a \"fuss about nothing\" even though the Environment Agency has issued a \"danger to life\" warning.\n\nPolice said future of the dam wall \"remains in the balance\" and flooding still poses a \"very real danger\".\n\nAn RAF Chinook has today joined the battle to save a small town on the brink of disaster after homes were evacuated over fears a reservoir dam could burst.\n\nMr Mclackland hit out at the evacuation after police attempted to stop him accessing part of the town that was in danger.\n\nHe said: \"They wouldn't let me through at first. I had to get my son out.\n\n\"I tried to get back in and they didn't want to let me through. I think it's health and safety gone mad.\n\n\"I don't think it will go. I think it's a fuss about nothing.\"\n\nMatt Forrest, who lives just six feet uphill from the reservoir and has watched the chaos unfold in his home town.\n\nThe designer said: \"We live about six feet up from the reservoir so we have managed to dodge being evacuated but only just. The rest of the entire town has had to leave.\n\n\"I've never seen anything like it, its’ the worst flooding in living memory in the village.\"\n\nTrauma nurse Philomena Smith, 53, lives on a road above the reservoir worried her husband might not make it home tonight..\n\nShe said: “Many Whaley Bridge residents who were on the bridge yesterday looking over the dam said they have lived here all their lives and never seen anything like this.\n\n“If the dam overflows it will join the River Goyt and be a disaster.\n\n“My husband is working in Buxton but may not be able to get home tonight.”\n\nVolunteers had previously been trying to help sandbag the dam - but were sent away amid fears the wall was at a \"high risk of falling\".\n\nAirmen have dumped 400 tonnes of sand in a bid to shore up Toddbrook Reservior dam after 6,500 residents were told to leave the town of Whaley Bridge in Derbyshire below amid a 'danger to life' warning.\n\nHundreds of residents in the most at-risk area of the Peak District town were told they would face arrest if they did not leave their homes as fears grow over the flooding threat.\n\nExperts have warned the dam could be 'fully broken in hours' and it would cause a 'massive' flood.\n\nThe Environment Agency warned river levels in the River Goyt could \"rise rapidly\" as a result of water coming from the Toddbrook Reservoir if the dam bursts.\n\nPhotographs show a large panels of the dam have crumbled away under pressure from the 300 million gallons of water behind it.\n\nThe reservoir has swollen in recent weeks due to torrential rain fall in the north of England.\n\nAnd emergency crews are today working desperately to pump water away with authorities warning the danger of flooding is imminent.\n\nIn the early hours of this morning, a RAF Chinook was seen above the dam - flying in rocks to move over 50 tonnes of aggregate to the reservoir wall to reinforce it.\n\nIt is expected to work throughout the day in desperate attempts to stem the flow of water.", "AN RAF Chinook has today joined the battle to save a small town on the brink of disaster after homes were evacuated over fears a reservoir dam could burst.\n\nAirmen have dumped 400 tonnes of sand in a bid to shore up Toddbrook Reservior dam after 6,500 residents were told to leave the town of Whaley Bridge in Derbyshire below amid a 'danger to life' warning.\n\nHundreds of residents in the most at-risk area of the Peak District town were told they would face ARREST if they did not leave their homes as fears grow over the flooding threat.\n\nPolice said future of the dam wall \"remains in the balance\" and flooding still poses a \"very real danger\".\n\nExperts have warned the dam could be \"fully broken in hours\" and it would cause a \"massive\" flood.\n\nThe Environment Agency warned river levels in the River Goyt could \"rise rapidly\" as a result of water coming from the Toddbrook Reservoir if the dam bursts.\n\nBoris Johnson has called a meeting of the Government's emergency COBRA committee today to co-ordinate the response to the crisis.\n\nPhotographs show a large panels of the dam have crumbled away under pressure from the 300 million gallons of water behind it.\n\nThe reservoir has swollen in recent weeks due to torrential rain fall in the north of England.\n\nAnd emergency crews are today working desperately to pump water away with authorities warning the danger of flooding is imminent.\n\nThe twin-blade Chinook has been flying in 400 tonnes of aggregate to reinforce the reservoir wall since the early hours of this morning.\n\nIt is expected to work throughout the day in desperate attempts to stem the flow of water.\n\nThe Canal and River Trust says water levels have gone down by about 8 inches overnight.\n\nJulie Sharman, chief operating officer of the Canal and River Trust, said: \"The spillway for the dam has broken away.\n\n\"We are trying to lower the level of the water in the dam in order to reduce the risk of further erosion. There's a risk the dam could break.\"\n\nEngineers have also been pumping water into the River Goyt below the reservoir to ease the pressure on the dam wall. But the levels of the river itself are high following heavy spells of rain. Workers were pictured lining sandbags along the wall.\n\nDeputy Chief Constable Rachel Swann, chair of the Local Resilience Forum said: \"A wall of the reservoir has been badly damaged during recent heavy rain.\n\n\"Following an assessment by structural engineers, the decision was taken to stop access to Whaley Bridge and evacuate parts of the village, along with further areas downstream.\n\nShe added: \"The future of the dam wall remains in the balance and I would remind people of the very real danger posed to them should the wall collapse.\"\n\nPolice said it was unclear how long evacuated residents would need to stay away from their homes.\n\nA police spokesman added: \"We understand that there will be some concern around not being able to return home, however, our priority is to ensure people are kept safe and well and are not taking unnecessary risks.\n\n\"This is not a decision that has been taken lightly and we appreciate that there is significant impact on this community, however, this is an unprecedented, fast-moving, emergency situation.\"\n\nResidents without anywhere to stay were told to gather at Chapel High School in the neighbouring town of Chapel-en-le-Frith.\n\nEvacuees were told to take pets and medication with them in case they are not able to return for several days.\n\nThis morning Derbyshire Police confirmed that a \"very small number\" of people were refusing to leave their homes.\n\nA video has emerged of frightened locals that were told to \"get out or die\".\n\nAndrew Mclackland, 46, is staying put as he thinks the emergency is a \"fuss about nothing\".\n\nHe told Manchester Evening News: \"I think it's health and safety gone mad.\n\n\"I don't think it will go. I think it's a fuss about nothing.\"\n\nRob Wilson, 44, lives in Hockerley Ave, just 880 years away from the dam, with wife Sally, 45, and their three children, aged 9, 13, 15.\n\nRob - an artist - has a studio in Lockside Mill, St. Martin's Road, Marple, Stockport, but forced to close his business - Rob Wilson Art - today\n\nHe told The Sun Online: \"We volunteered to help out yesterday but the situation changed so quickly that the police suggested that it was probably not safe.\n\n\"We have got friends who live in a house by the dam - they stayed with us last night after being evacuated.\n\n\"We didn't get much sleep last night - the helicopters were really loud, and it was worrying thing to wake up to this morning.\"\n\nHe added: \"It is quite alarming - seeing the water rushing down when we were stood on the bridge - we were thinking, what could possibly happen?\n\n\"We feel very lucky about where we are - we are so far up the hill - but we feel so sorry for our good friends - we have been handing out clothes to one family. But it affects the whole town, the businesses - the devastating effect, if anything bad is to happen, it will affect all of us.\"\n\nMatt Forrest, who lives just six feet uphill from the reservoir and has watched the chaos unfold in his home town.\n\nThe designer said: \"We live about six feet up from the reservoir so we have managed to dodge being evacuated but only just. The rest of the entire town has had to leave.\n\n\"I've never seen anything like it, its’ the worst flooding in living memory in the village.\"\n\nTrauma nurse Philomena Smith, 53, lives on a road above the reservoir worried her husband might not make it home tonight.\n\nShe said: “Many Whaley Bridge residents who were on the bridge yesterday looking over the dam said they have lived here all their lives and never seen anything like this.\n\n“If the dam overflows it will join the River Goyt and be a disaster.\n\n“My husband is working in Buxton but may not be able to get home tonight.”\n\nVolunteers had previously been trying to help sandbag the dam - but were sent away amid fears the wall was at a \"high risk of falling\".\n\nOne local Anna Aspinall, 36, said: \"We have had significant rainfall over the past few days resulting in the overflow of the reservoir, which is very rarely breached, being completely flooded over.\n\n\"The result is that the overflow this morning has undermining damage and there is a big risk of the village being flooded out. Residents are currently being evacuated along with businesses.\"\n\n\"We are praying (the dam wall) holds whilst the Canal and River Trust try to drain the water from the reservoir. I live at the top of a hill but am very involved in community life, so want to help where I can.\"\n\nLast night there was a false alarm that the dam had burst after police were heard shouting \"breach\".\n\nThis is the cue to flee and locals went sent into a panic, running away from the reservoir.\n\nBut 20 minutes later they were given the all clear.\n\nFlooding expert Dr Mohammed Heidarzadeh has warned that the dam could collapse within hours.\n\nDr Heidarzadeh, assistant professor and head of coastal engineering and resilience LAB, said: \"Due to heavy rainfall in Whaley Bridge area, the spillway is now broken and a big chunk of its concrete structure is damaged.\n\n\"There is a possibility that the spillway could then become fully broken in a few hours.\n\n\"If the spillway is fully gone, the embankment dam will be washed away very rapidly, which could cause a massive flood.\"\n\nNearby Poynton in Cheshire was among the worst hit places in the UK with the fire service declaring a major incident and rescuing 11 people.\n\nImages show a bridge that had partially collapsed and a massive sinkhole that opened up in Cheshire.\n\nCheshire Police warned that drivers could \"risk their lives\" by driving through roads closed by flooding in Poynton.\n\nThe Environment Agency has issued 7 flood warnings and 0 flood alerts covering central, north-west and north-east England.\n\nFlooding in Stockport forced people to evacuate and businesses were damaged.\n\nA music festival near Macclesfield was cancelled less than 24 hours before gates were meant to open because of the \"extreme weather conditions\".\n\nOrganisers of retro festival Rewind North said the site had been \"battered\" by the elements in recent weeks.\n\nPolice in nearby Wilmslow also said its officers were \"dealing with flooding\" and had evacuated affected residents, with Oakenclough Children's Centre open as a rest centre.\n\nA month's rain fell in just four hours on Tuesday and the Met Office warned some towns and villages could be cut off.\n\nThe Yorkshire 2 Regiment was sent in to help distribute sandbags in Swaledale in a bid to protect homes after heavy rains flooded the area turning rivers into 'raging torrents'.\n\nRoads in the Yorkshire Dales saw more than 50mm of rain as large hailstones were dumped on the area in what police described as \"shocking\" travel conditions.", "Derbyshire police has detailed the plan to secure the dam wall at Toddbrook Reservoir after it was badly damaged by heavy rain.\n\nIn a statement, the force's Deputy Chief Constable Rachel Swann said access to Whaley Bridge was stopped and parts of the town, as well as further areas downstream, were evacuated following an assessment by structural engineers.\n\nEmergency services, partner agencies and volunteers remain at the scene, with help coming from across the country.\n\nREAD MORE: Toddbrook Reservoir: Chinook helicopter being brought in to Whaley Bridge to help secure dam wall\n\nThe plan to secure the dam wall now is:\n\n* Use 400 tonnes of aggregate to divert water from entering the reservoir and into other surrounding watercourses designed for this purpose.\n\n* Use water pumps to remove water from the reservoir to relieve pressure on the dam wall.\n\n* Once the above measures reduce the water to a level that is safe – work will then begin on the dam wall itself.\n\nREAD MORE: Toddbrook Reservoir: More properties evacuated as work continues on Whaley Bridge dam - live updates\n\nA Chinook helicopter is being brought in to help move the aggregate."], "summary": "The town of Whaley Bridge in Derbyshire, England, is evacuated after heavy rain and flooding causes structural damage to the nearby dam at the Toddbrook Reservoir amid fears the dam could collapse. A severe flood warning has been issued for communities situated along the River Goyt."}
{"document": ["WASHINGTON/LIMA (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary Wilbur Ross will attend a summit in Peru to discuss the political crisis in Venezuela on Tuesday, the U.S. Commerce Department said.\n\nRoss is visiting Brazil and Argentina this week and two sources in Peru’s Foreign Ministry said on Friday that he will be joined at the conference in Peru by U.S. national security adviser John Bolton. The sources asked not to be named.\n\nPeru invited some 100 foreign ministers to the summit and had hoped to include Russia, Cuba, China, Bolivia and Turkey - all allies of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. The idea was to foster dialogue between supporters of Maduro and his critics, and build support for early elections, Peru’s foreign minister said when he announced the summit last month.\n\nBut Russia and Cuba turned down their invitations, the sources said, while China and Bolivia have not confirmed whether they will attend.\n\nWashington considers Maduro a dictator who stole last year’s election. Along with Peru and most Latin American countries, Washington has recognized opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuela’s rightful leader.\n\nMaduro has refused to step down and has called the United States an imperialist power that wants to control Venezuela’s oil.\n\nThe head of the Inter-American Development Bank, Luis Moreno, and the European Union’s representative on Venezuela, Enrique Iglesias, have confirmed they will attend Tuesday’s meeting, the sources said.\n\nRoss’s visit to Peru could coincide with final decisions on licenses requests by U.S. companies seeking to sell to China’s telecoms giant Huawei, which was placed on a blacklist in May.\n\nRoss said during a visit to Brazil this week that responses could come as soon as next week.", "WASHINGTON/LIMA, Aug 2 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary Wilbur Ross will attend a summit in Peru to discuss the political crisis in Venezuela on Tuesday, the U.S. Commerce Department said.\n\nRoss is visiting Brazil and Argentina this week and two sources in Peru'sForeign Ministry said on Friday that hewill be joined at the conference in Peru by U.S. national security adviser John Bolton. The sources asked not to be named.\n\nPeru invited some 100 foreign ministers to the summit and had hoped to include Russia, Cuba, China, Bolivia and Turkey - all allies of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. The idea was to foster dialogue between supporters of Maduro and his critics, and build support for early elections, Peru's foreign minister said when he announced the summit last month.\n\nBut Russia and Cuba turned down their invitations, the sources said, while China and Bolivia have not confirmed whether they will attend.\n\nWashington considers Maduro a dictator who stole last year's election. Along with Peru and most Latin American countries, Washington has recognized opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuela's rightful leader.\n\nMaduro has refused to step down and has called the United States an imperialist power that wants to control Venezuela's oil.\n\nThe head of the Inter-American Development Bank, Luis Moreno, and the European Union's representative on Venezuela, Enrique Iglesias, have confirmed they will attend Tuesday's meeting, the sources said.\n\nRoss's visit to Peru could coincide with final decisions on licenses requests by U.S. companies seeking to sell to China's telecoms giant Huawei, which was placed on a blacklist in May.\n\nRoss said during a visit to Brazil this week that responses could come as soon as next week.", "WASHINGTON/LIMA (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary Wilbur Ross will attend a summit in Peru to discuss the political crisis in Venezuela on Tuesday, the U.S. Commerce Department said.\n\nRoss is visiting Brazil and Argentina this week and two sources in Peru’s Foreign Ministry said on Friday that he will be joined at the conference in Peru by U.S. national security adviser John Bolton. The sources asked not to be named.\n\nPeru invited some 100 foreign ministers to the summit and had hoped to include Russia, Cuba, China, Bolivia and Turkey - all allies of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. The idea was to foster dialogue between supporters of Maduro and his critics, and build support for early elections, Peru’s foreign minister said when he announced the summit last month.\n\nBut Russia and Cuba turned down their invitations, the sources said, while China and Bolivia have not confirmed whether they will attend.\n\nWashington considers Maduro a dictator who stole last year’s election. Along with Peru and most Latin American countries, Washington has recognised opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuela’s rightful leader.\n\nMaduro has refused to step down and has called the United States an imperialist power that wants to control Venezuela’s oil.\n\nThe head of the Inter-American Development Bank, Luis Moreno, and the European Union’s representative on Venezuela, Enrique Iglesias, have confirmed they will attend Tuesday’s meeting, the sources said.\n\nRoss’s visit to Peru could coincide with final decisions on licenses requests by U.S. companies seeking to sell to China’s telecoms giant Huawei, which was placed on a blacklist in May.\n\nRoss said during a visit to Brazil this week that responses could come as soon as next week.", "BRASÍLIA—U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross laid out a plan including credit and investment to help rebuild Venezuela’s economy under democratic rule, as Washington pushes for new leadership in the struggling nation.\n\nThe American plan is contingent on the removal of Venezuela’s authoritarian leader, President Nicolás Maduro, and his replacement with Juan Guaidó, leader of a fractious opposition supported by the U.S. and other countries.\n\n...", "BRASILIA (Reuters) - U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said on Thursday the United States is ready to support pro-market reforms and privatizations in Venezuela with credit and investment.\n\nRoss, speaking at a conference on the reconstruction of Venezuela, said there will be an immediate need for a capital infusion to undo socialism in Venezuela once the internationally recognized government of opposition leader Juan Guaido takes over.\n\nBut in the long term, Venezuela has 300 billion barrels of oil, gold and other mineral resources to rebuild its economy, he told a conference of infrastructure company executives.", "BRASILIA (Reuters) - U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said on Thursday the United States is ready to support pro-market reforms and privatizations in Venezuela with credit and investment.\n\nThere will be an immediate need for a capital infusion to undo socialism in Venezuela once the internationally recognized government of opposition leader Juan Guaido takes over, Ross said at a meeting on the reconstruction of Venezuela.\n\nIn the long term, however, Venezuela has 300 billion barrels of oil, gold and other mineral resources to rebuild its economy, he told the gathering of infrastructure company executives in Brasilia.\n\nRoss said the “terrible” mismanagement of the economy by socialist governments had to be reversed first by boosting private enterprise and investment to later restore sustainable growth with an infusion of capital and management skills in the oil, gas and electricity industries.\n\nRoss led a round-table on Venezuela at a conference organized by CG/LA, a Washington-based corporation dedicated to building world infrastructure markets, attended by companies such as Oracle and Hill International.\n\nAmong the issues discussed was how to get money into the South American country to jumpstart a collapsed economy that has been shrinking steadily since 2014.\n\n“Nothing is working properly, not the telephone system, nor the sewer system, nor the bus system. Over 4 million people have fled, including many young professionals,” Ross said, pointing to a brain drain that will have to be repaired.\n\nHe said the Venezuelan central bank would need rebuilding because it has been “looted.”", "BRASILIA, Aug 1 (Reuters) - The United States is ready to support pro-market reforms and privatizations in Venezuela with investment and credit to reverse socialism and rebuild a ruined economy, U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said on Thursday.\n\nThere will be an immediate need for capital infusions to bridge the lack of liquidity in Venezuela once the internationally recognized government of opposition leader Juan Guaido takes over, Ross said at a meeting on the reconstruction of Venezuela.\n\nIn the long term, however, Venezuela has 300 billion barrels of oil, gold and other mineral riches to rebuild its economy, he told the gathering of infrastructure company executives in Brasilia.\n\n\"For immediate relief, the United States will ease sanctions, promote domestic and international trade credit, deploy technological advisers and engage international financial institutions to rebuild confidence in Venezuela's new economic policies,\" he said.\n\nRoss led a round table on Venezuela at a conference organized by CG/LA Infrastructure, a Washington-based company dedicated to building world infrastructure markets, attended by companies such as Oracle and Hill International .\n\nAmong the issues discussed was how to get money into the South American country to jump-start a collapsed economy that has been shrinking steadily since 2014.\n\n\"Nothing works properly, not the electricity, not water, not sewage, not telephones, not the bus system, not healthcare, not distribution of food and medicine, and certainly not liquidity,\"\n\n\"Over 4 million people have fled, including many young professionals,\" Ross said, pointing to a brain drain that will have to be repaired.\n\nHe said the Venezuelan central bank would need to be overhauled because it has been \"looted.\"\n\nMultinational engineering and technology companies see Venezuela as having the greatest potential for capital projects when the day comes, said Ricardo Wernikoff, Oracle sales director for Latin America.\n\n\"The opportunities are huge. We are looking at rebuilding a country from scratch,\" he said.\n\nThe U.S. National Security Council asked the Commerce Department to draw up an plan for stabilizing Venezuela's economy, he said.\n\nThe initial goal is to reverse in one year the precipitous decline in energy production by facilitating investment in the oil, natural gas and electricity sectors.\n\nIn agriculture, the immediate focus is to provide food.\n\n\"We need to jump-start the import of seeds, fertilizer and farm equipment,\" Ross said. \"They have not been importing tractors for years.\"", "A senior administration official says National Security Adviser John Bolton and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross will lead a U.S. delegation at an initial conference held by countries which recognize opposition leader Juan Guaidó as president of Venezuela.\n\nThe official said Bolton will talk about the next steps for U.S. policy, while Ross will share a plan focused on reconstruction in the South American country if President Nicolás Maduro is no longer in power.\n\nThe official spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to reporters.\n\nThe Aug. 6 meeting in Peru will include representatives from over 50 nations which hold that Maduro's re-election last year was fraudulent. Russia, Cuba and Turkey have declined an invitation to attend.", "WASHINGTON/LIMA (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary Wilbur Ross will attend a summit in Lima, Peru to discuss Venezuela on Tuesday, the U.S. Commerce Department said.\n\nU.S. national security adviser John Bolton has also confirmed attendance, two sources in Peru’s foreign ministry said on Friday.\n\nThe sources asked not to be named ahead of an announcement. A spokesman for Bolton declined to comment.\n\nPeru invited some 100 foreign ministers to the summit and had hoped to include Russia, Cuba, China, Bolivia and Turkey. The idea was to foster dialogue between supporters of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his critics, Peru’s foreign minister said when he announced the summit last month.\n\nBut Venezuela’s allies Russia and Cuba turned down invitations to take part, the sources said. China and Bolivia have not confirmed whether they will attend, they added.\n\nThe head of the Inter-American Development Bank, Luis Moreno, and the European Union’s representative on Venezuela, Enrique Iglesias, have also confirmed their attendance, the sources added.", "LIMA — U.S. national security adviser John Bolton will attend a summit in Peru to discuss Venezuela on Tuesday, but Venezuela’s allies Russia and Cuba turned down invitations to take part, two foreign ministry sources in Peru said.\n\nOne of the sources said U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross will also attend the meeting, which aims to discuss Venezuela’s political crisis and build support for early elections.\n\nBoth sources asked not to be named because the list of attendees had not been announced.\n\nA spokesman for Bolton declined to comment. The U.S. Department of Commerce did not immediately respond to requests for comment.\n\nPeru invited some 100 foreign ministers to the summit and had hoped to include Russia, Cuba, China and Bolivia. The idea was to foster dialog between supporters of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his critics, Peru’s foreign minister said when he announced the summit last month.\n\nChina and Bolivia have not confirmed whether they will attend, both sources said.\n\nThe head of the Inter-American Development Bank, Luis Moreno, and the European Union’s representative on Venezuela, Enrique Iglesias, have confirmed their attendance, the sources added."], "summary": "U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross says that the United States has \"a blueprint\" to recover Venezuela's economy if Nicolás Maduro leaves office as the nation's disputed President."}
{"document": ["CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Friday said he rejected U.S. President Donald Trump’s statement about a possible blockade of the South American country, adding that its seas would remain “free and independent.”\n\nMaduro said he had asked Venezuela’s ambassador to the United Nations, Samuel Moncada, to denounce the “illegal” threat to the U.N. Security Council.\n\n“All of Venezuela, in a civic-military union, repudiates and rejects the statements of Donald Trump about a supposed quarantine, of a supposed blockade,” Maduro said in a state television broadcast. “A blockade, why would he announce that? It is clearly illegal.”\n\nThe United States has applied sanctions and diplomatic pressure to try to get Maduro, whom it accuses of human rights violations and stealing the Venezuelan election last year, to step down.\n\nOn Thursday, when asked by a reporter whether he was considering such a measure given involvement by China and Iran in Venezuela, Trump said: “Yes, I am.” He gave no details.\n\nOn Friday, a senior U.S. official said Trump’s word on the issue should be taken “very seriously” but that the administration did not want to give away “the element of surprise.”", "CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Friday said he rejected U.S. President Donald Trump’s statement about a possible blockade of the South American country, adding that its seas would remain “free and independent.”\n\nMaduro said he had asked Venezuela’s ambassador to the United Nations, Samuel Moncada, to denounce the “illegal” threat to the U.N. Security Council.\n\n“All of Venezuela, in a civic-military union, repudiates and rejects the statements of Donald Trump about a supposed quarantine, of a supposed blockade,” Maduro said in a state television broadcast. “A blockade, why would he announce that? It is clearly illegal.”\n\nThe United States has applied sanctions and diplomatic pressure to try to get Maduro, whom it accuses of human rights violations and stealing the Venezuelan election last year, to step down.\n\nOn Thursday, when asked by a reporter whether he was considering such a measure given involvement by China and Iran in Venezuela, Trump said: “Yes, I am.” He gave no details.\n\nOn Friday, a senior U.S. official said Trump’s word on the issue should be taken “very seriously” but that the administration did not want to give away “the element of surprise.”", "U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday he was considering a quarantine or blockade of Venezuela, as the United States steps up pressure on President Nicolas Maduro to relinquish power.\n\nTrump did not elaborate on when or how such a blockade could be imposed, and his administration has so far focused on diplomatic and economic pressure against Maduro while steering clear of any military action.\n\nAsked by a reporter whether he was considering such a measure, given the amount of involvement by China and Iran in Venezuela, Trump said: \"Yes, I am.\" He gave no details.\n\nVenezuela's Information Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.\n\nThe United States and most Western countries recognize opposition politician Juan Guaido as the rightful leader of Venezuela.\n\nTrump has slapped a series of escalating sanctions on Venezuela to pressure Maduro to step down and has previously declined to rule out military action. But U.S. officials have made clear that they are focused on economic and diplomatic measures and have shown no significant signs of taking up military options.\n\nWashington's Latin American allies have also cautioned against U.S. military intervention.\n\nRussia, China and Iran have expressed support for Maduro and Russia has dispatched small numbers of troops to the South American country.", "U.S. President Donald Trump said Thursday he is considering a blockade or quarantine on Venezuela.\n\nREAD MORE: Trump wants Russian military out of Venezuela, says ‘all options’ open\n\nTrump did not provide specifics of the blockade or when it may happen.\n\nWhen asked by a reporter whether he is considering a blockade or quarantine of Venezuela given the amount of involvement China and Iran have in the country, Trump answered: “Yes, I am.”\n\nTrump made the remarks while departing the White House for a campaign rally in Cincinnati.\n\nThe U.S. has sided with Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as the interim leader of the country and has called on President Nicolas Maduro to step down along with dozens of other countries.\n\nOn Thursday, U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross outlined plans to rebuild Venezuela’s financial institutions and infrastructure in a speech to Latin American business executives in Brasilia.\n\nVenezuela has suffered blackouts and supply shortages, while massive protests have been held demanding Maduro step down.", "OSLO/CARACAS Aug 2 (Reuters) - The government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and the opposition are continuing to hold talks in Barbados in an effort to find ways to resolve the Latin American country's political crisis, the Foreign Ministry of mediator Norway said on Friday.\n\nFriday's statement, the first in three weeks, came a day after U.S. President Donald Trump said he was considering a quarantine or blockade of Venezuela and ahead of a summit in Peru on the Venezuelan crisis, which U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross will attend.\n\n\"he representatives of the main political actors in Venezuela are continuing the negotiations ... he parties have reiterated their willingness to advance in the search for an agreed upon and constitutional solution,\" Norway's Foreign Ministry said.\n\nMaduro, who after saying the dialogue was progressing and that he would \"meet even with the devil,\" alleged that the United States is timing new sanctions on Venezuelan officials to coincide with the new rounds of talks.\n\nThe Trump administration on Friday slapped sanctions on two security officials for alleged human rights violations.\n\n\"Every time there has been a dialogue session, the U.S. government makes bad, perverse decisions like it took this week,\" Maduro said in a Friday evening state television broadcast. \"Illegal, spurious decisions. Stupid decisions about supposed sanctions.\"\n\nThe opposition's main negotiator, Stalin Gonzalez, thanked the government of Norway in a tweet shortly after the ministry's statement, ratifying his party's proposal for a constitutional solution.\n\nJuan Guaido, leader of the opposition-controlled National Assembly, invoked the constitution in January to assume a rival interim presidency after declaring Maduro's 2018 re-election a fraud. Maduro calls Guaido a puppet of the United States and blames Venezuela's severe economic problems on U.S. sanctions meant to force him from office. (Reporting by Lefteris Karagiannopoulos; additional reporting by Sarah Kinosian; editing by Leslie Adler and G Crosse)", "OSLO, Aug 2 (Reuters) - The government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and the opposition are continuing talks in Barbados to try to find ways to resolve the Latin American country's political crisis, the Foreign Ministry of mediator Norway said on Friday.\n\nFriday's statement, the first in three weeks, came a day after U.S. President Donald Trump said he was considering a quarantine or blockade of Venezuela and ahead of a summit in Peru on the Venezuelan crisis, which U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross will attend.\n\n\"he representatives of the main political actors in Venezuela are continuing the negotiations. ... he parties have reiterated their willingness to advance in the search for an agreed-upon and constitutional solution,\" Norway's Foreign Ministry said.\n\nThe opposition's main negotiator, Stalin Gonzalez, thanked the government of Norway in a tweet shortly after the ministry's statement, ratifying his party's proposal for a constitutional solution.\n\nJuan Guaido, leader of the opposition-controlled National Assembly, invoked the constitution in January to assume a rival interim presidency after declaring Maduro's 2018 re-election a fraud. Maduro calls Guaido a puppet of the United States and blames Venezuela's severe economic problems on U.S. sanctions meant to force him from office. (Reporting by Lefteris Karagiannopoulos Additional reporting by Sarah Kinosian Editing by Leslie Adler)", "WASHINGTON, Aug 2 (Reuters) - U.S. national security adviser John Bolton and U.S. Secretary Wilbur Ross will speak at a conference on Venezuela in Peru next week as part of a campaign to force President Nicolas Maduro to relinquish power, a senior U.S. official said on Friday.\n\nThe Tuesday meeting will be a strong show of support for Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido from the more than 50 countries that have recognized him as the rightful president of Venezuela, said the official, who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity.\n\nIn his presentation, Ross will give attendees details on a post-Maduro reconstruction plan for Venezuela. \"We plan to attend and have a big presence,\" the official said.\n\nPeru had proposed the meeting as a way to build support for early elections in Venezuela, and wanted Maduro's allies such as Russia, China, Cuba, Bolivia and Turkey to take part.\n\nBut none of those countries are expected to attend, the U.S. official said.\n\nWashington considers Maduro a dictator who stole last year's election and has slapped a series of escalating sanctions on Venezuela to pressure him to step down. Maduro has refused and vows to resist what he describes as U.S. imperialism.\n\nOn Thursday, U.S. President Donald Trump said he was considering a blockade of Venezuela. His administration has so far focused on diplomatic and economic pressure against Maduro while steering clear of any military action.\n\nAsked about Trump's comments on Thursday, the senior administration official declined to give details.\n\n\"I would take the president at his word and I would take his word very seriously,\" the official said, noting the administration did not want to give away \"the element of surprise.\"\n\nThe official said Trump's warning should have the effect of pushing Maduro to take ongoing talks with the opposition in Barbados more seriously. \"He has a short window to find an exit strategy,\" the official said.\n\nNorway, which is mediating the Barbados talks, said on Friday that Maduro's government and the opposition have reiterated their willingness to continue negotiating to find a solution.\n\nAsked whether the White House would consider protecting Venezuelans in the United States from deportation - a measure known as \"temporary protected status\" - the official said the administration was committed to ensuring no Venezuelan at risk of persecution would be deported, regardless of whether the TPS program is used.", "WASHINGTON, Aug 2 (Reuters) - U.S. national security adviser John Bolton and U.S. Secretary Wilbur Ross will speak at a conference on Venezuela in Peru next week as part of a campaign to force President Nicolas Maduro to relinquish power, a senior U.S. official said on Friday.\n\nThe Tuesday meeting will be a strong show of support for Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido from the more than 50 countries that have recognized him as the rightful president of Venezuela, said the official, who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity.\n\nPeru had proposed the meeting as a way to build support for early elections in Venezuela, and wanted Maduro's allies such as Russia, China, Cuba, Bolivia and Turkey to take part.\n\nBut none of those countries are expected to attend, the U.S. official said.\n\nWashington considers Maduro a dictator who stole last year's election and has slapped a series of escalating sanctions on Venezuela to pressure him to step down. Maduro has refused and vows to resist what he describes as U.S. imperialism.\n\nOn Thursday, U.S. President Donald Trump said he was considering a blockade of Venezuela. His administration has so far focused on diplomatic and economic pressure against Maduro while steering clear of any military action.\n\nAsked about Trump's comments on Thursday, the senior administration official declined to give details.\n\n\"I would take the president at his word and I would take his word very seriously,\" the official said, noting the administration did not want to give away \"the element of surprise.\"\n\nThe official said Trump's warning should have the effect of pushing Maduro to take ongoing talks with the opposition in Barbados more seriously. \"He has a short window to find an exit strategy,\" the official said.\n\nNorway, which is mediating the Barbados talks, said on Friday that Maduro's government and the opposition have reiterated their willingness to continue negotiating to find a solution.\n\nAsked whether the White House would consider protecting Venezuelans in the United States from deportation - a measure known as \"temporary protected status\" - the official said the administration was committed to ensuring no Venezuelan at risk of persecution would be deported, regardless of whether the TPS program is used.", "OSLO: The government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and the opposition are continuing talks in Barbados to try to find ways to resolve the Latin American country's political crisis, the Foreign Ministry of mediator Norway said on Friday (Aug 2).\n\nFriday's statement, the first in three weeks, came a day after US President Donald Trump said he was considering a quarantine or blockade of Venezuela and ahead of a summit in Peru on the Venezuelan crisis, which US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross will attend.\n\n\"Τhe representatives of the main political actors in Venezuela are continuing the negotiations. ... Τhe parties have reiterated their willingness to advance in the search for an agreed-upon and constitutional solution,\" Norway's Foreign Ministry said.\n\nThe opposition's main negotiator, Stalin Gonzalez, thanked the government of Norway in a tweet shortly after the ministry's statement, ratifying his party's proposal for a constitutional solution.\n\nJuan Guaido, leader of the opposition-controlled National Assembly, invoked the constitution in January to assume a rival interim presidency after declaring Maduro's 2018 re-election a fraud. Maduro calls Guaido a puppet of the United States and blames Venezuela's severe economic problems on US sanctions meant to force him from office.", "Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said Friday, cited by Reuters, he rejected Trump's claims about a possible blockade of Caracas, adding that its seas would remain \"free and independent\", Maduro also said he had requested Venezuela's Envoy to the UN to denounce Trump's \"illegal\" blockade threat at the UN Security Council.\n\nVenezuela has experienced a political and economic crisis that intensified in January when US-backed opposition leader Juan Guaido declared himself to be the country’s interim president after disputing the re-election of incumbent President Nicolas Maduro.\n\nThe United States and 54 other countries have recognized Guaido, but Russia, China, Cuba, Bolivia, Turkey, and numerous other countries have said they recognize constitutionally-elected Maduro as the only legitimate president of Venezuela.\n\nMaduro has said Guaido is a US puppet and accused the United States of orchestrating a coup to force a change of government in Venezuela and claim the country’s resources."], "summary": "U.S President Donald Trump says that he is considering a blockade of Venezuela as the U.S increases pressure on President Maduro to step down."}
{"document": ["Nasa will look for signs of life from a relative nearby planet after it was spotted by a brand new space telescope.\n\nThe world – the first nearby super-earth spotted by the brand new Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (Tess) spacecraft – is one of three newly found exoplanets.\n\nThe planet is known as GJ 357 d, and orbits a star around 31 light years away. It is close enough to that star to be in the “habitable zone”.\n\nWe’ll tell you what’s true. You can form your own view. From 15p €0.18 $0.18 USD 0.27 a day, more exclusives, analysis and extras.\n\nIn this region, it is possible for liquid water to exist on the surface of a planet, although further research is needed to find out whether GJ 357 d’s atmosphere is dense and warm enough to host liquid water.\n\n“GJ 357 d is located within the outer edge of its star’s habitable zone, where it receives about the same amount of stellar energy from its star as Mars does from the sun,” said Diana Kossakowski, from the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Heidelberg, who co-authored the paper in Astronomy & Astrophysics.\n\nShape Created with Sketch. Best Nasa pictures of the month - July 2019 Show all 10 left Created with Sketch. right Created with Sketch. Shape Created with Sketch. Best Nasa pictures of the month - July 2019 1/10 A total solar eclipse as seen from the US National Science Federation observatory in the Chilean Andes on 2 July NASA/Goddard/Rebecca Roth 2/10 A composite image of the Cygnus OB2 star cluster composed of pictures taken by the Isaac Newton Telescope and Spitzer Space Telescope on July 24 NASA/CXC/SAO/J. Drake 3/10 The spacecraft Soyuz MS-13 is launched at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on July 20 NASA/Joel Kowsky 4/10 A copy of LIFE magazine from July 4 1969 signed by Michael Collins is seen onboard the Soyuz spacecraft NASA/Nick HAgue 5/10 The galaxy NGC 1156 which is said to resemble a cherry blossom tree. Captured by the Hubble Telescope on July 12 ESA/Hubble/NASA/R. Jansen 6/10 The spacecraft Soyuz MS-13 on the launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan ahead of launch on July 20 NASA/Joel Kowsky 7/10 Earth is seen in the background as a robotic arm from the International Space Station is positioned for training activities on July 12 NASA Johnson 8/10 The galaxy NGC 2985, a classic example of a spiral galaxy. Captured by the Hubble Telescope on July 22 ESA/Hubble/NASA/L. Ho 9/10 The sun rises over Earth as captured from the International Space Station on July 15 NASA Johnson 10/10 The Namibian port town of Walvis is captured from 262 miles above on the International Space Station NASA Johnson 1/10 A total solar eclipse as seen from the US National Science Federation observatory in the Chilean Andes on 2 July NASA/Goddard/Rebecca Roth 2/10 A composite image of the Cygnus OB2 star cluster composed of pictures taken by the Isaac Newton Telescope and Spitzer Space Telescope on July 24 NASA/CXC/SAO/J. Drake 3/10 The spacecraft Soyuz MS-13 is launched at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on July 20 NASA/Joel Kowsky 4/10 A copy of LIFE magazine from July 4 1969 signed by Michael Collins is seen onboard the Soyuz spacecraft NASA/Nick HAgue 5/10 The galaxy NGC 1156 which is said to resemble a cherry blossom tree. Captured by the Hubble Telescope on July 12 ESA/Hubble/NASA/R. Jansen 6/10 The spacecraft Soyuz MS-13 on the launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan ahead of launch on July 20 NASA/Joel Kowsky 7/10 Earth is seen in the background as a robotic arm from the International Space Station is positioned for training activities on July 12 NASA Johnson 8/10 The galaxy NGC 2985, a classic example of a spiral galaxy. Captured by the Hubble Telescope on July 22 ESA/Hubble/NASA/L. Ho 9/10 The sun rises over Earth as captured from the International Space Station on July 15 NASA Johnson 10/10 The Namibian port town of Walvis is captured from 262 miles above on the International Space Station NASA Johnson\n\n“If the planet has a dense atmosphere, which will take future studies to determine, it could trap enough heat to warm the planet and allow liquid water on its surface.”\n\nLisa Kaltenegger, a professor of astronomy at Cornell University who published a separate paper in the Astrophysical Journal Letters, suggests the planet could harbour life.\n\n“This is exciting, as this is humanity’s first nearby super-earth that could harbour life – uncovered with help from Tess, our small, mighty mission with a huge reach,” she said.\n\n“With a thick atmosphere, the planet GJ 357 d could maintain liquid water on its surface like Earth and we could pick out signs of life with upcoming telescopes soon to be online.”\n\nGJ 357 d orbits its star every 55.7 days at a range of about 20 per cent of Earth’s distance from the sun, it is claimed.\n\nThe three planets orbit a star known as GJ 357, an M-type dwarf, which is around 40 per cent cooler than our own sun and about a third of its mass and size.\n\nTess – Nasa technology used to discover exoplanets beyond our solar system – noticed the star dimming slightly every 3.9 days in February, a hint that planets were circulating around it.\n\nThe nearest of the three planets, GJ 357 b, is around 22 per cent larger than Earth, orbiting its star 11 times closer than Mercury does to the sun.\n\n“We describe GJ 357 b as a ‘hot earth’,” said Enric Palle, an astrophysicist at the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands.\n\n“Although it cannot host life, it is noteworthy as the third-nearest transiting exoplanet known to date and one of the best rocky planets we have for measuring the composition of any atmosphere it may possess.”\n\nThe middle planet, GJ 357 c, has a mass at least 3.4 times Earth’s, and orbits around its star every 9.1 days.\n\nAdditional reporting by Press Association", "Dwarf Star –“Hosts First Nearby Super-Earth that Could Harbor Life”\n\n“This is exciting, as this is humanity’s first nearby super-Earth that could harbor life – uncovered with help from TESS, our small, mighty mission with a huge reach.” said Lisa Kaltenegger, director of Cornell’s Carl Sagan Institute.\n\nNASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), a mission designed to comb the heavens for exoplanets, has discovered its first potentially habitable world outside of our own solar system – and an international team of astronomers has characterized the super-Earth, about 31 light-years away.\n\nIn a new paper in the The Astrophysical Journal Letters, a team led by Kaltenegger, associate professor of astronomy, models the conditions under which the planet — discovered in early 2019 — could sustain life.\n\nAs this super-Earth exoplanet is more massive than our own blue planet, Kaltenegger said this discovery will provide insight into Earth’s heavyweight planetary cousins. “With a thick atmosphere, the planet GJ 357 d could maintain liquid water on its surface like Earth and we could pick out signs of life with upcoming telescopes soon to be online,” she said.\n\nAstronomers from the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands and the University of La Laguna, both of Spain, announced the discovery of the system July 31 in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics. They showed that the distant solar system – with a diminutive M-type dwarf sun, about one-third the size of our own sun – harbors three planets, with one of those in that system’s habitable zone: GJ 357 d.\n\nLast February, the TESS satellite observed that the dwarf sun GJ 357 dimmed very slightly every 3.9 days, evidence of a transiting planet moving across the star’s face. That planet was GJ 357 b, a so-called “hot Earth” about 22 percent larger than Earth, according to the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, which guides TESS.\n\nFollow up observations from the ground led to the discovery of two more exoplanetary siblings: GJ 357 c and GJ 357 d. The international team of scientists collected Earth-based telescopic data going back two decades – to reveal the newly found exoplanets’ tiny gravitational tugs on its host star, according to NASA.\n\nExoplanet GJ 357 c sizzles at 260 degrees Fahrenheit, and has at least 3.4 times Earth’s mass. However, the system’s outermost known sibling planet – GJ 357 d, a super-Earth – could provide conditions just like on Earth and orbits the dwarf star every 55.7 days at a distance about 20 percent of Earth’s distance from the Sun. It is not yet known if this planet transits its sun.\n\nKaltenegger, doctoral candidate Jack Madden and undergraduate student Zifan Lin simulated light fingerprints, climates and remotely detectable spectra for the planet, which could range from a rocky composition to a water world.\n\nMadden explained that investigating new discoveries provides an opportunity to test theories and models. “We built the first models of what this new world could be like,” he said. “Just knowing that liquid water can exist on the surface of this planet motivates scientists to find ways of detecting signs of life.”", "In what could be one of the biggest developments in the search for habitable planets, NASA has discovered a “Super-Earth” estimated to be about six times the size of our planet and located a mere 31 light-years away.\n\nThe planet, GJ 357 d, orbits a dwarf star in the Hydra constellation and may have the right conditions to support liquid water as it lies within its star’s habitable zone, reported CNN.\n\n“This is exciting, as this is humanity’s first nearby super-Earth that could harbour life,” said Lisa Kaltenegger, the director of the Carl Sagan Institute.\n\nWhile the average temperature of the planet is estimated to be around -64 degrees Fahrenheit (-53 degrees Celcius), it could still maintain liquid water on its surface like Earth owing to its thick atmosphere.\n\nThe planet was spotted by NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS).\n\nTESS began its space operation in July 2018, promising to survey about 85 per cent of the sky. The satellite has so far discovered more than 20 planets outside of our solar system.\n\nIt may be noted that a super-Earth is an extrasolar planet with a mass higher than Earth’s, but substantially below those of the Solar System’s ice giants, Uranus and Neptune.", "Scientists have characterised the first potentially habitable world outside our own solar system located about 31 light-years away. The super-Earth planet — named GJ 357 d — was discovered in early 2019 owing to NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), a mission designed to comb the heavens for exoplanets, according to the research published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters.\n\n“This is exciting, as this is humanity’s first nearby super-Earth that could harbour life — uncovered with help from TESS, our small, mighty mission with a huge reach,” said Lisa Kaltenegger, associate professor of astronomy at Cornell University in the US and a member of the TESS science team.\n\nThe exoplanet is more massive than our own blue planet, and Kaltenegger said the discovery will provide insight into Earth’s heavyweight planetary cousins. “With a thick atmosphere, the planet GJ 357 d could maintain liquid water on its surface like Earth, and we could pick out signs of life with telescopes that will soon be online,” she said.\n\nAstronomers from the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands and the University of La Laguna, both in Spain, announced the discovery of the GJ 357 system in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.\n\nThey showed that the distant solar system — with a diminutive M-type dwarf sun, about one-third the size of our own sun — harbours three planets, with one of those in that system’s habitable zone: GJ 357 d.\n\nLast February, the TESS satellite observed that the dwarf sun GJ 357 dimmed very slightly every 3.9 days, evidence of a transiting planet moving across the star’s face. That planet was GJ 357 b, a so-called “hot Earth” about 22 per cent larger than Earth, according to the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, which guides TESS.\n\nFollow-up observations from the ground led to the discovery of two more exoplanetary siblings: GJ 357 c and GJ 357 d. The international team of scientists collected Earth-based telescopic data going back two decades — to reveal the newly found exoplanets’ tiny gravitational tugs on its host star, according to NASA.\n\nExoplanet GJ 357 c sizzles at 127 degrees Celsius and has at least 3.4 times Earth’s mass. However, the system’s outermost known sibling planet — GJ 357 d, a super-Earth — could provide Earth-like conditions and orbits the dwarf star every 55.7 days at a distance about one-fifth of Earth’s distance from the sun. It is not yet known if this planet transits its sun.\n\nKaltenegger, doctoral candidate Jack Madden and undergraduate student Zifan Lin simulated light fingerprints, climates and remotely detectable spectra for a planet that could range from a rocky composition to a water world.\n\n“We built the first models of what this new world could be like. Just knowing that liquid water can exist on the surface of this planet motivates scientists to find ways of detecting signs of life,” Madden said.\n\n“If GJ 357 d were to show signs of life, it would be at the top of everyone’s travel list — and we could answer a 1,000-year-old question on whether we are alone in the cosmos,” Kaltenegger said. PTI", "NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) has discovered multiple planets outside the solar system, around 31 light-years away. These exoplanets are orbiting a star named GJ 357 in the Hydra constellation.\n\nA study published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics, which reported the discovery of these exoplanets, revealed that GJ 357 is a star that is 40 percent cooler than our sun and is only about a third of the sun's mass and size.\n\nUsing TESS, scientists initially discovered an exoplanet named GJ 357 b. Experts consider this exoplanet as a Super-Earth as it is 22 percent larger and 80 percent more massive than the blue planet. This exoplanet completes its orbit around the host star in 3.9 earth days and analysis revealed that it has an average temperature of 490 degrees Fahrenheit.\n\nScientists stated that this exoplanet does not have the capability of hosting alien life due to its temperature.\n\nHowever, the second exoplanet discovered by scientists named GJ 357 can be considered as a potential candidate to find alien life, as it lies in the outer edge of the star's habitable zone.\n\nExperts speculate that this exoplanet, which is 6.1 times more massive than the earth, could have the right conditions to support liquid water on its surface.\n\n\"GJ 357 d is located within the outer edge of its star's habitable zone, where it receives about the same amount of stellar energy from its star as Mars does from the Sun. If the planet has a dense atmosphere, which will take future studies to determine, it could trap enough heat to warm the planet and allow liquid water on its surface,\" said Diana Kossakowski, a researcher who works at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy and the co-author of the study, Science Daily reported.\n\nResearchers also said that the temperature in this Super-Earth could be negative 64 degrees Fahrenheit. Lisa Kaltenegger, study author and an associate professor of astronomy and director of Cornell's Carl Sagan Institute, revealed that signs of alien life could be discovered from GJ 357 d in the coming years using advanced telescopes.\n\nGJ 357 c, the third exoplanet discovered is located in between GJ 357 b and GJ 357 d. GJ 357 c has 3.4 times the mass of Earth and a temperature of 260 degrees Fahrenheit.", "NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) has made several discoveries in recent days, including a planet with three suns and a sun with three planets. But the latest discovery may be the most surprising of all — an alien planet that is potentially capable of supporting life.\n\nA group of astronomers using TESS made the discovery of the GJ 357 star in the Hydra constellation, approximately 31 light-years from Earth, NASA said in a statement. One light-year is the equivalent of 6 trillion miles.\n\nThe exoplanet in question, GJ 357 d, is on the outer limits of the star's \"habitable zone,\" which means it likely gets the same amount of energy that Mars gets from the Sun, said the study's co-author, Diana Kossakowski. “If the planet has a dense atmosphere, which will take future studies to determine, it could trap enough heat to warm the planet and allow liquid water on its surface.”\n\n“This is exciting, as this is humanity’s first nearby super-Earth that could harbor life — uncovered with help from TESS, our small, mighty mission with a huge reach,” said one of the study's co-authors, Lisa Kaltenegger, in a separate statement.\n\nThe government space agency has also posted a video to its YouTube page in conjunction with the discovery.\n\nAssuming no atmosphere, GJ 357 d has an equilibrium temperature of -64 degrees Fahrenheit and is believed to have a mass of 6.1 times that of Earth. It also orbits GJ 357 every 55.7 days. It's unclear what GJ 357 d is comprised of and what its size is. However, if it were rocky, it would likely be between one and two times the size of Earth.\n\nIn addition to GJ 357 d, two other exoplanets were discovered, GJ 357 b and GJ 357 c. The exoplanet GJ 357 b is described as a \"hot Earth,\" according to the study's co-author Enric Pallé.\n\nAlthough GJ 357 b can't host life as we know it, due to its 490 degrees surface temperature, Pallé added astronomers are nonetheless intrigued. GJ 357 b is \"the third-nearest transiting exoplanet known to date and one of the best rocky planets we have for measuring the composition of any atmosphere it may possess.”\n\nThe other exoplanet, GJ 357 c, orbits GJ 357 every 9.1 days and likely has a surface temperature approaching 260 degrees, NASA added.\n\nResults of the findings were published in the scientific journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.\n\nPLANET NINE MAY EXIST, BUT IT MIGHT BE HIDING BEHIND NEPTUNE\n\nThe revelation comes just days after researchers used NASA’s TESS to discover the exoplanet LTT 1445Ab, which has three red suns and a star system, known as \"TESS Object of Interest 270,\" 73 light-years away from Earth.\n\nTESS, which launched in April 2018, replaced the Kepler telescope, which started to malfunction towards the latter part of last year and was eventually retired in October 2018 after discovering more than 2,600 exoplanets, including 18 Earth-sized exoplanets.\n\nIn September, the $200 million TESS found its first exoplanet, and in April, it found its first Earth-sized planet.\n\nCLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP", "A piping hot planet discovered by NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) has pointed the way to additional worlds orbiting the same star, one of which is located in the star’s habitable zone. If made of rock, this planet may be around twice Earth’s size.\n\nThe new worlds orbit a star named GJ 357, an M-type dwarf about one-third the Sun’s mass and size and about 40% cooler that our star. The system is located 31 light-years away in the constellation Hydra. In February, TESS cameras caught the star dimming slightly every 3.9 days, revealing the presence of a transiting exoplanet — a world beyond our solar system — that passes across the face of its star during every orbit and briefly dims the star’s light.\n\n\n\n Tour the GJ 357 system, located 31 light-years away in the constellation Hydra. Astronomers confirming a planet candidate identified by NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite subsequently found two additional worlds orbiting the star. The outermost planet, GJ 357 d, is especially intriguing to scientists because it receives as much energy from its star as Mars does from the Sun. Credits: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center\n\n“In a way, these planets were hiding in measurements made at numerous observatories over many years,” said Rafael Luque, a doctoral student at the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands (IAC) on Tenerife who led the discovery team. “It took TESS to point us to an interesting star where we could uncover them.”\n\nThe transits TESS observed belong to GJ 357 b, a planet about 22% larger than Earth. It orbits 11 times closer to its star than Mercury does our Sun. This gives it an equilibrium temperature — calculated without accounting for the additional warming effects of a possible atmosphere — of around 490 degrees Fahrenheit (254 degrees Celsius).\n\n“We describe GJ 357 b as a ‘hot Earth,’” explains co-author Enric Pallé, an astrophysicist at the IAC and Luque’s doctoral supervisor. “Although it cannot host life, it is noteworthy as the third-nearest transiting exoplanet known to date and one of the best rocky planets we have for measuring the composition of any atmosphere it may possess.”\n\nBut while researchers were looking at ground-based data to confirm the existence of the hot Earth, they uncovered two additional worlds. The farthest-known planet, named GJ 357 d, is especially intriguing.\n\n“GJ 357 d is located within the outer edge of its star’s habitable zone, where it receives about the same amount of stellar energy from its star as Mars does from the Sun,” said co-author Diana Kossakowski at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Heidelberg, Germany. “If the planet has a dense atmosphere, which will take future studies to determine, it could trap enough heat to warm the planet and allow liquid water on its surface.”\n\nWithout an atmosphere, it has an equilibrium temperature of -64 F (-53 C), which would make the planet seem more glacial than habitable. The planet weighs at least 6.1 times Earth’s mass, and orbits the star every 55.7 days at a range about 20% of Earth’s distance from the Sun. The planet’s size and composition are unknown, but a rocky world with this mass would range from about one to two times Earth’s size.\n\nEven through TESS monitored the star for about a month, Luque’s team predicts any transit would have occurred outside the TESS observing window.\n\nGJ 357 c, the middle planet, has a mass at least 3.4 times Earth’s, orbits the star every 9.1 days at a distance a bit more than twice that of the transiting planet, and has an equilibrium temperature around 260 F (127 C). TESS did not observe transits from this planet, which suggests its orbit is slightly tilted — perhaps by less than 1 degree — relative to the hot Earth’s orbit, so it never passes across the star from our perspective.\n\nTo confirm the presence of GJ 357 b and discover its neighbors, Luque and his colleagues turned to existing ground-based measurements of the star’s radial velocity, or the speed of its motion along our line of sight. An orbiting planet produces a gravitational tug on its star, which results in a small reflex motion that astronomers can detect through tiny color changes in the starlight. Astronomers have searched for planets around bright stars using radial velocity data for decades, and they often make these lengthy, precise observations publicly available for use by other astronomers.\n\nLuque’s team examined ground-based data stretching back to 1998 from the European Southern Observatory and the Las Campanas Observatory in Chile, the W.M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii, and the Calar Alto Observatory in Spain, among many others.\n\nA paper describing the findings was published on Wednesday, July 31, in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics and is available online.\n\nTESS is a NASA Astrophysics Explorer mission led and operated by MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and managed by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. Additional partners include Northrop Grumman, based in Falls Church, Virginia; NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley; the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts; MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory; and the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore. More than a dozen universities, research institutes and observatories worldwide are participants in the mission.", "NASA has discovered the first ever nearby Super Earth which may have conditions capable of supporting alien life.\n\nNASA scientists revealed the findings from the massive planet spotting telescope which found three new planets. The most interested is GJ 357d, which orbits a star around 31 light years away in the so-called habitable zone. Habitable zones are areas of space around a star which are far enough way that's not too hot, but close enough so it's not too cold. It is possible for liquid water to exist on the surface of a planet if it is rocky in the habitable zone. However, scientists admit further research is needed to work out whether GJ 357 d's atmosphere is dense and warm enough to host liquid water.\n\n“This is exciting, as this is humanity's first nearby super-Earth that could harbour life ” \"GJ 357 d is located within the outer edge of its star's habitable zone, where it receives about the same amount of stellar energy from its star as Mars does from the Sun,\" said Diana Kossakowski, from the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Heidelberg, who co-authored the paper in Astronomy & Astrophysics. \"If the planet has a dense atmosphere, which will take future studies to determine, it could trap enough heat to warm the planet and allow liquid water on its surface.\" Lisa Kaltenegger, a professor of astronomy at Cornell University who published a separate paper in the Astrophysical Journal Letters, suggests the planet could harbour life. \"This is exciting, as this is humanity's first nearby super-Earth that could harbour life – uncovered with help from Tess, our small, mighty mission with a huge reach,\" she said. \"With a thick atmosphere, the planet GJ 357 d could maintain liquid water on its surface like Earth and we could pick out signs of life with upcoming telescopes soon to be online.\"\n\nGJ 357 d orbits its star every 55.7 days at a range of about 20% of Earth's distance from the sun, it is claimed. The three planets orbit a star known as GJ 357, an M-type dwarf, which is around 40% cooler than our own sun and about a third of its mass and size. Tess (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) – Nasatechnology used to discover exoplanets beyond our solar system – noticed the star dimming slightly every 3.9 days in February, a hint that planets were circulating around it. The nearest of the three planets, GJ 357 b, is around 22% larger than Earth, orbiting its star 11 times closer than Mercury does to the sun.\n\n\"We describe GJ 357 b as a 'hot Earth',\" said Enric Palle, an astrophysicist at the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands. \"Although it cannot host life, it is noteworthy as the third-nearest transiting exoplanet known to date and one of the best rocky planets we have for measuring the composition of any atmosphere it may possess.\" The middle planet, GJ 357 c, has a mass at least 3.4 times Earth's, and orbits around its star every 9.1 days. Scientists are constantly scanning the skies to find any sign of another planet which may support life.", "A planet just 31 light years from Earth is ‘potentially habitable,’ according to a new study.\n\nThe ‘Super-Earth’ planet was discovered by NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), a mission designed to look for worlds that could harbour life.\n\nAnd astronomers said they will be soon be able to monitor the planet, called GJ 357 d, for any signs of alien lifeforms.\n\nTeam leader Dr Lisa Kaltenegger said: “This is exciting, as this is humanity’s first nearby super-Earth that could harbour life.”\n\nAs the super-Earth exoplanet is more massive than our own blue planet, she said the discovery will provide insight into Earth’s heavyweight planetary cousins.\n\nDr Kaltenegger, Associate Professor of astronomy and director of Cornell’s Carl Sagan Institute in the US, said: “With a thick atmosphere, the planet GJ 357 d could maintain liquid water on its surface like Earth and we could pick out signs of life with upcoming telescopes soon to be online.”\n\nAstronomers from the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands and the University of La Laguna in Spain announced the discovery of the system in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.\n\nThey showed that the distant solar system — with a diminutive M-type dwarf sun, about a third of the size of our own sun — harbours three planets, with one of those in that system’s habitable zone: GJ 357 d.\n\nLast February, the TESS satellite observed that the dwarf sun GJ 357 dimmed very slightly every 3.9 days, evidence of a transiting planet moving across the star’s face.\n\nThat planet was GJ 357 b, a so-called “hot Earth” about 22 per cent larger than Earth, according to the NASA Goddard Space Flight Centre, which guides TESS.\n\nFollow up observations from the ground led to the discovery of two more exoplanetary siblings: GJ 357 c and GJ 357 d.\n\nThe international team of scientists collected Earth-based telescopic data going back two decades – to reveal the newly found exoplanets’ tiny gravitational tugs on its host star, according to NASA.\n\nExoplanet GJ 357 c sizzles at 260 degrees Fahrenheit, and has at least 3.4 times Earth’s mass.\n\nBut experts say that the system’s outermost known sibling planet – GJ 357 d – could provide conditions just like on Earth and orbits the dwarf star every 55.7 days at a distance about 20 per cent of Earth’s distance from the Sun.\n\nIt is not yet known if the planet transits its sun.\n\nDr Kaltenegger and her team simulated light fingerprints, climates and remotely detectable spectra for the planet, which could range from a rocky composition to a water world.\n\nDoctoral candidate Jack Madden explained that investigating new discoveries provides an opportunity to test theories and models.\n\nMr Madden said: “We built the first models of what this new world could be like.”\n\nHe added: “Just knowing that liquid water can exist on the surface of this planet motivates scientists to find ways of detecting signs of life.”\n\nThe team’s findings were published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters.", "NASA's exoplanet-hunting telescope, the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), has made a number of monumental discoveries, spotting new worlds at an impressive rate. And with the first TESS science conference taking place at MIT this week, a handful of new discoveries are slowly coming to light, including its discovery of three planets hiding around a nearby star. Around an M-type dwarf known as GJ 357, researchers have spotted a new system of planets.\n\nOne in particular could be rather remarkable: A super-Earth, currently dubbed GJ 357 d, may have liquid water on its surface. At only 31 light-years away, in the constellation Hydra, it's a promising glimpse of another potentially habitable world.\n\nBut TESS didn't actually see this particular planet. Instead, TESS, which snaps images of the sky from space, located GJ 357 b, a \"hot Earth\" that practically hugs GJ 357. As a result, the surface temperature at GJ 357 b approaches 500 degrees Fahrenheit. That's not so great for life, as we know it, but it does provide researchers an opportunity to study its atmosphere because it's the third-closest exoplanet we've yet found.\n\nStudying data for GJ 357 b, scientists were able to discover two stars: GJ 357 c and GJ 357 d. The latter is notable because the research team responsible for its discovery note that it is in its star's Goldilocks zone, where temperatures are just right to allow for liquid water. However, it's much closer to its star than the Earth is to the sun and orbits once every 55.7 days.\n\n\"GJ 357 d is located within the outer edge of its star's habitable zone, where it receives about the same amount of stellar energy from its star as Mars does from the Sun,\" said co-author Diana Kossakowski, an astronomer at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, in a NASA press release. \"If the planet has a dense atmosphere, which will take future studies to determine, it could trap enough heat to warm the planet and allow liquid water on its surface.\"\n\nThat's still a big if, of course, and astronomers will need to take additional measurements to understand the composition of the planet's atmosphere. If you were hoping for aliens, you're probably better off heading to Area 51 (please don't do that).\n\nTESS had its robotic eyes peeled, looking for signs of GJ 357 d for a month, but researchers were not able to spot it using the telescope. Instead, they pored over decades-old data for signatures that confirmed its existence. The research, published in journal Astronomy and Astrophysics on July 9, details their findings and discusses GJ 357 c -- a planet in the middle of b and d, that travels around GJ 357 every nine days.\n\nThe exoplanet-hunting TESS was launched in April 2018, and its mission was extended through to 2022 in July.\n\nWhat will the moon look like in 50 years?: A scientific outpost, a graveyard, a stepping stone to Mars. It all starts with the moon. I lived like a moon astronaut for the day: Preparing for life on the moon or Mars here on Earth is serious business."], "summary": "Astronomers from the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy announce the discovery of red dwarf star GJ 357 and its three confirmed exoplanets in the Hydra constellation, one of which (GJ 357 d) is highly likely to be a super-Earth planet located in the system's circumstellar habitable zone where life can exist. The discovery was made using NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS)."}
{"document": ["Security forces inspect the site of a deadly attack in Aden, Yemen, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2019. Yemen’s rebels fired a ballistic missile at a military parade Thursday in the southern port city of Aden as coordinated suicide bombings targeted a police station in another part of the city. The attacks killed over 50 people and wounded dozens. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)\n\nSANAA, Yemen (AP) — Al-Qaida militants targeted a military camp in Yemen’s southern Abyan province, killing at least 20 troops and setting off hours-long clashes that lasted into early morning Friday, Yemeni officials and tribal leaders said.\n\nThe attack began around midnight, with militants firing rocket propelled grenades at the camp belonging to members of a Yemeni force trained by the United Arab Emirates, a member of the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthi rebels in Yemen since 2015.\n\nThe militants then overran the camp, seizing and confiscating equipment and weapons, before setting it on fire, according to the tribal leaders. There was no immediate claim of responsibility by al-Qaida but the officials said the attack bore all the hallmarks of the Sunni militant group.\n\nThe attack came a day after the main southern city of Aden was shaken by double attacks. The Houthi rebels fired a missile at a military parade of the same UAE-trained militia known as the Security Belt while suicide bombers blasted a police station in another of the city’s neighborhoods.\n\nAt least 51 people were killed in the double attacks — the deadliest day in Aden in nearly two years. The city has been the seat of Yemen’s internationally recognized government, which is at war with the Houthis.\n\nFor nearly four years, Yemen has been torn by the civil war between the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, based in the capital, Sanaa, to the north, and the government forces, backed by the Saudi-led coalition.\n\nIslamic militants — both Yemen’s al-Qaida branch and the Islamic State group’s affiliate — have exploited the chaos of the civil war to carry out bombings, shootings and assassinations in an effort to expand their footprints in Yemen, the Arab world’s most impoverished country.\n\nIn Thursday’s attacks in Aden, the Houthis announced they had fired a ballistic missile at the camp of the UAE-trained forces. That attack killed 40 troops.\n\nOn Friday, the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack on the Aden police station, which killed 11. In a statement posted on an IS-linked website, the group said it targeted “apostate” Yemeni officers loyal to the UAE and identified one of the suicide bombers involved in the attack.\n\nFollowing the deadly attack in Abyan, to the east of Aden, security officials said the UAE-trained force sent reinforcements to pursue militants who had ransacked the Security Belt’s camp.\n\nMeanwhile, Saudi-led forces launched airstrikes Friday on al-Qaida targets in the area.\n\nThe Yemeni officials and tribal leaders spoke on condition of anonymity, the officials because they were not authorized to talk to reporters and the tribal elders because they feared reprisals.\n\nAssociated Press writers Noha ElHennawy and Maamoun Youssef in Cairo contributed to this report.", "FILE – In this June 15, 2012, file photo, an al-Qaida logo is seen on a street sign in the town of Jaar in southern Abyan province, Yemen. Yemeni officials and tribal leaders say al-Qaida militants targeted a military camp in southern Abyan province with rocket propelled grenades and automatic rifles around midnight, setting off clashes that lasted until early morning on Friday, Aug. 2, 2019. Arabic on the logo reads: “There is no god but God,” and “Muhammad is the messenger of God.” (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed, File)\n\nSANAA, Yemen (AP) — Al-Qaida militants targeted a military camp in Yemen’s southern Abyan province, killing at least 20 troops and setting off hours-long clashes that lasted into early morning Friday, Yemeni officials and tribal leaders said.\n\nThe attack began around midnight, with militants firing rocket propelled grenades at the camp belonging to members of a Yemeni force trained by the United Arab Emirates, a member of the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthi rebels in Yemen since 2015.\n\nThe militants then overran the camp, seizing and confiscating equipment and weapons, before setting it on fire, according to the tribal leaders. There was no immediate claim of responsibility by al-Qaida but the officials said the attack bore all the hallmarks of the Sunni militant group.\n\nThe attack came a day after the main southern city of Aden was shaken by double attacks. The Houthi rebels fired a missile at a military parade of the same UAE-trained militia known as the Security Belt while suicide bombers blasted a police station in another of the city’s neighborhoods.\n\nAt least 51 people were killed in the double attacks — the deadliest day in Aden in nearly two years. The city has been the seat of Yemen’s internationally recognized government, which is at war with the Houthis.\n\nFor nearly four years, Yemen has been torn by the civil war between the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, based in the capital, Sanaa, to the north, and the government forces, backed by the Saudi-led coalition.\n\nIslamic militants — both Yemen’s al-Qaida branch and the Islamic State group’s affiliate in the country — have exploited the chaos of the civil war to carry out bombings, shootings and assassinations in an effort to expand their footprints in Yemen, the Arab world’s most impoverished country.\n\nIn Thursday’s attacks in Aden, the Houthis announced they had fired a ballistic missile at the camp of the UAE-trained forces. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack on the police station.\n\nFollowing the deadly attack in Abyan, to the east of Aden, security officials said the UAE-trained force sent reinforcements to pursue militants who had ransacked the Security Belt’s camp.\n\nMeanwhile, Saudi-led forces launched airstrikes Friday on al-Qaida targets in the area.\n\nThe Yemeni officials and tribal leaders spoke on condition of anonymity, the officials because they were not authorized to talk to reporters and the tribal elders because they feared reprisals.", "Yemen officials: Al-Qaida kills at least 20 at military camp\n\nSANAA, Yemen (AP) — Yemeni officials and tribal leaders say al-Qaida militants targeted a military camp in southern Abyan province, killing at least 20 troops.\n\nThe militants attacked the camp with rocket propelled grenades and automatic rifles around midnight, setting off clashes that lasted until early morning on Friday. The troops targeted are members of a force trained by the United Arab Emirates, a member of the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthi rebels since 2015.\n\nThe officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not allowed to talk to reporters. The tribal leaders asked to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation.\n\nAl-Qaida's Yemen branch has exploited the chaos of Yemen's civil war. The attack came a day after Yemen's southern city of Aden was hit by double attacks that killed 51 people.", "Security forces inspect the site of a deadly attack in Aden, Yemen, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2019. Yemen’s rebels fired a ballistic missile at a military parade Thursday in the southern port city of Aden as coordinated suicide bombings targeted a police station in another part of the city. The attacks killed over 50 people and wounded dozens. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)\n\nSANAA, Yemen (AP) — Al-Qaida militants targeted a military camp in Yemen’s southern Abyan province, killing at least 20 troops and setting off hours-long clashes that lasted into early morning Friday, Yemeni officials and tribal leaders said.\n\nThe attack began around midnight, with militants firing rocket propelled grenades at the camp belonging to members of a Yemeni force trained by the United Arab Emirates, a member of the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthi rebels in Yemen since 2015.\n\nThe militants then overran the camp, seizing and confiscating equipment and weapons, before setting it on fire, according to the tribal leaders. There was no immediate claim of responsibility by al-Qaida but the officials said the attack bore all the hallmarks of the Sunni militant group.\n\nThe attack came a day after the main southern city of Aden was shaken by double attacks. The Houthi rebels fired a missile at a military parade of the same UAE-trained militia known as the Security Belt while suicide bombers blasted a police station in another of the city’s neighborhoods.\n\nAt least 51 people were killed in the double attacks — the deadliest day in Aden in nearly two years. The city has been the seat of Yemen’s internationally recognized government, which is at war with the Houthis.\n\nFor nearly four years, Yemen has been torn by the civil war between the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, based in the capital, Sanaa, to the north, and the government forces, backed by the Saudi-led coalition.\n\nIslamic militants — both Yemen’s al-Qaida branch and the Islamic State group’s affiliate — have exploited the chaos of the civil war to carry out bombings, shootings and assassinations in an effort to expand their footprints in Yemen, the Arab world’s most impoverished country.\n\nIn Thursday’s attacks in Aden, the Houthis announced they had fired a ballistic missile at the camp of the UAE-trained forces. That attack killed 40 troops.\n\nOn Friday, the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack on the Aden police station, which killed 11. In a statement posted on an IS-linked website, the group said it targeted “apostate” Yemeni officers loyal to the UAE and identified one of the suicide bombers involved in the attack.\n\nFollowing the deadly attack in Abyan, to the east of Aden, security officials said the UAE-trained force sent reinforcements to pursue militants who had ransacked the Security Belt’s camp.\n\nMeanwhile, Saudi-led forces launched airstrikes Friday on al-Qaida targets in the area.\n\nThe Yemeni officials and tribal leaders spoke on condition of anonymity, the officials because they were not authorized to talk to reporters and the tribal elders because they feared reprisals.\n\nAssociated Press writers Noha ElHennawy and Maamoun Youssef in Cairo contributed to this report.", "At least 40 killed in missile and drone attack on military parade in Yemen", "Yemen officials: Al-Qaida kills at least 20 at military camp\n\nSANAA, Yemen (AP) — Yemeni officials and tribal leaders say al-Qaida militants targeted a military camp in southern Abyan province, killing at least 20 troops.\n\nThe militants attacked the camp with rocket propelled grenades and automatic rifles around midnight, setting off clashes that lasted until early morning on Friday. The troops targeted are members of a force trained by the United Arab Emirates, a member of the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthi rebels since 2015.\n\nThe officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not allowed to talk to reporters. The tribal leaders asked to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation.\n\nAl-Qaida's Yemen branch has exploited the chaos of Yemen's civil war. The attack came a day after Yemen's southern city of Aden was hit by double attacks that killed 51 people.", "SANAA, Yemen (AP) — Al-Qaida militants targeted a military camp in Yemen's southern Abyan province, killing at least 20 troops and setting off hours-long clashes that lasted into early morning Friday, Yemeni officials and tribal leaders said.\n\nThe attack began around midnight, with militants firing rocket propelled grenades at the camp belonging to members of a Yemeni force trained by the United Arab Emirates, a member of the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthi rebels in Yemen since 2015.\n\nThe militants then overran the camp, seizing and confiscating equipment and weapons, before setting it on fire, according to the tribal leaders. There was no immediate claim of responsibility by al-Qaida but the officials said the attack bore all the hallmarks of the Sunni militant group.\n\nThe attack came a day after the main southern city of Aden was shaken by double attacks. The Houthi rebels fired a missile at a military parade of the same UAE-trained militia known as the Security Belt while suicide bombers blasted a police station in another of the city's neighborhoods.\n\nAt least 51 people were killed in the double attacks — the deadliest day in Aden in nearly two years. The city has been the seat of Yemen's internationally recognized government, which is at war with the Houthis.\n\nFor nearly four years, Yemen has been torn by the civil war between the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, based in the capital, Sanaa, to the north, and the government forces, backed by the Saudi-led coalition.\n\nIslamic militants — both Yemen's al-Qaida branch and the Islamic State group's affiliate — have exploited the chaos of the civil war to carry out bombings, shootings and assassinations in an effort to expand their footprints in Yemen, the Arab world's most impoverished country.\n\nIn Thursday's attacks in Aden, the Houthis announced they had fired a ballistic missile at the camp of the UAE-trained forces. That attack killed 40 troops.\n\nOn Friday, the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack on the Aden police station, which killed 11. In a statement posted on an IS-linked website, the group said it targeted \"apostate\" Yemeni officers loyal to the UAE and identified one of the suicide bombers involved in the attack.\n\nFollowing the deadly attack in Abyan, to the east of Aden, security officials said the UAE-trained force sent reinforcements to pursue militants who had ransacked the Security Belt's camp.\n\nMeanwhile, Saudi-led forces launched airstrikes Friday on al-Qaida targets in the area.\n\nThe Yemeni officials and tribal leaders spoke on condition of anonymity, the officials because they were not authorized to talk to reporters and the tribal elders because they feared reprisals.", "Security forces inspect the site of a deadly attack in Aden, Yemen, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2019. Yemen’s rebels fired a ballistic missile at a military parade Thursday in the southern port city of Aden as coordinated suicide bombings targeted a police station in another part of the city. The attacks killed over 50 people and wounded dozens. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)\n\nSANAA, Yemen (AP) — Al-Qaida militants targeted a military camp in Yemen’s southern Abyan province, killing at least 20 troops and setting off hours-long clashes that lasted into early morning Friday, Yemeni officials and tribal leaders said.\n\nThe attack began around midnight, with militants firing rocket propelled grenades at the camp belonging to members of a Yemeni force trained by the United Arab Emirates, a member of the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthi rebels in Yemen since 2015.\n\nThe militants then overran the camp, seizing and confiscating equipment and weapons, before setting it on fire, according to the tribal leaders. There was no immediate claim of responsibility by al-Qaida but the officials said the attack bore all the hallmarks of the Sunni militant group.\n\nThe attack came a day after the main southern city of Aden was shaken by double attacks. The Houthi rebels fired a missile at a military parade of the same UAE-trained militia known as the Security Belt while suicide bombers blasted a police station in another of the city’s neighborhoods.\n\nAt least 51 people were killed in the double attacks — the deadliest day in Aden in nearly two years. The city has been the seat of Yemen’s internationally recognized government, which is at war with the Houthis.\n\nFor nearly four years, Yemen has been torn by the civil war between the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, based in the capital, Sanaa, to the north, and the government forces, backed by the Saudi-led coalition.\n\nIslamic militants — both Yemen’s al-Qaida branch and the Islamic State group’s affiliate — have exploited the chaos of the civil war to carry out bombings, shootings and assassinations in an effort to expand their footprints in Yemen, the Arab world’s most impoverished country.\n\nIn Thursday’s attacks in Aden, the Houthis announced they had fired a ballistic missile at the camp of the UAE-trained forces. That attack killed 40 troops.\n\nOn Friday, the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack on the Aden police station, which killed 11. In a statement posted on an IS-linked website, the group said it targeted “apostate” Yemeni officers loyal to the UAE and identified one of the suicide bombers involved in the attack.\n\nFollowing the deadly attack in Abyan, to the east of Aden, security officials said the UAE-trained force sent reinforcements to pursue militants who had ransacked the Security Belt’s camp.\n\nMeanwhile, Saudi-led forces launched airstrikes Friday on al-Qaida targets in the area.\n\nThe Yemeni officials and tribal leaders spoke on condition of anonymity, the officials because they were not authorized to talk to reporters and the tribal elders because they feared reprisals.\n\nAssociated Press writers Noha ElHennawy and Maamoun Youssef in Cairo contributed to this report.", "Security forces inspect the site of a deadly attack in Aden, Yemen, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2019. Yemen’s rebels fired a ballistic missile at a military parade Thursday in the southern port city of Aden as coordinated suicide bombings targeted a police station in another part of the city. The attacks killed over 50 people and wounded dozens. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)\n\nSANAA, Yemen (AP) — Al-Qaida militants targeted a military camp in Yemen’s southern Abyan province, killing at least 20 troops and setting off hours-long clashes that lasted into early morning Friday, Yemeni officials and tribal leaders said.\n\nThe attack began around midnight, with militants firing rocket propelled grenades at the camp belonging to members of a Yemeni force trained by the United Arab Emirates, a member of the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthi rebels in Yemen since 2015.\n\nThe militants then overran the camp, seizing and confiscating equipment and weapons, before setting it on fire, according to the tribal leaders. There was no immediate claim of responsibility by al-Qaida but the officials said the attack bore all the hallmarks of the Sunni militant group.\n\nThe attack came a day after the main southern city of Aden was shaken by double attacks. The Houthi rebels fired a missile at a military parade of the same UAE-trained militia known as the Security Belt while suicide bombers blasted a police station in another of the city’s neighborhoods.\n\nAt least 51 people were killed in the double attacks — the deadliest day in Aden in nearly two years. The city has been the seat of Yemen’s internationally recognized government, which is at war with the Houthis.\n\nFor nearly four years, Yemen has been torn by the civil war between the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, based in the capital, Sanaa, to the north, and the government forces, backed by the Saudi-led coalition.\n\nIslamic militants — both Yemen’s al-Qaida branch and the Islamic State group’s affiliate — have exploited the chaos of the civil war to carry out bombings, shootings and assassinations in an effort to expand their footprints in Yemen, the Arab world’s most impoverished country.\n\nIn Thursday’s attacks in Aden, the Houthis announced they had fired a ballistic missile at the camp of the UAE-trained forces. That attack killed 40 troops.\n\nOn Friday, the Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack on the Aden police station, which killed 11. In a statement posted on an IS-linked website, the group said it targeted “apostate” Yemeni officers loyal to the UAE and identified one of the suicide bombers involved in the attack.\n\nFollowing the deadly attack in Abyan, to the east of Aden, security officials said the UAE-trained force sent reinforcements to pursue militants who had ransacked the Security Belt’s camp.\n\nMeanwhile, Saudi-led forces launched airstrikes Friday on al-Qaida targets in the area.\n\nThe Yemeni officials and tribal leaders spoke on condition of anonymity, the officials because they were not authorized to talk to reporters and the tribal elders because they feared reprisals.\n\nAssociated Press writers Noha ElHennawy and Maamoun Youssef in Cairo contributed to this report.", "Yemen officials, tribal leaders say al-Qaida attack on military camp in southern Abyan province kills at least 20 troops\n\nSANAA, Yemen (AP) — Yemen officials, tribal leaders say al-Qaida attack on military camp in southern Abyan province kills at least 20 troops."], "summary": "At least 19 Yemeni soldiers are killed by an Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula attack on a military camp in Abyan, Yemen."}
{"document": ["At least four people were injured on Friday when several small bombs went off in the Thai capital, Bangkok, during the morning rush hour, police said.\n\nThe explosions sounded as the city hosted a regional security meeting of foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), along with representatives from the United States, China and Russia.\n\nOne blast hit the city's Suanluang district, a short distance from the international airport.\n\n\"Three people received slight injuries from shrapnel,\" local official Renu Suesattaya told the Agence France-Presse news agency.\n\nSuesattaya, director of the Suanluang region, said: \"I received a report that they are pingpong bombs hidden in bushes by the road.\"\n\n\"Pingpong bombs\" are called as such due to their size.\n\nRead more: Thai opposition leader Thanathorn defiant after losing out in PM vote\n\nGovernment and business districts hit\n\nAt least three other bombs detonated in the area around a government complex hosting several ministries on the northern side of the city.\n\nThai media reported two further blasts near a Skytrain station in the city's Silom business district, including one close to a famous downtown skyscraper.\n\nThe Thai government has told the public not to panic following six small explosions in Bangkok\n\nEyewitnesses said a security guard was hurt close to the 77-story King Power Mahanakhon building. Police cordoned off nearby streets and conducted a full search of the area.\n\nThere were unconfirmed reports of several other devices being found across the city. Police said one small explosive was recovered before it blew up.\n\nRead more: Thailand's ruling powers 'increasingly paranoid' about social media: Pravit Rojanaphruk\n\nTwo arrests\n\nTwo men were reported arrested, though it is unclear what their connection to the bombings may be.\n\nThe men were detained after wires and ball bearings were found in an inactive device outside police headquarters. Thai authorities confirmed the discovery was linked to the attacks. However, later information available to DW showed the men had no discernable connection to the attack.\n\nPolice head Jakthip Chaijinda said the men originated from the Muslim-majority region bordering Malaysia which is in the midst of a 15-year insurgency that has resulted in nearly 7,000 deaths.\n\nHowever, the superintendent said it was \"too early\" to establish a distinct connection to the rebellion.\n\nPrime minister orders probe\n\nThai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha immediately ordered an investigation into the blasts.\n\n\"I would like to condemn those causing a situation which destroys peace and damages the country's image. I have instructed officials to take care of public safety and those affected promptly,\" he said.\n\nThere was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blasts. Thailand has a long history of political violence linked to mass protests, coups and short-lived governments.\n\nBangkok was hit by a series of small bomb blasts in 2017 in opposition to Thailand's then-military junta. One man was jailed for planting a bomb that wounded 21 people at a hospital.\n\nUS Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and China's top diplomat Wang Yi are in the Thai capital on Friday to attend the regional security meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).\n\nWatch video 02:24 Share Drug smuggling along the Mekong Send Facebook google+ Whatsapp Tumblr linkedin stumble Digg reddit Newsvine Permalink https://p.dw.com/p/3L8tx Patrolling one of the world's most notorious drug routes\n\njsi, mm/aw (AFP, AP, Reuters)\n\nDW sends out a selection of the day's news and features. Sign up here.", "U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo attends the East Asia Summit meeting in Bangkok, Thailand, Friday, Aug. 2, 2019.\n\nU.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo attends the East Asia Summit meeting in Bangkok, Thailand, Friday, Aug. 2, 2019.", "Thai police officers securing an area after a suspicious object is found in Silom Road in Bangkok on Friday. The Thai capital is hosting a regional Asean summit attended by top diplomats.\n\nSIX small bomb blasts wounded at least four people in Bangkok on Friday, as the Thai capital hosted a South-east Asian security meeting with top diplomats from the United States, China and other world powers.\n\nPrime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha ordered an investigation into the bombs, a blow to Thailand's image during the high profile event and barely two weeks after his former military junta transformed into a civilian government.\n\nIn a message to the public, Mr Prayut said: \"A group of ill-intended people have recently incited violence while the government is propelling the country forward\". He did not identify the group, but urged Thais to cooperate with security forces. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.\n\nThe first small explosions were heard during rush hour, just before 9am Bangkok time, at two sites in central Bangkok. Further blasts hit a government complex hosting several ministries in the north of the city.\n\nFour people were wounded, the Erawan Medical Center said. Three of those hurt were women cleaning the street when what police called a \"ping-pong bomb\" went off. Pictures on local websites showed them looking dazed and getting treatment from medics.\n\nThe other casualty was near the 77-storey King Power Mahanakhon building, one of the tallest in Bangkok. Police Colonel Kamtorn Uicharoen told Reuters a total of six bombs exploded. One was recovered before it went off. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. None of Friday's blasts were very close to the regional security meeting venue. China's top diplomat Wang Yi and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo are attending the forum.\n\nAt the summit, talks on the second draft of a maritime code of conduct in the South China Sea between China and South-east Asian countries are due to begin in October, a senior Thai government official told reporters on Friday. Speaking on the sidelines of the regional forum in Bangkok, Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Arthayudh Srisamoot said the two sides would delve into the specifics of the long-awaited pact after agreeing to the \"basic principles\". The conclusion of the preliminary reading was confirmed earlier this week. BLOOMBERG, REUTERS", "Several small bomb blasts have been reported in Bangkok, and Thailand's prime minister has ordered an investigation\n\nBANGKOK (AP) — Several small bomb blasts have been reported in Bangkok, and Thailand's prime minister has ordered an investigation.", "U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo walks to hold a press conference during Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and affiliated meetings in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2019. (AP Photo/Gemunu Amarasinghe)\n\nBANGKOK (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says the Trump administration is ready to resume talks with North Korea now, although he regrets a meeting between the two sides is unlikely at an Asian security conference this week in Bangkok.\n\nPompeo says he and his chief negotiator had hoped to meet with a senior North Korean official while in the Thai capital for the annual Association of Southeast Asian Nations Regional Forum. But he said Thursday that it looked like they would not have the opportunity to do so in Bangkok.\n\nDespite the apparent stand-up by the North, Pompeo said he is “optimistic” that a new round of working level talks will resume soon. His comments come even after the North announced progress in missile tests conducted over the past week.", "Six small bomb blasts wounded at least four people in Bangkok on August 2, as the Thai capital hosted a Southeast Asian security meeting with top diplomats from the United States, China and other world powers.\n\nPrime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha ordered an investigation into the bombs, a blow to Thailand's image during the high profile event and barely two weeks after his former military junta transformed into a civilian government.\n\nThe first small explosions were heard during rush hour, just before 9 a.m. (0200 GMT), at two sites in central Bangkok. Further blasts hit a government complex hosting several ministries in the north of the city.\n\nFour people were wounded, the Erawan Medical Center said.\n\nThree of those hurt were women cleaning the street when what police called a \"ping-pong bomb\" went off. Pictures on local websites showed them looking dazed and getting treatment from medics.\n\nThe other casualty was near the 77-storey King Power Mahanakhon building, one of the tallest in Bangkok. Police Colonel Kamtorn Uicharoen told Reuters a total of six bombs exploded. One was recovered before it blew up.\n\n\"My ears were ringing. The sound was so loud,\" said motorcycle taxi driver Chokechai Prasongsan, 48.\n\nThere was no immediate claim of responsibility.\n\n\"I would like to condemn those causing the situation which destroys peace and damages the country's image,\" Thailand's prime minister Prayuth said on Twitter.\n\nIn a message to the public, Prayuth said: \"A group of ill-intended people have recently incited violence while the government is propelling the country forward\".\n\nHe did not identify the group, but urged Thais to cooperate with security forces.\n\nNone of Friday blasts were very close to the regional security meeting venue. China's top diplomat Wang Yi and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo are attending the forum.\n\nBangkok was last hit by a series of small bomb blasts in 2017. One man, a junta opponent, was jailed for planting a bomb that wounded 21 people at a hospital.\n\nThe city's worst bombing was in 2015 when 20 people were killed in an attack for which two Chinese ethnic Uighur men were arrested.\n\nA low level insurgency in the largely Malay Muslim provinces of Thailand's far south has left nearly 7,000 people dead since 2004, but violence largely been confined to that region.\n\nBangkok is currently hosting a regional security meeting of foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and their counterparts from world powers including the United States, China and Russia.\n\nThai foreign ministry official Arthayudh Srisamoot said the blasts had no impact at the summit. Two fake bombs were discovered nearby on Thursday and police said two people had been arrested in connection with planting them.\n\nThe bombs rattled the Thai capital, ranked the world's most visited city by Mastercard last year. The busy Sala Daeng metro station was shut temporarily over a false alarm.\n\n\"It has created a climate of terror and in turn it will pile more pressure on the new government and end their honeymoon period,\" said Panitan Wattanayagorn, a political analyst at Chulalongkorn University.\n\nPrayuth, who first took power in a 2014 coup, has headed a civilian cabinet since mid-July following an election in March that his opponents said was managed to ensure the generals kept power. The most senior cabinet members all served in the junta.\n\nPrayuth nonetheless won strong support from the United States on Friday, with Pompeo telling an event in Bangkok: \"We commend our Thai friends for returning to the democratic fold\". Subscribe to Moneycontrol Pro and gain access to curated markets data, exclusive trading recommendations, independent equity analysis, actionable investment ideas, nuanced takes on macro, corporate and policy actions, practical insights from market gurus and much more.", "Six bomb blasts hit Bangkok early Friday, injuring at least four people, as Thailand was hosting a high-level meeting attended by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and his counterparts from China and other Asia-Pacific countries.\n\nThe devices were found or detonated in at least six different locations, including two bombs at stations of the capital’s elevated Skytrain rail system.\n\nOther locations include a government complex on the outskirts of the city, and near the offices of a company associated with supporters of the current Thai government.\n\nOfficials say no one was seriously hurt by the explosions. Among the injured were three women cleaning the streets, while a fourth person was wounded after an explosion at one of Bangkok's tallest buildings, the 77-story King Power Mahanakhon building.\n\nThai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha ordered an investigation into the bombings and urged the public not to panic.\n\n“A group of ill-intended people have recently incited violence while the government is propelling the country forward,” Prayuth’s office said in a statement.\n\n“I would like to condemn those causing the situation which destroys peace and damages the country's image,” he also wrote in a tweet.\n\nThe bombings come as Thailand is hosting this week the annual meeting of foreign ministers of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), though none of the blasts disrupted the proceedings.\n\nDeputy Prime Minister Prawit Wongsuwan was asked by the media whether the bombing could be related to the junta’s recent relinquishing of power as Thailand only recently ended five years of military rule following a 2014 coup, though he said “I don’t know either, let authorities investigate first.”\n\nCLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP\n\nThis isn’t the first time violence occurred as Thailand was hosting an ASEAN event. In 2009, supporters of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra – the main rivals of the current prime minister – stormed a hotel in the resort city of Pattaya, where an ASEAN meeting was taking place, in a bid to force out a government of their opponents. The ASEAN leaders were forced to flee, some by helicopter, and the summit canceled.\n\nAuthorities said Thursday that they found two fake bombs outside their headquarters in central Bangkok near the venue of the current meeting of ASEAN foreign ministers. Two men were arrested in connection with the incident.\n\nThe Associated Press contributed to this report.", "At least two people have been hurt in the three explosions across the city. The blasts were heard around 8.30am local time. Thai police said they were investigating the cause of the explosions.\n\nA senior police officer said two street cleaners were injured by what appeared to have been a homemade bomb in the Suan Luang district.\n\nThere were reportedly two explosions at the BTS Chong Nonsi station and one in Phra Ram 9 road and one at the government's Changwattana building.\n\nSome of the blasts were heard at a government office and others near at least two other sites near central Bangkok.\n\nBangkok bomb: Explosions went off during rush hour in Thailand\n\nBangkok explosions: Thai police said they were investigating the cause of the explosions\n\nColonel Kritsana Pattanacharoen, deputy spokesman from the Royal Thai Police, said: \"We found a tube used for snacks but inside there was nothing that could cause an explosion.\n\n\"The suspect might only wanted to have caused panic.\n\n\"There was a small amount of ball bearings in both boxes. There were two boxes in different places and both were in front of the police department.”\n\nOn Thursday, Thai police said they had found two fake bombs on Thursday near the venue of the regional security meeting.\n\nThe packages prompted a brief security scare but were quickly deemed harmless. It was unclear whether the meeting was the target.\n\nPolice said two men had been arrested in connection with the fake bombs.\n\nBangkok is currently hosting a regional security meeting of foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and their counterparts from world powers including the United States, China and Russia.\n\nChina’s top diplomat Wang Yi and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo are attending the forum along with other regional and global officials.\n\nA shaken motorcycle taxi rider described the terrifying moment a bomb exploded in Bangkok - outside a building owned by Leicester City's King Power.\n\nMongkol Hanchai, 35, was at the BTS Nong Chonsi station when the first explosion happened - he then saw the second blast and felt a \"shock wave\" hit him.\n\nThe first blast happened on the sky train platform followed by the another at 8:30am next to the King Power MahaNakhon building, owned by the same company that runs Leicester City FC.\n\nPolice in Thailand said at least six bombs detonated at strategic locations around the city injuring several people.", "BANGKOK (Reuters) - Six bomb blasts wounded at least four people at three sites in Bangkok on Friday, as the Thai capital hosted a Southeast Asian security meeting with top diplomats from the United States, China and other world powers.\n\nThe first small explosions were heard during rush hour, just before 9 a.m. (0200 GMT) at two sites near central Bangkok. A third blast was heard shortly afterwards at a government complex hosting several ministries on the northern side of the city.\n\nFour people were wounded, the Erawan Medical Center said. It added that “none are serious and all are receiving medical attention at hospitals.”\n\nThree of those hurt were women cleaning the street when a bomb went off. Pictures on local websites showed them looking dazed and getting treatment from medics. One was seen being loaded into an ambulance.\n\nThe other casualty was from a device that exploded near the 77-storey King Power Mahanakhon building, one of the tallest in the city. Police Colonel Kamtorn Uicharoen told Reuters a total of six bombs exploded. One was recovered before it blew up.\n\nThere was no immediate claim of responsibility.\n\n“I would like to condemn those causing the situation which destroys peace and damages the country’s image,” Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said on Twitter.\n\n“I have instructed officials to take care of public safety and those affected promptly.”\n\nBangkok is currently hosting a regional security meeting of foreign ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and their counterparts from world powers including the United States, China and Russia.\n\nNone of the Friday blasts were very close to the meeting venue.\n\nOn Thursday, Thai police said they had found two fake bombs near the venue of the regional meeting. The packages prompted a brief security scare but were quickly deemed harmless. It was unclear whether the meeting was the target.\n\nPolice said two men had been arrested in connection with the fake bombs.\n\nChina’s top diplomat Wang Yi and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo are attending the forum along with other regional and global officials.\n\nBangkok was last hit by a series of small bomb blasts in 2017. One man was jailed for planting a bomb that wounded 21 people at a hospital. He was an opponent of the then-military junta, which was led by current prime minister Prayuth.", "Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is in Thailand for an ASEAN summit that comes just hours after North Korea’s latest ballistic missile test, the second launch by Pyongyang in less than a week.\n\nPompeo will host a U.S.-ASEAN meeting Thursday with his counterparts in Bangkok, saying many of them share a vision for security, peace and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific. He will also deliver a speech on U.S. economic engagement in the region.\n\nOn the way to Thailand, Pompeo was asked when U.S. talks with North Korean officials will resume.\n\n“There’s been a little bit of preliminary work to be done. I never want to set a date, [but] I hope before too long, we will have Special Representative [Stephen] Biegun sitting with what I think will be a new counterpart from North Korea.”\n\nThe State Department has confirmed that Biegun will be part of the U.S. delegation in Bangkok.\n\nIn the past, the annual ASEAN security meeting was used as an opportunity for talks between U.S. and North Korean officials, but North Korea has signaled that its top diplomat may not attend this year.\n\nPompeo said he will be meeting with his Chinese counterpart, and that they would talk about a whole range of issues. The bilateral talks with China come as U.S.-China trade talks resume, and as China raises tensions in the region by claiming large swaths of the South China Sea.\n\nWhen asked about countries in Southeast Asia turning to China, Pompeo told reporters the premise was mistaken. To suggest they are “vassal states” in the “clutches of China” was wrong, he said. “They are looking for partners,” he said of countries in the region. “It’s not about luring them back.”\n\nWhen asked about what his message would be on the protests in Hong Kong, Pompeo said, “With respect to Hong Kong, this is the people of Hong Kong asking their government to listen to them. So, it’s always appropriate for every government to listen to their people.”\n\nSpeaking to reporters on the plane, Pompeo was also asked to clarify the U.S. plan for withdrawing its troops from Afghanistan.\n\nPompeo said there was no deadline but that the U.S. will reduce its operational footprint in Afghanistan as soon as conditions on the ground permit, because the U.S. also has to make sure there is no terrorism coming from Afghanistan."], "summary": "Multiple bomb blasts hit Bangkok, Thailand, as United States Secretary of State Mike Pompeo attends a regional security summit. At least four people are injured."}
{"document": ["Washington (CNN) The United States formally withdrew from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty with Russia Friday, as the US military prepares to test a new non-nuclear mobile-launched cruise missile developed specifically to challenge Moscow in Europe, according to a senior US defense official.\n\nThe US withdrawal puts an end to a landmark arms control pact that has limited the development of ground-based missiles with a range of 500 to 5,500 kilometers and is sparking fears of a new arms race.\n\n\"Russia is solely responsible for the treaty's demise,\" Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement Friday announcing the US' formal withdrawal from the Cold-War era nuclear treaty.\n\nPompeo said, \"Russia failed to return to full and verified compliance through the destruction of its noncompliant missile system.\"\n\n'A bad day'\n\n\"The fact that we don't have the INF Treaty anymore, the fact that the Russians over the years have deployed new missiles, which can reach European cities within minutes, which are hard to detect, are mobile and are nuclear capable, and therefore reduce the threshold of any potential use of nuclear weapons in an armed conflict -- of course that's a bad day for all of us who believe in arms control and stability in Europe,\" Stoltenberg said.\n\n\"At the same time, NATO is there to protect all our allies and we will take the necessary measures to retain credible defense,\" he added.\n\nThe new US missile test, which CNN reported Thursday , is expected to take place in the next few weeks and will essentially be the Trump administration's answer to Russia's years-long non-compliance with the INF treaty, the senior US defense official said.\n\nA senior administration official told reporters that the US will be testing the cruise missiles that were forbidden by the INF treaty because \"Russia cannot maintain military advantage,\" but claimed that it will take years for the US to deploy those weapons.\n\nDeployment\n\n\"We are literally years away before we would be at a point where we would talk about basing of any particular capability. Because of our steadfast adherence to the treaty over 32 years, we are barely, after almost a year, at a point where we are contemplating initial flight tests,\" explained the senior administration official, noting that the US would only look at deploying conventional weapons, not nuclear weapons.\n\nBut the Pentagon said in March that this ground launched missile could be ready for deployment within 18 months. The administration's budget request for fiscal year 2020, released in February, included $96 million for continued research and development on INF range missile systems.\n\nAnd arms control experts say it's not difficult to convert existing air- or sea-based systems into the ground-based missile the Pentagon plans to test. \"It is not a significant engineering task,\" said Jon Wolfsthal, director of the Nuclear Crisis Group and a former nuclear expert for the National Security Council under the Obama administration. \"It's well within the capability of major defense contractors and the army to pull off.\"\n\nThe end of the INF pact leaves the US and Russia with just one nuclear arms agreement, the New START Treaty, which governs strategic nuclear weapons and delivery systems for each side. If New START isn't renewed or extended by 2021, the world's two largest nuclear powers would have no limits on their arsenals for the first time in decades.\n\nPresident Donald Trump's ambivalent comments about New START and national security advisor John Bolton's well-known dislike for arms control treaties have given rise to deep concern about a new nuclear arms race.\n\nUN Secretary General Antonio Guterres told reporters Thursday that the INF Treaty's expiry means \"the world will lose an invaluable brake on nuclear war. This will likely heighten, not reduce, the threat posed by ballistic missiles.\"\n\nHe urged the US and Russia to \"urgently seek agreement on a new common path for international arms control.\"\n\nRetired Gen. Wesley Clark, a former NATO supreme allied commander, said on CNN \"New Day\" that the termination of the treaty also marks \"one more ratchet up on the movement towards a more adversarial relationship with Russia.\"\n\nBut he added that the US \"really didn't have a choice\" because the treaty wasn't effective.\n\n'A competition with nuclear arms'\n\n\"We're going into a new competition, a military competition, including a competition with nuclear arms against development that Russia, and to some extent, China are making,\" Clark said. \"No one wants to do this. It's expensive, it's dangerous, but it's necessary if we're going to maintain our security in an uncertain world.\"\n\nThe Trump administration casts the forthcoming test of the new ground-based missiles as necessary to US national security, even as it seeks to tamp down any suggestion that the US is triggering an arms race, a claim that's met with skepticism in the arms control community.\n\nWhen asked if the US will commit to maintaining some kind of arms control despite this treaty being defunct, the official largely put the onus on Russia.\n\n\"I can't speak for the Russian federation so I can't promise that they will be amenable to additional arms control,\" the official said. \"I can only tell you that the US, from the President on down, is interested in finding an effective arms control solution.\"\n\nOn Friday, Russia said it is inviting the US and NATO to join them in declaring a moratorium on deployment of intermediate-range and shorter-range missiles.\n\n'Not credible'\n\n\"We invited the US and other NATO countries to assess the possibility of declaring the same moratorium on deploying intermediate-range and shorter-range equipment as we have, the same moratorium Vladimir Putin declared, saying that Russia will refrain from deploying these systems when we acquire them unless the American equipment is deployed in certain regions,\" Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said, Russian state news agency TASS reported.\n\nStoltenberg on Friday dismissed Russia's offer of a moratorium as \"not credible,\" because Russia has been deploying missiles for years.\n\n\"There is zero credibility in offering a moratorium on missiles they are already deploying,\" he said. \"There are no new US missiles, no new NATO missiles in Europe but there are more and more Russian missiles,\" Stoltenberg said in a press conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels.\n\nInternational allies, including the United Kingdom, emphasized their support for the US' move to withdraw from the INF treaty.\n\nNATO allies said in a statement that Russia remains in violation of the INF Treaty, \"despite years of U.S. and Allied engagement,\" adding that they fully support the US' decision.\n\nU.S. President Donald Trump and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg (L) talk to reporters in the Oval Office at the White House April 02, 2019 in Washington, DC.\n\nNATO added that over the past six months Russia had a \"final opportunity\" to honor the treaty but failed.\n\nUK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said Russia caused the INF Treaty collapse, tweeting , \"Their contempt for the rules based international system threatens European security.\"\n\nThe senior US defense official said that the US has long had evidence that Russia has developed, tested and fielded \"multiple battalions\" of non-INF compliant cruise and ballistic missiles. The US believes the deployments are \"militarily significant\" because the missiles are mobile, allowing Moscow to move them rapidly and making it difficult for the US to track them.\n\nThe Russian missiles use solid fuel, which also means they can be readied in a very short time frame to be fired at targets, especially in western Europe.\n\nAlexandra Bell, senior policy director at the non-partisan Center for Arms Control & Non-Proliferation, explains that \"with this type of missile there's very short warning, attacks are harder to spot by radar, so it's just more destabilizing. They made the situation in Europe more dangerous.\"\n\nRussian targets\n\nThe Pentagon has been working on the new missile system's very initial phases, which will lead to the first test in the coming weeks, the defense official said. The official emphasized there is no formal program yet to develop the missile, because the INF treaty has been in effect.\n\nThe US also has yet to formally discuss and commit to firm basing options, the defense official said. The concept, the official said, would be to position the missiles in militarily advantageous positions from which they could fire past Russian defenses and target ports, military bases or critical infrastructure.\n\nBut no NATO member \"has said it would be willing to host new US intermediate range missiles,\" Kingston Reif, director for disarmament and threat reduction policy at the Arms Control Association.\n\nIndeed, several NATO members, including Poland, have made clear that any deployment of the missiles in Europe would have to be approved by all NATO members. Stoltenberg has emphasized that NATO will respond to the end of the INF Treaty as an alliance and would not be amenable to US missile deployments on its border.\n\n\"What we will do will be measured, it will be coordinated as a NATO family, no bilateral arrangements, but NATO as an alliance,\" Stoltenberg said last month. \"We will not mirror what Russia is doing, meaning that we will not deploy missiles,\" the NATO chief said.", "(CNN) — The United States announced Friday it has formally withdrawn from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty with Moscow, putting an end to a landmark arms control pact that has limited the development of ground-based missiles with a range of 500 to 5,500 kilometers.\n\n“Russia is solely responsible for the treaty’s demise,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement Friday announcing the US’ formal withdrawal from the Cold-War era nuclear treaty.\n\nPompeo said “Russia failed to return to full and verified compliance through the destruction of its noncompliant missile system.”\n\nThe US initially announced in February that this would take place on August 2.\n\nNATO allies said in a statement that Russia remains in violation of the INF Treaty, “despite years of U.S. and Allied engagement”, adding that they fully support the US decision to withdraw.\n\nIt adds that over the past six months Russia had a “final opportunity” to honor the treaty but failed.", "WASHINGTON — The United States formally withdrew from a landmark nuclear missile pact with Russia on Friday after determining that Moscow was in violation of the treaty and had no plans to come into compliance with it.\n\nU.S. President Donald Trump made the determination that the United States would terminate adherence to the 1987 arms control accord, known as the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF), senior administration officials told reporters.\n\nThe treaty bans either side from stationing short- and intermediate-range, land-based missiles in Europe. Washington signaled its intention six months ago to pull out of the agreement if Russia made no move to adhere to it.\n\n“The United States will not remain party to a treaty that is deliberately violated by Russia,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement about the U.S. withdrawal.\n\n“Russia’s noncompliance under the treaty jeopardizes U.S. supreme interests as Russia’s development and fielding of a treaty-violating missile system represents a direct threat to the United States and our allies and partners,” Pompeo said.\n\nThe senior administration officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Russia had deployed “multiple battalions” of a Russian cruise missile throughout Russia in violation of the pact, including in western Russia, “with the ability to strike critical European targets.”\n\nRussia denies the allegation, saying the missile’s range puts it outside the treaty, and has accused the United States of inventing a false pretext to exit a treaty Washington wants to leave anyway so it can develop new missiles. Russia has also rejected a U.S. demand to destroy the new missile.\n\nThe missile, the Novator 9M729, is known as the SSC-8 by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.\n\nThe INF treaty, negotiated by then-President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev and ratified by the U.S. Senate, eliminated the medium-range missile arsenals of the world’s two biggest nuclear powers and reduced their ability to launch a nuclear strike at short notice.\n\nThe treaty bans land-based missiles with a range between 310 and 3,400 miles (500-5,500 km).\n\nThe dispute is aggravating the worst U.S.-Russia friction since the Cold War ended in 1991. Some experts believe the treaty’s collapse could undermine other arms control agreements and speed an erosion of the global system designed to block the spread of nuclear arms.\n\nTrump has sought to improve U.S. relations with Russia after a chill during the tenure of his predecessor, Barack Obama. He and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone on Wednesday about Siberian wildfires and trade.\n\nArms control did not come up in the call, the officials said.\n\nEuropean officials have voiced concern that if the treaty collapses, Europe could again become an arena for nuclear-armed, intermediate-range missile buildups by the United States and Russia.\n\nThe officials said the United States was months away from the first flight tests of an American intermediate-range missile that would serve as a counter to the Russians. Any such deployment would be years away, they said.\n\n“We are just at the stage of looking at how we might further the development of conventional options,” one official said.\n\nTrump has said he would like to see a “next-generation” arms control deal with Russia and China to cover all types of nuclear weapons.\n\nHe has broached the topic individually with Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, including at the G20 summit in Osaka in June.\n\nChina is not a party to nuclear arms pacts between the United States and Russia and it is unclear how willing Beijing would be to be drawn into talks.\n\nChina’s Foreign Ministry has reiterated that the country had no interest in joining such talks.", "WASHINGTON — The United States announced Friday it has formally withdrawn from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty with Moscow, putting an end to a landmark arms control pact that has limited the development of ground-based missiles with a range of 500 to 5,500 kilometers.\n\n“Russia is solely responsible for the treaty’s demise,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement Friday announcing the US’ formal withdrawal from the Cold-War era nuclear treaty.\n\nPompeo said “Russia failed to return to full and verified compliance through the destruction of its noncompliant missile system.”\n\nThe Russian Foreign Ministry said Friday the termination of the treaty was at the initiative of Washington, Russian state news agency RIA-Novosti reported.\n\nThe US initially announced in February that this would take place on August 2.\n\nCNN reported Thursday that the US military is set to test a new non-nuclear mobile-launched cruise missile developed specifically to challenge Russia in Europe, according to a senior US defense official.\n\nThe test is expected to take place in the next few weeks and will essentially be the Trump administration’s answer to Russia’s years-long non-compliance with the INF treaty, the senior US defense official said.\n\nA senior administration official told reporters that the US will be testing the cruise missiles that were forbidden by the INF treaty because “Russia cannot maintain military advantage” but said that it will take years for the US to deploy those weapons.\n\n“We are literally years away before we would be at a point where we would talk about basing of any particular capability. Because of our steadfast adherence to the treaty over 32 years, we are barely, after almost a year, at a point where we are contemplating initial flight tests,” explained the senior administration official, noting that the US would only look at deploying conventional weapons, not nuclear weapons.\n\nMeanwhile, analysts fear the US test of the non-nuclear cruise missile will mark the start of a new arms race with Moscow.\n\nThe Trump administration casts the forthcoming testing of these missiles as necessary to US national security, seeking to tamp down any suggestion that the US is triggering an arms race.\n\nWhen asked if the US will commit to maintaining some kind of arms control despite this treaty being defunct, the official largely put the onus on Russia.\n\n“I can’t speak for the Russian federation so I can’t promise that they will be amenable to additional arms control,” the official said. “I can only tell you that the US, from the President on down, is interested in finding an effective arms control solution.”\n\nInternational allies, including the United Kingdom, emphasized their support for the move.\n\nNATO allies said in a statement that Russia remains in violation of the INF Treaty, “despite years of U.S. and Allied engagement,” adding that they fully support the US decision to withdraw.\n\nNATO added that over the past six months Russia had a “final opportunity” to honor the treaty but failed.\n\nUK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said Russia caused the INF treaty collapse, tweeting, “Their contempt for the rules based international system threatens European security.”", "Moscow: The United States on Friday formally abandoned the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty with Russia, a statement from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said, accusing Moscow of deliberately violating the Cold War-era arms pact.\n\n\"The US withdrawal... of the treaty takes effect today,\" Pompeo said on a visit to Bangkok for a regional summit.\n\n\"Russia is solely responsible for the treaty's demise.\"", "Aug. 2 (UPI) -- The United States has officially abandoned a Cold War-era nuclear weapons pact with Russia -- a groundbreaking agreement when it was brokered by former President Ronald Reagan -- because officials say Moscow broke the deal years ago and never came back.\n\nThe Trump administration said in February it was planning to leave the 1987 accord and gave Russia six months to return to compliance with the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty.\n\nThe treaty signed by Reagan and the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev prohibited intermediate-range land-based cruise and ballistic missiles.\n\n\"The U.S. gave Russia six months to return to compliance with the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty,\" Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted Friday. \"Russia refused, so the treaty ends today.\n\n\"The U.S. will not remain party to a treaty when others violate it. Russia bears sole responsibility.\"\n\nThe Russian foreign ministry acknowledged the INF treaty was dead.\n\n\"At the initiative of the American side, the operation of the treaty between the Soviet Union and the United States on the elimination of intermediate and shorter range missiles signed in Washington on December 8, 1987 was terminated,\" it said Friday.\n\nRussian President Vladimir Putin signed a law last month suspending Russia's participation in the deal.\n\nThe U.S. threat to withdraw followed disclosures by NATO that a new Russian missile system had violated the treaty. U.S. officials said Moscow also violated the deal in 2013 with its development of the 9M729 missile system.\n\nPutin, however, denies Russia has ever breached the arms agreement.\n\nThe last major arms deal between the two nations, the New START treaty, expires in two years.", "The United States announced its formal withdrawal from a cold-war era nuclear treaty with Russia Friday as the US military is set to test a new non-nuclear mobile-launched cruise missile developed specifically to challenge Russia in Europe, according to a senior US defense official.\n\nThe US withdrawal Friday from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty with Moscow puts an end to a landmark arms control pact that has limited the development of ground-based missiles with a range of 500 to 5,500 kilometers.\n\n“Russia is solely responsible for the treaty’s demise,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement Friday announcing the withdrawal. “Russia failed to return to full and verified compliance through the destruction of its noncompliant missile system.”\n\nMeanwhile, analysts fear the US test of the non-nuclear cruise missile will mark the start of a new arms race with Moscow.\n\nThe test is expected to take place in the next few weeks and will essentially be the Trump administration’s answer to Russia’s years-long non-compliance with the INF treaty, the senior US defense official said.\n\nRussia has been violating the treaty since the Obama administration; this year the Trump administration began taking steps to notify Russia and NATO that it would withdraw unless Moscow reversed course.\n\n“It’s been true now for two administrations, that Russia has been the one not in compliance with the treaty, not the United States,” Defense Secretary Mark Esper said recently. “We have held up our treaty obligations. And we’ve tried to work with them over the years to get them back into compliance, but it’s been to no good end.”\n\nUN Secretary General Antonio Guterres told reporters Thursday that the treaty’s expiry means “the world will lose an invaluable brake on nuclear war. This will likely heighten, not reduce, the threat posed by ballistic missiles.”\n\nHe urged the US and Russia to “urgently seek agreement on a new common path for international arms control.”\n\nOn February 1, Pompeo announced the US would suspend its INF treaty obligations effective February 2. The Trump administration also said at the time that the US would withdraw from the treaty in six months if Russia did not return to full compliance.\n\nIn the near term, the Pentagon’s planned test raises questions about whether it will be able to develop, then deploy the new missiles. Meanwhile, Russia’s potential proliferation of mobile, hard to detect and quick to launch missiles that can hit Europe, Asia and even parts of the US is expected to heighten tensions and risks.\n\nThe implications of the INF’s demise “are dramatic,” said Jon Wolfsthal, director of the Nuclear Crisis Group and a former nuclear expert for the National Security Council under the Obama administration.\n\n“Russia will continue to build and deploy intermediate range missiles that will significantly increase the risk to European allies, it will increase the risk of escalation with the United States,” Wolfsthal said, “and it will increase the threat that Russia can pose in East Asia to our allies and even to Alaska, because these missiles can be deployed in the Russian far east.”\n\nDown the road, analysts say the INF Treaty’s collapse leaves the world with just one agreement — the New START Treaty — in place to prevent the start of another Cold War-style arms race.\n\nThe US defense official said that the US has long had evidence that Russia has developed, tested and fielded “multiple battalions” of non-INF compliant cruise and ballistic missiles. The US believes the deployments are “militarily significant” because the missiles are mobile, allowing Moscow to move them rapidly and making it difficult for the US to track them.\n\nThe Russian missiles use solid fuel, which means they can be readied in a very short time frame to fire at targets, especially in western Europe.\n\nAlexandra Bell, senior policy director at the non-partisan Center for Arms Control & Non-Proliferation, explains that “with this type of missile there’s very short warning, attacks are harder to spot by radar, so it’s just more destabilizing. They made the situation in Europe more dangerous” before their elimination by the INF Treaty, she said.\n\nThe Pentagon has been working on the mobile launch system’s very initial phases, which will lead to the first test in the coming weeks, the defense official said. The official emphasized there is no formal program yet to develop the missile, because the INF Treaty has been in effect.\n\nThe expected test could eventually lead to a program, the official said, but there has been difficulty in getting funding secured because of some opposition from Democrats in Congress.\n\nThe administration’s budget request for fiscal year 2020, released in February, included $96 million for continued research and development on missiles with the ranges covered in the INF Treaty.\n\nKingston Reif, director for disarmament and threat reduction policy at the Arms Control Association, noted that in March, “the Pentagon said the plan was to test two non-INF compliant missiles later this year, after the US withdrew, the first being sometime in August.”\n\nThe Pentagon also said in March that this new ground-launched missile could be ready for deployment within 18 months.\n\nThe US will likely take a current air- or sea-launched cruise missile, such as a Tomahawk, and put it on a ground-based launcher, Reif said.\n\n“It is not a significant engineering task,” said Wolfsthal. “It’s well within the capability of major defense contractors and the Army to pull off.”\n\nIf the US were to proceed with developing a fully operational mobile cruise and ballistic missile system, a key unresolved question is where it would be deployed. “The hope,” Wolfsthal said, is to have “a system that can be rapidly deployed in Europe or Asia.”\n\nThe US has yet to formally discuss and commit to firm basing options, the senior defense official said. The concept, the official said, would be to position the missiles in militarily advantageous positions from which they could fire past Russian defenses and target the country’s ports, military bases or critical infrastructure.\n\n“Those missiles would need to be deployed in Europe to have meaningful strategic value,” said Reif, referring to NATO countries. But “no alliance member has to date come forward and said it would be willing to host new US intermediate range missiles,” he said.\n\nIndeed, several NATO members, including Poland, have made clear that any deployment of the missiles in Europe would have to be approved by all NATO members. Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has also emphasized that NATO will respond to the end of the INF Treaty as an alliance.\n\n“What we will do will be measured, it will be coordinated as a NATO family, no bilateral arrangements, but NATO as an alliance,” Stoltenberg said last month.\n\nReif said that any US “attempt to go around the alliance and establish a bilateral agreement with a NATO member would be a significant point of division within the alliance, one Russia would be eager to exploit.”\n\nStoltenberg also suggested the alliance would not be amenable to US missile deployments on its border. “We will not mirror what Russia is doing, meaning that we will not deploy missiles,” the NATO chief said.\n\nWhen NATO defense ministers met in late June and discussed the options to ensure the alliance’s security in a post-INF world, Stoltenberg said they are considering several possibilities, including additional military exercises to improve readiness, more reconnaissance abilities, air and missile defenses and conventional capabilities — without specifying which kinds.\n\n“Russia has said privately to me and others that if US would deploy such missiles in Europe, it would put Moscow in range … and Moscow would have to think about pre-emption” Wolfsthal said. “That doesn’t benefit European security, it only shortens the fuse to a conflict.”", "WASHINGTON/MOSCOW (Reuters) - The United States formally withdrew from a landmark 1987 nuclear missile pact with Russia on Friday after determining that Moscow was violating the treaty, an accusation the Kremlin has denied.\n\nWashington signaled it would pull out of the arms control treaty six months ago unless Moscow stuck to the accord. Russia called the move a ploy to exit a pact that the United States wanted to leave anyway in order to develop new missiles.\n\nPresident Donald Trump told reporters he would like to seal a new arms deal with Russia reducing all nuclear forces, and possibly with China as well.\n\n\"If we could get a pact where they reduce and we reduce nuclear, that would be a good thing for the world. I do believe that will happen,\" Trump said.\n\nThe Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) was negotiated by then-U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. It banned land-based missiles with a range of between 310 and 3,400 miles (500-5,500 km), reducing the ability of both countries to launch a nuclear strike on short notice.\n\nThe dispute is aggravating the worst U.S.-Russia friction since the Cold War ended in 1991. Some experts believe the treaty's collapse could undermine other arms control agreements and speed an erosion of the global system designed to block the spread of nuclear arms.\n\n\"The United States will not remain party to a treaty that is deliberately violated by Russia,\" Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement.\n\n\"Russia's non-compliance under the treaty jeopardizes U.S. supreme interests as Russia's development and fielding of a treaty-violating missile system represents a direct threat to the United States and our allies and partners,\" Pompeo said.\n\nSenior Trump administration officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Russia had deployed \"multiple battalions\" of a cruise missile throughout Russia in violation of the pact, including in western Russia, \"with the ability to strike critical European targets.\"\n\nRussia denies the allegation, saying the missile's range puts it outside the treaty. It rejected a U.S. demand to destroy the new missile, the Novator 9M729, known as the SSC-8 by the NATO Western military alliance.\n\nMoscow has told Washington the U.S. decision to quit the pact undermines global security and removes a key pillar of international arms control.\n\nChina's new ambassador to the United Nations, Zhang Jun, said China regrets that the United States is withdrawing from the treaty and expressed doubt about joining the United States and Russia in a nuclear deal.\n\n\"The United States is saying China should be a party in this disarmament agreement, but I think everybody knows that China is not at the same level with the United States and the Russian Federation,\" he said.\n\nRussia said on Friday it had asked the United States for a moratorium on the deployment of land-based short and intermediate-range nuclear missiles.\n\n\"A serious mistake has been made in Washington,\" Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.\n\n\"We have already introduced a unilateral moratorium and won't deploy land-based short or medium-range missiles, if we get them, in regions where such U.S. missiles are not deployed,\" it said.\n\nPresident Vladimir Putin has said Russia does not want an arms race and he has promised he would not deploy Russian missiles unless the United States does so first.\n\nHowever, should Washington take such a step, he has said he would be forced to deploy Russian hypersonic nuclear missiles on ships or submarines near U.S. territorial waters.\n\nNATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg dismissed Russia's moratorium request on Friday, saying it was \"not a credible offer\" as he said Moscow had already deployed illegal missiles.\n\n\"There are no new U.S. missiles, no new NATO missiles in Europe, but there are more and more new Russian missiles,\" he said.\n\n'WE DON'T WANT A NEW ARMS RACE'\n\nNATO said it had agreed a defensive package of measures to deter Russia. That response would be measured and would only involve conventional weapons, it said.\n\nNATO's Stoltenberg said there would be \"no rash moves\" by the alliance which he said \"would not mirror what Russia does.\"\n\n\"We don't want a new arms race,\" Stoltenberg said.\n\nNATO members Britain and Poland blamed Moscow for the treaty's demise.\n\n\"Their contempt for the rules-based international system threatens European security,\" British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said on Twitter.\n\nEuropean officials had voiced concern that if the treaty collapses, Europe could again become an arena for a nuclear-armed, intermediate-range missile buildup by the United States and Russia.\n\nU.S. officials said the United States was months away from the first flight tests of an American intermediate-range missile that would serve as a counter to the Russians. Any deployment would be years away, they said.\n\n\"We are just at the stage of looking at how we might further the development of conventional options,\" one official said.", "US President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the INF treaty becomes official on 2 August, six months after Washington announced its intention to suspend treaty obligations.\n\nOn Tuesday, US National Security Adviser John Bolton confirmed the United States would withdraw from the treaty on Friday.\n\nIn July, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree suspending Moscow's participation in the INF accord in a symmetric response to Washington’s decision.\n\nAs of early Thursday evening in Washington, the White House, the State Department and other US government agencies appeared ready to allow the INF treaty to die in silence, with no briefings or conference calls planned to discuss the official withdrawal, although the Trump administration is notorious for last minute calls.\n\nThe NATO alliance, however, appears ready to commemorate the moment. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is scheduled to hold a press briefing at the alliance’s headquarters in Brussels on Friday at around 6:00 a.m. EST (10:00 a.m. GMT) to discuss the issue.\n\nOn Wednesday, Stoltenberg said the alliance was prepared to respond in a \"measured\" way in the post-INF era. At the same time, the NATO chief called on Russia to return to compliance in order to save the treaty.\n\nHowever, Stoltenberg made no mention about any possible violations by the United States, abetted by NATO.\n\nThe Soviet Union and the United States signed the INF Treaty in 1987. The document became one of the most powerful parts of the current arms control structure and architecture. It requires the United States and Russia to eliminate all nuclear and conventional ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles with ranges of 500 to 5,500 kilometers (310 to 3,417 miles).\n\nHowever, both Moscow and Washington blamed each other for multiple violations of the treaty’s articles. US accused Russia in developing advanced ballistic and hypersonic delivery systems and modernizing its inventory.\n\nThe United States has been claiming that Russia allegedly tested and deployed the 9M729 ground-launched cruise missile, arguing it has a range of more than 500 kilometers, which contradicts the treaty. Russia has denied the allegations and said the US Aegis Ashore MK-41 defense system can be used to launch cruise missiles at prohibited ranges.\n\nRussia has denied the allegations and charged the United States for deploying of Aegis Ashore MK-41 defense systems which can be used to launch cruise missiles at ranges banned by the INF treaty.\n\nNicholas Troyan, a retired US Lt. Col. who inspected Russian sites in 1988-1992, said that it is disappointing the treaty has come to an end.\n\n\"It is a shame when countries like Russia and the United States who militarily are two most powerful countries in the world have disagreement on the INF Treaty\", Troyan said.\n\nHe said that with this treaty Russia and the United States were able to eliminate \"a particular class of weaponry\"\n\nTroyan, who was born in China in a family of Russian immigrants and moved to the United States in the 1950s, used his excellent Russian language skills inspecting 32 missile bases in Siberia.\n\n\"Our team had 10 people, even a commanding General flew with me sometimes, and he also met with his counterpart. It was a very important aspect\", he said.\n\nTime after time, the US military discovered some minor violations of the treaty but they were not too blatant.\n\n\"In 1990s, one of our teams inspected some Russian site and found MAZ-543 heavy truck designed for 9M729 ground-launched cruise missiles (SS-12 in US classification) swimming in the river\", Troyan recalled.\n\nIn compliance with the treaty, the Russian side cut off the tail sections of these trucks which made these vehicles unable to cross rivers. It emerged that the Russian military provided these trucks to local farmers (kolkhoz).\n\nUS experts prepared official reports but did not see bad intent from the Russian side, which apologized and promised to destroy inappropriate equipment.\n\nTroyan said he does not believe that it was special intent. He suggested that farmers might have been former military specialists and decided to use their vehicle in the river because of flooding or some other reason.\n\nThe Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) this week tried to make a last-ditch effort to persuade the administration against exiting the treaty.\n\nUCS Co-Director David Wright said in a statement that the Trump administration would threaten the security of the United States and its allies if it follows through with its promise to officially withdraw from the deal on Friday.\n\nGerman Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Thursday that Europe will lose part of its security with termination of the INF Treaty.\n\nIn June, former UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs Angela Kane said that the suspension of the INF Treaty could be a signal of conclusion of the era of bilateral arms control deals. It is time to think about engaging other nations in such agreements as well, she emphasized.\n\nSeveral US lawmakers expressed concerns about the future of strategic stability in light of the end of the INF.\n\n\"The withdrawal [from the INF] without a follow-on is the invitation for an arms race\", US Senate Foreign Relations Committee ranking member Bob Menendez told The Hill on Thursday. \"And Russia will clearly spend money on updating and amplifying its weapons systems. And the last thing we need is another arms race. So I’m hoping there can be some effort to move us in the right direction\".\n\nUS House Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith in the same report said that even if Russia violated the treaty, simply pulling out and sparking an arms race was not the answer.\n\nTroyan agreed that by accusing Russia of violations the United States may have been trying to find an \"excuse\" for withdrawing from the treaty and starting negotiations on a new and more comprehensive agreement.\n\n\"In my understanding, including other countries to the treaty was one of the key reasons that we [the United States] decided to abrogate it\", Troyan said.\n\nWashington may have been concerned, he added, about other states using short range missiles in the event of war.\n\n\"I think it is a shame, that we stop the INF Treaty, but from my point of view, one of the reason why the US stops it because China, Pakistan, India or any other country may have these weapons\", Troyan said.\n\nHaving these limits, the United States and Russia have to use much more powerful weapons instead of missiles prohibited by the INF Treaty, he added.\n\nTrump HAS repeatedly said that China should be a party of the new arms control treaty. However, Beijing did not show interest in such negotiations.\n\nTroyan, who served in the US military for 33 years, expressed the hope that the international community will be able to reach \"a lot of more treaties.\"\n\nHe emphasized that any kind of reduction of any weapons of mass destruction has nothing but positive for everybody concern.\n\nThe Treaty between the United States and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on the Elimination of Their Intermediate-Range and Shorter-Range Missiles, commonly referred to as the INF, was signed on 8 December 1987, in Washington by then General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union Mikhail Gorbachev and then US President Ronald Reagan. The treaty entered into force on 1 June 1988.\n\nSince the collapse of the Soviet Union, the United States and former USSR republics of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine were carrying out the obligations under the treaty.\n\nIn February, in an article for Russian newspaper Vedomosti, Gorbachev called on Washington to start a dialogue with Moscow over the future of the INF treaty or face the possible destabilization of the global strategic situation.", "US President Donald Trump has said he has been in talks with both Russia and China about a possible new nuclear treaty.\n\nMr Trump told reporters he believed a new arms control pact would be \"a great thing for the world\" after the US pulled out of the landmark Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) with Russia."], "summary": "The United States formally withdraws from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty with Russia."}
{"document": ["(Reuters) - Six family members including a 10-year-old child were found shot dead in Croatia’s capital Zagreb by a man who later appeared to have killed himself, police said on Friday.\n\nThe suspect committed suicide when confronted by police following a search that sealed off parts of the Croatian capital, Zagreb police chief Marko Rasic told a news conference.\n\nA firearm was found at the scene where the suspect, a 30-year-old taxi driver, had killed himself, Rasic said.\n\nThe bodies were found by police late on Thursday following a call from neighbors who had heard cries and shots at a house in the Zagreb neighborhood of Kajzerica, Rasic said. A seven-month-old baby was found unharmed at the house.\n\nLocal media reported that the suspect’s ex-wife and her partner were among the victims.\n\nZagreb mayor Milan Bandic said the killings were an isolated incident and that “there is no sign of ... terror threat in Zagreb.”", "A man shot dead six people, including a 10-year-old child, in the capital Zagreb, before killing himself, in what Croatian police identified Friday as domestic violence.\n\nPolice found the bodies late Thursday in a quiet neighborhood in Zagreb. In addition to the child, two men and three women were killed. A 7-month old baby was found unharmed.\n\nThe man suspected of the killings was subsequently chased and large parts of the Croatian capital sealed off, police added. He took his own life early Friday as he was about to be caught.\n\nCroatian media reported that the suspect's ex-wife and her partner were among the victims.\n\nHead of Zagreb police Marko Rasic identified the suspect as a 36-year-old taxi driver who had a child with one of the victims, the unharmed baby. He said the man had no criminal record and no incidents of domestic violence had previously been reported in connection with the family.\n\nSUSPECTED DRUG TRAFFICKERS CALL POLICE AFTER GETTING TRAPPED IN BELGIAN SHIPPING CONTAINER\n\n\"We haven't so far established a motive, a criminal investigation is underway,\" Rasic said.\n\nHe said that after the car chase, \"we asked him to surrender and he came out of the car and committed suicide.\"\n\nMedia said neighbors described hearing loud cries before the shots were fired.\n\nZagreb mayor, Milan Bandic, described the attack as an \"isolated incident\" and a \"domestic violence case\" as he sought to reassure the residents in the capital.\n\n\"There is no sign of any organized unrest or terror threat,\" Bandic said in a televised statement. \"Security is written in Zagreb with capital letters.\"\n\nCLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS APP\n\nSuch crimes are very rare in the generally quiet and safe Croatian capital.", "A MAN SUSPECTED of shooting six people dead in Zagreb took his own life today after police tried to arrest him, Croatian authorities have said.\n\nLocal media reported that the suspect was the former spouse of one of the victims, who was killed along with her partner and four members of her family, including a child.\n\nThe man died by suicide “during the arrest operation”, police confirmed in a brief statement.\n\nNeighbours raised the alarm late last night, police said, after hearing gunshots from the house in the Kajzerica area in the south of the capital.\n\nThe neighbourhood was sealed off and a manhunt launched.\n\nThe victims included “two men, three women and a child”, Zagreb police chief Marko Rasic told reporters.\n\nAnother child found at the same house was unharmed, he added.", "Zagreb, 2 August 2019 (dpa/MIA) – A man who shot and killed six people in a Zagreb family home committed suicide when police tried to arrest him, Croatian authorities said early Friday.\n\nThe victims – three women, two men and a 10-year-old child – were found Thursday night after emergency calls reporting gunfire. Only a 7-month-old baby was left alive and uninjured in the house, state broadcaster HRT reported quoting police spokesman Marko Rasic.\n\nThe suspect was located in a city-wide manhunt. He killed himself before he could be apprehended , police said in a statement shortly before dawn.\n\nIt is believed that the man killed the family of his ex-wife, HRT said. Police are still investigating.", "A police dragnet ended on August 2 when a suspect who allegedly killed six people in the Croatian capital committed suicide, local media report.\n\n \n\n He is believed to have fatally shot six people in the capital on the previous night. \n\n \n\n Local media report that he was the former spouse of one of the victims, who was killed with her partner and four family members.\n\n \n\n Officers found the dead bodies in a home in a southern neighborhood of the city after neighbors alerted them to gunshots.\n\n \n\n The vicitms included two men, three women, and a child, Zagreb police chief Marko Rasic told reporters.\n\n \n\n Only a seven-month old baby survived the shooting, Radio Sarajevo reported.\n\n \n\n The victims appeared to have been shot dead by a firearm, AFP reported.\n\n \n\n Police found the suspect dead from apparent suicide in Brezovica, a different city district than where the murders were committed. \n\n \n\n Based on reporting by AFP, Radio Sarajevo, RTS.RS, and HR.n1", "Croatia police say man takes own life after killing 6 people\n\nZAGREB, Croatia (AP) — Croatian police say six people, including a 10-year-old child, have been shot dead in the capital Zagreb.\n\nPolice say the man suspected of the killings took his own life early on Friday after a long chase that saw large parts of the Croatian capital sealed off.\n\nPolice found the bodies late Thursday in a quiet neighborhood in Zagreb. In addition to the child, two men and three women were killed. A 7-month old baby was found unharmed.\n\nCroatian media have reported that the suspect's ex-wife and her partner were among the victims.", "Croatia police say man takes own life after killing 6 people\n\nZAGREB, Croatia (AP) — A man shot dead six people, including a 10-year-old child, in the capital Zagreb, before killing himself, Croatian police said Friday.\n\nThe man suspected of the killings took his own life early on Friday after a chase that saw large parts of the Croatian capital sealed off, police said.\n\nPolice found the bodies late Thursday in a quiet neighborhood in Zagreb. In addition to the child, two men and three women were killed. A 7-month old baby was found unharmed.\n\nCroatian media reported that the suspect's ex-wife and her partner were among the victims.\n\nMedia said witnesses described hearing loud cries before the shots were fired.\n\nZagreb mayor Milan Bandic described the attack as an \"isolated incident\" and a \"domestic violence case\" as he sought to assure the residents in the capital.\n\n\"There is no sign of any organized unrest or terror threat in the capital Zagreb, which is most important,\" Bandic said in a televised statement. \"Security is written in Zagreb with capital letters.\"\n\nSuch crimes are very rare in the generally quiet and safe Croatian capital.", "Man commits suicide after shooting six dead in Croatia\n\nZagreb: -A man suspected of shooting six people dead in Zagreb took his own life Friday after police tried to arrest him, Croatian authorities said.\n\n\n\nLocal media reported the suspect was the former spouse of one of the victims, who was killed along with her partner and four members of her family, including a child.\n\n\"The man linked to the crime was located and committed suicide during the arrest operation,\" police said in a brief statement Friday.\n\nNeighbours raised the alarm late Thursday night, police said, after hearing gunshots from the house in the Kajzerica area in the south of the capital.\n\nThe neighbourhood was sealed off and a manhunt launched.\n\nThe victims included \"two men, three women and a child\", Zagreb police chief Marko Rasic told reporters.\n\nAnother child found at the same house was unharmed, he added.", "Police enter the house where a suspect killed six people, including a ten-year-old child, before committing suicide, in Zagreb, Croatia, Friday, Aug. 2, 2019. Croatian police identified the killings Friday as domestic violence. (AP Photo/Nikola Solic)\n\nZAGREB, Croatia (AP) — A man shot dead six people, including a 10-year-old child, at a home in the capital Zagreb, before killing himself, in what Croatian police on Friday described as a domestic violence case.\n\nPolice found the bodies late Thursday in a quiet neighborhood in Zagreb. In addition to the child, two men and three women were killed. A 2-month-old baby was found unharmed.\n\nThe man suspected of the killings was subsequently chased and large parts of the Croatian capital sealed off, police added. He took his own life early Friday as he was about to be captured.\n\nCroatian media reported that the suspect’s ex-girlfriend, her 10-year-old boy from a previous relation, her parents, her sister and sister’s partner were among the victims in the worst multiple killings in the country in 20 years.\n\nZagreb police chief Marko Rasic identified the suspect as a 36-year-old taxi driver who had a child with one of the victims, the unharmed baby. He said the man had no criminal record and no incidents of domestic violence had previously been reported in connection with the family.\n\n“We haven’t so far established a motive, a criminal investigation is underway,” Rasic said.\n\nHe said that after the car chase, “we asked him to surrender and he came out of the car” and killed himself.\n\nMedia said neighbors described hearing loud cries before the shots were fired.\n\nZagreb Mayor Milan Bandic described the attack as an “isolated incident” and a “domestic violence case” as he sought to reassure residents in the capital.\n\n“There is no sign of any organized unrest or terror threat,” Bandic said in a televised statement. “Security is written in Zagreb with capital letters.”\n\nCroatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic said she was “horrified by the tragedy” and condemned “any kind of such violence and revenge.”\n\nSuch killings are very rare in the generally quiet and safe Croatian capital.", "Croatian police have opened an investigation into the murder of six people inside a house in the capital, Zagreb.\n\nIn what Croatian media have called a \"massacre,\" three women, two men and a 10-year-old child were found dead in the city's Kajzerica neighborhood on Thursday evening.\n\nPolice responded to reports of gunshots at the property but only found a seven-month baby alive and unharmed.\n\nHeavily armed police were then reportedly deployed around the city in the hunt for the lone gunman.\n\nThe suspect was located but killed himself before he could be apprehended, police said in a statement hours later.\n\nLocal media reported that police suspect the gunman was the spouse of one of the victims.\n\nEach evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here."], "summary": "A gunman opens fire in the home of his ex-wife in Zagreb, Croatia, killing six, including a ten-year-old child. He later committed suicide after a manhunt."}
{"document": ["RIYADH (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia has allowed adult women to travel without permission and granted them more control over family matters, further eroding a heavily criticized male guardianship system at a time of heightened scrutiny over its human rights record.\n\nA series of royal decrees published by the official gazette on Friday stipulated that a Saudi passport should be issued to any citizen who applies for it and that any person above the age of 21 does not need permission to travel.\n\nThe amendments to regulations also grant women for the first time the right to register child birth, marriage or divorce and to be issued official family documents and be eligible as a guardian to children who are minors.\n\nRiyadh has long endured international censure over the status of women, who rights groups say are often treated as second-class citizens under rules requiring them to get the consent of a male guardian for important decisions throughout their entire lives, regardless of age.\n\nMuna AbuSulayman, a prominent Saudi influencer and a former talk show host, took to Twitter along with thousands of Saudi women to celebrate what many described as a new era.\n\n“A generation growing up completely free and equal to their brothers,” she said, referring to the freedom to travel.\n\nThe kingdom’s de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has eased social restrictions, such as lifting a driving ban for women last year, as part of a push to open up the conservative Muslim kingdom and transform the economy.\n\nLast year’s murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the hands of Saudi agents caused a global outcry, however, and the Gulf Arab state has been widely criticized for the arrest and alleged torture of nearly a dozen women activists.\n\nSeveral high-profile cases of young women seeking asylum abroad on claims of gender-based repression have added further pressure on Riyadh over the male guardian system.\n\nGuardianship’s status between law and custom makes it a thorny issue for Prince Mohammed, who indicated last year he favored ending the system but stopped short of endorsing its annulment.\n\nOther parts of the system remain intact. Women still need permission from a male relative to marry or live on their own.\n\nA hashtag calling for marriage without a guardian’s consent was among the top trending along with a hashtag thanking the crown prince and another touting the new travel rules.\n\nSOCIAL CUSTOMS\n\nThe decrees published Friday also covered employment regulations that would expand work opportunities for women, who represent a big portion of unemployed Saudis. They stipulated that all citizens have the right to work without facing any discrimination based on gender, disability or age.\n\nPrince Mohammed unveiled an ambitious plan in 2016 to transform the economy by 2030, which envisages increasing women’s participation in the workforce to 30% from 22%.\n\nSaudi Arabia ranked 141 of 149 countries in the 2018 Global Gender Gap, a World Economic Forum study on how women fare in economic and political participation, health and education.\n\nMany Saudi officials say the fault lies in implementation and not government policy.\n\nWithout a codified system of law to go with the texts making up sharia, or Islamic law, the Saudi police and judiciary have long cited social customs in enforcing prohibitions on women. Many aspects of guardianship stem from informal practice.\n\n“Mohammed bin Salman has dedicated himself to fixing what extremists broke ... This is not about openness as some call it, it is about equal rights for all,” a user called Wael tweeted.\n\nThe prince has pushed back against the religious establishment, including by arresting scores of clerics and dissidents.\n\nFILE PHOTO: Saudi students walk at the exhibition to guide job seekers at Glowork Women's Career Fair in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia October 2, 2018. REUTERS/Faisal Al Nasser/File Photo\n\nMany citizens remain wary of the fast pace of change.\n\n“We are a Muslim community not a Western one, may God keep our daughters safe from all evils,” said Sarah, a Saudi woman in her late 40s who declined to give her surname.\n\n“Imagine if your girls grow up and leave you and don’t return, would you be happy?” she told Reuters.", "Women in Saudi Arabia can now travel abroad without a male guardian’s permission, royal decrees has said.\n\nThe new rule announced on Friday allows women over the age of 21 to apply for a passport without authorisation, putting them on an equal footing to men.\n\nWomen are also being granted the right to register childbirth, marriage or divorce.\n\nThe decision follows a series of high profile attempts by women to escape abroad from the kingdom.\n\nSaudi Arabia has long come under scrutiny over its treatment of women in the kingdom, with activists saying they are often treated as second-class citizens.\n\nThe de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has sought to ease social restrictions on women, including lifting a driving ban last year, in a bid to open up the conservative kingdom.\n\nBut he has also cracked down on women’s rights activists, putting a number of them on trial in recent months.\n\nSaudi’s male guardianship system gives husbands, fathers and other male relatives the authority to make critical decisions about women.\n\nUntil now, this has meant women there were required to seek those relatives’ permission to obtain or renew a passport and exit the country.\n\nBut the royal decrees published in the kingdom’s official weekly Um al-Qura gazette on Friday stipulate that Saudi passports should be issued to any citizen who applies for it, and that anyone over the age of 21 does not need permission to travel.\n\nThe changes allow women for the first time to register their children’s births, as well as marriages and divorces.\n\nThey also cover employment regulations that expand work opportunities for women. Under the rule, all citizens have the right to work without facing any discrimination based on gender, disability or age.", "Saudi Arabia announced a landmark change to its legal system Friday that grants women the right to work and allows them travel independently without getting permission from a male guardian. The changes aimed at empowering women in the deeply conservative society loosen the country’s “guardianship” system that restricts women to the legal status equivalent to that of minors. Women will now be able to apply for passports and travel abroad without needing their male guardian’s approval. Women will also now be able to serve as legal guardian to their children. The changes approved by the Saudi cabinet and published in the government gazette Friday also declare that “work is the right of the citizen,” formally outlawing workplace discrimination based on gender.\n\nThe changes are part of an economic and cultural overhaul by Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Last year, the women were issued drivers licenses for the first time after a ban on women driving was abolished. Under the guardianship system, all women have a male guardian, usually a husband, father or brother, that have legal authority over them. Women, for instance, still need permission from their guardian to get married or divorced, along with a host of other important personal decisions, including getting some medical procedures. Previously, women needed permission to travel and if they didn’t have a passport of their own, they were given a page in their male guardian’s passport.\n\n“These new regulations are history in the making. They call for the equal engagement of women and men in our society,” Reema Bandar Al-Saud, Saudi Arabia’s first female ambassador to the United States said on Twitter. “These developments have been a long time coming.”", "Saudi Arabian women will no longer require a permission from a \"male guardian\" to travel or obtain a passport, according to a royal decree signed by King Salman bin Abdulaziz.\n\nThe decree, issued three days ago, clearly stresses the right of every Saudi citizen to obtain a passport, and limits the need for a guardian's approval to minors only, Arab News reported late Thursday.\n\nThe decree is written in a gender-neutral manner, and does not state any restrictions specific to women.\n\nUntil now, Saudi women have had to seek permission from a male guardian - a husband, father or other male relative to obtain a passport or travel abroad.\n\nMUST READ | Saudi Arabia beheads its 37 citizens for terrorism crimes\n\nSince the launch of Saudi Vision 2030, the Kingdom's authorities have addressed all flaws in the system that prevented women from living their lives securely and free from unnecessary hassles.\n\nPrincess Reema bint Bandar, Saudi Arabia's Ambassador to the US, on Friday morning said she was \"elated\" to confirm the new changes to the country's labour and civil law.\n\nIn a series of tweets, she said the amendments were \"designed to elevate the status of Saudi women within our society, including granting them the right to apply for passports and travel independently\", Arab News reported.\n\n\"These new regulations are history in the making. They call for the equal engagement of women and men in our society. It is a holistic approach to gender equality that will unquestionably create real change for Saudi women.\n\n\"Women have always played an integral role in our country's development, and they will continue to do so moving forward on equal footing with their male counterparts,\" she tweeted.\n\nA number of international media outlets reported earlier this year that the decision to remove all restrictions on women travelling was being discussed at the highest levels of government and was due to be implemented before the end of this year.\n\nSaudi Arabia's ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has eased restrictions in the country such as a ban on women driving as part of a big push to open up the country, the BBC reported.\n\nIn 2016, he unveiled a plan to transform the economy by 2030, with the aim of increasing women's participation in the workforce to 30 per cent from 22 per cent.\n\nALSO READ | Saudi Arabia becomes 1st Arab country to get FATF membership", "According to local news reports, Women in Saudi Arabia will no longer need the permission of a male guardian to travel. The policy, if confirmed, would mark a key step in dismantling controls that have made women second-class citizens in their own country.\n\nSaudi women over the age of 21 will be able to apply for a passport and travel outside the country, without approval, Okaz newspaper reported on Thursday. The change would put them on an equal footing with men. They would also reportedly be able to register births and deaths, a right previously restricted to men.\n\nThe paper did not say where it got the information, but the country’s official gazette tweeted that amendments to travel rules, labour law and civil status law would be included in its next edition, Bloomberg reported.\n\nThe reported move comes at a time of increased international scrutiny of women’s status in Saudi Arabia. In recent months several young women have fled the country and made public pleas for help in seeking asylum from their family and the government.", "This post was originally published on this site\n\nWORLD NEWS Saudi Arabia to allow women to travel without male permission, open businesses https://linewsradio.com/saudi-arabia-to-allow-women-to-travel-without-male-permission-open-businesses/ http://abcnewsradioonline.com/world-news/rss.xml\n\niStock(RIYADH, Saudi Arabia) — Saudi Arabia is touting new relaxed laws for women — including traveling without consent from their husband or male relative, equal pay and the ability to open and run independent businesses — as part of “sweeping legal changes to enhance the role of women in society.”\n\nThe kingdom has long been one of the most restrictive for women in the entire world, though Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman has attempted to remake the image of the country in recent years as part of an initiative called Vision 2030.\n\nSaudi Arabia announced the changes aimed at women on Friday, led by the lessening of travel restrictions. Women will now be allowed to apply for passports “independently in the same manner that men apply,” according to a release from the government. Women will also be allowed to travel freely, without the permission of a male “guardian,” including internationally.\n\nThe new travel rules will go into effect by the end of August, the country’s government said.\n\nThe lifting of male permissions on travel could be a step toward stopping the practice in other areas as well. For decades, the system has proven dangerous — and even deadly — for women. Domestic violence wasn’t a criminal offense until 2013 in Saudi Arabia.\n\n“The Saudi state essentially treats women as permanent legal minors,” a report by Human Rights Watch said last year. “Saudi Arabia has done very little to end the system, which remains the most significant impediment to women’s rights in the country.”\n\nIn addition to changes in travel, women will now be allowed to open businesses and run them independently.\n\nWomen also can no longer be fired from employment while they are pregnant, and have been granted equal pay to men in the workplace.\n\n“The knowledge, skills and capabilities of Saudi Arabia’s women are among the greatest assets of the country, and the government is committed to putting women at the center of the social and economic transformation taking place under Vision 2030,” the country said in a statement.\n\nThe World Economic Forum’s 2018 Global Gender Gap Index painted a grim picture of Saudi Arabia’s inequality. Only eight countries in the world — Yemen, Pakistan, Iraq, Syria, Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mali and Iran — rank lower on the group’s gender gap scale (141st out of 149). The index factors in political empowerment, health, education and economic opportunity.\n\nBin Salman has opened movie theaters, brought in sporting events, courted tourists and glad-handed with world politicians in a bid to make the country more open to the west and less dependent on its top export: oil.\n\nThe 33-year-old de facto ruler of the kingdom has also wooed popular western musicians as part of a bid to change opinions. While artists such as Janet Jackson, 50 Cent and Future performed at a concert in Jeddah earlier this month, Nicki Minaj pulled out of the scheduled performance after pressure from fans upset at human rights violations.\n\nLast year, Saudi Arabia allowed women to get driver’s licenses for the first time in a much-celebrated move. But that didn’t stop authorities from arresting almost a dozen Saudi women who got behind the wheel in protest a month before the ban was lifted.\n\nThe country also continues to receive widespread condemnation for human rights abuses unrelated to gender. The kingdom executed dozens of people who protested the government following alleged sham trials, and bin Salman has yet to accept any responsibility for the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi in October 2018, despite U.S. and U.N. evidence of guilt.", "Saudi Arabia allows women to travel without male 'guardian' approval\n\nSaudi Arabia will allow women to travel abroad without approval from a male \"guardian\", the government said Thursday, ending a restriction that drew international censure and prompted extreme attempts to flee the kingdom.The landmark reform erodes the longstanding guardianship system that renders adult women as legal minors and allows their \"guardians\" -- husband, father and other male relatives -- to exercise arbitrary authority over them. The decision, following years of campaigning by activists, comes after high-profile attempts by women to escape their guardians despite a string of reforms including a historic decree last year that overturned the world's only ban on female motorists. \"A passport will be granted to any Saudi national who submits an application,\" said a government ruling published in the official gazette Umm al-Qura.\n\nSEE ALSO :Saudi Khashoggi murder investigation fails to address chain of command: U.N. expert\n\nThe regulation effectively allows women over the age of 21 to obtain passports and leave the country without their guardian's permission, the pro-government Okaz newspaper and other local media reported, citing senior authorities. Women in the kingdom have long required permission from their male \"guardians\" to marry, renew their passports or exit the country. The reform grants women greater autonomy and mobility, the pro-government Saudi Gazette newspaper said, hailing the decision as \"one giant leap for Saudi women\". The decision was met with jubilation on social media, with the hashtag \"No guardianship over women travel\" gaining traction and many posting humorous memes of women fleeing with suitcases and being chased by men. \"Some women's dreams were aborted due to inability to leave the country for whatever reason... to study abroad, a work opportunity, or even flee if so desired,\" Saudi businesswoman Muna AbuSulayman said on Twitter.\n\nSEE ALSO :It’s time for Britain to drop hypocrisy over rule of law\n\n\"This change means women are in a way in full control of their legal destiny.\" The changes announced Thursday also grant Saudi women what has long been a male entitlement -- the right to officially register childbirth, marriage or divorce and to be recognised as a guardian to children who are minors. - Crackdown and reform - The reform comes as Saudi Arabia faces heightened international scrutiny over its human rights record, including an ongoing trial of women activists who have long demanded that the guardianship system be dismantled. That includes Loujain al-Hathloul, a prominent rights activist who marked her 30th birthday this week in a Saudi prison, campaigners said.\n\nSEE ALSO :Iran says it seized British tanker, denies U.S. brought down drone\n\nAlongside a sweeping crackdown on dissent, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman -- the kingdom's de facto ruler -- spearheads a wide-ranging liberalisation drive that is aimed at transforming the conservative petro-state, long criticised for its treatment of women. His reforms include the much-celebrated decision allowing women to drive in June last year, allowing women to attend soccer games alongside men and take on jobs that once fell outside the narrow confines of traditional gender roles. But while transforming the lives of many women, critics said the reforms will be cosmetic for many others until the kingdom abolishes the \"guardianship\" system. Some have undertaken perilous attempts to escape overseas despite the reforms. They include 18-year-old Rahaf al-Qunun, whose live-tweeted asylum plea from a Bangkok hotel in January after she fled her Saudi family drew global attention.\n\nSEE ALSO :Travel yes, marry no - What Saudi women still can't do\n\nLater, two Saudi sisters who sought sanctuary in Hong Kong from what they called family abuse were allowed passage to a third country that was not named for their safety. And subsequently, two other Saudi sisters fled to Georgia. The latest reform, which weakens but does not completely dismantle the guardianship system, could lead to family clashes in the deeply patriarchal society, observers warn. Saudi officials have expressed committment to fighting guardianship abuse, but have warned the system can only be dismantled piecemeal to prevent a backlash from arch-conservatives. In a one-off case last year, a Saudi court ruled in favour of a 24-year-old woman who challenged her father's decision to not let her have a passport. But until Thursday's ruling, she would have still required his permission to travel.\n\nWe are undertaking a survey to help us improve our content for you. This will only take 1 minute of your time, please give us your feedback by clicking HERE. All responses will be confidential.", "Women without a passport of their own were given a page in their male guardians' passports making it impossible to travel alone.\n\nSaudi Arabia published new laws that loosen the guardianship policy the kingdom has imposed on women on Friday. The new law allows women to apply for a passport and travel without the consent or companionship of men, according to CNN.\n\nThe new laws are a huge deal for Saudi women’s rights. They are to go into effect by the end of the month.\n\nThe kingdom has been criticized around the world for its treatment of adult women as minors.\n\nWomen were required by law to have a man’s consent to obtain a passport or travel abroad. Women without a passport of their own were given a page in their male guardians’ passports. Often a woman’s guardian is her father or husband and in some cases a son. Male permission was also required to get a job or seek certain medical procedures under the old laws.\n\nMen had a government-sponsored app, named Absher, through which they could enforce the permissions. Activists have called on Google and Apple to remove the app from their store saying that it facilitates the abuse of women’s rights, according to Time.\n\nThe new regulations are the latest in a series of steps by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman intended to rid the kingdom of their image as one of the most oppressive places for women in the world.\n\nIn June 2018 the kingdom lifted its prohibition on women driving. He’s also loosened some rules on gender segregation and brought concerts and movie theaters to the country.\n\nThe crown prince has also been responsible for the crackdown on women’s rights activists, some of whom are facing trial and allege they were tortured in prison, according to The Associated Press.\n\nThe changes were widely celebrated by Saudis on Twitter, with many posting memes showing people dashing to the airport with luggage.\n\nIvanka Trump tweeted out her congratulations to the kingdom on Friday morning.\n\nDespite the new rules, harsh restrictions still remain. Saudi Arabia follows a strict form of Wahhabi Islam with rules enforced by religious police.\n\nWomen will still need male permission to get married or divorced, open a business, and access some forms of health care.\n\nConservative critics of the new laws, including Muslim clerics, feel that the guardianship rules should stay as they are based on a Quran verse that states that men are the protectors and maintainers of women.\n\nOther Islamic scholars argue this misinterprets fundamental Quranic concepts like equality and respect between the sexes.\n\nThe crown prince continues to face international criticism over the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul last year. Saudi Arabia has denied any involvement by the prince but the kingdom’s own investigators stated the operation was planned by two of the prince’s top aides.", "Just over a year since women were granted the historical right to drive, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has now passed another monumental reform to enable females to finally obtain passports and travel alone.\n\nAccording to the Saudi Arabia Ministry of Information, the amendment – which was signed by the Saudi Cabinet on Thursday – overturns the longstanding regulation that women must gain approval from a male guardian to receive a passport or were granted a page in their guardian’s passport, rendering it illegal for them to travel abroad independently.\n\nEffective as of the end of August, the new law gives Saudi women access to passports without male approval and those over the age of 21 will be able to travel without male supervision.\n\nThe amendment marks the latest in a slow but steady effort by officials to introduce a number of sweeping reforms in the Gulf country, as part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s effort to “promote women’s rights and empowerment, equal to men.”\n\nAside from the landmark decision to allow women to get behind the wheel last year, in 2015 women were able to vote for the first time in municipal elections and campaigns have been bolstered to urge women into higher positions in government and the workplace.\n\n“These developments have been a long time coming. From the inclusion of women in the consultative council to issuing driving licenses to women, our leadership has proved its unequivocal commitment to gender equality,” Reema Bandar Al-Saud, the newly-appointed Saudi female ambassador to the United States tweeted on Friday.\n\nRiyadh in recent years has opened movie theaters and invited Hollywood entertainers to perform in large-scale concerts for all, and has additionally opened some sectors of work – including air traffic control, passport control and investigators in the public prosecution – of which women were previously barred.\n\nJANET JACKSON, CHRIS BROWN, 50 CENT TO PERFORM AT SAUDI ARABIA'S JEDDAH WORLD FEST AFTER NICKI MINAJ DROPS OUT\n\nHowever, activists and critics continue to point to the mass divisions in gender equality and the number of stringent measures that still hamper women’s progress, in particular, the notion that females still being required by law to obtain male authorization to get married or divorced. Those who qualify as guardians to make decisions on a female’s behalf include a husband, father, brother, son.\n\n“Women in Saudi Arabia face formal and informal barriers when attempting to make decisions or take action without the presence or consent of a male relative,” Human Rights Watch surmised in its 2019 World Report, underscoring that women face potentially unfair trials and that prior to lifting the driving ban, many female activists were detained “under dubious legal pretenses.”\n\nThe World Economic Forum’s “Global Gender Gap Report 2018” – which uses the markers of economic opportunity, political empowerment, education options, health and survival – ranked Saudi Arabia as the ninth-worst country to be female, ahead of Iran, Mali, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Chad, Syria, Iraq, Pakistan and Yemen which took the bottom spot.\n\nNonetheless, Saudi officials told Fox News recently that the Kingdom to absolutely committed to the quest for equality – but stressed the importance of steady advancements and that while it is impossible to make changes overnight that many critics demand, change is and will continue to happen.", "Women aged 21 and above in Saudia Arabia can now travel alone and obtain a passport without the consent of a male guardian.\n\nThe new amendment was approved on Thursday by the Saudi Cabinet. Previously, women had to gain approval from their male guardian to obtain a passport or travel.\n\nWomen without a passport had to share a page with their male guardian in their passport. This made it impossible for women to travel alone, which rights campaigners criticized as women oppression.\n\nThe reform will come into effect at the end of August. The Ministry of Information called the amendment an effort “to promote women’s rights and empowerment, equal to men.”\n\nSaudi Arabia has been a conservative society for many years. However, pressure from activists have urged the government to change the policies.\n\nWomen were granted driving rights in 2017 and were issued their driving licenses in 2018. The last few years also saw the introduction of the Kingdom’s first movie cinemas and first concerts.\n\nEarlier today, Reema Bandar Al-Saud, Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to the United States of America tweeted that the updated travel and driving laws “are designed to elevate the status of Saudi women”.\n\nHowever, activists claim that Saudi Arabia has a long way to go. Women still need a male guardian’s consent to get married or divorced, open a business or in some cases access health care."], "summary": "Saudi Arabia grants women the right to travel without permission from a male guardian, and expands their marriage and custodial rights in a series of royal decrees."}
{"document": ["KYODO NEWS - Aug 2, 2019 - 13:12 | All, Japan\n\nJapan hanged two death-row inmates Friday morning, the Justice Ministry said, in the country's first executions this year.\n\nThe two were identified by the ministry as Koichi Shoji, 64, who murdered two women in Kanagawa Prefecture in 2001, and Yasunori Suzuki, 50, who killed three women in Fukuoka Prefecture between 2004 and 2005.\n\n\"I ordered the executions based on careful consideration,\" Justice Minister Takashi Yamashita said at a press conference, noting the two \"took away the lives of the victims who had done nothing wrong for very selfish reasons.\"\n\nThe latest hangings brought the number of executions under the government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who took office in 2012, to 38.\n\nThey follow the executions last December of two men who were involved in the 1988 murder-robbery of the president and an employee of an investment advisory company. Japan also hanged AUM Shinrikyo cult guru Shoko Asahara, 63, and 12 former members of the doomsday cult in July last year.\n\n(Japanese Justice Minister Takashi Yamashita)\n\nRelated coverage:\n\nJapan hangs 2 inmates, matching highest-ever year's total of 15\n\nShoji was convicted of killing and taking money from Hiroko Hayashi, 54, in August 2001, and Fumiko Osawa, 42, in September that year in conspiracy with his girlfriend. His death sentence was finalized after the Supreme Court rejected his appeal in November 2007.\n\nSuzuki was found guilty of strangling to death 18-year-old Nana Kubota in Iizuka and fatally stabbing 62-year-old Toshiko Onaka in Kitakyushu, both in December 2004, as well as stabbing to death 23-year-old Keiko Fukushima and taking her handbag in Fukuoka the following January.\n\nHis sentence was finalized after the top court rejected his appeal in March 2011.\n\nJapan's system of capital punishment has drawn international criticism, although some polls suggest the majority of Japanese support it. The Japan Federation of Bar Associations has called for it to be abolished by 2020.\n\nIn December, dozens of lawmakers also established a group for discussing the future of Japan's death penalty system, including the potential introduction of lifetime imprisonment without parole.", "Two men sentenced to death for multiple murders have been executed in Japan -- the first time the death penalty has been used in the country this year.\n\nKoichi Shoji, 64, and Yasunori Suzuki, 50, were executed by hanging on Friday, taking the total number of executions under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government to 38 since he took office in 2012\n\n\"These are extremely cruel cases taking the precious lives of the people who have no faults. I have ordered the execution of death penalty after giving doubly prudent consideration,\" Justice Minister Takashi Yamashita said.\n\nExecutions are done in secret in Japan, with no advance warning given to the prisoner, their family or legal representatives, according to Amnesty International.\n\nPrisoners often only learn of their execution a matter of hours before it takes place.\n\nCapital punishment is usually reserved for those who have committed multiple murders. All executions are carried out by hanging. Shoji robbed and killed two housewives in Kanagawa prefecture in 2001 together with his girlfriend. Suzuki was charged with robbing and murdering three women in separate assaults within a one month period in 2004. Japan's Code of Criminal Procedure states the death penalty should be implemented within six months of the sentence being issued, but that is almost never the case. The controversial system made global headlines in July last year when 13 members of the Aum Shinrikyo cult, which carried out the deadly 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway, were executed Japan and the United States are the only two developed democracies to have capital punishment. About 170 states have either abolished or put a stay on executions since the United Nations General Assembly called for a universal moratorium on the death penalty in 2007. Last year, the country's Federation of Bar Associations called for Japan's system of capital punishment to be abolished by 2020.", "Tokyo, Aug 2 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 2nd Aug, 2019 ) :Japan on Friday hanged two men convicted of murder, the justice ministry said, the first executions this year after 15 death row inmates were executed in 2018.\n\nWith more than 100 inmates on death row, Japan is one of the few developed nations to retain the death penalty, and public support for it remains high despite international criticism, including from rights groups.\n\n\"I ordered the executions after very careful consideration,\" Justice Minister Takashi Yamashita told reporters.\n\nThe executed were 64-year-old Koichi Shoji and 50-year-old Yasunori Suzuki, a ministry official told AFP.\n\nShoji was convicted of killing two women and stealing cash in 2001 near Tokyo while Suzuki was convicting of murdering three women on the streets in southern Japan and stealing cash in 2004, according to media reports.\n\n\"These are extremely brutal cases in which they claimed lives of victims who had done nothing wrong for their selfish reasons,\" the minister said.", "Justice Minister Takashi Yamashita announced the executions of the two men, the first Japan has carried out this year (AFP Photo/JIJI PRESS)\n\nJapan on Friday hanged two men convicted of murder, the justice ministry said, the first executions this year after 15 death row inmates were executed in 2018.\n\nWith more than 100 inmates on death row, Japan is one of the few developed nations to retain the death penalty, and public support for it remains high despite international criticism, including from rights groups.\n\n\"I ordered the executions after very careful consideration,\" Justice Minister Takashi Yamashita told reporters.\n\nThe executed were 64-year-old Koichi Shoji and 50-year-old Yasunori Suzuki, a ministry official told AFP.\n\nShoji was convicted of killing two women and stealing cash in 2001 near Tokyo while Suzuki was convicting of murdering three women on the streets in southern Japan and stealing cash in 2004, according to media reports.\n\n\"These are extremely brutal cases in which they claimed lives of victims who had done nothing wrong for their selfish reasons,\" the minister said.\n\nJapan hanged 15 inmates in 2018, matching a 2008 record since the nation started publicly announcing executions in 1998.\n\nAmong them were a total of 13 people who belonged to the cult that carried out the fatal 1995 sarin attack on the Tokyo subway and other crimes.\n\nThe Aum Shinrikyo cult members -- including former guru Shoko Asahara -- were executed in two stages in July 2018, drawing a line under the horrific attack which shocked the world and prompted national soul-searching over the group and its crimes.\n\nThe mass executions sparked some criticism from rights groups, including Amnesty International."], "summary": "Japan carries out the first executions this year, hanging Koichi Shoji, 64, who killed two women in 2001, and serial killer Yasunori Suzuki, 50, who killed three women between 2004 and 2005 in Fukuoka Prefecture."}
{"document": ["Jane Dodds beats outgoing Tory member Chris Davies, and says her first act will be to tell prime minister to rule out no-deal Brexit\n\nBoris Johnson has suffered a major blow after the Conservatives were beaten by the Liberal Democrats in the Brecon and Radnorshire byelection.\n\nThe victory for Jane Dodds means the new prime minister’s working majority in the House of Commons has been cut to just one. It will be seized on as a sign voters are concerned by Boris Johnson’s pledge to leave the EU without a deal if he deems it necessary.\n\nThe Liberal Democrats won 13,826 votes with the Tories taking 12,401, a margin of 1,425 that overturned the Tories’ previous majority of more than 8,000. It was a sobering night for the Labour party (1,680 votes), which was beaten into fourth place by the Brexit party (3,331), and only just held on to its deposit. Ukip (242) came last behind the Monster Raving Loony party (334).\n\nIn her acceptance speech, Dodds said: “I am incredibly humbled by the support. From every walk of life and every political persuasion, people have chosen to believe in my positive liberal vision for something better.\n\n“And by backing that liberal vision, people in Brecon and Radnorshire have sent a powerful message to Westminster: we demand better.”\n\nShe continued: “People are desperately crying out for a different kind of politics. There is no time for tribalism when our country is faced with a Boris Johnson government and the threat of a no-deal Brexit.\n\n“My very first act as your MP when I arrive in Westminster will be to find Mr Boris Johnson, wherever he’s hiding, and tell him loud and clear: stop playing with the futures of our communities and rule out a no-deal Brexit.”\n\nThe leader of the Liberal Democrats, Jo Swinson, who visited the constituency four times in the run-up to the byelection, said the results showed that the country did not have to settle for Johnson or Jeremy Corbyn.\n\nBritain Elects (@britainelects) Brecon & Radnorshire, result:\n\n\n\nLDEM: 43.5% (+14.3)\n\nCON: 39.0% (-9.6)\n\nBREX: 10.5% (+10.5)\n\nLAB: 5.3% (-12.5)\n\nMRLP: 1.0% (+1.0)\n\nUKIP: 0.8% (-0.6)\n\n“Boris Johnson’s shrinking majority makes it clear that he has no mandate to crash us out of the EU. As leader of the Liberal Democrats, I will do whatever it takes to stop Brexit and offer an alternative, positive vision for a richer, greener and safer future. Britain demands better than what the tired old parties can give.”\n\nSwinson also thanked Plaid Cymru and the Green party for not contesting this byelection so as to avoid splitting the remain vote.\n\nEd Davey, the Lib Dem MP for Kingston and Surbiton, called it “a huge result”, adding: “The Brecon and Radnorshire byelection was the front line of the stop Brexit campaign. This is going to make Boris Johnson’s job that much more difficult, and for those of us who are desperate to stop Brexit it’s a crucial moment.”\n\nThe leader of Plaid Cymru, Adam Price, said: “The people of Brecon and Radnorshire have spoken. It’s now time that people throughout these islands are heard, too, in a final say referendum.\n\n“But if the prime minister is intent on a general election, he should know that Plaid Cymru and the other pro-remain parties are committed to cooperating so that we beat Brexit once and for all.”\n\nThe byelection in mid-Wales was called following the ousting from parliament of the Tory MP Chris Davies after he was found guilty of submitting a false expenses claim. Despite the scandal, Davies was chosen to stand again.\n\nAfter the result, Davies congratulated Dodds and wished her well for the future. He also paid tribute to his family, saying they had had “a difficult time over the past few months”. Earlier, he said his party had run a “clean and positive” campaign but added: “Sadly a few of our competitors have led a dirty campaign.”\n\nFacebook Twitter Pinterest Conservative MP Chris Davies lost his seat. Photograph: Rebecca Naden/Reuters\n\nProf Roger Awan-Scully, the head of politics and international relations at Cardiff University, said the Tory vote held up reasonably well. “Until a few days ago people were talking seriously about the Brexit party pushing the Conservatives into third,” he said. “They’ve done well resisting the pressure from the Brexit party. It hasn’t quite been good enough this time round but whenever we get a general election, which might not be far away, this seat is very much in play for the Conservatives.”\n\nAwan-Scully said it had been a dreadful night for Labour. “There’s lots of dissatisfaction with Jeremy Corbyn, lots of dissatisfaction with the direction of the party. In its ultimate historic bastion of Wales I think Labour is in some serious trouble.”\n\nTory grandees including the Commons leader, Jacob Rees-Mogg, and the chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Michael Gove, toured the constituency during the campaign. Johnson also visited Brecon earlier this week but did not venture into the town centre, leaving onlookers who had waited for him in the rain angry and frustrated.\n\nThe election of Dodds brings the total number of Swinson’s party members in the Commons to 13.\n\nDuring the campaign, farming became a key issue, with union officials warning that farmers could carry out acts of civil disobedience if the UK leaves the EU with no deal. Appropriately the count was held at the Royal Welsh Showground in Builth Wells.\n\nDavies had represented the seat for the Conservatives since 2015. The Liberal Democrats held the constituency from 1997 to 2015.", "LLANELWEDD, Wales, Aug 2 (Reuters) - Britain's pro-European Union Liberal Democrats won the parliamentary seat of Brecon and Radnorshire from the governing Conservatives on Friday, a blow to Prime Minister Boris Johnson in his first electoral test since taking office.\n\nThe loss reduces Johnson's working majority in parliament to just one ahead of an expected showdown with lawmakers in the autumn over his plan to take Britain out of the European Union on Oct. 31 without an exit agreement if necessary.\n\nJohnson's government already relies on the support of a small Northern Irish party for its wafer-thin majority, with just a handful of rebels in his own Conservatives needed to lose key votes.\n\n\"I will do whatever it takes to stop Brexit and offer an alternative, positive vision ... We now have one more MP (Member of Parliament) who will vote against Brexit in parliament.\"\n\nThe Brecon vote was triggered when Conservative lawmaker Chris Davies was ousted by a petition of constituents after being convicted of falsifying expenses. Liberal Democrat candidate Jane Dodds won with 13,826 votes.\n\nDavies, who ran again for the Conservatives, came second with 12,401 votes. The Brexit Party came third with 3,331 votes, while the main opposition Labour Party was fourth on 1,680 votes.\n\nThe Liberal Democrats had previously held the seat from 1997 until 2015, when it was won by Davies. In the 2017 snap election he held the seat with a majority of just over 8,000 votes.", "LLANELWEDD — Britain’s pro-European Union Liberal Democrats won the parliamentary seat of Brecon and Radnorshire from the governing Conservatives on Friday, a blow to Prime Minister Boris Johnson in his first electoral test since taking office.\n\nThe loss reduces Johnson’s working majority in parliament to just one ahead of an expected showdown with lawmakers in the autumn over his plan to take Britain out of the European Union on Oct. 31 without an exit agreement if necessary.\n\nJohnson’s government already relies on the support of a small Northern Irish party for its wafer-thin majority, with just a handful of rebels in his own Conservatives needed to lose key votes.\n\n“Boris Johnson’s shrinking majority makes it clear that he has no mandate to crash us out of the EU,” Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson, whose party now have 13 seats in parliament, said in a statement following the result.\n\n“I will do whatever it takes to stop Brexit and offer an alternative, positive vision … We now have one more MP (Member of Parliament) who will vote against Brexit in parliament.”\n\nThe Brecon vote was triggered when Conservative lawmaker Chris Davies was ousted by a petition of constituents after being convicted of falsifying expenses. Liberal Democrat candidate Jane Dodds won with 13,826 votes.\n\nDavies, who ran again for the Conservatives, came second with 12,401 votes. The Brexit Party came third with 3,331 votes, while the main opposition Labour Party was fourth on 1,680 votes.\n\nThe Liberal Democrats had previously held the seat from 1997 until 2015, when it was won by Davies. In the 2017 snap election he held the seat with a majority of just over 8,000 votes. (Reporting by Rebecca Naden; Writing by Kylie MacLellan; Editing by Elizabeth Piper and Sandra Maler)", "LLANELWEDD, WALES (REUTERS) - Britain's pro-European Union Liberal Democrats won the parliamentary seat of Brecon and Radnorshire from the governing Conservatives on Friday (Aug 2), a blow to Prime Minister Boris Johnson in his first electoral test since taking office.\n\nThe vote was triggered when Conservative lawmaker Chris Davies was ousted by a petition of constituents after being convicted of falsifying expenses.\n\nLiberal Democrat candidate Jane Dodds won with 13,826 votes. Mr Davies ran again for the Conservatives and came second with 12,401 votes.", "LLANELWEDD, WALES - Britain’s pro-European Union Liberal Democrats have won a parliamentary seat from the governing Conservatives, a blow to Prime Minister Boris Johnson in his first electoral test since taking office.\n\nThe loss reduces Johnson’s working majority in parliament to one ahead of an expected showdown with lawmakers over his plan to take Britain out of the European Union on Oct. 31 without an exit agreement if necessary.\n\nJohnson’s government already relies on the support of a small Northern Irish party for its wafer-thin majority, with just a handful of rebels in his own Conservatives needed to lose key votes.\n\nThe Liberal Democrats won the Welsh seat of Brecon and Radnorshire with a majority of 1,425 votes.\n\n“Boris Johnson’s shrinking majority makes it clear that he has no mandate to crash us out of the EU,” Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson, whose party now have 13 seats in parliament, said in a statement following the result early Friday.\n\n“I will do whatever it takes to stop Brexit and offer an alternative, positive vision. ... We now have one more MP (Member of Parliament) who will vote against Brexit in parliament,” Swinson added.\n\nWales, and the Brecon area, voted to leave the EU at the 2016 Brexit referendum, but it is also a region where sheep outnumber people and where the prospect of steep EU tariffs being slapped on Welsh lamb exports in a no-deal Brexit have prompted widespread concern among farmers.\n\nThe Brecon vote was triggered when Conservative lawmaker Chris Davies was ousted by a petition of constituents after being convicted of falsifying expenses. Liberal Democrat candidate Jane Dodds won with 13,826 votes.\n\nDavies, who ran again for the Conservatives, came second with 12,401 votes. The Brexit Party came third with 3,331 votes, while the main opposition Labour Party was fourth on 1,680 votes.\n\nThe Liberal Democrats had previously held the seat from 1997 until 2015, when it was won by Davies. In the 2017 snap election he held the seat with a majority of just more than 8,000 votes.\n\nJohnson, who took office last week, has said he does not plan to hold an election before Britain leaves the EU but could be forced to if lawmakers try to stop him pursuing a no-deal exit by collapsing the government in a no confidence vote.\n\nThe result in Brecon, where the combined vote for pro-leave parties outnumbered pro-remain, would likely add to calls for a possible Conservative-Brexit Party alliance in any upcoming election.", "Britain’s pro-European Union Liberal Democrats won the parliamentary seat of Brecon and Radnorshire from the governing Conservatives on Friday, a blow to Prime Minister Boris Johnson in his first electoral test since taking office.\n\nThe loss reduces Johnson’s working majority in parliament to just one ahead of an expected showdown with lawmakers in the autumn over his plan to take Britain out of the European Union on Oct. 31 without an exit agreement if necessary.\n\nJohnson’s government already relies on the support of a small Northern Irish party for its wafer-thin majority, with just a handful of rebels in his own Conservatives needed to lose key votes.\n\nThe Liberal Democrats won the Welsh seat of Brecon and Radnorshire with a majority of 1,425 votes.\n\n“Boris Johnson’s shrinking majority makes it clear that he has no mandate to crash us out of the EU,” Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson, whose party now have 13 seats in parliament, said in a statement following the result early on Friday.\n\n“I will do whatever it takes to stop Brexit and offer an alternative, positive vision … We now have one more MP (Member of Parliament) who will vote against Brexit in parliament.”\n\nWales, and the Brecon area, voted to leave the EU at the 2016 Brexit referendum, but it is also a region where sheep outnumber people and where the prospect of steep EU tariffs being slapped on Welsh lamb exports in a no-deal Brexit have prompted widespread concern among farmers.\n\nThe Brecon vote was triggered when Conservative lawmaker Chris Davies was ousted by a petition of constituents after being convicted of falsifying expenses. Liberal Democrat candidate Jane Dodds won with 13,826 votes.\n\nDavies, who ran again for the Conservatives, came second with 12,401 votes. The Brexit Party came third with 3,331 votes, while the main opposition Labour Party was fourth on 1,680 votes.\n\nThe Liberal Democrats had previously held the seat from 1997 until 2015, when it was won by Davies. In the 2017 snap election he held the seat with a majority of just over 8,000 votes.\n\nJohnson, who took office last week, has said he does not plan to hold an election before Britain leaves the EU but could be forced to if lawmakers try to stop him pursuing a no-deal exit by collapsing the government in a no confidence vote.\n\nThe result in Brecon, where the combined vote for pro-leave parties outnumbered pro-remain, would likely add to calls for a possible Conservative-Brexit Party alliance in any upcoming election.\n\nPro-EU parties, including the Greens and Plaid Cymru, agreed not to stand in the Brecon election on Thursday to boost the Liberal Democrats chances by concentrating the support of ‘Remain’ voters behind one candidate.\n\nThe Brexit Party, led by prominent Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage, was only launched in April and rode a wave of anger over the government’s failure to deliver Brexit to sweep to victory in the United Kingdom’s European Parliament election in May.\n\n“If the Brexit Party do hang around and the Conservative Party doesn’t deal with them effectively, ie. if we don’t show signs that we are leaving Europe by the end of October, then that could really have some repercussions for our vote not just in seats like this but across the UK,” Nick Ramsay, a Conservative member of the Welsh Assembly told Sky News.", "Britain's new Prime-Minister Boris Johnson suffered the first serious blow to his leadership on Thursday when his ruling Conservative Party lost a seat in Wales, cutting its working majority in parliament to just one.\n\nThe seat in Brecon and Radnorshire was won by Jane Dodds, the candidate for the Liberal Democrats, who overturned a majority of more than 8,000 votes to beat Conservative Chris Davies.\n\nThe by-election was triggered when 19% of voters signed a recall petition after Davies was convicted over a false expenses claim.\n\nREAD MORE: Why is the Brecon by-election so important to Boris? | Euronews Answers\n\nIn her acceptance speech, Dodds said her \"victory must be a turning point not just for our communities here in Brecon and Radnorshire but for the whole country too.\"\n\n\"My very first act as your MP when I arrive in Westminster will be to find Boris Johnson, wherever he's hiding and tell him loud and clear: stop playing with the future of our communities and rule out a no-deal Brexit now,\" she also said.\n\nDavies came in second with the Brexit Party helmed by Nigel Farage securing the third place. The main opposition labour party, meanwhile, finished fourth.\n\n'Beat Brexit once and for all'\n\nSeveral smaller parties including Plaid Cymru, the Greens and the Independent Group for Change had decided not to field candidates in order not to split the Remain vote.\n\nAdam Price, leader of Plaid Cymru, said on Twitter on Friday morning that \"the single most important thing in this byelection was to put party politics aside, and deliver a pro-Remain MP\" and called for People's Vote — or second referendum on Brexit.\n\n\"But if Boris Johnson is intent on a general election, he should know that Plaid Cymru and the other pro-Remain parties are committed to cooperating so that we can beat Brexit once and for all,\" he also wrote.\n\nFor Boris Johnson, who stormed to the Prime Ministership in a Conservative leadership contest last week, the election was a first electoral test and ultimately a blow.\n\nJohnson has repeatedly pledged that the country will leave the European Union on October 31 \"do or die\" but the parliamentary arithmetic he faces is now worse than it was for his predecessor Theresa May.\n\nThe Conservative lost their overall majority in parliament in June 2017 snap elections and have had to rely on the Northern Irish ultra-conservative Democratic Unionist Party on a supply and demand basis.\n\nThe loss in Brecon and Radnorshire means he now has a working majority of just one but the Conservatives remain deeply split over Brexit.", "Llanelwedd, Wales: Britain's pro-European Union Liberal Democrats have won the parliamentary seat of Brecon and Radnorshire in a byelection from the governing Conservatives on Friday, a blow to Prime Minister Boris Johnson in his first electoral test since taking office.\n\nThe result reduces the new British leader's working majority in the House of Commons to one.\n\nThe vote was triggered when Conservative lawmaker Chris Davies was ousted by a petition of constituents after being convicted of falsifying expenses. Liberal Democrat candidate Jane Dodds won with 13,826 votes.\n\nDavies ran again for the Conservatives and came second with 12,401 votes.", "Boris Johnson has been dealt a significant blow after the Conservatives lost the Brecon and Radnorshire by-election to leave the new Prime Minister with a working majority of just one, including the 10 DUP MPs.\n\nThe Liberal Democrats won the mid-Wales constituency by a margin of 1,425, swinging the vote nearly 12% from the Tories.\n\nMr Johnson’s first major challenge as Tory leader became his first major defeat with the announcement of Jane Dodds’ victory in the early hours of Friday.\n\nThe Tory loss will add to the PM’s challenges to steer Brexit through Parliament and may increase the chances of a snap general election.\n\nWith the vote coming eight days after Mr Johnson was anointed, it is the quickest by-election defeat for any PM of the post-War period.\n\nWelsh Lib Dem leader Ms Dodds immediately challenged Mr Johnson to rule out a no-deal Brexit as she celebrated her victory.\n\n“People are desperately crying out for a different kind of politics. There is no time for tribalism when our country is faced with a Boris Johnson Government and the threat of a no-deal Brexit,” she said.\n\n“So my very first act as your MP when I arrive in Westminster will be to find Mr Boris Johnson wherever he is hiding and tell him loud and clear: ‘Stop playing with the future of our communities and rule out a no-deal Brexit now’.”\n\nShe pushed into second place the Conservative candidate Chris Davies, who was the constituency’s MP until he was ousted in a recall petition after he admitted submitting false invoices for expenses.\n\nDespite 19% of the electorate petitioning for his recall, the Tories selected Mr Davies to fight to reclaim the seat.\n\nThe Lib Dems secured 43% of the vote, the Tories 39% and the Brexit Party 10%.\n\nFourth-placed Labour narrowly avoided losing its deposit by securing just over 5% of the share.\n\nSome Conservative commentators blamed the Brexit Party for splitting the “pro-Brexit vote” - as together their vote share amounted to 49%.\n\nNewly-elected Lib Dem leader Jo Swinson said: “Boris Johnson’s shrinking majority makes it clear that he has no mandate to crash us out of the EU.”\n\nThe vote may also be seen as an early victory for the “Remain alliance” of anti-Brexit parties, with Plaid Cymru and the Greens agreeing not to field candidates in order not to split the pro-EU vote.\n\nMs Dodds thanked those two parties for their “courageous decision”.\n\nPlaid Cymru leader Adam Price said the “spirit of co-operation” between the pro-Remain parties had led to Ms Dodds’s election, as he called for a second referendum.\n\n“But if the prime minister is intent on a general election, he should know that Plaid Cymru and the other pro-Remain parties are committed to cooperating so that we beat Brexit once and for all,” he added.\n\nMr Davies won the seat from the Lib Dems in 2015 and secured a majority of 8,038 in the 2017 general election.\n\nBut this was overhauled with a swing to the Lib Dems of 11.96%.\n\nThe loss leaves the PM with the support of 319 MPs, including the DUP which props up his majority, while opposition parties now have 318.\n\nMr Davies’ recall came after he pleaded guilty in March to submitting two false expenses invoices for nine photographs costing £700 to decorate his new office.\n\nHe was fined £1,500, ordered to pay £2,500 towards legal costs and told to carry out 50 hours of community service.\n\nIn his losing speech, Mr Davies thanked his team and family “who have had a difficult time over the last few months”.", "LLANELWEDD, Wales, Aug 2 (Reuters) - Britain's pro-European Union Liberal Democrats have won a parliamentary seat from the governing Conservatives, a blow to Prime Minister Boris Johnson in his first electoral test since taking office.\n\nThe loss reduces Johnson's working majority in parliament to just one ahead of an expected showdown with lawmakers in the autumn over his plan to take Britain out of the European Union on Oct. 31 without an exit agreement if necessary.\n\nThe Liberal Democrats won the Welsh seat of Brecon and Radnorshire with a majority of 1,425 votes.\n\n\"Boris Johnson's shrinking majority makes it clear that he has no mandate to crash us out of the EU,\" Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson, whose party now have 13 seats in parliament, said in a statement following the result early on Friday.\n\n\"I will do whatever it takes to stop Brexit and offer an alternative, positive vision ... We now have one more MP (Member of Parliament) who will vote against Brexit in parliament.\"\n\nWales, and the Brecon area, voted to leave the EU at the 2016 Brexit referendum, but it is also a region where sheep outnumber people and where the prospect of steep EU tariffs being slapped on Welsh lamb exports in a no-deal Brexit have prompted widespread concern among farmers.\n\nThe Brecon vote was triggered when Conservative lawmaker Chris Davies was ousted by a petition of constituents after being convicted of falsifying expenses. Liberal Democrat candidate Jane Dodds won with 13,826 votes.\n\nDavies, who ran again for the Conservatives, came second with 12,401 votes. The Brexit Party came third with 3,331 votes, while the Labour Party came fourth on 1,680 votes - a bad result for the main opposition with its vote share down 12 percent from 2017.\n\nThe Liberal Democrats had previously held the seat from 1997 until 2015, when it was won by Davies. In the 2017 snap election he held the seat with a majority of just over 8,000 votes.\n\nJohnson, who took office last week, has said he does not plan to hold an election before Britain leaves the EU but could be forced to if lawmakers try to stop him pursuing a no-deal exit by collapsing the government in a no confidence vote.\n\nSome Conservative lawmakers have hinted they would vote against the government to thwart a no-deal Brexit. Party chairman James Cleverly said it was incumbent upon them to support Johnson.\n\n\"This is the longstanding Conservative Party policy, the party policy we were all elected on which is to seek a deal from the European Union. But if that is not forthcoming, then to leave the European whatever,\" Cleverly told BBC radio.\n\nThe result in Brecon, where the combined vote for pro-leave parties outnumbered pro-remain, would likely add to calls for a possible Conservative-Brexit Party alliance in any upcoming election.\n\nPro-EU parties, including the Greens and Plaid Cymru, agreed not to stand in the Brecon election on Thursday to boost the Liberal Democrats chances by concentrating the support of 'Remain' voters behind one candidate.\n\nThe Brexit Party, led by prominent Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage, was only launched in April and rode a wave of anger over the government's failure to deliver Brexit to sweep to victory in the United Kingdom's European Parliament election in May."], "summary": "The Liberal Democrats gain the Brecon and Radnorshire seat from the Conservatives. This marks the first time a seat has changed hands in a by-election triggered by a successful recall petition. The working majority of the Conservative government is reduced to one."}
{"document": ["The announcement was another reversal for the president and underscored the recurring dysfunction in the White House selection and vetting process that has plagued the administration. Mr. Ratcliffe joined a long list of Trump administration appointees who have had to pull their names after the president announced his plans to put them in powerful posts without a full picture of potentially disqualifying details.\n\nMr. Trump promised to announce a new nominee soon. Pete Hoekstra, the American ambassador to the Netherlands and a former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, is one of the leading candidates for the post, according to two people briefed on the discussions. He wants the position, they said, and his long service on Capitol Hill and work helping create the job of director of national intelligence could make him more palatable to senators.\n\nAs soon as Mr. Ratcliffe was named, his qualifications came under scorching examination, including that he had embellished his credentials as a former federal prosecutor in East Texas, portraying himself as having deep experience putting terrorists in prison and shaping the George W. Bush administration’s counterterrorism policy.\n\nIn fact, while he was given the responsibility of coordinating any terrorism matters that arose for his office — a role every district was required to assign to someone — there were no significant national security prosecutions in that jurisdiction during his tenure, according to former colleagues.\n\nMr. Ratcliffe, who also briefly served as an interim United States attorney, also exaggerated his role in a major crackdown on the employment of undocumented immigrants by a poultry producer, taking all the personal credit for what was actually a multistate, multiagency operation.", "Ms. Gordon, who has served more than 30 years in intelligence posts at the C.I.A. and other agencies, has not been officially informed by the White House that Mr. Trump intends to name someone else to oversee the intelligence agency until the Senate confirms a new director of national intelligence, officials said.\n\nBut the White House requested this week that the office provide a list of senior officials who worked for the agency, according to a senior administration official — a move that was interpreted as another sign that it is looking beyond her for people who could be temporarily installed in the top position.\n\nWhen Mr. Trump posted tweets Sunday announcing that Mr. Coats would step down on Aug. 15 and that he intended to nominate Mr. Ratcliffe, the president hinted that Ms. Gordon might not automatically become the acting director in the interim, saying an acting director would be named soon.\n\nThose tweets prompted concern on Capitol Hill that Mr. Trump would circumvent Ms. Gordon. The next day, Senator Richard M. Burr, Republican of North Carolina, who leads the Senate Intelligence Committee, expressly referred to the fact that he looked forward to working with Ms. Gordon, calling her “a trusted partner.”\n\nOn Friday, Senator Mark Warner, Democrat of Virginia, who is the committee’s vice chairman, said that the law was “quite clear” that the acting role goes to the deputy when the director of national intelligence leaves and that Ms. Gordon had the Senate’s confidence. “It’s outrageous if the president is hoping to pass over this extremely qualified and experienced individual, the highest-ranking woman in O.D.N.I., in order to install a political loyalist as acting director,” he said.\n\nMs. Gordon’s experience is not necessarily a point in her favor for the White House, where Mr. Trump and his allies view the permanent bureaucracy of national security professionals with suspicion as a so-called deep state that may be out to get him.\n\nMr. Trump and House Republicans have made clear that they believe a broad reorganization of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence is needed. Administration officials and House Republicans also have said they would like someone at the agency who will work well with Attorney General William P. Barr, who has ordered a review of the intelligence agencies’ support for the F.B.I. as the bureau sought to understand Moscow’s covert efforts to tilt the 2016 election, including any links to the Trump campaign.", "Trump Says He Will Not Nominate John Ratcliffe For Director Of National Intelligence\n\nPresident Trump says the Texas congressman he planned to nominate as the nation's intelligence chief will remain in Congress. Rep. John Ratcliffe was facing criticism for his limited experience.", "President Donald Trump says his pick for national intelligence director has decided to withdraw from the running, citing unfair media coverage.\n\nIn a tweet Friday, Trump said Republican Rep. John Ratcliffe of Texas had decided to stay in Congress. Questions about Ratcliffe's experience have dogged him since Trump announced his candidacy five days ago.\n\nTrump didn't cite any specific media reports, but tweeted that \"rather than going through months of slander and libel,\" he would be returning to Capitol Hill.\n\nTrump accepted the resignation of former Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats last week.\n\nRatcliffe is a frequent Trump defender who fiercely questioned former special counsel Robert Mueller during a House Judiciary Committee hearing last week. Intelligence experts had criticized his lack of experience in the field of intelligence.\n\nIn a statement, Ratcliffe said, \"While I am and will remain very grateful to the President for his intention to nominate me as Director of National Intelligence, I am withdrawing from consideration.\"\n\n\"I was humbled and honored that the President put his trust in me to lead our nation's intelligence operations and remain convinced that when confirmed, I would have done so with the objectivity, fairness and integrity that our intelligence agencies need and deserve,\" the statement said.\n\n\"However,\" he added, \"I do not wish for a national security and intelligence debate surrounding my confirmation, however untrue, to become a purely political and partisan issue.\"", "US President Donald Trump said on Friday he might name Sue Gordon as acting director of national intelligence after his first choice to lead the agency, congressman John Ratcliffe, decided to drop out.\n\n \n\n Speaking to reporters, Trump said he likes Gordon, who is currently the agency’s No. 2 official. Trump also said he is considering a list of three people to lead the agency on a permanent basis and may make an announcement about his choice on Monday.", "WASHINGTON (CBSDFW.COM/AP) — President Donald Trump says his pick for national intelligence director has decided to withdraw from the running, citing unfair media coverage.\n\nIn a tweet Friday, Trump said Republican Rep. John Ratcliffe of Texas had decided to stay in Congress. Questions about Ratcliffe’s experience have dogged him since Trump announced his candidacy five days ago.\n\nTrump didn’t cite any specific media reports, but tweeted that “rather than going through months of slander and libel,” he would be returning to Capitol Hill.\n\nRatcliffe is a frequent Trump defender who fiercely questioned former special counsel Robert Mueller during a House Judiciary Committee hearing last week. Intelligence experts had criticized his lack of experience in the field of intelligence.\n\nHe released the following statement this afternoon:\n\n“While I am and will remain very grateful to the President for his intention to nominate me as Director of National Intelligence, I am withdrawing from consideration. I was humbled and honored that the President put his trust in me to lead our nation’s intelligence operations and remain convinced that when confirmed, I would have done so with the objectivity, fairness and integrity that our intelligence agencies need and deserve. However, I do not wish for a national security and intelligence debate surrounding my confirmation, however untrue, to become a purely political and partisan issue. The country we all love deserves that it be treated as an American issue. Accordingly, I have asked the President to nominate someone other than me for this position.”\n\nSince the withdrawal, Trump said he will announce his other nomination soon.\n\nHe accepted the resignation of former Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats last week — He is scheduled to leave office Aug. 15.", "FILE – In this Wednesday, July 24, 2019, file photo, Rep. John Ratcliffe, R-Texas., questions former special counsel Robert Mueller as he testifies before the House Intelligence Committee hearing on his report on Russian election interference, on Capitol Hill in Washington. President Donald Trump says John Ratcliffe, his pick for national intelligence director, to stay in Congress, cites unfair media coverage. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)\n\nWASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says his pick for national intelligence director has decided to withdraw from the running, citing unfair media coverage.\n\nIn a tweet Friday, Trump said Republican Rep. John Ratcliffe of Texas had decided to stay in Congress. Questions about Ratcliffe’s experience have dogged him since Trump announced his candidacy five days ago.\n\nTrump didn’t cite any specific media reports, but tweeted that “rather than going through months of slander and libel,” he would be returning to Capitol Hill.\n\nTrump accepted the resignation of former Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats last week.\n\nRatcliffe is a frequent Trump defender who fiercely questioned former special counsel Robert Mueller during a House Judiciary Committee hearing last week. Intelligence experts had criticized his lack of experience in the field of intelligence.\n\nIn a statement, Ratcliffe said, “While I am and will remain very grateful to the President for his intention to nominate me as Director of National Intelligence, I am withdrawing from consideration.”\n\n“I was humbled and honored that the President put his trust in me to lead our nation’s intelligence operations and remain convinced that when confirmed, I would have done so with the objectivity, fairness and integrity that our intelligence agencies need and deserve,” the statement said.\n\n“However,” he added, “I do not wish for a national security and intelligence debate surrounding my confirmation, however untrue, to become a purely political and partisan issue.”", "President Donald Trump says his pick for national intelligence director has decided to withdraw from the running, citing unfair media coverage.\n\nIn a tweet Friday, Trump said Republican Rep. John Ratcliffe of Texas had decided to stay in Congress. Questions about Ratcliffe's experience have dogged him since Trump announced his candidacy five days ago.\n\nTrump didn't cite any specific media reports, but tweeted that \"rather than going through months of slander and libel,\" he would be returning to Capitol Hill.\n\nTrump accepted the resignation of former Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats last week.\n\nRatcliffe is a frequent Trump defender who fiercely questioned former special counsel Robert Mueller during a House Judiciary Committee hearing last week. Intelligence experts had criticized his lack of experience in the field of intelligence.", "WASHINGTON (AP) — Trump announces he will nominate Texas Rep. John Ratcliffe to be next director of national intelligence.\n\nCopyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.", "US President Donald Trump has said his pick for national intelligence director has decided to withdraw from the running.\n\nUS President Donald Trump has said his pick for national intelligence director has decided to withdraw from the running.\n\nMr Trump tweeted that Republican representative John Ratcliffe of Texas had decided to stay in Congress.\n\nQuestions about Mr Ratcliffe’s experience have dogged him since Mr Trump announced his candidacy five days ago.\n\nMr Trump did not cite any specific media reports, but tweeted that “rather than going through months of slander and libel”, he would be returning to Capitol Hill.\n\nMr Trump accepted the resignation of former director of national intelligence Dan Coats last week.\n\nMr Ratcliffe is a frequent defender of Mr Trump who fiercely questioned former special counsel Robert Mueller during a House Judiciary Committee hearing last week.\n\nIntelligence experts had criticised his lack of experience in the field of intelligence.\n\nMr Ratcliffe said: “While I am and will remain very grateful to the president for his intention to nominate me as director of national intelligence, I am withdrawing from consideration.\n\n“I was humbled and honoured that the president put his trust in me to lead our nation’s intelligence operations and remain convinced that when confirmed, I would have done so with the objectivity, fairness and integrity that our intelligence agencies need and deserve.\n\n“However, I do not wish for a national security and intelligence debate surrounding my confirmation, however untrue, to become a purely political and partisan issue.”"], "summary": "President Trump announces he will not nominate Representative John Ratcliffe to replace Dan Coats as Director of National Intelligence when he resigns on August 15, and plans to block Principal Deputy Director of National Intelligence Sue Gordon from serving as acting director."}
{"document": ["Image copyright EPA Image caption Ecaterina Andronescu (pictured) was dismissed after a controversial remark about the case of Alexandra Macesanu\n\nRomania's prime minister has fired her education minister over her \"deeply wrong\" comments about a kidnapping case.\n\nIn a TV interview earlier this week, Ecaterina Andronescu said she was taught \"not to get in cars with strangers\".\n\nAlexandra Macesanu, 15, was abducted west of the capital, Bucharest, last Wednesday.\n\nThe suspect, 65-year-old Gheorghe Dinca, told police he killed Alexandra.\n\nForensic tests confirmed that Alexandra's DNA was found in human remains at Mr Dinca's home, investigators have said.\n\nThe Romanian Prime Minister, Viorica Dancila, said Ecaterina Andronescu's remarks about a teen's abduction show a \"lack of understanding\". Ms Andronescu has said she did not intend to blame the victim or her parents.\n\nThe education minister is the latest Romanian government official to lose her job over the case, which has caused public outcry.\n\nRomania's police chief Ioan Buda has been sacked and interior minister Nicolae Moga has stepped down, but critics are demanding more resignations.\n\nAuthorities have been criticised for what is seen as their slow response to Alexandra's three emergency calls.\n\nWhat happened to Alexandra?\n\nAlexandra disappeared last Wednesday while hitchhiking to her home in the southern city of Caracal, police said.\n\nImage copyright Alexandru Cumpanasu's Facebook Image caption Alexandra Macesanu, 15, called police three times during her kidnapping\n\nPolice waited for 19 hours to search the property where she was being held, by which time she was presumed dead.\n\nOn Tuesday, Alexandra's uncle, Alexandru Cumpanasu, released what he said was a transcript of her calls to emergency number 112.\n\nIn one conversation, she pleaded with an officer to \"please stay with me on the line, I'm really scared\", only to be told other calls were being dealt with, according to the transcript.\n\nWho is the suspect?\n\nSuspect Gheorghe Dinca, who is in custody, has told police he killed Alexandra.\n\nThe 65-year-old also admitted killing another teenage girl, 18-year-old Luiza Melencu, who has been missing since April.\n\nImage copyright EPA Image caption Romanian police officers escort suspect Gheorghe Dinca (C) to his home for a search\n\nMr Dinca's lawyer, Alexandru Bogdan, told Romania's national news agency Agerpres on Sunday that his client had \"confessed [to] his crimes\".\n\nPolice found human remains, including blood stains and bones, during searches of Mr Dinca's home.\n\nInitially, police did not rule out the possibility Alexandra was still alive.\n\nBut in a statement on Saturday, the organised crime unit leading the investigation said laboratory analysis so far found \"the genetic profile of one person, Alexandra Macesanu\".\n\nHer uncle Alexandru Cumpanasu, who has been acting as a spokesman for the family, wrote on Facebook: \"I couldn't save this wonderful child's life.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Protesters chant \"resign\" at a rally following alleged mishandling of the case\n\nLocals in Caracal, whose population is around 30,000, told AFP news agency that Alexandra's case has eroded their trust in authorities.\n\n\"I'm afraid to walk down the streets, you can imagine. We never saw such a thing in our town\", a woman living near the suspect's house said.", "Romania's prime minister has fired her education minister over her \"deeply wrong\" comments about a kidnapping case.\n\nPrime Minister Viorica Dancila said Ecaterina Andronescu's remarks about a teen's abduction show a \"lack of understanding\".\n\nAlexandra Macesanu, 15, was kidnapped west of the capital, Bucharest, last Wednesday.\n\nMs Andronescu said on TV she was taught \"not to get in cars with strangers\".\n\nThe comments, Ms Dancila wrote in a Facebook post, were irresponsible, but Ms Andronescu said she did not intend to blame the victim or her parents.\n• Romania to have first female prime minister\n\nThe education minister is the latest Romanian government official to lose her job over the case, which has caused public outcry.\n\nRomania's police chief Ioan Buda has been sacked and interior minister Nicolae Moga has stepped down, but critics are demanding more resignations.\n\nAuthorities have been criticised for what is seen as their slow response to Alexandra's three emergency calls.\n\nAlexandra disappeared last Wednesday while hitchhiking to her home in the southern city of Caracal, police said.\n\nPolice waited for 19 hours to search the property where she was being held, by which time she was presumed dead.\n\nOn Tuesday, Alexandra's uncle, Alexandru Cumpanasu, released what he said was a transcript of her calls to emergency number 112.\n\nIn one conversation, she pleaded with an officer to \"please stay with me on the line, I'm really scared\", only to be told other calls were being dealt with, according to the transcript.\n\nWho is the suspect?\n\nSuspect Gheorghe Dinca, who is in custody, has told police he killed Alexandra.\n\nThe 65-year-old also admitted killing another teenage girl, 18-year-old Luiza Melencu, who has been missing since April.\n\nMr Dinca's lawyer, Alexandru Bogdan, told Romania's national news agency Agerpres on Sunday that his client had \"confessed [to] his crimes\".\n\nPolice found human remains during a search of Mr Dinca's home but are yet to confirm whether they match the DNA of either Alexandra or Luiza.\n• The women killed on one day around the world\n\nThe results of DNA tests are set to be announced next week, according to local media reports.\n\nPolice said they suspected the human remains found at the property - which were sent for testing - belonged to the girls.\n\nOn Friday, investigators said they had received preliminary forensics results, but would only release them pending further analysis.", "Prime minister Viorica Dancila announced on Friday, August 2, that she decided to dismiss education minister Ecaterina Andronescu following a controversial remark the minister made on TV related to the kidnapping of a 15-year old girl. Culture minister Daniel Breaz is to be in charge of the education portfolio as well until a permanent minister is appointed.\n\nReferring to the tragedy in Caracal, Ecaterina Andronescu said in a TV show that the 15-year-old who was presumably killed by her kidnapper after hitchhiking shouldn’t have gotten into the man’s car. “Still, my parents taught me not to get in a car with a stranger,\" she said in a talk show at Antena 3, according to local G4media.ro.\n\n\"For example, Alexandra – I looked into it at the School Inspectorate – was going to school, she had a (transport) subscription. What determined her to hitchhike? I think that we should, at the beginning of the school year, introduce a child protection system in all schools and teach them to protect themselves, to stay away from such situations. I learned this at home... I think that these things should also be repeated at school,” Andronescu elaborated in the TV show.\n\nThe prime minister reacted and decided on Friday to dismiss Ecaterina Andronescu “for deeply wrong statements made recently in a TV show.”\n\n“These are statements that show Mrs. Andronescu’s lack of understanding - in particular, of the Caracal case and, in general, of how we should protect our children from kidnappings, aggression, abuse, and human trafficking. It is an irresponsible attitude, which does not reflect the Government's position,” Dancila wrote on her Facebook page.\n\nMeanwhile, Ecaterina Andronescu said that she learned from the television that she was dismissed and that the PM did not inform her about this decision, according to Digi24.ro. She also tried to explain her statement, arguing that what she actually meant to say was that the school should teach children to protect themselves.\n\n“My intention was to say that if parents do not tell them, we at school have an obligation to help children understand how to stay safe from criminals. We were planning to start a campaign in the fall, to educate them,” Andronescu said. “My intention was not to accuse Alexandra (e.n. the 15-year-old girl who was kidnapped and possibly killed in Caracal) or her parents. That’s not how I thought things, I’m not that kind of person.”\n\nEcaterina Andronescu is the second minister to leave the Romanian government in a single week, amid the scandal surrounding the tragedy in Caracal. The first to leave was interior minister Nicolae Moga, who decided to resign after only six days in office.\n\nAlexandra Macesanu, 15, was kidnapped on July 24 after hitchhiking. Her abductor is a car mechanic from the town of Caracal, who also admitted to killing Alexandra and another girl who went missing in mid-April. However, nothing is certain so far, as the police haven’t found the two bodies. But the entire case triggered a big scandal after information about the authorities’ slow intervention started to surface.\n\nAlexandra managed to call the emergency number 112 three times in the morning of July 25 but the police managed to locate the main suspect many hours later and searched his home only on Friday morning. The girl was not there when they broke into the house, but they found possible human remains in a barrel outside. Media reports said that the forensic anthropology analysis on the bones found in the barrel identified the remains as belonging to a girl between 12 and 17 years old. However, the analysis doesn’t say if the bones belong to Alexandra or not, and a DNA test expected next week is to clarify that.", "Romania's education minister, Ecaterina Andronescu, has been sacked over \"deeply wrong\" comments she made about a kidnapping case.\n\nPrime Minister Viorica Dancila wrote on Facebook that Andronescu's statements were \"irresponsible\", \"showed a lack of understanding\" and \"did not reflect the government's position\".\n\nAndronescu had said that Alexandra Macesanu, 15, who was abducted, sexually abused and eventually killed, \"should have known not to get into strangers' cars\".\n\nMacesanu went missing on July 24 as she was hitchhiking back home near the southern city of Caracal.\n\nRead more: 'Arrogance, neglect and disdain': Uncle of 'murdered' Romanian teenager slams authorities\n\nThe authorities' handling of her disappearance — and that of another 18-year-old girl last seen in April — has sparked national outrage after it emerged that she had called the European emergency number three times throughout her ordeal.\n\nAuthorities took 19 hours to locate her and secure unnecessary search warrants.\n\nA 65-year-old mechanic, Georghe Dinca, admitted killing the two teenage girls, his lawyer announced last Sunday.\n\nThe scandal has already led to the resignation of the Interior Minister and the sacking of the country's police chief with President Klaus Iohannis telling reporters earlier this week that an inquiry presented at a Supreme Defence Council had identified several \"grave deficiencies\".\n\nMacesanu's uncle, Alexandru Cumpanasu, who has been acting as the family's spokesperson, said late on Friday that DNA tests carried out on bone fragments had confirmed Macesanu is dead.", "DNA test results have officially confirmed that a kidnapped 15-year-old Romanian girl is dead, prosecutors said on Saturday.\n\n\"Laboratory analysis done until now revealed the genetic profile of one person, Alexandra Macesanu,\" the prosecutor's office for organized crime said in a statement.\n\nMacesanu's uncle Alexandru Cumpanasu, who has been acting as spokesman for the family, said late on Friday on his Facebook page that the justice minister \"had notified my cousin,\" on the DNA results.\n\nThe 15-year-old was last seen on July 24. On the morning of July 25, she managed to call the emergency services three times, telling them that she had been kidnapped, raped, and was still being held against her will. However, she was not able to give the exact address of her location, and it took police almost 19 hours to intervene.\n\nA 65-year-old man from the southern town of Caracal has been arrested as a suspect in the killing. He confessed to killing Macesanu as well as a second girl, an 18-year-old, who had gone missing in April.\n\nA criminal investigation into charges of rape, murder and trafficking minors is ongoing.\n\nThe suspect accompanied the police to his house on Friday in search of evidence. The search was to continue on Saturday. Prosecutors have reportedly found blood stains and bones in his house.\n\nThe authorities' slow response has triggered huge protests in Romania. The outcry has led to several high-level resignations and dismissals.\n\nThe country's interior minister has resigned from his post, while the chief of police and other senior officials were fired. President Klaus Iohannis urged \"resignations of all those who mishandled this case which had such dramatic consequences.\"\n\nThe latest high-profile dismissal was that of the education minister, Ecaterina Andronescu, who was fired after saying: \"I was taught not to get into a car with a stranger.\"\n\nShe later said that she received news of her dismissal from the media and that her intention had not been to blame the victim.\n\nIn Caracal, a town of almost 30,000 inhabitants, locals said the case has shattered what little trust they had in the police and made fear part of their daily lives.\n\n\"I'm afraid to walk down the streets, you can imagine. We never saw such a thing in our town,\" a woman living near the suspect's house told the Agence France-Presse news agency.\n\nEvery evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.", "BUCHAREST (Reuters) - DNA results have officially confirmed that a kidnapped 15-year-old Romanian girl was dead, prosecutors said on Saturday, in a case that has stoked public outrage and revealed deep flaws in the European Union member state's public safety system.\n\n\"Lab tests of samples...revealed the genetic profile of a single person, respectively Alexandra Macesanu, scientifically based on the comparison of this genetic profile with Alexandra's parents' DNA,\" the DIICOT directorate for investigating organised crime and terrorism, said in a statement.\n\nMacesanu's uncle Alexandru Cumpanasu, who has been acting as spokesman for the family, said late on Friday on his Facebook page the justice minister \"had notified my cousin,\" on the DNA results.\n\nA 65-year-old mechanic from the southern Romanian town of Caracal has confessed to killing Alexandra Macesanu, who went missing on July 24, and another 18-year-old girl last seen in April.\n\nMacesanu phoned the European emergency number 112 three times to say she had been kidnapped, beaten and raped. It took authorities 19 hours to locate and enter the mechanic's residence as they struggled to trace her calls and secure unnecessary search warrants.\n\nOn site, authorities found bone fragments and collected DNA samples, but a preliminary forensics report has yet to be released.\n\n\"I have not lost trust, I believe she is still alive, I cannot wait to see her\", Ioan Macesanu, the father of the girl, told reporters late on Thursday.\n\nThe authorities' handling of the case has triggered street protests in cities across the country. The interior minister has resigned, while the chief of Romanian police and several other officials were fired.\n\nProsecutors are investigating those responsible for the slow response. President Klaus Iohannis said that a preliminary inquiry has shown politicised public safety bodies to be under-funded, short-staffed and insufficiently trained.", "The kidnapping and murder of 15-year-old teenage girl Alexandra Macesanu has stunned Romania and the rest of the world.\n\nBut the story has taken an unusual twist, with Romania’s Prime Minister being forced to axe her education minister for making “deeply wrong” comments about the murder case.\n\nMacesanu, 15, was kidnapped west of the capital in Bucharest last Wednesday.\n\nRomania’s Education Minister Ecaterina Andronescu said on TV she was taught “not to get in cars with strangers”.\n\nDespite trying to backtrack and defend her comments, saying she wasn’t trying to blame the teen girl or her family, Prime Minister Viorica Dancila said her comments showed a “lack of understanding”.\n\nMs Dancila wrote in a Facebook post that they were irresponsible.\n\nThe case of the 15-year-old who was abducted while trying to hitchhike home has shaken the country and led to several high-level resignations after a public outcry.\n\nAlthough Macesanu managed to call emergency services three times and give clues as to her location, it took police almost 19 hours to intervene.\n\nThe slow response sparked huge protests against the authorities’ handling of the case, with thousands of demonstrators taking to the streets of Bucharest last weekend.\n\nThe sacking comes as the DNA of the missing Romanian teenage girl whose case has sparked massive protests has been found in calcinated human remains at the suspect’s home, confirming her death.\n\n“Laboratory analysis done until now revealed the genetic profile of one person, Alexandra Macesanu”, the prosecutor’s office for organised crime said in a statement.\n\nThe suspect is Gheorghe Dinca, a 65-year-old man who was arrested.\n\nHe confessed to killing the teenage girl but also a second girl, Luiza, 18, who had gone missing in April.\n\nThe suspect accompanied the police to his house on Friday in search of evidence.\n\nThe search was to continue on Saturday.\n\nProsecutors have found blood stains and bones in Dinca’s house.\n\nThere has been a major political fallout from the case, with four high-ranking officials being sacked or resigning in the past week.\n\nIn Caracal, a southern town of almost 30,000 inhabitants, locals said the case has shattered what little trust they had in the police and made fear part of their daily lives.", "Romanian prime minister Viorica Dancila has sacked her education minister as public outrage continues to swirl around the murder of a teenage girl who called in vain for police help.\n\nMs Dancila fired Ecaterina Andronescu on Friday for comments she made about Alexandra Macesanu (15), who is thought to have been abducted and killed by mechanic Gheorghe Dinca last week in the southern Romanian city of Caracal.\n\nMacesanu dialled an emergency number three times and told police she had been kidnapped and raped and needed to be rescued, but it took officers 19 hours to find and enter the house where she seems to have been held by Mr Dinca (65).\n\nPolice found some of Macesanu’s belongings and unidentified human remains at the property, and Mr Dinca admitted to abducting and killing her and Luiza Melencu, (18) who went missing in Caracal in April.\n\nResults of DNA tests on the remains have not been released, but Romanian media say experts believe the bone fragments are from the body of a teenage girl.\n\nThe case has exposed yet again the weakness of vital public services in Romania, where there is deep frustration with the lack of professionalism and rampant corruption that people encounter in their dealings with the state.\n\nInterior minister Nicolae Moga resigned this week after firing national police chief Ioan Buda and two senior officials in Olt county, where Caracal is located.\n\nMs Andronescu was dismissed for saying during a television interview: “My parents taught me not to get into a car with a stranger . . . I found out from the school inspectorate that Alexandra had a travel pass. What made her hitchhike?”\n\nRomanians’ anger has focused not only on the police’s failure to rescue Macesanu but also on abysmal public transport in much of the country – which forces people of all ages to hitchhike – and government inaction in other areas.\n\nMs Andronescu insisted on Friday that her “intention was not to accuse Alexandra or her parents”, but she was sacked as anger grew against a scandal-plagued government that has sought to increase its control over the criminal justice system and weaken anti-corruption legislation.\n\nMs Dancila said Ms Andronescu’s “profoundly wrong statements” revealed “an attitude lacking in responsibility, which does not reflect the position of the government”.\n\nRomanian media have reported that the deputy police chief in Olt county sought help in finding Macesanu from the leader of a local criminal gang, whose information led police to search properties linked to members of a rival clan.\n\nWhen police finally found their way to Mr Dinca’s house, they wasted more time by waiting for a search warrant that was not needed in such an emergency.\n\n“Please stay with me on the line, I’m really scared,” Macesanu said in her last call to police, according to a transcript released by relatives.\n\n“I can’t stay on the line with you, miss, I have other calls,” an officer replied.\n\n“Stay there, a police car will come without fail, in two, three minutes . . . calm down, the car is en route.”", "The family of a missing Romanian girl, who called police three times for help to say she had been beaten and raped by a man who had kidnapped her while she was hitchhiking, have released what they say are recordings of the phone calls.\n\n\"Please stay with me on the line, I'm really scared,\" Alexandra Macesanu told a police officer while crying during her third and last call, according to a transcript released on Facebook by her uncle Alexandru Cumpanasu.\n\nThe suspect, 65-year-old mechanic Gheorghe Dinca from Caracal in the south of the country, has told police he killed the 15-year-old and another girl.\n\nThe teenager, who is now presumed dead, disappeared on 24 July - and Luiza Melencu, 18, was last seen in April.\n\nRomania's national police chief and two county officials were fired last week following a public outcry over the handling of the case.\n\nPolice secured a search warrant even though one was not legally necessary, and then waited outside the property, entering it 19 hours after Alexandra called.\n\nMr Cumpanasu said he obtained details of his niece's calls to the police from the Special Telecommunications Unit (STS) in charge of directing emergency calls.\n\n\"I can't stay on the line with you, miss, I have other calls,\" replied officer Vasilica Viorel Florescu, according to the transcript and audio recordings, which have not been independently verified.\n\n\"Stay there, a police car will come without fail, in two-three minutes... what the hell, calm down, the car is en route.\"\n\nMr Florescu, a police officer from the nearby town of Slatina, told local media that he talked to Alexandra twice and gave her details to Caracal police.\n\nHe told private television station Romania TV he had disconnected the call so local police could get in touch with her.\n\nMr Florescu said: \"I repeatedly told her to stay calm and that a police car was coming\".\n\nOn Saturday, thousands of people protested against the government at the slow response.\n\nPresident Klaus Iohannis has criticised police for \"mistakes and hesitations\" and has warned of \"harsh punishment\" for everybody found to be at fault.\n\nProsecutors have established both girls were hitching rides to their villages from Caracal when they were kidnapped.\n\nForensics tests have yet to confirm the identity of human remains found at the suspect's home.", "Thousands of protesters have rallied in Romania against authorities for their slow response to a teenager's kidnapping and murder. The 15-year-old girl called emergency services more than 100 times, saying she had been kidnapped by a man while hitchhiking home. She was found dead in the home of her suspected captor after authorities took almost 20 hours to locate her. The country's top police officer and two other officials have since been fired over the handling of the case. Image: AP\n\nThe kidnapping and murder of 15-year-old teenage girl Alexandra Macesanu has stunned Romania and the rest of the world.\n\nBut the story has taken an unusual twist, with Romania’s Prime Minister being forced to axe her education minister for making “deeply wrong” comments about the murder case.\n\nMacesanu, 15, was kidnapped west of the capital in Bucharest last Wednesday.\n\nRomania’s Education Minister Ecaterina Andronescu said on TV she was taught “not to get in cars with strangers”.\n\nDespite trying to backtrack and defend her comments, saying she wasn’t trying to blame the teen girl or her family, Prime Minister Viorica Dancila said her comments showed a “lack of understanding”.\n\nMs Dancila wrote in a Facebook post that they were irresponsible.\n\nThe case of the 15-year-old who was abducted while trying to hitchhike home has shaken the country and led to several high-level resignations after a public outcry.\n\nAlthough Macesanu managed to call emergency services three times and give clues as to her location, it took police almost 19 hours to intervene.\n\nThe slow response sparked huge protests against the authorities’ handling of the case, with thousands of demonstrators taking to the streets of Bucharest last weekend.\n\nThe sacking comes as the DNA of the missing Romanian teenage girl whose case has sparked massive protests has been found in calcinated human remains at the suspect’s home, confirming her death.\n\n“Laboratory analysis done until now revealed the genetic profile of one person, Alexandra Macesanu”, the prosecutor’s office for organised crime said in a statement.\n\nThe suspect is Gheorghe Dinca, a 65-year-old man who was arrested.\n\nHe confessed to killing the teenage girl but also a second girl, Luiza, 18, who had gone missing in April.\n\nThe suspect accompanied the police to his house on Friday in search of evidence.\n\nThe search was to continue on Saturday.\n\nProsecutors have found blood stains and bones in Dinca’s house.\n\nThere has been a major political fallout from the case, with four high-ranking officials being sacked or resigning in the past week.\n\nIn Caracal, a southern town of almost 30,000 inhabitants, locals said the case has shattered what little trust they had in the police and made fear part of their daily lives."], "summary": "Romanian Prime Minister Viorica Dăncilă sacks Minister of Education Ecaterina Andronescu for her controversial comments in a television interview about murdered 15-year-old girl Alexandra Măceșanu, saying she was \"taught not to get in cars with strangers\". A 65-year-old man has since admitted killing Alexandra Măceșanu and another teenage girl who has been missing since April."}
{"document": ["The director of Brazil’s National Space Research Institute (INPE) has been sacked in the midst of a controversy over its satellite data showing a rise in Amazon deforestation, which the far-right president, Jair Bolsonaro, has called “lies”.\n\nRicardo Galvão, who had defended the institute and criticised Bolsonaro’s attack, was dismissed on Friday after a meeting with the science and technology minister, Marcos Pontes.\n\n“The way I expressed myself in relation to the president has caused an unsustainable embarrassment,” Galvão said on Friday morning, according to the Folha de S Paulo newspaper site.\n\nDeforestation of Brazilian Amazon surges to record high Read more\n\n“Sacking the director of INPE is just an act of vengeance against someone who showed the truth,” said Greenpeace Brasil’s public policy coordinator, Márcio Astrini, in a statement.\n\nCreated in 2004, the Deter satellite system makes monthly and daily data publicly available on a regularly updated government website. Its data for recent months showed an alarming rise in deforestation in recent months: it soared 88% in June compared with a year earlier. The first half of July was 68% up on the whole of July 2018.\n\nBolsonaro and his ministers have called its release irresponsible and an attempt to stain Brazil’s image abroad. Last month he called INPE numbers “lies” and implied that Galvão was in “the service” of a foreign non-profit group. The next day Galvão said the president behaved “like he is in a bar” and defended the institute’s data.\n\nThe most accurate data on deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon is collected by the Prodes satellite system and released annually. The Deter satellite system has a lower resolution and is primarily used for deforestation alerts, said Tasso Azevedo, a former head of Brazil’s forest service. But over the last 12 years, whenever annual Deter data showed deforestation increasing, Prodes confirmed the trend and calculated an even higher rate. Publicly available Prodes data goes back to 1988.\n\nAzevedo is the coordinator of MapBiomas, an initiative from NGOs, universities and technology companies that monitors changes in land use. He said that from January to July, accumulated Deter numbers showed a 62% increase in deforestation compared with the same period last year, and that three other international satellite monitoring systems had also shown rising deforestation. “All have different methodology, so the data is different, but all of them point to a rise in deforestation,” he said.\n\nOn Thursday, Bolsonaro and the environment minister, Ricardo Salles, criticised the release of data as irresponsible and sensationalist. “The numbers were thrashed out, it seems to me, with the aim of striking at the name of Brazil and the government,” Bolsonaro said.\n\nIn a presentation, Salles said his team had found hundreds of areas of deforestation included in the July figures from previous months or years. He did not explain the methodology used. INPE defended its numbers in a statement and said it had not been given prior access to Salles’s study.\n\nThe government fears that the alarming data could prejudice an important trade deal between the South American trade bloc, Mercosur, and the EU. Environmentalists said the damage had already been done.\n\n“Brazil’s image is already hopelessly compromised by this crusade against the facts,” said Carlos Rittl, executive secretary of the Climate Observatory.", "Image copyright Reuters Image caption Scientists say the Amazon has suffered losses at an accelerated rate since Mr Bolsonaro took office\n\nThe head of Brazil's National Space Research Institute says he will be sacked after a public row with President Jair Bolsonaro over the scale of deforestation in the Amazon.\n\nRicardo Galvão had accused the far-right president of \"cowardice\" for questioning the institute's data.\n\nIt showed an 88% increase in deforestation in June compared with the same month a year ago.\n\nMr Bolsonaro said the institute was smearing Brazil's reputation.\n\nBrazil's ministry of science and technology has confirmed Mr Galvão's departure, although it is not clear whether he had quit or been fired.\n\nImage copyright Reuters Image caption President Bolsonaro has contested the institute's data as lies\n\nMr Bolsonaro, who took office in January, has accused Mr Galvão's organisation of trying to undermine the government.\n\nHowever, the National Space Research Institute (Inpe) says its data is 95% accurate.\n\nScientists say the Amazon has suffered losses at an accelerated rate under Mr Bolsonaro's government, with policies that favour development over conservation.\n\nAs the largest rainforest in the world, the Amazon is a vital carbon store that slows down the pace of global warming.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption How is the rainforest helping limit global warming?\n\nOfficial figures suggest that the biggest reason to fell trees there is to create new pastures for cattle.\n\nOver the past decade, previous governments had managed to reduce deforestation with concerted action by federal agencies and a system of fines.\n\nBut Mr Bolsonaro and his ministers have criticised the penalties and overseen a dramatic fall in confiscations of timber and convictions for environmental crimes.\n\nSeveral scientific institutions, including the Brazilian Academy of Sciences, have defended Inpe and the accuracy of its data.", "BRASILIA, Aug 1 (Reuters) - Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said on Thursday that if a senior government scientist had betrayed his confidence regarding deforestation data, he would be fired, underlining how growing international pressure to protect the Amazon is weighing on his government.\n\nBolsonaro made the comments during a tense news conference in Brasilia. He and members of his cabinet pushed back against reports of a recent spike in deforestation in the Amazon, without giving their own assessment of the trend.\n\nBolsonaro, a far-right, former army captain elected last year, has long been skeptical of environmental issues, and has repeatedly said the Amazon is a resource that belongs to Brazil, which Brazilians should choose how to administer.\n\nCritics have been particularly alarmed by recent data from the internationally renowned National Institute for Space Research (INPE) that showed an 88% rise in deforestation in June.\n\nBoth Bolsonaro and his environment minister, Ricardo Salles, said the figure was incorrect and caused Brazil great harm internationally. And Bolsonaro made his threat that if it were shown that INPE Director Ricardo Galvao had betrayed his confidence by releasing erroneous numbers, he would be fired.\n\nSalles acknowledged that Amazon deforestation has been rising in recent years, but said the 88% jump reported by the INPE was incorrect. Nonetheless, he declined to give a specific number, arguing that the measurement mechanism was not suited to give a monthly reading.\n\nSalles said the government's intention is not to hide information about illegal deforestation of the Amazon, but he defended the need to disclose this information with \"responsibility.\"", "The head of Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research left his position on Friday amid criticism by President Jair Bolsonaro about the agency’s reports on deforestation in the Amazon.\n\nAfter meeting with the country’s minister of science and technology, Ricardo Galvao said his mandate would be terminated before the end of his term next year due to an “unsustainable” situation.\n\nScience and technology minister Marcos Pontes later confirmed Galvao’s departure on Twitter and thanked him for his dedication.\n\nIn recent weeks, Bolsonaro has intensified criticism of INPE deforestation data which has shown a significant increase in illegal logging.\n\nINPE says 920 square kilometers of Amazon forest were lost in June — an 88% increase from the same month last year. It also says it has used the same methodology to measure deforestation since 2004.\n\nPresident Bolsonaro said at a press conference on Thursday that he suspected that agency officials had manipulated figures to make his administration look bad, and he threatened to dismiss those who provided data he deemed “doubtful.” Environment Minister Ricardo Salles called INPE’s figures sensationalist and inaccurate, but did not offer an alternative estimate.\n\nSince taking office in January, the administration of Mr. Bolsonaro has consistently clashed with environmentalists and others over possibly opening up the Amazon rainforest to development and agribusiness.\n\nIn a statement on Thursday, INPE said it had explained its methodology to government officials at a meeting during which Brazil’s environment institute presented its own study that claimed to show “inconsistencies and errors” in INPE’s results.\n\nThe agency said it had no prior access or knowledge of the study and reaffirmed “its confidence in the quality of the data.”\n\nMarina Silva, Brazil’s environment minister from 2003 to 2008, said that Mr. Galvao had been “fired for his competence, confidence, and for running an institution that did not cower in the face of ...groundless threats.”\n\nThe World Wide Fund for Nature said it supported Galvao and his defense of “the apolitical and public disclosure of deforestation data.”", "Amazon deforestation leads to firing of scientist after President Jair Bolsonaro takes issue with data\n\nThe head of Brazil's National Institute for Space Research (INPE) has been sacked amid criticism by President Jair Bolsonaro about the agency's reports on deforestation in the Amazon.\n\nAfter meeting with the country's Minister of Science and Technology, Ricardo Galvao said his mandate would be terminated before the end of his term next year due to an \"unsustainable\" situation.\n\nMinister Marcos Pontes later confirmed Mr Galvao's departure on Twitter and thanked him for his dedication.\n\nSince taking office in January, the administration of Mr Bolsonaro — a climate change sceptic — has consistently clashed with environmentalists and others over possibly opening up the Amazon rainforest to development and agribusiness.\n\nIncreasingly, though, that point of view has angered foreign governments and trade partners, who want Brazil to do more to protect what they say is a crucial global asset for fighting climate change.\n\nIn recent weeks, Mr Bolsonaro has intensified criticism of INPE deforestation data which has shown a significant increase in illegal logging.\n\nPreliminary data produced by INPE showed an 88 per cent jump in deforestation in June in the Amazon rainforest compared to the same month a year ago.\n\nData for July 1 to July 25, the latest available, recorded 1,864 square kilometres of deforestation, more than triple the amount in July last year.\n\nIt also said it has used the same methodology to measure deforestation since 2004.\n\nMr Bolsonaro responded angrily to the numbers, describing them last month as a lie, and personally attacking Mr Galvao, who he said might be \"in service to some NGO.\"\n\n\"With all the devastation that you are accusing us of doing … the Amazon region would already have been extinguished,\" Mr Bolsonaro said.\n\nEnvironment Minister Ricardo Salles called INPE's figures sensationalist and inaccurate but did not offer an alternative estimate.\n\nSome of the deforestation picked up in June had actually occurred earlier, and certain areas had been counted twice, Mr Salles said.\n\nIn a statement Thursday, INPE said it had explained its methodology to government officials at a meeting during which Brazil's environment institute presented its own study that claimed to show \"inconsistencies and errors\" in INPE's results.\n\nThe agency said it had no prior access or knowledge of the study and reaffirmed \"its confidence in the quality of the data.\"\n\nMr Galvao did not take the criticism lying down.\n\nIn an interview on July 20 with national broadcaster Globo, he dismissed Mr Bolsonaro's criticism as \"bar talk\" and \"a joke of a 14-year-old boy that is not suitable for a president of Brazil.\"\n\nAt the time, Mr Galvao said he would not resign.\n\nHowever, Mr Galvao told reporters as he left a meeting with the science minister that his position was no longer tenable, according to a recording broadcast on CBN.\n\n\"I will be dismissed,\" he said.\n\nMarina Silva, Brazil's environment minister from 2003 to 2008, said that Mr Galvao had been \"fired for his competence, confidence, and for running an institution that did not cower in the face of … groundless threats.\"\n\nThe Opposition Leader in the lower house of Congress, Alessandro Molon, said Mr Galvao's departure was a sign of an increasingly authoritarian president.\n\n\"He doesn't accept being contradicted, even when there are scientific facts to prove he is wrong, as in the case of the INPE space agency and Amazon deforestation data,\" Mr Molon said.\n\nThe World Wide Fund for Nature said it supported Galvao and his defence of \"the apolitical and public disclosure of deforestation data.\"", "Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has hit back at reports accusing the government of devastating the Amazon (AFP Photo/EVARISTO SA)\n\nBrasília (AFP) - The head of Brazil's National Institute for Space Research said Friday he was going to be sacked following a row with President Jair Bolsonaro over deforestation in the Amazon rainforest.\n\nRicardo Galvao had accused far-right Bolsonaro of \"cowardice\" for publicly questioning satellite data produced by the INPE institute that showed Amazon rainforest deforestation had increased 88 percent on-year in June.\n\n\"My words about the president have caused annoyance, so I'm going to be fired,\" said Galvao.\n\nTwo weeks ago, Bolsonaro had told reporters: \"With all the devastation that you are accusing us of doing... the Amazon region would already have been extinguished.\"\n\nBolsonaro, a climate change skeptic, also called on Galvao \"to come to Brasilia to explain the data that was released to the press.\"\n\nThe president has previously floated the idea of opening up protected rainforest areas to agriculture, a highly controversial move given the existing level of deforestation.\n\nIn his row with Galvao, Bolsonaro suggested the INPE president is \"in the service of some NGOs.\"\n\nA day later, Galvao hit back, blasting Bolsonaro for making \"undue accusations against people of the highest level of Brazilian science\" and comparing his suspicions to \"a joke by a 14-year-old boy.\"\n\nBolsonaro upped the ante on Thursday, claiming the INPE figures \"don't correspond to the truth\" and were damaging to the institute and the country.\n\nGalvao previously insisted he wouldn't resign, but speaking on Friday he admitted he had discussed the possibility he might be fired with the Minister for Science and Technology, Marcos Pontes.\n\nGalvao told the press that his dismissal wouldn't affect INPE, an institution of international repute.\n\nThe latest data released by INPE shows that deforestation has increased 40 percent in the last two months alone.", "The head of Brazil's space research agency Ricardo Galvao is set to leave his job following a public dispute with President Jair Bolsonaro over deforestation statistics, a spokesperson for the science ministry said on Friday.\n\nPreliminary data produced by the agency, known as INPE, showed an 88 per cent jump in deforestation in the Amazon rainforest in June compared to the same month a year ago. Data for July 1 to July 25, the latest available, recorded 1,864 square kilometers of deforestation, more than triple the amount in the month of July last year.\n\nBolsonaro responded angrily to the numbers, describing them last month as a lie, and personally attacking Galvao, who he said might be \"in service to some NGO.\"\n\nOn Thursday, he said Galvao would be fired if he was found to have breached his confidence.\n\nGalvao did not take the criticism lying down. In an interview on July 20 with national broadcaster Globo, he dismissed Bolsonaro's criticism as \"bar talk\" and \"a joke of a 14-year-old boy that is not suitable for a president of Brazil.\" At the time, Galvao said he would not resign.\n\nHowever, on Friday, Galvao told reporters as he left a meeting with the science minister that his position was no longer tenable, according to a recording broadcast on CBN.", "(Bloomberg) -- Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro criticized data showing increased deforestation in the Amazon region in June, saying that the “false” numbers damage both his own image and that of his country.\n\nIn a press conference alongside his environment and foreign affairs ministers, Bolsonaro said that the “sensationalist” figures showing an 88% expansion in Amazon deforestation between June 2018 and June 2019 jeopardized Brazil’s foreign relations. The president blamed the numbers on a biased political operatives and threaten to fire anyone who had been found to manipulate the data to make his administration look bad.\n\n“We suffer all kinds of attacks, and Brazil’s image, and my personal image, is terrible abroad due to the labels placed on me,” Bolsonaro said. “These labels have to be dismissed step by step by using the truth. Everything regarding the environment has a huge foreign repercussion.”\n\nEnvironment Minister Ricardo Salles presented technical explanations to dismiss the deforestation data. He said that the June numbers had included some data from previous months and that some areas had been counted twice.\n\nSalles added that Brazil would update its technological tools to account for deforestation and conceded that the country needs to improve oversight to preserve the Amazon. He also said he is seeking to incorporate the people living in the rain forest into the economy, allowing for both its exploration and its preservation.\n\n--With assistance from Flavia Said.\n\nTo contact the reporter on this story: Mario Sergio Lima in Brasilia Newsroom at mlima11@bloomberg.net\n\nTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Juan Pablo Spinetto at jspinetto@bloomberg.net, Bruce Douglas", "Following a public spat with President Jair Bolsonaro over deforestation statistics,the head of Brazil’s space research agency INPE, Ricardo Galvao, is set to leave his job, the science ministry informed Friday.\n\nAccording to preliminary data produced by INPE in June 2019, deforestation in the Amazon rainforest jumped 88 percent compared to the same month a year ago.\n\nThe latest available Records from July 1 to July 25 show a deforested area 1,864 square kilometers long, more than triple the size that the one of July last year.\n\nIn June, Bolsonaro described these numbers as a lie and personally attacked Galvao, who he said might be “in service to some NGO.”\n\nOn Thursday, he said Galvao would be fired if he was found to have breached his confidence.\n\nGalvao dismissed Bolsonaro’s criticism as “bar talk” and “a joke of a 14-year-old boy that is not suitable for a president of Brazil” in an interview on July 20 with national broadcaster Globo. At the time, Galvao said he would not resign.\n\nHowever, on Friday, Galvao told reporters, as he left a meeting with the science minister, that his position was no longer tenable, according to a recording broadcast on CBN.\n\n“I will be dismissed,” he said.\n\nA science ministry spokesperson said it was unclear if Galvao had resigned or been fired. A representative for INPE declined to comment.\n\nBolsonaro’s office and Galvao did not immediately respond to requests for comment.\n\nThe opposition leader in the lower house of Congress, Alessandro Molon, said Galvao’s departure was a sign of an increasingly authoritarian president.\n\n“He doesn’t accept being contradicted, even when there are scientific facts to prove he is wrong, as in the case of the INPE space agency and Amazon deforestation data,” he said.\n\nOn Thursday, Environment Minister Ricardo Salles told reporters during a briefing alongside Bolsonaro that the preliminary data produced by the system, known as DETER, contained errors. Some of the deforestation picked up in June had actually occurred earlier, and certain areas had been counted twice, he said.\n\nThe 88 percent increase reported was a distortion of the data, he said, but offered no alternative figures.\n\nINPE released a statement on the same day, saying it was confident in the quality of DETER data.", "Brasília, Aug 3 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 3rd Aug, 2019 ) :The head of Brazil's National Institute for Space Research said on Friday he would be sacked following a row with President Jair Bolsonaro over deforestation in the Amazon rainforest.\n\nRicardo Galvao had accused far-right Bolsonaro of \"cowardice\" for publicly questioning satellite data produced by the institute, known by its initials INPE, that showed Amazon rainforest deforestation had increased 88 percent on-year in June.\n\n\"My words about the president have caused annoyance, so I'm going to be fired,\" said Galvao.\n\nTwo weeks ago, Bolsonaro had told reporters: \"With all the devastation that you are accusing us of doing... the Amazon region would already have been extinguished.\" Bolsonaro, a climate change skeptic, also called on Galvao \"to come to Brasilia to explain the data that was released to the press.\n\n\" The president has previously floated the idea of opening up protected rainforest areas to agriculture, a highly controversial move given the existing level of deforestation.\n\nIn his row with Galvao, Bolsonaro suggested the INPE president is \"in the service of some NGOs.\"A day later, Galvao hit back, blasting Bolsonaro for making \"undue accusations against people of the highest level of Brazilian science\" and comparing the president's suspicions to \"a joke by a 14-year-old boy.\"Bolsonaro upped the ante on Thursday, claiming the INPE figures \"don't correspond to the truth\" and were damaging to the institute and the country."], "summary": "Brazil's National Space Research Institute Director-General Ricardo Galvão is dismissed from office as a result of the release of data showing a rise in Amazon deforestation. President Jair Bolsonaro has called the release of the data \"irresponsible and sensationalist\"."}
{"document": ["The Argentine star Lionel Messi was barred on Friday from playing for his national team for three months and was fined $50,000 by CONMEBOL, the South American soccer governing body, after he heavily criticized the organization during the Copa América.\n\nMessi, 32, accused CONMEBOL of corruption after he was sent off against Chile in the third-place playoff match during the tournament in Brazil, which ended last month.\n\nMessi was angered by two incidents during the Copa.\n\nArgentina was denied two penalty claims in its 2-0 semifinal loss to the hosts, after which Messi claimed Brazil was “managing a lot in CONMEBOL these days.” And when he was harshly dismissed in the next game, which Argentina won, 2-1, he could not contain his anger.\n\n“Corruption and the referees are preventing people from enjoying the football, and they’re ruining it a bit,” Messi said.", "Argentina star Lionel Messi on Friday was barred from playing for his national team for three months and fined $50,000 by CONMEBOL after he heavily criticized the South American soccer governing body during the Copa América.\n\nThe 32-year-old forward had accused CONMEBOL of corruption after he was sent off against Chile in the third-place playoff during the tournament in Brazil, which ended last month.\n\nMessi was angered by two incidents during the Copa.\n\nArgentina was denied two penalty claims in its 2-0 semifinal defeat against the hosts, after which Messi claimed Brazil was “managing a lot in CONMEBOL these days.”\n\nAnd when he was harshly dismissed in the next game, which Argentina won, 2-1, he couldn’t contain his anger.", "Lionel Messi: Argentina forward banned from international football for three months\n\nArgentina captain Lionel Messi has been suspended from international football for three months after accusing the Copa America of corruption.\n\nMessi has also been fined $50,000 (£41,121) by CONMEBOL, South American football's governing body. He has seven days to appeal the decision.\n\nHe was sent off in his side's 2-1 win over Chile in the competition's third-place play-off and later said the Copa America was \"fixed for Brazil\" - the eventual tournament winners, who had beaten Argentina in the semi-final.\n\nThe Barcelona forward will miss friendly matches against Chile, Mexico and Germany across September and October.\n\nMessi is also suspended for Argentina's first South American World Cup qualifier next March due to the red card he received for clashing with Chile's Gary Medel.\n\nAfter the match, Messi was absent from the medal ceremony and later said Argentina \"don't need to be part of this corruption\".\n\nMessi had already complained about the officiating at the tournament following Argentina's 2-0 semi-final defeat to hosts Brazil.\n\nAsked if he feared being suspended for his comments, he said \"the truth needed to be told\". Messi later sent an apology to CONMEBOL for his remarks.", "Argentina star Lionel Messi was banned from playing for his national team for three months and fined USD 50,000 on Friday by CONMEBOL after he heavily criticised the South American football governing body during the Copa America. The 32-year-old Barcelona forward had accused CONMEBOL of \"corruption\" after he was sent off against Chile during the Copa America third-place play-off match. Lionel Messi was angered by two incidents during the June-July Copa hosted by bitter rivals Brazil.\n\nArgentina were denied two penalty claims in their 0-2 semi-final defeat to the hosts, after which Messi claimed Brazil were \"managing a lot in CONMEBOL these days.\"\n\nAnd when he was harshly dismissed in the next game, which Argentina went on to win 2-1, he couldn't contain his anger.\n\n\"Corruption and the referees are preventing people from enjoying the football and they're ruining it a bit,\" Messi said.\n\nHe was given his marching orders after a first-half scuffle with Chile captain Gary Medel in which television pictures suggested he'd done little wrong.\n\nThe CONMEBOL statement on its website didn't specify why Messi was being punished but said it was related to articles 7.1 and 7.2 of its disciplinary regulations.\n\nOne such clause refers to \"offensive, insulting behavior or making defamatory protests of any kind.\"\n\nAnother clause mentions \"breaching the decisions, directives or orders of the judicial bodies.\"\n\nThe ban means only that Messi will miss a handful of friendly matches as Argentina's next competitive fixture is not until the South American qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar begin in March.\n\nHowever, Lionel Messi has already received a one-game ban from CONMEBOL for his red card against Chile meaning he'll miss the first of those.\n\nArgentina have two friendlies lined up in the United States in September against Chile and Mexico and another in October away to Germany.\n\nMessi would miss all three of those but be free to play for his country again in November.", "FC Barcelona and Argentina captain Lionel Messi had been banned from international football for three months by the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) following his claim the Copa America was corrupt.\n\nThe 32-year-old forward was sent off during Argentina’s 2-1 third-place play-off defeat of Chile and he later said the competition was fixed for hosts Brazil.\n\nHe has also been fined about N18 million (about 50,000 dollars or 41,121 pounds).\n\nMessi has seven days to appeal the decision to suspend him, as well as the fine.\n\nThe ban means Messi will miss Argentina’s upcoming friendly matches against Chile, Mexico and Germany in September and October.\n\nThe ban will however not disrupt Argentina’s qualifying campaign for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, as the qualifiers begin in March.\n\nAfter Argentina’s 2-0 semi-final defeat by hosts Brazil, the Argentine Football Association had complained about “serious and gross refereeing errors”.\n\nMessi was shown a red card in the 37th minute against Chile, following a clash with Gary Medel, who was also dismissed.\n\n“We don’t have to be part of this corruption,” Messi had said. “They have showed us a lack of respect throughout this tournament.\n\n“Sadly, the corruption, the referees, they don’t allow people to enjoy football, they ruined it a bit.”\n\nCONMEBOL had responded by saying accusations questioning the integrity of the Copa America were “unfounded” and “represent a lack of respect”.", "The 32-year-old Messi found himself in trouble twice at Copa America. He called out officials following Argentina’s loss against Brazil. Messi then received a red card during Argentina’s win over Chile. He was so furious about the red card that he did not show up to accept his third-place medal.\n\nFollowing the contest, Messi went off on CONMEBOL, saying Argentina didn’t need to be “part of the corruption”. CONMEBOL was responsible for organising the Copa America.\n\nMessi was also fined $50,000 for those comments. He has seven days to appeal his punishment.\n\nMessi will miss three friendlies during his suspension. He will also have to serve a one-game suspension in the South American World Cup qualifiers for receiving that red card against Chile at Copa America.", "Lionel Messi doesn't feel he should've seen red for the Gary Medel altercation and feels Argentina should've been in the Copa America final. (1:15)\n\nArgentina's Lionel Messi was banned for three months from international matches and fined $50,000 on Friday after accusing South America's governing body for football of \"corruption\" during the Copa America.\n\nMessi criticised the officiating and members of CONMEBOL last month following Argentina's semifinal loss to Brazil and after the third-place match against Chile, but later apologised for his statements.\n\nCONMEBOL has given Messi and the Argentine Football Association seven days to appeal the sanctions.\n\nArgentina are due to face Chile in a friendly match in Los Angeles on Sept. 5, followed by another friendly with Mexico in San Antonio five days later.\n\nMessi, who is due to return Nov. 3, will also miss the friendly against host Germany on Oct. 9 in Dortmund.\n\nMessi is already suspended from the first match of the South American World Cup qualifiers in March because of the red card he received against Chile in an incident with Gary Medel.\n\nNeither Messi nor Argentina's soccer association have made comments about CONMEBOL's decisions.\n\nMessi avoided the Copa America medal ceremony in protest and later said Argentina \"shouldn't take part in this corruption.\"\n\nThe 32-year-old also said the tournament was set up for hosts Brazil to win and had complained about Copa America refereeing after Argentina's 2-0 loss to Brazil in the semifinals.\n\nWhen asked if he feared being suspended for his comments, he said \"the truth needed to be told.\"\n\nInformation from the Associated Press was used in this report.", "ASUNCION, Paraguay — Soccer body CONMEBOL suspended Lionel Messi from international matches with Argentina for three months because of accusations of corruption he made at the latest Copa América.\n\nThe South American body also said Friday that it fined the superstar $50,000 for his comments after Argentina's 2-1 win against Chile in the third-place playoff of the tournament in July.\n\nMessi and Argentina can still appeal the decision, which stops the striker from playing in four friendlies this year.\n\nThe 32-year-old will not play for Argentina matches in September against Chile and Mexico, plus another two in October versus Germany and another adversary to be picked.\n\nNeither Messi nor Argentina's soccer association have made comments about CONMEBOL's decision.\n\nMessi is already suspended from the first match of the South American World Cup qualifiers next March because of the apparently undeserved red card he received against Chile.\n\nThe Argentine was sent off for only the second time in his career after a shoving match with Chile midfielder Gary Medel, who also was ejected.\n\nMessi avoided the medal ceremony in protest and later said Argentina \"shouldn't take part in this corruption.\"\n\nThe Argentinian also said the tournament was set for hosts Brazil to win.\n\nMessi had already complained against Copa América refereeing after Argentina's 2-0 loss to Brazil in the semifinals.", "Leeds: Argentina bigwig Lionel Messi has been handed a three-month ban from international football by CONMEBOL, South America's football governing body, for his comments made during the Copa America. Along with the ban, Messi has also been fined US $ 50,000. Messi will now miss three friendly matches to be played against Chile (September 5), Mexico(September 10) and Germany (October 10); in addition to the one-match World Cup qualifying ban for being sent off, reported Goal.com. On July 6, Chile's Gary Medal and Messi were handed red cards during their Copa America clash in the 37th minute of the match.\n\nThe video footage showed that Medal was clearly the aggressor and the decision of the referee was challenged by Messi. The Argentine striker, thereafter, had walked off the field. Messi was given his first red-card in a 14-year-long span and this decision had not gone well with the striker as he blasted CONMEBOL, saying the whole tournament was set up for Brazil's win and even went on to say that he does not want to be a 'part of this corruption'. \"There is no doubt, the whole thing is set up for Brazil. I hope the VAR and referees don't play any part in the final and that Peru can compete but it looks tough to me. I did not want to be part of this corruption, we shouldn't have to be part of this disrespect we suffered during the Copa America. We could have gone further but we weren't allowed into the final. Corruption, referees and all the rest stopped people from enjoying the football,\" Messi had said.", "Lionel Messi (centre) argues with the referee after being shown a red card during the Copa America third-place play-off between Argentina and Chile on July 6 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Picture: Alexandre Schneider/Getty Images\n\nLionel Messi (centre) argues with the referee after being shown a red card during the Copa America third-place play-off between Argentina and Chile on July 6 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Picture: Alexandre Schneider/Getty Images\n\nSOUTH American football governing body CONMEBOL has suspended Lionel Messi from international matches with Argentina for three months because of his accusations of corruption at the latest Copa America.\n\nThe South American body also said on Saturday morning (AEST) that it had fined the superstar $73,500 for his comments after Argentina's 2-1 win over Chile in the third-place play-off of the tournament in July.\n\nMessi and Argentina can still appeal the decision - and have seven days to do so.\n\nUnless successful on appeal, the Barcelona striker will be banned from playing in four Argentina friendlies this year: in September against Chile and Mexico, plus another two in October, versus Germany and another opponent yet to be picked.\n\nNeither Messi, 32, nor Argentina's football association have made comments about CONMEBOL's decision.\n\nMessi is already suspended from the first match of the South American World Cup qualifiers next March because of a red card from the game against Chile.\n\nThe Argentine was sent off for only the second time in his career after a shoving match with Chile midfielder Gary Medel, who also received his marching orders.\n\nMessi avoided the medal ceremony in protest and later said Argentina \"shouldn't take part in this corruption\".\n\nThe Argentinian also said the tournament was set for hosts Brazil to win.\n\nMessi had already complained against Copa America refereeing after Argentina's 2-0 loss to Brazil in the semi-finals.\n\nWhen asked if he feared being suspended for his comments, he said \"the truth needed to be told\", but later sent an apology to CONMEBOL for his remarks."], "summary": "Argentine footballer Lionel Messi is suspended from his national team for three months and fined US$50,000 for criticizing the South American Football Confederation."}
{"document": ["EL PASO, Texas (AP) — Among the 20 dead when a young gunman opened fire in an El Paso, Texas, shopping area Saturday was a 25-year-old woman who was shot while holding her 2-month-old son, her sister said.\n\nLeta Jamrowski, 19, of El Paso learned Saturday afternoon that her sister Jordan Anchondo had been shot to death at Walmart while shopping for back-to-school supplies. Jamrowski spoke to The Associated Press as she paced a waiting room at the University Medical Center of El Paso, where her 2-month-old nephew was being treated for broken bones — the result of his mother's fall.\n\n\"From the baby's injuries, they said that more than likely my sister was trying to shield him,\" she said. \"So when she got shot she was holding him and she fell on him, so that's why he broke some of his bones. So he pretty much lived because she gave her life.\"\n\nAnchondo was the mother of three children.\n\nJamrowski spent the night desperately awaiting word of whether her brother-in-law, Andre Anchondo, had survived the attack.\n\n\"They said that if he were alive, more than likely he would have gotten in contact by now,\" Jamrowski said.\n\nIn the hospital lobby, Mexican consular officials tracked the wounded and missing. El Paso, which has about 680,000 residents, is in West Texas and sits across the border from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.\n\nBeto O'Rourke, a Democratic vice presidential candidate and an El Paso native, held a news conference on a street corner opposite the hospital as the sun set, recounting his visit with wounded victims, including a woman who had a bullet pass through her lungs.\n\n\"I told them that I am so amazed at how strong they are,\" the former U.S. congressman said.\n\nRyan Mielke, a spokesman for University Medical Center of El Paso, said 13 of the more than two dozen injured were brought to the hospital with injuries, including one who died. Two of the injured were children who were being transferred to El Paso Children's Hospital, he said. Eleven other victims were being treated at Del Sol Medical Center, hospital spokesman Victor Guerrero said. Those victims' ages ranged from 35 to 82, he said.", "EL PASO, Texas — Twenty people were killed and more than two dozen were injured Saturday after a gunman opened fire at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas. The suspect is 21-year-old Patrick Crusius of Allen, Texas, according to the Associated Press.\n\nEl Paso Police Chief Greg Allen did not identify Crusius, however records show Crusius has been booked into the El Paso County Jail on capital murder charges.\n\nAuthorities are investigating the possibility the shooting was a hate crime. El Paso Mayor Dee Margo said authorities are investigating whether a racist, anti-immigrant document posted online shortly beforehand was written by the Crusius.\n\nIn the document, the writer expresses concern that an influx of Hispanics into the United States will replace aging white voters, potentially turning Texas blue in upcoming elections and swinging the White House to the Democrats.\n\nRELATED: What we know about the El Paso shooting suspect\n\nThe document was also critical of Republicans for what was described as close ties to corporations and degradation of the environment.\n\nThough a Twitter account that appears to belong to Crusius included pro-Trump posts praising the plan to build more border wall, the writer of the online document says his views on race predated Trump's campaign and that any attempt to blame the president for his actions was \"fake news.\"\n\nThough the writer denied he was a white supremacist, the document says \"race mixing\" is destroying the nation and recommends dividing the United States into territorial enclaves determined by race. The first sentence of the four-page document expresses support for the man accused of killing 51 people at two New Zealand mosques in March after posting his own document with a conspiracy theory about nonwhite migrants replacing whites.", "Eleven months before his son was arrested for allegedly murdering 20 people and injuring scores more with an assault rifle in El Paso, Texas, John Bryan Crusius started a GoFundMe page for a musician suffering the consequences of gun violence long after being shot by a deranged stranger.\n\nThe page included a photo of a critically wounded Eric Keyes lying on a hospital gurney. John Crusius wrote that Keyes had been struck by an “overwhelming series of traumatic events,” Crusius reported: “A mentally ill person showed up unannounced at Eric’s door in Denton, TX and told Eric he was a fan of his music. He pulled a gun and shot Eric from short range, the bullet piercing his chest and breaking three ribs, missing his heart by one millimeter, and finally lodged in his left arm. He suffered a collapsed lung (could not sing anymore) and nerve damage that extended to his left arm (could not play guitar).”\n\nJohn Crusius does not say so in the posting, but he is a mental health counselor. The Veterans Administration had referred Keyes to Crusius’ clinic in Richardson, Texas for help with PTSD such as an ever growing number of American civilians suffer after being shot. Keyes needs only to hear a doorbell ring and he flashes back to the shooting. He was also coping with the pressure of caring for two parents with dementia.\n\nCynics might wonder about the effectiveness of the “‘whole’ person: Body, Mind and Spirit” approach at John Crusius’ Infused Being Therapy and Sound Healing clinic. Keyes found him to be a true healer.\n\n“He does a lot of good work,” Keyes told The Daily Beast.\n\nJohn Crusius sought also to help Keyes with his immediate financial problems, which had at one point forced him to sell his guitars and amplifiers. Crusius’ daughter, Emily, assisted her father’s effort by posting the GoFundMe page on Facebook. She kicked in $60.\n\nImagine the shock for father and daughter when they learned her twin brother Patrick Crusius had been identified by police as the gunman and arrested for Friday’s horrific carnage in El Paso. The added twist is that the twins’ mother is a registered nurse such as those who tended the wounded —a 4-month-old baby, a 2-year-old, and a 9-year-old among them—at two local hospitals.\n\nMass Shooting Kills 20 at El Paso Walmart: Gunman ‘Started Shooting Everyone, Aisle by Aisle,’ Witness Says\n\nIn a “manifesto” that police believe Patrick Crusius posted shortly before the shooting, the author begins by endorsing the views of the alleged Christchurch shooter, accused of murdering 51 people at a mosque in New Zealand in March. Patrick Crusius appears to have spoken of himself in the manifesto as defending his nation against an “Hispanic invasion” just as the alleged New Zealand gunman had written in his own manifesto about a Muslim invasion.\n\nIn both mass murders, the alleged perpetrators were just lone losers who made themselves deadly with assault rifles. The New Zealand lone loser chose an AR-15. The El Paso lone loser used an AK-47-style assault rifle, as had another lone loser last month at the Garlic Festival in Gilroy, California.\n\nThe El Paso lone loser had also allegedly brought a handgun, but police say he left that in the dark grey Honda he parked outside the Walmart. He apparently wanted the weapon that could inflict maximum damage.\n\nA photo of an actual defender of the nation appears on Emily Crusius’s Facebook page, this of a classmate from Plano High School who is now serving in the Marines. A picture taken at Camp Pendleton shows him holding an assault rifle, a weapon of war designed to be used in war.\n\nIn posting this photo, Emily Crusius indicates she is proud of her buddy in the Marines, who appears to feel pretty proud himself. He is fit and clear-eyed and he has an air of purpose. He stands as a highly trained member of an elite organization whose collective motto is “Semper Fi,” always faithful. He is the very opposite of a lone loser.\n\nOn Saturday afternoon, the picture of her buddy the proud Marine was joined on Emily Crusius’ page by a photo someone posted of her twin in the back of a police radio car. Patrick Crusius was rear cuffed, having just been arrested at the scene of the nation’s latest mass shooting. He seemed to have returned to a paltry truth of himself that no assault rifle could change. He had just turned 21 on July 27 and his major accomplishment at Collin College —according to a document he appears to have posted online himself just before the shooting—had been showing up inebriated at chemistry lab.\n\nThe difference was that 20 or more innocents were dead. And the survivors would begin a struggle such as his father had sought to ease for Keyes. “It’s gotten so crazy,” Keyes told The Daily Beast. “It’s like just every day.” Keyes said he had never met his counselor’s son and did not even know John Cruisius had twins. Keyes also reported that he had taught himself to play guitar and is about to release an anti-violence music video. “Violence is the lowest form of expression,” he rightly noted. Read more at The Daily Beast. Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now! Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.", "EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — President Trump ordered all U.S. flags to half staff until sunset on August 8 in honor of the victims of Saturday’s shooting at the Cielo Vista Walmart.\n\nTexas Governor Greg Abbott also ordered Texas flags to be ordered until sunset on Thursday.\n\nOur Nation mourns with those whose loved ones were murdered in the tragic shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, and we share in the pain and suffering of all those who were injured in these two senseless attacks. We condemn these hateful and cowardly acts. Through our grief, America stands united with the people of El Paso and Dayton. May God be with the victims of these two horrific crimes and bring aid and comfort to their families and friends. As a mark of solemn respect for the victims of the terrible acts of violence perpetrated on August 3, 2019, in El Paso, Texas, and on August 4, 2019, in Dayton, Ohio, by the authority vested in me as President of the United States by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, I hereby order that the flag of the United States shall be flown at half-staff at the White House and upon all public buildings and grounds, at all military posts and naval stations, and on all naval vessels of the Federal Government in the District of Columbia and throughout the United States and its Territories and possessions until sunset, August 8, 2019. I also direct that theflag shall be flown at half-staff for the same length of time at all United States embassies, legations, consular offices, and other facilities abroad, including all military facilities and naval vessels and stations.\n\n \n\n IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this\n\nfourth day of August, in the year of our Lord two thousand nineteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America two hundred forty-fourth.\n\n DONALD J. TRUMP \n\n\n\nGovernor Greg Abbott today ordered Texas flags across the state to be lowered to half-staff in memory of those who lost their lives in the shooting in El Paso on Saturday, August 3, 2019.\n\n \n\nFlags should remain at half-staff through sunset on Thursday, August 8, 2019.", "AMERICA has been rocked by two gun massacres in 13 hours, with 29 people killed by young white men with assault rifles in Dayton, Ohio and the US-Mexico border town of El Paso.\n\nConnor Betts appeared to be targeting his sister, who police said was one of nine fatalities when he shot into a crowd of mainly young people celebrating outdoors at an entertainment district.\n\nBetts, who was wearing body armour, was killed in less than a minute by police patrolling the area.\n\nHe had no criminal record and his social media profiles did not initially appear to show any link to extremist ideology.\n\nThe Sunday morning attack was America's 252nd mass shooting this year, according to the independent Gun Violence Archive.\n\nIn El Paso, the young white supremacist with a grudge against the \"Hispanic invasion of Texas\", seemed to waiver in the lead-up to his vile, white-rage fueled assault on Saturday.\n\nIn a manifesto believed by police to have been written by the 21-year-old who perpetuated America's worst gun massacre since the carnage that killed 59 in Las Vegas in October, 2017, he expressed some doubt about the evil he had spent planning for \"maybe a month, probably less\".\n\n\"I have to do this before I lose my nerve,\" Patrick Crusius is believed to have squirmed in a four-page screed posted online hours before two mass shootings rocked the US.\n\nBut buoyed by admiration for Christchurch mosque attacker Brenton Tarrant, bewilderingly easy access to battle-ready weapons, toxic online chatrooms and increasingly febrile national debate about race and immigration as America barrels toward the 2020 election, the white supremacist strolled into a Walmart carpark and let loose with a semiautomatic rifle.\n\nIt was a blazing 38 degrees in the US-Mexico border city of El Paso, which just days ago was lauded by its high profile presidential candidate, Beto O'Rourke, during the second Democrat debate as \"one of the safest cities in the United States of America, not despite but because it's a city of immigrants, and asylum seekers, and refugees.\"\n\nHundreds of people, including the loved ones of the 20 dead and the 26 who are fighting for their lives, can only wish Crusius had listened harder to the voices urging him to hold fire.\n\nA coward in every way, he used a semiautomatic weapon to mow down victims ranging from a four-month-old baby to an 82-year-old, many of them out with family to take advantage of \"back to school\" sales as the summer holidays wind down.\n\nThe evil started in the carpark of the Cielo Vista mall in the west Texas city that sits across the border from Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, just before 10.40am.\n\nCrusius, who lived nine hours away in Dallas, fired at a groups who was fundraising by selling bottles of water to shoppers, one of his victims left sprawling beside a folding table under an umbrella.\n\n\n\n He then walked into Walmart, rifle raised, with ear muffs and protective eyewear for himself but nothing to save the shoppers at whom he fired as he strolled from aisle to aisle.\n\nWitnesses described an elderly woman, a tiny baby, scores of others falling to his semiautomatic spray. The wounded were later wheeled out of the sprawling supermarket on shopping trolleys.\n\n\"The situation is, needless to say, horrific,\" said El Paso Police Chief Greg Allen.\n\nAnd although Crusius boasted in his warped online posting that he was ready to die for his beliefs, saying \"I'm to going to surrender even if I run out of ammo\", he thankfully did lay down his weapon and hand himself into police without any further gunfire.\n\nAnother example of how his boasting online words were just more snivelling cowardice in the end.\n\nEl Paso Police Sergeant Robert Gomez told reporters the suspect was speaking to investigators. \"His motives and what transpired are being investigated,\" Sgt Gomez said, adding he has not been formally charged.\n\n\"This is the most traumatic scene that I've been close to and I can tell you that the investigators are doing their best to complete this investigation proper with the respect and dignity the victims deserve, but it is tough to see this type of heinous crime occur in your community.\"\n\nFacing capital murder charges from Texas authorities which carry the death penalty, as well as a domestic terrorism and hate crime probe from the FBI, there will possibly be some small measure of justice for his victims. But none of it will bring them back, and nothing short of a miracle will cure an increasingly divided America's utterly tragic gun violence epidemic.\n\nThe horror at El Paso wasn't the only shooting to unfold. Hours after residents there learnt the reality of the gunman's carnage, a second shooting unfolded at a bar in Dayton, Ohio.\n\nNine people were killed by a gunman in that shooting, who also died at the scene.\n\nDayton police tweeted that an active shooter situation began in the Oregon District at 1 am local time, but officers nearby were able to \"put an end to it quickly.\"\n\nLt. Col. Matt Carper said at a press conference that the suspect was shot to death by responding officers.\n\nAt least 16 others were taken to local hospitals with injuries, police said. No details about the victims were released.\n\nCarper said the Ohio gunman used a long gun and fired multiple rounds.\n\nThe shooting took place outside Ned Peppers Bar, on the 400 block of East 5th Street.\n\n\"This is extremely unusual, obviously, for any community, let alone Dayton,\" Carper said. \"In our Oregon District, this is unheard of.\"\n\nAlleged 21-year-old gunman Patrick Crusius opens fire on Walmart shoppers in Texas, killing 20 and injuring 26, including three children. He then calmly surrenders to an approaching SWAT team. Police investigating links to white nationalism.\n\nSantino William Legan, 19, guns down revellers at a California food festival, killing two children - a 6-year-old boy and a 13-year-old girl - and a 25-year-old man. Dozens more are injured before the gunman is killed in a shootout with police.\n\nDisgruntled worker DeWayne Craddock opens fire, killing 12 people and wounding several others before he is gunned down by police.\n\nGary Martin kills five co-workers during a disciplinary meeting where he was fired. He wounds one other employee and five of the first police officers to arrive at the suburban Chicago plant before he is killed during a shootout with police.\n\nIan David Long kills 12 people at a country music bar, before taking his own life. Long was a Marine combat veteran of the war in Afghanistan.\n\nRobert Bowers opens fire at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, during Shabbat morning services, killing 11 and injuring others. It's the deadliest attack on Jews in the US in history.\n\nJarrod Ramos shoots through the windows of the Capital Gazette newspaper offices in Annapolis, Maryland, killing five. Authorities say Ramos had sent threatening letters to the newspaper prior to the attack.\n\nDimitrios Pagourtzis, 17, opens fire during an art class at Santa Fe High School in Santa Fe, Texas. He kills eight students and two teachers and 13 others are wounded. Explosives are found at the school and off campus.\n\nNikolas Cruz shoots and kills 17 students and staff members at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. It surpasses Columbine High School as the deadliest shooting at a high school in US history.\n\n10. First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, November 5, 2017: 25 and an unborn child killed\n\nDevin Patrick Kelley walks into a small church in rural Texas, shooting dead s 25 people and an unborn child. The shooter is found dead after the deadliest mass shooting in Texas history.\n\nStephen Paddock, 64, fires from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino on a crowd of more than 20,000 gathered on the Las Vegas Strip for a country music festival. He kills 58 people and injures more than 500 in the deadliest mass shooting in modern US history. Police believe the gunman then killed himself.\n\nOmar Saddiqui Mateen, 29, opens fire inside Pulse, a gay nightclub, in Orlando, killing at least 49 people and injuring more than 50 are injured. Police shoot and kill Mateen during an operation to free hostages officials say he was holding at the club.\n\nStudent Seung-Hui Cho, 23, goes on a shooting spree, killing 32 people in two locations and wounding an undetermined number of others on the campus of Virginia Tech in Blacksburg. The shooter dies by suicide.\n\nAdam Lanza, 20, kills 20 children, ages 6 and 7, and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, before turning the gun on himself. The shooter also killed his mother.\n\nUnnamed shooter shot by police after opening fire at Ned Peppers Bar.", "Twenty people were killed and 26 injured in a mass shooting at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, Saturday.\n\nEl Paso is on the border of Mexico. Mexican residents regularly cross the border to work and shop. As many as 3,000 people were inside during the busy back-to-school season.\n\nMexican officials confirmed to the Associated Press that three of the 20 people killed in El Paso were Mexican nationals, but their names have yet to be released.\n\nHere are the names of the known victims.\n\nAnchondo's sister, Leta Jamrowski, told the Associated Press that Anchondo was at the Walmart while shopping for back-to-school supplies. Anchondo likely was trying to shield her 2-month-old son and fell on him as she was shot, according to Jamrowski.\n\n\"From the baby's injuries, they said that more than likely my sister was trying to shield him,\" she said. \"So when she got shot she was holding him and she fell on him, so that's why he broke some of his bones. So he pretty much lived because she gave her life.\"\n\nJordan, a mother of three, and Andre Anchondo had dropped off their 5-year old daughter at cheerleading practice before going to shop for school supplies on Saturday at a Walmart in El Paso. They never returned.\n\nAndre Anchondo remained unaccounted for. Bodies of victims were still in the Walmart on Sunday.\n\nRELATED: Beto O'Rourke on El Paso shooting: 'I am incredibly saddened and it is very hard to think about this'\n\nJessica Coca Garcia and Memo Garcia were at the Walmart in El Paso to raise money for their 5-year-old son's baseball team when a gunman opened fire, wounding them, a relative says.\n\nNorma Coca told Wichita, Kansas-television station KWCH that her daughter and son-in-law were near the front doors of the Walmart when they were shot.\n\nCoca, who lives in Salina, Kansas, said her daughter, Jessica Coca Garcia, was shot three times in the leg. She says her son-in-law, Memo Garcia, was shot twice in the leg and once in the back. She said her daughter was in stable condition and her son-in-law was in critical condition.\n\nJessica Coca Garcia's father, Don Coca, said they have family in the El Paso area who were able to be with the couple. Don Cocoa says: \"She was just crying ... I told her that our prayers are there and we're on our way.\"\n\nThe couple's son and 11-year-old daughter were also at the Walmart and were not shot.\n\nThe Facebook page of Mario De Alba, who was shot in the back in El Paso and is reported to be in intensive care, shows him as a devoted father to his 10-year-old daughter Erika, who was also injured according to Mexican Foreign Relations Secretary Marcelo Ebrard.\n\nA Facebook post from a friend whose wife is with them in the hospital says: Mario is stable but in intensive care.\n\nEbrard said that Erika, who is Mario's daughter, was injured in the leg.\n\nIn one picture, taken in a living room, Erika cups her hand in the shape of a heart in front of an entertainment center. On the shelves behind her are the words FAMILY and PEACE in bold letters.\n\nRodríguez was identified along with Erica and Mario by Mexican Foreign Relations Secretary Marcelo Ebrard. Rodríguez was injured in the chest and hand.\n\nEbrard also said two unidentified men and a woman from Torreón, Mexico, and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, were injured.", "EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – The parents of one of the Stonewall Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida happened to be in El Paso on Saturday.\n\nManuel and Patricia Oliver, parent of Joaquin Oliver, were in town to unveil a memorial mural that was going to be unveiled this weekend.\n\nBoth parents shared their reaction to the shooting at Walmart that has claimed at least 20 lives.\n\n“You saw what happened today and it could happen tomorrow in another ‘safest city in the country,'” Manuel Oliver said. “So this is America, this is how we live here. We pretend to have things that we don’t have. We like to think that it is a perfect country, but it is not.”\n\nThe Oliver family has been an advocate for gun laws following the 2018 tragedy in Florida. They repeated their stance on Saturday in El Paso.\n\n“You need to talk about guns, right now. You cannot wait because ‘it is too early to talk about guns,’ and not say ‘thoughts and prayer’ as an answer. Don’t do that,” Manuel Oliver said. “This advice is coming from the parents of a victim from Parkland.”", "EL PASO, Texas — The state of Texas is seeking the death penalty for the man accused of killing 20 people and injured two dozen more in an El Paso, Texas, shopping area packed with as many as 3,000 people during the busy back-to-school season.\n\nA Justice Department official said the federal government is treating the shooting as a domestic terrorism case. U.S Attorney John Bash also said that the federal government would investigate the attack in order to bring forward federal hate crime and federal firearms charges.\n\nA racist, anti-immigrant screed posted online shortly beforehand was attributed to the man arrested in the attack on the 680,000-resident border city, according to El Paso Police Chief Greg Allen. That man is 21-year-old Patrick Crusius of Allen, Texas, who has been booked into the El Paso County Jail on capital murder charges, and authorities are seeking the death penalty.\n\nCrusius was arrested without police firing any shots outside the Walmart near the Cielo Vista Mall, about five miles from the main border checkpoint with Ciudad Juárez, Mexico.\n\nThe FBI has activated their domestic terrorism fusion cell and carried out three search warrants related to the shooting.\n\nMugshot of Patrick Crusius, 21, who is charged with capital murder for the El Paso mass shooting on August 3, 201.\n\nMany of the victims were shot at the Walmart, according to police, who provided updates about the shooting in English and Spanish throughout the day in the largely Latino city.\n\n\"The scene was a horrific one,\" said Chief Allen, adding that many of the 26 people who were hurt had life-threatening injuries.\n\nResidents quickly volunteered to give blood to the injured after the El Paso shooting, and police and military members were helping people look for missing loved ones.\n\n\"It's chaos right now,\" said Austin Johnson, an Army medic at nearby Fort Bliss, who volunteered to help at the shopping center and later at a school serving as a reunification center.\n\nAdriana Quezada, 39, said she was in the women's clothing section of Walmart with her two children when she heard gunfire.\n\n\"But I thought they were hits, like roof construction,\" she said of the shots.\n\nHer 19-year-old daughter and 16-year-old son threw themselves to the ground, then ran out of the store through an emergency exit. They were not hurt, Quezada said.\n\nShe said she saw four men, dressed in black, moving together firing guns indiscriminately. Police later said they believed the suspect, who was armed with a rifle, was the only shooter.\n\nRyan Mielke, a spokesman for University Medical Center of El Paso, said 13 of the injured were brought to the hospital with injuries, including one who died. Two of the injured were children who were being transferred to El Paso Children's Hospital, he said. He wouldn't provide additional details on the victims.\n\nEleven other victims were being treated at Del Sol Medical Center, hospital spokesman Victor Guerrero said. Those victims' ages ranged from 35 to 82, he said.\n\nRelatives said a 25-year-old woman who was shot while holding her 2-month-old son was among those killed, while Mexican officials said three Mexican nationals were among the dead and six more were wounded.\n\nPresident Donald Trump ordered American flags in the U.S. and around the world lowered to half staff until Aug. 8, \"as a mark of solemn respect\" for both the victims of the shooting in El Paso as well as victims of a shooting in Dayton, Ohio, that occurred less than 24 hours later.\n\n\"There are no reasons or excuses that will ever justify killing innocent people,\" also Trump wrote.\n\nAt a candidate forum Saturday in Las Vegas, presidential candidate and former Texas congressman Beto O'Rourke, who is from El Paso, appeared shaken after news of the shooting in his hometown was reported.\n\nO'Rourke said he heard early reports that the shooter might have had a military-style weapon, saying we need to \"keep that (expletive) on the battlefield. Do not bring it into our communities.\"\n\nTexas Gov. Greg Abbott described the shooting as one of the deadliest days in the state's history.\n\n\"Texas grieves for the people of El Paso today,\" he said during a press conference at 5:30 p.m. local time, during which authorities confirmed the number of people killed and wounded. \"On a day that would have been a normal day for someone to leisurely go shopping... Lives were taken who should still be with us today.”\n\nWhen asked about the manifesto, Abbott said \"This is disgusting, intolerable. It's not Texan. And we are going to aggressively prosecute it as capital murder and as a hate crime, which is exactly what it appears to be, without having seen all of the evidence yet.\"\n\nEl Paso Mayor Dee Margo said he knew the shooter was not from his town.\n\n\"It's not what we're about,\" he said at the news conference with Abbott. El Paso is nearly a 10-hour drive from Allen.\n\nRELATED: What we know about the El Paso shooting suspect\n\nIn the hours after the shooting, authorities blocked streets near a home in Allen associated with the suspect. Officers appeared to speak briefly with a woman who answered the door of the gray stone house and later entered the residence.\n\nEl Paso County is more than 80% Latino, according to the latest census data, and the city, where the mayor said tens of thousands of Mexicans legally cross the border each day to work and shop, has become a focal point of the immigration debate. Trump visited in February to argue that walling off the southern border would make the U.S. safer, while city residents and O'Rourke led thousands on a protest march past the barrier of barbed wire-topped fencing and towering metal slats.\n\nRELATED: Moms Demand Action activists rally at White House to show solidarity for El Paso shooting victims\n\nO'Rourke stressed that border walls haven't made his hometown safer. The city's murder rate was less than half the national average in 2005, the year before the start of its border fence. Before the wall project started, El Paso had been rated one of the three safest major U.S. cities going back to 1997.\n\nHeidi Beirich, director of the Southern Poverty Law Center's Intelligence Project, said the El Paso shooting suspect wasn't on her group's radar before the shooting.\n\n\"We had nothing in our files on him,\" Beirich wrote in an email.\n\nPeople attend a vigil for victims of the shooting Saturday, Aug. 3, 2019, in El Paso, Texas. A young gunman opened fire in an El Paso, Texas, shopping area during the busy back-to-school season, leaving multiple people dead and more than two dozen injured. (AP Photo/John Locher)\n\nA donation page has been created to support the victims. The El Paso Victims Relief Fund is the only official such page, police said. It was established by the Paso del Norte Community Foundation, which supports nonprofit organizations and charitable causes in the region.\n\nThe shooting came less than a week after a 19-year-old gunman killed three people and injured 13 others at the popular Gilroy Garlic Festival in California before dying of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.", "EL PASO, Texas (AP) — Among the 20 dead when a young gunman opened fire in an El Paso, Texas, shopping area Saturday was a 25-year-old woman who was shot while holding her 2-month-old son, her sister said.\n\nLeta Jamrowski, 19, of El Paso learned Saturday afternoon that her sister Jordan Anchondo had been shot to death at Walmart while shopping for back-to-school supplies. Jamrowski spoke to The Associated Press as she paced a waiting room at the University Medical Center of El Paso, where her 2-month-old nephew was being treated for broken bones — the result of his mother's fall.\n\n\"From the baby's injuries, they said that more than likely my sister was trying to shield him,\" she said. \"So when she got shot she was holding him and she fell on him, so that's why he broke some of his bones. So he pretty much lived because she gave her life.\"\n\nAnchondo was the mother of three children.\n\nJamrowski spent the night desperately awaiting word of whether her brother-in-law, Andre Anchondo, had survived the attack.\n\n\"They said that if he were alive, more than likely he would have gotten in contact by now,\" Jamrowski said.\n\nIn the hospital lobby, Mexican consular officials tracked the wounded and missing. El Paso, which has about 680,000 residents, is in West Texas and sits across the border from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.\n\nBeto O'Rourke, a Democratic vice presidential candidate and an El Paso native, held a news conference on a street corner opposite the hospital as the sun set, recounting his visit with wounded victims, including a woman who had a bullet pass through her lungs.\n\n\"I told them that I am so amazed at how strong they are,\" the former U.S. congressman said.\n\nRyan Mielke, a spokesman for University Medical Center of El Paso, said 13 of the more than two dozen injured were brought to the hospital with injuries, including one who died. Two of the injured were children who were being transferred to El Paso Children's Hospital, he said. Eleven other victims were being treated at Del Sol Medical Center, hospital spokesman Victor Guerrero said. Those victims' ages ranged from 35 to 82, he said.", "EL PASO, Texas -- Twenty people were killed and dozens more injured when a gunman opened fire near a shopping center in El Paso, Texas, during the busy back-to-school shopping season, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Saturday.Twenty-six people, including two children, were wounded, most of them taken to nearby hospitals with varying degrees of injuries, Abbott said. The victims' identities have not been released.Three Mexican nationals are among the dead and another six among the injured, Mexican officials said late Saturday. No first responders were among those killed or injured.At 10:39 a.m., police received a 911 call about an active shooter scene near the Cielo Vista Mall, which is near Interstate 10 on the east side of the city. It took six minutes from the time the first 911 call was placed until officers arrived on the scene.Shortly after, Sgt. Enrique Carrillo, a police spokesman, said a suspect was in custody and there was no longer a danger to the public. The sole suspect surrendered to approaching El Paso police officers and was taken into custody without incident.Speaking to ABC News, law enforcement officials identified the suspect as 21-year-old Patrick Crusius of Allen, Texas. Police believe the suspect may have been armed with a rifle.The El Paso police chief said authorities are examining what he called a \"manifesto\" that they believe was written by the shooter and shows a possible \"nexus\" to a hate crime.An eyewitness told ABC News Radio in an interview that the shooter was dressed in cargo pants and wore ear protection. She said he began to fire in the parking lot and saw him shoot multiple people in cold blood.From there, she said, the shooter walked into the store. She characterized his demeanor as calm and confident as though \"he was on a mission.\"Police identified a Walmart store as one of the active scenes and said most of the victims were found in that store. There were as many as 3,000 people in the store during the busy back-to-school shopping season, authorities said.Walmart said in a statement: \"We are in shock over the tragic events at the Cielo Vista Mall in El Paso, where Walmart store #2201 and Sam's Club #6502 are located. We're praying for the victims, the community and our associates, as well as the first responders who are on the scene. We're working closely with law enforcement and will update as appropriate.\"Local authorities said there is an urgent need for blood donations and asked those able to donate to do so at a local blood donation center. In El Paso, residents looking to donate blood were directed to Vitalant Blood Services centers. Donations will also be collected through Sunday at the food court of the Mesilla Valley Mall in Las Cruces.El Paso, which has about 680,000 residents, is in West Texas and sits across the border from Juarez, Mexico.Texas Gov. Greg Abbott called the shooting \"a heinous and senseless act of violence\" and said the state had deployed a number of law enforcement officers to the city.White House staff said President Trump was briefed on the shooting and spoke about it with Attorney General Barr and Governor Abbott.Presidential candidate and former Texas congressman Beto O'Rourke appeared a bit shaken as he appeared at a candidate forum in Las Vegas on Saturday shortly after news of the shooting in his hometown was reported.O'Rourke said he had called his wife before taking the stage and said the shooting shatters \"any illusion that we have that progress is inevitable\" on tackling gun violence.The Democrat said he'd heard early reports that the shooter might have had a military-style weapon, saying we need to \"keep that (expletive) on the battlefield and do not bring it into our communities.\"\"We have to find some reason for optimism and hope or else we consign ourselves to a future where nearly 40,000 people per year will lose their lives to gun violence, and I cannot accept that,\" O'Rourke said.\"We're all pretty nervous and scared,\" Mistey Garcia, 33, an employee at a Hooter's restaurant in the Cielo Vista Mall told ABC News in a telephone interview. \"We're kind of hoping and sending our prayers down to everyone at Walmart.\"Garcia said no one at Hooter's has been briefed directly by law enforcement - as they're locked in the restaurant - about whether the shooting is unfolding in or near Walmart, and no restaurant employee directly heard gunshots.\"So far everything's blocked off, we are locked in,\" she said. \"We have police, border patrol, ambulances, fire trucks all coming down the road. There are ambulances everywhere.\" Garcia said there are \"a couple customers\" locked inside the restaurants, who are being ushered into the back of the restaurant by management and told to shelter in place."], "summary": "At least 22 people are killed and 24 others injured in a mass shooting at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas. A suspect Patrick Crusius of Allen, Texas was captured alive. The case is being investigated as domestic terrorism given that Patrick Crusius had posted a 4-page white nationalist manifesto titled The Inconvenient Truth on 8chan where he cited a supposed \"Hispanic invasion of Texas\" and \"Simply trying to defend my country from cultural and ethnic replacement\" as motivation for the shooting."}
{"document": ["Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption 'We are scared to stay here' - Tourists react to terror threat alert\n\nThousands of people, including tourists and Hindu pilgrims, are leaving Indian-administered Kashmir after local officials issued a security alert.\n\nIndian authorities warned of a \"terror threat\" against Hindu pilgrims heading to the Amarnath shrine.\n\nMilitants backed by Pakistan were planning an attack on the annual pilgrimage, officials have said.\n\nIndia accuses Pakistan of backing militant groups based in Kashmir, something denied by Pakistan.\n\nThe 45-day pilgrimage began on 1 July and about 300,000 pilgrims have visited the cave shrine, located high in the Himalayan mountains, according to AP news agency.\n\nKashmir's government has advised them to leave the area \"immediately\", causing panic as visitors scramble to organise transport.\n\nAround 20,000 Hindu pilgrims and Indian tourists, as well as more than 200,000 labourers, were in the process of leaving the region, a local government official told Reuters news agency.\n\n\"In the interest of safety and security of the tourists and Amarnath Yatris [pilgrims], it is advised that they may curtail their stay in the [Kashmir] valley immediately,\" Kashmir's home secretary, Shaleen Kabra, said in a statement.\n\nImage copyright EPA Image caption Tourists leave from Amarnath base camp after the pilgrimage was suspended\n\nSecurity measures, including the deployment of 10,000 extra troops, were implemented by the Indian government ahead of the Hindu pilgrimage.\n\nIndia has long accused Pakistan of funding armed militants in Kashmir, a disputed territory claimed by both countries.\n\nMilitants have targeted Hindu pilgrims in the region before, most recently in 2017, when seven people were killed in an attack.\n\nOn Saturday, Britain and Germany warned their citizens against travelling to Kashmir.\n\nBoth India and Pakistan claim all of Muslim-majority territory of Kashmir, but control only parts of it.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Two wars, a 60-year dispute – a history of the Kashmir conflict\n\nThe countries have been at war four times since the partition following the end of British rule in 1947, and Kashmir, located mostly in the Himalayan mountains, has been a key factor in the conflicts.\n\nTensions resurfaced in February when Pakistan-based militants killed 40 Indian troops in a suicide attack in Pulwama, provoking military clashes between the countries.", "Advisory follows media reports of 25,000 military reinforcements deployed to the region\n\nIndian authorities on Friday told tourists to leave India-Occupied Kashmir because of “terror threats,” as media reports said 25,000 military reinforcements have been sent to the troubled Himalayan region.\n\nThe extra troops and other security measures, including a call to stockpile food and fuel, have shaken the Muslim-majority region, which is also claimed by Pakistan. Long lines of cars formed outside petrol stations while residents queued at food stores and bank cash machines to get emergency supplies.\n\nThe Jammu and Kashmir state government said that because of “intelligence inputs of terror threats” against a huge Hindu pilgrimage and “the prevailing security situation,” pilgrims and tourists should leave “immediately.”\n\nThe military head in India-Occupied Kashmir, Lieutenant General Kanwal Jeet Singh Dhillon, alleged a sniper gun and a mine with Pakistani markings had been found on the route of the Amarnath Yatra pilgrimage that draws hundreds of thousands of Hindus each year. “This proves Pakistani attempts to attack the Yatra,” claimed Singh, who has 500,000 forces in Kashmir battling a three-decade insurgency.\n\nIndia and Pakistan divided Kashmir when they became independent in 1947 and have fought two of three wars since over the territory. The Indian government has admitted that 10,000 extra troops were sent to Kashmir a week ago. Media reports on Friday said a further 25,000 had been ordered there.\n\nAs tensions build, near-daily clashes between Indian forces with separatist militants in Kashmir and Pakistan forces across the border go on. Two Indian soldiers were killed this week in cross-border firing from Pakistan-administered Kashmir and a siege of separatist rebels, authorities said.\n\nTwo militants accused of staging attacks on Indian government forces were also killed in a gun battle, according to police.\n\nResidents and India-Occupied Kashmir politicians fear the security is a preliminary smokescreen before the Hindu nationalist government carries out a threat to scrap special job and property rights for Kashmiris. Political leaders in the territory have warned that cancelling the constitutionally guaranteed rights could spark unrest.\n\nTo add to public nerves, a police order to gather details on every mosque and its leaders was leaked on social media this week. A top police official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said officers have been “advised” to send their families to safe places and build up food reserves.\n\nMany owners of petrol stations said officials have also asked them to keep vehicle fuel stocks at full capacity. “It’s part of a constantly changing security plan to counter a possible public uprising,” the police official added.\n\nA statement by Jammu and Kashmir state governor Satya Pal Malik that “everything is normal” in the region has not convinced the public. “The anxiety among Kashmiris is real as this government has not hidden its intentions,” said Noor Ahmad Baba, a political commentator and politics professor at the University of Kashmir.\n\nArticle 35A of the constitution which prevents Indians from outside the territory buying land or claiming government jobs in Kashmir has long been targeted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The article has been challenged in the Supreme Court by right-wing Hindu groups and Modi’s Hindu nationalist party has promised to repeal it even without court backing.\n\nKashmir has surged back into the spotlight since a deadly militant attack on an Indian convoy in February, perpetrated by a local separatist but claimed by a Pakistan-based group, sparked cross-border air attacks by the nuclear-armed rivals. U.S. President Donald Trump angered India last month when he said that Modi had asked him to mediate in the Kashmir dispute. Trump reaffirmed an offer to mediate on Thursday. Each time India has insisted that the festering dispute can only be resolved bilaterally.", "National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah on Sunday said that all the political parties in Jammu and Kashmir would be united to protect the special status of Kashmir, ANI reported. He also appealed to both India and Pakistan to not “take any step that may accelerate the tension between the two countries”.\n\n“It was unanimously decided that all the parties will be united in their resolve to protect and defend identity, autonomy and special status of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, against all attacks, whatsoever,” Abdullah said after an all-party meeting at the former chief minister’s residence over the prevailing situation in the state. He added that the leaders had discussed the condition in the Valley and the deployment of additional soldiers.\n\n“It has never happened in the past that the Amarnath Yatra was stopped,” News18 quoted Abdullah as saying. “We have decided to inform Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Ram Nath Kovind of the consequences bound to follow if this continues.”\n\nThe National Conference also released a statement following the meeting, saying that modification or abolition of Articles 35-A and 370, or “unconstitutional delimitation or trifurcation of the state” would be viewed as aggression towards the people of Jammu and Kashmir. It added that the parties, which participated in the meeting on Sunday, would also apprise other political parties of the current situation in the state. “...and make an appeal to them to safeguard the legitimate interests of the people of the state with regard to constitutional guarantees given to the state [by] the Constitution of our country,” the statement read.\n\nThe meeting was attended by Peoples Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti, National Conference leader Omar Abdullah, Congress’ Taj Mohiuddin , Muzaffar Beig from PDP, Sajad Lone and Imran Ansari from the Peoples Conference, Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Movement leader Shah Faesal and MY Tarigami of the Communist Party of India (Marxist).\n\nMeanwhile, the medical superintendent of Chest Diseases Hospital in Srinagar wrote to the district magistrate asking for curfew passes for all the employees of the hospital.\n\nThe developments came amid tension in the state after a government advisory, asking Amarnath Yatra pilgrims to cut short their stay, triggered panic among locals. The order for pilgrims and tourists had been issued after security forces in the state alleged that Pakistan-based militants backed by the country’s Army were plotting attacks on the Amarnath Yatra.\n\nHome Minister Amit Shah on Sunday met National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba and other top government officials, but details of the meeting have not been disclosed yet.", "Srinagar: Tourists and Amarnath Yatra pilgrims started leaving the Kashmir Valley on Saturday following the state government's advisory asking them to cut short their stay even as Jammu and Kashmir Governor Satya Pal Malik said there is no need to panic. The advisory to leave had cited security concerns and intelligence inputs about the possibility of terror attacks.\n\nAmid rumours of plans to repeal Article 370 and 35A, which allow the state special status and privileges, Malik said that the administration has no knowledge of any changes to constitutional provisions.\n\nDespite the Governor's assurance, the Congress and the National Conference indicated that they would seek clarifications from the Centre when Parliament meets again on Monday. NC leader Omar Abdullah said the party needed the assurance as the Governor is not the final word on J&K.;\n\nMalik told a delegation led by Abdullah that a pure security measure is being mixed up with issues with no connection. “That is the cause of the panic,\" said the Raj Bhavan in a statement.\n\n\"There were credible inputs which were available to the security agencies regarding terrorist attacks on the Amarnath Yatra. There has been intensified shelling on the LoC by Pakistan, which was responded to effectively by the Army,\" said Malik.\n\nThe Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure that no unilateral decision is taken at any level that impinges upon the current constitutional arrangement and complexion of the state.\n\nAbdullah said he has asked party MPs to move a motion in Parliament on Monday seeking a statement from the Union government on the situation that has developed in the state over the past few weeks.\n\nThe Jammu and Kashmir Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) also expressed concern.\n\n“No one knows what is happening. There is uncertainty. We are seeing this type of situation for the first time and it has raised questions. We want the Centre as well as the state government to clarify what is going on,\" said JKPCC chief GA Mir.\n\nMir said the deployment of additional forces, orders by different departments, and the advisory asking tourists and pilgrims to leave have created panic.\n\n\"All this leads to speculation that something is happening behind the curtain,” he added.\n\nCondemning the government's decision to curtail the Amarnath Yatra, the Congress also demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi make a statement in Parliament on the current situation and expressed apprehensions about a \"misadventure\" by the Union Home Ministry.\n\nSenior party leader and former home minister P Chidambaram cautioned the Home Ministry against any misadventure in the state related to Articles 35A and 370.\n\nReferring to the advisory, former chief minister of the state Ghulam Nabi Azad said the Amarnath yatra has never been curtailed in the history of the country, not even in 2000 when the biggest attack on pilgrims left over 30 people dead.\n\n\"This is unprecedented,\" he said.\n\nAlleging that the BJP government at the Centre is \"spoiling the image\" of J&K; in front of the country, he said it is trying to show that outsiders in the state are not safe even though the local people there are completely standing with the tourists and Amarnath pilgrims.\n\nHe also accused the BJP of doing politics over the issue.\n\n\"Parliament is in session. The PM should give a statement in both houses of Parliament. It is his duty,\" said Azad.\n\nReplying to a question on whether the Home Ministry could be working on scrapping Article 35A, Chidambaram said, \"I don't wish to anticipate what misadventure this government is planning to do in Kashmir. Most of the constitutional issues involving Kashmir are pending in the Supreme Court. It's clear to me, they are planning a misadventure in Kashmir and I warn them not to do so.\"\n\nSenior party leader Karan Singh said everybody is in a state of shock after the government's advisory curtailing the Amarnath Yatra. An atmosphere of fear and apprehension has gripped the state, he said.\n\nTourists affected\n\nTourism Kashmir Srinagar Director Nissar Wani said the state tourism department sent buses on Friday, immediately after the advisory was issued, to the tourist destinations to bring the visitors back to Srinagar. Wani said about 20,000 tourists were in Kashmir on Friday.\n\nThe United Kingdom and Germany issued advisories on Saturday warning their citizens from travelling to J&K.;\n\nThe Ministry of Civil Aviation on Saturday advised airlines to keep fares from Srinagar in check as Amarnath pilgrims and tourists prepared to leave the Valley.\n\nAccording to the Airports Authority of India (AAI), 6,216 passengers reported at the Srinagar International Airport on Saturday to travel out of the valley. Out of this, 5,829 passengers travelled by 32 scheduled flights. The remaining 387 passengers were accommodated in four Indian Air Force (IAF) aircraft and flown to various destination like Jammu, Pathankot and Hindon.\n\nThe Railways also announced that no cancellation charge will be taken from passengers till Tuesday morning if they cancel reserved tickets booked for their journey originating from Jammu, Katra and Uddhampur stations, sources in the ministry said.​\n\n(With inputs from agencies)\n\nGet the best of News18 delivered to your inbox - subscribe to News18 Daybreak. Follow News18.com on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and on YouTube, and stay in the know with what's happening in the world around you – in real time.", "An Indian paramilitary trooper stands guard at a roadblock in Srinagar, where authorities in Indian-administered Kashmir banned all public movement under restrictions which had not been imposed in three years (AFP Photo/Tauseef MUSTAFA)\n\nSrinagar (India) (AFP) - Authorities in Indian-administered Kashmir placed large parts of the disputed region under lockdown early Monday while India sent in tens of thousands of additional troops and traded accusations of clashes with Pakistan at their de facto border.\n\nCommunications were cut, with private mobile networks, internet services and telephone landlines cut, an AFP reporter said.\n\nBefore the network disruptions, senior former and current Kashmiri political leaders tweeted that they had been put under house arrest.\n\nThe Himalayan region has surged back into the spotlight in the past few days, months after a militant attack on an Indian paramilitary convoy claimed by a Pakistan-based group sparked cross-border airstrikes by the nuclear-armed rivals.\n\nThey have controlled parts of the region since the end of British colonial rule on the subcontinent in 1947.\n\nBut both claim it in full and have fought two of three wars over the territory, where a decades-long insurgency on the Indian side has killed tens of thousands.\n\n\"As per the order, there shall be no movement of public and all educational institutions shall also remain closed,\" the state government ordered for Srinagar, the capital of Indian-administered Kashmir, and surrounding areas in a statement obtained by AFP.\n\n\"There will be a complete bar on holding any kind of public meetings or rallies during the period of operation of this order.\"\n\nUniversities, schools and colleges in the Hindu-dominated Jammu were ordered to be shut, and one district in that region was placed under lockdown.\n\nSeveral other major districts of the Muslim-majority state were also placed under restrictions, local media reported.\n\nThe latest tensions started in the last 10 days after New Delhi deployed at least 10,000 troops. A security source told AFP a further 70,000 had been deployed, which is believed to be an unprecedented level.\n\nThe government has introduced other security measures over terror threat claims -- including a call to stock up food and fuel.\n\nThe measures have sparked growing panic among residents, who formed long queues outside petrol stations, food stores and cash machines.\n\nA heavy presence of troops was seen in parts of Srinagar as gunshots sounded, although the streets remained empty, local residents told AFP.\n\nIn downtown Srinagar, government forces threw \"chili bombs\" that affect respiratory systems onto the deserted streets, a local resident said, while a senior official told AFP that nearly 300 administrative officials and top security officials had been issued with satellite phones.\n\n\"I believe I'm being placed under house arrest from midnight tonight & the process has already started for other mainstream leaders,\" Omar Abdullah, a former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, tweeted before communications were cut.\n\nThe last time similar restrictions were imposed in the territory was in 2016 after the killing of a popular rebel leader, which sparked months of street protests that left nearly 100 dead.\n\nThe restrictions came as India and Pakistan traded tit-for-tat accusations of attacks across the Line of Control, the de facto border dividing Kashmir.\n\nThe Indian army said Sunday it had foiled an attempt by a Pakistani team of army regulars and militants to cross the Line of Control, killing \"five to seven\" attackers.\n\nPakistan described the claim as \"baseless\" and accused India of using cluster bombs against civilians, killing four people and injuring 11 others.\n\nMuhammad Siddique, the father of one victim, told reporters his son Ayan Ahmad was killed by an unexploded cluster munition while he and other youngsters played with it.\n\nNew Delhi has denied using the weapons.\n\nPakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday accused India of taking \"new aggressive actions\", saying it could \"blow up into a regional crisis\".\n\nHe called a meeting of the country's national security committee to review the situation in Kashmir.\n\nTourists and students have scrambled to leave the picturesque region since the government said they should depart \"immediately\", amid new intelligence about \"terror threats\" to a major Hindu pilgrimage in the region.\n\nWhile the Indian military and the state government have highlighted the security risk, Kashmiri and opposition politicians in New Delhi are concerned the extra troops were deployed for other reasons.\n\nSince mid-2018, Indian Kashmir has been under Delhi's direct rule after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party withdrew support for its local partner and dissolved the local government.\n\nThere are fears Modi's Hindu nationalist government could carry out a threat to scrap the region's special status under the constitution.", "The regional government of disputed Jammu and Kashmir has suspended the Machail Yatra pilgrimage to the temple of Goddess Durga, saying that tourists \"may curtail their stay\" and \"return as soon as possible\".\n\nThe Indian government has confirmed that 10,000 military reinforcements have been sent to the region amid the terror threats, while media reports said that up to 25,000 additional troops had been deployed in Jammu and Kashmir.\n\nThe security boost comes on the heels of the authorities suspending a Hindu pilgrimage to the cave shrine of Amarnath, which attracts thousands of people every year. India's military head in Kashmir, Lieutenant General Kanwal Jeet Singh Dhillon, said a sniper gun and a mine with Pakistani markings had been found on the pilgrimage route.\n\nTensions between the two nations escalated in February after the Pakistani military downed two Indian warplanes in the disputed Kashmir region following an IAF airstrike against what New Delhi claimed was a Jaish-e-Mohammad militant camp.\n\nIndia has blamed Islamabad for supporting terrorists and having a \"direct hand\" in a deadly attack on the Indian paramilitary police force in Jammu and Kashmir, which Pakistan denied.\n\nThe Kashmir issue dates back to 1947, when both countries became independent from Britain and later claimed the region belonged to them.", "SRINAGAR (Reuters) - Thousands of Indian tourists, pilgrims and workers have started leaving the disputed region of Kashmir, leaving for home after a security alert from the local government related to possible militant attacks, two government officials said on Saturday.\n\nIndian security officials said on Friday said they had found evidence of attacks planned by Pakistani military-backed militants on a major Hindu pilgrimage in Kashmir.\n\nA mine with Pakistan ordinance markings was among caches of ammunition retrieved following intelligence reports of likely attacks on routes used by devout Hindus who trek to the region’s holy Amarnath cave every year, the officials said.\n\nA local government order issued later effectively called off the pilgrimage, asking the pilgrims and tourists to return home.\n\nOn Saturday, one senior local government official in Kashmir said the advisory had caused panic and led to the departure of “thousands” of tourists, pilgrims and laborers.\n\nThe official did not give a specific number, but he said most of the 20,000 Hindu pilgrims and Indian tourists and the more than 200,000 laborers were leaving the region.\n\n“The advisory has led to panic among people and the visitors here. Kashmir has seen worst times but we as government officials don’t know what is happening?,” said another local government official.\n\nIn a mood of anxiety, people sought to stock up on essentials and there were long queues outside petrol pumps, ATMs and medical shops in Srinagar city, the summer capital of Jammu & Kashmir state.\n\nAround 60 international tourists arrived in Kashmir on Saturday, one of the local government officials said. The Indian advisory had cautioned tourists in general, but did not give any specific advice to foreign nationals.\n\nBritain and Germany issued advisories on Saturday to their citizens discouraging them from traveling to Jammu & Kashmir.\n\n“Travelers staying in Kashmir (especially the Kashmir Valley and the Armanath Yatra Pilgrimage Route) are advised to leave Jammu and Kashmir,” the German ministry of foreign affairs said.\n\nThe UK’s foreign office advised against all travel to Jammu and Kashmir with the exceptions of travel by air to Jammu and within the city, and within the region of Ladakh.\n\nKashmir, claimed by both India and Pakistan, has long been a flashpoint between the two countries. Tensions flared after a vehicle laden with explosives rammed into an Indian police convoy on Feb. 14, killing 40 paramilitary policemen, and leading to aerial clashes between India and Pakistan.\n\nIndia accuses Pakistan of funding armed militants, as well as separatist groups in India’s portion of the region that are considered non-violent by international observers.\n\nIslamabad denies the Indian accusation, saying it provides only diplomatic and moral support to the separatist movement.\n\nOn Saturday, Pakistan accused India of using illegal cluster bombs in the Kashmir region during shelling along the contested border. India denied those accusations.\n\nThe Indian advisory was a disappointment for pilgrims and tourists.\n\nKashmir touts itself as a “Paradise on Earth”. Dal Lake - a favorite destination centuries ago for Mughal emperors escaping the summer heat of India’s plains - and its famous houseboats, mountains and glaciers is a major attraction.\n\nPrabakar Iyer, 45, had traveled to Srinagar from the southern Indian city of Bengaluru on Thursday with his family for a 10-day holiday, but they left on Friday night.\n\n“I was staying in a houseboat on Dal Lake when the advisory was issued. I fail to understand why we are being asked to leave. Everything is normal here,” he said.\n\nLaborer Manjit Singh, a carpenter from the northern state of Uttar Pradesh who has been working in Kashmir for the last nine years, also left.\n\n“I am not afraid but the government advisory has created panic and my family wants me back ... I will return if the situation improves,” he said.", "Amarnath Yatra pilgrims and tourists have been asked by the Jammu and Kashmir government to \"immediately\" cut short their stay in the Kashmir Valley and go back, in an unprecedented advisory amid intelligence inputs of terror threats. Pilgrims and tourists have never before, even at the height of militancy, been urged to leave Kashmir, which has seen a massive build-up of troops over the past week.\n\n\"Keeping in view the latest intelligence inputs of terror threats, with specific targeting of the Amarnath Yatra, and given the prevailing security situation in the Kashmir Valley, in the interest of safety and security of the tourists and Amarnath Yatris, it is advised that they may curtail their stay in the valley immediately and take necessary measures to return as soon as possible,\" the state government's notice said.\n\nThe advisory, which appeared to indicate an exceptional security scenario, set off panic in Srinagar, where people rushed to ATMs, petrol stations and medicine stores to stock up. Some waited for hours in queues only to find that fuel was over.\n\nFormer state chief ministers Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah both targeted the central government. Jammu and Kashmir has been under central rule since June last year.\n\nMs Mufti said it \"seems there's an attempt to end constitutional safeguards provided to Kashmir\". She added that the advisory has created \"chaos and panic.\"\n\nThe advisory for pilgrims and tourists was put out barely half-an-hour after the army and the Jammu and Kashmir police displayed a landmine and a sniper rifle to reporters, saying there were \"confirmed intelligence reports\" that terrorists backed by the Pakistan army were trying to disrupt the Amarnath Yatra.\n\nThe landmine with Pakistan ordnance factory markings and an M-24 American sniper rifle with a telescope had been found along the route of the annual pilgrimage to the Hindu cave shrine around 140 km from Srinagar.\n\nIf undiscovered, the mine would have caused huge casualties, the officers said.\n\n\"In the last three-four days, there were confirmed intelligence reports that terrorists backed by Pakistan and its army is trying to disrupt Amarnath Yatra and based on that a thorough search was conducted. We had major successes in these searches,\" said Chinar Corps Commander Lt General KJS Dhillon.\n\n\"The searches are still going on. The Pakistan Army is desperate to disrupt peace. This will not be allowed to happen. No one can be allowed to disrupt the peace,\" he said.\n\nOver the past few days, the movement of central paramilitary personnel who are being airdropped in sorties, has fueled speculation about security threats in Kashmir.\n\nSome 10,000 central troops were ordered to the state about a week ago and reports suggest more have been sent since then. The reports of a surge in troop deployment coincided with inputs of a terror strike around August 15 Independence Day celebrations. On Thursday, the centre reportedly sent over 25,000 more troops to Kashmir, fueling speculation that something major was afoot.\n\nThe last time Kashmir saw such heavy presence of troops was after the Pulwama terror attack in February, in which 40 Central Reserve Police Force soldiers were killed by a suicide bomber of the Jaish-e-Mohammad.\n\nGet Breaking news, live coverage, and Latest News from India and around the world on NDTV.com. Catch all the Live TV action on NDTV 24x7 and NDTV India. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagram for latest news and live news updates.", "The Jammu and Kashmir administration has requested the Indian Air Force to airlift the Amarnath Yatra pilgrims out of the Kashmir valley to places such as Jammu, Pathankot or Delhi, from where they can go back home.\n\n“A request has been received from the state administration for the IAF to carry the pilgrims out of the Kashmir valley in their C-17 transport. The first such sortie of the C-17s is likely to fly out of the Kashmir valley in a couple of hours,” government sources told ANI.\n\nThe C-17s are already operating to rush in paramilitary troops from different parts of the country for precautionary deployment in the Valley. The C-17 Globemaster can airlift around 230 passengers in one go and takes less time than the Russian Ilyushin-76 to fly between different places.\n\nThe Jammu and Kashmir administration has issued an advisory to the Amarnath Yatra pilgrims to curtail their pilgrimage and move out of the state as early as possible. Steps have been taken in view of attempts made by the Pakistan-based terrorist groups including the Jaish-e-Mohammed to carry out strikes against the pilgrims and security forces deployed in the state.\n\nThe government’s decision to curtail the ongoing Amarnath Yatra in Jammu and Kashmir came after a series of intelligence inputs were received by security agencies, warning of multiple terror attacks by Pakistan based Jaish-e-Mohammad.\n\nThese plots were in their final stages of planning before crucial intelligence inputs were received by the Indian security establishment that resulted in quick mobilisation of troops for counter-insurgency operations.\n\nAccording to latest reports, three JeM operatives were positioned in terror launch pads in the Nezapir sector of PoK, opposite the Indian post of Shahpur sector in Poonch.\n\nThe report also suggested that an IED attack was being planned on convoys of security forces along the Srinagar-Baramulla-Uri National highway in the near future.", "Thousands flee Kashmir after India kills militants, warns of more attacks\n\nThousands of Indian tourists, pilgrims and workers began leaving the disputed region of Kashmir after a local government alert over possible militant attacks, while India said it killed at least five militants who were trying to attack its forces.\n\nIndian security officials said they had found evidence of attacks planned by what they said were Pakistani military-backed militants on a major Hindu pilgrimage in Muslim-majority Kashmir.\n\nA local government order effectively called off the pilgrimage, asking the pilgrims and tourists to return home.\n\nSrinagar-based Indian defence spokesman Colonel Rajesh Kalia said there had been several attempts by Pakistan-based militants to disturb peace in the Kashmir region and target the pilgrims.\n\nAround five to seven militants were killed when they tried to attack Indian troops near an area known as the Keran sector, Colonel Kalia said, adding that arms and ammunition were recovered in the operation.\n\n\"Security forces will continue to respond to all nefarious activities,\" he said.\n\nA senior local government official in Kashmir said the local government advisory had caused panic and led to the departure of \"thousands\" of tourists, pilgrims and labourers.\n\nThe official did not give a specific number, but he said most of the 20,000 Hindu pilgrims and Indian tourists and the more than 200,000 labourers were leaving the region.\n\nKashmir, claimed by both India and Muslim-majority Pakistan, has long been a flashpoint between the two countries. Tensions flared after a vehicle laden with explosives rammed into an Indian police convoy on February 14, killing 40 paramilitary policemen and leading to aerial clashes between the two nations.\n\nIndia accuses Pakistan of funding armed militants, as well as separatist groups in India's portion of the region. Islamabad denies the Indian accusation, saying it provides only diplomatic and moral support to the separatist movement.\n\nIn a statement, the Pakistani Government said it was concerned about the situation in Indian-occupied Kashmir, adding it rejects India's assertions of \"intelligence inputs\" about some imminent attack.\n\nThe Pakistani Foreign Minister has voiced concern in letters to the United Nations secretary-general and the presidents of the Security Council and the General Assembly, it said.\n\nThe Indian advisory was issued after the local government in Kashmir said a mine with Pakistani ordinance markings was among caches of ammunition found by local troops.\n\nThe local government said it had intelligence reports of likely attacks on routes used by devout Hindus who trek to the region's holy Amarnath cave every year.\n\n\"The advisory has led to panic among people and the visitors here. Kashmir has seen worst times but we as government officials don't know what is happening,\" said a second local government official in Kashmir.\n\nIn a mood of anxiety, people sought to stock up on essentials and there were long queues outside petrol pumps, ATMs and medical shops in Srinagar city, the summer capital of Jammu & Kashmir state.\n\nMore than 6,000 passengers left Srinagar by air on Saturday, the Airports Authority of India said in a statement.\n\nStill, around 60 international tourists arrived in Kashmir on Saturday, one of the local government officials said.\n\nThe Indian advisory had cautioned tourists in general but did not give any specific advice to foreign nationals.\n\nBritain and Germany issued advisories to their citizens discouraging them from travelling to Jammu & Kashmir.\n\nPakistan also accused India of using illegal cluster bombs in the Kashmir region during shelling along the contested border. India denied those accusations.\n\nThe Indian advisory was a disappointment for pilgrims and tourists.\n\nKashmir touts itself as a \"Paradise on Earth\" and Dal Lake — a favourite destination centuries ago for Mughal emperors escaping the summer heat of India's plains — and its famous houseboats, mountains and glaciers are major attractions.\n\nPrabakar Iyer, 45, had travelled to Srinagar from the southern Indian city of Bangalore on Thursday with his family for a 10-day holiday, but they left on Friday night.\n\n\"I was staying in a houseboat on Dal Lake when the advisory was issued. I fail to understand why we are being asked to leave. Everything is normal here,\" he said.\n\nLabourer Manjit Singh, a carpenter from the northern state of Uttar Pradesh who has been working in Kashmir for the last nine years, also left.\n\n\"I am not afraid but the government advisory has created panic and my family wants me back … I will return if the situation improves,\" he said."], "summary": "Indian authorities issue evacuation orders for thousands of people, including tourists and Hindu pilgrims heading to the Amarnath Temple for yatra (which has been cancelled) to immediately leave Jammu and Kashmir because of security alerts about possible militant attacks. Also, the pilgrimage to Machel Mata for yatra, which also began on 1 July, has been suspended."}
{"document": ["Ross, ayer, en la entrevista con LA NACION Fuente: LA NACION - Crédito: Santiago Filipuzzi\n\nEn una entrevista con LA NACION, el secretario de Comercio, Wilbur Ross, apoyó las políticas del Presidente y mostró su deseo de que \"prevalezcan\"; se sumó así al aval del secretario de Estado\n\nJulieta Nassau SEGUIR Comentar Me gusta Me gusta Compartir E-mail Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Guardar 3 de agosto de 2019\n\nFue una visita exprés, que incluyó reuniones con funcionarios, empresarios y el Presidente, y con un objetivo claro: enviar un contundente respaldo del gobierno de Estados Unidos a la gestión de Mauricio Macri en el tramo previo a las PASO, los comicios primarios que marcarán el comienzo de un calendario electoral de resultado aún incierto y que mantiene atenta a la Casa Blanca.\n\nEn sus 24 horas en la Argentina, el secretario de Comercio norteamericano, Wilbur Ross, se reunió con empresarios de la Cámara de Comercio de Estados Unidos en la Argentina (AmCham), con ministros y con Macri. \"Fue como un reencuentro de amigos\", dijo el funcionario de la administración de Donald Trump, que conoce al mandatario de la época en que ambos eran empresarios.\n\n\"Mientras continúen las políticas del Presidente, creo que los inversores van a ganar confianza\", dijo Ross en una entrevista exclusiva con LA NACION en el Palacio Bosch, al tiempo que deseó que esas políticas \"prevalezcan\" tras las elecciones de octubre. El viaje de Ross reforzó el apoyo del gobierno de Trump a Macri solo dos semanas después de que estuviera en Buenos Aires el secretario de Estado, Mike Pompeo. Dos visitas de funcionarios claves de su gobierno menos de un mes antes de las primarias.\n\n-¿Están a la espera del resultado electoral para avanzar con eventuales acuerdos con el país?\n\n-Las empresas estarán más cautas hasta ver el resultado de las elecciones. Me junté con la gente de la AmCham y ellos, como nosotros, apoyan mucho las políticas del Presidente. Así que mientras continúen esas políticas creo que los inversores van a ganar confianza. También creo que el mundo exterior no se dio cuenta todavía del buen trabajo que ha hecho el Presidente cumpliendo los objetivos del FMI. Me parece a mí que está un poco superándolos: lograr un déficit primario del 1% y hacerlo en un contexto de una política fiscal y monetaria tan estricta... Es una tarea muy difícil. Creo que lo manejaron muy bien.\n\nCreo que el mundo exterior no se dio cuenta todavía del buen trabajo que ha hecho el Presidente cumpliendo los objetivos del FMI. Me parece a mí que está un poco superándolos.\n\n-Si Alberto Fernández y Cristina Kirchner ganaran las elecciones, ¿los encontrarían como socios confiables?\n\n-Para nosotros son importantes las políticas estables y procapitalismo. Creemos que es lo que la Argentina está haciendo ahora. Esperamos que sean las políticas que prevalezcan. Venezuela probó que ir en la dirección contraria para un país que produce petróleo no es una idea sensata.\n\n-¿Cuáles son las principales oportunidades de inversión y comercio para Estados Unidos en la Argentina?\n\n-Un sector muy importante es el del gas y el petróleo. Es donde Estados Unidos tiene un gran liderazgo, como con el gas natural licuado. Creo que hay un matrimonio lógico entre los recursos naturales de la Argentina y las habilidades y capitales que tenemos nosotros.\n\nEn su paso por Buenos Aires, Ross desayunó con el ministro Sica Crédito: Min. Producción\n\n-¿Hubo avances en las negociaciones por el ingreso del biodiésel argentino al mercado de Estados Unidos?\n\n-Es una decisión pendiente. La preliminar ya está -redujimos un poco los aranceles, ya que eliminamos una de las dos categorías- y la decisión final será el 15 de septiembre. Esperamos que eventualmente eso se resuelva con las negociaciones.\n\nTratado de libre comercio\n\n-Usted viene de Brasil, donde se habló de un eventual tratado de libre comercio. ¿Ese acuerdo incluiría a la Argentina o al Mercosur?\n\n-Brasil y la Argentina anunciaron un acuerdo del Mercosur con la Unión Europea. He advertido que todos queremos eventualmente más tratados comerciales entre Brasil, la Argentina y Estados Unidos. Pero deben ser muy cuidadosos de no poner asuntos en ese acuerdo [con la UE] que les impidan cerrar acuerdos con Estados Unidos. Porque hay algunos temas proteccionistas entre la Comisión Europea y Estados Unidos.\n\n-Lo que usted llamó \"píldoras venenosas\"...\n\n-Claro. Estándares, indicadores geográficos y otras cosas... Porque seguramente ese acuerdo se cierre antes que cualquier otro con nosotros. Además, en Estados Unidos, para hacer las cosas de manera formal hay que involucrar al Congreso, por lo cual llevará tiempo. Los acuerdos comerciales llevan tiempo... ¿cuánto tardaron sus discusiones con la UE?\n\nEn el Mercosur deben ser muy cuidadosos de no poner asuntos en ese acuerdo [con la UE] que les impidan cerrar acuerdos con Estados Unidos\n\n-¿Y cómo serían las negociaciones? ¿Entre Estados Unidos, Brasil y la Argentina o directamente con el Mercosur?\n\n-El tema es lidiar con los procedimientos formales de cada país. Es todavía muy prematuro hablar de eso.\n\n-¿Avanzaron sobre este tema en las reuniones de hoy?\n\n-Como sabe, hay una muy buena relación entre la Argentina y Estados Unidos. Creo que el principal objetivo para la Argentina ahora es el ingreso a la OCDE. Y estamos trabajando muy duro para conseguirlo. Entonces preferimos hacer las cosas de una a la vez y hacerlas bien. Y el ingreso a la OCDE es muy importante.\n\nUn plan para Venezuela\n\n-Usted mencionó a Venezuela. Estados Unidos ya le impuso sanciones. ¿Tienen planes de seguir en esa dirección? Trump habló de un posible bloqueo.\n\n-Estamos decididos a liberar a los venezolanos de las cosas tremendas que están haciendo con ellos. Hay una crisis humanitaria tremenda.\n\nEl secretario de Comercio expondrá ante el Grupo de Lima un plan para la reconstrucción de Venezuela Fuente: LA NACION - Crédito: Santiago Filipuzzi\n\n-¿Se imagina un bloqueo del estilo cubano?\n\n-El problema con Venezuela es mucho más complicado por el involucramiento cubano. Entonces tenemos que lidiar con los dos. Ya pusimos una serie de sanciones a Cuba y es porque creemos que son parte del problema y no de la solución. Cuba, Rusia y China son aliados muy cercanos de Venezuela; no solo no ayudan a solucionar el problema, lo generan. Se están llevando el petróleo gratis o por casi nada de dinero. El país no puede ser explotado de esa manera. Necesitan un nuevo régimen, que tendrá el apoyo de la comunidad internacional, para resucitar el país. Voy a Lima la semana que viene para explicarle al Grupo de Lima el plan para asesorar a los venezolanos el día después del cambio de régimen.\n\n-¿Cómo se imagina ese primer día de un nuevo régimen?\n\n-Lo más importante es la asistencia humanitaria. Son más de 30 millones de personas. Si cada persona tuviera 100 dólares de asistencia -que no es mucho-, eso sería un montón de dinero, lo necesario desde el principio. Después hay que pensar en cómo rehabilitar la economía. Nada funciona ahí: el sistema de agua, de energía, de cloacas, de teléfonos, el bancario.\n\nEstamos decididos a liberar a los venezolanos de las cosas tremendas que están haciendo con ellos\n\n-¿Entonces están dispuestos a ayudar económicamente?\n\n-Sí, y confío en que contaremos con apoyo de la comunidad internacional. Una vez que la parte humanitaria esté más bajo control, se necesita una legislación completamente nueva. Porque no tienen derechos de propiedad privada, nada de lo que tiene una economía capitalista. El gobierno de [el presidente encargado, Juan] Guaidó ya está trabajando en eso. Es importante un marco legal adecuado para atraer inversiones. También son importantes las elecciones libres en una primera instancia.\n\n-¿La opción militar sigue sobre la mesa?\n\n-Esa es una decisión militar, del presidente. Mi rol es tratar de ayudar con lo comercial, no con lo militar. Pero estamos determinados para el cambio de régimen.\n\nLa guerra comercial\n\n-Trump anunció nuevas tarifas a China y dijo que puede o aumentarlas o eliminarlas en función de cómo sigan las negociaciones. ¿Cuál de esas opciones cree que es más factible?\n\n-Primero expliquemos por qué lo hizo. Creíamos que habíamos llegado a un acuerdo, pero luego China no fue capaz de avanzar en lo que habíamos acordado: algunos puntos sobre el comercio; que comprarían más productos agropecuarios -algo que no hicieron-, y que detendrían la venta de fentanilo, que es un gran problema en Estados Unidos, con decenas de miles de personas que mueren por año. No hemos visto que lo hayan hecho. El presidente se decepcionó en los tres puntos. Pero su respuesta fue moderada.\n\n-¿Cree que llegarán a un acuerdo antes de las elecciones de 2020?\n\n-Lo importante es llegar a un acuerdo adecuado. Y eso depende de tres componentes. El más fácil es que compran más productos; el segundo es una reforma estructural, y lo más difícil, y lo más importante, será el cumplimiento. Los acuerdos comerciales suelen ser débiles en eso. Pero es importante que, si hay violaciones, tenemos que tener la habilidad de tomar acciones unilaterales contra ellos. El presidente dejó en claro que no está apurado, pero no se conformará con cualquier acuerdo. Entonces si es antes o después de las elecciones no es lo importante. Si este presidente no soluciona la relación comercial con China, probablemente ninguno lo hará. Porque enfrentarse a todas las presiones políticas que están en contra de tener un verdadero acuerdo... nadie más lo hará si nosotros fallamos.", "The political formula including ex-President Cristina Fernandez has an advantage of up to 5 points over the right-wing candidates.\n\nWith nine days to go before the primary presidential elections in Argentina, Alberto Fernandez and Cristina Fernandez have an advantage of 5 percentage points over Mauricio Macri and Miguel Angel Picheto, according to \"practically all the main opinion companies.\"\n\n\"The difference ranges from four to five points in surveys conducted by phone; however, the difference is greater in surveys conducted in person,\" Pagina 12 reported.\n\nAccording to the Spanish company Celag, the only pollster that carried out two polls directly at people's homes, Fernandez has 42.5 percent of the preferences and Macri 33.5 percent of the intention to vote.\n\n“Face-to-face surveys have greater access to the young people and the most humble classes,” Pagina 12 commented and explained that Argentine poor families do not have much access to landlines or cell phones.\n\n“It is true that phone surveys usually have correction factors to mathematically straighten those difficulties; however, such correction depends a lot on each consultant's skills.”\n\nSeen from a more conservative perspective, which is what the mainstream media want to prevail, the average of all polls shows that voting intention favors Fernandez with 37.8 percent and Macri with 35.2 percent.\n\nDuring the crisis, in one year, Macri increased his assets by 50 percent. In 2017 he declared a patrimony of 99 million pesos [US$2.2 million]. In 2018 his assets increased to almost 152 million pesos [US$3.3 million], without counting the famous 'blind trust'.\"\n\nThese opinion polls were carried out before Argentina knew that President Macri increased his assets by more than 50 percent in the last year, an expansion which does not takes into account the money he included in \"the blind trust\", a financial instrument whose magnitude could only be known six months after he leaves office.​​​\n\nMeanwhile, what is already known is that the righ-wing President became a debt holder in the middle of the budget crisis of the Argentine state.\n\n\"In October 2018 Macri bought Argentine debt bonds for more than 94 million pesos [US$2.2 million],\" El Clarin, a conservative media, revealed.\n\nThe loss of popularity of President Macri was evident again nine days before the primary elections. On Friday, very few people concentrated outside the Argentinean official residence to accompany the President in his campaign.\n\n\"This morning we arrived in Buenos Aires and we came to support the President,\" Francisco Bustos, who traveled from Tucuman to be in a rally in which less than 100 people participated, said.\n\n“The only mass demonstration in favor of Macri occurred in April 2017 during his tenure,” recalled EFE.\n\nFrom Saturday on, Argentine polling companies are prohibited from publishing or disseminating presidential electoral forecasts.", "Millionaires, construction and finance companies are among the primary donors supporting the Argentine President Mauricio Macri coalition reelection campaign.\n\nLegislation enacted just two months ahead of the Simultaneous and Mandatory Open Primary Elections (STEP) has opened the floor for sponsoring opportunities from legal, privately-owned entities.\n\nThe new law, a first for Argentina, came just in time for the primary elections and allows private donations of up to 4.5 million pesos. Lawmakers say it is among several legislations being introduced for transparency, by which it can avoid the scandals experienced during the Buenos Aires elections in 2015 and 2017.\n\nHowever, as the elections near a close, data shows Macri’s Buenos Aires governmental representative Maria Eugenia Vidal’s campaign’s winnings amount to around ARS$6 million (US$134,820), gained by affluent admirers of the Argentine President Mauricio Macri coalition, Together for Change (Cambiemos.)\n\nAmong the most generous are Maxinta SA, a currency exchange company in the city; Jorge Milne, former bank president of the Banco Patagonia; Daniel Diego Van Lierde, president of the mining company Caleras San Juan.\n\nSo far, no formal complaints about irregularities with campaign contributions has been filed as of yet, although — with nine days left in the race, critics believe it could still transpire. According to statistics, only one percent of donations are formally reported to authorities, Pagina 12 said. The rest are usually left undeclared.", "BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Former Argentine President Fernando De la Rúa, who attracted voters with his image as an honest statesman and later left the country plunged into its worst economic crisis, has died. He was 81.\n\nThe death was confirmed by the Argentine government. President Mauricio Macri expressed his condolences, saying on Twitter: “His democratic trajectory deserves the recognition of all Argentines.”\n\nDe la Rúa served from 1999 to December 2001 when he infamously escaped by helicopter from the rooftop of the pink presidential palace. It came after days of violent protests against his handling of the crisis amid rioting that caused dozens of deaths across Argentina.\n\nThe Telam state news agency said he died of cardiac and other complications."], "summary": "Argentine President Mauricio Macri receives the U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, who expresses full support from the U.S. for his re-election in the upcoming Argentine elections."}
{"document": ["Image copyright AFP Image caption Celebrations began overnight and carried on into Saturday morning\n\nSudan's ruling military council and main opposition coalition have agreed on a constitutional declaration which will pave the way for a new period of transitional government.\n\nAfrican Union mediator Mohamed Hassan Lebatt made the announcement early on Saturday, without giving any details.\n\nSudan has been in turmoil since the military ousted President Omar al-Bashir in April.\n\nProtracted talks over the declaration have been held amid much violence.\n\nThe long-awaited declaration deal triggered celebrations in Sudan, which has been plunged into months of crisis.\n\nBoth sides signed a power-sharing accord in July, but demonstrators have been waiting since then for more details about the agreement.\n\nProtests first broke out in December after Mr Bashir's government imposed emergency austerity measures. He was then overthrown by the military in April after prolonged protests outside the defence ministry in Khartoum.\n\nImage copyright EPA Image caption There have been protests on the streets of Sudan for months\n\nDemonstrators have since called for authority to be transferred to a civilian administration.\n\nWhat does the declaration say?\n\nThe document outlines the terms of a three-year transitional period agreed last month by the military council and opposition leaders.\n\nThe power-sharing deal envisages a governing body of six civilians and five generals.\n\n\"I am announcing to the Sudanese, African and international public opinion that the two delegations have fully agreed on the constitutional declaration,\" Mr Lebatt told reporters on Saturday.\n\nHe said further meetings would be held to work out the technical details of the signing ceremony, but did not provide any information about the agreement itself.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Sudan crisis: Schoolchildren fired on during protests\n\nA draft of the declaration seen by Reuters news agency said the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which have been accused of killing protesters, will now fall under the general command of the armed forces, and the intelligence service will be co-supervised by the sovereign council and the cabinet.\n\nThe deal on the declaration came after the military council announced that nine RSF soldiers had been dismissed and detained in connection with the killing of protesters, including four schoolchildren, this week.\n\nThe deaths had prompted mass demonstrations across the country and caused delays in the talks.\n\nWhat do we know about the transition period?\n\nThe military and protesters have reached several agreements, with each side fleshing out new details as they try to overcome suspicion and build a working relationship.\n\nThey have so far agreed on the following:\n\nPower-sharing will last for 39 months\n\nA sovereign council, cabinet and legislative body will be formed\n\nA general will head the council for the first 21 months, a civilian for the remaining 18\n\nA prime minister, nominated by the pro-democracy movement, will head the cabinet\n\nThe ministers of defence and interior will be chosen by the military.\n\nThe long transition period is seen as a victory for the pro-democracy movement - the generals had threatened a snap election after the 3 June crackdown.\n\nDemonstrators argue that Mr Bashir's regime is so deeply entrenched that it will take time to dismantle its political network and open the way for free and fair elections.", "KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudan's military council and its main opposition coalition have agreed a constitutional declaration to usher in a new period of transitional government, African Union mediator for Sudan Mohamed Hassan Lebatt told a news conference in the early hours of Saturday morning.\n\nThe document, which outlines the powers and the relationship between the branches of the transitional government, comes after weeks of protracted negotiations brokered by the African Union and neighbouring Ethiopia amid sporadic bouts of violence in the capital Khartoum and other cities.\n\nLebatt said that the delegations will continue talks on Saturday over the technical details of the signature procedures but did not elaborate further on the contents of the declaration.\n\nSudan's stability is crucial for the security of a volatile region stretching from the Horn of Africa to Libya that is riven by conflict and power struggles.\n\nThis final agreement is meant to pave the way to a political transition after military leaders ousted former President Omar al-Bashir in April following months of protests against his rule.\n\nTwo key points of contention had been the role of Sudan's General Intelligence Service and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the country's most powerful paramilitary group.\n\nAccording to a draft of the declaration seen by Reuters, the intelligence service will report to the cabinet and the sovereign council, the body that will rule the country in the transitional period, while the RSF will fall under the general command of the armed forces.\n\nThe sides had previously agreed that the sovereign council will be comprised of 11 members — five officers selected by the military council, five civilians chosen by the FFC and another civilian to be agreed upon by both sides. Its first leader will be from the military.\n\nWhen the sovereign council is formed, the country's current ruling body, a transitional military council headed by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy, RSF commander General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, will be dissolved.\n\nThis story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.", "Sudan's ruling military council and main opposition alliance have agreed on a constitutional declaration to pave the way for a transitional government, the African Union said early Saturday.\n\nThe agreement came after months of negotiations between the military council and the Alliance for Freedom and Change, which has led a countrywide protest movement.\n\n\"I am announcing to the Sudanese, African and international public opinion that the two delegations have fully agreed on the constitutional declaration,\" Mohamed El Hacen Lebatt, the African Union mediator, told reporters.\n\nLebatt said talks would resume on Saturday about a formal signing ceremony. No immediate details of the agreement were available.\n\nThe final agreement is meant to usher in a joint military-civilian body to rule the country for three years following the ouster of longtime strongman President Omar al-Bashir in April.\n\nThe generals and opposition had previously agreed to form a sovereign council composed of 11 members, five from the military and five from the opposition, plus one additional civilian agreed to by both sides.\n\nOther areas of contention have included establishing control over the General Intelligence Service and the Rapid Support Forces, the country's most powerful paramilitary group.\n\nThe opposition has accused the two security forces of killing protesters, and has demanded that those responsible be held to account.\n\nEvery evening, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.", "Sudan’s military council and the main opposition coalition have reached an agreement to usher in a new period of transitional government, African Union mediator for Sudan Mohamed Hassan Lebatt told a news conference in the early hours of Saturday morning.\n\nThe document, which outlines the powers and the relationships between the branches of the transitional government, comes after weeks of protracted negotiations brokered by the African Union and neighbouring Ethiopia amid sporadic bouts of violence in the capital Khartoum and other cities.\n\nSudan has been in a state of political turmoil since the army ousted veteran leader Omar al-Bashir in April, with dozens of demonstrators killed during street protests.\n\nAs news of the agreement emerged, people began gathering on Nile Street, a main avenue in the capital Khartoum, honking car horns and ululating in celebration.\n\n“We’re victorious!” some people chanted while others sang the national anthem.\n\nLebatt said that representatives from both sides - civilian pro-democracy groups and the military - will continue talks on Saturday over the technical details of the accord.\n\nLegal and technical teams still need to establish a timeline for the declaration to come into effect and for the transitional government to be appointed.\n\nOnce the transitional government starts work, Sudan embarks on a three-year transition period expected lead to elections.\n\nSudan’s stability is crucial for the security of a volatile region stretching from the Horn of Africa to Libya that is riven by conflict and power struggles.\n\nTwo key points of contention had been the role of Sudan’s General Intelligence Service and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the country’s most powerful paramilitary group.\n\nAccording to a draft of the declaration seen by Reuters, the intelligence service will report to the cabinet and the sovereign council, the body that will rule the country in the transitional period, while the RSF will fall under the general command of the armed forces.\n\nThe sides had previously agreed that the sovereign council will be comprised of 11 members – five officers selected by the military council, five civilians chosen by the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) coalition and another civilian to be agreed upon by both sides. Its first leader will be from the military.\n\nWhen the sovereign council is formed, the country’s current ruling body, a transitional military council headed by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy, RSF commander General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, will be dissolved.\n\nA top priority for the transitional government during its first six months in power will be working towards peace with a number of armed groups active in the southern and western regions of the country, Satea al-Hajj, an FFC negotiator, said on Saturday.\n\nThree of those armed groups are members of the FFC under the umbrella of the Revolutionary Front. –Reuters", "Sudan’s ruling generals and protest leaders reached a “full agreement” on the constitutional declaration, the African Union said, paving the way for transitioning to civilian rule.\n\nThe agreement came after prolonged negotiations between Sudan’s ruling military council and the Alliance for Freedom and Change which has been leading the protest movement across Sudan for months.\n\n“I am announcing to the Sudanese, African and international public opinion that the two delegations have fully agreed on the constitutional declaration,” AU mediator Mohamed El Hacen Lebatt told reporters.\n\nLebatt said meetings will be held to discuss a formal signing ceremony.\n\nThe main points of contention concerned the powers of the proposed joint civilian-military ruling body, the deployment of security forces and immunity for generals over protest-related violence.\n\nSaturday’s announcement came after the military council announced nine paramilitaries had been arrested for killing four teenage demonstrators earlier this week as talks with protest leaders over the country’s future navigated a second day.\n\nThe move against the paramilitary men of the feared Rapid Support Forces stemmed from the fatal shooting of four schoolchildren and two other demonstrators during a rally against fuel and bread shortages in the city of Al-Obeid in North Kordofan on Monday.\n\nThe killings have sparked anger across Sudan.\n\nOn Thursday, four more protesters were shot dead in the capital’s twin city of Omdurman, just across the Nile from Khartoum, said doctors linked to the country’s protest movement.\n\n“An investigation has been launched into the incident of Al-Obeid and seven members of the RSF were immediately dismissed and handed over to civilian judges for trial,” General Shamseddine Kabbashi, spokesman for the ruling military council, told reporters earlier on Friday.\n\nHe also said that measures will be taken against those responsible for Thursday’s violence.", "Sudan's ruling military council and main opposition coalition have agreed on a constitutional declaration which will pave the way for a new period of transitional government.\n\nThe long-awaited declaration deal triggered celebrations in Sudan, which has been plunged into months of crisis.\n\nBoth sides signed a power-sharing accord in July, but demonstrators have been waiting since then for more details about the agreement.\n\nProtests first broke out in December after Mr Bashir's government imposed emergency austerity measures. He was then overthrown by the military in April after prolonged protests outside the defence ministry in Khartoum.\n\nThe document outlines the terms of a three-year transitional period agreed last month by the military council and opposition leaders.\n\n\"I am announcing to the Sudanese, African and international public opinion that the two delegations have fully agreed on the constitutional declaration,\" Mr Lebatt told reporters on Saturday.\n\nHe said further meetings would be held to work out the technical details of the signing ceremony, but did not provide any information about the agreement itself.\n\nA draft of the declaration seen by Reuters news agency said the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which have been accused of killing protesters, will now fall under the general command of the armed forces, and the intelligence service will be co-supervised by the sovereign council and the cabinet.\n\nThe deal on the declaration came after the military council announced that nine RSF soldiers had been dismissed and detained in connection with the killing of protesters, including four schoolchildren, this week.\n\nThe deaths had prompted mass demonstrations across the country and caused delays in the talks.\n\nThe military and protesters have reached several agreements, with each side fleshing out new details as they try to overcome suspicion and build a working relationship.\n\nThey have so far agreed on the following:", "Sudan military council and opposition agree new deal for transitional government\n\nSudan military council and opposition agree new deal for transitional government\n\nThe agreement comes after months of protests. File pic\n\nSudan's military council and the main opposition coalition have reached an agreement for a new period of transitional government.\n\nIt comes after the country's leader Omar al-Bashir was ousted by the army in April, sparking months of political turmoil and protests in the African nation.\n\nAfrican Union mediator for Sudan. Mohamed Hassan Lebatt. said representatives from the military and the civilian pro-democracy groups will continue talks during the weekend.\n\nAmong the details still to be finalised are the members of the transitional government and a timeline for the installation of the government.\n\nIt had already been agreed the group will be comprised of 11 members - five officers selected by the military council, five civilians chosen by the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) coalition and another civilian to be agreed upon by both sides. Its first leader will be from the military.\n\nOnce the government is installed, the country will begin a three-year path to elections.\n\nNews of the deal, which was brokered after weeks of talks run by the African Union and neighbouring Ethiopia, was greeted with joy on the streets of the capital Khartoum.\n\nPeople sounded their car horns and sang the national anthem, with some chanting: \"We're victorious\".\n\nMr al Bashir faces charges of corruption and possession of foreign currency.\n\nSince he was overthrown, there has been a transitional military council in power.\n\nTalks aimed at moving to civilian rule had been deadlocked for weeks, with the generals wanting overall control during the interim period but demonstrators wanting limited military representation.\n\nA preliminary deal was signed last month, but at least four student protesters were killed earlier this week, delaying talks.", "Sudan’s ruling Transitional Military Council (TMC) and the main opposition coalition have reached an agreement to usher in a new period of a transitional government, the African Union (AU) said.\n\nMohamed Hassan Lebatt, the AU mediator for Sudan, said representatives from both sides – civilian pro-democracy groups and the military – will continue talks on Saturday over the technical details of the deal.\n\n“I am announcing to the Sudanese, African and international public opinion that the two delegations have fully agreed on the constitutional declaration,” Lebatt told a news conference in the early hours of Saturday morning.\n\nThe document, which outlines the powers and the relationships between the branches of the transitional government, comes after weeks of protracted negotiations brokered by the AU and neighbouring Ethiopia amid sporadic bouts of violence in the capital Khartoum and other cities.\n\nSudan has been in a state of political turmoil since the army removed veteran leader Omar al-Bashir in April, with dozens of demonstrators killed during street protests.\n\nAs news of the agreement emerged, people began gathering on Nile Street, the main avenue in the capital Khartoum, honking car horns and ululating in celebration.\n\n“We have been waiting for a civilian state to seek fair retribution from the murderers of our sons,” one protester Somaiya Sadeq told AFP news agency.\n\n“We’re victorious!” some people chanted while others sang the national anthem.\n\nLegal and technical teams still need to establish a timeline for the declaration to come into effect and for the transitional government to be appointed.\n\nOnce the transitional government starts work, Sudan embarks on a three-year transition period expected to lead to elections.\n\nTwo key points of contention had been the role of Sudan’s General Intelligence Service and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the country’s most powerful paramilitary group.\n\nAccording to a draft of the declaration seen by Reuters news agency, the intelligence service will report to the cabinet and the sovereign council, the body that will rule the country in the transitional period, while the RSF will fall under the general command of the armed forces.\n\nThe sides had previously agreed that the sovereign council will comprise 11 members – five officers selected by the TMC, five civilians chosen by the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC) coalition and another civilian to be agreed upon by both sides. Its first leader will be from the military.\n\nWhen the sovereign council is formed, the TMC, headed by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his deputy, RSF commander General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, will be dissolved.\n\nThe FFC alliance is expected to hold a press conference at 08:00 GMT to explain the details of the deal.", "KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudan's military council and its main opposition coalition have agreed a constitutional declaration to usher in a new period of transitional government, African Union mediator for Sudan Mohamed Hassan Lebatt told a news conference in the early hours of Saturday morning.\n\nLebatt said that the delegations will continue talks on Saturday over the technical details of the signature procedures but did not elaborate further on the contents of the declaration.\n\nThis story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.", "After months of political turmoil, Sudan’s ruling generals and protest leaders have reached a “full agreement” on a constitutional declaration paving the way for a transition to civilian rule.\n\nThe document, which sits alongside the power-sharing deal signed on July 17, aims to form a combined civilian-military ruling body to oversee the formation of a transitional civilian government and parliament.\n\nThe transitional government is then to govern for a three-year transition period, the African Union said on Saturday.\n\nThis deal comes after prolonged negotiations between Sudan’s ruling military council and leaders of the protest movement that toppled veteran leader Omar al-Bashir in April.\n\n“I am announcing to the Sudanese, African and international public opinion that the two delegations have fully agreed on the constitutional declaration,”…"], "summary": "The African Union announces the Sudanese military council and the opposition agreed to a constitutional declaration that will pave the way to a new transitional government. It calls for the new government to be headed by six civilians and five generals, and formally places the Rapid Support Forces under military command."}
{"document": ["Opposition activists gathered for protest “walks” through central Moscow on Saturday, objecting to some candidates being excluded from the upcoming council election. Police have detained 600 people at the unsanctioned gathering.\n\nOne of the first to be detained was Lyubov Sobol, a rejected candidate herself and an ally of opposition figure Aleksey Navalny. The lawyer turned anti-corruption activist had been warned by city authorities against calls for more unsanctioned rallies after she dodged arrest following last Saturday’s gathering which ended up in clashes and mass detentions. Last week, she got away with a fine as a mother of an underage kid.\n\nThe rejected candidates have been accused of voter fraud, allegedly “farming” the hundreds of signatures they needed to break through the eligibility barrier. They are appealing the decision, while using protests as a pressure campaign.\n\nInstead of gathering in one place, activists on Saturday chose to walk through Moscow’s iconic 9km-long string of boulevards and squares around the capital’s historical center. Several hundred showed up initially, with rainy weather and the outcome of the July 27 rally – which saw more than a thousand people detained – probably discouraging others.\n\nМосква. \"прогулка по бульварам\" сейчас так pic.twitter.com/4z3UMQBLBA — Ольга Король (@kor_olka) August 3, 2019\n\nThe exact number of protesters, spread across the boulevards, was hard to estimate, but it was a far cry from the 21,000 marked as “going” or “interested” on the event’s Facebook page. Navalny’s team had used the number when promoting the event. The Russian Interior Ministry said some 1,500 took part in the rally.\n\nProtesters were met with heavy police presence in areas of their planned route, with officers warning them through loudspeakers not to take part in illegal gatherings.\n\nMany local businesses have chosen to stay shut, heeding a warning by municipal authorities that if clashes between protesters and police erupt, it could lead to damages and would be unsafe for customers.\n\nMoscow police said on Saturday evening they have detained some 600 people. Several journalists have complained they were caught up in the arrests. Among them was Dutch reporter Joost Bosman, who tweeted a picture of himself in a police truck.\n\nThe request to hold demonstrations this Saturday was rejected earlier this week, with authorities saying the application was submitted too late to negotiate a location that both the city authorities and the organizers would agree upon. Meanwhile, at least three separate rallies have been sanctioned for August 10 and 11. The protest organizers have said they are still in talks with authorities over the details of the gatherings.\n\nAlso on rt.com Over 1,000 detained at unsanctioned Moscow rally after clashes & attempts to block roads (VIDEO)\n\nOpposition forces in Russia seem to have been energized by the outcome of last week’s unsanctioned protest, which led to a stand-off with police, where a large number of protesters were detained. A handful of demonstrators have been charged with crimes like attacking the police or bringing melee weapons to a public gathering.\n\nThe opposition said the police action last week was disproportionately harsh and unjustified, and called for doubling down the pressure. Several of the candidates who called for protests have been slapped with detentions ranging from 10 to 30 days for breaking Russia’s rules on how mass gatherings can be held.\n\nAlso on rt.com Samples taken from Kremlin critic Navalny show no signs of poison – doctors\n\nWhether the opposition's sentiment about last Saturday is shared by the general population in Russia is a different issue altogether. An opinion poll by VTSIOM conducted after the previous rally showed that 61 percent of Muscovites agreed that the police can use “harsh measures” in response to an unsanctioned gathering as long as they stay within the confines of the law. The poll was called a poor indicator of the public mood by supporters of the protest, since they consider the police action illegal.\n\nThe divided attitude to the wave of protests is reflected in what Russian public figures have said about it. A number of celebrities voiced their support, saying the authorities did go too far in their response to last Saturday’s protests. Others warned opposition activists against putting their trust in leaders, who are encouraging them to break the law just for the sake of escalation.\n\nThink your friends would be interested? Share this story!", "MOSCOW (AP) — Police in Moscow have detained a leading opposition figure as she was heading to an unauthorized rally protesting the exclusion of independent and opposition candidates from the Moscow city council election.\n\nLyubov Sobol, who is one of the aspirants rejected from the ballot, was detained Saturday in central Moscow and taken away in a police van.\n\nThe rally attempt comes a week after police detained nearly 1,400 protesters, beating some of them with truncheons.\n\nDespite repeated warnings that police would take active measures against a protest on Saturday, activists aim to hold a march for about four kilometers (2.5 miles) along the Boulevard Ring that circles central Moscow and is a popular area to stroll.", "Russian opposition candidate Russian and activist Ilya Yashin, center, gestures while speaking to a crowd next to a bas-relief of the Soviet founder Vladimir Lenin, left, during a protest in Moscow, Russia, Sunday, July 14, 2019. Opposition candidates who run for seats in the city legislature in September’s elections have complained that authorities try to bar them from the race by questioning the validity of signatures of city residents they must collect in order to qualify for the race. (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin)\n\nMOSCOW (AP) — Russian opposition leaders led a rally in Moscow of about 1,000 people Sunday to protest the city election commission’s decision that will keep several opposition candidates off the ballot in a local election.\n\nThe unsanctioned rally was billed as a meeting between opposition leaders and voters after the Moscow election commission rejected signatures needed to qualify the candidates for the September city parliament election.\n\nDemonstrators chanted “We are the authority here!” and “Putin is a thief.”\n\nPolice made no effort to intervene until later in the evening, after the protest crowd had largely dispersed and opposition leaders called for the remaining participants to stage an overnight sit-in at the election commission.\n\nAlexei Navalny, Russia’s most prominent opposition leader, was not seen at the protest. The demonstration was led, in various stages, by opposition figures Dmitry Gudkov, Ilya Yashin and Lyubov Sobol.\n\n“We were collecting the signatures under rain and in the heat,” Gudkov said. “And you know what (the election commission) told us yesterday? They told us that our signatures are fake. Many of the people who gave me their signatures are here today. Friends, do you agree?”\n\nYashin, one of the disqualified candidates, called on the crowd to march with him to the mayor’s office to state their election demands. They knocked on the doors of city hall, but no one answered.\n\n“I think this is outrageous,” Sergei Bukharov, a former Moscow parliament press officer told The Associated Press outside city hall. “And what they say at the election commission, how they explain why they don’t admit independent candidates, it’s all lies. Those signatures are real.”\n\nOpposition activist Sobol, who also is fighting to be on the September ballot, urged protesters to continue down the street to the election commission.\n\n“They are stealing our elections. They are stealing our future,” Sobol alleged, going on to accuse Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin of ordering the rejection of the signatures.\n\nThe march began fading out after three hours, though a few hundred protesters remained outside the election commission as of 7 p.m. Moscow time (GMT 16:00.)\n\nAn election commission spokesman told Yashin that chief Valentin Gorbunov would not meet with the demonstrators Sunday since he was spending the weekend at his cottage outside the city, the Ekho Moskvy radio station reported.\n\nAbout 30 said they would stage a sit-in overnight in the courtyard of the commission’s offices. Moscow police intervened a little over an hour later, dispersing the holdouts and arresting Yashin, Sobol, and several other opposition candidates.\n\nAs of 9 p.m. Moscow time (GMT 18:00), at least 38 protesters had been detained, according to arrest monitoring group OVD-Info.\n\nYashin tweeted from the back of a police van that the demonstration had been brutally dispersed and that he was currently detained with at least 20 other people.", "MOSCOW (AP) — Police in Moscow have detained a leading opposition figure as she was heading to an unauthorized rally and march protesting the exclusion of independent and opposition candidates from the Moscow city council election.\n\nLyubov Sobol, who is one of the aspirants rejected from the ballot, was detained Saturday in central Moscow and taken away in a police van.\n\nOn Pushkin Square, a gathering point where the protest march was to begin, police waded into a scattered crowd standing in sporadic rain and detained dozens. At another square along the planned protest route, phalanxes of helmeted riot police linked arms and swept people away.\n\nThe rally attempt comes a week after police detained nearly 1,400 protesters, beating some of them with truncheons.\n\nDespite repeated warnings that police would take active measures against a protest on Saturday, activists aimed to hold a march for about four kilometers (2.5 miles) along the Boulevard Ring that circles central Moscow and is a popular area to stroll.", "MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian police detained 600 people in central Moscow during an unauthorized opposition protest on Saturday, independent monitoring group OVD-info reported.", "(MOSCOW) — Police in Moscow cracked down hard on unsanctioned election protests for the second weekend in a row Saturday, detaining more than 800 people at a rally against the exclusion from city council contests of some independent and opposition candidates, an arrest monitoring group said.\n\nElection officials rejected signatures several candidates needed to qualify for next month’s local ballot. The decision tapped dissatisfaction with a political environment dominated by the Kremlin-aligned United Russia party, in which dissenting voices are marginalized, ignored or repressed. The OVD-Info organization, which tracks arrests in Russia, said 828 people were detained Saturday.\n\nThe Russian Interior Ministry said the number was about 600 in a crowd of about 1,500 protesters, although police are widely believed to understate crowd estimates for opposition events. The detentions came a week after authorities arrested nearly 1,400 people at a similar protest.\n\nLyubov Sobol, one of the excluded candidates and a driving figure of the current wave of protests, was among those detained. She was grabbed by police in central Moscow and hustled into a police van, loudly demanding to know why she was being held.\n\nDemonstrators were aiming to hold a march along the Boulevard Ring, which skirts central Moscow and is a popular locale for people to walk around, despite repeated warnings that police would take active measures against a protest. Helmeted riot police lined the route and started seizing demonstrators from a scattered cluster on Pushkin Square and pushing them back from another square further along the route.\n\nSome of the detentions were harsh, including one young bicyclist who was beaten with truncheons as he lay on the pavement still straddling his bike. Some other detainees appeared nonchalant, smirking or checking their phones as police led them to buses.\n\nThe demonstrations dissipated after about four hours as a steady, cold rain began falling.\n\nOnce a local, low-key affair, the September vote for Moscow’s city council is now emblematic of the division within Russian politics and the Kremlin’s ongoing struggles with how to deal with strongly opposing views in its sprawling capital of 12.6 million people. In the past month, the issue has provoked a surprisingly large outcry for a local election. On July 20, about 20,000 people turned out for a demonstration that was the largest in the city in several years.\n\nOn Saturday, about 2,000 people attended another rally in St. Petersburg supporting the Moscow protests, the local news site Fontanka.ru reported.\n\nThe Moscow city council, which has 45 seats, is responsible for a large municipal budget and is now controlled by the pro-Kremlin United Russia party. All of its seats, which have a five-year-term, are up for grabs in the Sept. 8 vote.\n\nAlso Saturday, Russia’s Investigative Committee announced it was opening a criminal case against the Foundation for Fighting Corruption, headed by the Kremlin’s most prominent foe Alexei Navalny. The committee said the organization was suspected of receiving funding that had been criminally acquired.\n\nNavalny is serving 30 days in jail for calling last week’s protest. The head of the foundation also is jail in connection with that protest.", "Police officers detain an opposition candidate and lawyer at the Foundation for Fighting Corruption Lyubov Sobol in the center of Moscow, Russia, Saturday, Aug. 3, 2019.\n\nHelmeted police in Moscow rounded up nearly 200 of demonstrators and at least one opposition leader Saturday in an effort to squelch an unauthorized march protesting the exclusion of independent candidates from fall city council elections.\n\nOn Pushkin Square, a gathering point not far from the Kremlin where the protest march was to begin, police waded into a scattered crowd standing in light rain and detained dozens.\n\nOfficers quickly detained Lyubov Sobol, an opposition figure and one of the candidate hopefuls, as she was heading to the rally. She was taken away in a police van.\n\nAt least 194 people were detained, the independent monitoring group OVD-info reported, according to the independent Moscow Times reports. Police said they had detained 30 people\n\nAt another square along the planned 2.5-mile protest route along Moscow's Boulevard ring, helmeted riot police linked arms and swept people away.\n\nThe protest was livestreamed on Russian independent websites.\n\nAuthorities had warned the unauthorized protest march through central Moscow Saturday would bring a strong police response.\n\nThe city prosecutor’s office on Friday issued a statement warning that the attempt would be “a direct violation of the law. Law enforcement agencies will be forced to take all necessary measures to curb provocations.”\n\nIt was the third Saturday in a row that demonstrators turned out to protest the exclusion of opposition candidates for election to the 45-seat Moscow city council, which is controlled by the pro-Kremlin United Russia.\n\nAuthorities have denied that the opposition-backed candidates were specifically excluded from the ballot, claiming that they failed to garner enough valid signatures. The opposition said the allegations were false.\n\nSergey Radchenko, a history professor, told Moscow Times city authorities fear Kremlin-backed candidates would lose in big numbers if independents were on the ballot in September.\n\n\"Russian regional elections last fall showed that the regime can lose even when it resorts to electoral fraud,\" he told the newspaper. \"If seats are lost to the opposition — first at the local levels, then perhaps even at the national level — the Kremlin will be placed in an untenable situation.\"\n\nLast week, at an unsanctioned protest outside the Moscow mayor's office, more than 1,000 demonstrators were violently detained by police. An independent organization that monitors arrests put the number of detained at 1,373.\n\nThe initial demonstration, which had been officially approved, was held farther out from central Moscow.\n\nDays before last week's demonstration, opposition figure Alexei Navalny was jailed for calling the protest. Also detained in advance were other prominent opposition politicians, including Ilya Yashin, Dmitry G. Gudkov and Ivan Zhdanov.\n\nNavalny, a longtime political foe of Russian President Vladimir Putin, was later taken from jail and hospitalized, prompting fears that he had been poisoned.\n\nRussia's Sklifosovsky toxicology institute said \"poisoning substances were not found\" in Navalny's samples, according to Russian news agencies. Navalny's personal physician, Anastasia Vasilyeva, blasted the official denying, saying it was \"completely absurd\" because bedsheets and clothes were not tested, Deutsche Welle reported.\n\nThe 43-year-old Navalny has called Putin's United Russia party a place of \"crooks and thieves\" and has accused the president's system of \"sucking the blood out of Russia,\" the BBC reports.\n\nThis article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Moscow protest: Russian police detain about 200, arrest a rally leader", "MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian police started detaining people in central Moscow on Saturday during an unauthorized opposition protest with one monitoring group, OVD-info, saying at least six people had been taken into custody.", "MOSCOW — Protesters once again took to the streets of Moscow Saturday, decrying the exclusion of some independent and opposition candidates for upcoming city council election that has shaken up Russia’s political scene.\n\nAn arrest monitoring group and the Russian Interior Ministry say Moscow police have detained 600 protesters at an unsanctioned protest of some independent and opposition candidates being kept off the ballot for a city council election, a week after authorities arrested nearly 1,400 people at a similar protest.\n\nLyubov Sobol, one of the excluded candidates and a driving figure of the current wave of protests, was among those detained. She was grabbed by police in central Moscow and hustled into a police van, loudly demanding to know why she was being held.\n\nDemonstrators were aiming to hold a march along the Boulevard Ring, which skirts central Moscow and is a popular locale for people to walk around, despite repeated warnings that police would take active measures against a protest.\n\nHelmeted riot police lined the route and started seizing demonstrators from a scattered crowd on Pushkin Square and pushing them back from another square further along the route.\n\nSome of the detentions were harsh, including one young bicyclist who was beaten with truncheons as he lay on the pavement still straddling his bike. Some other detainees appeared nonchalant, smirking or checking their phones as police led them to buses.\n\nThe OVD-Info group, which monitors arrests, said at least 311 people had been detained.\n\nOnce a local, low-key affair, the September vote for Moscow’s city council is now emblematic of the division within Russian politics and the Kremlin’s ongoing struggles with how to deal with strongly opposing views in its sprawling capital of 12.6 million people.\n\nIn the past month, the issue has provoked a surprisingly large outcry for a local election. On July 20, about 20,000 people turned out for a demonstration that was the largest in the city in several years.\n\nOn Saturday, about 2,000 people attended another rally in St. Petersburg supporting the Moscow protests, the local news site Fontanka.ru reported.\n\nThe Moscow city council, which has 45 seats, is responsible for a large municipal budget and is now controlled by the pro-Kremlin United Russia party. All of its seats, which have a five-year-term, are up for grabs in the Sept. 8 vote.\n\nAlso Saturday, Russia’s Investigative Committee announced it was opening a criminal case against the Foundation for Fighting Corruption, headed by the Kremlin’s most prominent foe Alexei Navalny. The committee said the organization was suspected of receiving funding that had been criminally acquired.\n\nNavalny is serving 30 days in jail for calling last week’s protest. The head of the foundation also is jail in connection with that protest.", "Moscow: Police detained hundreds of protesters at an unauthorised opposition gathering in Moscow on Saturday, as authorities upped the pressure on top Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny by launching a criminal probe into his anti-graft group.\n\nCrowds of people marched in the capital’s central boulevards for a protest “stroll” over the refusal by officials to let a number of Opposition candidates run in September polls for city parliament seats.\n\nMost candidates and Opposition leaders, including Navalny, are being held by police following a protest rally last weekend, in which 1,400 demonstrators were detained.\n\nOn Saturday, riot police were deployed in large numbers in central Moscow, some shops and cafes were shut, metal barriers were erected and the mobile internet was down for several hours. At least 300 people were detained by police about two hours into the rally, according to OVD-Info, a non-governmental organisation that operates a hotline for detainees. Lyubov Sobol, currently three weeks into a hunger strike after being barred from taking part in the local polls and an ally of key opposition leader Navalny, was dragged from a taxi and detained on Saturday as she set off for the rally."], "summary": "Several hundred people are detained by Russian police at unauthorized protests in Moscow. The protests occurred because several opposition candidates were disqualified from running in the upcoming Moscow City legislative election."}
{"document": ["American Mitchie Brusco is leaving his mark in skateboarding, successfully executing the first ever 1260, three-and-a-half full revolutions, in the sport at the X Games.\n\nAmerican @Mitchiebrusco84 just landed the first 1260 in skateboard history at #XGames! pic.twitter.com/aHpeT3mGYq — X Games (@XGames) August 3, 2019\n\nAfter Brusco landed the 1260 the crowd and the commentators went wild to celebrate the historic display. One broadcaster reacts saying, \"What is going on?!\" The 22-year-old on the other hand looks calm, cool and collected after completing the daunting trick.\n\n\"Mitchie Brusco goes where no person has gone before,\" one announcer exclaims, noting the significance of the performance they just saw.\n\nAfterwards Brusco, wearing his newest medal, discusses what the experience was like was and how he feels now. He says on his approach, \"I don't know it just kinda worked.\" He also noted that he was still trying to process the whole thing.\n\nUnbelievable. Mitchie Brusco (@Mitchiebrusco84) wrote his name in the skateboarding record books forever today when he became the first ever to successfully land a 1260. How does he feel? He’s...still processing. #XGames pic.twitter.com/1dojsOXe5P — Michelle Bruton (@MichelleBruton) August 3, 2019\n\nWhen you make history icons notice, and that's what happened with the young skateboarder who had skateboarding icon Tony Hawk congratulating him on Twitter. Hawk said the accomplishment left him \"speechless.\"\n\nBrusco is no stranger to causing a crowd reaction and has been making his mark on the sport for years. In 2011 he became the third skateboarder to land a 900 in a Big Air contest and in 2013 he became the second in history to land a 1080 successfully on the MegaRamp.", "'Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw' has been made with the intention of creating more spin-off movies, according to David Leitch.\n\nThe 49-year-old filmmaker - who has helmed the much-hyped new movie - has revealed his intention was always to help ''build a world that was fertile ground for spin-offs''.\n\nSpeaking to Screen Rant, he shared: ''My intention was - and I hope that the studio hears that - is that we wanted to build a world that was fertile ground for spin-offs.\n\n''When I came on board, the idea was, 'How can I immediately with this film, strike a pose to build out Hobbs' and Shaw's individual worlds so that they could do their own their own films?'\n\n''But then also, characters in that world could have the ability to do their own, as well.''\n\nLeitch added that with a host of big-name actors starring in 'Hobbs & Shaw', there is obvious scope to create a series of spin-off movies.\n\nHe said: ''If you look at it, we have movie stars in this movie. Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Idris Elba, Vanessa Kirby, these other people we can't mention.\n\n''You realise that there's potential for a lot of avenues for just the Hobbs and Shaw universe to go.''"], "summary": "Mitchie Brusco becomes the first skateboarder in history to complete a 1260° (3½-revolution aerial spin) in competition."}
{"document": ["CAIRO (Reuters) - Twenty people were killed and 47 injured when a car packed with explosives intended for a militant attack blew up outside Cairo’s main cancer hospital on Monday, the interior ministry said.\n\nOfficials initially said the explosion was caused when a car driving against the traffic collided with three other cars.\n\nThe front of the hospital suffered extensive damaged, with an entrance wrecked and rubble strewn over the pavement. Victims’ belongings were scattered among the debris.\n\nThe interior ministry said the car involved in the incident had been stolen a few months ago.\n\n“The initial technical examination also showed that the car contained explosives, and the collision led to their detonation,” a ministry statement said.\n\nRelated Coverage Car involved in Cairo blast contained explosives: interior ministry\n\n“It is estimated that the car was being transported to a location for use in the execution of a terrorist operation,” the ministry added.\n\nIt said the Hasm militant group was responsible for rigging up the car.\n\nEgypt accuses Hasm, which emerged in 2016 and has claimed several attacks, of being a wing of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood. Egypt’s oldest Islamist movement denies this and says it seeks change through peaceful means only.\n\nThe explosion caused a blaze that forced the partial evacuation of the National Cancer Institute, the health ministry said.\n\nOne resident, who gave her name as Salwa, said bodies had been fused together by the explosion.\n\nAn Egyptian man carries his son with cancer as he walks past a police car in front of the damaged facade of the National Cancer Institute, after an overnight fire from a blast, in Cairo, Egypt August 5, 2019. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh\n\n“There was a sound of an extremely loud blast. It was no way two cars crashing. The car must have been rigged with explosives,” she told Reuters Television.\n\nAnother witness, who declined to give his name, said the car’s driver ran away before it exploded.\n\nLater in the morning, investigators scoured the scene amid a heavy police presence.\n\nEgypt’s public prosecutor is investigating the incident, sources told Reuters.\n\nPresident Abdel Fattah al-Sisi expressed his condolences to the Egyptian people and the families of the victims. He pledged to eradicate “this brutal terrorism”.\n\nEgyptian security forces are waging a counterinsurgency campaign against Islamist militants, some with links to Islamic State, that is focused in the north of the Sinai Peninsula.\n\nSlideshow (16 Images)\n\nAttacks outside Sinai have become relatively rare, although there have been several security incidents in recent months in Giza, across the Nile from central Cairo.\n\nIn May, an explosion targeting a tourist bus injured at least 12 people, mostly South African tourists, near the Giza pyramids.\n\nIn December, three Vietnamese tourists and an Egyptian guide were killed, and at least 10 others injured when a roadside bomb hit their tour bus near the pyramids.", "At least 20 people were killed and almost 50 injured when an explosives-filled car crashed into other vehicles in central Cairo.\n\nThe car was to be used in a “terrorist operation” and had been prepared by the Hasm militant group, an affiliate of the Muslim brotherhood, the interior ministry said Monday.\n\nThe explosion took place outside Egypt’s National Cancer Institute after a car collided with three other vehicles as it drove against traffic on Cairo’s corniche.\n\nThe interior ministry said a technical inspection indicated “an amount of explosives was inside the car, which caused it to explode when it collided.”\n\nPresident Abdel Fattah al-Sisi described the blast as a “terrorist incident”. In a social media post, he offered his condolences to the victims’ families and the Egyptian people.\n\nSaudi Arabia condemned the incident and said it stood with Egypt in the fight against terrorism.\n\nA report by news site almasryalyoum.com said the car explosion, which happened in front of the Institute, shattered the school’s main façade. The report said several cars parked in front of the institute were burned, and patients, doctors and workers were evacuated from inside the building.\n\n“Patients and their families lined the sidewalk in front of the Institute in light of the lack of ambulances to transport them to hospitals, prompting a number of residents of the area to transport the injured in their own cars,” said the report.\n\nTraffic enforcers closed the streets leading to the blast site, it said.\n\nA video posted on Twitter by the same news site showed firetrucks and ambulances all over the disaster area.", "Seventeen people have died and 32 have been injured in an explosion outside Egypt’s National Cancer Institute in central Cairo, Egypt’s health ministry said early on Monday, Reuters reports.\n\nA car driving against traffic on Cairo’s corniche collided with three other cars, causing the explosion, Egypt’s interior ministry said in a statement.\n\nEgypt’s public prosecutor is investigating the cause of the incident, sources told Reuters, but there was no official statement indicating that the explosion was an attack.", "CAIRO (AP) — The Latest on the deadly explosion in Cairo (all times local):\n\nEgypt's Interior Ministry says the multiple-car crash on a Cairo street in front of the country's main cancer hospital that killed at least 20 people involved a car bomb.\n\nMonday's statement by the ministry says an Islamic militant group, known as Hasm, with links with the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group, was driving the car with the bomb late on Sunday down the Corniche, intending to carry out a militant attack elsewhere in the country when the crash set off the bomb and the explosion took place.\n\nEgyptian authorities say a multiple-car crash on a Cairo street in front of the main cancer hospital set off an explosion that triggered a fire outside the building, killing a total of 20 people.\n\nThe government says the crash and the explosion also injured 47 others, some of whom suffered burns and broken bones though it wasn't immediately clear if any of the casualties were inside the hospital.\n\nThe Interior Ministry said a vehicle driving against the traffic — for reasons that were not specified — had collided with up to three other cars late on Sunday, causing the explosion on the Nile-side street, the city's famous Corniche. At least 54 patients were evacuated to other hospitals while the fire was later brought under control.", "At least 17 were killed and 32 others injured in an explosion outside Egypt's National Cancer Institute in central Cairo, Egypt's health ministry said early on Monday.\n\nA car driving against traffic on Cairo's corniche collided with three other cars, causing the explosion, Egypt's interior ministry said in a statement.\n\nVideos posted online showed fire trucks trying to control a massive fire, which damaged several cars.\n\nEgypt's public prosecutor is investigating the cause of the incident, sources told Reuters, but there was no official statement indicating that the explosion was an attack.", "CAIRO — Seventeen people have died and 32 have been injured in an explosion outside Egypt’s National Cancer Institute in central Cairo, Egypt’s health ministry said early on Monday.\n\nA car driving against traffic on Cairo’s corniche collided with three other cars, causing the explosion, Egypt’s interior ministry said in a statement.\n\nEgypt’s public prosecutor is investigating the cause of the incident, sources told Reuters, but there was no official statement indicating that the explosion was an attack. (Reporting by Haitham Ahmed, Alaa Swilam and Mahmoud Reda Mourad, Writing by Nafisa Eltahir; editing by Grant McCool)", "CAIRO, Egypt — A huge explosion caused by a speeding car in central Cairo overnight, killing at least 20 people, was a “terrorist incident,” Egypt’s president said Monday.\n\n“I extend my deepest condolences to the Egyptian people and the families of the martyrs killed in the cowardly terrorist incident,” read a post on Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi’s official Facebook and Twitter feeds.\n\nThe collision happened just before midnight Sunday, when a speeding car driving against the traffic crashed into three other vehicles outside the National Cancer Institute in the Egyptian capital. According to the interior ministry, the car was rigged with explosives.\n\nGet The Times of Israel's Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Free Sign Up\n\nFour of the 20 people killed remain unidentified, the health ministry said, while 47 others were wounded.\n\nBetween “three and four (of the injured) are in critical condition in the intensive care unit,” Khaled Megahed, a spokesman for the health ministry, told a press conference.\n\nHe said they suffered from “several burns of varying degrees.”\n\nBody parts were also retrieved from the scene, he added.\n\nEgypt’s prosecutor general has ordered an investigation to determine the causes of the collision.\n\nPolice said they suspected the Hasm group, an armed affiliate of the Muslim Brotherhood, of being behind the attack.\n\nSocial media users posted footage of cars ablaze at the scene and of patients being evacuated from the Cancer Institute, which was severely damaged and charred in the explosion.\n\nMegahed said 78 cancer patients from the institute were moved to other hospitals to continue their treatments.\n\nTimes of Israel staff contributed to this report.", "Cairo [Egypt], Aug 6 (ANI): Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Sisi on Monday called the car explosion that took place near a cancer institute here earlier today as a \"terrorist incident\" in which at least 20 people were killed.\n\n\"I extend my deepest condolences to the Egyptian people and to the families of the martyrs who died as a result of the cowardly terrorist incident in the vicinity of the Kasr Al-Aini area yesterday evening,\" the president wrote on Twitter.\n\n\"The car contained explosives, and the collision led to their detonation,\" the interior ministry said in a statement.\n\n\"It is estimated that the car was being transported to a location for use in the execution of a terrorist operation,\" the statement read.\n\nIt added that the car was driving in the wrong direction the previous night (local time) when it collided with three other vehicles, causing a major blast. \n\nThe attack was carried out by the Hasm group, a local Islamic terror group. \n\nAl Jazeera reported around 40 people were wounded in the incident.\n\nThe explosion caused a blaze that forced the partial evacuation of the National Cancer Institute, the health ministry said. Around 78 patients at the institute were transferred to other hospitals following the blast.\n\nThe state media further reported that all of the wounded were in a stable condition except for three who were taken in the intensive care unit (ICU).\n\nKhaled Megahed, a spokesman for the health ministry, said at a press conference on Monday that patients in the ICU suffered \"several burns of varying degrees\". (ANI)", "CAIRO (Reuters) - Nineteen people died and 30 were injured in an explosion resulting from a car crash in central Cairo, Egypt's health ministry said early on Monday.\n\nThere was no official statement indicating that the explosion was an attack.\n\nThe blast happened when a car driving against traffic on Cairo's Nile corniche road collided with three other cars, the interior ministry said in a separate statement.\n\nIt triggered a blaze that forced the partial evacuation of the nearby National Cancer Institute, the health ministry said.", "People survey the aftermath of a fiery car crash outside the National Cancer Institute in Cairo, Egypt, Monday, Aug. 5, 2019. The multiple-car crash set off an explosion that ignited a fire at Egypt’s main cancer hospital, the government said.(AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)\n\nCAIRO (AP) — A multiple-car crash on a Cairo street in front of Egypt’s main cancer hospital set off an explosion that triggered a fire outside the building, killing a total of 20 people, authorities said Monday.\n\nThe crash and the explosion also injured 47 others, the health ministry said. Some of the injured suffered burns and broken bones, it added, though it wasn’t immediately clear if any of the casualties were inside the hospital.\n\nThe Interior Ministry said a vehicle driving against the traffic — for reasons that were not specified — had collided with up to three other cars late on Sunday, causing the explosion on the Nile-side street, the city’s famous Corniche. At least 78 patients were evacuated to other hospitals while the fire was later brought under control.\n\nThe blast damaged the cancer hospital’s main gate and several patient rooms and wards, according to a statement from the Cairo University. Its Medical School uses the institute as an educational facility.\n\nTelevision stations broadcast footage of shattered windows and doors on Monday morning. The health ministry did not say if any hospital patients or staff were among the casualties.\n\n“Parts of the ceiling of the hospital were collapsing as I got out of my room,” said Mahmoud el-Sayed, one of the patients at the National Cancer Institute. “People were running everywhere and shouting.”\n\nThere was no immediate explanation as to why the crash had caused such a large explosion and officials could not be reached for questions about possible sabotage or whether there had been any explosive materials at the scene.\n\nThe county’s top prosecutor ordered an investigation into the crash, according to the state-run MENA news agency.\n\n“We heard an explosion and … the bank entrance glass was shattered everywhere,” said Abdel-Rahman Mohamed, a security officer at a bank at the opposite side of the hospital.\n\nAnother eyewitness, Mohamed Ashraf, said many cars in the vicinity were also damaged and those inside them suffered burns. “There were around 20 cars” in the area, he said. “People were struggling to get the passengers out of the vehicles.”\n\nThe health ministry said the injured were taken to different hospitals for treatment.\n\nHealth Minister Hala Zayed said in TV comments that unidentified body parts were being collected in a body bag from the site of the explosion. It was also possible that some bodies had ended up in the Nile, she added.\n\nThe police quickly cordoned off the area of the crash. Civil defense workers were seen Monday morning removing debris as officials milled about, inspecting the hospital to determine the extent of the damage to the building.\n\nSome patients with scheduled appointments for Monday were left stranded, waiting outside the hospital with their relatives.\n\n“We do not know where to go,” said farmer Ahmed Ramadan who had brought his daughter for a round of chemo therapy from their home province of Beni Suef, about 145 kilometers (90 miles) south of Cairo.\n\nThe hospital is close to Cairo’s Tahrir Square, which became known internationally as the scene of mass protests in the 2011 uprising that toppled autocrat Hosni Mubarak.\n\nRoad accidents are common in Egypt, often the result of badly maintained roads and poor enforcement of traffic laws. The country’s official statistics agency says 8,000 crashes last year caused more than 3,000 deaths and 12,000 injuries."], "summary": "A car drives into three other cars causing an explosive crash outside the National Cancer Institute Egypt campus in central Cairo, killing 20 people and injuring 47 others. The Interior Ministry says that the car that hit the others contained explosives and was to be used in a terrorist operation. The driver fled the scene before the explosion. The minister accuses the Islamist Hasm Movement of being behind the attack."}
{"document": ["Iran’s Revolutionary Guards seized a foreign oil tanker in the Persian Gulf on July 31st, compounding concerns about the safety of shipping in a region crucial to oil exports.\n\nThe vessel – the third foreign ship seized by the guards in the Gulf since July 14th – is suspected of smuggling a large volume of fuel, the guards said on their Sepah News portal, without giving any details about the flag or nationality of the ship or its operator.\n\nSepah News reported that the ship was carrying 700,000 litres (4,403 barrels) of smuggled fuel when it was seized near Farsi Island in the western part of the Gulf, off Iran’s southwestern coast. That’s about 400 miles (640km) from the Strait of Hormuz, which has been at the centre of Iran’s standoff with the West in recent weeks.\n\nThe allegedly smuggled volume is a minuscule amount in oil terms: the largest supertankers are capable of hauling cargoes of 2 million barrels. Even so the impounding of the ship could escalate the tensions that have flared in the region’s waters as Iran resists US sanctions that are crippling its all-important oil exports and hits back after one of its ships was seized on July 4th near Gibraltar.\n\nIran grabbed a British tanker, the Stena Impero, in Hormuz two weeks later and continues to hold it.\n\nThe passage at the mouth of the Persian Gulf accounts for about a third of the world’s seaborne oil flows. To reduce the risks of navigating the waterway the British navy has started to escort British ships, and a plan for a European naval mission is taking shape.\n\nThe US has embarked on a parallel operation that the Europeans are wary of joining for fear of being identified with President Donald Trump’s “maximum pressure campaign” against Iran and its economy.\n\nIn response to that campaign Iran has abandoned restrictions on uranium enrichment, downed a US drone and test-fired a ballistic missile. It’s also been accused of carrying out a number of attacks on tankers near Hormuz. – Reuters", "TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iranian forces seized a ship in the Persian Gulf suspected of carrying smuggled fuel, state media reported Sunday, marking the Revolutionary Guard’s third seizure of a vessel in recent weeks and the latest show of strength by the paramilitary force amid a spike in regional tensions.\n\nState TV and the semi-official Fars news agency reported that seven crew members were detained when the ship was seized late Wednesday carrying 700,000 liters (185,000 gallons) of “smuggled fuel” from Iran. The local reports did not provide further details on the vessel or the nationality of the crew.\n\nThe news agency reported the ship was seized near Farsi Island, where a Revolutionary Guard naval base is located. The island sits in the Persian Gulf between Saudi Arabia and Iran, north of the Strait of Hormuz.\n\n“This foreign vessel had received the fuel from other ships and was transferring it to Persian Gulf Arab states,” Fars quoted Gen. Ramazan Zirahi, a Guard commander, as saying.\n\nIt was not immediately clear why a ship carrying Iranian fuel would transfer its cargo to energy exporting Gulf states, but smuggling has been a source of concern in Iran. Iranian media reported last month that some 8 million liters of government-subsidized Iranian fuel are smuggled daily to other countries where prices are much higher.\n\nThe new claims would make this the third vessel seized by the Guard in the past two weeks, and the second accused of smuggling fuel.\n\nThe U.S. Fifth Fleet, based in Bahrain, said it did not have information to confirm the reports. Maritime tracking experts also said they did not have any immediate information about the incident or details on the vessel.\n\nMaritime intelligence firm Dryad Global said that, if confirmed, this is likely to be “another relatively low key interception designed to signal to the West that Iran maintains the capability and intent to exercise its influence” in the Persian Gulf.\n\nTensions in the Persian Gulf have escalated recently, with the United States boosting its military presence in the region and six oil tankers targeted in the Gulf of Oman in unclaimed acts of sabotage that the U.S. blames on Iran. Iran has denied any involvement in those attacks.\n\nIn June, Iran shot down an American surveillance drone in the Strait of Hormuz. President Donald Trump came close to retaliating, but called off an airstrike at the last moment. Washington has since claimed that a U.S. warship downed an Iranian drone in the strait. Iran denies losing any aircraft in the area.\n\nMaritime security in the region was further jolted on July 18, when Iranian Revolutionary Guard naval forces seized a United Arab Emirates-based oil tanker, the Panamanian-flagged MT Riah, for allegedly smuggling some 1 million liters (264,000 gallons) of fuel from Iranian smugglers to foreign customers.\n\nThe following day, the Guard seized a British-flagged vessel in the Gulf in what some Iranian officials suggested was retaliation for the seizure of an Iranian oil tanker in a British Royal Navy operation off Gibraltar, near Spain.\n\nThe U.K. says the Iranian oil tanker was suspected of violating European Union sanctions on oil shipments to Syria. Iran denies the ship was bound for Syria but has not disclosed its destination. Officials in Spain initially said the tanker was seized upon request from the United States.\n\nThe current tensions stem from Trump’s decision last year to withdraw the U.S. from Iran’s 2015 nuclear accord with world powers and impose sweeping sanctions on the country that have crippled its economy. In response, Iran began openly breaching limits set by the nuclear agreement to pressure European signatories to provide economic relief to help offset the sanctions.\n\nMaritime security around the Persian Gulf is of international importance. The Strait of Hormuz sits at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, a shipping channel for one-fifth of all global crude exports. Petroleum products from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain are exported through the strait to countries around the world.\n\nSome 67,533 ships sailed through strait last year, according to data from maritime publication Lloyd’s List sourcing research by Russell Group.\n\nRanjith Raja, a senior analyst at data firm Refinitiv, said this latest seized ship by Iran could be a barge or supply vessel rather than a commercial merchant tanker based on the amount of fuel it was allegedly transporting. Due to the numerous supply vessels operating in the area, it was not possible to pinpoint which ship had been seized, he said.", "In this photo released by the official website of the office of the Iranian Presidency, President Hassan Rouhani speaks in the inauguration ceremony of a power plant in northwestern Iran, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2019. Rouhani said U.S. financial sanctions on Iran’s foreign minister are “childish” and a barrier to diplomacy. (Iranian Presidency Office via AP)\n\nTEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iranian forces seized a ship in the Persian Gulf suspected of carrying smuggled fuel, state media reported Sunday, marking the Revolutionary Guard’s third seizure of a vessel in recent weeks and the latest show of strength by the paramilitary force amid a spike in regional tensions.\n\nState TV and the semi-official Fars news agency reported that seven crew members were detained when the ship was seized late Wednesday carrying 700,000 liters (185,000 gallons) of “smuggled fuel” from Iran. The local reports did not provide further details on the vessel or the nationality of the crew.\n\nThe news agency reported the ship was seized near Farsi Island, where a Revolutionary Guard naval base is located. The island sits in the Persian Gulf between Saudi Arabia and Iran, north of the Strait of Hormuz.\n\nGuard commander Gen. Ramazan Zirahi was quoted by Iran’s state TV saying the ship was seized in Iranian territorial waters and had been transporting diesel fuel. State TV and other local media also ran footage of the ship, but did not show any flag or identifying marker for the vessel.\n\n“This foreign vessel had received the fuel from other ships and was transferring it to Persian Gulf Arab states,” Zirahi said in comments carried by Fars new agency.\n\nIt was not immediately clear why a ship carrying Iranian fuel would transfer its cargo to energy exporting Gulf states, but smuggling has been a source of concern in Iran. Iranian media reported last month that some 8 million liters of government-subsidized Iranian fuel are smuggled daily to other countries where prices are much higher.\n\nThe new claims would make this the third vessel seized by the Guard in the past two weeks, and the second accused of smuggling fuel.\n\nThe U.S. Fifth Fleet, based in Bahrain, said it did not have information to confirm the reports. Maritime tracking experts also said they did not have any immediate information about the incident or details on the vessel.\n\nMaritime intelligence firm Dryad Global said that, if confirmed, this is likely to be “another relatively low key interception designed to signal to the West that Iran maintains the capability and intent to exercise its influence” in the Persian Gulf.\n\nTensions in the Persian Gulf have escalated recently, with the United States boosting its military presence in the region and six oil tankers targeted in the Gulf of Oman in unclaimed acts of sabotage that the U.S. blames on Iran. Iran has denied any involvement in those attacks.\n\nIn June, Iran shot down an American surveillance drone in the Strait of Hormuz. President Donald Trump came close to retaliating, but called off an airstrike at the last moment. Washington has since claimed that a U.S. warship downed an Iranian drone in the strait. Iran denies losing any aircraft in the area.\n\nMaritime security in the region was further jolted in mid-July, when Iranian Revolutionary Guard naval forces confirmed they’d seized a United Arab Emirates-based oil tanker, the Panamanian-flagged MT Riah, for allegedly smuggling some 1 million liters (264,000 gallons) of fuel from Iranian smugglers to foreign customers.\n\nAlso in July, the Guard seized a British-flagged vessel near the Persian Gulf in the Strait of Hormuz, in what some Iranian officials suggested was retaliation for the seizure of an Iranian oil tanker in a British Royal Navy operation off Gibraltar, near Spain.\n\nThe U.K. says the Iranian oil tanker was suspected of violating European Union sanctions on oil shipments to Syria. Iran denies the ship was bound for Syria but has not disclosed its destination. Officials in Spain initially said the tanker was seized upon request from the United States.\n\nThe current tensions stem from Trump’s decision last year to withdraw the U.S. from Iran’s 2015 nuclear accord with world powers and impose sweeping sanctions on the country that have crippled its economy. In response, Iran began openly breaching limits set by the nuclear agreement to pressure European signatories to provide economic relief to help offset the sanctions.\n\nMaritime security around the Persian Gulf is of international importance. The Strait of Hormuz sits at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, a shipping channel for one-fifth of all global crude exports. Petroleum products from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain are exported through the strait to countries around the world. Iran also uses the strait for its exports.\n\nSome 67,533 ships sailed through strait last year, according to data from maritime publication Lloyd’s List sourcing research by Russell Group.\n\nRanjith Raja, a senior analyst at data firm Refinitiv, said this latest seized ship by Iran could be a barge or supply vessel rather than a commercial merchant tanker based on the amount of fuel it was allegedly transporting.Due to the numerous supply vessels operating in the area, it was not possible to pinpoint which ship had been seized, he said.", "In this photo released by the official website of the office of the Iranian Presidency, President Hassan Rouhani speaks in the inauguration ceremony of a power plant in northwestern Iran, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2019. Rouhani said U.S. financial sanctions on Iran’s foreign minister are “childish” and a barrier to diplomacy. (Iranian Presidency Office via AP)\n\nTEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iranian forces seized a ship in the Persian Gulf suspected of carrying smuggled fuel, state media reported Sunday, marking the Revolutionary Guard’s third seizure of a vessel in recent weeks and the latest show of strength by the paramilitary force amid a spike in regional tensions.\n\nState TV and the semi-official Fars news agency reported that seven crew members were detained when the ship was seized late Wednesday carrying 700,000 liters (185,000 gallons) of “smuggled fuel” from Iran. The local reports did not provide further details on the vessel or the nationality of the crew.\n\nThe news agency reported the ship was seized near Farsi Island, where a Revolutionary Guard naval base is located. The island sits in the Persian Gulf between Saudi Arabia and Iran, north of the Strait of Hormuz.\n\n“This foreign vessel had received the fuel from other ships and was transferring it to Persian Gulf Arab states,” Fars quoted Gen. Ramazan Zirahi, a Guard commander, as saying.\n\nIt was not immediately clear why a ship carrying Iranian fuel would transfer its cargo to energy exporting Gulf states, but smuggling has been a source of concern in Iran. Iranian media reported last month that some 8 million liters of government-subsidized Iranian fuel are smuggled daily to other countries where prices are much higher.\n\nThe new claims would make this the third vessel seized by the Guard in the past two weeks, and the second accused of smuggling fuel.\n\nThe U.S. Fifth Fleet, based in Bahrain, said it did not have information to confirm the reports. Maritime tracking experts also said they did not have any immediate information about the incident or details on the vessel.\n\nMaritime intelligence firm Dryad Global said that, if confirmed, this is likely to be “another relatively low key interception designed to signal to the West that Iran maintains the capability and intent to exercise its influence” in the Persian Gulf.\n\nTensions in the Persian Gulf have escalated recently, with the United States boosting its military presence in the region and six oil tankers targeted in the Gulf of Oman in unclaimed acts of sabotage that the U.S. blames on Iran. Iran has denied any involvement in those attacks.\n\nIn June, Iran shot down an American surveillance drone in the Strait of Hormuz. President Donald Trump came close to retaliating, but called off an airstrike at the last moment. Washington has since claimed that a U.S. warship downed an Iranian drone in the strait. Iran denies losing any aircraft in the area.\n\nMaritime security in the region was further jolted on July 18, when Iranian Revolutionary Guard naval forces seized a United Arab Emirates-based oil tanker, the Panamanian-flagged MT Riah, for allegedly smuggling some 1 million liters (264,000 gallons) of fuel from Iranian smugglers to foreign customers.\n\nThe following day, the Guard seized a British-flagged vessel in the Gulf in what some Iranian officials suggested was retaliation for the seizure of an Iranian oil tanker in a British Royal Navy operation off Gibraltar, near Spain.\n\nThe U.K. says the Iranian oil tanker was suspected of violating European Union sanctions on oil shipments to Syria. Iran denies the ship was bound for Syria but has not disclosed its destination. Officials in Spain initially said the tanker was seized upon request from the United States.\n\nThe current tensions stem from Trump’s decision last year to withdraw the U.S. from Iran’s 2015 nuclear accord with world powers and impose sweeping sanctions on the country that have crippled its economy. In response, Iran began openly breaching limits set by the nuclear agreement to pressure European signatories to provide economic relief to help offset the sanctions.\n\nMaritime security around the Persian Gulf is of international importance. The Strait of Hormuz sits at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, a shipping channel for one-fifth of all global crude exports. Petroleum products from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain are exported through the strait to countries around the world.\n\nSome 67,533 ships sailed through strait last year, according to data from maritime publication Lloyd’s List sourcing research by Russell Group.\n\nRanjith Raja, a senior analyst at data firm Refinitiv, said this latest seized ship by Iran could be a barge or supply vessel rather than a commercial merchant tanker based on the amount of fuel it was allegedly transporting.Due to the numerous supply vessels operating in the area, it was not possible to pinpoint which ship had been seized, he said.", "In this photo released by the official website of the office of the Iranian Presidency, President Hassan Rouhani speaks in the inauguration ceremony of a power plant in northwestern Iran, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2019. Rouhani said U.S. financial sanctions on Iran’s foreign minister are “childish” and a barrier to diplomacy. (Iranian Presidency Office via AP)\n\nTEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iranian forces seized a ship in the Persian Gulf suspected of carrying smuggled fuel, state media reported Sunday, marking the Revolutionary Guard’s third seizure of a vessel in recent weeks and the latest show of strength by the paramilitary force amid a spike in regional tensions.\n\nState TV and the semi-official Fars news agency reported that seven crew members were detained when the ship was seized late Wednesday carrying 700,000 liters (185,000 gallons) of “smuggled fuel” from Iran. The local reports did not provide further details on the vessel or the nationality of the crew.\n\nThe news agency reported the ship was seized near Farsi Island, where a Revolutionary Guard naval base is located. The island sits in the Persian Gulf between Saudi Arabia and Iran, north of the Strait of Hormuz.\n\nGuard commander Gen. Ramazan Zirahi was quoted by Iran’s state TV saying the ship was seized in Iranian territorial waters and had been transporting diesel fuel. State TV and other local media also ran footage of the ship, but did not show any flag or identifying marker for the vessel.\n\n“This foreign vessel had received the fuel from other ships and was transferring it to Persian Gulf Arab states,” Zirahi said in comments carried by Fars new agency.\n\nIt was not immediately clear why a ship carrying Iranian fuel would transfer its cargo to energy exporting Gulf states, but smuggling has been a source of concern in Iran. Iranian media reported last month that some 8 million liters of government-subsidized Iranian fuel are smuggled daily to other countries where prices are much higher.\n\nThe new claims would make this the third vessel seized by the Guard in the past two weeks, and the second accused of smuggling fuel.\n\nThe U.S. Fifth Fleet, based in Bahrain, said it did not have information to confirm the reports. Maritime tracking experts also said they did not have any immediate information about the incident or details on the vessel.\n\nMaritime intelligence firm Dryad Global said that, if confirmed, this is likely to be “another relatively low key interception designed to signal to the West that Iran maintains the capability and intent to exercise its influence” in the Persian Gulf.\n\nTensions in the Persian Gulf have escalated recently, with the United States boosting its military presence in the region and six oil tankers targeted in the Gulf of Oman in unclaimed acts of sabotage that the U.S. blames on Iran. Iran has denied any involvement in those attacks.\n\nIn June, Iran shot down an American surveillance drone in the Strait of Hormuz. President Donald Trump came close to retaliating, but called off an airstrike at the last moment. Washington has since claimed that a U.S. warship downed an Iranian drone in the strait. Iran denies losing any aircraft in the area.\n\nMaritime security in the region was further jolted in mid-July, when Iranian Revolutionary Guard naval forces confirmed they’d seized a United Arab Emirates-based oil tanker, the Panamanian-flagged MT Riah, for allegedly smuggling some 1 million liters (264,000 gallons) of fuel from Iranian smugglers to foreign customers.\n\nAlso in July, the Guard seized a British-flagged vessel in the Gulf in what some Iranian officials suggested was retaliation for the seizure of an Iranian oil tanker in a British Royal Navy operation off Gibraltar, near Spain.\n\nThe U.K. says the Iranian oil tanker was suspected of violating European Union sanctions on oil shipments to Syria. Iran denies the ship was bound for Syria but has not disclosed its destination. Officials in Spain initially said the tanker was seized upon request from the United States.\n\nThe current tensions stem from Trump’s decision last year to withdraw the U.S. from Iran’s 2015 nuclear accord with world powers and impose sweeping sanctions on the country that have crippled its economy. In response, Iran began openly breaching limits set by the nuclear agreement to pressure European signatories to provide economic relief to help offset the sanctions.\n\nMaritime security around the Persian Gulf is of international importance. The Strait of Hormuz sits at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, a shipping channel for one-fifth of all global crude exports. Petroleum products from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain are exported through the strait to countries around the world.\n\nSome 67,533 ships sailed through strait last year, according to data from maritime publication Lloyd’s List sourcing research by Russell Group.\n\nRanjith Raja, a senior analyst at data firm Refinitiv, said this latest seized ship by Iran could be a barge or supply vessel rather than a commercial merchant tanker based on the amount of fuel it was allegedly transporting.Due to the numerous supply vessels operating in the area, it was not possible to pinpoint which ship had been seized, he said.", "Iran seizes tanker carrying 'smuggled' fuel in the Gulf, state media says\n\nIran seizes tanker carrying 'smuggled' fuel in the Gulf, state media says\n\nIran has seized another foreign tanker in the Gulf, a state media agency has said.\n\nThe vessel, carrying 700,000 litres of \"smuggled fuel\" bound for Arab states, was intercepted near Farsi Island in the Gulf, Iran's semi-official Fars news agency said.\n\nLebanon's al-Mayadeen TV station reported that it was taken on Wednesday.\n\nIslamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander Ramezan Zirahi, quoted by state television, said: \"The IRGC's naval forces have seized a foreign oil tanker in the Persian Gulf that was smuggling fuel for some Arab countries.\"\n\nSeven sailors of different nationalities were detained, he said.\n\n\"The seizure of the oil tanker was in coordination with Iran's judiciary authorities and based on their order,\" Fars quoted him as saying.\n\nThe reported seizure comes at a time of high tensions in the region, as Tehran struggles to cope with harsh economic sanctions imposed by the US.\n\nThe sanctions, which have severely restricted Iran's oil exports, were reimposed after Washington's unilateral withdrawal from a landmark 2015 nuclear deal.\n\nThat, in turn, prompted Tehran to announce it was relaxing its efforts to comply with the deal.\n\nUK vessels have become involved in the tit-for-tat conflict, after British Royal Marines captured the Iranian oil tanker, Grace 1, near Gibraltar on 4 July.\n\nThey said they suspected the ship was taking oil to Syria in breach of EU sanctions, but Iran called it an act of \"piracy\".\n\nThe Iranian coastguard detained the Panama-flagged tanker MT Riah on 13 July, accusing it, as with the latest seizure, of smuggling fuel.\n\nLess than a week later, Revolutionary Guard Corps seized the British-flagged Stena Impero in the Strait of Hormuz.\n\nThey accused the Swedish-owned oil tanker of allegedly violating international laws.\n\nOn Thursday, the UK's new foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, rejected the chance to swap the tankers.\n\nThe US has blamed Iran for two separate attacks using explosives which damaged oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman in May and June - an allegation Tehran has denied.", "TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran's Revolutionary Guard has seized an oil tanker carrying 700,000 liters of \"smuggled fuel\" in the Persian Gulf, Iranian media reported Sunday.\n\nState TV and the semi-official Fars news agency reported that seven crew members were detained when the ship was seized late Wednesday. They did not provide further details on the vessel or the nationality of the crew.\n\n\"This foreign vessel had received the fuel from other ships and was transferring it to Persian Gulf Arab states,\" Fars quoted Gen. Ramazan Zirahi, a Guard commander, as saying.\n\nThis would mark the third commercial vessel seized by Iranian forces in recent weeks and the second accused of smuggling fuel. Tensions have soared in the Gulf in recent months as the U.S. has boosted its military presence and oil tankers have been seized by Iranian forces or targeted by unknown saboteurs.\n\nThe tensions are rooted in the U.S. decision last year to withdraw from the 2015 nuclear accord and impose sweeping sanctions on Iran. Iran recently began openly breaching limits set by the nuclear agreement, saying it cannot abide by the deal unless European signatories provide some kind of economic relief.\n\nIn July, Iran seized a British-flagged vessel in the Gulf in what some Iranian officials suggested was retaliation for the seizure of an Iranian oil tanker in a British Royal Navy operation off Gibraltar. The U.K. says the Iranian oil tanker was suspected of violating European Union sanctions on oil shipments to Syria.", "Iran seizes third foreign ship in less than a month\n\nIranian Revolutionary Guards seized a foreign oil tanker in the Gulf that was smuggling fuel and detained seven crewmen, Iran’s state media reported on Sunday, in a show of power amid heightened tension with the West.\n\nThe vessel was intercepted near Iran’s Farsi Island in the Gulf, Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency said.\n\nThe elite Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has a navy base on Farsi island which is located north of the Strait of Hormuz.\n\nFars and Lebanon’s al-Mayadeen TV station reported that the tanker was seized on Wednesday.\n\n“The IRGC’s naval forces have seized a foreign oil tanker in the Persian Gulf that was smuggling fuel for some Arab countries,” state television quoted the Guards commander Ramezan Zirahi as saying.\n\nIt was carrying 700,000 litres of fuel, he said, without elaborating on the nationalities of the detained crewmen and on which country or company owned the ship.\n\n“The seizure of the oil tanker was in coordination with Iran’s judiciary authorities and based on their order,” Fars quoted him as he as saying. “It was taken to the Bushehr port, where its fuel was handed over to the authorities.”\n\nIran, which has some of the worlds cheapest fuel prices due to heavy state subsidies and the fall of its currency, has been fighting rampant fuel smuggling by land to neighbouring countries and by sea to Gulf Arab states.\n\nA spokesman for the US Navy’s Bahrain-based Fifth Fleet said they had no information to confirm the media reports.\n\nAnother oil tanker, the Panama-flagged MT Riah, was captured by the elite force last month for “smuggling fuel to other countries”.\n\nTensions have risen between Iran and the West since last year when the United States pulled out of an international agreement which curbed the Islamic Republic’s nuclear program in return for an easing of economic sanctions on Iran.\n\nFuelling fears of a Middle East war with global repercussions, the Guards seized British tanker Stena Impero near the Strait of Hormuz in July for alleged marine violations, two weeks after British forces captured an Iranian oil tanker near Gibraltar accused of violating sanctions on Syria.\n\nDescribing the seizure of the Stena Impero in the Strait as illegal, Britain has rejected the idea that it could release the Iranian tanker in exchange for the British-flagged vessel.\n\nAngered by intensified US sanctions designed to strangle its vital oil trade and the failure of Britain and European parties to the agreement to salvage the pact, Tehran has decreased its commitments to the nuclear deal.\n\nIran also has threatened to block all exports through the Strait, if countries heed US calls to stop buying Iranian oil. A fifth of global oil consumption passes through the Strait from Middle East crude producers to major markets.\n\nAfter several attacks in May and June on oil tankers — blamed by Washington on Tehran, which denied responsibility — Trump has been trying to forge a military coalition to secure Gulf waters, though European allies have been loath to join for fear of provoking open conflict.\n\nEuropean parties to the deal — Britain, France and Germany — have instead appealed for diplomatic moves to defuse the crisis and have been trying to salvage the pact by exploring ways to shield Iran’s economy from US sanctions.\n\nTehran has called on them to accelerate their efforts or it will further decrease its commitments to the agreement.\n\nBritain said on July 25 it had started sending a warship to accompany all British-flagged vessels through the Strait.\n\nIran has repeatedly said it will not allow any disturbance in shipping in the key oil transport waterway, claiming responsibility for the security of the Strait. In an apparent bid to calm tensions in the Gulf, Iran has called for improving relations with its regional rivals Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.\n\nLast month, Iran and the UAE revived maritime security talks in Tehran that had been off since 2013.\n\nIranian media reported on Sunday that Iranian and Qatari coast guards will meet to “improve maritime and border cooperation”.", "In this photo released by the official website of the office of the Iranian Presidency, President Hassan Rouhani speaks in the inauguration ceremony of a power plant in northwestern Iran, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2019. Rouhani said U.S. financial sanctions on Iran’s foreign minister are “childish” and a barrier to diplomacy. (Iranian Presidency Office via AP)\n\nTEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iranian forces seized a ship in the Persian Gulf suspected of carrying smuggled fuel, state media reported Sunday, marking the Revolutionary Guard’s third seizure of a vessel in recent weeks and the latest show of strength by the paramilitary force amid a spike in regional tensions.\n\nState TV and the semi-official Fars news agency reported that seven crew members were detained when the ship was seized late Wednesday carrying 700,000 liters (185,000 gallons) of “smuggled fuel” from Iran. The local reports did not provide further details on the vessel or the nationality of the crew.\n\nThe news agency reported the ship was seized near Farsi Island, where a Revolutionary Guard naval base is located. The island sits in the Persian Gulf between Saudi Arabia and Iran, north of the Strait of Hormuz.\n\nGuard commander Gen. Ramazan Zirahi was quoted by Iran’s state TV saying the ship was seized in Iranian territorial waters and had been transporting diesel fuel. State TV and other local media also ran footage of the ship, but did not show any flag or identifying marker for the vessel.\n\n“This foreign vessel had received the fuel from other ships and was transferring it to Persian Gulf Arab states,” Zirahi said in comments carried by Fars new agency.\n\nIt was not immediately clear why a ship carrying Iranian fuel would transfer its cargo to energy exporting Gulf states, but smuggling has been a source of concern in Iran. Iranian media reported last month that some 8 million liters of government-subsidized Iranian fuel are smuggled daily to other countries where prices are much higher.\n\nThe new claims would make this the third vessel seized by the Guard in the past two weeks, and the second accused of smuggling fuel.\n\nThe U.S. Fifth Fleet, based in Bahrain, said it did not have information to confirm the reports. Maritime tracking experts also said they did not have any immediate information about the incident or details on the vessel.\n\nMaritime intelligence firm Dryad Global said that, if confirmed, this is likely to be “another relatively low key interception designed to signal to the West that Iran maintains the capability and intent to exercise its influence” in the Persian Gulf.\n\nTensions in the Persian Gulf have escalated recently, with the United States boosting its military presence in the region and six oil tankers targeted in the Gulf of Oman in unclaimed acts of sabotage that the U.S. blames on Iran. Iran has denied any involvement in those attacks.\n\nIn June, Iran shot down an American surveillance drone in the Strait of Hormuz. President Donald Trump came close to retaliating, but called off an airstrike at the last moment. Washington has since claimed that a U.S. warship downed an Iranian drone in the strait. Iran denies losing any aircraft in the area.\n\nMaritime security in the region was further jolted in mid-July, when Iranian Revolutionary Guard naval forces confirmed they’d seized a United Arab Emirates-based oil tanker, the Panamanian-flagged MT Riah, for allegedly smuggling some 1 million liters (264,000 gallons) of fuel from Iranian smugglers to foreign customers.\n\nAlso in July, the Guard seized a British-flagged vessel near the Persian Gulf in the Strait of Hormuz, in what some Iranian officials suggested was retaliation for the seizure of an Iranian oil tanker in a British Royal Navy operation off Gibraltar, near Spain.\n\nThe U.K. says the Iranian oil tanker was suspected of violating European Union sanctions on oil shipments to Syria. Iran denies the ship was bound for Syria but has not disclosed its destination. Officials in Spain initially said the tanker was seized upon request from the United States.\n\nThe current tensions stem from Trump’s decision last year to withdraw the U.S. from Iran’s 2015 nuclear accord with world powers and impose sweeping sanctions on the country that have crippled its economy. In response, Iran began openly breaching limits set by the nuclear agreement to pressure European signatories to provide economic relief to help offset the sanctions.\n\nMaritime security around the Persian Gulf is of international importance. The Strait of Hormuz sits at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, a shipping channel for one-fifth of all global crude exports. Petroleum products from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain are exported through the strait to countries around the world. Iran also uses the strait for its exports.\n\nSome 67,533 ships sailed through strait last year, according to data from maritime publication Lloyd’s List sourcing research by Russell Group.\n\nRanjith Raja, a senior analyst at data firm Refinitiv, said this latest seized ship by Iran could be a barge or supply vessel rather than a commercial merchant tanker based on the amount of fuel it was allegedly transporting.Due to the numerous supply vessels operating in the area, it was not possible to pinpoint which ship had been seized, he said.", "Aug. 5 (UPI) -- Iran and Russia will hold joint military drills in the Persian Gulf later this year as part of a classified agreement to expand cooperation between the two nations.\n\nIranian Navy Rear Admiral Hossein Khanzadi said Sunday the agreement with the Russian Defense Ministry was signed last week in Moscow, Iran's state-run PressTV reported.\n\n\"Some articles of this agreement are classified but overall, it is aimed at expanding military cooperation between the two countries,\" Khanzadi said. \"Of course, a large part of it includes the naval forces of the two countries and the agreement can be called the first of its kind between the two sides.\"\n\nTASS reported that Khanzadi visited Russia in late July. While the location of the exercises has not been confirmed, Iran said that activity could be conducted in the Strait of Hormuz as well as the northern part of the Indian Ocean.\n\nTensions in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz have reached a new high this summer with the deterioration of the Obama-era multi-national nuclear agreement that was meant to keep Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. The deal lost a lot of its momentum when U.S. President Donald Trump pulled out of it and increased sanctions against Iran last year.\n\nOn Sunday, Iran said it had detained a tanker in the Persian Gulf last week, claiming it was smuggling oil for Arab countries. It was the third tanker Iran's military had taken since British Marines captured an Iranian tanker near Gibraltar last month for allegedly violating sanctions against Syria.\n\nThe Iranian military seized a United Arab Emirates-based oil tanker, the Panamanian-flagged MT Riah, for allegedly transporting fuel from Iranian smugglers to foreign customers on July 18. The next day, Iran seized a British-flagged oil tanker, claiming it violated maritime violations after it allegedly collided with an Iranian fishing boat and then failed to stop."], "summary": "Iran seizes a foreign tanker, reported to be Iraqi, in the Persian Gulf, according to Iranian state media. The Iranians accuse the tanker of \"smuggling fuel for some Arab countries\"."}
{"document": ["DAYTON, Ohio — Nine people were killed and 26 were injured when a 24-year-old opened fire in Dayton, Ohio early Sunday morning.\n\nThe shooting happened at 1:07 a.m. in the Oregon District, a historic neighborhood described as \"a safe part of downtown\" by Lt. Col. Matt Carper.\n\nHere's what we know about the shooter.\n\nThe shooter was wearing body armor and had a rifle that used a high-capacity magazine carrying .223 caliber ammunition. He was also carrying extra magazines.\n\nThe shooter was taken down in less than one minute by nearby officers.\n\nDayton Police identified the suspect as 24-year-old Connor Betts. He is from Bellbrook, Ohio, according to CBS, NBC, ABC and CNN.\n\nDuring an early Sunday afternoon press conference, authorities confirmed the suspect's sister, Megan Betts, was among the nine killed in the shooting.\n\nA neighbor whose property is near Betts' family home said the 24-year-old \"seemed like a good kid,\" but \"obviously he had an issue.\"\n\nRELATED: These are the 9 victims of the Dayton shooting\n\nThe Ohio shooting comes less than one day after a man opened fire in a crowded Walmart in El Paso, Texas, leaving 20 dead and more than two dozen injured. Just days before, on July 28, a 19-year-old shot and killed three people, including two children, at the Gilroy Garlic Festival in Northern California.\n\n\"I think the question has to be raised, why does Dayton have to be the 250th mass shooting in America?\" Mayor Nan Whaley said at a 7 a.m. press conference.", "Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption 'A short timeline of violence'\n\nNine people have been killed and at least 27 injured in a mass shooting in Dayton, Ohio - the second in the US in 24 hours.\n\nPolice confirmed they killed the gunman at the scene within a minute of him opening fire.\n\nThe shooting began at 01:07 local time (05:07 GMT) in the Oregon district of the city centre.\n\nThe local mayor said the gunman wore body armour and came carrying extra ammunition.\n\nThe suspect used a .223-calibre assault rifle with high-capacity magazines.\n\nNan Whaley told reporters she was \"amazed\" by the quick response of the officers which she said prevented further deaths, but also stressed it would be a \"very, very difficult time\" for families of victims.\n\n\"As a mayor, this is a day that we all dread happening,\" she said. \"What's very sad is I've got messages from mayors across the country - it's sad that we've all gone through it.\"\n\nThe incident came only hours after a mass shooting in El Paso, Texas which left at least 20 people dead.\n\nThe Gun Violence Archive, which categorises mass shootings as four or more people shot or killed, says there have been 251 so far this year.\n\nWhat happened in Dayton?\n\nFootage posted on social media showed people running as dozens of gunshots echoed through the streets.\n\nIt is thought the shooting took place outside Ned Peppers Bar on E 5th Street. The bar later posted on social media its staff were safe.\n\nPolice said all the fatalities happened outside in the street.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Dayton shooting witness: \"As you came outside, you saw the bodies\"\n\nJae Williams told the BBC he was at a nearby rap performance when they were told to evacuate.\n\n\"I was very shocked,\" he said. \"We all evacuated quickly and safely. We were told to avoid the Oregon district.\"\n\n\"I got to my car, I could see cops, multiple ambulances.\"\n\nAnother eyewitness told Reuters they had been in a nearby nightclub, Newcom's, when the shooting happened. \"The screams, the cruisers, the chaos... the security guards and themselves were running around and telling people to get out and just how everybody was acting, you knew something was wrong,\" she said.\n\n\"And then when you came outside, as soon as you hit the front street, you've seen the bodies, you knew this was different. You knew it was something that you never thought of experiencing, never experienced, wouldn't want anyone to experience.\"\n\nAssistant Police Chief Matt Carper told reporters that officers managed to take down the gunman.\n\n\"Our people are very well trained for a situation like this,\" he said, adding it was \"very fortunate that the officers were in close proximity\".\n\nNearby hospitals had received 27 people and discharged 15 by 10:00 local time (14:00 GMT).\n\nWho was the attacker?\n\nLaw enforcement sources told CBS News the gunman was 24-year-old Connor Betts from Bellbrook, Ohio.\n\nPolice were searching his house on Sunday, the news network said.\n\nImage copyright CBS News Image caption Connor Betts\n\nOfficially, however, few details have been released and there is no indication yet of any motive. Police said they had identified the attacker, but declined to identify him at a news conference.\n\nMayor Whaley said he was wearing body armour and was carrying extra magazines for his weapon.\n\n\"We don't know the thoughts of the shooter,\" she said.\n\nOfficer Carper, who stood beside Mayor Whaley, said it was \"very early in the investigative stages\" and could not confirm there was only one gunman involved, but said so far that looked likely.\n\nFBI agents are also assisting police with the investigation.\n\nWhat's been the reaction?\n\nAt a series of news conferences, Mayor Whaley asked people to think of those people \"who went downtown on a Saturday night and thought they'd be safe\".\n\nShe said that the Oregon district was \"one of the safest places in the whole region\".\n\n\"Frankly, we're at a situation now in our country that these are so random,\" she said.\n\nShe also said the city had gone through a \"a really tough year\", drawing a comparison to a series of 14 tornadoes that hit Dayton in March.\n\n\"What really goes through my mind is one seems completely preventable,\" she said. \"I just question when is enough, enough.\"\n\nShe earlier tweeted that she was \"heartbroken\" after the shooting, and thanked first responders.\n\nSkip Twitter post by @nanwhaley I’m heartbroken. Thank you to our first responders for all that you’ve done. We will share updates as we have more information. — Nan Whaley (@nanwhaley) August 4, 2019 Report\n\nOn Twitter, singer Lizzo called on people not to \"normalise\" shootings, saying that her family in Dayton were safe \"but that's not the case for nine other families\".", "Bodies are removed from at the scene of a mass shooting, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2019, in Dayton, Ohio. Several people in Ohio have been killed in the second mass shooting in the U.S. in less than 24 hours, and the suspected shooter is also deceased, police said. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)\n\nDAYTON, Ohio (AP) — The Latest on a deadly mass shooting in Dayton, Ohio (all times local):\n\nDemocratic U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio says “thoughts and prayers are not enough” after a shooter killed nine people and wounded dozens more before he was killed by police in Dayton.\n\nIn a statement Sunday, Brown says he is angry that state and national lawmakers won’t pass more gun safety laws.\n\nSeveral proposals have been introduced in the GOP-led Legislature this session that would tighten requirements on firearms sales, transfers and storage. A gun safety group is also pushing to change state law to require background checks on nearly all guns sales.\n\nThe Republican who leads the Ohio Senate also shared a statement praising the quick response from Dayton police.\n\nThis is the second mass shooting in the U.S. in less than 24 hours.\n\nPresident Donald Trump is saying that federal law enforcement is working with local authorities to investigate a mass shooting in Dayton, Ohio.\n\nThe shooting in Dayton early Sunday left at least nine dead and comes just hours after another mass shooting in El Paso, Texas, that killed at least 20.\n\nTrump tweeted praise of law enforcement and said that “information is rapidly being accumulated in Dayton.”\n\nIn a second tweet , he wrote, “God bless the people of El Paso Texas. God bless the people of Dayton, Ohio.”\n\nWhite House officials said Trump, who is spending the weekend at his New Jersey golf club, would be updated on both shootings throughout the day.\n\nDayton Mayor Nan Whaley says the gunman in a mass shooting that killed nine people in Ohio was wearing body armor and had extra magazines.\n\nShe says Dayton police officers patrolling the area fired on the shooter within a minute, killing him. She said “hundreds of people in the Oregon District could be dead today” if police hadn’t acted quickly.\n\nThe mayor said at a press conference Sunday morning that 26 people have been injured and are at local hospitals.\n\nOfficials say it’s too early to provide details on the suspect’s identity.\n\nWhaley commended the “girt and resiliency of this community,” saying Dayton has been through a lot this year.\n\nThe mayor said she would provide frequent updates throughout the day with the next one scheduled for 10 a.m. EDT.\n\nOhio Gov. Mike DeWine has issued a statement following a mass shooting in Dayton that killed nine people.\n\nHe says he’s ordered flags in Ohio to remain at half-mast in honor of those killed early Sunday morning in a popular nightlife district.\n\nThe statement says he’s offered Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley “any assistance on behalf of the state.” He commended first responders for their “bravery and quick response to save lives and bring an end to this tragedy.”\n\nTwo women who were in a bar across the street from the Dayton, Ohio, shooting say they are in shock.\n\nNikita Papillon says she heard the shooting and ran out of Newcom’s Tavern, where she saw bodies on the ground.\n\nThe 23-year-old says people her age “don’t think something like this is going to happen.”\n\nTianycia Leonard says she heard “loud thumps” she initially thought were people pounding on a dumpster. The 28-year-old says she then realized “it was gunshots and there was a lot of rounds.”\n\nPolice say at least nine people were killed and 16 others were injured in the shooting in a popular nightlife area. Authorities say the suspected shooter is also deceased.\n\nThis is the second mass shooting in the U.S. in less than 24 hours.\n\nThe mayor of Dayton, Ohio, has weighed in on a mass shooting that killed nine people and injured at least 16 others.\n\nMayor Nan Whaley tweeted that she was “heartbroken” around 6 a.m. Sunday, around five hours after the active shooter situation began in Dayton’s historic Oregon District.\n\nShe thanked first responders and said officials would share updates when they had more information.\n\nDayton police have yet to identify the suspected shooter, who was shot to death by responding officers.\n\nAccording to the AP/USA Today/Northeastern University database, the Dayton shooting is the 22nd mass killing and sixth public mass shooting in the U.S. in 2019. It came just hours after 20 people were killed in an El Paso, Texas, shooting.\n\nA police spokesman in Dayton, Ohio, says the second mass shooting in the U.S. in less than 24 hours took place in “a safe part of downtown.”\n\nSpeaking at a press conference Sunday, Lt. Col. Matt Carper said the suspect in the deaths of nine people was shot to death by responding officers in the Oregon District.\n\nPolice believe there was only one shooter. They haven’t yet identified the suspect or a motive. Carper said the suspect fired multiple rounds from a long gun.\n\nAt least 16 other people have been hospitalized with injuries from the early morning shooting.\n\nNo details about the victims have been released. A family assistance center has been set up at the Dayton Convention Center.\n\nSunday’s shooting came hours after 20 were killed in El Paso, Texas.\n\nPolice in Ohio say nine people have been killed in the second mass shooting in the U.S. in less than 24 hours.\n\nDayton police announced that the suspect in the early Sunday morning shooting is also deceased. At least 16 others have been taken to local hospitals with injuries.\n\nPolice say the active shooter situation began at 1 a.m. in the Oregon District, but that officers nearby were able to “put an end to it quickly.” The Oregon District is a historic neighborhood known for its entertainment offerings.\n\nFurther information, including the suspected shooter’s identity, has not been released.\n\nThe FBI is assisting with the investigation.\n\nSunday’s shooting came hours after 20 people were killed and more than two dozen injured in an El Paso, Texas, shooting.\n\nPer a police update, this story has been corrected to show the shooting began around 1 a.m., not 1:22 a.m.\n\nPolice in Ohio say they’re investigating a shooting in a historic neighborhood in Dayton known for its entertainment offerings.\n\nThe tweets from Dayton police early Sunday did not include further details, but described the Oregon District shooting as “a large scene and investigation.” Miami Valley Hospital spokeswoman Terrea Little said 16 victims have been received at the hospital, but she couldn’t confirm their conditions.\n\nPolice told The Associated Press that they did not have representatives available to speak to the media.\n\nVideo from the scene near downtown Dayton showed a host of emergency vehicles on a street that had been cordoned off.\n\nKettering Health Network spokeswoman Elizabeth Long said multiple victims from a shooting had been brought to system hospitals, but didn’t have details on how many.", "DAYTON, Ohio — Nine people were killed and 26 were injured when a 24-year-old opened fire in Dayton, Ohio early Sunday morning.\n\nThe shooting happened at 1:07 a.m. in the Oregon District, a historic neighborhood described as \"a safe part of downtown\" by Lt. Col. Matt Carper.\n\nHere's what we know about the shooter.\n\nThe shooter was wearing body armor and had a rifle that used a high-capacity magazine carrying .223 caliber ammunition. He was also carrying extra magazines.\n\nThe shooter was taken down in less than one minute by nearby officers.\n\nDayton Police identified the suspect as 24-year-old Connor Betts. He is from Bellbrook, Ohio, according to CBS, NBC, ABC and CNN.\n\nDuring an early Sunday afternoon press conference, authorities confirmed the suspect's sister, Megan Betts, was among the nine killed in the shooting.\n\nA neighbor whose property is near Betts' family home said the 24-year-old \"seemed like a good kid,\" but \"obviously he had an issue.\"\n\nRELATED: These are the 9 victims of the Dayton shooting\n\nThe Ohio shooting comes less than one day after a man opened fire in a crowded Walmart in El Paso, Texas, leaving 20 dead and more than two dozen injured. Just days before, on July 28, a 19-year-old shot and killed three people, including two children, at the Gilroy Garlic Festival in Northern California.\n\n\"I think the question has to be raised, why does Dayton have to be the 250th mass shooting in America?\" Mayor Nan Whaley said at a 7 a.m. press conference.", "Nine people were killed and at least 16 people were injured after a mass shooting in Dayton, Ohio, early Sunday morning, according to the Dayton Police Department. The alleged shooter was killed by responding police.\n\nIt happened in the city's Oregon District in downtown Dayton. A witness said they heard 20 to 30 shots around 1 a.m., according to WDTN.\n\nDayton Police Lt. Col. Matt Carper said investigators are looking at the possibility that other people were involved, but initial indications were that only one person was responsible for the shooting.\n\nThe shooter has not been identified. Carper said it was not immediately clear what the motive was.\n\nRELATED: Nonprofit marks El Paso shooting as 250th mass shooting in the U.S. for 2019\n\nCarper said that a \"long gun\" was used in the shooting and that multiple rounds were fired.\n\nMultiple Dayton police officers took down the shooter, according to Carper.\n\nThe shooting came less than 24 hours after a mass shooting at an El Paso, Texas, Walmart in which at least 20 people were killed and 26 were injured.\n\nThis is a developing story. Check back for updates.", "The FBI, local and state law enforcement are working together in El Paso and in Dayton, Ohio. Information is rapidly being accumulated in Dayton. Much has already be learned in El Paso. Law enforcement was very rapid in both instances. Updates will be given throughout the day! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 4, 2019\n\nDAYTON, Ohio -- Nine people in Ohio have been killed in the second mass shooting in the U.S. in less than 24 hours, and the suspected shooter is also deceased, police said.Dayton police tweeted that an active shooter situation began in the Oregon District at 1 a.m., but that officers nearby were able to \"put an end to it quickly.\"Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley says the gunman in a mass shooting that killed nine people in Ohio was wearing body armor and had extra magazines.She says Dayton police officers patrolling the area fired on the shooter within a minute, killing him. She said \"hundreds of people in the Oregon District could be dead today\" if police hadn't acted quickly.The mayor said at a press conference Sunday morning that 26 people have been injured and are at local hospitals.Officials say it's too early to provide details on the suspect's identity.President Trump tweeted about the quick response of law enforcement at the shootings in Dayton and El Paso.With a population of around 140,000 Dayton is in western Ohio, around 55 miles northeast of Cincinnati, 75 miles west of Columbus and 120 miles east of Indianapolis. The Oregon District is a historic neighborhood near downtown Dayton that's home to entertainment options, including bars, restaurants and theaters.Police have not said where in the district the shooting took place.The FBI is assisting with the investigation. A family assistance center will be set up at the Dayton Convention Center.The Ohio shooting came hours after a young man opened fire in a crowded El Paso, Texas, shopping area, leaving 20 dead and more than two dozen injured Just days before, on July 28, a 19-year-old shot and killed three people, including two children, at the Gilroy Garlic Festival in Northern California.The El Paso shooting was the 21st mass killing in the United States in 2019, according to the AP/USATODAY/Northeastern University mass murder database that tracks all U.S. homicides since 2006 involving four or more people killed - not including the offender - over a short period of time regardless of weapon, location, victim-offender relationship or motive.That makes Sunday's shooting in Dayton the 22nd mass killing in the U.S. this year.", "DAYTON, Ohio -- Nine people in Ohio have been killed in the second mass shooting in the U.S. in less than 24 hours, and the suspected shooter is also deceased, police said.Dayton police tweeted that an active shooter situation began in the Oregon District at 1 a.m., but that officers nearby were able to \"put an end to it quickly.\"At least 16 others were taken to local hospitals with injuries, police said.The suspected shooter's identity has not been released.Miami Valley Hospital spokeswoman Terrea Little said 16 victims have been received at the hospital, but she couldn't confirm their conditions.Kettering Health Network spokeswoman Elizabeth Long said multiple victims from a shooting had been brought to system hospitals, but didn't have details on how many.With a population of around 140,000 Dayton is in western Ohio, around 55 miles northeast of Cincinnati, 75 miles west of Columbus and 120 miles east of Indianapolis. The Oregon District is a historic neighborhood near downtown Dayton that's home to entertainment options, including bars, restaurants and theaters.Police have not said where in the district the shooting took place.The FBI is assisting with the investigation. A family assistance center will be set up at the Dayton Convention Center.The Ohio shooting came hours after a young man opened fire in a crowded El Paso, Texas, shopping area, leaving 20 dead and more than two dozen injured Just days before, on July 28, a 19-year-old shot and killed three people, including two children, at the Gilroy Garlic Festival in Northern California.The El Paso shooting was the 21st mass killing in the United States in 2019, according to the AP/USATODAY/Northeastern University mass murder database that tracks all U.S. homicides since 2006 involving four or more people killed - not including the offender - over a short period of time regardless of weapon, location, victim-offender relationship or motive.That makes Sunday's shooting in Dayton the 22nd mass killed in the U.S. this year.", "Bodies are removed from at the scene of a mass shooting, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2019, in Dayton, Ohio. Several people in Ohio have been killed in the second mass shooting in the U.S. in less than 24 hours, and the suspected shooter is also deceased, police said. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)\n\nA gunman wearing body armour and carrying extra magazines opened fire in a popular nightlife area of Dayton, Ohio, killing nine and injuring dozens, authorities say, in the second U.S. mass shooting in less than 24 hours.\n\nDayton police patrolling the area responded in less than a minute to the shooting, which unfolded around 1 a.m. Sunday on the streets of the Oregon District, Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley said at a press conference.\n\nWhaley said if the police had not responded so quickly, “hundreds of people in the Oregon District could be dead today.”\n\nThe Oregon District is a historic neighbourhood that Lt. Col. Matt Carper described as “a safe part of downtown,” home to entertainment options, including bars, restaurants and theatres.\n\nThe gunman, who has not been identified by authorities, was shot to death by responding officers. Whaley said he was carrying a .223-calibre rifle and had additional high-capacity magazines with him. Police believe there was only one shooter, and have not yet identified the suspect or a motive.\n\nAt least 26 others are being treated at area hospitals, though no details about their conditions have been released.\n\nMiami Valley Hospital spokeswoman Terrea Little said the hospital had received 16 victims, but she couldn’t confirm their conditions. Kettering Health Network spokeswoman Elizabeth Long said multiple victims from a shooting had been brought to system hospitals, but she didn’t have details on how many.\n\nNikita Papillon, 23, was across the street at Newcom’s Tavern when the shooting started. She said she saw a girl she had talked to earlier lying outside Ned Peppers Bar.\n\n“She had told me she liked my outfit and thought I was cute, and I told her I liked her outfit and I thought she was cute,” Papillon said. She herself had been to Ned Peppers the night before, describing it as the kind of place “where you don’t have to worry about someone shooting up the place.”\n\n“People my age, we don’t think something like this is going to happen,” she said. “And when it happens, words can’t describe it.”\n\nTianycia Leonard, 28, was in the back, smoking, at Newcom’s. She heard “loud thumps” that she initially thought was people pounding on a dumpster.\n\n“It was so noisy, but then you could tell it was gunshots and there was a lot of rounds,” Leonard said.\n\nPresident Donald Trump has been briefed on the shooting and praised law enforcement’s speedy response in a tweet Sunday morning.\n\nGov. Mike DeWine issued his own statement before 7 a.m., announcing that he’s ordered flags in Ohio remain at half-staff and offered assistance to Whaley.\n\n“Fran and I are absolutely heartbroken over the horrible attack that occurred this morning in Dayton, the statement said. “We join those across Ohio and this country in offering our prayers to victims and their families.”\n\nThe FBI is assisting with the investigation. A family assistance centre was set up at the Dayton Convention Center.\n\nThe Ohio shooting came hours after a young man opened fire in a crowded El Paso, Texas, shopping area, leaving 20 dead and more than two dozen injured. Just days before, on July 28, a 19-year-old shot and killed three people, including two children, at Northern California’s Gilroy Garlic Festival.\n\nREAD MORE: 20 dead in El Paso shopping centre shooting, Texas governor says\n\nREAD MORE: A town known for garlic grapples with grief after shooting\n\nSunday’s shooting in Dayton is the 22nd mass killing of 2019 in the U.S., according to the AP/USA Today/Northeastern University mass murder database that tracks homicides where four or more people were killed — not including the offender. The 20 mass killings in the U.S. in 2019 that preceded this weekend claimed 96 lives.\n\nThe shooting in Dayton comes after the area was heavily damaged when tornadoes swept through western Ohio in late May, destroying or damaging hundreds of homes and businesses.\n\n“Dayton has been through a lot already this year, and I continue to be amazed by the grit and resiliency of our community,” Whaley said.\n\nDan Sewell And John Minchillo, The Associated Press\n\nLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.", "DAYTON, Ohio -- Nine people in Ohio have been killed in the second mass shooting in the U.S. in less than 24 hours, and the suspected shooter is also deceased, police said.Dayton police patrolling the area responded in less than a minute to the shooting, which unfolded around 1 a.m. Sunday on the streets of the Oregon District, Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley said at a press conference.Whaley said if the police had not responded so quickly, \"hundreds of people in the Oregon District could be dead today.\"The gunman, who has not been identified by authorities, was shot to death by responding officers. Whaley said he was carrying a .223-caliber rifle and had additional high-capacity magazines with him. Police believe there was only one shooter, and have not yet identified the suspect or a motive.At least 28 others are being treated at area hospitals, though no details about their conditions have been released.President Trump tweeted about the quick response of law enforcement at the shootings in Dayton and El Paso.Nikita Papillon, 23, was across the street at Newcom's Tavern when the shooting started. She said she saw a girl she had talked to earlier lying outside Ned Peppers Bar.\"She had told me she liked my outfit and thought I was cute, and I told her I liked her outfit and I thought she was cute,\" Papillon said. She herself had been to Ned Peppers the night before, describing it as the kind of place \"where you don't have to worry about someone shooting up the place.\"\"People my age, we don't think something like this is going to happen,\" she said. \"And when it happens, words can't describe it.\"Tianycia Leonard, 28, was in the back, smoking, at Newcom's. She heard \"loud thumps\" that she initially thought was people pounding on a dumpster.\"It was so noisy, but then you could tell it was gunshots and there was a lot of rounds,\" Leonard said.Gov. Mike DeWine issued his own statement before 7 a.m., announcing that he's ordered flags in Ohio remain at half-staff and offered assistance to Whaley.\"Fran and I are absolutely heartbroken over the horrible attack that occurred this morning in Dayton,\" the statement said. \"We join those across Ohio and this country in offering our prayers to victims and their families.\"With a population of around 140,000 Dayton is in western Ohio, around 55 miles northeast of Cincinnati, 75 miles west of Columbus and 120 miles east of Indianapolis. The Oregon District is a historic neighborhood near downtown Dayton that's home to entertainment options, including bars, restaurants and theaters.Police have not said where in the district the shooting took place.The FBI is assisting with the investigation. A family assistance center will be set up at the Dayton Convention Center.The Ohio shooting came hours after a young man opened fire in a crowded El Paso, Texas, shopping area, leaving 20 dead and more than two dozen injured Just days before, on July 28, a 19-year-old shot and killed three people, including two children, at the Gilroy Garlic Festival in Northern California.The El Paso shooting was the 21st mass killing in the United States in 2019, according to the AP/USATODAY/Northeastern University mass murder database that tracks all U.S. homicides since 2006 involving four or more people killed - not including the offender - over a short period of time regardless of weapon, location, victim-offender relationship or motive.That makes Sunday's shooting in Dayton the 22nd mass killing in the U.S. this year.", "At least nine people are dead and 16 others injured in a shooting that occurred in an Ohio arts district, according to the Dayton Police Department.\n\nThe shooting began early Sunday around 1 a.m. ET in the Oregon District, which is part of the Dayton downtown area.\n\nOfficers were in the immediate vicinity when gunfire broke out. The suspected shooter was killed by police, according to the department.\n\nIn a press conference, Lt. Col. Matt Carper said the gunman used “a long gun with multiple rounds.”\n\nPolice are working to identify the suspect and a possible motive.\n\nThe FBI is on scene to assist in the investigation.\n\nThe Oregon District is a popular shopping district in Dayton with many stores, restaurants, bars and entertainment locales.\n\nDayton is in western Ohio, located approximately 55 miles northest of Cincinnati.\n\nThe shooting came less than 24 hours after 20 people were killed in a mass shooting at a crowded El Paso, Texas, shopping area. More than two dozen people were injured in the earlier incident."], "summary": "A mass shooting occurs at a bar in the Oregon Historic District of Dayton, Ohio, United States. Nine people are killed and at least 27 others are injured. The shooter Connor Betts is killed by police."}
{"document": ["Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Franky Zapata has become the first person to cross the English Channel on a flyboard.\n\nFrench inventor Franky Zapata has made the first-ever successful Channel crossing on a jet-powered flyboard.\n\nMr Zapata, 40, took off from Sangatte, near Calais, at 06:17 GMT on Sunday and landed in St Margaret's Bay in Dover.\n\nThe invention, powered by a kerosene-filled backpack, made the 22-mile (35.4-km) journey in 22 minutes.\n\nMr Zapata, a former jet-ski champion, had failed in his first attempt to cross the Channel on 25 July after complications with refuelling.\n\n\"We made a machine three years ago... and now we've crossed the Channel, it's crazy,\" he told reporters, before breaking into tears.\n\n\"Whether this is a historic event or not, I'm not the one to decide that, time will tell,\" he added.\n\nImage copyright AFP Image caption The French inventor successfully negotiated a refuelling stop and made the crossing to Dover\n\nMr Zapata told crowds in Dover that he had reached speeds of up to 170km/h (106mph) during the flight.\n\nHis greatest challenge had been to refuel by switching to another backpack during the crossing.\n\nIn his previous attempt, the Frenchman fell into the sea before reaching a boat that was carrying a second backpack.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Inventor Franky Zapata gets the Bastille Day parade off to a flying start\n\nA larger boat and platform was used for this latest crossing, with an escort by three helicopters.\n\nMr Zapata received widespread attention during the annual Bastille Day parade in Paris last month, when he took part in a military display on his futuristic flyboard.\n\nFrance's military has also sought to develop the technology for itself, and recently gave his company, Z-AIR, a €1.3m ($1.4m; £1.28m) grant.\n\nIn an interview with France Inter radio, French Defence Minister Florence Parly said the flyboard could serve several purposes, \"for example as a flying logistical platform or, indeed, as an assault platform\".", "A French inventor has succeeded in crossing the Channel on a jet-powered hoverboard, telling journalists upon his touchdown that he had achieved his dream.\n\nFranky Zapata managed the feat on Sunday morning on his second attempt, after being knocked off balance during his first try last month.\n\nThe 40-year-old set off on his Flyboard from Sangatte in the Pas de Calais region on the northern coast of France at about 6.17am for the 22-mile (35km) journey to St Margaret’s Bay, beyond the white cliffs of Dover.\n\nEscorted by three helicopters, he completed the crossing in 22 minutes, reaching speeds of up to 110mph (177km/h) flying 15-20 metres (50-65ft) above the water. He arrived into the bay to the applause of dozens of onlookers and journalists.\n\nFacebook Twitter Pinterest Crowds turn out to watch Zapata take off from Sangatte on Sunday. Photograph: Denis Charlet/AFP/Getty Images\n\nZapata’s hoverboard was powered by a backpack containing enough paraffin to keep him airborne for about 10 minutes, which he had to stop to refuel halfway through the journey.\n\n“I’m feeling happy ... it’s just an amazing moment in my life,” he said following his touchdown in Britain. “The last 10% [of the flight] was easier ... because I had the time to look at the cliffs.”\n\nZapata said the strong winds in the Channel had posed one of the biggest challenges, explaining his technique of bending into gusts. He said there was a risk of being destabilised if the wind died down quickly.\n\nHe said the flight involved high levels of physical endurance. “It’s an isometric exercise for the thighs, so it burns – it’s quite hard. But you recover quickly, it’s not like riding a bicycle,” he said.\n\n“Your body resists the wind, and because the board is attached to my feet, all my body has to resist to the wind. I tried to enjoy it and not think about the pain.”\n\nDuring his first attempt – on the 25 July to coincide with the 110th anniversary of the first crossing of the Channel by plane – the former jetski champion fell into the sea as he tried to land on a vessel to refuel.\n\nA member of his team said the movement of the waves required perfect timing and the landing platform had shifted a few centimetres as Zapata came down. The refuelling boat used on Sunday was bigger, with a larger landing area, and French navy vessels were on hand to keep an eye out in case of trouble.\n\nSpeaking ahead of his journey, Zapata said he was concerned his team had not had enough time to repair the machine after it was damaged in the first attempt. They reportedly worked 15-16 hours a day to get it ready for Sunday’s trip.\n\n“Normally we test the machines for several weeks before big events. Here, it’s a little bit worrying to be using a machine that has just been rebuilt,” he said.\n\nZapata has been developing his hoverboard for the past three years, undeterred by losing two fingers in its turbines during its maiden flight in his garage near Marseille.\n\nHe delighted crowds in Paris on 14 July – Bastille Day – by flying over a military parade on the Place de la Concorde in the presence of the French president, Emmanuel Macron, and the German chancellor, Angela Merkel.\n\nHis Flyboard has also attracted the attention of the French military, which in December gave Zapata’s company, Z-AIR, a €1.3m (£1.19m) development grant. He has said his invention wasn’t quite ready for military use because of the noise it makes and the hours required to learn to fly it.\n\nZapata eventually hopes to use his hoverboard to fly much higher, something that would require him to carry a parachute, guidance equipment and possibly an oxygen tank. He is also developing an idea for a flying car.\n\nAsked on Sunday if he considered himself the successor of Louis Blériot, who made the first aeroplane flight across the channel, Zapata told BFM television: “It’s not really comparable, he was one of the first men to fly. Let’s just say that I achieved my dream.”", "Franky Zapata, known as the “Flying Frenchman,” became the first person on Sunday to cross the English Channel on a jet-propelled hoverboard.\n\nThe Telegraph reported that Zapata, who took off in Calais, France and landed in Dover, England 23 minutes later exclaimed, “This feels magnificent.”\n\nZapata flew across the 22-mile Channel moving at an average speed of 87 mph approximately 50 feet above the water on a hoverboard he designed himself. The hoverboard was fueled by a backpack containing kerosene to keep him in the air for about 10 minutes. He stopped to swap backpacks on a boat which took approximately two minutes.\n\nMr. Zapata was accompanied by three helicopters, while ships from the French Navy were on lookout as the Channel is a major shipping route between the U.K. and mainland Europe.\n\nThe “Flying Frenchman,” originally from Marseille, enthusiastically stated that this flight luckily had no problems, and he wanted to thank his supporters.\n\n“Thanks so much to my team, and my wife. For the last five or six kilometres I just really enjoyed it. Whether this is a historic event or not, I’m not the one to decide that, time will tell. We made a machine three years ago… and now we’ve crossed the Channel.”\n\nZapata, 40, is a former jet ski champion and army reservist who tried this feat before and got sidelined when he fell into the sea when trying to refuel 10 days ago.\n\nOn Sunday, his team said the weather was perfect, and his “Flyboard” was repaired from the last effort and ready to go. The daredevil believes that his invention will be game-changing for the military, and the feeling when flying is something out of a dream.\n\nThe Verge stated that after his last attempt to cross the English Channel, Zapata and his team tweaked his route and made his refueling platform larger for his landing at the midpoint. He invented the original Flyboard in 2011, and then the Flyboard Air powered by turbojets.\n\nWhile Zapata has been working on his invention in France, British inventor Richard Browning has developed a jet suit on the other side of the channel. With Browning’s invention, a person can fly with six turbo-engines strapped to their arms.", "After a failed attempt at the end of July, French inventor Franky Zapata successfully crossed the English Channel early this morning on his Flyboard Air, a jet-powered hoverboard.\n\nZapata departed from Sangatte, France and arrived in Dover, England 22 minutes later, reaching speeds of up to 106 miles per hour during the 22-mile trip. “We made a machine three years ago,” he said after landing, “and now, we’ve crossed the Channel, it’s crazy.”\n\nThe Guardian reports that the trip wasn’t a continuous one: because he only carried a 10-minute supply of fuel on his back, he had to make a pit stop at the halfway mark to refuel.\n\nThis was Zapata’s second attempt to cross the Channel: his first attempt at the end of July ended in failure when he fell into the water while trying to land on the refueling platform. He and his team chalked up the crash to the size of the waves during the landing attempt, forcing him to miss the edge of the platform by centimeters. After the crash, he said that they would make the attempt once again, this time using a slightly different route and a larger refueling platform.\n\nZapata invented the Flyboard in 2011, a device that uses a water jet to propel the rider through the air behind a boat. He later invented the Flyboard Air, a board powered by four turbo jet engines that allows a rider to fly through the air untethered, using a computer to keep it stabilized. In 2016, Zapata set a world record for the farthest hoverboard flight after he flew the Flyboard Air along the south coast of France for 2,252 meters (About 1.4 miles).\n\nThe inventor made headlines in the middle of July when he appeared over crowds during France’s Bastille Day celebrations carrying a gun, a demonstration of some of the uses that the device could have. There has been some interest from the defense industry in the vehicle: defense contractor Implant Sciences had planned to acquire Zapata’s company, Zapata Industries (although that deal later fell through) and France’s defense and procurement agency granted Zapata a €1.3m grant in 2018 to help with the development of the vehicle.\n\nZapata isn’t the only person working on this sort of jet-powered personal transportation: English inventor Richard Browning developed a jet suit that allows the wearer to fly with six turbo-engines strapped to their arms, something he’s demonstrated to with everyone from the British Royal Marines, to Adam Savage.", "SANGATTE (Paris): French inventor Franky Zapata on Sunday succeeded in crossing the English Channel on a jet-powered hoverboard he designed, after a previous ended with him falling into the sea.\n\nStanding on a platform powered by five small jet engines and carrying kerosene in a backpack, Zapata took off from Sangatte, just outside Calais in France at about 0617 GMT, trailed by three helicopters.\n\nHe reached Britain just over 20 minutes later, waving to onlookers before landing safely in Saint Margaret`s Bay, close to Dover on Britain`s southern coast, according to French television images.\n\n\"For the last five to six kilometres I just really enjoyed it,\" Zapata told reporters on arrival. \"Whether this is a historic event or not, I`m not the one to decide that, time will tell.\"\n\n\"We made a machine three years ago...and now we`ve crossed the Channel, it`s crazy,\" he said, before breaking into tears.\n\nZapata`s biggest challenge was refuelling with another backpack halfway through the 35-km journey across the Strait of Dover, which required landing on a platform mounted on a boat.\n\nOn his first attempt to make the crossing on July 25, Zapata was knocked off balance in the process and fell. The inventor used a bigger boat and platform this time.\n\nZapata, who wowed crowds during France`s Bastille Day celebrations on July 14 by soaring over a military parade in Paris on the device, said on arrival that the hoverboard had reached speeds of 160 to 170 km per hour during the crossing.", "(ABC NEWS)–Just 10 days after a failed first try ended with Franky Zapata up to his neck in water, the French jet-ski champion successfully crossed the English Channel on his self-made “flyboard” Sunday morning.\n\nTaking off at 8:17 a.m. local time, he flew across the 21.7 miles that separate the French town of Sangatte from Saint Margaret’s at Cliffe on the southeast British coast. The trip took a total of 22 minutes — with one refueling stop in the middle.\n\nThe French inventor’s flight came 110 years after famous pioneering pilot Louis Blériot flew the first plane across the Channel in 1909.\n\nZapata became known as the “flying soldier” when he showed off his invention before the world’s media at France’s annual Bastille Day military parade on July 14.\n\nAt a press conference on Saturday, Zapata said he felt much more confident off success than his failed journey just over a week ago. On July 25, Zapata had launched near Sangatte Beach on his flying board, but had to abandon the challenge when he dropped a few minutes later into English waters after hitting the supply boat platform at very low speed.\n\nHalfway across the Channel, his wife Krystel Zapata got notice that her husband had successfully landed on the refueling platform. It took Zapata a couple of minutes to refuel his bag with kerosene and take off again.\n\nZapata arrived on British soil at 8:38 a.m., landing on a platform in a field at the top of a cliff. He thanked his wife, his family and his team upon landing. He also thanked the two British women who own the field he landed on.\n\n“Well done! Our land is your land, come anytime,” said one of the women.\n\nZapata spoke to the assembled French television networks in Saint Margaret’s, explaining that landing on the stage of the refueling boat was still very tricky. They had planned for the boat to remain still, but it was “impossible,” he said, as the boat moved along with the waves.\n\n“Once I managed to stick my heels into the boat, I knew I had done 90% of the work,’’he told French outlet BFMTV.\n\nThe flyboard cruised along at just over 100 mph throughout the nearly 22-mile trip.\n\n“At the end my thighs started burning,” said Zapata, “but I just told myself, ‘No, you need to enjoy this now.’ I just went 20 kilometers per hour faster — let’s go!”\n\nZapata burst into tears when his interview was interrupted by a call from his 9 year-old son, Matt.", "Franky Zapata: French hoverboard inventor successfully crosses the Channel for the first time\n\nFranky Zapata: French hoverboard inventor successfully crosses the Channel for the first time\n\nFranky Zapata takes off for his second attempt of crossing the Channel aboard his hovercraft\n\nA French inventor has successfully crossed the Channel on his jet-powered hoverboard for the first time.\n\nFranky Zapata took off from Sangatte in northern France at 7.15am BST on Sunday, and landed at St Margaret's Bay in Dover around 25 minutes later.\n\nIt was the second attempt at the 21-mile crossing for the inventor, who failed his first effort back in July after encountering problems at a refuelling station.\n\nBut after making some necessary changes to his refuelling arrangements, the 40-year-old former jet ski champion was able to make his second attempt a success.\n\nDuring the journey, Mr Zapata was carrying enough kerosene in his backpack to fuel the hoverboard for about 10 minutes in the air, but needed to strap on a new supply for the second leg of his journey.\n\nHe steered his Flyboard aircraft, which flies at up to 87mph, by leaning forwards or backwards, and controlled thrust with a throttle connected to his 1,500 horsepower board.\n\nThe invention won global acclaim when Mr Zapata flew over France's Bastille Day celebrations in Paris on 14 July, with French President Emmanuel Macron later tweeting a video of his exploits.\n\nMr Zapata was given a grant of more than £1m from the French government to develop the technology behind his hoverboard.\n\nHis failed attempt was on the 110th anniversary of Louis Bleriot's 1909 Channel crossing - the first time anyone had crossed the Channel in a \"heavier-than-air\" aircraft.", "This guy is the ultimate channel surfer.\n\nA French inventor on Sunday successfully flew across the English Channel on a jet-powered hoverboard — that would make Marty McFly from “Back to the Future” envious.\n\nVideo shows former French military reservist Franky Zapata surfing in the air on a machine he designed over the Strait of Dover after taking off from Sangatte in northern France.\n\nFlanked by three helicopters, Zapata, 40, made a stop on a boat halfway through the 22-mile voyage to refuel, before landing safely in Britain’s Saint Margarets Bay. His journey took just over 20 minutes.\n\n“I feel tired, I need a vacation,” Zapata quipped to local station BFM-TV after his exploit.\n\n“For the last five to six kilometers I just really enjoyed it,” he added, saying he tried to “take pleasure in not thinking about the pain,” even though his “thighs were burning.”\n\n“Whether this is a historic event or not, I’m not the one to decide that, time will tell.”\n\nThe Frenchman started working on the machine three years ago and received an about $1.4 million grant from the French army in late 2018 to help finance the project.\n\nIn a failed attempt at the journey last month, Zapata was knocked off balance while attempting to land on a boat to refuel and fell.\n\nThis time, he used a bigger boat and landing platform.\n\nDuring France’s Bastille Day celebration July 14, Zapata zoomed over a military parade in Paris armed with a rifle, drawing comparisons to Spider Man’s nemesis, the Green Goblin.\n\nZapata, a former jet ski racing champion, says his hoverboard is complex and would be tough for the average person to navigate, adding that he’s not yet sure what the machine would be used for.\n\n“It’s not a machine for trip down to the bakery on a Sunday morning,” he told BFM-TV.\n\nThe inventor said he’s already working on his next project: a flying car.", "A Frenchman who has spent years developing a jet-powered hoverboard zoomed across the English Channel on Sunday, fulfilling his quest just 10 days after failing in a first attempt when he fell into the water while trying to refuel.\n\nFranky Zapata set off on his \"Flyboard\" from Sangatte on the northern coast of France at 8:17 am (0617 GMT) for the 35-kilometre (22-mile) trip to St. Margaret's Bay in Dover, on England's south coast.\n\nEscorted by three helicopters, he glided across the water in the early morning light and landed 22 minutes later in the picturesque bay, where dozens of onlookers and journalists awaited him.\n\n\"Everything went great! Even though it was still tricky,\" Zapata said after the flight, referring to a complex landing manoeuvre on a boat around three-quarters of the way across to pick up a fresh backpack full of kerosene.\n\nHe said that based on the indicators in the visor of his helmet, he raced over the busy shipping lane at a speed of 160-170 km/h (100-105 mph), doing zig-zags as he neared the coast.\n\n\"Then I saw England getting closer, so I tried to have some fun so I could forget the pain -- my legs were on fire!\" he said.\n\nHe later broke down in tears of emotion while talking on the telephone to his son, who told him, \"Dad, you're the best!\"\n\n\"Frankly, I'm tired,\" he said later. \"I need a holiday.\"\n\nZapata, a 40-year-old former jet-ski champion, first tried to make the crossing on July 25, to coincide with the 110th anniversary of Louis Bleriot's historic first crossing of the Channel by plane.\n\nBut the bid was cut short when he tumbled into the water after failing to land on a boat to refuel -- his backpack carries some 35 kilogrammes (77 pounds) of kerosene, enough to keep him aloft for around 10 minutes.\n\nAsked if he considered himself Bleriot's successor, Zapata told BFM television later Sunday: \"It's not really comparable, he was one of the first men to fly.\"\n\n\"Let's just say that I achieved my dream.\"", "French inventor Franky Zapata has made history by completing the first successful Channel crossing on a jet-powered flyboard.\n\nZapata took off from Sangatte near Calais at 7:15am on Sunday and landed in St Margaret’s Bay in Dover around 25 minutes later – with the length of his actual flight spanning 22 minutes.\n\nThe 40-year-old former jet-ski champion made the 22-mile journey powered by his kerosene-filled backpack, averaging a speed of 87mph at 50-65 feet above the sea.\n\nHe managed to steer his Flyboard aircraft by leaning forwards or backwards, and controlled the thrust with a throttle attached to his 1,5000 horsepower board.\n\nZapata has spent the past three years developing his hoverboard, and remained undeterred after losing two fingers in it’s turbines during an initial flight in his garage near Marseilles.\n\nHowever, the Frenchman’s first attempt, which you can watch below, did not deliver the hoped-for flying start across the Channel.\n\nHis mission failed on 25 July, the 110th anniversary of Louis Bleriot’s 1909 Channel crossing, which was the first instance anyone had crossed the water in a “heavier-than-air” aircraft.\n\nRefuelling complications meant Zapata fell into the sea before reaching a boat that was carrying a second backpack.\n\nOn completing his successful second attempt he told reporters: “We made a machine three years ago… and now we’ve crossed the Channel, it’s crazy.”\n\nThe inventor then broke down in tears before adding, “whether this is a historic event or not, I’m not the one to decide that, time will tell.”\n\nCrowds at Dover heard that speeds of up to 170km/h (106mph) were reached during the flight.\n\nZapata’s main obstacle was refuelling. During his journey he carried enough kerosene in his backpack to power the hoverboard for 10 minutes in the air, but needed a new supply for the second half of his journey and switched backpack.\n\nHe was escorted by three helicopters, and a larger boat and platform were used than in his initial attempt.\n\nZapata’s wife Krysten told Sky News that she was “very happy” to witness her husband’s success, adding he was “very tired” after working such long hours to achieve his dream.\n\nShe said: “Everything is perfect…This is his day.”\n\nLast month Zapata received global acclaim during the annual Bastille Day parade in Paris, when his hoverboard featured as part of a military display.\n\nThe French military have also tried to develop the technology for itself, allocating his company Z-AIR, a £1.8m grant.\n\nFrench Defence Minister Florence Parly said in an interview with France Inter radio that the flyboard could serve multiple purposes, such as “a flying logistical platform or, indeed, as an assault platform”."], "summary": "French inventor Franky Zapata successfully crosses the English Channel on the jet-powered Flyboard Air. The 22-mile (35.4-km) journey took 22 minutes with one refueling stop about halfway to Dover, England."}
{"document": ["MILTON KEYNES, England -- Hinako Shibuno of Japan finished with a birdie to win the Women's British Open by one shot over Lizette Salas on Sunday as she wrapped up a stunning major championship debut.\n\nThe 20-year-old Shibuno, a rookie on the Japan LPGA Tour who was playing for the first time outside of her country, birdied five of the final nine holes in a 4-under 68 and 18-under 270 overall.\n\n\"I was also thinking about if I were to make this putt, how I was going to celebrate,\" Shibuno said of approaching the 18th. \"Eat a lot of sweets.\"\n\nLargely unknown before the championship, Shibuno -- nicknamed \"Smiling Cinderella\" -- started Sunday with a two-stroke lead but lost it with a double bogey on the par-4 3rd. She bounced back with birdies on Nos. 5 and 7 before a bogey on the 8th at Woburn Golf Club.\n\nBut in three of four rounds, Shibuno has shone on the back nine. She did it in 31 on Sunday -- and just 30 on Thursday and Saturday.\n\n\"Now that I've won, I think a lot of the Japanese people will know me, but in actuality, I just wanted to live a quiet life,\" Shibuno said.\n\n\"I was looking online, and I did see that it's been 42 years since a Japanese player has last won. I do feel that I have accomplished something great, but I really don't know the reason why I was able to accomplish it.\"\n\nSalas, who started the final round tied for fourth, quickly played herself into contention with three birdies in the first four holes, and she added five more in a 7-under 65.\n\nBut the American will regret not taking another birdie chance on the 18th when she shared the lead with Shibuno.\n\n\"I told myself, `You got this. You're made for this.' I put a good stroke on it. I'm not going to lie, I was nervous,\" Salas said after her best finish at a major. \"You know, I haven't been in that position in a long time. Gave it a good stroke. I controlled all my thoughts. It just didn't drop.\"\n\nJin Young Ko, who was seeking her third major title of the year after winning the Evian Championship last week, was two shots back in third after a bogey-free 66.\n\n\"I had a little pressure, but I like that pressure,\" Ko said.\n\nMorgan Pressel (67) finished fourth at 15 under, just ahead of former leader Ashleigh Buhai (70), whose hopes were dented Saturday when she let a five-shot lead slip. The 30-year-old South African finished fifth at 14 under.\n\n\"If you had given me a top five at the beginning of the week, I most certainly would have taken it,\" Buhai said.\n\nAlso, Celine Boutier shot a 66 to finish the tournament at 12 under, followed by Carlota Ciganda (70) at 11 under and second-ranked Sung Hyun Park (73) at 10 under.\n\nAmerican Nelly Korda (68) tied for ninth with Jeongeun Lee6 (71) at 9 under, two shots ahead of Lexi Thompson (67).\n\nDefending champion Georgia Hall (73) tied for 35th.", "Hinako Shibuno of Japan finished with a birdie to win the Women’s British Open by one shot over Lizette Salas as she wrapped up a stunning major championship debut on Sunday.\n\nThe 20-year-old Shibuno, a rookie on the Japan LPGA Tour who was making her LPGA Tour debut, birdied five of the final nine holes in a 4-under 68 and 18-under 270 overall.\n\nLargely unknown before the championship, Shibuno — nicknamed “Smiling Cinderella” — started Sunday with a two-stroke lead but lost it with a double bogey on the par-4 3rd. She bounced back with birdies on Nos. 5 and 7 before a bogey on the 8th at Woburn Golf Club.\n\nBut in three of four rounds, Shibuno has shone on the back nine. She did it in 31 on Sunday — and just 30 on Thursday and Saturday.\n\n“She just gets up and rips it. She did really great,” rival Ashleigh Buhai said about Shibuno.\n\nSalas, who started the final round tied for fourth, quickly played herself into contention with three birdies in the first four holes, and she added five more in a 7-under 65.\n\nBut the American will regret not taking another birdie chance on the 18th when she shared the lead with Shibuno.\n\n“I told myself, ‘You got this. You’re made for this.’ I put a good stroke on it. I’m not going to lie, I was nervous,” Salas said after her best finish at a major. “You know, I haven’t been in that position in a long time. Gave it a good stroke. I controlled all my thoughts. It just didn’t drop.”\n\nJin Young Ko, who was seeking her third major title of the year after winning the Evian Championship last week, was two shots back in third after a bogey-free 66.\n\n“I had a little pressure, but I like that pressure,” Ko said.\n\nMorgan Pressel (67) finished fourth at 15 under, just ahead of Buhai (70), whose hopes were dented Saturday when she let a five-shot lead slip. The 30-year-old South African finished fifth at 14 under.\n\n“If you had given me a top five at the beginning of the week, I most certainly would have taken it,” Buhai said.\n\nAlso, Celine Boutier shot a 66 to finish the tournament at 12 under, followed by Carlota Ciganda (70) at 11 under and second-ranked Sung Hyun Park (73) at 10 under.\n\nAmerican Nelly Korda (68) tied for ninth with Jeongeun Lee6 (71) at 9 under, two shots ahead of Lexi Thompson (67).", "Japan’s Hinako Shibuno reacts as she holds the trophy as she celebrates after winning the Women’s British Open golf championship at Woburn Gold Club near near Milton Keynes, England, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2019. (AP Photo/Tim Ireland)\n\nMILTON KEYNES, England (AP) — Hinako Shibuno of Japan finished with a birdie to win the Women’s British Open by one shot over Lizette Salas as she wrapped up a stunning major championship debut on Sunday.\n\nThe 20-year-old Shibuno, a rookie on the Japan LPGA Tour who was making her LPGA Tour debut, birdied five of the final nine holes in a 4-under 68 and 18-under 270 overall.\n\nSalas, who started the day tied for fourth, quickly played herself into contention with three birdies in the first four holes, and she added five more in a 7-under 65 at Woburn Golf Club.\n\nBut the American will regret not taking another birdie chance on the 18th when she shared the lead with Shibuno. It was Salas’ best finish at a major.\n\nJin Young Ko, seeking her third major title of the year after winning the Evian Championship last week, was third, two shots back after a bogey-free 66.\n\nMorgan Pressel (67) finished fourth at 15 under, just ahead of early leader Ashleigh Buhai (70), whose hopes were dented Saturday when she let a five-shot lead slip. The 30-year-old South African finished fifth at 14 under.", "MILTON KEYNES, ENGLAND—Hinako Shibuno’s dream debut continued Saturday as she fired a 5-under 67 to seize a two-shot lead going into the final round at the Women’s British Open.\n\nThe 20-year-old Shibuno, a rookie on the Japan LPGA Tour who is making her LPGA Tour and major championship debut, hit six birdies in the final nine holes of the third round for a 14-under 202.\n\n“It’s definitely exceeding my expectations,” Shibuno said on the tournament website. “I came here wanting to make the cut, so right now I feel like I’m doing something very incredible. It’s more like a Japanese golf course, so maybe that’s why it’s going so well.”\n\nOvernight leader Ashleigh Buhai (72) started with a three-shot lead at Woburn Golf Club and stretched it to five as Shibuno had bogeys on Nos. 5 and 9. But with Sung Hyun Park also closing in, Buhai stumbled with three bogeys in five holes. The 30-year-old South African, who has never won on the LPGA Tour, dropped to second at 12 under.\n\n“I hit so many good shots on that front side,” said the 30-year-old Buhai. “I had so many chances. A few putts were just a bit short and unfortunately on the back side, I just got a little rattled.\n\n“I kind of felt like I just lost a bit of composure in my rhythm a little bit, but I hit some good shots on the last two holes. A lot of my wins have been come-from-behind. I always feel better chasing. I think I had a four-shot lead at one stage, but I didn’t let that bother me or get to me. I think during a four-round tournament, everybody is going to have a little wobble in their round somewhere.”\n\nThe second-ranked Park was a shot further back in third after a bogey-free 68.\n\nBrooke Henderson of Smiths Falls, Ont., the lone Canadian to make the cut, shot 74 and was tied for 37th.\n\nAmericans Morgan Pressel and Lizette Salas, and top-ranked Jin Young Ko were tied for fourth on 10 under. Ko shot 68 and is seeking her third major title of the year after winning last week’s Evian Championship in France. Pressel birdied eight holes on her way to a 66, while Salas had two bogeys in her opening nine on the way to a 70.", "The final women’s Major of 2019 concluded and the relatively unknown Hinako Shibuno came out on top in her first ever pro start outside of Japan.\n\nShibuno’s nickname in her homeland is ‘Smiling Cinderella’ and she quickly became a fan favourite at Woburn, smiling and laughing everywhere she went.\n\nThe 20-year-old is a Japan LPGA Tour rookie and this was her first ever main LPGA Tour event – she can now become a member.\n\nShibuno shot a 68 (-4) on Sunday to finish at 18 under and win by a single stroke from Lizette Salas after a birdie on the last.\n\nShe was out in one over after a double-bogey at the 3rd hole but came back in 31 with five birdies and no bogeys.\n\nThat wasn’t even the best she had played the back nine all week with two 30s.\n\nSalas looked likely to win her maiden Major, especially when she hit it to 5ft on the 18th but her putt just lipped out on the right edge.\n\nShe must have thought that a playoff was on the cards before Shibuno rolled in an 18 footer for the title.\n\nLast week’s Evian Championship winner and World Number One Jin Young Ko was looking to win her third Major of the season but came up two shy to finish 3rd after a 66.\n\n“I was looking at the board all the time and I knew my position,” Shibuno said of her putt on 18.\n\n“I was also thinking how I would celebrate,” she said, revealing she would “eat a lot of sweets.”\n\nShibuno has won twice already on the Japan LPGA Tour this year and ranked 46th in the world before the week.\n\nWoburn’s own Charley Hull was the top Brit at five under and in T24th.\n\nIt could have been much better for Hull but a four over par 76 on Sunday dropped her down the leaderboard.\n\nBronte Law was tied with Hull at nine under after three rounds but a 78 (+6) dropped her down to T35th alongside defending champion Georgia Hall.", "MILTON KEYNES, England — Hinako Shibuno's dream debut continued Saturday as she fired a 5-under-par 67 to seize a two-shot lead going into the final round at the Women's British Open.\n\nThe 20-year-old Shibuno, a rookie on the Japan LPGA Tour who is making her LPGA Tour and major championship debut, hit six birdies in the final nine holes of the third round for a 14-under 202.\n\nOvernight leader Ashleigh Buhai (72) started with a three-shot lead at Woburn Golf Club and stretched it to five as Shibuno had bogeys on Nos. 5 and 9. But with second-ranked Sung Hyun Park also closing in, Buhai stumbled with three bogeys in five holes. The 30-year-old South African, who has never won on the LPGA Tour, dropped to second at 12 under.\n\nAmericans Morgan Pressel and Lizette Salas and top-ranked Jin Young Ko were tied for fourth at 10 under. Ko (68) is seeking her third major title of the year after winning last week's Evian Championship in France.\n\nPressel birdied eight holes on her way to a 66, and Salas (70) had two bogeys in her opening nine.", "Hinako Shibuno smiles a lot. And why wouldn’t she. Just 20, Shibuno was playing tournament golf outside Japan for the first time at the AIG Women’s British Open at Woburn Golf Club in England. But Shibuno wasn’t merely sightseeing. With one final putt—an aggressive stroke that luckily hit the back of the cup and dropped—Shibuno won the tournament by one stroke over Lizette Salas.\n\nThe final-hole birdie was set up by a solid iron shot from 165 yards that settled on the green approximately 20 feet from the hole. That shot was hit with a Ping i210 6-iron, a players irons with perhaps a tinge more forgiveness than some others in that category. The putt was struck with the company’s Sigma 2 Anser blade.\n\nIt was one final birdie for Shibuno on a nine that she owned for the week. While her play on the front nine was scratchy in spots, her golf on the incoming nine was nothing short of stellar. Shibuno’s had a 72-hole total of 18 under par and she was 18 under par on the back nine for the week with no bogeys on that stretch.\n\nShibuno has won twice this year on the Japan LPGA, but now has proven that she can win away from her homeland as well—and in a big way.\n\nJust another reason to keep smiling.\n\nWhat Hinako Shibuno had in the bag at the AIG Women’s British Open:", "Japan’s Hinako Shibuno hits a shot during the AIG Women’s British Open golf championship at Woburn Gold Club near near Milton Keynes, England, Saturday, Aug. 3, 2019. (AP Photo/Tim Ireland)\n\nMILTON KEYNES, England (AP) — Hinako Shibuno’s dream debut continued Saturday as she fired a 5-under 67 to seize a two-shot lead going into the final round at the Women’s British Open.\n\nThe 20-year-old Shibuno, a rookie on the Japan LPGA Tour who is making her LPGA Tour and major championship debut, hit six birdies in the final nine holes of the third round for a 14-under 202.\n\nOvernight leader Ashleigh Buhai (72) started with a three-shot lead at Woburn Golf Club and stretched it to five as Shibuno had bogeys on Nos. 5 and 9. But with Sung Hyun Park also closing in, Buhai stumbled with three bogeys in five holes. The 30-year-old South African, who has never won on the LPGA Tour, dropped to second at 12 under.\n\nSecond-ranked Park was a shot further back in third after a bogey-free 68.\n\nAmericans Morgan Pressel and Lizette Salas, and top-ranked Jin Young Ko, were tied for fourth on 10 under. Ko (68) is seeking her third major title of the year after winning last week’s Evian Championship in France.\n\nPressel birdied eight holes on her way to a 66, while Salas (70) had two bogeys in her opening nine.", "Japan’s Hinako Shibuno hits a shot during the AIG Women’s British Open golf championship at Woburn Gold Club near near Milton Keynes, England, Saturday, Aug. 3, 2019. (AP Photo/Tim Ireland)\n\nMILTON KEYNES, England (AP) — Hinako Shibuno’s dream debut continued Saturday in the Women’s British Open when she shot a 5-under 67 to take a two-stroke lead into the final round.\n\nThe 20-year-old Shibuno, a rookie on the Japan LPGA Tour who is making her LPGA Tour and major championship debut, birdied six of the final holes in the round to get to 14-under 202.\n\n“It’s definitely exceeding my expectations,” said Shibuno, nicknamed Smiling Cinderella. “I came in wanting to make the cut, so right now I feel like I’m doing something very incredible.”\n\nOvernight leader Ashleigh Buhai started with a three-shot lead at Woburn Golf Club and stretched it to five when Shibuno bogeyed Nos. 5 and 9.\n\n“I was pretty upset after the three-putt bogey on the ninth,” Shibuno said. “But after the second shot on the 10th hole, I was able to bring myself back.”\n\nBuhai stumbled with three bogeys in five holes. The 30-year-old South African, who has never won on the LPGA Tour, had a 72 to drop to second at 12 under.\n\n“I played my first nine holes probably the best ball-striking I could have had. Hit really good shots,” Buhai said. “Turned 2 under, birdied my 10th to go to 3- nder and hit two poor wedge shots on 11 and 12, normally my strong point. Let the three-putt rattle me on No. 12.\n\n“I’m still here, two shots behind going into the final round playing in the final group. If you told me at the beginning of the week, I would have taken it.”\n\nSecond-ranked Sung Hyun Park was another shot back after a bogey-free 68.\n\nTop-ranked Jin Young Ko and Americans Morgan Pressel and Lizette Salas were tied for fourth on 10 under. Ko (68) is seeking her third major title of the year after winning the Evian Championship last week in France. Pressel had a 66, and Salas shot 70.", "Hinako Shibuno hadn't played a golf tournament outside of Japan before this week. Heck, she hadn't ever played a major championship.\n\nTurns out her game travels just fine.\n\nThe 20-year-old—nicknamed \"Smiling Cinderella\" for her jubilant on-course demeanor—emphatically nailed an 18-foot putt on the 72nd hole to win the AIG Women's British Open. Her 18-under total of 270 was good for a one-shot victory over American Lizette Salas, who was practicing for a playoff when Shibuno rammed her birdie effort into the back of the cup to cap off a final-round 68.\n\n\"I still feel like I'm going to vomit,\" Shibuno said. \"I was more nervous on the front nine but I was OK on the back nine. I felt like I was going to cry on the 18th but the tears didn't come out.\"\n\nShibuno and Salas, who had just one top 10 on the season coming into this week, went shot-for-shot in what turned out to be a thoroughly entertaining afternoon of action at Woburn Golf Club. The two players combined to shoot eight under on the final nine holes, which were particularly kind to Shibuno—she shot even par on the front nine over the four days and 18 under on the back.\n\nWorld No. 1 Jin Young Ko, who won her second major of the year at last week's Evian Championship, finished in solo third at 16 under. American Morgan Pressel was a shot further back in solo fourth."], "summary": "In golf, Japan's Hinako Shibuno wins the year's final major championship by one shot over American Lizette Salas. Shibuno, a 20-year-old rookie on the Japan LPGA Tour, was playing outside her home country for the first time, and was also playing for the first time in a major recognized by the U.S. LPGA."}
{"document": ["Yosri al-Jamal, Reuters | A member of the Libyan internationally recognised government forces is seen during a fight with Eastern forces, in southern Tripoli, Libya June 22, 2019.\n\nA drone air strike by eastern Libyan forces on the southern Libyan town of Murzuq has killed at least 43 people, a local official said on Monday.\n\nAdvertising Read more\n\nThe attack is the second major air strike blamed on the eastern Libyan National Army (LNA) forces loyal to Khalifa Haftar after at least 44 migrants were killed in June when a detention centre in a suburb of the capital Tripoli was hit.\n\nThe LNA confirmed a strike late on Sunday on Murzuq, but denied it had targeted any civilians. The LNA had also denied it had hit the detention centre but acknowledged increased air strikes on the capital.\n\nThe internationally recognised government based in Tripoli opposing Haftar said dozens were killed and wounded in Murzuq.\n\nReached by telephone, Murzuq municipal council member Mohamed Omar told Reuters: \"The air strike resulted in 43 killed and 51 wounded. This is only an initial toll of casualties.\"\n\nThe LNA seized Murzuq at the start of this year as part of an offensive to control the oil-producing south. But it later moved out to concentrate forces north where it has been trying vto take the capital Tripoli in a four-month campaign.\n\nThe LNA said in a statement its strike had targeted \"Chadian opposition fighters\", a phrase that usually refers to Tebu tribesmen opposing them in the area.\n\nHaftar's LNA, allied to a parallel government based in eastern Libya, has seen its advance on Tripoli held up by robust defences on the outskirts of the capital, and said it would start heavy air strikes after \"traditional means\" of war had been exhausted.\n\nOn Sunday, the U.N. Libya mission (UNSMIL) condemned in a statement \"the repeated indiscriminate shelling\" of Tripoli's only functioning airport after several strikes in the past days.\n\nThe United Nations did not name the LNA but said the attacks had \"continued unabated\" since the start of the LNA offensive on Tripoli.\n\nThere was no immediate U.N. comment on the Murzuq strike.\n\nHaftar's attempt to capture Tripoli has derailed U.N. attempts to broker an end to the chaos that has prevailed in Libya since the NATO-backed overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.\n\n(REUTERS)", "A drone air strike by eastern Libyan forces on the southern Libyan town of Murzuq has killed at least 43 people, a local official said on Monday.\n\nThe eastern Libyan National Army force (LNA) forces loyal to Khalifa Haftar confirmed a strike late on Sunday on the town, but denied they had targeted any civilians.\n\nThe Tripoli-based internationally recognised government opposing Haftar said dozens were killed and wounded.\n\nReached by telephone, Murzuq municipal council member Mohamed Omar told Reuters: \"The air strike resulted in 43 killed and 51 wounded. This is only an initial toll of casualties.\"\n\nThe LNA had at the start of the year taken Murzuq as part of an offensive to control the oil-producing south. But it later moved out to concentrate forces north where it has been trying to take the capital Tripoli in a four-month campaign.\n\nThe LNA said in a statement its strike had targeted \"Chadian opposition fighters\", a phrase that usually refers to Tebu tribesmen opposing them in the area.", "TRIPOLI, Aug 5 (Reuters) - A drone air strike by eastern Libyan forces on the southern Libyan town of Murzuq has killed at least 43 people, a local official said on Monday.\n\nThe attack is the second major air strike blamed on the eastern Libyan National Army (LNA) forces loyal to Khalifa Haftar after at least 44 migrants were killed in June, when a detention centre in a suburb of the capital Tripoli was hit.\n\nThe LNA confirmed a strike late on Sunday on Murzuq, but denied it had targeted any civilians. The LNA had also denied it had hit the detention centre but acknowledged increased air strikes on the capital as part of an offensive to seize Tripoli - home to the internationally recognised government - part of the chaos in the oil producer since 2011.\n\n\"The air strike resulted in 43 killed and 51 wounded. This is only an initial toll of casualties,\" Murzuq municipal council member Mohamed Omar told Reuters in a phone interview.\n\nHe said the done strike had targeted a town hall meeting where residents were holding discussions after days of clashes between rival tribesmen.\n\nThe LNA seized Murzuq at the start of this year as part of an offensive to control the oil-producing south. It later moved out to concentrate forces north where it has been trying to take the capital Tripoli in a four-month campaign.\n\nThe LNA said in a statement its strike had targeted \"Chadian opposition fighters,\" a phrase that usually refers to Tebu tribesmen opposing them in the area.\n\nHaftar's LNA, allied to a parallel government based in eastern Libya, has seen its advance on Tripoli held up by robust defences on the outskirts of the capital, and said it would start heavy air strikes after \"traditional means\" of war had been exhausted.\n\nHaftar is backed militarily by Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, which see him as a bulwark against Islamists, a narrative supported by some Western countries that have been reluctant to openly criticize the former general under Muammar Gaddafi, who was toppled and killed in 2011.\n\nThe European Union said in a statement that the Murzuq strike had \"claimed the lives of civilians\" and those committing war crimes needed to be brought to justice. But it did not mention the LNA.\n\nThe United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) said in a statement issued a day after the strikes that it was \"extremely concerned by reports on the continuation of acts of violence in Murzuq, including a number of air strikes.\" It did not mention the LNA.\n\nHaftar's attempt to capture Tripoli has derailed U.N. attempts to broker an end to the chaos that has prevailed in Libya since the NATO-backed overthrow of Gaddafi.", "According to media reports, an air strike on the southern Libyan town of Murzuq has killed more than 30 people.\n\nThe Libyan National Army (LNA) confirmed a strike but denied they had targeted any civilians.\n\nThe LNA, led by Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, began the second stage of its offensive on the Libyan capital Tripoli in July.\n\nTripoli, which is controlled by the Government of National Accord (GNA), has been under attack from the forces of Libyan National Army, commanded by Khalifa Haftar since April.\n\nLibya has been engulfed in an armed conflict between opposing political forces since Western-backed militants murdered the country's former leader, Muammar Gaddafi, in 2011.", "An airstrike on the southern Libyan town of Murzuq has killed at least 42 people and injured dozens more, the UN-recognized Government of National Accord (GNA) said on Monday.\n\nThe attack on Sunday, which the GNA blamed on eastern forces loyal to Khalifa Haftar, came as Haftar's Libyan National Army (LNA) continues its efforts to take control of the country. The two sides have increasingly used aerial attacks in recent weeks after fighting stalled on the ground.\n\nThe LNA confirmed responsibility for the airstrike in Murzuq late on Sunday, but denied targeting civilians, saying the raid was aimed at \"Chadian opposition fighters,\" a phrase usually used by the LNA to describe Tebu tribesmen fighting against them.\n\nRead more: Could Libya be Russia's new Syria?\n\nThe attack is the second major one to be blamed on the LNA after at least 44 migrants were killed in June in an air raid on a detention center in a suburb of the capital, Tripoli, in the north of the country. At the time, the LNA also denied targeting the detention center, though it admitted stepping up its airstrikes in the capital.\n\nHaftar, who is allied with a rival government based in eastern Libya, has been fighting to force pro-GNA forces from Tripoli since April, after taking control of large areas of the oil-producing south, including Murzuq, earlier in the year. His advance on the city, where the GNA has its administrative seat, has been slowed by dogged resistance by government forces.\n\nRead more: Libya's refugees caught in the crossfire of war\n\nIn another incident highlighting Libya's conflict-ridden situation, a Libyan airliner on Sunday narrowly escaped being hit by bombing as it landed at Tripoli's only functioning airport, Mitiga International Airport, according to aviation officials.\n\nThe plane was carrying 124 passengers on a flight from Libya's second-most populous city of Benghazi, the airport's management wrote on Facebook.\n\nThe bombing forced the airport to stop its operations and reroute flights to Misrata, some 200 kilometers (125 miles) further south, until late Sunday night.\n\nThe UN on Sunday condemned the \"repeated indiscriminate shelling targeting Mitiga airport, the only indispensable functioning airport available for use by millions of civilians\" and for aid deliveries in Tripoli. The airport, just east of of the capital, is a former military air base that has been used for civilian flights since Tripoli's international airport was severely damaged during fighting in 2014.\n\nHaftar has accused pro-GNA forces of still using the airport for military purposes.\n\nLibya has fallen into chaos since a 2011 uprising that toppled and killed long-ruling dictator Moammar Gadhafi. A plethora of armed groups is now vying for control of the country or various regions of it.\n\nThe World Health Organization says that nearly 1,100 people have died in the fighting between the GNA and the LNA forces since April. More than 100,000 civilians have been forced to leave their homes, it says.\n\nEach evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.", "At least 42 people have died in a drone strike in south-western Libya carried out by the forces of rebel Gen Khalifa Haftar, local officials say.\n\nThe strike hit a town hall meeting in the town of Murzuq, reports say.\n\nGen Haftar’s forces – which are based in eastern Libya – say they targeted the town late on Sunday but denied targeting civilians.\n\nThe country has been torn by conflict since the fall of long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.\n\nThe airstrike left “42 dead and more than 60 injured, 30 of them critically” at the town hall in Qalaa neighbourhood, where more than 200 people were at a meeting “to settle social differences”, council official Ibrahim Omar told AFP news agency.\n\nLocal media earlier reported that the strike had hit a wedding party.\n\nThe UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) condemned the attack on social media and accused Gen Haftar’s forces of carrying it out.\n\nIt also urged the UN to “carry out an investigation into the crimes committed by Haftar’s militias in Murzuq”.\n\nPro-Haftar media outlets said the attack had targeted Chadian mercenaries, which is how they refer to the Tebu ethnic group which opposes Gen Haftar.\n\nMonths of fighting between the GNA and Mr Haftar’s forces has claimed more than 1,000 lives since April, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).\n\nThis is the second time in two months that an airstrike thought to be by Gen Haftar’s forces has resulted in mass civilian casualties.\n\nIn June, some 44 people were killed in a migrant detention centre on the outskirts of Tripoli.\n\nHis forces seized Murzuq earlier this year as part of an offensive to take control of the oil-producing south – but they later withdrew.\n\nOnly Libya’s myriad armed militias really hold sway – nominally backing two centres of political power in the east and west with parallel institutions.\n\nThis is under the leadership of Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj. He arrived in Tripoli in March 2016, four months after a UN-brokered deal to form a unity government, to set up his administration.\n\nOver the last three years, he has worked to gain the support of the various militias and politicians, but he has little real power over the whole country or the forces ostensibly under his control.\n• Tobruk administration includes the parliament elected in 2014 after disputed elections\n\nWhen those who held power in Tripoli refused to give it up in 2014, the newly elected MPs moved to the port of Tobruk, 1,000km (600 miles) away, along with the old government.\n\nIn 2015 some of these MPs backed the UN deal for a unity government, but the parliament has since refused to recognise it and has been blocking efforts to organise fresh elections because it wants Gen Haftar, who leads a powerful force called the Libyan National Army (LNA), to be guaranteed a senior role in any new set-up.", "Yesterday, August 4th 2019, an airstrike by the eastern Libyan forces on the town of Murzuq killed at least 43 and wounded 51.\n\nThe Libyan National Army (LNA), loyal to Khalifa Haftar, claimed the strike had targeted ‘Chadian opposition fighters’ – a phase often used to refer to Tebu tribesmen that oppose the LNA.\n\nLocal media reported that the attack targeted a wedding procession. The victims were all said to be from the Tebu tribe.\n\nAOAV records casualties (i.e. people killed and injured) from explosive violence around the world as reported in English-language news sources.\n\nLast year, AOAV recorded a significant increase in casualties from explosive violence in Libya, with 392 civilian casualties recorded, compared to 163 the previous year – amounting to an rise of 140%.\n\nIn the first half of 2019, AOAV recorded a further 223 civilian casualties from explosive violence in Libya. While, this is a decrease compared to the same period last year, when 339 civilian deaths and injuries were recorded, the nature of the violence has changed. Indeed, civilian casualties from airstrikes and shelling have increased since Haftar’s forces launched an offensive to seize the capital earlier this year.\n\nAOAV recorded 121 civilian casualties from airstrikes between January and June 2019, compared to 19 in the same period the previous year. While civilian casualties from shelling increased from 43 to 80.\n\nAOAV condemns the use of violence against civilians and the use of explosive weapons in populated areas. AOAV encourages all armed actors to stop using explosive weapons with wide-area affects where there is likely to be a high concentration of civilians.", "TRIPOLI (Reuters) - An air strike on the southern Libyan town of Murzuq has killed more than 30 people, residents said on Monday.\n\nEastern Libyan forces loyal to Khalifa Haftar confirmed a strike late on Sunday on the town deep in Libya's south but denied they had targeted any civilians.", "TRIPOLI: At least 42 people were killed and dozens wounded in an air strike targeting a town hall meeting in southern Libya, a local official and the UN-recognised government said Monday, accusing forces of military strongman Khalifa Haftar. The Government of National Accord (GNA) said Sunday´s raid struck the residential district of Qalaa in the town of Murzuq.\n\nThe air raid left \"42 dead and more than 60 injured, 30 of them critically,\" municipal council official Ibrahim Omar told AFP. He said a government building at which more than 200 local dignitaries were gathered \"to settle social differences\" was targeted three times.\n\n\"No armed or wanted people were among them... Haftar bombed unarmed civilians,\" he said, calling for humanitarian aid since the local hospital could not cope with the high number of casualties. The GNA condemned the attack on its Facebook page, also blaming it on Haftar´s forces.\n\nHaftar, who seized swathes of southern Libya earlier in the year, has been battling since April to oust pro-GNA forces from the capital Tripoli. The GNA urged the UN´s Libya mission and international community \"to carry out an investigation into the crimes committed by Haftar´s militias in Murzuq\". There was no immediate comment on the raid from Haftar´s self-styled Libyan National Army (LNA). With its 50,000 inhabitants, mostly from the Toubou ethnic group, and its ancient fortress, the oasis town is located almost 900 kilometres by road south of Tripoli.\n\nThe Toubou have remained at odds with rival Arab tribes which have rallied with Haftar´s forces who took control of the region in January in an operation to \"purge it of terrorists and criminals\".\n\nThe European Union, which has previously called for those breaching international law in Libya to be brought to justice, condemned the strike. \"Indiscriminate attacks on densely populated residential areas may amount to war crimes and must cease immediately,\" said EU spokeswoman Maja Kocijancic.\n\nWith fighting for Tripoli stalled on the ground after initial advances by Haftar´s forces, the two sides have increasingly taken their fight to the skies with warplanes and drones. Aviation officials said Monday that a Libyan passenger plane had narrowly escaped being hit by incoming fire as it landed at Tripoli´s sole functioning airport.", "Misrata's air college has been attacked by Libyan National Army forces early on Tuesday, a military source told Reuters.\n\n\"Massive explosions were heard across the city,\" said a Misrata resident, reported by Reuters.\n\nMisrata is Libyan coastal city that lies to the west of the capital Tripoli and is regarded as the main base of Libya’s UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA).\n\nOn Monday, a drone airstrike LNA forces on the southern Libyan town of Murzuq has killed at least 43 people, a local official said, reported by Reuters.\n\nLibya has been suffering from unrest since 2011, when its long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown and killed. Since then the country has been divided between two rival governments. The GNA, established by the international community with its capital in Tripoli, enjoys the support of the UN and controls the western part of the country. But its authority is disputed by the LNA, led by Haftar, who is loyal to the elected legislative body in Tobruk and controls the country's east."], "summary": "A Libyan National Army airstrike on the southern Libyan town of Murzuk reportedly kills at least 43 people and injures 51 others, according to local officials. An LNA spokesperson says the raid had targeted \"Chadian mercenaries\"."}
{"document": ["By David Lawder, Andrea Shalal and Andrew Galbraith\n\nWASHINGTON/SHANGHAI (Reuters) - A yearlong U.S.-China trade war boiled over on Monday as Washington accused Beijing of manipulating its currency after China let the yuan drop to its lowest point in more than a decade.\n\nThe U.S. Treasury Department announced late on Monday that it had determined for the first time since 1994 that China was manipulating its currency, knocking the U.S. dollar .DXY sharply lower and sending gold prices XAU= to a six-year high.\n\nThe designation by U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin starts a formal process of bilateral negotiations between the world’s two largest economies, and fulfills a promise made by U.S. President Donald Trump on his first day in office.\n\n“As a result of this determination, Secretary Mnuchin will engage with the International Monetary Fund to eliminate the unfair competitive advantage created by China’s latest actions,” the Treasury Department said.\n\nThe IMF had no immediate comment. Last month, the global lender said China’s yuan was broadly in line with economic fundamentals, while the U.S. dollar was overvalued by 6% to 12%.\n\nThe Treasury statement, made after the stock trading session ended, sent S&P; 500 futures EScv1 down more than 1%, suggesting investors expect Wall Street to open on Tuesday with additional losses following Monday's drop of 3% on the S&P; 500 .SPX.\n\nThe U.S. action came after China let its currency weaken 1.4%, sending it past the key 7-per-dollar level for the first time in more than a decade. Beijing also halted U.S. agricultural purchases, inflaming a trade war that has roiled financial markets, disrupted supply chains and slowed global growth.\n\nEven before the formal designation, Trump on Monday accused Beijing on Twitter of manipulating its currency.\n\n“China dropped the price of their currency to an almost a historic low. It’s called ‘currency manipulation.’ Are you listening Federal Reserve? This is a major violation which will greatly weaken China over time!” Trump tweeted.\n\nTrump had stunned financial markets last week by vowing to impose 10% tariffs on the remaining $300 billion of Chinese imports from Sept. 1.\n\nIn its statement, the Treasury Department said the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) on Monday made clear that Chinese authorities had ample control over the yuan exchange rate despite their rejection of any claims of manipulation.\n\n“This is an open acknowledgement by the PBOC that it has extensive experience manipulating its currency and remains prepared to do so on an ongoing basis,” the Treasury statement said.\n\nIt said China’s actions violate its commitment to refrain from competitive devaluation as part of the Group of 20 industrialized countries. Treasury said it expected China to adhere to those commitments and not target China’s exchange rate for competitive purposes.\n\nU.S. law sets out three criteria for identifying manipulation among major trading partners: a material global current account surplus, a significant bilateral trade surplus with the United States, and persistent one-way intervention in foreign exchange markets.\n\nAfter determining a country is a manipulator, the Treasury is required to demand special talks aimed at correcting an undervalued currency, with penalties such as exclusion from U.S. government procurement contracts.\n\nA U.S. dollar banknote featuring American founding father Benjamin Franklin and a China's yuan banknote featuring late Chinese chairman Mao Zedong are seen among U.S. and Chinese flags in this illustration picture taken May 20, 2019. REUTERS/Jason Lee/Illustration\n\nThe U.S. Treasury had designated Taiwan and South Korea as currency manipulators in 1988, the year that Congress enacted the currency review law. China was the last country to get the designation, in 1994.\n\nMark Sobel, a former senior Treasury and IMF official, said Mnuchin was probably ordered by Trump to issue the designation.\n\n“It’s ridiculous that they’ve declared China a currency manipulator. They don’t have any meaningful tools to do anything about it, unless they just want to pile more tariffs on,” said Sobol, who now works with the Official Monetary and Financial Institutions Forum, a London-based think tank.\n\nPBOC DENIES COMPETITIVE DEVALUATION\n\nBefore the U.S. designation, the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) provided an early impetus for yuan bears by setting a daily rate for the currency at its weakest level in eight months, weakening a long defense that kept the yuan stronger than 7 to the dollar.\n\nThe move was made with the blessing of policymakers to factor in market concerns around the U.S.-China trade war and its effect on China’s weakening economic growth, three people with knowledge of Chinese monetary deliberations told Reuters.\n\nHours before the U.S. action, PBOC Governor Yi Gang, who has been a key player in U.S.-China trade negotiations, said the yuan was now at an appropriate level given China’s economic fundamentals. He said that China would not engage in a competitive devaluation and would maintain the stability and continuity of foreign exchange management policies.\n\nThe PBOC had linked the yuan’s weakness to the fallout from the trade war, but said it would not change its currency policy and that two-way fluctuations in the yuan’s value were normal.\n\nWith the escalating trade war giving Beijing fewer reasons to maintain yuan stability, some analysts said they expect the currency to continue to weaken further to as low as 7.3 to the dollar.\n\nSlideshow (2 Images)\n\nGraphic: CNY breaks 7/dollar - Aug 5, 2019 - tmsnrt.rs/2Ys0l5C\n\nThe flare-up in trade tensions has renewed global financial market concerns over how much China will allow the yuan to weaken to offset heavier pressure on its exporters.\n\nDespite slowing economic growth over the past year amid the intensifying trade war, China has not seen a rush of capital flight, thanks to capital controls put in place during the last economic downturn and growing foreign inflows into Chinese stocks and bonds.\n\nGraphic: EM FX and trade war - Aug 5, 2019 - tmsnrt.rs/2MF3hVt", "NEW YORK (Reuters) - Wall Street slumped on Monday and futures pointed to more losses to come after a fall in China’s yuan currency and U.S. President Donald Trump’s vow to impose additional tariffs on Chinese goods sparked an escalation of the U.S.-China trade war.\n\nS&P; 500 futures EScv1 late in the day dropped over 1% after the United States officially designated China a currency manipulator, sharply escalating the ongoing dispute between the world’s two largest economies.\n\nU.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement that Washington will engage with the International Monetary Fund to eliminate unfair competition from Beijing.\n\nDuring Monday’s session, the benchmark S&P; 500 slid about 3% to mark its biggest one-day percentage decline since Dec. 4. That slump amounted to a $766 billion loss on paper for the index, according to Refinitiv data.\n\nThe S&P; 500 has fallen for six consecutive sessions and is now about 6% below its record closing high on July 26.\n\nThe drop in S&P; 500 futures late on Monday suggests investors expect Wall Street to open with more losses on Tuesday.\n\nThe yuan weakened past the key seven-per-dollar level to its lowest level in 11 years, after the People’s Bank of China, with the blessing of policymakers in Beijing, set its daily midpoint at the weakest level in eight months.\n\nTrump on Monday called the weakening of the yuan a “major violation,” and “currency manipulation” on Twitter.\n\nSeveral investors viewed the move in the Chinese currency as a direct response to Trump’s announcement of 10% tariffs on an additional $300 billion of imports from China.\n\n“It’s the escalation of the trade war,” said Steven DeSanctis, equity strategist at Jefferies in New York. “The dollar strengthening presents another issue. For companies that do a lot of business outside the U.S., it all adds up.”\n\nA weaker yuan and a stronger dollar pose challenges for U.S. companies that do substantial business in China by effectively raising the cost of their goods for Chinese customers.\n\nAdding to the tensions, China’s Commerce Ministry said Chinese companies have stopped buying U.S. agricultural products and that Beijing will not rule out imposing import tariffs on U.S. farm products that were bought after Aug. 3.\n\nA trader works on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., August 5, 2019. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid\n\nShares of S&P; 500 technology companies .SPLRCT, which are heavily exposed to Chinese markets, dropped 4.1%.\n\nApple Inc (AAPL.O) shares slid 5.2% as analysts warned that the newly proposed tariffs may hurt demand for the iPhone, while the Philadelphia semiconductor index .SOX dropped 4.4%.\n\nStocks could slide further if there are no signs of improvement in U.S.-China trade relations before September, when the recently announced tariffs are to take effect, said Keith Lerner, chief market strategist at SunTrust Advisory Services in Atlanta.\n\n“There’s a little bit of a vacuum in the market for the next several weeks,” he said. “We’re in this corrective phase, and it likely has further to go.”\n\nThe Dow Jones Industrial Average .DJI fell 767.27 points, or 2.9%, to 25,717.74, the S&P; 500 .SPX lost 87.31 points, or 2.98%, to 2,844.74 and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC dropped 278.03 points, or 3.47%, to 7,726.04.\n\nThe Cboe Volatility Index, or VIX .VIX, an options-based gauge of investor anxiety, rose 6.98 points to 24.59, its highest in about seven months.\n\nNo. 1 U.S. meat processor Tyson Foods Inc (TSN.N) provided a bright spot as its shares rose 5.1% after the company beat quarterly profit estimates.\n\nSlideshow (5 Images)\n\nDeclining issues outnumbered advancing ones on the NYSE by a 6.36-to-1 ratio; on Nasdaq, a 6.46-to-1 ratio favored decliners.\n\nThe S&P; 500 posted three new 52-week highs and 32 new lows; the Nasdaq Composite recorded 13 new highs and 280 new lows.\n\nVolume on U.S. exchanges was 9.41 billion shares, compared with the 6.8 billion average for the full session over the last 20 trading days.", "FILE – In this June 10, 2019, file photo, a man walks past a money exchange shop decorated with different banknotes at Central, a business district of Hong Kong. The U.S. Treasury Department labeled China a currency manipulator Monday, Aug. 5, after Beijing pushed down the value of its yuan in a dramatic escalation of the trade conflict between the world’s two biggest economies. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung, File)\n\nWASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Treasury Department labeled China a currency manipulator Monday after Beijing pushed down the value of its yuan in a dramatic escalation of the trade conflict between the world’s two biggest economies.\n\nThe decision, which came hours after President Donald Trump accused China of unfairly devaluing its currency, marks a reversal for Treasury: In May, it had declined to sanction China for manipulating its currency.\n\nThe U.S. had not put China on the currency blacklist since 1994.\n\nThe designation could pave the way for more U.S. sanctions against China.\n\nEarlier Monday, China had allowed its currency to weaken to an 11-year low, a move that gives its exporters a price edge in world markets and eases some of the damage from U.S. tariffs on Chinese products.\n\nTrump had gone on Twitter to denounce China’s move as “currency manipulation.” He added, “This is a major violation which will greatly weaken China over time.”\n\nIn a statement, Treasury said it would work with the International Monetary Fund “to eliminate the unfair competitive advantage created by China’s latest actions.”\n\n“This is an extraordinary action of hostility against a major trading partner, with little economic basis and again driven mostly by presidential whims,” said Cornell University economist Eswar Prasad, former head of the China division at the International Monetary Fund. “The timing and apparent logic for Treasury’s designation of China as a currency manipulator reeks of arbitrariness and retaliation, and will inflict further damage on an already wounded relationship between China and the U.S.”\n\nDuring the 2016 presidential campaign, Trump had accused China of manipulating its currency to gain trade advantages against the United States and had promised to brand China a currency manipulator as soon as he took office.\n\nHowever, Trump’s Treasury Department, which issues a report on currency manipulation every six months, has issued five reports since Trump took office, the most recent in May, in which Treasury said China did not meet the criteria to be labeled a currency manipulator.\n\nThe Treasury announcement, which came late Monday after the U.S. stock market had suffered its worst day this year, provided few details on the reasons for the abrupt change.\n\nThe statement did say that China’s explanations for its recent currency moves were implausible and “confirm that the purpose of China’s currency devaluation is to gain unfair competitive advantage in international trade.”\n\nChina’s central bank sets the exchange rate each morning and allows the yuan to fluctuate by 2% against the dollar during the day. The central bank can buy or sell currency — or order commercial banks to do so — to dampen price movements.\n\nBecause the Chinese government sets the exchange rate, said Joseph Gagnon, senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, the Trump administration views China’s currency policy this way: “Any move is a move they want. Therefore, a move down is a manipulation.”\n\nChina’s central bank blamed the yuan’s drop on “trade protectionism” — an apparent reference to Trump’s threat last Thursday to impose tariffs Sept. 1 on the $300 billion in Chinese imports to the United States in addition to the $250 billion he’s already targeted.\n\nFor more than a year, the U.S. and China have been locked in a trade war over allegations that Beijing steals trade secrets and pressures foreign companies to hand over technology.", "WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Treasury Department labeled China a currency manipulator Monday after Beijing pushed down the value of its yuan in a dramatic escalation of the trade conflict between the world's two biggest economies.\n\nThe decision, which came hours after President Donald Trump accused China of unfairly devaluing its currency, marks a reversal for Treasury: In May, it had declined to sanction China for manipulating its currency.\n\nThe U.S. had not put China on the currency blacklist since 1994.\n\nThe designation could pave the way for more U.S. sanctions against China.\n\nEarlier Monday, China had allowed its currency to weaken to an 11-year low, a move that gives its exporters a price edge in world markets and eases some of the damage from U.S. tariffs on Chinese products.\n\nTrump had gone on Twitter to denounce China's move as \"currency manipulation.\" He added, \"This is a major violation which will greatly weaken China over time.\"\n\nIn a statement, Treasury said it would work with the International Monetary Fund \"to eliminate the unfair competitive advantage created by China's latest actions.\"\n\n\"This is an extraordinary action of hostility against a major trading partner, with little economic basis and again driven mostly by presidential whims,\" said Cornell University economist Eswar Prasad, former head of the China division at the International Monetary Fund. \"The timing and apparent logic for Treasury's designation of China as a currency manipulator reeks of arbitrariness and retaliation, and will inflict further damage on an already wounded relationship between China and the U.S.\"\n\nChina's central bank sets the exchange rate each morning and allows the yuan to fluctuate by 2% against the dollar during the day. The central bank can buy or sell currency — or order commercial banks to do so — to dampen price movements.\n\nChina's central bank blamed the yuan's drop on \"trade protectionism\" — an apparent reference to Trump's threat last Thursday to impose tariffs Sept. 1 on the $300 billion in Chinese imports to the United States in addition to the $250 billion he's already targeted.\n\nFor more than a year, the U.S. and China have been locked in a trade war over allegations that Beijing steals trade secrets and pressures foreign companies to hand over technology.", "After identifying \"concrete steps\" that China has used to manipulate its currency while maintaining substantial foreign exchange reserves, the US government will engage with the International Monetary Fund to eliminate perceived unfair competition from Beijing, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin (left in photo) said in a statement released late Monday.\n\nOn Monday, China let the yuan drop below 7 per $1 (8 per €1) Monday for the first time in 11 years, which gives exporters a price edge in world markets and lessens the effect of tariffs imposed by the United States. The devaluation prompted an irate Twitter outburst from Donald Trump (right in photo).\n\nAccording to the US Treasury, a statement released Monday by the People's Bank of China openly acknowledged \"that it has extensive experience manipulating its currency and remains prepared to do so on an ongoing basis.\" Therefore, Mnuchin, \"under the auspices of President Trump, has today determined that China is a currency manipulator.\"\n\nChina also pledged to stop importing US agricultural goods — inflaming a worsening trade war with the United States.\n\nRead more: HSBC CEO quits as bank warns of looming clouds\n\nThe US's own currency fell to a two-week low of $1.12 to €1 after the Treasury Department released its statement.\n\nThe 1.4% drop in the yuan's value comes after Trump vowed to impose 10% tariffs on $300 billion of imports from China beginning September 1 — breaking a ceasefire in the trade war, which has disrupted global supply chains and slowed growth. The US Treasury Department charges that Monday's measure also violate China's G20 commitments to refrain from competitive devaluation.\n\nThe designation could pave the way for more US sanctions against China. In May, the Treasury Department declined to sanction China for manipulating its currency.\n\nRead more: US to deploy new missiles in Asia 'sooner rather than later'\n\nThe United States last named China a currency manipulator in 1994, making it the last country to reserve the Treasury Department's designation. The department named Taiwan and South Korea manipulators in 1988 — the year that Congress enacted the currency review law.\n\nDW's editors send out a selection of the day's news and features. Sign up to receive it here.", "WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Treasury Department labeled China a currency manipulator Monday after Beijing pushed down the value of its yuan in a dramatic escalation of the trade conflict between the world's two biggest economies.\n\nThe decision, which came hours after President Donald Trump accused China of unfairly devaluing its currency, marks a reversal for Treasury: In May, it had declined to sanction China for manipulating its currency.\n\nThe U.S. has not put China on the currency blacklist since 1994.\n\nThe designation could pave the way for more U.S. sanctions against China.\n\nEarlier Monday, China had allowed its currency to weaken to an 11-year low, a move that gives its exporters a price edge in world markets and eases some of the damage from U.S. tariffs on Chinese products.", "WASHINGTON/SHANGHAI, Aug 5 (Reuters) - A yearlong U.S.-China trade war boiled over on Monday as Washington accused Beijing of manipulating its currency after China let the yuan drop to its lowest point in more than a decade.\n\nThe U.S. Treasury Department announced late on Monday that it had determined for the first time since 1994 that China was manipulating its currency, knocking the U.S. dollar sharply lower and sending gold prices to a six-year high.\n\n\"As a result of this determination, Secretary Mnuchin will engage with the International Monetary Fund to eliminate the unfair competitive advantage created by China's latest actions,\" the Treasury Department said.\n\nThe IMF had no immediate comment.\n\nThe statement, made after the stock trading session ended, sent S&P 500 futures down more than 1%, suggesting investors expect Wall Street to open on Tuesday with additional losses following Monday's drop of 3% on the S&P 500 .\n\nThe U.S. action came after China let its yuan weaken 1.4%, sending it past the key 7-per-dollar level for the first time in more than a decade. Beijing also halted U.S. agricultural purchases, inflaming a trade war that has roiled financial markets, disrupted supply chains and slowed global growth.\n\nEven before the formal designation, Trump on Monday accused Beijing on Twitter of manipulating its currency.\n\n\"China dropped the price of their currency to an almost a historic low. It's called 'currency manipulation.' Are you listening Federal Reserve? This is a major violation which will greatly weaken China over time!\" Trump tweeted.\n\nTrump stunned financial markets last week by vowing to impose 10% tariffs on the remaining $300 billion of Chinese imports from Sept. 1.\n\nIn its statement, the Treasury Department said the People's Bank of China (PBOC) on Monday made clear that Chinese authorities had ample control over the yuan exchange rate despite their rejection of any claims of manipulation.\n\n\"This is an open acknowledgement by the PBOC that it has extensive experience manipulating its currency and remains prepared to do so on an ongoing basis,\" the Treasury statement said.\n\nIt said China's actions violate its commitment to refrain from competitive devaluation as part of the Group of 20 industrialized countries. Treasury said it expected China to adhere to those commitments and not target China's exchange rate for competitive purposes.\n\nU.S. law sets out three criteria for identifying manipulation among major trading partners: a material global current account surplus, a significant bilateral trade surplus with the United States, and persistent one-way intervention in foreign exchange markets.\n\nAfter determining a country is a manipulator, the Treasury is required to demand special talks aimed at correcting an undervalued currency, with penalties such as exclusion from U.S. government procurement contracts.\n\nThe U.S. Treasury had designated Taiwan and South Korea as currency manipulators in 1988, the year that Congress enacted the currency review law. China was the last country to get the designation, in 1994.\n\nBefore the U.S. designation, the People's Bank of China (PBOC) provided an early impetus for yuan bears by setting a daily rate for the currency at its weakest level in eight months, weakening a long defense that kept the yuan stronger than 7 to the dollar.\n\nThe move was made with the blessing of policymakers to factor in market concerns around the U.S.-China trade war and its effect on China's weakening economic growth, three people with knowledge of Chinese monetary deliberations told Reuters.\n\nHours before the U.S. action, PBOC Governor Yi Gang, who has been a key player in U.S.-China trade negotiations, said the yuan was now at an appropriate level given China's economic fundamentals. He said that China would not engage in a competitive devaluation and would maintain the stability and continuity of foreign exchange management policies.\n\nThe PBOC had linked the yuan's weakness to the fallout from the trade war, but said it would not change its currency policy and that two-way fluctuations in the yuan's value were normal.\n\nWith the escalating trade war giving Beijing fewer reasons to maintain yuan stability, some analysts said they expect the currency to continue to weaken further to as low as 7.3 to the dollar.\n\nThe flare-up in trade tensions has renewed global financial market concerns over how much China will allow the yuan to weaken to offset heavier pressure on its exporters.\n\nDespite slowing economic growth over the past year amid the intensifying trade war, China has not seen a rush of capital flight, thanks to capital controls put in place during the last economic downturn and growing foreign inflows into Chinese stocks and bonds.", "The U.S. Treasury Department designated China as a currency manipulator on Monday afternoon, after the yuan’s value against the dollar fell below a “line in the sand” and intensified trade tensions. In a statement, the Treasury Department said Secretary Steve Mnuchin, “under the auspices of President Trump,” has determined that China is a currency manipulator. “As a result of this determination, Secretary Mnuchin will engage with the International Monetary Fund to eliminate the unfair competitive advantage created by China’s latest actions,” the Treasury department said, explaining: “In recent days, China has taken concrete steps to devalue its currency, while maintaining substantial foreign exchange reserves despite active use of such tools in the past. The context of these actions and the implausibility of China’s market stability rationale confirm that the purpose of China’s currency devaluation is to gain unfair competitive advantage in international trade.” China’s currency weakened early Monday, trading at more than 7 yuan per U.S. dollar for the first time in more than a decade. The perceived willingness by China to use the yuan as a trade weapon led to a huge selloff on Wall Street, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 falling almost 3%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite slid 3.5%.Market Pulse Stories are Rapid-fire, short news bursts on stocks and markets as they move. Visit MarketWatch.com for more information on this news.", "WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Formally declaring China a currency manipulator may scratch a long-term itch for U.S. President Donald Trump, but the move provides few new tools that have not already been employed in two years of trade negotiations with Beijing.\n\nU.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin issued the declaration late on Monday, after China's central bank let the yuan slip below the psychologically important level of seven yuan to the dollar.\n\nThe move marks the first manipulator designation since 1994, when China was declared a manipulator.\n\nThe main purpose of such designations under a 1988 U.S. currency law was to force negotiations with the offending country over their foreign exchange practices, but the United States and China have been locked in comprehensive trade negotiations -- including on currency issues -- for more than two years without result.\n\nIt is difficult to see how a designation will change the situation other than fanning trade and currency war flames, said Mark Sobel, a former senior U.S. Treasury and IMF official who worked on monetary issues.\n\n\"There's not much here. The remedies are very weak and the IMF already said what it thinks about the yuan,\" said Sobel, who now works with the Official Monetary and Financial Institutions Forum, a London-based think tank.\n\nThe IMF said last month that the yuan's valuation was in line with China's softer economic fundamentals, though the dollar was overvalued by 6% to 12%.\n\nWHAT HAPPENS NEXT\n\nIf a country is found to be manipulating its currency for a trade advantage, Treasury is required by law to enter bilateral negotiations with that country or work through the International Monetary Fund to correct the situation. The aim is to eliminate any unfair advantage brought on by the unfairly devalued currency.\n\nIf no solution can be found, the president can impose various penalties such as banning Overseas Private Investment Corp financing in that country or excluding it from U.S. government procurement contracts.\n\nChina is neither a major recipient of government contracts nor financing from OPIC, which is positioning itself with $60 billion in new funding to better compete with China's own Belt and Road infrastructure development initiative.\n\nTrump promised during his 2016 election campaign that he would declare China a currency manipulator on \"day one\" of his presidency. But for over two years, Mnuchin declined to do so in the Treasury's semi-annual currency reports, relying on criteria that showed China's global current account surplus was shrinking and that the yuan level was largely stable after a major drop in 2015.\n\nIn May, China was again spared a manipulator designation, even with tighter new criteria specifying that global current account surpluses should not exceed 2% of gross domestic product as trade talks continued.\n\nEven during the mid-2000s, when China's yuan was widely viewed to be significantly undervalued and its current account surplus approached 10% of GDP, the United States refrained from a currency manipulator designation.\n\nAt the time, China and the George W. Bush administration were already engaged in bilateral talks on currency and other broad trade and economic reform issues called the Strategic Economic Dialogue. The dialogue was continued and renamed under President Barack Obama and has since been derided by Trump as ineffective.\n\nWhen the U.S. Congress first enacted a currency review law in 1988, there were few international forums for resolving such disputes, well before the launch of the World Trade Organization. The Treasury declared Taiwan and South Korea manipulators that year, and slapped China with such a declaration in 1994.\n\nA report by the U.S. congressional Government Accountability office found that all three countries in subsequent negotiations with the United States made substantial reforms to their foreign exchange regimes and saw the manipulator designation lifted.\n\nChina unified its dual exchange rate system in 1994 after the last designation, and has since pegged the value of its currency to the U.S. dollar.", "The U.S. and China just opened an explosive new front in their broadening economic confrontation: a currency war.\n\nChina allowed the value of its tightly controlled currency to fall to an 11-year low Monday, a move that threatens to hurt American producers by making their products more expensive for Chinese customers.\n\nThe Treasury Department retaliated late Monday afternoon by designating China a “currency manipulator,” a rare label it has only slapped on foreign countries a few times.\n\nThe twin actions were widely seen as a major escalation of the U.S.-China trade war. Analysts and economists said they fear severe economic consequences for both countries, as the moves are seen as likely to lead to additional trade restrictions that could slow growth.\n\n“It could get very serious if trade tensions between China and the U.S. morph into a currency war,” said Eswar Prasad, a professor of trade policy at Cornell University. “This could lead the U.S. to essentially shut down all imports from China.”\n\nThe latest feud kicked off last week when Trump announced that he would impose 10 percent tariffs on an additional $300 billion in Chinese imports, citing a breakdown in negotiations with China’s government.\n\nChina responded Monday by allowing its currency to fall to an 11-year low, crossing the threshold of 7 yuan (or renminbi as the currency is also known) per-dollar, a level not seen since the Great Recession. The falling value of the Chinese currency rippled through the global economy, leading to steep losses on Wall Street and rattling investors.\n\nTrump lashed out against China over the decline, accusing Beijing of “currency manipulation.” A statement by the Treasury Department said Mnucin has “today determined that China is a currency manipulator.”\n\n“China dropped the price of their currency to an almost a historic low. It’s called ‘currency manipulation,’” the president said on twitter. “Are you listening Federal Reserve? This is a major violation which will greatly weaken China over time!”\n\nSome leading Congressional Democrats have backed the president in raising that concern, with Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) calling on the administration to label China a currency manipulator, according to Bloomberg.\n\nThe fight over China’s economy poses several risks, from exacerbating America’s trade deficit to slowing down both nation’s economies.\n\nWidening America’s trade deficit. As a candidate and in the White House, Trump has made reducing America’s trade deficit with China -- the amount by which U.S. imports to China exceeds its exports -- a central priority of his administration.\n\nBut earlier this year, the U.S. posted an approximately $900 billion trade deficit, setting a new record. America’s trade deficit with China is projected to balloon over the next several years, said Robert Scott, an economic expert at the Economic Policy Institute, a left-leaning think-tank. The value of the dollar has already been rising since last year.\n\nThe depreciation in China’s currency means American manufacturers will have an even harder time selling their products to China and in other markets where Chinese producers compete, experts say, further widening the nation’s trade deficit.\n\n“If China continues to devalue its currency, it will continue to make the trade deficit worse -- even if the tariffs reduce imports,” Scott said. “That will be more than offset by the competitiveness of Chinese exports and everywhere we compete.”\n\nSevere retaliation from the U.S. The U.S. last named China a currency manipulator in the early 1990s, and has not applied that designation since. In May, a Treasury Department report identified several red flags but stopped short of designating China a currency manipulator.\n\nUnder the designation, America could impose much more significant tariffs on China than it has so far -- which could trigger further retaliation from China.\n\n“The U.S. could use the designation as a means to impose unilateral punitive tariffs,\" Prasad said. \"And it would certainly also provide justification and political cover for more tariffs.”\n\nAmerica may also appeal to the World Trade Organization for a crackdown on China, or successfully rally international allies to restrict trade with China.\n\n“There’s a risk now they view the currency depreciation as an act of economic aggression and decides to further increase the economic hostility against China,” Prasad said.\n\nA drop in global demand. But the most dangerous potential consequence of a currency battle would be a slowing of overall economic growth in the U.S. and China, at a time when analysts already fear a global slowdown could push the U.S. into a recession.\n\nChina’s growth has already slowed. A depreciation in the Chinese currency could hurt European manufacturers who compete with Chinese products, which could hurt those countries’ economies at a vulnerable time. Already, Wall Street saw its worst day of 2019 with a massive sell-off, while volatility indexes soared and all 11 stock market sectors Monday were in the red.\n\n“The financial instability associated with the trade wars will increase uncertainty and hurt confidence and investment, which can have a bigger impact on the US economy,” said Mark Sobel, a former Treasury official.\n\nThe potential for higher tariffs and a devaluation of currencies has echoes of the steps that led to the Great Depression in the 1930′s, said Steven Charles Kyle, an economics professor at Cornell University.\n\n“We don’t want to be even on the first step of this path. This is EXACTLY what happened as the Great Depression really got going in the 1930s: Everyone erected high tariff barriers and tried to out-compete their trading partners in devaluing (depreciating) their currencies,” Kyle said in an email. “A few years of that and world trade ground to a near total halt.”"], "summary": "China lets its currency drop to its lowest reported level since 2008 and also asks its state-owned companies to halt imports of U.S. agricultural products. In response the U.S. Treasury Department designates China as a currency manipulator."}
{"document": ["Image copyright Rebecca Black/pa\n\nAccountancy firm BDO has been appointed administrators to Harland and Wolff, a spokesman for the Belfast shipyard has said.\n\nAn insolvency request is expected to be filed at the High Court in Belfast on Tuesday.\n\nThe move puts 120 jobs at risk and could spell the end of the iconic firm, best known for building the Titanic.\n\nUnion sources said staff were given redundancy notices saying the business will cease trading on Monday evening.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The history of the Belfast shipyard\n\nA week ago, workers said they had taken control of the site and established a rota to ensure their protest continued around the clock.\n\nAfter the administrators were appointed on Monday, workers said their protest would continue.\n\nAt a press conference, trade unionists representing staff warned they will stand against the DUP in a forthcoming general election if the party does not do more to support workers.\n\nImage copyright Pacemaker Image caption Unions representing H&W workers held a press conference on Monday\n\nHarland and Wolff's best known vessel is the Titanic, which was built at the yard between 1909 and 1911.\n\nAt its height, Harland and Wolff employed more than 30,000 people.\n\nThe firm had been up for sale amid serious financial problems at its Norwegian owner.\n\nUnions representing workers have called for the shipyard to be nationalised, arguing that it would be cheaper for the government to keep the shipyard open.\n\nHowever, the government has said the crisis is \"ultimately a commercial issue\".\n\n'No order book'\n\nEast Belfast MP Gavin Robinson, from the DUP, said officials had advised against government intervention.\n\n\"We've pulled all the political levers that we can,\" he told the BBC's Good Morning Ulster programme.\n\nImage caption DUP MP Gavin Robinson said government intervention would conflict with state aid rules\n\nThe MP said Harland and Wolff had asked the government for shortfall funding of £650,000, which would have given the company \"breathing space\" for the month of August \"so that they could explore other options\".\n\nBut he added: \"The official advice is that it cannot be done for three reasons: there is no order book at present so the money would be going in with no generation of product or profit; and there was no ability to secure the loans or pay them back; and it would also conflict with state aid rules.\"\n\nShadow Chancellor John McDonnell said Labour would have nationalised the shipyard and he accused the government of betraying the workers.\n\nImage caption John McDonnell said Harland and Wolff could win future Navy contracts\n\nMr McDonnell, who visited Harland and Wolff staff in Belfast on Monday, said the shipyard has the potential for future work.\n\nHe said he saw no reason why naval ships could not be built in Belfast in the future, in order to maintain the skills and capacity at Harland and Wolff.\n\nWarships\n\nThe Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) said the shipyard \"should be returned to the people\".\n\n\"The entire trade union movement across these islands stands as one with the workers at the shipyard,\" said ICTU assistant general secretary, Owen Reidy.\n\nImage copyright fox photos/getty images Image caption The HMS Eagle was launched by Princess Elizabeth in March 1946\n\nProlific builder of ocean liners\n\nThe shipyard was founded in 1861 by Yorkshireman Edward Harland and a German, Gustav Wolff.\n\nBy the early 20th Century, it was the world's most prolific builder of ocean liners.\n\nIt was one of Northern Ireland's key industrial assets during World War Two, producing 140 warships, 123 merchant ships and more than 500 tanks.\n\nIts workforce reached a peak in the post-war years when it employed about 35,000 people.\n\nBy the late 1950s, the yard was facing increased global competition and the impact of the rise of air travel.\n\nImage copyright Ron Case/getty images Image caption The Canberra was built for P&O to sail between London and Sydney\n\nThe launch of the Canberra in 1960 marked the last cruise liner to be built in Belfast.\n\nBy the mid-1960s the business was in serious decline.\n\nAt one stage in 1966, the management went to the old Stormont government and pleaded for a subsidy because it did not have enough money to cover the next pay day.\n\nThat was the start of more than 30 years of subsidies, during which about £1bn of taxpayers' money was pumped into Harland and Wolff to keep it afloat.\n\nThe firm was nationalised in 1975 with the Northern Ireland Office minister, Stan Orme, describing the business as having \"a sorry financial record\".\n\nImage copyright Peter Macdiarmid/getty images Image caption Much of the shipyard's work in recent years has been in the construction of offshore wind turbines\n\nBy that stage it was still employing about 10,000 people.\n\nIt returned to private ownership in 1989 through a management-employee buyout, backed by the Norwegian industrialist Fred Olsen.\n\nIt increasingly focused on the oil and gas sectors, but struggled to compete against major shipbuilders in east Asia.\n\nImage copyright Getty Images Image caption The Anvil Point beneath the Harland and Wolff cranes after it was built in 2003\n\nThe yard built its last ship in 2003 - a Ministry of Defence ferry called the Anvil Point.\n\nSince then, it has worked on other areas of marine engineering such as oil rig refurbishment and offshore wind turbines.\n\nWhat happens now?\n\nThe administrators will try to restart a sales process.\n\nThere is likely to be some interest. The Newry firm, MJM, that specialises in ship fitout, is a potential bidder.\n\nAt least one property company is also interested in the business.\n\nBut the future is not bright for the workforce, even if the business is sold to a new industrial operator.", "BELFAST'S historic Harland and Wolff shipyard is being placed into administration today as 130 employees are given redundancy notices.\n\nThe shipyard, which is where the Titanic was built between 1909 and 1911, has been struggling in recent years due to stiff competition from abroad.\n\nIt is understood that the iconic firm, which once employed 30,000 people will file for insolvency tomorrow at the High Court in Belfast.\n\nThe company’s Norwegian owner, Dolphin Drilling, filed for bankruptcy in June and put the Belfast shipyard up for sale.\n\nThe company’s yellow cranes – named Samson and Goliath – dominate Belfast’s skyline but the workforce at the yard has declined from a peak of more than 35,000 in the 1920s to only 130 - as Northern Ireland’s shipbuilding industry has all but disappeared.\n\nThe yard, which now focuses on repair work on ships and oil rigs as well as wind turbines, made a loss of £5.8m (€6.3m) in 2016 – the last year for which it filed accounts – compared with a profit of £1.1m (€1.2) in 2015.\n\nA spokesman for Harland and Wolff who confirmed the news today said: “There has been a series of board meetings, the result of which is that administrators will be appointed over the course of the day.”\n\nIt is understood that trade unions representing the firm's employees met with administrators today arguing that it is cheaper for the government to keep the shipyard open.\n\nAn employee who has been with Harland and Wolff for the last 37 years said the company is a crucial part of the city's history.\n\nRobert Walker said: \"I’ve worked for this company for 37 years now and it’s absolutely in my blood. It’s in my blood; it’s in Belfast’s DNA. This city was built around this company. It would be a terrible shame for us to lose it.\"", "A iconic piece of the United Kingdom's industrial heritage is set to be lost forever today when the Belfast shipyard which built the Titanic closes its massive steel gates for the final time after 130 years.\n\nHarland and Wolff, founded in 1861 and one of Northern Ireland's most historic brands, is set to fold after its trouble-hit Norwegian parent company Dolphin Drilling failed to find a buyer.\n\nIts mighty 300ft-tall yellow gantry cranes, named after Biblical fighters Samson and Goliath, have towered over the Belfast skyline since their construction in the late 1960s and in its heyday the dock employed close to 35,000 workers.\n\nIt launched the White Star Line's other Olympic Class liners - the Olympic and the Britannic - as well as HMS Belfast, the Royal Navy cruiser which now lies at anchor as a museum near Tower Bridge in London.\n\nBut after decades of decline of heavy industry across the UK, and having narrowly missed out on the contract to build the Queen Mary II in 2003, the dock has struggled to remain viable despite diversifying into wind energy and marine engineering projects. \n\n\n\nA well-publicised campaign by the GMB union on behalf of the 125 remaining staff called on the government to 'save our shipyard', but despite a week-long occupation of the site by staff facing redundancy the famous yard is due to cease trading at 5.15pm this afternoon.\n\nThe shipbuilder diversified away from shipbuilding in the last two decades and until recently had primarily worked on wind energy and marine engineering projects.\n\nFamed for building the doomed White Star liner Titanic, which sank on its maiden transatlantic voyage in 1912 after striking an iceberg, Harland and Wolff was one of the UK's key industrial producers during the Second World War, supplying almost 150 warships.\n\nIt also built the SS Canberra, the mighty cruise liner which was used as a troop transport to ferry British soldiers to the Falkland Islands during the 1982 conflict.\n\nWorkers have called on the Government to step in to rescue the operation, potentially through nationalisation.\n\nBut the Government has declined to intervene, insisting the issue is a commercial one.\n\nOfficials insist that EU State Aid rules limit the scope to offer financial support through public funds.\n\nSpeculation around potential eleventh-hour bidders has so far proved unfounded, with no-one tabling an offer to stave off administration.\n\nWorkers are due to meet this afternoon when they will decide whether to continue the occupation and prevent administrators accessing the site.\n\nThis morning administrators arrived for a meeting with workers, who have maintained a round-the-clock demonstration at the gates of the historic shipyard for a week in hopes of a last-minute deal to save it.\n\nWith just hours to go until trading is due to officially cease at 5.15pm, workers are holding meetings with the administrators and later with DUP leader Arlene Foster at Stormont.\n\nThey will also meet DUP leader Arlene Foster at Stormont to discuss the situation.\n\nBarry Reid, shop steward with the GMB union and a Harland and Wolff steel worker, questioned the contention that EU state aid rules prevented Government intervention.\n\n'It's a waiting game today, we are waiting to hear news,' he said.\n\n'The Government keeps quoting European law – that's all we get out of them, European law. It's very strange when on October 31 we are out of Europe, so why are they hiding behind European law when they don't want to believe in European law?'\n\nUlster Unionist MLA Andy Allen has been at the gates of Harland and Wolff where workers are maintaining their week-long demonstration and said it is not too late for a last-minute rescue for the shipyard.\n\n'We're heading towards the final hours but it's still not too late to deliver a solution for the workforce,' he said.\n\n'We have seen empty platitudes from the Government so far, they need to step up to the mark, they really need to take this by the mantle and deliver for this workforce, the Secretary of State hiding behind Europe and the Prime Minister not coming out and delivering for this workforce will have a massive impact and massive ramification for the wider community here in east Belfast, but not only east Belfast, right across Northern Ireland.\n\n'We as politicians need to step up to the mark, I've said before I believe it is a dereliction of duty that we are not up there in the Assembly delivering for the men and women of the shipyard and the rest of the manufacturing industry right across Northern Ireland and indeed every family, we have 125,000 people on the hospital waiting list and we are failing them. It is not acceptable.'", "The Belfast shipyard famous for building the Titanic is set to go into administration later.\n\nHarland and Wolff, one of Northern Ireland’s most historic brands, is facing closure after its trouble-hit Norwegian parent company Dolphin Drilling failed to find a buyer.\n\nWorkers have occupied the site since last Monday as part of a high-profile campaign to save the yard, which is due to formally cease trading at 5.15pm on Monday.\n\nThe shipbuilder, whose famous yellow cranes Samson and Goliath dominate the Belfast skyline, employed more than 30,000 people during Belfast’s industrial heyday, but now the workforce only numbers around 125.\n\nIt has diversified away from shipbuilding in the last two decades and until recently had primarily worked on wind energy and marine engineering projects.\n\nFamed for building the doomed White Star liner Titanic, which sank on its maiden transatlantic voyage in 1912 after striking an iceberg, Harland and Wolff was one of the UK’s key industrial producers during the Second World War, supplying almost 150 warships.\n\nWorkers have called on the Government to step in to rescue the operation, potentially through nationalisation.\n\nBut the Government has declined to intervene, insisting the issue is a commercial one.\n\nOfficials insist that EU State Aid rules limit the scope to offer financial support through public funds.\n\nSpeculation around potential eleventh-hour bidders has so far proved unfounded, with no-one tabling an offer to stave off administration.\n\nWorkers are due to meet this afternoon when they will decide whether to continue the occupation and prevent administrators accessing the site.\n\nThey will also meet DUP leader Arlene Foster at Stormont to discuss the situation.\n\nBarry Reid, shop steward with the GMB union and a Harland and Wolff steel worker, questioned the contention that EU state aid rules prevented Government intervention.\n\n“It’s a waiting game today, we are waiting to hear news,” he said.\n\n“The Government keeps quoting European law – that’s all we get out of them, European law. It’s very strange when on October 31 we are out of Europe, so why are they hiding behind European law when they don’t want to believe in European law?”", "BELFAST — The Belfast shipyard that built the Titanic, Harland and Wolff, will be placed into administration, a form of bankruptcy protection, on Monday, a spokesman for the firm said.\n\n“There has been a series of board meetings the result of which is that administrators will be appointed over the course of the day,” the spokesman said.", "For more than 150 years, it has played a key part in the maritime, economic and cultural story of these islands.\n\nAs of 5.15pm yesterday, however, Harland & Wolff ceased to exist as a company.\n\nOnce the greatest shipyard in the world — producing some of the most famous ships in British history — the Belfast institution had seen its workforce dwindle from 35,000 to just 125 employees.\n\nThey have now received redundancy notices and, this morning, the firm of accountants appointed as administrators, BDO, will file for insolvency.\n\nThough the company had been in steady decline for the past half a century — and had not made a ship for more than 15 years — it had been attempting to reposition itself as a force in the offshore energy sector.\n\nHowever, having spent nine months seeking a buyer, its Norwegian owners, Dolphin Drilling (part of the Fred Olsen empire), have given up.\n\nThe two giant ‘H & W’ yellow dockyard cranes — known as ‘Samson’ and ‘Goliath’ — may be to Belfast what the Eiffel Tower is to Paris.\n\nAs of today, however, they merely serve as memorials to the days when the city was the engine room of the British Empire.\n\nAs the Financial Times recorded in March 1914, Belfast was then ‘the premier shipbuilding centre of the entire world’.\n\nAnd it owed its global pre-eminence to a partnership formed in 1861 between Yorkshire-born Edward Harland (a former apprentice to George Stephenson, ‘father of the railways’) and Hamburg-born shipbuilder Gustav Wolff (who went on to become a Tory MP).\n\nThrough innovations such as iron decking and broader hulls, the company developed a reputation for building stronger, larger vessels, culminating in a fleet of ocean liners — including the Olympic, the Britannic and the Titanic.\n\nThe sinking of the latter, in 1912, was one of the greatest disasters in maritime history. Yet it did nothing to dent the prestige of Belfast or of its most famous employer.\n\nThat same year, Harland & Wolff acquired new yards in Govan, Liverpool and Southampton, while the Observer editor, James Garvin, noted: ‘Belfast has never been more prosperous, more progressive and more proud of itself.’\n\nHaving played a key part in warship production during World War I, Harland & Wolff branched out into aircraft production in the Thirties and was central to efforts during World War II.\n\nAs well as producing more than 130 warships, and several aircraft carriers and the cruiser, HMS Belfast — still moored in pride of place next to London’s Tower Bridge — the workforce also manufactured Stirling bombers and hundreds of Churchill tanks.\n\nThis prodigious output came at a price. In 1941, Harland & Wolff was the principal target of the Belfast Blitz. On April 15, 932 people were killed and 50,000 homes were destroyed.\n\nNo city outside London — not even Coventry — suffered such losses in a single night. Since there had been no widespread evacuation programme, many of the dead were children.\n\nCome peacetime, the company gradually began to lose its pre-eminence as British shipbuilding was overtaken by cheaper, more efficient rivals.\n\nEven so, it was Harland & Wolff which produced one of the great post-war liners, P&O’s Canberra, in 1960.\n\nHaving featured in the James Bond film, Diamonds Are Forever, she is best-remembered for her role as a troopship in the Falklands War, serving in the thick of the action.\n\nAs Northern Ireland suffered from the Troubles, so, too, did the shipyard. Historically, Harland & Wolff had always maintained a predominantly Protestant workforce.\n\nLinks between the yard, the Democratic Unionist Party and the Orange Order were strong, unambiguous and the source of frequent charges of sectarianism.\n\nFor their part, Unionists pointed out that the workforce had also included Joe Cahill, a convicted murderer who went on to be the IRA’s chief of staff.\n\nThe company was nationalised in 1977 and then returned to private hands in 1989 following its sale to a consortium made up of management, the workforce and Norway’s Fred Olsen shipping empire.\n\nWith the largest dry dock in Europe, it focused on a new range of ships for the oil industry and the Royal Navy. However, it proved hard enough to compete with British rivals, let alone the wider world.\n\nIn 2000, H&W pinned its hopes on the contract to build the new Queen Mary 2 for Cunard, only to lose out to the French.\n\nThe last of more than 300 ships to bear the imprimatur of Harland & Wolff was a roll-on/roll-off ferry commissioned by the Ministry of Defence.\n\nCalled the MV Anvil Point, it left the yard in 2003. The company continued to seek new contracts repairing other ships and servicing the increasingly lucrative renewable energy market.\n\nLast year, it was involved in assembling wind turbines for the North Sea. But it was not enough.\n\nDespite the latest demands for emergency government intervention, the gates have now closed.\n\n‘People will not be surprised but they will be wistful,’ says the Belfast-born historian and academic Lord Bew, 69, recalling that his parents were both GPs with thousands of their patients employed at the shipyard.\n\n‘When I was growing up, the very idea of Belfast without shipyards was unthinkable.’\n\nIn his book, Auld Hands, former H&W employee Tom Thompson recounts the lively culture of the shipyard and some of the famous people connected to it. The singer, Van Morrison, grew up in the shadow of Harland & Wolff where his father, George, worked as an electrician.\n\nOur most famous flautist, Sir James Galway, is the son of an H&W riveter, ‘Jimbo’ Galway, a well-known local musician in his day.\n\nAnother riveter, Bob Bishop, was responsible for discovering a promising young Manchester United footballer called George Best.\n\nIronically, despite the company’s many triumphs, it is Harland & Wolff’s greatest disaster for which it is best remembered.\n\nThe old shipyard district has been rebranded as ‘The Titanic Quarter’, complete with museum and packed waterfront restaurants.\n\nThanks to the enduring appeal of the 1997 Hollywood blockbuster, the Titanic story continues to draw hundreds of thousands of visitors every year.\n\nLast month, the city’s port and tourism authorities jointly pulled off one of the great public relations masterstrokes of modern times: opening a new purpose-built cruise ship terminal on a site dedicated to the worst cruise ship tragedy of all time.\n\nSo, Harland & Wolff may sadly be no more. But as the Oscar-winning theme tune goes: ‘My Heart Will Go On . . .’", "Cables are strewn over the ground in front of the Samson Crane at the Harland and Wolff shipyard after workers voted to continue their occupation of the shipyard, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Monday Aug. 5, 2019. Harland and Wolff, which is one of Northern Ireland’s most historic brands with credits including for building the RMS Titanic, is facing closure after its trouble-hit Norwegian parent company Dolphin Drilling failed to find a buyer. (Liam McBurney/PA via AP)\n\nLONDON (AP) — Belfast-based consultancy BDO Northern Ireland Partners says it will oversee the administration of the shipyard that built the Titanic after the firm ran out of money.\n\nHarland and Wolff appointed BDO as administrators after its Norwegian parent company, Dolphin Drilling, failed to find a buyer following its insolvency.\n\nThe Belfast shipyard was best known for constructing the doomed White Star liner that sank in 1912 after hitting an iceberg. It once boasted a workforce of 30,000, but now employs about 125, though it supported hundreds of other jobs in its supply chain.\n\nIn recent years, it has worked on wind energy and marine engineering projects.\n\nBDO said Tuesday it is engaging immediately with employees and stakeholders “to take all necessary steps to ensure they are supported throughout the administration process.”", "The Belfast shipyard where the Titanic was built is expected to fall into administration later on Monday.\n\nThe Harland and Wolff shipyard employed 30,000 people at its peak and is closely associated with the city’s industrial past. It remains one of Europe's largest heavy engineering facilities.\n\nThe current Norwegian owners had been seeking a buyer but the business is now expected to fall into administration with the risk of closure.\n\nFounded in 1861, the shipyard is most famous for building the Titanic between 1909 and 1911. During World War II it produced hundreds of war ships, merchant vessels and tanks.\n\nIt last built a ship in 2003. It operations have been challenged for decades by increasing...", "Cables are strewn over the ground in front of the Samson Crane at the Harland and Wolff shipyard after workers voted to continue their occupation of the shipyard, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Monday Aug. 5, 2019. Harland and Wolff, which is one of Northern Ireland’s most historic brands with credits including for building the RMS Titanic, is facing closure after its trouble-hit Norwegian parent company Dolphin Drilling failed to find a buyer. (Liam McBurney/PA via AP)\n\nLONDON (AP) — The Belfast shipyard that built the Titanic has called in administrators after last-ditch efforts failed to rescue a company that had once typified Britain’s industrial might.\n\nHarland and Wolff appointed BDO as administrators after its Norwegian parent company, Dolphin Drilling, failed to find a buyer, union officials said. An insolvency hearing is set for Tuesday.\n\nThe shipyard was best known for constructing the doomed White Star liner, Titanic, which sank on its maiden trans-Atlantic voyage in 1912 after striking an iceberg. But the firm was one of U.K.’s key industrial producers during World War II, building some 150 ships. Its massive yellow cranes, Samson and Goliath, are considered landmarks of Belfast — a point of pride.\n\nIt once boasted a workforce of 30,000, but now employs only about 125, though it supported hundreds of other jobs in its supply chain.\n\nShipyard workers vowed to occupy the shipyard until heavy industry and shipbuilding could be secured, but the government so far has declined to intervene. Union officials blame Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his Conservative government, accusing them of having no coherent plan to safeguard manufacturing jobs.\n\n“The future of Harland and Wolff is more than a ‘commercial issue’ that the prime minister can stand by and do nothing about,” said Michael Mulholland, an organizer for the GMB union. “But we will not give up on this famous shipyard. The occupation will continue and our battle will continue.”\n\nIn recent years, the shipyard has diversified to work on cruise liner retrofits and wind energy projects.\n\nThis story has corrected the spelling of Samson.", "The iconic Belfast shipyard Harland and Wolff, which built the Titanic, is going into administration on Monday.\n\n[BELFAST] The iconic Belfast shipyard Harland and Wolff, which built the Titanic, is going into administration on Monday.\n\n\"There has been a series of board meetings the result of which is that administrators will be appointed over the course of the day,\" said a spokesman for the shipbuilder.\n\nDemocratic Unionist Party lawmaker Gavin Robinson earlier told BBC Radio Ulster that a short-term solution \"seems increasingly unlikely\" and that \"we've pulled all the political levers that we can.\"\n\nThe shipyard is due to formally cease trading at 5.15pm (1615 GMT) on Monday.\n\nDolphin Drilling, the Norwegian parent of Harland and Wolff, is struggling to find a buyer for the giant of Northern Ireland's industrial past, whose huge yellow cranes have towered over the Belfast skyline for decades.\n\nThe shipbuilder employed more than 30,000 people in the early 20th century, but now has only 130 workers.\n\nMany of them have protested at the site since last week in a bid to save the yard, calling for the government to intervene amid rumours of last-minute buyouts.\n\n\"It's a waiting game today, we are waiting to hear news,\" said Barry Reid, shop steward with the GMB union.\n\nAs well as building the doomed Titanic, which sank in 1912, Harland and Wolff supplied almost 150 warships during World War II.\n\nIt has since moved away from shipbuilding and was until recently working mostly on wind energy and marine engineering projects."], "summary": "Harland and Wolff, known for constructing several famous ships, including the RMS Titanic and HMS Belfast, collapses into administration. All 130 employees have been given redundancy notices, and the company is expected to cease trading after 158 years."}
{"document": ["The bus fell into a ravine on Sunday night (Representational)\n\nA bus carrying volunteer doctors from La Paz towards the north of Bolivia crashed leaving 14 dead and 21 injured, the La Paz local government said on Monday.\n\nThe doctors were part of the MedFund foundation based in La Paz and were heading to five villages in the region around Apolo to the north of La Paz.\n\nAccording to reports, the bus fell into a ravine on Sunday night close to Charazani, around 250 kilometers to the north of La Paz.\n\nAmongst the dead were 11 woman, according to Daniel Quelca, the health service co-ordinator for the Apolobamba region.\n\nBolivia has a sorry record when it comes to highway safety, and crashes involving buses travelling at night are common.\n\nThe worst accident this year came in April when 25 people died when a head-on collision between two vehicles sent a bus crashing into a ravine to the north of La Paz.\n\nIn February, 24 people died in an accident between a bus and a truck in Oruro.\n\nAnd in January, 34 people died over a weekend in two separate incidents, the first a collision between two buses on the road between the southern regions of Oruro and Potosi, and the second when a bus careered over a cliff edge near the capital Sucre, in the center-south of the country.\n\nBolivia's authorities have shown little appetite to tackle the problem, with President Evo Morales writing on Twitter after the April accident: \"To our brother drivers we ask you to always be very careful.\"\n\nGet Breaking news, live coverage, and Latest News from India and around the world on NDTV.com. Catch all the Live TV action on NDTV 24x7 and NDTV India. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagram for latest news and live news updates.", "A bus carrying volunteer doctors from La Paz towards the north of Bolivia crashed leaving 14 dead and 21 injured, the La Paz local government said on Monday\n\nLa Paz, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - APP - 5th Aug, 2019 ) :A bus carrying volunteer doctors from La Paz towards the north of Bolivia crashed leaving 14 dead and 21 injured , the La Paz local government said on Monday.\n\nThe doctors were part of the MedFund foundation based in La Paz and were heading to five villages in the region around Apolo to the north of La Paz.\n\nAccording to reports, the bus fell into a ravine on Sunday night close to Charazani, around 250 kilometers (150 miles) to the north of La Paz.\n\nAmongst the dead were 11 woman, according to Daniel Quelca, the health service co-ordinator for the Apolobamba region.\n\nBolivia has a sorry record when it comes to highway safety, and crashes involving buses travelling at night are common.\n\nThe worst accident this year came in April when 25 people died when a head-on collision between two vehicles sent a bus crashing into a ravine to the north of La Paz.\n\nIn February, 24 people died in an accident between a bus and a truck in Oruro.\n\nAnd in January, 34 people died over a weekend in two separate incidents, the first a collision between two buses on the road between the southern regions of Oruro and Potosi, and the second when a bus careered over a cliff edge near the capital Sucre, in the center-south of the country.\n\nBolivia's authorities have shown little appetite to tackle the problem, with President Evo Morales writing on Twitter after the April accident: \"To our brother drivers we ask you to always be very careful.\"", "LA PAZ: A bus carrying volunteer doctors from La Paz towards the north of Bolivia crashed leaving 14 dead and 21 injured, the La Paz local government said on Monday.\n\n\n\nThe doctors were part of the MedFund foundation based in La Paz and were heading to five villages in the region around Apolo to the north of La Paz.\n\nAccording to reports, the bus fell into a ravine on Sunday night close to Charazani, around 250 kilometers (150 miles) to the north of La Paz.\n\nBolivia has a sorry record when it comes to highway safety, and crashes involving buses travelling at night are common.\n\n\n\nThe worst accident this year came in April when 25 people died when a head-on collision between two vehicles sent a bus crashing into a ravine to the north of La Paz.\n\nIn February, 24 people died in an accident between a bus and a truck in Oruro.\n\nAnd in January, 34 people died over a weekend in two separate incidents, the first a collision between two buses on the road between the southern regions of Oruro and Potosi, and the second when a bus careered over a cliff edge near the capital Sucre, in the center-south of the country.\n\nBolivia´s authorities have shown little appetite to tackle the problem, with President Evo Morales writing on Twitter after the April accident: \"To our brother drivers we ask you to always be very careful.\"", "LA PAZ: A bus carrying volunteer doctors from La Paz towards the north of Bolivia crashed leaving 14 dead and 21 injured, the La Paz local government said on Monday.\n\nThe doctors were part of the MedFund foundation based in La Paz and were heading to five villages in the region around Apolo to the north of La Paz.According to reports, the bus fell into a ravine on Sunday night close to Charazani, around 250 kilometres to the north of La Paz. Amongst the dead were 11 woman, according to Daniel Quelca, the health service co-ordinator for the Apolobamba region.Bolivia has a sorry record when it comes to highway safety, and crashes involving buses travelling at night are common.\n\nThe worst accident this year came in April when 25 people died when a head-on collision between two vehicles sent a bus crashing into a ravine to the north of La Paz. In February, 24 people died in an accident between a bus and a truck in Oruro. And in January, 34 people died over a weekend in two separate incidents, the first a collision between two buses on the road between the southern regions of Oruro and Potosi.", "The United States on Monday returned to Bolivia the mummy of an eight-year-old girl from the country's Inca period after it had been in the possession of a US museum for 129 years.\n\nThe mummy - which was delivered to the Bolivian Culture Ministry - was presented at a ceremony at the Foreign Ministry in La Paz, where Bolivian Foreign Minister Diego Pary and Culture Minister Wilma Alanoca signed a delivery agreement for assorted cultural items returned by the United States, Argentina and Chile."], "summary": "A bus carrying volunteer doctors from La Paz towards the north of Bolivia crashed, leaving 14 dead and 21 injured."}
{"document": ["The local government administration in Russia's Krasnoyarsk region said on August 6 that explosions at an ammunition depot have stopped, the TASS news agency reported.\n\n\n\n\"About two hours ago, we still heard the explosions. Not anymore. Explosions have stopped,\" the administration said.\n\n\n\nTwelve people were hospitalized after a series of blasts rocked an arms depot on August 5 at a Russian military base in Siberia, prompting a mass evacuation of residents within a 20-kilometer radius.\n\n\n\nRussia's Defense Ministry said on August 5 that it had sent 14 remote-controlled robots to help fight the fire at the Krasnoyarsk Territory Arsenal.\n\n\n\nLocal officials in the Achinsk district of Russia’s Krasnoyarsk region say 11,000 people were evacuated from neighborhoods.\n\n\n\nPhotographs of the incident showed a huge explosion on the horizon with flames leaping into the sky followed by belching black smoke.\n\n\n\nRusal, the world's largest aluminum producer outside China, said it had suspended operations at its aluminum plant in the Achinsk district and evacuated all but essential staff as a safety precaution.\n\n\n\nThe refinery is located about 30 kilometers from the military base where the explosions occurred.\n\nBased on reporting by Reuters, AFP, AP, Interfax, and TASS", "Eight people have been injured after explosions at a Russian military ammunition depot in Siberia prompted thousands of workers and nearby residents to evacuate.\n\nA fire triggered the explosions at a storage facility for gunpowder charges near the city of Achinsk in eastern Siberia.\n\nAuthorities declared a state of emergency in the region and ordered the evacuation of residents of several districts in Achinsk, as well as towns and villages within 20 kilometres (12.4 miles) of the depot.", "A series of explosions has rocked an arms depot at a Russian military base in Siberia, injuring eight people and prompting a mass evacuation of residents and the suspension of operations by a nearby aluminum producer.\n\n \n\n Russia’s Defense Ministry said on August 5 that it had sent 14 remote-controlled robots to help fight the fire at the Krasnoyarsk Territory Arsenal.\n\n \n\n Local officials in the Achinsk district of Russia’s Krasnoyarsk region say 11,000 people were evacuated from neighborhoods near the artillery munitions depot following the explosions and an outbreak of fire earlier in the day.\n\n\n\n \n\n Photographs of the incident show a huge explosion on the horizon with flames leaping into the sky, followed by belching black smoke.\n\n \n\n Russia state-run TASS news agency cited a source as saying that at least one Russian soldier was killed.\n\n \n\n But a source from Russia’s Defense Ministry, quoted by the RIA Novosti news agency, denied the report about the soldier’s death.\n\n \n\n Rusal, the world's largest aluminum producer outside China, said it had suspended operations at its aluminum plant in the Achinsk district and evacuated all but essential staff as a safety precaution.\n\n \n\n The refinery is located about 30 kilometers from the military base where the explosions occurred.\n\nBased on reporting by Reuters, AFP, AP, Interfax, and TASS", "Explosion at Russian ammunition dump injures at least 2\n\nMOSCOW (AP) — An explosion at a Russian military base in Siberia has set off fires and injured at least two people.\n\nThe explosion on Monday was at an ammunition dump at the base, located 10 kilometers from Achinsk, a closed military town in the Krasnoyarsk region of Siberia.\n\nEmergency services were evacuating residents from the area.\n\nLocal authorities say residents don't face an immediate threat but asked people to stay area from the military base.\n\nNo information has been released yet about the type of ammunition stored at the base. Several Russian media reports described the facility as a storage site for artillery shells.", "MOSCOW (AP) — Explosions at a Russian military storage site in Siberia set off fires, injured at least four people and prompted widespread evacuations of residents in the surrounding area Monday, authorities said.\n\nThe Russian Defense Ministry said the explosions were in an ammunition depot that held “gunpowder charges for artillery shells.”\n\nEmergency personnel were evacuating residents within 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) of the blast site in Siberia’s Krasnoyarsk region, “to ensure the security of the population of the settlements located near the depots,” local authorities said.\n\nAbout 1,000 people had left settlements near the depot by mid-afternoon. Achinsk Mayor Ilay Akhmetov said the city’s 100,000 residents were being prepared for evacuation.\n\nThe state-run TASS news agency quoted an anonymous source saying the ammunition dump held up to 40,000 artillery shells for tank guns.\n\nAmmunition depot explosions are not unusual in Russia. After the most recent incident in May 2018, a fire raged for almost a week before water drops from military aircraft and helicopters helped put out the blaze.\n\nThis story has been corrected to show the previous depot explosion was in 2018, not 2019.", "In this image taken from video, explosions are seen at the military base, about 10 kilometers from Achinsk, Krasnoyarsk region, Russia Far East, Monday, Aug. 5, 2019. An explosion at a Russian military base in Siberia has set off fires and injured at several people. (Liza Uskova via AP)\n\nMOSCOW (AP) — Explosions at a Russian military storage site in Siberia set off fires, injured at least four people and prompted widespread evacuations of residents in the surrounding area Monday, authorities said.\n\nThe Russian Defense Ministry said the explosions were in an ammunition depot that held “gunpowder charges for artillery shells.”\n\nEmergency personnel were evacuating residents within 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) of the blast site in Siberia’s Krasnoyarsk region, “to ensure the security of the population of the settlements located near the depots,” local authorities said.\n\nAbout 1,000 people had left settlements near the depot by mid-afternoon. Achinsk Mayor Ilay Akhmetov said the city’s 100,000 residents were being prepared for evacuation.\n\nThe state-run TASS news agency quoted an anonymous source saying the ammunition dump held up to 40,000 artillery shells for tank guns.\n\nAmmunition depot explosions are not unusual in Russia. After the most recent incident in May 2018, a fire raged for almost a week before water drops from military aircraft and helicopters helped put out the blaze.\n\nThis story has been corrected to show the previous depot explosion was in 2018, not 2019.", "Explosion at Russian ammunition dump injures at least 4\n\nMOSCOW (AP) — An explosion at a Russian military base in Siberia set off fires and injured at least four people Monday, authorities said.\n\nThe explosion happened in an ammunition depot at the base, located 10 kilometers from the closed military town of Achinsk in the Krasnoyarsk region of Siberia.\n\nEmergency service personnel evacuated residents within 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) of the blast site \"to ensure the security of the population of the settlements located near the depots.\"\n\nLocal authorities say residents don't face an immediate threat but asked people to stay away from the military base.\n\nThe Russian Defense Ministry said the storage site that exploded held \"gunpowder charges for artillery shells.\"\n\nThe state-run TASS news agency quoted an anonymous source saying the depot held up to 40,000 artillery shells for tank guns.\n\nAmmunition depot explosions are not unusual in Russia. After the most recent incident in May 2019, a fire raged for almost a week before water drops from military aircraft and helicopters helped put out the blaze.", "An ammunition dump at a Russian military base exploded Monday, setting off fires that injured a handful of people, Russian media reports.\n\nThe blast occurred in Achinsk, a military town in Siberia's Krasnoyarsk region. \"The explosion went off in an ammunition depot, evacuation is being carried out,\" a source with the emergency services in the area told state-run news agency TASS.\n\n\"Two sites are on fire,\" the source added. \"In total, there are about 40 thousand artillery shells of a 125 and 152-mm caliber there.\" The Russian defense ministry said the facility contained \"gunpowder charges for artillery shells,\" the Associated Press reports.\n\nAt least four people were hurt, suffering burns and other injuries, local medics told Russian media.\n\nAll personnel have been evacuated from the scene, and local residents within 20 km of the base are being evacuated \"to ensure the security of the population of the settlements located near the depots.,\" the Main Directorate of the Russian Emergencies Ministry for the Krasnoyarsk Region revealed.\n\nAmmunition depot explosions are not uncommon in Russia or former Soviet territories. An explosion at an ammunition storage site, one home to around 13 million shells, in Chapaevsk in Russia's Samara region back in 2013 injured around 30 people.", "\n• An ammunition dump at a Russian military base in Siberia has exploded, Russia’s TASS reported Monday.\n• The depot, according to the Russian defense ministry held “gunpowder charges for artillery shells.” A local emergency services source told state media that the facility held around 40,000 artillery shells.\n• At least four people were injured in the blast, medics revealed. Authorities are evacuating local residents who live within 12 miles of the magazine.\n\nAn ammunition dump at a Russian military base exploded Monday, setting off fires that injured a handful of people, Russian media reports.\n\nThe blast occurred in Achinsk, a military town in Siberia’s Krasnoyarsk region. “The explosion went off in an ammunition depot, evacuation is being carried out,” a source with the emergency services in the area told state-run news agency TASS.\n\n“Two sites are on fire,” the source added. “In total, there are about 40 thousand artillery shells of a 125 and 152-mm caliber there.” The Russian defense ministry said the facility contained “gunpowder charges for artillery shells,” the Associated Press reports.\n\nAt least four people were hurt, suffering burns and other injuries, local medics told Russian media, which reported that among the injured were one child and three adults.\n\nAll personnel have been evacuated from the scene, and local residents within 20 km of the base are being evacuated “to ensure the security of the population of the settlements located near the depots.,” the Main Directorate of the Russian Emergencies Ministry for the Krasnoyarsk Region revealed.\n\nAn estimated 11,000 people are being evacuated, Sputnik, another Russian media outlet, reports.\n\nAmmunition depot explosions are not uncommon in Russia or former Soviet territories. An explosion at an ammunition storage site, one home to around 13 million shells, in Chapaevsk in Russia’s Samara region back in 2013 injured around 30 people.", "MOSCOW — An explosion at a Russian military base in Siberia has set off fires and injured at least two people.\n\nThe explosion on Monday was at an ammunition dump at the base, located 10 kilometers from Achinsk, a closed military town in the Krasnoyarsk region of Siberia.\n\nEmergency services were evacuating residents from the area.\n\nLocal authorities say residents don’t face an immediate threat but asked people to stay area from the military base.\n\nNo information has been released yet about the type of ammunition stored at the base. Several Russian media reports described the facility as a storage site for artillery shells.\n\nCopyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed."], "summary": "A fire and large explosions at a Russian Armed Forces ammunition dump prompts the mass evacuation of civilians from the nearby city of Achinsk."}
{"document": ["Iran FM: US sanctions against him 'failure' for diplomacy\n\nTEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran's foreign minister on Monday lambasted recent U.S. financial sanctions against him, calling the move a \"failure\" for diplomacy amid escalating tensions in the Persian Gulf.\n\n\"Imposing sanctions against a foreign minister means failure\" for any efforts at negotiations, Mohammad Javad Zarif told reporters at a press conference in Tehran, adding that it also means the side imposing the measures is \"opposing talks.\"\n\nThe U.S. administration last week announced sanctions on Zarif, a month after President Donald Trump had imposed similar sanctions on Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.\n\nThe moves are seen as part of Washington's escalating campaign in what Trump calls \"maximum pressure\" on the Islamic Republic.\n\nThe U.S. has increasingly deployed military reinforcements to the region amid unspecified threats from Iran in the wake of Trump's withdrawal last year from the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers.\n\nZarif stressed that while there are no problems between the American and the Iranian people, Washington's policy of threatening war and \"talking about war as an option that remains on the table cannot stand.\"\n\nZarif's press conference came a day after Iran announced its forces had seized a foreign ship in the Persian Gulf suspected of carrying smuggled fuel. It was the Revolutionary Guard's third seizure of a vessel in recent weeks and the latest show of strength by the paramilitary force amid the spike in tensions.\n\nIranian media reported that seven crew members were detained when the ship was seized last Wednesday with \"smuggled fuel\" from Iran but provided no details on the vessel or the nationality of the crew.\n\nTensions in the region escalated recently, with the United States boosting its military presence and six oil tankers targeted in the Gulf of Oman in unclaimed acts of sabotage that the U.S. blames on Iran. Iran has denied any involvement in those attacks.\n\nIn June, Iran shot down an American surveillance drone in the Strait of Hormuz. Trump came close to retaliating, but called off an airstrike at the last moment. Washington has since claimed that a U.S. warship downed an Iranian drone in the strait. Iran denies losing any aircraft in the area.\n\nMaritime security in the region was further jolted in mid-July, when the Revolutionary Guard's naval forces confirmed they had seized a United Arab Emirates-based oil tanker, the Panamanian-flagged MT Riah, for allegedly smuggling fuel from Iranian smugglers to foreign customers.\n\nAlso in July, the Guard seized a British-flagged vessel near the Persian Gulf in the Strait of Hormuz, in what some Iranian officials suggested was retaliation for the seizure of an Iranian oil tanker in a British Royal Navy operation off Gibraltar, near Spain.\n\nAlso, Iran recently began surpassing uranium enrichment limits set in the 2015 nuclear deal, but says these moves can be reversed if given enough economic incentives to offset U.S. sanctions.\n\nReferring to the seizure of the British tanker, Zarif said Monday that it was not a reciprocal action for Gibraltar. He also told reporters he had received an invitation from Washington for a meeting during his New York trip in July, along with a warning about the sanctions.\n\n\"During my trip to New York, I was told I would be sanctioned within two weeks unless I accept their invitation, which I rejected,\" Zarif said.\n\nU.S. officials have not confirmed either of Zarif's claims — neither the one about him being warned about the sanctions nor the one about the alleged invitation for talks.", "FILE – In this Nov. 9, 2013, file photo, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zari, center, leaves following a meeting with EU foreign ministers at the Iran Nuclear talks in Geneva, Switzerland. The U.S. government is placing financial sanctions on Iran’s foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, as part of its escalating pressure campaign against that country. The highly unusual action, sanctioning the top diplomat of another nation, comes a month after President Donald Trump signed an executive order placing sanctions on Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. (Jason Reed/Poo Photo via APl, File)\n\nTEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Britain said Monday that it would join a U.S.-led naval security mission in the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran’s seizure of merchant vessels has raised tensions with the West. Earlier, Iran’s foreign minister lambasted recent U.S. financial sanctions against him, calling the move a “failure” for diplomacy.\n\nIranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told reporters in Tehran that “imposing sanctions against a foreign minister means failure” for any efforts at negotiations, and means the side imposing the measures is “opposing talks.”\n\nThe U.S. administration last week announced sanctions on Zarif, a month after President Donald Trump had imposed similar sanctions on Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.\n\nThe moves are seen as part of Washington’s escalating campaign in what Trump calls “maximum pressure” on the Islamic Republic.\n\nThe U.S. has increasingly deployed military reinforcements to the region amid unspecified threats from Iran in the wake of Trump’s withdrawal last year from the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers.\n\nBritain’s Ministry of Defense said it “will draw largely on assets already in the region.” It said the Royal Navy will work alongside the U.S. Navy to escort vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, which sits at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, a shipping channel for one-fifth of all global crude exports.\n\nTwo Royal Navy warships are currently in the region, the frigate HMS Montrose and the destroyer HMS Duncan. The Montrose is due to leave for planned repairs later this month.\n\nBritain has been giving U.K.-flagged vessels in the region a naval escort since the Iran’s Revolutionary Guards seized a British-flagged oil tanker last month. Some Iranian officials suggested the seizure of the Stena Impero was retaliation for the seizure of an Iranian oil tanker off the British overseas territory of Gibraltar.\n\nEuropean nations have been reluctant to take part in the U.S. naval mission, and Germany has said it will not be involved.\n\nLast month, then-U.K. Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt announced that the U.K. would join with European allies to form a “maritime protection mission” in the strait.\n\nHunt has since lost his job, and that effort appears to have foundered. Britain’s Ministry of Defense said the U.S. and the U.K. hoped other countries will join the new mission.\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson’s spokesman, James Slack, said Britain was still seeking an international coalition, though he did not say who would be in it.\n\nZarif had stressed Monday that Washington’s policy of “talking about war as an option that remains on the table cannot stand.”\n\nZarif’s press conference came a day after Iran announced its forces had seized a foreign ship in the Persian Gulf suspected of carrying smuggled fuel, but provided no details on the vessel or the nationality of the crew. It was the Revolutionary Guard’s third seizure of a vessel in recent weeks and the latest show of strength by the paramilitary force amid the spike in tensions.\n\nSix oil tankers have also been targeted in the Gulf of Oman in unclaimed acts of sabotage that the U.S. blames on Iran. Iran has denied any involvement in those attacks.\n\nIn June, Iran shot down an American surveillance drone in the Strait of Hormuz. Trump came close to retaliating, but called off an airstrike at the last moment.\n\nMaritime security in the region was further jolted in mid-July, when the Revolutionary Guard’s naval forces confirmed they had seized a United Arab Emirates-based oil tanker, the Panamanian-flagged MT Riah, for allegedly smuggling fuel from Iranian smugglers to foreign customers.\n\nBritain and other European nations have distanced themselves from the American “maximum pressure” strategy. Unlike the U.S., European countries still adhere to the international nuclear deal.\n\nIran recently began surpassing uranium enrichment limits set in the 2015 deal, but says these moves can be reversed if given enough economic incentives to offset U.S. sanctions.\n\nReferring to the seizure of the British tanker, Zarif said Monday that it was not a reciprocal action for Gibraltar. He also told reporters he had received an invitation from Washington for a meeting during his New York trip in July, along with a warning about the sanctions.\n\nU.S. officials have not confirmed either of Zarif’s claims — neither the one about him being warned about the sanctions nor the one about the alleged invitation for talks.\n\nAssociated Press writer Jill Lawless in London contributed to this report.", "Iran's Revolutionary Guard has seized a foreign oil tanker in the Persian Gulf, which was smuggling fuel to Arab states, and detained seven sailors, state media claims. The move is likely to inflame tensions after the United States tightened sanctions on Iran's oil sector. Iran was blamed for two separate attacks on tankers in the Gulf of Oman earlier this year.", "TEHRAN, Iran -- Iran's foreign minister on Monday lambasted recent U.S. financial sanctions against him, calling the move a \"failure\" for diplomacy amid escalating tensions in the Persian Gulf.\n\n\"Imposing sanctions against a foreign minister means failure\" for any efforts at negotiations, Mohammad Javad Zarif told reporters at a press conference in Tehran, adding that it also means the side imposing the measures is \"opposing talks.\"\n\nThe U.S. administration last week announced sanctions on Zarif, a month after President Donald Trump had imposed similar sanctions on Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.\n\nThe moves are seen as part of Washington's escalating campaign in what Trump calls \"maximum pressure\" on the Islamic Republic.\n\nThe U.S. has increasingly deployed military reinforcements to the region amid unspecified threats from Iran in the wake of Trump's withdrawal last year from the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers.\n\nZarif stressed that while there are no problems between the American and the Iranian people, Washington's policy of threatening war and \"talking about war as an option that remains on the table cannot stand.\"\n\nZarif's press conference came a day after Iran announced its forces had seized a foreign ship in the Persian Gulf suspected of carrying smuggled fuel. It was the Revolutionary Guard's third seizure of a vessel in recent weeks and the latest show of strength by the paramilitary force amid the spike in tensions.\n\nIranian media reported that seven crew members were detained when the ship was seized last Wednesday with \"smuggled fuel\" from Iran but provided no details on the vessel or the nationality of the crew.\n\nTensions in the region escalated recently, with the United States boosting its military presence and six oil tankers targeted in the Gulf of Oman in unclaimed acts of sabotage that the U.S. blames on Iran. Iran has denied any involvement in those attacks.\n\nIn June, Iran shot down an American surveillance drone in the Strait of Hormuz. Trump came close to retaliating, but called off an airstrike at the last moment. Washington has since claimed that a U.S. warship downed an Iranian drone in the strait. Iran denies losing any aircraft in the area.\n\nMaritime security in the region was further jolted in mid-July, when the Revolutionary Guard's naval forces confirmed they had seized a United Arab Emirates-based oil tanker, the Panamanian-flagged MT Riah, for allegedly smuggling fuel from Iranian smugglers to foreign customers.\n\nAlso in July, the Guard seized a British-flagged vessel near the Persian Gulf in the Strait of Hormuz, in what some Iranian officials suggested was retaliation for the seizure of an Iranian oil tanker in a British Royal Navy operation off Gibraltar, near Spain.\n\nAlso, Iran recently began surpassing uranium enrichment limits set in the 2015 nuclear deal, but says these moves can be reversed if given enough economic incentives to offset U.S. sanctions.\n\nReferring to the seizure of the British tanker, Zarif said Monday that it was not a reciprocal action for Gibraltar. He also told reporters he had received an invitation from Washington for a meeting during his New York trip in July, along with a warning about the sanctions.\n\n\"During my trip to New York, I was told I would be sanctioned within two weeks unless I accept their invitation, which I rejected,\" Zarif said.\n\nU.S. officials have not confirmed either of Zarif's claims -- neither the one about him being warned about the sanctions nor the one about the alleged invitation for talks.", "Iran FM: US sanctions against him 'failure' for diplomacy\n\nTEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran's foreign minister on Monday lambasted recent U.S. financial sanctions against him, calling the move a \"failure\" for diplomacy amid escalating tensions in the Persian Gulf.\n\n\"Imposing sanctions against a foreign minister means failure\" for any efforts at negotiations, Mohammad Javad Zarif told reporters at a press conference in Tehran, adding that it also means the side imposing the measures is \"opposing talks.\"\n\nThe U.S. administration last week announced sanctions on Zarif, a month after President Donald Trump had imposed similar sanctions on Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.\n\nThe moves are seen as part of Washington's escalating campaign in what Trump calls \"maximum pressure\" on the Islamic Republic.\n\nThe U.S. has increasingly deployed military reinforcements to the region amid unspecified threats from Iran in the wake of Trump's withdrawal last year from the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers.\n\nZarif stressed that while there are no problems between the American and the Iranian people, Washington's policy of threatening war and \"talking about war as an option that remains on the table cannot stand.\"\n\nZarif's press conference came a day after Iran announced its forces had seized a foreign ship in the Persian Gulf suspected of carrying smuggled fuel. It was the Revolutionary Guard's third seizure of a vessel in recent weeks and the latest show of strength by the paramilitary force amid the spike in tensions.\n\nIranian media reported that seven crew members were detained when the ship was seized last Wednesday with \"smuggled fuel\" from Iran but provided no details on the vessel or the nationality of the crew.\n\nTensions in the region escalated recently, with the United States boosting its military presence and six oil tankers targeted in the Gulf of Oman in unclaimed acts of sabotage that the U.S. blames on Iran. Iran has denied any involvement in those attacks.\n\nIn June, Iran shot down an American surveillance drone in the Strait of Hormuz. Trump came close to retaliating, but called off an airstrike at the last moment. Washington has since claimed that a U.S. warship downed an Iranian drone in the strait. Iran denies losing any aircraft in the area.\n\nMaritime security in the region was further jolted in mid-July, when the Revolutionary Guard's naval forces confirmed they had seized a United Arab Emirates-based oil tanker, the Panamanian-flagged MT Riah, for allegedly smuggling fuel from Iranian smugglers to foreign customers.\n\nAlso in July, the Guard seized a British-flagged vessel near the Persian Gulf in the Strait of Hormuz, in what some Iranian officials suggested was retaliation for the seizure of an Iranian oil tanker in a British Royal Navy operation off Gibraltar, near Spain.\n\nAlso, Iran recently began surpassing uranium enrichment limits set in the 2015 nuclear deal, but says these moves can be reversed if given enough economic incentives to offset U.S. sanctions.\n\nReferring to the seizure of the British tanker, Zarif said Monday that it was not a reciprocal action for Gibraltar. He also told reporters he had received an invitation from Washington for a meeting during his New York trip in July, along with a warning about the sanctions.\n\n\"During my trip to New York, I was told I would be sanctioned within two weeks unless I accept their invitation, which I rejected,\" Zarif said.\n\nU.S. officials have not confirmed either of Zarif's claims — neither the one about him being warned about the sanctions nor the one about the alleged invitation for talks.", "TEHRAN, Iran — Britain said Monday that it would join a U.S.-led naval security mission in the Strait of Hormuz, where Iran's seizure of merchant vessels has raised tensions with the West. Earlier, Iran's foreign minister lambasted recent U.S. financial sanctions against him, calling the move a \"failure\" for diplomacy.\n\nIranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told reporters in Tehran that \"imposing sanctions against a foreign minister means failure\" for any efforts at negotiations, and means the side imposing the measures is \"opposing talks.\"\n\nThe U.S. administration last week announced sanctions on Zarif, a month after President Donald Trump had imposed similar sanctions on Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.\n\nThe moves are seen as part of Washington's escalating campaign in what Trump calls \"maximum pressure\" on the Islamic Republic.\n\nThe U.S. has increasingly deployed military reinforcements to the region amid unspecified threats from Iran in the wake of Trump's withdrawal last year from the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers.\n\nBritain's Ministry of Defense said it \"will draw largely on assets already in the region.\" It said the Royal Navy will work alongside the U.S. Navy to escort vessels through the Strait of Hormuz, which sits at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, a shipping channel for one-fifth of all global crude exports.\n\nTwo Royal Navy warships are currently in the region, the frigate HMS Montrose and the destroyer HMS Duncan. The Montrose is due to leave for planned repairs later this month.\n\nBritain has been giving U.K.-flagged vessels in the region a naval escort since the Iran's Revolutionary Guards seized a British-flagged oil tanker last month. Some Iranian officials suggested the seizure of the Stena Impero was retaliation for the seizure of an Iranian oil tanker off the British overseas territory of Gibraltar.\n\nEuropean nations have been reluctant to take part in the U.S. naval mission, and Germany has said it will not be involved.\n\nLast month, then-U.K. Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt announced that the U.K. would join with European allies to form a \"maritime protection mission\" in the strait.\n\nHunt has since lost his job, and that effort appears to have foundered. Britain's Ministry of Defense said the U.S. and the U.K. hoped other countries will join the new mission.\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson's spokesman, James Slack, said Britain was still seeking an international coalition, though he did not say who would be in it.\n\nZarif had stressed Monday that Washington's policy of \"talking about war as an option that remains on the table cannot stand.\"\n\nZarif's press conference came a day after Iran announced its forces had seized a foreign ship in the Persian Gulf suspected of carrying smuggled fuel, but provided no details on the vessel or the nationality of the crew. It was the Revolutionary Guard's third seizure of a vessel in recent weeks and the latest show of strength by the paramilitary force amid the spike in tensions.\n\nSix oil tankers have also been targeted in the Gulf of Oman in unclaimed acts of sabotage that the U.S. blames on Iran. Iran has denied any involvement in those attacks.\n\nIn June, Iran shot down an American surveillance drone in the Strait of Hormuz. Trump came close to retaliating, but called off an airstrike at the last moment.\n\nMaritime security in the region was further jolted in mid-July, when the Revolutionary Guard's naval forces confirmed they had seized a United Arab Emirates-based oil tanker, the Panamanian-flagged MT Riah, for allegedly smuggling fuel from Iranian smugglers to foreign customers.\n\nBritain and other European nations have distanced themselves from the American \"maximum pressure\" strategy. Unlike the U.S., European countries still adhere to the international nuclear deal.\n\nIran recently began surpassing uranium enrichment limits set in the 2015 deal, but says these moves can be reversed if given enough economic incentives to offset U.S. sanctions.\n\nReferring to the seizure of the British tanker, Zarif said Monday that it was not a reciprocal action for Gibraltar. He also told reporters he had received an invitation from Washington for a meeting during his New York trip in July, along with a warning about the sanctions.\n\nU.S. officials have not confirmed either of Zarif's claims — neither the one about him being warned about the sanctions nor the one about the alleged invitation for talks.", "Iran FM: US sanctions against him 'failure' for diplomacy\n\nTEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran's foreign minister on Monday lambasted recent U.S. financial sanctions against him, calling the move a \"failure\" for diplomacy amid escalating tensions in the Persian Gulf.\n\n\"Imposing sanctions against a foreign minister means failure\" for any efforts at negotiations, Mohammad Javad Zarif told reporters at a press conference in Tehran, adding that it also means the side imposing the measures is \"opposing talks.\"\n\nThe U.S. administration last week announced sanctions on Zarif, a month after President Donald Trump had imposed similar sanctions on Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.\n\nThe moves are seen as part of Washington's escalating campaign in what Trump calls \"maximum pressure\" on the Islamic Republic.\n\nThe U.S. has increasingly deployed military reinforcements to the region amid unspecified threats from Iran in the wake of Trump's withdrawal last year from the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers.\n\nZarif stressed that while there are no problems between the American and the Iranian people, Washington's policy of threatening war and \"talking about war as an option that remains on the table cannot stand.\"\n\nZarif's press conference came a day after Iran announced its forces had seized a foreign ship in the Persian Gulf suspected of carrying smuggled fuel. It was the Revolutionary Guard's third seizure of a vessel in recent weeks and the latest show of strength by the paramilitary force amid the spike in tensions.\n\nIranian media reported that seven crew members were detained when the ship was seized last Wednesday with \"smuggled fuel\" from Iran but provided no details on the vessel or the nationality of the crew.\n\nTensions in the region escalated recently, with the United States boosting its military presence and six oil tankers targeted in the Gulf of Oman in unclaimed acts of sabotage that the U.S. blames on Iran. Iran has denied any involvement in those attacks.\n\nIn June, Iran shot down an American surveillance drone in the Strait of Hormuz. Trump came close to retaliating, but called off an airstrike at the last moment. Washington has since claimed that a U.S. warship downed an Iranian drone in the strait. Iran denies losing any aircraft in the area.\n\nMaritime security in the region was further jolted in mid-July, when the Revolutionary Guard's naval forces confirmed they had seized a United Arab Emirates-based oil tanker, the Panamanian-flagged MT Riah, for allegedly smuggling fuel from Iranian smugglers to foreign customers.\n\nAlso in July, the Guard seized a British-flagged vessel near the Persian Gulf in the Strait of Hormuz, in what some Iranian officials suggested was retaliation for the seizure of an Iranian oil tanker in a British Royal Navy operation off Gibraltar, near Spain.\n\nAlso, Iran recently began surpassing uranium enrichment limits set in the 2015 nuclear deal, but says these moves can be reversed if given enough economic incentives to offset U.S. sanctions.\n\nReferring to the seizure of the British tanker, Zarif said Monday that it was not a reciprocal action for Gibraltar. He also told reporters he had received an invitation from Washington for a meeting during his New York trip in July, along with a warning about the sanctions.\n\n\"During my trip to New York, I was told I would be sanctioned within two weeks unless I accept their invitation, which I rejected,\" Zarif said.\n\nU.S. officials have not confirmed either of Zarif's claims — neither the one about him being warned about the sanctions nor the one about the alleged invitation for talks.", "A gas flare on an oil production platform in the Soroush oil fields is seen alongside an Iranian flag in the Persian Gulf, Iran, July 25, 2005. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi/File Photo - RTSS235\n\nTEHRAN – At least 12 Iranian oil tankers continue to transport oil to Asia and the Mediterranean despite US sanctions, according to an investigation by The New York Times.\n\nMore than 70 Iranian tankers have been tracked by The New York Times through satellite imagery and other resources.\n\nAfter May 2, when sanctions against Tehran began, 12 of these ships were still supplying oil. Half of them transported oil to China, while others went to the Mediterranean Sea, possibly to Syria and Turkey.\n\nThe continued flow of oil shows the difficulty that the Trump government has in using sanctions in order to end Iranian oil exports following disagreements with its allies over Iran’s policy, the newspaper lamented.\n\nAccording to former White House official Richard Nephew, the US government should not make threats to Iran unless it can put them into practice.\n\nIn 2015, the Obama administration, in cooperation with China, Russia and other countries, drafted an agreement aimed at restricting the capabilities of the Iranian nuclear program in exchange for the suspension of previously imposed sanctions.\n\nHowever, in 2018 President Trump decided to withdraw from the agreement and impose sanctions on Iran again, generating criticism from other countries.\n\nThe situation in the Persian Gulf and surrounding areas has deteriorated over the past two months after several oil tankers were subjected to attacks. The United States and its allies blamed Iran for the incidents, while Tehran denied its involvement.\n\nThe UK revealed last week that it would send a second warship to the Persian Gulf after Iranian patrol boats attempted to detain another tanker in the Strait of Hormuz.\n\nRecently, the United States has restored economic sanctions against Iran and increased its military presence in the region in response to an alleged Iranian threat. Iran is the most powerful state in the Middle East and it opposes Israel. It is for this reason that the US is aggressively attacking Iran.", "Iran FM: US sanctions against him 'failure' for diplomacy\n\nTEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran's foreign minister on Monday lambasted recent U.S. financial sanctions against him, calling the move a \"failure\" for diplomacy amid escalating tensions in the Persian Gulf.\n\n\"Imposing sanctions against a foreign minister means failure\" for any efforts at negotiations, Mohammad Javad Zarif told reporters at a press conference in Tehran, adding that it also means the side imposing the measures is \"opposing talks.\"\n\nThe U.S. administration last week announced sanctions on Zarif, a month after President Donald Trump had imposed similar sanctions on Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.\n\nThe moves are seen as part of Washington's escalating campaign in what Trump calls \"maximum pressure\" on the Islamic Republic.\n\nThe U.S. has increasingly deployed military reinforcements to the region amid unspecified threats from Iran in the wake of Trump's withdrawal last year from the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers.\n\nZarif stressed that while there are no problems between the American and the Iranian people, Washington's policy of threatening war and \"talking about war as an option that remains on the table cannot stand.\"\n\nZarif's press conference came a day after Iran announced its forces had seized a foreign ship in the Persian Gulf suspected of carrying smuggled fuel. It was the Revolutionary Guard's third seizure of a vessel in recent weeks and the latest show of strength by the paramilitary force amid the spike in tensions.\n\nIranian media reported that seven crew members were detained when the ship was seized last Wednesday with \"smuggled fuel\" from Iran but provided no details on the vessel or the nationality of the crew.\n\nTensions in the region escalated recently, with the United States boosting its military presence and six oil tankers targeted in the Gulf of Oman in unclaimed acts of sabotage that the U.S. blames on Iran. Iran has denied any involvement in those attacks.\n\nIn June, Iran shot down an American surveillance drone in the Strait of Hormuz. Trump came close to retaliating, but called off an airstrike at the last moment. Washington has since claimed that a U.S. warship downed an Iranian drone in the strait. Iran denies losing any aircraft in the area.\n\nMaritime security in the region was further jolted in mid-July, when the Revolutionary Guard's naval forces confirmed they had seized a United Arab Emirates-based oil tanker, the Panamanian-flagged MT Riah, for allegedly smuggling fuel from Iranian smugglers to foreign customers.\n\nAlso in July, the Guard seized a British-flagged vessel near the Persian Gulf in the Strait of Hormuz, in what some Iranian officials suggested was retaliation for the seizure of an Iranian oil tanker in a British Royal Navy operation off Gibraltar, near Spain.\n\nAlso, Iran recently began surpassing uranium enrichment limits set in the 2015 nuclear deal, but says these moves can be reversed if given enough economic incentives to offset U.S. sanctions.\n\nReferring to the seizure of the British tanker, Zarif said Monday that it was not a reciprocal action for Gibraltar. He also told reporters he had received an invitation from Washington for a meeting during his New York trip in July, along with a warning about the sanctions.\n\n\"During my trip to New York, I was told I would be sanctioned within two weeks unless I accept their invitation, which I rejected,\" Zarif said.\n\nU.S. officials have not confirmed either of Zarif's claims — neither the one about him being warned about the sanctions nor the one about the alleged invitation for talks.", "FILE – In this Nov. 9, 2013, file photo, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zari, center, leaves following a meeting with EU foreign ministers at the Iran Nuclear talks in Geneva, Switzerland. The U.S. government is placing financial sanctions on Iran’s foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, as part of its escalating pressure campaign against that country. The highly unusual action, sanctioning the top diplomat of another nation, comes a month after President Donald Trump signed an executive order placing sanctions on Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. (Jason Reed/Poo Photo via APl, File)\n\nTEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iran’s foreign minister on Monday lambasted recent U.S. financial sanctions against him, calling the move a “failure” for diplomacy amid escalating tensions in the Persian Gulf.\n\n“Imposing sanctions against a foreign minister means failure” for any efforts at negotiations, Mohammad Javad Zarif told reporters at a press conference in Tehran, adding that it also means the side imposing the measures is “opposing talks.”\n\nThe U.S. administration last week announced sanctions on Zarif, a month after President Donald Trump had imposed similar sanctions on Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.\n\nThe moves are seen as part of Washington’s escalating campaign in what Trump calls “maximum pressure” on the Islamic Republic.\n\nThe U.S. has increasingly deployed military reinforcements to the region amid unspecified threats from Iran in the wake of Trump’s withdrawal last year from the 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and world powers.\n\nZarif stressed that while there are no problems between the American and the Iranian people, Washington’s policy of threatening war and “talking about war as an option that remains on the table cannot stand.”\n\nZarif’s press conference came a day after Iran announced its forces had seized a foreign ship in the Persian Gulf suspected of carrying smuggled fuel. It was the Revolutionary Guard’s third seizure of a vessel in recent weeks and the latest show of strength by the paramilitary force amid the spike in tensions.\n\nIranian media reported that seven crew members were detained when the ship was seized last Wednesday with “smuggled fuel” from Iran but provided no details on the vessel or the nationality of the crew.\n\nTensions in the region escalated recently, with the United States boosting its military presence and six oil tankers targeted in the Gulf of Oman in unclaimed acts of sabotage that the U.S. blames on Iran. Iran has denied any involvement in those attacks.\n\nIn June, Iran shot down an American surveillance drone in the Strait of Hormuz. Trump came close to retaliating, but called off an airstrike at the last moment. Washington has since claimed that a U.S. warship downed an Iranian drone in the strait. Iran denies losing any aircraft in the area.\n\nMaritime security in the region was further jolted in mid-July, when the Revolutionary Guard’s naval forces confirmed they had seized a United Arab Emirates-based oil tanker, the Panamanian-flagged MT Riah, for allegedly smuggling fuel from Iranian smugglers to foreign customers.\n\nAlso in July, the Guard seized a British-flagged vessel near the Persian Gulf in the Strait of Hormuz, in what some Iranian officials suggested was retaliation for the seizure of an Iranian oil tanker in a British Royal Navy operation off Gibraltar, near Spain.\n\nAlso, Iran recently began surpassing uranium enrichment limits set in the 2015 nuclear deal, but says these moves can be reversed if given enough economic incentives to offset U.S. sanctions.\n\nReferring to the seizure of the British tanker, Zarif said Monday that it was not a reciprocal action for Gibraltar. He also told reporters he had received an invitation from Washington for a meeting during his New York trip in July, along with a warning about the sanctions.\n\n“During my trip to New York, I was told I would be sanctioned within two weeks unless I accept their invitation, which I rejected,” Zarif said.\n\nU.S. officials have not confirmed either of Zarif’s claims — neither the one about him being warned about the sanctions nor the one about the alleged invitation for talks."], "summary": "The United Kingdom announces it is joining a United States-led naval mission in the Persian Gulf to protect oil tankers, following several seizures in international waters by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps."}
{"document": ["BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombia will give citizenship to more than 24,000 children born to Venezuelan migrant parents in Colombia, to prevent the children from being stateless and less able to access education and healthcare, President Ivan Duque said on Monday.\n\nColombia's President Ivan Duque is seen after a news conference at the Presidential Palace in Bogota, Colombia August 5, 2019. REUTERS/Luisa Gonzalez\n\nThe measure, which will cover all Venezuelan children born in Colombia since August 2015, will be in force for two years.\n\nMore than 1.4 million Venezuelans have settled in Colombia, fleeing a long-running political and economic crisis in their homeland that has caused severe shortages of food and medicine.\n\nChildren born in Colombia to Venezuelan parents are currently stuck in legal limbo with no identity documents or proof of citizenship in any country.\n\nThere are few Venezuelan consulates abroad and travel home is difficult and dangerous, leaving many migrant parents with no way to register their newborns for documentation.\n\n“Today we are supporting children, we are supporting these helpless little ones who want to have a right to citizenship and we’re proudly saying that they are Colombians,” Duque told journalists.\n\n“We are going to embrace them, we are going to support them in difficult times. We are giving a ray of hope to thousands of children and families,” Duque added.\n\nStateless people often have trouble travelling and struggle to access public services like education and healthcare which require identity documents.\n\nDuque, like his predecessor Juan Manuel Santos, has repeatedly urged Colombians to welcome migrants as their brethren.\n\nThe country of some 49 million has not put in place stringent immigration requirements, unlike Peru and others in the region.\n\nColombia’s government has urged Venezuelans who crossed the border informally to register with authorities so Colombia can better provide them with public services, without the threat of deportation. Hundreds of thousands have heeded the call.", "Colombia gives citizenship to children of Venezuelan parents\n\nBOGOTA, Colombia — Colombia will grant citizenship to at least 24,000 children born to Venezuelan parents and at risk of statelessness.\n\nPresident Ivan Duque announced Monday that in a gesture of solidarity his government will begin recognizing those born in Colombia as citizens.\n\nColombian law does not offer birthright citizenship to children whose parents are not legal migrants. Many of the 1.4 million Venezuelans now in Colombia entered illegally, meaning their children born in the neighboring Andean country didn’t qualify.\n\nChildren born to Venezuelan parents abroad are entitled to Venezuelan citizenship but many have been unable to access that right because of severed diplomatic ties with Colombia.\n\nColombia has received more Venezuelan migrants than any other nation form an unprecedented exodus.\n\nThe new measure is expected to remain in place for two years.", "By The Associated Press\n\nBOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Colombia will grant citizenship to at least 24,000 children born to Venezuelan parents and at risk of statelessness.\n\nPresident Ivan Duque announced Monday that in a gesture of solidarity his government will begin recognizing those born in Colombia as citizens.\n\nColombian law does not offer birthright citizenship to children whose parents are not legal migrants. Many of the 1.4 million Venezuelans now in Colombia entered illegally, meaning their children born in the neighboring Andean country didn’t qualify.\n\nChildren born to Venezuelan parents abroad are entitled to Venezuelan citizenship but many have been unable to access that right because of severed diplomatic ties with Colombia.\n\nColombia has received more Venezuelan migrants than any other nation form an unprecedented exodus.\n\nThe new measure is expected to remain in place for two years.\n\nCopyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.", "Colombia has said it will grant citizenship to more than 24,000 children born in the country to parents from crisis-hit Venezuela since 2015, as well as to those who will be born over the next two years, in a move aimed at preventing them from being stateless.\n\nThese children have been stuck in legal limbo with no identity documents or proof of citizenship in any country.\n\nThere are few Venezuelan consulates abroad and travel home is often difficult and dangerous, leaving migrant parents, including many who left without a passport, with no way to register their newborns for documentation.\n\n\"Today, we are supporting these defenceless children who want to have the right to have a nationality, and we proudly tell them that they are Colombians,\" Colombian President Ivan Duque said on Monday.\n\n\"Colombia has shown the world that the way of xenophobia is the wrong way,\" he told journalists.\n\nVenezuela is mired in one of the worst economic crises in its history, with a quarter of its 30 million population in need of aid, according to the United Nations.\n\nMore than 3.2 million Venezuelans have left the country since 2016, fleeing hyperinflation and widespread shortages of basic goods. Neighbouring Colombia has taken in the largest number: 1.3 million.\n\nCaracas broke off diplomatic relations with Bogota in February over Duque's support for opposition leader Juan Guaido, who declared himself acting president in January. Guaido's move was a direct challenge to President Nicolas Maduro's authority, sparking a power struggle that has ground to an impasse.\n\nMaduro said Guaido and the United States tried to stage a coup against him, while also accusing Washington of waging an economic war against his government.\n\nRafael Pineros, a professor of international affairs at Universidad Externado de Colombia in Bogota, said the Colombian president's move was an attempt to show that his government was part of the solution in the crisis.\n\n\"Duque wants to make clear that [the Venezuelan crisis] won't be resolved any time soon, and that despite having shown a strong position against the government of Nicolas Maduro, he is respectful towards the plight of the Venezuelan people,\" he told Al Jazeera.\n\n\"He wants to show that his government has the same solidarity Venezuela had with Colombia in the past.\"\n\nDuque's order, which will be valid for two more years, allows children born to Venezuelan parents in Colombia from August 19, 2015, to be given citizenship. This means children up to almost four years of age can start accessing Colombia's education and health system.\n\nThe UN office in Colombia called the government's move on Monday \"a milestone in the prevention of statelessness on the world level\" and \"a very important step\" in guaranteeing \"the complete protection\" of the children of Venezuelan parents.\n\nBogota, however, has called for more international aid, saying it may soon no longer be able to cope with the influx of Venezuelans.\n\n\"The international community must not remain indifferent in the face of the ravages [caused by] the Venezuelan dictatorship,\" Duque said.\n\nForeign Minister Carlos Holmes Trujillo said on Monday Colombia had received $950,000 from UN agencies.", "This is a summary of what was said by UNHCR spokesperson Charlie Yaxley – to whom quoted text may be attributed – at today's press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.\n\nThe Colombian Government has taken a major step in combatting statelessness by ensuring that children born in the country to Venezuelan parents are able to acquire Colombian nationality.\n\nThe measure, which was announced on Monday, is expected to benefit the 24,000 children born in Colombia to Venezuelan parents since August 2015, many of whom are at risk of statelessness or are stateless. It will also prevent children from becoming stateless in the future.\n\nUntil now, a child born in Colombia only acquired Colombian nationality if at least one parent was Colombian, or in the case of foreign parents, if they were legally domiciled in the country at the time of the child’s birth. Many of the estimated 1.4 million Venezuelans who have fled their country and are in Colombia may not meet this requirement.\n\nThe options for children born to Venezuelan parents in Colombia to acquire Venezuelan nationality are also very limited at the moment. Many Venezuelan families would have difficulties in obtaining the necessary documentation or in registering the child at a Venezuelan consulate in Colombia, as these services are currently unavailable.\n\nWith this exceptional and temporary administrative measure that will be valid for 2 years, the Colombian authorities will change the current birth registration system by including documentary proof of Colombian nationality of children born to Venezuelan parents.\n\nUNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, together with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and UNICEF, will financially support the Colombian Government in implementing this measure to provide these children with documents to prove their nationality.\n\nStateless people can face a lifetime of exclusion and discrimination, often denied access to education, health care, and job opportunities. Colombia’s decision is hugely positive move for these children and their families.\n\nWorldwide, statelessness affects millions of people, leaving them without the basic rights and official recognition that most of us take for granted. Some 3.9 million stateless people appear in the reporting of 78 countries, but UNHCR believes the true total to be significantly higher.\n\nUNHCR is mid-way through a 10-year global campaign to end statelessness and will hold a high level meeting in October in Geneva to assess the achievements to date, including this action by the Colombian Government, and to encourage concrete pledges by States and others on this issue.\n\nFor more information on this topic, please contact:", "PANAMA, 6 August 2019 - UNICEF welcomes the decision of the Government of Colombia to grant Colombian nationality to more than 24,000 children born to Venezuelan parents who have been in the country since August 2015. This decision is an essential guarantor of children’s rights and will help to mitigate the risks associated with statelessness.\n\nThe exceptional and temporary administrative measure allows children born in Colombia to Venezuelan parents since August 19, 2015 to have Colombian nationality listed in their Civil Birth Registry.\n\n“This measure sets a strong example in guaranteeing the rights of uprooted children and we salute it as a milestone in the prevention of statelessness for children worldwide,” said María Cristina Perceval, UNICEF Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean. \"We encourage other countries in the region supporting children and families from Venezuela, to continue taking measures that guarantee the rights and integral protection of migrant children and their families,\" she added.\n\nThe Resolution of the National Registry also establishes that as of 19 August, children born in Colombia to Venezuelan parents will be registered in the Civil Registry with the Colombian nationality for a period of two year (until 2021 August).\n\nStatelessness affects millions of people in the world. In 78 countries, about 4 million stateless persons have been identified who, having no recognition or protection from any country, are at risk of discrimination, abuse and limited access to essential services including healthcare education and civic participation.\n\nThe Convention on the Rights of the Child, ratified by Colombia in 1991, provides that ‘The child will be registered immediately after his/her birth and will be entitled since born to a name, to acquire a nationality and, as far as possible, to meet their parents and be cared for by them.’\n\nAt the request of the Government of Colombia, UNICEF is working jointly with UNHCR and IOM to support the National Registry of Civil Status to implement the new measure.\n\nToday’s announcement moves Colombia into compliance with the Convention on the Status of Stateless Persons of 1954 and the Convention of 1961 for the reduction of statelessness cases, which establish obligations to prevent and eradicate statelessness, including the right of every child to acquire a nationality at birth.", "Colombia will give citizenship to more than 24,000 undocumented children of Venezuelan refugees born in the country, a rare humanitarian measure amid tightening migration policies elsewhere in the hemisphere.\n\n“Today Colombia gives this message to the world: to those who want to use xenophobia for political goals, we take the path of fraternity,” President Iván Duque of Colombia said in a speech announcing the measure in Bogotá, the capital, on Monday.\n\nThe measure will grant a path to Colombian passports to babies born to Venezuelan parents on Colombian territory from August 2015 until August 2021, making it easier for them to access education and health care, and preventing an explosion of statelessness in Colombia.\n\n“My baby boy will finally have a state that will take care of him,” said Katherine Fuentes, 28, a Venezuelan migrant in Bogotá who gave birth in Colombia ten months ago. “He will now be able to say proudly that he is from here, that the Colombian state accepted him.”", "Colombia’s President Ivan Duque said on Monday that his country will grant citizenship to some 24,000 children who were born from Venezuelan migrant mothers.\n\nThe measure will be retroactive and allow babies and toddlers born in the country since 2015 to be granted citizenship, a possibility that didn’t exist before.\n\nBecause Colombia does not automatically grant citizenship to babies born on its soil and Venezuela’s embassy in Bogota has no authority, the mass migration of Venezuelans led to the rapidly growing problem of stateless children.\n\nDuque said he would issue a presidential decree that would allow the nationalization of the babies and toddlers born in Colombia since the mass migration from the neighboring country began.\n\nThe issue was publicly raised in by actress Anngelina Jolie during a visit of the ambassador of the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR in June.\n\nAngelina Jolie stresses need to grant citizenship children of Venezuelan refugees born in Colombia\n\n“The Colombian government has been firm in its commitment to rise to the height of ethical responsibility and offer help to the Venezuelans who feel forced to leave their country,” Felipe Muñoz, who manages the Venezuelan migrant crisis for Colombia’s migration authority, told the Washington Post.\n\n“Let’s remember that decades ago it was they who received us Colombians in their country, when the situation was inverse and it was us fleeing difficult local conditions,” Muños added in reference to the mass migration of Colombians to Venezuela during the country’s armed conflict.\n\nAccording to the UNHCR, some 4 million Venezuelans have fled their country that is suffering a major humanitarian and institutional crisis. Approximately 1.5 million of these refugees settled in Colombia.\n\nThe country has tremendous difficulty dealing with the mass migration as it has yet to deal with many of the 8 million people who were internally displaced by the armed conflict.", "Bogotá – The International Organization for Migration (IOM) welcomes the decision made by the Government of Colombia granting nationality to children born in the country, to Venezuelan parents. This measure will benefit more than 24,000 children who are at risk of statelessness.\n\nWith this exceptional and temporary administrative measure announced yesterday (05/08) by the President of Colombia, Iván Duque, the Government confirms its commitment to both human rights and international conventions, by guaranteeing boys and girls the right to a nationality, regardless of their migratory status.\n\n“This resolution is a contribution towards regular and safe migration, which hopefully will facilitate the recognition of the fundamental rights of Venezuelan children, as well as contribute to their integration into the society,” said Ana Durán Salvatierra, IOM Colombia Chief of Mission.\n\nThe resolution will enter into force on 20 August 2019 and will be applied to children born in Colombian territory since 19 August 2015. The Government of Colombia will contribute to prevent this vulnerable population from becoming stateless, representing a very important step to guarantee its integral protection.\n\nIOM, together with the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (PRM) of the United States Department of State, will technically support the Colombian National Registry Office in the implementation of this resolution, as well as in the dissemination of the campaign Primero la Niñez.\n\nThe campaign seeks to inform the targeted population on how to access this measure, what procedures to follow, the date of entry into force of the initiative, as well as the role of the different entities.\n\nAccording to Migración Colombia through its Administrative Special Unit, as of 30 June 2019, more than 1.4 million Venezuelans are in Colombia, being the first receiving country in the region.\n\nIn its efforts to support the Government in this campaign, IOM is joined by other United Nations agencies, namely the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).\n\nFor more information, please contact IOM Colombia: Andrea López Pinilla, Email: anlopez@iom.int or Karen Mora, Tel: + (57) 1 639 7777, Email: kmora@iom.int", "BOGOTÁ, Colombia — Venezuelan migrant Wuendy Villamizar fled Venezuela by foot while seven months pregnant to ensure she gave birth in Colombia.\n\nHer infant son was born healthy at a border hospital earlier this year but has gone without one of the most basic human rights: Citizenship.\n\nThat changed Monday when President Iván Duque announced that his government will grant citizenship to more than 24,000 babies like Santiago Josue who were born to Venezuelan parents in Colombia and are at risk of statelessness."], "summary": "Colombia grants national citizenship to all children born in the country to Venezuelan parents since August 2015. The measure will be in force for two years."}
{"document": ["(CNN) Cesar Sayoc, who plead guilty to sending pipe bombs to prominent Democrats and CNN, was sentenced Monday to 20 years in prison followed by five years of supervised release.\n\nCharged with 65 felony counts , Sayoc, 57, faced between 121 months and life in prison. US District Judge Jed Rakoff decided that Sayoc's failure to create bombs that would detonate and harm his targets was \"a conscious choice.\"\n\n\"He hated his victims, he wished them no good,\" said Rakoff, \"but he was not so lost as to wish them dead, at least not by his own hand.\"\n\nSayoc sent 16 improvised explosive devices (IEDs) to 13 targets over two weeks last October, according to court documents obtained by CNN. His targets included former President Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Sens. Cory Booker and Kamala Harris, actor Robert De Niro and major Democratic donors like George Soros and Tom Steyer. None of the devices detonated, and no one was injured.\n\nHe has been held without bail since his arrest in October outside a South Florida auto parts store.\n\n\"I am beyond so very sorry for what I did,\" Sayoc said when given the opportunity to address the court at his sentencing hearing.\n\n\"Now that I am a sober man, I know I was a very sick man. I should have listened to my mother, the love of my life. She told me to get help,\" he told the court.\n\nThough he referred to enduring a sexual assault at a Catholic boarding school and having dyslexia, phobias and PTSD, he also said he \"fully\" accepted responsibility for his actions.\n\n\"I am so very sorry to all the victims ... I will be apologizing to them for the rest of my life,\" he told the court.\n\nHis lawyers, led by Sarah Baumgartel of Federal Defenders of New York, Inc., an independent, nonprofit organization, struck a deal with prosecutors to eliminate a charge that would have carried a mandatory life prison sentence when Sayoc entered his guilty plea in March.\n\nThat same agreement included Sayoc's sworn statement that he \"sent all of the 16 devices with the intent to threaten and intimidate people and with the intent to injure property\" and that he \"was aware of the risk that [the devices] would explode.\"\n\nHis sentencing date was originally September 12, but Baumgartel convinced Rakoff to agree to an earlier date, explaining that Sayoc was anxious about the matter.\n\nProsecutors led by US Attorney Geoffrey Berman of the Southern District of New York filed a request in July asking that Sayoc be sentenced to life in prison.\n\nSayoc's \"terrorist attack\" was the culmination of years of \"hate-filled threats,\" months of planning and \"days of carefully assembling the explosive mailings,\" according to the prosecution's sentencing memorandum obtained by CNN.\n\n\"Cesar Sayoc has now been sentenced for acts of domestic terrorism that are repulsive to all Americans who cherish a society built on respectful and non-violent political discourse,\" Assistant Attorney General for National Security John C. Demers said in a statement.\n\n\"Our democracy depends on our debating our strongly held views peacefully and respectfully, and when someone does not, on our prosecuting and punishing those who do not abide by these values,\" he added.\n\nEach of Sayoc's packages contained a photograph of the intended victim with a red X placed over the face and added \"black flags similar in appearance to banners used by ISIS and other foreign terrorist organizations,\" according to the prosecution.\n\nSayoc's IEDs included not only explosive powder from fireworks, but also shards of glass, pool chemicals and other ingredients intended to maximize potential injuries, the memorandum stated.\n\nWhile there is \"no dispute\" Sayoc's IEDs would not function as designed, they \"were dangerous, capable of causing extensive harm, and responsible for shutting down parts of several major metropolitan areas, including train stations, schools, and postal facilities,\" according to the memorandum.\n\nIn their plea for leniency, his attorneys described Sayoc as \"born with cognitive limitations and severe learning disabilities.\" His attorneys also wrote that \"a series of traumatic events pushed [him] further and further into the margins of society.\" These events include his father's abandonment, sexual molestation by a teacher, family estrangement and dependence on drugs, particularly steroids, they stated in court document.\n\nBy the time he committed his offenses, \"he was living alone in a decrepit and cramped van that had been his home for more than a decade,\" his lawyers wrote.\n\n\"In this darkness, Mr. Sayoc found light in Donald J. Trump,\" his attorneys wrote. \"He came to believe that he was being personally targeted for supporting Trump: Mr. Sayoc thought that anti-Trump forces were trying to hurt him and they were to blame when his van was vandalized.\"\n\nSayoc believed he was sending \"a hoax device, and he had no true grasp of the severity of his crimes or the potential ramifications of his actions,\" according to his lawyers: \"Now, nearly a year later, he understands how deeply wrong his actions were, and he is truly sorry for sending these packages.\"\n\nBaumgartel requested the judge sentence Sayoc to just 121 months in prison as \"no significant additional prison time\" is \"necessary to meet the goals of sentencing.\"", "Judge sentences man who mailed pipe bombs to prominent Democrats and CNN to 20 years in prison\n\nNEW YORK (AP) — Judge sentences man who mailed pipe bombs to prominent Democrats and CNN to 20 years in prison.", "NEW YORK - A Florida amateur body builder who admitted sending pipe bombs to prominent Democrats and CNN was sentenced to 20 years in prison Monday by a judge who concluded the bombs purposely were not designed to explode.\n\nCesar Sayoc, 57, wept and crossed himself, appearing relieved, when U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff announced the sentence.\n\nProsecutors had urged a life prison term for Sayoc, who pleaded guilty earlier this year after mailing 16 pipe bombs days before the midterm elections last fall.\n\n\"He hated his victims, he wished them no good, but he was not so lost as to wish them dead, at least not by his own hand,\" the judge said.\n\nThe one-time stripper and pizza delivery man from Aventura, Florida, apologized to his victims, saying he was \"so very sorry for what I did.\"\n\nHis targets included Hillary Clinton, former Vice President Joe Biden, several members of Congress, former President Barack Obama and actor Robert De Niro. Devices were also mailed to CNN offices in New York and Atlanta.\n\nAssistant Federal Defender Marcus Amelkin said Sayoc was obsessed with President Donald Trump and grew to believe Democrats were to blame for damage to his van, which was plastered with Trump stickers and images of crosshairs superimposed over the faces of Trump opponents. Sayoc \"looked up to the president as a father figure,\" the lawyer said.\n\nAssistant U.S. Attorney Jane Kim said Sayoc \"set out to terrorize people\" and had not sufficiently shown remorse.\n\n\"Politics cannot justify a terrorist attack,\" she said, while the judge dismissed talk of Trump as a \"side show.\"\n\nSayoc read from a hand-written statement shortly before he was sentenced, saying he blamed a life of mental illness, a childhood sexual assault he suffered from a boarding school teacher, excessive use of steroids and his failure to listen to his mother, \"the love of my life.\"\n\n\"I was in deep denial. I understand now that I have committed a very serious crime,\" Sayoc said.\n\n\"I wish more than anything I could turn back time and take back what I did,\" he added. \"With all my heart and soul, I feel the pain and suffering of these victims and I will be apologizing to them for the rest of my life.\"\n\nPrior to hearing from lawyers, Rakoff questioned two bomb experts and two doctors who examined Sayoc.\n\nThe bomb experts, one an FBI agent, and one hired by the defense, agreed Sayoc's packages were not configured to explode. As the judge noted, the clocks were not set and wires were not attached.\n\nThe psychiatric experts who examined Sayoc at the request of the defense agreed that steroids influenced his behavior, particularly his delusions and obsessions.\n\nIn all, 16 rudimentary pipe bombs were mailed to addresses in New York, New Jersey, Delaware, California, Washington, D.C., and Atlanta, Georgia. None exploded.\n\nIn letters to the judge, Sayoc has said he abused steroids for more than four decades and was using 274 different supplements and vitamins along with \"heavy amounts of steroids\" before his arrest.\n\nHe wrote that before he mailed explosives, his idea ``first was how to tone down the liberal left violence platform.'' He wrote that he believed prominent Democrats were encouraging violence, saying he had been attacked personally — including as he returned to his hotel after attending Trump's inauguration.\n\nHe was living in his van when arrested in late October.\n\nExplaining his crimes, he said he was never political until he was looking at Facebook on his phone one day when \"Donald J. Trump popped up ...\" He likened attending a Trump rally to taking drugs.\n\nIn one letter he wrote: \"I was getting so wrapped up in this new-found fun drug.\"", "Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings.\n\nThe Florida man who pleaded guilty to sending more than a dozen pipe bombs to prominent critics of President Donald Trump last year was sentenced Monday to 20 years prison.\n\nCesar Sayoc, an ardent Trump supporter, sent homemade bombs created with PVC pipe and glass shards to prominent Democrats, including Hillary Clinton and former President Barack Obama, actor Robert De Niro, as well as to CNN headquarters in New York, according to authorities.\n\nNo one was hurt and none of the bombs detonated.\n\nSayoc pleaded guilty in March to 65 counts, including using weapons of mass destruction and the illegal mailing of explosives with intent to kill or injure. He faced up to life in prison.\n\nThe series of mailed pipe bombs, which prosecutors described in court papers as \"a domestic terror attack,\" sparked a nationwide scare last year.\n\nHe was arrested on Oct. 26 outside an auto-parts store near Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Sayoc was living out of a white van plastered with stickers praising Trump and slogans condemning liberals and the media. He would shower at the gym where he works out, a Florida-based cousin previously told NBC News.\n\nBetween Oct. 22 and Nov. 2, the FBI and U.S. Postal Service recovered 16 manila padded envelopes containing improvised explosive devices that were believed to have been sent by Sayoc from Florida, prosecutors said.\n\nShortly after his arrest, law enforcement sources told NBC News that Sayoc had a list of more than 100 potential targets and did online research on political figures, journalists and entertainers.\n\nBesides Clinton, Obama, CNN and De Niro, Sayoc allegedly sent or addressed the devices to former Vice President Joe Biden; former Attorney General Eric Holder; former CIA Director John Brennan; Sens. Cory Booker, D-N.J., and Kamala Harris, D-Calif.; Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif.; activist Tom Steyer; and former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper.", "(AP) — Prosecutors are calling for a life prison sentence for a Florida amateur body builder who sent pipe bombs to prominent Democrats and CNN. His lawyers say a decade in prison is enough.\n\nU.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff is scheduled Monday to decide how long Cesar Sayoc will spend behind bars.\n\nThe one-time stripper and pizza delivery man from Aventura, Florida, faces a mandatory decade in prison after pleading guilty to explosives charges for mailing 16 inoperative pipe bombs days before the midterm elections last fall.\n\nSayoc says he never intended for the explosives to work when he mailed them to Hillary Clinton, former Vice President Joe Biden, former President Barack Obama, actor Robert De Niro and several members of Congress.\n\nProsecutors say a life sentence is “necessary and appropriate.”", "Judge to decide fate of man who sent pipe bombs to Dems, CNN\n\nNEW YORK (AP) — Prosecutors are calling for a life prison sentence for a Florida amateur body builder who sent pipe bombs to prominent Democrats and CNN. His lawyers say a decade in prison is enough.\n\nU.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff is scheduled Monday to decide how long Cesar Sayoc will spend behind bars.\n\nThe one-time stripper and pizza delivery man from Aventura, Florida, faces a mandatory decade in prison after pleading guilty to explosives charges for mailing 16 inoperative pipe bombs days before the midterm elections last fall.\n\nSayoc says he never intended for the explosives to work when he mailed them to Hillary Clinton, former Vice President Joe Biden, former President Barack Obama, actor Robert De Niro and several members of Congress.\n\nProsecutors say a life sentence is \"necessary and appropriate.\"\n\nsent to state lines where bombs were mailed: NY NJ DE CA GA DC + FL", "NEW YORK — A Florida amateur body builder who admitted sending inoperative pipe bombs to prominent Democrats and CNN was sentenced to 20 years in prison Monday by a judge who said he concluded that the bombs purposely were not designed to explode.\n\nCesar Sayoc, 57, wept and crossed himself when U.S. District Judge Jed S. Rakoff announced the sentence. Sayoc earlier this year had pleaded guilty to explosives charges for mailing 16 pipe bombs days before the midterm elections last fall.\n\nThe one-time stripper and pizza delivery man from Aventura, Florida, apologized to his victims, saying he was \"so very sorry for what I did.\"\n\nHis targets included Hillary Clinton, former Vice President Joe Biden, several members of Congress, former President Barack Obama and actor Robert De Niro. Devices were also mailed to CNN offices in New York and Atlanta.\n\nRELATED: Florida man says pipe bombs mailed to Trump critics weren't meant to hurt anybody\n\nAssistant Federal Defender Marcus Amelkin said his client was driven in part by his obsession with President Donald Trump and his feeling that Democrats were to blame for damage to his van, which was plastered with Trump stickers and images of crosshairs superimposed over the faces of Trump opponents.\n\nAssistant U.S. Attorney Jane Kim said Sayoc \"set out to terrorize people\" and had not sufficiently shown remorse.\n\n\"Politics cannot justify a terrorist attack,\" she said.\n\nIn this undated handout provided by the Broward County Sheriff's Office, Cesar Sayoc poses for a mugshot photo in Miami, Florida.\n\nShortly before he was sentenced, Sayoc told the judge he was \"beyond so very sorry for what I did.\"\n\nHe blamed a life of mental illness, a childhood sexual assault he suffered at a boarding school, excessive use of steroids and his failure to listen to his mother, \"the love of my life.\"\n\n\"I was in deep denial. I understand now that I have committed a very serious crime,\" Sayoc said.\n\n\"I wish more than anything I could turn back time and take back what I did,\" he added. \"With all my heart and soul, I feel the pain and suffering of these victims and I will be apologizing to them for the rest of my life.\"\n\nIn all, 16 rudimentary pipe bombs were mailed to addresses in New York, New Jersey, Delaware, California, Washington, D.C., and Atlanta, Georgia. None exploded.\n\nIn letters to the judge, Sayoc has said he abused steroids for more than four decades and was using 274 different supplements and vitamins along with \"heavy amounts of steroids\" before his arrest.\n\nHe wrote that before he mailed explosives, his idea \"first was how to tone down the liberal left violence platform.\" He wrote that he believed prominent Democrats were encouraging violence, saying he had been attacked personally — including as he returned to his hotel after attending Trump's inauguration.\n\nHe was living in his van when arrested in late October.\n\nExplaining his crimes, he said he was never political until he was looking at Facebook on his phone one day when \"Donald J. Trump popped up ...\"\n\n\"I was getting so wrapped up in this new found fun drug,\" he said in one handwritten letter.", "A man from the US state of Florida who admitted sending inoperative pipe bombs to prominent Democrats and critics of US President Donald Trump has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.\n\nCesar Sayoc, 57, wept and crossed himself when District Judge Jed S Rakoff announced the sentence on Monday.\n\nSayoc earlier this year had pleaded guilty to explosives charges for mailing 16 pipe bombs days before the midterm elections last year.\n\nThe one-time stripper and pizza delivery man from Aventura apologised to his victims, saying he was \"so very sorry for what I did\".\n\nHis targets included Hillary Clinton, former Vice President Joe Biden, several members of Congress, former President Barack Obama and actor Robert De Niro. Devices were also mailed to CNN offices in New York and Atlanta.\n\nAssistant federal defender Marcus Amelkin said his client was driven in part by his obsession with the US president and his feeling that Democrats were to blame for damage to his van, which was plastered with Trump stickers and images of crosshairs superimposed over the faces of Trump opponents.\n\nAssistant US Attorney Jane Kim said Sayoc \"set out to terrorise people\" and had not sufficiently shown remorse.\n\n\"Politics cannot justify a terrorist attack,\" she said.\n\n'So very sorry'\n\nShortly before he was sentenced, Sayoc told the judge he was \"beyond so very sorry for what I did\".\n\nHe blamed a life of mental illness, a childhood sexual assault he suffered at a boarding school, excessive use of steroids and his failure to listen to his mother, \"the love of my life\".\n\n\"I was in deep denial. I understand now that I have committed a very serious crime,\" Sayoc, an amateur bodybuilder, said.\n\n\"I wish more than anything I could turn back time and take back what I did,\" he added.\n\n\"With all my heart and soul, I feel the pain and suffering of these victims and I will be apologising to them for the rest of my life.\"\n\nIn all, 16 rudimentary pipe bombs were mailed to addresses in New York, New Jersey, Delaware, California, Washington, DC, and Georgia. None exploded.\n\nIn letters to the judge, Sayoc has said he abused steroids for more than four decades and was using 274 different supplements and vitamins along with \"heavy amounts of steroids\" before his arrest.\n\nHe was living in his van when arrested in late October.\n\nExplaining his crimes, he said he was never political until he was checking Facebook on his phone one day when \"Donald J Trump popped up ...\"\n\n\"I was getting so wrapped up in this new found fun drug,\" he said in one handwritten letter.", "NEW YORK (AP) - Prosecutors are calling for a life prison sentence for a Florida amateur body builder who sent pipe bombs to prominent Democrats and CNN. His lawyers say a decade in prison is enough.\n\nU.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff is scheduled Monday to decide how long Cesar Sayoc will spend behind bars.\n\nThe one-time stripper and pizza delivery man from Aventura, Florida, faces a mandatory decade in prison after pleading guilty to explosives charges for mailing 16 inoperative pipe bombs days before the midterm elections last fall.\n\nSayoc says he never intended for the explosives to work when he mailed them to Hillary Clinton, former Vice President Joe Biden, former President Barack Obama, actor Robert De Niro and several members of Congress.\n\nProsecutors say a life sentence is \"necessary and appropriate.\"\n\nFILE - This Aug. 30, 2015, file photo released by the Broward County Sheriff's Office shows Cesar Sayoc in Miami. Sayoc, who created a two-week crisis by mailing 16 packages of inoperative pipe bombs packed with fireworks powder and shards of glass to 13 famous Democrats and CNN is scheduled to learn his punishment Monday, Aug. 5, 2019. (Broward County Sheriff's Office via AP, File)", "Florida Man Who Mailed Bombs To Democrats, Media Gets 20 Years In Prison\n\nCesar Sayoc, the Florida bodybuilder and nightclub bouncer who mailed inoperative pipe bombs to prominent Democrats and media figures seen as critical of President Trump was sentenced to 20 years in prison by a federal judge in New York Monday.\n\nSayoc, 57, had been arrested in October 2018 and had pleaded guilty in March for mailing 16 improvised explosive devices to 13 targets around the country, including 11 current or former U.S. government officials, in the weeks prior to the 2018 congressional elections.\n\n\"I wish more than anything I could turn back time and take back what I did,\" he told U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff. \"But I want you to know, your honor, with all my heart and soul, I feel the pain and suffering of these victims.\"\n\nSayoc blamed his behavior on his mental illness and excessive use of steroids, adding, \"I should have listened to my mother, the love of my life.\"\n\nAccording to a statement released by U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman in March, Sayoc's intended victims were former Vice President Joe Biden, Sen. Cory Booker, former CIA Director John Brennan, former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, CNN, Robert De Niro, Sen. Kamala Harris, former Attorney General Eric Holder, former President Barack Obama, George Soros, Thomas Steyer, and Rep. Maxine Waters.\n\nNone of Sayoc's devices exploded. At his sentencing hearing Monday, Sayoc that although his homemade devices looked like pipe bombs, he did not intend for them to explode.\n\nSayoc's attorneys, all federal public defenders, argued that Sayoc was motivated by his obsession with Trump and his anger at Democrats, who he blamed for the vandalism of his van which displayed Trump stickers.\n\nJudge Rakoff concluded that the design flaws in Sayoc's bombs were intentional and indicated that he did not intend to actually harm his victims.\n\nA sobbing Sayoc thanked the judge when he announced the 20-year sentence. Prosecutors had sought a life sentence."], "summary": "Cesar Sayoc is sentenced to 20 years in prison for sending pipe bombs to CNN and several prominent U.S. Democrats including former President Barack Obama and former Vice President Joe Biden last year."}
{"document": ["(CNN) Singer R. Kelly has been charged with two counts of engaging in prostitution with a person under 18 in Minnesota, prosecutors said Monday.\n\nHennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman announced the charges against the performer, whose legal name is Robert Sylvester Kelly.\n\nKelly is being charged by a summons, Freeman said, so it is unclear when he will respond to the new charges. His attorney has said it's not clear if his client has even met the woman and says this might be a case of \"revisionist history.\"\n\nFreeman said the criminal complaint details an incident that occurred in July 2001 after a minor asked the singer for an autograph at a promotional event.\n\nKelly gave the girl, then 17, his autograph and a phone number, the complaint states. When she called, she was directed to his hotel in Minneapolis and was met by someone she believed was a male member of his staff.\n\nThe complaint says that when she met Kelly, the two made small talk before he gave her $200 to dance for him. After settling on the amount, she agreed. He took off her clothes and then his, and he touched her sexually while she danced, the documents say.\n\nHe gave the victim VIP tickets to his concert, the complaint says. That enabled her to attend the 18+ concert without paying or showing her ID.\n\nThe girl said that she discussed going to Chicago with Kelly but that the two lost contact after he changed the number he had given her, Freeman said.\n\nShe contacted law enforcement in January to report the encounter, he said, after other allegations against Kelly surfaced. Attorneys corroborated some of her account with her brother, who saw her at Kelly's 2001 concert and confirmed that she told him she had been paid to dance for the singer.\n\nHe said she didn't go into detail and he did not press her because she seemed uncomfortable talking about it.\n\n\"It is despicable that Mr. Kelly used his fame in order to prey on underaged girls,\" Freeman said in a statement.\n\nWith charges pending against Kelly in New York and Illinois, Freeman said it's unclear when he will appear in court in Minnesota.\n\n\"While there are more numerous charges in the Illinois and federal cases, we wanted to make sure that our victim here in Minneapolis also receives a measure of justice,\" he said in a statement.\n\nDoug Anton, one of Kelly's attorneys, responded to the latest charges.\n\n\"Frankly I don't understand where the criminal activity exists in this matter. But I believe this highlights what has now become the absurdity of The bulk of the charges against our client.\"\n\n\"When a top law-enforcement figure makes a public cry for the world to come and be famous by telling their sordid story, true or not, it inherently invites people to create revisionist history and put a different label on simple fan rockstar encounters.\"\n\nAnton said he didn't know if Kelly had ever met the woman.\n\n\"All we know is that yet another person has come forward either by their own desire or by being dragged in to the fray by prosecutors looking to make a name for themselves.\"\n\nKelly pleaded not guilty to other charges Friday\n\nThe Minnesota indictment is the latest in a tangle of charges against Kelly, who's faced accusations of abuse and manipulation of underage girls and women for more than 20 years.\n\nOn Friday, he pleaded not guilty in New York on several counts of racketeering, kidnapping, forced labor and sexual exploitation of a child. He was indicted in July by a federal court on accusations of transporting women and girls across state lines for \"illegal sexual activity.\"\n\nOf the five unnamed women referenced in the indictment, three were minors.\n\nThat indictment also alleges that he knowingly exposed at least one person to a sexually transmitted disease without disclosing it.\n\nHe was indicted by grand juries in Illinois and New York in July on charges of recruiting women for sex, persuading people to conceal his sexual misconduct with teenagers, and buying back tapes that show him having sex with underage girls.\n\nHe pleaded not guilty to the 13-count indictment in Illinois, which included four counts of producing child pornography and five counts of enticement of a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity.\n\nKelly was also accused of videotaping himself having sex with at least four underage girls as far back as 1998.\n\nHe'll next appear in Chicago court on September 4 for a status hearing on those charges.\n\nIn February, he pleaded not guilty to an Illinois state court's charges: 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse against four people, including three underage girls. He was released on $100,000 bond but arrested and jailed in March after, authorities say, he failed to pay more than $160,000 in child support to his ex-wife. He was released days later after an undisclosed person paid the money owed.", "MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Minnesota authorities are charging singer R. Kelly with two counts of prostitution and solicitation involving a girl under 18 for an alleged incident in 2001.\n\nHennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman says Robert Kelly is charged in an incident involving a girl he met at a concert. Freeman says the girl was trying to get an autograph from Kelly, and he gave her the autograph and a phone number.\n\nThe prosecutor says when the girl called the number she was invited to Kelly’s hotel, offered $200 to take off her clothes and dance. He says Kelly took his clothes off and they danced together.\n\nFreeman says his office investigated after getting a tip from a Chicago tip line.\n\nKelly’s attorney Steve Greenberg tweeted: “Give me a break. This is beyond absurd”", "R. Kelly is facing even more sex crime charges.\n\nThe embattled singer is facing two counts of engaging in prostitution with an individual under 18 years old and offering to hire for sexual purposes a person under 18. The events allegedly took place with an underage girl in Minneapolis in July 2001.\n\nDuring a news conference on Monday, State Attorney Mike Freeman said the alleged victim approached Kelly for an autograph and claims that the 52-year-old singer paid her $200 to get naked and engage in sexual acts at his Minneapolis hotel.\n\nFreeman said that there was no sexual intercourse between Kelly and the underage girl, but there was “sexual contact.” He also admitted that the case will be difficult to prosecute, given that the evidence dates back nearly 20 years.\n\nThe news follows a month in and out of courts for Kelly. He was charged with 18 counts of sexual misconduct and other charges in Chicago and New York and pled not guilty to five federal criminal charges including kidnapping and racketeering.\n\nRELATED: Steppin’ Down In The Name Of Common Sense: R. Kelly’s Crisis Manager Quits\n\nR. Kelly Charged With Sex Crimes In Minnesota was originally published on theboxhouston.com", "A Minnesota prosecutor charged singer R. Kelly on Monday with prostitution and solicitation related to an allegation that he invited a 17-year-old girl to his hotel room in 2001 and paid her $200 to dance naked with him.\n\nHennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said Kelly, whose full name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, is accused of soliciting the girl after meeting her before a concert in Minneapolis.\n\nREAD MORE: R. Kelly denied bail after pleading not guilty to sexual abuse charges\n\nFreeman said the girl was trying to get an autograph from Kelly, and that the R&B performer gave her his signature and a phone number. When the girl called the number, she was invited to Kelly’s hotel. There she was offered $200 to take off her clothes and dance, Freeman said. He said Kelly took his clothes off and they danced together.\n\nA criminal complaint said the girl said Kelly lay on his bed and the girl climbed on top of him “body to body.”\n\n“According to Victim, the defendant was rubbing her body” and fondling himself, according to the complaint. “Victim stated that the defendant touched all over her body.”\n\nThe complaint said the girl attended Kelly’s concert “as a guest who did not have to pay,” and told her brother what had happened in Kelly’s hotel room.\n\nThe charges are felonies, each punishable by up to five years in prison. Freeman said his office investigated after getting a tip from a Chicago tip line.\n\n“We felt we had more than enough to charge based on her testimony and corroboration from her brother,” Freeman said. “I don’t like buying sex from minors, and I don’t think most other people do either.”\n\nWATCH: R. Kelly pleads not guilty to New York sex trafficking charges: Attorney\n\nKelly’s attorney Steve Greenberg tweeted: “Give me a break. This is beyond absurd.” He did not immediately respond to a request for further comment.\n\nThe criminal complaint didn’t name the accuser, and her attorney, Gloria Allred, said it would not be disclosed. She called the woman “a child victim of Mr. Kelly” and said she showed courage to come forward.\n\n“As this new case demonstrates, it is not too late for there to be justice for even more victims of R. Kelly,” Allred said in a statement.\n\nREAD MORE: R. Kelly arrested in Chicago on federal sex trafficking charges\n\nThe charges are the latest legal problem for Kelly, who remains jailed in New York after pleading not guilty last week in federal court to charges that he sexually abused women and girls who attended his concerts there. He is accused of using his fame to recruit young women and girls into illegal sexual activity.\n\nKelly, 52, is also charged separately in Chicago with engaging in child pornography.", "R. Kelly was charged with soliciting a minor for sexual purposes and soliciting prostitution from someone under 18 today in Hennepin County, Minnesota. The alleged incident took place 18 years ago, in July 2001, according to the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office. The StarTribune said it was unclear if Kelly would make an appearance there.\n\nMike Freeman, an attorney for the county, said the alleged incident occurred when a fan was trying to get an autograph from the singer before a concert. The lawyer claims Kelly gave the woman his phone number, and when she called him, he told her to go to his hotel room. “After some discussion she was offered $200 to take off her clothes and dance for him,” Freeman said, according to StarTribune. “After accepting the $200, she got naked and they proceeded to dance.”\n\nThey then had sexual contact, which the attorney said was not intercourse, and Kelly allegedly gave her VIP seats to his show. Afterwards, they stayed in contact and discussed a visit to Chicago, where Kelly lives. The newspaper did not disclose the victim’s name or age at the time of the incident, though she was likely between the ages of 16 and 18 based on the charges.\n\nFreeman told TwinCities.com that the three-year statute of limitations doesn’t apply to Kelly since he did not remain in Minnesota.\n\nR. Kelly’s lawyer, Steve Greenberg, tells Rolling Stone that he considers the charged “absurd.” “The facts as known show this is just a cry for attention by the prosecutor,” he says.\n\n“Some girl comes in and starts dancing and says he touched her? What’s she doing there dancing? It’s enough already,” Greenberg added to The Star Tribune. “The idea of a statute of limitations is after a certain amount of time, you don’t charge people. I’m not going to waste my time on that case at this point. Until [Freeman] can get Mr. Kelly to Minnesota, I’m not going to burn one brain cell on him.”\n\nA representative for the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office did not return Rolling Stone’s request for comment. The StarTribune said the office learned of the alleged incident via a tip line.\n\nLast week, Kelly pleaded not guilty to charges of racketeering and sex trafficking in a Brooklyn federal court. The judge in the case denied Kelly’s bail, declaring him a flight risk. Kelly is also facing federal charges in Chicago for child pornography, enticement of a minor to engage in criminal sexual activity and conspiracy to obstruct justice.", "Embattled R&B singer R. Kelly is facing new charges in Minnesota, as he continues to battle cases in Illinois and New York, prosecutors announced Monday.The charges include one count of engaging in prostitution with a person under 18 years of age and one count of hiring a person under 18 years of age for sexual purposes, Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman said.The charges stem from allegations on an incident that took place in July 2001. Freeman said the victim \"was attempting to obtain an autograph at City Center in Minneapolis, which Kelly gave to her along with a phone number.\"When she called Kelly, she was directed to go to his hotel, where she was met by a member of his staff and \"ushered up to a hotel suite.\"Kelly then allegedly offered her to take her clothes off for $200 and dance for him. Freeman says she accepted the money, got naked and proceeded to dance, with \"sexual contact\" occurring during the incident.R. Kelly is currently in custody in New York charged with other underage sex crimes.", "R. Kelly is deeply aligned with the struggle as he continues to fight criminal sex charges in the state of Illinois and New York. Now, Minnesota is jumping in on the mix and brought up a 2001 incident in the state where the beleaguered R&B singer allegedly tried to pay minors for sex.\n\nHennepin County Attorney just made the announcement that Kelly has been charged with 2 felony counts for allegedly engaging in prostitution with someone under 18-years-old and offering to hire someone under the age of 18 for sexual purposes.\n\nHennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman claims that in 2001, Kelly met with a fan at the City Center shopping mall in Minnesota.\n\nThe fan was an underage girl who was attempting to get an autograph, and Kelly allegedly gave her his phone number with instructions to call.\n\nWhen she called, the girl was directed to his hotel and ushered up to his suite. Officials claims Kelly offered her $200 to take her clothes off and dance, to which she obliged.\n\nShe was also given VIP tickets to an R. Kelly show, and when the girl was seen in the front row her brother asked what had happened and was told about the situation.\n\nFreeman says the alleged victim contacted his offices, stating that she and Kelly did not have sex.", "Minnesota authorities are charging singer R. Kelly with two counts of prostitution and solicitation involving a girl under 18 for an alleged incident in 2001. Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman says Robert Kelly is charged in an incident involving a girl he met at a promotional event ahead of one of his performances.\n\nFreeman says the girl was trying to get an autograph from Kelly and he gave her the autograph and a phone number, telling her to call him.\n\nThe prosecutor says when the girl called the number she was invited to Kelly’s hotel in Minneapolis, where the singer offered her $200 to take off her clothes and dance. He says Kelly took his clothes off and they danced together. Freeman said sexual contact occurred.\n\nThe girl was later offered VIP seating for Kelly’s concert, Freeman said. The girl told her brother about the incident when he asked her about the front-row seat, Freeman said.\n\nFreeman says police investigated the allegation after the woman called a Chicago tip line in January, interviewing the woman and her brother.\n\n“This kind of conduct, particularly juveniles, is simply unacceptable in the state of Minnesota and frankly everywhere,” Freeman reportedly said. “She was a juvenile at the time. We have special laws to protect our juveniles, and we are going to enforce them.”\n\nAttorney Gloria Allred says she’s representing the woman in the new case. She told a news conference in Los Angeles on Monday that she was told the prostitution statute was the only one available to Minnesota authorities to charge Kelly in this case.\n\nAllred says she will not name the woman. She commended the woman “for the courage she displayed in speaking to law enforcement.”\n\n“As this new case demonstrates, it is not too late for there to be justice for even more victims of R. Kelly,” Allred said in a statement.\n\nKelly’s attorney, Steve Greenberg, tweeted: “Give me a break. This is beyond absurd.”\n\nSexual misconduct allegations have swirled for years around Kelly, whom federal prosecutors said last month was “emboldened by his fame and the lack of any real consequences.” The charges come after two documentaries and a series of news articles about the accusations, as well as pleas from prosecutors who have urged new victims and witnesses to come forward.\n\nKelly also faces federal sex crime charges in New York and Illinois and sex assault and sex abuse charges in Cook County, Illinois.\n\nThe New York indictment alleges Kelly for two decades ran a racketeering enterprise comprised of “managers, bodyguards, drivers, personal assistants and runners” who recruited women and girls for sex with Kelly and transported them around the country. It outlines allegations by five unnamed victims.\n\nThe federal indictment in the northern district of Illinois outlines allegations by five additional victims and accuses Kelly of having sex with five minors in the late 1990s and early 2000s, recording some of the abuse on multiple videos.\n\nKelly maintains his innocence. He is in federal custody in New York and it’s not clear when he will face arraignment in Minnesota.", "R. Kelly has been charged with new sex crimes involving an underage girl in Minnesota. Kelly was charged with two counts, one for “engaging in prostitution with an individual under 18 years of age, and one for hiring, or offering to hire, for sexual purposes with a person under 18,” said County Attorney Mike Freeman, who announced the charges on Monday. According to Freeman, the alleged offenses occurred in July 2001. “The victim was under 18 at the time, she was attempting to obtain an autograph from Mr. Kelly. He gave it to her, he also gave her a phone number and told her to call him. When she called him she was directed to go to his hotel where she was met with a member of his staff and ushered up to his hotel suite,” Freeman said. “After some discussion she was offered $200 to take her clothes off and to dance before him.”\n\nKelly then allegedly invited her to attend one of his 18-or-over concerts as a VIP guest, but changed the phone number given to the girl shortly after. The disgraced singer is currently in custody in New York on separate charges involving a “racketeering enterprise” in which he allegedly recruited girls for sex.", "R. Kelly just got hit with more sex crime charges ... this time in Minnesota, where prosecutors say the disgraced singer once paid a teenage girl to have sexual contact with him in his hotel room.\n\nAccording to prosecutors, the alleged incident went down on July 11, 2001 in Minneapolis ... and they say the alleged victim was between the ages of 16 and 17.\n\nHennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman says the alleged victim initially approached Kelly seeking an autograph, and claims Kelly paid her $200 to get naked and engage in sex acts with him.\n\nProsecutors are charging Kelly with two sex crimes ... engaging in prostitution with someone under 18, and hiring/offering/agreeing to hire someone for sexual contact.\n\nFreeman says there was no sexual intercourse between Kelly and the alleged victim, but he claims there was \"dancing and sexual contact.\" He admitted the case will be difficult to prosecute, given that the evidence is almost 20 years old. Prosecutors say the tip came through a Chicago tip line.\n\nR. Kelly's attorney, Steve Greenberg, just weighed in on the new charges ... tweeting, \"give me a break. This is beyond absurd.\"\n\nKelly is currently in custody in New York, where he’s pled not guilty to 5 federal criminal charges including kidnapping and racketeering. The New York case is separate from Kelly’s 13-count indictment in Illinois federal court, which includes charges of child porn, enticement of a minor and obstruction of justice. Kelly is also fighting 10 charges of aggravated sexual abuse in Cook County, Illinois."], "summary": "R. Kelly is charged with two counts for engaging in prostitution with a person under 18 in Minnesota."}
{"document": ["Why did this happen?\n\nPlease make sure your browser supports JavaScript and cookies and that you are not blocking them from loading. For more information you can review our Terms of Service and Cookie Policy.", "Hong Kong’s embattled Chief Executive Carrie Lam said on Monday that recent protests have escalated beyond their original demands, pushing the city to a “very dangerous situation.”\n\n“Some radical elements have changed the nature of the protests: some defaced the national emblem, and others took down a national flag and threw it into the sea. They said they want to foment revolution, to ‘liberate’ Hong Kong,” Lam said.\n\n“These actions far exceeded the original political demands. These unlawful actions challenge national sovereignty and threaten One Country, Two Systems, and will destroy Hong Kong’s prosperity and stability.”\n\nAccompanied by her top officials, Lam spoke at a press conference on Monday after two weeks of silence. Her remarks came after days of violent clashes and coincided with a general strike, which saw protesters disrupting transport across the city.\n\nLam condemned acts of violence and described protesters as using a “scorched earth” strategy.\n\n“This type of method – which some have described as ‘mutual destruction’ – will push Hong Kong onto a path of no return,” she said. “Do we want to use the lives of seven million people and the future of Hong Kong as betting chips?”\n\nLam added that violence will only make the situation more intractable: “Our society has become unsafe and unstable. These are not things that can be easily rebuilt in a short time.”\n\nAs for the ongoing strike, the chief executive said that strikers should respect other people’s right to work. “Many workers live paycheck to paycheck, and those affected are grassroots families. There are many who want to go to work but were affected by the non-cooperation movement.”\n\nShe said her administration was closely monitoring the situation, and will host cross-departmental press conferences when needed.\n\nPolice will also host daily press briefings – a move reminiscent of the 2014 pro-democracy Umbrella Movement where the government adopted the same policy.\n\nAsked why she made no public appearances for two weeks, Lam said that radical protesters would target her wherever she went and engage in “intimidation and bullying.” Event organisers would tell her not to attend, since her appearance would result in increased insurance premiums and manpower needs, Lam added.\n\nWhen asked about the protesters’ five core demands, Lam reiterated that the extradition amendment bill was “suspended” and that the Independent Police Complaints Council (IPCC) has already begun an investigation into recent protests. Demonstrators, however, have demanded the bill be fully axed and an investigation be fully independent of the police.\n\n#HongKong's Carrie Lam says her extradition bill plan was well-intended but failed after the proposal was \"smeared\" and the gov't failed to explain it. #HongKong #NoToChinaExtradition #china #antiELAB https://t.co/xTFFQ9TiE5 pic.twitter.com/5Ql8OKHmyG — Hong Kong Free Press (@HongKongFP) August 5, 2019\n\nShe added that she had no power to unilaterally order the release of arrested protesters, as the authority lies with prosecutors at the Department of Justice.\n\nTop officials speak\n\nChief Secretary Matthew Cheung also expressed regret regarding the general strike, saying that “strikes and violence bring no benefit to Hong Kong at all.”\n\nHe called on the public to remain steadfast at their posts, and urged employers to be flexible in their treatment of employees who are late to work.\n\nFinance chief Paul Chan reported that Hong Kong’s GDP growth in the second quarter of the year was similar to that of the first quarter. However, if there was negative growth in the third quarter, the city’s economy would be in decline.\n\n“Hong Kong’s economy is facing a challenging environment with a lot of downward pressure. With the US-China trade frictions heating up, external uncertainties and internal difficulties, Hong Kong’s local economy has been affected by recent events,” Chan said.", "The Latest: Lam says Hong Kong on verge of danger\n\nHONG KONG (AP) — The Latest on the protests in Hong Kong (all times local):\n\nHong Kong leader Carrie Lam says recent protests have pushed the city to the \"verge of a very dangerous situation\" but the government will be resolute in ensuring public order.\n\nA tired looking Lam delivered the remarks at a news conference Monday morning that follows weeks of daily marches and demonstrations that have frequently devolved into violent confrontations, with police deploying tear gas rubber bullets and other crowd control measures.\n\nLam said the violence and disruptions were creating anxiety among citizens and now was the time to set aside differences and \"rally together.\"\n\nProtesters were blocking trains during the morning rush hour and called for a citywide strike by workers. More than 100 flights were cancelled at the city's airport, and Hong Kong media say that the airport express train service has been suspended.\n\nHong Kong's leader will speak to the media as protesters block morning trains and call for a citywide strike by workers.\n\nThe office of Chief Executive Carrie Lam said she would hold a news conference at 10 a.m. Monday.\n\nThe strike has already taken hold at the airport, where 100 flights have been cancelled. Hong Kong media say that the airport express train service has been suspended.\n\nProtesters used a now-familiar tactic of blocking train doors from closing to disrupt the morning commute.\n\nThe actions follow a weekend of clashes between protesters and police. The protesters are demanding the dissolution of the legislature, an investigation into police use of force at protests and full democracy for the semi-autonomous Chinese territory.\n\nHong Kong media say more than 100 flights have been cancelled at the city's airport as a general strike called to support pro-democracy protests gets underway.\n\nPublic broadcaster RTHK said Monday that domestic carriers such as Cathay Pacific and Hong Kong Airlines were the most affected.\n\nA citywide strike and demonstrations in seven districts in Hong Kong have been called for Monday afternoon. They follow a weekend of clashes with police on the streets.\n\nHong Kong has seen protests all summer. A movement against an extradition bill that would have allowed residents to be sent to mainland China to stand trial has expanded into demands for an investigation into alleged police abuse at protests and the dissolution of the legislature.\n\nProtesters in Hong Kong have snarled the morning rush hour by blocking train and platform doors to prevent trains from leaving stations.\n\nSubway and train operator MTR said Monday that service had been partially suspended on four lines because of a number of door obstruction incidents.\n\nIt's the third time in three weeks that protesters have disrupted train service. The action followed a weekend of clashes with police on the streets and ahead of a general strike and more demonstrations called for Monday afternoon.\n\nHong Kong has seen protests all summer. A movement against an extradition bill that would have allowed residents to be sent to mainland China to stand trial has expanded into demands for an investigation into alleged police abuse at protests and the dissolution of the legislature.", "HONG KONG (Reuters) - Police fired tear gas at protesters in multiple parts of Hong Kong on Monday after a general strike hit transport and the city’s Beijing-backed leader warned its prosperity was at risk.\n\nThe protests surpassed earlier shows of dissent in scale and intensity, seemingly stoked by Hong Kong chief executive Carrie Lam’s refusal once again to meet any of the protesters’ demands, while warning of an “extremely dangerous situation”.\n\nWhat started several months ago as demonstrations over an extradition bill that would have let people be sent to mainland China for trial have grown into a much broader backlash against the city government and its political masters in Beijing.\n\nThe protests are the greatest political threat to the former British colony’s government since it returned to Chinese rule and one of the biggest popular challenges to Chinese leader Xi Jinping since he came to power in 2012.\n\nAmid extensive disruptions to trains and traffic, tens of thousands of demonstrators fanned out across Hong Kong, spreading pockets of activism to most of its main three regions: Hong Kong island, Kowloon and the New Territories.\n\nIn the evening, a group of men armed with sticks tried to attack the black-clad protesters in the North Point district.\n\nRiot police used tear gas in districts including Wong Tai Sin, Tin Shui Wai, Tai Po, and Admiralty close to the city’s government headquarters.\n\nSpeaking to the media for the first time in two weeks, Lam remained defiant, rejecting calls to resign, condemning violence and saying the government would be resolute.\n\nShe warned that the protests were putting Hong Kong on a path of no return and had hurt its economy.\n\n“They claim they want a revolution and to restore Hong Kong. These actions have far exceeded their original political demands,” said a stern-faced Lam, flanked by some, but not all senior members of her administration.\n\n“These illegal acts that challenge our country’s sovereignty, and jeopardize ‘one country two systems’, will destroy the stability and prosperity of Hong Kong,” Lam said, referring to the territory’s administrative system since 1997, when it was handed back to China.\n\nDemonstrators fear China is gradually encroaching on the island’s cherished autonomy.\n\nChina’s Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council said it would hold another news conference on Tuesday at 2.30 pm (0630 GMT), after one last Monday that announced no new major policy shifts by Beijing despite the upheavals.\n\n“I don’t think the government is doing anything to heal society... They provide no solution,” said Jay Leung, 20, a university student who joined a protest, dismissing Lam’s words as a waste of time.\n\n“I didn’t hear anything positive, she just made it worse,” added tourism worker Russell, 38.\n\nDemonstrators blocked key roads, including three tunnels, cutting major arteries linking Hong Kong island and the Kowloon Peninsula. In Yuen Long district, a car rammed through a barricade, knocking down protesters.\n\nCommuters struggled to get to work, with many rail and bus services suspended by activists who blocked trains from leaving stations, some by sitting in doorways.\n\nLong lines of traffic snaked across Hong Kong island into the heart of the business center and hundreds of people were stranded at the airport, where more than 200 flights were canceled at one point.\n\n“Losing a bit of money now is not such a problem, (compared) with losing everything that the freedom of Hong Kong used to stand for,” said Mark Schmidt, 49, a restaurant manager who closed on Monday.\n\nIn an upmarket shopping mall in Sha Tin, scores of shops were shuttered, including clothing retailer H&M as well as luxury brands Chanel and Dior. Protesters in the shopping center chanted: “Strike! Support to the end.”\n\nMany stores in the bustling shopping district of Causeway Bay were closed for part of the day as well as businesses close to the protests.\n\nMembers of the Hong Kong Disneyland Cast Members Union went on strike, as did many lifeguards, forcing authorities to close some beaches and swimming pools.\n\nPolice, who some have accused of using excessive force, said the situation was spiraling out of control.\n\nAuthorities said 420 people have been arrested over the protests since June 9, while police have fired 1,000 rounds of tear gas and about 160 rubber bullets.\n\nThe protesters’ demands include a complete withdrawal of the extradition bill and an independent inquiry into government handling of the crisis.\n\nWith tourist numbers falling and hotel occupancy rates slumping, the protests are piling pressure on a struggling economy.\n\nIHS Markit’s July Purchasing Managers’ Index for Hong Kong showed private sector business activity dropped to its lowest level in a decade, also weighed down by the Sino-U.S. trade war.\n\n“I would not be surprised if we see a technical recession - two consecutive quarters of contraction,” said Raymond Yeung, chief China economist at ANZ.\n\nThe benchmark Hang Seng Index closed down 2.9 percent, falling to its lowest level since January.", "Protesters with makeshift shields pass through a subway station on their way to a police station in Hong Kong on Sunday, Aug. 4, 2019. Demonstrators in Hong Kong moved en masse to a luxury shopping district Sunday evening after riot police used tear gas to clear out an area they were previously occupying, as the 2-month-old protest movement showed no signs of easing. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)\n\nHONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam maintained that she has no plans to resign in the face of a turbulent pro-democracy movement that held a general strike Monday, leading to more than 100 flight cancellations and major traffic disruptions.\n\nThe semi-autonomous Chinese city is on “the verge of a very dangerous situation,” said Lam, who said current protests were operating with “ulterior motives” that threaten Hong Kong’s prosperity and security.\n\n“I don’t think at this point in time, resignation of myself or some of my colleagues would provide a better solution,” the chief executive said at a news conference.\n\nProtesters snarled the morning rush hour by blocking train and platform doors, preventing subway and commuter rail trains from leaving their stations. After demonstrators in face masks refused to move from train entry points in several stations, and commuters found themselves stranded on crowded platforms and some required medical attention.\n\nMore than 100 flights have been cancelled out of Hong Kong after a large number of airport employees called in sick in apparent participation in the general strike, Hong Kong media reported. Public broadcaster RTHK said Cathay Pacific and other domestic carriers such as Hong Kong Airlines were the most affected. Airport express train service was also suspended.\n\n“Too much. Why do they have to create trouble for people not involved in their cause?” said 52-year-old John Chan, whose flight to Singapore was cancelled. “Hong Kong is sinking. The government, police and protest people have to stop fighting and give us a break.”\n\nThe citywide strike and demonstrations in seven Hong Kong districts moved forward Monday following a weekend of clashes between protesters and riot police on the streets. They are part of a summer of fiery demonstrations that began in June against proposed extradition legislation that would have allowed residents to be sent to mainland China to stand trial.\n\nWhile the government has since suspended the bill, protesters have pressed on with broader calls for democratic reforms and an investigation into alleged police brutality.\n\nThe Communist Party-led central government in Beijing has condemned what they call violent and radical protesters who have vandalized the Chinese national anthem and national flag on the sidelines of major rallies. China has accused unnamed “foreign forces” of inflaming the demonstrations out of a desire to contain the country’s development.\n\nOn Chinese state broadcaster CCTV’s daily noon news report, an anchor read aloud from a strongly-worded editorial titled “The Chaos in Hong Kong Must Not Continue.”\n\n“We warn those maniacs and thugs who intend to continue to mess up Hong Kong by holding to a fantasy that you must pay a price for your savage revenge,” the editorial said. “So please become aware of your errors, turn back from your incorrect path and set down the butcher’s knives.”\n\nA former British colony, Hong Kong was returned to China in 1997 under the framework of “one country, two systems,” which promised the city certain democratic freedoms not afforded to the mainland. But some Hong Kong residents feel that Beijing has been increasingly encroaching on their freedoms in recent years.\n\nClaudia Mo, a pro-democracy lawmaker, said Beijing should consider engaging with protesters through Lam.\n\n“We hope the learned people in Beijing would at least deliver some sincerity by suggesting via Carrie Lam, ‘Okay, you guys want democracy, perhaps we can talk,'” Mo said Monday. “We can talk — just three words. And maybe that can help appease the society.”\n\nBodeen reported from Beijing. Associated Press journalist Royston Chan in Hong Kong contributed to this report.", "Commuters are reflected on a door panel of a subway train as they wait for the resumption of the services after being disrupted by protesters at Fortress Hill MTR station in Hong Kong, Monday, Aug. 5, 2019. Protesters snarled the morning rush hour by blocking train and platform doors to prevent trains from leaving stations. Subway and train operator MTR said Monday that service had been partially suspended on five lines because of a number of door obstruction incidents. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)\n\nHONG KONG (AP) — The Latest on the protests in Hong Kong (all times local):\n\nDroves of protesters have filled public parks and squares in several Hong Kong districts to take part in a general strike.\n\nFollowing a weekend of protests, demonstrators disrupted subways, air traffic and weekday activities Monday in an effort to bring more attention to their demands.\n\nHong Kong has seen pro-democracy protests for about two months.\n\nPolice in at least one district have used tear gas to disperse crowds.\n\nProtesters dressed in black sat in the shade of office buildings in the city’s business district with open umbrellas and posters condemning the police as “gangsters.”\n\nHong Kong leader Carrie Lam says she has no plans to resign over the civil unrest targeting her administration.\n\nLam said she took responsibility for problems as chief executive and was determined to see the situation resolved.\n\nShe spoke at a news conference Monday as protesters blocked morning trains and called for a citywide strike. More than 100 flights were canceled.\n\nLam said the latest protests had moved from extradition legislation, which her administration had shelved, and now were operating with “ulterior motives” targeting Hong Kong’s prosperity and security.\n\nHong Kong leader Carrie Lam says recent protests have pushed the city to the “verge of a very dangerous situation” but the government will be resolute in ensuring public order.\n\nA tired looking Lam delivered the remarks at a news conference Monday morning that follows weeks of daily marches and demonstrations that have frequently devolved into violent confrontations, with police deploying tear gas rubber bullets and other crowd control measures.\n\nLam said the violence and disruptions were creating anxiety among citizens and now was the time to set aside differences and “rally together.”\n\nProtesters were blocking trains during the morning rush hour and called for a citywide strike by workers. More than 100 flights were cancelled at the city’s airport, and Hong Kong media say that the airport express train service has been suspended.\n\nHong Kong’s leader will speak to the media as protesters block morning trains and call for a citywide strike by workers.\n\nThe office of Chief Executive Carrie Lam said she would hold a news conference at 10 a.m. Monday.\n\nThe strike has already taken hold at the airport, where 100 flights have been cancelled. Hong Kong media say that the airport express train service has been suspended.\n\nProtesters used a now-familiar tactic of blocking train doors from closing to disrupt the morning commute.\n\nThe actions follow a weekend of clashes between protesters and police. The protesters are demanding the dissolution of the legislature, an investigation into police use of force at protests and full democracy for the semi-autonomous Chinese territory.\n\nHong Kong media say more than 100 flights have been cancelled at the city’s airport as a general strike called to support pro-democracy protests gets underway.\n\nPublic broadcaster RTHK said Monday that domestic carriers such as Cathay Pacific and Hong Kong Airlines were the most affected.\n\nA citywide strike and demonstrations in seven districts in Hong Kong have been called for Monday afternoon. They follow a weekend of clashes with police on the streets.\n\nHong Kong has seen protests all summer. A movement against an extradition bill that would have allowed residents to be sent to mainland China to stand trial has expanded into demands for an investigation into alleged police abuse at protests and the dissolution of the legislature.\n\nProtesters in Hong Kong have snarled the morning rush hour by blocking train and platform doors to prevent trains from leaving stations.\n\nSubway and train operator MTR said Monday that service had been partially suspended on four lines because of a number of door obstruction incidents.\n\nIt’s the third time in three weeks that protesters have disrupted train service. The action followed a weekend of clashes with police on the streets and ahead of a general strike and more demonstrations called for Monday afternoon.\n\nHong Kong has seen protests all summer. A movement against an extradition bill that would have allowed residents to be sent to mainland China to stand trial has expanded into demands for an investigation into alleged police abuse at protests and the dissolution of the legislature.", "Protesters with makeshift shields pass through a subway station on their way to a police station in Hong Kong on Sunday, Aug. 4, 2019. Demonstrators in Hong Kong moved en masse to a luxury shopping district Sunday evening after riot police used tear gas to clear out an area they were previously occupying, as the 2-month-old protest movement showed no signs of easing. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)\n\nHONG KONG (AP) — At least 100 flights were cancelled and subway service widely disrupted in Hong Kong on Monday as a pro-democracy movement called for a general strike.\n\nCathay Pacific and other domestic carriers such as Hong Kong Airlines were the most affected by the flight cancellations, public broadcaster RTHK said. Airport express train service was also suspended.\n\nA citywide strike and demonstrations in seven districts in Hong Kong have been called for Monday afternoon. They follow a weekend of clashes with police on the streets.\n\nHong Kong has seen protests all summer. A movement against an extradition bill that would have allowed residents to be sent to mainland China to stand trial has expanded into demands for an investigation into alleged police abuse at protests and the dissolution of the legislature. Protesters also want full democracy for the semi-autonomous Chinese territory.\n\nProtesters snarled the morning rush hour by blocking train and platform doors to prevent trains from leaving stations.\n\nSubway and train operator MTR said Monday that service had been partially suspended on five lines because of a number of door obstruction incidents.\n\nIt’s the third time in three weeks that protesters have disrupted train service.\n\nHong Kong’s leader Carrie Lam called a morning news conference ahead of what could be a chaotic day in her city.", "Commuters are reflected on a door panel of a subway train as they wait for the resumption of the services after being disrupted by protesters at Fortress Hill MTR station in Hong Kong, Monday, Aug. 5, 2019. Protesters snarled the morning rush hour by blocking train and platform doors to prevent trains from leaving stations. Subway and train operator MTR said Monday that service had been partially suspended on five lines because of a number of door obstruction incidents. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)\n\nHONG KONG (AP) — The Latest on the protests in Hong Kong (all times local):\n\nAn official says Hong Kong’s police are fully supported by the government and there is no need to deploy China’s military to cope with increasingly violent anti-government protests.\n\nSenior Superintendent Kong Wing-cheung of the Police Public Relations Branch said Chief Executive Carrie Lam and other Hong Kong officials have stated the same on multiple occasions.\n\nKong told reporters at a daily briefing Monday that he personally believes there is no chance of a deployment of the People’s Liberation Army.\n\nSpeculation of an intervention by China’s military has been fueled in part by a slick publicity video it released last week showing troops firing tear gas and dealing with a mock street demonstration.\n\nKong said he doesn’t feel the police are being made scapegoats over the violence and are fulfilling their mandate to protect the community and maintain law and order.\n\nWeeks of protests have demanded the dissolution of the legislature, an investigation into police use of force against protesters and full democracy for the semi-autonomous Chinese territory.\n\nHong Kong police have arrested 420 protesters since June 9 on charges including rioting, unlawful assembly, possessing offensive weapons and assaulting officers and obstructing police operations.\n\nPolice spokeswoman Yolanda Yu Hoi-kwan told reporters Monday that police have fired more than 300 non-lethal bullets and around 1,000 tear gas grenades.\n\nYu said 139 officers had been injured in clashes, with two still hospitalized with fractures.\n\nShe said violence has been escalating, with protesters using gasoline bombs and fire, including sending a trolley full of burning trash hurtling toward officers.\n\nProtesters are demanding the dissolution of the legislature, an investigation into police use of force at protests and full democracy for the semi-autonomous Chinese territory.\n\nPolice have fired tear gas at a second location in Hong Kong as they face off with protesters at multiple locations in the city.\n\nProtesters took over a major road outside the main government office on Monday, threw eggs and bricks at the building and punctured large water-filled barriers set up by police to keep them away.\n\nPolice responded with tear gas, but the protesters did not immediately disperse.\n\nEarlier, police used tear gas on protesters in the Wong Tai Sin district.\n\nThe actions follow a weekend of clashes between protesters and police. The protesters are demanding the dissolution of the legislature, an investigation into police use of force at protests and full democracy for the semi-autonomous Chinese territory.\n\nDroves of protesters have filled public parks and squares in several Hong Kong districts to take part in a general strike.\n\nFollowing a weekend of protests, demonstrators disrupted subways, air traffic and weekday activities Monday in an effort to bring more attention to their demands.\n\nHong Kong has seen pro-democracy protests for about two months.\n\nPolice in at least one district have used tear gas to disperse crowds.\n\nProtesters dressed in black sat in the shade of office buildings in the city’s business district with open umbrellas and posters condemning the police as “gangsters.”\n\nHong Kong leader Carrie Lam says she has no plans to resign over the civil unrest targeting her administration.\n\nLam said she took responsibility for problems as chief executive and was determined to see the situation resolved.\n\nShe spoke at a news conference Monday as protesters blocked morning trains and called for a citywide strike. More than 100 flights were canceled.\n\nLam said the latest protests had moved from extradition legislation, which her administration had shelved, and now were operating with “ulterior motives” targeting Hong Kong’s prosperity and security.\n\nHong Kong leader Carrie Lam says recent protests have pushed the city to the “verge of a very dangerous situation” but the government will be resolute in ensuring public order.\n\nA tired looking Lam delivered the remarks at a news conference Monday morning that follows weeks of daily marches and demonstrations that have frequently devolved into violent confrontations, with police deploying tear gas rubber bullets and other crowd control measures.\n\nLam said the violence and disruptions were creating anxiety among citizens and now was the time to set aside differences and “rally together.”\n\nProtesters were blocking trains during the morning rush hour and called for a citywide strike by workers. More than 100 flights were cancelled at the city’s airport, and Hong Kong media say that the airport express train service has been suspended.\n\nHong Kong’s leader will speak to the media as protesters block morning trains and call for a citywide strike by workers.\n\nThe office of Chief Executive Carrie Lam said she would hold a news conference at 10 a.m. Monday.\n\nThe strike has already taken hold at the airport, where 100 flights have been cancelled. Hong Kong media say that the airport express train service has been suspended.\n\nProtesters used a now-familiar tactic of blocking train doors from closing to disrupt the morning commute.\n\nThe actions follow a weekend of clashes between protesters and police. The protesters are demanding the dissolution of the legislature, an investigation into police use of force at protests and full democracy for the semi-autonomous Chinese territory.\n\nHong Kong media say more than 100 flights have been cancelled at the city’s airport as a general strike called to support pro-democracy protests gets underway.\n\nPublic broadcaster RTHK said Monday that domestic carriers such as Cathay Pacific and Hong Kong Airlines were the most affected.\n\nA citywide strike and demonstrations in seven districts in Hong Kong have been called for Monday afternoon. They follow a weekend of clashes with police on the streets.\n\nHong Kong has seen protests all summer. A movement against an extradition bill that would have allowed residents to be sent to mainland China to stand trial has expanded into demands for an investigation into alleged police abuse at protests and the dissolution of the legislature.\n\nProtesters in Hong Kong have snarled the morning rush hour by blocking train and platform doors to prevent trains from leaving stations.\n\nSubway and train operator MTR said Monday that service had been partially suspended on four lines because of a number of door obstruction incidents.\n\nIt’s the third time in three weeks that protesters have disrupted train service. The action followed a weekend of clashes with police on the streets and ahead of a general strike and more demonstrations called for Monday afternoon.\n\nHong Kong has seen protests all summer. A movement against an extradition bill that would have allowed residents to be sent to mainland China to stand trial has expanded into demands for an investigation into alleged police abuse at protests and the dissolution of the legislature.", "Carrie Lam says Hong Kong on the \"verge of a very dangerous situation,\" government will be resolute in maintaining order\n\nHONG KONG (AP) — Carrie Lam says Hong Kong on the \"verge of a very dangerous situation,\" government will be resolute in maintaining order.", "At least 100 flights were cancelled and subway service widely disrupted in Hong Kong on Monday as a pro-democracy movement called for a general strike. Airport express train service was also suspended.\n\nCathay Pacific and other domestic carriers such as Hong Kong Airlines were the most affected by the flight cancellations, public broadcaster RTHK said.\n\nA citywide strike and demonstrations in seven districts in Hong Kong have been called for Monday afternoon. They follow a weekend of clashes with police on the streets.\n\nHong Kong has seen protests all summer. A movement against an extradition bill that would have allowed residents to be sent to mainland China to stand trial has expanded into demands for an investigation into alleged police abuse at protests and the dissolution of the legislature. Protesters also want full democracy for the semi-autonomous Chinese territory.\n\nProtesters snarled the morning rush hour by blocking train and platform doors to prevent trains from leaving stations.\n\nSubway and train operator MTR said Monday that service had been partially suspended on five lines because of a number of door obstruction incidents.\n\nIt's the third time in three weeks that protesters have disrupted train service.\n\nHong Kong's leader Carrie Lam called a morning news conference ahead of what could be a chaotic day in her city."], "summary": "Hong Kong citizens call for a city-wide general strike with various sit-ins in seven districts. With thousands of workers announcing their participation, over 200 flights were cancelled, MTR lines halted and the Hang Seng Index dropped sharply. Chief Executive Carrie Lam blamed protesters for \"destroying Hong Kong\" and rejected their demands."}
{"document": ["Indian Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday moved a proposal to revoke the contentious Article 370 from occupied Kashmir, triggering chaos in Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Indian parliament, as opposition lawmakers shouted slogans and started protesting.\n\nShah proposed that all regulation under Article 370 will not be applicable after Presidential nod, reported India Today.\n\nAccording to First Post, Article 370 \"specifies that except for Defence, Foreign Affairs, Communications and ancillary matters (matters specified in the Instrument of Accession), the Indian Parliament needs the state government's concurrence for applying all other laws. Thus, the state's residents lived under a separate set of laws, including those related to citizenship, ownership of property, and fundamental rights, as compared to other Indians.\"\n\nWith an indefinite security lockdown in place in Indian-occupied Kashmir (IoK) and elected representatives under house arrest, a cabinet meeting was held on Monday morning at Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's residence.\n\nAfter the meeting, Shah, who is also the president of India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), addressed the Rajya Sabha amid loud protests by the opposition.\n\nJournalists as well as opposition members in India have been questioning the reasoning behind the clampdown as well as placing former IoK chief ministers — Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti — under house arrest.\n\nRead: Former IoK chief ministers Mufti, Abdullah placed under house arrest; curfew-like restrictions imposed\n\n\"While there has been no word from the government on the plan of action, speculation has been rife,\" the Indian publication added.\n\nThe cabinet meeting was held amidst a flurry of activity in the disputed region. The clampdown imposed late Sunday night has left millions stranded in their homes as authorities also suspended some internet services and deployed thousands of fresh troops around the increasingly tense region.\n\nAccording to India Today, Indian opposition leaders also met in the parliament on Monday morning to discuss the security situation in Jammu and Kashmir.\n\nOpposition leader in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad met with various party leaders in his office and discussed the security situation.\n\nThe two leaders place under house arrest — Abdullah and Mufti — had earlier warned the Centre against abrogation of Article 35A and Article 370, which gives special status to Kashmiris.\n\nNational Conference president Farooq Abdullah, reading out a resolution adopted at a meeting of regional parties, said they have decided to send delegations to meet the president, the prime minister and leaders of various political parties to apprise them of the consequences of any attempt to abrogate Article 370 and Article 35A of the constitution or carry out delimitation of constituencies or trifurcating the state, reported India Today.\n\nThe ruling BJP in India has consistently advocated an end to occupied Kashmir’s special constitutional status, which prevents outsiders from buying property there, arguing that such laws have hindered its 'integration' with the rest of India.\n\nOn Sunday, The Hindu reported that additional security troops had been placed in civilian installations and police stations and were put on “standby mode.”\n\nThe Indian government has admitted that 10,000 extra troops were sent to IoK a week ago. Media reports on Friday said a further 25,000 had been ordered there.\n\nKashmir politicians had long raised fears that the troops are sign that the Hindu nationalist government could carry out a threat to scrap occupied Kashmir's special status under the constitution.\n\nLate on Sunday night, the Indian government imposed curfew-like restrictions in the restive region while India sent in tens of thousands of additional troops.\n\nCommunications were cut, with private mobile networks, internet services and telephone landlines cut, an AFP reporter said.\n\n\"There shall be no movement of public. All educational institutions shall also remain closed. There will be a complete bar on holding any kind of public meetings or rallies during the period of operation of this order. Identity cards of essential services officials will be treated as movement passes wherever required,\" read an Indian government order, but added: \"there is no curfew in place\".", "NEW DELHI (AP) — India is redrawing its political map again.\n\nParliament has approved a proposal by the Hindu nationalist-led government that strips statehood from Jammu and Kashmir, its only Muslim-majority state, splitting the region into two union territories after revoking its special rights under India's Constitution.\n\nAlthough India has redrawn its map many times since gaining independence from the British in 1947, the decision is likely to raise tensions in the already-volatile Himalayan region between India and Pakistan. Both nuclear-armed countries claim the territory, and India's action will further entrench the idea of Hindu majority rule espoused by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party.\n\nThe move takes from the region and its people some political autonomy and hereditary rights by revoking Article 370 of India's Constitution.\n\nThe lawmakers' decision will also lift a ban on property purchases by nonresidents of Kashmir, opening the way for Indians outside the territory to invest and settle there. That is something the local Muslim population has long feared will change its demography, culture and way of life.\n\nIndia's move came as an indefinite security lockdown kept most of the region's 7 million people in their homes and in the dark about the changes.\n\nKashmir is divided between India and Pakistan and both claim the region in its entirety. Two of the three wars they have fought since independence were over Kashmir.\n\nErasing the autonomy of the region will inflame the sentiments of most Kashmiris who demand that the territory be united either under Pakistani rule or as an independent country.\n\nMore than half a million Indian soldiers are stationed in Kashmir to counter a rebellion that seeks to secede from India, and there are near-daily demonstrations against Indian control. About 70,000 people have been killed in the uprising and the ensuing crackdown since 1989.\n\nHome Minister Amit Shah also introduced a bill which downgrades Jammu and Kashmir from a state to a union territory with an elected legislature. It also carves out the region of Ladakh as a separate union territory, ruled directly by the central government without a legislature of its own. The bill was passed Tuesday by Parliament.\n\nThe bill has been applauded by India's Hindu nationalist parties, which have been seeking to fully integrate Kashmir since the country's partition into India and Pakistan in 1947. The Modi government's ideological mentor, the right-wing Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh organization, praised the decision, describing it as \"brave\" and \"necessary\" for the national interest.\n\nCritics have already likened Kashmir's proposed new arrangement to the West Bank or Tibet, with settlers — armed or civilian — living in guarded compounds among disenfranchised locals.\n\n\"The decision (to split the region) will reduce Kashmir to a colony,\" said A.G. Noorani, a constitutional expert who has written extensively about Kashmir, including the 2011 book \"Article 370: A Constitutional History of Jammu and Kashmir.\"\n\nNoorani said splitting the region into federal territories will \"divide Kashmir from the rest of the country and Kashmiris will oppose the Hindu feeling in the region.\"\n\nDibyesh Anand, a social scientist at the University of Westminster, said \"the fear of settler colonialism is not a specter but a reality, given the approach of both the government and a large number of Indians.\"\n\nAnand said there will a major transformation of the socio-economic landscape in Kashmir, where Hindu Indian settlers will be \"presented as patriotic pioneers braving Kashmiri Muslim resentment.\"\n\nHuman rights activists and residents of the troubled state have long feared such a move could destabilize the region and plunge it into chaos by redrawing sectarian lines.\n\nStill, the main worry for many is that the central government's actions will set in motion a plan to crush the identity of the people of Kashmir.\n\nIndian census data puts the total population of the Indian-controlled part of Jammu and Kashmir at 12.5 million, about 68% Muslim, 28% Hindu and just under 1% Buddhist. Within the state, Kashmir is about 94% Muslim while Jammu is about 63% Hindu and 33% Muslim.\n\nThe remote mountainous Ladakh region has a population of just 274,289 people, with 46% Muslim and about 40% Buddhist.\n\nThe immediate implications are that Kashmir will lose its flag, criminal code and constitution.\n\nBefore the region's special rights were revoked, New Delhi needed the regional government's approval to apply all other laws — except in defense, foreign affairs, finance and communications.\n\nTurning Kashmir into a union territory means the central government will gain much more control over the area's affairs, including its courts. Electoral constituencies will be reorganized using 2011 census figures. This could further inflame the region if more power is shifted to Jammu, where Modi and his Hindu-nationalist party enjoy strong support.\n\nSome experts questioned whether India's actions were legal.\n\n\"This move is a violation of the procedure in any case and can be challenged by the Supreme Court. Article 370 can only be managed by the government of Jammu and Kashmir. So, this Parliament cannot abrogate it. This is what the law says,\" Noorani said.\n\nMany constitutional experts say the provision that allows Article 370 to be altered by presidential order requires the consent of the constituent assembly of Jammu and Kashmir and is therefore void because the assembly was dissolved in 1956.\n\n\"This clearly means that it (Article 370) cannot be revoked, because the only body which could have recommended it has ceased to exist,\" said Yogendra Yadav, a political analyst.\n\nMeanwhile, India's main opposition party, the Indian National Congress, voiced strong opposition to the way the government went about repealing the region's special status.\n\nCongress leader Rahul Gandhi, defeated by Modi in May elections, criticized the \"abuse of executive power\" by the ruling party and said the move would have grave implications for national security.\n\n\"National integration isn't furthered by unilaterally tearing apart J&K, imprisoning elected representatives and violating our Constitution. This nation is made by its people, not plots of land,\" Gandhi tweeted.", "SRINAGAR: Indian troops martyred three more Kashmiri youth in Baramulla and Shopian districts of Held Kashmir on Saturday in the latest acts of Indian state terrorism.\n\nThe latest deaths came as a state of fear and panic gripped the Himalayan territory after the Hindu nationalist Baharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government called in tens of thousands of additional troops and ordered tourists to evacuate the region.\n\nAccording to the Kashmir Media Service, two youth were martyred in a cordon and search operation at Malmapanpora in Sopore area of Baramulla district, where an Indian soldier was injured in an earlier attack.\n\nAnother youth, identified as Manzoor Ahmed Butt, was martyred during an over 40-hour long cordon and search operation at Pandoshan in Shopian district, where Indian troops had martyred another youth, Zeenat-ul-Islam Naikoo, the previous day. The Indian forces also razed several houses to the ground by during the operation in Pandoshan.\n\nThousands of people participated in the funeral prayers of martyred Zeenat-ul-Islam Naikoo at his native Memmander village in Shopian district on Saturday, where they raised anti-India and pro-freedom slogans.\n\nScores of students reportedly assembled at the Kashmir University and held a demonstration against the war hysteria created by India in the Kashmir valley.\n\nIn a statement, Chairman Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Movement Mir Shahid Saleem also warned the Indian government that any move to tinker with the special status of Jammu and Kashmir would have disastrous consequences.\n\nMeanwhile, fear gripped Chenab Valley and Pir Panchal areas of Jammu region after deployment of additional paramilitary personnel by India at many places in these areas. According to KMS, Kashmiri residents were feeling insecure as they feared “something bad was going to happen”.\n\nKashmir politicians have raised fears that the additional troops are a sign that the Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government could carry out a threat to scrap Occupied Kashmir’s special status under the Indian constitution.Recent official orders, including the one on Friday, have triggered rumours that the BJP government is planning to remove Article 35A, which prevents people from outside buying property or claiming government jobs in Occupied Kashmir.\n\nPolitical leaders in the territory have warned that cancelling constitutionally guaranteed rights could spark unrest.\n\nFormer Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti said India “has chosen territory over people”, and “seems to be preparing to rob them (Kashmiris) of whatever little is left to protect their unique identity”.\n\nIndian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has refused to say whether it is about to scrap the constitutional article, though he has often spoken against it. —KMS\n\nSabah adds: Meanwhile Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has urged the United States and world powers to persuade India to start mediation talks on Kashmir dispute.\n\nTalking to a private news channel he said contrary to the past the United States and India presently have very good relationship and if Washington wants it can use its influence over New Delhi for resolution of Kashmir dispute.\n\nThe Foreign Minister said resolution of Kashmir issue is must for peace and stability in the region. He said Kashmir issue has become a flashpoint due to the Indian attitude.\n\nTo a question about Afghan peace process he said Pakistan has convinced the United States to start negotiation with the Afghan Taliban as the Afghan issue has no military solution.\n\nAbout Prime Minister Imran Khan’s meeting with Afghan Taliban the Foreign Minister said a time frame about it could not be given at the moment but the meeting would be held soon. He said efforts are being made to pursue the Afghan Taliban to join the Afghan peace talks.", "NEW DELHI - India's government revoked disputed Kashmir's special status with a presidential order Monday as thousands of newly deployed troops arrived and internet and phone services were cut in the restive Himalayan region where most people oppose Indian rule.\n\nHome Minister Amit Shah announced the revocation amid an uproar in India's Parliament and while Kashmir was under a security lockdown that kept thousands of people inside their homes. The decree needs the approval of the ruling party-controlled Parliament, which was debating it on Monday.\n\nThe order revokes Article 370 of India's Constitution, eliminating the state of Jammu and Kashmir's right to its own constitution and decision-making process for all matters except defence, communications and foreign affairs. The government's action would also strip Kashmir of its protection from Indians from outside the state permanently settling, buying land, holding local government jobs and securing educational scholarships.\n\nCritics of India's Hindu nationalist-led government see the move as an attempt to dilute the demographics of Muslim-majority Kashmir with Hindu settlers.\n\nThe announcement came after Prime Minister Narendra Modi convened a Cabinet meeting and the government's top-decision making body on security matters, the Cabinet Committee on Security, which he heads.\n\nKashmir is divided between India and Pakistan and both claim the region in its entirety. Two of the three wars India and Pakistan have fought since their independence from British rule were over Kashmir.\n\nPakistan's foreign minister, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, told a Pakistani TV station on Monday from Saudi Arabia, where he is on a pilgrimage to Mecca, that Pakistan will step up diplomatic efforts to prevent the order from taking effect.\n\n\"India is playing a very dangerous game by changing the status of Kashmir through illegal acts,\" he said.\n\nIn Islamabad, Pakistan's capital, hundreds of Kashmiri activists rallied against the change in Kashmir's status near the diplomatic enclave where India's embassy is located. Authorities kept demonstrators away from the building because of security concerns.\n\nGhulam Mohammad Safi, a prominent Kashmiri leader in Pakistan, urged the United Nations and the international community to help Kashmir achieve self-determination.\n\nThe president of the Pakistan-controlled portion of Kashmir, Sardar Masood Khan, also rejected the Indian presidential order and said it could lead to a war with Pakistan.\n\nJammu and Kashmir's former chief minister, Mehbooba Mufi, tweeted that the Indian government's decision is \"illegal\" and \"unconstitutional.\"\n\nGovernment officials said the presidential order will take effect after it is approved by Parliament, which is controlled by Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party.\n\nShah also introduced the \"Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Bill\" which, if passed, would split the state into two union territories — Jammu and Kashmir, which will have an elected legislature, and Ladakh, which will be ruled directly by the central government without a legislature of its own.\n\nCurrently, the state of Jammu and Kashmir comprises three regions: Hindu-majority Jammu, Muslim-majority Kashmir and Buddhist-majority Ladakh.\n\nThe reaction in Ladakh, a pristine, sparsely populated area that stretches from the Siachen Glacier to the Himalayas, was mixed, said Tsewang Gyalson, a guide whose family's roots are centuries deep.\n\n\"Some fear that people from outside will come and start business or will buy lands. Maybe slowly our identity will disappear,\" he said.\n\nIndia's former finance minister, Arun Jaitley, hailed the government's decision to remove Article 370, praising Modi and Shah for \"correcting a historical blunder.\"\n\n\"A historical wrong has been undone today,\" he tweeted.\n\nRegional parties in Jammu and Kashmir had earlier called attempts to revoke Article 370 an aggression against the people.\n\nMany political parties in other Indian regions, however, welcomed the decision.\n\n\"In a real sense today, Jammu and Kashmir has become part of India. My party supports this resolution,\" Prasanna Acharya, leader of the Biju Janata Dal party, said in Parliament's upper house.\n\nThe provision dates to 1927, when an order by the administration of the then-princely state of Jammu and Kashmir gave its subjects exclusive hereditary rights. Two months after India won independence from British rule in August 1947, Maharaja Hari Singh, the ruler of Jammu and Kashmir, signed a Treaty of Accession for the state to join the rest of the union, formalized in Article 370 of the Indian Constitution.\n\nFurther discussions culminated in the 1952 Delhi Agreement, a presidential order that extended Indian citizenship to the residents of the state but left the maharaja's privileges for residents intact.\n\nLate Sunday in Kashmir, government forces laid steel barricades and razor wire on roads and intersections to cut off neighbourhoods in Srinagar, the region's main city. The government issued a security order banning public meetings, rallies and movement and said schools would be closed.\n\nAuthorities also suspended internet services on cellphones, a common tactic to prevent anti-India demonstrations from being organized and to stop the dissemination of news.\n\nThe order affects about 7 million people living in the region, including journalists who faced difficulties in relaying information to the outside world.\n\nIt was unclear when the security measures would be lifted, or the extent to which many Kashmiris were aware of the presidential order being debated in Parliament, since access had been cut off.\n\nThe security deployment in recent days added at least 10,000 soldiers and other forces in Kashmir, which was already one of the world's most militarized regions. India also ordered thousands of tourists and Hindu pilgrims to leave the region.\n\nTensions also have soared along the Line of Control, the volatile, highly militarized frontier that divides Kashmir between India and Pakistan.\n\nModi and his Hindu nationalist party won reelection early this year on a platform that included promises to do away with special rights for Kashmiris.\n\nIn a statement, Amnesty International India said the move could \"cause unrest and wide scale protests in the state.\"\n\nRebels in Indian-controlled Kashmir have been fighting Indian control since 1989. Most Kashmiris support the rebels' demand that the territory be united either under Pakistani rule or as an independent country, while also participating in civilian street protests against Indian control. About 70,000 people have been killed in the uprising and the ensuing Indian crackdown.\n\nAssociated Press writers Aijaz Hussain in Srinagar and Munir Ahmed in Islamabad contributed to this report.", "NEW DELHI (AP) — India's government used a presidential order to revoke the special constitutional status of its portion of Kashmir on Monday amid an uproar in Parliament and a huge troop deployment in the disputed region.\n\nThe constitutional provision had prohibited Indians from outside the region from buying land or permanently settling in the Muslim-majority territory.\n\nSome questions and answers on the issue:\n\nThe Hindu nationalist-led government of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi revoked Article 370 of India's constitution on Monday by presidential order. The law confers special rights to permanent residents of the state of Jammu and Kashmir.\n\nModi's home minister, Amit Shah, says the long-standing rights that preceded India's independence from British rule in 1947 were \"temporary.\"\n\nCritics of such a measure say that in doing away with Article 370, the government hopes to change Indian-controlled Kashmir's Muslim-majority demographics by allowing in a flood of new Hindu residents.\n\nTo tackle any law and order situation, the region has been put under a heavy security cover, with prohibitory orders in place against public assembly. Top pro-India leaders have been put under house arrest and internet and phone service have been cut.\n\nShah told members of the upper house Monday that the government has also decided to split the state into two union territories — Jammu and Kashmir, which will have a legislature, and Ladakh, which will be ruled directly by the central government without a legislature of its own.\n\nKashmir is divided between archrivals India and Pakistan but claimed by both in its entirety.\n\nArticle 35A of India's constitution permits the local legislature in Indian-controlled Kashmir to define permanent residents of the region. The article came into being in 1954 by a presidential order under the constitution's Article 370, which grants special autonomous status to Jammu and Kashmir state.\n\nArticle 35A forbids Indians from outside the state from permanently settling, buying land, holding local government jobs or winning education scholarships in the region.\n\nThe article, referred to as the Permanent Residents Law, also bars female residents of Jammu and Kashmir from property rights in the event that they marry a person from outside the state. The provision also extends to such women's children.\n\nWhile Article 35A has remained unchanged, some aspects of Article 370 have been diluted over the decades.\n\nCritics of Article 35A say the provision did not have parliamentary sanction, and that it discriminates against women.\n\nHOW DID ARTICLE 35A COME ABOUT?\n\nA 1927 order by the administration of the state of Jammu and Kashmir gave the state's subjects exclusive hereditary rights. Two months after India won independence from British rule in August 1947, Maharaja Hari Singh, the then-ruler of Jammu and Kashmir, signed a Treaty of Accession for the state to join the rest of the union, formalized in Article 370 of the Indian constitution.\n\nFurther discussions culminated in the 1952 Delhi Agreement, a presidential order that extended Indian citizenship to the residents of the state but left the maharaja's privileges for residents intact.\n\nHOW CAN IT BE REPEALED?\n\nArticle 370(3) of the Indian constitution permits revocation of the law by presidential order. However, such an order must be introduced before the state's Constituent Assembly. Since that body was dissolved in 1957, experts have different views on the abrogation of the law, with some believing it needs approval by state lawmakers and others seeing a presidential order as sufficient.\n\nThe validity of Article 35A has been brought before India's Supreme Court. Bharatiya Janata Party members have said that if the court upholds the provision, the Modi-led government will revoke it by presidential order.\n\nWHAT HAPPENS NOW?\n\nNow that Kashmir's special status has been repealed, people from the rest of India will have the right to acquire property in the region and settle there permanently.\n\nKashmiris fear this will lead to a demographic transformation of the region from majority Muslim to majority Hindu.\n\nAssociated Press writer Emily Schmall contributed to this report.", "The Indian military on Sunday claimed to have killed several Pakistani attackers trying to cross the de facto border in Kashmir, as tensions ratcheted up in the disputed region and sent thousands of tourists fleeing.\n\nKashmir has surged back into the spotlight in recent days, just months after a deadly militant attack on an Indian paramilitary convoy claimed by a Pakistan-based group sparked cross-border air attacks.\n\nThe nuclear-armed rivals have controlled parts of the Himalayan region since the end of British colonial rule in the subcontinent in 1947. Both claim it in its entirety.\n\nIndia has deployed at least 10,000 troops there in recent days, with media reports of a further 25,000 ordered to Kashmir. There were some 500,000 Indian security forces already based in the region.\n\nThe government has also introduced other security measures — including a call to stock up food and fuel — over terror threat claims.\n\nAmid growing panic among residents with long queues outside petrol stations, food stores and cash machines, India and Pakistan traded tit-for-tat accusations.\n\nThe Indian army said Sunday it had foiled an attempt by a Pakistani team of army regulars and militants to cross the Line of Control, the de facto border, dividing Kashmir, killing “five to seven” attackers.\n\nPakistan denied the claims, describing them as “baseless” as it accused India of using cluster bombs against civilians, killing two people — including a four-year-old boy — and critically injuring 11 others.\n\nNew Delhi has denied the charge.\n\nTourists and students have been scrambling to leave Kashmir since the Jammu and Kashmir state government said they should leave “immediately” amid new intelligence about “terror threats” to a major Hindu pilgrimage in the region.\n\nBritain and Germany have issued warnings against travel to the region.\n\nBut while the Indian military and the state government have highlighted the security risk, Kashmiri and opposition politicians in New Delhi have raised concerns that the extra troops were being deployed for other reasons.\n\nThey include fears that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist government could carry out a threat to scrap Kashmir’s special status under the constitution.\n\nPolitical leaders in the territory have warned that cancelling constitutionally guaranteed rights — which mean only state domiciles can buy land in the region — could spark unrest in the Muslim-majority state.\n\nRebel groups have for decades fought against Indian soldiers deployed in the part of Kashmir controlled by New Delhi, seeking the territory’s merger with Pakistan or outright independence.\n\nThe conflict has left tens of thousands dead, mostly civilians. – AFP", "China said on Tuesday that India’s move to change the status of Jammu and Kashmir undermines its sovereignty, particularly with reference to strategically located Ladakh region.\n\nIndia repealed on Monday articles 35A and 370 of its constitution, revoking special status granted to Indian-administered Kashmir. It also bifurcated the state into two union territories – Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. The former will have a legislature while the latter won’t.\n\nBeijing was critical of the decision to turn Kashmir’s mostly Buddhist region of Ladakh into an administrative territory directly ruled by New Delhi.\n\nHua Chunying, a spokesperson for the Chinese foreign ministry, said that China is always opposed to India’s inclusion of the Chinese territory, in the western sector of the China-India boundary, into its administrative jurisdiction.\n\n“Recently India has continued to undermine China’s territorial sovereignty by unilaterally changing its domestic law,” the spokesperson said. “Such practice is unacceptable and will not come into force.”\n\nHua urged India to exercise “prudence in words and deeds” concerning the boundary question.\n\nThe spokesperson said China is also seriously concerned about the current situation in Indian-administered Jammu Kashmir. Hua said the relevant sides should refrain from taking actions that will unilaterally change the status quo and escalate tensions.\n\n“We call on both India and Pakistan to peacefully resolve the relevant disputes through dialogue and consultation and safeguard peace and stability in the region,” the spokesperson added.", "India’s government revoked disputed Kashmir’s special status by presidential order on Aug. 5 as thousands of newly deployed troops descended and some internet and phone services were suspended in the restive Himalayan region where most people oppose Indian rule.\n\nHome Minister Amit Shah announced the revocation amid an uproar in India’s two houses of parliament and while Kashmir was under a security lockdown keeping thousands of people inside their homes and unable to communicate with the outside world.\n\nShah’s statement came after Prime Minister Narendra Modi convened a cabinet meeting and the government’s top-decision making body on security matters, the Cabinet Committee on Security which he heads.\n\nKashmir is divided between India and Pakistan and both claim the region in its entirety. Two of the three wars India and Pakistan have fought since their independence from British rule were over Kashmir.\n\nThe revoked law, Article 370 of the Constitution, gives Jammu and Kashmir its own constitution and decision-making rights for all matters except for defense, communications and foreign affairs. The law also forbids Indians outside the state from permanently settling, buying land, holding local government jobs and securing education scholarships.\n\nCritics of India’s Hindu nationalist-led government see the move as a bid to dilute the demographics of Muslim-majority Kashmir with Hindu settlers.\n\nAccording to a copy of the order, the revocation of Article 370 will “come into force at once” and will “supersede the Constitution.”\n\nDespite the blackout on internet services, Jammu and Kashmir’s former chief minister, Mehbooba Mufi, tweeted that the government’s decision is “illegal” and “unconstitutional.”\n\nShah also introduced the “Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization Bill” which, if passed, will split the state into two union territories — Jammu and Kashmir, which will have an elected legislature, and Ladakh, which will be ruled directly by the central government without a legislature of its own.\n\nCurrently, the state of Jammu and Kashmir comprises three regions: Hindu-majority Jammu, Muslim-majority Kashmir and Buddhist-majority Ladakh.\n\nIndia’s former finance minister, Arun Jaitley, hailed the government’s decision to remove Article 370, praising Modi and Shah for “correcting a historical blunder.”\n\n“A historical wrong has been undone today,” he tweeted.\n\nRegional parties in Jammu and Kashmir had earlier called attempts to revoke Article 370 an aggression against the people.\n\nThe law dates to 1927, when an order by the administration of the-then princely state of Jammu and Kashmir gave the state’s subjects exclusive hereditary rights. Two months after India won independence from British rule in August 1947, Maharaja Hari Singh, the ruler of Jammu and Kashmir, signed a Treaty of Accession for the state to join the rest of the union, formalized in Article 370 of the Indian constitution.\n\nFurther discussions culminated in the 1952 Delhi Agreement, a presidential order that extended Indian citizenship to the residents of the state but left the maharaja’s privileges for residents intact.\n\nLate Sunday in Kashmir, government forces laid steel barricades and razor wire on roads and intersections to cut off neighborhoods in Srinagar, the region’s main city. The government issued a security order banning public meetings, rallies and movement and said schools would be closed.\n\nAuthorities also suspended internet services on cellphones, a common tactic to prevent anti-India demonstrations from being organized and to stop the dissemination of news.\n\nThe order affects about 7 million people living in the region.\n\nThe security deployment in recent days adds at least 10,000 soldiers and other forces in Kashmir, to what was already one of the world’s most militarized regions. India also had ordered thousands of tourists and Hindu pilgrims to leave the region.\n\nTensions also have soared along the Line of Control, the volatile, highly militarized frontier that divides Kashmir between India and Pakistan.\n\nIndian firing along the Line of Control on Sunday wounded one woman, Pakistani police said. In Pakistani border villages, residents were moving to safer places or building and strengthening bunkers and shelters protecting them from cross-border fire.\n\nPakistan and India routinely blame each other for initiating border skirmishes.\n\nModi and his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party won reelection early this year on a platform that included promises to do away with special rights for Kashmiris under India’s constitution.\n\nAt the Srinagar airport, hundreds of Indian and foreign visitors, including some Hindu pilgrims, congregated outside the main terminal, seeking seats on departing flights. Tourists and pilgrims also took buses out of the region, with authorities busing out hundreds of Indian students from Srinagar colleges.\n\nRebels in Indian-controlled Kashmir have been fighting Indian control since 1989. Most Kashmiris support the rebels’ demand that the territory be united either under Pakistani rule or as an independent country, while also participating in civilian street protests against Indian control. About 70,000 people have been killed in the uprising and the ensuing Indian crackdown.", "Supporters of India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) light firecrackers and celebrate the government revoking Kashmir’s special status, in Lucknow, India, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2019. Indian lawmakers passed a bill Tuesday that strips the statehood from the Indian-administered portion of Muslim-majority Kashmir amid an indefinite security lockdown in the disputed Himalayan territory, actions that neighboring Pakistan warned could lead to war. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)\n\nNEW DELHI (AP) — India is redrawing its political map again.\n\nParliament has approved a proposal by the Hindu nationalist-led government that strips statehood from Jammu and Kashmir, its only Muslim-majority state, splitting the region into two union territories after revoking its special rights under India’s Constitution.\n\nAlthough India has redrawn its map many times since gaining independence from the British in 1947, the decision is likely to raise tensions in the already-volatile Himalayan region between India and Pakistan. Both nuclear-armed countries claim the territory, and India’s action will further entrench the idea of Hindu majority rule espoused by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party.\n\nThe move takes from the region and its people some political autonomy and hereditary rights by revoking Article 370 of India’s Constitution.\n\nThe lawmakers’ decision will also lift a ban on property purchases by nonresidents of Kashmir, opening the way for Indians outside the territory to invest and settle there. That is something the local Muslim population has long feared will change its demography, culture and way of life.\n\nIndia’s move came as an indefinite security lockdown kept most of the region’s 7 million people in their homes and in the dark about the changes.\n\nKashmir is divided between India and Pakistan and both claim the region in its entirety. Two of the three wars they have fought since independence were over Kashmir.\n\nErasing the autonomy of the region will inflame the sentiments of most Kashmiris who demand that the territory be united either under Pakistani rule or as an independent country.\n\nMore than half a million Indian soldiers are stationed in Kashmir to counter a rebellion that seeks to secede from India, and there are near-daily demonstrations against Indian control. About 70,000 people have been killed in the uprising and the ensuing crackdown since 1989.\n\nHome Minister Amit Shah also introduced a bill which downgrades Jammu and Kashmir from a state to a union territory with an elected legislature. It also carves out the region of Ladakh as a separate union territory, ruled directly by the central government without a legislature of its own. The bill was passed Tuesday by Parliament.\n\nThe bill has been applauded by India’s Hindu nationalist parties, which have been seeking to fully integrate Kashmir since the country’s partition into India and Pakistan in 1947. The Modi government’s ideological mentor, the right-wing Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh organization, praised the decision, describing it as “brave” and “necessary” for the national interest.\n\nCritics have already likened Kashmir’s proposed new arrangement to the West Bank or Tibet, with settlers — armed or civilian — living in guarded compounds among disenfranchised locals.\n\n“The decision (to split the region) will reduce Kashmir to a colony,” said A.G. Noorani, a constitutional expert who has written extensively about Kashmir, including the 2011 book “Article 370: A Constitutional History of Jammu and Kashmir.”\n\nNoorani said splitting the region into federal territories will “divide Kashmir from the rest of the country and Kashmiris will oppose the Hindu feeling in the region.”\n\nDibyesh Anand, a social scientist at the University of Westminster, said “the fear of settler colonialism is not a specter but a reality, given the approach of both the government and a large number of Indians.”\n\nAnand said there will a major transformation of the socio-economic landscape in Kashmir, where Hindu Indian settlers will be “presented as patriotic pioneers braving Kashmiri Muslim resentment.”\n\nHuman rights activists and residents of the troubled state have long feared such a move could destabilize the region and plunge it into chaos by redrawing sectarian lines.\n\nStill, the main worry for many is that the central government’s actions will set in motion a plan to crush the identity of the people of Kashmir.\n\nIndian census data puts the total population of the Indian-controlled part of Jammu and Kashmir at 12.5 million, about 68% Muslim, 28% Hindu and just under 1% Buddhist. Within the state, Kashmir is about 94% Muslim while Jammu is about 63% Hindu and 33% Muslim.\n\nThe remote mountainous Ladakh region has a population of just 274,289 people, with 46% Muslim and about 40% Buddhist.\n\nThe immediate implications are that Kashmir will lose its flag, criminal code and constitution.\n\nBefore the region’s special rights were revoked, New Delhi needed the regional government’s approval to apply all other laws — except in defense, foreign affairs, finance and communications.\n\nTurning Kashmir into a union territory means the central government will gain much more control over the area’s affairs, including its courts. Electoral constituencies will be reorganized using 2011 census figures. This could further inflame the region if more power is shifted to Jammu, where Modi and his Hindu-nationalist party enjoy strong support.\n\nSome experts questioned whether India’s actions were legal.\n\n“This move is a violation of the procedure in any case and can be challenged by the Supreme Court. Article 370 can only be managed by the government of Jammu and Kashmir. So, this Parliament cannot abrogate it. This is what the law says,” Noorani said.\n\nMany constitutional experts say the provision that allows Article 370 to be altered by presidential order requires the consent of the constituent assembly of Jammu and Kashmir and is therefore void because the assembly was dissolved in 1956.\n\n“This clearly means that it (Article 370) cannot be revoked, because the only body which could have recommended it has ceased to exist,” said Yogendra Yadav, a political analyst.\n\nMeanwhile, India’s main opposition party, the Indian National Congress, voiced strong opposition to the way the government went about repealing the region’s special status.\n\nCongress leader Rahul Gandhi, defeated by Modi in May elections, criticized the “abuse of executive power” by the ruling party and said the move would have grave implications for national security.\n\n“National integration isn’t furthered by unilaterally tearing apart J&K, imprisoning elected representatives and violating our Constitution. This nation is made by its people, not plots of land,” Gandhi tweeted.", "The Indian government has announced the decision to revoke the special status of Kashmir. Amit Shah, the home minister, made the announcement revoking Article 370 of the Constitution in the upper house of Parliament on Monday morning despite strong opposition from opposition politicians.\n\nArticle 370 provides special status to the mainly Muslim population of Jammu and Kashmir. The move to rescind Kashmir's special status was a campaign promise of India’s governing Bharatiya Janata Party. For many years, Kashmir has been governed differently than other parts of India, and the government’s decision is widely seen as a blow to Kashmir’s autonomy.\n\nAhead of the announcement, the Indian government sent at least 8,000 additional paramilitary troops to Jammu and Kashmir. Additional troops are being carried by C-17 transport planes of the Indian Air Force to Srinagar, which is the largest city in the state, the NDTV broadcaster reported. The troops are set to ensure increased security and will add to the over 35,000 soldiers that were sent there over the last week.\n\nThe Indian authorities also evacuated tourists, closed schools and cut off internet service. New Delhi has also put its armed forces on high alert to prevent attempts by secessionist groups to foment trouble in Kashmir. Regional party leaders have also been taking into custody. Security has been increased across India, particularly at key installations, including the Metro Rail in the capital New Delhi.\n\n​Reports indicate that more troops could be airlifted to reinforce security in Kashmir. New Delhi deployed additional troops in the region last week following attempts by militants based in Pakistan-administered Kashmir to cross over to India, intermittent firing by Pakistani forces and reports of possible terrorist strikes against the annual Hindu pilgrimage to the Cave Shrine of Amarnath."], "summary": "India revokes Jammu and Kashmir's special status amidst increased regional tensions. The Indian government moved additional troops into the sensitive area before banning assemblies, closing schools, restricting tourism and announcing a plan to split the state into two union territories."}
{"document": ["Image caption 8chan will likely be targeted by cyberattacks seeking to knock it offline\n\nThe far-right web forum 8chan, used to celebrate mass shootings and spread suspects' so-called “manifestos”, has been forced offline after losing its cyber-security protection.\n\nCloudflare, a San Francisco-based firm that provides added security for websites to prevent cyber-attacks, said it would stop protecting 8chan at midnight Pacific Time (08:00 BST) on Monday.\n\nThe 21-year-old suspect in this weekend’s shooting in El Paso, Texas, is understood to have used 8chan to spread his manifesto.\n\nPreviously, the site was also used by the suspect in March’s shooting in Christchurch, New Zealand, as well as the suspect in April's synagogue shooting in Poway, California.\n\nLosing Cloudflare’s protection has made 8chan vulnerable to a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack, whereby a website is bombarded with traffic that overwhelms its servers, rendering it inaccessible.\n\nA few minutes after the Cloudflare service was withdrawn, 8chan did indeed become unavailable.\n\nHowever, 8chan's site administrator says it was moving to another security firm, BitMitigate, based in the US state of Washington. BitMitigate's website says it has \"a proven commitment to liberty\".\n\nBitMitigate stepped in to help neo-Nazi site the Daily Stormer when it lost Cloudflare protection in 2017.\n\nThe BBC has approached BitMitigate for comment. But at this time 8Chan remains offline.\n\nCloudflare chief executive Matthew Prince had said, in the wake of Saturday’s shootings, that his firm would continue to support 8chan as its policy was to remain neutral over the type of content the service protected.\n\nHowever, on Sunday evening Mr Prince wrote in a blog post that \"8chan has repeatedly proven itself to be a cesspool of hate”.\n\n“They have proven themselves to be lawless and that lawlessness has caused multiple tragic deaths,” Mr Prince wrote.\n\n\"Even if 8chan may not have violated the letter of the law in refusing to moderate their hate-filled community, they have created an environment that revels in violating its spirit.”\n\nMr Prince warned that while 8chan would be disrupted by Cloudflare’s decision, it would likely be able to rebuild itself - as was the case when Cloudflare stopped providing protection for the Daily Stormer, a neo-Nazi site, in 2017.\n\n“They quickly came back online using a Cloudflare competitor,” Mr Prince wrote.\n\n\"That competitor at the time promoted as a feature the fact that they didn't respond to legal process.\n\nHe added: \"I have little doubt we'll see the same happen with 8chan. While removing 8chan from our network takes heat off of us, it does nothing to address why hateful sites fester online. It does nothing to address why mass shootings occur. It does nothing to address why portions of the population feel so disenchanted they turn to hate.\n\n\"In taking this action we've solved our own problem, but we haven't solved the internet’s.”\n\nHow do Cloudflare and BitMitigate services work?\n\nThe two companies protect websites from attacks, as well as making websites load more quickly for legitimate users.\n\nThey can be thought of as a kind of bouncer or security guard for websites that get a large amount of traffic, or may be a likely target of cyber-attacks.\n\nThey use technology that can verify where internet traffic is coming from and what it is trying to do.\n\nThey can distinguish whether the visitor is a genuine person, a network of automated bots that is being used to flood a website or requests that keep servers too busy to handle normal uses.\n\nThey are meant to block any attempts from \"bad\" traffic getting through.\n\nCloudflare provides protection for more than 12 million websites, and is expected to float on the stock market later this year.\n\nChief executive Matthew Prince has expressed concern at the power his company has to decide whether or not a website is able to exist on the open internet.\n\n8chan is a forum created in 2013 by Fredrick Brennan as an alternative to 4chan, a message board popular with gamers. 8chan promised less moderation of controversial topics and images that were being removed from 4chan. As such, 8chan has hosted far-right extremist views and imagery.\n\nMr Brennan gave up ownership of 8chan in 2015 and has since called for it to be shut down. Following Cloudflare’s announcement, he wrote on Twitter: \"Thank you so much @CloudFlare Finally this nightmare might have an end.”\n\n8chan is now owned and run by Jim Watkins, a former US army veteran, believed to be living in the Philippines.\n\nImage copyright Getty Images Image caption Cloudflare chief executive Matthew Prince said in the past he should not have the power to essentially force sites off the internet\n\n_____\n\nFollow Dave Lee on Twitter @DaveLeeBBC\n\nDo you have more information about this or any other technology story? You can reach Dave directly and securely through encrypted messaging app Signal on: +1 (628) 400-7370", "US President Donald Trump has said \"hate has no place in our country\" after 29 people were killed in two mass shootings at the weekend. A shooting at a department store in El Paso, Texas on Saturday left 20 people dead and nine people were killed when a gunman opened fire on revellers in Dayton, Ohio in the early hours of Sunday morning. Dozens of people were left injured in the two attacks, which became the 250th and 251st mass shootings in the US this year. However the president faces staunch criticism from Democrats, who said he should bear some responsibility for the shootings and his 'hate rhetoric' which they say helps to fuel division.\n\nMr Trump addressed reporters in Morristown, New Jersey on Sunday, as he prepared to board Air Force 1, describing the people of El Paso and Dayton as \"incredible\" and praised the first responders at both the shootings. \"I want to congratulate them, nobody could have done what they've done...as bad as it was, it could have been so much worse,\" Mr Trump added. But Senator Kamala Harris of California found blame in Mr Trump’s use of language, which she said has “incredible consequence”. “We have a president of the United States who has chosen to use his words in a way that have been about selling hate and division among us,” she told reporters before attending services at a black church in Las Vegas. As politicians point fingers at Mr Trump, the president said the attacks illustrate the mental illness problem in the US, calling the shooters \"really very seriously mentally ill.\" He said \"we're going to take care\" of the problem, adding mass shootings had been going on for \" years and years\" but \"we have to get it stopped.\"\n\nHundreds of people gathered to honour the nine victims killed and 27 injured after a masked gunman opened fire on people enjoying the summer nightlife in Dayton, Ohio. The crowds, released doves, and repeated the names of the dead, but directed an angrier chorus at Republican governor Mike DeWine, interrupting his speech at the vigil with chants of “make a change” and “do something!” Mayor Nan Whaley implored the crowd to honour the victims of the second US mass shooting in less than 24 hours. Connor Betts, 24, was armed with a .223-calibre rifle with magazines capable of holding at least 100 rounds of ammunition when he fired off dozens of shots in a popular entertainment district, Police Chief Richard Biehl said. Betts was gunned down within 30 seconds of the start of his rampage, police said. His 22-year-old sister, Megan Betts, was the youngest of the victims.\n\nPolice identified the others as Monica Brickhouse, 39; Nicholas Cumer, 25; Derrick Fudge, 57; Thomas McNichols, 25; Lois Oglesby, 27; Saeed Saleh, 38; Logan Turner, 30; and Beatrice N Warren-Curtis, 36. The gunman was white and six of the nine killed were black, police said. CCTV video they shared shows officers shot Betts at the doorstep of further destruction, just stopping him from entering a bar where some people took cover when the chaos broke out at around 1am on Sunday in the historic Oregon District.\n\nHad he gone inside Ned Peppers Bar, the result would have been “catastrophic”, Mr Biehl said. Although they will investigate the possibility of a hate crime, they said the quickness of the rampage made any discrimination in the shooting seem unlikely. Officials said 27 more people were treated for gunshots or other injuries suffered while fleeing, and at least 15 of those have been released. Several more were in serious or critical condition, hospital officials said.\n\nNikita Papillon, 23, was across the street at Newcom’s Tavern when the shooting started. She said she saw a girl she had talked to earlier lying outside Ned Peppers, a bar she described as the kind of place “where you don’t have to worry about someone shooting up the place”. “People my age, we don’t think something like this is going to happen,” she said. “And when it happens, words can’t describe it.” The Ohio shooting came hours after a man opened fire in a crowded El Paso, Texas, shopping area, leaving 20 dead and more than two dozen injured. Just days before, on July 28, a 19-year-old shot and killed three people, including two children, at the Gilroy Garlic Festival in Northern California.\n\nThe shooting that killed 20 people at a crowded El Paso department store in Texas will be handled as a domestic terrorism case, authorities have said said. Using a rifle, the El Paso gunman opened fire on shoppers during the busy back-to-school season on Saturday afternoon. The attack targeted a Walmart and did not spread to other nearby shopping areas, El Paso police sergeant Robert Gomez said. Police weighed hate crime charges against the suspected gunman that could carry the death penalty.\n\nA local prosecutor announced that he would file capital murder charges, declaring that the alleged assailant had “lost the right to be among us”. Investigators focused on whether the El Paso attack was a hate crime after the emergence of a racist, anti-immigrant screed that was posted online shortly beforehand. Detectives sought to determine if it was written by the man who was arrested. It comes as far-right internet forum 8chan, which has been linked to mass shootings in the US, loses its cybersecurity protection after its provider cut off support. Cloudflare said it had terminated the website as a customer and called the forum a “cesspool of hate”. Matthew Prince, Chief Executive of Cloudflare, claimed the suspect in the El Paso attack had posted to 8chan before commencing the attack. Law enforcement officials identified the suspect as 21-year-old Patrick Crusius from Allen, a Dallas suburb which is a nearly 10-hour drive from El Paso.\n\nRelatives said a 25-year-old woman who was shot while apparently trying to shield her two-month-old son was among those killed. Mexican officials said six Mexican nationals were also among the dead. Authorities searched for any links between the suspect and the material in the document that was posted online, including the writer’s expression of concern that an influx of Hispanics into the United States will replace ageing white voters, potentially turning Texas blue in elections and swinging the White House to Democrats. The writer was also critical of Republicans for what he described as close ties to corporations and degradation of the environment.", "EL PASO: Two more victims of a shooting rampage at a Walmart store in El Paso, Texas, died of their wounds on Monday (Aug 5), police said, raising the death toll to 22 in the massacre as US President Donald Trump planned a visit to the stricken community.\n\nThe latest fatalities bring to 31 the number of people killed during the weekend in mass shootings in El Paso and Dayton, Ohio, that have touched off a new furore over gun violence in the United States.\n\nPatrick Crusius, 21, has been charged with a single count of capital murder in the El Paso case, court documents show, in what is likely a legal place holder to keep him in custody while the investigation is under way.\n\nAuthorities have cited a lengthy anti-immigrant manifesto, apparently posted online by the suspect before the Saturday morning shooting in the heavily Hispanic border city, which they said was evidence the bloodshed was racially motivated.\n\nEight of those killed in the attack were Mexican citizens, according to the Mexican government.\n\nThe four-page statement uploaded to 8chan, a largely un-moderated online message board often used by extremists, called the Walmart attack \"a response to the Hispanic invasion of Texas\".\n\nIt also expressed support for a gunman who killed 51 people at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, in March.\n\nThe El Paso killings prompted 8chan founder Frederick Brennan, in an interview with the New York Times, to call for the site to be shut down. Brennan no longer has control of 8chan, which is now run from the Philippines by a US Army veteran, the Times reported.\n\nTexas Governor Greg Abbott said Saturday's rampage appeared to be a hate crime and federal prosecutors called it domestic terrorism. A Texas prosecutor said the state will seek the death penalty against Crusius if he is convicted.\n\nTrump said Americans \"must condemn racism, bigotry and white supremacy\" and blamed the Internet and violent video games for fostering violence.\n\nEl Paso Mayor Dee Margo told reporters at an afternoon news conference that Trump would visit the city on Wednesday. The mayor asked that the visit amid a divisive gun control debate not be politicised.\n\nUS gun control activists say the Internet and video games cannot be blamed because they are also are popular in countries where mass shootings are virtually unknown, in part because it is harder to obtain a firearm.\n\nIt was unclear if Crusius had retained a lawyer or would make an initial court appearance. El Paso Police Chief Greg Allen said the suspect was cooperating with investigators.\n\nThe suspect's grandparents said in a statement read to reporters by a family outside their home in the Dallas suburb of Allen, 1,046km east of El Paso, that they were devastated by the attack.\n\n\"He lived with us in our house in Allen, Texas, while he attended Collin College,\" they said. \"He moved out of our house six weeks ago and has spent a few nights here while we were out of town.\"\n\nFBI Director Christopher Wray told a congressional panel on Jul 23 that the bureau has recorded about 100 arrests of domestic terrorism suspects in the preceding nine months and that most investigations of that kind involve some form of white supremacy.\n\nREAD: Mexico to open first terrorism probe of an event on US territory\n\n\n\nThe Texas rampage was followed just 13 hours later by the mass shooting in Ohio and came a week after a man shot dead three people at a California garlic festival before taking his own life.\n\nIn Dayton, Ohio, a gunman in body armour and a mask killed nine people in less than a minute and wounded 27 others in the downtown historic district before he was shot dead by police.\n\nPolice said the El Paso suspect opened fire with a rifle on Walmart shoppers, many of them bargain-hunting for back-to-school supplies, then surrendered to officers who confronted him outside the store.\n\nIn El Paso, residents on Monday brought crosses representing each of the victims to a growing memorial site near the store.\n\nEl Paso and Ciudad Juarez, together with the neighbouring city of Las Cruces, New Mexico, form a metropolitan border area of 2.5 million residents constituting the largest bilingual, bi-national population in North America.\n\nTrump has derided asylum seekers and other immigrants coming across the US southern border as liars and criminals, prompting Democrats to accuse him of racism.", "Police responded Saturday to reports of at least one active shooter near a mall in El Paso, Texas.\n\nAccording to KTSM, at least 18 people were hurt at a Walmart near the Cielo Vista Mall.\n\nAccording to Olivia Zepeda, chief of staff to El Paso Mayor Dee Margo, multiple people have been killed, CNN reported. At least one suspect has been taken into custody.\n\nTRENDING: ‘Kill Them All, Slit Their Throats’: ISIS Warns of Terror Attacks in San Francisco, New York, London\n\n“An El Paso police officer at the scene said there were multiple fatalities in the attack, although the number was not confirmed,” the El Paso Times reported. “He said the number was not official, but he had been inside the store.”\n\nA police source later told KTSM that at least 18 people had died.\n\nA witness told KVIA that people were being escorted out of the mall with their hands in the air.\n\nEl Paso police said in a tweet they’d received reports of more than one shooter:\n\nRELATED: Democrats Are Fundraising Off El Paso and Dayton Massacres\n\n“Witness Ray Holgin told CBS News that he was about to go into the Walmart when he heard at least 10 gunshots. He said he thought he saw at least two people with guns,” CBS reported.\n\n“Holgin told CBS News that he saw at least one person, an elderly lady, fall to the ground, but he’s not sure if she was shot,” the outlet added.\n\nThis is a breaking story and will be updated as more details come out.\n\nWe are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.", "A busy Walmart became a grisly crime scene Saturday morning when El Paso police say 21-year-old Patrick Crusius took aim at shoppers and store employees.\n\nAnother person died Monday morning, officials said, bringing the number of fatalities to 21. More than two dozen additional people were injured.\n\nHere are five things to know about Crusius:\n\n1.) From Allen, Texas. The suspect's last known address is in Allen, just north of Dallas. That's 650 miles away from where the shooting took place. Up until a few weeks ago, CBS News reports Crusius, 21, lived with his grandparents while attending nearby Collin College. \"We are devastated by the events of El Paso and pray for the victims of this tragedy,\" the family said, in part, in a written statement Sunday.\n\n2.) Used an AK-47. Intelligencer says video from the Walmart shows Crusius with an AK-47-style assault rifle and a large amount of ammunition. The shooting started in the parking lot before continuing inside the store.\n\n3.) Manifesto posted. Minutes before the shooting, a racially charged manifesto believed to have been written by Crusius was posted on 8chan, an online forum. \"This attack is a response to the Hispanic invasion of Texas,\" the manifesto said, in part, according to The New York Times. NBC News reported that Cloudflare, an internet hosting company, said Monday it was dropping 8chan as a client following the deadly shooting.\n\n4.) Death penalty will be sought. El Paso County District Attorney Jaime Esparza said he intends to seek the death penalty, according to the New York Post. \"The state charge is capital murder, and so he is eligible for the death penalty,\" Esparza said at a news conference. \"We will seek the death penalty. The loss of life is so great, we certainly have never seen this in our community.\" In Texas, the death penalty is administered via lethal injection.\n\n5.) Domestic terrorism. Almost immediately after the Walmart shooting, investigators labeled it as an act of domestic terrorism. John Bash, U.S. attorney for the Western District of Texas, said the crime was \"designed to intimidate a civilian population.\" \"We’re going to do what we do to terrorists in this country, which is deliver swift and certain justice,\" Bash said. The FBI's hate-crimes team has been activated to look into Crusius' past, the Texas Tribune says.", "EL PASO, Texas — Two more victims of the mass shooting in El Paso, Texas, Saturday have died, bringing the death toll to 22 people.\n\nThe state of Texas is seeking the death penalty for the suspect, who also injured more than two dozen others in an attack at a Walmart where people were shopping during the busy back-to-school season.\n\nAuthorities said Monday the suspect, who has not shown any remorse, had driven more than 10 hours to El Paso, got lost in a neighborhood, then found his way to the Walmart because he was hungry.\n\nPresident Donald Trump plans to visit El Paso on Wednesday, El Paso Mayor Dee Margo confirmed during a press conference Monday afternoon.\n\n\"We are three states, two countries, and one reason. And as I've been saying, there's no other region like El Paso/Juarez,\" Margo said.\n\nA Justice Department official said the federal government is treating the shooting as a domestic terrorism case. U.S Attorney John Bash also said that the federal government would investigate the attack in order to bring forward federal hate crime and federal firearms charges.\n\nLocal officials said Monday that 15 victims are still being treated at the hospital, including two who are still in critical condition.\n\nOf the 22 fatalities, seven are Mexican nationals, one is from Germany, 13 are American citizens and one victim's nationality has yet to be determined.\n\nRELATED: Here are the victims of the El Paso Walmart shooting\n\nA racist, anti-immigrant screed posted online shortly beforehand was attributed to the man arrested in the attack on the 680,000-resident border city, according to El Paso Police Chief Greg Allen. That man is 21-year-old Patrick Crusius of Allen, Texas, who has been booked into the El Paso County Jail on capital murder charges, and authorities are seeking the death penalty.\n\nRELATED: 31 dead from 2 mass shootings in one weekend\n\nRELATED: El Paso shooter was anti-social loner, former classmate says\n\nCrusius was arrested without police firing any shots outside the Walmart near the Cielo Vista Mall, about five miles from the main border checkpoint with Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. He was on foot when he was taken into custody.\n\nThe FBI has activated their domestic terrorism fusion cell and carried out three search warrants related to the shooting.\n\nMugshot of Patrick Crusius, 21, who is charged with capital murder for the El Paso mass shooting on August 3, 201.\n\nPolice said they did not know where the weapon was purchased. Allen acknowledged that it is legal under Texas law to carry a long gun openly in a public place.\n\n\"Of course, normal individuals seeing that type of weapon might be alarmed,\" but before he began firing, the suspect was technically \"within the realm of the law,\" El Paso Police Chief Greg Allen said.\n\n\"The scene was a horrific one,\" said Chief Allen, adding that many of the 26 people who were hurt had life-threatening injuries.\n\n\"It's chaos right now,\" said Austin Johnson, an Army medic at nearby Fort Bliss, who volunteered to help at the shopping center and later at a school serving as a reunification center.\n\nThe shooting occurred at the Walmart and its parking lot, and no related incidents happened elsewhere in the Cielo Vista Mall, according to El Paso Police Department Sgt. Robert Gomez.\n\nAll of the bodies had been removed from the crime scene by Sunday evening, and FBI spokesperson Jeanette Harper said crime scene forensic review is underway.\n\nResidents quickly volunteered to give blood to the injured after the El Paso shooting, and police and military members were helping people look for missing loved ones.\n\nIn a press conference Sunday evening, Gomez said the blood donations have been 'overwhelming' and asked future donors to make appointments.\n\nAdriana Quezada, 39, said she was in the women's clothing section of Walmart with her two children when she heard gunfire.\n\n\"But I thought they were hits, like roof construction,\" she said of the shots.\n\nHer 19-year-old daughter and 16-year-old son threw themselves to the ground, then ran out of the store through an emergency exit. They were not hurt, Quezada said.\n\nShe said she saw four men, dressed in black, moving together firing guns indiscriminately. Police later said they believed the suspect, who was armed with a rifle, was the only shooter.\n\nRyan Mielke, a spokesman for University Medical Center of El Paso, said 13 of the injured were brought to the hospital with injuries, including one who died. Two of the injured were children who were being transferred to El Paso Children's Hospital, he said. He wouldn't provide additional details on the victims.\n\nEleven other victims were being treated at Del Sol Medical Center, hospital spokesman Victor Guerrero said. Those victims' ages ranged from 35 to 82, he said.\n\nRelatives said a 25-year-old woman who was shot while holding her 2-month-old son was among those killed, while Mexican officials said three Mexican nationals were among the dead and six more were wounded.\n\nPresident Donald Trump ordered American flags in the U.S. and around the world lowered to half staff until Aug. 8, \"as a mark of solemn respect\" for both the victims of the shooting in El Paso as well as victims of a shooting in Dayton, Ohio, that occurred less than 24 hours later.\n\n\"There are no reasons or excuses that will ever justify killing innocent people,\" also Trump wrote.\n\nAt a candidate forum Saturday in Las Vegas, presidential candidate and former Texas congressman Beto O'Rourke, who is from El Paso, appeared shaken after news of the shooting in his hometown was reported.\n\nO'Rourke said he heard early reports that the shooter might have had a military-style weapon, saying we need to \"keep that (expletive) on the battlefield. Do not bring it into our communities.\"\n\nTexas Gov. Greg Abbott described the shooting as one of the deadliest days in the state's history.\n\n\"Texas grieves for the people of El Paso today,\" he said during a press conference, during which authorities confirmed the number of people killed and wounded. \"On a day that would have been a normal day for someone to leisurely go shopping... Lives were taken who should still be with us today.”\n\nWhen asked about the manifesto, Abbott said \"This is disgusting, intolerable. It's not Texan. And we are going to aggressively prosecute it as capital murder and as a hate crime, which is exactly what it appears to be, without having seen all of the evidence yet.\"\n\nEl Paso Mayor Dee Margo said he knew the shooter was not from his town.\n\n\"It's not what we're about,\" he said at the news conference with Abbott. El Paso is nearly a 10-hour drive from Allen.\n\nRELATED: What we know about the El Paso shooting suspect\n\nIn the hours after the shooting, authorities blocked streets near a home in Allen associated with the suspect. Officers appeared to speak briefly with a woman who answered the door of the gray stone house and later entered the residence.\n\nEl Paso County is more than 80% Latino, according to the latest census data, and the city, where the mayor said tens of thousands of Mexicans legally cross the border each day to work and shop, has become a focal point of the immigration debate. Trump visited in February to argue that walling off the southern border would make the U.S. safer, while city residents and O'Rourke led thousands on a protest march past the barrier of barbed wire-topped fencing and towering metal slats.\n\nRELATED: Moms Demand Action activists rally at White House to show solidarity for El Paso shooting victims\n\nO'Rourke stressed that border walls haven't made his hometown safer. The city's murder rate was less than half the national average in 2005, the year before the start of its border fence. Before the wall project started, El Paso had been rated one of the three safest major U.S. cities going back to 1997.\n\nHeidi Beirich, director of the Southern Poverty Law Center's Intelligence Project, said the El Paso shooting suspect wasn't on her group's radar before the shooting.\n\n\"We had nothing in our files on him,\" Beirich wrote in an email.\n\nPeople attend a vigil for victims of the shooting Saturday, Aug. 3, 2019, in El Paso, Texas. A young gunman opened fire in an El Paso, Texas, shopping area during the busy back-to-school season, leaving multiple people dead and more than two dozen injured. (AP Photo/John Locher)\n\nA donation page has been created to support the victims. The El Paso Victims Relief Fund is the only official such page, police said. It was established by the Paso del Norte Community Foundation, which supports nonprofit organizations and charitable causes in the region.\n\nThe shooting came less than a week after a 19-year-old gunman killed three people and injured 13 others at the popular Gilroy Garlic Festival in California before dying of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.", "Police officers walk behind a Walmart at the scene of a mass shooting at a shopping complex Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2019, in El Paso, Texas. Patrick Crusius, 21, opened fire Saturday at the mall that largely caters to the local Mexican-American community. (AP Photo/John Locher)\n\nPolice officers walk behind a Walmart at the scene of a mass shooting at a shopping complex Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2019, in El Paso, Texas. Patrick Crusius, 21, opened fire Saturday at the mall that largely caters to the local Mexican-American community. (AP Photo/John Locher)\n\nNew details on the accused El Paso shooter shows he had a “stone cold look” when he surrendered on Saturday.\n\nPatrick Crusius is being held without bond and facing charges that make him eligible for the death penalty. The 22-year-old drove ten hours from his home in Allen, Texas when he reportedly got lost and stopped at the Walmart because he was hungry.\n\nPolice say he then gunned down 22 people including at least eight Mexican nationals. El Paso’s police chief says Crusius has been cooperative but shown no remorse.", "A manifesto posted on 8chan is believed to have been written by the suspect in a shooting that killed 22 in El Paso\n\nEl Paso residents place flowers at a makeshift memorial for the victims of the Saturday mass shooting at a shopping complex in El Paso, Texas, Sunday, Aug. 4, 2019. (AP Photo/Andres Leighton)\n\nAn anonymous online forum called 8chan has drawn attention in the wake of mass shootings in Texas and Ohio because violent U.S. extremists have used it to share tips and encourage one another. The site suffered sporadic outages Monday after its cybersecurity provider cut off support for what it called a “cesspool of hate.”\n\nThe online message board dates back to 2013. Under the banner of free speech, it allows users to post graphic and extremist content and doesn’t censor posts.\n\nThe site has been linked to violent extremists. Police are investigating commentary posted on 8chan believed to have been written by the suspect in a shooting Saturday that killed 22 people in El Paso, Texas.\n\nIf there is a connection, it would be the third known instance of a shooter posting to the site before going on a rampage. In March, the gunman in mass shootings at two New Zealand mosques posted a rambling manifesto to the site, as did another who injured several people and killed one at a California synagogue in April.\n\n8chan’s founder, Fredrick Brennan, is no longer running the site. In an interview with The New York Times on Monday, he said the site wasn’t doing any good and called for it to be shut down.\n\nREAD MORE: El Paso suspect appears to have posted anti-immigrant screed\n\nWHY DID 8CHAN GO DOWN?\n\nThe site went down briefly after security provider Cloudflare said it would stop supporting the site. Without Cloudflare, the site was vulnerable to outside hackers who shut down the site.\n\n“8chan has repeatedly proven itself to be a cesspool of hate,” Cloudflare CEO Matthew Prince wrote. “They have proven themselves to be lawless and that lawlessness has caused multiple tragic deaths.”\n\nCAN 8CHAN BE SHUT DOWN?\n\n8chan’s popularity rose after the similarly named but unaffiliated site 4chan cracked down on more extreme posts. Because the U.S. doesn’t specifically outlaw domestic terrorism the way it does foreign-sponsored extremism, such sites enjoy broad protection from government oversight under the U.S. Constitution’s First Amendment.\n\nEven if that weren’t the case, content on sites like 8chan are also difficult to stamp out because users can simply move on if moderators grow stricter or if a site shuts down.\n\n“Dealing with incitement to violence and hatred online goes well beyond any one platform,” the Anti-Defamation League’s Oren Segal said.\n\n“These hate and racist posts will find another way to get their message out and another site with less scruples will pop up to host them,” added Tim Bajarin, a technology columnist and president of Creative Strategies. “The internet has always been a Wild, Wild West medium with very little controls to keep this type of harmful commentary from seeing the light of day.”\n\nREAD MORE: Life in public-shooting-era America: ‘You can’t just not go’\n\nMutale Nkonde, a fellow at the Berkman Klein Center at Harvard, said it’s time to think about creating a legal definition for harmful speech that could be regulated.\n\n“We need to seriously balance do we want to be secure as a nation and have the ability to go to Walmart or we want to protect the speech of those who want to destroy our country from within?” she said.\n\nBut there has been resistance to passing legislation, said David Kaye, the U.N. special rapporteur on freedom of expression and a University of California-Irvine law professor.\n\n“It’s very difficult to get any kind of law adopted in the United States,” Kaye said. “Even after these terrible crimes and the connection the 8chan forum has to them, I don’t see much of a likelihood of a pretty serious debate about how the companies should be regulated.”\n\nKaye said that in the absence of U.S. government action on online speech, the most Americans can hope for is that companies like Cloudflare are transparent about their policies regarding hate speech — and what should be regarded as incitement to violence and not tolerated.\n\n“There is probably horrible content that’s being hosted by its clients in other parts of the world,” he said, “but is it applying the same measures there?”\n\nLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.", "EL PASO, Texas (AP) — The Latest on a mass shooting in El Paso, Texas (all times local):\n\nAuthorities say another person has died from a weekend mass shooting at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, raising the death toll in that attack to 21.\n\nEl Paso police tweeted that the latest victim died early Monday morning at a hospital. No other details were immediately provided.\n\nMore than two dozen people were wounded in the attack. The suspected gunman, 21-year-old Patrick Crusius, has been booked on capital murder charges.\n\nSpeaking from the White House on Monday, President Donald Trump condemned the El Paso mass shooting and another in Dayton, Ohio, hours later in his first public remarks since the attacks.\n\nFederal and state authorities continue to investigate the mass shooting at an El Paso, Texas, Walmart that left 20 people dead and more than two dozen others injured.\n\nPolice said Sunday that all bodies have been removed from the store and its parking lot, and that the attack did not spread to other nearby shopping areas. Police Sgt. Robert Gomez says most of the victims were inside the store.\n\nTwenty-one-year-old Patrick Wood Crusius of Allen, Texas, has been booked on capital murder charges and jailed without bond. KDFW-TV reports his grandparents issued a statement Sunday saying they were \"devastated\" by the rampage.\n\nAllen is more than 600 miles (965 kilometers) from where Saturday's rampage occurred. The FBI says the suspect didn't have any contacts in El Paso.\n\nDetectives are also trying to determine with a racist, anti-immigrant screed posted online shortly before Saturday's shooting was written by Crusius.", "EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) — Mexican officials say they want full accountability regarding the murder of eight of their citizens during Saturday’s mass shooting at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas.\n\nThe officials also said they will be assisting survivors and the families of the victims should they wish to pursue lawsuits against alleged mass murderer Patrick Crusius or the manufacturers of the AK-47 that took their lives.\n\n“We need to defend the rights of Mexican citizens who were the victims of this crime. We have the right to investigate, both at the federal and the state level, this incident against our countrymen. It is our moral and legal right,” said Chihuahua Gov. Javier Corral. Eight of the 22 people murdered at the Walmart were Mexican citizens, five of them from Chihuahua, which includes Juarez just across the border from El Paso.\n\nCorral on Monday was at the Mexican consulate in El Paso to meet in private with visiting Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard, who is here to talk to American officials regarding the mass shooting and to meet with the victims’ families.\n\n“We’re exploring whether this individual acted alone. He may have physically (executed) the shooting alone, but we want the investigation to go deeper into who he was in contact with, whether there could be a network of people who think like he did,” the Chihuahua governor said.\n\nCorral said most of the Mexican citizens who survived the shooting are now out of danger at El Paso hospitals. He also said the shooting has raised concerns among the thousands of Mexicans who travel to El Paso every day to shop, work, do business or visit family members.\n\n“Juarez-El Paso is one big, binational community. We have many things in common beyond doing business. We share the same culture, the same taste in music and food, we have family ties,” the governor said.\n\nThe safety of Mexicans who come across into the United States “should be a permanent guarantee, we should not have to demand it. … We will defend their rights and demand reparation of damages for the victims, more so when it came in such a premeditated and racist manner,” Corral said.\n\nCorral also chastised President Trump for fanning anti-immigrant sentiment in the United States. American authorities are investigating whether Crusius wrote a manifesto prior to the shooting, bemoaning the immigrant “invasion” of the United States and the expansion of the Hispanic population in Texas.\n\nTrump “is not exercising the mission of moral and political leadership that historically has fallen on U.S. presidents. Instead of contributing to a narrative of peace, unity and brotherhood, his discourse has generated among certain circles an environment of discrimination and hate toward certain people,” Corral said."], "summary": "8chan is taken offline after San Francisco-based Cloudflare cuts support for the site in response to the perpetrator Patrick Crusius posting his white nationalist manifesto The Inconvenient Truth on the site shortly before killing 22 people and injuring 24 others at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas which was an anti-Hispanic terrorist attack."}
{"document": ["The German third division team Chemnitzer FC have parted ways with their captain after accusing the player of “openly displaying” his sympathy for neo-Nazi groups among the club’s supporters.\n\nStar striker Daniel Frahn, who missed Saturday’s away game against Hallescher FC due to an injury, had chosen to watch his side’s 3-1 defeat from the guest block rather than the team bench, seated next to leading figures from the far-right hooligan scene.\n\nFormer RB Leipzig player Frahn, 32, was already fined by the club in March this year after joining in on a tribute to a deceased far-right activist and known hooligan by holding up a black T-shirt bearing the slogan “Support your local hools”.\n\nSchalke chairman under pressure to resign over racist comments Read more\n\nAt the time, the player had apologised, saying he had acted “in solidarity with the relatives” of Thomas Haller, a co-founder of far-right group HooNaRa (“Hooligans, Nazis, Racists”), knowing that the T-shirts had been sold to help pay for his medical care. “I didn’t know that that T-shirt was so widespread in the Nazi scene,” he said.\n\nIn a statement released on Monday, the club described Frahn’s show of remorse as a “farce” and said it had been wrong to trust his words following the incident earlier in the year.\n\n“He could not and would not live up to the responsibility of the player and team captain of a football club, which involves more than scoring goals and letting yourself be cheered by the crowd: namely, attitude,” said Romy Polster, deputy chair of Chemnitzer FC’s shareholder meeting.\n\nThe divisions at the scandal-hit third division club, who are second from bottom of the league after three games and face bankruptcy due to crippling debts, have become symptomatic of Chemnitz’s wider problem with far-right movements.\n\nLast August, the city in the formerly socialist east German state of Saxony saw two days of far-right violence that left several people injured. In the wake of the riots, Chemnitzer FC said on Monday the club saw itself “duty-bound to be a bulwark against rightwing extremism”.", "The captain of a football team in eastern Germany has been sacked for displaying “sympathy” with neo-Nazi groups.\n\nDaniel Frahn, who played for Chemnitzer FC, was seen sitting with members of far-right groups during a third division match on August 3.\n\nThe club said his behaviour was “massively damaging” to the club.\n\nThe city of Chemnitz was the scene of far-right violence in 2018, where neo-Nazis attacked migrants with bottles, tasers and knuckle dusters. A number of men were arrested in a police operation for allegedly plotting another attack, this time against politicians and civil servants.\n\nThey hounded migrants and performed the illegal Hitler salute in the city, exposing deep divisions over Chancellor Angela Merkel’s decision in 2015 to welcome almost one million asylum seekers to the country.\n\nRead more: Chemnitz: How the East German city became known as a hotbed for extremism\n\nChemnitzer FC said in a statement it had committed itself in a shareholders’ agreement to be a “bulwark against right-wing radicalism” following the events in summer 2018.\n\nIt added it had separated with Frahn with immediate effect “due to the sympathy for leading heads of the right-minded group ‘Kaotic Chemnitz’ and the disbanded group \"NS-Boys\", which was obviously displayed in the guest fan block of the Hallens stadium”.\n\nA statement from the shareholders of the club slammed his behaviour, saying he “turned out to be a great sympathizer of the right-wing radical and inhuman group ‘Kaotic Chemnitz’”.\n\nFrahn was caught up in an earlier controversy in March when some fans staged a tribute to a supporter Thomas Haller, who had died and was reportedly a neo-Nazi. Frahn was condemned for celebrating a goal by holding up a t-shirt emblazoned with the words: “Support your local hools (hooligans)\".\n\nThe shareholders’ statement said “we now know for certain it was the wrong decision” to allow him to continue at the club after that incident, adding “his remorse at that time was a farce”.\n\n“Daniel Frahn, there is no more room for you at Chemnitzer FC,” the statement ends.\n\nMore on this subject", "GERMAN third division team Chemnitzer FC have sacked their captain Daniel Frahn after the striker 'openly displayed sympathy' for neo-nazi hooligans.\n\nThe 32-year-old missed Chemnitzer's 3-1 away defeat to Hallescher on Saturday and watched the game with fans in the stands.\n\nBut he was spotted standing with leading figures from far-right hooligan groups who follow the team.\n\nThe ex-RB Leipzig man was fined by the club in March after he held up a t-shirt with the slogan 'support your local hools'.\n\n\n\nThe shirts were part of a tribute to deceased far-right activist Thomas Haller but afterwards Frahn apologised and said: \"I didn’t know the T-shirt was so widespread in the Nazi scene.\"\n\nHe claimed he was acting in solidarity with the relatives of Haller - founder of far-right group HooNaRa ('Hooligans, Nazis, Racists') - as the shirt sales were helping to cover the dead man's medical bills.\n\nBut in a statement released on Monday, Chemnitzer admitted they were wrong to trust his words at the time and described his apology as a 'farce'.\n\nRomy Polster, deputy chair of the club's shareholder meeting said: \"He could not and would not live up to the responsibility of the player and team captain of a football club, which involves more than scoring goals and letting yourself be cheered by the crowd: namely, attitude.\"\n\nChemnitzer are second bottom of the league and facing bankruptcy as well as wider issues with far-right movements among their fan base and community.\n\nNeo-nazi groups in the nearby city of Saxony were involved in a spate of violence last August which saw several people injured.\n\nBut speaking on Monday, the club made clear their stance - admirably stating they saw themselves 'duty bound to be a bulwark against right wing extremism'.", "Chemnitzer FC of the German third division have sacked club captain Daniel Frahn for displaying his support for neo-Nazi groups.\n\nThe 32-year-old had missed Saturday’s game against Hallescher FC after picking up an injury and subsequently watched the match alongside members of Chemnitzer’s far-right fanbase, Kaotic Chemnitz, who are known for their neo-Nazi affiliation.\n\nThe city of Chemnitz itself has had various problems with far-right violence, with riots in 2018 leaving several injured.\n\nIn a bid to distance themselves from any involvement with the aforementioned movements, the club have parted ways with Frahn and via a statement on their website said they ‘will continue to act consistently against any anti-constitutional ideas and their sympathisers’.\n\nRomy Polster, deputy chair of Chemnitzer FC’s shareholder meeting also added: \"The shareholders of Chemnitzer FC strongly condemn the incidents on the sidelines of the third division match between Chemnitzer FC at Halleschen FC.\n\n“With horror we have to recognise that our former team captain Daniel Frahn has turned out to be a great sympathiser of the right-wing and inhumane group ‘Kaotic Chemnitz’ and thus caused great damage to the club. There is zero tolerance for this behaviour.”\n\nFrahn had previously been involved in an incident last March when he held up a t-shirt in tribute for a far-right activist. At the time, Frahn had claimed he did not fully understand the significance and message associated with such a t-shirt, although Polster stated on Monday he believed this to be a ‘farce’.\n\n“There is zero tolerance for this behaviour,” he said. “We now know for certain that it was the wrong decision to continue to trust him after his innocent protestations following those actions.\n\n“His remorse back then was a farce. He could not and did not want to take responsibility as a player and team captain in the football club.”\n\nFrahn has played for a variety of clubs in the lower reaches of German football, including RB Leipzig, who he guided towards two promotions during a five-year spell with the club.\n\nAs for Chemnitzer, they have picked up just one point from their opening four matches and are second bottom of the 3.Liga.", "German third division club Chemnitzer FC have sacked their club captain Daniel Frahn after it became apparent he was a supporter of neo-Nazi groups.\n\nFrahn, 32, was one of the most important players at the club, scoring 54 goals in 115 appearances in all competitions after joining in 2016.\n\nHowever, after being ruled out of Chemnitzer's match at the weekend against Hallescher FC Frahn was spotted watching the game with members of the far-right fanbase Kaotic Chemnitz, who are known to have a neo-Nazi ideology.\n\nThe club moved quickly to distance themselves from the player and his political views, and released a statement on their website announcing they had parted ways with the player.\n\nThe strongly-worded statement said: \"With horror we have to recognise that our former team captain Daniel Frahn has turned out to be a great sympathizer of the right-wing and inhumane grouping \"Kaotic Chemnitz\" and thus caused great damage to the club.\n\n\"There is zero tolerance for this behaviour.\n\n\"There is complete agreement that Chemnitz FC dissolves the contractual relationship with the player with immediate effect. Daniel Frahn, there is no room for you at Chemnitzer FC.\n\n\"Chemnitzer FC will continue to act consistently against any anti-constitutional ideas and their sympathizers.\"\n\nFrahn also caused controversy in March last year when he held up a t-shirt at the end of a match which was dedicated to a far-right activist.\n\nChemnitz is a city in eastern Germany which has experienced a number of issues with far-right violence over the last few years, including riots in 2018 which led to several people being injured.\n\nIt remains to be seen how the club cope without their star player, with the team currently struggling and down in 19th in the league having picked up just one point from their opening four matches.", "German third division team Chemnitzer FC have parted ways with their captain after accusing the player of “openly displaying” his sympathy for neo-Nazi groups among the club’s supporters.\n\nStar striker Daniel Frahn, who missed Saturday’s away game against Hallescher FC due to an injury, had chosen to watch his side’s 3-1 defeat from the stand rather than the team bench, seated next to leading figures from the far-right hooligan scene.\n\nFormer RB Leipzig player Frahn (32) was already fined by the club in March this year after joining in on a tribute to a deceased far-right activist and known hooligan by holding up a black T-shirt bearing the slogan “Support your local hools”.\n\nAt the time, the player had apologised, saying he had acted “in solidarity with the relatives” of Thomas Haller, a co-founder of far-right group HooNaRa (“Hooligans, Nazis, Racists”), knowing that the T-shirts had been sold to help pay for his medical care. “I didn’t know that that T-shirt was so widespread in the Nazi scene,” he said.\n\nIn a statement released yesterday, the club described Frahn’s show of remorse as a “farce” and said it had been wrong to trust his words following the incident earlier in the year.\n\n“He could not and would not live up to the responsibility of the player and team captain of a football club, which involves more than scoring goals and letting yourself be cheered by the crowd: namely, attitude,” said Romy Polster, deputy chair of Chemnitzer FC’s shareholder meeting.\n\nThe divisions at the scandal-hit third division club, who are second from bottom in Germany’s third division after three games and face bankruptcy due to crippling debts, have become symptomatic of Chemnitz’s wider problem with far-right movements.\n\nLast August, the city in the formerly socialist east German state of Saxony saw two days of far-right violence that left several people injured. In the wake of the riots, Chemnitzer FC said on Monday the club saw itself “duty-bound to be a bulwark against right wing extremism”.\n\nMeanwhile, Schalke chairman, Clemens Tönnies, is under pressure to resign following widespread condemnation of racist comments he made last week.\n\nSpeaking at a public meeting with 1,600 guests in Paderborn, the 63-year-old criticised tax increases designed to help to fight climate change and then suggested the money would be better used financing 20 power plants a year in Africa.\n\n“Then the Africans would stop cutting down trees, and they would stop making babies when it gets dark,” Tönnies has been quoted as saying – a statement which later prompted an apology.\n\n“I am for an open and diverse society,” he said. “I am sorry for the comment on the large number of children in Africa. As chairman of the supervisory board of FC Schalke 04, I am 1,000% behind our club values. This includes the fight against racism, discrimination and exclusion. On the basis of that I expressly wish to excuse myself. It was wrong, rash and thoughtless and in no way in line with our values. I am very sorry.”\n\nYet despite the apology by Tönnies the German justice minister, Christine Lambrecht, has called for the German Football Association (DFB) to intervene.\n\n“Racism must be loudly and clearly contradicted at every opportunity,” she said. “Nowhere is integration as successful and quick to work as in sport – that must not be put at risk.”\n\nDagmar Freitag, chairman of the sports committee in the German parliament, told the newspaper Welt on Sunday: “The fact that something like this is articulated by someone who holds a prominent position in sport makes things all the worse.”\n\nNikolaus Schneider has confirmed that the case will be discussed at the next meeting of the DFB ethics committee on August15th.\n\nThe son of a butcher who founded a meat-processing company that is now one of the biggest in Europe, Tönnies has been Schalke’s chairman since 2001 and is worth an estimated €1 billion. – Guardian", "The captain of east German football team Chemnitzer FC was fired Monday after the team said he showed “sympathy” for neo-Nazi groups at a game.\n\nDaniel Frahn was unable to play in Saturday’s game against Hallescher FC due to an injury. But rather than watch from the bench, he chose to sit with leading members of far-right hooligan groups, “obviously to show sympathy,” the team said in a statement.\n\nFrahn had faced criticism in March for holding up a T-shirt as part of a tribute in support of a deceased far-right activist and known hooligan. He later apologized.\n\n“His remorse at the time was a farce,” said Romy Polster, deputy chair of Chemnitzer FC’s shareholder group, in the team’s statement. “He could not and would not carry out his responsibility as a player and team captain of a football club, which requires something more than scoring goals and being cheered for: attitude.”\n\nThe team’s hometown of Chemnitz was the scene of violent far-right protests that rocked the country last year. The team said it decided at the time to become a “bulwark against right-wing radicalism.”\n\nThe state of Saxony, where Chemnitz is located, is set to hold an election in less than a month, in which the far-right Alternative for Germany is expected to win big, according to recent polls.", "Daniel Frahn sat with a group of far-right ultras during Chemnitzer’s league game with Hallescher and has been sacked by his club.\n\nChemnitzer said there was “no room” for captain Daniel Frahn at the club after firing him for showing sympathy for a far-right extremist group.\n\nThe German third division outfit, who will play former European Cup winners Hamburg in the DFB-Pokal on Sunday, took their stance after injured striker Frahn was spotted sitting with members of the Kaotic Chemnitz group during a league fixture.\n\nThe game, away to Hallescher last Saturday, also saw 32-year-old Frahn with former members of the dissolved hooligan group NS Boys, Chemnitzer said.\n\nSuch behaviour was “massively harmful to the club”, Chemnitzer said in a statement, adding: “Chemnitzer FC will continue to act consistently against any anti-constitutional ideas and their sympathisers.”\n\nThe city of Chemnitz was severely affected by violence involving various groups in 2018, sparked by tensions surrounding Germany’s immigration policy, and the football club has “committed itself in its shareholder agreement to being a bulwark against right-wing radicalism”.\n\nThe club shareholders said: “With horror we have to recognise that our – now former – team captain Daniel Frahn has turned out to be a great sympathiser of the right-wing and inhumane group ‘Kaotic Chemnitz’ and thus caused great damage to the club. There is zero tolerance for this behaviour.”\n\nChemnitzer had previously accepted an explanation from Frahn when, in March, he lifted up a t-shirt bearing the slogan ‘Support your local hools’.\n\nThe phrase was linked to right-wing groups, but Frahn insisted at the time: “I’m not a Nazi and never will be.”\n\nRomy Polster, the deputy chair of Chemnitzer’s shareholders’ meeting, said after his sacking: “We now know for certain that it was the wrong decision to continue to trust him after his innocent protestations of his action on March 9, 2019.\n\n“His remorse back then was a farce. He could not and did not want to take responsibility as a player and team captain in the football club, because there’s one thing more than just scoring goals and cheering: attitude.\n\n“There is total agreement that Chemnitzer FC dissolves the contractual relationship with the player with immediate effect. Daniel Frahn, for you there is no room at Chemnitzer FC.”", "Frahn, who joined the third-tier side in 2016, was unable to play Saturday's game against Hallescher due to injury but chose instead to watch the match from the stands.\n\nHe was seated with a group of far-right fans and, according to the club, was clearly seen to display sympathy for the supporters -- a move that \"caused great damage to the club.\"\n\nStriker and captain Frahn, who previously played for top-tier side RB Leipzig, had earlier this year been fined for paying tribute to far-right activist and renowned club hooligan, the late Tommy Haller. After scoring a goal, he celebrated by holding up a black T-shirt that read \"support your local hools [hooligans]\".\n\nCrowds, many of them members of the Chemnitz football hooligan scene, gather to mourn the death of neo-Nazi leader Tommy Haller. Romy Polster, deputy chairman of the club's shareholders' meeting, said that \"it was the wrong decision to continue to trust\" its player after the incident in March, and that the regret he showed for his actions back then was \"a farce.\" READ: Predictions ahead of the new Premier League season Polster added that the player \"could not and did not want to take responsibility as a player and team captain of the football club. There's one thing more important than just scoring goals and cheering: attitude.\" Chemnitzer, which earned promotion to the third tier of German football last season, is currently one place off the bottom of the table after four games and is also battling crippling debts The eastern city of Chemnitz is a renowned site of far-right violence. After a surge of white supremacist activity last year, German Chancellor Angela Merkel visited Chemnitz, denouncing those who \"spread hatred and incitement.\"", "German third tier side Chemnitzer found themselves in hot water this week after having to sack captain Daniel Frahn for 'openly displaying sympathy' for a neo-Nazi hooligan group.\n\nAfter missing Chemnitzer's 3-1 away defeat by Hallescher on Saturday Frahn watched the game with supporters in the stands.\n\nBeing focused upon however, Frahn was spotted standing with leading figures from far-right hooligan groups who are known to regularly follow the team, as report the Sun.\n\nFrahn's presence with the group prompted Chemnitzer to take action, after being forced to fine the player back in March for holding up a T-shirt with the slogan 'support your local hools'.\n\nThe shirts, believed to be organsied by the group, were part of a tribute to deceased far-right activist Thomas Haller.\n\nAfter the incident Frahn had publicly apologised and said: 'I didn't know the T-shirt was so widespread in the Nazi scene.'\n\nHe claimed at the time he was acting in solidarity with the relatives of Haller - founder of far-right group HooNaRa ('Hooligans, Nazis, Racists').\n\nThe shirt sales, Frahn explained, were believed to be helping to cover the medical bills left behind by Haller.\n\nAfter seeing Frahn with the group, Chemnitzer released a statement on Monday in which the club admitted they were wrong to trust his words at the time and described his apology as a 'farce'.\n\nRomy Polster, deputy chair of the club's shareholder meeting said: 'He could not and would not live up to the responsibility of the player and team captain of a football club, which involves more than scoring goals and letting yourself be cheered by the crowd: namely, attitude.'\n\nThe club added: 'We are duty bound to be a bulwark against right wing extremism.'"], "summary": "German association football club Chemnitzer FC sacks club captain Daniel Frahn for \"openly displaying sympathy for Neo-Nazi groups\". Frahn, who is currently unable to play due to injury, watched the club's recent match in the stands with far-right hooligan fans."}
{"document": ["Kyiv says four Ukrainian soldiers have lost their lives in the latest clashes with Russia-backed separatists in the country's east.\n\n\n\nThe Defense Ministry said in a statement that the pro-Russia separatists opened fire at Ukrainian military positions in the Donetsk region on August 6, using grenade-launchers, machine guns, and assault rifles.\n\n\"We say with sadness that, as a result of the enemy's attacks today, according to the information in our possession, four of our heroes sustained injuries, to which they succumbed,\" the statement said.\n\nIt was the highest daily casualty toll in the Ukrainian conflict since a truce was agreed nearly three weeks ago.\n\nPresident Volodymyr Zelenskiy called the incident an attempt to \"undermine\" Ukraine's efforts toward peace, and called on France, Germany, and Russia to \"meet as quickly as possible to resume negotiations.\"\n\nGermany, France, Ukraine, and Russia are part of the so-called Normandy format for talks aimed at putting an end to fighting between Ukrainian forces and the separatists who control parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.\n\nZelenskiy wrote on his Facebook page that Kyiv \"will not cease to work toward ending hostilities or leave any attack on our soldiers unanswered.\"\n\nSince April 2014, more than 13,000 people have been killed in the conflict.\n\n\n\nA new cease-fire agreement was supposed to go into effect on July 22 in accordance with an agreement reached in Minsk on July 17 by Ukrainian and Russian envoys as well as members of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).\n\n\n\nBut the sides have been accusing each other of violating the agreement since then.\n\n\n\nCease-fire road maps announced as part of the Minsk accords -- September 2014 and February 2015 pacts aimed at resolving the conflict -- have contributed to a decrease in fighting but have failed to hold.\n\nWith reporting by AP", "Four Ukrainian soldiers were killed in a grenade attack in the war-torn east of the country on Tuesday, Kiev said, the highest daily casualty toll over the past two weeks.\n\nThe troops died in a rocket-propelled grenade attack near the village of Pavlopil close to the Kiev-controlled port city of Mariupol, said Oleksandr Danylyuk, secretary of the National Security and Defense Council.\n\nUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the incident an attempt to \"undermine\" Ukraine's efforts toward peace and called on France, Germany and Russia to \"meet as quickly as possible to resume negotiations\".\n\n\"We will not cease to work toward ending hostilities or leave any attack on our soldiers unanswered,\" Zelensky wrote on his Facebook page.\n\nTuesday's casualties were the highest daily toll since a truce went into force on July 21 -- the latest attempt to ease hostilities between Ukraine forces and pro-Russian separatists.\n\nIn a separate attack, Moscow-backed separatists fired at the positions of the Ukrainian army near the village of Bogdanivka located south of the Donetsk rebel stronghold, military spokesman Dmytro Gutsulyak said.\n\nSeparatists used an infantry fighting vehicle, grenade launchers and heavy machine guns, he said.\n\nUkrainian forces and pro-Russian separatists, who carved out two \"people's republics\" in eastern Donetsk and Lugansk regions, have fought since April 2014, after the annexation of Crimea.\n\nSome 13,000 people have been killed in the violence that Kiev blames on Russian President Vladimir Putin.\n\nMoscow has denied claims it has funneled troops and arms across the border.\n\nA series of truce agreements, brokered by France and Germany, have helped dampen hostilities but sporadic and sometimes serious clashes continue.", "Four Ukrainian soldiers were killed in a grenade attack in the war-torn east of the country on Tuesday, Kiev said, the highest daily casualty toll over the past two weeks.\n\nThe troops died in a rocket-propelled grenade attack near the village of Pavlopil close to the Kiev-controlled port city of Mariupol, said Oleksandr Danylyuk, secretary of the National Security and Defense Council.\n\nTuesday's casualties were the highest daily toll since a truce went into force on July 21 - the latest attempt to ease hostilities between Ukraine forces and pro-Russian separatists.\n\n\"This crude violation of the truce agreements will not go unnoticed,\" Danylyuk said on his Facebook page.\n\nIn a separate attack, Moscow-backed separatists after midnight fired at the positions of the Ukrainian army near the village of Bogdanivka located south of the Donetsk rebel stronghold, military spokesman Dmytro Gutsulyak said.\n\nSeparatists used an infantry fighting vehicle, grenade launchers, and heavy machine guns, he said.\n\nUkrainian forces and pro-Russian separatists, who carved out two \"people's republics\" in eastern Donetsk and Lugansk regions, have fought since April 2014, after the annexation of Crimea.\n\nSome 13,000 people have been killed in the violence that Kiev blames on Russian President Vladimir Putin.\n\nMoscow has denied the claims it has funnelled troops and arms across the border despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.\n\nA series of truce agreements have helped significantly dampen the hostilities although sporadic clashes continue.", "Kyiv says four Ukrainian soldiers have lost their lives in the latest clashes with Russia-backed separatists in the country's east.\n\n \n\n The Defense Ministry said in a statement that the pro-Russia separatists opened fire at Ukrainian military positions in the Donetsk region on July 6, using grenade-launchers, machine guns, and assault rifles.\n\n \n\n \"We say with sadness that, as a result of the enemy's attacks today, according to the information in our possession, four of our heroes sustained injuries, to which they succumbed,\" the statement says.\n\n \n\n Since April 2014, more than 13,000 people have been killed in fighting between Ukrainian forces and the separatists, who control parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.\n\n \n\n A new cease-fire agreement was supposed to go into effect on July 22 in accordance with an agreement reached in Minsk on July 17 by Ukrainian and Russian envoys as well as members of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).\n\n \n\n But the sides have been accusing each other of violating the agreement since then.\n\n \n\n Cease-fire road maps announced as part of the Minsk accords -- September 2014 and February 2015 pacts aimed at resolving the conflict -- have contributed to a decrease in fighting but have failed to hold.", "Four Ukrainian soldiers were killed in a grenade attack in the war-torn east of the country on Tuesday, Kiev said, the highest daily casualty toll over the past two weeks\n\nKiev, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - APP - 6th Aug, 2019 ) :Four Ukrainian soldiers were killed in a grenade attack in the war-torn east of the country on Tuesday, Kiev said, the highest daily casualty toll over the past two weeks.\n\nThe troops died in a rocket-propelled grenade attack near the village of Pavlopil close to the Kiev-controlled port city of Mariupol, said Oleksandr Danylyuk, secretary of the National Security and Defence Council.\n\nTuesday's casualties were the highest daily toll since a truce went into force on July 21 - the latest attempt to ease hostilities between Ukraine forces and pro-Russian separatists.\n\n\"This crude violation of the truce agreements will not go unnoticed,\" Danylyuk said on his Facebook page.", "Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday said he had asked Russian leader Vladimir Putin to put pressure on separatist fighters in the east, after four Ukrainian soldiers were killed in a grenade attack\n\nKiev, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - APP - 7th Aug, 2019 ) :Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday said he had asked Russian leader Vladimir Putin to put pressure on separatist fighters in the east, after four Ukrainian soldiers were killed in a grenade attack.\n\n\"I called him urgently. I told him that this brings us no closer to peace,\" Zelensky said during a briefing, adding that he had urged Putin to ask the Moscow-backed separatists to \"stop killing our people\".\n\nThe Ukrainian leader said he had a \"long conversation\" with Putin on Wednesday morning, only their second publicly announced phone call since former comedian Zelensky was elected in April.\n\nKiev reported Tuesday that four soldiers died in a rocket-propelled grenade attack, the highest daily toll since a truce went into force on July 21.\n\nZelensky at the time called the incident an attempt to \"undermine\" Ukraine's efforts toward peace and called on France, Germany and Russia to \"meet as quickly as possible to resume negotiations\".\n\nUkrainian forces and pro-Russian separatists, who carved out two \"people's republics\" in eastern Donetsk and Lugansk regions, have fought since April 2014, after the annexation of Crimea.", "Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday said he had asked his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to put pressure on separatist fighters in the east, after four Ukrainian soldiers were killed in a grenade attack.\n\n\"I called him urgently. I told him that this brings us no closer to peace,\" Zelensky said during a briefing, adding that he had urged Putin to ask the Moscow-backed separatists to \"stop killing our people\".\n\nThe Ukrainian leader said he had a \"long conversation\" with Putin on Wednesday morning, only their second publicly announced phone call since former comedian Zelensky was elected in April.\n\nZelensky called for urgent talks between Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine, the so-called \"Normandy format\" set up to resolve the conflict in eastern Ukraine.\n\n\"(We need to) look into each other's eyes. And end this war,\" he stated.\n\nThe Kremlin press-service said that Kiev and Moscow had discussed the prospects of cooperation under the Normandy format and agreed to intensify their work on prisoner exchange.\n\nKiev reported Tuesday that four soldiers died in a rocket-propelled grenade attack, the highest daily toll since a truce went into force on July 21.\n\nZelensky at the time called the incident an attempt to \"undermine\" Ukraine's efforts toward peace and called on France, Germany and Russia to \"meet as quickly as possible to resume negotiations\".\n\nUkrainian forces and pro-Russian separatists, who carved out two \"people's republics\" in eastern Donetsk and Lugansk regions, have fought since April 2014, after the annexation of Crimea.\n\nSome 13,000 people have been killed in the violence that Kiev blames on Putin.\n\nMoscow has denied claims it has funnelled troops and arms across the border.\n\nA series of truce agreements, brokered by France and Germany, have helped dampen hostilities but sporadic and sometimes serious clashes continue.", "Kiev: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday said he had asked Russian leader Vladimir Putin to put pressure on separatist fighters in the east, after four Ukrainian soldiers were killed in a grenade attack.\n\n\"I called him urgently. I told him that this brings us no closer to peace\", Zelensky said during a briefing, adding that he had urged Putin to ask the Moscow-backed separatists to \"stop killing our people\". \"These aren't toys\", Zelensky said.\n\nThe Ukrainian leader said he had a \"long conversation\" with Putin on Wednesday morning, only their second publicly announced phone call since former comedian Zelensky was elected in April. Kiev reported Tuesday that four soldiers died in a rocket-propelled grenade attack, the highest daily toll since a truce went into force on 21 July.\n\nAt that time, Zelensky called the incident an attempt to \"undermine\" Ukraine's efforts toward peace and called on France, Germany and Russia to \"meet as quickly as possible to resume negotiations\". Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian separatists, who carved out two \"people's republics\" in eastern Donetsk and Lugansk regions, have fought since April 2014, after the annexation of Crimea.\n\nSome 13,000 people have been killed in the violence that Kiev blames on Putin. Moscow has denied claims that it has funnelled troops and arms across the border. A series of truce agreements, brokered by France and Germany, have helped dampen hostilities but sporadic and sometimes serious clashes continue.", "Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy says he has spoken with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, after four Ukrainian soldiers were killed in shelling in eastern Ukraine.\n\n\"I called him urgently. I told him that this brings us no closer to peace,\" Zelenskiy said during a news briefing in Kyiv, adding that he had urged Putin to ask the Moscow-backed separatists to \"stop killing our people.\"\n\nHe also said Putin had promised him something, details of which would be disclosed later.\n\nThe Kremlin has not commented on the phone call.\n\nUkraine's Defense Ministry said in a statement on August 6 that the separatists had opened fire at Ukrainian military positions in the Donetsk region earlier that day, using grenade-launchers, machine guns, and assault rifles.\n\n\"As a result of the enemy's attacks today, according to the information in our possession, four of our heroes sustained injuries, to which they succumbed,\" the statement said.\n\nIt was the highest daily casualty toll in the Ukrainian conflict since a truce was agreed nearly three weeks ago.\n\nSince April 2014, more than 13,000 people have been killed in the conflict.\n\nA cease-fire agreement, involving Russia and Ukraine and brokered by France and Germany, ended major conflict in eastern Ukraine in 2015, although regular small-scale clashes have continued to cost lives.", "Donetsk regional militias in eastern Ukraine had no part in the recent deaths of four Ukrainian troops northeast from the city of Mariupol, the representative office of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) at the ceasefire coordination center said Wednesday\n\nDONETSK (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 07th August, 2019) Donetsk regional militias in eastern Ukraine had no part in the recent deaths of four Ukrainian troops northeast from the city of Mariupol , the representative office of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) at the ceasefire coordination center said Wednesday.\n\nThe Ukrainian Defense Ministry said the four servicemen were killed in two attacks on government positions on Tuesday near the village of Pavlopil. Kiev called the deadly incident a violation of a ceasefire agreement between the central authorities and militias.\n\n\"The Republic's representatives at the Joint Center on Control and Coordination of issues related to the ceasefire regime investigated the death of Ukrainian troops.\n\nThey concluded that the attacks could not have been conducted from the Republic's positions considering their distance from the site of the incident does not correspond to the tactical and technical characteristics of the weapons that the Ukrainian side said were used,\" a spokesperson for the DPR told reporters.\n\nThe DPR suggested that the servicemen could have died as a result of mishandling munitions and accused the command of the Ukrainian military operation in the east of trying to cover up their non-combat losses by blaming the militias."], "summary": "Four Ukrainian Ground Forces soldiers are killed in an attack by pro-Russian separatists, near the village of Pavlopil in the war-torn eastern Donetsk Oblast."}
{"document": ["LIMA (Reuters) - U.S. national security adviser John Bolton on Tuesday said Washington was ready to impose sanctions on any international company doing business with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, a sharp escalation of U.S. pressure on the leftist leader.\n\nVenezuela's President Nicolas Maduro takes part in a meeting with members of the government at Miraflores Palace in Caracas, Venezuela July 25, 2019. Miraflores Palace/Handout via REUTERS\n\nBolton, addressing a summit on Venezuela in the Peruvian capital Lima, emphasized that tougher international action was needed to speed up a transition of power in the country, where more than four million Venezuelans have fled economic collapse.\n\n“We are sending a signal to third parties that want to do business with the Maduro regime: proceed with extreme caution,” Bolton said.\n\nHis speech came a day after U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order that freezes the assets of the Venezuelan government and bans any transactions with it, an act that could ensnare its dealings with Russia and China as well as with Western companies.\n\nBolton, one of the Trump administration’s most influential hawks on Venezuela, told reporters the move forces companies around the world to choose whether to risk access to the United States and its financial system for business with Maduro.\n\nAsked by a reporter how Venezuela would respond to the executive order, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza said: “I’m going to paraphrase Donald Trump ... All options are on the table.”\n\nVenezuela’s U.N. Ambassador Samuel Moncada asked U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the Security Council on Tuesday to intervene.\n\n“This is an act of war by the United States,” Moncada told reporters. “Venezuela is not a threat to anyone and the United States is fabricating this aggression just to take the oil.”\n\nThe 15-member U.N. Security Council will be unable to take any action as the United States is one of the body’s five veto powers, along with Russia, China, Britain and France.\n\nIt was the first U.S. asset freeze against an entire government in the Western Hemisphere in more than 30 years. But it was also a reminder that successive rounds of U.S. sanctions have so far failed to peel away the crucial support of Venezuela’s military for Maduro, who took office in 2013 following the death of his political mentor President Hugo Chavez.\n\nContinuing the state controls started under Chavez, Maduro has overseen one of the worst economic collapses in recent world history, leaving his nation of 30 million people with severe shortages of food and medicine despite sitting on the world’s largest oil reserves.\n\nIn private, Bolton had told Peruvian officials the measure would have the effect of about tripling current sanctions related to Venezuela, a Peruvian government source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.\n\nThe executive order stopped short, however, of a full U.S. trade embargo of the kind imposed on Cuba, experts said, by excluding Venezuela’s still sizeable private sector.\n\nThe order maintains some exemptions for companies that do business with state oil company PDVSA [PDVSA.UL], and licenses published on Tuesday reiterated that companies like Chevron and Halliburton can continue to do business with PDVSA in Venezuela through Oct. 25.\n\nSome experts said the move could lead to pushback from other countries, and would require a lot of time and money to prove foreign companies are undermining sanctions.\n\n“How much is the U.S. government willing to spend in diplomatic capital in economic costs in the United States, in order to further its Venezuela policy? said David Murray of the Washington-based firm Financial Integrity Network, an expert on sanctions compliance.\n\nRUSSIA: ‘ECONOMIC TERROR’\n\nMost Western and Latin American democracies accuse Maduro of rigging elections last year and are calling for him to step down so the country can hold a fresh presidential ballot.\n\nThe summit, organized by Peru, a regional leader on demanding democratic reforms in Venezuela, had aimed to build support for new elections with Maduro’s allies. Yet Russia, China, Cuba, Turkey, Bolivia and Iran all boycotted the summit.\n\nRussia’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday that Washington’s asset freeze was illegal and amounted to “economic terror”, the RIA news agency reported.\n\nThe order also could inflame the U.S.-China trade war if it hits Beijing hard, with Venezuela owing China oil deliveries as repayment for loans through 2021, said Fernando Cutz, a former top aide to Trump on the National Security Council.\n\nBolton warned Russia against doubling down on its support for Caracas, and urged China to recognize opposition leader Juan Guaido as the country’s legitimate leader if it wanted to recoup debt owed by Caracas, since a new government in Venezuela might not want to honor agreements made with countries that helped Maduro hang onto power.\n\nBolton said Washington had taken steps to ensure the sanctions did not hurt Guaido and his allies, nor prevent access to humanitarian goods.\n\nTrump’s Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross also spoke to the Lima summit, promising U.S. support and cooperation to help Venezuela rebuild its oil sector, institutions and economy once Maduro leaves office, without giving details.\n\nThe plan has a goal of reversing Venezuela’s decline in oil production within a year, and calls for a long-term deal with the International Monetary Fund, Ross said.", "Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Pro-government protesters marched in Caracas against the US sanctions\n\nThe UN's human rights chief has criticised the latest US sanctions against Venezuela saying they would intensify the suffering of millions.\n\nMichelle Bachelet, a former president of Chile, said the sanctions were \"extremely broad\" and would hit the most vulnerable sections of society.\n\nThe unilateral measures freeze all Venezuelan government assets in the US and ban commercial transactions.\n\nThey are aimed at piling pressure on President Nicolás Maduro to step down.\n\nThe US is one of more than 50 nations that do not recognise Mr Maduro as Venezuela's legitimate president.\n\nWhat did Michelle Bachelet say?\n\n\"I am deeply worried about the potentially severe impact on the human rights of the people of Venezuela of the new set of unilateral sanctions imposed by the US this week,\" the UN human rights commissioner said in a statement.\n\n\"The sanctions are extremely broad and fail to contain sufficient measures to mitigate their impact on the most vulnerable sectors of the population.\"\n\nDespite some exceptions for sales linked to food, clothing and medicine, she said the measures were \"still likely to significantly exacerbate the crisis for millions of ordinary Venezuelans\".\n\nImage copyright Reuters Image caption Michelle Bachelet has previously criticised the actions of Nicolás Maduro's government\n\nMs Bachelet has raised concern about the consequences of previous US sanctions against Venezuela. She has also criticised Mr Maduro's government, mainly over its ill-treatment of opponents.\n\nIn March she singled out Venezuela as an example of how \"violations of civil and political rights\" can accentuate inequality and worsening economic conditions.\n\nWhat were the US measures?\n\nOn Monday US President Donald Trump signed an executive order stating that \"all property and interests in property of the government of Venezuela that are in the United States... are blocked and may not be transferred, paid, exported, withdrawn, or otherwise dealt in\".\n\nThe order also bars transactions with Venezuelan authorities whose assets are blocked, stating that \"the making of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services by, to, or for the benefit of any person whose property and interests in property are blocked pursuant to this order\".\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Venezuela crisis: The four countries interested in the presidential battle\n\n\"The receipt of any contribution or provision of funds, goods, or services from any such person,\" is also banned.\n\nUS National Security Adviser John Bolton said the new sanctions could be imposed on \"anyone who supports\" Mr Maduro's government.\n\nImage copyright Getty Images Image caption Millions of Venezuelans have fled to neighbouring countries to escape economic hardship\n\nThe new measures, he added, would force countries and companies to choose between doing business with the US or with Venezuela.\n\nHe said America would use \"every tool to end Maduro's dictatorship in Venezuela\".\n\nVenezuela's foreign ministry denounced the new sanctions and accused Washington of \"arbitrary economic terrorism against the Venezuelan people\".\n\nWhat's the background?\n\nThe US, along with more than 50 other nations, has given its backing to the head of the National Assembly, Juan Guaidó, who declared himself interim president in January, arguing that Mr Maduro's re-election last year was fraudulent.\n\nMr Guaidó welcomed the new US sanctions arguing that they punish those \"who do business with the regime\".\n\nBut international pressure has so far failed to remove Mr Maduro from power.\n\nVenezuelans have continued to flee the country's political and economic crisis in huge numbers. More than four million are now living abroad according to UN figures.", "WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump has imposed sanctions on assets of the Venezuelan government, according to an executive order published on Monday.\n\n“All property and interests in property of the Government of Venezuela that are in the United States … are blocked and may not be transferred, paid, exported, withdrawn, or otherwise dealt in,” the executive order says. (Reporting by Makini Brice and Eric Beech)", "WASHINGTON, Aug 5 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump imposed a freeze on all Venezuelan government assets in the United States on Monday, sharply escalating an economic and diplomatic pressure campaign aimed at removing socialist President Nicolas Maduro from power.\n\nThe executive order signed by Trump goes well beyond the sanctions imposed in recent months against Venezuela’s state-run oil company PDVSA and the country’s financial sector, as well as measures against dozens of Venezuelan officials and entities.\n\nPresident Donald Trump is taking more dramatic action after numerous rounds of sanctions failed to turn Venezuela’s military against President Nicolas Maduro, above, or make significant progress in dislodging him.\n\nTrump’s action, the toughest yet against Maduro, not only bans U.S. companies from dealings with the Venezuela government but also appears to open the door to possible sanctions against foreign firms or individuals that assist it.\n\n“All property and interests in property of the Government of Venezuela that are in the United States ... are blocked and may not be transferred, paid, exported, withdrawn, or otherwise dealt in,” according to the executive order released by the White House.\n\nThe scope of the announcement came as a surprise even to some Trump administration allies. “This is big,” said Ana Quintana, senior policy analyst with the Heritage Foundation, a conservative Washington think tank.\n\nQuintana said it appeared the order would be a sweeping embargo on doing business with Venezuela, although she was awaiting further details.\n\nThe United States and most Western nations have called for Maduro to step down and have recognized Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as the country’s legitimate president.\n\nTrump said on Thursday he was considering a quarantine or blockade of Venezuela, although he did not elaborate at the time on when or how such a blockade would be imposed.\n\nU.S. officials have long said they had other weapons in their economic arsenal, even as they privately expressed frustration that European partners and others had not taken stronger steps and that the months-long pressure campaign had not made more headway.\n\nTrump said in a letter to Congress the freezing of assets was necessary “in light of the continued usurpation of power by the illegitimate Nicolas Maduro regime, as well as the regime’s human rights abuses, arbitrary arrest and detention of Venezuelan citizens, curtailment of free press, and ongoing attempts to undermine Interim President Juan Guaido.”\n\nHis executive order also threatened sanctions against anyone assisting Maduro or his loyalists, suggesting that Washington could resort to so-called secondary sanctions against third-country companies and individuals.\n\nFernando Cutz, a former top Trump adviser on Latin America, said the executive order could be applied to non-U.S. firms and entities, limiting their ability to do business with Venezuela if they wanted to continue to deal with U.S. companies or banks.\n\nChina and Russia continue to trade oil with Venezuela. The move could escalate tensions with China, already inflamed by a tit-for-tat trade war, said Cutz, now a senior associate with the Cohen Group, a consulting firm.\n\nChina and Russia - together with Cuba - have continued to back Maduro, prompting U.S. national security adviser John Bolton to warn Beijing and Moscow on Monday against doubling down in their support for him.\n\nBolton is slated to give a speech on Tuesday morning at a gathering of more than 50 countries in Lima, Peru, that would outline a planned U.S. initiative to lead to a peaceful transfer of power in Venezuela.", "Trump signs executive order freezing Venezuela gov't assets in significant escalation of tensions with Maduro\n\nWASHINGTON (AP) — Trump signs executive order freezing Venezuela gov't assets in significant escalation of tensions with Maduro.", "Washington — US President Donald Trump imposed a freeze on all Venezuelan government assets in the US on Monday, sharply escalating an economic and diplomatic pressure campaign aimed at removing socialist President Nicolas Maduro from power.\n\nThe executive order signed by Trump goes well beyond the sanctions imposed in recent months against Venezuela's state-run oil company PDVSA and the country’s financial sector, as well as measures against dozens of Venezuelan officials and entities.\n\nTrump’s action, the toughest yet against Maduro, not only bans US companies from dealings with the Venezuela government but also appears to open the door to possible sanctions against foreign firms or individuals that assist it.\n\nRussian and Chinese companies are among those still doing significant business in the South American Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) nation.\n\n“All property and interests in property of the government of Venezuela that are in the US ... are blocked and may not be transferred, paid, exported, withdrawn, or otherwise dealt in”, according to the executive order released by the White House.\n\nThe scope of the announcement came as a surprise even to some Trump administration allies.\n\n“This is big,” said Ana Quintana, senior policy analyst with the Heritage Foundation, a conservative Washington think tank.\n\nQuintana said it appeared the order would be a sweeping embargo on doing business with Venezuela, although she was awaiting further details.\n\nVenezuela’s information ministry did not respond immediately to a request to comment.\n\nThe US and most Western nations have called for Maduro to step down and have recognised Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as the country’s legitimate president.\n\nGuaido, accused by Maduro of mounting a US-directed coup attempt, appointed a board for Citgo Petroleum, Venezuela’s most important foreign asset, earlier in 2019.", "WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump has imposed sanctions on assets of the Venezuelan government, according to an executive order published on Monday.\n\n“All property and interests in property of the Government of Venezuela that are in the United States ... are blocked and may not be transferred, paid, exported, withdrawn, or otherwise dealt in,” the executive order says.\n\nThe Trump Administration has been ramping up pressure on Caracas in a bid to oust President Nicolas Maduro from power.\n\nThe United States and most Latin American countries and Western democracies have called for Maduro to step down and have recognized Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as the country’s president.\n\nBut China and Russia have continued to back Maduro, prompting U.S. national security adviser John Bolton to warn the two countries on Monday against doubling down in their support for him.", "WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration has frozen all Venezuelan government assets in a significant escalation of tensions with socialist leader Nicolás Maduro.\n\nThe ban on Americans doing business with Venezuela's government takes effect immediately. An executive order signed by President Donald Trump on Monday cited Maduro's continued \"usurpation\" of power and human rights abuses by those loyal to him.\n\nThe order falls short of an outright trade embargo but represents the most crippling U.S. efforts to remove Maduro since the Trump administration recognized opposition leader Juan Guaidó as Venezuela's rightful leader in January.\n\nPrevious sanctions have targeted Venezuela's oil industry, the source of most of the country's export revenue.", "WASHINGTON (AP) - The Trump administration froze all Venezuelan government assets Monday in a dramatic escalation of tensions with socialist leader Nicolás Maduro, who has stubbornly clung to power in the face of mounting international pressure.\n\nThe ban on Americans doing business with Venezuela's government takes effect immediately. An executive order signed by President Donald Trump justified the move by citing Maduro's continued \"usurpation\" of power and human rights abuses by groups loyal to him.\n\nWhile the order falls short of an outright trade embargo, it represents the most determined U.S. action to remove Maduro since the Trump administration recognized opposition leader Juan Guaidó as Venezuela's rightful leader in January. As such, it places Venezuela on par with adversaries such as Cuba, Syria, Iran and North Korea, who have also come under strident U.S. measures.\n\nPrevious sanctions have targeted dozens of Venezuelan government insiders as well as the South American nation's oil industry, the source of almost all of its export earnings.\n\nAs part of the executive order, Americans will be banned from engaging in transactions with anyone determined to be assisting Maduro or his government. The same Maduro supporters will also be banned from entering the U.S.\n\nExceptions will be allowed for the delivery of food, medicine and clothing. Transactions with Venezuela's still sizable private sector do not appear to be affected either.\n\nThe executive order comes the day before Trump's national security adviser John Bolton and U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross represent the United States at the International Conference for Democracy in Venezuela.\n\nThe conference is being attended by representatives from more than 50 nations that recognize Guaidó as Venezuela's president and consider Maduro's re-election last year to be fraudulent.\n\nMoments after the executive order was announced, Bolton tweeted that he was looking ahead to what he hopes will be a \"productive\" day in Lima, Peru.", "Washington has frozen the assets of the Venezuelan government due to the “continued usurpation of power” by President Nicolas Maduro, according to an executive order issued by President Donald Trump.\n\nThe sanctions, which came into effect on Monday, represent a significant escalation of U.S. attempts to force Maduro, who won a second term in a disputed election last year, from office.\n\nThe U.S. has already used sanctions to target Venezuelan government officials, the central bank and its state-run oil and gas sector, from which the country derives the vast majority of its export earnings.\n\nThe Venezuelan economy has collapsed under Maduro, with inflation reaching 130,060 per cent last year and shortages of food and medicines driving millions of people abroad.\n\nThe leader of the opposition-controlled National Assembly, Juan Guaido, declared himself interim president in January but despite immediately winning the support of dozens of countries has failed to dislodge Maduro.\n\nOn Monday Trump accused Maduro’s government of “human rights abuses, arbitrary arrest and detention of Venezuelan citizens, curtailment of free press, and ongoing attempts to undermine Interim President Juan Guaido of Venezuela and the democratically-elected Venezuelan National Assembly.”\n\nThe announcement came a day ahead of the International Conference for Democracy in Venezuela in the Peruvian capital Lima, a meeting of representatives from than 50 countries seeking to find a peaceful solution to the crisis in Venezuela.\n\nTrump’s hawkish National Security Advisor John Bolton is to represent the U.S. at the meeting.\n\nIn a tweet published around the same time as the executive order, Bolton said he was looking forward to a “productive day.”"], "summary": "U.S. President Donald Trump signs an executive order freezing all assets and interests of the Venezuelan government as contained within the United States, a severe escalation from recent industry sanctions and verbal rhetoric. Twenty-one exceptions are issued, for companies providing services including oil, aid, and telecommunications. The expanded sanctions are widely criticized as likely to worsen the conditions for people in Venezuela."}
{"document": ["ISLAMABAD - Pakistan began a special joint session of its parliament Tuesday to discuss a possible response a day after rival India revoked the special status for Kashmir, the disputed Himalayan region both the countries claim in its entirety.\n\nNew Delhi added a special provision to its constitution in 1949 providing autonomy to Jammu and Kashmir, allowing the region to have its own constitution, a separate flag and independence over all matters except foreign affairs, defense and communications. India’s Hindu nationalist-led government scrapped the constitutional provision on Monday.\n\n \n\n Prime Minister Khan told an emergency session of the Pakistani parliament the Indian action would intensify the ongoing insurgency in the majority-Muslim Kashmir, and the ensuing tensions could trigger another war between the two nuclear-armed nations.\n\n \n\n The Pakistani leader said the conflict could eventually lead to an exchange of nuclear weapons, and Khan asked whether the world is prepared for the worst.\n\n \n\n “No one will win that war. Everyone will lose that war. It will have implications for the entire world … I am not indulging in a nuclear blackmail. Hope for the best, be prepared for the worst. This is why I am appealing to the world to intervene and stop India from blatantly tearing apart international laws,” said the prime minister.\n\nIndian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has long campaigned for ending the special status granted to Kashmir, saying it hampered development and encouraged youth there to join insurgents fighting Indian rule.\n\nPakistan swiftly condemned and rejected Monday’s announcements by India as “illegal steps.”\n\n“No unilateral step by the government of India can change this disputed status, as enshrined in the United Nations Security Council [UNSC] resolutions. Nor will this ever be acceptable to the people of Jammu & Kashmir and Pakistan,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.\n\nThe country’s top military commanders held a special meeting Tuesday to review the security situation in the wake of India’s controversial move.\n\nFollowing its special meeting Tuesday the Pakistani army said in a statement that Islamabad had never recognized the provisions New Delhi revoked because they were part of what the statement said was India’s “sham” efforts to legalize its \"occupation” of Kashmir.\n\n“[The] Pakistan army firmly stands by the Kashmiris in their just struggle to the very end. We are prepared and shall go to any extent to fulfill our obligations in this regard,” the statement quoted the army chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, as saying.\n\nAnti-India protests also erupted Tuesday in cities across the Islamabad-administered one-third of Kashmir and in several major Pakistani cities.\n\nMeanwhile, a senior American diplomat arrived in Islamabad Tuesday for pre-scheduled bilateral meetings. Pakistani officials said the latest developments in Kashmir were likely to figure high in the talks with Alice Wells, the U.S. principal deputy assistant secretary of state in charge of South and Central Asian affairs.\n\nAhead of Monday's announcements, the Indian government deployed tens of thousands of additional troops in Kashmir, arrested local political leaders, including former chief ministers, imposed a security lockdown and cut off all telecommunications as well as cable television networks to deter agitation.\n\nIn its immediate reaction on Monday, the United States said it was “closely\" following developments in Kashmir. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres Monday urged India and Pakistan to “exercise restraint” following India’s announcement.\n\n\"We are concerned about reports of detentions and urge respect for individual rights and discussion with those in affected communities, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus said in a statement. She called on “all parties to maintain peace and stability along the Line of Control [the de facto Kashmir border].”\n\nCritics warn the move will likely exacerbate ongoing bloody rebellion in Kashmir and deteriorate military tensions between India and Pakistan, both armed with nuclear weapons, who have already fought two wars over the divided region.\n\nThe Muslim insurgency and the ensuing Indian security crackdown are estimated to have killed 70,000 people in Kashmir over the past three decades. New Delhi has consistently accused Islamabad, particularly the country’s powerful military, of being behind the militancy.\n\nPakistan rejects the charges and maintains it only provides diplomatic and moral support to the separatists. End.", "India's government has revoked the special status of India-administered Kashmir, in a move that risks fuelling already heightened tensions with neighbouring Pakistan.\n\nMonday's presidential decree revokes Article 370 of India's constitution that guaranteed special rights to the Muslim-majority state, including its right to its own constitution and decision-making process for all matters except defence, communications and foreign affairs.\n\nThe legislation introduced alongside the decree still needs the approval of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party-led parliament.\n\nIn the lead-up to its move, India sent thousands of additional troops to the region, imposing a curfew on parts of it, shutting down telecommunications and arresting political leaders.\n\nBoth New Delhi and Islamabad claim Kashmir in full, but rule it in part. The nuclear-armed neighbours have fought two of their three wars over the disputed territory.\n\nThe United Nations has urged the two countries to exercise restraint.\n\nHere are all the latest updates:\n\nIndia warned China that the government's move to strip Kashmir of its autonomy and split the region into two parts was an \"internal matter\" after Beijing slammed the \"unilateral\" decision.\n\n \n\nBeijing was particularly critical of India's decision to turn Kashmir's mostly Buddhist region of Ladakh into an administrative territory directly ruled by New Delhi.\n\n \n\n\"China is always opposed to India's inclusion of the Chinese territory in the western sector of the China-India boundary into its administrative jurisdiction,\" China's foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said.\n\n \n\n\"Recently India has continued to undermine China's territorial sovereignty by unilaterally changing its domestic law. Such practice is unacceptable and will not come into force.\n\nPakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said his government would challenge the Indian move to change the constitutional status of India-administered Kashmir at the United Nations Security Council, urging the international community to intervene in the crisis or risk regional destabilisation.\n\n\"We will raise this at every level, at the United Nations Security Council,\" said Khan, addressing a joint session of Pakistan's parliament in the capital, Islamabad.\n\n\"We are thinking of how we can go to the [International Court of Justice] through the UN Security Council ... we will raise this issue at every forum.\"\n\nPakistan army will 'go to any extent' to support Kashmir\n\nPakistan's army chief said the country's military will \"go to any extent\" to support people in the contested region after India's move,\n\n\"Pakistan Army firmly stands by the Kashmiris in their just struggle to the very end,\" General Qamar Javed Bajwa said following a meeting with top commanders in Rawalpindi.\n\n\"We are prepared and shall go to any extent to fulfil our obligations in this regard,\" he added, without elaborating further.\n\nThe lower house of India's parliament was set to ratify the bill downgrading the governance of the India-administered portion of Kashmir.\n\nMembers of the Lok Sabha were debating the \"Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill\" a day after the legislation was introduced alongside the presidential decree revoking Article 370.\n\nThe bill downgrades the region from a state into two federally administered union territories: Jammu and Kashmir as well as Ladakh. Jammu and Kashmir would still have its own legislature, while Ladakh would not.\n\nKashmir on edge as India tightens grip on disputed region\n\nA communications blackout and a security lockdown in Indian-administered Kashmir prompted anger and fear among residents.\n\nSheikh Mushtaq, 55, said he has lost contact with his daughter who was forced to leave her university in southern Jammu on Monday because of the lockdown. \"We are helpless,\" he said.\n\nThe security measures have also hit businesses hard ahead of the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha.", "SRINAGAR/ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - The disputed region of Kashmir was thrown into further turmoil in the early hours of Monday as regional leaders said they feared being arrested and Indian officials imposed restrictions in the city of Srinagar and suspended mobile data services in parts of the state.\n\nTensions in Kashmir, which is claimed by both India and Pakistan, had risen since Friday when local Indian officials issued an alert over possible militant attacks by Pakistan-based groups. Pakistan has rejected those assertions, but thousands of Indian tourists, pilgrims and workers left the region in panic over the weekend.\n\n“As per the order there shall be no movement of public and all educational institutions shall also remain closed (in the district of Srinagar),” Indian authorities said in an order, saying the restrictions were being imposed starting at midnight.\n\n“There will be a complete bar on holding any kind of public meetings or rallies during the period of operation of this order,” authorities said, adding restrictions would remain in effect until revoked by further orders.\n\nThe situation has been aggravated as some regional leaders have expressed fears that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government may try to withdraw decades-old special rights conferred on the state, including an amendment to the Indian constitution that prevents people from outside the state from buying property there.\n\nThere have also been concerns that Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) could move to abolish Kashmir’s autonomous status, a plan that has in the past provoked warnings of a backlash in the Muslim-majority state.\n\nThe state has been under New Delhi’s rule since last year after Modi’s BJP withdrew from a coalition with a local party.\n\nA spokesman for India’s home ministry in New Delhi did not immediately respond to a request for comment outside regular business hours.\n\nOn Sunday, regional parties met and vowed to safeguard the special status, saying any move to strip the privilege would amount to aggression against the people of the state.\n\n“I believe I’m being placed under house arrest from midnight tonight & the process has already started for other mainstream leaders. No way of knowing if this is true,” Omar Abdullah, the state’s former chief minister, said on Twitter, while appealing to people to stay calm.\n\nMehbooba Mufti, another regional leader and Modi’s former ally, said on Twitter it was “ironic that elected representatives like us who fought for peace are under house arrest. The world watches as people & their voices are being muzzled.”\n\nThree local government officials told Reuters that mobile internet services in the region had been suspended.\n\nKashmir has long been a bone of contention between India and Pakistan. Tensions flared after a vehicle laden with explosives rammed into an Indian police convoy on Feb. 14, killing 40 paramilitary police, and leading to aerial clashes between the two nations.\n\nIndia accuses Pakistan of funding armed militants and separatist groups in India’s portion of the region. Islamabad denies the Indian accusation, saying it provides only diplomatic and moral support to a separatist movement.\n\nTensions between India and Pakistan over Kashmir have the potential to become a regional crisis and it is the right time for U.S. President Donald Trump to mediate, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Sunday.\n\nKhan spoke a day after Pakistan accused India of using illegal cluster bombs, killing two civilians and wounding 11, in the disputed Kashmir region. India denied it had used such weapons.\n\nIndia’s foreign affairs ministry and the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Khan’s remarks.\n\nIn July, Trump told reporters that Modi had asked him if he would like to be a mediator on Kashmir. India denied Modi ever asked for any mediation.\n\nIndia has long rejected any suggestion of third-party involvement and said it would deal with Pakistan only bilaterally.\n\nOn Sunday, even before restrictions were imposed in Srinagar city, Kashmir remained on high alert as Indian para-military forces were deployed across major towns.\n\nHospitals were on alert too, with staff told not to leave the city without permission, officials said.\n\nThe local government said on Friday it had intelligence about militant attacks and called off a major Hindu pilgrimage, asking pilgrims and tourists to return home.\n\nKashmir touts itself as a “Paradise on Earth”, with its Dal Lake, famous houseboats and mountains among major attractions.\n\nBritain and Germany have discouraged their citizens from visiting, but around 160 foreign tourists arrived on Saturday, one official said.", "NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decision to revoke special status for the disputed Kashmir region is a bold gamble to end a three-decades old armed revolt and draw the territory closer to the rest of India, the country’s media said on Tuesday.\n\nThe Hindu nationalist-led government on Monday scrapped a constitutional provision that allowed the Muslim majority state of Jammu and Kashmir to make its own laws and barred non-residents from buying property there.\n\n“History, in one stroke,” ran a front-page headline in the Indian Express newspaper after the biggest political move in nearly 70 years in one of the world’s most militarized regions.\n\n“Mission Kashmir Accomplished: In one swift stroke, India gets special status in state,” The Economic Times said on its front page.\n\nModi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has long advocated for an end to Kashmir’s special status, saying it hindered the region’s development and spurred young people to join the insurgency against Indian rule.\n\nBut no government has tried to change the autonomy granted to Kashmir after it acceded to India in 1947, fearing more violence in a region where tens of thousands of people have died in the insurgency and India has fought two wars with rival Pakistan, which also has claims over the region.\n\n“BJP’s Kashmir move is bold, but has risks,” the Hindustan Times newspaper said in its editorial, adding that the government must now reach out to Kashmiris.\n\nThe government gave no prior warning that it planned to withdraw Kashmir’s special status and divide the state into two federally-administered territories.\n\n“PARTITION of minds and a state. This time by the largest democracy on the planet, without asking J&K”,” The Telegraph newspaper said on its front page.\n\nThe measure is likely to provoke a backlash in the region, where hours before Monday’s decision Indian authorities arrested local leaders and cut off mobile, internet and cable television networks in a bid to prevent protests.\n\n“The government has a responsibility to ensure security in Kashmir, but that means respecting the human rights of everyone, including protesters,” said Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director at Human Rights Watch.\n\n“The government got off to a bad start by detaining political leaders, banning public meetings, and shutting down the internet,” she added.\n\nPratap Bhanu Mehta, a New Delhi-based political analyst, said the government had undermined India’s democratic principles by forcing change in Kashmir.\n\n“There are times in the history of a republic when it reduces itself to a jackboot. Nothing more and nothing less. We are witnessing that moment in Kashmir,” Mehta wrote in an opinion piece for the Indian Express.", "SRINAGAR, Kashmir — The Indian government said on Monday that it was removing the special status that has existed for decades in Kashmir, a disputed mountainous region along the India-Pakistan border.\n\nAmit Shah, the home minister, made the announcement in the upper house of Parliament on Monday morning, as opposition lawmakers exploded in an uproar.\n\nIn anticipation of the announcement, which many analysts predicted could set off rioting and unrest, India had flooded Kashmir with thousands of extra troops. The Indian authorities also evacuated tourists, closed schools and cut off internet service.\n\nFor many years, Kashmir has been governed differently than other parts of India, and the government’s decision is widely seen as a blow to Kashmir’s autonomy. India’s governing Bharatiya Janata Party, known as the B.J.P., has deep roots in a Hindu nationalist ideology and one of its campaign promises during the election this year had been removing the special status of Kashmir, which is predominantly Muslim.", "Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has vowed to use \"every forum\" to force New Delhi to reverse its decision to strip Indian-administered Kashmir of its special status and split the Himalayan state.\n\nAddressing a joint session of parliament on August 6, Khan pledged to raise the matter with heads of state and take the issue to the UN Security Council and the International Criminal Court.\n\nHe told lawmakers in Islamabad that India's actions, which he called illegal under international law, could lead to an all-out conflict between the two nuclear-armed neighbors, adding, \"No one will be the winner in that case.\"\n\nEarlier, Pakistan's army chief, General Qamar Bajwa, said the military would \"go to any extent\" to support the people of Kashmir in their \"just struggle.\"\n\nThere is a long-running insurgency in Indian-administered part of Kashmir, which is divided between the two neighbors.\n\nThe Muslim-majority region is claimed in its entirety by both India and Pakistan.\n\nTwo of the three wars the two countries have fought since their 1947 independence from British rule were over Kashmir.\n\nThe Indian side of Kashmir remained locked down on August 6 as India's lower house of parliament approved the revocation of Kashmir's special constitutional status that gave it significant autonomy from the rest of the country.\n\nThe chamber also cleared a bill to split the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir into two union territories, a day after the upper house backed the measures.\n\nThe Chinese Foreign Ministry said India's decisions were \"unacceptable\" and that New Delhi needed to be cautious on border issues, drawing a rebuke from the Indian government that the status of Jammu and Kashmir was an \"internal matter.\"\n\nThe U.S. State Department earlier expressed concern \"about reports of detentions\" and urged \"respect for individual rights and discussion with those in affected communities.\"\n\nIt called on \"all parties to maintain peace and stability along the Line of Control\" that serves as a de facto border between India and Pakistan in Kashmir.\n\nAmid fears of fresh violence in the Indian-ruled part of Kashmir, India's moves were accompanied by a telecoms blackout in the region, restrictions on public movement, and the deployment of thousands of troops.\n\nDespite the measures, sporadic protests were reported.\n\nProtests also continued in Pakistani-administered Kashmir and Pakistan for a second day, with hundreds of people shouting anti-Indian slogans.\n\nMeanwhile, Pakistan and India's fierce cricket rivalry spilled over into politics as former stars from the two countries traded barbs over New Delhi's decision.\n\n\"Kashmiris must be given their due rights as per #UN resolution. The rights of Freedom like all of us,\" Pakistan's Shahid Afridi, who announced his retirement from international cricket last year, tweeted.\n\n\"Why was @UN created & why is it sleeping? The unprovoked aggression & crimes being committed in Kashmir against #Humanity must be noted. [U.S. President Donald Trump] must play his role to mediate.\"\n\nIndian Gautam Gambhir, who quit cricket in December and is now a member of parliament for Prime Minister Narenda Modi's party, later took a swipe at Afridi on Twitter, writing: \"There is 'unprovoked aggression,' there r 'crimes against humanity'.\"\n\nAfridi should be \"lauded for bringing this up,\" he said. \"Only thing is he forgot to mention that all this is happening in 'Pakistan Occupied Kashmir.' Don't worry, will sort it out son!!!\"\n\nWith reporting by Reuters, dpa, the BBC, and AFP", "President Arif Alvi has summoned a joint session of parliament today (Tuesday) to discuss the situation in Kashmir after India repealed articles 35A and 370 of its Constitution, revoking the special status granted to Indian-Administered Kashmir.\n\nPrime Minister Imran Khan and Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa will attend it too. The session will start at 11am.\n\nOn Monday, the production orders for former president Asif Ali Zardari, Khawaja Saad Rafique, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi have been issued too. National Assembly speaker has sought advice from law ministry on production order of PML-N’s Rana Sanaullah.\n\nThe Indian government, on the other hand, has also decided to bifurcate the state into two union territories — Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. The former will have a legislature while the latter won’t.\n\nThe move came after Indian forces locked down Indian-administered Kashmir, cut off internet and cell phone services and put senior leaders under house arrest. It also deployed thousands of additional troops to the region.\n\nEleven Kashmiris were also killed on the Pakistan side of Kashmir after Indian forces used cluster ammunition targeting civilian population along the Line of Control. On Sunday, Pakistan released evidence in the form of pictures and videos of the bombs in civilian settlements. UN observers also visited the bomb sites.\n\nCondemning the Indian announcements, Pakistan said on Monday the Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir is an internationally recognized disputed territory.\n\nIndia and Pakistan have controlled most of Kashmir since their independence in 1947. Each claims the other’s sector and they have fought two of three wars over the territory.\n\nNearly 80,000 paramilitary forces have been flown into Kashmir in past 10 days, already the world’s most militarised region where India has roughly 500,000 troops.", "[NEW DELHI] The Indian government on Monday revoked Kashmir's special status, stripping the significant autonomy it has enjoyed for seven decades in a move expected to further inflame tensions in the Muslim-majority region and infuriate rival Pakistan.\n\nIndia's Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu-nationalist party rushed through a presidential decree to scrap the disputed region's special status in the constitution, and also moved a bill proposing the territory be divided into two regions directly ruled by New Delhi.\n\nThe government imposed a security lockdown and cut all telecommunications in the Indian-administered part of Kashmir in the early hours of Monday after deploying tens of thousands of troops in the past week, claiming there was a terror threat.\n\nHome Minister Amit Shah, a close ally of Mr Modi, told parliament the president had issued a decree abolishing Article 370 of the constitution, which gives special autonomy to the Himalayan region.\n\nThe decree said the measure came into force \"at once\".\n\nKashmir has been divided between Indian and Pakistan since their independence in 1947. For three decades the Indian-administered part of the territory has been in the grip of an insurgency that has left tens of thousands dead.\n\nArmed Kashmiri rebels and many residents have fought for the region's independence or to join neighbour Pakistan.\n\nThere were already growing fears among Kashmiris that the special status would be ditched after Mr Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) obtained a large parliamentary majority in recent elections.\n\nHis party had vowed to fulfil a long-held promise to scrap the laws, and many fear New Delhi wants to change the region's demographics by allowing non-Kashmiris, mostly Hindus, to buy land locally.\n\nThe move is set to exacerbate the already bloody rebellion in Kashmir and deepen the long-running amorosity with nuclear rival Pakistan which has fought two out of three wars with India over the territory.\n\n\"There will a very strong reaction in Kashmir. It's already in a state of unrest and this will only make it worse,\" Wajahat Habibullah, a former senior bureaucrat in Jammu and Kashmir, told AFP.\n\nThe announcement sparked chaotic scenes in the national parliament, with opposition politicians shouting protests.\n\nThe main opposition Congress party described the decision as a \"catastrophic step\".\n\nOne lawmaker from the regional Kashmir-based Peoples Democratic Party tore up a copy of Indian constitution before being reportedly removed from the chambers by parliamentary marshals.\n\nFormer Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti tweeted that the latest move was the \"darkest day in Indian democracy\".\n\n\"Unilateral decision of GOI (government of India) to scrap Article 370 is illegal & unconstitutional which will make India an occupational force in J&K (Jammu and Kashmir),\" she added.\n\nIn Pakistan, a representative of Prime Minister Imran Khan, Firdous Ashiq Awan, tweeted that his nation would continue to provide Kashmir with \"moral, diplomatic and political support\" until it achieves self-determination.\n\nThe unprecedented move followed days of uncertainty in the region that began on Friday when New Delhi ordered tourists and Hindu pilgrims to leave \"immediately\".\n\nAll phones, internet services and cable networks in the restive Himalayan region of more than seven million people were cut at midnight, and only residents issued with a curfew pass were allowed on the streets.\n\nArticle 370 of the Indian constitution gives special status to the state of Jammu and Kashmir. It limits the power of the Indian parliament to impose laws in the state, apart from matters of defence, foreign affairs and communications.", "\n• India on Monday revoked part of its constitution that established the quasi-independence of Kashmir, a disputed region between India and Pakistan.\n• The articles had allowed Kashmir to make its own laws, and banned non-Kashmiris from moving there or working for its government.\n• The state will now be directly under the control of India’s federal government in New Delhi.\n• Over the weekend Indian authorities sent thousands of troops into the already heavily-militarized region, and told tourists to get out.\n• India also shut down the internet and put local political figures under house arrest.\n\nIndia has shut off the internet, placed politicians under house arrest, and ordered tourists to leave the disputed region of Kashmir after it annulled part of its constitution that gave the region a large degree of independence from the rest of the country.\n\nPrime Minister Narendra Modi’s government on Monday revoked Articles 35a and 370 of its constitution, which gave the state of Jammu and Kashmir a “special” status that allowed it to make its own laws.\n\nThe state will now be reorganized into two territories – Jammu and Kashmir being one, and Ladakh being the other. The regions will be governed by the Indian federal authorities in New Delhi as opposed to individual state governors.\n\nJammu and Kashmir’s quasi-independence dates back to 1927, when the region’s administration allowed its subjects to have a separate set of rules for inheriting property.\n\nAfter India and Pakistan separated in 1947, the maharajah of Jammu and Kashmir chose to become part of India, with Article 370 of the Indian Constitution preserving its “special status.” This angered Pakistan, which supported many insurgencies in the region.\n\nPakistan continues to claim Jammu and Kashmir as its own territory.\n\nThe constitutional provision also blocked Indians from outside the region from living there, owning property, or getting government jobs. It also prohibits women from inheriting property if they marry someone from outside the state.\n\nModi’s right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) argue that constitutional provisions regarding Jammu and Kashmir’s “special status” are temporary, and has long vowed to revoke them.\n\nDuring general elections this May, the BJP said the “special status” was “discriminatory against non-permanent residents and women of Kashmir.”\n\nIt added: “We believe that Article 35A is an obstacle in the development of the state.”\n\nThe BJP won those elections by a landslide, increasing its seats in parliament.\n\nJammu and Kashmir are currently split between India, Pakistan, and China. The area remains heavily contested between India and Pakistan.\n\nMany of the region’s residents, who are mostly Muslim, hope for independence or to be ruled by Pakistan, the BBC reported. It is one of the most heavily-militarized areas in the world.\n\nThe longstanding tensions over Kashmir reignited in February after a suicide attack killed 44 Indian paramilitary police in the Indian-controlled side of the region.\n\nRead more: Here’s what life is like on the border between India and Pakistan, one of the world’s most disputed regions\n\nIndian Border Security Force soldiers patrol a footbridge near the Line of Control (LoC), a ceasefire line dividing Kashmir between India and Pakistan, in August 2013.\n\nTroops move in as tourists stream out\n\nIndia has moved thousands of troops into Kashmir and placed heavy restrictions on the daily life of its 7 million resident since Friday, citing an impending terror threat.\n\nIndian Army officials said Pakistan-based militants were planning an attack on the approximately 300,000 Hindus who were in the region for an annual pilgrimage, The Associated Press (AP) and The New York Times reported.\n\nThousands of tourists and students have been fleeing the region per government orders, the AP reported.\n\nBut many Kashmiris doubted the claims of an impending terror attack and wondered if there were other reasons for the sudden troop increase in the region.\n\nThe Indian army also fired along the Line of Control – which divides Kashmir between India and Pakistan on Sunday – and wounded one woman, the AP reported, citing Pakistani police.\n\nIndian authorities in the region also shut off the internet and cut landlines in many households over the weekend.\n\nBlocking communications is a common strategy to prevent people from organizing anti-India demonstration and to stop the spreading of news that may be unsavory to the government, according to the AP.\n\nSome people were able to bypass the internet ban, however. The Indian state-owned BSNL telcom provider sold satellite phones to journalists on the ground for 100,000 rupees ($1,419) apiece so they could continue reporting.\n\nIndian officials also placed top regional leaders, including former chief ministers Omar Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti, under house arrest amid the mounting tensions.\n\n“Today marks the darkest day in Indian democracy,” Mufti tweeted shortly after India scrapped the constitutional provisions for Jammu and Kashmir’s independence.\n\n“The manner in which they [Indian officials] want to bulldoze our special identity is illegal & makes India an occupational force,” she later said.\n\nUS President Donald Trump offered to mediate the Kashmir dispute between Pakistan and India last week in a meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan two weeks ago.\n\nKhan appeared to take up Trump’s offer on Sunday after Indian troops moved into the region, warning in a tweet: “This has the potential to blow up into a regional crisis.”\n\nRead more: Trump’s casual offer to mediate the Kashmir dispute reveals a disastrous misunderstanding of the powder-keg region\n\nPakistan’s foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Monday said that India’s annulment of the two articles violates UN Security Council resolutions, India Today reported.", "India scraps special status for Kashmir in move that Pakistan calls illegal\n\nIndia has revoked the special status of Kashmir, the Himalayan region that has long been a flashpoint in ties with neighbouring Pakistan, moving to grasp its only Muslim-majority region more tightly.\n\nIn the most far-reaching political move in one of the world's most militarised regions in nearly seven decades, India said it would scrap a constitutional provision that allows the state of Jammu and Kashmir to make its own laws.\n\nForeign ministry officials later briefed envoys of several countries on the changes to the state's administrative status, saying they were aimed at promoting good governance, social justice and economic development.\n\nThe government also lifted a ban on property purchases by non-residents, opening the way for Indians to invest and settle there, just as they can elsewhere in India.\n\nThe measure is likely to provoke a backlash in the region.\n\nPakistan to use 'all possible options to counter illegal steps'\n\nPakistan, which also claims Kashmir, said it strongly condemned the decision, which is bound to further strain ties between the nuclear-armed rivals.\n\nPakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said the move \"was in clear violation of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions\" in the region, according to a statement released after a telephone call with Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad on Monday evening.\n\nIndia and Pakistan have fought two of their three wars over Kashmir, where a nearly 30-year armed revolt has killed tens of thousands of people. Hundreds of thousands of Indian troops have been deployed to quell it.\n\nIndia blames that rebellion on Pakistan, which denies the accusation, saying that it backs the right to self-determination for Kashmir.\n\nHours earlier the Indian government launched a security crackdown in the region, arresting local leaders, suspending telephone and internet services and restricting public movement in the main city of Srinagar.\n\nLocal TV channels citing Press Trust of India reported that former Kashmiri chief ministers Mehbooba Mufti and Omar Abdullah had been detained at a state guest house.\n\nRegional leaders have previously said stripping Kashmir's special status amounts to aggression against its people.\n\nIn Pakistan there was anger at India, with protests extending to the capital, Islamabad and the southern commercial centre of Karachi.\n\nIn Muzaffarabad, 45 kilometres from the two countries' contested border, dozens of protesters held black flags and burnt car tyres, chanting \"Down with India\".\n\nTension had risen in Kashmir since Friday, when Indian officials issued an alert over possible militant attacks by Pakistan-based groups.\n\nPakistan rejected those assertions, but thousands of alarmed Indians left the region over the weekend.\n\nOn Sunday, Mr Khan said the tension had the potential to become a regional crisis and the time was right for US President Donald Trump to mediate.\n\nIn July, Mr Trump said Mr Modi had asked him if he would like to be a mediator on Kashmir, but India, which has been staunch in its position that the issue can only be resolved bilaterally, denied that Mr Modi sought mediation."], "summary": "Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan vows to fight India's unilateral decision to revoke Indian-administered Kashmir's autonomy, including in the United Nations General Assembly and Security Council. Mr. Khan stated this move is a breach of international law, adding he feared the possibility of ethnic cleansing in the Muslim-majority region."}
{"document": ["The Chinese government has criticized India’s decision to change the status of the state of Jammu and Kashmir. In a statement released on Tuesday, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it was opposed to the move because Beijing’s claims to part of the disputed territory were included in the Indian-administered region.\n\n“China is always opposed to India’s inclusion of the Chinese territory in the western sector of the China-India boundary into its administrative jurisdiction,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said in a statement.\n\nOn Monday, the Indian government announced that it would abrogate Article 370 of the Indian constitution, which had guaranteed a special status for the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. The government also announced an administrative rearrangement, whereby Indian-administered Kashmir would be divided into two—or bifurcated—into Union Territories governed directly from New Delhi.\n\nIn the Indian federal system, Union Territories are distinct from states in that they are governed by the central authority. Delhi, Puducherry, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Chandigarh, Daman and Diu, and Lakshadweep are the other Indian Union Territories.\n\nIn the case of Kashmir, one of these union territories would be Jammu and Kashmir, an administrative successor to the former state. The second would be Ladakh, which was part of the old Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir before the abrogation of the constitutional article. Ladakh sits adjacent to the administrative boundary between India and China, which is demarcated by a line known as the Line of Actual Control (LoAC).\n\n“Recently India has continued to undermine China’s territorial sovereignty by unilaterally changing its domestic law,” she added. “Such practice is unacceptable and will not come into force.”\n\nChina administers Aksai Chin, a northwestern Kashmiri region, as part of Xinjiang Autonomous Region’s Hotan County. India also claims the territory. India and China have an ongoing border dialogue between special representatives. The dialogue covers the entirety of the nearly 3,500-kilometer-long LoAC, which also extends to the east, where the two countries have a dispute over Arunachal Pradesh, which India administers as a state, but China claims in nearly its entirety as part of Tibet.\n\nIn a separate statement, the Chinese Foreign Ministry expressed concern about the general regional situation in Kashmir. “China is seriously concerned about the current situation in Jammu Kashmir,” Hua noted.\n\nIndia and Pakistan “should refrain from taking actions that will unilaterally change the status quo and escalate tensions.” She added that China calls “on both India and Pakistan to peacefully resolve the relevant disputes through dialogue and consultation and safeguard peace and stability in the region.”", "China and Pakistan have both issued warnings to India over recent moves to assert control over disputed border regions that have previously led to clashes with its neighbors.\n\nAs Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for the repeal of Article 370 granting special autonomy to the stretch of Kashmir located on its side of contested borders with China and Pakistan, Home Affairs Minister Amit Shah introduced bills naming both the state of Jammu and Kashmir and its Ladakh region as separate union territories to be governed directly by the central government. The sudden change in a decades-long arrangement was hailed by Shah as a \"historic decision\" but it elicited negative reactions from both Beijing and Islamabad, which have grown closer in recent years and have separately engaged in heated confrontations with New Delhi.\n\nChinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying told a press briefing Tuesday that her country was \"always opposed to India's inclusion of the Chinese territory in the western sector of the China-India boundary into its administrative jurisdiction,\" referring to the Aksai Chin area that was claimed by India but was controlled by China in western Xinjiang and Tibet.\n\n\"Recently India has continued to undermine China's territorial sovereignty by unilaterally changing its domestic law,\" she added. \"Such practice is unacceptable and will not come into force. We urge India to exercise prudence in words and deeds concerning the boundary question, strictly abide by relevant agreements concluded between the two sides and avoid taking any move that may further complicate the boundary question.\"\n\nChina and India most recently neared a border conflict in summer 2017 at a separate point of contention known as Doklam to India and Donglang to China. The trilateral junction borders India's Sikkim State, China's Tibet region and Bhutan's Ha Valley. New Delhi accused Beijing of disregarding the tiny Himalayan kingdom by building a new highway, leading to hand-to-hand clashes between Indian and Chinese personnel, but no armed skirmishes.\n\nThe two managed to de-escalate the situation, but nationalist rhetoric continued to resurface the incident on occasion. China and India have a history of engaging in all-out hostilities over their border feud, especially in the 1960s when the pair fought deadly conflicts over both frontlines.\n\nMuch of India's troubled history with borders, however, has focused on rival Pakistan, which was established after the United Kingdom's 1947 partition of India and that quickly led to the first of several wars between the two South Asian states. Two more of these conflicts in 1965 and 1999 were directly borne out of competing claims to the divided territory of Kashmir, while another in 1971 involved India's support for the independence of East Pakistan, now known as Bangladesh.\n\nBloody clashes have continued between Indian and Pakistani forces at the Kashmir frontier, where Islamist militant groups that New Delhi accuses Islamabad of backing have also established a presence. One such group, the Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed claimed responsibility for a February suicide bombing that killed dozens of Indian personnel in Kashmir's Pulwama. The bombing led India to conduct rare cross-border strikes on suspected insurgent camps, a Pakistani retaliatory attack and a dogfight that led to the loss of an Indian fighter jet whose pilot was later returned as a peace gesture.\n\nIn a policy statement delivered Tuesday to a joint session of his country's parliament, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan dismissed Indian allegations that Islamabad was involved in the February suicide attack in Pulwama and argued that Modi had rejected his diplomatic overtures since the Indian leader's reelection in May. With Kashmir's reclassification, he warned \"there will be another Pulwama-style incident and India will again accuse Pakistan of having terrorists coming from Pakistan, while we have nothing to do with it.\"\n\nKhan said he feared such a series of events could escalate into a nuclear war between the two countries of which \"no one will be the winner,\" but argued for a need to defend Kashmiris as he accused Modi's ruling, right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party and the influential Hindu nationalist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh organization — of which the Indian leader was once a member — of pursuing a \"racist ideology.\"\n\nThe Pakistani premier called for international support in resolving the situation in Kashmir, which has only deteriorated in the two weeks since Khan sat down at the White House with President Donald Trump, who appeared to claim that Modi asked him to mediate in the decades-long dispute. Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar later said that \"no such request has been made,\" though Trump's potential role was welcomed by the Pakistani side, which argued Monday that its rival's recent Kashmir decision did not abide by the United Nations \"nor will this ever be acceptable to the people of Jammu & Kashmir and Pakistan.\"\n\nResponding to the apparent rejection of his role by India, Trump said Friday that \"it's really up to Prime Minister Modi,\" calling both him and Khan \"fantastic people\" who \"can get along very well.\"\n\nHe said, \"if they wanted me to, I would certainly intervene.\"", "Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday asserted that Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Aksai Chin are part of Jammu and Kashmir. According to PTI, answering clarifications sought by Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Choudhury in the Lok Sabha, Shah said that BJP leaders will give up their lives to secure PoK and added that whenever he mentions Jammu and Kashmir, it includes the areas held by Pakistan and China.\n\nAfter the war of 1947 between India and Pakistan, the Kashmir administration was divided into two parts. The first part is a sub-continent of Jammu and Kashmir while the second part is called Pakistan occupied Kashmir, also called as PoK. The PoK is basically a part of the J&K invaded by Pakistan, whose borders touches Pakistan’s area of Punjab, Afghanistan’s Wakhan corridor, China’s Xinjiang region and east of Indian Kashmir.\n\nAksai Chin is a disputed border area between China and India. The area is claimed by India as the easternmost part of Jammu and Kashmir while China claims it to be a part of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. In 1962, both the countries fought a brief war in Aksai Chin and Arunachal Pradesh. In 1993 and 1996, India and China signed agreements to respect the Line of Actual Control. The area is currently in control of the Chinese. Entry to the area is restricted for tourists for security reasons. However, if permissions are granted from China, the area can be accessed through China National Highway 219. Besides officials from the Chinese military, the inhabitants of Aksai Chin are members of nomadic groups such as Bakarwal. China National High​​way 219 is important for China as it connects Tibet and Xinjiang. The construction of the highway started in 1951 and was completed in 1957. The construction of the highway was one of the many reasons that triggered the Sino-Indian War (1962). The repavement of the highway was taken up in 2013, about 55 years after the completion.", "Most of us consider India and Pakistan to be the third world and that limits the attention paid to these countries. However, they are the most likely countries to start a nuclear war. We got a little bit closer to such a severe conflict when Pakistan voiced some dissatisfaction with some Indian government's steps to normalize the conditions on the disputed territory.\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n First, some basic geography. The grey area is India – which is mostly a Hindu (and Buddhist) country. It used to be a British colony along with Western and Eastern pieces that were Islamic and became separate once the colonial rule ended in 1947. The Western neighbor – formerly a part of the colony – is Pakistan while the Eastern, much poorer, Islamic nation is Bangladesh. They could very well be one, disconnected country but it would be impractical. As you see on the map, India is almost disconnected and surrounds Bangladesh in the East. \n\n \n\n Needless to say, Bangladesh is so poor that it wouldn't dare to upset India too much even if it wanted.\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n Pakistan is different – like India, it's a nuclear power. From the beginning, the Northernmost region of the Indian colony – Kashmir – was the most disputed area. The whole historical Kashmir is depicted by red and purple colors. The red part is the Indian Kashmir province – called Jammu and Kashmir – and it is the source of tensions today.\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n OK, here you have another map of the region:\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n The green part of the historical Kashmir is controlled by Pakistan and it is primarily composed of the area officially called Gilgit-Baltistan although TRF and much of the world (including the Wikipedia map above) still uses the old term, Northern Areas. There's also a green thin strip on the South from the Northern Areas, that's the Pakistani Azad Kashmir.\n\n \n\n The Eastern part of the historical Kashmir is controlled by China, it's the Aksai China, but China also controls a strip that is North of the Indian and Pakistani Kashmir, and North of Siachen glacier, the so-called Trans-Karakoram Tract.\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n Jammu and Kashmir, the autonomous Indian province in the middle, has 12.5 million people on 222,222 square kilometers or so. All of the Kashmir used to be Hindu or Buddhist – and played quite some role in the history of these two religions or non-religions. But things changed a bit. Jammu and Kashmir is further divided to three areas. Only the Kashmir Valley, about 16% of the territory's area, has a Muslim majority. The remainder has a majority of combined Hindu and Buddhist folks. That remainder is composed of 26% of the province by area, Jammu, which has a straight Hindu majority, and Ladakh, 58% of the territory of the province, where you need to combine the Hindus and Buddhists to get above 50%.\n\n \n\n OK, now some historical and political events.\n\n \n\n Although our newspapers routinely spread the Islamic, anti-Indian propaganda, the Indian Kashmir hasn't lost its autonomy today. It still has its Parliament and other regional organs. However, the region has had some far-reaching exceptions from the Indian constitution. In particular, Indian citizens weren't allowed to own any real estate over there. This exception is what was primarily lifted yesterday. The province still has its organs but no longer has a separate constitution, as was guaranteed by the now abolished article 370 of the Indian constitution. The province was economically neglected and the return of the normalized Indian capitalism should help the province to thrive. An investor summit is planned and so on.\n\n \n\n The Indian Kashmir was originally Hindu and Buddhist, as I wrote, but because the Kashmir Valley is the most populated part (7 million people), as the only part that (like valleys in general) isn't filled with inhospitable mountains, Muslims already have a majority in the whole Indian province. The path towards the Muslim majority wasn't pretty, as you can imagine. The original population was killed, converted, or expelled. Just in the 1990s, 200,000 non-Muslims were expelled.\n\n \n\n The analogous Pakistan-controlled part of the historical Kashmir has been integrated to Pakistan for many years. So what India is doing now is nothing else than a mirror image of the steps that Pakistan has done a long time ago. India has been proposing peaceful solutions, referendums, but it had the condition of regaining some assertively conquered areas. The other side wasn't willing to cooperate.\n\n \n\n Right now, India has sent the army to the streets which are empty and the towns resemble ghost towns – have you seen the videos? Such a usage of the soldiers may look like a strongman's approach but these steps look justified to me due to the rich track record of Pakistan-sponsored terrorism in the region.\n\n \n\n Thanks to Tonda Hejlík for most of this information.\n\n \n\n It seems unfortunate to me that the Western world doesn't provide India at least with some moral help when it makes these natural and justified steps to cure the region and normalize the life in it. While we might view the Indian-Pakistani disagreements to be skirmishes between peoples that we have nothing to do with, they may also be interpreted as a part of the Islamic expansionism and the fight against it. So I find it rather obvious that the anti-Indian propaganda in the Western press is mostly powered by the same PC people who prefer Islam over the Western values when it comes to the West's territories, too.", "Beijing China said on Tuesday that India should avoid “unilateral actions” in Jammu and Kashmir that could spark tensions in the region even as it described New Delhi’s decision to make Ladakh a union territory as “unacceptable”.\n\nIn a swift response, India’s external affairs ministry rejected the Chinese criticism and said the proposal for a new union territory of Ladkah was an “internal matter”. It pointed out the two sides have agreed to maintain peace along their disputed border until a mutually acceptable solution is found.\n\nBeijing’s strong response came a day after the Indian government revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and proposed splitting the state into two separate union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.\n\nChina hadn’t immediately responded to the move on Monday, though it was expected to do so for two reasons – its close ally Pakistan is deeply invested in Kashmir, and part of the disputed Sino-India boundary in Aksai Chin lies in Ladakh. The Chinese foreign ministry issued two statements in Mandarin on the issue on Tuesday.\n\n“We urge India to be cautious in its words and deeds on the border issue, strictly abide by the relevant agreements reached between the two sides, and avoid taking actions that further complicate the border issue,” said a statement published on the foreign ministry’s website, referring to protracted negotiations between the two sides on the disputed border.\n\n“China has always opposed India’s inclusion of Chinese territory in India’s administrative jurisdiction in the western part of the Sino-Indian border. This position is firm, consistent and has never changed,” the statement added in a reference to the area in Ladakh that New Delhi claims but is controlled by Beijing.\n\n“In recent days, the Indian side has continued to undermine China’s territorial sovereignty by unilaterally amending its domestic laws. This practice is unacceptable and will not produce any effect,” the statement said.\n\nIn a separate statement on India revoking Kashmir’s special status and exchanges of fire between Indian and Pakistani troops on the Line of Control, the foreign ministry described the situation as very tense.\n\nThe statement also referred to India despatching a large number of troops to the region and said: “China is seriously concerned about the current situation in Kashmir. China’s position on the Kashmir issue is clear and consistent. This issue is a legacy of history between India and Pakistan, which is also the consensus of the international community.”\n\nIt added, “The parties concerned should exercise restraint and act with caution, especially to avoid actions that unilaterally change the status quo and exacerbate the tension. We call on the two sides to peacefully resolve relevant disputes through dialogue and consultation and safeguard regional peace and stability.”\n\nResponding to China’s criticism, external affairs ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said the bill introduced in India’s Parliament for creating a new union territory of Ladakh was “an internal matter concerning the territory of India”.\n\n“India does not comment on the internal affairs of other countries and similarly expects other countries to do likewise,” he said.\n\nKumar noted New Delhi and Beijing had agreed to find a “fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable settlement” of the border dispute on the basis of “Political Parameters and Guiding Principles for the Settlement of India-China Boundary Question”. He added both sides had agreed to maintain peace and tranquillity in border areas till such a settlement is reached.\n\nHome minister Amit Shah told the Lok Sabha that Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Aksai Chin too are part of Jammu and Kashmir and that “we are ready to give our lives for it”. Moving a resolution for revoking provisions of Article 370, Shah said there was a long-standing demand for giving union territory status to Ladakh.\n\n“Kashmir is an integral part of India, there is no doubt about it. When I say Jammu and Kashmir, I include PoK and Aksai Chin, both are included in the territorial boundaries of Jammu and Kashmir,” he said. “Ladakh, including Aksai Chin, will be a union territory.”\n\nResponding to a query whether the new provisions would include PoK, Shah said, “We will give our lives for it.”\n\nAksai Chin is a vast area of Ladakh currently under Chinese occupation.\n\nHu Shisheng, a leading Chinese expert on India, said one reason behind New Delhi’s decision to divide Kashmir into two union territories was to separate two major disputes – one with Pakistan and another with China.\n\nThe director of the Institute of South and Southeast Asian and Oceania Studies at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations said the move was aimed at separating “the two most ticklish disputes in the world from each other” and “to try to settle the Kashmir dispute unilaterally”.\n\nLate on Tuesday, two groups of 85 Indian pilgrims set to travel to Kailash Mansarovar said they were yet to be issued visas by the Chinese embassy. However, a senior Chinese official described the reports as a “rumour”. People familiar with developments said the visas were being processed and the pilgrims would leave once they were granted.", "Beijing: Voicing serious concern over the situation in Kashmir, China on Tuesday asked India and Pakistan to exercise restraint and avoid actions that \"unilaterally\" change the status quo and exacerbate tensions between the two countries.\n\n\"China is seriously concerned about the current situation in Kashmir,\" Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said in a written response to media queries about the militaries of India and Pakistan exchanging fire along the Line of Control and the Indian government's move to revoke Article 370 which gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir.\n\n\"China's position on the Kashmir issue is clear and consistent. This issue is a legacy of history between India and Pakistan, which is also the consensus of the international community,\" Hua said, without directly referring to revocation of Article 370 by India.\n\n\"The parties concerned should exercise restraint and act with caution, especially to avoid actions that unilaterally change the status quo and exacerbate the tension,\" she said.", "NEW DELHI: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday made it clear in the Lok Sabha that Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and Aksai Chin are part of the state which, he said, are integral part of the country and that the government leaders were ready to sacrifice their lives for the state.\n\nHe also dared the Congress to make its stand clear on the Kashmir issue. After moving the resolution and Bills in the Lok Sabha for consideration and passing, Shah said the issue was not political and that the legislation was based on constitutional and legal provisions.\n\nWhile the resolution pertains to a Presidential order to revoke special status given to Jammu and Kashmir, the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill 2019 provides for bifurcating the state into two Union territories -- Jammu and Kashmir with legislature similar to Puducherry, and Ladakh without one like Chandigarh.\n\nThe Presidential order has repealed the provisions under Article 370 that allows the state to have its own Constitution and power to make laws other than those related to foreign affairs, defence and communications.\n\nThe resolutions and the Bills have been already passed by the Rajya Sabha. The Home Minister said there has been a long-standing demand for giving Union Territory status to Ladakh which was fulfilled by the Narendra Modi government.\n\n\"Kashmir is an integral part of India, there is no doubt over it. Whenever I talk about Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan occupied Kashmir and Aksai Chin are included in it and we can die for it,\" Shah said responding to a query of leader of Congress Adhir Ranjan Chowdhary.\n\nDismissing opposition's charge that introduction of the Bill and the resolution were a violation of the rights of the people, Shah said nobody can stop him from introducing a resolution on Kashmir in Parliament.\n\nALSO READ | Following Kashmir issue with concern, UN urges India and Pakistan to exercise restraint\n\n\"The borders of Jammu and Kashmir, as decided by the Constitution of India as well as the constitution of the state, include PoK and Aksai Chin,\" Shah said. He reiterated that his mention of Jammu and Kashmir has always included PoK and Aksai Chin, which are currently under the control of Pakistan and China, respectively.\n\nEarlier, Chowdhary interrupted Shah's address to question the government's stand on PoK. \"I don't think you are thinking about PoK, you violated all rules and converted a state into a Union Territory overnight,\" he said. Chowdhary asked whether Jammu and Kashmir is still an internal matter after the government's decision to split the state in two Union Territories.\n\n\"S. Jaishankar (External Affairs Minister) told Mike Pompeo (US Secretary of State) a few days before that Kashmir is a bilateral matter, so don't interfere in it. Can J&K still be an internal matter? We want to know. Entire Congress party wants to be enlightened by you,\" he said.\n\nResponding to this, Shah questioned if Congress is suggesting the UN to intervene in solving the Kashmir issue.\n\n\"This country's Parliament cannot be stopped from making any law on J&K. Does Congress want the UN to resolve Kashmir?\" Shah asked amid chants of 'Bharat Mata Ki Jai' and 'Vande Mataram' in the Lok Sabha.\n\nALSO READ | Rahul Gandhi terms Article 370's removal as 'abuse of executive power'\n\n\"Kashmir issue was raised in UN in 1948... Later former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi did Shimla Agreement... This is not political matter. Jammu and Kashmir is integral part of India and there are no legal or legislative differences over it,\" said Shah.\n\n\"It is also mentioned in the Constitution of India... Jammu and Kashmir has also accepted it... so, Parliament is competent in making law for J&K. No one can stop us from making a law,\" Shah said.\n\nInterrupting, DMK's TR Baalu said: \"I think we are in the state of undeclared emergency probably because it is not clear whether our member colleague Farooq Abdullah and former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti is under house arrest or he has been arrested\".\n\nThe Minister then said Article 370 (3) was used by the President to cease the operation of Article 370 and clarified as far as the bifurcation of the state is concerned, it was the demand of Ladakh for creating \"equity\" in the region.\n\nALSO READ | Amit Shah, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury engage in verbal spat over J-K\n\n\"In view of Ladakh's demand, we are bifurcating J&k into two UTs. One UT will be Ladakh with Aksai Chin. The two Hill Councils of Ladakh will continue and its President will be given Minister rank to function the administration. The Hill members will be given the right to raise their voice. Nobody's legislative right will be affected with the move,\" he said.\n\n\"As far as Jammu and Kashmir is concerned, there will be another UT with an Assembly. There will be MLAs as well as Chief Minister in Jammu and Kashmir. And the Chief Minister will be elected by the people. The Chief Minister will manage day-to-day work of the UT,\" Shah said.\n\nThe Minister later appealed to the members to discuss the issue, saying it is being watched by the people in the Valley, across the country as well as in foreign countries.", "LAHORE: PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif said on Monday that opposition offered its ‘full cooperation’ to the PTI government to give a befitting response to the Modi government on its decision to revoke the held-Kashmir’s special status but also warned Prime Minister Imran Khan that this gesture should not be called an effort (of the opposition) to secure NRO (deal).\n\nIn a significant development, PML-N vice-president Maryam Nawaz opposed her uncle’s (Shahbaz Sharif) offer to shake hands with Imran Khan on this issue, saying no support from the opposition should be offered to a government that was not only non-representative but had brought Pakistan to its knees in every possible way.\n\n“Any support lent to the Imran Khan government will lead to more disasters and graver ones. All this government can do is to surrender and capitulate,” she demanded.\n\nMs Nawaz said: “This government is badly and desperately looking for support to cover up the blunders that it has committed which have had serious implications on Pakistan. Do not give them a bailout. They are the ones responsible for plunging Pakistan into this crisis. It will not end here. Opposition, beware.”\n\nHer suggestion to her uncle is seen as divergent policy of the PML-N with opposition leader in the National Assembly seems to be in favour of re-conciliatory politics while Maryam Nawaz does not seem to be ready to let the “incompetent” PTI government go off the hook on any issue be it economic or Kashmir crisis.\n\nEarlier, Ms Nawaz had also opposed Shahbaz Sharif’s offer to Imran Khan to sign a charter of economy. Subsequently, her view prevailed in the party.\n\nMs Nawaz also raised some questions regarding weaknesses of the PTI government with regard to handling the Kashmir issue in a series of tweets.\n\n“You Mr. Khan failed to anticipate what was coming and you were either completely oblivious to the preparations the Indian government was undertaking or were a part of that. Tell us the truth,” she asked and added the premier was nowhere to be seen in times of crisis.\n\n“At this crucial juncture the foreign minister (Shah Mahmood Qurershi ) has gone for Haj where he must be praying for the Kashmiris.”\n\n“We, the people of Pakistan, must be told what commitments were sought by and given to the US by Imran Khan. Was the offer for mediation a trap that you walked into and gloated over, or you as usual had no clue to what was being planned by the enemy? Pakistan needs exceptional, undisputed and dynamic leadership that has the ability and statesmanship to respond to the aspirations of hundreds of millions of Pakistanis and Kashmiris. Unprecedented situation calls for extraordinary leadership,” she demanded and announced that her rally in Sargodha on Tuesday (today) would be dedicated to Kashmir.\n\n“We shall not only express solidarity with our Kashmiri brethren but will highlight Indian government’s atrocities, human rights violations and dictatorial decree of revoking article 370 and reneging on all international commitments,” she said and asked “does anyone remember what Imran Khan offered India our nuclear programme during his US visit? Just bear that in mind. No one has ever gone to that extent.”\n\nIn the press conference, Shahbaz Sharif said the current Kashmir situation demanded that political and military leadership should be on the same page. “Opposition will hold a meeting on Tuesday (today) to discuss the situation arising after the India’s unilateral revoking of Kashmir’s status as a disputed territory. We offer our full support to the government on the Kashmir issue. At this stage a message should be given to the world and Kashmiris that we are united on the Kashmir issue. And we want to be on the same page (with the government) to express solidarity with the Kashmiris and save the country’s prestige. We do not want division among the political class at this crucial time. But let me tell Mr Imran Khan Niazi…do not call this opposition’s offer as an effort to secure NRO (like deal),” Shahbaz Sharif said.\n\nCondemning abrogation of Article 370 by the BJP government, he said it was an open declaration of war against the United Nations and a test of the international community. He said Pakistan must immediately call an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council and should engage all friendly countries like China, the UK, Russia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and others for consultation and a strong and decisive strategy.\n\n“I appeal to President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Li of China, Saudia Arabia’s King, and Prince Muhammad Bin Salman, the prince of United Arab Emirates and President Turkey Tayyip Erdogan to play a decisive role in stopping India’s brutal belligerence and oppression of the people of Kashmir and force India to reverse the recent steps taken by Narendra Modi’s government,” he said assured the Kashmiris that Pakistan and PML-N would go to every extent to safeguard their right to self-determination.\n\nShahbaz Sharif also questioned whether US President Donald Trump’s mediation offer on Kashmir was a “trap or an effort to meet personal agenda.” He said Mr Trump needed to prove through his actions that it was his sincere offer and not just a “bait to woo Pakistan in an effort to milk more favours from Islamabad for facilitation in the Afghanistan peace process or a campaign slogan for his upcoming US elections.”\n\nPPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said: “Atrocities in Indian Occupied Kashmir continue unabated. Extremist Indian government’s intentions are clear. President must immediately summon joint session of Parliament in the wake of Indian aggression in IOK.” He said by abolishing Article 35-A and 370, which conferred special status on Jammu and Kashmir, India intended to alter the region’s entire demography. “This decision is an open war of Modi against Kashmiri Muslims,” he said.\n\nPPP’s Parliamentary Leader in Senate Sherry Rehman said: “Pakistan will resist any attempt to oppress the Kashmiri people and impose any form of government that is against the wishes of the people of Kashmir.” She said it was embarrassing that Pakistan’s Prime Minister believed that Modi’s government was the only solution to the conflict of Kashmir.\n\n“The so-called world’s biggest democracy has not only belittled but also mocked the 70-year struggle of Kashmiris. The deployment of 100,000 additional troops over the last one week and the house arrest of Kashmiris betray the oppressive and occupational nature of the Indian state. The Indian government’s consistent use of fake news and leaks to blame Pakistan for the evacuation of Indians from Kashmir also proves that the BJP government continues to peddle fake narrative of terrorism threats to support its crackdown against Kashmiris. Pakistan will not let the Indian state deprive Kashmiris of their right to self-determination and will strongly lodge their protest at every international forum available,” Sherry Rehman said. PPP senior leader Khursheed Shah and Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar said revoking the independent status of held Kashmir was a move to ruin the peace of the subcontinent and cause tension between the two nuclear powers in the region. They said the international community had been silent regarding the tyranny of Indian military in Kashmir.\n\nMr Shah questioned PM Khan for not issuing a policy statement on this issue. He said the National Assembly speaker should issue production orders of all detained parliamentarians so that all parliamentarians should attend the joint session.", "In the aftermath of the Modi government’s decision to remove ‘special status’ for J&K and bifurcate the state into two union territories, the most keenly awaited regional and international reaction — and a hugely consequential one — would be that of China’s, not the US’ or even of the other three P5 member states.\n\nThis is for three reasons. First, China is the only P5 member country that is party to the Kashmir dispute by virtue of its Faustian deal with Pakistan in 1963 — Sino-Pakistan Frontier Agreement and Sino-Pak Boundary Agreement — as well as due to Aksai Chin being a disputed territory.\n\nSecond, it is well-known that China has a larger-than-life influence over Pakistan, and therefore, indirectly, is in a position to leverage the next moves by Islamabad on the J&K situation in practical or political terms.\n\nThird, of course, China is a veto-holding P5 member country. Although not involved in the making of the UN resolutions on Kashmir in 1948-1949 (which was an Anglo-American enterprise at a juncture when Nehru somehow deliberately refrained from seeking Soviet help to counter India’s isolation in the UN SC), nonetheless, China is a powerful protagonist today if the Kashmir file were to reopen in New York at Pakistan’s behest.\n\nOn Tuesday, the Chinese reaction to the announcement in Delhi on Monday relating to J&K has come in two parts in the nature of remarks by the Foreign Ministry spokesperson in Beijing (a relatively low-key reaction in diplomatic terms in comparison with a full-fledged statement, as Turkey, for instance, has done.) One part exclusively relates to Ladakh’s new status as union territory, while the other one relates to the ‘current situation’ in J&K. Both remarks are devoid of any stridency and on the whole India can live with them although western media, unsurprisingly, has hyped them. In fact, neither voices any overt backing to Pakistan. And, importantly, there are no new overtones as such in the well-known Chinese stance.\n\nThe remark on the change in Ladakh’s status begins by underscoring explicitly that China is voicing its ‘firm and consistent position’, which ‘remains unchanged’. That is to say, it regards part of Ladakh to be Chinese territory and India should not unilaterally create facts on the ground through domestic laws. If India does, China will consider that unacceptable and it ‘will not come into force.’ The remark rounds off stating the Chinese stance that India should speak and act with prudence on the boundary question, strictly abide by relevant agreements (on peace and tranquility) and avoid precipitate steps.\n\nThis is exactly what China has maintained and can be expected to state. No doubt, this is also what India would expect China to observe in regard of the unresolved border dispute. The Indian stance on CPEC is a fine example.\n\nThe grey area here is whether the administration of Ladakh as UT will entail administrative arrangements on the ground that tread on Chinese sensitivity. Prima facie, that is unlikely to happen, since the two militaries present in the vacant spaces observe ground rules.\n\nOn the other hand, the interesting aspect of the Chinese spokesperson’s remark on J&K situation is that there is no direct reference to the specific situation involving the abrogation of Article 370 of the constitution. The remark is of a generic nature. It repeats that the J&K situation is a matter of serious concern, but underscores categorically that ‘China’s position on the Kashmir issue as such is clear and consistent’.\n\nMost important, it flags that China is in sync with the ‘international consensus’ that Kashmir issue is a historical conundrum that India and Pakistan have to grapple with by exercising restraint and prudence. This means, however, that the two countries ‘should refrain from taking actions that will unilaterally change the status quo and escalate tensions.’ China calls on the two countries to peacefully resolve their ‘relevant disputes’ through dialogue and consultation in the interest of regional peace and stability.\n\nIndeed, the ‘known unknown’ here is to what extent, if any, the current upheaval in Hong Kong influenced Beijing to sidestep Modi government’s specific move to abolish Article 370 and abandon J&K’s ‘special status’. To be sure, a grave situation has arisen in Hong Kong, which has assumed anti-China overtones.\n\nNo analogy holds good cent percent in politics, but there are similarities in the public alienation in J&K and in Hong Kong which foreign powers are exploiting. In fact, China also has to contend with its equivalent of our Article 370 — the Sino-British Joint Declaration, which is as sacrosanct as an international bilateral treaty, signed between China and Britain on 19 December 1984 in Beijing.\n\nCuriously, the Joint Declaration is also legally binding and like Article 370, it commits China to allow Hong Kong to ‘enjoy a high degree of autonomy, except for foreign and defence affairs’ even as the territory will be ‘directly under the authority’ of Beijing.\n\nMost important, the Joint Declaration affirms, “The government of the HKSAR [Hong Kong] is responsible for the maintenance of public order. Military forces sent by the Central People’s Government, stationed in HKSAR, for the purpose of defence shall not interfere in the internal affairs in the HKSAR.”\n\nProtests in Hong Kong on 10th week show no sign of abating\n\nThe treaty is valid for 50 years but a crisis situation is looming large on the horizon and there is much speculation that patience is wearing thin in Beijing. A top Chinese official said on Wednesday, “Hong Kong is facing the most serious situation since its return to China.”\n\nA Beijing-datelined commentary by Xinhua on Monday entitled Bottom line on Hong Kong brooks no challenge was furious that ‘Black-clad, masked protestors removed the Chinese national flag from a flagpole in Tsim Sha Tsui of Hong Kong and later flung the flag into the water Saturday, an unforgivable, lawless act that has blatantly offended the national dignity, is an insult to all Chinese people, including Hong Kong compatriots, and must be severely punished in accordance with law.’\n\nAll factors taken into account, as the saying goes, the pot cannot call the kettle black. The MEA’s response to the Chinese remarks on J&K has gently drawn attention to the reciprocity that governs inter-state relationships by underscoring that the legislation known as The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Bill 2019 (introduced by the Government in Parliament on 5 August) is ‘an internal matter concerning the territory of India. India does not comment on the internal affairs of other countries and similarly expects other countries to do likewise.’ India has scrupulously maintained silence on Hong Kong developments.", "ISLAMABAD - Ambssador Samir Bakr Diab, representing Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Tuesday expressed OIC’s deep concern over the recent developments in the Indian-occupied Kashmir and reaffirmed full support to the people of Jammu and Kashmir in their just struggle to achieve their legitimate right to self-determination.\n\nAn emergency meeting of OIC Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir was held in Jeddah in the wake of illegal actions by India to alter the internationally recognised disputed status of Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IoK).\n\nThe meeting was chaired by Assistant Secretary General OIC Ambassador Samir Bakr Diab and attended by Minister of Foreign Affairs Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi, the Foreign Office in a press release said.\n\nAmbassador Sami Bakr Diab read out the statement of the OIC secretary general expressing “deep concern over the recent developments in IoK including the escalation of violence by the Indian forces and the measures taken by the Indian authorities that might affect the status of the territory and the rights of the Kashmiri people”.\n\nHe reaffirmed the OIC’s full support to people of Jammu and Kashmir in their just struggle to achieve their legitimate rights, in particular the right to self-determination.\n\nOther members of the Contact Group also made statements condemning the illegal Indian actions and expressing deep concern over the developments while reiterating their continued support for the people of Jammu and Kashmir.\n\nThe Contact Group on Jammu & Kashmir was formed in 1994 to coordinate policy of the OIC on the Jammu and Kashmir dispute. Azerbaijan, Niger, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey are its members. The deliberations of the Contact Group reflect the support of the OIC on the Jammu and Kashmir dispute.\n\nThey called for a peaceful resolution of the dispute in accordance with the United Nations Security Council resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people. The Contact Group condemned India’s recent illegal and unilateral steps, aimed at undermining the demographics and the disputed nature of the Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir in contravention of the relevant UN resolutions, which seriously imperil regional peace and security.\n\nThe Contact Group reaffirmed that Jammu and Kashmir was an internationally recognised dispute, pending on the agenda of the United Nations Security Council.\n\nThe Contact Group expressed its support to efforts of the Pakistan government for the resolution of the dispute and declared solidarity with the people of Jammu and Kashmir.\n\nThe meeting emphasized that durable peace in South Asia rested with a just and final settlement of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in line with the UN Security Council Resolutions.\n\nThe Contact Group urged India again to allow access to the OIC Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission (IPHRC) and other international rights bodies on the Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir in order to independently verify the gross and blatant human rights violations.\n\nMakhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who led the Pakistan delegation, apprised the participants of the mala-fide Indian attempt to strengthen its illegitimate occupation of occupied Kashmir. He said that Indian steps which interfered with the demography of IoK and the disputed status of Jammu & Kashmir were a grave, destabilizing threat to the already volatile situation in South Asia and would have serious implications.\n\nThe foreign minister reiterated that no unilateral actions by India could change the disputed nature of Jammu & Kashmir.\n\nHe reiterated that Pakistan would continue to extend political, diplomatic and moral support to the indigenous struggle of the Kashmiri people for realization of their inalienable right to self-determination.\n\nThe IPHRC representatives briefed the participants about the worsening human rights situation in IoK and called upon the government of India to implement the recommendations of the reports of the OIC IPHRC and OHCHR on the human rights situation in IoK which called for establishing a commission for inquiry under the UN auspicious to investigate the human rights violations in Occupied Jammu and Kashmir."], "summary": "China, which administers the Kashmir territories of Aksai Chin and the Trans-Karakoram Tract, voices opposition to this \"unacceptable\" Indian move and, along with Turkey, reaffirms their support for a peaceful resolution."}
{"document": ["Indian migrant laborers carry their luggage and prepare to leave the region, at a railway station in Jammu, India, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2019. Indian lawmakers passed a bill Tuesday that strips statehood from the Indian-administered portion of Muslim-majority Kashmir, which remains under an indefinite security lockdown, actions that archrival Pakistan warned could lead to war. (AP Photo/Channi Anand)\n\nJAMMU, India (AP) — Hit by a complete security lockdown in Kashmir, hundreds of poor migrant workers have begun fleeing the Himalayan region to return to their far-away villages in northern and eastern India.\n\nSome complained on Wednesday that their Kashmiri employers didn’t pay them any salary as security forces began imposing tight travel restrictions over the weekend and asked them to leave their jobs.\n\nAuthorities in Hindu-majority India clamped a complete shutdown on Kashmir as they scrapped the Muslim-majority state’s special status, including exclusive hereditary rights and a separate constitution, and divided it into two territories.\n\nThe Kashmir region is divided between India and Pakistan and is claimed by both. The two nuclear-armed neighbors have fought three wars, two of them over control of Kashmir, since they won independence from British colonialists in 1947.\n\nPakistan announced Wednesday that it is downgrading its diplomatic ties with India and suspending bilateral trade in response to New Delhi’s decision to reduce Kashmir’s special status.\n\nOn Wednesday, workers crowded the railroad station at Jammu, the winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir state, as they waited for trains bound for Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand. They carried their belongings on their heads and under their arms, tied in bedsheets.\n\nJagdish Mathur, a worker, said many people walked for miles (kilometers) on a highway and hitched rides on army trucks and buses from Srinagar to Jammu, a distance of 260 kilometers (160 miles).\n\n“We haven’t eaten properly for the past four days,” said Mathur, adding that he doesn’t have money to buy a rail ticket to take him to his village in eastern Bihar state. “The government should help me.”\n\nSurjit Singh, a carpenter, told the New Delhi television channel that he was returning home because of Kashmir’s security lockdown.\n\nEvery year, tens of thousands of people travel to Kashmir from various Indian states looking for work, mainly masonry, carpentry and agriculture. Whenever the security situation deteriorates, they return homes.\n\nInsurgent groups have been fighting for Kashmir’s independence from India or its merger with Pakistan since 1989. India accuses Pakistan of arming and training the rebels, a charge Pakistan denies.", "NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Phone and internet services were suspended in Indian Kashmir on Monday and state leaders placed under house arrest, deepening fears that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government plans to weaken the special rights of residents in the disputed region.\n\nThe clampdown began in the early hours of Monday when Indian authorities said they were imposing restrictions on public movement and shutting all educational institutions in the main Srinagar city.\n\nThere has been no word on the clampdown from the federal government in New Delhi, which rules the troubled state since last year after Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) withdrew from a coalition with a local party.\n\nThe federal cabinet was meeting at Modi’s residence on Monday to discuss the situation, and Indian media said the government was likely to make a statement in parliament on the situation in Kashmir later in the day.\n\nSome regional leaders around midnight tweeted saying they have been or feared being arrested.\n\nThe leaders had previously expressed fears that Modi’s federal government may try to withdraw decades-old special rights conferred on the state, including an amendment to the Indian constitution that prevents people from outside the state from buying property there.\n\nThere have also been concerns that Modi’s Hindu nationalist BJP could move to abolish Kashmir’s autonomous status, a plan that has in the past provoked warnings of a backlash in the Muslim-majority state.\n\nOmar Abdullah, a former chief minister of the state, said he believed he was being placed under house arrest, appealing to people to stay calm.\n\nMehbooba Mufti, another ex-chief minister and Modi’s former ally, said it was “ironic that elected representatives like us who fought for peace are under house arrest.”\n\nA spokesman for India’s federal home ministry in New Delhi did not respond to a request for comment.\n\n“To place two former Chief Ministers under house arrest is unprecedented and unacceptable. Would it happen in any other state of India? Is this how we build trust among the Kashmiris?” prominent historian and columnist Ramachandra Guha said on Twitter.\n\nTensions in Kashmir, claimed by both India and Pakistan, have risen since Friday, when local Indian officials issued an alert over possible militant attacks by Pakistan-based groups.\n\nPakistan has rejected those assertions, but thousands of Indian tourists, pilgrims and workers left the region in panic over the weekend.\n\nIndian authorities also issued a notice for Srinagar city saying there “shall be no movement of (the) public and all educational institutions shall also remain closed” until further orders.\n\nThree local government officials told Reuters early on Monday that mobile internet services in the region had been suspended. Reuters was not able to reach its reporters in the region as the communication networks were blocked.", "Indian migrant laborers carry their luggage and prepare to leave the region, at a railway station in Jammu, India, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2019. Indian lawmakers passed a bill Tuesday that strips statehood from the Indian-administered portion of Muslim-majority Kashmir, which remains under an indefinite security lockdown, actions that archrival Pakistan warned could lead to war. (AP Photo/Channi Anand)\n\nJAMMU, India (AP) — Hit by a complete security lockdown in Kashmir, hundreds of poor migrant workers have begun fleeing the Himalayan region to return to their far-away villages in northern and eastern India.\n\nSome complained on Wednesday that their Kashmiri employers didn’t pay them any salary as security forces began imposing tight travel restrictions over the weekend and asked them to leave their jobs.\n\nAuthorities in Hindu-majority India clamped a complete shutdown on Kashmir as they scrapped the Muslim-majority state’s special status, including exclusive hereditary rights and a separate constitution, and divided it into two territories.\n\nThe Kashmir region is divided between India and Pakistan and is claimed by both. The two nuclear-armed neighbors have fought three wars, two of them over control of Kashmir, since they won independence from British colonialists in 1947.\n\nPakistan announced Wednesday that it is downgrading its diplomatic ties with India and suspending bilateral trade in response to New Delhi’s decision to reduce Kashmir’s special status.\n\nOn Wednesday, workers crowded the railroad station at Jammu, the winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir state, as they waited for trains bound for Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand. They carried their belongings on their heads and under their arms, tied in bedsheets.\n\nJagdish Mathur, a worker, said many people walked for miles (kilometers) on a highway and hitched rides on army trucks and buses from Srinagar to Jammu, a distance of 260 kilometers (160 miles).\n\n“We haven’t eaten properly for the past four days,” said Mathur, adding that he doesn’t have money to buy a rail ticket to take him to his village in eastern Bihar state. “The government should help me.”\n\nSurjit Singh, a carpenter, told the New Delhi television channel that he was returning home because of Kashmir’s security lockdown.\n\nEvery year, tens of thousands of people travel to Kashmir from various Indian states looking for work, mainly masonry, carpentry and agriculture. Whenever the security situation deteriorates, they return homes.\n\nInsurgent groups have been fighting for Kashmir’s independence from India or its merger with Pakistan since 1989. India accuses Pakistan of arming and training the rebels, a charge Pakistan denies.", "Indian migrant laborers carry their luggage and prepare to leave the region, at a railway station in Jammu, India, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2019. Indian lawmakers passed a bill Tuesday that strips statehood from the Indian-administered portion of Muslim-majority Kashmir, which remains under an indefinite security lockdown, actions that archrival Pakistan warned could lead to war. (AP Photo/Channi Anand)\n\nJAMMU, India (AP) — Hit by a complete security lockdown in Kashmir, hundreds of poor migrant workers have begun fleeing the Himalayan region to return to their far-away villages in northern and eastern India.\n\nSome complained on Wednesday that their Kashmiri employers didn’t pay them any salary as security forces began imposing tight travel restrictions over the weekend and asked them to leave their jobs.\n\nAuthorities in Hindu-majority India clamped a complete shutdown on Kashmir as they scrapped the Muslim-majority state’s special status, including exclusive hereditary rights and a separate constitution, and divided it into two territories.\n\nThe Kashmir region is divided between India and Pakistan and is claimed by both. The two nuclear-armed neighbors have fought three wars, two of them over control of Kashmir, since they won independence from British colonialists in 1947.\n\nPakistan announced Wednesday that it is downgrading its diplomatic ties with India and suspending bilateral trade in response to New Delhi’s decision to reduce Kashmir’s special status.\n\nOn Wednesday, workers crowded the railroad station at Jammu, the winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir state, as they waited for trains bound for Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand. They carried their belongings on their heads and under their arms, tied in bedsheets.\n\nJagdish Mathur, a worker, said many people walked for miles (kilometers) on a highway and hitched rides on army trucks and buses from Srinagar to Jammu, a distance of 260 kilometers (160 miles).\n\n“We haven’t eaten properly for the past four days,” said Mathur, adding that he doesn’t have money to buy a rail ticket to take him to his village in eastern Bihar state. “The government should help me.”\n\nSurjit Singh, a carpenter, told the New Delhi television channel that he was returning home because of Kashmir’s security lockdown.\n\nEvery year, tens of thousands of people travel to Kashmir from various Indian states looking for work, mainly masonry, carpentry and agriculture. Whenever the security situation deteriorates, they return homes.\n\nInsurgent groups have been fighting for Kashmir’s independence from India or its merger with Pakistan since 1989. India accuses Pakistan of arming and training the rebels, a charge Pakistan denies.", "Indian migrant laborers carry their luggage and prepare to leave the region, at a railway station in Jammu, India, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2019. Indian lawmakers passed a bill Tuesday that strips statehood from the Indian-administered portion of Muslim-majority Kashmir, which remains under an indefinite security lockdown, actions that archrival Pakistan warned could lead to war. (AP Photo/Channi Anand)\n\nJAMMU, India (AP) — Hit by a complete security lockdown in Kashmir, hundreds of poor migrant workers have begun fleeing the Himalayan region to return to their far-away villages in northern and eastern India.\n\nSome complained on Wednesday that their Kashmiri employers didn’t pay them any salary as security forces began imposing tight travel restrictions over the weekend and asked them to leave their jobs.\n\nAuthorities in Hindu-majority India clamped a complete shutdown on Kashmir as they scrapped the Muslim-majority state’s special status, including exclusive hereditary rights and a separate constitution, and divided it into two territories.\n\nThe Kashmir region is divided between India and Pakistan and is claimed by both. The two nuclear-armed neighbors have fought three wars, two of them over control of Kashmir, since they won independence from British colonialists in 1947.\n\nPakistan announced Wednesday that it is downgrading its diplomatic ties with India and suspending bilateral trade in response to New Delhi’s decision to reduce Kashmir’s special status.\n\nOn Wednesday, workers crowded the railroad station at Jammu, the winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir state, as they waited for trains bound for Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand. They carried their belongings on their heads and under their arms, tied in bedsheets.\n\nJagdish Mathur, a worker, said many people walked for miles (kilometers) on a highway and hitched rides on army trucks and buses from Srinagar to Jammu, a distance of 260 kilometers (160 miles).\n\n“We haven’t eaten properly for the past four days,” said Mathur, adding that he doesn’t have money to buy a rail ticket to take him to his village in eastern Bihar state. “The government should help me.”\n\nSurjit Singh, a carpenter, told the New Delhi television channel that he was returning home because of Kashmir’s security lockdown.\n\nEvery year, tens of thousands of people travel to Kashmir from various Indian states looking for work, mainly masonry, carpentry and agriculture. Whenever the security situation deteriorates, they return homes.\n\nInsurgent groups have been fighting for Kashmir’s independence from India or its merger with Pakistan since 1989. India accuses Pakistan of arming and training the rebels, a charge Pakistan denies.", "Indian migrant laborers carry their luggage and prepare to leave the region, at a railway station in Jammu, India, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2019. Indian lawmakers passed a bill Tuesday that strips statehood from the Indian-administered portion of Muslim-majority Kashmir, which remains under an indefinite security lockdown, actions that archrival Pakistan warned could lead to war. (AP Photo/Channi Anand)\n\nJAMMU, India (AP) — Hit by a complete security lockdown in Kashmir, hundreds of poor migrant workers have begun fleeing the Himalayan region to return to their far-away villages in northern and eastern India.\n\nSome complained on Wednesday that their Kashmiri employers didn’t pay them any salary as security forces began imposing tight travel restrictions over the weekend and asked them to leave their jobs.\n\nAuthorities in Hindu-majority India clamped a complete shutdown on Kashmir as they scrapped the Muslim-majority state’s special status, including exclusive hereditary rights and a separate constitution, and divided it into two territories.\n\nThe Kashmir region is divided between India and Pakistan and is claimed by both. The two nuclear-armed neighbors have fought three wars, two of them over control of Kashmir, since they won independence from British colonialists in 1947.\n\nPakistan announced Wednesday that it is downgrading its diplomatic ties with India and suspending bilateral trade in response to New Delhi’s decision to reduce Kashmir’s special status.\n\nOn Wednesday, workers crowded the railroad station at Jammu, the winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir state, as they waited for trains bound for Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand. They carried their belongings on their heads and under their arms, tied in bedsheets.\n\nJagdish Mathur, a worker, said many people walked for miles (kilometers) on a highway and hitched rides on army trucks and buses from Srinagar to Jammu, a distance of 260 kilometers (160 miles).\n\n“We haven’t eaten properly for the past four days,” said Mathur, adding that he doesn’t have money to buy a rail ticket to take him to his village in eastern Bihar state. “The government should help me.”\n\nSurjit Singh, a carpenter, told the New Delhi television channel that he was returning home because of Kashmir’s security lockdown.\n\nEvery year, tens of thousands of people travel to Kashmir from various Indian states looking for work, mainly masonry, carpentry and agriculture. Whenever the security situation deteriorates, they return homes.\n\nInsurgent groups have been fighting for Kashmir’s independence from India or its merger with Pakistan since 1989. India accuses Pakistan of arming and training the rebels, a charge Pakistan denies.", "Indian migrant laborers carry their luggage and prepare to leave the region, at a railway station in Jammu, India, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2019. Indian lawmakers passed a bill Tuesday that strips statehood from the Indian-administered portion of Muslim-majority Kashmir, which remains under an indefinite security lockdown, actions that archrival Pakistan warned could lead to war. (AP Photo/Channi Anand)\n\nJAMMU, India (AP) — Hit by a complete security lockdown in Kashmir, hundreds of poor migrant workers have begun fleeing the Himalayan region to return to their far-away villages in northern and eastern India.\n\nSome complained on Wednesday that their Kashmiri employers didn’t pay them any salary as security forces began imposing tight travel restrictions over the weekend and asked them to leave their jobs.\n\nAuthorities in Hindu-majority India clamped a complete shutdown on Kashmir as they scrapped the Muslim-majority state’s special status, including exclusive hereditary rights and a separate constitution, and divided it into two territories.\n\nThe Kashmir region is divided between India and Pakistan and is claimed by both. The two nuclear-armed neighbors have fought three wars, two of them over control of Kashmir, since they won independence from British colonialists in 1947.\n\nPakistan announced Wednesday that it is downgrading its diplomatic ties with India and suspending bilateral trade in response to New Delhi’s decision to reduce Kashmir’s special status.\n\nOn Wednesday, workers crowded the railroad station at Jammu, the winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir state, as they waited for trains bound for Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand. They carried their belongings on their heads and under their arms, tied in bedsheets.\n\nJagdish Mathur, a worker, said many people walked for miles (kilometers) on a highway and hitched rides on army trucks and buses from Srinagar to Jammu, a distance of 260 kilometers (160 miles).\n\n“We haven’t eaten properly for the past four days,” said Mathur, adding that he doesn’t have money to buy a rail ticket to take him to his village in eastern Bihar state. “The government should help me.”\n\nSurjit Singh, a carpenter, told the New Delhi television channel that he was returning home because of Kashmir’s security lockdown.\n\nEvery year, tens of thousands of people travel to Kashmir from various Indian states looking for work, mainly masonry, carpentry and agriculture. Whenever the security situation deteriorates, they return homes.\n\nInsurgent groups have been fighting for Kashmir’s independence from India or its merger with Pakistan since 1989. India accuses Pakistan of arming and training the rebels, a charge Pakistan denies.", "Indian migrant laborers carry their luggage and prepare to leave the region, at a railway station in Jammu, India, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2019. Indian lawmakers passed a bill Tuesday that strips statehood from the Indian-administered portion of Muslim-majority Kashmir, which remains under an indefinite security lockdown, actions that archrival Pakistan warned could lead to war. (AP Photo/Channi Anand)\n\nJAMMU, India (AP) — Hit by a complete security lockdown in Kashmir, hundreds of poor migrant workers have begun fleeing the Himalayan region to return to their far-away villages in northern and eastern India.\n\nSome complained on Wednesday that their Kashmiri employers didn’t pay them any salary as security forces began imposing tight travel restrictions over the weekend and asked them to leave their jobs.\n\nAuthorities in Hindu-majority India clamped a complete shutdown on Kashmir as they scrapped the Muslim-majority state’s special status, including exclusive hereditary rights and a separate constitution, and divided it into two territories.\n\nThe Kashmir region is divided between India and Pakistan and is claimed by both. The two nuclear-armed neighbors have fought three wars, two of them over control of Kashmir, since they won independence from British colonialists in 1947.\n\nPakistan announced Wednesday that it is downgrading its diplomatic ties with India and suspending bilateral trade in response to New Delhi’s decision to reduce Kashmir’s special status.\n\nOn Wednesday, workers crowded the railroad station at Jammu, the winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir state, as they waited for trains bound for Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand. They carried their belongings on their heads and under their arms, tied in bedsheets.\n\nJagdish Mathur, a worker, said many people walked for miles (kilometers) on a highway and hitched rides on army trucks and buses from Srinagar to Jammu, a distance of 260 kilometers (160 miles).\n\n“We haven’t eaten properly for the past four days,” said Mathur, adding that he doesn’t have money to buy a rail ticket to take him to his village in eastern Bihar state. “The government should help me.”\n\nSurjit Singh, a carpenter, told the New Delhi television channel that he was returning home because of Kashmir’s security lockdown.\n\nEvery year, tens of thousands of people travel to Kashmir from various Indian states looking for work, mainly masonry, carpentry and agriculture. Whenever the security situation deteriorates, they return homes.\n\nInsurgent groups have been fighting for Kashmir’s independence from India or its merger with Pakistan since 1989. India accuses Pakistan of arming and training the rebels, a charge Pakistan denies.", "Indian migrant laborers carry their luggage and prepare to leave the region, at a railway station in Jammu, India, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2019. Indian lawmakers passed a bill Tuesday that strips statehood from the Indian-administered portion of Muslim-majority Kashmir, which remains under an indefinite security lockdown, actions that archrival Pakistan warned could lead to war. (AP Photo/Channi Anand)\n\nJAMMU, India (AP) — Hit by a complete security lockdown in Kashmir, hundreds of poor migrant workers have begun fleeing the Himalayan region to return to their far-away villages in northern and eastern India.\n\nSome complained on Wednesday that their Kashmiri employers didn’t pay them any salary as security forces began imposing tight travel restrictions over the weekend and asked them to leave their jobs.\n\nAuthorities in Hindu-majority India clamped a complete shutdown on Kashmir as they scrapped the Muslim-majority state’s special status, including exclusive hereditary rights and a separate constitution, and divided it into two territories.\n\nThe Kashmir region is divided between India and Pakistan and is claimed by both. The two nuclear-armed neighbors have fought three wars, two of them over control of Kashmir, since they won independence from British colonialists in 1947.\n\nPakistan announced Wednesday that it is downgrading its diplomatic ties with India and suspending bilateral trade in response to New Delhi’s decision to reduce Kashmir’s special status.\n\nOn Wednesday, workers crowded the railroad station at Jammu, the winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir state, as they waited for trains bound for Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand. They carried their belongings on their heads and under their arms, tied in bedsheets.\n\nJagdish Mathur, a worker, said many people walked for miles (kilometers) on a highway and hitched rides on army trucks and buses from Srinagar to Jammu, a distance of 260 kilometers (160 miles).\n\n“We haven’t eaten properly for the past four days,” said Mathur, adding that he doesn’t have money to buy a rail ticket to take him to his village in eastern Bihar state. “The government should help me.”\n\nSurjit Singh, a carpenter, told the New Delhi television channel that he was returning home because of Kashmir’s security lockdown.\n\nEvery year, tens of thousands of people travel to Kashmir from various Indian states looking for work, mainly masonry, carpentry and agriculture. Whenever the security situation deteriorates, they return homes.\n\nInsurgent groups have been fighting for Kashmir’s independence from India or its merger with Pakistan since 1989. India accuses Pakistan of arming and training the rebels, a charge Pakistan denies.", "Indian migrant laborers carry their luggage and prepare to leave the region, at a railway station in Jammu, India, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2019. Indian lawmakers passed a bill Tuesday that strips statehood from the Indian-administered portion of Muslim-majority Kashmir, which remains under an indefinite security lockdown, actions that archrival Pakistan warned could lead to war. (AP Photo/Channi Anand)\n\nJAMMU, India (AP) — Hit by a complete security lockdown in Kashmir, hundreds of poor migrant workers have begun fleeing the Himalayan region to return to their far-away villages in northern and eastern India.\n\nSome complained on Wednesday that their Kashmiri employers didn’t pay them any salary as security forces began imposing tight travel restrictions over the weekend and asked them to leave their jobs.\n\nAuthorities in Hindu-majority India clamped a complete shutdown on Kashmir as they scrapped the Muslim-majority state’s special status, including exclusive hereditary rights and a separate constitution, and divided it into two territories.\n\nThe Kashmir region is divided between India and Pakistan and is claimed by both. The two nuclear-armed neighbors have fought three wars, two of them over control of Kashmir, since they won independence from British colonialists in 1947.\n\nPakistan announced Wednesday that it is downgrading its diplomatic ties with India and suspending bilateral trade in response to New Delhi’s decision to reduce Kashmir’s special status.\n\nOn Wednesday, workers crowded the railroad station at Jammu, the winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir state, as they waited for trains bound for Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand. They carried their belongings on their heads and under their arms, tied in bedsheets.\n\nJagdish Mathur, a worker, said many people walked for miles (kilometers) on a highway and hitched rides on army trucks and buses from Srinagar to Jammu, a distance of 260 kilometers (160 miles).\n\n“We haven’t eaten properly for the past four days,” said Mathur, adding that he doesn’t have money to buy a rail ticket to take him to his village in eastern Bihar state. “The government should help me.”\n\nSurjit Singh, a carpenter, told the New Delhi television channel that he was returning home because of Kashmir’s security lockdown.\n\nEvery year, tens of thousands of people travel to Kashmir from various Indian states looking for work, mainly masonry, carpentry and agriculture. Whenever the security situation deteriorates, they return homes.\n\nInsurgent groups have been fighting for Kashmir’s independence from India or its merger with Pakistan since 1989. India accuses Pakistan of arming and training the rebels, a charge Pakistan denies."], "summary": "Kashmir remains on lockdown, with the internet out and nearly all phone lines severed."}
{"document": ["Charges against Jeffery Epstein were announced on July 8, 2019 in New York City. Epstein will be charged with one count of sex trafficking of minors and one count of conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of minors.\n\nFlorida Gov. Ron DeSantis directed his state's law enforcement department Tuesday to handle a criminal probe into Jeffrey Epstein's jail work release in the late 2000s, and also asked the agency to launch an inquiry into \"other irregularities\" surrounding an earlier probe and plea agreement with Epstein.\n\nDeSantis said he wants the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to look into \"the prior state investigation\" of Epstein and the plea agreement he signed in 2008.\n\nEpstein, 66, is currently facing indictment in Manhattan federal court, where he is accused of child sex trafficking. He was arrested in early July at a New Jersey airport after flying there from Paris on his private plane.\n\nProsecutors in that case say he sexually abused dozens of underage girls at his Manhattan townhouse and Palm Beach, Florida, mansion from 2002 through 2005. He has pleaded not guilty, and is being held without bail because the judge in his case said he could represent a danger to other underage girls if he were released.\n\nIn the prior case lodged in 2008 by the Palm Beach County State's Attorney's Office, Epstein pleaded guilty to prostitution-related charges involving an underage girl.\n\nEpstein, a former friend of Presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton, served 13 months in jail in that case, during which he was allowed outside for hours nearly every day. The case was filed after police called for far more serious charges involving alleged sexual misconduct with underage girls to be brought against Epstein.", "Florida's governor is asking state law enforcement officials to take over a criminal investigation of irregularities in the handling of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.\n\nAt Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw's request, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday ordered the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to review a work release program that allowed Epstein to visit his office while staying at the county jail a decade ago. DeSantis also requested an inquiry into other irregularities.\n\nRELATED: Wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein charged with molesting dozens of girls | What did Epstein's famous friends know and see? | Dems want Acosta to quit for role in Jeffrey Epstein plea deal\n\nLast month, Bradshaw opened criminal and internal affairs investigations into Epstein's 13-month stay at the Palm Beach County stockade. Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to prostitution-related charges involving underage girls. Epstein was allowed to spend most days at his West Palm Beach office.\n\nThe 66-year-old Epstein faces new federal sex trafficking charges in New York.", "Florida’s governor is asking state law enforcement officials to take over a criminalhttps://www.foxnews.com/category/us/crime investigation of irregularities in the handling of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.\n\nAt Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw’s request, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday ordered the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to review a work release program that allowed Epstein to visit his office while staying at the county jail a decade ago. DeSantis also requested an inquiry into other irregularities.\n\nCLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP\n\nLast month, Bradshaw opened criminal and internal affairs investigations into Epstein’s 13-month stay at the Palm Beach County stockade. Epstein pleaded guilty in 2008 to prostitution-related charges involving underage girls. Epstein was allowed to spend most days at his West Palm Beach office.\n\nThe 66-year-old Epstein faces new federal sex trafficking charges in New York.", "Governor Ron DeSantis has ordered Florida to take over a criminal probe into the terms of millionaire sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s slap-on-the-wrist plea deal and work-release sentence in 2007.\n\nThe Florida Department of Law Enforcement will conduct a “preliminary inquiry into misconduct and allegations that go beyond the reported concerns with Jeffrey Epstein’s work release,” DeSantis wrote in a letter to the department on Tuesday, also tasking them with taking over the criminal probe into that work release.\n\nExplaining that Palm Beach County law enforcement had handled the original investigation and fresh eyes were needed, DeSantis also assigned State Attorney Bruce Colton, whose Nineteenth Circuit does not include Epstein’s Palm Beach home, to the case.\n\nThe inquiry will attempt to answer questions about how Epstein was able to get away with sexually abusing what the FBI at the time claimed were at least 36 teenage girls and walk away with nothing more than a 13-month sentence that allowed him to leave the jail during the day. He was even allowed to fly his private plane to New York, Boston, and his private island without having to tell his probation officers what he was doing or who he was meeting, according to the Palm Beach Post.\n\nIt was Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw who begged DeSantis to hand the case to the state, insisting “the public interest would best be served by an FDLE-led investigation examining every aspect of the Epstein case, from court sentencing to incarceration.” Bradshaw pledged the “cooperation and participation” of Palm Beach law enforcement in the state investigation.\n\nEpstein pleaded guilty to soliciting underage prostitutes in 2007 and registered as a sex offender in exchange for immunity from federal charges for himself and his accomplices, in a non-prosecution deal that has been harshly criticized in light of the reopening of the investigation.\n\nEpstein was charged with sex trafficking and locked up without bail in New York last month, after a judge ruled the original plea deal had violated the Crime Victims’ Rights Act by failing to inform his accusers of the deal’s terms.\n\nThink your friends would be interested? Share this story!", "MIAMI _ Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has ordered a state criminal probe into the actions of the Palm Beach sheriff and the former Palm Beach state attorney's handling of the Jeffrey Epstein underage sex trafficking case.\n\nDeSantis' move comes as Palm Beach Sheriff Ric Bradshaw has come under increasing scrutiny for his decision in 2008 to give Epstein, a politically connected multimillionaire, unusually lenient work release privileges even though he was a convicted sex offender who had been accused of molesting dozens of underage girls.\n\nEpstein, 66, is now under indictment in New York, charged with sex trafficking minors _ both in Palm Beach and in Manhattan, where Epstein owns sprawling homes. Epstein was investigated in Palm Beach, starting in 2006, but then-State Attorney Barry Krischer wanted to charge him with a misdemeanor.\n\nThe case was transferred to the FBI, which discovered even more victims, and federal investigators gathered enough corroborating evidence to fill a 53-page federal indictment. The indictment, however, was inexplicably shelved under then-U.S. Attorney Alexander Acosta, who signed off on an agreement that allowed Epstein to plead guilty to lesser charges in state court in Palm Beach.\n\nAs part of the deal, Epstein was jailed in a private wing of the Palm Beach County stockade. But within a few months, he was allowed to have his own driver pick him up and take him to an office he had set up in West Palm Beach, where he spent up to 12 hours a day, six days a week.\n\nIn November, the Miami Herald published a multipart series of articles, Perversion of Justice, that raised new questions about case. Federal prosecutors credited the investigation when they announced Epstein's arrest early last month. Days later, Acosta, who had become President Donald Trump's secretary of labor, resigned his post amid a rising chorus of criticism.\n\nBradshaw has been under fire for his approval of the work release program despite objections from the lead federal prosecutor who handled the case, Maria Villafana, who worked on Acosta's staff. Bradshaw ordered an internal affairs investigation into the work release last month, then announced he would conduct his own criminal probe.\n\nBut State Sen. Lauren Book, a Democrat from Plantation, petitioned the Republican governor to ask the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to undertake the investigation, pointing out that Bradshaw _ as head of the agency _ had an inherent conflict of interest. Book is herself a sexual assault survivor and an advocate for child abuse victims,\n\nDeSantis, in announcing the investigation Tuesday, said he was doing so at the behest of Bradshaw, who in a letter to the governor Tuesday said he would cooperate with the state probe.\n\n\"I believe the public interest would be best served by an FDLE-led investigation examining every aspect of the Epstein case, from court sentencing to incarceration,\" Bradshaw wrote.\n\nPHOTOS (for help with images, contact 312-222-4194): DeSantis, Epstein, Bradshaw", "Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has ordered a probe into the handling of Jeffrey Epstein’s sex-abuse case from more than a decade ago, reports. DeSantis wants the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to examine the 2008 work-release agreement Epstein had with the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office and his secret sweetheart plea deal with prosecutors, which was deemed a slap on the wrist for the accused sex trafficker. “Floridians expect and deserve a full and fair investigation,” DeSantis said in a statement. “Following my review of Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw’s letter, I am requesting the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to take over his criminal investigation pertaining to the Jeffrey Epstein matter.” DeSantis said he has reassigned the case to the state attorney for the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit. Epstein pleaded not guilty to federal sex-trafficking charges last month and is currently being held without bail at a Manhattan correctional facility.", "Pointing to a request from the Palm Beach County sheriff, Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday directed the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to oversee an investigation into the handling of high-profile sex offender Jeffrey Epstein more than a decade ago.\n\nThe probe is expected to look at privileges provided to Epstein while he was in the custody of the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office. DeSantis directed the FDLE to initiate a preliminary inquiry that also considers “irregularities” regarding a 2008 plea agreement with Epstein, a politically connected financer now facing sex-trafficking charges involving minors in Florida and New York.\n\nRead Perversion of Justice, the Miami Herald's investigation that landed Jeffrey Epstein back in jail.\n\nIn addition, DeSantis assigned State Attorney Bruce Colton of the 19th Judicial Circuit to handle any proceedings that arise from the investigation. The 19th Judicial Circuit covers Indian River, Martin, Okeechobee and St. Lucie counties.\n\n“Floridians expect and deserve a full and fair investigation,” DeSantis said in a prepared statement.\n\nState Sen. Lauren Book, D-Plantation, has publicly pushed the past two weeks for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to investigate the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office handling of Epstein while he was on work release.\n\nDeSantis on Tuesday, however, cited a request from Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw, who wrote in a letter to the governor that the public interest would be better served by a state investigation “from court sentencing to incarceration.”\n\n“Given the recent questions that have been raised around the Jeffrey Epstein case, I am formally requesting that FDLE assume the existing criminal investigation and I pledge the cooperation and participation of my agency,” Bradshaw wrote.\n\nThe investigation grew out of an internal affairs inquiry Bradshaw announced on July 19, after an allegation was made that Epstein was able to engage in sex while on work release.\n\nEpstein served 13 months of an 18-month sentence after he pleaded guilty in 2008 on two state prostitution charges in Florida, including procuring a minor for sex. The plea required him to register as a sex offender.\n\nWhile in custody, Epstein was housed in a private wing of the Palm Beach County stockade. After more than three months in custody, Epstein was provided work release for up to 12 hours a day, six days a week.\n\nThe sheriff’s office will continue an internal affairs investigation, Bradshaw wrote in the letter to DeSantis.\n\nEpstein’s latest arrest led to the resignation last month of Alex Acosta as U.S. labor secretary amid questions over his role as a former federal prosecutor in Florida and the plea deal.\n\n“Epstein enjoyed an unprecedented and deeply troubling level of leniency and luxury while incarcerated by PBSO,” Book said in a release. “I am disgusted by the flagrant corruption documented within the logs of deputies assigned to supervise Epstein while on work release and deeply disturbed by allegations of sexual abuse perpetrated under PBSO watch. FDLE’s investigation is the first step toward a clear understanding of what happened and who is responsible.”", "Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday ordered investigations into the way Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw’s deputies and the State Attorney’s Office handled accused serial sex offender Jeffrey Epstein more than a decade ago.\n\nIn an executive order prompted by a request from Bradshaw, DeSantis ordered the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to look into why the politically connected financier was allowed to leave the Palm Beach County Stockade 12 hours a day, six days a week.\n\nPHOTOS: The players in the Jeffrey Epstein saga\n\nThe liberal work release was approved by sheriff’s officials after Epstein in 2008 pleaded guilty to two prostitution charges, making him a convicted sex offender. According to the sheriff’s policy, sex offenders aren’t eligible for work release.\n\nDeSantis also asked the state law enforcement agency to \"assume the criminal investigation regarding Jeffrey Epstein.\"\n\nThe governor also ordered 19th Circuit State Attorney Bruce Colton, who is based in Fort Pierce, to analyze why then-Palm Beach County State Attorney Barry Krischer refused to prosecute Epstein on serious sex crime charges as recommended by Palm Beach police.\n\nInstead of pursuing Epstein on allegations that he lured dozens of teenage girls to his Palm Beach mansion for sexually charged massages, Krischer allowed Epstein to plead guilty to the two prostitution charges. Epstein served 13 months of an 18-month jail sentence in a largely vacant wing of the stockade.\n\nIn addition to leaving the jail to go to work, he was allowed to spend time at his palatial home near the Intracoastal Waterway.\n\nEpstein agreed to plead guilty to the two state prostitution charges after federal prosecutors in South Florida agreed to shelve a 53-page indictment they had prepared against him. Then South Florida U.S. Attorney Alex Acosta recently stepped down as U.S. labor secretary when questions were raised about his involvement in what many have described as a sweetheart deal.\n\n\"Floridians expect and deserve a full and fair investigation,\" DeSantis said in a statement.\n\nAfter questions were raised last month about Epstein’s liberal work release and allegations surfaced that he had sex while he was supposedly working at his office on Australian Avenue, Bradshaw asked DeSantis to have FDLE examine his agency.\n\n\"I believe the public interest would best be served by an FDLE-led investigation examining every aspect of the Jeffrey Epstein case, from court sentencing to incarceration,\" he wrote.\n\nEpstein, 66, is jailed in New York City where he is awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Federal prosecutors in Manhattan claim he used underage girls in New York and Palm Beach County in a personal sex ring. He was arrested on July 6 in New Jersey aboard his private jet when it returned from Paris.", "Jeffrey Epstein is in jail in New York facing a fresh set of sex trafficking charges AP\n\nFlorida’s governor has ordered state police to investigate “irregularities” in the prosecution and punishment of the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.\n\nRon DeSantis signed an executive order directing the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to take charge of the inquiry, which will focus on the leniency granted to Epstein in 2008 as he faced claims of child sex trafficking.\n\nProsecutors who handled the case gave Epstein immunity from federal charges in a controversial plea agreement. He served 13 months in prison, during which he was housed in a private wing and allowed to come and go in a chauffeur-driven car for up to 12 hours a day.\n\nAlexander Acosta, the federal prosecutor in Miami who oversaw the case, quit as US labour secretary last month after…", "Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday announced his decision to ask state police to take over a criminal investigation into Palm Beach officials’ handling of the extraordinarily lax plea deal given to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in 2008.\n\nEpstein was arrested in early July on sex trafficking charges in New York, more than a decade after Florida went easy on him for similar offenses. Prosecutors in New York say Epstein has abused dozens of girls at properties he owns in Manhattan, Palm Beach, New Mexico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.\n\nPalm Beach Sheriff Ric Bradshaw opened an internal investigation into the department’s handling of the Epstein case last month, but he had faced mounting pressure to allow an outside agency to conduct it.\n\nBradshaw caved to his critics earlier Tuesday, sending a letter to the governor requesting that the Florida Department of Law Enforcement take over the criminal probe.\n\n“Be rest assured as with any issue or concern that has crossed my desk over the past 15 years, I will strive for the truth, wherever that leads, to ensure justice is served and the public trust in our law enforcement agency is maintained,” Bradshaw told the governor.\n\nPalm Beach officials began investigating Epstein in 2006 until the case was referred to the FBI, which filed a 53-page indictment against him. Then-U.S. Attorney Alexander Acosta, however, signed off on the cushy plea deal, allowing Epstein to plead guilty to lesser charges in a state court in Palm Beach. Acosta was forced to resign last month as President Donald Trump’s Secretary of Labor amid intense public criticism of his actions.\n\nThe multimillionaire financier was housed in a private wing of the Palm Beach jail and allowed to leave for work up to 12 hours per day, six days per week; his personal driver would ferry him to and from a West Palm Beach office. DeSantis has requested that state police open a “preliminary inquiry” into the work release Epstein was given along with other “irregularities” surrounding the case.\n\nAs part of the deal, Epstein pleaded guilty to two counts related to solicitation of a minor for sex. A Miami Herald exposé published in November raised new questions about the case, including why the deal was kept secret from Epstein’s accusers until after it was signed."], "summary": "Florida Governor Ron DeSantis orders law enforcement to handle a criminal probe of Jeffrey Epstein's jail release in the late 2000s."}
{"document": ["El secretario de Derechos Humanos, Claudio Avruj, sigue de cerca los reclamos locales contra la gestión de Nicolás Maduro Fuente: Archivo - Crédito: Enrique Villegas\n\nJaime Rosemberg SEGUIR Comentar Me gusta Me gusta Compartir E-mail Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Guardar 6 de agosto de 2019 • 09:59\n\nEn coincidencia con el endurecimiento de las sanciones económicas por parte del gobierno de Estados Unidos contra Venezuela, el gobierno de Mauricio Macri extendió sin fecha el plazo para que exiliados venezolanos en el país denuncien violaciones a los derechos humanos por parte del gobierno de Nicolás Maduro.\n\nPor medio de la resolución 550/2019, firmada por el ministro de Justicia Germán Garavano y publicada ayer, se dispone la \"continuidad de la convocatoria\" establecida el 18 del mes pasado, y a la que ya asistieron \"centenares\" de venezolanos que residen en el país, según confirmaron fuentes de la secretaría de Derechos Humanos que encabeza Claudio Avruj.\n\nEn los considerandos de la resolución, Garavano apunta a la continuidad de \"la recolección de información y testimonios respecto de posibles violaciones de Derechos Humanos que ocurran o hubiesen ocurrido en la República Bolivariana de Venezuela, y que resulten relevantes para una eventual remisión de estos a los organismos internacionales competentes\". La mira está puesta en complementar con más testimonios el informe elaborado por el ex presidenta de Chile, Michele Bachelet para la OEA, y también sería remitido a la Corte Penal Internacional (CPI), con sede en La Haya, Holanda.\n\n\"Se decidió postergarlo sin fecha para que podamos tomar testimonio a venezolanos que viven en Jujuy, Tucumán, Salta o Mendoza, y que por cuestiones laborales o personales no han podido acercarse aún\", explicaron cerca de Avruj a LA NACION.\n\nLa resolución extiende el horario de la recepción de testimonios en el Centro de Orientación a Migrantes y Refugiados, en el barrio porteño de Monserrat. Pero además faculta a miembros del equipo interdisciplinario que se encarga del tema a tomar testimonios \"por medios audiovisuales electrónicos\" y podría habilitar sedes del Ministerio de Justicia en las provincias para facilitar las entrevistas.\n\nFuentes de la investigación destacaron que la información recolectada hasta el momento es \"contundentes y desgarradores\". Más allá del pacto de confidencialidad firmado con los declarantes, hay denuncias de malos tratos, torturas, violaciones y asesinatos en las cárceles de Venezuela a disidentes políticos y detenciones arbitrarias que se extienden a familiares de los involucrados.\n\n\"Hay mucho miedo, porque muchos de los que declaran tienen familiares en Venezuela y temen represalias\", afirmaron a LA NACION responsables de la recolección de datos. Los testimonios son confidenciales, y los nombres están separados de las declaraciones, sólo se unirán en caso de que la CPI pida los expedientes, afirmaron desde el Ministerio de Justicia.\n\nActualmente están a cargo de las entrevistas cinco equipos, compuestos cada uno por un entrevistador, un abogado y un psicólogo. \"Muchos llaman al 149 y hacen la denuncia, otros piden hablar y que su testimonio no se envíe a ningún lado. Los tratamos a todos con sumo cuidado\", afirmó otro funcionario a cargo del operativo.\n\nDesde la creación del registro, el 18 del mes pasado, el Ministerio de Justicia invitó a los organismos de derechos humanos (Human Rights Watch; Amnistía Internacional Argentina; CELS; Usina de Justicia; Pastoral Migrante; ONU; OIM; ACNUR y ACNUDH) para que participen de las charlas. Solo la Pastoral se manifestó \"a disposición\", mientras que Amnesty envió delegados que más tarde decidieron no participar. \"Parece que su defensa es selectiva\", expresaba, con indignación, un alto funcionario.\n\nMás allá de la decisión de no publicitar nombres ni el contenido de las declaraciones, uno de los testimonios fue el del activista Villca Fernández, preso polÍtico durante varios años en Venezuela. \"Yo pude ver cómo paraban a 30, 40 personas en un pasillo, desnudos, y ese mazo de madera envuelto en papel periódico, con cinta para que no marcara el cuerpo, y le daban y le daban y le daban, hasta que las personas no se podían levantar\", aseguró Fernández en una entrevista televisiva reciente luego de acogerse al registro organizado por el Gobierno.", "Washington has frozen the assets of the Venezuelan government, due to continued usurpation of power by President Nicolas Maduro.\n\nThey also accused Maduro’s government of human rights abuses, arbitrary arrest and detention of Venezuelan citizens and curtailment of free press.\n\nWashington also frowns at ongoing attempts to undermine Interim President Juan Guaido and the democratically elected Venezuelan National Assembly.\n\nMaduro won a second term in a disputed election in 2018 and had so far presided over an economic disaster, with hyperinflation and goods shortages driving millions of people abroad.\n\nGuaido declared himself interim president in January and immediately won widespread international support."], "summary": "The Argentine government says it has already received \"hundreds\" of reports of human rights abuses and criminal accusations against the Venezuelan government, days after Argentina invited Venezuelans in the country to file reports against the Venezuelan government."}
{"document": ["Video screenshot by Bonnie Burton/CNET\n\nTardigrades, affectionately known as water bears, are microscopic animals that can survive in almost any environment. We already know it's possible for scientists to bring tardigrades back to life after a 30-year deep freeze. As \"extremophiles,\" tardigrades can shut down their metabolism and survive in hostile conditions for long periods. But can they survive in space, more specifically on the moon?\n\nBack in April, an Israeli spacecraft called Beresheet, which carried thousands of dehydrated tardigrades (among other cargo), crashed on the moon. Some people wondered if the water bears could survive.\n\nOne of those people was Arch Mission Foundation founder Nova Spivack. Arch Mission Foundation is a nonprofit whose main goal is to create a \"backup of planet Earth.\"\n\nThe Israeli spacecraft was transporting Arch Mission's first lunar library, a digital archive holding the equivalent of 30 million pages of information. It also carried human DNA samples and thousands of dehydrated tardigrades. It's unknown how much of the cargo actually ended up on the moon's surface following the crash.\n\nBased on Arch Mission's analysis of the spacecraft's path as well as the makeup of the lunar library itself, Spivack told Wired on Monday that he's confident the library, a \"DVD-sized object made of thin sheets of nickel,\" survived the crash mostly intact.\n\nThat doesn't mean the DNA or water bears are in good shape.\n\n\"We sent enough DNA to regenerate life on Earth, if necessary,\" Spivack tweeted Tuesday. \"Although it would require more advanced biotech than we have to do that. At least our DNA is offsite now. But note that cells and DNA cannot survive or reproduce on the moon. Yet if retrieved they could be useful.\"\n\nSpivack noted that the tardigrades cannot reproduce on the moon, regardless.\n\nAbout the Tardigrades in the Lunar Library: Some are sealed in epoxy with 100 million human, plant and microorganism cells. Some are encapsulated onto the sticky side of a 1cm square piece of Kapton tape that is sealed inside the disc stack. They cannot reproduce on the Moon. — Nova Spivack (@novaspivack) August 6, 2019\n\n\"About the tardigrades in the Lunar Library: Some are sealed in epoxy with 100 million human, plant and microorganism cells,\" Spivack tweeted Tuesday. \"Some are encapsulated onto the sticky side of a 1cm square piece of Kapton tape that is sealed inside the disc stack. They cannot reproduce on the moon.\"\n\nEven though the dehydrated tardigrades can't spring to life on the moon, they could theoretically be gathered, revived and studied to teach us about their time there.\n\n\"It is not likely that cells can survive on the moon without a lot more protection from radiation,\" Spivack added. \"However the human cells, plant cells and micro organisms we sent could be recovered, studied and their DNA extracted -- perhaps to be cloned and regenerated, far in the future.\"\n\nArch Mission Foundation, Nova Spivack and SpaceIL didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.", "The odds of finding life on the moon have suddenly rocketed skywards. But rather than elusive alien moonlings, the beings in question came from Earth and were spilled across the landscape when a spacecraft crashed into the surface.\n\nThe Israeli Beresheet probe was meant to be the first private lander to touch down on the moon. And all was going smoothly until mission controllers lost contact in April as the robotic craft made its way down. Beyond all the technology that was lost in the crash, Beresheet had an unusual cargo: a few thousand tiny tardigrades, the toughest animals on Earth.\n\nTiny but tough: the tardigrades Read more\n\nNow, the organisation behind the tardigrades’ trip, the US-based Arch Mission Foundation – whose goal is to find a backup for Earth – has said the organisms may well have shrugged off the collision. “Our payload may be the only surviving thing from that mission,�? Nova Spivack, the organisation’s founder, told Wired magazine.\n\nTardigrades have fascinated scientists since their discovery in the 18th century by the German zoologist and pastor Johann August Ephraim Goeze. The millimetre-long animals, sometimes known as water bears or moss piglets after their favoured environment and food, resemble cheerful eight-legged maggots wearing distinctly sphincter-like faces.\n\nBut it is not their appearance that has made their name. Tardigrades are considered the hardiest animals on Earth. They have been found on mountain tops, in scorching deserts, and lurking in subglacial lakes in Antarctica. In his book The Hidden Powers of Animals, Dr Karl Shuker claimed the beasts survived being frozen in liquid helium and being boiled at 149C.\n\nThe tardigrade’s secret is the ability to shrivel into a seed-like pod, expelling nearly all of its water and slashing its metabolism. In this “tun�? state, the animals can hunker down and survive conditions that would normally be swiftly fatal. In 2007, scientists discovered that inactive tardigrades are so tough they can survive the harsh radiation and frigid vacuum of space travel.\n\nAnd so it came to be that there is life on the moon, probably. Lukasz Kaczmarek, a tardigrade expert and astrobiologist at the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, said the animals may well have survived the crash landing. “Tardigrades can survive pressures that are comparable to those created when asteroids strike Earth, so a small crash like this is nothing to them,�? he said. The animals could potentially survive on the moon for years, he added.\n\nDehydrated tardigrades have been revived after years in an inactive state by plunging them into water. Once rehydrated, the animals become active again and feed and reproduce as normal. There is little chance of that happening to those that are lost in space, however. “They cannot colonise the moon because there is no atmosphere and no liquid water,�? Kaczmarek said. “But it could be possible to bring them back to Earth and then add the water. They should resurrect.�?\n\nTardigrades: Earth’s unlikely beacon of life that can survive a cosmic cataclysm Read more\n\nKaczmarek is exploring whether the ageing process itself grinds to a halt in dormant tardigrades, through what he calls a Sleeping Beauty model. He said it appears that a tardigrade that enters a tun state at one month old emerges with the same biological age when it is revived a decade later. “It is really amazing,�? he said. “It may be that we can use this in the future if we plan missions to different planets, because we will need to be young when we get there.�?\n\nPhilippe Reekie, an astrobiologist and PhD student at the University of Edinburgh, agreed that there was no reason to think dehydrated tardigrades would not survive on the moon. “I would imagine they would survive for some time,�? he said. “The main problem with the moon is the vacuum and the high radiation, but tardigrades are proven to survive those conditions.�?\n\nBut he cautioned that if the tardigrades were in an active state on impact, they may well have met their end. “In their normal state, you can kill them quite easily,�? he said. “We accidentally killed loads by accident because we subjected them to the extreme cold too fast.�?\n\nBecause the moon is considered lifeless, Nasa’s office of planetary protection does not frown on missions that spill Earthly organisms on its surface. After all, the Apollo astronauts left behind their own microbes in the 96 bags of human waste that await some future cleaner on the moon. Had the spacecraft spilled its living cargo on Mars, the story might be very different.", "On 11 April 2019, Israeli space company SpaceIL attempted to land the first privately-funded mission on to the Moon safely. While the mission failed in the final moments before it reached the surface, it seems the spacecraft might have tainted the moon's surface with tardigrades, or water bears, from Earth.\n\nThe Beresheet lander crashed on to the moon's surface, and may have become the first country to colonize an extraterrestrial body in the process… maybe.\n\nBeresheet had a special package onboard — a \"lunar library\" put together by the Arch Mission Foundation, a nonprofit aiming to create \"a backup of planet Earth.\" The library contained 30 million pages of human history, an optical disc with human DNA samples and thousands of dehydrated tardigrades — microscopic, vacuum-tolerant microbes.\n\nThese microscopic animals are called 'water bears' or 'moss piglets', and they're the most resistant lifeform known to humankind. Worldwide, there are more than 1,000 such species of tardigrades on the planet, the most recent member of which was found in a parking lot in Japan.\n\nTardigrades were added to SpaceIL's Beresheet mission at the very last minute, according to The Times of Israel. These incredibly hardy organisms are known to survive in a dehydrated state for years on end. The Earth is teeming with these creatures, which can survive even in the harshest climates — including the vacuum of space.\n\nWhen it was time to land, the Beresheet spacecraft initiated its landing sequence successfully, but only a few kilometres above the surface, the main engine failed and the spacecraft couldn't brake in time to make the soft-landing it was planning to. Instead, it crashed into the surface, as seen in these mesmerising before-and-after shots of its landing site, captured by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.\n\nWhile many experts expected the mission to succeed, news of the spacecraft's crash landing raised an important question: did scientists just smeared the surface of the moon with the toughest known animal the universe?\n\nBased on an analysis of the spacecraft's trajectory and the contents of the lunar library, founder of the Arch Mission Foundation, Nova Spivack, is rather confident that the library survived mostly or almost entirely intact, according to a Wired report.\n\nTardigrades can survive for anywhere between days and years, to be revived by a couple of doses of water (rehydration). In their dehydrated, dormant state, all the metabolic reactions in the cells of tardigrades are stopped. Molecules of water are replaced by protein, effectively turning these adorable microbes into an inanimate glass-like blob.\n\nWhile tardigrades can survive water-free for 10 years, the lunar library is designed to last for millions. Only now are scientists started to gauge how these critters survive in the most unforgiving of environments — space, most of all. Learning about this could point to a means of rehydrating them after far longer periods of dormancy.\n\nFind our entire collection of stories, in-depth analysis, live updates, videos & more on Chandrayaan 2 Moon Mission on our dedicated #Chandrayaan2TheMoon domain.", "The Israeli Beresheet lander module which crashed into the Moon’s surface in April might have impacted the Earth’s natural satellite in more ways than one, possibly seeding the lunar surface with terrestrial lifeforms, Wired reports.\n\nAs the media outlet points out, the lander was carrying a number of objects belonging to a non-profit group called Arch Mission Foundation whose goal is to create “a backup of planet Earth”, with the cargo including the organisation’s “first lunar library, a DVD-sized archive containing 30 million pages of information, human DNA samples, and thousands of tardigrade” – micro-animals also known as water bears that can survive even in space.\n\n\"Ironically, our payload may be the only surviving thing from that mission,\" said Nova Spivack, founder of the Arch Mission Foundation.\n\nHe noted that as tardigrades are capable of falling into dormant states, with their bodies becoming dehydrated, these creatures can potentially be revived in the future, though it remains unclear whether any of the water bears that were part of the Beresheet’s cargo could be recovered and revived.\n\nThe lander, which aimed to be the first spacecraft made with mostly private funding to touch down on the surface of the Moon, was the creation of the Israeli nonprofit SpaceIL working in partnership with Israel Aerospace Industries and was launched on top of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in February, only to crash into the lunar surface on 11 April.", "When Israeli lunar lander Beresheet crash-landed onto the Moon in April, watched live by millions across the world, the spacecraft left a rather serious dent in the lunar surface.According to a report published Monday by American magazine Wired, however, Beresheet may have left more on the Moon than previously thought. The SpaceIL spacecraft was apparently carrying thousands of microscopic tardigrades,, joined the lunar-destined journey as part of an initiative led by the Arch Mission Foundation, founded by Nova Spivack.Aiming to maintain a backup of planet Earth around the Solar System,Based on the foundation's analysis of the spacecraft's trajectory and the composition of their lunar library, Spivack told Wired that he was quite confident that their payload mostly or entirely survived the impact.eaching the moon was a feat previously completed only by the United States, Russia (then the USSR) and China, backed by giant sums far exceeding Beresheet's modest NIS 350 million ($99m.) budget.\"For the first 24 hours, we were just in shock,\" Spivack said. \"We sort of expected that it would be successful. We knew there were risks but we didn't think the risks were that significant.\"Known for their resilience,. Some 3,000 organisms joined a 12-day journey into space on-board the agency's Foton-M3 mission, and survived conditions that would kill humans in minutes.If the dehydrated tardigrades survived the landing, Spivack added, they could hypothetically be revived in years to come by future human astronauts upon their return to Earth. Research has previously shown that dehydrated micro-animals can be revived decades later.While SpaceIL and its lead donor, Morris Kahn, quickly stated their ambition following the Beresheet crash to launch a second spacecraft to the Moon within two years, the organization announced in June that reattempting the same mission would not present a sufficiently great challenge.If some lunar enthusiasts might have been disappointed by the announcement, SpaceIL co-founder Kfir Damari told The Jerusalem Post in July that the decision is about broadening their horizons even further.\"It's possible that we will return to the Moon, but we won't give a green light to the same project with the same design,\" Damari said.\"We decided that we want to look for different options -We're also thinking about other places, including the ability to go beyond the Moon.\"It remains to be seen whether SpaceIL's next mission will include taking even more tardigrades to the Moon, or perhaps even beyond.", "Scientists are just starting to understand the tardigrade — and it's fascinating\n• The moon might have some new inhabitants: tiny critters called tardigrades, which can survive in extreme environments.\n• On April 11, the tardigrades arrived on the moon aboard a spacecraft called Beresheet: a four-legged lander made by an Israeli nonprofit\n• But SpaceIL's private moon mission ended when Beresheet crashed into the lunar surface due to a computer glitch.\n• The founder of the company responsible for putting tardigrades onboard Beresheet, as well as other experts, think these creatures probably survived the crash. They're likely in a state of suspended animation.\n\nThe moon just got a little more crowded.\n\nA horde of microscopic critters called tardigrades were passengers aboard the Israeli spacecraft Beresheet, which crashed into the lunar surface nearly four months ago.\n\nBut because tardigrates can survive in extreme environments, it's likely these tiny astronauts are still alive. The microscopic organisms can go without water and oxygen for long periods of time in a state of suspended animation called cryptobiosis, in which their bodies dry up and their metabolisms shut down. Place a dehydrated tardigrade in water and it regains its full function in a matter of hours.\n\n\"Tardigrades in dry state can survive pressures up to 74,000 times the pressure we experience at sea level, so the [crash] impact should not be a problem for them,\" evolutionary zoologist Roberto Guidetti told Business Insider. \"They can stay dry for decades, potentially centuries.\"\n\nTardigrades are also known as water bears or moss piglets — apt nicknames, considering that these organisms look like eight-legged potatoes with scrunched up faces and tiny claws under a microscope.\n\nDehydrated tardigrades were placed aboard the Beresheet spacecraft by a non-profit company called the Arch Mission Foundation, which aims to develop a kind of backup of Earth.\n\nIn keeping with that mission, the company put a \"lunar library\" — a DVD-like disc containing a digital archive of nearly every English Wikipedia page, along with ebooks and human DNA samples — onboard the spacecraft. Thousands of tardigrades were attached to that library.\n\nBeresheet left Earth on February 22, but as it approached the lunar surface on April 11, a computer glitch caused the spacecraft's main engine to malfunction, and it crashed into the moon traveling 310 miles per hour.\n\nIn a recent interview with WIRED, the Arch Mission Foundation's founder, Nova Spivack, said his company believes its disk, along with the accompanying tardigrades, survived the crash intact.\n\n\"Ironically, our payload may be the only surviving thing from that mission,\" he said.\n\nThat means thousands of tardigrades are now chilling on the moon.\n\nThe astronaut tardigrades, Guidetti said, are likely alive but not \"active\" — meaning they're still in the state of suspended animation. If they were somehow reintroduced to water on the lunar surface, they'd have the potential to return to an active state, but that would also require oxygen.", "Tardigrades, more commonly known as \"water bears,\" are microscopic creatures capable of surviving the harshest extreme conditions. In fact, they were the first animal to survive in the vacuum of space in 2007. Now, it seems, they might be ready to colonize the Moon. BBC News reports that an Israeli spacecraft carrying the tiny creatures in a state of dehydration crash-landed on the Moon back in April. All they need is a bit of water to reanimate, and voila! We'd have a colony of lunar tardigrades.\n\nFirst described by German zoologist Johann Goeze in 1773, they were dubbed tardigrada (\"slow steppers\" or \"slow walkers\") four years later by Lazzaro Spallanzani, an Italian biologist. That's because tardigrades tend to lumber along like a bear. Since they can survive almost anywhere, they can be found in lots of places: deep-sea trenches, salt and freshwater sediments, tropical rain forests, the Antarctic, mud volcanoes, sand dunes, beaches, and lichen and moss. (Another name for them is \"moss piglets,\" immortalized in a 2017 South Park episode where the gang teaches tardigrades to dance to Taylor Swift songs for science class.)\n\nThey're not technically members of the extremophile class of organisms since they don't so much thrive in extreme conditions as endure, but they can endure for an impressively long time. Their secret? They can suspend their metabolism, enabling them to go without food or water for 30 years or more, and they can survive dehydrated for at least five years. Once revived, they go on with their lives, even capable of reproducing to replenish their numbers.\n\nThe tardigrades aboard the SpaceIL Beresheet lunar lander were supplied by the Arch Mission Foundation, an organization dedicated to keeping backups of the flora and fauna of Earth by sending a \"lunar library\" into space, part of the group's ongoing Billion Year Archive initiative. The library is a 30 million-page archive of human history and civilization, stored on a nanoscale device akin to a DVD—except it's made of 25 layers of nickel disks just 40 microns thick. The archive purportedly can be read with an optical microscope or even a magnifying glass, and it contains thousands of books, DNA samples, and a few thousand water bears, among other treasures.\n\nAccording to the organization's website, \"We intend to gradually pepper the solar system with records of our civilization.... The more locations that Arch Libraries are sent to, the greater the probability that at least one of them will survive to be discovered in the distant future. Long after the pyramids have turned to dust, and no matter what transpires on Earth, the Billion Year Archive will remain.\"\n\nThe dehydrated tardigrade samples were in a state of suspended animation for their trip to the Moon and were encased in amber. But given how hardy the creatures can be, \"We believe the chance of survival for the tardigrades are extremely high,\" Arch Mission Foundation co-founder Nova Spivack told BBC News. Per Wired, “In the best-case scenario, Beresheet ejected the Arch Mission Foundation’s lunar library during impact, and it lies in one piece somewhere near the crash site.” Granted, it's a long shot that water would magically appear (perhaps from thawed water ice) on the Moon in sufficient quantities to rehydrate any surviving tardigrades and allow them to thrive. But in principle, a colony of water bears is within the realm of possibility.\n\nEven if they don't survive, BBC News has a suggestion for Hollywood. \"There's definitely some great source material for a sci-fi/horror movie. Attack of the Moss Piglets from the Moon? We'd watch it.\"\n\nSo would we.", "Tardigrades may have survived crash of Israel's lunar spacecraft Israel’s attempt to become the first country to land a private spacecraft on the moon ended in failure on Thursday., April 11, 2019. However, the chances of finding life on the lunar surface has ratcheted up, owing to its cargo of \"water bears.\" It was looking good until The probe's main mission was to measure the moon's magnetic field, as it was orbiting the moon and after it landed. This information was important to scientists because, at one time, the moon's core was extremely hot, and this led to some surface rocks becoming magnetized. The all-important payload on Beersheet However, The Guardian notes that beyond all the technology that was lost in the crash of Beersheet onto the lunar surface - there is the lunar probe's unusual cargo to consider. Half a world away, in Los Angeles, California, Nova Spivack was also watching the live-feed of the Beersheet landing. Spivack is the founder of the Arch Mission Foundation, a nonprofit whose goal is to create “a backup of planet Earth.\" And he had a lot riding on the mission. In February, the Don’t stop believing! We came close but unfortunately didn’t succeed with the landing process. Selfie taken by Beresheet as it was coming in for a landing. Besides the list of articles described by the Times of Israel, the spacecraft was carrying the Did the tardigrades survive the crash? “Our payload may be the only surviving thing from that mission,” Nova Spivack, the organization’s founder, told Spivack, after consulting with the foundation's advisors, is quite confident, based on the spacecraft’s trajectory and the composition of the lunar library, that library - that the DVD-sized disc - may have survived. Tardigrades on the Moon be like: pic.twitter.com/zBs2BtDHq4 — Arch Mission Foundation (@archmission) August 6, 2019 “For the first 24 hours we were just in shock,” Spivack says. “We sort of expected that it would be successful. We knew there were risks but we didn’t think the risks were that significant.” Tardigrades (Milnesium tardigradum) were first discovered in the 18th century by the German zoologist and pastor Johann August Ephraim Goeze. They are microscopic in size and affectionately known as \"water bears,\" and can live in any environment, including scorching deserts, mountain tops and ever sub-glacial lakes in Antarctica. As Tardigrade found in Cleveland, Ohio, in one of the gutters on a house in 2015. Are the water bears living on the moon? Because the moon is considered lifeless, Nasa’s office of planetary protection does not get too excited if missions spill Earthly organisms on its surface. But that could all change if the world's nations come up with a global agenda for the moon. The Apollo astronauts left 96 bags of human waste on the lunar surface, and one of these days, someone is going to have to clean it up. As for the tardigrades, Philippe Reekie, an astrobiologist and Ph.D. student at the University of Edinburgh says it is very possible the dehydrated tardigrades survived the crash. “I would imagine they would survive for some time,” he said. “The main problem with the moon is the vacuum and the high radiation, but tardigrades are proven to survive those conditions.” Reekie says we must keep in mind that if the tardigrades were in an active state, they likely would have died in the crash. “In their normal state, you can kill them quite easily,” he said. “We accidentally killed loads by accident because we subjected them to the extreme cold too fast.” Lukasz Kaczmarek, a tardigrade expert, and an astrobiologist at the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań offers another opinion, though. He thinks they survived the crash to the lunar surface. “Tardigrades can survive pressures that are comparable to those created when asteroids strike Earth, so a small crash like this is nothing to them,” he said. \"The animals could potentially survive on the moon for years,\" he added. The Israeli Beresheet probe was meant to be the first private lander to touch down on the moon. Watching the live video-stream from mission control in Israel on April 11, it was nip-and-tuck shortly after Beresheet began its descent to the moon's surface about 3 p.m. ET, even though everything had looked good at the beginning of the broadcast.It was looking good until the main engine, working along in an autonomous mode to set the lander down softly suddenly went dead about 15 kilometers (9 miles) above the surface. After working to reset the engine, mission control confirmed just minutes later that it had lost contact.The probe's main mission was to measure the moon's magnetic field, as it was orbiting the moon and after it landed. This information was important to scientists because, at one time, the moon's core was extremely hot, and this led to some surface rocks becoming magnetized.However, The Guardian notes that beyond all the technology that was lost in the crash of Beersheet onto the lunar surface - there is the lunar probe's unusual cargo to consider. Half a world away, in Los Angeles, California, Nova Spivack was also watching the live-feed of the Beersheet landing.Spivack is the founder of the Arch Mission Foundation, a nonprofit whose goal is to create “a backup of planet Earth.\" And he had a lot riding on the mission.In February, the Times of Israel reported the Beresheet lander would be carrying \"a Hebrew Bible inscribed with nanotechnology on a small metal circle the size of a 5 shekel coin, and a time capsule with Israel’s Declaration of Independence and national anthem, the memories of a Holocaust survivor, children’s drawings of space and the moon, the Traveler’s Prayer and a note from the late former president Shimon Peres.\"Besides the list of articles described by the Times of Israel, the spacecraft was carrying the foundation’s first lunar library, a DVD-sized archive containing 30 million pages of information, human DNA samples, and thousands of dehydrated tardigrades, microscopic “water bears” that can survive pretty much any environment—including space.“Our payload may be the only surviving thing from that mission,” Nova Spivack, the organization’s founder, told Wired magazine. Spivack, after consulting with the foundation's advisors, is quite confident, based on the spacecraft’s trajectory and the composition of the lunar library, that library - that the DVD-sized disc - may have survived.“For the first 24 hours we were just in shock,” Spivack says. “We sort of expected that it would be successful. We knew there were risks but we didn’t think the risks were that significant.”Tardigrades (Milnesium tardigradum) were first discovered in the 18th century by the German zoologist and pastor Johann August Ephraim Goeze. They are microscopic in size and affectionately known as \"water bears,\" and can live in any environment, including scorching deserts, mountain tops and ever sub-glacial lakes in Antarctica.As CNET notes , scientists have succeeded in bringing tardigrades back to life after a 30-year deep freeze. As \"extremophiles,\" tardigrades can shut down their metabolism and survive in hostile conditions for long periods.Because the moon is considered lifeless, Nasa’s office of planetary protection does not get too excited if missions spill Earthly organisms on its surface. But that could all change if the world's nations come up with a global agenda for the moon. The Apollo astronauts left 96 bags of human waste on the lunar surface, and one of these days, someone is going to have to clean it up.As for the tardigrades, Philippe Reekie, an astrobiologist and Ph.D. student at the University of Edinburgh says it is very possible the dehydrated tardigrades survived the crash. “I would imagine they would survive for some time,” he said. “The main problem with the moon is the vacuum and the high radiation, but tardigrades are proven to survive those conditions.”Reekie says we must keep in mind that if the tardigrades were in an active state, they likely would have died in the crash. “In their normal state, you can kill them quite easily,” he said. “We accidentally killed loads by accident because we subjected them to the extreme cold too fast.”Lukasz Kaczmarek, a tardigrade expert, and an astrobiologist at the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań offers another opinion, though. He thinks they survived the crash to the lunar surface. “Tardigrades can survive pressures that are comparable to those created when asteroids strike Earth, so a small crash like this is nothing to them,” he said. \"The animals could potentially survive on the moon for years,\" he added.", "The toughest animals on Earth may be alive on the Moon after surviving an Israeli spacecraft crash earlier this year, scientists suspect.\n\nA payload of several thousand hardy tardigrades were on board the Beresheet probe when it suffered a catastrophic failure during its final descent on April 11.\n\nAlthough the lander smashed into the ground at high speed, the Arch Mission Foundation, which sent up the creatures, believes their cargo may have lived.\n\nTardigrades are the world’s most indestructible species, with Oxford University estimating they will survive on Earth until the sun dies, some 10 billion years from now, after everything else has died out.\n\nThey are able to survive for up to 30 years...", "\n• The moon might have some new inhabitants: tiny critters called tardigrades, which can survive in extreme environments.\n• On April 11, the tardigrades arrived on the moon aboard a spacecraft called Beresheet: a four-legged lander made by an Israeli nonprofit called SpaceIL.\n• But SpaceIL’s private moon mission ended when Beresheet crashed into the lunar surface due to a computer glitch.\n• The founder of the company responsible for putting tardigrades onboard Beresheet, as well as other experts, think these creatures probably survived the crash. They’re likely in a state of suspended animation.\n\nThe moon just got a little more crowded.\n\nA horde of microscopic critters called tardigrades were passengers aboard the Israeli spacecraft Beresheet, which crashed into the lunar surface nearly four months ago.\n\nBut because tardigrates can survive in extreme environments, it’s likely these tiny astronauts are still alive. The microscopic organisms can go without water and oxygen for long periods of time in a state of suspended animation called cryptobiosis, in which their bodies dry up and their metabolisms shut down. Place a dehydrated tardigrade in water and it regains its full function in a matter of hours.\n\n“Tardigrades in dry state can survive pressures up to 74,000 times the pressure we experience at sea level, so the [crash] impact should not be a problem for them,” evolutionary zoologist Roberto Guidetti told Business Insider. “They can stay dry for decades, potentially centuries.”\n\nTardigrades are also known as water bears or moss piglets – apt nicknames, considering that these organisms look like eight-legged potatoes with scrunched up faces and tiny claws under a microscope.\n\nDehydrated tardigrades were placed aboard the Beresheet spacecraft by a non-profit company called the Arch Mission Foundation, which aims to develop a kind of backup of Earth.\n\nIn keeping with that mission, the company put a “lunar library” – a DVD-like disc containing a digital archive of nearly every English Wikipedia page, along with ebooks and human DNA samples – onboard the spacecraft. Thousands of tardigrades were attached to that library.\n\nBeresheet left Earth on February 22, but as it approached the lunar surface on April 11, a computer glitch caused the spacecraft’s main engine to malfunction, and it crashed into the moon traveling 310 miles per hour.\n\nIn a recent interview with WIRED, the Arch Mission Foundation’s founder, Nova Spivack, said his company believes its disk, along with the accompanying tardigrades, survived the crash intact.\n\n“Ironically, our payload may be the only surviving thing from that mission,” he said.\n\nThat means thousands of tardigrades are now chilling on the moon.\n\nThe astronaut tardigrades, Guidetti said, are likely alive but not “active” – meaning they’re still in the state of suspended animation. If they were somehow reintroduced to water on the lunar surface, they’d have the potential to return to an active state, but that would also require oxygen.\n\nPreviously, water bears have been shown to survive in the vacuum of space, inside a volcano, and in an Antarctic lake 50 miles underground. They have even returned to normal functioning after being frozen for three decades.\n\nRead More: In a lost lake 3,500 feet under the Antarctic Ice, scientists just found the carcasses of tiny creatures\n\nThe critters, which can grow up to 1.2 mm (0.05 inches) in length, can withstand temperatures between minus 272 degrees Celsius (minus 458 degrees Fahrenheit) and 151 degrees Celsius (304 degrees Fahrenheit). They’re also able to survive high levels of radiation and pressure up to six times that of the deepest part of Earth’s oceans.\n\nSome scientists argue that tardigrades could survive catastrophic events like asteroid impacts that would wipe out most of Earth’s other species.\n\nBut dried-up tardigrades on the moon probably couldn’t stay alive forever.\n\n“If they are directly exposed to unfiltered solar UV radiation, they will be structurally dead within a few days,” ecologist Ingemar Jönsson told Business Insider.\n\nTemperature fluctuations on the moon also pose a problem: “Temperatures around and above 100 degrees Celsius [212 degrees Fahrenheit] will kill the animals quite quickly,” Jönsson added.\n\nThe tardigrades would have the best chance of survival, he said, if they ended up below the moon’s surface as a result of Beresheet’s crash. It’s unclear whether that’s what really happened, but if so, they’d be sheltered from UV radiation and cosmic radiation, and surrounding temperatures would consistently remain sub-zero.\n\n“At such conditions they could probably survive for years,” Jönsson said."], "summary": "Scientists at the Spring, Texas, Arch Mission Foundation confirm that tardigrades in a cryptobiotic state were added to the payload of the failed SpaceIL Beresheet lander that crashed on the Moon on 11 April 2019, and may have survived the crash."}
{"document": ["An Ariane 5 rocket will launch tonight (August 6) with Airbus, Intelsat and European Space Agency (ESA) cargo onboard. The rocket launch marks the third flight fo the Ariane 5 this year – the signature launch vehicle of the Europe-based company Arianespace. The Ariane 5 will carry two communication satellites dubbed Intelsat 39 and EDRS-C respectively. The launch window opens tonight from 8.30pm to 10.51pm BST (9.30pm to 11.51pm CEST).\n\nHow to watch the Ariane 5 rocket launch live stream: You can watch the rocket launch in full tonight, courtesy of Arianespace. The rocket company will broadcast the event live from the Guiana Space Center in French Guiana. The live stream is embedded in the YouTube video player below. The mission is expected to last around 33 minutes and 31 seconds from liftoff to satellite separation. READ MORE: How does SpaceX’s Starship compare to NASA powerful Saturn V?\n\nWhat is the cargo for the Ariane 5 launch tonight? Two communication satellites will blast off into space tonight from French Guiana. The first is an Intelsat 39, which is the 61st satellite launched for Intelsat by Arianespace. Arianespace first began launching these satellites for Intelsat in 1983. Tonight’s launch will replace an Intelsat 902 satellite that was launched into space in 2001.\n\nArianespace said: “The Intelsat 39 telecommunication satellite is designed with both wide and high-powered steerable spot beams to meet the needs of broadband networking, video and government customers across Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Indian Ocean region. “The steerable spot beams provide flexibility within the payload and enable customers to rapidly and efficiently respond to shifts in geographic or application requirements.” The satellite is designed to beam internet services and mobile networks to ground. The Intelsat was built in Palo Alto, California, by the company Maxar.\n\nThe second satellite, the EDRS-C, will join the SpaceDataHighway network. The SpaceDataHighway is touted as the world’s first “optical fibre” network up in the skies. Based on “cutting-edge laser technology”, the SpaceDataHighway is a network of geostationary satellites capable of transmitting data at fast speeds. The satellite will aid in disaster response, security management and environmental monitoring.", "Image copyright ESA Image caption The system will now comprise two nodes in the sky - with a third to follow before 2025\n\nEurope has launched the second satellite in its space laser telecommunications network.\n\nIt will use optical beams to pull pictures and data from other spacecraft and then speed that information to the ground.\n\nEDRS-C, as it is known, was sent into orbit on Tuesday by an Ariane-5 rocket from the Kourou spaceport in French Guiana.\n\nIt joins the first node in the network, EDRS-A, which was put up in 2016.\n\nThat spacecraft was positioned over Central Africa to service Europe.\n\nThe new satellite will sit slightly to the east, where it will provide additional capacity.\n\nThe European Data Relay System is a joint venture between the European Space Agency and aerospace giant Airbus.\n\nIt is used predominantly by the European Union's Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 Earth observation spacecraft. These platforms take images of the planet's surface.\n\nImage copyright Copernicus Data/Esa/Sentinel-2 Image caption Rapid retrieval of space images is important for emergency response\n\nOrdinarily, such satellites would have to wait until they pass over a radio receiving dish on the ground before downloading their pictures, which could mean a delay of over an hour as they circle the globe.\n\nBut the Sentinels were equipped to connect with the EDRS satellites' 1.8-gigabit laser links.\n\nThe relay platforms orbit much higher in the sky - some 36,000km in altitude - and always have visibility of a radio antenna on the ground.\n\nThe capability has particular relevance in the realm of natural disasters, such as major floods or big earthquakes.\n\nInformation about the scale of these emergencies can be put in the hands of first responders much faster than would normally be the case.\n\n\"We have demonstrated that it's possible to get a Sentinel image on the ground and ready to use after just 15 minutes of it being acquired,\" Magali Vaissiere, the director of telecoms at Esa, told BBC News.\n\n\"The launch of EDRS-C brings additional capacity to the network, obviously, but it also provides redundancy, a back-up, which you need in an operational system.\"\n\nBetween a third and a half of all image data from Sentinels 1 and 2 is now routed through EDRS, and usage is certain to expand with the second node now in orbit.\n\nImage copyright ESA Image caption EDRS-C undergoing testing during its development\n\nThere are plans to use the relay system to regularly pull data to the ground from the European Columbus science laboratory on the space station. Future Earth observation satellites are also actively being planned with EDRS in mind, including the EU's next batch of Sentinels and Airbus's Pléiades Neo satellites which will take Earth images at 30cm resolution. Airbus says airborne reconnaissance could make use of the laser links, too.\n\nA third node, EDRS-D, should be launched over the Asia-Pacific region before 2025.\n\nEsa wants to see optical technology play a much bigger role in space communications.\n\nTelecoms satellites that rely solely on radio frequency transmissions are being left behind by the performance of terrestrial fibre networks.\n\nIn time, this is going to put significant constraints on applications that include TV broadcasting and the services carrying the messages of connected devices (the so-called Internet of Things).\n\nIt is why the space agency will propose to Europe's research ministers in November that they fund the R&D necessary to break the \"bottleneck in the sky\".\n\nEsa's High Throughput Optical Network (HyDRON) project envisages laser links, not just between satellites but between spacecraft and the ground.\n\nThis brings certain challenges, including the issue of how to manage light transmissions through a turbulent - and often cloudy - atmosphere.\n\nHowever, if the technologies can be mastered they should permit terabit-per-second connections.\n\n\"We have shown with EDRS that we have some leadership in Europe in these technologies, and one of the strategic lines we have defined for [the ministerial meeting] will be dedicated to optical uses so that we strengthen that leadership,\" the Esa telecoms director said.\n\nThe 3-tonne EDRS-C satellite also hosts a Ka-band radio frequency payload for the London-based Avanti telecommunications company.\n\nAvanti calls the payload Hylas-3 and will be using it to deliver broadband and other data services to markets in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.\n\nJonathan.Amos-INTERNET@bbc.co.uk and follow me on Twitter: @BBCAmos", "The European Space Agency (ESA) has successfully launched its newest satellite into orbit from Europe's Space Port in Kourou, French Guiana.\n\nIt is the second satellite launched to join a constellation that forms the European Data Relay System (EDRS), which enables users to observe the Earth almost in real-time, helping to accelerate response times in emergencies.\n\nIt will take up position above Europe's low-Earth orbiting observation satellites, enabling the overall constellation to maintain an almost constant connection. Previously, these low orbiting satellites could only transmit information when in direct line-of-sight with their ground stations, which could lead to delays of up to 90 minutes in the transfer of images.\n\nHowever, the new EDRS satellites can beam information back to Earth in almost real-time, which could prove pivotal during disaster recovery and extreme weather events.\n\nThe latest satellite was launched by the Ariane 5 heavy launcher rocket. The Ariane-generation spacecraft has long been the workhorse for Europe in the global space race, launching missions for over 30 years.\n\nThe ESA, which was created in 1975, has 22 Member States: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Slovenia is an Associate Member.\n\nThe organisation develops the launchers, spacecraft and ground facilities needed for Europe's participation in global space activities. It is working in particular with the EU on implementing the Galileo and Copernicus programmes as well as with Eumetsat for the development of meteorological missions.", "On Aug. 6, 2019, Arianespace used an Ariane 5 rocket to launch two new communications satellites into orbit on a rideshare mission: Intelsat 39 and the first European Data Relay Satellite, EDRS-C. See photos of the mission here!\n\nAn Ariane 5 rocket designated VA249 launches the Intelsat 39 and EDRS-C communications satellites into orbit on Aug. 6, 2019.\n\nA long-distance shot of the launch shows the Ariane 5 rocket leaving a trail of smoke as it takes to the skies.\n\nUp, up and away! The Ariane 5 rocket rides a pillar of flames and smoke into the sky after lifting off from the Guiana Space Center.\n\nThe Ariane 5 rocket completed a planned roll maneuver on its way to space. The roll began 17 seconds after liftoff and lasted 15 seconds.\n\nAfter the Ariane 5 rocket's two side boosters separated, they could be seen falling to Earth while the rocket's upper stage continued into orbit.\n\nThe payload fairing that provided a protective shell for the two satellites during the launch was jettisoned 2 minutes and 21 seconds after liftoff. Here, you can see the fairing falling back to Earth in a screenshot from Arianespace's webcast of the mission.\n\nThe Ariane 5 rocket rolls out to launch zone ELA-3 at the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana, on Aug. 5, 2019.\n\nThe EDRS-C satellite is loaded with propellant at the Guiana Spaceport's payload preparation facility.\n\nIn Ottobrunn, Germany, the European Space Agency's laser satellite EDRS-C undergoes final testing at Airbus Defence & Space before being shipped to the launch site in Kourou, French Guiana.\n\nIntelsat 39 undergoes testing at the Maxar Technologies manufacturing facility in Palo Alto, California, where it was built.\n\nEDRS-C, the second satellite to join the European Data Relay System (EDRS) constellation, is mated with its launch vehicle at the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana.\n\nThe spacecraft fairing containing Intelsat 39 is ready for installation atop the Ariane 5 rocket.", "If you would like to see more articles like this please support our coverage of the space program by becoming a Spaceflight Now Member . If everyone who enjoys our website helps fund it, we can expand and improve our coverage further.\n\nA German-built satellite designed to relay data between other orbiting spacecraft and ground stations using laser beams is set for launch in tandem with an Intelsat communications craft Tuesday from Kourou, French Guiana, aboard an Ariane 5 rocket.\n\nThe second node in the European Data Relay System, or EDRS, network is set for launch at 1930 GMT (3:30 p.m. EDT) Tuesday from the Guiana Space Center. The spacecraft, named EDRS C, will ride into orbit with the Intelsat 39 commercial communications satellite.\n\nEDRS C will join the EDRS A node in geostationary orbit more than 22,000 miles (nearly 36,000 kilometers) over the equator. EDRS A is a hosted laser relay package on the commercial Eutelsat 9B communications satellite, which launched in 2016.\n\nThe EDRS network relays data and imagery from satellites in lower orbits, including the European Sentinel Earth observation fleet.\n\nThe EDRS system is similar to NASA’s Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, or TDRS, network, which began operations in the 1980s to close communications coverage gaps for spacecraft passing between ground stations. But unlike the U.S. system, the European data relay satellites carry laser communications links to enable super-fast transfers of information and imagery.\n\nThe EDRS network can transmit up to 40 terabytes of data per day, at a rate of 1.8 gigabits per second.\n\nThe European Commission’s Sentinel 1A, 1B, 2A and 2B Earth-imaging satellites are the anchor users of the European data relay system, which was developed in a public-private partnership between the European Space Agency and Airbus.\n\nA new European laser terminal will launch to the International Space Station on a SpaceX resupply ship next year to be attached outside the station’s Columbus module. The arrival of the laser system will enable the EDRS network to connect with the space station, opening the door for faster data links for experiments hosted on the orbiting research complex.\n\nAirbus owns and operates the EDRS nodes in orbit, and sells access to the network — which it calls the “SpaceDataHighway” — on the commercial market. The EDRS control center is located in Ottobrunn, Germany.\n\n“ESA is investing a chunk of money, and Airbus is putting some money on the table as well,” said Michael Witting, ESA’s EDRS project manager. “The logic behind it is ESA has covered most of the technical risks in the development phase, and Airbus has invested money, and they, in a sense, cover the market risk.”\n\nAirbus’s four high-resolution Pléiades Neo optical reconnaissance satellites — the first two of which could launch in 2020 — will also link up with the EDRS network to transmit Earth imagery to the ground at high data rates.\n\nThe Eutelsat 9B satellite hosting the EDRS A payload is parked at 9 degrees east longitude in geostationary orbit, and EDRS C is heading for a position at 31 degrees east.\n\nEDRS also hosts a commercial Ka-band communications package for the British company Avanti, which calls its payload Hylas 3.\n\nAirbus announced earlier this year a cooperation agreement the SKY Perfect JSAT, a Japanese communications satellite operator, to co-finance design and development studies for a third EDRS node over the Asia-Pacific for launch before 2025.\n\nThe 7,023-pound (3,186-kilogram) EDRS C spacecraft was built by OHB in Bremen, Germany. The 14,550-pound (6.6-metric ton) Intelsat 39 communications satellite will join EDRS for the ride into space Tuesday.\n\nAn Ariane 5 rocket, operated by the French company Arianespace, will lift the two satellites into a highly elliptical, equatorial geostationary transfer orbit stretching 22,236 miles (35,786 kilometers) above Earth about a half-hour after liftoff.\n\nThe launch window for the Ariane 5 rocket extends until 2151 GMT (5:51 p.m. EDT) Tuesday.\n\nArianespace delayed the Ariane 5 mission from July 24 to clear the launcher of any faults related to the failure of a European Vega rocket July 10. The Vega rocket is a light-class launch vehicle — much smaller than the Ariane 5 — but the Avio, the Vega’s prime contractor in Italy, also supplies components for the Ariane 5’s two solid rocket boosters.\n\nDuring a launch readiness review Friday, Arianespace officials approved the mission for launch Tuesday. The Ariane 5 rolled out of its final assembly building Monday at the spaceport in South America for the 1.7-mile (2.7-kilometer) trip to the ELA-3 launch zone along dual rail tracks.\n\nCountdown preps began early Tuesday, and Arianespace teams will oversee the loading of super-cold liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen into the two-stage Ariane 5 in the final hours before liftoff.\n\nThe mission launching Tuesday will mark the 105th flight of an Ariane 5 rocket since 1996, and the third Ariane 5 flight this year.\n\nThe Ariane 5 launcher will deploy the Intelsat 39 spacecraft, which is riding in the upper position inside the rocket’s fairing, at Plus+29 minutes, 9 seconds. After jettisoning a Sylda dual-payload adapter, the Ariane 5’s upper stage will release the EDRS C satellite at Plus+33 minutes, 31 seconds.\n\nThe two payloads will use their own engines to maneuver from the Ariane 5’s elliptical drop-off orbit into a circular geostationary orbit, where their movement around Earth will match the rate of the planet’s rotation.\n\nBuilt by Maxar Technologies, Intelsat 39 will park itself over the equator at 62 degrees east longitude to begin a 15-year mission providing C-band and Ku-band services across Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Europe.\n\nIntelsat 39 will replace the aging Intelsat 902 satellite at the 62 degrees east orbital location. Intelsat 902 launched on top of an Ariane 4 rocket from French Guiana in 2001.\n\nOfficials said Intelsat 39 will provide video and broadband services from its perch high above the equator. The new Intelsat spacecraft will also provide connectivity for airplanes and ships traveling in the Indian Ocean region.\n\nMyanmar’s Ministry of Transport and Communications will be one of the main users of Intelsat 39’s capacity. Intelsat announced last year the the ministry signed a multi-year, multi-transponder agreement to use Intelsat 39 to provide broadband Internet services to government agencies, businesses and communities throughout Myanmar.", "The new European Data Relay System (EDRS) was launched into the atmosphere atop a rocket by the European Space Agency (ESA) from French Guiana on Tuesday.\n\nThe EDRS aims to create what has been called the \"Space Data Highway\" — a high-speed network that can transfer optical data from satellites to Earth in near-real-time.\n\nThis system was sent into the skies on an Ariane 5 rocket.\n\nIt is the most sophisticated laser communication network ever designed, said the ESA.", "This week’s Carnival of Space is hosted by Allen Versfeld at his Urban Astronomer blog.\n\nClick here to read Carnival of Space #623.\n\n\n\nAnd if you’re interested in looking back, here’s an archive to all the past Carnivals of Space. If you’ve got a space-related blog, you should really join the carnival. Just email an entry to [email protected], and the next host will link to it. It will help get awareness out there about your writing, help you meet others in the space community – and community is what blogging is all about. And if you really want to help out, sign up to be a host. Send an email to the above address.", "Satlite Space helps you to manage your space campaigns. You can easily broadcast your message to the world using Blockstream Satellite powered by Lightning payments. Follow @satnode on twitter to see all the messages broadcasted via Blockstream Satellite.", "KOUROU, FRENCH GUIANA — On Aug. 6, 2019 Arianespace’s third Ariane 5 ECA launch of 2019 lifted the VA249 mission off the pad located at Ariane Launch Complex Number 3 (ELA-3) in Kourou, French Guiana.\n\nCarrying Intelsat 39 and EDRS-C, the launch vehicle left the pad with its payload which weighed in at an estimated 23,503 lbs (10,661 kg.) at 4:30 p.m. local time (19:30 UTC).\n\nThe final countdown began earlier this morning at t-minus 11 hours and 23 minutes before the scheduled liftoff time.\n\nAt four hours and 38 minutes prior to liftoff, the cryogenic main stage (EPC) was given the go ahead to be loaded with liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen. This was followed by the same command given to the second stage (ESC-A) a little over an hour later.\n\nTen minutes after that, at t-minus three hours and 18 minutes before flight, the chill down of the Vulcain main engine began. The final “go” was given at t-minus seven minutes. This was then followed by the fuel tanks being pressurized to “flight levels” at four minutes to liftoff.\n\nThe vehicle switched to its own internal power just one minute prior to leaving Earth, with the onboard systems taking control of the count at just four seconds before launch.\n\nThe main engines of the EPC ignited at t-plus 1 second, this was followed by solid rocket booster ignition at t-plus 7.05 seconds. The vehicle took to the skies at t-plus 7.3 seconds, beginning its pitch motion about five seconds later. The vehicle’s roll program began at t-plus 17.05 seconds, with solid rocket booster (EAP) separation following at t-plus 2 minutes and 21 seconds.\n\nThe payload fairing was jettisoned at t-plus 3 minutes and 17 seconds, as the payload no longer needed protection from aerodynamic forces.\n\nMain engine cutoff occurred at 8 minutes and 42 seconds after liftoff, followed by stage separation six seconds later. The second stage ignited at 8 minutes and 52 seconds after launch and continued the burn for about 17 minutes, bringing the payload to orbital injection at t-plus 25 minutes and 34 seconds. The primary mission was capped off by Intelsat 39 separation being initiated at t-plus 29 minutes and 9 seconds, followed by EDRS-C deployment at t-plus 33 minutes and 31 seconds.\n\nThe Intelsat 39 satellite is currently set to replace Intelsat 902 currently on orbit. It was manufactured by Maxar of Palo Alto, California. The satellite is set to enable internet and mobile network service providers to provide faster and more reliable connectivity. The satellite will feature C-and Ku-band capabilities set to reach areas in the Middle East, Africa, Asia, the Indian Ocean, and Europe.\n\nEDRS-C provides the second edition to the SpaceDataHighway, or the first optic-fiber network orbiting the earth. The system is expected to transmit and transport a high volume of image data from earth-observation satellites. Created as a joint-partnership between the European Space Agency (ESA) and Airbus, the SpaceDataHighway will be positioned in a geostationary orbit, and will collect data by observation satellites and relay them back to Earth in a real-time fashion. EDRS-C is the 132nd satellite launched by Arianspace for Airbus.\n\nToday’s launch helped serve Arianespace as a morale-booster after the loss of the Falcon Eye-1 satellite which was lost as it was sent to orbit atop one of the company’s Vega rockets on July 10, 2019.\n\nHaving a life-long interest in crewed space flight, Desforges’ passion materialized on a family vacation in 1999 when he was able see the launch of Space Shuttle Discovery on STS-96. Since then, Desforges has been an enthusiast of space exploration efforts. He lived in Orlando, Florida for a year, during which time he had the opportunity to witness the flights of the historic CRS-4 and EFT-1 missions in person at Cape Canaveral. He earned his Private Pilot Certificate in 2017, holds a degree in Aviation Management, and currently works as an Operations Analyst in the aviation industry in Georgia.", "A Soviet N-1 rocket lifts off during one of four failed launch attempts between 1969 and 1972 to test the giant rocket, which was designed to eventually send two cosmonauts to the moon during the Space Race.\n\nThe space race was a series of competitive technology demonstrations between the United States and the Soviet Union, aiming to show superiority in spaceflight. It was an outgrowth of the mid-20th-century Cold War, a tense global conflict that pitted the ideologies of capitalism and communism against one another, according to an online exhibit from the .\n\nThe opening salvo of the space race was the launch of the Soviet satellite on Oct. 4, 1957. The U.S. government had already been planning to launch its own artificial satellite, and members of the public were shocked when they saw that the Soviet Union, which had been devastated during World War II, was able to achieve this milestone first, on the 60th anniversary of the launch.\n\nThe Soviets followed up with another triumph less than a month later with the launch of , which carried a dog named Laika. It wasn't until the next year, 1958, that the Americans had their first achievement in the space race, launching a satellite called Explorer 1. That same year, NASA was founded and publicly announced to send human passengers into space.\n\nStill, for much of the first half of the space race, the Soviet Union was considered to be ahead. Its engineers accomplished , including the first mission to leave Earth orbit, Luna 1; the first probe to reach the moon, Luna 2; and the first spacecraft to head toward Venus, Venera, which stopped responding a week after its launch.\n\nOn April 12, 1961, the Soviets obtained another spectacular victory with the successful flight of , the first person to fly in space. After returning to Earth, Gagarin was celebrated as an international hero. Gagarin beat the first American, , into space by less than a month. Shepard's flight took place on May 5, 1961.\n\nA major turning point in the space race occurred that same month, when U.S. President John F. Kennedy stood before legislators in Congress and announced that he had committed NASA to landing people on the moon before the end of the decade. A few months later, at Rice University in Texas, Kennedy delivered his famous \" \" where he said, \"We choose to go to the moon … in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard.\"\n\nOver the next few years, each side in the space race took several other firsts. The Americans achieved the first interplanetary flyby when Mariner 2 sped past Venus in 1962, followed by the first Mars flyby in 1965 with Mariner 4. The Soviets sent the first woman into space, Valentina Tereshkova, in 1963 (a feat that would take the U.S. 20 more years to achieve). Other nations launched their own rockets and satellites, including Canada in 1962, France in 1965, and Japan and China in 1970.\n\nBut these countries' successes were mere sideshows in what came to be the main event of the space race: NASA's . Following the achievements of the crewed Mercury and Gemini programs, NASA engineers embarked on a series of missions to place human footprints on the moon.\n\nThe program got off to a horrific start on Jan. 27, 1967, when all three astronauts in the capsule were killed during a launch rehearsal test that sparked a huge fire. But that catastrophic failure generated extensive redesigns of the spacecraft and a commitment to ensuring that the crew did not die in vain.\n\nJust over a year later, on Oct. 11, 1968, NASA launched its first Apollo astronauts into space aboard a Saturn I rocket for the 11-day Apollo 7 mission. This was followed two months later by Apollo 8, which sent a crew around the moon and back to Earth. Meanwhile, the Soviets were continuing to build up their spaceflight capabilities, but by the time of Apollo 8, had caused their moon program to lose momentum.\n\nIn 1969, NASA launched Apollo 9, which conducted critical tests of its lunar module in Earth orbit; and Apollo 10, which all but landed on the moon, bringing its crew within a few miles of the lunar surface. Then, on July 20, 1969, the space race reached its peak when and landed on the moon and walked on its surface during the .\n\nThough there were additional American and Soviet missions, after the successes of the Apollo program, the space race was widely believed to have been won by the U.S. Eventually, as the Cold War wound down, both sides agreed to cooperate in space and construct the beginning in 1998.\n\nSome observers, including U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, have declared that America is now in a new space race with up-and-coming global superpowers like China and India, as well as old rivals like Russia. But most space policy experts who have spoken to Space.com don't think that Pence's arguments hold much water.\n\n\"The Russians don't have a stated public interest in going to the moon with human spaceflight,\" Wendy Whitman Cobb, a political scientist at Cameron University in Oklahoma, . \"[The Chinese] have taken a purposefully slow, methodical approach to spaceflight and for them, I think the motivations are more in the military and national-prestige realms.\"\n\nThe world is much more complex today than it was during the Cold War, when two major superpowers vied for dominance. Now, private companies, such as Elon Musk's SpaceX and Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin, have joined in a new contest to show off their spaceflight capabilities, according to the BBC . While there are some competitive aspects, such as the potential for fights over , tomorrow's space races will involve a greater number of actors and more muddled win-lose scenarios than before.\n• Read more about the space race from Smithsonian Magazine.\n• Learn why the Soviet Union lost the space race , according to Forbes."], "summary": "The European Space Agency successfully launches the German Aerospace Center-operated EDRS-C laser communication satellite on a Ariane 5 from the Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana."}
{"document": ["A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Es'Hail-2 communications satellite launches into space from Pad 39A of NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida on Nov. 15, 2018. SpaceX will reuse this rocket's first stage for the Amos-17 mission on Aug. 6.\n\nToday (Aug. 6) is going to be a big day in space!\n\nAfter a Cygnus cargo spacecraft departs the International Space Station this afternoon, SpaceX and Arianespace will be launching a total of three new communications satellites into orbit. You can watch all three events live here at Space.com. \n\n\n\nFirst up: Cygnus undocking (12:15 p.m. ET)\n\nFirst, the Cygnus cargo ship will undock from the space station at 12:15 p.m. EDT (1615 GMT). NASA astronauts Nick Hague and Christina Koch will use the station's Canadarm2 robotic arm to release the vessel into the vacuum of space. NASA TV will provide live coverage of the send-off beginning 15 minutes prior to its departure.\n\nThe Cygnus arrived at the space station in April with 7,600 lbs. (3,447 kilograms) of supplies and experiments for the astronauts on board. Instead of heading straight toward Earth to burn up in the atmosphere, as departing cargo ships typically do, this Cygnus will stay in orbit for a few months to test a new cubesat-deploying contraption called \"SlingShot.\"\n\nAbove is a video of the last time a Cygnus spacecraft returned to Earth. \n\n\n\nNext, the European launch provider Arianespace will launch two communications satellites on an Ariane 5 rocket. It will lift off from the Guiana Space Center in Kourou, French Guiana at 3:30 p.m. EDT (1930 GMT). This will be the first launch for Arianespace since the company's Vega rocket experienced a launch failure in July.\n\nFor this mission, Arianespace is launching the Intelsat 39 telecommunications satellite, which will serve \"broadband networking, video and government customers across Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Indian Ocean region,\" according to Arianespace's description of the mission.\n\nThe second satellite, named EDRS-C, will be the second satellite of the \"SpaceDataHighway\" — also known as the European Data Relay System — and will provide high-speed laser communications between satellites in low Earth orbit and ground tracking stations down on Earth. It will enable near-real-time processing of images and data from various Earth-observing satellites.\n\nA live webcast of this launch will begin about 15 minutes prior to liftoff. You can watch it here on Space.com, courtesy of Arianespace, or directly via the company's YouTube.\n\nThis launch window is open until 5:51 p.m. EDT (2151 GMT). The Intelsat 29 satellite is expected to deploy 29 minutes after liftoff, and EDRS-C will follow just 4 minutes later. \n\n\n\nLast but not least, SpaceX will launch a Falcon 9 rocket with the Amos-17 satellite. Amos-17 is a communications satellite built by Boeing for Spacecom Ltd. of Israel, and it will provide broadband connectivity over Africa, Europe and the Middle East.\n\nThe Falcon 9 rocket will lift off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station during a 1-hour, 28-minute launch window that opens at 6:52 p.m. EDT (2252 GMT). The mission was delayed from last week after SpaceX discovered a valve issue with the Falcon 9.\n\nYou can watch the live webcast here on Space.com, courtesy of SpaceX, or directly via the company's YouTube.\n\n\n\nEmail Hanneke Weitering at hweitering@space.com or follow her @hannekescience. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.", "CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — SpaceX successfully launched its ninth space mission of the year today (Aug. 6), delivering an Israeli communications satellite into orbit.\n\nDespite typical summer storms in the area, the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Space Launch Complex 40 here at Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 7:23 p.m. EDT (2323 GMT), carrying skyward Amos-17, a communications satellite owned by the Israeli company Spacecom.\n\nThe California-based private spaceflight company originally aimed for a launch on Saturday (Aug. 3) but had to reevaluate its plans after preflight testing on Thursday (Aug. 1) indicated a valve issue on the Falcon 9. SpaceX opted to postpone the launch , replace the suspect valve and perform a second round of checks on the booster.\n\nRelated: Reusable Rocket Launch Systems: How They Work (Infographic)\n\nStatic-fire tests are a standard part of prelaunch testing that SpaceX conducts before each mission. During such tests, the rocket's first stage is held down and its engines are briefly fired to show that the booster's systems are working as expected prior to launch.\n\nThe Amos-17 mission is the first time a Falcon 9 rocket has flown a payload for Spacecom following the loss of its Amos-6 satellite on Sept. 1, 2016. On that day, SpaceX was in the process of conducting a prelaunch static-fire test when the rocket exploded. At the time, SpaceX performed its static-fire tests with the payload attached to the rocket, a practice the company has since stopped.\n\nSpacecom says that the Amos-17 satellite will provide C-band, Ku-band and Ka-band communications services over Africa, Europe and the Middle East. The satellite is designed to last 20 years and costs an estimated $250 million, which includes the spacecraft, launch services and insurance.\n\nThe first-stage booster used for this mission, dubbed 1047.3 (an internal identifier by SpaceX), is a veteran member of the Falcon 9 fleet, having flown twice before. First launched in July 2018, it carried the Telstar 19 Vantage satellite.Then, in November 2018, the booster helped loft Qatar's Es'hail 2 communications satellite into orbit.\n\nThe sooty, stripped-down Falcon 9 first stage launched this evening without its iconic grid fins and landing legs, for this time it would not be recovered.\n\nAfter pushing Amos-17 skyward, B1047.3 ended its service by splashing down in the Atlantic Ocean. The vehicle needed every drop of its fuel to ensure that the heavy Amos-17 satellite — weighing in at 14,330 lbs. (6,500 kilograms) when fully fueled — is able to reach the highest possible orbit. So, there was not enough fuel for the booster to land itself back at the Cape, or out at sea on a SpaceX drone ship.\n\nHowever, SpaceX is still perfecting another hallmark of its reusability efforts: recycling pieces of the payload fairing (also called the rocket's nose cone). The company dispatched its fleet of recovery vessels a few days prior to launch, ensuring that a net-equipped boat called GO Ms. Tree would be in position to (hopefully) catch another fairing as it parachuted back to Earth.\n\nPayload fairings are designed to protect satellites during launch. SpaceX fairings come in two halves, which are jettisoned once their rocket reaches space. Together, the two pieces cost about $6 million — a hefty chunk of the rocket's overall cost. (It currently costs a minimum of $90 million to book a Falcon Heavy launch and $62 million for SpaceX's workhorse Falcon 9 rocket.)\n\nWhen fairings fall back to Earth, they're typically reduced to scrap metal if they slam into the water or are exposed to briny seawater. SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk has repeatedly stressed the corrosive nature of salt water, explaining that the company wants to reduce costs by cutting down on the refurbishments that each fairing half goes through after landing in the ocean. And that's where GO Ms. Tree comes in.\n\nRelated: SpaceX's Fairing-Catching Boat in Photos\n\nIn June, during the company's latest Falcon Heavy launch , SpaceX pulled off its first midair catch, a long-sought rocket-reusability milestone.\n\nActing as a giant catcher's mitt, GO Ms. Tree (formerly known as Mr. Steven) caught the powerful rocket's falling payload fairing off the Florida coast on June 25. This was a first for the speedy boat, which had come close on multiple occasions but had never managed to seal the deal.\n\nSpaceX already reuses its first-stage rocket boosters, but it wants to expand its recycling efforts to include the fairings, further reducing launch costs. To that end, the California-based aerospace company equips both fairing halves with parachutes and small steering thrusters, to navigate themselves back to Earth and into GO Ms. Tree's net.\n\nSpaceX has spent nearly two years testing the net-ship technique during select launches as well as performing numerous drop tests. GO Ms. Tree went through many design changes, including three different sets of arms and four nets, before the winning combination was found.\n\nAnd that work paid off again today: About an hour after liftoff, Musk announced via Twitter that GO Ms. Tree succeeded in snagging a falling fairing half.\n\nFairing caught, video posting soonAugust 7, 2019\n\nAt an adjacent launch pad, just 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers) away, a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket awaits its own scheduled liftoff on Thursday (Aug. 8).\n\nThe Atlas V is equipped with five strap-on solid rocket motors designed to help lift the massive payload on board — the fifth Advanced Extremely High Frequency communications satellite (AEHF-5). Built by Lockheed Martin, the communications satellite will be used by the U.S. military and other government agencies for secure voice, video and data communications.\n\nBefore the Falcon 9 could get Amos-17 off the ground today, SpaceX needed approval from the Air Force's Eastern Range.\n\nDuring a media teleconference on Monday (Aug. 5) for the upcoming AEHF mission, Air Force officials discussed the Cape's two planned launches this week.\n\nAir Force officials signed off on a plan to launch the Falcon 9 and Atlas V rockets 35 hours apart. The rapid-fire launch schedule began when the Falcon 9 took to the skies and will end early Thursday morning with the Atlas V's planned 5:44 a.m. EDT (0944 GMT) liftoff.\n\nWith more and more launch providers flocking to set up shop at the Cape, the Air Force has been streamlining its processes and updating infrastructure to be in a better position to support more launches with less downtime in between.\n\nRelated: Elon Musk Says SpaceX Will Reuse a Rocket Within 24 Hours in 2019\n\nOne key feature that helps enable faster turnaround times is the advent of an autonomous self-destruct mechanism on rockets, which cuts the workload for each launch.\n\nThe onboard safety system cuts out the need for military officers to manually send signals to self-destruct errant boosters in case of an emergency and instead relies on onboard computers. The switch will also save millions of dollars in infrastructure costs as old, outdated systems are updated.\n\n(Range safety teams now use GPS data instead of relying on ground-based radar systems.)\n\nWith companies like SpaceX aiming to launch multiple times in a 24-hour period , the Air Force is also working to ensure that it can support multiple launches on the same day.\n\n\"We would like to get to the point where we could launch [multiple vehicles] in 24 hours,\" officials said.\n\nUltimately, meeting this goal will still depend on which launch complexes the vehicles were launched from and what range resources were needed. But Air Force officials expressed optimism that same-day launches are on the horizon.\n\nEditor's note: This story was updated at 8:25 p.m. EDT with news of the successful payload-fairing catch by GO Ms. Tree.", "SpaceX is preparing for a major satellite launch set to take place this week: The space transportation company is now targeting Aug. 6 to send Amos-17, an Israeli communications satellite, to space from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.\n\nOn Tuesday, SpaceX aims to launch Amos-17 from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in the evening, Space.com reported. The launch window will be open from 6:52 p.m. EDT to 8:20 p.m. EDT and it depends on launch range availability, SpaceX said in a tweet.\n\nOwned by Israeli company Spacecom, Amos-17 will provide satellite communication services to Africa, according to the Amos-17 satellite mission webpage. It will operate from 17 degrees east and will expand the company’s coverage of growing satellite service markets in Europe, the Middle East, and other global areas.\n\nThe first stage booster that will be used for the mission, 1047.3, is a veteran Falcon 9 rocket that has flown twice before, first in July 2018 when it carried the Telstar 19 Vantage satellite, then in November 2018, it sent Qatar’s Es’hail 2 communications satellite into orbit.\n\nThe 1047.3 rocket will not be recovered once it takes Amos-17 to space, since it needs to conserve its fuel supplies to make sure that Amos-17, which clocks in at 14,330 pounds, reaches the highest possible orbit, so there won’t be enough fuel to land itself out at sea on SpaceX’s drone ship or back at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Due to these arrangements, the Falcon 9 doesn’t have its grid fins and landing legs, and will conclude its service by landing in the ocean.\n\nTuesday’s launch will be the first time a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will ferry a Spacecom payload after the Amos-6 satellite was lost in fall 2016. Liftoff for the Amos-17 communications satellite might be tough though, since it will need permission from the Air Force’s Eastern Range and one of United Launch Alliance’s rockets, the Atlas V rocket, is also scheduled to liftoff on Aug. 8 next to the Cape Canaveral launch site.", "SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from its Florida launch pad. (SpaceX via YouTube)\n\nSpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket launched a Boeing-built, Israeli telecommunications satellite called Amos-17 into geosynchronous transfer orbit today, adding to what’s shaping up as a largesse of liftoffs.\n\nThe launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida came at 7:23 p.m. ET (4:23 p.m. PT), toward the end of an 88-minute launch opportunity that was marked by weather concerns. This was a makeup launch for Spacecom, the Israeli satellite operator that lost its Amos-6 spacecraft when a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket exploded on the launch pad in 2016.\n\nAmos-17 is designed to provide enhanced voice, video and data services to customers in Africa and parts of Europe, the Middle East, India and China.\n\nThe satellite headed for high Earth orbit, with a correspondingly high fuel requirement. That meant there wasn’t enough fuel left over to try bringing the first-stage booster back for a controlled recovery, as has become routine for SpaceX Falcon 9 missions. The booster had a good run: It was used previously for the Telstar 19 Vantage mission ln July 2018 and the Es’hail-2 mission in November 2018.\n\nAbout half an hour after launch, SpaceX confirmed that Amos-17 was successfully deployed. “A great day for Falcon 9 and the Amos-17 customer,” launch commentator John Insprucker said.\n\nAlthough the booster was a write-off, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk reported that a section of the Falcon 9’s nose cone, or fairing, floated down on the end of a parachute and was caught in a net hooked up over a boat stationed in the Atlantic Ocean. The video clip accompanying Musk’s tweet looked like something from a science-fiction movie:\n\nSpaceX says that recovering the Falcon 9’s fairing intact should raise the rocket’s reusability quotient and potentially reduce launch costs by millions of dollars.\n\nToday’s SpaceX launch came just a few hours after Europe’s Arianespace consortium launched two satellites into different geostationary orbits from its spaceport in the South American country of French Guiana, using its heavy-lift Ariane 5 rocket.\n\nIntelsat 39 will provide upgraded communication services to customers across Africa, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. The second satellite, EDRS-C, is part of an effort led by the European Space Agency and Airbus to facilitate high-speed laser communications between orbiting satellites and ground stations.\n\nOn Thursday, United Launch Alliance is due to send an advanced communications satellite into geostationary orbit for the Air Force aboard an Atlas 5 rocket.\n\nThe latest Advanced Extremely High-Frequency satellite, AEHF-5, is set for liftoff from Cape Canaveral’s Launch Complex 41 – not far from Launch Complex 40, the pad that SpaceX used today. If today’s Amos-17 launch had been delayed, SpaceX would have had to stand down to let United Launch Alliance take its turn.\n\nBuilt by Lockheed Martin, the satellites of the AEHF constellation are designed to provide secure, jam-resistant, nuclear-survivable satellite communications for military assets on land, sea and in the air. Communication services are provided to the U.S. military and partners in Australia, Britain, Canada and the Netherlands.\n\nThe Atlas 5’s Centaur upper stage will also deploy a small Air Force satellite to test orbital debris tracking technologies.\n• SpaceX launches its Falcon Heavy rocket for first time, putting a sports car (and Starman) in space", "WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 07th August, 2019) US carrier rocket Falcon 9 loaded with Israeli AMOS-17 communication satellite successfully lifted off from a space center in Florida, spacecraft manufacturer SpaceX said on Wednesday.\n\n\"Falcon 9 launches AMOS-17 off Pad 40 in Florida, marking this booster's third flight and SpaceX's 25th reflight of an orbit class rocket,\" the company said on Twitter.\n\nThe rocket was launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 23:24 GMT on Tuesday.\n\nAmos-17 is set to replace Amos-5 satellite launched in 2011. Communication with Amos-5 was lost in 2015. Amos-17, built by Boeing, will provide Ka, Ku and C-band signal transmission and expand Israeli communications satellite operator Spacecom's coverage in Africa, the middle East and Europe.", "CAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA (REUTERS) - SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket carrying Spacecom's AMOS-17 communications satellite at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Tuesday (Aug 6).\n\nThe mission comes nearly three years after a launch pad explosion destroyed a different Israeli communications satellite (Spacecom's AMOS-6) in September 2016, Business Insider reported.\n\nThe satellite will provide increased connectivity across Africa by supporting a \"growth in a variety of broadcast, broadband, mobility, and data services,\" according to a press release.", "Israeli communications manufacturer Spacecom's latest satellite will take the ride into orbit for free Tuesday night if it launches on time on a SpaceX rocket as planned.\n\nThe rare free of charge trip is perhaps the bookend to a chapter that opened in 2016, when an issue with a Falcon 9 rocket caused an explosion during a static fire test at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. That payload, Spacecom's $200 million Amos-6 satellite, was lost.\n\nThis week's planned launch will be SpaceX's first ferrying a Spacecom payload _ satellite Amos-17, this time _ since the 2016 accident. To prepare for it, the company conducted a successful static first test last week and then opted to perform a second one on Saturday after it replaced a suspect valve.\n\nWith both complete, the new launch date is now Tuesday from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station's launch complex 40. The launch window runs from 6:53 p.m. to 8:21 p.m.\n\nThe launch will be an opportunity for SpaceX to showcase how much the company has grown in the past three years. Then, the explosion was caused by a problem with a pressure vessel, known as a COPV, in the second-stage liquid oxygen tank, SpaceX found.\n\nThe company has since developed a new COPV design, which has been flying since the end of last year, and has had 45 consecutive successful mission since returning to flight after the explosion.\n\nThe lost satellite, Amos-6, was going to lease some of its capabilities to Facebook to provide Internet connectivity to developing areas, said Spacecom CEO David Pollack, who recalled at a press conference last week the response from Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg at the time of the accident.\n\n\"When the satellite was destroyed, Mark Zuckerberg was in Kenya and he (told) his followers that his satellite was destroyed,\" Pollack said. \"I'm very glad a big customer like this relates to that satellite as his satellite because they had great plans for that satellite _ we had big plans for that satellite.\"\n\nPollack called the explosion a \"significant setback\" for the company. So why return to SpaceX after the bad memories?\n\n\"The decision to go back to SpaceX is like a decision from scratch,\" Pollack said, pointing to SpaceX's successes since the accident. \"They do a very good job.\"\n\nFor this mission, SpaceX will launch in expendable mode without landing legs to focus on lifting the 14,330-pound, Boeing-built Amos-17 satellite, which will bring Internet connectivity to parts of Europe, Africa and the Middle East.\n\nWithout landing legs, SpaceX won't be attempting a landing of its booster as it typically does.\n\nThe weather is currently 40% \"go\" for launch, according to the Air Force's 45th Weather Squadron, due to the threat of thunderstorms in the region. If the launch doesn't go off Tuesday, SpaceX may have to wait some time.\n\nThe range will then have to reassess whether it has the resources to turn two launches around in 24 hours because, just down the way, pad 41 is also gearing up to launch Thursday with an Air Force military satellite.\n\n\"We would like to get to the point where we could launch within 24 hours. And so we're working toward that, to be able to do that in future endeavors,\" said the 45th Space Wing's Brig. Gen. Douglas Schiess. \"It would be very dependent upon which ... space launch complexes those were at, what range sources resources they needed.\"\n\nPHOTO (for help with images, contact 312-222-4194):", "An Israeli communications satellite has been successfully launched from Florida, Spacecom, the company that operates the satellite, said on Wednesday.\n\nA SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted the satellite, Amos-17, into space on Wednesday from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, Spacecom said in a statement.\n\nAmos-17 was deployed some 33 minutes after liftoff, Sapcecom said.\n\nIt maintains constant contact with the ground station and started its three-week journey towards its designated orbit in space.\n\nUpon arrival, a series of three-month-long checks would begin before the satellite could become operational.\n\nThe 250-million dollars satellite is expected to provide communications services to Africa, the Middle East, and Europe through the next 15 years.\n\n“It strengthens Israel’s international position in the field of communications satellites,” he wrote on Facebook.\n\nThe launch came amidst weather concerns over a lightning storm and heavy clouds.\n\nIn 2016, Spacecom lost Amos-6 after a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket exploded on the launchpad.", "\n• A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is set to launch an AMOS-17 communications satellite at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Tuesday evening local time.\n• The mission comes three years after a launchpad explosion destroyed a different Israeli communications satellite.\n• SpaceX will livestream the launch. The broadcast is set to begin 15 minutes before liftoff. The satellite will be deployed approximately 31 minutes later.\n\nSpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket carrying Spacecom’s AMOS-17 communications satellite at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Tuesday. The mission comes nearly three years after a launch pad explosion destroyed a different Israeli communications satellite (Spacecom’s AMOS-6) in September 2016.\n\nThe satellite from Tuesday’s launch, which happened at 7:23 p.m. EDT, will provide increased connectivity across Africa by supporting a “growth in a variety of broadcast, broadband, mobility, and data services,” according to a press release.\n\nThe satellite will be deployed approximately 31 minutes later.\n\n“AMOS-17 will operate in the C, Ku and Ka bands with a digital channelizer to provide fixed high throughput (HTS) C-band coverage to Africa, steerable HTS Ka-band coverage to anywhere from China to Brazil, and extensive Ku-band coverage throughout Africa with additional coverage in Europe, the Middle East, China, and India,” SpaceX said in the press release.\n\nRead more: A rocket SpaceX was testing exploded on a launch pad in Florida\n\nNo injuries were reported in the 2016 blast, but it did result in “the loss of the vehicle and its payload,” the SpaceX CEO Elon Musk tweeted shortly after the incident.\n\nFor this launch, SpaceX will not be trying to land or collect its boosters after the launch, CBS News reported.\n\nSpaceX will livestream the launch. The broadcast is set to begin 15 minutes before liftoff.\n\nThe mission timeline, provided by the press kit with approximated times, goes as follows:\n• 00:01:04- Max Q (moment of peak mechanical stress on the rocket)", "SpaceX, or Space Exploration Technologies Corp., is set to launch Israeli communication satellite Amos-17 into orbit from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on Tuesday evening, after a suspected engine fault delayed its take-off, news agencies reported.\n\nCommunication company Spacecom, the Ramat Gan-based operator of the Amos (Affordable Modular Optimized Satellite) series, said on Monday that if final authorization is received, the launch will take place late Tuesday.\n\nThe satellite launch had been scheduled for Sunday, but was postponed after a suspect valve was identified in one of the SpaceX Falcon 9 launch vehicle’s engines.\n\n“As notified by launch company SpaceX, after an additional test of the launch site was successfully executed, the launch of the Amos-17 satellite has been scheduled for the early morning [Israel time] of August 7, 2019, subject to final approval from launch site authorities,” the company told the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange.\n\nOnce operational, Spacecom claims that Amos-17 will be the most advanced high-throughput satellite to provide communication services to sub-Saharan Africa. The satellite also offers service to growing satellite service markets in the Middle East and Europe.\n\n The reusable Falcon 9 launch vehicle, designed and manufactured by Elon Musk’s SpaceX, is a two-stage rocket for the transport of satellites and other commercial payloads into orbit."], "summary": "SpaceX successfully launches Israeli communications satellite Amos-17 on a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The launch was provided by SpaceX for free following the destruction of Spacecom's Amos-6 satellite in 2016."}
{"document": ["Kabul (CNN) Fourteen people were killed and 145 injured by a Taliban suicide attack in Afghanistan on Wednesday, a spokesman for the country's ministry of interior told CNN.\n\nAround 9 a.m. local time, an explosive-laden vehicle targeted the gate of the district 6 police headquarters in Kabul, Nasrat Rahimi said.\n\nThe Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack in a media message from spokesman Zabiullah Mojahid.\n\nAn explosive-laden vehicle targeted the gate of the district 6 police headquarters in Kabul.\n\nAccording to Fawad Aman, deputy spokesman for the ministry of defense, three suicide attackers detonated an improvised explosive device at the gate of the headquarters.\n\nRead More", "Afghan officials: 14 killed, 145 wounded in Taliban suicide car bombing at police station in Kabul earlier in the day\n\nKABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Afghan officials: 14 killed, 145 wounded in Taliban suicide car bombing at police station in Kabul earlier in the day.", "A car bomb exploded outside a police station in Kabul on Wednesday morning, killing at least 14 people and wounding more than 140. Taliban insurgents claimed responsibility for the attack.\n\nThe explosion occurred after the U.S. and Taliban reported progress in peace talks in Qatar earlier this week, and was the latest in a series of explosions and suicide attacks in Afghanistan.\n\n“Again a Taliban suicide attack in Kabul targets a civilian area that resulted in harming of so many innocents,” Sediq Sediqqi, a spokesman for Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, tweeted.\n\n“Indiscriminate attacks and intentional Injury to civilians are never warranted. We condemn the attack today in Kabul for which the Taliban claimed responsibility,” U.S. Special Representative Zalmay Khalilzad said in a tweet. “The focus should be on immediately reducing violence as we move closer to intra-Afghan negotiations that will produce a political roadmap and a permanent ceasefire.”\n\nThe United Nations reported that July was Afghanistan’s deadliest month since 2017, with more than 1,500 civilians killed and injured. Wednesday’s attack has exacerbated fears for security around presidential elections scheduled for next month. Last month, vice presidential candidate Amrullah Saleh survived a suicide attack in Kabul.\n\nOn Tuesday, the Taliban threatened to disrupt the Sept. 28 elections, which it claims have “no legitimacy.”\n\nThe United Nations expressed “deep concern” over the Taliban threat. “All citizens — whether voters, candidates or election-related staff — have the right to be free from fear, intimidation and violence at all stages of an elections process,” it said in a statement.", "KABUL — At least 14 people have been killed and 145 wounded after a Taliban suicide car bomber detonated his vehicle outside a police station in Kabul, according to the Afghan Public Health Ministry.\n\nWomen and children were among the victims of the attack that occurred at around 9 a.m. local time on August 7, Interior Ministry spokesman Nusrat Rahimi said.\n\nDeputy Interior Minister Khoshal Sadat told reporters that 92 of the wounded were civilians. Four police officers were among those killed, Sadat said.\n\nThe Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, which comes amid peace talks between the United States and the Taliban aimed at bringing the nearly 18-year war in Afghanistan to an end.\n\nSediq Sediqqi, a spokesman for President Ashraf Ghani, told a news conference that continued Taliban attacks showed that the militant group has “no commitment to peace.”\n\nThe bombing targeted the police District 6 headquarters in Golaee Dawa Khana, a minority Shi’ite neighborhood in western Kabul. A military training school is situated in the same neighborhood.\n\nEyewitnesses said gunfire could be heard after the explosion that occurred as many Kabul residents were busy preparing for the Muslim holiday Eid al-Adha, which begins on August 11.\n\nTaliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid tweeted that the bombing was a response to “crimes” committed by government forces.\n\nMujahid also said that “positive progress” was being made in the peace talks with U.S. negotiators.\n\nU.S. peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, who has cited “excellent progress” in the negotiations, tweeted, “Indiscriminate attacks and intentional Injury to civilians are never warranted.”\n\n“The focus should be on immediately reducing violence as we move closer to intra-Afghan negotiations that will produce a political roadmap and a permanent ceasefire,” Khalilzad wrote in a separate tweet.\n\nKhalilzad has voiced hope that a final agreement could be reached by September 1. But the Taliban continue to refuse to talk to the Kabul government, dismissing it as a U.S. puppet.\n\nThe August 7 attack was the 16th to target Kabul this year. At least 113 people have been killed and 732 others have been injured in the attacks.\n\nAlso on August 7, a bomb wounded at least eight civilians, including women and children, in the western city of Herat, according to Abdul Ahid Walizada, the provincial police chief’s spokesman.\n\nWith reporting by Reuters, AP, AFP, dpa, and Tolo News\n\nCopyright (c) 2019. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave NW, Ste 400, Washington DC 20036.\n• US policies in Afghanistan bear no fruit: Analyst", "At least 14 people dead, 145 others wounded in explosion near entrance of police station\n\nThe toll from a Taliban suicide attack in Kabul on Wednesday rose to at least 14 dead and 145 wounded, an Afghan official said.\n\n“Fourteen were martyred, 145 injured in today’s explosion,” deputy interior minister General Khoshal Sadat told reporters, hours after a huge blast shook the Afghan capital.\n\nViolence is surging across Afghanistan and in Kabul as the United States and the Taliban negotiate a peace deal ahead of elections planned for Sept. 28.\n\nThe car bomb exploded near the entrance of a police station in western Kabul around 9:00 a.m., interior ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi said.\n\nEarlier, health ministry spokesman Wahidullah Mayar had said at least 95 people, mostly civilians including women and children, had been taken to hospital. “I heard a big bang and all the windows of my shop broke with glass flying everywhere,” said shopkeeper Ahmad Saleh. “My head is spinning and still I don’t know what has happened but the windows of about 20 shops around one kilometer from the blast site are broken.”\n\nThe Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.\n\nAccording to footage on social media and witnesses, small-arms fire could be heard following the blast. A common insurgent tactic is to use a suicide bomber to hit a target and then follow up with gunmen storming the area.\n\nMore than 1,500 civilians were killed or wounded in the Afghan conflict in July alone, according to the United Nations, the highest monthly toll so far this year and the worst single month since May 2017.\n\nThe Taliban warned Afghans on Tuesday to keep away from election rallies and ordered its fighters to “stand against” the vote planned for Sept. 28. Previous elections have been rocked by frequent attacks by the Taliban and other insurgent groups trying to undermine Afghanistan’s fragile democracy.\n\nOvernight Tuesday-Wednesday, Afghan commandos stormed a safe house for Islamic State fighters near Kabul’s airport, officials said. Details of that operation were still emerging.\n\nSeparately, in Baghlan province in northern Afghanistan, authorities said they stopped an attack on a security forces convoy. According to an Afghan army statement, three attackers were driving in an explosives-packed Humvee toward the convoy, but Afghan troops spotted them and destroyed the vehicle with a rocket-propelled grenade. Three attackers were killed, it added.\n\nAt least five people were killed and seven wounded in Kabul on Tuesday when a vehicle carrying workers from the counter-narcotics directorate was bombed, the interior ministry said.\n\nThe U.S. and the Taliban met in Doha this week for an eighth round of talks aimed at striking a peace deal that would slash the American military presence in Afghanistan. Despite the bloodshed sweeping the nation, both sides have cited “excellent progress.”", "KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A suicide car bomber targeted the police headquarters in a minority Shiite neighborhood in western Kabul on Wednesday, setting off a huge explosion that wounded dozens of people, Afghan officials said. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the bombing.\n\nThere was no immediate confirmation of any deaths in the attack, the second in the Afghan capital in as many days.\n\nThe car bomber detonated at a security checkpoint outside the police headquarters, police spokesman Firdaus Faramarz told The Associated Press. A military training school is located nearby. The Taliban said they had targeted a recruitment center for security forces.\n\nPublic health ministry spokesman Wahidullah Mayar said the wounded, including women and children, were taken to local hospitals.\n\nLocal media showed a large plume of smoke rising above that part of Kabul, which is home to many of the minority Hazara community. The facade of one multi-story building had been ripped away. Shopkeepers were sweeping up broken glass.\n\n“I was having breakfast in a restaurant when the explosion happened,” said Mohmmad Qasem. As windows shattered, he and others rushed into the busy street.\n\nThe police headquarters has been targeted in the past, including an attack in 2017 that left more than 20 dead.\n\nChief Executive Abdullah Abdullah condemned the attack, saying in a Twitter post that “the terrorists aim to disrupt the presidential election campaign.”\n\nAfghanistan’s presidential election, already delayed over security and organizational concerns, is set for Sept. 28. The Taliban on Tuesday issued a threat warning Afghans to boycott the polls and avoid campaign rallies which “could become potential targets.”\n\nThe Taliban, who have been staging near-daily attacks across the country, usually target Afghan forces and government officials or those seen as loyal to the government. On Tuesday, a bomb targeting a van carrying employees of the Interior Ministry’s counter-narcotics division killed five people and wounded seven in Kabul.\n\nThe Islamic State group’s affiliate in Afghanistan, which has also been behind several large-scale attacks in Kabul, frequently targets minority Shiites.\n\nWednesday’s attack comes against the backdrop of another round of talks this week between the Taliban and the U.S. in the Gulf Arab state of Qatar, where the insurgents maintain an office.\n\nZalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. envoy tasked with finding a peaceful resolution to the nearly 18-year war — America’s longest conflict — this week reported “excellent progress” at the Qatar talks. A Taliban official on Tuesday said differences had been resolved over the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan and guarantees from the insurgents that they will cut ties with other extremist groups.\n\nBut the Taliban have continued to sideline the Kabul government, dismissing it as a U.S. puppet and refusing to negotiate with it.\n\nThe Taliban now control roughly half of Afghanistan and are at their strongest since 2001, when the U.S.-led invasion toppled their government after it harbored al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden.\n\nKhalilzad has said he is hoping for a final agreement by Sept. 1 that would allow the roughly 20,000 U.S. and NATO forces to leave the country.\n\nAlso on Wednesday, Interior Ministry spokesman Nusrat Rahimi said an hours-long clearance operation by Afghan forces against insurgents in eastern Kabul had found several weapons caches.\n\nAnd in northern Baghlan province, security forces foiled an attack by insurgents, said Jawed Basharat, spokesman for the provincial police chief. He said a suicide bomber in a Humvee tried to attack an Afghan base but was killed. No security forces were killed, Basharat said.\n\nAssociated Press writer Cara Anna in Kabul, Afghanistan, contributed to this report.", "Afghan security forces stand guard near the site of a deadly explosion in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2019.A magnetic bomb was placed on a van carrying employees of the Interior Ministry’s counter-narcotics division. The blast killed five people and wounded another seven, Interior Ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi said. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)\n\nKABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — A Taliban suicide car bomber targeted a police station in the Afghan capital on Wednesday, killing 14 people and wounding 145, most of them civilians, officials said in one of the worst attacks in Kabul this year.\n\nThe shattering morning blast rocked much of the city, just a day after a U.S. envoy and the Taliban reported progress in their talks on negotiating an end to the nearly 18-year war in Afghanistan. Many Afghans worry what will happen once the estimated 20,000 U.S. and NATO troops in the country return home.\n\nThe Taliban bomber detonated his explosives-packed car at a security checkpoint outside the police headquarters in a minority Shiite neighborhood in western Kabul, police spokesman Firdaus Faramarz said. A military training school is located nearby.\n\nThe Taliban said they had targeted a recruitment center for security forces.\n\nOf the wounded, 92 were civilians, Deputy Interior Minister Khoshal Sadat told reporters. Four police officers were among those killed, he said.\n\nThe attack took place as many Kabul residents were busy preparing for the Muslim holiday Eid al-Adha, which begins on Sunday. A large plume of smoke rose during morning rush hour. Some nearby buildings were left in rubble. Shopkeepers later swept up broken glass.\n\n“I was having breakfast in a restaurant when the explosion happened,” said Mohmmad Qasem. As windows shattered, he and others rushed into the busy street.\n\nEven as the U.S.-Taliban peace talks continue and the Taliban say they will do more to protect civilians, a growing number of civilians are being killed in Afghanistan. July saw the highest number of civilian casualties in a single month since 2017, with more than 1,500 killed or wounded as insurgent attacks spiked, the United Nations said earlier this month.\n\nChief Executive Abdullah Abdullah condemned Wednesday’s attack, saying in a Twitter post that “the terrorists aim to disrupt the presidential election campaign.”\n\nAfghanistan’s presidential election, already delayed over security and organizational concerns, is set for Sept. 28. The Taliban on Tuesday issued a threat warning Afghans to boycott the polls and avoid campaign rallies which “could become potential targets.”\n\nAny attack by the Taliban is a barrier to the peace process, presidential spokesman Sediq Seddiqi told reporters.\n\n“The Taliban cannot pose any threat to our government, and the Afghan security forces are strong and can protect the Afghan population,” he said.\n\nThe Taliban have been staging near-daily attacks against Afghan forces across the country, saying the war will continue as long as U.S. and NATO forces are still in Afghanistan.\n\nThe Taliban now control roughly half of Afghanistan and are at their strongest since 2001, when the U.S.-led invasion toppled their government after it harbored al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden.\n\nWednesday’s attack comes against the backdrop of another round of U.S.-Taliban talks this week in the Gulf Arab state of Qatar, where the insurgents maintain an office.\n\nZalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. envoy tasked with finding a peaceful resolution to America’s longest conflict, this week reported “excellent progress” at the talks. A Taliban official said differences had been resolved over the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan and Taliban guarantees that they will cut ties with other extremist groups.\n\nKhalilzad has said he is hoping for a final agreement by Sept. 1. But the Taliban have continued to sideline the Kabul government, dismissing it as a U.S. puppet and refusing to negotiate with it.\n\nAfghan President Ashraf Ghani’s government says attacks such as Wednesday’s apparently are meant to strengthen the Taliban position at the negotiating table but would not succeed.\n\nAlso on Wednesday, a sticky bomb wounded at least eight civilians, including women and children, in the western city of Herat, said Abdul Ahid Walizada, spokesman for the provincial police chief.\n\nIn eastern Kabul, security officials said overnight raids targeted three locations in residential areas from which the Islamic State group has been launching attacks. Three members of the security forces and two IS militants were killed, the officials said, and bomb-making materials were seized.\n\nThe IS’s affiliate in Afghanistan has carried out several large-scale attacks in Kabul, frequently targeting minority Shiites.\n\nAnd in northern Baghlan province, security forces foiled an attack by insurgents, said Jawed Basharat, spokesman for the provincial police chief. He said a suicide bomber in a Humvee tried to attack an Afghan base but was killed. No security forces were killed, Basharat said.\n\nAssociated Press writer Cara Anna in Kabul, Afghanistan, contributed to this report.", "KABUL, Afghanistan — A Taliban car bomb aimed at Afghan security forces ripped through a busy Kabul neighborhood on Wednesday, killing 14 people and wounding 145 — most of them women, children and other civilians — shortly after the extremist group and the United States reported progress on negotiating an end to Afghanistan's nearly 18-year war.\n\nThe bombing during morning rush hour was one of the worst attacks in Kabul this year, and it again raised fears among Afghans about what will happen once the estimated 20,000 U.S. and NATO troops in their country go home.\n\nThe explosives-packed car detonated at a security checkpoint outside police headquarters in a minority Shiite neighborhood in western Kabul, police spokesman Firdaus Faramarz said. The Taliban said they had targeted a recruitment center for security forces.\n\nNinety-two of the wounded were civilians, Deputy Interior Minister Khoshal Sadat told reporters. Four police officers were among those killed, he said.\n\nThe attack took place as many Kabul residents were preparing for the Muslim holiday Eid al-Adha, which begins Sunday. A large plume of smoke rose over the city. Some nearby buildings were left in rubble. Shopkeepers later swept up broken glass.\n\n\"I was having breakfast in a restaurant when the explosion happened,\" said Mohmmad Qasem. As windows shattered, he and others rushed into the busy street.\n\nEven as the U.S.-Taliban peace talks continue and the Taliban say they will do more to protect civilians, a growing number of them are being killed. July saw the highest number of civilian casualties in a single month since 2017, with more than 1,500 killed or wounded as insurgent attacks spiked, the United Nations said earlier this month.\n\nAny Taliban attack is a barrier to the peace process, presidential spokesman Sediq Seddiqi told reporters, vowing that \"Afghan security forces are strong and can protect the Afghan population.\"\n\nPresident Ashraf Ghani's government said such attacks apparently are meant to strengthen the Taliban position at the negotiating table but would not succeed.\n\nOn Tuesday the Taliban warned Afghans to boycott the Sept. 28 presidential election and avoid campaign rallies which \"could become potential targets.\" The vote already has been delayed for months over security and organizational concerns.\n\nThe Taliban have been staging near-daily attacks against Afghan forces across the country, saying the war will continue as long as U.S. and NATO forces are still in Afghanistan.\n\nThe Taliban now control roughly half of the country and are at their strongest since 2001, when the U.S.-led invasion toppled their government after it harbored al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden.\n\nAnother round of U.S.-Taliban talks continues this week in the Gulf Arab state of Qatar, where the insurgents maintain an office.\n\nZalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. envoy tasked with finding a peaceful resolution to America's longest war, this week reported \"excellent progress\" in the talks. A Taliban official said differences had been resolved over the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan and Taliban guarantees that they will cut ties with other extremist groups. The U.S. wants to make sure that Afghanistan will not become a launching pad for attacks against it.\n\nKhalilzad condemned Wednesday's bombing, saying in a Twitter post that \"the focus should be on immediately reducing violence as we move closer to intra-Afghan negotiations that will produce a political roadmap and a permanent ceasefire.\"\n\nKhalilzad has said he is hoping for a final agreement by Sept. 1. But major challenges remain as the Taliban refuse to negotiate with the Kabul government, dismissing it as a U.S. puppet.\n\nMore civilian casualties were reported on Wednesday in the western city of Herat, where a sticky bomb wounded at least eight people, including women and children, said Abdul Ahid Walizada, spokesman for the provincial police chief.\n\nAnother threat in Afghanistan is the local Islamic State group affiliate, which also has carried out several large-scale attacks in Kabul, frequently targeting minority Shiites.\n\nOn Wednesday, security officials said an overnight raid in eastern Kabul targeted three locations in residential areas from which the IS group has been launching attacks. Three members of the security forces and two of the extremists were killed, the officials said, and bomb-making materials were seized.\n\nAnd in northern Baghlan province, a suicide bomber in a Humvee tried to attack an Afghan base but was killed by security forces, said Jawed Basharat, spokesman for the provincial police chief.", "KABUL — A Taliban car bomb aimed at Afghan security forces ripped through a busy Kabul neighborhood on Wednesday, killing 14 people and wounding 145 — most of them women, children and other civilians — shortly after the extremist group and the United States reported progress on negotiating an end to Afghanistan’s nearly 18-year war.\n\nThe bombing during morning rush hour was one of the worst attacks in Kabul this year, and it again raised fears among Afghans about what will happen once the estimated 20,000 U.S. and NATO troops in their country go home.\n\nThe explosives-packed car detonated at a security checkpoint outside police headquarters in a minority Shiite neighborhood in western Kabul, police spokesman Firdaus Faramarz said. The Taliban said they had targeted a recruitment center for security forces.\n\nNinety-two of the wounded were civilians, Deputy Interior Minister Khoshal Sadat told reporters. Four police officers were among those killed, he said.\n\nThe attack took place as many Kabul residents were preparing for the Muslim holiday Eid al-Adha, which begins Sunday. A large plume of smoke rose over the city. Some nearby buildings were left in rubble. Shopkeepers later swept up broken glass.\n\n“I was having breakfast in a restaurant when the explosion happened,” said Mohmmad Qasem. As windows shattered, he and others rushed into the busy street.\n\nEven as the U.S.-Taliban peace talks continue and the Taliban say they will do more to protect civilians, a growing number of them are being killed. July saw the highest number of civilian casualties in a single month since 2017, with more than 1,500 killed or wounded as insurgent attacks spiked, the United Nations said earlier this month.\n\nAny Taliban attack is a barrier to the peace process, presidential spokesman Sediq Seddiqi told reporters, vowing that “Afghan security forces are strong and can protect the Afghan population.”\n\nPresident Ashraf Ghani’s government said such attacks apparently are meant to strengthen the Taliban position at the negotiating table but would not succeed.\n\nOn Tuesday the Taliban warned Afghans to boycott the Sept. 28 presidential election and avoid campaign rallies which “could become potential targets.” The vote already has been delayed for months over security and organizational concerns.\n\nThe Taliban have been staging near-daily attacks against Afghan forces across the country, saying the war will continue as long as U.S. and NATO forces are still in Afghanistan.\n\nThe Taliban now control roughly half of the country and are at their strongest since 2001, when the U.S.-led invasion toppled their government after it harbored al Qarda leader Osama bin Laden.\n\nAnother round of U.S.-Taliban talks continues this week in the Gulf Arab state of Qatar, where the insurgents maintain an office.", "KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - Afghan officials: 14 killed, 145 wounded in Taliban suicide car bombing at police station in Kabul earlier in the day.\n\nThe Washington Times welcomes your comments on Spot.im, our third-party provider. Please read our The Washington Times welcomes your comments on Spot.im, our third-party provider. Please read our Comment Policy before commenting."], "summary": "A car bombing by the Taliban kills 14 and injures over 150 in Kabul, Afghanistan."}
{"document": ["Fifty-seven people died due to heat-related medical issues in Japan over the week starting July 29, the government said Tuesday, with the number of those taken to hospitals more than tripling to 18,347 from the previous week’s 5,664.\n\nThe weekly figure for hospitalizations due to high temperatures was the second highest since tallies began in 2008, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency.\n\nOf the 18,347 people, 729 had severe symptoms that will require more than three weeks of treatment as an inpatient, while 6,548 had less serious issues, requiring shorter stays. Those age 65 and older accounted for 54.3 percent of the total.\n\nTokyo had the most people taken to hospitals at 1,857, followed by 1,342 in Aichi Prefecture and 1,307 in Saitama Prefecture. Deaths were reported across 24 prefectures, with Hokkaido seeing the most at seven, followed by five each in Ibaraki and Saitama.\n\nA high pressure system over the Japanese archipelago preserved extreme heat, said the agency. It is advising people to constantly stay hydrated and rest in cooler areas.", "\n• 57 people died, and 18,000 were taken to hospital, in the space of a single week in Japan, which is grappling with a powerful heat wave.\n• According to Kyodo News, more than triple the number of hospitalizations occurred this week in response to heat, most of which were for people aged over 65.\n• High temperatures have plagued Japan for weeks, and show little sign of stopping.\n\n57 people died and more than 18,000 were taken to hospital in the space of a single week as Japan grappled with a powerful heat wave.\n\nAccording to Kyodo News, 18,347 people were taken to the hospital in the last week, more than three times the number recorded the week before that.\n\nThe figures are for July 29 to August 4, and were released at the beginning of this week. They paint a bleak picture of how Japan is copying with its ongoing high temperatures.\n\nJust over half of those hospitalized were aged 65 and older, the report said. It is common for the very old and very young to suffer worst in extreme temperatures.\n\nThe highest number of hospitalizations occurred in Tokyo, where more than 1,800 people were hospitalized, Kyodo said.\n\nJapan’s Fire and Disaster Management Agency told said that atmospheric high pressure led to the lengthy hot period. Temperatures climbed to 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) in Tokyo in the last week.\n\nOn Wednesday, temperatures reached 38.4 C (101 F) in Kumagaya, a city northwest of Tokyo, and 36.9 C (98.4 F) in Fukushima and Osaka, according to Japan’s public broadcaster, NHK.\n\nHigh temperatures have plagued Japan for weeks, resulting in scores of heat-related deaths this summer.\n\nLast month, more than 80 people died in a heat wave where temperatures climbed above 40 C (104 F) in parts of the country.\n\nThen temperatures reached a record 41.1 C (105.8 F) according to Kyodo News, prompting Japan’s Meteorological Agency to issue a warning that the heat posed a “threat to life.”\n\n“We recognize it as a natural disaster,” a spokesperson said last month.", "57 people died and more than 18,000 were taken to hospital in the space of a single week as Japan grappled with a powerful heat wave.\n\nAccording to Kyodo News, 18,347 people were taken to the hospital in the last week, more than three times the number recorded the week before that.\n\nThe figures are for July 29 to August 4, and were released at the beginning of this week. They paint a bleak picture of how Japan is copying with its ongoing high temperatures.\n\nJust over half of those hospitalized were aged 65 and older, the report said. It is common for the very old and very young to suffer worst in extreme temperatures.\n\nThe highest number of hospitalizations occurred in Tokyo, where more than 1,800 people were hospitalized, Kyodo said.\n\nJapan's Fire and Disaster Management Agency told said that atmospheric high pressure led to the lengthy hot period. Temperatures climbed to 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) in Tokyo in the last week.\n\nOn Wednesday, temperatures reached 38.4 C (101 F) in Kumagaya, a city northwest of Tokyo, and 36.9 C (98.4 F) in Fukushima and Osaka, according to Japan's public broadcaster, NHK.\n\nHigh temperatures have plagued Japan for weeks, resulting in scores of heat-related deaths this summer.\n\nLast month, more than 80 people died in a heat wave where temperatures climbed above 40 C (104 F) in parts of the country.\n\nThen temperatures reached a record 41.1 C (105.8 F) according to Kyodo News, prompting Japan's Meteorological Agency to issue a warning that the heat posed a \"threat to life.\"\n\n\"We recognize it as a natural disaster,\" a spokesperson said last month.", "August 6 remains a day of remembering the first atom bomb dropped on Hiroshima in Japan but this year, more than the bomb, heat wave has swept the nation, sending thousands to hospital and leaving 57 dead so far.\n\nThe Japanese government said on Tuesday, Aug. 6, that 57 people died and almost 18,347 people were taken to the hospital due to heat wave-related medical emergencies in the last one week starting July 29. It was reported last week that over 5,000 people were admitted to local hospitals due to the heightened heat wave.\n\nAs per Japan's Fire and Disaster Management Agency, the weekly figure for admission in hospitals due to increased temperature was second-highest since 2008, when they started recording it.\n\nThe Japan Times reported that of the 18,347 people who were taken to hospitals, 729 had developed symptoms that will require more than three weeks of treatment, while 6,548 had been diagnosed with less serious issues and needed shorter treatment process. It should be noted that elderly people, mostly aged 65 or above accounted for 54.3 per cent of the total.\n\nAs reports claimed Tokyo topped the list of hospitalization of the people, which is 1,857 and then Aichi Prefecture, as well as Saitama Prefecture where 1,342 and 1,307 ended up in hospitals respectively.\n\nThe Fire and Disaster Management Agency also mentioned that a high-pressure system over the area of Japan preserved extreme heat so the agency has asked the members of the public to stay hydrated and rest in cooler areas.\n\nEarlier, a study led by Ke Xu, who is postdoc working with Prof Riyu Lu and Prof Jiangyu Mao in the Institute of Atmospheric Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, suggested that a deep anomalous anticyclone over East Asia is responsible for this increased heat that includes \"anomalous subsidence and consequent higher surface temperature.\"\n\nThis research was conducted while focusing on increased heat-waves over South Korea and Japan's southern-central region. The lead author of this study stated earlier that the anomalous anticyclone triggered by the wave trains is \"indicative to the occurrence of EH over South Korea and southern-central Japan.\"", "Heatwave in Japan kills 57 in one week with 18,000 hospitalized - Fifty-seven people died due to heat-related medical issues in Japan over the week starting July 29, the government said Tuesday, with the number of those taken to hospitals more than tripling from the previous week's 5,664 to 18,347. Tokyo - Fifty-seven people died due to heat-related medical issues in Japan over the week starting July 29, the government said Tuesday, with the number of those taken to hospitals more than tripling from the previous week's 5,664 to 18,347. According to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency, this week's figures of those sent to hospitals was the second-highest since heat-related injury tallies began in 2008, according to the Senior citizens accounted for over half of the total number of heat-related illnesses, with 729 exhibiting severe symptoms that will require more than three weeks of treatment, health officials said. Tokyo had the largest number of hospitalizations, with 1,857, followed by 1,342 in Aichi and 1,307 in Saitama prefectures. Deaths were reported across 24 prefectures, with seven in Hokkaido in northern Japan. In Tokyo, an 8:30 a.m. power outage left “An announcement told us to open the windows, and passengers worked together to do so. After we exited onto the tracks, I felt scared when I saw people being taken away on stretchers,” said a 54-year-old woman who had been on one of the suspended trains. August is the hottest month in Japan, with the average temperature in Tokyo hitting 79°F (26°C), while the coldest month is January at 41°F (5°C). However, in Tokyo on Tuesday morning at 9 a.m., the temperature was 32.5 C (90.5°F).According to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency, this week's figures of those sent to hospitals was the second-highest since heat-related injury tallies began in 2008, according to the Japan Times. Senior citizens accounted for over half of the total number of heat-related illnesses, with 729 exhibiting severe symptoms that will require more than three weeks of treatment, health officials said. Tokyo had the largest number of hospitalizations, with 1,857, followed by 1,342 in Aichi and 1,307 in Saitama prefectures. Deaths were reported across 24 prefectures, with seven in Hokkaido in northern Japan.In Tokyo, an 8:30 a.m. power outage left eight trains stranded on the tracks between stations, forcing the Keikyu Corporation, which owns the train system to resort to backup power, however, they could not use this to run the air-conditioning system in the train cars.“An announcement told us to open the windows, and passengers worked together to do so. After we exited onto the tracks, I felt scared when I saw people being taken away on stretchers,” said a 54-year-old woman who had been on one of the suspended trains.", "Fifty-seven people have died and more than 18,000 have sought hospital treatment since July 29, when Japan was blanketed by an extreme and unrelenting heatwave. The government announced the startling figures on Tuesday, revealing that the number of people hospitalized has tripled from the previous week.\n\nThose aged 65 and older accounted for 54 percent of the total, and of the 18,347 people that sought treatment, 729 had severe symptoms that required more than three weeks of inpatient care. Tokyo had the highest amount of people hospitalized with 1,857 patients, followed by Aichi and Saitama prefectures.\n\nREAD MORE: Hit by heat: Extreme measures needed to tackle climate chaos before it’s too late", "TOKYO - A strong typhoon lashed south-western Kyushu on Tuesday (Aug 6) and another two might hit Japan by this weekend, bringing more weather misery as the country swelters through a relentless heatwave.\n\nThe authorities have issued heat advisories for many areas.\n\nThe Fire and Disaster Management Agency (FDMA) said on Tuesday that 57 people have died and another 18,290 taken to hospital for heat-related conditions in the week ending Sunday.\n\nThis is triple the number of people who suffered heat exhaustion a week ago, of whom 11 died. The weekly toll was also the second highest since FDMA began keeping tallies in 2008.\n\nSlightly more than half the victims last week were senior citizens aged 65 years and above and 41 per cent of cases occurred in poorly ventilated homes with no air-conditioning.\n\nAs the country baked in the relentless heat, Typhoon Francisco - the eighth typhoon of the season and the second to make landfall in Japan this year - killed one person and injured several others in Kyushu, triggering evacuation advisories for 20,000 people.\n\nTyphoon Lekima is expected to hit south-western Okinawa on Friday (Aug 9), while Tropical Storm Krosa is predicted to bring rain to Tokyo this weekend.\n\nJapan has been suffering high temperatures this summer, leading to concerns about how athletes will cope with the heat during next year's Olympics in Tokyo.\n\nThe mercury has climbed as high as 38 deg C since last week due to a lingering high-pressure system. On Wednesday (Aug 7), the temperature rose above 35 deg C in cities including Fukushima, Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka.\n\nA 28-year-old man died in Yatomi city near Nagoya on Tuesday as he was sunbathing in his backyard, media reports said.\n\nNine train passengers were also taken to hospital for heat-related causes after a blackout not only suspended train services in Tokyo on Tuesday morning but also knocked out the air-conditioning system.\n\nLast week, 11-month-old Kokomi Nobata died in central Toyama City after her mother Suzu Nobata, 25, left her strapped in a child seat in the back of a car.\n\nMrs Nobata, who has been arrested, told police she used a proxy driving service after a night out drinking, without realising until 9.30am that she had left her daughter in her car.\n\nStatistics from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police on Wednesday (Aug 7) also show that at least 39 people have died of heat-related causes in the capital in the first six days of August alone.\n\nAs the hot weather persists, the weatherman is urging people to stay properly hydrated, to block out direct sunlight with curtains and to use parasols or wear hats when outdoors. It has also called on the public to set cooler air-conditioning temperatures and ensure good air ventilation.\n\nTokyo 2020 organisers, who have brought forward the flag-off time for the Olympic marathon event next year, may reportedly do likewise for the Paralympics in response to the blistering heat. The Olympics will be held from July 24 to Aug 9 next year, while the Paralympics will take place from Aug 25 to Sept 6.\n\nThe Mainichi newspaper noted in an editorial on Monday that 1,518 people died during last year's brutal summer between June and September, a figure which is \"comparable to that of a major disaster\".\n\n\"Heatstroke occurs when the body's ability to adjust its temperature stops functioning properly as a result of the heat,\" it said. \"Hearing of 'record' high temperatures is now common, and that trend probably won't change (due to global warming). It is important for each person to adopt preventive measures as part of their lifestyle.\"", "57 perish from the heatwave in Japan but the 2020 Olympics to be held in the same period\n\nAt least 57 people have perished in the last week in Japan based on the horrendous heatwave. At the same time, over 18,000 people have been treated at countless hospitals because of the extremely high temperature and terrible humidity. However, despite this, and the Olympic Committee and Japan knowing full well the problem of heat during this time period in Japan, the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo will be held during the same period.\n\nOf course, the immediate concern is for people facing the ongoing heatwave in Japan. After all, it is more than likely that the death toll will increase further. Similarly, the number of people going to hospitals will increase further. Hence, it is imperative that people take precautions.\n\nTurning back to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, then it seems incredulous that the Olympics will be held during the same time period. This applies to athletes, volunteers, local people attending the Olympics, and international spectators. Therefore, why hold the 2020 Tokyo Olympics during such horrendous heat and humidity?\n\nThe schedule of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics is the Opening Ceremony on 24 July and the Closing Ceremony on 9 August. In other words, the nightmare period of the usually hot summer will cover the period of the Olympics. This notably applies to late July and the month of August that is extremely hot and humid – and full of pesky mosquitoes.\n\nOf course, the Local Government of Tokyo will take precautions to help athletes and spectators. Yet, the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo were held in the cooler period of October in order to avoid such scorching heat. Hence, enormous expenditure is being spent to alleviate the situation. Also, certain popular events will be held earlier in the day. However, this will hinder many people in Japan from viewing the Olympics based on work and so forth.\n\nThe ongoing heatwave will continue in Japan during the August period. Therefore, more people will likely perish from the terrible heat and humidity. Hence, it seems bizarre to hold the Tokyo Olympics in 2020 during the same period.\n\nModern Tokyo News is part of the Modern Tokyo Times group\n\nDONATIONS to SUPPORT MODERN TOKYO TIMES – please pay PayPal and DONATE to sawakoart@gmail.com\n\nhttps://www.pinterest.co.uk/moderntokyotimes/ Modern Tokyo Times is now on PINTEREST", "TOKYO: Fifty-seven people have died due to heat-related medical issues in Japan since last week, the government said on Tuesday, with the number of those taken to hospitals more than tripling to 18,347 from the previous week's 5,664.\n\nThe weekly figure for hospitalizations due to high temperatures was the second highest since tallies began in 2008, according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency.\n\n \n\n ALSO READ: Japan heatwave kills 65 in one week; weather agency classifyies record-breaking weather as 'natural disaster'\n\nOf the 18,347 people, 729 had severe symptoms, while 6,548 had less serious issues, requiring shorter stays. Those aged 65 and older accounted for 54.3 per cent of the total, the Japan Times reported.\n\nTokyo had the most people taken to hospitals at 1,857, followed by 1,342 in Aichi Prefecture and 1,307 in Saitama Prefecture.\n\nDeaths were reported across 24 prefectures, with Hokkaido seeing the most at seven, followed by five each in Ibaraki and Saitama.\n\nA high pressure system over the Japanese archipelago preserved extreme heat, said the agency.\n\nIt advised people to constantly stay hydrated and rest in cooler areas.", "The National Weather Administration (ANM) issued on Thursday a heat wave and thermal discomfort warning to be in place nationwide in Romania throughout Sunday afternoon."], "summary": "The death toll of the heat wave in Japan rises to 57, while 18,347 others are hospitalized."}
{"document": ["Courtesy of Garden Grove Police Department\n\nCourtesy of Garden Grove Police Department\n\n4 people are dead, 2 wounded after a series of stabbings in Garden Grove and Santa Ana, according to KCAL9.\n\nPolice say all four people killed in the stabbing spree were male Hispanics.\n\nA 33-year-old male Hispanic suspect from Garden Grove is in custody, suspected of carrying out a rapid series of robberies and stabbings at several locations over the space of two hours.\n\nGarden Grove police Lt. Carl Whitney says the suspect robbed a bakery, fatally stabbed two men at an apartment, robbed a check-cashing business and an insurance business where he stabbed a woman, slashed a man at a gas station, disarmed and killed a security guard at a 7-Eleven store in Santa Ana and killed an employee at a Subway restaurant before being arrested.\n\nPolice said he had no apparent connection to any of the victims. Whitney added that the attacks appeared to be random and the motive appears to be robbery and, in his words, anger and hate.\n\nGGPD working multiple scenes with several homicides. Multiple robberies and stabbings by suspect. Suspect in custody by #GGPD at Harbor and First in Santa Ana. PIO at Puryear and Chapman in GG. #GGPD32 #homicide pic.twitter.com/62Xq8lm97n — Garden Grove Police (@GardenGrovePD) August 8, 2019\n\nPolice say there is no longer a threat to the public, but they are still investigating multiple crime scenes.\n\nStay with News Channel 3 for continuing coverage.", "(CNN) A man who allegedly killed four people during a stabbing rampage in Southern California has been identified as a known gang member, police said Thursday.\n\nZachary Castaneda allegedly went on a stabbing spree Wednesday night, according Garden Grove police.\n\nThere were at least eight crime scenes in Garden Grove and Santa Ana, about 35 miles from Los Angeles. Garden Grove Police Chief Tom DaRé described Castanega as a \"documented gang member,\" but did not say what gang he was affiliated with.\n\nThose killed included a security guard at a 7-Eleven, two people at the suspect's apartment complex and another person outside a Subway restaurant, authorities said. Two others were injured.\n\nHe faces multiple charges, the Orange County District Attorney's Office said, including four counts of murder, one count of attempted murder with premeditation, one count of assault with a deadly weapon, one count of aggravated mayhem, one count of first-degree residential burglary and three counts of second-degree robbery.\n\n\"We don't know if the motive behind this was purely for robbery, but there was no indication that this was a hate crime,\" Garden Grove Police Lt. Carl Whitney said. \"We just know this was a random act of violence and the guy unleashed evil across our two counties.\"\n\nCastaneda faces a minimum sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole if he's convicted on all charges, the district attorney's office said in a news release. He is eligible for the death penalty.\n\nPolice arrest a suspect in the multiple stabbings in Southern California.\n\nCastaneda \"was currently out on bail on three separate felony Orange County cases, including a July 19, 2019 arrest which resulted in felony charges of carrying a dirk or dagger, misdemeanor drug possession and driving on a suspended license.\"\n\nPolice: Suspect killed two of his neighbors\n\nThe mayhem began at 4:09 p.m. local time, when police first received a call of a residential burglary at an apartment, Whitney said.\n\nThe call was put in a holding queue until an officer could be dispatched to handle the report, Whitney said. Meanwhile, at 4:23 p.m., a robbery was reported at a bakery. Castaneda allegedly threatened the store clerk with a weapon and fled with cash.\n\nHe returned to the apartment complex, which was the location of the initial burglary report, Whitney said. Castaneda lived in an apartment adjacent to the one where the burglary was reported.\n\nPolice say they believe the burglary victims confronted Castaneda and an altercation occurred.\n\nBoth victims were stabbed. One died at the scene, and the other was taken to the hospital, where he died as a result of his injuries, Whitney said.\n\nRobbery reports\n\nPolice received another report of an armed robbery at a local business at 5:39 p.m., with a suspect description matching that of the first scene. The suspect threatened a clerk with a knife and fled the scene, Whitney said.\n\nJust over 20 minutes later another robbery was reported at an insurance business. A female employee there was working when the suspect confronted her, and \"without provocation, he stabs her multiple times,\" Whitney said.\n\nHe then moved to a check cashing business in the back of the same building, where a male clerk gave the suspect cash before he left, Whitney said. The woman and the man were hospitalized with serious injuries and are expected to survive, police said.\n\nAnother stabbing was reported at 6:09 p.m. at a Chevron gas station. Whitney said the victim was pumping gas when the suspect produced \"two large machete knives\" and attacked him, nearly severing his nose off and stabbing him in the back.\n\nThe suspect then finished pumping gas in his own vehicle and drove away toward Santa Ana, Whitney said.\n\nArrest at a 7-Eleven\n\nUndercover detectives were able to locate the suspect's vehicle at a 7-Eleven in Santa Ana. Within a minute, Whitney said, the suspect came out of the store with a large knife and a handgun, which he had cut off the belt of the store's security guard after attacking him.\n\nThe officers ordered the suspect to drop his weapons and he complied, Whitney said. The security guard later died at a hospital.\n\nWhitney said Castaneda killed one person during a robbery at a Subway restaurant before going across the street to the 7-Eleven.\n\nLaw enforcement from both Garden Grove and Santa Ana worked the crime scenes.\n\nAfter his arrest, the suspect continued to be violent, police said. Castaneda -- who was covered in blood, Whitney said -- told detectives that the blood was actually tomato juice.\n\n\"He remained combative the entire time he was here,\" Whitney said.\n\nThere was no evidence Castaneda was under the influence, nor was Whitney aware of any history of mental illness.\n\n\"The flags behind me are at half-staff,\" Whitney said. \"That's for the needless violence that's happened across the United States. This violence has to stop. And we're here in a collaborated effort together to try and stop this violence in Garden Grove.\"\n\nPolice are still conducting their investigation, but formal charges could be filed against Castaneda as early as Friday, Whitney said.\n\nCastaneda was released from prison in January 2016. He had been convicted of multiple criminal counts, including drug possession and possession of a firearm, according to Luis Patino, a spokesman for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.\n\nCNN has reached out to Castaneda's attorney for comment.", "GARDEN GROVE, Calif. -- A suspect is in custody after a violent rampage involving a series of deadly stabbings and robberies through Orange County, California Wednesday, police say.The violence left four people dead and two badly wounded. There were at least three armed robberies committed, as well.The stabbings appeared to have no obvious motive other than, in some instances armed robbery. The suspect was described as \"pure evil\" and \"full of anger.\"The Garden Grove Police Department said it started when the suspect, a 33-year-old Garden Grove resident, robbed a bakery on Chapman Avenue in Garden Grove and took cash at knifepoint.He also apparently broke into an apartment of one of his neighbors in the complex where he lives. Those residents reported a break-in just after 4 p.m. Before police could respond to take a routine burglary report, a new report came in about an hour later of a homicide at the address, police said.That apartment complex is located in the 12000-block of Jentges Avenue. One person at the apartment was pronounced dead at the scene with stab wounds. A second person was transported with multiple stab wounds was taken to a hospital and later succumbed to his injuries, police said.Two more robberies occurred at local businesses in the area. One woman was stabbed at an insurance businesses in Garden Grove. She fought back against the attacker and is expected to survive.Police then responded to reports from a Chevron gas station on Harbor Boulevard. Police said a man was pumping gas when the suspect approached him. He suffered lacerations to his face, and his nose was almost sliced off, but he is expected to survive.The suspect then made his way over to nearby Santa Ana, where another person was fatally stabbed at a Subway parking lot on 1st Street.At a press conference Wednesday night, Garden Grove Lt. Carl Whitney said undercover officers located the suspect's vehicle, a silver Mercedes registered in his name, in the parking lot of a 7-Eleven on Harbor Boulevard and 1st Street, and called for backup.The suspect was arrested after he exited the store carrying a knife and a handgun. Whitney said the suspect stabbed a security guard inside the store and took his gun. That guard was rushed to the hospital but later died.\"These are all random acts of violence. Our suspect was not associated with any of our victims,\" said Whitney.Garden Grove and Santa Ana police were at one point investigating at least eight crime scenes in the area.Authorities had not determined a motive for the stabbing spree.\"We don't know. It's just pure hate that this guy did this,\" added Whitney.Garden Grove police were also investigating a separate stabbing that left a 62-year-old woman dead in her apartment . The victim's 28-year-old son is a person of interest in the case and it doesn't appear the cases are related.", "(Reuters) - Four people were killed and two injured in a stabbing and robbery spree across two Southern California communities near Los Angeles on Wednesday, police said.\n\nThe suspect, a 33-year-old man from Orange County, California, was arrested after the two-hour spree in the Garden Grove and Santa Ana communities, about 30 miles southeast of Los Angeles, news media reported.\n\nThe suspect’s name was not released.\n\nTwo men were killed in an apartment in Garden Grove and another at a Subway restaurant. The fourth person killed was a 7-Eleven security guard in Santa Ana, police said on Twitter and in media reports.\n\nPolice in Garden Grove and neighboring Santa Ana were working on at least 10 crime scenes late on Wednesday, according to police on Twitter.\n\nPolice said the suspect also robbed a bakery, a check-cashing business and an insurance office, where a woman was also stabbed, California media reported.\n\nThe suspect was arrested at a 7-Eleven at about 6 p.m., police told news media.\n\n“These are all random acts of violence,” Garden Grove Lieutenant Carl Whitney said. “Our suspect was not associated with any of the victims.”\n\nRepresentatives from the Santa Ana and Garden Grove police did not immediately return phone calls seeking comment.", "Four people are dead and two others injured after a man went on a stabbing spree Wednesday night across Santa Ana and Garden Grove.\n\nPolice officers with Garden Grove and Santa Ana police departments arrested the suspect at a 7-Eleven in Santa Ana after spotting his silver Mercedes.\n\nWhen the man came outside the convenience store, he had a handgun that he had taken from the store’s security guard and a knife.\n\nThe man’s name and age have not been released, and his motive is not currently known. Authorities believe it could have been robbery.\n\nAuthorities said the man and all of his victims are Latino. Garden Grove police Lt. Carl Whitney said motive appears to be robbery as well as anger and hate. He did not comment further on the reasons for the attack.\n\nThe mayhem began just after 4 p.m. at an apartment complex in Garden Grove where two men were stabbed and killed.\n\nAbout 20 minutes later, the man attempted to rob a bakery in Garden Grove, according to police reports. The violence continued at several different locations.", "Four people are dead and multiple injured after police say a 33-year-old man went on a stabbing spree in Orange County, California, on Wednesday.\n\nPolice said that the still-unnamed man attacked a pair of men at an apartment on Jentges Avenue, leaving one dead at the scene and another who died later, NBC Los Angeles reported.\n\nPolice said the suspect then went into a Subway restaurant where he stabbed another person to death before going into a nearby 7-Eleven store and attacking a security guard, who later died at a hospital. The man was taken into custody by police at that location.\n\nAs ABC 7 reported, police in Orange County were investigating a total of eight crime scenes. That included the home of a 62-year-old woman who police had found stabbed to death. Police said that the woman’s son, Jonathan Michael Warner, was considered a person of interest and police wanted to interview Warner to make sure he and other family members were safe. Police are now trying to determine if the woman’s stabbing was connected to the stabbing spree that claimed the lives of others in Orange County.\n\nThe stabbing rampage in Orange County appeared to be targeting people at random, police said.\n\n“These are all random acts of violence. Our suspect was not associated with any of our victims,” said Garden Grove Lt. Carl Whitney.\n\nThe ABC 7 report noted that witnesses said the stabbing suspect was “full of anger.”\n\nThe stabbing spree in Orange County, California, comes just days after a pair of mass shootings claimed the lives of more than 30 people. On Saturday, a gunman opened fire outside of a Walmart shopping plaza in El Paso, Texas, in an attack that left 22 people dead. Hours later, a gunman opened fire in a nightclub district in Dayton, Ohio, killing nine people.\n\nThe killings have sparked fears about domestic terrorism from white supremacist groups, as police in El Paso said the mass shooting was being investigated as a potential hate crime. A manifesto appeared online before the shooting claiming it was an act against a “Hispanic invasion,” though police have not confirmed if the manifesto was indeed posted by the accused shooter.\n\nThe Police in Orange County have not released the name of the suspect taken into custody in the stabbing spree, and have not released any information about a potential motive for the attacks. Names of the victims have also not yet been released.", "Four stabbed to death in ‘random’ killing, robbery spree in Southern California\n\nGARDEN GROVE, C.A. (ABC News) – Four people are dead and two others wounded after a Southern California man went on a violent stabbing spree Wednesday evening.\n\nA 33-year-old man is in custody for the string of attacks, police said.\n\n“This is tragic. We don’t want to see tragedies like this happen,” said Garden Grove Police Lt. Carl Whitney. “We’ve seen tragedies like this happen across the United States, but what the good point we can see out of this is that our officers responded quickly, rapidly and were able to take this guy into custody as fast as we could.”\n\nThe deadly spree began at 4:23 p.m. local time when the suspect robbed a bakery in Garden Grove, California, a few miles south of Anaheim. At 5:04 p.m., police said they found two men stabbed at a nearby apartment complex.\n\nOne of those victims was pronounced dead at the scene, while another died at the hospital, according to authorities.\n\nAt 5:40 p.m., the suspect allegedly robbed a check-cashing business, also in Garden Grove.\n\nAnd then, 25 minutes later, a woman was stabbed multiple times at a Garden Grove insurance business. She is expected to survive, police said.\n\nFour minutes after robbing the insurance business, the same suspect got into an argument with a man pumping gas at a neighboring Chevron station. The man was stabbed multiple times with knives and a machete and his nose was nearly severed, police said. He is, however, expected to live.\n\nBy 6:25 p.m., he allegedly robbed a 7-Eleven in Santa Ana and stabbed an armed security guard. He took the guard’s gun. The guard has also died, police said.\n\nAfter investigating the robbery and fatal stabbing at the 7-Eleven, police discovered the suspect had also previously robbed a Subway and stabbed an employee to death.\n\nAn undercover Garden Grove police officer found the suspect’s car at the 7-Eleven and when suspect exited store armed with a handgun and knife he complied with officer’s order to drop weapons and was taken into custody.\n\n“These are all random acts of violence. Our suspect was not associated with any of our victims,” Whitney said.\n\nThe suspect has a criminal history, and lived at the apartment complex where the first two people were found dead, police said.", "Four people were killed and two injured in a stabbing and robbery spree across two Southern California communities near Los Angeles on Wednesday, police said.\n\nThe suspect, a 33-year-old man from Orange County, California, was arrested after the two-hour spree in the Garden Grove and Santa Ana communities, about 30 miles southeast of Los Angeles, news media reported.\n\nThe suspect's name was not released.\n\nTwo men were killed in an apartment in Garden Grove and another at a Subway restaurant. The fourth person killed was a 7-Eleven security guard in Santa Ana, police said on Twitter and in media reports.\n\nPolice in Garden Grove and neighboring Santa Ana were working on at least 10 crime scenes late on Wednesday, according to police on Twitter.\n\nPolice said the suspect also robbed a bakery, a check-cashing business and an insurance office, where a woman was also stabbed, California media reported.\n\nThe suspect was arrested at a 7-Eleven at about 6 p.m., police told news media.\n\n\"These are all random acts of violence,\" Garden Grove Lieutenant Carl Whitney said. \"Our suspect was not associated with any of the victims.\"\n\nRepresentatives from the Santa Ana and Garden Grove police did not immediately return phone calls seeking comment.\n\nGet the best of News18 delivered to your inbox - subscribe to News18 Daybreak. Follow News18.com on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and on YouTube, and stay in the know with what's happening in the world around you – in real time.\n\nSubscribe to Moneycontrol Pro and gain access to curated markets data, trading recommendations, equity analysis, investment ideas, insights from market gurus and much more. Get Moneycontrol PRO for 1 year at price of 3 months. Use code FREEDOM.", "4 people are dead, 2 wounded after a series of stabbings in Garden Grove and Santa Ana, according to KCAL9.\n\nPolice say all four people killed in the stabbing spree were male Hispanics.\n\nA 33-year-old male Hispanic suspect from Garden Grove is in custody, suspected of carrying out a rapid series of robberies and stabbings at several locations over the space of two hours.\n\nGarden Grove police Lt. Carl Whitney says the suspect robbed a bakery, fatally stabbed two men at an apartment, robbed a check-cashing business and an insurance business where he stabbed a woman, slashed a man at a gas station, disarmed and killed a security guard at a 7-Eleven store in Santa Ana and killed an employee at a Subway restaurant before being arrested.\n\nPolice said he had no apparent connection to any of the victims. Whitney added that the attacks appeared to be random and the motive appears to be robbery and, in his words, anger and hate.\n\nPolice say there is no longer a threat to the public, but they are still investigating multiple crime scenes.", "GARDEN GROVE, Calif. (KABC) -- The day after a two-hour stabbing rampage in Orange County that left four people dead, authorities on Thursday identified the suspect in custody as a 33-year-old Garden Grove man who was apparently motivated by what a police official described as \"robbery, hate, homicide.\"Zachary Castaneda was being held in lieu of $1,000,000 bail, according to online sheriff's records. He was taken into custody Wednesday afternoon after he came out of a 7-Eleven in Santa Ana, and dropped a knife and a handgun that he had taken from a security guard, police said.The arrest brought to an end a killing spree that spanned seven separate crime scenes in Garden Grove and Santa Ana.Authorities are expected to release the names of the four deceased victims at an afternoon news conference."], "summary": "A Garden Grove, California, man stabs and kills four people and wounds two others in a two-hour crime spree at a series of Orange County locations. Both injured victims are expected to survive. The motive of the 33-year-old suspect, who was arrested at the last scene, appears to be robbery as well as \"anger and hate.\""}
{"document": ["Bolsonaro y Trump, en uno de sus encuentros Fuente: Reuters\n\nComentar Me gusta Me gusta Compartir E-mail Twitter Facebook WhatsApp Guardar 6 de agosto de 2019 • 20:19\n\nSAN PABLO.- Según revelaron hoy fuentes gubernamentales brasileñas citadas por el diario Folha de S. Paulo, el presidente Jair Bolsonaro le sugirió en una conversación a su par estadounidense, Donald Trump , visitar la Argentina antes de los comicios de octubre próximo para respaldar la reelección de Mauricio Macri .\n\nLas elecciones en la Argentina y el rechazo de Bolsonaro a un pedido de Trump para intervenir militarmente en Venezuela fueron parte de la conversación que el brasileño y el estadounidense tuvieron el 28 de junio pasado en Japón, en el marco del G-20, informó Folha.\n\nCitando a testigos de la reunión entre Trump y Bolsonaro, Folha contó que ambos mandatarios discutieron el proceso electoral argentino \"con tono de preocupación ante una eventual derrota\" de Macri.\n\n\"El brasileño -publicó Folha- propuso que Trump visitara la Argentina antes de las elecciones, en octubre, como una señal de apoyo a Macri. También sugirió una reunión con otros líderes latinoamericanos de derecha y la presentación de un paquete de soluciones para evitar lo que llamó el 'surgimiento de una nueva Venezuela en América del Sur'\".\n\nEn otro tramo, según las fuentes, Trump sondeó a Bolsonaro sobre una acción militar conjunta para derrocar al presidente de Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, algo descartado por el brasileño.\n\nBolsonaro argumentó, según el diario, que las Fuerzas Armadas de Brasil fueron debilitadas en las últimas dos décadas, que la topografía venezolana favorecía a la acción de guerrillas chavistas y que una acción militar de este tipo le causaría problemas en la región sudamericana.", "Let' s face it, incumbent president Mauricio Macri is really running against Cristina Kirchner, the two-term president who basically got Argentina in the mess they are in now. Macri's missteps and slow decision making on how to right the ship of state, a Latin American Titanic if there ever was one, has him in a nailbiter against Cristina's former chief of staff and hand-picked running mate Albert Fernandez. He is running as President. Cristina as \"Vice President\".\n\nFor voters, a vote for Alberto is a vote for Cristina. That could be his biggest problem.\n\nDespite a stagnant economy, weak commodity prices not doing much to help Argentina's mighty agribusiness sector, and still ridiculously high inflation, Macri is hanging on. For a Latin American president who brought in yet another round of International Monetary Fund bailouts, Macri is defining the odds. Being on Team IMF has yet to be a winning team as far as South American presidential incumbents are concerned.\n\nNationwide open primaries will be held on August 11th. The vote will effectively serve as a trial run for the first round of the presidential election, which is scheduled for October 27th.\n\nThis election is a test of the IMF's new approach in Argentina, which is currently on the receiving end of the Fund's biggest ever aid package — $56 billion. The electorate is increasingly coalescing around Macri and Fernandez of Cristina's Partido Justicialista (PJ), the largest of the Peronista parties in Argentina, and the largest party in the Congress. PJ has gone through several incarnations since the 1970s when it shifted from a center-right party to a socialist, left wing, quasi-anti-American capitalism party centered primarily around Cristina and her late husband Nestor.\n\nIt is a tossup between Macri and that crowd.\n\nMacri's popularity has taken a hit since he brought in the IMF. Inflation doubled and is now 55% ending June. Interest rates are over 60%. The peso is holding steady, in the mid 40s, but that is double where it was pre-IMF.\n\nDespite this, Macri's polling numbers have improved thanks to peso stability, stable inflation, and a modest economic recovery.\n\nBy contrast, Fernandez and Cristina have seen their ratings fall consistently when they should have been rising. \"He has struggled to convince voters that his administration would be different from that of his controversial running mate,\" says Fiona Mackie, Latin America regional director for The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).\n\nThe EIU is forecasting a Macri victory in the second round.\n\n\"A stronger than expected performance by Fernandez (this Sunday) would increase the risk of market jitters and a new run on the peso, which would dampen Macri's electoral prospects,\" Mackie says.\n\nStill, the first round of elections on October 27 is far away. A lot can happen to change the fortunes of the top two candidates.\n\nWall Street is still betting on a Macri win, but mindful of the potential shocks from financial markets with government bonds vulnerable to a serious sell off, as well as retailers dumping their pesos for dollars.\n\nThe recent jitters from external markets due to the trade war between Washington and Beijing are an unwelcome inconvenience and merit close monitoring for the risks to commodity pricing.\n\nThe IMF is also betting on Macri.\n\nTheir program has shown extraordinary flexibility on prioritizing peso stability throughout the campaign season by allowing for daily dollar auctions by the central bank, and discreet intervention in forex markets.\n\n\"The concern is whether this proves sufficient ammunition in episodes of intense market stress if President Macri doesn’t pull decisively ahead in the polls,\" says Siobhan Morden, a former Nomura emerging markets managing director, now head of Latin America fixed income at Amherst Pierpont Securities in New York. The fragile dollar supply/demand balance still requires favorable external conditions, she says.\n\nMacri's economic team faces decreasing flexibility against any prolonged or intense market stress and that raises the stakes for him to do well this weekend and push towards a clear frontrunner status come September.\n\nIf not, investors will start to look at dwindling central bank reserves and wonder if the IMF's firepower to keep the peso in check will be enough to avoid a highly uncertain, if not dubious, Cristina Kirchner do-over.", "BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Argentina’s election primary on Sunday will determine President Mauricio Macri’s chances of winning a second term in October, with the country’s embattled peso currency expected to take a fresh beating next week if the business-friendly leader fares worse than expected.\n\nAs the main political parties have already chosen their nominees, Sunday’s vote will serve as a grand opinion poll on Macri’s chances of beating the main challenger, Alberto Fernandez of the left-leaning Peronist party.\n\nThe big question is whether Fernandez or Macri can win in the first round of the general election on Oct. 27. To avoid a second-round runoff in November, one candidate would have to clinch at least 45% of the October vote.\n\n“The most important thing on Sunday is to see who passes 40% by the most votes. That’s the candidate most likely to get 45% in October and become president,” said Julio Burdman, a Buenos Aires-based pollster.\n\nOpinion polls show Fernandez in the lead, which is not surprising given the weakness of Argentina’s economy under Macri.\n\nAs unhappy as they are about Argentina’s recession and high inflation, business leaders - and many well-to-do voters - say they are more concerned about a possible return to populism and intervention in the markets under the Peronists.\n\nSo rich Argentines may get nervous and ditch the peso if Macri performs poorly in Sunday’s primary.\n\n“The potential panickers are middle- and upper-class Argentines, who will sell their pesos if it looks like Fernandez is going to win the presidency. This would pressure the exchange rate,” Burdman said.\n\nThe peso has already weakened 17.3% so far this year to 45.6 per U.S. dollar after a 55% swoon against the greenback in 2018.\n\nFernandez has chosen Argentina’s previous president, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, as his running mate. Both say they want the government to exert more control over the economy.\n\nKirchner is facing multiple corruption charges, all of which she denies. Critics say she nearly bankrupted the country after years of high deficits and heavy-handed currency controls that scared off investment and spurred capital flight during her two terms as president.\n\nBut she remains loved by millions of low-income Argentines who remember generous welfare spending by her administration.\n\nMacri became president in late 2015, promising a new era of sustainable growth. Three and a half years later, the economy is shrinking while 55% inflation makes it harder for poor families to feed themselves.\n\nPolls show Fernandez likely to get up to five percentage points more support than Macri on Sunday.\n\n“If results are in line with expectations, the outlook for the government would be positive, because a small distance between Fernandez and Macri could be reversed between now and October,” said Mariel Fornoni, an analyst at polling firm Management & Fit.\n\n“A more severe defeat for Macri on Sunday would complicate matters going into October, especially because the government would have to contain the market’s loss of confidence,” she said.", "President of the United States Donald Trump announced that he would visit Poland.\n\n— he told the journalists in front of the White House several days ago, adding that both countries have great relations.\n\nThe President informed that the Polish side had issued an invitation for him.\n\nHe recalled that during his previous visit to Poland in 2017, he gave a speech that was considered „wonderful”.\n\n— he emphasized. Trump has not ruled out the possibility of visiting Denmark as well.\n\nEarlier on Tuesday, the head of the Polish President’s cabinet, Krzysztof Szczerski, informed that Trump will visit Poland from 31 August to 2 September and that on 1 September he will take part in the celebration of the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II.\n\nPresident Andrzej Duda said on 12 June in Washington DC that Donald Trump was invited to Poland to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of World War II.\n\nDonald Trump’s previous visit to Poland took place in July 2017. Trump took part in the Three Seas Summit in Warsaw and met with President Andrzej Duda in person.", "The country will go to the polls for primary elections on Aug. 11 ahead of the national ballot in October, seen as a referendum on the austerity politics of center-right incumbent President Mauricio Macri amid a tight economic malaise.\n\nThe primary covers candidates for president, some provincial governors and national legislators.\n\nThe two main presidential candidates – strait-laced conservative Macri and center-left rival Alberto Fernandez – are seen in a tight race to the finish. Fernandez, the moderate Peronist challenger, is expected to come out ahead in the more symbolic primaries.\n\nArgentine voters will choose among 10 presidential candidates, though the main political parties have all already established their runners, making the primaries, known as the PASO, more of a giant poll on how political rivals are faring.\n\n“It’s going to be a rehearsal of the real action, giving key data for the campaigns, for citizens and investors,” said Buenos Aires-based political analyst Sergio Berensztein.\n\n“We’re going to get a lot of insights about voting behavior for the election. Particularly for markets it’s important. If it’s close, there’ll be rally, sovereign bonds etc. If Fernandez wins by a good margin, we might have a sell-off.”\n\nThe primaries foreshadow the main general election on Oct. 27 to choose a president, along with senators and deputies who make up the country’s two chambers of Congress. Key positions in Buenos Aires city and province are also on the table.\n\nIn order to win the presidency in the first round, a candidate needs at least 45% of the vote or 40% and a difference of 10 percentage points over the second place runner. If there’s no clear winner, voters will return for a run-off on Nov. 24.\n\nPollsters are split about who would win a head-to-head between Macri and Fernandez. Fernandez with his running mate, ex-President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, is tapping into discontent over the economy in the recession-hit country.\n\nSo, who are the main players and what do they stand for?\n\nMAURICIO MACRI, PRESIDENT – The son of one of the most powerful businessmen in Argentina, Macri took the presidency in 2015 with a center-right alliance that said it would shake up the political status quo and right the economy by creating more transparency and opening the country to international markets.\n\nDespite his market-friendly credentials, his popularity with voters has been hit hard, however, by an economic crisis that has seen the peso plunge and annual inflation at above 50%.\n\nMIGUEL ANGEL PICHETTO, VICE PRESIDENT – Pichetto is a long-standing Peronist, who appeared to be in the opposition camp until being confirmed as Macri’s No. 2. The senator should help Macri expand his electoral alliance and marks a strategic shift towards the middle-ground for the president to help take on the rival Fernandez-Fernandez ticket.\n\nMARIA EUGENIA VIDAL, BUENOS AIRES GOVERNOR – Vidal, often seen by Macri’s side on the campaign trail, is a key figure in the election race. One of the most popular politicians with voters, there was talk earlier in the year that the coalition could turn to her as a presidential candidate.\n\nALBERTO FERNANDEZ, PRESIDENT – A savvy political operator and the former chief of staff for former Presidents Nestor Kirchner and Cristina Fernadez de Kirchner, Fernandez emerged from the shadows to become the unexpected main challenger to Macri in May.\n\nA university law professor and a moderate with the country’s nebulous Peronist political flank, Fernandez is known as a consensus builder who should temper the more divisive style of his higher-profile running mate, ex-President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner.\n\nCRISTINA FERNANDEZ DE KIRCHNER, VICE PRESIDENT – The main surprise the elections have thrown up so far is that Fernandez de Kirchner, who ran the country from 2007-2015, is not at the top of the ticket to take on Macri.\n\nThe sitting senator, who is loved and despised by voters in near equal measure, is facing court cases linked to allegations of corruption, which she strongly denies. The ex-leader has an ardent core following and commands rock-star crowds at events, including on her current book tour.\n\nHowever, many in the country – especially from the more affluent middle class – dislike her brand of militant populism and worry that she would have an oversized influence on policy behind the scenes. As president, she rolled out heavy subsidies, higher taxes on farm exports and currency controls.\n\nAXEL KICILLOF, BUENOS AIRES GOVERNOR – The former economy minister under ​​Fernández de Kirchner, Kicillof has a past as a student militant. A professor and researcher of the theories of John Maynard Keynes and Karl Marx, he promoted the nationalization of the Argentine oil company YPF in 2012.\n\nROBERTO LAVAGNA, PRESIDENT – Lavagna is an economist and was economy minister under Néstor Kirchner, the late husband and predecessor of Cristina Fernández de Kirchner. His campaign had looked to capture the votes of those unhappy with Macri and Fernández, but polls show that the “crack” – as the Argentines call the strong polarization between the two main parties – has hit his chances.\n\nJUAN MANUEL URTUBEY, VICE PRESIDENT – The governor of northern Salta, who himself had nurtured ambitions to run for the top job, is a centrist Peronist who had advocated for a more moderate “non-Kirchnerist” opposition to defeat Macri.\n\nEDUARDO BUCCA, BUENOS AIRES GOVERNOR – A doctor and current national deputy, Bucca will fight in the most populous district of the country but with only a slim outside chance of winning, according to the consensus amongst pollsters.", "WASHINGTON – Hours after visiting with victims and first responders from the mass shooting in Dayton, Ohio, the White House said President Donald Trump was treated like a \"rock star\" and criticized several Ohio lawmakers for \"mischaracterizing\" the visit.\n\nDan Scavino, White House director of social media and assistant to the president, in several posts on Twitter criticized what he says were mischaracterizations\" of Trump's visit to Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton. Reporters were held in a holding room during Trump's visit.\n\n\"Very SAD to see Ohio Senator Brown, & Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley - LYING & completely mischaracterizing what took place w/ the President’s visit to Miami Valley Hospital today,\" Scavino wrote in a tweet. \"They are disgraceful politicians, doing nothing but politicizing a mass shooting, at every turn they can.\"\n\n\"The President was treated like a Rock Star inside the hospital, which was all caught on video,\" he continued. \"They all loved seeing their great President!\"\n\nDayton mayor on Trump: 'I think he heard me, but I don’t know if he’ll take action.'\n\nTrump in his own tweet also criticized Brown and Whaley, saying that they are \"misrepresenting what took place inside of the hospital.\"\n\n\"Just left Dayton, Ohio, where I met with the Victims & families, Law Enforcement, Medical Staff & First Responders. It was a warm & wonderful visit. Tremendous enthusiasm & even Love,\" Trump wrote on Twitter.\n\n\"Their news conference after I left for El Paso was a fraud,\" Trump continued on the two lawmakers. \"It bore no resemblance to what took place with those incredible people that I was so lucky to meet and spend time with. They were all amazing!\"\n\nThe Cincinnati Enquirer, a member of the USA TODAY Network, was with Whaley when she found out about the tweets from an aide as she sat in a booth in a local restaurant talking to reporters, with a cup of coffee and soda in front of her to give her an energy boost.\n\n“Where is it, I don’t see it,” Whaley said looking at her phone. “I’m confused. We said he was treated very well. I don’t know what he’s talking about misrepresenting.”\n\n\"Oh well. He lives in his world of Twitter,\" she added.\n\nIn a follow-up Tweet, Scavino tweeted photos from the president's visit, adding: \"Some extremely powerful moments throughout the entire visit, with so much enthusiasm and love, contrary to what the Trump Hating Dems would ever share or say.\"\n\nHowever, the White House's characterization seems to be at odds with what Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and Whaley said of Trump's visit. Both politicians accompanied Trump on his visit.\n\nDuring a press conference after Trump's visit to the hospital, the two officials said that they believe the victims and first responders appreciated the president's visit.\n\n\"He was received well by the patients as you'd expect,\" Brown said. \"They're hurting. He was comforting and he did the right things. Melania did the right things. It's his job in part to comfort people.\"\n\n\"I'm glad he did it in those hospital rooms,\" Brown continued.\n\nMore: Protests, no-shows, and the Baby Trump balloon greet the president in two grief-stricken cities\n\n\"I think the victims and the first responders were grateful that the President of the United States came to Dayton,\" Whaley said.\n\nBrown also discussed his own meeting with Trump, saying that he called on Trump to ask Republicans to open a special session in the Senate so the chamber could vote on a gun background check bill that the House of Representatives passed earlier this year.\n\n\"He only said 'we will get things done,'\" Brown said. He added that he also called on Trump to not repeal the Affordable Care Act if the president cares about mental health. Throughout his tenure, Trump has tried to repeal the ACA.\n\nBrown also said that during Trump's visit with first responders, the president offered to give the police officers awards. Police responded to the shooter in less than 30 seconds. Nine people were killed and several others were injured.\n\nHowever, Brown said he responded with: 'Mr. President, respectfully ... the most important thing you can do for these police officers is take assault weapons off the street so they don't have to go up against those assault weapons.\"\n\nWhaley said that during a \"pretty brief\" meeting with Trump, she told him that \"the people of Dayton are waiting for action from Washington, D.C.\"\n\nShe also noted that she was grateful that the president did not go to the Oregon District of Dayton, where the shooting took place. Whaley ahead of Trump's visit said that the president's \"rhetoric has been painful for many in our community.\"\n\n\"A lot of the time his talk can be very divisive, and that’s the last thing we need in Dayton,\" Whaley said Wednesday afternoon following the hospital visit.\n\nLike what you’re reading?: Download the USA TODAY app for more", "Nicolás Misculin –\n\n Argentina’s election fever is starting to mount. The country will go to the polls for primary elections on August 11 ahead of the national ballot in October, seen as a referendum on the austerity politics of centre-right incumbent President Mauricio Macri amid a tight economic malaise.\n\n The primary covers candidates for president, some provincial governors and national legislators.\n\n The two main presidential candidates — strait-laced conservative Macri and centre-left rival Alberto Fernandez — are seen in a tight race to the finish. Fernandez, the moderate Peronist challenger, is expected to come out ahead in the more symbolic primaries.\n\n Argentine voters will choose among 10 presidential candidates, though the main political parties have all already established their runners, making the primaries, known as the PASO, more of a giant poll on how political rivals are faring. “It’s going to be a rehearsal of the real action, giving key data for the campaigns, for citizens and investors,” said Buenos Aires-based political analyst Sergio Berensztein.\n\n “We’re going to get a lot of insights about voting behaviour for the election. Particularly for markets it’s important. If it’s close, there’ll be rally, sovereign bonds etc. If Fernandez wins by a good margin, we might have a sell-off.” The primaries foreshadow the main general election on October 27 to choose a president, along with senators and deputies who make up the country’s two chambers of Congress. Key positions in Buenos Aires city and province are also on the table.\n\n In order to win the presidency in the first round, a candidate needs at least 45 per cent of the vote or 40 per cent and a difference of 10 percentage points over the second place runner. If there’s no clear winner, voters will return for a run-off on November 24.\n\n Pollsters are split about who would win a head-to-head between Macri and Fernandez. Fernandez with his running mate, ex-president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, is tapping into discontent over the economy in the recession-hit country.\n\n So, who are the main players and what do they stand for?\n\n The son of one of the most powerful businessmen in Argentina, Macri took the presidency in 2015 with a centre-right alliance that said it would shake up the political status quo and right the economy by creating more transparency and opening the country to international markets. Despite his market-friendly credentials, his popularity with voters has been hit hard, however, by an economic crisis that has seen the peso plunge and annual inflation at above 50 per cent.\n\n Pichetto is a long-standing Peronist, who appeared to be in the opposition camp until being confirmed as Macri’s No 2. The senator should help Macri expand his electoral alliance and marks a strategic shift towards the middle-ground for the president. — Reuters", "– President Donald Trump will visit El Paso just days after a massacre that left 22 dead and 26 injured at a WalMart.\n\nWhile the president intends to share a message of condolence, the overwhelming sentiment in the border city of nearly 700,000 is he isn’t welcome.\n\n“It’s heartbreaking and people are mourning and in my opinion is not time for Mr. Trump to come,” said lifelong El Paso resident Diana Flores.\n\nAnother resident of the grief-stricken town, Janelle Contreras came to pay respects at the site of the massacre.\n\n“There is a lot of rhetoric and language that Donald Trump has used and it has fostered the fear,” she said.\n\nTheir sentiments come from an overwhelming belief that President Trump’s rhetoric on immigration and Hispanic communities may be to blame for motivating the carnage that was unleashed on Saturday. El Paso is a predominantly a Hispanic city of immigrants.\n\nEl Paso’s Mayor Dee Margo answered questions on Tuesday about whether the President is welcome.\n\n“I did not invite him out here. It is his purview and choice. He is the President of the United States. We will show him El Paso,” said Mayor Margo.\n\nMultiple protests are planned. And Democratic presidential candidates continue to criticize him, including former Rep. Beto O’Rourke, who will hold a counter-rally in his hometown of El Paso during the president’s visit.\n\n“Twenty-two people in my hometown are dead after an act of terror inspired by your own racism. El Paso will not be quiet and neither will I,” O’Rourke tweeted on Tuesday to the president.\n\nDemocratic Rep. Veronica Escobar of El Paso tweeted Tuesday that she declined to meet with President Trump when he comes to the area.\n\nChairman of the El Paso County Republican Party, Adolpho Telles said in part through an e-mailed statement to CBS 11 News: “He is doing exactly what he should do as President of our country, state and of El Paso. It is important that the President recognize the pain that El Paso is going through. I expect that he will comment on the tragedy, the need for healing and the resilience of the citizens of El Paso.”\n\nThe president is expected to visit with survivors in the hospital and first responders during his visit to El Paso on Wednesday afternoon.\n\nBut even as the president left the White House, he strongly criticized those who contend he bears some responsibility for the nation’s divisions, returning to political arguing even as he calls for unity.\n\n“My critics are political people,” Trump said. “These are people that are looking for political gain.”\n\nIt is a highly unusual predicament for an American president to at once try to unite a community and a nation at the same time he is being criticized as contributing to a combustible climate that can spawn violence.\n\nSome 85% of U.S. adults believe the tone and nature of political debate has become more negative, with a majority saying Trump has changed things for the worse, according to recent Pew Research Center polling.\n\nAnd more than three quarters, 78%, say that elected officials who use heated or aggressive language to talk about certain people or groups make violence against those people more likely.\n\nWhite House officials said Trump’s visits would be similar to those he’s paid to grieving communities including Parkland, Florida, and Las Vegas, with the Republican president and the first lady saluting first responders and spending time with mourning families and survivors.\n\n“What he wants to do is go to these communities and grieve with them, pray with them, offer condolences,” White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said Tuesday. He said Trump also wants “to have a conversation” about ways to head off future deadly episodes.\n\n“We can do something impactful to prevent this from ever happening again, if we come together,” the spokesman said.", "U.S. President Donald Trump met in Ohio on August 7 with victims and first responders from one of last weekend’s two deadly mass shootings, while protesters chanting “Do Something!” and “You are why” accused him of inflaming tensions with anti-immigrant and racially charged rhetoric.\n\nMr. Trump visited Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, Ohio, where the wounded were treated after nine people and the suspect were killed in a rampage early on August 4, one of two mass shootings 13 hours apart that shocked the country.\n\nCrowds of protesters outside the hospital and in downtown Dayton held signs reading, “Hate not welcome here,” and “Stop this terror.”\n\nWhite House spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham said on Twitter that Mr. Trump stopped by hospital rooms and met with patients while thanking the medical staff for their work.\n\n“You had God watching. I want you to know we’re with you all the way,” she quoted Mr. Trump as saying at the hospital.\n\nLater in the day, Mr. Trump will visit the Texas city of El Paso, on the border with Mexico, where 22 people were killed at a Walmart store on August 3 by a 21-year-old man who had posted an anti-immigrant manifesto online.\n\nThe back-to-back massacres have reopened the national debate over gun safety.\n\nAs he left the White House, Mr. Trump said he wanted to strengthen background checks for gun purchases and make sure mentally ill people did not carry guns. He predicted congressional support for those two measures but not for banning assault rifles.\n\n“I can tell you that there is no political appetite for that at this moment,” Mr. Trump told reporters at the White House. “But I will certainly bring that up ... There is a great appetite, and I mean a very strong appetite, for background checks.”\n\nIn Dayton, Mr. Trump was greeted at the airport by a bipartisan group of state and local officials, including Democratic Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley and Democratic U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown.\n\nThey told reporters afterward that they urged Mr. Trump to call on Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell to bring the Senate back from its summer recess to work on a House-passed bill that expands background checks on gun buyers.\n\nMr. Brown said he asked Mr. Trump to promise he would sign that bill. “He only said that we will get things done,” Mr. Brown said, adding the President had been “comforting” to the victims.\n\nMs. Whaley said she agreed with Mr. Trump’s decision not to visit the district where the shooting occurred given the high emotions in the community.\n\n“A lot of people that own businesses in that district are not interested in the President being there,” she told reporters. “A lot of the time his talk can be very divisive and that’s the last thing we need in Dayton.”\n\nDemocrats say Mr. Trump’s anti-immigrant, racially charged language at rallies and on Twitter has done much to fan racist, white nationalist sentiments, creating a political climate more conducive to hate-based violence.\n\nThe El Paso massacre is being investigated as a hate crime and the FBI said the Dayton shooter had explored violent ideologies.\n\nAn open letter to Mr. Trump on August 7 in the El Paso Times described the border city as having “a deep tradition of racial harmony” whose people came together after the tragedy. It admonished Mr. Trump for calling El Paso one of the country’s most dangerous cities in his February State of the Union address.\n\nAuthorities have said they are investigating Saturday’s shooting spree in the predominantly Hispanic city as a hate crime and an act of domestic terrorism. They cited a racist manifesto posted online shortly before the shooting, which they attributed to the suspect.\n\nOn August 5, Mr. Trump gave a speech focusing on mental health reforms, tighter internet regulation and wider use of the death penalty. Democrats accuse Mr. Trump of hiding behind talk of mental illness and the influence of social media rather than committing to laws they insist are needed to restrict gun ownership and the types of weapons that are legal.\n\nIn Iowa, Democratic Presidential front-runner Joe Biden planned to say in a campaign speech, “We have a President with a toxic tongue who has publicly and unapologetically embraced a political strategy of hate, racism, and division.”\n\nIn a sign of higher tensions after the shootings, a motorcycle backfiring on August 6 night in New York’s Times Square sent crowds running for fear of another gun attack.\n\nMr. Trump, in his televised White House speech on August 5, condemned “sinister ideologies” and hate. His supporters say Democrats unfairly blame him for the behavior of criminals.\n\nU.S. Representative Veronica Escobar, a Democrat whose congressional district includes El Paso, declared that Mr. Trump “is not welcome here”.\n\nShe said on Twitter on August 6 she declined a White House invitation to join Mr. Trump in El Paso after being told he was too busy to speak with her by phone in advance. “I refuse to be an accessory to his visit,” Ms. Escobar later told CNN.\n\nFormer Texas congressman and El Paso native Beto O’Rourke, who is seeking the 2020 Democratic nomination for President, said Mr. Trump “helped create the hatred that made Saturday’s tragedy possible” and thus “has no place here”.\n\nIn an apparent answer to his criticism, Mr. Trump said on Twitter late on August 6 Mr. O’Rourke “should respect the victims & law enforcement — & be quiet!”\n\nNot everyone agreed that Mr. Trump should stay away.\n\n“This is not a political visit,” El Paso Mayor Dee Margo told reporters. “He is President of the United States. So in that capacity, I will fulfil my obligations as mayor of El Paso to meet with the President and discuss whatever our needs are in this community.”", "Mariah Carey is giving praise to the person she calls President of the United States. It's just not Donald Trump.\n\nCarey shared on Twitter selfies with the Clintons on Monday and referred to Hillary Clinton as President in her caption.\n\n\"An honor to meet President Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton!\" the Grammy-winning singer and actress tweeted. \"Thank you for everything you have done and continue to do for our country.\"\n\nSome fans saw Carey's tweet as a diss aimed at President Trump.\n\nHillary Clinton received more votes for President in 2016 than Donald Trump, who won the Electoral College to take office.\n\nClinton, former Secretary of State in the Obama administration, was the first woman nominated for President by a major party."], "summary": "Sources from the Brazilian government reveal that Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro suggested U.S. President Donald Trump visit Argentina in order to back the re-election of President Mauricio Macri."}
{"document": ["Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption People began to scream and run as troops moved in\n\nKyrgyzstan's security forces have arrested former President Almazbek Atambayev after a botched raid on his property overnight resulted in the death of one officer.\n\nMr Atambayev reportedly surrendered and was taken to the capital, Bishkek.\n\nIt followed a standoff in which his supporters took six officers captive.\n\nCurrent President Sooronbai Jeenbekov said Mr Atambayev, who was initially wanted for questioning as a witness, had committed a \"grave crime\".\n\nThe former leader had repeatedly refused police summonses to testify as a witness about alleged corruption and abuse of office.\n\nSpecial forces officers attempted to raid his house late on Wednesday night, but his supporters took up arms in his defence. The six soldiers they captured were later released.\n\nShortly afterwards, gunfire and stun grenades were reported at the home in a second raid on the property, on the outskirts of the capital.\n\nMr Jeenbekov - Mr Atambayev's former ally and successor - said the ex-president had \"grossly flouted\" the law by \"putting up severe armed resistance\" to police.\n\n\"Yesterday we were summoning him as a witness, now we will summon him over a grave crime,\" he told a special parliamentary session on Thursday.\n\nA police statement said Mr Atambayev - who ruled Kyrgyzstan from 2011 to 2017 - \"will be delivered to the relevant authorities for further investigative measures\".\n\nWhat's the latest?\n\nSpecial forces used an armoured vehicle to break through the gates of the compound in Koi Tash village outside the capital, and soldiers blocked roads leading to Mr Atambayev's residence, local media reported.\n\nReports from local journalists at the scene said Mr Atambayev had surrendered to officers. Two aides were thought to be with him.\n\nLocal news site 24.kg reports he was flown by helicopter to avoid supporters who were blocking the roads.\n\nPolitician Irina Karamushkina, an ally of Mr Atambayev's, told AFP his supporters were \"ready to defend the former president to the end\".\n\nImage copyright Reuters Image caption Kyrgyzstan President Soronbai Jeenbekov (left) was the chosen successor of his former ally, Almazbek Atambayev (right)\n\nThe former president had planned a rally on Thursday, but cancelled it and called his supporters back to defend his residence.\n\nWhat happened overnight?\n\nThe raid began late on Wednesday. According to Kyrgyzstan's national security committee (GKNB), special forces armed \"only with rubber bullets\" were undertaking a \"special operation to detain\" the former president.\n\nAs the troops moved in, the GKNB said, Mr Atambayev's supporters fired back with live ammunition.\n\nBut Mr Atambayev took responsibility for the shooting, saying only he had a gun.\n\nImage copyright AFP Image caption Supporters of Mr Atambayev were in celebratory mood after driving special forces from his home\n\nOne officer was killed, while 80 people were injured and 53 hospitalised.\n\n\"A special forces officer was delivered [to hospital] in an extremely serious condition with a gunshot wound. Despite resuscitation attempts, he died,\" a health ministry statement said.\n\nThe head of the State Committee for National Security says at least 19 members of the security forces were injured, with six in a serious condition, 24.kg reports.\n\nAs night fell, roads leading to the compound were barricaded by Mr Atambayev's supporters while security forces regrouped nearby.\n\nImage copyright AFP Image caption Supporters of Almazbek Atambayev guard his home\n\nWitness Mirbek Aitikeyev, who posted footage of the raid on Facebook, told AFP news agency that some of those protecting Mr Atambayev had seized weapons from the special forces, who \"retreated under the onslaught of the crowd\".\n\nEyes watering from tear gas\n\nBy Aibek Abdylaev, BBC Kyrgyz, Koi-Tash\n\nEven without being able to get close to the ex-president's house, the journalists behind the security cordons could smell the tear gas, our eyes occasionally watering.\n\nOnce the ex-president was arrested, police used stun grenades in an attempt to disperse hundreds, if not close to a thousand, of Mr Atambayev's supporters in the village of Koi-Tash.\n\nProtesters had been burning tyres and throwing stones at the police as the convoy with the arrested politician drove away. Security forces have brought vehicles into the village to put out fires.\n\nIt is being reported that up to four security officers have suffered gunshot wounds and a civilian was affected by a stun grenade.\n\nWhat's the context?\n\nKyrgyzstan is a Central Asian republic that became independent with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. It is about two-thirds the size of the United Kingdom, but has a population of just six million - most of whom are Turkic-speaking Muslims.\n\nThe country remains relatively poor, with a GDP per capita on par with Cameroon or Kenya. Dissatisfaction with the government has meant a lack of political stability since independence - the first two post-Soviet presidents were deposed after waves of mass protests.\n\nKyrgyz Republic Capital: Bishkek Population 6 million\n\nArea 199,900 sq km (77,182 sq miles)\n\nMajor languages Kyrgyz, Russian\n\nMajor religions Islam, Christianity\n\nLife expectancy 67 years (men), 75 years (women)\n\nCurrency som Getty Images\n\nRelations between Mr Atambayev and Mr Jeyenbekov soured after the transfer of power, and observers say Mr Jeyenbekov moved to sideline his predecessor politically last year by removing Atambayev loyalists from positions of power.\n\nParliament stripped Mr Atambayev of his immunity in June so that he could be sent a subpoena to appear as a witness - in a case involving the unlawful release of a Chechen crime boss in 2013. He has ignored three subpoenas from the interior ministry.\n\nBut he is also accused of multiple incidents of corruption - all of which he denies. He has ignored orders to surrender to police for questioning, characterising them as illegal.", "Kyrgyzstan is on the brink of a full-blown political crisis following police attempts to arrest ex-President Almazbek Atambayev that left one policeman dead and more than 50 people injured. Atambayev detained yesterday in a second police attempt following violent clashes with his supporters.\n\nThe Central Asian country, which has seen two revolutions in less than two decades, has witnessed a standoff between ex-leader Atambayev and his protégé-turned-foe President Sooronbai Jeenbekov. The two men were once friends, and Atambayev backed Jeenbekov's candidacy in the 2017 vote. But they fell out just months after Jeenbekov's inauguration as Atambayev publicly criticized his successor.\n\nAtambayev, who was in office from 2011 to 2017, accused President Jeenbekov of fabricating false criminal charges against him to stifle criticism. Atambayev was stripped of his immunity from prosecution in June. The 62-year-old has rejected the allegations and in turn accused the current authorities of an abuse of office. He urged his supporters to rally yesterday in the capital, Bishkek, to demand Jeenbekov's resignation.\n\nShopping malls and other businesses began shutting down Thursday ahead of the planned rallies, reflecting fears of widespread looting that accompanied earlier violence. Atambayev's supporters, however, changed course and headed back to his countryside residence instead of rallying in the capital, apparently fearing another attempt by the authorities to arrest him.\n\nOn Wednesday, the confrontation escalated when the security service announced an operation to seize Atambayev from his compound outside Bishkek, the capital of the Muslim-majority nation of six million people. Atambayev's supporters took six policemen as hostages, but released them yesterday. Jeenbekov condemned his predecessor yesterday after a law enforcement officer was killed. \"Atambayev and his supporters put up armed resistance with the use of a firearm. They have gone far beyond the law,\" President Jeenbekov said, addressing an emergency session of parliament called to discuss the crisis. Atambayev said he fired several shots when police came to arrest him Wednesday, adding that he \"tried not to hit people.\" Jeenbekov said Atambayev should face charges for firing at police.\n\nThe violence has raised the threat of a new round of turmoil in the ex-Soviet nation, which borders China and hosts a Russian military air base. Kyrgyzstan's first two presidents after independence were both driven from office by riots. The standoff has drawn in Russia, the country's Soviet-era ruler and traditional political patron, where hundreds of thousands of Kyrgyz people work as migrant laborers. Last month, Russian President Vladimir Putin met with both Jeenbekov and Atambayev in Moscow in a bid to defuse the confrontation.", "The special forces arrived at the house of the former President of Kyrgyzstan Almazbek Atambayev, said on Wednesday “Interfax” the official representative founded by the former head of state Social democratic party (SDPK) Kunduz Joldubaeva.\n\nKyrgyz news Agency “AKIpress” reports that the building, according to preliminary data, the storming forces. Heard the shots. According to preliminary data, about ten people were injured during special operation on detention of the former President. TASS said Wednesday at the headquarters of the former head of state. Among the victims are a journalist.\n\nAs stated by the representative of the headquarters of the former President, “a few commandos crept close to the house Atambaev, where shots are heard”. According to him, the ex-President’s supporters are still trying to resist, arrived in the village of Koy-Tash for the detention of Atambayev’s staff spetspodrazdeleniya.\n\nThen the headquarters of the ex-President said that he was detained by security forces. “Special forces soldiers detained Atambayev and took him away in an unknown direction,” – said the representative of the headquarters. At the same time, claimed the source, inside the house Atambayev continued shooting.\n\nKyrgyz news Agency “24kg” reports that during the assault was wounded the journalist from among its employees. “Journalist Agency allegedly wounded with a rubber bullet, it grazed the leg of a reporter on a tangent, her life threatens nothing” – the “24kg”.\n\nAs reports the journalist of “24.kg” from the scene, the shooting is chaotic. Among the supporters of the former head of the state is wounded who defended themselves with stones. “All laid on the ground,” – the newspaper notes.\n\nThe Parliament of Kyrgyzstan on June 27 voted for deprivation of state immunity and the status of the former President, which gives the possibility of bringing him to criminal responsibility. He is suspected of facilitating the redevelopment of land, corruption in the reconstruction of the Bishkek TPP, the illegal release from prison of the Chechen kingpin Aziz Batukaev, as well as illegal supply of coal to thermal power station of the capital and the illegal obtaining of land for construction of residential houses in the village of Koi Tash, Chui region. The lawyer of ex-President of Kyrgyzstan Slesarev said that the decision of deputies not conforming to the Constitution of the country.\n\nAs the former head of the Kyrgyz state, he is subjected to political persecution by the current leadership of the Republic, and all the accusations calls “nonsense.” The ex-President also assured that he has premium weapons and in the case of attempts to capture it will render armed resistance. Atambayev three times previously ignored an invitation to appear for questioning at the interior Ministry.\n\nAtambayev led Kyrgyzstan from 2011 to 2017 and was the first President, who voluntarily left the position after a full first term. It was he who initiated the nomination for the position of the current President Sooronbay Zheenbekov. Last spring, Atambaev has publicly acknowledged the existence of serious disagreements with Jeenbekov.", "Atambayev’s capture followed a day of stiff resistance by him and his supporters that initially forced police to retreat from his estate outside the capital of Bishkek.\n\nAfter he refused to answer parliamentary subpoenas with regards to alleged corruption, police on Wednesday attempted to storm the mansion of Atambayev, who served as the president of Kyrgyzstan from December 2011 to November 2017. Atambayev has denied the accusations levied against him.\n\nIn video captured of the raid, 200 armed police forced their way past twice their number in unarmed Atambayev supporters in and around his walled compound in the town of Koy Tash, 12 miles outside of Bishkek, as smoke billows into the sky.\n\n​Bullet holes litter the door frames of the ransacked mansion, and blood is splattered across wooden wall panels. Atambayev is later seen in police custody, walking toward police vehicles parked near the wrecked iron gate to the compound.\n\nOver 80 people were injured and one police officer killed in the Wednesday battle in and around the mansion after Atambayev’s supporters rallied to defend him, Sputnik reported. Atambayev admitted to firing some rounds at police himself.\n\nPresident Sooronbay Jeenbekov, who succeeded Atambayev in 2017, accused his predecessor on Thursday of violating Kyrgyzstan’s constitution by resisting arrest.", "The former President of Kyrgyzstan Almazbek Atambayev was remanded in custody by court until August 26. TASS said Friday the lawyer of the former head of the state Sergey Slesarev. Before that Atambaev was interrogated for six hours.\n\nAccording to Slesareva, court decision to arrest was made in the building of the State Committee for national security (SCNS) of Kyrgyzstan, where he was invited by the judge of the Pervomaisky district of the capital of the country. “The judge ruled to arrest Atambayev at the time of the investigative activities”, – said the lawyer.\n\nAccording to him, during the arrest of the former President has been violated a number of procedural rules. “There are no documents about the arrest of the defendant was not charged, he was given notice and immediately chose a measure of restraint”, – said the lawyer.\n\nHe also added that Atambaev accused of corruption.\n\nThe interior Ministry of Kyrgyzstan say that the situation in the country, where in the past two days clashes between police and supporters of former President Almazbek Atambayev, stable and controlled by law enforcement.\n\n“The situation is fully under control of law enforcement agencies, during the night no attempt to destabilize it in the country were not taken”, – said the representative of the Ministry. According to him, after the crackdown on Thursday night in Bishkek, supporters of former head of state has not been a single case of serious disturbance of public order. Nevertheless, the police continue to “closely monitor” the developments in the Republic of events, said the interior Ministry.\n\nThe situation in the capital of Kyrgyzstan and its southern suburbs has escalated on 8 August after the violent arrest in the village of Koi Tash, Chui oblast of the former President. The operation began on Wednesday when commandos of the national security Committee made a first attempt of detention of a suspect of corruption and deprived of the inviolability of the state. Supporters of former head of state, who has repeatedly denied all allegations against him, resisted. The clashes died from gunshot wounds, one soldier of a special squad “alpha”.\n\nAccording to the latest data, for medical assistance 98 people, including law enforcement officers. Kyrgyz President Sooronbai Jeenbekov said that the President violated the Constitution, offered armed resistance to the security forces.\n\nOn Thursday, thousands of supporters of Atambaev went to the Central square of the capital Ala-Too, where they began to demand the resignation of President Sooronbay Zheenbekov. Arrived on the scene a few hundred special forces soldiers who are using non-lethal weapons, including stun grenades, first drove protesters from the square, and then from the Central part of the city.\n\nAtambayev after the arrest was taken to the SCNS. According to the Kyrgyz media, his interrogation continued for at least six hours.\n\nInformed Almazbek Atambayev was suspected of illicit enrichment and misappropriation of land, corruption in the modernization of the Bishkek TPP and involvement in the illegal release of Chechen kingpin Aziz batukaeva in 2013. In this case the ex-head of state called the charges nonsense, and three times refused to come for questioning. Atambayev also said that he has premium weapons and in the case of attempts to capture it will render armed resistance.\n\nIn late June, the Parliament deprived the state of immunity, which he had as a former President. A month later, the former head of state tried to enlist the support of Russian President Vladimir Putin. 24 July 2019 Atambayev flew from Kyrgyzstan to Russia on a private plane from the Russian air base in Kant. This decision, he explained that he feared detention and provocations. In Moscow he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Following the meeting, Putin said that Kyrgyzstan needs political stability, therefore, “all people should unite around the current President and to help him in the development of the state.”", "BISHKEK — Kyrgyz former president Almazbek Atambayev has been charged with corruption over his alleged role in the release of a convicted criminal, Atambayev’s lawyer said on Friday after police had to battle protesters to secure his arrest.\n\nAtambayev surrendered to police late on Thursday during the second raid on his country home outside the capital Bishkek. His supporters had repulsed the first raid in clashes with state security special forces a day earlier.\n\nThe conflict between Atambayev and his former protege, current president Sooronbai Jeenbekov, has raised fears for political stability in Kyrgyzstan, which hosts a Russian military air base and a giant Canadian-operated gold mine.\n\n“(Atambayev has been) charged with corruption although previously he was just summoned for questioning as a witness,” his lawyer Sergei Slesarev said by telephone.\n\nSlesarev said the charge was linked to the case of Aziz Batukayev, who was serving a 16-year prison term on charges of owning illegal weapons and drugs and taking part in mass riots.\n\nKyrgyz authorities caused a public outcry when they set Batukayev free in 2013, roughly halfway into his term, citing terminal cancer. He immediately left for Russia and six years later, there have been no reports of his death from any illness.\n\nKyrgyzstan’s interior ministry said on Friday it believed Atambayev, who was president at the time, had personally ordered Batukayev to be freed. It did not say whether there was any particular association between the two men.\n\nAtambayev, who prior to his arrest said that all charges against him were politically motivated, helped then-ally Jeenbekov win the 2017 presidential election, hoping to retain political influence as a party leader.\n\nBut a few months later, the two fell out and Jeenbekov purged all Atambayev loyalists from the cabinet. This year, the authorities launched a fresh investigation into Batukayev’s case, charging several former senior officials.\n\nThe Central Asian country is a former Soviet republic and one of Russia’s closest political allies.\n\nAtambayev, who served one six-year term as president, met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow last month. But after their meeting, Putin publicly expressed support for Jeenbekov.\n\nRussian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, who was in Kyrgyzstan on Friday for a meeting with counterparts from several other ex-Soviet republics, said Moscow regarded the Atambayev case as Kyrgyzstan’s domestic affair.\n\nBut Medvedev said he would discuss the matter in his meetings with the Kyrgyz leadership, Russia’s TASS news agency quoted him as saying on Thursday. (Reporting by Olga Dzyubenko Writing by Olzhas Auyezov Editing by Mark Heinrich)", "Thursday, August 8, the former President of Kyrgyzstan Almazbek Atambayev surrendered to the authorities. This happened after the third day of the storming of his house taken by the security forces. As already reported “FACTS”, operation on detention of the former President, began the evening of August 7 in the village of Koy-Tash near Bishkek. In total, injuring more than 80 people.\n\nAccording 24. kg, Atambayev decided to surrender. The commandos put him in the car. With him were representatives of the Social democratic party of Kyrgyzstan Kunduz Golubev and Farid Niyazov. Supporters of the former President attempted not to miss the car with him. Again shots rang out.\n\nWe read in the Telegram channel, Facebook and Twitter", "BISHKEK (Reuters) - Kyrgyzstan’s former President Almazbek Atambayev surrendered to security forces at his compound outside the capital Bishkek on Thursday, a day after a commando was killed in a failed attempt to arrest him that led to violent clashes with his followers.\n\nA video posted online by an Atambayev supporter showed several cars being driven out of the former president’s country house by security officials after what his party described as his surrender. One of Atambayev’s aides is visible inside one car saying it was headed to the interior ministry.\n\nPresident Sooronbai Jeenbekov said Atambayev, originally wanted for questioning as a witness in an investigation, was now wanted for a “grave crime” after the violent standoff the previous day.\n\nThe confrontation between Jeenbekov and his former patron and predecessor risks destabilizing the Central Asian nation which hosts a Russian military airbase and is a major center for gold mining.\n\nDuring the previous day’s botched raid, one member of the security forces was killed and six others were captured by Atambayev’s followers, the authorities said.\n\nJeenbekov ordered unspecified “urgent measures” on Thursday to maintain the rule of law.\n\nAtambayev, who helped Jeenbekov to power in 2017 but whose relationship with the president then soured, says corruption allegations against him are politically motivated.\n\nAtambayev and his supporters initially announced plans on Thursday to rally in Bishkek and march toward the building which houses both parliament and the president’s office. But Atambayev did not show up and remained holed up in a village near Bishkek.\n\nLocal media reported sounds of gunfire and stun grenades going off at the site when security forces launched a second raid on Thursday.\n\nA video posted by news website Kaktus.media showed Deputy Interior Minister Kursan Asanov, wearing a bulletproof vest, negotiating the terms of Atambayev’s surrender. Asanov can be heard offering to let Atambayev bring his bodyguards with him in a car out of the compound.\n\nAtambayev’s lawyer, Sergei Slesarev, told Reuters his client was now in custody and his case would be investigated by police.\n\nParliament stripped Atambayev of immunity from prosecution in June, accusing him of corruption.\n\n“Unfortunately, the authorities have not listened to my calls to act legally,” Atambayev said in a video address posted online.\n\nKyrgyzstan has been politically volatile: presidents were deposed by uprisings in 2005 and 2010. Atambayev, who took part in both revolts, helped to ensure a smooth succession and hoped to retain influence by installing then-ally Jeenbekov as successor in 2017. But within months, Jeenbekov purged Atambayev loyalists from the cabinet.\n\nLate last month, Atambayev visited Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin. Putin expressed support for Jeenbekov in a statement made after the meeting.\n\nIndicating it expected the situation to stabilize, the Kyrgyz government pressed ahead with plans to host a meeting of prime ministers from several ex-Soviet nations including Russia on Friday. Kazakh Prime Minister Askar Mamin has already arrived in the resort town of Cholpon-Ata, it said.", "BISHKEK, Kyrgyzstan: Kyrgyz special forces stormed the compound of former president Almazbek Atambayev Wednesday, injuring some of his supporters, as tensions between him and his successor Sooronbai Jeenbekov mount, threatening to spark a political crisis in the fragile Central Asian state. Atambayev, who ruled Kyrgyzstan from 2011 to 2017 before handing over to Jeenbekov, saw his immunity lifted in June as the authorities seek to prosecute him on corruption charges.\n\nThe former leader has increased security at his estate of Koi-Tash outside Bishkek in recent weeks, as tensions between him and Jeenbekov mount. Close supporters of Atambayev said that he had still not been arrested despite what Kyrgyzstan´s national security committee (GKNB) called a “special operation to detain former president Almazbek Atambayev.” The GKNB said that special forces were armed “only with rubber bullets.” Kyrgyzstan´s health ministry said that two people were hospitalised with injuries to the chest from rubber bullets. Mirbek Aitikeyev, an eyewitness at Koi-Tash told AFP who broadcast footage from the compound live on Facebook claimed some of the former president´s loyalists had seized weapons from special forces, forcing a withdrawal. “His supporters stole weapons from the special forces, who retreated under the onslaught of the crowd. Atambayev is still at his home... there are rumours that additional forces will be sent.\n\nThe people here are making preparations,” Aitikeyev said. Footage from the residence shared online showed a building in flames. Following the lifting of his immunity by parliament in June, Atambayev vowed to “stand to the end” against the charges, calling the administration of Jeenbekov a “mafia clan.” The two men were once frends and Atambayev backed Jeenbekov´s candidacy in the 2017 vote but they fell out just months after Jeenbekov´s inauguration as Atambayev publicly criticized his successor. He has maintained that the parliamentary vote to lift his immunity was unconstitutional. Jeenbekov´s office announced Wednesday that the president had cut short his holiday amid the chaos at a popular lakeside resort in the mountainous country. Footage shot inside the compound by Aitikeyev on Wednesday evening showed Atambayev meeting his supporters as usual, when suddenly sounds of gunshots were audible as people screamed and scattered for cover. The footage showed several people injured and bleeding and armed masked people in military fatigues and helmets running through the gates.\n\n“Don´t shoot at people!” somebody screamed. Kyrgyz media said the road leading to the Koi-Tash residence has been blocked and an angry crowd has formed next to the police cars. Atambayev became Kyrgyzstan´s first elected president to hand over power peacefully in 2017, following revolutions in 2005 and 2010. Jeenbekov has accused Atambayev of seeking to control politics from the comfort of retirement. The conflict between the two men, both of whom have been accused of using law enforcement agencies to get rid of political opponents, threatens to provoke a political crisis in the fragile Central Asian state. Atambayev last month travelled to Russia and met with Vladimir Putin, who pledged his support to Kyrgyzstan but advised “everyone to unite around the current president and help him develop the country.” The conflict in Kyrgyzstan is likely to be watched with apprehension in Russia and China, whose political and economic interests in the country deepened during Atambayev´s rule.", "BISHKEK (REUTERS) - Kyrgyz security forces detained former president Almazbek Atambayev on Thursday (Aug 8), Russia's Interfax news agency reported, a day after a failed attempt to arrest him led to at least one death in violent clashes with his followers.\n\nAtambayev, who was initially wanted for questioning as a witness in an investigation, was taken to the interior ministry's investigative unit. Some Kyrgyz media reports suggested he had given himself up.\n\nThe stand-off between Atambayev and his successor and former protege President Sooronbai Jeenbekov, risks destabilising the Central Asian nation which hosts a Russian military airbase and is a major centre for gold mining.\n\nDuring the previous day's botched raid, one member of the security forces was killed and six others were captured by Atambayev's followers, the authorities say.\n\nPresident Jeenbekov ordered unspecified \"urgent measures\" on Thursday to maintain the rule of law. He told parliament that Atambayev, previously wanted as a witness, was now wanted for \"a grave crime\".\n\nAtambayev, who helped Jeenbekov to power in 2017 but whose relationship with the president then soured, says corruption allegations against him are politically motivated.\n\nAtambayev and his supporters initially announced plans on Thursday to rally in Bishkek and march towards the building which houses both parliament and the president's office.\n\nBut Atambayev did not show up and remained holed up in a village near Bishkek, and his supporters abruptly called off the rally. One of its organisers told about 200 people who had already gathered that they would instead help guard his house against a potential second raid.\n\n\"Yesterday. we were summoning him as a witness, now we will summon him over a grave crime,\" Jeenbekov told parliament.\n\nParliament accused Atambayev of corruption and stripped him of immunity from prosecution in June.\n\n\"Unfortunately, the authorities have not listened to my calls to act legally,\" Atambayev said in a video address posted online.\n\nKyrgyzstan has been politically volatile: presidents were deposed by uprisings in 2005 and 2010. Atambayev, who took part in both revolts, helped to ensure a smooth succession and hoped to retain influence by installing then-ally Jeenbekov as successor in 2017.\n\nBut within months, Jeenbekov purged Atambayev loyalists from the Cabinet.\n\nLate last month, Atambayev visited Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin. Putin expressed support for Jeenbekov in a statement made after the meeting."], "summary": "Kyrgyzstan's security forces storm the compound of former President Almazbek Atambayev on the outskirts of Bishkek for the second time after a failed overnight raid left one officer dead. Atambayev and his loyalists are \"putting up severe armed resistance\", according to President Sooronbay Jeenbekov. Atambayev is detained, ending a two-day standoff. One officer was killed, while 80 people were injured."}
{"document": ["Summary The 2016 peace accord between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia, FARC) presented a landmark opportunity to halt the serious abuses and atrocities associated with a decades-long armed conflict. Yet in practice, the government does not exercise effective control over all territory in particular areas reclaimed from the FARC, contributing to violence and abuse against civilians. Armed groups other than the FARC have also stepped into the breach, warring for control over land and engaging in illegal activities. In Catatumbo, in Northeastern Colombia, the National Liberation Army (Ejército de Liberación Nacional, ELN) and the Popular Liberation Army (Ejército Popular de Liberación, EPL) have, since early 2018, engaged in a brutal fight for territory. Former FARC members who mobilized into a new armed group also operate in the area. Armed groups have committed a range of abuses against civilians, including killings, disappearances, sexual violence, child recruitment, and forced displacement. There are also reports that they are planting antipersonnel mines. They have also sought to control the local population through threats, including those directed at community leaders and human rights defenders, some of whom have been killed. Desperate and often undocumented Venezuelans who cross the border to Colombia in search of food, medicine, and work are exposed to abuses committed in the context of Colombia’s ongoing armed conflict. At least 25,000 Venezuelans live in Catatumbo, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). This report is based on research in Catatumbo in April 2019. We interviewed more than 80 people, including abuse victims, their relatives, community leaders, church representatives, human rights officials, local authorities, judicial officials, and members of humanitarian and human rights organizations working in the area. Some interviews were conducted in Cúcuta, the capital of North Santander province, and by telephone. We also reviewed official reports and statistics, publications by nongovernmental and international organizations, and written testimony given to government officials by almost 500 victims of abuses committed in the context of the armed conflicts. Government figures show that more than 40,000 people in Catatumbo have been displaced from their homes since 2017, the majority during 2018. While fighting between the ELN and the EPL caused most of the displacement in 2018, fighting between these groups and the Colombian armed forces appears to be the main cause in 2019. Some displacement appears to amount to forced displacement under the laws of war. In some cases, armed groups have threatened people for allegedly cooperating with competing armed groups or the government, causing them to flee. People have also fled after having been threatened for refusing to join an armed group. The operations of armed groups are contributing to an increase in homicide rates in Catatumbo. Official statistics indicate that the number of killings more than doubled, from 112 in 2015—the year the FARC agreed to a ceasefire as part of its peace negotiations—to 231 in 2018. In eight cases reviewed by Human Rights Watch, alleged members of armed groups killed civilians after accusing them of cooperating with other groups or the Colombian armed forces, or for refusing to join their ranks. Nine human rights defenders and community leaders have been among those killed by armed groups since 2017, according to investigations by Colombia’s Attorney General’s Office and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). The region is one of Colombia’s most deadly for those who step forward to speak for their communities. Armed groups have been implicated in kidnappings and disappearances. In 13 incidents involving 17 victims reviewed by Human Rights Watch, occurring between March 2018 and March 2019, armed groups have abducted victims, including to interrogate them about their alleged cooperation with other groups, force them to obey the group’s demands (for example, to refrain from seeking investigation of a relative’s murder), or for ransom. Some victims were held for hours; others for several days. Armed groups in Catatumbo commit rape and other sexual violence. From January 2017 through May 2019, 37 people were victims of “crimes against sexual integrity” related to the armed conflict, according to Colombia’s Victims’ Unit. These crimes include rape and other sexual crimes, such as sexual assault. Expand A barricaded police station in Convención, Catatumbo, April 13, 2019. © 2019 Human Rights Watch Armed groups are also responsible for recruitment of children as young as 12 years old. Children are sometimes forced to join after an armed group threatens to kill them or their families. On other occasions, they are offered pay. Human Rights Watch has reviewed testimony in a dozen cases in which families fled their towns or neighborhoods after someone threatened or attempted to recruit a child. This recruitment compounds other rights abuses experienced by both Colombian and Venezuelan children, including limitations on access to education due to labor in coca fields. Armed groups are also reportedly planting landmines in rural areas of Catatumbo. Four people have died and 65 have been injured by antipersonnel landmines in Catatumbo since 2017, although it is uncertain whether these incidents were caused by newly planted landmines or landmines from previous conflict periods. While the numbers used to describe the scale of abuses in this report are very serious, the total number of abuses is likely higher, due to underreporting linked to fear of retaliation for exposing abuses, as well as additional barriers faced by victims of sexual violence and Venezuelan victims. Many Venezuelans are fleeing a devastating humanitarian, political, economic, and human rights crisis at home. Limited immigration controls by Colombian authorities in areas where armed groups control illegal crossings, as well as jobs that pay better than in Venezuela, attract many of them to the Catatumbo borderlands. They have been among those forcibly displaced, killed, and subject to child recruitment by armed groups. Some Venezuelans have also been subject to sexual abuse; others have disappeared. The extent of abuses suffered by Venezuelans caught up in the conflict in Catatumbo is difficult to measure, given that many are not aware of reporting procedures or fear deportation if they file complaints to Colombian authorities. In practice, Venezuelans have had limited access to services provided by the Colombian government to victims of the armed conflicts. The Colombian government is not meeting its obligations to protect and vindicate the rights of civilians who are victims of the conflict between armed groups in Catatumbo and who are suffering serious abuses by the armed groups. Colombia is party to multiple human rights treaties that impose international obligations to provide effective protections for those human rights central to guarantees of security, including the rights to life, to physical integrity, to personal liberty and security, and to the peaceful enjoyment of one’s possessions. In addition, the government must seek to hold perpetrators of human rights abuses accountable and guarantee the rights of victims, including their right to an effective remedy and reparation. The Attorney General’s Office has, so far, largely failed to ensure justice for serious abuses committed by armed groups. As of April 2019, there were more than 770 cases related to murders committed in Catatumbo since 2017. There have been convictions in only 61 cases. And only two members of armed groups are among those convicted for murder, according to the office. The office has not charged, let alone convicted, anyone for “threats,” child recruitment, or “enforced disappearances.” Two members of armed groups have been charged according to the office, but, thus far, no one has been convicted for forced displacement; 483 cases remain pending. A key shortcoming is the limited number of officials in Catatumbo charged with investigating and prosecuting crimes. In addition, security risks undermine the ability of prosecutors and investigators to visit rural areas to investigate crimes and to obtain testimony from witnesses and victims’ family members, who also fear retaliation for cooperating with investigations. When it comes to the prevention of abuses, Colombian law provides that authorities must carry out a “rapid” response to prevent potential abuses identified by the Human Rights Ombudsperson’s Office in what are called “early alerts.” National, provincial, and municipal authorities, however, have failed to adequately respond to these alerts. Moreover, the individual protection schemes provided by the Colombian government to community leaders and human rights defenders at risk in Catatumbo are insufficient to ensure their adequate protection. A pilot project announced in June 2018 to address deficiencies in these schemes by providing group protection to several community leaders in El Tarra, one of Catatumbo’s municipalities, has yet to be implemented. Assistance to the displaced, provided for under Colombian law, has been slow and insufficient, according to humanitarian workers. Hundreds have lived in temporary shelters improvised by communities; some shelters lacked furniture or running water. Residents, human rights officials, and humanitarian actors indicate that government soldiers have engaged in abusive behavior, especially after the deployment, in October 2018, of a “rapid response” force to the area. They, at times, stigmatize civilians, accusing them of being complicit with guerrilla groups. Soldiers routinely stop civilians passing through military checkpoints and ask for information about their communities, which exposes them to retaliation by armed groups. In one incident in April 2019, an army soldier killed a demobilized FARC member.\n\nRecommendations To the Administration of President Iván Duque To prevent abuses, protect people at risk, and support accountability: Guarantee effective protection of community leaders in Catatumbo, including by prioritizing plans to protect communities and organizations at risk (often called “collective protection plans” in Colombia).\n\nEnsure that the National Police and armed forces design and implement an effective strategy in Catatumbo to protect local residents from armed groups, that respects international human rights and humanitarian law.\n\nPrioritize the design and implementation of a plan to prevent child recruitment by armed groups, including by strengthening access to education for Colombian and Venezuelan children in Catatumbo.\n\nDesign and implement a plan to remove antipersonnel mines in Catatumbo, starting by ensuring areas surrounding schools are safe.\n\nProvide greater support to prosecutors investigating crimes committed in rural Catatumbo, including by increasing the amount of time military helicopters devote to transporting prosecutors investigating crimes to locations they cannot reach by land given security considerations.\n\nEndorse the Safe Schools Declaration, which is an international political commitment to strengthening the prevention of, and response to, attacks on students, teachers, and schools during armed conflict.\n\nEnsure that government agencies carry out a rapid, sufficient, and coordinated response to prevent the risks of international human rights and humanitarian law violations identified by the Human Rights Ombudsperson’s Office in its “early alerts.” To assist victims of forced displacement and other abuses: Seek further international humanitarian support to address the needs of the civilian population of Catatumbo through a comprehensive plan to provide support to individuals impacted by the armed conflicts in Catatumbo, with a focus on populations at high risk for abuse or exploitation, including—but not limited to—Venezuelans displaced outside of their country.\n\nWork with municipal and provincial governments to ensure that displaced people are promptly assisted by the national government when local governments’ capacity is surpassed, as required under Colombian law.\n\nWork with local mayors to increase the budget for the municipal human rights offices known as “personerías.” To protect the rights of Venezuelans fleeing from the crisis in their country: Carry out a comprehensive assessment to determine the total number of Venezuelans living in Catatumbo and their needs.\n\nEnsure all Venezuelans have legal status in Colombia so that they can work lawfully, including in safer parts of Colombia, and need not fear deportation if they report abuses. To the Attorney General: Increase the number of investigators and prosecutors in Catatumbo working on cases of forced displacement, “enforced disappearance,” sexual violence, child recruitment, threats to human rights defenders, and other serious abuses related to the armed conflicts.\n\nTake steps to overcome barriers to reporting sexual violence and abuse, including by ensuring access to specially trained investigators and prosecutors, and having private and confidential spaces to make complaints.\n\nEnsure protection for all investigators and prosecutors working in Catatumbo.\n\nWork with competent authorities to ensure that judicial authorities can safely access crime scenes and preserve material evidence that is critical for prosecutions. To Mayors in the Catatumbo Region: Provide adequate shelter in Catatumbo for displaced people and victims of sexual violence and ensure that shelters protect victims and provide dignified living conditions, and that victims of sexual violence can seek shelter with family members and are not isolated from support networks.\n\nIncrease the budget for the municipal human rights offices known as “personerías.” To Humanitarian Actors Working in Catatumbo: Design, fund, and implement a comprehensive humanitarian plan that takes into account and seeks to address the needs of the population in Catatumbo who are suffering the consequences of the armed conflicts, with a focus on reaching populations at high risk of abuse or exploitation, including—but not limited to—Venezuelans displaced outside of their country.\n\nMethodology In researching this report, Human Rights Watch conducted more than 80 interviews with a wide range of actors. These included Venezuelans who had recently fled their country and were living in Catatumbo, abuse victims, their relatives, and other residents of rural and urban areas of Catatumbo, as well as judicial officials, human rights officers, local authorities, community leaders, church representatives, and members of humanitarian and human rights organizations. Due to security concerns, we did not speak with members of armed groups. Most of the interviews were conducted in Catatumbo during a visit in April 2019. Some interviews were conducted in Cúcuta or by telephone. All interviews were conducted in Spanish. In our research, we also reviewed testimony taken by public officials in Catatumbo from almost 500 people describing cases of abuse that occurred there since 2017 in the context of the armed conflicts. We also drew on official statistics and consulted a wide range of other sources and documents, including official reports, publications by international, nongovernmental and humanitarian organizations, and news articles. In addition, we sent information requests to the Ministry of Interior, the Attorney General’s Office, the National Police, and two army units operating in Catatumbo. Neither the National Police nor the army units had responded at the time of writing. The responses we received are reflected in the report. Many interviewees feared reprisals and spoke with us on the condition that we withhold their names and other identifying information. Details about individuals, as well as interview dates and locations, have been withheld when requested or when Human Rights Watch believed the information could place someone at risk. All such details are on file with the organization. Interviews with victims, their relatives, or witnesses were conducted in confidential settings. We informed all participants of the purpose of the interview, its voluntary nature, and how the information would be used. Each participant orally consented to be interviewed. Human Rights Watch did not make any payments or offer other incentives to interviewees. Care was taken with victims of trauma to minimize the risk that recounting their experiences could further traumatize them. Where appropriate, Human Rights Watch provided contact information for organizations offering legal, social, or counseling services, or linked those organizations with survivors. In this report, the term “disappearance” refers to cases containing the elements of the offense of “enforced disappearance” under Colombian law, which provides that anyone can be criminally liable for an “enforced disappearance,” irrespective of whether the person is a private individual, a participant in an armed conflict, a state agent, or someone acting with the support or acquiescence of state agents. The term “FARC dissident group” is used to refer to a group calling itself the “FARC 33rd Front.” More generally the term may be used to include groups that were created or led by former FARC guerrillas after the group’s demobilization. These groups include fighters who either rejected the demobilization or who, after demobilizing, chose for whatever reason to be part of another armed group. (Some people in Colombia prefer to use the term “FARC dissident group” to refer only to groups that rejected the demobilization.) The report refers to the “FARC 33rd Front” as an armed group. “FARC 33rd Front” does not, however, according to available information, appear to have the minimum level of organization required under international humanitarian law to be considered a party to an armed conflict. All translations from the original Spanish to English are by Human Rights Watch unless specified otherwise.\n\nBackground The Catatumbo Region Northeastern Colombia’s Catatumbo region, in the province of North Santander, borders Venezuela. Its 11 municipalities—Ábrego, Convención, El Carmen, El Tarra, Hacarí, La Playa, Ocaña, San Calixto, Sardinata, Teorama, and Tibú—have a population of roughly 295,000 people. Almost a fourth of them live in Ocaña, the largest municipality. Roughly half live in rural areas. A large part of the population suffers from poverty and lack of economic opportunities. In all municipalities but Ocaña, more than 45 percent of the people faced unmet basic needs as of 2011, the year the most recent government figures are available. More than 15 percent lived in extreme poverty. Expand A motorcycle loaded with oil containers in Catatumbo, April 12, 2019. Illegal transportation of oil is one of the primary activities in the Catatumbo region. © 2019 Human Rights Watch Weak governance deepens poverty. With 92 percent of the region’s land lacking formal titles, many peasants work in fields they do not own. Inadequate roads in rural areas make it hard for peasants to sell their products. Catatumbo is an important source of coca, the raw material used to produce cocaine. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reported that in 2017 roughly 28,200 acres were producing coca in North Santander. Of all Colombian municipalities, Catatumbo’s Tibú had the second highest acreage of coca cultivation. Some areas of Catatumbo, particularly in Tibú, are also an important source of oil for Colombia. The National Liberation Army (ELN) has repeatedly attacked oil infrastructure in the region, at times causing spillage into rivers and other sources of water. Armed Conflicts and Violence in Catatumbo Three armed groups in Catatumbo are fighting to control territory and illegal activities in the area. Armed confrontation between groups and the Colombian armed forces has also taken place. The following sections briefly describe the three armed groups and insecurity in the region. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) concluded in December 2018 that the conflicts between the ELN and the Colombian government, between the EPL and the Colombian government, and between the ELN and the EPL were non-international armed conflicts. The ICRC has not made a public determination as to whether the FARC dissident group operating in Catatumbo is a party to an armed conflict. Its small size and limited level of organization, as described below, suggest that, according to available information, the group does not fulfill the requirements under international humanitarian law to be a party to the non-international armed conflicts in Colombia. National Liberation Army (Ejército de Liberación Nacional, ELN) The ELN guerrillas have operated in Colombia since 1964. They are a left-wing group, with an affinity for liberation theology. In February 2017, after two years of exploratory negotiations, the group initiated formal peace talks with the administration of then-President Juan Manuel Santos. In January 2019, shortly after the ELN took responsibility for a car-bomb attack at a police academy in Bogotá, President Iván Duque ended the peace talks. ELN guerrillas have been active in Catatumbo since the 1970s. The group’s Northeast War Front now operates in the area and is reported to have at least 400 men in Catatumbo. The ELN is widely perceived as the strongest armed group in Catatumbo. Popular Liberation Army (Ejército Popular de Liberación, EPL) The EPL group, often called the “Pelusos,” is a holdout from a guerrilla that demobilized in the 1990s. Roughly 80 percent of the guerrillas (some 2,500 people) demobilized under an accord with the Colombian government. A fraction rejected the agreement. The group is thought to have arrived in Catatumbo in the mid-1990s. The EPL’s leader for years was Victor Ramón Navarro, known as “Megateo,” who reportedly led the drug trade in Catatumbo until he was killed in October 2015. EPL fighters are currently dispersed in different areas of Catatumbo, as well as in Cúcuta and Puerto Santander, farther south. The group is estimated to have around 200 fighters in North Santander. FARC Dissident Group Until the 2016 peace accord, the main FARC units operating in Catatumbo were the 33rd Front (Frente 33), the Catatumbo company, and two smaller units (known as “mobile columns”) that had some degree of autonomy from the 33rd Front (called “Bari Resistance” and “Arturo Ruiz”). After the accord, a large majority of the region’s FARC fighters demobilized. They moved to Caño Indio, in Tibú, designated in the peace accord as a place for disarming—a Transitional Local Zone for Normalization (Zona Veredal Transitoria de Normalización, ZVTN). There, they handed in their weapons to the United Nations (UN) mission in Colombia. But in early 2018, a group of former FARC members, mostly from the 33rd Front, created a new armed group. This group calls itself the “FARC 33rd Front,” including in pamphlets and graffiti. Several interviewees told us some fighters rearmed in part because of poor conditions in the demobilization zone. The Caño Indio zone lacked electricity and sanitation, and humanitarian actors we interviewed said the FARC fighters felt inadequately protected from armed attacks by other groups. The FARC dissident group now operates in such municipalities as Tibú, El Tarra, Sardinata and Convención and is reported to have at least 70 fighters. The group seeks to control the areas formerly occupied by the FARC. Some knowledgeable sources indicate that its level of organization appears to be limited and the group has a weak chain of command. The group operates in some areas where the ELN is also present, but they have not engaged in fighting—a fact that, according to some interviewees, suggests that the two groups may be coordinating activities to some extent. Interviewees expressed concern that the group appears to be strengthening its level of organization and could eventually engage in fighting with the ELN over control of drug trafficking routes.\n\nThe Current Conflicts and Violence Before the FARC’s demobilization, the three groups (FARC, ELN, and EPL) had reportedly coexisted in a largely peaceful way, with disputes settled through dialogue among commanders. But demobilization of the FARC left a vacuum. Tensions escalated over control of former FARC territory and the drug trafficking routes to Venezuela. The EPL began moving toward areas of El Carmen, Convención, and Teorama that were occupied by ELN. Analysts have explained the EPL move as arising, in part, from lack of political expertise among the commanders who stepped up after Megateo’s death. In March 2018, the EPL published a statement threatening to “confront the [ELN] no matter what.” The ELN responded a few days later, publishing a statement accusing the EPL of having “declared war.” Analysts indicate that the ELN brought fighters from Arauca, to the south, and Bolivar, to the west. The intense fighting between the ELN and EPL in the following months forced thousands of Catatumbo residents from their homes. In April 2018, the EPL declared an “armed strike” in Catatumbo. It forbade “movement of any type of vehicle” and mandated the closing of “[government] entities, businesses, [and] any type of activities,” starting on April 15. “Those who do not comply with these recommendations will suffer the consequences,” the group said. The strike limited people’s access to food.[43] The day before it ended, on April 30, the EPL released a video saying it was “willing to [participate in a] dialogue to find a way around the differences between the two guerrilla groups.” The ELN was able to defeat the EPL, forcing it to leave the contested territories. Confrontations between the two groups decreased in early 2019. Yet the ELN, EPL, and FARC dissident group continued to engage in abuses. And violence and armed confrontation between the groups and the Colombian armed forces displaced hundreds of civilians in the early months of 2019.\n\nAbuses by Armed Groups Armed groups in Catatumbo have engaged in a wide range of abuses, including forced displacement, killings, disappearances, kidnappings, sexual violence, child recruitment, and use of antipersonnel landmines. They have also threatened and, in some cases, killed, human rights defenders and community leaders, and have sought to exert control over communities through threats. The statistics and cases detailed below are only indicative of a minimum level of abuses, given that many incidents are never reported, particularly given fear of retaliation by armed groups, according to a number of sources. As described further below, victims of sexual violence and Venezuelans in Catatumbo face additional barriers to reporting abuses. Forced Displacement, Threats, and Social Control Government figures report more than 40,000 people have been displaced since 2017; most were displaced in 2018. The majority are fleeing fighting between armed groups, according to a judicial authority, officials of humanitarian organizations, and the Human Rights Ombudsperson’s Office. While fighting between the ELN and the EPL led to the majority of displacement in 2018, fighting between these groups and the Colombian armed forces appears to be the main cause in 2019. Colombian law defines “mass displacement” as the displacement of 50 or more people or 10 or more families in a single incident through the use of “violence.” In 2019, there were four “mass displacements” in the municipalities of Teorama, San Calixto, El Tarra, Hacarí, and Playa de Belén affecting over 800 people. Some displacement appears to constitute forced displacement under international law, which is when, in a conflict, a population is either ordered to leave for reasons not permitted by laws of war or is expelled or forced to leave as a result of coercive acts. In 16 cases reported in testimony reviewed by Human Rights Watch, armed groups have threatened people for allegedly cooperating with competing armed groups or with the government, causing them to flee. People have also faced threats if they refuse to cooperate or to join a group’s ranks. Human Rights Watch reviewed victims’ testimony in 14 cases in which families fled because an armed group was pressing an adult family member to join. In four cases, victims said that armed groups burned their belongings or crops after they refused to cooperate with the group. The armed groups also exercise social control and threaten people who disobey them, in a context of limited presence of Colombian government authorities in the area. Human Rights Watch interviewed a community leader who said ELN guerrillas had repeatedly summoned him and other leaders to meetings. At the meetings, commanders told the leaders they had to ensure that strangers did not enter their communities. Human Rights Watch’s review of testimony taken by government officials indicates that the ELN often calls community leaders in rural areas to meetings to coerce them into following certain rules. Human rights defenders and community leaders have also been directly threatened by armed groups, leading to an increase in threats against human rights defenders and community leaders in Catatumbo since 2018, according to a judicial authority interviewed by Human Rights Watch.[58] The community leader referred to above, for example, told us that he “feared for his life” if he did not attend the meetings.[59] According to investigations by the Attorney General’s Office and OHCHR in Colombia, armed groups have killed nine human rights defenders or community leaders in Catatumbo since 2017 (see below). The most common threat is death, and it may be conveyed in person, through social media or digital platforms, or via pamphlet. In most cases, the threats appear to be issued by armed groups operating in the area. The groups typically demand that civilians stop supporting programs to replace coca crops with food crops or accuse them of cooperating with another armed group. For example, one community leader in Catatumbo told Human Rights Watch that members of the FARC dissident group showed up at her house in November 2018 and asked her to tell them what was happening in her community. She had to sign a document with that information, which would be given to “a comrade,” they told her. ELN members stopped her son on the street and told him “your mother is a bitch and an army informant” and threatened to kill her and all her family, she said. In a separate incident, she told us, members of an “armed group” said to her husband that if he loved her, he should take her away because they would kill her. Armed groups regulate access of Venezuelans and people from other parts of Colombia to rural hamlets in Catatumbo. A community leader and humanitarian and human rights officials told Human Rights Watch that the groups require Venezuelans to obtain a “recommendation” from a local. That sponsor faces retaliation if the foreigner engages in crime. In April 2017, the EPL released a pamphlet saying that “people from other areas are not allowed” without a “recommendation from someone in the area.” The pamphlet added that people “who do not have someone who can be held to account for them have to leave the zone.”[64] Human Rights Watch reviewed testimony in three cases in which armed groups asked Colombians to leave the hamlet because they were not originally from there. Unlawful Killings The number of unlawful killings has increased in Catatumbo. With 231 people killed in 2018, the annual rate was almost 79 per 100,000 people, roughly three times the national rate. Catatumbo witnessed more than twice as many killings in 2018 as in 2015, the year the FARC agreed to a ceasefire as part of its peace negotiations with the government. That year, 112 people were killed in Catatumbo. Preliminary data shows 114 people killed from January through June of 2019. The increase in killings is driven in large part by the conflict in the region between the ELN and the EPL, according to judicial authorities, representatives from several humanitarian organizations operating in Catatumbo, human rights officials, and the Human Rights Ombudsperson’s Office. According to OCHA, 109 people it considered civilians were killed by armed groups in Catatumbo in 2018, up from 43 in 2017. OCHA told Human Rights Watch that 77 people it considered civilians were killed by armed groups between January and July 2019. This is consistent with Human Rights Watch’s review of testimony by victims’ relatives and witnesses, as well as interviews with victims’ relatives concerning 23 incidents from December 2017 to April 2019 involving the deaths of 38 individuals, who were civilians according to witnesses and their relatives. In eight cases, alleged members of armed groups killed civilians after accusing them of cooperating with opposing armed groups or the army, or because they refused to cooperate with, or join, the group. In three cases, eight people who appeared to be civilians were killed in crossfire during confrontation between armed groups. Human Rights Watch also reviewed testimony of six cases in which twelve civilians were injured after being caught in crossfire. Armed groups were identified by witnesses and survivors because of their armbands or because the fighters stated the group to which they belonged. Armed groups have also killed human rights defenders and community leaders. OHCHR has documented 14 cases of human rights defenders—a term it uses in Colombia to include community leaders seeking to promote or protect rights—killed since 2017 in Catatumbo, making it one of the regions in Colombia most affected by such killings. According to investigations of the Attorney General’s Office and OHCHR, the EPL appears to be responsible for six of these cases and the ELN for three. On July 30, 2018, armed men killed 10 people in the urban area of El Tarra. Around 3 p.m., the perpetrators appeared at a bar and shot indiscriminately at the people there. They did not identify to which armed group they belonged, Vladimir Quintero, a survivor, told the press. Those killed included Frederman Quintero, a community leader and Vladimir’s brother, and at least two demobilized FARC guerrilla fighters. According to three testimonies reviewed by Human Rights Watch, armed men appeared in El Tarra the day after the massacre and told residents that they had to leave the area. In November 2018, the Attorney General’s Office announced that three men belonging to the EPL had been arrested for the massacre and sent to pre-trial detention. On February 2, 2019, Vladimir Quintero, the survivor who had shared his testimony in the media, was found dead in Cúcuta. In April, the Attorney General’s Office announced that a man apparently linked to the murder had been arrested, charged, and sent to pre-trial detention. Daniel Felipe Hernández García (pseudonym), 21, a peasant who was completing his military service, left his mother’s house in Campo Dos, Tibú, around 9 a.m. on January 10, 2019, to meet a man who wanted to buy his motorbike. He told his mother he would come back for lunch, she told Human Rights Watch, yet he did not return. At 8 p.m., his mother received a call from a friend who told her that Hernández García had been killed. The friend had received photos of him, bleeding, with his hands tied behind his back, on a dirt road. He forwarded them to Hernández García’s mother. She said a prosecutor told her that evidence pointed to the ELN guerrillas. Disappearances and Kidnappings Armed groups have disappeared and kidnapped civilians in Catatumbo. Under Colombian law, private actors as well as state actors can be held accountable for what it terms “enforced disappearances.” The Attorney General’s Office told Human Rights Watch that, as of April 2019, prosecutors had pending investigations into 189 cases of alleged “enforced disappearances” committed in the region since 2017. The number of reported cases of people who have gone missing in Catatumbo has increased in recent years. According to Colombia’s National Institute of Legal Medicine, the reported number of missing people increased from 11 in 2016 to 16 in 2017 and 24 in 2018. Two people were reported missing in the first three months of 2019. Colombia’s Victims’ Unit reported seven people missing in 2017 and another six in 2018 linked to Colombia’s armed conflict. A judicial authority and a human rights official told Human Rights Watch that the increase in these cases is linked to actions by armed groups. Similarly, the Human Rights Ombudsperson’s Office has reported on a case in which people who allegedly belonged to the ELN kidnapped one person in San Calixto on March 31, 2018. Human Rights Watch reviewed testimony by victims and relatives of victims taken by government officials regarding eleven incidents and conducted interviews with victims’ relatives regarding two other incidents from March 2018 to March 2019 involving a total of 17 victims. In two cases, armed groups appeared to take victims to interrogate them about their alleged cooperation with opposing groups. In six cases, civilians were kidnapped as a way of forcing them to obey the group’s wishes (for example, to refrain from investigating a relative’s murder) or to pay ransom. Some victims were held for hours; others for several days, while in four cases, victims had remained missing from one week to three years at the time their relatives provided testimony to authorities or were interviewed by Human Rights Watch.[90] Juan Pérez, Jorge Trujillo, and Orlando Castellanos (pseudonyms), went missing in March 2019, relatives of two of them told Human Rights Watch. The three men were last seen in a rural area of Catatumbo, chatting with two other men, whom they agreed to drive to Cúcuta. Armed groups are the only ones in the area with capacity to kidnap or disappear people, the relatives told us. Searching for the missing men, the relatives went to a road leading to an illegal crossing to Venezuela where they knew the ELN and the FARC dissident group had established checkpoints. They asked the guerrilla fighters about the men who had gone missing. An ELN fighter said the guerillas would ask their commander about it. They had not provided information by the time we interviewed the relatives in early April. The relatives of only one of the disappeared men had filed a criminal complaint. The others told Human Rights Watch they were worried that the ELN or FARC dissident group would retaliate against them or against their missing relatives, if they were still alive. “The less you look around and the less you ask questions, the more chances you have of surviving in this region,” one of them said. On January 26, 2016, Henry Pérez Ramírez, a 46-year-old community leader, went missing after heading out to check his crops early in the morning, his wife, Elibeth Murcia Castro, told Human Rights Watch. Days before his disappearance, a man who later told her about the conversation had overheard Pérez Ramírez speaking on the phone with a member of the FARC, she said. The FARC member had asked him questions about where the Colombian armed forces were operating and had requested a meeting on January 26. Murcia Castro said Pérez Ramírez had previously received threats from the FARC member. She and her family desperately looked for him, and she filed complaints with judicial authorities and the Human Rights Ombudsperson’s Office, but his whereabouts remained unknown at the time of writing. “What I want the most is to find him,” she told us. “And not to be like this, with this uncertainty, not knowing if he’s alive or if he’s dead.” Sexual Violence According to a local prosecutor and a humanitarian actor working on cases of sexual violence in Catatumbo, most sexual crimes committed there appear to be related to violence within families—a serious issue the government should address—but armed groups in Catatumbo also commit rape and other sexual abuses. However, this distinction can obscure the complicated power dynamics that drive this form of violence. A humanitarian actor working in the area said that it is also sometimes difficult to separate intra-family violence from actions by armed groups in an area where these groups exercise so much power. Colombia’s Victims’ Unit recorded that 37 people in Catatumbo were victims of “crimes against sexual integrity” (including rape and other sexual crimes) related to the armed conflict between January 2017 and May 2019. One afternoon in early 2017, members of the EPL ordered Carolina Vega (pseudonym) to attend a meeting, saying one of her family members was at risk. When she arrived, she said, four men and a woman wearing EPL insignia on their clothes threw her to the floor and started beating her. She fought back, hitting one of them, she said, and in response, the four men sexually assaulted her. They let her go, and days later, Vega ran into the woman who had witnessed the abuse. The woman told her that the men had done the same to her before she joined the EPL. Vega was too afraid to see a doctor. The men eventually showed up at her house, ordering her to leave and not report the crime. Months later, she fled to a nearby city. Nearly two years later, she mustered the courage to report the sexual abuse. Beatriz López (pseudonym), was raped in mid-2017. That day, she was at her job as a cook for agricultural laborers. Her husband was working on the same farm. At around 5 p.m., a group of uniformed men, their faces hidden under balaclavas, arrived, shouting why “the fuck” hadn’t the residents left if they had been “warned.” They asked if others were present. Lopez’s husband said no, to protect the other workers. The guerillas did not believe him and sent men to look. Four, who had the ELN logo on their clothes, stayed with López and her husband. Two hauled her to a room and sexually assaulted her. The others dragged her husband in and made him watch. López lost consciousness and woke up two hours later in her husband’s arms, as he fled. They fled to a nearby city, and she only reported the incident in 2019. Until then, she said, the shame and psychological trauma kept her from seeking out authorities. In another case, a 16-year-old girl was sexually abused by members of one armed group who wanted to retaliate against her brother, who belonged to another group, according to a humanitarian actor working in the area. There are also reports that armed groups abuse girls in their ranks (see next section). Human Rights Watch did not document additional cases. While underreporting likely affects the range of abuses documented in this report, a number of specific factors contribute to significant underreporting of sexual violence. In a 2012 report on gender-based violence in Colombia, Human Rights Watch identified a range of obstacles displaced women and girls faced when seeking justice after gender‑based violence, including mistreatment by authorities, evidentiary challenges, poor referrals, women’s economic barriers, and fear of reporting. A humanitarian actor said that some victims in Catatumbo fear retaliation if they report the crimes, or fear that the state response would be inadequate. She explained that no municipality in North Santander has shelters for victims of sexual violence, that women fear staying in their location after filing complaints but have insufficient funds for transportation elsewhere, and that government-provided psychological support to victims is very limited. Forensic evaluations are carried out in Ocaña, which may be several hours away, and victims can rarely afford to travel there. Expand Graffiti on the wall of a brothel in Convención in the Catatumbo region, where most women working were Venezuelan exiles. The EPL (Popular Liberation Army) is one of the armed groups operating in the area. © 2019 Human Rights Watch Armed groups also threaten and intimidate sex workers, a majority of whom in at least three municipalities are Venezuelans, according to Human Rights Watch interviews with local officials. Sex work is not criminalized in Colombia. The names of armed groups are scrawled in big graffiti on the walls of two brothels in the Convención municipality. The Human Rights Ombudsperson’s Office has reported that armed groups threaten sex workers with retaliation if a guerilla contracts a sexually transmitted disease. On April 11, 2017, the EPL released a pamphlet saying that “sex workers are not allowed in the region.” Similarly, a local official told Human Rights Watch that the FARC dissident group “forbade” sex work in Hacarí. OCHA has expressed concern that sex work is happening in clandestine locations which makes it harder to verify that the rights, health, and conditions for sex workers are being respected and raises the prospect that possible human and sexual trafficking operations are taking place. Recruitment and Use of Children by Armed Groups Armed groups in Catatumbo recruit Colombian and Venezuelan children. Colombia’s Victims’ Unit reported a total of 14 children recruited by armed groups in Catatumbo in 2017 and 2018. Similarly, the Attorney General’s Office told Human Rights Watch that, as of April 2019, prosecutors had pending investigations into 17 cases of child recruitment committed in Catatumbo since 2017. Group members ask children as young as 12 to join, often offering pay. They threaten to kill them or their families if they decline, according to victims’ relatives, the Human Rights Ombudsperson’s Office, and officials of humanitarian organizations operating in the area. In March 2019, for example, ELN fighters visited a rural school in Catatumbo to try to convince children to join their ranks. Groups use children for a range of tasks, including as informants regarding what is going on in the communities, as well as fighters. Credible sources indicate that girls in the groups’ ranks are at times subject to sexual abuse. Residents indicate that poverty and lack of economic opportunities make children vulnerable to recruitment. Children who are not in school are at heightened risk of recruitment, according to humanitarian actors working in the area. This recruitment compounds other rights abuses experienced by children, including limitations on access to education due to labor in coca fields. Many children work in the coca fields, and some move around with their families to work in various fields, which makes it hard for them to attend school. Nidia Martínez (pseudonym), 50, told us that some members of her family started running errands for soldiers of the Colombian army when subsisting off their land in rural Catatumbo became too difficult. Soon, they started receiving threats from armed groups, she said. When Martínez’s son was 15, members of one “guerrilla” offered to give him firearms and a motorcycle if he worked for them. He spent three months doing so, until his father found him and, as an excuse to bring him home, said his mother was dying. Two years later, she said, members of an “armed group” warned her son that neither he nor his family should interact with soldiers. In a separate incident, they stopped Martínez’s husband one night on the street and threatened to kill him. When Human Rights Watch interviewed Martínez and her daughter, Martínez said she was seeking advice from Colombian authorities because they feared for their lives and wanted to leave the area. Human Rights Watch reviewed testimony taken by Colombian government officials in 12 additional cases in which families fled their towns or neighborhoods after an armed group threatened or attempted to recruit one of their children. The following are testimonies from some of the families: Lucía (pseudonym): My daughter is 12 years old and is attending eighth grade. In mid-2018, a man that is always around in [my city] started to send her gifts. People said the man belonged to the ELN armed group. [One day in early] 2019, we went to visit my grandfather, who was sick. On the way, two men approached us and took us by force. They were armed. They took us in a white van, approximately one hour away. We didn’t know where we were going. They took us to a ranch, where they left us in a small room…. I asked why we were there, and [one of them] said they were going to take my daughter with them…. My daughter fainted…. [An hour later], they took us and left us by the road. Their order was that we had to leave our town or they would kill us, or kill me and recruit my daughter. Dalila (pseudonym): My house is located between two mountain ridges where guerrilla groups operate. They are often fighting amongst themselves, and the walls of my house are full of holes from the shootouts. I am afraid of the confrontations; one doesn’t have tranquility to eat, or even walk around, because the area is full of landmines. [One day in early] 2018, three men arrived at my house. They were armed and wearing uniforms, but I don’t know to which group they belonged. They told me that they were going to take my oldest children, who are 17 and 14. I told them they would have to kill me first… They said I had a few hours to leave my land. I sent my two sons to [another municipality] with my sister.[121] Use of Antipersonnel Landmines The ELN and EPL are planting landmines in rural areas of Catatumbo, according to local residents, human rights officials, and several humanitarian organizations operating in the area. According to government statistics, 4 people have died and 65 have been injured by antipersonnel landmines in Catatumbo since 2017. It is unclear whether the incidents were caused by landmines planted years earlier by the FARC or recently by the ELN and the EPL. At least one incident documented by Human Rights Watch appears to be related to more recently planted landmines given that there had been no incidents in the area previously. The armed forces removed at least 92 explosive devices and destroyed 55 landmines between October 2018 and April 2019. However, demining activities in the area are limited given security risks due to the escalation of the armed conflicts. Alejandro Rodríguez (pseudonym), 34, is a primary teacher at a school serving rural populations in Catatumbo. Around 1 p.m. on February 5, 2019, Rodríguez left the school grounds to look for a soccer ball that one of his students had kicked. It had landed about 15 meters away from where the students were playing. Rodríguez stepped on something that exploded. He told us he thinks it was a landmine. Neighbors helped him get to the nearest town, several hours away. When we interviewed him in April, he had moved to an urban area and was receiving medical treatment, having lost his foot. Rodríguez said nobody had visited the area in the two months since the incident to see if there were other landmines near the school. In his rural community, he heard shots nearly every day and children feared going to school, he told Human Rights Watch. “Those who are part of the conflict do not suffer what we, as farmers…, suffer,” he said. “We are the ones paying for a conflict that they started.”\n\nVenezuelans in Catatumbo Venezuelan Migration to Colombia According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) more than 4 million Venezuelans have fled their country in recent years. By official counts, as of July 2019, roughly 1.4 million Venezuelans had fled to Colombia. The number may be much higher, given that many use the more than 300 irregular crossings along Colombia’s border. he number of people that do not go through official checkpoints increased when Venezuelan authorities closed the border in February 2019. Between March and June, Venezuelan authorities only allowed those with permits to attend school in Colombia or those holding certificates of medical need to cross. In early June, Venezuelan authorities opened the border and, as of July, were allowing anyone to leave the country. The Colombian government has adopted a series of measures to provide arriving Venezuelans access to health care for urgent needs and to enroll Venezuelan children in schools. Other initiatives, in coordination with UN agencies and local humanitarian groups, provide meals, vaccination, and shelter. Expand A Venezuelan man holds out his hands to show injuries caused by his work in coca fields, Tibú, April 11, 2019. © 2019 Human Rights Watch The Colombian government created a special permit that allows Venezuelan citizens who entered the country legally but overstayed their visas to regularize their status and gain work permits and access to basic public services. In total, Colombian authorities have granted this permit to over 590,000 Venezuelans since July 2017. These permits allow children to enroll in schools. The many undocumented Venezuelans who do not have the permit face an array of difficulties, including fear of deportation if they report being victims of abuse and lack of access to non-emergency health care. (According to official statistics, thousands of Venezuelans arrive in Colombia daily, and 840 Venezuelans were formally deported in all 2018 and 200 in the first half of 2019.) Venezuelan Migration to Catatumbo Limited immigration controls by Colombian authorities in areas where armed groups control illegal crossings, as well as jobs that pay better than in Venezuela, attract many Venezuelans to the Catatumbo borderlands. It is impossible to know the exact number of Venezuelans living in Catatumbo, given that state presence is limited and armed groups are exercising immigration controls at illegal crossings throughout some parts of Catatumbo. Colombian authorities counted only 9,106 Venezuelans in Catatumbo in June 2018, but they did not survey all rural areas—where most Venezuelans live—and they surveyed during the “armed strike,” in which the EPL ordered a halt to all business and activities. As of April 2019, OCHA estimated at least 25,000 Venezuelans were living in Catatumbo. Expand A group of Venezuelans wait for lunch at a soup kitchen operated by a Catholic church, with support from the UN World Food Programme, in Tibú, April 11, 2019. The soup kitchen feeds 400 Venezuelans per day. © 2019 Human Rights Watch Venezuelans are living in all major urban areas of Catatumbo, including Tibú, Ocaña, El Tarra, Ábrego, Convención, and Sardinata. In these areas, many, including women and children, live in precarious conditions. Some sleep on the streets or in overcrowded buildings, sometimes without access to electricity and running water. A soup kitchen organized by a Catholic priest in Tibú feeds 400 Venezuelans a day with the support of the World Food Programme. A Colombian official told Human Rights Watch that in mid-August the government would carry out a meeting in Catatumbo with national, regional and local actors, as well as representatives of international humanitarian bodies, to address the situation in the region, which, he said, “deserves special attention.” Venezuelans at Risk Venezuelans displaced from their country or migrating to Catatumbo have been caught up in the conflict. They have been among those forcibly displaced, killed, and subject to child recruitment by armed groups. Some Venezuelans have also been subject to sexual abuse; others have disappeared. Venezuelans fear deportation if they report abuses and, as described in the next section, have had difficulty accessing government services, making them particularly vulnerable to abuses. Venezuelan’s limited knowledge about Colombia’s armed conflicts, together with the conditions in which they live and the needs that drive them to migrate, makes them more vulnerable to recruitment by armed groups in the area. In 2018, 19 Venezuelans were killed in Catatumbo, the Colombian National Police reported, up from 5 in 2017 and none in 2016. Preliminary data show 16 Venezuelans killed from January through June 2019. As of April 2019, the Attorney General’s Office was investigating the murder of 47 Venezuelans committed in Catatumbo since 2017. The statistics by the National Police and the Attorney General’s Office are not specific to conflict-related deaths. OCHA told Human Rights Watch that five Venezuelans were killed in violence linked to armed groups in 2018, up from one in 2017. According to OCHA, 15 Venezuelans were killed by armed groups between January and July 2019. OCHA has received reports of sexual violence and abuse against Venezuelan women and girls. Humanitarian actors and a human rights official have reported sexual exploitation of Venezuelan girls. According to a humanitarian body, Venezuelan girls between 12 and 15 years old engage in relationships in which sex is exchanged for 5,000 Colombian pesos (less than US$2). Venezuelan victims of sexual abuse have told OCHA they did not report incidents to Colombian authorities for fear of retaliation by perpetrators and of deportation by Colombian authorities. Venezuelans have also been the victims of other abuses committed by armed groups. As of April 2019, the Attorney General’s Office was investigating the alleged enforced disappearances of 10 Venezuelans that have occurred since 2017. And another 100 Venezuelans were victims of “forced displacement,” according to a humanitarian organization working in Catatumbo. As noted above, migrant Venezuelan children in Catatumbo who are not in school are at heightened risk of recruitment by armed groups. Several sources told Human Rights Watch that Venezuelan children had allegedly been recruited by armed groups, and the Human Rights Ombudsperson’s Office reported one case in which a 14-year-old Venezuelan girl had been recruited by the EPL. As of April 2019, the Attorney General’s Office was investigating one case involving the recruitment of a Venezuelan child. In Catatumbo, Venezuelan and Colombian children work in coca fields, which can be a barrier to attending school. Venezuelans who want to study face additional difficulties such as limited capacity in schools, lack of funding for school materials, and having to attend schools that are several hours from home. Enrique Pérez (pseudonym), 14, arrived with his mother in Catatumbo in February 2019, having left Trujillo state in Venezuela because, he said, his parents could no longer feed the family adequately. Some days, they only had one meal per day, and sometimes he could only eat one every other day. He had been a student in Venezuela but dropped out when he arrived in Colombia to work in the coca fields. He works from 5 a.m. to noon, and then again between 1 and 4 p.m., under the blazing sun. At times, Venezuelans work only for a plate of food, he said. He told Human Rights Watch that he works alongside Colombian and Venezuelan children as young as eight, and that he would love to go back to school but must work.\n\nInadequate Protection and Accountability Accountability The Attorney General’s Office has, so far, largely failed to ensure justice for the serious abuses committed by armed groups in Catatumbo that have been reported to authorities. There are hundreds of cases currently under investigation, but these have only rarely led to prosecutions and convictions against members of armed groups. The Attorney General’s Office reported to Human Rights Watch that, as of April 2019, it had 776 cases concerning murders committed in Catatumbo since January 2017. Prosecutors had charged people in 184 cases and also secured convictions in 61. Charges have been brought against only two members of armed groups, however, both individuals belonging to the EPL. According to the Attorney General’s Office, its records have a “significant under-registration” (i.e., limited information) on the location where crimes were committed, as well as alleged perpetrators and victims. The office had not charged, let alone convicted, anyone for child recruitment, “threats” or “enforced disappearances” committed since January 2017. Ten people, including two members of armed groups, had been charged, but no one had been convicted, in over 480 cases of “forced displacement.” A key obstacle is the limited number of officials in Catatumbo charged with investigating and prosecuting all crimes. For example, in Tibú, there are three prosecutors—one of them handles 2,400 cases and the other two over 600 each. They work with only three police investigators, an insufficient number to handle the investigations, according to a judicial authority we interviewed. In Sardinata, there is only one prosecutor. Prosecutors in Tibú and Sardinata have no members of the Technical Investigation Unit (Cuerpo Técnico de Investigaciones, CTI)—the body charged with providing investigative and forensic support to prosecutors in criminal cases—to assist them. Three of the thirteen prosecutors in Ocaña investigate crimes related to the conflict, but only crimes committed in some Catatumbo municipalities.[174] They work with more than 30 police or CTI investigators, who are supposed to cover crimes committed in most rural areas of Catatumbo. But due to security concerns they rarely travel outside of Ocaña. Other cases are handled by prosecutors in Cúcuta, where there are more police and CTI investigators, but they also have a large volume of cases. For instance, a prosecutor who handles cases of forced displacement and disappearances in North Santander has more than 1,000 cases in his portfolio. Two other prosecutors dealing with extortion and kidnappings, including cases related to the conflict, in North Santander handle 350 cases each. Other cases have been transferred to national and human rights prosecutors. Another prosecutor who handles all cases of threats against human rights defenders and community leaders in the region has 460 cases that occurred since 2014. In part due to difficulties in carrying out investigations into these threats, there have been no indictments or convictions. Justice officials face serious security risks in Catatumbo, which make it very difficult to visit rural areas to investigate crimes. At times, they require support and helicopter transportation by Colombia’s armed forces, which is expensive and occurs sporadically. On May 14, 2019, a group of officials from the courthouse in Tibú were attacked as they were visiting rural Tibú to carry out investigations. An unidentified armed group threw an explosive at their car. The judge was hurt, and his secretary and a passerby were killed. Security risks often undercut pursuit of any serious criminal investigation. Several residents, justice officials, and officials of humanitarian organizations in Catatumbo told Human Rights Watch that, often, forensic experts do not participate in the removal of corpses. Instead, employees of funeral establishments take the bodies without following the procedures required to preserve a crime scene. Sometimes, family members take the corpses and bury them, and investigators do not have access to the body. Several judicial authorities reported that witnesses or family members generally fear retaliation for cooperating with investigations. Two of these authorities said this leaves them with limited evidence to investigate crimes. In addition, underreporting of crimes is common due to fear of retaliation, including among survivors of gender-based violence, as described above. Venezuelan victims of crimes face the added fear of deportation. Despite allegations of sexual abuse against Venezuelan women in Catatumbo, none of the 300 investigations into sexual crimes in one prosecutor’s office had been brought by Venezuelan victims. Prevention of Abuses Under international human rights law, states have obligations to take measures to prevent or deter abuses of rights committed by private actors such as armed groups as well as to provide access to effective remedies when rights are harmed. Measures that should be taken include appropriate preventive operational measures to prevent loss of life or interference with personal security or bodily integrity that are commensurate to an identified and anticipated risk. Under Colombian law, the Human Rights Ombudsperson’s Office is required to issue “early alerts” when it identifies “risks and threats” to human rights or the risk of potential international humanitarian law violations. When an early alert is issued, municipal, provincial, and national authorities are required to carry out a “rapid” response to prevent abuses. The response is coordinated by the Ministry of Interior, including through a high-level Inter-Agency Commission where recommendations are issued to relevant government offices. The Human Rights Ombudsperson’s Office has issued five early alerts on Catatumbo since January 2018. However, the response by government authorities has often been inadequate, according to several sources interviewed by Human Rights Watch. For example, it took the National Protection Unit (Unidad Nacional de Protección, UNP)—a national body charged with protecting people at risk—more than eight months to initiate the process to grant protection schemes to indigenous Bari community leaders that the Human Rights Ombudsperson’s Office had identified, in January 2018, as potentially at risk. Authorities at times also fail to carry out a coordinated response to prevent abuses, according to the Human Rights Ombudsperson’s Office and humanitarian actors. According to the Human Rights Ombudsperson’s Office, the response is often limited to “sending messages” to other government agencies and does not “have any impact to mitigate the conditions of vulnerability or the risk faced by the population.” Authorities are required to report to the Human Rights Ombudsperson’s Office what actions they have taken to address the risks identified in “early alerts.” Yet authorities do not always respond. When, in January 2018, the Human Rights Ombudsperson’s Office issued an early alert regarding the situation in three municipalities in Catatumbo, the Attorney General’s Office, one of the mayor’s offices, and governor’s office did not respond to information requests sent by the Human Rights Ombudsperson’s Office. In other cases, authorities respond that they are carrying out national plans or policies established before the early alert, but without any apparent change to these plans or policies based on the Human Rights Ombudsperson’s Office’s assessment provided in the early alert or other details that appear to provide a specific response to the circumstances contained in the alert. For example, in response to the January 2018 alert, the army described pre-existing national military plans and mentioned the number of captures and killings in combat in the region. It did not clarify when these had occurred, nor whether they had taken place in the areas included in the early alert. Protection of Community Leaders and Human Rights Defenders As mentioned above, the number of human rights defenders and community leaders killed since 2017 in Catatumbo is among the highest in Colombia. Many community leaders and human rights defenders in Catatumbo have individual protection measures provided by the UNP. These measures include cellphones, bulletproof vests, and, in extreme circumstances, bodyguards. Yet these individual protection schemes are insufficient to ensure adequate protection of community leaders in Catatumbo. In some cases, community leaders are unwilling to go back to their communities with their protection schemes because they think it will draw attention and expose them to more danger. Moreover, while these schemes are provided as reaction to threats, it appears that only one of the fourteen community leaders and human rights defenders killed in Catatumbo since 2017 had previously reported threats or requested an individual protection scheme. In part to address this shortcoming, in April 2018, the Colombian government signed a decree creating protection programs that would ensure collective protection for communities and rights groups at risk. In June 2018, the government announced that it would establish four pilot plans, including one in El Tarra. The pilot program in El Tarra, however, has yet to be implemented. In February 2019, the Interior Ministry told Human Rights Watch that they had “identified actions” to pursue the pilot project. Yet, these had not been put in place as of June. Assistance to Displaced Populations Under Colombia’s Victims’ Law, municipal governments must provide victims of forced displacement with humanitarian assistance, including decent shelter and food, as soon as they ask to be registered as victims. Colombian law also requires the government to provide temporary housing, transportation, and food to victims of sexual violence who request it. According to humanitarian and human rights actors, however, government assistance is often slow and insufficient. According to OCHA, municipal government institutions are “overwhelmed” and need support to deal with displaced populations. Humanitarian and human rights actors working in the area explained that some municipalities run out of funds to provide support to victims of displacement, early in the year. Under Colombian law, if municipal governments are unable to offer aid, the provincial or national governments must assist. Yet human rights officials and humanitarian workers in the area told Human Rights Watch that the provincial and national governments often respond slowly. For example, it took the national government over a month to provide food to some of the people forcefully displaced in March 2018. In addition to local authorities running out of funding early in the year, humanitarian actors reported that communities improvised temporary shelters to respond to specific waves of displacement. For example, at least 224 people were displaced to Teorama on February 27, 2019, where some lived in a meeting room without furniture. After clashes between the ELN and Colombian armed forces on January 23 and 24, at least 145 people, including children, relocated to El Tarra, where they lived in a school without running water. In other instances, displaced populations informally set up “humanitarian shelters” where they slept in tents. The poor conditions and difficulty in accessing humanitarian aid in their new locations pushes some displaced people to return to their homes despite insufficient security guarantees. A key gap is that local human rights offices in Catatumbo where victims can report abuses in order to access assistance and reparations programs—called “personerías” in Colombia—are understaffed. All personerías in Catatumbo, with the exception of the one in Ocaña, only have two employees—the head of the office and one assistant. Not every office has staff trained to interview victims of sexual or gender-based violence and several officials told Human Rights Watch that the personerías often struggle to take the reports of victims. The Venezuelan population, which is not always aware of mechanisms provided by the Colombian government to displaced populations, is in an even more precarious situation. OCHA has reported that the “lack of complaints filed by Venezuelan immigrants” makes an adequate response by authorities and humanitarian organizations “impossible.” Moreover, Venezuelans were initially denied the possibility of reporting abuses to personerías. When the conflict between the ELN and the EPL started, many officials denied displaced Venezuelans the right to report the abuses they suffered because they thought they were not covered by Colombia’s Victims’ Law. Later, since approximately August 2018, personerías started allowing Venezuelan victims to report abuses. While the country’s Victims’ Unit, which assesses complaints recorded by the personerías and other offices, had also repeatedly turned down complaints by Venezuelans, holding that they were not entitled to the reparations and assistance programs afforded to victims of abuses by armed groups in the country, that situation changed in mid-2019. By July 2019, the Victims’ Unit was accepting complaints from Venezuelans, appearing to acknowledge that they are entitled to reparations and assistance under the Victims Law. Indeed, the law grants these rights to “people” who suffered abuses “connected to the armed conflict,” without making any explicit distinction based on nationality. Given the serious shortcomings in governance, humanitarian organizations in Catatumbo play a key role in assisting victims. Yet the budget for the local coordination team in North Santander providing support to victims of Colombia’s armed conflicts has decreased substantially from US$5.3 million in 2016 to roughly US$2.2 million in 2018. Several humanitarian actors interviewed by Human Rights Watch have noted that international humanitarian aid for Venezuelans at the border is increasing but there is no clear recognition by the Colombian government or international humanitarian agencies that victims of Colombia’s armed conflicts also need increased aid to address their deteriorating humanitarian situation. Police and Military Response Under Colombian law, the responsibility to protect the population rests primarily with the National Police, while the armed forces are largely charged with combating armed groups. In October 2018, the Colombian government launched the “Force of Rapid Deployment 3” (Fuerza de Despliegue Rápido No. 3, FUDRA) to increase the number of military officers in Catatumbo by 5,600. The new force was added to the 30th Brigade of the army, the 30th engineer battalion “José Alberto Salazar Arana,” and the Vulcano Task Force, a special military unit that has operated in Catatumbo since 2011 and has 4,000 officers. As of May 2018, there were approximately 800 police in Catatumbo. Their presence, however, is limited to urban areas, and even in urban areas, they are often confined to their stations. When Human Rights Watch visited Convención, for example, most policemen appeared to be barricaded in the police station and did not patrol urban areas of the town. Residents, human rights officials, and humanitarian actors have reported abusive behavior by members of the military in Catatumbo. A number of sources indicated that soldiers have, at times, accused civilians, without evidence, of being complicit with armed groups. For example, one resident told Human Rights Watch that he attended a meeting in which an army officer accused a human rights official of being a “chess piece of the guerrilla” without providing any evidence. Soldiers often stop civilians when they go through military checkpoints. They require civilians to show their IDs, take photographs of them, ask about developments in their communities, and ask who the community leaders are, according to human rights officials and humanitarian and rights groups working in the area. One community leader told Human Rights Watch that civilians are often left in an impossible situation: if they meet with members of the military at their request, they risk being seen as informants by the armed groups, and if they refuse to meet with the military for that reason, they risk being perceived as collaborating with the armed groups. On April 22, 2019, an army soldier killed Dimar Torres, a demobilized FARC member, in Convención. Initially, Defense Minister Guillermo Botero said that Torres had been killed accidentally during a “tussle” after he tried to rob a sergeant’s rifle. On April 28, however, a group of Colombian senators visited the area to interview residents. They concluded that the death “was not accidental” and reported “evidence of a pit and testimonies that suggest the intention of hiding—disappearing—the body.” That same day, the Vulcano Task Force commander, Gen. Diego Luis Villegas Muñoz, “apologized” during a public event in Convención for what he described as a “murder by members of the armed forces.” Later that day, the Attorney General announced that his office was bringing charges against a sergeant allegedly responsible for the murder. On May 17, the Attorney General’s Office announced that it would investigate a colonel for “cover-up.” Many residents do not trust security forces due to their record in Catatumbo. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, paramilitary groups expanded their control throughout areas of Catatumbo with support of the Colombian armed forces. The paramilitaries committed numerous massacres and other abuses. Later, between 2006 and 2008, soldiers in Catatumbo engaged in extrajudicial executions known as “false positives,” in which troops lured civilians to remote locations under false promises, killed them, placed weapons on their lifeless bodies, and reported them as enemy combatants killed in action. In fact, Gen. Villegas, the current head of the Vulcano Task Force, is facing a criminal investigation for a “false positive” case committed in the province of Antioquia in 2008.\n\nApplicable Legal Frameworks Colombia is party to multiple human rights treaties that impose international obligations to protect those human rights central to guarantees of security, including the rights to life, to physical integrity, to personal liberty and security, and to the peaceful enjoyment of one’s possessions. Colombian authorities have obligations to provide effective protection for these rights. In addition, they must seek to hold perpetrators of human rights abuses accountable and guarantee the rights of victims, including their right to an effective remedy and reparation. In 2009, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, in its “Report on Citizen Security and Human Rights,” reminded OAS member states, including Colombia, that: Member States have a duty to protect and ensure the human rights at stake in the area of citizen security through plans and programs aimed at prevention, deterrence and, where necessary, measures of lawful suppression of acts of violence and crime, based on the guidelines and within the boundaries set by the standards and principles on human rights within the universal and regional human rights systems. In the region of Catatumbo, international humanitarian law (the laws of war), also applies to the hostilities between armed groups that are sufficiently organized, with effective command structures, to be parties to the conflict. The International Committee of the Red Cross has found that the intensity of the hostilities and the groups’ level of organization show that the ELN and the EPL are parties to non-international armed conflicts in Colombia. Similarly, the Colombian Defense Ministry considers both groups to be “organized armed groups,” covered by international humanitarian law. The government of President Duque has at times denied the existence of armed conflicts in Colombia. It has argued that the ELN in particular cannot be considered a party to the armed conflict because its members seek to “obtain illegal benefits” and are “not political.” However, the motivation of an armed group is irrelevant when deciding whether a situation constitutes an armed conflict. All parties to an armed conflict, whether state forces or non-government groups, are bound by applicable standards of international humanitarian law. Individuals who commit serious violations of the laws of war intentionally or recklessly are responsible for war crimes. International law obligates states to investigate, prosecute, and punish war crimes. Commanders who knew or should have known about violations but failed to stop them or punish those responsible may be liable as a matter of command responsibility. One of the most basic rules of international humanitarian law is that parties to a conflict must distinguish between combatants and civilians and should not intentionally target civilians or other persons not taking direct part in hostilities. The use of antipersonnel landmines, which do not discriminate between civilians and combatants, is considered indiscriminate and prohibited by the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty, to which Colombia is a party. Summary executions are illegal under any circumstances according to both international humanitarian and human rights law. “Willful killing” is a war crime under the Rome Statute. While civilian deaths occurring during hostilities between armed groups in a non-international armed conflict are not necessarily always violations of international humanitarian law, they can be prosecuted as unlawful homicides under national law, as part of the government’s obligations to protect and vindicate the right to life. The abduction of civilians during an armed conflict, commonly referred to as “kidnappings” in Colombia, is a violation of international humanitarian law, and may also amount to an “enforced disappearance” under Colombian law. The definition of “enforced disappearance” in Colombian criminal law and interpreted by Colombia’s Constitutional Court contains two elements. These are the deprivation of liberty of a person by any means, followed by hiding them, and a lack of information about the whereabouts of the person, or the refusal to recognize their deprivation of liberty or give information about the person’s whereabouts. Under Colombian law, anyone can be criminally liable for an “enforced disappearance,” irrespective of whether the person is a private individual, a participant in an armed conflict, a state agent, or someone acting with the support or acquiescence of state agents. Detaining someone to compel another party to take action to obtain their release is hostage-taking, which is a war crime. Rape and any other form of sexual violence which take place in a non-international conflict are also serious violations of international human rights and humanitarian law, and they are specifically listed as war crimes under the Rome Statute. International humanitarian law forbids armed groups from displacing civilian populations, unless the security of the civilians involved, or imperative military reasons demand it. Forced displacement of civilian populations violates both international humanitarian law and human rights protections. The UN Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement, which provide authoritative standards for the obligations of governments relating to forced displacement, explicitly provide that “all authorities and international actors shall respect and ensure respect for their obligations under international law, including human rights and humanitarian law, in all circumstances, so as to prevent and avoid conditions that might lead to displacement of persons.” The prohibition of arbitrary displacement includes displacement “in situations of armed conflict, unless the security of the civilians involved or imperative military reasons so demand.” In the event of forced displacement, the Principles provide that the authorities should ensure displaced people “at a minimum” have safe access to essential food and potable water, basic shelter and housing, appropriate clothing, and essential medical services and sanitation. Under Colombian law, municipal governments are obligated to provide victims with humanitarian assistance, including food aid, as soon as they ask to be officially registered as displaced. The recruitment and use of children under the age of 15 years as soldiers, and their participation in active hostilities, is prohibited under international humanitarian law and listed as a war crime in the Rome Statute for the ICC. The Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Additional Protocols to the 1949 Geneva Conventions prohibit any recruitment or use in armed conflict of children under the age of 15. In 2000, the United Nations adopted an Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict, raising the minimum age for forced recruitment, conscription, or direct participation in hostilities to age 18. The protocol also obliges nongovernmental armed groups to refrain from any recruitment or use of children under age 18. As of July 2019, 168 governments, including Colombia, were party to the Optional Protocol. Colombia is also a party to the Worst Forms of Child Labor Convention, adopted by the International Labour Organization in 1999, which prohibits the forced recruitment of children under the age of 18 for use in armed conflict as one of the worst forms of child labor.", "Three groups are fighting over drug routes and coca plantations as 40,000 have fled their homes, says Human Rights Watch\n\nIllegal armed groups have forced about 40,000 people to flee their homes as they fight for control of drug trafficking routes in Colombia’s Catatumbo region bordering Venezuela, according to a new report by Human Rights Watch.\n\nThe 64-page report highlights the significant security challenges that Colombia still faces after the government signed a 2016 peace deal with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) guerrilla group. That deal and a weak state presence has left a void in Catatumbo and other remote areas that has been filled by smaller armed groups, which are unleashing a new wave of drug-fueled violence.\n\nPeace is war as armed groups roil Colombia's lawless border region Read more\n\nIn the report, called The War in Catatumbo, Human Rights Watch says three armed groups are fighting over drug routes and coca plantations abandoned by Farc rebels in the region, including the Popular Liberation Army, the National Liberation Army and a small group of former Farc fighters.\n\nThese armed groups have expelled thousands of rural dwellers from their homes, murdered community leaders and forcibly recruited children into their ranks, according to the report, which also includes interviews with children who have been forced to work harvesting coca leaves, the raw material for cocaine.\n\n“The 2016 peace accord between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia presented a landmark opportunity to halt the serious abuses and atrocities associated with a decades-long armed conflict,” the report says. “Yet in practice, the government does not exercise effective control over all territory in particular areas reclaimed from the Farc.”\n\nCatatumbo is about the size of Rhode Island. It borders Venezuela and in 2017 it produced about 15% of Colombia’s coca crop, according to UN figures. The mountainous region has been used by drug traffickers as a staging point for exporting cocaine.\n\nHuman Rights Watch accused Colombia’s government of “not meeting its obligations” to protect civilians in the area, which include an estimated 25,000 Venezuelan migrants. The organization said migrants fleeing economic hardship in Venezuela have been forced into sex work in Catatumbo and are also harvesting coca leaves in a desperate bid to feed their families.\n\nThe report said there were 231 homicides in Catatumbo last year or twice as many as before the peace deal with the Farc was signed. Only two members of armed groups have been convicted for murders in Catatumbo over the past three years.\n\n“As armed groups fight for the void left by the Farc in Catatumbo, hundreds of civilians have been caught in the conflict,” said Jose Miguel Vivanco, Americas director of the group.\n\nHuman Rights Watch is calling on the Colombia government to increase the number of investigators working on cases of forced displacement, murders and disappearances in the region.", "Illegal armed groups have forced some 40,000 people to flee their homes as they fight for control of drug trafficking routes in Colombia's Catatumbo region bordering Venezuela, Human Rights Watch said Thursday.\n\nThe international watchdog published a 64-page report on abuses committed against civilians by armed groups in the mountainous area. The situation reflects the significant security challenges that Colombia faces after the government signed a 2016 peace deal with the FARC guerrilla group, leaving a void that has been filled by smaller armed groups that have moved into Catatumbo and other remote areas unleashing a new wave of drug-fuelled violence.\n\nIn the report called \"The War in Catatumbo,\" Human Rights Watch says three armed groups are fighting over drug routes and coca plantations abandoned by FARC rebels in the region, including the Popular Liberation Army, the National Liberation Army and a small group of former FARC fighters.\n\nThese armed groups have expelled thousands of rural dwellers from their homes, murdered community leaders and forcibly recruited children into their ranks, according to the report, which also includes interviews with children who have been forced to work harvesting coca leaves, the raw material for cocaine.\n\n\"The 2016 peace accord between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia presented a landmark opportunity to halt the serious abuses and atrocities associated with a decades-long armed conflict,\" the report says.\n\n\"Yet in practice, the government does not exercise effective control over all territory in particular areas reclaimed from the FARC.\"\n\nCatatumbo is about the size of Rhode Island. It borders Venezuela and in 2017 it produced about 15 per cent of Colombia's coca crop, according to United Nations figures. The mountainous region has been used by drug traffickers as a staging point for exporting cocaine.\n\nHuman Rights Watch accused Colombia's government of \"not meeting its obligations\" to protect civilians in the area, which include an estimated 25,000 Venezuelan migrants. The organization said migrants fleeing economic hardship in Venezuela have been forced into sex work in Catatumbo and are also harvesting coca leaves in a desperate bid to feed their families.\n\nThe report said there were 231 homicides in Catatumbo last year or twice as many as before the peace deal with the FARC was signed. Only two members of armed groups have been convicted for murders in Catatumbo over the past three years.\n\n\"As armed groups fight for the void left by the FARC in Catatumbo, hundreds of civilians have been caught in the conflict,\" said Jose Miguel Vivanco, Americas director of the group.\n\nHuman Rights Watch is calling on the Colombia government to increase the number of investigators working on cases of forced displacement, murders and disappearances in the region. It also urged the Colombian government to ensure Venezuelan migrants attain legal status so that they can find work in safer parts of the country.", "Video: Attacks on Civilians in Border Area in Columbia Armed groups have committed egregious abuses against Colombian and Venezuelan civilians as they fight for control in Catatumbo, northeastern Colombia, Human Rights Watch said. (Bogotá) – Armed groups have committed egregious abuses against Colombian and Venezuelan civilians as they fight for control in Catatumbo, northeastern Colombia, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today.\n\nThe 64-page report, “The War in Catatumbo: Abuses by Armed Groups Against Civilians Including Venezuelan Exiles in Northeastern Colombia,” documents killings, disappearances, sexual violence, recruitment of children as soldiers, and forced displacement by the National Liberation Army (ELN), Popular Liberation Army (EPL), and a group that emerged from the demobilized Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). Armed groups use threats to gain control, including against community leaders and human rights defenders, some of whom have been killed. Venezuelans who fled the humanitarian emergency in their country are among the victims.\n\n“As armed groups fight for the void left by the FARC in Catatumbo, hundreds of civilians have been caught in the conflict,” said José Miguel Vivanco, Americas director at Human Rights Watch. “Venezuelans who are fleeing the humanitarian emergency in their own country are being caught in this nexus of war and desperate flight.”\n\nViolence and abuses have increased in Catatumbo since the FARC demobilized in 2017 as part of its peace accord with the government. The Colombian government is falling short on its human rights obligations to protect civilians from abuses and to provide victims with redress.\n\nIn April 2019, Human Rights Watch interviewed more than 80 people, including abuse victims, their relatives, community leaders, church representatives, human rights officials, local authorities, justice officials, and members of humanitarian and human rights organizations working in the area. Interviews were conducted in Catatumbo, as well as some in Cúcuta, the capital of North Santander province, and some by telephone.\n\nHuman Rights Watch also reviewed official reports and statistics, publications by nongovernmental and international organizations, and written testimony given to government officials by almost 500 victims of abuses committed in the context of the armed conflict. The total number of cases is most likely higher than that recorded by government authorities, given victims’ fear of retaliation by armed groups for exposing abuses, or Venezuelan victims’ fear of deportation.\n\n“Those who are part of the conflict do not suffer what we, as the people in the countryside …, suffer,” said a teacher in a rural school who lost his foot when a landmine exploded just meters from the school grounds. “We are the ones paying for a conflict that they started.”\n\nLimited immigration controls and better-paying jobs attract Venezuelans to the Catatumbo borderlands. At least 25,000 Venezuelans live in Catatumbo, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Desperate and often undocumented Venezuelans have been among those forcibly displaced and killed, and Venezuelan children have been recruited as soldiers.\n\nIn Catatumbo, more than 40,000 people have been displaced from their homes since 2017 – the majority during 2018 – according to government statistics. Some have been forcibly displaced. People have fled after armed groups threatened them for allegedly cooperating with competing armed groups or the government. People have also fled after being threatened for refusing to join an armed group.\n\nOCHA reported that 109 people it considered civilians were killed by armed groups in 2018 alone. Armed groups have killed nine human rights defenders and community leaders, according to investigations by Colombia’s Attorney General’s Office and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).\n\n“Community leaders play a fundamental role to give voice to abuse victims and help reinstate the rule of law in remote areas of Colombia,” Vivanco said. “The Colombian government should increase its efforts to protect them and ensure that those responsible for these murders are held to account.”\n\nArmed groups have been implicated in kidnappings and disappearances, as well as rape and other sexual violence.\n\nChildren as young as 12 have been forced to join an armed group after members threaten to kill them or their families, or they join for money. Human Rights Watch reviewed testimony in a dozen cases in which families fled after an armed group threatened or attempted to recruit a child.\n\nArmed groups are also reportedly planting antipersonnel landmines in rural areas of Catatumbo, where the FARC had also previously used landmines. Four people have died and 65 have been injured by antipersonnel landmines in Catatumbo since 2017.\n\nColombian authorities have thus far failed to ensure justice for abuses committed by armed groups. As of April 2019, there were over 770 cases related to murders that occurred in Catatumbo since 2017. There have been convictions in 61 cases. Only two armed group members have been charged with murder, according to the Attorney General’s Office. The office has not charged anyone for threats, recruitment of children as soldiers, or enforced disappearances, which, under Colombian law, may be committed by both state and private actors. Two armed group members have been charged for forced displacement, but no one has been convicted; 480 cases remain pending.\n\nAssistance to the displaced, provided for under Colombian law, has been slow and insufficient, said humanitarian workers in the region. Hundreds of people have lived in temporary shelters improvised by communities. Some shelters lacked furniture or running water. Authorities have also failed to adequately address risks to human rights identified by the Human Rights Ombudsperson’s Office.\n\nIn October 2018, the Colombian government created a Rapid Deployment Force to increase the number of military officers in Catatumbo by 5,600. Residents, human rights officials, and humanitarian workers have reported abusive behavior by soldiers directed at civilians, including accusing them of being complicit with guerrilla groups and questioning them at military checkpoints, exposing them to retaliation by armed groups. In April 2019, a soldier killed a demobilized FARC member.\n\nTo comply with its obligations under international and Colombian law, the Colombian government should put in place human rights-respecting strategies for the military and police to protect civilians. It should provide further support to prosecutors investigating abuses by armed groups and seek international support to aid people who have been displaced. It should also carry out a comprehensive assessment of the number of Venezuelans living in Catatumbo and their needs, and ensure that all Venezuelans can work legally in Colombia, including in safer parts of the country.\n\n“The government’s efforts to increase its presence in Catatumbo through deploying the military needs to go hand-in-hand with broader efforts – like support for criminal investigations and humanitarian assistance – to protect the rights of farmers and Venezuelan exiles there,” Vivanco said.\n\nFor selected cases documented by Human Rights Watch, see below.\n\nBeatriz (pseudonym) was raped in mid-2017. That day, she was at her job as a cook for agricultural laborers. Her husband was working on the same farm. At around 5 p.m., a group of uniformed men, their faces hidden under balaclavas, arrived, shouting why “the fuck” hadn’t the couple left since they had been “warned.” They asked if anyone else was on the farm. Beatriz’s husband said no, to protect the other workers.\n\nThe guerrillas sent men to look. Four, who had the ELN logo on their clothes, stayed. Two of them sexually assaulted Beatriz as the others made her husband watch. Beatriz lost consciousness and woke up two hours later in her husband’s arms. They fled to a nearby city, and, she said, only reported the incident several months later because of the shame and psychological trauma.\n\nDalila (pseudonym) lived between two mountain ridges where armed groups operate. The groups often fight among themselves, she reported to authorities, and the walls of her house are full of holes from the shootouts. One afternoon in early 2018, three men arrived at her house. They were armed and wearing uniforms, but Dalila said she did not know to which group they belonged. They told her they were going to take her oldest children, who were 17 and 14. Dalila said she told them they would have to kill her first. The men said she had a few hours to leave. She sent her two sons to another municipality where her sister lived. Dalila went back to sell her animals and fled to a nearby city.\n\nAlejandro Rodríguez (pseudonym), 34, is a primary teacher at a rural school in Catatumbo. Around 1 p.m. on February 5, 2019, Rodríguez went to look for a soccer ball that a student had kicked off school grounds, about 15 meters from where the students were playing. Rodríguez stepped on something that exploded, likely a landmine. Neighbors helped him get to the nearest town, several hours away. He lost his foot.\n\nWhen we interviewed him in April, he said that nobody from the government had visited the area in the two months after the incident to see if there were other landmines near the school. He said he had moved to an urban area to receive medical treatment. In his rural community, he had heard shots nearly every day and children feared going to school, Rodríguez said.\n\nHenry Pérez Ramírez, a 46-year-old community leader, went to check his crops early in the morning on January 26, 2016, and did not return, said his wife, Elibeth Murcia Castro. A man later told her that days before he had overheard Pérez Ramírez speaking on the phone with a FARC member. The FARC member had asked him questions about where the Colombian armed forces were operating and had requested a meeting on January 26.\n\nMurcia Castro said Pérez Ramírez had previously received threats from the FARC member. She and her family desperately looked for him, and she filed complaints with judicial authorities and the Human Rights Ombudsperson’s Office, but his whereabouts remain unknown. “What I want the most is to find him,” she told us. “And not be like this, with this uncertainty, not knowing if he’s alive or if he’s dead.”\n\nEnrique Pérez (pseudonym), 14, arrived with his mother in Catatumbo in February 2019. They left Trujillo state in Venezuela because, he said, his parents could no longer feed the family adequately. Some days, they only had one meal, and sometimes it was every other day. He had been a student in Venezuela but dropped out to work in the coca fields, under the blazing sun. At times, Venezuelans work only for a plate of food, he said. He said that he works alongside Colombian and Venezuelan children as young as 8, and that he would love to go back to school but must work.", "Illegal armed groups have forced some 40,000 people to flee their homes as they fight for control of drug trafficking routes in Colombia's Catatumbo region bordering Venezuela, Human Rights Watch said yesterday. The international watchdog published a 64-page report on abuses committed against civilians by armed groups in the mountainous area. The situation reflects the significant security challenges that Colombia faces after the government signed a 2016 peace deal with the FARC guerrilla group, leaving a void that has been filled by smaller armed groups that have moved into Catatumbo and other remote areas unleashing a new wave of drug-fueled violence.\n\nIn the report called \"The War in Catatumbo,\" Human Rights Watch says three armed groups are fighting over drug routes and coca plantations abandoned by FARC rebels in the region, including the Popular Liberation Army, the National Liberation Army and a small group of former FARC fighters. These armed groups have expelled thousands of rural dwellers from their homes, murdered community leaders and forcibly recruited children into their ranks, according to the report, which also includes interviews with children who have been forced to work harvesting coca leaves, the raw material for cocaine.\n\nCatatumbo is about the size of Rhode Island. It borders Venezuela and in 2017 it produced about 15 percent of Colombia's coca crop, according to U.N. figures. The mountainous region has been used by drug traffickers as a staging point for exporting cocaine.", "The Colombian right-wing president faces growing social unrest due to his inability to consolidate peace in his country.\n\nColombia’s President Ivan Duque reaches his first year in office on Wednesday with less than 30 percent of citizen acceptance and with blunt goals to strengthen peace and democracy in his country.\n\nAfter 365 days, the Duque administration still exhibits \"a kind of strategic vacuum,\" Oscar Palma, a professor at the Universidad del Rosario said, adding that \"there seems to be an absence of a guideline capable of telling us what this government wants.\"\n\nIn 2018, Duque came to the Presidency sponsored by Alvaro Uribe, a far-right politician who ruled Colombia between 2002 and 2010. Unlike what happened in prior conservative administrations, however, the current Colombian president has not managed to make the population believe that economic growth works for all.\n\nIn their daily lives, Colombians feel the loss of their well-being caused by the national currency' strong devaluation with respect to the U.S. dollar, which enhances systemic risks for an economy dependent on imports.\n\nAnother great uncertainty that the Duque administration has failed to dispel is how the peace agreements will be implemented.\n\nInitiated during the administration of Juan Manuel Santos (2010-2018), the Colombian peace process was called into question when the current right-wing president proposed modifications to the terms of the agreement reached with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, which left the armed struggle and became a political party, the People's Alternative Revolutionary Force of Colombia (FARC).\n\n“Duque is asked to guarantee the reinstatement of FARC commanders and combatants [to civil life] and to comply with the Territorial Development Programs which have great expectations in the regions,” Ariel Avila, the Ideas for Peace Foundation director, said.\n\nOver the last year, the Duque administration has kept a belligerent attitude towards social organizations that mobilized to defend peace and democracy in Colombia.\n\nDuring March and April, farmers and indigenous peoples maintained a massive strike which lasted more than 27 days and blocked the Pan-American Highway. Its purpose was to make visible the lack of attention given to the population living in the Cauca Valley, an area that remains besieged by violence generated by Colombian paramilitary groups linked to drug trafficking and far-right landlords.\n\nDespite the forcefulness of this protest, to which urban students and workers also joined, the Duque government did not open a process of real and lasting dialogue.\n\nAmong other demands, the Regional Indigenous Council of Cauca (CRIC) requested the recognition of the peasantry as a subject of rights, compliance with peace agreements and respect for their ancestral territories.\n\n\"This government has failed to 'make peace shreds' because democratic instances have not allowed it\" and thanks to the fact that the international community, far from internal grudges, keeps its eyes on Colombia.\" The meme reads, \"Ivan Duque, the president who refuses to grow. This August 7, Ivan Duque celebrates one year in the presidency of Colombia. What for him was a gift, for Colombia has been 365 days of waiting. When are you going to start developing your leadership?\"\n\nOne of the most controversial aspects of Duque's first year of government is the increase in the number of unpunished killings of social leaders.\n\nAlthough there are no consolidated figures for the past 12 months, the Institute for Peace and Development Studies holds that more than 700 social leaders and 135 former FARC combatants have been killed since 2016.\n\nAccording to investigations by the Colombian Prosecutor's Office, the Gulf Clan and other armed criminal groups are responsible for most cases of murders of human right defenders, social activists, and former guerrilla fighters.\n\n\"The proliferation of drug-related groups and the re-edition of paramilitary threat are the main causes of a humanitarian crisis and the Government shows no signs of seeking effective ways out,\" Contagio Radio reported and recalled that \"the threat is not reported, but the effective, territorial and joint protection of the [peace] processes is put at risk.\"\n\nWhile all this is happening, a situation that has been verified by multilateral organizations such as the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the Duque government seems to be mainly focused on the use of the Mobile Riot Squadron (ESMAD) to suppress citizens' protests.\n\nBetween September and November 2018, thousands of teachers, students and workers held at least seven demonstrations in different Colombian cities demanding an additional budget of US$1.42 billion for education in the country, a demand that culminated in a nationwide strike on November 28.\n\n“The Government must listen to the needs of the students to be able to correct the historical debt that the country has with higher education,” Sergio Arboleda, professor at Sergio Arboleda University, said.\n\nTo solve fiscal problems, Duque hastened the approval of the “Financing Law” in Congress, a proposal that would allow him to obtain greater income through tax modifications, among other things.\n\nUntil the first half of this year, however, Colombian Courts had received 223 lawsuits against such law. Among other reasons, the plaintiffs allege that the Duque’s proposal generated more tax injustice because it reduces corporate taxes.\n\nRegarding the management of the foreign relations of the Colombian state, President Duque has displayed positions clearly aligned with U.S. interests in the region, which include interfering in the political processes of Venezuela and destabilizing the government of President Nicolas Maduro.\n\nOn August 6, for instance, the Colombian president called President Donald Trump's decision to block the assets of the Venezuelan government \"coherent and consistent.\"\n\n\"This is a decision that had been raised by the United States government for more than a year and a half,\" Duque said and added that \"a pattern of an international diplomatic siege has been set that has put pressure on him never before in view of that regime ... we are going to make that transition begin quickly. \"\n\nIn response to these statements, Jorge Arreaza, the Venezuelan Foreign Minister said that \"the coherent thing would be for the International Community to deal with the Colombian tragedy: a narco paramilitary state, cradle of violent groups, scene of wars and murders of social leaders, failed peace processes and growing drug production.\"", "BOGOTA (Reuters) - Fighting between three armed groups for control of territory and drug trafficking in northeastern Colombia has exposed some 300,000 civilians to potential rights abuses, Human Rights Watch said on Thursday.\n\nRebels from the National Liberation Army (ELN), dissident fighters from Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) who refused to demobilize under a peace deal and the Los Pelusos crime gang are all present in the Catatumbo region, near the border with Venezuela, the rights group said.\n\n\"In Catatumbo a war to the death has been triggered between irregular armed groups. This war has the civilian population as prisoners, as captives,\" Human Rights Watch Americas director Jose Miguel Vivanco told journalists. \"These are poor rural people who haven't seen the Colombian state for decades and who are exposed to grave abuses.\"\n\nPeople living in the region, including more than 25,000 Venezuelans who have fled the economic and political crisis in their own country, are at risk of murder, forced disappearance, sexual violence, forced recruitment of minors, landmines, displacement and kidnapping, Vivanco said.\n\nMigrants are especially vulnerable, Vivanco said, adding that some Venezuelan children are involved in harvesting coca, the base ingredient in cocaine, while migrant women may be forced into sex work that pays them as little as $2.\n\nArmed groups are known to target desperate Venezuelans for recruitment as they traverse the porous 2,219-km (1,380-mile) border between the two countries.\n\nVivanco said the Colombian government should invest in roads, education, healthcare and job creation in the region, where military forces number more than 5,600 and police 800.\n\nThe demobilization of the FARC in 2017 left a power vacuum in restive regions around the Andean country, sparking bloody competition between remaining armed groups for control of lucrative drug trafficking and illegal mining operations.\n\n\"Within Colombia and outside Colombia it is probable there exists the impression that the situation was resolved with the signing of the deal and that the country is in peace,\" Vivanco said. \"The country is at war in Catatumbo!\"", "As Venezuelans flee their country in search of safety and economic security, another set of dangers awaits them across the border.\n\nIn Colombia’s northeast, where many Venezuelans have ended up, rival armed groups control illegal border crossings and wreak havoc on civilians with killings, intimidation, sexual violence and recruit children as soldiers, according to a new report by NGO Human Rights Watch.\n\nThe report focuses on the impoverished Catatumbo region, where armed groups — including the National Liberation Army (ELN), the Popular Liberation Army (EPL), and former members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) — wage bloody battles for control not only between each other but also on Colombian soldiers. The area is an important one for coca cultivation, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.\n\nMore than 100 civilians were killed there by the battling groups in 2018, according to the HRW report, which cites United Nations figures. Some Colombian and Venezuelan children have been coerced into either joining groups or enforcing their rules.\n\nThe report claims that in March, ELN fighters “visited a rural school in Catatumbo to try to convince children to join their ranks.” Some children have been threatened for allegedly cooperating with rival groups, according to HRW.\n\nOne mother told HRW that local fighters offered her son guns and a motorcycle to work for them, and later warned the family to avoid interacting with government soldiers.\n\nAs local authorities struggle to keep up with a rising number of homicides in the area, armed fighters are policing territories and local populations.\n\nTens of thousands of people have left the region since 2017, according to Colombian government figures cited in the report. Yet Venezuelans continue to flood in from across the border. Earlier this year, Reuters reported that internally displaced Colombians in the area “can be seen begging for food alongside” Venezuelan migrants and refugees.\n\nColombia has welcomed vast numbers of refugees from Venezuela since its economic downturn began accelerating. On Monday, Colombian President Iván Duque announced in a series of tweets that the country would grant citizenship to more than 24,000 children born to undocumented Venezuelan parents — any child born since August 19, 2015.\n\n“Colombia, once again, is showing the world that even in the midst of fiscal constraints, with a per capita income of less than $8,000 dollars,” Duque said, “we also know how to make out of fraternity, a feeling of solidarity.” However, he also called for the international community to end Venezuela’s crisis, which has created an estimated exodus of four million people.\n\nColombia’s Ministry of Defense and Ministry of Foreign Relations did not respond to a request for comment.", "Bogotá, 7th August 2019 - Save the Children welcomes the decision by the Colombian government to end the statelessness of some 24,000 children of Venezuelan parents, by granting them citizenship. The measure is an important step towards ensuring children who were born in Colombia after August 18th 2015 will have the same rights as Colombian children.\n\nLuz Granada, Save the Children’s Advocacy Director in Colombia, said: “Stateless children are invisible for the system. They go unnoticed, their voices are seldom heard and they basically have no rights because officially, they don’t exist. For them, it’s a very real challenge to go to school, or to get the medical care that other children take for granted. That’s why this step that is now taken by the Colombian government is so crucial.\n\n“Save the Children will continue to make sure that the rights of children are fulfilled, that is why we celebrate this measure taken by the government from Colombia. At the same time, we urge to extend its solidarity, so that migrant children can get access to quality education and certificate of studies, health, protection and other rights in the same way Colombian children can. We see this as part of the answer from the Colombian government to the dire situation of hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans that live in limbo”.\n\n“Likewise, we call on the government and civil society to improve the conditions of children affected by the migration crisis on the border between Venezuela and Colombia, as we have been doing in Arauca, La Guajira and now in the city of Cali and the municipality of Tumaco.”\n• The current measure is expected to support nearly 24,000 children who were born in the country after August 18th 2015 and the children who will continue to be born until August 2021 that were at risk of being stateless.\n• According to Colombian Migration figures, as of June 2018, there were 197,428 Venezuelan children were in Colombia.\n• Between January and July 2019, Save the Children has reached 20,158 children with our education, health and child protection programs across Arauca and La Guajira in Colombia.", "By Said Sabir Ibrahimi and Marta Bautista Forcada\n\n Blog posts reflect the views of the authors and not those of AREU.\n\nIn December 2016, the Colombian government entered into a historic peace agreement with the FARC-EP (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia – Ejército del Pueblo), an ideological left-wing armed group, and ended a half a century conflict. Concerted efforts by national and international actors led to the success of the signing of the agreement. Thousands miles away, in Afghanistan, we are faced with another chronic 40-year conflict. The current phase of the Afghan conflict, that is the Taliban insurgency, started after the US intervention in 2001 that overthrew the Taliban’s theocratic regime and established a quasi-democratic system.\n\nAfter 18 years of bloody war between the Afghan government (supported by the US) and the Taliban, stakeholders are now seeking a political solution. Rigorous negotiations are underway between the Taliban and the US, while the intra-Afghan dialogue is yet to begin. The question is: are there lessons from Colombia’s peacemaking process for Afghanistan? The two countries are distinct, with stark differences in the ideology of the two militant groups, the capability of governmental institutions, and the direct involvement of the US as a third party in the Afghan war. Nonetheless, Colombia’s peacemaking process offers lessons in areas such as the ripeness of the moment, creating regional and international consensus, having a manageable agenda, and an inclusive process.\n\nThe “ripeness of the moment” is key to starting peace negotiations. This is when sides to a conflict have reached to a military stalemate and are “locked in a conflict from which they cannot escalate to victory.”[1] The Colombian government and the FARC-EP had reached a military stalemate and the moment for negotiations was ripe after half a century of conflict and past attempts to peacemaking. While the FARC-EP was in a weaker military position, a military victory against the FARC-EP was deemed impossible in the near future.[2] The amount of pain inflicted upon the Colombian society was immense. There are nearly 8.5 million victims of the armed conflict: about 7.5 million forced displacements, more than 260,000 dead, and over 45,000 disappearances.[3] These numbers do not include the thousands of others who have suffered from other form of violence such as the narco related deaths.\n\nIn Afghanistan, too, the moment is ripe: there is a military stalemate along with a great amount of pain inflicted upon the Afghan society. The number of casualties in the past four decades is much higher than in the Colombian context. Since the 1970s, the country has gone through the Soviet occupation, an armed insurgency between the communist regime and the mujahideen (holy warriors), the Afghan civil war between mujahideen factions, and now the Taliban insurgency. The death toll resulting from the Soviet invasion totals to over a million followed by thousands of casualties during the civil war.[4] Since 2009, as much as 100,000 civilians have been killed and injured.[5] This number does not include the losses of thousands of Afghan security and defense forces, the international troops, and the Taliban. The Taliban have vowed to continue to incite more violence during the upcoming elections, due in September 2019.\n\nTo a large extent, the international community played a positive role in Colombia’s peace process and there was an international consensus. Namely, Cuba and Norway, as guarantors, and Venezuela as the logistics facilitator, played especially important roles.[6] The United Nations constructively facilitated localized conversations about the prospects of peace and mobilized donors to fund peacebuilding projects. Meanwhile, regional support for left-leaning armed groups was in decline, which encouraged the FARC-EP to choose politics over militancy.\n\nIn Afghanistan, there is some degree of international consensus. Major stakeholders such as the US, Pakistan, China, Russia, and Iran, have said that they want a peaceful Afghanistan, but the challenge is that they want it in their own terms.[7] While Pakistan, as the main sponsors of the Taliban, has helped the US in the talks with the armed group, the fear is that Pakistan-India rivalry and complex US relations with regional actors could create obstacles to peace. There is also an international support for Islamist insurgency,[8] and like the FARC, the Taliban do not seem to shy away from funding their jihad through the narco-economy and support from sympathizers in the Islamic world.[9]\n\nThe international community needs to reach an agreement on Afghanistan with measures that can include:\n\nFor the international community, including the US, EU and the Organization of Islamic Countries to diplomatically pressure and persuade Pakistan to play a positive role and does not let India-Pakistan rivalry sabotage the Afghan peace process; For the US, China, Russia, and Iran, and other actors, to treat Afghanistan as an area of cooperation; and\n\nFor the Islamic countries to play a more proactive role in condemning violence in the name of religion and curbing insurgency financing.\n\nA focused agenda that is centred on a few key issues is vital to starting peace negotiations.[10] In Colombia, parties focused on creating an intensive agenda that included five main thematic areas: (1) comprehensive rural reform, (2) political participation, (3) ending the conflict — ceasefire and economic inclusion of the ex-combatants (4) tackling the illicit drug issue, and (5) the justice element of the deal.[11] In Afghanistan, the US-Taliban delegations have been working on a framework: (1) counterterrorism assurances by the Taliban, (2) withdrawal of the US troops, (3) initiation of the inter-Afghan dialogue, and (4) a permanent ceasefire. On the other hand, a framework between the Afghan political elite and the Taliban is missing. Although the past informal intra-Afghan dialogues such as the ones in Moscow and the most recent one on 7-8 July 2019, hosted by Germany and Qatar in Doha,[12] could assist in generating such an agenda.\n\nThe Afghan authorities maintain that the red line is the Constitution, which is based on Islamic jurisprudence[13] and guarantees rights for men, women, minorities, and a democratic system. However, the Taliban see the Constitution as one imposed by the Americans. They demand the annulment of the constitution and the reestablishment of the Islamic system, possibly the Islamic emirate. Colombia’s focused agenda was a product of compromise between the two sides that focused on addressing the root causes of the conflict. The government accepted to address underdevelopment and land dispossession issues.[14] In return, FARC-EP softened its positions from overthrowing the government and establishing a socialist system to securing a political status and development incentives for underdeveloped rural areas. While the Afghan government has shown some degree of flexibility by offering a ceasefire and recognizing the Taliban as a political group, the Taliban are yet to display compromises.\n\nThe peace agreement in Colombia is internationally considered to be inclusive.[15]Although Colombia’s peace talks started in secret in Cuba and with no more than six participants from each side,[16] space eventually opened for greater participation. Women organizations represented 20% of the government’s delegation and 43% of the FARC-EP’s delegation in the negotiations.[17] In another instance, a total of 60 victims were invited to discuss the provisions of what is currently point 5 in the Final Agreement regarding the victims of the conflict, which includes the design of a transitional justice system.[18]\n\nDrawing from Colombia’s experience, the number of delegates in the negotiations should be narrowed down to a few capable representatives, but it is vital that the victims and other groups including women and minorities are included in the process. The parties need to ensure the implementation of UN Security Council resolution 1325 (2000) by tangibly including Afghan women in the negotiation table as well as a gendered approach. Additionally, Colombia held a plebiscite to gain domestic legitimacy but the “no camp” prevailed.[19] A referendum in Afghanistan, because of the lack of resources, of electoral capacity and of time, is not advisable.\n\nThere are clear socio-political differences between Afghanistan and Colombia: notably, Colombia being a Latin American Catholic majority country and Afghanistan an Asian Muslim majority country; there are ideological differences in the two insurgencies; Colombia having a relatively more functioning state, especially in the justice sector; the Colombian government being in a more stronger military position when negotiations with FARC-EP began; and the presence of the US military as a third party to the Afghan conflict. Nonetheless, lessons can be drawn from the similarities in the nature of the two conflicts and the process of peacemaking. In Afghanistan, parties should realize that the moment is ripe for making peace and a military solution. Secondly, stakeholders should see how an international consensus was created in Colombia and how that lesson can be replicated in Afghanistan. In Afghanistan the international and external dimension of the conflict are equally important. Thirdly, Afghanistan should determine a manageable agenda with goals to address the root causes of the conflict. Finally, stakeholders must ensure participation of a capable negotiating team that includes voices of women, minorities and the victims.\n\nSaid Sabir Ibrahimi is a Research Associate at New York University’s Center on International Cooperation working on Afghanistan project. In November 2018, Sabir was a Visiting Scholar to AREU in Kabul. Sabir holds a Bachelor’s in Political Science from Fairleigh Dickenson University, New Jersey, and a Master’s in Global Affairs from New York University. He has also worked with a number of non-governmental organizations in Kabul.\n\nMarta Bautista Forcada has graduated with a Master’s degree in Global Affairs from New York University. She has worked for several non-profit organizations including Amnesty International and Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF). While working at NYU’s Peace Research and Education Program (PREP), she conducted peace field-research in Algeciras, Colombia, studying the perceptions of the 2016 peace agreement among FARC-EP ex-combatants. Bautista holds a Bachelor’s in Political Science from University Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona, Spain.\n\n[1]](https://areu.org.af/some-lessons-from-colombias-peacemaking-process-for-...) The Timing of Peace Initiatives: Hurting Stalemates and Ripe Moments1 I William Zartman, School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University. https://peacemaker.un.org/sites/peacemaker.un.org/files/TimingofPeaceInitiatives_Zartman2001.pdf\n\n[2]](https://areu.org.af/some-lessons-from-colombias-peacemaking-process-for-...) Segura, Renata, and Mechoulan, Delphine. 2017. Made in Havana: How Colombia and the FARC Decided to End the War. New York: International Peace Institute, February 2017.\n\n[4]](https://areu.org.af/some-lessons-from-colombias-peacemaking-process-for-...) The Atlantic. 2014. The Soviet War in Afghanistan, 1979 – 1989. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2014/08/the-soviet-war-in-afghanistan-.... [Accessed 19 May 2019].\n\n[5]](https://areu.org.af/some-lessons-from-colombias-peacemaking-process-for-...) UNAMA. 2018. Afghanistan Annual Report on Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict: 2018. [ONLINE] Available at: https://unama.unmissions.org/sites/default/files/unama_annual_protection_of_civilians_report_2018_-23_feb_2019-_english.pdf. [Accessed 19 May 2019].\n\n[6]](https://areu.org.af/some-lessons-from-colombias-peacemaking-process-for-...) Segura, Renata, and Mechoulan, Delphine. 2017. Made in Havana: How Colombia and the FARC Decided to End the War. New York: International Peace Institute, February 2017.\n\n[7]](https://areu.org.af/some-lessons-from-colombias-peacemaking-process-for-...) Rubin, Barnett. Everyone Wants A Piece of Afghanistan. Foreign Policy. March 2019. https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/03/11/everyone-wants-a-piece-of-afghanist...\n\n[8]The New York Times. 2019. Saudis Bankroll Taliban, Even as King Officially Supports Afghan Government. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/06/world/asia/saudi-arabia-afghanistan.html. [Accessed 10 July 2019].\n\n[9] Politico. 2019. The secret story of how America lost the drug war with the Taliban. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.politico.com/story/2018/07/08/obama-afghanistan-drug-war-taliban-616316. [Accessed 10 July 2019].\n\n[11] Benavides Vanegas, Farid Samir, and Borda Guzmán, Sandra. 2019. Introduction: The Peace Agreement between the Colombian government and the FARC-EP, or the elusive peace. Revista CIDOB d’Afers Internacionals, n.121, p. 7-18. April 2019. [ONLINE] Available: https://www.cidob.org/es/content/download/72826/2343501/…/AFERS%20121.pdf [Accessed May 31, 2019]\n\n[12] France 24. 2019. Afghan-Taliban talks conclude in Qatar with ‘roadmap for peace’. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.france24.com/en/20190709-afghanistan-taliban-talks-qatar-roadmap-peace. [Accessed 10 July 2019].\n\n[13] Haress, Ghizaal. Why the Taleban Should Read the Afghan Constitution. Afghanistan Analyst Network. https://www.afghanistan-analysts.org/why-the-taleban-should-read-the-afghan-constitution/?fbclid=IwAR2hggXQ-BNBeIZsBZioUAcuA_IHmPPGhaq1By8kk2HTvced9y0UlntikNQ\n\n[14] Herbolzheimer, Kristian. 2016 Innovations in the Colombian Peace Process. Oslo: Norwegian Peacebuilding Resource Center, June 2016. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.c-r.org/downloads/NOREF_CR_Report_Colombia%20Innovations_final.pdf [Accessed May 31, 2019]\n\n[15] Catalina Ruiz-Navarro. 2019. Analysis: The inclusion of a gender perspective in Colombia’s peace Agreement: past, present, and future. Relifweb. [ONLINE] Available at: https://reliefweb.int/report/colombia/feminist-peace-colombia [Accessed June 4, 2019]\n\n[17] Bigio, Jamille_; Vogelstein, _Rachel B. 2017. Women’s Participation in Peace Processes: Colombia. Council on Foreign Relations. December 15, 2017. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.cfr.org/blog/womens-participation-peace-processes-colombia [Accessed June 6, 2019]\n\n[18]](https://areu.org.af/some-lessons-from-colombias-peacemaking-process-for-...) Herbolzheimer, Kristian. 2016 Innovations in the Colombian Peace Process. Oslo: Norwegian Peacebuilding Resource Center, June 2016. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.c-r.org/downloads/NOREF_CR_Report_Colombia%20Innovations_final.pdf [Accessed May 31, 2019]"], "summary": "The Human Rights Watch breaks a report on violence around the Colombia—Venezuela border since the Colombian peace process, announcing that there has been an ongoing War in the Catatumbo region [es] since early 2018."}
{"document": ["BENGALURU/MUMBAI (Reuters) - Torrential monsoon rains in the southern Indian state of Kerala caused a major landslide and flooding that has cut off some areas, forcing the evacuation of more than 22,000 people, authorities said on Friday.\n\nFlooding also forced authorities to halt all operations from the Cochin International Airport, the busiest airport in Kerala. The airport, located along the banks of the Periyar river, would be shut until at least 1500 IST (0930 GMT) on Sunday, officials said.\n\nKerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Twitter the landslide in the hilly district of Munnar was major. He said authorities were exploring all possible rescue methods.\n\n“All arrangements have been put in place to deal with the disaster,” Vijayan said.\n\nIndian media reported that at least two people were killed in the landslide, at least 70 houses were destroyed and that dozens more were still feared trapped. There were also reports that at least 20 people were killed due to the rains in Kerala in the past two days.\n\nKerala was hit by devastating floods last August that killed more than 200 people and affected more than 5 million. Those floods, dubbed the worst to hit the state in nearly a century, caused billions of dollars of damage to fields, homes and other infrastructure.\n\nSeasonal monsoon rains from June to September cause deaths and mass displacement across South Asia every year but they also deliver more than 70% of India’s rainfall and are crucial for farm output and economic growth.\n\nHeavy rains have also caused flooding and devastation in the western states of Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka this week.\n\nAccording to officials, at least 35 people were killed in the three states this week due to the rains and more than 200,000 have been evacuated.\n\nHundreds of villages and a few towns in the affected areas of Maharashtra do not have electricity and drinking water, a state government official said on Friday, and authorities are trying to restore electricity in some areas.\n\nFuel was also scarce because some districts had been cut off from the rest of the state, the official said.\n\nSchools and colleges in many parts of western and southern India have been shut since Monday and are unlikely to open this week, authorities have said.\n\nMilk and vegetable supplies to India’s financial hub, Mumbai, dropped significantly on Friday because many of the affected districts in Maharashtra that have been cut off are major suppliers.", "BENGALURU/MUMBAI (Reuters) - At least 28 people have died in the southern Indian state of Kerala after torrential monsoon rains caused landslides and flooding that cut off some areas, authorities said on Friday.\n\nMore than 64,000 people were evacuated and Cochin International Airport, the busiest airport in a state popular with tourists, was closed.\n\nThe airport, which is located along the banks of the Periyar river, will be shut until at least 1500 IST (0930 GMT) on Sunday, although the Indian Navy has opened an airfield at a naval base for use by commercial flights, officials said.\n\nSeasonal monsoon rains from June to September cause deaths and mass displacement across South Asia every year but they also deliver more than 70% of India’s rainfall and are crucial for farmers.\n\nKerala was hit by devastating floods last August that killed more than 200 people and affected more than 5 million. Those floods, dubbed the worst to hit the state in nearly a century, caused billions of dollars of damage to fields, homes and other infrastructure.\n\nIn the latest flooding, several dozen people were feared to have been trapped after landslides in Wayanad and Malappuram districts. Rescuers have recovered seven bodies and the state government is planning to airlift rescue equipment to the area, said Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.\n\nBad weather was hampering rescue operations and rescuers faced the threat of further landslides, Vijayan said.\n\n“Casualties could go up as many people are still trapped under debris,” said an official with Kerala government, who did not want to be named.\n\nKerala received 155 mm (6.1 inches) of rain on Friday, ten times more than average, weather department data showed.\n\nThe neighboring state of Karnataka, and Maharashtra in the west have also been hit by heavy rains and flooding.\n\nAt least 40 people have been killed in the two states this week and more than 400,000 have been displaced as rivers burst their banks, officials said.\n\nThousands of trucks were stuck for more than three days on a national highway linking the financial capital of Mumbai with the southern technology hub of Bengaluru, with the road submerged in some places, a Maharashtra government official said.\n\nHundreds of villages and dozens of towns in the affected areas of Maharashtra and Karnataka were without electricity and drinking water, state government officials said on Friday.\n\nFuel was also scarce because some districts had been cut off from the rest of the state, they said.\n\nSupplies of milk and vegetables to Mumbai dropped significantly on Friday because many of the affected districts in Maharashtra are major suppliers.\n\nSchools and colleges in many parts of western and southern India have been shut since Monday, authorities have said.\n\nThe weather department forecast heavy rainfall in Kerala, and Maharashtra and Karnataka in the next two days.\n\nKerala has been releasing water from 13 dams to avoid dam waters rising to dangerous levels like last year, authorities said.", "BENGALURU/MUMBAI (Reuters) - Torrential monsoon rains in the southern Indian state of Kerala caused a major landslide and flooding that has cut off some areas, forcing the evacuation of more than 22,000 people, authorities said on Friday.\n\nFlooding also forced authorities to halt all operations from the Cochin International Airport, the busiest airport in Kerala. The airport, located along the banks of the Periyar river, would be shut until at least 1500 IST (0930 GMT) on Sunday, officials said.\n\nKerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Twitter the landslide in the hilly district of Munnar was major. He said authorities were exploring all possible rescue methods.\n\n\"All arrangements have been put in place to deal with the disaster,\" Vijayan said.\n\nIndian media reported that at least two people were killed in the landslide, at least 70 houses were destroyed and that dozens more were still feared trapped. There were also reports that at least 20 people were killed due to the rains in Kerala in the past two days.\n\nKerala was hit by devastating floods last August that killed more than 200 people and affected more than 5 million. Those floods, dubbed the worst to hit the state in nearly a century, caused billions of dollars of damage to fields, homes and other infrastructure.\n\nSeasonal monsoon rains from June to September cause deaths and mass displacement across South Asia every year but they also deliver more than 70% of India's rainfall and are crucial for farm output and economic growth.\n\nHeavy rains have also caused flooding and devastation in the western states of Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka this week.\n\nAccording to officials, at least 35 people were killed in the three states this week due to the rains and more than 200,000 have been evacuated.\n\nHundreds of villages and a few towns in the affected areas of Maharashtra do not have electricity and drinking water, a state government official said on Friday, and authorities are trying to restore electricity in some areas.\n\nFuel was also scarce because some districts had been cut off from the rest of the state, the official said.\n\nSchools and colleges in many parts of western and southern India have been shut since Monday and are unlikely to open this week, authorities have said.\n\nMilk and vegetable supplies to India's financial hub, Mumbai, dropped significantly on Friday because many of the affected districts in Maharashtra that have been cut off are major suppliers.", "Members of a rescue team wade through a water-logged area past a submerged temple during heavy rains on the outskirts of Kochi in the southern state of Kerala, on August 8, 2019. Image Credit: REUTERS\n\nAt least 16 dead in flood-hit Maharashtra\n\nAt least 16 people have been killed, including four in Kolhapur and 12 in Sangli, as rains wreaked havoc in these districts for the past over one week, Chief Minister Scores Devendra Fadnavis said here on Thursday.\n\nAlong with his cabinet colleagues Chandrakanat Patil, Girish Mahajan and Eknath Shinde, Fadnavis today made an aerial survey of the flood-ravaged areas which also include Satara and Pune districts.\n\nWhile four deaths are recorded in Kolhapur due to the rains in the past few days, at least 12 persons on Thursday drowned when a rescue boat capsized in Brahamnal village this morning. Fifteen people were saved and a search is on to trace bodies of others still missing, said Konkan Divisional Commissioner Deepak Mhaiskar.\n\nEarlier in the day, authorities put out the death toll as 26.\n\nFadnavis said as per preliminary information, the boat was deployed by the village panchayat to rescue people, but a branch of a submerged tree got entangle in its engine, causing it to lose balance, leading to the tragedy.\n\nHe said rescue efforts were continuing on a war footing. Fadnavis said over 10,000 rescue officials from 13 teams of NDRF from Punjab, Gujarat, Odisha, Goa, one State DRF, one column of Indian Army, 14 Navy teams, Coast Guard team and Air Force and local agencies are engaged in rescuing people trapped in the flood waters in the two districts.\n\nAnother two Coast Guard teams are on their way to Kolhapur today, five Navy teams and two SDRF teams, while the state has sought five more NDRF teams, Fadnavis said.\n\n\"We are reaching out to the people. They should not panic. Wherever helicopters can go, they are being sent and more than 60 boats are deployed in all the affected regions,\" Fadnavis said.\n\nThe CM said rescue works are hampered as water levels are not receding in most areas, he told mediapersons after the aerial survey.\n\n\"I spoke with Home Minister Amit Shah and also Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa, and the latter has agreed to release 500,000 cusecs water from the Almatty Dam which will bring relief to waterlogging in Sangli,\" Fadnavis said.\n\nHe said as per available information, 223 villages are still flooded and 18 villages are completely submerged in the affected areas.\n\nPlus, another around 29,000 people are still marooned in different parts, 9,000 have been rescued so far, and another 97,000 moved out on their own to rescue camps. Around 38,000 flood victims have taken refuge in 152 relief camps set up by the government.\n\nFlood-affected people are evacuated to a safer place after heavy rains in Kolhapur in the western state of Maharashtra, on August 8, 2019. Image Credit: REUTERS\n\nAround 3,900 homes have been damaged or destroyed, over 200,000 people are still without electricity and 390 water supply schemes are shut due to flood, and 67,000 hectares of farmlands have been ravaged, though the complete extent of the damage will be known only after the flood waters recede, he said.\n\nEfforts are also being made to supply petrol-diesel in the affected areas, and if the national highways re-open by Friday, the work will be taken up in consultation with the oil marketing companies.\n\nSo far, over 1.35 lakh people have been rescued and shifted to safer locations in the affected regions and thousands more continued to remain marooned without food, drinking water, medicines, electricity, and other essentials.\n\nPeople were also saved from several government and private hospitals where they were trapped due to water all around.\n\nFadnavis said medical teams are kept ready in Mumbai and will be dispatched to the affected areas as demanded by the local authorities as incessant rains have submerged large areas of land, fields, villages, towns and cities, hitting both road and rail traffic badly.\n\nEfforts are on to clear the Pune-Bengaluru Highway to enable quicker movement of relief supplies to the regions, he added.\n\n43,000 people evacuated so far\n\nNearly 43,000 people have so far been evacuated from flood-hit and rain-affected areas of Karnataka, where the rain fury has left nine people dead, authorities said on Thursday.\n\nThe worst-hit was Belagavi district, where six persons have lost their lives, while 40,180 people have been evacuated.\n\nTwo persons lost their lives in rain-related incidents in Uttara Kannada district, from where 3,088 people have been evacuated till date, and one in Shivamogga, according to official figures.\n\nNearly 17,000 people are taking shelter in relief camps.\n\nChief Minister B S Yediyurappa is currently camping in Belagavi supervising relief and rescue operations.\n\nOn Thursday, he visited rain-affected Shivajinagar and Gandhinagar areas of Belagavi.\n\nA man carries an elderly woman to a safe location from a flood-affected area due to overflow of a water channel following heavy monsoon rain, in Hubballi district, Thursday, Aug 8, 2019. Image Credit: PTI\n\n\"Releases from reservoirs are well coordinated and as per protocol to prevent inundation of downstream areas. The villages likely to be affected due to heavy discharge have been identified and necessary precautions taken\", an official statement said.\n\nAn aerial view of the flood-affected districts of north Karnataka, in Bengaluru, Monday, Aug 05, 2019.CM BS Yediyurappa to undertake aerial survey9. Image Credit: PTI\n\nA total of 43,858 people from affected districts in northern, coastal and Malnad regions have so far been evacuated by joint rescue teams comprising Fire and Emergency department, State Disaster Response Force, National Disaster Response Force and Army, official sources said.\n\nDistrict administrations are on high alert and are prepared to tackle any emergency arising out of heavy discharge from reservoirs, the statement said.\n\n\"The flood situation is under control\", it said.\n\n8 killed, over 3,000 evacuated as rains batter Kerala\n\nEight people, including a one-year-old child, were killed and over 3,000 evacuated to over 60 relief camps after rains battered several parts of Kerala, officials said here on Thursday.\n\nState Revenue Minister E. Chandrashekeran said Malappuram, Kozhikode, Kannur, Wayanad, Kasargode and Idukki districts were the worst affected areas.\n\nFlood water rushes from under the Kovilkadav Bridge, in Munnar, Kerala, on August 8, 2019. Image Credit: PTI\n\n\"Three NDRF (National Disaster Response Force) teams have been deployed in Malappuram, Wayanad and Idukki. We have requested 10 more teams,\" he said.\n\nMeanwhile, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted heavy rains in the state till August 14. Red alerts have been issued in Idukki, Malappuram, Wayanad and Kozhikode districts.\n\nIn the morning, a 50-year-old woman died after a tree fell over her house at Attapady in the Palakkad district. A 24-year-old woman died after her house at Panamaram village in the Wayanad district got flooded.\n\nResidents of the Wayanad district said such heavy rains had never been witnessed, even during last year's floods.\n\nOver 700 people were evacuated in the Nilambur area of the Malappuram district. A.P. Sunil, a police officer, said some people had refused to leave their houses. \"If they don't shift on their own, they will be forced to leave,\" he said.\n\nKozhikode District Collector Sambhasiva Rao said situation was under control. \"If people cooperate, rescue becomes easy. But we are ready for any eventualities,\" said Rao.\n\nBarring the state capital district and neighbouring Kollam, the remaining 12 districts have been affected by rains.\n\nFishermen have been asked not to venture out because winds were blowing at 40-50 km per hour.\n\nUniversity examinations in all the affected districts have been postponed.\n\nMeanwhile, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted heavy rains in the state till August 14. Red alerts have been issued for the day at Idukki, Malappuram, Wayanad and Kozhikode districts.\n\nBarring the state capital district and neighbouring Kollam, the remaining 12 districts have been affected by the rains.\n\nFishermen have also been warned not to visit the beaches because of the winds blowing at the speed of 40-50 km per hour.\n\nTraffic on the Kannur-Kozhikode national highway and Kottayam-Kumili route have been badly affected.\n\nInbound tourists to Idukki district have been warned not to come till August 15 as the hilly district have been witnessing landslides at a few places.\n\nWarning signal raised in Srikakulam district\n\nThe third warning signal has been raised in Srikakulam district as the flood level at Gotta Barrage on River Vamsadhara crossed 1.11 lakh cusecs on Thursday morning.\n\nThe second warning signal was continuing at Thotapalli Barrage on River Nagavali with an inflow of 43,479 cusecs.\n\nHeavy downpour in the upper catchment area in Odisha is resulting in copious inflows into Vamsadhara and Nagavali rivers, the AP State Disaster Management Authority said.\n\nAt Kasinagar in Odisha, Vamsadhara was flowing at the danger level but has been steady at Gotta Barrage.\n\nA 60-member team of NDRF and 35-member SDRF and 60 personnel of Fire Services Department have been deployed in Srikakulam district for rescue and relief operation in view of the flood situation.\n\nAnother team of SDRF personnel has been kept on standby at the AP Special Police Battalion at Chintavalasa in neighbouring Vizianagaram district to attend to any emergency.", "BENGALURU/MUMBAI\n• At least 22 people have died in the southern Indian state of Kerala after torrential monsoon rains caused landslides and flooding that cut off some areas, the authorities said yesterday.\n\nSeasonal monsoon rains from June to September cause deaths and mass displacement across South Asia every year, but they also deliver more than 70 per cent of India's rainfall and are crucial for farm output and economic growth.\n\nIn Kerala, the disaster forced the evacuation of more than 22,000 people and the closure of Cochin International Airport, the busiest airport in the tourist state.\n\nLocated along the banks of the Periyar River, the airport will be shut until at least 5.30pm Singapore time today, although the Indian Navy has opened an airfield at a naval base for use by commercial flights, officials said.\n\nKerala was hit by devastating floods last August that killed more than 200 people and affected more than five million people. Those floods, dubbed the worst to hit the state in nearly a century, caused billions of dollars worth of damage to fields, homes and other infrastructure.\n\nA few dozen people are feared trapped after a major landslide in Puthumala village in the hilly district of Wayanad.\n\nRescuers have recovered seven bodies, and the state government is planning to airlift rescue equipment to the area, said Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, adding: \"All arrangements have been put in place to deal with the disaster.\"\n\nThe states of Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka in western India have also been hit this week by heavy rain and flooding.\n\nOfficials said at least 38 people have been killed in the states this week due to the rain and more than 200,000 have been evacuated.\n\nHundreds of villages and a few towns in the affected areas of Maharashtra do not have electricity and drinking water, a state government official said yesterday, and the authorities are trying to restore electricity in some areas.\n\nSchools and colleges in many parts of western and southern India have been shut since Monday and are unlikely to open this week, the authorities have said.\n\nMilk and vegetable supplies to India's financial hub, Mumbai, dropped significantly yesterday because many of the affected districts in Maharashtra are major suppliers.\n\nThe weather department has forecast further heavy rainfall in Kerala, and Maharashtra and Karnataka.\n\nKerala has been releasing water from some of its dams to avoid dam waters rising to dangerous levels like last year, the authorities said.", "New Delhi, Aug 09: Heavy rains continued to lash parts of Karnataka, Kerala and Maharashtra even on Friday. Atleast 23 people were killed by the incessant downpour while over 20,000 people have been evacuated from the rain-affected areas in Kerala. Cochin International Airport has decided to shut operations until Sunday in the wake of heavy rainfall.\n\nWhile nine people killed in Karnataka in last three days. The worst affected area was Belagavi district, where six people have lost their lives.\n\nHere is complete list of Helpline and Control room numbers\n\nKarnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa has asked for funds to tide over the crisis.\n\nTo contribute, people can transfer funds to:", "More than three-dozen people are dead and thousands have been forced from their homes as floods ravage parts of southern India, particularly the state of Kerala, which was devastated by flooding in 2018. The floods are associated with the Indian monsoon, but even for a seasonal weather phenomenon known to produce heavy rainfall, the ongoing event stands out as unusually severe.\n\nRain fell in tearing sheets Thursday in Ooty, like it was trying to rip the hill station off its mountain. Outside the town was what appeared to be a river that frothed beyond a row of trees at the side of the street, its surface blown into grayish caps by the gusts. Rain beat on the roofs of cars as if it, too, wanted out of the storm.\n\nUp ahead, traffic slowed as drivers approached the bridge, which turned out not to be a bridge at all, just as the river turned out not to be a river, either.\n\nThe bridge was a regular road, and the river was composed of water that had swept down the surrounding mountains and rushed across the street, flooding the fields beyond.\n\nOoty, also known as Udhagamandalam, is a small hill station in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Over a period of 24 hours that began Wednesday, more rain fell in the nearby avalanche region of the state — 32 inches — than has ever been recorded there, according to state government data being verified by the India Meteorological Department.\n\nOutside a government office, a man named Ganesh pulled up in a truck and offered a ride into town. He introduced himself as an aide worker from Ooty who had moved back after spending a lot of time in Europe and the Middle East when he had worked for American Express. He was driving out to what he had heard was a particularly bad landslide, hoping to help with whatever supplies he had in the back.\n\n“People are suffering,” he said.\n\nOn Friday, Ganesh answered the phone, but his voice faded in and out. Service was patchy, and anyway he’d have to call back because he was going to be out for a while. He was driving through the relentless rain, on his way to the aftermath of yet another landslide. He’d counted 17 of them on Thursday, but already on Friday there seemed to be more.\n\nMore than a foot of rain falls in one day\n\nReuters reports that at least 28 people have been killed and 200,000 displaced amid the flooding, which has isolated several districts in Maharashtra state. Mumbai, a city of more than 18 million, borders the Arabian Sea in western Maharashtra. There, heavy rains have reportedly isolated rail passengers, grinding service to a halt after rendering several stretches of track impassible. The state of Kerala has seen heavy flood damage for the second straight year.\n\nIn 2018, Kerala was hit was its most severe flooding in at least a century due to an extreme barrage of monsoon rains, killing hundreds and displacing at least 150,000.\n\nAbout 150 miles south of there is Mahabaleshwar, a community of roughly 12,000 nestled in the hills of the Western Ghats range. The town has seen more than half a foot of rain every day in August. From Saturday, Aug. 3, to Thursday, Aug. 8, more than 10 inches of rain fell each day. Fifteen inches fell on Monday amid a three-day period that featured more than three feet of rain. According to data pulled from Ogimet.com, more than eight feet of rain have fallen in Mahabaleshwar since the start of August.\n\nTo put that into perspective, that eclipses in one week the record-setting rainfall that drenched D.C. throughout all of 2018.\n\nIt comes as no surprise that Mahabaleshwar may be reviewed as a candidate for the wettest place on Earth. Weather.com reports that some locations in and nearby there have picked up more than 15 feet of rain so far this summer. Mahabaleshwar consistently ranks among the wettest locations in the world.\n\nThe mountains effectively squeeze moisture out of the air, focusing monsoonal rainfall toward narrow but extreme bull's-eyes.\n\nThe “monsoon” is not a tropical cyclone. In fact, monsoon doesn’t even technically refer to a storm. Instead, it describes a seasonal wind shift.\n\nAs summer approaches, air over India’s high terrain heats up. That leaves it less dense than air at the same altitude just offshore, allowing air over the mountains to rise. That draws in moisture-rich air from over both the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal, fostering the growth of vigorous downpours. It’s a weeks-long, relentless peppering of precipitation.\n\nMonsoonal storminess typically lasts from June to September in most spots; it takes a few weeks for the moist flow to arrive north, so southern portions of India see an earlier onset, some years beginning as soon as late May. Northern India sees a shorter monsoon season, but that doesn’t mean it’s not impactful.\n\nThe monsoon is vital for feeding India’s 1.4 billion people.\n\nAccording to NOAA, some places receive more than 90 percent of their annual precipitation during this time frame, which could be as little as three months. It provides vital nourishment for crops, but can spell disaster for areas where the downpours linger for too long.\n\nThe India Meteorological Department is forecasting an additional 4 to 8 inches or more of rain throughout most of Karnataka and Maharashtra states on Friday, which includes Mahabaleshwar.\n\nFormer prime minister H.D. Deve Gowda, who also served as the chief minister of Karnataka from 1994 to 1996, pleaded with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to declare the floods a “national disaster of severe nature.”\n\nRain continued to lash Ooty and surrounding areas Thursday night into Friday, threatening records for all of South India. Coastal areas in neighboring states Karnataka and Kerala are already submerged, only one year after Kerala suffered its worst flooding in nearly a century. Members of Tamil Nadu’s State Disaster Response Force are responding in the Nilgiris region, of which Ooty is a part, as water threatens to breach more than a dozen dams in the area.\n\nColin Daileda contributed to this report from Ooty, in the Nilgiris region.", "Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], Aug 9 (ANI): Around 28 people have died and 27 others sustained injuries following incessant rains and overflowing of rivers in several parts of Kerala, said the government on Friday.\n\nA statement from the Chief Minister Office (CMO) said: \"Statewide 28 people have lost their lives and other 27 have sustained injuries following the heavy rains causing a flood-like situation in the state. So far seven persons went missing.\"\n\nAround 19 trains have been cancelled following the flood-like situation in several parts of the state.\n\n\n\nEarlier in the day, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan held a review meeting of the disaster management activities.\n\nAccording to the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KDSMA), so far 22,165 people have been evacuated to safety and are lodged in 315 camps across the state.\n\nRescue operations are underway by the National Disaster Relief Force (NDRF), Army and the local police.\n\n\n\nThe Ministry of Home Affairs held a high-level meeting on the flood situation, a day after Cabinet Secretary PK Sinha took stock of the current situation, preparedness, rescue and relief operations in Kerala, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Gujarat. (ANI)", "At least 83 teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) were deployed in the four flood-hit states of Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Gujarat Friday as incessant rains continue to throw life out of gear in isolated areas across the country.\n\nUnion Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai conducted a high-level meeting Friday to assess the flood situation in different parts of the country and check the preparedness of central ministries and agencies to face the challenges posed by the disastrous conditions.\n\nTorrential rains continued to batter various parts of Kerala Friday as the death toll in monsoon related incidents, including landslides, in the last three days soared to 28 with more than 43,000 people taking shelter in rehabilitated centers, officials told PTI. The worsening situation has prompted Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan-led state government to seek assistance from the Indian Army and the Air Force.\n\nTrain services were also thrown out of gear in isolated areas across the state as heavy rains caused landslides while overflowing rivers resulted in flooding in several parts with Wayanad, Malappuram, Kannur and Idukki in north and central Kerala being the worst-affected areas.\n\nA red alert for rainfall has been issued in nine of the 14 districts in the southern state and all educational institutions, including colleges, will remain shut till Saturday.\n\nThousands of people have been marooned and lakhs of acres of land have submerged with Belagavi district, being the worst affected by floods in Karnataka.\n\nAlmost all the major rivers in Karnataka including Krishna, Cauvery, Kaali, Varahi, Markandeya, Bheema, Malaprabha, Ghataprabha, Tunga, Bhadrawati, Hemavati, Sharavati, Netravati, Tungabhadra, Kumaradhara, Varada, Kabini and their tributaries are overflowing leaving thousands of people stranded.\n\nApart from Belagavi, the districts affected include Bagalakote, Vijayapura, Raichur, Yadgir, Gadag, Uttara Kannada, Haveri, Hubballi-Dharwad, Ballari, Dakshina Kannada, Chikkamagaluru and Kodagu.\n\nIn Kodagu district, at the catchment area of River Cauvery, four bodies were extracted from under a house — on a foothill — which collapsed due to a landslide.\n\nPTI reported that the National Highway 75 was cut off at Sakaleshpura in Hassan district due to landslide at Yattinahalli.\n\nAround nine million people are reported to be affected by floods in Bihar till Thursday with at least 130 deaths, according to the state disaster management department. PTI reported that the number of people affected by floods, according to the department, has reached 88.46 lakh and they are spread across 1269 Panchayats falling under 111 blocks of 13 districts.\n\nThe state has been battling the flood situation since July 13, when the five districts in northern Bihar were struck by flash floods. The preparedness for the flood situation wasn’t formidable because the sudden rains were unexpected in a state that was facing a weak monsoon.\n\nPTI reported that around 1,000 people have been evacuated from catchment areas of Sardar Sarovar Dam (SSD) in Madhya Pradesh’s Barwani and Dhar districts as the Narmada river is flowing above the danger mark in the aftermath of heavy rains. Also, around 700 persons were evacuated in Dhar district.\n\nOfficials of the Narmada Valley Development Authority of Madhya Pradesh informed PTI that at 2 pm on Friday, the river was flowing 7 meters above its danger mark of 123.28 meters at Rajghat village.\n\nMeanwhile, Medha Patkar-led Narmada Bachao Andolan (NBA) on Friday called off its satyagraha (protest) at Rajghat.\n\nThe protest was aimed to mount pressure on the Gujarat government to open Sardar Sarovar Dam’s gates in order to make sure that people living in submergence areas in Madhya Pradesh were not affected by floods, the NBA told PTI.\n\n“We have won as the Gujarat government has opened the gates,” it said.\n\nIn Maharashtra, more than two lakh people have been evacuated to safer areas ad floods have wreaked havoc in five districts of western Maharashtra, namely Sangli, Pune, Kolhapur, Solapur and Satara, officials informed PTI. Sangli and Kolhapur continue to be the worst-hit.\n\nPTI reported that as many as 97,102 people have been rehabilitated to safer places in Kolhapur followed by 80,319 in Sangli.\n\nAt least nine people drowned and four went missing after a boat engaged in rescue work toppled near Brahmanal village in Palus tehsil of Sangli on Thursday, PTI reported.\n\nAt least 12 rescue teams of the Indian Navy are being deployed in Sangli district, an official told PTI.\n\n“These 12 Navy teams will be deployed today (Friday) in Sangli in addition to the teams already present in Kolhapur,” a state government spokesperson was quoted as saying.\n\nHeavy rains continued to lash districts of Central Gujarat since Thursday night. After incessant rains in Vadodara, level of the Ajwa Dam continued to be at 211 feet while the Vishwamitri was flowing at 22 feet, 4 feet below its danger mark. Meanwhile, Chhota Udepur recorded the highest rainfall in a day for the district so far, with 1166 mm rainfall in a single day. The district has received 368 mm rainfall since 6 am in the morning. Sukhi dam in the district is at 146.71 feet just one foot below its danger level of 147.82 feet.\n\nAlso, the Riverbed Powerhouse (RBPH) at the Sardar Sarovar dam on Narmada river, came to life after two years on Friday as the Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam authorities opened the 22 gates of the dam first time after its installation in 2017, to maintain the water level in the dam at 131.18 metres.\n\nMadhya Pradesh and Gujarat have been arguing over the shutting down of power production from the RBPH after the political regime changed in the neighbouring state. Low lying villages in Narmada and villages in Bharuch and Vadodara on the banks of the river have been put on alert.", "MUMBAI/BENGALURU (REUTERS) - Floods brought by heavy rains and overflowing rivers across large swathes of western and southern India have killed at least 33 people and forced the evacuation of 180,000 from their homes, officials said on Thursday (Aug 8).\n\nSeasonal monsoon rains from June to September cause deaths and mass displacement across South Asia every year, but they deliver more than 70 per cent of India's rainfall, crucial for farm output and economic growth.\n\nThe tally of dead in the floods was 25 in the western state of Maharashtra by Thursday, officials said, while government data in the neighbouring southern state of Karnataka showed eight dead.\n\nRivers burst their banks in some parts of Maharashtra after authorities released water from dams brimming with as much as 670mm of rain received in a week.\n\n\"If we get more rainfall, then we have no option but to release water in rivers,\" said administrative official Deepak Mhaisekar, adding that many reservoirs around the state's industrial city of Pune were full.\n\nA boat full of villagers trying to escape the floods capsized on Thursday, killing at least nine people, with rescuers searching for three or four still feared missing, he added.\n\nThousands of trucks were stuck on a national highway linking the financial capital of Mumbai with the southern technology hub of Bengaluru, as waters submerged the road in some places, Mr Mhaisekar said.\n\nIn Karnataka, officials said some major reservoirs were nearly full, and warned that nearby villages could be hit by large discharges of water.\n\n\"We have sought help from the central government to rescue any people who may get stranded because of the floods,\" Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa told media.\n\nTemples and electric poles were underwater as the floods flowed unabated, in video images posted by a journalist in a northern district of Karnataka.\n\nWeather officials have forecast heavy rain in the region, including the nearby states of Kerala and Goa, over the next three to five days.\n\nKerala weather officials called a \"red alert\" in four districts they saw at risk of receiving more than 200mm of rain on Thursday.\n\nSchools and colleges in many places have been shut since Monday and are unlikely to open this week, authorities have said."], "summary": "Floods hit the states of Karnataka and Kerala in India, resulting in 11 dead and 43,000 people being evacuated."}
{"document": ["DENGUE WARD: A ward at Eastern Samar Provincial Hospital in Borongan City is full of dengue patients and their families. The provincial board of Eastern Samar recently declared the province under a state of calamity due to the rising number of dengue cases. Image Credit: PHILIPPINE INFORMATION AGENCY\n\nMANILA, Philippines — Dengue-related deaths have gone up to 622 from January to July this year in the Philippines, prompting the Department of Health (DOH) to declare a national dengue epidemic.\n\nHealth Secretary Francisco Duque III cited 622 deaths and 146,062 cases recorded from January to July 20 this year, — a 98 per cent spike compared to the number of cases recorded in the same period last year.\n\nDuque said the agency made the declaration to improve the response to the outbreak by allowing local governments to draw on a special \"Quick Response Fund\".\n\n622 number of deaths from dengue in the Philippines from January to July 20, 2019\n\nDengue is a mosquito-borne viral infection found in tropical countries worldwide. It can cause joint pain, nausea, vomiting and a rash, and can cause breathing problems, hemorrhaging and organ failure in severe cases. While there is no specific treatment for the illness, medical care to maintain a person's fluid levels is seen as critical.\n\nThe Department of Health said that starting Tuesday, it was conducting a campaign to focus on finding and destroying mosquito breeding sites, which is a primary means of containing dengue.\n\nOther government agencies, local government units, schools, offices and communities will join in the effort, it said.\n\nOther Southeast Asian countries have also reported an surge in dengue cases this year, according to the U.N.'s World Health Organization.\n\nDengue Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral infection found in tropical countries worldwide. It can cause joint pain, nausea, vomiting and a rash, and can cause breathing problems, hemorrhaging and organ failure in severe cases.\n\n\n\nWhile there is no specific treatment for the illness, medical care to maintain a person's fluid levels is seen as critical.\n\nThe organization said Malaysia had registered 62,421 cases through June 29, including 93 deaths, compared to 32,425 cases with 53 deaths for the same period last year.\n\n93 number of dengue-related deaths from 62,421 cases in Malaysia, recorded from January to June this year\n\nVietnam over the same period had 81,132 cases with four deaths reported, compared to 26,201 cases including six deaths in 2018.\n\n4 number of dengue-related deaths from 81,132 cases in Vietnam, recorded from January to June", "(CNN) A national dengue epidemic has been declared in the Philippines, where 622 people have died of the mosquito-borne disease since January and millions more are at risk.\n\nFrom the start of the year to July 20, there have been more than 146,000 cases recorded -- a 98% increase from the same time period last year, according to the country's Department of Health.\n\nThe Philippines had declared a national dengue alert just last month after reporting more than 450 deaths -- but officials had said the dengue was \"localized,\" according to CNN affiliate CNN Philippines\n\nWith almost two hundred additional deaths in the past month, the crisis has now escalated to a national epidemic.\n\nThe epidemic was declared in order to enable government agencies to better identify at risk areas, said a health ministry statement.\n\n\"It is important that a national epidemic be declared in these areas to identify where a localized response is needed, and to enable the local government units to use their Quick Response Fund to address the epidemic situation,\" said Health Secretary Francisco Duque in the statement.\n\nSeveral other regions like Central Visayas and Ilocos are at high risk with thousands of cases reported, though not yet past the epidemic threshold.\n\n\"As part of our data, is 5,100 cases per week average,\" said Duque at a press conference about the epidemic on Wednesday. \"This is really staggering. This is going to be a record number.\"\n\nSince July, health officials have worked to combat the spread of the viral infection. They deployed hundreds of doctors and nurses to provincial and district hospitals, and provided emergency funding to affected regions, among other measures, according to the Department of Health\n\nThe Philippines became the first country in Asia to approve the use of the Dengvaxia vaccine, the world's first and only licensed dengue vaccine made by French pharmaceutical firm Sanofi Pateur, in 2016.\n\nThe drug was distributed to more than 800,000 students as part of school-based government immunization program, but was suspended in 2017 after clinical trial data showed that it could have unintended consequences in non-infected patients.\n\nDespite the epidemic, the government has no immediate plans to reintroduce the vaccine to the public, Mark Timbal, spokesperson for the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council told CNN Wednesday.\n\nTimbal said the adverse effects of Dengvaxia were still being investigated by the government and in the meantime, efforts would focus on the removal or destruction of mosquito breeding sites, in collaboration with schools, communities, and local governments.\n\nDengue cases in the Philippines have historically surged every three to four years, and the sharp increase this year is in line with expectations after a 2016 spike, Duque said last month. These spikes aren't isolated to just the Philippines, either -- last week , more than 1,000 people in Bangladesh were diagnosed with dengue in a 24-hour period, and hospitals are now overflowing with patients.", "The Philippine government has declared the country’s outbreak of dengue to be a national epidemic, following the deaths of at least 622 patients since January.\n\nThe country’s health department announced late on Tuesday that Francisco Duque III, the health secretary, made the declaration to improve the response to the outbreak by allowing local governments to draw on a special Quick Response Fund.\n\nIt said the Philippines recorded 146,062 cases of dengue from January through July 20 this year, 98% more than the same period in 2018. That is roughly 5,036 cases every week.\n\nAmong the worst-hit areas are central Philippines as well as some regions in the northern island of Luzon and the southern island of Mindanao.\n\nDuque said a campaign is being launched focusing on the destruction of mosquito breeding sites.\n\nDengue is a mosquito-borne viral infection found in tropical countries worldwide. It can cause joint pain, nausea, vomiting and a rash, and can cause breathing problems, haemorrhaging and organ failure in severe cases.\n\nWhile there is no specific treatment for the illness, medical care to maintain a person’s fluid levels is seen as critical.\n\nThe department of health said that starting on Tuesday, it was conducting a campaign to focus on finding and destroying mosquito breeding sites, which is a primary means of containing dengue.\n\nOther government agencies, local government units, schools, offices and communities will join in the effort, it said.\n\nIn 2017, the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte banned the dengue vaccine, Dengvaxia, after its French manufacturer reported that it could cause severe effects on patients not previously exposed to the virus.\n\nSome critics have blamed the decision for the current outbreak, but Duque, the health secretary, said that the World Health Organization did not recommend the use of the vaccine as an outbreak response.\n\nOther Southeast Asian countries have also reported an upsurge in dengue cases this year, according to the UN’s WHO.\n\nThe organisation said Malaysia had registered 62,421 cases through June 29, including 93 deaths, compared to 32,425 cases with 53 deaths for the same period last year.\n\nVietnam over the same period had 81,132 cases with four deaths reported, compared to 26,201 cases including six deaths in 2018.\n\nIn South Asia, Bangladesh has been facing its worst-ever dengue fever outbreak, putting a severe strain on the country’s already overwhelmed medical system.\n\nFor more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.", "(MANILA, Philippines) — The Philippines’ Department of Health on Tuesday declared the country’s outbreak of dengue to be a national epidemic.\n\nThe agency said Health Secretary Francisco Duque III made the declaration to improve the response to the outbreak by allowing local governments to draw on a special Quick Response Fund.\n\nIt said the Philippines recorded 146,062 cases of dengue from January through July 20 this year, 98% more than the same period in 2018. It said the outbreak caused 622 deaths.\n\nDengue is a mosquito-borne viral infection found in tropical countries worldwide. It can cause joint pain, nausea, vomiting and a rash, and can cause breathing problems, hemorrhaging and organ failure in severe cases. While there is no specific treatment for the illness, medical care to maintain a person’s fluid levels is seen as critical.\n\nThe Department of Health said that starting Tuesday, it was conducting a campaign to focus on finding and destroying mosquito breeding sites, which is a primary means of containing dengue. Other government agencies, local government units, schools, offices and communities will join in the effort, it said.\n\nOther Southeast Asian countries have also reported an upsurge in dengue cases this year, according to the U.N.’s World Health Organization. The organization said Malaysia had registered 62,421 cases through June 29, including 93 deaths, compared to 32,425 cases with 53 deaths for the same period last year. Vietnam over the same period had 81,132 cases with four deaths reported, compared to 26,201 cases including six deaths in 2018.\n\nIn South Asia, Bangladesh has been facing its worst-ever dengue fever outbreak, putting a severe strain on the country’s already overwhelmed medical system.", "FILE – In this April 30, 2019 file photo, Philippine Health Secretary Dr. Francisco Duque III displays a graph showing the decline of the measles outbreak in the country during a press conference during World Immunization Week 2019 in Manila, Philippines. The Philippines’ Department of Health has declared the country’s massive outbreak of dengue to be a national epidemic on Tuesday Aug. 6, 2019. An announcement from the agency says Health Secretary Francisco Duque III made the declaration in order to improve responses to the outbreak by allowing local governments to draw on a special Quick Response Fund. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)\n\nMANILA, Philippines (AP) — The Philippines’ Department of Health on Tuesday declared the country’s outbreak of dengue to be a national epidemic.\n\nThe agency said Health Secretary Francisco Duque III made the declaration to improve the response to the outbreak by allowing local governments to draw on a special Quick Response Fund.\n\nIt said the Philippines recorded 146,062 cases of dengue from January through July 20 this year, 98% more than the same period in 2018. It said the outbreak caused 622 deaths.\n\nDengue is a mosquito-borne viral infection found in tropical countries worldwide. It can cause joint pain, nausea, vomiting and a rash, and can cause breathing problems, hemorrhaging and organ failure in severe cases. While there is no specific treatment for the illness, medical care to maintain a person’s fluid levels is seen as critical.\n\nThe Department of Health said that starting Tuesday, it was conducting a campaign to focus on finding and destroying mosquito breeding sites, which is a primary means of containing dengue. Other government agencies, local government units, schools, offices and communities will join in the effort, it said.\n\nOther Southeast Asian countries have also reported an upsurge in dengue cases this year, according to the U.N.’s World Health Organization. The organization said Malaysia had registered 62,421 cases through June 29, including 93 deaths, compared to 32,425 cases with 53 deaths for the same period last year. Vietnam over the same period had 81,132 cases with four deaths reported, compared to 26,201 cases including six deaths in 2018.\n\nIn South Asia, Bangladesh has been facing its worst-ever dengue fever outbreak, putting a severe strain on the country’s already overwhelmed medical system.", "This post was originally published on this site\n\nWORLD NEWS Dengue epidemic declared in Philippines, over 600 dead and nearly 150,000 cases this year https://linewsradio.com/dengue-epidemic-declared-in-philippines-over-600-dead-and-nearly-150000-cases-this-year/ http://abcnewsradioonline.com/world-news/rss.xml\n\nLoveSilhouette/iStock(NEW YORK) — A dengue epidemic has been declared in the Philippines in the wake of more than 600 deaths and over 146,000 cases of the disease having been recorded in 2019 alone – a 98 percent increase from the previous year.\n\nDengue – one of the fastest-spreading mosquito-borne diseases in the world – has increased 30-fold in the past 50 years, according to information from the World Health Organization released in June.\n\n“It is important that a national epidemic be declared in these areas to identify where a localized response is needed, and to enable the local government units to use their Quick Response Fund to address the epidemic situation” said Philippines Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III.\n\nSeveral other countries in the Western Pacific region such as Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, and Vietnam have been dealing with an increase in dengue cases and deaths this year, according to the WHO.\n\nThe Philippines, however — where there have been 622 deaths and 146,062 cases on record — has surpassed those other countries.\n\nAccording to the most recent data there, there were 10,502 new cases in the week of July 14 to 20, a 71 percent increase from the same week in 2018.\n\n“Starting today, the Department of Health together with other government agencies … schools, offices, and communities will … focus on search and destroy of mosquito breeding sites,” the country’s department of health said in a statement announcing the epidemic. “This is one of the primary interventions to prevent and control dengue.”\n\nThe WHO says that it is imperative to act early to save lives.\n\n“There is no specific treatment for dengue but early detection, improved clinical management and access to proper medical care for severe dengue can reduce fatality rates”, the organizations said in a statement.\n\n“WHO is working closely with the Philippines and other countries across the region to address dengue,” said Olivia Law Davies, the organization’s regional communications manager. “WHO doesn’t designate an outbreak as being at a national level.”\n\nIt was only at the end last month when Duque, the Philippines’ health secretary, and the Department of Health released a statement sounding hopeful that they could contain the epidemic.\n\n“There is an outpouring of support from our health partners, especially the Philippine Red Cross, other government agencies, and the members of the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council. We are extremely grateful for their urgent response … and with our concerted efforts we hope to be able to quell this dengue outbreak.”\n\nDr. Takeshi Kasai, WHO Regional Director for the Western Pacific, said the biggest concern is the rate of people dying, “especially children.”\n\n“This is a signal that we need to work with countries to strengthen care as well as prevention,” Kasai said.", "– The Philippines’ Department of Health (DOH) has declared the country’s outbreak of dengue to be a national epidemic in the wake of 146,062 cases recorded from January to July 20 this year.The declaration was made by Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on August 6, shortly after a plenary meeting of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC).Duque said the reported cases are 98 percent higher than the same period last year. Of the cases, 622 were confirmed death.Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, as NDRRMC chair, issued a memorandum to all disaster response units across the country for the strict implementation of the national dengue epidemic declaration.According to a DOH report, Western Visayas has the biggest number of cases at 23,330. Seven out of the 17 regions have exceeded the epidemic threshold of dengue for the past three consecutive weeks.Duque said the total number of cases nationwide for a week alone, from July 14 to 20, is at 10,502, or 71 percent higher compared to the same period in 2018.The Philippines has stood firm on its ban on the world’s first and only licensed dengue vaccine Dengvaxia made by French pharmaceutical firm Sanofi Pasteur, following the deaths of dozens of children who were among the more than 700,000 people given shots in 2016 and 2017 in a government immunisation campaign.In 2016, the country became the first in Asia to approve the use of Dengvaxia, but a year later, the vaccine was banned after Sanofi Pasteur announced that in rare cases, vaccinating people with no prior history of dengue infection could lead them to develop a more severe form of the disease.–VNA", "Manila: The Philippines' Department of Health has declared the country's outbreak of dengue to be a national epidemic.\n\nThe agency said Health Secretary Francisco Duque made the declaration to improve the response to the outbreak by allowing local governments to draw on a special Quick Response Fund.\n\nIt said the country recorded 146,062 cases of dengue from January through July 20 this year, 98 per cent more than the same period in 2018. It said the outbreak caused 622 deaths.\n\nDengue is a mosquito-borne viral infection found in tropical countries worldwide. It can cause joint pain, nausea, vomiting and a rash, and can cause breathing problems. A severe strain can cause haemorrhaging and organ failure. While there is no specific treatment for the illness, medical care to maintain a person's fluid levels is seen as critical.", "THE Department of Health (DOH) on Tuesday, August 6, declared a national dengue epidemic amid the rising cases of the mosquito-borne disease that has so far claimed at least 622 lives since January throughout the Philippines.\n\nAccording to Health Secretary Francisco Duque III, the declaration was needed to speed up response.\n\n“It is important that a national epidemic be declared in these areas to identify where a localized response is needed and to enable the local government units to use their quick response fund to address the epidemic situation,” he said during a press conference at the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) in Camp Aguinaldo.\n\nThe announcement came following the national dengue alert that DOH issued three weeks ago.\n\nDefense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, as chair of the NDRRMC, said he has issued a memorandum circular urging all agencies of NDRRMC “to support the nationwide dengue epidemic response.”\n\n“Lahat nung mga member ng NDRRMC na agencies (All member agencies of the NDRRMC) will now support the efforts of the DOH to stop this epidemic, eliminate this epidemic,” he said.\n\nLorenzana also explained that a national emergency or state of calamity had not been declared due to the disease only affecting select areas.\n\n“May mga areas na malaki, mas malaki ang tama, may mga maliliit (There are areas that are worse affected, others not so much). It’s up to the provinces and towns to declare their own state of calamity,” he said.\n\nDuque noted that 146,062 dengue cases were recorded nationwide from Jan. 1 to July 20 — a figure that is twice the recorded cases (73,818) during the same period last year.\n\nBased on a DOH dengue surveillance report, Western Visayas had the most number of cases at 23,330, followed by Calabarzon with 16,515. Zamboanga Peninsula reported 12,317 cases; Northern Mindanao, 11,455; and SOCCSKSARGEN, 11,083 cases.\n\nMeanwhile, the seven regions that have exceeded the epidemic threshold are Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol, Western Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula and Northern Mindanao.\n\nIlocos, Central Visayas and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, on the other hand, are the regions that have exceeded the alert threshold.\n\nA group of doctors, scientists and health professionals on Thursday, Aug. 1, urged the government to lift the ban on Dengvaxia vaccine due to the surge in dengue cases.\n\nDengvaxia was banned in 2017 after Sanofi Pasteur, its manufacturer, disclosed that the vaccine could cause severe dengue in patients with no prior exposure to the virus.\n\nDuque, for his part, pointed out that Dengvaxia was not cost-effective at P1,000 per dose.\n\n“It is not recommended for mass vaccination because there is no reliable test that would establish prior dengue infection. If there is, this particular test cross-reacts with several other viruses,” the health secretary said.\n\n“Who knows that severe dengue reaction will not occur in a particular individual? So there’s a risk,” he added.", "The Department of Health (DOH) today requested the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council Chair Secretary Delfin N. Lorenzana to convene a full council meeting and declared a national dengue epidemic in the wake of the 146,062 cases recorded since January up to July 20 this year, 98% higher than the same period in 2018. There were 622 deaths.\n\nBased on the DOH Dengue Surveillance Report, Region VI (Western Visayas) had the most number of cases at 23,330, followed by Region IV-A (CALABARZON) with 16,515, Region IX (Zamboanga Peninsula) with 12,317, Region X (Northern Mindanao) with 11,455, and Region XII (SOCCSKSARGEN) with 11,083 cases.\n\n“It is important that a national epidemic be declared in these area to identify where a localized response is needed, and to enable the local government units to use their Quick Response Fund to address the epidemic situation.” Health Secretary Francisco T. Duque III stressed.\n\nMeanwhile, seven (7) out of these seventeen (17) regions have exceeded the epidemic threshold of dengue in their regions for the past three consecutive weeks. These regions are: Region IV-A (CALABARZON) with 16,515 cases; MIMAROPA – 4,254; V (Bicol) with 3,470; VI (Western Visayas) with 23,330; VIII (Eastern Visayas) with 7,199; IX (Zamboanga Peninisula) with 12, 317; and X (Northern Mindanao) with 11,455 cases.\n\nOther regions exceeded the alert threshold level, such as Region I (Ilocos) with 4,396 cases; VII (Central Visayas) with 10,728; and BARMM (Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao) with 2,301.\n\nThe total number of cases nationwide for the 29th Morbidity Week alone (July 14-20) is 10,502. This is 71% higher compared to the same period in 2018 (6,128 cases).\n\nStarting today, the Department of Health together with other government agencies, LGUs, schools, offices, and communities will conduct the _Sabayang 4-O’clock Habit para Deng-Get Out, _focusing on search and destroy of mosquito breeding sites. This is one of the primary interventions to prevent and control dengue."], "summary": "The Department of Health of the Philippines declares a national dengue epidemic in the country, as cases spike to 622 deaths."}
{"document": ["This article is more than 1 month old\n\nThis article is more than 1 month old\n\nThe merciless dogfight between Mexican drug cartels has produced its latest macabre spectacle with the discovery of 19 mutilated corpses – nine of them hung semi-naked from a bridge – in a city to the west of the capital.\n\n'Can't fight evil with evil': life in Mexico's most murderous town Read more\n\nThe massacre, in Uruapan 250 miles from Mexico City, was claimed by the increasingly dominant Jalisco New Generation cartel which posted a large white banner beside the dangling bodies of its victims.\n\n“Lovely people, carry on with your routines,” it read, beneath the group’s capitalised red initials, CJNG.\n\nAt least 10 other dismembered and bullet-riddled bodies were reportedly found dumped in two nearby locations.\n\nMichoacán state’s attorney general, Adrián López Solís, blamed the killings on a clash between rival cartels battling for control of the region’s drug trade. Troops were being mobilized to investigate the crimes and catch the killers, he said.\n\nFalko Ernst, an International Crisis Group researcher who studies Mexico’s cartels, said this week’s slaughter was clearly intended to intimidate rival criminal groups, the families of their members, as well as Mexican authorities.\n\nErnst said the bloodbath was partly about the struggle for control of Uruapan’s local drug trade. But a more important motivation was the fight for the region’s billion-dollar avocado industry. “The big magnet here is avocados,” he said.\n\nErnst said at least three armed groups were currently battling for control of the city of Uruapan – the CJNG, the Knights Templar cartel and Los Viagras, which is part of a larger organization called the the Nueva Familia Michoacana.\n\nStomach-churning displays of criminal might are not unusual in Mexico, which last year suffered a record 35,964 murders.\n\nBut the CJNG has become particularly notorious for its willingness to confront Mexican authorities with brazen public shows of brute force and firepower.\n\nIn May video footage emerged showing heavily armed cartel members parading through Zamora, another city in Michoacán, in cars marked with their group’s insignia. The cartel was blamed for a battle with local police that day that reportedly left at least four officers dead.\n\nQuick guide Mexico's war on drugs Show Hide Why did Mexico launch its war on drugs? On 10 December 2006, Felipe Calderón launched Mexico’s war on drugs by sending 6,500 troops into his home state of Michoacán, where rival cartels were engaged in tit-for-tat massacres. Calderón declared war eight days after taking power – a move widely seen as an attempt to boost his own legitimacy after a bitterly contested election victory. Within two months, around 20,000 troops were involved in operations. What has the war cost so far? The US has donated at least $1.5bn through the Merida Initiative since 2008, while Mexico spent at least $54bn on security and defence between 2007 and 2016. Critics say that this influx of cash has helped create an opaque security industry open to corruption.\n\n\n\nBut the biggest costs have been human: since 2007, over 250,000 people have been murdered, more than 40,000 reported as disappeared and 26,000 unidentified bodies in morgues across the country. Human rights groups have also detailed a vast rise in human rights abuses including torture, extrajudicial killings and forced disappearances by state security forces.\n\n\n\nPeña Nieto claimed to have killed or detained 110 of 122 of his government's most wanted narcos. But his biggest victory – and most embarrassing blunder – was the recapture, escape, another recapture and extradition of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, leader of the Sinaloa cartel.\n\nMexico’s decade-long war on drugs would never have been possible without the injection of American cash and military cooperation under the Merida Initiative. The funds have continued to flow despite indisputable evidence of human rights violations.\n\n\n\nUnder new president Andrés Manuel López Obrador, murder rates are up and a new security force, the Civil Guard, is being deployed onto the streets despite campaign promises to end the drug war. What has been achieved? Improved collaboration between the US and Mexico has resulted in numerous high-profile arrests and drug busts. Officials say 25 of the 37 drug traffickers on Calderón’s most-wanted list have been jailed, extradited to the US or killed, although not all of these actions have been independently corroborated. The biggest victory – and most embarrassing blunder – under Peña Nieto’s leadership was the recapture, escape and another recapture of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, leader of the Sinaloa cartel. While the crackdown and capture of kingpins has won praise from the media and US, it has done little to reduce the violence. Photograph: Pedro Pardo/AFP\n\nUruapan boasts an unenviable place in Mexican drug trafficking lore. It was here, in 2006, that five severed heads were rolled on to a nightclub dancefloor by gangsters – a ghoulish attack that made global headlines and helped trigger then president Felipe Calderón’s catastrophic six-year war on drugs. That failed offensive against the cartels resulted in an unprecedented period of bloodletting, with murder rates soaring across the country almost ever since.\n\nAndrés Manuel López Obrador, who became Mexico’s president last December, swept to power promising to rethink his country’s fight against crime. He created a new security force called the national guard and vowed to tackle the social roots of crime by offering scholarships to disadvantaged teenagers.\n\nBut eight months into López Obrador’s presidency there is no sign of improvement. Official figures show there were at least 17,608 murders in the first half of the year.\n\nLa Voz de Michoacán, a local newspaper, said that this year, as armed groups battled for supremacy there, Michoacán state had found itself at the eye of the storm with 963 killings since January.\n\nEven Mexico City – long seen as a island of relative calm from the conflict – has seen a surge in crime this year.", "MEXICO CITY – Mexican police found nine bodies hanging from an overpass Thursday alongside a drug cartel banner threatening rivals, and seven more corpses hacked up and dumped by the road nearby. Just down the road were three more bodies, for a total of 19.\n\nThe killing spree reported by prosecutors in the western state of Michoacan marked a return to the grisly massacres carried out by drug cartels at the height of Mexico’s 2006-2012 drug war, when piles of bodies were dumped on roadways as a message to authorities and rival gangs.\n\nTwo of the bodies hung by ropes from the overpass by their necks, half naked, were women, as was one of the dismembered bodies found in the city of Uruapan, Michoacan Attorney General Adrián López Solís said at a news conference.\n\nThe victims had been shot to death. Some were hung with their hands bound, some with their pants pulled down.\n\n'Let them go!': Largest US immigration raids in a decade net 680 arrests\n\nWhile the banner was not completely legible, it bore the initials of the notoriously violent Jalisco drug cartel, and mentioned the Viagras, a rival gang. “Be a patriot, kill a Viagra,” the banner read in part.\n\n“This kind of public, theatrical violence, where you don’t just kill, but you brag about killing, is meant to intimidate rivals and send a message to the authorities,” said Mexico security analyst Alejandro Hope.\n\n“This kind of cynical impunity has been increasing in Michoacan,” Hope added.\n\nIn one particularly brazen attack in May, a convoy of pickups and SUVs openly marked with the letters “CJNG” – the Spanish initials of The Jalisco New Generation Cartel – drove through the city of Zamora, Michoacan, at night, shooting up police vehicles and killing or wounding several officers.\n\nThe state attorney general said the killings discovered Thursday appeared to be part of a turf war.\n\n“Certain criminal gangs are fighting over territory, to control activities related to drug production distribution and consumption,” López Solís said. “Unfortunately, this conflict results in these kinds of acts that justifiably alarm the public.”\n\nFor years, Mexican cartels had seemed loath to draw attention to themselves with mass public displays of bodies. Instead, the gangs went to great lengths to hide bodies, by creating clandestine burial pits or dissolving corpses in caustic chemicals.\n\nBut the Jalisco gang, which has gained a reputation for directly challenging authorities, appears to have returned to showy killings as a way to intimidate rivals.\n\n'They're going to lose everything': Families are devastated after Mississippi ICE raids\n\nIn 2011, the then-smaller Jalisco cartel dumped 35 bodies on an expressway in the Gulf coast state of Veracruz. In 2012, the Zetas drug cartel dumped 49 decapitated bodies on a highway in northern Mexico, and that same year they strung nine bodies from an overpass and left 14 severed heads near the city hall.\n\nMeanwhile, in another part of Mexico, an angry crowd beat and hung five suspected kidnappers, leaving some of their bodies dangling from trees.\n\nThe suspects had been detained by about 180 villagers in the central state of Puebla. The state government said police and soldiers were sent to the area to try to stop the attack, but villagers from the hamlets of Tepexco and Cohuecan wouldn’t let them.\n\nWhen homicides dropped for a few years between 2012 and 2015, many thought Mexico’s drug war was winding down.\n\nBut homicides surged again last year and Mexico now has more murders than it did during the peak year of killings in 2011.\n\nIn the first half of 2019, Mexico set a record for homicides, with 17,608, up 5.3% compared to the same period of 2018. The country of almost 125 million now sees as many as 100 killings a day nationwide.", "A BLOODTHIRSTY Mexican cartel beheaded nine people and then dangled their naked bodies from a bridge in an ongoing war with a rival gang.\n\nShocked cops found the butchered bodies hanging from the overpass on Thursday alongside a massive banner threatening other drug gangs.\n\nSeven more blood-covered corpses were also found hacked to pieces and dumped by the road nearby.\n\nJust over a mile away three more were found - taking the number of victims killed in the brutal cartel killing spree to 19.\n\nThe murders, which happened in the state of Michoacan, marked a return to the grisly massacres carried out by drug cartels at the height of Mexico's 2006-2012 drug war.\n\nBack then, piles of bodies were regualarly dumped on roadways as a message to authorities and rival gangs.\n\nAll the victims in the city of Uruapan attack are reported to have been shot dead.\n\nSome were hanged with their hands bound, some with their trousers pulled down.\n\nWhile the banner was not completely legible, it bore the initials of the notoriously violent Jalisco drug cartel, and mentioned the Viagras - a rival gang.\n\n\"Be a patriot, kill a Viagra,\" the banner read in part.\n\n\"This kind of public, theatrical violence, where you don't just kill, but you brag about killing, is meant to intimidate rivals and send a message to the authorities,\" said Mexico security analyst Alejandro Hope.\n\n\"This kind of cynical impunity has been increasing in Michoacan,\" he added.\n\nIn one particularly brazen attack in May, a convoy of trucks marked with the initials of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel - drove through the city of Zamora gunning down several cops.\n\nUruapan is where Mexico's drug war first erupted in 2006, when members of the now-diminished La Familia cartel rolled five severed heads onto the floor of a dance hall.\n\nWhat followed were eight years of terror in Michoacan, until farmers rose up in an armed vigilante movement to drive La Familia and its successor cartel, the Caballero's Templarios, out of the state.\n\nLate Thursday, authorities in the Gulf coast state of Veracruz reported that four dismembered male bodies had been found in 15 bags near the state's border with Puebla.\n\nIn 2011, the then-smaller Jalisco cartel dumped 35 bodies on an expressway in the Gulf coast state of Veracruz.\n\nIn 2012, the Zetas cartel left 49 decapitated bodies on a highway in northern Mexico, and later in the same year they strung nine bodies from an overpass and left 14 severed heads near the city hall.", "Mexico City: Mexican police have found nine bodies hanging from a road bridge alongside a drug cartel banner threatening rivals.\n\nSeven more corpses were found hacked up and dumped by the road nearby in the western city of Uruapan, and just down the road were three more, making a total of 19.\n\nThe killing spree marked a return to the grisly massacres carried out by drug cartels at the height of Mexico's 2006-12 drug war, when piles of bodies were dumped on roadways as a message to authorities and rival gangs.\n\nTwo of the bodies hung by ropes from the overpass by their necks, half naked, were women, as was one of the dismembered bodies.", "MEXICO CITY (AP) - Mexican police found nine bodies hanging from an overpass Thursday alongside a drug cartel banner threatening rivals, and seven more corpses hacked up and dumped by the road nearby. Just down the road were three more bodies, for a total of 19.\n\nThe killing spree reported by prosecutors in the western state of Michoacan marked a return to the grisly massacres carried out by drug cartels at the height of Mexico's 2006-2012 drug war, when piles of bodies were dumped on roadways as a message to authorities and rival gangs.\n\nTwo of the bodies hung by ropes from the overpass by their necks, half naked, and one of the dismembered bodies were women, Michoacan Attorney General Adrián López Solís said at a news conference.\n\nThe victims in the city of Uruapan had been shot to death. Some were hung with their hands bound, some with their pants pulled down.\n\nWhile the banner was not completely legible, it bore the initials of the notoriously violent Jalisco drug cartel, and mentioned the Viagras, a rival gang. \"Be a patriot, kill a Viagra,\" the banner read in part.\n\n\"This kind of public, theatrical violence, where you don't just kill, but you brag about killing, is meant to intimidate rivals and send a message to the authorities,\" said Mexico security analyst Alejandro Hope.\n\n\"This kind of cynical impunity has been increasing in Michoacan,\" Hope added.\n\nIn one particularly brazen attack in May, a convoy of pickups and SUVs openly marked with the letters \"CJNG\" - the Spanish initials of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel - drove through the Michoacan city of Zamora at night, shooting up police vehicles and killing or wounding several officers.\n\nUruapan is where Mexico's drug war first erupted in 2006, when members of the now-diminished La Familia cartel rolled five severed heads onto the floor of a dance hall.\n\nWhat followed were eight years of terror in Michoacan, until farmers and ranchers rose up in an armed vigilante movement to drive La Familia and its successor cartel, the Caballero's Templarios, out of the state.\n\nHipólito Mora, one of the original founders of the vigilante movement, said the violence is worse than ever and he wants the army to come back to Michoacan to help battle the cartels. \"We're worse off now than we were then,\" Mora said.\n\nThe state attorney general said the killings discovered Thursday appeared to be part of a turf war.\n\n\"Certain criminal gangs are fighting over territory, to control activities related to drug production distribution and consumption,\" López Solís said. \"Unfortunately, this conflict results in these kinds of acts that justifiably alarm the public.\"\n\nMeanwhile, in another part of Mexico, an angry crowd beat and hanged seven suspected kidnappers, leaving some of their bodies dangling from trees, the national Human Rights Commission said Thursday night. The Puebla state government said police and soldiers were sent to the area to try to stop the attack, but villagers from the hamlets of Tepexco and Cohuecan kept them from intervening.\n\nLate Thursday, authorities in the Gulf coast state of Veracruz reported that four dismembered male bodies had been found in 15 bags left along highways near the state's border with Puebla. Veracruz is another battleground between the Jalisco cartel and other criminal groups.\n\nFor years, Mexican cartels had seemed loath to draw attention to themselves with mass public displays of bodies. Instead, the gangs went to great lengths to hide bodies, by creating clandestine burial pits or dissolving corpses in caustic chemicals.\n\nBut the Jalisco gang, which has gained a reputation for directly challenging authorities, appears to have returned to showy killings as a way to intimidate rivals.\n\nIn 2011, the then-smaller Jalisco cartel dumped 35 bodies on an expressway in the Gulf coast state of Veracruz. In 2012, the Zetas cartel left 49 decapitated bodies on a highway in northern Mexico, and later in the same year they strung nine bodies from an overpass and left 14 severed heads near the city hall.\n\nStill, homicides dropped for a few years between 2012 and 2015, and many thought Mexico's drug war was winding down. But homicides surged again last year and Mexico now has more murders than it did during the peak year of killings in 2011.\n\nIn the first half of 2019, Mexico set a record for homicides, with 17,608, up 5.3% compared to the same period of 2018. The country of almost 125 million people now sees as many as 100 killings a day nationwide.", "[BBC] Mexican police have found the bodies of nine people hanging from a bridge and seven more corpses hacked up and dumped on the road.\n\nThe massacre in the city of Uruapan in the western Michoacán state is thought to be gang-related, prosecutors say.\n\nA banner hanging from the bridge reportedly bore the initials of one of Mexico’s most powerful drug cartels.\n\nCriminals have previously hung the bodies of their murdered victims in public to intimidate rival gangs.\n\n“There is a turf war between the [local] cells of different criminal groups,” state prosecutor Adrian López told reporters at a news conference on Thursday.\n\nMr López said the gangs, which he did not name, are “fighting for territorial control over the production, distribution and consumption of drugs”.", "Mexico has been no stranger to grim scenes in recent years, but on Thursday its cartel wars hit a fresh low as numerous bodies were found hanging from an overpass in the southern state of Michoacan, and others were found chopped up on a road nearby.\n\nIn total, 19 bodies were found in the city of Uruapan — seven men and two women dangling from the bridge at 5.30 a.m.; six men and a woman left lying in various states of dismemberment on the street below; and more male bodies found in a separate neighbourhood.\n\nPhotos in Mexican outlets showed human heads, arms and legs scattered about, as if arranged in a display. The bodies hanging from the bridge were in various states of undress, some with their pants pulled down.\n\nOn the bridge was a banner, a warning from one cartel to the others, which read: “Lovely people, carry on with your routines,” the banner read in part. “Be a patriot, kill a Viagra.”\n\nThe message was reportedly placed by the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, or CJNG, led by a drug-trafficking former policeman named Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, or “El Mencho.” In Uruapan, El Mencho’s CJNG, which dominates the methamphetamine trade, is fighting a cartel known as Las Viagras and another called the Knights Templar.\n\nSince a government war on cartels was launched in 2006, more than 200,000 lives have been lost in Mexico. With Sinaloa Cartel kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman sentenced to life in prison in the U.S., it is El Mencho, who was once allied with El Chapo but later turned against him, who now dominates. U.S. authorities have put a $10 million price on the ex-cop’s head.\n\n“This kind of public, theatrical violence, where you don’t just kill, but you brag about killing, is meant to intimidate rivals and send a message to the authorities,” security expert Alejandro Hope told the Associated Press.\n\n“There is a turf war between the (local) cells of different criminal groups. They are fighting for territorial control over the production, distribution and consumption of drugs,” Al Jazeera quoted the Michoacan attorney general Adrian Lopez as saying.\n\n“That leads to this type of incident, which alarms the population, and rightfully so.\n• Armed bank robbers in Mexico steal $3.3 million in gold coins from an open vault\n• Surge of migrants at U.S. border eases after Mexico clampdown, but conditions in detention centres remain dire\n\nAlthough the slaughter is being blamed by state officials on Michoacan’s drug trade, the region is also rich in avocados, a multi-million dollar industry that cartels use to enrich themselves via extortion of farmers and control of growing areas. Eight-in-ten avocados eaten in North America come from Michoacan. Sales to the U.S. hit $2.5 billion in 2018, El Pais reports.\n\n“The big magnet here is avocados,” Falko Ernst, an analyst with the International Crisis Group told the Guardian. The outlet has previously reported that as many as four trucks carrying avocados are robbed in Michoacan per day. The crisis has become so bad in recent years that locals have set up armed self-defence groups to combat the violence — some of which have been themselves linked to the cartels.\n\nThe new president of Mexico, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, known as AMLO, has sworn to tackle the escalating violence, yet 2019 could be Mexico’s bloodiest year yet. Al Jazeera reports that 14,603 murders were registered between January and June alone.\n\nEl Mencho’s latest act has evoked memories of one of Uruapan’s darkest episodes — the night in 2006 when 20 men stormed into a city bar and rolled five severed heads across the dance floor.\n\n“He’s public enemy number one,” Paul Craine, who led the DEA in Mexico at the time of El Chapo’s arrest, told the Mirror of El Mencho earlier this year.\n\n“And he’s got an army of thousands of bad guys.”", "Mexico woke up to a stark reminder of its war on drugs when authorities discovered 19 corpses, including nine bodies hanging from an overpass Thursday in the western state of Michoacán.\n\nThe Jalisco New Generation Cartel, considered the most powerful in Mexico, claimed responsibility for the brutal attack against members of the Viagras, suspending the bodies high above a highway stretch in the city of Uruapan.\n\nGruesome images showed the bodies of a male and female hanging in between a drug cartel banner threatening several members.\n\nWhile the banner was not completely legible, it bore the initials of the notoriously violent Jalisco drug cartel, and mentioned the Viagras.\n\n'Be a patriot, kill a Viagra,' the banner read in part.\n\nThe police were alerted by motorists approximately at 6am and found seven more corpses hacked up and dumped by the road nearby. Just down the road were three more bodies, for a total of 19.\n\nThe killing spree reported by prosecutors in Michoacán marked a return to the grisly massacres carried out by drug cartels at the height of Mexico's 2006-2012 drug war, when piles of bodies were dumped on roadways as a message to authorities and rival gangs.\n\nTwo of the bodies hung by ropes from the overpass by their necks, half naked, were women, as was one of the dismembered bodies found in the city of Uruapan, Michoacán Attorney General Adrián López Solís said at a news conference.\n\nThe victims had been shot to death. Some were hung with their hands bound, some with their pants pulled down.\n\n'This kind of public, theatrical violence, where you don't just kill, but you brag about killing, is meant to intimidate rivals and send a message to the authorities,' said Mexico security analyst Alejandro Hope.\n\n'This kind of cynical impunity has been increasing in Michoacán,' Hope added.\n\nIn one particularly brazen attack in May, a convoy of pickups and SUVs openly marked with the letters 'CJNG' - the Spanish initials of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel - drove through the city of Zamora, Michoacán, at night, shooting up police vehicles and killing or wounding several officers.\n\nThe state attorney general said the killings discovered Thursday appeared to be part of a turf war.\n\n'Certain criminal gangs are fighting over territory, to control activities related to drug production distribution and consumption,' López Solís said. 'Unfortunately, this conflict results in these kinds of acts that justifiably alarm the public.'\n\nFor years, Mexican cartels had seemed loath to draw attention to themselves with mass public displays of bodies. Instead, the gangs went to great lengths to hide bodies, by creating clandestine burial pits or dissolving corpses in caustic chemicals.\n\nBut the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, which has gained a reputation for directly challenging authorities, appears to have returned to showy killings as a way to intimidate rivals.\n\nIt is led by Nemesio 'El Mencho' Oseguera Cervantes, a former ally of Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán.\n\nEl Mencho is one of the 10 most-wanted men on the FBI's list and the U.S. Department of Justice is offering a $10million reward for his capture.\n\nIn 2011, the then-smaller Jalisco cartel dumped 35 bodies on an expressway in the Gulf coast state of Veracruz. In 2012, the Zetas drug cartel dumped 49 decapitated bodies on a highway in northern Mexico, and that same year they strung nine bodies from an overpass and left 14 severed heads near the city hall.\n\nMeanwhile, in another part of Mexico, an angry crowd beat and hung five suspected kidnappers, leaving some of their bodies dangling from trees.\n\nThe suspects had been detained by about 180 villagers in the central state of Puebla. The state government said police and soldiers were sent to the area to try to stop the attack, but villagers from the hamlets of Tepexco and Cohuecán wouldn't let them.\n\nWhen homicides dropped for a few years between 2012 and 2015, many thought Mexico's drug war was winding down.\n\nBut homicides surged again last year and Mexico now has more murders than it did during the peak year of killings in 2011.\n\nIn the first half of 2019, Mexico set a record for homicides, with 17,608, up 5.3% compared to the same period of 2018. The country of almost 125 million now sees as many as 100 killings a day nationwide.", "19 bodies hung from bridge or hacked up in Mexico gang feud\n\nMEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican police found nine bodies hanging from an overpass Thursday alongside a drug cartel banner threatening rivals, and seven more corpses hacked up and dumped by the road nearby. Just down the road were three more bodies, for a total of 19.\n\nThe killing spree in the western city of Uruapan marked a return to the grisly massacres carried out by drug cartels at the height of Mexico's 2006-2012 drug war, when piles of bodies were dumped on roadways as a message to authorities and rival gangs.\n\nTwo of the bodies hung by ropes from the overpass by their necks, half naked, were women, as was one of the dismembered bodies.\n\nWhile the banner was not completely legible, it bore the initials of the notoriously violent Jalisco drug cartel, and mentioned the Viagras, a rival gang. \"Be a patriot, kill a Viagra,\" the banner read in part.\n\nAdrian Lopez, the attorney general for the western state of Michoacan, said the killings appeared to be part of a turf war.\n\n\"Certain criminal gangs are fighting over territory, to control activities related to drug production distribution and consumption,\" Lopez said. \"Unfortunately, this conflict results in these kinds of acts that justifiably alarm the public.\"\n\nFor years, Mexican cartels had seemed loath to draw attention to themselves with mass public displays of bodies. Instead, the gangs went to great lengths to hide bodies, by creating clandestine burial pits or dissolving corpses in caustic chemicals.\n\nBut the Jalisco gang, which has gained a reputation for directly challenging authorities, appears to have returned to showy killings as a way to intimidate rivals.\n\nIn 2011, the then-smaller Jalisco cartel dumped 35 bodies on an expressway in the Gulf coast state of Veracruz. In 2012, the Zetas drug cartel dumped 49 decapitated bodies on a highway in northern Mexico, and that same year they strung nine bodies from an overpass and left 14 severed heads near the city hall.\n\nMeanwhile, in another part of Mexico, an angry crowd beat and hung five suspected kidnappers, leaving some of their bodies dangling from trees.\n\nThe suspects had been detained by about 180 villagers in the central state of Puebla. The state government said police and soldiers were sent to the area to try to stop the attack, but villagers from the hamlets of Tepexco and Cohuecan wouldn't let them.", "Nine bodies were hanging from the bridge, seven were hacked up and dumped on the road nearby, and three others were down the road. All the victims had been shot to death. Some bodies were hung with their hands bound and some had their pants pulled down."], "summary": "Jalisco New Generation Cartel massacres 19 people, hanging 9 of their desecrated bodies from a bridge in Uruapan."}
{"document": ["ROME (AFP) – Far-right Interior Minister Matteo Salvini pulled his support for Italy’s governing coalition on Thursday and called for snap elections, prompting the country’s premier to demand that he “justify” his decision to provoke a political crisis.\n\nSalvini, whose hardline League Party has already called for snap polls, has clashed with his fellow Deputy Prime Minister Luigi di Maio of the anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S) party over a range of policies.\n\nHe stepped up the pressure on Thursday, saying there was no longer a majority to support a government and calling for new elections.\n\n“Let’s go straight to parliament to say there is no longer a majority… and quickly go back to the voters,” Salvini said.\n\nPrime Minister Giuseppe Conte, who had held separate talks with Salvini and the country’s President Sergio Mattarella as the crisis deepened, said in a statement later that the interior minister doesn’t summon parliament and “it’s not up to him to dictate the steps of the political crisis.”\n\nConte called on Salvini “to explain to the country and justify to the electorate, who believed in the possibility of change, the reasons that brought him to abruptly interrupt” the activities of government.\n\nBoth houses of parliament are currently on recess for the holidays and are not due back until September.\n\nLong-rumbling tensions between the 14-month-old coalition’s populist leaders have peaked in recent days, with the row centred on the financing of a multi-billion-euro high-speed train line.\n\nAn early election may benefit Salvini, with recent opinion polls putting his League party ahead, leaving open the possibility that it could govern in alliance with another, smaller far-right party, Fratelli d’Italia.\n\nThat reflects the inversion in the popularity of the coalition partners, which came to power in June 2018 after an election that saw M5S take 32 percent of the vote, while the League scored 17 percent.\n\nIn the European election in May this year, however, the League took the most votes in Italy with 34 percent. M5S received around 17 percent.\n\nThe partnership, which has been rocked by ongoing spats, has appeared to sour further in recent weeks.\n\nItalian media has reported that Salvini, in earlier talks with Conte, set conditions for staying in the coalition — including the resignation of the transport, defence and economy ministers, who have resisted his projects and policies.\n\n“The League and M5S have been diverging in their vision for too long, on matters that are fundamental for the country,” the League said in its statement on Thursday.\n\n“This government’s only option is to let Italians have their say” by calling elections, it added.\n\nSalvini on Thursday denounced “repeated insults against me and the League by supposed allies”.\n\nLater at a meeting in the central coastal city of Pescara he set a campaigning tone.\n\n“We are told that we cannot reduce taxes. We will prove, if you give us the power to do so, that it is possible to reduce taxes on Italian workers,” Salvini told supporters.\n\nFor his part, Di Maio said that his M5S party “is ready” to return to the polls.\n\nThe opposition has also called on the government to resign, arguing it no longer has a workable majority in parliament after Di Maio voted against the Lyon-Turin rail project, which involves a 8.6-billion-euro ($9.8-billion) tunnel through the Alps.\n\nBut President Mattarella, who has the sole power to dissolve parliament, has insisted there must be a government in place to finalize the budget, a first draft of which has to be submitted to EU authorities by the end of September.\n\nThe government is struggling to rein in its public deficit and its mammoth debt mountain of more than 2.3 trillion euros.\n\nItalian news agency AIG on Thursday said that the Senate could convene as early as August 20 in order to declare the end of the government, with the dissolution of parliament possible in the following days.\n\nAccording to Italy’s constitution, new elections would then have to be held within 50 to 70 days.", "A rift between the two coalition partners, Five Star Movement (M5S) and the Lega, deepened this week after the M5S voted against a costly Turin-Lyon high-speed rail link project (TAV) backed by Salvini's party.\n\n\"Today, I told Prime Minister Conte: let's go straight to the parliament to record that there is no majority anymore, as the TAV vote showed, and quickly give the floor to the Italians,\" Salvini said in a statement.\n\nItalians need certainty and a government that is productive, he stressed.\n\n\"We do not want any more seats or ministers, we do not need reshuffles or technical governments. After this government, which has done a lot of good, there can only be election. [Summer] recess cannot be an excuse for losing time, and parliamentarians, unless they want to save their mandate by any means, can return to work next week, like millions of other Italians,\" Salvini said.\n\nThe parliament's recess started on Thursday and is scheduled to conclude in early September.\n\nM5S leader Luigi Di Maio said that his party was ready to participate in snap parliamentary elections.\n\n\"We are ready, we are not at all interested in the [ministerial] seats, and they never interested us,\" Di Maio said a special statement circulated on Thursday evening.\n\nHe also proposed to finally approve the law on reducing the composition of the Italian parliament by half before conducting the snap election. The final vote on this issue was scheduled for early September, immediately after the recess.\n\n\"This is a landmark reform, we will reduce 345 seats and send home 345 politicos. If we again convene the chambers of parliament, we will take the opportunity to vote on this reform earlier. We will vote for it and then pass the floor to the Italians,\" Di Maio said.\n\nThe leader of the largest opposition Democratic Party, Nicola Zingaretti, also said that his supporters were ready for early elections.\n\n\"We are ready for the challenge. In the upcoming elections, not only the issue of government will be decided, but also the fate of our democracy and the international position of our country,\" he wrote on Facebook.\n\nOn Wednesday, Salvini said that \"something is broken\" in the government coalition, while Di Maio wrote on Facebook that he was \"tired of palace games.\" Sources in M5S said it opposed the \"technical government,\" which, in the absence of a parliamentary majority, could survive until the next election.\n\nOn Thursday morning, Conte held consultations with President Sergio Mattarella. After the meeting, it was reported that Conte and Mattarella discussed neither the government crisis, nor the prime minister's departure. Conte later held separate meetings with Salvini and Di Maio.", "Rome, Aug 9 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 9th Aug, 2019 ) :Italy's coalition government was in crisis Friday after far-right Interior Minister Matteo Salvini pulled his support and called for snap elections.\n\nThe heightened political tensions in the heavily-indebted country rattled financial markets, where yields rose on Italian government bonds on Friday.\n\nItaly's Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, who has held several rounds of talks to try to ease the crisis in the 14-month old government, angrily called on Salvini to justify his move.\n\nSalvini has frequently clashed with his fellow Deputy Prime Minister Luigi di Maio of the anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S) party over a range of policies.\n\nHe stepped up the pressure on Thursday, saying there was no longer a majority to support a government and calling for new elections.\n\n\"Let's go straight to parliament to say there is no longer a majority... and quickly go back to the voters,\" Salvini said.\n\nThe move sparked a political crisis described by the left-wing newspaper La Repubblica as \"a farce that makes no-one laugh\".\n\nConte, who has held separate talks with Salvini and President Sergio Mattarella, went on the offensive, saying it was not for the firebrand interior minister to summon parliament.\n\n\"It's not up to him to dictate the steps of the political crisis,\" he added.\n\nConte called on Salvini \"to explain to the country and justify to the electorate, who believed in the possibility of change, the reasons that brought him to abruptly interrupt\" the activities of government.\n\nBoth houses of parliament are currently on recess for the holidays and are not due back until September.\n\nLong-rumbling tensions between the coalition's populist leaders have peaked in recent days, with the row centred on the financing of a multi-billion-euro high-speed train line between the Italian city of Turin and Lyon in neighbouring France.\n\nOn financial markets, the yield on 10-year government bonds jumped to 1.738 percent from 1.530 percent on Thursday while the spread between Italian and German bonds jumped to 233 basis points.", "ROME — Matteo Salvini effectively pulled the plug on Italy's coalition government on Thursday evening, prompting the prime minister to trigger a process that could lead to a snap election.\n\nIn a statement to the press, Salvini, the interior minister and one of two deputy prime ministers, said: \"Let's immediately head back to parliament to ascertain this government no longer has a majority as appears to be clear from yesterday's [Senate vote].\"\n\nSalvini was referring to a parliamentary vote on Wednesday when his far-right League voted with the main opposition parties to reject a motion by its coalition partner the 5Star Movement to block a high-speed link between Turin and Lyon.\n\nSalvini’s move prompted Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte to officially trigger a process that could lead to snap elections as early as October.\n\nIn a late night address to the press, Conte said he called the speakers of the two houses of parliament, asking them to summon lawmakers back from recess for a confidence vote.\n\nSalvini issued a statement saying \"there is no alternative to the current government, the only alternative is the polls.\"\n\n“Salvini came to speak to me to let me know he is planning to head back to the polls to capitalize his current popularity in a snap election,” Conte said.\n\n“I told Salvini his move would jeopardize important reforms my government had initiated.”\n\n5Stars leader Luigi Di Maio, the other deputy prime minister, sided with Conte, saying “Salvini made the government collapse to capitalize on his popularity.”\n\nEarlier on Thursday, Di Maio said in a Facebook post: \"We are ready to head back to the polls, the League mocked Italians.\"\n\nA government split won't be official until a formal act takes place such as a no-confidence motion, the withdrawal of ministers from the Cabinet or the prime minister's resignation.\n\nITALY NATIONAL PARLIAMENT ELECTION POLL OF POLLS\n\nIt will then be up to President Sergio Mattarella to decide whether an election takes place immediately or if a caretaker government is installed to pass the 2020 budget in the fall.\n\nA government collapse would cause major uncertainty for the European Union; Italy is the third-largest economy in the eurozone and is the EU's fourth most populous member. Italy has also not yet nominated its candidate for the next European Commission.\n\nEarlier Thursday, Conte met Mattarella — who headed back to Rome from his summer residence for the talks — to discuss the situation. Two government officials said the prime minister did not offer his resignation or suggest a government reshuffle at the meeting. But soon after that meeting, Salvini issued a statement saying \"there is no alternative to the current government, the only alternative is the polls.\"\n\nAt a rally in Pescara later on Thursday night, Salvini mentioned the likely government crisis only at the end of his hourlong speech, in which he broke down into tears at the end.\n\n“If one believes in his own ideas, he has no fear … and I am not afraid of going at it alone,” he said, hinting at a general election.\n\nHe also reiterated his previous statement that League lawmakers are ready to head to parliament as early as next Monday.\n\n“People are telling me parliament is in recess so I should wait until October … why would you call lawmakers back to Rome [in the middle of August], they say. But every day we wait is a day we lose … why would we wait? Our economy won’t wait for us,” he said.\n\nSalvini concluded by saying “I’m looking forward to seeing lawmakers in parliament next week.\"", "ROME - Far-right Interior Minister Matteo Salvini pulled his support for Italy's governing coalition on Thursday and called for snap elections, deepening the country's political crisis.\n\nLong-rumbling tensions between the 14-month-old coalition's populist leaders have peaked in recent days, with the row centred on the financing of a multi-billion-euro high-speed train line.\n\nAs the crisis appeared to come to a head, Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte held separate talks with Salvini and the country's president Sergio Mattarella.\n\nSalvini, whose hardline League Party has already called for snap polls, has clashed with his fellow Deputy Prime Minister Luigi di Maio of the anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S) party over a range of policies.\n\nHe stepped up the pressure on Thursday, saying there was no longer a majority to support a government and calling for new elections.\n\n\"Let's go straight to parliament to say there is no longer a majority... and quickly go back to the voters,\" he said.\n\nBoth houses of parliament are currently on recess for the holidays and are not due back until September.\n\nIn an allusion to the souring relationship between the coalition partners, Salvini also denounced \"repeated insults against me and the League by supposed allies\".\n\nThe opposition has also called on the government to resign, arguing it no longer has a workable majority in parliament after Di Maio voted against the Lyon-Turin rail project.\n\nItalian media reported that Salvini, in earlier talks with Conte, set conditions for staying in the coalition -- including the resignation of the transport, defence and economy ministers, who have resisted his projects and policies.\n\nA gentler reshuffle was seen as possible. However. Salvini himself has refrained from publicly attacking Di Maio over his opposition to the rail project, which involves a 8.6-billion-euro ($9.8-billion) tunnel through the Alps.\n\nOpinion polls indicate Salvini's League party would win the election and could govern in alliance with another, smaller far-right party, Fratelli d'Italia.\n\n\"The League and M5S have been diverging in their vision for too long, on matters that are fundamental for the country,\" the League said in its statement on Thursday.\n\n\"This government's only option is to let Italians have their say\" by calling elections, it added.\n\nPresident Sergio Mattarella has insisted there must be a government in place to finalise the budget, a first draft of which has be submitted to EU authorities by the end of September.\n\nTo that end, the president could name a government of technocrats and push the elections back to February or March.\n\nThe government is struggling to rein in its public deficit and its mammoth debt mountain of more than 2.3 trillion euros.", "Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, who had held separate talks with Salvini and the country’s President Sergio Mattarella as the crisis deepened, said in a statement later that the interior minister doesn’t summon parliament and “it’s not up to him to dictate the steps of the political crisis.”\n\nConte called on Salvini “to explain to the country and justify to the electorate, who believed in the possibility of change, the reasons that brought him to abruptly interrupt” the activities of government.\n\nThat reflects the inversion in the popularity of the coalition partners, which came to power in June 2018 after an election that saw M5S take 32 per cent of the vote, while the League scored 17 per cent.\n\nIn the European election in May this year, however, the League took the most votes in Italy with 34 per cent. M5S received around 17 per cent.\n\nItalian media has reported that Salvini, in earlier talks with Conte, set conditions for staying in the coalition — including the resignation of the transport, defence and economy ministers, who have resisted his projects and policies.\n\n“The League and M5S have been diverging in their vision for too long, on matters that are fundamental for the country,” the League said in its statement on Thursday.\n\n“We are told that we cannot reduce taxes. We will prove, if you give us the power to do so, that it is possible to reduce taxes on Italian workers,” Salvini told supporters.\n\nThe opposition has also called on the government to resign, arguing it no longer has a workable majority in parliament after Di Maio voted against the Lyon-Turin rail project, which involves a 8.6-billion-euro ($9.8-billion) tunnel through the Alps.\n\nBut President Mattarella, who has the sole power to dissolve parliament, has insisted there must be a government in place to finalise the budget, a first draft of which has to be submitted to EU authorities by the end of September.\n\nItalian news agency AIG on Thursday said that the Senate could convene as early as August 20 in order to declare the end of the government, with the dissolution of parliament possible in the following days.", ", Rome, Italy, Aug 8 – Italy’s coalition government was in crisis Friday after far-right Interior Minister Matteo Salvini pulled his support and called for snap elections.\n\nThe heightened political tensions in the heavily-indebted country — the eurozone’s third largest economy — rattled financial markets, where yields rose on Italian government bonds.\n\nPrime Minister Giuseppe Conte, who has held several rounds of talks to try to ease the crisis in the 14-month-old government, angrily called on Salvini to justify his move.\n\nSalvini has clashed frequently in recent weeks with his fellow Deputy Prime Minister Luigi di Maio of the anti-establishment Five Star Movement (M5S) over a range of policies.\n\nHe upped the pressure Thursday, saying there was no longer a majority to support a government and calling for new elections.\n\n“Let’s go straight to parliament to say there is no longer a majority… and quickly go back to the voters,” Salvini said.\n\nThe move sparked a crisis described by the left-wing newspaper La Repubblica as “a farce that makes no-one laugh”.\n\nConte, who has held separate talks with Salvini and President Sergio Mattarella, went on the offensive, saying it was not for the firebrand interior minister to summon parliament.\n\nHe called on Salvini “to explain to the country and justify to the electorate, who believed in the possibility of change, the reasons that brought him to abruptly interrupt” the activities of government.\n\nBoth houses of parliament are currently on recess for the holidays and are not due back until September.\n\nLong-rumbling tensions between the coalition’s populist leaders have peaked in recent days, with a row over the financing of a multi-billion-euro high-speed train line between the Italian city of Turin and Lyon in neighbouring France.\n\nOn financial markets, the yield on 10-year government bonds jumped to 1.8 percent from over 1.5 percent on Thursday while the spread between Italian and German bonds jumped to 233 basis points.\n\n“This government has been over for a while,” political analyst Stefano Folli told AFP.\n\n“What’s clear is that in a few months time we’ll have a right-wing government, for the left is weak and the M5S is in crisis.\n\n“It will be a hard-right one, born of a fairly explicit challenge to the European Union,” he said.\n\nThe left vowed not to roll over, with former prime minister Paolo Gentiloni tweeting that Salvini was “asking for full powers to take us out of Europe. It will not happen”.\n\nAn early election would benefit Salvini, with opinion polls putting his League party ahead, leaving open the possibility that it could govern in alliance with another, smaller far-right party, Fratelli d’Italia (Brothers of Italy).\n\nIt reflects a change in fortune for Italy’s coalition partners since last year, when M5S took 32 percent of the vote at the general election, and the League 17 percent.\n\nIn the European elections in May this year, the League took the most votes in Italy with 34 percent against 17 percent for M5S.\n\nDi Maio said his M5S party “is ready” to return to the polls.\n\nItalian media has reported that Salvini, in earlier talks with Conte, set conditions for staying in the coalition — including the resignation of the transport, defence and economy ministers, who have resisted his projects and policies.\n\nThe opposition has also called on the government to resign, arguing it no longer has a workable majority in parliament.\n\nBut Mattarella, who has the sole power to dissolve parliament, insists there must be a government in place to finalise the budget, a first draft of which has to be submitted to EU authorities by the end of September.\n\nTo that end, he could name a government of technocrats and push elections back to February or March, although this would be unpopular with Italians.\n\nThe government is struggling to rein in its budget deficit and a mammoth debt mountain of more than 2.3 trillion euros.\n\nFederico Santi, senior Europe analyst with Eurasia Group, said a League-Brothers government would “have a more explicitly pro-business outlook, but an even more virulently nationalist and eurosceptic orientation” than the present one.\n\nItalian news agency AIG said on Thursday the Senate could convene as early as August 20 to declare the end of the government, with the dissolution of parliament possible in the following days.\n\nAccording to Italy’s constitution, new elections would then have to be held within 70 days.", "Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte met President Sergio Mattarella on Thursday to discuss the political situation as rumours swirled of an imminent government collapse, while investors sold off Italian government bonds.\n\nThe coalition of the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement and the right-wing League has seen infighting for months over a range of policy issues. Those tensions came to a head on Wednesday when they voted against each other in parliament over the future of a contested train link with France.\n\nConte made no mention of resigning at the meeting with Mattarella, a government source said, prompting a partial market recovery. Conte himself declined to comment on the talks.\n\nAt a rally late on Wednesday in Sabaudia, south of Rome, League Leader Matteo Salvini peppered his speech with hints that he might bring down the government, without giving a clear idea of what conditions he demanded to carry on.\n\nThe spread between Italian benchmark bonds and safer German Bunds widened early on Thursday by 12 basis points, with traders citing reports that Salvini wanted to sack Economy Minister Giovanni Tria, who is well-regarded by investors.\n\nConte cancelled a scheduled news conference, and a League source told Reuters that Salvini would make his position clearer by Monday.\n\n5-Star has more parliamentary seats than the League, but Salvini’s party now has twice as much support, according to opinion polls, and it often issues thinly veiled threats to sink the government and try to trigger fresh elections.\n\nHowever, a government crisis in August, with Italians on holiday and parliament closed for the summer recess, would be unusual.\n\nMattarella, who is the only person with the power to dissolve parliament, may also be unwilling to do so ahead of the preparatory work in September on the 2020 budget, which must then be presented to parliament the following month. Italy has not held an election in the autumn in all the post-war period.\n\n5-Star would probably have most to lose from new elections.\n\nIts leader Luigi Di Maio cancelled all his previously scheduled engagements on Thursday and accused Salvini of playing “political games” by seeking to obtain more cabinet ministers even though Salvini denies that is his goal.\n\nThe League reiterated that it did not want a cabinet reshuffle and listed a raft of areas in which it had a “different vision” from 5-Star, including infrastructure, taxes, justice, regional autonomy and relations with the EU.\n\n“Every day that passes is a day wasted,” it said in a statement, citing the constant bickering between the two parties. “For us the only alternative to this government is to give the choice back to the Italians with new elections.”\n\nWolfango Piccoli of political risk consultancy Teneo said the League’s declarations should not be taken at face value.\n\n“Salvini’s well-orchestrated ‘summer crisis’ is unlikely to lead to snap polls before year-end,” he said, attaching a 30 per cent chance to this possibility.\n\n“The most likely outcome is a cabinet reshuffle that will sanction the replacement of some M5S ministers with figures either from the Lega (League) or trusted by the party leadership,” Piccoli said.", "ROME — Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte met President Sergio Mattarella on Thursday to discuss the political situation as rumors swirled of an imminent government collapse, while investors sold off Italian government bonds.\n\nThe coalition of the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement and the right-wing League has seen infighting for months over a range of policy issues. Those tensions came to a head on Wednesday when they voted against each other in parliament over the future of a contested train link with France.\n\nConte made no mention of resigning at the meeting with Mattarella, a government source said, prompting a partial market recovery. Conte himself declined to comment on the talks.\n\nAt a rally late on Wednesday in Sabaudia, south of Rome, League Leader Matteo Salvini peppered his speech with hints that he might bring down the government, without giving a clear idea of what conditions he demanded to carry on.\n\nThe spread between Italian benchmark bonds and safer German Bunds widened early on Thursday by 12 basis points, with traders citing reports that Salvini wanted to sack Economy Minister Giovanni Tria, who is well-regarded by investors.\n\nConte canceled a scheduled news conference, and a League source told Reuters that Salvini would make his position clearer by Monday.\n\n5-Star has more parliamentary seats than the League, but Salvini’s party now has twice as much support, according to opinion polls, and it often issues thinly veiled threats to sink the government and try to trigger fresh elections.\n\nHowever, a government crisis in August, with Italians on holiday and parliament closed for the summer recess, would be unusual.\n\nMattarella, who is the only person with the power to dissolve parliament, may also be unwilling to do so ahead of the preparatory work in September on the 2020 budget, which must then be presented to parliament the following month. Italy has not held an election in the autumn in all the post-war period.\n\n5-Star would probably have most to lose from new elections.\n\nIts leader Luigi Di Maio canceled all his previously scheduled engagements on Thursday and accused Salvini of playing “political games” by seeking to obtain more cabinet ministers even though Salvini denies that is his goal.\n\nThe League reiterated that it did not want a cabinet reshuffle and listed a raft of areas in which it had a “different vision” from 5-Star, including infrastructure, taxes, justice, regional autonomy and relations with the EU.\n\n“Every day that passes is a day wasted,” it said in a statement, citing the constant bickering between the two parties. “For us the only alternative to this government is to give the choice back to the Italians with new elections.”\n\nWolfango Piccoli of political risk consultancy Teneo said the League’s declarations should not be taken at face value.\n\n“Salvini’s well-orchestrated ‘summer crisis’ is unlikely to lead to snap polls before year-end,” he said, attaching a 30% chance to this possibility.\n\n“The most likely outcome is a cabinet reshuffle that will sanction the replacement of some M5S ministers with figures either from the Lega (League) or trusted by the party leadership,” Piccoli said. (Additional reporting by Giselda Vagnoni; Writing by Gavin Jones; Editing by Hugh Lawson)", "Italian deputy PM Matteo Salvini stripped off his shirt, swigged cocktails and danced with performers in bikinis on a bizarre 'beach tour' to woo voters before a possible snap election.\n\nSalvini was seen holding a football in one hand and a giant water pistol in the other as he chatted to supporters, before taking his position in a DJ booth while sipping on a cold drink.\n\nThe leader of the far-right League party - who split from Italian TV presenter Elisa Isoardi, 35 last month - is hoping to win votes from supporters off his party's coalition partner, the anti-establishment Five Star Movement.\n\nFive Star did particularly well in the south at last year's election - but has since seen its polling numbers plunge over a series of broken promises.\n\nOn Wednesday it suffered an embarrassing defeat at a parliamentary vote over a high-speed train link between Italy and France, which it had pledged to scrap.\n\nWith observers wondering if this would be the final straw for a bickering coalition, Salvini appeared to have decided he had no choice but to swap Mojitos and beach selfies for talks over the government's future.\n\nAsked Monday whether Italy was heading to a snap election, he replied: 'We'll see soon, possibly even before September.'\n\nHe was still scheduled to hold a party rally in Sabaudia later Wednesday, with other beach meetings to follow in the coming days.\n\n'I'm sorry he's not coming, I would have a liked a photograph with him,' said 12-year old Perla Garzia, who was at the beach in Anzio with her grandmother, a Salvini fan.\n\nNot so grandfather Gianfranco Cervasi, 72, who was glad the deputy prime minister was not coming, slamming him and his entourage as 'dangerous people'.\n\nThe decision to kick off the tour in the sea-side cities Anzio and Sabaudia had been symbolic.\n\nAllied forces once swarmed over the beach in Anzio during the Second World War in an attempt - dubbed Operation Shingle - to bypass German forces and take Rome.\n\nSalvini, 46, has been accused of fomenting neo-fascism with his comments to his 3.7 million Facebook followers.\n\nHis decision to cancel the first events on his tour surprised followers used to seeing him talking politics in swimming trunks.\n\n'We came today for Salvini. It may just be a political stunt, but it means ordinary Italians can speak to him, we would have appreciated that,' said Giorgia Trinti, a pregnant 28-year old lawyer.\n\nSalvini has spent so much time at the resort of Milano Marittima that it has been nicknamed 'Viminale Beach' after the name of the interior ministry.\n\nHe landed himself in hot water last week by arranging for his 15-year-old son Federico to ride a police jet ski.\n\n'I made a mistake as a dad, no responsibility should be ascribed to the police,' he said, after the images taken by a journalist went viral, sparking complaints he had compromised police integrity.\n\nOn Saturday he was filmed at Milano Marittima, bare-chested, cocktail in hand, at a DJ stand with the national anthem playing and dancers in low-cut swimming costumes.\n\nSenior members of the armed forces swiftly condemned the spectacle.\n\nThe left-wing went to town on the stark contrast between Salvini and Aldo Moro, two-time former prime minister, famously photographed on the beach in a suit and tie."], "summary": "Matteo Salvini, Italian Deputy Prime Minister, announces the collapse of the coalition government with the Five Stars Movement, opening the possibility of holding a snap election."}
{"document": ["Poland’s parliament speaker said on Thursday (8 August) he would resign after it was revealed that he used government aircraft for private trips, suggesting the ruling nationalists aimed to defuse a scandal that could affect their re-election campaign.\n\nWith elections set for October, the affair has embarrassed the right-wing Law and Justice (PiS) party, which has said it is cleaning up an alleged legacy of corruption and communist influence tolerated by previous governments.\n\n“I plan to submit my resignation tomorrow,” Marek Kuchcinski told a news conference alongside PiS leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski, three days after the speaker apologised for using a government Gulfstream jet for 23 flights with his family.\n\n“We believe that given we are building very high standards in public life, conclusions must be drawn and above all we need to listen to public opinion,” said Kaczynski, who has no formal government post but is seen as Poland’s most powerful figure.\n\nA poll published by Super Express tabloid on Thursday showed that almost two-third of Poles wanted Kuchcinski gone. Local media speculated that his deputy Ryszard Terlecki, another senior PiS politician, will take over as speaker.\n\nPolitical analysts said that until Thursday the PiS had adopted a wait-and-see approach on Kuchcinski, hoping the scandal would die off amidst the summer holiday lull.\n\nBut after further media revelations of flights on government aircraft by his relatives and discrepancies in explanations by Kuchcinski and the government, the potential damage became too serious to gloss over.\n\n“There was a threat of an erosion of voters who have joined PiS only recently and a risk that PiS could lose its absolute majority in parliament, hence the decision to let the speaker go,” said Warsaw University political scientist Rafal Chwedoruk.\n\nHe cited a spate of negative memes on the Internet about “frequent-flyer” Kuchcinski, showing him walking a dog using a helicopter or stuck at work until late and irritably telling his wife by phone: “Where am I? On a plane, of course.”\n\nThe PiS has clung to a clear lead in recent opinion polls, driven by robust economic growth, a generous social spending programme and its championing of traditional conservative values. That combination has helped the PiS avoid serious political damage despite several financial scandals.\n\nA survey taken by IBRiS pollster before the speaker scandal broke gave PiS 41.7% if elections were held now, with the main opposition bloc, the centrist Civic Platform, at 25% and a group of leftist parties at 10.2%.", "Poland's parliament speaker resigns over use of govt flights\n\nWARSAW, Poland (AP) — The speaker of the Polish parliament says he is resigning after a scandal erupted over his and his family's private use of a government plane.\n\nThe affair was threatening to damage the reputation of the right-wing ruling party, Law and Justice, ahead of parliamentary elections in October.\n\nPolish politics have for days been consumed by an affair dubbed \"Air Kuchcinski\" after the media and political opponents revealed that the speaker frequently flew by government jet from Warsaw to his home city of Rzeszow, some 280 kilometers (175 miles) to the south.\n\nKaczynski has since tightened rules about the official use of government flights.", "Poland's parliament speaker resigns over use of govt flights\n\nWARSAW, Poland (AP) — The speaker of the Polish parliament said Thursday that he is resigning after a scandal erupted over his and his family's frequent use of government planes.\n\nThe affair was threatening to damage the reputation of the right-wing ruling party, Law and Justice, ahead of parliamentary elections in October.\n\nSpeaker Marek Kuchcinski said his resignation would take effect on Friday. He made the announcement at the party's headquarters alongside party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski.\n\nKuchcinski insisted that he had done nothing wrong and had simply flown a lot in order to meet the residents of small towns far from the capital. But he said that \"because public opinion evaluates my conduct in a negative way, I decided that I could no longer fulfil this function.\"\n\nPolish politics have for days been consumed by the affair that has been dubbed \"Air Kuchcinski.\" The speaker was revealed to have flown by government jet from Warsaw to his home city of Rzeszow, some 280 kilometers (175 miles) to the south. In one case, his wife was reportedly the sole passenger of a flight.\n\nDuring Thursday's news conference, Kaczynski said the speaker had not broken the law, but that his party was keen to respond to public anger and show that it sticks to high ethical standards.\n\nKaczynski said the key problem was there was a lack of clear regulations for the use by officials of government flights, and noted that former prime minister, Donald Tusk, now a top European Union leader, also took numerous flights with his wife between Warsaw and his home city of Gdansk. He said that \"rigorous\" new rules will now be put in place.\n\nOpinion polls show Law and Justice as the most popular political force in the country ahead of the elections scheduled for Oct. 13.\n\nThe district prosecutor's office in Warsaw announced Wednesday that it was investigating possible irregularities in connection with Kuchcinski's flights.", "Jaroslaw Kaczynski,right, the head of Poland’s ruling party, and parliament speaker Marek Kuchcinski after at a news conference where Kuchcinski announces his resignation in Warsaw, Poland, on Thursday Aug. 8, 2019. Kuchcinski’s resignation was prompted by public anger over his and his family’s frequent use of government aircraft. Kuchcinski and Kaczynski insisted that the speaker had broken no law and did nothing wrong but that they were acting in response to the public anger.(AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)\n\nWARSAW, Poland (AP) — The speaker of the Polish parliament said Thursday that he is resigning after a scandal erupted over his and his family’s frequent use of government planes.\n\nThe affair was threatening to damage the reputation of the right-wing ruling party, Law and Justice, ahead of parliamentary elections in October.\n\nSpeaker Marek Kuchcinski said his resignation would take effect on Friday. He made the announcement at the party’s headquarters alongside party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski.\n\nKuchcinski insisted that he had done nothing wrong and had simply flown a lot in order to meet the residents of small towns far from the capital. But he said that “because public opinion evaluates my conduct in a negative way, I decided that I could no longer fulfil this function.”\n\nPolish politics have for days been consumed by the affair that has been dubbed “Air Kuchcinski.” The speaker was revealed to have flown often by government jet from Warsaw to his home city of Rzeszow, some 280 kilometers (175 miles) to the south. In one case, his wife was reportedly the sole passenger of a flight.\n\nDuring Thursday’s news conference, Kaczynski said the speaker had not broken the law, but that his party was keen to respond to public anger and show that it sticks to high ethical standards.\n\nKaczynski said the key problem was a lack of clear regulations for the use by officials of government flights, and noted that former prime minister, Donald Tusk, now a top European Union leader, also took numerous flights with his wife between Warsaw and his home city of Gdansk. He said that new rules will now be put in place.\n\nOpinion polls show Law and Justice as the most popular political force in the country ahead of the elections scheduled for Oct. 13.\n\nThe district prosecutor’s office in Warsaw announced Wednesday that it was investigating possible irregularities in connection with Kuchcinski’s flights.", "Marek Kuchciński (pictured above), the speaker of the lower chamber of the Polish parliament (Sejm) has announced that he will resign from his post after it turned out that his family used a government jet several times for private travel.\n\nAt the same time, I would like to point out that during my activities I did not violate the law,” Mr. Kuchciński said, adding that he would step down later this week.\n\nJaroslaw Kaczyński, the leader of Poland’s ruling Law and Justice party (PiS) praised the outgoing speaker’s decision, however, he criticized Poland’s former prime minister Donald Tusk for allegedly doing the same, flying to his electoral district with a government jet and his family on board.\n\nMr. Kuchciński’s resignation comes after intense criticism for using his government jet for private purposes, with his family even taking the plane without the speaker’s presence. He later publicly apologized and promised to pay the costs of the travel.", "WARSAW (Reuters) - Poland’s parliament speaker, Marek Kuchcinski, said on Thursday he would resign after it was revealed that he used government aircraft for private trips by family members.\n\nWith elections set for October, the scandal has embarrassed the ruling right-wing nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party, which has said it is cleaning up an alleged legacy of graft and communist influence tolerated by previous governments.\n\n“I plan to submit my resignation tomorrow,” Kuchcinski told a news conference, three days after he apologised for using government Gulfstream jet for 23 flights with his family.\n\nPolitical analysts said that until Thursday the PiS had adopted a wait and see approach, hoping the scandal would die off amidst the summer holiday lull.\n\nBut after Polish media published further details of the flights and pointed to discrepancies in explanations by Kuchcinski and the government, the potential damage became too serious to gloss over.\n\nA poll published by Super Express tabloid on Thursday showed that almost two third of Poles wanted Kuchcinski to resign.\n\nA survey taken by IBRiS pollster before the scandal broke gave PiS 41.7% if elections were held now, with the main opposition bloc, the centrist Civic Platform, at 25% and a group of leftist parties at 10.2%.", "Poland's speaker of parliament was forced to quit Thursday as the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party scrambled to contain a growing political crisis ahead of an October 13 election.\n\nMarek Kuchciński, a senior PiS member, announced that he will resign as speaker of Poland’s lower chamber of parliament after the opposition accused him of taking more than 100 flights on a government jet — mainly to his home town of Rzeszów — often accompanied by family members, other politicians, friends and officials.\n\n“During my activity, I didn’t break the law,” he told reporters, adding that he decided to resign as “the public has negatively assessed” his trips. Prosecutors are investigating the flights.\n\nThe trigger was pulled by Jarosław Kaczyński, the leader of PiS who holds no official office but is the country's de facto ruler.\n\nInitially Kaczyński hoped to ride out the storm. On Monday, Kuchciński addressed the public, trying to explain the reasons for the flights and apologizing to “anyone who felt offended” by his actions. He also published what he claimed was the full list of the flights he'd taken.\n\nBut since then, the scandal has escalated, as it turns out that Kuchciński was accompanied not only by family members but also his assistants and other PiS MPs and their wives. According to the published list, described by many Polish journalists as incomplete and selective, the reasons for his flights ranged from attending a harvest festival to opening a badminton center.\n\nOne MP explained that he took a flight with Kuchciński because he was transporting medicines for his wife, adding that any Pole who needed similar transport would have been able to climb aboard with the speaker.\n\nThe result has been an outpouring of memes poking fun at the party, and renewed attacks by the opposition.\n\nWhile PiS has dealt with many scandals during its more than three years in power, the others haven't done much to dent the party's popularity. But the image of a senior politician jetting around the country at taxpayers' expense is potentially much more damaging.\n\nKaczyński stressed that the speaker hadn't broken any laws but told reporters: \"Because you think otherwise, I have to say that the decision of the speaker is proof of our slogan: 'We listen to Poles.'\"\n\n“We think that if we demand and we build very high standard of public life, we need to draw our conclusions and, most of all, we need to listen to the public,” he said.\n\nKaczyński tried to shift the scandal onto its leading rival, the opposition Civic Platform party, and its former leader and current European Council chief, Donald Tusk.\n\n“The rules have to be the same for everyone,” he added, referring to the flights taken by Tusk when he was prime minister. PiS published the full list of Tusk’s flights.\n\nHe said that Tusk took 281 flights to his home town of Gdańsk and back during six years and 10 months of his term, and also travelled to “exotic countries” together with his wife. “[These countries were] attractive as a touristic destination but we could debate the political sense of these trips … I will now expect you get interested in this,” he said.", "The speaker of Poland's parliament tendered his resignation on Thursday after the opposition accused him of using government planes for personal travel, sparking a scandal as the country gears up for elections\n\nWarsaw, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - APP - 8th Aug, 2019 ) :The speaker of Poland's parliament tendered his resignation on Thursday after the opposition accused him of using government planes for personal travel, sparking a scandal as the country gears up for elections.\n\nMarek Kuchcinski told reporters in Warsaw that he intends \"to resign from the post of speaker of parliament tomorrow\", but insisted that he had not broken any laws.", "The speaker of the Polish parliament is resigning after a scandal erupted over private use of a government plane by him and his family, AP reports. The affair was threatening to damage the reputation of the right-wing ruling party, Law and Justice, ahead of elections in October.\n\nSpeaker Marek Kuchcinski made his announcement on Thursday standing alongside party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski. Polish politics have for days been consumed by an affair dubbed “Air Kuchcinski.”\n\nThe media and political opponents had revealed that the speaker frequently flew by government jet from Warsaw to his home city Rzeszow, 280km (175 miles) to the south.\n\nKaczynski has since tightened rules about the official use of government aircraft.", "Jaroslaw Kaczynski,right, the head of Poland's ruling party, and parliament speaker Marek Kuchcinski after at a news conference where Kuchcinski announces his resignation in Warsaw, Poland, on Thursday Aug. 8, 2019. Kuchcinski's resignation was prompted by public anger over his and his family's frequent use of government aircraft. Kuchcinski and Kaczynski insisted that the speaker had broken no law and did nothing wrong but that they were acting in response to the public anger.(AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)\n\nWARSAW, Poland (AP) — Polish lawmakers have chosen a new parliamentary speaker as the ruling populist party seeks to move past a scandal over the frequent use of a government jet by the previous speaker and his family.\n\nA majority of lawmakers in the lower house of parliament voted on Friday to make Elzbieta Witek, who was the interior minister until earlier in the day, the new speaker.\n\nShe replacess Marek Kuchcinski, who announced Thursday that he would resign because public anger over his flights was preventing him from carrying out his job. He insisted he had done nothing wrong.\n\nThe affair threatened the reputation of the ruling party, Law and Justice, ahead of parliamentary elections in October.\n\nProsecutors announced this week that they are investigating possible irregularities in connection with Kuchcinski's flights."], "summary": "Marek Kuchciński, speaker of the Sejm in Poland, announces his resignation after admitting the use of a government jet for 23 personal flights."}
{"document": ["WASHINGTON (AP) — The International Monetary Fund sees little evidence that China’s central bank has deliberately reduced the value of the nation’s currency — a position at odds with the Trump administration’s decision this week to accuse Beijing of manipulating the yuan.\n\nThe IMF said Friday in its yearly review of China’s economy that the yuan has been “broadly stable” against other currencies, suggesting there’s been little intervention by the People’s Bank of China. A weaker yuan would give Chinese exporters a competitive price advantage over foreign rivals.\n\nThe Treasury Department on Monday named China a currency manipulator for the first time since 1994. The move, reversing its decision in May to keep China off the blacklist, came after Beijing’s central bank let the yuan drop to its lowest point in 11 years.\n\n“Clearly, they are manipulating their currency,” White House trade adviser Peter Navarro told CNBC Friday.\n\nChina’s central bank sets the exchange rate each morning and allows the yuan to fluctuate by 2% against the dollar during the day. The central bank can buy or sell currency — or order commercial banks to do so — to keep the yuan’s price from swinging too widely.\n\nIn letting the yuan slide, the central bank was responding to economic reality. China’s economy is slowing — partly because President Donald Trump has slapped tariffs on $250 billion worth of Chinese imports — and market pressures are pulling the currency down.\n\nThe world’s two largest economies are locked in a tariff war over U.S. allegations that China is stealing trade secrets and forcing foreign companies to hand over sensitive technology. Twelve rounds of talks have failed to end the impasse, and a Chinese delegation is expected in Washington next month to continue the negotiations.\n\nBut Trump rattled financial markets Friday by saying it would be “fine” with him if talks got called off. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 90.75, or 0.3%, to 26,287.44, and the Nasdaq dropped 80.02, or 1%, to 7,959.14.", "The International Monetary Fund sees little evidence that China's central bank has deliberately reduced the value of the nation's currency — a position at odds with the Trump administration's decision this week to accuse Beijing of manipulating the yuan.\n\nThe IMF says in its yearly review of China's economy that the yuan has been \"broadly stable\" against other currencies, suggesting that there's been little intervention by the People's Bank of China. A weaker yuan would give Chinese exporters a competitive price advantage over foreign rivals.\n\nThe Treasury Department on Monday named China a currency manipulator for the first time since 1994. The move, reversing its decision in May to keep China off the blacklist, came after Beijing's central bank let the yuan drop to its lowest point in 11 years.", "The International Monetary Fund said Saturday that the People's Bank of China has made few interventions on the yuan's exchange rate in recent years.\n\nIn its report on the performance of the Chinese economy over the last year, the IMF said that after the devaluation of the renminbi (the yuan's official name) between June and August 2018, the currency remained generally stable compared to other major international currencies.", "Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings.\n\nThe U.S. Treasury Department on Monday designated China as currency manipulator, a historic move that no White House had exercised since the Clinton administration.\n\n“Secretary Mnuchin, under the auspices of President Trump, has today determined that China is a Currency Manipulator,” the Treasury Department said in a release. “As a result of this determination, Secretary Mnuchin will engage with the International Monetary Fund to eliminate the unfair competitive advantage created by China’s latest actions.”\n\nThe formal designation — the first since President Bill Clinton’s administration in 1994 — came after China on Monday allowed its currency to breach a psychological level.\n\n“In recent days, China has taken concrete steps to devalue its currency, while maintaining substantial foreign exchange reserves despite active use of such tools in the past,” the Treasury Department added. “The context of these actions and the implausibility of China’s market stability rationale confirm that the purpose of China’s currency devaluation is to gain unfair competitive advantage in international trade.”\n\nThe yuan fell to 7 against the dollar earlier in the session for the first time since 2008.\n\n“I think many people in the private sector may not conclude it is a currency manipulator. The key rule is it’s not intervening consistently or persistently to weaken the currency and therefore the private sector, like economists and strategists may not be convinced,” said Marc Chandler, chief market strategist at Bannockburn.\n\n“This is another step in the currency war,” he added. “This also makes trade more difficult. This is probably bipartisan. Many Republicans and Democrats think China is taking advantage of us.”\n\nEven before the formal designation, President Donald Trump took to Twitter to voice his opinion, accusing Beijing of manipulating its currency as the trade war between the world’s largest economies intensified.\n\n“China dropped the price of their currency to an almost a historic low,” Trump said in a tweet. “It’s called ‘currency manipulation.’ Are you listening Federal Reserve? This is a major violation which will greatly weaken China over time!”\n\nThat drew support from the other side of the political aisle on Monday, when Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., supported designating China a currency manipulator.\n\n“China has been manipulating their currency long-before and since President Trump took office,” Schumer said in a statement. “He should finally tell his Treasury Secretary to label China a currency manipulator. That’s all he needs to do to make it happen.”\n\nThe next step is for the U.S. to make its case to the IMF, but it’s not likely to lead to formal penalties. The manipulator label is mostly symbolic and matters more as a slight to one of our biggest creditors and an escalation in the trade war.\n\nThe Treasury Department’s announcement centered around a 1988 portion of federal law that permits the U.S. Treasury Secretary to work with the IMF to “eliminate the unfair advantage” associated with currency manipulation.\n\n“As a rhetorical matter, I think this is a very big deal. It’s something that has been in the ether for some time; I think the Chinese have been concerned about it mainly in terms of how they’re perceived by others,” said Nathan Sheets, chief economist at PGIM Fixed Income.\n\n“Where it’s less biting is that the 1988 statute they’ve invoked that has no concrete remedies,” Sheets added. “It’s about referring them to the IMF and having consultations with them.”\n\nThe currency’s move came after Trump ratcheted up the trade war last week, slapping 10 percent tariffs on another $300 billion worth of Chinese goods, effective Sept. 1. Until Monday, the Trump administration had passed on five opportunities to label China as a currency manipulator.", "WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The International Monetary Fund on Friday stood by its assessment that China’s yuan valuation was largely in line with economic fundamentals, but an IMF official said the fund was encouraging China to pursue a more flexible exchange rate with less intervention.\n\nJames Daniel, director of the IMF’s China department, said that an assessment of China’s economic policies found the yuan exchange rate in 2018 to be “not significantly over-valued or under-valued.”\n\nThe IMF’s views on the yuan are at odds with those of its largest shareholder, the United States, which this week declared China a “currency manipulator” after it allowed the yuan to slip below 7 to the dollar.\n\nU.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is seeking to engage the IMF to help “correct” an unfair trade advantage from Beijing’s currency actions, but Daniel declined to say how the IMF was responding to the request.\n\n“Our discussions with the U.S. Treasury are ongoing on a range of issues,” Daniel told reporters on a conference call, echoing an earlier statement from an IMF spokesperson.\n\nThe IMF said in the report that a worsening of trade tensions with the United States could put China’s economic and financial stability at risk, making new fiscal stimulus measures from the government warranted.", "Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings.\n\nExperts in international trade and monetary policy are skeptical of the U.S. Treasury’s claim that China is manipulating its currency, and say the accusation only adds fuel to the simmering trade dispute that has weighed on global growth and equity markets.\n\n“President Trump’s labelling of China as a ‘currency manipulator’ is likely to inflame and intensify already fraught relations between the two world’s largest economies,” said Nigel Green, founder and CEO of the deVere Group.\n\nOn Monday, the Chinese yuan, also called the renminbi, crossed the symbolically significant exchange rate of seven to the U.S. dollar. In a statement issued Monday, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin accused China of trying “to gain unfair competitive advantage in international trade.”\n\nThe declaration could be a pretext for additional sanctions against Chinese goods and businesses. \"In practical terms, the actions this week can be expected to pave the way for more sanctions to be imposed on China from the U.S.,” Green said.\n\nTrump has accused China of manipulating its currency since he was on the campaign trail. He promised to make such a declaration on “day one” after his election, but had not done so.\n\nAs such, some experts saw a political motive for Monday’s pronouncement.\n\n“They get to satisfy the President,” said Nicholas Lardy, a senior fellow at Peterson Institute for International Economics.\n\n“There are technical requirements to be called a currency manipulator under the law… and it does not appear that China has met those requirements,” said Craig Allen, president of the U.S.-China Business Council. “There’s no magical formula to say what is an overvalued or undervalued currency.”\n\nMnuchin said the U.S. would engage with the International Monetary Fund “to eliminate the unfair competitive advantage created by China’s latest actions,” but there is no indication that the organization would side with its conclusions.\n\n“It could well be that the I.M.F. will come to a different conclusion than the Treasury and Trump,” Lardy said.\n\nContrary to Treasury Department’s assertion that China has been actively driving down the value of its currency, the reverse has been taking place, Allen said. Beijing has been propping up the value of the yuan as the trade war and other factors have taken a toll on its economy.\n\n“The Chinese government has been active in supporting the renminbi, not devaluing it,” Allen said.\n\nBut by allowing that support to be removed and letting the renminbi drop, China showed its cards—that it's within its power to influence the currency's strength or weakness.\n\nThere are a number of supportive measures available to Chinese policymakers, including setting the starting rate for daily trading of the yuan, selling yuan-denominated financial instruments and tightening capital controls to prevent market flight. Experts theorized that Beijing temporarily might have backed off those supportive measures, causing the yuan to fall against the dollar. On Tuesday, its value rose incrementally, edging back above seven.\n\nIf China did influence value of its currency, it was more likely motivated by ongoing protests in Hong Kong than trade tensions with the U.S., said Jamie Cox, managing partner at Harris Financial Group.\n\n“If this spills over into mainland China, it would definitely make their economy suffer,” he said. “It’s bigger than the trade situation. They’re concerned about their economy at large.”\n\nAnd if the Trump administration’s declaration was a gambit to bait China into more drastic measures, the move backfired, Cox said.\n\n“The Chinese basically didn’t bite. The President came back and labeled them a currency manipulator. A logical conclusion would’ve been for them to devalue more, but that’s not what they did,” he said.\n\nBeing able to paint Trump as the bully gives China a moral high ground that hurts America’s standing on the world stage, Lardy said. The combination of the currency accusation and the imposition of tariffs — following a promise not to at the G20 Summit — gives them plenty of ammunition, Lardy said. “Trump has taken a preemptive action in violation of his previous pledge to Xi.”\n\nThis gives the Chinese trade delegation less motivation to reach an accord, despite the economic costs. “Their incentive to carry out any negotiations is seriously undermined,” he said.\n\nBut by allowing that support to be removed and letting the renminbi drop, China showed its cards that it's within its power to influence the currency's strength or weakness.", "Chinese exporters and China's battered economy stand to gain an advantage, albeit temporary, with the People's Bank of China (PBOC) setting the daily midpoint for the yuan or renminbi at RMB7.0039 to $1.00 on Thursday, the weakest level since April 21, 2008.\n\nThe yuan's midpoint stood at RMB6.9996 to $1.00 on Wednesday. On Monday, PBOC set the yuan's daily midpoint at RMB6.9225 to S1.00 before markets opened. This was the yuan's weakest level since Dec. 3, 2018, and led to a market panic and selloff that pushed Wall Street to its worst percentage declines this year.\n\nPBOC allows the yuan to fluctuate up to 2% higher or lower than the daily midpoint level to manage volatility.\n\nSome analysts claim the continuing weakening of the yuan vis-à-vis the U.S. dollar is another attempt by China to boost exports in support of an economy that grew at its slowest rate in a quarter century during the first quarter of the year.\n\nA devalued yuan makes China's exports more inexpensive and, therefore, more competitive against goods from other countries. On the other hand, it also made China's imports more expensive, adding impetus to its ongoing import substitution campaign.\n\nThe yuan has weakened for four straight days and investors worry about the currency weakening even further next week.\n\nA number of analysts believe China's devaluation of the yuan Monday is just the start of a currency war that will worsen trade tensions with the Trump administration.\n\nChina, however, seems to have signaled its intent not to engage in a currency war against the U.S. by setting the midpoint or reference rate of the yuan at a tolerable RMB6.9996 to $1.00 on Wednesday.\n\nWall Street seemed to take heart in the news PBOC governor Yi Gang indicated China won't use the yuan as a tool to cope with external disturbances such as trade disputes. Yi also said the yuan exchange rate is now at an appropriate level, and is in line with China's economic fundamentals and market demand and supply.\n\nPBOC followed-up Yi's statements by setting the official midpoint reference for the yuan at RMB6.9996 Monday morning. The Trump administration then labeled China a currency manipulator Monday afternoon.\n\nThis article originally appeared in IBTimes US.", "The executive board of the International Monetary Fund on Friday said policy measures already announced by Beijing should be enough to deal with the hit to the economy from the U.S.-China trade battle, but that additional stimulus could be warranted if rising tensions put economic and financial stability at risk. In a regular assessment, IMF directors continued to call for more exchange-rate flexibility and policy transparency, with some directors also calling for disclosure of FX interventions. The U.S. earlier this week formally labeled China a currency manipulator after Beijing failed to arrest a fall in the yuan USDCNY, +0.0000% that saw the currency trade at more than 7 per dollar. In a July report, also released Friday, IMF staff aid that despite a depreciation in the value of the yuan versus the dollar after August of last year, the currency was broadly stable against a basket of currencies and that estimates \"suggest little FX intervention\" by the People's Bank of China.", "In this July 20, 2018, photo, a woman carries an umbrella as she walks past a mural displaying world currency symbols outside of a bank in Beijing. China lowered the trading range for its currency for a fourth day on Thursday, Aug. 8, 2019, showing its potential for use as a trade weapon against Washington, but the exchange rate steadied following declines that alarmed financial markets. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)\n\nBEIJING (AP) — China lowered the trading range for its currency for a fourth day on Thursday, showing its potential for use as a trade weapon against Washington, but the exchange rate steadied following declines that alarmed financial markets.\n\nThe central bank set the starting point for the yuan’s daily trading at 7.0039 to the U.S. dollar. It was the first time since 2008 that it was set below the politically sensitive level of seven to the dollar.\n\nThe yuan was trading at 7.0435 in mid-afternoon, but that was stronger than the previous day.\n\nBeijing alarmed investors Monday by allowing the yuan to fall to an 11-year low against the dollar. That followed President Donald Trump’s threat of tariff hikes on an additional $300 billion of Chinese imports in a fight over trade and technology.\n\nThis week’s declines are a “warning shot to the Trump administration,” showing Beijing can weaken the yuan in response to trade pressure, Nariman Beravesh of IHS Markit said in a report.\n\nIf this marks the start of a new phase in their trade war, “the ensuing financial firestorm could push the U.S. and global economies into recession,” Beravesh said.\n\nThe yuan’s changes this week are small compared with fluctuations of the euro and other major currencies. But Washington complains an unfairly weak currency makes China’s export prices too low and swells its trade surplus. That makes any decline politically volatile.\n\nThe People’s Bank of China sets the yuan’s exchange rate each morning and allows it to rise or fall 2% during the day. It can intervene and buy or sell currency — or order Chinese commercial banks to do so — to guide the exchange rate.\n\nA weaker yuan would help to offset U.S. tariff hikes. But the currency has only declined by about 5% against the dollar this year, which cannot fully compensate for Trump’s tariff hikes of up to 25%.\n\nTrump’s threat last week came after trade talks concluded in Shanghai with no sign of a deal. Negotiators are due to meet again in September in Washington.\n\nEconomists say if the Sept. 1 tariff hike goes ahead, the dent in Chinese economic growth could weaken the yuan to as low as 7.2 to the dollar.\n\nTrump’s tariff hikes on Chinese products have added to downward pressure on the yuan by prompting concern about a slowdown in the world’s second-biggest economy.\n\nA weaker yuan might lead to an outflow of capital from China, raising borrowing costs at a time when Beijing is trying to shore up cooling economic growth.", "HONG KONG/SHANGHAI, Aug 9 (Reuters) - China's yuan inched down against the dollar on Friday as nervous traders awaited Beijing and Washington's next moves in their bruising tariff dispute, but markets were generally calmer after a sharp slide early in the week sparked fears of a global currency war.\n\nOnshore spot yuan finished the domestic session down 0.1% at 7.0520 per dollar, its weakest such close since March 2008.\n\nIf it ends at the same level in late trading, it will have lost 1.6% against the greenback this week, its worst such loss since June 2018.\n\nChina let the yuan slide past the key 7 per dollar level on Monday for the first time since the global financial crisis, days after the United States threatened to slap a 10% tariffs on $300 billion of Chinese goods.\n\nIn the offshore market, the yuan crossed the 7 barrier for the first time ever, hitting a record low.\n\nHowever, signs began to emerge on Tuesday that Beijing was looking to stabilise the currency after the initial shot across Washington's bows. Mid-point fixings in the last few days have been successively lower but not as weak as traders expected, while source said state banks have been active in forward markets.\n\n\"In the near term, we think the yuan will trade in a range of 7.00 to 7.10,\" economists at ING said in a note on Friday.\n\n\"Further weakness would send a signal that China wants to start a currency war, which we strongly believe is not the case because this would do little to benefit the Chinese economy as other Asian currencies would just weaken along with the yuan.\"\n\nHowever, ING cautioned there is a chance the yuan could fall further if the trade war continues to escalate.\n\nReuters forecasts show that the CFETS yuan index, which measures it against a basket of currencies, also broke a new low of 91.83 on Friday.\n\nBACK TO SUPPORT MODE FOR NOW\n\nThe People's Bank of China set the mid-point, which limits the yuan's onshore movement, at 7.0136 per dollar on Friday, 97 pips weaker than the previous fix and at the lowest since 2008 for a second consecutive session.\n\nThe fixing was still stronger than what traders expected, with market participants increasingly starting to see the yuan trading around a new normal of 7.\n\n\"By and large, the market has digested this,\" said one trader in Shanghai with a foreign bank. \"It doesn't mean the currency won't bounce back, though in the short term, there are still a lot of risks and uncertainty in the trade talks.\"\n\nWashington is delaying a decision about licences for U.S. firms to restart trade with Huawei Technologies, according to Bloomberg, while U.S. Senator Marco Rubio urged the White House on Thursday not to allow exception to the ban.\n\nA second Shanghai-based trader said trade talks that were scheduled for September in Washington, prior to the latest U.S. tariff threat, now seem unlikely, adding further pressure on the Chinese currency.\n\n\"Short-term exchange rate does not have a lot to do with the fundamentals, it's much affected by the sentiment, it's very volatile, and not in a linear relationshiop,\" Guan Tao, a former director of the international payments department at China's State Administration of Foreign Exchange, the currency regulator.\n\n\"Compared with what the central bank did following the reforms in August 2015, it is communicating with the market in a more proactive and open manner. And in a certain extent, it has helped smoothing market sentiment to avoid panic.\"\n\nChina devalued the yuan in 2015 in an attempt to curb depreciation pressure, stunning global markets. It burned through $1 trillion in reserves before it steadied.\n\nBut if the U.S. Federal Reserve carries on lowering interest rates and widening the gap between U.S. and Chinese interest rates, the yuan may climb back to the stronger side of 7 per dollar, according to Ji Tianhe, China head of foreign exchange and local markets strategy at BNP Paribas in Beijing.\n\n\"Interest rate differential was an important factor leading the yuan depreciation against the dollar last year as yields between China and the United States shrunk sharply,\" he said.\n\nThe yield gap between Chinese and U.S. benchmark 10-year government bonds stood at 134 basis points on Friday afternoon, compared with a low of 28 basis points hit in November. A wider yield gap could mean less capital outflow pressure from China and is supportive for the Chinese currency.\n\nThe Fed trimmed rates by 25 basis points for the first time since the financial crisis on July 31, but China did not follow as some market watchers had expected. Markets are pricing in another Fed cut of the same size next month, and another identical move the month after.\n\nAs of 0830, the offshore yuan was trading at 7.0795 per dollar, almost flat on the day."], "summary": "The International Monetary Fund finds that China's currency, the yuan, has been \"broadly stable\" against other currencies over the last year. The yuan is pulled down by market pressures due to the slowing economy. Suggesting little intervention by China's central bank, the IMF position is at odds with the designation of China by the U.S. as a currency manipulator."}
{"document": ["Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Aerial footage shows submerged houses in south-eastern Myanmar\n\nThe death toll from a landslide in south-eastern Myanmar has risen to 59, authorities say.\n\nThe landslide occurred in Mon state on Friday following days of torrential rain. Rescue efforts have been hindered by mud and downpours.\n\nSeasonal monsoon rains have caused widespread flooding in Myanmar, submerging homes and crumbling bridges.\n\nMore than 80,000 people are sheltering at evacuation sites across the country, the UN says\n\nRescuers are continuing to search for victims of Friday's landslide, which destroyed 27 homes in one village in Paung township.\n\nImage copyright AFP Image caption Rescuers in Myanmar have vowed to continue the search for victims\n\nMany states in Myanmar have been affected by the floods but Mon appears to have been the most badly hit.\n\nVice President Henry Van Thio visited the area on Monday and pledged that more boats would be deployed in rescue efforts.", "Landslide in southeast Myanmar kills at least 10 people\n\nYANGON, Myanmar (AP) — A landslide has buried more than a dozen village houses in southeastern Myanmar, killing at least 10 people and injuring nearly 30.\n\nThe Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper says rescuers are using backhoes and bulldozers to clear the mud and debris from the village in Paung township. It says some residents are still missing.\n\nThe top official in Mon state, Aye Zan, has visited the site and villagers who were evacuated to a relief camp to escape floods following torrential rains.", "Landslide in southeast Myanmar kills at least 10 people\n\nYANGON, Myanmar (AP) — A landslide buried more than a dozen village houses in southeastern Myanmar, killing at least 10 people and injuring nearly 30, media reported Saturday.\n\nRescuers were using backhoes and bulldozers to clear the mud and debris from the village in Paung township. The Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper reported that some residents are still missing.\n\nThe top official in Mon state, Aye Zan, visited the site and villagers who were evacuated to a relief camp to escape floods following torrential rains.\n\nThe U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said that monsoon flooding had displaced more than 7,000 people this week in Mon state. Apart from the landslide in Paung, houses and a school in other townships were washed away, roads blocked and villages submerged.\n\nNearly 12,000 people have been displaced in Myanmar this week alone, bringing the total number of those in evacuation centers to more than 38,000, the U.N. said.", "Torrential rain in Myanmar triggers landslide that kills at least 10", "YANGON, Myanmar — A landslide has buried more than a dozen village houses in southeastern Myanmar, killing at least 10 people and injuring nearly 30.\n\nThe Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper says rescuers are using backhoes and bulldozers to clear the mud and debris from the village in Paung township. It says some residents are still missing.\n\nThe top official in Mon state, Aye Zan, has visited the site and villagers who were evacuated to a relief camp to escape floods following torrential rains.\n\nCopyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.", "A landslide has buried more than a dozen village houses in southeast Myanmar, killing at least 34 people, an official says.\n\nRescuers were using backhoes and bulldozers to clear the mud and debris from the village in Paung township on Saturday.\n\nThe Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper reported that some residents were still missing.\n\nMP Zaw Zaw Htoo arrived at the scene on Saturday morning and said the death toll had reached 34.\n\nHe said he saw rescue teams retrieve 12 bodies on Saturday, after 22 were found on Friday. He said the search operation was ongoing.\n\nThe top official in Mon state Aye Zan, visited the site and villagers who were evacuated to a relief camp to escape floods following torrential rains.\n\nThe UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs said that monsoon flooding had displaced more than 7000 people this week in Mon state.\n\nApart from the landslide in Paung, houses and a school in other townships were washed away, roads were blocked and villages were submerged.\n\nNearly 12,000 people have been displaced in Myanmar this week alone, bringing the total number of those in evacuation centres to more than 38,000, the UN said.", "Mon [Myanmar], Aug 10 (ANI): At least 33 people were killed in a landslide in Myanmar's Mon state, said Fire Services Department said on Saturday.\n\nThe landslide took place on Friday and rescue operations are still underway, reported Xinhua.\n\nThe mountainside of Ma-lat mountain collapsed due to the monsoon downpour at 7 am local time on Friday.\n\nAt least 27 houses and five vehicles were swamped by a deluge of mud and rocks.\n\nFurther details are awaited. (ANI)", "At least 10 dead, dozens missing after landslide in southern Myanmar\n\nAt least 10 people have been killed and dozens are missing after a landslide caused by severe rains buried homes and buildings in southern Myanmar, officials and rescue workers said on Friday.Heavy rain has pummeled the south for days, causing flooding that has displaced at least 12,000 people, according to the United Nations. Thin Lae War Aung, an official in Paung township, Mon state, told Reuters five men and five women had been confirmed dead after the landslide in Thaphyu Kone village. Myo Myint Shein, chairman of the Mudon Rescue Association, said the death toll was 17 and expected to rise.\n\nSEE ALSO :Police among 18 feared killed in landslide at Myanmar jade mine\n\n“I heard a loud sound and the ground was shaking,” he told Reuters. “It’s not possible to be alive after being hit by rock and soil.” The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in a statement that houses and a school had been washed away in other townships. More heavy rainfall is expected in the coming days.\n\nWe are undertaking a survey to help us improve our content for you. This will only take 1 minute of your time, please give us your feedback by clicking HERE. All responses will be confidential.", "- At least 15 people were killed in a landslide caused by heavy monsoon rain in Mon state, Myanmar, on August 9, according to the Myanmar Fire Services Department.According to authorities landslide took place as the mountainside of Ma-lat mountain collapsed due to heavy rainfall in Paung township in the state. Twenty eight people were rescued alive, but it is difficult to confirm the number of casualties in the disaster.Earlier, the Mon State Government Office said the landslide buried ten houses and swept away residents in Paung township.Caused by heavy monsoon rainfall, Paung, Mawlamyine, Mudon, Thanbyuzayat, Kyaikmaraw and Ye townships were flooded.-VNA", "At least 22 people were killed when a landslide triggered by monsoon rains struck a village in eastern Myanmar, as emergency workers continued the search Saturday for scores more feared missing.\n\n[MAWLAMYINE] At least 22 people were killed when a landslide triggered by monsoon rains struck a village in eastern Myanmar, as emergency workers continued the search Saturday for scores more feared missing.\n\nA huge brown scar on the hillside marked where the deluge of mud descended on Thae Pyar Kone village in Mon state on Friday, wiping out 16 homes and a monastery.\n\nSearch and rescue teams worked through the night trying to find survivors and recover bodies from the deep sludge.\n\n\"So far we have found 22 bodies and 47 injured people,\" said local administrator Myo Min Tun.\n\nOfficials believe up to 100 people could still be missing.\n\nAerial pictures showed broken remnants of rooftops and other debris from the houses strewn next to trucks knocked over by the force of the mudslide.\n\nHtay Htay Win, 32, told AFP that two of her daughters and five other relatives had still not been found.\n\n\"I heard a huge noise and turned round to see my home being hit by the mud,\" she said, crying.\n\nRescue workers spent Saturday morning loading bodies wrapped in plastic onto the back of flatbed trucks as worried villagers looked on.\n\nEmergency crews had to unblock the main highway from Yangon to Mawlamyine, buried under six feet (1.8 metres) of sludge.\n\nTorrential downpours have burst riverbanks across the country while coastal communities have been warned of higher tides.\n\nIn the town of Shwegyin in eastern Bago region, residents waded out through waist-deep waters or waited to be rescued by boat after the Sittaung river burst its banks, swallowing entire homes.\n\nAround 89,000 people have been displaced by floods in recent weeks, although many have since been able to return home, according to the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.\n\nVietnam has also experienced heavy flooding this week with at least eight people killed in the country's central highlands and rescuers using a zipline to carry dozens of others to safety."], "summary": "A landslide in south-eastern Myanmar kills 59 people."}
{"document": ["LONDON (Reuters) - Large parts of Britain were hit by a power cut, affecting trains, knocking out traffic lights and disrupting an airport during rush hour on Friday evening.\n\nPassengers are seen inside a Vauxhall Underground Station during the power cut in central London, Britain, August 9, 2019 in this picture obtained from social media video. EMRE SARIGUL @Turkish_Football1 via REUTERS\n\nLondon, the south east and north west of England and Scotland were impacted, leaving hundreds of thousands of people temporarily without electricity.\n\nNational Grid, which owns the electricity transmission system in England and Wales, said there had been “issues” with two power generators and the problems have now been resolved.\n\nMembers of the public posted images on social media, which showed the tube network in the darkness and people having to use their mobile phones as torches.\n\nTrain services in and out of London, including Thameslink, Southern and Gatwick Express were facing delays and cancellations. National Rail said a large number of train services had been affected.\n\nTransport for London said the Victoria line on the city’s underground system had been suspended and warned people to take extra care when using the roads because some traffic lights were not working.\n\nThe electrical grid operator in northeast England reported multiple power failures across the region, which affected the airport and metro system of the region’s biggest city, Newcastle.\n\nWestern Power Distribution which serves the Midlands, South West and Wales said there had been a “major incident” but all affected customers now had power restored.\n\nIn Cheshire, northwest England, police tweeted that they were aware of a power outage in the Ellesmere Port area.\n\nSome people on social media reacted to the outage with humor.\n\n“Was that #powercut someone attempting to fix Britain by turning it off and on again?” Emma Clarke said on Twiter.\n\nAnother person referencing the possibility that Britain face disruption if it leaves the European Union without a trade deal at the end of October said: “Country having a practice for no deal Brexit #powercut “", "London [UK], Aug 9 (ANI): Massive power cuts were reported across large parts of London and South-Eastern England following a suspected failure in Britain's National Grid network on Friday evening (local time).\n\n\"We're aware of a power cut affecting a large area of London and South East. We believe this is due to a failure to National Grid's network, which is affecting our customers,\" UK Power Networks tweeted.\n\n UK_power_tweet.JPG\"itemprop=\"image\"class=\"img-responsive\"alt=\"\" />\n\nTransport for London (TfL) told CNN that parts of its train network were affected following the power outage on Friday evening, but power had later been restored and service was expected to be back shortly. (ANI)", "LONDON: National Grid, which owns the electricity and gas transmission system in England and Wales, said the cause of a major power cut across Britain has now been resolved.\n\nThere had been \"issues with two power generators causing loss of power in selected UK areas,\" a spokeswoman for National Grid said. The issue was \"now resolved,\" she added.\n\nLarge chunks of Britain, including London, were hit with a power cut Friday afternoon that disrupted train travel and snarled rush-hour traffic.\n\nPower supplier National Grid said issues with two generators had caused a loss of power across parts of the country and that they had been resolved.\n\nPower failures were reported as far apart as London in southeast England and Cheshire in the northwest. Many people reported that the outage lasted just a few minutes, but the impact on travelers was severe.\n\nTransit operator Transport for London said some traffic lights in the city had been knocked out, and advised drivers to be careful.\n\nNational Rail Enquiries, which is run by Britain's train companies, said \"power supply problems are currently causing disruption to a large number of train services.\"\n\nRail services across the country were canceled or delayed during the Friday evening rush hour, and commuter trains powered by overhead wires ground to a halt in mid-journey.\n\nLondon North Eastern Railway said all services were suspended in and out of King's Cross, one of London's busiest stations. It tweeted: \"Customer advice is DO NOT TRAVEL.\"\n\nThe power failure came as heavy rainstorms drenched the London area, causing flooding at Luton Airport, around 30 miles (47 kms) north of the capital.\n\nThe airport said in a statement that the \"unprecedented rainfall\" had caused \"water damage in a number of locations in the terminal\" and apologized for the disruption.", "A national grid failure has plunged the capital into darkness with homes also affected as well as major train and Underground lines. Transport for London tweeted: “Due to a large scale National Grid failure there is a power cut in the London and South East areas, meaning that some traffic lights are down. Please be very cautious on the roads!” Trains that were in operation have broken down and come to a standstill coming in and out of the city, furious passengers have said.\n\nOne said on Twitter: “On a train Leicester-London which has come to complete standstill at Luton as no power on the overhead cables. All trains at standstill in front according to announcement.” Another added: “In the Victoria line and between two stations when the power failure happened. Guess I'm living the London experience to the fullest!” The national grid is a network of high-voltage power lines between major power stations.\n\nSome social media users bizarrely suggested Brexit was to blame for the incident. One said: “Mad that the power cut was all over london and the south east.\n\nAnother added: “Huge power cut. Only lasted a few minutes but included much of South London - saw reports from Battersea and Clapham to Rotherhithe and Loughton. Probably rehearsing for No Deal.” ThamesLink is also badly affected, and tweeted: “#TLUpdates - Due to failure of the electricity supply, train services running across the whole network may be cancelled or delayed.” They added trains between Farringdon and Bedford are at a standstill.\n\nStrike-hit South Western Railway has not been affected, but reported numerous incidents such as tress having fallen on lines and an “operational incident” affecting services to Exeter. A commuter onboard the Victoria Line said the heat during the power cut has caused him to turn into a “human sweat marinade”. Others said the situation had happened outside of London. READ MORE: Power cut: Check if your area is affected\n\nOne Twitter user said Manchester and Cornwall had been affected. She said: “Bude just had a town-wide power cut that lasted over 30 mins. Western power distribution have said there is a major incident on the national infrastructure and I’m hearing reports of power outages from all over the country from Hayle, up to Manchester, back down to South London.” Thirty minutes inot the chaos, South Western Railway tweeted it had started to affect services.", "ZoltanGabor/iStock(LONDON) — Large parts of London and the southeastern part of the United Kingdom were without electricity on Friday night.\n\nThe outage, caused by the failure of two power generators on National Grid’s network, caused train services in and out of the capital to be delayed and cancelled. There were also issues with traffic lights and the London Underground.\n\nNational Grid said later on that their systems responded to the failure as expected, “disconnecting an isolate portion of the electricity demand.” That action, the company says, protected the system and allowed for quick restoration of power.\n\nElectricity was restored by 6:30pm local time, National Grid said.", "London and large parts of England and Wales were hit by massive power outages on Friday, UK power companies said Friday.\n\n“We experienced issues with two power generators causing loss of power in selected UK areas,” Britain’s National Grid Electricity System Operator tweeted. “The issue is now resolved and the system has returned to normal.”\n\nEarlier UK Power Networks tweeted that the power cut affected a large area of London and the South East, which it believed to be because of a failure to National Grid’s network.\n\nWestern Power Distribution, which distributes power to the Midlands, the South West region and Wales also tweeted that it was experiencing a “major incident on the national electricity infrastructure,” but added that all customers who were affected have had their power restored.\n\nTransport for London (TfL) confirmed to CNN that parts of its train network were affected following the power outage on Friday evening, but that power had been restored and service was expected to be back up and running shortly.\n\nAccording to Britain’s Press Association (PA) news agency, a spokeswoman for TfL said police officers may need to operate busy intersections where traffic lights had lost power.\n\nShe added that it was unclear how big the power cut was, but it was known that some traffic lights were “not working,” PA said.\n\nLondoners shared pictures of the power surge on Twitter, which showed the tube network in darkness.\n\nThe outage also affected several overground train services, with Thameslink tweeting that its trains had been brought to a “standstill,” and London North Eastern Railway said several of its had broken down, according to PA.\n\n“Power supply problems are currently causing disruption to a large number of train services. Information screens in some areas are also affected,” National Rail Enquiries said according to PA.\n\nEarlier on Friday, UK Power Networks warned that they were “preparing for forecast of strong winds” across the South East and East of England, directing customers to their website for further guidance on how power might be affected.", "A suspected failure in Britain's National Grid network has led to a power cut across large areas of London and South East England, UK Power Networks said Friday.\n\n\"We're aware of a power cut affecting a large area of London and South East. We believe this is due to a failure to National Grid's network, which is affecting our customers,\" UK Power Networks tweeted.\n\nTransport for London has also confirmed to CNN that parts of its train network were affected following the power outage on Friday evening, but that power had been restored and service was expected to be back up and running shortly.", "London and large parts of England and Wales were hit by massive power outages on Friday, UK...", "A massive power cut plunged huge swathes of England and Wales into darkness with energy companies estimating up to one million people were affected.\n\nBlackouts were reported in London, the South East, the Midlands and the North West and eyewitnesses reported “apocalyptic” scenes at the start of the rush hour.\n\nTraffic lights dimmed, alarms spontaneously sounded and information screens at airports and major train stations were wiped.\n\nPower outages, first reported around 5pm, caused widespread chaos on roads and rail networks – with many services brought to a standstill and scores more subject to delays and cancellations.\n\nIssues with two generators caused a loss of power across parts of the UK but the National Grid Electricity System Operator said power was “restored” by 7pm. Around 300,000 homes and business were affected in London and the South East, according to UK Power Networks.\n\nWestern Power Distribution said around 500,000 people were left in the dark in the Midlands, South West and Wales.\n\nNorthern Powergrid, which serves 3.9 million homes and businesses in the North East, Yorkshire and northern Lincolnshire, said 110,000 customers lost power yesterdaybetween around 5.10pm and 6pm. And energy provider SSE said more than 16,000 customers were affected.\n\nHarriet Jackson, 26, said the chaos at Clapham Junction station in south-west London at 5pm was like “witnessing something out of an apocalyptic film”.\n\nShe added: “I realised that nothing was open and there was hardly any phone signal. All the traffic lights were down, but there were no police present, which meant it was dangerous to cross – cars weren’t stopping either. No one knew what was going on.”\n\nScott McKenzie was travelling through Newcastle Airport when the power cut out for around 15 minutes, in what he was told by officials was “due to a wider problem in the region”.\n\nThe 31-year-old from Cardiff said: “We were plunged into darkness and people were using their phones as torches to see and get around.\n\n“It was a bit worrying, more so because various alarms were going off and staff clearly didn’t quite know what was going on either.”\n\nThe issue was “resolved” and power was restored to those affected by 6.40pm a Government spokesman said.\n\nNational Grid said: “We had an unexpected and unusual event, the loss of two generators that connect to the GB transmission system, which led to a fall in the frequency of the electricity system.\n\n“Even though these events are outside our control, we have plans in place to respond and the system operated as planned.”\n\nIt confirmed that the system is “operating normally”.\n\nFriday night commuters were halted in their tracks as widespread power outage affected rail services across England and Wales. The power cut stopped trains leaving from and arriving at major London terminals and services in areas including Newport in south Wales, Eastbourne in east Sussex, Three Bridges in west Sussex and Exeter in Devon. Some people were reportedly evacuated from trains after being stranded in darkness, in a tunnel for two hours. One woman described it on Twitter as “like a bad movie”, adding: “So much for taking a day off work to relax!” The BBC’s economics editor Faisal Islam was among the passengers left in travel limbo. He shared a photo of an apparently stationary train and wrote on Twitter: “Chaos on the east coast main line… just been told Kings Cross closed…. after national grid outtage….” Some commuters, however, found humour in a dark moment. One man heading to the capital wrote: “Stuck on a train into London because of the power cut. It’s been almost 15 minutes now. Some people are screaming, some are writing their wills and many have started eating each other just to stay alive. We can’t cope. Please send help!!!” Rail services in England and Wales remained severely disrupted last night with many passengers unable to complete their journeys. Network Rail advised people check with train operators before setting off.", "London and a significant part of the counties of South East England on Friday at the time were left without electricity due to a failure in the National grid. The failure affects traffic, reports TASS.\n\nAccording to BBC television and radio Corporation, electrical power failures also occurred in Wales, the Midlands and in Scotland.\n\nMore than one million inhabitants of the Kingdom were affected by a large-scale failure of electricity supply.\n\n“We have encountered problems that affected the two generators led to power cuts in some parts of the United Kingdom. At the moment the problem is eliminated and the system operates in normal mode. Anyone who continues to face problems at the local level, must contact the operator of its distribution network for assistance”, – stated in the message released by the energy company National Grid.\n\nAccording to Reuters, a failure affects a railway line operated by the company Thameslink, Southern and Gatwick Express, as well as some lines of the London underground.\n\nThe Department of transport for London warned of a possible malfunction of the traffic lights. Passengers were warned of delays of trains and flights. The London underground has stopped traffic on the Victoria line, the Guardian writes.\n\nCompany National Rail announced that trains on some lines stopped briefly because of a power outage, but then the power was restored."], "summary": "A massive power failure affects most of the northwestern and southeastern United Kingdom and London, leaving thousands of homes, various train lines, and parts of Newcastle International Airport without power."}
{"document": ["Image copyright Reuters Image caption Mr Baxter's family last heard from him on 1 December\n\nA Canadian tourist held in Syrian detention since 2018 has been released.\n\nKristian Lee Baxter arrived in the country on 26 November and stopped contacting his family about a week later.\n\nHis mother, Andrea Leclair, previously described her son as a \"world traveller\" and \"adventurer\".\n\n\"I thought I would be there forever,\" Mr Baxter said during an emotional appearance at a news conference in Beirut on Friday.\n\n\"I didn't know if anyone knew if I was alive,\" he added.\n\nLebanon's security chief Abbas Ibrahim, who appeared alongside him, said the Canadian was detained for \"reasons related to breaking Syrian law\".\n\nMr Ibrahim was also involved in securing the release of a US traveller, Sam Goodwin, from Syria last month.\n\nCanada has advised citizens against travelling to Syria since civil war broke out in 2011.\n\nImage copyright Reuters Image caption Canada's ambassador to Lebanon, Emmanuelle Lamoureux, was also in attendance\n\n\"Syria is not safe for personal travel,\" the advisory on their website says. \"Attempting any form of travel in this very hazardous security environment would place you at grave risk.\"\n\nCanada's Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland told reporters in Calgary on Friday that she is \"personally relieved by this outcome and I'm sure Mr Baxter's family and loved ones are as well\".\n\nShe added that despite the positive outcome in this case that it \"should remind us all to exercise a high degree of caution when traveling to dangerous parts of the world\".\n\n\"I'm ecstatic that Kristian is on his way home,\" said Ms Leclair in a statement, and thanked Canadian officials and the Lebanese government for their assistance in the case.\n\nMr Baxter, who was 44 when he went missing, was supposed to return home on 13 December.\n\nMs Leclair told CTV News in January that her son had been staying at a village near the Lebanese border after arriving there from Beirut. He reportedly disappeared while attempting to locate a driver who had gone back to Lebanon to retrieve his luggage, which arrived there by plane after him.\n\nThe driver was reportedly detained on the border when a metal detector was found in her son's bag, Ms Leclair said.\n\nThe circumstances of Mr Baxter's detention and release have not been revealed by officials.", "A Canadian tourist held in Syrian detention since 2018 has been released.\n\nKristian Lee Baxter arrived in the country on 26 November and stopped contacting his family about a week later.\n\nHis mother, Andrea Leclair, previously described her son as a \"world traveller\" and \"adventurer\".\n\n\"I thought I would be there forever,\" Mr Baxter said during an emotional appearance at a news conference in Beirut on Friday.\n\nLebanon's security chief Abbas Ibrahim, who appeared alongside him, said he was detained for \"reasons related to breaking Syrian law\".\n\nCanada has advised citizens against travelling to Syria since civil war broke out in 2011.\n\n\"Syria is not safe for personal travel,\" the advisory on their website says. \"Attempting any form of travel in this very hazardous security environment would place you at grave risk.\"", "…Canadian tourist held in Syrian detention since 2018 has been released.\n\nKristian Lee Baxter arrived in the country on 26 November and stopped contacting his family about a week later.\n\nHis mother, Andrea Leclair, previously described her son as a “world traveller” and “adventurer”.\n\n“I thought I would be there forever,” Mr Baxter said during an emotional appearance at a news conference in Beirut on Friday.\n\n“I didn’t know if anyone knew if I was alive,” he added.\n\nLebanon’s security chief Abbas Ibrahim, who appeared alongside him, said the Canadian was detained for “reasons related to breaking Syrian law”.\n\nMr Ibrahim was also involved in securing the release of a US traveller, Sam Goodwin, from Syria last month.\n\nCanada has advised citizens against travelling to Syria since civil war broke out in 2011.\n\n“Syria is not safe for personal travel,” the advisory on their website says. “Attempting any form of travel in this very hazardous security environment would place you at grave risk.”\n\nCanada’s foreign ministry said in a short statement on Friday they were “very relieved” at Mr Baxter’s release and thanked the Lebanese government for its assistance in the case.\n\nMr Baxter, who was 44 when he went missing, was supposed to return home on 13 December.\n\nMs Leclair told CTV News in January that her son had been staying at a village near the Lebanese border after arriving there from Beirut. He reportedly disappeared while attempting to locate a driver who had gone back to Lebanon to retrieve his luggage, which arrived there by plane after him.\n\nThe driver was reportedly detained on the border when a metal detector was found in her son’s bag, Ms Leclair said.\n\nThe circumstances of Mr Baxter’s detention and release have not been revealed by officials.", "Canadian man Kristian Lee Baxter held in Syria is freed in Lebanon", "General Security chief Maj. Gan. Abbas Ibrahim announced in a press conference on Friday that Lebanon has mediated the release of a Canadian citizen captured in Syrian last year.\n\n“I thank the Syrian state for answering our calls that led to the release of an American hostage before and a Canadian hostage today. The issue falls in Lebanon’s interest because it brings us back to the world map at the civilized and humanitarian levels,” said Ibrahim in remarks to reporters.\n\nThe Canadian citizen “Christian Lee Baxter has been in detention in Syria since last year for reasons related to violating the Syrian laws,” added Ibrahim.\n\nFor her part, the Canadian ambassador said: “We extend our gratitude to Maj. Gen. Ibrahim and for the role he played to bring a Canadian citizen back to his family. Today is a glorious day for Canadians.”\n\n“Due to privacy laws in Canada I will not comment on the specifics of the case,” she added.\n\nBaxter himself appeared at the televised press conference in Beirut after his release.\n\n\"I thought I would be there forever,\" he said, breaking down in tears.\n\n\"Honestly, I didn't know if anyone would know I was alive,\" he said, wearing a gray t-shirt.\n\nCanadian media reported in early January that there had been no signs of Baxter, then 44, since December 1, 2018 after he arrived in Syria.\n\nBaxter thanked his embassy in Beirut and Lebanese authorities for helping secure his release.\n\nDescribed as an adventure traveler by his loved ones, Baxter had made no contact since arriving at a Syrian village where his brother-in-law was born.\n\nHe had traveled there despite the brutal war raging in Syria since 2011.\n\nA spokesman for Global Affairs Canada, which manages the country's diplomatic relations, told AFP earlier this year that \"a Canadian citizen has been detained in Syria,\" without providing any further details, due to reasons of confidentiality.\n\nHe said \"the security situation across Syria significantly restrains the Canadian government's ability to provide consular assistance.\"\n\nSince the Syrian war broke out, Ottawa has urged Canadians to avoid traveling to the country.\n\nThe conflict has killed over 370,000 people and displaced millions more since starting in 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-government protests.\n\nCanada cut diplomatic ties with Damascus after the conflict began.", "A Canadian man has been freed after being held for eight months by the Damascus authorities in war-torn Syria, the former detainee and Lebanon's security chief said Friday.\n\nBritish Columbia native Kristian Lee Baxter on Friday appeared at a televised press conference in Lebanon's capital Beirut after his release mediated by the Lebanese authorities.\n\n\"I thought I would be there forever,\" he said, after breaking down in tears.\n\n\"Honestly, I didn't know if anyone would know I was alive,\" he said, his grey hair trimmed short and wearing a grey t-shirt.\n\nCanadian media reported in early January that there had been no signs of Baxter, then 44, since December 1, 2018.\n\nBaxter thanked his embassy in Beirut and Lebanese authorities for helping secure his release.\n\nLebanese security chief Abbas Ibrahim said Baxter had been detained since last year \"for reasons linked to breaking Syrian laws\", without elaborating.\n\n\"He is on his way back to Canada,\" he said, thanking the Syrian authorities for what he described as their swift response on the issue.\n\nCanada's ambassador to Beirut, Emmanuelle Lamoureux, said she was unable to provide any more details.\n\n\"Due to privacy laws in Canada, I'm not able to comment on specifics of the case,\" she said.\n\nDescribed as an adventure traveller by his loved ones, Baxter had made no contact since arriving at a Syrian village where his brother-in-law was born.\n\nHe had travelled there despite the brutal war raging in Syria since 2011.\n\nA Canadian official told AFP earlier this year that \"a Canadian citizen has been detained in Syria\", without providing any further details, due to reasons of confidentiality.\n\nHe said \"the security situation across Syria significantly restrains the Canadian government's ability to provide consular assistance\".\n\nSince the Syrian war broke out, Ottawa has urged Canadians to avoid travelling to the country.\n\nThe conflict has killed over 370,000 people and displaced millions more since starting in 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-government protests.\n\nCanada cut diplomatic ties with Damascus after the conflict began.\n\nLast month, Lebanon said it had facilitated the release of a 30-year-old American after two months of detention.\n\nSam Goodwin had last been seen on May 25 in the city of Qamishli in northeast Syria after crossing from Turkey as part of his bid to visit every country in the world, The Washington Post reported.\n\nOne of those missing is American journalist Austin Tice, who was kidnapped in Syria seven years ago this month by unidentified armed men after he had been reporting south of Damascus.\n\nHis kidnapping was never claimed by any organisation.\n\nIn December, Tice's father said he believed the Syrian government was best placed to help bring the journalist home.", "BEIRUT — A British Columbia man detained in Syria since late last year has been released, Lebanese authorities said Friday. Kristian Lee Baxter, who has been described by his family as a “world traveller,” spoke from Beirut and thanked the Lebanese and Canadian governments for securing his release. He broke down in tears during a televised news conference as he described his eight-month ordeal. “I thought I would be there forever,” Baxter told reporters. “I didn’t know if anyone knew if I was alive.” He also said Baxter was detained for what Syrian authorities considered a “major violation” of local laws, but didn’t elaborate on comments that Syrian officials may have considered the incident security related.\n\nBaxter, who is from Nanaimo, B.C., was detained in December 2018 after seeking adventure in the war-ravaged country. “I would like to thank the Lebanese for helping me get free,” he said. Reaching out to hold the shoulder of Canadian Ambassador Emmanuelle Lamoureux, who also attended the news conference, Baxter acknowledged the aid of Canadian officials. “I’d just like to thank the Canadian Embassy for helping me,” he said. Baxter’s release marked a “wonderful day for Canadians” said Lamoureux, who also thanked the Lebanese authorities for helping with this “wonderful outcome.” A statement from Global Affairs Canada said the government is “relieved” at Baxter’s release. “We would also like to express out appreciation to the government of Lebanon for its assistance,” said the statement. Global Affairs also said consular services will continue to be provided to Baxter and his family. Watch: A Syrian man, who was stranded in an airport for months, made it to Canada. Story continues below.\n\nBaxter’s mother, Andrea Leclair, told The Canadian Press last January that her son messaged her daily because she was worried after he arrived in Syria on Nov. 26, 2018, but he went silent after his last message days later on Dec. 1. Leclair described her son as “a world traveller and adventurer” and said he visited a village near the border of Lebanon at the invitation of his girlfriend’s brother-in-law. She said Baxter was supposed to be home Dec. 13 and his travel visa to Syria expired on Dec. 12 or 13. The government has been warning Canadians to avoid travelling to Syria since 2011 after the outbreak of a civil war that has attracted foreign powers and spawned a multitude of militias, including a new Islamist terror group, while leaving an estimated 500,000 people dead. Canada severed diplomatic relations with Syria in 2012, expelling its diplomats and shuttering its embassy. With files from The Associated Press", "A Canadian citizen held by the Syrian government since last year was released in Lebanon on Friday and broke down in tears at a news conference, saying he thought he would be held forever. \n\n\n\n\"I didn't know if anyone knew if I was alive,\" said Kristian Lee Baxter, struggling to speak as he choked back tears while sitting alongside Canada's ambassador to Lebanon and the Lebanese security chief in Beirut.\n\nBaxter, wearing a grey t-shirt, was detained while traveling in Syria last year, though it was not clear what he was doing there and the Canadian ambassador Emmanuelle Lamoureux said she could not give any details about the case.Baxter thanked both the Canadian embassy and the Lebanese authorities for helping him get out of Syria. Lamoureux thanked Lebanese security chief Abbas Ibrahim, who last month mediated the release of a U.S. citizen in Syria.Ibrahim said Baxter had been detained for reasons related to breaking Syrian law.\"I thought I would be there forever,\" Baxter said.\"I didn't know if anyone knew if I was alive,\" he added, and then began to sobs.It was unclear what Baxter was doing in Syria at the time of his detention. Sam Goodwin, the U.S. citizen freed last month, had been traveling in Syria without a visa.Several Western citizens have been held in Syria since the civil war began there in 2011, including some by jihadist groups such as Islamic State.The United States has said it believes U.S. journalist Austin Tice, who has been held in Syria since 2012, is alive and Washington has sought the help of the Syrian government's ally Russia to free him. Last year the family of another American, Majd Kamalmaz, told the New York Times that he had disappeared at a government checkpoint in Damascus in 2017.", "Lebanon’s security chief Abbas Ibrahim will on Friday announce the release of a Canadian who was being held in Syria, an official Lebanese source said.\n\n \n\nThe source did not give further details but Ibrahim, who last month mediated the release of US citizen Sam Goodwin from detention in Syria, will give a news conference later on Friday.", "BEIRUT - Lebanon's security chief Abbas Ibrahim will on Friday announce the release of a Canadian who was being held in Syria, an official Lebanese source said.\n\n\n\nThe source did not give further details but Ibrahim, who last month mediated the release of U.S. citizen Sam Goodwin from detention in Syria, will give a news conference later on Friday.\n\n\n\nvar cont = `Join Jerusalem Post Premium Plus now for just $5 and upgrade your experience with an ads-free website and exclusive content. Click here>>\n\n\n\n`; document.getElementById(\"linkPremium\").innerHTML = cont; (function (v, i){ });"], "summary": "Canadian tourist Kristian Lee Baxter, who had been held in Syrian detention since 2018, is released in Lebanon."}
{"document": ["Families of the victims of a 1982 terrorist attack in Paris are demanding a parliamentary inquiry after reports that the former chief of French intelligence made a secret pact with the perpetrators.\n\nThey have called on President Emmanuel Macron to declassify the top-secret file of the attack, which killed six and injured 22 others.\n\nAt lunchtime on 9 August 1982 a masked and armed commando entered Jo Goldenberg’s restaurant in the rue des Rosiers, in Paris’s Jewish quarter. The terrorists threw a grenade into the room then began shooting at diners and staff with machine guns. They threw a second grenade as they left. The attack lasted three minutes and the terrorists vanished into the district’s labyrinth of streets.\n\nFacebook Twitter Pinterest Chez Jo Goldenberg in Paris two days after gunmen shot at customers with sub-machine guns, killing six and injuring 22. Photograph: Joel Robine/AFP\n\nInvestigators linked the attack to Fatah: the Revolutionary Council, established by Sabri Khalil al-Banna, known as Abu Nidal, whose dissident Palestinian group had split from Yasser Arafat’s Palestinian Liberation Organisation. The Abu Nidal Organisation, as it was also known, was considered one of the most ruthless of the Palestinian militant groups. It was thought to be responsible for attacks in 20 countries which killed more than 300 people, including in Rome and Vienna airports in 1985.\n\nOn Friday, Le Parisien newspaper reported that the former head of France’s intelligence service Yves Bonnet had admitted negotiating a “secret deal” with the terrorist group. Now 83, Bonnet is said to have told investigators that he agreed the group’s members could continue travelling to France if they carried out no more attacks on French soil.\n\n“We made a kind of verbal deal in which I said I don’t want any more attacks on French soil and in return I’ll let you come to France and I guarantee nothing will happen to you,” Bonnet reportedly said in an interview with investigating magistrates in January.\n\n“And it worked. There were no further attacks between the end of 1983 and the end of 1985 … afterwards, they carried out attacks in Italy, for example, but that did not concern me as long as there was nothing on French soil.”\n\n'Mastermind' of 1982 Jewish cafe attack in Paris arrested in Jordan Read more\n\nBonnet claimed the then French president François Mitterrand’s chief of staff was informed of the deal, but that “officially … the Élysée knew nothing”. Investigators, also kept in the dark over the deal, have asked to interview other members of the intelligence services who have refused to speak until now, claiming it was a matter of national security.\n\nYohann Taïeb, the president of the support committee representing victims’ families, said that, if confirmed, Bonnet’s admission was “shameful”. He called on Macron to “declassify documents and take decisions about eventual legal proceedings”.\n\nAvi Bitton, a lawyer for the families, told Le Parisien: “We need a parliamentary inquiry not just on the rue des Rosiers attack but to establish if such secret pacts were sealed with other terrorist organisations.”\n\nLawyers representing the families have also demanded the extradition of four suspects currently in Jordan and Norway.", "France signed an agreement with a Palestinian terror group in the 1980s establishing that authorities would not arrest the organization's members as long as it refrained from committing attacks on French soil, a former top spy revealed this week.\n\nThis information, which the French government has denied, was recently revealed by former French spy chief Yves Bonnet and was first published in the newspaper Le Parisien.\n\nBonnet discussed the verbal agreement between Paris and the Abu Nidal organization struck during a secret meeting between French intelligence and the group. The agreement followed an attack by the organization at a deli in Paris's Jewish quarter. Six people were killed in that attack, in which the attackers threw grenades and shot at diners with machine guns.\n\nBonnet said that he had guaranteed safety for members of the group as long as they did not launch attacks on French soil, and that he was unconcerned with attacks by the group in Italy, according to Le Parisien. The newspaper also quoted Bonnet as saying that the Elysee officially knew nothing about the deal, but that then President Francois Mitterand's chief of staff was informed about it.\n\nIn France, the agreement paid off in the form of quiet for a few years, while the group continued to commit attacks in Italy, Austria, and Greece. The group eventually split up over internal disagreements. During its years of activity, hundreds of people were wounded or killed in dozens of countries in its attacks. Among the attacks were plane hijackings and shootings in a synagogue and in embassies. Its members attempts to assassin Israel's ambassador in London in 1982.\n\nBonnet's admission has led to calls for a thorough investigation of the matter, and into the possibility of similar agreements with other groups.", "Thirty-seven years after Palestinian terrorists killed six people at a deli in Paris's Jewish quarter, the families of the victims are demanding a parliamentary inquiry – on the back of media reports that a former French spy admitted to making a secret deal with the perpetrators.\n\nA further 22 people were wounded on 9 August, 1982, when two gunmen stormed the Jo Goldenberg restaurant in the middle of the day, opening fire and throwing grenades at customers.\n\nThe men are believed to have belonged to a radical group led by Palestinian militant Abu Nidal, which was active in the 1970s and 1980s.\n\nAccording to reports this week in the daily Le Parisien, former head of French intelligence Yves Bonnet told a judge in January he had assured Abu Nidal that members of his group would not be arrested if they refrained from committing further attacks on French soil.\n\nIt is understood that the then French President Francois Mitterand's chief of staff was informed of the deal but that “officially … the Élysée knew nothing”.\n• Golden days are gone, but Paris's Jewish quarter still has rich story to tell\n\nThe victims' families are now calling on President Emmanuel Macron to declassify files of the attack.\n\nAvi Bitton, a lawyer for several of the families, told France Info radio: “We will ask the investigating judge to make requests to lift the lid on this file, so that he can investigate this possible secret agreement between the French state and this terrorist organisation.\n\n\"The French have the right to know that their government has made a secret agreement with a terrorist group.\"\n\nA total of six people are believed to have been involved in planning and carrying out the attack on the restaurant, which was located on the Rue des Rosiers, in Paris's central Marais neighborhood, before it closed in 2006.\n\nIn 2016, Jordan rejected an extradition request from France for two suspects accused of carrying out the attack linked to the dissident Palestinian group The Abu Nidal Organisation.\n\nAbu Nidal, whose real name was Sabri Banna, is understood to have committed suicide in Iraq in 2002.\n\nHis organisation was considered one of the most ruthless of the Palestinian militant groups, responsible for attacks in 20 countries which killed more than 300 people, including in Rome and Vienna during the 1980s.", "JTA — France agreed not to target Palestinian terrorists who killed French Jews in Paris in 1982 if they refrained from carrying out further attacks on French soil, a former top spy revealed.\n\nYves Bonnet, who headed the now-defunct DST service in the 1980s, said this in January to a judge investigating the 1982 attack in which six people were murdered and 22 injured at a kosher restaurant on Rosiers Street in Paris, Le Parisien reported Thursday.\n\nFriday marked the 37th anniversary of the attack, then the deadliest anti-Semitic attack on French soil since World War II, in which the terrorists threw grenades into the packed restaurant.\n\nGet The Times of Israel's Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Free Sign Up\n\nThe suspects in the attack on the Jo Goldbenberg deli are wanted for questioning as per a 2015 French arrest warrant. One of the suspects lives in Jordan, another near Ramallah in the West Bank and a third in Norway, according to the CRIF umbrella group of French Jewish communities.\n\nNone of the relevant governments have agreed to extradite the suspects, whom French investigators believe belonged to the Abu Nidal terrorist group affiliated with Fatah.\n\n“We entered a sort of verbal deal which tells them: I want no more attacks on French soil, but I will allow you to come to France and guarantee nothing will happen to you,” Bonnet said\n\nFrench authorities allowed two of the alleged perpetrators to visit their brothers in arms in French prisons after the 1982 attack.\n\n“It worked, there were no further attacks from the end of 1983, throughout 1984 and until 1985,” Bonnet said.\n\nTimes of Israel Staff contributed to this report", "As Jews in France and around the world on Friday marked the 37th anniversary of a deadly terrorist attack on a kosher restaurant in Paris, one of the country’s news outlets revealed that the former chief of French intelligence entered into a secret pact with the Palestinian group behind the massacre.\n\nSix people were murdered and 22 wounded on Aug. 9, 1982, when terrorists from the radical Abu Nidal Organization armed with machine guns opened fire on diners at “Chez Jo Goldenberg” on the rue des Rosiers during the restaurant’s busy lunchtime service. After exploding a grenade as they made their escape, the terrorists quickly disappeared into the streets of the Marais, the old Jewish quarter of Paris where the restaurant was located.\n\nOn Friday, the newspaper Le Parisien reported that the former head of French intelligence, Yves Bonnet, had admitted to making a secret pact with the terrorists, guaranteeing Abu Nidal operatives free movement within France in exchange for a promise of no further attacks on French soil.\n\nAccording to Le Parisien, Bonnet made his confession in January this year to the magistrate in charge of investigating the Jo Goldenberg attack, for which no person has yet been convicted.\n\n“We made a kind of verbal deal in which I said, ‘I don’t want any more attacks on French soil and in return I’ll let you come to France and I guarantee nothing will happen to you,’” the paper quoted Bonnet as having said.\n\nThe pact was allegedly reached during a clandestine meeting shortly after the attack between Bonnet and representatives of the Abu Nidal group — not the terrorists who executed the massacre, he claimed, but individuals he described as their “stooges.”\n\nAccording to Bonnet, the pact “worked,” insofar as there were no attacks on French soil “from late ’83, ’84 and until the end of 1985,” he said. Among the concessions made during that time by the DST, the French intelligence service, was the permission for two Abu Nidal terrorists to visit one of their comrades in a French prison.\n\nLe Parisien added that it had partially confirmed Bonnet’s claim of a pact with Abu Nidal with two former DST officials, Jean-François Clair and Louis Caprioli. The paper said it had been told by Clair that he did “not deny that there were contacts with Abu Nidal, to do so would be lying.”\n\nAlso in the loop, the paper said, was Gilles Menage, the chief of staff to the then President of France, François Mitterrand — although the official position was that the Élysée Palace “did not know anything” about the contacts with Abu Nidal, a renegade Palestinian faction that was armed and funded by Iraq at the time of the rue des Rosiers attack. Abu Nidal’s long list of atrocities also included the Sept. 1986 shooting at the Neve Shalom synagogue in Istanbul, Turkey, that killed 22 worshippers, and the December 1985 simultaneous attacks on US and Israeli airport counters in Rome and Vienna, which killed 18 people and injured 111.\n\nYohann Taïeb, the president of the support committee representing victims’ families, said that, if confirmed, Bonnet’s admission was “shameful”. He called on French President Emmanuel Macron to “declassify documents and take decisions about eventual legal proceedings”.\n\nAvi Bitton, a lawyer for the families, told Le Parisien: “We need a parliamentary inquiry not just on the rue des Rosiers attack but to establish if such secret pacts were sealed with other terrorist organizations.”\n\nFriday’s revelations about the possible collusion between Abu Nidal and French intelligence came on top of another significant, if frustrating, development in the rue des Rosiers investigation earlier this year. In May, Jordan’s highest court rejected a French appeal for the extradition of one of the suspected terrorists, 57-year-old Nizar Tawfiq Mussa Hamada.\n\nHamada was not formally identified until 2014, when two anonymous informants associated with Abu Nidal’s group supplied the French authorities with critical information about the terrorists’ identities. In 2015, France’s top magistrate tasked with combating terrorism, Marc Trévidic, issued arrest warrants for several suspects, including Hamada and fellow Jordanian citizen Souhair Mouhamed Hassan Khalid al-Abassi — aka Amjad Atta — reputedly the mastermind behind the attack."], "summary": "Le Parisien claims French ex-head of security Yves Bonnet [fr] brokered a secret deal with Fatah in the 1980s offering immunity in exchange for no further terror attacks in France."}
{"document": ["ROME (Reuters) - Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said on Thursday that the leader of the ruling League party, Matteo Salvini, must explain to Italians why he wants to bring down the coalition government.\n\nSalvini, who is deputy prime minister and interior minister, said earlier that the coalition with the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement had broken down and he called for new elections.\n\n“It is not up to the interior minister to convene parliament or fix the agenda of a political crisis,” Conte said, vowing to go before parliament to ensure “the crisis (Salvini) has unleashed is the most transparent in the history of the republic”.\n\nIn his brief statement from the prime minister’s office, Conte, who is close to 5-Star, said he would no longer accept Salvini’s attacks on his ministers and accused him of relying on “slogans” to drum up support.\n\n“He must ... justify to the voters who believed in the promise of change, the reasons that have led him to interrupt early and abruptly the work of government,” Conte said.", "Interior Minister Matteo Salvini gives a press conference after meeting social partners at the Ministry of the Interior to present the next Government Budget Law on August 6, 2019 in Rome, Italy.\n\nThe leader of Italy's ruling League party, Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, said on Thursday the governing coalition had broken down and the only way forward was to hold new elections.\n\nThe shock announcement follows months of bickering between the right-wing League and its coalition partner, the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement, and it throws the euro zone's third-largest economy into an uncertain political future.\n\nSalvini said in a statement that he had told Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte that the alliance with 5-Star had collapsed after little more than a year in power and \"we should quickly give the choice back to the voters\".\n\nParliament, which is now in its summer recess, could reconvene next week to carry out the necessary steps, Salvini said, referring to the need for a no-confidence vote in the government and the resignation of the premier.\n\nTensions came to a head on Wednesday when the two parties voted against each other in parliament over the future of a project for a high-speed train link with France.\n\n5-Star has more parliamentary seats than the League, but Salvini's party now has twice as much voter support, according to opinion polls, and it has often threatened to try to capitalise on that popularity with new elections.\n\nHowever, it remains to be seen if things will go as Salvini plans. Pushing the nation back into election mode in August, when Italians are on holiday and parliament is closed for the summer recess, would be unusual and potentially risky.\n\nPresident Sergio Mattarella is the only person with the power to dissolve parliament, and may be unwilling to do so ahead of preparatory work in September for the 2020 budget, which must then be presented to parliament the following month.\n\nItaly has not held an election in the autumn in all the post-war period.", "Italy's Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini is looking to snatch the country's top political spot after the crumbling of the populist coalition between his League party and anti-establishment 5-star party.\n\nSalvini hopes the no-confidence motion filed against the government today will trigger a snap election and install him as the nation's new leader.\n\nAccording to opinion polls, a snap election would go in Salvini's favour, allowing him absolute control of the government opposed to the current reliance on an independent Prime Minister, Giuseppe Conte.\n\nThough 5-Star has more parliamentary seats than the League, Salvini's party now has twice as much voter support.\n\nIt has recently threatened to try to capitalise on that surge in popularity with new elections.\n\nHowever, it remains to be seen if things will go as Salvini plans. Pushing the nation back into election mode in August is unusual and could be unpopular and risky.\n\nItalian parliament is currently in summer recess but today Salvini urged lawmakers to come back to Rome to debate the motion: 'There's nothing to say that we cannot make parliamentarians work in the middle of August.\n\n'Lawmakers should get off their bums and work.'\n\nIn a League statement, they urged other parties to 'head to the polls quickly' to avoid 'hurting Italy.'\n\nThe heads of political groups in Italy's Senate will meet on Monday to set a timetable for the no-confidence vote, the upper house press office said in a statement on Friday.\n\nSalvini's shock announcement on Thursday, which followed a period of intense public feuding between the two parties, throws the euro zone's third-largest economy into deeper political uncertainty just as it was due to start 2020 budget preparations.\n\nAn election could be held as early as October.\n\nInvestors reacted by selling off Italian government bonds and stocks on Friday. Yields on 10-year bonds touched a five-week high, their biggest daily rise since May 2018. The Italian blue-chip index fell 2.3%, with banks leading the decline and helping push other European stock markets lower.\n\nSalvini said in a statement on Thursday he had told Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, who belongs to neither coalition party, that the alliance with 5-Star had collapsed after barely a year in power and 'we should quickly give the choice back to the voters.' He said cabinet meetings were dogged by disputes.\n\nThe head of state, President Sergio Mattarella, is the only person with the power to dissolve parliament, but he could first try to form a new government from the existing legislature before resorting to elections.\n\nThe political crisis has jolted Italians out of their August torpor, a time when millions of people are holidaying on the beach, and raised the prospect of the first autumn election in Italy's post-war history.\n\n'It's a mess basically,' said Marta Bonora, a 21-year-old languages student in Milan, saying Salvini's crackdown on immigration meant other problems were being ignored.\n\nAnna Scoccia, 63, who works at a newsstand in Rome, was also cynical: 'This is all a big joke, it's another of Salvini's stunts to keep his popularity up. I don't believe we will go to elections but I am still terrified by what comes next.'\n\nPrime Minister Conte turned on Salvini late on Thursday, demanding in a televised statement that Salvini explain to Italians why he wanted to bring down the government.\n\nUntil a few weeks ago Salvini had repeatedly said that the government would last a full five-year term, but he brushed off Conte's criticisms and said 5-Star was holding up the policies the country needed to boost its stagnant economy.\n\nTensions came to a head on Wednesday when 5-Star and the League voted against each other in parliament over the future of a project for a high-speed train link with France.\n\nMattarella may be unwilling to dissolve parliament ahead of preparatory work in September for the 2020 budget, which must then be presented to parliament the following month.\n\nItaly, which has Europe's second-largest sovereign debt burden after Greece, has already angered the European Union with an expansionary 2019 budget and Salvini wants to make major tax cuts.\n\nFitch Ratings is due to review later on Friday its 'BBB' rating on Italy's sovereign debt, which is two notches above junk status and carries a negative outlook.", "The Latest: Italy's Salvini calls for a new election soon\n\nMILAN (AP) — The Latest on Italian politics (all times local):\n\nItaly is facing a government crisis with Interior Minister Matteo Salvini of the right-wing League party calling for a new election and urging Italy's president to verify in parliament that the governing majority has collapsed.\n\nTensions spiraled after a Senate vote on Wednesday defeated a motion by the League's coalition partners, the 5-Star Movement, that sought to kill an EU-funded high-speed rail project known in Italy as TAV that is supported by the League.\n\nSalvini met Thursday with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte. After the meeting, Salvini issued a statement saying the TAV vote made clear that the populist coalition had collapsed. He called for a speedy election.\n\nTo have a new election, President Sergio Mattarella must first verify that the government has lost support in Parliament. It was unclear when that might happen, since parliament has adjourned for the summer holiday.\n\nTensions are rising in Italy's government, with Interior Minister Matteo Salvini's League saying that new elections are the only alternative to the current governing coalition with the 5-Star Movement.\n\nThe League on Thursday complained of deadlock on a variety of issues, including a vote in parliament over the future of an EU-funded high-speed rail link between Turin and the French city of Lyon. The statement said \"it is useless to go on,\" adding that \"the only alternative to this government is to give the word back to Italians with new elections.\"\n\nThe 5-Star Movement, which opposes the high-speed train link as too costly and unnecessary, replied that the League's note was \"not comprehensible,\" and asked the party to clearly state what it wants.", "ROME (Reuters) - The leader of Italy's ruling League party, Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, declared the governing coalition to be unworkable on Thursday after months of internal bickering and said the only way forward was to hold fresh elections.\n\nThe shock announcement follows a period of intense public feuding between the right-wing League and its coalition partner, the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement, and it throws the euro zone's third-largest economy into deeper political uncertainty.\n\nSalvini said in a statement he had told Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, who belongs to neither coalition party, that the alliance with 5-Star had collapsed after barely a year in power and \"we should quickly give the choice back to the voters\".\n\nParliament, which is now in its summer recess, could reconvene next week to carry out the necessary steps, Salvini said, referring to the need for a no-confidence vote in the government and the resignation of the premier.\n\nConte said later in a brief televised statement that Salvini must explain to Italians why he wanted to bring down the government and that \"the crisis he has unleashed\" should be the most transparent \"in the history of the republic\".\n\nConte said he would no longer accept Salvini's attacks on his ministers and accused him of relying on \"slogans\".\n\nUntil a few weeks ago Salvini had repeatedly said that the government would last a full five-year term, but he brushed off Conte's criticisms and said 5-Star was holding up the policies the country needed to boost its stagnant economy.\n\n\"Italy can no longer put up with the no's, we need yes's, we need to unblock, to build, to work -- enough is enough, we must go to elections,\" he told reporters after a rally in Pescara, on the Adriatic coast.\n\nTensions came to a head on Wednesday when 5-Star and the League voted against each other in parliament over the future of a project for a high-speed train link with France.\n\n5-Star has more parliamentary seats than the League, but Salvini's party now has twice as much voter support, according to opinion polls, and it has recently threatened to try to capitalise on that surge in popularity with new elections.\n\nHowever, it remains to be seen if things will go as Salvini plans. Pushing the nation back into election mode in August, when Italians are on holiday and parliament is closed for the summer recess, is unusual and could be unpopular and risky.\n\nPresident Sergio Mattarella is the only person with the power to dissolve parliament, and may be unwilling to do so ahead of preparatory work in September for the 2020 budget, which must then be presented to parliament the following month.\n\nItaly, which has Europe's second-largest sovereign debt burden after Greece, has already angered the European Union with an expansionary 2019 budget and Salvini wants to make major tax cuts next year, setting up the prospect of another EU clash.\n\nItaly has not held an election in the autumn in all the post-war period.\n\nIf Mattarella decides not to dissolve parliament, he could try to install an unelected \"technocrat\" administration of which there have been several examples in Italy's recent history, though an alternative parliamentary majority appears elusive.\n\n5-Star Leader Luigi Di Maio said his party did not fear elections.\n\n\"We are ready, we don't care in the least about occupying government posts and we never have,\" he said in a statement. He accused Salvini of \"taking the country for a ride\" and said sooner or later Italians would turn against him for it.\n\nSpeculation of a government crisis mounted late on Wednesday when Salvini, speaking at a rally south of Rome, peppered his speech with hints that he had had enough of 5-Star, accusing it of stalling the League's key policies.\n\nMarkets sold off Italian government bonds early on Thursday and the day proceeded with closed-door meetings between Salvini and Conte and between Conte and Mattarella.\n\nThe League issued a statement listing a raft of areas in which it had a \"different vision\" from 5-Star, including infrastructure, taxes, justice and relations with the EU.\n\nThe two parties were fierce adversaries ahead of an inconclusive election in March 2018, before forming their unlikely alliance which has often ruffled the feathers of financial markets and the European Commission.\n\n5-Star was the largest party at last year's elections but it has struggled since the government was formed, while Salvini has prospered thanks to his popular hard line on immigration and a charismatic and informal \"man of the people\" public image.", "ROME/CATANIA, Italy (Reuters) - Italians take their August beach holidays very seriously and politicians traditionally avoid disturbing them for fear of losing votes. But Matteo Salvini has little time for tradition and nowhere is taboo for his high-octane, non-stop campaigning.\n\nWhen the leader of the right-wing League announced on Thursday that he was pulling the plug on a year-old ruling coalition with the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement, he did it from the Adriatic beach town of Pescara.\n\nSalvini had prepared the ground with a fiery speech the night before in Sabaudia, a seaside resort on the Mediterranean coast, south of Rome. Both were stops on a \"beach tour\" that he hopes will lead him to triumph at elections he would like to see in a couple of months.\n\nShrugging off frowns from high-brow commentators and opponents, Salvini has made the beaches his political stage, a perfect venue for his down-market, \"man-of-the-people\" persona - and the more crowded and less exclusive they are the better.\n\n\"Jesus went from town to town to spread the word, Salvini isn't Jesus but he knows he needs the support of everybody,\" said Ubaldo Cuspilici, a 27-year-old business innovation specialist as he sunbathed on the rocks in Sicily.\n\n\"He is a great chameleon, he is able to speak and identify with every social class,\" he added.\n\nThe League filed a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on Friday, a move Salvini hopes will trigger snap elections. Even though parliament is in recess, Salvini chivvied lawmakers to get back to Rome.\n\n\"There's nothing to say that we cannot make parliamentarians work in the middle of August. Lawmakers should get off their bums and work,\" he said.\n\nConte, stung by Salvini's move to sack him, said pointedly on Thursday that most ministers had been hard at work through summer and were \"not on the beach\".\n\nFar from being offended by the intrusion of a politician, selfie-seeking holidaymakers have swarmed to the attraction, and Salvini is always available to press the flesh and swap high-fives.\n\nHe spent his own summer holidays last week at Milano Marittima, a popular Adriatic resort, where, in bermuda shorts among the masses, he drew much criticism for his daily antics ogling female beach dancers or improvising as a disc jockey.\n\nChiara Saraceno, a sociology professor at Turin University, says Salvini's beach gambit is harvesting support.\n\n\"The message is that 'I holiday like you, I am vulgar like you, I eat Nutella on bread like you do and I have a bit of a pot-belly like you' - and it is very effective,\" she said.\n\n\"Whereas before Italian politicians holidayed on boats or quiet spots, Salvini mixes, and people say 'he's one of us and he'll fight for our interests'.\"\n\nNonetheless, a national election campaign in August is unprecedented in post-war Italy. Salvini's move to sink the government was the main talking point among those on Catania beach in Sicily - and he had plenty of critics.\n\n\"He wants to exploit the weakness of the centre-left opposition and launch a swift election campaign, riding high on the back of his European election triumph,\" said Gianluigi Ferraris, a 27-year-old IT consultant.\n\n\"He wants to speed up the vote so the other parties won't have time to prepare for the campaign,\" he added before putting his headphones back on to resume his sunbathing.\n\nBeatrice De Santis, 52, sitting up from her towel on a secluded spot on the rocks, said Salvini had behaved badly by sticking the knife into Conte.\n\n\"He made his move in August because it's a time when public opinion is distracted, when people are on holiday and are not thinking about politics,\" she said.", "Italian deputy Premier and Interior Minister Matteo Salvini talks to journalists after he met with Entrepreneurs and Labor Unions representatives at the Viminale, the Interior Ministry building, in Rome, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2019. (Maurizio Brambatti/ANSA Via AP)\n\nMILAN (AP) — Italy faced a government crisis Thursday after Interior Minister Matteo Salvini of the right-wing League party called for a new election, saying his party’s coalition with the populist 5-Star Movement had collapsed over policy differences.\n\nPremier Giuseppe Conte said he would convene Parliament, as requested by Salvini to seek a confidence vote, but showed his anger over what he called Salvini’s move to “abruptly interrupt the actions of the government.” He urged Salvini to explain himself to voters.\n\nThe governing two parties have been at odds over a host of policy issues but tensions spiraled Wednesday after the Senate rejected a move by 5-Star to kill a EU-funded high-speed rail link with neighboring France. The big infrastructure project — known in Italy as TAV — is backed by the League and seeks to improve rail links across several European nations.\n\nAs tones hardened, Salvini met with Conte on Thursday. After the meeting, Salvini issued a statement saying the TAV vote clearly showed that the ruling coalition had collapsed and called for a speedy election.\n\n“Let’s go immediately to the Parliament and verify that there is no longer a majority, as was evident in the vote on the TAV, and quickly return the word to voters,” Salvini said.\n\nIf the government should lose a confidence vote, that could set the stage for a new election.\n\nIn remarks to journalists late Thursday, Conte chastized Salvini for urging lawmakers to interrupt their vacations for a speedy confidence vote. “It is not for the interior minister to decide the timing of a political crisis in which other institutional actors are involved,” the premier said.\n\nConte said he would be in touch with the speakers of both houses to work out when to convene Parliament.\n\n“I already clarified with Salvini during our meetings that this crisis that he triggered will be the moist transparent crisis in the history of the republic,” Conte said.\n\nIn the event of a vote of no-confidence, it would be up to Italy’s president to call a new election if he found no way of salvaging the government. Both the League and the 5-Star Movement have said they don’t want to see a government formed of non-political technocrats.\n\nThe timing of any election is critical, as Italy must submit a budget in the fall — and needs a working majority to work out terms. The EU’s third-largest economy barely dodged an EU budget disciplinary process over its rising debt levels this year.\n\nThe 5-Star leader, Luigi Di Maio, responded to Salvini’s statement by saying his populist party was ready to go to a new election. But while Salvini wants immediate vote, Di Maio sought to postpone it until after parliament gave its final approval to a reform reducing the number of lawmakers, a vote that had been scheduled for early September.\n\nEarlier Thursday, the right-wing League issued a statement complaining of deadlock with the 5-Star Movement on a variety of issues, saying “it is useless to go on” adding that “the only alternative to this government” is for a new election.\n\nThe high-speed train vote laid bare the deep divisions in the Italy’s 14-month-old government, with the 5-Stars opposing the rail link as costly and unnecessary and the League supporting it as necessary for the economy and its core base of northern entrepreneurs.\n\nAfter the vote, Salvini told supporters in the coastal town of Sabaudia “that something broke in the last months” in the governing coalition.\n\nBesides the high-speed rail-link, the League listed other areas of contention between the two parties, including fiscal policies, energy, justice reform, regional autonomy and relations with Europe.\n\nIn his comments Wednesday, Salvini noted that the 5-Star’s pet electoral promise, basic income, which the government passed, was a handout that did not create jobs.\n\nSalvini is coming off another victory this week with the passage of a new security law that fines humanitarian rescue ships up to 1 million euros ($1.1 million) if they enter Italian waters with migrants. Preventing such ships from docking has been Salvini’s hallmark as interior minister.\n\nAfter approving a basic minimum income and reversing an unpopular pension reform, the government bogged down during the European election campaign and never appeared to regain its footing.\n\nSalvini’s anti-migrant, anti-NGO stance is credited with the League’s surge in popularity. After claiming just 17% of the vote in last year’s national election, the league won 34% in European elections this spring. Surveys put support for the party now at 38%.\n\nThe 5-Star Movement’s fortunes have sunk conversely, from nearly 33% of the vote in the national elections, giving it more seats in parliament than its partners, to just 17% in the European elections. Its support hovers at 17% currently.\n\nConte, who celebrated his 55th birthday Thursday, appeared bitter that his government experience appeared to be coming to an end, and took some swipes at Salvini, noting that the League is under investigation for allegedly taking funding from Russia and commenting on the League leader’s recent public appearances and press conferences on Italian beaches.\n\nMost of all, he took issue with suggestions that the government was in a stalemate.\n\n“I will not allow the narrative of a government that doesn’t function. Of a government of ‘No.’ This government in reality has always spoken little, and worked a lot,” Conte said. “This government wasn’t at the beach every day, but in the institutional seats to work from morning to night with respect for Italians.”", "Italian deputy Premier and Interior Minister Matteo Salvini talks to journalists after he met with Entrepreneurs and Labor Unions representatives at the Viminale, the Interior Ministry building, in Rome, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2019. (Maurizio Brambatti/ANSA Via AP)\n\nMILAN (AP) — Italy faced a government crisis Thursday after Interior Minister Matteo Salvini of the right-wing League party called for a new election, saying his party’s coalition with the populist 5-Star Movement had collapsed over policy differences.\n\nPremier Giuseppe Conte said he would convene Parliament, as requested by Salvini to seek a confidence vote, but showed his anger over what he called Salvini’s move to “abruptly interrupt the actions of the government.” He urged Salvini to explain himself to voters.\n\nThe governing two parties have been at odds over a host of policy issues but tensions spiraled Wednesday after the Senate rejected a move by 5-Star to kill a EU-funded high-speed rail link with neighboring France. The big infrastructure project — known in Italy as TAV — is backed by the League and seeks to improve rail links across several European nations.\n\nAs tones hardened, Salvini met with Conte on Thursday. After the meeting, Salvini issued a statement saying the TAV vote clearly showed that the ruling coalition had collapsed and called for a speedy election.\n\n“Let’s go immediately to the Parliament and verify that there is no longer a majority, as was evident in the vote on the TAV, and quickly return the word to voters,” Salvini said.\n\nIf the government should lose a confidence vote, that could set the stage for a new election.\n\nIn remarks to journalists late Thursday, Conte chastized Salvini for urging lawmakers to interrupt their vacations for a speedy confidence vote. “It is not for the interior minister to decide the timing of a political crisis in which other institutional actors are involved,” the premier said.\n\nConte said he would be in touch with the speakers of both houses to work out when to convene Parliament.\n\n“I already clarified with Salvini during our meetings that this crisis that he triggered will be the moist transparent crisis in the history of the republic,” Conte said.\n\nIn the event of a vote of no-confidence, it would be up to Italy’s president to call a new election if he found no way of salvaging the government. Both the League and the 5-Star Movement have said they don’t want to see a government formed of non-political technocrats.\n\nThe timing of any election is critical, as Italy must submit a budget in the fall — and needs a working majority to work out terms. The EU’s third-largest economy barely dodged an EU budget disciplinary process over its rising debt levels this year.\n\nThe 5-Star leader, Luigi Di Maio, responded to Salvini’s statement by saying his populist party was ready to go to a new election. But while Salvini wants immediate vote, Di Maio sought to postpone it until after parliament gave its final approval to a reform reducing the number of lawmakers, a vote that had been scheduled for early September.\n\nEarlier Thursday, the right-wing League issued a statement complaining of deadlock with the 5-Star Movement on a variety of issues, saying “it is useless to go on” adding that “the only alternative to this government” is for a new election.\n\nThe high-speed train vote laid bare the deep divisions in the Italy’s 14-month-old government, with the 5-Stars opposing the rail link as costly and unnecessary and the League supporting it as necessary for the economy and its core base of northern entrepreneurs.\n\nAfter the vote, Salvini told supporters in the coastal town of Sabaudia “that something broke in the last months” in the governing coalition.\n\nBesides the high-speed rail-link, the League listed other areas of contention between the two parties, including fiscal policies, energy, justice reform, regional autonomy and relations with Europe.\n\nIn his comments Wednesday, Salvini noted that the 5-Star’s pet electoral promise, basic income, which the government passed, was a handout that did not create jobs.\n\nSalvini is coming off another victory this week with the passage of a new security law that fines humanitarian rescue ships up to 1 million euros ($1.1 million) if they enter Italian waters with migrants. Preventing such ships from docking has been Salvini’s hallmark as interior minister.\n\nAfter approving a basic minimum income and reversing an unpopular pension reform, the government bogged down during the European election campaign and never appeared to regain its footing.\n\nSalvini’s anti-migrant, anti-NGO stance is credited with the League’s surge in popularity. After claiming just 17% of the vote in last year’s national election, the league won 34% in European elections this spring. Surveys put support for the party now at 38%.\n\nThe 5-Star Movement’s fortunes have sunk conversely, from nearly 33% of the vote in the national elections, giving it more seats in parliament than its partners, to just 17% in the European elections. Its support hovers at 17% currently.\n\nConte, who celebrated his 55th birthday Thursday, appeared bitter that his government experience appeared to be coming to an end, and took some swipes at Salvini, noting that the League is under investigation for allegedly taking funding from Russia and commenting on the League leader’s recent public appearances and press conferences on Italian beaches.\n\nMost of all, he took issue with suggestions that the government was in a stalemate.\n\n“I will not allow the narrative of a government that doesn’t function. Of a government of ‘No.’ This government in reality has always spoken little, and worked a lot,” Conte said. “This government wasn’t at the beach every day, but in the institutional seats to work from morning to night with respect for Italians.”", "Italian deputy Premier and Interior Minister Matteo Salvini talks to journalists after he met with Entrepreneurs and Labor Unions representatives at the Viminale, the Interior Ministry building, in Rome, Tuesday, Aug. 6, 2019. (Maurizio Brambatti/ANSA Via AP)\n\nMILAN (AP) — Italy faced a government crisis Thursday after Interior Minister Matteo Salvini of the right-wing League party called for a new election, saying his party’s coalition with the populist 5-Star Movement had collapsed over policy differences.\n\nPremier Giuseppe Conte said he would convene Parliament, as requested by Salvini to seek a confidence vote, but showed his anger over what he called Salvini’s move to “abruptly interrupt the actions of the government.” He urged Salvini to explain himself to voters.\n\nThe governing two parties have been at odds over a host of policy issues but tensions spiraled Wednesday after the Senate rejected a move by 5-Star to kill a EU-funded high-speed rail link with neighboring France. The big infrastructure project — known in Italy as TAV — is backed by the League and seeks to improve rail links across several European nations.\n\nAs tones hardened, Salvini met with Conte on Thursday. After the meeting, Salvini issued a statement saying the TAV vote clearly showed that the ruling coalition had collapsed and called for a speedy election.\n\n“Let’s go immediately to the Parliament and verify that there is no longer a majority, as was evident in the vote on the TAV, and quickly return the word to voters,” Salvini said.\n\nIf the government should lose a confidence vote, that could set the stage for a new election.\n\nIn remarks to journalists late Thursday, Conte chastized Salvini for urging lawmakers to interrupt their vacations for a speedy confidence vote. “It is not for the interior minister to decide the timing of a political crisis in which other institutional actors are involved,” the premier said.\n\nConte said he would be in touch with the speakers of both houses to work out when to convene Parliament.\n\n“I already clarified with Salvini during our meetings that this crisis that he triggered will be the moist transparent crisis in the history of the republic,” Conte said.\n\nIn the event of a vote of no-confidence, it would be up to Italy’s president to call a new election if he found no way of salvaging the government. Both the League and the 5-Star Movement have said they don’t want to see a government formed of non-political technocrats.\n\nThe timing of any election is critical, as Italy must submit a budget in the fall — and needs a working majority to work out terms. The EU’s third-largest economy barely dodged an EU budget disciplinary process over its rising debt levels this year.\n\nThe 5-Star leader, Luigi Di Maio, responded to Salvini’s statement by saying his populist party was ready to go to a new election. But while Salvini wants immediate vote, Di Maio sought to postpone it until after parliament gave its final approval to a reform reducing the number of lawmakers, a vote that had been scheduled for early September.\n\nEarlier Thursday, the right-wing League issued a statement complaining of deadlock with the 5-Star Movement on a variety of issues, saying “it is useless to go on” adding that “the only alternative to this government” is for a new election.\n\nThe high-speed train vote laid bare the deep divisions in the Italy’s 14-month-old government, with the 5-Stars opposing the rail link as costly and unnecessary and the League supporting it as necessary for the economy and its core base of northern entrepreneurs.\n\nAfter the vote, Salvini told supporters in the coastal town of Sabaudia “that something broke in the last months” in the governing coalition.\n\nBesides the high-speed rail-link, the League listed other areas of contention between the two parties, including fiscal policies, energy, justice reform, regional autonomy and relations with Europe.\n\nIn his comments Wednesday, Salvini noted that the 5-Star’s pet electoral promise, basic income, which the government passed, was a handout that did not create jobs.\n\nSalvini is coming off another victory this week with the passage of a new security law that fines humanitarian rescue ships up to 1 million euros ($1.1 million) if they enter Italian waters with migrants. Preventing such ships from docking has been Salvini’s hallmark as interior minister.\n\nAfter approving a basic minimum income and reversing an unpopular pension reform, the government bogged down during the European election campaign and never appeared to regain its footing.\n\nSalvini’s anti-migrant, anti-NGO stance is credited with the League’s surge in popularity. After claiming just 17% of the vote in last year’s national election, the league won 34% in European elections this spring. Surveys put support for the party now at 38%.\n\nThe 5-Star Movement’s fortunes have sunk conversely, from nearly 33% of the vote in the national elections, giving it more seats in parliament than its partners, to just 17% in the European elections. Its support hovers at 17% currently.\n\nConte, who celebrated his 55th birthday Thursday, appeared bitter that his government experience appeared to be coming to an end, and took some swipes at Salvini, noting that the League is under investigation for allegedly taking funding from Russia and commenting on the League leader’s recent public appearances and press conferences on Italian beaches.\n\nMost of all, he took issue with suggestions that the government was in a stalemate.\n\n“I will not allow the narrative of a government that doesn’t function. Of a government of ‘No.’ This government in reality has always spoken little, and worked a lot,” Conte said. “This government wasn’t at the beach every day, but in the institutional seats to work from morning to night with respect for Italians.”", "The Latest Italy’s Salvini calls for a new election soon\n\nMILAN — The Latest on Italian politics (all times local):\n\nItaly is facing a government crisis with Interior Minister Matteo Salvini of the right-wing League party calling for a new election and urging Italy’s president to verify in parliament that the governing majority has collapsed.\n\nTensions spiraled after a Senate vote on Wednesday defeated a motion by the League’s coalition partners, the 5-Star Movement, that sought to kill an EU-funded high-speed rail project known in Italy as TAV that is supported by the League.\n\nSalvini met Thursday with Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte. After the meeting, Salvini issued a statement saying the TAV vote made clear that the populist coalition had collapsed. He called for a speedy election.\n\nTo have a new election, President Sergio Mattarella must first verify that the government has lost support in Parliament. It was unclear when that might happen, since parliament has adjourned for the summer holiday.\n\nTensions are rising in Italy’s government, with Interior Minister Matteo Salvini’s League saying that new elections are the only alternative to the current governing coalition with the 5-Star Movement.\n\nThe League on Thursday complained of deadlock on a variety of issues, including a vote in parliament over the future of an EU-funded high-speed rail link between Turin and the French city of Lyon. The statement said “it is useless to go on,” adding that “the only alternative to this government is to give the word back to Italians with new elections.”\n\nThe 5-Star Movement, which opposes the high-speed train link as too costly and unnecessary, replied that the League’s note was “not comprehensible,” and asked the party to clearly state what it wants."], "summary": "Deputy Prime Minister of Italy Matteo Salvini presents a vote of no-confidence against Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte."}
{"document": ["ADEN - Yemen’s southern separatists took control of all government military camps in Aden on Saturday, officials said, after four days of clashes between nominal allies who have turned on each other, complicating UN efforts to end the four-year war.\n\nThe separatists also surrounded the all-but empty presidential palace of the internationally recognized government that is temporarily based in the port city, a government official and another local official told Reuters.\n\nAt least eight civilians were killed on Friday in fighting between the separatists and government forces, according to medical sources. Fighting resumed early on Saturday but has since abated, residents said.\n\nThe combatants are both part of the Saudi-led pro-government coalition that has been battling the Iran-aligned armed Houthi movement in Yemen since March 2015, indicating a rift within the alliance. The war has killed tens of thousands and pushed the poorest Arabian Peninsula nation to the brink of famine.\n\n“It is all over, the (Southern Transitional Council) forces are in control of all the military camps,” an official in President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi’s government told Reuters.\n\nHe said the two sides had agreed the separatist forces would not try to seize the palace, located in the predominantly residential Crater district, while government forces would refrain from attacking them.\n\nThe separatists also took over the house of Interior Minister Ahmed al-Mayssari after he was evacuated from his residence with the help of coalition forces, government officials said. President Hadi is based in the Saudi capital Riyadh.\n\nThere was no immediate comment from the Western-backed, Sunni Muslim coalition led by Saudi Arabia that intervened in Yemen after the Houthis ousted Hadi’s government from power in the capital Sanaa in late 2014.\n\nAlliance member the United Arab Emirates, which has armed and trained thousands of southern separatist fighters, earlier called for calm and for the two sides to focus on opposing the Houthis.\n\nForeign Minister Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed called on UN special envoy Martin Griffiths, who is trying to de-escalate tensions across Yemen, “to deploy efforts and exert pressure” to that purpose.\n\nThe Norwegian Refugee Council said the battles had trapped civilians in their homes with dwindling supplies of food and water. The aid group said prolonged fighting in Aden, a gateway for commercial and aid supplies, could impact efforts to tackle the humanitarian crisis gripping the rest of the country.\n\nUN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has urged the parties to end hostilities and engage in “inclusive dialogue”. The clashes began on Wednesday after the separatists accused an Islamist party allied to Hadi of complicity in a missile attack on a military parade in Aden, one of three separate attacks that targeted southern forces.\n\nThe Houthis claimed responsibility for the parade attack that killed a senior southern commander.\n\nDespite their alliance, the separatists and Hadi’s government have rival agendas for Yemen’s future.\n\nAnalysts say the Houthis may have used the parade attack to test dynamics on the ground after the UAE in June scaled down its military presence in Yemen under pressure from Western allies to end the war and concerns about rising tensions with Iran in the Gulf.\n\nThe United Nations is trying to implement a stalled peace deal in the main port city of Hodeidah, further to the north, to pave the way for wider political negotiations to end the war.", "The Saudi-backed Yemeni government accused southern separatists of staging a coup in Aden after their fighters took over all military camps in the southern port city, seat of the internationally recognized government, on Saturday.", "ADEN, Aug 10 (Reuters) - Fierce fighting broke out on Saturday in Yemen's southern port of Aden between nominally allied forces that have turned on each other, exposing rifts in a pro-government military coalition and complicating U.N. efforts to end a devastating war.\n\nResidents said battles resumed at dawn, marking a fourth straight day of clashes between southern separatists and government forces in the city that hosts the temporary seat of Yemen's internationally-recognized authorities.\n\nAt least eight civilians were killed on Friday, medical sources said.\n\nThe combatants are both part of the Saudi-led coalition that has been battling the Iran-aligned armed Houthi movement in Yemen since March 2015. The war has killed tens of thousands and pushed the poorest Arabian Peninsula nation to the brink of famine.\n\nSaturday's clashes centered on the all-but empty presidential palace in the predominantly residential Crater district, near Aden International Airport and in a neighborhood where the interior minister lives, residents said.\n\nSources told Reuters the minister, Ahmed al-Mayssari, left his home during a lull in fighting the previous night.\n\nThe Norwegian Refugee Council said the battles have trapped civilians in their homes with dwindling supplies of food and water. The aid group said prolonged fighting in Aden, a gateway for commercial and aid supplies, could impact efforts to tackle the humanitarian crisis gripping the rest of the country.\n\nThe clashes began on Wednesday after the separatists accused an Islamist party allied to President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi of complicity in a missile attack on a military parade, one of three separate attacks that targeted southern forces.\n\nThe separatists and Hadi's government are nominally united in their battle against the Houthis, who removed Hadi from power in the capital Sanaa in late 2014, but they have rival agendas for Yemen's future.\n\nU.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday urged the parties to cease hostilities and engage in \"inclusive dialog.\"\n\nThe United Nations is trying to de-escalate tensions countrywide as it tries to implement a peace deal in the main port city of Hodeidah further to the north, to pave the way for wider political talks to end the war.\n\nSeparately, the Houthis' Al-Masirah TV quoted a military spokesman as saying the group had launched a drone attack against Saudi Arabia's civilian Abha airport, targeting the fuel depot and control tower. Saudi-owned al-Arabiya TV said air traffic at the airport was normal.\n\nThe Houthis have stepped up cross-border missile and drone strikes on Saudi Arabia, which leads the Western-backed, Sunni Muslim pro-government coalition.\n\nThe group controls Sanaa, Hodeidah and other major urban centers while Hadi's government holds Aden and a string of western coastal towns.\n\nThe Aden violence comes after key coalition member the United Arab Emirates, which has armed and trained thousands of southern separatist fighters, scaled down its military presence in Yemen amid pressure from Western allies to end the war and concerns about rising tensions with Iran in the Gulf.\n\nThe Yemen conflict is widely seen in the region as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran. The Houthis deny being puppets of Tehran and say their revolution is against corruption. (Reporting by Reuters team in Yemen, additional reporting by Nayera Abdallah in Cairo and Maher Chmaytelli in Dubai; Writing by Ghaida Ghantous; editing by John Stonestreet)", "DUBAI (Reuters) - The Saudi-backed Yemeni government accused southern separatists of staging a coup in Aden after their fighters took over all military camps in the southern port city, seat of the internationally recognized government, on Saturday.\n\n“What is happening in the temporary (government) capital of Aden by the Southern Transitional Council is a coup against institutions of the internationally recognized government,” the foreign ministry said in a Twitter post.", "DUBAI (Reuters) - The Saudi-backed Yemeni government accused southern separatists of staging a coup in Aden after their fighters took over all military camps in the southern port city, seat of the internationally recognized government, on Saturday.\n\n“What is happening in the temporary (government) capital of Aden by the Southern Transitional Council is a coup against institutions of the internationally recognized government,” the foreign ministry said in a Twitter post.", "ADEN — Fierce fighting broke out on Saturday in Yemen’s southern port of Aden between nominally allied forces that have turned on each other, exposing rifts in a pro-government military coalition and complicating U.N. efforts to end a devastating war.\n\nResidents said battles resumed at dawn, marking a fourth straight day of clashes between southern separatists and government forces in the city that hosts the temporary seat of Yemen’s internationally-recognized authorities.\n\nAt least eight civilians were killed on Friday, medical sources said.\n\nThe combatants are both part of the Saudi-led coalition that has been battling the Iran-aligned armed Houthi movement in Yemen since March 2015. The war has killed tens of thousands and pushed the poorest Arabian Peninsula nation to the brink of famine.\n\nSaturday’s clashes centered on the all-but empty presidential palace in the predominantly residential Crater district, near Aden International Airport and in a neighborhood where the interior minister lives, residents said.\n\nSources told Reuters the minister, Ahmed al-Mayssari, left his home during a lull in fighting the previous night.\n\nThe Norwegian Refugee Council said the battles have trapped civilians in their homes with dwindling supplies of food and water. The aid group said prolonged fighting in Aden, a gateway for commercial and aid supplies, could impact efforts to tackle the humanitarian crisis gripping the rest of the country.\n\nThe clashes began on Wednesday after the separatists accused an Islamist party allied to President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi of complicity in a missile attack on a military parade, one of three separate attacks that targeted southern forces.\n\nThe separatists and Hadi’s government are nominally united in their battle against the Houthis, who removed Hadi from power in the capital Sanaa in late 2014, but they have rival agendas for Yemen’s future.\n\nU.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday urged the parties to cease hostilities and engage in “inclusive dialog.”\n\nThe United Nations is trying to de-escalate tensions countrywide as it tries to implement a peace deal in the main port city of Hodeidah further to the north, to pave the way for wider political talks to end the war.\n\nSeparately, the Houthis’ Al-Masirah TV quoted a military spokesman as saying the group had launched a drone attack against Saudi Arabia’s civilian Abha airport, targeting the fuel depot and control tower. Saudi-owned al-Arabiya TV said air traffic at the airport was normal.\n\nThe Houthis have stepped up cross-border missile and drone strikes on Saudi Arabia, which leads the Western-backed, Sunni Muslim pro-government coalition.\n\nThe group controls Sanaa, Hodeidah and other major urban centers while Hadi’s government holds Aden and a string of western coastal towns.\n\nThe Aden violence comes after key coalition member the United Arab Emirates, which has armed and trained thousands of southern separatist fighters, scaled down its military presence in Yemen amid pressure from Western allies to end the war and concerns about rising tensions with Iran in the Gulf.\n\nThe Yemen conflict is widely seen in the region as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran. The Houthis deny being puppets of Tehran and say their revolution is against corruption. (Reporting by Reuters team in Yemen, additional reporting by Nayera Abdallah in Cairo and Maher Chmaytelli in Dubai; Writing by Ghaida Ghantous; editing by John Stonestreet)", "Yemen’s southern separatists agreed on Sunday to a Saudi-led coalition’s calls for an immediate ceasefire in Aden, seat of the internationally recognized government, they said in a statement.", "ADEN, Aug 10 (Reuters) - Fierce fighting broke out on Saturday in Yemen's southern port of Aden between nominally allied forces that have turned on each other, exposing rifts in a pro-government military coalition and complicating U.N. efforts to end a devastating war.\n\nResidents said battles resumed at dawn, marking a fourth straight day of clashes between southern separatists and government forces in the city that hosts the temporary seat of Yemen's internationally-recognised authorities.\n\nAt least eight civilians were killed on Friday, medical sources said.\n\nThe combatants are both part of the Saudi-led coalition that has been battling the Iran-aligned armed Houthi movement in Yemen since March 2015. The war has killed tens of thousands and pushed the poorest Arabian Peninsula nation to the brink of famine.\n\nSaturday's clashes centred on the all-but empty presidential palace in the predominantly residential Crater district, near Aden International Airport and in a neighbourhood where the interior minister lives, residents said.\n\nSources told Reuters the minister, Ahmed al-Mayssari, left his home during a lull in fighting the previous night.\n\nThe Norwegian Refugee Council said the battles have trapped civilians in their homes with dwindling supplies of food and water. The aid group said prolonged fighting in Aden, a gateway for commercial and aid supplies, could impact efforts to tackle the humanitarian crisis gripping the rest of the country.\n\nThe clashes began on Wednesday after the separatists accused an Islamist party allied to President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi of complicity in a missile attack on a military parade, one of three separate attacks that targeted southern forces.\n\nThe separatists and Hadi's government are nominally united in their battle against the Houthis, who removed Hadi from power in the capital Sanaa in late 2014, but they have rival agendas for Yemen's future.\n\nU.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday urged the parties to cease hostilities and engage in \"inclusive dialogue\".\n\nThe United Nations is trying to de-escalate tensions countrywide as it tries to implement a peace deal in the main port city of Hodeidah further to the north, to pave the way for wider political talks to end the war.\n\nSeparately, the Houthis' Al-Masirah TV quoted a military spokesman as saying the group had launched a drone attack against Saudi Arabia's civilian Abha airport, targeting the fuel depot and control tower. Saudi-owned al-Arabiya TV said air traffic at the airport was normal.\n\nThe Houthis have stepped up cross-border missile and drone strikes on Saudi Arabia, which leads the Western-backed, Sunni Muslim pro-government coalition.\n\nThe group controls Sanaa, Hodeidah and other major urban centres while Hadi's government holds Aden and a string of western coastal towns.\n\nThe Aden violence comes after key coalition member the United Arab Emirates, which has armed and trained thousands of southern separatist fighters, scaled down its military presence in Yemen amid pressure from Western allies to end the war and concerns about rising tensions with Iran in the Gulf.\n\nThe Yemen conflict is widely seen in the region as a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran. The Houthis deny being puppets of Tehran and say their revolution is against corruption. (Reporting by Reuters team in Yemen, additional reporting by Nayera Abdallah in Cairo and Maher Chmaytelli in Dubai; Writing by Ghaida Ghantous; editing by John Stonestreet)", "Separatists in southern Yemen have seized all government military camps and the presidential palace in the port city of Aden, according to security sources and witnesses, amid heavy fighting that has killed and wounded scores of people.\n\nA spokesman for the Security Belt, a militia aligned with the United Arab Emirates-backed Southern Transitional Council, told AFP news agency on Saturday that fighters from the group met no resistance when they seized the all-but empty presidential palace from forces loyal to President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi's government.\n\nThe announcement came hours after a government official and local sources said the separatists had also wrested control of all government military camps in Aden, the city temporarily hosting Hadi's government, after clashes that killed dozens.\n\n\"We took the Maashiq palace from presidential [guard] forces without a fight,\" a spokesman from the separatist-dominated Security Belt force told AFP.\n\nWitnesses confirmed the move to AFP and Reuters.\n\nThe moves put the separatists in effective control of Aden, and Hadi's government accused the STC of staging a coup.\n\n\"What is happening in the temporary [government] capital of Aden by the Southern Transitional Council is a coup against institutions of the internationally recognised government,\" the foreign ministry said in a Twitter post.\n\nHadi, who was swept from power in 2014 when Houthi rebels overran Yemen's capital, Sanaa, is currently based in Saudi Arabia's capital, Riyadh.\n\nThe combatants in Aden are nominal allies in the Saudi-led coalition that has been battling the Houthis in northern and western Yemen since March 2015, but they have rival agendas for the country's future.\n\nThere was no comment from the coalition.\n\n'Every inch of Aden'\n\nNasser Arrabyee, a Yemeni journalist based in Sanaa, told Al Jazeera the separatists have declared they were now in control of \"every inch of Aden\".\n\n\"This is unprecedented - it was not expected to happen this quickly,\" he said, adding the move could see the south secede from the north.\n\nDoctors Without Borders (Medecins Sans Frontieres, or MSF), in a statement on Saturday, said the city was \"in a state of war\" and has ground to a halt because of the fighting.\n\nThe humanitarian group said it has treated 119 people in less than 24 hours.\n\n\"Most of the wounded are civilians trapped by the fighting and probably victims of mortar fire or stray bullets. Yesterday we treated a woman who had a bullet wound and she was eight months pregnant. At least five people were dead on arrival at the hospital, one of them a child,\" said Caroline Seguin, MSF's head of programmes in Yemen.\n\n\"The city's a battlefield. We can hear the sound of heavy weapon fire and tanks are moving around the streets,\" she added.\n\nThe Associated Press news agency, citing government officials, said at least 45 people were killed on Saturday when the separatists and loyalists fought over the main Fourth Brigade camp. The DPA news agency, citing a local medical official, put the death toll at 30.\n\nMembers of the UAE-backed southern Yemeni separatist forces stand by a tank during clashes with government forces in Aden [Fawaz Salman/Reuters]\n\nIn addition to Fourth Brigade, the separatists also seized the Tarek military camp.\n\n\"It is all over, the [Southern Transitional Council] forces are in control of all the military camps,\" an official in Hadi's government told Reuters.\n\nThe fighters also took over the house of Minister of Interior Ahmed al-Mayssari after he was evacuated with the help of coalition forces, government officials told Reuters.\n\nThe violence in Aden highlights a rift within the alliance and threatens to open a new front in Yemen's five-year-war, which has killed tens of thousands of people and pushed the impoverished country to the brink of famine.\n\nThe clashes between the two groups began on Wednesday when forces loyal to the STC attempted to break into the presidential palace in Aden after a call from former Cabinet Minister Hani Bin Braik, who serves as the council's deputy head, to \"topple\" Hadi's government.\n\n'Inclusive dialogue'\n\nIt was the recent withdrawal of UAE forces from Aden that \"encouraged [separatists] to take over the city,\" Al Jazeera's Mohammed al-Attab said, referring to Abu Dhabi's decision in July to pull out thousands of troops from Yemen.\n\nReporting from Sanaa, al-Attab said a Houthi-claimed attack on a military parade that killed 36 people, including a senior Security Belt commander, earlier this month had also inflamed tensions between the separatists and the government forces.\n\nThe separatists had accused an Islamist party allied to Hadi of complicity in the attack.\n\n\"The Security Belt viewed the attack on the military parade with suspicion as they feel there are many parties involved seeking to destroy and weaken their forces,\" our correspondent said.\n\n\"Today, they have achieved many of their goals by taking over all of the camps,\" he added. \"This is another failure for the Saudi-led coalition.\"\n\nEarlier on Saturday, the United Nations and the UAE called for calm in the port city.\n\nAntonio Guterres, the UN secretary-general, called for an end to hostilities in Aden and urged all sides to \"engage in an inclusive dialogue to resolve their differences\".\n\nAbdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan, UAE's foreign minister, said Abu Dhabi was \"exerting all efforts to calm and de-escalate the situation in Aden\", saying the two camps should focus their efforts on fighting the Houthis not each other.\n\nThe Houthis control Sanaa, Hodeidah and other major urban centres while Hadi's government holds Aden and a string of western coastal towns.\n\nSheikh Abdulla also called on the UNs envoy to Yemen, Martin Griffiths, \"to make all possible efforts to end the escalation in Aden,\" the official Emirati news agency WAM reported.", "Separatists from southern Yemen have seized key buildings in the city of Aden from the internationally recognised government, prompting a wave of Saudi airstrikes and ending an Eid truce only hours after it was called.\n\nThe Southern Transitional Council had been fighting in tense coalition with forces loyal to President Hadi against Houthi rebels backed by Iran. However, long-standing splits between the STC and the president’s forces have escalated into armed clashes in recent days, killing up to 40 people, according to the UN.\n\nMr Hadi’s government has been based in Aden, a port city in the southeast of the country, since being ousted from Sanaa, the capital, in September 2014. Mr Hadi is living in Saudi Arabia, which is providing his faction with air…"], "summary": "Fighters of the Southern Movement capture the port city of Aden from forces loyal to the internationally recognized President of Yemen Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi."}
{"document": ["Show caption Security officials inspect the site where a car bomb exploded in Benghazi. Photograph: Esam Al-Fetori/Reuters Libya Five, including UN staff, killed in Benghazi car bombing Explosion shattered Libyan conflict ceasefire agreed during Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha Agencies Sat 10 Aug 2019 18.40 EDT Share on Facebook\n\nShare on Twitter\n\nShare via Email\n\nA car bomb explosion in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi killed three UN staff members and two other mission members on Saturday, the United Nations said.\n\nThe UN is trying to broker a truce in the capital Tripoli, where the eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA) launched a surprise attack in April. A Reuters reporter at a Benghazi hospital where casualties of the blast were taken saw a list of names of those killed identifying them as part of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL).\n\nThe United Nations gave no more details, saying only some of its casualties had been members working in Benghazi, where its Libya mission had been boosting its presence recently.\n\nUN secretary general António Guterres condemned the attack, a spokesman said in a statement.\n\n“The secretary general calls on all parties to respect the humanitarian truce during Eid al-Adha and return to the negotiating table to pursue the peaceful future the people of Libya deserve,” UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said.\n\nThe United Nations security council was due to meet, at the request of France, to discuss the latest developments in Libya.\n\nLNA spokesman Ahmed al-Mismari told reporters the two people killed were UNSMIL guards. He added that 10 people had been wounded, including children. UNSMIL spokesman Jean El Alam said via email that the organisation was “in the process of gathering information”.\n\nThe explosion happened in front of a shopping mall and bank. At least one burned-out UN car could be seen at the scene.\n\nThe LNA has yet to advance beyond the southern suburbs of Tripoli, which is home to the internationally recognised government.\n\nAround the time of the blast, LNA commander Khalifa Haftar announced a halt to military operations during the Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday, which lasts from Saturday until Tuesday, according to a statement from his forces in Benghazi.\n\nOn Friday, the government in Tripoli said it had accepted a UN proposal for a ceasefire during the holiday. However, it was not clear whether fighting in the capital would actually cease. More than 105,000 people have been displaced during the clashes, according to the United Nations.", "BENGHAZI, Libya — At least three United Nations staff members were killed in Libya after a bomb-laden vehicle exploded this weekend outside a shopping mall in the eastern city of Benghazi, a spokesman for the international body said.\n\nThe attack on Saturday occurred even as the country’s warring sides said they had accepted a cease-fire proposed by the United Nations aimed at stopping combat in the capital, Tripoli, during an upcoming Muslim holiday.\n\nHealth officials said the bomb had exploded outside Arkan Mall in the Hawari neighborhood, where people were gathering for shopping a day before the Eid al-Adha holiday. The Benghazi municipal council said the attack had targeted a convoy for the United Nations Support Mission in Libya.\n\nFootage circulated online showed what appeared to be burned United Nations-owned vehicles as thick smoke bellowed into the sky.", "BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) - A car bomb explosion in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi killed three U.N. staff members and two other mission members on Saturday, the United Nations said.The attack came as the United Nations was brokering a truce in the capital Tripoli, where the eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA) force launched a surprise attack in April, part of the chaos in Libya since the toppling of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011.\n\nU.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday condemned the attack, a spokesman said in a statement.\n\n“The U.N. does not intend to evacuate from Libya,” the assistant secretary-general for peace operations, Bintou Keita, later told the Security Council, which also condemned the attack.\n\nThe United Nations gave no more details, saying only some of its casualties had been members working in Benghazi, where its Libya mission had been boosting its presence recently.\n\nLNA spokesman Ahmed Mismari told reporters two of those killed were guards with the U.N. Libya mission (UNSMIL). He added that 10 people had been wounded, including children.\n\nThe explosion happened in front of a shopping mall and bank. At least one burned-out U.N. car could be seen at the scene.\n\nThe LNA has yet to advance beyond the southern suburbs of Tripoli, which is home to the internationally recognized government.\n\nAround the time of the blast, LNA commander Khalifa Haftar announced a halt to military operations for 48 hours during the Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday, which started on Saturday, according to a statement from his forces in Benghazi.\n\nOn Friday, the government in Tripoli said it had already accepted a U.N. proposal for a ceasefire during the holiday.\n\nHowever, it was not clear whether fighting in the capital would actually cease. More than 105,000 people have been displaced during the clashes, according to the United Nations.\n\nUNSMIL will be responsible for monitoring any violations, the Tripoli government said. Analysts say it is unclear whether UNSMIL has the capacity to monitor a truce as it has moved out most of its staff for security reasons.\n\nBenghazi and the east is controlled by Haftar’s LNA allied to a parallel government in the east challenging the Tripoli administration.", "BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) - A car bomb explosion in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi killed three U.N. staff members on Saturday, several medical sources said.The attack came as the United Nations was brokering a truce in the capital Tripoli, where the eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA) launched a surprise attack in April.\n\nU.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday condemned the attack and confirmed two dead, a spokesman said in a statement. A medic said another U.N. staffer later died of his wounds in a hospital.\n\n“The secretary-general calls on all parties to respect the humanitarian truce during Eid al Adha and return to the negotiating table to pursue the peaceful future the people of Libya deserve,” U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.\n\nHe did not give any details about the attack.\n\nThe United Nations Security Council was due to meet later on Saturday, at the request of France, to discuss the latest developments in Libya.\n\nLNA spokesman Ahmed Mismari told reporters the two people killed were guards with the United Nations Libya mission (UNSMIL). He added that 10 people had been wounded, including children.\n\nUNSMIL spokesman Jean El Alam said via email that the organization was “in the process of gathering information”. He could not be reached for further comment.\n\nThe explosion happened in front of a shopping mall and bank. At least one burned-out U.N. car could be seen at the scene.\n\nThe LNA has yet to advance beyond the southern suburbs of Tripoli, which is home to the internationally recognized government.\n\nAround the time of the blast, LNA commander Khalifa Haftar announced a halt to military operations for 48 hours during the Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday, which started on Saturday, according to a statement from his forces in Benghazi.\n\nOn Friday, the government in Tripoli said it had already accepted a U.N. proposal for a ceasefire during the holiday.\n\nHowever, it was not clear whether fighting in the capital would actually cease. More than 105,000 people have been displaced during the clashes, according to the United Nations.\n\nUNSMIL will be responsible for monitoring any violations, the Tripoli government said. Analysts say it is unclear whether UNSMIL has the capacity to monitor a truce as it has moved out most of its staff for security reasons.\n\nBenghazi and the east is controlled by Haftar’s LNA allied to a parallel government in the east challenging the Tripoli administration.", "A car bombing in Libya's eastern city of Benghazi killed two United Nations staff on Saturday, a security official said.\n\n\"Two members of the UN mission, one them a foreigner, were killed and at least eight others wounded including a child, by a car bomb\" in a shopping area of the Al-Hawari district, the official said.\n\nThere was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blast, which happened as a UN convoy was passing through the area.\n\nBenghazi, Libya's second city and the cradle of the 2011 uprising that overthrew dictator Moamer Kadhafi, was hit by years of violence targeting diplomatic offices and security forces after his fall.\n\nAn attack on the US consulate on September 11, 2012, killed US ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans.\n\nIn 2017, military strongman Khalifa Haftar drove hardline Islamists and jihadists out of Benghazi after a three-year battle.\n\nHaftar, who backs an eastern-based administration that opposes the Tripoli-based unity government, went on to seize Derna, the last city in eastern Libya outside his control.\n\nBut bombings and kidnappings have continued.\n\nA May 2018 attack left seven people dead and last month, a car bombing at the funeral of an ex-army commander killed at least four people and wounded more than 30 others.\n\nA Libyan lawmaker is also feared to have been abducted by an armed group in the eastern city, the UN and lawmakers said in July.\n\nHaftar controls most of eastern Libya, and early this year he ordered his self-styled Libyan National Army to purge the south of what he called \"terrorist groups and criminals\".\n\nOn the heels of that campaign, his LNA launched in April an offensive to take the Libyan capital from the UN-recognised Government of National Accord.\n\nThe LNA on Saturday announced a truce around Tripoli for the three-day Muslim festival of Eid Al-Adha, after the unity government conditionally accepted a ceasefire called for by the UN.", "UNITED NATIONS, Aug 11 (APP):Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has condemned a car bomb attack in front of a shopping mall in the Libyan city of Benghazi, which left three UN workers dead, and three others injured, with dozens of civilians also wounded.\n\nThe Security Council met in emergency session in New York later in the day, and discussed the latest developments impacting the war-torn north African nation.\n\nAccording to a statement from the UN Special Representative for Libya, Ghassan Salame, the staff members who died and were injured served with the UN Support Mission in the country, UNSMIL, which he heads. Scores of civilians were also injured by the explosion.", "BENGHAZI, Libya (Reuters) - A car bomb explosion in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi killed two United Nations’ staff on Saturday, several medical sources and the eastern military said.The U.N. is trying to broker a truce in the capital Tripoli, where the eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA) launched a surprise attack in April.\n\nA Reuters reporter at a Benghazi hospital where casualties of the blast were taken saw a list of names of those killed identifying them as part of the United Nations Libya mission (UNSMIL).\n\nLNA spokesman Ahmed Mismari told reporters the two people killed were UNSMIL guards. He added that ten people had been wounded, among them children.\n\nUNSMIL spokesman Jean El Alam said via email that the organization was “in the process of gathering information”.\n\nThe explosion happened in front of a shopping mall and bank. At least one burned out U.N. car could be seen at the scene.\n\nThe LNA has yet to advance beyond the southern suburbs of Tripoli, which is home to the internationally recognized government.\n\nAround the time of the blast, LNA commander Khalifa Haftar, announced a halt to military operations during the Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday, which lasts from Saturday until Tuesday, according to a statement from his forces in Benghazi.\n\nOn Friday, the government in Tripoli said it had accepted a U.N. proposal for a ceasefire during the holiday period.\n\nHowever, it was not clear whether fighting in the capital would actually cease. More than 105,000 people have been displaced during the clashes, according to the United Nations.\n\nUNSMIL will be responsible for monitoring any violations, the Tripoli government said.", "BENGHAZI — A car bomb explosion in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi killed two U.N. staff members on Saturday, several medical sources and the eastern military said.\n\nThe United Nations is trying to broker a truce in the capital Tripoli, where the eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA) launched a surprise attack in April. A Reuters reporter at a Benghazi hospital where casualties of the blast were taken saw a list of names of those killed identifying them as part of the United Nations Libya mission (UNSMIL).\n\nU.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday condemned the attack, a spokesman said in a statement.\n\n“The secretary-general calls on all parties to respect the humanitarian truce during Eid al Adha and return to the negotiating table to pursue the peaceful future the people of Libya deserve,” U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.\n\nThe United Nations Security Council was due to meet later on Saturday, at the request of France, to discuss the latest developments in Libya.\n\nLNA spokesman Ahmed Mismari told reporters the two people killed were UNSMIL guards. He added that 10 people had been wounded, including children.\n\nUNSMIL spokesman Jean El Alam said via email that the organization was “in the process of gathering information.”\n\nThe explosion happened in front of a shopping mall and bank. At least one burned-out U.N. car could be seen at the scene.\n\nThe LNA has yet to advance beyond the southern suburbs of Tripoli, which is home to the internationally recognized government.\n\nAround the time of the blast, LNA commander Khalifa Haftar announced a halt to military operations during the Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday, which lasts from Saturday until Tuesday, according to a statement from his forces in Benghazi.\n\nOn Friday, the government in Tripoli said it had accepted a U.N. proposal for a ceasefire during the holiday.\n\nHowever, it was not clear whether fighting in the capital would actually cease. More than 105,000 people have been displaced during the clashes, according to the United Nations.\n\nUNSMIL will be responsible for monitoring any violations, the Tripoli government said. (Reporting by Ayman al-Warfalli, Ahmed Tolba and Ulf Laessing; Additional reporting by Michelle Nichols in New York. Writing by Ulf Laessing; editing by John Stonestreet, Kirsten Donovan and Jonathan Oatis)", "A car bomb explosion in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi killed three U.N. staff members on Saturday, several medical sources said.The attack came as the United Nations was brokering a truce in the capital Tripoli, where the eastern-based Libyan National Army (LNA) launched a surprise attack in April.", "A bomb-laden vehicle exploded Saturday outside a shopping mall in Libya’s eastern city of Benghazi, killing at least three U.N. staff members, a spokesman for the United Nations secretary-general said. The attack came even as the country’s warring sides said they accepted a cease-fire proposed by the U.N. aimed at halting combat in the capital Tripoli during an upcoming Muslim holiday.\n\nHealth officials said the blast took place outside Arkan Mall in the Hawari neighbourhood, where people were gathering for shopping a day before the Eid al-Adha holiday begins. The Benghazi municipal council said the attack targeted a convoy for the U.N. Support Mission in Libya.\n\nREAD MORE: More than 12,000 children killed, injured in armed conflict in 2018: UN report\n\nThe site of the attack is close to offices of the mission in Libya. Two of the dead hailed from Libya and Fuji, and the blast wounded nine people, according to health officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief reporters.\n\nStephane Dujarric, a spokesman for U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said in a statement that three U.N. workers were among the wounded.\n\n“The Secretary-General extends his deepest condolences to the bereaved families and wishes a swift recovery to all the injured. He calls on the Libyan authoritieBenghazis to spare no effort in identifying and swiftly bringing to justice the perpetrators of this attack,” Dujarric said.\n\nWATCH: At least 40 dead after migrant detention centre in Libya hit by air strike: official\n\nHe also said the secretary-general urged “all parties to respect the humanitarian truce during Eid al Adha and return to the negotiating table to pursue the peaceful future the people of Libya deserve.”\n\nThe U.N. special envoy for Libya, Ghassan Salame, condemned what he called a “cowardly attack.”\n\nREAD MORE: At least 40 dead after migrant detention centre in Libya hit by air strike: official\n\n“This attack will not discourage us, nor will it prevent us from carrying on with our duties to bring about peace, stability and prosperity to Libya and its people,” he said in a statement.\n\nSalame said the commitment of the parties of the U.N.-proposed cease-fire in Tripoli “sends an irrevocable message that the blood of Libyans, and UN staff, … was not shed in vain in this heinous explosion.”\n\nThe U.N. Security Council held an emergency meeting late Saturday afternoon on the situation.\n\nAssistant Secretary-General for Africa Bintou Keita told members the attack took place in an area “supposedly under full security control” of the Libyan National Army of Gen. Khalifa Hifter.\n\nShe said the attack “highlights the continued danger of terrorism across the country,” and it confirms that the latest hostilities are creating a vacuum “easily exploited by radical elements that strive on chaos and violence.”\n\nREAD MORE: Migrant detention centre bombed in Libya gradually being emptied, UN says\n\nKeita said the U.N. doesn’t intend to evacuate from Libya and she expressed hope that both sides will abide by their commitment to the Eid cease-fire.\n\nFootage circulated online shows what appears to be burnt U.N.-owned vehicles as thick smoke bellows into the sky.\n\nWATCH: Fight for Tripoli threatens hope for peace in Libya (April 2019)\n\nNo group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, which came just a month after two bomb-laden vehicles went off in Benghazi, the stronghold for the self-styled LNA. The July attack killed at least four people and wounded 33 others.\n\nIf it takes place, the upcoming cease-fire would be the first since the LNA launched a surprise military offensive on April 4 aimed at capturing Tripoli, ushering in fierce battles with militias loosely allied with a U.N.-supported but weak administration in the capital.\n\nREAD MORE: UN calls for urgent end to migrants brought to Libya after airstrike kills at least 44\n\nThe battle for Tripoli has killed over 1,100 people, mostly combatants, and has displaced more than 100,000 civilians. Thousands of African migrants captured by Libyan forces supported by the European Union are trapped in detention centres.\n\nIn recent weeks, the battle lines have changed little, with both sides dug in and shelling one another in the southern reaches of the capital. Fighters have also resorted heavily to airstrikes and attacks by drones. An airstrike on one facility early last month killed more than 50 people — many of whom were migrants who died when a hangar collapsed on top of them.\n\nWATCH: More than 100 people feared dead after boat carrying migrants capsizes off Libyan coast\n\nLibya slid into chaos after the 2011 uprising that toppled and killed long-ruling dictator Moammar Gadhafi. Armed groups have proliferated, and the country has emerged as a major transit point for migrants fleeing war and poverty for a better life in Europe.\n\nThe LNA is the largest and best organized of the country’s many militias, and enjoys the support of Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Russia. But it has faced stiff resistance from fighters aligned with the U.N.-recognized government, which is aided by Turkey and Qatar."], "summary": "A car bomb goes off in Benghazi, killing three members of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya and two other mission members, and wounding dozens of civilians."}
{"document": ["Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Mohammad Rafiq tackled the gunman\n\nA shooting at a mosque in Norway is being investigated as a possible act of terrorism, police say.\n\nA gunman opened fire on the Al-Noor Islamic Centre, on the outskirts of the capital Oslo, on Saturday.\n\nOne person in the mosque managed to overpower the gunman and was injured in the process. The suspect was arrested after the attack.\n\nPolice also charged the suspect with murder after his 17-year-old stepsister was found dead in a separate location.\n\nWhat do we know about the suspect?\n\nThe suspect has not yet been named, but police have described him as a white Norwegian citizen of \"around 20 years old\".\n\nHe was said to be \"from the area\" where the mosque attack took place, in the town of Baerum.\n\nRune Skjold, the acting chief of the police operation, said the suspect had been known to police before the incident but could not be described as someone with a \"criminal background\".\n\nMr Skjold said the man appeared to hold \"far-right\" and \"anti-immigrant\" views and had expressed sympathy for Vidkun Quisling, the leader of Norway's collaborationist government during the Nazi occupation.\n\nMore on the far right:\n\nNorwegian media reported that the suspect was believed to have posted on an online forum hours before the attack. The post seemingly praised the gunman who killed 51 people in mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, earlier this year.\n\nThe post also made references to a \"race war\", the reports said.\n\nOfficials say the suspect appears to have acted on his own. He did not want to \"give an explanation to police\".\n\nThe suspect has been charged with attempted murder over the shooting.\n\nHow did the attack unfold?\n\nOnly three people were inside the Al-Noor Islamic Centre at the time of the attack, preparing for the Muslim holiday of Eid-al-Adha the following day, a spokesman said.\n\nMosque director Irfan Mushtaq told local television network TV2 the suspect entered the building wearing a helmet and body armour, and armed with \"two shotgun-like weapons and a pistol\".\n\nThe gunman then opened fire before being overpowered by 65-year-old congregation member Mohammad Rafiq, who suffered minor injuries in the process.\n\nImage copyright AFP Image caption The gunman was overpowered afer entering the mosque\n\n\"I suddenly heard shooting from outside. He started to fire towards the two other men,\" Mr Rafiq, a retired Pakistani Air Force officer, told Reuters news agency.\n\nMr Rafiq said he grabbed the attacker, held him down and wrestled the weapons from him.\n\nThe mosque had previously implemented extra security measures after the New Zealand attacks in March.\n\nNorway tightly controls the purchase, possession and use of firearms. Permission to acquire a gun has to be obtained from the local police chief and is only given to those of \"sober habits\" who have reasonable grounds to need a weapon, according to the US Library of Congress.\n\nFully automatic weapons, some semi-automatic weapons and firearms disguised as other objects are banned, it says.\n\nThe Small Arms Survey estimates that there are 1,537,000 firearms in civilian possession in Norway.\n\nHow is the death connected?\n\nFollowing the attack on Saturday, police said they had discovered the body of a young woman related to the suspect at a house in Baerum.\n\nThey confirmed on Sunday that the woman was the suspect's 17-year-old stepsister.\n\nOfficials are treating her death as suspicious and have opened an investigation. The alleged mosque attacker has been charged with murder in the case.\n\nWhat has the reaction been?\n\nThe shooting has prompted debate over whether enough was being done to protect Norway's Muslim population.\n\nMosque director Mr Mushtaq said the government needed to take action.\n\n\"For so many years, the secret police says the Muslims are the biggest risk for this country, but if you look at those last two major incidents of terrorist activities, it's not Muslims who have done this,\" he said.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Prime Minister Erna Solberg said that working against hate speech was a priority.\n\nMuslim organisation Islamic Council Norway described the attack as \"the result of a long-lasting hate of Muslims that has been allowed to spread in Norway\".\n\nIt said authorities had not \"taken this development seriously\".\n\nPrime Minister Erna Solberg said on Twitter that Norway must fight hatred and anti-Muslim attitudes.\n\nIn separate comments, she said security had been ramped up for Sunday's Eid celebrations and that tackling hate speech was a priority.\n\n\"We are trying to combat this, but it's a challenge. I think it's a world-wide challenge in a sense,\" she said.\n\nOfficial estimates from 2016 said some 200,000 Muslims lived in Norway, which has a population of about 5 million.", "A murdered young woman whose body was found in a house following a shooting in a mosque near Oslo is the suspected gunman’s stepsister, Norwegian police said Sunday.\n\n“Police are confirming that it is the suspect’s 17-year-old stepsister that was found murdered yesterday,” police said in a statement, after earlier announcing they were treating the Saturday mosque shooting as an “attempted act of terror”.\n\nThe shooting at a mosque near Oslo is being treated as an “attempted act of terror”, with the suspect appearing to harbour far-right, anti-immigrant views.\n\n“We are looking at an attempted act of terror,” acting chief of the police operation Rune Skjold told a press conference.\n\nSkjold said the investigation had shown that the man appeared to hold “far-right” and “anti-immigrant” views.\n\nThe suspect entered the al-Noor Islamic Centre on Saturday afternoon armed with multiple weapons and opened fire before being overpowered by a man who suffered “minor injuries” in the process.\n\nOnly three people were inside the mosque at the time of the attack, and police said they recovered two firearms from the scene but did not specify which type.\n\nNorway was the scene of one of the worst-ever attacks by a right-wing extremist in July 2011, when 77 people were killed by Anders Behring Breivik.\n\nHours after the attack on Saturday, the body of a young woman related to the suspect was found in a house in Baerum.\n\nInvestigators are treating her death as suspicious and have opened a murder probe.\n\nNorwegian media reported Sunday that the dead woman was 17 years old and the suspect’s adopted younger sister.\n\nPolice said earlier Sunday they had tried to question the suspect, described as a “young man” around 20 years old with a “Norwegian background” who was living in the vicinity but he did not want to “give an explanation to police”.\n\nThe man had been known to police before the incident but according to Skjold he could not be described as someone with a “criminal background”.\n\nThere has been a recent spate of white nationalist attacks in the West, including in the United States and in New Zealand where 51 Muslim worshippers were killed in March at two mosques in the city of Christchurch.\n\nThe al-Noor Islamic centre in Norway shares its name with the worst affected mosque in the New Zealand attacks.\n\nOn Saturday, Norwegian media reported that the suspect was believed to have put up a post to an online forum hours before the attack where he seemingly praised the New Zealand assailant.\n\nIn the online post, references were made to a “race war” and it ended with the words “Valhalla awaits”.\n\nThe authenticity of the post or the exact identity of its author has not yet been established.\n\nThe suspect in the Christchurch killings wrote a hate-filled manifesto in which he said he was influenced by far-right ideologues including Breivik.\n\nBreivik detonated a massive bomb in Oslo that killed eight people and then opened fire on a gathering of the Labour Party’s youth wing on the island of Utoya, killing another 69 people, most of them teenagers.\n\nFor more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.", "Oslo: A gunman armed with multiple weapons opened fire in a mosque near Oslo on Saturday, injuring one person before being overpowered by an elderly worshipper and arrested, Norwegian police and witnesses said.\n\nHours after the attack, the body of a young woman related to the suspect was found in a home in the suburb of Baerum where the shooting took place earlier in the day, police said Saturday evening.\n\nInvestigators are treating her death as suspicious and have opened a murder probe.\n\nThe head of the mosque described the assailant as a young white man dressed in black and said he was wearing a helmet and bulletproof vest.\n\nHe said only three people had been inside the al-Noor Islamic centre at the time of the attack.\n\nPolice was alerted to the shooting shortly after 4 pm (1400 GMT).\n\nOfficers first reported that a victim had been shot, but later clarified one person had sustained \"minor injuries\" and that it was unclear if they were gunshot wounds.\n\nPolice said the suspect appeared to have acted on his own.\n\n\"It is a Norwegian young man, with a Norwegian background. He lives in the vicinity,\" Oslo police spokesman Rune Skjold had told a press conference earlier Saturday.\n\nSkjold added that the suspect had been known to police before the incident but could not be described as someone with a \"criminal background\".\n\nNorway was the scene of one of the worst-ever attacks by a right-wing extremist in July 2011, when 77 people were killed by Anders Behring Breivik.\n\n\"One of our members has been shot by a white man with a helmet and uniform,\" Irfan Mushtaq, head of the mosque, told local media.\n\nMushtaq said that the man had carried multiple weapons, but that he had been subdued by a member of the mosque.\n\nMushtaq himself had arrived at the scene shortly after being alerted about the gunman and had gone to the back of the building while waiting for police to arrive.\n\n\"Then I see that there are cartridges scattered and blood on the carpets, and I see one of our members is sitting on the perpetrator, covered in blood,\" Mushtaq told Norwegian newspaper VG.\n\nHe said the man who apparently overpowered the shooter was 75 years old and had been reading the Koran after a prayer session.\n\nAccording to Mushtaq, the mosque had not received any threats ahead of the shooting.\n\nThe attack took place on the eve of the Muslim celebration of Eid Al-Adha, marking the end of the Muslim pilgrimage Hajj.\n\nPolice said Saturday they would be sending out more officers so that those celebrating would \"be as safe as possible\".", "A shooting at a mosque outside Norway's capital that left one person injured is being investigated as a possible act of terrorism, officials said Sunday.\n\nThe Oslo Police Department said on Twitter the shooting took place Saturday afternoon at the Al-Noor Islamic Center located in Baerum, a western suburb of Oslo.\n\nAssistant Chief of Police Rune Skjold told reporters on Sunday the suspect, a Norwegian man, appeared to have \"far-right\" and \"anti-immigrant\" views that he had previously expressed online.\n\n“We’re investigating this as an attempt at carrying out an act of terrorism,” he told reporters.\n\nTALIBAN KILLS 14, WOUNDS OVER 100 IN KABUL SUICIDE BOMBING AMID US 'PEACE TALKS'\n\nSkjold added that the suspect had expressed sympathy for Vidkun Quisling, the leader of Norway's collaborationist government during the Nazi occupation, local newspaper Budstikka reported. Budstikka also quoted a mosque board member, Irfan Mushtaq, as saying the shooter wore a helmet and a uniform when he entered the mosque.\n\nMushtaq told Norway's TV2 the shooter came to the mosque carrying two \"shotgun-like\" weapons and a pistol when he broke through a glass door and opened fire.\n\nOnly three people were present in the mosque at the time of the attack while preparing for Sunday’s celebration of the Eid-al-Adha festival, mosque spokesman Waheed Ahmed told Reuters. After firing shots, the gunman was overpowered by two men inside the building before police arrived at the scene.\n\nHOW THE TALIBAN REMAINED DOMINANT IN AFGHANISTAN: TERRIFYING TACTICS AND AN ADVANCING WEAPONS ARSENAL\n\nThe one man who was injured, a 65-year-old member of the congregation, only sustained \"minor injuries\" when he helped to overpower the gunman, Budstikka reported.\n\nAfter the shooting, police went to his residence and said they found his 17-year-old sister dead. Police said the man is a suspect in that death.\n\nAuthorities have not identified the suspect.\n\nCLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS APP\n\nNorway's Prime Minister, Erna Solberg, told media that \"what happened yesterday are things that should not happen in Norway.\" She later expressed support for Norway's Muslim community on Twitter.\n\n\"Today, Muslims all over Norway celebrate Eid with their loved ones. A celebration that many have been looking forward to, but the attack on the mosque in Bærum creates fear and unrest,' she said. \"We must fight hatred and anti-Muslim attitudes.\"\n\nThe mosque had previously implemented extra security measures after a gunman killed 51 people at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, earlier this year, the BBC reported.\n\nThe Associated Press contributed to this report.", "(Hatha al-Youm | Iraq News )- One person has been injured in a shooting inside a mosque in Norway, police said on Saturday, adding that one man had been apprehended.The suspected shooter at the al-Noor Islamic Centre near the country's capital was described as \"a young white man\", the police added.", "A man has been arrested after a shooting inside a mosque in Norway.\n\nOne person was injured during the shooting which took place on Saturday afternoon, August 10.\n\nPolice say a gunman opened fire on the Al-Noor Islamic Centre, in the town of Baerum, on the outskirts of Oslo.\n\nAssistant chief of police Rune Skjold said the suspect \"is around 20 years old, a Norwegian citizen from the area,\" said\n\nAccording to BBC News , a woman was found dead at the house of the suspect.\n\nAssistant chief of police Rune Skjold added: \"We consider this a suspicious death... The dead person is related to the man arrested earlier today,\" he said.\n\nPolice say the man acted alone when he attacked the mosque.\n\nThe mosque's director Irfan Mushtaq told local media that the injured victim was a 75-year-old man.\n\n\"One of our members has been shot by a white man with a helmet and uniform,\" Irfan Mushtaq told local newspaper Budstikka.\n\nEarlier this year, a gunman killed 51 people at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand. And in 2017 eight people were injured in a shooting outside a mosque in Avignon southern France.", "A GUNMAN has stormed a Mosque in Oslo leaving at least one person injured, Norway police have confirmed.\n\nEmergency services scrambled to al-Noor Islamic Centre, Baerum, at around 4.42pm local time.\n\nThe shooter, described as a \"young white man\", was overpowered by members of the mosque before police arrived.\n\nHe has now been arrested.\n\nThe victim was a 75-year-old member of the congregation, mosque director Irfan Mushtaq told TV2.\n\nHe added: \"The man carried two shotgun-like weapons and a pistol.\n\n\"He broke through a glass door and fired shots.\"\n\nThe incident comes one day before the celebration of the holiest Islamic holiday, Eid-al-Adha or \"Feast of the Sacrifice\".\n\nWe pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368 . You can WhatsApp us on 07810 791 502. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.", "Police seen at the Al-Noor Islamic Centre after the shooting.\n\nPolice seen at the Al-Noor Islamic Centre after the shooting.\n\nTHE SHOOTING AT a mosque near Oslo in Norway is being treated as an “attempted act of terror”, police have said, with the suspect appearing to harbour far-right, anti-immigrant views.\n\n“We are looking at an attempted act of terror,” acting chief of the police operation Rune Skjold told a press conference.\n\nSkjold said the investigation had shown that the man appeared to hold “far-right” and “anti-immigrant” views.\n\nThe suspect entered the al-Noor Islamic Centre yesterday afternoon armed with multiple weapons and opened fire before being overpowered by a man who suffered “minor injuries” in the process.\n\nOnly three people were inside the mosque at the time of the attack, and police said they recovered two firearms from the scene but did not specify which type.\n\nNorway was the scene of one of the worst-ever attacks by a right-wing extremist in July 2011, when 77 people were killed by Anders Behring Breivik.\n\nHours after the attack yesterday, the body of a young woman related to the suspect was found in a house in Baerum. Investigators are treating her death as suspicious and have opened a murder probe.\n\nToday police confirmed that the deceased woman was the suspect’s 17-year-old stepsister.\n\nPolice said earlier today they had tried to question the suspect – described as a “young man” around 20 years old with a “Norwegian background” who was living in the vicinity – but he did not want to “give an explanation to police”.\n\nThe man had been known to police before the incident, but according to Skjold, he could not be described as someone with a “criminal background”.\n\nThere has been a recent spate of white nationalist attacks in the West, including in the United States and in New Zealand where 51 Muslim worshippers were killed in March at two mosques in the city of Christchurch.\n\nThe al-Noor Islamic centre in Norway shares its name with the worst affected mosque in the New Zealand attacks.\n\nNorwegian media reported that the suspect was believed to have put up a post to an online forum hours before the attack where he seemingly praised the New Zealand assailant.\n\nIn the online post, references were made to a “race war” and it ended with the words “Valhalla awaits”. The authenticity of the post or the exact identity of its author has not yet been established.\n\nThe suspect in the Christchurch killings wrote a hate-filled manifesto in which he said he was influenced by far-right ideologues including Breivik.\n\nBreivik detonated a massive bomb in Oslo that killed eight people and then opened fire on a gathering of the Labour Party’s youth wing on the island of Utoya, killing another 69 people, most of them teenagers.\n\nLocal Norwegian newspaper Budstikka said it had contacted the mosque in Baerum in March after the Christchurch massacre and that officials there had said security would be tightened.\n\nThe attack took place on the eve of the Muslim celebration of Eid Al-Adha, marking the end of the Muslim pilgrimage Hajj, stoking fears among Norway’s muslims.\n\n“The terror attack in Baerum is the result of a long-lasting hate of Muslims that has been allowed to spread in Norway, without Norwegian authorities having taken this development seriously,” the Muslim organisation Islamic Council Norway said in a statement.\n\nOslo police increased security around today’s celebrations, including ordering their patrols to be armed, which is generally not the case.\n\nNorway’s Prime Minister Erna Solberg, called the shooting a “direct attack on Norwegian Muslims”, as well as an “attack on freedom of religion”.\n\n“Today we stand shoulder to shoulder with Norwegian Muslims in condemning the attack,” Solberg said in a Facebook post.\n\nThe prime minister was scheduled to attend Eid Al-Adha celebrations at an Oslo mosque this afternoon. According to official estimates from 2016, about 200,000 Muslims live in Norway, representing nearly 4% of the total population.", "OSLO — One person has been injured in a shooting inside a mosque in Norway, police said on Saturday, adding that one man had been apprehended.\n\nThe suspected shooter at the al-Noor Islamic Centre near the country’s capital was described as “a young white man,” the police added. (Reporting by Lefteris Karagiannopoulos and Terje Solsvik Editing by Peter Graff)", "Police in Norway’s capital have said the shooting at a mosque that wounded one person is being investigated as an attempted terrorist attack.\n\nOne suspect is in custody after the shooting at the Al-Noor Islamic Centre in the Oslo suburb of Baerum on Saturday.\n\nPolice said they believe no-one else was involved."], "summary": "A man in Bærum, Norway, opens fire in Al Noor Islamic Centre, injuring a congregant. A woman was found dead at the house of the suspect."}
{"document": ["Israeli soldiers shot dead four Palestinian militants on Saturday on the border to the Gaza Strip after one of the men attacked them with a hand grenade, the Israeli military said.\n\nThe military said on Twitter that the men were armed with assault rifles, anti-tank missiles and hand grenades.\n\nThere has been a recent escalation in clashes between militants from Gaza, ruled by the Islamist group Hamas, and the Israeli army, which is keeping the enclave under a blockade that Israel says is prompted by security concerns.\n\nLast week, three soldiers were injured after a Palestinian who was seeking to avenge his brother's death at the hands of Israeli forces entered Israel from Gaza and opened fire. The man was killed in the ensuing gunbattle.\n\nEarlier this week, a 19-year-old Israeli soldier and student was stabbed to death in a settlement in the West Bank. The suspect in that attack is still at large.\n\nThe violence comes ahead of Israeli general elections on September 17, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu under pressure to show a firm hand in dealing with Palestinian militants.\n\nEvery evening, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.", "Israeli occupation forces have shot dead at least four Palestinians near the fence separating the besieged Gaza Strip from the occupied territories.\n\nLocal news sources said the Palestinians lost their lives in clashes with the Israeli army east of the Gaza city of Deir al-Balah early on Saturday.\n\nThe Israeli military claimed that the Palestinian victims had been “armed with AK-47 assault rifles, RPG grenade launchers & grenades—one of which was thrown.”\n\nOne of the Palestinian men, it added, had crossed the Gaza fence and fired at Israeli troops.\n\nIt also noted that Israeli lookout troops had already spotted the Palestinians approaching the Gaza fence and alerted soldiers stationed nearby.\n\nIsraeli troops regularly opens fatal fire on Palestinians, accusing them of seeking to attack them.\n\nHuman rights groups have repeatedly slammed the Israel for its shoot-to-kill policy.\n\nGaza has been under a crippling land, air and sea blockade by Israel since 2007 and witnessed three wars since 2008.\n\nThe coastal enclave has also witnessed deadly tensions since March 30, 2018 which marked the start of the Great March of Return protests, with participants demanding the right to return for the Palestinians driven out of their homeland.\n\nIsrael carries out regular attacks on Gaza under the pretext of hitting positions belonging to the Hamas resistance movement\n\nAlso on Friday, Israeli aircraft targeted an alleged Hamas outpost near near Deir el-Balah in central Gaza.", "Israeli soldiers shot dead four Palestinian militants on Saturday on the border to the Gaza Strip after one of the men attacked them with a hand grenade, the Israeli military said.\n\nThe military said on Twitter that the men were armed with assault rifles, anti-tank missiles and hand grenades.\n\nThere has been a recent escalation in clashes between militants from Gaza, ruled by the Islamist group Hamas, and the Israeli army, which is keeping the enclave under a blockade that Israel says is prompted by security concerns.\n\nLast week, three soldiers were injured after a Palestinian who was seeking to avenge his brother's death at the hands of Israeli forces entered Israel from Gaza and opened fire. The man was killed in the ensuing gunbattle.\n\nEarlier this week, a 19-year-old Israeli soldier and student was stabbed to death in a settlement in the West Bank. The suspect in that attack is still at large.\n\nThe violence comes ahead of Israeli general elections on September 17, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu under pressure to show a firm hand in dealing with Palestinian militants.\n\nEvery evening, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.", "For the second time in two days soldiers opened fire on armed militants, defence forces say\n\nThis article is more than 4 weeks old\n\nThis article is more than 4 weeks old\n\nIsraeli soldiers fired at a Palestinian militant on the Gaza border on Sunday, the military said, and a Palestinian medic said the man was killed.\n\nIt was the second such incident since Saturday when Israeli troops shot dead four heavily armed Palestinians who attempted to cross the volatile border.\n\n“IDF [Israel Defense Forces] troops spotted an armed terrorist approaching the security fence in the northern Gaza Strip. The terrorist opened fire towards the troops,” the military said of the second incident.\n\nThe soldiers returned fire and an Israeli tank fired at a post belonging to Hamas, the Islamist armed group that rules Gaza.\n\nThe IDF said no Israelis were hurt.\n\nIn a post on Twitter on Saturday, the IDF said the four men were armed with assault rifles, anti-tank missiles and hand grenades, one of which was hurled at their troops. “Once one of the terrorists crossed into Israel, our troops opened fire.”\n\nIsrael Defense Forces (@IDF) These are the weapons possessed by the terrorists who attempted to infiltrate into Israel from Gaza last night.\n\n\n\nTheir (unfulfilled) objective: murdering Israelis. pic.twitter.com/sQbMPK59sX\n\nThere was no immediate comment from Palestinian officials in Gaza or from militant groups in the territory.\n\nGaza is ruled by the Islamist group Hamas, which has fought three wars with Israel over the past decade. Israel pulled its troops and settlers from the territory in 2005 but keeps the enclave under a blockade, citing security concerns. Tensions along the border are high with frequent fatalities.", "Israeli troops shot dead four heavily armed Palestinians on the Gaza border early Saturday, one of whom had managed to cross and throw a grenade at troops, the army said.\n\nThere have been frequent clashes along the Gaza border since the Palestinians began organising regular mass protests there in March 2018 but Saturday's exchange was unusual because of the weaponry the army said was involved on the Palestinian side.\n\n\"The terrorists were equipped with AK-47 assault rifles, RPG grenade launchers and hand grenades,\" an army statement said.\n\nA spokeswoman said: \"The army opened fire after one of the terrorists scaled the barrier and hurled a grenade at the soldiers.\"\n\nNo casualties were reported in Israeli ranks.\n\nPalestinian demonstrations at the Gaza border demanding the lifting of Israel's more than decade-old blockade have often led to violence and a deadly response from the Israeli army.\n\nAt least 301 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in Gaza or the border area since March 2018, the majority during the demonstrations.\n\nSeven Israelis have also been killed.\n\nThe protests have declined in intensity in recent months following a truce brokered by UN officials and Egypt.\n\nUnder the truce, Israel agreed to take steps to ease aspects of its blockade in return for calm on the border.\n\nSporadic violence has continued but the Israeli army has said most of it has consisted of lone-wolf attacks.\n\nOn August 1, a Palestinian seeking to avenge his brother's death by Israeli fire entered Israel from Gaza armed with a Kalashnikov assault rifle and hand grenades. He was killed and three Israeli soldiers wounded, the army said.\n\nPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is widely seen as wanting to avoid a major flare-up in the Palestinian territories as Israel prepares for a snap general election on September 17, its second this year.\n\nBut he is likely to face political pressure to act firmly against any significant attack.\n\nIsrael and Hamas have fought three wars since 2008.\n\nThe border exchange came as Palestinians prepare to mark Eid al-Adha, the feast of the sacrifice.", "Israeli forces shot dead four Palestinians near a security fence at the Gaza Strip border, according to the army on Saturday.\n\nIn a statement, the army said the four men were allegedly armed with AK-47 assault rifles, hand grenades and a rocket-propelled grenade launcher.\n\nThe army said the remains of the four men are in Israeli custody.\n\nThere was no comment from Palestinian authorities in Gaza on the Israeli claim.\n\nIsrael and Palestinian group Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, reached an informal cease-fire in May after the worst bout of violence since 2014.\n\nPalestinians have been staging weekly protests near Gaza border to demand an end to a 12-year Israeli blockade on the Gaza Strip, which has shattered the coastal enclave's economy and deprived its two million inhabitants of many basic amenities.\n\nSince the Gaza rallies began last year, nearly 270 protesters have been martyred -- and thousands more wounded -- by Israeli troops deployed near the buffer zone.", "Four alleged Palestinian terrorists were killed by Israeli forces near the Gaza border fence, the military announced on Saturday.\n\nIsrael Defense Forces said the men were armed with grenades and assault rifles and that they had crossed the border from Gaza.\n\n“We just identified a number of terrorists from Gaza approaching Israel, armed with AK-47 assault rifles, RPG grenade launchers & grenades—one of which was thrown,” the force posted on its official Twitter account.\n\n“Once one of the terrorists crossed into Israel, our troops opened fire,” the statement added.\n\nIn a second post, the IDF published photographs of guns, ammunition and grenades laid on the ground and said: \"These are the weapons possessed by the terrorists who attempted to infiltrate into Israel from Gaza last night.\"\n\nIt added that their objective was \"murdering Israelis\".\n\nThe four dead were Abdulah al-Hamayda, Abdulah al-Ghamri, Abdulah al-Masri and Ahmad al-Odeini, security sources inside the Gaza Strip told Efe.\n\nThey were all in their early 20s and members of Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, the sources added.\n\nNo group has claimed responsibility for the alleged attempt and no official statement has been issued on the matter.\n\nThe Israeli military took the bodies of the four Palestinians and confiscated the weapons they were carrying, according to Palestinian sources.\n\nA similar incident that took place 10 days ago left three Israeli soldiers wounded after Hamas militia managed to enter Israel and opened fire at before being shot dead.\n\nThe unrest between Gaza and Israel has escalated since Gaza border protests rallies began in March 2018.\n\nHundreds and sometimes thousands of Palestinians have been taking to the streets every week in front of the fence to call for refugees’ right to return and lifting the blockade imposed by Israel on Gaza since 2007, when Hamas took charge of the Strip.\n\nSince then, many incidents have taken place in the area, which left at least 307 Palestinians dead as they were shot by Israeli forces during protests and incidents. EFE-EPA", "Jerusalem: Israeli troops shot dead four heavily armed Palestinians on the Gaza border early Saturday, one of whom had managed to cross and throw a grenade at troops, the army said.\n\nThere have been frequent clashes along the Gaza border since the Palestinians began organising regular mass protests there in March 2018 but Saturday's exchange was unusual because of the weaponry the army said was involved on the Palestinian side.\n\n\"The terrorists were equipped with AK-47 assault rifles, RPG grenade launchers and hand grenades,\" an army statement said.\n\nA spokeswoman said: \"The army opened fire after one of the terrorists scaled the barrier and hurled a grenade at the soldiers.\" No casualties were reported in Israeli ranks.\n\nPalestinian demonstrations at the Gaza border demanding the lifting of Israel's more than decade-old blockade have often led to violence and a deadly response from the Israeli army.\n\nAt least 301 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in Gaza or the border area since March 2018, the majority during the demonstrations.\n\nSeven Israelis have also been killed.\n\nThe protests have declined in intensity in recent months following a truce brokered by UN officials and Egypt.\n\nUnder the truce, Israel agreed to take steps to ease aspects of its blockade in return for calm on the border.\n\nSporadic violence has continued but the Israeli army has said most of it has consisted of lone-wolf attacks.\n\nOn August 1, a Palestinian seeking to avenge his brother's death by Israeli fire entered Israel from Gaza armed with a Kalashnikov assault rifle and hand grenades. He was killed and three Israeli soldiers wounded, the army said.\n\nPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is widely seen as wanting to avoid a major flare-up in the Palestinian territories as Israel prepares for a snap general election on September 17, its second this year.\n\nBut he is likely to face political pressure to act firmly against any significant attack.\n\nIsrael and Hamas have fought three wars since 2008.\n\nThe border exchange came as Palestinians prepare to mark Eid al-Adha, the feast of the sacrifice.\n\nGet the best of News18 delivered to your inbox - subscribe to News18 Daybreak. Follow News18.com on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and on YouTube, and stay in the know with what's happening in the world around you – in real time.\n\nSubscribe to Moneycontrol Pro and gain access to curated markets data, trading recommendations, equity analysis, investment ideas, insights from market gurus and much more. Get Moneycontrol PRO for 1 year at price of 3 months. Use code FREEDOM.", "Gaza City [Palestine], Aug 11 (ANI): Israeli troops on Saturday gunned down four Palestinian nationals near a security fence with the strife-torn Gaza Strip.\n\nThe four Palestinians, all of them men, were allegedly armed with AK-47 assault rifles, hand grenades and a rocket-propelled grenade launcher, the Israeli Army was quoted by Anadolu News Agency as saying in a statement.\n\nThe remains of the four Palestinian men are currently in Israeli custody.\n\nThe incident enraged the Hamas, the group ruling the Gaza Strip, terming it a \"new Israeli crime\" against the Palestinians.\n\n\"Israel is responsible for anger and pressure in Gaza as a result of the blockade,\" Hamas spokesperson Abdel-Latif al-Qanua said in a statement.\n\nIn May, the Israeli government and Hamas had reached an informal ceasefire to end the surge of violence around the Gaza border.\n\nSince last year, the Palestinians have been staging weekly demonstrations demanding an end to Israel's 12-year blockade of the Gaza Strip, which has affected nearly two million people from getting access to basic needs.\n\nAround 270 people have died and a thousand others injured in clashes with Israeli forces in the Gaza protests. (ANI)", "JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli forces opened fire on four Palestinian militants near the Gaza border fence on Saturday, killing the men, the Israeli military said.\n\nThe men were armed with assault rifles, anti-tank missiles and hand grenades, one of which was hurled at the Israeli troops, the military said on Twitter. “The soldiers opened fire after one of the terrorists crossed the border and killed them.”\n\nThere was no immediate comment from Palestinian officials in Gaza or from militant groups in the territory.\n\nGaza is ruled by the Islamist group Hamas, which has fought three wars with Israel over the past decade. Israel pulled its troops and settlers from the territory in 2005 but keeps the enclave under a blockade, citing security concerns. Tensions along the border are high with frequent fatalities."], "summary": "Israeli forces shoot dead four Palestinian militants near the border with Gaza, the Israeli military say. Israel Defense Forces say the men were armed with assault rifles, anti-tank missiles and hand grenades."}
{"document": ["The Israeli military arrested two Palestinians suspected of the murder of Cpl. Dvir Sorek over the weekend, the IDF announced Saturday evening.\n\n\n\nThe two terrorists were identified as 24-year-old Nazir Saleh Khalil Atafra – a Hamas activist – and 30-year-old Qasem Araf Khalil Atafra. Both are from the Palestinian village Beit Kahil, north of Hebron in the West Bank, and have had no previous arrests.\n\nTovah Lazaroff contributed to this report.\n\nEarlier on Saturday, four suspects – including a woman – were arrested in a raid in Beit Kahil, the Wafa Palestinian News Agency reported.According to the report, troops arrested four members of the Asafrah family, including 26-year-old Enas Asafrah.During the arrest, Qasem’s car – in which they carried out the attack – was also confiscated.A large riot of 100 Palestinians broke out during the arrest, leading to troops having to resort to riot dispersal means against the demonstrators.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, “I praise the ISA and the security forces for apprehending the murders of Dvir Sorek within 48 hours.\"“In recent years, our forces have laid hands on all of the Palestinian murderers who have attacked Israelis and today, they have done so again,” Netanyahu said.“We will continue to forcefully fight terrorism on all fronts,” he added.President Reuven Rivlin said, “A tense Shabbat, closely monitoring events. I salute our forces working night and day in Judea and Samaria and in Gaza.“Thank you, the intelligence and operational units, for capturing the abominable terrorists responsible for the murder of Dvir Sorek (z\"l). Thank you, the observers who sit with concentration and professionalism at the monitoring devices, and the heroic soldiers for stopping the severe terrorist attack planned by the criminal terrorist squad,” Rivlin said.Large numbers of troops from the IDF, Israel Police and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) had been conducting searches for Sorek’s killers since his body was discovered with multiple stab wounds on Thursday morning near Migdal Oz, south of Jerusalem.Sorek was enrolled in the Hesder military program at the Orthodox Machanayim Yeshiva in Migdal Oz, by which he would have simultaneously served in the IDF as both as a soldier and yeshiva student.Earlier in the day, he had been in Jerusalem, and told his friends that he planned to be back in school by about 8:30 p.m. He was last seen getting off the bus at around 8.00 p.m before walking towards Migdal Oz. His body was found at 3 a.m. near the road leading up to his school, which is located on the edge of Migdal Oz, by the gate.As part of the manhunt, security forces have been closing off villages as they looked for the perpetrators. This included Beit Fajar, where, according to local Palestinian reports, IDF troops arrested Ammar Thawabteh, 29, on Friday and confiscated his car.Security officials had been concerned that the cell, which is believed to have been getting help, could have attempted to commit other deadly attacks and inspire other copy-cat attacks.\"This is a very tense time,” IDF spokesperson Brig.-Gen. Ronen Manelis said on Saturday, explaining that the heightened tensions come ahead of the Jewish fast day of Tisha Be’av and the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha.While no group has claimed responsibility for the attack, the Shin Bet announced last month that it had foiled a series of attempts by the military wing of Hamas to establish terror cells in the West Bank.On Tuesday, the agency cleared for publication the arrests of two Hamas operatives who were operating under the direction of the group’s military wing in the Gaza Strip to carry out attacks against Israeli and Palestinian Authority targets.Cell members were instructed to establish teams to carry out kidnappings, shooting and stabbing attacks, to purchase weapons and to recruit others to carry out terrorist attacks, the Shin Bet said.“The military wing of the Hamas terrorist organization in the Gaza Strip continues to invest considerable efforts in establishing terrorist infrastructure in the West Bank with the aim of promoting terrorist attacks in Israel aimed at undermining regional stability,” a senior Shin Bet officer said.While security forces were able to foil large-scale attacks and arrest 130 Hamas operatives planning them, terror attacks by lone wolves have claimed the lives of 13 Israelis, including Sorek, in 2019.In March, 19-year-old St.-Sgt. Gal Keidan and 47-year-old Rabbi Ahiad Ettinger were killed in a shooting attack outside Ariel by 19-year-old Omar Amin Abu Lila, who escaped from the scene of the attack. He was found and shot dead by Israeli troops two days after the attack near the West Bank city of Ramallah.\n\nvar cont = `Join Jerusalem Post Premium Plus now for just $5 and upgrade your experience with an ads-free website and exclusive content. Click here>>\n\n\n\n`; document.getElementById(\"linkPremium\").innerHTML = cont; (function (v, i){ });", "JERUSALEM: The Israeli army said its troops shot dead four heavily armed Palestinians on the Gaza border early on Saturday (Aug 10), alleging one of them had managed to cross and throw a grenade at soldiers.\n\nSeparately, security forces said they had arrested two Palestinians suspected of killing an off-duty Israeli soldier in the occupied West Bank earlier this week.\n\nThere have been frequent clashes along the Gaza border since the Palestinians began organising regular mass protests there in March 2018.\n\nBut Saturday's exchange was unusual due to the weaponry the Israeli army said was involved on the Palestinian side.\n\n\"The terrorists were equipped with AK-47 assault rifles, RPG grenade launchers and hand grenades,\" an army statement said.\n\nA spokeswoman said \"the army opened fire after one of the terrorists scaled the barrier and hurled a grenade at the soldiers.\"\n\nArmy spokesman Jonathan Conricus said the four Palestinians were all wearing \"uniforms\" - without elaborating - and were equipped with food and a medical kit as well as the rifles.\n\nA Hamas statement condemned Israel's killing of the four Palestinians as a \"crime\".\n\nBut the Islamist rulers of the Palestinian enclave made no claim of responsibility and did not say if the four were members of its armed wing.\n\nPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu repeated his government's stance that Hamas is responsible for all attacks emanating from Gaza.\n\n\"Israel will continue to act to thwart infiltrations of its territory and attacks on our citizens,\" he said in a statement.\n\nPalestinian demonstrations at the border demanding the lifting of Israel's more than decade-old blockade have often led to violence and a deadly response from the Israeli army.\n\nAt least 301 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in Gaza or the border area since March 2018, the majority during the demonstrations.\n\nSeven Israelis have also been killed.\n\nThe protests have declined in intensity in recent months following a UN and Egypt-brokered truce under which Israel agreed to ease aspects of its blockade in return for calm.\n\nSporadic violence has continued but the Israeli army has said most of it has consisted of lone-wolf attacks.\n\nNetanyahu is widely seen as wanting to avoid a major flare-up in the Palestinian territories as Israel prepares for a snap general election on September 17, its second polls this year.\n\nBut he is likely to face political pressure to act firmly against any significant attack.\n\nIsrael and Hamas have fought three wars since 2008.\n\nOn August 1, a Palestinian seeking to avenge his brother's death by Israeli fire entered Israel from Gaza armed with a Kalashnikov assault rifle and hand grenades. He was killed and three Israeli soldiers wounded, the army said.\n\nThe latest killings on the Gaza border came days after off-duty soldier Dvir Sorek was found dead \"with stabbing marks\" near the West Bank settlement of Migdal Oz.\n\nIsrael's domestic intelligence agency said Saturday that two Palestinians suspected of killing him had been arrested.\n\n\"After an intensive intelligence operation by security services, the Israeli police and army arrested suspects\" in his murder, Shin Bet said in a statement.\n\nThe killing of the 19-year-old, between Bethlehem and the flashpoint city of Hebron, further hiked Israeli-Palestinian tensions ahead of the elections.\n\nThe Israeli army said separately that some 100 \"rioters\" had attacked security forces with rocks as they apprehended \"the terrorist squad\" suspected of killing him.\n\n\"In recent years our forces have laid hands on all of the Palestinian murderers who have attacked Israelis and today they have done so again,\" he said.", "JERUSALEM - The Israeli army said its troops fatally shot four heavily armed Palestinians on the Gaza border early Saturday, alleging one of them had crossed and thrown a grenade at soldiers. \n\n \n\n Separately, security forces said they had arrested two Palestinians suspected of killing an off-duty Israeli soldier in the occupied West Bank earlier this week. \n\n \n\n There have been frequent clashes along the Gaza border since the Palestinians began organizing regular mass protests there in March 2018. But Saturday's exchange was unusual because of the weaponry the Israeli army said was involved on the Palestinian side. \n\n \n\n \"The terrorists were equipped with AK-47 assault rifles, RPG grenade launchers and hand grenades,\" an army statement said. \n\n \n\n A spokeswoman said the army “opened fire after one of the terrorists scaled the barrier and hurled a grenade at the soldiers.\" \n\n \n\n No Israeli casualties were reported.\n\n'Uniforms'\n\n \n\n Army spokesman Jonathan Conricus said the four Palestinians were all wearing \"uniforms\" — without elaborating — and were equipped with food and a medical kit as well as the rifles. \n\n \n\n A Hamas statement condemned Israel's killing of the four Palestinians as a \"crime.\" \n\n \n\n But the Islamist rulers of the Palestinian enclave made no claim of responsibility and did not say whether the four were members of its armed wing. \n\n\n\nPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu repeated his government's stance that Hamas is responsible for all attacks emanating from Gaza. \n\n \n\n \"Israel will continue to act to thwart infiltrations of its territory and attacks on our citizens,\" he said in a statement.\n\nBlockade spurs protests\n\n \n\n Palestinian demonstrations at the border demanding the lifting of Israel's blockade, in effect for more than a decade, have often led to violence and a deadly response from the Israeli army. \n\n \n\n At least 301 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in Gaza or the border area since March 2018, the majority during the demonstrations. \n\n \n\n Seven Israelis have also been killed. \n\n \n\n The protests have declined in intensity in recent months following a truce brokered by the United Nations and Egypt, under which Israel agreed to ease aspects of its blockade in return for calm. \n\n \n\n Sporadic violence has continued but the Israeli army has said most of it consisted of lone-wolf attacks. \n\n \n\n Netanyahu is widely seen as wanting to avoid a major flare-up in the Palestinian territories as Israel prepares for a snap general election on Sept. 17, its second election this year. \n\n \n\n But he is likely to face political pressure to act firmly against any significant attack. \n\n \n\n Israel and Hamas have fought three wars since 2008. \n\n \n\n On Aug. 1, a Palestinian seeking to avenge his brother's death by Israeli fire entered Israel from Gaza armed with a Kalashnikov assault rifle and hand grenades. He was killed and three Israeli soldiers wounded, the army said.\n\nSoldier slain\n\n \n\n The latest killings on the Gaza border came days after off-duty soldier Dvir Sorek was found dead \"with stabbing marks\" near the West Bank settlement of Migdal Oz. \n\n \n\n Israel's domestic intelligence agency said Saturday that two Palestinians suspected of killing him had been arrested. \n\n \n\n \"After an intensive intelligence operation by security services, the Israeli police and army arrested suspects\" in his slaying, Shin Bet said in a statement. \n\n \n\n The killing of the 19-year-old, between Bethlehem and the flashpoint city of Hebron, further hiked Israeli-Palestinian tensions ahead of the elections. \n\n \n\n The Israeli army said separately that 100 \"rioters\" had attacked security forces with rocks as they apprehended \"the terrorist squad\" suspected of killing him. \n\n \n\n Netanyahu commended the swift arrests. \"In recent years our forces have laid hands on all of the Palestinian murderers who have attacked Israelis, and today they have done so again,\" he said.", "OCCUPIED AL-QUDS: The Israeli army said its troops shot dead four heavily armed Palestinians on the Gaza border early on Saturday, alleging one of them had managed to cross and throw a grenade at soldiers.\n\nThere have been frequent clashes along the Gaza border since the Palestinians began organising regular mass protests there in March 2018.\n\nBut Saturday’s exchange was unusual due to the weaponry the Israeli army said was involved on the Palestinian side.\n\n“The terrorists were equipped with AK-47 assault rifles, RPG grenade launchers and hand grenades,” an army statement said.\n\nA spokeswoman said “the army opened fire after one of the terrorists scaled the barrier and hurled a grenade at the soldiers.”\n\nNo casualties were reported in Israeli ranks.\n\nArmy spokesman Jonathan Conricus said the four Palestinians were all wearing “uniforms” -- without elaborating -- and were equipped with food and a medical kit as well as the rifles.\n\n“At this stage, we are still trying to determine why they had this medical kit with them,” he told reporters.\n\nConricus restated Israel’s longstanding position that it holds Gaza’s rulers Hamas responsible for all attacks emanating from the territory, since they control it.\n\nA Hamas statement condemned Israel’s killing of the four Palestinians as a “crime”.\n\nBut the Islamist rulers of the Palestinian enclave made no claim of responsibility and did not say if the four were members of its armed wing.\n\nPalestinian sources said the four men all came from the village of Wadi al-Salqa, close to the Israeli border.\n\nPalestinian demonstrations at the border demanding the lifting of Israel’s more than decade-old blockade have often led to violence and a deadly response from the Israeli army.\n\nAt least 301 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in Gaza or the border area since March 2018, the majority during the demonstrations.\n\nSeven Israelis have also been killed.\n\nThe protests have declined in intensity in recent months following a truce brokered by UN officials and Egypt.\n\nUnder the truce, Israel agreed to take steps to ease aspects of its blockade in return for calm on the border.\n\nSporadic violence has continued but the Israeli army has said most of it has consisted of lone-wolf attacks.\n\nOn August 1, a Palestinian seeking to avenge his brother’s death by Israeli fire entered Israel from Gaza armed with a Kalashnikov assault rifle and hand grenades. He was killed and three Israeli soldiers wounded, the army said.\n\nPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is widely seen as wanting to avoid a major flare-up in the Palestinian territories as Israel prepares for a snap general election on September 17, its second this year.\n\nBut he is likely to face political pressure to act firmly against any significant attack.\n\nIsrael and Hamas have fought three wars since 2008.\n\nThe attack came as Palestinians prepare to mark Eid al-Azha, the feast of sacrifice.\n\nIsrael is still conducting a manhunt in the occupied West Bank for the killers of an off-duty soldier whose body was found with multiple stab wounds on Thursday just 50 metres from the gates of the settlement where he lived. His killing had already raised Israeli-Palestinian tensions.", "Israeli army has said its troops shot dead four Palestinians near the Gaza boundary area with Israel on Saturday morning.\n\nThe four men were heavily armed with assault rifles, anti-tank missiles and hand grenades, one of which was hurled at the Israeli troops, the military said in a statement.\n\nThe Israeli army opened fire when one of the men crossed into Israel, it said. No casualties were reported in Israeli ranks.\n\nThere was no immediate comment from Palestinian officials in Gaza or armed groups in the territory.\n\nThe shootings on Saturday came as Muslim Palestinians prepare to mark Eid al-Adha, the feast of the sacrifice.\n\nGaza is ruled by Hamas, which has fought three wars with Israel over the past decade. Israel pulled its troops and settlers from the territory in 2005, but keeps the enclave under a blockade, citing security reasons.\n\nHamas has staged weekly protests along the line dividing Gaza and Israel since March 2018 against the strip's dire conditions following 12 years of the Israeli-Egyptian blockade.\n\nAt least 301 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in Gaza or the boundary area since then, the majority during demonstrations. Seven Israelis have also been killed.\n\nOn August 1, a Palestinian was killed and three Israeli soldiers wounded in an exchange of fire in an area of the southern Gaza Strip.\n\nThe intensity of protests have decreased since Israel and Hamas reached an informal ceasefire in May, following the worst round of fighting since a 2014 war between them.\n\nUnder the truce - brokered by the United Nations and Egypt - Israel agreed to take steps to ease aspects of its blockade on Gaza but Palestinians have accused it of slowing the deal, adding that it has not taken enough measure to ease the crippling economic conditions in the coastal enclave.\n\nIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is widely seen as wanting to avoid a major flare-up in the Palestinian territories as he gears up for a snap general election on September 17 - the country's second this year.\n\nHowever, he is likely to face political pressure to act firmly against any significant attack.\n\n\n\nGET THE NEWS at your fingertips and download the News24 app for Android here now. Get it for your iPhone here.\n\nKEEP UPDATED on the latest news by subscribing to our FREE newsletter.", "Israeli forces killed four Palestinian youths near Khan Younis, in the south of the besieged Gaza Strip, on Friday.\n\nThree of the Palestinians were members of Hamas-run restraint force, which is responsible for preventing breaches of the eastern fence between Gaza and Israel. During the incident, the Israeli military drones targeted two posts belonging to the restraint forces.\n\nIsraeli forces opened fire at the Palestinians, killing all of them. There were no casualties among the Israeli soldiers.\n\nIsraeli daily Ynet News quoted sources from within the Strip who named the three youths as 21-year-old Abdullah Hamaida, 19-year-old Abdullah A-Ghari, and 20-year-old Ahmed Adini. The fourth youth has not yet been named.", "The Israeli army said its troops shot dead four heavily armed Palestinians on the Gaza border early Saturday, alleging one of them had managed to cross and throw a grenade at soldiers.\n\nThere have been frequent clashes along the Gaza border since the Palestinians began organising regular mass protests there in March 2018.\n\nBut Saturday’s exchange was unusual due to the weaponry the Israeli army said was involved on the Palestinian side.\n\n“The terrorists were equipped with AK-47 assault rifles, RPG grenade launchers and hand grenades,” an army statement said.\n\nA spokeswoman said “the army opened fire after one of the terrorists scaled the barrier and hurled a grenade at the soldiers.”\n\nNo casualties were reported in Israeli ranks.\n\nArmy spokesman Jonathan Conricus said the four Palestinians were all wearing “uniforms” — without elaborating — and were equipped with food and a medical kit as well as the rifles.\n\n“At this stage, we are still trying to determine why they had this medical kit with them,” he told reporters.\n\nConricus restated Israel’s longstanding position that it holds Gaza’s rulers Hamas responsible for all attacks emanating from the territory, since they control it.\n\nA Hamas statement condemned Israel’s killing of the four Palestinians as a “crime”.\n\nBut the Islamist rulers of the Palestinian enclave made no claim of responsibility and did not say if the four were members of its armed wing.\n\nPalestinian sources said the four men all came from the village of Wadi al-Salqa, close to the Israeli border.\n\nPalestinian demonstrations at the border demanding the lifting of Israel’s more than decade-old blockade have often led to violence and a deadly response from the Israeli army.\n\nAt least 301 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in Gaza or the border area since March 2018, the majority during the demonstrations.\n\nSeven Israelis have also been killed.\n\nThe protests have declined in intensity in recent months following a truce brokered by UN officials and Egypt.\n\nUnder the truce, Israel agreed to take steps to ease aspects of its blockade in return for calm on the border.\n\nSporadic violence has continued but the Israeli army has said most of it has consisted of lone-wolf attacks.\n\nOn August 1, a Palestinian seeking to avenge his brother’s death by Israeli fire entered Israel from Gaza armed with a Kalashnikov assault rifle and hand grenades. He was killed and three Israeli soldiers wounded, the army said.\n\nPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is widely seen as wanting to avoid a major flare-up in the Palestinian territories as Israel prepares for a snap general election on September 17, its second this year.\n\nBut he is likely to face political pressure to act firmly against any significant attack.\n\nIsrael and Hamas have fought three wars since 2008.\n\nThe attack came as Palestinians prepare to mark Eid al-Adha, the feast of sacrifice.\n\nIsrael is still conducting a manhunt in the occupied West Bank for the killers of an off-duty soldier whose body was found with multiple stab wounds on Thursday just 50 metres (yards) from the gates of the settlement where he lived.\n\nHis killing had already raised Israeli-Palestinian tensions.", "Four Palestinians were shot and killed by Israeli forces for allegedly coming too close to the border fence between Gaza and Israel, east of Dir al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, according to Israeli media sources.\n\nIsraeli forces stationed along Gaza borders to the east of Khan Younis reportedly opened fire on a group of Palestinians after they allegedly approached the Israeli-installed barbed-wire fence along Gaza’s border with Israel, shooting and killing four.\n\nThe identities of the Palestinians remain unknown.\n\nIsraeli sources claimed that the group of Palestinians had fired toward the military base at the border, and there was an exchange of fire.\n\nThe Israeli Ynetnews said that the Golani Brigades that opened fire on the Palestinians are the same Brigade that came under fire two days ago, when two soldiers were injured.\n\nFollowing the shooting of the two Palestinians, the Israeli airforce dropped bombs on what they claimed were two observation posts for the Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of the Hamas party.\n\nMilitary vehicles also invaded the area east of Dir al-Balah and began combing the area.\n\nIsrael has imposed a buffer zone inside the Gaza Strip along the border between Gaza and Israel, preventing Palestinians from reaching their lands near the border fence. It regularly opens fire at anyone who enters that buffer zone.\n\nIn a fact sheet about Israeli attacks on border areas and their consequences, the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) said, “preventing Palestinians from accessing their lands and fishing areas violates numerous provisions of international human rights law, including the right to work, the right to an adequate standard of living, and the right to the highest attainable standard of health.”", "Israeli forces today killed four Palestinian youths near Khan Younis, in the south of the besieged Gaza Strip.\n\nThree of the Palestinians were members of Hamas-run restraint force, which is responsible for preventing breaches of the eastern fence between Gaza and Israel. During the incident, the Israeli military drones targeted two posts belonging to the restraint forces.\n\nYnet News reported that Israeli forces opened fire at the Palestinians, killing all of them. There were no casualties among the Israeli soldiers.\n\nThe Israeli daily quoted sources from within the Strip who named the three youths as 21-year-old Abdullah Hamaida, 19-year-old Abdullah A-Ghari and 20-year-old Ahmed Adini. The fourth youth has not yet been named.", "Israel army says killed four Palestinians on Gaza border\n\nJERUSALEM: The Israeli army said its troops shot dead four heavily armed Palestinians on the Gaza border early Saturday, alleging one of them had managed to cross and throw a grenade at soldiers.\n\nThere have been frequent clashes along the Gaza border since the Palestinians began organising regular mass protests there in March 2018.\n\nBut Saturday´s exchange was unusual due to the weaponry the Israeli army said was involved on the Palestinian side.\n\n“The terrorists were equipped with AK-47 assault rifles, RPG grenade launchers and hand grenades,” an army statement said.\n\nA spokeswoman said “the army opened fire after one of the terrorists scaled the barrier and hurled a grenade at the soldiers.”\n\nNo casualties were reported in Israeli ranks.\n\nArmy spokesman Jonathan Conricus said the four Palestinians were all wearing “uniforms” — without elaborating — and were equipped with food and a medical kit as well as the rifles.\n\n“At this stage, we are still trying to determine why they had this medical kit with them,” he told reporters.\n\nConricus restated Israel´s longstanding position that it holds Gaza´s rulers Hamas responsible for all attacks emanating from the territory, since they control it.\n\nA Hamas statement condemned Israel´s killing of the four Palestinians as a “crime”.\n\nBut the Islamist rulers of the Palestinian enclave made no claim of responsibility and did not say if the four were members of its armed wing.\n\nPalestinian sources said the four men all came from the village of Wadi al-Salqa, close to the Israeli border.\n\nPalestinian demonstrations at the border demanding the lifting of Israel´s more than decade-old blockade have often led to violence and a deadly response from the Israeli army.\n\nAt least 301 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in Gaza or the border area since March 2018, the majority during the demonstrations.\n\nSeven Israelis have also been killed.\n\nThe protests have declined in intensity in recent months following a truce brokered by UN officials and Egypt.\n\nUnder the truce, Israel agreed to take steps to ease aspects of its blockade in return for calm on the border.\n\nSporadic violence has continued but the Israeli army has said most of it has consisted of lone-wolf attacks.\n\nOn August 1, a Palestinian seeking to avenge his brother´s death by Israeli fire entered Israel from Gaza armed with a Kalashnikov assault rifle and hand grenades. He was killed and three Israeli soldiers wounded, the army said.\n\nPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is widely seen as wanting to avoid a major flare-up in the Palestinian territories as Israel prepares for a snap general election on September 17, its second this year.\n\nBut he is likely to face political pressure to act firmly against any significant attack.\n\nIsrael and Hamas have fought three wars since 2008.\n\nThe attack came as Palestinians prepare to mark Eid al-Adha, the feast of sacrifice.\n\nIsrael is still conducting a manhunt in the occupied West Bank for the killers of an off-duty soldier whose body was found with multiple stab wounds on Thursday just 50 metres (yards) from the gates of the settlement where he lived. His killing had already raised Israeli-Palestinian tensions."], "summary": "Israeli forces arrest two Palestinians who are suspected of having killed an Israeli soldier."}
{"document": ["The death toll from floods in the Indian states of Karnataka, Kerala and Maharashtra has risen to at least 147, according to authorities, as rescue teams raced to evacuate people and waters submerged parts of a world heritage site.\n\nHeavy rain and landslides forced hundreds of thousands of people to take shelter in relief camps, while train services were cancelled in several flood-hit areas.\n\nIn the southern state of Kerala, at least 57 people were killed in rain-related incidents while more than 165,000 were in relief camps in the state, local authorities said on Sunday.\n\n\"Several houses are still covered under 10-12 feet deep mud. This is hampering rescue work,\" state chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said.\n\nAuthorities worried that rescue operations would be hit by thunderstorms and rainfall predicted in some parts of Kerala.\n\n\"People are facing a lot of problems. Water has come from all directions, water has entered all the houses,\" a rescued local, Ajeet Pattankudi, told Reuters News Agency.\n\nLast year, more than 200 people were killed in Kerala and over five million were affected in one of the state's worst floods in 100 years.\n\nResidents are being evacuated from their home to a safer place following floods warnings, on a wooden boat in Kochi [AFP]\n\nIn Karnataka, several structures at the world heritage site Hampi, an ancient town, were flooded.\n\nSo far, 60 people have died in rain-related incidents, said state chief minister BS Yediyurappa, adding nearly 227,000 people were staying in relief camps.\n\n190810112218293\n\nIn Maharashtra, where the death toll stood at 30, the flood situation was improving, according to state-run All India Radio, though authorities said it would be difficult to restore rail services in some flood-hit areas within the next two weeks.\n\nWhile Karnataka, Kerala and Maharashtra have been the worst hit this year, several other states including Gujarat, Assam and Bihar have also seen heavy damage due to floods.\n\nIndia's main opposition Congress party on Sunday called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to provide relief packages.\n\nCiting media reports, the party said so far this year 446 people have been killed in six flood-hit states including Assam, Bihar and Gujarat.\n\n\"Despite the mammoth loss of lives and displacement caused due to floods, the government is failing to realize the gravity of the flood fury,\" it said in a statement.", "At least 95 people have been killed by monsoon flooding in southern and western India, while hundreds of thousands have been evacuated from their homes, according to reports.\n\nMore than 40 of those killed were in the south-western state of Kerala.\n\nThe flooding and landslides caused by the heavy seasonal rainfall have left some areas cut off.\n\nOfficials have called on those affected to try to seek shelter on higher ground.\n\nIndia is affected by monsoon rains between June and September. While crucial to replenishing water supplies, the heavy rainfall also results in death and destruction each year.\n• Is India's weather becoming more extreme?\n\nDisaster management officials said more than 100,000 people in Kerala had been evacuated into emergency relief camps, while more than 40 had been killed.\n\n\"There are around 80 places where flood and rains have triggered mudslides, which we cannot reach,\" state police spokesman Pramod Kumar told AFP news agency.\n\nWith the rains predicted to continue there in the coming days, the military is attempting to airlift food to stranded villages.\n\nLast year, more than 200 people were killed in Kerala in what was described as the state's worst flooding in 100 years.\n\nThe south-western state of Karnataka and western state of Maharashtra - which is home to India's financial capital Mumbai - are also experiencing heavy rains, with dozens of fatalities reported and hundreds of thousands of people evacuated.\n\nIndia's National Disaster Management Authority issued warnings on Saturday for \"heavy\" to \"extremely heavy\" rainfall in several parts of the country, as well as strong winds.", "KOCHI/BENGALURU — The death toll from floods in India’s states of Karnataka, Kerala and Maharashtra rose to 95, official figures showed on Saturday, as heavy rain and landslides forced hundreds of thousands to evacuate their homes.\n\nSeasonal monsoon rains from June to September are a crucial lifeline for agrarian Indian society, delivering 70% of the country’s rainfall, but they also bring in their wake death and destruction every year.\n\n“Our entire village under water for the last eight days but still we haven’t got any assistance from the government,” said farmer Prashant Lathe, 35, from a village in one of the flood-hit districts of the western state of Maharashtra.\n\nThe district has lost access to all basic amenities such as drinking water, power supply, cooking gas cylinder and petrol for running vehicles, Lathe said.\n\nExcessively strong rains can also harm India’s farming sector, which employs nearly half of its 1.3 billion people. Lathe said his sugar cane plantation of around four acres was submerged.\n\nIn the southwestern state of Kerala, some 42 people died and over 100,000 affected people have been evacuated, the central government’s disaster management cell said, after 80 landslides hit the state in two days.\n\nThe state was opening the gates of Banasurasagar dam in Wayanad district on Saturday to manage water levels and avoid serious damage.\n\nLast year, more than 200 people were killed and over five million affected in one of Kerala’s worst floods in 100 years. Some residents said the sudden opening of dam gates without proper warnings to those living downstream was a big factor in the devastation.\n\nThe state’s busiest airport, Cochin International Airport, closed since Friday as the taxiway was water-logged, will resume operations from 0630 GMT on Sunday, the airport management said.\n\nIn neighboring Karnataka, home to India’s tech hub Bengaluru, some 24 people have died in what chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa said on Saturday were the worst floods in 45 years.\n\nAround 1,024 villages have been inundated due to the rains, several dams were reaching their full capacity, and over 200,000 people had been evacuated, he added.\n\nIn Maharashtra, home to India’s financial capital Mumbai, 29 people have died this week.\n\nThe Indian Meteorological Department said heavy to very heavy rain was likely to lash isolated areas of Kerala, parts of Karnataka and Maharashtra, and some southern states might also see extremely heavy rain on Saturday. (Reporting by Jose Devasia in Kochi and Gopakumar Warrier in Bengaluru; Additional reporting by Rajendra Jadhav in Mumbai Writing by Promit Mukherjee Editing by Kim Coghill and Stephen Powell)", "The death toll from floods in India’s states of Karnataka, Kerala and Maharashtra rose to 95, official figures showed on Saturday, as heavy rain and landslides forced hundreds of thousands to evacuate their homes.\n\nSeasonal monsoon rains from June to September are a crucial lifeline for agrarian Indian society, delivering 70% of the country’s rainfall, but they also bring in their wake death and destruction every year.\n\n“Our entire village under water for the last eight days but still we haven’t got any assistance from the government,” said farmer Prashant Lathe, 35, from a village in one of the flood-hit districts of the western state of Maharashtra.\n\nThe district has lost access to all basic amenities such as drinking water, power supply, cooking gas cylinder and petrol for running vehicles, Lathe said.\n\nExcessively strong rains can also harm India’s farming sector, which employs nearly half of its 1.3 billion people. Lathe said his sugar cane plantation of around four acres was submerged.\n\nIn the southwestern state of Kerala, some 42 people died and over 100,000 affected people have been evacuated, the central government’s disaster management cell said, after 80 landslides hit the state in two days.\n\nThe state was opening the gates of Banasurasagar dam in Wayanad district on Saturday to manage water levels and avoid serious damage.\n\nLast year, more than 200 people were killed and over five million affected in one of Kerala’s worst floods in 100 years. Some residents said the sudden opening of dam gates without proper warnings to those living downstream was a big factor in the devastation.\n\nThe state’s busiest airport, Cochin International Airport, closed since Friday as the taxiway was water-logged, will resume operations from 0630 GMT on Sunday, the airport management said.\n\nIn neighboring Karnataka, home to India’s tech hub Bengaluru, some 24 people have died in what chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa said on Saturday were the worst floods in 45 years.\n\nAround 1,024 villages have been inundated due to the rains, several dams were reaching their full capacity, and over 200,000 people had been evacuated, he added.\n\nIn Maharashtra, home to India’s financial capital Mumbai, 29 people have died this week.\n\nThe Indian Meteorological Department said heavy to very heavy rain was likely to lash isolated areas of Kerala, parts of Karnataka and Maharashtra, and some southern states might also see extremely heavy rain on Saturday.\n\nAuthorities in India are taking steps to ease difficulties faced by travelers from the Gulf to Kerala as a result of floods caused by heavy rains.\n\nTwo dozen people are reported to have been killed across Kerala from the floods and nine districts in the state are under \"red alert\" to prevent further loss of lives and ensure essential services.\n\nOutside India, the most visible effects of the monsoon flooding in Kerala has been on the state’s connectivity with the Gulf. Cochin International Airport, the main gateway from Gulf countries to Kerala has been shut until Sunday afternoon.\n\nAlmost the entire air traffic by non-Indian carriers to Cochin airport are from the Gulf.\n\nThe Civil Aviation Ministry in New Delhi today directed incoming aircraft bound for Cochin to fly to two other Kerala airports: Trivandrum and Calicut.\n\nThe flights designated to take off from Cochin airport will also lift passengers from Trivandrum and Calicut instead.\n\nCochin International Airport Limited announced that Oman Air flights in the next three days will operate from Trivandrum instead of Cochin. Kuwait Airways flights on two days have been cancelled as did Gulf Air.\n\nCochin Airport said Fly Dubai and Air India flights have been shifted to Trivandrum.\n\nPassengers travelling by some Emirates flights have been rebooked from Trivandrum. Air Asia flights for two days have been cancelled.\n\nMost airlines have waived charges for changing travel dates or for cancelling journeys.", "KOCHI/BENGALURU (Reuters) - The death toll from floods in India's states of Karnataka, Kerala and Maharashtra rose to 95, official figures showed on Saturday, as heavy rain and landslides forced hundreds of thousands to evacuate their homes.\n\nSeasonal monsoon rains from June to September are a crucial lifeline for agrarian Indian society, delivering 70% of the country's rainfall, but they also bring in their wake death and destruction every year.\n\nSome 42 people died in southwestern Kerala and over 100,000 affected people have been evacuated, the central government's disaster management cell said, after 80 landslides hit the state in two days.\n\nThe state planned to open the gates of Banasurasagar dam in Wayanad district at 0930 GMT, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said during a news conference in the city of Kochi. Shutters of the dam were partially opened on Saturday morning to manage the water level and avoid serious damage, a senior state official of the district confirmed to Reuters.\n\nA red alert, or severe rainfall and bad weather conditions forecast, has been issued for seven out of 14 districts in the state, the Kerala State Disaster Management control room told Reuters on Saturday.\n\nLast year, Kerala was hit by one of its worst floods in one hundred years. More than 200 people were killed and over 5 million affected.\n\nThe state's busiest airport, Cochin International Airport, has been closed since Friday as the taxiway is water-logged. The airport is expected to reopen from Sunday as water levels had started to recede, the state body said.\n\nIn neighbouring Karnataka, home to India's tech hub Bengaluru, some 24 people have died in what chief minister B.S. Yeddyurappa said on Saturday were the worst floods in 45 years.\n\nAround 1,024 villages have been inundated due to the rains, several dams were reaching their full capacity, and over 200,000 people had been evacuated, he added.\n\nAs many as 16 of the state's 30 districts have been affected by the heavy rains and 235,105 people have been evacuated and shifted to 624 relief camps, Yeddyurappa added.\n\nIn Maharashtra, home to India's financial capital Mumbai, 29 people have died this week.\n\nThe Indian Meteorological Department said on its website that heavy to very heavy rain was likely to lash isolated areas of Kerala, parts of Karnataka and Maharashtra, and some southern states might also see extremely heavy rain on Saturday.", "The death toll from floods in the Indian states of Karnataka, Kerala and Maharashtra rose to 147, state authorities said on Sunday, as rescue teams raced to evacuate people and waters submerged parts of a world heritage site.\n\nHeavy rain and landslides forced hundreds of thousands of people to take shelter in relief camps, while train services were cancelled in several flood-hit areas.\n\nIn the southern state of Kerala, at least 57 people were killed in rain-related incidents while over 165,000 people were in relief camps in the state, state authorities said on Sunday.\n\n\"Several houses are still covered under 10-12 feet deep mud. This is hampering rescue work,\" state chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said.\n\nAuthorities worried that rescue operations would be hit by thunderstorms and rainfall predicted in some parts of Kerala.\n\nLast year, more than 200 people were killed in Kerala and over five million affected in one of worst floods in 100 years in the state.", "The death toll from floods in the Indian states of Karnataka, Kerala and Maharashtra rose to 147, state authorities said on Sunday, as rescue teams raced to evacuate people and waters submerged parts of a world heritage site.\n\nHeavy rain and landslides forced hundreds of thousands of people to take shelter in relief camps, while train services were cancelled in several flood-hit areas.\n\nIn the southern state of Kerala, at least 57 people were killed in rain-related incidents while over 165,000 people were in relief camps in the state, state authorities said on Sunday.\n\n“Several houses are still covered under 10-12 feet deep mud. This is hampering rescue work,” state chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said.\n\nAuthorities worried that rescue operations would be hit by thunderstorms and rainfall predicted in some parts of Kerala.\n\nLast year, more than 200 people were killed in Kerala and over five million affected in one of worst floods in 100 years in the state.\n\nIn Karnataka, several structures at world heritage site Hampi, an ancient town, were flooded.\n\nSo far 60 people have died in rain-related incidents, said state chief minister B S Yediyurappa, adding nearly 227,000 people were staying in relief camps.\n\nWhile Karnataka, Kerala and Maharashtra have been the worst hit this year, several other states including Gujarat, Assam and Bihar have also seen heavy damage due to floods.\n\nIn Maharashtra, where the death toll stood at 30, the flood situation was improving, according to state-run All India Radio, though authorities said it would be difficult to restore rail services in some flood-hit areas within the next two weeks.\n\nCiting media reports, the Congress party said so far this year 446 people have been killed in six flood-hit states including Assam, Bihar and Gujarat.\n\n“Despite the mammoth loss of lives and displacement caused due to floods, the government is failing to realize the gravity of the flood fury,” the Congress party said in a statement on Sunday.", "Death toll rises to 93 in floods, mudslides in south India\n\nNEW DELHI (AP) — At least 93 people have been killed and more than 400,000 displaced in floods and mudslides following days of torrential rains in southern India.\n\nThe worst-hit has been the state of Kerala where the death toll rose to 57 by late Saturday, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan tweeted.\n\nThat was an increase from 42 deaths reported since Aug. 8. More than 165,000 people left their homes for relief camps.\n\nThe Press Trust of India news agency reported another 31 people have been killed in rain-related accidents in neighboring Karnataka.\n\nAt least five others were reported dead in Tamil Nadu state.\n\nKerala suffered catastrophic floods a year ago when heavy downpours killed 223 people and drove hundreds of thousands from their homes.\n\nSouth Asia has continued to face rain-related disasters during the monsoon season, with 160 people killed last month in northeastern India, Nepal and Bangladesh.", "Death toll rises to 93 in floods, mudslides in south India\n\nNEW DELHI — At least 93 people have been killed and more than 400,000 displaced in floods and mudslides caused by days of torrential rains in southern India.\n\nThe worst-hit has been the state of Kerala where the death toll rose to 57 by late Saturday, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has tweeted.\n\nThis is an increase from 42 deaths reported from Aug. 8. More than 165,000 people have left their homes for relief camps.\n\nA news report says another 31 people have been killed in rain-related accidents in neighboring Karnataka while at least five are reported dead in Tamil Nadu state.\n\nKerala suffered catastrophic floods a year ago when heavy downpours killed 223 people and drove hundreds of thousands from their homes.", "New Delhi: The death toll from a fresh spell of monsoon-driven floods in India has climbed to 154 and affected more than 1 million residents, officials said on Sunday.\n\n At least 60 people have died and 229,000 have been moved to relief camps in the southern state of Kerala since Thursday, officials at the disaster management control room said.\n\n “The flood situation remains grim and agencies are on high alert in six districts. Many deaths have been reported in rain-triggered landslides in Wayanad and Malappuram districts,” an official said.\n\n Thirty-four more people had died and 481,000 people were either displaced or evacuated to safety in the neighbouring Karnataka statein the same period.\n\n At least 30 more have been killed and 400,000 people have been affected in the western state of Maharashtra since Monday, according to officials.\n\n An equal number had died in torrential rains in the neighboring state of Gujarat on Saturday alone, the Hindu newspaper reported.\n\n While Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Gujarat were worst-hit, more states have reported flooding, including Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu,Goa and Andhra Pradesh.\n\n Rescue teams from the disaster response force, army, navy and airforce were deployed in these states for rescue and relief operations.\n\n India’s monsoon season between June and September sees heavy rains which are vital for agriculture but cause immense destruction and loss of life.\n\n Dozens died in floods in India particularly in the eastern states of Bihar and Assam last month, with the inundation causing heavy losses to farms, homes and infrastructure. DPA"], "summary": "The death toll due to the monsoon flooding in southern and western India rises to 147, while hundreds of thousands have been evacuated from their homes."}
{"document": ["Image copyright China Daily via Reuters Image caption Typhoon Lekima battered eastern China - but casualties were not in the millions\n\nChina's largest video-streaming platform has apologised after it mistakenly said a typhoon had killed everyone in Shandong province - home to around 99 million people.\n\nTencent Video made the error in a push notification about Typhoon Lekima, sent to subscribers on Monday.\n\nIt later corrected the death toll for the province to five.\n\nThe nationwide death toll from the typhoon had reached 56 by Wednesday, according to official media reports.\n\nIn its mistaken push notification on Monday, Tencent cited the Shandong Emergency Response Office as saying: \"Typhoon Lekima has left the entire province dead, seven people are missing.\"\n\nThe company later posted a statement expressing regret on Weibo, the Chinese social media platform, and blamed the error on \"editorial mistakes\". It apologised for any harm caused, and promised to review its work practices.\n\nTencent Video had 89 million subscribers at the start of 2019, according to a financial report released in May.\n\nTyphoon Lekima hit eastern China in the early hours of Saturday, and swept through the provinces of Zhejiang, Shandong and Anhui over the weekend.\n\nAround two million people were forced to leave their homes, China's Ministry of Emergency Management said, and more than 1,000 flights were cancelled.\n\nState media said weekend rainfall levels in Shandong were the highest since records began in 1952.\n\nScreenshots showing the Tencent message were widely shared on Weibo, where many were less than forgiving.\n\n\"Where are your editorial standards? It's a major natural disaster situation, how could you get something like this wrong?\" said one commenter.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Typhoon Lekima causes devastation in eastern China\n\n\"Are you crazy Tencent? Sending out a [notification] like this has serious consequences,\" another posted.\n\nOthers made light of the error, however.\n\n\"I live in Shandong,\" said one commenter. \"Tencent is really amazing, I didn't even know I died.\"\n\nCensus data from 2016 showed that Shandong is home to 99.4 million residents.", "At least 13 people have been killed and one million others evacuated from their homes as Typhoon Lekima hit China.\n\nAnother 16 people have also been reported missing after a landslide caused by the storm, the country's state broadcaster reported on Saturday.\n\nThe casualties were recorded in the Zhejiang province, where the storm made landfall in the morning, according to the CGTN channel, which cited local authorities.\n\nA dam broke near the city of Wenzhou triggering the fatal landslide, state media reported.\n\nA 64-year-old man was killed in Taiwan after falling from a tree while trying to prune its branches as a precaution against the typhoon.\n\nState-owned Xinhua agency reported that more than one million people had been evacuated before the arrival of Lekima.\n\nIn the Zhejiang province, more than 700,000 people were evacuated, 110,000 of whom were housed in shelters, while another 253,000 were moved to other safe areas in Shanghai.\n\nLekima, with winds of up to 187 kilometers per hour (116.2 miles per hour), was the most powerful typhoon to hit China since 2014.\n\nThe storm has also forced the cancellation of hundreds of ferries and flights, while also cutting off several stretches of railway lines.\n\nThe typhoon, the ninth one to hit China this year, made landfall at 01.45 local time on Saturday near Wenling.\n\nIt is expected to hit Shanghai, which is home to more than 20 million people.\n\nThe storm is also expected to affect the Anhui, Fujian and Jiangsu provinces.\n\nChina's meteorological authorities said that Lekima will continue heading north at a speed of about 15 kph and will gradually weaken as it goes.\n\nThe weather system was given a red alert on Friday - the most severe in the country's four-color emergency warning system - which was later lowered it to orange, the second level.\n\nLekima went from being categorized as a super typhoon which was reduced at 05.00 am local time, with winds of up to 144 kilometers per hour.\n\nShanghai's Disneyland complex was closed Saturday for the first time since it opened in 2016 due to bad weather, local press reported. EFE-EPA", "At least 13 people have been killed and more than a million forced from their homes as Typhoon Lekima hit China.\n\nSixteen people were also missing after a landslide was triggered by the storm, state media reported.\n\nLekima made landfall in the early hours of Saturday in Wenling, between Taiwan and China's financial capital Shanghai.\n\nThe storm was initially designated a \"super typhoon\", but weakened slightly before landfall - when it still had winds of 187km/h (116mph).\n\nThe fatal landslide happened when a dam broke in Wenzhou, near where the storm made landfall, state media said.\n\nLekima is now slowly winding its way north through the Zhejiang province, and is expected to hit Shanghai, which has a population of more than 20 million.\n\nEmergency crews have battled to save stranded motorists from floods. Fallen trees and power cuts are widespread.\n\nAuthorities have cancelled more than 1,000 flights and cancelled train services as the city prepares for the storm.\n\nIt is expected to weaken further by the time it reaches Shanghai, but will still bring a high risk of dangerous flooding.\n\n\"Now the disaster zones are mainly in the rural-urban integration zones,\" said Fu Songliang, head of a rescue team for Ningbo City's fire service.\n\n\"These are low-lying areas. When the flooding from mountainous areas converges and comes down, these areas are quite seriously affected,\" he told Reuters.\n\nShanghai evacuated some 250,000 residents, with another 800,000 in the Zhejiang province also being taken from their homes.\n\nAn estimated 2.7 million homes in the region lost power as power lines toppled in the high winds, Chinese state media said.\n\nIt is the ninth typhoon of the year, Xinhua news said - but the strongest storm seen in years. It was initially given China's highest level of weather warning but was later downgraded to an \"orange\" level.\n\nChinese weather forecasters said the storm was moving north at just 15km/h (9mph).\n\nIt earlier passed Taiwan, skirting its northern tip and causing a handful of injuries and some property damage.\n\nComing just a day after a magnitude six earthquake, experts warned that the combination of earth movement and heavy rain increased the risk of landslides.\n\nLekima is one of two typhoons in the western Pacific at the moment.\n\nFurther east, Typhoon Krosa is spreading heavy rain across the Northern Mariana Islands and Guam. It is moving north-west and could strike Japan some time next week, forecasters said.", "Typhoon Lekima has struck China's coast south of Shanghai, knocking down trees and forcing airlines to cancel flights.\n\nThe official Xinhua News Agency says more than 1 million people were evacuated in coastal Zhejiang province before the typhoon hit land at 1:45 a.m. on Saturday.\n\nNo deaths or injuries have been immediately reported but state television says 2,100 airline flights and some trains were canceled.", "At least 13 people have been killed and 16 have gone missing as powerful typhoon Lekima made landfall in eastern China, CCTV reported on Saturday\n\nBEIJING (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 10th August, 2019) At least 13 people have been killed and 16 have gone missing as powerful typhoon Lekima made landfall in eastern China, CCTV reported on Saturday.\n\nThe ninth typhoon to strike China this year reached the Zhejiang province late on Friday. China's meteorological service announced a red alert level over the typhoon.\n\nMeteorologists warned that Lekima would bring strong winds, rainfall and flooding to China's southeastern regions.\n\nOver 3 million people are currently residing in the affected areas. The typhoon has already destroyed over 200 buildings and damaged another 3,200.\n\nAll in all, the Chinese authorities evacuated over 1 million people over the typhoon. About 250,000 of them were evacuated from Shanghai, the country's biggest city and the world's financial hub.", "SHANGHAI: At least 13 people are dead and 16 others missing in a landslide after Typhoon Lekima hit eastern China, state media reported Saturday (Aug 10).\n\nThe landslide occurred in the municipality of Wenzhou, which was in the path of the storm as it made landfall overnight, CCTV said.\n\nSuper Typhoon Lekima, which slammed into southeastern China early Saturday, brought torrential rain and heavy winds that knocked out power, downed thousands of trees and forced more than one million people from their homes.\n\nThe monster storm made landfall in the early hours in Wenling City packing winds of 187kmh, and was expected to churn up the east coast towards Shanghai, Xinhua news agency said.\n\nMore heavy rain was forecast for the Shanghai area as well as the eastern provinces of Anhui, Fujian, Jiangsu and Zhejiang, with authorities warning of possible flash floods, mudslides and landslides caused by the downpours.\n\nIn Zhejiang province alone, nearly 300 flights were cancelled, and ferry and rail services were suspended as a precaution.\n\nMore than a quarter of a million people were relocated in Shanghai, where the high-speed maglev train that links the city to one of its airports was suspended.\n\nMore than 110,000 people were housed in shelters.\n\nREAD: Commentary: Typhoon Mangkhut destroys rice, corn and fish – but what has this got to do with Singapore?\n\nChina issued a red alert as the storm approached on Friday, before downgrading the level to orange as winds eased on Saturday morning.\n\nThe storm had earlier swept past the northern tip of Taiwan on Friday, where nine people were injured, thousands of homes lost power temporarily and more than 500 flights were cancelled.\n\nLast September, Typhoon Mangkhut slammed into mainland China where authorities evacuated more than two million people, after it left a trail of destruction in Hong Kong and Macau and killed at least 59 people in the northern Philippines.", "Typhoon Lekima makes landfall in China as hundreds of thousands evacuated\n\nTyphoon Lekima makes landfall in China as hundreds of thousands evacuated\n\nThe typhoon is bringing torrential rain, heavy seas and high winds to China's eastern coast\n\nTyphoon Lekima has made landfall on China's eastern coast, with more than 700,000 residents evacuated from the area in advance.\n\nThe typhoon hit at around 1.45am (local time).\n\nMore than 180 rescue teams, 36,000 firefighters and 8,400 fire engines were put on standby ahead of its landfall.\n\nFlood prevention efforts were stepped up along Asia's longest waterway in the wake of the top-level warning, which has also led authorities to ready evacuations, suspend train and air travel and call for vessels to return to port.\n\nThe typhoon has already forced Taiwan to cancel flights and order the closure of markets, offices and schools.\n\nIt also left more than 40,000 homes without power on the island, where the authorities have issued landslide warnings following an earlier earthquake.\n\nChina's National Meteorological Centre said Lekima, gusting at 130mph, was the strongest typhoon since 2014.\n\nIt warned 24-hour rainfall levels across eastern China could reach up to 32cm (13in).\n\nCruise liners have been asked to delay their arrival in Shanghai, while some ships are set to be diverted to Hong Kong to help prevent accidents and collisions.\n\nIn Zhejiang, the ferry service has been cancelled and more than 200 tourists evacuated from Beiji island.\n\nThree main streams of the Yangtze are likely to exceed alert levels.\n\nThe commission overseeing the river for the ministry of water resources has directed efforts to prevent floods and over-saturation of levees along its banks.", "Typhoon Lekima: At least 18 dead, 16 missing as storm makes landfall in China\n\nTyphoon Lekima: At least 18 dead, 16 missing as storm makes landfall in China\n\nThe typhoon is bringing torrential rain, heavy seas and high winds to China's eastern coast\n\nAt least 18 people have been killed and 16 people are missing after Typhoon Lekima made landfall in eastern China - triggering a landslide.\n\nThe typhoon hit the coast south of Shanghai at about 1.45am local time, with more than a million residents evacuated from the area in advance.\n\nMore than 180 rescue teams, 36,000 firefighters and 8,400 fire engines were put on standby ahead of its landfall in Zhejiang province.\n\nThe typhoon has caused over 200 homes to collapse - damaging another 3,200.\n\nDramatic footage showed residents in the hardest-hit areas being rescued from fast-flowing waters that had inundated their homes.\n\nFlood prevention efforts were stepped up along Asia's longest waterway in the wake of the top-level warning, which has also led authorities to ready evacuations, suspend train and air travel, and call for vessels to return to port.\n\nChina has cancelled 2,100 flights and some train services, including the closure of the high-speed train to Pudong International Airport.\n\nThe typhoon also forced Taiwan to cancel flights and close markets, offices and schools.\n\nIt also left more than 40,000 homes without power on the island, where authorities have issued landslide warnings following an earlier earthquake.\n\nChina's National Meteorological Centre said Lekima, gusting at 130mph, was the strongest typhoon since 2014.\n\nIt warned 24-hour rainfall levels across eastern China could reach up to 32cm (13in).\n\nCruise liners have been asked to delay their arrival in Shanghai, while some ships are set to be diverted to Hong Kong to help prevent accidents and collisions.\n\nIn Zhejiang, the ferry service has been cancelled and more than 200 tourists evacuated from Beiji island.\n\nThree main streams of the Yangtze are likely to exceed alert levels.\n\nThe commission overseeing the river for the ministry of water resources has directed efforts to prevent floods and over-saturation of levees along its banks.", "Typhoon Lekima has smashed into Taiwan with 145mph winds as China prepares for the massive weather system to make landfall. China has issued its highest-level warning for the approaching typhoon and mass evacuations have already begun. Lekima is expected to make landfall in the nation’s Zhejiang province on Saturday.\n\nTropical Storm Lekima: Winds to reach 96mph - when will it hit Taiwan?\n\nThe weather system strengthened into a super typhoon late on Wednesday, but has since been downgraded to a regular typhoon.\n\nChina’s emergency ministry has said teams have been deployed to the region to guide relief work.\n\nHeavy rains have already begun to batter Zhejiang province, home to 6.2 million people, and Shanghai municipality, home to 26.3 million.\n\nAuthorities have warned Typhoon Lekima will cause a powerful surge up the Yangtze River that could lead to flooding in several regions.\n\nREAD MORE: Typhoon Lekima map: Where is 150 mph Super typhoon RIGHT NOW?", "Typhoon Lekima has left 32 dead, 16 missing, one million evacuees, five million affected people and losses of more than $2.2 billion in China.\n\nMost of the deaths occurred in Yongjia County, in the eastern province of Zhejiang, where the storm, the most powerful to hit the country since 2014, touched down on Saturday."], "summary": "At least 56 people have been killed and more than a million forced from their homes as Typhoon Lekima hits eastern China."}
{"document": ["Source: Xinhua| 2019-08-12 23:52:38|Editor: yan\n\nVideo Player Close\n\nDAR ES SALAAM, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from the fuel tanker explosion in Tanzania's eastern region of Morogoro has reached 75, an official from the east African nation's leading medical facility said on Monday.\n\nSixty people died on the spot and 70 others were seriously injured when the fuel tanker exploded after it had overturned on Saturday morning.\n\nAminiel Aligaesha, the Muhimbili National Hospital head of communications, said the latest deaths were among 43 survivors who were transferred to the facility for specialized treatment.\n\n\"We have lost another four victims of the explosion who were receiving treatment at the hospital. We are now remained with 39 survivors,\" he said.\n\nOn Sunday most of the victims were buried in a mass grave in Morogoro region after their bodies were burnt beyond recognition.\n\nMost of the dead were reportedly trying to collect leaking petrol from the overturned fuel tanker before it exploded and caused huge flames.\n\nOn Sunday, Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa announced the formation of a special team to investigate into the fuel tanker explosion.", "At least 57 people were killed when a fuel tanker exploded in Tanzania on Saturday, AFP reported. The explosion occurred when the vehicle overturned near the town of Morogoro, a settlement around 200 km west of the capital Dar es Salaam.\n\n“There was a huge blast which has so far killed at least 57 people,” Regional Police Chief Willbrod Mtafungwa told reporters.\n\nThe police said many of those killed and injured were taxi drivers and those who had been siphoning petrol from the tanker when it burst into flames.\n\n“The Morogoro region had never experienced a disaster of such magnitude,” Morogoro Governor Stephen Kebwe was quoted as saying by AFP. He said the tanker truck overturned on the roadside and the “fuel began to flow freely”.\n\n“We have mobilised all the doctors at the Morogoro regional hospital so the wounded can be treated,” the governor added.\n\n“The situation is really bad,” Daniel Ngogo, an eye witness, told Reuters. “Many people died, here even those who were not stealing fuel because this is a busy place.” He said the fire was huge and it was a challenge to rescue other victims.\n\nThe road connecting Morogoro with Dar es Salaam is on a major route for transporting cargo and fuel from the port, which is the country’s commercial capital.\n\nLast month, at least 45 people were killed and more than 100 injured when a petrol tanker crashed and exploded as people gathered fuel.\n\nNearly 80 people died in May in a similar incident near the airport of Niger’s capital Niamey.", "At least 60 people were killed on Saturday when a fuel tanker exploded in eastern Tanzania, an official said.\n\nThe tanker toppled over in an accident in the town of Morogoro, about 180 kilometers west of the major commercial port of Dar es Salaam. People were trying to siphon petrol from the damaged tanker when it exploded, witness Kiondo Mshana said.\n\nMost of the victims were taken to hospital in Morogoro, although some bodies were still at the accident site, local health official Rita Lyamuya said.\n\nIn Tanzania and many other African countries, deadly traffic accidents are a frequent occurrence due to poorly maintained roads and vehicles.\n\nIn May, at least 58 people died in Niger when a tanker exploded. Last month, a similar accident occurred in Nigeria, with around 50 dead.", "At least 60 perished in Tanzania on Saturday when a fuel tanker overturned and then exploded as people rushed to syphon off leaking fuel\n\nMorogoro, Tanzania, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - APP - 10th Aug, 2019 ) :At least 60 perished in Tanzania on Saturday when a fuel tanker overturned and then exploded as people rushed to syphon off leaking fuel.\n\nThe deadly blast, which took place near the town of Morogoro, west of the economic capital Dar es Salaam, is the latest in a series of similar disasters in Africa.\n\nMorogoro Governor Stephen Kebwe said the bodies of 60 victims were at the morgue of the local hospital, where more than 70 people were also being treated for injuries.\n\nHe warned that the toll could rise with victims possibly trapped under the truck.\n\nRegional police chief Willbrod Mtafungwa told reporters there was a \"huge explosion\" after the vehicle overturned.\n\nWitnesses told AFP by telephone they could see charred remains of motorcycle taxis and trees scorched by the power of the explosion.\n\nMtafungwa said the dead were mainly drivers of the taxis known as \"boda-boda\" and local residents flocking to the scene for the fuel after the crash.\n\nA video posted on social media showed dozens of people busy trying to recover fuel in yellow jerricans.\n\n- 'Never seen a disaster of such magnitude' - The governor said the explosion was triggered when a man tried to pull out the truck's battery, while witnesses said one of the people looting the fuel was smoking a cigarette.\n\nPolice later announced the blaze had been brought under control.\n\n\"The Morogoro region had never experienced a disaster of such magnitude,\" Kebwe told reporters at the scene in the locality of Msamvu, about 200 kilometres (125 miles) west of Dar es Salaam.\n\nHe said the tanker truck overturned on the roadside and the \"fuel began to flow freely\".\n\n\"We have mobilised all the doctors at the Morogoro regional hospital so the wounded can be treated,\" he added.\n\nSuch disasters are not uncommon in Africa.\n\nLast month, at least 45 people were killed and more than 100 injured in central Nigeria when a petrol tanker crashed and then exploded as people were trying to gather fuel.\n\nIn May, a similar incident occurred in Niger just a short distance from the airport in the capital Niamey, leaving almost 80 people dead.\n\nAmong the deadliest such disasters, 292 people lost their lives in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in July 2010, and in September 2015 at least 203 people perished in the town of Maridi in South Sudan.", "DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania — At least 62 people were killed and 70 others injured in Tanzania on Saturday when a crashed tanker exploded while a crowd was trying to siphon off fuel, the police said, in one of the worst accidents of its kind in the East African country.\n\nThe state broadcaster TBC Taifa said the explosion occurred in Morogoro, about 120 miles west of the capital and the nation’s economic hub, Dar es Salaam.\n\n“We have been saddened by reports of an accident involving a fuel truck in Morogoro, which caught fire and burned several people,” a government spokesman, Hassan Abbasi, said on Twitter, according to Reuters.\n\nWitnesses in Morogoro told The Associated Press that scores of people had gathered around the fuel tanker after it was involved in an accident early on Saturday. They said people were trying to take fuel when the tanker burst into flames.", ", Morogoro, Tanzania, Aug 10 – At least 60 people perished in Tanzania on Saturday when a fuel tanker overturned and then exploded as crowds of people rushed to syphon off leaking fuel.\n\nThe deadly blast, which took place near the town of Morogoro, west of the economic capital Dar es Salaam, is the latest in a series of similar disasters in Africa.\n\nMorogoro governor Stephen Kebwe said the bodies of 60 victims were at the morgue of the local hospital, where more than 70 people were also being treated for injuries.\n\nHe warned that the toll could rise with victims possibly trapped under the truck.\n\nRegional police chief Wilbrod Mtafungwa told reporters there was a “huge explosion” after the vehicle overturned and burst into flames.\n\nWitnesses told AFP by telephone that they could see charred remains of motorcycle taxis and trees scorched by the power of the explosion.\n\nMtafungwa said the dead were mainly drivers of the taxis known as “boda-boda” and local residents who flocked to the scene for the fuel after the crash.\n\nA video posted on social media showed dozens of people carrying yellow jerricans around the truck.\n\nPresident John Magufuli sent his condolences to families of the victims, and called for people to stop the dangerous practice of stealing fuel in such a way.\n\n– ‘Never seen a disaster of such magnitude’ –\n\nGovernor Kebwe said the explosion was triggered when a man tried to pull out the truck’s battery, while witnesses said one of the people looting the fuel was smoking a cigarette.\n\nPolice later announced the blaze had been brought under control.\n\n“The Morogoro region had never experienced a disaster of such magnitude,” Kebwe told reporters at the scene in Msamvu, which lies about 200 kilometres (125 miles) west of Dar es Salaam.\n\nHe said the tanker truck overturned on the roadside and the “fuel began to flow freely”.\n\n“We have mobilised all the doctors at the Morogoro regional hospital so the wounded can be treated,” he added.\n\nMagufuli said in a statement he was “very shocked” by looting of fuel from damaged vehicles.\n\n“There are vehicles that carry dangerous fuel oil, as in this case in Morogoro, there are others that carry toxic chemicals or explosives, let’s stop this practice, please,” he said.\n\nLast month, at least 45 people were killed and more than 100 injured in central Nigeria when a petrol tanker crashed and then exploded as people were trying to gather fuel.\n\nIn May, a similar incident occurred in Niger just a short distance from the airport in the capital Niamey, leaving almost 80 people dead.\n\nAmong the deadliest such disasters, 292 people lost their lives in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in July 2010, and in September 2015 at least 203 people perished in the town of Maridi in South Sudan.", "MOROGORO, Tanzania: At least 60 people perished in Tanzania on Saturday when a fuel tanker overturned and then exploded as people rushed to syphon off leaking fuel.\n\n\n\nThe deadly blast, which took place near the town of Morogoro, west of the economic capital Dar es Salaam, is the latest in a series of similar disasters in Africa.\n\nMorogoro governor Stephen Kebwe said the bodies of 60 victims were at the morgue of the local hospital, where more than 70 people were also being treated for injuries.\n\nHe warned that the toll could rise with victims possibly trapped under the truck.\n\nRegional police chief Willbrod Mtafungwa told reporters there was a \"huge explosion\" after the vehicle overturned.\n\nWitnesses told AFP by telephone they could see charred remains of motorcycle taxis and trees scorched by the power of the explosion.\n\nMtafungwa said the dead were mainly drivers of the taxis known as \"boda-boda\" and local residents flocking to the scene for the fuel after the crash.\n\nA video posted on social media showed dozens of people busy trying to recover fuel in yellow jerricans.", "Sixty people died while 70 were seriously injured in Morogoro town, Tanzania, on Saturday morning when a fuel tanker burst into flames.\n\nReports indicated that the victims included motorcyclists who rushed to the scene in Msamvu to collect leaking fuel after the vehicle overturned.\n\nSome witnesses said one of the people who went to scramble for the fuel had been smoking a cigarette.\n\n“This has never happened in Morogoro town. The fuel spilled about 100 metres along the road,” Morogoro Regional Commissioner Steven Kwebwe said at the scene.\n\nThey took the bodies to the mortuary at Morogoro Regional Hospital.\n\nTanker fires have become a common feature on the continent as the poor jostle to scoop free fuel.\n\nIt was said that the incident that left at least 113 people dead and more than 200 injured resulted from a lit cigarette or a spark that lit up the spilled fuel.\n\nSeveral fire incidents have occurred in Kenya, where petroleum products are still transported by road, but with a smaller number of casualties.\n\nIn January, a fuel truck driver died after his lorry burst into flames in Narok, on collision with on-coming cars.\n\nIn June 2018, an oil tanker exploded in Lagos during rush hour killing at least nine people and injuring at least five.\n\nIn January, another oil tanker overturned and exploded in the Nigerian city, killing many of the dozens of people who had been collecting leaking fuel.\n\nIn 2008, a bulldozer rammed an oil tanker leading to an explosion that killed more than 100 people in Lagos.\n\nA year earlier, at least 45 people were killed in the same city in an explosion as they siphoned fuel from an underground pipe.", "At least 60 people have died in an oil tanker explosion in Tanzania, local authorities said.\n\nThe vehicle overturned on the road in Morogoro, 175 kilometers west of Dar es Salaam, according to Kebwe Stephene, the regional commissioner of Morogoro.\n\nThe wrecked tanker attracted a large crowd of people trying to collect fuel, Stephene said. When it exploded, many were caught in the blast.\n\nStephene told journalists that more people were injured at the scene of the accident and that the death toll could rise.\n\nThe road connecting Morogoro with Dar es Salaam, the country's most populous city and former capital, is one of Tanzania's key throughways, used to transport imports and exports to and from the coast.", "DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania — A police official in Tanzania says at least 57 people have been burned to death after a fuel tanker exploded in the eastern town of Morogoro.\n\nRegional police commissioner Steven Kabwe told the local Azam TV that 57 bodies have been recovered. He said many others who suffered burns are being treated.\n\nWitnesses in Morogoro, which lies about 120 miles (200 kilometers) from Tanzania’s economic hub of Dar es Salaam, told The Associated Press that scores of people had gathered around the fuel tanker after it was involved in an accident early Saturday. They said people were trying to siphon away fuel when the tanker burst into flames.\n\nIncidents of people being killed explosions while stealing fuel from damaged fuel tankers are common in East Africa."], "summary": "At least 75 people have been killed and 60 injured in a fuel tanker explosion in Morogoro, Tanzania."}
{"document": ["Image copyright Russian Defence Ministry website Image caption A cruise missile test-firing in Russia's Arctic north (file photo)\n\nFive people were killed and three injured following a rocket explosion on an Arctic naval test range in Russia on Thursday, state nuclear company Rosatom confirmed.\n\nRosatom said the accident occurred during tests on a liquid propellant rocket engine.\n\nThe three injured staff members suffered serious burns in the accident.\n\nAuthorities had previously said that two people died and six were injured in the blast at the site in Nyonoksa.\n\nThe company told Russian media that its engineering and technical team had been working on the \"isotope power source\" for the propulsion system.\n\nThe Nyonoksa site carries out tests for virtually every missile system used by the Russian navy, including sea-launched intercontinental ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and anti-aircraft missiles.\n\nAuthorities in Severodvinsk, 47km (29 miles) east of Nyonoksa said that radiation levels shortly after the blast were higher than normal for about 40 minutes but returned to normal.\n\nLocals have rushed to buy medical iodine, with pharmacies' stocks of iodine reported to be running out in the cities of Arkhangelsk and Severodvinsk.\n\nThe rush for iodine was reported earlier by a news website for the Arkhangelsk region, 29.ru.\n\nLow-level radiation spike\n\nIt also said medics who evacuated the injured at Nyonoksa wore chemical and nuclear protection suits.\n\nThere was a rush on iodine stocks during the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster in Ukraine, which sent a huge plume of radiation across Europe.\n\nOn Thursday the Severodvinsk administration reported a 40-minute spike in radiation, which reached 2 microsieverts per hour, then fell back to the normal 0.11 microsieverts. Both levels are too small to cause radiation sickness.\n\nThe administration has now deleted its statement online about the spike. The BBC asked officials there why, and they said \"because this incident comes under the authority of the defence ministry\".\n\nThe defence ministry insisted that \"there have been no harmful chemicals released into the atmosphere, the radiation levels are normal\".\n\nAmmunition dump blaze\n\nIt is the second accident involving Russia's military this week.\n\nOn Monday, one person was killed and eight others were injured in a blaze at an ammunition dump in Siberia.\n\nFlying munitions damaged a school and a kindergarten in the area. More than 9,500 people were evacuated.", "Russia said Saturday an explosion at an Arctic missile testing site killed five nuclear agency staff and involved radioactive isotopes after a nearby city reported a spike in radiation levels\n\nMoscow, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - APP - 10th Aug, 2019 ) :Russia said Saturday an explosion at an Arctic missile testing site killed five nuclear agency staff and involved radioactive isotopes after a nearby city reported a spike in radiation levels.\n\nIn a statement, Russia's nuclear agency Rosatom said the accident on Thursday at a secret military facility also left three staff with burns and other injuries.\n\nThe military had not previously described the accident as involving nuclear fuel and said radiation levels were normal afterwards.\n\nBut officials in the nearby city of Severodvinsk reported that radiation levels were briefly raised after the accident.\n\nThe accident occurred in the far northern Arkhangelsk region during testing of a liquid propellant jet engine. An explosion sparked a fire, killing two, the defence ministry said in a brief statement.\n\nRosatom said its staff were providing engineering and technical support for the \"isotope power source\" of the engine being tested.\n\nThe authorities have released few details of the accident at the Nyonoksa test site on the White Sea, used for testing missiles deployed in nuclear submarines and ships since the Soviet era.\n\nThe defence ministry said six defence ministry employees and a developer were injured while two \"specialists\" died of their wounds.\n\nIt was not immediately clear whether the death toll reported by Rosatom included the fatalities announced earlier by the defence ministry.\n\nRussian state news agencies quoted a defence ministry source as saying both defence ministry and Rosatom employees were killed.\n\n- Radiation spike - The authorities in Severodvinsk, 30 kilometres (19 miles) from the test site, said on their website on Thursday that automatic radiation detection sensors in the city \"recorded a brief rise in radiation levels\" around noon that day.\n\nThe post was later taken down and the defence ministry said that radiation levels were normal after the accident.\n\nAn official responsible for civil defence, Valentin Magomedov, told TASS state news agency on Thursday that radiation levels rose to 2.0 microsieverts per hour for half an hour from 11:50 am (0850 GMT), before falling sharply.\n\nHe said this exceeded the permitted limit of 0.6 microsieverts, TASS reported.\n\nGreenpeace Russia published a letter from officials at a Moscow nuclear research centre giving the same figure, but saying higher radiation levels lasted for an hour. The officials said this did not present any significant risk to public health.\n\nRussian online media published unattributed video that journalists said showed a line of ambulances speeding through Moscow to take the injured to a centre that specialises in the treatment of radiation victims.\n\nRosatom said that the injured were being treated at a \"specialised medical centre\".\n\n- Iodine panic - An expert from Moscow's Institute for Nuclear Research, Boris Zhuikov, told RBK independent news site that isotope power sources are mainly used in spacecraft and are not usually dangerous for people working with them.\n\n\"If they are damaged, people who are nearby could be hurt. Isotope sources use various types of fuel: plutonium, promethium or cerium,\" Zhuikov said.\n\nThe radioactivity levels involved are \"absolutely not comparable with those during serious accidents at reactors,\" he added.\n\nThe news of the accident prompted residents of Severodvinsk to rush to pharmacies on Thursday to stock up on iodine, which can be taken to stop the thyroid gland absorbing radiation.\n\n\"People started to panic. Within a matter of an hour all the iodine and iodine-containing drugs were sold out,\" pharmacist Yelena Varinskaya told AFP.\n\nThe Soviet Union saw the world's worst nuclear accident at Chernobyl in 1986, when the authorities sought to cover up the seriousness of the disaster.", "Russia's nuclear agency on Saturday said an explosion at an Arctic missile testing site had killed five of its staff after the military had put the toll at two.\n\nEarlier, the authorities in a nearby city said the accident had caused a spike in radiation levels but the military denied this.\n\nThe accident on Thursday happened during testing of a liquid propellant rocket engine at a missile test site in the far northern Arkhangelsk region.\n\nIn a statement, Rosatom said the accident killed five of its staff and injured three, who suffered burns and other injuries.\n\nRosatom said its staff were providing engineering and technical support for the \"isotope power source\" of the missile engine.\n\nThe military had not described the accident as involving nuclear fuel.\n\nThe authorities have released few details of the accident at the Nyonoksa test site on the White Sea, used for testing missiles used in nuclear submarines and ships since the Soviet era.\n\nThe defence ministry initially said that six defence ministry employees and a developer were injured while two specialists died of their wounds.\n\nThe authorities in Severodvinsk, a city around 30 kilometres (19 miles) away from the test site, said on their website that automatic radiation detection sensors in the city \"recorded a brief rise in radiation levels\" on Thursday morning.\n\nThe post was later taken down.\n\nAn official responsible for civil defence, Valentin Magomedov, told TASS state news agency on Thursday that radiation levels rose to 2.0 microsieverts per hour for half an hour from 11:50 am (0850 GMT), before falling sharply.\n\nHe said this exceeded the permitted limit of 0.6 microsieverts, TASS reported.\n\nRussian online media published unattributed video that journalists said showed a line of ambulances speeding through Moscow to take the injured to a centre that specialises in the treatment of radiation victims.\n\nRosatom said that the injured were being treated at a \"specialised medical centre.\"\n\nAn expert from Moscow's Institute for Nuclear Research, Boris Zhuikov, told RBK independent news site that isotope power sources are mainly used in spacecraft and are not usually dangerous for people working with them.\n\n\"If they are damaged, people who are nearby could be hurt. Isotope sources use various types of fuel: plutonium, promethium or cerium,\" Zhuikov said.\n\nThe radioactivity levels involved are \"absolutely not comparable with those during serious accidents at reactors,\" he added.\n\nThe news of the accident prompted residents of Severodvinsk to rush to pharmacies on Thursday to stock up on iodine, which can be taken to stop the thyroid gland absorbing radiation.\n\n\"People started to panic. Within a matter of an hour all the iodine and iodine-containing drugs were sold out,\" pharmacist Yelena Varinskaya told AFP.\n\nThe Soviet Union saw the world's worst nuclear accident at Chernobyl in 1986, when the authorities sought to cover up the seriousness of the disaster.", "Russia’s nuclear agency said Saturday an explosion during missile testing in the Arctic left five workers dead and involved radioactive isotopes after a nearby city recorded a spike in radiation levels.\n\nRosatom said the force of the explosion on Thursday blew several of its staff from a testing platform into the sea.\n\nRussia’s military did not initially say that the accident involved nuclear equipment, but stressed that radiation levels were normal afterwards.\n\nOfficials in the nearby city of Severodvinsk nonetheless reported that radiation levels briefly increased after the accident.\n\nThe incident occurred in the far northern Arkhangelsk region during testing of a liquid propellant jet engine when an explosion sparked a fire, killing two, a defence ministry statement said.\n\nIt was not known whether those two deaths were among the five that Rosatom reported.\n\nRussian state news agencies quoted a defence ministry source as saying both defence ministry and Rosatom employees had been killed.\n\nRosatom said its staff were providing engineering and technical support for the “isotope power source” of a missile.\n\nThe missile was being tested on a platform at sea when its fuel caught fire and triggered an explosion, Rosatom said in a statement quoted on Russian television.\n\nSeveral staff were blown into the sea by the blast, the nuclear agency said, adding that it only announced the deaths once there was no more hope that the employees had survived.\n\nThe accident left three other people with burns and other injuries, Rosatom said.\n\nAuthorities initially released few details of the accident at the Nyonoksa test site on the White Sea, used for testing missiles deployed in nuclear submarines and ships since the Soviet era.\n\nThe defence ministry said six defence ministry employees and a developer were injured, while two “specialists” died of their wounds.\n\nProfessor Jeffrey Lewis of the Middlebury Institute of International Studies said his “working hypothesis” was that the blast “was related to Russia’s nuclear-powered cruise missile, the 9M730 Burevestnik (NATO name: SSC-X-9 Skyfall).”\n\nAuthorities in Severodvinsk, 30 kilometres (19 miles) from the test site, said Thursday on their website that automatic radiation detection sensors in the city “recorded a brief rise in radiation levels” around noon that day.\n\nThe post was later taken down and the defence ministry said radiation levels were normal after the accident.\n\nA Severodvinsk civil defence official, Valentin Magomedov, told TASS state news agency that radiation levels rose to 2.0 microsieverts per hour for half an hour from 11:50 am (0850 GMT).\n\nThis exceeded the permitted limit of 0.6 microsieverts, he added.\n\nGreenpeace Russia published a letter from officials at a Moscow nuclear research centre who gave the same figure, but said higher radiation levels lasted for an hour. The officials said this did not present a significant risk to public health.\n\nAnkit Panda of the Federation of American Scientists noted on Twitter that the missile “is suspected to have some sort of a miniaturized reactor in its propulsion unit,” and added: “a crash likely resulted in not-insignificant radioisotope dispersion.”\n\nRussian online media published an unattributed video which reportedly showed ambulances speeding through Moscow to a centre that specialises in the treatment of radiation victims.\n\nRosatom said the injured were being treated at a “specialised medical centre”.\n\nAn expert from Moscow’s Institute for Nuclear Research, Boris Zhuikov, told RBK independent news site that isotope power sources are not normally dangerous for people working with them.\n\n“If they are damaged, people who are nearby could be hurt. Isotope sources use various types of fuel: plutonium, promethium or cerium,” Zhuikov said.\n\nThe radioactivity levels involved are “absolutely not comparable with those during serious accidents at reactors,” he added.\n\nBut news of the accident prompted Severodvinsk residents to rush to pharmacies for iodine, which can help prevent the thyroid gland from absorbing radiation.\n\n“People started to panic. Within a matter of an hour all the iodine and iodine-containing drugs were sold out,” pharmacist Yelena Varinskaya told AFP.\n\nIn 1986, the Soviet Union suffered the world’s worst nuclear accident at Chernobyl, a disaster that authorities initially tried hard to cover up.", "MOSCOW: Russia’s nuclear agency said Saturday an explosion during missile testing in the Arctic left five of its staff dead and involved radioactive isotopes after a nearby city reported a spike in radiation levels.\n\nRosatom said the force of explosion on Thursday threw several of its staff from a testing platform into the sea.\n\nThe military had not initially said that the accident involved nuclear equipment, but said that radiation levels were normal afterwards.\n\nNevertheless, officials in the nearby city of Severodvinsk reported that radiation levels briefly increased after the accident.\n\nThe incident occurred in the far northern Arkhangelsk region during testing of a liquid propellant jet engine when an explosion sparked a fire, killing two, the defence ministry said in a brief statement.\n\nIt was not immediately clear whether those two deaths were included in the five that Rosatom had reported.\n\nRussian state news agencies quoted a defence ministry source as saying both defence ministry and Rosatom employees were killed.\n\nRosatom said its staff were providing engineering and technical support for the “isotope power source” of a missile being tested.\n\nThe missile was being tested on a platform at sea when its fuel caught fire and triggered an explosion, Rosatom said in a statement quoted on Russian television.\n\nSeveral staff were thrown into the sea by the force of the blast, the nuclear agency said, adding that it only announced the deaths when there was no longer any hope that the employees had survived.\n\nThe accident left three more of its staff with burns and other injuries, Rosatom said.\n\nIt said staff knew of the “potential risk” of the test.\n\nThe authorities initially released few details of the accident at the Nyonoksa test site on the White Sea, used for testing missiles deployed in nuclear submarines and ships since the Soviet era.\n\nThe defence ministry said six defence ministry employees and a developer were injured, while two “specialists” died of their wounds.\n\nThe authorities in Severodvinsk, 30 kilometres (19 miles) from the test site, said on their website on Thursday that automatic radiation detection sensors in the city “recorded a brief rise in radiation levels” around noon that day.\n\nThe post was later taken down and the defence ministry said that radiation levels were normal after the accident.\n\nA Severodvinsk official responsible for civil defence, Valentin Magomedov, told TASS state news agency that radiation levels rose to 2.0 microsieverts per hour for half an hour from 11:50 am (0850 GMT), before falling sharply.\n\nHe said this exceeded the permitted limit of 0.6 microsieverts, TASS reported.\n\nGreenpeace Russia published a letter from officials at a Moscow nuclear research centre giving the same figure, but saying higher radiation levels lasted for an hour. The officials said this did not present any significant risk to public health.\n\nRussian online media published an unattributed video which journalists said showed a line of ambulances speeding through Moscow to take the injured to a centre that specialises in the treatment of radiation victims.\n\nRosatom said that the injured were being treated at a “specialised medical centre”.\n\nAn expert from Moscow’s Institute for Nuclear Research, Boris Zhuikov, told RBK independent news site that isotope power sources are not usually dangerous for people working with them.\n\n“If they are damaged, people who are nearby could be hurt. Isotope sources use various types of fuel: plutonium, promethium or cerium,” Zhuikov said.\n\nThe radioactivity levels involved are “absolutely not comparable with those during serious accidents at reactors,” he added.\n\nNews of the accident prompted residents of Severodvinsk to rush to pharmacies to stock up on iodine, which can be taken to prevent the thyroid gland absorbing radiation.\n\n“People started to panic. Within a matter of an hour all the iodine and iodine-containing drugs were sold out,” pharmacist Yelena Varinskaya told AFP.\n\nThe Soviet Union saw the world’s worst nuclear accident at Chernobyl in 1986, when the authorities sought to cover up the seriousness of the disaster.", "A rocket explosion at a Russian arms depot has left five people dead and three injured, state nuclear corporation Rosatom confirmed.\n\nThe blast happened during tests on a liquid propellant rocket engine in the Nyonska test range on early Saturday, reported the RIA news agency.\n\nRosatom said the injured workers sustained various degrees of burns at the accident and had been taken to special facilities for medical treatment.\n\nThe latest blast comes after a radiation leak which killed two people and injured six more - which could have been triggered during tests of Vladmir Putin's 6,000mph hypersonic missile.\n\nA nearby city had reported a rise in radiation levels 20 times above the normal level.\n\nAuthorities said they had been forced to shut down part of a bay in the White Sea to shipping as a result.\n\nLocal residents have been stocking up iodine used to reduce the effects of radiation exposure after the accident, regional media have reported.\n\nRussia's Ministry of Defence has given few details of the accident.\n\nAlthough the defence ministry initially said that no harmful chemicals were released into the atmosphere and that radiation levels were unchanged, authorities in the nearby city of Severodvinsk reported what they described as a brief spike in radiation.\n\nNo official explanation has been given for why such an accident would cause radiation to spike.\n\nThe radiation statement put out by the city of Severodvinsk disappeared from the Internet on Friday without explanation.\n\nAn unidentified naval officer quoted by the Kommersant newspaper said the accident could have occurred at a testing site at sea and that the explosion of a rocket could have caused a toxic fuel spill.\n\nRussia media have said that the rocket engine explosion may have occurred at a weapons testing area near the village of Nyonoksa.\n\nThose reports say an area near Nyonoksa is used for tests on weapons, including ballistic and cruise missiles that are used by the Russian navy.\n\nGreenpeace has cited data from the Emergencies Ministry that it said showed radiation levels had risen 20 times above the normal level in Severodvinsk around 30 kilometres (18 miles) from Nyonoksa.", "Russia’s nuclear energy agency has said an explosion that caused radiation levels to spike in the Arkhangelsk region was caused by an accident during a test of an “isotope power source for a liquid-fueled rocket engine”.\n\nIn a statement released late on Friday, Rosatom said five of its employees had died as a result of the accident and three more were being treated for burns.\n\nThe statement was the first confirmation that the agency was involved in the incident, which briefly drove radiation levels up to 20 times their normal levels in the nearby city of Severodvinsk.\n\nRosatom’s description of the incident could indicate it was testing the nuclear-powered cruise missile Burevestnik mentioned during a speech by Vladimir Putin last year.\n\nRussia’s ministry of defence first confirmed the explosion on Thursday, saying two people had been killed and six injured in a botched test of a liquid-fueled rocket engine. The injured included ministry employees and civilian contractors.\n\nRosatom’s statement may indicate that three of those first reported as injured had since died. Despite reports that the wounded had been transported to Moscow for medical care, neither their names nor locations had been confirmed.\n\nThe explosion caused radiation levels to rise for about half an hour in Severodvinsk, contradicting official ministry of defence claims that there had been no rise in radiation levels. Severodvinsk removed a statement confirming the spike in radiation levels from its website, saying the ministry was managing the response to the incident.\n\nWhile local officials urged calm, residents in several cities stocked up on iodine, which is often used to limit the effects of radiation exposure.\n\nRussia also closed a bay in the White Sea to civilian traffic for a month, driving speculation that either the water had been contaminated or that a search operation was being launched.", "Locals have been urged to take iodine tablets and stay indoors after a liquid-propellant rocket engine exploded at a nuclear test site, spiking radiation levels, killing two people and injuring another six.\n\nGreenpeace cited data from the Emergencies Ministry that it said showed radiation levels had risen 20 times above the normal level in Severodvinsk, which is about 30 kilometres from Nyonoksa.\n\nThe environmental group said it had appealed to Russia’s consumer watchdog to establish how high radiation had risen, whether it posed a health risk to people and what had actually caused the spike.\n\nAccording to Norway’s Barents Observer, the explosion happened about 9am on Thursday local time.\n\nThe paper reported the site is used for the testing of liquid-fuelled engines of ballistic missiles “for strategic nuclear-powered submarines”.\n\nAuthorities in Severodvinsk, which has a population of 185,000, reported the spike, forcing a bay in the White Sea to shut down to shipping.\n\n“A short-term rise in background radiation was recorded at 12 o’clock in Severodvinsk,” Ksenia Yudina said on Thursday local time.\n\nHowever, Russia’s defence ministry was quoted earlier by state media as saying radiation was normal.\n\nRIA news agency quoted the defence ministry as saying no dangerous substances had been released into the atmosphere by the explosion in the Arkhangelsk region.\n\nA statement on the city’s website did not specify how high radiation levels had risen, but said the level had fully “normalised”.\n\nThe rocket engine explosion occurred at a weapons testing area near the village of Nyonoksa in Arkhangelsk region, the Interfax news agency cited unnamed security sources as saying.\n\nRussian media said an area near Nyonoksa is used for tests on weapons, including ballistic and cruise missiles used by the Russian navy.\n\nAn official at the northern port of Arkhangelsk said an area of the Dvina Bay in the White Sea had been closed to shipping for a month because of the incident.\n\n“The area is closed,” the official, Sergei Kozub, said, without giving further details about the reasons for the move.\n\nOfficials did not give full details about the size or location of the area that was closed, but it did not appear to include Arkhangelsk itself, a major port for the export of oil products and coal.\n\nThe explosion was the second major incident to hit the military in Russia this week.\n\nA series of blasts rocked an arms depot at a military base in Siberia on Monday, killing one, injuring 13 and prompting authorities to evacuate thousands of people from nearby settlements.", "Two people were killed and a nearby city reported a rise in radiation levels when a rocket engine blew up at a testing site in northern Russia, forcing authorities to shut down part of a bay in the White Sea to shipping.\n\nThe brief spike in radiation was reported by authorities in the nearby city of Severodvinsk, which has a population of 185,000. This apparently contradicted the defence ministry, which was quoted earlier by state media as saying radiation was normal.\n\nRIA news agency quoted the defence ministry as saying no dangerous substances had been released into the atmosphere by the explosion of what it called a liquid-propellant rocket engine in the Arkhangelsk region. In addition to the two deaths, it said six people were injured in the blast.\n\n\"A short-term rise in background radiation was recorded at 12 o'clock in Severodvinsk,\" Ksenia Yudina, a spokeswoman for the city authorities, said on Thursday. A statement on the city's website did not specify how high radiation levels had risen, but said the level had fully \"normalised\".\n\nThe rocket engine explosion occurred at a weapons testing area near the village of Nyonoksa in Arkhangelsk region, the Interfax news agency cited unnamed security sources as saying.\n\nGreenpeace cited data from the Emergencies Ministry that it said showed radiation levels had risen 20 times above the normal level in Severodvinsk, which lies around 30 kilometres from Nyonoksa.\n\nThe environmental group said it had appealed to Russia's consumer watchdog to establish how high radiation had risen, whether it posed a health risk to people and what had actually caused the spike.\n\nRussian media said an area near Nyonoksa is used for tests on weapons including ballistic and cruise missiles that are used by the Russian navy.\n\nAn official at the northern port of Arkhangelsk said an area of the Dvina Bay in the White Sea had been closed to shipping for a month because of the incident.\n\n\"The area is closed,\" the official, Sergei Kozub, said, without giving further details about the reasons for the move.\n\nOfficials did not give full details about the size or location of the area that was closed, but it did not appear to include Arkhangelsk itself, a major port for the export of oil products and coal.\n\nThe explosion was the second major incident to hit the military in Russia this week.\n\nA series of blasts rocked an arms depot at a military base in Siberia on Monday, killing one, injuring 13 and prompting authorities to evacuate thousands of people from nearby settlements.", "A Russian city reportedly observed a rise in radiation levels after an explosion at a nearby military testing site, which left at least two dead.\n\nReuters reports that the Russian defence ministry told state media that a liquid-propellant rocket engine exploded on Thursday, killing two people and injuring six.\n\n“At the test site of the Russian Ministry of Defence in the Arkhangelsk region, when testing a liquid propulsion system, an explosion occurred and the product ignited,” the defence ministry told the Russian news agency TASS, in a statement.\n\nThe ministry claimed, “there were no harmful emissions into the atmosphere, the radiation background is normal.” But the city of Severodvinsk, which has a population of 185,000, reported a spike in radiation at noon.\n\nIt is unlikely that a liquid-propellant rocket engine explosion alone would cause a rise in radiation levels, leading to speculation about what really happened.\n\nAnother Russian agency, Mash, shared photos and a video of what appear to be emergency responders in hazmat suits and Geiger counters, and a person being moved to an ambulance. Unconfirmed reports on social media claim victims are being treated for radiation exposure.\n\nRussian news outlet 29.ru reported that residents of the cities of Severodvinsk and Arkhangelsk have been scrambling to buy iodine from pharmacies, many of which have sold out. Potassium iodide can hinder the collection of radioactive iodine-131 in thyroid glands, which can cause cancer.\n\nAccording to Reuters, an authority of a port of Arkhangelsk said the explosion led to the closure of a portion of Dvina Bay in the White Sea, so it can no longer be used for shipping."], "summary": "Five people are confirmed dead and three injured following an accidental rocket explosion on a naval test range near Severodvinsk, Russia on Thursday August 8th. The rocket used an experimental nuclear isotope liquid fuel source, causing a brief localized spike in radiation. 9500 nearby residents were evacuated."}
{"document": ["El presidente estadounidense, Donald Trump, aseguró este sábado que Kim Jong-un, le ha ofrecido una \"pequeña disculpa\" por las recientes pruebas de misiles balísticos de corto alcance realizadas por su propio gobierno en una carta que le envió esta semana. Y agregó que el líder norcoreano está abierto a reanudar las negociaciones sobre el tema nuclear cuando terminen los ejercicios militares de Estados Unidos y Corea del Sur.\n\n\"Fue una pequeña disculpa por probar los misiles de corto alcance y (dijo) que estas pruebas se detendrían cuando terminaran los ejercicios\", dijo Trump en Twitter, en alusión a los periódicas maniobras militares conjuntas de Corea del Sur y Estados Unidos.\n\nNewsletters Clarín Qué pasó hoy | Te contamos las noticias más importantes del día, y que pasará mañana cuando te levantes De lunes a viernes por la tarde. Recibir newsletter\n\nDe hecho, Trump explicó que a Kim le gustaría reunirse y comenzar las negociaciones con EE.UU. \"tan pronto como terminen los ejercicios conjuntos\" entre Seúl y Washington.\n\nIn a letter to me sent by Kim Jong Un, he stated, very nicely, that he would like to meet and start negotiations as soon as the joint U.S./South Korea joint exercise are over. It was a long letter, much of it complaining about the ridiculous and expensive exercises. It was..... — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 10, 2019\n\n....also a small apology for testing the short range missiles, and that this testing would stop when the exercises end. I look forward to seeing Kim Jong Un in the not too distant future! A nuclear free North Korea will lead to one of the most successful countries in the world! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 10, 2019\n\nLos dos aliados llevan a cabo esas maniobras militares entre el 5 y el 20 de agosto en Corea del Sur, aunque la escala de los ejercicios se ha reducido de forma significativa respecto a años anteriores como resultado de los acuerdos alcanzados en las cumbres intercoreanas y en las reuniones entre Trump y Kim.\n\n\"Era una carta larga, gran parte de la cual se quejaba de los ejercicios ridículos y caros\", describió el mandatario estadounidense.\n\nTrump también comentó que espera ver al líder norcoreano, con quien se ha reunido ya en tres ocasiones desde su llegada a la Casa Blanca, \"en un futuro no muy lejano\".\n\nDonald Trump y Kim Jong-un mantuvieron un breve encuentro el 30 de junio pasado en la frontera entre las dos Coreas./DPA\n\nAsí, el jefe de la Casa Blanca abrió la puerta a tener otro encuentro con Kim, en la que sería la cuarta cumbre después de las citas de Singapur en junio de 2018, la de Hanói en febrero de 2019 y su última cita en la frontera intercoreana a finales de junio.\n\n\"¡Una Corea del Norte libre de armas nucleares conducirá a uno de los países más exitosos del mundo!\", exclamó en su cuenta de Twitter.\n\nEn declaraciones a la prensa en la Casa Blanca este viernes, Trump argumentó que la carta de Kim tiene tres páginas \"escritas de arriba a abajo\", le llegó este jueves y le fue entregada \"en mano\" directamente desde Corea del Norte, algo que consideró positivo porque evita \"filtraciones\" a la prensa.\n\nTrump parece decidido a asegurar un acuerdo de desnuclearización con Corea del Norte antes de las elecciones presidenciales del próximo año en Estados Unidos, a pesar de las infructuosas negociaciones desde que se reunió por primera vez con Kim en una histórica cumbre en Singapur en junio de 2018.\n\nEl viernes Trump, que se ha mostrado reacio a criticar al líder norcoreano, dijo que los lanzamientos de misiles no eran importantes. \"Lo diré otra vez. No ha habido ensayos nucleares. Las pruebas de misiles siempre fueron de corto rango. No hubo pruebas de misiles balísticos, no hubo misiles de largo alcance\", alegó.\n\nDesde el pasado 25 de julio, Corea del Norte ha efectuado cuatro rondas de lanzamientos de misiles que incluyeron cohetes balísticos de corto alcance, según los primeros análisis de las fuerzas surcoreanas.\n\nEn su última cumbre improvisada en la frontera intercoreana a finales de junio, Trump y Kim pactaron reactivar el diálogo sobre la desnuclearización de Corea del Norte, aunque por el momento esto no ha sucedido.\n\nFuente: AFP y EFE\n\n\n\n", "President Donald Trump said on Friday he had just received a “very beautiful letter” from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and added that he could have another meeting with him.\n\nSpeaking to reporters, Trump did not say when such a meeting might take place. North Korea has been testing missiles despite a June 30 meeting between Trump and Kim at which the two agreed to revive stalled working-level talks, which have yet to resume.\n\nTrump told reporters at the White House the letter was hand-delivered on Thursday, but did not say who delivered it.\n\n“It was a very positive letter,” he said. “I think we’ll have another meeting. He really wrote a beautiful, three-page – I mean great from top to bottom – a really beautiful letter.”\n\nTrump and Kim have met three times since last year to discuss ways to resolve a crisis over North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs, but progress has been scant on Washington’s aim of getting the North Korea leader to give up his weapons.\n\nTrump said Kim had said he was “not happy” about the missile tests, which the North Korean leader has said were a response to US-South Korean military drills being held this month. Trump said he himself had “never been a fan” of the war games.\n\n“You know why? I don’t like paying for it. We should be reimbursed for it and I have told that to South Korea.\n\n“But I said, ‘do this,’ because this is a big test; this was a turnover of various areas to South Korea. I like that, because that’s what should happen.”\n\nTrump will have dismayed long-time US ally South Korea with renewed criticisms over military alliance cost-sharing, while praising Kim. In rambling comments to journalists, Trump also took aim at another key ally, Japan, which is currently engaged in a damaging feud with South Korea.\n\n“I hope that South Korea and Japan start getting along with each other. You know, they’re supposed to be allies,” he said.\n\n“It puts us in a very difficult position, South Korea and Japan and fighting all the time. They’ve got to get along.”\n\nThe recent North Korean missile tests raised questions about the future of dialogue. Trump, keen to tout his North Korea policy as a success ahead of his 2020 reelection bid, has played them down, saying they do not violate Kim’s pledge to forego nuclear and long-range tests.\n\nAs well as launching short-range missiles, Pyongyang has warned of a possible end to its freeze of nuclear and long-range missile tests in place since 2017, which Trump has repeatedly pointed to as evidence of the success of more than a year of engagement with Kim.\n\nNorth Korea has complained that US-South Korea military drills violate a pledge by Trump to Kim. At their first summit in Singapore in June last year, Trump pledged a suspension of major military exercises with South Korea.\n\nUS Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday he was hopeful talks would resume with North Korea in coming weeks and that the US side was planning for negotiations in a couple of weeks.\n\nA summit between Trump and Kim in Hanoi in February collapsed as the sides did not narrow differences over US demands for North Korea to give up all its nuclear weapons and Pyongyang’s demands for relief from punishing sanctions.\n\nDespite the lack of progress and spikes in tensions, Trump and Kim have avoided direct criticism of each other and have exchanged periodic letters in between their summit meetings.\n\nWhile Trump has hailed his personal relationship with Kim, critics say the US president’s approach has allowed North Korea further time to develop its weapons programs with little tangible gain for the United States.", "BERKELEY HEIGHTS, N.J. — President Donald Trump said Saturday that North Korea's Kim Jong Un wants to meet once again to \"start negotiations\" after joint U.S.-South Korea military exercises end. He also said Kim apologized for the flurry of recent short-range missile tests that has rattled U.S. allies in the region.\n\nTrump is tweeting more details from the \"beautiful\" three-page letter he told reporters on Friday that he'd received from Kim. Trump, who is on vacation at his golf club in New Jersey, said Kim spent much of his letter complaining about \"the ridiculous and expensive exercises,\" which North Korea sees as a threat.\n\nHe said Kim offered him \"a small apology\" for the recent tests and assured him \"that this testing would stop when the exercises end.\" North Korea on Saturday fired what appeared to be two short-range ballistic missiles into the sea, according to South Korea's military — the fifth round of launches in less than three weeks.\n\n\"I look forward to seeing Kim Jong Un in the not too distant future!\" Trump wrote.\n\nThe two leaders have met three times — in Singapore, Hanoi and at the Korean Demilitarized Zone — but critics say Trump has received few concessions in the standoff over North Korea's nuclear weapons program in exchange for the meetings.\n\nAt their second summit in Vietnam in February, Trump rejected Kim's demand for widespread sanctions relief in exchange for dismantling the North's main nuclear complex, a partial disarmament step.\n\nThe U.S. and South Korea have scaled down their major military exercises since Trump and Kim's first summit in June 2018. But the North insists even the downsized drills violate agreements between Kim and Trump and compel it to \"develop, test and deploy the powerful physical means essential for national defense.\"\n\nWhen they last met in June of this year, Trump and Kim agreed to resume working-level nuclear talks that have been stalled since February, but there have been no known meetings between the two sides since then.", "Washington: US President Donald Trump said Saturday that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had apologized over a recent spate of missile tests and wanted to resume denuclearization talks as soon as US-South Korean military exercises end.\n\n\n\nTrump tweeted that Kim made these statements in a letter to him and that he looks \"forward to seeing Kim Jong Un in the not too distant future!\"\n\n\"In a letter to me sent by Kim Jong Un, he stated, very nicely, that he would like to meet and start negotiations as soon as the joint U.S./South Korea joint exercise are over,\" Trump wrote.\n\n\"It was a long letter, much of it complaining about the ridiculous and expensive exercises. It was also a small apology for testing the short range missiles, and that this testing would stop when the exercises end,\" Trump said.", "SEOUL (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Saturday that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un told him missile testing would stop when U.S.-South Korea joint exercises ended.\n\nTrump said in a tweet that Kim complained in a letter of the “ridiculous and expensive” exercises and would like to meet and start negotiations as soon as the joint drills were over.", "US President Donald Trump said Saturday that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un wants to resume denuclearization talks after US-South Korean war games end.\n\nTrump tweeted that in a letter to him, Kim apologized for a recent spate of missile tests, the latest of which came at daybreak Saturday Korean time, and said they were to protest these joint military drills.\n\nTrump said he looks “forward to seeing Kim Jong Un in the not too distant future!”\n\n“In a letter to me sent by Kim Jong Un, he stated, very nicely, that he would like to meet and start negotiations as soon as the joint U.S./South Korea joint exercise are over,” Trump wrote.\n\nThe exercises began Monday and are due to last another week. North Korea has said the recent short-range missile tests are designed to protest the war games.\n\nOn Saturday, Trump again seemed to side with Kim by criticizing the exercises, which are a cornerstone of US-South Korean military cooperation.\n\n“It was a long letter, much of it complaining about the ridiculous and expensive exercises. It was also a small apology for testing the short range missiles, and that this testing would stop when the exercises end,” Trump said.\n\nTrump has appeared determined to secure a denuclearization agreement with North Korea ahead of next year’s US presidential elections, despite faltering talks since he first met Kim in a historic ice-breaking summit in Singapore in June 2018.\n\nEven after their abortive second summit in February, Trump has been reluctant to criticize the North Korean leader.\n\nTrump has repeatedly talked up his close personal relationship with Kim, as his administration seeks to resume the stalled denuclearisation talks with the North.\n\nOn Friday he described the message he got from Kim as “a very beautiful letter.”\n\nIn June he offered an olive branch by meeting Kim in the Panmunjon truce village in the Korean Demilitarized Zone, becoming the first sitting US president ever to step inside the North.\n\nOn Friday, Trump said the missile launches were not important.\n\n“I’ll say it again. There have been no nuclear tests. The missile tests have all been short-range. No ballistic missile tests, no long-range missiles,” Trump said.\n\nDefence officials in Seoul said what appeared to be two short-range ballistic missiles were fired at daybreak Saturday from near the northeastern city of Hamhung, flying 400 kilometres (250 miles) before splashing down in the sea between the Korean peninsula and Japan.\n\nWashington and Seoul pledged in March to scale down their joint drills in an effort to foster denuclearisation talks with Pyongyang.\n\nIn contrast to Trump’s dismissal of the missile launches, others in the US administration have voiced opposition to them.\n\nAfter Pyongyang’s fourth launch early this week, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Washington was ready to resume talks, but that the target of the “full, final denuclearisation of North Korea” had not changed.\n\nA senior State Department official who refused to be named told journalists last week that the missile tests were an impediment to peace.\n\n“The missile launches, any kind of provocations, are not helpful to advancing the cause of diplomacy,” the official said.", "President Donald Trump has said he had received a “very beautiful letter” from the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-un, and added that he could have another meeting with him.\n\nSpeaking to reporters on Friday, Trump did not say when such a meeting would take place. North Korea has been testing missiles despite a 30 June meeting between Trump and Kim at which the two agreed to revive stalled working-level talks, which have yet to resume.\n\nTrump and Kim have met three times since last year to discuss ways to resolve a crisis over North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs, but progress has been scant on Washington’s aim of getting the North Korea leader to give up his weapons.\n\nThe recent missile tests have raised questions about the future of dialogue. Pyongyang has warned of a possible end to its freeze of nuclear and long-range missile tests in place since 2017. Trump has repeatedly pointed to that freeze as evidence of the success of more than a year of engagement with Kim.\n\nKeen to tout his North Korea policy as a success ahead of his 2020 re-election bid, Trump has sought to play down the missile launches, saying they do not violate Kim’s pledge to forgo nuclear and long-range tests.\n\nThe US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, said on Wednesday he was hopeful talks would resume in coming and that the US side was planning for negotiations in a couple of weeks.\n\nA summit between Trump and Kim in Hanoi in February collapsed over a failure to narrow differences over US demands for North Korea to give up all of its nuclear weapons and Pyongyang’s demands for relief from punishing sanctions.", "WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said on Friday that he has received a “very beautiful letter” on Thursday from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and added that he could have another meeting with him.\n\nSpeaking to reporters, Trump did not say when such a meeting would take place. North Korea has been testing missiles despite a June 30 meeting between Trump and Kim at which the two agreed to revive stalled talks, which have yet to resume.", "President Trump said Friday he has received a “beautiful” letter from North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in the midst of renewed tensions.\n\n“It was a very positive letter,” Mr. Trump said of the three-page, handwritten note. “I think we’ll have another meeting. He really wrote a beautiful letter. Maybe I’ll release the results of the letter, but it was very positive.”\n\nMr. Trump told reporters at the White House that the believes he and Mr. Kim will have another meeting. The letter hand-delivered Thursday comes after North Korea has launched a series of short-range missile tests.\n\nMr. Kim has conducted the tests in an apparent response to renewed joint military exercises by the U.S. and South Korea.\n\nThe president and Mr. Kim have held two summits aimed at denuclearizing North Korea, and they held an impromptu meeting this summer at the demilitarized zone between the North and South.\n\nMr. Trump did reveal that Mr. Kim conveyed his unhappiness about the joint military exercises in South Korea.\n\n“He wasn’t happy with the war games, it’s a very small testing that we did,” Mr. Trump said. “He put that in the letter. I don’t like it, either.”\n\nBut the president said he agreed to the exercises because they involve South Korean forces taking over certain responsibilities from the U.S. military in the region.\n\n“In the meantime, I say it again, there have been no nuclear tests,” he said of the North. “The missile tests have all been short-range, no ballistic missile tests, no long-range missiles.”", "WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said Friday that he received a \"beautiful\" three-page letter from Kim Jong Un and predicted that the two leaders would have more talks to try resolving the standoff over North Korea's nuclear weapons program.\n\nTrump has said he's not bothered by the flurry of missiles that Kim has launched in recent days, rattling U.S. allies in the region. The president said they were all short-range missiles and reiterated that North Korea has never broken its pledge to pause nuclear tests.\n\nTrump said Kim told him in the letter that he was upset about recent U.S.-South Korea military exercises, which North Korea sees as a threat.\n\nThe two leaders have met three times — in Singapore, Hanoi and the Korean Demilitarized Zone late last month — but no new talks have been scheduled. At their second meeting in Vietnam in February, Trump rejected Kim's demand for widespread sanctions relief in return for dismantling the North's main nuclear complex, a partial disarmament step.\n\nRELATED: North Korea fires presumed ballistic missiles as talks with US stall\n\nFILE - In this Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2019, file photo, U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Hanoi. Trump said he walked away from his second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un because Kim demanded the U.S. lift all of its sanctions, a claim that North Korea's delegation called a rare news conference in the middle of the night to deny. (AP Photo/ Evan Vucci, File)\n\nTrump said he'd received the letter on Thursday. \"It was hand-delivered. It wasn't touched by anybody,\" Trump told reporters on Friday at the White House.\n\n\"It was a very positive letter. I think we'll have another meeting. He really wrote a beautiful, three-page letter ... a really beautiful letter.\""], "summary": "In a letter sent by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to U.S. President Donald Trump, Kim apologizes for the testing of short-range missiles. Trump says he expects to meet Kim soon and see a denuclearized North Korea as \"one of the most successful countries in the world\"."}
{"document": ["Jeffrey Epstein’s apparent suicide in a federal jail launched new conspiracy theories online in a saga that has provided fodder for them for years, fueled by Epstein’s ties to princes, politicians and other famous and powerful people.\n\nOnline theorists Saturday quickly offered unsubstantiated speculation — including some retweeted by President Donald Trump — that Epstein’s death wasn’t a suicide, or it was faked.\n\nThat chatter picked up on the conjecture that resurged after Epstein’s July 6 arrest on allegations that he orchestrated a sex-trafficking ring designed to bring him teenage girls. Some of his accusers have described being sexually abused by the wealthy financier’s friends and acquaintances.\n\nThe combination created fertile ground for theories and misinformation to breed on social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.\n\nEpstein, 66, had been denied bail and faced up to 45 years behind bars on federal sex trafficking and conspiracy charges unsealed last month. He had pleaded not guilty and was awaiting trial next year.\n\nHis relationships with President Donald Trump, former President Bill Clinton and Britain’s Prince Andrew were at the center of those online rumors and theories, many of which question what politicians knew about Epstein’s alleged sex crimes.\n\nOthers theories, however, have been easily debunked.\n\nFor example, days after his arrest online memes and Facebook statuses wrongly claimed the Obama administration, in order to protect former President Clinton, forged a once-secret deal in 2008 in Florida that allowed him to plead guilty to soliciting a minor for prostitution to avoid more serious charges. The deal was actually executed before President Barack Obama took office , under former President George W. Bush.\n\nMeanwhile, a manipulated photo , shared by thousands on Twitter and Facebook, falsely claimed to show Epstein with Trump and a young Ivanka Trump, the president’s daughter.\n\nBoth Clinton and Trump have denied being privy to Epstein’s alleged scheme.\n\nClinton spokesman Angel Ureña said the former president “knows nothing about the terrible crimes Jeffrey Epstein pleaded guilty to in Florida some years ago, or those with which he has been recently charged in New York.” He said that, in 2002 and 2003, Clinton took four trips on Epstein’s plane with multiple stops and that staff and his Secret Service detail traveled on every leg.\n\nTrump has acknowledged knowing Epstein but said he “had a falling out with him a long time ago.”\n\nOther Epstein theories floating online have been darker, especially after Epstein was found injured on the floor of his cell last month with bruises on his neck. Some online commentators described it as a “murder attempt.”\n\n“Men in high places want Epstein dead,” one Twitter use wrote.\n\nHours after Epstein’s death Saturday, as the hashtag #EpsteinMurder was trending worldwide on Twitter, the president joined Twitter speculation around Epstein’s death while under the federal government’s watch.\n\nTrump, who rose to conservative prominence by falsely claiming Obama wasn’t born in the U.S., retweeted unsubstantiated claims about Epstein’s death.\n\nOther politicians also took to social media to question the circumstances.\n\nRepublican Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, the state where some of Epstein’s alleged sexual abuse crimes took place, suggested the possibility that others might have been involved in Epstein’s death when he called on corrections officials to explain what happened at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan.\n\n“The Federal Bureau of Prisons must provide answers on what systemic failures of the MCC Manhattan or criminal acts allowed this coward to deny justice to his victims,” he tweeted.\n\nFormer Mayor Rudy Giuliani, now an attorney for Trump, tweeted out several questions about Epstein’s death.\n\n“Who was watching? What does camera show? … Follow the motives” Giuliani tweeted Saturday afternoon.\n\nThe FBI and the Department of Justice’s Office of the Inspector General will investigate the circumstances surrounding Epstein’s death, Attorney General William Barr said.\n\n“Mr. Epstein’s death raises serious questions that must be answered,” Barr said in a news release.\n\nEpstein’s suicide was likely recorded by jail cameras, according to Preet Bharara, the former federal prosecutor in Manhattan.\n\n“One hopes it is complete, conclusive, and secured,” he tweeted.\n\nEpstein’s arrest last month launched separate investigations into how authorities handled his case initially when similar charges were first brought against him in Florida more than a decade ago. U.S. Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta resigned last month after coming under fire for overseeing that deal when he was U.S. attorney in Miami.\n\nEpstein’s lawyers maintained that the new charges in New York were covered by the 2008 plea deal and that Epstein hadn’t had any illicit contact with underage girls since serving his 13-month sentence in Florida.", "Jeffrey Epstein's apparent suicide Saturday morning in a federal jail launched new conspiracy theories online in a saga that has provided fodder for them for years, fueled by Epstein's ties to princes, politicians and other famous and powerful people.\n\nOnline theorists Saturday quickly offered unsubstantiated speculation - including some retweeted by President Donald Trump - that Epstein's death wasn't a suicide, or it was faked.\n\nThat chatter picked up on the conjecture that resurged after Epstein's July 6 arrest on allegations that he orchestrated a sex-trafficking ring designed to bring him teenage girls. Some of his accusers have described being sexually abused by the wealthy financier's friends and acquaintances.\n\nThe combination created fertile ground for theories and misinformation to breed on social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.\n\nEpstein, 66, had been denied bail and faced up to 45 years behind bars on federal sex trafficking and conspiracy charges unsealed last month. He had pleaded not guilty and was awaiting trial next year.\n\nHis relationships with President Donald Trump, former President Bill Clinton and Britain's Prince Andrew were at the center of those online rumors and theories, many of which question what politicians knew about Epstein's alleged sex crimes.\n\nOthers theories, however, have been easily debunked.\n\nFor example, days after his arrest online memes and Facebook statuses wrongly claimed the Obama administration, in order to protect former President Clinton, forged a once-secret deal in 2008 in Florida that allowed him to plead guilty to soliciting a minor for prostitution to avoid more serious charges. The deal was actually executed before President Barack Obama took office , under former President George W. Bush.\n\nMeanwhile, a manipulated photo , shared by thousands on Twitter and Facebook, falsely claimed to show Epstein with Trump and a young Ivanka Trump, the president's daughter.\n\nBoth Clinton and Trump have denied being privy to Epstein's alleged scheme.\n\nClinton spokesman Angel Ureña said the former president \"knows nothing about the terrible crimes Jeffrey Epstein pleaded guilty to in Florida some years ago, or those with which he has been recently charged in New York.\" He said that, in 2002 and 2003, Clinton took four trips on Epstein's plane with multiple stops and that staff and his Secret Service detail traveled on every leg.\n\nTrump has acknowledged knowing Epstein but said he \"had a falling out with him a long time ago.\"\n\nOther Epstein theories floating online have been darker, especially after Epstein was found injured on the floor of his cell last month with bruises on his neck. Some online commentators described it as a \"murder attempt.\"\n\n\"Men in high places want Epstein dead,\" one Twitter use wrote.\n\nHours after Epstein's death Saturday, as the hashtag #EpsteinMurder was trending worldwide on Twitter, the president joined Twitter speculation around Epstein's death while under the federal government's watch.\n\nTrump, who rose to conservative prominence by falsely claiming Obama wasn't born in the U.S., retweeted unsubstantiated claims about Epstein's death.\n\nOther politicians also took to social media to question the circumstances.\n\nRepublican Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, the state where some of Epstein's alleged sexual abuse crimes took place, suggested the possibility that others might have been involved in Epstein's death when he called on corrections officials to explain what happened at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan.\n\n\"The Federal Bureau of Prisons must provide answers on what systemic failures of the MCC Manhattan or criminal acts allowed this coward to deny justice to his victims,\" he tweeted.\n\nFormer Mayor Rudy Giuliani, now an attorney for Trump, tweeted out several questions about Epstein's death.\n\n\"Who was watching? What does camera show? ... Follow the motives\" Giuliani tweeted Saturday afternoon.\n\nThe FBI and the Department of Justice's Office of the Inspector General will investigate the circumstances surrounding Epstein's death, Attorney General William Barr said.\n\n\"Mr. Epstein's death raises serious questions that must be answered,\" Barr said in a news release.\n\nEpstein's suicide was likely recorded by jail cameras, according to Preet Bharara, the former federal prosecutor in Manhattan.\n\n\"One hopes it is complete, conclusive, and secured,\" he tweeted.\n\nEpstein's arrest last month launched separate investigations into how authorities handled his case initially when similar charges were first brought against him in Florida more than a decade ago. U.S. Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta resigned last month after coming under fire for overseeing that deal when he was U.S. attorney in Miami.\n\nEpstein's lawyers maintained that the new charges in New York were covered by the 2008 plea deal and that Epstein hadn't had any illicit contact with underage girls since serving his 13-month sentence in Florida.\n\nKlepper reported from Albany, New York. Seitz, a member of the AP's Fact Check team, reported from Chicago.", "'I’ve done too much time in those units. It’s an impossibility,' a former inmate of the of the Metropolitan Correction Center anonymously told the 'The New York Post.'\n\nConvicted pedophile and accused sex trafficker, Jeffrey Epstein, known for his ties to members of the American and world elite, including Presidents Bill Clinton and Donald Trump, was found last month on the floor of his cell with bruises on his neck.\n\nAccording to The Associated Press, what is being described as Epstein’s first suicide attempt prompted some to claim that someone had made an attempt at the disgraced billionaire’s life. This morning, Epstein was found dead in his cell. He died of an apparent suicide, according to officials, but questions about the circumstances of his death remain.\n\nLegal and other experts have since weighed in, expressing perplexity with the authorities’ reported decision to take Epstein off suicide watch, according to NBC News.\n\nA former inmate of the Metropolitan Correction Center in lower Manhattan, where Epstein was found dead, anonymously told The New York Post that there is “no way” the billionaire could have killed himself.\n\n“I’ve done too much time in those units. It’s an impossibility,” the former inmate began, proceeding to explain why he believes Epstein could not have killed himself.\n\nPrisoners on suicide watch, according to the former inmate, are put in so-called “straight jackets,” so that they are unable to hurt themselves.\n\nHowever, even if Epstein was not on suicide watch, he could not have taken his own life. In their cells, prisoners have nothing to kill themselves with, according to the former inmate.\n\n“They don’t give you enough in there that could successfully create an instrument of death,” he said, explaining that neither the sheets nor any of the objects in the cell can be used by suicidal prisoners.\n\n“You have sheets, but they’re paper level, not strong enough,” he said.\n\nEpstein could not have killed himself from the bed either, according to the former inmate.\n\n“There’s a steel frame, but you can’t move it,” he explained.\n\nGuards visit prisoners every nine minutes, according to the former inmate, even prisoners who are not on suicide watch.\n\nThe former inmate also said that prisoners in the Metropolitan Correction Center are treated like “animals,” suggesting that guards often inflict psychological distress upon them.\n\nThe conditions in the lower Manhattan prison could potentially make someone suicidal, the man concluded, adding, however, that it is his “firm belief that Jeffrey Epstein did not commit suicide.”\n\nAs previously reported by The Inquisitr, former New York City Police Commissioner Bernard B. Kerik publicly stated that Epstein’s suicide “makes no sense.”\n\n“The fact that one of the country’s highest-profile federal prisoners could even commit suicide defies all logic and belief,” he said.\n\nIf you or someone you know is in crisis, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741. For readers outside the U.S., visit Suicide.org or Befrienders Worldwide for international resources you can use to find help.", "Jeffrey Epstein, the financier who rubbed shoulders with America's most elite, was supposed to have been checked by guards every 30 minutes, states a report by The New York Times. The 66-year-old was awaiting trial in Metropolitan Correctional Center on federal charges that he sexually abused dozens of teenage girls. After being denied bail, Epstein was found in his cell unconscious with marks around his neck. He was allegedly placed on watch after that. Still, he was found dead in his cell at 6:30 AM on Saturday. His death has been ruled a suicide, for now. Apparently, the 30-minute guard checks were not being completed.\n\nThe Manhattan jail had transferred Epstein's cellmate and allowed him to be alone in a cell just two weeks after he had been taken off suicide watch, a decision that violated the jail’s normal procedure, two officials told The Times. The Justice Department and the F.B.I are now investigating the suspicious activity surrounding the death of Epstein. The wealthy financier has ties to the Clintons, Donald Trump, and Leslie Wexner, the billionaire behind Victoria's Secret. Although there is no evidence of foul play yet, people on social media are already blaming his death on his connections to the nation's most elite.", "By Jim Mustian, Michael R. Sisak and Michael Balsamo | Associated Press\n\nNEW YORK (AP) — Jeffrey Epstein, the well-connected financier accused of orchestrating a sex-trafficking ring, had been taken off suicide watch before he killed himself in a New York jail, a person familiar with the matter said Saturday.\n\nAttorney General William Barr said he was “appalled” to learn of Epstein’s death while in federal custody. The FBI and the Department of Justice’s Office of the Inspector General will investigate, he said.\n\n“Mr. Epstein’s death raises serious questions that must be answered,” Barr said in a statement.\n\nEpstein was found unresponsive in his cell Saturday morning at the Metropolitan Correctional Center, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Fire officials received a call at 6:39 a.m. Saturday EDT that Epstein was in cardiac arrest, and he was pronounced dead at New York Presbyterian-Lower Manhattan Hospital.\n\nEpstein, 66, had been denied bail and faced up to 45 years behind bars on federal sex trafficking and conspiracy charges unsealed last month. He had pleaded not guilty and was awaiting trial on accusations of sexually abusing dozens of underage girls.\n\nHe had been placed on suicide watch and given daily psychiatric evaluations after an incident a little over two weeks ago in which Epstein was found with bruising on his neck, according to a person familiar with the matter who wasn’t authorized to discuss it publicly. It hasn’t been confirmed whether the injury was self-inflicted or the result of an assault.\n\nEpstein was taken off suicide watch at the end of July, the person said.\n\nThe Bureau of Prisons confirmed that he had been housed in the jail’s Special Housing Unit, a heavily secured part of the facility that separates high-profile inmates from the general population. Until recently, the same unit had been home to the Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, who is now serving a life sentence at the so-called Supermax prison in Colorado.\n\nEpstein’s death raises questions about how the Bureau of Prisons ensures the welfare of such high-profile inmates. In October, Boston gangster James “Whitey” Bulger was killed in a federal prison in West Virginia where had just been transferred.\n\nNebraska Sen. Ben Sasse, a Republican member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, wrote Saturday in a scathing letter to Barr that “heads must roll” after the incident.\n\n“Every single person in the Justice Department — from your Main Justice headquarters staff all the way to the night-shift jailer — knew that this man was a suicide risk, and that his dark secrets couldn’t be allowed to die with him,” Sasse wrote.\n\nCameron Lindsay, a former warden who ran three federal lockups, said the death represents “an unfortunate and shocking failure, if proven to be a suicide.”\n\n“Unequivocally, he should have been on active suicide watch and therefore under direct and constant supervision,” Lindsay said.\n\nThe federal investigation into the sexual abuse allegations remains ongoing, U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman, who noted in a statement Saturday that the indictment against Epstein include a conspiracy charge, suggesting others could face charges in the case.\n\nEpstein’s arrest last month launched separate investigations into how authorities handled his case initially when similar charges were first brought against him in Florida more than a decade ago. U.S. Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta resigned last month after coming under fire for overseeing that deal when he was U.S. attorney in Miami.\n\nOn Friday, more than 2,000 pages of documents were released related to a since-settled lawsuit against Epstein’s ex-girlfriend by Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein’s accusers. The records contain graphic allegations against Epstein, as well as the transcript of a 2016 deposition of Epstein in which he repeatedly refused to answer questions to avoid incriminating himself.\n\nSigrid McCawley, Giuffre’s attorney, said Epstein’s suicide less than 24 hours after the documents were unsealed “is no coincidence.” McCawley urged authorities to continue their investigation, focusing on Epstein associates who she said “participated and facilitated Epstein’s horrifying sex trafficking scheme.”\n\nOther accusers and their lawyers reacted to the news with frustration that the financier won’t have to face them in court.\n\n“We have to live with the scars of his actions for the rest of our lives, while he will never face the consequences of the crimes he committed the pain and trauma he caused so many people,” accuser Jennifer Araoz said in a statement.\n\nBrad Edwards, a Florida lawyer for nearly two dozen other accusers, said that “this is not the ending anyone was looking for.”\n\n“The victims deserved to see Epstein held accountable, and he owed it to everyone he hurt to accept responsibility for all of the pain he caused,” Edwards said in a statement.\n\nEpstein’s arrest drew national attention, particularly focusing on a deal that allowed Epstein to plead guilty in 2008 to soliciting a minor for prostitution in Florida and avoid more serious federal charges.\n\nFederal prosecutors in New York reopened the probe after investigative reporting by The Miami Herald stirred outrage over that plea bargain.\n\nHis lawyers maintained that the new charges in New York were covered by the 2008 plea deal and that Epstein hadn’t had any illicit contact with underage girls since serving his 13-month sentence in Florida.\n\nBefore his legal troubles, Epstein led a life of extraordinary luxury that drew powerful people into his orbit. He socialized with princes and presidents and lived on a 100-acre private Caribbean island and one of the biggest mansions in New York.\n\nAssociated Press writers Curt Anderson, Jennifer Peltz and David Klepper contributed to this report.", "The guards at a Manhattan correctional facility charged with watching billionaire pedophile Jeffrey Epstein violated prison procedure the night of his apparent suicide, reports. According to a law-enforcement official with knowledge of his detention, when Epstein was removed from the suicide watch, the Metropolitan Correctional Center had told the Justice Department that Epstein would again have a cellmate, and that a guard “would look into his cell” every 30 minutes. Instead, Epstein was housed alone, and the 30 minute check-in procedure was not followed, the official with knowledge of his detention told the . Both guards in the Special Housing Unit Epstein was held in were working overtime shifts on the night of his death, according to the official. One of the guards was on his fifth consecutive day of overtime, and the second guard had reportedly been made to work the shift. The MCC has long been short staffed, according to union leaders.", "Jeffrey Epstein was found dead in his prison cell in New York on Saturday ALAMY\n\nThe British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell faces a conspiracy investigation in the United States over accusations that she recruited under-age girls for sex with the disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.\n\nMs Maxwell, who denies the claims, is believed to be facing the inquiry by US prosecutors along with former assistants of Epstein, 66, who is thought to have died from hanging in a Manhattan prison cell on Saturday morning.\n\nHis death came hours after 2,000 documents were released by a New York court containing allegations that Ms Maxwell, 57, the daughter of the late press baron Robert Maxwell, had been involved in “recruiting, maintaining . . . and trafficking girls for Epstein”.\n\nThe release of the papers drew the Duke of York back into a scandal that…", "Politicians and alleged victims have reacted angrily after Jeffrey Epstein killed himself in a prison cell, with Donald Trump sharing a conspiracy theory about the disgraced financier's death.\n\nThe 66-year-old's suicide came as he awaited a trial over sex trafficking allegations.\n\nIt has been reported that Epstein was not on suicide watch, despite the fact he attempted to take his own life a few weeks ago.\n\nOn Twitter, the US president retweeted a right-wing comedian's unsubstantiated claim surrounding the incident, which suggest Bill Clinton was involved.\n\nBut that conspiracy theory was just one of many circulating on the internet, with theories around Mr Trump's involvement among them.\n\nBoth Mr Clinton and Mr Trump have denied being privy to Epstein's alleged scheme.\n\nMr Trump admits he used to be an acquaintance of Epstein, but said he fell out with him more than 15 years ago.\n\nA spokesman for Mr Clinton, Angel Urena, said previously the former president \"knows nothing about the terrible crimes Jeffrey Epstein pleaded guilty to in Florida some years ago, or those with which he has been recently charged in New York\".\n\nProsecutors in the US have confirmed their investigation into the sex trafficking allegations against Epstein will continue.\n\nThe justice department has been criticised over its failure to ensure Epstein faced his accusers in court - with the FBI launching an investigation into his death.\n\nJennifer Araoz, who accused the multimillionaire of raping her when she was 15, said: \"I am angry Jeffrey Epstein won't have to face his survivors of his abuse in court.\n\n\"We have to live with the scars of his actions for the rest of our lives, while he will never face the consequences of the crimes he committed.\"\n\nAnother anonymous accuser, whose statement was released by her lawyer, Lisa Bloom, said: \"I will never have a sense of closure now. I'm angry as hell that the prison could have allowed this to happen.\"\n\nRepublican senator Ben Sasse, referring to a 2008 plea deal that resulted in Epstein getting 18 months' jail time for sex offences, said: \"The Department of Justice failed, and today Jeffrey Epstein's co-conspirators think they might have just gotten one last sweetheart deal.\n\n\"Every single person in the justice department... knew that this man was a suicide risk, and that his dark secrets couldn't be allowed to die with him.\"\n\nDemocratic New York representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said: \"We need answers. Lots of them.\"\n\nAttorney general William Barr said he was \"appalled\" by the suicide, adding: \"Mr Epstein's death raises serious questions that must be answered.\"\n\nBrad Edwards, who represents many of Epstein's accusers, urged anyone who had not come forward with information to still do so.\n\nBut, as a number of lawyers said the civil cases would likely continue against Epstein's estate, prosecutors indicated they would seek to investigate others connected to him.\n\nManhattan US Attorney Geoffrey Berman, who brought the sex trafficking charges against Epstein, said on Saturday night: \"Today's events are disturbing, and we are deeply aware of their potential to present yet another hurdle to giving Epstein's many victims their day in court.\n\n\"To those brave young women who have already come forward and to the many others who have yet to do so, let me reiterate that we remain committed to standing for you, and our investigation of the conduct charged in the Indictment - which included a conspiracy count - remains ongoing.\"\n\nAmong those in the spotlight, according to NBC News, is Briton Ghislaine Maxwell, Robert Maxwell's daughter, who was a long time member of Esptein's inner circle.\n\nHer name re-emerged on Friday after the release of the cache of court papers relating to a 2015 defamation lawsuit filed by Virginia Roberts Giuffre against Ms Maxwell.\n\nThe suit was settled out of court in 2017 but a judge in July gave permission for hundreds of pages of witness submissions to be unsealed and made public, many of them about Ms Maxwell's relationship to Epstein and some of his accusers.\n\nAmong the allegations made in the documents, was one that accused Prince Andrew of touching the breast of a young woman at Epstein's Manhattan mansion. Buckingham Palace reacted by stating: \"Any suggestion of impropriety with minors is categorically untrue.\"", "The night before Jeffrey Epstein’s apparent suicide, guards failed to monitor the disgraced financier as closely as required at the Manhattan jail where he was being held, the New York Times and Reuters are reporting. While the Metropolitan Correctional Center, where Epstein was detained pending trial on federal sex-trafficking charges, requires corrections officers to check on inmates every 30 minutes—and every 15 minutes for inmates on suicide watch—a source “not authorized to speak on the record” told Reuters those procedures were not followed overnight before Epstein was found hanging in his cell.\n\nCiting an anonymous law enforcement official, the Times reported Sunday that Epstein was also allowed to be housed alone two weeks after being taken off of suicide watch, in violation of jail policy.\n\nWhile the claims about the jail’s failure to keep watch over perhaps the most notorious prisoner in America have not been verified, they point to a grim commonplace of our carceral system: Time and time again, stories about incarcerated people in prisons, jails, or immigration detention centers reveal dangerous lapses in monitoring, even for inmates considered at risk of suicide.\n\nIn 2017, a guard at the private Stewart Detention Center in rural Georgia failed to check on detainee Jeancarlo Alfonso Jimenez-Joseph every 30 minutes as required under Immigration and Customs Enforcement standards, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. Jimenez, 27, was being held in solitary confinement at the for-profit detention center, run by private prison operator CoreCivic. He had previously been deemed a “suicide risk” but was not on suicide watch when he hanged himself using a bedsheet. A state investigation found that an officer falsified documents to log visits to Jimenez‘s cell that never happened. (The officer was later fired.)\n\nIn 2015, Sandra Bland, who was jailed following a traffic stop in Texas, was found hanging by a plastic trash bag inside her cell after being left alone by Waller County jail staff for nearly two hours. According to The Guardian, Bland had notified officers during the booking process that she had previously tried to kill herself. A report from the Texas Commission on Jail Standards three days after Bland’s death noted that “visual, face-to-face observation of all inmates by jailers no less than once every 60 minutes” was required under the state’s minimum standards, but that guards at the county jail did not complete the required checks.\n\nDamien Coestly had a similar experience before he killed himself in June 2015. Mother Jones reporter Shane Bauer met Coestly while working as a guard at Winn Correctional Center in Louisiana, which was also run by CoreCivic—then known as the Corrections Corporation of America (CCA). When Bauer met him, Coestly had been on suicide watch, but he was later downgraded to segregation, meaning that guards were supposed to check on him every 30 minutes, just like Epstein. Even then, he was not monitored as often as required, Bauer reported:\n\nCoestly was put in a cell with an elderly man who was severely mentally ill, [the prison’s assistant chief of security] Miss Lawson told me. Unlike inmates on suicide watch, prisoners in segregation, or seg, were not supposed to be under constant watch. Guards were supposed to check on them every 30 minutes. An inmate who had been a few doors down from Coestly in seg later told me that he saw Damien taken out of his cell to make a phone call. Afterward, the prisoner heard Coestly tell a SORT officer he was feeling suicidal. The officer said he would return to get Coestly, but never did. Coestly repeated several times that he was going to kill himself, the inmate recalled. Miss Lawson said that according to prison policy, that should have gotten him automatically placed on suicide watch. In their reports about the incident, Miss Lawson said, CCA’s SORT officers “covered up a lot of stuff they shouldn’t have.” She said video from the prison’s cameras showed that it had been an hour and a half since they had done a security check on Coestly’s tier. “If they had been going up and down the tiers like they were supposed to, then it wouldn’t have happened,” she believes. No Winn employees were ever disciplined as a result of the investigation, she said.\n\nA CoreCivic spokesman later told Bauer he had his “facts wrong in this case” but declined to provide additional details.\n\nEpstein may have been be vastly more famous than Bland, Jimenez, and Coestly, but the circumstances of his death, as reported by the Times and Reuters, seem to fit the same pattern: a known suicide risk, carelessness by guards, and a lapse in detention practices. It’s a different sort of conspiracy from some of the theories being bruited this weekend. In this case the body count is real.\n\nIf you or someone you care about may be at risk of suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, a free 24/7 service that offers support, information, and local resources: 1-800-273-TALK (8255).", "1. Jeffrey Epstein, the financier indicted on sex trafficking charges who was able to cultivate a stream of high-profile friends despite his lurid lifestyle, committed suicide at a Manhattan jail, officials said.\n\nMr. Epstein, pictured above in 2017, hanged himself at the Metropolitan Correctional Center, and his body was found Saturday morning. Last month, he was found unconscious in his cell with marks on his neck but was not under suicide watch when he took his own life.\n\nAttorney General William Barr said that the death “raises serious questions,” and that a special inquiry would be opened into what happened."], "summary": "American financier Jeffrey Epstein is found dead in his Manhattan jail cell in an apparent suicide while awaiting trial for sex trafficking charges."}
{"document": ["An Israeli spyware company that has been criticized for helping governments stifle dissent says it has adopted \"a new Human Rights Policy\" to ensure...", "Aug. 10 (UPI) -- About 50,000 took to the streets of Moscow to demonstrate for fair elections in the Russian's capital's largest protest in years.\n\nThe protesters, who obtained a permit prior to the demonstration, demanded that opposition candidates banned from City Council elections be returned to the ballot and called for authorities to release demonstrators detained by authorities during previous rallies.\n\nThe protest, the largest since crowds of people took to the streets to mourn slain opposition leader Boris Nemtsov in 2015, coincided with similar demonstrations of solidarity in cities across the country.\n\nOVD Info, a police monitoring group, said at least 275 opposition protesters were detained across the country Saturday, including 178 in Moscow.\n\nSeveral people were detained after the end of the sanctioned protest, when crowds marched toward a government building.\n\nThe demonstration was the latest since earlier in the summer, when officials announced multiple opposition candidates would not be allowed on the Moscow City Council election ballot. Officials alleged the candidates' applications contained faked signatures.\n\nOpposition supporters said the signature faking allegations were invented by President Vladimir Putin's government to prevent opposition candidates from seeking office.", "Tens of thousands of people have joined one of Moscow’s biggest political protests in recent years, denouncing the exclusion of opposition and independent candidates from the Russian capital’s city council ballot.\n\nTens of thousands of people have joined one of Moscow’s biggest political protests in recent years, denouncing the exclusion of opposition and independent candidates from the Russian capital’s city council ballot.\n\nThe rally on Saturday was the fourth consecutive weekend demonstration in Moscow over the local election. The determined opposition has also prompted protests in other cities, reflecting widespread frustration with Russia’s tightly controlled politics.\n\nAn arrest monitoring group said 70 people were arrested in St Petersburg at an unsanctioned demonstration in support of the Moscow protests.\n\nOVD-Info said 10 people were detained in connection with the Moscow rally, but it was not immediately clear on what grounds.\n\nA group that monitors attendance of public meetings, Beliye Schetchik, said it counted about 50,000 people at the Moscow demonstration. A police estimate put the crowd at 20,000.\n\nUnlike the previous Moscow protests, where police harshly dispersed the crowds and detained thousands of demonstrators, the latest gathering in a neighbourhood with relatively few passers-by was officially sanctioned.\n\nIt was held on a street flanked by high buildings and sandwiched between two busy thoroughfares.\n\nLyubov Sobol, one of the city council candidates denied a place on the ballot and a spearhead of the election protest, was among those detained in Moscow on Saturday.\n\nA video on Ms Sobol’s Twitter feed showed officers breaking into her office as she demanded an explanation from them.", "MOSCOW (AP) - Thousands of people have gathered in central Moscow to protest against the exclusion of opposition and independent candidates from the city council ballot, the third consecutive weekend of rallies over the issue.\n\nSaturday's demonstration has been sanctioned by city authorities, unlike the two previous protests in which thousands of people were detained, sometimes violently. But some opposition figures have called for an unauthorized march into the capital's center after the permitted rally.\n\nPolice on Saturday detained Lyubov Sobol, an unregistered candidate who has become a spearhead of the protest. A video on her Twitter feed showed police breaking into her office as she demanded an explanation from them.\n\nThe issue has spread dissatisfaction beyond Moscow; small protests were reported in several Siberian cities on Saturday.\n\nA protester holds a poster reading: \"It's we who choose here!\" during a protest in Moscow, Russia, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2019. Masses of people gathered in central Moscow to demand that opposition candidates be included on ballots for an upcoming city parliament election in September. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)", "Nearly 50,000 people took to Moscow’s streets to rally for fair elections on a rainy Saturday despite weeks of heavy crackdowns, making it one of Russia’s largest protests in several years. This summer’s protest movement, which began as a standoff between opposition figures and Moscow authorities over the barring of independent candidates from an upcoming local election, has gradually gained support from citizens since it began five weeks ago. Independent polling this week said that Moscow residents are more likely to support the protests than oppose them.\n\n“50,000 is a number that the authorities simply can’t ignore,” said Konstantin Gaaze, a nonresident scholar at the Carnegie Moscow Center think tank. “This sends out a very strong signal and shows that there is real solidarity among protesters.” This week’s event was largely held in support of those who have been detained and arrested — sometimes violently — over previous protests. Chants calling on Russia to free its political prisoners could be heard along with chants in support of the rejected candidates. Attendants wore shirts and held up signs in support of Yegor Zhukov, a 21-year-old student who faces up to eight years in prison on “mass unrest” charges, as well as the students who had been detained while picketing Zhukov’s arrest.\n\nThe solidarity has spread outside the capital, with several other Russian cities staging their own protests in solidarity this weekend. The Moscow event “showed that there are many more non-loyal people than the Kremlin hoped for,” said political analyst and former Kremlin adviser Gleb Pavlovsky. “These people aren’t the traditional opposition, but a much wider group.” This included celebrities and popular musicians, including YouTube blogger Yury Dud, who has an audience of millions and had previously been largely apolitical. The protest saw performances from three musical acts — IC3PEAK, Krovostok and Face — all of whom are well-known to Russian listeners. “I had to perform today to show my support,” Anton Chernyak, the lead singer of Krovostok, told The Moscow Times. “It’s great so many people turned up.” Moscow authorities had authorized a rally for up to 100,000 people following two weekends of unauthorized protests that saw a heavy police crackdown with thousands detained. This weekend’s event in Moscow saw only 23 detentions, according to the police-monitoring OVD-Info website, while 78 people were detained at a similar protest in St. Petersburg, 10 in Rostov-on-Don and two in Briyansk.\n\nAndrei Kolesnikov, a senior associate at Carnegie Moscow Center, said the rally’s approval from the authorities helped boost attendance this week. “It’s natural that people are scared to go to unsanctioned protests,” he told The Moscow Times. Even so, this week’s turnout dwarfed the numbers of the last authorized rally, which was attended by 22,000 people. Alexander Solovyov, one of the rejected opposition candidates and ex-chairman of the pro-democracy movement Open Russia, said that the growing momentum is “a victory for the opposition” — but he stressed that the opposition’s work isn’t done yet. “Some people think that coming out once is enough. We need to keep on protesting every weekend to keep the momentum going,” he told The Moscow Times.", "MOSCOW: Tens of thousands of Russians staged what a monitoring group called the country’s biggest political protest for eight years on Saturday, defying a crackdown to demand free elections to Moscow’s city legislature.\n\nPolice rounded up scores of people after the demonstration in Moscow and at another rally in St Petersburg, and detained a leading opposition figure before it began. But the response from the authorities was milder than the previous week when more than 1,000 protesters were detained, sometimes violently.\n\nThe White Counter monitoring group said up to 60,000 people had attended the Moscow rally, describing it as the biggest in Russia for eight years. Police put turnout at 20,000.\n\nA month of demonstrations over elections for the Moscow city legislature have turned into the biggest sustained protest movement in Russia since 2011-2013, when protesters took to the streets against perceived electoral fraud.\n\nCrowds at the rally in Moscow roared “down with the tzar!” and waved Russian flags. They are demanding that opposition-minded candidates be permitted to run in a city election next month after they were not allowed onto the ballot.\n\n“The authorities have become brazen. It’s time to defend our rights,” said Natalya Plokhova, a recruiting consultant.\n\nAs the scenes unfolded in Moscow, President Vladimir Putin was shown on state television in a leather jacket at a biker show organized by the Night Wolves motorcycle club on the peninsula of Crimea which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014.\n\nPutin and the Kremlin have so far avoided commenting on the unrest over the Moscow city elections.\n\nOVD-Info, a monitoring body, said 221 people were arrested at Saturday’s demonstration in Moscow and 80 in St Petersburg. A small number of other arrests took place in other cities, including Rostov-on-Don and Bryansk.\n\nThe Moscow protest was held with official permission, unlike last week’s demonstration. Afterwards, hundreds of mostly young people chanting “Putin is a thief” began gathering near the presidential administration building, prompting masked riot police to ring off the area and detain dozens.\n\nAuthorities had earlier warned protesters not to continue protesting after the officially authorized event. Until that point the rally had largely passed without major incident, apart from isolated police detentions and a smoke grenade set off nearby.\n\nAhead of the rally, police detained hunger-striking opposition activist Lyubov Sobol. Masked men raided her office and the police said they had information she and other activists were plotting a “provocation” at Saturday’s rally.\n\n“I won’t make it to the protest. But you know what to do without me….Russia will be free!” Sobol wrote on Twitter.\n\nSome pro-Kremlin politicians and officials have suggested that the West has helped orchestrate the protests. Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny and at least seven of his allies are in jail for breaking protest law.\n\nInvestigators have opened criminal proceedings against about a dozen people for what they say was mass civil unrest at earlier protests, a crime that carries a heavy jail term. They have also opened a money-laundering investigation into Navalny’s anti-corruption foundation.\n\nThrongs of protesters, sheltering from rain under umbrellas, chanted “freedom for political prisoners” and “Russia will be free”. Several Russian musicians with youth followings, including rapper Face and electronic band Ic3peak, performed at the rally despite city authorities saying that would be banned.\n\nThe focus of protesters’ anger is a prohibition on a slew of opposition-minded candidates, some of whom are allies of Navalny, from taking part in a September election for Moscow’s city legislature. That vote is seen as a dry run for a national parliamentary election in 2021.\n\nAuthorities say the opposition candidates failed to collect enough genuine signatures to register. The excluded candidates say that is a lie and insist on taking part in a contest they believe they could win.\n\nThe ruling United Russia party’s popularity rating is at its lowest since 2011 and President Vladimir Putin’s own rating has fallen due to discontent over falling living standards.\n\nAt well over 60%, it is still high compared to many other world leaders however, and last year the 66-year-old former KGB intelligence officer won a landslide re-election and a new six-year term until 2024.", "People with national flags and various political parties flags gather during a protest in Moscow, Russia, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2019. Masses of people gathered in central Moscow to demand that opposition candidates be included on ballots for an upcoming city parliament election in September. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)\n\nMOSCOW (AP) — Tens of thousands of people rallied Saturday in one of Moscow’s biggest political protests in recent years, denouncing the exclusion of opposition and independent candidates from the Russian capital’s city council ballot.\n\nThe rally was the fourth consecutive weekend demonstration in Moscow over the local election. The determined opposition has prompted protests in other cities, reflecting widespread frustration with Russia’s tightly controlled politics.\n\nAn arrest monitoring group said 70 people were arrested Saturday in St. Petersburg at an unsanctioned demonstration in support of the Moscow protests.\n\nOVD-Info said 10 people were detained in connection with the Moscow rally, but it was not immediately clear on what grounds.\n\nUnlike the previous two Moscow rallies, where police harshly dispersed the crowds and detained thousands of demonstrators, Saturday’s gathering in a neighborhood with relatively few passers-by was officially sanctioned.\n\nIt was held on a street flanked by high buildings and sandwiched between two busy thoroughfares.\n\nA group that monitors attendance of public meetings, Beliy Schetchik, said it counted about 50,000 people at the demonstration; a police estimate put the crowd at 20,000.\n\nSome opposition figures called for an unauthorized march to follow the permitted rally, but it was unclear if the action would materialize.\n\nLyubov Sobol, one of the city council candidates denied a place on the ballot and a spearhead of the election protest, was among those detained in Moscow on Saturday.\n\nA video on Sobol’s Twitter feed showed officers breaking into her office as she demanded an explanation from them.\n\nSmall related protests also were reported in several Siberian cities on Saturday.\n\nThis story has been corrected to show that Saturday marked the fourth consecutive weekend of Moscow election protests, not the third. A rally was held on Sunday, July 14.", "People with national flags and various political parties flags gather during a protest in Moscow, Russia, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2019. Masses of people gathered in central Moscow to demand that opposition candidates be included on ballots for an upcoming city parliament election in September. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)\n\nMOSCOW (AP) — Tens of thousands of people rallied in central Moscow for the third consecutive weekend to protest the exclusion of opposition and independent candidates from the Russian capital’s city council ballot.\n\nThe protest on Saturday appeared to have by far the largest turnout of the recent rallies over an issue tapping strong dissatisfaction with Russia’s tightly controlled politics.\n\nA group that monitors attendance of public meetings, Beliye Schetchik, said it counted about 40,000 people at the demonstration; a police estimate put the crowd at 20,000.\n\nUnlike the previous two protests, which saw sometimes violent police crackdowns and thousands of arrests combined, the one on Saturday was sanctioned by city authorities.\n\nSome opposition figures called for an unauthorized march to follow the permitted rally.\n\nPolice on Saturday detained Lyubov Sobol, one of the city council candidates denied a place on the ballot and a spearhead of the election protest.\n\nA video on Sobol’s Twitter feed showed officers breaking into her office as she demanded an explanation from them.\n\nSmall related protests also were reported in several Siberian cities on Saturday.", "People with national flags and various political parties flags gather during a protest in Moscow, Russia, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2019. Masses of people gathered in central Moscow to demand that opposition candidates be included on ballots for an upcoming city parliament election in September. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)\n\nMOSCOW (AP) — Tens of thousands of people rallied Saturday against the exclusion of some city council candidates from Moscow’s upcoming election, turning out for one of the Russian capital’s biggest political protests in years.\n\nAfter the rally, which was officially sanctioned, hundreds of participants streamed to an area near the presidential administration building to continue with an unauthorized demonstration. They were confronted by phalanxes of riot police and the arrest-monitoring group OVD-Info said 136 people were detained.\n\nThe rally was the fourth consecutive weekend demonstration in Moscow over the local election. The determined opposition has prompted protests in other cities, reflecting widespread frustration with Russia’s tightly controlled politics.\n\nThe protest attracted some 50,000 people, said Beliy Schetchik, an organization that counts public meeting attendance.\n\nOVD-Info also said 86 people were arrested Saturday in St. Petersburg at an unsanctioned demonstration in support of the Moscow protests.\n\nUnlike the previous two Moscow rallies, where police harshly dispersed the crowds and detained thousands of demonstrators, Saturday’s gathering in a neighborhood with relatively few passers-by was officially sanctioned.\n\nIt was held on a street flanked by high buildings and sandwiched between two busy thoroughfares.\n\nLyubov Sobol, one of the city council candidates denied a place on the ballot and a spearhead of the election protest, was among those detained in Moscow on Saturday.\n\nA video on Sobol’s Twitter feed showed officers breaking into her office as she demanded an explanation from them.\n\nSmall related protests also were reported in several Siberian cities on Saturday.", "MOSCOW — Thousands of Russians are expected to rally again in Moscow on Saturday to demand free elections despite a police crackdown and a refusal by authorities to meet protesters’ demands.\n\nIt will be the fourth consecutive week when large numbers of people have taken to the streets of the Russian capital to demand opposition-minded candidates be allowed to run in a Moscow election next month – something the authorities have so far refused to allow.\n\nSaturday’s protest has been authorized by city authorities, but a similar protest a week earlier was not and police detained more than 1,000 people, sometimes violently, part of one of the biggest crackdowns on dissent in recent years.\n\nInvestigators have opened criminal proceedings against about a dozen people for what they term as mass civil unrest in relation to previous protests, a crime that carries a heavy jail term. They have also opened a money-laundering investigation into Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny’s anti-corruption foundation.\n\nSome pro-Kremlin politicians and officials have suggested that the West has helped orchestrate the protests. Navalny and at least seven of his allies are currently in jail for breaking protest law.\n\nSeveral famous musicians have said they want to perform at Saturday’s protest, something the authorities have rejected.\n\nSome opposition activists have also said they plan to walk through central Moscow afterwards, setting up a possible confrontation with police who say they will not tolerate trouble.\n\nNavalny allies have also called for a nationwide protest on Saturday though it is unclear how many people that might attract.\n\nThe focus of protesters’ anger is a prohibition on a slew of opposition-minded candidates, some of whom are allies of Navalny, from taking part in a September election for Moscow’s city legislature.\n\nThat vote, though local, is seen as a dry run for a national parliamentary election in 2021.\n\nAuthorities say the opposition candidates failed to collect enough genuine signatures to register.\n\nThe excluded candidates say that is a lie and insist on taking part in a contest they believe they could win.\n\nThe ruling United Russia party’s rating is at its lowest since 2011 and President Vladimir Putin’s own rating has fallen due to discontent over falling living standards.\n\nAt well over 60 percent, it is still high compared to many other world leaders however and last year the 66-year-old former KGB intelligence officer won a landslide re-election and a new six-year term until 2024. (Additional reporting by Tom Balmforth, Maria Kiselyova, Maria Tsvetkova and Gleb Stolyarov Writing by Andrew Osborn Editing by Angus MacSwan)"], "summary": "As many as 50,000 people gathered at ongoing protests in Moscow against the Russian authorities preventing several opposition candidates from running in the election, which turned into a protest against the government in general. It is the biggest such event since the 2011 protests."}
{"document": ["SANAA, Yemen (AP) — Yemeni separatists backed by the United Arab Emirates began withdrawing Sunday from positions they seized from the internationally-recognized government in the southern port city of Aden.\n\nBoth the southern separatists and the government forces are ostensibly allies in the Saudi-led military coalition that's been battling the Houthi rebels in northern Yemen since 2015.\n\nBut a major rift in the coalition was exposed during the four days of fighting for control of Aden, as the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council wrested the city from government forces. More than 70 people were killed in the clashes.\n\nThe UAE is the dominant force in Yemen's south, where it has an estimated 90,000 allied militiamen and has long been at odds with the government, which is largely based in Saudi Arabia.\n\nThe two U.S.-allied Gulf monarchies appear to have diverging interests in Yemen, where the stalemated war has spawned the world's worst humanitarian crisis and drawn mounting criticism in Washington.\n\nSaudi Arabia views the Houthi rebels in Yemen's north as a major national security threat, in part because the Houthis have launched numerous cross-border missile attacks targeting the Saudi capital and other cities. The UAE, which recently began withdrawing troops from Yemen, appears more interested in securing its interests in the south — which lies along major trading routes linking Africa to Asia — than waging a war that appears increasingly unwinnable.\n\nSaudi Arabia had responded angrily to the takeover in Aden, calling for an immediate cease-fire and ordering the separatists to pull back as Saudi troops moved to secure government buildings. On Sunday, Saudi state TV reported that the separatists had begun withdrawing.\n\nThe coalition said Sunday it struck a target that posed a \"direct threat\" to the government, without elaborating, and warned of further military action if the separatists did not pull back.\n\nYemeni officials said the UAE-backed fighters had withdrawn from the streets but still held military positions seized in recent days, and were still stationed outside the presidential palace. Other officials at Aden's airport said flights had resumed after being halted since Thursday because of the clashes. All of them spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media.\n\nThe government forces that were expelled from Aden are led by President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, who has been based Saudi Arabia for five years. Officials within his government have said Hadi wants to return to Aden, but his Saudi hosts would prefer he remain close at hand in their capital, Riyadh.\n\nHadi's interior minister, Ahmed al-Maisar, sharply criticized Saudi Arabia for remaining silent during the past four days while fighting raged in Aden. He spoke in a video released Sunday that was recorded while he said he was awaiting evacuation from Aden to Saudi Arabia a day earlier.\n\nThe current crisis began last week following the funeral of a separatist leader killed in a Houthi rocket attack. After his funeral in Aden, southern separatists attacked the nearby presidential palace. At the time, Hani Bin Braik, a separatist leader and former Cabinet minister, called for the overthrow of the government.\n\nBin Braik tweeted Sunday that the southern separatists accept Hadi as president and are committed to the coalition, but want his Cabinet replaced. The government has said it will not negotiate with the separatists until they hand over all the military positions they seized.\n\nPeter Salisbury, a senior analyst with the International Crisis Group, a non-profit research institute, said the separatists \"withdrawing from installations won't make a huge difference right now, as the Hadi government forces have largely dispersed.\" He told The Associated Press that Saudi Arabia was likely trying to \"save face and work out if there is a deal to be done\" between the government and the UAE-backed separatists, whose goal was to \"lay the groundwork for the formations of a separate southern state.\"\n\nYemen was split into two countries, in the north and south, during much of the Cold War before unifying in 1994.\n\nThe U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in a statement Sunday that preliminary reports indicate as many as 40 people have been killed and 260 wounded in Aden since Aug. 8.\n\nElsewhere in Yemen, the Houthi-run health ministry claimed an airstrike by the Saudi-led coalition killed at least 11 people, including four children and three women, and wounded at least 18 people in the northern Hajjah province.\n\nA spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition could not immediately be reached for comment.", "In this Friday Aug. 9, 2019 frame grab from video, Southern Transitional Council separatist fighters line up to storm the presidential palace in the southern port city of Aden, Yemen. The separatists backed by the United Arab Emirates began withdrawing Sunday from positions they seized from the internationally-recognized government in Aden. Both the southern separatists and the government forces are ostensibly allies in the Saudi-led military coalition that’s been battling the Houthi rebels in northern Yemen since 2015, but the four days of fighting in Aden have exposed a major rift in the alliance. (AP Photo)\n\nSANAA, Yemen (AP) — Yemeni separatists backed by the United Arab Emirates began withdrawing Sunday from positions they seized from the internationally-recognized government in the southern port city of Aden.\n\nBoth the southern separatists and the government forces are ostensibly allies in the Saudi-led military coalition that’s been battling the Houthi rebels in northern Yemen since 2015.\n\nBut a major rift in the coalition was exposed during the four days of fighting for control of Aden, as the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council wrested the city from government forces. More than 70 people were killed in the clashes.\n\nThe UAE is the dominant force in Yemen’s south, where it has an estimated 90,000 allied militiamen and has long been at odds with the government, which is largely based in Saudi Arabia.\n\nThe two U.S.-allied Gulf monarchies appear to have diverging interests in Yemen, where the stalemated war has spawned the world’s worst humanitarian crisis and drawn mounting criticism in Washington.\n\nSaudi Arabia views the Houthi rebels in Yemen’s north as a major national security threat, in part because the Houthis have launched numerous cross-border missile attacks targeting the Saudi capital and other cities. The UAE, which recently began withdrawing troops from Yemen, appears more interested in securing its interests in the south — which lies along major trading routes linking Africa to Asia — than waging a war that appears increasingly unwinnable.\n\nSaudi Arabia had responded angrily to the takeover in Aden, calling for an immediate cease-fire and ordering the separatists to pull back as Saudi troops moved to secure government buildings. On Sunday, Saudi state TV reported that the separatists had begun withdrawing.\n\nThe coalition said Sunday it struck a target that posed a “direct threat” to the government, without elaborating, and warned of further military action if the separatists did not pull back.\n\nYemeni officials said the UAE-backed fighters had withdrawn from the streets but still held military positions seized in recent days, and were still stationed outside the presidential palace. Other officials at Aden’s airport said flights had resumed after being halted since Thursday because of the clashes. All of them spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media.\n\nThe government forces that were expelled from Aden are led by President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, who has been based Saudi Arabia for five years. Officials within his government have said Hadi wants to return to Aden, but his Saudi hosts would prefer he remain close at hand in their capital, Riyadh.\n\nHadi’s interior minister, Ahmed al-Maisar, sharply criticized Saudi Arabia for remaining silent during the past four days while fighting raged in Aden. He spoke in a video released Sunday that was recorded while he said he was awaiting evacuation from Aden to Saudi Arabia a day earlier.\n\nThe current crisis began last week following the funeral of a separatist leader killed in a Houthi rocket attack. After his funeral in Aden, southern separatists attacked the nearby presidential palace. At the time, Hani Bin Braik, a separatist leader and former Cabinet minister, called for the overthrow of the government.\n\nBin Braik tweeted Sunday that the southern separatists accept Hadi as president and are committed to the coalition, but want his Cabinet replaced. The government has said it will not negotiate with the separatists until they hand over all the military positions they seized.\n\nPeter Salisbury, a senior analyst with the International Crisis Group, a non-profit research institute, said the separatists “withdrawing from installations won’t make a huge difference right now, as the Hadi government forces have largely dispersed.” He told The Associated Press that Saudi Arabia was likely trying to “save face and work out if there is a deal to be done” between the government and the UAE-backed separatists, whose goal was to “lay the groundwork for the formations of a separate southern state.”\n\nYemen was split into two countries, in the north and south, during much of the Cold War before unifying in 1994.\n\nThe U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in a statement Sunday that preliminary reports indicate as many as 40 people have been killed and 260 wounded in Aden since Aug. 8.\n\nElsewhere in Yemen, the Houthi-run health ministry claimed an airstrike by the Saudi-led coalition killed at least 11 people, including four children and three women, and wounded at least 18 people in the northern Hajjah province.\n\nA spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition could not immediately be reached for comment.", "SANAA, Yemen (AP) — Yemeni separatists backed by the United Arab Emirates began withdrawing Sunday from positions they seized from the internationally-recognized government in the southern port city of Aden.\n\nBoth the southern separatists and the government forces are ostensibly allies in the Saudi-led military coalition that's been battling the Houthi rebels in northern Yemen since 2015.\n\nBut a major rift in the coalition was exposed during the four days of fighting for control of Aden, as the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council wrested the city from government forces. More than 70 people were killed in the clashes.\n\nThe UAE is the dominant force in Yemen's south, where it has an estimated 90,000 allied militiamen and has long been at odds with the government, which is largely based in Saudi Arabia.\n\nThe two U.S.-allied Gulf monarchies appear to have diverging interests in Yemen, where the stalemated war has spawned the world's worst humanitarian crisis and drawn mounting criticism in Washington.\n\nSaudi Arabia views the Houthi rebels in Yemen's north as a major national security threat, in part because the Houthis have launched numerous cross-border missile attacks targeting the Saudi capital and other cities. The UAE, which recently began withdrawing troops from Yemen, appears more interested in securing its interests in the south — which lies along major trading routes linking Africa to Asia — than waging a war that appears increasingly unwinnable.\n\nSaudi Arabia had responded angrily to the takeover in Aden, calling for an immediate cease-fire and ordering the separatists to pull back as Saudi troops moved to secure government buildings. On Sunday, Saudi state TV reported that the separatists had begun withdrawing.\n\nThe coalition said Sunday it struck a target that posed a \"direct threat\" to the government, without elaborating, and warned of further military action if the separatists did not pull back.\n\nYemeni officials said the UAE-backed fighters had withdrawn from the streets but still held military positions seized in recent days, and were still stationed outside the presidential palace. Other officials at Aden's airport said flights had resumed after being halted since Thursday because of the clashes. All of them spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media.\n\nPeter Salisbury, a senior analyst with the International Crisis Group, a non-profit research institute, said the situation for the Saudi-led coalition was \"very fluid.\" He told The Associated Press that Saudi Arabia was currently trying to \"save face and work out if there is a deal to be done\" between the UAE-backed southern separatists and the government.\n\nThe United Arab Emirates and its allies view President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi's government as being too close to the Muslim Brotherhood, a regional Islamist movement that the Gulf monarchies view as a threat.\n\nThe current crisis began last week during the funeral of a separatist leader killed in a Houthi rocket attack who was laid to rest by supporters in a cemetery near the presidential palace. Supporters attacked the palace, and Hani Bin Braik, a separatist leader and former Cabinet minister, called for the overthrow of the government.\n\nBin Braik tweeted Sunday that the Southern Transitional Council would not \"negotiate under duress.\" He said his group accepts Hadi as president and is committed to the coalition but wants his Cabinet replaced. The government has said it will not negotiate with the separatists until they hand over all the military positions they seized.\n\nThe southern separatists advocate secession and the division of Yemen into two countries, in the north and south, as it was during much of the Cold War before unifying in 1994.\n\nInterior Minister Ahmed al-Maisar, while awaiting evacuation to Saudi Arabia on Saturday, acknowledged that the government forces had been defeated, and criticized Saudi Arabia and Hadi for remaining silent during the four days of fighting. In the video statement released Sunday, he said over 400 vehicles supplied by the UAE had been deployed in Aden and accused the UAE-backed separatists of looting government properties.\n\nHadi has already been based in Saudi Arabia for five years.\n\nThe U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in a statement Sunday that preliminary reports indicate as many as 40 people have been killed and 260 wounded in Aden since Aug. 8.\n\nElsewhere in Yemen, the Houthi rebel-run health ministry claimed an airstrike by the Saudi-led coalition killed at least nine people and wounded at least 18 in the northern Hajjah province.\n\nA spokesman for the coalition could not immediately be reached for comment.", "SANAA, Yemen (AP) — Yemeni separatists backed by the United Arab Emirates began withdrawing Sunday from positions they seized from the internationally-recognized government in the southern port city of Aden.\n\nThe Southern Transitional Council had wrested control of the city from government forces after four days of fighting that killed more than 70 people and exposed a major rift in the Saudi-led coalition, which has been battling Iran-aligned Houthi rebels in northern Yemen since 2015.\n\nSaudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates lead the coalition, which is ostensibly fighting the rebels on behalf of the government. But the UAE is the dominant force in the south, where it has an estimated 90,000 allied militiamen and has long been at odds with the government, which is largely based in Saudi Arabia.\n\nThe two U.S.-allied Gulf monarchies appear to have diverging interests in Yemen, where the stalemated war has spawned the world’s worst humanitarian crisis and drawn mounting criticism in Washington.\n\nSaudi Arabia views the Houthis as a major national security threat, in part because the rebels have launched numerous cross-border missile attacks targeting its capital and other cities. The UAE, which recently began withdrawing troops from Yemen, appears more interested in securing its interests in the south — which lies along major trading routes linking Africa to Asia — than waging a war that appears increasingly unwinnable.\n\nSaudi Arabia had responded angrily to the takeover in Aden, calling for an immediate cease-fire and ordering the separatists to pull back as Saudi troops moved to secure government buildings. On Sunday, Saudi state TV reported that the separatists had begun withdrawing.\n\nThe coalition said Sunday it struck a target that posed a “direct threat” to the government, without elaborating, and warned of further military action if the separatists did not pull back.\n\nYemeni officials said the UAE-backed fighters had withdrawn from the streets but still held military positions seized in recent days and were still stationed outside the presidential palace. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media.\n\nThe crisis began last week during the funeral of a separatist leader killed in a Houthi rocket attack who was laid to rest by supporters in a cemetery near the presidential palace. Supporters attacked the palace, and Hani Bin Braik, a separatist leader and former Cabinet minister, called for the overthrow of the government.\n\nThe United Arab Emirates and its allies view President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi’s government as being too close to the Muslim Brotherhood, a regional Islamist movement that the Gulf monarchies view as a threat.\n\nBin Braik tweeted Sunday that the Southern Transitional Council would not “negotiate under duress.” He said his group accepts Hadi as president and is committed to the coalition but wants his Cabinet replaced. The government has said it will not negotiate with the separatists until they hand over all the military positions they seized.\n\nThe southern separatists advocate secession and the division of Yemen into two countries, in the north and south, as it was during much of the Cold War before unifying in 1994.\n\nInterior Minister Ahmed al-Maisar acknowledged that the government forces had been defeated, and criticized Saudi Arabia and Hadi for remaining silent during the four days of fighting. He spoke in a video released Sunday but filmed a day earlier in Aden as he awaited evacuation to Saudi Arabia, where Hadi has been based for five years. He accused the UAE-backed separatists of looting government properties and said over 400 vehicles supplied by the UAE had been deployed in Aden.\n\nThe U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in a statement Sunday that preliminary reports indicate as many as 40 people have been killed and 260 wounded in Aden since Aug. 8.\n\nElsewhere in Yemen, the Houthi rebels claimed an airstrike by the Saudi-led coalition killed at least nine people in the northern Hajjah province.\n\nThe Houthi-run health ministry said the strike in Mustaba district also wounded at least 18 people.\n\nA spokesman for the coalition could not immediately be reached for comment.", "In this Friday Aug. 9, 2019 frame grab from video, Southern Transitional Council separatist fighters line up to storm the presidential palace in the southern port city of Aden, Yemen. The separatists backed by the United Arab Emirates began withdrawing Sunday from positions they seized from the internationally-recognized government in Aden. Both the southern separatists and the government forces are ostensibly allies in the Saudi-led military coalition that’s been battling the Houthi rebels in northern Yemen since 2015, but the four days of fighting in Aden have exposed a major rift in the alliance. (AP Photo)\n\nSANAA, Yemen (AP) — Yemeni separatists backed by the United Arab Emirates began withdrawing Sunday from positions they seized from the internationally-recognized government in the southern port city of Aden.\n\nBoth the southern separatists and the government forces are ostensibly allies in the Saudi-led military coalition that’s been battling the Houthi rebels in northern Yemen since 2015.\n\nBut a major rift in the coalition was exposed during the four days of fighting for control of Aden, as the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council wrested the city from government forces. More than 70 people were killed in the clashes.\n\nThe UAE is the dominant force in Yemen’s south, where it has an estimated 90,000 allied militiamen and has long been at odds with the government, which is largely based in Saudi Arabia.\n\nThe two U.S.-allied Gulf monarchies appear to have diverging interests in Yemen, where the stalemated war has spawned the world’s worst humanitarian crisis and drawn mounting criticism in Washington.\n\nSaudi Arabia views the Houthi rebels in Yemen’s north as a major national security threat, in part because the Houthis have launched numerous cross-border missile attacks targeting the Saudi capital and other cities. The UAE, which recently began withdrawing troops from Yemen, appears more interested in securing its interests in the south — which lies along major trading routes linking Africa to Asia — than waging a war that appears increasingly unwinnable.\n\nSaudi Arabia had responded angrily to the takeover in Aden, calling for an immediate cease-fire and ordering the separatists to pull back as Saudi troops moved to secure government buildings. On Sunday, Saudi state TV reported that the separatists had begun withdrawing.\n\nThe coalition said Sunday it struck a target that posed a “direct threat” to the government, without elaborating, and warned of further military action if the separatists did not pull back.\n\nYemeni officials said the UAE-backed fighters had withdrawn from the streets but still held military positions seized in recent days, and were still stationed outside the presidential palace. Other officials at Aden’s airport said flights had resumed after being halted since Thursday because of the clashes. All of them spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media.\n\nThe government forces that were expelled from Aden are led by President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, who has been based Saudi Arabia for five years. Officials within his government have said Hadi wants to return to Aden, but his Saudi hosts would prefer he remain close at hand in their capital, Riyadh.\n\nHadi’s interior minister, Ahmed al-Maisar, sharply criticized Saudi Arabia for remaining silent during the past four days while fighting raged in Aden. He spoke in a video released Sunday that was recorded while he said he was awaiting evacuation from Aden to Saudi Arabia a day earlier.\n\nThe current crisis began last week following the funeral of a separatist leader killed in a Houthi rocket attack. After his funeral in Aden, southern separatists attacked the nearby presidential palace. At the time, Hani Bin Braik, a separatist leader and former Cabinet minister, called for the overthrow of the government.\n\nBin Braik tweeted Sunday that the southern separatists accept Hadi as president and are committed to the coalition, but want his Cabinet replaced. The government has said it will not negotiate with the separatists until they hand over all the military positions they seized.\n\nPeter Salisbury, a senior analyst with the International Crisis Group, a non-profit research institute, said the separatists “withdrawing from installations won’t make a huge difference right now, as the Hadi government forces have largely dispersed.” He told The Associated Press that Saudi Arabia was likely trying to “save face and work out if there is a deal to be done” between the government and the UAE-backed separatists, whose goal was to “lay the groundwork for the formations of a separate southern state.”\n\nYemen was split into two countries, in the north and south, during much of the Cold War before unifying in 1994.\n\nThe U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in a statement Sunday that preliminary reports indicate as many as 40 people have been killed and 260 wounded in Aden since Aug. 8.\n\nElsewhere in Yemen, the Houthi-run health ministry claimed an airstrike by the Saudi-led coalition killed at least 11 people, including four children and three women, and wounded at least 18 people in the northern Hajjah province.\n\nA spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition could not immediately be reached for comment.", "SANAA, Yemen (AP) — Yemeni separatists backed by the United Arab Emirates began withdrawing Sunday from positions they seized from the internationally-recognized government in the southern port city of Aden.\n\nBoth the southern separatists and the government forces are ostensibly allies in the Saudi-led military coalition that's been battling the Houthi rebels in northern Yemen since 2015.\n\nBut a major rift in the coalition was exposed during the four days of fighting for control of Aden, as the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council wrested the city from government forces. More than 70 people were killed in the clashes.\n\nThe UAE is the dominant force in Yemen's south, where it has an estimated 90,000 allied militiamen and has long been at odds with the government, which is largely based in Saudi Arabia.\n\nThe two U.S.-allied Gulf monarchies appear to have diverging interests in Yemen, where the stalemated war has spawned the world's worst humanitarian crisis and drawn mounting criticism in Washington.\n\nSaudi Arabia views the Houthi rebels in Yemen's north as a major national security threat, in part because the Houthis have launched numerous cross-border missile attacks targeting the Saudi capital and other cities. The UAE, which recently began withdrawing troops from Yemen, appears more interested in securing its interests in the south — which lies along major trading routes linking Africa to Asia — than waging a war that appears increasingly unwinnable.\n\nSaudi Arabia had responded angrily to the takeover in Aden, calling for an immediate cease-fire and ordering the separatists to pull back as Saudi troops moved to secure government buildings. On Sunday, Saudi state TV reported that the separatists had begun withdrawing.\n\nThe coalition said Sunday it struck a target that posed a \"direct threat\" to the government, without elaborating, and warned of further military action if the separatists did not pull back.\n\nYemeni officials said the UAE-backed fighters had withdrawn from the streets but still held military positions seized in recent days, and were still stationed outside the presidential palace. Other officials at Aden's airport said flights had resumed after being halted since Thursday because of the clashes. All of them spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media.\n\nThe government forces that were expelled from Aden are led by President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, who has been based Saudi Arabia for five years. Officials within his government have said Hadi wants to return to Aden, but his Saudi hosts would prefer he remain close at hand in their capital, Riyadh.\n\nHadi's interior minister, Ahmed al-Maisar, sharply criticized Saudi Arabia for remaining silent during the past four days while fighting raged in Aden. He spoke in a video released Sunday that was recorded while he said he was awaiting evacuation from Aden to Saudi Arabia a day earlier.\n\nThe current crisis began last week following the funeral of a separatist leader killed in a Houthi rocket attack. After his funeral in Aden, southern separatists attacked the nearby presidential palace. At the time, Hani Bin Braik, a separatist leader and former Cabinet minister, called for the overthrow of the government.\n\nBin Braik tweeted Sunday that the southern separatists accept Hadi as president and are committed to the coalition, but want his Cabinet replaced. The government has said it will not negotiate with the separatists until they hand over all the military positions they seized.\n\nPeter Salisbury, a senior analyst with the International Crisis Group, a non-profit research institute, said the separatists \"withdrawing from installations won't make a huge difference right now, as the Hadi government forces have largely dispersed.\" He told The Associated Press that Saudi Arabia was likely trying to \"save face and work out if there is a deal to be done\" between the government and the UAE-backed separatists, whose goal was to \"lay the groundwork for the formations of a separate southern state.\"\n\nYemen was split into two countries, in the north and south, during much of the Cold War before unifying in 1994.\n\nThe U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in a statement Sunday that preliminary reports indicate as many as 40 people have been killed and 260 wounded in Aden since Aug. 8.\n\nElsewhere in Yemen, the Houthi-run health ministry claimed an airstrike by the Saudi-led coalition killed at least 11 people, including four children and three women, and wounded at least 18 people in the northern Hajjah province.\n\nA spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition could not immediately be reached for comment.", "Alwaght- Following the recent announcement by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) that it would begin withdrawing its forces from many areas of Yemen, the oil-rich Gulf monarchy is now positioning itself to play a role in post-war Yemen. The UAE government in Abu Dhabi announced it would form a new southern state in Yemen, clearly to serve its own geopolitical ambitions, namely to secure trade routes through the port of Aden to the rest of the world and to exploit Yemen’s natural resources.\n\nResidents in Aden are still enduring a harrowing situation thanks to ongoing clashes between proxy militias of the UAE and Saudi Arabia, which erupted again on Wednesday, leaving dozens killed and injured and causing thousands of civilians to either flee or seek refuge in their homes.\n\nThe clashes, the first between the UAE and Saudi Arabia since 2015 when they announced their deadly war on Yemen, have severely impacted the lives of Aden’s residents, who have become trapped and are unable to access local clinics, hospitals, markets, or schools.\n\nOn Wednesday, UAE-backed proxy militias announced a military campaign to oust militant supporters of Yemen’s former government led by Abdul Mansour al Hadi, pledging to expel them from the city. The separatist militants chose a funeral for dozens of their fellow fighters, including a senior militant commander, who were killed in last week’s Houthi missile attack to fire the first bullet.\n\nThe well-equipped UAE-backed militia, Security Belt, attacked strategic areas in and around Aden, including the Jebel Hadid hilltop in the Crater district, the highest point in Aden. By seizing the strategic hilltop, the Security Belt will be able to easily target any of the city’s neighborhoods. The attack on Jebel Hadid was supported by UAE warplanes, which used illuminating bombs to facilitate the takeover.\n\nOn Friday violence reached the center of the Crater district, where Aden’s Central Bank stands, and nearby Khormaksar, where a number of makeshift military bases are nestled among dense residential neighborhoods. Heavy shelling rocked both areas, putting thousands of civilians in danger.\n\nAccording to the testimonies of Aden residents, the clashes have spread to the streets near to airport its surrounding neighborhoods. Tanks and heavy weapons were used and the sound of gunfire echoed through the city as smoke and fire could be seen rising from many of Aden’s districts. The recent violence has exposed a major rift within the Saudi-led military coalition in its devastating war on Yemen, a war that has killed tens of thousands of people since it began in 2015 and has pushed Yemen to the brink of famine.\n\nPrior to the onset of the recent clashes in Aden, the leader of the UAE-backed Security Belt militia, Hani bin Breik, called on supporters to overthrow “the Saudi-backed internationally-recognized Hadi government” in Aden. Bin Breik told supporters of the UAE to march toward the Maasheeq Palace in the southern coastal city, which has for years served as the temporary capital of the Saudi-led Coalition in Yemen.\n\n\"We announce a general mobilization of all our southern forces to march toward the Maasheeq Palace,” Breik said, accusing Saudi forces stationed at the presidential headquarters of attacking demonstrators loyal to the separatist movement during a funeral. Breik was designated by the UAE as deputy chairman of the Southern Transitional Council and is a close aide to UAE Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed.\n\nA tweet posted by Mokhtar al-Rahbi, an advisor to the Coalition government’s minister of information, shows video of bin Breik making the statement.\n\nTranslation: “The terrorist Hani bin Breik, the wanted fugitive, announces mobilization against the legitimate government, and calls for chaos and storming the presidential palace in Aden.”\n\nThe United Nations’ special envoy for Yemen, Martin Griffiths, has expressed concern about the flare-up in Aden, saying in a statement in the wake of the clashes, “I am alarmed by the military escalations in Aden today, including reports of clashes in the vicinity of the Presidential Palace.” Griffiths continued:\n\nEscalations of violence will contribute to instability and suffering in Aden and will deepen Yemen’s political and social divisions. I call on the parties involved to abandon violence and engage in dialogue to resolve differences. I also urge all those with influence to de-escalate the situation and ensure the protection of civilians\".\n\nThroughout the war in Yemen, the UAE has been successful in founding both political entities and armed militias in southern Yemen to carry out it interests, including the Security Belt and Elite Forces militias.\n\nThe Gulf monarchy also worked to unite the various radical separatist southern forces calling for independence from northern Yemen within the framework of the Southern Transitional Council. It has provided financial and political support and well as guarantees to the groups that they will have a role in any future political authority in southern Yemen.\n\nLocal Yemeni militias loyal to either the UAE or Saudi Arabia have been engaged in a bloody military campaign against Yemen to reinstate ousted former President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi since 2015, But, while reinstating Hadi was the primary justification for the Coalition’s war on Yemen, both Saudi Arabia and the UAE have found themselves pursuing rival agendas in the country, including efforts by the UAE to split Yemen into two countries, North and South.\n\nDespite sending reinforcements from western Yemen and the eastern province of Shabwa, the official Saudi position regarding the recent clashes in Aden remains vague and the Kingdom has not yet moved to protect its allies in the port city. Saudi media outlets, however, are covering the developments in Aden as a coup against legitimacy, describing UAE supporters and forces as terrorists.\n\nThe practice of every mercenary and traitor\n\nWhile the Coalition partners battle it out, both literally and figuratively, over the rights to post-war Yemen, Yemen’s people are left picking up the pieces. Before the clashes in Aden broke out, UAE-backed forces were accused of carrying out a racially motivated ethnic cleansing campaign against Yemeni residents of Aden who originate from the country’s northern regions. Workers, travelers, refugees, and even medical patients were reportedly targeted in the campaign, which left thousands of Yemeni citizens from rural areas without the ability to travel to Aden to receive medical treatment.\n\nMohammed Hassan, who has worked as a barber in Aden since he was 20 years old, told MintPress that UAE-backed forces raided his shop and beat him before dragging him outside and forcing him without prior notice onto a bus with 90 other people to be deported to northern Yemen.\n\n\"Groups belonging to the UAE-backed Security Belt Forces burned my cart then deported me,” a cart vendor from northern Yemen, who was living in Aden when he was apprehended and deported from the Mansoura market in central Aden, told MintPress.\n\nVideos circulating on social media show Southern Transitional Council Forces attacking, beating and insulting Yemenis in a market before gathering them on a bus and deporting them out of the city. Another video seen by MintPress shows a member of the Security Belt humiliating vendors and workers, accusing them of being secret cells that came to fight the southerners.\n\nAt least 2,400 citizens have been forcibly expelled from Aden, while over 1,600 shops have been burned and damaged, more than 1,700 shops closed and 76 cars confiscated, according to statistics from the Southern Media Center.\n\nNearly 600 families have been forced to leave their homes in Aden due to the violence; 87 homes have been raided or damaged; 250 detainees remain unaccounted for, and an estimated 6 million Yemenis have been prevented from entering Aden to travel abroad.\n\n“Security forces searched hotels and restaurants, stopping people, demanding their identification, and rounding up those hailing from the northern parts of Yemen,” according to the UN’s Human Rights Office, which accused southern Yemeni security forces of perpetrating discriminatory attacks against citizens from the country’s north on Tuesday.\n\nA spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Ravina Shamdasani said in a statement:\n\nThe UAE-backed Security Belt forces are reportedly carrying out and enabling retaliatory attacks against civilians. …We have received information from multiple sources about arbitrary arrests and detention, forced displacement, physical assaults and harassment\".\n\nThe Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor released a statement on August 6 that the forced removals of Yemeni citizens in the city of Aden is politically and regionally motivated and fueled by international parties aimed at imposing a new political reality in Aden.\n\nHouthi leader Mohammed Ali Al-Houthi said on Friday that the campaign of deportations and looting targeting people from Yemen’s northern provinces in Aden is “the real project of the coalition of aggression under the U.S. orders\".\n\nAl-Houthi’s remarks came in a tweet as the Security Belt forces continue to prevent citizens from the north from entering Aden, arresting and interrogating them and closing ports linking the southern and northern provinces. Al-Houthi added:\n\nThe emergence of the destructive project of the aggression and its mercenaries is clear. [In] carrying out racist attack on the northerners, the aggressor [Saudi-led Coalition] depends on the southerners — this is the practice of every mercenary and traitor\".\n\nFueling tensions even more, the UAE recently succeeded in assassinating Abdul-Malik al-Houthi’s brother Ibrahim Badre al-Dein al-Houthi. The former is a very popular figure in northern Yemen.\n\nThe Houthi-backed Yemeni Interior Ministry said in a statement on Friday that Ibrahim Badre al-Dein al-Houthi was assassinated by “treacherous hands affiliated with the U.S.-Saudi-Israeli aggression,” adding it would “spare no effort to find Ibrahim’s killers\".\n\nIbrahim Badre al-Dein al-Houthi was a security commander but his assassination is not expected to affect the Houthis or change the balance of security in favor of the Saudi Coalition. Al-Dein al-Houthi was not among the 40 members of the Houthis placed on a Saudi hit list with offers of million-plus dollars rewards for their death. His brother Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi — founder of the movement — was killed in 2004 by former Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who himself was later killed by the Houthis in 2017.", "MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 11th August, 2019) Yemeni Interior Minister Ahmed Misri said on Sunday that 400 UAE military vehicles were used by separatists from the Southern Transitional Council in the port city of Aden.\n\nOn Saturday, after several days of fierce fighting, the Southern Transitional Council captured the Maashiq presidential palace in Aden. The clashes have already left at least 40 people dead and 260 more injured.\n\n\"A total of 400 UAE [military] vehicles took part in the fighting. We fought against them using primitive weapons,\" Misri wrote on his Twitter page.\n\nHe pointed out that neither Saudi Arabia, not the administration of internationally recognized Yemeni President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi commented on the situation in Aden.\n\nThe Yemeni conflict between the government and the rebel Shia Houthi movement has been ongoing since 2015. Earlier this week, separatists supporting the Southern Transitional Council engaged in clashes with their former allies, pro-government forces in Aden.", "SANAA, Yemen (AP) — Yemeni separatists backed by the United Arab Emirates began withdrawing Sunday from positions they seized from the internationally-recognized government in the southern port city of Aden.\n\nBoth the southern separatists and the government forces are ostensibly allies in the Saudi-led military coalition that's been battling the Houthi rebels in northern Yemen since 2015.\n\nBut a major rift in the coalition was exposed during the four days of fighting for control of Aden, as the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council wrested the city from government forces. More than 70 people were killed in the clashes.\n\nThe UAE is the dominant force in Yemen's south, where it has an estimated 90,000 allied militiamen and has long been at odds with the government, which is largely based in Saudi Arabia.\n\nThe two U.S.-allied Gulf monarchies appear to have diverging interests in Yemen, where the stalemated war has spawned the world's worst humanitarian crisis and drawn mounting criticism in Washington.\n\nSaudi Arabia views the Houthi rebels in Yemen's north as a major national security threat, in part because the Houthis have launched numerous cross-border missile attacks targeting the Saudi capital and other cities. The UAE, which recently began withdrawing troops from Yemen, appears more interested in securing its interests in the south — which lies along major trading routes linking Africa to Asia — than waging a war that appears increasingly unwinnable.\n\nSaudi Arabia had responded angrily to the takeover in Aden, calling for an immediate cease-fire and ordering the separatists to pull back as Saudi troops moved to secure government buildings. On Sunday, Saudi state TV reported that the separatists had begun withdrawing.\n\nThe coalition said Sunday it struck a target that posed a \"direct threat\" to the government, without elaborating, and warned of further military action if the separatists did not pull back.\n\nYemeni officials said the UAE-backed fighters had withdrawn from the streets but still held military positions seized in recent days, and were still stationed outside the presidential palace. Other officials at Aden's airport said flights had resumed after being halted since Thursday because of the clashes. All of them spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media.\n\nPeter Salisbury, a senior analyst with the International Crisis Group, a non-profit research institute, said the situation for the Saudi-led coalition was \"very fluid.\" He told The Associated Press that Saudi Arabia was currently trying to \"save face and work out if there is a deal to be done\" between the UAE-backed southern separatists and the government.\n\nThe United Arab Emirates and its allies view President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi's government as being too close to the Muslim Brotherhood, a regional Islamist movement that the Gulf monarchies view as a threat.\n\nThe current crisis began last week during the funeral of a separatist leader killed in a Houthi rocket attack who was laid to rest by supporters in a cemetery near the presidential palace. Supporters attacked the palace, and Hani Bin Braik, a separatist leader and former Cabinet minister, called for the overthrow of the government.\n\nBin Braik tweeted Sunday that the Southern Transitional Council would not \"negotiate under duress.\" He said his group accepts Hadi as president and is committed to the coalition but wants his Cabinet replaced. The government has said it will not negotiate with the separatists until they hand over all the military positions they seized.\n\nThe southern separatists advocate secession and the division of Yemen into two countries, in the north and south, as it was during much of the Cold War before unifying in 1994.\n\nInterior Minister Ahmed al-Maisar, while awaiting evacuation to Saudi Arabia on Saturday, acknowledged that the government forces had been defeated, and criticized Saudi Arabia and Hadi for remaining silent during the four days of fighting. In the video statement released Sunday, he said over 400 vehicles supplied by the UAE had been deployed in Aden and accused the UAE-backed separatists of looting government properties.\n\nHadi has already been based in Saudi Arabia for five years.\n\nThe U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in a statement Sunday that preliminary reports indicate as many as 40 people have been killed and 260 wounded in Aden since Aug. 8.\n\nElsewhere in Yemen, the Houthi rebel-run health ministry claimed an airstrike by the Saudi-led coalition killed at least nine people and wounded at least 18 in the northern Hajjah province.\n\nA spokesman for the coalition could not immediately be reached for comment.", "DUBAI (Reuters) - Yemen’s southern separatists agreed on Sunday to a Saudi-led coalition’s calls for an immediate ceasefire in Aden, seat of the internationally recognized government, they said in a statement.\n\n“The spokesman of the Southern Transitional Council (STC) confirmed its adherence to the ceasfire called for by the leadership of the Saudi-led coalition,” the statement said."], "summary": "Saudi coalition forces intervene in Aden. The Southern Transitional Council says it will not \"negotiate under duress\" with their coalition partners."}
{"document": ["(JERUSALEM) — Muslim worshippers and Israeli police clashed Sunday at a major Jerusalem holy site during prayers marking the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha.\n\nPalestinian medics said at least 14 people were wounded, one seriously, in the skirmishes with police at the site, which Muslims refer to as the Al-Aqsa mosque compound and Jews refer to as the Temple Mount. Police said at least four officers were wounded. Witnesses said at least two people were arrested.\n\nClouds of tear gas swirled and stun grenades thundered across the stone-paved esplanade as masses of worshippers skirmished with police in the worst bout of fighting at the contested holy site in months.\n\nThe clashes came amid heightened tensions between Israel and the Palestinians, just days after an Israeli soldier was killed south of Jerusalem. On Saturday, Israeli troops killed four Palestinian militants who attempted to cross the Gaza border fence.\n\nTens of thousands of Muslims had flocked to the site in Jerusalem’s Old City early Sunday for holiday prayers, police said. Jews are also observing on Sunday the Ninth of Av, a day of fasting and mourning for the destruction of the two Biblical temples which stood at the site in antiquity.\n\nThe site is the holiest for Jews and the third holiest for Muslims, after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia, and has long been a flashpoint at the epicenter of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.\n\nJordan, which serves as the custodian of the holy site, said in a statement that it had sent a formal complaint to Israel and condemned what it called Israel’s “irresponsible provocations.” Sufian al-Qudah, a spokesman for the Jordanian Foreign Ministry, said Amman holds Israel completely responsible for the violence.\n\nLarge numbers of Palestinians had gathered at the gates of the compound early Sunday after rumors circulated that police would allow Jewish visitors to enter the site. The protesters chanted “Allahu Akbar” (God is greatest) and threw stones at police, who then charged into the compound while firing stun grenades and rubber-coated bullets.\n\nIsraeli police had initially barred entry to Jewish visitors, but reversed their decision after the clashes broke out and allowed them to enter. Several dozen entered the site under close police escort and Muslim worshippers began throwing chairs and other objects at the group. The Jewish visitors left the compound shortly thereafter.\n\nJerusalem District police commander Doron Yedid told Israeli media that the decision to allow Jewish visitors to enter the site was made “with the backing of the top political officials.” Police spokesmen could not be reached for comment.\n\nThe reversal came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s religious nationalist allies called for the site to be opened to Jewish visitors. Israelis are headed to unprecedented repeat elections next month after Netanyahu failed to form a government following April’s elections.\n\nJews are barred from praying at the compound under a longstanding arrangement between Israel and Muslim authorities. Jewish tradition also maintains that Jews should avoid entering the holy site.\n\nBut in recent years Israeli religious nationalists have stepped up visits to the site to challenge the arrangement. Jewish extremists have called for destroying the mosque and rebuilding the Biblical temple.\n\nThe Palestinians view such visits as provocations, and have long feared that Israel intends to take over the site or partition it. The Israeli government has repeatedly said it has no intention of changing the status quo.\n\nHanan Ashrawi, a senior leader in the Palestine Liberation Organization, said Israel was “fueling religious tensions in Jerusalem,” adding that Israeli officials are “fully responsible for its grave consequences.”\n\nThe compound is in east Jerusalem, which Israel captured in the 1967 war along with the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, territories the Palestinians seek as part of a future state. Israel views all of Jerusalem as its unified capital, while the Palestinians want east Jerusalem as the capital of their future state.\n\nIsraeli-Palestinian tensions have spiked following President Donald Trump’s decision in 2017 to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and move the U.S. Embassy there. The Israeli-Palestinian peace process has been moribund for at least a decade, and the Palestinians have cut ties with the Trump administration over what they see as its unfair bias toward Israel.\n\nIn a separate incident on Sunday, Israeli troops killed a Palestinian gunman after he opened fire on them from across the perimeter fence around the Gaza Strip.\n\nThe Israeli military said an “armed terrorist” approached the frontier early Sunday and opened fire toward troops on the other side, who responded by shooting at the attacker. The army said a tank also targeted a nearby military post operated by the Islamic militant group Hamas.\n\nThe Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza identified the deceased as 26-year-old Marwan Nasser. It was not clear if he was a member of an armed group, and no one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.\n\nOn Saturday, Israeli troops killed four Palestinian militants who the army said had tried to carry out a cross-border attack. Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2007, said the attack was an “individual act” carried out by youths frustrated at the Israeli-Egyptian blockade on Gaza and was not planned by the group.", "JERUSALEM (AP) — Muslim worshippers and Israeli police clashed Sunday at a major Jerusalem holy site during prayers marking the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha.\n\nPalestinian medics said at least 14 people were wounded, one seriously, in the skirmishes with police at the site, which Muslims refer to as the Al-Aqsa mosque compound and Jews refer to as the Temple Mount. Police said at least four officers were wounded. Witnesses said at least two people were arrested.\n\nClouds of tear gas swirled and stun grenades thundered across the stone-paved esplanade as masses of worshippers skirmished with police in the worst bout of fighting at the contested holy site in months.\n\nThe clashes came amid heightened tensions between Israel and the Palestinians, just days after an Israeli soldier was killed south of Jerusalem. On Saturday, Israeli troops killed four Palestinian militants who attempted to cross the Gaza border fence.\n\nTens of thousands of Muslims had flocked to the site in Jerusalem’s Old City early Sunday for holiday prayers, police said. Jews are also observing on Sunday the Ninth of Av, a day of fasting and mourning for the destruction of the two Biblical temples which stood at the site in antiquity.\n\nThe site is the holiest for Jews and the third holiest for Muslims, after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia, and has long been a flashpoint at the epicenter of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.\n\nJordan, which serves as the custodian of the holy site, said in a statement that it had sent a formal complaint to Israel and condemned what it called Israel’s “irresponsible provocations.” Sufian al-Qudah, a spokesman for the Jordanian Foreign Ministry, said Amman holds Israel completely responsible for the violence.\n\nLarge numbers of Palestinians had gathered at the gates of the compound early Sunday after rumors circulated that police would allow Jewish visitors to enter the site. The protesters chanted “Allahu Akbar” (God is greatest) and threw stones at police, who then charged into the compound while firing stun grenades and rubber-coated bullets.\n\nIsraeli police had initially barred entry to Jewish visitors, but reversed their decision after the clashes broke out and allowed them to enter. Several dozen entered the site under close police escort and Muslim worshippers began throwing chairs and other objects at the group. The Jewish visitors left the compound shortly thereafter.\n\nJerusalem District police commander Doron Yedid told Israeli media that the decision to allow Jewish visitors to enter the site was made “with the backing of the top political officials.” Police spokesmen could not be reached for comment.\n\nThe reversal came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s religious nationalist allies called for the site to be opened to Jewish visitors. Israelis are headed to unprecedented repeat elections next month after Netanyahu failed to form a government following April’s elections.\n\nJews are barred from praying at the compound under a longstanding arrangement between Israel and Muslim authorities. Jewish tradition also maintains that Jews should avoid entering the holy site.\n\nBut in recent years Israeli religious nationalists have stepped up visits to the site to challenge the arrangement. Jewish extremists have called for destroying the mosque and rebuilding the Biblical temple.\n\nThe Palestinians view such visits as provocations, and have long feared that Israel intends to take over the site or partition it. The Israeli government has repeatedly said it has no intention of changing the status quo.\n\nHanan Ashrawi, a senior leader in the Palestine Liberation Organization, said Israel was “fueling religious tensions in Jerusalem,” adding that Israeli officials are “fully responsible for its grave consequences.”\n\nThe compound is in east Jerusalem, which Israel captured in the 1967 war along with the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, territories the Palestinians seek as part of a future state. Israel views all of Jerusalem as its unified capital, while the Palestinians want east Jerusalem as the capital of their future state.\n\nIsraeli-Palestinian tensions have spiked following President Donald Trump’s decision in 2017 to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and move the U.S. Embassy there. The Israeli-Palestinian peace process has been moribund for at least a decade, and the Palestinians have cut ties with the Trump administration over what they see as its unfair bias toward Israel.\n\nIn a separate incident on Sunday, Israeli troops killed a Palestinian gunman after he opened fire on them from across the perimeter fence around the Gaza Strip.\n\nThe Israeli military said an “armed terrorist” approached the frontier early Sunday and opened fire toward troops on the other side, who responded by shooting at the attacker. The army said a tank also targeted a nearby military post operated by the Islamic militant group Hamas.\n\nThe Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza identified the deceased as 26-year-old Marwan Nasser. It was not clear if he was a member of an armed group, and no one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.\n\nOn Saturday, Israeli troops killed four Palestinian militants who the army said had tried to carry out a cross-border attack. Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2007, said the attack was an “individual act” carried out by youths frustrated at the Israeli-Egyptian blockade on Gaza and was not planned by the group.", "JERUSALEM (AP) — Muslim worshippers and Israeli police clashed Sunday at a major Jerusalem holy site during prayers marking the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha.\n\nPalestinian medics said at least 14 people were wounded, one seriously, in the skirmishes with police at the site, which Muslims refer to as the Al-Aqsa mosque compound and Jews refer to as the Temple Mount. Police said at least four officers were wounded. Witnesses said at least two people were arrested.\n\nClouds of tear gas swirled and stun grenades thundered across the stone-paved esplanade as masses of worshippers skirmished with police in the worst bout of fighting at the contested holy site in months.\n\nThe clashes came amid heightened tensions between Israel and the Palestinians, just days after an Israeli soldier was killed south of Jerusalem. On Saturday, Israeli troops killed four Palestinian militants who attempted to cross the Gaza border fence.\n\nTens of thousands of Muslims had flocked to the site in Jerusalem’s Old City early Sunday for holiday prayers, police said. Jews are also observing on Sunday the Ninth of Av, a day of fasting and mourning for the destruction of the two Biblical temples which stood at the site in antiquity.\n\nThe site is the holiest for Jews and the third holiest for Muslims, after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia, and has long been a flashpoint at the epicenter of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.\n\nJordan, which serves as the custodian of the holy site, said in a statement that it had sent a formal complaint to Israel and condemned what it called Israel’s “irresponsible provocations.” Sufian al-Qudah, a spokesman for the Jordanian Foreign Ministry, said Amman holds Israel completely responsible for the violence.\n\nLarge numbers of Palestinians had gathered at the gates of the compound early Sunday after rumors circulated that police would allow Jewish visitors to enter the site. The protesters chanted “Allahu Akbar” (God is greatest) and threw stones at police, who then charged into the compound while firing stun grenades and rubber-coated bullets.\n\nIsraeli police had initially barred entry to Jewish visitors, but reversed their decision after the clashes broke out and allowed them to enter. Several dozen entered the site under close police escort and Muslim worshippers began throwing chairs and other objects at the group. The Jewish visitors left the compound shortly thereafter.\n\nJerusalem District police commander Doron Yedid told Israeli media that the decision to allow Jewish visitors to enter the site was made “with the backing of the top political officials.” Police spokesmen could not be reached for comment.\n\nThe reversal came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s religious nationalist allies called for the site to be opened to Jewish visitors. Israelis are headed to unprecedented repeat elections next month after Netanyahu failed to form a government following April’s elections.\n\nJews are barred from praying at the compound under a longstanding arrangement between Israel and Muslim authorities. Jewish tradition also maintains that Jews should avoid entering the holy site.\n\nBut in recent years Israeli religious nationalists have stepped up visits to the site to challenge the arrangement. Jewish extremists have called for destroying the mosque and rebuilding the Biblical temple.\n\nThe Palestinians view such visits as provocations, and have long feared that Israel intends to take over the site or partition it. The Israeli government has repeatedly said it has no intention of changing the status quo.\n\nHanan Ashrawi, a senior leader in the Palestine Liberation Organization, said Israel was “fueling religious tensions in Jerusalem,” adding that Israeli officials are “fully responsible for its grave consequences.”\n\nThe compound is in east Jerusalem, which Israel captured in the 1967 war along with the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, territories the Palestinians seek as part of a future state. Israel views all of Jerusalem as its unified capital, while the Palestinians want east Jerusalem as the capital of their future state.\n\nIsraeli-Palestinian tensions have spiked following President Donald Trump’s decision in 2017 to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and move the U.S. Embassy there. The Israeli-Palestinian peace process has been moribund for at least a decade, and the Palestinians have cut ties with the Trump administration over what they see as its unfair bias toward Israel.\n\nIn a separate incident on Sunday, Israeli troops killed a Palestinian gunman after he opened fire on them from across the perimeter fence around the Gaza Strip.\n\nThe Israeli military said an “armed terrorist” approached the frontier early Sunday and opened fire toward troops on the other side, who responded by shooting at the attacker. The army said a tank also targeted a nearby military post operated by the Islamic militant group Hamas.\n\nThe Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza identified the deceased as 26-year-old Marwan Nasser. It was not clear if he was a member of an armed group, and no one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.\n\nOn Saturday, Israeli troops killed four Palestinian militants who the army said had tried to carry out a cross-border attack. Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2007, said the attack was an “individual act” carried out by youths frustrated at the Israeli-Egyptian blockade on Gaza and was not planned by the group.", "Israeli police fired sound grenades to disperse Palestinians during confrontations on Sunday outside Jerusalem's al-Aqsa mosque where tens of thousands of Muslim worshippers gathered for the Eid al-Adha holiday, witnesses said.\n\nA Palestinian ambulance service said that at least 14 Palestinians were taken to hospitals for treatment. Israel's Kan public radio said four police officers were injured.\n\nFacing off with police in the packed compound outside Islam's third-holiest site, Palestinians chanted \"With our soul and blood we will redeem you, Aqsa\".\n\nScuffles ensued and the crowd fled as the sound grenades exploded and smoke wafted through the compound, witnesses said.\n\nIn a statement, police said they had deployed forces at the site in anticipation of disturbances and \"dispersed rioters\".\n\nRevered by Jews as Temple Mount, the site of two biblical Jewish temples, and by Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary, the area is one of the most sensitive sites in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.\n\nTensions had mounted at the start of Eid al-Adha as the holiday overlapped this year with Tisha B'Av, a Jewish fast day marking the destruction of the two temples.\n\nIn a bid to avoid friction at the site, police barred the entry of non-Muslim visitors, including Jews who intended to make a Tisha B'Av pilgrimage, before the clashes erupted.\n\nThe compound is situated in a part of Jerusalem captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war and annexed in a move that has not won international recognition.", "JERUSALEM: Israeli police fired sound grenades to disperse Palestinians during confrontations on Sunday outside Jerusalem's al-Aqsa mosque where tens of thousands of Muslim worshippers gathered for the Eid al-Adha holiday, witnesses said.\n\nA Palestinian ambulance service said that at least 14 Palestinians were taken to hospitals for treatment. Israel's Kan public radio said four police officers were injured.\n\nFacing off with police in the packed compound outside Islam's third-holiest site, Palestinians chanted \"With our soul and blood we will redeem you, Aqsa\".\n\nScuffles ensued and the crowd fled as the sound grenades exploded and smoke wafted through the compound, witnesses said.\n\nRevered by Jews as Temple Mount, the site of two biblical Jewish temples, and by Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary, the area is one of the most sensitive sites in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.\n\nTensions had mounted at the flashpoint complex at the start of Eid al-Adha as the holiday overlapped this year with the Jewish fast day of Tisha B'Av, amid calls by Jewish nationalist and religious politicians for Jews to visit the holy compound.\n\nIn a statement, police said they had deployed forces at the site in anticipation of disturbances and \"dispersed rioters\". It put the number of Muslim worshippers at the site at some 60,000.\n\nHanan Ashrawi, a senior official in the Palestine Liberation Organization, accused Israel of provoking religious and political tension.\n\n\"The storming of al-Aqsa mosque compound by Israeli occupation forces this Eid morning is an act of recklessness and aggression,\" she said in a statement.\n\nThe compound is situated in a part of Jerusalem captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war and annexed in a move that has not been recognised internationally.\n\nIn an effort to avoid friction at the site, police barred the entry of non-Muslim visitors, including Jews, before the clashes erupted.\n\nAfter the confrontations died down, Jerusalem District Police Chief Doron Yedid said on Kan radio that he had lifted the ban. Jewish visitors then entered the area under heavy police guard and no serious violence was reported.\n\nEid al-Adha commemorates God's testing of Abraham's faith by commanding him to sacrifice his son. Tisha B'Av marks the destruction of the two temples.", "JERUSALEM (AP) — Muslim worshippers and Israeli police clashed Sunday at a major Jerusalem holy site during prayers marking the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha.\n\nPalestinian medics said at least 14 people were wounded, one seriously, in the skirmishes with police at the site, which Muslims refer to as the Al-Aqsa mosque compound and Jews refer to as the Temple Mount. Police said at least four officers were wounded. Witnesses said at least two people were arrested.\n\nClouds of tear gas swirled and stun grenades thundered across the stone-paved esplanade as masses of worshippers skirmished with police in the worst bout of fighting at the contested holy site in months.\n\nThe clashes came amid heightened tensions between Israel and the Palestinians, just days after an Israeli soldier was killed south of Jerusalem. On Saturday, Israeli troops killed four Palestinian militants who attempted to cross the Gaza border fence.\n\nTens of thousands of Muslims had flocked to the site in Jerusalem’s Old City early Sunday for holiday prayers, police said. Jews are also observing on Sunday the Ninth of Av, a day of fasting and mourning for the destruction of the two Biblical temples which stood at the site in antiquity.\n\nThe site is the holiest for Jews and the third holiest for Muslims, after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia, and has long been a flashpoint at the epicenter of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.\n\nJordan, which serves as the custodian of the holy site, said in a statement that it had sent a formal complaint to Israel and condemned what it called Israel’s “irresponsible provocations.” Sufian al-Qudah, a spokesman for the Jordanian Foreign Ministry, said Amman holds Israel completely responsible for the violence.\n\nLarge numbers of Palestinians had gathered at the gates of the compound early Sunday after rumors circulated that police would allow Jewish visitors to enter the site. The protesters chanted “Allahu Akbar” (God is greatest) and threw stones at police, who then charged into the compound while firing stun grenades and rubber-coated bullets.\n\nIsraeli police had initially barred entry to Jewish visitors, but reversed their decision after the clashes broke out and allowed them to enter. Several dozen entered the site under close police escort and Muslim worshippers began throwing chairs and other objects at the group. The Jewish visitors left the compound shortly thereafter.\n\nJerusalem District police commander Doron Yedid told Israeli media that the decision to allow Jewish visitors to enter the site was made “with the backing of the top political officials.” Police spokesmen could not be reached for comment.\n\nThe reversal came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s religious nationalist allies called for the site to be opened to Jewish visitors. Israelis are headed to unprecedented repeat elections next month after Netanyahu failed to form a government following April’s elections.\n\nJews are barred from praying at the compound under a longstanding arrangement between Israel and Muslim authorities. Jewish tradition also maintains that Jews should avoid entering the holy site.\n\nBut in recent years Israeli religious nationalists have stepped up visits to the site to challenge the arrangement. Jewish extremists have called for destroying the mosque and rebuilding the Biblical temple.\n\nThe Palestinians view such visits as provocations, and have long feared that Israel intends to take over the site or partition it. The Israeli government has repeatedly said it has no intention of changing the status quo.\n\nHanan Ashrawi, a senior leader in the Palestine Liberation Organization, said Israel was “fueling religious tensions in Jerusalem,” adding that Israeli officials are “fully responsible for its grave consequences.”\n\nThe compound is in east Jerusalem, which Israel captured in the 1967 war along with the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, territories the Palestinians seek as part of a future state. Israel views all of Jerusalem as its unified capital, while the Palestinians want east Jerusalem as the capital of their future state.\n\nIsraeli-Palestinian tensions have spiked following President Donald Trump’s decision in 2017 to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and move the U.S. Embassy there. The Israeli-Palestinian peace process has been moribund for at least a decade, and the Palestinians have cut ties with the Trump administration over what they see as its unfair bias toward Israel.\n\nIn a separate incident on Sunday, Israeli troops killed a Palestinian gunman after he opened fire on them from across the perimeter fence around the Gaza Strip.\n\nThe Israeli military said an “armed terrorist” approached the frontier early Sunday and opened fire toward troops on the other side, who responded by shooting at the attacker. The army said a tank also targeted a nearby military post operated by the Islamic militant group Hamas.\n\nThe Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza identified the deceased as 26-year-old Marwan Nasser. It was not clear if he was a member of an armed group, and no one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.\n\nOn Saturday, Israeli troops killed four Palestinian militants who the army said had tried to carry out a cross-border attack. Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2007, said the attack was an “individual act” carried out by youths frustrated at the Israeli-Egyptian blockade on Gaza and was not planned by the group.", "JERUSALEM (AP) — Muslim worshippers and Israeli police clashed Sunday at a major Jerusalem holy site during prayers marking the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha.\n\nPalestinian medics said at least 14 people were wounded, one seriously, in the skirmishes with police at the site, which Muslims refer to as the Al-Aqsa mosque compound and Jews refer to as the Temple Mount. Police said at least four officers were wounded. Witnesses said at least two people were arrested.\n\nClouds of tear gas swirled and stun grenades thundered across the stone-paved esplanade as masses of worshippers skirmished with police in the worst bout of fighting at the contested holy site in months.\n\nThe clashes came amid heightened tensions between Israel and the Palestinians, just days after an Israeli soldier was killed south of Jerusalem. On Saturday, Israeli troops killed four Palestinian militants who attempted to cross the Gaza border fence.\n\nTens of thousands of Muslims had flocked to the site in Jerusalem’s Old City early Sunday for holiday prayers, police said. Jews are also observing on Sunday the Ninth of Av, a day of fasting and mourning for the destruction of the two Biblical temples which stood at the site in antiquity.\n\nThe site is the holiest for Jews and the third holiest for Muslims, after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia, and has long been a flashpoint at the epicenter of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.\n\nJordan, which serves as the custodian of the holy site, said in a statement that it had sent a formal complaint to Israel and condemned what it called Israel’s “irresponsible provocations.” Sufian al-Qudah, a spokesman for the Jordanian Foreign Ministry, said Amman holds Israel completely responsible for the violence.\n\nLarge numbers of Palestinians had gathered at the gates of the compound early Sunday after rumors circulated that police would allow Jewish visitors to enter the site. The protesters chanted “Allahu Akbar” (God is greatest) and threw stones at police, who then charged into the compound while firing stun grenades and rubber-coated bullets.\n\nIsraeli police had initially barred entry to Jewish visitors, but reversed their decision after the clashes broke out and allowed them to enter. Several dozen entered the site under close police escort and Muslim worshippers began throwing chairs and other objects at the group. The Jewish visitors left the compound shortly thereafter.\n\nJerusalem District police commander Doron Yedid told Israeli media that the decision to allow Jewish visitors to enter the site was made “with the backing of the top political officials.” Police spokesmen could not be reached for comment.\n\nThe reversal came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s religious nationalist allies called for the site to be opened to Jewish visitors. Israelis are headed to unprecedented repeat elections next month after Netanyahu failed to form a government following April’s elections.\n\nJews are barred from praying at the compound under a longstanding arrangement between Israel and Muslim authorities. Jewish tradition also maintains that Jews should avoid entering the holy site.\n\nBut in recent years Israeli religious nationalists have stepped up visits to the site to challenge the arrangement. Jewish extremists have called for destroying the mosque and rebuilding the Biblical temple.\n\nThe Palestinians view such visits as provocations, and have long feared that Israel intends to take over the site or partition it. The Israeli government has repeatedly said it has no intention of changing the status quo.\n\nHanan Ashrawi, a senior leader in the Palestine Liberation Organization, said Israel was “fueling religious tensions in Jerusalem,” adding that Israeli officials are “fully responsible for its grave consequences.”\n\nThe compound is in east Jerusalem, which Israel captured in the 1967 war along with the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, territories the Palestinians seek as part of a future state. Israel views all of Jerusalem as its unified capital, while the Palestinians want east Jerusalem as the capital of their future state.\n\nIsraeli-Palestinian tensions have spiked following President Donald Trump’s decision in 2017 to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and move the U.S. Embassy there. The Israeli-Palestinian peace process has been moribund for at least a decade, and the Palestinians have cut ties with the Trump administration over what they see as its unfair bias toward Israel.\n\nIn a separate incident on Sunday, Israeli troops killed a Palestinian gunman after he opened fire on them from across the perimeter fence around the Gaza Strip.\n\nThe Israeli military said an “armed terrorist” approached the frontier early Sunday and opened fire toward troops on the other side, who responded by shooting at the attacker. The army said a tank also targeted a nearby military post operated by the Islamic militant group Hamas.\n\nThe Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza identified the deceased as 26-year-old Marwan Nasser. It was not clear if he was a member of an armed group, and no one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.\n\nOn Saturday, Israeli troops killed four Palestinian militants who the army said had tried to carry out a cross-border attack. Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2007, said the attack was an “individual act” carried out by youths frustrated at the Israeli-Egyptian blockade on Gaza and was not planned by the group.", "JERUSALEM — Muslim worshippers and Israeli police clashed Sunday at a major Jerusalem holy site during prayers marking the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha.\n\nPalestinian medics said at least 14 people were wounded, one seriously, in the skirmishes with police at the site, which Muslims refer to as the Al-Aqsa mosque compound and Jews refer to as the Temple Mount. Police said at least four officers were wounded. Witnesses said at least two people were arrested.\n\nClouds of tear gas swirled and stun grenades thundered across the stone-paved esplanade as masses of worshippers skirmished with police in the worst bout of fighting at the contested holy site in months.\n\nThe clashes came amid heightened tensions between Israel and the Palestinians, just days after an Israeli soldier was killed south of Jerusalem. On Saturday, Israeli troops killed four Palestinian militants who attempted to cross the Gaza border fence.\n\nTens of thousands of Muslims had flocked to the site in Jerusalem's Old City early Sunday for holiday prayers, police said. Jews are also observing on Sunday the Ninth of Av, a day of fasting and mourning for the destruction of the two Biblical temples which stood at the site in antiquity.\n\nThe site is the holiest for Jews and the third holiest for Muslims, after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia, and has long been a flashpoint at the epicenter of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.\n\nJordan, which serves as the custodian of the holy site, said in a statement that it had sent a formal complaint to Israel and condemned what it called Israel's \"irresponsible provocations.\" Sufian al-Qudah, a spokesman for the Jordanian Foreign Ministry, said Amman holds Israel completely responsible for the violence.\n\nLarge numbers of Palestinians had gathered at the gates of the compound early Sunday after rumors circulated that police would allow Jewish visitors to enter the site. The protesters chanted \"Allahu Akbar\" (God is greatest) and threw stones at police, who then charged into the compound while firing stun grenades and rubber-coated bullets.\n\nIsraeli police had initially barred entry to Jewish visitors, but reversed their decision after the clashes broke out and allowed them to enter. Several dozen entered the site under close police escort and Muslim worshippers began throwing chairs and other objects at the group. The Jewish visitors left the compound shortly thereafter.\n\nJerusalem District police commander Doron Yedid told Israeli media that the decision to allow Jewish visitors to enter the site was made \"with the backing of the top political officials.\" Police spokesmen could not be reached for comment.\n\nThe reversal came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's religious nationalist allies called for the site to be opened to Jewish visitors. Israelis are headed to unprecedented repeat elections next month after Netanyahu failed to form a government following April's elections.\n\nJews are barred from praying at the compound under a longstanding arrangement between Israel and Muslim authorities. Jewish tradition also maintains that Jews should avoid entering the holy site.\n\nBut in recent years Israeli religious nationalists have stepped up visits to the site to challenge the arrangement. Jewish extremists have called for destroying the mosque and rebuilding the Biblical temple.\n\nThe Palestinians view such visits as provocations, and have long feared that Israel intends to take over the site or partition it. The Israeli government has repeatedly said it has no intention of changing the status quo.\n\nHanan Ashrawi, a senior leader in the Palestine Liberation Organization, said Israel was \"fueling religious tensions in Jerusalem,\" adding that Israeli officials are \"fully responsible for its grave consequences.\"\n\nThe compound is in east Jerusalem, which Israel captured in the 1967 war along with the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, territories the Palestinians seek as part of a future state. Israel views all of Jerusalem as its unified capital, while the Palestinians want east Jerusalem as the capital of their future state.\n\nIsraeli-Palestinian tensions have spiked following President Donald Trump's decision in 2017 to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital and move the U.S. Embassy there. The Israeli-Palestinian peace process has been moribund for at least a decade, and the Palestinians have cut ties with the Trump administration over what they see as its unfair bias toward Israel.\n\nIn a separate incident on Sunday, Israeli troops killed a Palestinian gunman after he opened fire on them from across the perimeter fence around the Gaza Strip.\n\nThe Israeli military said an \"armed terrorist\" approached the frontier early Sunday and opened fire toward troops on the other side, who responded by shooting at the attacker. The army said a tank also targeted a nearby military post operated by the Islamic militant group Hamas.\n\nThe Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza identified the deceased as 26-year-old Marwan Nasser. It was not clear if he was a member of an armed group, and no one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.\n\nOn Saturday, Israeli troops killed four Palestinian militants who the army said had tried to carry out a cross-border attack. Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2007, said the attack was an \"individual act\" carried out by youths frustrated at the Israeli-Egyptian blockade on Gaza and was not planned by the group.", "JERUSALEM (AP) — Muslim worshippers and Israeli police clashed Sunday at a major Jerusalem holy site during prayers marking the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha.\n\nPalestinian medics said at least 14 people were wounded, one seriously, in the skirmishes with police at the site, which Muslims refer to as the Al-Aqsa mosque compound and Jews refer to as the Temple Mount. Police said at least four officers were wounded. Witnesses said at least two people were arrested.\n\nClouds of tear gas swirled and stun grenades thundered across the stone-paved esplanade as masses of worshippers skirmished with police in the worst bout of fighting at the contested holy site in months.\n\nThe clashes came amid heightened tensions between Israel and the Palestinians, just days after an Israeli soldier was killed south of Jerusalem. On Saturday, Israeli troops killed four Palestinian militants who attempted to cross the Gaza border fence.\n\nTens of thousands of Muslims had flocked to the site in Jerusalem’s Old City early Sunday for holiday prayers, police said. Jews are also observing on Sunday the Ninth of Av, a day of fasting and mourning for the destruction of the two Biblical temples which stood at the site in antiquity.\n\nThe site is the holiest for Jews and the third holiest for Muslims, after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia, and has long been a flashpoint at the epicenter of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.\n\nJordan, which serves as the custodian of the holy site, said in a statement that it had sent a formal complaint to Israel and condemned what it called Israel’s “irresponsible provocations.” Sufian al-Qudah, a spokesman for the Jordanian Foreign Ministry, said Amman holds Israel completely responsible for the violence.\n\nLarge numbers of Palestinians had gathered at the gates of the compound early Sunday after rumors circulated that police would allow Jewish visitors to enter the site. The protesters chanted “Allahu Akbar” (God is greatest) and threw stones at police, who then charged into the compound while firing stun grenades and rubber-coated bullets.\n\nIsraeli police had initially barred entry to Jewish visitors, but reversed their decision after the clashes broke out and allowed them to enter. Several dozen entered the site under close police escort and Muslim worshippers began throwing chairs and other objects at the group. The Jewish visitors left the compound shortly thereafter.\n\nJerusalem District police commander Doron Yedid told Israeli media that the decision to allow Jewish visitors to enter the site was made “with the backing of the top political officials.” Police spokesmen could not be reached for comment.\n\nThe reversal came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s religious nationalist allies called for the site to be opened to Jewish visitors. Israelis are headed to unprecedented repeat elections next month after Netanyahu failed to form a government following April’s elections.\n\nJews are barred from praying at the compound under a longstanding arrangement between Israel and Muslim authorities. Jewish tradition also maintains that Jews should avoid entering the holy site.\n\nBut in recent years Israeli religious nationalists have stepped up visits to the site to challenge the arrangement. Jewish extremists have called for destroying the mosque and rebuilding the Biblical temple.\n\nThe Palestinians view such visits as provocations, and have long feared that Israel intends to take over the site or partition it. The Israeli government has repeatedly said it has no intention of changing the status quo.\n\nHanan Ashrawi, a senior leader in the Palestine Liberation Organization, said Israel was “fueling religious tensions in Jerusalem,” adding that Israeli officials are “fully responsible for its grave consequences.”\n\nThe compound is in east Jerusalem, which Israel captured in the 1967 war along with the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, territories the Palestinians seek as part of a future state. Israel views all of Jerusalem as its unified capital, while the Palestinians want east Jerusalem as the capital of their future state.\n\nIsraeli-Palestinian tensions have spiked following President Donald Trump’s decision in 2017 to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and move the U.S. Embassy there. The Israeli-Palestinian peace process has been moribund for at least a decade, and the Palestinians have cut ties with the Trump administration over what they see as its unfair bias toward Israel.\n\nIn a separate incident on Sunday, Israeli troops killed a Palestinian gunman after he opened fire on them from across the perimeter fence around the Gaza Strip.\n\nThe Israeli military said an “armed terrorist” approached the frontier early Sunday and opened fire toward troops on the other side, who responded by shooting at the attacker. The army said a tank also targeted a nearby military post operated by the Islamic militant group Hamas.\n\nThe Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza identified the deceased as 26-year-old Marwan Nasser. It was not clear if he was a member of an armed group, and no one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.\n\nOn Saturday, Israeli troops killed four Palestinian militants who the army said had tried to carry out a cross-border attack. Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2007, said the attack was an “individual act” carried out by youths frustrated at the Israeli-Egyptian blockade on Gaza and was not planned by the group.", "JERUSALEM (AP) — Muslim worshippers and Israeli police clashed Sunday at a major Jerusalem holy site during prayers marking the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha.\n\nPalestinian medics said at least 14 people were wounded, one seriously, in the skirmishes with police at the site, which Muslims refer to as the Al-Aqsa mosque compound and Jews refer to as the Temple Mount. Police said at least four officers were wounded. Witnesses said at least two people were arrested.\n\nClouds of tear gas swirled and stun grenades thundered across the stone-paved esplanade as masses of worshippers skirmished with police in the worst bout of fighting at the contested holy site in months.\n\nThe clashes came amid heightened tensions between Israel and the Palestinians, just days after an Israeli soldier was killed south of Jerusalem. On Saturday, Israeli troops killed four Palestinian militants who attempted to cross the Gaza border fence.\n\nTens of thousands of Muslims had flocked to the site in Jerusalem’s Old City early Sunday for holiday prayers, police said. Jews are also observing on Sunday the Ninth of Av, a day of fasting and mourning for the destruction of the two Biblical temples which stood at the site in antiquity.\n\nThe site is the holiest for Jews and the third holiest for Muslims, after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia, and has long been a flashpoint at the epicenter of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.\n\nJordan, which serves as the custodian of the holy site, said in a statement that it had sent a formal complaint to Israel and condemned what it called Israel’s “irresponsible provocations.” Sufian al-Qudah, a spokesman for the Jordanian Foreign Ministry, said Amman holds Israel completely responsible for the violence.\n\nLarge numbers of Palestinians had gathered at the gates of the compound early Sunday after rumors circulated that police would allow Jewish visitors to enter the site. The protesters chanted “Allahu Akbar” (God is greatest) and threw stones at police, who then charged into the compound while firing stun grenades and rubber-coated bullets.\n\nIsraeli police had initially barred entry to Jewish visitors, but reversed their decision after the clashes broke out and allowed them to enter. Several dozen entered the site under close police escort and Muslim worshippers began throwing chairs and other objects at the group. The Jewish visitors left the compound shortly thereafter.\n\nJerusalem District police commander Doron Yedid told Israeli media that the decision to allow Jewish visitors to enter the site was made “with the backing of the top political officials.” Police spokesmen could not be reached for comment.\n\nThe reversal came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s religious nationalist allies called for the site to be opened to Jewish visitors. Israelis are headed to unprecedented repeat elections next month after Netanyahu failed to form a government following April’s elections.\n\nJews are barred from praying at the compound under a longstanding arrangement between Israel and Muslim authorities. Jewish tradition also maintains that Jews should avoid entering the holy site.\n\nBut in recent years Israeli religious nationalists have stepped up visits to the site to challenge the arrangement. Jewish extremists have called for destroying the mosque and rebuilding the Biblical temple.\n\nThe Palestinians view such visits as provocations, and have long feared that Israel intends to take over the site or partition it. The Israeli government has repeatedly said it has no intention of changing the status quo.\n\nHanan Ashrawi, a senior leader in the Palestine Liberation Organization, said Israel was “fueling religious tensions in Jerusalem,” adding that Israeli officials are “fully responsible for its grave consequences.”\n\nThe compound is in east Jerusalem, which Israel captured in the 1967 war along with the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, territories the Palestinians seek as part of a future state. Israel views all of Jerusalem as its unified capital, while the Palestinians want east Jerusalem as the capital of their future state.\n\nIsraeli-Palestinian tensions have spiked following President Donald Trump’s decision in 2017 to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and move the U.S. Embassy there. The Israeli-Palestinian peace process has been moribund for at least a decade, and the Palestinians have cut ties with the Trump administration over what they see as its unfair bias toward Israel.\n\nIn a separate incident on Sunday, Israeli troops killed a Palestinian gunman after he opened fire on them from across the perimeter fence around the Gaza Strip.\n\nThe Israeli military said an “armed terrorist” approached the frontier early Sunday and opened fire toward troops on the other side, who responded by shooting at the attacker. The army said a tank also targeted a nearby military post operated by the Islamic militant group Hamas.\n\nThe Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza identified the deceased as 26-year-old Marwan Nasser. It was not clear if he was a member of an armed group, and no one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.\n\nOn Saturday, Israeli troops killed four Palestinian militants who the army said had tried to carry out a cross-border attack. Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2007, said the attack was an “individual act” carried out by youths frustrated at the Israeli-Egyptian blockade on Gaza and was not planned by the group."], "summary": "Israeli riot police clash with Palestinians at the Al-Aqsa Mosque and Temple Mount site in East Jerusalem. With holidays coincidentally falling on the same day (11 August) this year for both Judaism and Islam, some Palestinians began protesting the admittance of Jewish visitors to the site, despite a longstanding agreement barring Jewish visitors. Following the agreement, the Al-Aqsa police barred Jews from the site. Israeli forces then fired rubber bullets and tear gas at people inside. The Jews were then admitted, which caused further tensions on both sides of the dispute."}
{"document": ["Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Mr Giammattei takes office in 2020\n\nConservative candidate and ex-prison chief Alejandro Giammattei has been elected president of Guatemala.\n\nPreliminary results show he took 59% of the vote, while his centre-left opponent Sandra Torres won 41%.\n\nEx-first lady Ms Torres, who won the first round in June, was running for the third time, while Mr Giammattei was making his fourth attempt.\n\nShortly before being elected, Mr Giammattei said he wanted to change a controversial US migration deal.\n\nHe has been elected for a single four-year term, replacing outgoing President Jimmy Morales.\n\nVoter turnout was reportedly low amid disillusionment with Mr Morales' administration and scepticism over corruption.\n\nImage copyright Reuters Image caption Former first lady Sandra Torres won the first round of votes with a comfortable margin\n\n\"It will be an immense honour to be president of this country that I love so much,\" said Mr Giammattei.\n\n\"We will rebuild Guatemala. I have no words to say how grateful I am.\"\n\nUS migration agreement 'not right'\n\nMr Giammattei told Reuters he wanted to see what could be done to improve a deal agreed by Mr Morales and US President Donald Trump, which seeks to stem migration to the United States by using Guatemala as a buffer zone.\n\nUnder the agreement, migrants passing through Guatemala en route to the US would have to apply for asylum in the former rather than in the US.\n\n\"It's not right for the country,\" Mr Giammattei said. \"If we don't have the capacity to look after our own people, imagine what it will be like for foreigners.\"\n\nImage copyright Reuters Image caption Guatemala is still recovering from a 36-year civil war, which ended in 1996\n\nIn the lead up to the election, both candidates said they opposed the deal, arguing that Guatemala - a country plagued by poverty and violence - does not have the capacity to process the asylum requests and even less so to look after the applicants or return them to their home countries if their requests are rejected.\n\nPresident Morales signed the \"Safe Third Country\" agreement on 27 July, just days after President Trump had threatened Guatemala with tariffs and other sanctions.\n\nBut Mr Giammattei will not take office until January 2020, by which time the arrangement will be in full swing.\n\n\"I hope that during this transition the doors will open to get more information so we can see what, from a diplomatic point of view, we can do to remove from this deal the things that are not right for us,\" he said.\n\nWho is Alejandro Giammattei?\n\nThe 63-year-old candidate stood for the right-wing Vamos (Let's Go) party, although in each of his four previous presidential attempts he has run for a different party.\n\nThe incoming president, who walks with crutches due to multiple sclerosis, vehemently opposes gay marriage and abortion and supports the death penalty.\n\nIn his campaign, Mr Giammattei promised to build \"a wall of prosperity\" to keep Guatemalans from migrating to the US. In order to lessen the disparity between the rich and the poor, he wants to attract more foreign investment to Guatemala by strengthening the protections granted to private property.\n\nHe said he would back a bill declaring gang members \"terrorists\" so that if imprisoned they would have no right to conjugal visits and would be forced to work in jail.\n\nImage copyright Getty Images Image caption Mr Giammattei was finally elected following four unsuccessful presidential runs\n\nMr Giammattei is a trained doctor who was named director of the Guatemalan prison system in 2006.\n\nThat same year, he led a controversial operation to take control of the Pavón prison, which had been run by inmates for a decade. Seven inmates died during the raids by the security forces.\n\nMr Giammattei was among eight people accused over the incident and after spending 10 months in pre-trial detention, he was acquitted due to lack of evidence.\n\nHe came fourth in the 2015 election.\n\nHow did Guatemalans feel about the election?\n\nMany Guatemalans were unenthusiastic about this election. Voters cited insecurity as their main concern, followed by unemployment, high living costs and corruption.\n\nFormer comedian Mr Morales' slogan for his election campaign in 2015 was \"not corrupt, nor a thief\" but in January he withdrew from a United Nations-backed anti-corruption commission.\n\nThe election run-up was overshadowed by the fact that the two favourites to win were prevented from standing in the poll.\n\nImage copyright Getty Images Image caption Guatemalans said they were fed up with corruption\n\nThe former attorney-general, Thelma Aldana, and Zury Ríos, the daughter of the late military ruler, Efraín Ríos Montt, were barred from running by Guatemala's constitutional court, angering those who were planning on voting for them.\n\nFour years after large-scale anti-corruption protests forced then-President Otto Pérez Molina to resign, many Guatemalans were also fed up with scandals and feel not enough has been done by the government of Jimmy Morales to combat graft.\n\nCorruption remains one of the top three issues voters wanted to see tackled but Mr Giammattei has not said whether he plans to renew the mandate of the UN's International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala, which is due to expire in September.", "Orlando Estrada, AFP | Guatemalan candidate for the Vamos (Let's Go) party Alejandro Giammattei shows his inked finger after voting at a polling station in Guatemala City on August 11, 2019.\n\nConservative Alejandro Giammattei appeared poised for a decisive victory in Guatemala's presidential election on Sunday, storming into a commanding lead over his centre-left rival, former first lady Sandra Torres, preliminary results showed.\n\nWith returns from three-fifths of the polling stations counted, Giammattei had secured more than 58% of the vote, while Torres had won just over 41%, according to the tally posted on the website of the country's electoral tribunal.\n\nThe next president is likely to face a major challenge on taking office in January after the country signed an unpopular deal with Washington to act as a buffer against illegal immigration under pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump.\n\nThreatened with economic sanctions if it said no, the administration of outgoing President Jimmy Morales reached an accord in late July to make Guatemala a so-called safe third country for migrants, despite the endemic poverty and violence plaguing the Central American nation.\n\nBoth Giammattei and Torres have criticized the deal. But it is unclear that either will be able to do much to stop it.", "Guatemala: Conservative Alejandro Giammattei was elected as Guatemala's president on Sunday, defeating former first lady Sandra Torres in a run-off, the central American country's electoral court said.\n\nWith the results being updated in real-time on the court's website, the institution's president Julio Solorzano declared the result \"already irreversible.\"\n\nGiammattei will succeed corruption-tainted outgoing President Jimmy Morales, who leaves office in January. \"The aim is fulfilled,\" Giammattei had said earlier.\n\nHe had polled almost 58.5% with a lead of 550,000 votes and only a few thousand left to count when the court declared him the victor.\n\nGiammattei will be under immense pressure from the United States to implement a controversial migration pact that would allow Washington to send most Honduran and Salvadoran asylum seekers who passed through Guatemala back to the poor, crime-stricken country.\n\nThe two candidates had both avoided committing to strong positions on the US deal.\n\nCorruption was the main issue leading up to the first round of elections in June — which Torres topped — but that has been superseded by the political scandal over the migration deal.\n\nThe center-left Torres, whose ex-husband Alvaro Colom was president from 2008-2012, has been suspected of involvement in corruption. Influential businessman Dionisio Gutierrez recently described her as \"a questionable politician with a history that should worry any citizen.\"\n\nGiammattei has hardly come off any better. Investigative website Nomada branded him as \"impulsive... despotic, tyrannical... capricious, vindictive,\" among other undesirable traits.\n\nBut the 63-year-old, a doctor by profession, scored well on voter concerns such as the economy, corruption, and security, according to Risa Grais-Targow of the Eurasia Group. However, he now faces \"a lose-lose scenario\" regarding the migration pact, Grais-Targow said.\n\nOne of Morales's last acts as president was to authorize an agreement with the US administration of Donald Trump designating Guatemala as a \"safe third country,\" which would permit Washington to turn away asylum seekers who didn't seek refuge when passing through Guatemala.\n\nThe pact — part of Trump's campaign to stem the flow of migrants to the southern US border — has proved highly unpopular in Guatemala, with demonstrators blocking roads and occupying the University of San Carlos in protest.\n\nIn a poll by Prodatos for the Prensa Libre newspaper, 82% of respondents opposed it.\n\n'Risk of retaliation'\n\n But rejecting the migration pact would run the \"risk of retaliation from Trump,\" Grais-Targow said after the US leader threatened a travel ban, tariffs, and remittance fees if the country didn't bend to his will.\n\nRemittances from Guatemalans in the US are a crucial part of the economy, reaching a record $9.3 billion last year. That compares to Guatemala's export revenue of $10.5 billion. According to the World Bank, remittances account for 12% of the country's GDP.\n\nThe agreement was reached last month despite Guatemala's constitutional court having earlier granted an injunction blocking Morales from signing the deal.\n\nAlmost 60% of Guatemala's 17.7 million citizens live in poverty, and the country has one of the highest murder rates in the world. Around half the killings are blamed on drug trafficking and extortion operations carried out by powerful gangs.\n\nMorales, barred by Guatemalan law from seeking a second term, urged his replacement to reduce undocumented migration, improve education and tackle chronic malnutrition in the under-fives, which affects 46% of infants.\n\nGuatemalans aren't subject to Trump's proposed migrant measures, but given that poverty in some indigenous areas reaches 80%, many embark on the journey in search of the \"American dream\" despite the dangers.\n\nSince December, at least five Guatemalan children have died in US custody after crossing into the country from Mexico. And in June, a woman and three children died from heat and dehydration in Texas.\n\n\"The problem is that as there's no work in Guatemala, many people want to migrate and it's sad what's happening to our Guatemalan brothers who die or are killed,\" Emilio Canel, a 26-year-old farmer in Sumpango, told AFP.\n\nMore than 250,000 Guatemalans were detained between October 2018 and July this year for trying to enter the US illegally, Washington's embassy said.", "Conservative candidate Alejandro Giammattei won the second round of Guatemala’s presidential election on Sunday.\n\nWith 95 per cent of precincts counted, Giammattei took some 59 per cent of the vote, according to the electoral commission.\n\nIt was fifth time lucky for Giammattei. The 63-year-old former head of the country’s prison system failed in four previous bids for the presidency.\n\nLeft-leaning former first lady Sandra Torres, 63, took nearly 26 per cent of the vote.\n\n“The moment of God has come,” Giammattei said at a press conference on Sunday evening. “We will rebuild the country.”\n\nGiammattei will succeed President Jimmy Morales, whom the constitution bars from seeking re-election.\n\nNeither candidate aroused great enthusiasm in the Central American country of 17 million residents, as both of them are familiar faces linked to high-level scandals.\n\nTorres is under investigation for alleged campaign finance violations.\n\nShe divorced then-president Alvaro Colom in 2011 to be able to run, as the constitution bars sitting presidents’ spouses from succeeding them.\n\nHe was jailed and then exonerated after a police operation at a prison led to the deaths of seven inmates while he was at the helm.\n\nNeither candidate is believed to want to reverse Morales’ decision to expel the UN-backed International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG), which helped to launch a massive anti-corruption drive and brought down then-president Otto Perez Molina in 2015.\n\nThe CICIG also started investigating the campaign financing of Morales, who has accused the commission of getting involved in politics and announced he will not renew its mandate when it expires in September.\n\nGuatemala has a poverty rate of nearly 60 per cent, according to the World Bank.\n\nThe homicide rate went down slightly, to 22 killings per 100,000 residents in 2018, but still remains high.\n\nAbout 8 million people were eligible to vote.\n\nElection results are expected late Sunday or on Monday.", "Guatemala City, Guatemala: Conservative Alejandro Giammattei was elected as Guatemala's president on Sunday, defeating former first lady Sandra Torres in a run-off, the electoral court confirmed.\n\nWith the results being updated in real time on the court's website, the institution's president Julio Solorzano declared the result \"already irreversible.\"\n\nGiammattei's lead was more than 550,000 with only a few thousand votes left to count.\n\nGet the best of News18 delivered to your inbox - subscribe to News18 Daybreak. Follow News18.com on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and on YouTube, and stay in the know with what's happening in the world around you – in real time.\n\nSubscribe to Moneycontrol Pro and gain access to curated markets data, trading recommendations, equity analysis, investment ideas, insights from market gurus and much more. Get Moneycontrol PRO for 1 year at price of 3 months. Use code FREEDOM.", "Conservative candidate Alejandro Giammattei on Sunday declared himself the president of Guatemala despite a lack of final and official results in the country's recent presidential election, though the preliminary count does appear to show him beating his rival by a comfortable margin.\n\n\"I come to tell you, this humble servant, that it will be an immense honor to be the president of the country,\" said the Vamos (\"Let's go\") platform's candidate at a press conference in the capital before promising to serve the people and help rebuild the country.", "Guatemalan conservative Alejandro Giammattei claimed victory in Sunday’s presidential election, saying it would be an honor to serve as president after preliminary results gave him a massive lead over his center-left rival.", "Guatemala’s Electoral Tribunal on Sunday declared conservative Alejandro Giammattei of the Vamos party winner of the presidential election over his center-left opponent, former first lady Sandra Torres.", "Earlier, the country’s Supreme Electoral Tribunal reported Alejandro Giammattei was leading after more than 58 percent of votes counted.\n\nGiammattei received 58.54 percent of the vote, while his contender, Sandra Torres of the social-democratic National Unity of Hope, has won 41.46 percent.\n\nIn the first round, which was held on June 16, the situation was quite the opposite. Torres led the race with about 26 percent. Giammattei came second with 14 percent.\n\nFrom 2006 to 2008, Giammattei served as director of the country’s penitentiary system.\n\nThe next Guatemalan president may face a major challenge on taking office in January after US and Guatemalan representatives signed a safe third country asylum agreement, an agreement typically made between two countries that require migrants and refugees to seek asylum in the first safe country they enter. Both Giammattei and Torres have criticized the deal.", "Conservative Alejandro Giammattei swept aside his centre-left rival in Guatemala's presidential election on Sunday, and now inherits an unpopular migration deal agreed under duress with the Trump administration that could severely test his country.\n\nWith preliminary results from over 95 per cent of the polling stations counted, the electoral tribunal declared Giammattei the winner with almost 59 per cent of the vote, ahead of his centre-left rival, former first lady Sandra Torres, back on 41 per cent.\n\n\"It will be an immense honour to be president of this country that I love so much,\" Giammattei said to a crowd of cheering supporters at a news conference in Guatemala City. \"We will rebuild Guatemala. I have no words to say how grateful I am.\"\n\nThe next president takes office in January. By then Guatemala may be bogged down in the accord reached at the behest of U.S. President Donald Trump which aims to turn the troubled Central American country into a buffer zone to stem migration.\n\nYielding to the threat of a raft of economic sanctions from Trump, outgoing Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales agreed to make his country a so-called safe third country for migrants, despite its high levels of poverty and violence.\n\nGiammattei, a trained surgeon and veteran public sector bureaucrat who had failed in three previous bids to secure the presidency, has called the accord \"bad news,\" saying Guatemala is not ready to cope with a potential jump in asylum-seekers.\n\nMany Guatemalans agree with him.\n\n\"I think it's the most ridiculous thing this president could have done, because if Guatemala is mired in poverty, how is it going to take in migrants if we don't have anything to eat ourselves?\" said Mercedes Escoto, 65, a retired teacher and Giammattei supporter as she voted in Guatemala City.\n\nA poll published this week by Guatemalan newspaper Prensa Libre showed more than eight out of 10 respondents rejected the idea of the country accepting foreign migrants seeking asylum.\n\nIt is unclear how much Giammattei will be able to do to change the deal, which would require Hondurans and Salvadorans to apply for asylum in Guatemala rather than the United States. It also foresees granting U.S. visas to some Guatemalan workers.\n\nRisa Grais-Targow, Latin America director at consultancy Eurasia Group, said while the accord struck with Trump risks a popular backlash, not honouring it could expose Guatemala to U.S. taxes on remittances or tariffs on its goods.\n\n\"The next president faces a lose-lose situation when it comes to managing the deal with the United States,\" she said. \"That is the biggest challenge the incoming president faces.\"\n\nGiammattei will also take on a country struggling with a 60 per cent poverty rate, plus widespread crime and unemployment, which have led hundreds of thousands of people to migrate north.\n\nThe 63-year-old has promised to erect an \"investment wall\" on the border between Guatemala and Mexico to curb migration, and also proposed bringing back the death penalty.\n\nMany Guatemalans are fed up with the political class after investigations by the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG), a United Nations-backed anti-corruption body, led to the arrest of then-President Otto Perez in 2015, then threatened to unseat his successor Morales, a former TV comedian.\n\nMorales narrowly escaped impeachment, and the CICIG also went after Torres for suspected campaign finance irregularities. As a candidate, she was immune from prosecution.\n\nBoth candidates vowed to fight corruption - albeit without \"foreign interference,\" an apparent nod to the CICIG.\n\nGiammattei pledged to run an honest government as he voted.\n\n\"We'll battle corruption from the very first day,\" he said.\n\nMorales, who ordered the termination of the CICIG's mandate as of September, was barred by law from standing again."], "summary": "Conservative Alejandro Giammattei is elected in the second round of the presidential election and will take office in January 2020."}
{"document": ["Peso plunges further, bonds down again on fears Argentina could return to populism \n\n\n\nBUENOS AIRES, Aug 13 (Reuters) - Argentina's peso and dollar-denominated bonds dropped again on Tuesday as market turmoil spilled into a second day following opposition candidate Alberto Fernandez's landslide victory in a primary election that dealt a severe blow to President Mauricio Macri's re-election chances.\n\nThe peso lost 9.32% of its value to reach 59 per U.S. dollar. The currency had hit an all-time low on Monday of 65 to the dollar, a drop of 30%, on fears that a Fernandez government could take Argentina back to interventionist economic policies.\n\nFernandez, who has former President Cristina Fernandez as his running mate, pulled off a stunning upset in the primary with a wider-than-expected 15-point lead over Macri, a free market proponent.\n\nMonday's crash in the peso unnerved global equities investors, with markets already jittery over the Sino-US trade war and protests in Hong Kong.\n\n\"Yes, Argentina is a small economy. However, the last thing global markets want to see is another market-friendly government fall to populism and/or geopolitics,\" said Rabobank strategist Michael Every.\n\nIn an interview Monday, Fernandez said he was willing to collaborate with the current government after his primary triumph on Sunday sent the peso, stocks and bonds reeling.\n\nArgentine assets had not recorded the kind of simultaneous fall seen on Monday since the South American country's 2001 economic crisis and debt default, Refinitiv data showed.\n\nAfter an initial tentative move high on Tuesday morning, traders said the market turned and left dollar-denominated bonds down roughly 10 points down across the board, though volume was low.\n\nThe primary results showed Fernandez, a former cabinet chief, was well placed to win October's general election in the first round. He blamed Macri for the market turmoil.\n\n\"The dialogue is open, but I don't want to lie to Argentines. What can I do? I'm just a candidate, my pen doesn't sign decrees,\" Fernandez said in an interview with Argentine TV channel Net TV broadcast on Monday.\n\nFernandez, regarded as a moderate within the Peronist movement, has said he would seek to \"rework\" Argentina's$57-billion standby agreement with the International Monetary Fund if he won the general election. He has proposed an economic and social pact to combat inflation, which is running at 55%.\n\nMacri, a scion of one of Argentina's wealthiest families, came to power in 2015 on promises to kick-start Latin America's third-largest economy via a liberalization wave.\n\nBut the promised recovery has not materialized and Argentina is in recession.\n\nInvestors were still assessing the damage caused by Monday's crash. Argentina's country risk rose 164 basis points to 1,631, the highest since 2009.\n\nThe cost of insuring against an Argentine sovereign default jumped again on Tuesday, according to data from IHS Markit. Markit's calculations price the probability of a sovereign default within the next five years at more than 72%.\n\nAnalysts also predicted the peso's fall would continue. BAML said it expects the exchange rate at 70.5 by end-2019 and 106.6 by end 2020.", "* U.S. 30-year bond yields slip to lowest since July 2016\n\nAug 13 (Reuters) - Gold hit a more than six-year high onTuesday as unrest in Hong Kong and a rout in the Argentine pesodrove investors already spooked by the U.S.-China trade war intohavens such as bullion at the expense of riskier assets such asstocks.\n\nSpot gold XAU= was up 1% at $1,525.99 per ounce as of 1123GMT, off a day high of $1,534.31 - its highest level since April2013.\n\nU.S. gold futures GCcv1 was up 1.3% to $1,537 an ounce.\n\n\"Bond yields and equities are down which are the main reasonfor gold to be higher. There is a bit of safe-haven (interest),\"ABN Amro analyst Georgette Boele said. \"People are nervous aboutHong Kong again, and that's why Asian markets were down.\"\n\nShare markets slid for a third day on Tuesday as investorswere spooked by fears of a drawn-out global trade war, the HongKong protests and a crash in the peso. MKTS/GLOB\n\nIn Hong Kong, pro-democracy protesters on Monday managed toshut down the city's airport, the world's busiest air cargo hub. urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL4N2583NW\n\nElsewhere, Argentina's peso ARS= collapsed on Monday,losing roughly 15% of its value against dollar after crumblingto an all-time low. urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL4N2582GY\n\nFears of a possible return to interventionist policies ofthe previous government have gripped the Argentine market sincemarket-friendly President Mauricio Macri lost a primary electionby a bigger-than-expected margin. urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL2N25806S\n\nBullion, along with the Japanese yen and U.S. Treasuries, isseen as a relatively safe investment in times of political andfinancial uncertainty.\n\nThe yen JPY= rose to a seven-month high against the dollarin the previous session, while U.S. 30-year bond yields US30YT=RR extended Monday's losses to slip to their lowestsince July 2016. USD/US/\n\nAnalysts said negative debt yields around the globe werefurther supporting bullion. Non-interest bearing gold tends tobenefit when yields on other assets are low.\n\nMarket focus is now on the U.S. Federal Reserve's annualsymposium next week for clues on the future trajectory ofinterest rates. Traders see a 69% chance of a 25 basis-pointrate cut by the U.S. central bank this September. FEDWATCH\n\nOn the technical front, \"a solid breakout and daily closeabove the $1525 level is likely to inject gold bulls with enoughinspiration to challenge $1,550,\" FXTM analyst Lukman Otunugasaid in a note.\n\nHoldings in the world's largest gold-backed exchange-tradedfund, SPDR Gold TrustGLD , jumped 0.9% to 847.77 tonnes onMonday. GOL/ETF\n\nAmong other precious metals, silver XAG= climbed 2% to$17.40 per ounce, having touched its highest since January 2018.Platinum XPT= rose 1.4% to $864.77, while palladium XPD= gained 0.5% to $1,434.68 an ounce.", "LONDON, Aug 12 (Reuters) - Argentina's government bonds slumped on Monday after voters soundly rejected President Mauricio Macri's austere economic policies in primary elections, raising serious questions about his chances of re-election in October.\n\nArgentina's 2028-maturing, euro-denominated bond was down almost 9 cents in European trading Tradeweb data showed.\n\nA coalition backing opposition candidate Alberto Fernandez - whose running mate is former president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner - led by a wider-than-expected 14 percentage points with 47.1% of votes, with fourth-fifths of ballots in Sunday's vote counted.", "BUENOS AIRES, Aug 13 (Reuters) - Argentina’s peso and dollar-denominated bonds dropped again on Tuesday as market turmoil spilled into a second day following opposition candidate Alberto Fernandez’s landslide victory in a primary election that dealt a severe blow to President Mauricio Macri’s re-election chances.\n\nFernandez, who has former President Cristina Fernandez as his running mate, pulled off a stunning upset in the primary with a wider-than-expected 15-point lead over Macri, a free market proponent.\n\nFernandez, regarded as a moderate within the Peronist movement, has said he would seek to “rework” Argentina’s $57-billion standby agreement with the International Monetary Fund if he won the general election. He has proposed an economic and social pact to combat inflation, which is running at 55%.", "(Bloomberg Opinion) -- Monday’s panic over Argentina’s weekend election results — the peso fell 15% and the S&P Merval stock index suffered its second worst rout in 70 years — may have been a bit overwrought. It was a primary election, after all, and the winning opposition candidate, Alberto Fernandez, has denied any intention to default on Argentina’s debt. But it sends an important message to Fernandez, and his running mate, former President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner: Before the October election, they must convince stakeholders in Argentina’s economy that they understand the need to carry on with incumbent President Mauricio Macri’s economic reforms, if by another name.\n\nFernandez’s win was such a landslide, it sparked fears of a return to debt default, uncontrolled inflation and frenzied selloffs, precisely the sort of trouble that Argentines thought they had left behind. But the new market mess is a panic foretold.\n\nArgentina’s leaders have been fatally misreading economic cues for decades. Misguided austerity and a flawed tether to the U.S. dollar in the late 1990s set off a currency collapse, riots, a run on banks, four presidents unseated in one 10-day stretch and, by 2002, the world’s largest sovereign debt default.\n\nThat debacle laid ground for the next. The Peronist tag team of Nestor Kirchner (2003-2007) and his wife and successor Cristina Fernandez (2007-2015) vowed to reclaim the country from predatory creditors, and briefly revived growth — before going on to squander the global commodities boom and turn South America’s second biggest economy into one of its most dysfunctional markets.\n\nThat wreckage helped propel Macri into office in 2015, on his market-friendly promise to restore Argentina to economic normalcy and the international community’s good graces. And he kept his word. Macri mended relations with global lenders, secured a rescue package from the International Monetary Fund, allowed the peso to float and belatedly engaged in the kind of fiscal probity that his populist predecessors had scorned. Yet his structural reforms were hesitant. And he faced a record drought that punished Argentina’s competitive farm sector, as well as a global selloff of emerging market assets. So he failed to deliver growth, jobs or stable prices — much less persuade voters to give him a second chance.\n\nCredit the Peronists for spinning Macri’s grief into electoral gold. Barring an unlikely comeback — Eurasia Group rates Macri’s reelection prospects at just 10% — Fernandez is likely to be elected president in October, or in a runoff in December.\n\nYet here’s the irony: Macri may have moved too slowly and diffidently to put Argentina’s public accounts fully in order, but his policies are beginning to coax the country in the right direction. Whoever moves into the Casa Rosada in December will find little alternative but to carry them through.\n\nFernandez must now be clear that he understands that any return to government economic controls and protectionism would be folly. Yesterday, he said Argentina needs to rework its economic model, but didn’t explain how. He’ll have to do better than that. As Alberto Ramos of Goldman Sachs put it, “Fernandez not only needs to say the right things, but to convince people he means them, or else the markets will start to second guess him.”\n\nTo boost his credibility, Fernandez could name someone with a track record in finance to reach out to creditors and the IMF, clearly signaling his commitment to follow through with the fiscal consolidation Macri has put in motion. Leave it to the ecumenical Peronists to work those free-market principles into the populist gospel of reform.\n\nSuch efforts may still fall flat unless Fernandez, who has never run for national office, also shows what sort of leader he means to be. Can voters expect the pragmatist and conciliator he was when he broke ranks with the confrontational Cristina in 2008? Or will they be left with a mouthpiece for the mercurial Peronist power broker, bent on ruling by proxy and spending money Argentina doesn’t have?\n\nThe mayhem in the markets is a cautionary tale. Unless Fernandez can shed his slate’s populist legacy and deepen his rival’s policy agenda, he will stumble. After a decade of economic chaos brought on by willful politicians, the last thing Argentines need is another tone-deaf leader.\n\nTo contact the author of this story: Mac Margolis at mmargolis14@bloomberg.net\n\nTo contact the editor responsible for this story: Mary Duenwald at mduenwald@bloomberg.net\n\nThis column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.\n\nMac Margolis is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering Latin and South America. He was a reporter for Newsweek and is the author of “The Last New World: The Conquest of the Amazon Frontier.”", "TOKYO, Aug 13 (Reuters) - The yen stood near a seven-month high against the dollar on Tuesday as unrest in Hong Kong and gyrations in Argentina's markets heightened investor risk aversion and fanned demand for the safe-haven Japanese currency.\n\nThe yen traded at 105.400 per dollar after brushing 105.050 overnight, its strongest since Jan. 3.\n\nThe yen has been on a solid footing this month, supported by factors such as U.S.-China trade tensions and the prospect of further monetary easing by the U.S. Federal Reserve.\n\nThe currency has received a fresh boost from deepening unrest in Hong Kong, where the international airport was closed to flights for several hours on Monday amid ongoing demonstrations. Surprise primary election results in Argentina, which resulted in a rout in the country's peso currency, stocks and bonds, have also added support.\n\n\"It's the 'risk off' in the market generated by events in Hong Kong and Argentina that is feeding demand for the yen,\" said Yukio Ishizuki, senior currency strategist at Daiwa Securities. \"Speculators are increasing their long positions on the yen.\"\n\n\"There really are no signs of the yen's advance abating,\" Ishizuki added. \"The next target is the yen's high reached against the dollar early in January, but even that threshold won't present much of an obstacle at this rate.\"\n\nThe Japanese currency has gained for the past four trading days against the greenback. A move beyond 104.100, this year's high scaled at the start of January, would take the yen to its highest level since November 2016.\n\nThe euro was little changed at $1.1215.\n\nThe single currency held modest gains made the previous day after Italian bond yields pulled back from five-week highs on relief that rating agency Fitch left the country's credit rating unchanged.\n\nThe Australian dollar crawled up 0.15% to $0.6760.\n\nThe Aussie had lost 0.5% the previous day, slipping in sympathy with the Chinese yuan amid little sign of progress in U.S.-China trade relations. The Aussie is sensitive to developments in China, Australia's largest trading partner.\n\nArgentina's peso ended trade on Monday at 52.15 per dollar for a loss of roughly 15% after falling to an all-time low of 61.99.\n\nFears of a possible return to interventionist policies, and by extension a possible debt default, gripped the market after conservative Argentina President Mauricio Macri lost by a much wider-than-expected margin to the opposition in presidential primaries.", "Buenos Aires — Argentina's beleaguered peso currency collapsed 30.3% to record 65/$ on Monday, traders said, after market-friendly President Mauricio Macri's worse-than-expected performance in the country's Sunday primary election.\n\nBonds and shares were also expected to fall after opposition candidate Alberto Fernandez — whose running mate is former president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner — dominated the primary by a wider-than-expected 15.5 percentage points margin.\n\nThe result cast serious doubt on Macri's chances of re-election for a second term in elections in October, analysts said.\n\nBank of America Merrill Lynch analysts said the scale of the Fernandez win was much more extreme than their \"bear case\" scenario. \"We expect a significant sell-off in EXD [hard currency] assets and heavy pressure in ARS [Argentinian peso] with a potential devaluation in coming weeks,\" they said in a note.\n\nFernandez's lead far exceeded the margin of 2-8 percentage points forecast in recent opinion polls.\n\n\"Markets react badly when they realise they were scammed. We are living a fictitious economy and the government is not giving answers,\" Fernandez said in a radio interview Monday morning.\n\nArgentina is in recession with inflation at more than 55% after more than three years of Macri's policies. Investors nonetheless see the Fernandez/Kirchner duo as a riskier prospect than free-markets advocate Macri.\n\nKirchner imposed strict currency controls that harmed investment during her 2007-2015 administration. She feuded with the country's key farm sector over export taxes and presided over a multiyear standoff with bondholders that kept Argentina locked out of the international capital markets.\n\n\"Macri has already implemented a number of short-term measures to try to shore up support ahead of the October vote. Additional promises can be made, but the gap he needs to make up is a very wide one,\" Standard Chartered senior emerging-markets strategist Ilya Gofshteyn said.\n\nThe comprehensive victory by Peronists Fernandez and Kirchner \"paves the way for the return to left-wing populism that many investors fear\", consultancy Capital Economics said in a note to clients.\n\n\"With a renewed focus on sovereign default risks, bonds, equities and the peso will come under severe pressure in the coming days. That said, falls in the currency might be tempered by intervention in the foreign-exchange market,\" it said.\n\nThe primary result indicated that Fernandez had enough support to clinch the presidency in October's first round, without having to go to a November run-off election.\n\nA candidate needs at least 45% of the vote, or 40% and a difference of 10 percentage points over the second-place runner, in order to win the presidency outright.", "BUENOS AIRES, Aug 13 (Reuters) - Argentina's peso closed weaker again on Tuesday following a second day of market turmoil triggered by opposition candidate Alberto Fernandez's landslide victory in a primary election that dealt a severe blow to President Mauricio Macri's re-election chances.\n\nThe peso closed 4.29% lower at 55.9 per U.S. dollar after touching 59 to the dollar earlier. The currency had hit an all-time low on Monday of 65 to the dollar, a drop of 30%, on fears that a Fernandez government could take Argentina back to interventionist economic policies.\n\n\"The market thinks Fernandez will likely default and impose capital controls and renegotiate with the IMF. In a nutshell, the market thinks Fernandez is the return of populism,\" said Claudio Irigoyen of Bank of America Merrill Lynch (BAML).\n\nFernandez, who has former President Cristina Fernandez as his running mate, pulled off a stunning upset in the primary with a wider-than-expected 15-point lead over Macri, a free market proponent.\n\nMonday's crash in the peso unnerved global equities investors, with markets already jittery over the Sino-US trade war and protests in Hong Kong.\n\n\"Yes, Argentina is a small economy. However, the last thing global markets want to see is another market-friendly government fall to populism and/or geopolitics,\" said Rabobank strategist Michael Every.\n\nThe weaker peso quickly translated into higher prices on Argentine store shelves. Some shops selling household appliances in the capital Buenos Aires, at a loss for how to price their products amid the fluctuating exchange rate, stopped printing price tags and instead asked customers to inquire.\n\nThere was also doubt over the future of an \"essential goods\" program introduced by Macri in April to fix low prices through October for 64 basic food products. The secretariate of trade did not respond to a request for comment on whether the government would renegotiate the prices with companies.\n\nBuenos Aires resident Florencia Nagy, 31, said, \"The atmosphere has been tense\" in the city.\n\n\"A lot of anger, a lot of confusion, many people thinking that leaving the country could be an option,\" said Nagy, who said she voted for candidates from more than one party in the primary.\n\nIn an interview Monday, Fernandez said he was willing to cooperate with the current government after his primary triumph on Sunday sent the peso, stocks and bonds reeling.\n\nThe primary results showed Fernandez, a former cabinet chief, was well placed to win October's general election in the first round. He blamed Macri for the market turmoil.\n\n\"The dialogue is open, but I don't want to lie to Argentines. What can I do? I'm just a candidate, my pen doesn't sign decrees,\" Fernandez said in an interview with Argentine TV channel Net TV broadcast on Monday.\n\nFernandez, regarded as a moderate within the Peronist movement, has said he would seek to \"rework\" Argentina's$57-billion standby agreement with the International Monetary Fund if he won the general election. He has proposed an economic and social pact to combat inflation, which is running at 55%.\n\nMacri, too, deflected responsibility for the financial volatility, saying at a news conference on Monday that the opposition should \"self-criticize\" its own policies in the wake of the market reaction.\n\nMacri, a scion of one of Argentina's wealthiest families, came to power in 2015 on promises to kick-start Latin America's third-largest economy via a liberalization wave.\n\nBut the promised recovery has not materialized and Argentina is in recession.\n\n'JUST AN EXAMPLE'\n\nThough Argentines are accustomed to a decades-long cycle of peso weakness and inflation, the severity of this week's market reaction resonated on the streets of Buenos Aires, with some bracing for a long period of economic hardship.\n\n\"If we get the same result (as the primary) in the October election, the country will be worse off,\" said Jazmin Lia, a 25-year-old student who said she voted for Macri in the primary.\n\n\"What's happening with the exchange rate and the collapse of the market is just an example of what will happen,\" Lia added.\n\nCarolina Fiuza, 31, blamed Macri for the market volatility and said it seemed more like a \"strategy than a reality.\" She said she wasn't worried about the market meltdown.\n\n\"I see people desperate for the peso value to increase, I see everyone thinking that it will devalue even worse in October. In the end, I think everything will be work out, as always,\" said Fiuza, who voted for Peronist candidate Roberto Lavagna in the primaries.\n\nArgentine assets had not recorded the kind of simultaneous fall seen on Monday since the South American country's 2001 economic crisis and debt default, Refinitiv data showed.\n\nInvestors were still assessing the damage caused by Monday's crash. Argentina's country risk rose 164 basis points to 1,631, the highest since 2009.\n\nIndex provider MSCI said it has not yet considered reclassifying the recently upgraded Argentina stock index out of emerging markets despite the massive spike in volatility and decline in prices.\n\nArgentina's century bond fell over six points on Tuesday to trade at 51 cents on the dollar, compared to around 75 cents on Friday according to MarketAxess data.\n\nAs concerns rise about Argentina's ability to meet its debt obligations, investors are looking closely at the government's ability to roll over its peso maturities, including short-term notes known as 'Letes.'\n\n\"Markets will be sweating bullets each time one of these maturities come due,\" Jeffries Fixed Income said in a note to investors.\n\nThe cost of insuring against an Argentine sovereign default jumped again on Tuesday, according to data from HIS Markit. Markit's calculations price the probability of a sovereign default within the next five years at more than 72%.", "BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Argentine voters soundly rejected President Mauricio Macri’s austere economic policies in primary elections on Sunday, raising serious questions about his chances of re-election in October, early official results showed.\n\nA coalition backing opposition candidate Alberto Fernandez - whose running mate is former president Cristina Fernandez - led by a wider-than-expected 14 percentage points with 47.1% of votes, with fourth-fifths of ballots counted.\n\nOn Sunday, Macri told supporters the primary vote was a “bad election” for his coalition ahead of the official results.\n\n“Recognizing that we have had a bad election, that forces us, starting tomorrow, to redouble our efforts so that in October we will get the support that is needed to continue the change,” Macri said.\n\n“This is something that nobody expected. Nobody had these numbers. All the pollsters have failed.”\n\nAnalysts predict a slide in Argentine stock and bond prices when financial markets open on Monday if Fernandez records a lead of more than five to six percentage points - slightly more than the level predicted in recent opinion polls.\n\nThere could be an even stronger degree of market volatility if final results show that Fernandez has enough support to clinch the presidency in October’s first round, analysts said.\n\nIn order to win the presidency outright, a candidate needs at least 45% of the vote or 40% and a difference of 10 percentage points over the second-place runner. If there is no clear winner, voters will return for a run-off on Nov. 24.\n\nArgentina’s main political parties have already chosen their presidential nominees, allowing the primary to serve as the first concrete measure of voter sentiment after opinion polls showed a narrow margin between Macri and Fernandez.\n\nVoters were given a stark choice, stay the course of painful austerity measures under Macri or a return to interventionist economics.\n\nFernandez has promised access to free medicines for retirees and better wages for workers while hammering Macri for the uptick in poverty and unemployment.\n\nRe-electing Macri would mean seeing through painful cuts in public spending as part of the $57 billion standby agreement he negotiated with the International Monetary Fund last year.\n\nYet Macri is hoping some recent glimmers of economic revival are enough to encourage voters to stick with his free-markets reform agenda despite a painful recession and 55% inflation.", "Asian shares fell on Tuesday as fears about a drawn out Sino-U.S. trade war, protests in Hong Kong and a crash in Argentina's peso currency drove investors to safe harbors like bonds, gold, and the yen.\n\nTOKYO: Asian shares fell on Tuesday as fears about a drawn out Sino-U.S. trade war, protests in Hong Kong and a crash in Argentina's peso currency drove investors to safe harbors like bonds, gold, and the yen.\n\nMSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan was down 0.26per cent while Japan's Nikkei tumbled 1.28per cent.\n\nThe selling in regional markets came as Wall Street stocks took a beating on Monday, with the S&P 500 losing 1.23per cent.\n\nSentiment was already weak due to increasing signs that the United States and China will not quickly resolve their year-long trade war. Markets were hit with further turbulence after protesters managed to close down Hong Kong's airport on Monday.\n\nTraders were also on edge after market-friendly Argentine President Mauricio Macri suffered a mauling in presidential primaries, increasing the risk of a return to interventionist economic policies.\n\nBenchmark 10-year Treasury yields were near the lowest in almost three years, gold was pinned close to six-year highs, and the yen was within a whisker of a seven-month peak versus the dollar in a sign of the heightened anxiety in financial markets already battered by global growth woes.\n\n\"The protests in Hong Kong are negative for stocks, which were already in an adjustment phase because there is talk that the trade war will trigger a recession,\" said Kiyoshi Ishigane, chief fund manager at Mitsubishi UFJ Kokusai Asset Management Co.\n\n\"Long-term rates will continue to fall, and stocks will adjust lower, but this is temporary. Major central banks are cutting rates, which will eventually provide economic support.\"\n\nU.S. stock futures were 0.19per cent higher early in Asia, which may provide some respite to anxious markets.\n\nAnalysts also said that trading could be subdued as many investors are off for summer holidays.\n\nYet, there was no shortage of gloomy news for investors looking to catch their breath from several months of market ructions.\n\nThe Argentine peso collapsed overnight, falling to 55.85 to the dollar, after voters snubbed Macri by giving the opposition a surprisingly bigger-than-expected victory in Sunday's primary election.\n\nThe Merval stock index crashed 30per cent and declines of between 18-20 cents in Argentina's benchmark 10-year bonds left them trading at around 60 cents on the dollar or even lower.\n\nRefinitiv data showed Argentine stocks, bonds and the peso had not recorded this kind of simultaneous fall since the South American country's 2001 economic crisis and debt default.\n\nThe grim backdrop was enough to push investors into safe-havens, and U.S. Treasury yields dropped across the board on Monday as trade worries and political tensions supported safe-haven assets.\n\nIn Asia on Tuesday benchmark 10-year Treasuries yields were 1.6505per cent. On August 7 yields had skidded to 1.5950per cent, the lowest since October 3, 2016.\n\nHong Kong's airport, the world's busiest cargo airport, reopened on Tuesday, which could ease some concern about the immediate economic impact of protests over the past two months.\n\nThe protests began in opposition to a bill allowing extraditions to mainland China but have quickly morphed into the biggest challenge to China's authority over the city since it took Hong Kong back from Britain in 1997.\n\nSpot gold held onto overnight gains to trade at US$1.511.31 per ounce, near the highest in six years.\n\nThe yen last fetched 105.37 per dollar, and was within striking distance of 105.03, its strongest since the January 3 flash crash.\n\nOil prices edged slightly lower in Asian trading as expectations that major producers will continue to reduce supplies ran into worries about sluggish economic growth."], "summary": "After Argentine President Mauricio Macri comes second in Argentina's primary elections, the country's peso loses 15% of its value against the US dollar."}
{"document": ["The body of the last missing flood victim in south-central Vietnam has been recovered, bringing the monthly death toll from floods in the country to 24, authorities announced on Monday.\n\nFloods have wreaked havoc in August in the Central Highlands of southern Vietnam as well as in northern Vietnam, where Typhoon Wipha made landfall on August 2, killing 13 in the subsequent flooding, the Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control reported.\n\nSix remain missing in the northern floods.\n\nIn the south, nearly 3,900 houses and more than 22,000 hectares of crops were submerged, mostly in Lam Dong province.\n\nFloods have also damaged more than 30km of national roads, including the road leading to the tourist city of Dalat.\n\nThey have also destroyed 142 hectares of aquarium farming and 4,300 cages of river-raised fish.\n\nDamages are estimated at more than $46m, the most serious loss in recent years.\n\nDeadly floods are common in Vietnam.\n\nThe country's disaster prevention agency reported that 181 people died in natural disasters last year. Almost all were killed in storm-related incidents, such as floods and landslides.", "The body of the last missing flood victim in south central Vietnam has been recovered, bringing the monthly death toll from floods in the country to 24, the Deutsche Presse-Agentur, DPA, has quoted authorities as saying on Monday.\n\nFloods have wreaked havoc in August in both the Central Highlands of southern Vietnam as well as in northern Vietnam, where Typhoon Wipha made landfall on 2nd August, killing 13 in the subsequent flooding, the Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control reported. Six remain missing in the northern floods.\n\nIn the south, nearly 3,900 houses and more than 22,000 hectares of crops were submerged, mostly in Lam Dong province. Floods have also damaged more than 30 kilometres of national roads, including the road leading to the tourist city of Dalat.\n\nThey have also destroyed 142 hectares of aquarium farming and 4,300 cages of river-raised fish. Damages are estimated at more than one billion Vietnamese dong (US$46 million), the most serious loss in recent years. Deadly floods are common in Vietnam.", "Floods have wreaked havoc in August in both the Central Highlands of southern Vietnam as well as in northern Vietnam, where Typhoon Wipha made landfall on Aug. 2, killing 13 in the subsequent flooding, the Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control reported.Six remain missing in the northern floods., including the road leading to the tourist city of Dalat.They have also destroyed 142 hectares of aquarium farming and 4,300 cages of river-raised fish.Damages are estimated at more than one billion Vietnamese dongs (46 million dollars), the most serious loss in recent years. Deadly floods are common in Vietnam.The Central Steering Committee on Natural Disaster Prevention reported that 181 people died in natural disasters last year.Almost all were killed in storm-related incidents, such as floods and landslides.", "Several provinces in the center, central highlands and south of Vietnam have been impacted by floods following torrential rain over a number of days. The worst affected provinces are Kien Giang followed by Lam Dong. Other provinces affected include Gia Lai, Dak Lak, Dak Nong, Kon Tum, Dong Nai, Binh Thuan and Binh Phuoc.\n\n According to a report issued by the National Steering Committee for Natural Disaster Prevention and Control (NCDPC), as of date, 10 deaths have been reported while four people injured and over 1,985 people evacuated. In total 12,141 houses are affected by the floods. In addition, households have lost livestock, gardens and other assets.\n\n Flooding of the Cam Ly river in Lam Dong peaked on the evening of 8 August 2019 at 834.25m, exceeding all previous records by 0.28m. While the river level dropped slightly to 830.41m on the following day, it remains at dangerous levels.\n\n Flooding of the Dong Nai river at peaked on 9 August 2019 at 114.10m.\n\n These floods come on the heels of Tropical Storm Wipha which brought heavy rains to the north of Vietnam on 3 August 2019, causing nine deaths and damaging 284 houses in Thanh Hoa and Lang Son provinces.", "The recent floods have seriously destroyed fish rafts of these households in Ngoc Dinh, Thanh Son and Phu Vinh communes, Dong Nai province. (Photo: VNA)\n\n– The Vietnam Red Cross Society (VRCS) Central Committee on August 12 presented nearly 300 million VND (12,900 USD) as urgent relief aid to 98 flood-affected households in Dinh Quan district, the southern province of Dong Nai.The recent floods have seriously destroyed fish rafts of these households in Ngoc Dinh, Thanh Son and Phu Vinh communes.According to the provincial steering committee on natural disaster prevention, search and rescue, from April 8-12, heavy rains and water discharged from Dong Nai 5 Hydropower Plant submerged many communes in Tan Phu and Dinh Quan districts.The floods claimed two lives and caused economic losses totaling hundreds of billions of VND.The committee said 415 out of the 869 local households that were evacuated to safe places on August 8-9 were able to return to their home.Authorities of Tan Phu and Dinh Quan districts are working hard to help locals overcome consequences caused by the rains and floods.-VNA"], "summary": "At lest 24 people died after floods strucked across Vietnam. In the south, nearly 3,900 houses and more than 22,000 hectares of crops were submerged, mostly in Lam Dong Province. Floods have also damaged more than 30km of national roads, including the road leading to the tourist city of Dalat and also destroyed 142 hectares of aquarium farming and 4,300 cages of river-raised fish."}
{"document": ["The UK foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, has been urged to draw on his experience as a former Foreign Office human rights lawyer to press the legal case that the Venezuelan government of Nicolás Maduro has systematically tortured its people.\n\nThe call was led by the prominent Venezuela human rights defender Tamara Sujú who visited London to persuade the UK to join six non-European countries in pressuring the international criminal court (ICC) to pursue a case against the Venezuelan leadership.\n\nRaab worked as a lawyer for the FCO, including at the ICC in The Hague, from 2000 to 2006.\n\nIn theory the case could end with Maduro arraigned in front of the court, but progress with the ICC case has the potential to play into the various indirect talks currently under way between supporters of Maduro – who succeeded the leftwing Hugo Chavez as Venezuela’s president – and Juan Guaidó, the self-proclaimed interim leader recognised by most EU countries and backed by the US.\n\nBritish backing for the ICC investigation would be a further blow for Maduro. The ICC referral was initially backed by Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Paraguay, Peru and Canada at the end of last year, becoming the first state referral to the ICC by other states.\n\nThe ICC launched a preliminary investigation in September 2018.\n\nSujú, executive director of the Casla Institute and a Guaidó supporter, said: “We need a European country, preferably Britain, with sufficiently solid institutions, a democratic tradition and commitment to human rights to join us in the ICC not just with words but to subscribe formally to the case.\n\n“We also need Great Britain to impose personal and economic sanctions against the Maduro regime and to close their spaces.”\n\nThe Trump administration tightened economic sanctions against Maduro again this week.\n\nVenezuela: UN report accuses Maduro of ‘gross violations’ against dissenters Read more\n\nSujú has compiled more than 600 detailed cases of alleged human rights abuses. Her critics say she is part of an army of Maduro opponents who use human rights to denounce the leftwing government.\n\nAn ICC case has four initial stages, including a case to answer, identification of the victims, assessment of whether the crimes are eligible as crimes against humanity and whether the government has sought to prosecute the cases.\n\nSujú’s chief claim is that the arrests of demonstrators and, increasingly, of figures in the military, are systematically directed by the Maduro government, indicating the leadership would have to face justice at the ICC.\n\nProfile Who is Nicolás Maduro? Show Hide Political career Nicolás Maduro has ruled Venezuela without two of the greatest assets possessed by his mentor and predecessor, Hugo Chávez. He has not been lucky. And he has no charisma. Chávez enjoyed an oil bounty and sublime political talents that secured his power at home and reputation abroad. Maduro, in contrast, inherited a wobbling economy addicted to high oil prices and a system of authoritarian populism dependent on showmanship and patronage. Oil prices tumbled and Maduro proved to be a fumbling showman, exposing the financial ineptitude and ideological hollowness of the “Bolivarian revolution”. This could have doomed his presidency, which began in 2013 after Chávez died, but the former bus driver, a hulking bear of a man who rose up trade union ranks, turned out to be tenacious and ruthless. Born into a working class family in Caracas in 1962, he left school without graduating and drove buses for the Caracas metro. He became a union organiser and early supporter of Chávez, who, after leading a failed coup, led a leftwing coalition to an electoral landslide in 1998. Maduro was the speaker of the assembly before serving as Chávez’s foreign minister from 2006 to 2013, a visible if largely silent presence as the comandante held court on the world stage. Chávez anointed Maduro as his heir before succumbing to cancer. The story of his rule – and Venezuela’s agony – is a determination to keep power amid economic collapse, humanitarian disaster and international condemnation. Since January 2019 his presidency has been disputed, with Juan Guaidó being sworn in as interim president, and recognised as Venezuela’s ruler by some international powers. Crisis after crisis has buffeted his government – hyperinflation, food and medicine shortages, power blackouts, mass protests, drone attacks, defections, US-led sanctions – and Maduro has remained standing, resolute, implacable. It is a remarkable position for a man who, in a 2014 Guardian interview, described himself as a bit of a hippy and a fan of Led Zeppelin and John Lennon. “I never aspired to be president,” he said. “I always honour something that commander Chávez told us: that while we were in these posts we must be clothed in humility and understand that we are here to protect the man and woman of the streets.” Rory Carroll\n\n“There are not random accidents of violence,” she said. “What has stood out is that they group masses of protesters 40 or 50 at the time, take them to the station and torture them as a group. We have cases where families were taken. They made the father watch as his child was tortured and then the child would watch his father be tortured. They tortured a mother and daughter, took off their clothes off before they applied electricity.”\n\nShe highlighted the death of the military captain Rafael Acosta Arévalo, who was arrested on 26 June and died three days later. At his military tribunal he was unable to stand, hear or understand what was happening and pleaded with his lawyer for help.\n\nThe UN high commissioner for human rights, Michelle Bachelet, has visited Venezuela to find political prisoners are tortured, including with electrical currents, simulated drowning, beatings and sexual violence, and is setting up a permanent mission.\n\n", "The UK foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, has been urged to draw on his experience as a former Foreign Office human rights lawyer to press the legal case that the Venezuelan government of Nicolás Maduro has systematically tortured its people.\n\nThe call was led by prominent Venezuela human rights defender Tamara Sujú who visited London to persuade the UK to join six non-European countries in pressuring the international criminal court (ICC) to pursue a case against the Venezuelan leadership.\n\nRaab has also worked as a lawyer for the FCO, stationed from 2000 to 2006 in the Hague and the ICC.\n\nIn theory the case could end with Maduro arraigned in front of the court, but progress with the ICC case has the potential to play into the various indirect talks currently underway between supporters of Maduro – who succeeded the leftwing Hugo Chavez as Venezuela’s president – and Juan Guaidó, the self-proclaimed interim leader recognised by most EU countries and backed by the US.\n\nBritish backing for the ICC investigation would be a further blow for Maduro. The ICC referral was initially backed by Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Paraguay, Peru, and Canada at the end of last year, becoming the first state referral to the ICC by other states.\n\nA preliminary investigation was launched by ICC in September 2018.\n\nSujú, executive director of the Casla Institute and a Guaidó supporter, said: “We need a European country, preferably Britain, with sufficiently solid institutions, a democratic tradition and commitment to human rights to join us in the ICC not just with words but to subscribe formally to the case.\n\n“We also need Great Britain to impose personal and economic sanctions against the Maduro regime and to close their spaces”.\n\nThe Trump administration tightened economic sanctions against Maduro again this week.\n\nSujú has compiled over 600 detailed cases of human rights abuses. Her critics say she is part of an army of Maduro’s opponents that use human rights to denounce the leftwing government.\n\nAn ICC case has four initial stages, including a case to answer, identification of the victims, assessment of whether the crimes are eligible as crimes against humanity, and whether the government has sought to prosecute the cases.\n\nSujú’s chief claim is that the arrests of demonstrators, and increasingly figures in the military, are systematically directed by the Maduro government, indicating the leadership would have to face justice at the ICC.\n\n“There are not random accidents of violence,” she said. “What has stood out is that they group masses of protestors 40 or 50 at the time, take them to the station and torture them as a group. We have cases where families were taken. They made the father watch as his child was tortured and then the child would watch his father be tortured. They tortured a mother and daughter take off their clothes off before they applied electricity.”\n\nShe highlighted the death of military captain Rafael Acosta Arévalo, who was arrested on 26 June and died three days later. At his military tribunal he was unable to stand, hear or understand what was happening and pleaded with his lawyer for help.\n\nThe UN high commissioner for human rights, Michelle Bachelet has visited Venezuela to find political prisoners are tortured, including with electrical currents, simulated drowning, beatings and sexual violence, and is setting up a permanent mission.", "LONDON, Aug 13 (APP):Stella Creasy, Labour and Co-operative member of parliament (MP) for Walthamstow, while expressing her deep concern on disturbing human rights situation in the Indian occupied Kashmir (IoK) has called upon United Kingdom Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab to raise the matter at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).\n\nStella Creasy, in a letter to Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, said she was writing to him on behalf of many of her constituents in the Walthamstow, who were gravely concerned by the decision of the Indian government to revoke Article 370 of its constitution, thereby stripping the IoK of its autonomous status.\n\n“Given this worrying turn of events we are seeking a strong show of commitment in both words and deed from the UK’s representatives at the United Nations to protect the rights of the people of this region,” she stressed."], "summary": "Venezuelan activist Tamara Sujú visits London to ask the United Kingdom, and specifically Dominic Raab, to pressure the International Criminal Court to investigate claims of torture and human rights abuses by the Nicolás Maduro government."}
{"document": ["FILE – This March 28, 2017, file photo, provided by the New York State Sex Offender Registry shows Jeffrey Epstein. Epstein has died by suicide while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges, says person briefed on the matter, Saturday, Aug. 10, 2019. (New York State Sex Offender Registry via AP, File)\n\nNEW YORK (AP) — The FBI and the Justice Department’s inspector general’s office will investigate how Jeffrey Epstein died in an apparent suicide Saturday, while the probe into sexual abuse allegations against the well-connected financier remains ongoing, officials said.\n\nEpstein, accused of orchestrating a sex-trafficking ring and sexually abusing dozens of underage girls, had been taken off suicide watch before he killed himself in a New York jail, a person familiar with the matter said.\n\nAttorney General William Barr, in announcing the investigation, said he was “appalled” to learn of Epstein’s death while in federal custody.\n\n“Mr. Epstein’s death raises serious questions that must be answered,” Barr said in a statement.\n\nEpstein was found unresponsive in his cell Saturday morning at the Metropolitan Correctional Center, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Fire officials received a call at 6:39 a.m. Saturday that Epstein was in cardiac arrest, and he was pronounced dead at New York Presbyterian-Lower Manhattan Hospital.\n\nEpstein, 66, had been denied bail and faced up to 45 years behind bars on federal sex trafficking and conspiracy charges unsealed last month. He had pleaded not guilty and was awaiting trial.\n\nThe federal investigation into the allegations remains steadfast, U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman said. He noted in a statement Saturday that the indictment against Epstein includes a conspiracy charge, suggesting others could face charges in the case.\n\nEpstein had been placed on suicide watch and given daily psychiatric evaluations after an incident a little over two weeks ago in which he was found with bruising on his neck, according to the person familiar with the matter who wasn’t authorized to discuss it publicly. It hasn’t been confirmed whether the injury was self-inflicted or the result of an assault.\n\nEpstein was taken off suicide watch at the end of July, the person said.\n\nThe Bureau of Prisons confirmed that he had been housed in the jail’s Special Housing Unit, a heavily secured part of the facility that separates high-profile inmates from the general population. Until recently, the same unit had been home to the Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, who is now serving a life sentence at the so-called Supermax prison in Colorado.\n\nEpstein’s death raises questions about how the Bureau of Prisons ensures the welfare of such high-profile inmates. In October, Boston gangster James “Whitey” Bulger was killed in a federal prison in West Virginia where had just been transferred.\n\nNebraska Sen. Ben Sasse, a Republican member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, wrote Saturday in a scathing letter to Barr that “heads must roll” after the incident.\n\n“Every single person in the Justice Department — from your Main Justice headquarters staff all the way to the night-shift jailer — knew that this man was a suicide risk, and that his dark secrets couldn’t be allowed to die with him,” Sasse wrote.\n\nCameron Lindsay, a former warden who ran three federal lockups, said the death represents “an unfortunate and shocking failure, if proven to be a suicide.”\n\n“Unequivocally, he should have been on active suicide watch and therefore under direct and constant supervision,” Lindsay said.\n\nEpstein’s removal from suicide watch would have been approved by both the warden of the jail and the facility’s chief psychologist, said Jack Donson, a former prison official who worked for the Bureau of Prisons for more than two decades.\n\nAn attorney for Jeffrey Epstein, Marc Fernich, said in a statement that jailers at the Metropolitan Correctional Center failed to protect Epstein and to prevent the “calamity” of his death.\n\nFernich also said that reporters, plaintiffs’ lawyers and court officials “should be ashamed of their behavior” following Epstein’s indictment. He said Epstein had “long since paid his debt to society” for his crimes.\n\nEpstein’s arrest last month launched separate investigations into how authorities handled his case initially when similar charges were first brought against him in Florida more than a decade ago. U.S. Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta resigned last month after coming under fire for overseeing that deal when he was U.S. attorney in Miami.\n\nOn Friday, more than 2,000 pages of documents were released related to a since-settled lawsuit against Epstein’s ex-girlfriend by Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein’s accusers. The records contain graphic allegations against Epstein, as well as the transcript of a 2016 deposition of Epstein in which he repeatedly refused to answer questions to avoid incriminating himself.\n\nGiuffre, in an interview with The New York Times, said she’s grateful Epstein will never harm anyone again, but is angry that there would be no chance to see him answer for his conduct.\n\n“We’ve worked so hard to get here, and he stole that from us, too,” she told the newspaper.\n\nSigrid McCawley, Giuffre’s attorney, said Epstein’s suicide less than 24 hours after the documents were unsealed “is no coincidence.” McCawley urged authorities to continue their investigation, focusing on Epstein associates who she said “participated and facilitated Epstein’s horrifying sex trafficking scheme.”\n\nOther accusers and their lawyers reacted to the news with frustration that the financier won’t have to face them in court.\n\n“We have to live with the scars of his actions for the rest of our lives, while he will never face the consequences of the crimes he committed the pain and trauma he caused so many people,” accuser Jennifer Araoz said in a statement.\n\nBrad Edwards, a Florida lawyer for nearly two dozen other accusers, said that “this is not the ending anyone was looking for.”\n\n“The victims deserved to see Epstein held accountable, and he owed it to everyone he hurt to accept responsibility for all of the pain he caused,” Edwards said in a statement.\n\nEpstein’s arrest drew national attention, particularly focusing on a deal that allowed Epstein to plead guilty in 2008 to soliciting a minor for prostitution in Florida and avoid more serious federal charges.\n\nFederal prosecutors in New York reopened the probe after investigative reporting by The Miami Herald stirred outrage over that plea bargain.\n\nHis lawyers maintained that the new charges in New York were covered by the 2008 plea deal and that Epstein hadn’t had any illicit contact with underage girls since serving his 13-month sentence in Florida.\n\nBefore his legal troubles, Epstein led a life of extraordinary luxury that drew powerful people into his orbit. He socialized with princes and presidents and lived on a 100-acre private Caribbean island and one of the biggest mansions in New York.\n\nThis story has corrected the name of the Metropolitan Correctional Center.\n\nSisak reported from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and Balsamo from Savannah, Georgia. Associated Press writers Curt Anderson, Jennifer Peltz, David Klepper and Larry Neumeister contributed to this report.", "Jeffrey Epstein's apparent suicide Saturday morning in a federal jail launched new conspiracy theories online in a saga that has provided fodder for them for years, fueled by Epstein's ties to princes, politicians and other famous and powerful people.\n\nOnline theorists Saturday quickly offered unsubstantiated speculation — including some retweeted by President Donald Trump — that Epstein's death wasn't a suicide, or it was faked.\n\nThat chatter picked up on the conjecture that resurged after Epstein's July 6 arrest on allegations that he orchestrated a sex-trafficking ring designed to bring him teenage girls. Some of his accusers have described being sexually abused by the wealthy financier's friends and acquaintances.\n\nThe combination created fertile ground for theories and misinformation to breed on social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.", "Jeffrey Epstein told prison guards and fellow inmates that he believed someone had tried to kill him weeks before his death, a source has revealed to DailyMail.com\n\nThe insider, who had seen the billionaire on several occasions during his incarceration at the Metropolitan Correctional Center, also claims that the normally reserved Epstein seemed to be in good spirits.\n\n‘There was no indication that he might try to take his own life,’ the source told DailyMail.com\n\n‘From what I saw, he was finally starting to adjust to prison. I think he was comforted by the rigidity of his new life’.\n\nThe world was left stunned early Saturday after news that Epstein was found hanging in his prison cell shortly before 7am.\n\nThe 66-year-old was rushed to nearby New York Presbyterian-Lower Manhattan hospital where he was pronounced dead.\n\nOn Saturday afternoon, Epstein’s body was seen being taken out a side door at the hospital on a stretcher, before it was loaded into the back of a black SUV.\n\nHis body was later switched into a white van belonging to a medical examiner, before it was transported away.", "White House counselor Kellyanne Conway said Sunday the president \"wants everything to be investigated\" related to accused pedophile Jeffrey Epstein after the president's elevation, without evidence, of conspiracy theories linking Epstein‘s death to former President Bill Clinton.\n\nPresident Donald Trump on Saturday retweeted baseless conspiracy theories around Epstein, who was found dead in his jail cell Saturday after an apparent suicide. Epstein was awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges over his alleged abuse of underage girls.\n\nAsked about the president's retweets on “Fox News Sunday,“ Conway said Trump \"just wants everything to be investigated\" before shifting to the 2016 presidential election.\n\n\"There is some unsealed information implicating some people very high up. … I'm not saying anything beyond that. But I will say that there's always this rush to say, 'We need transparency, we need accountability,' when it involves fictional accusations like collusion with Russia to swing an election.\"\n\nEpstein's death came a day after a federal appeals court released roughly 2,000 pages of previously sealed documents detailing his alleged misconduct and allegations that Epstein directed girls and women to have sex with high-profile individuals.\n\nConway said on “Fox News Sunday“ that Attorney General William Barr acted immediately when he learned of Epstein's death, opening an investigation.\n\n\"I think that those victims should have justice, and they've been looking for justice for many, many years,\" Conway said.\n\n\"Trying to connect the president to this monster from years ago, where they're seen dancing in a video versus other people who were actively, I suppose, flying around with this monster on his island … perhaps there's a public interest in knowing more about that,\" Conway said on Sunday.\n\n\"But again, this is all speculative and it's not for me to go further than where the DOJ and FBI are right now, but you do hear different people asking questions and they want to know who else was involved in Epstein's crime, or even just his activities,\" she added.\n\nIn response to the president's retweets, Clinton spokesman Angel Ureña tweeted Saturday: \"Ridiculous, and of course not true — and Donald Trump knows it. Has he triggered the 25th Amendment yet?\"\n\nUreña said last month that Clinton \"knows nothing about the terrible crimes Jeffrey Epstein pleaded guilty to in Florida some years ago, or those with which he has been recently charged in New York.\"\n\nOn Sunday, 2020 Democratic candidates for president also panned Trump's tweets.\n\nAppearing on CNN's \"State of the Union,\" former Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke called Trump's retweets \"another example of our president using this position of public trust to attack his political enemies with unfounded conspiracy theories and also to try to force you and me and all of us to focus on his bizarre behavior instead of the fact that we just lost 22 people in this community and nine people in Dayton, Ohio.\"\n\nSen. Cory Booker also responded to the president's tweets calling it \"more recklessness.\"\n\n\"What he's doing is dangerous. He's giving life not just to conspiracy theories, but really whipping people up into anger and worse into different people in this country,\" the New Jersey Democrat said on CNN.\n\n\"So this is a tired way that the president does. He's been using the Clintons as a means for a lot of his false accusations, but remember this is a nation now where we've seen just horrific acts. … We see peoples' lives being threatened because this president whips up hatred.\"", "The Providence Journal delivers accurate, timely news about the moments that matter most. To receive stories like this one in your inbox, sign up here.\n\nHe demanded sex three times a day. A parade of powerful figures visited his private estates, which were adorned with pictures of naked girls and stocked with sex toys. And the schedules of teenagers on call to give him massages at his Palm Beach, Florida, mansion were documented in phone messages from his assistants.\n\nThose and other claims about financier Jeffrey Epstein unsealed in court filings Friday lay out disturbing details both about his alleged activities and the number of people in his orbit who could have observed them, raising new questions about how the sex abuse charges against the multimillionaire were previously handled.\n\nEpstein, who reportedly committed suicide overnight in jail, was facing federal sex trafficking charges involving the alleged abuse of dozens of minors. He previously pleaded guilty in Florida state court to two felony counts, serving about 13 months in jail. A federal judge ruled in February that the prosecution team led by then-U.S. Attorney Alexander Acosta, who recently resigned as President Donald Trump's labor secretary, violated the rights of alleged victims by failing to notify them of an agreement not to bring federal charges.\n\nThe newly unsealed documents - part of a now-settled defamation case brought by one alleged victim, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, against a woman she said recruited her - depict an organized system to regularly provide Epstein with girls.\n\nIn one 2005 message detailed in the documents, an Epstein assistant noted that one girl wanted to know if she could come to the house at a later time. \"She is wondering if 2:30 is o.k. She needs to stay in school,\" the message read.\n\nEpstein has pleaded not guilty to the current charges against him. Martin Weinberg, an attorney for the financier, did not respond to a request for comment Friday about the documents.\n\nThe material was gathered as part of the defamation suit brought by Giuffre against Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell that was settled for an undisclosed sum in 2017. A federal appeals court in New York last month ordered documents related to the case to be made public.\n\nIn a 2016 deposition included in the filings, Giuffre said she was a \"teen sex slave\" who traveled to his homes in New York, Palm Beach, New Mexico and the Caribbean and was directed to give massages and have sex with Epstein and his friends at will.\n\n\"I'm angry with anybody who has it in their mind that they can hurt and abuse a minor child and continue to lie about getting away with it and that what they've done is okay,\" Giuffre said in the deposition. \"Yes, I'm furious.\"\n\nLawyers for Maxwell did not respond to requests for comment Friday. In a 2016 deposition, Maxwell said: \"Virginia is an absolute liar and everything she has said is a lie. Therefore, based on those lies I cannot speculate on what anybody else did or didn't do . . . everything she said is false.\"\n\nGiuffre has said she was recruited by Maxwell when she was 16 or 17 and working at Mar-a-Lago, Trump's club in Palm Beach. According to the court filings, Mar-a-Lago produced 177 pages of records in response to a subpoena, including one chart showing that she had been a summer worker at age 17 and that she was terminated in 2000.\n\nIn a deposition, Giuffre said Epstein told her Trump was a \"good friend,\" but she said that she had never seen them together.\n\nGiuffre said that she was told by Maxwell that she would be trained at Epstein's residence as a masseuse, but that \"on the very first meeting that I had with him . . . she instructed me to take off my clothes and to give oral sex to Jeffrey Epstein.\"\n\nAsked in a deposition about Maxwell's role in procuring girls for him, Epstein refused to answer, citing his constitutional protection against self-incrimination.\n\nGiuffre said that Epstein flew her around the world and introduced her to an array of political and entertainment figures. She also said that Epstein told her that he had his house wired with hidden video cameras that recorded her every move, even in the bathroom.\n\nIn the court documents, Giuffre named a number of prominent men she claimed she had sex with at Maxwell's instructions, including Britain's Prince Andrew; former New Mexico governor Bill Richardson, a Democrat; and former Senate majority leader George Mitchell, D-Maine.\n\n\"My whole life revolved around just pleasing these men and keeping Ghislaine and Jeffrey happy,\" Giuffre said in the deposition. \"Their whole entire lives revolved around sex.\"\n\nOn Friday, representatives of both Richardson and Mitchell denied her allegations, saying the men never had any contact with Giuffre.\n\nThe British royal family and Prince Andrew have repeatedly denied her claims. \"Any suggestion of impropriety with underage minors is categorically untrue,\" a spokesperson for Buckingham Palace said Friday.\n\nAttorney Alan Dershowitz, who represented Epstein at one point, has vigorously denied Giuffre's allegation that she had sex with him, calling her a \"certified, complete, total liar.\"\n\nThose remarks prompted Giuffre to file a defamation suit against Dershowitz, which is ongoing.\n\nGiuffre was part of a sprawling network of young women allegedly targeted by Maxwell to give massages that led to sexual relations with Epstein and his friends, according to the court documents.\n\nJohanna Sjoberg, a student at Palm Beach Atlantic University, testified that Maxwell recruited her to be \"a legitimate assistant\" answering phones for Epstein and then \"asked her to perform sexual massages for Epstein, and punished her when she didn't cause Epstein to orgasm.\"\n\nAsked if she had ever tried to get Epstein to explain why he received so many massages from so many different girls, Sjoberg said in a deposition: \"He explained to me that, in his opinion, he needed to have three orgasms a day. It was biological, like eating.\"\n\nA chef who worked for friends of Epstein recalled meeting a visibly upset young woman who said she had been hired as \"Jeffrey's executive personal assistant.\" She was 15.\n\nRinaldo Rizzo said the girl told him, tearfully, that she had been taken to Epstein's home in the Virgin Islands and asked for sex. She said she had no memory of how she had returned to New York.\n\n\"She was shaking,\" Rizzo testified. \"I mean literally quivering. . . . She says, 'I'm not supposed to talk about this.'\"\n\nThe documents also include images of telephone messages from Epstein assistants summarizing calls from people procuring girls. \"Has girl for tonight,\" one says. \"Confirmed [redacted name] at 4 pm. Who is scheduled for morning? I believe [redacted name] wants to work.\"\n\nSeveral messages from 2005 say only, \"I have a female for him.\"\n\nMassage tables were scattered around Epstein's home in Palm Beach, said Juan Alessi, who worked for Epstein from 1991 to 2002. He said in a 2016 affidavit that a massage \"was like a treat\" that Epstein provided his guests. He said that as many as 100 masseuses visited the property in the time he worked for Epstein, mostly women.\n\nEpstein only took his massages in his private suite, which adjoined Maxwell's bedroom suite, but was off limits to guests, he said. Alessi said he would clean up Epstein's suite up after these massages and would sometimes find vibrators and sex toys in Maxwell's sink.\n\nThe Washington Post's Rosalind S. Helderman, Manuel Roig-Franzia, Matt Zapotosky and Deanna Paul in Washington, and Lori Rozsa in West Palm Beach, Florida, contributed to this report.", "NEW YORK — The FBI and the Justice Department's inspector general's office will investigate how Jeffrey Epstein died in an apparent suicide Saturday, while the probe into sexual abuse allegations against the well-connected financier remains ongoing, officials said.\n\nEpstein, accused of orchestrating a sex-trafficking ring and sexually abusing dozens of underage girls, had been taken off suicide watch before he killed himself in a New York jail, a person familiar with the matter said.\n\nAttorney General William Barr, in announcing the investigation, said he was \"appalled\" to learn of Epstein's death while in federal custody.\n\n\"Mr. Epstein's death raises serious questions that must be answered,\" Barr said in a statement.\n\nFILE - This March 28, 2017, file photo, provided by the New York State Sex Offender Registry shows Jeffrey Epstein. (New York State Sex Offender Registry via AP)\n\nEpstein was found unresponsive in his cell Saturday morning at the Metropolitan Correctional Center, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Fire officials received a call at 6:39 a.m. Saturday that Epstein was in cardiac arrest, and he was pronounced dead at New York Presbyterian-Lower Manhattan Hospital.\n\nEpstein, 66, had been denied bail and faced up to 45 years behind bars on federal sex trafficking and conspiracy charges unsealed last month. He had pleaded not guilty and was awaiting trial.\n\nThe federal investigation into the allegations remains steadfast, U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman said. He noted in a statement Saturday that the indictment against Epstein includes a conspiracy charge, suggesting others could face charges in the case.\n\nEpstein had been placed on suicide watch and given daily psychiatric evaluations after an incident a little over two weeks ago in which he was found with bruising on his neck, according to the person familiar with the matter who wasn't authorized to discuss it publicly. It hasn't been confirmed whether the injury was self-inflicted or the result of an assault.\n\nEpstein was taken off suicide watch at the end of July, the person said.\n\nThe Bureau of Prisons confirmed that he had been housed in the jail's Special Housing Unit, a heavily secured part of the facility that separates high-profile inmates from the general population. Until recently, the same unit had been home to the Mexican drug lord Joaquin \"El Chapo\" Guzman, who is now serving a life sentence at the so-called Supermax prison in Colorado.\n\nEpstein's death raises questions about how the Bureau of Prisons ensures the welfare of such high-profile inmates. In October, Boston gangster James \"Whitey\" Bulger was killed in a federal prison in West Virginia where he had just been transferred.\n\nNebraska Sen. Ben Sasse, a Republican member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, wrote Saturday in a scathing letter to Barr that \"heads must roll\" after the incident.\n\n\"Every single person in the Justice Department — from your Main Justice headquarters staff all the way to the night-shift jailer — knew that this man was a suicide risk, and that his dark secrets couldn't be allowed to die with him,\" Sasse wrote.\n\nCameron Lindsay, a former warden who ran three federal lockups, said the death represents \"an unfortunate and shocking failure, if proven to be a suicide.\"\n\n\"Unequivocally, he should have been on active suicide watch and therefore under direct and constant supervision,\" Lindsay said.\n\nEpstein's removal from suicide watch would have been approved by both the warden of the jail and the facility's chief psychologist, said Jack Donson, a former prison official who worked for the Bureau of Prisons for more than two decades.\n\nAn attorney for Jeffrey Epstein, Marc Fernich, said in a statement that jailers at the Metropolitan Correctional Center failed to protect Epstein and to prevent the \"calamity\" of his death.\n\nFernich also said that reporters, plaintiffs' lawyers and court officials \"should be ashamed of their behavior\" following Epstein's indictment. He said Epstein had \"long since paid his debt to society\" for his crimes.\n\nEpstein's arrest last month launched separate investigations into how authorities handled his case initially when similar charges were first brought against him in Florida more than a decade ago. U.S. Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta resigned last month after coming under fire for overseeing that deal when he was U.S. attorney in Miami.\n\nOn Friday, more than 2,000 pages of documents were released related to a since-settled lawsuit against Epstein's ex-girlfriend by Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein's accusers. The records contain graphic allegations against Epstein, as well as the transcript of a 2016 deposition of Epstein in which he repeatedly refused to answer questions to avoid incriminating himself.\n\nGiuffre, in an interview with The New York Times, said she's grateful Epstein will never harm anyone again, but is angry that there would be no chance to see him answer for his conduct.\n\n\"We've worked so hard to get here, and he stole that from us, too,\" she told the newspaper.\n\nSigrid McCawley, Giuffre's attorney, said Epstein's suicide less than 24 hours after the documents were unsealed \"is no coincidence.\" McCawley urged authorities to continue their investigation, focusing on Epstein associates who she said \"participated and facilitated Epstein's horrifying sex trafficking scheme.\"\n\nOther accusers and their lawyers reacted to the news with frustration that the financier won't have to face them in court.\n\n\"We have to live with the scars of his actions for the rest of our lives, while he will never face the consequences of the crimes he committed the pain and trauma he caused so many people,\" accuser Jennifer Araoz said in a statement.\n\nBrad Edwards, a Florida lawyer for nearly two dozen other accusers, said that \"this is not the ending anyone was looking for.\"\n\n\"The victims deserved to see Epstein held accountable, and he owed it to everyone he hurt to accept responsibility for all of the pain he caused,\" Edwards said in a statement.\n\nEpstein's arrest drew national attention, particularly focusing on a deal that allowed Epstein to plead guilty in 2008 to soliciting a minor for prostitution in Florida and avoid more serious federal charges.\n\nFederal prosecutors in New York reopened the probe after investigative reporting by The Miami Herald stirred outrage over that plea bargain.\n\nHis lawyers maintained that the new charges in New York were covered by the 2008 plea deal and that Epstein hadn't had any illicit contact with underage girls since serving his 13-month sentence in Florida.\n\nBefore his legal troubles, Epstein led a life of extraordinary luxury that drew powerful people into his orbit. He socialized with princes and presidents and lived on a 100-acre private Caribbean island and one of the biggest mansions in New York.\n\nSisak reported from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and Balsamo from Savannah, Georgia. Associated Press writers Curt Anderson, Jennifer Peltz, David Klepper and Larry Neumeister contributed to this report.\n\nRELATED: US government will execute inmates for first time since 2003", "PRINCE Andrew has been accused of licking the feet of one of Jeffrey Epstein’s sex slaves – an allegation he strongly denies.\n\nPaedophile billionaire Epstein’s former slave Virginia Roberts revealed the account in 2,000 pages of legal documents released hours before his death. Epstein – a powerful financier with many influential friends – is believed to have taken his own life as he faced 45 years in prison accused of running a sex trafficking empire. The Queen’s second son Prince Andrew is known to have been pals with Epstein, and has previously come under scrutiny over their friendship. Documents filed include three alleged sexual encounters between Virginia and the Duke of York. Buckingham Palace has firmly denied any “impropriety with underage minors”.\n\n“I would just giggle not really knowing how to reply to an aging man with a bad smile” Virginia says her account is “99 per cent true” but her own lawyers have described it as “fictionalised”. Andrew strenuously denies any sexual contact with Virginia, who says she was 17 at the time. The Duke of York is currently on holiday with his ex-wife Sarah Ferguson and the Queen in Balmoral. Questions has been raised in the US of how Epstein could kill himself when he had days ago been on suicide watch.\n\nVirginia claims she first met the royal dad of two on a trip to London in 2001 when she was 17. Epstein and his British socialite ex-lover Ghislaine Maxwell were also there. The sex slave said he then showed her his “terrible pelvic smashing” dance moves at the nightclub Tramp in London.\n\nVirginia wrote: “Moving his hands across the curves of my body, he was whispering sweet nothings into my ear and kissing my neck. “I would just giggle not really knowing how to reply to an aging man with a bad smile.” Virginia claims they then went back to Maxwell’s house, and she claims her and Prince Andrew had a bath. “He was adorning my young body, particularly my feet, caressing my toes and licking my arches,” she wrote.\n\nVirginia then claims they “retired to my bedchamber for the longest ten minutes of my life”. She claims the second encounter was months later in New York. And she added the third was on Epstein’s private island in the Caribbean. The paper, from 2011, was released by a New York court from a defamation case between Ms Maxwell and Virginia, who is now 35 and a mum of three.", "Jeffrey Epstein died of an apparent suicide in his jail cell, now prompting an additional federal investigation into his death along with one already examining allegations of sexual abuse and conspiracy against him.\n\nEpstein, a wealthy financier accused of orchestrating a sex-trafficking ring and sexually abusing dozens of underage girls, was found Saturday morning unresponsive in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons. He was later pronounced dead at New York Presbyterian-Lower Manhattan Hospital.\n\nEpstein had been placed on suicide watch after he was found a little over two weeks ago with bruising on his neck, according to a person familiar with the matter who wasn't authorized to discuss it publicly. But he was taken off the watch at the end of July and therefore wasn't on it at the time of his death, the person said.\n\nRELATED: Source: Jeffrey Epstein taken off suicide watch before death; feds to continue probe despite death\n\nAttorney General William Barr, calling for an investigation by the FBI and the Justice Department's inspector general's office, said he was \"appalled\" to learn of Epstein's death while in federal custody.\n\n\"Mr. Epstein's death raises serious questions that must be answered,\" Barr said in a statement.\n\nEpstein, 66, had been denied bail and faced up to 45 years behind bars on federal sex trafficking and conspiracy charges unsealed last month. He had pleaded not guilty and was awaiting trial.\n\nThe federal investigation into the allegations remains ongoing, U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman said. He noted in a statement Saturday that the indictment against Epstein includes a conspiracy charge, suggesting others could face charges in the case.\n\nEpstein's death raises questions about how the Bureau of Prisons ensures the welfare of such high-profile inmates. In October, Boston gangster James \"Whitey\" Bulger was killed in a federal prison in West Virginia where had just been transferred.\n\nNebraska Sen. Ben Sasse, a Republican member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, wrote Saturday in a scathing letter to Barr that \"heads must roll\" after the incident.\n\n\"Every single person in the Justice Department — from your Main Justice headquarters staff all the way to the night-shift jailer — knew that this man was a suicide risk, and that his dark secrets couldn't be allowed to die with him,\" Sasse wrote.\n\nEpstein's removal from suicide watch would have been approved by both the warden of the jail and the facility's chief psychologist, said Jack Donson, a former prison official who worked for the Bureau of Prisons for more than two decades.\n\nOn Friday, more than 2,000 pages of documents were released related to a since-settled lawsuit against Epstein's ex-girlfriend by Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein's accusers. The records contain graphic allegations against Epstein, as well as the transcript of a 2016 deposition of Epstein in which he repeatedly refused to answer questions to avoid incriminating himself.\n\nGiuffre, in an interview with The New York Times, said she's grateful Epstein will never harm anyone again, but is angry that there would be no chance to see him answer for his conduct.\n\n\"We've worked so hard to get here, and he stole that from us, too,\" she told the newspaper.\n\nSigrid McCawley, Giuffre's attorney, said Epstein's suicide less than 24 hours after the documents were unsealed \"is no coincidence.\" McCawley urged authorities to continue their investigation, focusing on Epstein associates who she said \"participated and facilitated Epstein's horrifying sex trafficking scheme.\"\n\nEpstein's arrest drew national attention, particularly focusing on a deal that allowed Epstein to plead guilty in 2008 to soliciting a minor for prostitution in Florida and avoid more serious federal charges.\n\nFederal prosecutors in New York reopened the probe after investigative reporting by The Miami Herald stirred outrage over that plea bargain.\n\nHis lawyers maintained that the new charges in New York were covered by the 2008 plea deal and that Epstein hadn't had any illicit contact with underage girls since serving his 13-month sentence in Florida.\n\nBefore his legal troubles, Epstein led a life of extraordinary luxury that drew powerful people into his orbit. He socialized with princes and presidents and lived on a 100-acre private Caribbean island and one of the biggest mansions in New York.\n\nSisak reported from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and Balsamo from Savannah, Georgia. Associated Press writers Curt Anderson, Jennifer Peltz, David Klepper and Larry Neumeister contributed to this report.", "FBI agents swarm Jeffrey Epstein's private Caribbean island\n\n\"We were just trying to look at pretty fish ... and here we are in the middle of an FBI raid,\" said Kelly Quinn, the owner of Salty Dog Day Sails.", "Jeffrey Epstein died of an apparent suicide in his jail cell, now prompting an additional federal investigation into his death along with one already examining allegations of sexual abuse and conspiracy against him.\n\nEpstein, a wealthy financier accused of orchestrating a sex-trafficking ring and sexually abusing dozens of underage girls, was found Saturday morning unresponsive in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons. He was later pronounced dead at New York Presbyterian-Lower Manhattan Hospital.\n\nEpstein had been placed on suicide watch after he was found a little over two weeks ago with bruising on his neck, according to a person familiar with the matter who wasn't authorized to discuss it publicly. But he was taken off the watch at the end of July and therefore wasn't on it at the time of his death, the person said.\n\nRELATED: Source: Jeffrey Epstein taken off suicide watch before death; feds to continue probe despite death\n\nAttorney General William Barr, calling for an investigation by the FBI and the Justice Department's inspector general's office, said he was \"appalled\" to learn of Epstein's death while in federal custody.\n\n\"Mr. Epstein's death raises serious questions that must be answered,\" Barr said in a statement.\n\nEpstein, 66, had been denied bail and faced up to 45 years behind bars on federal sex trafficking and conspiracy charges unsealed last month. He had pleaded not guilty and was awaiting trial.\n\nThe federal investigation into the allegations remains ongoing, U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman said. He noted in a statement Saturday that the indictment against Epstein includes a conspiracy charge, suggesting others could face charges in the case.\n\nEpstein's death raises questions about how the Bureau of Prisons ensures the welfare of such high-profile inmates. In October, Boston gangster James \"Whitey\" Bulger was killed in a federal prison in West Virginia where had just been transferred.\n\nNebraska Sen. Ben Sasse, a Republican member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, wrote Saturday in a scathing letter to Barr that \"heads must roll\" after the incident.\n\n\"Every single person in the Justice Department — from your Main Justice headquarters staff all the way to the night-shift jailer — knew that this man was a suicide risk, and that his dark secrets couldn't be allowed to die with him,\" Sasse wrote.\n\nEpstein's removal from suicide watch would have been approved by both the warden of the jail and the facility's chief psychologist, said Jack Donson, a former prison official who worked for the Bureau of Prisons for more than two decades.\n\nOn Friday, more than 2,000 pages of documents were released related to a since-settled lawsuit against Epstein's ex-girlfriend by Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein's accusers. The records contain graphic allegations against Epstein, as well as the transcript of a 2016 deposition of Epstein in which he repeatedly refused to answer questions to avoid incriminating himself.\n\nGiuffre, in an interview with The New York Times, said she's grateful Epstein will never harm anyone again, but is angry that there would be no chance to see him answer for his conduct.\n\n\"We've worked so hard to get here, and he stole that from us, too,\" she told the newspaper.\n\nSigrid McCawley, Giuffre's attorney, said Epstein's suicide less than 24 hours after the documents were unsealed \"is no coincidence.\" McCawley urged authorities to continue their investigation, focusing on Epstein associates who she said \"participated and facilitated Epstein's horrifying sex trafficking scheme.\"\n\nEpstein's arrest drew national attention, particularly focusing on a deal that allowed Epstein to plead guilty in 2008 to soliciting a minor for prostitution in Florida and avoid more serious federal charges.\n\nFederal prosecutors in New York reopened the probe after investigative reporting by The Miami Herald stirred outrage over that plea bargain.\n\nHis lawyers maintained that the new charges in New York were covered by the 2008 plea deal and that Epstein hadn't had any illicit contact with underage girls since serving his 13-month sentence in Florida.\n\nBefore his legal troubles, Epstein led a life of extraordinary luxury that drew powerful people into his orbit. He socialized with princes and presidents and lived on a 100-acre private Caribbean island and one of the biggest mansions in New York.\n\nSisak reported from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and Balsamo from Savannah, Georgia. Associated Press writers Curt Anderson, Jennifer Peltz, David Klepper and Larry Neumeister contributed to this report."], "summary": "Federal Bureau of Investigation agents raid late financier billionaire Jeffrey Epstein's private Caribbean island, amid an investigation into alleged sex trafficking. The raid comes two days after Epstein's death."}
{"document": ["Pro-democracy activist says 'terrorism' is what is being experienced by Hong Kong people", "HONG KONG (AP) — Riot police clashed briefly with pro-democracy protesters at Hong Kong’s airport Tuesday night in a chaotic end to a second day of demonstrations that caused mass cancellations and disruptions at the Chinese city’s busy transport hub.\n\nCalm eventually returned, with most of the protesters leaving the airport hours after officers armed with pepper spray and swinging batons tried to enter the terminal, fighting with demonstrators who barricaded entrances with luggage carts. Protesters said they planned to return to the airport early Wednesday.\n\nThe burst of violence also included protesters beating at least two men they suspected of being undercover agents and came the same day Hong Kong’s pro-Beijing leader warned that the demonstrators had pushed events onto a “path of no return,” highlighting the hardening positions on both sides.\n\nPolice took away several people they caught outside the arrival hall and eventually retreated.\n\nPolice said they were trying to help ambulance officers reach an injured man whom protesters had cornered and detained for about two hours on suspicion of being an undercover agent from mainland China. Rescuers eventually succeeded in getting him to an ambulance, local broadcaster RTHK reported.\n\nProtesters then detained and beat a second man whom they also suspected of being an undercover agent.\n\nAfter a brief period when planes were able to take off and land early in the day, authorities were forced to cancel the remaining flights. The airport authority suspended check-in services for departing flights as of 4:30 p.m., with departing flights that had completed the process able to continue to operate.\n\nThe airport’s website showed at least 120 cancellations and it advised people not to come to the airport, one of the world’s busiest.\n\nMore than 200 flights were canceled Monday and passengers were forced to stay in the city while airlines tried to find other ways to get them to their destinations.\n\nThe airport disruptions escalated a summer of demonstrations aimed at what many Hong Kong residents see as an increasing erosion of the freedoms they were promised in 1997 when Communist Party-ruled mainland China took over what had been a British colony.\n\nThe protests have built on an opposition movement that shut down much of the city for seven weeks in 2014 before it eventually fizzled and its leaders were jailed on public disturbance charges.\n\nThe central government in Beijing has ominously characterized the current protest movement as something approaching “terrorism” that poses an “existential threat” to citizens.\n\nWhile Beijing tends to define terrorism broadly, extending it especially to nonviolent movements opposing government policies in minority regions such as Tibet and Xinjiang, its use of the term in relation to Hong Kong raised the prospect of greater violence and the possible suspension of legal rights for those detained.\n\nHong Kong leader Carrie Lam said the instability, chaos and violence have placed the city on a “path of no return.”\n\nThe black-clad demonstrators have shown no sign of letting up on their campaign to force Lam’s administration to respond to their demands, including that she step down and scrap proposed legislation under which some suspects could be sent to mainland China, where critics say they could face torture and unfair or politically charged trials.\n\nLam has rejected calls for dialogue, part of what analysts say is a strategy to wear down the opposition movement through police action while prompting demonstrators to take more violent and extreme actions that will turn the public against them. At the airport, protesters discussed among themselves whether they should simply block all access to the facility.\n\nMeanwhile, paramilitary police were assembling across the border in the city of Shenzhen for exercises that some saw as a threat to increase force against the mostly young protesters who have turned out by the thousands in the past 10 weeks.\n\nPresident Donald Trump tweeted that U.S. intelligence believes that the Chinese government is moving troops to its border with Hong Kong. He also tweeted that “Everyone should be calm and safe!” He provided no additional details.\n\nWhile China has yet to threaten using the army — as it did against pro-democracy protesters in Beijing in 1989 — the Shenzhen exercises were a sign of its ability to crush the demonstrations, even at the cost to Hong Kong’s reputation as a safe haven for business and international exchange. Images on the internet showed armored personnel carriers belonging to the People’s Armed Police driving in a convoy Monday toward the site of the exercises.\n\nThe People’s Liberation Army has a garrison in Hong Kong, which recently released a video showing its units combating actors dressed as protesters. Hong Kong police also put on a display of water cannons.\n\nPolice have arrested more than 700 protesters since June and say they have infiltrated the movement, leading to concerns that officers were inciting violence. Scores of protesters and police have been hurt, including a woman reported to have had an eye ruptured by a beanbag round fired by police during clashes Sunday.\n\nPolice said they are investigating the incident, which protesters have taken up as a rallying cry. Some in the airport occupation wore gauze bandages dyed with artificial blood over one eye.\n\nThe U.N.’s top human rights official condemned violence around the protests and urged both sides to settle their dispute through “open and inclusive dialogue.”\n\nRupert Colville, spokesman for U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet, said her office had reviewed evidence that police are using “less-lethal weapons in ways that are prohibited by international norms and standards.” That includes firing tear gas canisters into crowded, enclosed areas and directly at individuals, “creating a considerable risk of death or serious injury,” Colville said in a statement.\n\nIn a sign of rising tensions, protesters in the evening detained two men they claimed were undercover police from mainland China. They tied his wrists with plastic strips and poured water over his head. Airport security guards did not appear to be able to stop the crowd.\n\nSally Tong, an 18-year-old protester, said they needed to hold him as evidence that mainland Chinese authorities are in Hong Kong to monitor the demonstrations. Tong said the man was dressed in black and wore a mask to look like one of them.\n\n“We want to keep him here and investigate,” Tong said. Protesters said the man dropped his wallet when he was running away from them, and they found ID cards from mainland China and also found his name on a list of police officers online.\n\nProtesters also bound the hands of the second man they captured. They grew enraged when they emptied out his belongings and found a blue T-shirt that has been worn by pro-Beijing supporters, which they said was evidence he was a spy.\n\nProtesters said they detained him because he wore a press vest and claimed to be a reporter. They used a nearby U.S. flag to beat the man, who was on the floor in a fetal position, while journalists and pro-democracy lawmaker Kwok Ka-ki, who is a doctor, tried to stop them. The chaotic situation eventually ended when protesters allowed ambulance workers to take the man away on a stretcher.\n\nThe Associated Press could not independently verify their identities.\n\nAfter two months, the protests have become increasingly divisive and prompted clashes across the city.\n\nDemonstrators have recently focused on demanding an independent inquiry into what they call police abuse of power and negligence. That followed reports and video of violent arrests and injuries sustained by protesters.\n\nSome protesters have thrown objects and police, and officials say several officers have suffered injuries.\n\nLam said dialogue would only begin when the violence ended. She reiterated her support for police and said they have had to make quick decisions under difficult circumstances, using “the lowest level of force.”\n\n“After the violence has been stopped, and the chaotic situation that we are seeing could subside,” Lam said. “I as the chief executive will be responsible to rebuild Hong Kong’s economy … to help Hong Kong to move on.”\n\nShe did not elaborate on what conciliatory steps her government will take.\n\nThe early protests were in neighborhoods near government offices. However, the airport protest has had a direct impact on business travel and tourism. Analysts said it could make foreign investors think twice about Hong Kong, which has long prided itself as being Asia’s leading business city with convenient regional air links.\n\n“I don’t think I will ever fly to Hong Kong again,” said Kerry Dickinson of South Africa.\n\nThe protesters held signs in Chinese and English to appeal to travelers from mainland China and elsewhere. “Democracy is a good thing,” said one sign in simplified Chinese characters.\n\nAdding to the protesters’ anger, Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific Airways told employees the carrier has a “zero tolerance” for them joining “illegal protests” and warned they could be fired.", "Hong Kong's airport reopened on Tuesday but its administrator warned that flight movements would still be affected, after China said protests that have swept the city over the past two months had begun to show the \"sprouts of terrorism\".\n\nSome flights resumed but many others were canceled. Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific said it had canceled more than 200 flights into and out of the airport on Tuesday, according to its website.\n\nThe airport, one of the world's busiest, blamed demonstrators for halting flights on Monday. The exact trigger for the closure was not clear because protesters occupying the arrivals hall since Friday have been peaceful.\n\nThe airport was the latest focus of protests that began two months ago. The sometimes violent protests began as opposition to a now-suspended bill that would have allowed extradition to mainland China but have grown into wider calls for democracy.\n\nThe protests have plunged the Chinese-ruled territory into its most serious crisis in decades, presenting Chinese leader Xi Jinping with one of his biggest challenges since he came to power in 2012.\n\nAnalysts said the disruptions and protests in Hong Kong were unsettling Asian stock markets, and the Hang Seng index opened 1.1% lower on Tuesday.\n\nEmbattled Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam said on Tuesday the \"lawbreaking activities in the name of freedom\" were damaging the rule of law and that it could take a long time for the city to recover from the protests.\n\nThe protesters have been switching tactics in recent weeks and more than a dozen sit-ins were planned at hospitals in the city, according to social media posts on Tuesday.\n\nMost of the protesters had left the airport shortly after midnight, with about 50 still there on Tuesday morning.\n\n\"Hong Kong International Airport will implement flight rescheduling today with flight movements expected to be affected,\" said a notice published on the Hong Kong International Airport's official mobile app on Tuesday.\n\nCathay Pacific said it would only operate a limited number of flights for connecting passengers. Airport flight boards showed the likes of Emirates Airline and Virgin Australia had flights scheduled to depart on Tuesday.\n\nCritical juncture\n\nChina said on Monday protests in the Asian financial hub had reached a critical juncture.\n\n\"Protesters have been frequently using extremely dangerous tools to attack the police in recent days, constituting serious crimes with sprouts of terrorism emerging,\" said Hong Kong and Macau Affairs office spokesman Yang Guang in Beijing.\n\nSome Hong Kong legal experts say the official description of terrorism could lead to the use of anti-terror laws.\n\nProtesters in turn say police have used excessive force, firing tear gas and bean bag pellets at close range, and are calling for an independent inquiry into the crisis.\n\nDemonstrators say they are fighting the erosion of the \"one country, two systems\" arrangement enshrining some autonomy for Hong Kong when China took it back from Britain in 1997.\n\nHong Kong's airport is the 8th busiest by passenger traffic, handling 73 million passengers a year.\n\nShares in Cathay, which fell to a 10-year-low on Monday, continued their slide on Tuesday and were down more than 4.5% in morning trading.\n\nThe company is caught in crosswinds between Beijing and pro-democracy groups in Hong Kong after the Chinese civil aviation regulator demanded it suspend personnel who engaged in or supported the protests from staffing flights into its airspace.\n\nThe closure of the Hong Kong airport added to that pressure. A Reuters reporter saw more than 100 travellers queuing up at Cathay's ticketing counter early on Tuesday.\n\n\"The way to handle last night was chaotic,\" said Kate Flannery from Australia, who was traveling to Paris. \"The airport authority didn't deal with the situation. I felt like I was walking around and nobody gave us information.\"\n\nA Cathay customer officer at the airport, who declined to provide his name, said nearly all the airline's flights were full.\n\n\"It is possible that the airport authority will cancel more flights as they need to control the air traffic movements at the Hong Kong International Airport,\" he said.\n\nGet Breaking news, live coverage, and Latest News from India and around the world on NDTV.com. Catch all the Live TV action on NDTV 24x7 and NDTV India. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagram for latest news and live news updates.", "It came a day after authorities announced the unprecedented complete cancellation of all arriving and departing flights over a massive rally. (Photo: AP)\n\nHong Kong: Authorities at Hong Kong airport on Tuesday cancelled all departing flights after pro-democracy protesters blocked the facility for a second day.\n\n“Airport operations at Hong Kong International Airport have been seriously disrupted, all departure flights have been cancelled,” a statement on the airport website said.\n\n“All passengers are advised to leave the terminal buildings as soon as possible.”\n\nThe statement did not immediately make clear if flights were still arriving.\n\nAn earlier statement announcing that check-ins had been suspended said that flights were still arriving.\n\nThe decision came after thousands of pro-democracy protesters flooded into the airport for the second consecutive day and blocked passengers from reaching entrances to the departure area in both terminals.\n\nIt came a day after authorities announced the unprecedented complete cancellation of all arriving and departing flights over a massive rally.", "Police and protesters have clashed at Hong Kong's international airport after flights were disrupted for a second day as the political crisis in the former British colony deepened.\n\nIn Washington, US President Donald Trump said the Chinese government was moving troops to the border with Hong Kong, and urged calm.\n\nTrump said the situation in Hong Kong was tricky but he hoped it would work out for everybody, including China, and \"for liberty\" without anyone getting hurt or killed.\n\nHong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam warned that the city risked being \"smashed to pieces\".\n\nDemonstrators who have been protesting for the past nine weeks against Beijing's growing influence in the special administrative region targeted the international airport for a second day on Tuesday.\n\nThousands of black-clad protesters jammed the terminal chanting, singing and waving banners.\n\nScuffles broke out in the evening after an injured man was held by a group of protesters.\n\nSome claimed he was an undercover mainland Chinese agent and initially refused to let him leave.\n\nMedics, however, bundled him onto a stretcher and forced their way through jeering throngs to an ambulance.\n\nSeveral police vehicles were blocked by protesters and riot police moved in amid chaotic scenes, using pepper spray to keep people back.\n\nA policeman pulled out a gun at one point.\n• Travel advisory: Australians warned to exercise 'high degree of caution' in Hong Kong\n\nProtesters also barricaded some passageways in the airport with luggage trolleys, metal barriers and other objects.\n\nOthers clambered onto check-in counters as the protesters appeared to control part of the airport for a short while. At least two protesters were taken away by police.\n\nAnother mainland Chinese man was held and tied down by protesters at the airport after they thought he was posing as a reporter.\n\nThe editor-in-chief of the state-run Global Times newspaper, Hu Xijin, tweeted that the man was a journalist with the paper. He was later taken away by ambulance.\n\nThe situation calmed down after a few hours without the violence worsening, and the crowds thinned out.\n\nLocal media reported that an injunction had been issued by a local court to clear the airport of protesters.\n\nThe action followed an unprecedented shutdown of the airport on Monday.\n\nHong Kong's Airport Authority said operations had been \"seriously disrupted\" on Tuesday and departing passengers had been unable to reach immigration counters.\n\nThe weeks of protests began as opposition to a now-suspended bill that would have allowed suspects to be extradited to mainland China, and have swelled into wider calls for democracy.\n\nDemonstrators say they are fighting the erosion of the \"one country, two systems\" arrangement that enshrined some autonomy for Hong Kong since China took it back from Britain in 1997.\n\nThe increasingly violent clashes between police and protesters have roiled the Asian financial hub. Hong Kong's stockmarket fell to a seven-month low on Tuesday.\n\nThe United Nations human rights commissioner Michele Bachelet urged Hong Kong authorities to exercise restraint and investigate evidence of their forces firing tear gas at protesters in ways banned under international law.\n\nChina responded by saying her comments sent the wrong signal to \"violent criminal offenders\".", "Travelers wait at the check-in counters in the departure hall of the Hong Kong International Airport in Hong Kong, Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2019. Protesters clogged the departure area at Hong Kong’s reopened airport Tuesday, a day after they forced one of the world’s busiest transport hubs to shut down entirely amid their calls for an independent inquiry into alleged police abuse. (AP Photo/Vincent Thian)\n\nHONG KONG (AP) — The Latest on Hong Kong protests (all times local):\n\nHong Kong police say they have arrested five people for unlawful assembly, assaulting police officers and possessing weapons after a second day of mass protests at the city’s airport.\n\nOfficials said in a statement that some protesters detained, harassed and assaulted a traveler and a journalist, and obstructed ambulance workers from taking the two men to the hospital. They said other protesters attacked a police officer and snatched a baton from him.\n\nA government statement condemned the acts, saying they “have overstepped the bottom line of a civilized society.”\n\nHong Kong’s busy airport was the latest setting for large-scale pro-democracy protests that have rocked the city for months, with authorities canceling dozens of flights on Monday and Tuesday. Demonstrators say they plan to return to the airport Wednesday.\n\nPresident Donald Trump tweeted Tuesday that U.S. intelligence believes that the Chinese government is moving troops to its border with Hong Kong.\n\nTrump also tweeted that “Everyone should be calm and safe!” He provided no additional details.\n\nRiot police briefly clashed with pro-democracy protesters outside the Hong Kong Airport for the second day on Tuesday though calm returned to the airport in the early hours of Wednesday.\n\nThe airport disruptions are an escalation of a summer of demonstrations against what some in Hong Kong see as an increasing erosion of freedoms. The protests have in recent weeks turned to focus on police brutality against demonstrators.\n\nEarlier Tuesday, Trump called the Hong Kong protests a “very tricky situation,” saying he hopes no one is injured or killed.\n\nMost protesters and police have left Hong Kong Airport after a second day of demonstrations that caused mass flight cancellations at the busy transport hub.\n\nCalm returned to the airport in the early hours of Wednesday after riot police briefly clashed with pro-democracy protesters outside the building earlier Tuesday night. Officers armed with pepper spray and swinging batons briefly tried to enter the terminal, while protesters used luggage carts to barricade entrances.\n\nHundreds of flights were cancelled Tuesday and Monday and passengers have been forced to stay in the city while airlines tried to find other ways to get them to their destinations.\n\nThe airport disruptions are an escalation of a summer of demonstrations against what some in Hong Kong see as an increasing erosion of freedoms. The protests have in recent weeks turned to focus on police brutality against demonstrators.\n\nChina’s diplomatic mission in Geneva is lashing out at the U.N. human rights office, accusing its spokesman of making a “wrongful statement” about protests in Hong Kong that “sends the wrong signal to the violent criminal offenders.”\n\nIn an e-mail to reporters, the mission took issue with comments Tuesday by spokesman Rupert Colville, who expressed concerns about the “escalation of violence” and the firing of tear gas canisters by security forces into crowded areas.\n\nThe mission lamented how the demonstrations in Hong Kong “have recently taken a violent turn as some radical mobsters deliberately perpetuated violence … Their behavior has nothing to do with peaceful demonstration.”\n\nIt urged the human rights office to “stop interfering in the affairs of Hong Kong.”\n\nEmergency officials have taken an injured mainland Chinese man away from Hong Kong’s airport after angry protesters who accused him of being a Chinese undercover agent tied up his hands and tried to beat him up.\n\nThe man was pictured with his hands bound with cable ties, lying in a fetal position on the ground surrounded by a crowd of protesters as demonstrations continued at the airport for a second day and turned tense late Tuesday. Some tried to kick and hit him while others tried to hold the crowd back. Protesters said they detained him because he wore a press vest and claimed to be a reporter, but a mainland Chinese ID card was found in his belongings.\n\nThe chaotic situation eventually ended when protesters allowed ambulance workers to take the man away on a stretcher.\n\nPro-democracy protesters have been sensitive to police infiltration after activists were arrested by officers dressed just like them. Police have acknowledged that they use decoy officers in some operations.\n\nChaos has broken out at Hong Kong’s airport as riot police move into the terminal to confront protesters who shut down operations at the busy transport hub for two straight days.\n\nOfficers armed with pepper spray and swinging batons clashed with protesters who used luggage carts to barricade entrances to the airport terminal on Tuesday night.\n\nPolice took several people into a police van waiting at the entrance to the airport’s arrivals hall.\n\nPolice said they tried to help ambulance officers reach an injured man whom protesters had detained on suspicion of being an undercover agent.\n\nProtesters also detained a second man whom they suspected of being an undercover agent. After emptying out his belongings, they found a blue T-shirt that has been worn by pro-Beijing supporters that they said was evidence he was a spy.\n\nAt least three concerts by overseas performers have been canceled in Hong Kong as protesters forced the city’s airport to suspend operations for a second day.\n\nK-pop star Kang Daniel and Scottish band CHVRCHES both announced Tuesday that they are calling off upcoming events. American singer-songwriter Alec Benjamin canceled an upcoming concert late Monday.\n\nKang’s management office said the cancellation of a fan meeting scheduled for Sunday was because of safety concerns related to the protests, while CHVRCHES blamed “unforeseen circumstances.”\n\nThe airport protests are the latest escalation in a summer of demonstrations aimed at what many in Hong Kong see as an increasing erosion of their freedoms.\n\nThe United Nations’ top human rights official has condemned violence in Hong Kong’s pro-democracy protests and called on the authorities and protesters to solve their dispute peacefully.\n\nA spokesman for U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said she was concerned by the recent “escalation of violence.”\n\nRupert Colville said the UN Human Rights Office had also reviewed credible evidence that police are using “less-lethal weapons in ways that are prohibited by international norms.”\n\nTactics by Hong Kong police have become a major issue for protesters.\n\nThe rights office urged Hong Kong authorities to investigate examples of officers firing tear gas canisters into crowded, enclosed areas and directly at individual protesters.\n\nHong Kong’s airport has cancelled all remaining departing flights for the second day after protesters took over the terminals.\n\nThe airport authority announced early Tuesday evening that check-in services for departing flights were suspended as of 4:30 p.m. Other departing flights that have completed the process will continue to operate.\n\nIt said it did not expect arriving flights to be affected, though dozens of arriving flights were already cancelled.\n\nThe authority advised the public not to come to the airport.\n\nSome flights were able to depart and land earlier Tuesday, a day after more than 200 flights were canceled.\n\nThe airport’s arrival and departure halls were blocked by thousands of protesters who were gathered in the airport for the fifth consecutive day. They are calling for democratic reforms and an independent inquiry into alleged police brutality.\n\nThousands of protesters have returned to the Hong Kong airport and are once more threatening regular airline operations just one day after they prompted a full shutdown of one of the world’s busiest transit hubs.\n\nAfter filling up the arrivals hall, demonstrators are now streaming into the departures area despite increased security measures designed to keep them out.\n\nThe black-clad protesters held up signs to appeal to travelers from mainland China and other parts of the world. “Democracy is a good thing,” said one sign in Simplified Chinese characters, which are used in mainland China instead of the Traditional Chinese script of Hong Kong.\n\nOne entrance to the immigration area was entirely blocked by protesters and arriving passengers struggled to get through.\n\nMore than 100 flights were cancelled as of Tuesday afternoon. Some flights were taking off and going through check-in as airlines worked through the backlog.\n\nFlights have been taking off from the Hong Kong airport as it works through a backlog of cancelled flights while a few thousand protesters have once again occupied the arrival hall.\n\nSome flights Tuesday were still cancelled. It was not immediately clear whether they were affected by the current demonstration, as occurred Monday, when about 200 flights were cancelled and airport completely shut down amid a mass protest.\n\nThe airport authority said they were implementing flight rescheduling Tuesday. The authority urged passengers “to use public transportation and allow sufficient time to go to the airport.”\n\nHong Kong has seen two months of anti-government demonstrations that have increasingly impacted day-to-day operations in the financial hub.\n\nHong Kong leader Carrie Lam has defended law enforcement actions after protesters prompted an airport shutdown with calls to investigate alleged police brutality.\n\nAirlines early Tuesday were checking in passengers for flights, including those cancelled the previous day because thousands of pro-democracy demonstrators had packed into the airport’s main terminal.\n\nDemonstrators have called for an independent inquiry into what they call the police’s abuse of power and negligence. Some protesters thrown bricks, eggs and flaming objects at police stations.\n\nLam told reporters that dialogue would only begin when the violence stopped. She reiterated her support for the police and said they have had to make on-the-spot decisions under difficult circumstances, using “the lowest level of force.”\n\nOne of the world’s busiest airports was struggling to reopen the morning after thousands of pro-democracy demonstrators crowded into Hong Kong’s main terminal and forced flight cancellations.\n\nPassengers were checking in for flights Tuesday morning in a sign operations were returning to normal, although protesters have shown no sign of letting up on their campaign to force Chief Executive Carrie Lam’s administration to respond to their demands.\n\nAbout 200 flights had been canceled.\n\nPassengers unable to leave on Monday were among those crowding in the departure hall.", "Immigration counters at Hong Kong airport's main terminal have shut down after protesters blocked the entrance\n\nHONG KONG (AP) — Immigration counters at Hong Kong airport's main terminal have shut down after protesters blocked the entrance.", "A Look At The Economic Costs Of The Protests In Hong Kong\n\nNPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks with Daniel Ten Kate, a Hong Kong-based Asia editor for Bloomberg News, about the economic costs of the Hong Kong protests.", "Protests at Hong Kong's airport on Tuesday caused a second day of travel mayhem at one of the world's busiest air-transport hubs, further threatening the city's reputation as a stable place for doing business.\n\nTravelers trying to catch their flights were met with an announcement that check-in was suspended from late afternoon because terminal operations were \"seriously disrupted,\" causing at least 120 flights to be cancelled.\n\nIt's a sharp contrast to the normal experience at Hong Kong's sleek and modern airport, where check-in and boarding are usually carried out quickly and efficiently.\n\nAnalysts said the disruption could make foreign investors think twice about setting up shop in Hong Kong, which has long prided itself as being Asia's leading business city with convenient air links for executives traveling across the region.\n\nHong Kong has long sold itself to the international business community as a window into mainland China and the airport is one of the most visible symbols of its status as a global hub. If the disruption drags on, \"that reputation will take a bit of a beating up,\" said Andrew Charlton, managing director of Aviation Advocacy, a consultancy.\n\n\"It becomes more difficult to think, 'Well yeah, Hong Kong's a stable place, I should be doing business or I should be setting up my regional office there.'\"\n\nThe protests began more than two months ago against a China extradition bill and have expanded into calls for democratic reforms. Hong Kong authorities have denounced the demonstrators as rioters.\n\nAdding to the protesters' anger, Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific Airways told employees in a memo that the carrier has a \"zero tolerance\" for employees joining \"illegal protests\" and warned disciplinary consequences could include being fired.\n\nA Cathay Pacific pilot was charged with rioting and two ground staff fired for misconduct, the airline said by email Monday. The moves came after the Chinese government warned Cathay Pacific, one of Hong Kong's best-known international brands, to bar its staff from participating in the protests — an escalation into the territory's business affairs.\n\nAfter weeks of neighborhood confrontations with police, the protesters' decision this week to take their movement to the airport makes a more direct economic impact on business travel and tourism.\n\nHong Kong officials warned that the chaos risked hurting the city's reputation as a travel and transport center.\n\n\"There is a serious impact on the operation of the airport,\" said Hong' Kong's second-highest ranking government official, Chief Secretary Matthew Cheung. \"We are an international airport hub and it is also the trunk of Hong Kong's business.\"\n\nThe International Air Transport Association, an airline industry group, said \"the cancellation of flights will be felt in markets well beyond Hong Kong.\"\n\nThere were already signs business travelers were looking elsewhere.\n\n\"Some customers have shown a decline in travel bookings to Hong Kong in June and July, as a number of countries have issued safety advisories urging travelers to exercise caution,\" said Julian Walker, a spokesman for travel management platform CWT, formerly known as Carlson Wagonlit.\n\nIt was too early to know how the disruption to the airport had affected bookings, he said.\n\nHong Kong's international airport was built on land reclaimed from the sea and opened in 1998, replacing an aging airstrip in the middle of the crowded, mountainous city.\n\nThe city's foreign investment promotion agency, InvestHK, boasts that Asia's key markets are \"less than four hours away,\" a big selling point for the 8,000 international companies that have set up sales, operations and research and development centers in Hong Kong. More than 100 airlines allow \"easy and efficient travel\" to 190 locations, the agency says.\n\nThe airport was the world's eighth busiest airport last year, but came second in terms of international passengers, with 75.3 million passing through in 2018, according to preliminary data from Airports Council International.\n\nIt's also the world's busiest air cargo hub, driven partly by demand from wealthy countries for Asian exports. More than 5 million metric tons of air freight passed through the airport last year, the council said.\n\n\"The situation in Hong Kong has now become risky in terms of potential consequences, but also threatens the reputation of the city as a safe and stable business hub served by a world class airport,\" said Loizos Heracleous, a professor of strategy at Britain's Warwick University.\n\nDaFene Brown had been due to fly home to Atlanta, Georgia, via Shanghai on Monday night when his flight was cancelled.\n\nHis airline rescheduled the flight for Wednesday and Brown said he hoped he had enough money to last until he departs.\n\n\"I had not budgeted for this sort of extensive delay and Hong Kong is not a cheap city by any means,\" Brown said.\n\nBrown, 26, was also worried that he may not be able to start a new job teaching English in South Korea. His plan was to tie up some loose ends at home before heading to Seoul.\n\n\"I am a bit nervous about how long the protests will last and if the airlines will have any more delays,\" he said.", "Protesters paralyzed Hong Kong International Airport on Monday, grounding all departing flights and more than 70 arriving flights.\n\nUSA Today reports: ‘The demonstration is the latest in a series of mass protests spanning two months. Hong Kong activists are calling for more autonomy from Beijing and an independent inquiry into police behavior. … The tension was sparked by a since-shelved extradition bill, which would have allowed some suspects to be sent for trial in mainland China. Opponents believed the bill would expand Beijing’s control on the bustling international hub. Hong Kong was a British colony until 1997, when China absorbed Hong Kong in a handover. Since then, Hong Kong operates under a “one country, two systems” framework that was supposed to allow the territory to retain its own social, legal and political systems for 50 years.’"], "summary": "The Airport Authority Hong Kong cancels all departure flights from Hong Kong, effectively locking down Hong Kong International Airport amid ongoing unrest."}
{"document": ["BBC China Correspondent Stephen McDonell tweeted: “Hong Kong riot police charging into a subway station pursuing pro-democracy activists and firing into them at point blank range. I’ve seen police being provoked here but I’m speechless. Carrie Lam says no police inquiry needed they’re investigating themselves.”\n\nThe Hong Kong Government responded on their official website condemning the “violence” of the protestors. The government statement said: “Violent protesters vandalised public property and blocked roads. “They also besieged police stations, aimed laser beams and hurled bricks to attack police officers.\n\nTensions erupted again as protestors employed innovative tactics to stay safe and evade the police as the city enters its 10th week of mass demonstrations and unrest. In the Wan Chai district, petrol bombs and bricks were thrown at riot police who responded by charging at protesters with batons. A number of people, including a police officer, were injured in the clashes. Police were also filmed firing rubber bullets at close range inside a subway station, while other officers were seen beating people with batons on an escalator.\n\nTwo months of demonstrations sparked by a controversial extradition bill show no signs of abating, with both sides hardening their stance. Their demands have broadened to include calls for more democracy and for Hong Kong's leader Carrie Lam to resign. On Sunday afternoon, a peaceful rally in the city's Victoria Park sparked clashes when protesters moved out of the area and marched along a major road despite a police ban. There were confrontations in several central districts and police used rubber bullets in an attempt to disperse the demonstrators.", "BEIJING (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 13th August, 2019) More than 170 police officers have been injured while on duty since protests in Hong Kong began 10 weeks ago, Tse Chun-chung, chief superintendent of the Hong Kong Police Public Relations Branch, said on Tuesday.\n\n\"As for the officers who were injured while on duty during protests, 171 officers have been injured so far, two of them remain in the hospital,\" he said at a press briefing.\n\nMass protests erupted in Hong Kong in early June in response to a controversial bill that would allow extraditions to mainland China.\n\nThese demonstrations have often resulted in violent clashes between protesters and police. Though the government eventually announced that it had suspended the bill, people remain in the streets, demanding that it be withdrawn completely. Locals also want the city authorities to implement universal suffrage and retract criminal charges against protesters.\n\nHong Kong's leader has warned that violent protests could push the city down the \"path of no return.\"", "A Versace T-shirt caused an international stir after it listed Hong Kong and Macau as countries, leading actor Yang Mi to end her ambassadorship with the high-end global brand.\n\nA photo of the back of the garment — showing cities and their designated countries — was shared to Chinese social media site Weibo over the weekend.\n\nAlong with cities like Milan and London, properly listed with the correct corresponding countries, Hong Kong and Macau were incorrectly paired with Hong Kong and Macau, respectively.\n\nA Weibo user pointed this out using coloured underlines and question marks around the aforementioned regions, which are technically part of mainland China and not separate countries.\n\nREAD MORE: After weekend of violence Hong Kong braces for more protests\n\nBoth areas are known as “special administrative regions,” meaning they have a higher degree of autonomy than other parts of China but are, indeed, a part of the country and not their own sovereign nations.\n\nIn a post to Weibo, Mi’s studio said: “The motherland’s sovereignty and territorial integrity are sacred and inviolable.”\n\nAccording to Quartz, the Chinese government typically demands an apology with the threat of cutting off access to the Chinese market if an apology is refused.\n\nVersace took to Weibo to share an apologetic statement, as translated into English by Quartz.\n\n“In recent days, Versace has seen widespread discussion of one of our T-shirts. We would like to express our deepest apologies for this incident. Our design incorrectly labelled the country names for some cities,” the company wrote. “This is our company’s mistake, and we express our deepest apologies for any harm it may have caused. Versace affirms that we love China and resolutely respect the sovereignty of its territory.”\n\nThe designer brand is just one of many companies that have apologized to China for similar geographical mistakes.\n\nLast year, Marriott International released a statement apologizing to China for listing Tibet, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau as separate countries in a customer survey.\n\nThe hotel chain’s statement read: “Marriott International respects and supports the sovereignty and territorial integrity of China…we don’t support anyone who subverts the sovereignty and territorial integrity of China and we do not intend in any way to encourage or incite any such people or groups. We recognize the severity of the situation and sincerely apologize.”\n\nVery similar statements have been released from companies like Delta, Zara, Gap, McDonald’s and more, all of which listed some of China’s regions as separate countries.\n\nVersace has reportedly stopped the sale of the T-shirt in question and destroyed all of the ones it hadn’t sold yet.", "Metro stations in Hong Kong have resumed regular service and streets are being cleaned of debris as the city recovers from another night of violent clashes between anti-government protesters and police.\n\nMore protests are planned for this week.\n\nPolice fired volleys of tear gas at protesters across the territory on Sunday and staged baton charges in flashpoints in downtown Hong Kong and in working class districts.\n\nProtesters threw two petrol bombs, which police said injured an officer, and used flash-mob strategy - withdrawing when pressed to reappear elsewhere - to combat police.\n\nAt one stage police stormed some underground train stations, firing tear gas and arresting protesters.\n\nThe protests blocked multiple roads in key commercial and shopping districts and shuttered public facilities across the Asian financial hub.\n\nProtesters are expected to gather at the city's international airport for a fourth day in a row on Monday and plan to rally outside police headquarters on Monday night.\n\nThe increasingly violent protests since June have emerged as Hong Kong's most serious crisis in decades and become one of the biggest challenges to Chinese leader Xi Jinping since he took power in 2012.\n\nWhat began as opposition to a proposed bill to allow people to be extradited to mainland China to stand trial in Communist Party-controlled courts has evolved into calls for greater democracy in Hong Kong.\n\nDemonstrators say they are fighting the erosion of the \"one country, two systems\" arrangement enshrining some autonomy for Hong Kong when China took it back in 1997.\n\nThey are calling on the government to listen to public demands particularly an independent investigation into the handling of the protests.\n\nBeijing says criminals and agitators are stirring violence, encouraged by \"interfering\" foreign powers including Britain, but the protests seem to enjoy broad support in the city of more than 7 million people.\n\nPolice have arrested more than 600 people since the protests started more than two months ago.", "Hello, readers! The SupChina Weekly Briefing details the most important China news from the past week. It also comes in the form of a free newsletter — sign up using the box at the top of our homepage.\n\nOur top two stories are, again, about Hong Kong and the U.S.-China techno-trade war. See the previous Weekly Briefing if you’re not caught up.\n\nThe protests in Hong Kong are now in the 10th week, and the trade war is now on day 404.\n\nHow, and if ever, the tensions resolve in these two areas could dramatically change the course of China’s rise in the next decade.\n\nTo get daily insights into these topics and analysis of a wide range of news from today’s China, subscribe to SupChina Access. Members also get free copies of our Red Paper series that analyzes the months-long trends of big stories like Hong Kong and the trade war, and tells you what could disrupt your expectations in the months to come.\n\n1. Hong Kong: Anger at the police as Beijing sees ‘signs of terrorism’\n\nProtesters in Hong Kong are incensed after another weekend of clashes with police. “We see the police all across town acting completely out of their control,” activist Nathan Law (羅冠聰 Luó Guāncōng) tweeted, listing police actions, including these that he said all occurred within one day:\n• “Shooting a female protester in close distance, which hit her in the right eye and blinded her permanently, according to information from doctors…\n• Framing protesters as aggressive and arresting them on much harsher charges, after putting weapons inside their bags the moment they were pressed against the wall or ground…\n• Allowing thugs — many with ties to organized crime, based on experience from previous incidents — to attack protesters and even passersby indiscriminately…\n• Firing multiple canisters of tear gas inside Kwai Fong MTR station, which violated the factory instructions of no usage indoors…\n• Impersonating protesters by wearing the same gear (yellow helmets, black masks, etc.) and then ambushing them on site just as uniformed cops arrived for mass arrests.”\n\nBeijing is quickly losing patience with the unrest, and has greatly ramped up its rhetoric in the past week alone.\n\nFor example, the Communist Party’s primary mouthpiece, the People’s Daily, published SIX consecutive front-page commentaries on Hong Kong. Even two in a row would have indicated high concern; a whole week of coverage means that Beijing sees this as a profound crisis.\n• The People’s Daily communicated, in order, support for the Hong Kong police, support for Chief Executive Carrie Lam, a defense of Beijing’s interpretation of “One Country, Two Systems,” an exhortation to patriotism, a plea to return to “stability and prosperity,” and a condemnation of “interference of foreign forces” that Beijing blames for the unrest. (All links in Chinese.)\n• Beijing’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office has now commented three times on the protests: Once to blame CIA “black hands” for whipping up trouble and warn the protestors, “Play with fire, you’ll get burned” (玩火者必自焚 wánhuǒzhě bì zìfén), another time to compare the events in Hong Kong with a “color revolution,” and a third time today to say that the protests show “signs of terrorism.”\n\nSome Hong Kongers do still have hope, despite the government’s absolute unwillingness to consider the protestors’ demands. A notable example of this is Cheah Cheng Hye (謝清海 Xiè Qīnghǎi), an enormously successful hedge fund manager and certainly part of the city’s elite, who wrote an op-ed to urge “badly needed political reform” as the correct response to the protests.\n\n2. Will the trade war lead to the Trump Recession?\n\nThe U.S.-China techno-trade war is spinning out of control. Further affirming that the Trump administration has no coordinated strategy on how to “win” the trade war, Bloomberg reported that President Trump did not consult about the latest tariff escalation with his trade representative, Robert Lighthizer.\n\nThough the effects of the trade war have been moderate so far — but don’t tell that to American farmers, who say they are suffering under the weight of tariffs and the now seemingly permanent reduction in access to the Chinese market — that probably won’t stay true through the end of this year.\n\nJust take it from Lawrence Summers, the Harvard economist who served as the director of the National Economic Council during the first Obama administration, who tweeted on August 5, “We may well be at the most dangerous financial moment since the 2009 Financial Crisis with current developments between the US and China.”\n\nIn a surprising and welcome break from the endlessly gloomy news that we are seeing from and about China recently, LGBT Chinese people have been seeing signs of progress toward greater tolerance in the country. SupChina reported these three stories last week:\n• Legal guardian naming: Same-sex couples are naming their partners as their legal guardians in increasing numbers. Having one’s partner designated as a decision maker for medical and property issues is the closest thing to marriage that many LGBT Chinese people feel they can get.\n• Legal guardian recognition: In the first such case in northern China, the Beijing Guoxin public notary office announced that it had approved the first legal guardianship in northern China for a same-sex couple.\n\nThe People’s Republic of China remains a largely conservative society when it comes to views of LGBT people. The country is a long, long way off from actually achieving marriage equality, like Taiwan did in May. Public acceptance of LGBT people is real, but largely limited to cosmopolitan urban areas — like Chengdu, the “gay capital of China,” which we highlighted in the June 25 Weekly Briefing.\n\n4. The world’s most dangerous place gets more dangerous\n\nPhoto credit: The sun sets in Leh, the largest town in the region of Ladakh / Reuters\n\nJammu and Kashmir comprise the Indian-controlled part of Kashmir, which India and Pakistan have both claimed since 1947. On August 5, India unilaterally revoked the territory’s autonomy, and integrated Jammu and Kashmir into India proper.\n\nThis is not good. Since India gained independence from Great Britain in 1947, two of the three wars it has fought with Pakistan have been over Kashmir. In response to India’s move, the Pakistani military chief said he would “go to any extent” to support Kashmiris, while Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan predicted that suicide bombings in the region would increase.\n\nLadakh, a small part of the majority-Muslim territory of Jammu and Kashmir, is mainly Buddhist, and happens to share a disputed border with China.\n\nBeijing criticized India’s actions and said that the change in administration in Ladakh “continues to damage China’s territorial sovereignty.” China and India came very close to military conflict over their border disputes in 2017.\n\nIndia may have wanted “to divide Kashmir into…two major disputes — one with Pakistan and another with China,” according to Hu Shisheng, a Chinese scholar of India, in the Hindustan Times.\n\nTwo former U.S. presidents, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, have called Kashmir “the most dangerous place in the world.” With India’s latest move, that region just got a little more dangerous. Learn more about the past, present, and future of Kashmir from these articles:\n• Washington and the ‘most dangerous place in the world’ / Foreign Policy\n\nPhoto credit: Screengrab from YouTube video showing a group of men surrounding a female protestor at the University of Auckland and pushing her to the ground / Serena Lee / CNA\n\nOn August 1, China’s consulate general in Auckland released a statement praising the “spontaneous patriotism” of pro-Beijing students who reportedly manhandled a Hong Kong–supporting protester at a demonstration at the University of Auckland. A video of that confrontation is on YouTube.\n\nThe New Zealand government “rebuked China” at an August 5 meeting between Kiwi foreign affairs officials and Chinese diplomats, according to Newsroom. The officials emphasized that “freedom of expression would be upheld and maintained, which included on university campuses.”\n\n…BUT NOT JUST IN NEW ZEALAND\n\nSimilar incidents have recently happened at universities in Australia. At the University of Queensland in Brisbane in late July, scuffles broke out “after pro-democracy students staged a sit-in supporting the extradition bill protests in Hong Kong and also condemning China’s treatment of Uygurs in Xinjiang,” according to the South China Morning Post.\n\nMany English-speaking countries have university education as a key “export,” and a substantial portion of the buyers of that product are Chinese students. The large numbers of mainland Chinese students, combined with pressure from Chinese diplomats and business associations, will inevitably lead to cultural clashes, misunderstandings, and university officials finding themselves explaining their way out of uncomfortable situations.\n\nWe can expect many more such events in the coming years, and not just Down Under: This is coming to a campus near you in Canada, the U.K., and the U.S., too.\n\nThe SupChina Weekly Briefing is sent as a free newsletter every week — subscribe by entering your email into the box at the top of our homepage. To get daily roundups of China news, access to a members-only Slack channel and exclusive expert chats, and discounts on other SupChina events and products, sign up for SupChina Access today!", "Hong Kong, Aug 11 (ANI): China has urged the United Kingdom to stop interfering in its internal matters and making random and inflammatory accusations against Hong Kong, a special administrative region in southern China that was earlier under the British rule till 1997.\n\n\"I'd like to point out that Hong Kong today is a special administrative region of the People's Republic of China. Long gone are the days when it was under British colonial rule,\" Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said on Saturday.\n\nSpokesperson of the British Foreign Office said that Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab had called Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam on August 9 and discussed the current turmoil in the region.\n\nHua was quoted as saying that Britain has no sovereignty, jurisdiction or right of supervision over Hong Kong when asked to comment on the call.\n\nShe added that the Chinese government is responsible for the foreign affairs relating to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in accordance with the Basic Law or the Constitution of the region.\n\n\"It is simply wrong for the British government to directly call Hong Kong's Chief Executive to exert pressure,\" she said, urging the UK to stop its interference in China's internal affairs and stop making random and inflammatory accusations on Hong Kong.\n\nThe semi-autonomous region has seen eight consecutive weeks of anti-government protests that began against a now-suspended extradition bill, that have since broadened to include calls for democracy and police accountability.\n\nThe said extradition bill was proposed on April 3 and its opposers argue that its controversial amendments will leave anyone on Hong Kong soil vulnerable to being grabbed by the Chinese authorities for political reasons or inadvertent business offences.\n\nMultiple protests sometimes violent continue to take place in the semi-autonomous state despite the city's pro-Beijing leader Carrie Lam publicly apologising for proposing the controversial legislation and announcing later that the bill was \"dead\". (ANI)", "BEIJING: China on Monday (Aug 12) slammed violent protesters in Hong Kong who had thrown petrol bombs at police officers and linked them to \"terrorism\", as Beijing ramps up its rhetoric against pro-democracy demonstrations in the financial hub.\n\n\"Hong Kong's radical demonstrators have repeatedly used extremely dangerous tools to attack police officers, which already constitutes a serious violent crime, and also shows the first signs of terrorism emerging,\" said Yang Guang, spokesman for the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council.\n\n\"This wantonly tramples on Hong Kong's rule of law and social order,\" he said at a press briefing in Beijing.\n\nYang's remarks came a day after thousands of pro-democracy protesters defied warnings from authorities to hit the streets for the 10th weekend in a row.\n\nHong Kong police fired volleys of tear gas Sunday at protestors after denying their requests for permits to stage a march.\n\nBut Yang focused on the violent behavior of a \"tiny minority\", which he condemned as \"a serious challenge to Hong Kong's prosperity and stability.\"\n\nThe two-month crisis, which was triggered by opposition to a planned extradition law, has morphed into a wider movement for democratic reform and a halt to eroding freedoms.\n\nIt is the biggest threat to Beijing's rule of the semi-autonomous southern Chinese city since its handover from Britain in 1997 - and has drawn repeated criticism but no forceful actions yet from the central Chinese government.", "Beijing, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 12th Aug, 2019 ) :China on Monday slammed violent protesters in Hong Kong who had thrown petrol bombs at police officers and linked them to \"terrorism\", as Beijing ramps up its rhetoric against pro-democracy demonstrations in the financial hub.\n\n\"Hong Kong's radical demonstrators have repeatedly used extremely dangerous tools to attack police officers, which already constitutes a serious violent crime, and also shows the first signs of terrorism emerging,\" said Yang Guang, spokesman for the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council.\n\n\"This wantonly tramples on Hong Kong's rule of law and social order,\" he said at a press briefing in Beijing.\n\nYang's remarks came a day after thousands of pro-democracy protesters defied warnings from authorities to hit the streets for the 10th weekend in a row.\n\nHong Kong police fired volleys of tear gas Sunday at protestors after denying their requests for permits to stage a march.", "The communist leadership has warned of potential terrorism arising from the increasingly violent protests that have enflamed across Hong Kong. In a statement, Yang Guang, a spokesperson for the Chinese State Council’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office expressed “deep indignation and strong condemnation” at recent events. However, in a landmark development, Beijing has also accused the US of interfering in the recent events in the key finance centre. In a statement, Chinese Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying questioned some of the remark emanating from the US.\n\nHong Kong protest: What is the latest travel advice?\n\nHong Kong protests today: Why are there riots in Hong Kong? Latest\n\nHe said: \"The U.S. has been making various Hong Kong-related accusations that are wanton, fact-distorting and inflammatory.\n\n\"Some senior U.S. politicians and diplomatic officials met and engaged with anti-China rabble-rousers in Hong Kong, criticized China unreasonably, propped up violent and illegal activities and undermined Hong Kong's prosperity and stability.\n\n\"I'd like to ask the US this question again: what is the true intention behind your behaviours relating to Hong Kong?\"\n\nThe protests started in February in response to a bill introduced that would allow the city’s residents to be extradited to China.\n\nREAD MORE: Airport brought to standstill as mass crowds protest police violence", "As the Hong Kong protests escalate in scope and China toys with the idea of retaliation, the true meaning of the protests becomes clearer.\n\n‘They’re prepared to die’: What the Hong Kong protests are really about\n\nAs Hong Kong battles its 10th consecutive week of protests, the unrest is now taking its toll on the territory’s flag carrier.\n\nThe Chinese Government has forced Cathay Pacific Airways to stop staffers who support the territory’s protests — which are calling for increased democracy and independence from China — from working on flights to the mainland.\n\nOn Friday, the Civil Aviation Administration of China ordered the airline to submit information about all crew members flying to or over the mainland to the Chinese authorities.\n\nOver the weekend, the airline said it had removed from flying duties a pilot who was charged with rioting in Hong Kong and confirmed it had fired two airport ground staff for misconduct.\n\nThe pilot was among more than 40 people charged with rioting for allegedly taking part in violent clashes with the police near Beijing’s main representative office in the city.\n\nA Cathay Pacific spokesperson said: “We have received the directive and are studying it very carefully. We are treating it seriously and are following up accordingly.\n\n“The safety of our passengers is always the top priority of Cathay Pacific. There is zero tolerance for any inappropriate and unprofessional behaviour that may affect aviation safety. We deal with these incidents very seriously.”\n\nThe airline said it respected “everyone’s right to express themselves in a peaceful and respectful manner”, adding it “recognises that Hong Kong (special administrative system) is a part of China”.\n\nThe airline also told staff to expect increased security checks on its planes and operations on the mainland.\n\nThis marks the strongest sign yet of Beijing’s growing readiness to make prominent businesses choose between the Hong Kong protesters and mainland China.\n\nAfter Cathay staff took part in demonstrations, the Chinese state media-owned Global Times newspaper warned the airline would “pay a painful price”, noting there have been “similar cases when companies were punished for not complying with business integrity and ethics in China”.\n\nThe news outlet claimed to have seen posts written by Cathay Pacific employees reflecting their support for the pro-democracy protesters.\n\nThe airline is now bracing itself, having warned last week of a drop-off in inbound flight bookings to Hong Kong.\n\nHong Kong’s leader, embattled chief executive Carrie Lam, has warned the territory could soon be facing an economic recession.\n\n“We have had two months of political dispute,” she told reporters over the weekend. “This is not a cyclical downturn. Moreover, this downturn is coming very quickly. Some people have described it as coming like a tsunami … the economic recovery will take a long time.”\n\nThe protests in Hong Kong have entered their 10th consecutive week.\n\nPolice and protesters clashed in cat-and-mouse encounters across the city, marking a shift in tactics. Seeking to clear streets quicker than before, police on Sunday fired tear gas and charged with batons at flashpoints downtown and in working class districts.\n\nDemonstrators, who at one point lobbed two petrol bombs, retaliated with a flash-mob strategy: withdrawing when pressed, only to reappear elsewhere. The increasingly violent protests since June have plunged the Asian financial hub into its most serious crisis in decades.\n\nDespite the intense police response and a toughening stance from China, the movement that began two months ago in opposition to a bill allowing extradition to the mainland still seems to enjoy broad support in the city of more than seven million people.\n\nDemonstrators say they are fighting against the erosion of the “one country, two systems” arrangement enshrining some autonomy for Hong Kong since China took it back in 1997.\n\nTeargas was also used against protesters in several places in Kowloon. Demonstrators avoided heading to North Point, where local pro-Beijing groups had mobilised supporters.\n\nAuthorities have begun emphasising the damage on the city’s economy, already buffeted by China’s slowdown and the US-China trade war. They are also applying pressure on big companies like Cathay Pacific Airways, which has been told to suspend staff engaged in illegal protests.\n\nPolice have arrested more than 600 people.\n\nYet activists’ demands have grown to include greater democracy and Ms Lam’s resignation. They marched on Sunday despite an official ban, with confrontations coming at nightfall.\n\nChants of “Liberate Hong Kong” echoed through the working class area of Sham Shui Po when more than 1000 protesters in black shirts marched. Some residents cheered, while drivers honked horns or gave a thumbs up.\n\nHong Kong’s government says the protests are pushing the city to an extremely dangerous edge.\n\nYoung people have been at the forefront of the activism. They have dominated a peaceful sit-in at the city’s international airport that entered its third day on Sunday, with about 1000 demonstrators singing songs and handing out flyers to arriving travellers amid a carnival atmosphere."], "summary": "A spokesperson for China's Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office releases a statement accusing violent protesters that threw petrol bombs at Hong Kong Police officers of being \"terrorists\", saying that a violent minority within the pro-democracy movement poses \"a serious challenge to Hong Kong's prosperity and stability\"."}
{"document": ["BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Facing widespread discontent over austerity measures and low growth, Argentine President Mauricio Macri was snubbed by voters who appeared to hand a resounding primary victory to a ticket with his predecessor, Cristina Fernández.\n\nThe preliminary results from Sunday's voting suggest the conservative Macri will face an uphill battle going into general elections in October, marking a sharp turnaround from just under four years ago when the country's left-leaning era appeared to be coming to a definitive end.\n\nWith 88% of polling stations tallied early Monday, official results gave the presidential slate headed by Alberto Fernández and his vice presidential running mate, Cristina Fernández, about 47% of the votes. Macri and his running mate, Miguel Ángel Pichetto, had 32% — a wide margin that revealed the considerable depth of Macri's weakness, potentially positioning the Fernández team to win in the first round of voting Oct. 27.\n\nTo be elected president in the first round, candidates need to finish with at least 45% of the votes or have 40% and a greater than 10-point advantage over the nearest rival. If no candidate wins outright in October, there will be a November runoff.\n\n\"We've had a bad election and that obligates us to redouble our efforts so that in October we will continue with change,\" Macri said in a late night address. \"I think it is very important a dialogue continues in this country, and that we continue explaining to the world what it is we want.\"\n\nFormer Economy Minister Roberto Lavagna trailed far behind the two front-running slates with 8.4% of the votes, which is still potentially enough support to give him a kingmaker role in the fall. Six other presidential slates also were up for elections in the primaries, but parties that got less than 1.5% of the overall votes cast won't appear on the October ballot.\n\nThe pro-business Macri has the support of financial markets and Washington, but has lost popularity amid a deep economic crisis which drove the inflation rate to nearly 50% last year and slashed Argentines' purchasing power. He says he is taking the necessary, painful steps to get the economy going after 12 years of leftist populism under Cristina Fernández and her predecessor and late husband, Nestor Kirchner.\n\nBut the electorate issued a resounding rejection of his handling of the economic situation — and a recent lending package from the International Monetary Fund that totaled upward of $55 billion. Most Argentines blame the IMF for encouraging policies that led to the country's worst economic crisis in 2001, which resulted in one of every five Argentines being unemployed and millions sliding into poverty.\n\n\"It's clear that Macri's weakest point is the management of the economy, despite the fact that it has improved in the last three months,\" said Mariel Fornoni, director of the political consultancy Management & Fit.\n\nThe Fernández ticket, whose two members are not related, contends Macri must be defeated so they can fight the poverty and homelessness that they blame on his policies.\n\n\"We always fixed problems that others generated. We are going to do it once again,\" said Alberto Fernández, who was Cristina Fernández's chief of staff during her initial term in 2007-2011.\n\nCristina Fernández is currently facing a series of trials for corruption during her 2007-2015 administration. She denies the allegations.\n\nIn a recorded message from the southern province of Santa Cruz, she said Sunday's results made her Frente de Todos party \"happy and optimistic.\"\n\n\"But not only because we won an election — this is not a soccer game. Many Argentines understood and understand that things must change in the Republic of Argentina because as we are not living well, we are not OK,\" she said.\n\nThe possibility that Cristina Fernández could return to power put markets on edge. Matías Carugati, chief economist for Management & Fit, said the victory of the Fernández team would put new, \"sustained\" pressure on the exchange rate and stocks due to the prospect that the South American's recent free, less state interventionist course could be reversed.\n\nMacri's election in 2015 marked the first time in a more than a decade that Argentina's center-right opposition successfully unseated the center-left Peronist movement to which Cristina Fernández belongs.\n\nAt the time, his victory appeared to signal a clear end to his rival's rule, but he conceded that Sunday's results put him on the defensive.\n\n\"This is an election where Argentina has to determine whether it continues on a path of transformation, of deepening democracy, of insertion into the world, of improvement and development — or returns to an authoritarian populist model that has failed in all places where it has been implemented,\" he said.", "Presidential candidate Alberto Fernandez addresses supporters at the “Frente de Todos” party headquarters after primary elections in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2019. The “Frente de Todos” presidential ticket with former President Cristina Fernández emerged as the strongest vote-getter in Argentina’s primary elections Sunday, indicating conservative President Mauricio Macri will face an uphill battle going into general elections in October. (AP Photo/Sebastian Pani)\n\nBUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Argentine stocks and currency plummeted on Monday after Argentine President Mauricio Macri was snubbed by voters who appeared to hand a resounding primary victory to a populist ticket with his predecessor, Cristina Fernández.\n\nThe preliminary results from Sunday’s voting suggest the conservative Macri will face an uphill battle going into general elections in October and gives the populists who governed Argentina and butted heads with investors for most of the past two decades a strong chance of returning to power.\n\nThe result stunned financial markets which remember Cristina Fernández’s 2007-2015 government when she nationalized Spanish oil company Repsol’s stake in local company YPF, took over the private pension system and intervened heavily in the economy with exports restrictions and currency controls.\n\nAbout a third of the Argentine companies that trade in U.S. markets lost half of their value Monday, but losses were extreme across the board with the Merval index dropping by 35% in mid-afternoon trading.\n\nWith 99% of polling stations tallied early Monday, official results gave the presidential slate headed by Alberto Fernández and his vice presidential running mate, Cristina Fernández, about 48% of the votes in a primary vote featuring 10 candidates. Macri and his running mate, Miguel Ángel Pichetto, had 32% — a wide margin that revealed the depth of Macri’s weakness, potentially positioning the Fernández team to win in the first round of a general election voting on Oct. 27.\n\nTo be elected president in the first round, candidates need to finish with at least 45% of the votes or have 40% and a greater than 10-point advantage over the nearest rival. If no candidate wins outright in October, there will be a November runoff.\n\n“We’ve had a bad election and that obliges us to redouble our efforts so that in October we will continue with change,” Macri said in a late-night address. “I think it is very important a dialogue continues in this country, and that we continue explaining to the world what it is we want.”\n\nFormer Economy Minister Roberto Lavagna trailed far behind the two front-running slates with 8.4% of the votes, which is still potentially enough support to give him a kingmaker role in the fall.\n\nThe election functioned largely as a poll for the October vote. All of the parties already had their candidates chosen and the only practical result was to eliminate a few minor parties that got less than 1.5% of the overall votes from upcoming general election.\n\nThe pro-business Macri has the support of financial markets and Washington, but lost popularity amid a deep economic crisis that drove the inflation rate to nearly 50% last year. He says he is taking the necessary, painful steps to get the economy going after 12 years of leftist populism under Cristina Fernández and her predecessor and late husband, Nestor Kirchner.\n\nBut his pleas for patience while his economic reforms take affect fell on largely deaf ears as Argentines battle rising poverty and high inflation. A recent lending package from the International Monetary Fund that totaled upward of $55 billion was unpopular. Most Argentines blame the IMF for encouraging policies that led to the country’s worst economic crisis in 2001.\n\n“It’s clear that Macri’s weakest point is the management of the economy, despite the fact that it has improved in the last three months,” said Mariel Fornoni, director of the political consultancy Management & Fit.\n\nThe Fernández ticket, whose two members are not related, contends Macri must be defeated so they can fight rising poverty and homelessness.\n\nAlberto Fernández, who was Cristina Fernández’s chief of staff during her initial term in 2007-2011, expressed satisfaction with Sunday’s result and blamed Macri for the current market unrest.\n\n“The markets are uneasy because of the situation created by this government,” Alberto Fernández told Radio 10. “All Argentines will accompany this effort but it is his responsibility.”\n\nCristina Fernández is currently facing a series of trials for corruption during her 2007-2015 administration. She denies the allegations.\n\nIn a recorded message from the southern province of Santa Cruz, she said Sunday’s results made her Frente de Todos — Front of All — party “happy and optimistic.”\n\n“But not only because we won an election. This is not a soccer game. Many Argentines understood and understand that things must change in the Republic of Argentina because as we are not living well, we are not OK,” she said.\n\nThe possibility that Cristina Fernández could return to power – if only as vice president – stunned markets.\n\nGrupo Financiero Galicia, a century-old financial services company in Buenos Aires with a market capitalization of $2.5 billion, plunged 60%. All banks were hit hard, but so were companies that do construction or provide infrastructure services.\n\nThe value of Loma Negra, an industrial services company that makes cement and provides railroad transportation services, tumbled 60% as well. More than 40% of the existing worth of the energy company Transportadora de Gas del Sur disappeared.\n\nMatías Carugati, chief economist for Management & Fit, said the victory of the Fernández team would put “sustained” pressure on the exchange rate and stocks due to the prospect that the South American’s recent less state-interventionist course could be reversed.\n\nMacri’s election in 2015 marked the first time in a more than a decade that Argentina’s center-right opposition had unseated the center-left Peronist movement to which Cristina Fernández belongs.\n\nAt the time, his victory appeared to signal an end to his rival’s rule, but he conceded that Sunday’s results put him on the defensive.\n\n“This is an election where Argentina has to determine whether it continues on a path of transformation, of deepening democracy, of insertion into the world, of improvement and development — or returns to an authoritarian populist model that has failed in all places where it has been implemented,” he said.", "Presidential candidate Alberto Fernandez addresses supporters at the “Frente de Todos” party headquarters after primary elections in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2019. The “Frente de Todos” presidential ticket with former President Cristina Fernández emerged as the strongest vote-getter in Argentina’s primary elections Sunday, indicating conservative President Mauricio Macri will face an uphill battle going into general elections in October. (AP Photo/Sebastian Pani)\n\nBUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Argentine stocks and currency plummeted on Monday after Argentine President Mauricio Macri was snubbed by voters who appeared to hand a resounding primary victory to a populist ticket with his predecessor, Cristina Fernández.\n\nThe preliminary results from Sunday’s voting suggest the conservative Macri will face an uphill battle going into general elections in October and gives the populists who governed Argentina and butted heads with investors for most of the past two decades a strong chance of returning to power.\n\nThe result stunned financial markets which remember Cristina Fernández’s 2007-2015 government when she nationalized Spanish oil company Repsol’s stake in local company YPF, took over the private pension system and intervened heavily in the economy with exports restrictions and currency controls.\n\nAbout a third of the Argentine companies that trade in U.S. markets lost half of their value Monday, but losses were extreme across the board with the Merval index dropping by 35% in mid-afternoon trading.\n\nWith 99% of polling stations tallied early Monday, official results gave the presidential slate headed by Alberto Fernández and his vice presidential running mate, Cristina Fernández, about 48% of the votes in a primary vote featuring 10 candidates. Macri and his running mate, Miguel Ángel Pichetto, had 32% — a wide margin that revealed the depth of Macri’s weakness, potentially positioning the Fernández team to win in the first round of a general election voting on Oct. 27.\n\nTo be elected president in the first round, candidates need to finish with at least 45% of the votes or have 40% and a greater than 10-point advantage over the nearest rival. If no candidate wins outright in October, there will be a November runoff.\n\n“We’ve had a bad election and that obliges us to redouble our efforts so that in October we will continue with change,” Macri said in a late-night address. “I think it is very important a dialogue continues in this country, and that we continue explaining to the world what it is we want.”\n\nFormer Economy Minister Roberto Lavagna trailed far behind the two front-running slates with 8.4% of the votes, which is still potentially enough support to give him a kingmaker role in the fall.\n\nThe election functioned largely as a poll for the October vote. All of the parties already had their candidates chosen and the only practical result was to eliminate a few minor parties that got less than 1.5% of the overall votes from upcoming general election.\n\nThe pro-business Macri has the support of financial markets and Washington, but lost popularity amid a deep economic crisis that drove the inflation rate to nearly 50% last year. He says he is taking the necessary, painful steps to get the economy going after 12 years of leftist populism under Cristina Fernández and her predecessor and late husband, Nestor Kirchner.\n\nBut his pleas for patience while his economic reforms take affect fell on largely deaf ears as Argentines battle rising poverty and high inflation. A recent lending package from the International Monetary Fund that totaled upward of $55 billion was unpopular. Most Argentines blame the IMF for encouraging policies that led to the country’s worst economic crisis in 2001.\n\n“It’s clear that Macri’s weakest point is the management of the economy, despite the fact that it has improved in the last three months,” said Mariel Fornoni, director of the political consultancy Management & Fit.\n\nThe Fernández ticket, whose two members are not related, contends Macri must be defeated so they can fight rising poverty and homelessness.\n\nAlberto Fernández, who was Cristina Fernández’s chief of staff during her initial term in 2007-2011, expressed satisfaction with Sunday’s result and blamed Macri for the current market unrest.\n\n“The markets are uneasy because of the situation created by this government,” Alberto Fernández told Radio 10. “All Argentines will accompany this effort but it is his responsibility.”\n\nCristina Fernández is currently facing a series of trials for corruption during her 2007-2015 administration. She denies the allegations.\n\nIn a recorded message from the southern province of Santa Cruz, she said Sunday’s results made her Frente de Todos — Front of All — party “happy and optimistic.”\n\n“But not only because we won an election. This is not a soccer game. Many Argentines understood and understand that things must change in the Republic of Argentina because as we are not living well, we are not OK,” she said.\n\nThe possibility that Cristina Fernández could return to power – if only as vice president – stunned markets.\n\nGrupo Financiero Galicia, a century-old financial services company in Buenos Aires with a market capitalization of $2.5 billion, plunged 60%. All banks were hit hard, but so were companies that do construction or provide infrastructure services.\n\nThe value of Loma Negra, an industrial services company that makes cement and provides railroad transportation services, tumbled 60% as well. More than 40% of the existing worth of the energy company Transportadora de Gas del Sur disappeared.\n\nMatías Carugati, chief economist for Management & Fit, said the victory of the Fernández team would put “sustained” pressure on the exchange rate and stocks due to the prospect that the South American’s recent less state-interventionist course could be reversed.\n\nMacri’s election in 2015 marked the first time in a more than a decade that Argentina’s center-right opposition had unseated the center-left Peronist movement to which Cristina Fernández belongs.\n\nAt the time, his victory appeared to signal an end to his rival’s rule, but he conceded that Sunday’s results put him on the defensive.\n\n“This is an election where Argentina has to determine whether it continues on a path of transformation, of deepening democracy, of insertion into the world, of improvement and development — or returns to an authoritarian populist model that has failed in all places where it has been implemented,” he said.", "Recession-hit Argentina went to the polls Sunday for party primaries ahead of October’s general election, in a vote that should offer a firm indication about how the presidential race could swing.\n\nGiven that all of the South American country’s major parties have already chosen their presidential candidates, the primaries effectively serve as a nationwide pre-election opinion poll.\n\nCenter-right, pro-business President Mauricio Macri is looking to earn a second mandate, while center-left nominee Alberto Fernandez is aiming to restore a Peronist government to power.\n\nFernandez topped the most recent polls and has been boosted by his choice of running mate — former president Cristina Kirchner.\n\nPolling stations closed at 6:00 pm (2100 GMT), with the first results expected around three hours later, once 10 percent of ballots in the most populous provinces have been counted.\n\nAround three-quarters of Argentina’s 34 million eligible voters went to the urns, Interior Minister Rogelio Frigerio said.\n\nAll eyes are on the point spread in terms of support for Macri and Fernandez.\n\n“It would be very difficult to claw back a difference of five points due to polarization: there’s no scope to claim votes,” said political analyst Raul Aragon.\n\nThe first round of the presidential election will be held on October 27, with a run-off — if needed — set for November 24.\n\n“I’m very calm and relaxed, waiting for Argentines to decide. We Peronists are all united. We’re very happy,” said Fernandez, 60, who voted in his home district in Buenos Aires.\n\nHe was a surprise nominee for the Peronist movement as Kirchner — already president from 2007-15 — was expected to run again.\n\nHowever, she is embroiled in a dozen corruption investigations, the first of which has already gone to trial, and is a controversial figure.\n\nArgentina is currently in a recession and posted 22 percent inflation for the first half of the year — one of the highest rates in the world.\n\nBacked by the International Monetary Fund, and a $56 billion bailout loan, Macri has initiated an austerity plan that is deeply unpopular.\n\nThe markets, though, have little faith in Fernandez, who is widely seen as dependent on Kirchner.\n\nThe Buenos Aires stock exchange actually shot up eight percent on Friday amongst expectation that Macri would do well in Sunday’s vote.\n\n“This election will define the next 30 years in Argentina. The markets obviously hope Argentines will continue on the same path,” said Macri, as he voted in the Buenos Aires neighborhood of Palermo.\n\nA third option on the ballot is centrist former finance minister Roberto Lavagna, although he’s expected to poll well below the two frontrunners.\n\n“I’m going to vote for Fernandez and Kirchner because they’re going to create jobs and secure public education. Macri represents unemployment and ignorance,” said Josefina Sanchez, a 26-year-old who works for a metallurgy company.\n\nAdriana Lucheti, 60, who works in sanitation, said she had voted for Macri “so we can keep changing the 12 years of destruction from the previous governments that stole everything” — a clear allusion to the corruption allegations against Kirchner and her late husband Nestor, who preceded her as president.", "BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Facing widespread discontent over austerity measures and low growth, Argentine President Mauricio Macri was snubbed by voters who appeared to hand a resounding primary victory to a ticket with his predecessor, Cristina Fernández.\n\nThe preliminary results from Sunday's voting suggest the conservative Macri will face an uphill battle going into general elections in October, marking a sharp turnaround from just under four years ago when the country's left-leaning era appeared to be coming to a definitive end.\n\nWith 88% of polling stations tallied early Monday, official results gave the presidential slate headed by Alberto Fernández and his vice presidential running mate, Cristina Fernández, about 47% of the votes. Macri and his running mate, Miguel Ángel Pichetto, had 32% — a wide margin that revealed the considerable depth of Macri's weakness, potentially positioning the Fernández team to win in the first round of voting Oct. 27.\n\nTo be elected president in the first round, candidates need to finish with at least 45% of the votes or have 40% and a greater than 10-point advantage over the nearest rival. If no candidate wins outright in October, there will be a November runoff.\n\n\"We've had a bad election and that obligates us to redouble our efforts so that in October we will continue with change,\" Macri said in a late night address. \"I think it is very important a dialogue continues in this country, and that we continue explaining to the world what it is we want.\"\n\nFormer Economy Minister Roberto Lavagna trailed far behind the two front-running slates with 8.4% of the votes, which is still potentially enough support to give him a kingmaker role in the fall. Six other presidential slates also were up for elections in the primaries, but parties that got less than 1.5% of the overall votes cast won't appear on the October ballot.\n\nThe pro-business Macri has the support of financial markets and Washington, but has lost popularity amid a deep economic crisis which drove the inflation rate to nearly 50% last year and slashed Argentines' purchasing power. He says he is taking the necessary, painful steps to get the economy going after 12 years of leftist populism under Cristina Fernández and her predecessor and late husband, Nestor Kirchner.\n\nBut the electorate issued a resounding rejection of his handling of the economic situation — and a recent lending package from the International Monetary Fund that totaled upward of $55 billion. Most Argentines blame the IMF for encouraging policies that led to the country's worst economic crisis in 2001, which resulted in one of every five Argentines being unemployed and millions sliding into poverty.\n\n\"It's clear that Macri's weakest point is the management of the economy, despite the fact that it has improved in the last three months,\" said Mariel Fornoni, director of the political consultancy Management & Fit.\n\nThe Fernández ticket, whose two members are not related, contends Macri must be defeated so they can fight the poverty and homelessness that they blame on his policies.\n\n\"We always fixed problems that others generated. We are going to do it once again,\" said Alberto Fernández, who was Cristina Fernández's chief of staff during her initial term in 2007-2011.\n\nCristina Fernández is currently facing a series of trials for corruption during her 2007-2015 administration. She denies the allegations.\n\nIn a recorded message from the southern province of Santa Cruz, she said Sunday's results made her Frente de Todos party \"happy and optimistic.\"\n\n\"But not only because we won an election — this is not a soccer game. Many Argentines understood and understand that things must change in the Republic of Argentina because as we are not living well, we are not OK,\" she said.\n\nThe possibility that Cristina Fernández could return to power put markets on edge. Matías Carugati, chief economist for Management & Fit, said the victory of the Fernández team would put new, \"sustained\" pressure on the exchange rate and stocks due to the prospect that the South American's recent free, less state interventionist course could be reversed.\n\nMacri's election in 2015 marked the first time in a more than a decade that Argentina's center-right opposition successfully unseated the center-left Peronist movement to which Cristina Fernández belongs.\n\nAt the time, his victory appeared to signal a clear end to his rival's rule, but he conceded that Sunday's results put him on the defensive.\n\n\"This is an election where Argentina has to determine whether it continues on a path of transformation, of deepening democracy, of insertion into the world, of improvement and development — or returns to an authoritarian populist model that has failed in all places where it has been implemented,\" he said.", "Presidential candidate Alberto Fernandez addresses supporters at the “Frente de Todos” party headquarters after primary elections in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2019. The “Frente de Todos” presidential ticket with former President Cristina Fernández emerged as the strongest vote-getter in Argentina’s primary elections Sunday, indicating conservative President Mauricio Macri will face an uphill battle going into general elections in October. (AP Photo/Sebastian Pani)\n\nBUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Argentine stocks and currency plummeted on Monday after Argentine President Mauricio Macri was snubbed by voters who appeared to hand a resounding primary victory to a populist ticket with his predecessor, Cristina Fernández.\n\nThe preliminary results from Sunday’s voting suggest the conservative Macri will face an uphill battle going into general elections in October and gives the populists who governed Argentina and butted heads with investors for most of the past two decades a strong chance of returning to power.\n\nThe result stunned financial markets which remember Cristina Fernández’s 2007-2015 government when she nationalized Spanish oil company Repsol’s stake in local company YPF, took over the private pension system and intervened heavily in the economy with exports restrictions and currency controls.\n\nAbout a third of the Argentine companies that trade in U.S. markets lost half of their value Monday, but losses were extreme across the board with the Merval index dropping by 35% in mid-afternoon trading.\n\nWith 99% of polling stations tallied early Monday, official results gave the presidential slate headed by Alberto Fernández and his vice presidential running mate, Cristina Fernández, about 48% of the votes in a primary vote featuring 10 candidates. Macri and his running mate, Miguel Ángel Pichetto, had 32% — a wide margin that revealed the depth of Macri’s weakness, potentially positioning the Fernández team to win in the first round of a general election voting on Oct. 27.\n\nTo be elected president in the first round, candidates need to finish with at least 45% of the votes or have 40% and a greater than 10-point advantage over the nearest rival. If no candidate wins outright in October, there will be a November runoff.\n\n“We’ve had a bad election and that obliges us to redouble our efforts so that in October we will continue with change,” Macri said in a late-night address. “I think it is very important a dialogue continues in this country, and that we continue explaining to the world what it is we want.”\n\nFormer Economy Minister Roberto Lavagna trailed far behind the two front-running slates with 8.4% of the votes, which is still potentially enough support to give him a kingmaker role in the fall.\n\nThe election functioned largely as a poll for the October vote. All of the parties already had their candidates chosen and the only practical result was to eliminate a few minor parties that got less than 1.5% of the overall votes from upcoming general election.\n\nThe pro-business Macri has the support of financial markets and Washington, but lost popularity amid a deep economic crisis that drove the inflation rate to nearly 50% last year. He says he is taking the necessary, painful steps to get the economy going after 12 years of leftist populism under Cristina Fernández and her predecessor and late husband, Nestor Kirchner.\n\nBut his pleas for patience while his economic reforms take affect fell on largely deaf ears as Argentines battle rising poverty and high inflation. A recent lending package from the International Monetary Fund that totaled upward of $55 billion was unpopular. Most Argentines blame the IMF for encouraging policies that led to the country’s worst economic crisis in 2001.\n\n“It’s clear that Macri’s weakest point is the management of the economy, despite the fact that it has improved in the last three months,” said Mariel Fornoni, director of the political consultancy Management & Fit.\n\nThe Fernández ticket, whose two members are not related, contends Macri must be defeated so they can fight rising poverty and homelessness.\n\nAlberto Fernández, who was Cristina Fernández’s chief of staff during her initial term in 2007-2011, expressed satisfaction with Sunday’s result and blamed Macri for the current market unrest.\n\n“The markets are uneasy because of the situation created by this government,” Alberto Fernández told Radio 10. “All Argentines will accompany this effort but it is his responsibility.”\n\nCristina Fernández is currently facing a series of trials for corruption during her 2007-2015 administration. She denies the allegations.\n\nIn a recorded message from the southern province of Santa Cruz, she said Sunday’s results made her Frente de Todos — Front of All — party “happy and optimistic.”\n\n“But not only because we won an election. This is not a soccer game. Many Argentines understood and understand that things must change in the Republic of Argentina because as we are not living well, we are not OK,” she said.\n\nThe possibility that Cristina Fernández could return to power – if only as vice president – stunned markets.\n\nGrupo Financiero Galicia, a century-old financial services company in Buenos Aires with a market capitalization of $2.5 billion, plunged 60%. All banks were hit hard, but so were companies that do construction or provide infrastructure services.\n\nThe value of Loma Negra, an industrial services company that makes cement and provides railroad transportation services, tumbled 60% as well. More than 40% of the existing worth of the energy company Transportadora de Gas del Sur disappeared.\n\nMatías Carugati, chief economist for Management & Fit, said the victory of the Fernández team would put “sustained” pressure on the exchange rate and stocks due to the prospect that the South American’s recent less state-interventionist course could be reversed.\n\nMacri’s election in 2015 marked the first time in a more than a decade that Argentina’s center-right opposition had unseated the center-left Peronist movement to which Cristina Fernández belongs.\n\nAt the time, his victory appeared to signal an end to his rival’s rule, but he conceded that Sunday’s results put him on the defensive.\n\n“This is an election where Argentina has to determine whether it continues on a path of transformation, of deepening democracy, of insertion into the world, of improvement and development — or returns to an authoritarian populist model that has failed in all places where it has been implemented,” he said.", "Presidential candidate Alberto Fernandez addresses supporters at the “Frente de Todos” party headquarters after primary elections in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2019. The “Frente de Todos” presidential ticket with former President Cristina Fernández emerged as the strongest vote-getter in Argentina’s primary elections Sunday, indicating conservative President Mauricio Macri will face an uphill battle going into general elections in October. (AP Photo/Sebastian Pani)\n\nBUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Argentine stocks and currency plummeted on Monday after Argentine President Mauricio Macri was snubbed by voters who appeared to hand a resounding primary victory to a populist ticket with his predecessor, Cristina Fernández.\n\nThe preliminary results from Sunday’s voting suggest the conservative Macri will face an uphill battle going into general elections in October and gives the populists who governed Argentina and butted heads with investors for most of the past two decades a strong chance of returning to power.\n\nThe result stunned financial markets which remember Cristina Fernández’s 2007-2015 government when she nationalized Spanish oil company Repsol’s stake in local company YPF, took over the private pension system and intervened heavily in the economy with exports restrictions and currency controls.\n\nAbout a third of the Argentine companies that trade in U.S. markets lost half of their value Monday, but losses were extreme across the board with the Merval index dropping by 35% in mid-afternoon trading.\n\nWith 99% of polling stations tallied early Monday, official results gave the presidential slate headed by Alberto Fernández and his vice presidential running mate, Cristina Fernández, about 48% of the votes in a primary vote featuring 10 candidates. Macri and his running mate, Miguel Ángel Pichetto, had 32% — a wide margin that revealed the depth of Macri’s weakness, potentially positioning the Fernández team to win in the first round of a general election voting on Oct. 27.\n\nTo be elected president in the first round, candidates need to finish with at least 45% of the votes or have 40% and a greater than 10-point advantage over the nearest rival. If no candidate wins outright in October, there will be a November runoff.\n\n“We’ve had a bad election and that obliges us to redouble our efforts so that in October we will continue with change,” Macri said in a late-night address. “I think it is very important a dialogue continues in this country, and that we continue explaining to the world what it is we want.”\n\nFormer Economy Minister Roberto Lavagna trailed far behind the two front-running slates with 8.4% of the votes, which is still potentially enough support to give him a kingmaker role in the fall.\n\nThe election functioned largely as a poll for the October vote. All of the parties already had their candidates chosen and the only practical result was to eliminate a few minor parties that got less than 1.5% of the overall votes from upcoming general election.\n\nThe pro-business Macri has the support of financial markets and Washington, but lost popularity amid a deep economic crisis that drove the inflation rate to nearly 50% last year. He says he is taking the necessary, painful steps to get the economy going after 12 years of leftist populism under Cristina Fernández and her predecessor and late husband, Nestor Kirchner.\n\nBut his pleas for patience while his economic reforms take affect fell on largely deaf ears as Argentines battle rising poverty and high inflation. A recent lending package from the International Monetary Fund that totaled upward of $55 billion was unpopular. Most Argentines blame the IMF for encouraging policies that led to the country’s worst economic crisis in 2001.\n\n“It’s clear that Macri’s weakest point is the management of the economy, despite the fact that it has improved in the last three months,” said Mariel Fornoni, director of the political consultancy Management & Fit.\n\nThe Fernández ticket, whose two members are not related, contends Macri must be defeated so they can fight rising poverty and homelessness.\n\nAlberto Fernández, who was Cristina Fernández’s chief of staff during her initial term in 2007-2011, expressed satisfaction with Sunday’s result and blamed Macri for the current market unrest.\n\n“The markets are uneasy because of the situation created by this government,” Alberto Fernández told Radio 10. “All Argentines will accompany this effort but it is his responsibility.”\n\nCristina Fernández is currently facing a series of trials for corruption during her 2007-2015 administration. She denies the allegations.\n\nIn a recorded message from the southern province of Santa Cruz, she said Sunday’s results made her Frente de Todos — Front of All — party “happy and optimistic.”\n\n“But not only because we won an election. This is not a soccer game. Many Argentines understood and understand that things must change in the Republic of Argentina because as we are not living well, we are not OK,” she said.\n\nThe possibility that Cristina Fernández could return to power – if only as vice president – stunned markets.\n\nGrupo Financiero Galicia, a century-old financial services company in Buenos Aires with a market capitalization of $2.5 billion, plunged 60%. All banks were hit hard, but so were companies that do construction or provide infrastructure services.\n\nThe value of Loma Negra, an industrial services company that makes cement and provides railroad transportation services, tumbled 60% as well. More than 40% of the existing worth of the energy company Transportadora de Gas del Sur disappeared.\n\nMatías Carugati, chief economist for Management & Fit, said the victory of the Fernández team would put “sustained” pressure on the exchange rate and stocks due to the prospect that the South American’s recent less state-interventionist course could be reversed.\n\nMacri’s election in 2015 marked the first time in a more than a decade that Argentina’s center-right opposition had unseated the center-left Peronist movement to which Cristina Fernández belongs.\n\nAt the time, his victory appeared to signal an end to his rival’s rule, but he conceded that Sunday’s results put him on the defensive.\n\n“This is an election where Argentina has to determine whether it continues on a path of transformation, of deepening democracy, of insertion into the world, of improvement and development — or returns to an authoritarian populist model that has failed in all places where it has been implemented,” he said.", "BUENOS AIRES: Recession-hit Argentina went to the polls on Sunday (Aug 11) for party primaries ahead of October's general election, in a vote that should offer a firm indication about how the presidential race could swing.\n\nGiven that all of the South American country's major parties have already chosen their presidential candidates, the primaries effectively serve as a nationwide pre-election opinion poll.\n\nCentre-right, pro-business President Mauricio Macri is looking to earn a second mandate, while centre-left nominee Alberto Fernandez is aiming to restore a Peronist government to power.\n\nFernandez topped the most recent polls and has been boosted by his choice of running mate - former president Cristina Kirchner.\n\nPolling stations closed at 6.00pm (2100 GMT), with the first results expected around three hours later, once 10 per cent of ballots in the most populous provinces have been counted.\n\nAround three-quarters of Argentina's 34 million eligible voters went to the urns, Interior Minister Rogelio Frigerio said.\n\nAll eyes are on the point spread in terms of support for Macri and Fernandez.\n\n\"It would be very difficult to claw back a difference of five points due to polarization: there's no scope to claim votes,\" said political analyst Raul Aragon.\n\nThe first round of the presidential election will be held on Oct 27, with a run-off - if needed - set for Nov 24.\n\n\"I'm very calm and relaxed, waiting for Argentines to decide. We Peronists are all united. We're very happy,\" said Fernandez, 60, who voted in his home district in Buenos Aires.\n\nHe was a surprise nominee for the Peronist movement as Kirchner - already president from 2007-15 - was expected to run again.\n\nHowever, she is embroiled in a dozen corruption investigations, the first of which has already gone to trial, and is a controversial figure.\n\nArgentina is currently in a recession and posted 22 per cent inflation for the first half of the year - one of the highest rates in the world.\n\nPoverty now affects 32 per cent of the population.\n\nBacked by the International Monetary Fund, and a US$56 billion bailout loan, Macri has initiated an austerity plan that is deeply unpopular.\n\nThe markets, though, have little faith in Fernandez, who is widely seen as dependent on Kirchner.\n\nThe Buenos Aires stock exchange actually shot up eight per cent on Friday amongst expectation that Macri would do well in Sunday's vote.\n\n\"This election will define the next 30 years in Argentina. The markets obviously hope Argentines will continue on the same path,\" said Macri, as he voted in the Buenos Aires neighborhood of Palermo.\n\nA third option on the ballot is centrist former finance minister Roberto Lavagna, although he's expected to poll well below the two frontrunners.\n\n\"I'm going to vote for Fernandez and Kirchner because they're going to create jobs and secure public education. Macri represents unemployment and ignorance,\" said Josefina Sanchez, a 26-year-old who works for a metallurgy company.\n\nAdriana Lucheti, 60, who works in sanitation, said she had voted for Macri \"so we can keep changing the 12 years of destruction from the previous governments that stole everything\" - a clear allusion to the corruption allegations against Kirchner and her late husband Nestor, who preceded her as president.", "BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Facing widespread discontent over austerity measures and low growth, Argentine President Mauricio Macri was snubbed by voters who appeared to hand a resounding primary victory to a ticket with his predecessor, Cristina Fernández.\n\nThe preliminary results from Sunday's voting suggest the conservative Macri will face an uphill battle going into general elections in October, marking a sharp turnaround from just under four years ago when the country's left-leaning era appeared to be coming to a definitive end.\n\nWith 88% of polling stations tallied early Monday, official results gave the presidential slate headed by Alberto Fernández and his vice presidential running mate, Cristina Fernández, about 47% of the votes. Macri and his running mate, Miguel Ángel Pichetto, had 32% — a wide margin that revealed the considerable depth of Macri's weakness, potentially positioning the Fernández team to win in the first round of voting Oct. 27.\n\nTo be elected president in the first round, candidates need to finish with at least 45% of the votes or have 40% and a greater than 10-point advantage over the nearest rival. If no candidate wins outright in October, there will be a November runoff.\n\n\"We've had a bad election and that obligates us to redouble our efforts so that in October we will continue with change,\" Macri said in a late night address. \"I think it is very important a dialogue continues in this country, and that we continue explaining to the world what it is we want.\"\n\nFormer Economy Minister Roberto Lavagna trailed far behind the two front-running slates with 8.4% of the votes, which is still potentially enough support to give him a kingmaker role in the fall. Six other presidential slates also were up for elections in the primaries, but parties that got less than 1.5% of the overall votes cast won't appear on the October ballot.\n\nThe pro-business Macri has the support of financial markets and Washington, but has lost popularity amid a deep economic crisis which drove the inflation rate to nearly 50% last year and slashed Argentines' purchasing power. He says he is taking the necessary, painful steps to get the economy going after 12 years of leftist populism under Cristina Fernández and her predecessor and late husband, Nestor Kirchner.\n\nBut the electorate issued a resounding rejection of his handling of the economic situation — and a recent lending package from the International Monetary Fund that totaled upward of $55 billion. Most Argentines blame the IMF for encouraging policies that led to the country's worst economic crisis in 2001, which resulted in one of every five Argentines being unemployed and millions sliding into poverty.\n\n\"It's clear that Macri's weakest point is the management of the economy, despite the fact that it has improved in the last three months,\" said Mariel Fornoni, director of the political consultancy Management & Fit.\n\nThe Fernández ticket, whose two members are not related, contends Macri must be defeated so they can fight the poverty and homelessness that they blame on his policies.\n\n\"We always fixed problems that others generated. We are going to do it once again,\" said Alberto Fernández, who was Cristina Fernández's chief of staff during her initial term in 2007-2011.\n\nCristina Fernández is currently facing a series of trials for corruption during her 2007-2015 administration. She denies the allegations.\n\nIn a recorded message from the southern province of Santa Cruz, she said Sunday's results made her Frente de Todos party \"happy and optimistic.\"\n\n\"But not only because we won an election — this is not a soccer game. Many Argentines understood and understand that things must change in the Republic of Argentina because as we are not living well, we are not OK,\" she said.\n\nThe possibility that Cristina Fernández could return to power put markets on edge. Matías Carugati, chief economist for Management & Fit, said the victory of the Fernández team would put new, \"sustained\" pressure on the exchange rate and stocks due to the prospect that the South American's recent free, less state interventionist course could be reversed.\n\nMacri's election in 2015 marked the first time in a more than a decade that Argentina's center-right opposition successfully unseated the center-left Peronist movement to which Cristina Fernández belongs.\n\nAt the time, his victory appeared to signal a clear end to his rival's rule, but he conceded that Sunday's results put him on the defensive.\n\n\"This is an election where Argentina has to determine whether it continues on a path of transformation, of deepening democracy, of insertion into the world, of improvement and development — or returns to an authoritarian populist model that has failed in all places where it has been implemented,\" he said.", "Presidential candidate Alberto Fernandez addresses supporters at the “Frente de Todos” party headquarters after primary elections in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Sunday, Aug. 11, 2019. The “Frente de Todos” presidential ticket with former President Cristina Fernández emerged as the strongest vote-getter in Argentina’s primary elections Sunday, indicating conservative President Mauricio Macri will face an uphill battle going into general elections in October. (AP Photo/Sebastian Pani)\n\nBUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Argentine stocks and currency plummeted on Monday after Argentine President Mauricio Macri was snubbed by voters who appeared to hand a resounding primary victory to a populist ticket with his predecessor, Cristina Fernández.\n\nThe preliminary results from Sunday’s voting suggest the conservative Macri will face an uphill battle going into general elections in October and gives the populists who governed Argentina for most of the past two decades a strong chance of returning to power.\n\nAbout a third of the Argentinian companies that trade in U.S. markets lost half of their value Monday, but losses were extreme across the board.\n\nWith 88% of polling stations tallied early Monday, official results gave the presidential slate headed by Alberto Fernández and his vice presidential running mate, Cristina Fernández, about 47% of the votes in a primary vote featuring 10 candidates. Macri and his running mate, Miguel Ángel Pichetto, had 32% — a wide margin that revealed the considerable depth of Macri’s weakness, potentially positioning the Fernández team to win in the first round of a general election voting on Oct. 27.\n\nTo be elected president in the first round, candidates need to finish with at least 45% of the votes or have 40% and a greater than 10-point advantage over the nearest rival. If no candidate wins outright in October, there will be a November runoff.\n\n“We’ve had a bad election and that obligates us to redouble our efforts so that in October we will continue with change,” Macri said in a late-night address. “I think it is very important a dialogue continues in this country, and that we continue explaining to the world what it is we want.”\n\nFormer Economy Minister Roberto Lavagna trailed far behind the two front-running slates with 8.4% of the votes, which is still potentially enough support to give him a kingmaker role in the fall.\n\nThe election functioned largely as a poll for the October vote. All of the parties already had their candidates chosen and the only practical result was to eliminate a few minor parties that got less than 1.5% of the overall votes from upcoming general election.\n\nThe pro-business Macri has the support of financial markets and Washington, but has lost popularity amid a deep economic crisis that drove the inflation rate to nearly 50% last year and slashed Argentines’ purchasing power. He says he is taking the necessary, painful steps to get the economy going after 12 years of leftist populism under Cristina Fernández and her predecessor and late husband, Nestor Kirchner.\n\nBut the electorate issued a resounding rejection of his handling of the economic situation — and a recent lending package from the International Monetary Fund that totaled upward of $55 billion. Most Argentines blame the IMF for encouraging policies that led to the country’s worst economic crisis in 2001, which resulted in one of every five Argentines being unemployed and millions sliding into poverty.\n\n“It’s clear that Macri’s weakest point is the management of the economy, despite the fact that it has improved in the last three months,” said Mariel Fornoni, director of the political consultancy Management & Fit.\n\nThe Fernández ticket, whose two members are not related, contends Macri must be defeated so they can fight the poverty and homelessness that they blame on his policies.\n\n“We always fixed problems that others generated. We are going to do it once again,” said Alberto Fernández, who was Cristina Fernández’s chief of staff during her initial term in 2007-2011.\n\nCristina Fernández is currently facing a series of trials for corruption during her 2007-2015 administration. She denies the allegations.\n\nIn a recorded message from the southern province of Santa Cruz, she said Sunday’s results made her Frente de Todos — Front of All — party “happy and optimistic.”\n\n“But not only because we won an election — This is not a soccer game. Many Argentines understood and understand that things must change in the Republic of Argentina because as we are not living well, we are not OK,” she said.\n\nThe possibility that Cristina Fernández could return to power stunned markets.\n\nGrupo Financiero Galicia, a century-old financial services company in Buenos Aires with a market capitalization of $2.5 billion, plunged 60%. All banks were hit hard, but so were companies that do construction or provide vital infrastructure services.\n\nThe value of Loma Negra, an industrial services company that makes cement and provides railroad transportation services, tumbled 60% as well. More than 40% of the existing worth of the energy company Transportadora de Gas del Sur disappeared.\n\nMatías Carugati, chief economist for Management & Fit, said the victory of the Fernández team would put “sustained” pressure on the exchange rate and stocks due to the prospect that the South American’s recent free, less state-interventionist course could be reversed.\n\nMacri’s election in 2015 marked the first time in a more than a decade that Argentina’s center-right opposition had unseated the center-left Peronist movement to which Cristina Fernández belongs.\n\nAt the time, his victory appeared to signal a clear end to his rival’s rule, but he conceded that Sunday’s results put him on the defensive.\n\n“This is an election where Argentina has to determine whether it continues on a path of transformation, of deepening democracy, of insertion into the world, of improvement and development — or returns to an authoritarian populist model that has failed in all places where it has been implemented,” he said."], "summary": "Former Chief of the Cabinet of Ministers Alberto Fernández gains a 15% lead over incumbent President Mauricio Macri in Argentina's primaries."}
{"document": ["Because of Christmas shopping, Donald Trump has decided to delay tariffs on some Chinese imports until mid-December.\n\nThe US President announced the decision just hours after his Office had a phone call with Chinese officials.\n\nThe 10% import tariff on mobile phones, laptops, video game consoles and other products made in China were announced less than two weeks ago and were scheduled to start next month.\n\nThe exemptions, combined with renewed talks with China, suggest Trump may be willing to compromise, as the head of Macroeconomic Analysis in Saxo Bank, Christopher Dembik, suggests.\n\n\"It's naive to think the United States can stand aloof from the trade tensions. The impact of the tariffs would not be as enormous as imagined in the short term. But in the long run, all the parties may get hurt,\" he said.\n\nOn September 1, the United States is still moving forward with tariffs on many other products such as live animals, dairy products, motorcycle engines or lithium batteries.", "The U.S. dollar took off on Tuesday morning, clobbering the Japanese yen, after the Trump administration said it would delay 10% tariffs on some Chinese products scheduled to begin next month, a significant concession in the trade conflict between Washington and Beijing.\n\nThe U.S. Trade Representative said it would delay tariffs on laptops and cellphones, among other products, set to be imposed in September.\n\nThe U.S. dollar rose 1.49% to 106.85 Japanese yen per dollar. The yen is a safe-haven asset which benefits in moments of geopolitical uncertainty and during economic downturns. The U.S.-China trade war had begun to affect economic growth in the United States and raise fears that the conflict could lead to a recession.\n\nOther safe havens like Treasury bonds also saw prices fall as investors moved money into riskier assets. The dollar index was 0.38% higher at 97.749, and the offshore Chinese yuan was 1.38% stronger at 7.0050.\n\nThe news had a modest effect on interest rate forecasts for 2019. Two to three cuts have been priced in by the end of the year, though on Tuesday morning expectations of two rate cuts increased to 47.9% from 45.7% a day prior, according to CME Group's FedWatch tool.\n\nStill, some analysts cautioned a moderate response. \"The fact is that we have seen this film before, and it could be naive to think so much on the back of this headline,\" said Naeem Aslam, chief market analyst at ThinkMarkets in London.\n\nThe U.S. dollar was also buoyed on Tuesday after the United States reported that consumer prices in July increased, though the easing of trade tensions could tamp down further inflationary pressures.\n\nThe Labor Department on Tuesday reported that the consumer price index increased 0.3% last month, lifted by gains in the cost of energy products and a range of other goods. The CPI had edged up 0.1% for two straight months. In the 12 months through July, the CPI increased 1.8% after advancing 1.6% in June. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast the CPI would accelerate 0.3% in July and rise 1.7% on a year-on-year basis.\n\nFinancial markets have fully priced in an interest rate cut in September. Expectations that rates will be cut by 25 basis points rose to 92.7% from 84.6% a day prior as fewer traders bet on a more dramatic 50-basis-point cut next month.", "WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday backed off his Sept. 1 deadline for 10% tariffs on remaining Chinese imports, delaying duties on cellphones, laptops and other consumer goods, in the hopes of blunting their impact on U.S. holiday sales.\n\nThe delay which, affects about half of the $300 billion target list of Chinese goods - along with news of renewed trade discussions between U.S. and Chinese officials - sent stocks sharply higher and drew cautious relief from retailers and technology groups.\n\nTrump’s 10% tariffs will be effective from Dec. 15 for thousands of products including clothing and footwear, possibly buttressing the holiday selling season from some of the fallout from the protracted trade spat between the world’s two largest economies.\n\n“We’re doing this for Christmas season, just in case some of the tariffs would have an impact on U.S. customers,” Trump told reporters in New Jersey. “Just in case they might have an impact on people, what we’ve done is we’ve delayed it so that they won’t be relevant to the Christmas shopping season.”\n\nThe U.S. Trade Representative’s Office announced the decision just minutes after China’s Ministry of Commerce said Vice Premier Liu He conducted a phone call with U.S. trade officials.\n\nLiu agreed with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to speak again by phone within the next two weeks, the ministry said.\n\nTrump has said the two sides may still meet in early September as scheduled.\n\nAPPLE SHINES\n\nThe delay in tariffs on a substantial portion of a $300 billion list of remaining Chinese imports sent U.S. stocks surging, after steep losses in the past week, with the Standard & Poor's 500 .SPX up 1.5% and the Nasdaq Composite .IXIC gaining nearly 2%.\n\nShares of market bellwether Apple Inc (AAPL.O) soared 4.2% on news that its core iPhone, tablet and laptop computer products would be spared from tariffs for the time being.\n\nBut the Trump administration still plans to impose 10% tariffs on thousands of Chinese food, clothing and other consumer electronics products beginning Sept. 1.\n\nAmong these are Chinese-made smartwatches from Apple and Fitbit (FIT.N), smart speakers from Amazon.com Inc AMZN., Google (GOOGL.O) and Apple, and Bluetooth headphones and other devices, a category estimated at $17.9 billion last year by the Consumer Technology Association.\n\nFlat screen televisions from China, a category worth $4.5 billion, also will face 10% tariffs on Sept. 1 after being spared from Trump’s first round of tariffs more than a year ago.\n\nLive animals, dairy products, skis, golf balls, contact lenses, lithium ion batteries and snowblowers will also get tariffs on Sept. 1\n\nA trade group representative said USTR informed them that it opted to delay tariffs on items where China supplies more than 75 percent of total U.S. imports. Product categories where China supplies less than 75 percent will still face tariffs on Sept. 1, the representative said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the information was not publicly released.\n\nAccording to U.S. Census data, China supplied 82 percent of U.S. cell phones and 94.5 percent of U.S. laptops in 2018.\n\nFILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump meets with China's President Xi Jinping at the start of their bilateral meeting at the G20 leaders summit in Osaka, Japan, June 29, 2019. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo\n\nBased on a Reuters analysis, the delay could extend to around half of the $300 billion list of remaining Chinese imports. Chinese imports subject to the tariffs on Dec. 15 totaled about $156 billion last year, according U.S. Census bureau data.\n\nWhile most retailers would have stocked their holiday merchandise before the September deadline, some might have faced the tariffs for fill-in orders late in the holiday shopping season.\n\nStill, the Retail Industry Leaders Association said “removing some products from the list and delaying additional 10% tariffs on other products, such as toys, consumer electronics, apparel and footwear, until Dec. 15 is welcome news as it will mitigate some pain for consumers through the holiday season.”\n\nThe Consumer Technology Association applauded the delay on some items, but added: “Next month, we’ll begin to pay more for some of our favorite tech devices – including TVs, smart speakers and desktop computers. The administration should permanently remove these harmful tariffs and find another way to hold China accountable for its unfair trading practices.”\n\nThe 21-page-list of products that will not get hit with tariffs until December also includes baby monitors and strollers, microwaves, instant print cameras, doorbells, high chairs, musical instruments, ketchup dispensers, baby diapers, fireworks, sleeping bags, nativity scenes, fishing reels, paint rollers and food products.\n\nA separate group of products will be removed from the tariff list altogether, the USTR said, “based on health, safety, national security and other factors.” It did not immediately identify these items.\n\nTrump announced the Sept. 1 tariffs less than two weeks ago, blaming China for not following through on promises to buy more American agricultural products during talks in Shanghai at the end of July. That move was met with a drop in China’s yuan currency a few days later, prompting the Trump administration to declare Beijing a currency manipulator and sending markets tumbling for several days last week.\n\nSince Trump’s Aug. 1 tweets announcing the new tariffs, the U.S. benchmark S&P; stock index has dropped more than 4%.\n\nThe tariff delay, combined with renewed talks with China, suggest Trump may be willing to compromise.\n\nFILE PHOTO: Chinese staffers adjust U.S. and Chinese flags before the opening session of trade negotiations between U.S. and Chinese trade representatives at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, Thursday, Feb. 14, 2019. Mark Schiefelbein/Pool via REUTERS\n\nIn a sign the administration may be expecting something in return, Trump tweeted on Tuesday: “As usual, China said they were going to be buying ‘big’ from our great American Farmers. So far they have not done what they said. Maybe this will be different!” Trump tweeted.\n\nTrump’s tariff delay comes amid growing concerns about a global economic slowdown. Goldman Sachs said on Sunday fears of the U.S.-China trade war leading to a recession were increasing and Goldman no longer expects a trade deal between the two countries before the 2020 U.S. presidential election.\n\nTrump has also personally criticized Chinese President Xi Jinping for failing to do more to stem sales of the synthetic opioid fentanyl amid an opioid overdosing crisis in the United States.\n\nThe USTR office plans to conduct an exclusion process that could allow more items to be removed from the 10% tariff list.", "Washington — The Trump administration on Tuesday delayed imposing a 10% import tariff on laptops, cellphones, video-game consoles and a wide range of other products made in China, in an abrupt pull-back from a hardline stance on Chinese trade.\n\nThe US trade representative’s office action was published just minutes after China’s ministry of commerce said vice-premier Liu He conducted a phone call with US trade officials.\n\nThe delay in the tariffs that had been scheduled to start in September provides some relief to retailers. Though most US stores would have stocked their holiday merchandise before the earlier September deadline, some might have faced the tariffs for fill-in orders late in the holiday shopping season.\n\nThe decision came less than two weeks after President Donald Trump said on August 1 he would impose a 10% tariff on $300bn of Chinese goods, blaming China for not following through on promises to buy more American agricultural products.\n\nThe administration is still moving forward with 10% tariffs on much of the $300bn list first disclosed in May, publishing a 122-page list of products that will face tariffs beginning September 1, including smartwatches.\n\nSince Trump’s August 1 tweets threatening the new tariffs, the US benchmark S&P stock index has dropped more than 4%. On Tuesday, technology investors welcomed news of the exemptions, pushing an index of chip stocks up 3.1%, while shares of Apple surged more than 5% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose more than 500 points.\n\nThe exemptions, combined with renewed talks with China, suggest Trump may be willing to compromise.\n\nIn a sign the administration may be expecting something in return, Trump tweeted on Tuesday: “As usual, China said they were going to be buying ‘big’ from our great American Farmers.\n\n“So far they have not done what they said. Maybe this will be different!” Trump tweeted.\n\nOther products that will have tariffs delayed until December 15 include “computers, video-game consoles, certain toys, computer monitors, and certain items of footwear and clothing”, the US trade representative’s office said in a statement.\n\nThe Retail Industry Leaders Association said “removing some products from the list and delaying additional 10% tariffs on other products, such as toys, consumer electronics, apparel and footwear, until December 15 is welcomed news as it will mitigate some pain for consumers through the holiday season”.\n\nThe 21-page-list of products that will not be affected by the tariffs until December includes baby monitors and prams, microwaves, instant-print cameras, doorbells, high chairs, musical instruments, tomato-sauce dispensers, baby nappies, fireworks, sleeping bags, nativity scenes, fishing reels, paint rollers and food products.\n\nThe trade representative’s office is still moving forward with tariffs on September 1 on many products such as live animals, dairy products, skis, golf balls, contact lenses, motorcycle engines, lithium ion batteries, snowblowers and various types of steel.\n\nA separate group of products will also be exempt altogether, “based on health, safety, national security and other factors”, it added.", "Some very important news today from the United States Trade Representative (USTR). Approximately 20 percent of the items set to be hit with a 10 percent tariff on September 1 had their tariff date pushed back to December 1, this morning, per the following announcement from the USTR:\n\nUSTR Announces Next Steps on Proposed 10 Percent Tariff on Imports from China\n\nWashington, DC – The United States Trade Representative (USTR) today announced the next steps in the process of imposing an additional tariff of 10 percent on approximately $300 billion of Chinese imports.\n\nOn May 17, 2019, USTR published a list of products imported from China that would be potentially subject to an additional 10 percent tariff. This new tariff will go into effect on September 1 as announced by President Trump on August 1.\n\nCertain products are being removed from the tariff list based on health, safety, national security and other factors and will not face additional tariffs of 10 percent.\n\nFurther, as part of USTR’s public comment and hearing process, it was determined that the tariff should be delayed to December 15 for certain articles. Products in this group include, for example, cell phones, laptop computers, video game consoles, certain toys, computer monitors, and certain items of footwear and clothing.\n\nUSTR intends to conduct an exclusion process for products subject to the additional tariff.\n\nThe USTR will publish on its website today, and in the Federal Register as soon as possible, additional details and lists of the tariff lines affected by this announcement.\n\nThe USTR then almost immediately came out with two new tariff lists. One, called List 4A, is a 121 page lists of products that will be subject to a 10 percent tariff on September 1, as originally planned. The other, called List 4B, is a 21 page list of products that were to be subject to a 10 percent tariff on September 1 but will instead not be subject to that tariff until December 15.\n\nCellphones, laptop computers, video game consoles, certain toys, computer monitors and some shoes and clothing make up the bulk of the list of items on which tariffs have been delayed. This delay is believed to have been instituted to avoid higher prices on items often bought by back-to-school and holiday shoppers.", "WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 13th August, 2019) The United States will postpone the decision to implement an additional 10 percent tariffs on some Chinese imports until December 15, the US Trade Representative announced in a statement on Tuesday.\n\n\"[A]s part of USTR's public comment and hearing process, it was determined that the tariff should be delayed to December 15 for certain articles,\" the statement said. \"Products in this group include, for example, cell phones, laptop computers, video game consoles, certain toys, computer monitors, and certain items of footwear and clothing.\"\n\nThe US Trade Representative said that the 10 percent tariff on $300 billion worth of Chinese imports previously announced by by President Donald Trump will go into effect on September 1 as scheduled.", "US to delay imposing tariffs on some products from China\n\nWashington, Aug 13 (EFE).- The US government said Tuesday it would hold off on imposing 10 percent tariffs on certain products imported from China until December.\n\n“It was determined that the tariff should be delayed to December 15 for certain articles,” the United States Trade Representative (USTR) said in a statement.\n\nThe tariffs were originally scheduled to take effect on Sept. 1.\n\nThe USTR also said that some products would no longer be subjected to tariffs.\n\n“Certain products are being removed from the tariff list based on health, safety, national security and other factors and will not face additional tariffs of 10 percent,” the USTR said.\n\nSome products, however, will still be subject to the higher tariffs starting on Sept. 1, but the USTR did not identify them.\n\nThe USTR posted lists on its website on Tuesday of products subject to tariffs effective Sept. 1 and Dec. 15.\n\nThe USTR said it “will publish in the Federal Register as soon as possible additional details and lists of the tariff lines affected by this announcement.”\n\nIn late July, a team led by US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin negotiated in Shanghai with a high-level Chinese delegation headed by Vice Premier Liu He.\n\nOn Aug. 1, President Donald Trump announced a new set of tariffs on goods from China effective Sept. 1 after the latest round of trade talks with the Asian nation failed to yield a deal.\n\n“Our representatives have just returned from China where they had constructive talks having to do with a future Trade Deal. We thought we had a deal with China three months ago, but sadly, China decided to re-negotiate the deal prior to signing,” Trump said on Twitter.\n\nOn Aug. 6, China responded to Trump’s tariff announcement, saying that state-owned companies had halted purchases of agricultural goods from the United States.\n\nThe Commerce Ministry said in a statement that Washington’s decision to slap additional tariffs on Chinese products effective Sept. 1 was a “grave violation” of agreements reached by Trump and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, at their June 29 meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Osaka, Japan.\n\nThe ministry said it would not rule out tariffs on newly purchased agricultural goods after Aug. 3.\n\nThe world’s two largest economic powers have been engaged in a trade war for more than 18 months, leveling allegations at each other and slapping tariffs on imports.\n\nIn May, Trump increased from 10 percent to 25 percent a tariff on Chinese imports worth $200 billion. China retaliated by slapping tariffs on US imports worth $60 billion.\n\nTrump later threatened to impose tariffs of up to 25 percent on another $325 billion of Chinese imports, causing concern in financial markets and the business community due to the possible effect on consumer spending, which accounts for about two-thirds of US economic activity.\n\nIn Osaka, Trump and Xi agreed to a truce in the trade war, which is rooted in Washington’s unhappiness over China’s massive trade surpluses with the United States.\n\nIn 2018, the United States posted a trade deficit of $419 billion with China due, largely, to the fact that US exports to Asia’s largest economy totaled just $120 billion, while American imports from China reached $540 billion.\n\nDuring the first five months of 2019, the US trade deficit with China was $137 billion.\n\nIn recent days, Trump has expressed unhappiness with the Chinese government’s decision to devalue the yuan, pushing the currency’s exchange rate against the dollar to a key level not seen since 2008. EFE", "WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Trump administration on Tuesday delayed imposing a 10% import tariff on laptops, cell phones, video game consoles and a wide range of other products made in China, in an abrupt pull-back from a hardline stance on Chinese trade.\n\nThe U.S. Trade Representative’s Office action was published just minutes after China’s Ministry of Commerce said Vice Premier Liu He conducted a phone call with U.S. trade officials.\n\nThe delay in the tariffs that had been scheduled to start next month provides some relief to retailers. Although most stores would have stocked their holiday merchandise before the earlier September deadline, some might have faced the tariffs for fill-in orders late in the holiday shopping season.\n\nThe decision came less than two weeks after President Donald Trump said on Aug. 1 he would impose a 10% tariff on $300 billion of Chinese goods, blaming China for not following through on promises to buy more American agricultural products.\n\nThe administration is still moving forward with 10% tariffs on much of the $300 billion list first disclosed in May, publishing a 122-page list of products that will face tariffs beginning Sept. 1, including smartwatches.\n\nSince Trump’s Aug. 1 tweets threatening the new tariffs, the U.S. benchmark S&P stock index has dropped more than 4% percent.\n\nOn Tuesday, technology investors welcomed news of the exemptions, pushing an index of chip stocks up 3.1%, while shares of Apple (AAPL.O) surged more than 5% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose more than 500 points.\n\nThe exemptions, combined with renewed talks with China, suggest Trump may be willing to compromise.\n\nIn a sign the administration may be expecting something in return, Trump tweeted on Tuesday: “As usual, China said they were going to be buying “big” from our great American Farmers. So far they have not done what they said. Maybe this will be different!” Trump tweeted.\n\nOther products that will have tariffs delayed until Dec. 15 include “computers, video game consoles, certain toys, computer monitors, and certain items of footwear and clothing,” the USTR said in a statement.\n\nThe Retail Industry Leaders Association said “removing some products from the list and delaying additional 10% tariffs on other products, such as toys, consumer electronics, apparel and footwear, until Dec. 15 is welcomed news as it will mitigate some pain for consumers through the holiday season.”\n\nThe 21-page-list of products that won’t get hit with tariffs until December includes baby monitors and strollers, microwaves, instant print cameras, doorbells, high chairs, musical instruments, ketchup dispensers, baby diapers, fireworks, sleeping bags, nativity scenes, fishing reels, paint rollers and food products.\n\nUSTR is still moving forward with tariffs on Sept. 1 on many products such as live animals, dairy products, skis, golf balls, contact lenses, motorcycle engines, lithium ion batteries, snowblowers and various types of steel.\n\nA separate group of products will also be exempt altogether, “based on health, safety, national security and other factors,” it added.\n\nThe announcement comes amid growing concerns about a global slowdown. Goldman Sachs said on Sunday fears of the U.S.-China trade war leading to a recession are increasing and that Goldman no longer expects a trade deal between the world’s two largest economies before the 2020 U.S. presidential election.\n\nCell phones, laptop and tablet computers, toys and video game controllers were among the top four product categories in the proposed $300 billion list of products targeted by the latest 10% tariff. These products accounted for a combined $98 billion of Chinese imports in 2018, according to a Reuters analysis of U.S. Census bureau data.\n\nTrump has also personally criticized Chinese President Xi Jinping for failing to do more to stem sales of the synthetic opioid fentanyl amid an opioid overdosing crisis in the United States.\n\nThe USTR office plans to conduct an exclusion process for products subject to the additional tariff.", "WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Trump administration will delay 10% tariffs on certain Chinese products, including laptops and cell phones, that had been scheduled to start next month, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said on Tuesday.\n\nOther products whose tariffs will be delayed until Dec. 15 include “computers, video game consoles, certain toys, computer monitors, and certain items of footwear and clothing,” the USTR said in a statement. A separate group of products will also be exempt altogether “based on health, safety, national security and other factors,” it added.", "WASHINGTON, D.C. – The United States Trade Representative (USTR) on Tuesday announced the next steps in the process of imposing an additional tariff of 10 percent on approximately $300 billion of Chinese imports.\n\nOn May 17, USTR published a list of products imported from China that would be potentially subject to an additional 10 percent tariff. This new tariff will go into effect on September 1 as announced by President Trump on August 1.\n\nCertain products are being removed from the tariff list based on health, safety, national security, and other factors and will not face additional tariffs of 10 percent.\n\nFurther, as part of USTR’s public comment and hearing process, it was determined that the tariff should be delayed to December 15 for certain articles. Products in this group include, for example, cell phones, laptop computers, video game consoles, certain toys, computer monitors, and certain items of footwear and clothing.\n\nUSTR intends to conduct an exclusion process for products subject to the additional tariff.\n\nThe USTR will publish on its website and in the Federal Register as soon as possible, additional details and lists of the tariff lines affected by this announcement."], "summary": "The United States Trade Representative announces a delay until December 15 on a significant number of products affected by 10% import tariffs announced on August 1 and set to be imposed in September."}
{"document": ["Verizon Communications Inc. agreed to sell the blogging platform Tumblr to Automattic Inc., the latest sign the wireless giant is dismantling its online empire.\n\nTerms of the transaction weren’t material, Verizon said, suggesting Tumblr sold for a tiny fraction of the $1.1 billion it fetched in 2013. A report by Axios put the price at “well below” $20 million. Verizon acquired the site as part of its 2017 purchase of Yahoo.\n\nAutomattic already owns a group of publishing sites, including WordPress.com and Longreads, and sees Tumblr as a good fit. The Wall Street Journal previously reported on the sale, saying that Automattic would take on about 200 staffers.\n\nFor Verizon, the sale marks a further retrenchment. It has been cutting staff at its online media division, which was previously called Oath.\n\nAdvertisement\n\n“Today’s announcement is the culmination of a thoughtful, thorough and strategic process,” Guru Gowrappan, Verizon Media’s chief executive, said in a statement Monday.\n\nVerizon had originally set out to turn a patchwork of dot-com brands into a thriving online-advertising business, but the strategy never caught fire. And the carrier’s new CEO is refocusing on what the company does best: wireless service.\n\nLast year, it wrote down the online business by $4.6 billion. That erased almost half the value of the entity, which is also home to AOL and the Huffington Post.\n\nTumblr was founded in 2007 and gained popularity with teens and young adults. By the time Yahoo bought it in 2013, it had grown to more than 100 million users and was something of an open frontier for content, from pornography to poetry — but its revenue stream was far from robust. Founder David Karp had hesitated to run conventional online ads, telling the Los Angeles Times in 2010 that he was “pretty opposed to advertising. It really turns our stomachs.”\n\nAdvertisement\n\nUnder Yahoo, even as ad revenue rose and the user base grew, the platform struggled to make money. In recent years, users have complained that not enough has been done to limit hateful posts or swarms of porn bots.\n\nThen, in December, Tumblr enacted a ban on adult content . Its algorithm created chaos, flagging posts and entire blogs that didn’t appear to run afoul of the new guidelines. Users fled.\n\nAutomattic CEO Matt Mullenweg told the Wall Street Journal that the adult-content ban will stay in place.\n\nMoritz writes for Bloomberg.", "Verizon is set to sell the social network Tumblr to Automattic Inc, the owner of online publishing tool Wordpress. A source familiar with the deal puts the price-tag \"well below\" $20 million, while another source puts it below $10 million.\n\nThe big picture: Tumblr, while unprofitable, hosts more than 450 million blogs and was once considered a major player in the social media space. The network was acquired by Yahoo for $1.1 billion in 2013, before moving under Verizon's umbrella through the carrier's acquisition of Yahoo in 2017. Verizon's desire to sell Tumblr had been previously known, but as of May, Pornhub had been the only bidder to show public interest.", "Verizon Communications Inc. has agreed to sell its blogging website Tumblr to the owner of popular online-publishing tool WordPress.com, unloading for a nominal amount a site that once fetched a purchase price of more than $1 billion.\n\nAutomattic Inc. will buy Tumblr for an undisclosed sum and take on about 200 staffers, the companies said. Tumblr is a free service that hosts millions of blogs where users can upload photos, music and art, but it has been dwarfed by Facebook, Reddit and other services.\n\nVerizon became Tumblr’s owner through the carrier’s 2017 acquisition of Yahoo as part of a bid to build a digital media and advertising business. The wireless carrier began seeking a buyer for Tumblr earlier this year, The Wall Street Journal reported.\n\nIt discussed a potential transaction with a handful of parties, people familiar with the matter said. The sale price isn’t material to Verizon, one of the people said.\n\nVerizon is in the process of revamping its media group, which struggled to meet revenue targets in recent years. The business, home to legacy Yahoo and AOL web properties such as HuffPost, TechCrunch, feminist media brand Makers and celebrity-interview site Build, is increasingly focused on subscription and original content.\n\nThe Tumblr acquisition is the largest ever in terms of price and head count for Automattic, the company’s Chief Executive Matt Mullenweg said in an interview. The San Francisco company has a stable of brands focused on online publishing, including longform site Longreads, comment-filtering service Akismet, and avatar-managing service Gravatar.\n\nYahoo had paid about $1.1 billion for Tumblr in 2013 when it was one of several fast-growing internet startups. Tumblr failed to generate meaningful revenue for Yahoo, prompting the company to write down the site’s value by $230 million in 2016.\n\nA decision last year by Verizon to ban adult content on Tumblr alienated some users.\n\nMr. Mullenweg said his company intends to maintain the existing policy that bans adult content. He said he has long been a Tumblr user and sees the site as complementary to WordPress.com. “It’s just fun,” he said of Tumblr. “We’re not going to change any of that.”\n\nTumblr has a strong mobile interface and dashboard where users follow other blogs, he said. Executives will look for ways WordPress.com and Tumblr can share services and functionality.\n\nRevenue within Verizon Media Group, formerly called Oath, was $1.8 billion in the second quarter, down 2.9% from a year earlier. The company said during its quarterly call with analysts that it remains focused on news, finance, sports, entertainment and mail products within the media business, including new HuffPost and Yahoo finance subscription services.\n\nVerizon last year booked a $4.5 billion accounting charge related to the unit and it has struggled with declining desktop advertising revenue and a digital advertising market dominated by behemoths like Alphabet Inc.’s Google.\n\nCorrections & Amplifications Automattic Inc. is the owner of WordPress.com, a service that uses the free WordPress publishing tool to host websites. An earlier version of this article incorrectly referred to it as the owner of WordPress. (Aug. 12, 2019)", "Verizon Communications Inc said on Monday it would sell its blogging website Tumblr to Automattic Inc, the owner of popular online-publishing tool WordPress.com.\n\nThe company did not disclose the terms of the deal.\n\nVerizon Media Group, formerly called Oath, is the digital media umbrella that owns more than 50 brands, including HuffPost, TechCrunch and Tumblr.\n\nTumblr was acquired by Yahoo for more than US$1 billion in 2013 and Verizon acquired it as part of its deal for Yahoo in 2015.", "Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE: VZ) reached an agreement to sell Tumblr to WordPress.com owner Automattic for a \"nominal amount,\" The Wall Street Journal reported.\n\nVerizon acquired Tumblr as part of its 2017 acquisition of Yahoo's media properties to build its own digital and advertising presence. Verizon is now exploring ways to improve its media business, which has consistently fell short of expectations.\n\nTumblr hosts millions of blogs and was once worth more than $1 billion. The price tag on the asset sale is not material to Verizon, a source told WSJ. On the other hand, Automattic's purchase marks its largest ever in terms of both price and employees it will absorb.\n\nVerizon last year was hit with a $4.5 billion accounting charge related to its digital business unit. In addition, total revenue within the media group fell 2.9% in the most recent second quarter year-over-year to $1.8 billion.\n\nThe poor performance prompted management to say during the second-quarter conference call it remains dedicated to news, finance, sports, entertainment and mail platforms within the media business, WSJ wrote. The remaining properties include highly visible properties like HuffPost, Yahoo Finance and other subscription services.\n\nAutomattic will look for ways to leverage WordPress.com and Tumblr to combine services and functionality.\n\nThis May Explain Why Verizon Wants To Buy Yahoo's Properties", "VERIZON IS FLOGGING social network Tumblr to Automattic Inc, the owner of online publishing tool WordPress.\n\nVerizon has agreed to sell the service for less than $3m, a tiny fraction of the $1.1bn that Yahoo paid for the social network back in 2013.\n\n\"I'm delighted to share that Automattic is acquiring Tumblr,\" Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg wrote in a blog post.\n\n\"Our teams are hard at work right now to make this transition smooth for everyone at Tumblr, and while we have many details to iron out, one thing we're absolutely committed to is to preserve the passion and sense of community that so many people around the world - and all over the web - have come to associate with Tumblr,\" he added.\n\nIn a statement, Verizon described Automattic as \"the perfect partner\" and said that the new deal was \"the culmination of a thoughtful, thorough and strategic process\".\n\nAutomattic's lineup already includes WordPress.com, Jetpack, Simplenote, WooCommerce, Longreads, and more.\n\nThe terms of the deal have not been disclosed, but according to the Wall Street Journal, Automattic will \"take on about 200 staffers\" from Verizon at the same time.\n\nTumblr was founded by David Karp in 2007 as one of the first microblogging services. In 2013, the service was acquired by Yahoo for an astonishing $1.1bn, despite no visible path to profitability.\n\nTumblr had just $16.6m in cash when it was purchased by Yahoo. The service came under Verizon's Oath subsidiary when it bought Yahoo in 2017.\n\nIn December last year, Tumblr took a hit when Verizon announced its decision to ban all got content on the platform, which had comprised the greater part of the platform. The move followed a temporary ban on Tumblr from Apple's App Store, which discovered content depicting child sexual abuse on the network.\n\nA large number of Tumblr users criticised Verizon for banning all types of adult content on Tumblr, forcing them off of the site.\n\nTumblr's CEO Jeff D'Onofrio, said that in the longer term, the decision will help turn Tumblr into a platform where more people would \"feel comfortable expressing themselves\".\n\nAutomattic, which allows adult content on the WordPress.com platform, said it has no plans to undo the ban on adult content on Tumblr, in general.\n\nFollowing the deal, Tumblr has become the second major Yahoo property spun-out of Verizon. In April 2018, Verizon sold photo-sharing service Flickr to SmugMug.", "Verizon has revealed it is selling social network Tumblr to Automattic Inc, the owner of Wordpress.\n\nTerms of the deal were not disclosed, but reports say Tumblr has been bought for far less from the $1.1 billion Yahoo paid for it back in 2013.\n\nTumblr later became part of the Verizon stable after its acquisition of Yahoo in 2017, with today's sale marks a major drop in value, with some reports putting the deal at as little as $3 million.\n• The best premium WordPress themes of 2019\n• The best free WordPress themes of 2019\n\nAutomattic will doubtlessly see Tumblr as a key part in its bid to strengthen its online operations. Although the site is unlikely to be profitable in the short term, Tumblr still hosts over 450 million blogs, meaning it remains one of the web's largest such sites.\n\n“Tumblr is a marquee brand that has started movements, allowed for true identities to blossom and become home to many creative communities and fandoms,” Verizon Media CEO Guru Gowrappan said.\n\n“We are proud of what the team has accomplished and are happy to have found the perfect partner in Automattic, whose expertise and track record will unlock new and exciting possibilities for Tumblr and its users.”\n\nVerizon had been keen to sell on Tumblr for some time, but adult site Pornhub had been the only declared bidder until Automattic showed its interest. Ironically, Tumblr suffered a major backlash last year after Verizon announced it would be banning adult content from the site, leading many users to boycott the site.\n\nAutomattic says it has no plans to reverse this ban, and that Tumblr will act as a \"complementary\" site to WordPress.\n\nAutomattic will take on Tumblr's 200-odd employee workforce under the deal. The company say it currently employs 940 staff across 71 countries, with WooCommerce, Jetpack, Simplenote and Longreads among its other entities.\n• The best web hosting services for your website", "Verizon Communications agreed to sell the blogging platform Tumblr to Automattic in the latest sign the wireless giant is dismantling its online empire.\n\nTerms of the transaction weren’t material, Verizon said, suggesting Tumblr sold for a tiny fraction of the $1.1 billion it fetched in 2013. Verizon acquired the site as part of its 2017 purchase of Yahoo.\n\nAutomattic already owns a group of publishing sites, including WordPress and Longreads, and sees Tumblr as a good fit. The Wall Street Journal previously reported on the sale, saying that Automattic would take on about 200 staffers.\n\nFor Verizon, the sale marks a further retrenchment. It has been cutting staff at its online-media division, which was previously called Oath.\n\n“Today’s announcement is the culmination of a thoughtful, thorough and strategic process,” Guru Gowrappan, Verizon Media’s chief executive officer, said in a statement Monday.\n\nVerizon had originally set out to turn a patchwork of dot-com brands into a thriving online-advertising business, but the strategy never caught fire. And the carrier’s new CEO is refocusing on what the company does best: wireless service.\n\nLast year, it wrote down the online business by $4.6 billion. That erased almost half the value of the entity, which is also home to AOL and the Huffington Post.", "A mere two years after acquiring it, Verizon is selling Tumblr. Full details of the deal have not yet been revealed, but the micro-blogging service is being bought by Automattic, the company behind WordPress.\n\nTumblr came into the spotlight last year when it introduced a ban on all adult content, and anyone hoping for this to change is going to be disappointed. Automattic says the ban will remain in place.\n• Et tu, Tumblr? Blogging site says it was used by Russia to spread fake news in 2016\n• Verizon is splitting in three: Consumer, Business and Verizon Media Group/Oath\n\nIt is no secret that Verizon has been considering offloading Tumblr, and earlier this year PornHub expressed interest in buying it -- somewhat ironically, considering the current porn ban. Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg told the Wall Street Journal that Tumblr is \"just fun\", meaning that that adult content ban is going nowhere.\n\nAs part of the deal, Automattic will take on 200 Tumblr staff.\n\nWriting on his on Tumblr, Mullenweg said:\n\nOur teams are hard at work right now to make this transition smooth for everyone at Tumblr, and while we have many details to iron out, one thing we're absolutely committed to is to preserve the passion and sense of community that so many people around the world -- and all over the web -- have come to associate with Tumblr. In the underlying technology of our platforms, I think there are some good opportunities to standardize on the Open Source WordPress tech stack, but the front-end user experience on Tumblr will evolve on its own path. It has been so successful already, and we want to keep that going. The Tumblr team also has some exciting functionality they're eager to unlock once we close the acquisition officially in a few weeks...\n\nIn an official announcement on the Verizon website, Verizon Media CEO Guru Gowrappan writes:\n\nToday's announcement is the culmination of a thoughtful, thorough and strategic process. Tumblr is a marquee brand that has started movements, allowed for true identities to blossom and become home to many creative communities and fandoms. We are proud of what the team has accomplished and are happy to have found the perfect partner in Automattic, whose expertise and track record will unlock new and exciting possibilities for Tumblr and its users.\n\nThe amount of money involved with the sale is not known for sure, but reports suggest that Tumblr is being sold at something of a loss. Having previously changed hands for $1.1 billion by Yahoo before being swallowed by Verizon, sources suggest that this time around the sale price is \"well below\" $20 million, and perhaps even under $10 million.", "Verizon Communications Inc. VZ recently inked an agreement to divest the social media blogging site Tumblr for an undisclosed amount. The blogging platform is being sold to San Francisco-based web developer firm Automattic Inc., which is the parent of publishing site WordPress.com, WooCommerce, Jetpack, Simplenote, Longreads, and more. \n\n \n\n\n\nAlthough the selling price was not officially revealed, various unconfirmed reports have valued the transaction at about $20 million, which is less than 20% of its original buyout price. In 2013, Tumblr was acquired by Yahoo for $1.1 billion, when it was at the peak of its business. Later, this iconic brand became part of Verizon, when the telecom major acquired Yahoo for $4.8 billion in 2017.With the gradual emergence of social media sites like Facebook, Inc. FB , Twitter, Inc. TWTR , Reddit and Instagram, Tumblr lost its relevance among netizens, leading to mass exodus of users. The once-dominating blogging platform that boasts more than 475 million independent blogs was up for sale as Verizon Media, of which it was part of, conducted a strategic evaluation to focus on core assets that centered on premium original content.Tumblr is a strategic fit for Automattic with similar operating businesses in the form of WordPress.com, one of the most popular publishing tools in the Internet, along with Jetpack and Simplenote. Notably, WordPress.com, Automattic's flagship product, and Tumblr are considered to be the pioneers in blogging platform and share common vision and interests. As part of the deal, Automattic will likely absorb 200 Tumblr employees.Verizon is increasingly focusing on video streaming content. The company has collaborated with industry-leading web-based video playback services providers - THEO Technologies and IRIS.TV - to deliver new mobile video services with advertising functionality and monetize video content. The AI-powered programming platform will use machine learning techniques to generate unique insights about audience behavior while retaining viewers through personalized touch.We remain impressed with the healthy growth prospects of this Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) stock. Another top-ranked stock in the industry is United States Cellular Corporation USM , carrying a Zacks Rank #2. You can seeUnited States Cellular delivered average positive earnings surprise of 38.3% in the trailing four quarters, beating estimates thrice.It could become the mother of all technological revolutions. Apple sold a mere 1 billion iPhones in 10 years but a new breakthrough is expected to generate more than 27 billion devices in just 3 years, creating a $1.7 trillion market.Zacks has just released a Special Report that spotlights this fast-emerging phenomenon and 6 tickers for taking advantage of it. If you don't buy now, you may kick yourself in 2020.Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report"], "summary": "Verizon agrees to sell the social networking site Tumblr to Automattic, owner of WordPress.com, for less than $10 million, less than two years after acquiring the site in 2017."}
{"document": ["Russian authorities have told people in a village near the site of a deadly missile explosion involving a nuclear power test to \"leave the territory\", after the accident triggered a spike in radiation.\n\nThe country's state weather service said radiation levels spiked in the Russian city of Severodvinsk by up to 16 times last Thursday after what officials say was an explosion during a rocket engine test on a sea platform.\n\n\"We have received a notification ... about the planned activities of the military authorities. In this regard, residents of Nyonoksa were asked to leave the territory of the village from 14 August,\" authorities in Severodvinsk were quoted as saying by the Interfax news agency.\n\nWe’ll tell you what’s true. You can form your own view. From 15p €0.18 $0.18 USD 0.27 a day, more exclusives, analysis and extras.\n\nIt comes following an accident still cloaked in much secrecy, but which the nuclear agency Rosatom said occurred while engineers in Arkhangelsk, were testing a “nuclear isotope power source�? for a rocket engine, a tragedy that fuelled radiation fears and raised questions about a secretive weapons programme.\n\nThe accident, which occurred on the coast around 600 miles north of Moscow, killed five Russian nuclear engineers, who were laid to rest in funerals attended by thousands of mourners.\n\nShape Created with Sketch. Huge explosion at Russia ammunition depot: In pictures Show all 12 left Created with Sketch. right Created with Sketch. Shape Created with Sketch. Huge explosion at Russia ammunition depot: In pictures 1/12 An explosion at an ammunition depot near the town of Achinsk in Russia on August 5 AFP/Getty 2/12 Fire and smoke rise from the site of an explosion at an ammunition depot in Russia on August 5 Reuters 3/12 People watch from afar as as fire and smoke rise from the site of an explosion at an ammuntion depot in Russia on August 5 Reuters 4/12 Flaming residue is scattered in an explosion at at an ammunition depot near the town of Achinsk in Russia on August 5 Reuters 5/12 An explosion at an ammunitions factory is seen from 10 miles away in the town of Achinsk, Russia on August 5 AP 6/12 Fire and smoke rise from the site of an explosion at an ammunition depot in Russia on August 5 Reuters 7/12 Smoke rises from the site of an explosion at an ammunition depot as the sun sets in the town of Achinsk, Russia on August 5 AFP/Getty 8/12 An explosion at an ammunitions factory is seen from 10 miles away in the town of Achinsk, Russia on August 5 AP 9/12 Smoke rises from the site of an explosion at an ammunition depot in Russia on August 5 AFP/Getty 10/12 Smoke rises from the site of an explosion at an ammunition depot in Russia on August 5 AFP/Getty 11/12 Smoke rises from the site of an explosion at an ammunition depot in Russia on August 5 AFP/Getty 12/12 Smoke rises from the site of an explosion at an ammunition depot in Russia on August 5 AFP/Getty 1/12 An explosion at an ammunition depot near the town of Achinsk in Russia on August 5 AFP/Getty 2/12 Fire and smoke rise from the site of an explosion at an ammunition depot in Russia on August 5 Reuters 3/12 People watch from afar as as fire and smoke rise from the site of an explosion at an ammuntion depot in Russia on August 5 Reuters 4/12 Flaming residue is scattered in an explosion at at an ammunition depot near the town of Achinsk in Russia on August 5 Reuters 5/12 An explosion at an ammunitions factory is seen from 10 miles away in the town of Achinsk, Russia on August 5 AP 6/12 Fire and smoke rise from the site of an explosion at an ammunition depot in Russia on August 5 Reuters 7/12 Smoke rises from the site of an explosion at an ammunition depot as the sun sets in the town of Achinsk, Russia on August 5 AFP/Getty 8/12 An explosion at an ammunitions factory is seen from 10 miles away in the town of Achinsk, Russia on August 5 AP 9/12 Smoke rises from the site of an explosion at an ammunition depot in Russia on August 5 AFP/Getty 10/12 Smoke rises from the site of an explosion at an ammunition depot in Russia on August 5 AFP/Getty 11/12 Smoke rises from the site of an explosion at an ammunition depot in Russia on August 5 AFP/Getty 12/12 Smoke rises from the site of an explosion at an ammunition depot in Russia on August 5 AFP/Getty\n\nOn Tuesday, Russia's TASS news agency revealed medics who treated victims of the accident were sent to Moscow for medical examination.\n\nThe medics have signed an agreement promising not to divulge information about the incident, TASS cited an unnamed medical source as saying.\n\nThe Defence Ministry initially reported the explosion at the navy's testing range, near the village of Nyonoksa in northwestern Arkhangelsk, killed two people and injured six others.\n\nState-controlled Rosatom then said over the weekend the blast also killed five of its workers and injured three others. It is not clear what the final death toll is.\n\nThe company said the victims were on a sea platform testing a rocket engine and were thrown into the sea by an explosion.\n\nIndependent news email Only the best news in your inbox Independent news email Only the best news in your inbox Enter your email address Continue Continue Please enter an email address Email address is invalid Fill out this field Email address is invalid Email already exists. Log in to update your newsletter preferences Register with your social account or click here to log in I would like to receive morning headlines Monday - Friday plus breaking news alerts by email Update newsletter preferences\n\nRosatom director Alexei Likhachev praised the victims as \"true heroes\" and the \"pride of our country\".\n\n\"Our further work on new weapons that we will certainly complete will be the best tribute to them,\" Mr Likhachev said during the funeral, according to Rosatom. \"We will fulfil the Motherland's orders and fully protect its security.\"\n\nFollowing the explosion, Russian authorities also closed part of Dvina Bay on the White Sea to shipping for a month, in what could be an attempt to prevent outsiders from seeing an operation to recover the missile debris.\n\nThe Severodvinsk city administration said the radiation level rose to 2 microsieverts per hour for about 30 minutes on Thursday before returning to the area's natural level of 0.1 microsieverts per hour. Emergency officials issued a warning to all workers to stay indoors and close the windows.\n\nThe radiation level of 2 microsieverts per hour is only slightly higher than the natural background radiation, which could vary between 0.1 and 0.4 microsieverts per hour. It is lower than the cosmic radiation that plane passengers are exposed to on longer haul flights.\n\nRegional authorities have not reported any radiation increases after Thursday's spike.\n\nRussian environmental groups have urged the government to release details of the radioactive leak, but officials offered no further details.\n\nNeither the Defence Ministry nor Rosatom mentioned the type of rocket that exploded during the test, saying only that it had liquid propellant.\n\nBut Rosatom's mention of a \"nuclear isotope power source\" led some Russian media to conclude it was the Burevestnik (Petrel), a nuclear-powered cruise missile first revealed by Russian president Vladimir Putin in March 2018 during his state of the nation address along with other doomsday weapons.\n\nWhile presenting the new missile, Mr Putin claimed it will have an unlimited range, allowing it to circle the globe unnoticed, bypassing the enemy's missile defence assets to strike undetected.\n\nThe president claimed the missile had successfully undergone the first tests, but observers were sceptical, arguing that such a weapon could be very difficult to handle and harmful to the environment.\n\nSome reports suggested previous tests of the Burevestnik missile had been conducted on the barren Arctic archipelago of Novaya Zemlya and the Kapustin Yar testing range in southern Russia before they were moved to Nyonoksa.\n\nMoving the tests from unpopulated areas to a range close to a big city may reflect the military's increased confidence in the new weapon.\n\nAdditional reporting by agencies", "Moscow -- Residents of a Russian village near the site of a nuclear accident that killed seven people in Russia's far north last week were left confused on Tuesday by conflicting reports that they would be evacuated while work is carried out on the site. Several unidentified residents of Nynoksa, in Russia's Arkhangelsk region, told local news website 29.ru that they had been told they would have to leave the village for at least two hours, between 5 and 7 a.m. on Wednesday, and that a train would be provided for them.\n\nThe government of Severodvinsk, a city 25 miles away from Nynoksa, seemed to confirm the evacuation ordered to the state-run Interfax news agency.\n\n\"We have received a notification… about the planned activities of the military authorities. In this regard, residents of Nynoksa were asked to leave the territory of the village from August 14,\" officials were quoted by Interfax as saying.\n\nHowever, the governor of the Arkhangelsk region, Igor Orlov, dismissed that report in a separate interview with Interfax as \"complete nonsense,\" saying \"no evacuation (is taking place).\"\n\nThere was no consensus about a possible evacuation on social media channels frequented by both Nyonoksa and Severodvinsk residents. Concerned villagers post comments about \"having heard\" that they would need to leave, but not finding any official information about it.\n\nSome of them said short-term evacuations were a regular occurrence in their communities, due to the work carried out at the military testing site near the village.\n\nFinally, on Tuesday evening, Interfax quoted the local government of Severodvinsk as saying the military had canceled plans to conduct work on the testing grounds that would have necessitated the evacuation of Nyonoksa.\n\n\"We have information that the military canceled their activities tomorrow that required moving residents (out of the village),\" an unidentified official at the Severodvinsk administration told the state-run news agency.\n\nThe nuclear accident\n\nOn Thursday last week an explosion at the testing ground near Nyonoksa left five scientists and two military personnel dead. Immediately after the blast, radiation levels in Severodvinsk spiked to up to 16 times the normal reading, according to the TASS state-run news agency.\n\nIn this grab taken from a footage provided by the Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation ROSATOM press service, a Russian military band prepare to attend the funerals of five Russian nuclear engineers killed by a rocket explosion in Sarov, a closed city 230 miles east of Moscow, which has served as a base for Russia's nuclear weapons program since the late 1940s, Aug. 12, 2019. AP\n\nDoctors that tended to people injured in the accident were to undergo additional medical examination. Representatives of the Arkhangelsk regional government told TASS on Tuesday that the doctors had requested the additional screening themselves, and it was not compulsory.\n\nRussia's Defense Ministry initially claimed it was just a failed rocket engine test, but later Rosatom, Russia's state nuclear energy corporation, admitted the test involved a \"radioisotope source of energy\" -- or, as the company's spokespeople put it in comments to the Fontanka newspaper, \"a nuclear battery.\"\n\nU.S. intelligence officials believe it \"likely\" was a failed test of the SSC-X-9 Skyfall, known in Russia as the 9M730 Burevestnik. President Vladimir Putin boasted in a 2018 speech about a new, experimental nuclear-powered cruise missile with virtually unlimited range and the ability to penetrate U.S. missile defense systems.\n\nWho should be worried?\n\nMany Russian and U.S. military analysts have long expressed doubts about whether Skyfall exists, or whether the core technology involved is even viable. The U.S. experimented with similar technology decades ago, but abandoned it as the highly unstable, nuclear-powered missile engines weren't deemed to be worth the associated risks.\n\n\"This accident reminds us how hard this is and how complicated it is, and just because President Putin made a speech talking about six new scary things, it doesn't mean that they're going to actually happen or happen any time soon,\" Lynn Rusten, at the Washington-based Nuclear Threat Initiative organization, told CBS News on Tuesday.\n\nRusten said the people who should be most concerned by the explosion in northern Russia, \"are the Russian citizens, who should be asking their government 'why are we doing this?'\"\n\nCommenting on the accident Tuesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov would neither confirm nor deny suggestions about a test of a Skyfall missile.\n\nHe said the organization that carried out the test \"gave information about it and explained the cause of the accident that occurred during testing and, unfortunately for all of us, led to the tragic death of our colleagues. I have nothing to add to that.\"\n\nConflicting reports from Russian officials about the accident over the weekend prompted speculation that the blast might have been more damaging than they were letting on. Some commentators compared the release of information about the explosion to what happened in the immediate wake of the Chernobyl disaster, when it took the authorities several weeks to reveal the truth.\n\nCBSNews.com's Tucker Reals in London and CBS News' Christina Ruffini in Washington D.C. contributed to this report.", "MOSCOW (AP) — Thousands of Russians attended the funerals Monday of five Russian nuclear engineers killed by an explosion as they tested a new rocket, a tragedy that fueled radiation fears and raised new questions about a secretive weapons program.\n\nThe engineers, who died Thursday, were laid to rest Monday in Sarov, which hosts Russia's main nuclear weapons research center, where they worked. Flags flew at half-staff in the closed city, located 370 kilometers (230 miles) east of Moscow, which has served as a base for Russia's nuclear weapons program since the late 1940s. The coffins were displayed at Sarov's main square before being driven to a cemetery.\n\nThe Defense Ministry initially said the explosion at the navy's testing range in Nyonoksa in the northwestern Arkhangelsk region killed two people and injured six others, but the state-controlled Rosatom nuclear concern acknowledged over the weekend that the blast also killed five of its workers and injured three others.\n\nRosatom director Alexei Likhachev praised the victims as \"true heroes\" and \"a pride of our country.\"\n\n\"Our further work on new weapons that we will certainly complete will be the best tribute to them,\" Likhachev said during the funeral, according to Rosatom. \"We will fulfill the Motherland's orders and fully protect its security.\"\n\nRosatom said the explosion occurred while the engineers were testing a \"nuclear isotope power source\" for a rocket engine. Local authorities in nearby Severodvinsk reported a brief spike in radiation levels after the explosion, saying it lasted only about 30 minutes and didn't pose any health hazards.\n\nStill, the statement from Severodvinsk's administration came just as the Defense Ministry insisted that no radiation had been released, a claim that drew comparisons to Soviet-era attempts to coverup catastrophes. Spooked residents rushed to buy iodide, which can help limit the damage from exposure to radiation.\n\nFollowing the explosion, Russian authorities also closed part of Dvina Bay on the White Sea to shipping for a month, in what could be an attempt to prevent outsiders from seeing an operation to recover the missile debris.\n\nNeither the Defense Ministry nor Rosatom mentioned the type of rocket that exploded during the test, saying only that it had liquid propellant.\n\nBut Rosatom's mention of a \"nuclear isotope power source\" led some Russian media to conclude it was the Burevestnik (Petrel), a nuclear-powered cruise missile first revealed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in March 2018 during his state-of-the nation address along with other doomsday weapons.\n\nThe U.S. and the Soviet Union pondered nuclear-powered missiles in the 1960s, but they abandoned those projects as too unstable and dangerous.\n\nWhile presenting the new missile, Putin claimed it will have an unlimited range, allowing it to circle the globe unnoticed, bypassing the enemy's missile defense assets, to strike undetected. The president claimed the missile had successfully undergone the first tests, but observers were skeptical, arguing that such a weapon could be very difficult to handle and harmful to the environment.\n\nSergei Kirienko, Putin's deputy chief of staff who previously led Rosatom, said at the funeral that the victims were aware of the danger, but \"took the risk, realizing that no one else would do the job better than them.\" He said they would be posthumously awarded with top medals.", "Thousands of Russians attended the funerals Monday of five Russian nuclear engineers killed by an explosion as they tested a new rocket engine, a tragedy that fueled radiation fears and raised new questions about a secretive weapons program.\n\nThe engineers, who died Thursday, were laid to rest Monday in Sarov, which hosts Russia's main nuclear weapons research center, where they worked. Flags flew at half-staff in the city, located 370 kilometers (230 miles) east of Moscow, which has served as a base for Russia's nuclear weapons program since the late 1940s. The coffins were displayed at Sarov's main square before being driven to a cemetery.\n\nThe Defense Ministry initially reported that the explosion at the navy's testing range near the village of Nyonoksa in the northwestern Arkhangelsk region killed two people and injured six others. The state-controlled Rosatom nuclear corporation then said over the weekend that the blast also killed five of its workers and injured three others. It's not clear what the final toll is.\n\nThe company said the victims were on a sea platform testing a rocket engine and were thrown into the sea by explosion.\n\nRosatom director Alexei Likhachev praised the victims as \"true heroes\" and \"pride of our country.\"\n\n\"Our further work on new weapons that we will certainly complete will be the best tribute to them,\" Likhachev said during the funeral, according to Rosatom. \"We will fulfill the Motherland's orders and fully protect its security.\"\n\nRosatom said the explosion occurred while the engineers were testing a \"nuclear isotope power source\" for a rocket engine. Local authorities in nearby Severodvinsk, a city of 183,000, reported a brief spike in radiation levels after the explosion, but said it didn't pose any health hazards.\n\nStill, the statement from Severodvinsk's administration came just as the Defense Ministry insisted that no radiation had been released, a claim that drew comparisons to Soviet-era attempts to cover up catastrophes. Spooked residents rushed to buy iodide, which can help limit the damage from exposure to radiation.\n\nFollowing the explosion, Russian authorities also closed part of Dvina Bay on the White Sea to shipping for a month, in what could be an attempt to prevent outsiders from seeing an operation to recover the missile debris.\n\nThe Severodvinsk city administration said the radiation level rose to 2 microsieverts per hour for about 30 minutes on Thursday before returning to the area's natural level of 0.1 microsieverts per hour. Emergency officials issued a warning to all workers to stay indoors and close the windows.\n\nThe radiation level of 2 microsieverts per hour is only slightly higher than the natural background radiation, which could vary between 0.1 and 0.4 microsieverts per hour. It's lower than the cosmic radiation that plane passengers are exposed to on longer haul flights.\n\nRussian environmental groups have urged the government to release details of the radioactive leak, but officials offered no further details.\n\nNeither the Defense Ministry nor Rosatom mentioned the type of rocket that exploded during the test, saying only that it had liquid propellant.\n\nBut Rosatom's mention of a \"nuclear isotope power source\" led some Russian media to conclude it was the Burevestnik (Petrel), a nuclear-powered cruise missile first revealed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in March 2018 during his state-of-the nation address along with other doomsday weapons.\n\nThe U.S. and the Soviet Union pondered nuclear-powered missiles in the 1960s, but they abandoned those projects as too unstable and dangerous.\n\nWhile presenting the new missile, Putin claimed it will have an unlimited range, allowing it to circle the globe unnoticed, bypassing the enemy's missile defense assets to strike undetected. The president claimed the missile had successfully undergone the first tests, but observers were skeptical, arguing that such a weapon could be very difficult to handle and harmful to the environment.\n\nSome reports suggested that previous tests of the Burevestnik missile had been conducted on the barren Arctic archipelago of Novaya Zemlya and the Kapustin Yar testing range in southern Russia before they were moved to Nyonoksa. Moving the tests from unpopulated areas to a range close to a big city may be a reflection of the military's increased confidence in the new weapon.\n\nThe Sarov nuclear center director, Valentin Kostyukov, said that the victims tried but failed to prevent the explosion. \"We saw that they were trying to regain control over the situation,\" he said.\n\nSergei Kirienko, Putin's deputy chief of staff who previously led Rosatom, said at the funeral that the victims were aware of the danger, but \"took the risk, realizing that no one else would do the job better than them.\" He said they would be posthumously awarded with top medals.", "In this grab taken from a footage provided by the Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation ROSATOM press service, a Russian military band prepare to attend the funerals of five Russian nuclear engineers killed by a rocket explosion in Sarov, the closed city, located 370 kilometers (230 miles) east of Moscow, which has served as a base for Russia’s nuclear weapons program since the late 1940s, Russia, Monday, Aug. 12, 2019. Russia’s Rosatom state nuclear concern said Thursday’s explosion at a military testing range in northwestern Russia occurred while the engineers were testing a “nuclear isotope power source” for a rocket engine, a tragedy that fueled radiation fears and raised new questions about a secretive weapons program. (Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation ROSATOM via AP)\n\nMOSCOW (AP) — Regional authorities in northwestern Russia say the Russian military has advised residents of a village near a navy testing range to move out following a rocket explosion that killed five nuclear engineers.\n\nThe Interfax news agency reported Tuesday that the regional administration based in Severodvinsk said a notice from the military recommended the evacuation due to unspecified activities at the test range.\n\nOfficials offered no further details about the advisory for the village of Nyonoksa.\n\nRussia’s state nuclear corporation, Rosatom, has said the engineers were killed Thursday while they were testing a “nuclear isotope power source” for a rocket engine.\n\nLocal authorities in Severodvinsk, a city of 183,000, reported a brief spike in radiation levels after the explosion, spooking residents. Officials insist it didn’t pose any health hazards.", "MOSCOW — Regional authorities in northwestern Russia say the Russian military has advised residents of a village near a navy testing range to move out following a rocket explosion that killed five nuclear engineers.\n\nThe Interfax news agency reported Tuesday that the regional administration based in Severodvinsk said a notice from the military recommended the evacuation due to unspecified activities at the test range.\n\nOfficials offered no further details about the advisory for the village of Nyonoksa.\n\nRussia’s state nuclear corporation, Rosatom, has said the engineers were killed Thursday while they were testing a “nuclear isotope power source” for a rocket engine.\n\nLocal authorities in Severodvinsk, a city of 183,000, reported a brief spike in radiation levels after the explosion, spooking residents. Officials insist it didn’t pose any health hazards.", "Thousands of people on Monday attended a funeral for five Russian nuclear engineers killed by an explosion during tests of a new rocket at the country's main nuclear weapons test center.\n\nThe deadly explosion occurred on Thursday during a test of a liquid-propellant jet engine near the small town of Nyonoksa in Russia's northwestern Arkhangelsk region.\n\nInitial reports said the explosion killed two people and injured a further six. Russia's Rosatom nuclear agency later acknowledged that the blast also killed five of its workers and injured three others.\n\nRosatom said the explosion occurred while the engineers were testing \"a nuclear isotope power source\" for a rocket. It named the five as Alexei Vyushin, Evgeny Koratayev, Vyacheslav Lipshev, Sergei Pichugin and Vladislav Yanovsky.\n\nA Russian state commission was investigating what went wrong, according to Valentin Kostyukov, head of the nuclear center, who called the five nuclear experts \"national heroes.\"\n\nRosatom director Alexei Likhachev praised the victims as \"true heroes\" and \"a pride of our country.\"\n\n\"Our further work on new weapons that we will certainly complete will be the best tribute to them,\" Likhachev said during the funeral, according to Rosatom. \"We will fulfill the Motherland's orders and fully protect its security.\"\n\nSergei Kirienko, Russian President Vladimir Putin's deputy chief of staff, said the five would be posthumously awarded with top medals.\n\nRussian officials at the test center where the scientists had worked said the accident had caused a two-fold rise in radiation levels that had only lasted an hour. The site is used to test intercontinental ballistic missiles that are used on nuclear submarines.\n\n\"One of the lines [of research and development] is the creation of sources of thermal or electric energy using radioactive materials, including fissile materials and radioisotope materials,\" said Vyacheslav Solovyev, an official at the test site.\n\nLocal authorities in nearby Severodvinsk reported a brief spike in radiation levels after the explosion.\n\n The Soviet Union was the site of the world's worst nuclear disaster when, in 1986, an explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear plant in the former Soviet republic of Ukraine released radioactive contamination for nine days.\n\nEach evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.", "MOSCOW (AP) — Thousands of people have attended the burial of five Russian nuclear engineers killed by an explosion during tests of a new rocket.\n\nThe engineers, who died on Thursday, were laid to rest Monday in the city of Sarov that hosts Russia's main nuclear weapons research center.\n\nThe Defense Ministry initially said the explosion at the navy's testing range in Nyonoksa in the northwestern Arkhangelsk region killed two people and injured a further six, but the state-controlled Rosatom nuclear concern acknowledged later that the blast also killed five of its workers and injured three others.\n\nRosatom said the explosion occurred while the engineers were testing \"a nuclear isotope power source\" for a rocket. Local authorities in nearby Severodvinsk reported a brief spike in radiation levels after the explosion.", "The mysterious explosion in northern Russia on Thursday that left at least five people dead and unleashed a radiation spike may have involved a secret, new nuclear-powered cruise missile touted by Russian President Vladimir Putin last year as a weapon that would render NATO's American-led missile defense system \"useless.\"\n\nThe incident on Thursday took place at a military shooting range in Nyonoksa in the far northern Arkhangelsk region. Russia's Defense Ministry initially said the blast killed two people and injured six, but the state-controlled nuclear agency Rosatom later disclosed that the explosion killed five of its workers and injured three others. It wasn't immediately clear if Rosatom's figures were in addition to the casualties announced by the Defense Ministry or if it included the ministry's earlier numbers.\n\nRosatom said the explosion occurred while engineers were testing \"a nuclear isotope power source\" for a rocket. Local authorities in nearby Severodvinsk reported a brief spike in radiation levels after the explosion, swiftly publishing a statement on a local administration website -- but then later removing it without explanation.\n\nData cited by Greenpeace from Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations showed radiation levels rose 20 times above the normal level in the city, which is about 18 miles from the testing site.\n\nWhile the Russian military has remained quiet about what type of rocket may have been involved in the test, the research institute that employed five of the scientists that died said Sunday night a small nuclear reactor had exploded during the experiment in the White Sea.\n\nVyacheslav Solovyov, the scientific director of the Russian Federal Nuclear Center, said in a video statement to a local newspaper that the agency was working on a number of experimental technologies, including studying \"small-scale sources of energy with the use of fissile materials.\" He said similar work is taking place in the United States, but did not disclose how much material had been involved in the incident Thursday, according to the Guardian.\n\n“We are now trying to understand, we are working closely with a government commission, analyzing the entire chain of events to assess the scale of the accident and to understand its causes,” he said.\n\nTwo U.S.-based nuclear experts told Reuters on Friday that a liquid rocket propellant explosion would not release radiation, leading to speculation the nuclear-powered cruise missile was involved. U.S. intelligence officials told the New York Times they believe the blast involved a prototype of a missile Russia calls the 9M730 Buresvestnik. The NATO alliance has designated it the SSC-X-9 Skyfall.\n\nDuring his 2018 state of the nation address, Putin unveiled the missile, along with other new weapons that he said made NATO's U.S.-led missile defense system \"useless.\"\n\nThe Russian leader claimed the nuclear-powered cruise missile had an unlimited range, flew at a high speed and was capable of maneuverability that would allow it to pierce any missile defense. While Putin boasted of the ability to strike long-range targets, two U.S. officials briefed on Moscow's military capabilities told Fox News at the time the weapon was not operational yet and still in its “nascent\" stage.\n\n“The nuclear-powered cruise missile Putin bragged about has actually crashed a few times,” during recent testing in the Arctic, one official said. “Think about the environmental impact of that,” the official added. Both agreed to speak only on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak with the media.\n\nRUSSIAN PHARMACIES REPORT RISE IN SALES OF IODINE NEAR SITE OF MYSTERIOUS MILITARY EXPLOSION\n\nArms control expert Jeffrey Lewis tweeted Friday the \"working hypothesis\" was the incident was related to the 9M730 Burevestnik.\n\nLewis also shared an image on Twitter from Planet Labs that showed the Serebryanka, a nuclear fuel carrier, near the missile test site. He told Reuters his team examined Automatic Identification System signals from ships located off the coast, which showed the Serebryanka was located inside an “exclusion zone” set up off the coast a month before the apparent failed test.\n\n“What’s important is that the Serebryanka is inside that exclusion zone. It’s there. It’s inside the ocean perimeter that they set up. It’s not there by accident,” he told the news agency. “I think they were probably there to pick up a propulsion unit off the ocean floor.”\n\nHe also told Reuters that the U.S. tried to develop a nuclear-powered missile engine in the 1950s, but it let off radiation that was \"a health hazard to anyone underneath it.\"\n\nCLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS APP\n\nThe explosion last week created a run on iodine in nearby cities. Iodine prevents the thyroid gland from absorbing radiation, which can be dispersed in the air during a nuclear accident. Shipping in the Dvinsk Bay on the White Sea has also been shut down for a month after the accident, according to the Wall Street Journal.\n\nOn Monday, thousands of people attended the burial of the five Russian nuclear engineers who were killed in the blast. The engineers were laid to rest in the city of Sarov that hosts Russia's main nuclear weapons research center.\n\nFox News' Lucas Tomlinson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.", "Background radiation in the northern Russian city of Severodvinsk briefly rose up to 16 times normal levels following an explosion at a nuclear missile test site last week, Russian authorities said Tuesday.\n\nThe accident took place at an Arctic military facility on the coast of the White Sea on Thursday when a missile being tested on an offshore platform exploded, killing five.\n\nRussian nuclear agency Rosatom said said its staff were providing engineering and technical support for the “isotope power source” of a missile engine.\n\nGet The Times of Israel's Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Free Sign Up\n\n“The Arkhangelsk territorial system of radiation control registered gamma radiation levels 4-16 times above the background rate of the ambient dose equivalent for the given territory,” Russian meteorological service Rosgidromet said in a statement carried by news agency TASS.\n\nRosgidromet said the levels were higher at six out of eight of its stations in Severodvinsk and that levels returned to normal after 2.5 hours.\n\nOne of the sensors registered a level of 1.78 microsieverts per hour, well above the local average but far below dangerous levels.\n\nRussia’s nuclear agency chief also confirmed that the scientists who were killed were developing “new weapons” and vowed to continue testing despite the explosion.\n\nSeverodvinsk is located 30 kilometres (20 miles) from the Nyonoksa missile test site.\n\nEarlier statements by local authorities regarding elevated radiation levels were denied by the Russian military.\n\nSeverodvinsk civil defense chief Valentin Magomedov pegged local radiation levels at three times acceptable levels for a period of a half hour following the explosion.\n\nLeonid Bolshov of the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Nuclear Safety Institute told TASS that residents of the Arkhangelsk Region were not in any danger following in the explosion.\n\nThe explosion fueled speculation regarding Russia’s pursuit of a nuclear-powered cruise missile, a concept examined and abandoned by Washington during the height of the Cold War.\n\nUnnamed intelligence sources told The New York Times that they believed the explosion involved a prototype missile known in NATO circles as the SSC-X-9 Skyfall, which could theoretically reach anywhere on the planet. Russian President Vladimir Putin showed off an animation of such a system last year.\n\nIf successfully deployed, such a weapon would pose a strategic threat to the United States because it would be capable of bypassing current American missile defenses. However, there is currently no indication that the Russians have managed to succeed where their geopolitical rivals have failed.\n\nUS President Donald Trump said Monday that the United States is learning “much” from the deadly blast but that “we have similar, though more advanced, technology.”\n\nExperts challenged Trump’s assertion of a program to develop US nuclear-powered missiles"], "summary": "According to Interfax, the governor of Arkhangelsk Oblast dismisses as \"complete nonsense\" the advice by authorities in Severodvinsk to residents of Nyonoksa to evacuate on August 14. This follows the accidental explosion on Thursday of what is speculated to be a nuclear-powered missile. Russian nuclear agency Rosatom says the failed test involved a \"nuclear isotope power source\" for a liquid-propelled rocket engine."}
{"document": ["Sydney stabbing suspect arrested after woman found dead and another injured in CBD\n\nUpdated\n\nPolice have linked the murder of a woman to a stabbing rampage in central Sydney which left another woman in hospital.\n\nKey points: Members of the public apprehended the man using a milk crate, chair and crowbar\n\nPolice confirmed a 21-year-old woman found dead in a unit block nearby was linked to the incident that shut down part of the city\n\nAnother woman has been taken to St Vincent's Hospital with a stab wound\n\nThe body of the 21-year-old woman was found in an apartment complex on Clarence Street, a short distance from where a man, identified as 21-year-old Mert Ney, was wielding a large butcher's knife and later restrained by bystanders.\n\nPolice said the incident — which they described as \"terrifying carnage\" — did not appear to be terror related, the suspect had no known terrorist links and he was acting on his own.\n\nOfficers are currently searching the suspect's home near Blacktown in Sydney's west.\n\nThe ABC understands the man escaped from a mental health facility and police confirmed he had a history of mental health problems.\n\nThe injured woman, a 41-year-old who police said was stabbed in the back in a \"random attack\", remains in a stable condition in Sydney's St Vincent's Hospital.\n\nReports of a man armed with a large knife on the streets of Sydney first emerged about 2:00pm, sparking a major police operation.\n\nIn what police described as \"heroic\" actions, passers-by and firefighters used chairs, a crowbar and a milk crate to apprehend the alleged offender, before he was arrested by authorities.\n\nPolice said the investigation was \"live and ongoing\".\n\n\"He was clearly dangerous and had motive,\" NSW Police Commissioner Michael Fuller said.\n\n\"But it is not currently classed as a terrorist incident, as the investigation continues we will reassess that.\"\n\nHowever, Commissioner Fuller said a thumb drive linked to the alleged offender suggested he had \"some ideologies\" in relation to terrorism.\n\n\"[It was] information [on] mass deaths and mass casualties around the world, namely from North America and New Zealand,\" he said.\n\n\"He was known to police but his history was unremarkable.\"\n\n'He is going to kill you'\n\nChannel 7 cameraman Paul Walker, who was stuck in traffic in the area at 2:00pm and spotted the alleged offender running down the street, told the ABC the man was \"covered in blood\" carrying a large knife.\n\n\"He jumped on the roof of the car behind us,\" he said.\n\n\"Then suddenly these firies who were in a firetruck a couple of vehicles in front jumped out.\n\n\"They had axes in their hand and were yelling at him to stop, put his weapon down and he just ignored them.\"\n\nThe man then ran down a nearby street.\n\n\"Another person [on the street] was screaming at people to get out of the way, the fact he had a knife and the fact he is going to kill you,\" Walker said.\n\nHe said the alleged offender was then knocked to the ground by a member of the public who grabbed a chair and \"whacked him\".\n\n\"Seconds later he was just piled on by quite a few people.\"\n\nWhen the man fell he dropped a knife into the gutter.\n\nNSW Police Superintendent Gavin Wood said the man had tried to stab others.\n\n\"There has been, again, subsequent to that stabbing a number of attempted stabbings by the same offender,\" he said.\n\n'These people are heroes'\n\nSuperintendent Wood lauded the actions of the bystanders who restrained the alleged offender and called them \"heroes\".\n\n\"They were brave and I can only use that word seriously — they were significantly brave people,\" he said.\n\n\"To approach a person with a mindset of obviously what this person did, with clear evidence of a stabbing previously, these people are heroes.\"\n\nThe man has been taken to Day Street Police Station.\n\nA number of crime scenes have been established and a number of road closures are in place.\n\nTopics: crime, police, sydney-2000\n\nFirst posted", "HEROES have fought off a knife-wielding attacker with a chair before pinning him to the ground with a milk crate after he allegedly stabbed a woman and ran through the streets of Sydney with a huge blade.\n\nThe suspect was filmed yelling \"Allahu Akbar \" and \"shoot me in the f***ing face\" as he ran through the Australian city with a bloody knife before brave witnesses - including three Brits - tackled him to the ground.\n\nDramatic footage showed one man bravely confronting the apparent knifeman with a chair after he jumped onto a car.\n\nWitnesses, since praised for their bravery, then appeared to apprehend the suspect in chaotic scenes - pinning him down under the chair and putting a milk crate on his head.\n\nPolice say a 21-year-old woman was found dead in a separate crime scene and confirmed it was linked to today's rampage.\n\nThey said the 21-year-old suspect stabbed a 41-year-old woman in the back, and was rushed to hospital where she is now in stable condition.\n\nHe has been identified as Mert Nay by multiple media outlets, according to News.com.au.\n\nThree Brits have since recounted the moment they ran to help pin the suspected knifeman to the ground.\n\nLee Cuthbert, Paul O'Shaughnessy and Luke O'Shaughnessy, all from Manchester, were working in the area when they heard the man attempting to stab several people outside, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.\n\nThey told the Australian paper: \"We had a window open to get some air in and then we just heard the commotion [...] we looked out and saw him on top of a car wielding a knife and we all just kind of reacted from there.\n\n\"We just tried to get down as quick as we could. You don't think, you just kind of react really, it was surreal, very, very surreal.\n\n\"We all kind of chased, worked together, but it was Luke who was the real hero. He pursued him the hardest and managed to get a grip of him.\"\n\nPaul, a former Bury midfielder who moved to Australia in 2008 to play for North Sydney, added: \"My brother Luke managed to keep him pinned down until the police arrived.\n\n\"My brother put a crate and a chair to keep him pinned down. He didn't show any remorse at all.\"\n\nWhat we know so far\n• A 21-year-old man has been arrested and is in custody - and is expected to be charged with homicide and serious assault\n• A 21-year-old woman was found dead in a nearby flat and linked to today’s rampage\n• A 41-year-old woman was stabbed in the back, in an apparent random attack and is in stable condition\n• Three Brits heroically held the suspect down with a milk crate and chairs\n• The suspect has no known terror links and is being described as lone actor\n\nTerrifying photos show the suspect then being led away by police, with his grey jumper covered in blood.\n\nA witness told 2GB Radio that he saw the terrifying incident unfold as the suspect jumped on cars.\n\nThe Uber driver said: \"Next thing I see this guy jumping over the car, over the bonnet… he had a knife in his hand.\n\n“He had a bit of blood on his shirt.\n\n“There were police, people with their phone out, there were [firefighters] trying to contain him.”\n\nFirst reports began emerging at around 2pm local time (5am BST) - with terrified passersby taking to social media.\n\nA witness who chased the man could be heard saying: \"Do you know how many people you just stabbed, you dog?\"\n\n\"You just stabbed a chick, mate, in broad daylight.\"\n\nOne witness told the ABC he was walking towards Wynyard Park when a man came running around the corner \"with a long knife\".\n\nThe witness said: \"[He was] about three or four metres away from me, and then came about five or six other men chasing him.\n\n\"They were armed with crowbars and one man had an axe and another man … I think had a firefighting implement.\n\n\"My immediate impression was that it was a scene from a crime show being shot, but then that quickly turned out not to be the case and the man ran down the road towards the cafe where patrons there must have tripped him up and they then put a milk crate over his head.\"\n\nPolice said during a press conference today that the 21-year-old man is involved in the stabbing and homicide.\n\nThey said the suspect had a history of mental health issues, but couldn't confirm local reports he had recently escaped from a mental health facility.\n\nThe suspect was arrested with white supremacy material on a thumb drive in his possession with files on massacre white-supremacist attacks in the US and New Zealand.\n\nThey said he had \"ideological material\" but no links to terrorism.\n\nPolice said today's rampage was not being treated as a terrorist attack but said at the moment he is considered a lone actor with mental health issues.\n\nPolice Commissioner Mick Fuller said: \"It appears to be a random attack.\n\n\"Information was found on him that would suggest he had some ideologies in relation to terrorism but he has no links to terrorism.\n\n\"There was certainly information found on him about other crimes of mass casualties and mass deaths around the world.\n\n\"There is no current intelligence on this individual and he has no apparent links to other terrorist organisations.\"\n\nHowever, they added it was \"the infancy of the investigation\" when asked if today's attack was terror related.\n\nPolice said: \"I can say that he was known to police with but his history was unremarkable compared to the of gravity of the crimes he committed.\n\n\"I can say he does have a history of mental health, but at this stage, I can’t expand on that.\n\n\"No doubt in the coming days, the investigation will be looked closely at, not just the last couple of days, but certainly the last probably six months to 12 months.”\n\nPolice are investigating if mental health and/or drug issues were a factor but “at the end of the day it’s a horrendous crime and he should pay for that.”\n\nThe man is expected to be charged with the homicide of the young woman and face serious assault charges for the stabbing.\n\nNSW Police Superintendent Gavin Wood said there had been \"multiple\" attempted stabbings in the attack.\n\nHe said: \"There has been, again, subsequent to that stabbing a number of attempted stabbings by the same offender and bearing in mind we have multiple crime scenes, we are in the infancy stage of this investigation.\"\n\nAnd he praised bystanders for rushing to restrain the alleged knifeman, saying: \"They were brave and I can only use that word seriously — they were significantly brave people.\n\n\"To approach a person with a mindset of obviously what this person did, with clear evidence of a stabbing previously, these people are heroes.\"\n\nNew South Wales Police confirmed a man was in custody after allegedly stabbing a woman in the city centre.\n\nA statement read: \"About 2pm (Tuesday 13 August 2019), emergency services responded following reports a man was walking along York Street, Sydney, armed with a knife.\n\n\"As police made their way to the location, there were multiple reports the man had stabbed someone near the corner of King and Clarence Streets.\n\n\"Police and NSW Ambulance paramedics located a woman inside a hotel, who had a stab wound.\n\n\"She has been taken to hospital in a stable condition.\n\n\"A short time later, members of the public detained the man before police attended and arrested him.\"\n\nThe suspect has since been taken to Day Street Police Station.\n\nAustralian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said: \"The violent attack that took place in Sydney this afternoon is deeply concerning. The attacker is now in police custody following the brave actions of those who were present at the scene and were able to able to restrain him.\n\n\"The motivation for this attack has not yet been determined as Police are continuing with their enquiries. Any further offical information will be provided by the New South Wales Police, who are keeping us appraised through our agencies, including details of casualties.\n\n\"Our thoughts are with all those who have been impacted by this violent attack.\"\n\nA number of crime scenes have been established and a number of road closures are in place, which is believed to have significant impact on traffic and public transport.\n\nOfficers from Sydney City Police Area Command, and various specialist police, are conducting proactive patrols the area, but it is believed there is no further threat to public safety.", "A man shouted Allahu Akbar on top of a car after stabbing a woman in Sydney's Central Business District.\n\nDramatic footage shows a brave member of the public confront the attacker with a chair, before he shouts at police to 'shoot him'.\n\nOfficers were called out to the scene at around 2pm local time to reports of a man walking along York Street in the Australian city armed with a knife.\n\nAs police made their way to the location, there were multiple reports the man had stabbed someone near the corner of King and Clarence Streets.\n\nPolice and NSW Ambulance paramedics located a woman inside a hotel, who had a stab wound.\n\nShe has been taken to hospital in a stable condition.\n\nA short time later, members of the public detained the man before police attended and arrested him.\n\nHe has since been taken to Day Street Police Station.\n\nOfficers from Sydney City Police Area Command, and various specialist police, are conducting proactive patrols the area, but it is believed there is no further threat to public safety.\n\nA number of crime scenes have been established and a number of road closures are in place, which is believed to have significant impact on traffic and public transport this afternoon.\n\nMembers of the public are urged to avoid the area.\n\nWe'll be bringing you the very latest updates, pictures and video on this breaking news story.", "Australian police arrested a man who stabbed a woman and chased several others in central Sydney on Tuesday (Aug 13) before being pinned down by members of the public, police said.\n\nThe unidentified man had also tried unsuccessfully to stab other people, police said, in an incident that brought the central business district in Australia’s largest city to a standstill in the early afternoon.\n\n\"We have a female person with a stab wound to the back currently being treated by paramedics and is en route to a Sydney hospital,\" police Superintendent Gavin Wood told reporters in Sydney.\n\nHe said the woman’s injuries were not life-threatening.\n\nMr Wood also said the attack appeared to be unprovoked but police were keeping an open mind.\n\nPolice were also investigating whether the body of a woman found inside an apartment near where the stabbing took place was linked to the incident, a New South Wales state police spokeswoman said.\n\nVideo footage on Twitter showed a young man running across a city intersection and jumping onto the hood of a car, waving what appeared to be a knife.\n\nThe man fell to the ground when the car moved and was confronted by a person holding a chair, the video showed.\n\nOther footage showed the man pinned to the ground by several people holding two chairs and a milk crate on top of him.\n\nAustralian Prime Minister Scott Morrison praised those who stopped the assailant.\n\n\"The attacker is now in police custody following the brave actions of those who were present at the scene and were able to ... restrain him,\" he said.\n\nMs Megan Hayley said a man with a large kitchen knife chased several people though a busy office district and \"five or six others were chasing him behind, trying to stop him, they caught him and restrained him\" with chairs and a plastic crate.\n\nAustralia to bar return of citizens who fought for ISIS Images broadcast by Australian media showed the man jumping on the roof of a car brandishing a knife shouting \"Allahu Akbar\" and \"shoot me\". Police had earlier urged the public to avoid the area around King and Clarence Streets, in the central business district of Australia's largest city, where they were conducting an operation. A woman who answered the phone at a Subway store near the scene told Reuters: \"We saw the person with a knife over there bleeding.\" \"The cops are here and they blocked the road right now, so we can't go outside. They said: 'It's a crime scene, you can't come out',\" said the woman, who declined to give her name. This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.", "Sydney, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 13th Aug, 2019 ) :Australian police said they had discovered a body near the scene of a knife rampage in central Sydney on Tuesday, but were still determining whether it was linked to the attack.\n\nA police spokeswoman told AFP the body had been discovered in the central business district where one person was earlier stabbed and a man was arrested, but officers were still \"conducting enquiries\" to determine what happened.", "Australian police are investigating unconfirmed reports of an armed man in downtown Sydney, a police spokeswoman said on Tuesday, and witnesses reported seeing an injured man carrying a knife.\n\nPolice urged the public to avoid the area around King and Clarence Streets, in the central business district of Australia’s largest city, where they were conducting an operation.\n\nPolice gave no further information but Seven News said a man was in custody after arming himself with a knife and running through downtown Sydney.\n\nA woman who answered the phone at a Subway store near the scene told Reuters: “We saw the person with a knife over there bleeding.”\n\n“The cops are here and they blocked the road right now, so we can’t go outside. They said: ‘It’s a crime scene, you can’t come out’,” said the woman, who declined to give her name.\n\nThe Sydney Morning Herald said several people had reportedly been stabbed, although there was no confirmation from officials.\n\nA Sky News reporter and other media reports said the man shouted “shoot me” at police.", "Man arrested after trying to stab several in Sydney; 1 hurt\n\nSYDNEY (AP) — Australian police and witnesses say a knife-wielding man yelling \"Allahu akbar,\" or \"God is great,\" has attempted to stab several people in Sydney before being arrested, with one person taken to a hospital.\n\nWitnesses say the man, wielding a long knife, attempted to stab multiple people near a busy intersection on Tuesday.\n\nNew South Wales state police said in a statement that a man was arrested, and that a woman was taken to a hospital in stable condition. It was unclear whether the man stabbed anyone else.\n\nA witness told reporters that the man was screaming comments about religion, before yelling to police that he wanted to be shot. Police said he used the Arabic phrase \"Allahu akbar.\"", "SYDNEY (Reuters) - A woman was taken to hospital after she was stabbed in downtown Sydney in what appeared to be an unprovoked attack by a man who has been taken into custody, police said.\n\nThe unidentified man had also tried unsuccessfully to stab other people, police said, in an incident that brought the central business district in Australia’s largest city to a standstill in the early afternoon.\n\n“We have a female person with a stab wound to the back currently being treated by paramedics and is en route to a Sydney hospital,” Police Superintendent Gavin Wood told reporters in Sydney.\n\nHe said the woman’s injuries were not life-threatening.\n\nWood also said the attack appeared to be unprovoked but police were keeping an open mind.\n\nVideo footage on Twitter showed a young man running across a city intersection and jumping onto the hood of a car, waving what appeared to be a knife.\n\nThe man fell to the ground when the car moved and was confronted by a person holding a chair, the video showed.\n\nOther footage showed the man pinned to the ground by several people holding two chairs and a milk crate on top of him.\n\nA woman who answered the phone at a Subway store near the scene told Reuters: “We saw the person with a knife over there bleeding.”\n\n“The cops are here and they blocked the road right now, so we can’t go outside. They said: ‘It’s a crime scene, you can’t come out’,” said the woman, who declined to give her name.\n\nPolice said the man was acting alone.", "A woman was taken to hospital after being stabbed in downtown Sydney on Tuesday in what appeared to be an unprovoked attack by a man who was restrained by members of the public and then taken into custody, police said.The unidentified man had also tried unsuccessfully to stab other people, police said, in an incident that brought the central business district in Australia’s largest city to a standstill in the early afternoon. “We have a female person with a stab wound to the back currently being treated by paramedics and is en route to a Sydney hospital,” Police Superintendent Gavin Wood told reporters in Sydney. He said the woman’s injuries were not life-threatening.\n\nSEE ALSO :Australian counter-terror police make three arrests in Sydney\n\nWood also said the attack appeared to be unprovoked but police were keeping an open mind. Police were also investigating whether the body of a woman found inside an apartment near where the stabbing took place was linked to the incident, a New South Wales state police spokeswoman said. Video images on Twitter showed a young man running across a city intersection and jumping onto the hood of a car, waving what appeared to be a long-bladed knife. The man, who was yelling, fell to the ground when the car moved and was confronted by a person holding a chair, the video showed. It was unclear what the man was calling out. Other footage showed the man pinned to the ground by several people holding two chairs and a milk crate on top of him.\n\nSEE ALSO :Australian police investigate report of armed man in downtown Sydney\n\nAustralian Prime Minister Scott Morrison praised those who stopped the assailant. “The attacker is now in police custody following the brave actions of those who were present at the scene and were able to ... restrain him,” Morrison said. A woman who answered the telephone at a Subway store near the scene told Reuters, “We saw the person with a knife over there bleeding. “The cops are here and they blocked the road right now, so we can’t go outside. They said, ‘It’s a crime scene, you can’t come out,’” said the woman, who declined to give her name. Police said the man was acting alone.\n\nWe are undertaking a survey to help us improve our content for you. This will only take 1 minute of your time, please give us your feedback by clicking HERE. All responses will be confidential.", "Australian police are investigating unconfirmed reports of an armed man in downtown Sydney, a police spokeswoman said on Tuesday, and witnesses reported seeing an injured man carrying a knife.\n\nPolice urged the public to avoid the area around King and Clarence Streets, in the central business district of Australia's largest city, where they were conducting an operation.\n\nPolice gave no further information but Seven News said a man was in custody after arming himself with a knife and running through downtown Sydney.\n\nA woman who answered the phone at a Subway store near the scene told Reuters: \"We saw the person with a knife over there bleeding.\"\n\n\"The cops are here and they blocked the road right now, so we can't go outside. They said: 'It's a crime scene, you can't come out',\" said the woman, who declined to give her name.\n\nThe Sydney Morning Herald said several people had reportedly been stabbed, although there was no confirmation from officials.\n\nA Sky News reporter and other media reports said the man shouted \"shoot me\" at police.\n\nGet Breaking news, live coverage, and Latest News from India and around the world on NDTV.com. Catch all the Live TV action on NDTV 24x7 and NDTV India. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagram for latest news and live news updates."], "summary": "A man in Sydney, Australia, stabs and kills one person and wounds another. The motive of the suspect, who was arrested at the crime scene, is unknown."}
{"document": ["SHANGHAI, Aug 12 (Reuters) - China stocks climbed on Monday, led by gains in consumer and securities shares, after Beijing showed support for its capital markets by relaxing margin financing amid lingering trade worries.\n\n** The CSI300 index rose 1.0% to 3,668.57 at the midday break, while the Shanghai Composite Index gained 0.7% to 2,794.30.\n\n** U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday said he was not ready to make a deal with China and even called a September round of trade talks into question, reviving concerns on financial markets that the bilateral dispute is unlikely to end anytime soon.\n\n** Overall, there are more opportunities than risks in the A-share market despite various external challenges including Sino-U.S. trade war, China Merchants Securities noted in report.\n\n** China's exports maintained positive growth, indicating the impact on the country's exports and manufacturing industry from the ongoing trade spat was not that significant as imagined before, while valuations of A-shares were around historic lows, the brokerage added.\n\n** Financial stocks, particularly securities shares, rallied by the lunch break as the securities watchdog relaxed margin financing rules.\n\n** \"With the new rules released, along with the CSRC's relaxation on asset restructuring and backdoor listings announced in June, we expect more active trading in A-shares, especially for the smaller-cap stocks newly included,\" analysts with Morgan Stanley said in a note.\n\n** Consumer firms also shined, as bellwether Moutai led with a 4.5% gain in the sector after brokerage raised its share target price to 1,200 yuan.\n\n** The Hang Seng index was unchanged at 25,941.79, while the Hong Kong China Enterprises Index gained 0.5%, to 10,046.56.\n\n** Hong Kong's protests are hitting its economy, the city's leader Carrie Lam said on Friday, echoing warnings from business leaders including powerful local property developers.\n\n** Around the region, MSCI's Asia ex-Japan stock index was firmer by 0.02% while Japan's Nikkei index was up 0.44%.\n\n** The yuan was quoted at 7.0624 per U.S. dollar, 0.01% weaker than the previous close of 7.0615.\n\n** The largest percentage gainers in the main Shanghai Composite index were Anhui Golden Seed Winery Co Ltd , up 10%, followed by Flat Glass Group Co Ltd , gaining 10% and Olympic Circuit Technology Co Ltd , up by 9.98%.\n\n** The largest percentage losers in the Shanghai index were Zhejiang Xinneng Photovoltaic Technology Co Ltd, down 7.4%, followed by Chengtun Mining Group Co Ltd, losing 6.72% and Rising Nonferrous Metals Share Co Ltd , down by 5.89%.\n\n** The top gainers among H-shares were China Gas Holdings Ltd, up 3.34%, followed by CITIC Securities Co Ltd , gaining 2.81% and China Shenhua Energy Co Ltd , up by 2.57%.\n\n** The three biggest H-shares percentage decliners were China Resources Beer Holdings Co Ltd, which has fallen 2.04%, PetroChina Co Ltd, which has lost 1.0% and Hengan International Group Company Ltd, down by 0.9%.\n\n** As of 0415 GMT, China's A-shares were trading at a premium of 29.91% to the Hong Kong-listed H-shares.", "Italian fashion house Versace apologized Sunday in China for selling T-shirts that it said attached incorrect country names to cities, after being attacked on social media for challenging China’s territorial integrity.\n\nVersace did not identify the T-shirt in its own post on Weibo, a popular Chinese social media site, but the Global Times newspaper said the item mislabeled Hong Kong and Macao as countries. Both are former European colonies that were returned to China in the late 1990s.\n\nThe apology came after a Chinese actress cut her ties with the company, saying the clothing was suspected of harming China’s sovereignty.\n\nThe studio for Yang Mi, who had been a brand ambassador for Versace, said in a Weibo post that it had sent notice to Versace to terminate their contract. “The motherland’s sovereignty and territorial integrity are sacred and inviolable,” the studio’s statement read in part.\n\nVersace said the shirts had been removed from all sales channels on July 24 and destroyed.\n\n“It’s our company’s negligence and we express deep apology for the impact it caused,” it said on Weibo. “Versace reiterates that we love China and resolutely respect China’s territory and sovereignty.”\n\nVersace is not the first foreign company to face flak over how it describes Hong Kong. China has pressured international airlines and other companies to describe the city as “Hong Kong, China” on their websites, rather than just as “Hong Kong.” Both Hong Kong and Macao are semi-autonomous territories that have separate identities from China in many peoples’ minds.\n\nThe latest flap comes at a sensitive time for China, as protesters in Hong Kong demanding democracy have taken to the streets all summer, motivated in large part by a desire to protect their way of life from interference by the central government in Beijing.", "Protesters in Hong Kong have adopted the popular “Pepe the Frog” meme as one of their symbols of resistance amid ongoing demonstrations against a proposed extradition bill.\n\nThe frog’s familiar face has appeared on signs in various protests calling out violent police crackdowns against demonstrators.\n\nOne meme showing Pepe with an injured eye focused on a police assault which left a first responder blind after being shot with a bean bag round at close range.\n\nDemonstrators appear to have sourced their frog selection from a compilation of “fighting Pepe” memes.\n\nA weeping Pepe also begged police to stop the beatings.\n\nSeveral protesters have called on the United States and President Donald Trump to intervene, with many flying the American flag and singing the national anthem as other symbols emblematic of resistance.\n\nFootage of the unrest Tuesday showed protesters outnumbering police forces, as they attempted to quell demonstrations wearing riot gear and using batons and electric rods as weapons.\n\nProtesters fear the extradition bill could lead to Hong Kong residents and political dissidents being extradited to China and Taiwan to face trial under those juridicitions’ laws.\n\nThe cartoon frog, derived from the Matt Furie comic Boy’s Club, has been a viral meme on social media since 2008, but was re-adapted in 2015 by supporters of President Donald Trump, after which leftist media outlets began claiming the frog was “racist.”", "WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump was assailed Tuesday for his hands-off approach to pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, avoiding criticizing Beijing even as Chinese troops massed on the border to the territory.\n\nCritics on both sides of the political spectrum accused Trump of abandoning longstanding US policy to support democratic movements and giving Beijing a green light to intervene in one of the world's most important financial and trade centers, a semi-autonomous Chinese region.\n\nAs protestors battled police in Hong Kong's airport Tuesday, partially shutting down air traffic, Trump appeared ambivalent, telling journalists the situation was \"very tricky.\"\n\n\"I hope it works out for everybody including China. I hope it works out peacefully, nobody gets hurt, nobody gets killed,\" he said.\n\nShortly afterward, Trump tweeted that US intelligence confirmed that Beijing had sent troops to the Hong Kong border.\n\n\"Everyone should be calm and safe!\" Trump wrote, retweeting a video of People's Liberation Army trucks in the Chinese city of Shenzhen.\n\nBut the US leader had no words in support of the protestors as Hong Kong experiences its largest crisis since the British handover of its former colony to China in 1997.\n\nAfter more than four months of protests, his administration has mainly called for both sides to avoid violence, while denying Beijing's accusations of US interference.\n\n\"Trump favors both sides in Hong Kong protests. Hardly a profile in courage,\" said Nicholas Burns, a former senior US diplomat now at the Harvard University Kennedy School.\n\n\"The only side the US should be on is democratic rights for the people of Hong Kong.\"\n\nThe protests, which began in March and have intensified since then, are against a move by the Hong Kong government to allow the extradition of criminal suspects to China, which opponents view as an incursion into Hong Kong's more transparent justice system.\n\nBut they have come as Chinese President Xi Jinping's and Trump's governments have plunged ever deeper into a wrenching battle over trade that is dragging down the economies of both, with no sign of a resolution.\n\nIn late July Trump praised Xi's approach to the protests, one day after organized triad gangsters attacked protestors, sending 45 to hospitals.\n\n\"China could stop them if they wanted,\" he said.\n\n\"I think President Xi of China has acted responsibly, very responsibly,\" he said.\n\nDays later, he blasted China's trade policies but, regarding the Hong Kong protests, said Beijing \"doesn't need advice.\"\n\n\"That's between Hong Kong and ... China, because Hong Kong is a part of China,\" he said.\n\nThomas Wright, a foreign policy expert at the Brookings Institution, accused Trump of essentially giving Xi \"a green light\" to intervene in the territory.\n\nIn a tweet Wright called it the \"Worst foreign policy decision of his presidency.\"\n\nHis stance on Tuesday contrasted with those of top legislators in Congress.\n\n\"30 years after Tiananmen Square all Americans stand with the peaceful protesters in Hong Kong. These protests highlight the moral authority of their demands for Freedom and Democracy,\" he wrote.\n\nAnother Republican, Marco Rubio, rejected the view that the protests were an \"internal matter\" of China's.\n\n\"Given their history of repression, Chinese troops massed on border is cause for grave concern,\" Rubio wrote.\n\nDemocrats meanwhile more directly attacked Trump for what one, Representative Jim McGovern, called \"dangerous\" language that \"invites miscalculation.\"\n\n\"Warn Beijing of serious consequences if it cracks down on peaceful protesters,\" he told Trump.\n\nSenator Chris Murphy said US support for democracy activists in other countries has long been extremely important.\n\n\"It's also hard to overstate how devastating it is when they risk it all to speak up for these 'American' values, and America is silent,\" he wrote on Twitter.\n\n\"This is not foreign policy,\" he said.", "As demonstrators shut down Hong Kong’s airport on Monday in protest against police brutality, Chinese official said “terrorism” was emerging in the city.\n\nMeanwhile, on the ABC’s Q&A program, the “people’s panellist” guest suggested he shared China’s view, prompting one of the more cautious political discussions ever held on the show.\n\nIt began with the first question, from Drew Pavlou, a University of Queensland student, who said he helped organise pro-Hong Kong protests, and alleged he was assaulted and received death threats. Pavlou asked why no Australian parliamentarian had commented on the violence.\n\n“Is this response a product of the fact that Chinese Communist party has systematically bought the loyalty of key government and non-government institutions in this country?”\n\nNo one really answered the question, but Li Shee Su, a semi-retired IT executive, was the first to respond.\n\nLi said there was a bias in media reporting.\n\n“I will give you a quick example. In Australia, when we catch people with bombs in the garages at homes, what do we call them? Terrorists. Correct. In Hong Kong, when you catch them with bombs and bomb-making material, what do we call them? Pro-democracy protesters.”\n\nHe later accused “another player” – foreign intelligence agencies – of organising the Hong Kong student protesters.\n\nThe two federal politicians on the panel spoke carefully. Labor’s Terri Butler and the Coalition’s Alan Tudge were at pains to say that Australia had a strong tradition of peaceful protest and it also had strong relationship with China.\n\nButler said when violence was conducted in a political context, it could have broader ramifications. Tudge said he was “reticent” to agree with philosopher and author AC Grayling that Chinese intelligence were planted among the UQ protest crowd.\n\nNoting last week’s controversial column by Coalition backbencher Andrew Hastie, the second question also asked about China, specifically if Australia was “turning a blind eye” to China’s actions and increasing international power.\n\nTudge defended Hastie’s right to write a column, which had sparked division among the Coalition with its analogy about the appeasement of Nazi Germany.\n\n“The main message from us as government representatives – he’s a backbencher entitled to put his view there – is we have a strong relationship with China still,” said Tudge.\n\n“China’s growth has absolutely been in our interests … and we want to see the continued peaceful rise of China.”\n\nTudge said millions of people had been brought out of poverty as a result of China’s economic growth and Australia had also benefited, but China was still an authoritarian regime with different values on some issues.\n\nButler agreed Australia had a strong relationship with China, but that didn’t mean Australia had to be reluctant to speak up about problems in the way China conducted its affairs.\n\nButler asked why the prime minister wasn’t being stronger on the issue of Hastie’s column – which she had not read – and “stepping up and dealing with this”.\n\nAustralia’s strong relationship with China was mentioned a few more times by the parliamentarians before Grayling said it couldn’t be passed over that China is one of the worst human rights violators in the world today.\n\n“They are already a regional hegemony and they want to be a world superpower. You might say fair enough, that that’s OK, but look at their record, look at Tibet. They are oppressive. Their human rights record is appalling.\n\n“This isn’t something that can be passed over in saying, well, we have an important relationship with them, we have to stand up and say we don’t like what they are doing, but frankly that isn’t enough. It isn’t fluff to say it.”\n\nThe conversation moved on to the safer topics of the general worth of democracy, Donald Trump, and finally, whether Australia could still be described as a modern liberal democracy since the government was so intent on shutting down transparency, access to information and press freedom, and had no bill of rights.\n\n“To be honest … that’s a ridiculous question. To suggest that Australia is an authoritarian state is just frankly wrong,” said Tudge.\n\n“We’ve got to put things in perspective here because Australia is still a magnificent democracy,” he said.\n\nButler said while it was hyperbolic to say Australia was an authoritarian state, “you must accept that hand in hand with concerns about democratic legitimacy are concerns about incursions of civil liberties”.\n\nHistorian and broadcaster Clare Wright suggested Tudge read the book by former human rights commissioner Gillian Triggs about the erosion of civil liberties. Tudge responded by stating the importance of “national security”.\n\n“I think Australian citizens would be terrified if they actually realised how many of their rights have been eroded in the name of our freedom,” said Wright.\n\nTudge urged people to focus on “how great this country is”, noting Australia was a very popular holiday and migrant destination.", "Why did this happen?\n\nPlease make sure your browser supports JavaScript and cookies and that you are not blocking them from loading. For more information you can review our Terms of Service and Cookie Policy.", "Hong Kong, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 12th Aug, 2019 ) :Hong Kong shares edged down in the first few minutes of Monday after Donald Trump warned he might cancel planned China-US trade talks next month as relations between the two sides sour.\n\n08 percent, or 21.18 points, to 25,918.12 at the open.\n\nBut the benchmark Shanghai Composite Index added 0.26 percent, or 7.23 points, to 2,781.98 and the Shenzhen Composite Index, which tracks stocks on China's second exchange, gained 0.20 percent, or 3.03 points, to 1,482.89.", "Washington, Aug 13: Amid massive protests in Hong Kong, US President Donald Trump has tweeted that China is moving troops to the border with Hong Kong.\n\nTrump said that US intelligence has warned that China is moving troops to the border with Hong Kong, amid intensifying anti-government protests in the semi-autonomous financial hub.\n\n\"Our Intelligence has informed us that the Chinese Government is moving troops to the Border with Hong Kong. Everyone should be calm and safe!\" Trump said in a tweet.\n\nEarlier on Tuesday, Hong Kong's airport authority suspended flights for a second day as protesters staged another rally at the busy international travel hub.\n\nAuthorities announced on Monday afternoon the cancellation of all remaining arriving and departing flights from the airport after more than 5,000 black-clad pro-democracy protesters staged a peaceful rally at the building.\n\nThe protests intensified after a Chinese official said \"terrorism\" was emerging in the city, while in Hong Kong authorities demonstrated water cannon for use in crowd control.\n\nWhy are people in Hong Kong protesting?\n\nThe protests in Hong Kong, which have now intensified into a pro-democracy movement, initially began in June in response to a proposed extradition bill. The bill would have allowed extradition from Hong Kong to mainland China. The proposed extradition bill has now been suspended, but the protests have evolved into a mass political unrest.\n\nHong Kong was under British rule for a long time and is significantly different from other Chinese cities. Hong Kong was handed over to China by the British in 1997 after 99 year lease ended. Hong Kong enjoys a special status under the principal \"one country, two systems\" which China and Britain agreed to just a few years before the island city came under Beijing's rule.\n\nOther than foreign and defence affairs, Hong Kong enjoys a high degree of autonomy. Hong Kong has its own legal system and borders, and rights. People of Hong Kong want more autonomy to choose their leader or the chief executive. Hong Kong has a Legislative Council but all the 70 members of this lawmaking body are not elected by the people.The chief executive is elected by a 1,200-member election committee.\n\nPeople of Hong Kong are demanding democracy as most seats of the Legislative Council that are not directly elected allegedly have pro-China lawmakers.", "China’s Hong Kong Liaison office said on Wednesday that anti-government protesters were no different to “terrorists”, as US president Donald Trump said Chinese troops were moving to the border with Hong Kong and urged calm.\n\nThe Beijing-based Hong Kong and Macau Affairs office on Wednesday said extremely violent crimes must be severely punished in accordance with the law.\n\nThe strongly worded statements by China’s central government follows violent clashes between black clad protesters and riot police at Hong Kong’s international airport, which saw hundreds of flights halted for a second day.\n\nA few dozen protesters remained at the airport on Wednesday while workers scrubbed it clean of blood and debris. Check-in counters reopened to queues of hundreds of weary travellers who had waited overnight for their flights.\n\nTen weeks of increasingly violent clashes between police and pro-democracy protesters, angered by a perceived erosion of freedoms, have plunged the Asian financial hub into its worst crisis since it reverted from British to Chinese rule in 1997.\n\nChina’s Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office said it strongly condemned the “near terrorism criminal actions” in Hong Kong including what it called a violent attack on a mainland Chinese journalist and tourist at the airport.\n\nPolice condemned violent acts by protesters overnight and said a large group had “harassed and assaulted a visitor and a journalist”. Some protesters said they believed one of those men was an undercover Chinese agent, while another was confirmed as a reporter from China’s Global Times newspaper.\n\nFive people were detained in the latest disturbances, police said, bringing the number of those arrested since the protests began in June to more than 600.\n\nThe protests began in opposition to a now-suspended bill that would have allowed the extradition of suspects for trial in mainland China but have swelled into wider calls for democracy.\n\nEmbattled Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam has said the city has been pushed into a state of “panic and chaos”.\n\nDemonstrators say they are fighting the erosion of the “one country, two systems” arrangement that enshrined some autonomy for Hong Kong when it returned to China in 1997.\n\nThe protests represent one of the biggest challenges for Chinese resident Xi Jinping since he came to power in 2012.\n\nIn Washington, US president Donald Trump said the Chinese government was moving troops to the border with Hong Kong and urged calm.\n\nChina’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has a garrison in Hong Kong but has remained in barracks since the protests started in April. However, the PLA garrison has issued a video showing “anti-riot” exercises, and its top brass have warned violence is “absolutely impermissible”.\n\nAs Hong Kong’s political crisis deepens, China denied a request for two US Navy warships to visit Hong Kong in the coming weeks, officials said.\n\nSecurity at Hong Kong airport on Wednesday was stricter than usual with several entrances closed.\n\nHong Kong’s Airport Authority said it had obtained an interim court injunction to stop people from obstructing operations and that protesters could only demonstrate in designated areas.\n\nDicky, a 35-year-old protester at the airport for more than two days, said protesters would obey the injunction.\n\n“We will continue to fight for what we deserve otherwise all of that would have been in vain,” he said, declining to give his full name.\n\nFlag carrier Cathay Pacific Airways published a half-page advertisement in the Hong Kong Economic Journal pledging its support for the government and calling for the resumption of the rule of law and social order.\n\nChina’s aviation regulator demanded last week that Cathay suspend personnel who engaged in or supported protests in Hong Kong from staffing flights into its airspace. The carrier later suspended two pilots.\n\nProperty developers Henderson Land Development, Cheung Kong Holdings and Sun Hung Kai Holdings also took out newspaper advertisement in support of the government on Wednesday.\n\nForward Keys, a flight data company, said the crisis had deterred people from making travel plans to the city, citing a 4.7 per cent fall in long-haul bookings to Hong Kong between June 16th and August 9th compared with the same period last year.\n\nStatements of apology from protesters were displayed in the airport on Wednesday, promising to allow passengers to depart, to assist medical staff to carry out their duties and not to hinder the work of the press.\n\n“We are not afraid of facing the issues directly...only afraid of losing your support to the whole movement due to our mistake, and that you give up on fighting.” –Reuters", "WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that China wants to make a trade deal but it should treat Hong Kong “humanely” first.\n\n“Of course China wants to make a deal. Let them work humanely with Hong Kong first!” Trump said on Twitter. (Reporting by Eric Beech; Editing by David Alexander)"], "summary": "U.S. President Donald Trump tweets that U.S. intelligence informed him that China is moving troops to the border with Hong Kong."}
{"document": ["Brazilian students and teachers are taking part in rallies across the country today (Aug 13) in defense of the autonomy of public universities, and against the reduction in funding for education and the overhaul in the country’s pension system. The demonstrations were called by students’ movements and trade unions.\n\nAccording to the National Confederation of Education Workers (CNTE), marches have been slated in at least 170 cities in all states. The countrywide demonstrations come as a follow-up to the protests staged in May, for the preservation of funds for higher education. The cuts announced by the government, Brazil’s National Students’ Union (UNE) argue, affect not universities, but also school education in all stages.\n\nThe protests, UNE reports, come also in response to the government’s new program Future-se, described by the Education Ministry as a plan to bolster the administrative and financial management of federal universities and institutes by means of a privately-held fund, whose quotas are negotiated at stock exchanges.\n\nIn the view of trade unions and students’ movements, the initiative places tasks under the government’s responsibility in the hands of the market.\n\nTranslation: Fabrício Ferreira Edition: Juliana Andrade / Nira Foster", "Researchers, professors and students protest against measures that seek to privatize education.\n\nBrazil's Justice Minister Sergio Moro ordered his ministry's National Public Security Force (FSNP) to be stationed at the Ministries Square in Brasilia to crack down on student protests scheduled for Tuesday.\n\nThe National Student Union (UNE) called on the Brazilian population to join a national strike on Tuesday to reject the far-right President Jair Bolsonaro and his policies against education and social security.\n\nDubbed by organizers as \"the Tsunami of Education,\" this student protest happens at a time when women representatives from more than 100 Amazonian indigenous peoples are also protesting at the Ministries Square against the dismantling of institutions, laws and policies related to health, environment and human rights.\n\nMoro argues that the deployment of the security forces was meant to \"preserve public order and security of the people\" according to media outlet Brazil 247 which warned that \"the last time the FSNP was deployed, the scene was of violence and repression.”\n\nControlled by the Justice Ministry, this special militarized police may take action anywhere within the country if the authorities consider that \"exceptional circumstances\" exist.\n\nAs part of Tuesday's mobilizations, the \"Democracy Committees\" are demanding the release of former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who remains in prison over corruption allegations that legal experts and leaks have revealed were politically motivated to prevent him from standing in last year's presidential elections.\n\n#ENVIDEO ��| Denunciaron también el desmantelamiento de la seguridad social que está materializando el Congreso Nacional | https://t.co/tqMKHfl0b4#TsunamiDaEducacao pic.twitter.com/yWT4Qw0ulA — teleSUR TV (@teleSURtv) August 13, 2019\n\nStudents and workers of #Brazil they go back to the streets to march against the policies of\n\n@jairbolsonaro that have seriously affected the education sector, and the right to retirement.\n\nOne of the Bolsonaro's measures that has brought about more citizens' outrage is \"Join the Future\" (FS), a program which was announced by the Education Ministry in July.\n\nOfficially speaking, the FS initiative aims to attract private investments and organize participation inside public universities.\n\nHowever, activists and education workers say its real purpose is to privatize educational services and limit the autonomy of university workers, researchers, professors and students.\n\n\"The 'Join the Future' program means 'cut first, privatize later',\" the UNE said and recalled that budget cuts in education are attacks on young people's life choices.\n\nteleSUR\n\nMeanwhile, Guilherme Boulos, the former presidential candidate of the Socialism and Freedom Party (PSOL), recalled that the far-right government has already directly attacked education for the poorest.\n\n\"Paulo Freire created a worldwide-recognized method of literacy. The Education Ministry, which does not tire of attacking it, has already cut US$88 million in books for basic education,\" Boulos said and pointed out that such actions are \"the true face of the Bolsonaro's administration.\"\n\nWorkers' Party (PT) president Gleisi Hoffmann stressed that neoliberal policies affect even the most basic conditions of the functioning of universities.\n\n\"Universities are going to stop working if they don't have money to pay for water and electricity,\" she said and asked, \"how far will Jair Bolsonaro's contempt for education go?\"\n\nAccording to local media reports, demonstrations to support public education have been successfully carried out in more than 150 cities in Brazil. No incidents have been recorded until noon.\n\n", "A teacher covers her mouth with a sticker that reads in Portuguese \"Bolsonaro out!\" in reference to Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro, during a national strike against cuts in the education budget, in Brasilia, Brazil, Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2019. Union leaders have called for a strike in the education sector, to denounce the government’s budget freeze for public higher education and plans to open federal universities to private investment. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)\n\nRIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Thousands of students and teachers have protested federal cuts in education spending in gatherings across Brazil.\n\nUnion leaders called for a strike Tuesday in the education sector, denouncing funding cuts from elementary schools to higher public education and plans to open federal universities to private investment.\n\nThe government says it is implementing the cuts across the board and in an equal way.\n\nOnline news portal G1 registered events in 72 cities Tuesday but the turnout did not match the huge crowds that joined in similar protests in May.\n\nThe latest cuts of 348 million reals (about $87 million) happened in July, targeting school textbooks.\n\nThe education ministry had already announced earlier this year a 30% cut to university funding and blocked all forthcoming scholarships for master's and doctoral students.", "Thousands of students and teachers have protested across Brazil against President Jair Bolsonaro's federal cuts in education spending.\n\nUnion leaders called for a strike on Tuesday in the education sector, denouncing funding cuts from elementary schools to higher public education and plans to open federal universities to private investment.\n\nThe government said it is implementing the cuts across the board and in an equal way.\n\nIn Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, hundreds of protesters took to the streets denouncing the cutbacks.\n\nDemonstrators carried banners reading, \"Bolsonaro, enemy of education\" and chanting, \"Come, come to the street against the cuts.\"\n\n\"Education is the future of our country so I think it is important to come here and protest to send the message to the government that the students are in the street, the teachers are in the street and the workers are in the street,\" university student Eduardo de Oliveira Santos, 23, said.\n\nAlice Matos de Pina, a doctoral student at Rio de Janeiro's Federal University, said he wants the government of Bolsonaro to know that the budget cut is unpopular.\n\n\"I think the strategy and our goal is to make the people and the workers understand that it is in their interests to defend a public university and not a university that meets the needs of the market,\" he said.\n\nOnline news portal G1 registered events in 72 cities on Tuesday, but the turnout did not match the huge crowds that joined in similar protests in May.\n\nThe latest cuts of $87m happened in July, targeting school textbooks.\n\nThe Ministry of Education had already announced earlier this year a 30 percent cut to university funding and blocked all forthcoming scholarships for master's and doctoral students.", "RIO DE JANEIRO - Thousands of students and teachers have protested federal cuts in education spending in gatherings across Brazil.\n\nUnion leaders called for a strike Tuesday in the education sector, denouncing funding cuts from elementary schools to higher public education and plans to open federal universities to private investment.\n\nThe government says it is implementing the cuts across the board and in an equal way. \n\n \n\n Online news portal G1 registered events in 72 cities Tuesday, but the turnout did not match the huge crowds that joined in similar protests in May.\n\nThe latest cuts of 348 million reals (about $87 million) happened in July, targeting school textbooks. \n\n \n\n The education ministry had already announced earlier this year a 30% cut to university funding and blocked all forthcoming scholarships for master's and doctoral students.", "RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Thousands of students and teachers have protested federal cuts in education spending in gatherings across Brazil.\n\nUnion leaders called for a strike Tuesday in the education sector, denouncing funding cuts from elementary schools to higher public education and plans to open federal universities to private investment.\n\nThe government says it is implementing the cuts across the board and in an equal way.\n\nOnline news portal G1 registered events in 72 cities Tuesday but the turnout did not match the huge crowds that joined in similar protests in May.", "RIO DE JANEIRO - Thousands of students and teachers have protested federal cuts in education spending in gatherings across Brazil.\n\nUnion leaders called for a strike Tuesday in the education sector, denouncing funding cuts from elementary schools to higher public education and plans to open federal universities to private investment.\n\nThe government says it is implementing the cuts across the board and in an equal way.\n\nOnline news portal G1 registered events in 72 cities Tuesday but the turnout did not match the huge crowds that joined in similar protests in May.\n\nThe latest cuts of 348 million reals (about $87 million) happened in July, targeting school textbooks.\n\nThe education ministry had already announced earlier this year a 30% cut to university funding and blocked all forthcoming scholarships for master’s and doctoral students.\n\nGet more of the Star in your inbox Never miss the latest news from the Star. Sign up for our newsletters to get today's top stories, your favourite columnists and lots more in your inbox Sign Up Now", "Ghostwriters, forgery and ‘gifts’: the short cuts Chinese students take to get into foreign universities"], "summary": "Hundreds of thousands of students, schoolteachers and university professors hold demonstrations across Brazil against sweeping cuts in the education budget. Protestors also voice opposition to the government's plan to delegate the administrative and financial management of federal universities and institutes to a privately-held fund."}
{"document": ["Hundreds of indigenous women occupied a building of Brazil's health ministry in the capital, Brasília, on Monday to protest against the policies of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.\n\nImage copyright Reuters\n\nThe group of some 300 protesters demanded better healthcare for indigenous people, especially women, and condemned proposed changes to how these services are delivered.\n\nThe Bolsonaro government wants to make towns and cities responsible for providing medical services to indigenous people, and community leaders fear local authorities lack the infrastructure and specialised units required.\n\nThe federal government is currently in charge of healthcare, and indigenous communities are visited by specially trained professionals.\n\nImage copyright AFP\n\nThe protesters, who are in the city for the first March of Indigenous Women, sang and danced inside and outside the building of the Special Secretariat of Indigenous Health, known as Sesai.\n\n\"We've been left abandoned. They treat indigenous people like animals,\" 43-year-old Teresa Cristina Kezonazokere told Correio Braziliense newspaper (in Portuguese).\n\nThe demonstration ended almost 10 hours later, when Health Minister Luiz Henrique Mandetta said he would talk to some of their leaders. There were no reports of violence.\n\nImage copyright Reuters\n\nOrganisers say the event in Brasília aims to highlight the role of women in indigenous communities. On Wednesday, some 1,500 indigenous women from 110 ethnic groups are expected to join a protest to defend rights they say are under threat under Mr Bolsonaro.\n\n\"We don't have to accept the destruction of our rights,\" said indigenous leader Sônia Guajajara.\n\nImage copyright Reuters\n\nThe president has promised to integrate indigenous people into the rest of the population and repeatedly questioned the existence of their protected reserves, which are rights guaranteed in the country's constitution.\n\nMr Bolsonaro, who supports policies that favour development over conservation, says the indigenous territories are too big in relation to the number of people who live there and has promised to open some of them to agriculture and mining.\n\nImage copyright EPA\n\nMore than 800,000 indigenous people live in 450 demarcated indigenous territories across Brazil - which cover about 12% of land. Most are located in the Amazon region and some people live totally isolated.\n\nCritics say Mr Bolsonaro's positions have encouraged illegal mining and invasions of reserves. Last month, an indigenous leader was stabbed to death, reportedly by heavily armed gold miners who had invaded a remote indigenous territory.\n\nImage copyright EPA\n\nMeanwhile, deforestation in the Amazon, the world's largest tropical rainforest, soared more than 88% in June compared with the same month a year ago, according to data from Brazil's National Space Research Institute, Inpe.\n\nBut Mr Bolsonaro, who took office in January, has accused the institute of lying about the scale of the deforestation, and earlier this month sacked its head, Ricardo Galvão.\n\nThe president and his ministers have also criticised the country's indigenous rights agency, Funai, and its environmental protection body, Ibama.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The Uru-Eu-Wau-Wau are among groups that say Brazil's president wants to allow deforestation in protected areas.\n\nAll pictures subject to copyright.", "By occupying the building, the women reaffirmed \"the position of our peoples against any prospect of municipalization or privatization of indigenous healthcare.\"\n\nApproximately 1,500 women from 113 Indigenous tribes of Brazil occupied the headquarters of the Special Secretariat of Indigenous Health (Sesai) Monday in the country’s capital Brasilia in defense of the differentiated healthcare subsystem of Indigenous peoples.\n\n\"We are here representing those who have not yet come to say that we will never accept any imposition of the destructive agenda of Bolsonaro’s government,\" Indigenous leader Sonia Guajajara said.\n\nIn a statement released after the occupation, which takes place in the midst of the activities of the first March of Indigenous Women, they expressed repudiation “of Bolsonaro government's purpose of dismantling all social institutions and policies that concern us.”\n\nThe document, signed by the Brazilian Indigenous Peoples Association, denounces Provisional Measure (MP) 890, issued by far-right President Jair Bolsonaro to create the Doctors for Brazil Program, replacing the Cuban-Brazilian initiative More Doctors Program.\n\nAs well as the proposal to institute the Agency for the Development of Primary Health Care (ADAPS), which, for indigenous women, seeks to “open primary care as a market for the private sector,” in a bid to take free differentiated healthcare away from the Indigenous subsystem.\n\nBy protesting and occupying the Sesai’s building in Brasilia, the women reaffirmed \"the position of our peoples against any prospect of municipalization or privatization of indigenous healthcare.\"\n\nMulheres indígenas ocupam o Ministério da Saúde! A luta é em defesa do subsistema de saúde indígena. Atividade faz parte da 1ª Marcha das Mulheres Indígenas em Brasília. Vídeo: Kamikia Kisedje #marchadasmulheresindigenas #nenhumagotaamais pic.twitter.com/mptAru5FoI — Cimi (@ciminacional) August 12, 2019\n\nIndigenous women occupy the Ministry of Health. Thus begins the week with the 1st March of Indigenous Women in Brasilia.\n\nOn March 26, in a similar manner, Indigenous people occupied the building of the Ministry of Health in Curitiba, joining other protests in Bahia, Porto Velho, Brasilia, and all over the country. With their banners raised, hundreds of demonstrators emphatically called for “more health, more rights, and more respect.”\n\n“The Indigenous health subsystem is a conquest of ours, it has to do with our struggle. It does not belong to a party or certain politics, as it was built by us,\" Guarani Indigenous leader, Eloi Jacinto, told Brazil de Fato back in March.\n\nThe Special Secretariat for Indigenous Health is responsible for coordinating and implementing the National Policy on Health Care for Indigenous Peoples. Its mission is to implement a decentralized care model within the 34 Special Indigenous Health Districts.\n\nAccording to the last census (2010) done by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, approximately 817,000 Brazilians classified themselves as Indigenous, occupy 12.6% of the national territory, and speak 274 different languages. It is for this, and to break down the cultural and linguistic barrier, the Sesai created the figure of Indigenous health agents, people from the community who link ancestral health and the state system.\n\nThe Federal Government proposes to close down the Sesai and municipalize these services and Indigenous healthcare. “The municipalization will damage our health because they are not able to support the Indigenous health subsystem”, argued Jacinto.\n\nThis proposal aligns with the path of the anti-Indigenous policies that Brazil is embarking on as part of its current neoliberal and far-right government.", "UNITED NATIONS, Aug 12 2019 (IPS) - Being fluent in a world language is a desirable skill in modern day society. However, some languages are suffering and in danger of extinction — namely those of the indigenous peoples.\n\n“There are between 6,000 and 7,000 world languages in the world today,” Brian Keane, rapporteur of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues said in his keynote speech last week, revealing that half of them are expected to go extinct by 2100. As a result, more than 50% of the worlds indigenous peoples are in danger of losing their language.\n\n“You can’t preserve or protect or revitalize indigenous languages in a vacuum- they’re related to all of the other rights of indigenous peoples, principally the right to self-determination,” Keane told IPS, adding that the Permanent Forum tries to highlight all of these rights, citing several branches to assist indigenous rights.\n\nAsked what role the Forum will play, he said: “Our role is trying to move countries forward when implementing rights and outlining declarations.” Keane said, stressing that only when indigenous peoples are able to practice self-determination, and be able to live on their ancestral territories, “can we truly protect the languages”.\n\nThe annual commemoration of World Indigenous Peoples Day took place August 9 and was organized by the Indigenous Peoples and Development Branch of the Secretariat of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. The event featured two panels, guest speakers, and performances.\n\nToday, there are about 370 million indigenous peoples worldwide, making up about 5% of the population. However, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has predicted that, by the end of this century, between 50-90% of indigenous languages will perish.\n\nIndigenous language is fading as a result of land seizures, forced assimilation, conflicts, climate change, development projects, and a critical gap of the language being passed on to the next generation, attributed to a sense of fear or shame.\n\nIt has been noted that at least one indigenous language has been dying every 2 weeks and will continue to do so, if action is not taken.\n\nIt is an issue so concerning that it is reaching all corners of the world.\n\nThere are between 6,000 and 7,000 world languages in the world today, half of them are expected to go extinct by 2100. As a result, more than 50% of the worlds indigenous peoples are in danger of losing their language\n\n \n\n Brian Keane, rapporteur of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues\n\n \n\n\n\n“We need to create reading materials, compile tales, stories and myths from the indigenous peoples.” María Fernanda Espinosa Garcés, President of the UN General Assembly declared, adding that languages are alive “as long as we speak them”.\n\n“With every language that disappears, the world loses a wealth of traditional knowledge and cultural heritage.” UN Secretary General António Guterres declared in an official statement, adding that education has a pivotal role to play in ensuring that indigenous peoples can enjoy and preserve their culture and identity, and that intercultural and multi-lingual education will be necessary to prevent irreparable loss.\n\nJustin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada concluded in his official statement: “On behalf of the Government of Canada, I encourage everyone to learn more about the cultures and languages of Indigenous peoples, here in Canada and around the world,”\n\nHowever, there are several initiatives in place to help foster indigenous language, such as the use of digital technology.\n\n“Over the last 5 or 6 years we’ve really seen a boom in seeing indigenous languages online,” Eddie Avila, Director of Rising Voices said in his keynote speech, highlighting Wikipedia, emoticons, and users tweeting on Twitter in their native tongue.\n\n“It’s really a message of do it yourself,” he added, but pointed out that it is ultimately the young people behind the tools who are critical, as well as academic researchers and policymakers.\n\nAvila described designated spaces for young indigenous peoples to gather and engage in discussions.\n\n“I think the non- indigenous youth can kind of encourage their classmates and other friends who may speak an indigenous language that it is okay to be multilingual, bilingual” Avila told IPS.\n\nHe said things are slowly changing compared to the past where there was a sense of shame to speak an indigenous language. He also stressed the importance of celebrating those differences but also recognizing the value of maintaining those roots.\n\nHe went on to note that in a city like New York, it is very easy to see the diversity and celebrate that, but added it is not always that way around the world, again tracing back to the importance of using language online, such as Duolingo and social media.\n\n“And I think Rising Voices, we’re trying to support communities of indigenous languages, and we want to leverage technology to encourage new speakers, to promote the language, and to show that it is very functional on something as modern as the Internet, Avila declared.", "KPMG has just carved out a larger piece of the indigenous consultancy market in Australia.\n\nThe big four accountancy and advisory group today announced the acquisition of the specialist indigenous consultancy, Arrilla. The size of the deal wasn’t made public.\n\nIt’s also taken a 49% stake in Arrilla’s digital indigenous cultural competency training venture, and committed to reinvesting a portion of profits from the joint venture into a range of initiatives, including an indigenous business incubator.\n\n“We believe indigenous economic empowerment must be built through entrepreneurial activity and employment — and that’s exactly what you’re seeing from KPMG today,” says Peter Nash, chairman of KPMG Australia.\n\n“This expansion is driven by a social purpose, and very deliberately conceived to bring together Indigenous expertise with KPMG specialists to provide tangible outcomes focused on economic development.”\n\nThe deal marks the twelfth acquisition by KPMG in Australia over two years. Investments include social media risk consultancy SR7, First Point Global cyber security business and human rights and social impact consultancy, Banarra.\n\nKPMG’s new indigenous advisory practice, KPMG Arrilla Indigenous Services, will be co-led by the current head of corporate citizenship, Catherine Hunter, and Shelley Reys, the principal of Arrilla.\n\nShelley Reys has 22 years of experience in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander landscape. She was the inaugural co-chair of Reconciliation Australia.\n\n“The indigenous business incubator that we plan to establish is a key point of difference in the market and an important aspect for me,” she says.\n\n“This unique relationship with KPMG offers a platform from which to deliver something that I’m passionate about — the creation of a culturally competent Australia.”\n\nKPMG Arrilla Indigenous Services will also support companies wanting to make an impact in the indigenous space, better connecting indigenous enterprises with corporate and public sector Australia.\n\nOther specialist services include framing indigenous policy and programs, building indigenous business capability and supporting reconciliation action plans.\n\nKPMG Australia was the first major accounting firm to launch a reconciliation action plan in 2009.", "The murder of two 'guards' on Saturday attests to the dramatic situation that indigenous communities live daily.\n\nThe Regional Indigenous Council of Cauca (CRIC) condemned the death of two Indigenous leaders on the hands of irregular groups linked to drug trafficking and declared an emergency situation in the Cauca Valley due to the inability of the Colombian state to protect the lives of social leaders and human rights defenders.\n\n\"We will not be intimidated by the voices of death and we will defend life until the end, whatever the cost may be,\" the CRIC said and called attention to \"the persistence and increase of violent acts with high rates of robberies, attacks, murders, threats, disappearances, and forced recruitment of young people\" in its territory.\n\nSo far this year, illegal armed groups have killed 36 members of Nasa, an Indigenous people whose communities are dispersed across the departments of Valle del Cauca, Tolima, Putumayo, Huila, Caqueta and Meta. Those groups have also attacked eight Indigenous leaders and threatened 53 more with death.\n\n\"The Colombian state's responses to this situation is insufficient,\" the CRIC explained and recalled that the right-wing President Ivan Duque has not yet agreed to maintain a dialogue with the Indigenous peoples.\n\nThe CRIC statement was released just a few days after two Indigenous guards, Kevin Ademir, 23, and Eugenio Tenorio, 46, were killed on Aug. 10.\n\n\"Today we express our solidarity and accompany the Indigenous peoples in their courage and dignity, particularly to the Nasa brothers in Caloto, in the Cauca Valley. Let's defend peace.\" The meme reads, \"Indigenous peoples, Force!. 97 members of the Indigenous communities were killed over the last year. Six murders and 30 attacks were recorded in the last month.\"\n\nBetween November 2016 and July 2019, at least 627 social leaders and human rights defenders were killed, according to the Institute for Development and Peace (Indepaz). Meanwhile, 138 ex-guerrilla fighters were also killed by paramilitary forces in the same period.\n\nOn Aug. 10, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights expressed its \"deep concern over repeated attacks\" against the Nasa indigenous people in the Cauca Valley.\n\nAlso, the Catholic Church on Tuesday called on Colombian public institutions to design effective and coordinated plans against those responsible for the murder and threats to Indigenous communities.", "Extinction Rebellion activists have splattered red paint and sprayed messages on the Brazilian embassy in London in a protest over the rights of indigenous people.\n\nThe protests by “the Snowflakes” affinity group blockaded the embassy, spray-painting messages and dousing the building in red paint to symbolise indigenous people they say have been killed in Brazil.\n\nThey were joined by other activists taking part in a separate vigil for murdered environmental campaigners.\n\nIt is part of international action targeting Brazilian embassies around the world, which is taking place at the same time as indigenous women are marching on Brasilia demanding recognition of their rights.\n\nIndigenous groups in Brazil warn that conditions have worsened for them and their environment since President Jair Bolsonaro came to power, with critics saying his regime is allowing environmental destruction by miners and agribusiness.\n\nAmazon deforestation rates have risen significantly, according to recent reports, adding carbon emissions to the atmosphere which drive climate change and destroying important wildlife habitats.\n\nSian Vaughan, 54, a retired primary school headteacher from Pembrokeshire, who took part in the action in London, said: “We need everyone to know what’s going on in Brazil, and to tell the UK Government to act.\n\n“If we close our eyes to the criminal destruction taking place, our children will pay the price. The climate crisis is global.”", "Groups of indigenous and farm women were received this Tuesday by the Brazilian legislature, where both repeated their criticism of the Jair Bolsonaro government and demanded policies favoring gender equality of a president often called a machista.\n\nThe women were received in the Lower House after a march of some 3,000 people and in which indigenous and country women were backed by students and university professors who criticized recent cutbacks in public education budgets.", "Hundreds of women from different indigenous communities launched a day of protests in Brasilia this Monday demanding that the administration of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro provide better healthcare in their territories, which they consider threatened by current government policies.\n\nThe Indigenous Women's March began with a gathering in front of the Health Ministry, whose entrance was blocked for a couple of hours by dozens of police due to the authorities' fear of disturbances, though no violence occurred.", "Members of the indigenous guard are not armed but carry a staff adorned with the red and green colours of the Nasa group\n\nMembers of the indigenous Nasa group in Colombia have laid to rest two of their members who were killed on Saturday. The two were shot dead when gunmen opened fire on the bus they were travelling in to a local fair.\n\nThey were the latest indigenous activists to be targeted among a resurgence of violence by dissident rebel groups and paramilitaries.\n\nThirty-six members of the Nasa group have been killed so far this year, a steep rise from previous years.\n\nThe two men killed belonged to the Nasa indigenous guard, a volunteer group tasked with protecting the ethnic group.\n\nMembership is voluntary and unpaid and the Nasa say it resembles less a police force and is more a group of mediators\n\n\n\nA group of them were travelling by bus from the town of Caloto to Toribío in south-western Colombia to attend a coffee fair when they came under fire.\n\nKevin Mestizo, 23, and Eugenio Tenorio, 46, were killed and five other people, including a seven-year-old boy, were injured in the attack.\n\nColombian Interior Minister Nancy Gutierrez said a dissident group of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) was behind the attack.\n\nThe Farc rebel group signed a peace agreement with the government in 2016 and ordered its fighters to lay down arms.\n\nNot all the Farc rebels agreed with their leadership’s strategy though and some broke away to continue fighting the state and engaging in criminal activities, such as drug trafficking and extortion.\n\nColombian military intelligence reports estimate the dissidents to number between 1,750 and 3,000.\n\nAs the dissident rebels try to expand the territory they control they increasingly clash with the indigenous guard protecting it.\n\nThe National Indigenous Organisation of Colombia (Onic) says that they have received reports of 57 attacks on indigenous groups between 1 July and 10 August.\n\nOnic also said that it had received two threatening messages. One claimed to be from the Sinaloa cartel, a powerful international drug cartel based in Mexico which smuggles huge quantities of cocaine from Colombia through Central America to the US and beyond.\n\nThe second, from another group calling itself “district twelve”, threatened to carry out “social cleansing” in indigenous villages in south-western Cauca province.\n\nLocals have also reported finding leaflets warning them not to interfere with the drugs trade.\n\nThe United Nations has urged the Colombian government to do more to protect its indigenous people.", "The Government of Canada announces funding to Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug First Nation\n\nKITCHENUHMAYKOOSIB INNINUWUG FIRST NATION, ON, Aug. 13, 2019 /CNW/ - The Honourable Robert Nault, Member of Parliament (Kenora), today announced $133,886 in funding for a Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug First Nation digital documentary series. He made the announcement on behalf of the Honourable Pablo Rodriguez, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Multiculturalism.\n\nThe First Nation will partner with professional filmmakers to produce an Oji-Cree language mini-documentary series. Each episode of the series, KI Talking Circle Series, will focus on a different aspect of how climate change is impacting their remote, northern community. The programming will be broadcast online through IsumaTV.\n\nThe funding is being provided under the Northern Aboriginal Broadcasting component of the Aboriginal Peoples' Program.\n\n\"We are proud to support the revitalization of Canada's Indigenous languages through our historic Indigenous Languages Act, and through funding programs that invest in projects that promote learning, teaching and sharing of traditional languages. We are taking concrete measures to create opportunities for Indigenous languages to survive and flourish in the communities where they are spoken, by the people who speak them.\"\n\n\"The Indigenous communities in northern Ontario are rich with language and culture, and it is important that their stories and realities are shared beyond the area. I am very pleased that our government is making a significant investment in Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug First Nation to preserve and protect their language and culture.\"\n\n\"For 10 months of the year, the daily flights on Wasaya Airlines are Big Trout Lake's (Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug) only connection to the outside world. In the winter, for two or three months depending on the weather, there's an ice road—but that's a nine-hour journey south just to reach the main highway at Pickle Lake. Living in a remote community, boredom is a big issue for our youth. Mamow means 'together' in the Oji-Cree language. We welcome this funding from Canadian Heritage for the opportunity to develop the KI Talking Circle Series, a set of four short documentaries in our local Oji-Cree dialect. Youth will be active in the process of creating the local stories and filming Mamow together with media professionals. Thank you to Northern Aboriginal Broadcasting for supporting this important Indigenous language and culture programming.\"\n\nThe Northern Aboriginal Broadcasting component of the Aboriginal Peoples' Program supports Indigenous broadcasting societies to produce and distribute radio and television programming in the North. The objectives are to:\n• ensure availability of a significant amount of radio and television programming;\n• contribute to the preservation and promotion of Indigenous languages and cultures; and\n• provide venues to articulate issues of relevance to Indigenous audiences and communities.\n\nApplicants must be non-profit, democratically controlled, Indigenous organizations or working with Indigenous organizations that provide broadcast communications north of the 55th parallel (\"Hamelin Line\").\n\nFor further information: (media only), please contact: Simon Ross, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Multiculturalism, 819-997-7788; Media Relations, Canadian Heritage, 819-994-9101, 1-866-569-6155, pch.media-media.pch@canada.ca"], "summary": "Earlier in the day, over a thousand Indigenous Brazilian women, representing over 100 ethnic groups, march on Brasília after an overnight occupation of the headquarters of the Ministry of Health's Special Secretariat of Indigenous Health. Protestors chanted against the government's recent attempts at municipalization and privatization of the Indigenous health subsystem, and called for stricter environmental regulations."}
{"document": ["Image copyright AFP Image caption Rebel fighters posed for pictures with wreckage from the warplane\n\nA Syrian government warplane has been shot down during fighting in the rebel-held northern province of Idlib.\n\nIt happened near the town of Khan Sheikhoun, which is being targeted in a Russian-backed government offensive.\n\nSyrian state news agency Sana said that the warplane was hit by an anti-aircraft missile fired by militants.\n\nJihadist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) has claimed responsibility and released footage purportedly showing the captured pilot.\n\nHTS, the dominant faction in Idlib, did not say how it brought down the Russian-made Sukhoi warplane on Wednesday.\n\nIn a video published by its media arm Iba on Thursday, a man identifies himself as \"Lieutenant Colonel Muhammad Ahmad Sulayman from the 70th Brigade\".\n\n\"My plane was shot down by mujahideen while I was carrying out my mission east of Khan Sheikhoun. I am currently with mujahideen,\" he says, referring to the jihadist group.\n\nThe Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitoring group, had earlier reported that the pilot had been captured by HTS militants.\n\nSana quoted a military source as saying that the pilot's fate was unknown.\n\nThe government has stepped up its offensive in the region in recent months. Hundreds of civilians have been killed, and hundreds of thousands more driven from their homes.\n\nSyria's government, backed by Russia, is trying to recapture the region from rebels and jihadists.\n\nKhan Sheikhoun, which was hit by a Sarin gas attack in 2017, is a strategically important town in the south of the province.\n\nGovernment forces said they had seized new ground on Wednesday, advancing to within a few kilometres of Khan Sheikhoun, which has been controlled by rebels since 2014.\n\nA rebel commander told Reuters news agency that the town was in \"great danger\".\n\nImage copyright AFP Image caption The plane left a large crater after being shot down near Khan Sheikhoun\n\nIdlib, northern Hama and western Aleppo province make up the last opposition stronghold in Syria after eight years of civil war.\n\nThey are supposedly covered by a truce brokered in September by Russia and opposition-backer Turkey that spared the 2.7 million civilians living there from a major government offensive.\n\nCivilian areas have been hit frequently since the Syrian government and Russia intensified their attacks earlier this year in response to what they said were repeated truce violations by jihadists linked to al-Qaeda, who dominate the region.", "BEIRUT: Jihadists on Wednesday downed a regime plane flying over northwest Syria as it took part in a deadly military campaign against the region and took the pilot prisoner, a monitor said.\n\nThe warplane was shot down near the jihadist-held town of Khan Sheikhun in the south of Idlib province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. \"The pilot has been taken prisoner\" and is in the hands of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham jihadist group running the Idlib region, Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said.\n\nThe Britain-based monitor said that it was the first such downing of a regime plane since the aerial campaign of the jihadist-run bastion began in late April. Since then the regime and its Russian ally have upped their bombardment of the Idlib region, killing 820 civilians and causing hundreds of thousands to flee.\n\nRegime forces have now advanced to within a few kilometres (miles) of Khan Sheikhun, a strategic town which lies on a key highway. Eight years into Syria’s civil war, the Idlib region is the last major stronghold of opposition to President Bashar al-Assad’s regime. The HTS alliance, which is led by Syria’s former al-Qaeda affiliate, has been in charge of that region since the start of the year.", "KHAN SHEIKHUN, Syria: Jihadists on Wednesday downed a regime plane flying over northwest Syria as it took part in a deadly campaign that has seen loyalists inch forward against their opponents, a monitor said.\n\nAn AFP correspondent saw smoke rising in the south of Idlib province above the debris of the plane, with its wing bearing the Syrian flag. After eight years of civil war in Syria, the Idlib region—controlled by Syria’s former Al-Qaeda affiliate—is the last major stronghold of opposition to President Bashar al-Assad’s regime.\n\nRegime and Russian air strikes, as well as rocket fire, have pounded Idlib for more than three months, killing hundreds and displacing 400,000 people. Over the past week, pro-Assad fighters have nibbled away at the southern edges of Idlib and on Wednesday they stood just kilometres away from a key jihadist-held town.\n\nThe Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Wednesday´s downing of the plane was the first such incident since late April. “The pilot has been taken prisoner” and is in the hands of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) jihadist group running the Idlib region, Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said.\n\nHTS and the correspondent said the Russian-made war plane was downed near the town of Al-Tamanaa. The crash site lies east of the near-deserted town of Khan Sheikhun, which lies on a key highway coveted by the regime.\n\nThe road in question runs through Idlib, connecting government-held Damascus with the northern city of Aleppo, which was retaken by loyalists from rebels in December 2016.", "Jihadists Wednesday downed a regime plane flying over northwest Syria as it took part in a deadly campaign that has seen loyalists inch forward against their opponents, a monitor said.\n\nAn AFP correspondent saw smoke rising in the south of Idlib province above the debris of the plane, with its wing bearing the Syrian flag.\n\nAfter eight years of civil war in Syria, the Idlib region -- controlled by Syria's former Al-Qaeda affiliate -- is the last major stronghold of opposition to President Bashar al-Assad's regime.\n\nRegime and Russian air strikes, as well as rocket fire, have pounded Idlib for more than three months, killing hundreds and displacing 400,000 people.\n\nOver the past week, pro-Assad fighters have nibbled away at the southern edges of Idlib and on Wednesday they stood just kilometres away from a key jihadist-held town.\n\nThe Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Wednesday's downing of the plane was the first such incident since late April.\n\n\"The pilot has been taken prisoner\" and is in the hands of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) jihadist group running the Idlib region, Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said.\n\nHTS and the correspondent said the Russian-made war plane was downed near the town of Al-Tamanaa.\n\nThe crash site lies east of the near-deserted town of Khan Sheikhun, which lies on a key highway coveted by the regime.\n\nThe road in question runs through Idlib, connecting government-held Damascus with the northern city of Aleppo, which was retaken by loyalists from rebels in December 2016.\n\n\"Regime forces are now four kilometres (2.5 miles) from Khan Sheikhun to the west, with nothing between them and it but fields,\" Abdel Rahman said earlier on Wednesday.\n\nTo the east, pro-Assad fighters are battling to control a hill just six kilometres (less than four miles) from the town, he said.\n\nAlso on Wednesday, Russian air strikes killed four civilians near the town of Maaret Hurma in the south of Idlib province, according to the Observatory, which relies on sources inside Syria for its information.\n\nThey included a paramedic, an ambulance driver, and a rescue worker, it said.\n\nClashes on Wednesday killed 16 regime forces, as well as 24 jihadists and seven allied rebels, the Observatory said.\n\nAFP correspondents have reported seeing dozens of families flee fighting over the past few days, heading north in trucks stacked high with belongings.\n\nOn the highway not far from the Turkish border on Wednesday, a family was driving north in their pick-up truck.\n\n\"We left our sheep, we left our homes, and we fled,\" said Abu Ahmad, 55, behind the wheel on the road near the town of Sarmada.\n\nSitting beside him, his wife Umm Ahmad said they had left farmland full of grapes and figs behind near the town of Maaret al-Noman.\n\nA buffer zone deal brokered by Russia and Turkey last year was supposed to protect the Idlib region's three million inhabitants from an all-out regime offensive, but it was never fully implemented.\n\nAn alliance led by HTS fighters took full control of the anti-Assad stronghold in May.\n\nRegime and Russian air strikes and shelling since late April have killed more than 820 civilians, according to the Observatory.\n\nThe United Nations says dozens of health centres have been targeted.\n\nHumanitarian workers have warned that any fully-blown ground attack on Idlib would cause one of the worst humanitarian disasters of Syria's war.\n\nThe conflict has killed more than 370,000 people and displaced millions at home and abroad since starting with the brutal repression of anti-regime protests in 2011.\n\nBacked by Russia's military since 2015, government forces have taken back large parts of the country from rebels and jihadists.\n\nBut Idlib, along with nearby areas controlled by Turkey-backed rebels and a large swathe of the northeast held by Kurds all remain beyond its grasp.\n\nAnalyst Nawar Oliver said that, with the ongoing air strikes and ground advances, government forces aimed not only to retake the road running through Idlib, but also pile pressure on HTS and allied rebels.\n\nRegime forces \"won't hesitate to bite off or control everything they can,\" said this expert for the Turkey-based Omran Center for Strategic Studies.\n\nThey want to \"impose a new reality on the region, the rebels, and ... (the rebels') Turkish ally, and to use it as a tool or weapon in any current or future negotiations,\" he said.", "BEIRUT — Syrian government forces captured five villages in the country’s northwest early Wednesday, inching closer to a major rebel-controlled town that was the scene of a deadly 2017 chemical weapons attack and forcing thousands to flee their homes to a safer area farther north, opposition activists and state media reported.\n\nOpposition activists also reported that a Syrian warplane was shot down by rebels in the area, adding that the fate of the pilot was not immediately clear. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor, said the jet was shot down on the southern edge of Idlib province. Activist Taher al-Omar, who has close links with militants, said it was a Russian-made SU-22.\n\nThe capture of the five villages — Tel Aas, Khirbet Morshed, Kfar Eyn, Um Zeitoun and Mantar — puts Syrian troops about 3 miles west of Khan Sheikhoun, one of the largest and most populated towns on the southern edge of idlib province, which is the last remaining rebel stronghold in the country.\n\nKhan Sheikhoun is a stronghold of al Qaeda-linked Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the most powerful group in the rebel-held areas. The town was the scene of a chemical attack on April 4, 2017 that killed 89 people.\n\nAt the time, the U.S., Britain and France pointed a finger at the Syrian government, saying their experts had found that nerve agents were used in the attack. Days later, the U.S. fired 59 U.S. Tomahawk missiles at the Shayrat Air Base in central Syria, saying the attack on Khan Sheikhoun was launched from the base.\n\nSyrian troops have been on the offensive against rebel strongholds in the north of Hama province and the southern districts of Idlib since April 30.\n\nThe three-month campaign of air strikes and shelling has killed more than 2,000 people on both sides and displaced some 400,000.", "BEIRUT (AP) - Syrian forces gained more ground from insurgents in the country's northwest on Thursday, edging closer to a major rebel-held town a day after militants shot down a government warplane in the area.\n\nThe government offensive, which intensified last week, has displaced nearly 100,000 people over the past four days, according to the Syrian Response Coordination Group, a relief group active in northwestern Syria.\n\nSyrian troops have been on the offensive in Idlib and its surroundings, the last major rebel stronghold in Syria, since April 30. The region is home to some 3 million people, many of them displaced in other battles around the war-torn country.\n\nThe fighting over the past days has been concentrated on two fronts as government forces march toward the town of Khan Sheikhoun from the east and west. The latest offensive also aims to besiege rebel-held towns and villages in northern parts of Hama province, according to opposition activists.\n\nThe town of Khan Sheikhoun is a stronghold of al-Qaida-linked Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the most powerful group in the rebel-held areas. The town was the scene of a chemical attack on April 4, 2017 that killed 89 people.\n\nAt the time, the United States, Britain and France pointed a finger at the Syrian government, saying their experts had found that nerve agents were used in the attack. Days later, the U.S. fired 59 U.S. Tomahawk missiles at the Shayrat Air Base in central Syria, saying the attack on Khan Sheikhoun was launched from the base.\n\nThis photo provided by the Ibaa News Agency, the media arm of al-Qaida's branch in Syria, purports to show part of a Syrian warplane that was shot down by rebel fighters over Idlib province in Syria, Wednesday, Aug 14, 2019. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor, said the warplane was shot down on the southern edge of Idlib province, while activist Taher al-Omar who has close links with militants said it was a Russian-made SU-22. The caption in Arabic reads: \"The remains of the warplane that was shot down by holy warriors of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham as part of the Great Conquest operations.\" (Ibaa News Agency via AP)\n\nThe Syrian government and its Russian allies denied there was a chemical attack.\n\nThe government-controlled Syrian Central Military Media said Thursday that pro-government fighters captured three small villages, just west of Khan Sheikhoun.\n\nThe Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitoring group, said the villages fell in the morning hours and that the town of Khan Sheikhoun is being bombarded relentlessly.\n\nSyrian state media confirmed insurgents had downed the government plane on Wednesday. An al-Qaida-linked group has released a video of the pilot in which the handcuffed man identified himself as a lieutenant colonel in the Syrian air force.\n\nIn the video, the pilot says his fighter jet was shot down when he was carrying out a mission near Khan Sheikhoun.\n\nThis photo provided by the Ibaa News Agency, the media arm of al-Qaida's branch in Syria, purports to show part of a Syrian warplane that was shot down by rebel fighters over Idlib province in Syria, Wednesday, Aug 14, 2019. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor, said the warplane was shot down on the southern edge of Idlib province, while activist Taher al-Omar who has close links with militants said it was a Russian-made SU-22. The caption in Arabic reads: \"The remains of the warplane that was shot down by holy warriors of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham as part of the Great Conquest operations.\" (Ibaa News Agency via AP)\n\nThis photo provided by the Ibaa News Agency, the media arm of al-Qaida's branch in Syria, purports to show part of a Syrian warplane that was shot down by rebel fighters over Idlib province in Syria, Wednesday, Aug 14, 2019. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor, said the warplane was shot down on the southern edge of Idlib province, while activist Taher al-Omar who has close links with militants said it was a Russian-made SU-22. The caption in Arabic reads: \"The remains of the warplane that was shot down by holy warriors of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham as part of the Great Conquest operations.\" (Ibaa News Agency via AP)", "This photo provided by the Ibaa News Agency, the media arm of al-Qaida’s branch in Syria, purports to show part of a Syrian warplane that was shot down by rebel fighters over Idlib province in Syria, Wednesday, Aug 14, 2019. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor, said the warplane was shot down on the southern edge of Idlib province, while activist Taher al-Omar who has close links with militants said it was a Russian-made SU-22. The caption in Arabic reads: “The remains of the warplane that was shot down by holy warriors of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham as part of the Great Conquest operations.” (Ibaa News Agency via AP)\n\nBEIRUT (AP) — Syrian forces gained more ground from insurgents in the country’s northwest on Thursday, edging closer to a major rebel-held town a day after militants shot down a government warplane in the area.\n\nThe government offensive, which intensified last week, has displaced nearly 100,000 people over the past four days, according to the Syrian Response Coordination Group, a relief group active in northwestern Syria.\n\nSyrian troops have been on the offensive in Idlib and its surroundings, the last major rebel stronghold in Syria, since April 30. The region is home to some 3 million people, many of them displaced in other battles around the war-torn country.\n\nThe fighting over the past days has been concentrated on two fronts as government forces march toward the town of Khan Sheikhoun from the east and west. The latest offensive also aims to besiege rebel-held towns and villages in northern parts of Hama province, according to opposition activists.\n\nThe town of Khan Sheikhoun is a stronghold of al-Qaida-linked Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the most powerful group in the rebel-held areas. The town was the scene of a chemical attack on April 4, 2017 that killed 89 people.\n\nAt the time, the United States, Britain and France pointed a finger at the Syrian government, saying their experts had found that nerve agents were used in the attack. Days later, the U.S. fired 59 U.S. Tomahawk missiles at the Shayrat Air Base in central Syria, saying the attack on Khan Sheikhoun was launched from the base.\n\nThe Syrian government and its Russian allies denied there was a chemical attack.\n\nThe government-controlled Syrian Central Military Media said Thursday that pro-government fighters captured three small villages, just west of Khan Sheikhoun.\n\nThe Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitoring group, said the villages fell in the morning hours and that the town of Khan Sheikhoun is being bombarded relentlessly.\n\nSyrian state media confirmed insurgents had downed the government plane on Wednesday. An al-Qaida-linked group has released a video of the pilot in which the handcuffed man identified himself as a lieutenant colonel in the Syrian air force.\n\nIn the video, the pilot says his fighter jet was shot down when he was carrying out a mission near Khan Sheikhoun.", "DAMASCUS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 14th August, 2019) The Syrian Armed Forces have liberated two towns in Syria's rebel-held northeastern province of Idlib and are advancing toward the city of Khan Shaykhun, the militants' key strategic stronghold, local media reported.\n\nOn Sunday, Syrian troops liberated the town of Hobait, a strategically important town in Idlib. By establishing control over Hobait, the government forces gained access to Khan Shaykhun, roughly six miles away.\n\nAccording to Syria's Sham FM radio broadcaster, government forces gained control of Kafr Ain and Hass, two villages to the east of Hobait, on Wednesday.\n\nIn early August, Syria's government forces declared that they were resuming military operations in the provinces of Idlib and Hama, citing the militants' refusal to observe a ceasefire deal, which had gone into effect on August 1, by launching several attacks on civilians in nearby areas.\n\nTerrorist organizations operating in Idlib include the Nusra Front and Islamic State (both banned in Russia).", "Syrian regime forces captured five villages in the country's northwest early Wednesday, inching closer to a major rebel-controlled town that was the scene of a deadly 2017 chemical weapons attack and forcing thousands to flee their homes to safer area further north, opposition activists and state media reported.\n\nThe capture of the villages — including Tel Aas, Khirbet Morshed and Kfar Eyn — puts Assad regime troops now about 5 kilometers (3 miles) west of Khan Sheikhoun, one of the largest and most populated towns on the southern edge of Idlib province, the last remaining rebel stronghold in the country eight years into Syria's civil war.\n\nThe town is a stronghold of al-Qaida-linked Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the most powerful group in rebel-held areas. It was the scene of a chemical attack on April 4, 2017 that killed 89 people.\n\nAt the time, the United States, Britain and France pointed a finger at the Syrian regime, saying their experts had found that nerve agents were used in the attack. Days later, the U.S. fired 59 Tomahawk missiles at the Shayrat Air Base in central Syria upon President Donald Trump's order, saying that the attack on Khan Sheikhoun was launched from the base.\n\nAn investigation conducted by the United Nations and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons said the Syrian government was responsible for releasing sarin on the town on April 4, 2017. Damascus denies using such weapons.\n\nRegime troops and their pro-Iranian allies have been on the offensive against main rebel strongholds in the north of Hama province and the southern districts of Idlib since April 30 with the support of Russian air units.\n\nThe three-month campaign of airstrikes and shelling has killed more than 2,000 people on both sides and displaced some 400,000. The United Nations says dozens of health centers as well as schools have been targeted.\n\nOver the past days, troops have intensified their offensive, capturing the town of Habeet on Sunday. Activists in the area described regime airstrikes and artillery shelling as \"fierce and hysterical.\"\n\nThe aim of the latest regime push appears to be to surround several towns and villages in the rebel-held region of Hama, including the towns of Kfar Zeita and Latamneh, as well as to reach Khan Sheikhoun in Idlib.\n\nThe Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition-linked war monitoring group, said regime troops captured the five villages Wednesday.\n\nThe regime-controlled Syrian Central Military Media said pro-regime fighters took the villages after fierce fighting with al-Qaida-linked militants. Troops were continuing to advance toward checkpoints at the western entrance of Khan Sheikhoun, it said.\n\nThe state-run SANA news agency said that the armed forces have inflicted heavy losses on \"terrorists,\" a reference to rebels in the area of Idlib.\n\nThe Observatory said regime warplanes and helicopters as well as Russian jets are bombarding the farms around Khan Sheikhoun.\n\n\"Only the agricultural fields separate the regime troops from reaching the outskirts of Khan Sheikoun,\" said Rami Abdel Rahman, the head of the observatory.\n\nTo the east, pro-Assad fighters are battling to control a hill just six kilometers (less than four miles) from the town, Rahman said, adding that clashes on Wednesday have killed 14 regime forces, as well as 20 militants and seven allied rebels, he said.\n\n\"The operation aims to expand regime-controlled area in northern parts of Hama and cut supply lines to rebels,\" Yazan Mohammed, a media activist based in Idlib province, told The Associated Press.\n\nMany residents of Khan Sheikhoun and nearby villages were fleeing toward safer areas further north in Idlib, he added.\n\nThe Response Coordination Group, a relief group active in northwestern Syria, said in a statement Wednesday that more than 40,000 people have fled their homes in areas close to the fighting since early Tuesday. It said many of those who fled are staying on roads or in open-air areas and called on local authorities to open public schools to host the displaced.\n\nAFP correspondents have reported seeing dozens of families flee fighting over the past few days, heading north in trucks piled high with belongings.\n\nSheikh Sami Rahmoun, a commander of the al-Qaida-linked group, released an audio recording late on Tuesday, acknowledging his fighters have lost territory.\n\n\"Don't worry if we lose an area or two,\" he claimed. \"We will be victorious.\"\n\nKhan Sheikhoun is located on the international M5 Aleppo-Damascus highway, which also passes through Homs. The town has been in the hands of opposition forces since 2014.\n\nA buffer zone deal brokered by Russia and Turkey last year was supposed to protect the Idlib region's three million inhabitants from an all-out regime offensive, but it was never fully implemented.\n\nAn alliance led by fighters from the HTS took over full control of the anti-Assad stronghold in May.\n\nHumanitarian workers have warned that any fully-blown ground attack on Idlib would cause one of the worst humanitarian disasters of Syria's war.\n\nThe conflict has killed more than 370,000 people and displaced millions at home and abroad since starting with the brutal repression of anti-regime protests in 2011.", "Syrian regime forces captured a string of insurgent-held villages in northwest Syria on Thursday, inching closer to a key jihadist-run town in the Idlib region, a war monitor said\n\nBeirut, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - APP - 15th Aug, 2019 ) :Syrian regime forces captured a string of insurgent-held villages in northwest Syria on Thursday, inching closer to a key jihadist-run town in the Idlib region, a war monitor said.\n\nOver the past week, pro-Assad fighters have advanced on the southern edges of Idlib province, controlled by Syria's former Al-Qaeda affiliate Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).\n\nOn Thursday, regime loyalists stood just three kilometres (1.8 miles) away from the key town of Khan Sheikhun, after capturing five villages to its northwest overnight, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.\n\nThe town lies on a key highway coveted by the regime.\n\nThe road in question runs through Idlib, connecting government-held Damascus with the northern city of Aleppo, which was retaken by loyalists from rebels in December 2016.\n\n\"The aim of the advance is to surround Khan Sheikhun and reach the highway,\" Observatory head Rami Abdul Rahman told AFP.\n\nFighting in southern Idlib on Thursday killed five regime combatants and 11 jihadists and allied rebels, said the Britain-based monitor.\n\nA day earlier jihadists downed a regime plane near Khan Sheikhun, and took the pilot prisoner."], "summary": "A Syrian Air Force Sukhoi Su-22 jet is shot down by rebel forces near the town of Khan Shaykhun in the Idlib Governorate, Syria. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham jihadists say they have captured the pilot."}
{"document": ["Investors are alarmed to see longer-dated UK and US bonds trading at lower interest rates than shorter alternatives, a possible sign of recession\n\nEarlier:", "Germany's economy shrank in the second quarter as trade dragged down economic growth amid worries that the country could slip into a recession.\n\nEurope's largest economy contracted 0.1% from the previous quarter, as foreign trade slowed down economic growth despite robust consumption at home, according to a first estimate published Wednesday by national statistics agency Destatis.\n\nIn annualized terms, gross domestic product grew 0.4%, the agency said.\n\nHigher private and government consumption and higher investments contributed positively in the quarter, but trade and a decline in construction dragged down the economy as exports decreased stronger than imports, Destatis said.\n\n\"Trade conflicts, global uncertainty and the struggling automotive sector have finally brought the German economy down on its knee. In particular, increased uncertainty, rather than direct effects from the trade conflicts, have dented sentiment and hence economic activity,\" ING Chief Economist for Germany Carsten Brzeski said.\n\nThe economic data will increase pressure on Germany's government to act amid calls for a stimulus package, he said.", "Germany's gross domestic product grew 0.4% on year in 2Q. \"German Economy Shrank by 0.1% in 2Q,\" at 0635 GMT, misstated that GDP grew 0.4% in annualized terms. It grew 0.4% on year, not in annualized terms.", "BERLIN (dpa-AFX) - Germany's economy contracted in the second quarter on weak exports, data from Destatis showed Wednesday.\n\n\n\nGross domestic product shrank 0.1 percent sequentially in the second quarter, reversing the first quarter's 0.4 percent expansion. This was the first fall in three quarters and matched economists' expectations. \n\n\n\nAfter calendar adjustment, GDP gained 0.4 percent on year, but slower than the 0.9 percent growth registered in the first quarter. At the same time, the unadjusted GDP remained flat.\n\n\n\nData revealed that positive contribution to growth came mainly from domestic demand. Household final consumption expenditure increased, together with government final consumption expenditure. \n\n\n\nInvestment increased from the first quarter but gross fixed capital formation in construction declined. \n\n\n\nThe development of foreign trade dragged economic growth as exports logged a stronger quarter-on-quarter decline than imports.\n\n\n\nCopyright RTT News/dpa-AFX", "Germany is an industrial and exporting powerhouse. And the trends for those two things have been in decline for over a year. Germany has always relied on free trade to function.Germany has benefited greatly from Free Trade. But now with Trump waging a trade war on Asia and Europe we are seeing a repeat of the great depression . The promise that increased trade will create new jobs has turned out to be largely a myth. Much of the \"free trade\" movement is driven by mega-companies desire for larger markets and greed. German industry is in the deepest slump since the global financial crisis, and threatens to push Europe’s powerhouse economy into full-blown recession. The darkening outlook is forcing the European Central Bank to contemplate ever more perilous measures. “The influential Ifo Institute in Munich said its business climate indicator for manufacturing went into “free fall” in July, as the delayed damage from global trade conflict takes its toll and confidence wilts. It goes far beyond the woes of the car industry. More than 80% of Germany’s factories are in outright contraction. German industry nowadays is just a myth. Parts are produced in Greece ,Bulgaria, Czech republic,Poland etc... Only some assembly happens in Germany ,mainly heavies. Quality is still superior but dropping. Companies use almighty Luxembourg to tax evade. Germans and Italians are in the business of importing Chinese crap and putting their stamp on it. Either way no new industries development in Europe. The whole continent is feeding on the success of the past.Anything that is not subsidized or protected is either dead or outsourced. Deutsche Bank just dropped 20% in the last two trading sessions. A bank with a derivative book the size of the United States economy for a year ! $40 Trillion is the last public number ever admitted.. This bank is probably 2-3 weeks from a collapse, and Germany will probably have to do a bank deposit freeze to keep anything solvent, as soon as word gets out of a 'cooperative fix.' Savers will be punished one way or another - especially the dumb or slow ones. No bank in history has EVER warned it's depositors before a door close. Deutsche Bank has been a money laundering Ponzi for at least half a decade and it will go boom! Deutsche Bank shares went from $7.50 to $6.95 in a gap-down in one trade day. Below $5 ,which it could reach by the end of the week it is considered a penny-stock and various regulators shun institutional holding's of a 'penny stock.' Additionally will it require a de-list from certain exchanges.. If Deutsche Bank would collapse without any control, that would have, I think, a tremendous contagion effect on other major banks in Europe . About 10-15 major banks in Europe would become insolvent and disappear. And there is the estimated 400,000 jobs which could be lost in Europe as a result of No Brexit Deal. Germany stands to lose 100,000 jobs and more than 80 billion Euro in vehicle exports. The sense of normality is finally shattering. This sucker must GO DOWN. things just got much worse. And wait for the budget numbers on supporting millions of unskilled new Germans for decades. There are still differences inside Germany itself between the East and the West , differences between the two wages are about 30% lower in the East, infrastructure is no where near as good and things like state pensions are lower ,meant to be equal by 2030. So despite the wonderful economic picture Germany has presented over recent years they still have significant internal issues to address as well. We here at The Atlantis report believe that The German re-unification was a huge mistake. It enabled Merkel and her cabal of communists to take power in Germany. Merkel is a communist. She was raised in communist East Germany and educated in communist East Germany. She bought into the one world government move to erase western civilization by replacement invasion by migration. In her mind, Germany does not exist. Communism is all about a one world government. There are two politicians who are responsible for the major fall of Germany; Kaiser Wilhelm II. and Angela Merkel. They were both passive and reacted, instead of acting leave alone lead with foresight and thus messed up Germany and Europe. Wilhelm just wanted to be Kaiser. Merkel just wants to be chancellor. No more and no less. They both had no regard for their people, their nation, the national economy, the national security, the social cohesion and the relationship to its neighbors. They both left a big mess. Frau Merkel's multicultural antifa communism has failed, as it was bound to. I was in Germany recently, and was sad to see a great culture returning to Weimar collapse . pensioners collecting bottles for few cents deposit to pay the rent . \"refugees\" in free housing,Germans afraid to speak . It was quite shocking . I have witnessed the slow collapse of this once might economic juggernaut for decades. They are a mere shadow of what they were in the seventies. I was told that only 'pensioners and asylum seekers' were left in many of the smaller towns. All of this should not come as a surprise to a nation with a median age of 48. Frau Merkel and the whole apparatus behind her destroyed Germany . The German economy is now a trapeze act without a parachute.", "Germany's economy contracted by 0.1 percent in the second quarter of 2019, the country's statistics office said in a statement Wednesday.\n\nIt was the second time in a year Germany has reported a shrinkage in GDP in a quarterly review as the engine of the European Union starts to feel the effects of the United States-China trade war and tremors in the automobile industry.\n\n\"In the second quarter of 2019, the real (price-adjusted) gross domestic product in Germany decreased by 0.1% on the first quarter of 2019, after adjustment for seasonal and calendar variations,\" the government office said.\n\n\"The Federal Statistical Office (Destatis) also reports that Germany experienced a slight decline in economic performance.\"\n\n\"The development of foreign trade slowed down economic growth because exports recorded a stronger quarter-on-quarter decrease than imports.\"\n\nThe slump in the second quarter of the year comes after a 0.4 percent increase in the first.\n\nFears of a recession already reared their head when Germany closed out a flat year in 2018 marked by a 0.2 percent contraction in the economy in the third quarter.\n\nCompared to the same quarter the previous year, the German economy was up 4 percent, Destatis said.\n\nOne of the driving factors behind the poor results is the ongoing trade tariff war between Beijing and Washington, the effects of which have rippled across the global economy.\n\nAccording to data released in recent days, German industrial production fell 5.2 percent year-on-year, the largest decline in a decade, while exports dropped 8 percent, a three-year low.\n\nBrexit has also added to the uncertainty, with the UK's new prime minister, Boris Johnson, harnessing a potential no-deal Brexit as an outcome while a general cooling in the eurozone also had its effect.\n\nGermany's all-important motor industry, its main export, has also suffered a drop in demand, partly due to new emission standards put out by the European Union last year. EFE-EPA", "European Union statistics office Eurostat said gross domestic product (GDP) growth in the 19-country euro zone was 0.2% in the second quarter versus the previous quarter, a slowdown from 0.4% percent in the first three months of 2019.\n\nThe GDP flash estimates numbers, including year-on-year growth of 1.1% from the second quarter of 2019, were in line with economists' forecasts.\n\nGerman GDP fell 0.1% quarter-on-quarter, Germany's Federal Statistics Office said earlier on Wednesday. The annual growth rate in Europe's largest economy slowed to 0.4% in the second quarter from 0.9% in the first.\n\nA global slowdown has affected growth across western Europe, but Germany's traditionally export-reliant economy has been particularly vulnerable.\n\nIndustrial production in the euro zone area fell by 1.6% in June compared with the previous month, and by 2.6% from the same month in 2018. Economists had predicted less sharp drops in output of 1.4% month-on-month and 1.2% year-on-year.\n\nEmployment growth in the euro zone area slowed to 0.2% quarter-on-quarter from 0.4% in first quarter, and 1.1% year-on-year from 1.3% in first three months of 2019.\n\nAlthough employment growth is on a downtrend across the euro zone area, unemployment in Germany is just above its record low of 4.9% and data on Wednesday showed France's jobless rate fell to 8.5% in the second quarter, its lowest since the end of 2008.\n\nHowever, economists say the employment outlook for the euro zone's two largest economies is uncertain given their broader economic slowdowns and exposure to the impact of global trade disputes.", "\n• Germany’s economy shrank 0.1% in the second quarter, driven by a decline in exports due to the US-China trade war.\n• The slowdown is bad news given Germany is Europe’s largest economy and a key player in the eurozone.\n• The contraction comes after the UK economy shrunk last week for the first time since 2012 due to Brexit fears, underlining how political uncertainty is weighing on Europe.\n\nGermany’s economy shrank by 0.1% in the three months to June, signaling a recession could be looming.\n\nThe decline marks a sharp shift from the 0.4% growth it recorded in the first quarter of 2019, according to Statistisches Bundesamt, the Germany’s statistics office. Europe’s biggest economy grew the least in six years in the first quarter, according to the Financial Times.\n\nMuch of the decline was driven by a slump in exports, which have suffered from tempered demand due to the US and China’s trade war.\n\n“The development of foreign trade slowed down economic growth because exports recorded a stronger quarter-on-quarter decrease than imports,” the Statistisches Bundesamt said.\n\nSigns for the next quarter look “ominous,” Capital Economics said in an email. “Manufacturing business surveys for July were all gloomy, as was the ZEW survey for August.”\n\n“While the services sector should continue to hold up better, there are some signs that the slump is spreading to the labour market,” the economic research firm added. “The bottom line is that the German economy is teetering on the edge of recession.”\n\nSeveral of Europe’s economies are weathering growth slowdowns, many due to political uncertainty. Brexit fears fueled a 0.2% contraction in Britain’s economy last quarter – its first decline since 2012.\n\n“Today’s disappointing GDP figure is set to raise alarm bells over Brexit dragging the UK economy deeper into the abyss,” Lukman Otunuga, a senior research analyst at FXTM, said at the time.", "Germany’s GDP shrank by 0.1 percent in the second quarter, fuelling fears of a recession and causing economists to call for policies to tackle corporate tax cuts and increased investment in Germany. The prospects of further deterioration over the coming months due to weak exports and weak manufacturing figures give little hope for a speedy recovery according to economic experts. Martin Wansleben, Managing Director of the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce (DIHK) said: “After the good start of the year, the companies have arrived in the harsh economic reality and there is currently no turning point in sight.\n\n“Business expectations are falling in all sectors.” Mr Wansleben warned: “If we do not take countermeasures, the German economy will literally be caught out in the face of a slowing economy.” According to Bank Lampe, after a slight decline in economic output in the second quarter, Germany is facing a technical recession, ie a further decline in gross domestic product (GDP) in the current third quarter. Chief economist Alexander Krüger expects that in addition to the known problems of the industry there will be a “backlash” against the strong increase in consumption in the second quarter.\n\nHere are four reasons Germany could be heading for a recession As the UK faces political deadlock and the Brexit deadline of October 31 approaches, countries in the EU are feeling a knock-on effect. In surveys, German business has touted the threat of the UK leaving the European Union without a no deal to be a key worry impacting the economy. Germany’s third-largest export market in Europe and the fifth worldwide is the UK, with $92bn (£76.15 billion) of goods exported in 2018. Should no-deal Brexit take place, Germany could see it's economy slump even further. Read More: Merkel's successor sees popularity slump in as pressure grows\n\nAs trade tensions between China and the US increase, Germany has been affected due to its dependence on export markets. German industrial production fell 5.2 percent year-on-year in June, which was the biggest decline since 2009. Melanie Vogelbach at the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce said: “The challenges for the German economy are mainly based on international factors: trade conflicts, sanctions and the scenario of a no-deal Brexit. “Trade wars are never good and for an economy that relies as much on exports as German industry, that is a very important factor.” Exports for Germany have fallen eight percent over the past year.\n\nAs Europe’s biggest economy, and the fourth largest worldwide - Germany feels the knock-on effects of economic issues elsewhere. Ahead of the Netherlands and the UK, China is Germany’s third-largest export market and it the worst growth in the three months to June since 1992. Before the trade war began, China’s economy was already facing a slight decline, but the higher US tariffs have accelerated this. Read More: Germany heading to recession - Merkel quitting will trigger crisis", "The shrank in the second quarter, dragged down by a slump in exports, data showed on Wednesday, as manufacturers in Europe's largest struggle against weaker foreign demand and trade disputes.\n\nGross domestic product (GDP) fell 0.1% quarter-on-quarter after a confirmed growth rate of 0.4% in the first three months of the year, the Federal Statistics Office said.\n\nThe preliminary reading for April-June was in line with a Reuters poll of analysts.\n\nThe annual growth rate slowed to 0.4% in the second quarter from 0.7% in the first, calendar-adjusted data showed. That beat the poll forecast of +0.1%.\n\n\"The development of foreign trade slowed down economic growth because exports recorded a stronger quarter-on-quarter decrease than imports,\" the statistics office said.\n\nPositive contributions came from domestic demand as household consumption, government expenditure and gross fixed capital formation increased on the quarter, the office said.\n\nConstruction declined in the second quarter after the sector pushed up overall growth in the first three months due to an unusually mild winter, the data showed.\n\n\"For a year now, the has been only crawling forward,\" Unicredit analyst Andreas Rees said, adding there was hardly any improvement in sight for the second half of 2019 as there were many uncertainties for German exporters.\n\n\"Besides Brexit, this is above all the U.S.-Sino trade dispute and possible U.S. tariffs on European cars,\" Rees said.\n\nFollowing release of the data, the yield on Germany's benchmark 10-year government bond dropped to a record low of -0.623%."], "summary": "The Federal Statistical Office of Germany discloses that Germany's gross domestic product shrank by 0.1% in the second quarter."}
{"document": ["By Bryan Pietsch\n\nWASHINGTON, Aug 14 (Reuters) - An education group seeking to increase access to college textbooks and research materials on Wednesday asked the U.S. government to block the proposed merger of textbook publishers McGraw-Hill Education Inc and Cengage Learning Holdings II Inc.\n\nThe proposed merger \"will significantly decrease competition in a market already rife with anti-consumer behavior,\" the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC) said in a filing with the Justice Department's Antitrust division.\n\nThe merger announced in May between Cengage and McGraw-Hill, which is owned by Apollo Global Management LLC, would reduce the number of major textbook publishers to three from four. Publishers Pearson and Wiley, hold an estimated 40 percent and 7 percent of the market, respectively, sources close to the companies told Reuters.\n\nSPARC advocates the open sharing of research and educational material. Its members include colleges and universities from around the United States, such as Harvard University, Iowa State University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, according to its website.\n\nStudent consumers would face \"irreparable harm\" if the merger moves forward and the \"merger must be blocked in its entirety,\" SPARC said.\n\nA representative for the two companies said Cengage and McGraw-Hill were working closely with the Justice Department and were \"confident that the transaction will benefit our customers and create more affordable options for students.\"\n\nThe companies said they expect the deal to close early next year. (Reporting by Bryan Pietsch; editing by Jonathan Oatis)", "WASHINGTON, Aug 14 (Reuters) - An education group seeking to increase access to college textbooks and research materials on Wednesday asked the U.S. government to block the proposed merger of textbook publishers McGraw-Hill Education Inc and Cengage Learning Holdings II Inc.\n\nThe proposed merger \"will significantly decrease competition in a market already rife with anti-consumer behavior,\" the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition (SPARC) said in a filing with the Justice Department's Antitrust division.\n\nSPARC advocates the open sharing of research and educational material. Its members include colleges and universities from around the United States, such as Harvard University, Iowa State University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, according to its website.\n\nStudent consumers would face \"irreparable harm\" if the merger moves forward and the \"merger must be blocked in its entirety,\" SPARC said.\n\nA representative for the two companies said Cengage and McGraw-Hill were working closely with the Justice Department and were \"confident that the transaction will benefit our customers and create more affordable options for students.\"\n\nThe companies said they expect the deal to close early next year.", "Law360 (August 14, 2019, 6:35 PM EDT) -- The Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition became the latest group to urge the U.S. Department of Justice to block the proposed merger between college textbook publishing giants Cengage Learning and McGraw-Hill Education, saying Wednesday it would decrease competition and increase book prices for students. The proposed merger would violate the Clayton Act by creating a combined company that controls 45 percent of the textbook market, according to SPARC. Additionally, as more textbook data moves online, publishers have access to large amounts of students' data and this merger could result in a new platform monopoly in education, SPARC added. \"The merger...\n\nIn the legal profession, information is the key to success. You have to know what’s happening with clients, competitors, practice areas, and industries. Law360 provides the intelligence you need to remain an expert and beat the competition.\n• Access to case data within articles (numbers, filings, courts, nature of suit, and more.)\n• Access to attached documents such as briefs, petitions, complaints, decisions, motions, etc.\n• Create custom alerts for specific article and case topics and so much more!\n\nTRY LAW360 FREE FOR SEVEN DAYS"], "summary": "The Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition, a U.S.-based organization that aims to keep educational materials broadly accessible, has asked the Antitrust Division of the Justice Department to halt a planned merger between two large textbook companies, McGraw-Hill and Cengage, a merger it claims will cause students \"irreparable harm\"."}
{"document": ["California regulators on Wednesday took formal legal steps to ban a widely used pesticide that had been rescued from elimination by the Trump administration.\n\nThe move by the state Environmental Protection Agency is all but certain to draw legal challenges from Corteva Agriscience (formerly Dow AgroSciences), which has pushed back at attempts by environmentalists to ban the chemical, chlorpyrifos, on a federal level.\n\nThe state is the largest user of chlorpyrifos — more than 900,000 pounds of it was applied in 2017 to almonds, grapes, citrus, alfalfa, stone fruit, cotton and other crops, according to state data.\n\nExposure to the organophosphate nerve agent has been linked to developmental disorders and neurological damage in animals and humans.\n\nAdvertisement\n\nThe ban is the first time the state has unilaterally barred an actively used pesticide, and will take effect in 15 days unless opposing parties request an administrative hearing.\n\nThe federal EPA is unlikely to challenge California, which often goes its own way on environmental matters, including auto emissions and climate regulation. An official from the federal agency said states are fr ee to enact their own pesticide regulations so long as they are at least as strict as federal rules.\n\nState EPA chief Jared Blumenfeld said California opted for an outright ban because it could find no way to tighten rules enough to ensure public safety without making applications of the chemical ineffective. In May, the agency announced it would revoke all chlorpyrifos product registrations, leading to Wednesday’s formal cancellation notices sent to 13 manufacturers and pest-management companies.\n\nBlumenfeld called on his federal counterpart to refocus attention on the chemical’s hazards.\n\nAdvertisement\n\n“They have that same science; they have that same legal basis, and yet, based on what appears from the outside to just be politics, they’ve been foot-dragging — and in fact worse than that, not taking their regulatory role seriously,” Blumenfeld said. “We have to step into the void and take action where the federal government has failed to do so.”\n\nThe state has been gradually tightening its restrictions on use of the chemical, so “farmers knew this was coming,” Blumenfeld said. “The handwriting has been on the wall for some time.”\n\nAlthough growers have cut their use of the chemical by about half over the past decade, they have been uneasy about the state’s earlier signals that a ban was coming.\n\nThe citrus industry uses chlorpyrifos to combat the Asian citrus psyllid, which can spread a disease that can decimate entire groves. The pesticide also is critical to controlling leaffooted bugs and stink bugs in almond groves.\n\n“California farmers are resilient, but the long-term viability of our farms in California depends on proper support from the administration and renewed cooperation of the state’s regulatory agencies, especially in light of the many other unique and expensive regulations that place California farmers at a growing competitive disadvantage,” Tom Nassif, president and chief executive of Western Growers, a regional industry group, said in May.\n\nVal Dolcini, acting director of the state EPA’s Department of Pesticide Regulation, said he was “quite confident” that a newly formed working group, including academic, agricultural, regulatory and environmental experts, would identify an array of alternatives to the chemical. The state has allocated about $5 million in grants toward that end, he said.\n\nChlorpyrifos has become something of a poster child for the Trump administration’s rollback of regulation, which has occurred at times in defiance of scientific findings about health and environmental harm.\n\nFormer EPA administrator Scott Pruitt halted an Obama-era ban that had been hastened by a court order, and his successor, Andrew Wheeler, has since extended the safety review of the pesticide through 2022. California, six other states and a host of environmental and labor groups have sued over those moves.\n\nAdvertisement\n\nA federal EPA spokesman said on Wednesday that the agency has responded to complaints about its decisions by expediting the review process — it now expects to make an interim decision by October 2020, followed by a public review process.", "California regulators on Wednesday announced that they will ban a widely used pesticide that had been rescued from elimination by the Trump administration despite links to developmental disorders.\n\nThe move by the state Environmental Protection Agency is all but certain to draw legal challenges from Corteva Agriscience (formerly Dow AgroSciences), which has pushed back at attempts by environmentalists to ban the chemical, chlorpyrifos, on a federal level.\n\nThe state is the largest user of chlorpyrifos — more than 900,000 pounds of it was applied in 2017 to almonds, grapes, citrus, alfalfa, stone fruit, cotton and other crops, according to state data.\n\nExposure to the organophosphate nerve agent has been linked to developmental disorders and neurological damage in animals and humans.", "DowDuPont, which produces the pesticide, has criticized efforts to curtail its use and said it will hurt farmers who rely on it to control insects.\n\nBlumenfeld said the state took action in part because the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under President Donald Trump allowed chlorpyrifos to be used after the Obama administration tried to phase it out. The EPA reversed course on banning the pesticide in 2017, after re-evaluating the science. Blumenfeld criticized that decision.\n\n\"We’ve had enough evidence, the U.S. EPA and the Obama administration, to say it’s really time to take action,” Blumenfeld told KQED Science. \"California is saying enough is enough. We need to take action to protect human health.\"\n\nThe pesticide is also in jeopardy on the federal level. After environmental groups and farmworkers challenged the EPA's reversal, a 9th Circuit judge ruled in their favor. The EPA appealed to the whole 9th Circuit, but again lost, and the court told the EPA to issue a new decision by July, based on the scientific record. California based its ban on that decision.\n\nChlorpyrifos is in a class of organophosphates chemically similar to a nerve gas developed by Nazi Germany before World War II. Its heavy use has often left traces in drinking water sources. A UC Berkeley study in 2012 found that 87% of umbilical-cord blood samples tested from newborn babies contained detectable levels of the pesticide.\n\nDr. Gina Solomon, a medical professor at UCSF and a former deputy secretary of Cal-EPA, said chlorpyrifos is unusual in that it's one of the best understood pesticides because it's been so extensively studied.\n\n\"We know a lot about what it does to developing children and that science is the bedrock of the action that Cal-EPA is announcing,\" she said. \"Many pesticides have been studied well in lab rats but in this case we actually know what it does to people.\"\n\nStudies in cities where the pesticide was once used to kill cockroaches before it was banned for indoor use in 2000, as well as research done in rural farmworker communities, showed that chlorpyrifos harmed brain development in fetuses and affected reading ability and IQ, Solomon said. \"It also led to hyperactivity in children. Even head sizes were smaller in children whose mothers were exposed to the pesticide.\n\nOne area that's less-well studied is the impact of the pesticide on people who consume produce that has a residue of the chemical on it. Solomon said with California growing the majority of fruits and vegetables in the country there could be a ripple benefit for consumers in other states.\n\nIn August 2018, a California-sponsored scientific review found that the pesticide poses serious health effects in children at levels lower than previously understood. In November, California regulators recommended new restrictions on the pesticide that included discontinuing its use on most crops.\n\nWhile the ban — technically known as a cancellation — could take up to two years to take effect, the state Department of Pesticide Regulation has recommended that county agriculture commissioners adopt stricter rules on where and how the chemical can be applied, including larger buffer zones.\n\nTo help farmers make the transition away from chlorpyrifos, the state is adding a $5.7 million to fund safer alternatives.\n\nThe state's decision Wednesday follows years of lobbying by environmentalists and farmworkers, who pushed California regulators to ban the insecticide, one of the most commonly used in the country.\n\nBlumenfeld, who was confirmed as Gov. Gavin Newsom's CalEPA head in March, said he’d like California to approach pesticides differently, by ending the practice of banning them only to replace them with something similarly toxic.\n\n“We need to move to a place where we are using the innovative spirit that California has, to come up with alternatives that are safe and nontoxic,” he said. “Farmers are actually hurting out there. A great majority of fruits, nuts and vegetables grown in America are grown in California. With climate change, there are going to be more pests, different pests—pests aren’t going away, they will get worse. We need nontoxic alternatives.”\n\nKevin Stark and Molly Peterson of KQED contributed to this post.", "California regulators on Wednesday took formal legal steps to ban a widely used pesticide that had been rescued from elimination by the Trump administration despite links to developmental disorders.\n\nThe move by the state Environmental Protection Agency is all but certain to draw legal challenges from Corteva Agriscience (formerly Dow AgroSciences), which has pushed back at attempts by environmentalists to ban the chemical, chlorpyrifos, on a federal level.\n\nThe state is the largest user of chlorpyrifos — more than 900,000 pounds of it was applied in 2017 to almonds, grapes, citrus, alfalfa, stone fruit, cotton and other crops, according to state data.\n\nExposure to the organophosphate nerve agent has been linked to developmental disorders and neurological damage in animals and humans.\n\nThe ban is the first time the state has unilaterally barred an actively used pesticide and will take effect in 15 days unless opposing parties request an administrative hearing.\n\nIt was unclear Wednesday whether the federal EPA could challenge California, which often goes its own way on many environmental matters, including auto emissions and climate regulation. An official from that agency was not available for comment.\n\nWhile most states follow the federal EPA’s lead on pesticides, California reserves the right to revoke registrations of the chemicals within its borders, said state EPA chief Jared Blumenfeld.\n\n“Certainly, God knows, I cannot predict what this federal government will do,” Blumenfeld said.\n\n“They have that same science; they have that same legal basis, and yet, based on what appears from the outside to just be politics, they’ve been foot-dragging — and in fact worse than that, not taking their regulatory role seriously,” Blumenfeld said. “We have to step into the void and take action where the federal government has failed to do so.”\n\nThe state has been gradually tightening its restrictions on use of the chemical, so “farmers knew this was coming,” Blumenfeld said. “The handwriting has been on the wall for some time.”\n\nAlthough growers have cut their use of the chemical by about half over the past decade, they have been uneasy about the state’s earlier signals that a ban was coming.\n\nThe citrus industry uses chlorpyrifos to combat the Asian citrus psyllid, which can spread a disease that can decimate entire groves. The pesticide also is critical to controlling leaffooted bugs and stink bugs in almond groves.\n\n“California farmers are resilient, but the long-term viability of our farms in California depends on proper support from the administration and renewed cooperation of the state’s regulatory agencies, especially in light of the many other unique and expensive regulations that place California farmers at a growing competitive disadvantage,” Tom Nassif, president and chief executive of Western Growers, a regional industry group, said in May.\n\nVal Dolcini, acting director of the state EPA’s Department of Pesticide Regulation, said he was “quite confident” that a newly formed working group, including academic, agricultural, regulatory and environmental experts, would identify an array of alternatives to the chemical. The state has allocated about $5 million in grants toward that end, he said.\n\nChlorpyrifos has become something of a poster child for the Trump administration’s rollback of regulation, which has occurred at times in defiance of scientific findings about health and environmental harm.\n\nFormer EPA administrator Scott Pruitt halted an Obama-era ban that had been hastened by a court order, and his successor, Andrew Wheeler, has since extended the safety review of the pesticide through 2022. California, six other states and a host of environmental and labor groups have sued over those moves.", "California environmental regulators announced Wednesday that they will ban a widely used pesticide in the state that can cause brain damage. The move comes two weeks after the Trump Administration said it would allow continued use of the product.", "California will outlaw the use of a pesticide linked to developmental problems in humans after President Donald Trump's administration scrapped plans for a nationwide ban, state health officials said Wednesday.\n\nThe decision to ban chlorpyrifos in the agriculturally rich state follows \"mounting evidence\" of serious health effects for exposed children and other vulnerable people, two California health agencies said in a statement.\n\nToxic effects including \"impaired brain and neurological development\" occur at lower levels of the pesticide than previously thought, said the California Department of Food and Agriculture and the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR).\n\nFarmers using the product will have 15 days to challenge the ban notice in court before it comes into effect, the DPR told AFP.\n\nVirtually all residential uses of the pesticide has been banned since the end of 2001 throughout the United States.\n\nIn 2015, the Obama administration announced that it intended to ban its use completely.\n\nThe measure had not yet come into effect when President Donald Trump was elected, and the Environmental Protection Agency reversed the decision in 2017.\n\n\"California continues to move forward to protect public health, workers and the environment\" despite the Trump administration's move, the statement said.\n\nIn California alone, more than 940,000 pounds of chlorpyrifos were used in 2017—about half as much as in 2005.\n\nNew working groups will be set up to find safer alternatives to the pesticide commonly used for citrus fruits, almonds, cotton, grapes, nuts, alfalfa and other crops.\n\nThe European Commission announced this month it will recommend chlorpyrifos does not have its license renewed when it expires in January, following a negative assessment by the EU's food safety watchdog.\n\nEight European countries have already individually banned products containing the pesticide.", "Traces of a nerve agent were found in a blood sample of a second police officer involved in response to the Skripal poisoning case, the UK police said Thursday\n\nMOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 15th August, 2019) Traces of a nerve agent were found in a blood sample of a second police officer involved in response to the Skripal poisoning case, the UK police said Thursday.\n\n\"Detectives from the Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) network, who are investigating the Novichok attack in Salisbury, have confirmed that traces of the nerve agent have been found in a blood sample which was taken at the time from a second police officer,\" the Metropolitan Police said in a press release.", "A second UK police officer was exposed to a Soviet-era nerve agent used in last year’s attack on a former Russian spy in the English city Salisbury, British detectives said Thursday.\n\nFormer double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia fell into comas after coming into contact with a banned chemical called Novichok in March 2018.\n\nThey both survived but a local resident named Dawn Sturgess died after picking up a perfume bottle UK police believe was used to transport it from Russia.\n\nThe UK government is seeking the extradition of two suspected members of Russia’s military intelligence service that London believes carried out the attack on Kremlin orders.\n\nDetectives from Britain’s Counter Terrorism Policing (CTP) network said “traces of the nerve agent” were found in blood samples taken from a second police officer who showed signs of exposure at the time.\n\nIt said the dose was “very small” and the officer, who has requested anonymity, “continues to receive support” from the Salisbury police.\n\nDetective sergeant Nick Bailey has recovered after receiving a larger dose of Novichok.\n\n“The investigation remains ongoing, and there are parts of the picture that we are continuing to piece together,” the CTP said.\n\n“In particular, we are keen to hear from anyone who may have seen the counterfeit ‘Nina Ricci’ perfume box or bottle” between the day of the Skripal poisoning and the day Sturgess’s friend Charlie Rowley picked it up in a park in June."], "summary": "California regulators announce a ban on chlorpyrifos, an organophosphate nerve agent used as a pesticide."}
{"document": ["France's agriculture ministry said Wednesday that it had officially banned electric pulse fishing from its territorial waters, ahead of a total ban of the contested practice in the European Union set for 2021.\n\nFrench fishermen have long railed against pulse fishing by their Dutch counterparts, calling it unfair competition that leads to unsustainable stock depletions.\n\nDozens of top European chefs have also denounced the technique, in which electrically charged lines are dragged above the seafloor to shock sole and other low-lying fish upwards into nets -- they claim it results in poor-quality catches.\n\nDutch fishermen dispute the claims, but in April the European Parliament voted to outlaw the practice starting in 2021.\n\nFrance had vowed to implement the ban sooner, a move that will forbid Dutch vessels from using the practice in French territorial waters.\n\nThe method is already outlawed in many parts of the world, including China, but proponents say it is environmentally friendly and results in lower fuel usage for boats.\n\nThe EU had previously allowed member states to equip up to five percent of their fleets with electrodes.\n\nFishermen in the Netherlands pioneered the technique and invested heavily in equipping their boats with the electrified lines, though only 84 vessels were using the technique -- a small fraction of the country's fleet.", "In a new in-depth report, American data analysis nonprofit C4ADS has analyzed the opaque and little-understood global business networks which make large scale illegal fishing possible. The authors called for national regulators to require more transparency in fishing vessel control and ownership, which would make it easier to pursue criminal fishing enterprises on shore.\n\nOver the span of 15 months, C4ADS identified and studied 29 business networks that engage in suspected illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU fishing). The analysts' dataset included the identities and movements of 150 vessels, along with more than 2,000 companies, individuals and support vessels connected to their activities. A network analysis based on this data allowed the researchers to reveal connections among the investors, companies, owners and vessels engaged in IUU fishing.\n\nAccording to C4ADS, the companies that operated suspected IUU fishing vessels often use complex ownership structures, much like many legitimate maritime firms. Using shell companies in jurisdictions that offer high secrecy and flagging with registries that offer lower transparency can insulate IUU fishing activity from scrutiny, C4ADS asserts.\n\nThese opaque structures can make it difficult to determine who owns and controls a particular vessel, and the report's authors called on regulators to require beneficial ownership information when licensing or registering fishing vessels. \"Large-scale reform is needed in the global fishing sector to improve how vessel owners report ownership information and prevent the exploitation of opaque jurisdictions and flag states. Without adequate laws and regulations to enforce transparency among vessels at sea and their owners onshore, the ecological, economic, and security risks posed by IUU fishing will continue unabated,\" C4ADS concluded.\n\nWith some effort, the team was still able to identify a subset of vessel owners by collating currently available information. As an example, using Chinese public records, the C4ADS team was able to determine that the sole beneficial owner of the IUU fishing vessel Jing Yuan 626 is the Chinese government. (Argentine forces opened fire on the Jing Yuan 626 in February 2018 after catching her operating illegally in the Argentine EEZ.)\n\nLike the authors of previous studies, the C4ADS team documented extensive overlap between IUU fishing and other forms of crime. The researchers found a convergence with other illicit activities in over 60 percent of the IUU networks they examined. These related offenses included human trafficking, forced labor, document falsification and fraud, bribery, connections to organized crime and tax evasion.\n\nThe majority of these crimes directly help the IUU business model to succeed. Customs fraud, document fraud and bribery all help IUU catches slip into the global supply chain as \"legitimate\" seafood products. Human trafficking, forced labor and tax evasion all make IUU fishing more profitable - and more harmful to society. \"IUU fishing is not just a fishery management or sustainability issue, but is also compounded by other illicit behavior and vast amounts of money,\" C4ADS concluded. \"Risks include the reduction of revenues for developing countries most affected by IUU fishing, the destabilization of job and food security, and the deterioration of legitimate and effective governance.\"", "DUBLIN, Aug. 13, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The \"Sports Fishing Equipment - Market Analysis, Trends, and Forecasts\" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.\n\nThe report provides separate comprehensive analytics for the US, Canada, Japan, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of World. Annual estimates and forecasts are provided for the period 2016 through 2024. Also, a five-year historic analysis is provided for these markets. Market data and analytics are derived from primary and secondary research.\n\nThis report analyzes the worldwide markets for Sports Fishing Equipment in US$ by the following Product Segments:\n\nThe report profiles 167 companies including many key and niche players such as:\n\n1. INTRODUCTION, METHODOLOGY & PRODUCT DEFINITIONS\n\nStudy Reliability and Reporting Limitations\n\nDisclaimers\n\nData Interpretation & Reporting Level\n\nQuantitative Techniques & Analytics\n\nProduct Definitions and Scope of Study\n\nFishing Rods\n\nFishing Reels\n\nFishing Lures\n\nFishing Flies\n\nFishing Bait\n\nFishing Lines\n\nFishing Hooks\n\nFishing Nets\n\nFloats\n\nFishing Sinker\n\nFishing Swivel\n\nTackle Boxes\n\nOther Fishing Equipment\n\n\n\n2. INDUSTRY OVERVIEW\n\nSports Fishing Equipment: Meeting the Ever-Changing Needs of Recreational Fishing, the Healthful Pastime\n\nMyriad Health and Well-Being Benefits of Recreational Fishing Drive Widespread Adoption of Fishing Equipment\n\nKey Health and Well-Being Benefits of Recreational Fishing Ranked in the Order of Importance\n\nGlobal Market Outlook\n\nDeveloped Countries are Traditional Revenue Contributors, while Developing Countries Spearhead Market Growth\n\nLures, Flies, & Baits: The Fastest Growing Segment\n\n\n\n3. MARKET TRENDS, DRIVERS & ISSUES\n\nSteady Proliferation of Connected Electronic Fishing Devices Drive Healthy Market Growth\n\nSelect Innovative Electronic Sports Fishing-Related Products\n\nAngLR Tracker for Fishing Rod\n\nFishSentry Connected Fishing Rods\n\nPowerRay Underwater Robot\n\nMarcum Recon 5 Underwater Camera\n\nFLIR Ocean Scout TK Night-Vision Camera\n\nGarmin Striker Fishfinder\n\nHumminbird HELIX 10\n\nBerkley's PowerBait MaxScent, SOLIX GPS, and KastKing's BioSpool\n\nA Fishing Camera for Easy Underwater Viewing Using Tablets or Smartphones\n\nBobber with an Integrated Intel Chip\n\nNotable Advanced Electronic Fishing Lures\n\nPassion for Outdoors and the Drive to Preserve Nature Drive Demand from the Millennials Population\n\nGlobal Millennial Population Facts & Figures: Important Opportunity Indicators\n\nDisruptive Technologies that Transformed the Sports Fishing Boats over the Years\n\nElectronics\n\nThe Internet\n\nBraided Line\n\nSmartphones\n\nMezzanines\n\nComputer-Controlled Diesel-Engine Technology\n\nPod Drives\n\nComposite Construction\n\nSatellite Communications\n\nFocus on Developing Fishing Infrastructure Platforms Strengthens Market Prospects\n\nSurging Popularity of Kayak Fishing Benefits Market Expansion\n\nIncreasing Disposable Incomes to Propel Sports Fishing Equipment Sales\n\nSurging Interest in Fishing among Women Opens Up Growth Avenues\n\n\n\n4. INNOVATIONS & ADVANCEMENTS\n\nAirbomb: A Revolutionary Mid-Air Baiting Device\n\nShimano Develops World's Most Advanced Fishing Reel\n\nLures Mimic Sounds of Fish\n\nLures with Characteristic Wobbling Action\n\nBait Covers More Water to Find Feeding Fish\n\n3D Printed Fishing Bobbers\n\nRecent ARC Fishing Innovations\n\nAdvancements in Fly Fishing Reels\n\nInnovative Fishing Accessories\n\nOther Innovative Fishing Rods, Lures and Reels\n\nFishing Baits\n\nFishing Reels\n\nFishing Rods\n\nFishing Tackle and Gear\n\n\n\n5. PRODUCT OVERVIEW\n\nSports Fishing Equipment: A Prelude\n\nTypes of Sports Fishing Equipment\n\nFishing Rods\n\nFly Fishing Rods\n\nSpin Casting Rods\n\nSpinning Rods\n\nIce Fishing Rods\n\nUltra-Light Rods\n\nSurf Rods\n\nStandard Beachcasting\n\nBass Rod\n\nConventional Boat Rods\n\nUptide Rods\n\nSpecialist Rods\n\nFishing Reels\n\nSpin-Casting Reel\n\nBait Casting Reel\n\nFly Reel\n\nSpinning Reel\n\nFishing Lures\n\nFishing Flies\n\nFishing Bait\n\nNatural Bait\n\nArtificial Bait\n\nFishing Lines\n\nFishing Hooks\n\nFishing Nets\n\nFloats\n\nFishing Sinker\n\nFishing Swivel\n\nTackle Boxes\n\nFishing Techniques\n\nAngling\n\nTrolling\n\nLong-Line Fishing\n\nSnagging\n\n\n\n6. COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE\n\nSports Fishing Equipment: A Highly Fragmented Marketplace\n\nLeading Fishing Rod Brands Worldwide\n\nShimano: A Dominant Force in the Fishing Gear Market\n\nFloating Minnow from Rapala: The Story of Invention to Commercialization\n\nNotable Fishing Equipment Brands by Category\n\nFishing Reels and their Features\n\nFishing Rods and their Features\n\nFishing Gears and their Features\n\nCompetition: Noteworthy Trends\n\nManufacturers Develop New Equipment to Address Evolving Fishing Requirements\n\nBrand Loyalty Increase Value of Premium Brands\n\nStrategic Acquisitions: A Key Trend\n\nSeasonal Fishing Tackle Demand: A Major Concern for Manufacturers\n\n\n\n6.1 Focus on Select Global Players\n\n\n\n6.2 Product Launches\n\nDaiwa Releases EXIST Spinning Reels\n\nMegabass Launches OROCHI XX Series\n\nDAIWA's Emeraldas Releases Emeraldas MX '17 Eging Reel\n\nShimano Introduces Saltwater-Fishing Products\n\nZ-Man Announces Lineup of Fishing Lures\n\nSt. Croix Launches Imperial USA Fly Rod\n\nOkuma Launches Okuma PCH Custom Rods\n\n\n\n6.3 Recent Industry Activity\n\nNewell Brands Announce Plans to Divest Pure Fishing\n\nMarukyu Europe Sells RigMarole\n\nPRADCO Acquires War Eagle Custom Lures\n\nLew's Acquires Strike King\n\nBig Rock Sports to Acquire Redl Sports\n\nCastanea Partners with Simms Fishing Products\n\nGibbs-Delta Tackle Acquires O'Ki Brand\n\n\n\n7. GLOBAL MARKET PERSPECTIVE\n\n\n\n8. REGIONAL MARKET PERSPECTIVE\n\n\n\n9. COMPANY PROFILES\n\nFor more information about this report visit https://www.researchandmarkets.com/r/sr4mz8\n\n\n\n\n\nResearch and Markets also offers Custom Research services providing focused, comprehensive and tailored research.", "On this episode, host Dustin Warncke rides solo, recording live from the ICAST fishing show last month. He talks about fishing trends, new products, innovative companies and other fun fishing topics related to the fishing industry and what happened at ICAST this year. Thank you as always for watching, reading and listening. Please tell a friend about the show and give us a 5-star rating on iTunes!", "As JEA considers its future one of the possible options is some kind of community ownership; indeed in JEA's written material on alternatives to being government-run, Clay Electric Cooperative was mentioned.\n\nClay Electric is a member-owned, nonprofit power supplier with headquarters in Keystone Heights, and it has become one of America's largest electric cooperatives.\n\nOne major difference between JEA and Clay Electric is this: since Clay Electric is not a governmental agency, it is not covered by the same public records and open government laws as Florida governmental bodies like JEA.\n\nWe asked Clay County members of the Times-Union Email Interactive Group for their opinions of Clay Electric, and the response was overwhelmingly positive.\n\nHere are some of their comments, edited for space:\n\nGrants appreciated. I particularly appreciate how Clay Electric invests funds back into the community through grants to worthy causes and nonprofit organizations. — Gregg Kaufman.\n\nLongtime customer. I've been a Clay Electric co-op member for 18 years. In the past four years there has been a marked improvement both in reliability and in responding to emergencies. The rates are not the lowest in the state but are reasonable. Its response to the recent hurricanes was outstanding. — Bob Reynolds.\n\nNo politics. Clay Electric has been nothing short of great. Relatively low rates and generally good service. Its finances are pretty transparent (and) Clay Electric is pretty free of politics. It is pretty hard to fathom a similar co-op for Jacksonville. — Peter North.\n\nGood customer service. My experience with Clay Electric has been great. (The co-op's employees) were more than pleasant in changing out the meter when we added solar to our home. — Eric Jaffe.\n\nHelps local charities. I have lived in Clay County for nearly 30 years. One of the reasons I live here is because of Clay Electric. The service is excellent and rates are reasonable. In addition we occasionally get capital credits credited to our bill. Clay Electric also has a program called “round up” where if we choose our bill is rounded up to the nearest dollar. That “round up” money is then given annually to various charities. The annual meeting is well publicized and includes festivities for the whole family. — Sandra Roberts.\n\nA happy customer. I have been a customer of Clay Electric for over 32 years. The service is phenomenal. JEA could learn a lot from Clay Electric. I am so glad I left Duval long ago. — Richard Klinzman.\n\nJEA pales in comparison. Clay Electric does a good job not only with rates but also with service. As a former resident of Duval County I can tell you what you already know: JEA is and always has been one of the most bloated, mismanaged utilities in the country. I also own property in South Carolina that is serviced by a co-op and it does a great job with rates and service, too. — Bill Hodges.\n\nA good response record. I am a highly satisfied customer of Clay Electric. It has a good record of responding to problems, and it charges very reasonable rates. — The Rev. Dr. Bill Olewiler.\n\nA conscientious, friendly provider. As a customer of Clay Electric for about 38 years I have always been a satisfied customer. I feel the co-op is very well run by conscientious and friendly people. I am also satisfied with its service and rates. — Louise Bergeron.", "A lot of RVers like to fish. Many RV parks offer free fishing in their lakes even if the camper does not have a state fishing license.\n\nHere are some interesting facts we found at the website of the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation. We thought you might find them interesting, as we did.\n• 46 million Americans participated in fishing in 2014 (15.8% of the U.S. population ages 6 and older).\n• Fishing is the second most popular outdoor activity among adults.\n• More than 85% of adult anglers fished as a child, before the age of 12.\n• Nearly 83% of fishing trips involve more than one person.\n• Almost 4.3 million youth would liket to try fishing.\n• 81% of fishing trips are spontaneous or planned within a week of the trip.\n• 80% of participants reported catching a fish during their last fishing trip.\n• Freshwater fishing remains the most popular type of fishing with more than three times the number of participants (almost 38 million people) as saltwater fishing.\n• Hispanic fishing participants average 25.8 days on the water; over six days more than the average for all fishing participants (19.4 days).", "Illegal fishing is a very lucrative business within the region and as such a Memorandum Of Understanding was approved by cabinet in January for the purpose of regulating fishing and fishing related activities in ports and waters under the jurisdiction of Trinidad and Tobago. Nicholas Lutchmansingh has more.", "Two spear fishermen caught fishing at night in a closed area using an underwater light source face fines of up to €8500, the Department of Fisheries and Marine Research said on Tuesday.\n\nIt said that officials had handled a case of fishing in a closed area using prohibited methods in cooperation with the coastguard.\n\nThe department said that it had received a tip off at around 9 pm on Sunday that spear fishermen were fishing using underater fishing lights in the protected sea area at Dasoudi, Limassol.\n\nOfficials from the department and the coastguard found the two individuals. In their possession they had spear guns and fish which had been illegally fished that were confiscated as evidence.\n\nThe two were reported to police and face fines of up to €8,500.\n\nThe Fisheries Department said that fishing without a permit, fishing in a no fishing area and fishing using lights after sunset are prohibited.", "Lotus Evija all-electric hypercar is to make a splash and open a wide way for the electrification of the entire Lotus lineup. Production of the Evija will start in 2020 and only 130 will be made.\n\nAccording to Lotus CEO Phil Popham in an interview with Autocar, at the end of 2020 the company intends to unveil an all-new petrol model, but after that every new model will have a fully electric version.\n\n\"After we’ve built our 130 hypercars we’ll concentrate on rebuilding our core sports car range. We will have a combustion-powered sports car to show you towards the end of next year, for sale after that. Beyond that car, every Lotus, in whatever segment, will have a full electric version.\"\n\nIt seems that in the next couple of years we will see the renowned Elise, Exige and Evora in all-electric versions. It will be really interesting to see the Lotus Elise Electric and compare it to the original Tesla Roadster from 2008.\n\nAs Lotus hints also at an ambitious plan to move into new segments (SUV?) it's hard to say which model will be electric first.\n\nThe company would like to increase the production output from 1,700 cars in 2018 to 5,000 (single-shift capacity) or 10,000 (two-shift capacity) per year. If demand is higher, a new plant is also on the table.", "The New York Power Authority is offering the chance to drive an electric car at an upcoming event at the Niagara Power Vista.\n\nThe first-time Electric Vehicle Ride & Drive event will feature a wide variety of electric cars (EVs) including the new Tesla Model 3, Tesla Model S, Chevrolet Volt, and electric cars manufactured by Mitsubishi and Nissan. Drivers, who must register in advance, will be able to take a turn behind the wheel between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Aug. 24.\n\n“The Power Authority wants to show more New Yorkers that zero-emission electric vehicles are affordable, accessible and fun to drive, and they’ll be able to travel across the state without having to worry about recharging,” said Gil C. Quiniones, NYPA’s president and CEO. “Getting more electric vehicles on the road will improve the environment and help the state achieve its clean energy goals.”\n\nThe event will include EV charging station displays and demonstrations. EV experts will be on hand to discuss methods of charging EVs at home, work and in public.\n\nIncreasing the use of electric vehicles supports Gov. Cuomo's Green New Deal, a nation-leading clean energy agenda that puts New York on a path to carbon-free electricity by 2040. Electric transportation is a critical climate solution, and is a key strategy in NYPA’s sustainability plan. Transportation accounts for approximately 40 percent of the state’s greenhouse gas emissions, with passenger vehicles contributing the majority of those emissions.\n\nThe Electric Vehicle Ride & Drive event is sponsored by NYPA and managed by the California-based firm Electric Car Insider, which specializes in EV education and resource guides. This event gives people the opportunity to get behind the wheel and experience electric vehicles for themselves.\n\nSpace for the Electric Vehicle Ride & Drive event is limited and advance registration is required. RSVP at ElectricCarGuestDrive.com/lewiston."], "summary": "France bans electric pulse fishing."}
{"document": ["The suspect has been taken into police custody after an hourslong standoff with the police in Philadelphia.\n\nBefore he surrendered and came out, police surrounded the row house and cordoned off the nearby streets.\n\nPolice officers gather near the scene of a shooting on August 14, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Mark Makela/Getty Images\n\nOnlookers gathered as police tried to get the suspect to communicate. Six officers were injured, but they have been released from the hospital and are in \"good spirits,\" said the Philadelphia mayor.\n\nOnlookers gather near the scene of a shooting on August 14, 2019 in Philadelphia. Mark Makela/Getty Images\n\nSWAT and police teams were deployed. The SWAT teams helped evacuate two police officers and four women who had been trapped inside the home.", "Suspect surrenders after 6 officers are wounded in Philadelphia standoff\n\n\"Nothing short of a miracle\" that no officers were killed in the eight-hour standoff, the city's police commissioner said.", "Philadelphia police say 6 officers shot, taken to hospitals with non-life threatening injuries\n\nPHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia police say 6 officers shot, taken to hospitals with non-life threatening injuries.", "PHILADELPHIA (AP) — At least one gunman opened fire on Philadelphia police Wednesday afternoon, wounding at least six officers in a standoff that extended into the evening.\n\nA shooter remained active as of 6 p.m. in the city’s Nicetown neighborhood, Philadelphia police Sgt. Eric Gripp tweeted.\n\nAll the officers’ injuries were considered non-life-threatening, he said.\n\nLive video from news stations showed a massive police presence, with dozens of squad cars and officers, many of them with their guns drawn. Gunshots continued to be heard late Wednesday afternoon.\n\nOne officer appeared injured and was taken away in a police car. Video also showed two other officers carrying a man and putting him in the back of a police car.\n\nOfficers were taken to Temple University Hospital, Gripp said. But the hospital would not provide the officers’ conditions.\n\nThe Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said numerous agents responded to the scene to assist Philadelphia police.\n\nPolice asked news helicopters to stay away from the area.", "At least one gunman opened fire on Philadelphia police Wednesday afternoon, wounding at least five officers in a standoff that extended into the evening.\n\nA shooter remained active as of 6 p.m. Wednesday, Philadelphia Police Sgt. Eric Gripp tweeted. At least one suspect fired at police officers in the city’s Nicetown neighbourhood, Gripp said.\n\nAll officers’ injuries are considered non-life-threatening, he said.\n\nLive video from news stations showed a massive police presence in a neighbourhood with dozens of police cars and officers, many of them with their guns drawn.\n\nOne officer appeared injured and was taken away in a police car. Video also showed two other officers carrying a man and putting him in the back of a police car.\n\nOfficers were taken to Temple University Hospital, Gripp said. But the hospital wouldn’t provide the officers’ conditions.\n\nThe Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said numerous agents responded to the scene to assist Philadelphia police.\n\nPolice asked news helicopters to stay away from the area as they hinder operations.\n\nMore to come.\n\nLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.", "Police say gunman who shot and wounded 6 Philadelphia police officers is in custody after hourslong standoff\n\nPHILADELPHIA (AP) — Police say gunman who shot and wounded 6 Philadelphia police officers is in custody after hourslong standoff.", "PHILADELPHIA — At least one gunman opened fire on Philadelphia police Wednesday afternoon, wounding at least six officers in a standoff that extended into the evening.\n\nPolice Sgt. Eric Gripp tweeted around 7:15 p.m. that officers were trying to communicate with the shooter, imploring him to surrender and avoid further injuries.\n\nAll the officers' injuries were considered non-life-threatening, Gripp said. The shooting situation remained active at 7 p.m.\n\nAuthorities say police were serving a warrant in the Nicetown-Tioga neighborhood before gunfire started around 4:30 p.m. A heavy police presence remains in the neighborhood.\n\nOfficials said President Donald Trump and Attorney General William Barr have been briefed on the shooting and are monitoring the situation.\n\nLive video from news stations showed a massive police presence, with dozens of squad cars and officers, many of them with their guns drawn. Gunshots continued to be heard late into the afternoon.\n\nOne officer appeared injured and was taken away in a police car. Video also showed two other officers carrying a man and putting him in the back of a police car.\n\nOfficers were taken to Temple University Hospital, Gripp said. But the hospital would not provide the officers' conditions.\n\nThe Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said numerous agents responded to the scene to assist Philadelphia police.\n\nPolice asked news helicopters to stay away from the area.\n\nPhiladelphia police stage as they respond to an active shooting situation, Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2019, in the Nicetown neighborhood of Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)", "At least one gunman opened fire on police Wednesday as they were serving a warrant in a Philadelphia neighborhood, wounding six officers and triggering a standoff that extended into the evening, authorities said.\n\nNone of the officers’ injuries were considered life-threatening, Philadelphia police Sgt. Eric Gripp said. They were being treated at hospitals.\n\nThe shooting began around 4:30 p.m. as officers went to a home in Nicetown, a north Philadelphia neighborhood of brick and stone rowhomes. Shots were still being fired three hours later, police said.\n\nOfficers were negotiating with the gunman and imploring him to surrender, while urging people to stay away from the area, Gripp tweeted.\n\nTwo officers became trapped inside the house amid the gunfire, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.\n\nLive video from news stations showed a massive police presence, with dozens of squad cars and officers, many of them with guns drawn.\n\nTemple University locked down part of its campus, and several children and staff were trapped in a nearby daycare.\n\nPolice tried to push crowds of onlookers and residents back from the scene. In police radio broadcasts, officers could be heard calling for backup as reports of officers getting shot poured in.\n\nDozens of officers on foot lined the streets. Others were in cars and some on horses.\n\nOne officer appeared injured and was taken away in a police car. Video also showed two other officers carrying a man and putting him in the back of a police car.\n\nThe Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said its agents responded to the scene to assist Philadelphia police.\n\nPresident Donald Trump and Attorney General William Barr were briefed on the shooting, officials said.", "A suspect has been arrested during a shooting with police officers in Philadelphia.\n\nMultiple Philadelphia police officers have been injured after an active gunman fired at them in an ongoing shooting incident.\n\nPhiladelphia Police Sargeant Eric Gripp said there is a large police presence on the street of the shooting, in the city’s Nicetown section.\n\nHe said several officers have been injured and warned people to avoid the area while the shooting is ongoing, with reports as many as six officers have been shot.\n\nThe suspect has barricaded himself inside a building, and about a dozen officers took cover behind cars as officials surrounded a home with guns drawn, ABC News reported.\n\nOne woman told the outlet she heard over 100 gunshots and saw people running for their lives. “I heard so many gunshots... I’m scared,” she said.\n\nLive video from news stations shows a huge police presence in the neighbourhood, with dozens of police cars and officers at the scene.\n\nThe injured officers have been taken to temple University Hospital, with wounds believed to be non-life threatening.\n\nAnother officer was injured by a crash at the scene.\n\nTemple University put itself on partial lockdown, urging people to seek shelter and remain cautious.\n\nMore to come...", "PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Officials say at least one gunman is shooting at police officers in Philadelphia.\n\nA police spokesman confirmed Wednesday afternoon that a gunman was actively shooting at officers in the Nicetown section of the city. The spokesman who was reached on the public affairs phone number offered no other information.\n\nSgt. Eric Gripp tweeted said there was at least one suspect firing at police officers.\n\nVideo shows a massive police presence in a neighborhood with dozens of police cars and officers, many of them with their guns drawn.\n\nOne officer appeared injured and was taken away in a police car. Video also showed two other officers carrying a man and putting them in the back of a police car.\n\nIt's unknown if any police officers have been shot."], "summary": "Six police officers are shot, sustaining non-life threatening injuries, by a gunman in Philadelphia; a seventh officer is injured in a related automobile accident nearby."}
{"document": ["A former Blackwater private security guard was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison after a retrial on murder charges for his role in the notorious 2007 massacre of unarmed civilians in Baghdad.\n\nNicholas Slatten was convicted in December of first-degree murder by a federal jury in U.S. District Court in Washington, the second time he had been found guilty on the charges.\n\nSlatten was convicted of murdering Ahmed Haithem Ahmed Al Rubia'y, 19, an aspiring doctor who was one of more than a dozen civilians killed by guards of the private security group Blackwater in Baghdad's Nisour Square on Sept. 16, 2007.\n\nWhile escorting a diplomatic convoy, Blackwater guards opened fire in the bustling square with sniper rifles, machine guns and grenade launchers — allegedly without provocation — leaving at least 14 civilians dead and at least 18 wounded. The Iraqi government says the toll was higher.\n\nThe shooting deepened Iraqi resentment of Americans in the country four years after U.S. forces toppled dictator Saddam Hussein and raised questions about Washington's expanded use of armed contract guards.\n\nIn court for sentencing Wednesday, Slatten remained defiant, calling the decision a \"miscarriage of justice that will not stand,\" according to The New York Times.\n\nIt was Slatten's third trial on the charges. His first conviction was thrown out and the jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict at his second trial in 2018.\n\nSlatten was one of four Blackwater guards who were found guilty in 2014. The 30-year sentences originally given to the others were also vacated for retrial.", "WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge has sentenced a former Blackwater security contractor to life in prison for his role in the 2007 shooting of unarmed civilians in Iraq.\n\nJudge Royce Lamberth issued the sentence Wednesday after friends and relatives requested leniency for Nicholas Slatten, who was found guilty of first-degree murder by a jury in December.\n\nProsecutors charged that Slatten was the first to fire shots in the September 2007 massacre of Iraqi civilians at a crowded traffic circle in Baghdad. In all, 10 men, two women and two boys, ages 9 and 11, were killed.\n\nThe defense had argued that Slatten and other Blackwater contractors opened fire only after they saw what they mistakenly thought was a potential suicide car bomber moving quickly toward their convoy.", "American Pie star, Thomas Ian Nicholas performed live this morning with his band TNB. The band has performed over 600 shows around the world ranging from large festivals, private charity events, and small intimate settings. Nicholas has been influenced by many that has helped him perfect the art of writing a pop song while keeping a foot in rock and roll. TNB live performances are fun and keep people coming back for more. The \"Thomas Nicholas Band\" is currently working on a 7th studio album while doing a US tour. TNB will be performing at The House of Blues this Saturday which is one of the stops on their 5-day Illinois Tour.\n\nFor more information about upcoming shows visit www.thomasnicholasband.com", "WASHINGTON (AP) - A federal judge has sentenced a former Blackwater security contractor to life in prison for his role in the 2007 shooting of unarmed civilians in Iraq.\n\nJudge Royce Lamberth issued the sentence Wednesday after friends and relatives requested leniency for Nicholas Slatten, who was found guilty of first-degree murder by a jury in December.\n\nProsecutors charged that Slatten was the first to fire shots in the September 2007 massacre of Iraqi civilians at a crowded traffic circle in Baghdad. In all, 10 men, two women and two boys, ages 9 and 11, were killed.\n\nThe defense had argued that Slatten and other Blackwater contractors opened fire only after they saw what they mistakenly thought was a potential suicide car bomber moving quickly toward their convoy.\n\nFILE - In this June 11, 2014, file photo, former Blackwater Worldwide guard Nicholas Slatten enters a taxi cab as he leaves federal court in Washington, after the start of his trial. A federal judge has sentenced a former Blackwater security contractor to life in prison for his role in the 2007 shooting of unarmed civilians in Iraq. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File)\n\nFILE - In this June 11, 2014 file photo, former Blackwater Worldwide guard Nicholas Slatten leaves federal court in Washington, after the start of his first-degree murder trial. A federal judge has sentenced a former Blackwater security contractor to life in prison for his role in the 2007 shooting of unarmed civilians in Iraq. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)", "FILE – In this June 11, 2014, file photo, former Blackwater Worldwide guard Nicholas Slatten enters a taxi cab as he leaves federal court in Washington, after the start of his trial. A federal judge has sentenced a former Blackwater security contractor to life in prison for his role in the 2007 shooting of unarmed civilians in Iraq. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen, File)\n\nWASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge has sentenced a former Blackwater security contractor to life in prison for his role in the 2007 shooting of unarmed civilians in Iraq.\n\nJudge Royce Lamberth issued the sentence Wednesday after friends and relatives requested leniency for Nicholas Slatten, who was found guilty of first-degree murder by a jury in December.\n\nProsecutors charged that Slatten was the first to fire shots in the September 2007 massacre of Iraqi civilians at a crowded traffic circle in Baghdad. In all, 10 men, two women and two boys, ages 9 and 11, were killed.\n\nThe defense had argued that Slatten and other Blackwater contractors opened fire only after they saw what they mistakenly thought was a potential suicide car bomber moving quickly toward their convoy.", "Nicholas Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ:NICK) CEO Douglas W. Marohn purchased 3,000 shares of Nicholas Financial stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 13th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $8.37 per share, for a total transaction of $25,110.00. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.\n\nNASDAQ:NICK traded down $0.21 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $8.15. 36,750 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,374. Nicholas Financial, Inc. has a one year low of $7.92 and a one year high of $12.50. The business’s fifty day moving average is $8.78.\n\nNicholas Financial (NASDAQ:NICK) last announced its earnings results on Friday, August 9th. The credit services provider reported $0.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter. Nicholas Financial had a negative return on equity of 4.50% and a negative net margin of 6.47%. The business had revenue of $16.64 million during the quarter.\n\nA number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of NICK. BlackRock Inc. grew its holdings in Nicholas Financial by 13.7% during the 2nd quarter. BlackRock Inc. now owns 30,427 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $286,000 after acquiring an additional 3,668 shares during the period. FMR LLC grew its holdings in Nicholas Financial by 0.4% during the 1st quarter. FMR LLC now owns 449,033 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $4,041,000 after acquiring an additional 1,622 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in Nicholas Financial by 0.6% during the 4th quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 508,401 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $5,287,000 after acquiring an additional 3,185 shares during the period. Finally, Magnolia Group LLC grew its holdings in Nicholas Financial by 9.7% during the 2nd quarter. Magnolia Group LLC now owns 1,745,746 shares of the credit services provider’s stock worth $16,410,000 after acquiring an additional 154,824 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 37.81% of the company’s stock.\n\nSeparately, TheStreet cut Nicholas Financial from a “c-” rating to a “d” rating in a research note on Friday, July 19th.\n\nNicholas Financial, Inc operates as a specialized consumer finance company in the United States. The company engages in acquiring and servicing automobile finance installment contracts for the purchase of new and used automobiles and light trucks. It also originates direct consumer loans and sells consumer-finance related products.\n\nRecommended Story: What are the economic characteristics of a bear market?\n\n\n\nReceive News & Ratings for Nicholas Financial Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Nicholas Financial and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.", "The Toronto Marlies announced today that the hockey club has signed forward Nicholas Baptiste.\n\nBaptiste, 24, split the 2018-19 season between the Milwaukee Admirals and the Toronto Marlies. In 18 games with the Marlies, he recorded seven points (2 goals, 5 assists). Baptiste has appeared in 47 career regular season NHL games with the Buffalo Sabres, registering 10 points (7 goals, 3 assists). The Ottawa native was drafted 69thoverall in the third round by the Buffalo Sabres in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.\n\nThe Toronto Marlies are the primary development program for the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Toronto Maple Leafs roster at the end of their regular season featured 11 players who were developed with the Marlies (Travis Dermott, Jake Gardiner, Frederik Gauthier, Justin Holl, Zach Hyman, Andreas Johnsson, Kasperi Kapanen, Martin Marincin, Trevor Moore, William Nylander and Morgan Rielly.).\n• Discuss this story on the American Hockey League message board...\n\n \n\n\n\nThe opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.", "DUSHANBE -- Three inmates in Tajikistan have been sentenced to life in prison and 30 others received sentences of between 14 and 24 years for their roles in a deadly prison riot in November.\n\nAn attorney told RFE/RL on August 13 on condition of anonymity that the men were sentenced in late July, adding that one of the three inmates sentenced to life in prison was Amirali Davlatov, who was found guilty of instigating the riot in the northern city of Khujand in which dozens of people were killed.\n\nRelatives of the men confirmed the sentences to RFE/RL but said they had not received any official documents with information about the trial, despite a law stating they were supposed to be informed within 10 days of the trial, which was held behind closed doors.\n\nDavlatov's wife, Oqilamoh Davlatova, told RFE/RL that her husband could not have incited the riot as he was meeting with her in the prison's short-stay section when the violence broke out on November 7.\n\n“He was completely unaware of what was going on and asked me to bring him winter clothes as he was getting ready for the cold season,\" Davlatova said.\n\nRafoat Boboeva told RFE/RL that her son Umedjon Mirzoev, who received an additional lengthy term for his role in the riot, had pleaded guilty after being tortured into a confession.\n\nMaqsuda Sodiqova said that investigators severely beat her son Farhod Sodiqov and broke his nose to make him confess to taking part in the riot.\n\nEarlier in the year, prison warden Faizullo Safarzod was found guilty of abuse of office and negligence, which led to the riot. He was sentenced to four years in prison.\n\nTajik authorities publicly acknowledged the riot two weeks after it broke out, saying that 23 inmates and two prison guards were killed in the incident.\n\nThe Islamic State (IS) extremist group said in a statement that the riot broke out after one of its \"soldiers\" detained there attacked a prison guard.\n\nThe penitentiary -- the high-security prison No. 3/3 -- largely houses inmates convicted on charges related to terrorism, extremism, and other serious crimes.\n\nIn May, another prison riot in the Vahdat district, some 15 kilometers east of the Tajik capital, Dushanbe, claimed the lives of three prison guards and 29 inmates, including three opposition politicians.", "Convicted murderer Henry Steiger has been sentenced to life in prison for the 2018 murder of Cassandra Robinson.\n\nSteiger was found guilty of second-degree murder by an Escambia County jury on June 21 and sentenced Tuesday by Circuit Judge Jeffrey Burns. As there is no parole or early release on a life sentence in Florida, Steiger will spend the remainder of his life in prison.\n\nA jury deliberated for about three hours before finding Steiger guilty of killing Robinson, who was the mother of his child, in the hours after their child's first birthday party.\n\nGuilty: Pensacola man found guilty of murdering mother of his child\n\nSteiger testified in court that he discovered Robinson’s body in their home Feb. 1, 2018, along with 20 to 30 Publix grocery bags tied into a rope, two Publix bags “shoved down her throat” and another plastic bag covering her face and head, according to the prosecution.\n\nSteiger told the court in his testimony that Robinson accidentally took her own life.\n\nRobinson was reported missing June 8, 2018, but her body was not found until a month later on July 11 in a 55-gallon drum inside a storage trailer owned by Steiger. Neither the prosecution nor the defense denied that Steiger had moved the body nor that he had placed her in the drum.\n\nRecords show Steiger opened a custody case against Robinson on June 15 seeking to establish paternity and time-sharing — three days after the woman was reported missing.\n\nHe was taken into custody just over two weeks later.", "PENSACOLA, Fla. (WKRG) — The man convicted of killing a woman and then stuffing her body in a cargo trailer last year has been sentenced to life in prison.\n\nHenry Steiger was found guilty in the death of Cassandra Robinson on June 21. He will not be granted parole or early release.\n\nRobinson was last seen alive on February 1, 2018. Her family reported her missing and the investigation ended on July 11, 2018 when her body was found in a cargo trailer owned by Steiger, her ex-boyfriend. He was quickly arrested and charged with second-degree murder."], "summary": "In a third trial, Nicholas Slatten is sentenced to life in prison."}
{"document": ["Pays de Gex, France, August 14, 2019 (venezuelanalysis.com) - Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced seven new ministers on Monday.\n\nVanessa Montero, Cesar Trompiz, Asia Villegas and Oswaldo Barbera are taking over the Urban Agriculture, Higher Education, Women and Gender Equality, and Ecosocialism Ministries, respectively.\n\nAdditionally, Admiral Gilberto Pinto was tapped to lead the Ministry of Mining and National Guard General Raul Alfonso the Public Works Ministry. The final change saw the creation of a new Tourism and Foreign Trade Ministry, to be headed by Felix Plasencia.\n\nMaduro has announced a “deep renovation” of his cabinet on several occasions in recent months. Nevertheless, prior to the latest reshuffle, only a handful of changes had taken place, including the replacement of Electricity Minister Luis Motta Dominguez following the March and April blackouts. However, key portfolios such as economy, finance, oil and the multiple vice presidencies have seen few changes since last year.\n\nThe cabinet changes followed a Supreme Court decision to lift the parliamentary immunity of three opposition lawmakers, paving the way for criminal prosecution.\n\nAccording to a communique, Venezuela’s Attorney General Tarek William Saab requested that that the Supreme Court allow that National Assembly deputies Juan Pablo Garcia, Tomas Guanipa and Jose Guerra be investigated for “treason, conspiracy, incitement to insurrection, usurpation of functions,” among others. The accusations are covered by seven articles of the Venezuelan penal code.\n\nGarcia, Guanipa and Guerra follow a host of opposition lawmakers that have seen their parliamentary immunity lifted since National Assembly President Juan Guaido proclaimed himself “interim president” on January 23.\n\nThe opposition has since launched several attempts to oust the Maduro government, including efforts to bring in “humanitarian aid” across a closed Venezuelan-Colombian border on February 23 and a failed military putsch on April 30. Several lawmakers had their immunity revoked for alleged involvement in these episodes, notably National Assembly Vice President Edgar Zambrano.\n\nVenezuela’s plenipotentiary National Constituent Assembly (ANC) lauded the Supreme Court ruling in a session on Monday, with Deputy Dario Vivas claiming that there can be no impunity.\n\nMonday’s session also saw the body approve a decree rejecting the embargo imposed by the Trump administration against the Caribbean nation.\n\nThe text rejects “renewed meddling” from Washington, reiterating that the country has a “democratic and constitutional path to secure the people’s well-being.”\n\nWashington escalated its sanctions program into a full-scale embargo on August 5, freezing all Venezuelan state assets in US territory and enabling sweeping secondary sanctions against entities that deal with Caracas.\n\nANC President Diosdado Cabello likewise announced the creation of a commission to evaluate whether legislative elections should be brought forward.\n\nAccording to the constitution, elections for the National Assembly should take place in 2020, with the body’s term due to expire in December. However, the legislative chamber has been in contempt of court since July 2016 when its opposition majority swore in three deputies under investigation for voter fraud. The standoff between the legislative and Chavista-held branches of government escalated in 2017 when the opposition took to the streets in violent protests, prompting Maduro to call for ANC elections under Article 348 of Venezuela’s constitution.\n\nMaduro and other government officials have floated the possibility of early parliamentary elections on repeated occasions. Elections are reportedly one of the topics under discussion in the government-opposition talks taking place in Barbados with Norwegian mediation, but no details have been disclosed. The Venezuelan government called off the latest round of negotiations in the aftermath of the embargo imposed by the Trump administration.\n\nEdited and with additional reporting by Lucas Koerner from Philadelphia.", "Six months after the Venezuelan National Assembly swore in Juan Guaidó as the country’s acting president, few Venezuelans remain as excited about the young politician and his strategy to depose sitting president Nicolás Maduro. Maduro and his unpopular regime remain in power — despite nationwide protests, increased regional and international diplomatic pressure, and robust economic sanctions.\n\nLast week, the Trump administration introduced tougher sanctions against Maduro and his key allies, aiming to weaken the regime. These sanctions will make it harder for foreign companies to continue to do business in Venezuela and will further block the ruling coalition from accessing U.S. debt and equity markets.\n\nBut sanctions are unlikely to remove Maduro from power. Here’s why.\n\n1. Maduro has politicized the military and diversified the security services\n\nMaduro inherited a highly polarized political system, a buckling economy and soaring crime rates from his predecessor, Hugo Chávez. Instead of implementing any meaningful reforms, Maduro doubled down on policies that would maintain his ruling coalition’s loyalty.\n\nAfter Chávez, a former paratrooper, defeated numerous early challenges to his government, he heavily purged and politicized the Venezuelan military. Soldiers suddenly were expected to take an oath of loyalty to his “Bolivarian Revolution” and were strongly encouraged to exercise their newfound right to vote in favor of the ruling party. The military high command possessed roughly 100 generals when Chávez took power, a tally that has mushroomed to more than 2,000 over the past two decades. The president also restructured the armed forces around the Cuban territorial model, expanding the reach of the military throughout Venezuela while simultaneously diluting the power of individual commanders.\n\n[Venezuela's instability has far broader implications. Here's what's at stake.]\n\nMaduro has even further politicized the Venezuelan military. The Directorate General of Military Counterintelligence (DGCIM), a feared internal surveillance organization, has agents infiltrated in every branch of the armed forces. All military personnel are obligated to report colleagues who openly criticize their working conditions or the regime itself. Those transgressions can then be punished with torture or arbitrary terms of imprisonment. To further deter potential disobedience among the troop rank and file, the regime harasses the families of soldiers who have been arrested or have deserted.\n\nChávez cultivated key foreign allies that could share vast repertoires of repressive expertise with the Venezuelan security services. As a result, the Cuban intelligence service G2 now has an estimated 2,500 operatives embedded within the Venezuelan military, supporting DGCIM counterintelligence operations designed to detect and prevent any uprisings within regional commands.\n\nRecently, Maduro beefed up his personal security by hiring Russian contractors. What’s more, Chinese firms with close ties to Beijing helped implement Venezuela’s “Fatherland Card” initiative, a mandatory national identification card. The card collects personal information — including whether someone votes for the ruling PSUV party, which in turn uses the card to allocate subsidies for food, health care and other essential social programs.\n\nThe Venezuelan security apparatus also counts on the support of such groups as paramilitary organizations, prison gangs and Colombian insurgents. Paramilitary groups known as colectivos have proliferated under Maduro’s watch, helping the regime to violently disperse protests, intimidate opposition politicians and more recently to shore up the National Guard in peripheral regions.\n\nAugmenting these efforts, organized prison gangs called mega-bandas have reportedly seen numerous members released in exchange for supporting the colectivos. The National Liberation Army (ELN), a formidable Colombian insurgent group, controls vast swaths of territory in the Venezuelan periphery, serving as a potential first line of defense for Maduro in the event of an unlikely foreign invasion.\n\n[Here are 4 ways that Venezuela's crisis could end]\n\n2. Economic distress has led Maduro to find new ways to buy the military’s loyalty\n\nDuring his 14 years in power, Chávez depended on record international oil prices to fuel a massive economic boom. He used that income to aggressively expand the military and put it in charge of the day-to-day management of Venezuela.\n\nBut Maduro assumed the presidency when the price of crude was in serious decline, resulting in economic contraction and runaway hyperinflation. Venezuelan oil production declined dramatically over the past decade. The national economy has all but collapsed, a catastrophe that has prompted 1 million Venezuelans to migrate abroad in the past nine months alone. Economic sanctions have deepened the crisis.\n\nAs a result, the Maduro regime has developed new revenue sources to ensure the continued loyalty of his ruling coalition. Under Chávez and Maduro, the Venezuelan military has converted Venezuela into a prominent drug transshipment point, exporting an estimated 400 metric tons of cocaine annually to North American and European markets. The recent economic collapse has made it harder for the National Guard and other nonstate actors to bring in funds by smuggling food or gasoline across the border. But they’ve replaced this revenue by extorting money from anyone who wants to flee the country, whether by legal or illegal border crossings.\n\nIllegal gold mining has also exploded in recent years. Maduro authorized a “mining arc” across an expanse of 110,000 square kilometers (about 43,000 square miles) in southern Venezuela, which was supposed to lead to government contracts with businesses that would mine and sell the precious metal. Instead, the area has been unofficially plundered by different branches of the armed forces, the ELN and local criminal groups.\n\n[Here are 3 big changes in Venezuela that you probably missed — and will change what comes next]\n\n3. New sanctions will divide the opposition and worsen the country’s humanitarian crisis.\n\nTrump’s recent economic sanctions are likely to further divide the Venezuelan opposition and worsen the ongoing humanitarian crisis. Maduro suspended negotiations with the opposition Aug. 7, ostensibly to protest Washington’s new sanctions — giving it a convenient excuse to abandon the talks.\n\nBoth in the Trump administration and within the Venezuelan opposition, some hard-liners believe that increasing economic pressure will ultimately weaken Maduro. But that view fails to consider the many different groups propping up the regime.\n\nThe Venezuelan security apparatus is flush with illicit revenue. Lacking a discernible central command, these divergent actors often compete with one another over lucrative economic activities and are united only by their willingness to put the Maduro regime’s survival ahead of any political reforms.\n\nEven if Maduro were removed tomorrow, the system created by Chávez would continue to wield power in Venezuela.\n\nDon’t miss anything! Sign up to get TMC’s smart analysis in your inbox, three days a week.\n\nCharles Larratt-Smith (@larratt_smith) is a PhD candidate in political science at the University of Toronto.", "BUENOS AIRES (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 13th August, 2019) Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has made new appointments in the ministerial positions and created a new ministry, according to his statements released on Twitter.\n\nThe president tweeted that he launched a new ministry of tourism and foreign trade.\n\n\"I created a new ministry of tourism and foreign trade and appointed Felix Ramon Plasencia Gonzalez who will be responsible for boosting tourism and international investment in Venezuela,\" Maduro wrote.\n\nAlso, the president appointed new ministers of gender equality, ecology, agriculture of public works and others.", "The Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife has come out to clarify reports of con artists defrauding tourists wishing to visit Kenya through unscrupulous and bogus tour agents.\n\nIn a statement on Tuesday, the Ministry said that indeed several such reports as the ones that appeared in local dailies last weekend, have reached their offices.\n\nAccording to the ministry, the reports have been picked up by the tourism regulator, the Tourism Regulatory Authority, who, together with the Tourism Police Unit (TPU) have initiated investigations into these incidents.\n\nThe ministry has also moved to enlist the assistance of other law enforcement agencies, particularly the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI), with the aim of apprehending the criminals and bringing them to book, in accordance with the law.\n\n\"Initial findings indicate that these rogue individuals are not licensed tour operators regulated by both TRA or the Kenya Association of Tour Operators (KATO) but are also not registered companies under the Registrar of Companies and a large number of them have no fixed abode or offices,\" the statement read.\n\nMeanwhile, the ministry has urged all potential visitors, both local and international, to exercise greater caution as they book their safaris to Kenya via the online platforms.\n\nTourism CS Najib Balala has also ordered a crackdown on online tour companies.\n\nBalala has directed the Kenya Tourism Federation to scrutinise all tour companies and agents to ensure only genuine ones remain in business.\n\n\"Tell us who is genuine and who is not so that we can take action,\" Balala said during a high-level tourism sector meeting in Nairobi.", "The Tourism Ministry has commenced implementation of the Kenya Tourism Satellite Account (TSA), as it seeks to support investments, policy formulation and growth of the sector.\n\nTSA is a United Nation-backed study of tourism's different sub-sectors and the their contribution to the economy.\n\nThe project is being led by the Tourism Research Institute(TRI), which is the agency the Tourism Act 2011 has mandated to spearhead and co-ordinate research and data management for the sector.\n\nTRI is working with other stakeholders both in tourism, national government, counties and private sector in coming up with data and trends in the country.\n\n“The government both at national and county level is relying very much on you for proper research information and accurate data to inform policy and planning for tourism development. The private sector also needs the same for proper business decisions and to ensure they improve on the experience of our tourists for destination Kenya to remain competitive,” CS Najib Balala said during the launch.\n\nNarok Governor and Council of Governor’s Tourism and Wildlife Committee chairman Samuel Ole Tunai said:\"It is very difficult for counties to commit budgets to the tourism sector but with the right data and information on its potential, it will be very easy to convince governors to invest in the sector.”\n\nMeanwhile, Migori County Trade and Tourism Executive Sheila Gati has warned that Kenyan businesses at border towns, especially Isibania which borders Kenya to Tanzania, are loosing business to neighbouring countries which offer cheaper products especially in the food and beverage sector.\n\n“Traders on the Kenyan side are closing businesses because people are crossing to the other side for instance entertainment spots where drinks are cheaper. We call on the government to support in coming up with measures that will make Kenyan products competitive,\"said.\n\nIn a quick rejoinder, CS Balala called on both national and county government to stop harassing small businesses and instead come up with favourable policies to support growth.\n\nHe has singled out numerous business permits at county level as a major challenge to businesses.\n\nThe TSA which is set to be completed by June 2020 is expected to address data and information gaps in the sector, which have been blamed for poor investment and policy decisions.", "The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has said that the decision to create the Ministry of Energy and Electricity from the Ministry of Energy and Water Resources is to enable the new ministry execute the Electrify Edo project.\n\nThe governor said, “The need to separate the Ministry of Energy and Electricity from the Ministry of Energy and Water Resources is because we have a project called Electrify Edo, which would be executed under the new ministry.”\n\nHe added, “Electricity has been privatised and we need to domesticate it in the state.”\n\nThe governor explained that the state government will place emphasis on completing ongoing projects, stressing, “We want to close all the projects we started.”\n\nLow representation of women in the 2019 ministerial nominations\n\nThe new ministry is headed by Hon. Akin Agbaje, one of the new commissioners appointed by the governor.\n\nThe state is home to the Edo-Azura Power plant, which feeds the national grid as well as the CCTEC Ossiomo Power Plant, which is expected to provide embedded power supply to government buildings, hospitals, streets on the Sapele Road axis of Benin City, among others.\n\nIt is expected that with the coming on stream of the Ossiomo power plant, there would be need to regulate the local electricity market, which the ministry would be charged to execute.\n\nRecall that the governor swore in the recently appointed commissioners after being cleared by the State House of Assembly, and assigned portfolios to them. The names and portfolios of the new commissioners are: Marie Edeko, Ministry of Social Development; Damian Lawani, Ministry of Youth; Joe Ikpea, Ministry of Minerals, Oil and Gas; and Momoh Oise Omorogbe, Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning.\n\nOthers are Felix Akhabue, Ministry of Cooperatives and Wealth Creation; Moses Agbakor, Ministry of Energy.\n\nIn the minor cabinet reshuffle, the former Commissioner for Agricultural and Natural Resources, Hon. Monday Osaigbovo, was moved to the Ministry of Local Government and Community Affairs, while the former Commissioner for Education, Hon. Emmanuel Agbale now heads the Ministry of Science and Technology.\n\nErstwhile Commissioner for Local Government and Community Affairs, Hon. Jimoh Ijegbai, now heads the Ministry of Education.", "WASHINGTON — The Trump administration froze all Venezuelan government assets in a dramatic escalation of tensions with Nicolás Maduro that places his socialist administration alongside a short list of adversaries from Cuba, North Korea, Syria and Iran that have been targeted by such aggressive U.S. actions.\n\nThe ban, blocking American companies and individuals from doing business with Maduro's government and its top supporters, took effect immediately Monday and is the first of its kind in the Western Hemisphere in more than three decades, following an asset freeze against Gen. Manuel Noriega's government in Panama and a trade embargo on the Sandinista leadership in Nicaragua in the 1980s.\n\nWhile the order falls short of an outright trade embargo — notably, it spares Venezuela's still sizable private sector — it represents the most sweeping U.S. action to remove Maduro since the Trump administration recognized opposition leader Juan Guaidó as Venezuela's rightful leader in January. Critically, it also exposes foreign entities doing business with the Maduro government to U.S. retaliation.\n\n\"The apparent goal is to give the U.S. the ability to apply the law beyond its borders to allies of Maduro like China, Russia, Cuba, Iran and Turkey,\" said Russ Dallen, the Miami-based head of Caracas Capital Markets brokerage. \"Should those foreign entities continue doing business with Maduro they can have their U.S. assets seized.\"\n\nThe executive order signed by President Donald Trump justified the move by citing Maduro's \"continued usurpation of power\" and human rights abuses by security forces loyal to him.\n\nU.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton hinted earlier Monday that far-reaching U.S. action was close at hand. Speaking to reporters on the eve of an international conference in Peru to show support for Guaidó, he said that the U.S. was readying measures \"that will show the determination that the United States has to get a peaceful transfer of power.\"\n\nRussia, which has staunchly backed Maduro, denounced the U.S. action. Konstantin Kosachev, the head of the Russian upper house's international affairs committee, said Tuesday the move amounts to \"international banditry.\" He added in remarks carried by the state RIA Novosti news agency that it represents an \"open meddling into Venezuela's internal affairs.\"\n\nThe measures are likely to exacerbate suffering in an already moribund economy marked by six-digit hyperinflation and a deep, multi-year contraction that surpasses that of the Great Depression in the U.S.\n\nPrevious sanctions targeting the South American nation's oil industry, the source of almost all of its export earnings, have already accelerated a crash in oil production that started with Maduro's election in 2013 following the death of his mentor Hugo Chavez.\n\nMore than 100 officials and government insiders also have had their U.S. assets frozen and blocked from doing business with Americans. As part of the executive order, Americans or U.S. companies that do business with such individuals face penalties. The same Maduro supporters will also be banned from entering the U.S.\n\nExceptions will be allowed for the delivery of food, medicine and clothing. Transactions with Venezuela's still sizable private sector do not appear to be affected either. It's unclear how the actions will affect American oil giant Chevron, which last month received a three-month exemption from the U.S. Treasury to allow it to continue drilling for oil with state-run oil monopoly PDVSA.\n\nThe Maduro government has yet to respond. But Guaidó celebrated the U.S. action, saying it would protect Houston-based oil company CITGO, Venezuela's most valuable overseas asset, from attempts by Maduro to mortgage its assets."], "summary": "Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro creates a new government ministry, the Ministry of Tourism and Foreign Trade."}
{"document": ["CARACAS (Reuters) - A delegation from the Norwegian government has come to Venezuela to restart talks between the government of President Nicolas Maduro and the opposition that were halted last week after Maduro’s allies pulled out, according to four sources and opposition leader Juan Guaido.\n\nVenezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, who many nations have recognised as the country's rightful interim ruler, talks to the media as he attends a session of Venezuela's National Assembly in Caracas, Venezuela August 13, 2019. REUTERS/Manaure Quintero\n\nMaduro last week said the government would not attend a scheduled round of talks in Barbados to protest the opposition’s support for new U.S. sanctions against his government.\n\nThe Norwegian delegation arrived on Tuesday to speak separately with the opposition and the government to restart the proceedings, which are meant to resolve the country’s political stalemate, two of the sources said.\n\nNeither Venezuela’s Information Ministry nor the Norwegian Foreign Ministry responded to requests for comment.\n\n“There is no new (meeting) planned, but yes, the representatives of the Kingdom of Norway are here in the country,” Guaido told reporters. “The regime in previous years used (dialogue) to stall for time or to generate doubts within the opposition. They will not do so in this case.”\n\nGuaido in January invoked the constitution to assume a rival interim presidency on the grounds that Maduro’s 2018 re-election was fraudulent, and has promised to end an economic crisis that spurred mass migration.\n\nGuaido, who has been recognized by more than 50 countries including the United States as Venezuela’s legitimate president, described the new Washington sanctions as “penalties for those who steal and profit from misery.”\n\nMaduro calls Guaido a Washington-backed puppet who is seeking to overthrow his government.\n\nThe Norway-backed talks began in May following a failed uprising against Maduro but have not yet yielded any official results.\n\nSeparately, the United Nations launched an appeal on Wednesday calling for $223 million of humanitarian aid for 2.6 million Venezuelans until the end of the year as part of a “scale-up strategy” launched last October.\n\nThe appeal includes 98 projects that will be implemented by more than 60 U.N. agencies and partners, and covers health, nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene, education, food security and protection, the United Nations said.\n\n“It seeks to strengthen the capacity of humanitarian organizations and further open the operational space in country, thus laying the foundation to widen the response and reach a larger target population in 2020,” the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said.", "CARACAS (Reuters) - A delegation from the Norwegian government has come to Venezuela to restart talks between the government of President Nicolas Maduro and the opposition that were halted last week after Maduro’s allies pulled out, four sources familiar with the situation said on Tuesday.\n\nMaduro last week said the government would not attend a scheduled round of talks in Barbados to protest the opposition’s support for new U.S. sanctions against his government.\n\nThe Norwegian delegation arrived on Tuesday to speak separately with the opposition and the government to restart the proceedings, which are meant to resolve the country’s political stalemate, two of the sources said.\n\nNeither Venezuela’s Information Ministry nor the Norwegian Foreign Ministry responded to requests for comment.\n\nOpposition leader Juan Guaido in January invoked the constitution to assume a rival interim presidency on the grounds that Maduro’s 2018 re-election was fraudulent and has promised to end an economic crisis that spurred mass migration.\n\nGuaido, who has been recognized by more than 50 countries including the United States as Venezuela’s legitimate president, described the new Washington sanctions as “penalties for those who steal and profit from misery.”\n\nMaduro calls Guaido a Washington-backed puppet who is seeking to overthrow his government.\n\nThe Norway-backed talks began in May following a failed uprising against Maduro but have not yet yielded any official results.", "CARACAS: A delegation from the Norwegian government has come to Venezuela to restart talks between the government of President Nicolas Maduro and the opposition that were halted last week after Maduro’s allies pulled out, according to four sources and opposition leader Juan Guaido.\n\n Maduro last week said the government would not attend a scheduled round of talks in Barbados to protest the opposition’s support for new US sanctions against his government. The Norwegian delegation arrived on Tuesday to speak separately with the opposition and the government to restart the proceedings, which are meant to resolve the country’s political stalemate, two of the sources said.\n\n Neither Venezuela’s Information Ministry nor the Norwegian Foreign Ministry responded to requests for comment.\n\n “There is no new (meeting) planned, but yes, the representatives of the Kingdom of Norway are here in the country,” Guaido told reporters. “The regime in previous years used (dialogue) to stall for time or to generate doubts within the opposition. They will not do so in this case.”\n\n Guaido in January invoked the constitution to assume a rival interim presidency on the grounds that Maduro’s 2018 re-election was fraudulent, and has promised to end an economic crisis that spurred mass migration.\n\n Guaido, who has been recognised by more than 50 countries including the United States as Venezuela’s legitimate president, described the new Washington sanctions as “penalties for those who steal and profit from misery.”\n\n Maduro calls Guaido a Washington-backed puppet who is seeking to overthrow his government.\n\n The Norway-backed talks began in May following a failed uprising against Maduro but have not yet yielded any official results.\n\n Separately, the United Nations launched an appeal on Wednesday calling for $223 million of humanitarian aid for 2.6 million Venezuelans until the end of the year as part of a “scale-up strategy” launched last October. — Reuters", "CARACAS — A delegation from the Norwegian government has come to Venezuela to restart talks between the government of President Nicolas Maduro and the opposition that were halted last week after Maduro’s allies pulled out, four sources familiar with the situation said on Tuesday.\n\nMaduro last week said the government would not attend a scheduled round of talks in Barbados to protest the opposition’s support for new U.S. sanctions against his government.\n\nThe Norwegian delegation arrived on Tuesday to speak separately with the opposition and the government to restart the proceedings, which are meant to resolve the country’s political stalemate, two of the sources said.\n\nNeither Venezuela’s Information Ministry nor the Norwegian Foreign Ministry responded to requests for comment.\n\nOpposition leader Juan Guaido in January invoked the constitution to assume a rival interim presidency on the grounds that Maduro’s 2018 re-election was fraudulent, and has promised to end an economic crisis that spurred mass migration.\n\nGuaido, who has been recognized by more than 50 countries including the United States as Venezuela’s legitimate president, described the new Washington sanctions as “penalties for those who steal and profit from misery.”\n\nMaduro calls Guaido a Washington-backed puppet who is seeking to overthrow his government.\n\nThe Norway-backed talks began in May following a failed uprising against Maduro but have not yet yielded any official results.\n\nSeparately, the United Nations launched an appeal on Wednesday calling for $223 million for humanitarian aid to 2.6 million Venezuelan children, women and men until the end of the year as part of a “scale-up strategy” launched last October.\n\nThe appeal includes 98 projects that will be implemented by more than 60 U.N. agencies and partners, and covers health, nutrition, water, sanitation and hygiene, education, food security and protection, the United Nations said.\n\n“It seeks to strengthen the capacity of humanitarian organizations and further open the operational space in country, thus laying the foundation to widen the response and reach a larger target population in 2020,” the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said. (Reporting by Mayela Armas, Vivian Sequera and Deisy Buitrago in Caracas and Michelle Nichols in New York Writing by Brian Ellsworth Editing by Bill Trott and Jonathan Oatis)", "Representatives from Norway are in Venezuela to try to kick-start crisis talks between the government and opposition, parliament speaker Juan Guaido said on Wednesday.\n\n[CARACAS] Representatives from Norway are in Venezuela to try to kick-start crisis talks between the government and opposition, parliament speaker Juan Guaido said on Wednesday.\n\nNegotiations to end the political crisis sparked when opposition leader Mr Guaido pronounced himself acting president in January, began in Oslo in May.\n\nBut President Nicolas Maduro called off the talks a week ago in response to new United States sanctions against his government.\n\n\"There's no programed date\" to restart the talks, \"but yes, representatives of... Norway are here,\" said Mr Guaido.\n\nThey are \"persisting with the negotiation mechanism,\" he said.\n\nThe US is one of more than 50 countries to have recognised Mr Guaido as interim president.\n\nMr Guaido made his claim after the opposition-controlled legislature branded Mr Maduro a \"usurper\" over his re-election last year in a poll widely viewed as rigged.\n\nMr Guaido wants Mr Maduro to step down so new elections can be held, but the socialist leader has dismissed that demand out of hand.\n\nLast week, Mr Maduro did leave room for the talks to recommence, and Mr Guaido says the government delegates will come back to the negotiating table \"sooner or later\".\n\nTalks began in Oslo in May before being moved to Barbados where several rounds have been held since the start of July.\n\nIn addition to the political standoff, Venezuela is suffering one of the worst economic crises in its history with a quarter of its 30 million population in need of aid, according to the United Nations."], "summary": "A Norwegian delegation arrives in Venezuela to restart dialogues to end the presidential crisis."}
{"document": ["(CNN) A Russian passenger jet flew into a flock of birds then crash-landed in a cornfield just outside a Moscow airport Thursday, according to Russia's Federal Air Transport Agency.\n\nThe Ural Airlines Airbus A321 was carrying 226 passengers and a crew of seven from Moscow's Zhukovsky airport to Simferopol -- a city on the Crimean Peninsula -- when it ran into trouble.\n\nShortly after takeoff, the plane \"collided with a flock of gulls,\" according a statement from the agency.\n\nSome of the birds were sucked into its engines, it added.\n\nEmergency services assist at the scene on Thursday.\n\nThe emergency landing took place in a field less than a kilometer (0.62 miles) away from the airport's runway.\n\nRead More", "Russians hailed a miracle on Thursday after a passenger plane carrying 233 people made an emergency landing in a corn field on the outskirts of Moscow after striking a flock of birds shortly after take-off.\n\nThe Ministry of Health said 23 people had suffered injuries, but that nobody had been killed when the Ural Airlines Airbus 321 came down in a field southeast of Moscow after striking a flock of gulls, disrupting its engines.\n\nState television said the maneuver was being dubbed the “miracle over Ramensk”, a reference to the district of Moscow region where the plane came down more than 1 km (0.62 miles) from Zhukovsky International Airport.\n\nThe Interfax news agency cited a source as saying one person had suffered serious injuries.\n\nThe Komsomolskaya Pravda tabloid lauded pilot Damir Yusupov as a “hero,” saying he had saved 233 lives, “having masterfully landed a plane without its landing gear with a failing engine right in a corn field.”\n\nSome drew comparisons with US Airways Flight 1549 which performed a landing on the Hudson River in 2009 after striking a flock of geese.\n\nThe engines were turned off when it made the emergency landing and it also had its landing gear up, said Elena Mikheyeva, a spokeswoman for Russia’s civil aviation authority.\n\nAn unnamed passenger interviewed by state television said the plane had started to shake violently shortly after take-off.\n\n“Five seconds later, the lights on the right side of the plane started flashing and there was a smell of burning. Then we landed and everyone ran away,” he said.\n\nThe plane was due to fly to Simferopol in Crimea, the peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014.\n\nSafety concerns have plagued Russia’s airline industry since the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union, though standards are widely recognized to have sharply risen on international routes in particular in recent years.", "MOSCOW — A Russian passenger jet crash-landed into a cornfield shortly after takeoff from Moscow on Thursday, injuring 23 people, but remarkably, no one was killed, according to Russian media reports and the national aviation regulator Rosaviatsia.\n\nUral Airlines Flight 178 collided with a flock of gulls just after leaving Zhukovsky International Airport near Moscow, severely damaging the aircraft’s engines and forcing it to make the emergency landing less than a mile from the airport.\n\n“Thanks to the professionalism of pilots and the crew, there were no serious injuries and damages among the passengers,” the Russian Health Ministry said in a statement.\n\nThe airliner, an Airbus A321, had 226 passengers and seven crew members onboard and was bound for Simferopol in Crimea, Rosaviatsia said in a statement. An investigation into the incident has begun.", "The captain of a Russian passenger jet that collided with a flock of gulls seconds after take off has been praised for crash-landing the plane safely.\n\nAt least 23 people were injured in the incident, which caused the engines of the Ural Airlines plane to malfunction. It meant 41-year-old Damir Yusupovmake decided to make an emergency landing in a corn field three miles from the runway.\n\nThe A321, which took off from Moscow’s Zhukovsky airport and was headed to Simferopol in Crimea on Thursday, was carrying 226 passengers and seven crew members when it hit the birds. After landing, everyone on board was evacuated.\n\nImages show the plane lying flat on its belly in the field.\n\nThe incident has resulted in comparisons to the 2009 “Miracle on the Hudson,” when a captain ditched his plane in New York’s Hudson River after a bird strike disabled his engines.\n\nThe injured passengers in Ural Airlines incident included five children. All 23 people were taken to hospital with all but one being released following check-ups and quick treatment.\n\nThe engines on planes are designed to withstand occasional collisions with birds. However contact can result in serious problems. In 2009, a US Airways Airbus A320 hit a flock of geese after take-off from New York City’s LaGuardia Airport and both of its engines shut down. The crew made an emergency landing in the Hudson River off Midtown Manhattan, and everyone survived. The “Miracle on the Hudson” was immortalised in the Hollywood movie Sully, starring Tom Hanks.\n\nIn a statement, the airline said the pilot shut down the engines to avoid fire breaking out as the plane landed with its fuel tanks fully loaded.\n\nMr Yusupov is a highly experienced pilot with more than 3,000 hours of flying time.\n\nAlexander Neradko, chief of Russia’s Rosaviatsiya state aviation agency praised the crew on board the Ural Airlines plane. “The crew has shown courage and professionalism and deserve the highest state awards,” he said.\n\n“It was quite a feat to keep the plane from stalling and quickly find a place to land,” Viktor Zabolotsky, a former test pilot, said in televised remarks.\n\nRussian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman hailed the pilots as “heroes” and said they will receive state awards.", "A Russian passenger jet flew into a flock of birds then crash-landed in a cornfield just outside a Moscow airport Thursday, according to Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency.\n\nThe Ural Airlines Airbus A321 was carrying 226 passengers and a crew of seven from Moscow’s Zhukovsky airport to Simferopol — a city on the Crimean Peninsula — when it ran into trouble.\n\nShortly after takeoff, the plane “collided with a flock of gulls,” according a statement from the agency.\n\nSome of the birds were sucked into its engines, it added.\n\nThe emergency landing took place in a field less than a kilometer (0.62 miles) away from the airport’s runway.\n\nVideos posted to social media show the passengers of flight U6178 evacuating from the plane and making a path through the field.\n\nIn one video, a female passenger walking through the tall green stalks can be heard saying “second birth,” noting that she was lucky to just be alive.\n\nPilot Damir Yusupov, 41, and co-pilot Georgy Murzin, 23, were praised by the airline for their professionalism in difficult circumstances.\n\n“Precisely due to their professionalism, self-possession and coordinated actions (they) managed to land a plane without tragic consequences,” a Ural Airlines statement said.\n\nYusupov has clocked up more than 3,000 flight hours, the airline said. He graduated with honors in 2013 from St. Petersburg State University of Civil Aviation and was hired by the company immediately after graduating.\n\nMurzin graduated from the same university in 2017, was hired last year, and has a total of 600 flying hours, it said.\n\nIn a video posted on Russian social media platform VKontakte, Murzin detailed how the pair managed to bring the plane down safely.\n\n“After takeoff, birds got caught in the engines, with the left engine stalling immediately,” Murzin said.\n\n“Then they got caught in the second engine and it became unstable, and also stalled. There wasn’t enough thrust, and we lost altitude. We landed in a field manually — the commander took control,” he added.\n\nUp to 55 passengers, including 17 children, have been given medical attention, Russian state news agency TASS reported, citing a source in the regional Center for Disaster Medicine. Six have been hospitalized, it said.\n\nIn a statement, Ural Airlines said that the plane had been significantly damaged and would not be in service in the future, TASS reported.\n\nYekaterina Korotkova, a spokesperson for the Moscow Inter-Regional Transport Prosecutor’s Office, told TASS that a probe has been opened into the accident.\n\nIn May, at least 41 people on board a Russian Aeroflot SU1492 jet were killed after the aircraft crash-landed at a Moscow airport on Sunday, bursting into flames on impact.\n\nAnd in June, two passengers were killed on a Angara Airlines flight in Siberia after it overshot the runway and burst into flames.", "MOSCOW-A Russian passenger plane has made an emergency landing in a cornfield near Moscow after striking a flock of birds.\n\nFifty-five people reportedly sought medical treatment after the incident, which saw the plane land with its engines off and landing gear retracted.\n\nThe Ural Airlines Airbus 321 was travelling to Simferopol in Crimea when it hit the flock of gulls shortly after take-off, disrupting its engines.\n\nState media has dubbed the landing the “miracle over Ramensk”.\n\nThe Kremlin on Thursday hailed the pilots as heroes for “saving people’s lives and landing the plane”. A spokesman said they would receive state awards soon. The airline said the plane was significantly damaged and would not fly again. An official investigation is under way. The plane had more than 230 passengers and crew on board when the birds were reportedly sucked into its engines and the crew immediately decided to land. An unnamed passenger told state TV the plane started to shake violently after take-off.\n\n“Five seconds later, the lights on the right side of the plane started flashing and there was a smell of burning. Then we landed and everyone ran away,” he said. Air transport agency Rosaviatsia said the plane landed in a cornfield about a kilometre (0.62 miles) from the runway at Zhukovsky International Airport, with its engines off and landing gear retracted.\n\nPassengers were evacuated from the plane, with 55 then seeking medical treatment and six taken to hospital, medical sources told state news agency Tass. Ural Airlines Director General Kirill Skuratov told the news agency that passengers who wanted to continue with their trip would be put on alternative flights.\n\nRussian media compared the incident to the US Airways flight that carried out an emergency landing on the Hudson River shortly after take-off in 2009.\n\nCollisions between birds and planes are a common occurrence in aviation, with thousands reported every year in the US alone. However, they rarely result in accidents or cause damage to the aircraft.", "MOSCOW — Two Russian pilots safely landed an airliner carrying 233 people in a cornfield outside Moscow after striking a flock of birds, prompting the Kremlin to hail them as heroes who will receive top state awards.\n\nRussians have said it was a miracle that no one was killed when the Ural Airlines Airbus 321 came down in a field southeast of Moscow with its landing gear up after hitting a passing flock of gulls, disrupting the plane’s engines.\n\nUp to 74 people, including 19 children, were treated for injuries, six of whom have been hospitalized, Russian news agencies quoted the emergencies ministry as saying.\n\nState television said the incident was being dubbed the “miracle over Ramensk,” the name of the district near Moscow where the plane came down around one kilometer (0.62 miles) from Zhukovsky International Airport.\n\nThe Komsomolskaya Pravda tabloid praised pilot Damir Yusupov as a “hero,” saying he had saved 233 lives, “having masterfully landed a plane without its landing gear with a failing engine right in a corn field.”\n\nSome drew comparisons with U.S. Airways Flight 1549 which performed a landing on the Hudson River in New York in 2009 after striking a flock of geese.\n\n“We congratulate the hero pilots who saved people’s lives,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, adding that the Kremlin would see that the men were quickly given state honours. “There’s no doubt about this. They will be given awards.”\n\nThe plane’s engines were turned off when it executed the emergency landing and it also had its landing gear up, according to Elena Mikheyeva, a spokeswoman for Russia’s civil aviation authority.\n\nFootage shot by passengers showed the flight lasted less than two minutes and that the engines had experienced difficulties almost immediately after take-off.\n\nVitya Babin, 11, who was on the plane with his mother and sister, said passengers had not been warned there was going to be an emergency landing. There was silence in the cabin and then screams began when it touched down, footage showed.\n\n“We were not warned,” said Babin.\n\nAn unnamed passenger interviewed by state television said the plane had started to shake moments after it took off.\n\n“Five seconds later, the lights on the right side of the plane started flashing and there was a smell of burning. Then we landed and everyone ran away,” he said.\n\nPassengers were evacuated via escape slides and were told to distance themselves from the plane.\n\n“One of the stewardesses said there was smoke coming from the plane and we immediately panicked. We ran after one of the men. He said follow me,” Babin said.\n\nA local resident quoted by radio station Govorit Moskva said the gulls that struck the plane had probably come from an illegal rubbish dump near Zhukovsky airport.\n\nMoscow region officials, however, rejected that assertion and said the nearest rubbish dump to the airport was 14 kilometers away, TASS news agency reported.\n\nThe plane was due to fly to Simferopol in Crimea, the peninsula annexed by Russia from Ukraine in 2014.\n\nSafety concerns have plagued Russia’s airline industry since the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union, though standards are widely recognized to have sharply risen on international routes in particular in recent years.", "MOSCOW (Reuters) - A Russian passenger plane performed an emergency landing near Moscow shortly after take off on Thursday after birds were sucked into its engines, the airline and state media reported.\n\nThe Ural Airlines’ flight was traveling from Moscow to Crimea’s Simferopol, they said. There were no casualties, the reports said.\n\nThe Airbus 321, with 234 people on board, made an emergency landing near Zhukovsky International Airport, south-east of Moscow, RIA state news agency reported, citing Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations.\n\nUral Airlines said on its Twitter account that no one was hurt when its U6178 flight had to land after birds got sucked into the aircraft’s engines.\n\n“There was an emergency landing in Zhukovsky. Birds got into both engines. Engines turned off, the crew carried out the landing ... one kilometer away from the runway,” TASS state news agency quoted Ural Airlines’ general director, Sergei Skuratovб, as saying.\n\nTASS cited a source saying that the aircraft had landed in a field near the airport. Reuters could not immediately verify the report.\n\nSafety concerns have plagued Russia’s airline industry, which has experienced many fatal crashes in recent years.", "MOSCOW (Reuters) - A Russian pilot who landed a passenger plane in a cornfield after hitting a flock of birds said he was no hero despite the Kremlin lauding him for saving the lives of 233 people.\n\nRussian media have said it was a miracle that no one was killed when the Ural Airlines Airbus 321 was forced to land on Thursday in a field on the outskirts of Moscow less than two minutes after it took off from Zhukovsky International Airport.\n\n“I did what I had to do,” said Damir Yusupov, the captain who guided the Airbus down. “I saved the plane, the passengers, the crew. I think that was the only decision. I don’t think I’m a hero.”\n\n“There was no fear or dread,” he was also quoted as saying by Interfax news agency.\n\nThe plane was carrying 233 people en route to Simferopol in Crimea. More than 70 passengers were treated for injuries following the emergency landing but nobody was killed. The Kremlin has lauded the pilots for their handling of the aircraft and promised to give them state awards.\n\nA second pilot, Georgy Murzin, was receiving treatment in a hospital on Friday for a bruised chest, the RIA news agency reported.\n\nRussia’s natural resources watchdog said late on Thursday it had identified an illegal rubbish dump roughly two kilometers from Zhukovsky International, which is southeast of Moscow, as being the possible home of the birds which caused the emergency landing.\n\nOfficials from the watchdog and the ecology ministry were due to check the site as well as others nearby, RIA news agency reported.", "MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday bestowed top state honors on two pilots for courage and heroism after they safely landed a packed passenger plane in a cornfield near Moscow as its engines were failing.\n\nRussians have said it was a miracle that no one was killed when the Ural Airlines Airbus 321 struck a flock of gulls on Thursday, disrupting its engines and forcing it to land less than two minutes after it took off.\n\nPutin, in a decree published on the Kremlin’s website, handed captain Damir Yusupov and co-pilot Georgy Murzin Russia’s highest state award - the Hero of Russia. He granted the Order of Courage, another top state award, to five flight attendants.\n\nThe plane took off from Zhukovsky International Airport carrying 233 people to Simferopol in Crimea. More than 70 passengers were treated for injuries following the emergency landing but nobody was killed.\n\n“I did what I had to do,” said Yusupov who guided the Airbus down. “I saved the plane, the passengers, the crew. I think that was the only decision. I don’t think I’m a hero.”\n\n“I wasn’t scared,” he told reporters in Yekaterinburg where Ural Airlines has its training center. “I saw the cornfield in front of me...I tried to minimize our vertical speed to ensure a soft landing.”\n\nMurzin was receiving treatment for a bruised chest in hospital on Friday, the RIA news agency reported.\n\nRussia’s natural resources watchdog said late on Thursday it had identified an illegal rubbish dump roughly two kilometers from Zhukovsky International, which is southeast of Moscow, as being the possible home of the birds which caused the emergency landing.\n\nOfficials from the watchdog and the ecology ministry were due to check the site as well as others nearby, RIA news agency reported."], "summary": "A Ural Airlines Airbus 321 crash lands in a field near Zhukovsky International Airport in Moscow Region, Russia. The event is dubbed the \"Miracle over Ramensk\", as only 23 passengers had minor injuries, similar to US Airways Flight 1549. Preliminary reports say the aircraft struck a flock of seagulls."}
{"document": ["(CNN) Dale Earnhardt Jr., famed NASCAR driver, and his wife were involved in a private jet crash in east Tennessee and escaped serious injury, officials said Thursday.\n\nElizabethton Fire Chief Barry Carrier told CNN affiliate WJHL that Earnhardt and his wife, Amy, were on the plane that crashed at Elizabethton Municipal Airport. Local police said the plane ran off the runway upon landing at 3:38 p.m. ET.\n\nThe retired driver's sister, Kelley, tweeted that those on board were OK.\n\n\"Everyone is safe and has been taken to the hospital for further evaluation. We have no further information at this time. Thank you for your understanding,\" she wrote.\n\nEarnhardt spent a few hours at a hospital before he was released.\n\nRead More", "ELIZABETHTON, Tenn. — Dale Earnhardt Jr. has been discharged from the hospital after his plane crashed in east Tennessee, according to a statement from NBC Sports Public Relations.\n\nThe retired NASCAR driver, his wife Amy, their 15-month-old daughter Isla, the family dog, and two pilots were all on the plane when it crashed Thursday near Bristol Motor Speedway. They all got out safely.\n\nEarnhardt Jr. was in Tennessee to work as a TV analyst for this weekend's NASCAR race, but will now take the weekend off to be with his family.\n\n\"We're incredibly grateful that Dale, his wife Amy, daughter Isla, and the two pilots are safe following today's accident,\" NBC Sports said in a statement. \"After being discharged from the hospital, we communicated with Dale and his team, and we're all in agreement that he should take this weekend off to be with his family.\n\n\"We look forward to having him back in the booth next month at Darlington.\"\n\nFederal Aviation Administration officials said a Cessna Citation rolled off the end of a runway and caught fire after landing at Elizabethton Municipal Airport at 3:40 p.m. Thursday. FAA officials said the preliminary indication is that two pilots and three passengers were aboard.\n\nThe National Transportation Safety Board tweeted that it's sending two representatives to Elizabethton to begin investigating the crash.\n\nCarter County Sheriff's Office spokesman Thomas Gray confirmed Earnhardt was aboard but said he wasn't one of the pilots.\n\nThis incident comes 26 years after former driver and 1992 Cup champion Alan Kulwicki died in a plane crash while on his way to the spring race at Bristol from a promotional appearance in Knoxville, Tennessee. That crash at Tri-City Regional Airport in Blountville, Tennessee, killed a total of four people.\n\nEarnhardt was part of Rick Hendrick's racing team in 2011 when Hendrick broke a rib and a collarbone while on a small jet that lost its brakes and crash landed in an airport at Key West, Florida. Hendrick's son, brother and twin nieces were among 10 people killed in a 2004 crash of a plane traveling to a race in Virginia.\n\nThis isn't the first fiery crash for Earnhardt. He still has a burn scar on his neck from a crash at Sonoma in 2004 during warmups for an American Le Mans Series race that left him with second-degree burns.\n\nEarnhardt has a history of concussions that plagued him over his final years as a driver.\n\nHe won NASCAR's most popular driver award a record 15 times with 26 career Cup victories.\n\nRELATED: Social Media Reacts to Dale Earnhardt Jr., Wife, Child Being Involved in Plane Crash\n\nDale Earnhardt Jr. Shares Rare Photos of Father on 18-Year Anniversary of his Death\n\nPHOTOS: Dale Jr. and Wife Amy Involved in plane crash in TN\n\nEarnhardt Jr., Love, Broadway Among 12 Inducted Into NC Sports Hall Of Fame\n\n'Happy Birthday, Dad': Dale Earnhardt Would Have Celebrated His 68th Birthday Today\n\nDale Jr. Apologizes To Pregnant Wife For Eating Her Ice Cream", "ELIZABETHTON, Tenn. — Dale Earnhardt Jr., his wife, and their 1-year-old child have been transported to an eastern Tennessee hospital after their private plane crashed near the Elizabeth Municipal Airport in Carter County, Tennessee Thursday.\n\n\"Everyone is safe and has been taken to the hospital for further evaluation,\" Kelley Earnhardt, the sister of the former NASCAR driver and current television personality, tweeted after the crash.\n\nThe extent of their injuries was not immediately known. The Elizabethton Fire Chief told local media that no one died in the crash.\n\nThe FAA confirmed five people were aboard the Cessna Citation aircraft when it crashed. The occupants are believed to have been the Earnhardt family and two pilots.\n\nRELATED: Social media reacts to Dale Earnhardt Jr., wife, child being involved in plane crash\n\nVideo recorded shortly after the crash showed medical personnel treating a man believed to be Earnhardt.\n\n\"A Cessna Citation rolled off the end of Runway 24 and caught fire after landing at Elizabethton Municipal Airport in Tennessee at 3:40 p.m. today. Preliminary indication is that two pilots and three passengers were aboard,\" the FAA said in a released statement. \"The FAA will investigate and the National Transportation Safety Board will determine probable cause of the accident.\"\n\nFAA records show the Cessna Citation was built in 2015 and is registered to Mooresville, North Carolina.\n\nNASCAR is hosting races in nearby Bristol, Tennessee this weekend. Earnhardt was scheduled to appear as a commentary on NBC Sports.\n\nThrough the end of his full-time career in 2017, Earnhardt had 26 career victories, including the 2004 and 2014 Daytona 500s. His 26 victories tie him for 29th on NASCAR’s all-time race winners list.\n\nEarnhardt is a third generation NASCAR driver. He currently owns and operates JR Motorsports, based out of Mooresville, North Carolina.\n\nEarlier this year, Earnhardt was inducted in the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame.\n\nFollowing the plane crash, emergency personnel worked to extinguish the fire. The remains of the aircraft came to rest on nearby Highway 91. The road is expected to be closed for more than a day while officials investigate.\n\nEarnhardt Jr. is not the first NASCAR legend to be involved in a plane crash.\n\nAlan Kulwicki was killed, along with three others, in a plane crash near Blountville, Tennessee, on April 1, 1993, while on approach to Tri-Cities Regional Airport.\n\nLater that same year, another NASCAR driver, Davey Allison was killed in a helicopter crash while landing his helicopter at Talladega Superspeedway.\n\nIn 2004, a plane owned by Hendrick Motorsports crashed on it's way to the race track in Martinsville, Virginia, killing ten people including Hendrick family members and executives. Earnhardt Jr. raced for Hendrick motorsports for the final decade of his career.\n\nRELATED: Dale Earnhardt Jr. shares rare photos of father 18 years after his death\n\nRELATED: Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his wife Amy starring in their own DIY reality show", "ELIZABETHTON, Tenn. — Dale Earnhardt Jr. is safe and in a hospital for evaluation after his plane crashed in east Tennessee, the NASCAR television analyst and retired driver's sister tweeted.\n\nEarnhardt's sister, Kelley Earnhardt Miller, tweeted that the driver's wife, Amy, and 15-month-old daughter, Isla, also were on the plane along with two pilots.\n\n\"Everyone is safe and has been taken to the hospital for further evaluation,\" she tweeted. \"We will have no further information at this time.\"\n\nFederal Aviation Administration officials said a Cessna Citation rolled off the end of a runway and caught fire after landing at Elizabethton Municipal Airport at 3:40 p.m. Thursday. FAA officials said the preliminary indication is that two pilots and three passengers were aboard.\n\nCarter County Sheriff's Office spokesman Thomas Gray confirmed Earnhardt was aboard but said he wasn't one of the pilots.\n\nEarnhardt retired as a full-time driver in 2017 and has been working as an analyst for NBC. He is part of the scheduled broadcast team for Saturday night's Cup Series event in Bristol, Tennessee.\n\nPHOTOS: Dale Jr. and Wife Amy Involved in plane crash in TN\n\nRELATED: Earnhardt Jr., Love, Broadway Among 12 Inducted Into NC Sports Hall Of Fame", "Sheriff: Former NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr., his family escape plane crash in Tennessee without serious injuries\n\nFormer NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his wife and child escaped a plane crash in Tennessee without serious injuries on Thursday, said Carter County Sheriff Dexter Lunceford.\n\nThe Cessna Citation rolled off the end of a runway after landing at Elizabethton Municipal Airport in Elizabethton, about 65 miles north of Asheville, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).\n\nTwo pilots were on board, according to the FAA.\n\nThe former race car driver was taken to Johnson City Medical Center. He was the only person on board who was hospitalized, according to the sheriff.\n\nHis injuries were described as cuts and abrasions.\n\nEarnhardt’s sister, Kelley Earnhardt, tweeted: “I can confirm Dale, Amy & Isla along with his two pilots were involved in a crash… Everyone is safe and has been taken to the hospital for further evaluation.”\n\nOfficials with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will investigate.\n\nThis story is developing. Please check back for more updates.", "Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his family are safe after being involved in a plane crash Thursday in Tennessee.\n\nEarnhardt's sister Kelley confirmed that a plane carrying the retired NASCAR driver, his wife Amy and their daughter Isla crashed near Bristol. She said the family and their two pilots were taken to a hospital but are \"safe\" after the incident.\n\n\"Everyone is safe and has been taken to the hospital for further evaluation,\" she wrote on Twitter. \"We have no further information at this time. Thank you for your understanding.\"\n\nWJHL was first to report the crash, with Elizabethton Fire Chief Barry Carrier confirming to the station that a plane carrying Earnhardt and his wife went down at Elizabethton Municipal Airport.\n\nCarter County Sheriff Dexter Lunceford told the station Earnhardt had been taken to Johnson City Medical Center due to what was described as \"cuts and abrasions.\"\n\nElizabethton Airport manager Dan Cogan confirmed a private plane ran off the end of the runway and caught fire, but noted all passengers are out of the plane.\n\nThe airport is about 15 miles from Bristol Motor Speedway, site of this weekend's NASCAR racing.", "Former NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his family were not seriously injured after being involved in a plane crash Thursday in Tennessee, according to the Earnhardt family.\n\nEarnhardt's sister, Kelley Earnhardt, tweeted that \"Dale, Amy & Isla along with his two pilots were involved in a crash,\" adding, \"Everyone is safe and has been taken to the hospital for further evaluation.\"\n\nCBS affiliate WHJL reports Earnhardt, his wife and daughter were on the Cessna Citation plane along with a pilot, one other passenger and a family dog when the crash happened at the Elizabethton Municipal Airport.\n\nFederal Aviation Administration officials said a Cessna Citation rolled off the end of a runway and caught fire after landing at airport at 3:40 p.m. Thursday.\n\nNational Transportation Safety Board officials were investigating the crash of a Cessna plane in Elizabethton, Tennessee.\n\nEarnhardt retired as a full-time racer in 2017 and has been working as an analyst for NBC. He is part of the scheduled broadcast team for Saturday night's Cup Series event in Bristol, Tennessee.\n\nCheck back for updates on this developing story.", "An airplane carrying retired Nascar driver Dale Eanrhardt Jr and his wife and daughter was involved in a fiery crash at an airport in Tennessee on Thursday afternoon, authorities said.\n\nThe plane, a Cessna Citation registered to JR Motorsports, ran off the end of the runway and caught fire at the Elizabethton Municipal Airport in eastern Tennessee, local affiliate WJHL-TV reported. The airport is located 15 miles from Bristol Motor Speedway, where Nascar races this weekend.\n\nElizabethton fire chief Barry Carrier told the station that Earnhardt Jr and his wife were uninjured when the plane crashed and caught fire, but later said the two-time Daytona 500 champion was transported to Johnson City Medical Center for minor injuries.\n\nCarter County sheriff Dexter Lunceford said the Earnhardt was traveling with his wife and child, the pilot, another passenger and the family’s dog.\n\nEarnhardt’s sister, Kelley, said “everyone is safe and has been taken to the hospital for further evaluation” on Twitter.\n\nEarnhardt Jr, 44, is one of the most beloved drivers in the history of stock-car racing, having won Nascar’s Most Popular Driver award for 15 consecutive years from 2003 until 2017.\n\nHe is the son of seven-times Nascar series champion Dale Earnhardt Sr, who was fatally injured in a wreck during the final lap of the 2001 Daytona 500, a tragedy that shook the sport to its foundation and prompted a rigorous recommitment to driver safety.", "ELIZABETHTON, Tenn. — Dale Earnhardt Jr., his wife, and their 1-year-old child have been transported to an eastern Tennessee hospital after their private plane crashed near the Elizabeth Municipal Airport in Carter County, Tennessee Thursday.\n\n\"Everyone is safe and has been taken to the hospital for further evaluation,\" Kelley Earnhardt, the sister of the former NASCAR driver and current television personality, tweeted after the crash.\n\nThe extent of their injuries was not immediately known. The Elizabethton Fire Chief told local media that no one died in the crash.\n\nThe FAA confirmed five people were aboard the Cessna Citation aircraft when it crashed. The occupants are believed to have been the Earnhardt family and two pilots.\n\nVideo captured at the scene and posted to social media shows medical personnel assisting someone identified by WCYB-TV as Earnhardt.\n\n\"A Cessna Citation rolled off the end of Runway 24 and caught fire after landing at Elizabethton Municipal Airport in Tennessee at 3:40 p.m. today. Preliminary indication is that two pilots and three passengers were aboard,\" the FAA said in a released statement. \"The FAA will investigate and the National Transportation Safety Board will determine probable cause of the accident.\"\n\nNASCAR is hosting races in nearby Bristol, Tennessee this weekend.", "Former NASCAR star Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his family are safe after they were involved in a plane crash in Tennessee.\n\nEarnhardt Jr., his wife Amy, their one-year-old daughter Isla, and their dog Gus, were in a plane crash on Thursday afternoon at the Elizabethton Municipal Airport in Carter County, Tennessee.\n\nCNN reports that the crash occurred after their plane landed at 3:38 p.m. ET. The aircraft overshot the end of the runway, crashed and caught fire, according to a statement by the FAA.\n\nDale and his family, along with two pilots on board the plane, made it out of the plane safely.\n\nThe YouTube and Twitter videos below show the plane, a 10-seat, twin-engine Cessna Citation Latitude, burning where it crashed at the end of the runway.\n\nEarnhardt’s sister Kelley confirmed the news of the crash. She also confirmed an earlier statement by the local fire department that all three members of the family were safe.\n\n“I can confirm Dale, Amy & Isla along with his two pilots were involved in a crash in Bristol TN this afternoon,” she tweeted. “Everyone is safe and has been taken to the hospital for further evaluation. We have no further information at this time. Thank you for your understanding.”\n\nNo one appeared to have suffered severe injuries in the crash. Dale received first aid treatment at the site of the crash before they transported him to the hospital with minor injuries.\n\nThe Facebook video below shows Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the grass, receiving first aid attention after he and his family escaped from the burning wreckage.\n\nParamedics also took his wife Amy and daughter Isa away. The authorities said they were investigating the cause of the crash.\n\nDale Earnhardt Jr. was born on October 10, 1974, the son of NASCAR Hall of Fame legend Dale Earnhardt Sr.\n\nDale Jr. won the Daytona 500 motor race twice, in 2004 and 2014. He retired as a full-time NASCAR driver in 2017, but still competes part-time in the Xfinity Series."], "summary": "A Cessna Citation carrying former NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr., his wife and infant daughter crashes on landing at Elizabethton Municipal Airport in Elizabethton, Tennessee. All occupants survive without serious injury."}
{"document": ["The presidential box was hit by an explosion caused by two bomb-laden drones, leaving Maduro unharmed, while seven security officers were injured in the incident.\n\nBack then, Venezuela’s Foreign Ministry also mentioned former Venezuelan Prosecutor General Luisa Ortega Diaz, Colombia’s former President, Juan Manuel Santos, and one of the Venezuelan opposition leaders, Julio Borges, among those behind the attempt to assassinate Maduro, alongside Uribe.\n\n\"I have learned about a plan coordinated by Alvaro Uribe Velez involving Colombian Ambassador to the United States Francisco Santo […] to send 32 mercenaries to Venezuela to try to kill me\", Maduro said in a speech, aired live on his Twitter late on Wednesday.\n\nMaduro has repeatedly claimed that the United States instructed Colombia to organize his assassination, something denied by both Bogota and Washington.\n\nLast week, the Venezuelan president said that he had evidence, proving that US National Security Adviser John Bolton had masterminded the 2018 attempted assassination of the Venezuelan leader. In December 2018, Maduro accused Bolton of preparing a plan to overthrow and kill him.\n\nBoth Bogota and Washington have also denied any involvement in the incident.\n\nVenezuela is experiencing a political crisis that intensified in January after the US-backed opposition leader, Juan Guaido, illegally proclaimed himself interim president.\n\nThe United States immediately recognized Guaido, after which some 50 other countries followed suit. Russia, China, Cuba, Bolivia and a number of other states have, in the meantime, voiced their support for the legitimate government of constitutionally-elected Maduro.\n\nThe United States, as well as the European Union, has imposed several rounds of sanctions on Venezuela and froze its assets.\n\nMaduro has called Guaido a US puppet and accused Washington of orchestrating a change of government in order to claim Venezuelan natural resources.", "FILE PHOTO: Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro speaks during a ceremony to commemorate the Bicentennial of the Battle in the Vargas Swamp at the National Pantheon in Caracas, Venezuela July 25, 2019. Picture taken July 25, 2019. Miraflores Palace/Handout via REUTERS\n\nCARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Wednesday accused former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe of plotting to assassinate him in cohorts with Colombia’s U.S. ambassador Francisco Santos, and exiled Venezuelan opposition leader Lester Toledo.\n\nIt was not the first time Maduro, a socialist, accused politicians from neighboring Colombia of plotting against him, as relations between the two countries deteriorate amid an economic crisis in Venezuela that has prompted more than one million migrants to settle in Colombia.\n\nDuring a state television broadcast on Wednesday evening, Maduro gave a detailed account of how the three plotted the attack from “a bunker” in a house belonging to Uribe, a right-wing leader who has been an outspoken critic of Maduro and his predecessor and mentor, the late former President Hugo Chavez.\n\n“It is a plan for 32 mercenaries to enter [Venezuela] to try to assassinate me and leaders of the revolution,” Maduro said. “But we are here, protected by God.”\n\nColombian Foreign Minister Carlos Holmes denied the allegation in a post on Twitter, saying the government “rejects the delirious and slanderous accusations by the dictator Maduro against two Colombians who have dedicated their lives to serving democracy.”\n\nA press advisor to Uribe did not respond to a request for comment. Toledo, who is based in Colombia, has been designated by Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as his international coordinator for efforts to bring in humanitarian aid. He could not be reached for comment.\n\nMaduro frequently calls current Colombian President Ivan Duque a “lackey” for U.S. interests. Maduro has accused Colombia and the United States of being behind a drone explosion at a military parade last year, which he describes as an assassination attempt.", "CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Wednesday accused former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe of plotting to assassinate him in cohorts with Colombia’s U.S. ambassador Francisco Santos, and exiled Venezuelan opposition leader Lester Toledo.\n\nIt was not the first time Maduro, a socialist, accused politicians from neighboring Colombia of plotting against him, as relations between the two countries deteriorate amid an economic crisis in Venezuela that has prompted more than one million migrants to settle in Colombia.\n\nDuring a state television broadcast on Wednesday evening, Maduro gave a detailed account of how the three plotted the attack from “a bunker” in a house belonging to Uribe, a right-wing leader who has been an outspoken critic of Maduro and his predecessor and mentor, the late former President Hugo Chavez.\n\n“It is a plan for 32 mercenaries to enter [Venezuela] to try to assassinate me and leaders of the revolution,” Maduro said. “But we are here, protected by God.”\n\nColombian Foreign Minister Carlos Holmes denied the allegation in a post on Twitter, saying the government “rejects the delirious and slanderous accusations by the dictator Maduro against two Colombians who have dedicated their lives to serving democracy.”\n\nA press advisor to Uribe did not respond to a request for comment. Toledo, who is based in Colombia, has been designated by Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as his international coordinator for efforts to bring in humanitarian aid. He could not be reached for comment.\n\nMaduro frequently calls current Colombian President Ivan Duque a “lackey” for U.S. interests. Maduro has accused Colombia and the United States of being behind a drone explosion at a military parade last year, which he describes as an assassination attempt.", "CARACAS – Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro accused former Colombian leader Álvaro Uribe of planning to hire mercenaries to assassinate him.\n\nThe alleged assassination attempt, according to Maduro, was reported to have occurred in August last year during a military parade in Caracas. At the time, the Venezuelan head of state emerged unscathed from a drone attack that left seven agents of his personal guard injured. Following this episode, Maduro accused several authorities and politicians, from Venezuela and Colombia, of planning the attack, under orders from the United States.\n\n“I learned of a plan coordinated by Álvaro Uribe Velez involving Colombia’s ambassador to the United States, Francisco Santo, to send 32 mercenaries to Venezuela to try to kill me,” Maduro said during a speech on Wednesday night.\n\nDespite Maduro’s allegations, both Bogota and Washington deny any involvement in the frustrated attack on Maduro in 2018.\n\nColombian Foreign Minister Carlos Trujillo traveled to the United States last year to discuss the political and social situation in Venezuela that led to high immigration, shortly after Senator and former President Alvaro Uribe called for “legal intervention” in the Caribbean country.\n\nUribe, leader of the Democratic Center, to which Trujillo and Duque belong, made the remarks just before the foreign minister’s visit to the United States began.\n\nIn an interview with local Caracol radio, Duke said a US-led military intervention “is not the way” to resolve the situation in Venezuela.\n\nHowever, Uribe justified the intervention because – he argued – Venezuelan immigration exceeds all capabilities of the country and recalled that Duque leads the establishment of an international fund to address this crisis.\n\nUribe compared the Venezuelan crisis in Colombia with Europe and warned of the risks it entails.\n\nOn the subject, Uribe noted that Chile received about 450,000 Venezuelans, “mainly by land, crossing the entire territory of Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.”", "CARACAS, Aug 14 (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Wednesday accused former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe of plotting to assassinate him in cohorts with Colombia's U.S. ambassador Francisco Santos, and exiled Venezuelan opposition leader Lester Toledo.\n\nIt was not the first time Maduro, a socialist, accused politicians from neighboring Colombia of plotting against him, as relations between the two countries deteriorate amid an economic crisis in Venezuela that has prompted more than one million migrants to settle in Colombia.\n\nDuring a state television broadcast on Wednesday evening, Maduro gave a detailed account of how the three plotted the attack from \"a bunker\" in a house belonging to Uribe, a right-wing leader who has been an outspoken critic of Maduro and his predecessor and mentor, the late former President Hugo Chavez.\n\n\"It is a plan for 32 mercenaries to enter to try to assassinate me and leaders of the revolution,\" Maduro said. \"But we are here, protected by God.\"\n\nColombian Foreign Minister Carlos Holmes denied the allegation in a post on Twitter, saying the government \"rejects the delirious and slanderous accusations by the dictator Maduro against two Colombians who have dedicated their lives to serving democracy.\"\n\nA press advisor to Uribe did not respond to a request for comment. Toledo, who is based in Colombia, has been designated by Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as his international coordinator for efforts to bring in humanitarian aid. He could not be reached for comment.\n\nMaduro frequently calls current Colombian President Ivan Duque a \"lackey\" for U.S. interests. Maduro has accused Colombia and the United States of being behind a drone explosion at a military parade last year, which he describes as an assassination attempt. (Reporting by Corina Pons; additional reporting by Julia Symmes Cobb in Bogota; Writing by Luc Cohen; editing by Grant McCool)", "CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Wednesday accused former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe of plotting to assassinate him in cohorts with Colombia’s U.S. ambassador Francisco Santos, and exiled Venezuelan opposition leader Lester Toledo.\n\nIt was not the first time Maduro, a socialist, accused politicians from neighboring Colombia of plotting against him, as relations between the two countries deteriorate amid an economic crisis in Venezuela that has prompted more than one million migrants to settle in Colombia.\n\nDuring a state television broadcast on Wednesday evening, Maduro gave a detailed account of how the three plotted the attack from “a bunker” in a house belonging to Uribe, a right-wing leader who has been an outspoken critic of Maduro and his predecessor and mentor, the late former President Hugo Chavez.\n\n“It is a plan for 32 mercenaries to enter [Venezuela] to try to assassinate me and leaders of the revolution,” Maduro said. “But we are here, protected by God.”\n\nColombian Foreign Minister Carlos Holmes denied the allegation in a post on Twitter, saying the government “rejects the delirious and slanderous accusations by the dictator Maduro against two Colombians who have dedicated their lives to serving democracy.”\n\nA press advisor to Uribe did not respond to a request for comment. Toledo, who is based in Colombia, has been designated by Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as his international coordinator for efforts to bring in humanitarian aid. He could not be reached for comment.\n\nMaduro frequently calls current Colombian President Ivan Duque a “lackey” for U.S. interests. Maduro has accused Colombia and the United States of being behind a drone explosion at a military parade last year, which he describes as an assassination attempt.", "CARACAS — Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Wednesday accused former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe of plotting to assassinate him in cohorts with Colombia’s U.S. ambassador Francisco Santos, and exiled Venezuelan opposition leader Lester Toledo.\n\nIt was not the first time Maduro, a socialist, accused politicians from neighboring Colombia of plotting against him, as relations between the two countries deteriorate amid an economic crisis in Venezuela that has prompted more than one million migrants to settle in Colombia.\n\nDuring a state television broadcast on Wednesday evening, Maduro gave a detailed account of how the three plotted the attack from “a bunker” in a house belonging to Uribe, a right-wing leader who has been an outspoken critic of Maduro and his predecessor and mentor, the late former President Hugo Chavez.\n\n“It is a plan for 32 mercenaries to enter to try to assassinate me and leaders of the revolution,” Maduro said. “But we are here, protected by God.”\n\nColombian Foreign Minister Carlos Holmes denied the allegation in a post on Twitter, saying the government “rejects the delirious and slanderous accusations by the dictator Maduro against two Colombians who have dedicated their lives to serving democracy.”\n\nA press advisor to Uribe did not respond to a request for comment. Toledo, who is based in Colombia, has been designated by Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as his international coordinator for efforts to bring in humanitarian aid. He could not be reached for comment.\n\nMaduro frequently calls current Colombian President Ivan Duque a “lackey” for U.S. interests. Maduro has accused Colombia and the United States of being behind a drone explosion at a military parade last year, which he describes as an assassination attempt. (Reporting by Corina Pons; additional reporting by Julia Symmes Cobb in Bogota; Writing by Luc Cohen; editing by Grant McCool)", "CARACAS, Aug 14 (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Wednesday accused former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe of plotting to assassinate him in cohorts with Colombia's U.S. ambassador Francisco Santos, and exiled Venezuelan opposition leader Lester Toledo.\n\nIt was not the first time Maduro, a socialist, accused politicians from neighboring Colombia of plotting against him, as relations between the two countries deteriorate amid an economic crisis in Venezuela that has prompted more than one million migrants to settle in Colombia.\n\nDuring a state television broadcast on Wednesday evening, Maduro gave a detailed account of how the three plotted the attack from \"a bunker\" in a house belonging to Uribe, a right-wing leader who has been an outspoken critic of Maduro and his predecessor and mentor, the late former President Hugo Chavez.\n\nColombian Foreign Minister Carlos Holmes denied the allegation in a post on Twitter, saying the government \"rejects the delirious and slanderous accusations by the dictator Maduro against two Colombians who have dedicated their lives to serving democracy.\"\n\nA press advisor to Uribe did not respond to a request for comment. Toledo, who is based in Colombia, has been designated by Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as his international coordinator for efforts to bring in humanitarian aid. He could not be reached for comment.\n\nMaduro frequently calls current Colombian President Ivan Duque a \"lackey\" for U.S. interests. Maduro has accused Colombia and the United States of being behind a drone explosion at a military parade last year, which he describes as an assassination attempt.", "BUENOS AIRES (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 15th August, 2019) Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said that Colombia's former President Alvaro Uribe Velez had planned to hire mercenaries to assassinate him.\n\nThe failed assassination of Maduro took place in early August 2018 during a military parade in the Venezuelan capital. The president was left unharmed while seven security officers were injured in the incident. Back then, Venezuela's Foreign Ministry also mentioned former Venezuelan Prosecutor General Luisa Ortega Diaz, Colombia's former President, Juan Manuel Santos, and one of the Venezuelan opposition leaders, Julio Borges, among those behind the attempt to assassinate Maduro, alongside Uribe.\n\n\"I have learned about a plan coordinated by Alvaro Uribe Velez involving Colombian Ambassador to the United States Francisco Santo ... to send 32 mercenaries to Venezuela to try to kill me,\" Maduro said in a speech, aired live on his Twitter late on Wednesday.\n\nMaduro has repeatedly claimed that the United States instructed Colombia to organize his assassination, something denied by both Bogota and Washington.", "Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro denounced Wednesday a plan directed by the former president of Colombia, Alvaro Uribe, to enter the country with mercenaries in order to assassinate the head of state and commit other violent acts to destabilize the nation.\n\nMaduro said he has received intelligence information that indicated that the ex-leader of Colombia and right-wing political figure is trying to carry out his killing in collaboration with the current ambassador of Colombia in the United States, along with Venezuelan ultra-right leaders.\n\n\"I have learned of a plan directed by Alvaro Uribe Velez with the participation of the Colombian ambassador to the United States, Franciscano Santos, who has discussed with Lester Toledo, a fugitive from Venezuelan justice, to enter Venezuela (with) 32 mercenaries to try to assassinate me and other leaders of the revolution,\" said Maduro from the presidential palace in Caracas. Maduro says that Uribe, who has strong links to extra-judicial killings and the narco-arms trade in his own country, was concoting this plan from his home in Antioquia.\n\nThe president said that Venezuela will overcome all violent and mercenary plans. The claim comes days after seven Colombian paramilitaries were captured by Venezuela on the border between the two countries. The paramilitaries were found with firearms, ammunition, vehicles and communication devices. The arrests took place in the western state of Tachira and was a part of the governments Simon Bolívar Liberation Campaign.\n\nSince July 24 alone, the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB) of Venezuela have arrested 49 Colombian paramilitaries in their territory and seized almost 3,000 kilos of drugs.\n\nCurrent Colombian President Ivan Duque, who many say is the puppet of Uribe, has also participated in directly destabalizing Venezuela by taking part in the failed U.S. 'aid' mission to bring in truck loads of supplies from Cucuta, Colombia into Venezuela."], "summary": "Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro gives a speech wherein he accuses former Colombian President Álvaro Uribe, Uribe's Vice President Francisco Santos Calderón, and Venezuelan politician Lester Toledo [es] of planning to kill him."}
{"document": ["FILE PHOTO: A small boat sails past Iranian oil tanker Grace 1 as it sits anchored after it was seized in July by British Royal Marines off the coast of the British Mediterranean territory on suspicion of violating sanctions against Syria, in the Strait of Gibraltar, southern Spain August 13, 2019. REUTERS/Jon Nazca/File Photo\n\nLONDON (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Justice has applied to seize the Iranian tanker Grace 1, which is being held in Gibraltar on suspicion of smuggling oil to Syria in breach of European Union sanctions, the British overseas territory said on Thursday.\n\n“The U.S. Department of Justice has applied to seize the Grace 1 on a number of allegations which are now being considered,” the Gibraltar government said in a statement. “The matter will return to the Supreme Court of Gibraltar at 4 p.m. (1400 GMT) today.”", "Authorities in Gibraltar have released the Iranian oil tanker Grace 1, after receiving assurances that its cargo is not destined for Syria. The US had formally requested them to detain the vessel for a further period.\n\nGibraltar Chief Minister Fabian Picardo agreed to lift the detention on the ship, however, after Tehran gave written assurances that its cargo – 2.1 million barrels of oil – would not be unloaded in Syria.\n\n“In light of the assurances we have received, there are no longer any reasonable grounds for the continued legal detention of the Grace 1 in order to ensure compliance with the EU Sanctions Regulation,” he said.\n\nThe United States requested the government of Gibraltar not to release the tanker.\n\n“The US Department of Justice has applied to seize the Grace 1 on a number of allegations, which are now being considered,” the Gibraltar government said in a statement, adding that the issue would be reviewed in the courts later on Thursday afternoon.\n\nIran’s ambassador to the UK, Hamid Baeidinejad, called Washington’s move “its desperate, last-minute efforts, intended to prevent the release of the [Grace 1] oil tanker from detention” that ended with “humiliation.”\n\nIranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif also weighed in on Twitter, calling the move an attempt at “piracy.”\n\n“The US attempted to abuse the legal system to steal our property on the high seas,” Zarif said. “This piracy attempt is indicative of Trump admin’s contempt for the law.”\n\nThe Grace 1 was seized by the UK outside of Gibraltar in early July, prompting Tehran, two weeks later, to seize a British-flagged vessel in the Persian Gulf. Both sides have denied there were plans to exchange the ships.", "Aritz Parra and Jon Gambrell, The Associated Press \n\n \n\n\n\nMADRID -- Gibraltar on Thursday allowed a detained Iranian supertanker to leave the British overseas territory despite a last-minute U.S. attempt to seize the vessel, potentially defusing tensions between London and Tehran as a British-flagged tanker remains held by the Islamic Republic.\n\nThe release of the Grace 1 comes amid a growing confrontation between Iran and the West after U.S. President Donald Trump pulled Washington out of Tehran's nuclear deal with world powers over a year ago.\n\nIn past weeks, the Persian Gulf region has seen six attacks on oil tankers that the U.S. has blamed on Iran and the downing of a U.S. surveillance drone by Iranian forces. Iran denied it was behind the tanker attacks, although it has seized other tankers.\n\nGibraltar Chief Minister Fabian Picardo said the U.S. was still on time to request a new legal procedure for seizing the Grace 1, but that provisions under the European Union's sanctions regulations were ending Thursday after the Iranian government assured him in writing that the ship will not send its 2.1 million barrels of crude to a sanctioned entity in Syria.\n\nReacting to the developments, Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif accused the U.S. of trying to \"steal our property on the high seas.\"\n\n\"Having failed to accomplish its objectives through its .EconomicTerrorism -- including depriving cancer patients of medicine -- the US attempted to abuse the legal system to steal our property on the high seas,\" Zarif tweeted, calling the Trump administration's moves a \"piracy attempt.\"\n\nIt was not clear whether the Grace 1 would sail away immediately; nor was it known what the Trump's administration strategy was. The U.S. Justice Department did not respond to requests for comment.\n\n\"This is an important material change in the destination of the vessel and the beneficiary of its cargo,\" Gibraltar's Picardo said in a statement, adding that the move ensured that the Syrian government of President Bashar Assad would be deprived of more than $140 million of crude oil.\n\nGibraltar said it had \"solid documentary evidence\" that the vessel was bound for Syria when it was detained on July 4, but that the political fallout had prompted talks with Iranian officials in London.\n\nPicardo's office released copies of communications with the Syrian Embassy in the U.K. shortly after the British overseas territory's Supreme Court decision to release the tanker.\n\nThe court had delayed its decision after the Justice Department made a last-minute application to extend the detention of the oil tanker, the Gibraltar government had said earlier Thursday. But there was no U.S. application to the court when the hearing resumed in the afternoon, the Gibraltar Chronicle newspaper reported, quoting the court's chief justice, Anthony Dudley.\n\nPicardo said that any U.S. request to detain the Grace 1 would now to be examined under bilateral agreements and outside of the EU sanction mechanism.\n\nThe EU has endorsed U.N. sanctions against Syria and has imposed a broad range of its own restrictions against Assad's government and its supporters. The restrictions include an oil embargo, limits on certain type of investments and a freeze of Syria's central bank's assets in the EU, among others.\n\nIn May, it extended until mid-2020 travel bans and the freezing of assets of 269 individuals and 69 entities. Among them is listed the Banyas refinery where the Grace 1's cargo was allegedly headed on July 4 when it was seized in a British Royal Navy operation in the Strait of Gibraltar.\n\nShortly after that, Iran seized the British-flagged oil tanker Stena Impero, which remains held by the Islamic Republic. Analysts had said the release of the Grace 1 by Gibraltar could see the Stena Impero go free.\n\nOn Thursday, Britain's Foreign Office said in a statement that the \"investigations conducted around the Grace 1 are a matter for the government of Gibraltar,\" and that it couldn't comment further.\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson's Downing Street office said Iran was discussed during his meeting with Trump's national security adviser John Bolton earlier in the week, though no details were released.\n\nSignalling preparations for the expected release of the ship, the captain, an Indian national, and three officers of the Grace 1 were released from detention, the Gibraltar government said.\n\nThe whereabouts of the crew, none of whom are Iranian, were not immediately known. The crew of the Grace 1 includes sailors from India, Pakistan and Ukraine, according to Iranian state television.\n\nBeyond a few Gibraltar-flagged patrol boats, an Associated Press crew saw little security around the tanker Thursday. A handful of men could be seen on the deck, some looking through binoculars.\n\nThis is the second time the Trump administration has moved to seize a ship in recent months. In May, the Justice Department said it had seized a North Korean cargo ship used to supply coal to the isolated nation in violation of international sanctions.\n\nTensions have escalated in the Persian Gulf region since Trump unilaterally withdrew the 2015 nuclear deal signed by Iran, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China. The decision stopped billions of dollars in business deals, largely halted the sale of Iran's crude oil internationally and sharply depreciated Iran's currency, the rial.\n\nIn recent weeks, Iran has begun to step away from the deal by increasing its production and enrichment of uranium. It has threatened to take further steps in early September if Europe can't help it sell its oil abroad.\n\nLina Khatib, head of the Middle East and North Africa program at Chatham House, said the U.S. request on the Grace 1 was based on its own imposed sanctions on Iran, and not the EU's sanctions on oil exports to Syria.\n\n\"Although the U.S. expects its European allies to abide by these sanctions, it is up to the Gibraltar authorities to assess the allegations presented by the U.S.,\" Khatib said.\n\nResolving the tanker dispute would help Britain's Johnson focus on domestic issues as he works to complete Britain's exit from the EU and prepare for anticipated national elections in the next few months.\n\nThe U.S. has been asking its allies to take part in a naval mission to protect shipping in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, although European nations have been reluctant.\n\nBritain has so far been the only nation to express willingness to join a maritime security mission. It has also been giving U.K.-flagged vessels a naval escort since the Iranian Revolutionary Guard's seizure of the Stena Impero.\n\nGambrell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Associated Press writers Jill Lawless and Danica Kirka in London, Eric Tucker in Washington and Amir Vahdat in Tehran, Iran, contributed.", "LONDON — The U.S. Department of Justice has applied to seize the Iranian tanker Grace 1, which is being held in Gibraltar on suspicion of smuggling oil to Syria in breach of European Union sanctions, the British overseas territory said on Thursday.\n\n“The U.S. Department of Justice has applied to seize the Grace 1 on a number of allegations which are now being considered,” the Gibraltar government said in a statement. “The matter will return to the Supreme Court of Gibraltar at 4 p.m. (1400 GMT) today.” (Reporting by Michael Holden; editing by Kate Holton)", "LONDON/GIBRALTAR (Reuters) - The United States applied on Thursday to seize an Iranian tanker in Gibraltar, halting its expected release at the last minute and preventing a possible swap for British-flagged tanker held by Iran.\n\nThe Grace 1 oil tanker was seized by Royal Marine commandos in a landing in darkness off the coast of the British overseas territory on July 4.\n\nGibraltar said the tanker was suspected of selling oil to Syria in breach of European Union sanctions. Two weeks later, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards seized the British-flagged Stena Impero in the Gulf on July 19.\n\nGibraltar was widely expected to release the Grace 1 on Thursday, but just hours before, the U.S. Department of Justice sought to seize it.\n\n“The U.S. Department of Justice has applied to seize the Grace 1 on a number of allegations which are now being considered,” the government of Gibraltar said, adding the matter would return to the supreme court of Gibraltar at 1400 GMT on Thursday.\n\nFurther details were not immediately released about the grounds for the U.S. Justice Department’s application. The U.S. Justice Department was not immediately available for comment.\n\nThe Gibraltar Chronicle newspaper, which was first to report the news, said the court’s chief justice, Anthony Dudley, made clear that were it not for the U.S. move, “the ship would have sailed”.\n\nWhile both Britain and Iran deny they were planning to swap the vessels for each other, there has been widespread expectation that the Britsh-flagged ship will not be freed until the Iranian tanker is released.\n\nThe two seized tankers - one in Gibraltar and one in Iran - are seen as a pawns in the standoff between Iran and the West, with their fate tangled in the diplomatic differences between the EU’s big powers and the United States.\n\nEuropean countries including Britain strongly disagreed with Washington’s decision last year to abandon an international agreement that guaranteed Iran access to trade in return for curbs to its nuclear program.\n\nWashington has imposed sanctions on Iran with the aim of halting its oil exports altogether. European countries have lifted sanctions against Iran itself but still have a ban on selling oil to Syria, in place since 2011.\n\nGibraltar denies that it was ordered to detain the Grace 1, which was carrying up to 2.1 million barrels of oil, but several diplomatic sources have said the United States asked the United Kingdom to seize the vessel.\n\nBritain, which has insisted its Iran policy will not change under new Prime Minister Boris Johnson who took office last month, has repeatedly indicated it wants a compromise over the tanker.\n\nThe captain and three officers of the Grace 1 have been released from arrest.\n\nA source in Gibraltar had told Reuters ahead of Thursday’s court hearing that the Grace 1 would probably be allowed to leave, stoking speculation about a possible tanker swap with Iran.\n\nBritain has announced plans to join a U.S.-led maritime security mission in the Gulf.\n\nIranian navy commander Rear Admiral Hossein Khanzadi repeated Iran’s longstanding demand that Western navies leave the Gulf, which Iran says should be patrolled only by the countries of the region, ISNA news agency reported on Thursday.\n\n“The enemies of the region, America, England and the Zionist regime and their allies, should know that the time of parading, loitering and putting on a hypocritical show in the Persian Gulf region and the sea of Oman is over,” Khanzadi said, according to ISNA.\n\n“The enemies must leave the region as quickly as possible.”", "LONDON, Aug 15 — The United States has applied to seize the Iranian Grace 1 tanker in Gibraltar commandeered by British Royal Marines in the Mediterranean last month, complicating a possible tanker swap between Britain and the Islamic Republic.\n\nThe Grace 1 oil tanker was seized by marines in a daring landing in darkness off the coast of the British overseas territory on July 4. Gibraltar said the tanker was suspected of smuggling oil to Syria in breach of European Union sanctions.\n\nAs tensions grew with Tehran, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards seized the British-flagged Stena Impero in the Gulf on July 19.\n\nGibraltar was due to release the Grace 1 vessel but just hours before, the US Department of Justice sought to seize it.\n\n“The US Department of Justice has applied to seize the Iranian supertanker Grace 1 in Gibraltar, just hours before the Gibraltar Government was poised to release it,” said the Gibraltar Chronicle newspaper, which was first to report the news.\n\nThe Gibraltarian court’s chief justice, Anthony Dudley, made clear that were it not for the US move, “the ship would have sailed,” the Chronicle reported.\n\nIt was not immediately clear to what the US Justice Department’s application related.\n\nThe application means that a decision on the fate of Grace 1 will not be made until later today. The government of Gibraltar did not immediately comment on the report.\n\nThe captain and three officers of the Grace 1 have been released from arrest.\n\nA source in Gibraltar told Reuters ahead of the court hearing that the Grace 1 would likely be allowed to leave, stoking speculation about a possible tanker swap with Iran. — Reuters", "Madrid -- The United States moved on Thursday to seize an Iranian supertanker detained in Gibraltar for breaching international sanctions on oil shipments. The last minute intervention by Washington could thwart efforts by authorities in London and the British overseas territory to defuse tensions with Tehran.\n\nThe Gibraltar government confirmed earlier media reports that the U.S. Department of Justice had sought to extend the detention of the oil tanker Grace 1, prompting the Supreme Court in the territory to adjourn a scheduled decision on whether to release the ship until later in the day.\n\n\"The U.S. Department of Justice has applied to seize the Grace 1 on a number of allegations which are now being considered,\" the government said in a statement sent to CBS News and other media, adding that the matter would be reviewed by the court at 4 p.m. local time.\n\nThe Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Britain's Foreign Office said in a statement that the \"investigations conducted around the Grace 1 are a matter for the government of Gibraltar\" and that it could not comment further as the investigation was ongoing.\n\nWhile there was no immediate reaction from Iran, the U.S. move likely will further stir tensions in the Persian Gulf.\n• None Iran warns of increasing \"risk of combustion\" in Gulf\n\nThe detention of the Grace 1 saw Iran seize the British-flagged oil tanker Stena Impero, which remains held by the Islamic Republic. Analysts had hoped the release of the Grace 1 by Gibraltar would see the Stena Impero similarly released.\n\nReports by media in Gibraltar and Iran suggested earlier Thursday that the Grace was likely to have been released by authorities in Gibraltar prior to the U.S. government's request. The vessel's captain and senior officers were reportedly released from custody.\n\n\"The ship would have sailed\"\n\nThe Grace 1 was seized last month in a British Royal Navy operation off Gibraltar. The vessel was suspected of violating European Union sanctions on oil shipments to Syria, and its seizure deepened international tensions in the Persian Gulf.\n\nThe Gibraltar government had said it was seeking to \"de-escalate\" the situation over the Grace 1.\n\nSpeculation on the impending released had mounted around Thursday's hearing at the Gibraltar Supreme Court. But a lawyer representing the territory's General Attorney Michael Llamas said the U.S. had moved at the eleventh hour.\n\nThe Gibraltar Chronicle reported that the captain and three officers of the Grace 1 had been released from arrest on Thursday, but the report could not be confirmed. A Gibraltar government spokesman declined to comment.\n\nSpeaking in court, Chief Justice Anthony Dudley said that were it not for the U.S. move, \"the ship would have sailed,\" the Chronicle reported.\n\nTensions have escalated in the region since President Donald Trump over a year ago unilaterally withdrew the U.S. from Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. The decision stopped billions of dollars' worth of business deals, largely halted the sale of Iran's crude oil internationally and sharply depreciated Iran's currency, the rial.\n\nIn recent weeks, Iran has begun to step away from the nuclear deal by increasing its production and enrichment of uranium. It has threatened to take further steps in early September if Europe can't help it sell its oil abroad.\n\nAs CBS News correspondent Imtiaz Tyab reported from the Iranian city of Bandar Abbas on Wednesday, the Trump administration has sent mixed signals following a series of defiant actions by Tehran since the U.S. re-imposed harsh sanctions following its withdrawal from the nuclear deal.\n\nIn mid-June, Mr. Trump approved but then suddenly called off targeted airstrikes against Iran to retaliate for the Islamic Republic downing an American surveillance drone.\n\nA month later the president was muted in his response to Iranian commandos seizing the British-flagged Stena Imperio.\n\nThe uncertainty over U.S. intentions isn't making life any easier for Iranians hit hard by the harsh economic sanctions, reported Tyab, and although some residents in Bandar Abbas told CBS News they're worried about a possible war, they all said it was the economy they're most concerned about.", "Madrid – The United States moved on Thursday to seize an Iranian supertanker detained in Gibraltar for breaching international sanctions on oil shipments, thwarting efforts by authorities in London and the British overseas territory to defuse tensions with Tehran.\n\nThe Gibraltar government confirmed earlier media reports that the U.S. Department of Justice had sought to extend the detention of the oil tanker Grace 1, prompting the Supreme Court in the territory to adjourn a scheduled decision on whether to release the ship until later in the day.\n\n“The U.S. Department of Justice has applied to seize the Grace 1 on a number of allegations which are now being considered,” the government said in a statement, adding that the matter would be reviewed by the court at 4 p.m. local time.\n\nThe Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Britain’s Foreign Office said in a statement that the “investigations conducted around the Grace 1 are a matter for the government of Gibraltar” and that it could not comment further as the investigation was ongoing.\n\nWhile there was no immediate reaction from Tehran, the U.S. move likely will further stir tensions in the Persian Gulf.\n\nThe detention of the Grace 1 saw Iran seize the British-flagged oil tanker Stena Impero, which remains held by the Islamic Republic. Analysts had hoped the release of the Grace 1 by Gibraltar would see the Stena Impero similarly released.\n\nThe Grace 1 was seized last month in a British Royal Navy operation off Gibraltar. The vessel was suspected of violating European Union sanctions on oil shipments to Syria, and its seizure deepened international tensions in the Persian Gulf.\n\nThe Gibraltar government had said it was seeking to “de-escalate” the situation over the Grace 1.\n\nSpeculation on the impending released had mounted around Thursday’s hearing at the Gibraltar Supreme Court. But a lawyer representing the territory’s General Attorney Michael Llamas said the U.S. had moved at the eleventh hour.\n\nThe Gibraltar Chronicle reported that the captain and three officers of the Grace 1 had been released from arrest on Thursday, but the report could not be confirmed. A Gibraltar government spokesman declined to comment.\n\nSpeaking in court, Chief Justice Anthony Dudley said that were it not for the U.S. move, “the ship would have sailed,” the Chronicle reported.\n\nTensions have escalated in the region since President Donald Trump over a year ago unilaterally withdrew the U.S. from Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. The decision stopped billions of dollars’ worth of business deals, largely halted the sale of Iran’s crude oil internationally and sharply depreciated Iran’s currency, the rial.\n\nIn recent weeks, Iran has begun to step away from the nuclear deal by increasing its production and enrichment of uranium. It has threatened to take further steps in early September if Europe can’t help it sell its oil abroad.\n\nGambrell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Associated Press writer Jill Lawless in London contributed to this report.", "US move halts release of Iranian tanker held in Gibraltar\n\nMADRID (AP) — The United States moved on Thursday to halt the release of an Iranian supertanker detained in Gibraltar for breaching international sanctions on oil shipments, thwarting efforts by authorities in London and the British overseas territory to defuse tensions with Tehran.\n\nThe Gibraltar government confirmed earlier media reports that the U.S. Justice Department seeks to extend the detention of the oil tanker Grace 1, prompting the Supreme Court in the territory to adjourn a scheduled decision on whether to release the ship until later in the day.\n\n\"The U.S. Department of Justice has applied to seize the Grace 1 on a number of allegations, which are now being considered,\" the Gibraltar government said in a statement, adding the matter would be reviewed by the court at 4 p.m.\n\nThe Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.\n\nBritain's Foreign Office said in a statement that the \"investigations conducted around the Grace 1 are a matter for the government of Gibraltar\" and that it couldn't comment further.\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson's Downing Street office said Iran was discussed during the U.K. leader's meeting with President Donald Trump's national security adviser John Bolton earlier in the week, though no details were released on the talks.\n\nWhile there was no immediate reaction from Tehran, the U.S. move likely will further stir tensions in the Persian Gulf.\n\nThe Grace 1, carrying 2.1 million barrels of Iranian crude oil, was seized last month in a British Royal Navy operation off Gibraltar. The vessel was suspected of violating European Union sanctions on oil shipments to Syria, and its seizure deepened international tensions in the Persian Gulf. Iran called the seizure by Gibraltar an \"act of piracy.\"\n\nShortly after the detention of the Grace 1, Iran seized the British-flagged oil tanker Stena Impero, which remains held by the Islamic Republic. Analysts had hoped the release of the Grace 1 by Gibraltar would see the Stena Impero similarly released.\n\nIn past weeks, the Persian Gulf region has seen six attacks on oil tankers that the U.S. has blamed on Iran and the downing of a U.S. surveillance drone by Iranian forces. Iran has denied being behind the tanker attacks. Iran also has seized other oil tankers.\n\nThe Gibraltar government had said it was seeking to \"de-escalate\" the situation over the Grace 1.\n\nSignaling preparations for the expected release of the ship, the captain, an Indian national, and three officers of the Grace 1 were released from detention Thursday, the government said.\n\nThe whereabouts of the released crew, none of whom are Iranian, were not immediately known. The crew of the Grace 1 includes sailors from India, Pakistan and Ukraine, according to Iranian state television.\n\nAs speculation mounted over the Grace 1's release, a lawyer representing the territory's General Attorney Michael Llamas announced during a Thursday morning hearing at the Gibraltar Supreme Court that the U.S. had moved at the eleventh hour.\n\nSpeaking in court, Chief Justice Anthony Dudley said that were it not for the U.S. move, \"the ship would have sailed,\" the Gibraltar Chronicle reported.\n\nThis is the second time the Trump administration has moved to seize a ship in recent months. In May, the Justice Department announced that it had seized a North Korean cargo ship used to supply coal to the isolated nation in violation of international sanctions.\n\nTensions have escalated in the Persian Gulf region since Trump over a year ago unilaterally withdrew the U.S. from Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. The decision stopped billions of dollars' worth of business deals, largely halted the sale of Iran's crude oil internationally and sharply depreciated Iran's currency, the rial.\n\nIn recent weeks, Iran has begun to step away from the nuclear deal by increasing its production and enrichment of uranium. It has threatened to take further steps in early September if Europe can't help it sell its oil abroad.\n\nLina Khatib, head of the Middle East and North Africa program at Chatham House, said the U.S. request on the Grace 1 was based on its own imposed sanctions on Iran.\n\n\"Although the U.S. expects its European allies to abide by these sanctions, it is up to the Gibraltar authorities to assess the allegations presented by the U.S.,\" Khatib said. \"The Gibraltar court could decide to hand over custody of the ship to the U.S., which would give the U.K. a much needed get-out clause from the tension caused by the ship's seizure.\"\n\nResolving the tanker dispute would help Prime Minister Johnson focus on domestic issues as he works to complete Britain's exit from the European Union and prepare for anticipated national elections over the next few months.\n\nDryad Global, a U.K.-based maritime security consultant, earlier this week suggested the Grace 1 would soon be released, citing Britain's domestic politics. But while a resolution to the tanker dispute could ease the situation at home, it may increase tensions with the U.S., Britain's most important international ally.\n\nThe U.S. has been asking its allies to take part in a naval mission to protect shipping in the strategic Strait of Hormuz, at the Mouth of the Persian Gulf, though European nations have been reluctant.\n\nBritain has so far been the only one to express willingness to join a maritime security mission. It has also been giving U.K.-flagged vessels a naval escort since the Iranian Revolutionary Guard's seizure of the Stena Impero in the Gulf.\n\nGambrell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Associated Press writers Jill Lawless and Danica Kirka in London, Eric Tucker in Washington and Amir Vahdat in Tehran, Iran, contributed to this report.", "MADRID — The United States moved on Thursday to halt the release of an Iranian supertanker detained in Gibraltar for breaching international sanctions on oil shipments, thwarting efforts by authorities in London and the British overseas territory to defuse tensions with Tehran.\n\nThe Gibraltar government confirmed earlier media reports that the U.S. Department of Justice had sought to extend the detention of the oil tanker Grace 1, prompting the Supreme Court in the territory to adjourn a scheduled decision on whether to release the ship until later in the day.\n\n“The U.S. Department of Justice has applied to seize the Grace 1 on a number of allegations, which are now being considered,” the Gibraltar government said in a statement, adding that the matter would be reviewed by the court at 4 p.m. local time.\n\nThe Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.\n\nBritain’s Foreign Office said in a statement that the “investigations conducted around the Grace 1 are a matter for the government of Gibraltar” and that it could not comment further as the investigation was ongoing.\n\nPrime Minister Boris Johnson’s Downing Street office said that Iran was discussed during the U.K. leader’s meeting with Donald Trump’s national security adviser John Bolton earlier in the week, though no details were released on the talks.\n\nWhile there was no immediate reaction from Tehran, the U.S. move likely will further stir tensions in the Persian Gulf.\n\nThe detention of the Grace 1 saw Iran seize the British-flagged oil tanker Stena Impero, which remains held by the Islamic Republic. Analysts had hoped the release of the Grace 1 by Gibraltar would see the Stena Impero similarly released.\n\nIn past weeks, the Persian Gulf region has seen six attacks on oil tankers that the U.S. has blamed on Iran and the downing of a U.S. surveillance drone by Iranian forces. Iran has denied being behind the tanker attacks.\n\nIran also has seized other oil tankers.\n\nThe Grace 1, carrying 2.1 million barrels of Iranian crude oil, was seized last month in a British Royal Navy operation off Gibraltar. The vessel was suspected of violating European Union sanctions on oil shipments to Syria, and its seizure deepened international tensions in the Persian Gulf. Iran called the seizure by Gibraltar an “act of piracy.”\n\nThe Gibraltar government had said it was seeking to “de-escalate” the situation over the Grace 1.\n\nSignaling preparations for the expected release of the ship, the captain, an Indian national, and three officers of the Grace 1 had been released from detention, a Gibraltar government spokesman told The Associated Press. The spokesman was not authorized to be identified by name in the media.\n\nThe whereabouts of the released crew, none of whom are Iranian, were not immediately known. The crew of the Grace 1 includes sailors from India, Pakistan and Ukraine, according to Iranian state television.\n\nAs speculation mounted over the Grace 1’s release, a lawyer representing the territory’s General Attorney Michael Llamas announced during a Thursday morning hearing at the Gibraltar Supreme Court that the U.S. had moved at the eleventh hour.\n\nSpeaking in court, Chief Justice Anthony Dudley said that were it not for the U.S. move, “the ship would have sailed,” the Gibraltar Chronicle reported.\n\nThis is the second time the Trump administration has moved to seize a ship in recent months. In May, the Justice Department announced that it had seized a North Korean cargo ship used to supply coal to the isolated nation in violation of international sanctions.\n\nAt the time, U.S. officials said the ship, the Wise Honest, was one of North Korea’s largest bulk carriers and for several years had been used to deliver Russian coal to North Korea.\n\nTensions have escalated in the region since President Donald Trump over a year ago unilaterally withdrew the U.S. from Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. The decision stopped billions of dollars’ worth of business deals, largely halted the sale of Iran’s crude oil internationally and sharply depreciated Iran’s currency, the rial.\n\nIn recent weeks, Iran has begun to step away from the nuclear deal by increasing its production and enrichment of uranium. It has threatened to take further steps in early September if Europe can’t help it sell its oil abroad."], "summary": "Gibraltar says the United States has applied to seize the Iranian oil tanker Grace 1, which is being held by the United Kingdom territory for an alleged breach of European Union sanctions against Syria."}
{"document": ["JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel decided on Friday to allow U.S. congresswoman Rashida Tlaib - a critic of Israeli policy toward the Palestinians - to visit family in the occupied West Bank on humanitarian grounds after barring her from making an official visit to Israel.\n\nUnder pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday he would not allow Tlaib and fellow Democrat congresswoman Ilhan Omar, to make a planned trip to Israel.\n\nHowever, Netanyahu said that if Tlaib submitted a request to visit family on humanitarian grounds, Israel would consider it as long as she promised not to promote a boycott against Israel.\n\nTlaib and Omar have voiced support for the pro-Palestinian Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement which opposes the Israeli occupation and policies toward Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Under Israeli law, BDS backers can be denied entry to Israel.\n\nTlaib sent a letter to Israel’s Interior Ministry on Thursday requesting permission to visit relatives, including her grandmother, who is in her 90s. It could be her last opportunity to see her, she said.\n\n“I will respect any restrictions and will not promote boycotts against Israel during my visit,” Tlaib wrote in the request, which was circulated by the website Ynet and other Israeli media.\n\nThe Interior Ministry said in a statement it “decided on Friday to approve the entry of U.S. Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib for a humanitarian visit to her 90-year-old grandmother.”\n\nTlaib’s office could not be reached for comment, and it was not immediately clear when she might travel.\n\nTlaib and Omar are the first two Muslim women to be elected to Congress, and the Detroit-born Tlaib is also the first Palestinian-American congresswoman.\n\nBoth are members of their party’s progressive wing and sharp critics both of Trump and Israeli policy.\n\nTheir official visit was to have included visits to the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, territories Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East war and which Palestinians envisage as part of an independent state along with Gaza.\n\nIsrael had initially chosen to allow the visit, but changed course on Thursday after Trump called on his ally not to let them in. (nL8N25B3KV)\n\nTrump has in recent months accused Tlaib, Omar and two other first-term Democratic congresswomen of color - dubbed “the Squad” - of hostility to Israel in a barrage condemned by critics as racist and widely seen as a way to drum up votes for 2020. (nL2N24J02S)\n\nTlaib, 43, has roots in the West Bank village of Beit Ur Al-Fauqa, where her grandmother and extended family live.\n\nThe prospects of ending the occupation and resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict under the so-called two-state solution which had guided international peace-making efforts since 1993 have all but evaporated, while Israeli settlements in the territories have expanded.\n\nThe Trump administration, which is particularly close to the Netanyahu government, has touted its own peace plan but details remain vague. It fueled Palestinian anger by recognizing disputed Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in 2017.", "US Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib will be allowed to enter Israel to visit her relatives, interior minister Aryeh Deri announced on Friday, indicating the country has ignored President Donald Trump’s unsolicited suggestion to ban her and colleague, Rep Ilahn Omar.\n\nThe move comes a day after Israel had announced it would deny entry to the two congresswomen in a scheduled trip, citing the lawmakers’ past criticism of the country.\n\nThere was no word from Deri on Omar’s request.\n\nThe decision to block their entry came shortly after a tweet from President Trump urging Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to block the House members’ visit, saying it would “show great weakness” to let them visit.\n\nTrump’s move drew criticism across Washington, as pro-Israel groups condemned the president for threatening U.S.-Israel relations, foreign policy experts warned of strained diplomatic ties and stunned Democrats issued statements denouncing the president for pressuring a foreign government to deny his American political opponents rights of free passage.", "(CNN) Israel announced Thursday it was barring the entry of two Democratic US congresswomen after Donald Trump encouraged the move, a remarkable step both by the US President and his ally, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to punish political opponents.\n\nDeputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely told CNN on Thursday of Israel's decision to ban Reps. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota from entering the country. The announcement came shortly after Trump said Israel would be showing \"great weakness\" by allowing them to enter the country.\n\n\"The plan of the two Congresswomen is only to damage Israel and to foment against Israel,\" Netanyahu said in a statement following the decision.\n\nThe intervention by Trump into Israel's decision-making was extraordinary enough. But the move by Netanyahu's government lent the longstanding US-Israel alliance a new partisan tinge and opened the door for fresh criticism.\n\nOmar responded to the decision Thursday by calling it \"an affront\" and \"an insult to democratic values.\"\n\n\"It is an affront that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, under pressure from President Trump, would deny entry to representatives of the U.S. government,\" Omar said in a statement. \"Trump's Muslim ban is what Israel is implementing, this time against two duly elected Members of Congress.\"\n\nOmar went on to say, \"As a member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, it is my job to conduct oversight of foreign aid from the United States of America and to legislate on human rights practices around the world. The irony of the 'only democracy' in the Middle East making such a decision is that it is both an insult to democratic values and a chilling response to a visit by government officials from an allied nation.\"\n\nTrump's history feuding with the congresswomen\n\nTrump has criticized the two lawmakers -- who are the first two Muslim women elected to Congress -- in harsh and sometimes racist terms. But his move to call for their ban in Israel reflects a new chapter in his grudge and a further erosion of presidential norms, which in the past sought to avoid instilling partisanship in foreign affairs.\n\nIn considering the ban, Israel cited the congresswomen's support for a boycott against Israel.\n\n\"The State of Israel respects the American Congress in the framework of the close alliance between the two countries, but it is unthinkable that an entry to Israel would be allowed to those who seek to damage the State of Israel, even during a visit,\" said Interior Minister Aryeh Deri in a statement. Under Israeli law, the interior minister is the one authorized to make a decision on barring entry.\n\nDeri said he made the decision with the support of Netanyahu and other Israeli officials.\n\nUS Ambassador to Israel David Friedman said the US \"supports and respects\" Israel's decision to deny entry to Tlaib and Omar.\n\n\"This trip, pure and simple, is nothing more than an effort to fuel the (boycott movement) engine that Congresswomen Tlaib and Omar so vigorously support,\" Friedman said in a statement released Thursday evening.\n\nSlamming the boycott movement as \"economic warfare designed to delegitimize and ultimately destroy the Jewish State,\" Friedman defended Israel's right to deny entry to those who support a boycott of the country.\n\nIsrael's decision to deny entry to the two freshmen congresswomen amounted to a reversal of a position taken last month when Israeli Ambassador to the United States Ron Dermer said the two would be allowed to visit Israel and the Palestinian territories.\n\n\"Out of respect for the U.S. Congress and the great alliance between Israel and America, we would not deny entry to any member of Congress into Israel,\" Dermer said at the time in widely reported comments. Dermer is considered one of those closest to Netanyahu.\n\nDemocratic outrage\n\nThe move was met with a swift backlash from Democratic congressional lawmakers, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California, who said in a statement she was \"deeply saddened\" by the news.\n\n\"Israel's denial of entry to Congresswomen Tlaib and Omar is a sign of weakness, and beneath the dignity of the great State of Israel,\" Pelosi said. \"The President's statements about the Congresswomen are a sign of ignorance and disrespect, and beneath the dignity of the Office of the President.\"\n\nIn a statement, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, called the decision a \"sign of weakness, not strength,\" and said, \"It will only hurt the U.S.-Israeli relationship and support for Israel in America. ... Many strong supporters of Israel will be deeply disappointed in this decision, which the Israeli government should reverse.\"\n\nHouse Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland, the No. 2 House Democrat, in a statement called the decision \"outrageous\" and said the move \"is contrary to the statement and assurances to me by Israel's ambassador to the United States that 'out of respect for the U.S. Congress and the great alliance between Israel and America, we would not deny entry to any Member of Congress into Israel.' That representation was not true.\"\n\nHoyer has been working since Wednesday to persuade the Israeli government to permit the two congresswomen entry, an aide to Hoyer told CNN. That effort included speaking directly with Netanyahu and Ambassador Dermer on Wednesday. Hoyer had also previously worked with the ambassador to secure the statement that no member would be denied entry.\n\nIssues at play\n\nJUST WATCHED Palestinians feel betrayed by Trump, Arab leaders Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Palestinians feel betrayed by Trump, Arab leaders 02:18\n\nThe boycott movement, formally known as the Boycott, Divest, and Sanctions movement, aims to end international support for Israel because of its policies toward Palestinians, as well as its continued construction of West Bank settlements, considered a violation of international law.\n\nNetanyahu further outlined his concerns, stating: \"They have defined the destination of their visit as 'Palestine' and not 'Israel.' And unlike all the Democrat and Republican congressmen who have visited until today, they avoided asking for any meeting with any Israeli official, whether in the government or in the opposition.\"\n\nTlaib and Omar have been vocal critics of Israel and have supported the boycott movement and voted against a House resolution condemning the movement, which received broad bipartisan support.\n\nLast month, Tlaib tweeted that the resolution was \"unconstitutional\" and aimed to \"silence\" opposition to Israel's policies.\n\nTrump, who has a close relationship with Netanyahu, has repeatedly attacked both Tlaib and Omar, telling them last month to \"go back\" to the countries they came from. Tlaib was born in the United States, and Omar was born in Somalia and is a naturalized US citizen.\n\nTrump called for Omar's resignation in March after she suggested US support of Israel is motivated by money in remarks condemned by lawmakers on both sides of the aisle as anti-Semitic.\n\nOn Thursday, Trump said it would show \"great weakness\" if Israel allowed entry to Omar and Tlaib.\n\n\"It would show great weakness if Israel allowed Rep. Omar and Rep. Tlaib to visit,\" Trump tweeted. \"They hate Israel & all Jewish people, & there is nothing that can be said or done to change their minds. Minnesota and Michigan will have a hard time putting them back in office. They are a disgrace!\"\n\nEarlier, the White House had signaled the decision would be up to Israel.\n\n\"The Israeli government can do what it wants,\" press secretary Stephanie Grisham said, adding that reports Trump told Netanyahu he thought the two congresswoman should be barred were \"inaccurate.\"\n\nPlanned visit\n\nJUST WATCHED Tapper presses Tlaib on Israel boycott movement Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Tapper presses Tlaib on Israel boycott movement 02:47\n\nOn Wednesday, the Israeli Prime Minister, interior minister, foreign minister, minister of internal security, the head of the national security council and the attorney general all met to discuss a final decision on the issue of the congresswomen's visit, the sources said, which had been scheduled to take place from August 18 to 22.\n\nTlaib and Omar planned to visit one of the holiest and most sensitive sites in Jerusalem, known to Muslims as Haram al-Sharif and to Jews as the Temple Mount. The two lawmakers refused to be escorted by Israeli security while visiting the site, as they believe Muslims have a right to pray there, organizers in Israel and America told CNN.\n\nA Democratic congressional aide with knowledge of the trip disputed that account, saying that the congresswomen had not refused Israeli security on a planned visit to the holy site. The aide also said Omar had planned to meet with former US Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro and members of Israel's Knesset, though the aide did not specify which members.\n\nThe two congresswomen also planned to meet with Israeli and Palestinian peace activists and representatives of human rights organizations. They were to visit Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Ramallah and Hebron. There were no plans to meet officials, organizers said.\n\nTlaib planned to stay two extra days to visit her grandmother, who lives in the West Bank village of Beit Ur al-Tahta.\n\nIf Tlaib, who is the first Palestinian-American woman to serve in Congress, made a humanitarian request to visit her family in the West Bank, that would be allowed, the government official said.\n\nBut that decision would be separate from the decision to bar them from entering Israel.\n\nFormer Mayor of Jerusalem Nir Barkat, who is a member of Netanyahu's Likud Party, said he would welcome the two congresswomen into the country, but only if they would \"listen and learn.\"\n\n\"If I would be convinced that they came to listen and learn in how this country works, how Jerusalem works, how our political system works,\" Barkat told Israeli news channel i24NEWS on Tuesday, \"I would consider it ... convincing people that (Israel's) path is the right path is the high road I think we should take.\"\n\nThis story has been updated with additional developments Thursday.", "- Israel has reversed its decision to bar a visit to Israel by a U.S. congresswoman.\n\nThe interior ministry said Friday it will allow Representative Rashida Tlaib to visit on \"humanitarian\" grounds to see her Palestinian grandmother.\n\nIsrael said Thursday it would not allow Tlaib and Rep Ilhan Omar to enter the country, setting off a new round of controversy in the debate over U.S. support for its ally in the Middle East.\n\nOmar was not mentioned in Israel's announcement Friday.\n\n\n\nThe two Democratic lawmakers have been vocal critics of Israel and its treatment of Palestinians. They were set to visit Israel and several cities in the West Bank.\n\nIsraeli Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely told public broadcaster Kan on Thursday, “We won't allow those who deny our right to exist in this world to enter Israel. In principle, this is a very justified decision.”\n\n \n\n U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted shortly before Thursday's announcement, writing, “It would show great weakness if Israel allowed Rep. Omar and Rep. Tlaib to visit. They hate Israel & all Jewish people, & there is nothing that can be said or done to change their minds.”\n\nLater in the day, Trump defended the Israeli decision. \"I can't imagine why Israel would let them in,\" he said, repeating that the two lawmakers were \"very anti Jewish and very anti Israel.\"\n\nHouse Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the president’s comments “are a sign of ignorance and disrespect, and beneath the dignity of the Office of the President.” Pelosi reaffirmed her love of Israel but said the move to deny entry to Omar and Tlaib “is a sign of weakness, and beneath the dignity of the great state of Israel.”\n\nOmar and Tlaib’s frequent criticism of Israel has drawn accusations of anti-Semitism for months. Omar was condemned by the congressional leadership in her own party for invoking an offensive trope about Jews and money in social media postings earlier this year.\n\nOmar said the Israeli government's ban on her entry into the country prevented her from fulfilling her duties as a member of the U.S. Congress.\n\nTlaib tweeted a photograph of her Palestinian grandmother, who she said \"deserves to live in peace & with human dignity.\"\n\nOmar and the Palestinian-American Tlaib are supporters of BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions), a nonviolent movement that seeks to economically pressure Israel into ending its occupation of the West Bank, among other goals. Some advocates of BDS support a single-state solution that critics say would lead to the destruction of the Jewish state.\n\nThe freshman members of Congress have repeatedly presented a challenge for the House Democratic leadership, as their outspoken statements on U.S. policy in the Middle East have drawn Trump's attention.\n\n \n\n Omar and Tlaib were two of four House Democratic freshman members of color whom the president has said should “go back” to their home countries. Omar — a naturalized U.S. citizen from Somalia — is the only one of the four who was born outside the United States. The president’s supporters chanted, “Send her back” after Trump mentioned the congresswoman at a rally earlier this year. The president later said he did not like those chants.\n\n \n\n The Democratic-led U.S. House of Representatives passed a resolution in July condemning the BDS movement. Both Omar and Tlaib voted against that resolution.\n\nThis story was updated at 7am on August 16", "Citing the continued effort of Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) and Ilhan Omar (D-MN) to advocate for the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, the government of Israel notified Representatives Omar and Tlaib Wednesday night they would not be granted entry visas this weekend.\n\nNot long before the news was public, President Donald Trump tweeted his support for the decision by the Israeli government:\n\nImmediately the political media went bananas with proclamations that President Trump was the cause of the denied entry. According to many DC politicians demanding the elimination of the state of Israel does not warrant a denial of entry. The Democrats -and some Republicans- say Israel should respect the voices of American politicians who want to see their nation eliminated. Apparently Israel disagrees with this position.\n\n“The decision has been made, the decision is not to allow them to enter,” Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely told Israel’s Reshet Bet Radio. […] Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended the announcement by Interior Minister Aryeh Deri by saying Israel is a “vibrant and free democracy” that is open to criticism of its policies, but “with one exception.” “Israel’s law prohibits the entry of people who call and operate to boycott Israel, as is the case with other democracies that prevent the entry of people whose perception harms the country,” he said, according to The Jerusalem Post. The decision was made by Netanyahu, Foreign Minister Israel Katz and Minister of Strategic Affairs Gilad Erdan. “The State of Israel respects the US Congress, as part of the close alliance, but it is inconceivable that anyone who wishes to harm the State of Israel will be allowed, even during the visit,” a press statement said. (read more)", "JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel's interior minister said Friday he has received and granted a request by Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib to enter the Israeli-occupied West Bank on humanitarian grounds.\n\nThe decision marked the latest sharp reversal over what had been a planned visit by Tlaib and fellow Democrat, Rep. Ilhan Omar, to Jerusalem and the West Bank.\n\nOn Thursday, Israel had announced it is barring the two from entry — an unprecedented move targeting members of the U.S. Congress. Israel's decision came after President Donald Trump said in a tweet it would show \"weakness\" to allow in the two Muslim members of Congress who have been sharply critical of him and of Israel's policies toward the Palestinians.\n\nThe decision by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — and Trump's prior prodding — had sparked widespread criticism, including from Israeli and Jewish organization which said it was an affront to U.S. institutions to bar the entry of members of Congress. Critics also argued that it weakened Israel's traditionally strong ties with the U.S. through heavy-handed partisanship.\n\nOn Friday, Israeli Interior Minister Aryeh Deri announced the latest twist — that Tlaib had requested and been granted permission to enter the West Bank to see relatives, including her 90-year-old grandmother.\n\nDeri's office published what it said was Tlaib's written request, on congressional stationary.\n\nIn her letter, Tlaib said this would likely be the last chance to see her grandmother and that she would respect any restrictions and \"not promote boycotts\" during her visit.\n\nTlaib's office could not immediately be reached for comment.\n\nDeri's office said he \"decided to allow her entry to Israel and hopes she will stand by her commitment and that the visit will be for humanitarian needs only.\"\n\nTlaib's apparent pledge to conduct the visit in line with restrictions imposed by Israel was bound to anger Palestinians who had hoped the congressional tour, organized by a Palestinian group, would highlight their plight. Israel captured the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war. Palestinians hope to establish an independent state on those lands.\n\nTlaib and Omar are known as supporters of \"boycott, divestment and sanctions,\" or BDS, a Palestinian-led global movement. Israel alleges that BDS targets Israel's very existence, while the movement's supporters say it is intended as leverage to end more than half a century of Israeli military rule over Palestinians.\n\nIsrael's decision Thursday had been an extraordinary step bringing the longtime U.S. ally into Trump's domestic fight against political rivals at home.\n\nThe U.S. president was essentially relying on Israel to retaliate against Tlaib and Omar. The two are part of the \"squad\" of liberal newcomers — all women of color — whom Trump has labeled the face of the Democratic Party as he runs for re-election. Trump's actions marked a glaring departure from the tradition of American politicians leaving domestic disputes at the water's edge.\n\nFor Israel, the willingness to side so pointedly with Trump marks a deeper foray into America's bitterly polarized politics and risks its relationship with Congress.\n\nIsrael announced the ban Thursday after Trump tweeted that \"it would show great weakness\" if the two were allowed to visit. Asked later if he had spoken to Netanyahu, he said, \"I did talk to people over there,\" but he declined to say to whom.\n\nOmar, who became the first Somali-American elected to Congress, denounced the ban on her and Tlaib's tour as \"an affront\" and \"an insult to democratic values.\"\n\nIn Israel, Netanyahu said Thursday that his country remains \"open to critics and criticism,\" except for those who advocate boycotts against it.\n\nCopyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.", "JERUSALEM (AP) - The Latest on Israel considering whether to let two U.S. congressma (all times local):\n\nPresident Donald Trump says Israel should bar two Democratic U.S. congresswomen from visiting the country.\n\nIsrael's prime minister and other top officials were meeting to reevaluate the decision to allow Reps. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan to visit next week. Both are outspoken critics of Israel's treatment of the Palestinians and support a boycott of Israel.\n\nTrump tweeted Thursday: \"It would show great weakness if Israel allowed\" the Americans to visit, claiming: \"They hate Israel & all Jewish people, & there is nothing that can be said or done to change their minds.\"\n\nTrump has spent weeks now criticizing the members, including sending racist tweets.\n\nThe Israeli ambassador to the U.S., Ron Dermer, had said Israel would not deny entry to any member of Congress.\n\nIsrael's prime minister is holding consultations with senior ministers and aides to reevaluate the decision to allow two Democratic Congresswomen to enter the country next week.\n\nA government official said Thursday that Benjamin Netanyahu was holding consultations about the upcoming visit of Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., and that \"there is a possibility that Israel will not allow the visit in its current proposed format.\" The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.\n\nThe Muslim members of Congress are outspoken critics of Israel's treatment of the Palestinians and advocates of a boycott against the country. Tlaib's family immigrated to the U.S. from the West Bank.\n\nLast month, Israeli ambassador to the U.S. Ron Dermer said Israel would not deny entry to any member of Congress.", "The Latest: Trump: Israel should not let Tlaib, Omar visit\n\nJERUSALEM (AP) — The Latest on Israel considering whether to let two U.S. congressma (all times local):\n\nPresident Donald Trump says Israel should bar two Democratic U.S. congresswomen from visiting the country.\n\nIsrael's prime minister and other top officials were meeting to reevaluate the decision to allow Reps. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan to visit next week. Both are outspoken critics of Israel's treatment of the Palestinians and support a boycott of Israel.\n\nTrump tweeted Thursday: \"It would show great weakness if Israel allowed\" the Americans to visit, claiming: \"They hate Israel & all Jewish people, & there is nothing that can be said or done to change their minds.\"\n\nTrump has spent weeks now criticizing the members, including sending racist tweets.\n\nThe Israeli ambassador to the U.S., Ron Dermer, had said Israel would not deny entry to any member of Congress.\n\nIsrael's prime minister is holding consultations with senior ministers and aides to reevaluate the decision to allow two Democratic Congresswomen to enter the country next week.\n\nA government official said Thursday that Benjamin Netanyahu was holding consultations about the upcoming visit of Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., and that \"there is a possibility that Israel will not allow the visit in its current proposed format.\" The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.\n\nThe Muslim members of Congress are outspoken critics of Israel's treatment of the Palestinians and advocates of a boycott against the country. Tlaib's family immigrated to the U.S. from the West Bank.\n\nLast month, Israeli ambassador to the U.S. Ron Dermer said Israel would not deny entry to any member of Congress.", "JERUSALEM -- Israel said Thursday that it will bar two Democratic congresswomen from entering the country ahead of a planned visit over their support for a Palestinian-led boycott movement, a decision announced shortly after President Donald Trump tweeted that it would \"show great weakness\" to allow them in.The move to bar Reps. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota from visiting the close American ally appeared to be unprecedented and marked a deep foray by Israel into America's bitterly polarized politics. It is also a sharp escalation of Israel's campaign against the international boycott movement.Interior Minister Aryeh Deri issued a statement saying that after consultations with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior Israeli officials he decided not to allow Tlaib and Omar to enter because of \"their boycott activities against Israel.\"The two newly elected Muslim members of Congress are outspoken critics of Israel's treatment of the Palestinians. Tlaib's family immigrated to the United States from the West Bank. Deri said Israel would consider any request from Tlaib to visit relatives on humanitarian grounds.Shortly before the decision was announced, Trump had tweeted that \"it would show great weakness\" if Israel allowed them to visit. \"They hate Israel & all Jewish people, & there is nothing that can be said or done to change their minds.\" He went on to call the two congresswomen \"a disgrace.\"Israel has sought to combat the BDS movement, which advocates boycotts, divestment and sanctions against Israeli businesses, universities and cultural institutions. The country passed a law permitting a ban on entry to any activist who \"knowingly issues a call for boycotting Israel.\"Last month, Israeli ambassador to the U.S. Ron Dermer had said Israel would not deny entry to any member of Congress.The interior minister's statement said \"the state of Israel respects the American Congress, in the framework of the close alliance between the two countries, but it's unacceptable to allow the entrance to the country of those who wish to harm the state of Israel, especially during their visit.\"Supporters of the boycott movement say it is a non-violent way to protest Israeli policies and call for Palestinian rights. Critics say the movement aims to delegitimize Israel and ultimately erase it from the map, replacing it with a binational state.Israel often hosts delegations of U.S. representatives and senators, who usually meet with senior Israeli officials as well as Palestinian officials in the occupied West Bank.MIFTAH, the Palestinian organization that was set to host Tlaib and Omar in the West Bank, issued a statement saying that Israel's decision was \"an affront to the American people and their representatives\" and \"an assault on the Palestinian people's right to reach out to decision-makers and other actors from around the world.\"It was not immediately clear if the two congresswomen had planned on meeting with Israeli officials during their visit. Their spokespeople did not immediately respond to a request for comment.The decision to ban the congresswomen could further sharpen divisions among U.S. Democrats over Israel ahead of the 2020 elections. Republicans have amplified the views of left-wing Democrats like Tlaib and Omar to present the party as deeply divided and at odds with Israel. Democratic leaders have pushed back, reiterating the party's strong support for Israel, in part to protect representatives from more conservative districts.In July, the Democratic-led House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly in favor of a resolution against the BDS movement.Tlaib and Omar have also been the target of repeated attacks by President Donald Trump in recent months, including a series of racist tweets on July 14 in which he said they should \"go back\" to the \"broken\" countries they came from. Both are U.S. citizens and Tlaib was born in the United States. The two are members of the so-called \"Squad\" of newly-elected left-wing Democrats, along with Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts.American Jewish organizations had objected to barring the two Democrats from entering the country. The American Jewish Congress said that despite Omar and Tlaib's planned \"propaganda exercise,\" it believed that \"the costs in the U.S. of barring the entry of two members of Congress may prove even higher than the alternative.\"Politicians and former diplomats also spoke out against barring the congresswomen from visiting.Former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro wrote on Twitter that the decision to bar their entry \"harms Israel's standing in the U.S., boosts BDS.\"Israeli lawmaker Ayman Odeh, leader of the Joint List of Arab parties, criticized the move, writing that \"Israel has always banned Palestinians from their land and separated us from other Palestinians, but this time the Palestinian is a U.S. Congresswoman.\"Arthur Lenk, formerly Israel's ambassador to South Africa, said barring Omar and Tlaib \"would be sinking us deeper into U.S. domestic political quagmire.\"", "In this Aug. 13, 2019, photo, President Donald Trump arrives to speak in Monaca, Pa. Trump is hoping to woo New Hampshire into his column heading into 2020. The president will visit the state on Thursday to hold a reelection rally. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)\n\nJERUSALEM (AP) — The Latest on Israel’s decision to bar two U.S. Democratic congresswomen from visiting (all times local):\n\nPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel “is open to all visitors and all criticism,” but will bar entry to two U.S. Democratic congresswomen over their support for boycotts.\n\nNetanyahu’s office issued a statement Thursday saying that based on Reps. Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar’s itinerary for an upcoming visit to the West Bank and Jerusalem, “it became clear that they are planning a trip whose sole purpose was strengthening the boycott and negating the legitimacy of Israel.”\n\nThe prime minister said Israel had welcomed 70 Republican and Democratic members of Congress “with open arms,” and that “there’s not a state in the world that respects the United States and the U.S. Congress more than the state of Israel.”\n\nThe decision was announced shortly after President Donald Trump tweeted that it would “show great weakness” to allow the congresswomen in.\n\nTlaib and Omar are outspoken critics of Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians, and have been the subject of repeated attacks by Trump in recent weeks, including a series of racist tweets last month.\n\nIsrael’s deputy foreign minister says the government has decided to bar two U.S. Democratic congresswomen who support the international boycott movement from entering the country.\n\nTzipi Hotovely told Israel Radio in an interview Thursday that “Israel has decided not to allow” Reps. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota to visit as planned.\n\nShe says it is in keeping with a policy of denying entry to those who advocate boycotts of Israel.\n\nHer remarks came shortly after President Donald Trump tweeted that “it would show great weakness” if Israel allowed them in.\n\nThe two newly-elected Muslim members of Congress are outspoken critics of Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians. Tlaib’s family immigrated to the United States from the West Bank.\n\nPresident Donald Trump says Israel should bar two Democratic U.S. congresswomen from visiting the country.\n\nIsrael’s prime minister and other top officials were meeting to reevaluate the decision to allow Reps. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan to visit next week. Both are outspoken critics of Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians and support a boycott of Israel.\n\nTrump tweeted Thursday: “It would show great weakness if Israel allowed” the Americans to visit, claiming: “They hate Israel & all Jewish people, & there is nothing that can be said or done to change their minds.”\n\nTrump has spent weeks now criticizing the members, including sending racist tweets.\n\nThe Israeli ambassador to the U.S., Ron Dermer, had said Israel would not deny entry to any member of Congress.\n\nIsrael’s prime minister is holding consultations with senior ministers and aides to reevaluate the decision to allow two Democratic Congresswomen to enter the country next week.\n\nA government official said Thursday that Benjamin Netanyahu was holding consultations about the upcoming visit of Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., and that “there is a possibility that Israel will not allow the visit in its current proposed format.” The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.\n\nThe Muslim members of Congress are outspoken critics of Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians and advocates of a boycott against the country. Tlaib’s family immigrated to the U.S. from the West Bank.\n\nLast month, Israeli ambassador to the U.S. Ron Dermer said Israel would not deny entry to any member of Congress."], "summary": "Two American Muslim congresswomen, Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib, are barred from entering Israel before a planned visit to the country due to their support of the BDS movement, a decision which was encouraged by U.S. President Donald Trump."}
{"document": ["AP source: Trump has talked about buying Greenland for US\n\nWASHINGTON (AP) — Aiming to put his mark on the world map, President Donald Trump has talked to aides and allies about buying Greenland for the U.S.\n\nA Trump ally told The Associated Press on Thursday that the president had discussed the purchase but was not serious about it. The ally spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations.\n\nStill, it wouldn't be the first time an American leader tried to buy the world's largest island, an autonomous territory of Denmark.\n\nIn 1946, the U.S. proposed to pay Denmark $100 million to buy Greenland after flirting with the idea of swapping land in Alaska for strategic parts of the Arctic island.", "Greenland residents are pushing back after a report in The Wall Street Journal stated that President Donald Trump is looking to buy the autonomous Danish territory.", "A Trump ally told The Associated Press on Thursday that the president had discussed the purchase but was not serious about it. And a Republican congressional aide said Trump brought up the notion of purchasing Greenland in conversations with lawmakers enough times to make them wonder, but they have not taken his comments seriously. Both spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations.", "President Donald Trump speaks with reporters before boarding Air Force One at Morristown Municipal Airport in Morristown, N.J., Thursday, Aug. 15, 2019, en route to a campaign rally in Manchester, N.H. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)\n\nWASHINGTON (AP) — Aiming to put his mark on the world map, President Donald Trump has talked to aides and allies about buying Greenland for the U.S.\n\nA Trump ally told The Associated Press on Thursday that the president had discussed the purchase but was not serious about it. The ally spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations.\n\nStill, it wouldn’t be the first time an American leader tried to buy the world’s largest island, an autonomous territory of Denmark.\n\nIn 1946, the U.S. proposed to pay Denmark $100 million to buy Greenland after flirting with the idea of swapping land in Alaska for strategic parts of the Arctic island.\n\nNeither the White House nor Denmark immediately commented Thursday.\n\nThe story was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.", "Aiming to put his mark on the world map, President Donald Trump has talked to aides and allies about buying Greenland for the U.S.\n\nA Trump ally told The Associated Press on Thursday that the president had discussed the purchase but was not serious about it. The ally spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations.\n\nStill, it wouldn’t be the first time an American leader tried to buy the world’s largest island, an autonomous territory of Denmark.\n\nIn 1946, the U.S. proposed to pay Denmark $100 million to buy Greenland after flirting with the idea of swapping land in Alaska for strategic parts of the Arctic island.\n\nNeither the White House nor Denmark immediately commented Thursday.\n\nThe story was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.", "President Donald Trump speaks with reporters before boarding Air Force One at Morristown Municipal Airport in Morristown, N.J., Thursday, Aug. 15, 2019, en route to a campaign rally in Manchester, N.H. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)\n\nWASHINGTON (AP) — Aiming to put his mark on the world map, President Donald Trump has talked to aides and allies about buying Greenland for the U.S.\n\nA Trump ally told The Associated Press on Thursday that the Republican president had discussed the purchase but was not serious about it. And a Republican congressional aide said Trump brought up the notion of buying Greenland in conversations with lawmakers enough times to make them wonder, but they have not taken his comments seriously. Both spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations.\n\nAnyway, Greenland said it’s not on the market.\n\n“We have a good cooperation with USA, and we see it as an expression of greater interest in investing in our country and the possibilities we offer,” the island’s government said on its website. “Of course, Greenland is not for sale.”\n\nStill, it wouldn’t be the first time an American leader tried to buy the world’s largest island, an autonomous territory of Denmark.\n\nIn 1946, the U.S. proposed to pay Denmark $100 million to buy Greenland after flirting with the idea of swapping land in Alaska for strategic parts of the Arctic island.\n\nNeither the White House nor Denmark commented Thursday. Trump is set to visit Denmark next month.\n\nThe story was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.", "President Donald Trump speaks with reporters before boarding Air Force One at Morristown Municipal Airport in Morristown, N.J., Thursday, Aug. 15, 2019, en route to a campaign rally in Manchester, N.H. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)\n\nWASHINGTON (AP) — Aiming to put his mark on the world map, President Donald Trump has talked to aides and allies about buying Greenland for the U.S.\n\nA Trump ally told The Associated Press on Thursday that the Republican president had discussed the purchase but was not serious about it. And a Republican congressional aide said Trump brought up the notion of buying Greenland in conversations with lawmakers enough times to make them wonder, but they have not taken his comments seriously. Both spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations.\n\nAnyway, Greenland said it’s not on the market.\n\n“We have a good cooperation with USA, and we see it as an expression of greater interest in investing in our country and the possibilities we offer,” the island’s government said on its website. “Of course, Greenland is not for sale.”\n\nStill, it wouldn’t be the first time an American leader tried to buy the world’s largest island, an autonomous territory of Denmark.\n\nIn 1946, the U.S. proposed to pay Denmark $100 million to buy Greenland after flirting with the idea of swapping land in Alaska for strategic parts of the Arctic island.\n\nNeither the White House nor Denmark commented Thursday. Trump is set to visit Denmark next month.\n\nThe story was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.", "A Trump ally told The Associated Press on Thursday that the Republican president had discussed the purchase but was not serious about it. And a Republican congressional aide said Trump brought up the notion of buying Greenland in conversations with American lawmakers enough times to make them wonder, but they have not taken his comments seriously. Both spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations.", "President Donald Trump speaks with reporters before boarding Air Force One at Morristown Municipal Airport in Morristown, N.J., Thursday, Aug. 15, 2019, en route to a campaign rally in Manchester, N.H. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)\n\nWASHINGTON (AP) — Aiming to put his mark on the world map, President Donald Trump has talked to aides and allies about buying Greenland for the U.S.\n\nA Trump ally told The Associated Press on Thursday that the Republican president had discussed the purchase but was not serious about it. And a Republican congressional aide said Trump brought up the notion of buying Greenland in conversations with lawmakers enough times to make them wonder, but they have not taken his comments seriously. Both spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations.\n\nAnyway, Greenland said it’s not on the market.\n\n“We have a good cooperation with USA, and we see it as an expression of greater interest in investing in our country and the possibilities we offer,” the island’s government said on its website. “Of course, Greenland is not for sale.”\n\nStill, it wouldn’t be the first time an American leader tried to buy the world’s largest island, an autonomous territory of Denmark.\n\nIn 1946, the U.S. proposed to pay Denmark $100 million to buy Greenland after flirting with the idea of swapping land in Alaska for strategic parts of the Arctic island.\n\nNeither the White House nor Denmark commented Thursday. Trump is set to visit Denmark next month.\n\nThe story was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.", "President Donald Trump has on multiple occasions brought up buying Greenland from the Danish government and the White House counsel’s office has looked into the possibility, two sources told CNN on Thursday.\n\nTrump’s interest in buying Greenland was first reported on Thursday by The Wall Street Journal. The Journal reported that people familiar with the deliberations said the President has raised the issue during meetings and dinners, asking aides and listening seriously about the possibility and advantages of owning Greenland. He also asked his White House counsel to research the matter, according to two of the people.\n\nTwo of the people also told the Journal that Trump’s aides were divided on the issue, with some praising it as solid economic strategy and others dismissing it as a passing fancy.\n\nCNN has contacted the White House and the State Department for comment.\n\nGreenland, an autonomous Danish territory, is home to Thule Air Base, the US military’s northernmost base, located about 750 miles above the Arctic Circle and built in 1951. The radar and listening post features a Ballistic Missile Early Warning System that can warn of incoming intercontinental ballistic missiles and reaches thousands of miles into Russian territory.\n\nAides expressed both expectation and reservation at the President’s still-unclear interest in the idea and had questions about the island’s military and research potential, the Journal reported. They pointed to those outside the administration floating a Greenland purchase as a potential legacy-builder for Trump, similar to President Dwight Eisenhower’s statehood for Alaska, the paper added.\n\nAccording to the Journal, one person described a dinner last spring where Trump told associates he had been advised to look into buying Greenland because Denmark faced financial trouble from supporting the territory.\n\n“What do you guys think about that?” Trump asked the room, the person told the paper. “Do you think it would work?”\n\nThe person told the paper that Trump’s comments seemed like more of a joke about his power than a genuine question. The person thought that the President was interested in Greenland due to its natural resources.\n\nTrump’s attempt would not be the first American effort to buy Greenland. Though President Harry Truman dodged questions about his pursuit of control in the region, the United States allegedly tried to buy Greenland in 1946, and in 1867, Secretary of State William Seward showed interest in purchasing the island."], "summary": "Press sources report that U.S. President Donald Trump repeatedly expressed interest in buying Greenland."}
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De verwerkingsverantwoordelijke voor de verwerking van persoonsgegevens is, afhankelijk van de website die u bezoekt, één van de volgende entiteiten die deel uitmaken van de groep: MEDIALAAN NV, met maatschappelijke zetel te Medialaan 1, 1800 Vilvoorde, ondernemingsnummer 0432.306.234, Tel.: 02/255.32.11, E-mail: privacy@dpgmedia.be\n\nDE PERSGROEP PUBLISHING NV, met maatschappelijke zetel te Brusselsesteenweg 347, 1730 Asse, ondernemingsnummer 0403.506.340, Tel. +32 2 454 22 11, E-mail: privacy@dpgmedia.be\n\nMYENERGYCHOICE BVBA, met maatschappelijke zetel te Brusselsesteenweg 347, 1730 Asse, ondernemingsnummer 0885.082.834, Tel. +32 2 454 22 11, E-mail: privacy@dpgmedia.be\n\nUNLEASHED NV, met maatschappelijke zetel te Kempische steenweg 309 / 1, 3500 Hasselt, ondernemingsnummer: 0886.946.917, Tel.: +32 11 717 434, E-mail: privacy@mobilevikings.com of privacy@jimmobile.be\n\nSTIEVIE NV, met maatschappelijke zetel te Medialaan 1, 1800 Vilvoorde, ondernemingsnummer 0536.453.550, Tel.: 02/255.32.11, E-mail: privacy@dpgmedia.be\n\nJOE FM NV, met maatschappelijke zetel te Medialaan 1, 1800 Vilvoorde, ondernemingsnummer 0469.992.615, Tel.: 02/255.32.11, E-mail: privacy@dpgmedia.be\n\nTVBASTARDS NV, met maatschappelijke zetel te 3190 Boortmeerbeek, Familielaan 7, ondernemingsnummer 0445.055.103, Tel.: 02/255.32.11, E-mail: privacy@dpgmedia.be\n\nBITES EUROPE NV, met maatschappelijke zetel te 1800 Vilvoorde, Medialaan 1, ondernemingsnummer 0466.252.967, Tel.: 02/255.32.11, E-mail: privacy@dpgmedia.be Mocht U nog vragen of opmerkingen hebben, contacteer ons dan op privacy@dpgmedia.be U kan met het voorgestelde gebruik instemmen door hieronder op \"Verder naar website\" te klikken. Bijkomende informatie over de instellingen kan u vinden door op \"Instellingen\" te klikken.", "Le trafiquant d’armes belge Jacques Monsieur a été arrêté ce mercredi soir à Herdade do Jambujal, Evora au Portugal, a indiqué la police fédérale, confirmant une information de VTM. Il avait été condamné l’année dernière à une peine de prison de 4 ans et une amende de 1,2 million d’euros pour avoir livré des armes illégalement à la Libye, le Tchad, le Pakistan et l’Iran.\n\nCondamné en 2017\n\nJacques Monsieur est l’un des plus grands trafiquants d’armes au monde. En 2017, il est reconnu coupable d’avoir livré illégalement entre 2006 et 2009 des centaines d’armes automatiques, munitions, tanks, hélicoptères, avions et autres matériels militaires à des pays en guerre. Il est condamné à trois ans de prison et une amende de 300.000 euros.\n\nJacques Monsieur a fait appel de la décision. En octobre dernier, il est finalement condamné à une peine plus lourde : 4 ans de prison et une amende de 1,2 million d’euros. Il est notamment condamné pour appartenance à un gang criminel, contrairement au premier jugement.\n\nUne vraie traque\n\nSuite à ce jugement, il s’est enfui et vivait caché à Evora au Portugal, où il a été arrêté par une équipe spéciale FAST à la demande du tribunal belge. Un mandat d’arrêt international avait été délivré. Sa trace avait été trouvée à Tarascon en France, où il a acheté une maison de campagne au mois de mars. Il possédait également un nombre conséquent de chevaux. Le mois dernier, neuf bêtes ont été emmenées au Portugal par un éleveur français. Le prix du transport (2.500 euros) n’a jamais été réglé mais cette piste a été très utile aux enquêteurs du FAST puisqu’elle les a conduits à Evora.\n\nC’est la collaboration intense entre les forces de l’ordre belges, françaises et portugaises qui a permis l’arrestation de Jacques Monsieur, dans une discrète maison de campagne avec écurie. Il comparaîtra ce vendredi devant un tribunal portugais. La Belgique réclame son extradition pour qu’il puisse purger sa peine.\n\nBien connu de la justice\n\nOriginaire du Brabant flamand, l’homme était connu internationalement. Il y a une dizaine d’années, il avait été condamné pour des faits similaires aux États-Unis et en France. Selon VTM, il n’y a pas eu un conflit armé au cours de ces 35 dernières années dans lequel Jacques Monsieur n’a pas été impliqué. Dans les années 80 déjà, il avait fourni à l’Iran des armes pendant la guerre contre l’Irak.", "Jacques Monsieur, a notorious arms trafficker sentenced last year to four years in prison by a court in Belgium but since then a fugitive, has been arrested in a small village in Portugal, the federal police confirmed, after a report by VTM News.\n\nMonsieur has a long history of dubious and downright illegal arms trades, and is known to law enforcement authorities the world over. In June 2017 he was sentenced to three years and fined 300,000 euros for having delivered automatic weapons, ammunition, tanks helicopters planes and other military equipment to countries at war, including Libya, Chad, Pakistan and Iran, in breach of international sanctions.\n\nHis history, according to VTM, dates back to the 1980s, when he supplied arms to Iran in the long war with Iraq. Since then he has had convictions in the United States, in connection with the notorious Iran-Contra affair, and in France. According to VTM, there has not been an armed conflict in the last 35 years in which he was not involved as a trafficker of weapons.\n\nHe appealed the conviction, and the Court of Appeal in Brussels last year responded by increasing his sentence to four years, and bumping his fine up to 1.2 million euros.\n\nHe took flight, and proved untraceable for a time. He is known to own a farm in Tarascon in France, where he owns a number of horses. The place was searched and placed under surveillance, but there was no sign of Monsieur.\n\nThen last month, nine of his horses were transported to Portugal, and the trace was followed by the Fugitive Action Search Team (FAST) of the federal police, who finally tracked Monsieur down to a discreet property with stables.\n\nHe will appear before a court in Portugal today, where Belgium will request his extradition to allow him to serve his sentence.", "Belgian authorities are seeking the extradition of a convicted arms trafficker who was arrested in Portugal this week after a year-long run from justice.\n\nFederal police said Friday that they finally picked up Jacques Monsieur's trail when they monitored the transport of nine horses to an estate in Evora in eastern Portugal, where the equine enthusiast was finally caught.\n\nPolice said in a statement that \"the fugitive had a secret hideaway in a big mansion next to the stables.\" Police said Monsieur had been convicted and sentenced to four years in prison last year for illegal arms trafficking to several nations including Libya.\n\nIn 2010, he had already been sentenced to two years imprisonment in the United States on arms trafficking charges.", "BRUSSELS - Belgian authorities are seeking the extradition of a convicted arms trafficker who was arrested in Portugal this week after a year-long run from justice.\n\nFederal police said Friday that they finally picked up Jacques Monsieur’s trail when they monitored the transport of nine horses to an estate in Evora in eastern Portugal, where the equine enthusiast was finally caught.\n\nPolice said in a statement that “the fugitive had a secret hideaway in a big mansion next to the stables.” Police said Monsieur had been convicted and sentenced to four years in prison last year for illegal arms trafficking to several nations including Libya.\n\nIn 2010, he had already been sentenced to two years imprisonment in the United States on arms trafficking charges.\n\nGet more of the Star in your inbox Never miss the latest news from the Star. Sign up for our newsletters to get today's top stories, your favourite columnists and lots more in your inbox Sign Up Now", "Two Belgian universities have been ranked in the world top 100, a fugitive Belgian arms dealer has been arrested in Portugal and Brussels airport cargo handlers are in the red once more.\n\nHere’s a recap of the news you should know in Belgium this morning:\n\nAccording to the Shanghai Academic Ranking, an annual ranking of universities, both the University of Ghent and the University of Leuven are in the world’s top 100 universities. The University of Ghent comes in at number 66, while the University of Leuven comes in 85th place. Read more.\n\n2. Train service reduced by half on Saturday due to strike\n\nOne in two trains will run on Saturday, 17 August, due to the train strike called by the Railway Workers’ Union. However, 70% of trains are confirmed for the Pukkelpop festival in Hasselt. Read more.\n\nA notorious arms trafficker who was sentenced in 2018 to four years in prison and has since been a fugitive, has been arrested in Portugal. According to VTM, there has not been an armed conflict in 35 years in which he was not involved as a trafficker of weapons. Read more.\n\nA 38-year-old man was stabbed during a brawl in Roquefort on the evening of 10 to 11 of August and has since died. The suspect will appear before the Namur Council Chamber on Friday. Read more.\n\n5. Up to 30% of total food produced worldwide is lost or wasted\n\nA new report released by the United Nations International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reveals that land is being put under critical pressure from both human activity and climate change. The report recommends better land management and food production for tackling climate change and, according to an IPCC spokesperson, was written for the most part by authors from developing countries. Read more.\n\n6. Brussels Airport cargo handlers again in the red\n\nBrussels Airport’s rival cargo handlers, Swissport Belgium and Aviapartner Belgium, were both operating at a loss in 2018. The two companies stressed in their final reports that they have been taking measures to improve their finances. Read more.\n\n7. Colleagues of dead firemen come to the aid of bereaved families\n\nColleagues of the two firemen who died last Sunday in a fire in Beringen in Limburg province will donate their bonuses to the families of the dead firemen. According to the Commander of the North Limburg zone, death allowances for firefighters are not satisfactory. Read more.", "The July 4 seizure of the Iranian tanker Grace 1 in Gibraltar, with the help of British Royal Marines, had triggered a sharp deterioration in relations between Tehran and London and the tit-for-tat detention by Iran of a British-flagged ship. — AFP"], "summary": "Belgian Federal Police confirm that fugitive Belgian large weapons smuggler and arms trafficker Jacques Monsieur was arrested in Portugal yesterday."}
{"document": ["Democrat John Hickenlooper speaks to reporters June 27 after a primary debate in Miami, Fla. File Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo\n\nAug. 15 (UPI) -- Democrat John Hickenlooper on Thursday shut down his campaign for the presidency next year -- potentially to enter a Senate race in his native Colorado.\n\nThe former Colorado governor made the withdrawal announcement in a video posted on his campaign website.\n\n\"I'm announcing I'm no longer running for president,\" he said. \"While this campaign didn't have the outcome we were hoping for, every moment has been worthwhile & I'm thankful to everyone who supported this campaign and our entire team.\"\n\nHickenlooper's bid failed to generate serious traction in a crowded Democratic field. He also struggled to meet more exclusive requirements set by the Democratic Party to qualify for the next round of primary debates in Houston next month.\n\nDemocratic national leaders have urged Hickenlooper in recent weeks to close his campaign and challenge Republican incumbent Cory Gardner for one of the state's two U.S. Senate seats. Republicans presently hold a 52-45 majority in the upper chamber.\n\nIf he joins the Senate race, Hickenlooper would be considered a favorable challenger to Gardner's seat. Hickenlooper said in his video Thursday he hasn't decided yet whether he'll challenge Gardner.\n\n\"Hickenlooper is personally popular among likely Democratic primary voters, with 77 percent of them saying they would have a favorable reaction if he decided to enter the Senate race,\" pollster Geoff Garin said this week.\n\nRELATED Eight Democrats qualify for September debate so far\n\nHickenlooper was governor of Colorado between 2011 and January.", "DENVER — John Hickenlooper has officially ended his presidential campaign.\n\n\n\nNews that was rumored through sources on Wednesday night was made official when Hickenlooper posted a video on his campaign website, Twitter and in an email.\n\n\"This morning, I'm announcing that I'm no longer running for President,\" Hickenlooper tweeted Thursday morning. \"While this campaign didn't have the outcome we were hoping for, every moment has been worthwhile and I'm thankful to everyone who supported this campaign and our entire team.\"\n\nRELATED: A political consultant reserved Hickenlooper for Senate domain names saved... just in case\n\nIn the video, Hickenlooper said he hasn’t made a decision on whether or not to enter the already crowded race for the Democratic nomination to challenge Republican Sen. Cory Gardner in 2020.\n\nHe repeatedly made comments on his presidential campaign trail that he indicated he wouldn’t run for Senate. While on the campaign trail in Iowa, he told reporters the Senate wasn’t his calling -- one of many comments he made distancing himself from leaving the presidential race for the Senate race.\n\n\n\nColorado’s former governor announced his candidacy for president with a rally and concert in Civic Center Park on Mar. 7.\n\nRELATED: The first Democratic debate gave Bennet, Hickenlooper an opportunity to strategize\n\n\n\nHe campaigned repeatedly in Iowa and visited New Hampshire. He participated in the first two debates hosted by the Democratic National Committee, but failed to standout among the nine other candidates debating on the same night. He had to show that he had at least 1% support in three polls to qualify. To make the third debate next month in Houston, he would have had to show 2% support in four polls and receive 130,000 individual contributions.\n\n\n\nHickenlooper was not going to hold a news conference or make a public statement beyond his video.", "Former Governor of Colorado John Hickenlooper announced he is dropping out of the presidential race, ahead of the third round of Democratic primary debates next month.\n\n“Even though this campaign didn’t have the conclusion we were hoping for, every moment of it has been worthwhile,” Hickenlooper said in a statement on Thursday, Xinhua reported.\n\nHickenlooper signaled that he will consider running for the US Senate to unseat Republican incumbent Cory Gardner.\n\nOpinion writer Jennifer Rubin applauded Hickenlooper’s exit, saying downsizing his party’s crowded candidate field can help Democratic voters decide on the best person to run against US President Donald Trump in the presidential race.\n\nHickenlooper announced his candidacy in March, striking a moderate tone among his Democratic opponents. He emphasized on his successful administrative record in Colorado on the campaign trail, but after two appearances on national debate stages, his campaign was lagging behind in securing the poll and donor numbers needed to put him through the third round of debate.\n\nHickenlooper, 67, previously served as the mayor of Denver and the governor of Colorado.", "The Democrat said he would give \"some serious thought\" to running against Republican incumbent Cory Gardner for the Senate next year.\n\nFormer Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper on Thursday ended his longshot bid for the Democratic presidential nomination and said he may run for the Senate in 2020 against a Republican considered one of the most politically vulnerable incumbents.\n\nIn a video message, Hickenlooper said he had heard from many in his state urging him to enter the Senate race. \"They remind me how much is at stake for our country. And our state. I intend to give that some serious thought,\" he said.\n\nColorado's shift to the left could put GOP Sen. Cory Gardner in jeopardy, and at least 10 Democrats have launched campaigns, setting up a competitive primary even before Hickenlooper, 67, makes a decision.\n\nHickenlooper became a political giant in Colorado for his quirky, consensus-driven and unscripted approach to politics. He once jumped out of a plane to promote a ballot measure to increase state spending, and he won two statewide elections during years of Republican waves. He also was Denver's mayor.\n\nHickenlooper began his White House campaign in March, promising to unite the country. Instead, he quickly became a political punch line. \"While this campaign didn't have the outcome we were hoping for, every moment has been worthwhile,\" he tweeted Thursday.\n\nFounding a series of brewpubs made Hickenlooper a multimillionaire. But shortly before taking his first trip to Iowa as a presidential candidate, he balked on national television at calling himself a capitalist. Then, at a CNN town hall, he recounted how he once took his mother to see a pornographic movie.\n\nWith the campaign struggling to raise money, his staff urged Hickenlooper to instead challenge Gardner. But Hickenlooper stayed in and hired another group of aides in a last-ditch effort to turn around his campaign.\n\nHe positioned himself as a common-sense candidate who couldn't be labeled a \"socialist\" by Republicans. But Hickenlooper couldn't make his voice heard in the crowded Democratic field of about two dozen candidates.\n\nIt didn't help that, by Hickenlooper's own admission, he was a mediocre debater and an erratic public speaker. In the end, he could not scrape together enough money for many of his trademark quirky ads, only launching one in which avid beer drinkers toast Hickenlooper by comparing him to favorite brews.\n\nHickenlooper softened his denials of interest in the Senate in recent weeks as his campaign finances dwindled and pressure increased from other Democrats. He started telling people he'd make a decision by the end of this week.\n\nHickenlooper even met with Colorado's Democratic secretary of state, Jena Griswold, who was mulling a run against Gardner. Griswold last week announced she would not challenge Gardner, and that helped to spark speculation among Colorado Democrats that Hickenlooper would eventually jump in.\n\nIf he entered the Democratic primary, Hickenlooper would be \"the absolute favorite,\" said Mike Stratton, a veteran Democratic strategist in Denver.\n\nBut some of Gardner's challengers have said they don't intend to step aside even if the former governor runs.\n\n\"What I heard Gov. Hickenlooper tell everybody who asked is, he wasn't cut out to be a senator and didn't want the job,\" said former Colorado House Speaker Andrew Romanoff, one of the primary contenders, in a radio interview.\n\nHickenlooper isn't the first Democratic hopeful to end his 2020 presidential bid. U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell of California announced his departure in July.", "John Hickenlooper will drop out of the Democratic presidential primary on Thursday, according to a Democrat close to him.\n\nThe two-term former Colorado governor, who ran as a moderate warning of the perils of extreme partisanship, struggled with fundraising and low polling numbers. His planned departure from the 2020 race was confirmed Wednesday night by a Democrat who wasn’t authorized to speak publicly before the announcement and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.\n\nHickenlooper, 67, is not expected to announce a decision Thursday on whether he will run for Senate in Colorado, though he has been discussing the possibility with advisers. Republican Sen. Cory Gardner, up for reelection in 2020, is considered one of the most vulnerable senators in the country because of Colorado’s shift to the left.\n\nHickenlooper became a political giant in Colorado for his quirky, consensus-driven and unscripted approach to politics. He once jumped out of a plane to sell a ballot measure to increase state spending and won two statewide elections in a purple state during Republican wave years. He was previously the mayor of Denver.\n\nHe launched his longshot White House bid in March, promising to unite the country. Instead, he quickly became a political punch line.\n\nShortly before taking his first trip to Iowa as a candidate, Hickenlooper, who became a multimillionaire founding a series of brewpubs, balked at calling himself a capitalist on national television. Then, at a CNN town hall, he recounted how he once took his mother to see a pornographic movie. With the campaign struggling to raise money, his staff urged Hickenlooper to instead challenge Gardner. But Hickenlooper stayed in and hired another group of staffers in a last-ditch effort to turn around his campaign.\n\nPositioning himself as a common-sense candidate who couldn’t be labeled a socialist by Republicans, Hickenlooper couldn’t make his voice heard in the crowded Democratic presidential field, which includes nearly two dozen candidates. It didn’t help that, by Hickenlooper’s own admission, he’s a mediocre debater and erratic public speaker. In the end, he couldn’t even scrape together enough money for many of his trademark quirky ads, only launching one in which avid beer drinkers toast Hickenlooper by comparing him to favourite brews.\n\nHickenlooper softened his denials of interest in the Senate in recent weeks as his campaign finances dwindled and pressure increased from other Democrats. He started telling people he’d make a decision by the end of this week.\n\nIt’s unclear whether Hickenlooper plans to run against Gardner, whom national Democrats have urged him to take on since last year. He’s repeatedly said he’s not interested in the Senate and prefers an executive position.\n\nBut if Hickenlooper did run against Gardner, he’d first have to get through another crowded Democratic primary field. Numerous Colorado Democrats have launched primary bids for Gardner’s seat, and many have indicated they’d stay in the race, even if Hickenlooper enters the contest.\n\nHickenlooper isn’t the first Democratic hopeful to end his 2020 presidential bid. U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell of California announced his departure in July.", "AP source: Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper expected to end presidential bid on Thursday\n\nDENVER (AP) — AP source: Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper expected to end presidential bid on Thursday.", "John Hickenlooper, the beer entrepreneur turned politician who touted a talent for “bringing people together” to heal a divided country, will end his campaign for the White House on Thursday, The Denver Post has confirmed with two sources.\n\nThe former Colorado governor is expected to announce his decision in a taped video that is tentatively scheduled to be released at 11 a.m., an aide to Hickenlooper said.\n\nHickenlooper’s departure from the crowded 2020 Democratic field, first reported by CBS4, comes as national party faithful stepped up pressure for him to instead take on Republican U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner. Hickenlooper has not yet decided whether he’ll mount a Senate campaign — an idea he had rejected repeatedly in recent months even though polling showed he would far outstrip the current Democratic field.\n\nHickenlooper’s presidential bid focused heavily on his track record as Denver mayor and Colorado governor. He led the state out of the Great Recession to become one of the strongest economies in the nation. Under his tenure, he also signed a number of progressive policies into law, including a suite of gun control bills and civil unions for same-sex couples.\n\nHowever, Hickenlooper’s centrist image as a Western governor bent on cooperating with Republicans never caught traction with the Democratic base.\n\nHis exit will leave one Coloradan, U.S. Sen. Michael Bennet, in the Democratic primary field of about two dozen candidates.", "Former Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper is set to announce Thursday that he is ending his bid for the presidency, a person familiar with the decision tells CBS News.\n\nMultiple people familiar with his plans have said in recent days that Hickenlooper is expected to drop out of the presidential race and spend time mulling a possible bid for the U.S. Senate, where he has faced pressure to take on Republican Sen. Cory Gardner. These people asked for anonymity to speak frankly about his deliberations.\n\nHickenlooper, 67, a onetime Denver mayor and businessman and geologist by training, served as Colorado governor from 2011 to 2019. He has repeatedly said along the campaign trail, \"I'm the only candidate in this race who's actually achieved the big, progressive things politicians in Washington are talking about.\"\n\nColorado is one of the top targets in Democrats' efforts to flip the Senate in this next election. The party needs to pick up three seats if President Trump loses reelection and four if he wins. Republicans are defending 22 out of the 34 seats on the map for the cycle. Only two of the 22 seats are in states Hillary Clinton won in 2016: Colorado and Maine.\n\nHickenlooper launched his presidential campaign about five months ago, hoping to ride the wave of success he's had during his eight years as Colorado's governor. His presidential policy proposals included plans to expand women's reproductive care and enact gun control – measures largely based on progressive policies he oversaw in the Rocky Mountain State.\n\nBut Hickenlooper has struggled to have a breakout moment on the campaign trail and has instead been focused on challening Sen. Bernie Sanders on Medicare for all, the Green New Deal and Sanders' support for \"democratic socialism.\"\n\nIn July, Hickenlooper finally got headlines but those headlines came when six senior staffers left the campaign. A source cited poor fundraising as an indicator of trouble in the water. The former governor raised at least $1.1 million in the second fundraising quarter, a little over half of what the governor raised in the first quarter of his presidential race.\n\nSome of his senior staff had hoped he would explore a Senate run but the six individuals left when Hickenlooper confirmed he would not fold, according to the source familiar with the campaign.\n\n\"I don't think that's my calling card,\" said Hickenlooper, who answered reporters' questions on running for Senate during an Iowa campaign stop just a few days later.\n\nThe campaign continued to insist Hickenlooper was staying in the race. He launched a second Winnebago tour through Iowa and just this past weekend, addressed voters at the Iowa State Fair Political Soapbox. Afterwards, Hickenlooper again answered questions of a Senate-run, telling reporters if he was going run for president, he and his staff had to stay \"laser-focused.\"\n\nBut just four days before then, The Gazette reported Hickenlooper as having said, \"I've never ruled anything out,\" in a satellite radio interview.\n\nEleven Democrats have already have filed to run in the Colorado primary against Gardner and a few of them are raking-in cash. Former state Sen. Michael Johnston raised $1.6 million and former Ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Dan Baer raised $1.1 million in the second quarter. Hickenlooper in his presidential bid only raised around $1.2 million, according to Federal Election Commission filings.", "Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper ended his bid for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination on Thursday, releasing a video in which he nodded at the possibility of a future Senate run.\n\nThe announcement comes after three Democrats familiar with the matter told CNN on Wednesday that Hickenlooper was poised to drop out.\n\n\"Today, I'm ending my campaign for President,\" Hicklenlooper said in the three-minute video. \"But I will never stop believing that America can only move forward when we work together.\"\n\nHe added: \"A little over six months ago, I announced my run for President. In almost every aspect, this journey has been more exciting and more rewarding than I ever imagined. Although, of course, I did imagine a very different conclusion.\"\n\nHickenlooper, who struggled to break out of the crowded field of candidates, has not yet decided whether he will run for the Senate as party leaders have urged him to do, sources said. He did not make an announcement on that decision in the Thursday video, but acknowledged the possibility.\n\n\"People want to know what comes next for me. I've heard from so many Coloradans who want me to run for the United States Senate. They remind me how much is at stake for our country. And our state. I intend to give that some serious thought,\" the governor said. \"I've been a geologist, a small businessman, a mayor, a governor and a candidate for president of the United States. At each step, I've always looked forward with hope. And I always will.\"\n\nHickenlooper's exit from the race leaves 23 other Democrats vying for the 2020 nomination.\n\nHickenlooper framed his candidacy around stemming the leftward lurch of the Democratic Party. The two-term Colorado governor was a moderate voice in the primary, making his opposition to democratic socialism-- including Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders' political philosophy -- central to his campaign.\n\nBut that strategy failed to gain traction and Hickenlooper's campaign lost three of its most senior staffers in early July, including Brad Komar, the campaign manager. The losses signaled to many Democrats that Hickenlooper's campaign was on its last legs, but Democrats close to the governor said he wanted to stay in and reassess his chances after CNN's debate in late July.\n\nFollowing that debate, it appeared the former Denver mayor would struggle to make the stage in the next round of debates in September as he was behind on both the fundraising and polling thresholds for qualification.\n\nHickenlooper's exit now opens the possibility that the once popular governor could run for Senate in Colorado, challenging Sen. Cory Gardner, a Republican seen as one of the most vulnerable lawmakers in 2020.\n\nHickenlooper spoke with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York about potentially challenging Gardner following the July debate. He pressed ahead with his presidential campaign following that conversation, visiting the Iowa State Fair in Des Moines this past weekend along with many of the other presidential candidates.\n\nHickenlooper faces two issues in a Senate run, though: The governor has lambasted the prospect of running for Senate and Democratic Colorado Senate candidate Mike Johnston raised more in the second quarter of 2019 than Hickenlooper raised for his presidential bid.\n\nThe former governor spent the first few months of his presidential campaign knocking the idea of him jumping into the Senate race.\n\n\"If the Senate is so good, how come all of those senators are trying to get out?\" Hickenlooper told CNN earlier this year, a nod to the number of Democratic senators who are running for president.\n\n\"The Senate doesn't attract me,\" he said. \"It just doesn't attract me.\"\n\nBut by last weekend, with his presidential campaign nearing an end, he told CNN, \"I don't rule anything out.\"\n\nEven in a crowded Democratic primary, Hickenlooper is still seen as the party's strongest candidate to take on Gardner. Curtis Hubbard, a Democratic strategist for a firm that has worked for Hickenlooper in the past, has recently registered domain names like Hick4Senate.com in the hope that the former governor switches races.", "DENVER (AP) — AP source: Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper expected to end presidential bid on Thursday."], "summary": "Former Colorado governor John Hickenlooper announces that he is suspending his presidential campaign."}
{"document": ["Greenland to Trump: Thanks, but we're not for sale\n\nTASIILAQ, Greenland (AP) — Greenland said Friday it's happy President Donald Trump has taken an interest in the nation, talking to aides and allies about buying the island for the U.S., but that it's not for sale.\n\nFollowing reports that Trump had spoken about the notion of buying Greenland, the semiautonomous Danish territory between the Atlantic and Arctic oceans issued a short statement to clarify it wasn't on the market.\n\n\"We see it as an expression of greater interest in investing in our country and the possibilities we offer,\" the government said. \"Of course, Greenland is not for sale.\"\n\nLars Loekke Rasmussen, who served as Danish prime minister until June, weighed in on social media, tweeting \"it must be an April Fool's Day joke\" and that it was \"totally\" out of season.\n\nA Trump ally told The Associated Press on Thursday that the Republican president had discussed the purchase but was not serious about it. And a Republican congressional aide said Trump brought up the notion of buying Greenland in conversations with American lawmakers enough times to make them wonder, but they have not taken his comments seriously. Both spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations.\n\n\"Because of the unofficial nature of the news, the government of Greenland has no further comments,\" Greenland said on its website.\n\nThe White House hasn't commented on the reports, but it wouldn't be the first time an American leader tried to buy the world's largest island.\n\nIn 1946, the U.S. proposed to pay Denmark $100 million to buy Greenland after flirting with the idea of swapping land in Alaska for strategic parts of the Arctic island.\n\nOn Friday, residents in tiny Kulusuk on Greenland's eastern coast seemed less than impressed with the possibility Trump may want to purchase their nation.\n\nThey included Jakob Ipsen, who has something in common with the U.S. president: Both run hotels. Ipsen's hotel is smaller than a Trump one and provides hands-on service, such as finding boats and driving guests around.\n\nIpsen noted there's a history of outsiders unsuccessfully wanting to take over the giant, mostly barren island.\n\n\"Never going to happen. They tried in 1867 without luck. They tried after World War II,\" Ipsen said. \"It didn't happen then and it's not going to happen now.\"\n\nMiller reported from Washington. Matthew Lee in Washington and David Rising in Berlin contributed to this story.", "“We’re open for business, not for sale,” a tweet from the Greenland Ministry of Foreign Affairs read.\n\nTrump has reportedly asked the White House counsel to look into the idea, which has caused bafflement among Danish politicians and Greenland residents.\n\nThe Wall Street Journal broke the news Thursday evening that President Trump was interested in acquiring Greenland — a remote, semiautonomous territory that is officially part of Denmark.\n\nDenmark’s former prime minister tweeted that it “must be an April Fool’s Day joke” out of season.\n\n“We are talking about real people and you can’t just sell Greenland like an old colonial power,” a Danish lawmaker told Reuters.\n\nIndeed, while the idea seems like it came out of left field, a number of analysts have sought to discern the logic behind it. So, why Greenland?\n\nAccording to multiple reports, Trump is interested in the “natural resources” of Greenland. Though its surface is 80 percent covered by ice and snow, studies have shown that as the earth warms because of climate change, a number of valuable resources will become accessible to mining.\n\nAccording to the Brookings Institution, that includes “iron ore, lead, zinc, diamonds, gold, rare earth elements, uranium, and oil.”\n\nFor a president who has repeatedly claimed climate change is a hoax, interest in the natural resources of Greenland is a highly unexpected position.\n\nBut members of Trump’s administration have already been discussing the fallout of melting Arctic ice without acknowledging its cause. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo predicted in May “a new age of strategic engagement in the Arctic” and discussed in that speech the potential of new shipping routes akin to the Panama Canal. It was a speech he delivered without ever mentioning climate change.\n\nThere are also strategic issues at play as China continues to flex its muscle as a world superpower. The United States’ only military base in the Arctic Circle is located in Greenland and is responsible for missile and space surveillance, according to the trade publication Defense News.\n\nJust last year, China made attempts to finance three airports in Greenland with the condition that they be constructed by Chinese companies, according to the Wall Street Journal. The Pentagon reportedly pressured Denmark to squash the deal and pay for the airports itself.\n\nOf course, there’s another factor at play: ego.\n\nFor a real estate developer with a penchant for putting his name on buildings, the idea of acquiring the world’s largest island is an attractive one for Trump.\n\n“People outside the White House have described purchasing Greenland as an Alaska-type acquisition for Mr. Trump’s legacy,” the Wall Street Journal reported.\n\nOr, as New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Michael D. Shear put it, Trump “tends to view his presidency through the lens of acquisitions.”", "COPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Greenland on Friday dismissed the notion that it might be up for sale after reports that U.S. President Donald Trump had privately discussed with his advisers the idea of buying the world’s biggest island.\n\n“We are open for business, but we’re not for sale,” Greenland’s foreign minister Ane Lone Bagger told Reuters.\n\nTrump is due to visit Copenhagen in September and the Arctic will be on the agenda during meetings with the prime ministers of Denmark and Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory.\n\nTalk of a Greenland purchase was first reported by the Wall Street Journal. Two sources familiar with the situation told Reuters that the notion had been laughed off by some advisers as a joke but was taken more seriously by others in the White House.\n\nDanish politicians on Friday poured scorn on the idea.\n\n“It has to be an April Fool’s joke. Totally out of season,” former prime minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said on Twitter.\n\n“If he is truly contemplating this, then this is final proof, that he has gone mad,” foreign affairs spokesman for the Danish People’s Party, Soren Espersen, told broadcaster DR.\n\n“The thought of Denmark selling 50,000 citizens to the United States is completely ridiculous,” he said.\n\nGreenland, a self-ruling part of Denmark located between the North Atlantic and Arctic oceans, is dependant on Danish economic support. It handles its own domestic affairs while Copenhagen looks after defense and foreign policy.\n\n“I am sure a majority in Greenland believes it is better to have a relation to Denmark than the United States, in the long term,” Aaja Chemnitz Larsen, Danish MP from Greenland’s second-largest party Inuit Ataqatigiit (IA), told Reuters.\n\n“My immediate thought is ‘No, thank you’,” she said.\n\nPrime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod were not available for comment but officials said they would respond later on Friday. The U.S. Embassy in Copenhagen was also not immediately available for comment.\n\nGeneral view of Upernavik in western Greenland, Denmark July 11, 2015. Picture taken July 11, 2015. Ritzau Scanpix/Linda Kastrup via REUTERS\n\n“Oh dear lord. As someone who loves Greenland, has been there nine times to every corner and loves the people, this is a complete and total catastrophe,” former U.S. ambassador to Denmark, Rufus Gifford, said in on Twitter.\n\nGreenland is gaining attention from global super powers including China, Russia and the United States due to its strategic location and its mineral resources.\n\nIn May, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Russia was behaving aggressively in the Arctic and China’s actions there had to be watched closely as well.\n\nA defense treaty between Denmark and the United States dating back to 1951 gives the U.S. military rights over the Thule Air Base in northern Greenland.\n\nThere has been no indication that a Greenland purchase will be on the agenda for Trump’s talks with Danish officials.\n\nMartin Lidegaard, senior lawmaker of the Danish Social Liberal Party and a former foreign minister, called the idea “a grotesque proposal” which had no basis in reality.\n\n“We are talking about real people and you can’t just sell Greenland like an old colonial power,” he told Reuters.\n\nSlideshow (9 Images)\n\n“But what we can take seriously is that the U.S. stakes and interest in the Arctic is significantly on the rise and they want a much bigger influence,” he added.\n\nIn 1917 Denmark sold off the then Danish West Indies islands for $25 million to the United States, which renamed them the United States Virgin Islands.", "Greenland’s government has said the island is “not for sale” after Donald Trump talked to aides about buying the territory from Denmark.\n\nGreenland’s government has said the island is “not for sale” after Donald Trump talked to aides about buying the territory from Denmark.\n\nA Trump ally told The Associated Press on Thursday that the president had discussed the purchase but they did not believe he was serious about it.\n\nIn statement on the island government’s website, a spokesman said: “We have a good cooperation with USA, and we see it as an expression of greater interest in investing in our country and the possibilities we offer.\n\n“Of course, Greenland is not for sale.”\n\nIt would not be the first time an American leader tried to buy the world’s largest island, an autonomous territory of Denmark.\n\nIn 1946, the US proposed to pay Denmark 100 million US dollars to buy Greenland after flirting with the idea of swapping land in Alaska for strategic parts of the Arctic island.\n\nNeither the White House nor Denmark commented on the report which first appeared in The Wall Street Journal.", "WASHINGTON — Aiming to put his mark on the world map, President Donald Trump has talked to aides and allies about buying Greenland for the U.S.\n\nIn a story first reported by The Wall Street Journal, real-estate mogul Trump reportedly asked advisers whether the deal can be done and requested his White House counsel look into it.\n\nCiting people familiar with the discussions, some of Trump's advisers backed the idea, saying it was a good economic move. Others, however, said it would never come to pass.\n\nStill, it wouldn't be the first time an American leader tried to buy the world's largest island, an autonomous territory of Denmark.\n\nIn 1946, the U.S. proposed to pay Denmark $100 million to buy Greenland after flirting with the idea of swapping land in Alaska for strategic parts of the Arctic island.\n\nThe Journal cited someone who was at a dinner last spring where Trump said someone had told him that Denmark was having financial trouble over its aid to Greenland, and someone had told him he should buy the island.\n\n“What do you guys think about that?” he asked, according to the source. “Do you think it would work?”\n\nA Trump ally told The Associated Press on Thursday that the president had discussed the purchase but was not serious about it. The ally spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations.\n\nNeither the White House nor Denmark immediately commented on Thursday.", "Image copyright Reuters Image caption Greenland is an autonomous Danish territory between the North Atlantic and Arctic oceans\n\nGreenland has said it is \"not for sale\" after President Donald Trump stated that he would like the US to buy the world's biggest island.\n\nThe president is said to have discussed the idea of purchasing Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory, during dinners and meetings with advisers.\n\nBut Greenland's government dismissed the idea, saying: \"We're open for business, not for sale.\"\n\nMr Trump's plans have also been quickly dismissed by politicians in Denmark. \"It must be an April Fool's Day joke...but totally out of [season]!\", tweeted former Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen.\n\nThe Wall Street Journal (WSJ), which first reported the news, said Mr Trump had spoken about the purchase with \"varying degrees of seriousness\".\n\nSources quoted in other media differed over whether the president was joking or seriously hoping to expand US territory.\n\nHow has Greenland reacted?\n\nOfficials in Greenland have insisted that the island is not on the market.\n\n\"Greenland is rich in valuable resources such as minerals, the purest water and ice, fish stocks, seafood, renewable energy and is a new frontier for adventure tourism. We're open for business, not for sale,\" the foreign ministry said in a statement shared on social media.\n\nGreenland Premier Kim Kielsen repeated the comments in a separate statement. \"Greenland is not for sale, but Greenland is open for trade and cooperation with other countries, including the USA,\" he said.\n\nGreenland MP Aaja Chemnitz Larsen was also among those to dismiss the president's interest.\n\n\"No thanks to Trump buying Greenland!\", she wrote on Twitter, adding that a \"better and more equal partnership with Denmark\" was the way forward.\n\nPoul Krarup, editor-in-chief of Greenland's Sermitsiaq newspaper, told the BBC he \"couldn't believe\" Mr Trump's remarks.\n\n\"Greenland is an independent area in the Danish kingdom and must be respected as such,\" he said.\n\nBut he said he thought the chances of Mr Trump's reported ambitions being realised were unlikely.\n\n\"We'd like to cooperate with the US, no doubt about that, but we are independent and we decide who our friends are.\"\n\nWhat about Denmark?\n\nPoliticians in Denmark have ridiculed the idea of a possible US acquisition.\n\n\"If he is truly contemplating this, then this is final proof, that he has gone mad,\" foreign affairs spokesman for the populist Danish People's Party, Soren Espersen, told national broadcaster DR.\n\n\"The thought of Denmark selling 50,000 citizens to the United States is completely ridiculous.\"\n\n\"Out of all things that are not going to happen, this is the most unlikely. Forget it,\" Danish Conservative MP Rasmus Jarlov wrote on Twitter.\n\nDenmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, who took office earlier this year, has not commented on the reports.\n\nShe is set to visit Greenland this weekend and has said she is \"very much looking forward\" to it.\n\nMr Trump is scheduled to visit Denmark in September but there is no indication that the possible acquisition of Greenland is on the agenda.\n\nThe WSJ reported that it was \"unclear\" how the US would go about acquiring Greenland if Mr Trump was serious.\n\nWhere is Greenland?\n\nGreenland is the largest island in the world (after Australia, which is defined as a continent in its own right). It is an autonomous Danish territory, located between the North Atlantic and Arctic oceans.\n\nIt has a population of about 56,000 people concentrated around the coastline. Almost 90% are indigenous Greenlandic Inuit people. It has a limited self-government and its own parliament.\n\nMore than 80% of the island is covered by an ice cap which is feared to be melting due to global warming.\n\nThe ice melt has increased access to the island's mineral resources.\n\nBut it's also believed that the receding ice may expose toxic nuclear waste that was left at several US military sites during the Cold War.\n\nWhy would it be appealing to Trump?\n\nMr Trump has reportedly taken an interest in Greenland, in part, because of its natural resources, such as coal, zinc, copper and iron ore.\n\nBut while Greenland might be rich in minerals, it currently relies on Denmark for two thirds of its budget revenue. It has high rates of suicide, alcoholism and unemployment.\n\nImage copyright AFP Image caption Reports differ over whether Mr Trump was serious about trying to purchase Greenland\n\nTwo people briefed on the discussions told the New York Times the president was also interested in Greenland's \"national security value\" because of its location.\n\nThe US has long seen the island as being strategically important and established an air force and radar base there at the start of the Cold War.\n\nRepublican Representative Mike Gallagher described Mr Trump's idea as a \"smart geopolitical move\".\n\n\"The United States has a compelling strategic interest in Greenland, and this should absolutely be on the table,\" he tweeted.\n\nCan countries buy territories?\n\nHistorically, countries have acquired territory not only through military conquest but also financial deals.\n\nUnder the 1803 Louisiana Purchase, the US acquired about 827,000 sq miles (2.1m sq km) of land from France for $15m (£12.3m). In 1867, the US reached a deal with Russia to purchase Alaska for $7.2m.\n\nThe US later purchased the Danish West Indies in 1917 and renamed them the US Virgin Islands.\n\nHowever, Duke University law professor Joseph Blocher told the BBC that the practice \"has basically dried up\".\n\n\"I think in part because nations can often get what they want without expanding their sovereign territory, and also because... people can't just be bartered around like chattel anymore,\" said Professor Blocher.\n\n\"An outright sale would have to be approved by the United States, Denmark, and the people of Greenland, and the odds of that seem vanishingly small,\" he added.\n\nHas the US ever tried to buy Greenland before?\n\nThe idea of purchasing Greenland was first mooted during the 1860s under the presidency of Andrew Johnson.\n\nIn 1867, a report by the US State Department suggested that Greenland's strategic location, along with its abundance of resources, made it an ideal acquisition.\n\nBut no official move was made until 1946, when Harry Truman offered Denmark $100m for the territory.\n\nHe had earlier toyed with the idea of swapping land in Alaska for strategic parts of Greenland, according to AP.", "Greenland is not for sale, the mineral-rich island said Friday, after a newspaper reported that US President Donald Trump was asking advisers whether it’s possible for the United States to buy the Arctic island.\n\nTrump has expressed interest in the self-governing part of Denmark — which is mostly covered in ice, — asking advisors if it is possible for the US to acquire the territory, The Wall Street Journal said Thursday, citing people familiar with the discussions.\n\nThe president, a former real estate magnate, has been curious about the area’s natural resources and geopolitical relevance, the paper reported.\n\nGreenland is a self-governing region of Denmark, which colonized the 772,000 square-mile (two-million square kilometer) island in the 18th century, and is home to only about 57,000 people, most of whom belong to the indigenous Inuit community.\n\nThere has been no official comment from the White House, and the Danish embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to AFP’s request for comment.\n\nBut Greenland’s ministry of foreign affairs insisted the island was ready to talk business, not purchase.\n\n“#Greenland is rich in valuable resources such as minerals, the purest water and ice, fish stocks, seafood, renewable energy and is a new frontier for adventure tourism,” it tweeted.\n\n“We’re open for business, not for sale,” it added.\n\nThe office of Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen declined to comment when contacted by AFP.\n\nBut a former premier, Lars Lokke Rasmussen, tweeted: “It must be an April Fool’s Day joke… but totally out of season!”\n\nSome Trump advisors say acquiring Greenland, which is northeast of Canada, could be good for the US, while others called it only a “fleeting fascination” from the president, The Wall Street Journal said.\n\nOthers outside the White House say Trump’s interest could be a desire to secure a legacy achievement, the paper reported, and advisors wondered about the potential for research or greater military clout for the US.\n\nThe US’s northern-most military base, Thule Air Base, has been located on Greenland for decades.\n\nBut Greenland doesn’t quite live up to its lush name — 85 percent of the island is covered by a 1.9-mile-thick (three-kilometer) ice sheet that contains 10 percent of the world’s fresh water.\n\nThe world’s largest island has suffered from climate change, scientists say, becoming a giant melting icicle that threatens to submerge the world’s coastal areas one day.\n\nJuly saw unprecedented melting of the Greenland ice sheet, with 12 billion tonnes of ice flowing into the sea.\n\nTrump, who in 2017 withdrew the US from the Paris Climate Agreement to cap global warming levels, is reportedly set to visit Copenhagen in September.\n\nThis isn’t the first time the president has expressed interest in foreign properties — he has said North Korea’s “great beaches” would make ideal locations for condos.", "Copenhagen: Danish politicians on Friday poured scorn on the notion of selling Greenland to the United States following reports that President Donald Trump had privately discussed the idea of buying the world's biggest island with his advisers.\n\nTrump is due to visit Copenhagen in September and the Arctic will be on the agenda during meetings with the prime ministers of Denmark and Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory.\n\n\"It has to be an April Fool's joke. Totally out of season,\" former prime minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said on Twitter.\n\nThe notion of purchasing the territory has been laughed off by some advisers as a joke but was taken more seriously by others in the White House, two sources familiar with the situation told Reuters on Thursday.\n\nTalk of a Greenland purchase was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.\n\n\"If he is truly contemplating this, then this is final proof, that he has gone mad,\" foreign affairs spokesman for the Danish People's Party, Soren Espersen, told broadcaster DR.\n\n\"The thought of Denmark selling 50,000 citizens to the United States is completely ridiculous,\" he said.\n\nGreenland, a self-ruling part of Denmark located between the North Atlantic and Arctic oceans, is dependant on Danish economic support.\n\n\"I am sure a majority in Greenland believes it is better to have a relation to Denmark than the United States, in the long term,\" Aaja Chemnitz Larsen, Danish MP from Greenland's second-largest party Inuit Ataqatigiit (IA), told Reuters.\n\n\"My immediate thought is 'No, thank you',\" she said.\n\nPrime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod were not available for comment but officials said they would respond later on Friday. The U.S. Embassy in Copenhagen was also not immediately available for comment.\n\n\"Oh dear lord. As someone who loves Greenland, has been there nine times to every corner and loves the people, this is a complete and total catastrophe,\" former U.S. ambassador to Denmark, Rufus Gifford, said in on Twitter.\n\nGreenland is gaining attention from global super powers including China, Russia and the United States due to its strategic location and its mineral resources.\n\nIn May, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Russia was behaving aggressively in the Arctic and China's actions there had to be watched closely as well.\n\nA defence treaty between Denmark and the United States dating back to 1951 gives the U.S. military rights over the Thule Air Base in northern Greenland.\n\nGreenland is part of Denmark with self-government over domestic affairs, while Copenhagen handles defence and foreign policy.\n\nThere has been no indication that a Greenland purchase will be on the agenda for Trump's talks with Danish officials.\n\nMartin Lidegaard, senior lawmaker of the Danish Social Liberal Party and a former foreign minister called the idea \"a grotesque proposal\" which had no basis in reality.\n\n\"We are talking about real people and you can't just sell Greenland like an old colonial power,\" he told Reuters.\n\n\"But what we can take seriously is that the U.S. stakes and interest in the Arctic is significantly on the rise and they want a much bigger influence,\" he added.\n\nIn 1917 Denmark sold off the then Danish West Indies islands for $25 million to the United States, which renamed them the United States Virgin Islands.\n\nGet the best of News18 delivered to your inbox - subscribe to News18 Daybreak. Follow News18.com on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and on YouTube, and stay in the know with what's happening in the world around you – in real time.\n\nSubscribe to Moneycontrol Pro and gain access to curated markets data, trading recommendations, equity analysis, investment ideas, insights from market gurus and much more. Get Moneycontrol PRO for 1 year at price of 3 months. Use code FREEDOM.", "Donald Trump is said to be eager to purchase the island of Greenland, a territory of Denmark, yet a state separate from the European Union. The surprise interest from the President of the United States could impact Britons hoping to head to the state for their holidays. Around 850,000 UK travellers visit Denmark in its entirety every year, yet will the POTUS’ comments and intentions impact this? Greenland measures up to 2.166 million km squared, with a population of more than 56,000.\n\nTrump news: Why does Donald Trump want to buy Greenland?\n\nIts capital city is Nuuk, where aircraft from the UK fly into, usually after changing in Iceland on their journey.\n\nThe FCO warns British travellers: “Greenland and the Faroes aren’t members of the European Union.\n\n“You don’t need a visa to enter for tourism, but you should get a work and residence permit before entry if you intend to live and work there.”\n\nThe New York Times states the POTUS is particularly interested isn Greenland for “it’s natural resources, like coal and uranium.”\n\nAt present, it is unclear how such a purchase could be made by the US yet if Trump does go ahead, he may decide to make the island private.", "General view of Thule Air Base. A defence treaty between Denmark and the United States dating back to 1951 gives the US military rights over the Thule Air Base in northern Greenland.\n\n[COPENHAGEN] Greenland on Friday dismissed the notion that it might be up for sale after reports that US President Donald Trump had privately discussed with his advisers the idea of buying the world's biggest island.\n\n\"We are open for business, but we're not for sale,\" Greenland's foreign minister Ane Lone Bagger told Reuters.\n\nMr Trump is due to visit Copenhagen in September and the Arctic will be on the agenda during meetings with the prime ministers of Denmark and Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory.\n\nTalk of a Greenland purchase was first reported by the Wall Street Journal. Two sources familiar with the situation told Reuters that the notion had been laughed off by some advisers as a joke but was taken more seriously by others in the White House.\n\nDanish politicians on Friday poured scorn on the idea.\n\n\"It has to be an April Fool's joke. Totally out of season,\" former prime minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said on Twitter.\n\n\"If he is truly contemplating this, then this is final proof, that he has gone mad,\" foreign affairs spokesman for the Danish People's Party, Soren Espersen, told broadcaster DR.\n\n\"The thought of Denmark selling 50,000 citizens to the United States is completely ridiculous,\" he said.\n\nGreenland, a self-ruling part of Denmark located between the North Atlantic and Arctic oceans, is dependant on Danish economic support. It handles its own domestic affairs while Copenhagen looks after defence and foreign policy.\n\n\"I am sure a majority in Greenland believes it is better to have a relation to Denmark than the United States, in the long term,\" Aaja Chemnitz Larsen, Danish MP from Greenland's second-largest party Inuit Ataqatigiit (IA), told Reuters.\n\n\"My immediate thought is 'No, thank you',\" she said.\n\nPrime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod were not available for comment but officials said they would respond later. The US Embassy in Copenhagen was also not immediately available for comment.\n\n\"Oh dear lord. As someone who loves Greenland, has been there nine times to every corner and loves the people, this is a complete and total catastrophe,\" former US ambassador to Denmark, Rufus Gifford, said in on Twitter.\n\nGreenland is gaining attention from global super powers including China, Russia and the United States due to its strategic location and its mineral resources.\n\nIn May, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Russia was behaving aggressively in the Arctic and China's actions there had to be watched closely as well.\n\nA defence treaty between Denmark and the United States dating back to 1951 gives the US military rights over the Thule Air Base in northern Greenland.\n\nThere has been no indication that a Greenland purchase will be on the agenda for Mr Trump's talks with Danish officials.\n\nMartin Lidegaard, senior lawmaker of the Danish Social Liberal Party and a former foreign minister, called the idea \"a grotesque proposal\" which had no basis in reality.\n\n\"We are talking about real people and you can't just sell Greenland like an old colonial power,\" he told Reuters.\n\n\"But what we can take seriously is that the US stakes and interest in the Arctic is significantly on the rise and they want a much bigger influence,\" he added.\n\nIn 1917 Denmark sold off the then Danish West Indies islands for US$25 million to the United States, which renamed them the United States Virgin Islands."], "summary": "In response to reports that U.S. President Donald Trump expressed interest in the United States acquiring Greenland, Greenland's Foreign Minister Ane Lone Bagger dismisses the idea, noting on Twitter that \"a better and more equal partnership with Denmark should be the way forward for a stronger and longer-term free Greenland\"."}
{"document": ["JERUSALEM (AP) — Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib said she would not visit her grandmother in the occupied West Bank, despite being granted an Israeli permit on humanitarian grounds, saying Israel’s “oppressive” conditions aimed to humiliate her.\n\nIsrael barred Tlaib and another Democrat, Rep. Ilhan Omar, from visiting Jerusalem and the West Bank over their support for the international boycott movement following an unprecedented appeal from President Donald Trump to deny them entry.\n\nIsrael had said Tlaib could visit relatives in the West Bank on humanitarian grounds. The Interior Ministry released a letter purportedly signed by Tlaib in which she promised not to advocate boycotts during her visit.\n\n“Visiting my grandmother under these oppressive conditions meant to humiliate me would break my grandmother’s heart,” she said in a statement. “Silencing me with treatment to make me feel less-than is not what she wants for me — it would kill a piece of me that always stands up against racism and injustice.”\n\nIt was not immediately clear if she had initially agreed to the Israeli conditions, and if so what caused her to change her mind.\n\nTlaib and Omar had planned to visit Jerusalem and the Israeli-occupied West Bank next week on a tour organized by a Palestinian group. The two are outspoken critics of Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians and support the Palestinian-led international movement boycotting Israel.\n\nThe two newly elected Muslim members of Congress have sparred with Trump, who tweeted before the decision that it would be a “show of weakness” to allow them in. Israel controls entry and exit to the West Bank, which it seized in the 1967 Mideast war along with east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip — territories the Palestinians want for a future state.\n\nIsraeli Interior Minister Aryeh Deri announced that Tlaib had requested and been granted permission to enter the West Bank to see relatives. The U.S.-born Tlaib’s family immigrated from the West Bank.\n\nDeri’s office released what it said was Tlaib’s written request, on congressional stationery dated Thursday, in which she said she wanted to visit her grandmother, who is in her 90s.\n\n“This could be my last opportunity to see her. I will respect any restrictions and will not promote boycotts against Israel during my visit,” she said. Tlaib’s office could not immediately be reached for comment on the letter’s authenticity.\n\nShortly after the announcement, however, Tlaib tweeted that she wouldn’t allow Israel to use her love for her grandmother to force her to “bow down to their oppressive & racist policies.”\n\n“When I won (in 2018), it gave the Palestinian people hope that someone will finally speak the truth about the inhumane conditions. I can’t allow the State of Israel to take away that light by humiliating me,” she wrote.\n\nBassam Tlaib, an uncle who lives in the West Bank, expressed support for her decision.\n\n“If Rashida’s visit to her homeland is under conditions, we reject that,” he said. “It’s Rashida’s right as a Palestinian to come and visit her family and country.”\n\nDeri, the interior minister, meanwhile fired back on Twitter, saying: “I approved her request as a gesture of goodwill on a humanitarian basis, but it was just a provocative request, aimed at bashing the State of Israel. Apparently her hate for Israel overcomes her love for her grandmother.”\n\nTrump’s request to a foreign country to bar the entry of elected U.S. officials — and Israel’s decision to do so — were unprecedented and drew widespread criticism, including from many Israelis as well as staunch supporters of Israel in Congress. Critics said it risked turning Israel into a partisan issue and threatened to undermine ties between the close allies.\n\nTlaib and Omar are known as supporters of “boycott, divestment and sanctions,” or BDS, a Palestinian-led global movement. Supporters say the movement is a nonviolent way of protesting Israel’s military rule over the occupied territories, but Israel says it aims to delegitimize the state and eventually wipe it off the map.\n\nTlaib and Omar are also part of the “squad” of liberal newcomers — all women of color — whom Trump has labeled as the face of the Democratic Party as he runs for re-election. He subjected them to a series of racist tweets last month in which he called on them to “go back” to their “broken” countries. They are U.S. citizens.\n\nTrump’s latest move brought a longtime U.S. ally into a domestic dispute, essentially relying on Israel to retaliate against Tlaib and Omar after they had criticized him. It marked a glaring departure from the tradition of American politicians leaving such disputes at the water’s edge.\n\nFor Israel, the willingness to side so pointedly with Trump marks a deeper foray into America’s bitterly polarized politics and risks its relationship with Congress.\n\nIsrael announced the ban Thursday after Trump tweeted that “it would show great weakness” if the two were allowed to visit. Asked later if he had spoken to Netanyahu, he said, “I did talk to people over there,” without elaborating.\n\nOmar, who became the first Somali American elected to Congress, denounced the ban on her and Tlaib’s tour as “an affront” and “an insult to democratic values.”\n\nNetanyahu said Thursday his country remains “open to critics and criticism,” except for those who advocate boycotts against it.", "Israel's interior minister said Friday he has received and granted a request by Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib to enter the Israeli-occupied West Bank on humanitarian grounds.\n\nTlaib, who is of Palestinian origin, asked to visit her 90-year-old grandmother in the West Bank, Minister Aryeh Deri said in a statement.\n\nDeri's office published what it said was Tlaib's written request, on congressional stationary. In the letter, Tlaib said she would respect any restrictions and \"not promote boycotts\" during her visit.\n\nThe minister's decision marked yet another reversal concerning the high-profile West Bank tour that had been planned by Tlaib and fellow Democrat, Rep. Ilhan Omar.\n\nOn Thursday, Israel had announced it was barring the two from entry — an unprecedented move targeting members of the U.S. Congress. Israel's decision came after President Donald Trump said in a tweet it would show \"weakness\" to allow in the two Democrats who have been sharply critical of him and of Israel's policies toward the Palestinians.\n\nTlaib and Omar had planned to visit Jerusalem and several West Bank cities, starting this weekend. Both are known as supporters of \"boycott, divestment and sanctions,\" or BDS, a Palestinian-led global movement. Israel alleges that BDS targets Israel's very existence, while the movement's supporters say it is intended as leverage to end more than half a century of Israeli military rule over Palestinians.\n\nIsrael's decision to ban the two had sparked widespread criticism, including from Israeli and Jewish organization who said it was an affront to U.S. institutions to bar the entry of members of Congress.\n\nDeri said Friday he granted a subsequent request by Tlaib to visit the West Bank on humanitarian grounds. In her letter, Tlaib writes that this could be her last chance to see her grandmother.\n\nDeri's office said in a statement that he \"decided to allow her entry to Israel and hopes she will stand by her commitment and that the visit will be for humanitarian needs only.\"\n\nTlaib's apparent pledge to conduct the visit in line with restrictions imposed by Israel was bound to anger Palestinians who had hoped the congressional tour would highly their plight.", "JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel's interior minister says he has received and granted a request by Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib to enter the Israeli-occupied West Bank on humanitarian grounds.\n\nMinister Aryeh Deri said in a statement on Friday that Tlaib asked to visit her 90-year-old grandmother in the West Bank.\n\nIn a letter published by Deri's office, Tlaib said she would respect any restrictions and would \"not promote boycotts\" during her visit.\n\nOn Thursday, Israel had decided to ban Tlaib and Rep. Ilhan Omar from visiting the West Bank, arguing that they would promote a boycott campaign against Israel during the trip. Israel's decision had sparked widespread criticism, including from Israeli and Jewish organization who said it was an affront to U.S. institutions to bar the entry of members of Congress.", "(CNN) Rep. Rashida Tlaib said Friday she would not visit Israel after the country granted permission for her to enter the country on humanitarian grounds to visit her family in the West Bank a day after blocking her and fellow Rep. Ilhan Omar from visiting the country.\n\n\"I have decided that visiting my grandmother under these oppressive conditions stands against everything I believe in--fighting against racism, oppression & injustice,\" Tlaib said in a tweet. In a statement released shortly after her tweet, she said she has \"decided not to travel\" to the country.\n\nTlaib had asked Israeli Interior Minister Aryeh Deri for access so that she could visit her relatives, \"and specifically my grandmother, who is in her 90s and lives in Beit Ur al-Fouqa. This could be my last opportunity to see her.\"\n\nThe request from Tlaib of Michigan came a day after the country barred her and Omar , a freshman Democrat from Minnesota, from entering because of their support of a boycott against Israel. Israel's decision to bar their entry was encouraged by President Donald Trump in a remarkable step both by the US President and his ally, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to punish political opponents.\n\nDeri announced Friday in a statement that Tlaib would be allowed to visit after she, in a letter requesting permission to enter the country on humanitarian grounds, \"committed to accept all the demands of Israel to respect the restrictions imposed on her in the visit, and she also promised not to advance boycotts against Israel during her visit.\"\n\nIsraeli Interior Minister spokesman Barak Seri provided a copy of the letter submitted by Tlaib to CNN.\n\nIn response to Tlaib's announcement that she would not visit the country, Deri said Tlaib's \"hatred of Israel is stronger than her love of her grandmother\" and accused Tlaib of requesting to visit her family as \"a provocation in order to besmirch Israel.\"\n\nTrump echoed that criticism of Tlaib in a series of tweets Friday evening.\n\n\"Israel was very respectful & nice to Rep. Rashida Tlaib, allowing her permission to visit her 'grandmother,'\" Trump wrote, adding quotations around the word grandmother. \"As soon as she was granted permission, she grandstanded & loudly proclaimed she would not visit Israel.\"\n\n\"Could this possibly have been a setup?,\" Trump continued. \"Israel acted appropriately!\"\n\nHe later added, \"Rep. Tlaib wrote a letter to Israeli officials desperately wanting to visit her grandmother. Permission was quickly granted, whereupon Tlaib obnoxiously turned the approval down, a complete setup. The only real winner here is Tlaib's grandmother. She doesn't have to see her now!\"\n\nTlaib's family in the West Bank slammed Israel over the \"conditional visit\" and insisted that it is a \"natural right\" to be able to visit relatives.\n\n\"We reject the decision of the Israeli occupation to ban the entry of Congresswomen Rashida Tlaib. This highlights how Israel antagonizes every individual or organization that support the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people and rejects every attempt at explaining the reality of the Palestinian life under occupation,\" Tlaib's grandmother, Muftiya Tliab, and her uncle, Ghassan Tlaib, said in a statement to CNN.\n\nMuftiya Tlaib, the maternal grandmother of US Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib, outside her home in Beit Ur al-Fouqa on Thursday.\n\nThe family statement continued, \"It should be her natural right, not a favor to ask for, to visit her homeland and family.\"\n\nTlaib's relatives said they had wanted her to be able to visit as part of a delegation which was to include Omar, and are incensed by the restrictions being put on her visit.\n\nSome of Tlaib's family members even urged her not to make the trip under Israel's restrictions, and only to come if it's an official visit as an American congresswoman. Tlaib's uncle suggested he could bring Tlaib's grandmother to visit in the United States so the two could meet.\n\nOn Friday afternoon, Omar sent a series of tweets outlining what would have been her plans once she was in Israel and her issues with the Israeli government.\n\n\"Denying visits to duly elected Members of Congress is not consistent with being either an ally or a democracy,\" Omar said in one tweet, referencing the \"$3 billion in aid every year\" the US provides to Israel. \"We should be leveraging that aid to stop the settlements and ensure full rights for Palestinians.\"\n\nThe boycott\n\nTlaib and Omar have been vocal critics of Israel and have supported the boycott movement, formally known as the Boycott, Divest, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, voting against a House resolution condemning the movement, which received broad bipartisan support.\n\nThe boycott movement aims to end international support for Israel because of its policies toward Palestinians, as well as its continued construction of West Bank settlements, considered a violation of international law.\n\nStrategic Affairs Minister Gilad Erdan, who leads Israel's fight against the boycott movement, tweeted Friday morning, \"The request from Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib to visit her grandmother should be approved. Especially in light of her commitment to abide by Israeli law and not advance boycotts against us.\"\n\nErdan is one of the members of the forum who met on Wednesday to discuss whether to allow Tlaib and Omar to enter the country.\n\nBan came after Trump intervention\n\nThe announcement Thursday to prohibit the congresswomen from visiting Israel came shortly after Trump said Israel would be showing \"great weakness\" by letting them in.\n\nTrump has criticized the two lawmakers -- who are the first two Muslim women elected to Congress -- in harsh and sometimes racist terms. But his move to call for their ban in Israel reflects a new chapter in his grudge and a further erosion of presidential norms, which in the past sought to avoid instilling partisanship in foreign affairs.\n\nTrump's comments left Israel with little wiggle room, especially for Netanyahu , who has never publicly disagreed with Trump.\n\n\"The plan of the two Congresswomen is only to damage Israel and to foment against Israel,\" Netanyahu said in a statement following the decision.\n\nRashida Tlaib, left, and Ilhan Omar, right.\n\nOmar responded to the decision Thursday slamming it as \"an insult to democratic values.\"\n\n\"It is an affront that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, under pressure from President Trump, would deny entry to representatives of the U.S. government,\" Omar said in a statement. \"Trump's Muslim ban is what Israel is implementing, this time against two duly elected Members of Congress.\"\n\nOmar went on to say, \"As a member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, it is my job to conduct oversight of foreign aid from the United States of America and to legislate on human rights practices around the world. The irony of the 'only democracy' in the Middle East making such a decision is that it is both an insult to democratic values and a chilling response to a visit by government officials from an allied nation.\"\n\nIsrael's decision to deny entry to the two freshmen congresswomen was a turnaround of a position taken last month when the country's Ambassador to the United States Ron Dermer said the pair would be permitted to visit Israel and the Palestinian territories.\n\nThis story has been updated with additional developments Friday.", "Reacting to Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) canceling her trip to visit her grandmother in the West Bank, Israel’s interior minister attacked the Muslim congresswoman by claiming she hates Israel. “I authorized this humanitarian trip, but it turns out that it was a provocation to embarrass Israel,” Interior Minister Aryeh Deri reportedly said of Tlaib. “Her hatred for Israel overcomes her love for her grandmother.”\n\nAfter Benjamin Netanyahu’s government opted to bar Tlaib and Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) from visiting Israel because of their support for Palestine and the BDS movement, Tlaib was granted permission to visit her grandmother on “humanitarian grounds”—under the condition that she not promote anti-Israel boycotts while in the country. But on Friday morning, Tlaib backed out of the trip, writing: “When I won, it gave the Palestinian people hope that someone will finally speak the truth about the inhumane conditions. I can’t allow the State of Israel to take away that light by humiliating me & use my love for my city to bow down to their oppressive & racist policies.”", "JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel said Friday it has granted a request by Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib to enter the West Bank on humanitarian grounds to visit her relatives, a day after Israel barred her and another congresswoman following an unprecedented request from President Donald Trump.\n\nTlaib and fellow Democrat, Rep. Ilhan Omar, had planned to visit Jerusalem and the Israeli-occupied West Bank next week on a tour partly organized by a Palestinian group. The two are outspoken critics of Israel’s treatment of the Palestinians and support the international movement boycotting Israel.\n\nThe two newly elected Muslim members of Congress have also sparred with Trump, who tweeted before the decision that it would be a “show of weakness” to allow them in. Israel controls entry and exit points to the West Bank, which it seized in the 1967 Mideast war along with east Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, territories the Palestinians want for a future state.\n\nOn Friday, Israeli Interior Minister Aryeh Deri announced the latest twist — that Tlaib had requested and been granted permission to enter the West Bank to see relatives, including her 90-year-old grandmother. The American-born Tlaib’s family immigrated from the West Bank.\n\nDeri’s office published what it said was Tlaib’s written request, on congressional stationary dated Thursday, in which she said she wanted to visit her grandmother, who is in her 90s.\n\n“This could be my last opportunity to see her. I will respect any restrictions and will not promote boycotts against Israel during my visit,” she said.\n\nShortly after the announcement, however, Tlaib tweeted that she wouldn’t allow Israel to use her love for her grandmother to force her to “bow down to their oppressive & racist policies.” It was not clear if she was rejecting the offer to visit.\n\n“When I won, it gave the Palestinian people hope that someone will finally speak the truth about the inhumane conditions. I can’t allow the State of Israel to take away that light by humiliating me & use my love for my sity to bow down to their oppressive & racist policies,” she wrote.\n\nDeri’s office said he decided to allow Tlaib’s entry, and “hopes she will stand by her commitment and that the visit will be for humanitarian needs only.”\n\nTlaib’s office could not immediately be reached for comment on the letter’s authenticity.\n\nHanan Ashrawi, a senior official in the Palestine Liberation Organization whose Miftah group had organized the original congressional visit, said she was not involved in the latest request.\n\n“Miftah does not sponsor personal or individual or humanitarian visits nor do we intervene on behalf of any such petitions. As we announced yesterday, our delegation’s visit has been postponed until such time as all Congressional participants can have free access to Palestine,” she tweeted.\n\nTrump’s request to a foreign country to bar the entry of elected U.S. officials — and Israel’s decision to do so — were unprecedented and drew widespread criticism, including from many Israelis as well as staunch supporters of Israel in Congress. Critics said it risked turning Israel into a partisan issue and threatened to undermine ties between the close allies.\n\nTlaib and Omar are known as supporters of “boycott, divestment and sanctions,” or BDS, a Palestinian-led global movement. Supporters say the movement is a non-violent way of protesting Israel’s military rule over the occupied territories, but Israel says it aims to delegitimize the state and eventually wipe it off the map.\n\nTlaib and Omar are also part of the “squad” of liberal newcomers — all women of color — whom Trump has labeled as the face of the Democratic Party as he runs for re-election. He subjected them to a series of racist tweets last month in which he called on them to “go back” to their “broken” countries. Both are American citizens.\n\nWith his latest move, Trump brought a longtime U.S. ally into a domestic dispute, essentially relying on Israel to retaliate against Tlaib and Omar after they had criticized him. It marked a glaring departure from the tradition of American politicians leaving domestic disputes at the water’s edge.\n\nFor Israel, the willingness to side so pointedly with Trump marks a deeper foray into America’s bitterly polarized politics and risks its relationship with Congress.\n\nIsrael announced the ban Thursday after Trump tweeted that “it would show great weakness” if the two were allowed to visit. Asked later if he had spoken to Netanyahu, he said, “I did talk to people over there,” without elaborating.\n\nOmar, who became the first Somali-American elected to Congress, denounced the ban on her and Tlaib’s tour as “an affront” and “an insult to democratic values.”\n\nIn Israel, Netanyahu said Thursday that his country remains “open to critics and criticism,” except for those who advocate boycotts against it.", "JERUSALEM (AP) — The Latest on Israel banning U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib and fellow Democrat Rep. Ilhan Omar’s planned tour, and subsequent reversal allowing Tlaib entry to West Bank for a family visit (all times local):\n\nDemocratic congresswoman Rashida Tlaib says she won’t visit her relatives in the West Bank after Israel issued a permit on humanitarian grounds, citing “oppressive conditions meant to humiliate me.”\n\nIsrael barred Tlaib and another congresswoman from visiting Jerusalem and the West Bank over their support for the international boycott movement, but said Tlaib could visit her relatives in the West Bank on humanitarian grounds. The Interior Ministry released a letter purportedly signed by Tlaib in which she promised not to advocate boycotts during her visit.\n\nIn an official statement released later Friday, Tlaib said “visiting my grandmother under these oppressive conditions meant to humiliate me would break my grandmother’s heart.”\n\nShe added that “silencing me with treatment to make me feel less-than is not what she wants for me – it would kill a piece of me that always stands up against racism and injustice.”\n\nDemocratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib says she will not let down the Palestinian people by remaining silent about their condition on a visit to the West Bank.\n\nThat’s the case despite a letter she submitted earlier to the Israeli government in which she promised to respect any restrictions imposed on her visit to the West Bank.\n\nTlaib tweeted Friday: “Silencing me & treating me like a criminal is not what (my grandmother) wants for me. It would kill a piece of me. I have decided that visiting my grandmother under these oppressive conditions stands against everything I believe in–fighting against racism, oppression & injustice.”\n\nThe Israeli interior minister had said that he received and granted a request by the Palestinian-American lawmaker to visit her relatives, including her 90-year-old grandparent in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories.\n\nMinister Aryeh Deri expressed hopes that Tlaib would “stand by her commitment and that the visit will be for humanitarian needs only.”\n\nA senior Palestinian official distanced herself from a West Bank visit by U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib who has been allowed entry to the Israeli-occupied territory on “humanitarian grounds.”\n\nThe official, Hanan Ashrawi, was to have hosted Tlaib and Rep. Ilhan Omar, on a West Bank tour. Tlaib and Omar are sharply critical of Israel’s policies toward the Palestinians.\n\nOn Thursday, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, prodded by President Donald Trump, said he won’t allow Tlaib and Omar to enter.\n\nIn a reversal Friday, Israel’s interior minister said he granted a request by Tlaib to visit West Bank relatives. Tlaib has pledged to abide by Israeli restrictions.\n\nAshrawi said Friday that she does not get involved in personal visits and that the congressional visit is off until all participants “can have free access to Palestine.”\n\nIsrael’s interior minister says he has received and granted a request by Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib to enter the Israeli-occupied West Bank on humanitarian grounds.\n\nMinister Aryeh Deri said in a statement on Friday that Tlaib asked to visit her 90-year-old grandmother in the West Bank.\n\nIn a letter published by Deri’s office, Tlaib said she would respect any restrictions and would “not promote boycotts” during her visit.\n\nOn Thursday, Israel had decided to ban Tlaib and Rep. Ilhan Omar from visiting the West Bank, arguing that they would promote a boycott campaign against Israel during the trip. Israel’s decision had sparked widespread criticism, including from Israeli and Jewish organization who said it was an affront to U.S. institutions to bar the entry of members of Congress.", "JERUSALEM — Israel's interior minister says he has received and granted a request by Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib to enter the Israeli-occupied West Bank on humanitarian grounds.\n\nMinister Aryeh Deri said in a statement on Friday that Tlaib asked to visit her 90-year-old grandmother in the West Bank.\n\nIn a letter published by Deri's office, Tlaib said she would respect any restrictions and would \"not promote boycotts\" during her visit.\n\nOn Thursday, Israel had decided to ban Tlaib and Rep. Ilhan Omar from visiting the West Bank, arguing that they would promote a boycott campaign against Israel during the trip. Israel's decision had sparked widespread criticism, including from Israeli and Jewish organization who said it was an affront to U.S. institutions to bar the entry of members of Congress.", "JERUSALEM, Israel — Israel's interior minister said Friday he has received and granted a request by Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib to enter the Israeli-occupied West Bank on humanitarian grounds.\n\nTlaib, who is of Palestinian origin, asked to visit her 90-year-old grandmother in the West Bank, Minister Aryeh Deri said in a statement.\n\nDeri's office published what it said was Tlaib's written request, on congressional stationary. In the letter, Tlaib said she would respect any restrictions and \"not promote boycotts\" during her visit.\n\nThe minister's decision marked yet another reversal concerning the high-profile West Bank tour that had been planned by Tlaib and fellow Democrat, Rep. Ilhan Omar.\n\nOn Thursday, Israel had announced it was barring the two from entry — an unprecedented move targeting members of the U.S. Congress. Israel's decision came after President Donald Trump said in a tweet it would show \"weakness\" to allow in the two Democrats who have been sharply critical of him and of Israel's policies toward the Palestinians.\n\nTlaib and Omar had planned to visit Jerusalem and several West Bank cities, starting this weekend. Both are known as supporters of \"boycott, divestment and sanctions,\" or BDS, a Palestinian-led global movement. Israel alleges that BDS targets Israel's very existence, while the movement's supporters say it is intended as leverage to end more than half a century of Israeli military rule over Palestinians.\n\nIsrael's decision to ban the two had sparked widespread criticism, including from Israeli and Jewish organization who said it was an affront to U.S. institutions to bar the entry of members of Congress.\n\nDeri said Friday he granted a subsequent request by Tlaib to visit the West Bank on humanitarian grounds. In her letter, Tlaib writes that this could be her last chance to see her grandmother.\n\nDeri's office said in a statement that he \"decided to allow her entry to Israel and hopes she will stand by her commitment and that the visit will be for humanitarian needs only.\"\n\nTlaib's apparent pledge to conduct the visit in line with restrictions imposed by Israel was bound to anger Palestinians who had hoped the congressional tour would highly their plight.", "JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel’s interior minister says he has received and granted a request by Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib to enter the Israeli-occupied West Bank on humanitarian grounds.\n\nMinister Aryeh Deri said in a statement on Friday that Tlaib asked to visit her 90-year-old grandmother in the West Bank.\n\nIn a letter published by Deri’s office, Tlaib said she would respect any restrictions and would “not promote boycotts” during her visit.\n\nOn Thursday, Israel had decided to ban Tlaib and Rep. Ilhan Omar from visiting the West Bank, arguing that they would promote a boycott campaign against Israel during the trip. Israel’s decision had sparked widespread criticism, including from Israeli and Jewish organization who said it was an affront to U.S. institutions to bar the entry of members of Congress."], "summary": "According to Israel's Interior ministry, U.S. Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib sends a letter to Israeli Interior Minister Aryeh Deri, asking for permission to visit her elderly grandmother in the West Bank. Tlaib's request was approved on the condition that she \"not advance boycott activities for the duration of her visit\". Tlaib later declines to come, saying she won't let Israel impose \"oppressive conditions\" on her."}
{"document": ["(CNN) Jeffrey Epstein's cause of death was suicide by hanging, the New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner said Friday.\n\nHours later, Epstein's attorneys said they will conduct their own investigation into the circumstances of his death.\n\nThe medical examiner's determination came almost a week after the multimillionaire was found in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center, where the 66-year-old was awaiting trial on federal charges accusing him of sexually abusing underage girls and running a sex trafficking ring. He had pleaded not guilty to the charges.\n\nThe autopsy was performed Sunday, the chief medical examiner's office said in a statement at the time, but its findings were pending further information. A private pathologist also observed the autopsy, the statement said, calling it \"routine practice.\"\n\nRead More", "New York — Jeffrey Epstein’s prison death has been ruled a suicide by hanging, the medical examiner’s office announced Friday. Epstein, 66, was found dead in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City on August 10.\n\nHis death sparked outrage and disbelief over how such a high-profile prisoner, known for socializing with powerful people including presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton, could have gone unwatched.\n\nThe Bureau of Prisons said Epstein had apparently killed himself, but that didn’t squelch conspiracy theories about his death.\n\nEpstein, who was charged with sexually abusing numerous underage girls over several years, had been placed on suicide watch last month after he was found on his cell floor on July 23 with bruising on his neck.\n\nBut multiple people familiar with operations at the jail said he was taken off the watch after about a week and put back in a high-security housing unit where he was less closely monitored, but still supposed to be checked on every 30 minutes.\n\nAttorney General William Barr said officials have uncovered “serious irregularities” at the jail. The FBI and the Justice Department’s inspector general are both investigating Epstein’s death.\n\nCorrections officers may have falsified reports saying they checked on Epstein as required by protocol, a law enforcement source with knowledge of the investigation told CBS News this week.\n\nA guard in Epstein’s unit was working a fifth straight day of overtime and another guard was working mandatory overtime, several people familiar with the matter told the Associated Press. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the lacked authorization to publicly discuss the investigation.\n\nU.S. District Judge Richard Berman, who is in charge of the criminal case against Epstein, asked the jail’s warden this week for answers about the earlier episode, writing in a letter Monday that it had “never been definitively explained.”\n\nA representative for staff at the Metropolitan Correctional Center said work conditions at the facility have been inadequate for nearly two years. Corrections officers have long complained about being overworked with 60-plus hour work weeks and mandatory overtime.\n\nThe warden replied that an internal investigation was completed but that he couldn’t provide information because the findings were being incorporated into investigations into Epstein’s death.\n\nThe Associated Press often does not report details of suicide methods, but has made an exception because Epstein’s cause of death is pertinent to the ongoing investigations.\n\nThe Washington Post and The New York Times reported Thursday that the autopsy revealed that several bones in Epstein’s neck had been broken, leading to speculation his death was a homicide.\n\nChief Medical Examiner Barbara Sampson issued a statement Thursday in response to those articles, saying: “In all forensic investigations, all information must be synthesized to determine the cause and manner of death. Everything must be consistent; no single finding can be evaluated in a vacuum.”\n\nEpstein accuser targets his businesses as details emerge about Ghislaine Maxwell\n\nThe medical examiner’s ruling came a day after two more women sued Epstein’s estate, saying he sexually abused them.\n\nThe suit, filed Thursday in a federal court in New York, claims the women were working as hostesses at a popular Manhattan restaurant in 2004 when they were recruited to give Epstein massages. One was 18 at the time. The other was 20.\n\nThe lawsuit said an unidentified female recruiter offered the hostesses hundreds of dollars to provide massages to Epstein, saying he “liked young, pretty girls to massage him,” and wouldn’t engage in any unwanted touching. The women say Epstein groped them anyway.\n\nOne plaintiff now lives in Japan, the other in Baltimore. They seek $100 million in damages, citing depression, anxiety, anger and flashbacks.\n\nOther lawsuits, filed over many years by other women, accused him of hiring girls as young as 14 or 15 to give him massages, then subjecting them to sex acts.", "NEW YORK — New York City's medical examiner ruled Jeffrey Epstein's death a suicide Friday, confirming after nearly a week of speculation that the financier hanged himself in his jail cell.\n\nEpstein, 66, was found dead in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City on Aug. 10, touching off outrage and disbelief over how such a high-profile prisoner, known for socializing with powerful people including presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton, could have gone unwatched.\n\nChief Medical Examiner Dr. Barbara Sampson said in a statement that she made the suicide determination \"after careful review of all investigative information, including complete autopsy findings.\"\n\nThe Bureau of Prisons said at the time Epstein had apparently killed himself, but that didn't squelch conspiracy theories about his death.\n\nOne of Epstein's lawyers, Marc Fernich, declined to comment. An office telephone number for Dr. Michael Baden, the pathologist hired by Epstein's representatives to observe the autopsy, rang unanswered.\n\nEpstein, who was charged with sexually abusing numerous underage girls over several years, had been placed on suicide watch last month after he was found on his cell floor July 23 with bruises on his neck.\n\nRELATED: Epstein accuser sues as questions swirl about his death\n\nBut multiple people familiar with operations at the jail say he was taken off the watch after about a week and put back in a high-security housing unit where he was less closely monitored, but still supposed to be checked on every 30 minutes.\n\nAttorney General William Barr says officials have uncovered \"serious irregularities\" at the jail. The FBI and the Justice Department's inspector general are both investigating.\n\nAfter news of Epstein's death went public, U.S. Attorney Geoffrey Berman said the federal investigation into the allegations against Epstein remains steadfast.\n\nJail guards on duty the night of Epstein's death are suspected of falsifying log entries to show they were checking on inmates every half hour as required, according to several people familiar with the matter. Both were working overtime because of staffing shortages at the jail, the people said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they lacked authorization to publicly discuss the investigation.\n\nThe Associated Press often does not report details of suicide methods but has made an exception because Epstein's cause of death is pertinent to the ongoing investigations.\n\nThe Washington Post and The New York Times reported Thursday that the autopsy revealed that a bone in Epstein's neck had been broken, leading to speculation his death was a homicide, though experts said the bone in question often breaks in suicidal hangings.\n\nSampson issued a statement Thursday in response to those articles, saying: \"In all forensic investigations, all information must be synthesized to determine the cause and manner of death. Everything must be consistent; no single finding can be evaluated in a vacuum.\"\n\nAutopsy reports are not public records in New York and the details of the medical examiner's finding, or what evidence she relied upon, were not immediately made available.\n\nEpstein, 66, was a wealth manager who hobnobbed with the rich, famous and influential, including presidents and a prince.\n\nHe owned a private island in the Caribbean, homes in Paris and New York City, a New Mexico ranch, and a fleet of high-price cars. His friends had once included Britain's Prince Andrew, Clinton and Trump. Clinton and Trump both said they hadn't seen Epstein in years when new charges were brought against him last month.\n\nThe medical examiner's ruling came a day after two more women sued Jeffrey Epstein's estate, saying he sexually abused them.\n\nThe suit, filed Thursday in a federal court in New York, claims the women were working as hostesses at a popular Manhattan restaurant in 2004 when they were recruited to give Epstein massages.\n\nOne was 18 at the time. The other was 20.\n\nThe lawsuit says an unidentified female recruiter offered the hostesses hundreds of dollars to provide massages to Epstein, saying he \"liked young, pretty girls to massage him,\" and wouldn't engage in any unwanted touching. The women say Epstein groped them anyway.\n\nOne plaintiff now lives in Japan, the other in Baltimore. They seek $100 million in damages, citing depression, anxiety, anger and flashbacks.\n\nOther lawsuits, filed over many years by other women, accused him of hiring girls as young as 14 or 15 to give him massages, then subjecting them to sex acts.\n\nIf you or someone you know may be struggling with suicidal thoughts you can call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) any time of day or night or chat online.", "Convicted sex offender and former financier Jeffrey Epstein has been confirmed to have died by suicide by the chief medical examiner of New York City. According to The New York Times, Epstein’s autopsy lists suicide by hanging as his cause of death. Authorities found the 66-year-old Epstein unresponsive in his jail cell on Saturday, August 11. He awaited trial on federal sex trafficking charges before his death.\n\nPreviously, The Inquisitr reported that a New York City medical examiner wanted additional information after performing Epstein’s initial autopsy. The reason is that the accused sex trafficker suffered several broken bones in his neck, which initially made the death appear suspicious.\n\nEpstein’s suicide remains the focus of at least four current investigations by the FBI, the Justice Department Office of Inspector General, and more. The suspicious nature of the suicide gave rise to a multitude of conspiracy theories from both sides of the political spectrum. Even President Donald Trump spread a prominent theory Clinton body count theory, according to The Inquisitr. Many who ascribe to the idea believe that somehow former President Bill Clinton and former presidential candidate Hilary Clinton had Epstein murdered in jail. The high-powered couple hoped to avoid his impending testimony, which many believe could implicate President Clinton and other high ranking individuals.\n\nOn the flip side of the conspiracies, several believe that President Trump has the most to gain from silencing his former friend Epstein. Plus, Trump had the means given that Epstein resided at The Metropolitan Correctional Center, which is a federal prison. There is the possibility that Trump’s name would have come up when Epstein testified given their decades-long friendship.\n\nThe conspiracies about the accused’s death run the gamut with some people refusing to believe the billionaire actually died. Some of the more bizarre theories include the idea that Epstein is the Witness Protection Program. A multitude of conspiracy theorists believes that the suicide ruling is a cover-up for Epstein’s murder at whoever’s hands. There are even people who say that many from the 1 percent who were involved with Epstein worked together regardless of political affiliation to silence him.\n\nNBC News reported earlier today that Epstein’s former cellmate Nicholas Tartaglione of wrongdoing in a possible suicide attempt that happened about three weeks before Epstein died. Many, including the attorney general, William P. Barr, believe that there are “serious irregularities” in how the prison handled the prisoner’s supervision in the weeks, days, and hours leading up to his death. Because of Epstein’s previously attempted suicide, it is surprising that the prison officials took him off of suicide watch.", "FILE – This July 25, 2013, file image provided by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement shows financier Jeffrey Epstein. Officials say the FBI and U.S. Inspector General’s office will investigate how Epstein died in an apparent suicide, while the probe into sexual abuse allegations against the well-connected financier remains ongoing. A person familiar with the matter says Epstein, accused of orchestrating a sex-trafficking ring and sexually abusing dozens of underage girls, had been taken off suicide watch before he killed himself Saturday, Aug. 10, 2019, in a New York jail. (Florida Department of Law Enforcement via AP, File)\n\nNEW YORK (AP) — Jeffrey Epstein’s prison death has been confirmed a suicide by hanging, the medical examiner’s office said Friday.\n\nEpstein, 66, was found dead in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City on Aug. 10, touching off outrage and disbelief over how such a high-profile prisoner, known for socializing with powerful people including presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton, could have gone unwatched.\n\nThe Bureau of Prisons said Epstein had apparently killed himself, but that didn’t squelch conspiracy theories about his death.\n\nMessages seeking comment were left for Epstein’s lawyers. An office telephone number for Dr. Michael Baden, the pathologist hired by Epstein’s representatives to observe the autopsy, rang unanswered.\n\nEpstein, who was charged with sexually abusing numerous underage girls over several years, had been placed on suicide watch last month after he was found on his cell floor on July 23 with bruising on his neck.\n\nBut multiple people familiar with operations at the jail say he was taken off the watch after about a week and put back in a high-security housing unit where he was less closely monitored, but still supposed to be checked on every 30 minutes.\n\nAttorney General William Barr says officials have uncovered “serious irregularities” at the jail. The FBI and the Justice Department’s inspector general are both investigating Epstein’s death.\n\nJail guards on duty the night of Epstein’s death are suspected of falsifying log entries to show they were checking on inmates every half-hour as required, according to several people familiar with the matter.\n\nA guard in Epstein’s unit was working a fifth straight day of overtime and another guard was working mandatory overtime, the people said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the lacked authorization to publicly discuss the investigation.\n\nU.S. District Judge Richard Berman, who is in charge of the criminal case against Epstein, asked the jail’s warden this week for answers about the earlier episode, writing in a letter Monday that it had “never been definitively explained.”\n\nThe warden replied that an internal investigation was completed but that he couldn’t provide information because the findings were being incorporated into investigations into Epstein’s death.\n\nThe Associated Press often does not report details of suicide methods, but has made an exception because Epstein’s cause of death is pertinent to the ongoing investigations.\n\nThe Washington Post and The New York Times reported Thursday that the autopsy revealed that several bones in Epstein’s neck had been broken, leading to speculation his death was a homicide.\n\nChief Medical Examiner Barbara Sampson issued a statement Thursday in response to those articles, saying: “In all forensic investigations, all information must be synthesized to determine the cause and manner of death. Everything must be consistent; no single finding can be evaluated in a vacuum.”\n\nThe medical examiner’s ruling came a day after two more women sued Jeffrey Epstein’s estate, saying he sexually abused them.\n\nThe suit, filed Thursday in a federal court in New York, claims the women were working as hostesses at a popular Manhattan restaurant in 2004 when they were recruited to give Epstein massages.\n\nOne was 18 at the time. The other was 20.\n\nThe lawsuit says an unidentified female recruiter offered the hostesses hundreds of dollars to provide massages to Epstein, saying he “liked young, pretty girls to massage him,” and wouldn’t engage in any unwanted touching. The women say Epstein groped them anyway.\n\nOne plaintiff now lives in Japan, the other in Baltimore. They seek $100 million in damages, citing depression, anxiety, anger and flashbacks.\n\nOther lawsuits, filed over many years by other women, accused him of hiring girls as young as 14 or 15 to give him massages, then subjecting them to sex acts.", "FILE – This July 25, 2013, file image provided by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement shows financier Jeffrey Epstein. Officials say the FBI and U.S. Inspector General’s office will investigate how Epstein died in an apparent suicide, while the probe into sexual abuse allegations against the well-connected financier remains ongoing. A person familiar with the matter says Epstein, accused of orchestrating a sex-trafficking ring and sexually abusing dozens of underage girls, had been taken off suicide watch before he killed himself Saturday, Aug. 10, 2019, in a New York jail. (Florida Department of Law Enforcement via AP, File)\n\nNEW YORK (AP) — New York City’s medical examiner ruled Jeffrey Epstein’s death a suicide Friday, confirming after nearly a week of speculation that the financier faced with sex trafficking charges hanged himself in his jail cell.\n\nEpstein, 66, was found dead at the Metropolitan Correctional Center on Aug. 10, touching off outrage that such a high-profile prisoner could have gone unwatched at the Manhattan federal lockup where infamous inmates Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman and Wall Street swindler Bernard Madoff came and went without incident.\n\nChief Medical Examiner Dr. Barbara Sampson said in a statement that she made the suicide determination “after careful review of all investigative information, including complete autopsy findings.”\n\nSampson’s announcement came as a Justice Department official told The Associated Press that some prison staffers believed to have relevant information aren’t cooperating with investigators.\n\nEpstein’s lawyers said they were “not satisfied” with Sampson’s conclusions and that they would conduct their own investigation, including seeking to obtain any video of the area around Epstein’s cell from the time leading to his death.\n\nEpstein, arrested July 6 and jailed since, was found dead with a bedsheet around his neck less than 24 hours after more than 2,000 pages of documents were made public from a since-settled lawsuit against an ex-girlfriend alleged to be his aide-de-camp. The documents included graphic allegations against Epstein and a 2016 deposition in which he refused to answer questions to avoid incriminating himself.\n\nAt the time of Epstein’s death, the Bureau of Prisons said he had apparently killed himself. But that did not squelch conspiracy theories , including one retweeted by President Donald Trump that speculated Epstein was murdered.\n\nWhat emerged in the days that followed, however, was not evidence of a sinister plot, but early signs that prison staff failed to properly secure and monitor a prisoner, leading to ferocious criticism by everyone from Attorney General William Barr to Epstein’s lawyers.\n\nJail guards on Epstein’s unit failed to check on him every half hour, as required, and are suspected of falsifying log entries to show they had, according to several people familiar with the matter. Both were working overtime because of staffing shortages, the people said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they lacked authorization to publicly discuss the investigation.\n\nEpstein, who was charged with sexually abusing numerous underage girls over several years, had been placed on suicide watch last month after he was found on his cell floor July 23 with bruises on his neck.\n\nMultiple people familiar with operations at the jail say Epstein was taken off the watch after about a week and put back in a high-security housing unit where he was less closely monitored, but still supposed to be checked on every 30 minutes.\n\nBarr says officials have uncovered “serious irregularities” at the jail. The FBI and the Justice Department’s inspector general are investigating.\n\n“It is indisputable that the authorities violated their own protocols,” Epstein’s lawyers said in a statement late Friday, calling the conditions in the unit where Epstein spent his final hours, “harsh, even medieval.”\n\nIn the wake of Epstein’s death, federal prosecutors have shifted their focus to possible charges against anyone who assisted or enabled him in what authorities say was rampant sexual abuse. Barr, on Monday, warned that “any co-conspirators should not rest easy.”\n\nAuthorities are most likely turning their attention to the team of recruiters and employees who, according to police reports, knew about Epstein’s penchant for underage girls and lined up victims for him.\n\nThe Associated Press reviewed hundreds of pages of police reports , FBI records and court documents that show Epstein relied on an entire staff of associates to arrange massages that led to sex acts.\n\nMeanwhile, the investigation into Epstein’s death is being hampered because some people, including jail staff members who are believed to have information pertinent to the probe, aren’t cooperating and have not yet been interviewed by the FBI, according to a Justice Department official.\n\nThe official said the FBI has repeatedly sought interviews with staff members but those interviews are being delayed by union representatives. The official was not authorized to discuss the investigation publicly and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.\n\nOne possible roadblock to further charges is the controversial plea agreement Epstein struck more than a decade ago in Florida . The non-prosecution agreement not only allowed Epstein to plead guilty in 2008 to lesser state charges and serve just 13 months behind bars, it also shielded from prosecution several Epstein associates who allegedly were paid to recruit girls for him.\n\nThe AP often does not report details of suicide methods but has made an exception because Epstein’s cause of death is pertinent to the ongoing investigations.\n\nThe Washington Post and The New York Times reported Thursday that the autopsy revealed that a bone in Epstein’s neck had been broken, leading to speculation his death was a homicide. Sampson responded that “no single finding can be evaluated in a vacuum” and experts said the bone in question often breaks in suicidal hangings.\n\nAutopsy reports are not public records in New York, and the details of the medical examiner’s finding, or the evidence she relied upon, were not immediately available.\n\nAn office telephone number for Dr. Michael Baden, the pathologist hired by Epstein’s representatives to observe the autopsy, repeatedly rang unanswered on Friday.\n\nEpstein was a wealth manager who hobnobbed with the rich, famous and influential, including presidents and a prince.\n\nHe owned a private island in the Caribbean, homes in Paris and New York City, a New Mexico ranch and a fleet of high-price cars. His friends had once included Britain’s Prince Andrew and Bill Clinton and Donald Trump. Clinton and Trump both said they had not seen Epstein in years when new charges were brought against him last month.\n\nThe medical examiner’s ruling that Epstein’s death was a suicide came a day after two more women sued Jeffrey Epstein’s estate, saying he sexually abused them. The suit, filed Thursday in a federal court in New York, claims the women were working as hostesses at a popular Manhattan restaurant in 2004 when they were recruited to give Epstein massages.\n\nOne was 18 at the time. The other was 20.\n\nThe lawsuit says an unidentified female recruiter offered the hostesses hundreds of dollars to provide massages to Epstein, saying he “liked young, pretty girls to massage him,” and wouldn’t engage in any unwanted touching. The women say Epstein groped them anyway.\n\nOne plaintiff now lives in Japan, the other in Baltimore. They seek $100 million in damages, citing depression, anxiety, anger and flashbacks.\n\nOther lawsuits, filed over many years by other women, accused him of hiring girls as young as 14 or 15 to give him massages, then subjecting them to sex acts.\n\nMichael Balsamo reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Jim Mustian in Atlanta, Georgia, contributed to this report.", "NEW YORK — Jeffrey Epstein's prison death has been confirmed a suicide by hanging, the medical examiner's office said Friday.\n\nEpstein, 66, was found dead in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City on Aug. 10, touching off outrage and disbelief over how such a high-profile prisoner, known for socializing with powerful people including presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton, could have gone unwatched.\n\nThe Bureau of Prisons said Epstein had apparently killed himself, but that didn't squelch conspiracy theories about his death.\n\nMessages seeking comment were left for Epstein's lawyers. An office telephone number for Dr. Michael Baden, the pathologist hired by Epstein's representatives to observe the autopsy, rang unanswered.\n\nEpstein, who was charged with sexually abusing numerous underage girls over several years, had been placed on suicide watch last month after he was found on his cell floor on July 23 with bruising on his neck.\n\nBut multiple people familiar with operations at the jail say he was taken off the watch after about a week and put back in a high-security housing unit where he was less closely monitored, but still supposed to be checked on every 30 minutes.\n\nAttorney General William Barr says officials have uncovered \"serious irregularities\" at the jail. The FBI and the Justice Department's inspector general are both investigating Epstein's death.\n\nJail guards on duty the night of Epstein's death are suspected of falsifying log entries to show they were checking on inmates every half-hour as required, according to several people familiar with the matter.\n\nA guard in Epstein's unit was working a fifth straight day of overtime and another guard was working mandatory overtime, the people said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the lacked authorization to publicly discuss the investigation.\n\nU.S. District Judge Richard Berman, who is in charge of the criminal case against Epstein, asked the jail's warden this week for answers about the earlier episode, writing in a letter Monday that it had \"never been definitively explained.\"\n\nThe warden replied that an internal investigation was completed but that he couldn't provide information because the findings were being incorporated into investigations into Epstein's death.\n\nThe Associated Press often does not report details of suicide methods, but has made an exception because Epstein's cause of death is pertinent to the ongoing investigations.\n\nThe Washington Post and The New York Times reported Thursday that the autopsy revealed that several bones in Epstein's neck had been broken, leading to speculation his death was a homicide.\n\nChief Medical Examiner Barbara Sampson issued a statement Thursday in response to those articles, saying: \"In all forensic investigations, all information must be synthesized to determine the cause and manner of death. Everything must be consistent; no single finding can be evaluated in a vacuum.\"\n\nEpstein, 66, was a hedge fund manager who hobnobbed with the rich, famous and influential, including presidents and a prince.\n\nHe owned a private island in the Caribbean, homes in Paris and New York City, a New Mexico ranch, and a fleet of high-price cars. His friends had once included Britain's Prince Andrew, Clinton and Trump. Clinton and Trump both said they hadn't seen Epstein in years and knew nothing of his alleged misconduct when new charges were brought against him last month.\n\nThe medical examiner's ruling came a day after two more women sued Jeffrey Epstein's estate, saying he sexually abused them.\n\nThe suit, filed Thursday in a federal court in New York, claims the women were working as hostesses at a popular Manhattan restaurant in 2004 when they were recruited to give Epstein massages.\n\nOne was 18 at the time. The other was 20.\n\nThe lawsuit says an unidentified female recruiter offered the hostesses hundreds of dollars to provide massages to Epstein, saying he \"liked young, pretty girls to massage him,\" and wouldn't engage in any unwanted touching. The women say Epstein groped them anyway.\n\nOne plaintiff now lives in Japan, the other in Baltimore. They seek $100 million in damages, citing depression, anxiety, anger and flashbacks.\n\nOther lawsuits, filed over many years by other women, accused him of hiring girls as young as 14 or 15 to give him massages, then subjecting them to sex acts.", "Epstein, 66, was found dead in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City on August 10, touching off outrage and disbelief over how such a high-profile prisoner, known for socialising with powerful people including presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton, could have gone unwatched.\n\nThe Bureau of Prisons said Epstein had apparently took his own life, but that didn't squelch conspiracy theories about his death.\n\nMessages seeking comment were left for Epstein's lawyers. An office telephone number for Dr Michael Baden, the pathologist hired by Epstein's representatives to observe the autopsy, rang unanswered.\n\nEpstein, who was charged with sexually abusing numerous underage girls over several years, had been placed on suicide watch last month after he was found on his cell floor on July 23 with bruising on his neck.\n\nBut multiple people familiar with operations at the jail say he was taken off the watch after about a week and put back in a high-security housing unit where he was less closely monitored, but still supposed to be checked on every 30 minutes.\n\nAttorney General William Barr says officials have uncovered \"serious irregularities\" at the jail. The FBI and the Justice Department's inspector general are both investigating Epstein's death.\n\nJail guards on duty the night of Epstein's death are suspected of falsifying log entries to show they were checking on inmates every half-hour as required, according to several people familiar with the matter.\n\nA guard in Epstein's unit was working a fifth straight day of overtime and another guard was working mandatory overtime, the people said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the lacked authorisation to publicly discuss the investigation.\n\nUS District Judge Richard Berman, who is in charge of the criminal case against Epstein, asked the jail's warden this week for answers about the earlier episode, writing in a letter Monday that it had \"never been definitively explained\".\n\nThe warden replied that an internal investigation was completed but that he couldn't provide information because the findings were being incorporated into investigations into Epstein's death.\n\nThe Associated Press often does not report details of suicide methods, but has made an exception because Epstein's cause of death is pertinent to the ongoing investigations.\n\nThe Washington Post and The New York Times reported yesterday that the autopsy revealed that several bones in Epstein's neck had been broken, leading to speculation his death was a homicide.\n\nChief Medical Examiner Barbara Sampson issued a statement yesterday in response to those articles, saying: \"In all forensic investigations, all information must be synthesised to determine the cause and manner of death. Everything must be consistent; no single finding can be evaluated in a vacuum\".\n\nThe medical examiner's ruling came a day after two more women sued Jeffrey Epstein's estate, saying he sexually abused them.\n\nThe suit, filed yesterday in a federal court in New York, claims the women were working as hostesses at a popular Manhattan restaurant in 2004 when they were recruited to give Epstein massages.\n\nOne was 18 at the time. The other was 20.\n\nThe lawsuit says an unidentified female recruiter offered the hostesses hundreds of dollars to provide massages to Epstein, saying he \"liked young, pretty girls to massage him\", and wouldn't engage in any unwanted touching. The women say Epstein groped them anyway.", "Jeffrey Epstein's prison death has been ruled a suicide by hanging, the medical examiner's office said Friday.\n\nEpstein, 66, was found dead in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York City on Aug. 10, touching off outrage and disbelief over how such a high-profile prisoner, known for socializing with powerful people including presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton, could have gone unwatched.\n\nThe Bureau of Prisons said Epstein had apparently killed himself, but that didn't squelch conspiracy theories about his death.\n\nEpstein, who was charged with sexually abusing numerous underage girls over several years, had been placed on suicide watch last month after he was found on his cell floor on July 23 with bruising on his neck.\n\nBut multiple people familiar with operations at the jail say he was taken off the watch after about a week and put back in a high-security housing unit where he was less closely monitored, but still supposed to be checked on every 30 minutes.\n\nAttorney General William Barr says officials have uncovered \"serious irregularities\" at the jail. The FBI and the Justice Department's inspector general are investigating Epstein's death.\n\nWatch: U.S. attorney general appalled by 'irregularities' at Epstein's jail\n\nJail guards on duty the night of Epstein's death are suspected of falsifying log entries to show they were checking on inmates every half-hour as required, according to several people familiar with the matter.\n\nA guard in Epstein's unit was working a fifth straight day of overtime and another guard was working mandatory overtime, the people said. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the lacked authorization to publicly discuss the investigation.\n\nU.S. District Judge Richard Berman, who is in charge of the criminal case against Epstein, asked the jail's warden this week for answers about the earlier episode, writing in a letter Monday that it had \"never been definitively explained.\"\n\nThe warden replied that an internal investigation was completed but that he couldn't provide information because the findings were being incorporated into investigations into Epstein's death.\n\nThe Washington Post and the New York Times reported Thursday that the autopsy revealed that several bones in Epstein's neck had been broken, leading to speculation his death was a homicide.\n\nChief medical examiner Barbara Sampson issued a statement Thursday in response to those articles, saying: \"In all forensic investigations, all information must be synthesized to determine the cause and manner of death. Everything must be consistent; no single finding can be evaluated in a vacuum.\"\n\nThe medical examiner's ruling came a day after two more women sued Epstein's estate, saying he sexually abused them.\n\nThe suit, filed in a federal court in New York, claims the women were working as hostesses at a popular Manhattan restaurant in 2004 when they were recruited to give Epstein massages.\n\nOne was 18 at the time. The other was 20.\n\nThe lawsuit says an unidentified female recruiter offered the hostesses hundreds of dollars to provide massages to Epstein, saying he \"liked young, pretty girls to massage him,\" and wouldn't engage in any unwanted touching. The women say Epstein groped them anyway.\n\nOne plaintiff now lives in Japan, the other in Baltimore. They seek $100 million US in damages, citing depression, anxiety, anger and flashbacks.\n\nOther lawsuits, filed over many years by other women, accused him of hiring girls as young as 14 or 15 to give him massages, then subjecting them to sex acts.", "NEW YORK (AP) — The Latest on the aftermath of Jeffrey Epstein's death (all times local):\n\nThe medical examiner's office said in a statement Friday that an autopsy and other evidence confirms the 66-year-old financier hanged himself in his cell at a federal jail.\n\nEpstein was placed on suicide watch in late July after he was found on his cell floor with bruising on his neck.\n\nBut multiple people familiar with the jail's operations ail say he was taken off the watch at the end of July.\n\nThe Associated Press often does not report details of suicide methods, but has made an exception because Epstein's cause of death is pertinent to the ongoing investigations.\n\nFederal officials have been told to expect that a medical examiner's findings on Jeffrey Epstein's death will be released Friday.\n\nThat's according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke to The Associated Press. The person could not discuss the matter publicly and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity.\n\nEpstein is believed to have killed himself early Saturday at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York, where he was awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.\n\nThe federal jail in Manhattan where Epstein was being held has come under sharp scrutiny in the wake of Epstein's suicide.\n\nAttorney General William Barr says officials have uncovered \"serious irregularities\" at the jail.\n\nThe FBI and the Justice Department's inspector general are both investigating Epstein's death.\n\nTwo more women have sued Jeffrey Epstein's estate, saying he sexually abused them.\n\nThe suit was filed Thursday in a federal court in New York.\n\nThe women say they were working as hostesses at a popular Manhattan restaurant in 2004 when they were recruited to give Epstein massages.\n\nOne was 18 at the time. The other was 20.\n\nThe lawsuit says an unidentified female recruiter offered the hostesses hundreds of dollars to provide a massage to Epstein, saying he \"liked young, pretty girls to massage him.\"\n\nThe lawsuit says that the recruiter promised no unwanted touching but that Epstein groped them anyway.\n\nOne plaintiff now lives in Japan, the other in Baltimore.\n\nThey seek $100 million in damages, citing depression, anxiety, anger, flashbacks and nightmares."], "summary": "The death of accused sexual trafficker Jeffrey Epstein is ruled a suicide by hanging by the New York City Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. Epstein's attorneys say they will be conducting their own investigation into his death."}
{"document": ["KABUL (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 18th August, 2019) The death toll in the explosion that took place at a wedding hall in the Afghan capital of Kabul has risen to 63, a security source told Sputnik on Saturday.\n\n\"At least 63 people who attended the wedding ceremony in the west of Kabul have been killed and 182 more wounded,\" the source said.\n\nAn explosion took place at a wedding reception in the west of Afghanistan's capital at 10:40 p.m. local time (18:10 GMT). After the blast, the Afghan Interior Ministry said that all of the injured people were transported to a hospital.\n\nNo militant group has yet claimed responsibility for the bombing.\n\nIn the meantime, the Taliban movement in a statement has rejected the involvement of the group in the bombing and condemned the attack.", "A local affiliate of the Islamic State terror group claimed responsibility Sunday for a late-night suicide bombing at a crowded wedding party in the Afghan capital that killed at least 63 people, including women and children, in what was the deadliest attack in Kabul this year.\n\nThe Saturday night blast occurred in a western Kabul neighborhood that is home to many of the country’s minority Shiite Hazara community. IS has claimed responsibility for many attacks targeting Shiites in the past. A statement by the militant group posted on an IS-linked website on Sunday said a Pakistani IS fighter seeking martyrdom targeted a large Shiite gathering in Kabul.\n\nThe statement also claimed that after the suicide bombing, a car bomb was detonated in the attack but Afghan officials have not confirmed this.\n\nGet The Times of Israel's Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Free Sign Up\n\nAnother 182 people were wounded in the explosion, government spokesman Feroz Bashari said. Interior Ministry spokesman Nusrat Rahimi confirmed the casualty toll as families began to bury the dead. Some helped to dig graves with their bare hands.\n\nKabul residents were outraged as there appears to be no end to violence even as the United States and the Taliban say they are nearing a deal to end their 18-year conflict, America’s longest war.\n\nThe Taliban condemned the attack as “forbidden and unjustifiable” and denied any involvement. Both the Taliban and IS have carried large-scale attacks in the Afghan capital in the past.\n\nThe bomber detonated his explosives near the stage where musicians were playing and “all the youths, children and all the people who were there were killed,” said eyewitness Gul Mohammad.\n\nAhmad Omid, a survivor, said about 1,200 guests had been invited to the wedding of his father’s cousin.\n\n“I was with the groom in the other room when we heard the blast and then I couldn’t find anyone,” he said. “Everyone was lying all around the hall.”\n\nAmid the carnage were blood-covered chairs, crushed music speakers and a pile of abandoned shoes.\n\nThe blast at the hall, known as Dubai City wedding hall, shattered a period of relative calm in Kabul. On August 7, a Taliban car bomb aimed at Afghan security forces detonated his explosives on the same road, killing 14 people and wounding 145 — most of them women, children and other civilians.\n\nKabul’s huge, brightly lit wedding halls are centers of community life in a city weary of decades of war, with thousands of dollars spent on a single evening.\n\n“Devastated by the news of a suicide attack inside a wedding hall in Kabul. A heinous crime against our people; how is it possible to train a human and ask him to go and blow himself (up) inside a wedding?!!” presidential spokesman Sediq Seddiqi said in a Twitter post.\n\nMessages of shock poured in on Sunday. “Such acts are beyond condemnation,” the European Union mission to Afghanistan said. “An act of extreme depravity,” U.S. Ambassador John Bass said.\n\nThe wedding halls also serve as meeting places, and in November, at least 55 people were killed when a suicide bomber sneaked into a Kabul wedding hall where hundreds of Muslim religious scholars and clerics had gathered to mark the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad. The Taliban denied involvement in that attack, and IS did not claim responsibility.\n\nSaturday night’s explosion came a few days after the end of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, with Kabul residents visiting family and friends, and just ahead of Afghanistan’s 100th Independence Day on Monday. The city, long familiar with checkpoints and razor wire, has been under heavier security ahead of the event.\n\nThe blast also comes at a greatly uncertain time in Afghanistan as the US and the Taliban appear close to a deal on ending the war. The Afghan government has been sidelined from those discussions, and presidential spokesman Seddiqi on Saturday said his government was waiting to hear results of US President Donald Trump’s meeting Friday with his national security team about the negotiations.\n\nTop issues include a US troop withdrawal and Taliban guarantees they would not allow Afghanistan to become a launching pad for global terror attacks.\n\nBut many Afghans fear that terror attacks inside the country will continue, and their pleas for peace — and for details on the talks — have increased in recent days.\n\n“Taliban cannot absolve themselves of blame, for they provide platform for terrorists,” President Ashraf Ghani said Sunday on Twitter, declaring a day of mourning and calling the attack “inhumane.”\n\nFrustration at the authorities has also grown.\n\n“We want the government to stop arguing about power and act like a human being to bring peace to this country,” a worker at the wedding hall, Hajji Reza, said Sunday.", "Damaged Dubai City wedding hall is seen after an explosion in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Aug. 18, 2019. A suicide-bomb blast ripped through a wedding party on a busy Saturday night. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)\n\nKABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The suicide bomber stood in the middle of the dancing, clapping crowd as hundreds of Afghan children and adults celebrated a wedding in a joyous release from Kabul’s strain of war. Then, in a flash, he detonated his explosives-filled vest, killing dozens — and Afghanistan grieved again.\n\nThe local Islamic State affiliate claimed responsibility for the deadliest attack in the capital this year, with 63 killed and 182 wounded, while outraged Afghans questioned just how safe they will be under an approaching deal between the United States and the Taliban to end America’s longest war.\n\nStunned families buried the dead, some digging with their bare hands. One wounded survivor, Mohammad Aslim, still wore his bloodied clothes the day after the blast late Saturday. He and his friends had already buried 16 bodies, among them several close relatives, including a 7-year-old boy.\n\nAslim looked exhausted, and said he was waiting to bury more. Nearby, a man named Amanullah, who lost his 14-year-old son, said in anguish that the explosion had mangled the boy’s face so badly he could no longer recognize it.\n\n“I wish I could find the pieces of my son’s body and put them as one piece into the grave,” he cried.\n\nThe emergence of the Islamic State affiliate in recent years might be the greatest threat to Afghan civilians as the U.S. and Taliban seek an agreement to end nearly 18 years of fighting. While the U.S. wants Taliban assurances that Afghanistan will no longer be used as a launch pad for global terror attacks, there appear to be no guarantees of protection for Afghan civilians.\n\nThe Taliban, which the U.S. hopes will help curb the IS affiliate’s rise, condemned Saturday’s attack as “forbidden and unjustifiable.”\n\nThe blast took place in a western Kabul neighborhood that is home to many in the country’s minority Shiite Hazara community. IS, which declared war on Afghanistan’s Shiites nearly two years ago and has claimed responsibility for many attacks targeting them in the past, said in a statement that a Pakistani IS fighter seeking martyrdom targeted a large Shiite gathering.\n\nThe wedding, at which more than 1,200 people had been invited, was in fact a mixed crowd of Shiites and Sunnis, said the event hall’s owner, Hussain Ali.\n\nAli’s workers were still finding body parts, including hands, in the shattered wedding hall, its floor strewn with broken glass, pieces of furniture and victims’ shoes.\n\n“We have informed the police to come and collect them,” he said.\n\nThe bomber detonated his explosives near the stage where musicians were playing and “all the youths, children and all the people who were there were killed,” said Gul Mohammad, another witness.\n\nSurvivors described a panicked scene in the suddenly darkened hall as people screamed and scrambled to find loved ones.\n\n“I was with the groom in the other room when we heard the blast and then I couldn’t find anyone,” said Ahmad Omid, who said the groom was his father’s cousin. “Everyone was lying all around the hall.”\n\nThe blast at the wedding hall, known as Dubai City, shattered a period of relative calm in Kabul.\n\nOn Aug. 7, a Taliban car bomber aimed at Afghan security forces detonated his explosives on the same road, a short drive from the hall, killing 14 people and wounding 145 — most of them women, children and other civilians.\n\nKabul’s huge, brightly lit wedding halls are centers of community life in a city weary of decades of war, with thousands of dollars often spent on a single evening.\n\nMessages of shock poured in on Sunday. “Such acts are beyond condemnation,” the European Union mission to Afghanistan said. “An act of extreme depravity,” U.S. Ambassador John Bass said. A deliberate attack on civilians “can only be described as a cowardly act of terror,” U.N. envoy to Afghanistan Tadamichi Yamamoto said.\n\nThe explosion came just ahead of Afghanistan’s 100th Independence Day on Monday. The city, long familiar with checkpoints and razor wire, has been under heavier security. A planned event in Kabul marking the anniversary was postponed because of the attack, the president’s office said.\n\nThe attack also comes at a greatly uncertain time in Afghanistan as the U.S. and the Taliban appear to be within days of a deal on ending the war after several rounds of talks this year. Afghanistan’s government has been sidelined in those talks as the Taliban refuse to negotiate with what it calls a U.S. puppet.\n\nThe U.S. envoy in the talks, Zalmay Khalilzad, said on Twitter Sunday that the peace process needs to be accelerated, including holding talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government and other Afghans. He said that will put Afghanistan in a “much stronger position” to defeat the IS affiliate. President Donald Trump was briefed on the talks on Friday but few details have emerged.\n\nTop issues in the talks have included a U.S. troop withdrawal and Taliban guarantees they would not allow Afghanistan to become a launching pad for global terror attacks. In that, the Islamic State affiliate’s increasingly threatening presence is the top U.S. concern. Other issues include a cease-fire and intra-Afghan negotiations on the country’s future.\n\nMany Afghans fear that terror attacks inside the country will continue, and their pleas for peace — and for details on the talks — have increased in recent days. Few appear to believe that the Taliban will step in to protect civilians from IS or anyone else after years of killing civilians themselves.\n\n“Taliban cannot absolve themselves of blame, for they provide platform for terrorists,” President Ashraf Ghani said on Twitter, declaring a day of mourning and calling the attack “inhumane.”\n\nFrustration at the authorities was evident as well, amid a fresh wave of grief.\n\n“We want the government to stop arguing about power and act like a human being to bring peace to this country,” one worker at the wedding hall, Hajji Reza, said. Several of his colleagues remained missing.\n\nAssociated Press writer Maamoun Youssef in Cairo contributed to this report.", "A suicide-bomb blast ripped through a wedding party on a busy Saturday night in Afghanistan’s capital, killing 63 people and wounding 182 others, a government official said. More than 1,000 people had been invited, one witness said.\n\nISIS claimed responsibility for the attack. The Taliban earlier denied responsibility for the blast at a west Kabul wedding hall.\n\n“Among the wounded are women and children,” Interior Ministry spokesman Nusrat Rahimi said.\n\nAfghan President Ashraf Ghani said on Sunday the Taliban could not escape blame for a “barbaric” suicide bomb attack on a wedding hall in the capital, Kabul, that killed 63 people.\n\n\n\n“The Taliban cannot absolve themselves of blame for they provide platform for terrorists,” Ghani said in a post on Twitter.\n\nRahimi told The Associated Press the attacker set off explosives among the wedding participants. Both the Taliban and a local affiliate of the ISIS often carry out bloody attacks in the capital.\n\n“Around 1,200 guests were invited to the wedding,” said Ahmad Omid, a survivor who said the gathering was for his father’s cousin. “I was with the groom in the other room when we heard the blast and then I couldn't find anyone. Everyone was lying all around the hall.”\n\nOutside a local hospital, families wailed. “There are so many dead and wounded victims,” Omid said.\n\nInterior Ministry spokesman Nusrat Rahimi told The Associated Press there was no immediate information on the cause of the blast. Both the Taliban and a local affiliate of ISIS carry out bloody attacks in the capital.\n\nThe blast at the Dubai City wedding hall in western Kabul shattered a period of relative calm in the city.\n\nOn August 7, a Taliban car bomb aimed at Afghan security forces detonated on the same road in a busy west Kabul neighborhood, killing 14 people and wounding 145 - most of them women, children and other civilians.\n\nKabul’s huge, brightly lit wedding halls are a center of community life in a city weary of decades of war, with thousands of dollars spent on a single evening.\n\nThe halls also serve as meeting places, and in November at least 55 people were killed after a suicide bomber sneaked into a Kabul wedding hall where hundreds of Muslim religious scholars and clerics had gathered to mark the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad.\n\n“Devastated by the news of a suicide attack inside a wedding hall in Kabul. A heinous crime against our people; how is it possible to train a human and ask him to go and blow himself (up) inside a wedding?!!” Sediq Seddiqi, spokesman for President Ashraf Ghani, said in a Twitter post.\n\nLast Update: Sunday, 18 August 2019 KSA 13:18 - GMT 10:18", "Toll from suicide blast at Afghan wedding 63 dead and 182 hurt: ministry\n\nA suicide bomber killed 63 people and wounded 182 in an attack on a wedding reception in the Afghan capital on Saturday night, the interior ministry said.", "KABUL, Afghanistan – A suicide bomb attack at a wedding in Kabul Saturday killed 63 people and wounded 182, an Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman said.\n\nAmong the victims were women and children, spokesman Nasrat Rahimi said. About 20 people were taken to a Kabul hospital run by the Italian NGO Emergency, the organization said.\n\n“We were planning to sleep when we heard the sound of a loud explosion,” a witness who lives near the venue and did not want to be identified told CNN.\n\n“When I came outside, I saw smoke coming out of the hall. I saw dead bodies and wounded people, who were being taken to hospitals by policemen and Kabul ambulances. We are too in shock, too upset by the incident.”\n\nISIS claimed responsibility for the attack. It said a Pakistani fighter detonated an explosive vest amid a large gathering of Shia Muslims, reported the SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors terrorist group activities.\n\nThe terror group also said a car bombing followed the initial attack, added SITE.\n\nAfghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani condemned the attack and said that despite the Taliban’s denials of responsibility, it still shared some of the blame because it “provides a platform for terrorists.”\n\n“My top priority for now is to reach out to the families of victims of this barbaric attack,” Ghani said on Twitter.\n\nHe added that in response to the attack, he had “called an extraordinary security meeting to review and prevent such security lapses.”\n\nThe venue is in western Kabul, an area home to many of Afghanistan’s Shiite Hazara minority. It is also near the Darul Aman palace, where President Ashraf Ghani is expected to celebrate Afghan Independence Day Monday.\n\nEarlier this month, 14 people were killed and 145 injured in the same district when three suicide attackers detonated an improvised explosive device at the gate of the police headquarters.\n\nThe Taliban claimed responsibility for the August 7 attack, even as the terror group negotiates a peace plan with Washington.", "KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The death toll from a suicide bombing at a wedding in Afghanistan's capital is at least 63, including women and children, officials said Sunday, as Kabul reeled from its deadliest attack this year.\n\nAnother 182 civilians were wounded in the Saturday night explosion, government spokesman Feroz Bashari said. Interior Ministry spokesman Nusrat Rahimi confirmed the toll.\n\nThe Taliban have condemned the attack and denied any involvement in the blast that carried the hallmarks of an assault by the local affiliate of the Islamic State organization.\n\nThe blast occurred in a western Kabul neighborhood that many in the minority Shiite Muslim Hazara community call home, and the Islamic State affiliate has claimed responsibility for some attacks against the community in the past.\n\nRahimi said the attacker set off explosives among the wedding participants.\n\nThe blast occurred near the stage where musicians were and \"all the youths, children and all the people who were there were killed,\" witness Gul Mohammad said. One of the wounded, Mohammad Toofan, said that \"a lot of guests were martyred.\"\n\n\"There are so many dead and wounded,\" said Ahmad Omid, a survivor, adding that about 1,200 guests had been invited to the wedding for his father's cousin. \"I was with the groom in the other room when we heard the blast and then I couldn't find anyone. Everyone was lying all around the hall.\"\n\nOutside a local hospital, families wailed. Others were covered in blood.\n\nThe blast at the Dubai City wedding hall in western Kabul shattered a period of relative calm. On Aug. 7, a Taliban car bomb aimed at Afghan security forces detonated on the same road, killing 14 people and wounding 145 — most of them women, children and other civilians.\n\nKabul's huge, brightly lit wedding halls are centers of community life in a city weary of decades of war, with thousands of dollars spent on a single evening.\n\n\"Devastated by the news of a suicide attack inside a wedding hall in Kabul. A heinous crime against our people; how is it possible to train a human and ask him to go and blow himself (up) inside a wedding?!!\" Sediq Seddiqi, spokesman for President Ashraf Ghani, said in a Twitter post.\n\nThe wedding halls also serve as meeting places, and in November at least 55 people were killed when a suicide bomber sneaked into a Kabul wedding hall where hundreds of Muslim religious scholars and clerics had gathered to mark the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad. The Taliban denied involvement in an attack that bore the hallmarks of the Islamic State affiliate.\n\nSaturday night's explosion came a few days after the end of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, with Kabul residents visiting family and friends, and just before Afghanistan marks its 100th independence day on Monday under heavier security in a city long familiar with checkpoints and razor wire.\n\nThe blast comes at a greatly uncertain time in Afghanistan as the United States and the Taliban near a deal to end a nearly 18-year war, America's longest conflict.\n\nThe Afghan government has been sidelined from those discussions, and presidential spokesman Seddiqi said earlier Saturday that his government was waiting to hear results of President Donald Trump's meeting Friday with his national security team about the negotiations. Top issues include a U.S. troop withdrawal and Taliban guarantees not to let Afghanistan become a launching pad for global terror attacks.", "KABUL, Afghanistan — The suicide bomber stood in the middle of the dancing, clapping crowd as hundreds of Afghan children and adults celebrated a wedding in a joyous release from Kabul's strain of war. Then, in a flash, he detonated his explosives-filled vest, killing dozens — and Afghanistan grieved again.\n\nThe local Islamic State affiliate claimed responsibility for the deadliest attack in the capital this year, with 63 killed and 182 wounded, while outraged Afghans questioned just how safe they will be under an approaching deal between the United States and the Taliban to end America's longest war.\n\nStunned families buried the dead, some digging with their bare hands. One wounded survivor, Mohammad Aslim, still wore his bloodied clothes the day after the blast late Saturday. He and his friends had already buried 16 bodies, among them several close relatives, including a 7-year-old boy.\n\nAslim looked exhausted, and said he was waiting to bury more. Nearby, a man named Amanullah, who lost his 14-year-old son, said in anguish that the explosion had mangled the boy's face so badly he could no longer recognize it.\n\nAfghan police men stand guard outside the wedding hall after an explosion in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Aug.18, 2019.\n\n\"I wish I could find the pieces of my son's body and put them as one piece into the grave,\" he cried.\n\nThe emergence of the Islamic State affiliate in recent years might be the greatest threat to Afghan civilians as the U.S. and Taliban seek an agreement to end nearly 18 years of fighting. While the U.S. wants Taliban assurances that Afghanistan will no longer be used as a launch pad for global terror attacks, there appear to be no guarantees of protection for Afghan civilians.\n\nThe Taliban, which the U.S. hopes will help curb the IS affiliate's rise, condemned Saturday's attack as \"forbidden and unjustifiable.\"\n\nThe blast took place in a western Kabul neighborhood that is home to many in the country's minority Shiite Hazara community. IS, which declared war on Afghanistan's Shiites nearly two years ago and has claimed responsibility for many attacks targeting them in the past, said in a statement that a Pakistani IS fighter seeking martyrdom targeted a large Shiite gathering.\n\nThe wedding, at which more than 1,200 people had been invited, was in fact a mixed crowd of Shiites and Sunnis, said the event hall's owner, Hussain Ali.\n\nAli's workers were still finding body parts, including hands, in the shattered wedding hall, its floor strewn with broken glass, pieces of furniture and victims' shoes.\n\n\"We have informed the police to come and collect them,\" he said.\n\nRELATED: Heat-related illnesses among US military up 60 percent since 2008: Report\n\nThe bomber detonated his explosives near the stage where musicians were playing and \"all the youths, children and all the people who were there were killed,\" said Gul Mohammad, another witness.\n\nSurvivors described a panicked scene in the suddenly darkened hall as people screamed and scrambled to find loved ones.\n\n\"I was with the groom in the other room when we heard the blast and then I couldn't find anyone,\" said Ahmad Omid, who said the groom was his father's cousin. \"Everyone was lying all around the hall.\"\n\nThe blast at the wedding hall, known as Dubai City, shattered a period of relative calm in Kabul.\n\nOn Aug. 7, a Taliban car bomb aimed at Afghan security forces detonated his explosives on the same road, a short drive from the hall, killing 14 people and wounding 145 — most of them women, children and other civilians.\n\nKabul's huge, brightly lit wedding halls are centers of community life in a city weary of decades of war, with thousands of dollars often spent on a single evening.\n\nMessages of shock poured in on Sunday. \"Such acts are beyond condemnation,\" the European Union mission to Afghanistan said. \"An act of extreme depravity,\" U.S. Ambassador John Bass said. A deliberate attack on civilians \"can only be described as a cowardly act of terror,\" U.N. envoy to Afghanistan Tadamichi Yamamoto said.\n\nThe explosion came just ahead of Afghanistan's 100th Independence Day on Monday. The city, long familiar with checkpoints and razor wire, has been under heavier security. A planned event in Kabul marking the anniversary was postponed because of the attack, the president's office said.\n\nThe attack also comes at a greatly uncertain time in Afghanistan as the U.S. and the Taliban appear to be within days of a deal on ending the war after several rounds of talks this year. Afghanistan's government has been sidelined in those talks as the Taliban refuse to negotiate with what it calls a U.S. puppet.\n\nTop issues in the talks have included a U.S. troop withdrawal and Taliban guarantees they would not allow Afghanistan to become a launching pad for global terror attacks. In that, the Islamic State affiliate's increasingly threatening presence is the top U.S. concern. Other issues include a cease-fire and intra-Afghan negotiations on the country's future.\n\nMany Afghans fear that terror attacks inside the country will continue, and their pleas for peace — and for details on the talks — have increased in recent days. Few appear to believe that the Taliban will step in to protect civilians from IS or anyone else after years of killing civilians themselves.\n\n\"Taliban cannot absolve themselves of blame, for they provide platform for terrorists,\" President Ashraf Ghani said on Twitter, declaring a day of mourning and calling the attack \"inhumane.\"\n\nFrustration at the authorities was evident, as well amid a fresh wave of grief.\n\n\"We want the government to stop arguing about power and act like a human being to bring peace to this country,\" one worker at the wedding hall, Hajji Reza, said. Several of his colleagues remained missing.\n\nAssociated Press writer Maamoun Youssef in Cairo contributed to this report.", "Damaged Dubai City wedding hall is seen after an explosion in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Aug. 18, 2019. A suicide-bomb blast ripped through a wedding party on a busy Saturday night. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)\n\nKABUL, Afghanistan (AP) – An Afghan official says at least 63 people have been killed when a suicide bomber detonated explosives in a packed wedding hall late Saturday night in Kabul.\n\nFeroz Bashari, a government spokesman, says182 civilians have been wounded in the attack that took place in western part of the city.\n\nInterior Ministry spokesman Nusrat Rahimi says the attacker set off explosives among the guests.\n\nThe Taliban have condemned the attack and denied any involvement.\n\nBoth the Taliban and the local affiliate of the Islamic State group have carried out bloody attacks in the capital.", "Damaged Dubai City wedding hall is seen after an explosion in Kabul, Afghanistan, Sunday, Aug. 18, 2019. A suicide-bomb blast ripped through a wedding party on a busy Saturday night. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)\n\nKABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The suicide bomber stood in the middle of the dancing, clapping crowd as hundreds of Afghan children and adults celebrated a wedding in a joyous release from Kabul’s strain of war. Then, in a flash, he detonated his explosives-filled vest, killing dozens — and Afghanistan grieved again.\n\nThe local Islamic State affiliate claimed responsibility for the deadliest attack in the capital this year, with 63 killed and 182 wounded, while outraged Afghans questioned just how safe they will be under an approaching deal between the United States and the Taliban to end America’s longest war.\n\nStunned families buried the dead, some digging with their bare hands. One wounded survivor, Mohammad Aslim, still wore his bloodied clothes the day after the blast late Saturday. He and his friends had already buried 16 bodies, among them several close relatives, including a 7-year-old boy.\n\nAslim looked exhausted, and said he was waiting to bury more. Nearby, a man named Amanullah, who lost his 14-year-old son, said in anguish that the explosion had mangled the boy’s face so badly he could no longer recognize it.\n\n“I wish I could find the pieces of my son’s body and put them as one piece into the grave,” he cried.\n\nThe emergence of the Islamic State affiliate in recent years might be the greatest threat to Afghan civilians as the U.S. and Taliban seek an agreement to end nearly 18 years of fighting. While the U.S. wants Taliban assurances that Afghanistan will no longer be used as a launch pad for global terror attacks, there appear to be no guarantees of protection for Afghan civilians.\n\nThe Taliban, which the U.S. hopes will help curb the IS affiliate’s rise, condemned Saturday’s attack as “forbidden and unjustifiable.”\n\nThe blast took place in a western Kabul neighborhood that is home to many in the country’s minority Shiite Hazara community. IS, which declared war on Afghanistan’s Shiites nearly two years ago and has claimed responsibility for many attacks targeting them in the past, said in a statement that a Pakistani IS fighter seeking martyrdom targeted a large Shiite gathering.\n\nThe wedding, at which more than 1,200 people had been invited, was in fact a mixed crowd of Shiites and Sunnis, said the event hall’s owner, Hussain Ali.\n\nAli’s workers were still finding body parts, including hands, in the shattered wedding hall, its floor strewn with broken glass, pieces of furniture and victims’ shoes.\n\n“We have informed the police to come and collect them,” he said.\n\nThe bomber detonated his explosives near the stage where musicians were playing and “all the youths, children and all the people who were there were killed,” said Gul Mohammad, another witness.\n\nSurvivors described a panicked scene in the suddenly darkened hall as people screamed and scrambled to find loved ones.\n\n“I was with the groom in the other room when we heard the blast and then I couldn’t find anyone,” said Ahmad Omid, who said the groom was his father’s cousin. “Everyone was lying all around the hall.”\n\nThe blast at the wedding hall, known as Dubai City, shattered a period of relative calm in Kabul.\n\nOn Aug. 7, a Taliban car bomber aimed at Afghan security forces detonated his explosives on the same road, a short drive from the hall, killing 14 people and wounding 145 — most of them women, children and other civilians.\n\nKabul’s huge, brightly lit wedding halls are centers of community life in a city weary of decades of war, with thousands of dollars often spent on a single evening.\n\nMessages of shock poured in on Sunday. “Such acts are beyond condemnation,” the European Union mission to Afghanistan said. “An act of extreme depravity,” U.S. Ambassador John Bass said. A deliberate attack on civilians “can only be described as a cowardly act of terror,” U.N. envoy to Afghanistan Tadamichi Yamamoto said.\n\nThe explosion came just ahead of Afghanistan’s 100th Independence Day on Monday. The city, long familiar with checkpoints and razor wire, has been under heavier security. A planned event in Kabul marking the anniversary was postponed because of the attack, the president’s office said.\n\nThe attack also comes at a greatly uncertain time in Afghanistan as the U.S. and the Taliban appear to be within days of a deal on ending the war after several rounds of talks this year. Afghanistan’s government has been sidelined in those talks as the Taliban refuse to negotiate with what it calls a U.S. puppet.\n\nThe U.S. envoy in the talks, Zalmay Khalilzad, said on Twitter Sunday that the peace process needs to be accelerated, including holding talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government and other Afghans. He said that will put Afghanistan in a “much stronger position” to defeat the IS affiliate. President Donald Trump was briefed on the talks on Friday but few details have emerged.\n\nTop issues in the talks have included a U.S. troop withdrawal and Taliban guarantees they would not allow Afghanistan to become a launching pad for global terror attacks. In that, the Islamic State affiliate’s increasingly threatening presence is the top U.S. concern. Other issues include a cease-fire and intra-Afghan negotiations on the country’s future.\n\nMany Afghans fear that terror attacks inside the country will continue, and their pleas for peace — and for details on the talks — have increased in recent days. Few appear to believe that the Taliban will step in to protect civilians from IS or anyone else after years of killing civilians themselves.\n\n“Taliban cannot absolve themselves of blame, for they provide platform for terrorists,” President Ashraf Ghani said on Twitter, declaring a day of mourning and calling the attack “inhumane.”\n\nFrustration at the authorities was evident as well, amid a fresh wave of grief.\n\n“We want the government to stop arguing about power and act like a human being to bring peace to this country,” one worker at the wedding hall, Hajji Reza, said. Several of his colleagues remained missing.\n\nAssociated Press writer Maamoun Youssef in Cairo contributed to this report."], "summary": "63 people are killed and 182 wounded in a suicide attack at a wedding party in Kabul, Afghanistan. The attacker set off explosives among the invitees."}
{"document": ["Sudan’s opposition coalition on Sunday named the five people it has chosen as civilian members of the country’s sovereign council to be sworn in on Monday, a source within the coalition told Reuters.\n\nThe Forces of Freedom and Change (FFC) chose Aisha Mousa, Siddig Tower, Mohamed Elfaki Suleiman, Hassan Sheikh Idris and Taha Othman Ishaq, the source said.\n\nOn Saturday, Sky News Arabia reported that Sudan’s sovereign council will include Transitional Military Council (TMC) head Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, his deputy Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo and Lieutenant General Yasser al-Atta, the TMC’s spokesperson said to .\n\nUnder a power-sharing agreement the sovereign council will include five members selected by the TMC, five picked by the main opposition coalition, and one agreed upon by both sides.\n\nThe military’s two remaining members will be named at a later time, Shams El Din Kabbashi said.\n\nEarlier on Saturday, Sudan’s protest leaders formally signed a deal with the Transitional Military Council in Khartoum on Saturday, paving the way for a transition to a civilian-led government following the overthrow of President Omar al-Bashir in April.\n\nTens of thousands took to the streets of Khartoum on Saturday to celebrate the final signing of the power-sharing deal.\n\nThe military members will select the head of the council for the first 21 months of the transition period, which lasts three years and three months, according to the agreement.\n\nThe FFC has nominated economist Abdalla Hamdok as prime minister. He is expected to be appointed on Tuesday and sworn in on Wednesday.", "Sudan's main opposition coalition and the ruling military council have formally signed a final power-sharing deal, paving the way for a transition to a civilian-led government.\n\nThe landmark agreement signed on Saturday in the capital Khartoum came after a long period of negotiations following the overthrow of longtime leader President Omar al-Bashir in the wake of mass protests.\n\nThe deal was inked between Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, deputy chief of the Transitional Military Council (TMC), and Ahmed al-Rabie, who represented the Alliance for Freedom and Change umbrella group.\n\nThe ceremony was attended by heads of states, prime ministers and dignitaries from several countries, including Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and South Sudanese President Salva Kiir.\n\nWhat the deal means\n\nThe power-sharing deal creates a joint military and civilian sovereign council to rule for a little over three years until elections can be held.\n\n190804182241137\n\nUnder the agreement, a military leader would head the 11-member council for the first 21 months, followed by a civilian leader for the next 18. It would also establish a cabinet appointed by the activists and a legislative body.\n\nSudan's sovereign council would include TMC head Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, the deputy Dagalo and Lieutenant General Yasser Al-Atta, the TMC's spokesperson told Sky News Arabia.\n\nUnder a power-sharing agreement, the sovereign council would include five members selected by the TMC, five picked by the main opposition coalition, and one agreed upon by both sides.\n\nThe military's two remaining members would be named at a later time, Shams El Din Kabbashi said.\n\nThe deal also included the establishment of an independent investigation into the crackdown on protesters by the security forces.\n\nIn June, troops violently dispersed the protesters' main sit-in outside the military headquarters in Khartoum, killing dozens of people and plunging the fragile transition into crisis.\n\nMixed reactions\n\nAl Jazeera's Hiba Morgan, reporting from Khartoum, said there were mixed reactions to the agreement.\n\n\"People at the venue where the agreement [was] signed are excited, they were chanting even before this agreement was signed. They are saying that they finally have a civilian government,\" Morgan said.\n\n190811103901411\n\n\"But in the streets ... people say they are cautiously optimistic. They are worried that the military council may delay the implementation of some clauses, and therefore will hold on to power longer, or will find a way to push the civilians out of power, and will continue maintaining control of the government until elections are held,\" she added.\n\nMeanwhile, thousands of people arrived on trains from Sudan's provinces to take part in the celebrations, which included a huge gathering in Khartoum's main gardens.\n\n\n\n\"We hope Sudan can move forward now, we want to be proud of our country,\" said Saida Khalifa, as she got off the train after an all-night ride from Atbara, the town where the protests started in December last year.\n\n\n\n\"The guns must go silent now and we must pull the country out of this mess to gain peace and freedom,\" she said.\n\nAbdelwahab El-Affendi, a professor at Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, called the deal \"positive news\" which \"should be celebrated\". But he said the civilian government would face major challenges ahead.\n\n\"People have been waiting for this moment for a long time. [And] they expect that the next morning, when the prime minister sits in office, things will change,\" El-Affendi said.\n\n\"Of course, that's not going to be the case simply because the demonstrations have also brought the state capacity down, the economy has been eroded, and the state's capacity to intervene has been reduced.\"\n\nSudanese protesters from the city of Atbara arrive at the Bahari station in Khartoum [Ahmed Mustafa / AFP]\n\nAfter weeks of tense negotiations, Sudan's TMC and protest leaders reached a preliminary agreement earlier this month following international pressure and concerns that the political crisis could ignite civil war.\n\nThe constitutional declaration deal reached on August 4 brought an end to nearly eight months of upheaval that saw masses mobilise against al-Bashir, who was removed in April after 30 years in power.\n\nThe agreement, brokered by the African Union and Ethiopia, was welcomed with relief by both sides.\n\nProtesters celebrated what they saw as the victory of their \"revolution\", while the generals took credit for averting a civil war.", "Sudan's army, protesters sign a final power-sharing deal, paving the way for a transition to civilian-led government.", "Sudan's army, protesters sign a final power-sharing deal, paving the way for a transition to civilian-led government\n\nCAIRO (AP) — Sudan's army, protesters sign a final power-sharing deal, paving the way for a transition to civilian-led government.", "Sudan's ruling Transition Military Council (TMC) signed the final power transition deal with opposition Forces of Freedom and Change amid the ongoing protests that have been sweeping the African nation for months\n\nCAIRO (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th August, 2019) Sudan 's ruling Transition Military Council (TMC) signed the final power transition deal with opposition Forces of Freedom and Change amid the ongoing protests that have been sweeping the African nation for months.\n\nThe official signing ceremony, broadcast live by a number of Arab satellite television channels, was held in Khartoum, the Sudanese capital. Regional and international officials, including Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, South Sudan's President Salva Kiir, Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir and others, attended the event.\n\nThe sides put their signatures on the constitutional declaration, which was due become the country's main law during the upcoming transition period, as well as the final version of the political agreement.\n\nThe deal between the representatives of TMC and the opposition was initiated in early August. The decision was hailed by many African and middle Eastern nations.\n\nThe African nation has been engulfed by protests since December. The rallies were initially triggered by the rise in price for bread but later took on a new turn as Sudanese citizens began calling for the resignation of the country's long-term leader, Omar Bashir.\n\nThe situation escalated in early April when Bashir was detained by the country's military. The Transitional Military Council promised to hold a new election in two years' time. However, protesters continued to hit the streets, demanding the military to hand power to a new civilian government.\n\nThe confrontations between military and opposition often result in injuries and deaths. In late July, students took to the streets of the city of El Obeid demanding better living conditions as well as lower fuel and bread prices. The security guards opened fire on the protesters, killing six and injuring about 60 people.", "By The Associated Press\n\nCAIRO (AP) — Sudan’s army, protesters sign a final power-sharing deal, paving the way for a transition to civilian-led government.\n\nCopyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.", "Sudan’s ruling military council and pro-democracy civilian opposition alliance signed a landmark power-sharing deal on Saturday, reported The Guardian. According to the deal, there will be a new governing council of six civilians and five generals till the time elections are held in the country.\n\nSeveral regional leaders, including the prime ministers of Ethiopia and Egypt and the South Sudanese president, attended the signing ceremony in Khartoum. The two sides have agreed to rotate control of the council for just over three years. A prime minister nominated by civilians will be appointed next week.\n\nMohamed Hamdan Dagolo, who is the deputy head of the military council and is considered Sudan’s most powerful man, pledged to abide by the terms of the deal. “We will stick to every single letter we have agreed on,” he told BBC. “Even without the agreement we [would] have to work in this direction because it’s in the country’s interest. Therefore we have to carry out the agreement, stick to it and support it.”\n\nSudan has been facing unrest since December 2018 when President Omar al-Bashir imposed emergency austerity measures. It sparked demonstrations, and soon there were demands to remove al-Bashir. He was overthrown in April by the military. But the demonstrators then demanded that authority be transferred to a civilian administration.", "Sudan’s pro-democracy movement signed a final power-sharing agreement with the ruling military council on Saturday at a ceremony in the capital, Khartoum.\n\nThe deal paves the way for a transition to civilian-led government following the military overthrow of President Omar al-Bashir in April.\n\nThe signing capped weeks of tortuous negotiations between the military and protest leaders. Earlier this month, the two sides initialed a constitutional document in the wake of international pressure and amid growing concerns the political crisis could ignite civil war.\n\nEthiopia and the African Union co-led mediation efforts between the military and protesters, and many regional leaders and international envoys attended Saturday’s ceremony, including Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.\n\nThe protest organizers planned celebrations in Khartoum and elsewhere across the country. Railway workers and other protesters had travelled to the capital Friday by train from Atbara, the northern transport hub where the uprising began in December.\n\nThe power-sharing deal creates a joint military and civilian sovereign council to rule for a little over three years until elections can be held. A military leader would head the 11-member council for the first 21 months, followed by a civilian leader for the next 18.\n\nThe agreement would also establish a Cabinet appointed by the activists, as well as a legislative body to be assembled within three months. The protest coalition is to have a majority in that body, as nominated by the Forces for Declaration of Freedom, a coalition of opposition parties and movements representing the protesters.\n\nThe FDFC has nominated a well-known economist, Abdalla Hamdok, to lead the government during the transition. He served as the the deputy executive secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa since November 2011, and has yet to be confirmed by the sovereign council. The council’s members are to be announced on Sunday, after which the ruling military council will immediately be disbanded.\n\nThe deal has been criticized by the Sudan Revolutionary Front, an alliance of the largest rebel groups in Darfur. The rebels have stressed to protester leaders that the agreement did not include “basic principles” to achieve peace in Sudan. The deal calls for the government to reach a peace agreement with the rebels within six months.\n\nThe rebel alliance, which is part of the FDFC, wanted to include a peace document agreed with the protest movement into the power-sharing deal. The rebel leaders have engaged in talks with other protest leaders to settle the disputed points.\n\nThe military overthrew al-Bashir following months of protests against his three-decade-long authoritarian rule. The protesters then remained in the streets, demanding a rapid transition to civilian leadership.\n\nThe two sides came under renewed pressure to reach an accord after security forces opened fire on student protesters in the city of Obeid on Aug. 1, leaving six people dead. At least nine troops from the paramilitary Rapid Support forces were arrested over the killings.\n\nIn June, security forces violently dispersed the protesters’ main sit-in outside the military headquarters in Khartoum, killing dozens of people and plunging the fragile transition into crisis. The deal includes the establishment of an independent investigation into the crackdown.", "Sudan’s ruling military council and the civilian opposition alliance have signed a landmark power-sharing deal. The agreement...", "Sudanese pro-democracy supporters celebrate a final power-sharing agreement with the ruling military council Saturday, Aug 17, 2019, in the capital, Khartoum. The deal paves the way for a transition to civilian-led government following the overthrow of President Omar al-Bashir in April. (AP Photo)\n\nCAIRO (AP) — Sudan’s pro-democracy movement and ruling military council signed a final power-sharing agreement Saturday at a ceremony in the capital, Khartoum, after weeks of tortuous negotiations.\n\nThe historic deal paves the way for a transition to a civilian-led government after the military overthrow of President Omar al-Bashir months ago and the more recent deadly suppression of protests.\n\nEarlier this month, the two sides initialed a constitutional document in the wake of international pressure and amid growing concerns that the political crisis that followed al-Bashir’s ouster could ignite civil war.\n\nGen. Abdel-Fattah Burhan, head of the military council, called the signing a “victorious and historic day for our nation.”\n\n“The revolution has achieved its goals,” he said, vowing the military would guarantee the transition to civilian rule.\n\nProtest leader Mohammed Naji al-Asam said the two sides have ushered in a “new page” in Sudan’s history after three decades of “repression and corruption.”\n\nThe power-sharing deal creates a joint military and civilian sovereign council to rule for a little over three years until elections can be held. A military leader is to head the 11-member council for the first 21 months, followed by a civilian leader for the next 18. Lt. Gen. Shams el-Din Kabashi, spokesman for the military council, said Burhan would be the initial leader.\n\nThe agreement also establishes a Cabinet appointed by the activists, as well as a legislative body to be assembled within three months. The protest coalition is to have a majority in that body, as nominated by the Forces for Declaration of Freedom and Change, a coalition of opposition parties and movements representing the protesters.\n\nThe two sides appeared to agree on the soundness of a deal that came about in part because of international pressure. Ethiopia and the African Union co-led mediation efforts between the military and protesters.\n\nMany regional leaders and international envoys attended Saturday’s ceremony, including Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. Attendees in the Friendship Hall where the ceremony took place received Ahmed with cheering and chanting.\n\nBut at least one analyst, Suliman Baldo, a senior researcher with the Enough Project, said the country will still face obstacles during the coming months of transition.\n\n“Daunting challenges will face Sudan’s progress to democracy and sound governance, chief among them the survival of the elements of the former regime in the institutions of the transition,” Baldo said.\n\nStill, the Sudanese celebrated in Khartoum and elsewhere across the country Saturday. Video posted online showed people celebrating in the streets in Darfur and the eastern province of Kassala.\n\nRailway workers and other protesters had traveled to the capital Friday by train from Atbara, the northern transport hub where the uprising began in December.\n\nThe military overthrew al-Bashir in April following months of protests against his three-decade-long authoritarian rule. The protesters then remained in the streets, demanding a rapid transition to civilian leadership.\n\nThe ruling military council and the activists came under renewed pressure to reach an accord after security forces opened fire on student protesters on Aug. 1 in the city of Obeid, leaving six people dead. At least nine troops from the paramilitary Rapid Support forces were arrested over the killings.\n\nIn June, security forces violently dispersed the protesters’ main sit-in outside the military headquarters in Khartoum, killing dozens of people and plunging the fragile transition into crisis. The power-sharing agreement includes the establishment of an independent investigation into the crackdown on protests, specifically the dispersal of the sit-in.\n\nFormer Prime Minister Sadiq al-Mahdi, the leader of the opposition Umma party, said the deal was a “first step” in the democratic change until “fair” elections are held.\n\n“Today is the day of transition to civilian rule. … The next stage will be a test for us, without exclusion. We will open the door so all people can participate,” said al-Mahdi, who led Sudan’s last freely elected government before an Islamist-backed military coup in 1989.\n\nGen. Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, deputy head of the military council, and protest leader Ahmad Rabie, who is a high school teacher, signed the deal. Both had initialed the documents earlier this month.\n\nU.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres congratulated the Sudanese people and looked forward to “engaging with and supporting the transitional governing institutions.”\n\nThe Forces for Declaration of Freedom and Change nominated a well-known economist, Abdalla Hamdok, to be prime minister during the transition. He served as the deputy executive secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa since November 2011, and has yet to be confirmed by the sovereign council. The council’s members are to be announced Sunday, after which the ruling military council will immediately be disbanded.\n\nThe power-sharing deal has been criticized by the Sudan Revolutionary Front, an alliance of the largest rebel groups in Darfur. The rebels have stressed to protest leaders that the agreement did not include “basic principles” to achieve peace in Sudan. The deal calls for the government to reach a peace agreement with the rebels within six months.\n\nThe rebel alliance, which is part of the FDFC opposition coalition, wanted to include a peace document agreed on by the protest movement in the power-sharing deal. The rebel leaders have engaged in talks with other protest leaders to settle the disputed points."], "summary": "The ruling military and the civilian opposition formally sign a power-sharing deal establishing a three-year transition period towards the election of a civilian government."}
{"document": ["Hong Kong teachers rally in thunderstorm at start of weekend of protests\n\nSeveral thousand Hong Kong school teachers and supporters braved thunderstorms on Saturday to start a weekend of anti-government protests, despite fears that police could adopt tougher tactics to drive activists off the streets.", "HONG KONG, Aug. 17 (UPI) -- Protests turned chaotic Saturday but ultimately ended without violence, as Hong Kong's long summer of discontent continued to simmer for an 11th straight weekend.\n\nA rally of teachers in the morning and a youth-led march during the afternoon drew tens of thousands to the streets in support of a pro-democracy movement that is pushing against the increasing influence of Beijing on Hong Kong affairs.\n\n\"Hong Kong is our home,\" said Ikie Fung, a 23-year-old student who joined the afternoon protests. \"We cannot let this place die. We can't let Hong Kong turn into China.\n\nMarchers chanted a variety of slogans that have emerged during the summer of protests, including \"add oil,\" a common Hong Kong expression that is a show of support and encouragement.\n\nThe protest movement began in earnest in early June in response to an extradition bill that would make it easier for criminal suspects to be tried in mainland China's court system. It has evolved into a movement that seeks to hold onto autonomy in legal and political affairs under the \"one country, two systems\" arrangement with Beijing that has been in place since 1997.\n\nAnother frequent refrain Saturday was \"an eye for an eye,\" referring to a female medic who was allegedly blinded in one eye by a police projectile last weekend. The phrase and the image of the wounded girl has becoming a rallying cry for protesters, highlighting anger with what many consider the brutal tactics Hong Kong police have employed.\n\n\"The police have worsened the situation,\" protester Margaret Ho said. \"They attack and harass protesters and beat innocent citizens and the government hasn't done anything to stop them.\"\n\nAs the afternoon march dispersed, a splinter group of protesters defaced the headquarters of the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions, an organization widely viewed as pro-Beijing and which has been critical of the protest movement, with eggs and graffiti.\n\nAnother group massed near a police station along the busy commercial thoroughfare of Nathan Road. A large police contingent in riot gear emerged and a standoff ensued for several tense minutes before protesters ultimately dispersed.\n\nMany chanted that they were saving their energy for tomorrow, when a major demonstration organized by the Civil Human Rights Front is scheduled at Hong Kong's Victoria Park. The organizers were responsible for the massive rallies in June and July which drew hundreds of thousands of participants, and most are expecting an enormous turnout Sunday.\n\nSunday's demonstration could prove to be a litmus test for which direction the protests are heading, as the movement showed signs of strain this week with an airport sit-in that grounded hundreds of flight and turned violent. The chaos swayed some public opinion against the protesters, and prompted organizers to apologize.\n\nA counter-rally was also held Saturday, with pro-Beijing supporters waving Chinese flags and giving speeches denouncing the anti-government protesters.\n\nAll eyes will continue to be on Beijing, which has decried the protests as \"terrorism emerging\" and has vowed not to let things get out of control. Chinese state-run media has carried videos showing armored troop carriers driving to the border city of Shenzhen.\n\nHowever, China seems to be concentrating for the moment at exerting pressure on Hong Kong's business community. Rupert Hogg, the CEO of Hong Kong flagship carrier Cathay Pacific, resigned suddenly on Friday along with other senior officials after heavy criticism from Beijing over some of its staff supporting the protests.\n\nThe pro-democracy protesters on Saturday, however, said that they were not afraid of China.\n\n\"I'm not worried about Beijing,\" said 49-year-old teacher Kacey Wong. \"If they send their murderous [People's Liberation Army] into Hong Kong we will go on a general strike and shut down the city. The whole world will see how brutal they are.\"\n\nOther demonstrators on Saturday said they had no plans of stopping their movement until all of their demands are met. In addition to the withdrawal of the extradition bill, protesters have called for unpopular Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam to step down, as well as an investigation into the actions of the police during the demonstrations and direct elections to choose the city's political leaders.\n\n\"We will not stop until the government treats us humanely,\" said Belle Lau, 27. \"This movement has many different classes, many different ages. Hong Kong people have never been as united as we are now.\"", "The Latest: Hong Kong rallies spill over to Australia\n\nHONG KONG (AP) — The Latest on protests in Hong Kong (all times local):\n\nProtests in support of a pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong have continued in Melbourne, Australia, while a pro-China march has been held in Sydney.\n\nThe Melbourne rally on Friday night turned ugly, with police moving in to separate some 100 pro-China protesters from those sympathetic to Hong Kong as low level violence flared. Saturday's protest in the southern city was peaceful.\n\nAmong the pro-Hong Kong demonstrators were members of China's Tibetan and Uighur ethnic minorities, as well as Vietnamese groups.\n\nA pro-China march in Sydney included at least 200 protesters descending on the city's Town Hall chanting \"Long Live China\" and singing the Chinese national anthem.\n\nPro-Hong Kong rallies have also been held this week in Adelaide and Brisbane.\n\nAnother weekend of protests is underway in Hong Kong, with teachers rallying to support students and other protesters.\n\nAn overflow crowd filled a public square in the financial district on Saturday, holding signs that read \"Protect the next generation.\"\n\nTeachers say they want the government to answer the protesters' demands and stop using what they called police violence to disperse demonstrators.\n\nHong Kong's protests are in their 10th week and show no sign of relenting. A series of rallies and at least one march are planned for this weekend.\n\nThe movement's demands include the resignation of the city leader, democratic elections and an independent investigation into police use of force.\n\nMainland Chinese police are holding drills in nearby Shenzhen, prompting speculation they could be sent in to suppress the protests.", "OTTAWA - Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland is condemning violence in Hong Kong as tension escalates between pro-democracy protesters and police.\n\nShe made the remarks in a joint statement issued Saturday with her counterpart in the European Union, Federica Mogherini.\n\nThe statement says that both Canada and the EU support Hong Kong's \"high degree of autonomy\" within China, as well as its residents' right to peaceful assembly.\n\nBut they are urging restraint in the wake of \"a rising number of unacceptable violent incidents.\"\n\nThere have been months of protests in the semi-autonomous region as some residents accuse the Communist Party-ruled Chinese government of chipping away at Hong Kong's democratic rights.\n\nThe statement from Freeland and Mogherini calls for \"broad-based and inclusive dialogue, involving all key stakeholders.\"", "Pro-democracy protesters walk during a march organized by teachers in Hong Kong Saturday, Aug. 17, 2019. Members of China’s paramilitary People’s Armed Police marched and practiced crowd control tactics at a sports complex in Shenzhen across from Hong Kong in what some interpreted as a threat against pro-democracy protesters in the semi-autonomous territory. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)\n\nHONG KONG (AP) — Pro-democracy protesters marched on one side of Hong Kong’s famous harbor on Saturday to demand the government heed their demands. Across the water, a pro-government rally called for an end to the often violent protests.\n\nThe dueling demonstrations highlighted the political divide in the semiautonomous Chinese territory, which for 10 weeks has been rocked by protests that show no signs of relenting.\n\n“The government right now doesn’t listen to the people, and the police are too violent,” said Bobby Tse, a 76-year-old retiree who watched the pro-democracy march from a bridge. “It didn’t used to be like this. We didn’t have to protest every week. But now even though we have protests every week, the government still gives no response.”\n\nAt the pro-government rally, speakers on a stage said they love both Hong Kong and China and asked the protesters why they are afraid of China. Supporters gave a thumbs-up to police officers and posed for photos with them. Leo Chen, a 47-year-old driver, said he came out because he wants peace in his city of 7.4 million people.\n\n“Before, everyone in Hong Kong helped each other, it was very harmonious,” he said. “Now to see it become like this, I’m not happy, so I’ve come out to show a little strength.”\n\nEarlier Saturday, thousands of schoolteachers marched to the official residence of Hong Kong’s leader, Carrie Lam, to show support for the protesters, who have taken to the streets since early June and include many students.\n\nCarrying signs that read “Protect the next generation” and umbrellas to ward off intermittent downpours, the teachers tied white ribbons to a metal fence near Government House. They said the government should answer the protesters’ demands and stop using what they called police violence to disperse demonstrators who have taken over streets and besieged and defaced government buildings.\n\n“We want to protect our students, our youngsters, so teachers are willing to come out and speak for the youngsters, and also, to stand by them so they are not alone,” said Fung Wai-wah, president of the Hong Kong Professional Teachers’ Union, which organized the march.\n\nThe movement’s demands include Lam’s resignation, democratic elections and an independent investigation into police use of force. A rally in Victoria Park has been called for Sunday by a pro-democracy group that has organized three massive marches through central Hong Kong since June.\n\n“Even though we’re all scared of getting arrested, we have to keep going,” said Minnie Lee, a 31-year-old logistics worker who joined the pro-democracy march. “What we are fighting for is democracy and our rights. We’re not doing anything wrong. If we stop now, things will only get worse.”\n\nTensions rose briefly after the march, with riot police deployed to chase down a group of pro-democracy protesters they said were assembling illegally outside their station, shining laser pointers and throwing eggs.\n\nOfficers formed a line on a nearby street, thumping their batons on their shields before charging.\n\nBut by that time, most protesters had already melted away into the city’s densely populated Mong Kok district, leaving officers to face angry local residents, who told them to leave and accused them of being members of crime gangs. The police eventually left without firing tear gas.\n\nMembers of China’s paramilitary People’s Armed Police force have been training this week across the border in Shenzhen, fueling speculation that they could be sent in to suppress the protests. Officers didn’t appear to hold major drills on Saturday, but could be seen doing jumping jacks and stretching inside a sports stadium. Dozens of army-green armored carriers and trucks were parked inside and outside the facility.\n\nThe Hong Kong police, however, have said they are capable of handling the protests.\n\n“I can tell you we’re confident the police have the capability to maintain law and order,” Yeung Man-pun, commander of the Kowloon City district, said Friday when asked about the possibility of a deployment of mainland security forces.\n\nOutside of Hong Kong, demonstrations were held in support of both the pro-democracy movement and China.\n\nIn Australia, at least 200 protesters descended on Sydney Town Hall, chanting “Long live China” and singing the Chinese national anthem, while a protest in support of the pro-democracy movement continued in Melbourne.\n\nThe Melbourne rally had turned ugly on Friday night, with police moving in to separate some 100 pro-China protesters from those sympathetic to Hong Kong. Saturday’s protest in the southern city was peaceful.\n\nIn Taiwan, people held a flash mob demonstration in Taipei, the island’s capital, in support of the Hong Kong protests.\n\nAssociated Press writer Ken Moritsugu, videojournalist Yves Dam Van and news assistant Phoebe Lai in Hong Kong and videojournalist Dake Kang in Shenzhen, China, contributed to this report.", "Pro-democracy protesters walk during a march organized by teachers in Hong Kong Saturday, Aug. 17, 2019. Members of China’s paramilitary People’s Armed Police marched and practiced crowd control tactics at a sports complex in Shenzhen across from Hong Kong in what some interpreted as a threat against pro-democracy protesters in the semi-autonomous territory. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)\n\nHONG KONG (AP) — Pro-democracy protesters marched on one side of Hong Kong’s famous harbor on Saturday to demand the government heed their demands. Across the water, a pro-government rally called for an end to the often violent protests.\n\nThe dueling demonstrations highlighted the political divide in the semiautonomous Chinese territory, which for 10 weeks has been rocked by protests that show no signs of relenting.\n\n“The government right now doesn’t listen to the people, and the police are too violent,” said Bobby Tse, a 76-year-old retiree who watched the pro-democracy march from a bridge. “It didn’t used to be like this. We didn’t have to protest every week. But now even though we have protests every week, the government still gives no response.”\n\nAt the pro-government rally, speakers on a stage said they love both Hong Kong and China and asked the protesters why they are afraid of China. Supporters gave a thumbs-up to police officers and posed for photos with them. Leo Chen, a 47-year-old driver, said he came out because he wants peace in his city of 7.4 million people.\n\n“Before, everyone in Hong Kong helped each other, it was very harmonious,” he said. “Now to see it become like this, I’m not happy, so I’ve come out to show a little strength.”\n\nEarlier Saturday, thousands of schoolteachers marched to the official residence of Hong Kong’s leader, Carrie Lam, to show support for the protesters, who have taken to the streets since early June and include many students.\n\nCarrying signs that read “Protect the next generation” and umbrellas to ward off intermittent downpours, the teachers tied white ribbons to a metal fence near Government House. They said the government should answer the protesters’ demands and stop using what they called police violence to disperse demonstrators who have taken over streets and besieged and defaced government buildings.\n\n“We want to protect our students, our youngsters, so teachers are willing to come out and speak for the youngsters, and also, to stand by them so they are not alone,” said Fung Wai-wah, president of the Hong Kong Professional Teachers’ Union, which organized the march.\n\nThe movement’s demands include Lam’s resignation, democratic elections and an independent investigation into police use of force. A rally in Victoria Park has been called for Sunday by a pro-democracy group that has organized three massive marches through central Hong Kong since June.\n\n“Even though we’re all scared of getting arrested, we have to keep going,” said Minnie Lee, a 31-year-old logistics worker who joined the pro-democracy march. “What we are fighting for is democracy and our rights. We’re not doing anything wrong. If we stop now, things will only get worse.”\n\nTensions rose briefly after the march, with riot police deployed to chase down a group of pro-democracy protesters they said were assembling illegally outside their station, shining laser pointers and throwing eggs.\n\nOfficers formed a line on a nearby street, thumping their batons on their shields before charging.\n\nBut by that time, most protesters had already melted away into the city’s densely populated Mong Kok district, leaving officers to face angry local residents, who told them to leave and accused them of being members of crime gangs. The police eventually left without firing tear gas.\n\nMembers of China’s paramilitary People’s Armed Police force have been training this week across the border in Shenzhen, fueling speculation that they could be sent in to suppress the protests. Officers didn’t appear to hold major drills on Saturday, but could be seen doing jumping jacks and stretching inside a sports stadium. Dozens of army-green armored carriers and trucks were parked inside and outside the facility.\n\nThe Hong Kong police, however, have said they are capable of handling the protests.\n\n“I can tell you we’re confident the police have the capability to maintain law and order,” Yeung Man-pun, commander of the Kowloon City district, said Friday when asked about the possibility of a deployment of mainland security forces.\n\nOutside of Hong Kong, demonstrations were held in support of both the pro-democracy movement and China.\n\nIn Australia, at least 200 protesters descended on Sydney Town Hall, chanting “Long live China” and singing the Chinese national anthem, while a protest in support of the pro-democracy movement continued in Melbourne.\n\nThe Melbourne rally had turned ugly on Friday night, with police moving in to separate some 100 pro-China protesters from those sympathetic to Hong Kong. Saturday’s protest in the southern city was peaceful.\n\nIn Taiwan, people held a flash mob demonstration in Taipei, the island’s capital, in support of the Hong Kong protests.\n\nAssociated Press writer Ken Moritsugu, videojournalist Yves Dam Van and news assistant Phoebe Lai in Hong Kong and videojournalist Dake Kang in Shenzhen, China, contributed to this report.", "In this image made from video, armed police vehicles are parked outside Shenzhen Bay Stadium in Shenzhen, near Hong Kong, Friday, Aug. 16, 2019. Satellite photos show what appear to be armored personnel carriers and other vehicles belonging to the China’s paramilitary People’s Armed Police parked in a sports complex in the city of Shenzhen, in what some have interpreted as a threat from Beijing to use increased force against pro-democracy protesters across the border in Hong Kong.(AP Photo/Dake Kang)\n\nSHENZHEN, China (AP) — Members of China’s paramilitary People’s Armed Police marched and practiced crowd control tactics at a sports complex in Shenzhen across from Hong Kong in what some interpreted as a threat against pro-democracy protesters in the semi-autonomous territory.\n\nThe sound of marching boots and synchronized shouts echoed from the grounds on Friday. Officers in green camouflage stood guard at closed entrances. A stadium security guard said “it wasn’t clear” when the paramilitary police would leave the grounds.\n\nChinese state media have only said that the Shenzhen exercises were planned earlier and were not directly related to the unrest in Hong Kong, though they came shortly after the central government in Beijing said the protests were beginning to show the “sprouts of terrorism.”\n\nFrom a distance, police could be seen conducting drills in military fatigues, using shields, poles and other riot-control gear. In one exercise, two groups marched in formation with those in front raising shields as if to protect themselves from projectiles. Others behind held red flags and banners. The words “the law” and “prosecuted” could be seen on one.\n\nOutside, dozens of armored carriers and trucks sat in the parking lot of the Shenzhen Bay Stadium, close to a bridge linking mainland China to Hong Kong.\n\nAsked if Hong Kong police could maintain order or if mainland Chinese intervention is becoming inevitable, Hong Kong police commander Yeung Man-pun said that while they face tremendous pressure, “I can tell you we’re confident the police have the capability to maintain law and order.”\n\nGermany, meanwhile, said it considers China to be a responsible actor that will respect Hong Kong laws guaranteeing freedom of speech and rule of law.\n\nGovernment spokesman Steffen Seibert said Friday that Hong Kong’s 1997 Basic Law, under which the city was promised a high degree of autonomy when the former British colony returned to China, “is a Chinese law, and as such we naturally expect that the People’s Republic of China, too, won’t call into question the peaceful exercise of these rights.”\n\nWeeks of protests in Hong Kong have been marked by increasing violence and a shutdown of the Hong Kong airport earlier this week. The demonstrators are demanding expanded political rights and the scrapping of legislation that could have seen criminal suspects sent to mainland China.\n\nA weekend of protests began Friday night with a university student-led “power to the people” rally in Chater Garden, a public square in the financial district.\n\nA pro-democracy march is planned for Saturday along with a separate pro-government “Save Hong Kong” rally, ahead of a major pro-democracy rally called for Sunday. Police have denied permission for the march on Sunday, but protesters have ignored such denials in the past.\n\nChina has pressured foreign and Hong Kong companies to support the ruling Communist Party’s position against the protesters.\n\nThe CEO of Cathay Pacific Airways, one of Hong Kong’s most prominent companies, resigned Friday following pressure by Beijing on the carrier over participation by some of its employees in the anti-government protests.\n\nCathay Pacific said Rupert Hogg resigned “to take responsibility” following “recent events.”\n\nThe company chairman, John Slosar, said in a statement the airline needed new management because events had “called into question” its commitment to safety and security.\n\nOn Monday, Hogg threatened employees with “disciplinary consequences” if they took part in “illegal protests.’\n\nLast week, China’s aviation regulator said Cathay Pacific employees who “support or take part in illegal protests, violent actions, or overly radical behavior” are banned from staffing flights to mainland China.\n\nOn Friday morning, Frenchman Alain Robert, who has been dubbed “spiderman” for his unauthorized climbs of skyscrapers, hung a banner appealing for peace as he scaled the 62-story Cheung Kong Center, a landmark Hong Kong building that is the base for property tycoon Li Ka-shing’s business empire.\n\nThe banner showed the Chinese and Hong Kong flags over a handshake and a small yellow sun with a smiley face.\n\n“The banner is to give joy and smile to the people of Hong Kong,” he told the AP as he sat in a taxi about to leave for his climb. He added that he didn’t want to get “mixed up in the political situation.”\n\nRobert, 57, was taken to a police station afterward. It wasn’t immediately clear if he would be charged. He was banned in 2017 from returning to Hong Kong for one year after climbing another building.", "The Latest: Hong Kong rallies spill over to Australia\n\nHONG KONG (AP) — The Latest on protests in Hong Kong (all times local):\n\nProtests in support of a pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong have continued in Melbourne, Australia, while a pro-China march has been held in Sydney.\n\nThe Melbourne rally on Friday night turned ugly, with police moving in to separate some 100 pro-China protesters from those sympathetic to Hong Kong as low level violence flared. Saturday's protest in the southern city was peaceful.\n\nAmong the pro-Hong Kong demonstrators were members of China's Tibetan and Uighur ethnic minorities, as well as Vietnamese groups.\n\nA pro-China march in Sydney included at least 200 protesters descending on the city's Town Hall chanting \"Long Live China\" and singing the Chinese national anthem.\n\nPro-Hong Kong rallies have also been held this week in Adelaide and Brisbane.\n\nAnother weekend of protests is underway in Hong Kong, with teachers rallying to support students and other protesters.\n\nAn overflow crowd filled a public square in the financial district on Saturday, holding signs that read \"Protect the next generation.\"\n\nTeachers say they want the government to answer the protesters' demands and stop using what they called police violence to disperse demonstrators.\n\nHong Kong's protests are in their 10th week and show no sign of relenting. A series of rallies and at least one march are planned for this weekend.\n\nThe movement's demands include the resignation of the city leader, democratic elections and an independent investigation into police use of force.\n\nMainland Chinese police are holding drills in nearby Shenzhen, prompting speculation they could be sent in to suppress the protests.", "The Latest: Hong Kong rallies spill over to Australia\n\nHONG KONG (AP) — The Latest on protests in Hong Kong (all times local):\n\nProtests in support of a pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong have continued in Melbourne, Australia, while a pro-China march has been held in Sydney.\n\nThe Melbourne rally on Friday night turned ugly, with police moving in to separate some 100 pro-China protesters from those sympathetic to Hong Kong as low level violence flared. Saturday's protest in the southern city was peaceful.\n\nAmong the pro-Hong Kong demonstrators were members of China's Tibetan and Uighur ethnic minorities, as well as Vietnamese groups.\n\nA pro-China march in Sydney included at least 200 protesters descending on the city's Town Hall chanting \"Long Live China\" and singing the Chinese national anthem.\n\nPro-Hong Kong rallies have also been held this week in Adelaide and Brisbane.\n\nAnother weekend of protests is underway in Hong Kong, with teachers rallying to support students and other protesters.\n\nAn overflow crowd filled a public square in the financial district on Saturday, holding signs that read \"Protect the next generation.\"\n\nTeachers say they want the government to answer the protesters' demands and stop using what they called police violence to disperse demonstrators.\n\nHong Kong's protests are in their 10th week and show no sign of relenting. A series of rallies and at least one march are planned for this weekend.\n\nThe movement's demands include the resignation of the city leader, democratic elections and an independent investigation into police use of force.\n\nMainland Chinese police are holding drills in nearby Shenzhen, prompting speculation they could be sent in to suppress the protests.", "The Latest: Hong Kong rallies spill over to Australia\n\nHONG KONG (AP) — The Latest on protests in Hong Kong (all times local):\n\nProtests in support of a pro-democracy movement in Hong Kong have continued in Melbourne, Australia, while a pro-China march has been held in Sydney.\n\nThe Melbourne rally on Friday night turned ugly, with police moving in to separate some 100 pro-China protesters from those sympathetic to Hong Kong as low level violence flared. Saturday's protest in the southern city was peaceful.\n\nAmong the pro-Hong Kong demonstrators were members of China's Tibetan and Uighur ethnic minorities, as well as Vietnamese groups.\n\nA pro-China march in Sydney included at least 200 protesters descending on the city's Town Hall chanting \"Long Live China\" and singing the Chinese national anthem.\n\nPro-Hong Kong rallies have also been held this week in Adelaide and Brisbane.\n\nAnother weekend of protests is underway in Hong Kong, with teachers rallying to support students and other protesters.\n\nAn overflow crowd filled a public square in the financial district on Saturday, holding signs that read \"Protect the next generation.\"\n\nTeachers say they want the government to answer the protesters' demands and stop using what they called police violence to disperse demonstrators.\n\nHong Kong's protests are in their 10th week and show no sign of relenting. A series of rallies and at least one march are planned for this weekend.\n\nThe movement's demands include the resignation of the city leader, democratic elections and an independent investigation into police use of force.\n\nMainland Chinese police are holding drills in nearby Shenzhen, prompting speculation they could be sent in to suppress the protests."], "summary": "Thousands of school teachers join the 11th weekend of anti-government protests in Hong Kong."}
{"document": ["The rally was the latest in a series of vocal and at times violent political demonstrations in a city where protest is a rich tradition but where residents have grown increasingly weary of extremist saber-rattling on their streets.\n\nFor weeks, the police and local politicians have been urging protesters not to show up at all, and those who inevitably arrive to be peaceful. Officials and residents feared a melee like one in the city on June 29, when a conservative writer was assaulted by black-clad protesters.\n\nOn Saturday, a few confrontations broke out in the park as the rally began, but the far-right groups eventually moved behind a police line and were separated from the counterprotesters by a wide gap that officers worked aggressively to maintain.\n\nLater, many of the right-wing protesters left the area and crossed the nearby Hawthorne Bridge to the east side of the city. But some stayed on the west side, and Antifa members followed them through the downtown streets shouting at them to leave the city. At least two of those walking with the militia members appeared to have been hit with white substances resembling milkshakes.", "Members of the Proud Boys and other right-wing demonstrators march across the Hawthorne Bridge during an “End Domestic Terrorism” rally in Portland, Ore., on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2019. The group includes organizer Joe Biggs, in green hat, and Proud Boys Chairman Enrique Tarrio, holding megaphone. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)\n\nPORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — With both the left and the right declaring victory following a long-hyped rally that had Portland, Oregon, on edge it seems the liberal city will continue to be a flashpoint in an increasingly divided country.\n\nCity officials were mostly relieved that a downtown gathering Saturday of more than 1,000 far-right protesters and anti-fascist counter-demonstrators wasn’t as violent as feared.\n\n“I’m grateful this was largely a peaceful event,” Mayor Ted Wheeler said. “We were preparing for and planning for a worst-case scenario.”\n\nThere were 13 arrests and police seized bear spray, shields, poles and other weapons. But by using barriers and bridge closures — and allowing a large contingent of right-wingers to leave when they asked to — authorities were able to mostly keep the two sides apart. Six minor injuries were reported.\n\nJoe Biggs, the organizer of the right-wing gathering that featured the Proud Boys, Patriot Prayer and other far-right groups, said they accomplished their goal of drawing attention to black-clad anti-fascist protesters — known as antifa —who showed up to meet them.\n\nPresident Donald Trump tweeted early Saturday that “major consideration is being given to naming ANTIFA an ‘ORGANIZATION of TERROR.'” It wasn’t immediately clear what he meant by that because there’s no mechanism for the United States government to declare a domestic organization a terror group.\n\nBiggs told The Oregonian/OregonLive he was pleased the rally attracted Trump’s attention.\n\n“He talked about Portland, said he’s watching antifa. That’s all we wanted,” he said.\n\nBiggs said he and the right-wing groups would keep coming back to Portland so long as antifa was around.\n\nBut Eric K. Ward, executive director of the Portland-based Western States Center, said the right-wing rally was a bust.\n\n“Portland won today, and far-right leaders like Joey Gibson and Joe Biggs lost,” Ward said in a statement.\n\nThe Western States Center stated mission is to increase inclusive democracy.\n\nIn an interview, Ward said Biggs’ groups cut short a planned five-hour rally after only one hour and left.\n\n“The white nationalist, alt-right coalition that came to Portland were denied what they sought to create, which was large-scale civil disturbances,” Ward said.\n\nWhile antifa protesters get a lot of attention, Ward said there were many others who came out to oppose the right-wing groups. He also praised police and city officials for their actions.\n\n“What I saw yesterday was the first step in Portland really putting together a citywide response,” he said.\n\nWheeler, Portland’s mayor, said at a Saturday evening news conference that Biggs and anyone espousing hate or violence was not welcome.\n\n“We do not want him here in my city. Period,” Wheeler said.\n\nWheeler tied the demonstrations to “a rising white nationalist movement” and a growing sense of fear in the country.\n\n“Portland being a very progressive community is always going to be at or near ground zero of this battle.”\n\nWheeler emphasized that there are hundreds of protests every year in Portland, and most don’t get any attention.\n\nThe latest rally began late Saturday morning. Flag-waving members of the Proud Boys, Three Percenters militia group and others gathered downtown, some wearing body armor and helmets like the antifa protesters.\n\nMore than two dozen local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, were in the city for the right-wing rally.\n\nAs of early afternoon, most of the right-wing groups had left the area. But hundreds of people remained downtown and on nearby streets, and there were tense skirmishes, mostly with antifa protesters who were trying to find right-wing rallyers, throughout the day.\n\nPatriot Prayer’s Gibson, who organized similar rallies in 2017 and 2018 that erupted in clashes, surrendered Friday on an arrest warrant for felony rioting. He was at a confrontation that broke out on May 1 outside a bar where antifa members had gathered after a May Day demonstration.\n\nIn a video he livestreamed on Facebook, Gibson accused the police of playing politics by arresting him but not the masked demonstrators who beat up conservative blogger Andy Ngo at a June 29 rally that drew national attention.\n\nA video of that attack went viral and led the Proud Boys, who have been designated a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, to organize Saturday’s event.\n\nGibson was also at Saturday’s rally.\n\nWard said even if right-wing groups return to Portland he is confident in the community’s ability to turn out and stay true to its values.\n\n“The tables have really turned in a significant way,” he said.", "FILE - In this Aug. 4, 2018 file photo, Patriot Prayer founder and rally organizer Joey Gibson speaks to his followers at a rally in Portland, Ore. On Friday, Aug. 16, 2019 authorities announced they’ve arrested Gibson, the leader of the right-wing group, on the eve of a far-right rally that’s expected to draw people from around the U.S. to Portland on Saturday, Aug. 17, prompting Gibson to urge his followers to “show up one hundred-fold” in response. (AP Photo/John Rudoff, File)\n\nMore than two dozen local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, were in Portland, Oregon, on Saturday to help police there monitor a right-wing rally that’s expected to draw demonstrators from around the U.S.\n\nSelf-described anti-fascists — known as antifa — have vowed to confront the rally while leaders from the far right urged their followers to turn out in large numbers to protest the arrests of six members of right-wing groups in the run-up to the event.\n\nIn a Saturday morning tweet, President Donald Trump wrote “Portland is being watched very closely.” He said federal authorities are considering “naming ANTIFA an ORGANIZATION OF TERROR.”\n\nPatriot Prayer’s Joey Gibson, who is not involved in this weekend’s event but organized similar rallies in 2017 and 2018 that erupted in clashes, surrendered Friday on an arrest warrant for felony rioting. He was at a confrontation that broke out on May 1 outside a bar where antifa members had gathered after a May Day demonstration.\n\nIn a video he livestreamed on Facebook, Gibson accused the police of playing politics by arresting him but not the masked demonstrators who beat up conservative blogger Andy Ngo at a June 29 rally that drew national attention to this small, liberal city.\n\nA video of that attack went viral and led the Proud Boys, who have been designated a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, to organize Saturday’s event.\n\nALSO READ: Dozens arrested as May Day marches turn violent in Northwest\n\n“What I’m saying to everybody who’s listening to this (is) they’re trying to shut you guys up. They want you to not show up in Portland, they want to put fear in your hearts,” Gibson said.\n\n“When a government pushes back like that, we don’t bend the knee,” Gibson said, as he walked to the jail.\n\nPortland Police Bureau spokeswoman Tina Jones declined to comment about specific arrests but said generally police continue to investigate several incidents from clashes on May 1 and June 29 and are politically neutral.\n\nMembers of antifa often cover their faces with masks, making it harder to identify them.\n\n“We receive criticism no matter what. It’s either too much, not enough, you arrested this group and not this group,” Jones said. “It seems like some people are keeping score, and that’s not what it’s about on the law enforcement side. One hundred per cent, it’s about public safety.”\n\nIn addition to the Proud Boys, the white nationalist American Guard and the Three Percenters, a far-right militia, have said they will have members in Portland.\n\nHate group watchdogs say the Daily Stormers, a neo-Nazi group, are also expected.\n\nThe Oath Keepers, another far-right militia group, said in a statement they were pulling out of the rally because organizers have not done enough to keep white supremacist groups away.\n\n“It would be best for the patriot/conservative cause if this August 17 rally were simply cancelled,” the group’s founder, Stewart Rhodes, wrote. “Those who want to protest the way Portland coddles Antifa should start over, with a clean slate.”\n\nAuthorities asked residents not to call 911 unless it’s a life-threatening emergency and to stay away from the heart of downtown. Some city streets will be closed Saturday, as well as a major bridge connecting the east and west sides of the city.\n\nLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.", "PORTLAND, Ore. — More than two dozen local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, including the FBI and the Federal Protective Service, were in Portland, Oregon, on Saturday to help police there monitor a right-wing rally that's expected to draw demonstrators from around the U.S.\n\nSelf-described anti-fascists have vowed to confront the rally while leaders from the far right urged their followers to turn out in large numbers to protest the arrests of six members of right-wing groups in the run-up to the event.\n\nPatriot Prayer's Joey Gibson, who is not involved in this weekend's event but organized similar rallies in 2017 and 2018 that erupted in clashes, surrendered Friday on an arrest warrant for felony rioting. He was at a confrontation that broke out on May 1 outside a bar where members of the so-called \"antifa\" movement had gathered after a May Day demonstration.\n\nRELATED: What to know about Saturday’s protests in Portland\n\nIn a video he livestreamed on Facebook, Gibson accused the police of playing politics by arresting him but not the masked demonstrators who beat up conservative blogger Andy Ngo at a June 29 rally that drew national attention to this small, liberal city.\n\nA video of that attack went viral and led the Proud Boys, who have been designated a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, to organize Saturday's event.\n\n\"What I'm saying to everybody who's listening to this (is) they're trying to shut you guys up. They want you to not show up in Portland, they want to put fear in your hearts,\" he said.\n\n\"When a government pushes back like that, we don't bend the knee,\" Gibson said, as he walked to the jail.\n\nPortland Police Bureau spokeswoman Tina Jones declined to comment about specific arrests but said generally police continue to investigate several incidents from clashes on May 1 and June 29 and are politically neutral.\n\nMembers of antifa often cover their faces with masks, making it harder to identify them.\n\nRELATED: Portland mayor says police response to Aug. 17 demonstrations will be 'on a scale that this city hasn’t seen in years'\n\n\"We receive criticism no matter what. It's either too much, not enough, you arrested this group and not this group,\" Jones said. \"It seems like some people are keeping score, and that's not what it's about on the law enforcement side. One hundred percent, it's about public safety.\"\n\nIn addition to the Proud Boys, the white nationalist American Guard and the Three Percenters, a far-right militia, have said they will have members in Portland.\n\nHate group watchdogs say the Daily Stormers, a neo-Nazi group, are also expected.\n\nThe Oath Keepers, another far-right militia group, said in a statement they were pulling out of the rally because organizers have not done enough to keep white supremacist groups away.\n\n\"It would be best for the patriot/conservative cause if this August 17 rally were simply canceled,\" the group's founder, Stewart Rhodes, wrote. \"Those who want to protest the way Portland coddles Antifa should start over, with a clean slate.\"\n\nAuthorities asked residents not to call 911 unless it's a life-threatening emergency and to stay away from the heart of downtown. Some city streets will be closed Saturday, as well as a major bridge connecting the east and west sides of the city.", "A road closure sign is seen in downtown Portland, Ore., Friday, Aug. 16, 2019, in advance of a rally as the city prepares for crowds. In the past week, authorities in Portland have arrested a half-dozen members of right-wing groups on charges related to violence at previous politically motivated rallies as the liberal city braces for potential clashes between far-right groups and self-described anti-fascists who violently oppose them. (AP Photo/Gillian Flaccus)\n\nPORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Police seized metal poles, bear spray and other weapons Saturday as hundreds of far-right protesters and anti-fascist counter-demonstrators swarmed downtown Portland, Oregon, in a situation the mayor termed “potentially dangerous and volatile.”\n\nAuthorities also set up concrete barriers and closed streets and bridges in an effort to contain and separate the rival groups.\n\nFlag-waving members of the Proud Boys and Three Percenters militia group began gathering late in the morning, some wearing body armor and helmets. Meanwhile black clad, helmet and mask-wearing anti-fascist protesters — known as antifa — were also among the several hundred people on the streets.\n\nPolices said they had seized the weapons, including shields, from multiple groups that were gathering on both sides of the Willamette River, which runs through the city.\n\nMore than two dozen local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, were in the city for the right-wing rally that was expected to draw people from across the country.\n\nPolice said over a loudspeaker that people on the streets for the unpermitted rallies could be arrested. At least one person was arrested.\n\nThe gathering was hyped on social media and elsewhere for weeks. In the days leading up the event Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler said people who espoused hate or engaged in violence were “not welcome.”\n\nIn a Saturday morning tweet, President Donald Trump wrote “Portland is being watched very closely” and that “Hopefully the Mayor will be able to properly do his job.”\n\nHe also wrote that “major consideration is being given to naming ANTIFA an ‘ORGANIZATION of TERROR.'”\n\nBut it wasn’t immediately clear what he meant by that as there’s no mechanism for the United States government to declare a domestic organization a terror group. The State Department maintains a list of designated foreign terrorist organizations, such as al Qaida, but there’s no comparable designation or list for American groups.\n\nWheeler responded to the President’s tweet in an interview with CNN, saying, “frankly, it’s not helpful,” Wheeler added: “This is a potentially dangerous and volatile situation, and adding to that noise doesn’t do anything to support or help the efforts that are going on here in Portland.”\n\nNot all who gathered Saturday were with right-wing groups or antifa. Also on hand were people dressed in colorful outfits and those who attended a nearby prayer service, holding signs that said things such as “No Trump, No NRA.”\n\nSelf-described anti-fascists had vowed to confront the rally while leaders from the far right urged their followers to turn out in large numbers to protest the arrests of six members of right-wing groups in the run-up to the event.\n\nPatriot Prayer’s Joey Gibson, who organized similar rallies in 2017 and 2018 that erupted in clashes, surrendered Friday on an arrest warrant for felony rioting. He was at a confrontation that broke out on May 1 outside a bar where antifa members had gathered after a May Day demonstration.\n\nIn a video he livestreamed on Facebook, Gibson accused the police of playing politics by arresting him but not the masked demonstrators who beat up conservative blogger Andy Ngo at a June 29 rally that drew national attention.\n\nA video of that attack went viral and led the Proud Boys, who have been designated a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, to organize Saturday’s event.\n\n“They want you to not show up in Portland, they want to put fear in your hearts,” Gibson said.\n\nPortland Police Bureau spokeswoman Tina Jones declined to comment about specific arrests but said generally police continue to investigate several incidents from clashes on May 1 and June 29 and are politically neutral.\n\nAntifa members often cover their faces with masks, making it harder to identify them.\n\nIn addition to the Proud Boys and Three Percenters, the white nationalist American Guard also said it would have members in Portland.\n\nThe Oath Keepers, another far-right militia group, said in a statement they were pulling out of the rally because organizers have not done enough to keep white supremacist groups away.\n\n“It would be best for the patriot/conservative cause if this August 17 rally were simply canceled,” the group’s founder, Stewart Rhodes, wrote.\n\nAuthorities asked residents not to call 911 unless it’s a life-threatening emergency and to stay away from the heart of downtown.", "\n• Portland is bracing for possible violence between the far-right and left-wing anti-fascists, known as Antifa, in clashes on Saturday.\n• A member of the far-right Proud Boys organized an “End Domestic Terrorism” rally against Antifa members. In response, Rose City Antifa, Portland’s group of anti-fascist activists, called for their own left-wing counterprotest.\n• In a Saturday morning Tweet, President Donald Trump weighed in on the expected violence, writing “Major consideration is being given to naming ANTIFA an ‘organization of terror.'”\n• Portland leaders have already called for a major law enforcement presence in anticipation of what may play out on Saturday.\n\nPortland is bracing for a possibly violent showdown on Saturday between the far-right and left-wing anti-fascists, known as Antifa – the latest in a series of clashes that have gripped the city over the past year.\n\nSaturday’s protests follow similar rallies held in June and last summer that turned violent. Portland leaders have already called for a major law enforcement presence in anticipation of what may play out on Saturday.\n\nIn an early morning Saturday tweet, President Donald Trump drew further attention on Portland, writing “Major consideration is being given to naming ANTIFA an ‘organization of terror.’ Portland is being watched very closely. Hopefully the mayor will be able to properly do his job!”\n\nThe president’s remarks quickly drew scrutiny for siding with the far-right. Saturday’s event is being organized by a member of the Proud Boys, which has been designated a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), and is expected to also feature members from groups including the American Guard, the Three Percenters, and the Daily Stormers. The SPLC describes the American Guard as a white nationalist group, the Three Percenters as an anti-government militia, and the Daily Stormers as a neo-Nazi group.\n\n“This is exactly what the Proud Boys want: Permission to fight, and assurance that all of their previous assaults will be forgiven as long as an anti-fascist is filmed punching someone in the face. The president just gave them his endorsement,” Andy Campbell, a reporter at HuffPost, wrote on Twitter in response to Trump’s comment.\n\n“Our president is literally doing PR for a hate group today,” added Alex Kotch, a reporter and editor at Sludge. “Trump preemptively calls ANTI-fascists, who will show up to protest, the actual terrorists.”\n\nWhy are they fighting?\n\nPortland is preparing for Saturday’s planned right-wing rally, called the “End Domestic Terrorism” rally, which could see as many as 1,000 people come together against Antifa. In response, Rose City Antifa, Portland’s group of anti-fascist activists, called for their own left-wing counterprotest.\n\nThe “End Domestic Terrorism” rally, organized by Enrique Tarrio, of the Proud Boys, and Joe Biggs, who used to work for fringe media company Infowars and is known for inflammatory rhetoric against Antifa members, comes after conservative blogger Andy Ngo was attacked while filming at a Patriot Prayer rally in late June. Antifa protesters were blamed for Ngo’s attack, with a video showing him being punched, kicked, and hit with silly string and milkshakes.\n\nAccording to CNN, Biggs said that Saturday’s rally was organized to counter Antifa and specifically mentioned the June attack against Ngo.\n\nJoey Gibson, a member of the far-right Patriot Prayer who is not involved in Saturday’s rally but organized similar gatherings over the past two years, surrendered on Friday on an arrest warrant related to felony rioting. In a video he livestreamed on Facebook, he accused the police of falling prey to politics for arresting him but not the masked people who attacked Ngo.\n\nIn response to the rally and counterprotest, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler wrote in a tweet: “A message to anyone who plans on using Portland on August 17th to commit violence and spread hate: We. Don’t. Want. You. Here. Stop using our beautiful city and our home to spread fear and disrupt our lives.”\n\nPortland, considered a liberal beacon known more for food trucks and man buns than brash violence, has slowly found itself in the crosshairs of far-right violence. The state of Oregon has a disproportionate number of hate-based groups and militias, and the city of Portland is 77% white and less than 6% black, making it America’s whitest city.\n\n“It’s Portlandia, and in the public mind it represents everything these (far-right) groups are against,” Heidi Beirich, director of the Intelligence Project at the Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks hate groups, told the Associated Press. “It’s progressive, and even more offensive to them, it’s progressive white people who should be on these guys’ side.”", "PORTLAND, Ore. — Hundreds of far-right protesters and anti-fascist counter-demonstrators swarmed downtown Portland, Oregon, on Saturday for a long-hyped rally that attracted President Donald Trump’s attention and resulted in at least 13 arrests.\n\nPolice seized metal poles, bear spray and other weapons and closed bridges and streets to try to keep the rival groups apart. They were largely successful. Six minor injuries were reported.\n\n“This was a dynamic event with demonstrators frequently moving from one part of the city to another,” Mayor Ted Wheeler said at an evening news conference.\n\nLeaders of the right-wing groups vowed to return to Portland, saying they would keep coming back to the liberal West Coast city so long as the left-wing antifascists, known as antifa, groups remained active.\n\nPresident Donald Trump weighed in early Saturday, writing on Twitter that “Portland is being watched very closely… Hopefully the Mayor will be able to properly do his job.”\n\nHe also wrote that “major consideration is being given to naming ANTIFA an ‘ORGANIZATION of TERROR.’” It wasn’t immediately clear what he meant by that because there’s no mechanism for the United States government to declare a domestic organization a terror group.\n\nJoe Biggs, the organizer of the right-wing gathering, said it was a success.\n\n“Go look at President Trump’s Twitter,” he told The Oregonian/OregonLive. “He talked about Portland, said he’s watching antifa. That’s all we wanted,”\n\nAt the evening news conference Portland’s mayor said Biggs was not welcome. “We do not want him here in my city. Period,” Wheeler said.\n\nWheeler tied the demonstrations to “a rising white nationalist movement” and a growing sense of fear in the country.\n\n“We’re certainly seeing that play out,” he said. “Portland being a very progressive community is always going to be at or near ground zero of this battle.”\n\nThe events began late Saturday morning. Flag-waving members of the Proud Boys, Three Percenters militia group and others gathered downtown, some wearing body armor and helmets like the antifa protesters. Police said they had seized the weapons, including shields, from multiple groups as they assembled along the Willamette River, which runs through the city.\n\nMore than two dozen local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, were in the city for the right-wing rally. Portland Police said all of the city’s 1,000 officers would be on duty for the gathering that was hyped on social media and elsewhere for weeks.\n\nAs of early afternoon, most of the right-wing groups had left the area via a downtown bridge. Police used officers on bikes and in riot gear to keep black-clad, mask-wearing anti-fascist protesters from following them.\n\nBut hundreds of people remained downtown and on nearby streets, and there were skirmishes throughout the day. Police declared a gathering of mostly left-wing protesters near Pioneer Courthouse Square a “civil disturbance” and told people to leave.\n\nPolice spokeswoman Lt. Tina Jones at one point said there were about 1,200 on the streets, but that number fell throughout the day.\n\nThe self-described anti-fascists had vowed to confront the right-wing rally, while leaders from the far right urged their followers to turn out in large numbers to protest the arrests of six members of right-wing groups in the run-up to the event.\n\nPatriot Prayer’s Joey Gibson, who organized similar rallies in 2017 and 2018 that erupted in clashes, surrendered Friday on an arrest warrant for felony rioting. He was at a confrontation that broke out on May 1 outside a bar where antifa members had gathered after a May Day demonstration.\n\nIn a video he livestreamed on Facebook, Gibson accused the police of playing politics by arresting him but not the masked demonstrators who beat up conservative blogger Andy Ngo at a June 29 rally that drew national attention.\n\nA video of that attack went viral and led the Proud Boys, who have been designated a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, to organize Saturday’s event.\n\nPolice continue to investigate several incidents from clashes on May 1 and June 29 and are politically neutral, Jones said.\n\nAuthorities had asked residents not to call 911 Saturday unless it’s a life-threatening emergency and to stay away from the heart of downtown.\n\nPortland Police Chief Danielle Outlaw said authorities tried to keep everyone safe and allow people to exercise their free speech rights during the rallies.\n\n“Today was a long and arduous day,” Outlaw said at the news conference. “The disruptions were held to a very small area of downtown Portland.”", "POLICE in Portland, Oregon, have arrested at least three people during demonstrations by right-wing groups and counterprotesters.\n\nAuthorities didn't immediately release details of the arrests. Hundreds of flag-waving members of the Proud Boys and Three Percenters militia group, as well as black-clad anti-fascist counterprotesters, gathered in downtown Portland on Saturday.\n\nThey were met by a huge police presence of more than two dozen local, state and federal agencies. Police used concrete barriers and closed bridges to keep the rival groups separated.\n\nPolice say they've seized weapons such as metal and wooden poles, bear spray and shields from multiple groups at the rally and counterprotest in the city.\n\nMeanwhile, the leader of a right-wing group was busted by police in Portland, Oregon, before a rally expected to draw people from around the country.\n\nPatriot Prayer's Joey Gibson to urge his followers to \"show up one hundred-fold\" in response to his arrest, the Associated Press reported.\n\nThe arrests of Gibson and five other far-right activists appear to be a signal from cops to organisers to keep their event peaceful, the New York Post said. Anti-fascist groups have promised to confront the right-wingers at their rally in Oregon's largest city. Similar events in the past resulted in widespread unrest on Portland's streets.\n\nAn organiser told the Portland Oregonian he expects up to 1000 people to take part in the demonstration. Thousands of counter-protesters are also expected.\n\nCNN reports that Portland authorities have been warning residents to stay home as far-right groups planned a rally aimed at putting an \"end to domestic terrorism,\" with a particular focus on Antifa extremist groups.\n\nThere were fears the rally could prompt violent clashes between both a smattering of right-wing extremists and Antifa counterdemonstrators, like those the city has seen in recent years.\n\nThe Oath Keepers, an anti-government group associated with the militia movement, said in a statement on its website it would not attend the event as a group but would continue to oppose Antifa.", "The Latest: Trump: Portland, Oregon, 'is being watched'\n\nPORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The Latest on a right-wing rally and counter protests in Portland, Oregon (all times local):\n\nPresident Donald Trump says \"Portland is being watched very closely\" as the Northwest city braces for a right-wing rally that's expected to draw demonstrators from around the U.S. as well as counterprotesters.\n\nMore than two dozen local, state and federal law enforcement agencies are in the liberal city for the late Saturday morning rally. Self-described anti-fascists have vowed to confront the right-wing groups.\n\nIn a Saturday morning tweet Trump wrote: \"Major consideration is being given to naming ANTIFA an 'ORGANIZATION OF TERROR.'\"\n\nTrump said he hoped Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler \"will be able to properly do his job!\"\n\nWheeler has said any groups preaching hate or engaging in violence are not welcome in the city.\n\nMore than two dozen local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, are in Portland, Oregon, to help police with a right-wing rally Saturday that's expected to draw demonstrators from around the U.S.\n\nSelf-described anti-fascists have vowed to confront the rally.\n\nAuthorities have arrested six members of right-wing groups, including the leader of Patriot Prayer, in the run-up to the event on charges related to past protests.\n\nThe rally is organized by Proud Boys, who are designated as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center.", "A road closure sign is seen in downtown Portland, Ore., Friday, Aug. 16, 2019, in advance of a rally as the city prepares for crowds. In the past week, authorities in Portland have arrested a half-dozen members of right-wing groups on charges related to violence at previous politically motivated rallies as the liberal city braces for potential clashes between far-right groups and self-described anti-fascists who violently oppose them. (AP Photo/Gillian Flaccus)\n\nPORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Police arrested at least 13 people and seized metal poles, bear spray and other weapons Saturday as hundreds of far-right protesters and anti-fascist counter-demonstrators swarmed downtown Portland, Oregon.\n\nAuthorities closed bridges and streets to try to keep the rival groups apart. The city’s mayor said the situation was “potentially dangerous and volatile,” and President Donald Trump tweeted “Portland is being watched very closely.”\n\nAs of early afternoon, most of the right-wing groups had left the area via a downtown bridge. Police used officers on bikes and in riot gear to keep black-clad, helmet- and mask-wearing anti-fascist protesters — known as antifa — from following them.\n\nBut hundreds of people remained downtown and on nearby streets, and there were skirmishes throughout the day. Police declared a gathering of mostly left-wing protesters near Pioneer Courthouse Square a “civil disturbance” and told people to leave.\n\nOne person was injured and transported via ambulance, and three other people were evaluated by medics, Portland Police spokeswoman Lt. Tina Jones said. The injuries were minor, she said.\n\nJones said at one point there were about 1,200 on the streets, but that number had fallen to about 400 late in the afternoon.\n\nThe events began late Saturday morning. Flag-waving members of the Proud Boys, Three Percenters militia group and others gathered downtown, some also wearing body armor and helmets. Police said they had seized the weapons, including shields, from multiple groups as they assembled along the Willamette River, which runs through the city.\n\nMore than two dozen local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, were in the city for the right-wing rally that was expected to draw people from across the country. Portland Police said all of the city’s 1,000 officers would be on duty for the gathering that was hyped on social media and elsewhere for weeks.\n\nIn the days leading up to the event, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler said people who espoused hate or engaged in violence were “not welcome.”\n\nIn a Saturday morning tweet, Trump wrote: “Hopefully the Mayor will be able to properly do his job.”\n\nHe also wrote that “major consideration is being given to naming ANTIFA an ‘ORGANIZATION of TERROR.'”\n\nBut it wasn’t immediately clear what he meant by that as there’s no mechanism for the United States government to declare a domestic organization a terror group. The State Department maintains a list of designated foreign terrorist organizations, such as al Qaida, but there’s no comparable designation or list for American groups.\n\nWheeler responded to the president’s tweet in an interview with CNN, saying, “frankly, it’s not helpful.”\n\nWheeler added: “This is a potentially dangerous and volatile situation, and adding to that noise doesn’t do anything to support or help the efforts that are going on here in Portland.”\n\nNot all who gathered Saturday were with right-wing groups or antifa. Also on hand were people dressed in colorful outfits and those who attended a nearby prayer service, holding signs that said slogans such as “No Trump, No NRA.”\n\nSelf-described anti-fascists had vowed to confront the rally, while leaders from the far right urged their followers to turn out in large numbers to protest the arrests of six members of right-wing groups in the run-up to the event.\n\nPatriot Prayer’s Joey Gibson, who organized similar rallies in 2017 and 2018 that erupted in clashes, surrendered Friday on an arrest warrant for felony rioting. He was at a confrontation that broke out on May 1 outside a bar where antifa members had gathered after a May Day demonstration.\n\nIn a video he livestreamed on Facebook, Gibson accused the police of playing politics by arresting him but not the masked demonstrators who beat up conservative blogger Andy Ngo at a June 29 rally that drew national attention.\n\nA video of that attack went viral and led the Proud Boys, who have been designated a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, to organize Saturday’s event.\n\nPolice continue to investigate several incidents from clashes on May 1 and June 29 and are politically neutral, Jones said.\n\nIn addition to the Proud Boys and Three Percenters, the white nationalist American Guard also said it would have members in Portland.\n\nThe Oath Keepers, another far-right militia group, said in a statement they were pulling out of the rally because organizers have not done enough to keep white supremacist groups away.\n\nAuthorities asked residents not to call 911 unless it’s a life-threatening emergency and to stay away from the heart of downtown."], "summary": "A rally of far-right groups such as the Proud Boys and Patriot Prayer is met by left-wing Antifa in Portland, Oregon."}
{"document": ["Why did this happen?\n\nPlease make sure your browser supports JavaScript and cookies and that you are not blocking them from loading. For more information you can review our Terms of Service and Cookie Policy.", "FILE - In this April 17, 2019 file photo, Argentina's Treasury Minister Nicolas Dujovne speaks during a press conference at Quinta de Olivos, in greater Buenos Aires, Argentina. Dujovne announced on Saturday, Aug. 17, that he is quitting his post in the government of President Mauricio Macri. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko, File)\n\nBUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Argentina's treasury minister, Nicolás Dujovne, resigned Saturday and will be replaced by the economy minister of the country's most populous state, a senior official in the presidential office said.\n\nThe resignation came three days after President Nicolas Macri announced his conservative administration is temporarily increasing the minimum wage, reducing payroll taxes and implementing other steps to help Argentine workers as the country struggles to overcome sizzling inflation, high unemployment and other economic problems.\n\nMacri acted after a leftist presidential slate that includes his predecessor, Cristina Fernández, turned in a powerful showing last Sunday in primary voting for candidates going into October general elections. Macri's slate did poorly, and the already weak Argentine peso slumped and stock prices fell sharply as investors reacted in worry about the vote results.\n\nIn his resignation letter, Dujovne reportedly says the government needs to make \"a significant overhaul in the economic area.\" He says the administration made strides in reducing the government's deficit and reducing taxes, but adds that \"we undoubtedly made mistakes.\"\n\nThe presidency official, who agreed to confirm the resignation only if not quoted by name, said Dujovne would be replaced by Hernán Lacunza, the economy minister for Buenos Aires province. Lacunza previously was general manager of the Central Bank.", "In a letter, cited by Reuters, Dujovne said that the country's government needed “significant renewal” in its economic team amid a currency crisis.\n\n“I believe my resignation is in keeping with my place in a government... that listens to the people and acts accordingly,” Dujovne said in the letter to Argentine President Mauricio Macri.\n\nThe country's president has appointed Hernan Lacunza, the economy minister for Buenos Aires province and former general manage of the Central Bank, as Dujovne’s replacement, according to AP.\n\nEarlier in the day, Fitch Ratings announced in a press release that Argentina’s credit rating had been downgraded due to increased political risks driven by the recent electoral defeat of the country’s incumbent president.\n\nIncumbent President Mauricio Macri won only 32.1 percent of the vote against his challenger Alberto Fernandez’s 47.7 percent in last Sunday’s election.\n\nThe primary elections results prompted a sharp drop in peso rate and an increase in economic instability.", "The economy minister for the province of Buenos Aires is set to become Argentina's treasury minister following the resignation of Nicolas Dujovne, government sources told EFE on Saturday.\n\nThe move comes after Dujovne presented his resignation in a letter to President Mauricio Macri following a financial crisis in the Argentinian market last week — an adverse reaction from investors to the ruling party's defeat in the presidential primaries on Aug. 11.", "Argentina’s Treasury Minister Nicolas Dujovne has resigned, saying in a letter seen by Reuters on Aug. 17 he believed the government needed “significant renewal” in its economic team amid a crisis which saw the peso plunge this week.\n\nDujovne said in a letter to Argentine President Mauricio Macri that he had given his “all” to the job, helped tame a significant deficit and trim public spending.\n\n“We have made mistakes as well, without a doubt, we never hesitate to recognize that and did all that was possible to correct them,” he added.\n\n“I believe my resignation is in keeping with my place in a government that listens to the people and acts accordingly,” he added.\n\nMacri has appointed Hernan Lacunza, the current economy minister for Buenos Aires province, as Dujovne’s replacement, a government source told Reuters.\n\nArgentina’s peso was in free-fall for most of this week after a shock primary election result last weekend, when center-left Peronist candidate Alberto Fernandez trounced center-right Macri, in what was widely seen as a referendum on the government’s seeking of a loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and austerity measures it took as a condition for the loan.\n\nThe peso depreciated 21 percent by the end of the week and on Aug. 16, in a fresh blow to Macri, ratings agencies Fitch and SP downgraded Argentina’s sovereign debt rating, raising the specter of a default as the October election approaches.\n\nLacunza is the former general manager of Argentina’s Central Bank and also of the Buenos Aires City Bank.", "BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Argentina's treasury minister, Nicolas Dujovne, resigned Saturday and will be replaced by the economy minister of the country's most populous state, a senior official in the presidential office said. \n\n \n\n The resignation came three days after President Mauricio Macri announced his conservative administration was temporarily increasing the minimum wage, reducing payroll taxes and implementing other steps to help Argentine workers as the country struggles to overcome sizzling inflation, high unemployment and other economic problems. \n\n \n\n Macri acted after a leftist presidential slate that includes his predecessor, Cristina Fernandez, turned in a powerful showing last Sunday in primary voting for candidates going into October general elections. Macri's slate did poorly, and the already weak Argentine peso slumped and stock prices fell sharply as investors worried about the vote results. \n\n \n\n In his resignation letter, Dujovne reportedly said the government needed to make ``a significant overhaul in the economic area.'' He said the administration had made strides in reducing the government's deficit and reducing taxes, but added that ``we undoubtedly made mistakes.'' \n\n \n\n The presidency official, who agreed to confirm the resignation only if not quoted by name, said Dujovne would be replaced by Hernan Lacunza, the economy minister for Buenos Aires province. Lacunza previously was general manager of the Central Bank.", "BUENOS AIRES _ Argentina's Treasury Minister Nicolas Dujovne resigned on Saturday, days after President Mauricio Macri suffered a heavy setback in primary elections sending the peso into a nose drive.\n\nIn a letter to Macri published by newspaper Clarin, Dujovne said \"circumstances\" required a \"significant renewal in the economic area.\"\n\nDujovne, who took the post in 2017 and led bailout negotiations with the International Monetary Fund last year, said that much was accomplished in terms of taming the deficit and trimming public spending, but \"without a doubt mistakes were made.\"\n\nAccording to Clarin, Dujovne will be replaced by Buenos Aires province Economy Minister Hernan Lacunza.\n\nThe minister's resignation comes three days after Macri announced a package of tax cuts and other economic relief measures for workers and companies following a surprise defeat in primaries on Sunday.\n\nMacri took only 32% of the vote, against nearly 48% for opposition candidate Alberto Fernandez. The primaries, which whittled down the number of presidential candidates, were considered an important indicator of public opinion before the presidential elections on Oct. 27.\n\nThe defeat, attributed largely to Macri's austerity policies and Argentina's economic difficulties, sent the peso into a nose drive amid fears among investors that a Fernandez presidency could see protectionist policies implemented.\n\nThe South American country is in a recession, urban poverty remains high, inflation is running in the double digits and unemployment stood at 10% in the first quarter.\n\nPHOTO (for help with images, contact 312-222-4194):ARGENTINA-TREASURY-RESIGN", "BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Argentina’s Treasury Minister Nicolas Dujovne has resigned, saying in a letter seen by Reuters on Saturday he believed the government needed “significant renewal” in its economic team amid a crisis which saw the peso plunge this week.\n\nDujovne said in a letter to Argentine President Mauricio Macri that he had given his all to the job, helped tame a significant deficit and trim public spending but conceded: “Mistakes have been made, without a doubt.”\n\n“I believe my resignation is in keeping with my place in a government... that listens to the people and acts accordingly,” he added.\n\nMacri has appointed Hernan Lacunza , the current economy minister for Buenos Aires province, as Dujovne’s replacement, a government source told Reuters.", "The government of Argentina has decided to abandon the 21-percent value-added tax (VAT) on essential food products to compensate price hikes amid a collapse of national currency peso, President Mauricio Macri said\n\nBUENOS AIRES (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 16th August, 2019) The government of Argentina has decided to abandon the 21-percent value-added tax (VAT) on essential food products to compensate price hikes amid a collapse of national currency peso, President Mauricio Macri said.\n\n\"I made an unparalleled decision which has not ever been made in our country. We will abandon the VAT for essential goods bought by Argentinian families ... This measure will be in effect until the end of the year,\" Macri said in a national address, aired live on his Twitter late on Thursday.\n\nAs of Friday, the VAT will not be included in the price of bread, milk, butter, pasta, rice, flour, canned fruit, vegetables and mate.\n\nBuenos Aires residents told Sputnik that prices had already surged by 20 percent, including the prices on goods produced inside Argentina.\n\n\"The prices for nearly anything have grown by at least 20 percent. I do not know what to do,\" Elena, a resident of the capital said.\n\nEarlier this week, the peso dropped by around 30 percent � from 46-47 pesos to 60-64 pesos per US dollar � amid the political instability in the country.\n\nThe decrease in the national currency rate followed the announcement of the results of the primaries ahead of the election scheduled to be held later this year. According to them, opposition alliance Front of All led by Alberto Fernandez gained over 47 of the vote, while Macri's Together for Change coalition gained only 32 percent.\n\nHowever, on Thursday, Argentina's largest state bank, Banco Nacion, sharply strengthened the peso, so the dollar cost 58 pesos instead of 63 pesos, which was the case on Wednesday.", "Argentina’s Treasury Minister Nicolas Dujovne has resigned, saying in a letter seen by Reuters on Saturday he believed the government needed “significant renewal” in its economic team amid a crisis which saw the peso plunge this week.\n\nBUENOS AIRES: Argentina’s Treasury Minister Nicolas Dujovne has resigned, saying in a letter seen by Reuters on Saturday he believed the government needed “significant renewal” in its economic team amid a crisis which saw the peso plunge this week.\n\nDujovne said in a letter to Argentine President Mauricio Macri that he had given his all to the job, helped tame a significant deficit and trim public spending but conceded: “Mistakes have been made, without a doubt.”\n\n“I believe my resignation is in keeping with my place in a government... that listens to the people and acts accordingly,” he added.\n\nMacri has appointed Hernan Lacunza , the current economy minister for Buenos Aires province, as Dujovne’s replacement, a government source told Reuters."], "summary": "The Argentinian Treasury Minister, Nicolás Dujovne, resigns after incumbent President Mauricio Macri's loss in a primary vote saw Argentina's peso fall to record lows."}
{"document": ["Smart Dragon-1 rocket, China's first rocket designed for commercial use, carrying three satellites lifts off from the launch pad at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Gansu province, China August 17, 2019. REUTERS/Stringer\n\nBEIJING (Reuters) - A Chinese government space agency successfully launched on Saturday its first rocket meant for commercial use, state television CCTV reported, as firms in the country compete to join a commercial satellite boom.\n\nSmart Dragon-1 rocket, which weighs 23 tonnes and was developed by a unit of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp (CASC), successfully delivered three satellites into orbit after a launch in Jiuquan, Gansu, CCTV said.\n\nChina envisions constellations of commercial satellites that can offer services ranging from high-speed internet for aircraft to tracking coal shipments. Reliable, low-cost and frequent rocket launches will be key for that.\n\nSmart Dragon-1, whose research and development budget came from social capital rather than state funding, is a demonstration of China’s drive to commercialize the rockets sector, where more private rocket firm are allowed to enter the market to compete with each other, CCTV said.\n\nLast month, Beijing-based iSpace became the first private firm to deliver a satellite into orbit on its rocket. Since late last year, two other startups have attempted to launch satellites but have failed.", "The Smart Dragon-1 lifts off in Gansu province. Photo: Reuters", "A Chinese carrier rocket designed for commercial use has made its maiden flight, carrying three satellites into orbit. State media released footage of the successful launch.\n\nWeighing 23 tons, the new Smart Dragon-1 rocket was developed by a unit of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp (CASC).\n\nFootage of the launch shows the rocket leaving its launch pad and hurtling towards space.\n\nChina hopes that the Smart Dragon will help meet market demand for rockets that can deliver small commercial satellites into orbit.\n\nLast month, Beijing-based iSpace became the first private firm to deliver a satellite into orbit on its rocket.\n\nLike this story? Share it with a friend!", "Smart Dragon 1, the newest model in China's carrier rocket family, conducted its maiden flight over the weekend from northwestern China's Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, expanding the nation's launch service portfolio.\n\nSD 1 Y1, the first rocket in the solid-propellant SD 1 series, blasted off at noon on Aug 17 from a large launch vehicle, thundering into blue skies. After several minutes of flight, it successfully placed three satellites, designed and built by three private satellite startups in Beijing, into orbits about 550 kilometers above the Earth.\n\nThe mission gave China a fourth carrier rocket alongside China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp's Long March series, China Aerospace Science and Industry Corp's Kuaizhou, and the SQX of privately owned space startup i-Space in Beijing.\n\nDeveloped by ChinaRocket, a subsidiary of the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, the country's leading rocket maker, SD 1 is 19.5 meters tall, has a diameter of 1.2 meters and weighs 23.1 metric tons.\n\nThough SD 1 is China's smallest and lightest carrier rocket, it boasts the highest carrying efficiency of all Chinese solid-propellant rockets, said Gong Min, SD 1's project manager at the academy, which is part of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp.\n\nHe said the rocket can place multiple satellites with a combined weight of 200 kilograms into a sun-synchronous orbit 500 km above the ground.\n\nThe academy began developing the rocket in February last year, intending to use it to meet surging demand for launch services from the country's flourishing satellite industry.\n\nIt takes only six months to produce one SD 1 rocket, Gong said, adding that its prelaunch preparations are much easier than those for large rockets and take only 24 hours.\n\nHe said that to make the rocket more competitive in the market, engineers used a number of innovative methods to speed up design and testing and to control its production cost.\n\n'For instance, we optimized or streamlined designs of several major parts on the rocket, removed unnecessary components and used as much commercial, off-the-shelf products as possible,' he said. 'We also used advanced simulation to replace time-consuming ground tests.'\n\nTang Yagang, president of China-Rocket, said the SD 1 is reliable and economical and can carry out launches for clients at short notice. It is launched from an off-road mobile vehicle, he said, meaning it could be launched anywhere at anytime－giving it outstanding operational flexibility.\n\nIn addition to SD 1, the company is making plans for research on and development of new solid-and liquid-propellant carrier rockets, Tang said.\n\nLi Shaoning, deputy chief engineer at ChinaRocket, said SD 1 is designed to mainly fulfill technology demonstration and satellite replacement tasks.\n\nHe said the second SD 1 rocket, scheduled to be launched from the Jiuquan center around the end of this year, will have some modifications compared with the first one.\n\nThe company has had orders for seven SD 1 rockets, including the first one, Li said.\n\nThe major payload in the mission on Aug 17 was Qiansheng 01A, a 65 kg satellite made by Beijing Qiansheng Exploration Technology for remote sensing and Earth observation operations. It is the first step in Beijing Qiansheng's effort to build and operate a 24-satellite network capable of providing remote sensing and communication services, the company said.", "BEIJING, Aug 17 (Reuters) - A Chinese government space agency successfully launched on Saturday its first rocket meant for commercial use, state television CCTV reported, as firms in the country compete to join a commercial satellite boom.\n\nSmart Dragon-1 rocket, which weighs 23 tonnes and was developed by a unit of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp (CASC), successfully delivered three satellites into orbit after a launch in Jiuquan, Gansu, CCTV said.\n\nChina envisions constellations of commercial satellites that can offer services ranging from high-speed internet for aircraft to tracking coal shipments. Reliable, low-cost and frequent rocket launches will be key for that.\n\nSmart Dragon-1, whose research and development budget came from social capital rather than state funding, is a demonstration of China's drive to commercialise the rockets sector, where more private rocket firm are allowed to enter the market to compete with each other, CCTV said.\n\nLast month, Beijing-based iSpace became the first private firm to deliver a satellite into orbit on its rocket. Since late last year, two other startups have attempted to launch satellites but have failed. (Reporting by Pei Li and Ryan Woo; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)", "China's new carrier rocket, designed for commercial use, made its maiden flight on Saturday, sending three satellites into the planned orbit.\n\nThe Smart Dragon-1 (SD-1), developed by the China Rocket Company affiliated to the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALVT), blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre in northwest China at 12:11 pm local time.\n\nThe three satellites, developed by three separate Beijing-based companies, will be used for remote sensing services, communication and Internet of Things (IoT), state-run Xinhua news agency reported.\n\nDifferent from the previous carrier rockets of the Long March family, the new Dragon series is developed in a commercial mode to meet the market demand of launching small commercial satellites, CALVT chief Wang Xiaojun said.\n\nThe SD-1 -- with a total length of 19.5 metres, a diameter of 1.2 metres and a take-off weight of about 23.1 tonnes -- is a small-scale solid-propellant carrier rocket capable of sending 200 kg payloads to the solar synchronous orbit at an altitude of 500 km.\n\n\"It has the highest carrying efficiency among China's current commercial solid-propellant rockets,\" Gong Min, technical manager of the SD-1 project, said.\n\nIt took less than 18 months to develop SD-1, which is the shortest period to develop a new type of carrier rocket in China, the report said.\n\nThe designers of SD-1 have made efforts to lower the costs and improve the efficiency and reliability of the rocket, China Rocket Company Ltd president Tang Yagang said.\n\nOne such rocket can be produced in six months after business agreements are signed with customers. After the rocket is transported to the launching centre, the launch can be realized within 24 hours. The rocket can be used for launching either single satellite or multiple satellites at a time, according to Tang.\n\nTang said the company mainly relies on social financing to develop SD-1 to lower its cost through competition.\n\n\"Commercial launching will have a vast market in the fields such as low-Earth orbit Internet mobile communication and remote sensing,\" Tang said.", "China's new Jielong-1 (Smart Dragon-1 or SD-1) rocket, which is designed for commercial missions, launched three satellites into orbit for the first time, the Xinhua news agency reported on Saturday\n\nMOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th August, 2019) China's new Jielong-1 (Smart Dragon-1 or SD-1) rocket, which is designed for commercial missions, launched three satellites into orbit for the first time, the Xinhua news agency reported on Saturday.\n\nThe rocket was launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Gansu province in the country's northwest at 12.11 local time (07.11 GMT).\n\nThe three satellites, developed by three Beijing-based companies, will be used for remote sensing, communications and internet of Things services.\n\nIn August 2018, China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) introduced the design of its new Jielong-1 launch vehicle.\n\nIt was reported that the rocket would be the first in a series of small-sized Jielong launch vehicles and will be capable of carrying up to 150 kilograms (330 Pounds) of payload to a 700-kilometer (435-mile) high sun-synchronous orbit.\n\nDespite its small size, the solid-fuel rocket Jielong is capable of putting several satellites into orbit at once. The rocket has a length of 19.5 meters (64 feet), diameter of 1.2 meters, and combination weight of 23.1 tonnes.", "A Chinese government space agency successfully launched on Saturday its first rocket meant for commercial use, state television CCTV reported, as firms in the country compete to join a commercial satellite boom. \n\n\n\nSmart Dragon-1 rocket, which weighs 23 tonnes and was developed by a unit of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp (CASC), successfully delivered three satellites into orbit after a launch in Jiuquan, Gansu, CCTV said.\n\nChina envisions constellations of commercial satellites that can offer services ranging from high-speed internet for aircraft to tracking coal shipments. Reliable, low-cost and frequent rocket launches will be key for that.Smart Dragon-1, whose research and development budget came from social capital rather than state funding, is a demonstration of China's drive to commercialize the rockets sector, where more private rocket firm are allowed to enter the market to compete with each other, CCTV said.Last month, Beijing-based iSpace became the first private firm to deliver a satellite into orbit on its rocket. Since late last year, two other startups have attempted to launch satellites but have failed.\n\nvar cont = `Join Jerusalem Post Premium Plus now for just $5 and upgrade your experience with an ads-free website and exclusive content. Click here>>\n\n\n\n`; document.getElementById(\"linkPremium\").innerHTML = cont; (function (v, i){ });", "Beijing: A Chinese government space agency successfully launched on Saturday its first rocket meant for commercial use, state television CCTV reported, as firms in the country compete to join a commercial satellite boom.\n\nSmart Dragon-1 rocket, which weighs 23 tonnes and was developed by a unit of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp (CASC), successfully delivered three satellites into orbit after a launch in Jiuquan, Gansu, CCTV said.\n\nChina envisions constellations of commercial satellites that can offer services ranging from high-speed internet for aircraft to tracking coal shipments. Reliable, low-cost and frequent rocket launches will be key for that.\n\nSmart Dragon-1, whose research and development budget came from social capital rather than state funding, is a demonstration of China's drive to commercialise the rockets sector, where more private rocket firm are allowed to enter the market to compete with each other, CCTV said.\n\nLast month, Beijing-based iSpace became the first private firm to deliver a satellite into orbit on its rocket. Since late last year, two other startups have attempted to launch satellites but have failed.\n\nGet the best of News18 delivered to your inbox - subscribe to News18 Daybreak. Follow News18.com on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and on YouTube, and stay in the know with what's happening in the world around you – in real time.\n\nSubscribe to Moneycontrol Pro and gain access to curated markets data, trading recommendations, equity analysis, investment ideas, insights from market gurus and much more. Get Moneycontrol PRO for 1 year at price of 3 months. Use code FREEDOM.", "Ed Smart, Elizabeth Smart’s father, has come out as gay in a Facebook post where he also announced his divorce from his wife, Lois Smart.\n\nIn the post, Smart, 64, said that he was also leaving the Mormon church. Smart said that although his faith remained, he wrote of the Mormon church, “As an openly gay man, the church is not a place where I find solace any longer. It is not my responsibility to tell the church, its members or its leadership what to believe about the rightness or wrongness of being LGBTQ.” Smart added that he had “come to the conclusion that it was never my Savior’s intent to change me from the way I was born.”\n\nEd Smart became known nationally in June 2002 when his then-teenage daughter, Elizabeth, was kidnapped from their home in the Federal Heights neighborhood of Salt Lake City, Utah. Elizabeth was found nine months later in March 2003 in Sandy, Utah, some 18 miles from her home. At the time, Brian David Mitchell and his wife, Wanda Barzee, were arrested and accused of kidnapping.\n\nIn 2011, Brian David Mitchell was sentenced to life in prison for his role in the kidnapping. His wife had been sentenced in 2010 to 15 years for her role. Wanda Barzee was released from prison in Draper, Utah, in September 2018.\n\nHere’s what you need to know:\n\n1. Smart Said in a Facebook Post That He Has Lived With ‘Pain & Guilt for So Many Years’\n\nSmart’s Facebook status update has not been made public at the time of writing but has been viewed by several news outlets in Utah. The Deseret News quotes the statement as saying in part, “I have recently acknowledged to myself and my family that I am gay.”\n\nSmart wrote that the post was “one of the hardest letters I have ever written.” Smart continued, “The decision to be honest and truthful about my orientation comes with its own set of challenges, but at the same time it is a huge relief. Living with the pain and guilt I have for so many years, not willing to accept the truth about my orientation has at times brought me to the point where I questioned whether life was still worth living.”\n\nEd Smart wrote that he had been witness to members of the LGBTQ community being humiliated within the Mormon church. Ed wrote that “fought” to “suppress” his feelings. Smart said he wanted to “tell those being ostracized that I too am numbered among them.”\n\nSmart commented that people had told him that he wasted his life by not coming out sooner, while others have said that homosexuality is a sin. Smart wrote, “Both are inaccurate and fail to do justice to the deep conflict involved in not being honest with myself and others for so long. Acknowledging I am a gay man is freeing but it also hurts many of those whom I love very much.” Smart concluded his post by writing, “While there are wounds right now, I also know our Savior can help heal the damage which this revelation has brought. Through Christ love will outlast the grief.”\n\nIn an interview with KUTV about his decision to come out, Smart said that he “struggled with this for most of his life.”\n\n2. Smart Is the Father of 6 Children\n\nSmart and his wife Lois have six children together. Elizabeth is the second-oldest of four brothers and one sister.\n\nThe Salt Lake City Tribune reports that Lois Smart filed for divorce on July 5. In his Facebook post, via The Deseret News, Ed Smart paid tribute to his wife saying, “Lois has been a loyal wife, and extraordinary mother, who has had to endure an impossible part of this journey. I deeply regret the excruciating pain this has caused her. Hurting her was never my intent. While our marriage will end, my love for Lois and everyone in my family is eternal.”\n\nTogether, Smart and his wife had written a book about the ordeal they went through with their daughter’s kidnapping, “Bringing Elizabeth Home,” that was made into a Hallmark TV movie.\n\n4. Prior to His Daughter’s Kidnapping, Ed Smart Was a Prominent Mortgage Broker in Salt Lake City\n\nPrior to his daughter’s arrest, Smart had been a prominent mortgage broker in Salt Lake City. Since his daughter was found, Smart has been an advocate for missing people. In his Facebook post announcing his homosexuality, Smart said that his advocacy work will continue. Smart founded the Elizabeth Smart Foundation along with his daughter. The organization advocates against child abuse and empowers survivors.\n\nEd Smart had hired his daughter’s kidnapper, Brian David Mitchell, to do work on the family’s roof, while Lois Smart admitted that she had once given Mitchell money on the street.\n\nUtah County Commissioner, Nathan Ivie, a member of the Republican party, came out as a homosexual in May 2019. Ivie said in a Facebook video that he had struggled with his sexuality for years prior to coming out.\n\nThe Salt Lake City Tribune reports that Ivie and Smart are friends. Ivie told the Tribune upon hearing of Smart’s coming out, “I am happy for him and wish him the best on this next part of his life and pray he might receive the same kindness and support that was offered to me.”\n\n5. Elizabeth Smart Said That Although She Is Saddened by Her Parents Separation, She Supports her Father\n\nIn a statement, via The Deseret News, Elizabeth Smart that she supported both of her parents, although she was saddened at their separation. Smart said, “While I am deeply saddened by their separation, nothing could change my love and admiration for them both. Their decisions are very personal. As such, I will not pass judgment and rather am focusing on loving and supporting them and the other members of my family.” Elizabeth added that her parents had taught her from a young age not to pass judgment on others."], "summary": "China announces the successful first launch of the Smart Dragon-1 [fr; de] carrier rocket."}
{"document": ["A suicide bomb attack at a wedding in Kabul on Saturday killed 63 people and wounded 182, an Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman said.\n\nAmong the victims were women and children, spokesman Nasrat Rahimi said. About 20 people were taken to a Kabul hospital run by the Italian NGO Emergency, the organization said.\n\n“We were planning to sleep when we heard the sound of a loud explosion,” a witness who lives near the venue and did not want to be identified told CNN.\n\n“When I came outside, I saw smoke coming out of the hall. I saw dead bodies and wounded people, who were being taken to hospitals by policemen and Kabul ambulances. We are too in shock, too upset by the incident.”\n\nISIS claimed responsibility for the attack. It said a Pakistani fighter detonated an explosive vest amid a large gathering of Shia Muslims, reported the SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors terrorist group activities.\n\nThe terror group also said a car bombing followed the initial attack, added SITE.\n\nAfghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani condemned the attack and said that despite the Taliban’s denials of responsibility, it still shared some of the blame because it “provides a platform for terrorists.”\n\n“My top priority for now is to reach out to the families of victims of this barbaric attack,” Ghani said on Twitter.\n\nHe added that in response to the attack, he had “called an extraordinary security meeting to review and prevent such security lapses.”\n\nThe venue is in western Kabul, an area home to many of Afghanistan’s Shiite Hazara minority. It is also near the Darul Aman palace, where President Ashraf Ghani is expected to celebrate Afghan Independence Day on Monday.\n\nEarlier this month, 14 people were killed and 145 injured in the same district when three suicide attackers detonated an improvised explosive device at the gate of the police headquarters.\n\nThe Taliban claimed responsibility for the August 7 attack, even as the terror group negotiates a peace plan with Washington.", "The Islamic State militant group claimed responsibility on Sunday for a suicide blast at a wedding reception in Afghanistan that killed 63 people, underlining the dangers the country faces even if the Taliban agrees to a pact with the United States.\n\nThe Saturday night attack came as the Taliban and the United States try to negotiate an agreement on the withdrawal of U.S. forces in exchange for a Taliban commitment on security and peace talks with Afghanistan's U.S.-backed government.\n\nIslamic State fighters, who first appeared in Afghanistan in 2014 and have since made inroads in the east and north, are not involved in the talks. They are battling government and U.S.-led international forces and the Taliban.\n\nThe U.S. special envoy for reconciliation in Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, said the attack showed the need to accelerate efforts to reach a deal with the Taliban, to help defeat Islamic State.\n\nU.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday called the attack\"horrible\" and expressed optimism at the state of talks. He said the United States would seek to get troop levels below 13,000 but leave \"very significant\" intelligence capabilities behind.\n\n\"We’re there for one reason, we don’t want that to be a laboratory, it can’t be a laboratory for terror,\" Trump said, speaking before boarding Air Force One in New Jersey.\n\nAbout 14,000 U.S. troops remain in Afghanistan, training and advising Afghan security forces and conducting counterinsurgency operations.\n\nIslamic State has claimed some of the bloodiest attacks in Afghan cities over the past couple of years, with some aimed at the Shi'ite minority.\n\nThe Sunni Muslim group, in a statement on the messaging website Telegram, claimed responsibility for the attack at a west Kabul wedding hall in a minority Shi'ite neighbourhood, saying its bomber had been able to infiltrate the reception and detonate his explosives in the crowd of \"infidels\".\n\nThe Taliban earlier denied responsibility for the blast and condemned it.\n\nMore than 180 people were wounded, with many women and children among the casualties, interior ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi said on Sunday as grieving families thronged to Kabul's crowded cemeteries.\n\n\"We want peace, not such brutal suicide attacks,\" said Ahmad Khan, who was burying a relative.\n\nPictures on social media from the scene of the blast showed bodies strewn amid overturned tables and chairs, with dark blood stains on the wedding hall carpet.\n\nBoth the bride and groom survived.\n\n\"I won't ever be able to forget this, however much I try,\" the groom, Mirwais Elmi, told the TOLOnews channel.\n\nHe said his cousin and some friends had been killed.\n\nThe bride’s father told TOLOnews that 14 members of his family were killed.\n\nBrightly lit wedding halls that line some suburban streets of the city had been targeted previously by bombers. At least 40 people were killed in a blast in November.\n\nThere has been no let-up in fighting and bomb attacks in Afghanistan over recent months despite talks between the United States and the Taliban since late last year.\n\nPresident Ashraf Ghani, in comments on the Kabul blast before the Islamic State claim, said the Taliban could not\"absolve themselves of blame for they provide a platform for terrorists\".\n\nCelebrations for Monday's 100th anniversary of Afghanistan's independence from Britain were curtailed out of respect for the blast victims, the president's office said.\n\nThe Taliban has been fighting to expel foreign forces and re-establish a theocratic Islamic state since its ousting in October 2001, weeks after the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States.\n\nBoth U.S. negotiators and the Taliban have reported progress after eight rounds of talks since late last year.\n\nTrump has made no secret of his desire for a U.S. pullout from Afghanistan and an end to America's longest war.\n\nBut there are concerns among Afghan officials and U.S. national security aides that Afghanistan could be plunged into a new civil war that could herald a return of Taliban rule and international militants, including Islamic State, finding a refuge.\n\nAfghan government officials also fear that a Taliban pact could drive some die-hard Taliban fighters into the arms of Islamic State.\n\nUnder the expected deal, the Taliban, in exchange for a U.S. commitment to withdraw, would guarantee that Afghanistan would not be a sanctuary for militants to expand and plot new attacks.\n\nThe United States also wants a Taliban commitment to hold power-sharing talks with the government and announce a ceasefire. The Taliban has refused to talk to the government.\n\nKhalilzad said the peace process had to be accelerated, in particular the intra-Afghan talks.\n\n\"Success here will put Afghans in a much stronger position to defeat ISIS,\" he tweeted, referring to Islamic State.", "More than 60 killed and 180 injured in explosion in western part of Afghan capital\n\nIslamic State has claimed responsibility for a bombing at a wedding hall in Kabul that killed at least 63 people and injured more than 200. Survivors said the bomber was standing by a stage where children and adults were dancing and clapping when he detonated his explosives vest.\n\nThe bomb went off inside the the Dubai City wedding hall, in a western neighbourhood of Afghanistan’s capital that is home to many in the minority Shia Hazara community.\n\nA statement by the militant group posted on an Isis-linked website on Sunday said the attack was carried out by a Pakistani Isis fighter. Isis has claimed responsibility for many deadly attacks against the Hazara community since the militant group emerged in Afghanistan in 2014.\n\nThe groom recalled greeting smiling guests in the afternoon and seeing their bodies being carried out hours later. The attack “changed my happiness to sorrow”, the young man, who gave his name as Mirwais, told a local TV station, Tolo News. “My family, my bride are in shock, they cannot even speak. My bride keeps fainting,” he said. “I lost my brother, I lost my friends, I lost my relatives. I will never see happiness in my life again.”\n\nMohammad Farhag, who attended the wedding, said he had been in the women’s section when he heard a huge blast in the men’s area. “Everyone ran outside shouting and crying,” he said. “For about 20 minutes the hall was full of smoke. Almost everyone in the men’s section is either dead or wounded.”\n\nTwo hours after the blast, bodies were still being removed from the hall, Farhag said.\n\nFacebook Twitter Pinterest Men carry coffins of the victims of a blast at a wedding in Kabul. Photograph: Mohammad Ismail/Reuters\n\nThe blast comes at an uncertain time in Afghanistan as the US and the Taliban near a deal to end the nearly 18-year war. The Afghan government has been sidelined from those discussions, and Seddiqi said on Saturday his government was waiting to hear the outcome of a meeting of Donald Trump and his national security team about the negotiations. Top issues include the withdrawal of US troops and Taliban guarantees not to let Afghanistan become a launching pad for global terror attacks.\n\nBut even as the talks appear to be nearing a conclusion Isis is now emerging as the greatest threat to Afghan civilians.\n\nThe Taliban condemned the attack as “forbidden and unjustifiable” and denied any involvement.\n\nAfghanistan’s president, Ashraf Ghani, said on Sunday the Taliban could not escape blame for the “barbaric” attack. “The Taliban cannot absolve themselves of blame for they provide a platform for terrorists,” Ghani said in a post on Twitter.\n\nAmerica is close to ‘deal’ with Taliban, hints Trump Read more\n\nKabul’s huge, brightly lit wedding halls are centres of community life in a city weary from decades of war, with thousands of dollars spent on a single evening.\n\nIn November last year at least 55 people were killed when a suicide bomber set off explosives at a Kabul wedding hall where hundreds of Muslim religious scholars and clerics had gathered to mark the birthday of the prophet Muhammad.\n\nFacebook Twitter Pinterest A view of the damaged site after a suicide blast that targeted a wedding reception in Kabul. Photograph: Anadolu Agency via Getty Images\n\nThe latest attack came a few days after the end of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, as Kabul residents were visiting family and friends, and just before Afghanistan marks its 100th independence day on Monday.\n\nOn Sunday stunned families buried the dead, some digging with their bare hands. One wounded survivor, Mohammad Aslim, still wore his bloodied clothes the day after the blast late Saturday. He and his friends had already buried 16 bodies, among them several close relatives, including a 7-year-old boy.\n\nAhmad Jamal, 26, a relative of the bride, told the Guardian: “This explosion occurred exactly at the middle of the hall, I was chatting with my friends less than 20 metres away when a huge explosion went off. Before that everyone was happy, some were dancing, some laughing, but the bomb ended everything. Some lost their lives while dancing.”\n\nHe added: “There were bodies on the ground everywhere you look. There were hands, feet and many other parts of the body with so [much] blood, I tried to count but it was countless. Ambulances and police arrived 30 minutes after the explosion. I feel the world has forgotten us, no one consider us as a human here.”\n\nTalib Muzaffari, 24, who lives near the hall, told the Guardian: “It was around 10pm when we heard a very big explosion. We rushed to go outside to understand what had happened. Then ambulances arrived. There was sound of ambulances all night and we were in shock and did not sleep all night.”\n\nLast year more than 3,800 civilians, including more than 900 children, were killed in Afghanistan by the Taliban, US and allied forces, the Isis affiliate and other actors, the United Nations said.", "ISIS claims responsibility for deadly blast at wedding in Afghanistan, killing 63 people", "(CNN) — A suicide bomb attack at a wedding in Kabul on Saturday killed 63 people and wounded 182, an Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman said.\n\nAmong the victims were women and children, spokesman Nasrat Rahimi said. About 20 people were taken to a Kabul hospital run by the Italian NGO Emergency, the organization said.\n\n“We were planning to sleep when we heard the sound of a loud explosion,” a witness who lives near the venue and did not want to be identified told CNN.\n\n“When I came outside, I saw smoke coming out of the hall. I saw dead bodies and wounded people, who were being taken to hospitals by policemen and Kabul ambulances. We are too in shock, too upset by the incident.”\n\nISIS claimed responsibility for the attack. It said a Pakistani fighter detonated an explosive vest amid a large gathering of Shia Muslims, reported the SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors terrorist group activities.\n\nThe terror group also said a car bombing followed the initial attack, added SITE.\n\nAfghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani condemned the attack and said that despite the Taliban’s denials of responsibility, it still shared some of the blame because it “provides a platform for terrorists.”\n\n“My top priority for now is to reach out to the families of victims of this barbaric attack,” Ghani said on Twitter.\n\nHe added that in response to the attack, he had “called an extraordinary security meeting to review and prevent such security lapses.”\n\nThe venue is in western Kabul, an area home to many of Afghanistan’s Shiite Hazara minority. It is also near the Darul Aman palace, where President Ashraf Ghani is expected to celebrate Afghan Independence Day on Monday.\n\nEarlier this month, 14 people were killed and 145 injured in the same district when three suicide attackers detonated an improvised explosive device at the gate of the police headquarters.\n\nThe Taliban claimed responsibility for the August 7 attack, even as the terror group negotiates a peace plan with Washington.", "The Islamic State militant group claimed responsibility on Sunday for a suicide blast at a wedding reception in Afghanistan that killed 63 people, underling the dangers the country faces even if the Taliban agree a pact with the United States.", "TEHRAN, Aug. 19 (MNA) – A bomb attack by ISIL targeting a wedding in the Afghan capital of Kabul left at least 63 people dead and more than 180 others injured on Saturday.", "The suicide bomber stood in the middle of the dancing, clapping crowd as hundreds of Afghan children and adults celebrated a wedding in a joyous release from Kabul’s strain of war. Then, in a flash, he detonated his explosives-filled vest, killing dozens — and Afghanistan grieved again.\n\nThe local Daesh affiliate claimed responsibility for the deadliest attack in the capital this year, with 63 killed and 182 wounded, while outraged Afghans questioned just how safe they will be under an approaching deal between the United States and the Taliban to end America’s longest war.\n\nThe Taliban condemned the attack but Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said they shared responsibility. “The Taliban cannot absolve themselves of blame, for they provide a platform for terrorists,” he said.\n\nGhani said the attack was “barbaric,” and Afghanistan’s chief executive Abdullah Abdullah described it as a “crime against humanity.”\n\nSaudi Arabia offered its condolences to the victims’ families and the government and people of Afghanistan, wishing the injured a speedy recovery.. “We condemn and denounce the suicide bombing,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.\n\n“We renew the Kingdom’s firm position against targeting and terrorizing innocent people, and all manifestations of terrorism and violence.”\n\nThe explosion came just ahead of Afghanistan’s 100th Independence Day on Monday. The city, long familiar with checkpoints and razor wire, has been under heavier security. It was not immediately clear if planned events in Kabul would go ahead.\n\nThe attack came as the Taliban and the US try to negotiate an agreement on the withdrawal of US forces in exchange for a Taliban commitment on security and peace talks with the Afghan government. So far the Taliban have refused to talk to the government.\n\nThe US special envoy for Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, said the attack showed the need to accelerate efforts to reach a deal with the Taliban, to help defeat Daesh.\n\nBut there are concerns among Afghan officials and US national security aides that Afghanistan could be plunged into a new civil war that could bring a return of Taliban rule and a refuge for extremists such as Daesh.\n\nWhile the US wants Taliban assurances that Afghanistan will no longer be used as a launch pad for global terror attacks, there appear to be no guarantees of protection for Afghan civilians.\n\nThe Taliban, which the US hopes will help curb the Daesh affiliate’s rise, condemned Saturday’s attack as “forbidden and unjustifiable.”\n\nThe blast took place in a western Kabul neighborhood that is home to many in the country’s minority Shiite Hazara community. Daesh, which declared war on Afghanistan’s Shiites nearly two years ago and has claimed responsibility for many attacks targeting them in the past, said in a statement that a Pakistani Daesh fighter seeking martyrdom targeted a large Shiite gathering.\n\nThe wedding, at which more than 1,200 people had been invited, was in fact a mixed crowd of Shiites and Sunnis, said the event hall’s owner, Hussain Ali.\n\nAli’s workers were still finding body parts, including hands, in the shattered wedding hall, its floor strewn with broken glass, pieces of furniture and victims’ shoes.\n\n“We have informed the police to come and collect them,” he said.\n\nThe bomber detonated his explosives near the stage where musicians were playing and “all the youths, children and all the people who were there were killed,” said Gul Mohammad, another witness.\n\nSurvivors described a panicked scene in the suddenly darkened hall as people screamed and scrambled to find loved ones.\n\n“I was with the groom in the other room when we heard the blast and then I couldn’t find anyone,” said Ahmad Omid, who said the groom was his father’s cousin. “Everyone was lying all around the hall.”\n\nMany of the dead and wounded were women and children attending the wedding. Bodies were strewn amid overturned tables and chairs, with dark bloodstains on the wedding hall carpet.Both the bride and groom survived the attack, but newlywed Mirwais Elmi was distraught. “I won’t ever be able to forget this, however much I try,” he said.\n\n“My family, my bride, are in shock, they cannot even speak. My bride keeps fainting. I lost my brother, I lost my friends, I lost my relatives. I will never see happiness in my life again.”\n\nThe bride’s father said 14 members of his family had been killed.\n\n“People were dancing and celebrating the party when the blast happened,” said wedding guest Munir Ahmad, 23, who was seriously injured. “After the explosion there was total chaos. Everyone was screaming and crying for their loved ones.”\n\nStunned families buried the dead, some digging with their bare hands. One wounded survivor, Mohammad Aslim, still wore his bloodied clothes the day after the blast late Saturday. He and his friends had already buried 16 bodies, among them several close relatives, including a 7-year-old boy.\n\nAslim looked exhausted, and said he was waiting to bury more. Nearby a man named Amanullah, who lost his 14-year-old son, said in anguish that the explosion had mangled the boy’s face so badly he could no longer recognize it.\n\n“I wish I could find the pieces of my son’s body and put them as one piece into the grave,” he cried.\n\nThe blast at the wedding hall, known as Dubai City, shattered a period of relative calm in Kabul.\n\nOn Aug. 7, a Taliban car bomber aimed at Afghan security forces detonated his explosives on the same road, a short drive from the hall, killing 14 people and wounding 145 — most of them women, children and other civilians.\n\nKabul’s huge, brightly lit wedding halls are centers of community life in a city weary of decades of war, with thousands of dollars often spent on a single evening.\n\nMessages of shock poured in on Sunday. “Such acts are beyond condemnation,” the European Union mission to Afghanistan said. “An act of extreme depravity,” US Ambassador John Bass said. A deliberate attack on civilians “can only be described as a cowardly act of terror,” UN envoy to Afghanistan Tadamichi Yamamoto said.", "KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Islamic State group’s affiliate in Afghanistan claims responsibility for Kabul wedding blast that killed at least 63.\n\nCopyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.", "By The Associated Press\n\nKABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The Islamic State group’s affiliate in Afghanistan claims responsibility for Kabul wedding blast that killed at least 63.\n\nCopyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area."], "summary": "ISIL claims responsibility for a terrorist attack against a wedding party in Afghanistan the day prior, which left 63 people dead and over 200 injured."}
{"document": ["Gibraltar refused a US request to seize the Iranian tanker Grace 1 on Sunday, saying it was unable to comply because it was bound by European Union law.\n\nA federal court in Washington on Friday issued a warrant for the seizure of the tanker, the oil it carries and nearly $1 million.\n\nBritish Royal Marines had detained the vessel in Gibraltar in July on suspicion that it was carrying oil to Syria in violation of EU sanctions.\n\n“The Central Authority’s inability to seek the Orders requested is a result of the operation of European Union law and the differences in the sanctions regimes applicable to Iran in the EU and the US,” a Gibraltar government statement said.\n\n“The EU sanctions regime against Iran - which is applicable in Gibraltar - is much narrower than that applicable in the US.”\n\nEarlier on Sunday, the tanker has raised an Iranian flag and has had a new name painted on its side, Reuters images of the stationary vessel filmed off Gibraltar showed on Sunday.\n\nLast Update: Sunday, 18 August 2019 KSA 15:38 - GMT 12:38", "A crew member checks the new name of Iranian oil tanker Adrian Darya, formerly known as Grace 1, off the coast of Gibraltar on Sunday (AFP photo)\n\nGIBRALTAR — Gibraltar on Sunday rejected a US demand to seize an Iranian oil tanker at the centre of a diplomatic dispute as it prepared to leave the British overseas territory after weeks of detention.\n\nGibraltar's government said it could not seek a court order to detain the supertanker because US sanctions against Iran were not applicable in the European Union.\n\n\"The EU sanctions regime against Iran — which is applicable in Gibraltar — is much narrower than that applicable in the US,\" the Gibraltar authorities said in a statement.\n\nIran's ambassador to London said in a Tweet that \"the vessel should set sail this evening\", with fresh crew arriving.\n\nA Gibraltar judge ordered the Grace 1 tanker released on Thursday, weeks after authorities seized the vessel on suspicion of transporting oil to Syria in breach of European sanctions. Iran has repeatedly denied this.\n\nBut on Friday the US Justice Department filed a request to detain the ship alleging it was involved in supporting illicit shipments to Syria by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, listed as a terrorist group by Washington.\n\nThe seizure triggered a sharp deterioration in relations between Tehran and London. Iran subsequently detained the British-flagged tanker Stena Impero in what was seen as a tit-for-tat move.\n\nThe US Justice Department says the Grace 1 — now renamed the Adrian Darya — and its oil are subject to forfeiture because of US sanctions violations.", "Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings.\n\nThe U.S. has filed a warrant to seize all oil aboard an Iranian oil tanker impounded in Gibraltar last month as well as nearly $1 million, according to federal court documents unsealed on Friday.\n\nThe seizure warrant and forfeiture complaint is based on the International Emergency Economic Powers Act as well as other statutes that deal with money laundering, bank fraud and a terrorism forfeiture statute, the Department of Justice said.\n\nThe tanker, Grace 1, was detained last month in a British Royal Navy operation off of Gibraltar, and it was suspected of violating European Union sanctions on oil shipments to Syria, which is an ally of Iran.\n\nGibraltar officials had said this week that the U.S. Department of Justice had applied to seize the Grace 1.\n\nWhile the U.S. announced it obtained the warrant to seize the tanker, Gibraltar court officials said they had not received any claim by the end of the business day, and it was not clear whether the U.S. had forwarded it, the Associated Press reported.\n\nThe U.S. government claims in the court documents that the Grace 1, which is capable of carrying more than 2 million barrels of crude oil, is part of a scheme to support illicit shipments from Iran by that country’s Revolutionary Guard Corps. President Donald Trump has designated the guard corps as a foreign terrorist organization.\n\nThe U.S. says that the oil tanker engaged in \"deceptive voyages\" from Iran to other locations, including Syria.\n\n\"The scheme involves multiple parties affiliated with the IRGC and furthered by the deceptive voyages of the Grace 1. A network of front companies allegedly laundered millions of dollars in support of such shipments,\" the Justice Department said in a statement, referring to the Revolutionary Guard Corps.\n\nOn Thursday, Gibraltar's government confirmed that the oil tanker has been released from legal detention. The tanker shifted its position on Friday, but its anchor was still down off Gibraltar and it was unclear if it was ready to set sail soon, Reuters reported. Gibraltar is an overseas British territory.\n\nGibraltar's chief minister, Fabian Picardo, has said that he received assurances from Iran that the tanker would not head to an entity that is subject to E.U. sanctions. A Gibraltar government spokesperson said that Iran has provided commitments, but also that evidence located aboard the Grace 1 \"demonstrates that the vessel was going to Syria.\"\n\nThe U.S. court documents allege that before the tanker was seized by British authorities, \"a confidential source revealed that the Grace I was scheduled to arrive in Syria in early July.\"\n\nThe documents claim that charts and electronic equipment on board show the tanker was destined for a port in Syria, which would be in violation of U.S. sanctions.\n\nThe seizure of Grace 1, which occurred on July 4, became a simmering point in the ongoing tensions between Iran and the west.\n\nWeeks after the tanker was seized by British authorities, Iran seized a British oil tanker, the Stena Impero, in the Strait of Hormuz.\n\nIran's ambassador to the U.K. has called the seizure and detention of the Grace 1 an illegal act. Iran's foreign minister, Mohammad Javad Zarif, tweeted on Thursday that \"detention was 100% unlawful.\"\n\nIn addition to the tanker and the oil aboard, the U.S. is seeking to seize $999,950 that it says is at a U.S. bank which was not named, according to the unsealed court documents.", "Gibraltar has rejected a renewed US request demanding the seizure of the tanker Grace 1, which has been renamed Adrian Darya 1. The decision comes days after it lifted the weeks-long detention and allowed the vessel set sail.\n\nThe British overseas territory rejected a warrant issued Friday by a federal court in Washington that sought the supertanker's arrest, the oil it carried and the almost $1 million found on board. The US request came into conflict with the EU law under which Gibraltar governs, and led “to the differences in the sanctions regimes applicable to Iran in the EU and the US,” it said in a statement on Sunday.\n\n“The EU sanctions regime against Iran –which is applicable in Gibraltar– is much narrower than that applicable in the US,” it explained.\n\nThis was the second time in a week that Washington tried to prevent Grace 1 from departing Gibraltar. On Thursday, the Justice Department made a last-minute effort to seize the oil tanker, filing the necessary formal request just hours before it had been cleared to set sail.\n\nAt that time, local authorities managed to withstand the diplomatic torpedo fired by the US at efforts by the UK to defuse tensions with Tehran, lifting a detention order Gibraltar had earlier issued for the vessel, with the backing of the British.\n\nThe US based its seizure requests on a claim that ‘Adrian Darya 1’ was ferrying Iranian crude to Syria under the auspices of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which is designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the US but not the EU or other world powers.\n\nAlso, there was a “scheme to unlawfully access the US financial system to support illicit shipments to Syria from Iran by the IRGC,” the Justice Department alleged.\n\nHowever, none of the allegations were compelling enough for the UK-governed enclave, as these “would not constitute offences in Gibraltar had they occurred in Gibraltar.” There are no “equivalent sanctions against Iran in Gibraltar, the UK or the rest of the EU,” the statement noted.\n\nIf you like this story, share it with a friend!", "A Gibraltar court rejected a U.S. attempt to seize an Iranian oil tanker on Sunday, and the ship resumed its journey into the Mediterranean under the Iranian flag and with a new name.\n\nThe Grace 1 supertanker, renamed the Adrian Darya 1, had been anchored off Gibraltar since it was intercepted by the British navy July 4 on the grounds that it was carrying oil to Syria in violation of European Union sanctions. Authorities in Gibraltar lifted the detention order last week after Britain, which rules the territory, received assurances from Iran that the tanker would not take its cargo of 2.1 million barrels of oil to Syria.\n\nBut late Friday, the United States intervened, issuing a warrant for the seizure of the ship and its cargo, claiming it was violating not only U.S. sanctions against Syria but also those against Iran.\n\nThe Gibraltar court ruled that the American sanctions on Iran, which were imposed by President Trump after he walked away from the Iran nuclear deal last year, do not apply in the European Union.\n\nThe sanctions violations charged in the U.S. warrant \"would not constitute offenses had they occurred in Gibraltar,\" the government said in a statement. \"There are no equivalent sanctions against Iran in Gibraltar, the UK or the rest of the EU.\"\n\nLate on Sunday night, the tanker left Gibraltar and sailed into the Mediterranean with a stated destination of the Greek port of Kalamata, according to the website marinetraffic.com.\n\nIran's ambassador to Britain, Hamid Baeidinejad, also confirmed on Twitter that the tanker was underway.\n\nAmong the charges laid out in the U.S. warrant is that the tanker was facilitating terrorism because of the involvement in Iran's oil industry of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, which is designated a terrorist organization by the United States. The Gibraltar ruling noted that the E.U. does not regard the IRGC as a terrorist organization.\n\nThe court's rejection of the U.S. request raises new questions over where the tanker will go next and whether the United States will attempt to intervene again, perhaps by forcibly intercepting it. No such action has been proposed, but Iranian media speculated that the U.S. Navy, which maintains several bases in the Mediterranean, might attempt to seize the vessel.\n\nIran's navy commander, Rear Adm. Hossein Khanzadi, offered to dispatch the Iranian navy to escort the Adrian Darya 1, according to Iran's Mehr news agency.\n\nThe tanker had been set to leave Gibraltar on Friday after the court lifted its detention order, but the captain and five crew members quit, leaving the ship's owners to recruit replacements.\n\nPhotographs posted on social media showed the vessel, painted with its new name and flying the Iranian flag, being readied for departure by men in orange uniforms.\n\nIt was unclear whether Iran would release the British tanker seized in the Persian Gulf in apparent retaliation for Britain's detention of the Grace 1, as the ship was then called.", "A view of the Grace 1 super tanker with the name removed is seen in the British territory of Gibraltar, Saturday, Aug. 17, 2019. The shipping agent for an Iranian supertanker caught in a diplomatic standoff says the vessel is ready to depart Gibraltar in “24 to 48 hours,” despite a last-minute effort by the United States to seize it again. (AP Photo/Marcos Moreno)\n\nMADRID (AP) — Authorities in Gibraltar on Sunday rejected the United States’ latest request not to release a seized Iranian supertanker, clearing the way for the vessel to set sail after being detained last month for allegedly attempting to breach European Union sanctions on Syria.\n\nThe ship was expected to leave Sunday night, according to a statement on Twitter by Hamid Baeidinejad, Iran’s ambassador to Britain.\n\nThe tanker’s release comes amid a growing confrontation between Iran and the West after President Donald Trump pulled Washington out of Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers over a year ago.\n\nShortly after the tanker’s detention in early July near Gibraltar — a British overseas territory — Iran seized the British-flagged oil tanker Stena Impero, which remains held by the Islamic Republic. Analysts had said the Iranian ship’s release by Gibraltar could see the Stena Impero go free.\n\nGibraltar’s government said Sunday it was allowing the Iranian tanker’s release because “The EU sanctions regime against Iran – which is applicable in Gibraltar – is much narrower than that applicable in the US.”\n\nIn a last-ditch effort to stop the release, the U.S. unsealed a warrant Friday to seize the vessel and its cargo of 2.1 million barrels of light crude oil, citing violations of U.S. sanctions as well as money laundering and terrorism statutes.\n\nU.S. officials told reporters that the oil aboard the ship was worth some $130 million and that it was destined for a designated terror organization to conduct more terrorism.\n\nThe unsealed court documents argued that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps are the ship’s true owners through a network of front companies.\n\nAuthorities in Gibraltar said Sunday that, unlike in the U.S., the Iran’s Revolutionary Guard is not designated a terrorist organization under EU, U.K. or Gibraltar law.\n\nThe Iranian ship was detained while sailing under a Panamanian flag with the name Grace 1. As of Sunday, it had been renamed the Adrian Darya 1 and had hoisted an Iranian flag. Workers were seen painting the new name on the side of the ship Saturday.\n\nIran has not disclosed the Adrian Darya 1’s intended destination and has denied it was ever sailing for Syria.\n\nThe chief minister of Gibraltar, Fabian Picardo, said he had been assured in writing by the Iranian government that the tanker wouldn’t unload its cargo in Syria.\n\nBaeidinejad, Iran’s ambassador to Britain, said in a series of tweets that “round-the-clock efforts to carry out port formalities and deploy the full crew onto the ship” had taken place since Gibraltar lifted the vessel’s detention Thursday.\n\nThe Astralship shipping agency in Gibraltar, which has been hired to handle paperwork and arrange logistics for the Adrian Darya 1, had told The Associated Press that a new crew of Indian and Ukrainian nationals were replacing the sailors on board.\n\nAstralship managing director Richard De la Rosa said his company had not been informed about the vessel’s next destination.\n\nMessages seeking comment from the Iranian Embassy in London were not immediately returned.\n\nAP reporters Raphael Satter in London and Mehdi Fattahi in Tehran, Iran, contributed to this report.", "GIBRALTAR (Reuters) - The United States has issued a warrant to seize an Iranian oil tanker caught in the standoff between Tehran and the West in a last ditch effort to prevent the vessel from leaving Gibraltar.\n\nThe Grace 1 was seized by British Royal Marines at the western mouth of the Mediterranean on July 4 on suspicion of violating European Union sanctions by taking oil to Syria.\n\nGibraltar lifted the detention order on Thursday after the British territory’s chief minister said he had secured written assurances from Tehran that the cargo would not go to Syria.\n\nBut with the vessel and its 2.1 million barrels of oil free to leave, the United States launched a separate legal appeal to impound the ship on the grounds that it had links to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which it designates as a terrorist organization.\n\nA federal court in Washington issued a warrant to seize the tanker, the oil it carries and nearly $1 million.\n\n“A network of front companies allegedly laundered millions of dollars in support of such shipments,” the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, Jessie Liu, said in a news release.\n\n“The scheme involves multiple parties affiliated with the IRGC and furthered by the deceptive voyages of the Grace 1.”\n\nThe U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on how the warrant, which was addressed to “the United States Marshal’s Service and/or any other duly authorized law enforcement officer,” may be enforced.\n\nThe Pentagon declined to comment, as did Britain’s Foreign Office.\n\nAsked on Friday about the U.S. intervention, Gibraltar’s chief minister, Fabian Picardo, said that would be subject to the jurisdiction of Gibraltar’s Supreme Court. “It could go back to the court absolutely.”\n\nThe Gibraltar Chronicle newspaper reported that the vessel was unlikely to sail before Sunday, citing an unnamed source who added that it was waiting for six new crew members including a captain to arrive.\n\nThe Grace 1 had its name erased and it was no longer flying a Panama flag.\n\nIranian state television had quoted Jalil Eslami, deputy head of the country’s Ports and Maritime Organisation, as saying the tanker would depart for the Mediterranean after being reflagged under the Iranian flag and renamed Adrian Darya.", "Authorities in Gibraltar today rejected the United States' latest request not to release a seized Iranian supertanker, clearing the way for the vessel to set sail after being detained last month for allegedly attempting to breach European Union sanctions on Syria.\n\nThe ship was expected to leave this morning, according to a statement on Twitter by Hamid Baeidinejad, Iran's ambassador to Britain.\n\nThe tanker's release comes amid a growing confrontation between Iran and the West after President Donald Trump pulled Washington out of Tehran's nuclear deal with world powers over a year ago.\n\nShortly after the tanker's detention in early July near Gibraltar — a British overseas territory — Iran seized the British-flagged oil tanker Stena Impero, which remains held by the Islamic Republic. Analysts had said the Iranian ship's release by Gibraltar could see the Stena Impero go free.\n\nGibraltar's government said today it was allowing the Iranian tanker's release because \"The EU sanctions regime against Iran - which is applicable in Gibraltar - is much narrower than that applicable in the US.\"\n\nIn a last-ditch effort to stop the release, the US unsealed a warrant Saturday to seize the vessel and its cargo of 2.1 million barrels of light crude oil, citing violations of US sanctions as well as money laundering and terrorism statutes.\n\nUS officials told reporters that the oil aboard the ship was worth some $130 million ($202 million NZD) and that it was destined for a designated terror organisation to conduct more terrorism.\n\nAuthorities in Gibraltar said today that, unlike in the US, the Iran's Revolutionary Guard is not designated a terrorist organisation under EU, UK or Gibraltar law.\n\nThe Iranian ship was detained while sailing under a Panamanian flag with the name Grace 1. As of today, it had been renamed the Adrian Darya 1 and had hoisted an Iranian flag. Workers were seen painting the new name on the side of the ship yesterday.\n\nIran has not disclosed the Adrian Darya 1's intended destination and has denied it was ever sailing for Syria.\n\nThe chief minister of Gibraltar, Fabian Picardo, said he had been assured in writing by the Iranian government that the tanker wouldn't unload its cargo in Syria.\n\nBaeidinejad, Iran's ambassador to Britain, said in a series of tweets that \"round-the-clock efforts to carry out port formalities and deploy the full crew onto the ship\" had taken place since Gibraltar lifted the vessel's detention Friday.\n\nThe Astralship shipping agency in Gibraltar, which has been hired to handle paperwork and arrange logistics for the Adrian Darya 1, had told The Associated Press that a new crew of Indian and Ukrainian nationals were replacing the sailors on board.\n\nAstralship managing director Richard De la Rosa said his company had not been informed about the vessel's next destination.", "GIBRALTAR (Reuters) - The Iranian tanker caught in a stand-off between Tehran and the West is expected to leave Gibraltar on Sunday night, Iran’s ambassador to Britain said, hours after the British territory rejected a U.S. request to detain the vessel further.\n\nBritish Royal Marines seized the tanker in Gibraltar in July on suspicion that it was carrying oil to Syria, a close ally of Iran, in violation of European Union sanctions. That triggered a series of events that have heightened tensions on international oil shipping routes through the Gulf.\n\n“The vessel is expected to leave tonight,” envoy Hamid Baeidinejad said on Twitter, adding that two engineering teams had been flown to Gibraltar.\n\nThe Grace 1’s detention ended last week, but on Friday a federal court in Washington issued a warrant for the seizure of the tanker, the oil it carries and nearly $1 million.\n\nGibraltar said on Sunday it could not comply with that request because it was bound by EU law.\n\n“The EU sanctions regime against Iran – which is applicable in Gibraltar - is much narrower than that applicable in the US,” the government said in a statement.\n\n“The Gibraltar Central Authority is unable to seek an Order of the Supreme Court of Gibraltar to provide the restraining assistance required by the United States of America.”\n\nWashington had attempted to detain the Grace 1 on the grounds that it had links to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which it has designated a terrorist organization.\n\nIran has denied the tanker was ever headed to Syria.\n\nTehran said it was ready to dispatch its naval fleet to escort the tanker - now renamed the ‘Adrian Darya-1’ - if required.\n\n“The era of hit and run is over ... if top authorities ask the navy, we are ready to escort out tanker Adrian,” Iran’s navy commander, Rear Admiral Hossein Khanzadi was quoted as saying by Mehr news agency.\n\nOn Sunday, video footage and photographs showed the tanker flying the red, green and white flag of Iran and bearing its new name, painted in white, on the hull. Its previous name, ‘Grace 1’, had been painted over. The vessel’s anchor was still down.\n\nThe initial impounding of the Grace 1 sparked a diplomatic row that escalated when Tehran seize a British-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf two weeks later. That tanker, the Stena Impero, is still detained.\n\nThe two vessels have since become pawns in a bigger game, feeding into wider hostilities since the United States last year pulled out of an international agreement to curb Iran’s nuclear program, and reimposed economic sanctions.\n\nIran has denounced U.S. efforts to set up an international maritime security coalition in the Gulf and insisted regional countries could protect the strategic waterway and work toward signing a non-aggression pact.\n\nOn a trip to Kuwait on Sunday, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said in a tweet that “Iran’s proposal for Regional Dialogue Forum and non-aggression pact trumps reliance on extraneous actors”.\n\nThe Grace 1 had originally flown the Panamian flag but Panama’s Maritime Authority said in July that the vessel had been de-listed after an alert that indicated the ship had participated in or was linked to terrorism financing.", "Gibraltar’s government says it has knocked back a request by Washington to detain the Adrian Darya 1 supertanker, which was seized by British marines in the Strait of Gibraltar last month carrying Iranian oil.\n\n“The EU sanctions regime on Iran is fundamentally different to that of the US,” the Gibraltar Government said in a statement on Sunday.\n\n“The Gibraltar Central Authority [for Mutual Legal Assistance] is unable seek an Order of the Supreme Court of Gibraltar to provide the restraining assistance required by the United States of America,” it said.\n\nThe statement added, \"“The Central Authority's inability to seek the orders requested is a result of the operation of European Union law and the differences in the sanctions regimes applicable to Iran in the EU and the US.”\n\nOn Friday, the US Department of Justice (DOJ), on several allegations, unveiled a warrant for the seizure of the Iran-operated supertanker, which now raises an Iranian flag and has changed its name to Adrian Darya 1.\n\nThe DOJ also alleged that there had been “a scheme to unlawfully access the US financial system to support illicit shipments to Syria from Iran.”\n\nBritain’s naval forces unlawfully seized the vessel, then known as Grace 1, and its cargo of 2.1 million barrels of oil in the Strait of Gibraltar on July 4 under the pretext that the supertanker had been suspected of carrying crude to Syria in violation of the European Union’s unilateral sanctions against the Arab country.\n\nConsisting of an irregular imposition of EU regulations on a non-EU member state, the measure was vehemently condemned by Tehran as being an act of “maritime piracy\" done at the request of Washington.\n\nIn a related development, Iranian Navy Commander Rear Admiral Hossein Khanzadi said on Sunday that the country's naval forces are ready to escort Adrian Darya-1 if it is required to do so.\n\nThe commander, however, added that Iran's Navy has no current plan to dispatch any fleet to Gibraltar to escort the supertanker, but is ready to do so if demanded by relevant Iranian authorities.\n\nKhanzadi further emphasized that the Armed Forces are “part of the country’s marine power,” adding, “We are part of this mechanism, which support marine navigation in the country.”\n\n'Iran-operated tanker to set sail later on Sunday'\n\nMeanwhile, Iran’s Ambassador to the UK Hamid Baeidinejad said that the vessel is expected to leave Gibraltar late Sunday.\n\n\"The ship is expected to set sail tonight after two specialized engineering teams arrive in Gibraltar via two different flight routes,\" the Iranian envoy said in a post on his Twitter page.\n\nEarlier on Sunday, Baeidinejad rejected claims that Tehran renamed the tanker to avoid US sanctions, saying the move was in line with international maritime rules.\n\nHe added that Iran renamed Grace 1 to Adrian Darya-1 simply because Panama as the previous flag state of the ship had refused to continue to keep it registered after it was detained in Gibraltar for alleged breach of sanctions on Syria.\n\nThis article has been adapted from its original source."], "summary": "Gibraltar authorities reject the request by the U.S. to seize the Iranian oil tanker Grace 1. They argue that EU, not U.S. law, is applicable in Gibraltar. The tanker is also renamed."}
{"document": ["\"There is another large group of people in the central district, which we are unable to count, but I am sure that the total number of participants is much more than 1.7 million people\", Jimmy Sham told reporters.\n\nBy midnight (16:00 GMT Sunday), almost all the protesters, who had earlier gathered near a complex of government buildings in Admiralty area in the city’s central district, left the site, a Sputnik correspondent reported.\n\nEarlier, they pounded with their umbrellas on the 6.6-foot barriers installed around the Legislative Council building with umbrellas, with separate individuals, amid cheers from the crowd, attempting to climb over them.\n\nThey also shone lasers and flashlights at the building, albeit making no radical attempts to break through the barriers. Demonstrators did not block the traffic either. No police officers were seen nearby.\n\n​Activists were dressed in black clothing, masks, helmets, with some of them having walkie-talkies or carrying UK and US flags.\n\nAfter the rally, the crowd took away any garbage produced and urged numerous journalists to go home and \"not stage riots\".\n\n​Earlier in the day, the opposition Civil Human Rights Front organised a mass demonstration in Victoria Park. Even though the police only sanctioned the rally in Victoria Park, the protesters, despite rainy weather, soon left the park to join an unauthorised march.\n\nIn total, Hong Kong is home to about 7.5 million people, including about 6 million adults. The Sunday rally is not the first action of such a scale. On 16 June some 2 million joined the protests.\n\nMass protests erupted in China's semi-autonomous Hong Kong in early June in response to a controversial bill that would allow extraditions to the mainland. Although the local parliament eventually announced that it had suspended the bill, people continue to protest, demanding that it be withdrawn completely. They also want the city authorities to implement universal suffrage and retract criminal charges against protesters.\n\nAt first, the rallies were peaceful but they subsequently led to violent clashes between the demonstrators and the police.", "A second pro-Hong Kong rally has been held in Melbourne's CBD after protesters clashed with Chinese nationalists.\n\nMore than a hundred people gathered outside the State Library on Swanston Street on Saturday for a peaceful rally in solidarity with protesters in Hong Kong.\n\nAmong them were members of Melbourne's Uyghur community as well as Tibetan and Vietnamese groups, carrying flags, posters and signs reading 'We love Hong Kong! We love Australia\", \"Step Down Carrie Lam Puppet. Let the HK people vote.\"\n\n\"Being silent is a green light for dictatorship,\" a speaker told the crowd.", "Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement pressed forward Sunday as protesters rallied at Victoria Park, the starting point for the two peaceful marches in June that brought unprecedented numbers to the streets to oppose an extradition bill to China.\n\nSunday’s rally was billed as a return to nonviolent demonstrations, one week after thousands of protesters occupied the Hong Kong airport and caused all departing flights to be canceled. Protesters that day clashed with police, blocked passengers from boarding flights, and attacked two suspected spies from mainland China, including one reporter for the Chinese state outlet Global Times .\n\nThis time, police denied permission for a march, only approving a rally within the park. The Civil Human Rights Front, which organized the rally, appealed the police decision, saying it was dangerous because people were likely to march regardless.\n\nTwo hours before the rally’s starting time, thousands of protesters were already filling nearby subway stations and streaming into the park, clad in black clothing and opening umbrellas in a light rain.\n\nProtesters who have turned out this summer to oppose the extradition bill — which they see as a threat to Hong Kong’s rule of law and a sign of Beijing’s growing control over the territory — have classified themselves into two groups: “the valiant,” who go to the front lines and clash directly with police, and “the peaceful, rational, nonviolent,” who support tactics such as rallies and marches.\n\nIn response to the largest popular uprising in Hong Kong in years, police have fired tear gas and rubber bullets regularly at protesters, some of whom throw bricks and gasoline bombs in return.\n\nA protester named Ray, 26, said he was “valiant” but still supported this kind of protest.\n\n“We never thought these rallies were useless. We think it’s the most powerful way to express ourselves, because we can get millions of people and get our voice out globally,” said Ray, who like several protesters declined to give his full name to shield himself from official retribution.\n\nHe hoped there would be no tear gas Sunday , but added that wish was “not practical.”\n\nAmy, 26, said she believed in peaceful protest but called the police’s refusal to approve the march “a form of suppression.”\n\nAlthough the government has already suspended the bill, protesters’ demands have expanded to include democratic reforms and greater accountability for the government and police, who protesters accuse of overuse of force and collusion with organized gangs called triads.\n\nMore than 700 protesters have been arrested, dozens of them charged with rioting, an offense punishable by up to 10 years in prison.\n\nAfter the unrest at the airport, smaller rallies Friday and Saturday were peaceful, ending a week of reflection and online discussion in which many protesters urged a return to less-aggressive tactics.\n\nBeijing officials have said without evidence that the CIA is orchestrating Hong Kong’s protests. Officials have also said the protests show signs of terrorism and threaten China’s national sovereignty, which they have described as a “bottom line .”\n\nIn recent days, in an apparent show of force by Beijing, hundreds of armed paramilitary vehicles have been seen in Shenzhen, just across the border from Hong Kong. The People’s Liberation Army also maintains a garrison inside Hong Kong, though Hong Kong’s law forbids the military from intervention unless requested by the Hong Kong government.", "HONG KONG: A sea of democracy activists flooded the streets of Hong Kong on Sunday in a defiant show to the city’s leaders that their movement still pulls wide public support, despite mounting violence and increasingly stark warnings from Beijing.\n\n Tens of thousands of protesters carrying umbrellas poured across the heart of Hong Kong island defying torrential rain and a police order not to march from a park where they had gathered earlier for a rally.\n\n Weeks of demonstrations have plunged the financial hub into crisis, with images of masked black-clad protesters engulfed by tear gas during street battles against riot police stunning a city once renowned for its stability.\n\n Sunday’s action, the largest rally in weeks which continued into the night, was billed by organisers as a return to the “peaceful” origins of the leaderless protest movement.\n\n “It’s been a long day and we’re very tired, but to see so many people out in the rain marching for Hong Kong gives strength to everyone,” said Danny Tam, a 28-year-old graphic designer.\n\n The unprecedented political crisis was sparked by opposition to a plan to allow extraditions to the Chinese mainland.\n\n But protests have since morphed into a wider call for democratic rights in the semi-autonomous city.\n\n Anger has been sharpened among protesters by the perceived heavy-handedness of the police who have used tear gas, baton charges and rubber bullets in incidents that have pinballed across social media.\n\n “The police are doing things that are totally unacceptable,” said Yim, who like many of the protesters gave only one name.\n\n “They are hurting citizens, they aren’t protecting us.”\n\n Communist-ruled mainland China has decried the “terrorist-like” actions of a violent hardcore minority among the demonstrators.\n\n Despite the near-nightly clashes with police, the movement has won few concessions from Beijing or the city’s unelected leadership.\n\n The spiralling violence, which last week saw protesters paralyse the city’s airport, has tarnished a campaign that had taken pride in its peaceful intent and unpredictability — which demonstrators have tagged with the slogan “Be Water”.\n\n Sunday’s rally was convened as a “non-violent” demonstration, according to organisers the Civil Human Rights Front.\n\nPEACE OR VIOLENCE?\n\n Yet, many among Sunday’s rally-goers carried rucksacks stuffed with protest paraphernalia — laser pens, gas masks, goggles and helmets.\n\n “We have our gear with us, but we hope not to use it,” said a 30-year-old identifying himself only as Man.\n\n China’s propaganda apparatus has seized on the weeks of violence, with state media churning out a deluge of damning articles, pictures and videos.\n\n State media also ran images of military personnel and armoured personnel carriers across the border in Shenzhen, prompting the United States to warn Beijing against sending in troops.\n\n Analysts say any intervention by Chinese security forces would be a reputational and economic disaster for China.\n\n But Hong Kong’s police are under intense pressure, stretched by flashmob protests.\n\n A Hong Kong government spokesperson praised the police for handling “illegal acts with tolerance” and appealed to the protesters to “express their views in a peaceful and rational manner”.\n\n Opinions among the protesters have diverged over the billowing violence, which has seen hardcore protesters using rocks, Molotov cocktails and slingshots against the police.\n\n Some say the violence has driven the pro-democracy movement in an uncomfortable direction.\n\n “There are some expressing extreme views,” rally-goer Ray Cheng, 30, said.\n\n “But we have tried many times with peaceful approaches… I really hope the government can listen to us.” — AFP", "On Friday in Hong Kong, protesters played the Star-Spangled Banner at the end of their rally. Have a watch:\n\nAnd this isn’t the first time it’s happened:\n\nThey get it:", "HONG KONG: Tens of thousands of Hong Kong activists gathered on Sunday (Aug 18) afternoon for a major rally in Victoria Park to show the city's leaders their protest movement still attracts wide public support despite mounting violence.\n\n\n\nThe rally stretched to a small march outside Tin Hau MTR station near Victoria Park, with protesters holding up placards and chanting.\n\nProtesters march near the Tin Hau MTR station in Hong Kong on Aug 18, 2019, in the latest opposition to a planned extradition law that has since morphed into a wider call for democratic rights in the semi-autonomous city. (Photo: LILLIAN SUWANRUMPHA / AFP) \n\n\n\nAn exhausted protester (C) receives assistance from medics at the Tin Hau MTR station in Hong Kong on Aug 18, 2019, during a rally in the latest opposition to a planned extradition law that has since morphed into a wider call for democratic rights in the semi-autonomous city. (Photo: LILLIAN SUWANRUMPHA / AFP) ​​​​​​​\n\n\n\nTen weeks of demonstrations have plunged the financial hub into crisis with images of masked black-clad protesters engulfed by tear gas during street battles with riot police stunning a city once renowned for its stability.\n\nCommunist-ruled mainland China has taken an increasingly hardline tone towards the protesters, decrying the \"terrorist-like\" actions of a violent hardcore minority among the demonstrators.\n\nDespite the near-nightly clashes with police, the movement has won few concessions from Beijing or the city's unelected leadership.\n\nOn Tuesday, protesters blocked passengers from boarding flights at the city's airport and later assaulted two men they accused of being Chinese spies.\n\nThe images damaged a campaign that until then had largely targeted the police or government institutions, and prompted an apology from some of the protest groups.\n\nSunday's rally at the city's Victoria Park is an attempt to wrestle the narrative of the protest back.\n\nIt is a \"rational, non-violent\" demonstration, according to organiser Civil Human Rights Front, the driving force behind record-breaking rallies in June and July that saw hundreds of thousands of people hit the streets.\n\nPolice have given permission for the rally to go ahead but banned a proposed march.\n\nPrevious bans on marches have been ignored by protesters, leading to clashes with riot police.\n\n\"We expect a huge number of participants ... we hope to show to the world Hong Kong people can be totally peaceful,\" Bonnie Leung, a spokeswoman for the Civil Human Rights Front told reporters.\n\n\"If Beijing and Hong Kong's tactic is to wait for our movement to die, they are wrong ... we will soldier on.\"\n\nChina's propaganda apparatus has seized on the weeks of violence, with state media churning out a deluge of damning articles, pictures and videos.\n\nState media also ran images of military personnel and armoured personnel carriers across the border in Shenzhen, prompting the United States to warn Beijing against sending in troops.\n\nAnalysts say any intervention by Chinese security forces would be a reputational and economic disaster for China.\n\nDuring smaller protest marches on Saturday - which ended without large-scale clashes - many protesters chanted \"See you in Victoria Park!\" as they left the streets.\n\nTens of thousands of protesters massed in the park as the rally started on Sunday afternoon, while many others thronged the nearby streets in a show of defiance expected to stretch into the evening.\n\n\"We have tried many times with peaceful approaches ... I really hope the government can listen to us.\"\n\nThe unprecedented political crisis was sparked by opposition to a plan to allow extraditions to the mainland.\n\nBut protests have since morphed into a wider call for democratic rights in the semi-autonomous city.\n\nUnder a deal signed with Britain, authoritarian China agreed to allow Hong Kong to keep its unique freedoms when it was handed back in 1997.\n\nBut many Hong Kongers feel those freedoms are being chipped away, especially since China's hardline president Xi Jinping came to power.\n\nIn the last two months millions of people have hit the streets.\n\nBattles between police firing tear gas and rubber bullets - and hardcore protesters using rocks, Molotov cocktails and slingshots - have since become routine in the city.\n\nBoth sides trade the blame for provoking the violence.\n\nBeyond suspending the extradition Bill, Beijing and city leader Carrie Lam have shown no desire to meet key demands such as an inquiry into police violence, the complete withdrawal of the Bill and an amnesty.\n\nBeijing has turned the screws on Hong Kong's businesses, pressuring them to toe the line and condemn the protesters.\n\nOn Friday, Cathay Pacific announced the shock resignation of CEO Rupert Hogg after the carrier was excoriated by Beijing because some staff supported the pro-democracy protests.\n\nA day later the \"Big Four\" accountancy firms scrambled to distance themselves from an advert placed in a newspaper purportedly by employees saying they supported the protests.", "Hong Kong streets were turned into rivers of umbrellas on Sunday as hundreds of thousands of people marched through heavy rain down a major road in the Chinese territory, where massive pro-democracy demonstrations have become a regular weekend activity. Organizers said at least 1.7 million participated, though the police estimate was far lower.\n\nThe assembly was peaceful, with no reports of violence, making for a rare calm weekend in a protest movement that has been marked by violent clashes with police. Law enforcement officers kept a low profile, with no riot police seen from the procession's main routes. When stragglers convened outside a government complex in the late evening, other protesters urged them to go home.\n\n\"We hope that there will not be any chaotic situations today,\" organizer Bonnie Leung said early in the day. \"We hope we can show the world that Hong Kong people can be totally peaceful.\"\n\nLeung's group, the Civil Human Rights Front, had organized three previous massive marches in Hong Kong since June. The movement, however, has been increasingly marked by clashes with police as demonstrators vent their frustrations over what they perceive to be the government's blatant refusal to respond to their demands.\n\n\"Peace is the No. 1 priority today,\" said Kiki Ma, a 28-year-old accountant who participated in the march. \"We want to show that we aren't like the government.\"\n\nWhile police granted approval for the rally, they didn't approve an accompanying march. Demonstrators nevertheless fanned out and filled the streets, as there was not enough space at the designated assembly area.\n\nPublic transit trains did not stop at stations near the assembly because of overcrowding.\n\nJimmy Shan of the Civil Human Rights Front said the group estimated that at least 1.7 million took part in the rally. He said the figure did not include those who were not able to make it to Victoria Park — where the march began — due to traffic constraints.\n\nPolice, whose crowd figures are generally lower than the organizers' estimates, said the turnout at the assigned location and during the designated time period was 128,000. Many protesters, however, did not follow the pre-approved guidelines laid out by the authorities.\n\nIn Beijing, You Wenze, a spokesman for China's ceremonial legislature, condemned statements from U.S. lawmakers supportive of Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement.\n\nYou called the lawmakers' comments \"a gross violation of the spirit of the rule of law, a blatant double standard and a gross interference in China's internal affairs.\"\n\nHe said that Hong Kong's 7.5 million people and the Chinese population as a whole rejected the actions of a \"very small group of violent protesters\" as well as \"any interference of foreign forces.\"\n\nYou did not mention any specific lawmaker, but numerous U.S. senators and Congress members, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, have affirmed the U.S. commitment to human rights and urged Hong Kong's government to end the standoff.\n\nCongress also has the power to pass legislation affecting Hong Kong's relationship with the U.S. in ways that could further erode the territory's reputation for stability and rule of law. That includes the recent reintroduction of the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act in Congress, which would among its other provisions require the secretary of state to issue an annual certification of Hong Kong's autonomy to justify special treatment afforded to the city.\n\nMore directly, President Donald Trump could simply issue an executive order suspending Hong Kong's special trading status with the U.S., a move that could have a devastating effect on the local economy at a time when Beijing and Washington are engaged in a bitter trade war.\n\nA former British colony, Hong Kong was returned to Beijing in 1997 under the framework of \"one country, two systems,\" which promised residents certain democratic rights not afforded to people in mainland China. But some Hong Kongers have accused the Communist Party-ruled central government of eroding their freedoms in recent years.\n\nThe protest movement's demands include the resignation of Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam, democratic elections and an independent investigation into police use of force.\n\nHarley Ho, a 20-year-old social work student who attended Sunday's rally, said protesters were undeterred by the rain and would not rest until their demands were met.\n\n\"We will stand here, we will take action until they respond to us,\" she said. \"In the rain, our spirit becomes stronger.\"\n\nMembers of China's paramilitary People's Armed Police force have been training for days across the border in Shenzhen, including on Sunday morning, fueling speculation that they could be sent in to suppress the protests. The Hong Kong police, however, have said they are capable of handling the demonstrations.\n\nAssociated Press journalists Ken Moritsugu, Yves Dam Van and Phoebe Lai in Hong Kong, Dake Kang in Shenzhen, China, and Christopher Bodeen in Beijing contributed to this report.", "HONG KONG (TNS) — Hong Kongers defied police restrictions and pouring rain to march across the city on Sunday, spilling out of a large public park and filling major streets in the latest edition of a summer of pro-democracy demonstrations.\n\nProtesters began the afternoon by rallying at Victoria Park, the starting point for the two peaceful marches in June that brought unprecedented numbers to the streets to oppose an extradition bill to China.\n\nBut the park could not contain their numbers on Sunday, and throngs of umbrella-toting demonstrators quickly spread through major roads, walking in different directions. Organizers said more than 1.7 million people participated, although that figure could not be independently confirmed.\n\nPolice had approved the rally within the park but denied permission for a march, prompting the organizers, the Civil Human Rights Front, to appeal the decision because demonstrators were likely to march anyway. By late afternoon, there was no visible police presence even as the Hong Kong Police Force tweeted that two major thoroughfares had been “occupied” by demonstrators.\n\nSunday’s rally was billed as a return to nonviolent demonstrations, one week after thousands of protesters occupied the Hong Kong airport and caused all departing flights to be canceled. Protesters that day clashed with police, blocked passengers from boarding flights, and attacked two suspected spies from mainland China, including one reporter for the Chinese state outlet Global Times.\n\nTwo hours before the rally’s 3 p.m. start time, thousands of protesters were already filling nearby subway stations and streaming into the park, clad in black clothing and opening umbrellas in a light rain that would soon grow heavier.\n\nProtesters who have turned out this summer to oppose the extradition bill — which they see as a threat to Hong Kong’s rule of law and a sign of Beijing’s growing control over the territory — have classified themselves into two groups: “the valiant,” who go to the front lines and clash directly with police, and “the peaceful, rational, nonviolent,” who support tactics such as rallies and marches.\n\nIn response to the largest popular uprising in Hong Kong, police have fired tear gas and rubber bullets regularly at protesters, some of whom throw bricks and gasoline bombs in return.\n\nOn Sunday, protesters said it was time for the valiant to compromise and support the peaceful, just as the peaceful have often stood behind protesters clashing with police on the front lines.\n\nOne protester dressed in the “valiant” costume — all black, with elbow pads, goggles and a mask — held up a handwritten sign in the middle of the park: “Peaceful, rational, nonviolent … thank you for being my backup, never leaving me behind, supporting me even when you disagreed with my tactics! August 18th. No more division.”\n\nRally speakers said the purpose of this march was to return to the “peaceful, rational, and nonviolent means” of protest that had marked the movement’s beginning.", "HONG KONG: Hong Kong protesters are hoping to get out a huge crowd later Sunday (Aug 18) in a bid to show the city's leaders that their protest movement remains defiant despite increasingly stark warnings from Beijing.\n\nTen weeks of demonstrations have plunged the international finance hub into crisis and communist-ruled mainland China has taken an increasingly hardline tone, including labelling the more violent protester actions \"terrorist-like\".\n\nClashes have broken out between police and hardcore protesters but the movement has won few concessions from Beijing or the city's unelected leadership.\n\nOn Tuesday, protesters blocked passengers from boarding flights at the city's airport and later assaulted two men they accused of being Chinese spies.\n\nThe images damaged a campaign that until then had largely only targeted the police or government institutions, and prompted some soul-searching among protesters.\n\nChina's propaganda apparatus seized on the violence, with state media churning out a deluge of damning articles, pictures and videos.\n\nState media also ran images of military personnel and armoured personnel carriers across the border in Shenzhen, prompting the United States to warn Beijing against sending in troops, which analysts say would be a reputational and economic disaster for China.\n\nREAD: Hong Kong teachers rally in thunderstorm at start of weekend of protests\n\n\n\nIn the aftermath of Tuesday's airport chaos, some protester groups apologised and vowed to hold a huge rally on Sunday.\n\nBilled as a \"rational, non-violent\" protest, it is being organised by the Civil Human Rights Front, a group that eschews confrontations with police and was the driving force behind record-breaking rallies in June and July that saw hundreds of thousands of people hit the streets.\n\nDuring smaller protest marches on Saturday - which ended without the kind of largescale clashes that have become so commonplace each weekend - many protesters chanted \"See you in Victoria Park!\" as they left the streets.\n\nThe park has long been used as the staging point for the city's years of protests and will host Sunday's demonstration.\n\nPolice have given permission for the rally to go ahead but banned a proposed march.\n\nPrevious bans in recent weeks have simply been ignored by protesters and have soon led to clashes with riot police.\n\nThe protests were sparked by opposition to a plan to allow extraditions to the mainland, but have since morphed into a wider call for democratic rights in the semi-autonomous city.\n\nUnder a deal signed with Britain, authoritarian China agreed to allow Hong Kong to keep its unique freedoms when it was handed back in 1997.\n\nBut many Hong Kongers feel those freedoms are being eroded, especially since China's hardline president Xi Jinping came to power.\n\nREAD: 'Too scared to buy ice cream for my son': Hong Kong protests leave some residents looking for an exit\n\nIn the last two months millions of people have hit the streets while clashes have broken out between police and small groups of hardcore protesters.\n\nBattles between police firing tear gas and rubber bullets - and hardcore protesters using rocks, Molotov cocktails and slingshots - have since become routine in a city once renowned for its stability.\n\nBeyond suspending the extradition bill, Beijing and city leader Carrie Lam have shown no desire to meet key demands such as an inquiry into police violence, the complete withdrawal of the bill and an amnesty.\n\nBut protesters remain unbowed, despite the arrests of more than 700 people and 11 consecutive weekends of rallies that have won few concessions.\n\nBeijing has turned the screws on Hong Kong's businesses, pressuring them to toe the line and condemn the protesters.\n\nOn Friday, Cathay Pacific announced the shock resignation of CEO Rupert Hogg after the carrier was excoriated by Beijing because some staff supported the protests.\n\nA day later the \"Big Four\" accountancy firms scrambled to distance themselves from a advert placed in a newspaper purportedly by employees saying they supported the protests.", "Hundreds of thousands of anti-government protesters joined a mass rally in Hong Kong on Sunday, filling major thoroughfares in heavy rain in the eleventh week of what have been often violent demonstrations in the Asian financial hub.\n\nSunday’s turnout showed that the movement still has broad-based support despite the ugly scenes witnessed during the past week when protesters occupied the Chinese-ruled city’s airport, for which some activists apologized.\n\nThere was an uneasy calm after nightfall, with no violent confrontations and protesters unclear on what would happen next. Police in riot gear checked the IDs of some demonstrators to the west of the Central business district, and there was a large police presence outside the Western District police station.\n\n“They’ve been telling everyone we’re rioters. The march today is to show everyone we are not,” said a 23-year-old named Chris, who works in marketing and was dressed all in black, including a scarf covering his face and baseball cap.\n\n“It does not mean we won’t keep fighting. We will do whatever is necessary to win, but today we take a break, then we reassess.”\n\nOne protester shouted at others who were jeering at police, “Today is a peaceful march! Don’t fall into the trap! The world is watching us,” prompting the group to move on.\n\nAlex Jones breaks down the Communist Chinese invasion of Hong Kong, and the American Flag waving patriots standing up to them."], "summary": "The organizers claim that at least 1.7 million people join a peaceful rally in Victoria Park, Hong Kong. Protesters spill into nearby streets, with train service intermittently suspended due to the sheer number of people."}
{"document": ["Image copyright AFP/Getty Image caption Syria has condemned the convoy as an act of aggression and says it is heading for the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhoun\n\nA Syrian government air strike aiming to stop a Turkish convoy reaching a rebel-held town in northern Syria has killed three civilians, Turkey alleges.\n\nAnother 12 people were injured in the attack in Idlib province on Monday, the Turkish defence ministry said.\n\nIdlib, one of the few areas not under government control, was supposed to be protected by a buffer zone agreed with rebel-backing Turkey last year.\n\nBut government assaults have been on the increase since April.\n\nHundreds of civilians have already been killed as a result, and there are fears many more will die if the situation continues to escalate.\n\n\"This is our worst nightmare coming true,\" Jan Egeland, from the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), told the BBC.\n\n\"We have for years now warned against the ultimate catastrophe being Idlib, where there was no escape for three million civilians. There are some very bad militants inside.\n\n\"But a wholesale attack on this area of Idlib and adjacent northern Hama would mean that a million children would come in horrific crossfire, and it's that that now seems to be happening.\"\n\nWhy is Turkey sending a convoy into Syria?\n\nTurkey, which backs some, but not all, the rebels, has forces in Idlib as part of last year's agreement with Russia.\n\nAccording to Naji Mustafa, a spokesman for the National Liberation Front rebel grouping, the convoy was heading to one of its observation points with \"reinforcements\" when the attack took place.\n\nAn AFP correspondent who saw the convoy reported it included about 50 armoured vehicles, at least five of which were tanks.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The story of the picture showing a Syrian family's harrowing moment after an air strike\n\nBut Syria has said the convoy's arrival in the region is an act of aggression. It said the munitions would not stop government forces \"hunting the remnants of terrorists\".\n\nAccording to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a Russian aircraft carried out strikes near the convoy on 19 August.\n\nTurkey has said the attack breaches last year's agreement, with the incident raising fears of direct clashes between the countries.\n\nWhy is this happening now?\n\nAfter eight years of war, the Syrian government is trying to win back control of the last rebel-held areas.\n\nGovernment forces, backed by Russia, reportedly entered the northwest outskirts of Khan Sheikhoun on Sunday.\n\nKhan Sheikhoun, which was hit by a Sarin gas attack in 2017, lies on a highway connecting Damascus to Aleppo and is a strategically important town in the south of the province.\n\nIf it is captured, it will mean the Syrian regime has effectively encircled a rebel-held area to the south, which includes a Turkish observation post in the town of Morek.\n\nMr Mustafa told AFP the convoy was heading to Morek.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption A young face destroyed by war: The impact of an airstrike one year on\n\nSyrian forces have now massed to both the east and west of Khan Sheikhoun, and air strikes are targeting the centre and surrounding villages.\n\nLast week a Syrian government war plane was shot down in the area, hit by an anti-aircraft missile fired by militants, according to Syrian state news agency Sana.\n\nJihadist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) has claimed responsibility and released footage purportedly showing the captured pilot.\n\nA colonel from a rebel faction confirmed to Reuters news agency that there were battles going on on the outskirts. Fighters from a Turkish-backed rebel force have joined the defence, he said.\n\nThe Syria crisis: Five questions, answered\n\nHow did the war start?\n\nThe country descended into war after President Bashar al-Assad's government used deadly force to crackdown on pro-democracy protesters, who took to the streets in March 2011 demanding political freedom.\n\nWho is fighting who?\n\nThat's complicated: President Assad's regime is fighting rebel groups ranging from pro-democracy groups to jihadist extremists, while a number of foreign powers are providing support to various sides.\n\nHow many people have died?\n\nIt is not known exactly, as death tolls vary according to the source, but it is estimated to stand at more than 500,000 dead or missing.\n\nHow many refugees are there?\n\nMore than 5.6 million people have fled Syria since 2011, with another 6.6 million internally displaced, according to the United Nations.\n\nWhat has happened to President Assad?\n\nHis position looked tenuous at one point during the eight year conflict, but thanks to international allies like Russia and Iran, President Assad has won back control of most of Syria, and has set his sights on Idlib.", "BEIRUT (Reuters) - A Turkish convoy crossed into northwest Syria on Monday to help insurgents in the town of Khan Sheikhoun fighting a government advance, Syrian state media said, calling it an act of aggression.\n\nThere was no immediate comment from Ankara, which backs some of the rebels in the northwest and has deployed forces into the Idlib region under deals with Russia, President Bashar al-Assad’s most powerful ally.\n\nSyrian army troops reached the edge of Khan Sheikhoun in the south of Idlib province overnight, a rebel official and a monitor said. The advance not only threatens the town, in rebel hands since 2014, but also to encircle insurgent fighters in their only patch of territory in neighboring Hama province.\n\nThe northwest is the last major stronghold of the opposition to Assad, whose military has been waging its latest offensive there since late April with Russian help.\n\nThe surge in violence since late April has killed at least 500 civilians and uprooted hundreds of thousands, many toward the Turkish border, the United Nations says.\n\nA witness said a Turkish military convoy, with rebel allies, entered Idlib on Monday but was stopped because of heavy bombing there.\n\nSyrian state news agency SANA, citing a Foreign Ministry source, said the convoy loaded with munitions would not affect “the determination of the Syrian Arab Army to keep hunting the remnants of terrorists” in Khan Sheikhoun or elsewhere.\n\nColonel Mustafa Bakour of the Jaish al-Izza rebel faction said battles raged on the outskirts of the town. Fighters arrived to reinforce the frontline, he said, including some from the National Army, a Turkey-backed rebel force based further north near the border.\n\nKhan Sheikhoun, along a main highway stretching from the capital Damascus to Aleppo city, was bombed with sarin in 2017, an attack that killed dozens on people, wounded hundreds others and prompted a U.S. missile strike.\n\nAn investigation by the United Nations and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons blamed the attack on the Syrian government. Damascus denies using such weapons.\n\nSince a brief ceasefire collapsed this month, the Syrian army has closed in on Khan Sheikhoun from the east and west.\n\nPro-government forces arrived at the northwest flank of the town under heavy air strikes and were fighting to march into it, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.\n\nResidents said warplanes pounded the town and nearby positions during the night.", "BEIRUT, LEBANON (7:40 A.M.) – The Turkish Air Force allegedly deployed some of their warplanes to the southern countryside of the Idlib Governorate after the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) scored a series of gains near the city of Khan Sheikhoun.\n\nAccording to the aviation publication Avia.Pro, two Russian Su-35 jets intercepted the Turkish warplanes and forced them to leave Syria’s airspace.\n\n“The Su-35 fighters escorted and guarded the Syrian Air Force when they were attacking Khan Sheikhoun after threats from Turkey,” Avia.Pro reported, citing a Telegram military channel.\n\nWhile these claims are not confirmed, the Turkish military did send two large convoys to the northern outskirts of Khan Sheikhoun after their allied militant forces lost a great deal of ground to the Syrian Arab Army around the city.\n\nIt is worth noting that both the Syrian and Turkish air defenses have downed each others warplanes during the Syrian conflict, with the latest incident in 2017.\n• Government Troops Are Storming Khan Shaykhun After Cutting Off M5 Highway North Of It (Maps)\n• Turkey ‘Condemns’ Syrian Strike On Its Convoy In Greater Idlib, Claims 3 Civilians Were Killed\n• Israeli stealth bombers flew undetected over Syria and Iraq during July attack: report\n\nFiled under: Erdogan, Russia, SAA, Syria, Turkey, War on Syria | Tagged: Khan Sheikhoun, Liberation of Idlib, Putin-Erdogan-Idlib |", "Damascus on Monday condemned the deployment of a Turkish military convoy towards a key town in northwestern Syria where regime forces are waging fierce battles with jihadists and rebels.\n\nAn AFP correspondent saw a military convoy made up of around 50 armoured vehicles including personnel carriers and at least five tanks travelling through the Idlib province.\n\nThey were headed south in the direction of the town of Khan Sheikhun, which Russia-backed regime forces entered on Sunday.\n\nThe Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported Syrian and Russian air strikes aimed at hindering the convoy’s advance through Idlib province.\n\n“Turkish vehicles loaded with munitions… are heading towards Khan Sheikhun to help the terrorists,” a foreign ministry source said, using the regime’s blanket term for rebels and jihadists.\n\nThis “confirms once again the support provided by the Turkish regime to terrorist groups,” state news agency SANA reported the source as saying.\n\nThe AFP correspondent saw them on their way to the town of Maaret al-Noman, which lies 15 kilometres north of Khan Sheikhun.\n\nA Russian air strike hit the rebel vehicle leading the convoy just outside Maaret al-Noman, killing a Turkish-backed fighter from the Faylaq al-Sham group, the Britain-based Observatory said.\n\nThe AFP correspondent saw the convoy pause briefly outside the town.\n\nAfter the convoy made it inside the town, Russian and Syrian warplanes targeted its outskirts in an apparent “attempt to prevent the convoy from advancing”, Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said.\n\nOn Sunday, pro-regime forces backed by Russian air strikes took control of Khan Sheikhun’s northwestern outskirts.\n\nAny seizure of Khan Sheikhun and territory further east would encircle a patch of countryside to its south, including the town of Morek that is home to a key Turkish observation post.\n\nNaji Mustafa, a spokesman for the National Liberation Front rebel grouping, told AFP: “The Turkish reinforcements were headed to… Morek.”\n\nKhan Sheikhun lies on the southern edge of the Idlib region, which after eight years of war is the last major stronghold of opposition to President Bashar al-Assad’s regime.\n\nThe Idlib region was supposed to be protected from a massive regime offensive by a buffer zone deal signed between Russia and Turkey in September last year.\n\nSome Turkish troops were deployed to patrol the planned buffer zone, but it was never fully implemented as jihadists refused to withdraw from the planned demilitarised cordon.\n\nSince late April, the regime and Russia have upped their bombardment of the Idlib region of some three million people, killing more than 860 civilians.\n\nFor more than a week, deadly clashes have seen regime forces slowly advancing in the southern edges of the bastion.\n\nKhan Sheikhun lies on a key highway connecting government-held Damascus with the northern city of Aleppo, which the regime retook from rebels in December 2016.\n\nJihadist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, led by Syria’s former Al-Qaeda affiliate, controls most of Idlib province as well as parts of the neighbouring provinces of Hama, Aleppo and Latakia.", "BEIRUT (Reuters) - A Turkish convoy crossed into northwest Syria on Monday to help insurgents in the town of Khan Sheikhoun fighting a government advance, Syrian state media said, calling it an act of aggression.\n\nThere was no immediate comment from Ankara, which backs some of the rebels in the northwest and has deployed forces into the Idlib region under deals with Russia, President Bashar al-Assad’s most powerful ally.\n\nSyrian army troops reached the edge of Khan Sheikhoun in the south of Idlib province overnight, a rebel official and a monitor said. The advance not only threatens the town, in rebel hands since 2014, but also to encircle insurgent fighters in their only patch of territory in neighboring Hama province.\n\nThe northwest is the last major stronghold of the opposition to Assad, whose military has been waging its latest offensive there since late April with Russian help.\n\nThe surge in violence since late April has killed at least 500 civilians and uprooted hundreds of thousands, many toward the Turkish border, the United Nations says.\n\nA witness said a Turkish military convoy, with rebel allies, entered Idlib on Monday but was stopped because of heavy bombing there.\n\nSyrian state news agency SANA, citing a Foreign Ministry source, said the convoy loaded with munitions would not affect “the determination of the Syrian Arab Army to keep hunting the remnants of terrorists” in Khan Sheikhoun or elsewhere.\n\nColonel Mustafa Bakour of the Jaish al-Izza rebel faction said battles raged on the outskirts of the town. Fighters arrived to reinforce the frontline, he said, including some from the National Army, a Turkey-backed rebel force based further north near the border.\n\nKhan Sheikhoun, along a main highway stretching from the capital Damascus to Aleppo city, was bombed with sarin in 2017, an attack that killed dozens on people, wounded hundreds others and prompted a U.S. missile strike.\n\nAn investigation by the United Nations and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons blamed the attack on the Syrian government. Damascus denies using such weapons.\n\nSince a brief ceasefire collapsed this month, the Syrian army has closed in on Khan Sheikhoun from the east and west.\n\nPro-government forces arrived at the northwest flank of the town under heavy air strikes and were fighting to march into it, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.\n\nResidents said warplanes pounded the town and nearby positions during the night.", "Syria’s north-west is the last major stronghold of the opposition to Bashar Al Assad\n\nSyrian regime troops and their allies entered Khan Sheikhoun in Idlib, north-west Syria, advancing against rebels in the town where battles raged on Monday night.\n\nThe Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the army seized the town’s northern and eastern districts.\n\nA source from one of the rebel factions said pro-government forces entered only part of the town and fierce battles were being fought to fend them off.\n\nThe advance threatens to encircle insurgents in their only patch of territory in nearby Hama province and could put a Turkish observation post there at risk.\n\nEarlier in the day a Turkish military convoy was hit by air strikes in Idlib province.\n\nTurkey's defence ministry claimed that three civilians were killed and 12 others wounded in the attack, which they said breached Ankara's agreements and co-operation with Russia, the most powerful ally of Syrian President Bashar Al Assad.\n\nTurkey said Russia had been told in advance about the convoy.\n\nAnkara said the vehicles had been travelling to a Turkish observation post in north-west Syria, but the Syrian Foreign Ministry said they had been carrying munitions to help rebels in the province.\n\nThe “aggressive” Turkish move of sending in the convoy would not affect “the determination of the Syrian Arab Army to keep hunting the remnants of terrorists\", a Syrian ministry source told state news agency Sana.\n\nRead More Turkey removes three pro-Kurdish mayors over terrorism charges\n\n“Turkish vehicles loaded with munitions are heading towards Khan Sheikhoun to help the terrorists, which confirms once again the support provided by the Turkish regime to terrorist groups,\" the source said.\n\nThe convoy was hit near the frontline as it headed for Khan Sheikhoun, which the Syrian army advanced towards last week in a pincer movement.\n\nTurkey has funnelled weapons to the rebels it backs in the north-westerly province to hold off major aerial and ground attacks by the regime and Russia, who seek to gain control of the area.\n\nMr Al Assad launched the assault in April, saying the rebels had broken a ceasefire.\n\nThe Observatory said the Turkish convoy was stuck on a highway after air strikes prevented it from continuing southwards. It said one fighter accompanying the convoy was killed.\n\nApparently a near miss. Syrian regime forces have shown no hesitancy to fire at (and kill) Turkish military units assigned to observe the ceasefire. https://t.co/SCwsFbg6ka — Tobias Schneider (@tobiaschneider) August 19, 2019\n\nFighting has killed at least 500 civilians and uprooted hundreds of thousands, many of them stranded near the border with Turkey, the UN says.\n\nTurkey, which hosts about 3.6 million Syrian refugees and says it cannot accept any more, fears the onslaught in Idlib could spark a new influx.\n\nA series of truces brokered in talks between Moscow and Ankara has failed to end the fighting.\n\nOn Friday, France called for an immediate end to the fighting, and the French Foreign Ministry condemned air strikes on refugee camps.\n\nAn aerial view of a convoy of Turkish military vehicles passing through Maaret Al Numan in Syria's northern province of Idlib, reportedly heading toward the town of Khan Sheikhun in the southern countryside of the province. AFP A truck carrying a tank. AFP A convoy of Turkish enters as inhabitants flee the battles and shelling toward safer areas. AFP The convoy passes through the town of Saraqeb in the northwestern province of Idlib. AFP The Syrian Foreign Ministry told Sana that the “aggressive” move would not affect “the determination of the Syrian Arab Army to keep hunting the remnants of terrorists”. AFP The Syrian Foreign Ministry said the convoy was carrying munitions. AFP Inhabitants of Maaret Al Numan in Syria's northern province of Idlib watch a convoy of Turkish military vehicles reportedly headed to assist rebels against regime forces. AFP Inhabitants of Maaret Al Numan in Syria's northern province of Idlib watch a convoy of Turkish military vehicles reportedly headed to assist rebels against regime forces. AFP Inhabitants of Maaret Al Numan in Syria's northern province of Idlib watch a convoy of Turkish military vehicles reportedly headed to assist rebels against regime forces. AFP Inhabitants of Maaret Al Numan in Syria's northern province of Idlib watch a convoy of Turkish military vehicles reportedly headed to assist rebels against regime forces. AFP", "Alwaght- Syrian Air Force's heavy bombing has stopped a Turkish military convoy that has crossed into Syrian territory.\n\nThe Syrian Foreign Ministry said Monday that Turkish armored vehicles were heading for the town of Khan Sheikhoun in the province of Idlib, where Syrian government forces were fighting terrorists, according to the state channel Syria TV.\n\nThe Syrian Air Force nearly hit the Turkish military convoy that was passing through the area. According to Turkey's Demirören News Agency (DHA ,)t he route of the convoy, which included additional troops and vehicles to be deployed in No. 9 observation point in Morek and No. 10 observation point in Zawiyah, was hit in airstrikes, and the convoy was made to stop in a safe location.\n\nAs shown in the video below, smoke can be seen billowing from the site as the Turkish military convoy continues to pass through the area.\n\nSyrian armed forces entered the town of Khan Sheikhoun on Sunday, amid heavy fighting with al-Nusra Front* terrorists and their allies, targeting their positions and inflicting heavy losses on militants, the SANA news agency reported.\n\nAfter two days of negotiations on Syria in the Kazakh capital of Nur-Sultan, a conditional ceasefire came into force on 2 August in Idlib. The Syrian Armed Forces said they would stop fighting provided Turkey fulfills its obligations under the Russian-Turkish agreement reached in September 2018 in Sochi, namely the withdrawal of militants' heavy and medium weapons 20 kilometres away from the lines of Idlib's de-escalation zone.\n\nThree days later, the army resumed the military operation against terrorist groups in Idlib due to their failure to respect the ceasefire and the Sochi memorandum of 2018.", "DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Airstrikes halted a Turkish military convoy carrying ammunition after it crossed into northern Syria on Monday, bound for a rebel-held stronghold, opposition activists said.\n\nThe strikes hit near the highway where the convoy was moving, the activists said.\n\nIt was not immediately clear whether it was Syrian government or Russian warplanes that struck near the convoy but the development marked a sharp escalation in tensions in the northwestern province of Idlib where Syrian troops have been on the offensive for weeks.\n\nSyria’s Foreign Ministry slammed Turkey, saying the convoy consisted of armored vehicles loaded with ammunition and was heading to Khan Sheikhoun, a major rebel-held town in Idlib province, the country’s last rebel stronghold.\n\nTurkey backs the rebels who have been in control of the region since 2012, while Russia backs Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government, which has vowed to take back Idlib. There was no immediate official word from Turkey, which has 12 observation posts in and on the edge of Idlib province, about a convoy headed to Syria.\n\nTurkey’s private DHA news agency said Syrian government planes targeted the route of a Turkish military convoy carrying reinforcement vehicles and personnel. It said the convoy was heading toward two Turkish observation posts in the region when it came under Syrian aircraft fire.\n\nThe report said the convoy could not proceed because the route between Maaret al Numan and Khan Sheikhoun was targeted, so it sheltered at a safe location. The agency did not report any casualties.\n\nThe Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said airstrikes believed to be Russian struck near the highway and forced the nearly 25-vehicle Turkish convoy to stop.\n\nMazen al-Shami, an opposition activist based in Idlib, also said that warplanes struck areas near where the Turkish convoy was moving. The Sham Network, an activist collective, posted photos of the Turkish convoy: A mushroom of smoke, apparently from the airstrike, could be seen in the distance.\n\nThe Syrian Foreign Ministry called the convoy’s incursion a “flagrant Turkish intervention,” saying it had reached Saraqeb, a town north of Khan Sheikoun, early Monday.\n\nSyrian government troops reached the western outskirts of Khan Sheikhoun earlier in the day. The pro-government Al-Watan online and the Observatory reported that Syrian troops have entered Khan Sheikhoun from the northwest.\n\nThe ministry said “this hostile behavior of the Turkish regime” would not affect Syrian troops’ push into Khan Sheikhoun.\n\nSyrian troops have been on the offensive in Idlib and its surroundings since April 30. The region is home to some 3 million people, many of them displaced in other battles around the wartorn country. The latest round of fighting in the past month has displaced some 450,000 people.\n\nKhan Sheikhoun is a stronghold of al-Qaida-linked Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the most powerful group in the rebel-held areas. The town was the scene of a chemical attack on April 4, 2017 that killed 89 people.", "This photo provided by the activist-operated Thiqa News Agency, shows a Turkish military convoy heading toward the town of Khan Sheikhoun, in Idlib province, Syria, Monday, Aug. 19, 2019. The Turkish military convoy carrying ammunition crossed into northern Syria Monday and moved south through rebel-held areas before it was stopped by airstrikes that struck near the highway where the convoy was moving, opposition activists said. (Thiqa News Agency via AP)\n\nDAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — The Latest on developments in Syria as the government offensive intensifies on the country's last rebel stronghold (all times local):\n\nTurkey says airstrikes have targeted a Turkish military convoy in Syria, killing at least three civilians. There was no immediate word on any Turkish casualties in the attack.\n\nThe Defense Ministry says 12 other civilians were wounded in Monday's strikes, which took place as the Turkish convoy was heading toward a Turkish observation post in the Syrian rebel-held stronghold of Idlib.\n\nThe ministry didn't provide other details but \"strongly condemned\" the airstrikes, adding they were contrary to \"existing agreements as well as our cooperation and dialogue with Russia.\"\n\nIt called for \"urgent measures\" to prevent a repeat of the incident.\n\nIt wasn't immediately clear who was behind the strikes, Syrian or Russian warplanes. Turkey has 12 observation posts in and on the edge of Idlib as part of an agreement reached with Russia.\n\nSyrian activists say that airstrikes halted a Turkish military convoy carrying ammunition after it crossed into northern Syria earlier in the day, bound for a rebel-held stronghold.\n\nThey say the strikes hit near the highway where the convoy was moving on Monday. It wasn't immediately clear whether it was Syrian government or Russian warplanes that struck near the convoy but the development marked a sharp escalation in tensions in the northwestern province of Idlib where Syrian troops have been on the offensive for weeks.\n\nSyria's Foreign Ministry slammed Turkey, saying the convoy consisted of armored vehicles loaded with ammunition and was heading to Khan Sheikhoun, a major rebel-held town in Idlib province, the country's last rebel stronghold.\n\nTurkey backs the rebels who have been in control of the region since 2012, while Russia backs Syrian President Bashar Assad's government, which has vowed to take back Idlib.", "The Latest: Turkey says its army convoy targeted in Syria\n\nDAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — The Latest on developments in Syria as the government offensive intensifies on the country's last rebel stronghold (all times local):\n\nTurkey says airstrikes have targeted a Turkish military convoy in Syria, killing at least three civilians. There was no immediate word on any Turkish casualties in the attack.\n\nThe Defense Ministry says 12 other civilians were wounded in Monday's strikes, which took place as the Turkish convoy was heading toward a Turkish observation post in the Syrian rebel-held stronghold of Idlib.\n\nThe ministry didn't provide other details but \"strongly condemned\" the airstrikes, adding they were contrary to \"existing agreements as well as our cooperation and dialogue with Russia.\"\n\nIt called for \"urgent measures\" to prevent a repeat of the incident.\n\nIt wasn't immediately clear who was behind the strikes, Syrian or Russian warplanes. Turkey has 12 observation posts in and on the edge of Idlib as part of an agreement reached with Russia.\n\nSyrian activists say that airstrikes halted a Turkish military convoy carrying ammunition after it crossed into northern Syria earlier in the day, bound for a rebel-held stronghold.\n\nThey say the strikes hit near the highway where the convoy was moving on Monday. It wasn't immediately clear whether it was Syrian government or Russian warplanes that struck near the convoy but the development marked a sharp escalation in tensions in the northwestern province of Idlib where Syrian troops have been on the offensive for weeks.\n\nSyria's Foreign Ministry slammed Turkey, saying the convoy consisted of armored vehicles loaded with ammunition and was heading to Khan Sheikhoun, a major rebel-held town in Idlib province, the country's last rebel stronghold.\n\nTurkey backs the rebels who have been in control of the region since 2012, while Russia backs Syrian President Bashar Assad's government, which has vowed to take back Idlib."], "summary": "Syrian Air Force warplanes repeatedly strike a Turkish military convoy driving through the rebel-held region of Idlib, reportedly causing several casualties and forcing it to stop. Turkey claims the convoy was aiming to supply observation posts, while Syria accuses it of carrying weapons and ammunition to rebel groups."}
{"document": ["Syrian government forces look set to recover a strategic town that has been in rebel hands since 2014 in a major Russian-backed offensive into the opposition’s last major stronghold.\n\nAn organisation that monitors the war and a pro-Damascus military source said insurgents had withdrawn from Khan Sheikhoun overnight, though the main insurgent group in the area said rebels still held part of the town and fighting continued.\n\nCapturing Khan Sheikhoun would be an important gain for President Bashar al-Assad into the northwestern region where his bid to recover “every inch” of Syria has run into complications including Turkish forces on the ground.\n\nSyrian state media, in a broadcast from near the town, reported that government forces had widened their control including by seizing a highway running through Khan Sheikhoun, which was targeted in a sarin poison gas attack in 2017.\n\nThe pro-Damascus military source said the town was under army control after the rebels were caught in a pincer movement and fled. “There are some pockets and explosive devices, there are a few who refuse to withdraw and want to die,” the source said.\n\nThe Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitoring group, said rebels had withdrawn from their last piece of territory in neighbouring Hama province in addition to Khan Sheikhoun.\n\nThe most powerful insurgent group in the area, the jihadist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, denied this and said the battle continued.\n\nIn a statement on its Telegram channel, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham said rebels still held part of Khan Sheikhoun and nearby areas in northern Hama despite what it described as a redeployment in the town after fierce enemy bombardment.\n\nAnother rebel alliance, the Turkey-backed National Liberation Front, said that as a result of bombardment in the northern Hama area its forces had left positions that had become difficult to supply and had redeployed to others.\n\nRebel fighters “did not leave an inch of land before making the enemy taste great calamities”, it said in a statement.\n\nThe observatory and the pro-Damascus military source said Syrian rebels had pulled back to a Turkish military position in the town of Morek, south of Khan Sheikh in Hama province.\n\nTurkey, which supports some of the rebel groups in the northwest, has established a dozen military positions in the area under deals with Russia.\n\nOne of its main concerns is to prevent a further influx of Syrian refugees fleeing government control. Some 3.6 million Syrian refugees already live in Turkey.\n\nThe pro-Damascus source said negotiations were under way between Turkey and Russia over the withdrawal of the Turkish position.\n\nTurkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Turkey would not remove the observation post located near Morek, which a Turkish convoy was trying to reach on Monday when it came under attack.\n\nSyrian government forces stepped up military operations against the northwestern region in late April, in an offensive that has killed hundreds of people and forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee toward the Turkish border.\n\nAfter eight years of conflict, Mr Assad has defeated his rebel opponents across much of the country with help from Russian and Iran-backed forces.\n\nRussia has military servicemen stationed on the ground in the Idlib region and is following the situation there closely, Interfax news agency cited Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as saying on Tuesday. He said any attacks carried out by militants in Idlib’s de-escalation zone would be forcefully suppressed.\n\nKhan Sheikhoun has been in rebel hands since 2014. The opposition’s territorial foothold in neighbouring Hama dates back to the earliest days of the civil war.\n\nRussian-backed Syrian government advances around Khan Sheikhoun had threatened to encircle rebel fighters in their last remaining territory in northern Hama, including the towns of Latamneh and Kafr Zeita. Local activists and the observatory said the rebels had quit those towns.\n\nThe Turkish military convoy was targeted in an air strike on Monday after it entered the territory. Rebel sources said the Syrian government had targeted it.\n\nSyrian state media said the despatch of the convoy into Syria was an act of aggression and it had entered to help insurgents fighting an army advance in Khan Sheikhoun.\n\nThe US-based Union of Medical Care and Relief Organizations (UOSSM), which supports medical facilities in the northwest, says more than 730 civilians have been killed by government or Russian forces since late April.\n\nThe UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs has said more than 500 civilians have died in hostilities. – Reuters", "Syrian opposition forces have withdrawn from the strategic town of Khan Sheikhoun, deep in the last rebel-held province.\n\nGovernment forces, backed by Russia, closed in on the town in recent weeks, five years after rebels took over.\n\nRebels told the BBC that fighters pulled out of the town on Tuesday.\n\nBut an official statement from the main jihadist group in Idlib province, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), characterised it as a “redeployment” of forces.\n\nThe fate of the town seemed to be in flux on Tuesday, as the UK-based monitoring group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported it had fallen to government forces.\n\nBut then HTS issued a statement saying it had redeployed its fighters in the town after coming under a major bombardment.\n\nKhan Sheikhoun has long been a flashpoint in Syria’s civil war.\n\nIt was the site of a chemical weapons attack in 2017, which UN experts blamed on Syria. The incident prompted military strikes by the United States.\n\nThe conflict in Syria has been going on for more than eight years.\n\nIt has been the subject of a major offensive by the forces of President Bashar al-Assad in recent months. Hundreds of civilians have been killed, and hundreds of thousands more driven from their homes.\n\nIdlib province – along with parts of northern Hama and western Aleppo – make up the last strongholds of the armed opposition.\n\nLast year, a deal struck between Russia and Turkey – who back opposing sides in the civil war – was supposed to create a “buffer zone” to protect civilians and limit a major government offensive.\n\nHowever, government forces have escalated their attacks in recent months, nearly encircling Khan Sheikhoun and the surrounding territory.\n\nOn Monday, a Turkish convoy was hit by a government air strike – with Syria alleging the vehicles were on their way to reinforce Khan Sheikhoun.", "This photo provided by the activist-operated Thiqa News Agency, shows part of a Turkish military convoy heading toward the town of Khan Sheikhoun, a rebel-held northwestern town that’s part of a government offensive on the country’s last rebel stronghold, in Idlib province, Syria, Monday, Aug. 19, 2019. A Turkish military convoy carrying ammunition crossed into northern Syria Monday and moved south through rebel-held areas before it was stopped by airstrikes that struck near the highway where the convoy was moving, opposition activists said. (Thiqa News Agency via AP)\n\nBEIRUT (AP) — The main insurgent group in the Syrian province of Idlib pulled out of a key rebel town as government forces advanced in the area on Tuesday amid intense bombardment and airstrikes, a militant group and opposition activists said.\n\nAs the militants withdrew, government troops moved into northern and western neighborhoods of Khan Sheikhoun, marking a significant gain for President Bashar Assad’s forces as they try to chip away at territory controlled by the opposition in Idlib. The northwestern province, dominated by an al-Qaida-linked faction, is the last major rebel-held bastion in Syria.\n\nHayat Tahrir al-Sham, Syria’s main al-Qaida-linked faction, said in a statement that its fighters carried out “a re-deployment,” withdrawing to areas south of the town of Khan Sheikhoun. From there, they would continue to defend the territory, it said.\n\nSyrian state TV said government troops have expanded their presence in the Khan Sheikhoun area, without giving further details.\n\n“The victories that were achieved show the determination of the people and the army to strike terrorists, until all parts of Syria are liberated,” Assad said, according to comments released by his office.\n\nThe withdrawal is a blow to the opposition. Syrian government forces have been on the offensive in Idlib and northern parts of Hama province since April 30, forcing nearly half a million people to flee to safer areas further north. The fighting also killed more than 2,000 people, including hundreds of civilians.\n\nAfter months of intense bombardment, the insurgents’ defenses appear to be crumbling as they are now losing ground at a much faster pace compared with the first three months of the government push.\n\nIn the long-running Syrian civil war, now in its ninth year, the northwestern region — where Turkish, Russian, U.S. and Iranian interests are at stake — has taken center stage in the conflict.\n\nThe latest government gains come as NATO allies Turkey and the U.S. are discussing setting up a buffer inside Syria — one that Ankara wants to push Syrian Kurdish fighters it considers terrorists further to the east.\n\nThere has been speculation, meanwhile, that Russia and Turkey, which back rival sides in Syria’s conflict, have reached an agreement that would allow the Syrian army to retake parts of Idlib and reopen a highway that links the capital, Damascus, with the northern city of Aleppo, Syria’s largest.\n\nKhan Sheikhoun, which had been held by militants since 2014, sits on that highway.\n\nAfter the capture of Khan Sheikhoun, Syrian troops are likely now to move north toward Maaret al-Numan, another town on the highway that has been subjected to intense airstrikes over the past days. Opposition activists also reported intense bombardment on the rebel-held town of Jisr al-Shughour on the southwestern edge of Idlib on Tuesday.\n\nBacked by Russian air power, Syrian troops were able to enter parts of Khan Sheikhoun overnight, according to opposition activists, and are now clearing the area abandoned by militants of explosives and booby traps.\n\n“After fierce bombardment by the criminal enemy that avoids direct confrontation with holy warriors by implementing a scorched earth policy, our fighters have redeployed south of Khan Sheihoun,” the statement said.\n\nThe Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said the al-Qaida-linked Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and other insurgent groups withdrew from Khan Sheikhoun as well as the towns and villages south of the town.\n\nAccording to the Observatory, Khan Sheikhoun was home to about 1 million people, nearly 700,000 of them displaced by fighting in other parts of the country, before the government offensive began in April. In recent days hundreds of civilians remained in the town according to the group that tracks Syria’s war, now in its ninth year.\n\nThe Syrian Response Coordination Group, a relief group active in northwestern Syria, called on Tuesday for a “humanitarian truce” to allow civilians who are stuck in the areas of fighting to leave. The group said in a statement the Russia and Syrian governments “are practicing terrorism against civilians” in violation of international laws.\n\nKhan Sheikhoun was a stronghold of the al-Qaida-linked militant faction, the most powerful group in rebel-held areas in Syria. The town was also the scene of a chemical attack on April 4, 2017 that killed 89 people.\n\nAt the time, the United States, Britain and France pointed a finger at the Syrian government, saying their experts had found that nerve agents were used in the attack. Days later, the U.S. fired 59 U.S. Tomahawk missiles at the Shayrat Air Base in central Syria, saying the attack on Khan Sheikhoun was launched from the base.\n\nThe Syrian government and its Russian allies denied there was a chemical attack.\n\nAlso Tuesday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu warned the Syrian government against “playing with fire,” a day after an airstrikes targeted a Turkish army convoy near Khan Sheikoun, killing 3 civilians.\n\nCavusoglu said the convoy was on its way to provide “security” to a Turkish observation post in Idlib. Syria said the convoy was carrying ammunition to rebels.\n\n“We will do what is necessary for the security of our soldiers … but we are working to avoid reaching that point,” he said.", "Syrian government forces stormed the town of Khan Sheikhoun yesterday amid fierce clashes with armed opposition groups, leaving dozens dead.\n\nThe Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the government’s ground troops penetrated Khan Sheikhoun in Idlib province for the first time since they lost control of it in 2014.\n\nKhan Sheikhoun is the most important city in the southern Idlib countryside as it contains a strategic highway links Aleppo to Damascus. Regime forces have been aiming to take control of it, according to political analysts.\n\nBashar Assad’s forces are trying to advance deeper in Khan Sheikhoun in order to encircle the strategic town from the north and west and to seize the key highway, but they are facing resistance from opposition fighters.\n\nREAD: Six years after the chemical attack in Ghouta, have we learnt its lessons?", "BEIRUT, Aug 20 (Reuters) - Syrian government forces look set to recover a strategic town that has been in rebel hands since 2014 in a major Russian-backed offensive into the opposition's last major stronghold.\n\nAn organisation that monitors the war and a pro-Damascus military source said insurgents had withdrawn from Khan Sheikhoun overnight, though the main insurgent group in the area said rebels still held part of the town and fighting continued.\n\nSyrian state media, in a broadcast from near the town, reported that government forces had widened their control including by seizing a highway running through Khan Sheikhoun, which was targeted in a sarin poison gas attack in 2017.\n\nThe pro-Damascus military source told Reuters the town was under army control after the rebels were caught in a pincer movement and fled.\n\n\"There are some pockets and explosive devices, there are a few who refuse to withdraw and want to die,\" the source said.\n\nThe Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitoring group, said rebels had withdrawn from their last piece of territory in neighbouring Hama province in addition to Khan Sheikhoun.\n\nThe most powerful insurgent group in the area, the jihadist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, denied this and said the battle continued.\n\nIn a statement on its Telegram channel, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham said rebels still held part of Khan Sheikhoun and nearby areas in northern Hama despite what it described as a redeployment in the town after fierce enemy bombardment.\n\nAnother rebel alliance, the Turkey-backed National Liberation Front, said that as a result of bombardment in the northern Hama area its forces had left positions that had become difficult to supply and had redeployed to others.\n\nRebel fighters \"did not leave an inch of land before making the enemy taste great calamities\", it said in a statement.\n\nThe Observatory and the pro-Damascus military source said Syrian rebels had pulled back to a Turkish military position in the town of Morek, south of Khan Sheikh in Hama province.\n\nTurkey, which supports some of the rebel groups in the northwest, has established a dozen military positions in the area under deals with Russia.\n\nOne of its main concerns is to prevent a further influx of Syrian refugees fleeing government control. Some 3.6 million Syrian refugees already live in Turkey.\n\nThe pro-Damascus source saidnegotiations were underway between Turkey and Russia over the withdrawal of the Turkish position.\n\nTurkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Turkey would not remove the observation post located near Morek, which a Turkish convoy was trying to reach on Monday when it came under attack.\n\nSyrian government forces stepped up military operations against the northwestern region in late April, in an offensive that has killed hundreds of people and forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee toward the Turkish border.\n\nAfter eight years of conflict, Assad has defeated his rebel opponents across much of the country with help from Russian and Iran-backed forces.\n\nRussia has military servicemen stationed on the ground in the Idlib region and is following the situation there closely, Interfax news agency cited Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as saying on Tuesday. He said any attacks carried out by militants in Idlib's de-escalation zone would be forcefully suppressed.\n\nKhan Sheikhoun has been in rebel hands since 2014. The opposition's territorial foothold in neighbouring Hama dates back to the earliest days of the civil war.\n\nRussian-backed Syrian government advances around Khan Sheikhoun had threatened to encircle rebel fighters in their last remaining territory in northern Hama, including the towns of Latamneh and Kafr Zeita. Local activists and the Observatory said the rebels had quit those towns.\n\nThe Turkish military convoy was targeted in an air strike on Monday after it entered the territory. Rebel sources said the Syrian government had targeted it.\n\nSyrian state media said the despatch of the convoy into Syria was an act of aggression and it had entered to help insurgents fighting an army advance in Khan Sheikhoun.\n\nThe U.S.-based Union of Medical Care and Relief Organizations (UOSSM), which supports medical facilities in the northwest, says more than 730 civilians have been killed by government or Russian forces since late April.\n\nThe U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has said more than 500 civilians have died in hostilities.", "This photo provided by the activist-operated Thiqa News Agency, shows part of a Turkish military convoy heading toward the town of Khan Sheikhoun, a rebel-held northwestern town that’s part of a government offensive on the country’s last rebel stronghold, in Idlib province, Syria, Monday, Aug. 19, 2019. A Turkish military convoy carrying ammunition crossed into northern Syria Monday and moved south through rebel-held areas before it was stopped by airstrikes that struck near the highway where the convoy was moving, opposition activists said. (Thiqa News Agency via AP)\n\nBEIRUT (AP) — The main insurgent group in the Syrian province of Idlib pulled out of a key rebel town as government forces advanced in the area on Tuesday amid intense bombardment and airstrikes, a militant group and opposition activists said.\n\nAs the militants withdrew, government troops moved into northern and western neighborhoods of Khan Sheikhoun, marking a significant gain for President Bashar Assad’s forces as they try to chip away at territory controlled by the opposition in Idlib. The northwestern province, dominated by an al-Qaida-linked faction, is the last major rebel-held bastion in Syria.\n\nHayat Tahrir al-Sham, Syria’s main al-Qaida-linked faction, said in a statement that its fighters carried out “a re-deployment,” withdrawing to areas south of the town of Khan Sheikhoun. From there, they would continue to defend the territory, it said.\n\nSyrian state TV said government troops have expanded their presence in the Khan Sheikhoun area, without giving further details.\n\n“The victories that were achieved show the determination of the people and the army to strike terrorists, until all parts of Syria are liberated,” Assad said, according to comments released by his office.\n\nThe withdrawal is a blow to the opposition. Syrian government forces have been on the offensive in Idlib and northern parts of Hama province since April 30, forcing nearly half a million people to flee to safer areas further north. The fighting also killed more than 2,000 people, including hundreds of civilians.\n\nAfter months of intense bombardment, the insurgents’ defenses appear to be crumbling as they are now losing ground at a much faster pace compared with the first three months of the government push.\n\nIn the long-running Syrian civil war, now in its ninth year, the northwestern region — where Turkish, Russian, U.S. and Iranian interests are at stake — has taken center stage in the conflict.\n\nThe latest government gains come as NATO allies Turkey and the U.S. are discussing setting up a buffer inside Syria — one that Ankara wants to push Syrian Kurdish fighters it considers terrorists further to the east.\n\nThere has been speculation, meanwhile, that Russia and Turkey, which back rival sides in Syria’s conflict, have reached an agreement that would allow the Syrian army to retake parts of Idlib and reopen a highway that links the capital, Damascus, with the northern city of Aleppo, Syria’s largest.\n\nKhan Sheikhoun, which had been held by militants since 2014, sits on that highway.\n\nAfter the capture of Khan Sheikhoun, Syrian troops are likely now to move north toward Maaret al-Numan, another town on the highway that has been subjected to intense airstrikes over the past days. Opposition activists also reported intense bombardment on the rebel-held town of Jisr al-Shughour on the southwestern edge of Idlib on Tuesday.\n\nBacked by Russian air power, Syrian troops were able to enter parts of Khan Sheikhoun overnight, according to opposition activists, and are now clearing the area abandoned by militants of explosives and booby traps.\n\n“After fierce bombardment by the criminal enemy that avoids direct confrontation with holy warriors by implementing a scorched earth policy, our fighters have redeployed south of Khan Sheihoun,” the statement said.\n\nThe Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said the al-Qaida-linked Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and other insurgent groups withdrew from Khan Sheikhoun as well as the towns and villages south of the town.\n\nAccording to the Observatory, Khan Sheikhoun was home to about 1 million people, nearly 700,000 of them displaced by fighting in other parts of the country, before the government offensive began in April. In recent days hundreds of civilians remained in the town according to the group that tracks Syria’s war, now in its ninth year.\n\nThe Syrian Response Coordination Group, a relief group active in northwestern Syria, called on Tuesday for a “humanitarian truce” to allow civilians who are stuck in the areas of fighting to leave. The group said in a statement the Russia and Syrian governments “are practicing terrorism against civilians” in violation of international laws.\n\nKhan Sheikhoun was a stronghold of the al-Qaida-linked militant faction, the most powerful group in rebel-held areas in Syria. The town was also the scene of a chemical attack on April 4, 2017 that killed 89 people.\n\nAt the time, the United States, Britain and France pointed a finger at the Syrian government, saying their experts had found that nerve agents were used in the attack. Days later, the U.S. fired 59 U.S. Tomahawk missiles at the Shayrat Air Base in central Syria, saying the attack on Khan Sheikhoun was launched from the base.\n\nThe Syrian government and its Russian allies denied there was a chemical attack.\n\nAlso Tuesday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu warned the Syrian government against “playing with fire,” a day after an airstrikes targeted a Turkish army convoy near Khan Sheikoun, killing 3 civilians.\n\nCavusoglu said the convoy was on its way to provide “security” to a Turkish observation post in Idlib. Syria said the convoy was carrying ammunition to rebels.\n\n“We will do what is necessary for the security of our soldiers … but we are working to avoid reaching that point,” he said.", "BEIRUT, LEBANON (10:30 A.M.) – The jihadist rebels have suffered several setbacks over the last 72 hours, as now they find themselves under heavy attack in Khan Sheikhoun.\n\nThe Syrian Arab Army has now captured all of the farms located west and northwest of Khan Sheikhoun. The Syrian army has captured all farms in west and north-west Khan Shaykhun cutting all rebel’s major supply lines toward the strategic town.\n\nAs a result of this advance, all of the major jihadist supply lines to the key city of Khan Sheikhoun have been cut this morning, a source from the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) told Al-Masdar.\n\nThe source added that the Syrian Army is involved in a fierce battle with the jihadist forces at the western axis of Khan Sheikhoun.\n\nEarlier this morning, several preliminary reports from the Khan Sheikhoun front-lines indicated that the Syrian Arab Army had entered the western sector of the city.", "BEIRUT - A Turkish convoy crossed into northwest Syria on Monday to help insurgents in the town of Khan Sheikhoun fighting a government advance, Syrian state media said, calling it an act of aggression.\n\n\n\nThere was no immediate comment from Ankara, which backs some of the rebels in the northwest and has deployed forces into the Idlib region under deals with Russia, President Bashar al-Assad's most powerful ally.Syrian army troops reached the edge of Khan Sheikhoun in the south of Idlib province overnight, a rebel official and a monitor said. The advance not only threatens the town, in rebel hands since 2014, but also to encircle insurgent fighters in their only patch of territory in neighboring Hama province.\n\n\n\nThe northwest is the last major stronghold of the opposition to Assad, whose military has been waging its latest offensive there since late April with Russian help.\n\n\n\nThe surge in violence since late April has killed at least 500 civilians and uprooted hundreds of thousands, many towards the Turkish border, the United Nations says.\n\n\n\nA witness said a Turkish military convoy, with rebel allies, entered Idlib on Monday but was stopped because of heavy bombing there.\n\n\n\nSyrian state news agency SANA, citing a Foreign Ministry source, said the convoy loaded with munitions would not affect \"the determination of the Syrian Arab Army to keep hunting the remnants of terrorists\" in Khan Sheikhoun or elsewhere.\n\n\n\nColonel Mustafa Bakour of the Jaish al-Izza rebel faction said battles raged on the outskirts of the town. Fighters arrived to reinforce the frontline, he said, including some from the National Army, a Turkey-backed rebel force based further north near the border.\n\n\n\nKhan Sheikhoun, along a main highway stretching from the capital Damascus to Aleppo city, was bombed with sarin in 2017, an attack that killed dozens on people, wounded hundreds others and prompted a US missile strike.\n\n\n\nAn investigation by the United Nations and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons blamed the attack on the Syrian government. Damascus denies using such weapons.\n\n\n\nSince a brief ceasefire collapsed this month, the Syrian army has closed in on Khan Sheikhoun from the east and west.\n\n\n\nPro-government forces arrived at the northwest flank of the town under heavy air strikes and were fighting to march into it, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.\n\n\n\nResidents said warplanes pounded the town and nearby positions during the night.", "BEIRUT, Aug 19 (Reuters) - Air strikes hit positions near a Turkish convoy which was stuck at a highway in northwest Syria after crossing into Idlib province on Monday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.\n\nThe British-based war monitoring group said one fighter from a Turkey-backed faction accompanying the convoy was killed and others were injured.\n\nSyrian state media said the convoy entered Syria on Monday to help insurgents in the town of Khan Sheikhoun who are fighting a government advance, calling it an act of aggression. There was no immediate comment from Ankara. (Reporting by Ellen Francis and Tom Perry; Editing by Alison Williams)", "This photo provided by the activist-operated Thiqa News Agency, shows part of a Turkish military convoy heading toward the town of Khan Sheikhoun, a rebel-held northwestern town that’s part of a government offensive on the country’s last rebel stronghold, in Idlib province, Syria, Monday, Aug. 19, 2019. A Turkish military convoy carrying ammunition crossed into northern Syria Monday and moved south through rebel-held areas before it was stopped by airstrikes that struck near the highway where the convoy was moving, opposition activists said. (Thiqa News Agency via AP)\n\nBEIRUT (AP) — The main insurgent group in the Syrian province of Idlib pulled out of a key rebel town as government forces advanced in the area on Tuesday amid intense bombardment and airstrikes, a militant group and opposition activists said.\n\nAs the militants withdrew, government troops moved into northern and western neighborhoods of Khan Sheikhoun, marking a significant gain for President Bashar Assad’s forces as they try to chip away at territory controlled by the opposition in Idlib. The northwestern province, dominated by an al-Qaida-linked faction, is the last major rebel-held bastion in Syria.\n\nHayat Tahrir al-Sham, Syria’s main al-Qaida-linked faction, said in a statement that its fighters carried out “a re-deployment,” withdrawing to areas south of the town of Khan Sheikhoun. From there, they would continue to defend the territory, it said.\n\nSyrian state TV said government troops have expanded their presence in the Khan Sheikhoun area, without giving further details.\n\n“The victories that were achieved show the determination of the people and the army to strike terrorists, until all parts of Syria are liberated,” Assad said, according to comments released by his office.\n\nThe withdrawal is a blow to the opposition. Syrian government forces have been on the offensive in Idlib and northern parts of Hama province since April 30, forcing nearly half a million people to flee to safer areas further north. The fighting also killed more than 2,000 people, including hundreds of civilians.\n\nAfter months of intense bombardment, the insurgents’ defenses appear to be crumbling as they are now losing ground at a much faster pace compared with the first three months of the government push.\n\nIn the long-running Syrian civil war, now in its ninth year, the northwestern region — where Turkish, Russian, U.S. and Iranian interests are at stake — has taken center stage in the conflict.\n\nThe latest government gains come as NATO allies Turkey and the U.S. are discussing setting up a buffer inside Syria — one that Ankara wants to push Syrian Kurdish fighters it considers terrorists further to the east.\n\nThere has been speculation, meanwhile, that Russia and Turkey, which back rival sides in Syria’s conflict, have reached an agreement that would allow the Syrian army to retake parts of Idlib and reopen a highway that links the capital, Damascus, with the northern city of Aleppo, Syria’s largest.\n\nKhan Sheikhoun, which had been held by militants since 2014, sits on that highway.\n\nAfter the capture of Khan Sheikhoun, Syrian troops are likely now to move north toward Maaret al-Numan, another town on the highway that has been subjected to intense airstrikes over the past days. Opposition activists also reported intense bombardment on the rebel-held town of Jisr al-Shughour on the southwestern edge of Idlib on Tuesday.\n\nBacked by Russian air power, Syrian troops were able to enter parts of Khan Sheikhoun overnight, according to opposition activists, and are now clearing the area abandoned by militants of explosives and booby traps.\n\n“After fierce bombardment by the criminal enemy that avoids direct confrontation with holy warriors by implementing a scorched earth policy, our fighters have redeployed south of Khan Sheihoun,” the statement said.\n\nThe Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said the al-Qaida-linked Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and other insurgent groups withdrew from Khan Sheikhoun as well as the towns and villages south of the town.\n\nAccording to the Observatory, Khan Sheikhoun was home to about 1 million people, nearly 700,000 of them displaced by fighting in other parts of the country, before the government offensive began in April. In recent days hundreds of civilians remained in the town according to the group that tracks Syria’s war, now in its ninth year.\n\nThe Syrian Response Coordination Group, a relief group active in northwestern Syria, called on Tuesday for a “humanitarian truce” to allow civilians who are stuck in the areas of fighting to leave. The group said in a statement the Russia and Syrian governments “are practicing terrorism against civilians” in violation of international laws.\n\nKhan Sheikhoun was a stronghold of the al-Qaida-linked militant faction, the most powerful group in rebel-held areas in Syria. The town was also the scene of a chemical attack on April 4, 2017 that killed 89 people.\n\nAt the time, the United States, Britain and France pointed a finger at the Syrian government, saying their experts had found that nerve agents were used in the attack. Days later, the U.S. fired 59 U.S. Tomahawk missiles at the Shayrat Air Base in central Syria, saying the attack on Khan Sheikhoun was launched from the base.\n\nThe Syrian government and its Russian allies denied there was a chemical attack.\n\nAlso Tuesday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu warned the Syrian government against “playing with fire,” a day after an airstrikes targeted a Turkish army convoy near Khan Sheikoun, killing 3 civilians.\n\nCavusoglu said the convoy was on its way to provide “security” to a Turkish observation post in Idlib. Syria said the convoy was carrying ammunition to rebels.\n\n“We will do what is necessary for the security of our soldiers … but we are working to avoid reaching that point,” he said."], "summary": "The Syrian Army enters the strategic town of Khan Shaykhun in the Idlib Governorate for the first time since losing control of the town to rebels in 2014, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights."}
{"document": ["Scores of people, including children, have been wounded after a series of explosions in restaurants and public squares hit the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad, as the country marked the 100th anniversary of its independence from British rule.\n\nNoor Ahmad Habibi, a deputy spokesman for the governor of Nangarhar province, said on Monday at least 66 people were wounded in as many as 10 blasts reported in and around the city.\n\nNo one has claimed responsibility for the attacks.\n\n\"We came to the city to celebrate and were headed to the main square when the bomb went off. I got injured and then someone brought me to the hospital,\" Walid, 17, from Pachir Agaam district in Jalalabad, told Al Jazeera.\n\n\"It was supposed to be a happy day and they come and kill people. They brought us sorrow on a day where people were supposed to be happy.\"\n\nThe blasts followed a bomb attack over the weekend on a wedding reception in the capital, Kabul, in which at least 63 people were killed and nearly 200 wounded.\n\nThat attack was claimed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIS) group.\n\nMarking independence day\n\nExtensive celebrations were planned throughout Afghanistan on Monday, with $4.8m allocated by the government to be spent on the festivities in a June presidential decree.\n\nBut in Kabul, independence day events were curtailed out of respect for those who died in Saturday's attack.\n\nThe main event to coincide with the reopening of Darulaman Palace, which was heavily damaged during the civil war in the 1990s, was postponed as well.\n\n\"There is still concern over the security in light of Saturday night,\" Al Jazeera's Charlotte Bellis, reporting from the capital, said.\n\n\"A lot of people are staying home just out of caution instead of celebrating in large groups.\"\n\nIn an independence day address, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani called on the international community to stand with Afghanistan to eradicate the fighters' \"nests\".\n\n\"Our fight against the Daesh will continue,\" he said, referring to ISIL.\n\n'I opened my eyes at hospital'\n\nIn Jalalabad, where the streets were covered in posters and cars were draped in flags, many had painted their faces with the colours of the Afghan flag: black, red and green.\n\nYoung Afghans, including children, were seen dancing to national songs.\n\n\"We all came ... to celebrate independence. We bought loud speakers to play national music, and while we were all dancing, the first bomb went off,\" Zahir Jan, a Jalalabad resident, told Al Jazeera.\n\n\"I don't know what happened next but I opened my eyes at the hospital. Eight of my friends are injured.\"\n\nNajibullah, 28, got a phone call from his friends that his nine-year-old nephew was wounded in one of the blasts.\n\n\"I rushed to the hospital when I heard about my nephews. I saw five to six children injured as well at the hospital,\" he told Al Jazeera.\n\nThe latest incidents come as the United States and the Taliban have been holding regular meetings in Qatar since October to try to end the country's 18-year conflict.\n\nA potential agreement would see the US withdraw its approximately 14,000 soldiers from Afghanistan in exchange for Taliban security guarantees.\n\nIn an independence day statement, the Taliban said it was looking forward to the departure of all foreign forces.\n\n\"The day approaches closer when these invaders shall completely leave our country, akin to the British and Soviets before them,\" it said.\n\nWhile never part of the British empire, Afghanistan gained complete independence from Britain on August 19, 1919.\n\nAdditional reporting by Mohsin Khan Momand and Mohammed Harun Arsalai in Jalalabad", "A series of bombings struck restaurants and public squares on Monday in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad, wounding at least 66 people, officials said, as the country marked the 100th anniversary of its independence.\n\nNo group has claimed responsibility for the blasts 10 bombs but both Islamic State (IS) and the Taliban militants operate in the area\n\nIS claimed responsibility for a weekend bomb attack on a wedding reception in the capital, Kabul, that killed 63 people and wounded nearly 200.\n\nThe Jalalabad bombs were planted near a market where hundreds of people had congregated after attending Independence Day events. Senior health official Fahim Bashari said at least 66 people were wounded, including 20 children enjoying the public holiday.\n\nGhulam Mohammad, a shopkeeper selling plants, said his two sons and a nephew were among the injured in a blast at the market square.\n\nIndependence day ceremonies were disrupted in Mehtralam, the capital of the eastern province of Laghman, when militants hit a celebration venue with five rockets. “The formal ceremony had ended,” said Assadullah Dawlatzai, a spokesman for the governor.", "A series of bombings struck restaurants and public squares on Monday in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad, wounding at least 34 people, officials said, as the country marked the 100th anniversary of its independence.", "KABUL — The number of people wounded in multiple bomb blasts in the Afghan city of Jalalabad has risen to 123, officials said on Tuesday, a day after 14 bombs exploded in public squares, markets and outside restaurants in the eastern city.\n\nNo militant group has claimed responsibility for the attacks but both Islamic State (IS) and the Taliban militants operate in the area, which borders Pakistan.\n\nGulzada Sangar, a government health official in Jalalabad, said no deaths were reported in the blasts, which struck as the country marked the 100th anniversary of its independence.\n\nAn IS suicide attack on a crowded Kabul wedding hall killed 63 people on Saturday.", "A series of explosions in Jalalabad marred Afghanistan’s Independence Day on Monday. As many as 19 people were injured in 10 blasts in and around the city in Nangarhar province, the governor’s spokesperson Attaullah Khogyani told AFP.\n\nThe number of those injured is not confirmed yet. While a spokesperson for a local hospital said about 40 wounded people had been brought in, senior health official Fahim Bashari said at least 34 people were injured.\n\nThe blasts took place in restaurants and public squares, reported Al Jazeera. No one has claimed responsibility for the attacks.\n\n“The explosions were caused by IEDs [improvised explosive devices] in different parts of the city and as groups of people were celebrating independence day,” said Khogyani.\n\nLate on Saturday, 63 people were killed in a suicide attack at a wedding hall in Kabul, which was claimed by the Islamic State group.\n\nSeveral events to mark 100 years of Afghanistan’s independence from the British were cancelled in Kabul on Monday over fears of a fresh attack. “We postponed the celebrations to honour the victims, but we will definitely take revenge for our people,” said Afghan President Ashraf Ghani. “We will avenge the blood of our people, every drop of it.”\n\nEarlier in August, 14 people died and 145 were injured in the same district after a suicide attack near the gate of the police headquarters. The Taliban had claimed responsibility for the explosion.\n\nAccording to the United Nations, more than 1,500 civilians were killed or wounded in the Afghan conflict in July alone. This is the highest monthly toll so far in 2019 and the worst single month since May 2017.", "The number of people injured in multiple explosions that hit on Monday the city of Jalalabad, located in Afghanistan's eastern Nangarhar province, has risen to 66, the Pajhwok news agency reported\n\nMOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th August, 2019) The number of people injured in multiple explosions that hit on Monday the city of Jalalabad, located in Afghanistan's eastern Nangarhar province, has risen to 66, the Pajhwok news agency reported.\n\nPrevious media reports said that 30 people had been injured in the blasts.\n\nNo militant group active in the region has claimed responsibility for the attacks so far.", "A series of explosions in restaurants and public squares in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad have wounded more than 30 people, local officials said.\n\nMonday's attacks took place as Afghanistan marked the 100th anniversary of its independence from British rule.\n\nAt least six explosions took place in different parts of the city, Nangarhar Provincial Governor Shah Mahmood Miakhel said, according to local media Tolo news.\n\nSenior health official Fahim Bashari said at least 34 people were wounded after blasts targeted Independence Day events.\n\nNo one has claimed responsibility for the attacks.\n\nThe attacks follow a weekend bomb attack on a wedding reception in the capital, Kabul, in which 63 people were killed and nearly 200 wounded. The attack was claimed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIS) group.\n\nPresident Ashraf Ghani, in an independence day address in Kabul, called on the international community to stand with Afghanistan to eradicate the fighters' \"nests\".\n\n\"Our fight against the Daesh will continue,\" he said, referring to ISIL.\n\nIndependence day celebrations in Kabul have been curtailed out of respect for those who died in the attack on Saturday.\n\nThe main event to coincide with the reopening of Darulaman Palace, which was heavily damaged during the civil war in the 1990s, was postponed.\n\nAl Jazeera's Charlotte Bellis, reporting from the capital, said: \"There is still concern over the security in light of Saturday night.\"\n\n\"A lot of people are staying home just out of caution instead of celebrating in large groups.\"\n\nThe United States and the Taliban have been holding regular meetings in Qatar since October to try to end the country's 18-year conflict.\n\nA potential agreement would see the US withdrawal of approximately 14,000 soldiers from Afghanistan in exchange for Taliban security guarantees.\n\nOn Sunday, Trump told reporters that the US would seek to get troop levels below 13,000 but leave \"very significant\" intelligence capabilities behind.\n\nIn an independence day statement, the Taliban said they were looking forward to the departure of all foreign forces.\n\n\"The day approaches closer when these invaders shall completely leave our country, akin to the British and Soviets before them,\" it said.\n\nWhile never part of the British empire, Afghanistan gained complete independence from Britain on August 19, 1919.", "A series of bombings struck restaurants and public squares on Monday in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad, wounding at least 34 people, officials said, as the country marked the 100th anniversary of its independence.\n\nNo group claimed responsibility for the 10 bombs but both, the militant Islamic State (IS) group and the Afghan Taliban militants operate in the area.\n\nIS claimed responsibility for a weekend bomb attack on a wedding reception in the capital, Kabul, in which 63 people were killed and nearly 200 wounded.\n\nThe Jalalabad bombs were planted near a market where hundreds of people had congregated after attending Independence Day events. Senior health official Fahim Bashari said at least 34 people were wounded.\n\nPresident Ashraf Ghani, in an Independence Day address in Kabul, called on the international community to stand with Afghanistan to eradicate the militants’ “nests”.\n\n“Our fight against the Daesh will continue,” he said, referring to IS.\n\nGhani did not refer in his speech to negotiations between the United States and the Afghan Taliban on a deal by which US troops can withdraw in exchange for Taliban security guarantees.\n\nThe US also wants a commitment from the Afghan Taliban on power-sharing talks with Ghani’s government and a ceasefire. The Afghan Taliban have refused to talk to the government.\n\nBut there are concerns among Afghan officials and US national security aides about a withdrawal, with fears that Afghanistan could be plunged into a new civil war that could herald a return of Taliban rule and international militants, including IS, finding a refuge.\n\nUS President Donald Trump is hoping to withdraw all of America’s troops from Afghanistan before the 2020 presidential election.\n\nTrump on Sunday called the Kabul bomb attack horrible and expressed optimism about the talks.\n\nHe said the US would seek to get troop levels below 13,000 but leave “very significant” intelligence capabilities behind.\n\nThe US troops in Afghanistan train and advise Afghan security forces and conduct counterinsurgency operations.\n\nThe Afghan Taliban said in an Independence Day statement they were looking forward to the departure of all foreign forces.\n\n“The day approaches closer when these invaders shall completely leave our country, akin to the British and Soviets before them,” they said.\n\nWhile never part of the British empire, Afghanistan gained complete independence from Britain on Aug 19, 1919.\n\nIndependence Day ceremonies in Kabul were curtailed out of respect for those who died in the Saturday night bomb, the government said.", "As Afghanistan marks its 100th independence, at least sixty six people have been wounded in a series of bombings that struck Jalalabad.\n\nConcise News understands that the attacks occurred in restaurants and public squares on Monday.\n\nThe Jalalabad bombs were planted near a market where hundreds of people gathered after attending Independence Day events.\n\nHowever, no group claimed responsibility for the 10 bombs but both Islamic State (IS) and the Taliban militants operate in the area, Reuters reports.\n\nIS claimed responsibility for a weekend bomb attack on a wedding reception in the capital, Kabul, that killed 63 people and wounded nearly 200.\n\nA spokesman for the provincial governor Assadullah Dawlatzai said: “The formal ceremony had ended, people were being served lunch when the rockets landed. Unfortunately, six civilians were wounded.”\n\nAfghan’s president, Ashraf Ghani, in an Independence Day address in Kabul, called on the international community to stand with Afghanistan to eradicate the militants’ “nests”.\n\nIn the speech, Ghani did not refer to negotiations between the United States and the Taliban on a deal by which U.S. troops can withdraw in exchange for Taliban security guarantees.\n\nThe United States also wants a Taliban commitment on power-sharing talks with Ghani’s government and a ceasefire. The Taliban have refused to talk to the government.\n\nBut there are concerns among Afghan officials and U.S. national security aides about a U.S. withdrawal, with fears Afghanistan could be plunged into a new civil war that could herald a return of Taliban rule and international militants, including Islamic State, finding a refuge.\n\nU.S. President Donald Trump hopes to withdraw all U.S. troops from Afghanistan before the 2020 presidential election.", "KABUL: A series of bombings struck restaurants and public squares on Monday in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad, wounding at least 66 people, officials said, as the country marked the 100th anniversary of its independence.\n\n No group claimed responsibility for the 10 bombs but both IS and the Taliban militants operate in the area.\n\n IS claimed responsibility for a weekend bomb attack on a wedding reception in the capital, Kabul, that killed 63 people and wounded nearly 200.\n\n The Jalalabad bombs were planted near a market where hundreds of people had congregated after attending Independence Day events. Senior health official Fahim Bashari said at least 66 people were wounded, including 20 children enjoying the public holiday.\n\n Ghulam Mohammad, a shopkeeper selling plants, said his two sons and a nephew were among the injured in a blast at the market square.\n\n “Children insisted on being in the shop, as they wanted to celebrate Independence Day in the market, but they were seriously injured when a bomb exploded,” Mohammad said at a hospital in the city.\n\n Independence day ceremonies were disrupted in Mehtralam, the capital of the eastern province of Laghman, when militants hit a celebration venue with five rockets, officials said, adding that six civilians were injured.\n\n “The formal ceremony had ended,” said Assadullah Dawlatzai, a spokesman for the provincial governor. “People were being served lunch when the rockets landed. Unfortunately, six civilians were wounded.” President Ashraf Ghani, in an Independence Day address in Kabul, called on the international community to stand with Afghanistan to eradicate the militants’ “nests”.\n\n “Our fight against the IS will continue,” he said. “The Taliban have laid the foundation for such brutal killings.” In the speech, Ghani did not refer to negotiations between the United States and the Taliban on a deal by which US troops can withdraw in exchange for Taliban security guarantees.\n\n The United States also wants a Taliban commitment on power-sharing talks with Ghani’s government and a ceasefire. The Taliban have refused to talk to the government.\n\n But there are concerns among Afghan officials and US national security aides about a US withdrawal, with fears Afghanistan could be plunged into a new civil war that could herald a return of Taliban rule and international militants, including IS, finding a refuge.\n\n US President Donald Trump hopes to withdraw all US troops from Afghanistan before the 2020 presidential election.\n\n Trump on Sunday called the Kabul bomb attack horrible and expressed optimism about the talks.\n\n He said the United States would seek to get troop levels below 13,000 but leave behind “very significant” intelligence capabilities.\n\n The US troops in Afghanistan train and advise Afghan security forces and conduct counterinsurgency operations.\n\n The Taliban said in an Independence Day statement they looked forward to the departure of all foreign forces.\n\n “The day approaches closer when these invaders shall completely leave our country, akin to the British and Soviets before them,” they said.\n\n While never part of the British empire, Afghanistan gained complete independence from Britain on August 19, 1919.\n\n Independence day ceremonies in Kabul were curtailed out of respect for those who died in the Saturday night bomb, the government said.\n\n — Reuters"], "summary": "66 people, including children, have been wounded after a series of ten explosions in restaurants and public squares hit the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad, as the country marked the 100th anniversary of its independence from British rule. No group claimed responsibility for the bombings. Even if many bombs exploded and several people were injured, no one died in the attacks."}
{"document": ["OUAGADOUGOU (Reuters) - Gunmen killed 24 soldiers in an attack on an army unit in Burkina Faso, the deadliest yet in the West African nation’s fight against Islamist militants, which the president on Tuesday called a “dark stain” on the country’s history.\n\nSeven other soldiers were wounded in the attack on Monday and five are still missing, the military and President Roch Marc Kabore said in separate statements.\n\nThe army, which earlier put the death toll at 10, said it had launched a land and air operation in response to the attack in Koutougou, in northern Burkina Faso’s Soum province.\n\n“August 19th is a dark stain on the life of our national army,” Kabore said in the statement posted on the presidency website. “It is a heavy toll, which ... saddens us.”\n\nOnce a pocket of relative calm in the Sahel, Burkina has suffered a homegrown insurgency for the past three years, which has been amplified by a spillover of jihadist violence and criminality from its chaotic neighbor Mali.\n\nLarge swathes of Burkina’s north are now out of control, and France’s military Sahel mission began limited operations there earlier this year.\n\nThe main opposition party, the Union for Progress and Change (UPC), called for the government to step down, accusing it of failing to counter a jihadist threat which has killed hundreds of civilians and caused more than 150,000 to flee.\n\n“It’s a team overwhelmed by the turn of events, which is currently crossing its arms, waiting for how fate will play them and the Burkinabes,” UPC said in a statement.\n\nDeteriorating security prompted the Ouagadougou government to declare in December a state of emergency in several northern provinces bordering Mali, including Soum.", "OUAGADOUGOU — The Burkina Faso military said 24 soldiers were killed in an attack by unidentified militants on an army unit on Monday, updating a previous death toll of 10.\n\nIn a statement on Tuesday, the army said it was continuing a land and air operation, launched in response to the attack in northern Burkina Faso, which has been overrun by Islamist violence this year. Seven other soldiers were wounded and five are still missing, it said.", "OUAGADOUGOU (Reuters) - Unidentified armed militants on Monday killed at least 10 soldiers and wounded many others in an attack on a military unit in northern Burkina Faso, the army said in a statement.\n\nBurkina Faso has been overrun by Islamist violence this year in which hundreds have died and more than 150,000 have been forced to flee, as the influence of jihadist groups spreads across the Sahel region.", "OUAGADOUGOU — The Burkina Faso military said 24 soldiers were killed in an attack by unidentified militants on an army unit on Monday, the heaviest loss for the army in its fight to contain Islamist violence.\n\nThe army, which earlier put the death toll at 10, said it had launched a land and air operation in response to the attack in Koutougou, in northern Burkina Faso’s Soum province.\n\nSeven other soldiers were wounded and five are still missing, it said in a statement on Tuesday.\n\nOnce a pocket of calm in the Sahel, Burkina has suffered a spillover of Islamist violence from its neighbors, including the kind of ethnic attacks that have destabilized Mali in recent years.\n\nLarge swathes of the country’s north are now out of control, raising pressure on President Roch Kabore.\n\nThe country’s main opposition party, the Union for Progress and Change (UPC), called for the government to step down, accusing it of failing to counter a rising jihadist threat which has killed hundreds of civilians and caused more than 150,000 to flee.\n\n“It’s a team overwhelmed by the turn of events, which is currently crossing its arms, waiting for how fate will play them and the Burkinabes,” UPC said in a statement.\n\nDeteriorating security prompted the Ouagadougou government to declare in December a state of emergency in several northern provinces bordering Mali, including Soum.", "OUAGADOUGOU (Reuters) - Unidentified militants killed at least 10 soldiers and wounded many others in an attack on a military unit in northern Burkina Faso on Monday, the army said.\n\nBurkina Faso has been overrun by Islamist violence this year that armed forces have been unable to contain. Hundreds of civilians have died and more than 150,000 have fled as the influence of jihadist groups with links to al Qaeda and Islamic State spreads across the Sahel region.\n\nMonday’s attack occurred in the early hours of the morning in Koutougou in Soum province, an army statement said, without providing much further detail.\n\n“In reaction to this barbaric attack, a vast air and land search operation is seeking to neutralise the many assailants,” the statement said.\n\nOnce a pocket of calm in the Sahel, Burkina has suffered a spillover of Islamist violence from its neighbors, including the kind of ethnic attacks that have destabilized Mali in recent years.\n\nDeteriorating security prompted the Ougadougou government to declare a state of emergency in several northern provinces bordering Mali in December, including Soum.", "More than a dozen soldiers have been killed during a \"major attack\" by \"terrorist armed groups\" in northern Burkina Faso, the army said, adding that it could be the deadliest ever against the armed forces.\n\nWith other soldiers still missing, the death toll could pass 20, several security sources said late on Monday.\n\n\"In the early morning, the military detachment of the Koutougou department in Soum province was the target of a major attack by armed terrorist groups,\" said a statement from the general staff.\n\n\"A provisional report states that more than a dozen soldiers were killed, and several were wounded.\"\n\nThe assailants used heavy weapons and burnt a large portion of the camp and material, a security source told AFP news agency.\n\n\"In response to this barbaric attack, a large air and ground operation led to the neutralisation of several assailants,\" the general staff said without elaborating.\n\nThe military operations, including air strikes, reportedly killed \"several\" fighters, the military said.\n\nThe identity of the attackers, or their affiliation was not disclosed.\n\nThe impoverished Sahel state of Burkina Faso has been battling a rising wave of armed violence over the last four years which began in the north but has since spread to the east, near the border with Togo and Benin.\n\nThe heaviest armed attack against Burkina's army to date left 12 soldiers dead at Nassoumbou, also in Soum province, in December 2016.\n\nMore than 40 fighters aboard pickup trucks and on motorcycles laid assault to a military post close to the Mali border.\n\nOvernight on Thursday to Friday armed men described as armed fighters also raided a village in the restive north, killing 15 people, plundering and burning shops, a regional governor said.\n\nMost attacks in the former French colony are attributed to the Ansarul Islam group, which emerged near the Mali border in December 2016, and to the JNIM (Group to Support Islam and Muslims), which has sworn allegiance to al-Qaeda in the Maghreb.\n\nThose groups are believed to be responsible for around 500 deaths since 2015. Burkina's capital Ouagadougou has been attacked three times.\n\nFormer colonial ruler France has deployed 4,500 troops in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad in a mission codenamed Barkhane to help local forces flush out armed fighters.\n\nBurkina Faso has also joined four other Sahel nations (Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger) in an initiative aimed at creating a joint 5,000-troop anti-terror force, also backed by France.\n\nBurkina Faso, a country of roughly 20 million people, belongs to the world's 10 poorest nations, according to the United Nations.", "At least 10 soldiers have been killed by militants in northern Burkina Faso, the military has said.\n\nMany others were wounded in the attack in Koutougou, in Soum province - which borders Mali - and other soldiers are reported missing.\n\n\"In reaction to this barbaric attack, a vast air and land search operation is seeking to neutralise the many assailants,\" the military statement said.\n\nIslamist violence is increasing in Burkina Faso, with three key Islamist militant groups establishing a front in north and east.\n\nHundreds of people have been killed so far this year and more than 150,000 have fled their homes because of the attacks spreading across the Sahel region.\n\nIn December, a state of emergency was declared in several northern regions, granting security forces extra powers to search homes and restrict freedom of movement.", "(AP) — An attack by extremists in Burkina Faso’s northern province has killed at least 24 soldiers, one of the deadliest attacks on military in the West African nation’s history, the president said Tuesday.\n\nSeveral more soldiers were wounded and five are still missing from the attack near the border with Mali in Soum province, said President Roch Marc Christian Kabore.\n\nThis “is a black spot in the life of our national army. This is the first time we have had the largest number of casualties in the attack on the Koutougou barracks,” he said. “It is a record that saddens us both at the level of the people of Burkina Faso in general, and at the level of the government in particular.”\n\nThe military earlier put the death toll at more than 10. It said an air and land operation has been launched “in reaction to the barbaric attack” to “neutralize” the assailants.\n\nViolence by Islamic extremists has been increasing in Burkina Faso’s north and east. Attacks have already killed hundreds of people and thousands have fled the violence in the country.\n\nBurkina Faso’s government last year declared a state of emergency in many of the country’s northern regions. Burkina Faso’s foreign minister in May warned that extremist violence is gaining ground in the Sahel region, which includes Mali, Niger and Chad, that could destabilize West Africa.", "At least 24 troops were killed in northern Burkina Faso as a result of a recent attack by militants, local media reported on Tuesday\n\nMOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 20th August, 2019) At least 24 troops were killed in northern Burkina Faso as a result of a recent attack by militants , local media reported on Tuesday.\n\nThe attack by an armed terrorist group on a military unit in the province of Soum took place on Monday morning, Afriquinfos news outlet reported.\n\nAccording to Burkina Faso's General Staff, apart from 24 dead, 12 to 17 soldiers are missing and many are critically injured. The militants also seized weapons.\n\nThe Army Command said it was conducting a large-scale air and ground operation to search for the attackers and further neutralize them.\n\nThere are two major Islamic groups active in Burkina Faso Ansarul islam and the Support Group for Islam and Muslims.", "More than a dozen soldiers were killed on Monday during a “major attack” by “terrorist armed groups” in northern Burkina Faso, the country’s army said.\n\n“The military detachment of the Koutougou department in Soum province was the target of an attack,” said a statement from the armed forces general staff. “A provisional report states that more than a dozen soldiers were killed, and several were wounded.”"], "summary": "Suspected Islamist militants launch an attack on an Burkina Faso Armed Forces unit, killing 24 Burkinabé soldiers and wounding 7 others, the heaviest loss for the army in its fight to contain Islamist terrorism. The army said it had launched a land and air operation in response to the attack."}
{"document": ["São Paulo tem tarde escura com mudança no tempo\n\nSão Paulo começou a tarde desta segunda-feira (19) com o céu encoberto por nuvens e o \"dia virou noite\". O fenômeno está relacionado à chegada de uma frente fria e também de partículas oriundas da fumaça produzida em incêndios florestais.\n\nSegundo o Centro de Gerenciamento de Emergências Climáticas (CGE), por conta do tempo úmido e da entrada de ar de origem polar, a temperatura caiu moderadamente desde as primeiras horas da madrugada.\n\nDe acordo com o Instituto Nacional de Meteorologia (Inmet), além da frente fria, a escuridão também é causada pela fumaça de queimadas na região amazônica.\n\n\"O material particulado, oriundo da fumaça produzida por esses incêndios silvestres de grande porte que estão acontecendo na Bolívia, conjugado com o ar frio e úmido que está no litoral de São Paulo, causou a escuridão\", diz Franco Vilela, meteorologista do Inmet.\n\nAlém disso, a cidade \"está dentro de uma nuvem\" por causa da atuação de duas massas com temperaturas diferentes.\n\n“Isso acontece por conta dessa convergência de massas tão diferentes. A frente fria da capital, junto com as temperaturas amenas que vêm do oceano e do vento quente do interior, provocam essa turbulência e isso baixou o nível da nuvem. Assim, nós estamos dentro de uma nuvem,\" diz Helena Balbino, meteorologista do Inmet.\n\nSegundo o Climatempo, a fumaça proveniente de queimadas na região amazônica, nos estados do Acre e Rondônia e na Bolívia, chegou a São Paulo pela ação dos ventos.\n\n\"A fumaça não veio de queimadas do estado de São Paulo, mas de queimadas muito densas e amplas que estão acontecendo há vários dias em Rondônia e na Bolívia. A frente fria mudou a direção dos ventos e transportou essa fumaça pra São Paulo\", diz Josélia Pegorim, meteorologista do Climatempo.\n\n“Aqui na região da Grande São Paulo a gente teve a combinação desse excesso de umidade com a fumaça, então deu essa aparência no céu\", completou.\n\nNo final de semana, a direção do vento estava levando a fumaça para o Sul do Brasil. Com a chegada da frente fria no Sudeste, a fumaça começou a ser direcionada para o estado de São Paulo, segundo o Climatempo.\n\nOs meteorologistas do Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais (Inpe), que também monitora o clima no país, ainda não verificaram influência das queimadas no aumento na nebulosidade que tornou o céu da capital tão escuro.\n\nO tema \"são 15h\" em São Paulo acompanhado de fotos com o céu muito escuro para o horário é um dos trending topics do Twitter no Brasil.\n\nPrevisão do tempo\n\nDe acordo com as estações meteorológicas automáticas do CGE, os termômetros apontam 16°C em Perus, na Zona Norte, e 13°C em Parelheiros, no extremo da Zona Sul. A umidade relativa do ar nesses locais é respectivamente de 85% e 100%. O Aeroporto de Congonhas, na Zona Sul, funciona normalmente.\n\nNas próximas horas o tempo seguirá fechado e chuvoso. Com os fortes ventos, a sensação de frio irá aumentar e áreas de instabilidade que se deslocam do interior para a capital podem provocar chuvas com “moderada intensidade”.\n\nDurante a noite, chuvas com forte intensidade e trovoadas e rajadas de vento podem atingir a capital paulista.\n\nVista da zona norte de São Paulo com céu encoberto, garoa e frio às 16h desta segunda- feira (19). — Foto: Alex Silva/Estadão Conteúdo\n\nVila das Belezas, na Zona Sul de São Paulo, também fica escura — Foto: Ana Paula Campos/TV Globo\n\nDia vira noite em São Paulo nesta segunda — Foto: Glauco Araújo/G1\n\nAvenida Chucri Zaindan nesta segunda — Foto: Paulo Guilherme/G1\n\nCéu encoberto no bairro do Paraíso, na Zona Sul de São Paulo, às 15h40 desta segunda (19) — Foto: Tomás Rosolino/Arquivo pessoal", "What began as a “day of fire” a week and a half ago has now turned daytime skies in São Paulo an inky black. The Amazon has been in deep, deep trouble ever since far-right president Jair Bolsnaro took over running Brazil. Advocates feared his regime would commit ecological “genocide” in the Amazon and with each passing month, those fears are becoming reality.\n\nDeforestation rates have spiked in recent months, and now large swaths of the world’s largest rainforest have exploded in flames set by human activities. The fires could accelerate the decline of the Amazon and its ability to foster biodiversity and store carbon.\n\nThe Amazon has seen 71,497 fires ignited since January, according to data from Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research (more commonly known by its Portuguese acronym, INPE). That’s an 82 percent increase compared to last year and well above 2016's extreme count of 66,622 blazes.\n\nThe Brazilian state of Pará saw a huge burst of fire activity last week after farmers called for a “day of fire” on August 10, according to Brazilian paper Folha de S. Paolo. INPE spotted hundreds of fires across the state as farmers lit up rainforest, a practice often used to clear land to put in mono crops like soybeans or open land for pastures and cattle farming. The fires have also sent carbon dioxide emissions spiraling well above normal, according to data from the European Union’s Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service.\n\n“The recent increase of the deforestation combined with fires could exponentially affect Amazonia by liberating CO2 and other greenhouse gases,” Vitor Gomes, an environmental scientist at the Federal University of Pará in Brazil, told Earther.\n\nThose fires, along with others in the state of Amazonas to the northwest, have continued burning for the past 10 days, unleashing a massive plume of smoke. Prevailing winds on Monday and Tuesday took that smoke and transported it nearly 2,000 miles to southeast. That blackened São Paulo skies on Monday, creating eerie scenes like darkened streets and cars driving with headlights in mid-afternoon.\n\nThe vibe is reminiscent of last year, when smoke from wildfires did the exact same thing in British Columbia. But in some ways, the Brazilian situation is more ominous. After all, the fires in British Columbia weren’t inspired by a fascist president looking to open the forest up for business.\n\nBrazil’s blazes are a whole other story. Bolsonaro ran on a campaign platform that was pro-big business, anti-LGBTQ, and straight up racist. He promised to open the Amazon to mining, fossil fuel exploitation, timber, and agriculture while kicking indigenous groups off their land. From the moment he took office in January, he has done just that.\n\nThe result led to an acceleration in deforestation. In July, a soccer pitch-sized hunk of rainforest disappeared every three minutes. The fires this month could drive deforestation rates even higher still. The wanton destruction has led Germany and Norway to pull money out of the Amazon Fund, a program for sustainability-related projects in the Amazon that was designed as an incentive to cut down on deforestation. That could, ironically, lead to even more deforestation.\n\n“As humans cut down more forests, what you see is forest fragmentation,” Jacquelyn Shuman, a scientist with the National Center for Atmospheric Research’s terrestrial research section, told Earther. “You have more edges of forest. In a forest that’s broken up where you have pasture or cleared land, it’ll have more edges exposed to drier conditions. When you have these dry edges, the forest at that edge is more susceptible to fire.”\n\nAs trees disappear, Shuman noted, the unique properties that make a rainforest, well, a rainforest could change as well. Evapotranspiration from trees in the Amazon helps feed the clouds that then dump downpours over the forest. As more open land pops up, Shuman said that “forest-cloud cycle is broken.”\n\nThe double-edged deforestation disruption comes at a time when climate change is also ratcheting up the pressure on the Amazon. The rainforest is key to combatting climate change, sucking up 2.4 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide annually or a quarter of all carbon absorbed by forests globally. Yet climate change has contributed to drying the region out, weakening the so-called lungs of our planet. Fires like the ones currently burning can even cause parts of the forest to become a net emitter of carbon dioxide as all those decades of stored carbon goes up in smoke, creating a nasty feedback loop.\n\nEventually, rising temperatures and drought coupled with deforestation could permanently alter one of the world’s most iconic ecosystems, effectively cleaving the Amazon in two. It’s not like the damage can be easily undone. Once the Amazon is gone, it’s gone. And the remaining fractured forest wouldn’t have anywhere near the carbon sequestering capacities of its former self, meaning climate change could accelerate there and the rest of the planet.\n\n\n\nUnder the Bolsonaro administration, the rise in deforestation is sending the Amazon careening toward a very dangerous place not just for the forest but for the planet as a whole. It might not be at a tipping point, but that’s hardly any consolation.\n\n“We should be worried in finding that out, because probably there will be no turning back after we cross a tipping point,” Gomes said.", "The number of forest fires in Brazil surged in the first eight months of 2019, official data show, as President Jair Bolsonaro faces growing criticism over rampant destruction of the Amazon.\n\nNearly 73,000 fires were recorded between January and August, compared with 39,759 in all of 2018, the embattled National Institute for Space Research (INPE) said late Monday.\n\nThat is the highest number of forest fires for any year since 2013 and follows two years of declines.\n\n“What we are seeing is a consequence of the increase in deforestation seen in recent figures,” said Ricardo Mello of WWF’s Amazon Program.\n\nForest fires tend to intensify during the dry season, which usually ends in late October or early November, as land is cleared to make way for crops or grazing.\n\nThe INPE figures show fires have been concentrated in states occupying the Amazon.\n\nThick smoke has blanketed several cities in recent days and even caused a commercial flight to be diverted.\n\nThe data comes as Bolsonaro faces growing criticism over his anti-environment rhetoric, which activists blame for emboldening loggers, miners and farmers in the Amazon.\n\nNorway on Thursday joined Germany in halting Amazon protection subsidies, accusing Brazil of turning its back on the fight against deforestation.\n\nThe governors of nine states spanning the Amazon also published a statement on Sunday saying they would negotiate directly with the Amazon Fund contributors.\n\nThe latest INPE figures coincide with a UN regional meeting on climate change in Brazil ahead of December’s summit in Chile.\n\nINPE is already in Bolsonaro’s crosshairs over data showing a surge in deforestation in recent months.\n\nBolsonaro dismissed the figures as lies and sacked the head of the agency tasked with tracking forest clearing.\n\nBrazil leads the region in forest fires this year, according to the INPE data that is collected via satellite and updated in real time.\n\nVenezuela ranked second with 26,453 fires and Bolivia with 16,101.", "BRASILIA (Reuters) - Wildfires raging in the Amazon rainforest have hit a record number this year, with 72,843 fires detected so far by Brazil’s space research center INPE, as concerns grow over right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro’s environmental policy.\n\nThe surge marks an 83% increase over the same period of 2018, the agency said on Tuesday, and is the highest since records began in 2013.\n\nSince Thursday, INPE said satellite images spotted 9,507 new forest fires in the country, mostly in the Amazon basin, home to the world’s largest tropical forest seen as vital to countering global warming.\n\nImages show the northernmost state of Roraima covered in dark smoke. Amazonas declared an emergency in the south of the state and in its capital Manaus on Aug. 9. Acre, on the border with Peru, has been on environmental alert since Friday due to the fires.\n\nWildfires have increased in Mato Grosso and Para, two states where Brazil’s agricultural frontier has pushed into the Amazon basin and spurred deforestation. Wildfires are common in the dry season, but are also deliberately set by farmers illegally deforesting land for cattle ranching.\n\nThe unprecedented surge in wildfires has occurred since Bolsonaro took office in January vowing to develop the Amazon region for farming and mining, ignoring international concern over increased deforestation.\n\nAsked about the spread of uncontrolled fires, Bolsonaro brushed off criticism, saying it was the time of the year of the “queimada” or burn, when farmers use fire to clear land.\n\n“I used to be called Captain Chainsaw. Now I am Nero, setting the Amazon aflame. But it is the season of the queimada,” he told reporters.\n\nSpace agency INPE, however, said the large number of wildfires could not be attributed to the dry season or natural phenomena alone.\n\n“There is nothing abnormal about the climate this year or the rainfall in the Amazon region, which is just a little below average,” said INPE researcher Alberto Setzer.\n\nPeople frequently blame the dry season for the wildfires in the Amazon, but that is not quite accurate, he said.\n\n“The dry season creates the favorable conditions for the use and spread of fire, but starting a fire is the work of humans, either deliberately or by accident,” Setzer said.\n\nBolsonaro recently fired the director of INPE after he criticized agency statistics showing an increase in deforestation in Brazil, saying they were inaccurate.\n\n“I am waiting for the next set of numbers, that will not be made up numbers. If they are alarming, I will take notice of them in front of you,” he told reporters.", "– Around midday on Monday, the sky suddenly blackened, and day became night in Sao Paulo.\n\nSure, smog is bad in the Western Hemisphere’s largest city, where traffic jams can stretch for dozens of miles. But not this bad. What was going on? Was the end near?\n\nExperts tried to puzzle it out, but their conclusions at times appeared to be conflicting, deepening the mystery. The National Institute of Meteorology said the city, which sits at an elevation of 2,500 feet, was “inside a cloud.” Others explained that it was a cold front. Metsul, a Brazilian meteorology company, said the culprit was smoke that had come in from forest fires in Bolivia, Paraguay and remote parts of Brazil.\n\nIn fact, it appeared to be a combination of all three factors — clouds, smoke and a cold front — that ushered in the smoke from afar, plunging the city into darkness in the middle of the day.\n\n“The smoke didn’t come from fires in the state of Sao Paulo, but from very dense and wide fires that have been happening for several days in [the state of] Rondonia and Bolivia,” Josélia Pegorim, a meteorologist with Climatempo, told Globo. “The cold front changed direction and its winds transported the smoke to Sao Paulo.”\n\nThe news highlighted the number of forest fires in Brazil, which rose by more than 80% this year, according to data released this week by the National Institute of Space Science.\n\n“This central Brazil and south of the Amazon Rainforest region has been undergoing a prolonged drought,” Alberto Setzer, a researcher at Inpe, told local media outlets. “And there are some places where there has not fallen a drop of rain for three months.”\n\nMost of the Amazon was once considered fireproof, but as climate change and deforestation remake the world, wildfires are increasing in frequency and intensity, recent research has shown.\n\n“Wildfires in the Amazon are not natural events, but are instead caused by a combination of droughts and human activities. Both anthropogenic climate change and regional deforestation are linked to increases in the intensity and frequency of droughts over Amazonia,” British researchers wrote this year on the Conversation website.", "The Amazon rainforest in Brazil has been burning for weeks and people around the world are starting to pay attention. The hashtag #PrayforAmazonia was shared frequently on Twitter today as the fires grow. Read on to see maps of the fires that you can use to remain updated on the fire size and growth, and learn more about what’s happening.\n\nInteractive Maps Can Help You See the Extent of the Amazon Rainforest Fires in Brazil\n\nInfoAmazonia provides a map that shows the fires currently burning in Brazil. The information is freely provided from journalists in the region, organizations, and residents, and it’s free to use and download. The map below shows fires in the region. The red dots indicate fires in the last 24 hours. The yellow shading indicates intense fires. The sources on the map are from NASA.\n\nThe map shows that fires in the area are up 65 percent this year. According to InfoAmazonia, the map is updated every day with information streamed from NASA. The map shows that Brazil’s 2019 fires are the highest in seven years.\n\nThere’s also a real-time Amazon deforestation map that lets you compare the rate of deforestation with where you live. Put your location in the map here and you’ll see how much forest the Amazon has recently lost, put in terms of what it would look like your location had the same rate of loss.\n\nThe map below shows Rondonia and Bolivia on fire. Red spots indicate high carbon monoxide concentrations, which is an indicator of an active fire. The map is provided by Windy.com. You can see the full interactive map here and an embed is below. The map lets you see radar and satellite images and you can zoom in and out, see the temperatures, and other features. It indicates current fire conditions in the region.\n\nOn August 12, the Brazilian state of Amazonas declared an emergency because of the fires, Euro News reported. This year 1,699 forest fires were detected in the Amazonas. It’s not clear if the fires right now are from deforestation or agricultural activity. Ane Alencar, direct of science for the Amazon Environmental Research Institute, told Newsweek that the area didn’t have extreme droughts, so weather can’t account for the fires.\n\nOne of the fires in Rondonia burned 1,000 hectares of an environmental reserve, Newsweek reported. Painel Politico warned that the fires were causing smoke that was a danger to the health of people and animals in the region.\n\nBrazi’s President Jair Bolsonaro said in July that he didn’t believe data from INPE which indicated deforestation in July was 300 percent higher than in July 2018. He said the report was made up to hurt trade talks, Newsweek reported.\n\nSmoke from the fires caused a blackout in Sao Paula on Monday even though the fires in Rondonia were 2,700 km away, BBC reported. This is what started the #prayforamazonia hashtag on Twitter that later went viral.\n\nHere are some more tweets about #PrayforAmazonia.\n\nREAD NEXT: WATCH: Man with TV on Head Leaves CRT TVs on Porches in Virginia", "The smoke from a massive forest fire in the Amazon rainforest has covered the skies of Brazil and can even be seen from space.\n\nThe fire, which began more than two weeks ago, blackened the skies of Sao Paulo, Brazil’s most populous city, for about an hour on Monday, providing an eerie level of darkness. Sao Paulo is located about 2,700 kilometres south of the fires\n\nWildfires in the Amazon rainforest are rare because of the wet weather, but activity begins in July and August due to the arrival of dry season, which lasts until November. These fires can occur naturally, but humans also illegally set the forest ablaze to make room for farmland.\n\nLast week, NASA released a pair of satellite images of the fires, which show giant plumes of smoke covering the Brazilian state of Amazonas, which has issued a state of emergency due to the rising number of fires.\n\nSeveral fires are can also be found in the states of Rondonia, Para and Mato Grosso.\n\nBrazil's National Institute for Space Research (INPE) has detected 72,843 wildfires in the Amazon rainforest so far this year, an 83-per-cent increase over the same time last year.\n\nConcerned social media users have blamed Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro for the fires in part due to an increase in deforestation since he took office on Jan. 1. Last week, thousands of Indigenous women took to the streets of Brasilia, Brazil’s capital city, to denounce Bolsonaro’s polices on a variety of issues, including deforestation and the president’s desire to open up Indigenous land for mining.\n\nThe INPE found Brazilians have destroyed more than 1,500 square kilometres of additional rainforest than it had a year ago. Bolonsaro denied the increases as “lies” that hurt the country’s reputation and later fired the director of the INPE.\n\nIn response, Germany and Norway pulled foreign aid to Brazil’s rainforest conservation projects.", "Holidaymakers heading to Gran Canaria this summer are being advised to take care after wildfires broke out on the island.\n\nAround 9,000 people in the North West of the island have been evacuated due to an ongoing forest fire which started on Saturday.\n\nWith temperatures reaching 40C in Spain in the summer months, there is an increased risk of forest fires.\n\nAnyone travelling to Gran Canaria has been urged to check the latest updates from local authorities.\n\nThe Foreign Office advised those travelling to the area to be aware of the causes of a wildfire.\n\nA spokesman said: \"Forest fires occur frequently in Spain during the summer months.\n\n“Make sure cigarette ends are properly extinguished, do not light barbeques and do not leave empty bottles behind.”\n\nCausing forest fires in Spain is a criminal offence whether it be deliberate or not.\n\nThere are also strict regulations with outdoor barbeques in picnic areas during the summer.\n\nIf you are planning to visit Gran Canaria, check the latest updates and information on Twitter via @112canaries.\n\nTo report any forest fires to emergency services call 112.", "“The Amazon rainforest has been burning for three weeks! We are on the verge of losing it completely if the fire isn’t put out. The loss of trees, the loss of biodiversity is what is accelerating climate change.”\n\nThe hashtag #PrayForAmazonia went viral on Tuesday as social media users attempted to draw the world’s attention to the Amazon rainforest, which has been devastated for weeks by fires so intense they can be seen from space.\n\nAccording to Euro News, it is unclear whether the fires were caused by agricultural activity or deforestation. Both have accelerated rapidly under Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who made opening the Amazon to corporate exploitation a key plank of his election campaign.\n\nTwitter users on Tuesday slammed the media for paying too little attention to the Amazon blazes, particularly given the essential role the rainforest plays in absorbing planet-warming carbon dioxide—a capacity that earned it the nickname “lungs of the world.”\n\n“The Amazon has been burning for three weeks, and I’m just now finding out because of the lack of media coverage,” wrote one observer. “This is one of the most important ecosystems on Earth.”\n\nSatellite data collected by the Brazilian government’s National Space Research Institute (INPE) published in June showed that deforestation has risen dramatically under Bolsonaro, who dismissed the research as “a lie” and fired INPE director Ricardo Galvão for defending the data.\n\nAs The Guardian reported, the INPE findings showed the Amazon “lost 739sq km during the 31 days [of May], equivalent to two football pitches every minute.”\n\nOne large fire, which started in late July, burnt around 1,000 hectares of an environmental reserve in the Brazilian state of Rondônia—located on the border with Bolivia. This blaze, along with others in the region, created dense plumes of smoke that spread far across the state, endangering the health of people living in the area and the lives of animals. Two weeks ago, the state of Amazonas in the northwest of the country declared a state of emergency in response to an increase in the number of fires there… Various fires have also been burning in the state of Mato Grosso, according to satellite imagery.\n\nThe fires have become so intense that smoke from the blaze darkened the afternoon sky on Monday in São Paulo, Brazil’s most populous city.\n\n“The Amazon rainforest has been on fire for weeks, and it’s so bad it’s literally blotting out the sun miles away,” tweeted Robert Maguire, research director at U.S. government watchdog group Citizens for Ethics and Responsibility in Washington.\n\nThe advocacy group Amazon Watch on Tuesday called the Bolsonaro regime’s attacks on the world’s largest rainforest “an international tragedy.”\n\n“What can we do?” the group tweeted. “1. Support the courageous resistance of the indigenous peoples of the Amazon. 2. Make clear to the agribusiness and financiers involved in the destruction that we won’t buy their products.”", "Brazilian Série A – Follow the Football match between São Paulo and Ceará live with Eurosport. The match starts at 20:00 on 18 August 2019. Our live coverage lets you follow all the key moments as they happen.\n\nWho will come out on top in the battle of the managers Cuca or Enderson Moreira? Find out by following our live matchcast.\n\n\n\nHave your say by voting on who will win between São Paulo and Ceará? Enjoy some pre-match reading with related articles about these two Enjoy some pre-match reading with related articles about these two Football teams.\n\nHead-to-head: see historical stats and visit our detailed profiles for São Paulo vs Ceará. Get all the latest on Football: fixtures, results and tables."], "summary": "After fifteen days of raging fires in the Amazon Forest in Rondônia, thick smoke clouds cover the Brazilian city of São Paulo in darkness. Street lamps had to be lit in the city around 2PM. The fires, suspected to be intentional, are still burning the forest."}
{"document": ["Over the past few months, your news feed has no doubt been flooded with footage from Hong Kong's massive pro-democracy protests.\n\nHundreds of thousands of people are continuing to take to the streets each weekend as a powerful symbolic rejection of mainland China's increasing reach.\n\nOnly those residing in the mainland aren't getting this side of the story. At first, they were barely seeing anything about the demonstrations. Now, the only picture being presented to them is one of violent thugs lashing out at authority figures, and showing unwarranted disrespect to a benevolent Beijing.\n\nIn other words, the one thing China initially kept away from the Hong Kong protests is now its biggest weapon - its state media.\n\nIt's a careful tactic by an authoritarian government seeking to take control of an increasingly uncontrollable situation.\n\n\"The Chinese government is trying to weaponise the protests. Rather than trying to completely hide them from the Chinese people they're employing tactics to highlight violence and say these are 'terrorists' working at the beheadst of foreign governments, like the US,\" Dr Malcolm Davis, a senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, told news.com.au.\n\n\"They're trying to shape the narrative to their needs.\"\n\nAnd it could reach a bloody end point.\n\nHOW CHINA IS USING FAKE NEWS AS A WEAPON\n\nWhen the Hong Kong protests started, China's state media was largely silent. As far as its people were concerned, there was nothing worth mentioning taking place south of Shenzhen.\n\nWhen the first major protests began on June 9, the Chinese government sought to downplay it, with state media reports erroneously claiming the majority of people were rallying in defence of joining the mainland.\n\nThis is typical of the Xi Jinping-led government, which runs its own regulated version of the internet through a Great Firewall that blocks content it doesn't want its citizens to see, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and various western news outlets.\n\nAt this time, the demonstrators were coming up with ingenious ways of forcing mainland citizens to digest their message, air-dropping memes and flyers in simplified Chinese to strangers at Kowloon's popular metro stations frequented by mainland tourists.\n\nBut fast-forward ten weeks, and the Xi Jinping-led government's state media has embraced the protests, actively pushing footage and editorials distorting the events to send a message both to mainland residents and Chinese citizens abroad.\n\nTheir daily coverage routinely describes the protests as \"riots\", and the protesters as \"thugs\" and \"radicals\".\n\nAny footage or events with angles that could lend sympathy or support to the mainland are amplified across China's state media channels.\n\nTake, for example, the Australian tourist who was filmed clashing with pro-democracy protesters after he missed his flight and was left stranded at the airport.\n\nIn western media and online, the man was derided as \"trash\" and \"entitled\" for degrading the protesters' plight over something as trivial as a missed flight.\n\nBut nationalistic state media outlet The Global Times shared the video on Twitter as proof of foreigners defending the mainland over the Hong Kong protesters, stating that the protesters \"got in the way\" and that the defender \"fought back\".\n\nThere are increasing instances of Chinese state media now posting out-and-out fake news about the demonstrations.\n\nFor example, one widely shared video on Weibo shows a female protester who lost an eye from a rubber bullet last weekend appearing to accept payment from other protesters, suggesting the incident was staged.\n\nThe woman accepting the cash in the video was not the same protester who lost an eye. Regardless, China's state television network posted the video on its website, insinuating but stopping short of directly stating that the protesters were paid actors.\n\nIn another incident, a video appeared showing a protester with a toy weapon. The China Daily circulated it as erroneous evidence that the protesters were resorting to gun violence.\n\nChina's coverage of the demonstrations aims to spark nationalistic fervour among readers - not just through criticising the protesters, but inspiring support for defenders of the mainland.\n\nEarlier this week, Chinese state media effectively turned one of its reporters into an overnight sensation following his altercation with protesters.\n\nFu Guohao, a Global Times journalist, was tied up and assaulted after getting into an altercation with demonstrators at Hong Kong airport earlier this week.\n\nAccording to Hong Kong Free Press, Fu was taking close-up photos of protesters. Throughout the movement, many protesters have gone to lengths to conceal their identities with face masks, goggles and umbrellas, fearing they will be tracked down by authorities.\n\nWhen protesters asked him to show his press identification, he reportedly refused and tried to leave.\n\n\"He said in English that he was a tourist,\" one protester later told reporters. \"If he had co-operated and did not try to run away, I believe we would not have had such a big reaction.\"\n\nPhotos and videos show black-clad protesters using cable ties to bind the man's hands and legs. As he was being tied up, he said: \"I support Hong Kong police. You may now beat me up.\"\n\nWhen mainland China got hold of the story, Fu became an overnight sensation. State media pushed the image of him as a pro-Beijing poster boy. The footage of his restraint spread across Chinese social media, and his expression of support for the Hong Kong police went viral.\n\nChina's People's Daily newspaper has praised Fu for his \"manliness\", writing: \"Let's remember Fu Guohao and his awe-inspiring righteousness while being held. This is what a dignified and upright Chinese should be like.\"\n\nLong story short, if you're a Chinese citizen right now, you're getting sold a story about thuggish demonstrators hurling bricks at police officers and seeking to topple the system.\n\nThe \"why\" is deliberately hazy, even though the protesters have been transparent with their aims from the start; they want the permanent withdrawal of a controversial extradition bill, an independent investigation into police corruption, and reassurance that mainland China would let them enjoy their civil liberties and freedoms until 2047, as was initially agreed upon.\n\nThis is propaganda at its finest. And already, it seems to be making its mark.\n\nHOW FAR WILL BEIJING GO TO STOP PROTESTS?\n\nExperts say the shift in media coverage of the protests is the government's way of stirring up nationalistic support and while threatening the territory with a more drastic response from Beijing in the near future.\n\nIt appears to be having the desired effect. In the wake of the Fu incident, China's popular microblogging platform Weibo was flooded with nationalistic comments from Chinese netizens.\n\n\"How many Chinese will have sleepless nights? Our state power should take action now!\" said one.\n\n\"If no further measures are taken, both the central and Hong Kong governments will lose people's hearts! Too much restraint amounts to connivance,\" wrote another.\n\nOne even said they should be killed over the protests. \"Beating them to a pulp is not enough,\" the user wrote. \"They must be beaten to death. Just send a few tanks over to clean them up.\"\n\nAt the same time, China's state media has published footage of large-scale exercises featuring the People's Armed Police in Shenzhen, near the Hong Kong border. They also published footage of military trucks and tanks driving down a highway, purportedly towards the border.\n\nDr Malcolm Davis, a senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, says the Chinese media's goal is ultimately to delegitimise the protest movement.\n\n\"The Chinese government is trying to weaponise the protests. Rather than trying to completely hide them from the Chinese people they're employing tactics to highlight violence and say these are 'terrorists' working at the beheadst of foreign governments, like the US,\" he told news.com.au. \"They're trying to shape the narrative to their needs.\"\n\nHe said the footage of trucks and Chinese soldiers, aired on Chinese state television, was designed to send a clear threat to the Hong Kong protesters.\n\n\"It's sending a message of 'We can crush you, this will be Tiananmen Part Two'. They've got the police ready to go. Their local military commander said they could be there in a matter of minutes.\"\n\nBut for the next couple of months, at least, China's military presence may be a case of smoke and mirrors.\n\nDr Davis says it's likely Mr Xi will hold off until at least October 1st, which will mark the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China.\n\nIn the lead-up to this milestone, Mr Xi has arranged for a massive display of military strength on Tiananmen Square. Deploying People's Liberation Army troops to Hong Kong before that date would detract from this.\n\nAt the same time, China is facing a major economic crisis, and Hong Kong's financial status in the world is crucial to the mainland staying afloat. Experts say an all-out invasion could have huge economic and political consequences for Beijing.\n\nBut Dr Davis notes Mr Xi will stand firm on his goal of bringing Hong Kong into the mainland.\n\n\"I guarantee you Xi Jinping will not allow this protest in Hong Kong to become a cradle of challenge to the central government. He will not accept Hong Kong slipping from his grasp, and if he gets a sense that that's happening, he'll act.\"\n\nHe says it's more likely Mr Xi would deploy Chinese police to support the Hong Kong police, but says the government will do all it can to avoid sending in People's Liberation Army troops.\n\n\"If the PLA go in we'll have another Tiananmen massacre, and the Chinese government wants to avoid that.\"\n\nIn the meantime, the Hong Kong protesters are rallying on. Today marks the 11th consecutive week of protests - and they show little signs of slowing down.\n\nThe Hong Kong people have been protesting for nearly three consecutive months.\n\nThe demonstrations started as a protest against a proposed extradition bill that would see criminal suspects sent to China, but have since become more widely about opposition to the mainland's growing political influence overall.\n\nWhen Hong Kong was handed over from Britain to China in 1997, it was agreed that the territory would be allowed to maintain its unique freedoms and civil liberties for the next 50 years - a deal the protesters believe has not been honoured by Beijing.\n\nThe protesters believe China has gradually been whittling away their liberties since the handover, including by suppressing the \"Umbrella Movement\" in 2014 and by kidnapping five Hong Kong booksellers.\n\nWith the ongoing protests, they are now pushing for the right to directly elect their own government, for an independent commission to investigate police brutality, and they want the territory's leader, Carrie Lam - who was hand-picked by the Chinese government - to resign.", "The Latest: Hong Kong protesters won't give up their demands\n\nHONG KONG (AP) — The Latest on the protests in Hong Kong (all times local):\n\nHeavy rain is falling on tens of thousands of umbrella-ready protesters as they start marching from a packed park in central Hong Kong where mass pro-democracy demonstrations have become a regular weekend activity.\n\nProtesters Sunday said they were determined to show the government that they won't be giving up on their five demands, which include the formal withdrawal of an extradition bill and an independent inquiry into police use of force.\n\nStudent Harley Ho says: \"We will stand here, we will take action, until they respond to us. ... Together we have more power.\"\n\nThe 20-year-old says the inclement weather will not deter them.\n\nWhile violent clashes with police have characterized rallies in recent weeks, organizers hope Sunday's assembly will show that \"Hong Kong people can be totally peaceful.\"\n\nPeople are streaming into a park in central Hong Kong for what organizers hope will be a peaceful demonstration for democracy in the semi-autonomous Chinese territory.\n\nOrganizer Bonnie Leung said Sunday that \"today is a day of peace\" and that \"we hope we can show the world that Hong Kong people can be totally peaceful.\"\n\nViolent clashes between hard-line protesters and police have broken out frequently this summer in the hours after peaceful marches and rallies.\n\nThe movement's demands include the resignation of the city's leader, fully democratic elections and an independent investigation into what they say is police brutality against the protesters.\n\nLeung says the police would be to blame if any chaos erupts.\n\nA spokesman for China's ceremonial legislature has condemned statements from U.S. lawmakers supportive of Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement.\n\nYou Wenze called the comments \"a gross violation of the spirit of the rule of law, a blatant double standard and a gross interference in China's internal affairs.\"\n\nHe says Hong Kong's 7.5 million people and Chinese population as a whole reject the actions of a \"very small group of violent protesters\" as well as \"any interference of foreign forces.\"\n\nYou did not mention any specific lawmaker or comments, but numerous U.S. senators and Congress members, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, have affirmed the U.S. commitment to human rights and urged the Hong Kong government to end the standoff.\n\nCongress also has the power to pass legislation affecting Hong Kong's trading status.", "Despite heavy rain, threats from Beijing, and weeks of clashes with the police, hundreds of thousands of protesters marched through the streets of Hong Kong on Sunday for the 11th weekend in a row.\n\nThe huge turnout for the demonstrations — which began as an objection to a controversial extradition bill and have since evolved into a broader call for greater political freedoms — suggests that the threat of a military crackdown by the state has not caused the protest movement to lose momentum.\n\nProtesters first gathered in Victoria Park, the starting point for several marches in June. The crowd was reportedly a mix of old and young Hongkongers, and filled with families. The protesters then marched through Hong Kong’s Central district — in defiance of a police ban — clogging up streets and jamming up traffic and public transportation. At certain points the lines of protesters stretched for miles.\n\nMany people could be heard chanting: “Hong Kong people, keep going!”\n\nThere were questions about what turnout might look like after an especially tense week for protesters, but the New York Times estimates that Sunday’s protest could be the biggest demonstration in weeks.\n\nProtesters carried out sit-ins at Hong Kong’s airport last week, partially in response to video footage of Hong King police brutalizing a protester during an arrest. The sit-ins forced the cancelation of hundreds of flights and led a two widely-publicized moments of violence: one in which some protesters attacked a police officer, and another in which some protesters took two men from mainland China hostage, believing them to be undercover officers, and assaulted them. (Some protesters apologized for the episode.) Beijing condemned the incident as “close to terrorism.”\n\nSome accused the protesters of having gone too far, and there were questions over whether the incidents at the airport would depress turnout during this weekend’s demonstrations. But Grace, a 26-year-old Hongkonger at the protests on Sunday, told Vox that protesters dismiss the controversy as “drama set up by the airport authorities” and that ultimately clashes at the airport have energized protesters.\n\n“I would say protesters are furious, and [that the airport protests] encouraged more people to be here today,” she told us. She also said the response to the airport controversy and Beijing’s increased shows of military force at the Hong Kong border have pushed many protesters to demand more sweeping reforms: “After the [airport] incident, more protesters are eager to shout out, ‘Revive Hong Kong, revolution of the time!’ which most protestors didn’t agree with before.”\n\nObstacles for protesters go well beyond the controversy surrounding the airport incidents. Beijing is growing impatient with the protests, calling them “the work of the US” and has stationed several thousand troops in Shenzhen near the mainland’s border with Hong Kong. That paramilitary force conducted very public exercises in the area last week.\n\nFor now, that force — and the 6,000 People’s Liberation Army troops routinely stationed in Hong Kong — have not moved against protesters, but in recent weeks, Hong Kong police have been increasingly inclined to use force against demonstrators, and have made over 700 arrests. And protesters and residents’ complaints over police use of tear gas in subway stations and nonlethal force that has nevertheless left demonstrators injured (one woman’s eye was ruptured last Sunday) have only increased tensions between civilians and officers. Protesters have taken to decrying the police at protests, and have also called on their local government to rein in officers they see as being overly quick to employ force.\n\nProtesters have also had violent showdowns with pro-establishment groups, including with bands of mysterious white-clad individuals (demonstrators typically wear black) who many suspect to be associated with the city’s triad criminal gangs.\n\nWhat demonstrators are fighting for\n\nSunday’s march was organized by the Civil Human Rights Front, the same group that has organized many of the mass protests since they began. The group says that marches will continue until their demands are met, which include a complete retraction of a bill that wold allow Hongkongers to be extradited to mainland China, universal sufferage to elect Hong Kong’s leaders, and amnesty for all arrested protesters.\n\nAs Riley Beggin has explained for Vox, the protesters’ grievances and objectives have morphed over time:\n\nThe question of Beijing’s influence over Hong Kong’s political affairs is a major one. As Rachel Withers has explained for Vox, historically Hong Kong has a unique degree of freedom from Beijing’s government, and Hongkongers are reluctant to give that up.\n\nWhile the protests have expanded in scope, demonstrators have not lost sight of the fact the extradition law that set off the protests has only been shelved rather than completely removed from consideration. Jason, a protester and 30-year-old finance professional, told Vox the protest won’t end before “the complete withdrawal of the bill.”\n\nWhat comes next?\n\nThe protests have now gone on for 11 weeks, and neither Hong Kong’s local government nor party officials in Beijing have shown any willingness to grant protesters any additional concessions.\n\nAs tensions rise, a number of US lawmakers have called for bipartisan legislation designed to pressure Hong Kong to align with protesters and to push back against creeping influence from Beijing. Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA) and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) reintroduced the Hong Kong Human Rights and Democracy Act earlier this year, a bill that would make it harder for Hong Kong to maintain its special trade status with the US if does not maintain a sufficient degree of autonomy from mainland China.\n\nYou Wenze, a spokesman for China’s ceremonial legislature, has condemned criticism from American lawmakers as “a gross violation of the spirit of the rule of law, a blatant double standard and a gross interference in China’s internal affairs.”\n\nThe European Union has called for protesters and government authorities to enter talks in order to prevent further escalation.\n\n“It is crucial that restraint be exercised, violence rejected, and urgent steps taken to de-escalate the situation,” the European Union’s High Representative Federica Mogherini said in a statement. “Engagement in a process of broad-based and inclusive dialogue, involving all key stakeholders, is essential.”\n\nProtesters are showing no signs of fatigue. In fact, Grace and Jason both spoke of expansions to the movement that go beyond street demonstrations — “Aside from walking out to the street, we are striking Beijing economically,” Grace said. “It’s a change in battlefield.”\n\n“Chains and shops are already being affected by their perceived or expressed political stance with the current protests. People are boycotting shops because of the ultimate owner’s stance or what they’ve said about the protests,” Jason said. “Even movies are being boycotted,” he added, alluding to the recent #BoycottMulan campaign — a push to boycott Disney’s upcoming Mulan remake due to its star’s support of Hong Kong’s police and her criticism of the city’s protesters — something Grace also spoke of.\n\nAs demonstrations expand and weekly marches continue, protesters and their government appear to be at an impasse. Since Beijing is not yet inclined to use military force to quash protests, it’s unclear what kind of event might trigger a sweeping crack down.\n\nGrace believes there could be a day of reckoning on October 1, when China celebrates the 70th anniversary of Communist rule and a massive military parade will take place in Beijing.\n\n“President Xi will not want anything to happen on that day,” she said. “I think the People’s Republic of China will try to end [protests] on October 1, no matter what measures [must] be taken.”\n\nGrace added that she could even see a violent Tiananmen Square-style crackdown happening, saying October 1 could bring “another June 4,” the date of that attack on protesters by Beijing in 1989.\n\nBut she said she is unafraid of that happening. “[That would] be the endgame,” she said. “We could foresee that. Protestors are not afraid of that since it will definitely bring US into the game.”\n\nAnd either way, Grace said the protests will not stop: “For protestors, we will continue to fight even after October 1.”", "FILE – In this March 8, 2015, file photo, South Korean K-pop group EXO member Lay, second from left, speaks during a press conference in Seoul, South Korea. At least eight K-pop stars from China and even one from Taiwan and one from Hong Kong are publicly stating their support for the one-China policy, eliciting a mixture of disappointment and understanding from fans. It’s the latest example of how celebrities and companies feel the pressure to toe the line politically in the important Chinese market. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon, File)\n\nHONG KONG (AP) — At least eight K-pop stars from China and even one from Taiwan and one from Hong Kong are publicly stating their support for Beijing’s one-China policy, eliciting both disappointment and understanding from fans.\n\nMany of the statements came after protesters opposed to Beijing’s growing influence over semi-autonomous Hong Kong tossed a Chinese flag into Victoria Harbour.\n\nLay Zhang, Jackson Wang, Lai Kuan-lin and Victoria Song are among those who recently uploaded a Chinese flag to social media and declared themselves “one of 1.4 billion guardians of the Chinese flag.” Wang is from Hong Kong and Lai from Taiwan.\n\nSome see the pronouncements as examples of how celebrities feel pressured to toe the line in the important Chinese market. Yet they also coincide with a surge in patriotism among young Chinese.", "HONG KONG, Aug 19 (Reuters) - Hong Kong is gearing up for further protests this week after hundreds of thousands of anti-government demonstrators braved heavy rain to rally peacefully on Sunday, marking a change to what have often been violent clashes.\n\nSunday's massive turnout, which organisers put at 1.7 million, showed that the movement still has widespread support despite chaotic scenes last week when protesters occupied the Chinese-ruled city's airport.\n\nSome activists had apologised for the airport turmoil and on Sunday night protesters could be seen urging others to go home peacefully.\n\nIt was a far cry from the violent clashes between protesters and riot police throughout the summer, with activists storming the legislature and targeting China's main Liaison Office in the city. The weekend was also noteworthy for a lack of tear gas use by police.\n\nThe protests, which have presented one of the biggest challenges for Chinese President Xi Jinping since he came to power in 2012, began in June as opposition to a now-suspended bill that would allow suspects to be extradited to mainland China for trial in Communist Party-controlled courts. They have since swelled into wider calls for democracy.\n\nHong Kong returned from British to Chinese rule in 1997 under a \"one country, two systems\" formula that promised wide-ranging freedoms denied to citizens in mainland China, including an independent judiciary, but many in the city believe Beijing has been eroding those freedoms.\n\nAside from Lam's resignation, demonstrators have five demands - complete withdrawal of the extradition bill, a halt to descriptions of the protests as \"rioting\", a waiver of charges against those arrested, an independent inquiry and resumption of political reform.\n\nOne protester, speaking at a \"citizen's press conference\" on Monday, was asked what path the protests would take now, peaceful or violent.\n\n\"We have started our rallies very peacefully but after two and a half months it seems that the Hong Kong government has not responded to our five demands so one thing leads to another and it may cause escalation,\" the speaker, named Wang, said.\n\n\"If you ask me, I personally hope there will be a quick resolution to this from the government so we don't have to protest any more.\"\n\nOn Sunday, protesters spilling out from Victoria Park, the designated rally area on Hong Kong island, streamed onto major thoroughfares towards the city's financial centre, chanting for Beijing-backed leader Carrie Lam to step down.\n\nPolice estimated the size of the crowd in Victoria Park at 128,000 at its peak, although that excludes the masses of umbrella-carrying demonstrators who packed the streets.\n\nThe Hong Kong government said in a statement on Sunday night it was important to restore social order as soon as possible and that it would begin talks with the public and \"rebuild social harmony when everything has calmed down\".\n\nThe Global Times, a nationalist Chinese tabloid published by the ruling Communist Party's official People's Daily, attributed the change in the character of Sunday's protest to the presence of Chinese paramilitary forces, which have been conducting exercises in Shenzhen, just across the border from Hong Kong.\n\n\"This was widely seen as a stern warning to the violent elements in Hong Kong,\" it said, adding that a backlash from Hong Kong residents over last week's airport occupations was another factor.\n\nThe Chinese Communist Party's official People's Daily newspaper warned again in an editorial on Monday that hostile foreign influences were inciting the protest movement. Beijing has accused some countries, including the United States, of fomenting unrest.\n\nU.S. President Donald Trump hinted on Sunday that the White House would like to see Beijing resolve the protests before the world's two largest economies could reach a trade deal.\n\n\"I would like to see Hong Kong worked out in a very humanitarian fashion,\" Trump said. \"I think it would be very good for the trade deal.\"\n\nFurther demonstrations are planned in coming weeks, including protests planned by Christians and even an accountants' group.\n\nPolice have come under criticism for using increasingly aggressive tactics to break up demonstrations, but there was a minimal police presence on Sunday and no arrests were made. More than 700 people have been arrested since June.\n\nThe central government has sought to deepen integration between the mainland and the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and nearby Macau, a former Portuguese-run enclave which returned to China in 1999. The State Council called on Monday for greater development of the so-called Greater Bay Area and to enrich the \"one country, two systems\" policy.\n\nChina has also put strong pressure on big companies, especially Cathay Pacific Airways . CEO Rupert Hogg quit in a shock move last week after Beijing targeted the airline over staff involvement in the protests.\n\nHogg's sudden departure was announced by Chinese state television on Friday and was seen as a signal to other multinationals, such as HSBC Holdings and Jardine Matheson Holdings , to support Beijing.\n\nCathay also fired two pilots for taking part in the protests.\n\nShares in Cathay rose more than 2% early on Monday before paring gains to be down 0.6%. Jeffries analysts wrote in a note on Monday that it maintained its \"buy\" rating on Cathay and that it expected the company to remain profitable.", "BEIJING (AP) — A spokesman for China's ceremonial legislature has condemned statements from U.S. lawmakers supportive of Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement.\n\nYou Wenze called the comments \"a gross violation of the spirit of the rule of law, a blatant double standard and a gross interference in China's internal affairs.\"\n\nHe says Hong Kong's 7.5 million people and Chinese population as a whole reject the actions of a \"very small group of violent protesters\" as well as \"any interference of foreign forces.\"\n\nYou did not mention any specific lawmaker or comments, but numerous U.S. senators and Congress members, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, have affirmed the U.S. commitment to human rights and urged the Hong Kong government to end the standoff.\n\nCongress also has the power to pass legislation affecting Hong Kong's trading status.", "China slammed Taiwan Monday for offering asylum to Hong Kong people facing prosecution for involvement in anti-government protests, telling the island’s leaders to “stop meddling” in the territory’s affairs.\n\nTaiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen voiced support last month for granting asylum to some Hong Kong protesters, with the semi-autonomous financial hub in the midst of an unprecedented political crisis.\n\nMa Xiaoguang, a spokesperson for the Chinese cabinet’s Taiwan Affairs Office, warned Taiwan’s ruling Democratic Progressive Party to “stop undermining the rule of law in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, stop meddling in Hong Kong affairs, and stop indulging criminals in any way.”\n\nTaiwanese authorities “ignore the facts and reverse black and white, not only masking the crimes of a small number of Hong Kong militants, but also fueling their arrogance for destroying Hong Kong”, said Ma.\n\nLast month after dozens of Hong Kong activists reportedly involved in an unprecedented storming of the city’s parliament fled to Taiwan, the Taipei said it would provide assistance to those seeking sanctuary.\n\n“They openly claim to provide (protesters) asylum, making Taiwan into a ‘haven sheltering criminals’, where does this put the safety and welfare of the Taiwan people?” asked Ma.\n\nBeijing regards Taiwan as a part of China awaiting reunification, but the island is a self-ruled democracy.\n\nThe protest movement in Hong Kong was sparked by widespread opposition to a plan for allowing extraditions to the Chinese mainland, but has since morphed into a broader call for democratic rights.\n\nTaiwan’s history of providing sanctuary to Chinese dissidents has been mixed.\n\nThe island still does not recognize the legal concept of asylum but has, on occasions, allowed dissidents to stay on long-term visas.\n\nTies with Beijing have soured since Tsai came to power in 2016 because her party refuses to recognize the idea that Taiwan is part of “one China.”\n\nLast Update: Monday, 19 August 2019 KSA 14:38 - GMT 11:38", "WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has warned China that carrying out a Tiananmen Square-style crackdown on Hong Kong pro-democracy protests would harm trade talks between the two countries, in comments that followed a huge, defiant march through the streets of the global finance hub.Hong Kong has been rocked by more than two months of protests and clashes between police and hardcore activists who fear the semi-autonomous city's freedoms are under threat from Beijing.On Sunday, rally organisers said some 1.7 million people turned out for a peaceful march under a sea of umbrellas, defying police orders and stark warnings from China to end the protests.The American president cautioned that any violent effort by China to quell the unprecedented protests would damage trade negotiations.\"I think it'd be very hard to deal if they do violence, I mean, if it's another Tiananmen Square,\" Trump told reporters in New Jersey on Sunday. \"I think it's a very hard thing to do if there's violence.\" Trump's comments came as Washington and Beijing look to revive pivotal high-level talks aimed at ending their trade war.The trade dispute between the US and China has been blamed for setting world financial markets on edge amid signs of a possible global economic slowdown.Phone calls between the deputies from two sides are planned for the next 10 days and, if those are successful, negotiations between more senior officials could resume, Trump's chief economic advisor Larry Kudlow said on Sunday.The demonstrations in Hong Kong have tipped into violence, with protesters paralyzing the city's airport last week and tarnishing a campaign that took pride in its peaceful intent.Communist Party-ruled mainland China has in turn sharpened its tone towards the dissidents, decrying the \"terrorist-like\" actions of a violent minority.State media has broadcast images of military personnel and armored personnel carriers in Shenzhen, across the border from Hong Kong, propaganda read across Hong Kong as intimidation.China deployed tanks to end student-led protests in the bloody 1989 crackdown in Beijing's Tiananmen Square, resulting in an estimated death toll between several hundred to over a thousand.If such a situation was repeated in Hong Kong, \"I think there'd be... tremendous political sentiment not to do something,\" Trump said, referring to the trade negotiations with China.Under a deal signed with Britain, China agreed to allow Hong Kong to keep its unique freedoms when the former crown colony was handed back in 1997.But many Hong Kongers feel those freedoms are being hacked away, especially since China's hardline president Xi Jinping came to power. Trump stopped short of endorsing the protesters, saying, \"I'd love to see it worked out in a humane fashion,\" and calling on Xi to negotiate with the dissidents.Last week, China's state-run daily the Global Times said there \"won't be a repeat\" of Tiananmen Square in a rare reference to the crackdown.\"China is much stronger and more mature, and its ability to manage complex situations has been greatly enhanced,\" the newspaper wrote in an editorial.Analysts say any intervention in Hong Kong by Chinese security forces would be a disaster for China's reputation and economy.The political turmoil was sparked by widespread opposition to a plan for allowing extraditions to the Chinese mainland, but has since morphed into a broader movement for democratic rights in the semi-autonomous city.Sunday's march, billed as a return to the peaceful origins of the leaderless protest movement, was one of the largest rallies since the protests began about three months ago, according to organizers the Civil Human Rights Front", "Hong Kong's summer of discontent looks set to continue sizzling as organisers of yesterday's massive but peaceful rally said there would be another demonstration on Aug 31, and some students said they would boycott classes when the new term starts next month.\n\nMr Jimmy Sham, convener of the Civil Human Rights Front (CHRF), the group behind the larger protests since June 9, said it has applied for another march from Chater Garden in Central to Beijing's liaison office on the western side of Hong Kong Island on Aug 31.\n\nAug 31 is \"the fifth anniversary of the National People's Congress's undemocratic and restrictive decision on universal suffrage in Hong Kong\", the CHRF said.\n\nWorries of more aggressive police tactics plagued student protesters and many told The Straits Times of their fears, but said they still intend to heed calls to boycott classes in September.\n\nMs Tse Ngo Yi, 25, a part-time sophomore at Education University of Hong Kong, said she would stay at protest venues for \"as long as possible\", adding: \"My parents fully support my decision.\"\n\nMr Jeffrey Wong, 23, a final-year student at Hong Kong Polytechnic University, said he will skip classes, if necessary, to pressure the government to respond to the people's demands, including the withdrawal of the now-suspended extradition Bill. \"They think that once the summer holidays end, we will have to go back to school, but today's turnout shows that they are mistaken.\"\n\nHowever, others, like Hong Kong Baptist University student Ken Tsui, 23, are thinking twice about participating on the front lines. He told ST that the police have stepped up stop-and-search measures against young people. While it would not deter him from joining rallies, he tries not to stay out late.\n\n\"I'm ashamed to say that because it feels like I'm not giving my full support to the others, but I'm afraid for my safety as more than 700 people have been arrested.\"\n\nThe police have made some 750 arrests since the June 9 protests.\n\nHong Kong University of Science and Technology's associate professor Dixon Sing recounted that more than 100 people were arrested on Aug 11, and this has prompted front-line radicals to consider \"the overall risks for mounting either a Hong Kong-wide protest or to concentrate in one area\".\n\n\"The risks for both strategies would have been elevated because in the past they believed that if they have enough manpower to spread around, they can wear down the police. This tactic has proven to have failed given last Sunday's massive arrests,\" Prof Sing said.\n\nStill, hundreds lingered in Harcourt Road late last night, after police issued a warning for thousands of them to disperse. The police said the protesters had \"shot hard objects at the Central Government Complex with slingshots and aimed laser beams at police officers\".\n\nEarlier yesterday, protesters gathered at Victoria Park in Causeway Bay for the rally initiated by CHRF. The Front said 1.7 million turned up for the police-approved static rally despite the heavy rain. While police did not approve an accompanying march, thousands packed key roads from North Point to Central on Hong Kong Island. The weekend's protests were the first largely peaceful rallies in 11th straight weekends of demonstrations.\n\nPolice, however, put the turnout at Victoria Park at 128,000 people, at its peak, yesterday.\n\n\"Today has been peaceful, which is exactly what Carrie Lam asked for,\" Mr Sham said, referring to the Chief Executive. \"Carrie Lam must respond to the five demands in order to show Hongkongers peaceful and rational expression can be heard, accepted and met... If she continues to turn a deaf ear, she is instigating more radical struggles.\"\n\nA government spokesman noted that while the rally was largely peaceful, there were inconveniences caused to the public after protesters occupied key roads.", "(Bloomberg) -- Hong Kong demonstrators will need to look beyond mainland China for supplies of protest gear that’s defined the look of the movement.\n\nQueries on Chinese e-commerce portals such as Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.’s Taobao for umbrellas, masks and helmets would return the searches as “item not found” for buyers based in Hong Kong, while those on the mainland had positive results. Hong Kong logistics companies said a list of “sensitive items” which include black T-shirts, banners, laser pens and facial masks will be detained at customs.\n\nProtests in Hong Kong have dragged on since early June, with the government warning of the damage to the economy and the city’s reputation. Police have used tear gas and rubber bullets on demonstrators who linger after peaceful rallies ended, and the confrontations have turned increasingly violent in recent weeks.\n\nIn such fights, protesters wear gas masks and helmets, and police have said some target strong laser beams at them. After entering search queries, e-commerce site JD.com showed helmets and laser pens are “out of storage for Hong Kong and Macau.”\n\nA representative of Hong Kong’s customs says it didn’t receive any directive to control the import of protest-related items, and it doesn’t know if there are any restrictions from mainland customs. Outside of business hours, a call to China’s customs went unanswered, while representatives for JD and Alibaba, which owns Taobao, didn’t immediately reply to requests for comment.\n\nAccording to a notice on the website of Hong Kong logistics company Dailybuyco.com, customs has strengthened controls over imports and exports. The current list of “sensitive items” also includes towels, umbrellas, glow sticks, flashlights and helmets. The list, as defined by the customs, is constantly changing, the website said, without specifying if it was Hong Kong or China authorities.\n\nAnother delivery company Taopai.hk posted a similar notice earlier this month, saying that customs and the Hong Kong government are posting restrictions over imported goods, including yellow umbrellas, yellow helmets, iron pipes and knives. No “goods for riot” can be transported in freight, the post said.\n\nTo contact the reporter on this story: Jinshan Hong in Hong Kong at jhong214@bloomberg.net\n\nTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Shamim Adam at sadam2@bloomberg.net, Fion Li"], "summary": "China condemns Taiwan after President Tsai Ing-wen offered support and asylum to Hong Kong protesters facing prosecution in Hong Kong courts."}
{"document": ["Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam listens to reporters questions at a press conference in Hong Kong Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2019. Lam said she’s setting up a “communication platform” to resolve differences in the Chinese city, which has been wracked by months of chaotic anti-government protests. She also said a fact-finding study will look at the causes of the protests and the police response to them. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)\n\nHONG KONG (AP) — Facing pressure to end months of antigovernment protests, Hong Kong’s leader pledged Tuesday to open up dialogue with city residents in an effort to narrow differences.\n\nHowever, Chief Executive Carrie Lam offered no concessions to the protest movement and a key organizer of the mass rallies dismissed her plan to immediately set up a “communication platform,” underlining the challenge in resolving the semiautonomous Chinese city’s political crisis.\n\nThe movement held a massive but peaceful rally on Sunday after earlier protests had been marked by violence. The government has conditioned dialogue on the leaderless protest movement remaining peaceful.\n\nLam didn’t say that the communication platform will be used to specifically contact protesters. It will be used for “open and direct” dialogue with people from all walks of life, including people who have attended peaceful rallies, she told reporters, while giving few specifics on how it would work.\n\n“Our goal is to work hard to resolve differences and conflicts, to understand each other through communication and to walk out of this social deadlock together,” Lam said.\n\nHer comments fell short of the protesters’ five demands, which include genuine democracy and an independent inquiry into alleged police brutality.\n\nThe protesters complain that police have contributed to the violence by responding to their aggressive tactics with tear gas and rubber bullets.\n\nMembers of the Civil Human Rights Front rejected her plan, calling it a trap that’s aimed at wasting time.\n\nThe group’s vice-convenor, Wong Yik-mo, said Lam is “not responding at all” to the protest movement’s demands.\n\n“We do not trust Carrie Lam, we do not trust her lies,” he said, pointing out that the movement’s decentralized structure would make it hard to conduct dialogue anyway.\n\n“She is fully aware there is no leader, this is a leaderless movement. What does she suggest?” he said.\n\nJimmy Sham, another member, suggested that “if Lam wants dialogue, she should come to a protest.”\n\nThe Civil Human Rights Front has organized several mass anti-government rallies that have attracted huge crowds in recent months and it plans another at the end of the month. But many other groups have organized their own events.\n\nLam dismissed the protesters’ demand for an independent inquiry, saying the city’s police complaints council is capable of looking into police misconduct. The council is carrying out a fact-finding study of the protests and related incidents as it looks into 174 complaints about police behavior, she said.\n\nProtesters say that the complaints council has limited power to scrutinize the police.\n\nMo and Sham said the council has no credibility and its main function is merely to look into complaints.\n\n“It has no mandate to investigate and no power to summon policeman (to give evidence), especially when top brass are involved,” Mo said.\n\nSeparately, Twitter said late Monday that it has suspended nearly 1,000 accounts it believes were behind a Chinese government influence campaign targeting the protest movement.\n\nThe social media company blocked about 200,000 more automated accounts that amplified the messages, engaging with the core accounts in the network\n\nThe accounts were attempting to sow political discord in Hong Kong by undermining the protest movement’s legitimacy and political positions.\n\nFacebook took similar action, but on a smaller scale. The social network removed seven pages, three groups and five accounts, including some portraying protesters as cockroaches and terrorists, after being tipped off by Twitter and conducting its own investigation.\n\nThis story has been corrected to say the protest movement is not calling for Lam’s resignation.\n\nAssociated Press writer Tami Abdollah in Washington contributed to this report.", "Protesters attend a rally at Victoria Park in Hong Kong, Sunday, Aug. 18, 2019. Heavy rain fell on tens of thousands of umbrella-toting protesters Sunday as they marched from a packed park and filled a major road in Hong Kong, where mass pro-democracy demonstrations have become a regular weekend activity over the summer. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)\n\nWASHINGTON (AP) — Twitter said it has suspended more than 200,000 accounts that it believes were part of a Chinese government influence campaign targeting the protest movement in Hong Kong.\n\nThe company also said Monday it will ban ads from state-backed media companies, expanding a prohibition it first applied in 2017 to two Russian entities.\n\nBoth measures are part of what a senior company official portrayed in an interview as a broader effort to curb malicious political activity on a popular platform that has been criticized for enabling election interference around the world and for accepting money for ads that amount to propaganda by state-run media organizations.\n\nThe accounts were suspended for violating the social networking platform’s terms of service and “because we think this is not how people can come to Twitter to get informed,” the official said in an interview with The Associated Press.\n\nThe official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of security concerns, said the Chinese activity was reported to the FBI, which investigated Russian efforts to interfere in the 2016 U.S. presidential election through social media.\n\nAfter being notified by Twitter and conducting its own investigation, Facebook said Monday that it has also removed seven pages, three groups and five accounts, including some portraying protesters as cockroaches and terrorists.\n\nThe Chinese government said Tuesday it wasn’t aware of the allegations.\n\nFacebook, which is more widely used in Hong Kong, does not release data on such state-backed influence operations. Neither does it ban ads from state-owned media companies.\n\n“We continue to look at our policies as they relate to state-owned media,” a Facebook spokesperson said in a statement to the AP. “We’re also taking a closer look at ads that have been raised to us to determine if they violate our policies.”\n\nTwitter traced the Hong Kong campaign to two fake Chinese and English Twitter accounts that pretended to be news organizations based in Hong Kong, where pro-democracy demonstrators have taken to the streets since early June calling for full democracy and an inquiry into what they say is police violence against protesters.\n\nThe Chinese language account, @HKpoliticalnew, and the English account, @ctcc507, pushed tweets depicting protesters as violent criminals in a campaign aimed at influencing public opinion around the world. One of those accounts was tied to a suspended Facebook account that went by the same moniker: HKpoliticalnew.\n\nAn additional 936 core accounts Twitter believes originated from within China attempted to sow political discord in Hong Kong by undermining the protest movement’s legitimacy and political positions.\n\nAbout 200,000 more automated Twitter accounts amplified the messages, engaging with the core accounts in the network. Few tweeted more than once, the official said, mostly because Twitter quickly caught many of them.\n\nThe Twitter official said the investigation remains ongoing and there could be further disclosures.\n\nThough Twitter, Facebook and most other foreign social media platforms are banned in China, they’re available in semiautonomous Hong Kong.\n\nAt a daily briefing Tuesday, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said he was “not aware” of the allegations of fake accounts, but added that Chinese people had the right to “express their opinions about” the situation in Hong Kong.\n\nThe free speech organization PEN America welcomed the tech companies’ actions and urged them to do more.\n\n“China’s government has denied its citizens access to global outlets for communication. That they now turn around and stealthily unleash a campaign of disinformation on the very same platforms represents a new height of hypocrisy,” chief executive Suzanne Nossel said in a statement.\n\nThe Twitter campaign reflects that the Chinese government has studied the role of social media in mass movements and fears the Hong Kong protests could spark wider unrest, said James Lewis at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.\n\n“This is standard Chinese practice domestically, and we know that after 2016 they studied what the Russians did in the U.S. carefully,” Lewis said. “So it sounds like this is the first time they’re deploying their new toy.”\n\nTwitter has sought to more aggressively monitor its network for malicious political activity since the 2016 presidential election and to be more transparent about its investigations, publicly releasing data about state-backed influence operations since October so others can evaluate it, the official said.\n\n“We’re not only telling the public this happened, we’re also putting the data out there so people can study it for themselves,” the official said.\n\nAs for state-backed media organizations, they are still allowed to use Twitter, but are no longer allowed to pay for ads, which show up regardless of whether you have elected to follow the group’s tweet.\n\nTwitter declined to provide a list of what it considers state-backed media organizations, but a representative said it may consider doing so in the future. In 2017, Twitter specifically announced it would ban Russia-based RT and Sputnik from advertising on its platform.\n\nAssociated Press writer Chris Bodeen in Beijing contributed to this report.\n\nThis story has been corrected to attribute PEN America statement to the chief executive, not the spokesman.", "Beijing — China said on Tuesday that it has the right to put out its own views after Twitter and Facebook said they had dismantled a state-backed social media campaign originating in mainland China that sought to undermine protests in Hong Kong.\n\nTwitter said on Monday that it suspended 936 accounts and the operations appeared to be a co-ordinated, state-backed effort originating in China.\n\nFacebook said it had removed accounts and pages from a small network after a tip from Twitter, saying its investigation found links to individuals associated with the Chinese government.\n\nForeign ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang declined direct comment on the Twitter and Facebook actions, but defended the right of Chinese people and media to make their voices heard over the Hong Kong protests.\n\nOverseas Chinese and students “of course have the right to express their point of view”, he told a daily news briefing. “What is happening in Hong Kong, and what the truth is, people will naturally have their own judgment. Why is it that China’s official media’s presentation is surely negative or wrong?”\n\nTwitter and Facebook have come under fire from users over showing ads from state-controlled media that criticise the Hong Kong protesters. Twitter said on Monday that it would no longer accept advertising from state-controlled news media, and told Reuters the change was not related to the suspended accounts.\n\nTwitter and Facebook are blocked by the Chinese government from being used on the mainland, but are freely accessible in Hong Kong, where protests since June have plunged the Chinese-ruled territory into its most serious crisis in decades.\n\nChinese media use foreign social media to communicate with people around the world to introduce them to Chinese policies and “tell China’s story”, Geng said. “I don’t know why certain companies or peoples’ reaction is so strong.”\n\nThe Hong Kong protests present one of the biggest challenges for China’s President Xi Jinping since he came to power in 2012. They began in opposition to a now-suspended bill that would allow suspects to be sent to the mainland for trial in Communist Party-controlled courts, but have since swelled into wider calls for democracy.\n\nSocial media companies globally are under pressure to stem illicit political influence campaigns online, especially ahead of the US presidential election in November 2020. A 22-month US investigation concluded Russia interfered in a “sweeping and systematic fashion” in the 2016 US election to help Donald Trump win the presidency.", "Facebook and Twitter are accusing China of running a disinformation campaign against the protesters in Hong Kong, according to their blog posts on Monday, and are no longer accepting advertising dollars from the state-controlled news media entities.\n\n\"We are disclosing a significant state-backed information operation focused on the situation in Hong Kong, specifically the protest movement and their calls for political change,\" Twitter wrote in its blog.\n\nThe social media giant outlined 936 accounts which were from inside the People's Republic of China and disclosed \"a larger, spammy network of approximately 200,000 accounts\" were also suspended due to their connection to this possible disinformation campaign.\n\n\"Overall, these accounts were deliberately and specifically attempting to sow political discord in Hong Kong, including undermining the legitimacy and political positions of the protest movement on the ground,\" Twitter wrote.\n\nFacebook joined the fight on Monday as well, saying they \"removed seven pages, three groups and five Facebook accounts involved in coordinated inauthentic behavior as part of a small network that originated in China and focused on Hong Kong.\"\n\nFacebook claims the people behind the social media campaign used fake accounts to manage pages that appeared to be news organizations.\n\n\"Although the people behind this activity attempted to conceal their identities, our investigation found links to individuals associated with the Chinese government,\" Facebook wrote in its blog.\n\n\"Specifically, we identified large clusters of accounts behaving in a coordinated manner to amplify messages related to the Hong Kong protests,\" Twitter wrote.\n\nTwitter and Facebook are blocked in China, but some people access their accounts by using a virtual private network (VPN).\n\n\"We will continue to be vigilant, learning from this network and proactively enforcing our policies to serve the public conversation,\" Twitter wrote.\n\nCLICK TO GET THE FOX BUSINESS APP\n\nBoth Twitter and Facebook say they are sharing the issue in an effort to be more transparent.", "Twitter and Facebook have landed in hot water for allowing Chinese state-run media outlets to run ads on their platforms that criticize pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong.\n\nIn response, Twitter said Monday that it would no longer accept advertising from state-controlled news media outlets. The company also said that it suspended 936 accounts from China that attempted to sow political discord in Hong Kong including efforts to undermine the protests in Hong Kong.\n\nFacebook said that it pulled down 5 Facebook accounts, 7 Pages and 3 Groups with ties to people linked to the Chinese government after it got a tip from Twitter. These users posted about political topics including the Hong Kong protests, but the social network said they were suspending the accounts, pages and groups for misleading others about their identity and purpose.\n\nThe moves by the social networks come amid criticism that the companies aren't doing enough to combat disinformation and propaganda on their platforms. On Sunday, hundreds of thousands of peaceful activists took to the streets of Hong Kong for the 11th week of demonstrations, CNN reported. Protesters were initially rallying against a now-suspended bill by the Hong Kong government that would have allowed people arrested Hong Kong to be transferred and tried in mainland China. Since then, the protests have expanded to include calls for more democracy and government accountability, according to CNN. Protesters have clashed with police in Hong Kong, who have reportedly fired tear gas and beat activists with batons, according to various media reports.\n\nNow some of the world's largest social networks are under fire for the role they're playing in these political protests. Facebook and Twitter are both blocked in China, but businesses and organizations can still run ads on these platforms.\n\nMaciej Ceglowski, developer of the social-media bookmarking site Pinboard, called on Twitter over the weekend to stop selling ads to the state-run Xinhua News Agency. One promoted tweet from the news outlet stated that \"the escalating violence in Hong Kong has taken a heavy toll on the social order\" and that \"all walks of life in Hong Kong called for a brake to be put on the blatant violence and for order to be restored.\"\n\nThe Xinhua News Agency didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Twitter pointed to their blog posts about changes to their ads policy and the Chinese accounts the company removed for violating its rules against spam, fake accounts and other forms of \"platform manipulation.\"\n\nChinese state-run media outlets were also using Facebook to display ads critical of Hong Kong protesters. One ad about the Hong Kong protests by Xinhua states that \"calls are mounting for immediate actions to restore order,\" according to Facebook's ad library. Another ad says that US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who has voiced her support for the protesters, \"should fly to Hong Kong to see what the true facts are.\"", "The showdown between Twitter, Facebook and the Chinese government rose to a new level Tuesday as Beijing defended its right to spread its views online — even if the tactics violate company guidelines designed to curb the spread of disinformation.\n\nThe resistance from China, voiced by Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang at a news briefing in Beijing, came a day after Twitter and Facebook named the Chinese government as responsible for what they called “coordinated, inauthentic behavior” in shaping online portrayals of the political protests roiling Hong Kong. It was the first time major U.S. companies had named China as responsible for a disinformation campaign, though researchers have said for years that the government there has major, sophisticated social media operations aimed at influencing public debate.\n\nSome of the thousands of accounts closed by the companies had profiles claiming to be from other countries, including from numerous cities in the United States, and Twitter said that technological tools called “VPNs” were used to fake the locations of users. Geng said the accounts were not the work of government disinformation teams but Chinese students and others living overseas who “of course have the right to express their point of view,” according to a Reuters report.\n\n“What is happening in Hong Kong, and what the truth is, people will naturally have their own judgment,” Geng said. He added, “Why is it that China’s official media’s presentation is surely negative or wrong?”\n\nNeither company responded immediately to requests for comment about Geng’s statements.\n\nGeng’s comments underscored the challenge social media companies face in trying to combat the kind of disinformation tactics used by Russians in the U.S. presidential election in 2016 and that increasingly are rampant in many countries around the world. As U.S.-based companies attempt to police online discourse globally, there is no international consensus over what qualifies as permissible speech — or permissible tactics in spreading that speech, whether it comes from government operatives or anybody else.\n\nThis emerging global debate echoes one in the United States as President Trump and many conservatives blast the social media companies for being too aggressive in blocking accounts that they regard as violating their rules for authentic discourse online, portraying such efforts as censorship of political speech. Trump held a White House summit last month highlighting these complaints.\n\n[Twitter and Facebook take first actions against China for using fake accounts to sow discord in Hong Kong]\n\nDisinformation researchers on Monday praised Twitter and Facebook for naming the Chinese government as responsible for online campaigns that depicted the Hong Kong protests as the work of violent hooligans provoked by Western forces such as the CIA. Twitter shut down nearly 1,000 active accounts that it said was part of the operation and roughly 200,000 it said were created to help the effort. Facebook closed five accounts, seven pages and three groups on its platform it depicted as fake.\n\nGraham Brookie, director of the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab, said, “China has undertaken information operations that, much like their foreign policy, have been much more subtle and discreet... and this is neither subtle nor discreet.\"\n\nThe scale and sophistication of the effort was not particularly notable, but the decision by the companies to finger a powerful government as responsible — something companies once shied away from — was seen as an indicator of increasing assertiveness by Silicon Valley. Companies have faced serious political and public pressure in recent years to combat the fake and misleading accounts that have flooded their platforms and warped online debate worldwide.\n\n[It’s not just the Russians anymore as Iranians and others turn up disinformation efforts ahead of 2020 vote]\n\n\"It would be a tough call to make for anybody to call out China in an influence operation,\" said Ben Nimmo, chief of investigations for Graphika, a network analysis firm based in New York that studies online disinformation.\n\nThe moves by Facebook and Twitter could set up a major geopolitical clash over how much influence nations can exert on the ways information spreads across the Web.\n\nChina has enjoyed virtually unassailable control on social media within its borders, employing systems of strict censorship and surveillance against online topics conflicting with the government's self-asserted ambitions, image and power.\n\nBut the social-media giants’ response suggests that the country has attempted similar information-manipulation tactics around the world, likely to boost its international support and undermine protests in Hong Kong.\n\nDaniel Sinclair, an independent social-media researcher in New York who tracks Chinese influence, says the country's attempts to steer online debate in the West seem to have grown recently, possibly amid anxieties over how it is being perceived amid a U.S. trade war and the Hong Kong unrest.\n\n“This Chinese nationalism that is spreading across American and Western social media, much of it isn’t true disinformation as we understand it, but a lot of it is backed by actual state propaganda and fake news,” Sinclair said. “I don’t think we’ve ever seen their media machine working at this scale ... With social media, China has new kinds of influence, and new fingers in the Western media, that they haven’t had before.”\n\nTwitter and Facebook are not widely available in China overall but are in Hong Kong. Silicon Valley for years has sought to expand its limited footprint in the world’s most populous nation, with mixed success, as Chinese companies have become major domestic and global players in social media and other areas of advanced technology.\n\nFor some researchers, the moves have also cast a harsh spotlight on the lone social-media giant that has yet to offer comment: Google, whose YouTube has been similarly criticized for its use in the spread of political misinformation.\n\n\"Two of the three relevant companies have made public statements,\" said Alex Stamos, a former security chief at Facebook who now works as an adjunct professor at Stanford University, in tweets late Monday.\n\nFor social-media companies to attribute attacks to governments, “it’s a lot harder when the actor is financially critical,” he added. Google did not immediately respond to requests for comment.", "Hundreds of thousands of protesters rallied peacefully in the Chinese-ruled city in torrential rain on Sunday in the eleventh week of what have been often violent demonstrations.\n\n\"I have explained and elaborated on two important areas of work that we are doing,\" Lam told reporters. \"One is an important fact-finding study in addition to a very robust system to investigate and look at the complaints against police over this prolonged period of confrontations and violence.\"\n\nAnger erupted in June over a now-suspended bill that would allow criminal suspects in the former British colony to be extradited to mainland China.\n\nBut the unrest has been fuelled by broader worries about the erosion of freedoms guaranteed under the \"one country, two systems\" formula put in place after Hong Kong's return to China in 1997, including an independent judiciary and the right to protest.\n\nFurther protests are planned in the next few days, including one by MTR subway workers on Wednesday, secondary school students protesting against the extradition bill on Thursday and a demonstration by accountants on Friday.\n\nThe chaos has spread overseas. Twitter Inc and Facebook Inc said on Monday they had dismantled a social media campaign originating in mainland China that sought to undermine protests in Hong Kong.\n\nSunday's massive turnout, which organisers put at 1.7 million, showed that the movement still has widespread support despite chaotic scenes last week when protesters occupied the airport.\n\nSome activists had apologised for the airport turmoil and protesters could be seen on Sunday night urging others to go home peacefully.\n\nAside from Lam's resignation, demonstrators have five demands - complete withdrawal of the extradition bill, a halt to descriptions of the protests as \"rioting\", a waiver of charges against those arrested, an independent inquiry and resumption of political reform.\n\n\"The second question I have repeatedly replied on various locations and I can give you this very clear commitment at the political level that the bill is dead,\" Lam said. \"There is no plan to revive the bill, especially in light of the public concerns.\"\n\nPolice have been criticised for using increasingly aggressive tactics to break up demonstrations but there was a minimal police presence on Sunday and no arrests were made. More than 700 people have been arrested since June.\n\nLam said the police watchdog had set up a task force to investigate complaints.\n\nBeijing has sought to deepen integration between the mainland and the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and nearby Macau, a former Portuguese-run enclave that returned to China in 1999. The State Council called on Monday for greater development of the so-called Greater Bay Area and to enrich the \"one country, two systems\" policy.\n\nChina has also put strong pressure on big companies, especially Cathay Pacific Airways. CEO Rupert Hogg quit in a shock move last week after Beijing targeted the airline over staff involvement in the protests.\n\nHogg's sudden departure was announced by Chinese state television on Friday and was seen as a signal to other multinationals, such as HSBC Holdings and Jardine Matheson Holdings, to support Beijing.\n\nCathay also fired two pilots for taking part in the protests.\n\nLam said she hoped Hong Kong had \"unique advantages in attracting overseas companies\".\n\n\"One of the most important strengths is the rule of law,\" she said.\n\nUS Vice President Mike Pence urged China on Monday to respect the integrity of Hong Kong's laws and repeated President Donald Trump's warning that it would be harder for Washington to make a trade deal with Beijing if there was violence.", "Almost three out of four Americans say weather disasters are worsening, and most of those people blame global warming to some extent", "Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam listens to reporters questions at a press conference in Hong Kong Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2019. Lam said she’s setting up a “communication platform” to resolve differences in the Chinese city, which has been wracked by months of chaotic anti-government protests. She also said a fact-finding study will look at the causes of the protests and the police response to them. (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)\n\nHONG KONG (AP) — Facing pressure to end months of antigovernment protests, Hong Kong’s leader pledged Tuesday to open up dialogue with city residents in an effort to narrow differences.\n\nHowever, Chief Executive Carrie Lam offered no concessions to the protest movement and a key organizer of the mass rallies dismissed her plan to immediately set up a “communication platform,” underlining the challenge in resolving the semiautonomous Chinese city’s political crisis.\n\nThe movement held a massive but peaceful rally on Sunday after earlier protests had been marked by violence. The government has conditioned dialogue on the leaderless protest movement remaining peaceful.\n\nLam didn’t say that the communication platform will be used to specifically contact protesters. It will be used for “open and direct” dialogue with people from all walks of life, including people who have attended peaceful rallies, she told reporters, while giving few specifics on how it would work.\n\n“Our goal is to work hard to resolve differences and conflicts, to understand each other through communication and to walk out of this social deadlock together,” Lam said.\n\nHer comments fell short of the protesters’ five demands, which include genuine democracy and an independent inquiry into alleged police brutality.\n\nThe protesters complain that police have contributed to the violence by responding to their aggressive tactics with tear gas and rubber bullets.\n\nMembers of the Civil Human Rights Front rejected her plan, calling it a trap that’s aimed at wasting time.\n\nThe group’s vice-convenor, Wong Yik-mo, said Lam is “not responding at all” to the protest movement’s demands.\n\n“We do not trust Carrie Lam, we do not trust her lies,” he said, pointing out that the movement’s decentralized structure would make it hard to conduct dialogue anyway.\n\n“She is fully aware there is no leader, this is a leaderless movement. What does she suggest?” he said.\n\nJimmy Sham, another member, suggested that “if Lam wants dialogue, she should come to a protest.”\n\nThe Civil Human Rights Front has organized several mass anti-government rallies that have attracted huge crowds in recent months and it plans another at the end of the month. But many other groups have organized their own events.\n\nLam dismissed the protesters’ demand for an independent inquiry, saying the city’s police complaints council is capable of looking into police misconduct. The council is carrying out a fact-finding study of the protests and related incidents as it looks into 174 complaints about police behavior, she said.\n\nProtesters say that the complaints council has limited power to scrutinize the police.\n\nMo and Sham said the council has no credibility and its main function is merely to look into complaints.\n\n“It has no mandate to investigate and no power to summon policeman (to give evidence), especially when top brass are involved,” Mo said.\n\nSeparately, Twitter said late Monday that it has suspended nearly 1,000 accounts it believes were behind a Chinese government influence campaign targeting the protest movement.\n\nThe social media company blocked about 200,000 more automated accounts that amplified the messages, engaging with the core accounts in the network\n\nThe accounts were attempting to sow political discord in Hong Kong by undermining the protest movement’s legitimacy and political positions.\n\nFacebook took similar action, but on a smaller scale. The social network removed seven pages, three groups and five accounts, including some portraying protesters as cockroaches and terrorists, after being tipped off by Twitter and conducting its own investigation.\n\nThis story has been corrected to say the protest movement is not calling for Lam’s resignation.\n\nAssociated Press writer Tami Abdollah in Washington contributed to this report.", "The Chinese government is using Facebook adverts to attack protesters in Hong Kong and defend its repression of ethnic minorities in Xinjiang as part of an online propaganda blitz.\n\nState media outlets including the Global Times and China Central Television (CCTV) have paid for numerous sponsored posts and videos over the last week, smearing Hong Kong's democracy movement as violent thugs and tools of the United States.\n\nOthers sought to whitewash China's concentration camps in the western region of Xinjiang, which critics have referred to as a campaign of \"cultural genocide\" but which China insists is an innocent training programme designed to stop terrorism.\n\nIt comes after Facebook and Twitter..."], "summary": "Twitter says it has suspended more than 200,000 automated accounts on the social media site that it believes were part of a Chinese government-run campaign to spread misinformation about the protests in Hong Kong."}
{"document": ["Turkish police walk in front of the Metropolitan Municipality headquarters in Diyarbakir, Turkey, August 19, 2019. REUTERS/Murad Sezer\n\nISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish police have detained 418 people in 29 provinces in an investigation targeting suspects with links to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group, the Interior Ministry said on Monday.\n\nThe ministry announcement, made on Twitter, followed its earlier announcement that the mayors of three major southeastern cities had been replaced by state officials in terrorism-related investigations.", "Mayors of three eastern provinces dismissed by Interior Ministry\n\nThe Turkish Interior Ministry on Aug. 19 dismissed three mayors in eastern Turkey over what it called terror links.\n\nAccording to an official statement by the ministry, the mayors of the southeastern Diyarbakır and Mardin provinces and the eastern Van province — Adnan Selçuk Mızraklı, Ahmet Türk, and Bedia Özgökçe Ertan — who were elected by overwhelming majorities in the March 31 local elections, have been suspended.\n\nThey are accused of various crimes, including “membership of a terrorist organization” and “spreading terrorist propaganda,” the statement said.\n\nIt added that the mayors already had active cases against them in which they were accused of crimes such as establishing or spreading propaganda for a terror group or just being members of it.\n\nThe ministry said the PKK “exerted heavy efforts to nominate candidates who would be easily led once they would be elected and would be under its guidance and orientation.”\n\n“Once the metropolitan mayors of Diyarbakır, Mardin and Van provinces had taken their offices, it was highlighted that they exerted the so-called “co-mayor” practice upon the instructions of the leaders of the separatist terrorist organization,” said the statement.\n\nAll mayors are from the opposition Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), a party Turkey’s government has accused of having links to the PKK terror group. The state-appointed governors of the provinces will temporarily replace dismissed mayors.\n\nThe HDP appoints two co-leaders to almost all its constituencies, requiring that one leader is a man and the other a woman.\n\nThe mayors “intended to convert the municipalities into an administrative structure separate from the whole country, they de facto employed the former municipal employees, who had been removed from their offices due to their engagement, affiliation and relation with the terrorist organization,” said the statement.\n\nRecalling ongoing separate investigations into and prosecutions on the mayors over alleged “terror links,” the statement said they have been suspended from their duties as an interim precaution for the safety of the judicial/administrative investigations/prosecutions.\n\nThe governor of Diyarbakır, Hasan Basri Güzeloğlu, has been appointed as acting metropolitan municipality mayor of Diyarbakır, Mardin Governor Mustafa Yaman as acting metropolitan municipality mayor of Mardin and Van Governor Mehmet Emin Bilmez as acting metropolitan municipality mayor of Van.\n\n“We are after the struggle for democracy. We will surely ask the account of what this power has done,” said the co-chair of the HDP, Sezai Temelli.\n\nIn his first statement, Güzeloğlu said the municipal resources were being used in favor of the PKK and added: “This is unacceptable and unsustainable.”\n\n“The ballot boxes will lose its meaning” if the elected mayors are suspended and trustees replace them, said the spokesperson of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), Faik Öztrak, at a press conference.\n\nAhead of the March elections, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had said that the government will appoint trustees to the local municipalities they see as providing support to the PKK.\n\nAhead of the March local election, Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu said 178 election candidates were being investigated over alleged PKK links.\n\nThe government had previously replaced elected mayors with trustees on grounds that they allegedly aided and abetted PKK’s activities. The appointments were made predominantly in eastern and southeastern provinces’ municipalities run by the HDP.\n\nIn 2016, the Interior Ministry appointed trustees to 28 local municipalities across the country on accusations that they allegedly provided support to the PKK and FETÖ, widely believed to have staged the coup attempt of July 15, 2016.\n\nIn over 30 years of clashes between the PKK - listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and the EU – and the Turkish state, more than 40,000 people have died.\n\nMore than 400 suspects detained in 29 provinces\n\nMeanwhile, more than 400 people were detained in operations in 29 provinces across Turkey, including the southeastern and eastern provinces of Diyarbakır, Mardin, and Van, over alleged links to the outlawed PKK, the Interior Ministry said.\n\nThe ministry announcement, made on Twitter, followed its earlier announcement that the mayors of the three major southeastern and eastern provinces had been replaced by state-appointed officials in terrorism-related investigations.\n\nThe ministry said the PKK had been seeking to exploit the March elections to boost its support and had exerted efforts to nominate candidates who would be easily led once elected.\n\nPolice detained 418 people in 29 provinces in a related investigation targeting suspects with links to the outlawed PKK, the ministry added.\n\nSecurity forces launched a domestic operation against the PKK in the country’s east and southeast, the Interior Ministry said on Monday.\n\nThe large scale offensive was launched in eastern Van province and southeastern Hakkari and Şırnak provinces on Aug. 18, the ministry said in a written statement. Some 130 teams of police, gendarmerie, and village guards joined the counter-terrorism operation, it added.\n\nA total of 43 caves and shelters used by PKK militants have been destroyed so far, read the statement, adding that the operation will resolutely continue “until all terrorists in the region are neutralized.” Turkish authorities often use the term “neutralize” in statements to imply the militants in question surrendered or were killed or captured.", "Mayors for the cities of Van, Diyarbakir and Mardin in east Turkey were dismissed over their alleged links to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which Ankara has designated as a terrorist organization, the Turkish Interior Ministry said in a statement on Monday\n\nANKARA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th August, 2019) Mayors for the cities of Van Diyarbakir and Mardin in east Turkey were dismissed over their alleged links to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which Ankara has designated as a terrorist organization, the Turkish Interior Ministry said in a statement on Monday.\n\n\"The PKK structures used for their illegal purposes several mayors who have provided this terrorist organization with financial, transport and administrative assistance. An investigation has found that the mayors of Diyarbakir, Mardin and Van, Adnan Selcuk Mizrakli, Ahmet Turk and Bedia Ozgokce Ertan, have been dismissed,\" the ministry said.\n\nAccording to the statement, the dismissed officials are to be replaced by acting mayors. Law enforcement has conducted searches in the former mayors' offices.\n\nA total of 418 people in 19 Turkish provinces have also been detained over suspicions of having links to the PKK as part of a large-scale PKK probe, the ministry added.\n\nTurkey's pro-Kurdish People's Democratic Party said in a statement later in the day that the dismissal of the mayors by Ankara was a \"political coup.\n\n\"Our Municipal Co-chairs, who were elected with 63% of the vote in Diyarbakir, 56% of the vote in Mardin and 53% of the vote in Van, have been removed from duty with an Interior Ministry order based on lies and unlawful grounds. A severe operation of detentions targeting our municipal council members and employees continues at this moment. This is a new and clear political coup,\" the statement said.\n\nThe PKK is officially listed as a terrorist organization in Turkey. Ankara has been fighting the PKK, which seeks to establish a Kurdish autonomy in Turkey, since the early 1980s. The Turkish government and the PKK agreed on a ceasefire in 2013, but it collapsed just two years later after several terror attacks allegedly committed by PKK militants.\n\nTurkish security forces carry out regular anti-PKK raids across the country. In late May, Ankara launched Operation Claw targeting PKK militants in northern Iraq.", "DIYARBAKIR: Turkey replaced pro-Kurdish party mayors with state officials in three southeastern cities and detained more than 400 people for suspected militant links on Monday, the Interior Ministry said, in a move likely to fuel tensions in Turkey’s southeast.\n\nAhead of nationwide local elections in March, President Tayyip Erdogan had warned of such a move against elected officials if they were found to have connections to the militant Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).\n\nThe mayors in Diyarbakir, Mardin and Van, major cities in the mainly Kurdish southeast, were accused of various crimes including membership of a terrorist organisation and spreading terrorist group propaganda, the ministry statement said.\n\n“For the health of the investigations, they have been temporarily removed from their posts as a precaution,” it said, referring to Diyarbakir Mayor Selcuk Mizrakli, Mardin Mayor Ahmet Turk and Van Mayor Bedia Ozgokce Ertan.\n\nCNN Turk showed police sealing off the municipality headquarters in Diyarbakir with metal barriers, with water cannon vehicles and riot police deployed outside.\n\nThe Interior Ministry said on Twitter that police detained 418 people in 29 provinces in an investigation targeting suspects with links to the PKK militant group.\n\nThe removal of the mayors echoed the dismissal of dozens of mayors in 2016 over similar accusations, part of a purge that began after a failed coup. Nearly 100 mayors and thousands of party members were jailed in a crackdown that drew expressions of concern from the United States and European Union.\n\nAhead of the March election Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said 178 current election candidates were being investigated over alleged PKK links.\n\nErdogan at the time warned that pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) mayors could again be dismissed if they, like their predecessors, are deemed to have ties to militants.\n\nErdogan frequently accuses the HDP of links to the PKK, which is designated a terrorist group by Turkey, the European Union and United States. The HDP denies such links.\n\nThe PKK launched an insurgency in 1984. More than 40,000 people have been killed in the conflict.", "ANKARA, Aug. 19 (Xinhua/GNA) - Turkey's Interior Ministry on Monday dismissed three mayors of the opposition People's Democratic Party (HDP) in eastern and southeastern Turkey over alleged terror links.\n\nTurkish police have also detained 418 people in 29 provinces in an investigation targeting suspects with links to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), said the ministry.\n\nThe mayors of Diyarbakir, Mardin and Van provinces, namely Adnan Selcuk Mizrakli, Ahmet Turk and Bedia Ozgokce Ertan, have been suspended, a statement from the ministry said.\n\nThe mayors have been replaced by state-appointed governors.\n\nThe police have been carrying out an operation in the municipalities, local media reported.\n\nThe Turkish government accuses the opposition HDP of having links to the PKK, a group that was listed as a terrorist organization by Turkish government, the United States and the EU.\n\nThe ministry said the PKK exerted heavy efforts to nominate candidates \"who would be easily led once they would be elected and would be under its guidance and orientation.\"\n\nThese mayors were elected on March 31 in local elections.\n\n\"Once the Metropolitan Mayors of Diyarbakir, Mardin and Van Provinces had taken their offices, it was highlighted that they exerted the so-called 'co-mayor' practice upon the instructions of the leaders of the separatist terrorist organization,\" said the ministry.\n\nThe mayors \"intended to convert the municipalities into an administrative structure separate from the whole country, they de facto employed the former municipal employees, who had been removed from their offices due to their engagement, affiliation and relation with the terrorist organization,\" said the statement.\n\nConcerning the ongoing separate investigations and prosecutions on these mayors over alleged terror links, the ministry said that they have been suspended from their duties as an interim precaution for safety and security concerns.\n\nThe move is part of the efforts by the Turkish government, which has recently intensified its fight against the PKK in the military level both in Turkey and in northern Iraq.", "DIYARBAKIR, Turkey (Reuters) - Turkey on Monday replaced Kurdish mayors with state officials in three cities and detained more than 400 people for suspected militant links, the Interior Ministry said, a move likely to fuel tensions in the mainly Kurdish southeast.\n\nThe ministry also said it had launched an operation with some 2,300 commandos against militant fighters of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in southeastern provinces.\n\nThe mayors of three major southeastern cities - Diyarbakir, Mardin and Van - are accused of various crimes including membership of a terrorist organization and spreading terrorist group propaganda, the ministry said in a statement.\n\nRiot police fired water cannon on small groups of people protesting against the mayors’ dismissal in central Diyarbakir, where police sealed off the municipality headquarters with metal barriers, Reuters TV video showed.\n\nPresident Tayyip Erdogan had warned ahead of local elections in March of such a move against elected officials if they were found to have had connections to the PKK.\n\n“For the health of the investigations, they have been temporarily removed from their posts as a precaution,” the ministry said, referring to Diyarbakir Mayor Selcuk Mizrakli, Mardin Mayor Ahmet Turk and Van Mayor Bedia Ozgokce Ertan.\n\nPolice detained 418 people in 29 provinces in a related investigation targeting suspects with links to the PKK, the ministry added.\n\nThe pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), to which the three mayors belong, said they had been dismissed “on an order based on lies and illegal justifications”.\n\n“This is a new and clear political coup. It is a clear and hostile stance against the political will of the Kurdish people,” the HDP executive board said in a written statement.\n\nIt said the three mayors had been elected with between 53% to 63% of the vote in their cities in March and called for support from other political parties.\n\n“This is not just the problem of the HDP and the Kurdish people. It is the shared problem of all Turkey’s peoples and all democratic forces,” it added.\n\nVeli Agbaba, deputy leader of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), wrote on Twitter that the dismissals were tantamount to fascism and a blow against democracy, while Istanbul’s CHP mayor Ekrem Imamoglu also slammed the move.\n\n“Negating the will of the people is unacceptable,” he wrote on Twitter. Imamoglu himself was removed from office over irregularities shortly after coming to power in the March election, but won a re-run election in June.\n\nMore unusually, Turkey’s former president Abdullah Gul and ex-prime minister Ahmet Davutoglu, once allies of Erdogan from his AK Party who have emerged as potential political opponents, said on Twitter the dismissals were out of line with democracy.\n\nThe removal of the mayors echoed the dismissal of dozens of mayors in 2016 over similar accusations, part of a purge that began after a failed coup. Nearly 100 mayors and thousands of party members were jailed in a crackdown that drew expressions of concern from the United States and European Union.\n\nErdogan warned before the March elections that HDP mayors could again be dismissed if they, like their predecessors, were deemed to have ties to militants.\n\nErdogan frequently accuses the HDP of links to the PKK, which is designated a terrorist group by Turkey, the EU and the United States. The HDP denies such links.\n\nThe PKK launched an insurgency against the Turkish state in 1984. More than 40,000 people have been killed in the conflict.\n\nThe Interior Ministry said recent operations had led to PKK militant numbers falling to their lowest level in 30 years, with the number of fighters in Turkey falling to some 600 from around 1,800-2,000 in the past.\n\nAnnouncing the new operation against PKK militants, launched on Sunday in the provinces of Van, Sirnak and Hakkari, the ministry published images showing security forces firing machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades.\n\nThe security forces destroyed 43 caves and shelters used by the PKK, the ministry said, adding that operations would continue until all militants in the areas were “neutralized”.", "(Hatha al-Youm | Iraq News )-Turkey on Monday replaced Kurdish mayors with state officialsin three cities and detained more than 400 people for suspected militant links,the Interior Ministry said, a move likely to fuel tensions in the mainlyKurdish southeast.The ministry also said it had launched an operation with some2,300 commandos against militant fighters of the outlawed Kurdistan WorkersParty (PKK) in southeastern provinces.The mayors of three majorsoutheastern cities - Diyarbakir, Mardin and Van - are accused of various crimesincluding membership of a terrorist organization and spreading terrorist grouppropaganda, the ministry said in a statement.Riot police fired water cannon on small groups of peopleprotesting against the mayors’ dismissal in central Diyarbakir, where policesealed off the municipality headquarters with metal barriers, Reuters TV videoshowed.President Tayyip Erdogan hadwarned ahead of local elections in March of such a move against electedofficials if they were found to have had connections to the PKK.“For the health of theinvestigations, they have been temporarily removed from their posts as aprecaution,” the ministry said, referring to Diyarbakir Mayor Selcuk Mizrakli,Mardin Mayor Ahmet Turk and Van Mayor Bedia Ozgokce Ertan.Police detained 418 people in29 provinces in a related investigation targeting suspects with links to thePKK, the ministry added.The pro-Kurdish Peoples’Democratic Party (HDP), to which the three mayors belong, said they had beendismissed “on an order based on lies and illegal justifications”.“This is a new and clearpolitical coup. It is a clear and hostile stance against the political will ofthe Kurdish people,” the HDP executive board said in a written statement.It said the three mayors hadbeen elected with between 53% to 63% of the vote in their cities in March andcalled for support from other political parties.“This is not just the problem of the HDP and the Kurdish people.It is the shared problem of all Turkey’s peoples and all democratic forces,” itadded.Main Opposition Slams DismissalsVeli Agbaba, deputy leader ofthe main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), wrote on Twitter that thedismissals were tantamount to fascism and a blow against democracy, whileIstanbul’s CHP mayor Ekrem Imamoglu also slammed the move.“Negating the will of thepeople is unacceptable,” he wrote on Twitter. Imamoglu himself was removed fromoffice over irregularities shortly after coming to power in the March election,but won a re-run election in June.More unusually, Turkey’sformer president Abdullah Gul and ex-prime minister Ahmet Davutoglu, onceallies of Erdogan from his AK Party who have emerged as potential politicalopponents, said on Twitter the dismissals were out of line with democracy.The removal of the mayorsechoed the dismissal of dozens of mayors in 2016 over similar accusations, partof a purge that began after a failed coup. Nearly 100 mayors and thousands ofparty members were jailed in a crackdown that drew expressions of concern fromthe United States and European Union.Erdogan warned before theMarch elections that HDP mayors could again be dismissed if they, like theirpredecessors, were deemed to have ties to militants.Erdogan frequently accusesthe HDP of links to the PKK, which is designated a terrorist group by Turkey,the EU and the United States. The HDP denies such links.The PKK launched an insurgency against the Turkish state in1984. More than 40,000 people have been killed in the conflict.The Interior Ministry saidrecent operations had led to PKK militant numbers falling to their lowest levelin 30 years, with the number of fighters in Turkey falling to some 600 fromaround 1,800-2,000 in the past.Announcing the new operationagainst PKK militants, launched on Sunday in the provinces of Van, Sirnak andHakkari, the ministry published images showing security forces firing machineguns and rocket-propelled grenades.The security forces destroyed43 caves and shelters used by the PKK, the ministry said, adding thatoperations would continue until all militants in the areas were “neutralized”.", "Turkish police have detained 418 people in 29 provinces in an investigation targeting suspects with links to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group, the Interior Ministry said on Monday.\n\nThe ministry announcement on Twitter followed its earlier statement that the mayors of three major southeastern cities had been replaced by state officials in terrorism-related investigations.\n\nThe pro-Kurdish party mayors of Diyarbakir, Van and Mardin were replaced on Monday, and state governors were appointed in their place.\n\nThe mayors were accused of various crimes including membership of a terrorist organization and spreading terrorist group propaganda, Reuters said.", "Turkey on Monday replaced mayors from a pro-Kurdish party with state officials in three cities and detained more than 400 people for suspected militant links, the Interior Ministry said, a move likely to fuel tensions in the mainly Kurdish southeast.\n\nPresident Tayyip Erdogan had warned ahead of nationwide local elections in March of such a move against elected officials if they were found to have had connections to the outlawed militant Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).\n\nThe mayors in Diyarbakir, Mardin and Van, major cities in the mainly Kurdish southeast, were accused of various crimes including membership of a terrorist organisation and spreading terrorist group propaganda, the ministry statement said.\n\n“For the health of the investigations, they have been temporarily removed from their posts as a precaution,” it said, referring to Diyarbakir Mayor Selcuk Mizrakli, Mardin Mayor Ahmet Turk and Van Mayor Bedia Ozgokce Ertan.\n\nCNN Turk showed police sealing off the municipality headquarters in Diyarbakir with metal barriers, as riot police deployed outside along with water cannon vehicles.\n\nThe Interior Ministry said the PKK had been seeking to exploit the March elections to boost its support and had exerted efforts to nominate candidates who would be easily led once elected.\n\nPolice detained 418 people in 29 provinces in a related investigation targeting suspects with links to the outlawed PKK group, the ministry added.\n\nThe pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), to which the three mayors belong, said they had been dismissed “on an order based on lies and illegal justifications”.\n\n“This is a new and clear political coup. It is a clear and hostile stance against the political will of the Kurdish people,” the HDP executive board said in a written statement.\n\nIt said the three mayors had been elected with between 53% to 63% of the vote in their cities in March and called for support from other political parties.\n\n“This is not just the problem of the HDP and the Kurdish people. It is the shared problem of all Turkey’s peoples and all democratic forces,” it added.\n\nVeli Agbaba, deputy leader of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), wrote on Twitter that the dismissals were tantamount to fascism and a blow against democracy, while Istanbul’s CHP mayor Ekrem Imamoglu also slammed the move.\n\n“Negating the will of the people is unacceptable,” he wrote on Twitter. Imamoglu himself was removed from office over irregularities shortly after coming to power in the March election, but won a re-run election in June.\n\nThe removal of the mayors echoed the dismissal of dozens of mayors in 2016 over similar accusations, part of a purge that began after a failed coup. Nearly 100 mayors and thousands of party members were jailed in a crackdown that drew expressions of concern from the United States and European Union.\n\nAhead of the March election Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu had said 178 candidates were being investigated over alleged PKK links.\n\nErdogan at the time warned that HDP mayors could again be dismissed if they, like their predecessors, were deemed to have ties to militants.\n\nErdogan frequently accuses the HDP of links to the PKK, which is designated a terrorist group by Turkey, the EU and the United States. The HDP denies such links.\n\nThe PKK launched an insurgency against the Turkish state in 1984. More than 40,000 people have been killed in the conflict.\n\nThe Interior Ministry said recent operations had led to PKK militant numbers falling to their lowest level in 30 years, with the number of fighters in Turkey falling to some 600 from around 1,800-2,000 in the past.", "The Turkish Interior Ministry on Monday dismissed three mayors in eastern Turkey for supporting terrorism.\n\nALL MAYORS HAVE ACTIVE CASES AGAINST THEM\n\nAccording to an official statement by the ministry, the mayors of Diyarbakir, Mardin and Van provinces -- Adnan Selcuk Mizrakli, Ahmet Turk and Bedia Ozgokce Ertan, respectivelhave been suspended.\n\nIt added that the mayors already had active cases against them in which they were accused of crimes such as establishing or spreading propaganda for a terror group or else just being being a member All mayors are from opposition Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), a party Turkey's government has accused of having links to the PKK terror group.\n\nThe state-appointed governors of the provinces will temporarily replace dismissed mayors."], "summary": "Turkey's Ministry of the Interior tweets that 418 people in 29 provinces are detained by police, for suspected links with the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). The authorities have also announced that they \"replaced\" the mayors of three major southeastern cities."}
{"document": ["Sudan’s deposed president Omar al-Bashir, who ruled the country for 30 years, arrived in court Monday in Khartoum for the start of his trial on corruption charges.\n\nBashir, 75, was forced from power on April 11, after months of protest against his regime and appeared before a prosecutor for the first time on June 16.\n\nNow detained, the general was informed by the prosecutor’s office that he faced charges of “possessing foreign currency, corruption and receiving gifts illegally.”\n\nAn AFP reporter outside the Judicial and Legal Science Institute where the trial is taking place said Bashir arrived in a huge military convoy.\n\nIn April, Sudan’s army ruler General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan said more than $113 million worth of cash in three currencies had been seized from Bashir’s residence.\n\nIn May, the prosecutor general also said Bashir had been charged over killings during the anti-regime protests which eventually led to his ouster.\n\nProtests against Bashir’s rule erupted on December 19 after his government tripled the price of bread.\n\nThe most serious indictments facing Bashir, who ruled the country since seizing power in a 1989 coup, have been filed by the Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC).\n\nThey include war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide for his role in the war in Darfur, where a rebellion erupted in 2003.\n\nThe United Nations says the conflict has left more than 300,000 people dead and 2.5 million displaced, with hundreds of thousands still living in miserable and impoverished camps more than a decade and a half later.\n\nThe ICC has for years demanded that Bashir stand trial, and has renewed its call since his fall.\n\nIn a statement issued last week, Amnesty International warned that his graft trial should not distract from the heavier charges he faces in The Hague.\n\n“While this trial is a positive step towards accountability for some of his alleged crimes, he remains wanted for heinous crimes committed against the Sudanese people,” Amnesty’s Joan Nyanyuki said.\n\nLast Update: Monday, 19 August 2019 KSA 12:06 - GMT 09:06", "Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Khartoum on Saturday to celebrate Sudan’s main opposition coalition and the ruling military council signing a final power-sharing deal.\n\nThe deal, signed on Saturday, paves the way for a transitional government and eventually elections, following the overthrow of long-time leader Omar al-Bashir.\n\nPeople of all ages took to the streets of the capital in celebration, with many heading toward the newly renamed Freedom Square, once the site of many of Bashir’s rallies.\n\nStability in Sudan, which has been grappling with an economic crisis, is seen as crucial for a volatile region struggling with conflict and insurgencies from the Horn of Africa to Egypt and Libya.\n\nThe Transitional Military Council (TMC) has ruled Sudan since April, when the military deposed Bashir following months of protests against his rule during which dozens of demonstrators were killed.\n\nThe TMC and the main opposition alliance, the Forces of Freedom and Change (FFC), have been negotiating the power-sharing deal since then, but continued unrest, during which more protesters were killed, delayed an agreement.", "Omar al-Bashir, pictured in 2015, has 94 lawyers defending corruption charges but is also being pursued for crimes against humanity Morwan Ali/EPA\n\nSudan’s toppled military ruler Omar al-Bashir has appeared in court under heavy guard to face trial on corruption charges.\n\nAn army convoy took Bashir, 75, from prison in Khartoum to the special, closed hearing, four months after he was toppled by his senior generals.\n\nCharges of possessing foreign currency, corruption and illegally receiving gifts were brought after $113 million in cash in three currencies was seized from the despot’s residence. The former president, who was dressed in traditional white djellaba robes and a turban, has 94 lawyers in his defence team. They are expected to argue for the case to be thrown out.\n\nHis trial will be a test of how serious Sudan’s military junta is about breaking with the Bashir era, which was marked…", "Sudan's former President Omar al-Bashir has arrived at court to face corruption charges, which his lawyers say...", "KHARTOUM, Aug. 19 (Xinhua/GNA) - Trial of Sudan's former President Omar al-Bashir started in Khartoum on Monday on charges related to corruption, possession of foreign currency and illicit wealth, according to a Xinhua correspondent.\n\nAl-Bashir arrived at the court in Arkaweet neighbourhood in central Khartoum amid tight security measures.\n\nThe first session of al-Bashir's trial was supposed to begin last July 31, but it was delayed to Aug. 17 as he failed to appear before the court for security reasons.\n\nThe Aug. 17 session had been delayed once again as it coincided with the date of the signing ceremony of the transitional documents in Sudan.\n\nThe Sudanese army ousted al-Bashir from power on April 11 amid popular protests that erupted in December last year.\n\nFollowing his ouster, the General Prosecution in Sudan raised charges against al-Bashir related to corruption, possession of foreign currency and illicit wealth after around US$113 million were found at his residence.", "Sudan's former President Omar al-Bashir has arrived at court to face corruption charges, which his lawyers say are baseless.\n\nMr Bashir was ousted in April after months of protests bringing an end to his nearly 30 years in power.\n\nIn June, prosecutors said a large hoard of foreign currency had been found in grain sacks at his home.\n\nOn Sunday, pro-democracy activists and the country's military leaders signed a deal paving the way for elections.\n\nThere was heavy security outside the courthouse in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, witnesses say,\n\nThe former president arrived with a large military convoy.\n\nWhat are the corruption charges?\n\nThe former president faces charges related to \"possessing foreign currency, corruption and receiving gifts illegally\".\n\nIn April, Sudan's military ruler General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan said more than $113m (£93m) worth of cash in Sudanese pounds and foreign currency had been seized from Mr Bashir's home.\n\nThe ousted leader had been due in court in July - but the trial was postponed for security reasons.\n\nWhat other charges does Mr Bashir face in Sudan?\n\nIn May, Sudan's public prosecutor charged Mr Bashir with incitement and involvement in the killing of protesters.\n\nThe charges stem from an inquiry into the death of a doctor killed during protests that led to the end of Mr Bashir's rule in April.\n\nThe doctor had been treating injured protesters in his home in Khartoum, when police fired tear gas into the building.\n\nA witness told the BBC that the doctor had walked out with his hands in the air, told the police he was a doctor and was instantly shot.\n\nWhat about the transition to democracy?\n\nMr Bashir's trial will be seen as a test of whether the new authorities are able to deal with the alleged crimes of the previous regime.\n\nOn Saturday, Sudan's ruling military council, which took over after Mr Bashir's ousting, and civilian opposition alliance signed a landmark power-sharing deal.\n\nThe agreement ushers in a new governing council, including both civilians and generals, to pave the way towards elections and civilian rule.\n\nMohamed Hamdan \"Hemeti\" Dagolo, widely regarded as Sudan's most powerful man, has pledged to abide by its terms.\n\nThe members of the new sovereign council were supposed to be sworn in on Monday, but the ceremony has been postponed for 48 hours after a request from pro-democracy activists, the Reuters news agency quotes a military spokesman as saying.", "Sudan's former president Omar al-Bashir is due to go on trial for corruption allegations, which brought down his 30-year rule.\n\nThe deposed leader, whose trial begins on Monday, faces charges related to \"possessing foreign currency, corruption and receiving gifts illegally\".\n\nBashir's trial comes against the backdrop of the country's struggle to form a sovereign council, the first step after the landmark adoption of a transitional constitution. On Saturday, protest leaders and the military signed a final power-sharing deal, paving the way for a transition to a civilian-led government.\n\nAl-Bashir seized power in a military coup on June 30, 1989, and stayed in office until April 11, 2019, when he was overthrown and arrested by the armed forces.\n\nHis downfall was brought about by thousands of ordinary Sudanese from all walks of life who took to the streets for four months to demand an end to the 75-year-old's rule.\n\nThe demonstrations erupted over rising food prices before morphing into broader demands for political change, the culmination of years of anger over long-standing corruption and repression.\n\nProsecutors have also opened other criminal probes against al-Bashir, including on charges of money laundering, financing \"terrorism\" and \"ordering the killing of protesters\" - the latter is an offence that carries the death penalty in Sudan.\n\nAhead of the trial, Amnesty International's Director for East Africa Joan Nyanyuki said in a statement: \"While this trial is a positive step towards accountability for some of his alleged crimes, he remains wanted for heinous crimes committed against the Sudanese people.\"\n\nOver the course of his time in office, al-Bashir led Sudan through several conflicts and became wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged atrocities in Darfur. He was also the last man to lead a united Sudan, prior to South Sudan's independence in 2011.\n\nHere's all you need to know about Sudan's toppled ruler.\n\nAl-Bashir was born into a peasant family in 1944, in Hosh Wad Banaqa, northern Sudan, which until independence in 1955 was part of the Kingdom of Egypt and Sudan. After finishing high school in the capital, Khartoum, he enrolled in a military academy in Egypt in 1960. In 1973, he was part of the Sudanese units that were sent to Egypt to fight in the October Arab-Israeli war.\n\nIn 1975, he was appointed as the military attache in the United Arab Emirates. Upon returning to Sudan, he was appointed garrison commander and, in 1981, he became the head of an armoured parachute brigade.\n\nIn the mid-1980s, he had a central role in the armed forces' campaign in the civil war in southern Sudan against the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Army.\n\nAs a colonel in the Sudanese military, al-Bashir was well-positioned to lead a bloodless military coup in 1989 against Sadiq al-Mahdi, the prime minister of a democratically elected government.\n\nAl-Bashir was subsequently appointed chairman of the Revolutionary Command Centre for National Salvation (RCC), which was established as a \"transitional\" government.\n\nHaving allied with Hassan al-Turabi, the speaker of the Sudanese parliament and head of the National Islamic Front, al-Bashir dissolved parliament, banned political parties and went on to introduce Islamic law.\n\nThe mainly animist and Christian southern Sudan rejected the introduction of the new legal system, and the decades-long north-south civil war intensified.\n\nIn 1993, al-Bashir abolished the RCC and appointed himself president of Sudan, but retained military rule.\n\nThree years later, Sudan held presidential and parliamentary elections, and al-Bashir, running completely unopposed for president, won with 75 percent of the vote. He would eventually legalise the registration of political parties in 1999.\n\nLater that year, al-Bashir removed al-Turabi from his post as parliament speaker and had him imprisoned. Al-Turabi had grown increasingly close to Muslim political groups unpopular in the West.\n\nIn 2000, al-Bashir was re-elected after winning 90 percent of a popular vote in an election described as a sham by the opposition.\n\nAl-Bashir was the only serving head of state to be indicted for war crimes.\n\nAlthough Bashir's government signed a peace deal in 2005 to end a years-long conflict between the north and south, the leader and several senior ministers in his cabinet have been criticised for what the United Nations has called \"ethnic cleansing\" during another conflict that broke out in the western province of Darfur.\n\nThe tribes of Darfur - home to several non-Arab tribes who rebelled against the government in 2003 - accused al-Bashir's administration of siding with Arab tribes in a decades-old fight over scarce resources among the province's communities.\n\nThe UN estimates that between 200,000 and 400,000 people died in the conflict, with a further 2.7 million displaced. But al-Bashir's government claimed that the UN, influenced by Western powers, had exaggerated the numbers.\n\nIn June 2008, the ICC charged al-Bashir with war crimes and crimes against humanity in connection with the ongoing attacks against Darfur's non-Arab ethnic groups. The ICC has since issued two arrest warrants against him.\n\nUnless he is handed over to the ICC, it is unlikely that Bashir will be prosecuted for the alleged war crimes, according to legal experts.\n\n\"We have urged the Sudan authorities to hand al-Bashir over to the ICC to answer for crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide,\" Ahmed Elzobeir, Sudan researcher at Amnesty International told Al Jazeera.\n\n\"Al-Bashir must face justice not only for recent national crimes but also for the historical crimes he committed under international law,\" he added.\n\nThe Sudanese legal system would not be able to prosecute al-Bashir for the alleged crimes because they were committed before Sudan introduced war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity to the Criminal Act in 2009, according to legal experts.\n\n\"His trial in Sudan would violate a basic legal principle, no one shall be convicted for acts committed before the law entered into force,\" explained Elzobeir.\n\nDespite the arrest warrants, al-Bashir has visited several countries including Syria, Ethiopia, Libya, Qatar, Egypt and South Africa.\n\nIn 2010, al-Bashir was re-elected with roughly 68 percent of the vote. The opposition alleged fraud and election observers said the polls did not meet international standards.\n\nThe following year, southern Sudanese citizens overwhelmingly backed splitting from the north in a referendum, which led to the creation of the world's youngest country.\n\nThe 2011 secession of South Sudan deprived Sudan of the majority of its oil revenues and stoked spiralling inflation and widespread shortages.\n\nAs a result, opposition groups and ordinary citizens increasingly began expressing their anger with the inability of al-Bashir's government to address their grievances, improve economic conditions and introduce political reforms.", "Sudan’s ousted president Omar al-Bashir on Monday arrived amid heavy security at the courthouse in the capital Khartoum where he is facing corruption charges, a Reuters witness said.\n\nBashir was charged with illicit possession of foreign currency and accepting gifts in an unofficial manner, prosecutor Alaa al-Din Abdallah said in June.\n\nHis trial will be a test of how serious the country’s authorities are about trying to erase the legacy of his 30-year rule, marked by widespread violence, economic collapse and the secession of South Sudan.\n\nBashir was also charged in May with incitement and involvement in the killing of protesters, and prosecutors also want him questioned over suspected money laundering and terrorism financing.\n\nOn Saturday, Sudan’s ruling military council, which took over after Bashir’s ouster, signed a power-sharing agreement with the main opposition coalition, paving the way for a transitional government and eventual elections.\n\nStability in Sudan, which has been grappling with an economic crisis, is seen as crucial for a volatile region struggling with conflict and insurgencies from the Horn of Africa to Egypt and Libya.", "Sudan’s fomer president Omar al-Bashir appeared in court Monday to face corruption charges, four months after he was ousted by the military.\n\nBashir, who ruled Sudan for 30 years, is charged with illegally possessing foreign currency and receiving gifts in an illegal manner. According to a detective who addressed the court, Bashir told investigators he had received millions of dollars in cash from Saudi Arabia.\n\nMany Khartoum residents were disenchanted with the trial, many of them saying that it was too little and too late.\n\n“The Bashir trial is a bit disappointing,” Abdullah Mahmoud told VOA. “They are just ignoring the elephant in the room – they are ignoring the genocide – he should be on trial for genocide and killing people first.”\n\nThe International Criminal Court has charged the former president with war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide for his actions during the long-running war in Sudan’s Darfur region.\n\nIn May, Bashir was also charged with incitement and involvement in the killing of protesters who challenged his rule. Four months of escalating protests prompted the military to remove Bashir from power on April 11.\n\nThe 75-year-old Bashir, dressed in traditional white robes, watched Monday’s proceedings from a cage inside the courtroom.\n\nHis lead defense attorney, Ahmed Ibrahim al-Tahir, told VOA’s Peter Clottey that the former president is confident of beating the corruption charges.\n\nThe attorney acknowledged that Bashir received money from abroad but said his client used the money for public purposes, such as funding hospitals.\n\n“I think he’s very calm, he’s very confident and he’s sure that he’s very honest and innocent and nothing — not even a penny — went through the pockets of his family or of his friends from this money,” al-Tahir said.\n\nMeanwhile, Sudan’s military leaders and the civilian-led opposition have named some members of the sovereign council that will lead the country in a power-sharing transitional government.\n\nThe military appointed two lieutenant generals, Mohamed Hamdan Daglo and Abdul Fattah Al-Burhan, who are widely blamed for attacks against protesters which killed at least 120 people on June 3.\n\n“I think they should have been taken to court as well as al Bashir,” Nadr Ali, a young Khartoum resident, said. “They should have been jailed and justice should have taken place.”", "A detective has told a court in Sudan that former President Omar al-Bashir admitted to receiving millions of dollars from Saudi Arabia.\n\nMr Bashir appeared in court on Monday to face corruption charges, which his lawyers say are baseless.\n\nHe was ousted in April after months of protests, bringing an end to his nearly 30 years in power.\n\nIn June, prosecutors said a large hoard of foreign currency had been found in grain sacks at his home.\n\nOn Sunday, pro-democracy activists and the country’s military leaders, who had removed Mr Bashir, signed a deal paving the way for elections.\n\nThe former president, dressed in white robes and a turban, appeared behind a cage. He made no comment on the allegations, Reuters news agency reports.\n\nHe spoke to confirm his name and laughed when asked about where he was living, Reuters adds. He replied: “Formerly the airport district at army headquarters but now Kobar prison.”\n\nPolice investigator Ahmed Ali Mohamed told the court that Mr Bashir admitted to receiving $25m (£21m) from Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman.\n\nHe also said the 75-year-old former president got other money from Saudi Arabia.\n\nReuters quotes Mr Bashir’s lawyer Ahmed Ibrahim as saying that “there is no information or evidence with regards to the accusations of illicit gains aimed at Bashir”.\n\nWhat are the corruption charges?\n\nIn April, Sudan’s military ruler General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan said more than $113m (£93m) worth of cash in Sudanese pounds and foreign currency had been seized from Mr Bashir’s home.\n\nThe ousted leader had been due in court in July – but the trial was postponed for security reasons.\n\nWhat other charges does Mr Bashir face in Sudan?\n\nIn May, Sudan’s public prosecutor charged Mr Bashir with incitement and involvement in the killing of protesters.\n\nThe charges stem from an inquiry into the death of a doctor killed during protests that led to the end of Mr Bashir’s rule in April.\n\nThe doctor had been treating injured protesters in his home in Khartoum, when police fired tear gas into the building.\n\nA witness told the BBC that the doctor had walked out with his hands in the air, told the police he was a doctor and was instantly shot.\n\nWhat about the transition to democracy?\n\nMr Bashir’s trial will be seen as a test of whether the new authorities are able to deal with the alleged crimes of the previous regime.\n\nOn Saturday, Sudan’s ruling military council, which took over after Mr Bashir’s ousting, and a civilian opposition alliance signed a landmark power-sharing deal.\n\nThe agreement ushers in a new governing council, including both civilians and generals, to pave the way towards elections and civilian rule.\n\nMohamed Hamdan “Hemeti” Dagolo, widely regarded as Sudan’s most powerful man, has pledged to abide by its terms.\n\nThe members of the new sovereign council were supposed to be sworn in on Monday, but the ceremony has been postponed after a request from pro-democracy activists, the Reuters news agency quotes a military spokesman as saying. BBC News"], "summary": "Former President of Sudan Omar al-Bashir appears in court for the first time at a Khartoum court to face corruption charges."}
{"document": ["Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Evelyn Hernández thanked her mother after being cleared\n\nA 21-year-old woman in El Salvador whose baby was found dead in the toilet where she gave birth has been cleared of murder during a retrial.\n\nEvelyn Hernández had always maintained she was innocent, saying that she did not know she was pregnant and lost consciousness during the birth.\n\nProsecutors had asked for a prison sentence of 40 years.\n\nHer case has been closely watched in El Salvador and abroad with women's rights activists calling for her acquittal.\n\nEl Salvador has one of the strictest anti-abortion laws in the world. Abortion is illegal in all circumstances and those found guilty face between two and eight years in jail.\n\nBut in many cases, including the one against Ms Hernández, the charge is changed to one of aggravated homicide, which carries a minimum sentence of 30 years.\n\n\"Thank God, justice has been done,\" she said as she stood on the steps outside the court house, free after 33 \"hard\" months behind bars. \"My future is to continue studying and to move forward with my goals. I am happy,\" she said, according to AFP news agency.\n\n\"I am about to explode with happiness,\" her defence lawyer, Bertha Maria Deleon, tweeted.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Evelyn Hernández spoke to the BBC last year\n\nHowever, she added, the fight was not over: Ms Hernández's case was the first of its kind in El Salvador in which a full retrial had been ordered.\n\nPreviously, women accused of aborting their babies had had their sentences commuted after their 30-year jail terms were deemed \"disproportionate and immoral\", but their verdicts were not overturned.\n\nNow women's rights activists hope the retrial will set a precedent allowing other women jailed under El Salvador's strict anti-abortion laws to fight their sentences.\n\n\"We can and we will continue fighting because there are still women accused who need justice urgently,\" Ms Deleon tweeted.\n\nAmnesty International described the verdict as a \"resounding victory for the rights of women in El Salvador\" and called on the government to \"end the shameful and discriminatory practice of criminalising women\".\n\nThe Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has in the past also called on El Salvador to reform its abortion laws.\n\nWhat happened?\n\nEvelyn Hernández said she experienced severe stomach pains and bleeding while at her home in rural El Salvador on 6 April 2016.\n\nShe went to the toilet, located in an outhouse, where she fainted. Her mother took her to a hospital, where doctors found she had given birth.\n\nShe was arrested after the body of her baby was found in the toilet's septic tank.\n\nImage copyright AFP Image caption Ms Hernández had repeatedly said she was innocent\n\nMs Hernández, who was 18 at the time, said she had been raped by a gang member but that she had no idea that she was pregnant.\n\nShe said she had confused the symptoms of pregnancy with stomach ache because she had experienced intermittent bleeding, which she thought was her menstrual period.\n\n\"If I'd known I was pregnant I would have awaited [the birth] with pride and joy,\" she said in the past.\n\nShe also said that while she had \"felt something come loose\" inside her, she did not hear a baby cry out and did not realise she was giving birth.\n\nShe was initially accused of abortion but the charge was changed to one of aggravated homicide with prosecutors arguing she had hidden her pregnancy and not sought antenatal care.\n\nIn July 2017, the judge ruled that Ms Hernández knew she was pregnant and found her guilty. She was sentenced to 30 years in prison of which she has already served 33 months.\n\nWhy was there a retrial?\n\nMs Hernández's lawyers appealed against the judge's decision. They said forensic tests showed that the baby had died of meconium aspiration, inhaling his own early stool. This can happen while the baby is still in the uterus, during delivery or immediately after birth.\n\nThe lawyers said the test proved that Ms Hernández had not tried to abort the baby but that it had died of natural causes. \"There is no crime,\" defence lawyer Bertha María Deleón said.\n\nImage copyright AFP Image caption A protester holding a sign saying \"Evelyn you're not alone! We're with you\" outside the court\n\nIn February 2019, El Salvador's supreme court annulled the 2017 conviction citing absence of evidence and ordered a retrial with a new judge.\n\nMs Hernández was released from jail pending the retrial, which started in July.\n\nProsecutors in the retrial asked for an even harsher sentence - 40 years in prison - than that originally imposed.\n\nSalvadorean pro-choice campaigner Morena Herrera said the prosecutors' demand for such a steep sentence was \"extremely grave\". She accused them of not taking into consideration the circumstances in which the birth took place and the severe blood loss Ms Hernández suffered.\n\nWhy is the case significant?\n\nRights organisations in El Salvador say there are at least 17 other women in jail under the country's strict abortion laws.\n\nOver the last decade, campaigners have managed to free around 30 through evidence reviews.\n\nMs Hernández's retrial is the first such case to be heard under new President Nayib Bukele, who took office in June, and women's groups are hoping he could usher in a more lenient stance on the issue.\n\nPresident Bukele has said that he opposes abortion but has expressed sympathy with women suffering miscarriages who then come under suspicion.\n\n\"If a poor woman suffers a miscarriage, she's immediately suspected of having had an abortion. That's where the issue of social inequality comes into play,\" he said while he was running for president.", "El Salvador Woman Who Lost Her Pregnancy Is Acquitted Of Homicide In Retrial\n\nA young woman from El Salvador who was convicted of aggravated homicide after she lost her pregnancy has been acquitted during a retrial.\n\nEl Salvador has one of the strictest abortion laws in the world – it's not allowed under any circumstances.\n\nEvelyn Beatriz Hernández, 21, has said she was raped by a gang member and didn't know she was pregnant. In 2016, she gave birth into a toilet, and her mother found her passed out next to it.\n\nAt the hospital, doctors told her that she'd given birth, according to the BBC. \"She was arrested after the body of her baby was found in the toilet's septic tank,\" the broadcaster reported. It's not clear whether it was stillborn died in the septic tank. Forensic experts could not make a determination, according to The Associated Press.\n\nHernández was convicted of aggregated murder and a judge sentenced her to 30 years in prison in 2017. Earlier this year, the country's Supreme Court ordered a retrial, saying the first verdict \"was based on prejudice and insufficient evidence,\" according to Reuters.\n\nShe was acquitted on Monday. \"Thank God, justice was done,\" Hernández tearfully told a crowd outside the court, the news service reported. \"There are many women who are still locked up and I call for them to be freed soon, too.\"\n\nAmnesty International said that in El Salvador, \"at least 19 women remain in jail or continue to face charges in these circumstances.\"\n\n\"This is a resounding victory for the rights of women in El Salvador,\" said Erika Guevara-Rosas, Amnesty's Americas director. \"It reaffirms that no woman should be wrongly accused of homicide for the simple fact of suffering an obstetric emergency.\"\n\nHernández has said that \"if I'd known I was pregnant I would have awaited [the birth] with pride and joy,\" the BBC notes.\n\nMany women obtain abortions in El Salvador despite the restrictive laws. A report from the Center for Reproductive Rights estimates that nearly 250,000 happened between 1995 and 2000 – \"with 11.1% of them resulting in the death of the pregnant woman.\"\n\nCPR said a Salvadoran organization, Agrupación Ciudadana para la Despenalización del Aborto Terapéutico, Ético y Eugenésico, analyzed data about women prosecuted for abortion-related crimes. \"The women most affected by El Salvador's criminalization of abortion are young women from a lower socioeconomic class,\" the organization concluded.\n\nLike in Hernández's case, many of the women who have been prosecuted were accused by health workers providing them medical care.", "Salvadoran suspected of having abortion acquitted at retrial\n\nCIUDAD HIDALGO, El Salvador (AP) — A young rape victim who was suspected of having an abortion and charged with homicide was acquitted by a judge at a retrial Monday in a case that attracted international attention to El Salvador's strict abortion laws.\n\nEvelyn Beatriz Hernández, now 21, had served 33 months of a 30-year prison sentence when her conviction was overturned in February for lack of evidence and a new trial was ordered. Prosecutors had asked for a 40-year sentence.\n\nThe retrial was a first for such a case in the Central American nation, where prosecutors aggressively pursue legal cases against women who have miscarriages or other obstetric emergencies, accusing them of murder.\n\n\"Thank God, justice was done,\" Hernández said following the announcement of the verdict, visibly emotional as dozens of women waited at the courthouse. \"I also thank you who have been present here.\"\n\n\"Yes we did!\" the women chanted.\n\nHernández also thanked foreign diplomats who have followed the case closely. The Associated Press usually does not name victims of alleged sexual assault, but Hernández has spoken publicly about her case.\n\nHernández's fetus was at 32 weeks in 2016 when she felt intense abdominal pains and delivered it into an outdoor toilet, and it was later found lifeless in a septic tank. Her mother said she found her passed out next to the latrine, and Hernández said she didn't know she was pregnant.\n\nBoth women said they didn't know there was a fetus in the tank, but prosecutors didn't believe them and pressed charges. Forensic experts were unable to determine whether it died in the uterus or in the septic tank.\n\n\"We believe the judge has been very fair in his ruling,\" defense lawyer Bertha María Deleón said. \"He has said that there was no way to prove a crime and for that reason he absolved her.\"\n\nEl Salvador is one of three Central American nations with total bans on abortion.\n\n\"This is a resounding victory for the rights of women in El Salvador. It reaffirms that no woman should be wrongly accused of homicide for the simple fact of suffering an obstetric emergency,\" said Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas director at Amnesty International.\n\nGuevara-Rosas called on El Salvador to cease \"criminalizing women once and for all by immediately revoking the nation's draconian anti-abortion laws.\"", "Evelyn Hernandez, 21, smiles in court after being acquitted on charges of aggravated homicide in her retrial related to the loss of a pregnancy in 2016, in Ciudad Delgado on the outskirts of San Salvador, El Salvador, Monday, Aug. 19, 2019. Hernandez, who has said she did not realize she was pregnant as the result of a rape when she gave birth into a latrine at 32 weeks, was originally sentenced to 30 years under El Salvador’s strict abortion laws. (AP Photo/Salvador Melendez)\n\nCIUDAD DELGADO, El Salvador (AP) — A young rape victim who was suspected of having an abortion and charged with homicide was acquitted by a judge at a retrial Monday in a case that attracted international attention to El Salvador’s strict abortion laws.\n\nEvelyn Beatriz Hernández, now 21, had served 33 months of a 30-year prison sentence when her conviction was overturned in February for lack of evidence and a new trial was ordered. Prosecutors had asked for a 40-year sentence.\n\nThe retrial was a first for such a case in the Central American nation, where prosecutors aggressively pursue legal cases against women who have miscarriages or other obstetric emergencies, accusing them of murder.\n\n“Thank God, justice was done,” Hernández said following the announcement of the verdict, visibly emotional as dozens of women waited at the courthouse. “I also thank you who have been present here.”\n\nHernández also thanked foreign diplomats who have followed the case closely. The Associated Press usually does not name victims of alleged sexual assault, but Hernández has spoken publicly about her case.\n\nHernández’s fetus was at 32 weeks in 2016 when she felt intense abdominal pains and delivered it into an outdoor toilet, and it was later found lifeless in a septic tank. Her mother said she found her passed out next to the latrine, and Hernández said she didn’t know she was pregnant.\n\nBoth women said they didn’t know there was a fetus in the tank, but prosecutors didn’t believe them and pressed charges. Forensic experts were unable to determine whether it died in the uterus or in the septic tank.\n\nAt the retrial, prosecutors’ argument against Hernández was commission by omission — that is, she failed to protect her fetus.\n\n“We believe the judge has been very fair in his ruling,” defense lawyer Bertha María Deleón said. “He has said that there was no way to prove a crime and for that reason he absolved her.”\n\nEl Salvador is one of three Central American nations with total bans on abortion. Women convicted of having abortions face sentences of two to eight years.\n\nBut women who turn up at public hospitals following a miscarriage are sometimes accused of having killed the fetus and charged with aggravated homicide, which carries a sentence of 30 to 40 years. Such punishments often fall on poor, young women and victims of rape.\n\n“This is a resounding victory for the rights of women in El Salvador. It reaffirms that no woman should be wrongly accused of homicide for the simple fact of suffering an obstetric emergency,” said Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas director at Amnesty International.\n\nGuevara-Rosas called on El Salvador to cease “criminalizing women once and for all by immediately revoking the nation’s draconian anti-abortion laws.”\n\nEl Salvador is a deeply religious country with 80% of the population identifying as Catholic or evangelical Christian. It’s also home to macho attitudes on women’s role in society, as well as widespread gang violence.\n\n“We judge cases based on religious convictions, often for things that should never enter in a courtroom,” defense lawyer Arnau Baulenas said.\n\n“We have to stop using justice to respond to social needs,” Baulenas added. “Justice should do its work with criminals, not innocent people.”\n\nEvery year an estimated 25,000 women are impregnated after rapes in the country of just over 6 million. It is believed that thousands of clandestine abortions are carried out each year in El Salvador.\n\nRecent polls have shown broad support for more lenient abortion laws, though many in the country believe rape victims should be made to carry pregnancies to term.\n\nHernández’s case was seen as a test for women’s reproductive rights under new President Nayib Bukele, who has said he believes abortion is acceptable only when the mother’s life is at risk but that he opposes criminalizing women who have miscarriages.\n\n“If a poor woman has a miscarriage, she’s immediately suspected of having had an abortion,” Bukele said in 2018. “We can’t assume guilt when what a woman needs is immediate assistance.”", "CIUDAD HIDALGO, El Salvador (AP) - A young rape victim who was suspected of having an abortion and charged with homicide was acquitted by a judge at a retrial Monday in a case that attracted international attention to El Salvador's strict abortion laws.\n\nEvelyn Beatriz Hernández, now 21, had served 33 months of a 30-year prison sentence when her conviction was overturned in February for lack of evidence and a new trial was ordered. Prosecutors had asked for a 40-year sentence.\n\nThe retrial was a first for such a case in the Central American nation, where prosecutors aggressively pursue legal cases against women who have miscarriages or other obstetric emergencies, accusing them of murder.\n\n\"Thank God, justice was done,\" Hernández said following the announcement of the verdict, visibly emotional as dozens of women waited at the courthouse. \"I also thank you who have been present here.\"\n\n\"Yes we did!\" the women chanted.\n\nHernández also thanked foreign diplomats who have followed the case closely. The Associated Press usually does not name victims of alleged sexual assault, but Hernández has spoken publicly about her case.\n\nEvelyn Hernandez, 21, smiles in court after being acquitted on charges of aggravated homicide in her retrial related to the loss of a pregnancy in 2016, in Ciudad Delgado on the outskirts of San Salvador, El Salvador, Monday, Aug. 19, 2019. Hernandez, who has said she did not realize she was pregnant as the result of a rape when she gave birth into a latrine at 32 weeks, was originally sentenced to 30 years under El Salvador's strict abortion laws. (AP Photo/Salvador Melendez)\n\nHernández's fetus was at 32 weeks in 2016 when she felt intense abdominal pains and delivered it into an outdoor toilet, and it was later found lifeless in a septic tank. Her mother said she found her passed out next to the latrine, and Hernández said she didn't know she was pregnant.\n\nBoth women said they didn't know there was a fetus in the tank, but prosecutors didn't believe them and pressed charges. Forensic experts were unable to determine whether it died in the uterus or in the septic tank.\n\n\"We believe the judge has been very fair in his ruling,\" defense lawyer Bertha María Deleón said. \"He has said that there was no way to prove a crime and for that reason he absolved her.\"\n\nEl Salvador is one of three Central American nations with total bans on abortion.\n\n\"This is a resounding victory for the rights of women in El Salvador. It reaffirms that no woman should be wrongly accused of homicide for the simple fact of suffering an obstetric emergency,\" said Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas director at Amnesty International.\n\nGuevara-Rosas called on El Salvador to cease \"criminalizing women once and for all by immediately revoking the nation's draconian anti-abortion laws.\"\n\nEvelyn Hernandez, left, 21, is hugged by her defense attorney Bertha Deleon after being acquitted on charges of aggravated homicide in her retrial related to the loss of a pregnancy in 2016, outside the court in Ciudad Delgado on the outskirts of San Salvador, El Salvador, Monday, Aug. 19, 2019. Hernandez, who has said she did not realize she was pregnant as the result of a rape when she gave birth into a latrine at 32 weeks, was originally sentenced to 30 years under El Salvador's strict abortion laws. (AP Photo/Salvador Melendez)", "A young woman from El Salvador who was suspected of having an abortion has been cleared of murder during a retrial.\n\nCheers of support greeted a suspected rape victim Evelyn Hernández when a Salvadoran judge acquitted her after having a stillborn child in April 2016.\n\nThe 21-year-old had already served 33 months of a 30-year prison sentence when her conviction was overturned in February for lack of evidence and a new trial was ordered.\n\nHernandez was raped by a gang member and said she was unaware of her pregnancy until just shortly before she gave birth.\n\nThe case has attracted international attention to El Salvador’s strict abortion laws.\n\n\"It was hard to be inside (prison) all that time, knowing I was accused of something I was innocent of, and I also ask for all those young women still inside, that they be released soon, \" said Evelyn Beatriz Hernández, on receiving the verdict.\n\nThe retrial was a first for such a case in the Central American nation, where prosecutors have aggressively pursued legal cases against women who have had miscarriages or other obstetric emergencies, accusing them of murder.\n\n\"We cannot allow this to continue happening,\" said activist, Morena Herrera.\n\n\"We have to change the law, we have to change the enforcement of the law, and we have to obtain the freedom of the 16 women who are still in jail.\"\n\nEl Salvador has one of the strictest anti-abortion laws in the world. Abortion is illegal in all circumstances.\n\nSome 147 Salvadoran women have been sentenced to up to 40 years in prison in such cases between 2000 and 2014, according to the Citizen Group for the Decriminalization of Abortion, a local rights group.", "A young rape victim who was suspected of having an abortion and charged with homicide has been acquitted by a judge at a retrial in a case that has attracted international attention to El Salvador’s strict laws.\n\nA young rape victim who was suspected of having an abortion and charged with homicide has been acquitted by a judge at a retrial in a case that has attracted international attention to El Salvador’s strict laws.\n\nEvelyn Beatriz Hernandez, now 21, had served 33 months of a 30-year prison sentence when her conviction was overturned in February for lack of evidence and a new trial was ordered.\n\nThe retrial was a first for such a case in the Central American nation, where prosecutors aggressively pursue legal cases against women who have miscarriages or other obstetric emergencies, accusing them of murder.\n\n“Thank God, justice was done,” Ms Hernandez said following the announcement of the verdict, visibly emotional as dozens of women waited at the courthouse. “I also thank you who have been present here.”\n\nMs Hernandez also thanked foreign diplomats who have followed the case closely.\n\nThe Associated Press usually does not name victims of alleged sexual assault, but Ms Hernandez has spoken publicly about her case.\n\nMs Hernandez’s fetus was at 32 weeks in 2016 when she felt intense abdominal pains and gave birth in an outdoor toilet. The baby was later found lifeless in a septic tank.\n\nMs Hernandez said she did not know she was pregnant and her mother said she found her passed out next to the toilet.\n\nBoth women said they did not know there was a fetus in the tank, but prosecutors did not believe them and pressed charges.\n\nForensic experts were unable to determine whether it died in the uterus or in the septic tank.\n\nAt the retrial, prosecutors’ argument against Ms Hernandez was commission by omission — that is, she failed to protect her fetus.\n\n“We believe the judge has been very fair in his ruling,” defence lawyer Bertha Maria Deleon said. “He has said that there was no way to prove a crime and for that reason he absolved her.”\n\nEl Salvador is one of three Central American nations with total bans on abortion. Women convicted of having abortions face sentences of two to eight years.\n\nBut women who turn up at public hospitals following a miscarriage are sometimes accused of having killed the fetus and charged with aggravated homicide, which carries a sentence of 30 to 40 years. Such punishments often fall on poor, young women and victims of rape.\n\n“This is a resounding victory for the rights of women in El Salvador. It reaffirms that no woman should be wrongly accused of homicide for the simple fact of suffering an obstetric emergency,” said Erika Guevara-Rosas, Americas director at Amnesty International.\n\nMs Guevara-Rosas called on El Salvador to cease “criminalising women once and for all by immediately revoking the nation’s draconian anti-abortion laws”.\n\nEl Salvador is a deeply religious country with 80% of the population identifying as Catholic or evangelical Christian. It is also home to macho attitudes on women’s role in society, as well as widespread gang violence.\n\n“We judge cases based on religious convictions, often for things that should never enter in a courtroom,” defence lawyer Arnau Baulenas said.\n\n“We have to stop using justice to respond to social needs. Justice should do its work with criminals, not innocent people.”\n\nEvery year an estimated 25,000 women are impregnated after rapes in the country of just over six million.\n\nIt is believed that thousands of clandestine abortions are carried out each year in El Salvador.\n\nRecent polls have shown broad support for more lenient abortion laws, though many in the country believe rape victims should be made to carry pregnancies to term.", "A 21-year-old woman in El Salvador whose baby was found dead in the toilet where she gave birth has been cleared during a retrial.\n\nEvelyn Hernández had always maintained she was innocent, saying that she did not know she was pregnant and lost consciousness during the birth.\n\nProsecutors had asked for a prison sentence of 40 years.\n\nHer case has been closely watched in El Salvador and abroad with women's rights activists demanding she be acquitted.\n\nEl Salvador has one of the strictest anti-abortion laws in the world. Abortion is illegal in all circumstances and those found guilty face between two and eight years in jail.\n\nBut in many cases, including the one against Ms Hernández, the charge is changed to one of aggravated homicide, which carries a minimum sentence of 30 years.\n• The mothers being criminalised in El Salvador\n• Where women may be jailed for miscarrying\n\nMs Hernández's case was the first of its kind in El Salvador in which a full retrial had been ordered.\n\nPreviously, women accused of aborting their babies have had their sentences commuted after their 30-year jail terms were deemed \"disproportionate and immoral\" but their verdicts were not overturned.\n\nWomen's rights activists hope Ms Hernández's retrial will set a precedent for other women jailed under El Salvador's strict anti-abortion laws to fight their sentences.\n\nThe Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has in the past called on El Salvador to reform its \"draconian\" abortion laws.\n\nEvelyn Hernández says she experienced severe stomach pains and bleeding while at her home in rural El Salvador on 6 April 2016.\n\nShe went to the toilet, located in an outhouse, where she fainted. Her mother took her to a hospital, where doctors found she had given birth.\n\nShe was arrested after the body of her baby was found in the toilet's septic tank.\n\nMs Hernández, who was 18 at the time, says she had been raped by a gang member but that she had no idea that she was pregnant.\n\nShe said she had confused the symptoms of pregnancy with stomach ache because she had experienced intermittent bleeding, which she thought was her menstrual period.\n\n\"If I'd known I was pregnant I would have awaited [the birth] with pride and joy,\" she said in the past.\n\nShe also said that while she had \"felt something come loose\" inside her, she did not hear a baby cry out and did not realise she was giving birth.\n\nShe was initially accused of abortion but the charge was changed to one of aggravated homicide with prosecutors arguing she had hidden her pregnancy and not sought antenatal care.\n\nIn July 2017, the judge ruled that Ms Hernández knew she was pregnant and found her guilty. She was sentenced to 30 years in prison of which she has already served 33 months.\n\nWhy was there a retrial?\n\nMs Hernández' lawyers appealed against the judge's decision. They said forensic tests showed that the baby had died of meconium aspiration, inhaling his own early stool. This can happen while the baby is still in the uterus, during delivery or immediately after birth.\n\nThe lawyers said the test proved that Ms Hernández had not tried to abort the baby but that it had died of natural causes. \"There is no crime,\" defence lawyer Bertha María Deleón said.\n\nIn February 2019, El Salvador's supreme court annulled the 2017 conviction citing absence of evidence and ordered a retrial with a new judge.\n\nMs Hernández was released from jail pending the retrial, which started in July.\n\nProsecutors in the retrial asked for an even harsher sentence - 40 years in prison - than that originally imposed.\n\nSalvadorean pro-choice campaigner Morena Herrera said the prosecutors' demand for such a steep sentence was \"extremely grave\". She accused them of not taking into consideration the circumstances in which the birth took place and the severe blood loss Ms Hernández suffered.\n\nWhy is the case significant?\n\nRights organisations in El Salvador say there are at least 17 other women in jail under the country's strict abortion laws.\n\nOver the last decade, campaigners have managed to free around 30 through evidence reviews.\n\nMs Hernández's retrial is the first such case to be heard under new President Nayib Bukele, who took office in June, and women's groups are hoping he could usher in a more lenient stance on the issue.\n\nPresident Bukele has said that he opposes abortion but has expressed sympathy with women suffering miscarriages who then come under suspicion.\n\n\"If a poor woman suffers a miscarriage, she's immediately suspected of having had an abortion. That's where the issue of social inequality comes into play,\" he said while he was running for president.", "Evelyn Hernandez, 21, smiles in court after being acquitted on charges of aggravated homicide in her retrial related to the loss of a pregnancy in 2016, in Ciudad Delgado on the outskirts of San Salvador, El Salvador, Monday, Aug. 19, 2019. Hernandez, who has said she did not realize she was pregnant as the result of a rape when she gave birth into a latrine at 32 weeks, was originally sentenced to 30 years under El Salvador’s strict abortion laws. (AP Photo/Salvador Melendez)\n\nCIUDAD HIDALGO, El Salvador (AP) — A court in El Salvador has acquitted at retrial a young rape victim who was suspected of having an abortion and charged with homicide.\n\nThe case of Evelyn Beatriz Hernández has attracted international attention to the country’s strict abortion laws and prosecutors’ aggressive pursuit of legal cases against women who have miscarriages or other obstetric emergencies.\n\nHernández’s fetus was at 32 weeks when she felt intense abdominal pains and delivered it into a primitive toilet. She has said she didn’t know she was pregnant.\n\nAfter the verdict was announced Monday, she said “justice was done.” The Associated Press usually does not name victims of alleged sexual assault, but Hernández has spoken publicly about her case.\n\nShe served 33 months of a 30-year prison sentence before her conviction was overturned.", "CIUDAD HIDALGO, El Salvador — A court in El Salvador has acquitted at retrial a young rape victim who was suspected of having an abortion and charged with homicide.\n\nThe case of Evelyn Beatriz Hernández has attracted international attention to the country's strict abortion laws and prosecutors' aggressive pursuit of legal cases against women who have miscarriages or other obstetric emergencies.\n\nHernández's fetus was at 32 weeks when she felt intense abdominal pains and delivered it into a primitive toilet. She has said she didn't know she was pregnant.\n\nAfter the verdict was announced Monday, she said \"justice was done.\" The Associated Press usually does not name victims of alleged sexual assault, but Hernández has spoken publicly about her case.\n\nShe served 33 months of a 30-year prison sentence before her conviction was overturned."], "summary": "Evelyn Hernández is acquitted of murder after her newly-born child was found deceased in a toilet. The ruling is being held as a landmark case decision for women's rights in El Salvador, which has one of the strongest anti-abortion laws in Central America."}
{"document": ["The Palestinian Authority banned members of the Palestinian Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ) community from carrying out any activities in the West Bank.\n\n\n\nThe ban came after the grassroots group Al-Qaws for Sexual & Gender Diversity in Palestinian Society (Arabic for “the bow”), which engages and supports Palestinians who identify as LGBTQ, was planning to hold a gathering for its members in Nablus at the end of the month. The group operates both in the West Bank and among Arab-Israelis.\n\nEarlier this month, Al-Qaws held an event in Nablus about sexual and gender diversity in Palestinian society. The PA police, however, learned about the event only days after it was held.Al-Qaws is a civil society organization established in 2001 with the goal of “fighting for vibrant Palestinian cultural and social change, building LGBTQ communities and promoting new ideas about the role of gender and sexual diversity in political activism, civil society institutions, media, and everyday life.”The group has offices only in east Jerusalem and Haifa.Explaining the decision to ban the LGBTQ group from operating in PA-controlled areas, Luay Zreikat, spokesperson for the PA Police, said that such activities are “harmful to the higher values and ideals of Palestinian society.”Zreikat said that the group’s activities were completely “unrelated to religions and Palestinian traditions and customs, especially in the city of Nablus.”He accused unnamed “dubious parties” of working to “create discord and harm civic peace in Palestinian society.”The PA police will chase those behind the LGBTQ group and see to it that they are brought to trial once they are arrested, Zreikat warned. He further appealed to Palestinians to report to the police about any person connected to the group.In response, Al-Qaws condemned the police threat as “incitement,” and vowed to continue its work despite the serious challenges.“The Palestinian police announcement about our activities is very unfortunate,” the group said. “It’s very strange that they are accusing us of being a suspicious entity working to take apart Palestinian society. Al-Qaws is a Palestinian organization that has been operating since 2001, and is carrying out educational and professional programs on sexual and gender diversity. We totally reject the attempt to create an atmosphere of prosecution and intimidation, as well threats of arrest.”A member of Al-Qaws said that since the police announcement, he and his friends have received hundreds of threats and hate messages from Palestinians, especially through Facebook. “The attack on us is unprecedented,” he told The Jerusalem Post. “They are calling us traitors and corrupt people and many are calling for our execution. We are afraid for our lives.”\n\nvar cont = `Join Jerusalem Post Premium Plus now for just $5 and upgrade your experience with an ads-free website and exclusive content. Click here>>\n\n\n\n`; document.getElementById(\"linkPremium\").innerHTML = cont; (function (v, i){ });", "The Palestinian Authority (PA) has been facing heavy criticism after banning members of an LGBT+ organization from carrying out any activities or meetings in the West Bank.\n\nThe story was first sparked on Saturday when Al Qaws organization said on their Facebook page they have held a gathering in the West Bank earlier this month in which they discussed gender pluralism. In response, a statement issued by the PA’s police spokesman, Louay Arzeikat has condemned Al Qaws activities and their plan to hold another event by the end of this month. Arzeikat had also threatened to arrest anyone involved with them labeling their activities as “contradictory” to the values of the Palestinian society.\n\nOn top of that, the group was also accused of affiliation to “suspicious parties” that plan to undermine the “society’s peaceful state of affairs.\"\n\nThe failure of the PA’s to provide safety and security for millions of Palestinians living the West Bank - in addition to massive corruption - remains a taboo subject in much of the Middle East.\n\nAl Qaws, the non-governmental organization established in 2001 to support the LGBT+ community in Palestine has responded by an official statement condemning the threats and promising to continue their work into promoting sexual diversity.\n\nWhile the story has made waves among Palestinians, it brought attention to the PA’s crackdown on freedoms from the LGBT+ community, to dissidents and journalists in the West Bank.\n\nTranslation: “In support with Qaws in the PA’s crackdown and oppression against the gender pluralism and the queer society.”\n\nOn the internet, the story has split Palestinians opinions. Yet, they were mostly calling for maintaining freedoms and acceptance of others so they would be able to face oppression and gain their freedoms and land back.\n\nMeanwhile, many pro-Palestine activists have pointed out the fact that the crackdown against the LGBT+ community would provide Israel the opportunity to pinkwash its occupation by attempting to shift the global attention from the human rights violations it carries out against Palestinians to their “liberal” and “gay-friendly” society often labeled as “the only gay-friendly country in the Middle East”.", "PALESTINE (FOX) — The Palestinian Authority has reportedly banned members of a Palestinian LGBTQ community from holding events in the West Bank, and further threatened to arrest members for activities authorities called “harmful” to the ideals of society.\n\nThe ban Monday comes after the Palestinian Authority learned that Al-Qaws, a Palestinian group that supports sexual and gender diversity, was planning an event for its members in Nablus, a city in the northern West Bank, the Jerusalem Post reported.\n\nPA Police spokesman Luay Zreikat told the paper that such activities are “harmful to the higher values and ideals of Palestinian society” and completely “unrelated to religions and Palestinian traditions and customs, especially in the city of Nablus.”\n\nZreikat then charged that “dubious parties” were working to “create discord and harm civic peace in Palestinian society.”\n\nHe warned that members of the group will be sought, arrested and put on trial, asking the Palestinian community for help in locating people connected to the group, the Post reported.\n\nAl-Qaws later responded, calling the PA’s statement “very unfortunate,” according to the Times of Israel. Members of the group have reportedly received threats and hate messages since the statement.\n\nAhmad Harb, commissioner-general of the Independent Commission for Human Rights, wrote an online post condemning the way police have handled the situation, the Times of Israel reported.\n\n“It rises to the level of calling for ‘community violence and inciting a crime,’” Harb wrote. “Many understood this statement as a call to wastefully spill blood and take the law into one’s hands by implementing killing operations.”\n\nHe added: “This is not how issues are handled. This is not how the police protect its citizens.”", "Since travel to the West Bank is in the news, shouldn’t this be getting attention?\n\nSo, when will AOC and The Squad hold a press conference to call this out?\n\nAnd here’s a friendly reminder about how LGBT folks are treated in Israel:", "JERUSALEM — A Palestinian gay and transgender rights group vowed on Monday to continue its activities after the Palestinian Authority police barred the group from holding events in the West Bank and threatened to arrest participants.\n\nThe Palestinian Authority police, who exercise control in parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, announced the ban over the weekend. A police spokesman, Col. Louai Irzeiqat, described activities organized by the rights group, Al Qaws, as “a blow to, and violation of, the ideals and values of Palestinian society.”\n\nFounded in 2001, Al Qaws is a grass-roots organization that advocates sexual and gender diversity in Palestinian society, which is largely conservative and often repressive for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.\n\n“Al Qaws condemns the use of prosecution, intimidation and threats of arrest, be it by the police or members of society,” the group said in a statement posted on social media. “We believe that the police and Palestinian society at large should focus on combating the occupation and other forms of violence that tear apart the sensitive fabric of our society and values, instead of prosecuting activists who work tirelessly to end all forms of violence.”", "Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) have remained silent after the Palestinian Authority banned LGBT activity in the West Bank. These members of “The Squad” have supported legislation praising the Boycott-Divestment-Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel and voted against legislation condemning it. PJ Media reached out to them for comment on the move, and they have remained silent.\n\nEarly Monday morning, The Jerusalem Post reported that the PA and Palestine Police had outlawed LGBT activity in the West Bank and threatened to arrest members of the LGBT group Al-Qaws for Sexual & Gender Diversity in Palestinian Society. Al-Qaws was planning a gathering for members in Nablus at the end of the month. The group only has offices in Israel — in East Jerusalem and in Haifa.\n\nLuay Zreikat, a spokesman for Palestine Police, said LGBT activities are “harmful to the higher values and ideals of Palestinian society.” He added that Al-Qaws’s activities are completely “unrelated to religions and Palestinian traditions and customs, especially in the city of Nablus.”", "JNS.org – The Palestinian Authority has decided to ban Palestinians who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) from politically organizing in the West Bank.\n\nThe move came as the grassroots group Al-Qaws for Sexual & Gender Diversity in Palestinian Society, which helps LGBTQ Palestinians, was planning an event in Nablus after holding one last month.\n\nJustifying the decision, Palestinian Authority police spokesperson Luay Zreikat called the LGBTQ events “harmful to the higher values and ideals of Palestinian society,” as well as “unrelated to religions and Palestinian traditions and customs, especially in the city of Nablus.”\n\nZreikat blamed “dubious parties” who were seeking to “create discord and harm civic peace in Palestinian society.”\n\n“The Palestinian police announcement about our activities is very unfortunate,” said Al-Qaws in a statement. “It’s very strange that they are accusing us of being a suspicious entity working to take apart Palestinian society. Al-Qaws is a Palestinian organization that has been operating since 2001, and is carrying out educational and professional programs on sexual and gender diversity. We totally reject the attempt to create an atmosphere of prosecution and intimidation, as well as threats of arrest.”", "The Palestinian Authority police, who exercise control in parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank, announced the ban over the weekend. A police spokesman, Col. Louai Irzeiqat, described activities organized by the rights group, Al Qaws, as a violation of, the ideals and values of Palestinian society.”\n\nFounded in 2001, Al Qaws is a grassroots organization that advocates sexual and gender diversity in Palestinian society, which is largely conservative and often repressive for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.\n\n“Al Qaws condemns the use of prosecution, intimidation and threats of arrest, be it by the police or members of society,” the group said in a statement posted on social media. “We believe that the police and Palestinian society at large should focus on combating the occupation and other forms of violence that tear apart the sensitive fabric of our society and values, instead of prosecuting activists who work tirelessly to end all forms of violence.”\n\nThe group said the ban came a week after it held what it called a “discussion-based event” in the Palestinian city of Nablus in the northern West Bank. It also came three weeks after a Palestinian teenager was stabbed and severely wounded outside a shelter for gay and transgender youths in Tel Aviv.\n\nAl Qaws generally operates from offices in Israeli-annexed East Jerusalem and the Israeli port city of Haifa, beyond the reach of the Palestinian Authority police. The group says it has also established “hubs” in Jaffa, near Tel Aviv; in the West Bank city of Ramallah; and recently, in Nablus.\n\nThe Palestinian police said in their statement that they had not been aware of the gathering in Nablus when it took place.\n\nThe ban prompted strong debate on Palestinian social media, with many criticizing the police’s decision.\n\n“You are speaking to us about customs and traditions!!!!” Tami Rafidi, a Palestinian women’s affairs activist, wrote on her Facebook page. “I am telling you, we are in the 21st century and many of the customs and traditions have changed with the times!!!”\n\nThe ban also drew notice in Israel, which has long promoted its tolerance on sexual and gender issues, despite vehement rejection in some strictly Orthodox Jewish circles, and it has cited a lack of gay rights in other parts of the Middle East to make unfavourable comparisons. The current Israeli justice minister is gay, and Tel Aviv is proud of its reputation as a favourite destination for gay and lesbian travellers.\n\nBut Israel has also been accused of portraying itself as a bastion of progressive values to detract attention from its 52-year occupation of the West Bank and the right-wing government’s policies toward Palestinians.\n\nThe entanglement became clear as efforts by Israelis to show solidarity with Al Qaws, and perhaps capitalize on the Palestinian Authority’s ban, drew rebukes from others who accused the group of anti-Semitism.\n\nAl Qaws advocates what it calls a “holistic” approach that appears to skirt any recognition of Israel. “Defiantly challenging imposed colonial borders and decades of Israeli fragmentation policies and apartheid, we work in various locations across Palestine, modifying our strategies and programs as needed,” the group states on its website.\n\nSo when Fleur Hassan-Nahoum, an Israeli deputy mayor of Jerusalem and self-described feminist, shared a Jerusalem Post article about the Palestinian police ban on Twitter and offered to host Al Qaws event in Jerusalem or in a Jewish community centre in a West Bank settlement, other Israeli advocates responded that she should be careful in any dealings with the group, which actively supports the boycott, divest and sanction movement against Israel.\n\nIrzeiqat, the Palestinian police spokesman, said Al Qaws had been planning a gathering in Ramallah but had been deterred by the threat of arrests.\n\nAn advertisement by Al Qaws for an overnight camp at the end of this month said it would provide space for 18- to 24-year-olds exploring sexual and gender pluralism and was open to people “from all over Palestine,” including Israel, without indicating where it would take place.", "If Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar had made their visit to “Palestine,” their time would have been devoted exclusively to bashing Israel. Their attacks would have combined American-style leftism with Palestinian religious solidarity. And yet, as Scott has pointed out more than once, there are obvious tensions between Islam and the contemporary Left, as embodied by the Squad. What branch of Islam is it, exactly, that celebrates abortion, homosexuality and transgenderism?\n\nIt would be interesting to see a reporter ask Tlaib or Omar about this news story: “PA Bans LGBTQ Activities In West Bank.”\n\nThe Palestinian Authority has banned members of the Palestinian Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community from carrying out any activities in the West Bank. The ban came after the grassroots group Al-Qaws for Sexual & Gender Diversity in Palestinian Society, (Arabic for the bow), which engages and supports Palestinians who identify as LGBT, was planning to hold a gathering for its members in Nablus at the end of this month. … Explaining the decision to ban the LGBT group from operating in PA-controlled areas, Luay Zreikat, spokesperson for the PA Police, said that such activities are “harmful to the higher values and ideals of Palestinian society.” Zreikat said that the group’s activities were completely “unrelated to religions and Palestinian traditions and customs, especially in the city of Nablus.” He accused unnamed “dubious parties” of working to “create discord and harm civic peace in Palestinian society.” The PA police will chase those behind the LGBT group and see to it that they are brought to trial once they are arrested, Zreikat warned. He further appealed to Palestinians to report to the police about any person connected to the group.\n\nMembers of the Al-Qaws group report receiving death threats. (“[M]any are calling for our execution. We are afraid for our lives.”) Of course, it could be worse. They could be in Iran, where Omar says all problems are caused by the U.S. There, they would be hanged from cranes. We eagerly await comment from Rashida and Ilhan.", "Palestinian police vow to crack down on planned LGBT event\n\nRAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — Palestinian police have threatened to arrest anyone involved in a gathering planned by LGBT activists and have called on people to come forward with information about them.\n\nThe announcement over the weekend followed word that al-Qaws, an LGBT group in the Palestinian territories, was planning a gathering this week in the northern West Bank town of Nablus.\n\nPolice said Sunday they would \"pursue this gathering\" and seek charges against anyone involved in it. The police are under the Western-backed Palestinian Authority, which governs parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank.\n\nWord of the gathering had sparked fierce debate on social media, with some Palestinians defending the activists and others condemning them for violating religious and traditional norms. Homosexuality is taboo in Arab countries, many of which criminalize it."], "summary": "The Palestinian Authority bans LGBT activities in the West Bank in anticipation of an upcoming Al Qaws event."}
{"document": ["Detection positions of the new CHIME/FRB repeating FRB sources. Credit: Andersen et al., 2019.\n\nUsing the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME) telescope, astronomers have identified eight new repeating fast radio burst (FRB) sources. The finding, reported in a paper published August 9 on arXiv.org, could shed new light on the origin and nature of these mysterious phenomena.\n\nFRBs are intense bursts of radio emission lasting milliseconds and showcasing characteristic dispersion sweep of radio pulsars. The physical nature of these bursts is yet unknown, and astronomers consider a variety of explanations ranging from synchrotron maser emission from young magnetars in supernova remnants to cosmic string cusps.\n\nThe first FRB was discovered in 2007. Known as the Lorimer Burst, the bursts was a singular event such as a supernova. Five years later, the first repeating FRB was detected. Named FRB 121102, the source exhibits complex burst morphology, sub-burst downward frequency drifts, and also complex pulse phenomenology.\n\nAlthough dozens of FRBs have been identified to date, only two of them were found to repeat their signals. These repeaters could be the key to resolving the mysteries of FRBs as astronomers anticipating the upcoming bursts can prepare extensive follow-up observational campaigns aimed at investigating such flashes in detail.\n\nNow, a team of astronomers led by Bridget C. Andersen of McGill University in Montreal, Canada, reports the detection of eight new FRB repeaters, which could mean a breakthrough in studies of these flaring events.\n\n\"We report on the discovery of eight repeating FRB sources found using the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME) telescope,\" the astronomers wrote in the paper.\n\nThe newly identified FRBs have dispersion measures ranging from 103.5 to 1,281 parsecs/cm3. For the two FRBs with low dispersion measure, the astronomers cannot exclude the possibility that they are galactic halo objects. Hence, multi-wavelength follow-up observations for these sources are proposed in order to put constraints on their location.\n\nThe study found that one of the eight new FRBs has a rotation measure of -115 rad/m2—much lower than that observed for FRB 121102. This allowed the astronomers to draw initial conclusions about the general properties of FRBs.\n\n\"This, and the absence of a comparably luminous persistent radio source in Sources 1 and 2 uncertainty regions, suggest not all repeaters share the environmental properties of FRB 121102,\" the paper reads.\n\nMoreover, the researchers found that the repeating FRBs reported in the study generally have dispersion measures typical for the non-repeating FRBs so far identified with CHIME. However, they do show evidence of having larger burst widths than non-repeating bursts. This, according to the authors of the paper, could suggest different emission mechanisms in repeating and non-repeating sources.\n\nThe astronomers also found complex morphologies and downward-drifting sub-bursts in some of the eight new FRBs, what could indicate that such phenomenology is not necessarily observed in repeating sources.\n\nIn concluding remarks, the scientists underlined the significance of their discovery, noting that it represents an important progress in the ongoing hunt for FRBs. They added that the new sources present a great opportunity for follow-up studies, what could disentangle the mysterious nature of FRBs.\n\nExplore further Canada's CHIME telescope detects second repeating fast radio burst\n\nMore information: B. C. Andersen et al. CHIME/FRB Detection of Eight New Repeating Fast Radio Burst Sources,arXiv:1908.03507v2 [astro-ph.HE]: B. C. Andersen et al. CHIME/FRB Detection of Eight New Repeating Fast Radio Burst Sources,arXiv:1908.03507v2 [astro-ph.HE]: arxiv.org/abs/1908.03507\n\n© 2019 Science X Network", "Weird blasts from space called fast radio bursts are some of the most mysterious phenomena in the universe, and now astronomers have spotted eight new and particularly unusual ones, including one that may be the closest we’ve ever seen.\n\nFast radio bursts (FRBs) are flashes of radio waves that come from distant space and last just a few milliseconds. Many hypotheses have been put forward about what may be causing them, but none of them is a perfect fit.\n\nWhat makes that even more difficult is that there seem to be two types of FRBs: bursts that happen just once, and bursts that repeat many times from the same spot in space. Up until now, we had only detected two so-called repeaters, but the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME) has found eight more.\n\nFinding repeaters is important because they are much easier to study than bursts that only occur once. “Repeaters are nice because you can follow them up and observe the source for a long time and see if there are any changes, which can give us clues about what the emission mechanism could be,” says CHIME team member Shriharsh Tendulkar at McGill University in Montreal.\n\nThat’s why the first repeater, FRB 121102, was also the first FRB that we tracked back to its home galaxy. Most of the ideas we have to explain repeaters are based on FRB 121102, but these new ones seem to be different. Their radio waves do not show signs of being scrambled by a turbulent environment like the first repeater. Neither do any of them seem to sit in the same spot, as FRB 121102 did.\n\n“This demonstrates that there is a vast diversity even in what the repeaters are,” says Tendulkar. “Maybe some of them are older, some of them have stronger magnetic fields, they’re in different environments.” It has been suggested that repeaters and non-repeaters may have different origins, but maybe there are a multitude of ways to produce FRBs instead of just two.\n\nThese new FRBs seem like they will be particularly useful as astronomers try to unravel that mystery. One of them, which CHIME saw repeating ten times over the course of four months, appears to be the closest FRB we’ve ever spotted.\n\n“You want to be able to characterize the galaxy and pinpoint exactly where in the galaxy these bursts are coming from, and that’s impossible if the galaxy is halfway across the universe” says Gregg Hallinan at the California Institute of Technology. “It’s way easier if it’s right in our backyard.”\n\nIf we can tell exactly where FRB blasts are coming from, that helps narrow down the field of possibilities as to what is causing them. For example, we expect highly magnetised neutron stars, which are one of the leading theories, to mainly exist in star-forming regions in relatively young galaxies.\n\n“Getting a precise location is really the future of the FRB science game,” says Hallinan. Teams have already started tracking down the home galaxies of CHIME’s new repeaters.", "Astronomers identified eight new repeating fast radio burst (FRB) sources using Canada’s CHIME telescope.\n\nThe findings, led by Bridget Andersen of McGill University, could mean a breakthrough in the study of these cosmic events.\n\nInaugurated in 2017, the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME) interferometric radio telescope’s primary goals are to improve knowledge of dark energy and detect extragalactic FRBs—brief, bright flashes of radio waves that last a few milliseconds.\n\nThe astrophysical mysteries are thought to originate from far outside our Milky Way, but their source remains unclear.\n\nSince their discovery more than a decade ago, 60-plus bursts, each named for its date of detection, have been observed by five telescopes worldwide.\n\nScientists in January announced the second repeating fast radio burst ever recorded—one of a total 13 bursts detected over three weeks last summer, when CHIME was still in its pre-commissioning phase, running at only a fraction of its full capacity.\n\nRepeaters—like the eight found by Andersen & Co.—could be the key to understanding the origin and nature of FRBs.\n\nA fast radio burst leaves a distant galaxy and travels to Earth over billions of years, occasionally passing through a cloud of gas during its journey. Each time hot gas (or plasma) is encountered, the different wavelengths that make up a burst are slowed by different amounts.\n\nShort (purple) radio waves, for example, arrive at a terrestrial telescope before long (red) ones.\n\nThis is known as dispersion.\n\nThe amount of dispersion informs how much matter the bursts have travelled through.\n\nSo far, repeating and non-repeating FRBs exhibit no difference in dispersion. They do, however, show evidence of having larger burst widths, suggesting different emission mechanisms in their sources.\n\nAdditional observations are needed before anyone can be sure from where (and who/what) these bursts are coming.\n• None Study: Moon Is 100M Years Older Than We Thought\n• None Rare Glimpse of Dying Star Confirms Prediction of Our Sun’s Fate", "Scientists have discovered strange repeating radio bursts emerging from deep space, more than quadrupling the number of signals detected this year. The eight radio bursts identified on Earth were spotted by the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME) radio telescope. It is hoped the find will provide scientists with broader data which could finally unlock their extraterrestrial origin - and even more data appears to have been discovered.\n\nThe results of a separate observation from researchers in Australia has yet to be published, but it brings the number of findings in August alone to nine.\n\nIn addition to increasing the amount of data available to astronomers, the recent findings are significant for the type of radio bursts identified. The radio signals repeat, allowing them can be studied for extended periods of time, unlike their one-off counterparts which can immediately disappear after detection. Because of the latter’s transitory nature, tracing their origin is considered an almost-impossible task. READ MORE: NASA wants You to submit song for future Moon missions\n\nHowever, in an unprecedented feat, astronomers last month managed to trace a one-off radio burst to its origin. An Australian-led team traced a signal to a galaxy roughly 3.6 billion light-years away via the Gemini South telescope in Chile. The recent radio signal spike also means scientists can be begin comparing and contrasting the signals and test new theories. Harvard-Smithsonian astrophysicist Professor Vikram Ravi last month suggested all of the radio bursts could actually be repeating, only at frequencies previously undetected.\n\nPhysicist Ziggy Pleunis of McGill University, said: “Just as some volcanoes are more active than others, and you can think a volcano is dormant because it has not erupted in a long time.” Scientists have noted differences between what are thought to be repeating radio burst and their one-off relatives. Repeating signals, for example, descend in frequency, offering what scientists have described a as a “sad trombone” effect. Scientists have been helped in this attempt to unlock the mystery with an AI program that automatically detects the bursts when they reach Earth. READ MORE: NASA and Google partner for MAJOR Mars exploration test\n\nCould Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) be signals from alien civilisations? Controversy concerning whether there could be an intelligent alien origin of FRBs continues to rage . Harvard University’s Professor Abraham Loeb recently revealed an extraterrestrial origin cannot be discounted. He told Express.co.uk: “We still have no new clue on whether the origin is artificial or natural.", "The mysterious radio signals are so-called Fast Radio Bursts or FRBs from some unknown source in the cosmos. Thanks to Canada’s CHIME radio telescope in British Columbia, astronomers have identified eight of these radio bursts on Earth. FRBs are incredibly short blasts of radio waves that only last milliseconds at a time. First discovered in 2007, FRBs have been a source of confusion among the scientific community.\n\nAstronomers are not certain where FRBs come from but each new detection brings us closer to solving the mystery. A new study, pre-published on the archive website arXiv.org, revealed eight new repeating FRBs detected in Canada. The study reads: “We report on the discovery of eight repeating Fast Radio Bursts (FRB) sources found using the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME) telescope.” McGill Space Institute PhD student Pragya Chawla, who co-authored the paper, said: “Discovering eight sources like this is so important because it says we have a lot more repeating FRBs and can figure out the environments and the galaxies these FRBs are located in if we follow them up with other telescopes.” READ MORE: Are bizarre FRBs evidence of alien life?\n\nFRBs are a fairly recent discovery and remain one of the biggest unknowns of the universe. Scientists have described these signals as being 1,000 times weaker than a mobile phone found on the surface of the Moon.\n\nThe first sign of an FRB was found in 2007, hidden in a 2001 data set collected by the Parkes Observatory in New South Wales, Australia. Since the discovery, astronomers have slightly expanded their understanding of FRBs by learning some of the signals repeat. Victoria Kaspi, an astrophysicist at McGill University, told CBC: “The first biggest conclusion is that this is not an anomalous phenomenon. This is for real. “It just takes time and patience to find them. And two, it offers the opportunity to localise them, and that’s huge in the FRB field.” READ MORE: Cosmic mystery of 'fast radio bursts' from space baffles astronomers\n\nCould FRBs be signals from alien civilisations? There has been a lot of heated discussion around the origin of FRBs. Professor Abraham Loeb from the University of Harvard told Express.co.uk in July, an extraterrestrial origin cannot be discounted. He said: “We still have no new clue on whether the origin is artificial or natural. “The origin of FRBs is still a mystery. The data at hand is not sufficient to reveal the identity of their sources.” Most astronomers, however, believe FRBs are created by large-scale astronomical phenomena. READ MORE: What will actually happen when NASA makes contact?", "Scientists have picked up more mysterious repeating radio signals from deep space - including one from a nearby galaxy.\n\nFast radio bursts (FRBs) are intensely bright millisecond-long bursts of radio waves coming from beyond our galaxy. They are some of the most enigmatic and powerful events in the universe.\n\nMany theories have been put forward about what could be causing them - including the suggestion that aliens are trying to contact us - but none of them is a perfect fit.\n\nWhat makes it even more difficult is that there seem to be two types of FRBs - bursts that happen just once, and bursts that repeat many times from the same spot in space.\n\nUp until now, scientists had only detected only two so-called repeaters, but the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME) has found eight more.\n\nRepeaters are much easier to study than bursts that only occur once, because they can be monitored over long periods of time, allowing scientists to observe any changes.\n\nThe first repeater that was discovered - known as FRB 121102 - was also the first FRB to be tracked back to its home galaxy 3 billion light-years away.\n\nHowever, at least one of the new repeaters, which CHIME saw repeating ten times over the course of four months, appears to be a lot closer.\n\nThis could be particularly useful as astronomers try to unravel the mystery of what is causing them.\n\n\"You want to be able to characterise the galaxy and pinpoint exactly where in the galaxy these bursts are coming from, and that's impossible if the galaxy is halfway across the universe,\" Gregg Hallinan at the California Institute of Technology told New Scientist .\n\n\"It's way easier if it's right in our backyard.\"\n\nLast month, astronomers succeeded in tracing a one-off burst of cosmic radio waves back to a Milky Way-sized galaxy 7.9 billion light-years away.\n\nThe discovery suggests that a leading theory for what causes FRBs - the eruption of plasma from young, highly magnetic neutron stars, or \"magnetars\" - may need to be rethought.", "Scientists suddenly have a whole lot more data on one of the strangest and most recent mysteries in the cosmos, so-called fast radio bursts (FRBs). First discovered in 2007, these fleeting blasts of radio waves originate thousands, millions or even billions of light years from Earth.\n\nFRBs have influenced the design of new radio telescopes like the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME). And now a team of Canadian and American researchers using CHIME has reported a major new set of FRB detections that could fine-tune our understanding of where these enigmatic signals come from and what produces them.\n\nThe group says it's discovered eight new FRBs that repeat.\n\n\"Repeating FRBs are highly valuable from an observational perspective since their repeating nature make them better candidates for localizing their host galaxies and multi-wavelength follow-up observations that can help determine if FRBs emit at wavelengths other than radio,\" said Ryan McKinven, one of the researchers who is based at the University of Toronto and co-author of a paper about the FRBs.\n\nThose follow-up observations could provide details about the origins of the strange bursts, he added. A larger sample size of repeating FRBs to study could also help scientists answer one of the obvious questions about non-repeating FRBs: Could they actually be repeating FRBs that just haven't been recorded as repeating yet?\n\nWhile dozens of FRBs have been detected and cataloged over the past 12 years, few of those deep space signals had been known to repeat themselves. Two have been documented so far in published, peer-reviewed journals. Two others -- one via a Russian radio telescope, the other via Australia -- have been reported but not yet reviewed.\n\nSo with this batch of bursts, the number of reported repeaters has tripled -- from four to 12.\n\nThe team laid out its findings in a draft paper that's been submitted to the Astrophysical Journal and was posted this month on the Arxiv pre-print site.\n\n\"Discovering different types of FRBs at an unexpected rate, we will soon open new windows into understanding the cosmological origin of these high-energy astrophysical phenomena,\" said co-author Masoud Rafiei-Ravandi of the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics.\n\nIn addition to the sheer number of repeating FRBs discovered in one haul, one of the newfound repeaters appears to be much closer to Earth than the handful of fast radio bursts that have been traced back to a source galaxy. So far, traceable FRBs seem to come from sources on the other side of the universe -- we're talking billions of light years away.\n\nHowever, in the new paper, the authors suggest that one of the repeating FRBs could actually originate near the edge of our own Milky Way galaxy but caution that more study is needed to better localize the signal.\n\n\"Knowing that we are observing every patch of sky visible to CHIME once every day, it was only a matter of time before we detected a very nearby source,\" co-author Pragya Chawla of McGill University said.\n\nStudying relatively nearby FRBs will hopefully allow scientists to get a better idea of just what the heck is throwing off these signals, which could be anything from far-fetched notions like alien starships to the less fantastic but literally more powerful sources, like neutron stars.", "A fresh set of mysterious signals have emerged from the depths of the galaxy and been picked up by astronomers here on Earth.\n\nEight small blasts of radio waves – only lasting for milliseconds at a time – were collected by Canada’s CHIME radio telescope in British Columbia.\n\nThese so-called Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) have formed the basis of a new study published on the archive website arXiv.org.\n\nExperts are at a loss to explain the origin of the signals and can’t discount the possibility of them coming from an alien civilisation somewhere out in deep space.\n\n‘Discovering eight sources like this is so important because it says we have a lot more repeating FRBs and can figure out the environments and the galaxies these FRBs are located in if we follow them up with other telescopes,’ said PhD student Pragya Chawla from the McGill Space Institute, who co-authored the paper.\n\nSo far, the causes of FRBs remain unknown.\n\nMost are ‘one-offs” but a small amount are ‘repeaters’ which recur in the same place. According to the Canadian astronomers, this latest discovery was a repeater signal.\n\nOne prevailing theory is the radio bursts are a side effect of neutron stars colliding with black holes.\n\nAnother suggests they are produced by so-called ‘magnetars’ – neutron stars with incredibly powerful magnetic fields.\n\nBut that was called into question back in July when a new burst was picked up and attributed to a spiral galaxy 7.9 billion light years away that resembles our own Milky Way.\n\nA team of stargazers used the Australian Square Kilometer Array to pinpoint the origins of a burst called FRB 190523.\n\n‘This finding tells us that every galaxy, even a run-of-the-mill galaxy like our Milky Way, can generate an FRB,’ said Vikram Ravi, assistant professor of astronomy at Caltech.\n\n‘Finding the locations of the one-off FRBs is challenging because it requires a radio telescope that can both discover these extremely short events and locate them with the resolving power of a mile-wide radio dish.’\n\n‘The theory that FRBs come from magnetars was developed in part because the earlier FRB 121102 came from an active star-forming environment, where young magnetars can be formed in the supernovae of massive stars,’ added Ravi.\n\n‘But the host galaxy of FRB 190523 is more mellow in comparison.’"], "summary": "Astronomers led by a team from McGill University in Montreal announce the detection of eight new repeating fast radio bursts (FRBs) using the Canadian Hydrogen Intensity Mapping Experiment (CHIME) radio telescope. The astronomers report they also found complex morphologies and downward-drifting sub-bursts in some of the eight new FRBs."}
{"document": ["The main Syrian militant group linked to Al Qaeda pulled out of a key rebel town following the Syrian government forces’ campaign of bombardment and airstrikes.\n\nThe militant group, operating in the Syrian province of Idlib that held the town of Khan Sheikhoun since 2014, said in a statement released by Syria’s main Al Qaeda-linked faction that it had to make “a redeployment,” with its fighters withdrawing to areas south of the town.\n\n“After fierce bombardment by the criminal enemy that avoids direct confrontation with holy warriors by implementing a scorched-earth policy, our fighters have redeployed south of Khan Sheihoun,” the statement said.\n\nThe withdrawal is a major loss for the militants in its last major stronghold of Idlib, in northwestern Syria, though the group pledged to continue fighting Syrian President Bashar Assad’s forces – backed by Russia – and defend the territory it still holds.\n\nThe government forces have been conducting an offensive campaign in Idlib and northern parts of the Hama province since April 30, forcing nearly half a million people to flee the area to safety while more than 2,000 people have died, including hundreds of civilians.\n\nSHOCKING IMAGE FROM SYRIA SHOWS GIRL, 5, CLINGING TO SISTER'S T-SHIRT AT BOMBED BUILDING\n\nOpposition activists say Syrian government forces were able to penetrate parts of the town overnight thanks to air support from Russia. Syrian troops are now working to clear the area abandoned by militants of explosives and booby-traps.\n\nThe Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said the Al Qaeda-linked Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and other insurgent groups withdrew from Khan Sheikhoun as well as all the towns and villages south of the town.\n\nCLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP\n\nThe group said Khan Sheikhoun was home to about 1 million people, with nearly 700,000 of them displaced by fighting in other parts of the country.\n\nThe town was also a stronghold of the Al Qaeda-linked militant faction, the most powerful group in rebel-held areas in Syria. The town was also the scene of a chemical attack on April 4, 2017, that left 89 people dead.\n\nThe Associated Press contributed to this report.", "Attacks by Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham militants in Idlib will be crushed, Turkey has been notified about that, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.\n\n“Jointly with our Turkish colleagues, in order to stop regular violations by these terrorists of the cessation of hostilities regime, although it does not extend to them, we have made it clear that if they carry out attacks from this zone, they will be severely suppressed. Throughout this year, these provocations have not stopped\", Lavrov said at a press conference, held after his talks with Ghanaian counterpart, Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey.\n\nHayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS or the \"Organisation for the Liberation of the Levant”) is an alliance of militant groups active in Syria. The group, formerly known as Jabhat al-Nusra* is a part of this broader alliance.\n\nHe added that in all cases, Turkish colleagues were warned that \"we would respond, and this practice can't stop, because the agreement on Idlib does not provide for the extension of the ceasefire regime to terrorists\".\n\n\"The developing situation has emerged due to the fact that extremists do not cease their attempts to hit from there [Idlib's areas controlled by militants and the opposition] targets located in other territories of the Syrian Arab Republic. Our military certainly maintains constant contact. These days, they are discussing the current situation\", Lavrov stated.\n\nThe minister stressed that Russia was closely following the situation in Idlib.\n\nSyrian pro-government newspaper al Watan earlier reported that the Syrian Army had established control over the entire city of Khan Sheikhoun. The army is now fully in control of the city and the Damascus-Aleppo highway.\n\nThe Syrian government forces renewed their activities in the northwest of the country due to the militants’ non-compliance with the agreement brokered by Russia and Turkey.\n\nThe statement comes after Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said earlier in the day that Turkey was in contact with Russia over the Syrian Air Force's recent attack on a Turkish military convoy in the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib.\n\n\"We must ensure a ceasefire in Idlib. Our convoy has suffered an attack recently. We contacted Russia immediately. Contacts continue. If the need arises, I will talk with [Russian Foreign Minister Sergei] Lavrov. Our convoy's mission is to assist the operation of the observatory point, operating under the Astana agreements\", Cavusoglu told reporters.\n\nThe minister stressed that it was necessary to focus on a political settlement and transition period in Syria.\n\n\"We will discuss this at upcoming meetings with the Russian and Iranian leaders ... It is difficult to ensure a political settlement without the participation of the guarantor states\", Cavusoglu added.\n\nThe Syrian Foreign Ministry said a day earlier that Turkish armoured vehicles had crossed Syria's border and were moving toward Khan Sheikhoun, a rebel stronghold in Idlib. The Turkish Defence Ministry accused the Syrian Air Force later on 19 August of conducting an airstrike against the Turkish military convoy, adding that three civilians had been killed and 12 more had sustained injuries as a result of this attack.\n\n*Al-Nusra Front or Jabhat al-Nusra, known as Jabhat Fatah al-Sham is a terrorist group banned in Russia", "Militants’ defense in southern Idlib and northern Hama has collapsed.\n\nOn August 19, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA), the Tiger Forces and their allies backed up by Syrian and Russian air power cut off the M5 highway north of Khan Shaykhun capturing several hills and checkpoints in the area. Late on the same day, government forces overrun militants’ fortifications entering the town.\n\nOn August 20, units of the SAA and the Tiger Forces continued clashing with militants in the area. The town is about to fall into the hands of government forces.\n\nAccording to pro-government sources, militants are currently fleeing their positions in Kafr Zita, Lataminah, Moerk and nearby areas.\n\nTurkey attempted to prevent this scenario by sending a large military convoy (28 pieces of military equipment, including at least 7 battle tanks) accompanied by Turkish-backed militants towards Khan Shaykhun. The plan was to establish so-called observation point near Khan Shaykhun and use Turkish troops as human shields to defend militants there. However, the convoy was not able to reach the target.\n\nThe Syrian Air Force carried out several strikes on the convoy path near Heish killing at least one militant field commander and destroying a vehicle armed with machine gun. The Turkish Defense Ministry officially condemned the strikes claiming that 3 civilians were killed and 12 others were injured as a result of the action. Ankara claimed that the convoy was initiated to ensure the safety of Observation Point No. 9, to keep supply routes open and prevent civilian casualties in the region.\n\nTurkey even sent F-16 warplanes to Syrian airspace to defend the convoy, but they were welcomed by Russian fighter jets hovering over the same area and retreated.\n\nThe deep cooperation of so-called moderate opposition with terrorist groups like Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and their unwillingness to participate in a proposed peace process predetermined a new round of escalation in the Idlib zone. In the near future, government troops will likely focus on clearing northern Hama.\n\nFiled under: Al Qaeda, Brotherhood, FSA, Nusra Front, Russia, SAA, Syria, Takfiris, Turkey, War on Syria | Tagged: Hama, Khan Sheikhoun, Liberation of Idlib |", "The main terrorist group in the Syrian province of Idlib pulled out of a key rebel town as government forces advanced in the area on Tuesday amid intense bombardment and airstrikes, opposition activists said.\n\nSyria’s main al-Qaida-linked faction made what it referred to as “a redeployment,” meaning it withdrew to areas south of the town of Khan Sheikhoun. From there, they would continue to defend the territory, they claimed.\n\nThe withdrawal is a significant loss for the opposition in its last major stronghold of Idlib, in northwestern Syria. Syrian government forces have been on the offensive in Idlib and northern parts of Hama Province since April 30, forcing nearly half a million people to flee to safer areas further north. The fighting also killed more than 2,000 people, including hundreds of civilians.\n\nBacked by Russian air power, Syrian President Bashar Assad’s forces were able to enter parts of the town overnight, according to opposition activists. Syrian troops are now clearing the area abandoned by the al-Qaida-linked group of explosives and booby-traps, activists said.\n\nThe Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said the al-Qaida-linked Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and other terrorist groups withdrew from Khan Sheikhoun as well as all the towns and villages south of the town.\n\nAccording to the Observatory, Khan Sheikhoun was home to about 1 million people, nearly 700,000 of them displaced by fighting in other parts of the country, before the government offensive began in April. In recent days hundreds of civilians remained in the town according to the group that tracks Syria’s war, now in its ninth year.\n\nKhan Sheikhoun was a stronghold of the al-Qaida-linked faction, the most powerful group in rebel-held areas in Syria. The town was also the scene of a chemical attack on April 4, 2017 that killed 89 people.", "A Turkey Armed Forces convoy is seen at a highway between Maaret al-Numan and Khan Sheikhoun in Idlib province, Syria, Monday, Aug. 19, 2019. The Turkish Defense Ministry says airstrikes have targeted a Turkish military convoy in Syria, killing at least three civilians and wounding 12 others in Monday's attack that occurred while the convoy was heading toward a Turkish observation post in the rebel-held stronghold of Idlib. (Murat Kibritoglu/DHA via AP)\n\nA Turkey Armed Forces convoy is seen at a highway between Maaret al-Numan and Khan Sheikhoun in Idlib province, Syria, Monday, Aug. 19, 2019. The Turkish Defense Ministry says airstrikes have targeted a Turkish military convoy in Syria, killing at least three civilians and wounding 12 others in Monday's attack that occurred while the convoy was heading toward a Turkish observation post in the rebel-held stronghold of Idlib. (Murat Kibritoglu/DHA via AP)\n\nBEIRUT (AP) — The main insurgent group in the Syrian province of Idlib pulled out of a key rebel town as government forces advanced in the area on Tuesday amid intense bombardment and airstrikes, a militant group and opposition activists said.\n\nAs the militants withdrew, government troops moved into northern and western neighborhoods of Khan Sheikhoun, marking a significant gain for President Bashar Assad’s forces as they try to chip away at territory controlled by the opposition in Idlib. The northwestern province, dominated by an al-Qaida-linked faction, is the last major rebel-held bastion in Syria.\n\nHayat Tahrir al-Sham, Syria’s main al-Qaida-linked faction, said in a statement that its fighters carried out “a re-deployment,” withdrawing to areas south of the town of Khan Sheikhoun. From there, they would continue to defend the territory, it said.\n\nSyrian state TV said government troops have expanded their presence in the Khan Sheikhoun area, without giving further details.\n\n“The victories that were achieved show the determination of the people and the army to strike terrorists, until all parts of Syria are liberated,” Assad said, according to comments released by his office.\n\nThe withdrawal is a blow to the opposition. Syrian government forces have been on the offensive in Idlib and northern parts of Hama province since April 30, forcing nearly half a million people to flee to safer areas further north. The fighting also killed more than 2,000 people, including hundreds of civilians.\n\nAfter months of intense bombardment, the insurgents’ defenses appear to be crumbling as they are now losing ground at a much faster pace compared with the first three months of the government push.\n\nIn the long-running Syrian civil war, now in its ninth year, the northwestern region — where Turkish, Russian, U.S. and Iranian interests are at stake — has taken center stage in the conflict.\n\nThe latest government gains come as NATO allies Turkey and the U.S. are discussing setting up a buffer inside Syria — one that Ankara wants to push Syrian Kurdish fighters it considers terrorists further to the east.\n\nThere has been speculation, meanwhile, that Russia and Turkey, which back rival sides in Syria’s conflict, have reached an agreement that would allow the Syrian army to retake parts of Idlib and reopen a highway that links the capital, Damascus, with the northern city of Aleppo, Syria’s largest.\n\nKhan Sheikhoun, which had been held by militants since 2014, sits on that highway.\n\nAfter the capture of Khan Sheikhoun, Syrian troops are likely now to move north toward Maaret al-Numan, another town on the highway that has been subjected to intense airstrikes over the past days. Opposition activists also reported intense bombardment on the rebel-held town of Jisr al-Shughour on the southwestern edge of Idlib on Tuesday.\n\nBacked by Russian air power, Syrian troops were able to enter parts of Khan Sheikhoun overnight, according to opposition activists, and are now clearing the area abandoned by militants of explosives and booby traps.\n\n“After fierce bombardment by the criminal enemy that avoids direct confrontation with holy warriors by implementing a scorched earth policy, our fighters have redeployed south of Khan Sheihoun,” the statement said.\n\nThe Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition war monitor, said the al-Qaida-linked Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and other insurgent groups withdrew from Khan Sheikhoun as well as the towns and villages south of the town.\n\nAccording to the Observatory, Khan Sheikhoun was home to about 1 million people, nearly 700,000 of them displaced by fighting in other parts of the country, before the government offensive began in April. In recent days hundreds of civilians remained in the town according to the group that tracks Syria’s war, now in its ninth year.\n\nThe Syrian Response Coordination Group, a relief group active in northwestern Syria, called on Tuesday for a “humanitarian truce” to allow civilians who are stuck in the areas of fighting to leave. The group said in a statement the Russia and Syrian governments “are practicing terrorism against civilians” in violation of international laws.\n\nKhan Sheikhoun was a stronghold of the al-Qaida-linked militant faction, the most powerful group in rebel-held areas in Syria. The town was also the scene of a chemical attack on April 4, 2017 that killed 89 people.\n\nAt the time, the United States, Britain and France pointed a finger at the Syrian government, saying their experts had found that nerve agents were used in the attack. Days later, the U.S. fired 59 U.S. Tomahawk missiles at the Shayrat Air Base in central Syria, saying the attack on Khan Sheikhoun was launched from the base.\n\nThe Syrian government and its Russian allies denied there was a chemical attack.\n\nAlso Tuesday, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu warned the Syrian government against “playing with fire,” a day after an airstrikes targeted a Turkish army convoy near Khan Sheikoun, killing 3 civilians.\n\nCavusoglu said the convoy was on its way to provide “security” to a Turkish observation post in Idlib. Syria said the convoy was carrying ammunition to rebels.\n\n“We will do what is necessary for the security of our soldiers ... but we are working to avoid reaching that point,” he said.", "Khan Sheikhoun, a town located on a key road leading to Idlib, the last militant-controlled province in Syria, is on the brink of returning to government control, as jihadist forces which controlled it for years withdraw.\n\nThe withdrawal has been preceded by heavy fighting near the town between forces loyal to Damascus and the extremists entrenched in Khan Sheikhoun. Since 2014 the town has been under the control of the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), previously known as Al Nusra Front, linked to Al-Qaeda.\n\nThe town made international headlines back in April 2017 when it allegedly witnessed a chemical attack, which the US and its allies quickly blamed on the Syrian government. Washington ordered a strike on the Syrian forces’ Shayrat air base within days after the alleged incident. A subsequent investigation by a joint investigative mechanism launched by the UN and an international chemical watchdog, the OPCW, was conducted remotely and was slammed by Russia as “unprofessional.”\n\nThink your friends would be interested? Share this story!", "The main insurgent group in the Syrian province of Idlib says it partially pulled out its fighters from an opposition-controlled town as government forces advanced in the area.\n\nA statement on Tuesday from the main al-Qaida-linked faction in Syria says it's \"a redeployment\" and that its fighters withdrew to the southern part of the town of Khan Sheikhoun from where they would continue to defend their territory.\n\nThe withdrawal is a significant loss for the opposition in its last major stronghold of Idlib, in northwestern Syria.\n\nBacked by Russian air power, Syrian President Bashar Assad's forces were able to enter a small part of the town overnight, according to opposition activists.\n\nKhan Sheikhoun is a stronghold of al-Qaida-linked Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the most powerful militant group in the area."], "summary": "The Al-Qaeda-linked faction Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) acknowledges \"a redeployment\" south of the strategic town of Khan Shaykhun."}
{"document": ["BEIRUT, LEBANON (12:00 P.M.) – The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) has entered Khan Sheikhoun after the militants withdrew from the northern sector of the city this morning.\n\nAccording to a military source in nearby Hama, the Syrian Arab Army entered the northern sector of the city after receiving the green light from their high command.\n\nThe Syrian Army is now combing through the empty neighborhoods to secure the city and clear any explosives left behind by the jihadist rebels before they withdrew from Khan Sheikhoun.\n\nHay’at Tahrir Al-Sham’s spokesperson said earlier today that their forces had withdrawn to the southern part of the city; however, some opposition activists have contrasted these claims, saying that Khan Sheikhoun is empty.\n\nSince losing Talat Al-Nimr in northern Khan Sheikhoun, the militants were under nonstop missile and artillery strikes, which is one of the reasons why they were forced to withdraw from the northern sector of the city.", "BEIRUT, LEBANON (9:10 A.M.) – A source from the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) told Al-Masdar News on Tuesday morning that the militants have begun withdrawing from the city of Khan Sheikhoun and several towns in northern Hama.\n\nAccording to the source, the militants have begun withdrawing from Khan Sheikhoun, Al-Latamnah, Kafr Zita, Morek, Latmeen, and several other areas.\n\nThis latest report comes just a day after the jihadist rebels lost a great deal of territory to the Syrian Arab Army at the northern axis of Khan Sheikhoun.\n\nWith the Turkish Army’s decision to not to enter Khan Sheikhoun, the militants are only left with two choices: stay and face a potential siege or withdraw and secure others areas in northern Syria.\n\nMILITANTS ARE WITHDRAWING FROM TOWNS IN NORTHERN HAMA FEARING INEVITABLE FALL OF KHAN SHAYKHUN: REPORTS\n\nLate on August 19, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and the Tiger Forces started storming the militant stronghold of Khan Shaykhun in southern Idlib.\n\nBy August 20 morning, they had not liberated the town yet. However, according to both pro-militant and pro-government sources, Khan Shaykhun is about to fall into the hands of government troops.\n\nMemanwhile, reports are surfacing that Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (formerly Jabhat al-Nusra) and other radical militant groups that have been for a long time in control of the area are now withdrawing from northern Hama and the countryside of Khan Shaykhun to the north.\n• Government Troops Are Storming Khan Shaykhun After Cutting Off M5 Highway North Of It (Maps)\n• GOVERNMENT TROOPS ARE STORMING KHAN SHAYKHUN AFTER CUTTING OFF M5 HIGHWAY NORTH OF IT (MAPS)\n• Syrian Army breaks through militant lines to advance on Khan Sheikhoun: video\n\nFiled under: SAA, Syria, War on Syria | Tagged: AngloZionist Empire, Hama, Khan Sheikhoun, Liberation of Idlib |", "In a major blow to Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and its allies, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) has liberated the key town of Khan Shaykhun in southern Idlib.\n\nPro-government sources confirmed that army units entered Khan Shaykhun in the afternoon of August 21. All militants reportedly fled the town few hours earlier.\n\nKhan Shaykhun, one of the biggest urban centers in southern Idlib, was a key stronghold of HTS. The town is located on a highway linking the Syrian capital, Damascus, with Aleppo, the country’s industrial center.\n\nThe SAA is now advancing northeast of Khan Shaykhun towards its positions near the newly-captured village of Tar’i. Army units are also storming the town of Murak, south of Khan Shaykhun.\n\nMeanwhile, the fate of the Turkish observation post in northern Hama remains unclear. Initial reports indicate that it may have been besieged by the SAA.\n\nBEIRUT, LEBANON (6:45 P.M.) – The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) has completely cutoff the militants from all supply lines in southern Idlib and northern Hama, a source from the military told Al-Masdar this evening. According to the military source, the Syrian Arab Army forces at the Khan Sheikhoun front has met up with the troops near the town of Al-Ta’manah; thus, completing the encirclement of this region in northwestern Syria. In addition to besieging the militants, the Syrian Arab Army has also cutoff the Turkish military at the Morek observation post from all of its supply roads. The Turkish military will have to coordinate with their Russian allies because they are allowed access to the Hama-Idlib Highway, per the September 17th, 2018 Sochi Agreement. At this time, the Syrian Arab Army is still clearing Khan Sheikhoun after entering the city from all axes. Furthermore, the Syrian military’s 5th Corps and Republican Guard are advancing through the Al-Ta’manah area in a bid to secure the town and the remaining points under militant control. As a result of this week’s gains, the Syrian Arab Army has scored a major victory against the jihadist rebels, who previously vowed to defend this region until the last man.\n\nMore on this topic:\n• Syrian Army Captures New Positions In Southern Idlib, Closes In On Khan Shaykhun\n• Breaking: Syrian Army entering Khan Sheikhoun from all axes to take control of city\n• Syrian Army still not in control of Khan Sheikhoun despite media claims\n• Syrian Army uncovers caves used by militants in southern Idlib: video\n\nFiled under: Al Qaeda, Brotherhood, Erdogan, neo-Ottoman, Nusra Front, SAA, Syria, Takfiris, Turkey, War on Syria | Tagged: AngloZionist Empire, Khan Sheikhoun, Liberation of Idlib, Syrian victory |", "BEIRUT, LEBANON (12:00 P.M.) – The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) has entered Khan Sheikhoun after the militants withdrew from the northern sector of the city this morning.\n\nAccording to a military source in nearby Hama, the Syrian Arab Army entered the northern sector of the city after receiving the green light from their high command.\n\nThe Syrian Army is now combing through the empty neighborhoods to secure the city and clear any explosives left behind by the jihadist rebels before they withdrew from Khan Sheikhoun.\n\nHay’at Tahrir Al-Sham’s spokesperson said earlier today that their forces had withdrawn to the southern part of the city; however, some opposition activists have contrasted these claims, saying that Khan Sheikhoun is empty.\n\nSince losing Talat Al-Nimr in northern Khan Sheikhoun, the militants were under nonstop missile and artillery strikes, which is one of the reasons why they were forced to withdraw from the northern sector of the city.\n\nAdvertisements", "The Syrian Army forces entered the key town of Khan Shaykhun in Idlib province for the first time since 2014 after heavy clashes with terrorists and anti-government militants, a UK-based war monitor said.\n\nThe Syrian troops “entered the town of Khan Shaykhun for the first since they lost control of it in 2014,” according to the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.\n\nThe town serves as a major bastion for terrorists in northwestern Idlib province.\n\nReports say clashes are underway between the Syrian forces and Nusra Front terrorists. The army operations have focused on Nusra fortifications in Khan Shaykhun, leaving many terrorists dead or injured.\n\nIdlib remains the only large area in the hands of foreign-backed terrorists after the Syrian army managed to wrest back control of almost all of the country’s land, undoing militants’ gains.\n\nThe government forces have gained more ground against Takfiri militants in the southern edge of Idlib in their latest offensive that was launched last week.\n\nOn Sunday, Syrian army troops and their allies established full control over Kfaridoun and Sabbaghiyah farms, which lie in an area between the towns of Madaya and Kafrsajna.\n\nEarlier in the day, Syrian soldiers managed to regain control over Tal Kfar Idoun area, which is located west of a key highway that connects the capital Damascus with the strategic northern city of Aleppo.\n\nThey also managed to retake the village of Tel al-Nar and nearby farmland northwest of Khan Shaykhun on Sunday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.\n\nOn August 5, the Syrian army declared in a statement the start of an offensive against foreign-sponsored militants in Idlib after those positioned in the de-escalation zone failed to honor a ceasefire brokered by Russia and Turkey and continued to target civilian neighborhoods.\n\nMilitary expert to ST: Liberation of Khan Sheikhoun in Idleb will be a direct military defeat for Turkish regime\n\nThe military and strategic expert has asserted that the liberation of Khan Sheikhoun city will tighten the noose on terrorist organizations’ strongholds in the northern countryside of Hama and it will be a direct military defeat for the Turkish occupation forces in Morek area and in the East of the city.\n\nRetired Brigadier-General Haitham Hassoun told the Syria Times e-newspaper that the importance of Khan Sheikhoun city lies in the fact that it is the terrorists’ largest stronghold in the south of Idleb.\n\n“The liberation of this city will lead to the recapture of the other terrorists’ strongholds in the north of Hama with less human and material cost, and it will put the southern part of Hama-Aleppo road under the supervision of Syrian army for the first time. It will also be a moral defeat for terrorist organizations on all fronts,” the expert added.\n\nAs for Turkish regime’s attempts to hinder Syrian army’s advance in Idleb battle, the retired officer made it clear that Turkey has been informed about Syrian army’s determination to liberate Idleb militarily after the failure of Turkey to abide by its obligations in Sochi talks.\n\n“Any move by the Turkish occupation forces will be firmly confronted and this was translated into action when Turkish regime tried yesterday to send vehicles loaded with ammunition, weapons and material equipment through the Syrian-Turkish borders to the defeated terrorists in Khan Sheikhoun city,” the military expert stressed.\n\nHe underscored that the Turkish regime can’t hinder the Syrian army’s military operations, but it will go ahead with offering logistic support to terrorists without direct involvement in fighting with Syrian army.\n\n“The Turkish enemy will not be involved in a direct battle with Syrian army because this will end in a major regional war,” Retired Brigadier-General Hassoun concluded.\n\nFiled under: Al Qaeda, Brotherhood, Moderate Terrorist, Nusra Front, Russia, SAA, Syria, Takfiris, War on Syria | Tagged: AngloZionist Empire, Hama, Khan Sheikhoun, Liberation of Idlib |", "BEIRUT, LEBANON (3:40 P.M.) – The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) is still not in control of the strategic city of Khan Sheikhoun, despite media claims of the jihadist withdrawal.\n\nAccording to a military source near the front-lines, the Syrian Army entered the northern part of the city, but did not advance past a few neighborhoods in this sector of Khan Sheikhoun.\n\nHe added that the jihadist rebels of Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham are believed to maintain a presence at the southern entrance of the city.\n\nIn the last hour, the jihadist rebels have fired several missiles and artillery shells on the strategic hilltop of Talat Al-Nimr, which is located directly north of Khan Sheikhoun.\n\nAs long as the Syrian Army controls Talat Al-Nimr, the jihadist rebels will not have access to their most important supply line in southern Idlib and northern Hama.\n\nFurthermore, depsite some claims of a full militant withdrawal from the northern Hama towns of Al-Latamnah, Morek, Kafr Zita, and Latmeen, several fighters from Jays Al-Izza and Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham remain in the area.\n\nThey are not fully besieged at this time, but the Syrian Army is on the verge of cutting the Ta’amanah-Khan Sheikhoun Road. Once this is done, the militants will be fully besieged in this pocket.", "BEIRUT, LEBANON (6:00 P.M.) – The Syrian Arab Army has begun entering Khan Sheikhoun from all axes in a bid to secure the city, a military source told Al-Masdar News moments ago.\n\nAccording to the source, the Syrian Army are combing through Khan Sheikhoun and hoping to secure the city within the next day.\n\nHe added that some neighborhoods in the northern part of the city were already secured after they entered, but they had not moved their forces until now.\n\nDespite media claims on Tuesday, the Syrian Arab Army never had control of Khan Sheikhoun; they had only cut the main supply route to the jihadist forces inside the city.\n\nThis move by the Syrian Army to control Khan Sheikhoun comes just hours after the military managed to capture Tal Tari and several points near the town of Al-Ta’manah.\n\nAt this time, the Syrian Arab Army is working to capture Al-Ta’manah in a bid to completely encircle the jihadist rebels in the northern countryside of the Hama Governorate.", "BEIRUT, LEBANON (10:45 A.M.) – Anna News’ Oleg Blokhin released a new video on Tuesday that showed aerial footage of Khan Sheikhoun after the militants withdrew to the southern part of the city.\n\nAs seen in the footage below, the northern part of Khan Sheikhoun is ultimately a ghost town after the militants withdrew from this sector of the city.\n\nDespite claims of the Syrian Army entering Khan Sheikhoun, a source from the military has denied these claims, adding that their troops are still outside the city.\n\nFurthermore, HTS has denied fully withdrawing from the city; instead, their spokesperson said they are currently in the southern sector of the city.", "BEIRUT, LEBANON (10:00 A.M.) – The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) has reinforced their checkpoints in western Daraa after a series of attacks by the Free Syrian Army (FSA) and Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham sleeper cells.\n\nAccording to a military source in Damascus, the Syrian Army sent these reinforcements from the capital to the western countryside of Daraa, where they will potentially take part in offensive against these militant sleeper cells.\n\nThe source said that at the same time, the Syrian Army also sent several reinforcements to the town of Da’el, as the military will likely launch their first operation against the sleeper cells there.\n\nPrior to this news, a source told Al-Masdar in early August that the Syrian Army deployed troops to the outskirts of Sanmayn in the northern countryside of Daraa.\n\nThe Syrian Army concluded their military operations in Daraa in the Summer of 2018 after the Free Syrian Army and their allies agreed to a reconciliation deal thatwas brokered by the Russian Armed Forces.\n\nHowever, since the start of 2019, the Free Syrian Army and Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham sleeper cells have been wreaking havoc on the Syrian Arab Army troops inside the Daraa Governorate.", "BEIRUT, LEBANON (3:15 P.M.) – The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) scored a big advance east of the strategic city of Khan Sheikhoun on Wednesday, seizing several sites from the jihadist rebels of Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham and Rouse the Believers.\n\nLed by the 5th Corps and Republican Guard, the Syrian military began their advance by seizing the key hilltop of Tal Tari, which is located just south of Al-Ta’manah.\n\nFollowing the capture of Tal Tari, the Syrian Army advanced to the Al-Ta’manah axis, where they managed to capture the Tari and Sousah farms, along with the Sugar Factory.\n\nAccording to a military source at this axis east of Khan Sheikhoun, the Syrian Arab Army is working to besiege the pocket after talks between the Russian and Turkish armed forces collapsed.\n\nThe military source said the Russian Armed Forces refused the Turkish military’s demand that the Syrian Arab Army withdrawal back to the points established in the Sochi Agreement on September 17th, 2018.\n\nHe would add that the Syrian Arab Army is on the verge of cutting the main road between Khan Sheikhoun and Al-Ta’manah. If this happens, the militants and Turkish Armed Forces would be effectively besieged in this large pocket south of Khan Sheikhoun city."], "summary": "Media close to the government reports that the Syrian Army enters the northern sector of the town of Khan Shaykhun, following the reported HTS withdrawal."}
{"document": ["El Ministerio de Sanidad ha decretado la alerta sanitaria nacional por los casos de listeria de Andalucía. La ministra en funciones, María Luisa Carcedo, ha confirmado que desde el pasado 16 de agosto está decretada la alerta sanitaria a nivel nacional por el brote de listeriosis que se ha registrado en Andalucía, con una mujer fallecida.\n\nEl borte también se ha extendido a Extremadura, con un caso confirmado y otros cuatro sospechosos. Además, hay otro caso en Madrid, aunque el paciente ya ha recibido el alta después de infectarse al comer carne en mal estado en Andalucía.\n\nCarcedo ha señalado que los lotes del producto, que se empezaron a distribuir desde mayo, además de Andalucía y Extremadura, llegaron en \"cantidades mínimas\" a Castilla-La Mancha y Tenerife, aunque de momento sin sospechas de posibles afectados.\n\nActivación \"automática\" La ministra ha comentado que, una vez Andalucía puso en contacto de las autoridades sanitarias los contagios producidos por el consumo de ese tipo de carne mechada, \"automáticamente\" se activó la red de alerta alimentaria, ya que había \"sospechas\" de que los productos se pudieron distribuir más allá de tierras andaluzas. Así, se ha comunicado a todas las comunidades autónomas la orden de retirada de todos los lotes. Por ello, ha criticado la \"muy estéril\" petición de Facua, que reclamaba la alerta sanitaria nacional este miércoles cuando ya estaba activada desde el pasado viernes. \"Se han retirado todos los lotes de la empresa desde el mes de mayo, porque tenía tres meses de caducidad. Todo lo producido en ese periodo está inmovilizado. Existen controles ordinarios y periódicos, el problema surge cuando hay algún control que se salta por parte de quien tiene la responsabilidad, en este caso la industria, de seguir unos determinados protocolos por los riesgos de contaminación de su producto\", ha insistido la ministra, que ha añadido que la red de alerta \"está funcionando\". Sobre qué ha podido fallar para que llegara al público esta carne contaminada, ha apuntado que \"ese es el asunto en el que se tiene que volcar ahora toda la red\". \"Estamos pidiendo la información a Andalucía, cómo son los procesos de elaboración de esta carne, y en qué lugares pueden ser los lugares estratégicos de contaminación. Ahora se trata de que no se extienda el brote y que haya una vigilancia del control de la salud humana para detectar los casos\", ha agregado. En cuanto a una posible sanción a la empresa responsable, ha puntualizado que \"vendrá a 'posteriori'\". \"Después, con serenidad, ver dónde se produjo el fallo\", ha concluido la ministra de Sanidad.", "MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd August, 2019) Spain's authorities alerted the European Commission and the World Health Organization of an listeriosis outbreak in the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia, where the number of infected people has risen to 131, media reported on Wednesday, citing Spanish Health Minister Maria Luisa Carcedo.\n\n\"This has been done in order to continue monitoring the situation, in case any tourist who visits our country eats an infected product or if someone takes it abroad,\" the head of the Health Ministry said, explaining why they have alerted those international organizations, according to ConSalud.es news website.\n\nAndalusian Health Minister Jesus Aguirre said earlier that the number of infected people in the region may increase significantly as medics waited for the test results of 523 more people.\n\nIn mid-August, the Andalusian Health Ministry declared a health emergency over the listeriosis outbreak, which allegedly started after contaminated meatloaf under La Mecha brand entered the market.\n\nListeriosis is an infectious disease, most often caused by Listeria monocytogenes bacteria, that potentially leads to meningitis and encephalitis, and deadly to those with a weak immune system. It is usually contracted by eating contaminated food.", "Holidaymakers heading to Spain are advised to be careful after a listeriosis outbreak in various parts of the country. The number of confirmed people affected by the outbreak has already reached 150, while there are still more than 500 suspects waiting for the results of tests. Andalusia is the most affected are with 132 patients, but there are cases in four other regions of Spain. On top of reported cases in capital Madrid and Extremadura, three more were added on Tuesday in Aragon and three in Catalonia, as reported by the Minister of Health, María Luisa Carcedo.\n\nThe figure is expected to rise because in addition to the 523 that remain suspects in Andalusia, there are at least six possible cases in Madrid, including a baby; one in Castilla y León, and three more in Castilla-La Mancha. The FCO have not updated their advice despite the ongoing situation. Information from Andalusia has been updated today by the Minister of Health and Families, Jesús Aguirre. He said in statements to Cope radio that the number of confirmed cases means that these people have tested positive. At the same time, he stressed that the treatment to stop listeriosis is \"very effective\" and said that the \"health system is working very well.\" He expressed regret at the the death of a 90-year-old woman during this outbreak of listeriosis due to contaminated shredded meat.\n\nShe died last Monday at the Virgen del Rocío Hospital in Seville, where she entered on the 15th August after five or six days with symptoms. The Ministry of Health and Families issued a health alert on August 15 on the meat product (brand ‘La Mechá’, manufactured by Magrudis, based in Seville), after verifying that it was the cause of listeriosis outbreaks registered in Seville in recent weeks - however this came to late for the elderly woman. The Minister of Health has said this Wednesday the monitoring cabinet will meet again to analyse the situation. After stating that these meetings have been held \"every two or three days since the alert was declared\", in order to see what new measures can be taken, Aguirre has warned that more cases will emerge in the next few days \"because the incubation period is very variable, it goes from a few days from the moment of consumption to 70 days.” He said: “Here we are perfectly controlling adverse effects.”\n\nWhen asked about whether an excessive time was taken to detect the outbreak, Aguirre said his department knew that something was happening from the beginning of August because there was an \"important uptick\" in cases of listeriosis compared to the statistical average from other years. However, until the first family outbreak occurred, it was not possible to send two or three suspicious products to analyse. Epidemiologists were sent to a company that was thought to be the cause of the outbreak, but ultimately it was another. \"On the 14th the affected meat was detected and on the 15th the alert was declared,\" he said. He continued: ”Could it have been done faster? Well, I don't know, but I do know that when the positive result came to us on the 14th, the alert was automatically decreed, the protocols for primary and hospital care were opened and assistance began. “That's the important thing and also to take care of patients; that's what we focus on.\" On whether the municipal laboratory of the City of Seville took four days to get the results, the counsellor has indicated that \"maybe there could have been a two or three day delay, but the important thing is the coordination from the moment the positive result arrived and the alert being declared.”", "The number of people infected with listeriosis in the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia has risen to 131, media reported on Wednesday, citing data from Andalusian Health Minister Jesus Aguirre\n\nMOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 21st August, 2019) The number of people infected with listeriosis in the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia has risen to 131, media reported on Wednesday, citing data from Andalusian Health Minister Jesus Aguirre.\n\nIn mid-August, the Andalusian Health Ministry declared a health emergency, caused by meatloaf from the La Mecha company that contained Listeria bacteria.\n\nThe current number of infected people is 131, while 523 others are awaiting test results, according to the Europa Press news agency.\n\nThe Russian Federal Service for Supervision of Consumer Rights Protection and Human Well-Being has already warned Russian citizens about the outbreak, asking that those who are planning visits to Spain consider the risks involved.\n\nListeriosis is an infectious disease, most often caused by Listeria monocytogenes bacteria, that potentially leads to meningitis and encephalitis, and deadly to those with a weak immune system. It is usually contracted by eating contaminated food.", "MADRID (Reuters) - A 90-year-old Spanish woman died on Tuesday, 56 people have been hospitalized and dozens more taken ill in what is believed to be the biggest outbreak of listeriosis recorded in Spain, the health minister said.\n\nA nationwide alert was sent out after listeria, the bacteria behind the infection, was suspected in a brand of packaged pork manufactured by Seville-based Magrudis, acting Health Minister Maria Luisa Carcedo told Cadena Ser radio.\n\n“We are monitoring this, the alerts have been sent out and we’ve ordered that all products (that have come) from this factory since May be pulled from shelves,” she said.\n\nMost of the 114 cases have occurred in the southern Spanish region of Andalusia, but other potential cases have turned up across the country, from Madrid to the island of Tenerife.\n\nOf those affected in Andalusia, 53 remain in hospital, including 18 pregnant women and two newborn babies, regional health authorities said.\n\nThe company behind the packaged pork brand linked to the outbreak did not immediately reply to a request for comment.", "Listeria is found in food products such as soft cheeses and chilled ready-to-eat snacks\n\nSpain has issued an international alert after the number affected by the country's biggest ever listeria outbreak rose to 150.\n\nA 90-year-old woman has been killed by the infection as the health ministry said it was checking another 523 suspected cases of listeriosis.\n\nThe spread has sparked fears in Spain, which is visited by around 80 million tourists a year.\n\nListeriosis is usually caught from eating food containing listeria bacteria.\n\nIt can be found in many types of food but is mainly a problem with unpasteurised milk, soft cheeses and chilled ready-to-eat snacks like pre-packed sandwiches.\n\nMost confirmed cases in Spain have been recorded in the southern region of Andalusia, where a packaged pork plant linked to the outbreak is situated.\n\nBut there have been other cases as far away as Catalonia in the northeast, where around 50 people remain in hospital.\n\nListeria usually causes mild illness but can be dangerous to pregnant women, 23 of whom are among those still in hospital.\n\nIt is also more dangerous to those with weakened immune systems.\n\nSpain's health ministry has issued alerts to EU authorities and the World Health Organization over the outbreak.\n\nThe plant in question, owned by Seville-based Magrudis, was inspected by health authorities after lab tests showed the presence of listeria in one of its products.\n\nAll products manufactured in the plant since 1 May have been recalled.\n\nThe company has not responded to requests for comment.\n\nMaria Luisa Carcedo, acting health health minister, said: \"Obviously there was a failure to follow the established procedures.\n\n\"Now we need to carry out the inspections and investigations to figure out exactly where this failure took place.\"\n\nIn recent months, six people have been killed in a listeria outbreak in the UK after eating contaminated hospital food.\n\nHealth Secretary Matt Hancock ordered a root and branch review of NHS food in June after the first five patient deaths.", "The outbreak of listeriosis in Spain has claimed its first life in Seville, the capital city of Andalusia autonomous community, with the source of the infection believed to be packaged meatloaves from a particular brand, media reported on Tuesday, citing local medical officials\n\nMOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 20th August, 2019) The outbreak of listeriosis in Spain has claimed its first life in Seville , the capital city of Andalusia autonomous community, with the source of the infection believed to be packaged meatloaves from a particular brand, media reported on Tuesday, citing local medical officials.\n\nA 90-year-old woman died after eating a La Mecha brand meatloaf, thought to be the origin of the outbreak, el Periodico reported, citing the infectious unit director of the Virgen del Rocio hospital, Jose Miguel Cisneros.\n\nAccording to the Spanish newspaper, the La Mecha meatloaf is predominantly sold in Andalusia, but small batches have also been supplied to Tenerife island and Castilla-La Mancha autonomous community.\n\nSpanish Health Minister Maria Luisa Carcedo reportedly declared a nationwide health alert earlier in the day after at least 80 people were confirmed as infected and 56 hospitalized with listeriosis.\n\nOf those who have been hospitalized, 15 are pregnant women. For them, the infection is particularly dangerous since its pathogen, Listeria monocytogenes bacteria, can seriously harm the fetus or cause miscarriage.\n\nAnother unconfirmed listeriosis case has been registered in the Spanish capital of Madrid.\n\nEarlier this month, six people were reported to have died of listeria in the United Kingdom. There, too, people reportedly tested positive for listeria after eating sandwiches and salads of a particular food chain served at hospitals.\n\nListeria bacteria make infected humans vulnerable to diseases such as meningitis and encephalitis, and can turn lethal for individuals with weak immune systems, particularly infants and the elderly. Transmission usually happens by consuming contaminated foods, especially dairy and processed meat. Pathogens can survive in lower temperatures but are destroyed if cooked at high temperatures.", "MADRID — Spain’s health ministry issued an international alert over the country’s biggest ever listeriosis outbreak on Wednesday as the number of people affected rose to 150, including one fatality.\n\nAmid concerns over possible infection among the more than 80 million tourists who visit Spain annually, the ministry said it was checking another 523 suspected cases.\n\nMost confirmed cases have been recorded in the southern region of Andalusia, where the packaged pork plant linked to the outbreak is situated. But there have been others as far away as Catalonia in the northeast and more around 50 people remain in hospital.\n\nListeria, the bacteria behind the infection, usually causes mild illness but can be dangerous to pregnant women, 23 of whom are among those still hospitalized, and those with weakened immune systems.\n\nThe ministry said it had issued alerts to EU authorities and the World Health Organization over the outbreak, which was on Tuesday confirmed to have killed a 90-year-old woman.\n\nThe plant in question, owned by Seville-based Magrudis, was inspected by health authorities after lab tests showed the presence of listeria in one of its products, the ministry said. All products manufactured in the plant since May 1 have been recalled.\n\nThe company has not responded to requests for comment.\n\n“Obviously there was a failure to follow the established procedures,” acting health minister Maria Luisa Carcedo told reporters. “Now we need to carry out the inspections and investigations to figure out exactly where this failure took place.”", "A 90-year-old woman died after eating a La Mecha brand meatloaf, thought to be the origin of the outbreak, el Periodico reported, citing the infectious unit director of the Virgen del Rocio hospital, Jose Miguel Cisneros.\n\nAccording to the Spanish newspaper, the La Mecha meatloaf is predominantly sold in Andalusia, but small batches have also been supplied to Tenerife island and Castilla-La Mancha autonomous community.\n\nSpanish Health Minister Maria Luisa Carcedo reportedly declared a nationwide health alert earlier in the day after at least 80 people were confirmed as infected and 56 hospitalised with listeriosis.\n\nOf those who have been hospitalised, 15 are pregnant women. For them, the infection is particularly dangerous since its pathogen, Listeria monocytogenes bacteria, can seriously harm the fetus or cause miscarriage.\n\nAnother unconfirmed listeriosis case has been registered in the Spanish capital of Madrid.\n\nEarlier this month, six people were reported to have died of listeria in the United Kingdom. There, too, people reportedly tested positive for listeria after eating sandwiches and salads of a particular food chain served at hospitals.\n\nListeria bacteria make infected humans vulnerable to diseases such as meningitis and encephalitis and can turn lethal for individuals with weak immune systems, particularly infants and the elderly. Transmission usually happens by consuming contaminated foods, especially dairy and processed meat. Pathogens can survive in lower temperatures but are destroyed if cooked at high temperatures.", "An initiative from the Oregon Health Authority is gearing up to tackle issues like institution bias, trauma, racism and stress.\n\nThe State Health Improvement Plan, also known as SHIP, sets health priorities to identify population-wide priorities and strategies for improving the health of people in Oregon. In its 2020-2024 SHIP, it will prioritize efforts on social factors that affect health, such as childhood trauma, food security, and access to health care and employment.\n\nThe PartnerSHIP, a steering committee developing the 2020-2024 SHIP, has formed subcommittees with representatives from state agencies, nonprofits, tribal health, local public health departments, academia, businesses, and other area experts. The Public Health Division put together PartnerSHIP to inform and develop the 2020-2024 State Health Improvement Plan.\n\nThe 2020-2024 subcommittees’ goal is to identify and track strategies aimed at achieving the five SHIP priorities that include:\n• Institutional bias, or systematic distribution of resources, power and opportunity in society to the exclusion of people of color, people with disabilities, people with low income and people who identify as LGBTQ+.\n• Adversity, trauma and toxic stress, which can include abuse and neglect, living in poverty, incarceration, family separation, and exposure to racism and discrimination.\n• Economic drivers of health such as housing, living wage, food insecurity and transportation, since poverty is a strong predictor of poor health.\n• Access to equitable preventive health care, which can be limited by health care provider shortages, transportation barriers, health care costs, or language or other cultural barriers.\n• Behavioral health including poor mental health and substance use, which can lead to lower quality of life, unemployment and increased suicide rates.\n\nAccording to America’s Health Rankings, a not-for-profit, private foundation dedicated to improving health and health care, Oregon is the 21st healthiest state in the U.S., which has dropped from 2011 when it the eighth healthiest.\n\nIn the 2018 state health assessment, the OHA found “some communities are disproportionately affected by health disparities.”\n\nThe new health strategies will look at ways to end health disparities like the disproportionate burden of preventable illness, injury, disability, or mortality experienced by marginalized groups in each priority area, according to a press release.\n\nThe subcommittee meetings are starting this month, and all meetings are open to the public. More information on SHIP can be found on the OHA's website.\n\nFollow Tatiana Parafiniuk-Talesnick on Twitter @TatianaSophiaPT or email at Tatiana@registerguard.com."], "summary": "The Spanish Ministry of Health declares an outbreak of listeriosis in Andalusia as a national health alert after cases are reported in Asturias, Madrid, Catalonia and Extremadura, including one death."}
{"document": ["‘Various contacts’ made, says embattled president, amid reports he is negotiating a way to stand down\n\nNicolás Maduro has confirmed top Venezuelan officials have been talking to members of Donald Trump’s White House, after reports his second-in-command had been negotiating his downfall with the United States.\n\n“I confirm that for months there have been contacts between senior officials from Donald Trump’s government and from the Bolivarian government over which I preside – with my express and direct permission,” Venezuela’s authoritarian leader said in a televised address on Tuesday night.\n\n“Various contacts through various channels,” Maduro added.\n\nMaduro’s remarks came after two reports in the US media claimed Diosdado Cabello, one of Venezuela’s most powerful and feared men, had been engaged in “secret communications” with Trump officials.\n\nOn Sunday Axios claimed that in recent months Cabello, the 56-year-old head of Venezuela’s pro-Maduro constituent assembly, had been communicating with Trump’s top Latin America adviser, Mauricio Claver-Carone. Some Trump officials reportedly considered that a positive sign suggesting Maduro’s circle was “gradually cracking”.\n\nThe Associated Press claimed Cabello had met someone “in close contact with the Trump administration” in Caracas last month and that a second meeting was envisioned. The US reportedly hoped engaging with Cabello would intensify an internal “knife fight” supposedly raging at the pinnacle of Maduro’s administration.\n\nObservers of Venezuelan politics greeted those reports – apparently designed to destablise Maduro’s crisis-stricken administration by stoking paranoia within his inner-circle - with scepticism.\n\nChristopher Sabatini, a senior fellow for Latin America at the Chatham House thinktank, said: “I think what the US is trying to do is some sort of psy ops thing, trying to rattle people within Maduro’s administration.”\n\nBut on Tuesday Maduro confirmed contact with the US, which he painted as proof that he had been seeking ways “for president Donald Trump to truly listen to Venezuela and the truth of the 21st century Bolivarian revolution”.\n\nEarlier in the day Trump told reporters: “We’re talking to various representatives of Venezuela. I don’t want to say who, but we are talking at a very high level.”\n\nGeoff Ramsey, a Venezuela expert at the Washington Office on Latin America, described reports there had been talks between Cabello and Trump officials as “a very positive sign”.\n\n“It suggests an understanding at the top level of [Maduro’s] government that this is unsustainable,” he said of Venezuela’s ongoing economic, political and humanitarian meltdown.\n\n“I think what these people are looking for is some kind of guarantee [from the US] that they are not going to end up in a jail cell in Miami,” Ramsey added.\n\nMaduro has been fighting for his political life since January when a young opposition leader, Juan Guaidó, declared himself Venezuela’s rightful president and received the backing of more than 50 governments, including the US and UK.\n\nMore than four million Venezuelans have now fled their oil-rich but economically devastated nation, according to the UN’s refugee agency, with at least 1 million people leaving since last November alone.", "WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump said Tuesday his government is talking to “various representatives” of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who also confirmed that “secret” discussions had been taking place.\n\nIn a nationally broadcast appearance hours after Trump spoke, Maduro said that talks had long been underway between high officials in his government and the U.S. administration.\n\n“We’ve had secret meetings in secret places with secret people that nobody knows,” Maduro said, adding that all talks had been carried out under his “direct” authorization. “Sure there’s been contact and we’ll continue having contact.”\n\nThe Associated Press reported over the weekend that the U.S. has made secret contact with socialist party boss Diosdado Cabello as close allies of Maduro’s inner circle seek guarantees they won’t face prosecution for alleged abuses and crimes if they cede to growing demands to remove him.\n\nMaduro did not name any officials in his government participating in U.S. meetings. The socialist leader said that he’s ready to meet with Trump himself to normalize relations, an offer he’s made before.\n\nVenezuela was one of many topics addressed by Trump when he took questions from reporters earlier Tuesday during his meeting with Romanian President Klaus Iohannis.\n\nTrump, however, refused to say whether such dialogue is being conducted with Cabello, considered the nation’s second most powerful politician after Maduro.\n\n“We’re talking to various representatives of Venezuela,” Trump responded when a reporter asked him whether the White House is talking to Cabello. “I don’t want to say who, but we are talking at a very high level.”\n\nThe U.S. considers opposition leader Juan Guaidó to be the legitimate president of the country.\n\nAn administration official told AP the goal is not to prop up Cabello or pave the way for him to substitute Maduro, but to ratchet up pressure on the regime by contributing to the knife fight the U.S. believes is taking place behind the scenes among competing circles of power within the ruling party.\n\nAt a press conference Monday in Caracas, Cabello shied away from discussing any details of the meeting and at one point likened it to “a lie, a manipulation.” But he also said he has long stood welcome to talk to anyone, so long as any discussions take place with Maduro’s approval.\n\nTalks sponsored by Norway between the opposition and government have been slow moving and were suspended this month by Maduro.\n\nTrump repeated Tuesday that his government is helping Venezuela “as much as we can” so that the country resolves its political and financial crises, which he attributed to socialism.\n\n“Fifteen years ago it was one of the wealthiest countries. Now it’s one of the poorest countries,” he said.\n\nThe U.N. estimates that at least four million Venezuelans have left their country because of hyperinflation and severe shortages of food and medicine.", "CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó on Wednesday cast doubt on President Nicolás Maduro's claim that he is overseeing secret talks with the United States, saying it only reflects disarray within the Venezuelan government.\n\nGuaidó spoke a day after Maduro and President Donald Trump said high-level officials in their respective administrations have been meeting about ending the South American nation's deepening crisis.\n\nIn his first public remarks about the matter, Guaidó said the Venezuelan government was dysfunctional and that its hardliners would be disappointed to hear about alleged talks with the U.S.\n\n\"What's clear are the contradictions of the regime,\" he said at an event in Caracas. \"How many times have we seen how disorganized the regime is? If they've been effective in anything, it's communications, propaganda, lies for years.\"\n\nGuaidó comments focused on dialogue and foreign diplomacy more than he has in the past, as a delegation of opposition leaders this week travel to Washington to fine tune their strategy for forcing Maduro from power.\n\nMeanwhile, Maduro has sent two members of his government to Russia. Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López recently visited Moscow to fortify military ties, and Vice President Delcy Rodriguez met Wednesday with Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in talks aimed at expanding economic, military and other relations between the two nations.\n\nDavid Smilde, a senior fellow at the Washington Office on Latin America, who has spent decades researching Venezuela, said these parallel trips demonstrate the critical role that Russia and the United States have taken in Venezuela's conflict.\n\n\"They're having their own high level meetings with Russia, while the opposition is in D.C.,\" Smilde said. \"This shows the level that this is a geopolitical conflict.\"\n\nTensions between the U.S. and Venezuela have been escalating since early this year when Guaidó, head of the opposition-controlled National Assembly, declared the constitution gives him presidential powers because Maduro's election last year was a fraud. But despite his widespread international backing, Guaidó has been unable to loosen Maduro's grip on power and in particular, the military.\n\nThe Associated Press reported over the weekend that the United States has made secret contact with socialist party boss Diosdado Cabello as close allies of Maduro's inner circle seek guarantees they won't face prosecution for alleged abuses and crimes if they cede to growing demands to step down from power.\n\nMaduro said on national television Tuesday that talks had long been underway between officials in his government and the U.S. administration.\n\n\"We've had secret meetings in secret places with secret people that nobody knows,\" Maduro said, adding that all talks had been carried out under his \"direct\" authorization. \"Sure there's been contact and we'll continue having contact.\"\n\nHowever, U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton tweeted Wednesday that Maduro must be removed and that the talks don't involve him. \"The only items discussed by those who are reaching out behind Maduro's back are his departure and free and fair elections,\" Bolton tweeted.\n\nAs he took questions from reporters Tuesday, Trump confirmed his administration is talking to \"various representatives of Venezuela\" but refused to say whether the White House is specifically talking to Cabello.\n\n\"I don't want to say who,\" he said. \"But we're talking at a very high level.\"\n\nA U.S. official told the AP the goal is not to prop up Cabello or pave the way for him to substitute Maduro, but to ratchet up pressure on the regime by contributing to the knife fight the U.S. believes is taking place behind the scenes among competing circles of power within the ruling party.\n\nMany saw negotiations hosted by Norway on the Caribbean island of Barbados between the Maduro government and its opposition as Venezuela's best chance at resolving the crisis. Then, Bolton unveiled a new round of harsh sanctions this month, which prompted Maduro to pull out.\n\nSmilde and other analysts said that communication between the U.S. and Venezuela unveiled this week is a positive sign.\n\nJohn Polga-Hecimovich, a political scientist at the U.S. Naval Academy, said it's unclear to what extent, if any, Guaidó is involved in the talks. If the communication is in fact unilateral between the Trump and Maduro administrations, it would make the opposition appear weakened.\n\n\"The direct dialogue speaks to the limitations of the opposition,\" he said.\n\nThe development comes just weeks after the U.S. Treasury Department slapped tough new sanctions against the Venezuelan government that would target even foreign companies that do business with the Maduro administration.\n\nAnalysts said it's not surprising that a backroom dialogue between U.S. and Venezuelan officials remains active.\n\n\"The situation is in such a deadlock that I imagine the U.S. is looking for a way to open other pathways,\" said Venezuelan analyst Carlos Romero. \"Ones that are less belligerent than they've used up till now.\"", "President Maduro said that he had been trying to resolve the conflict with the US Ariana Cubillos/AP\n\nPresident Maduro said that senior Venezuelan officials had been in contact with the White House for months, only days after it was claimed that his deputy had been negotiating his downfall with the United States.\n\n“I confirm that for months there have been contacts between senior officials from Donald Trump’s government and from the Bolivarian government over which I preside, with my express and direct permission,” Mr Maduro said in a televised debate last night.\n\n“Just as I have sought dialogue in Venezuela, I have sought a way in which President Donald Trump really listens to Venezuela,” he said, adding that the aim of the discussions was to “normalise and resolve this conflict”.\n\nPresident Trump told reporters yesterday that US officials were “in touch” with…", "President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Romanian President Klaus Iohannis in the Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)\n\nCARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó on Wednesday cast doubt on President Nicolás Maduro’s claim that he is overseeing secret talks with the United States, saying it only reflects disarray within the Venezuelan government.\n\nGuaidó spoke a day after Maduro and President Donald Trump said high-level officials in their respective administrations have been meeting about ending the South American nation’s deepening crisis.\n\nNeither Maduro nor Trump mentioned anything about Guaidó, whom the United States and more than 50 other nations recognize as Venezuela’s rightful president. In his first public remarks about the matter, Guaidó said the Venezuelan government was dysfunctional and that its hardliners would be disappointed to hear about alleged talks with the U.S.\n\n“What’s clear are the contradictions of the regime,” he said at an event in Caracas. “How many times have we seen how disorganized the regime is? If they’ve been effective in anything, it’s communications, propaganda, lies for years.”\n\nGuaidó referred to a tweet Wednesday by U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton, who said Maduro must be removed and that the talks don’t involve him.\n\n“The only items discussed by those who are reaching out behind Maduro’s back are his departure and free and fair elections,” Bolton tweeted.\n\nHowever, Maduro said on national television Tuesday that talks had long been underway between officials in his government and the U.S. administration.\n\n“We’ve had secret meetings in secret places with secret people that nobody knows,” Maduro said, adding that all talks had been carried out under his “direct” authorization. “Sure there’s been contact and we’ll continue having contact.”\n\nMichael Shifter, president of the Inter-American Dialogue, said the U.S. involvement could be critical in breaking the monthslong stalemate but that the Trump administration nonetheless should be careful not to overstep the delicate boundaries at play.\n\n“The U.S. has not only an opportunity, but a responsibility, to use leverage it has to try and advance the position of the opposition and try and reach a deal,” he said. “It oversteps when it moves in directions that are clearly not aligned with what Guaidó is supporting.”\n\nTensions between the U.S. and Venezuela have been escalating since early this year when Guaidó, head of the opposition-controlled National Assembly, declared the constitution gives him presidential powers because Maduro’s election last year was a fraud. But despite his widespread international backing, Guaidó has been unable to loosen Maduro’s grip on power and in particular, the military.\n\nThe Associated Press reported over the weekend that the United States has made secret contact with socialist party boss Diosdado Cabello as close allies of Maduro’s inner circle seek guarantees they won’t face prosecution for alleged abuses and crimes if they cede to growing demands to step down from power.\n\nAs he took questions from reporters Tuesday, Trump confirmed his administration is talking to “various representatives of Venezuela” but refused to say whether the White House is specifically talking to Cabello.\n\n“I don’t want to say who,” he said. “But we’re talking at a very high level.”\n\nA U.S. official told the AP the goal is not to prop up Cabello or pave the way for him to substitute Maduro, but to ratchet up pressure on the regime by contributing to the knife fight the U.S. believes is taking place behind the scenes among competing circles of power within the ruling party.\n\nCabello said at a socialist party event Monday that he’s long stood welcome to talk to anyone, so long as Maduro approves of the exchange.\n\n“I meet with the owners of the circus,” he said, in an apparent reference to the U.S. “Not with those who work for them. The opposition works for them.”\n\nShifter and other analysts said that any communication between the U.S. and Venezuela is a positive sign.\n\nJohn Polga-Hecimovich, a political scientist at the U.S. Naval Academy, said it’s unclear to what extent, if any, Guaidó is involved in the talks. If the communication is in fact unilateral between the Trump and Maduro administrations, it would make the opposition appear weakened.\n\n“The direct dialogue speaks to the limitations of the opposition,” he said.\n\nThe development comes just weeks after the U.S. Treasury Department slapped tough new sanctions against the Venezuelan government that would target even foreign companies that do business with the Maduro administration.\n\nAnalysts said it’s not surprising that a backroom dialogue between U.S. and Venezuelan officials remains active.\n\n“The situation is in such a deadlock that I imagine the U.S. is looking for a way to open other pathways,” said Venezuelan analyst Carlos Romero. “Ones that are less belligerent than they’ve used up till now.”\n\nAssociated Press writer Christine Armario in Bogota, Colombia, contributed to this report.", "Maduro says there has been contact with US officials 'for months'\n\nVenezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said on Aug. 20 he had authorized contact with the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump \"for months,\" in an effort to repair relations with Washington.\n\nIn January, Maduro broke diplomatic relations with the United States. Washington imposed sanctions on high-level officials and Venezuelan state entities to increase pressure on Maduro and remove him as leader of the OPEC nation.\n\nOfficials from the two countries had not previously confirmed contact until earlier on Aug. 21, when Trump told journalists at the White House his administration had been in talks \"at a very high level\" with various representatives from Venezuela but declined to give details.\n\nMaduro said he could not reveal details about which officials had been in contact with the Trump administration or what they had discussed, but that the goal of the discussions was to \"normalize and resolve this conflict\" between the two countries.\n\n\"I can confirm that for months we have had contact,\" Maduro said during an appearance on state television. \"Just as I have sought dialogue in Venezuela, I have sought a way for President Donald Trump to really listen to Venezuela,\" he added.\n\nMaduro and a delegation representing opposition leader Juan Guaido have been meeting in Barbados as part of talks to resolve a political stalemate in nation that is suffering from a hyperinflationary economic collapse.\n\nThis week opposition politicians are traveling to Washington to speak to U.S. officials, four sources told Reuters.", "The United States has started secret preliminary talks via intermediaries with Diosdado Cabello, the leader of Venezuela’s Socialist party and the man considered the most powerful in the Latin American country after Nicolas Maduro, The Associated Press reported on Monday, quoting a senior U.S. administration official.\n\nThe inner circle of Nicolas Maduro are looking to obtain guarantees that they won’t face punishment if they yield to demands to remove Maduro from power, the AP said in its exclusive report.\n\nAccording to the U.S. administration official who spoke to the AP, an intermediary in close contact with the Trump Administration met with Cabello in Caracas last month. A second meeting is being planned, too. It’s not clear if Maduro knows of and/or has endorsed such talks between Cabello and a contact linked to the U.S. administration, the AP says.\n\nAn aide to Cabello, however, told the AP that Cabello is not betraying Maduro and would only hold meetings with Americans or U.S.-backed envoys or negotiators with Maduro’s permission and only if talks lead to easing of the harsh U.S. sanctions on Venezuela and its vital oil industry.\n\nEarlier this month, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order freezing all assets of the Venezuelan government in the United States, noting the move may open space for sanctions against companies doing business with the Maduro government.\n\nThe United States imposed sweeping sanctions against Venezuela’s oil industry at the start of this year. Since then, production had fallen drastically with no crude going to U.S. Gulf refineries—once Venezuela’s biggest market. As a result, the already serious humanitarian crisis in the country worsened further.\n\nAccording to OPEC’s secondary sources—the ones the cartel considers the official production figures—Venezuela’s crude oil production in July 2019 dropped by 32,000 bpd from June to 742,000 bpd. To compare, Venezuela’s crude oil production in 2017 averaged 1.911 million bpd.\n• None Six Brilliant Clean Energy Ideas That Never Made It", "Beleaguered Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro confirmed late Tuesday that his top-level officials have been in secret talks with members of the Trump administration to try to negotiate his exit. Reuters reports the secret meetings first came to light after American media outlets reported that Diosdado Cabello, one of Venezuela’s most powerful and feared men, had been in “secret communications” with high-ranking Trump officials. “I confirm that for months there have been contacts between senior officials from Donald Trump’s government and from the Bolivarian government over which I preside—with my express and direct permission,” Maduro said in a televised statement. “Various contacts through various channels.”", "MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 21st August, 2019) Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro confirmed that Venezuelan officials were in talks with the United States, adding that this dialogue has been ongoing for several months.\n\nUS President Donald Trump earlier said Washington was in talks with Venezuelan senior officials.\n\n\"I confirm that contacts with representatives of the US government have been maintained for several months, with my permission,\" Maduro said in a statement, which was broadcast on Twitter.", "(AP) — As President Donald Trump and Venezuela’s socialist leader Nicolás Maduro confirmed secret talks between their governments on Tuesday, one key player appeared to be left on the sidelines: The opposition.\n\nComments by both the U.S. and Venezuelan presidents each revealed that high-level officials in their respective administrations have been meeting about ending the South American nation’s deepening crisis.\n\nBut neither mentioned anything about opposition leader Juan Guaidó, who the United States and more than 50 other nations recognize as Venezuela’s rightful president.\n\nMichael Shifter, president of the Inter-American Dialogue, said the U.S. involvement could be critical in breaking the monthslong stalemate but that the Trump administration nonetheless should be careful not to overstep the delicate boundaries at play.\n\n“The U.S. has not only an opportunity, but a responsibility, to use leverage it has to try and advance the position of the opposition and try and reach a deal,” he said. “It oversteps when it moves in directions that are clearly not aligned with what Guaidó is supporting.”\n\nGuaidó has not directly addressed the high-level U.S.-Venezuela exchange, but said Tuesday that he’s been working since earlier this year toward a pacific transition. He is expected to deliver remarks Wednesday.\n\n“We’re not going to ease off even for a moment,” he wrote on Twitter.\n\nTensions between the U.S. and Venezuela have been escalating since early this year when Guaidó, who is the head of the opposition-controlled National Assembly, declared the constitution gives him presidential powers because Maduro’s election last year was a fraud. But despite his widespread international backing, Guaidó has been unable to loosen Maduro’s grip on power and in particular, the military.\n\nThe Associated Press reported over the weekend that the United States has made secret contact with socialist party boss Diosdado Cabello as close allies of Maduro’s inner circle seek guarantees they won’t face prosecution for alleged abuses and crimes if they cede to growing demands to step down from power.\n\nAs he took questions from reporters Tuesday, Trump confirmed his administration is talking to “various representatives of Venezuela” but refused to say whether the White House is specifically talking to Cabello.\n\n“I don’t want to say who,” he said. “But we’re talking at a very high level.”\n\nIn a nationally broadcast appearance hours later, Maduro said that talks had long been underway between officials in his government and the U.S. administration.\n\n“We’ve had secret meetings in secret places with secret people that nobody knows,” Maduro said, adding that all talks had been carried out under his “direct” authorization. “Sure there’s been contact and we’ll continue having contact.”\n\nThe socialist leader said that he’s ready to meet with Trump himself to normalize relations, an offer he’s made before.\n\nAn administration official told the AP the goal is not to prop up Cabello or pave the way for him to substitute Maduro, but to ratchet up pressure on the regime by contributing to the knife fight the U.S. believes is taking place behind the scenes among competing circles of power within the ruling party.\n\nCabello has shied away from discussing any details of the meeting, but said at a socialist party event Monday that he’s long stood welcome to talk to anyone, so long as Maduro approves of the exchange.\n\n“I meet with the owners of the circus,” he said, in an apparent reference to the U.S. “Not with those who work for them. The opposition works for them.”\n\nShifter and other analysts said that any communication between the U.S. and Venezuela is a positive sign but noted that the exact substance of the talks and how close either side is to reaching a resolution remains to be seen.\n\n“Whether they’ll actually produce an agreement is unclear,” he said.\n\nJohn Polga-Hecimovich, a political scientist at the U.S. Naval Academy, said it’s also unclear to what extent, if any, Guaidó is involved in the talks. If the communication is in fact unilateral between the Trump and Maduro administrations, it would make the opposition appear weakened.\n\n“The direct dialogue speaks to the limitations of the opposition,” he said.\n\nThe development comes just weeks after the U.S. Treasury Department slapped tough new sanctions against the Venezuelan government that would target even foreign companies that do business with the Maduro administration.\n\n“There are no good faith negotiations with Maduro and his cronies,” U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton tweeted earlier this year.\n\nDespite the harsh rhetoric, analysts said it’s not surprising that a backroom dialogue between U.S. and Venezuelan officials remains active.\n\n“The situation is in such a deadlock that I imagine the U.S. is looking for a way to open other pathways,” said Venezuelan analyst Carlos Romero. “Ones that are less belligerent than they’ve used up till now.”\n\nAssociated Press writer Christine Armario in Bogota, Colombia, contributed to this report."], "summary": "Nicolás Maduro confirms United States reports that top Venezuelan officials are having secret meetings with members of the Trump administration. Maduro claims that the talks encourage Trump to listen to him; United States sources claim that the talks encourage Maduro supporters to defect."}
{"document": ["COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — The Latest on U.S. President Donald Trump and his desire to buy the Arctic territory of Greenland (all times local):\n\nPresident Donald Trump does not appreciate Denmark's rejection of his idea to buy Greenland.\n\nThe American leader told reporters on Wednesday that \"all they had to say was, 'No, we'd rather not do that.'\"\n\nInstead, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called the idea \"an absurd discussion\" and said she was \"disappointed and surprised\" that Trump canceled his Sept. 2-3 visit to Denmark in a tweet earlier in the day.\n\nTrump, leaving the White House for an event in Kentucky, said Frederiksen's comments were \"nasty,\" adding \"You don't talk to the United States like that,\" at least during his presidency.\n\nFredericksen said the U.S. remains one of Denmark's close allies. Denmark's royals had invited Trump but the palace says they were blindsided by the tweet canceling the trip.\n\nThe prime minister of Denmark says she is \"disappointed and surprised\" by U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to cancel his visit to Denmark after she called Trump's idea of buying Greenland, Denmark's semi-autonomous Arctic territory, \"an absurd discussion.\"\n\nTrump, who was scheduled to visit Denmark on Sept. 2-3 as part of a European tour, tweeted his decision early Wednesday. The cancellation stunned Danes and blindsided the Danish royal palace, with spokeswoman Lene Balleby telling The Associated Press it came as \"a surprise\" to the royal household, which had formally invited Trump.\n\n\"Denmark is a very special country with incredible people, but based on Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen's comments, that she would have no interest in discussing the purchase of Greenland, I will be postponing our meeting scheduled in two weeks for another time,\" Trump said.\n\nThe vast island of Greenland sits between the Atlantic and Arctic oceans, has a population of 56,000 and has 80% of its land mass covered by a 1.7 million-square-kilometer (660,000 square-mile) ice sheet.", "President Donald Trump canceled a state visit to Denmark after his offer to buy Greenland was met first with bemusement, then flat refusal. Anger followed, and even Queen Margrethe II was drawn into the fray.\n\nTrump had been due to make his first visit to Denmark, a founding member of NATO and a U.S. ally in the Iraq war, on Sept. 2-3. A series of reports last week indicated he wanted to purchase Greenland, the world’s biggest island and site of a strategic American base. The territory is part of the Kingdom of Denmark, though it has extensive home rule.\n\nA leading member of the Danish government bloc on Wednesday called Trump’s behavior “hopeless,” while a former prime minister said the decision was “deeply insulting” to Danes. The queen weighed in, noting through a spokeswoman that the U.S. president’s decision to snub her invitation in a tweet came as a surprise.\n\nPrime Minister Mette Frederiksen said later that an invitation to Trump for a state visit still stands. The cancellation was a matter for regret, she told reporters in Copenhagen. “I was looking forward to his visit.”\n\nTheir discussions were to have focused on the strategic importance of Greenland. It’s where the U.S. has its northernmost base, Thule, and the island’s location close to the natural resources in the Arctic has made it attractive to both Russia and China. Frederiksen’s predecessor, Lars Lokke Rasmussen, said the debacle will require “enormous” work to repair trans-Atlantic relations.\n\nThe cancellation of the trip is a “diplomatic crisis,” said Kristian Jensen, a leading member of the opposition and a former finance minister. He hinted at the damage done to the post-World War II relationship with Denmark, which was among a handful of countries to follow the U.S. into the Iraq war.\n\nFrederiksen had previously called the idea of buying Greenland absurd and said she hoped it was a joke. She made clear the island wasn’t for sale and that Denmark doesn’t have the authority to sell it in any case. Trump saved his response for Twitter.\n\n“Denmark is a very special country with incredible people, but based on Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen’s comments, that she would have no interest in discussing the purchase of Greenland, I will be postponing our meeting scheduled in two weeks for another time,” Trump said in a Twitter post on Tuesday night.\n\nTrump still plans to travel to Poland from Aug. 31 to Sept. 2 for commemorations marking the 80th anniversary of the start of World War II. The U.S. leader has praised that nation for meeting a target for defense spending by NATO member nations and added 1,000 U.S. troops on the ground there. He also has touted a possible new military base for U.S. forces, known as “Fort Trump.”\n\nMorten Ostergaard, the leader of the Social Liberals who form part of the government bloc, tweeted that “reality has surpassed fantasy. It cannot be that no one in the U.S. state department told Trump in advance” that buying Greenland isn’t an option. “This is pretty hopeless. And it shows why we more than ever need to regard the EU members as our closest allies. You cannot count on this man.”\n\nHere’s what former Danish PM Helle Thorning-Schmidt had to say:\n\nAnders Fogh Rasmussen, who used to be NATO secretary general and is another former Danish PM, also weighed in:\n\nMartin Lidegaard, a member of the government bloc and a former foreign minister, called the affair a “diplomatic farce.”\n\nTrump wrote that “the Prime Minister was able to save a great deal of expense and effort for both the United States and Denmark by being so direct. I thank her for that and look forward to rescheduling sometime in the future!”\n\nEarlier this week, the president told reporters that buying Greenland would be “a large real estate deal” that could ease a financial burden on Denmark.\n\nFrederiksen and other officials ruled out a sale.\n\n“Greenland isn’t for sale, Greenland isn’t Danish, Greenland is Greenlandic,” Frederiksen said Sunday during a visit to the island, according to the local newspaper Sermitsiaq. “I keep trying to hope that this isn’t something that was seriously meant.”\n\nHowever serious White House discussions of a sale might have been, the topic prompted jokes on both sides of the Atlantic after Trump’s interest was reported. He got into the act Monday night with a tweet showing an image of a golden Trump tower on an austere Greenland landscape. “I promise not to do this to Greenland,” Trump wrote.", "The Danish government expressed shock and disbelief on Wednesday over U.S. President Donald Trump's cancellation of a state visit to Denmark after its prime minister rebuffed his interest in purchasing Greenland.\n\nTrump's proposal at first elicited incredulity and humour from politicians in Denmark, a NATO ally of the United States, with former premier Lars Lokke Rasmussen saying: \"It must be an April Fool's Day joke.\"\n\nBut the mood turned to shock when Trump called off the Sept. 2-3 visit after Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called his idea of the United States buying Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory, \"absurd.\"\n\n\"Total chaos with @realDonaldTrump and cancellation of state visit to Denmark. It has gone from a big opportunity for strengthened dialogue between allies to a diplomatic crisis,\" former foreign minister Kristian Jensen, a member of the opposition Liberal Party, said on Twitter.\n\n\"Everyone should know Greenland is not for sale,\" Jensen said of the world's largest island, which has considerable mineral wealth and a U.S. military presence at the Thule Air Base under a U.S.-Danish treaty dating to 1951.\n\nFrederiksen, who had been due to hold talks with Trump in Copenhagen, was unavailable for a comment as she was travelling after a visit to Greenland and Iceland earlier this week.\n\nShe said at the time that Greenland was \"not for sale\" and she hoped Trump's proposal was \"not meant seriously.\"\n\nMartin Lidegaard, a former foreign minister, told broadcaster TV2 it was \"a diplomatic farce,\" and Trump's behaviour was \"grotesque\" and he was \"throwing a hissy fit.\"\n\n\"It is very, very shocking, when it is about a very close ally and a good friend,\" Soren Espersen, foreign affairs spokesperson for the hard right Danish People's Party, told Danish news agency Ritzau.\n\nHe described Trump's cancellation as an offence to Queen Margrethe, Denmark's head of state, and said he did not expect another visit by the U.S. president would happen.\n\nTrump and his wife Melania Trump were formally invited to Denmark by Queen Margrethe in July.\n\n\"It shows why we now more than ever should consider [fellow] European Union countries as our closest allies. The man is unpredictable,\" said Morten Ostergaard, leader of the Danish Social Liberal Party. \"Reality surpasses imagination.\"\n\nTrump, whose \"America First\" policies have resulted in strained relations with the EU over trade and other issues, said Sunday that a U.S. purchase of Greenland would be \"a large real estate deal,\" though not an immediate priority.\n\n\"Denmark is a very special country with incredible people, but based on Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen's comments, that she would have no interest in discussing the purchase of Greenland, I will be postponing our meeting scheduled in two weeks for another time,\" Trump tweeted on Tuesday.\n\nGreenland, which is gaining attention from world powers including China, Russia and the U.S. due to its strategic location and mineral resources, is self-governing but depends on Denmark for economic support.\n\nAaja Chemnitz Larsen, a lawmaker from Greenland's Inuit Ataqatigiit opposition party, said she was not surprised at the cancellation, but it underlined the territory's importance.\n\n\"The U.S. is an interesting ally for Greenland, but we also wish for Greenland to remain in the union we have today,\" she told Reuters.\n\nIt's not the first time an American leader has expressed interest in buying the world's largest island.\n\nIn 1946, the U.S. proposed to pay Denmark $100 million to buy Greenland after flirting with the idea of swapping land in Alaska for strategic parts of the Arctic island.", "President Donald Trump walks to Marine One after speaking with reporters on the South Lawn of the White House, Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2019, in Washington. Trump is headed to Kentucky. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)\n\nCOPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — The Latest on U.S. President Donald Trump and his desire to buy the Arctic territory of Greenland (all times local):\n\nPresident Donald Trump does not appreciate Denmark’s rejection of his idea to buy Greenland.\n\nThe American leader told reporters on Wednesday that “all they had to say was, ‘No, we’d rather not do that.'”\n\nInstead, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called the idea “an absurd discussion” and said she was “disappointed and surprised” that Trump canceled his Sept. 2-3 visit to Denmark in a tweet earlier in the day.\n\nTrump, leaving the White House for an event in Kentucky, said Frederiksen’s comments were “nasty,” adding “You don’t talk to the United States like that,” at least during his presidency.\n\nFredericksen said the U.S. remains one of Denmark’s close allies. Denmark’s royals had invited Trump but the palace says they were blindsided by the tweet canceling the trip.\n\nThe prime minister of Denmark says she is “disappointed and surprised” by U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to cancel his visit to Denmark after she called Trump’s idea of buying Greenland, Denmark’s semi-autonomous Arctic territory, “an absurd discussion.”\n\nTrump, who was scheduled to visit Denmark on Sept. 2-3 as part of a European tour, tweeted his decision early Wednesday. The cancellation stunned Danes and blindsided the Danish royal palace, with spokeswoman Lene Balleby telling The Associated Press it came as “a surprise” to the royal household, which had formally invited Trump.\n\n“Denmark is a very special country with incredible people, but based on Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen’s comments, that she would have no interest in discussing the purchase of Greenland, I will be postponing our meeting scheduled in two weeks for another time,” Trump said.\n\nThe vast island of Greenland sits between the Atlantic and Arctic oceans, has a population of 56,000 and has 80% of its land mass covered by a 1.7 million-square-kilometer (660,000 square-mile) ice sheet.", "COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) - U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to cancel a visit to Denmark next month after the prime minister described his plan to buy Greenland as “absurd” took the Danish royal palace by surprise, a spokeswoman said Wednesday.\n\nLene Balleby told The Associated Press Wednesday that the news was “a surprise” to the royal household, which formally had invited Trump to visit Denmark Sep. 2 and 3 as part of a European trip. She had no further comments.\n\nTrump announced his decision by tweet after the Danish prime minister dismissed the notion of selling the semi-autonomous territory to the U.S. as “an absurd discussion.”\n\n“Denmark is a very special country with incredible people, but based on Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen’s comments, that she would have no interest in discussing the purchase of Greenland, I will be postponing our meeting scheduled in two weeks for another time,” Trump said.\n\nThere was no immediate reaction from the Danish government. Former government ministers were quick to speak out, however.\n\nMartin Lidegaard, a former foreign minister, told broadcaster TV2 that it was “a diplomatic farce” and said Trump’s behavior was “grotesque” and he was “throwing a hissy fit.”\n\nTrump’s cancellation was “deeply insulting to the people of Greenland and Denmark,” former Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt wrote on Twitter.\n\nClaus Oxfeldt, chairman of Denmark’s main police union, told Danish media that authorities had been busy planning the third visit by a sitting U.S. president to the Scandinavian NATO member. “As far as I know, it has created great frustrations to have spent so much time preparing for a visit that is canceled,” Oxfeldt was quoted as saying.\n\nOrdinary Danes shook their head at the news with many calling Trump an “immature” person “living on another planet.”\n\n“He thinks he can just buy Greenland, he acts like an elephant in a china shop,” said Pernille Iversen, a 41-year-old shopkeeper in Copenhagen.\n\n“This is an insult to (Queen) Margrethe, to Denmark,” said Steen Gade, a 55-year-old road worker.\n\nDenmark’s U.S. Ambassador to Denmark Carla Sands was apparently not informed of Trump’s decision.\n\nShortly before he canceled the trip on Twitter, she herself sent a tweet saying “Denmark is ready for POTUS,” using an acronym for “President of the United States” along with Trump’s Twitter handle, with a photo from Copenhagen’s City Hall square where a Dane had paid for two pro-Trump ads on giant electronic screens.\n\nTrump had said Sunday that he was interested in buying Greenland for strategic purposes, but said a purchase was not a priority at this time. Both Frederiksen and Greenland Premier Kim Kielsen responded that Greenland is not for sale.\n\n“The Prime Minister was able to save a great deal of expense and effort for both the United States and Denmark by being so direct,” Trump said. “I thank her for that and look forward to rescheduling sometime in the future!”\n\nWhite House spokesman Judd Deere later confirmed that the visit to Denmark has been canceled. Trump’s visit to Poland is expected to be maintained.\n\nGreenland sits between the Atlantic and Arctic oceans. A 1.7-million-square-kilometer (660,000-square-mile) ice sheet covers 80 percent of the island.\n\nRetreating ice could uncover potential oil and mineral resources in Greenland which, if successfully tapped, could dramatically change the island’s fortunes. However, no oil has yet been found in Greenlandic waters and the thickness of the ice means exploration is only possible in coastal regions.\n\nEven there, conditions are far from ideal, due to the long winter with frozen ports, 24-hour darkness and temperatures regularly dropping below minus 30 Celsius (minus 20 Fahrenheit) in the northern parts.\n\nIt wouldn’t be the first time an American leader has tried to buy the world’s largest island. In 1946, the U.S. proposed to pay Denmark $100 million to buy Greenland after flirting with the idea of swapping land in Alaska for strategic parts of the Arctic island.\n\nUnder a 1951 deal, Denmark allowed the U.S. to build bases and radar stations on Greenland.\n\nThe U.S. Air Force currently maintains one base in northern Greenland, Thule Air Force Base, 1,200 kilometers (745 miles) south of the North Pole. Former military airfields in Narsarsuaq, Kulusuk and Kangerlussuaq have become civilian airports.\n\nThe Thule base, constructed in 1952, was originally designed as a refueling base for long-range bombing missions. It has been a ballistic missile early warning and space surveillance site since 1961.\n\nDarlene Superville in Washington, D.C., contributed to this report.", "From left, Norway’s Prime Minister Erna Solberg, Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Prime Minister of Iceland Katrin Jakobsdottir arrive at Harpa Concert Hall in Reykjavik, Tuesday Aug. 20, 2019, ahead of the Nordic Prime Ministers meeting. (AP Photo/Egill Bjarnason)\n\nCOPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — The prime minister of Denmark said Wednesday she is “disappointed and surprised” by U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to cancel his visit to Denmark after she called Trump’s idea of buying Greenland, Denmark’s semi-autonomous Arctic territory, “an absurd discussion.”\n\nTrump, who was scheduled to visit Denmark on Sept. 2-3 as part of a European tour, tweeted his decision early Wednesday. The cancellation stunned Danes and blindsided the Danish royal palace, with spokeswoman Lene Balleby telling The Associated Press it came as “a surprise” to the royal household, which had formally invited Trump.\n\n“Denmark is a very special country with incredible people, but based on Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen’s comments, that she would have no interest in discussing the purchase of Greenland, I will be postponing our meeting scheduled in two weeks for another time,” Trump said.\n\nThe vast island of Greenland sits between the Atlantic and Arctic oceans, has a population of 56,000 and has 80% of its land mass covered by a 1.7 million-square-kilometer (660,000 square-mile) ice sheet.\n\nThe political brouhaha over the world’s largest island comes from its strategic location in the Arctic, which due to global warming is becoming more accessible to possible potential oil and mineral resources. Nations from Russia to China, the U.S., Canada and elsewhere are racing to stake as strong a claim as they can to Arctic lands, hoping they will yield future riches.\n\nAt the same time, scientists consider Greenland the canary in the coal mine for climate change and say its massive ice sheet has seen one of its biggest melts on record this summer, contributing to a global rise in sea levels.\n\nFrederiksen said she is standing behind the government of Greenland.\n\n“A discussion about a potential sale of Greenland has been put forward. It has been rejected by Greenland Premier Kim Kielsen and I fully stand behind that rejection,” she told reporters at a press conference Wednesday in Copenhagen.\n\nFrederiksen, who took office two months ago in a minority Social Democratic government, went on to say that diplomatic relations between Copenhagen and Washington “are not in any crisis in my opinion” despite Trump’s canceled plans.\n\n“The invitation for a stronger strategic cooperation with the Americans in the Arctic is still open,” Frederiksen told reporters, adding “the United States is one of our closest allies.”\n\nOthers in Denmark were not as gracious as the prime minister.\n\nMartin Lidegaard, a former Danish foreign minister, told broadcaster TV2 that it was “a diplomatic farce” and called Trump’s behavior “grotesque.”\n\nTrump’s cancellation was “deeply insulting to the people of Greenland and Denmark,” former Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt wrote on Twitter.\n\nClaus Oxfeldt, chairman of Denmark’s main police union, told Danish media that authorities had been busy planning the third visit by a sitting U.S. president to the Scandinavian NATO member. “It has created great frustrations to have spent so much time preparing for a visit that is canceled,” Oxfeldt was quoted as saying.\n\nOrdinary Danes shook their heads at the news, with many calling Trump immature.\n\n“He thinks he can just buy Greenland. He acts like an elephant in a china shop,” said Pernille Iversen, a 41-year-old shopkeeper in Copenhagen.\n\n“This is an insult to (Queen) Margrethe, to Denmark,” said Steen Gade, a 55-year-old road worker.\n\nIn Greenland, Johannes Kyed, an employee with a mine company, told Denmark’s TV2 channel that wanting to buy a country and its people is a relic of the past.\n\n“This is not the way the world works today,” Kyed said.\n\nThe U.S. ambassador to Denmark, Carla Sands, was apparently not informed of Trump’s decision ahead of time.\n\nShortly before Trump canceled the trip on Twitter, she sent a tweet saying “Denmark is ready for POTUS,” using an acronym for “President of the United States” along with Trump’s Twitter handle and a photo from Copenhagen’s City Hall square, where a Dane had paid for two pro-Trump ads on giant electronic screens.\n\nTrump had said Sunday that he was interested in buying Greenland for strategic purposes, but said a purchase was not a priority for his government at this time. Both Frederiksen and Greenland leader Kielsen responded that Greenland is not for sale.\n\n“The Prime Minister was able to save a great deal of expense and effort for both the United States and Denmark by being so direct,” Trump said in the tweet. “I thank her for that and look forward to rescheduling sometime in the future!”\n\nTrump is still expected to visit nearby Poland beginning on Aug. 31.\n\nRetreating ice could uncover potential oil and mineral resources in Greenland which, if successfully tapped, could dramatically change the island’s fortunes. However, no oil has yet been found in Greenlandic waters and the thickness of the ice means exploration is only possible in coastal regions.\n\nEven then, conditions are far from ideal, due to Greenland’s long winters with frozen ports, 24-hour darkness and temperatures that regularly drop below minus 30 degrees Celsius (minus 22 Fahrenheit) in the island’s northern regions.\n\nAmerican leaders have tried to buy Greenland before. In 1946, the U.S. proposed paying Denmark $100 million to buy Greenland after flirting with the idea of swapping land in Alaska for strategic parts of the Arctic island.\n\nUnder a 1951 deal, Denmark allowed the U.S. to build bases and radar stations on Greenland.\n\nThe U.S. Air Force currently maintains one base in northern Greenland, Thule Air Force Base, 1,200 kilometers (745 miles) south of the North Pole. Former military airfields in Narsarsuaq, Kulusuk and Kangerlussuaq have become civilian airports.\n\nThe Thule base, constructed in 1952, was originally designed as a refueling base for long-range bombing missions. Since 1961, it has been a ballistic missile early warning and space surveillance site.\n\nAnalysts said, for Trump, his announcement on the cancellation was as close to diplomatic as the American president gets.\n\n“His relatively polite wording in the tweets seems to indicate that he didn’t want to provoke or step up anything,” said Kristian Soeby Kristensen, a political scientist with the University of Copenhagen. He noted that Trump didn’t call Frederiksen “weak” as he has done with others.\n\nBoth Denmark and the United States have an interest in “business as usual” as Denmark is “a key partner in the Arctic.”\n\n“They need each other, so I don’t see a buildup of tensions,” he said, adding that, however, “one should be cautious about analyzing Trump’s unconventional foreign policy.”\n\nDarlene Superville in Washington, D.C., contributed to this report.", "COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — A spokeswoman for Denmark's royal palace says U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to postpone a visit to Denmark next month was \"a surprise.\"\n\nLene Balleby told The Associated Press Wednesday that the household, which formally had invited Trump to visit Denmark Sep. 2 and 3 as part of a European trip, had no further comments.\n\nTrump announced his decision by tweet after the Danish prime minister dismissed the notion of selling Greenland to the U.S. as \"an absurd discussion.\"\n\n\"Denmark is a very special country with incredible people, but based on Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen's comments, that she would have no interest in discussing the purchase of Greenland, I will be postponing our meeting scheduled in two weeks for another time,\" Trump said.\n\nThere was no immediate reaction from the Danish government.", "WASHINGTON (AP) — Two days after he said buying Greenland wasn’t a top priority, President Donald Trump canceled an upcoming trip to Denmark, which owns the mostly frozen island, after its prime minister dismissed the idea.\n\nPrime Minister Mette Frederiksen had called Trump’s musing about buying the Danish territory “an absurd discussion” after the former real estate mogul-turned-president began to talk up the idea.\n\nTrump said Sunday that he was interested in such a deal for strategic purposes, but said a purchase was not a priority at this time. “It’s not No. 1 on the burner,” he told reporters.\n\nTrump even joked about his proposal as it came in for ridicule, tweeting a doctored photo of a glistening Trump skyscraper looming over a small village in the Arctic territory.\n\n“I promise not to do this to Greenland,” he joked Monday.\n\nBut on Tuesday, Trump abruptly canceled the visit, also by tweet.\n\nJust a few hours earlier, the U.S. ambassador to Denmark tweeted that it was “ready for the POTUS @realDonaldTrump visit!” using an acronym for “President of the United States” along with Trump’s Twitter handle.\n\nTrump wrote: “Denmark is a very special country with incredible people, but based on Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen’s comments, that she would have no interest in discussing the purchase of Greenland, I will be postponing our meeting scheduled in two weeks for another time.”\n\nHe added: “The Prime Minister was able to save a great deal of expense and effort for both the United States and Denmark by being so direct. I thank her for that and look forward to rescheduling sometime in the future!”\n\nWhite House spokesman Judd Deere said later that the visit to Denmark has been canceled.\n\nThe White House announced in late July that Trump had accepted an invitation to visit Denmark’s Queen Margrethe and participate in a series of meetings, including with Frederiksen and business leaders.\n\nThe trip, set to begin at the end of August, includes a stop in Poland to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the start of World War II.\n\nTrump is expected to go ahead with the Warsaw visit.\n\nAsked about Greenland on Sunday as he prepared to return to Washington after a vacation week at his central New Jersey home, Trump said “strategically … it would be nice” to own the island.\n\nHe also suggested he might not visit Denmark at all, saying he didn’t think the previously announced trip had been “absolutely set in stone yet.”\n\nAssociated Press writer Jill Colvin contributed to this report.\n\nCopyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.", "COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — The Latest on U.S. President Donald Trump and his desire to buy the Arctic territory of Greenland (all times local):\n\nPresident Donald Trump does not appreciate Denmark's rejection of his idea to buy Greenland.\n\nThe American leader told reporters on Wednesday that \"all they had to say was, 'No, we'd rather not do that.'\"\n\nInstead, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called the idea \"an absurd discussion\" and said she was \"disappointed and surprised\" that Trump canceled his Sept. 2-3 visit to Denmark in a tweet earlier in the day.\n\nTrump, leaving the White House for an event in Kentucky, said Frederiksen's comments were \"nasty,\" adding \"You don't talk to the United States like that,\" at least during his presidency.\n\nFredericksen said the U.S. remains one of Denmark's close allies. Denmark's royals had invited Trump but the palace says they were blindsided by the tweet canceling the trip.\n\nThe prime minister of Denmark says she is \"disappointed and surprised\" by U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to cancel his visit to Denmark after she called Trump's idea of buying Greenland, Denmark's semi-autonomous Arctic territory, \"an absurd discussion.\"\n\nTrump, who was scheduled to visit Denmark on Sept. 2-3 as part of a European tour, tweeted his decision early Wednesday. The cancellation stunned Danes and blindsided the Danish royal palace, with spokeswoman Lene Balleby telling The Associated Press it came as \"a surprise\" to the royal household, which had formally invited Trump.\n\n\"Denmark is a very special country with incredible people, but based on Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen's comments, that she would have no interest in discussing the purchase of Greenland, I will be postponing our meeting scheduled in two weeks for another time,\" Trump said.\n\nThe vast island of Greenland sits between the Atlantic and Arctic oceans, has a population of 56,000 and has 80% of its land mass covered by a 1.7 million-square-kilometer (660,000 square-mile) ice sheet.", "COPENHAGEN — Denmark’s prime minister said on Wednesday that U.S. President Donald Trump’s cancellation of a state visit after Denmark rebuffed his interest in purchasing Greenland would not affect close relations between the two allies.\n\n“The cancellation of the visit doesn’t change the good relationship between Denmark and the United States,” Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said at a press briefing.\n\nShe also reaffirmed that Greenland is not for sale. (Reporting by Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen; Editing by Toby Chopra)"], "summary": "U.S. President Donald Trump cancels his September state visit to Denmark because Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen says that she has no interest in discussing the purchase of Greenland."}
{"document": ["Tamanho do texto\n\nO homem que sequestrou o ônibus na Ponte Rio-Niterói na manhã desta terça-feira usava uma arma de brinquedo. Informou o porta-voz da Polícia Militar, o coronel Mauro Fliess, à TV Globo. Segundo Fliess, o sequestrador morreu no local após disparos de um atirador de elite da corporação posicionado no local.\n\n— Essa é a polícia que queremos ver. Foi necessário o disparo de um sniper para neutralizar o marginal e salvar todas as pessoas do ônibus. Ele está em óbito no local. Morreu. Estamos prestando toda atenção à saúde dos reféns e agindo com solidariedade. Parabenizo todos os envolvidos. Com a convicção que tínhamos, ela (a operação) terminou com êxito. Nenhum refém ferido, eles estão recebendo atendimentos médicos e psicológicos em caso de necessidade. Mas nenhum ferimento — disse Flies.\n\nApesar da arma de brinquedo, Fliess destacou que o sequestrador jogou combustível no coletivo e, durante a ação, ameaçou incendiar o ônibus.\n\n— Ele estava de posse de uma arma de brinquedo, porém, ele jogou combustível no ônibus e ameaçava incendiá-lo. Após ele ser neutralizado, as equipes identificaram que a arma que ele portava era de brinquedo — acrescentou o porta-voz da PM.", "Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Armed police surround bus with hostages on board\n\nMilitary police say they have \"neutralised\" a man who held dozens of passengers hostage for more than three hours on a commuter bus in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro.\n\nIn a tweet, police said all hostages had been freed after a sniper shot the man dead.\n\nPolice had surrounded the bus which came to a standstill on a bridge linking Rio with Niterói.\n\nNone of the hostages were injured, police said.\n\nA spokesman for the military police, Col Mauro Fliess, told a local TV programme that the sniper opened fire when the hijacker appeared at the door of the bus pointing what looked like a weapon at the head of one of the hostages.\n\nCol Fliess told TV programme Bom Dia Rio that the weapon the man was carrying turned out to be a toy gun.\n\nCol Fliess praised the force. \"This is the police force we want to see. The sniper shot was necessary to neutralise the outlaw and to save the people on the bus,\" the colonel said.\n\nAt least six passengers had been freed before the sharp shooter took aim. Footage showed one of the released hostages fainting as she got off the bus.\n\nImage copyright EPA Image caption A woman who was released lost consciousness as she got off the bus\n\nAt one point the hostage-taker could be seen leaning out of the open door with something resembling a petrol bomb in his hand.\n\nBrazilian media said it was not clear if he had made any demands. He reportedly boarded the bus at 05:30 (0830 GMT) and threatened passengers.\n\nHe reportedly told the passengers he was a military police officer. Col Fliess said it had not yet been confirmed if he was an officer or just claimed to be.\n\nImage caption The bridge on which the hijacking spans Guanabara Bay\n\nOne news site released a WhatsApp message reportedly written by one of the passengers, saying that the gunman had tied the passengers' hands and had a petrol can as well as a gun.\n\nTraffic on the bridge has been blocked completely.\n\nMilitary police had earlier tweeted (in Portuguese) that the special operations team was negotiating with the hostage taker: \"Our officers are trained and have great practical experience in these types of situations.\"\n\nThey had also asked people to remain calm.\n\nIt is not the first time a bus has been hijacked in Rio. In 2006, a gunman held passengers hostage for 10 hours before surrendering.\n\nIn that case, one of those on board was the gunman's wife, whom he threatened to kill for leaving him. The man eventually surrendered after relatives were brought in to calm him down.", "A woman sits in a car with a baby as they wait on a blocked access as a Federal Highway Police officer stands next at the busy bridge connecting the city of Niteroi to Rio de Janeiro , Brazil, Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2019 during a hostage standoff. An armed man holding dozens of people hostage on a public bus and threatening to set the vehicle on fire was seized by police after a four-hour long standoff, Brazilian police said. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)\n\nRIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brandishing a fake gun, a man on Tuesday took dozens of hostages on a bus in Brazil and threatened to set the vehicle on fire with gasoline before police shot him dead in a four-hour standoff broadcast live on television.\n\nAll of the hostages were freed unharmed in the confrontation, which unfolded on a 13-kilometer-long (8-mile-long) bridge linking Rio de Janeiro to the Niteroi municipality across Guanabara Bay.\n\nThe seized bus was coming from Sao Gonçalo, a community struggling with poverty and violence that lies across a bay. Many people use the bridge to travel to and from work in Rio, and hundreds of vehicles were backed up as police closed lanes and tried to get control of the dangerous situation.\n\nPolice initially said the man had a gun and a knife. Later, however, Lt. Col. Maurilio Nunes of the elite police squad that handled the hostage-taking said the gun was fake.\n\nThe man took 37 people hostage on the bus at around 5:30 a.m., as commuter traffic was increasing, police said. He released two hostages, then another two, and then two more, separately. Later, he stepped out of the bus, threw an object resembling a bag and was shot by a sniper.\n\nThe man’s intentions were unclear and he did not make any particular demands, according to police. The standoff was broadcast live on Brazil’s TV Globo, riveting Brazilians in a nation accustomed to high levels of crime.\n\nGov. Wilson Witzel of Rio de Janeiro state praised the police, saying the hostage situation was high-profile but that armed criminals are regularly “terrorizing” people out of sight of most Brazilians.\n\nAny criminal with a firearm “can and should be shot down by an elite sniper,” said Witzel, dismissing concerns that police killings of suspects in Rio are increasing.\n\nPolice in Rio killed 714 people in the first five months of this year – almost five a day – 20% more than in 2018, according to official figures.\n\nWitzel, a former marine, has argued in favor of using snipers on helicopters to shoot armed criminals in Rio’s crime-ridden slums. He is a political ally of President Jair Bolsonaro, whose successful election platform last year included a pledge to get tough on crime.\n\nRio’s elite police force, known as BOPE, on Tuesday took charge of negotiations with the hostage-taker while a sniper deployed near the scene.\n\nSeveral shots were heard when police killed the man. Journalists and others in the area ducked to the ground.\n\nSome passengers who were earlier freed by the assailant told police that the man had spilled gasoline in the bus and was threatening to set it on fire. Witzel said there was a “strong smell of gasoline” when he went inside the bus after the hostage-taker was killed.\n\nHowever, Hans Moreno, one of the hostages, said on TV Globo that the hostage-taker had appeared “very calm.”\n\nAt one point, the man freed a hostage who only managed to walk a few meters toward police before passing out on the ground and being taken to an ambulance.\n\nThe episode reminded many Brazilians of shocking images from a bus seizure in Rio de Janeiro in 2000 during which a hostage and the gunman were killed.\n\nThat confrontation, which was also shown on live television, inspired Bus 174, an award-winning documentary that explored the social roots of violence in Brazilian society and scrutinized problems in the police force and criminal justice system.\n\nIn 2017, a man with a toy gun took 30 people hostage on a bus on the same bridge linking Rio and Niteroi, and released them unharmed after an hour, according to local media.", "RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) - An armed man on Tuesday took dozens of hostages on a bus in Brazil and threatened to set the vehicle on fire with gasoline before police shot him dead in a four-hour standoff broadcast live on television.\n\nAll of the hostages were freed unharmed in the confrontation, which unfolded on a 13-kilometer-long (8-mile-long) bridge linking Rio de Janeiro to the Niteroi municipality across Guanabara Bay.\n\nThe seized bus was coming from Sao Gonçalo, a community struggling with poverty and violence that lies across a bay. Many people use the bridge to travel to and from work in Rio, and hundreds of vehicles were backed up as police closed lanes and tried to get control of the dangerous situation.\n\nThe man, holding a gun and a knife, took 37 people hostage on the bus at around 5:30 a.m., as commuter traffic was increasing. He released two hostages, then another two, and then two more, separately. Later, he stepped out of the bus, threw an object resembling a bag and was shot by a sniper.\n\nThe gunman's intentions were unclear and he did not make any particular demands, according to police. The standoff was broadcast live on Brazil's TV Globo, riveting Brazilians in a nation accustomed to high levels of crime.\n\nGov. Wilson Witzel of Rio de Janeiro state praised the police, saying the hostage situation was high-profile but that armed criminals are regularly \"terrorizing\" people out of sight of most Brazilians.\n\n\"If the police could do their job and shoot people with rifles, so many victims would be spared,\" Witzel said on TV Globo.\n\nThe governor, a former marine, has argued in favor of using snipers on helicopters to shoot armed criminals in Rio's crime-ridden slums. He is a political ally of President Jair Bolsonaro, whose successful election platform last year included a pledge to get tough on crime.\n\nRio's elite police force, known as BOPE, had taken charge of negotiations with the hostage-taker while a sniper was placed near the scene.\n\nSeveral shots were heard when police killed the man. Journalists and others in the area ducked to the ground.\n\nSome passengers who were earlier freed by the assailant told police that the man had spilled gasoline in the bus and was threatening to set it on fire. However, Hans Moreno, one of the hostages, said on TV Globo that the man had appeared \"very calm.\"\n\nAt one point, the gunman freed a hostage who only managed to walk a few meters toward police before passing out on the ground and being taken to an ambulance.", "People wait at a blocked access of the bridge connecting the city of Niteroi to Rio de Janeiro , Brazil, Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2019 during a hostage standoff. An armed man holding dozens of people hostage on a public bus and threatening to set the vehicle on fire was seized by police after a four-hour long standoff, Brazilian police said. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)\n\nRIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — The Latest on a hostage taking on a bus in Brazil (all times local):\n\nRio de Janeiro’s state governor says an armed man who took dozens of hostages on a bus has died after being shot by police following a four-hour long standoff.\n\nGov. Wilson Witzel said the hostages were freed after Tuesday’s incident. The man armed with a gun and a knife took 37 people hostage around 5:30 a.m. on a busy bridge linking the suburb of Sao Gonçalo to downtown Rio de Janeiro.\n\nPolice say hostages told them the man had spilled gasoline in the bus and was threatened to set it on fire.\n\nHans Moreno, one of the hostages onboard, said on TV Globo the man was not behaving in an aggressive way and was “very calm.”\n\nSao Gonçalo is a violent, impoverished suburb separated from Rio by Guanabara Bay. Many use the bridge to go to and from work.\n\nBrazilian television is showing an armed hostage-taker leaving a bus with dozens of passengers on board and being encircled by police after a standoff in Rio de Janeiro. It was unclear if he was injured or dead.\n\nBrazilian police say the man had threatened to set fire to the vehicle which had 37 people on board. The hostage taking started at about 5:30 a.m. Tuesday on a busy bridge linking the suburb of Sao Gonçalo to downtown Rio de Janeiro.\n\nPolice said they told authorities the man had spilled gasoline in the bus and threatened to set it on fire. Officials said the man has identified himself as a policeman but this has not been confirmed.\n\nThe man has not made any particular demands and appears to have “psychological problems,” a spokesperson for the traffic police said on TV Globo.\n\nAn armed man was holding dozens of people hostage on a public bus Tuesday in Rio de Janeiro and threatening to set the vehicle on fire, Brazilian police said.\n\nThe Federal Highway Police said negotiations were underway with the man who has been holding 37 people hostage since about 5:30 a.m. on a busy bridge linking the suburb of Sao Gonçalo to downtown Rio de Janeiro.\n\nAt least six hostages have been released so far and police said they told authorities the man had spilled gasoline in the bus and threatened to set it on fire. Officials said the man has identified himself as a policeman but this has not been confirmed. He reportedly has a gun and a knife.\n\nThe man has not made any particular demands and appears to have “psychological problems,” a spokesperson for the traffic police said on TV Globo.\n\nRio’s elite police force known as BOPE is in charge of the negotiations. A sniper has been placed nearby. Traffic has been blocked in both directions on the bridge, with hundreds of vehicles waiting in line.\n\nSao Gonçalo is a violent, impoverished suburb separated from Rio by Guanabara Bay.", "A woman sits in a car with a baby as they wait on a blocked access as a Federal Highway Police officer stands next at the busy bridge connecting the city of Niteroi to Rio de Janeiro , Brazil, Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2019 during a hostage standoff. An armed man holding dozens of people hostage on a public bus and threatening to set the vehicle on fire was seized by police after a four-hour long standoff, Brazilian police said. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)\n\nRIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — An armed man who took dozens of hostages on a bus in Brazil was shot dead by police following a four-hour standoff on Tuesday, authorities said.\n\nAll the hostages were freed unharmed during the incident in Rio de Janeiro, state Gov. Wilson Witzel said. The man, holding a gun and a knife, took 37 people hostage around 5:30 a.m. on a busy bridge linking the suburb of Sao Gonçalo to downtown Rio de Janeiro.\n\nSome passengers who were earlier freed by the assailant told police that the man had spilled gasoline in the bus and was threatening to set it on fire.\n\nHowever, Hans Moreno, one of the hostages, said on TV Globo that the man had appeared “very calm.”\n\nOfficials said the man had identified himself as a policeman but that they were not able to confirm this information. He did not make any particular demands, according to police.\n\n“I want to thank the police for its work,” Witzel told TV Globo. This kind of situation “is happening in communities. They have rifles in the communities, terrorizing the communities.”\n\nRio’s elite police force, known as BOPE, had taken charge of negotiations with the hostage-taker. A sniper was placed nearby. Traffic was blocked in both directions on the bridge, with hundreds of vehicles waiting in line.\n\nSao Gonçalo, an area struggling with poverty and violence, is separated from Rio by Guanabara Bay. Many use the bridge where the hostages were seized to go to and from work.", "RIO DE JANEIRO -- An armed man holding dozens of people hostage on a public bus Tuesday in Rio de Janeiro and threatening to set the vehicle on fire was arrested by police after a four-hour long standoff, Brazilian police said.The man armed with a gun and a knife took 37 people hostage around 5:30 a.m. on a busy bridge linking the suburb of Sao Gonalo to downtown Rio de Janeiro, before being controlled by police forces. It was immediately unclear if he was wounded or dead.Six hostages were released in the first few hours and police said they told authorities the man had spilled gasoline in the bus and threatened to set it on fire. Officials said the man had identified himself as a policeman but that they were not able to confirm this information.Hans Moreno, one of the hostages onboard, said on TV Globo the man was not behaving in an aggressive way and was \"very calm.\"The man had not made any particular demands and appeared to have \"psychological problems,\" a spokesperson for the traffic police said on TV Globo.Rio's elite police force known as BOPE was in charge of the negotiations. A sniper was placed nearby. Traffic has been blocked in both directions on the bridge, with hundreds of vehicles waiting in line.Sao Gonalo is a violent, impoverished suburb separated from Rio by Guanabara Bay. Many use the bridge to go to and from work.", "A woman sits in a car with a baby as they wait on a blocked access as a Federal Highway Police officer stands next at the busy bridge connecting the city of Niteroi to Rio de Janeiro , Brazil, Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2019 during a hostage standoff. An armed man holding dozens of people hostage on a public bus and threatening to set the vehicle on fire was seized by police after a four-hour long standoff, Brazilian police said. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)\n\nRIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brandishing a fake gun, a man on Tuesday took dozens of hostages on a bus in Brazil and threatened to set the vehicle on fire with gasoline before police shot him dead in a four-hour standoff on Latin America’s longest bridge.\n\nAll the hostages were freed unharmed on a 13-kilometer (8-mile) bridge that offers a sweeping view of Rio de Janeiro’s Sugarloaf Mountain and the statue of Christ the Redeemer. The panoramic setting where the man made his move seemed to reflect a bid for maximum publicity in a spot with virtually no chance of escape.\n\n“He told us he didn’t want our belongings, that he didn’t want to hurt us, that he just wanted to go down in history,” said Hans Moreno, a hostage who had been sitting at the back of the bus.\n\nThe bridge links Rio to the Niteroi municipality across Guanabara Bay. Many people use it to travel to and from work in Rio, and hundreds of vehicles were backed up as police closed its eight lanes and tried to get control of the dangerous situation. The bus was coming from Sao Gonçalo, a municipality struggling with poverty and violence.\n\nPolice initially said the man had a gun and a knife. Later, however, Lt. Col. Maurilio Nunes of the elite police squad that handled the hostage-taking said the gun was fake.\n\n“He had highs and lows,” Nunes said of the hostage taker, who communicated with police. Professional psychologists were summoned to help police assess the man’s troubled state of mind, according to Nunes.\n\nThe man took 37 people hostage on the bus at around 5:30 a.m., as commuter traffic was increasing, police said. He released two hostages, then another two, and then two more, separately. Later, he stepped out of the bus, threw an object resembling a bag and was shot by a sniper.\n\nSeveral shots were heard when police killed the man, and journalists and others in the area ducked to the ground.\n\nThe man’s intentions were unclear and he did not make any particular demands, according to police. The standoff was broadcast live on Brazil’s TV Globo, riveting Brazilians in a nation accustomed to high levels of crime.\n\nThe man instructed a hostage to bind the wrists of other passengers with plastic straps, but let them make brief phone calls to family members, according to Moreno, one of the hostages. He said he jotted short descriptions on a piece of paper of where the hostage-taker was standing in the bus, and placed the paper at a window in an attempt to guide police.\n\nGov. Wilson Witzel of Rio de Janeiro pumped his fist in triumph after arriving on the bridge in a helicopter after the hostage-taker was killed. He later praised police, saying the hostage situation was high-profile but that armed criminals are regularly “terrorizing” people out of sight of most Brazilians.\n\nAny criminal with a firearm “can and should be shot down by an elite sniper,” said Witzel, dismissing concerns that police killings of suspects in Rio are increasing.\n\nPolice in Rio killed 881 people in the first six months of this year — almost five a day — a double digit increase compared to the same period in 2018, according to official figures.\n\nWitzel, a former marine, has argued in favor of using snipers on helicopters to shoot armed criminals in Rio’s slums. He is a political ally of President Jair Bolsonaro, whose successful election platform last year included a pledge to get tough on crime.\n\n“We don’t have to feel sorry for him,” Bolsonaro told reporters from Brasilia before police forces had managed to regain control of the situation.\n\nSome passengers who were earlier freed by the assailant told police that the man had spilled gasoline in the bus and was threatening to set it on fire. Witzel said there was a “strong smell of gasoline” when he went inside the bus after the hostage-taker was killed.\n\nAt one point, the man freed a hostage who only managed to walk a few meters toward police before passing out on the ground and being taken to an ambulance.\n\nThe episode reminded many Brazilians of shocking images from a bus seizure in Rio de Janeiro in 2000 during which a hostage and the gunman were killed.\n\nThat confrontation, which was also shown on live television, inspired Bus 174, an award-winning documentary that explored the social roots of violence in Brazilian society and scrutinized problems in the police force and criminal justice system.\n\nIn 2017, a man with a toy gun took 30 people hostage on a bus on the same bridge linking Rio and Niteroi, and released them unharmed after an hour, according to local media.\n\nAssociated Press journalists Leo Correa and Lucas Dumphreys contributed to this report from Rio de Janeiro.", "(RIO DE JANEIRO) — Rio de Janeiro’s state governor says an armed man who took 37 people hostage on a bus has died after being shot by police following a four-hour long standoff. Gov. Wilson Witzel said the hostages were freed after Tuesday’s incident.\n\nThe man armed with a gun and a knife took 37 people hostage around 5:30 a.m. on a busy bridge linking the suburb of Sao Gonçalo to downtown Rio de Janeiro.. Six hostages were released in the first few hours and police said they told authorities the man had spilled gasoline in the bus and threatened to set it on fire. Officials said the man had identified himself as a policeman but that they were not able to confirm this information.\n\nBrazilian television earlier appeared to show the hostage-taker leaving the bus and being encircled by police.\n\nHans Moreno, one of the hostages onboard, said on TV Globo the man was not behaving in an aggressive way and was “very calm.” The man had not made any particular demands and appeared to have “psychological problems,” a spokesperson for the traffic police said on TV Globo.\n\nRio’s elite police force known as BOPE was in charge of the negotiations. A sniper was placed nearby. Traffic has been blocked in both directions on the bridge, with hundreds of vehicles waiting in line.\n\n“I want to thank the police for its work,” Witzel told TV Globo. This kind of situation “is happening in communities. They have rifles in the communities, terrorizing the communities.”\n\nSao Gonçalo is an impoverished suburb separated from Rio by Guanabara Bay. Many use the bridge to go to and from work.", "Aug. 20 (UPI) -- Police in Rio de Janeiro fatally shot a man they said held dozens of hostages on a commuter bus Tuesday morning.\n\nThe Rio de Janeiro State Military Police said none of the 37 passengers on board the bus sustained injuries during the 4-hour standoff, though one woman fainted as she exited the vehicle. A sniper \"neutralized\" the hostage-taker on the Ponte Rio-Niterói bridge, the agency tweeted.\n\nThough Brazilian media said it was unclear what demands the hostage-taker made, passengers said he had a gasoline can and threatened to set the bus on fire. He also had a gun, which police later determined to be a toy. Witnesses said he told the passengers he was a military police officer.\n\nThe sniper shot the man after he stepped outside the bus.\n\n\"This is the police force we want to see,\" police Col. Mauro Fliess told local TV program Nom Dia Rio. \"The sniper shot was necessary to neutralize the outlaw and save the people on the bus.\"\n\nPolice blocked traffic on both sides of the bridge Tuesday morning during rush-hour traffic."], "summary": "Thirty-seven passengers on a bus over Rio–Niterói Bridge, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, are held hostage before police fatally shoot the armed hijacker. After closer inspection, police discover that the hijacker used a fake plastic gun."}
{"document": ["UPDATE:\n\nMateen Cleaves speaks out after not guilty verdict “I’m truly grateful that I had a great team fighting for my life and the truth finally came out,\" he said.\n\nFLINT, MI – Mateen Cleaves was found not guilty on all counts Tuesday, Aug. 20 after he was first charged with sexually assaulting a woman nearly four years ago.\n\nCleaves, 41, faced single counts of second-degree criminal sexual conduct, third-degree criminal sexual conduct, unlawful imprisonment, and assault with intent to commit sexual penetration for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman on Sept. 15, 2015 at the Knights Inn in Mundy Township.\n\nThe verdict comes after six days of testimony from the alleged victim, her former boyfriend and police officers who responded to the scene.\n\nClosing arguments took place for several hours Tuesday, Aug. 20 before Genesee Circuit Judge Celeste D. Bell’s packed courtroom.\n\nThe jury deliberated for less than three hours before returning their verdict around 4:20 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug, 20. The jury was comprised of 10 woman, four men. Two jurors were randomly dismissed. They were first sent out to deliberate at 1:44 p.m.\n\nCleaves was arraigned in March 2016 on multiple felony charges, including counts of unlawful imprisonment and criminal sexual conduct.\n\nNow-retired Genesee District Judge M. Cathy Dowd dismissed all charges in December 2016 saying that although security camera footage shows Cleaves pulling the woman back into the hotel room, “there are a number of factors that led (her) to believe something else was going on.”\n\nCharges were later reinstated by now-retired Genesee Circuit Judge Archie Hayman on appeal from prosecutors. He ruled in April 2017 that Dowd “did abuse her discretion of power” in dismissing the case.\n\nThis is a developing story. Check back to MLive.com later for reaction from the courthouse.", "(8/20/2019) – Former Michigan State University basketball star Mateen Cleaves was acquitted of all charges in a 2015 sexual assault case.\n\nFormer Michigan State University basketball star Mateen Cleaves celebrates the not guilty verdict in his sexual assault case.\n\nA Genesee County jury of nine women and three men reached the not guilty verdict on Tuesday after a two-week trial. They deliberated for about four hours.\n\nRELATED: Tom Izzo in courthouse as Mateen Cleaves sexual assault trial reaches end\n\nCleaves smiled as he emerged from the courthouse with his attorneys.\n\n\"I've been waiting for this day for four years,\" he said.\n\nCleaves thanked the many people who have supported him during the entire four-year legal process that culminated with Tuesday's verdict.\n\n\"My wife has been by my side from Day 1 and I want to publicly ... apologize to her because I shouldn't have put her in this situation,\" he said. \"As strong as she is to stand by my side, I appreciate it so much.\"\n\nCleaves also apologized to his children and thanked Michigan State University basketball coach Tom Izzo and his former teammates for their unwavering support.\n\nDefense attorney Frank Manley said the jury saw the truth through the woman's allegations.\n\n\"At some point in time you had 12 people look at all the evidence and you can't hide the truth,\" he said.\n\nWayne County Prosecutor's Office spokeswoman Maria Miller said the prosecutors who tried the case obviously were disappointed with the verdict and still believe the case against Cleaves is strong.\n\n\"We are disappointed in the jury's verdict but we respect their decision,\" she said in a statement. \"We are proud of the work of our prosecution team that worked tirelessly for justice on behalf of the victim in this case.\"\n\nCleaves said the past four years have been tough on him and his family as the allegations swirled around him. He believes the woman's claims portrayed him as an animal.\n\n\"That's the worst person you can be is a rapist,\" Cleaves said. \"To be portrayed as a rapist, it broke my heart every day. Rape is a bad thing and it hit me home because I have people close to me that were raped.\"\n\nNow that the trial is over and he was vindicated, Cleaves is looking forward to resuming his normal life.\n\n\"I don't have to go to work with this burden on my back. I don't have to go to work and wonder if people are cutting me the eye and looking at me as a rapist,\" he said. \"I'm going to get back to doing the same thing I've always done.\"\n\nCleaves was charged in 2016 with four felony counts, including three counts of criminal sexual conduct and unlawful imprisonment.\n\nThe charges are connected to an incident in September 2015, when a woman claimed Cleaves sexually assaulted her at the Knights Inn in Mundy Township.\n\nThe two had met earlier that day at a charity golf tournament before drinking together at a bar. The woman, who is now 27 years old, testified during the trial, along with friends who were at the bar, police officers and her now ex-boyfriend.\n\nThe woman and Cleaves ended their night at the Knights Inn, where the woman claimed Cleaves sexually assaulted her. Video surveillance shows her leaving the room twice and Cleaves bringing her back in.\n\nThe woman testified that she was trying to escape, but admitted kissing him back at first because she was scared of how their interaction would affect her job.\n\nCleaves' defense team has long said the two had consensual sex.", "FILE – In this Dec. 5, 2016, file photo, Mateen Cleaves walks out of the district court at Genesee District Court in Flint, Mich. Former Michigan State University basketball star Cleaves is standing trial on sexual assault charges in his Michigan hometown. Opening statements began Thursday, Aug. 8, 2019, in Genesee County Circuit Court in Flint, where Cleaves is charged with criminal sexual conduct, assault with intent to commit criminal sexual conduct and unlawful imprisonment. He’s accused of assaulting a 24-year-old woman after a charity golf event and a visit to a Flint-area bar in 2015. A district judge dismissed the charges in 2016, but a circuit court reinstated them on appeal. (Mark Felix/The Flint Journal-MLive.com via AP, File)\n\nFLINT, Mich. (AP) — A jury acquitted former Michigan State basketball star Mateen Cleaves Tuesday on charges alleging he sexually assaulted a woman in a motel room four years ago.\n\nThe verdict announced in a Genesee County courtroom in Cleaves’ hometown of Flint came after a nearly-two week trial that included the testimony of the Mount Morris woman, who told jurors that she had wanted to leave the motel room but Cleaves continued to force himself on her.\n\nEvidence against Cleaves included a video that prosecutors contended showed the woman pulling away from Cleaves. Prosecutors argued she tried twice to escape from the motel room.\n\nCleaves did not testify. One of his attorneys, Frank Manley, said Cleaves had consensual sex with the woman who was in the motel room “of her own free will” after a charity golf tournament and visit to a bar. Cleaves’ attorneys told jurors that the woman lied about what happened because she felt guilty about cheating on her boyfriend.\n\nThe 41-year-old Cleaves was acquitted on all charges, including unlawful imprisonment and assault with intent to commit criminal sexual penetration. He had faced a maximum of 15 years in prison had he been convicted.\n\nCleaves has long denied the allegations, saying in a March 2016 tweet that he was “innocent and the allegations are without merit.”\n\nThe trial itself came after a long legal battle that started in late 2016 when a district judge dismissed the charges, saying that there were a number of factors that suggested “something else was going on” between Cleaves and the woman.\n\nBut in 2017, the charges were reinstated after the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office filed an appeal that contended the judge had abused her “discretion of power” in dismissing the charges. Then last year, the Michigan Supreme Court refused to review that decision, clearing the way for the trial.\n\nCleaves is a revered figure in Michigan, an integral part of a Michigan State team that won the national championship in 2000 before his six-year NBA career.\n\nAnd on Tuesday, sitting in a courtroom was another reminder of that team: Coach Tom Izzo. Izzo told The Detroit News that he did not know the details about the allegations against his former star player but wanted to be in the courtroom to support Cleaves as he would “any of my guys.”", "The city of Flint, Michigan, which is now under a state of emergency because of lead in its tap water, has seen more than its fair share of struggles in the past few years.\n\nIt’s known as one of the most dangerous cities in America, and the poverty that afflicts the city is part of the reason its residents have been exposed to such dangerous levels of lead.\n\nFlint has ranked as one of America’s most dangerous cities for several years based on FBI crime statistics of violent crimes per capita.\n\nIt claimed the No. 1 spot from 2010 to 2012, and dropped to the No. 2 spot for 2013, according to MLive Media. Flint slipped to the No. 3 spot for cities with populations of more than 50,000 for 2014, but saw a spike in murders in 2015.\n\nFlint, which has a population of about 99,000, had 30 homicides in 2014, a 10-year low for the city. As of September, the city was on pace to double that number for 2015, according to MLive. The city also saw 1,694 violent crimes in 2014.\n\nForbes has previously ranked Flint as one of most dangerous places for women. In one of the more striking attacks of the past few years, an 87-year-old woman was raped outside her home in broad daylight in 2012. She decided to leave Flint.\n\nThe city probably changed a lot in that woman’s lifetime. Flint hasn’t always been this dangerous or depressing.\n\nFlint had a booming auto industry in the mid-1900s. The United Automobile Workers, in its infancy, triumphed over industrial bigwig General Motors after a 1936 strike began an era of union labour. The people in Flint had stable work and earned decent money up until the late ’70s.\n\nGM’s Flint operations employed 80,000 people in 1978. At the time, New York City had a reputation for being the most dangerous place in America — not Flint.\n\nHowever, the tide started to turn for Flint in the ’80s. That’s when GM started setting up factories in Mexico and dramatically reduced its operations in Flint. By 2006, GM employed just 8,000 people in Flint, according to Flint’s city manager.\n\nWith no major industry in Flint, the city’s unemployment and poverty rates soared and many people fled the city. Here are some factors that contribute to making Flint a dangerous place:\n• Flint only employed 122 police officers in 2012, down from 265 five years earlier because of budget cuts, Mlive.com reported. With 122 officers, Flint employed one officer for about every 830 people that year. Comparatively, New York City covered about 235 people per cop. In August of last year, Flint’s mayor called on the city to hire more cops, saying the rash of homicides in 2015 was the worst he’d seen during his tenure as mayor.\n• Flint’s unemployment rate has steadily fallen over the past few years, but only about half of Flint’s population aged 16 and up is in the civilian labour force, according to the most recent Census statistics. And city officials say there still aren’t enough jobs for residents. Flint’s lack of work doesn’t bode well for the local economy.\n• More than 41% of people there live below the poverty level, much higher than the national average of 14.8%. The median household income from 2010 to 2014 was $24,679 (as measured in 2014 dollars). The national average for that period was $53,482. Poverty and crime are known to go hand in hand.\n• Drugs are a known accelerant for crime, including violent crime. An increase in heroin use has been plaguing Flint for years. MLive reported in 2014 that Flint seizures of cocaine more than doubled from 2010 to 2013.\n\nAs things get worse in Flint, its population continues to drop off. There were nearly 125,000 people living there in 2000, but that number declined to roughly 101,000 by 2011. The city lost an additional 3.3% of its population between 2010 and 2014, dropping to 99,002 from 102,400, according to the Census Bureau. This decline suggests Flint is no longer a place where people want to live.\n\nA news clip featured in Michael Moore’s documentary “Roger and Me” back in 1989 sums up how Flint’s reputation has changed.\n\n“Flint is best known for its principal industry,” a newscaster said back then, referring to the auto industry. “But it’s quickly gaining notoriety as a major crime center.”", "President Barack Obama insisted Wednesday that the federal government will do whatever it can to assist residents of Flint, Michigan, which is dealing with a public-health disaster involving a tainted water supply.\n\n“We are going to have [the mayor’s] back and all the people of Flint’s back as they go all the way through this terrible tragedy,” Obama said in a speech to Detroit autoworkers.\n\nObama declared a federal emergency in Flint on January 14, shortly after the status was requested by Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R). Up to $5 million in federal money has already been made available to assist in the city’s recovery.\n\nFlint’s water supply was contaminated following a 2014 switch off of Detroit’s water system and onto the Flint River. The Flint River had more corrosive water, which led to lead from an ageing pipe system being leached into the water. Many people complained about the state’s slow response, which didn’t pick up steam until last October.\n\nThe city switched back onto Detroit’s water system for now, but residents are still at risk and must use filters that the state has provided.\n\n“I know that if I was a parent up there, I would be beside myself that my kids health could be at risk,” Obama said. “It is a reminder of why you can’t short change basic services that we provide to our people and that we as a people provide as a government to make sure public health and safety is preserved.”\n\nNOW WATCH: Here’s how President Obama starts every morning", "FLINT, Mich. — A jury acquitted former Michigan State basketball star Mateen Cleaves Tuesday on charges alleging he sexually assaulted a woman in a motel room four years ago.\n\nThe verdict announced in a Genesee County courtroom in Cleaves‘ hometown of Flint came after a nearly-two week trial that included the testimony of the Mount Morris woman, who told jurors that she had wanted to leave the motel room but Cleaves continued to force himself on her.\n\nEvidence against Cleaves included a video that prosecutors contended showed the woman pulling away from Cleaves. Prosecutors argued she tried twice to escape from the motel room.\n\nCleaves did not testify. One of his attorneys, Frank Manley, said Cleaves had consensual sex with the woman who was in the motel room “of her own free will” after a charity golf tournament and visit to a bar. Cleaves‘ attorneys told jurors that the woman lied about what happened because she felt guilty about cheating on her boyfriend.\n\nThe 41-year-old Cleaves was acquitted on all charges, including unlawful imprisonment and assault with intent to commit criminal sexual penetration. He had faced a maximum of 15 years in prison had he been convicted.\n\nCleaves has long denied the allegations, saying in a March 2016 tweet that he was “innocent and the allegations are without merit.”\n\nThe trial itself came after a long legal battle that started in late 2016 when a district judge dismissed the charges, saying that there were a number of factors that suggested “something else was going on” between Cleaves and the woman.\n\nBut in 2017, the charges were reinstated after the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office filed an appeal that contended the judge had abused her “discretion of power” in dismissing the charges. Then last year, the Michigan Supreme Court refused to review that decision, clearing the way for the trial.\n\nCleaves is a revered figure in Michigan, an integral part of a Michigan State team that won the national championship in 2000 before his six-year NBA career.\n\nAnd on Tuesday, sitting in a courtroom was another reminder of that team: Coach Tom Izzo. Izzo told The Detroit News that he did not know the details about the allegations against his former star player but wanted to be in the courtroom to support Cleaves as he would “any of my guys.”", "FILE – In this Dec. 5, 2016, file photo, Mateen Cleaves walks out of the district court at Genesee District Court in Flint, Mich. Former Michigan State University basketball star Cleaves is standing trial on sexual assault charges in his Michigan hometown. Opening statements began Thursday, Aug. 8, 2019, in Genesee County Circuit Court in Flint, where Cleaves is charged with criminal sexual conduct, assault with intent to commit criminal sexual conduct and unlawful imprisonment. He’s accused of assaulting a 24-year-old woman after a charity golf event and a visit to a Flint-area bar in 2015. A district judge dismissed the charges in 2016, but a circuit court reinstated them on appeal. (Mark Felix/The Flint Journal-MLive.com via AP, File)\n\nFLINT, Mich. (AP) — A jury acquitted former Michigan State basketball star Mateen Cleaves on Tuesday of allegations he sexually assaulted a woman in a motel room four years ago.\n\nThe verdict announced in a Genesee County courtroom in Cleaves’ hometown of Flint came after a nearly-two week trial that included the testimony of the Mount Morris woman, who told jurors that she had wanted to leave the motel room but Cleaves continued to force himself on her.\n\nThe jury of nine women and three men deliberated for a little more than two hours before delivering its verdict. Cleaves sobbed after the last of four not-guilty verdicts was read.\n\n“Thank you for giving me my life back,” Cleaves said.\n\nJuror Michael Lambert said the verdict came quickly after he and other jurors concluded Cleaves’ accuser wasn’t believable.\n\n“Her testimony was consistent lies,” Lambert said, adding jurors noted the frequency he woman forgot key parts of her story.\n\nOutside the court following the verdict, Cleaves continued to proclaim his innocence.\n\n“I’ve been waiting for this moment for four years,” he told reporters outside the court. “I didn’t do anything wrong.”\n\nEvidence against Cleaves, 41, included a video that prosecutors contended showed the woman pulling away from Cleaves. Prosecutors argued she tried twice to escape from the motel room.\n\nThe woman testified during the trial last week that she had gone to a gathering at a bar with Cleaves at the Warwick Hills Golf and Country Club.\n\nThe woman said she and Cleaves stopped at a gas station and that she fell asleep before waking up in a room at the motel with him. The woman said she told Cleaves she “wanted to go home” but admitted she kissed him even after saying that.\n\n“He started kissing me. I kissed him back, and I remember being on the bed,” the woman said. She said she didn’t want to be “rude” to Cleaves, a celebrity donor to her employer, because she didn’t want her rejection of his advances to affect her job.\n\nCleaves did not testify. His attorneys told jurors that the woman lied about what happened because she felt guilty about cheating on her boyfriend.\n\nDuring closing arguments Tuesday, Assistant Wayne County Prosecutor David Champine said the woman, of Mount Morris, did not want to have sex with Cleaves and told him so.\n\n“You can see her in the video pulling away,” Champine told jurors, adding she was able to push him off in some way and get out of Knights Inn in Mundy Township on Sept. 15, 2015. “He grabs her and starts pulling her. You can see her in the video pulling away … she doesn’t want to go back but his decision is he’s going to take her back.”\n\nCleaves’ defense team told jurors it was a clear case of consensual sex and that the woman is lying because she felt bad because she had cheated on her boyfriend with him.\n\n“Regret is not rape,” argued defense attorney Michael Manley, contending there wasn’t a “sliver of DNA” evidence that backs up her claims.\n\nCleaves was acquitted on all charges, including unlawful imprisonment and assault with intent to commit criminal sexual penetration. He had faced a maximum of 15 years in prison had he been convicted.\n\nThe trial itself came after a long legal battle that started in late 2016 when a district judge dismissed the charges, saying that there were a number of factors that suggested “something else was going on” between Cleaves and the woman.\n\nBut in 2017, the charges were reinstated after the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office filed an appeal that contended the judge had abused her “discretion of power” in dismissing the charges. Then last year, the Michigan Supreme Court refused to review that decision, clearing the way for the trial.\n\nCleaves is a revered figure in Michigan, an integral part of a Michigan State team that won the national championship in 2000 before his six-year NBA career.\n\nAnd on Tuesday, sitting in a courtroom was another reminder of that team: Coach Tom Izzo. Izzo told The Detroit News that he did not know the details about the allegations against his former star player but wanted to be in the courtroom to support Cleaves as he would “any of my guys.”", "A jury in Flint, Mich., acquitted former Michigan State and NBA player Mateen Cleaves on charges alleging he sexually assaulted a woman in a motel room four years ago.\n\nThe verdict announced Tuesday in a Genesee County courtroom in Cleaves’ hometown came after a nearly-two week trial that included the testimony of the Mount Morris woman, who told jurors that she had wanted to leave the motel room, but Cleaves continued to force himself on her.\n\nEvidence against Cleaves included a video that prosecutors contended showed the woman pulling away from Cleaves. Prosecutors argued she tried twice to escape from the motel room.\n\nCleaves did not testify. One of his attorneys, Frank Manley, said Cleaves had consensual sex with the woman who was in the motel room “of her own free will” after a charity golf tournament and visit to a bar. Cleaves’ attorneys told jurors that the woman lied about what happened because she felt guilty about cheating on her boyfriend.\n\nCleaves, 41, was acquitted on all charges, including unlawful imprisonment and assault with intent to commit criminal sexual penetration. He had faced a maximum of 15 years in prison.\n\nCleaves has long denied the allegations, saying in a March 2016 tweet that he was “innocent and the allegations are without merit.”\n\nAuthorities in the Dominican Republic have arrested former A’s pitcher Octavio Dotel and cited ex-infielder Luis Castillo for their alleged links to a drug-trafficking and money-laundering ring, officials said.\n\nDominican Attorney General Jean Alain Rodriguez said police are also actively pursuing the alleged leader of the ring, Cesar Emilio Peralta, also known as “Cesar the Abuser.” Castillo — not the current Cincinnati Reds’ pitcher — has not been arrested.\n\nHe said Peralta created a complicated system of companies to hide the origins of his assets, using members of his family and social circles, “including two sports figures in the Dominican Republic.”\n\nRodriguez said the U.S. government and police agencies participated in the investigation.\n\nCastillo was a three-time All-Star, won three Gold Gloves and was a member of the 2003 Florida Marlins team that won the World Series.\n\nThere was no immediate comment from Dotel, who set a record for playing on more MLB teams than any other player.\n\nWNBA: Tina Charles had 23 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks to help the visiting New York Liberty beat the Indiana Fever 82-76. ... Diamond DeShields led five Chicago starters in double figures with 17 points, helping the visiting Sky beat the Atlanta Dream 87-83. ... A’ja Wilson scored host Las Vegas’ first nine points of overtime as the Aces defeated Phoenix 84-79. The Mercury got 24 points apiece from Brittney Griner and DeWanna Bonner. ... Candace Parker scored 20 points as the host Los Angeles Sparks beat the Minnesota Lynx 81-71. Lexie Brown scored 20 points for the Lynx.", "Former Michigan State star and NBA player Mateen Cleaves was acquitted on sexual assault charges on Tuesday in Flint, Michigan, stemming from a 2015 incident in a motel room, according to the Detroit Free Press.\n\nCleaves was accused of sexually assaulting a 24-year-old woman in a motel after a day of partying at a charity golf outing. The woman alleged she was held against her will in the motel room and sexually assaulted, and that Cleaves continued to force himself on her repeatedly when she said she wanted to leave.\n\nCleaves’ attorneys said that he had consensual sex with the woman, who returned to the motel room “of her own free will” after the golf outing and a trip to a bar, according to the Associated Press. They said she lied about the incident because “she felt guilty about cheating on her boyfriend.”\n\nCleaves was acquitted of all charges Tuesday after a nearly two-week trial, which included unlawful imprisonment and assault with intent to commit criminal sexual penetration, per the report. The 41-year-old faced a maximum of 15 years in prison.\n\n\"I just thank God,” Cleaves said, via the Detroit Free Press. “I've been waiting for this day for four years. (My attorneys) are lifesavers, to save my life, the way they did.”\n\nHis initial case was dismissed in 2016, however the charges were reinstated after prosecutors filed an appeal arguing that the judge had abused her “discretion of power,” according to the Associated Press. The initial ruling was overturned last year, which prompted the trial this month.\n\nCleaves played at Michigan State from 1996-2000, and was a member of its national championship team in 2000. The two-time Big Ten Player of the Year averaged 12.5 points, 6.6 assists and 2.1 rebounds per game throughout his career. He was selected by the Detroit Pistons with the No. 14 overall pick in the 2000 NBA draft and spent six seasons bouncing around the league, most notably spending time with the Sacramento Kings and the Seattle SuperSonics.\n\nMichigan State coach Tom Izzo attended the closing arguments on Tuesday, too, according to the Detroit Free Press. He declined to comment about the trial, other than saying that Cleaves “is part of the family.”\n• None Report: Brown files new grievance against NFL over helmet\n• None Carrasco throws 97 mph in first game back from leukemia diagnosis", "FLINT — Mateen Cleaves became a star on a basketball court, but on Tuesday a jury acquitted him on all charges in his rape case in Genesee County Circuit Court.\n\nCleaves is the Flint native who led Michigan State to the 2000 NCAA championship. He faced up to 15 years in prison if he’s convicted of unlawful imprisonment, assault with intent to commit sexual penetration, and criminal sexual conduct.\n\nA jury began deliberating his case at 1:45 p.m. and reached a verdict in about two and a half hours.\n\nThe case is one that has been marked by controversy from the start almost four years ago.\n\nIt’s a case that could forever rewrite the life story of Cleaves, an overachiever who used toughness and grit to survive the violence of Flint, return glory to MSU basketball and become the first-round draft pick of the Detroit Pistons. Michigan State basketball coach Tom Izzo held Cleaves in such high regard that he used Mateen as a middle name for his own son.\n\nIzzo attended closing arguments in Flint this morning, but declined to comment other than to say that Cleaves \"is part of the family.\"\n\nProsecutors say none of that matters. In September 2015, Cleaves forced himself on a drunken woman who ran from a motel room wearing only a bra in an attempt to flee him, they say. Drunk and naked himself, they say, Cleaves pulled her back inside, twice, and raped her.\n\nAssistant Wayne County Prosecutor David Champine told jurors that Cleaves' lawyer would try to argue the sex was consensual but the evidence shows otherwise. He urged them to \"look at the surveillance video of the woman running away, screaming 'help me, help me, help me' and then being forced back into the room.\"\n\nThose are not the actions of a woman engaged in a consensual sex act, Champine said.\n\nAnother prosecutor, Lisa Lindsey, told jurors that the woman was the \"perfect victim\" and that Cleaves targeted her specifically because she was drunk and therefore, less likely to resist, flee or to be believed.\n\n\"No woman is obligated to have sex with anyone,\" Lindsey said.\n\nOne of Cleaves' four attorneys, Mike Manley, said in his closing argument that the sex was consensual, noting that the woman posed for pictures with Cleaves, put his phone number into her phone, went to motel room with him, where she acknowledged kissing him.\n\nWhen the woman left the room wearing only her bra, Cleaves was doing the right thing by bringing her back so she could get dressed, Manley said.\n\n\"All you saw there was a gentleman going out to make sure that a lady wasn't walking around a motel naked,\" he said.\n\nManley also offered blistering critique of Cleaves' accuser, saying that when she spoke with police who were called to the motel, \"you had an obnoxious, belligerent, remorseful drunk at that point.\"\n\nCleaves wore a gray pinstripe suit to court, hugging several supporters on the courthouse steps as he entered, but ignoring reporter questions about his case.\n\nCleaves sat silently through the arguments. Izzo sat in the front row about 10 feet from Cleaves. The courtroom was full and court officers set up an overflow room where others could watch the proceedings on closed circuit television.\n\nAmong those in the gallery was Robert Carmack, the Detroit businessman who's been embroiled in a dispute with Mayor Mike Duggan.\n\nClosing arguments concluded around noon and Judge Celeste Bell told jurors she would being jury instructions when they return from lunch. Fourteen jurors heard the testimony. One man and one woman were dismissed as alternates, leaving nine women and three men to decide the case."], "summary": "Former professional basketball player Mateen Cleaves is acquitted of several sex crimes in a court in his hometown of Flint, Michigan."}
{"document": ["WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. banking regulators on Tuesday eased trading regulations for Wall Street banks, giving them one of their biggest wins under the Trump administration but drawing criticism from consumer activists who warned of potential risks to taxpayers.\n\nFILE PHOTO: Jelena McWilliams, chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S. January 23, 2018. REUTERS/Aaron P. Bernstein/File Photo/File Photo\n\nThe Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) approved the revamped version of the so-called “Volcker Rule,” which aims to ban lenders that accept U.S. taxpayer-insured deposits from engaging in proprietary trading.\n\nThe changes, first proposed in May 2018, followed years of lobbying by banks, including Goldman Sachs Group Inc (GS.N), JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N) and Morgan Stanley (MS.N), which have long complained the rule is too vague and complex.\n\nThe new rule gives banks more leeway in terms of trading activity and simplifies how banks can tell if that trading is permitted by law.\n\nWhile many regulatory experts have agreed the prior rule was too cumbersome, the changes were criticized by consumer groups and Democratic lawmakers who say a rewrite could put taxpayers at risk.\n\nFDIC Commissioner Martin Gruenberg, a Democrat who backed the Volcker rewrite proposed in May 2018, voted against the final rule Tuesday, saying it would “effectively undo” the rule’s protections.\n\nIn particular, he warned that the new rule narrows the definition of banned trading in a way that could free up banks to engage in riskier bets with potentially billions of dollars in financial instruments.\n\nThe other three FDIC board members, all Republicans, voted in favor.\n\nDemocratic Representative Maxine Waters, who chairs the House Financial Services Committee, accused regulators of undercutting a cornerstone of Wall Street reforms introduced by the 2010 Dodd-Frank law.\n\n“The final rule published today would curtail prohibitions in a manner that Congress never intended,” she said in a statement calling on other regulators to halt the project.\n\nAnalysts say the final rule, which is significantly different from the proposed 2018 version, could also be vulnerable to legal challenges.\n\nThe rewrite aims to clarify which trades are exempt from the ban, such as when banks facilitate client trades and hedge risks, and to expand those exemptions. The final rewrite scraps a proposed new test for identifying proprietary trading that banks complained would have made the rule even more complicated.\n\nThat proposed “accounting test” was meant to replace a more subjective test that aimed to identify if a trader intended a trade to be speculative. But banks argued it could apply to a host of additional financial instruments not meant to be covered by the rule.\n\nThe final rule scraps that proposal for large Wall Street firms, instead simplifying the original test and only applying it to much smaller banks.\n\nAt the same time, the rewrite simplifies a separate part of the rule which makes it easier for banks to invest in hedge funds or private equity funds. Regulators said they expect to propose further easing of the “covered funds” aspect of the rule, including for foreign firms, later this year.\n\nThe banking industry hailed the rule, while calling for regulators to expedite that additional relief.\n\nFILE PHOTO: Joseph M. Otting speaks after being sworn in as Comptroller of the Currency in Washington, U.S., November 27, 2017. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts\n\n“We urge the regulators to finish the job of Volcker Rule reform,” said Kevin Fromer with the Financial Services Forum, an industry group that represents the CEOs of the nation’s biggest banks.\n\nThe rule will become effective on Jan. 1, 2020, but banks will have one year to comply.\n\nThe OCC and the FDIC are two of five regulators charged with implementing the rule. The others - the Federal Reserve, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Commodities Futures Trading Commission - are expected to approve the new rule soon.", "Washington — US banking regulators on Tuesday approved changes easing a rule introduced after the 2007-2009 financial crisis that bans banks from trading on their own account, giving Wall Street one of its biggest wins under the Trump administration.\n\nThe Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) approved the revamped version of the so-called Volcker rule, which aims to ban lenders that accept US taxpayer-insured deposits from engaging in proprietary trading.\n\nThe changes, first proposed in May 2018, followed years of lobbying by banks, including Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase and Morgan Stanley, which have complained the rule is too vague and complex.\n\nThe new rule gives banks more leeway in terms of trading activity, and simplifies how banks can tell if that trading is permitted by law.\n\nWhile many regulatory experts have agreed the prior rule was too cumbersome, the changes have been criticised by consumer groups and Democratic lawmakers who say a rewrite could create new systemic risks.\n\nFDIC commissioner Martin Gruenberg, a Democrat who backed the Volcker rewrite proposed in May 2018, voted against the final rule on Tuesday, saying it would “effectively undo” the rule’s protections. The other three FDIC board members, all Republicans, voted in favour.\n\n“Trump regulators continue to open a Pandora’s box of risky trading and speculation at the expense of American taxpayers,” Senator Sherrod Brown, the top Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee, said in a statement.\n\nAnalysts say the final rule, which is significantly different from the proposed 2018 version, could also be vulnerable to legal challenges.\n\nThe rewrite aims to clarify which trades are exempt from the ban, such as when banks facilitate client trades and hedge risks, and to expand those exemptions. The final rewrite scraps a proposed new test for identifying proprietary trading that banks complained would have made the rule even more complicated.\n\nThat proposed “accounting test” was meant to replace a more subjective test that aimed to identify whether a trader intended a trade to be speculative. But banks argued it could apply to a host of additional financial instruments not meant to be covered by the rule.\n\nThe final rule scraps that proposal for large Wall Street firms, instead simplifying the original test and only applying it to much smaller banks.", "In an unfortunate decision, three of the four voting members of the board of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) voted to significantly gut the Volcker Rule, a risk reduction cornerstone of the Obama era financial reform law, The Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank). The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) also released a statement that it is in favor of changes to the Volcker Rule.\n\nI find it very odd that the FDIC took the lead in weakening the Volcker Rule. Should a bank fail because of its excessive risk taking, only the FDIC is empowered to trigger Dodd-Frank’s Title II to resolve a big bank behemoth with its thousands of intricate financial transactions. As I wrote recently, the Volcker Rule needs to be strengthened not weakened. Banks barely started implementing the Volcker Rule in 2014. We have not even gone through a credit cycle to test how well the Volcker Rule would work in an economic downturn. Yesterday and today, I spent time going through the 300-page rule. The footnotes tell one the extent of significant bank lobbying that took place to weaken the Volcker Rule. Yet, bank lobbyists have never been able to prove that the financial system or they were in any way hurt by the Volcker Rule.\n\nThe revised Volcker Rule now requires that:\n• Banking entities with total consolidated trading assets and liabilities of at least $20 billion would be considered to have “significant” trading assets and liabilities. Banking entities with significant trading assets and liabilities would be subject to a six-pillar compliance program, annual CEO attestation, and metrics requirements.\n• Banking entities with total consolidated trading assets and liabilities between $1 billion and $20 billion would be considered to have “moderate” trading assets and liabilities. Banking entities with moderate trading assets and liabilities would be subject to a simplified compliance program.\n• Banking entities with total consolidated trading assets and liabilities of less than $1 billion would be considered to have “limited” trading assets and liabilities. Banking entities with limited trading assets and liabilities would be subject to a presumption of compliance.\n\nMartin Gruenberg, the lone member of the FDIC Board of Directors, who rightly voted against the significant weakening of the Volcker Rule did a great job explaining with data and facts that the revised rule would “allow the largest, most systemically important banks and bank holding companies to engage in speculative proprietary trading funded with FDIC-insured deposits.” More than any member of the FDIC Board of Directors, Gruenberg is intimately aware of how the Volcker Rule is supposed to work. He reminded us all that the 2013 Volcker Rule “recognized that proprietary trading occurs not only in financial instruments reported on the bank’s balance sheet as “trading assets and liabilities”, but in the accounts also denoted as available for sale (AFS), in equities held at fair value, and in derivatives not held for trading. The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPR) adopted by the agencies in 2018 to make changes in the Volcker Rule included a definition of trading account that also captured all of these fair valued financial instruments.” The final rule that the FDIC Board voted on yesterday included within the definition of trading account only one of those categories of fair valued financial instruments, those reported on the bank’s balance sheet as trading assets and liabilities. In other words, the revisions narrow significantly the scope of financial instruments covered by the Volcker Rule. “Because of its narrower definition of trading account,” said Gruenberg, the new rule “captures over $1.8 trillion of financial instruments for purposes of the Volcker Rule. Thus, at the holding company level, about 25 percent of the financial instruments subject to the 2013 current rule and the 2018 NPR would no longer be subject to the prohibition on proprietary trading.”\n\n“This rule would free up hundreds of billions of dollars in securities and derivatives for proprietary trading purposes, completely outside of Volcker Rule coverage and in fact with an explicit exemption from proprietary trading restrictions,” said Marcus Stanley, policy director at Americans for Financial Reform. “By simply designating positions as not explicitly held for trading, banks could easily evade the Volcker Rule. These changes spell the end of meaningful constraints on proprietary trading at taxpayer\n\nsupported banks, and another step in dismantling financial stability safeguards.”\n\nThe Volcker Rule did not include proposed definition changes to the Trading Account; this would have better insured that banks would be prohibited from putting covered prop trading positions that are in the Volcker rule statute. Unfortunately, the new Trading Account definition creates a presumption that financial instruments held more than 60 days are out of the scope for the Volcker Rule. My fear is that especially in such a low interest rate environment in the U.S. and negative rates in some countries, like Germany, banks will be incentivized to hold riskier instruments, such as below investment grade bonds or illiquid securitizations, for longer than 60 days.\n\nIncredibly, Volcker Rule revisions place the burden on bank supervisors, who have fewer personnel and technology resources than banks, to rebut the presumption of compliance and demonstrate otherwise. This will be very difficult for bank supervisors given their time and resource constraints. I agree with Better Markets’ Dennis Kelleher’s assessment that “The new Volcker Rule thereby substantially narrows the scope of the Volcker Rule and weakens a core pillar of the Dodd-Frank Act’s effort to prevent the Wall Street gambling using financial instruments that have repeatedly impaired financial stability.” According to Kelleher “The new Volcker Rule establishes a so-called “presumption of compliance” for market-making and underwriting activities. Those “presumptions” are a truly radical departure from longstanding supervisory practices and represent a return to the same failed industry self-policing policies and philosophies that led to the 2008 financial crisis.”\n\nAs I wrote in an eight-part series for American Banker’s BankThink in 2014, I was not initially a big fan of the Volcker Rule. I was concerned that its complexity would be challenging both for banks which have to implement the rule and even more so for on- and off-site bank supervisors and examiners who are the ones who have to determine whether banks are indeed complying with the Volcker Rule. However, now that several years have gone by, the big banks with which I work mostly have been able to comply with the Volcker Rule. Since 2010 banks have spent millions on systems, modelers, and other personnel to comply with the Volcker Rule. All the work that the banks have put in to learn to calculate their Volcker Rule required metrics has actually helped banks be better data aggregators and to identify and measure their market, credit, and liquidity risks of all of their securities and trading desks in a much more granular manner.\n\nUnfortunately, the “final rule would include modifications to the metrics collection requirements to, among other things, eliminate certain metrics and reduce the compliance burdens associated with the remaining metrics requirements.” Worse yet, “Metrics filers must submit metrics on a quarterly basis with a reporting schedule of 30 days after the end of each quarter.” Metrics had been reported to the regulators on a monthly basis. Do we really believe that big banks like Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley do not have qualified quantitative personnel who can calculate Volcker Rule risk metrics? If they do not, banks have bigger problems to sort out. Moreover, market participants do not know whether Volcker Rule compliance is indeed taking place, since unfortunately banks are not required to disclose their monthly Volcker quantitative metrics that would tell us information about their securities inventory, their profit and loss, Value-at-Risk (VAR), and stressed VAR by each trading desk.\n\nIt is very likely that the Commodities Futures Trading Commission, Securities Exchange Commission, and the Federal Reserve Board will soon also vote to adopt the revisions to the Volcker Rule. Banks will have one year as of the beginning of 2020 to comply. Particularly because we are so late in the economic cycle, bank regulators should definitely compel banks to increase their risk weights, and hence the capital to sustain unexpected losses due to the increased risk that banks will now pose to depositors and taxpayers.", "WASHINGTON, Aug 20 (Reuters) - U.S. banking regulators on Tuesday approved changes easing a rule introduced after the 2007-2009 financial crisis that bans banks from trading on their own account, giving Wall Street one of its biggest wins under the Trump administration.\n\nThe Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) approved the revamped version of the so-called \"Volcker Rule,\" which aims to ban lenders that accept U.S. taxpayer-insured deposits from engaging in proprietary trading.\n\nThe new rule gives banks more leeway in terms of trading activity, and simplifies how banks can tell if that trading is permitted by law.\n\nWhile many regulatory experts have agreed the prior rule was too cumbersome, the changes have been criticized by consumer groups and Democratic lawmakers who say a rewrite could create new systemic risks.\n\nFDIC commissioner Martin Gruenberg, a Democrat who backed the Volcker rewrite proposed in May 2018, voted against the final rule Tuesday, saying it would \"effectively undo\" the rule's protections. The other three FDIC board members, all Republicans, voted in favor.\n\n\"Trump regulators continue to open a Pandora's box of risky trading and speculation at the expense of American taxpayers,\" Senator Sherrod Brown, the top Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee, said in a statement.\n\nAnalysts say the final rule, which is significantly different from the proposed 2018 version, could also be vulnerable to legal challenges.\n\nThe rewrite aims to clarify which trades are exempt from the ban, such as when banks facilitate client trades and hedge risks, and to expand those exemptions. The final rewrite scraps a proposed new test for identifying proprietary trading that banks complained would have made the rule even more complicated.\n\nThat proposed \"accounting test\" was meant to replace a more subjective test that aimed to identify whether a trader intended a trade to be speculative. But banks argued it could apply to a host of additional financial instruments not meant to be covered by the rule.\n\nThe final rule scraps that proposal for large Wall Street firms, instead simplifying the original test and only applying it to much smaller banks.\n\nAt the same time, the rewrite simplifies a separate part of the rule which makes it easier for banks to invest in hedge funds or private equity funds. Regulators said they expect to propose further easing of the \"covered funds\" aspect of the rule, including for foreign firms, later this year.\n\nThe banking industry hailed the relief, while eager to see regulators put forward that additional relief.\n\n\"We urge the regulators to finish the job of Volcker Rule reform,\" said Kevin Fromer with the Financial Services Forum, an industry group that represents the CEOs of the nation's biggest banks.\n\nThe rule will become effective on Jan. 1, 2020, but banks will have one year to comply.\n\nThe OCC and the FDIC are two of five regulators charged with implementing the rule. The others - the Federal Reserve, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Commodities Futures Trading Commission - are expected to approve the new rule soon.", "watchdogs handpicked by President eased the Volcker Rule’s controversial ban on making speculative investments, wrapping up a top deregulatory priority that’s long been sought by the financial industry.\n\nThe changes, approved Tuesday by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., seek to provide lenders a much clearer picture of which trades are prohibited, giving them confidence to engage in transactions without fear of violating Volcker.\n\nBut one Democratic FDIC board member warned the rollback could again endanger the financial system by allowing lenders to recklessly trade hundreds of billions of assets like they did before the 2008 financial crisis.\n\nThe Volcker rewrite marks a victory for Wall Street, especially Goldman Sachs Group Inc., which has lobbied aggressively to weaken the rule for years. But the changes leave in place the rule’s prohibition on proprietary trading—the practice of making market bets with their own money. And lenders still face restrictions on investing in private equity and hedge funds.\n\n“One of the post-crisis reforms that has been most challenging to implement for regulators and industry is the Volcker Rule,” Jelena McWilliams, who leads the FDIC, said at a Tuesday public meeting. “The amendments will provide clarity, certainty and objectivity.”\n\nA response to the 2008 meltdown, Volcker was meant to address concerns that some bank trading desks had behaved like hedge funds, using their firms’ balance sheets to risky wagers. The six biggest lenders racked up almost $16 billion losses from their prop-trading units over five quarters during the crisis, leading in part to the huge taxpayer bailouts that stoked public anger as consumers suffered through a recession.\n\nFormer Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker, the rule’s key advocate, said such trading could sink and threaten the broader economy. It was included in the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act, with regulators putting it in place three years later.\n\nAlmost since the ink was dry, banks have complained that Volcker was exceedingly complex, making the rule difficult to comply with. So regulators picked by Trump arrived at their agencies with a strong interest in simplifying the rule. The revamp, known as Volcker 2.0, is part of a steady effort to soften regulations during his administration. While watchdogs haven’t ripped up the post-crisis rule book, critics argue that taken together, the changes will insert renewed risk into the financial system.\n\nWhat authorities came up with on Volcker relies on what’s known as the market-risk prong to determine which transactions are prohibited for banks with more than $1 billion of trading activity.\n\nThat standard is something large banks already use and understand, so theoretically, it will be easier for them to determine in real time whether a trade is banned. Under the rule, chief executive officers of banks with more than $20 billion in trading activity will be required to attest to their firms’ compliance. The changes take effect January 1, 2020, but banks will have another year to comply.\n\nIn one of the biggest changes, banks will no longer be assumed to be engaging in banned trades when they conduct short-term transactions. The so-called rebuttable presumption was one of Wall Street’s most-hated aspects of the original Volcker Rule with JPMorgan Chase & Co. CEO Jamie Dimon once famously quipping that each trader would need a psychologist and a lawyer by his side to comply.\n\nIn another assist to banks, regulators provide more clarity on market making -- the permitted practice under Volcker of engaging in trades on behalf of clients. Specifically, watchdogs gave lenders a clear limit for assets held in their market-making portfolios that will allow firms to get right up to the line without fear of violating Volcker.\n\nFDIC board member Martin Gruenberg, a Democrat, blasted the changes, saying Volcker has been defanged because he believes the proprietary trading restrictions will no longer apply to many types of financial assets that had been covered.\n\n“The Volcker Rule will no longer impose a meaningful constraint on speculative, proprietary trading by banks and bank holding companies benefiting from the public safety net,” said Gruenberg, who voted against the revamp.\n\nWhile the changes will be welcomed by banks, the industry has evolved dramatically in recent years, casting doubt on how far firms might try to return to the pre-crisis trading heydays. Even Goldman Sachs, burdened by dozens of new rules, has embraced commercial banking. In a sign of how much has changed, Apple Inc. announced Tuesday that is was partnering with Goldman to launch a credit card.\n\nRegulators also provided some flexibility on restrictions on investing in private equity and hedge funds. Banks will now have more freedom to do so on behalf of clients.\n\nThe changes to the five-agency rule also have to be approved by the Fed, Securities and Exchange Commission and Commodity Futures Trading Commission.\n\nWith the bulk of Volcker revisions done, there are a number of other rules awaiting attention -- many of them being handled by the Fed. They include significant shifts in bank capital rules and leverage limits, plus fundamental changes to the Fed’s annual stress tests.", "Wall Street banks seem to be in a win-a-win situation, currently, on easing out of the Volcker Rule under the Trump administration. On Tuesday, the revamped rule was approved by two of the five U.S. regulators, under which related regulatory requirements have been simplified, providing more flexibility to banks on their restricted trading activities.\n\n\n\n The rule will be effective Jan 1, 2020 for banks, with a compliance date of Jan 1, 2021.\n\n\n\nVolcker Rule - A Brief Recap\n\n\n\n The Volcker Rule prohibits banks or insured depository institutions from conducting proprietary trading, i.e. the practice of financial firms investing to pocket profits rather than buying or selling securities to meet customers' demands. Also, it barred these companies from acquiring or retaining ownership interests in hedge funds or private equity funds.\n\n\n\n The Volcker Rule had drawn widespread criticism at its very inception. Banks, including JPMorgan Chase JPM , Goldman Sachs GS and Morgan Stanley MS , have been complaining of its complexity and claimed the rule to be vague. Further, in 2017, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce put forth its views over the negative impacts of the rule on liquidity and that the costs associated with it outweigh benefits.\n\n\n\nRecent Developments\n\n\n\n The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) and Federal Deposit Insurance Corp (FDIC) have given the green light, while approval from the Federal Reserve, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) are anticipated in the coming weeks soon.\n\n\n\n \"One of the post-crisis reforms that has been most challenging to implement for regulators and industry is the Volcker Rule,\" said FDIC chairman Jelena McWilliams. \"Distinguishing between what qualifies as proprietary trading and what does not has proven to be extremely difficult,\" McWilliams noted.\n\n\n\n \"Meanwhile, banks that do relatively little trading are required to go through substantial compliance exercises to ensure that activities that have long been considered traditional banking activities do not run afoul of the Volcker Rule,\" further mentioned the FDIC chairman.\n\n\n\n In July 2018, the FDIC, OCC, Federal Reserve Board, SEC and CFTC unanimously published proposed amendments aimed at simplifying and improving the Volcker Rule that prevents banks from engaging in certain types of speculative investments, with a view to curb their risk-taking abilities.\n\n\n\nKey Changes under the Final Rule\n\n\n\n Depending on the size of a bank's trading assets and liabilities, the rule's compliance measures will be tailored, with the strictest requirements for the ones with high levels of trading activities. Notably, banks with minimum $20 billion in trading assets will be facing stringent requirements, while companies with trading assets between $1 billion and $10 billion will benefit from the reduced compliance requirements. Finally, financial firms with trading assets lower than $1 billion will be subject to the lowest level of compliance requirements.\n\n\n\n Also, a proprietary trading ban has been eased, which prevents banks from making short-term investments using their own capital.\n\n\n\n Furthermore, regulators have allowed banks to determine their own risk limits for underwriting activities and market making. Nevertheless, the companies, with significant trading assets and liabilities, will still be required to have a comprehensive internal compliance program.\n\n\n\n Moreover, the final rule removes the assumption that positions held by lenders for less than 60 days are proprietary trades. It would even discard some parts of a test that determines whether or not a trade is proprietary, and replace it with a new criteria based on how the bank accounts for the trades.\n\n\n\n Banks will also be freed from the elaborate documentation requirements for hedging activities under certain conditions. The revamped rule also simplifies trading activity-related information to be provided to the agencies.\n\n\n\n Remarkably, foreign banks stand to benefit greatly from a major change in the rule. Under the existing rule, foreign banks are allowed to engage in proprietary trading only if it occurs outside the United States. However, per the final rule, the exemption will expand to trades initiated outside the country but should go through a U.S. branch or affiliate or is financed by one.\n\n\n\nWill Rolling Back of the Rule be a Boon for Banks?\n\n\n\n The final rule is anticipated to have a positive impact on the safety and soundness of the financial system, and greatly reduce fixed costs for the financial institutions. Additionally, these banks can now freely engage in hedging activities in limits they consider risk-free that might help them counter risk in other parts of their businesses.\n\n\n\n Moreover, the changes in the Volcker Rule might help improve lending as banks will likely benefit from better liquidity positions.\n\n\n\n Nonetheless, easing of regulations might leave behind some loopholes that banks seek to exploit. Therefore, the regulators are expected to strictly keep supervising banks' activities, and maintain them on the right track to avoid another crisis.\n\n\n\nBiggest Tech Breakthrough in a Generation\n\n\n\n Be among the early investors in the new type of device that experts say could impact society as much as the discovery of electricity. Current technology will soon be outdated and replaced by these new devices. In the process, it's expected to create 22 million jobs and generate $12.3 trillion in activity.\n\n\n\n A select few stocks could skyrocket the most as rollout accelerates for this new tech. Early investors could see gains similar to buying Microsoft in the 1990s. Zacks' just-released special report reveals 7 stocks to watch. The report is only available for a limited time.\n\n\n\nSee 7 breakthrough stocks now>>\n\nWant the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report", "Wall Street spent the better part of a decade battling for regulators to reshape the Volcker rule, which contained a ban on banks making speculative investments. When the changes finally landed Tuesday, the win felt more symbolic.\n\nThe Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and other regulators rolled out tweaks that clarify which trades are prohibited and lay out limits for banks to follow in their market-making units. Although those are some of the revisions that banks had pushed for, they’re far from transformational changes that will spark a trading revival.\n\n“Reports of the demise of the Volcker rule are premature,” said Jai Massari, a partner at law firm Davis Polk & Wardwell. “It will be more clear whether activities will be scoped in or out of the rule, but the overall impact is not yet clear.”\n\nBank trading divisions have been totally reshaped since the Volcker rule was passed as part of the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act, the changes spurred by the new rules as well as technological advancements and a multiyear revenue slump. Global banks’ stock and bond desks are coming off their worst collective first half of a year since before the financial crisis a decade ago. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. — once the king of proprietary trading — just launched a credit card.\n\nThe Volcker rule targeted banks’ trading operations under the rationale that FDIC-insured lenders shouldn’t act like hedge funds. Proprietary-trading desks racked up billions of dollars in losses during the financial crisis and contributed to the need for taxpayer bailouts that sparked furor on both sides of the political aisle.\n\nThe low-hanging fruit was a series of standalone proprietary-trading units that were producing almost $5 billion a year for the biggest banks. Firms fairly quickly spun out or shut down legendary money-making teams including Goldman Sachs Principal Strategies and Morgan Stanley’s Process Driven Trading.\n\nThe trickier part was crafting regulations that wouldn’t allow banks to carry on proprietary trading within their client-facing desks. Wall Street firms have long argued that the rule went too far in that effort, limiting activities that are legitimately aimed at facilitating buying and selling illiquid bonds for customers or hedging the bank’s own risk. Traders also grumbled that the rules’ “guilty until proven innocent” approach curbed the risk appetite needed in the market, on top of the costs and headaches from compliance efforts and paperwork.\n\nBank critics pointed to traders who continued to rack up hundreds of millions of dollars in gains in a single year to note that Wall Street desks were far from riskless matchmakers.\n\n“The big banks could already do risky trading by pretending to be market making — these changes will give them more leeway to do so,” said Mayra Rodriguez Valladares, managing principal at New York-based MRV Associates, which trains bank examiners and finance executives.\n\nHarsher capital and liquidity requirements introduced after the crisis have been even more restraining on the trading risks the big banks can take. They will continue to exert pressure even under a softer Volcker rule, Rodriguez Valladares said.\n\n“If they start taking more risk, capital rules should kick in and force them to have more capital backing that risk, so that’s the backup control mechanism,” she said. “We’ll see if that will work as it should.”\n\nThe latest revision drops the much-hated “intent” prong for the largest firms. That had forced banks to include all trades that they intended to be short-term to be covered under the rule and required an explanation for each one. JPMorgan Chase & Co. Chief Executive Jamie Dimon famously quipped that each trader would need a psychologist and a lawyer by his side to comply.\n\nAs far as regulators are concerned, removing the intent element of the rule won’t have any material effect on which trades are covered. That element was created as a way to distinguish trades that smaller banks carried out, and it now will be applicable only to those smaller banks. The largest lenders already have trades covered under market-risk rules that are connected to their capital requirements.\n\nFor years, banks’ complaints fell largely on deaf ears. When President Trump took office in 2017, his administration vowed to relax the complex web of financial rules. That hasn’t always gone smoothly.\n\nThe original proposal for Volcker rule changes in 2018 would have expanded the reach of the rule even further, and the big banks pushed back. Several bank officials involved in the discussions said in recent months that they wished the regulators would just drop the revision effort altogether , since more complication seemed just as likely as a big victory.\n\nEven the regulators’ attempt to simplify compliance is unlikely to bring significant cost savings, said the officials, asking not to be identified discussing regulatory matters. The largest Wall Street firms have hired thousands of compliance officers in the last decade in response to tightened regulation following the 2008 crisis, and the Volcker rule is only one of dozens that require more manpower.\n\nYet there are critics who denounced the changes, saying the softening of the rule gives banks a free hand to increase risk. FDIC board member Martin Gruenberg, a Democrat who ran the agency until a year ago, said the rule has been defanged because many types of financial assets will no longer be covered.\n\n“Gutting the Volcker rule will generate more risk in the banking system,” the Center for American Progress, an advocacy group, said in a statement. “Taxpayers, workers and families will again foot the bill when this toxic mix goes south.”", "You remember the Volcker Rule, don’t you? It was the brainchild of former Fed chair Paul Volcker, who wanted to prohibit banks from proprietary trading—that is, betting their own money on risky investments. Volcker figured that prop trading should be done by hedge funds and investment banks, not by regulated commercial banks using house money with an implicit government guarantee.\n\nThe FDIC and four other independent agencies have dropped their proposal to tie the rule to a strict accounting standard — a move that banks argued would have made it more burdensome by subjecting additional trades to heightened supervision. Instead, regulators will give banks the benefit of the doubt on a much wider range of trades, according to the text of the final rule.\n\n….The inclusion of the accounting provision in the original Volcker 2.0 proposal had been key in securing the support of Martin Gruenberg, then FDIC chairman and now a regular board member at the agency. Gruenberg, an Obama appointee, voted against the revised rule Tuesday morning, saying it would “effectively undo” the Volcker rule’s ban on proprietary trading. As amended, “the Volcker rule will no longer impose a meaningful constraint on speculative and proprietary trading by banks and bank-holding companies benefiting from the public safety net” of insured deposits, Gruenberg said.", "WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Two U.S. banking regulators on Tuesday approved changes easing a rule introduced after the 2007-2009 financial crisis that bans banks from trading on their own account, giving Wall Street one of its biggest wins under the Trump administration.\n\nThe Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) approved the final version of the so-called “Volcker Rule,” which aims to ban lenders that accept U.S. taxpayer-insured deposits from engaging in proprietary trading.\n\nThe changes, first proposed in May 2018, followed years of lobbying by banks, including Goldman Sachs Group Inc (GS.N), JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N) and Morgan Stanley (MS.N), which have long complained the rule is too vague and complex.\n\nWhile many regulatory experts also agree the rule is too cumbersome, the proposed changes have been criticized by consumer groups and Democratic lawmakers who say a rewrite could create new systemic risks. Analysts say the final rule, which is significantly different from the proposed 2018 version, could also be vulnerable to legal challenges.\n\nThe rewrite aims to clarify which trades qualify for safe harbors, such as when banks facilitate client trades and hedge risks, and to expand those exemptions. The final rewrite scraps a proposed new test for identifying proprietary trading that banks complained would have made the rule even more complicated.\n\nThat proposed “accounting test” was meant to help define what trading fell under the safe habor for facilitating client trades, replacing a more subjective test that aims to identify whether a trader intended a trade to be speculative. But banks argued it could apply to a host of additional financial instruments not meant to be covered by the rule.\n\nThe final rule scraps that proposal and in turn simplifies the original test to apply to firms with just $1 billion in trading assets, giving relief to all the major Wall Street firms.\n\nAt the same time, the rewrite simplifies a separate part of the rule which makes it easier for banks to invest in hedge funds or private equity funds. Regulators said they expect to propose further easing of the “covered funds” aspect of the rule, including for foreign firms, later this year.\n\nThe rule will become effective on Jan. 1, 2020, but banks will have one year to comply.\n\nThe OCC and the FDIC are two of five regulators charged with implementing the rule. The others - the Federal Reserve, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Commodities Futures Trading Commission - are expected to approve the new rule soon.", "Wall Street is moving closer to scoring a major victory after regulators moved closer to scaling back the Volker Rule, a regulation born in the aftermath of the financial crisis of 2008.\n\nOn Tuesday, Comptroller of the Currency Joseph Otting signed off on Volcker Rule reforms, setting the stage for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation’s vote later in the day. The reform is expected to pass through four more regulators in the days and weeks ahead.\n\nThe Volker Rule is part of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, born under former President Barrack Obama in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, and is designed to prevent banks that received federally insured deposits from proprietary trading, or making speculative short-term trades with their own capital.\n\n“After extensive comment and feedback through the rulemaking process, I am pleased to approve changes to the “Volcker Rule” that simplify the rule in a common sense way that preserves the safety and soundness of the federal banking system and eliminates unintended negative consequences of the prior rule,” Otting said in a press release.\n\nDetails of the changes are not yet known.\n\nCLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON FOX BUSINESS\n\nIn March 2018, President Trump eased some of the restrictions from Dodd-Frank. He raised the threshold for a “too big to fail” bank from $50 billion of assets to $250 billion and eliminated the “Volker Rule” for banks with less than $10 billion of assets. The rollback also laxed the mortgage-lending rules for small banks."], "summary": "A modification of the Volcker rule is approved by the OCC and the FDIC. The new version eases rules on proprietary trading by Wall Street banks. Consumer groups criticize the rule change, claiming that it removes protections from taxpayers."}
{"document": ["ROME (Reuters) - Italy’s prime minister resigned on Tuesday after launching a blistering attack on his own interior minister, Matteo Salvini, accusing him of sinking the ruling coalition and endangering the economy for personal and political gain.\n\nPrime Minister Giuseppe Conte, addressing parliament after it was recalled from its summer recess to decide the future of the 14-month-old government, accused the far-right League party chief Salvini of seeking to cash in on his rising popularity.\n\nIn a shock move on Aug. 8, Salvini declared that his alliance with the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement was dead and called for elections, but the gambit could yet prove a big political blunder and open the door to power for his rivals.\n\nPoliticians from 5-Star and the centre-left Democratic Party (PD) are openly discussing forming a new coalition which would push the League into opposition and give Italy a more centrist, pro-European government.\n\n“The interior minister has shown that he is following his own interests and those of his party,” Conte told a packed Senate, a stony-faced Salvini sitting by his side. “His decisions pose serious risks for this country.”\n\nHe described Salvini’s actions as reckless and “liable to tip the country into a spiral of political uncertainty and financial instability”.\n\nAfter the Senate debate Conte, who belongs to neither of the coalition parties, handed his resignation to President Sergio Mattarella, who said he would begin talks with parliamentary groups on Wednesday to see if a new coalition can be formed.\n\nFailing that, Mattarella would have to dissolve parliament, 3-1/2 years ahead of schedule, to allow for autumn elections.\n\nThe consultations with party delegations will begin with minor groups at 1400 GMT on Wednesday. Mattarella will hear all the main parties on Thursday, concluding with 5-Star at 1500 GMT.\n\nThe PD’s leadership is also scheduled to meet on Wednesday to discuss the prospect of hooking up with 5-Star. The two parties have been bitter political foes for years.\n\nFinancial markets rallied on Conte’s resignation, seemingly hopeful that snap polls could be avoided.\n\nItalian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, next to Italian Deputy PM Matteo Salvini, addresses the upper house of parliament over the ongoing government crisis, in Rome, Italy August 20, 2019. REUTERS/Yara Nardi\n\nCHALLENGING EUROPE\n\nSalvini at times shook his head, rolled his eyes or nodded to League senators as the prime minister accused him of being “irresponsible”, “reckless”, “alarming” and “disrespectful”.\n\nConte said he was worried by Salvini’s threat to call people into the country’s squares if his drive for elections were thwarted, as well as his demand for “full powers”.\n\n“We do not need men who have ‘full powers’, but people who have institutional culture and a sense of responsibility,” he said in an hour-long speech in which he also denounced Salvini’s habit of brandishing the cross at his political rallies.\n\nTouching on a particularly sensitive subject, he also said Salvini should provide explanations over allegations that the League attempted to obtain illegal funding from Russia through a covert oil transaction.\n\nSalvini rejected Conte’s comments, saying other parties were afraid of going to elections and losing their influence.\n\nHe said his political goal was to challenge the European Union’s fiscal rules, which he has blamed for impoverishing the country. Rome should spend at least 50 billion euros ($55 billion) to stimulate the chronically weak economy, he added.\n\n“I am not afraid,” he said. “I don’t want Italy to be a slave to anyone, and I don’t want Italy to be given a long chain like a little dog. I don’t want any chain at all.”\n\nItaly has not held an election in the autumn since World War Two because the final months of the year are traditionally dedicated to drawing up the budget — a key moment for a country with one of the world’s largest debt mountains.\n\nAt the end of the parliamentary debate the League withdrew the no-confidence vote in the government that it had tabled earlier this month, but Conte said the move had come too late.\n\n“I see that the League’s leader Matteo Salvini lacks the courage to take responsibility for his actions. If there’s a lack of courage, don’t worry, I’ll take responsibility before the country that is watching us,” said Conte.\n\nSlideshow (14 Images)\n\nMattarella is likely to push for a swift decision by the 5-Star and PD on whether they can work together. Failing that, he will probably dissolve parliament and call a vote in late October or early November.\n\n“They won’t be able to run away from elections for ever,” Salvini told reporters as Conte met the president.", "A member of the media waits outside the Quirinal palace after the Italy's Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced his resignation during a session of the upper house of parliament over the ongoing government crisis, in Rome, Italy August 20, 2019. REUTERS/Remo Casilli\n\nROME (Reuters) - Italian President Sergio Mattarella has accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte and will kick off consultations with party leaders on Wednesday to seek a solution to the political crisis, his office said.\n\nMattarella asked Conte to remain in office to carry out day-to-day government business while the discussions continue.\n\nMattarella will start his meetings at 4.00 p.m. (1400 GMT) on Wednesday and wrap them up on Thursday afternoon. He is expected to see whether there is the political will to form a new government. If not, he will have to dissolve parliament, 3-1/2 years ahead of schedule, and call early elections.", "ROME — The most nationalist, populist and dysfunctional Italian government in decades collapsed on Tuesday as the country’s prime minister announced his resignation in the face of a mutinous power play by the hard-line and increasingly popular interior minister, Matteo Salvini.\n\n“The interior minister followed personal and party interests,” by calling for elections and pulling his support from the government, said Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte as he addressed an extraordinary session of Parliament that interrupted the usually sacrosanct Italian summer recess.\n\nWith Mr. Salvini seated beside him with raised chin, Mr. Conte took aim, accusing him of “political opportunism,” disregard for Italy’s institutions and thrusting the country into a “vortex of political uncertainty and financial instability.”\n\nCircumventing a confidence vote that Mr. Salvini had promoted, Mr. Conte said he would go to the Quirinal Hill and tender his resignation to Italy’s president, Sergio Mattarella.", "ROME, Aug 20 (Reuters) - Italy's prime minister announced his resignation on Tuesday as he made a blistering attack on his own interior minister, Matteo Salvini, accusing him of sinking the ruling coalition and endangering the economy for personal and political gain.\n\nPrime Minister Giuseppe Conte, addressing parliament after it was recalled from its summer recess to decide the future of the 14-month-old government, accused League party chief Salvini of seeking to cash in on his rising popularity.\n\nHe described the actions of Salvini, who declared the coalition unworkable 12 days ago and called for snap elections, as recklessness \"liable to tip the country into a spiral of political uncertainty and financial instability\".\n\nConte, who belongs to neither of the coalition's two parties, said he would hand in his resignation later in the day, allowing the head of state to start formal consultations with parties to see if a new coalition can be formed.\n\nFailing that, President Sergio Mattarella would have to dissolve parliament, 3-1/2 years ahead of schedule, a move that could trigger elections as early as the autumn.\n\nFinancial markets rallied on Conte's resignation, seemingly hopeful that snap polls could be avoided amid reports the ruling 5-Star Movement might seek an alliance with the centre-left opposition Democratic Party (PD).\n\nSalvini at times shook his head, rolled his eyes or nodded to League senators as the prime minister accused him of being \"irresponsible\", \"reckless\", \"alarming\" and \"disrespectful\".\n\nConte said he was worried by Salvini's threat to call people into the country's squares if his drive for elections were thwarted, as well as his demand for \"full powers\".\n\n\"We do not need men who have 'full powers', but people who have institutional culture and a sense of responsibility,\" he said in an hour long speech in which he also denounced Salvini's habit of brandishing the cross at his political rallies.\n\nSalvini rejected Conte's comments, saying other parties were afraid of going to elections and losing their influence.\n\nHe said his political goal was to challenge the European Union's fiscal rules, which he has blamed for impoverishing the country. Rome should spend at least 50 billion euros ($55 billion) to stimulate the chronically weak economy, he added.\n\n\"I am not afraid,\" he said \"I don't want Italy to be a slave to anyone, and I don't want Italy to be given a long chain like a little dog. I don't want any chain at all.\"\n\nItaly has not held an election in the autumn since World War Two because the final months of the year are traditionally dedicated to drawing up the budget -- a key moment for a country with one of the world's largest debt mountains.\n\nSalvini said he was ready to keep the coalition alive to approve a 2020 budget and also vote in a planned reform of parliament before heading to early elections.\n\n\"Do you want to cut the number of parliamentarians and then go to vote? We're ready for that. If you then want to present a courageous budget, then we are ready for that too,\" he said.\n\nHowever, such a scenario is hard to imagine given the mutual recriminations flying between the two coalition partners.\n\nInstead, Mattarella is likely to push for a swift decision by the 5-Star and PD on whether they can work together. Failing that, he will probably dissolve parliament and call a vote in late October or early November.", "ROME - Italy’s president begins consultations on Wednesday on seeing if there is any way another working coalition government can be formed following Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte’s resignation. The head of state wants to see if he can avoid dissolving parliament three-and-a-half years ahead of schedule. If not, the country will hold a snap general election in the fall.\n\nPresident Sergio Mattarella is scheduled to meet all of the country’s political parties to see if a new coalition can be formed that will allow the present parliament, elected in March 2018, to continue to sit. The consultations follow the resignation of Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, which he announced in the upper house of parliament Tuesday afternoon.\n\nConte said the decision of the League party which requested a no-confidence vote on the government had forced him to interrupt this government experience. Conte accused the League party leader and the country’s interior minister, Matteo Salvini, of bringing down the ruling coalition for personal and political gain.\n\nSome two weeks ago, Salvini declared the coalition unworkable and called for a snap general election. Addressing the senators, Conte attacked what he called Salvini’s irresponsible and reckless behavior, saying it was “liable to tip the country into a spiral of political uncertainty and financial instability.”\n\nConte said Salvini took on a huge responsibility promoting this government crisis.\n\nThe outgoing prime minister said he was worried by Salvini's demand for “full powers” and his threat to call people into the country's squares if his drive for elections was thwarted.\n\nFor his part, when Salvini addressed the Senate after Conte, he said he would do everything again just as he had done, adding he is a free man and not fearful of what Italians would think. He said other parties were scared to go to elections because they were scared to lose their seats in parliament.\n\nSalvini and his League party are riding high in opinion polls with just under 40 percent. His anti-immigration policies have served him well since he came to power.\n\nThe Italian president is likely to push for a quick decision and one that will avoid the dissolution of the current parliament. One possible scenario is a new coalition formed by the Five Star Movement and the Left Democrats party, a solution that is exactly what Salvini does not want.\n\nBut if the consultations fail, a general election could be held before the end of October at a time the country should be focusing instead on drawing up its 2020 budget.", "Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte said Tuesday that he would submit his resignation amid tensions between the two populist parties that comprise his government coalition: the anti-establishment Five Star Movement and the far-right League.\n\nThe big picture: Earlier this month, Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini declared the governing coalition unworkable and demanded fresh elections. Salvini's League party performed exceptionally well in the European Parliament elections earlier this year and is polling in first place nationally at about 38%, according to The Guardian. Salvini hopes to use a snap election to give the League an outright majority and make him prime minister, though his far-right party is still facing questions over a campaign finance scandal involving Russian funds.", "ROME — Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte resigned Tuesday, blaming the collapse of his 14-month-old populist government on his rebellious, anti-migrant Interior Minister Matteo Salvini, who triggered a political crisis to try to force early elections.\n\nAddressing the Senate, Conte blasted Salvini for setting in motion a “dizzying spiral of political and financial instability” by essentially pulling the plug on the government. Salvini’s right-wing League party sought a no-confidence vote against Conte earlier this month, a stunningly bold move for the government’s junior coalition partner.\n\nConte, a lawyer with no political experience who was tapped to break a post-election stalemate last year, handed his resignation to President Sergio Mattarella at the presidential palace Tuesday night.\n\nMattarella, who is head of state, requested that Conte and the rest of the government stay on in a caretaker role, while he works in the coming days to determine whether to call new elections. Mattarella will first see if another viable coalition can be cobbled together.\n\nSalvini, who sat next to Conte during his speech, smirking at times, declared, “I’d do it all again.” He repeatedly kissed a rosary he slipped out of his pocket right after Conte rebuked him for associating “political slogans with religious symbols.”\n\nPressing for elections as soon as possible, Salvini said: “I don’t fear Italians’ judgment.”\n\nSalvini has taken to dangling a rosary and invoking the protection of the Virgin Mary in political rallies around the country, even though no election campaign is underway.\n\nIn the European Parliament election three months ago in Italy, as well as in current opinion polls, Salvini’s League party has become the No. 1 political force among Italians. His crackdown on migrants, whom the party’s voter base largely blames for crime, appears to be a huge factor in Salvini’s climbing popularity.\n\nFrances D’Emilio is an Associated Press writer.", "ROME: Italy's Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte on Tuesday announced he was resigning after making a scathing attack on his deputy and coalition partner Matteo Salvini for sparking of a new political crisis for \"personal and party interests\", reports said.\n\nSalvini, the leader of the nationalist League party, had tabled a no-confidence motion against Conte, saying he could no longer work with his coalition partners Five Star.\n\nThe League and the populist Five Star Movement formed a coalition to govern just 14 months ago with Conte, an independent, as the Prime Minister.\n\nAddressing the Senate, with Salvini and the other Deputy Prime Minister Luigi Di Maio sitting on either side, Conte said the League leader had been \"looking for a pretext to return to the polls\" since his party's success in European elections in May, reported the BBC.\n\nThe League had won 34 per cent of the votes in Italy, whereas Five Star got about 17 per cent.\n\nBlaming Salvini for undermining the government and terming his actions \"irresponsible\" and allowing primacy of \"personal and party interests,\" Conte said: \"I take this opportunity to announce that I will present my resignation as head of government to the President of the Republic.\"\n\nIn his address, Salvini said that he was \"not afraid of the judgement of Italians\".\n\nFive Star leader Di Maio also said that his party did not fear another election, while blaming the League for the government's collapse.\n\nConte was due to present his resignation letter to President Sergio Mattarella after the Senate debate.\n\nMattarella could call early elections but he could also decide to announce discussions with party leaders on forming a new coalition government.", "Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced on Tuesday that he will submit his resignation to the president, ending Italy's 14-month-old populist government.\n\n\"At the end of the debate I will go to the President of the Republic to officially communicate the end of this government and present to my resignation to him,\" Conte said in a speech before the Senate.\n\nTwo weeks ago, Interior Minister Matteo Salvini made the surprise announcement that his far-right League no longer wanted to remain in an alliance with the anti-establishment Five Star Movement, presenting a no-confidence vote and advocating for fresh elections.\n\nWhat happens now?\n• Conte will formally submit his resignation to Italian President Sergio Mattarella later on Tuesday.\n• As head of state, Mattarella could reject the resignation, asking Conte to remain in his post to try and find an alternative majority in Parliament.\n• He could also accept the resignation and see if another leader can form an alternative coaltion.\n• Should those options fail, Parliament could be dissolved,setting the stage for snap elections as early as October.\n\nDuring his speech before the Senate, Conte slammed Salvini, saying that he'd acted selfishly by choosing to end the country's governing coalition.\n\n\"It is irresponsible to initiate a government crisis,\" Conte said adding that the move \"shows personal and party interests.\"\n\nConte, who belongs to neither party in the coalition, said that Salvini's decision puts the eurozone's third-largest economy at risk — exposing Italy to \"a whirling spiral of political uncertainty and financial instability.\"\n\n\"Making citizens vote is the essence of democracy, asking them to vote every year is irresponsible,\" the prime minister said.\n\nSalvini, who is also deputy prime minister, was seen shaking his head and rolling his eyes during Conte's speech, while members of his League booed at the Italian premier from their seats in the Senate.\n\nRecent opinion polls have seen support for Salvini's anti-immigrant League party surge while support for the Five Star Movement has dropped significantly.\n\nBy trying to trigger early elections, analysts believe Salvini hopes to capitalize on his party's popularity and become Italy's next prime minister.\n\nEach evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.", "The Latest: Italy's Salvini not afraid of an early vote\n\nROME (AP) — The Latest on Italy's government crisis (all times local):\n\nMatteo Salvini, the leader of Italy's right-wing League party, says he triggered a government crisis in the middle of the summer because he doesn't fear the prospect of an early vote.\n\nSalvini addressed senators on Tuesday after Italian Premier Giuseppe Conte announced he will tender his resignation, putting an end to the populist government forged only 14 months ago.\n\nSalvini said he would \"do again everything I did ... I'm a free man and I don't fear Italians' judgment.\" Salvini has been maneuvering to become Italy's next leader as support for his party grows on his anti-migrant stance.\n\nEarlier, Conte had blasted Salvini for his \"irresponsible\" move that has abruptly interrupted the work of the government. He added that Salvini has acted only to pursue his \"personal interests\" and capitalize on his soaring popularity.\n\nConte also stressed that a sudden government crisis puts Italy at risk of \"political and financial instability.\"\n\nItalian Premier Giuseppe Conte has announced his resignation, blaming his decision to end his 14-month-old populist government on his rebellious right-wing coalition partner.\n\nHe told senators on Tuesday he is handing in his resignation because his right-wing coalition partner, the League party led by Interior Minister Matteo Salvini, has decided to yank its support for the populist government.\n\nConte said he will go later Tuesday to officially inform Italian President Sergio Mattarella of his decision. Mattarella, as head of state, could ask Conte to stay on and try to find an alternative majority in Parliament, or accept his resignation and see if some other leader can forge an alternative coalition.\n\nFailing that, Mattarella could dissolve Parliament, setting the stage for a new general election as early as October."], "summary": "Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte resigns. He criticizes Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, accusing him of sinking the ruling coalition for personal and political gain. The President of Italy, Sergio Mattarella, accepts Conte's resignation and announces that he will start consultations with party leaders."}
{"document": ["MOSCOW, August 20. /TASS/. Russia’s latest reconnaissance drone Altius-U weighing 6 tonnes has performed its debut flight, the Defense Ministry of Russia said on Tuesday.\n\n\"The flight lasted 32 minutes at an altitude of up to 800 meters in a fully automatic mode at one of testing aerodromes. All the drone’s systems operated normally,\" the ministry said in a statement.\n\nRussia’s Defense Ministry posted the video of the reconnaissance drone’s debut flight in its YouTube page. The video shows the drone speeding up along the runway of a military aerodrome and making its flight. The video footage further demonstrates the drone performing maneuvers in the air with the non-retracted landing gear and making a landing. The drone’s board number is 881.\n\nThe Altius-U is the drone’s final conceptual design after the tests of several prototypes, the Defense Ministry said.\n\n\"The system is capable of accomplishing a whole range of reconnaissance assignments, employing optical, radio-technical and radar equipment and staying in the air for over 24 hours. The drone weighs about 6 tonnes,\" the ministry specified.\n\nThe Altius-U features a satellite control channel, \"which makes the radius of its employment actually unlimited,\" the statement says.", "The Russian Defense Ministry posted a video of the maiden flight of a 6-tonne Altius-U drone, capable of being in the air for more than 24 hours\n\nMOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 20th August, 2019) The Russian Defense Ministry posted a video of the maiden flight of a 6-tonne Altius-U drone, capable of being in the air for more than 24 hours.\n\nA video lasting 1 minute 3 seconds was posted on the ministry's YouTube channel. The video shows the drone's flight and maneuvers in the sky, as well as landing.", "Another week, another Russian drone makes its first successful take-off. The defense ministry published footage of the maiden flight of a high-endurance reconnaissance UAV called Altius-U.\n\nThe footage shows a twin-engine large drone with a V-shaped tail performing its maiden flight. According to the ministry statement, the aircraft spent just over 30 minutes in the air and performed both the take off and landing in automatic mode.\n\nDubbed ‘Altius-U’ by the ministry, the 6-ton drone is meant as a high-endurance reconnaissance platform. It can stay in flight for more than 24 hours and has a satellite uplink for control, allowing it to be piloted from a great distance.\n\nThe drone is alternatively called Altair and has been in the works for quite some time. The project was launched in 2011 and had a bumpy road to finally taking off. Last year the contract was stripped from its original builder in Kazan over delays and was awarded instead to a Yekaterinburg-based subsidiary of the defense giant Rostec to complete.\n\nEarlier this month another Russian heavy drone called Okhotnik (‘Hunter’ in Russian) made its maiden flight. That aircraft is meant to be a ground attack platform and has a flying wing body type.\n\nAltius-U is said to be the final design that came out of the project so far. Earlier reports said it may be lightly armed when finally entering service. It was not immediately clear if a strike modification is still on the table.\n\nIf you like this story, share it with a friend!", "The Russian Defence Ministry has published a video of its new 6-tonne drone taking to the skies for its maiden flight.\n\nBoasting that the Altius-U drone can stay up in the air ‘for up to 24 hours’, Russia says the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) will undertake a wide variety of reconnaissance missions.\n\nFor the maiden flight, the drone flew for a total of 30 minutes at an altitude of 800 metres and landed safely afterwards.\n\nThe Defense Ministry posted the video of the reconnaissance drone’s debut flight in its YouTube page. The video shows the drone speeding up along the runway of a military aerodrome and making its flight.\n\nThe video also shows the drone performing maneuvers in the air with the non-retracted landing gear and making a landing.\n\n‘The system is capable of accomplishing a whole range of reconnaissance assignments, employing optical, radio-technical and radar equipment and staying in the air for over 24 hours. The drone weighs about 6 tonnes,’ the ministry said in a statement.\n\nEarlier this month, news emerged that the Russian government is working on a new stealth bomber as well.\n\nThe plane is called the PAK DA and will be tested in the coming years before being rolled out as soon as 2025, the Russian news agency TASS announced.", "A 1 minute and 3 second video was posted on the ministry's YouTube channel. The video shows the drone's flight and manoeuvres in the sky, as well as landing.\n\nAltius-U is the final form of this unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), created as a result of the development and testing of a number of prototypes. The flight took place for 32 minutes at an altitude of up to 800 metres in fully automatic mode at one of the test aerodromes. All systems of the complex worked properly, the Ministry of Defence noted.\n\nAccording to the report, the complex is capable of performing an entire spectrum of reconnaissance missions using optical, radio engineering and radar and can stay in the air for more than a day.\n\nA feature of the complex is the use of a satellite control channel, making the radius of its application practically unlimited."], "summary": "The Russian Ministry of Defence announces that the six-tonne satellite-controlled reconnaissance drone Altius-U has performed its maiden flight."}
{"document": ["MLS commissioner Don Garber praises St. Louis' \"incredibly rich soccer history\" as he announces the city will be home to the league's 28th club. (1:39)\n\nMLS announced on Tuesday that it has awarded an expansion team to the city of St. Louis, swelling the league's ranks to 28 clubs.\n\nSt. Louis' ownership group includes Enterprise Holdings Foundation president Carolyn Kindle Betz and other female members of the Taylor family, making it the first female-majority-owned team in MLS history. The investor group is rounded out by World Wide Technology CEO Jim Kavanaugh and Enterprise Holdings executive chairman Andy Taylor. The team will begin play in 2022, and the process for selecting the team name, badge and colors will begin immediately.\n\n- ESPN fantasy: Sign up now!\n\n\"It is with great pride that we welcome St. Louis to Major League Soccer,\" MLS commissioner Don Garber said. \"St. Louis is a city with a rich soccer tradition, and it is a market we have considered since the league's inception.\n\n\"Our league becomes stronger today with the addition of the city's deeply dedicated soccer fans and the committed and innovative local ownership group led by Carolyn Kindle Betz, the Taylor family and Jim Kavanaugh.\"\n\nThe announcement caps a process that amounted to a roller-coaster ride. The St. Louis bid looked dead back in 2017 when a city referendum that would have directed $60 million in new tax proceeds toward the construction of a stadium was defeated by voters. That setback led Paul Edgerley, who headed the investment group at the time, to cease his efforts to bring a team to St. Louis.\n\nBut this past October, Kindle Betz and other members of the Taylor Family got on board alongside Kavanaugh, who was part of the previous investor group. Thanks to a willingness to fund stadium construction almost entirely with private funds, and with a site located in the Downtown West district, St. Louis was back in the game. MLS announced in April that it had entered exclusive negotiations with St. Louis, and after a series of presentations, the last of which came three weeks ago at the MLS All-Star Game in Orlando, the decision was made to bring the Gateway City into the MLS fold.\n\nplay 1:24 McBride excited for St. Louis-Chicago rivalry to hit MLS Brian McBride understands firsthand just how deserving St. Louis is of an MLS franchise from his collegiate career at Saint Louis University.\n\n\"Our ownership group has come a long way since we first announced our bid last October at Mathews-Dickey Boys and Girls Club, and it's an incredible feeling to now be able to say, St. Louis is home to the first official majority female-led ownership group in MLS,\" Kindle Betz said. \"Our MLS team and stadium will only add to St. Louis' renaissance currently underway and will provide us with a great opportunity to bring together many different segments of the community, uniting people in their love for the game.\"\n\nThe stadium is part of a major development project that will include mixed-use retail and restaurants. According to the ownership group, no tax increment financing or any direct citywide tax investment will be needed to finance the stadium project. The stadium proposal specifies that only those purchasing tickets and items at the stadium will be paying any tax. The team will pay for all stadium maintenance, repair and upkeep.\n\nMLS has long desired to have a team in St. Louis, given the sport's long history in the Gateway City. Five of the 11 players who defeated England at the 1950 World Cup were from St. Louis, and the city has produced 29 players and coaches who have been inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame.\n\nThe area's youth programs have helped develop several players into professionals, including MLS players Will Bruin (Seattle Sounders) and Joe Willis (Houston Dynamo), Tim Ream (Fulham) of the English Championship, rising star Josh Sargent (Werder Bremen) of the Bundesliga, and Becky Sauerbrunn (Utah Royals) of the NWSL and the FIFA World Cup champion with the U.S. women's national team.\n\nIn addition, many former MLS players are from St. Louis, including Taylor Twellman, Brad Davis, Chris Klein and Steve Ralston.", "The prospects of a Major League Soccer franchise ever calling St. Louis home appeared to have died two years ago when voters turned down the use of a business tax to finance a new downtown stadium.\n\nThen a new potential ownership group came along.\n\nLed by members of the founding family of car rental giant Enterprise, the city began to work anew last fall on its pitch for a professional soccer team. On Tuesday, the league officially announced that St. Louis would become its 28th club when it begins play for the 2022 season.\n\n\"Our ownership group has come a long way since we first announced our bid last October at Mathews-Dickey Boys and Girls Club, and it's an incredible feeling to now be able to say, 'St. Louis is home to the first official majority female-led ownership group in MLS,' \" said Carolyn Kindle Betz, granddaughter of Enterprise founder Jack Taylor and the president of Enterprise Holdings Foundation.\n\n\"Our MLS team and stadium will only add to St. Louis' renaissance currently underway,\" Kindle Betz said, \"and will provide us with a great opportunity to bring together many different segments of the community, uniting people in their love for the game.\"\n\nSix other female members of the Taylor are part of the ownership group, along with businessmen Andy Taylor and Jim Kavanaugh, a soccer insider who was part of the first failed ownership team.\n\nThe new soccer stadium, which is planned for Market Street just west of Union Station, will be the centrepiece of a major development project in the city's Downtown West district. It will include mixed-used retail, restaurants and gathering spaces open year-round to the public, and is expected to continue a downtown revitalization effort that includes Busch Stadium — home of the St. Louis Cardinals — and the Enterprise Center, the home of the Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues.\n\nAs proof the city is all-in on the project, the St. Louis Board of Alderman easily approved a resolution last November to provide tax exemptions and other incentives to help with the construction.\n\n\"St. Louis is a city with a rich soccer tradition,\" MLS commissioner Don Garber said, \"and it is a market we have considered since the league's inception. Our league becomes stronger with the addition of the city's deeply dedicated soccer fans and the committed and innovative local ownership group.\"\n\nSt. Louis has long been a hotbed for youth soccer. In 1950, five immigrants from \"The Hill\" neighbourhood helped the U.S. upset England in the World Cup. Saint Louis University has won 10 national titles in men's soccer, and the Hermann Trophy given to the top college player in the country is awarded annually at the Missouri Athletic Club.", "This is a developing story that will be updated.\n\nSt. Louis soon will be home to a top-tier professional soccer team. Major League Soccer officially awarded St. Louis an expansion team on Tuesday.\n\nThe team will begin play in 2022 in a new stadium to be built just west of Union Station. A team name has not been announced.\n\n“It is with great pride that we welcome St. Louis to Major League Soccer,” league Commissioner Don Garber said Tuesday morning.\n\nGarber’s announcement ends months of speculation about whether a local ownership group could secure a spot in the MLS’s plan to expand from 24 teams to 28 teams by 2022. The successful campaign follows years of failed efforts in St. Louis to join the top professional soccer league in the U.S. and Canada.\n\n“Our MLS team and stadium will only add to St. Louis’ renaissance currently underway,” said Enterprise Holdings Foundation President Carolyn Kindle Betz, who leads the ownership group. She said the team will provide “a great opportunity to bring together many different segments of the community, uniting people in their love for the game.”\n\nBetz heads the league’s first majority-woman ownership group. She is joined in the group by six other female members of the Taylor family, who own St. Louis-based Enterprise Holdings, one of the largest car rental companies in the world.\n\nThe company’s executive chairman, Andy Taylor, also has an ownership stake in the new team, along with Jim Kavanaugh, CEO of local tech giant World Wide Technology.\n\nKavanaugh’s soccer roots run deep. He was a member of the St. Louis University soccer team and the U.S. Olympic squad before turning pro. Kavanaugh is CEO of St. Louis FC, which plays in a second-division professional soccer league.\n\nAnticipation for St. Louis getting an MLS team has been building for weeks among the St. Louis FC fan base. Its official supporter group, the St. Louligans, has formed a tight-knit community around the team and sport.\n\nMitch Morice, one of the fan club’s leaders, hopes that continues with the MLS team.\n\n“I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure it does,” he said during pre-game festivities at a recent St. Louis FC game at the team’s home field in Fenton.\n\n“That is the important thing, that the supporters group starts the foundation of a successful soccer team in MLS.”\n\nAnother St. Louligan, Sarah Robertson, said she thinks the MLS team’s new stadium in the Downtown West neighborhood has the potential to be an economic development tool by attracting more events to the city.\n\n“Concerts. There'll be chances for national team games possibly. Friendlies. I think it will be amazing, honestly.”\n\nConstruction of that stadium is the next step for the MLS ownership group.\n\nThe ownership group has stressed that direct public money will not be needed for the stadium, but tax breaks have been discussed.\n\nOne plan has called for the St. Louis Board of Aldermen to approve creating three special taxing districts. The ownership group is also expected to ask for a partial break on the city’s 1% amusement tax, as well as an exemption on the sales tax on materials purchased to build the stadium. That could save $5 million in construction costs.\n\nAldermen last year passed a non-binding resolution throwing their support behind the ownership group and pledging to pass the needed legislation. They return from their summer break on Sept. 13.\n\n\n\nRobertson with the St. Louligans is convinced the investment will pay off for the owners, the region and those who love the sport.\n\n“It's fast-paced. It's not like baseball where you're sitting 2-3 hours for a game,” she said.\n\n“And when you get a group like the Louligans around — it's constant. It's 90 minutes of chanting. It's 90 minutes of caring what goes on the field, and we've created a family out of it.”\n\nThe yet-to-be-named St. Louis squad is expected to have rivalries with teams including Kansas City, Chicago, and Nashville once it starts play in three years.\n\nSend questions and comments about this story to feedback@stlpublicradio.org", "Major League Soccer has awarded an expansion franchise to St. Louis, Missouri, the league announced on Tuesday.\n\nThe team will begin play in 2022 in a brand-new downtown stadium, with MLS previously announcing that the expansion fee for the new team had been set at $200 million.\n\n\"It is with great pride that we welcome St. Louis to Major League Soccer,\" said MLS commissioner Don Garber in a league release. \"St. Louis is a city with a rich soccer tradition, and it is a market we have considered since the league's inception.\n\n\"Our league becomes stronger today with the addition of the city's deeply dedicated soccer fans, and the committed and innovative local ownership group led by Carolyn Kindle Betz, the Taylor family, and Jim Kavanaugh.\"\n\nSIGN UP to watch MLS in Canada this season on DAZN\n\nEnterprise Holdings Foundation president Kindle Betz and six other female members of the Taylor family will make the St. Louis franchise the first female majority-owned club in MLS history.\n\n\"It's an incredible feeling to now be able to say, St. Louis is home to the first official majority female-led ownership group in MLS,\" said Kindle Betz.\n\n\"Our MLS team and stadium will only add to St. Louis' renaissance currently underway and will provide us with a great opportunity to bring together many different segments of the community, uniting people in their love for the game.\"\n\nThe addition of St. Louis continues a rapid expansion for the North American league, with 18 clubs having joined MLS since 2005.\n\nFC Cincinnati joined the league this season as the 24th team, with Inter Miami and Nashville SC to bring that total up to 26 next year, and Austin FC making it 27 in 2021.\n\nMLS had previously stated its intention to bring the league up to 28 teams but earlier this season, the league announced it would be expanding to 30 teams in the future.\n\nThe race to be awarded teams 29 and 30 are now on and there are no shortage of candidates.\n\nLas Vegas, Sacramento, Charlotte, Raleigh and Phoenix are some of the cities who have expressed an interest in joining the league in the coming years.", "ST. LOUIS — Not only did St. Louis just get an MLS team, but the city also made history as the first female majority-owned club in MLS history. It’s also one of few female majority-owned clubs in professional sports.\n\nThe ownership group includes Enterprise Holdings Foundation president Carolyn Kindle Betz and several other women from the Taylor family. The investor group includes World Wide Technology CEO Jim Kavanaugh and Enterprise Holdings executive chairman Andy Taylor.\n\nFour members of the new St. Louis Major League Soccer franchise ownership group, pose for photos following ceremonies that St. Louis has been awarded a franchise, in St. Louis on Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2019. Owners from (L to R) are Patty Taylor, Jo Ann Taylor Kindle, Carolyn Kindle Betz, and Chrissy Taylor. This group is the only all female owned franchise in Major League Soccer.\n\nBetz spoke at the official announcement press conference Tuesday morning. The highly-anticipated announcement finally arrived.\n\n“It is with great pride that we welcome St. Louis to Major League Soccer,” MLS Commissioner Don Garber said in a statement. “St. Louis is a city with a rich soccer tradition, and it is a market we have considered since the league’s inception. Our league becomes stronger today with the addition of the city’s deeply dedicated soccer fans, and the committed and innovative local ownership group led by Carolyn Kindle Betz, the Taylor family, and Jim Kavanaugh.”\n\nSt. Louis will be team 28 in the league, with two more expected to be added soon. St. Louis’ unnamed team is expected to begin play in 2022.\n\nThe state-of-the-art stadium will be built next to Union Station. The planned 22,500-capacity stadium, includes a promise that every seat will be within 120 feet of the field, as well as a translucent canopy that will provide cover covering for the fans while allowing light to reach the field.\n\nBetz also talked to 5 On Your Side’s Sports Director Frank Cusumano following the press conference,\n\n“I think our hope is to be an inspiration and a role model for young women, young girls - whatever you want, you have to be able to pursue your dreams. And we’re just excited to be able to continue to hopefully be a good model, certainly encouragement to others out there,” Betz said.\n\nBetz shared a photo of her on Twitter with a sign that said, ‘Carolyn’s first day as an MLS team owner.’\n\nRELATED: #MLS4TheLou to make ‘special announcement’ with city leaders on Aug. 20\n\nRELATED: Soccer could bring part of downtown St. Louis back to life\n\nRELATED: What would you name a St. Louis MLS team?", "ST. LOUIS, Mo (Fox2Now) – The next Major League Soccer expansion franchise is coming to St. Louis. The local MLS group that successfully secured the franchise for St. Louis held a press conference to announce the news, reports Fox2Now.\n\nMLS Commissioner Don Garber said talks about bringing an MLS team to St. Louis began in 2006 with Mayor Francis Slay.\n\nThe talks continued with Mayor Lyda Krewson, the ownership group, and corporate leaders, over the last 10-months to bring a team to the city. The local business community also met with the league. They said that the area can support three pro-sports teams.\n\nThe name for the team has not yet been announced. But, St. Louis will have the 28th team in the league. There are plans for a new stadium to be built in downtown St. Louis.\n\nAlong with being the 28th team, the St. Louis team will also be the first female-majority owned soccer expansion as well. The team will be one of the few female-led groups in all of the pro-sports.", "FILE – In this Nov. 28, 2018, file photo, Aldermanic President Lewis Reed, left, high-fives Carolyn Kindle Betz after a proposed soccer stadium in St. Louis was approved by unanimous vote at a meeting in St. Louis. On Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2019, the league officially announced that St. Louis would become its 28th club when it begins play for the 2022 season. “Our ownership group has come a long way since we first announced our bid last October at Mathews-Dickey Boys and Girls Club, and it’s an incredible feeling to now be able to say, ‘St. Louis is home to the first official majority female-led ownership group in MLS,’” said Carolyn Kindle Betz, granddaughter of Enterprise founder Jack Taylor and the president of Enterprise Holdings Foundation. (David Carson/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP)\n\nThe prospects of a Major League Soccer franchise ever calling St. Louis home appeared to have died two years ago when voters turned down the use of a business tax to finance a new downtown stadium.\n\nThen a new potential ownership group came along.\n\nLed by members of the founding family of car rental giant Enterprise, the city began to work anew last fall on its pitch for a professional soccer team. On Tuesday, the league officially announced that St. Louis would become its 28th club when it begins play for the 2022 season.\n\n“Our ownership group has come a long way since we first announced our bid last October at Mathews-Dickey Boys and Girls Club, and it’s an incredible feeling to now be able to say, ‘St. Louis is home to the first official majority female-led ownership group in MLS,'” said Carolyn Kindle Betz, granddaughter of Enterprise founder Jack Taylor and the president of Enterprise Holdings Foundation.\n\n“Our MLS team and stadium will only add to St. Louis’ renaissance currently under way,” Kindle Betz said, “and will provide us with a great opportunity to bring together many different segments of the community, uniting people in their love for the game.”\n\nSix other female members of the Taylor are part of the ownership group, along with businessmen Andy Taylor and Jim Kavanaugh, a soccer insider who was part of the first failed ownership team.\n\nThe new soccer stadium, which is planned for Market Street just west of Union Station, will be the centerpiece of a major development project in the city’s Downtown West district. It will include mixed-used retail, restaurants and gathering spaces open year-round to the public, and is expected to continue a downtown revitalization effort that includes Busch Stadium — home of the St. Louis Cardinals — and the Enterprise Center, the home of the Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues.\n\nAs proof the city is all-in on the project, the St. Louis Board of Alderman easily approved a resolution last November to provide tax exemptions and other incentives to help with the construction.\n\n“St. Louis is a city with a rich soccer tradition,” MLS Commissioner Don Garber said, “and it is a market we have considered since the league’s inception. Our league becomes stronger with the addition of the city’s deeply dedicated soccer fans and the committed and innovative local ownership group.”\n\nSt. Louis has long been a hotbed for youth soccer. In 1950, five immigrants from “The Hill” neighborhood helped the U.S. upset England in the World Cup. Saint Louis University has won 10 national titles in men’s soccer, and the Hermann Trophy given to the top college player in the country is awarded annually at the Missouri Athletic Club.\n\nThe U.S. women’s national team drew more than 35,000 fans to exhibition games at Busch Stadium in preparation for the 2015 and 2019 World Cups, and 43,000 fans packed the stadium to watch the U.S. men beat St. Vincent and the Grenadines in a World Cup qualifier in 2015.\n\nThe men’s national team has a friendly against Uruguay scheduled for Sept. 10 at Busch Stadium.\n\n“St. Louis has always been and will continue to be one of the great historic soccer cities throughout the United States,” Garber said at a news conference attended by Blues legends Bernie Federko and Chris Pronger and Cardinals star Ozzie Smith. “After two decades of discussions about St. Louis being a part of our league, today the moment has arrived.”\n\nThe new St. Louis franchise continues explosive growth for MLS that has seen 15 new clubs join the league since 2005. That includes a handful that have recently been awarded: FC Cincinnati is playing its inaugural season this year, David Beckham’s Inter Miami FC and Nashville SC will begin play next season, Austin FC begins play in 2021 and the St. Louis club will follow the next year.\n\nIts location also means a more natural rival for cross-state Sporting Kansas City and the Chicago Fire — just think of the rivalry that already exists between the Cubs and Cardinals.\n\n“For the last two decades as a player and as a commentator for ESPN, I’ve seen this league grow in the United States and Canada,” said Taylor Twellman, who grew up in St. Louis and played in MLS before becoming an ESPN broadcaster. “Few of us thought it would reach this point. But the community, the fans, that recipe is why we’re in St. Louis today.”", "The prospects of a Major League Soccer franchise ever calling St. Louis home appeared to have died two years ago when voters turned down the use of a business tax to finance a new downtown stadium.\n\nThen a new potential ownership group came along.\n\nLed by members of the founding family of car-rental giant Enterprise, the city began to work anew last fall on its pitch for a professional soccer team. On Tuesday, the league officially announced that St. Louis would become its 28th club when it begins play for the 2022 season.\n\n“Our ownership group has come a long way since we first announced our bid last October at Mathews-Dickey Boys and Girls Club, and it’s an incredible feeling to now be able to say, ‘St. Louis is home to the first official majority female-led ownership group in MLS,’” said Carolyn Kindle Betz, granddaughter of Enterprise founder Jack Taylor and the president of Enterprise Holdings Foundation.\n\nSix other female members of the Taylor family are part of the ownership group, along with businessmen Andy Taylor and Jim Kavanaugh, a soccer insider who was part of the first failed ownership team.\n\nThe soccer stadium, which is planned for Market Street just west of Union Station, will be the centerpiece of a major development project in the city’s Downtown West district. It will include mixed-used retail, restaurants and gathering spaces open year-round to the public, and is expected to continue a downtown revitalization effort that includes Busch Stadium — home of the St. Louis Cardinals — and the Enterprise Center, the home of the Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues.\n\nSt. Louis has long been a hotbed for youth soccer. In 1950, five immigrants from “The Hill” neighborhood helped the U.S. upset England in the World Cup. Saint Louis University has won 10 national titles in men’s soccer, and the Hermann Trophy given to the top college player in the country is awarded annually at the Missouri Athletic Club.\n\nThe U.S. women’s national team drew more than 35,000 fans to exhibition games at Busch Stadium in preparation for the 2015 and 2019 World Cups, and 43,000 fans packed the stadium to watch the U.S. men beat St. Vincent and the Grenadines in a World Cup qualifier in 2015.\n\nToxic soil at Beckham stadium site: An environmental report poses a new problem for the proposed site of David Beckham’s MLS Soccer stadium in Miami: Tests show the soil is far more toxic than expected.\n\nAccording to the Miami Herald, the analysis found arsenic contamination reaching more than twice the legal limit and hazardous debris in surface-level soil samples at the Melreese golf course. The 131-acre site is being considered for a sprawling $1 billion commercial and stadium complex that would be home ground for Beckham’s MLS team, Inter Miami.\n\nEqual pay trial date set: A judge has set a May 5 trial date for the gender-discrimination lawsuit filed by the women’s national team against U.S. Soccer. District Judge R. Gary Klausner assigned the date at a hearing Monday in Los Angeles, which came less than a week after mediation between the two sides broke down.\n\nThe players sued U.S. Soccer in March, alleging institutionalized gender discrimination that includes inequitable compensation when compared with their counterparts on the men’s team.\n\nChampions League: Last season semifinalist Ajax faces a fight to qualify for this season’s group stage after drawing at Cypriot team APOEL Nicosia 0-0 in the first leg of their playoff. The second-leg game is next week.", "Aug. 20 (UPI) -- Major League Soccer announced Tuesday it has awarded an expansion team to the city of St. Louis.\n\nCommissioner Don Graber made the announcement alongside city officials and the club's ownership group, which includes Carolyn Kindle Betz, the Taylor family and Jim Kavanaugh.\n\nKindle Betz is one of six female members of the Taylor ownership group, making St. Louis the first female majority-owned club in MLS history.\n\n\"Our ownership group has come a long way since we first announced our bid last October at Mathews-Dickey Boys and Girls Club, and it's an incredible feeling to now be able to say, St. Louis is home to the first official majority female-led ownership group in MLS,\" Kindle Betz said.\n\n\"Our MLS team and stadium will only add to St. Louis' renaissance currently underway and will provide us with a great opportunity to bring together many different segments of the community, uniting people in their love for the game.\"\n\nThe club will begin play in 2022 at a planned 22,500-capacity stadium in the Downtown West district.\n\n\"It is with great pride that we welcome St. Louis to Major League Soccer,\" Garber said. \"St. Louis is a city with a rich soccer tradition, and it is a market we have considered since the league's inception.\n\n\"Our league becomes stronger today with the addition of the city's deeply dedicated soccer fans, and the committed and innovative local ownership group led by Carolyn Kindle Betz, the Taylor family and Jim Kavanaugh.\"\n\nSt. Louis will be the 28th team to join MLS, which plans to expand to 30 teams. The league has 24 teams competing, with Inter Miami CF and Nashville SC set to join in 2020. Austin FC is to join MLS IN 2021.\n\nSt. Louis still is seeking a team name, badge and colors.", "The prospects of a Major League Soccer franchise ever calling St. Louis home appeared to have died two years ago when voters turned down the use of a business tax to finance a new downtown stadium.\n\nLed by members of the founding family of car rental giant Enterprise, the city began to work anew last fall on its pitch for a professional soccer team. On Tuesday, the league officially announced that St. Louis would become its 28th club when it begins play for the 2022 season.\n\n\"Our ownership group has come a long way since we first announced our bid last October at Mathews-Dickey Boys and Girls Club, and it's an incredible feeling to now be able to say, 'St. Louis is home to the first official majority female-led ownership group in MLS,'\" said Carolyn Kindle Betz, granddaughter of Enterprise founder Jack Taylor and the president of Enterprise Holdings Foundation. \"Our MLS team and stadium will only add to St. Louis' renaissance currently under way, and will provide us with a great opportunity to bring together many different segments of the community, uniting people in their love for the game.\"\n\nSix other female members of the Taylor family are part of the ownership group, along with businessmen Andy Taylor and Jim Kavanaugh, a soccer insider who was part of the first failed ownership team.\n\nThe new soccer stadium, which is planned for Market Street just west of Union Station, will be the centerpiece of a major development project in the city's Downtown West district. It will include mixed-used retail, restaurants and gathering spaces open year-round to the public, and is expected to continue a downtown revitalization effort that includes Busch Stadium — home of the St. Louis Cardinals — and the Enterprise Center, the home of the Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues.\n\nAs proof the city is all-in on the project, the St. Louis Board of Alderman easily approved a resolution last November to provide tax exemptions and other incentives to help with the construction.\n\n\"St. Louis is a city with a rich soccer tradition,\" MLS Commissioner Don Garber said, \"and it is a market we have considered since the league's inception. Our league becomes stronger with the addition of the city's deeply dedicated soccer fans and the committed and innovative local ownership group.\"\n\nSt. Louis has long been a hotbed for youth soccer. In 1950, five immigrants from \"The Hill\" neighborhood helped the U.S. upset England in the World Cup. Saint Louis University has won 10 national titles in men's soccer, and the Hermann Trophy given to the top college player in the country is awarded annually at the Missouri Athletic Club.\n\nThe U.S. women's national team drew more than 35,000 fans to exhibition games at Busch Stadium in preparation for the 2015 and 2019 World Cups, and 43,000 fans packed the stadium to watch the U.S. men beat St. Vincent and the Grenadines in a World Cup qualifier in 2015.\n\n\"St. Louis has always been and will continue to be one of the great historic soccer cities throughout the United States,\" Garber said at a news conference attended by Blues legends Bernie Federko and Chris Pronger and Cardinals star Ozzie Smith. \"After two decades of discussions about St. Louis being a part of our league, today the moment has arrived.\"\n\nThe new St. Louis franchise continues explosive growth for MLS that has seen 15 new clubs join the league since 2005. That includes a handful that have recently been awarded: FC Cincinnati is playing its inaugural season this year, David Beckham's Inter Miami FC and Nashville SC will begin play next season, Austin FC begins play in 2021 and the St. Louis club will follow the next year.\n\nIts location also means a more natural rival for cross-state Sporting Kansas City and the Chicago Fire — just think of the rivalry that already exists between the Cubs and Cardinals.\n\n\"For the last two decades as a player and as a commentator for ESPN, I've seen this league grow in the United States and Canada,\" said Taylor Twellman, who grew up in St. Louis and played in MLS before becoming an ESPN broadcaster. \"Few of us thought it would reach this point. But the community, the fans, that recipe is why we're in St. Louis today.\""], "summary": "Major League Soccer, the top level of the men's sport in the U.S., announces that a team in St. Louis, Missouri will become the league's 28th team, most likely in 2022. The ownership group, led by several female members of the Taylor family that controls the Enterprise Holdings car rental company, is the first in MLS in which women hold a majority interest."}
{"document": ["WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. military MQ-9 drone was shot down in Yemen’s Dhamar governate, southeast of the Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa, two U.S. officials told Reuters on Wednesday, the second such incident in recent months.\n\nFILE PHOTO: U.S. Air Force officer passes in front of a MQ-9 Reaper drone, one of a squadron that has arrived to step up the fight against the Taliban, at the Kandahar air base, Afghanistan January 23, 2018. REUTERS/Omar Sobhani\n\nA Houthi military spokesman had earlier said that air defenses had brought down a U.S. drone.\n\nThe officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the drone was shot down late on Tuesday.\n\nThis is not the first time a U.S. drone has been shot down in Yemen. In June, the U.S. military said that Houthi rebels had shot down a U.S. government-operated drone with assistance from Iran.\n\nU.S. forces have occasionally launched drone and air strikes against Yemen’s al Qaeda branch, known as Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).\n\nThe group has taken advantage of a four-year-old war between the Houthi movement and President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi’s Saudi-backed government to try to strengthen its position in the impoverished country.\n\nOne of the officials said that it appeared that the armed military drone, made by California-based General Atomics, had been shot down by a surface-to-air missile operated by the Iran-aligned Houthi group.\n\n“It appears to have been fired by the Houthis and enabled by Iran,” the official said, without providing details or specific evidence.\n\nThe official said that while losing a drone was expensive, it was not unprecedented and it was unlikely to lead to any major response by the United States.\n\nThe other official cautioned that it was too early to tell who was responsible for the incident.\n\nIn a statement, the U.S. military said it was investigating reports that a drone had been attacked “in authorized airspace\n\nover Yemen.”\n\n“We have been clear that Iran’s provocative actions and support to militants and proxies, like the Iranian-backed Houthis, poses a serious threat to stability in the region and our partners,” the U.S. military’s Central Command said.\n\nThe White House said it was aware of the reports and President Donald Trump had been briefed on the matter.\n\n“This attack is only possible because of Iran’s lethal aid to the Houthis and serves as yet another example of the regime’s relentless efforts to escalate conflict and threaten regional stability,” National Security Council spokesman Garrett Marquis said.\n\nIran rejects accusations from the United States and its Gulf Arab allies that Tehran is providing military and financial support to the Houthis and blames Riyadh for the deepening crisis there.\n\nOvernight, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saria said that the drone had been shot down.\n\n“The rocket which hit it was developed locally and will be revealed soon at a press conference,” Saria said on Twitter.\n\n“Our skies are no longer open to violations as they once were and the coming days will see great surprises,” he added.\n\nThe drone shoot-down comes as tensions between Iran and the United States have risen since Trump’s administration last year quit an international deal to curb Iran’s nuclear ambitions and began to ratchet up sanctions. Iranian officials denounced the new penalties as “economic warfare.”\n\nIn June, Iran shot down a U.S. Global Hawk drone, far larger than the MQ-9 drone, and almost led to retaliatory U.S. strikes. Trump later said he had called off the strikes because it could have killed 150 people.", "Yemen’s Houthi movement’s air defenses on Wednesday downed a United States drone MQ-9 in Dhamar governorate, southeast of the Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa, the group’s Al-Masirah TV quoted the group’s military spokesman as saying.\n\n“We are aware of reporting that a US MQ-9 was shot down over Yemen. We do not have any further information to provide at this time,” the U.S. military’s Central Command said in a statement on Wednesday.\n\nLast June, the U.S. military said Houthi rebels in Yemen shot down a U.S. government-operated drone with assistance from Iran.", "Yemen's Houthi movement's air defenses on Wednesday downed a United States drone MQ-9 in Dhamar governorate, southeast of the Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa, the group's Al-Masirah TV quoted the group's military spokesman as saying. \n\n\n\n\"We are aware of reporting that a US MQ-9 was shot down over Yemen. We do not have any further information to provide at this time,\" the U.S. military's Central Command said in a statement on Wednesday.\n\nLast June, the U.S. military said Houthi rebels in Yemen shot down a U.S. government-operated drone with assistance from Iran.\n\nvar cont = `Join Jerusalem Post Premium Plus now for just $5 and upgrade your experience with an ads-free website and exclusive content. Click here>>\n\n\n\n`; document.getElementById(\"linkPremium\").innerHTML = cont; (function (v, i){ });", "U.S. drone shot down over Yemen \n\n\n\nWASHINGTON, Aug 21 (Reuters) - A U.S. military MQ-9 drone was shot down in Yemen's Dhamar governate, southeast of the Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa, two U.S. officials told Reuters on Wednesday, the second such incident in recent months.\n\nA Houthi military spokesman had earlier said that air defenses had brought down a U.S. drone.\n\nThe officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the drone was shot down late on Tuesday.\n\nU.S. forces have occasionally launched drone and air strikes against Yemen's al Qaeda branch, known as Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).\n\nThe group has taken advantage of a four-year-old war between the Houthi movement and President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi's Saudi-backed government to try to strengthen its position in the impoverished country.\n\nOne of the officials said that it appeared that the military drone had been shot down by a surface-to-air missile operated by the Iran-aligned Houthi group.\n\nThe official said that while losing a drone was expensive, it was not unprecedented and it was unlikely to lead to any major response by the United States.\n\nThe other official cautioned that it was too early to tell who was responsible for the incident.\n\nOvernight, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saria said that the drone had been shot down.\n\n\"The rocket which hit it was developed locally and will be revealed soon at a press conference,\" Saria said on Twitter.\n\n\"Our skies are no longer open to violations as they once were and the coming days will see great surprises,\" he added.\n\nThe drone shoot down comes as tensions between Iran and the United States have risen since President Donald Trump's administration last year quit an international deal to curb Iran's nuclear ambitions and began to ratchet up sanctions. Iranian officials denounced the new penalties as \"economic warfare\".\n\nIranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Wednesday Tehran may act \"unpredictably\" in response to the United States' \"unpredictable\" policies under Trump.", "A U.S. military MQ-9 drone has been shot down in Yemen’s Dhamar governate, southeast of the Houthi controlled capital of Sanaa, the second such incident in recent months.\n\nThe drone was shot down by Houthi’s air defences, a Houthi official said.\n\nIn June, the U.S. military said that Houthi rebels had shot down a U.S. government-operated drone with assistance from Iran.\n\nU.S. forces have occasionally launched drone and air strikes against Yemen’s al Qaeda branch, known as Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).\n\nThe group has taken advantage of a four-year-old war between the Houthi movement and President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi’s Saudi-backed government to try to strengthen its position in the impoverished country.\n\nOne of the officials said that it appeared that the armed military drone had been shot down by a surface-to-air missile operated by the Iran-aligned Houthi group.\n\n“It appears to have been fired by the Houthis and enabled by Iran,” the official said, without providing details or specific evidence.\n\nThe official said that while losing a drone was expensive, it was not unprecedented and it was unlikely to lead to any major response by the United States.\n\nThe other official cautioned that it was too early to tell who was responsible for the incident.\n\nIran rejects accusations from the United States and its Gulf Arab allies that Tehran is providing military and financial support to the Houthis and blames Riyadh for the deepening crisis there.\n\nOvernight, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saria said that the drone had been shot down.\n\n“The rocket which hit it was developed locally and will be revealed soon at a press conference,” Saria said on Twitter.\n\n“Our skies are no longer open to violations as they once were and the coming days will see great surprises,” he added.\n\nThe drone shoot-down comes as tensions between Iran and the United States have risen since President Donald Trump’s administration last year quit an international deal to curb Iran’s nuclear ambitions and began to ratchet up sanctions. Iranian officials denounced the new penalties as “economic warfare.”\n\nIranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said on Wednesday Tehran may act “unpredictably” in response to the United States’ “unpredictable” policies under Trump.", "A U.S. military MQ-9 drone was shot down in Yemen . The US officially confirmed the news.\n\nThe drone was shot down over Yemen’s Dhamar governate, southeast of the Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa, officials told Reuters, which first reported the news.\n\nA Houthi military spokesman was quoted earlier by the group’s Al-Masirah TV as saying that air defenses had brought down a U.S. drone.", "WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd August, 2019) The United States has confirmed that Houthi rebels shot down a US drown in Yemen, a Department of Defense spokesperson told Sputnik.\n\n\"Yes, that's accurate,\" the spokesperson said when asked to confirm earlier media reports on Wednesday.\n\nUS Central Command (CENTCOM) said in statement that it is investigating reports of an attack.\n\n\"We are investigating reports of an attack by Iranian-backed Houthis forces on a U.S. unmanned aircraft system (UAS) operating in authorized airspace over Yemen,\" CENTCOM spokesman Army Lt. Col. Earl Brown said. \"We have been clear that Iran's provocative actions and support to militants and proxies, like the Iranian-backed Houthis, poses a series threat to stability in the region and other partners.\"\n\nA CENTCOM spokesperson declined to share any additional details about the incident.\n\nEarlier on Wednesday, Yemen's Ansar Allah rebels (Houthi movement) said on Tuesday their air defense had shot down a US multipurpose drone MQ-9 over the province of Dhamar in the central part of the country.\n\nThe Houthi spokesperson warned that the Saudi-led Arab coalition \"should think a thousand times before invading Yemen's airspace,\" because the rebels had the opportunity to prevent alien aircraft from appearing in the skies over Yemen.\n\nYemen, a small nation in the south of the Arabian peninsula, has been engulfed in an armed conflict between the government forces, led by President Abdrabuh Mansour Hadi, and the rebel Houthi movement for several years.\n\nThe Saudi-led coalition has been carrying out airstrikes against the Houthis at Hadi's request since March 2015, with the rebels retaliating against the attacks. US drones are often used in Yemen to destroy suspected terrorists.", "WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. military MQ-9 drone was shot down in Yemen’s Dhamar governate, southeast of the Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa, two U.S. officials told Reuters on Wednesday.\n\nThe officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the drone was shot down late on Tuesday.\n\nA Houthi military spokesman had earlier been quoted by group’s Al-Masirah TV as saying that the Houthi movement’s air defenses had brought down a U.S. drone.", "WASHINGTON — A U.S. military MQ-9 drone was shot down in Yemen’s Dhamar governate, southeast of the Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa, two U.S. officials told Reuters on Wednesday.\n\nA Houthi military spokesman had earlier said that air defenses had brought down a U.S. drone.\n\nThe officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the drone was shot down late on Tuesday.\n\nThis is not the first time a U.S. drone has been shot down in Yemen. In June, the U.S. military said that Houthi rebels had shot down a U.S. government-operated drone with assistance from Iran.\n\nU.S. forces have occasionally launched drone and air strikes against Yemen’s al Qaeda branch, known as Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).\n\nOne of the officials said that it appeared that the drone had been shot down by a surface-to-air missile operated by the Iran-aligned Houthi group. The other official cautioned that it was too early to tell who was responsible for the incident.\n\nThe drone shoot down comes as tensions between Iran and the United States have risen since President Donald Trump’s administration last year quit an international deal to curb Iran’s nuclear ambitions and began to ratchet up sanctions.", "A U.S. military MQ-9 drone was shot down in Yemen's Dhamar governate, southeast of the Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa, two U.S. officials told Reuters on Wednesday.\n\nA Houthi military spokesman had earlier said that air defenses had brought down a U.S. drone.\n\nThe officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the drone was shot down late on Tuesday.\n\nThis is not the first time a U.S. drone has been shot down in Yemen. In June, the U.S. military said that Houthi rebels had shot down a U.S. government-operated drone with assistance from Iran.\n\nU.S. forces have occasionally launched drone and air strikes against Yemen's al Qaeda branch, known as Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).\n\nOne of the officials said that it appeared that the drone had been shot down by a surface-to-air missile operated by the Iran-aligned Houthi group. The other official cautioned that it was too early to tell who was responsible for the incident.\n\nThe drone shoot down comes as tensions between Iran and the United States have risen since President Donald Trump's administration last year quit an international deal to curb Iran's nuclear ambitions and began to ratchet up sanctions.\n\nGet Breaking news, live coverage, and Latest News from India and around the world on NDTV.com. Catch all the Live TV action on NDTV 24x7 and NDTV India. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagram for latest news and live news updates."], "summary": "A United States MQ-9 military drone is reportedly shot down in Yemen's Dhamar Governorate. A Houthi spokesperson claims responsibility and adds that they used a locally-developed missile."}
{"document": ["The death toll from a suicide bomb attack at a wedding hall in Afghanistan's capital Kabul has risen to 80.\n\nThe death toll stood at 63 on Sunday, a day after the blast, which jumped to 80 by Wednesday. Interior Ministry spokesman Nusrat Rahimi said 17 civilians died from their wounds in recent days.\n\nHe added that 30 people were in critical condition after the attack.\n\n\"Seventeen others have succumbed to their injuries in hospital and over 160 are still being treated either in hospitals or at home,\" Rahimi said.\n\nThe blast was so powerful that it blew much of the roof off the huge wedding hall, where hundreds of guests had gathered.\n\nThe Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIS) group claimed responsibility for the attack.\n\nIt was Kabul's deadliest attack since January 2018 when the Taliban packed an ambulance with explosives and detonated it in a crowded street - killing 103 people, according to an official toll.\n\nMany Afghanistan independence day celebrations that were scheduled to take place on August 19 were suspended in the aftermath of the horrific attack.\n\nSecurity failure\n\nSo far, security officials have yet to provide any explanation as to why the wedding was targeted.\n\nMansoor, a 28-year-old Afghan who had 12 relatives attending the wedding, said he was told by some survivors that the attacker arrived on a bicycle.\n\nHe said he believed the target of the attack was not the wedding party.\n\n\"If you pay attention, there is a police headquarters on this road. There are at least two checkpoints he would have passed. Everyone said he appeared to be heading further along the road, but somehow he turned back,\" he said.\n\nThough Afghan wedding events have been targeted in the past, the attacks have mostly taken place in remote areas and usually attended by high-profile officials or strongmen targeted by rival forces or armed groups such as the Taliban or ISIL.\n\nUS forces have also been accused of attacking several wedding parties across the country during their military air campaigns.\n\nAfghanistan President Ashraf Ghani strongly condemned the attack, vowing to \"take revenge for every civilian drop of blood\".\n\n\"Our struggle will continue against [ISIL], we will take revenge and will root them out,\" he said on Monday.\n\nHe urged the international community to join those efforts.\n\nWith additional reporting by Ali M Latifi in Kabul", "KABUL - The death toll from an Islamic State attack on a Kabul wedding at the weekend has reached at least 80, an official said Wednesday, as the Afghan capital still reels from the deadliest blast in more than a year.\n\nA suicide bomber targeted a packed Afghan wedding hall in west Kabul Saturday as celebrations were in full swing.\n\nAuthorities said the initial death toll was at least 63, with more than 180 people wounded.\n\n\"The death toll has now risen to 80,\" interior ministry spokesperson Nasrat Rahimi told AFP.\n\n\"Some injured people with critical wounds who were taken to hospital have lost their lives.\"\n\nIt was Kabul's deadliest attack since January 2018 when the Taliban packed an ambulance with explosives and detonated it in a crowded street - killing 103 people, according to an official toll.\n\nThe blast was so powerful that it blew much of the roof off the massive wedding hall, where hundreds of guests had gathered.\n\nSaturday's attack on the mainly Shia wedding was claimed by IS, the hardline Sunni jihadists with a growing footprint in parts of Afghanistan.\n\nAmong the dead was a musician who had been performing on a stage near the blast.\n\nThe bloodshed comes as the US and the Taliban continue to seek an agreement that would see the US reduce its troop presence after nearly 18 years of war in return for the insurgents providing security guarantees.\n\nBut Saturday's explosion highlights how easy it is for a rogue actor to mount an attack, and how difficult it would be for the Taliban to honour any guarantee.\n\nOn Tuesday, Zalmay Khalilzad, the US peace envoy for Afghanistan, said he was ready to resume a new round of talks with the Taliban as he headed back to Qatar on a mission to end America's longest war.\n\nThe State Department said he will then head to Afghanistan, where he plans to help prepare the ground for planned talks between the Taliban and Afghan government.", "KABUL, Afghanistan — An Afghan official says the death toll in a suicide bombing at a wedding in Kabul claimed by the local Islamic State affiliate has risen to 80. The initial death toll in Saturday’s blast was 63.\n\nInterior Ministry spokesman Nusrat Rahimi said on Wednesday that 17 civilians have died from their wounds in recent days. He says 30 people were in critical condition after the attack.\n\nThe new toll was confirmed as the United States envoy negotiating with the Taliban for an end to nearly 18 years of fighting in Afghanistan is returning to Qatar to resume the talks with the insurgents.\n\nConcerns are growing that the IS threat will mean little peace for Afghan civilians despite the U.S.-Taliban negotiations to end America’s longest war.", "KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The death toll in a suicide bombing at a Kabul wedding claimed by the Islamic State affiliate in Afghanistan has risen to 80, an official said Wednesday, as a U.S. envoy was set to resume talks with the Taliban on ending America's longest war.\n\nThe initial toll in Saturday's blast was 63, but 17 people later died of their wounds, Interior Ministry spokesman Nusrat Rahimi said. Thirty people were in critical condition after the attack.\n\nThe suicide bombing renewed concerns that the growing threat by the IS affiliate will mean little peace for Afghan civilians despite the U.S.-Taliban negotiations to end nearly 18 years of fighting.\n\n\"We will try and close on remaining issues,\" envoy Zalmay Khalilzad said on Twitter. \"We're ready. Let's see if the Taliban are as well.\"", "Men mourn for the victims of the Dubai City wedding hall bombing during a memorial service at a mosque in Kabul, Afghanistan, Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2019. Hundreds of people have gathered in mosques in Afghanistan’s capital for memorials for scores of people killed in a horrific suicide bombing at a Kabul wedding over the weekend. (AP Photo/Rafiq Maqbool)\n\nKABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — The death toll in a suicide bombing at a Kabul wedding claimed by the Islamic State affiliate in Afghanistan has risen to 80, an official said Wednesday, as a U.S. envoy was set to resume talks with the Taliban on ending America’s longest war.\n\nThe initial toll in Saturday’s blast was 63, but 17 people later died of their wounds, Interior Ministry spokesman Nusrat Rahimi said. Thirty people were in critical condition after the attack.\n\nThe suicide bombing renewed concerns that the growing threat by the IS affiliate will mean little peace for Afghan civilians despite the U.S.-Taliban negotiations to end nearly 18 years of fighting.\n\n“We will try and close on remaining issues,” envoy Zalmay Khalilzad said on Twitter. “We’re ready. Let’s see if the Taliban are as well.”\n\nPresident Donald Trump on Tuesday said that about 13,000 U.S. troops remain in Afghanistan. He wants to bring at least some of them home before next year’s election.\n\n“We’ve been there for 18 years. It’s ridiculous,” Trump said, adding that “we’re not really fighting; we’re a — almost more of a police force over there.” But Afghanistan remains dangerous and some U.S. presence is needed, he said.\n\nThe top Taliban demand is for the estimated 20,000 U.S. and allied forces to leave, a prospect that has created widespread concern that another civil war in Afghanistan could follow as various armed parties jostle for power.\n\nAfghanistan was the world’s deadliest conflict in 2018, and the United Nations has said more civilians died there last year than in the past decade. Over 32,000 civilians have been killed in Afghanistan in the past 10 years.\n\nKhalilzad’s new discussions in Qatar, where the Taliban have a political office, will seek guarantees from the insurgent group that Afghanistan, which hosted al-Qaida and its leader Osama bin Laden before the 9/11 attacks, will not be used as a launch pad for global terror assaults.\n\nKhalilzad also plans to meet with the Afghan government, which has been sidelined from the negotiations. The Taliban have refused so far to negotiate with the government, dismissing it as a U.S. puppet. The insurgent group now controls roughly half of Afghanistan and is at its strongest since its 2001 defeat in the U.S.-led invasion.\n\nIntra-Afghan talks on the country’s political future are expected to follow a U.S.-Taliban agreement, which both sides earlier this month signaled was close to being finalized.\n\nThe current conflict remains largely a stalemate, with the Taliban unable to expand their territorial holdings and the Afghan government forces unable to reclaim lost land, the Pentagon’s special inspector general for Afghanistan reported Tuesday.", "KABUL: The death toll from a suicide bomb attack on a wedding reception in Afghanistan's capital, Kabul, has risen to 80, two senior officials said on Wednesday (Aug 21).\n\nThe initial death toll after the Saturday night blast was 63, but some of the wounded had died, said Nasrat Rahimi, a spokesman at the interior ministry.\n\n\"Seventeen others have succumbed to their injuries in hospital and over 160 are still being treated either in hospitals or at home,\" Rahimi said.\n\nAmong the 160 people wounded at the wedding blast, many are in critical condition, some not well enough to undergo surgery, said a second senior interior ministry official.\n\nThe Islamic State (IS) militant group claimed responsibility for the attack.\n\nREAD: Islamic State bomber kills 63 at Kabul wedding as US finalises pullout\n\n\n\nMirwais Elmi Mohammadi, the 26-year-old groom whose wedding party was attacked, said he was in a complete state of disbelief and had no mental strength to attend the funerals of his relatives and friends.\n\n\"To see family members die, or get injured at my wedding is a very heavy burden of grief and regret,\" Mohammadi told Reuters.\n\nMany Afghans have cancelled or scaled back plans for weddings and other festivities in recent days and are demanding that the government tightens security to protect society.\n\nAt least 3,812 civilians were killed or wounded in the first half of 2019 in the war against militant groups, including a big increase in the number of casualties caused by government and foreign forces, the United Nations said in July.\n\nPolice said more than 25 weddings had been postponed in Kabul after the latest suicide attack renewed fears about the threat posed by IS at a time when the United States and the Taliban appear to be nearing a deal on a US troop withdrawal.\n\n\"We pay taxes to the government and it is the responsibility of the government to provide us with high security. We have the right to be protected,\" said Mohammad Nader Qarghaie, head of the union of wedding halls.\n\nThe union, which has more than 100 wedding halls and large banquet rooms as members.\n\nA frustrated Mohammad Ashraf, who owns a food catering business in Kabul, said civilians had to be protected.\n\n\"Afghans are being used as pawns by all foreign countries and militant groups to prove their strength,\" Ashraf said.\n\nOn Tuesday, US President Donald Trump said the US military role in Afghanistan has basically turned into a \"ridiculous\" police force in a sign that he was open to a US troop drawdown after a deal with the Taliban.\n\nUS special envoy for Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad, who has been leading talks with the Taliban, is expected in Qatar on Wednesday to resume meetings with Taliban negotiators.\n\nHe is later due to travel to Kabul to meet Afghan leaders.", "KABUL, Aug 21 (Reuters) - The death toll from a suicide bomb attack on a wedding reception in Afghanistan's capital, Kabul, has risen to 80, two senior officials said on Wednesday.\n\nThe initial death toll after the Saturday night blast was 63, but some of the wounded had died in hospital, said Nasrat Rahimi, a spokesman at the interior ministry.\n\n\"Seventeen others have succumbed to their injuries in hospital and over 160 are still being treated either in hospitals or at home,\" Rahimi said.\n\nThe Islamic State militant group claimed responsibility for the attack. (Reporting by Abdul Qadir Sediqi, Rupam Jain Editing by Robeert Birsel)", "The death toll from a suicide bomb attack on a wedding party in Kabul last week has risen to 80, two senior Afghan officials said on August 21.\n\nThe initial death toll after the August 17 explosion was 63, but some of the wounded had died in hospital, said Nasrat Rahimi, an Interior Ministry spokesman.\n\n\"Seventeen others have succumbed to their injuries in hospital and over 160 are still being treated either in hospitals or at home,\" Rahimi said.\n\nThe Islamic State (IS) militant group claimed responsibility for the attack on a huge wedding reception at a hotel in western Kabul.\n\nThe attack was the 17th to take place in Kabul since the beginning of the year and the second deadliest one in August alone.\n\nAt least 193 people have died and nearly 900 others have been injured in the attacks.\n\nThe attack came with Washington and the Taliban reportedly nearing a deal to end the nearly 18-year war\n\nWith reporting by Reuters and dpa", "Kabul - The number of people killed in an Islamic State suicide bombing of a wedding hall in Afghanistan's capital Kabul has risen to 80, an official said on Wednesday. Interior Ministry spokesman Nasrat Rahimi said that the increase was due to a number of critically injured victims succumbing to their wounds.\n\nThe ministry had on Sunday said that 63 people were killed and 182 others injured in the bombing that had taken place late Saturday night.\n\nThe bombing, the city's deadliest so far this year, took place on Dar-ul Aman road, where the streets were illuminated with colourful lights at night for the 100th anniversary of Afghanistan's independence that was to be celebrated on August 19.\n\nExtensive celebrations were originally planned throughout the country with 4.8 million dollars allocated by the government to be spent on the festivities in a presidential decree from June.\n\nSome events were postponed or cancelled after the bombing.\n\nThe attack was the 17th to take place in Kabul since the beginning of the year and the second deadliest one in August alone. At least 193 people have died and nearly 900 others have been injured in the attacks.", "The death toll in a suicide bombing at a Kabul wedding claimed by the Islamic State affiliate in Afghanistan has risen to 80, an official said Wednesday, as a U.S. envoy was set to resume talks with the Taliban on ending America’s longest war.\n\nThe initial toll in Saturday’s blast was 63, but 17 people later died of their wounds, Interior Ministry spokesman Nusrat Rahimi said. Thirty people were in critical condition after the attack.\n\nThe suicide bombing renewed concerns that the growing threat by the IS affiliate will mean little peace for Afghan civilians despite the U.S.-Taliban negotiations to end nearly 18 years of fighting.\n\n“We will try and close on remaining issues,” envoy Zalmay Khalilzad said on Twitter. “We’re ready. Let’s see if the Taliban are as well.”\n\nPresident Donald Trump on Tuesday said that about 13,000 U.S. troops remain in Afghanistan. He wants to bring at least some of them home before next year’s election.\n\n“We’ve been there for 18 years. It’s ridiculous,” Trump said, adding that “we’re not really fighting; we’re a – almost more of a police force over there.” But Afghanistan remains dangerous and some U.S. presence is needed, he said.\n\nTwo U.S. service members were killed on Wednesday, the NATO Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan said in a brief statement with no details. They were the first U.S. combat deaths reported since July 29 and bring the total of U.S. service members killed this year to 19, according to the iCasualties website. More than 2,400 U.S. service personnel have died in Afghanistan since late 2001.\n\nThe top Taliban demand is for the estimated 20,000 U.S. and allied forces to leave, a prospect that has created widespread concern that another civil war in Afghanistan could follow as various armed parties jostle for power.\n\nAfghanistan was the world’s deadliest conflict in 2018, and the United Nations has said more civilians died there last year than in the past decade. Over 32,000 civilians have been killed in Afghanistan in the past 10 years.\n\nKhalilzad’s new discussions in Qatar, where the Taliban have a political office, will seek guarantees from the insurgent group that Afghanistan, which hosted al-Qaeda and its leader Osama bin Laden before the 9/11 attacks, will not be used as a launch pad for global terror assaults.\n\nKhalilzad also plans to meet with the Afghan government, which has been sidelined from the negotiations. The Taliban have refused so far to negotiate with the government, dismissing it as a U.S. puppet. The insurgent group now controls roughly half of Afghanistan and is at its strongest since its 2001 defeat in the U.S.-led invasion.\n\nThere have been calls for transparency in the talks, especially from Afghan women, who fear that the progress they have made in a generation since the Taliban’s harsh rule could be bargained away.\n\n“There’s no way to get used to the idea that the Afghan govt which, for all its flaws, was elected by Afghans to represent Afghans is not a party to these talks about the future of all Afghans,” the co-director of Human Rights Watch’s women’s rights division, Heather Barr, tweeted Wednesday.\n\nIntra-Afghan talks on the country’s political future are expected to follow a U.S.-Taliban agreement, which both sides earlier this month signalled was close to being finalized.\n\nThe current conflict remains largely a stalemate, with the Taliban unable to expand their territorial holdings and the Afghan government forces unable to reclaim lost land, the Pentagon’s special inspector general for Afghanistan reported Tuesday.\n\nOur Morning Update and Evening Update newsletters are written by Globe editors, giving you a concise summary of the day’s most important headlines. Sign up today."], "summary": "The death toll of a suicide bombing during a wedding in Kabul, Afghanistan, four days ago, increases to 80."}
{"document": ["The ballooning deficit defies a historic trend: Typically, the budget deficit shrinks when unemployment is low. But it is increasing despite the longest economic expansion on record and the lowest jobless rate in 50 years.\n\nIt also underscores the degree to which Republicans in Washington — who championed fiscal responsibility under President Barack Obama, a Democrat — have largely abandoned that goal. While lawmakers continue to talk about the need to reduce the deficit, it is no longer the kind of animating issue that ushered the Tea Party into power.\n\nMr. Trump has shown little inclination to prioritize deficit reduction, and has instead considered policies that would add to the debt. The president has mused in recent days about reducing the taxes that investors pay on capital gains, a move that is estimated to add $100 billion to deficits over the next decade. He has also talked about cutting payroll taxes, which could reduce revenues by $75 billion a year for every percentage point cut in payroll tax rates.\n\nMr. Trump backed away from both ideas in comments to reporters on Wednesday, though it is unclear if the new deficit figures played any role in that reversal.\n\nThe president also wants to make permanent many of the temporary individual tax cuts contained in the 2017 law, which are scheduled to expire in 2025. The budget office forecast assumes those cuts expire and tax revenues rise; if they do not, future deficit projections would be even larger.\n\nMr. Trump’s indifference to deficits has shattered his campaign promise not only to balance the budget, but also to pay off the entire national debt. And it has left his fellow Republicans, who pushed through deficit-reduction measures under Mr. Obama when the economy was still fragile, in a bind. Congressional Republicans have largely gone along with Mr. Trump’s moves to add more debt, even as they insist they will return to shrinking the deficit if Mr. Trump wins a second term in office.\n\nThe deficit has now risen four consecutive years, and is on track to rise for the next four. Such a streak would break the record for longest run of deficit increases in recorded American history — five years, from 1939 to 1943 — according to the Peter G. Peterson Foundation, an organization that advocates deficit reduction.", "WASHINGTON — The Congressional Budget Office has upped its estimate of current and future deficits largely as a result of the two-year budget deal enacted last month, which the agency projects will add $1.7 trillion in red ink over 10 years.\n\nThat forecast assumes that the increased spending in fiscal 2020 and 2021 thanks to the higher caps will continue throughout the decadelong budget window, growing with inflation. At the same time, changes to the economic forecast and a reduction in estimated interest rates will partly offset the spending increases, the agency said in its latest budget and economic outlook.\n\nThe deficit is now projected at $960 billion in fiscal 2019, up $63 billion from the $896 billion the CBO estimated in May. Over the fiscal 2020-29 period, the cumulative deficit is projected to be $12.2 trillion, or $809 billion larger than in the previous estimate.\n\nGrowth forecasts for most of the decade are basically unchanged from prior projections. Real gross domestic product would see a boost in the next two years from the spending deal, though weighed down somewhat by tariff increases implemented by the Trump administration.\n\nReal GDP growth is expected to be 2.3% this year, measured from the fourth quarter over the same period in 2018, or down from 2.5% last year. During Trump’s reelection campaign in 2020, the CBO sees growth trending down to 2.1%, a far cry from the 3% the administration has said its policies will produce.\n\nA recession doesn’t appear imminent in the new forecast, though that isn’t unusual for the CBO. And next year’s growth estimate is 0.4 percentage points higher than it was in January.\n\nInterest rates are once again a major driver of reduced spending, with debt service costs over a decade estimated at $1.4 trillion lower than in the previous forecast, despite the added debt from the new spending deal. The benchmark 10-year Treasury note is now expected to yield 2.3% this year and 2.2% next year, down sharply from January’s forecast of 3.4% and 3.6%, respectively.\n\nIn addition to the budget deal, the CBO said, supplemental appropriations for disaster relief and border security will increase the deficit. The CBO estimated that the supplemental appropriations will add $255 billion to the deficit over the 2020-29 period. That is based on the agency’s assumption that the additional funding will grow with inflation.\n\nUnder the new projections, the deficit would top $1 trillion in fiscal 2020, two years earlier than previously projected. The fiscal 2020 deficit, at $1.008 trillion, would be $116 billion higher than earlier projected. The fiscal 2021 deficit is estimated at $1.034 trillion, or $72 billion higher than previously projected.\n\nThe last time deficits topped $1 trillion was fiscal 2012, as the U.S. was still digging out from the Great Recession.\n\nWhen measured as a share of the economy, however, the picture looks a little better: Deficits as a percentage of GDP are expected to average 4.7% over the next decade. That’s significantly above what economists view as a comfortable level, but well below the 8.4% average of the fiscal 2009-12 period, when deficits last hit 12 digits.", "Deficits as far as the eye can see\n\nThe US Congressional Budget Office sees the US deficit at $960 billion in fiscal year 2019, that's $63 billion higher than the previous forecast.\n\nFor the period from 2020-2029, they see deficits averaging $1.2 trillion and a cumulative $12.2 trillion compared to $11.4 trillion previously.\n\n\n\nOn growth, they see it a 2.3% this year versus the 2.5% prior forecast due to lower business fixed investment. They also say tariffs will cut 0.3 pp of GDP through next year.", "WASHINGTON — The federal budget deficit is expected to balloon to more than $1 trillion in the next fiscal year under the first projections taking into account the big budget deal that President Donald Trump and Congress reached this summer, the Congressional Budget Office reported.\n\nThe return of $1 trillion annual deficits comes despite Trump’s vow when running for office that he would not just balance the budget but pay down the entire national debt.\n\n“The nation’s fiscal outlook is challenging,” said Phillip Swagel, director of the nonpartisan CBO. “Federal debt, which is already high by historical standards, is on an unsustainable course.”\n\nThe office on Wednesday upped this year’s deficit projection by $63 billion and the cumulative deficit projection for the next decade by $809 billion. The higher deficit projections come even as the CBO reduced its estimate for interest rates, which lowers borrowing costs, and as it raised projections for economic growth in the near term.\n\nThe number crunchers at CBO projected the deficit for the current fiscal year will come to $960 billion. In the next fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1, it will exceed $1 trillion.\n\nThe CBO said the budget deal signed into law earlier this month, which took away the prospect of a government shutdown in October and the threat of deep automatic spending cuts, would boost deficits by $1.7 trillion over the coming decade. Increased spending on disaster relief and border security would add $255 billion. Downward revisions to the forecast for interest rates will help the picture, trimming $1.4 trillion.\n\nLike this article? Gain access to all of our great content with a month-to-month subscription. Start your subscription here.", "The federal budget deficit is expected to balloon to more than $1 trillion in the next fiscal year under the first projections taking into account the big budget deal that President Donald Trump and Congress reached this summer, the Congressional Budget Office reported Wednesday.\n\nThe return of $1 trillion annual deficits comes despite Trump’s vow when running for office that he would not just balance the budget but pay down the entire national debt.\n\n“The nation’s fiscal outlook is challenging,” said Phillip Swagel, director of the nonpartisan CBO. “Federal debt, which is already high by historical standards, is on an unsustainable course.”\n\nThe office upped this year’s deficit projection by $63 billion and the cumulative deficit projection for the next decade by $809 billion. The higher deficit projections come even as the CBO reduced its estimate for interest rates, which lowers borrowing costs, and as it raised projections for economic growth in the near term.\n\nThe number crunchers at CBO projected that the deficit for the current fiscal year will come to $960 billion. In the next fiscal year, which begins Oct 1, it will exceed $1 trillion.\n\nThe CBO said the budget deal signed into law earlier this month, which took away the prospect of a government shutdown in October and the threat of deep automatic spending cuts, would boost deficits by $1.7 trillion over the coming decade. Increased spending on disaster relief and border security would add $255 billion. Downward revisions to the forecast for interest rates will help the picture, trimming $1.4 trillion.\n\nSwagel said the federal debt will rise even higher after the coming decade because of the nation’s aging population and higher spending on health care.\n\nTo put the country on sustainable footing, Swagel said, lawmakers will have to increase taxes, cut spending or combine the two approaches.\n\nThe CBO’s estimate is the first to reflect the hard-won budget and debt deal signed into law earlier this month.\n\n“The recent budget deal was a budget buster, and now we have further proof. Both parties took an already unsustainable situation and made it much worse,” said Maya MacGuineas, president of the private Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.\n\nMacGuineas said lawmakers should ensure the legislation they enact is paid for and redouble efforts to control the growth in health care costs and restore the solvency of the Social Security program. Her organization is focused on educating the public on issues with significant fiscal policy impact.", "WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal budget deficit is expected to balloon to more than $1 trillion in the next fiscal year under the first projections taking into account the big budget deal that President Donald Trump and Congress reached this summer, the Congressional Budget Office reported.\n\nThe return of $1 trillion annual deficits comes despite Trump's vow when running for office that he would not just balance the budget but pay down the entire national debt.\n\n\"The nation's fiscal outlook is challenging,\" said Phillip Swagel, director of the nonpartisan CBO. \"Federal debt, which is already high by historical standards, is on an unsustainable course.\"\n\nThe office on Wednesday upped this year's deficit projection by $63 billion and the cumulative deficit projection for the next decade by $809 billion. The higher deficit projections come even as the CBO reduced its estimate for interest rates, which lowers borrowing costs, and as it raised projections for economic growth in the near term.\n\nThe number crunchers at CBO projected the deficit for the current fiscal year will come to $960 billion. In the next fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1, it will exceed $1 trillion.\n\nThe CBO said the budget deal signed into law earlier this month, which took away the prospect of a government shutdown in October and the threat of deep automatic spending cuts, would boost deficits by $1.7 trillion over the coming decade.\n\nIncreased spending on disaster relief and border security would add $255 billion. Downward revisions to the forecast for interest rates will help the picture, trimming $1.4 trillion.\n\nSwagel said the federal debt will rise even higher after the coming decade because of the nation's aging population and higher spending on health care.\n\nTo put the country on sustainable footing, Swagel said, lawmakers will have to increase taxes, cut spending or combine the two approaches.", "The federal budget deficit is expected to balloon to more than $1 trillion in the next fiscal year under the first projections taking into account the big budget deal that President and Congress reached this summer, the Congressional Budget Office reported Wednesday.\n\nThe return of $1 trillion annual deficits comes despite Trump's vow when running for office that he would not just balance the budget but pay down the entire national debt.\n\n\"The nation's fiscal outlook is challenging,\" said Phillip Swagel, director of the nonpartisan CBO. \"Federal debt, which is already high by historical standards, is on an unsustainable course.\"\n\n \n\n The office upped this year's deficit projection by $63 billion and the cumulative deficit projection for the next decade by $809 billion. The higher deficit projections come even as the CBO reduced its estimate for interest rates, which lowers borrowing costs, and as it raised projections for economic growth in the near term.\n\nThe number crunchers at CBO projected that the deficit for the current fiscal year will come to $960 billion. In the next fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1, it will exceed $1 trillion.\n\nThe CBO said the budget deal signed into law earlier this month, which took away the prospect of a government shutdown in October and the threat of deep automatic spending cuts, would boost deficits by $1.7 trillion over the coming decade.\n\nIncreased spending on disaster relief and border security would add $255 billion. Downward revisions to the forecast for interest rates will help the picture, trimming $1.4 trillion.\n\nSwagel said the federal debt will rise even higher after the coming decade because of the nation's aging population and higher spending on health care.\n\nTo put the country on sustainable footing, Swagel said, lawmakers will have to increase taxes, cut spending or combine the two approaches.\n\nThe CBO projects that the economy will expand more slowly, from 2.3 per cent this year to 1.8 per cent on average in the next four years. The assumption reflects slower growth in consumer spending and government purchases, as well as the effect of trade policies on business investment.\n\nIt also projects the unemployment rate will remain close to its current level of 3.7 per cent through the end of 2020 and then rises to 4.6 per cent by the end of 2023.\n\nThe CBO's estimate is the first to reflect the hard-won budget and debt deal signed into law earlier this month.\n\n\"The recent budget deal was a budget buster, and now we have further proof. Both parties took an already unsustainable situation and made it much worse,\" said Maya MacGuineas, president of the private Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.\n\nMacGuineas said lawmakers should ensure the legislation they enact is paid for and redouble efforts to control the growth in health care costs and restore the solvency of the Social Security program.\n\nHer organization is focused on educating the public on issues with significant fiscal policy impact.\n\nSenior White House adviser Kellyanne Conway pivoted to the president's desire to fund the military and other programs when asked about the report.\n\n\"We're always concerned about the deficit,\" Conway said. \"We also need to fund a lot of the projects and programs that are important to this country.", "The U.S. budget deficit is set to widen to $1 trillion by fiscal year 2020, two years sooner than previously estimated, according to the Congressional Budget Office.\n\nThe deficit will expand faster than forecast after recent legislation raised spending levels, according to the the nonpartisan group’s annual budget outlook released Wednesday. That effect was somewhat moderated by the expectation of lower interest rates, which reduces borrowing costs.\n\nIt would be the first time the deficit exceeded the $1 trillion mark since 2012, as the economy was recovering from the financial crisis. The deficit breaching that threshold would come as President Trump runs for reelection.\n\nEconomic growth is expected to expand at a 2.3% pace in the fourth quarter this year, followed by 2.1% next year, the CBO said, up from the agency’s prior estimate of 1.7%. After that, growth will slow to about 1.8% through 2029, the CBO said.\n\n“Partially offsetting the budgetary effects of new legislation are revisions to our economic forecast, which pushed down deficit projections,” CBO Director Phillip Swagel said in a statement.\n\nEconomists are increasingly warning that a recession may be on the horizon, with a key segment of the so-called yield curve on U.S.Treasury notes briefly inverting last week, a rare occurrence that has historically presaged a recession. The odds of a U.S. downturn in the next 12 months rose to 35% in Bloomberg’s August survey of economists, from 31% forecast previously.\n\nThe growing U.S. debt load could add to strains on the economy, now in its longest expansion on record. It’s a troubling factor amid Trump’s ongoing trade war with China that’s delaying some investment, an increasingly gloomy consumer and slowing global growth.\n\n“The nation’s fiscal outlook is challenging,” Swagel said in the statement. “Federal debt, which is already high by historical standards, is on an unsustainable course, projected to rise even higher after 2029 because of the aging of the population, growth in per capita spending on healthcare and rising interest costs.”\n\nThe budget deficit will widen to $1.01 trillion over the 12 months through 2020, from an expected $960 billion this year. The CBO had said in January that the shortfall would come in at around $890 billion next year and wouldn’t top $1 trillion until fiscal 2022.\n\nAs a share of GDP, the deficit is forecast to increase to 4.6% next year from 4.5% this year.\n\nThe deficit has expanded under Trump amid the Republicans‘ $1.5-trillion tax cut package, increased federal spending and an aging population that’s boosting the cost of social programs like Medicare. Trump said recently “a lot of people” would like a cut in payroll taxes and he’s floated the idea of a capital gains tax break as his administration examines ways to juice the economy.\n\nThe U.S. last ran a deficit bigger than $1 trillion between 2009 and 2012, when President Obama ran a large deficit to finance a bailout for the financial markets and a stimulus plan to yank the country out of the financial crisis.", "CBO Predicts Budget Deficit Will Reach Nearly $1 Billion This Year\n\nNPR's David Greene talks to Phillip Swagel, director of the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, who says the nation's fiscal outlook is challenging and is on an unsustainable course.", "The Congressional Budget Office is upping its projections for this year's federal deficit by $63 billion and increasing its forecast for deficits over the next decade by $809 billion.\n\nThe nonpartisan office projects the deficit will exceed $1 trillion beginning next year.\n\nThe office says its projections on both fronts stem mostly from recently enacted legislation that lifted the nation's debt limit and reversed scheduled 10% cuts to defense and nondefense programs."], "summary": "The Congressional Budget Office forecasts a deficit of US$1 trillion next year, up from the previous estimate of $892 billion."}
{"document": ["Australia has accepted an invitation from the United States to join a coalition of countries protecting oil tankers and cargo ships from attack by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz.\n\nPrime Minister Scott Morrison stressed Australia's involvement will be \"modest, meaningful and time limited.\"\n\nAustralia will join a US-led coalition to protect shipping in the Straits of Hormuz. Credit:Bloomberg\n\n\"This destabilising behaviour is a threat to Australia's interests in the region,\" Mr Morrison said on Wednesday morning.\n\n\"The government has decided that it is in Australia's national interest to work with our international partners to contribute. Our contribution will be limited in scope and it will be time bound.\"", "CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA — Australia will join a fledgling U.S.-led effort to protect ships from Iranian threats in the critical Strait of Hormuz, the country’s prime minister said Wednesday, dismissing concerns that the United States was pulling Australia once again into a faraway military intervention in the Middle East.\n\nOil tankers crossing the waterway came under attack in May and June, with crews forced to abandon their vessels and at least one ship set on fire. The United States has blamed Iran for the attacks, a charge that Iranian officials have rejected.\n\nThe tanker strikes came after the United States abandoned the multinational 2015 agreement limiting Iran’s nuclear program and reimposed sanctions on Tehran meant to cripple its oil sales, a pillar of the Iranian economy.\n\nSo far, only two other countries have joined the United States in the ship-protection mission: Britain and Bahrain.\n\nBritain, which hopes to salvage the 2015 nuclear deal, at first hesitated to join the effort, wanting to avoid being seen as contributing to President Donald Trump’s “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran. But Britain later relented, after failing to assemble a separate European coalition to protect ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Iran seized a British-flagged tanker in July.\n\nAsked if Australia’s decision contributed to the U.S. pressure campaign against Iran, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said flatly that it did not.\n\n“This is about freedom of shipping,” he said at a news conference. “They’re completely separate issues. And I think to conflate those issues would be ill-informed.”\n\nA third of the world’s petroleum makes its way through the Strait of Hormuz, and Morrison portrayed the decision as an economic one.\n\n“Fifteen to 16 per cent of crude oil and 25 to 30 per cent of refined oil destined for Australia transits through the Strait of Hormuz,” Morrison said. “So it is a potential threat to our economy.”\n\nMorrison said that Australia would contribute a frigate and a surveillance aircraft, and that it would station officials at the mission’s headquarters in Bahrain.\n\nBut the assistance will be limited, Morrison said. The aircraft will not be deployed until the end of the year, he said. And the frigate, which will be stationed in the strait for six months next year, had already been headed to the Middle East for a separate mission, so it will not be diverted from any tasks closer to home in the Pacific, he added.\n\nMorrison said he had spoken with Prime Minister Boris Johnson of Britain and the American secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, before making the announcement.\n\nQuestioned about whether Australia was being drawn into another U.S.-led military effort in the region, Morrison pointed to Britain’s involvement as evidence of broader goals. “It’s also the U.K.’s view that this provides the opportunity for others to be involved in a multinational engagement,” he said.\n\nAustralia, a longtime ally of the United States, has fought in both Iraq and Afghanistan as part of U.S.-led coalitions, and it still has troops in both countries.\n\nBut the new commitment in the Persian Gulf comes as Australia seeks to reorient its military and diplomatic posture toward its own region again, in an attempt to temper China’s growing influence.\n\nThe tensions between Iran and the West escalated in early July when British marines and Gibraltar port officials seized an Iranian ship, saying that it was carrying oil to Syria in violation of a European Union embargo.\n\nIran’s detention of the British-flagged tanker last month in the Strait of Hormuz was in retaliation for that. The day before, the U.S. military had downed an Iranian drone in the strait, in what Trump called an act of self-defence.\n\nLast week, authorities in Gibraltar released the Iranian ship and freed its crew, hours after the United States applied to seize it.", "Australia is joining an international military mission to help guard oil tankers from attacks in the Strait of Hormuz.\n\nThe Australian Defence Force will contribute troops, a surveillance plane and a Navy frigate to a US-led effort to protect shipping lanes from Iran.\n\nPrime Minister Scott Morrison said the \"modest, meaningful and time limited\" contribution was in Australia's national and economic interests.\n\n\"The government has decided it's in Australia's national interests to work with our international partners to contribute,\" he told reporters at Parliament House on Wednesday.\n\n\"Our contribution will be limited in scope and it will be time-bound and it will be part of an international mission, separate from any other matters in the region.\"\n\nAt least 15 per cent of crude oil destined for Australia - and up to 30 per cent of refined oil - transits through the Persian gulf.\n\n\"So it is a potential threat to our economy,\" Mr Morrison said.\n\nThe warship will be redirected from an anti-piracy operation in the Middle East, while the Australian troops will be based in the headquarters that are coordinating the US-led maritime security mission.\n\nInitially, Australia will be involved for at least six months.\n\nHowever, the prime minister made it clear the mission could be extended.\n\nThe deployment raises questions about the rules of engagement, and what Australian troops will be able to do in response to any aggressive behaviour that comes their way.\n\nAustralia's Chief of the Defence Force Angus Campbell was asked what the frigate would do if a commercial ship was seized, and whether his troops would be allowed to open fire.\n\n\"Our people are very well trained and they will be operating under international law,\" General Campbell told reporters.\n\n\"Their presence will be to support security of shipping and freedom of navigation.\"\n\nSo far the US-led international coalition includes the United Kingdom, Australia and Bahrain.\n\nBut the mission will be a key topic of discussion when Mr Morrison meets the leaders of the seven wealthiest advanced countries in France this weekend.\n\nMr Morrison has spoken to the UK's new leader Boris Johnson several times ahead of his trip to Biarritz.\n\n\"(The G7 meeting) is an important time, I think, to reinforce these shared values in today's world - democracy, respect for human rights, international law and free markets,\" he told reporters.", "* Australian Defence Force personnel to be placed in the International Maritime Security Construct headquarters in Bahrain.\n\n* A P-8A Poseidon maritime surveillance aircraft will be deployed to the Middle East for one month before the end of 2019.\n\n* An Australian Frigate will be deployed from January 2020 for six months.\n\n* US-led mission but involve at least Australia, UK and Bahrain.\n\n* Assuring the security of merchant vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.\n\n* Australian government has been concerned with incidents involving shipping in the Strait of Hormuz over the past few months.\n\n* Prime Minister Scott Morrison says the \"destabilising behaviour is a threat to Australian interests in the region\".", "Prime Minister Scott Morrison has confirmed that Australia will lend military support to protect shipping in the Middle East.\n\nThe commitment has been long expected, with Australia sending a frigate, an aircraft and some headquarters staff as part of a US-led coalition in the Strait of Hormuz, amid deepening tensions between the US and Iran.\n\nSo what is this conflict about, what is Australia’s involvement, and what are the risks associated with it?\n\nWhat is the Strait of Hormuz?\n\nThe Strait of Hormuz is a narrow body of ocean connecting the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. Its width varies, but at its narrowest is 39km. It is the main passage for transporting oil from the Middle East out into the Indian Ocean and beyond; a fifth of the world’s oil is shipped through this strait. This includes 15-16% of crude oil and 25-30% of refined oil that is destined for Australia.\n\nIran and Oman border the Strait of Hormuz. As the littoral states, they have sovereignty over the waters in the Strait of Hormuz, but that sovereignty is subject to navigational rights enjoyed by all states. Ships from all countries have the right to move continuously and expeditiously through these waters without interference from either of the coastal states.\n\nWhat is the conflict between Iran and the US about?\n\nThe primary concern in relation to the Strait of Hormuz at the moment is interference with commercial shipping. The United States has accused Iran of attacks against tankers and has destroyed an Iranian drone.\n\nIn recent weeks, Iran has seized the Stena Impero, a British-flagged commercial tanker, as well as a US drone. It also boarded but released a Liberian-flagged, British-owned vessel. These actions have heightened concerns about navigational rights through the strait and the consequences for global oil supply.\n\nThis is all against a backdrop of heightened tension between Iran and the United States, resulting from American sanctions against Iran and its abandonment of the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran. It is the latest rift in a relationship that has been fraught for decades, punctuated by events like Iran taking over the US embassy and holding hostages in 1979, the United States backing Iraq during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s, and Iran’s development of a nuclear program in the 1990s.\n\nShipping has previously been threatened within the Persian Gulf and along the Strait of Hormuz, especially during the Iran-Iraq war. This conflict was also known as the Tanker War because of the threats to commercial ships transporting oil out of the Gulf. It resulted in the United States and other neutral states providing naval escorts and conducting convoys to protect shipping.\n\nAustralia has announced it will be joining an “International Maritime Security Construct” that is focused on ensuring the freedom of shipping lanes and commercial navigation.\n\nThis international presence is intended to respond to incidents and threats as they occur during passage through the strait. The prime minister has announced that Australia’s involvement is limited in terms of time and resources and emphasised the importance of de-escalation.\n\nA legal difficulty for Australia is that this sort of convoy relies on a doctrine that is associated with the law of naval warfare, and so would usually only apply if there is an armed conflict between states. Australia is instead maintaining the view that its warships are also exercising their navigational rights through the Strait of Hormuz.\n\nThe new mission is cast as an enhancement of previous contributions to counter-terrorism and counter-piracy operations. However, these operations have been directed at non-state actors, rather than the naval forces of another country. Iran may claim that their presence constitutes an unlawful threat of the use of force.\n\nThe previous UK foreign secretary, Jeremy Hunt, characterised Iran’s actions as “state piracy”. He advocated for “European-led maritime protection mission(s) to support safe passage of both crew and cargo”.\n\nBritish Prime Minister Boris Johnson instead decided to join the US-led mission. In joining this effort, Australia has emphasised the importance of its multilateral nature. This matters when it is recalled that the oil tankers concerned are typically flagged to a wide variety of states, are owned by nationals from other states, might be chartered by companies from different states and are frequently crewed by nationals from diverse states.\n\nAs a result, far more countries than just Iran, the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia have stakes in these issues.\n\nHow does it affect the global oil trade?\n\nThe prospect of oil tankers being seized in the Strait of Hormuz will likely increase the insurance premiums on shipping. In addition to seizing ships, Iran has threatened to close the strait.\n\nConcerns also exist that Iranian military forces might hinder passage, or might go so far as mining the strait. Any of these scenarios poses a risk to global oil supply and even the prospect of these actions causes a jump in crude oil prices.\n\nWhat might happen from here?\n\nUltimately, Iran shares an interest with the United States and other countries in maintaining navigational rights for commercial shipping. So much is evident in Iran’s own response to the British Royal Navy seizing one of its vessels off Gibraltar.\n\nGiven that over 90% of the world’s traded goods are carried by ship, every country has a strong reciprocal interest in ensuring freedom of navigation. Iran is using one of the main political tools it has at its disposal to exert pressure in response to current US policies.\n\nPreventing escalation should be the prime concern of all actors and would be the most mutually beneficial outcome.", "US plans maritime security coalition for Gulf as Trump tells others to contribute for security\n\nGermany rejects US request to join naval mission in Strait of Hormuz\n\nAustralia has joined Britain and Bahrain in signing onto a U.S.-led maritime security mission to protect international shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.\n\nPrime Minister Scott Morrison said Wednesday that Australia will contribute troops, a surveillance plane and a Navy frigate to protect shipping lanes off the coast of Iran.\n\nHe says it's a \"modest, meaningful and time-limited\" contribution in Australia's national and economic interests.\n\nAt least 15% of crude oil and up to 30% of refined oil destined for Australia transits through the Persian Gulf.\n\nThe warship will be redirected from an anti-piracy operation in the Middle East, while the Australian troops will be based in the headquarters that are coordinating the U.S.-led maritime security mission.\n\nInitially, Australia will be involved for at least six months.\n\nThe U.S. began the Gulf security mission in June in the wake of attacks on oil tankers that Washington blamed on Iran.", "Understanding the Strait of Hormuz: narrower than Bass Strait, carrying one fifth the world's oil\n\nAustralia is sending a warship, surveillance aircraft and Defence Force personnel to a stretch of Middle Eastern water called the Strait of Hormuz.\n\nWhat is the Strait of Hormuz?\n\nThe Strait of Hormuz is a narrow stretch of water on a major oil transit route in the Middle East.\n\nIt links the Persian Gulf and its states such as Kuwait and Bahrain to the Indian Ocean.\n\nOn one side is Iran; on the other is Oman, with Saudi Arabia nearby.\n\nAnd approximately one-fifth of the world's oil is shipped through it every year.\n\nIn comparison to Australian geography, the Strait of Hormuz is much narrower than Bass Strait.\n\nAt its narrowest point, it is approximately:\n• twice the distance between Perth and Rottnest Island,\n• the distance between Sydney CBD and the Blue Mountains, and\n• narrower than the width of Port Phillip Bay.\n\nWhy is Australia sending military resources there?\n\nRecently oil tankers in the area have been captured by Iran, and the country's military has also been accused of attacking tankers carrying oil from its Middle Eastern neighbours.\n\nIran's motivations are not fully understood, but the US has been making efforts to restrict Iran's oil exports since late 2018, when President Donald Trump unilaterally pulled his country out of an international treaty designed to prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons.\n\nThe US sanctions are aimed at crippling Iran's economy.\n\nFifteen per cent of crude oil and close to 30 per cent of refined oil destined for Australia transits through the Strait of Hormuz.\n\nPrime Minister Scott Morrison said on Wednesday that contributing to an international effort in the area was \"to ensure we maintain free flow of commerce and freedom of navigation which is essential to our security and to our economy\".\n\nSome have recently criticised Australia's relative lack of backup fuel supplies, although the Government recently announced it was seeking access to US fuel reserves.\n\nWhat exactly are we sending?\n\nAccording to the Navy, it is \"a long-range frigate capable of air defence, surface and undersea warfare, surveillance, reconnaissance and interdiction\".\n\nIt will be joined by a P-8 Poseidon surveillance aircraft with a crew of 10.\n\nThis aircraft is based on the Boeing 737, extensively modified for maritime surveillance.\n\nThere will also be staff sent to the \"joint task force headquarters\", but it's not clear how many.\n\nHow long will we be over there?\n\nThe warship will be deployed for six months from January.\n\nThe surveillance aircraft will be sent for one month before the end of 2019. It's not clear exactly when they will return.\n\nAnd the team deployed to the task force headquarters will go over \"reasonably quickly\".\n\nAgain, the Government has not said when this group will come home.\n\nMr Morrison said the Government would consider when they return \"as that deployment approaches its termination, as we do on all of these matters\".\n\nBut he said the nature of the engagement was a \"multi-national operation that is focused on freedom of shipping lanes\".\n\n\"That's what this is about. It's not about anything else.\"\n\nWhat will we be doing?\n\nThe Government claims Australia will work with international partners the United States, United Kingdom and Bahrain to \"uphold\" the right to safe passage of maritime trade \"consistent with international law\".\n\nIt's likely the personnel sent to the headquarters will be working on intelligence and logistics.\n\nCommentators believe Australia's other military forces may be involved escorting tankers and monitoring potential threats from the air.\n\nBut so far detail is unclear. On Wednesday, Chief of the Defence Force Angus Campbell was asked what Australia's warship would do if a commercial ship was seized by Iranian forces, as has happened before.\n\n\"Our people are very well-trained and they'll be operating under international law and their presence will be to support the security of shipping and freedom of navigation,\" he said.\n\nHe did not go into exactly how they could respond in circumstances of conflict.\n\nViolence marked the \"tanker wars\" of the 1980s between Iraq and Iran, which were also focused on shipping in the Persian Gulf. More than 100 people were killed.\n\nAre they allowed to do this?\n\nThere are doubts over exactly what can and cannot be done by Australia's warship in the Strait of Hormuz.\n\nInternational shipping lanes designated by the International Maritime Organisation run across both Omani and Iranian territorial waters.\n\nDonald Rothwell, international law professor at ANU, said the Strait of Hormuz was recognised as an international shipping route.\n\nThat means tankers are entitled to safe passage in these lanes even if they pass through Iranian waters.\n\nMilitary ships in transit enjoy the right to safe passage too, but this may evaporate when they undertake operations such as escorts.\n\n\"The freedom of navigation is not absolute and legitimate constraints can be placed on navigation through the waters of the Strait of Hormuz,\" he said.\n\nProfessor Rothwell also said questions remained about the rules of engagement and whether the Defence Force would be able to exercise self-defence if it was attacked.\n\nDefence Minister Linda Reynolds said Australia was working through international legal issues with the other partners.\n\n\"One of the reasons we're sending staff now to the joint task force headquarters is to work through these details,\" she said.\n\n\"We've still got some planning to do with the Attorney-General's Department to actually work through what this will actually involve.\"\n\nDoes this mean we are going to war?\n\nMr Morrison said Australia's engagement \"is all about de-escalating tensions in the region to ensure the freedom of those shipping lanes\".\n\nHowever, US President Donald Trump has previously said he wants to apply \"maximum pressure\" to Iran.\n\nMr Morrison rejected suggestions Australia's involvement was related to the US stance.\n\n\"This is about freedom of shipping. They're completely separate issues,\" he said.\n\n\"And I think to conflate those issues would be ill-informed.\"", "FILE PHOTO: Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison speaks during a joint press conference at the Istana Presidential Palace in Singapore,\n\nSYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia will join the United States in a coalition of countries protecting oil tankers and cargo ships from threats posed by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Wednesday.\n\nGlobal commodity trading has been rocked in recent months after a series of Iranian attacks on international merchant vessels and the seizure of a British tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow waterway through which almost a fifth of the world's oil passes.\n\n\"This destabilizing behavior is a threat to Australia's interests in the region,\" Morrison told a news conference in Canberra.\n\n\"The government has decided that it is in Australia's national interest to work with our international partners to contribute. Our contribution will be limited in scope and it will be time-bound,\" he said.\n\nMorrison said Australia will send a P-8A Poseidon surveillance plane to the Middle East for one month before the end of 2019, while an Australian frigate will be deployed in January 2020 for six months.\n\nAustralia's deployment will expand U.S-led efforts to secure the strait, which lies between Oman and Iran, after tensions spiked between Iran and the West.\n\nWashington, which has by far the strongest Western naval contingent in the Gulf, has been calling for its allies to join it in an operation to guard shipping.\n\nHowever, European countries, which disagree with a U.S. decision to impose sanctions on Iran, have been reluctant to sign up to a U.S.-led mission for fear of adding to tension in the region.\n\nU.S. President Donald Trump withdrew Washington in 2018 from an international deal to curb Iran's nuclear ambitions.\n\nTrump then applied widespread sanctions in May designed to block all of Iran's oil exports, the lifeblood of Tehran's economy. Iranian officials denounced the new penalties as \"economic warfare\".\n\nCanberra, although keen to avoid stoking tensions, was widely expected to join the U.S.-led maritime coalition.\n\nAustralia is a staunch ally of the United States, which in recent months has called on its partners to do more to defend global security.", "Australia will join the U.S.-led mission to protect shipping through the Strait of Hormuz amid heightened tensions with Iran, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced Wednesday.\n\nMorrison said Australia would send a \"modest\" contribution -- including a frigate, a P8 maritime surveillance aircraft and support staff -- to the mission, which will also involve British and Bahraini forces.\n\n\"Our contribution will be limited in scope and it will be time-bound,\" Morrison said, expressing concern about security incidents in the vital shipping lane in the past few months.\n\n\"This destabilizing behavior is a threat to Australian interests in the region,\" he said in a joint statement with his foreign and defense ministers.\n\nU.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Mark Esper had pressed for Australia's help patrolling the strategic waterway during a visit to Sydney earlier this month.\n\nThe move followed a spate of incidents -- including the seizure of ships -- involving Iran and Western powers, in particular Britain and the U.S., centered on the vital Gulf channel.\n\nDefense Minister Linda Reynolds said Australian military staff would in coming weeks join the security operation's headquarters in Bahrain, which announced its involvement in the operation on Tuesday.\n\nThe P8 Poseidon aircraft will patrol the region for a month, later in the year. The frigate, with a crew of some 170, will not be deployed to the joint operation until January and take part for six months, she said.\n\nMorrison stressed that the deployment would be \"modest, meaningful and time-limited\" while defense experts said it was likely a \"re-tasking\" of planned deployments to the region to satisfy US requests.\n\nThe U.S. had been struggling to piece together an international coalition to protect cargo ships traveling through the Gulf, with allies concerned about being dragged into conflict with Iran.\n\nBritain eventually agreed to participate two weeks ago, and Morrison's government has debated the move since Pompeo and Esper made their direct appeal at the beginning of the month.\n\nUS President Donald Trump has been trying to mount a campaign of \"maximum pressure\" against Tehran since he withdrew the US from a landmark 2015 deal placing curbs on Iran's nuclear program and began reimposing sanctions, urging reluctant Western allies to follow suit.\n\nBut European countries have declined to join the maritime security force for fear of harming European efforts to rescue the nuclear treaty.\n\nIran has seized three tankers in strategic Gulf waters since last month, including a British-flagged vessel.\n\nThat came after British Royal Marines helped impound a tanker carrying Iranian oil off the British overseas territory of Gibraltar on July 4.\n\nBritain suspected it was destined for Syria in defiance of European Union sanctions, which Iran denies.\n\nThe U.S. and its Gulf allies have also accused the Islamic republic of carrying out several mysterious attacks on ships in the region. Tehran has denied involvement.", "TEHRAN - Australia has joined Great Britain and Bahrain in signing onto a U.S.-led maritime security mission that the U.S. claimed is aimed at protecting international shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, but Tehran believes the real reason for it is to threaten its interests in the Persian Gulf.\n\nAustralian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Wednesday that Australia will contribute troops, a surveillance plane and a Navy frigate off the coast of Iran.\n\n“The government has decided that it is in Australia’s national interest to work with our international partners to contribute. Our contribution will be limited in scope and it will be time-bound,” Aljazeera quoted him as saying.\n\nMorrison said Australia will send a P-8A Poseidon surveillance plane to the Middle East for one month before the end of the year, while an Australian frigate will be deployed in January 2020 for six months.\n\nAustralia’s deployment will expand U.S.-led efforts to secure the strait, which lies between Oman and Iran, after tensions spiked between Tehran and the United States.\n\nAt least 15 percent of crude oil and up to 30 percent of refined oil destined for Australia transits through the Persian Gulf.\n\nThe friction is rooted in U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision in May 2018 to unilaterally withdraw from a landmark nuclear deal signed in 2015 between world powers and Iran.\n\nSince then, the U.S. has reinstated sweeping sanctions against Tehran as part of a “maximum pressure” campaign and has also beefed up its military presence in the region.\n\nThe tensions escalated in May, when the U.S. accused Iran of sabotaging tankers in the shipping route, allegations vehemently denied by Iran.\n\nUK’s Ministry of Defense announced this month that Royal Navy vessels will work alongside the U.S. Navy to escort vessels through the busy strait.\n\nBritain has been giving UK-flagged vessels a naval escort since Iran’s Revolutionary Guard seized a British oil tanker last month. The move followed the seizing of an Iranian oil tanker off the coast of Gibraltar in July by Britain.\n\nEarlier this month, Germany ruled out participating in the U.S.-led mission, prompting a frustrated response from U.S. officials.\n\nLast week, Iran warned Israel against supporting the mission, saying it reserved the right to confront a “clear threat”.\n\nIn June, Iran downed a U.S. military surveillance drone in the Persian Gulf with a surface-to-air missile. The drone violated Iran’s airspace."], "summary": "Australia announces its agreement to join the United States' coalition, along with the United Kingdom and Bahrain, to prevent Iran from targeting ships travelling through the Strait of Hormuz. Australia will deploy a Boeing P-8 Poseidon and a frigate."}
{"document": ["Dronning Margrethe skal ikke være vært for statsbesøget alligevel. Foto: Ints Kalnins / Ritzau Scanpix\n\nDen eneste legitime grund til at aflyse et statsbesøg er sygdom, så det er direkte respektløst over for dronning Margrethe, mener kongehuseksperter.\n\nBeskeden om, at den amerikanske præsident, Donald Trump, alligevel ikke skal besøge Danmark i starten af september, er også nået det danske kongehus.\n\nSom statsoverhoved i Danmark var det dronning Margrethe, der havde sendt invitationen og skulle være vært for præsidenten og hans kone, førstedame Melania Trump.\n\nDerfor er både hun og hoffet dybt involveret i statsbesøget, og aflysningen kommer aldeles uventet:\n\n- Det var en overraskelse. Mere har vi ikke at sige om den sag, siger kongehusets kommunikationschef, Lene Balleby, til TV 2.\n\nDen måde, Trump afviser den danske invitation få uger før besøget, er faktisk fuldstændig uhørt og direkte respektløs overfor dronningen, lyder det fra både kongehusekspert og historiker Lars Hovbakke Sørensen og Berlingskes politiske kommentator Thomas Larsen, der har skrevet bogen 'De dybeste rødder - Dronningen fortæller om Danmark og danskerne'.\n\n- Alle i Danmark må tænke, at det er meget mærkeligt. Det er et brud på alle traditioner og etiketter og virker til, at Trump-administrationen opfatter statsbesøg på en helt anden måde, siger historikeren.\n\n- Dette er en fornærmelse i den tunge vægtklasse. Et statsbesøg er normalt med til at bekræfte et venskab, en relation og en alliance mellem to lande, siger Thomas Larsen.\n\nAldrig sket før\n\nDonald Trump skriver på sin Twitter-profil, at aflysningen kommer, fordi statsminister Mette Frederiksen (S) \"ikke har nogen interesse i at diskutere et køb af Grønland\".\n\nMen et statsbesøg handler langt fra kun om politik, siger Lars Hovbakke Sørensen.\n\n- Det går ikke ud på at diskutere ét emne. Det finder sted, fordi man er officielt på besøg hos dronningen og dermed den danske befolkning. Så har man først sagt ja, så kommer man. Det afhænger ikke af, hvad regeringschefen siger om Grønland, siger han.\n\nSelvom kongehusets udtalelse er politisk neutral, så er han overbevist om, at der bliver rynket på næsen.\n\nDanmarks forhold til USA er historisk set meget tæt. Dronning Margrethe har haft mødt de tre seneste amerikanske præsidenter - Bill Clinton, George W. Bush og Barack Obama - og i 1991 var hun i USA på statsbesøg. Foto: Keld Navntoft / Scanpix\n\nKongehusets kommunikationschef mindes da heller ikke, at et statsbesøg, som er en betydningsfuld officiel begivenhed, tidligere er blevet aflyst.\n\nDet er kun sygdom eller alvorlige politiske situationer i hjemlandet, der kan stå til grund for en aflysning, ifølge Lars Hovbakke Sørensen. Han tror derfor ikke, at der kommer en ny invitation til den amerikanske præsident lige foreløbig.\n\nDronningen har støtte\n\nAt Danmark skulle nægte USA et statsbesøg, er dog umuligt, fortæller Thomas Larsen:\n\n- Jeg tror, at man ville tage imod ham, fordi USA er en så afgørende allieret, ligegyldigt om præsidenten hedder Donald Trump eller ej, siger han.\n\nMen Trump har givet Danmark og verden en lektion i, at han \"næsten er barnagtig og excentrisk i sin opførsel\", tilføjer han.\n\nBill Clinton besøgte Danmark i 1997. Foto: Jakob Boserup / Scanpix Danmark\n\nAt det vil gå alvorligt ud over præsidentens ry i Danmark, er Lars Hovbakke Sørensen enig i.\n\n- Han kan ikke tillade sig det overfor hverken dronningen, Danmark eller danskerne. Mange må tænke, at det er mærkeligt, at den amerikanske præsident ser på os med så lidt respekt, at han kan aflyse på den måde, siger kongehuseksperten.\n\nPå trods af at præsidenten har fornærmet dronningen offentligt, så tror Lars Hovbakke Sørensen, at hun både vil møde sympati fra danskere og amerikanere, som også har kunnet læse om aflysningen i de lokale medier.", "Judging by what happened when Barack and Michelle Obama visited with the Queen of Denmark, Margrethe II in Copenhagen’s Christiansborg Palace in 2009, it’s probably for the best that Donald Trump will not be making it there next month. The Obamas were treated to a library tour, attended multilateral presentations, and had to watch a bunch of ballet. When Trump tweeted Tuesday that he was postponing the trip because a discussion of a Greenland transaction is off the table, the Royal Danish House’s statement was terse. It “came as a surprise. That’s all we have to say about that,” the house’s communications director, Lene Balleby, said to the state broadcaster.\n\nSo while we can imagine that the Danish royal event planners are counting their blessings—they were probably not looking forward to bringing the big, gold New Year’s carriage out of storage four months early—it’s no wonder that the people of Denmark are feeling deeply insulted. So far there has been no reporting on the queen’s personal reaction, but because Margrethe invited the Trumps personally, she’s likely smarting from the blow. It’s certainly her biggest snub since the medical journal The Lancet blamed her smoking habit for the country’s rising mortality rates back in 2001. (Well, coming from someone besides her own husband, and even he made up for it with posthumous flowers.)\n\nThough she visits Greenland occasionally and gave her children Greenlandic middle names, the complicated relationship between Denmark and the autonomous territory has likely been a thorn in Margrethe’s side since she became queen in 1972. In 2014, Aleqa Hammond, Greenland’s first female prime minister, doubted the queen’s sincere commitment to the isle’s people. “She has to visit us, whether she wants to or not, because she needs to keep an eye out for the state’s interests in Greenland and the Faroe Islands,” she said to a journalist.\n\nIf America took it off Margrethe’s hands, it might even free up some more time for her to focus on her hobbies, like archaeological digs and the works of J.R.R. Tolkien. Maybe Trump was just looking out for her in some sort of many-dimensional chess game. It’s not too outlandish a suggestion, and this very publication suggested mere weeks ago that Trump and Margrethe could become great friends due to their shared love of festivities and her high tolerance for drama. But in hindsight, it was truly never meant to be. She speaks five languages and has multiple advanced degrees. She has a pen name. What on earth do she and Trump have in common?\n\nMargrethe is apparently an artist of some repute, so perhaps she will channel her mounting dismay and disappointment into a series of Trump paintings. Based on the cover of the 2012 book collecting her work, delightfully titled The Essence of Colour, she’s already adept at drawing some pretty strange creatures.\n\n— Why Ivanka Trump is uniquely unqualified to condemn her father’s racism\n\n— Miley and Liam’s strikingly different post-breakup optics\n\n— The private-jet controversy plaguing the British royal family\n\n— Helena Bonham Carter’s “scary” encounter with Princess Margaret\n\n— Trump’s bizarre handwritten notes to Justin Trudeau\n\n— From the archive: the trouble with Prince Andrew\n\nLooking for more? Sign up for our daily newsletter and never miss a story.", "Heirs to the throne spend their lives preparing for the moment when they become monarch but it doesn’t always make it easy. Queen Margrethe II of Denmark has revealed how she had to “step up” following her father’s tragic death.\n\nThe Queen of Denmark, Margarethe II, 79, is the monarch Donald Trump would have to pass in order to buy Greenland. The US president was due to visit the Danish royal in September but in a shocking turn of events, he cancelled his trip after it became clear the semi-autonomous island of Greenland was not for sale. Margarethe II is the second longest-ever reigning monarch of Denmark and ascended the throne in 1972. READ MORE: Queen vs Donald Trump: The Queen who can reject Trump Greenland bid\n\nShe became Queen following the death of her father, Frederick IX of Denmark. The Queen opened up about the heart-wrenching circumstances in which her reign began in an interview with Danish magazine ALT. Margarethe II said: “Dad became ill with pneumonia on the New Year’s night after his New Year speech on December 31, 1971. “He was admitted to the Municipal Hospital in Copenhagen, where his heart began to fail, and we could see that this was serious.\"\n\nShe continued: “At that time, we had New Year’s breakfast in the morning and New Year’s dinner later, and I had to represent my father as head of the family. “I remember very clearly thinking that this is not a one-time event. “It is rather the first time of many. I got it right. Dad died only 14 days later.”\n\nThe Queen touched on how the seriousness of her role hit her following her father’s death. She said: “We said goodbye to him at the Municipal Hospital, and I went back to Amalienborg, where the guard lieutenant from the royal guards, the major and the banner-officer brought the royal flags from my father and mother’s part of the castle, walked across the castle square and brought the flags to my rooms in Amalienborg castle as a visible sign that the burden of being monarch was now mine. “It was in many ways an emotional moment. “I was afflicted with grief and had just said goodbye to my father, and half an hour later, I received the lifeguard’s flags and was very conscious that now this was serious. Now it was time to step up!” The Queen’s father was laid to rest on January 24, 1972 - ten days after his death.", "DENMARK was left stunned yesterday by Donald Trump’s decision to postpone a state visit after the government told the US president its autonomous terri­tory Greenland was not for sale.\n\nThe Danish Royal House expressed “surprise” at Trump’s cancellation while commentators accused Trump of acting like a “colonial overlord.”\n\n“Based on Prime Minister Mette Fred­eriksen’s comments, that she would have no interest in discussing the purchase of Greenland, I will be postponing our meet­ing scheduled in two weeks for another time,” Trump tweeted on Tuesday.\n\n“The Prime Minister was able to save a great deal of expense and effort for both the United States and Denmark by being so direct.”\n\nHis comments came two days after Frederiksen had rejected the president’s proposal to possibly buy Greenland as “absurd.” The decision confirms just how interested he was in purchasing Greenland, an idea initially dismissed as a joke by some, but which the White House later insisted had a serious pur­pose because of its strategic location.\n\nDenmark’s prime minister said yes­terday she was “annoyed and surprised” that US President Donald Trump post­poned a visit after her government said its territory Greenland was not for sale, but insisted their ties remained strong.\n\n“I am both annoyed and surprised that the US president has cancelled a state visit,” Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen told reporters, adding: “Denmark and the US are not in crisis, the US is one of our closest allies.”\n\nThe territory has been essential to US defence since World War II.\n\nThe postponement has sparked strong reactions in Denmark.\n\n“Reality transcends imagination... this man is unpredictable,” said Morten Ostergaard of the Social Liberal Party, which is part of the ruling coalition.\n\n“For no reason, Trump assumes that (an autonomous) part of our country is for sale. Then insultingly cancels visit that everybody was preparing for,” tweeted Rasmus Jarlov, a member of the opposition Conservative Party.\n\n“Are parts of the US for sale? Alaska? Please show more respect.”\n\nMarc Jacobsen, a Greenland specialist at the University of Copenhagen, said Trump was acting like “an ignorant co­lonial overlord.”\n\n“Trump’s idea of purchasing Green­land is absurd, and it is absurd that he is now cancelling his state visit to Den­mark when he knows that there is no chance Greenland will become the 51st state of America,” he said.\n\nFormer US ambassador to Denmark Rufus Gifford wrote on Twitter: “He asks for an invitation from a great friend and ally. The Queen obliges invites him for a state visit. He declares the visit contin­gent on the great friend selling part of its territory to him This. Is. Not. Normal.”\n\n“Mette Frederiksen has been given the opportunity to emphasize that Green­land’s big affairs are in fact decided in Copenhagen... strengthening Denmark’s position in this great strategic game at stake over the Arctic,” it said.\n\nTrump, a former real estate magnate, has been curious about the area’s natu­ral resources and geopolitical relevance, The Wall Street Journal said.", "From left, Norway’s Prime Minister Erna Solberg, Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Prime Minister of Iceland Katrin Jakobsdottir arrive at Harpa Concert Hall in Reykjavik, Tuesday Aug. 20, 2019, ahead of the Nordic Prime Ministers meeting. (AP Photo/Egill Bjarnason)\n\nWASHINGTON (AP) — Two days after he said buying Greenland wasn’t a top priority, President Donald Trump canceled an upcoming trip to Denmark, which owns the mostly frozen island, after its prime minister dismissed the idea.\n\nPrime Minister Mette Frederiksen had called Trump’s musing about buying the Danish territory “an absurd discussion” after the former real estate mogul-turned-president began to talk up the idea.\n\nTrump said Sunday that he was interested in such a deal for strategic purposes, but said a purchase was not a priority at this time. “It’s not No. 1 on the burner,” he told reporters.\n\nTrump even joked about his proposal as it came in for ridicule, tweeting a doctored photo of a glistening Trump skyscraper looming over a small village in the Arctic territory.\n\n“I promise not to do this to Greenland,” he joked Monday.\n\nBut on Tuesday, Trump abruptly canceled the visit, also by tweet.\n\nJust a few hours earlier, the U.S. ambassador to Denmark tweeted that it was “ready for the POTUS @realDonaldTrump visit!” using an acronym for “President of the United States” along with Trump’s Twitter handle.\n\nTrump wrote: “Denmark is a very special country with incredible people, but based on Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen’s comments, that she would have no interest in discussing the purchase of Greenland, I will be postponing our meeting scheduled in two weeks for another time.”\n\nHe added: “The Prime Minister was able to save a great deal of expense and effort for both the United States and Denmark by being so direct. I thank her for that and look forward to rescheduling sometime in the future!”\n\nWhite House spokesman Judd Deere said later that the visit to Denmark has been canceled.\n\nThe White House announced in late July that Trump had accepted an invitation to visit Denmark’s Queen Margrethe and participate in a series of meetings, including with Frederiksen and business leaders.\n\nThe trip, set to begin at the end of August, includes a stop in Poland to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the start of World War II.\n\nTrump is expected to go ahead with the Warsaw visit.\n\nAsked about Greenland on Sunday as he prepared to return to Washington after a vacation week at his central New Jersey home, Trump said “strategically … it would be nice” to own the island.\n\nHe also suggested he might not visit Denmark at all, saying he didn’t think the previously announced trip had been “absolutely set in stone yet.”\n\nAssociated Press writer Jill Colvin contributed to this report.", "Copenhagen: US President Donald Trump has cancelled a state visit to Denmark after the nation's Prime Minister Mette Fredriksen said Greenland was not for sale to the US. Trump's visit was scheduled on September 2, at the invitation of Denmark's Queen Margrethe II.\n\nTrump tweeted on Tuesday: \"Denmark is a very special country with incredible people, but based on Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen's comments, that she would have no interest in discussing the purchase of Greenland,\n\nI will be postponing our meeting scheduled in two weeks for another time.\" Last week Trump had suggested that the US was interested in buying Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory.\n\nWhen Trump was asked on Sunday if he would consider trading a US territory for the island, he replied: \"Well, a lot of things could be done.\" \"Essentially it's a large real estate deal,\" he had said.\n\nDanish politicians have launched a scathing critique of Trump for cancelling his visit to the Scandinavian country, Efe news reported. Many leading Danish politicians have taken to social media to criticise Trump's handling of the matter. \"Trump lives on another planet.\n\nSelf-sufficient and disrespectful\" Pernille Skipper, spokesperson for the Red-Green Alliance, tweeted. Former Prime Minister Helle Thorning also shared her bemusement over the issue.\n\n\"So the POTUS has cancelled his visit to Denmark because there was no interest in discussing selling Greenland. Is this some sort of joke? Deeply insulting to the people of Greenland and Denmark,\" she tweeted.\n\nThe opposition also shared its disbelief over the spat with the vice president of the liberal Venstre Party and former foreign affairs minister, Kristian Jensen, labelling it a diplomatic crisis.\n\n\"Total chaos with Donald Trump and cancellation of the state visit to Denmark. It has gone from a great opportunity for enhanced dialogue between allies to a diplomatic crisis.\n\nEveryone should know that Greenland is not for sale,\" Jensen said. \"Need to get the cooperation back on track,\" he added. Rasmus Jarlov, conservative spokesman for Greenland affairs, like many others, said Trump's actions were insulting.\n\n\"As a Dane (and a conservative) it is very hard to believe. For no reason Trump assumes that (an autonomous) part of our country is for sale. Then insultingly cancels visit that everybody was preparing for.", "Escalating an international spat, President Donald Trump said Wednesday he scrapped his trip to Denmark because the prime minister made a \"nasty\" statement when she rejected his idea to buy Greenland as an absurdity.\n\n\"You don't talk to the United States that way, at least under me,\" Trump told reporters in Washington. \"I thought it was not a nice statement, the way she blew me off.\"\n\nDanish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called the whole thing \"an absurd discussion\" and said she was \"disappointed and surprised\" that Trump had canceled his visit.\n\nTrump said Frederiksen's comment labeling his idea as absurd \"was nasty. I thought it was an inappropriate statement. All she had to say was say, 'No, we wouldn't be interested.'\"\n\nGreenland is a semi-autonomous territory of the US ally, and Frederiksen said the US remains one of Denmark's close allies.\n\nThe political brouhaha over the world's largest island comes from its strategic location in the Arctic. Global warming is making Greenland more accessible to potential oil and mineral resources. Russia, China, the US, Canada and other countries are racing to stake as strong a claim as they can to Arctic lands, hoping they will yield future riches.\n\nTrump was scheduled to visit Denmark on Sept. 2-3 as part of a European tour. But early Wednesday, he tweeted his decision to indefinitely postpone the trip. The move stunned Danes and blindsided the Danish royal palace. Spokeswoman Lene Balleby told The Associated Press that it came as \"a surprise\" to the royal household, which had formally invited Trump.\n\nThe US State Department said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo spoke Wednesday with his Danish counterpart and \"expressed appreciation for Denmark's cooperation as one of the United States' allies and Denmark's contributions to address shared global security priorities.\"\n\nSpokesperson Morgan Ortagus said Pompeo and Danish Minister of Foreign Affairs Jeppe Kofod \"also discussed strengthening cooperation with the Kingdom of Denmark - including Greenland - in the Arctic.\"\n\nOn Tuesday, Trump tweeted, \"Denmark is a very special country with incredible people, but based on Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen's comments, that she would have no interest in discussing the purchase of Greenland, I will be postponing our meeting scheduled in two weeks for another time.\"\n\nThe vast island of Greenland sits between the Atlantic and Arctic oceans, has a population of 56,000 and has 80 percent of its land mass covered by a 1.7 million-square-kilometer (660,000 square-mile) ice sheet.\n\nFor all of Greenland's appeal, scientists consider it the canary in the coal mine for climate change and say its massive ice sheet has seen one of its biggest melts on record this summer, contributing to a global rise in sea levels.\n\nFrederiksen said she is standing behind the government of Greenland.\n\n\"A discussion about a potential sale of Greenland has been put forward. It has been rejected by Greenland Premier Kim Kielsen and I fully stand behind that rejection,\" she told reporters in Copenhagen.\n\nFrederiksen, who took office two months ago in a minority Social Democratic government, went on to say that diplomatic relations between Copenhagen and Washington \"are not in any crisis in my opinion\" despite Trump's canceled plans.\n\n\"The invitation for a stronger strategic cooperation with the Americans in the Arctic is still open,\" Frederiksen said, adding \"the United States is one of our closest allies.\"\n\nOthers in Denmark were not as gracious.\n\nMartin Lidegaard, a former Danish foreign minister, told broadcaster TV2 that it was \"a diplomatic farce\" and Trump's behavior was \"grotesque.\"\n\nTrump's cancellation was \"deeply insulting to the people of Greenland and Denmark,\" former Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt wrote on Twitter.\n\nClaus Oxfeldt, chairman of Denmark's main police union, told Danish media that authorities had been busy planning the third visit by a sitting US president to the Scandinavian NATO member. \"It has created great frustrations to have spent so much time preparing for a visit that is canceled,\" Oxfeldt was quoted as saying.\n\nOrdinary Danes shook their heads at the news, with many calling Trump immature.\n\n\"He thinks he can just buy Greenland. He acts like an elephant in a china shop,\" said Pernille Iversen, a 41-year-old shopkeeper in Copenhagen.\n\n\"This is an insult to (Queen) Margrethe, to Denmark,\" said Steen Gade, a 55-year-old road worker.\n\nIn Greenland, Johannes Kyed, an employee with a mine company, told Denmark's TV2 channel that wanting to buy a country and its people is a relic of the past.\n\n\"This is not the way the world works today,\" Kyed said.\n\nThe US ambassador to Denmark, Carla Sands, was apparently not informed of Trump's decision ahead of time.\n\nShortly before Trump canceled the trip on Twitter, she sent a tweet saying \"Denmark is ready for POTUS,\" using an acronym for \"President of the United States\" along with Trump's Twitter handle and a photo from Copenhagen's City Hall square, where a Dane had paid for two pro-Trump ads on giant electronic screens.\n\nTrump said Sunday he was interested in buying Greenland for strategic purposes but said purchase was not a priority for his government at this time. Both Frederiksen and Greenland leader Kielsen responded that Greenland is not for sale.\n\n\"The Prime Minister was able to save a great deal of expense and effort for both the United States and Denmark by being so direct,\" Trump said in the tweet Wednesday. \"I thank her for that and look forward to rescheduling sometime in the future!\"\n\nTrump is still expected to visit nearby Poland beginning Aug. 31.\n\nRetreating ice could uncover potential oil and mineral resources in Greenland which, if successfully tapped, could dramatically change the island's fortunes. However, no oil has yet been found in Greenlandic waters and the thickness of the ice means exploration is only possible in coastal regions.\n\nEven then, conditions are far from ideal, due to Greenland's long winters with frozen ports, 24-hour darkness and temperatures that regularly drop below minus 30 degrees Celsius (minus 22 Fahrenheit) in the island's northern regions.\n\nAmerican leaders have tried to buy Greenland before. In 1946, the US proposed paying Denmark $100 million to buy Greenland after flirting with the idea of swapping land in Alaska for strategic parts of the Arctic island.\n\nUnder a 1951 deal, Denmark allowed the US to build bases and radar stations on Greenland.\n\nThe US Air Force currently maintains one base in northern Greenland, Thule Air Force Base, 1,200 kilometers (745 miles) south of the North Pole. Former military airfields in Narsarsuaq, Kulusuk and Kangerlussuaq have become civilian airports.", "President Donald Trump’s decision to cancel his visit to Denmark after its prime minster publicly trashed the notion of the U.S. buying Greenland has left the Danish royal family taken aback.\n\nTrump had been scheduled to visit Denmark on Sept. 2 and 3 as part of a European trip that includes a visit to Poland, but announced on Twitter he was canceling the Danish leg of the trip.\n\nTrump’s tweets announcing his change in plans came after Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen on Monday called any conversation about buying Greenland “an absurd discussion,” CNN reported. Trump then swung into action.\n\n“Denmark is a very special country with incredible people, but based on Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen’s comments, that she would have no interest in discussing the purchase of Greenland, I will be postponing our meeting scheduled in two weeks for another time,” Trump tweeted.\n\n“The Prime Minister was able to save a great deal of expense and effort for both the United States and Denmark by being so direct,” Trump added. “I thank her for that and look forward to rescheduling sometime in the future!”\n\nTRENDING: ‘Dancing with the Stars’ Host Upset with Ex-Trump Press Secretary Sean Spicer’s Inclusion on Show\n\nLene Balleby, a spokesman for Denmark’s royal family, said Wednesday that Trump’s decision was “a surprise,” The Associated Press reported.\n\nOthers in Denmark were quick to condemn Trump.\n\nMartin Lidegaard, a former foreign minister, called it “a diplomatic farce,” referred to Trump’s actions as “grotesque” and claimed the president was “throwing a hissy fit.”\n\nTrump’s change in plans was “deeply insulting to the people of Greenland and Denmark,” former Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt tweeted.\n\nClaus Oxfeldt, chairman of Denmark’s main police union, said the cancellation stung.\n\n“As far as I know, it has created great frustrations to have spent so much time preparing for a visit that is canceled,” Oxfeldt said.\n\nNot everyone was bashing Trump, however.\n\nKristian Søby Kristensen, a senior researcher at the University of Copenhagen’s department of political science, said Frederiksen’s next step should be taken with care because the U.S. is a vital NATO ally.\n\nThe U.S. “is — without comparison — Denmark’s most important ally when it comes to security policy, so it would be a very serious situation” if she offended the U.S. with her comment, Kristensen said, according to Politico.\n\nAfter media accounts last week indicated the U.S. was informally looking at the acquisition of Greenland, Trump was asked about it Sunday, according to a White House medial pool report, and indicated it was a concept being explored.\n\n“Well, Greenland, I don’t know — it got released somehow. It’s just something we talked about. Denmark essentially owns it,” he said.\n\n“We’re very good allies with Denmark. We protect Denmark like we protect large portions of the world. So the concept came up and I said, ‘Certainly, I’d be. Strategically, it’s interesting, and we’d be interested. But we’ll talk to them a little bit. It’s not number one on the burner, I can tell you that.”\n\nWhen asked if the U.S. might swap land to gain all or part of Greenland, Trump referred to the concept as “essentially, it’s a large real estate deal. A lot of things can be done.”\n\n“It’s hurting Denmark very badly because they’re losing almost $700 million a year carrying it. So they carry it at a great loss. And, strategically, for the United States, it would be nice. And we’re a big ally of Denmark, and we help Denmark and we protect Denmark, and we will,” Trump said Sunday.\n\n“In fact, I’m supposed to stop. I’m thinking about going there. I’m not necessarily definitely going there, but I may be going. We’re going to Poland and then we may be going to Denmark — not for this reason at all. But we’re looking at it. It’s not number one on the burner.”\n\nGreenland is governed as a largely autonomous part of Denmark. The island’s strategic location led the U.S. to develop Thule Air Force Base in the 1950s as a refueling location for long-range bombers.\n\nThe northern Greenland site is now a ballistic missile base, according to the AP. Other air bases developed by the U.S. during the Cold War have been converted into civilian airfields. The concept of the U.S. buying Greenland was floated in 1947, but never moved forward.\n\nWe are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.", "The astonishment in Denmark over President Donald Trump’s apparent desire to buy Greenland turned to bewilderment and anger on Wednesday after the American leader abruptly scrapped a state visit because the Danes have no desire to sell.\n\nThe cancellation was a rare snub of Denmark’s head of state, Queen Margrethe II, who had extended the invitation to the president and would have hosted him and the first lady.\n\nLater in the day, Trump further strained ties, calling the Danish prime minister’s rejection of the idea “nasty.” News that Trump had called off his visit “came as a surprise,” the Royal House’s communications director told the state broadcaster, adding, “That’s all we have to say about that.”\n\nOthers, however, had more to say. “Is this some sort of joke?” Helle Thorning-Schmidt, a former prime minister, wrote on Twitter. “Deeply insulting to the people of Greenland and Denmark.”\n\nIt was not a joke. A day earlier, Trump said on Twitter that Denmark was “a very special country with incredible people” but added that he was abandoning plans to visit because of the country’s refusal to sell Greenland, a semiautonomous part of the kingdom of Denmark.\n\nPrime Minister Mette Frederiksen had said she had no interest in discussing the sale of Greenland. “Greenland is not Danish. Greenland belongs to Greenland,” Frederiksen told a Danish newspaper this week. “I strongly hope that this is not meant seriously.”\n\nSpeaking to reporters at the White House on Wednesday, Trump said that she had been “nasty” to describe the suggestion as “an absurd discussion.” “All they had to do is say, ‘No, we’d rather not do that or we’d rather not talk about it,’” he said. “Don’t say what an absurd idea that is.”\n\nHe added, “You don’t talk to the United States that way.” Frederiksen, asked about his remarks on Danish television, said, “I’m not going to enter a war of words with anybody, nor with the American president.”\n\nShe said she found the Danish response to the president’s visit and its cancellation “good and wise.”\n\nOn Sunday, Trump said the idea of buying Greenland has been discussed in his administration because of the strategic benefits and in part because of its natural resources, like coal and uranium. He also suggested that the territory was a financial burden to Denmark. “Essentially, it’s a large real estate deal,” Trump told reporters on Sunday of his interest in buying Greenland. “A lot of things can be done. It’s hurting Denmark very badly, because they’re losing almost $700 million a year carrying it. So they carry it at a great loss.”\n\nGreenland’s government is in charge of most aspects of its affairs except foreign policy and defense. Local governments have not managed to develop a sustainable economy and receive more than 50% of the island’s budget in direct subsidies topped with additional Danish spending on defense and enforcement of sovereignty. The total bill amounts to $740 million annually.\n\nThe idea of buying Greenland, which came to light last week, had been immediately and flatly rejected by leaders in Greenland and Denmark, who found themselves in the odd position at the time of having to publicly state that “Greenland is not for sale.”\n\nOn Wednesday, disbelief and condemnation echoed through the political landscape, as it began to sink in that Trump wasn’t kidding. “Please stop,” Martin Lidegaard, head of the foreign affairs committee in Parliament, wrote on Twitter, before citing several other areas of discussion that he said should be of interest to both countries: the Arctic, climate change and the Middle East.\n\n“Total chaos,” the former finance minister Kristian Jensen wrote. “This has gone from a great opportunity for a strengthened dialogue between allies to a diplomatic crisis.”\n\nBefore Trump canceled his visit, Frederiksen told a television reporter on Sunday in Nuuk, the capital of Greenland: “Thankfully, the time where you buy and sell other countries and populations is over. Let’s leave it there.” She also added, “Jokes aside, we would naturally love to have an even closer strategic relationship with the U.S.”\n\nBut on Wednesday, Frederiksen acknowledged that the cancellation had been a surprise and “unusual” and that she “regretted” it. Adding to the already considerable awkwardness, Trump’s announcement that he was canceling his trip came not long after the American ambassador, Carla Sands, wrote on Twitter that Denmark was excited about the president’s visit.\n\nA headline in Berlingske, a conservative daily, read “The U.S. and Denmark’s relationship has never been this ice-cold. It will have wide-ranging consequences.” A headline on the website of the state broadcaster read, “Trump sends Denmark and the U.S.’s relationship to the freezing point.”\n\nFrederiksen, however, dismissed speculation that Danish-American relations had been damaged. “I don’t believe the relationship is in crisis,” she said Wednesday. “We are closely connected, and the United States is one of our most important allies. Our cooperation will only expand in strength and range.”\n\nShe said that any upcoming decisions about Danish contributions to military missions in Syria or the Strait of Hormuz would be unaffected. She added that Trump was welcome to visit the country at another time.\n\n“The American president and the American people are always welcome in Denmark,” she said.\n\nMany Danes had seen Trump’s visit as a recognition of a special relationship with the United States built on decades of friendly relations, mutual interests in the Arctic, and Danish responsiveness to American calls to action.\n\nDanish troops took part in U.S.-led missions in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan, where 43 Danish troops were killed, a staggering number for a nation of 5.5 million not used to war.\n\nBut the suggestion of a potential sale of Greenland by Denmark still stuck many as beyond the pale. “For no reason Trump assumes that (an autonomous) part of our country is for sale,” Rasmus Jarlov, a former minister of business, wrote on Twitter. “Then insultingly cancels visit that everybody was preparing for. Are parts of the U.S. for sale? Alaska? Please show more respect.”", "After Denmark prime minister's comment, US President Donald Trump said that he scrapped his trip to Denmark\n\nEscalating an international spat, President Donald Trump said Wednesday he scrapped his trip to Denmark because the prime minister made a \"nasty\" statement when she rejected his idea to buy Greenland as an absurdity. (Photo: File)\n\nCopenhagen: Escalating an international spat, President Donald Trump said Wednesday he scrapped his trip to Denmark because the prime minister made a \"nasty\" statement when she rejected his idea to buy Greenland as an absurdity.\n\n\"You don't talk to the United States that way, at least under me,\" Trump told reporters in Washington. \"I thought it was not a nice statement, the way she blew me off.\"\n\nDanish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called the whole thing \"an absurd discussion\" and said she was \"disappointed and surprised\" that Trump had cancelled his visit.\n\nTrump said Frederiksen's comment labelling his idea as absurd \"was nasty. I thought it was an inappropriate statement. All she had to say was say, 'No, we wouldn't be interested.'\"\n\nGreenland is a semi-autonomous territory of the US ally, and Frederiksen said the US remains one of Denmark's close allies. The political brouhaha over the world's largest island comes from its strategic location in the Arctic. Global warming is making Greenland more accessible to potential oil and mineral resources.\n\nRussia, China, the US, Canada and other countries are racing to stake as strong a claim as they can to Arctic lands, hoping they will yield future riches. Trump was scheduled to visit Denmark on Sept. 2-3 as part of a European tour. But early Wednesday, he tweeted his decision to indefinitely postpone the trip. The move stunned Danes and blindsided the Danish royal palace.\n\nSpokeswoman Lene Balleby told The Associated Press that it came as \"a surprise\" to the royal household, which had formally invited Trump. \"Denmark is a very special country with incredible people, but based on Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen's comments, that she would have no interest in discussing the purchase of Greenland, I will be postponing our meeting scheduled in two weeks for another time,\" Trump said.\n\nThe vast island of Greenland sits between the Atlantic and Arctic oceans, has a population of 56,000 and has 80 per cent of its land mass covered by a 1.7 million-square-kilometer (660,000 square-mile) ice sheet.\n\nFor all of Greenland's appeal, scientists consider it the canary in the coal mine for climate change and say its massive ice sheet has seen one of its biggest melts on record this summer, contributing to a global rise in sea levels. Frederiksen said she is standing behind the government of Greenland.\n\n\"A discussion about a potential sale of Greenland has been put forward. It has been rejected by Greenland Premier Kim Kielsen and I fully stand behind that rejection,\" she told reporters in Copenhagen.\n\nFrederiksen, who took office two months ago in a minority Social Democratic government, went on to say that diplomatic relations between Copenhagen and Washington \"are not in any crisis in my opinion\" despite Trump's canceled plans. \"The invitation for a stronger strategic cooperation with the Americans in the Arctic is still open,\" Frederiksen said, adding \"the United States is one of our closest allies.\" Others in Denmark were not as gracious.\n\nMartin Lidegaard, a former Danish foreign minister, told broadcaster TV2 that it was \"a diplomatic farce\" and Trump's behaviour was \"grotesque.\" Trump's cancellation was \"deeply insulting to the people of Greenland and Denmark,\" former Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt wrote on Twitter.\n\nClaus Oxfeldt, chairman of Denmark's main police union, told Danish media that authorities had been busy planning the third visit by a sitting US president to the Scandinavian NATO member. \"It has created great frustrations to have spent so much time preparing for a visit that is cancelled,\" Oxfeldt was quoted as saying. Ordinary Danes shook their heads at the news, with many calling Trump immature.\n\n\"He thinks he can just buy Greenland. He acts like an elephant in a china shop,\" said Pernille Iversen, a 41-year-old shopkeeper in Copenhagen. \"This is an insult to (Queen) Margrethe, to Denmark,\" said Steen Gade, a 55-year-old road worker. In Greenland, Johannes Kyed, an employee with a mine company, told Denmark's TV2 channel that wanting to buy a country and its people is a relic of the past.\n\n\"This is not the way the world works today,\" Kyed said. The US ambassador to Denmark, Carla Sands, was apparently not informed of Trump's decision ahead of time. Shortly before Trump cancelled the trip on Twitter, she sent a tweet saying \"Denmark is ready for POTUS,\" using an acronym for \"President of the United States\" along with Trump's Twitter handle and a photo from Copenhagen's City Hall square, where a Dane had paid for two pro-Trump ads on giant electronic screens.\n\nTrump said Sunday he was interested in buying Greenland for strategic purposes, but said a purchase was not a priority for his government at this time. Both Frederiksen and Greenland leader Kielsen responded that Greenland is not for sale.\n\n\"The Prime Minister was able to save a great deal of expense and effort for both the United States and Denmark by being so direct,\" Trump said in the tweet on Wednesday. \"I thank her for that and look forward to rescheduling sometime in the future!\" Trump is still expected to visit nearby Poland beginning on August, 31."], "summary": "Queen Margrethe II of Denmark expresses surprise at U.S. President Donald Trump's abrupt cancellation of his planned visit to her country. Experts on the royal house call the move an act of \"disrespect\" as illness is not the apparent cause."}
{"document": ["Iceland Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir said that she will not be around for Vice President Pence when he visits the country next month.\n\nJakobsdottir told the Icelandic news outlet RUV that it was “very difficult” to organize herself around the visit, which is planned for Sept. 4, saying she’ll be out of the country on other business.\n\n“The fact is that I was very long ago asked to give the keynote speech at the annual conference of the Nordic trades unions movement and, as everybody knows, I have made workplace matters a personal issue,” she told the outlet. “It is also a fact that this visit that was organised by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs has been bouncing a lot around the calendar so that it has been very difficult to organize oneself around it.”\n\nJakobsdottir’s politics differ sharply from Trump’s and Pence’s. A member of the country’s Green Party and an avowed feminist, she supports abortion and LGBT rights and climate change. She downplayed the notion that her absence during Pence’s visit was a snub or an act of protest.\n\n“Absolutely not,” she told RUV. “I had a good meeting with Mike Pompeo, US Secretary of State, earlier this year and also had a discussion with Donald Trump at the NATO meeting last year. I can promise everyone that when Mike Pence comes here — and I am working on the assumption that the date is now firm — that he will meet a top-ranking team of Icelandic leaders.”\n\n[Iceland is trying to close the gender pay gap by publicly shaming companies]\n\nPence is expected to highlight Iceland’s importance to NATO during his visit.\n\nJakobsdottir’s trip abroad was finalized before Trump said Tuesday that he would cancel a state visit to nearby Denmark when that country said it would not entertain the sale of Greenland, an autonomous island that is part of the kingdom of Denmark.\n\nThat fight escalated on Wednesday, with Trump saying Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen had made “nasty” comments about his interest in having the United States purchase Greenland.\n\n“I thought it was not a nice statement, the way she blew me off,” Trump said. “She shouldn’t treat the United States that way. … She said ‘absurd.’ That’s not the right word to use.”\n\nHistorian Thor Whitehead told the Associated Press that he thought the Jakobsdottir’s decision was “unprecedented.”\n\n“I doubt any other Western leader would decide to address a friendly conference abroad instead of welcoming a major foreign ally,” he said.\n\nHe got into a serious crash. It led police to a gun cache, a grenade launcher and Nazi materials.\n\n‘Police must first do no harm’: How one of the nation’s roughest cities is reshaping use-of-force tactics\n\nElizabeth Warren just met her look-alike at a rally. Can you tell them apart?", "FILE - In this Monday, March 19, 2018 file photo, Prime Minister of Iceland Katrin Jakobsdottir attends a press statement in Berlin, Germany. Iceland's leader has announced that she will skip U.S. Vice President Mike Pence's visit to her Nordic nation, opting instead to keep \"prior commitments\" by attending a trade union conference in Sweden. Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir says on Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2019 planned for months to give the keynote speech for the Council of Nordic Trade Unions' annual meeting in Malmo, Sweden on Sept. 3, the day before Pence's arrival. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn, file)\n\nFILE - In this Monday, March 19, 2018 file photo, Prime Minister of Iceland Katrin Jakobsdottir attends a press statement in Berlin, Germany. Iceland's leader has announced that she will skip U.S. Vice President Mike Pence's visit to her Nordic nation, opting instead to keep \"prior commitments\" by attending a trade union conference in Sweden. Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir says on Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2019 planned for months to give the keynote speech for the Council of Nordic Trade Unions' annual meeting in Malmo, Sweden on Sept. 3, the day before Pence's arrival. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn, file)\n\nREYKJAVIK, Iceland (AP) — Iceland’s leader has announced that she will skip U.S. Vice President Mike Pence’s visit to her Nordic nation, opting instead to keep “prior commitments” by attending a trade union conference and meetings in Sweden.\n\nPrime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir said that she’s planned for months to give the keynote speech for the Council of Nordic Trade Unions’ annual meeting in Malmo, Sweden, on Sept. 3 — the day before Pence’s arrival. She will only return the afternoon of Sept. 4 after private meetings with Nordic union leaders, her office said.\n\n“This visit, that was organized by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, has been bouncing a lot around the calendar so that it has been very difficult to organize oneself around it,” she told Icelandic broadcaster RUV on Tuesday. Her office Wednesday confirmed that she had not changed her mind.\n\nShe also underscored that the arrangement was “absolutely not” about snubbing the Trump administration and that she had earlier this year met with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. The decision was made before President Donald Trump announced that he would cancel a visit to another Nordic nation, Denmark.\n\nPence is expected to discuss Iceland’s strategic importance in the Arctic and NATO’s efforts to counter Russia in the region. In July, the United States announced it would invest $57 million on military infrastructure near Iceland’s capital Reykjavik.\n\n“This is unprecedented for an Icelandic prime minister,” historian Thor Whitehead told The Associated Press. “I doubt any other Western leader would decide to address a friendly conference abroad instead of welcoming a major foreign ally.”\n\nThe office of prime minister holds the highest authority in Iceland, where the presidency is a symbolic position without much formal power.\n\nSince taking office, Jakobsdottir has spearheaded progressive policies on abortion rights, LGBT rights and climate change. Activists including members of her own Left Green Party have protested Pence’s visit, calling it “disrespectful” to minorities.\n\nPence’s visit is organized by Iceland’s foreign ministry, led by Gudlaugur Thor Thordarson from Iceland’s conservative Independence Party. The party is Iceland’s largest and entered into a rare coalition with Jakobsdottir’s party after failing to secure a majority in elections in 2017.\n\nPence will be the first U.S. vice president to visit Iceland, a country of just 350,000 people, since George H.W. Bush visited Reykjavik in 1983.", "(REYKJAVIK, Iceland) — Iceland’s leader has announced that she will skip U.S. Vice President Mike Pence’s visit to her Nordic nation, opting instead to keep “prior commitments” by attending a trade union conference in Sweden.\n\nPrime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir said that she’s planned for months to give the keynote speech for the Council of Nordic Trade Unions’ annual meeting in Malmo, Sweden, on Sept. 3 — the day before Pence’s arrival. She has no plans to return the following day for his visit.\n\n“This visit, that was organized by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, has been bouncing a lot around the calendar so that it has been very difficult to organize oneself around it,” she told Icelandic broadcaster RUV on Tuesday. Her office Wednesday confirmed that she had not changed her mind.\n\nShe also underscored that the arrangement was “absolutely not” about snubbing the Trump administration and that she had earlier this year met with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. The decision was made before President Donald Trump announced that he would cancel a visit to another Nordic nation, Denmark.\n\nPence is expected to discuss Iceland’s strategic importance in the Arctic and NATO’s efforts to counter Russia in the region. In July, the United States announced it would invest $57 million on military infrastructure near Iceland’s capital Reykjavik.\n\n“This is unprecedented for an Icelandic prime minister,” historian Thor Whitehead told The Associated Press. “I doubt any other Western leader would decide to address a friendly conference abroad instead of welcoming a major foreign ally.”\n\nThe office of prime minister holds the highest authority in Iceland, where the presidency is a symbolic position without much formal power.\n\nSince taking office, Jakobsdottir has spearheaded progressive policies on abortion rights, LGBT rights and climate change. Activists including members of her own Left Green Party have protested Pence’s visit, calling it “disrespectful” to minorities.\n\nPence’s visit is organized by Iceland’s foreign ministry, led by Gudlaugur Thor Thordarson from Iceland’s conservative Independence Party. The party is Iceland’s largest and entered into a rare coalition with Jakobsdottir’s party after failing to secure a majority in elections in 2017.\n\nPence will be the first U.S. vice president to visit Iceland, a country of just 350,000 people, since George H.W. Bush visited Reykjavik in 1983.", "Reykjavik: Iceland's leader has announced that she will skip US Vice President Mike Pence's visit to her Nordic nation, opting instead to keep \"prior commitments\" by attending a trade union conference and meetings in Sweden.\n\nPrime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir said that she's planned for months to give the keynote speech for the Council of Nordic Trade Unions' annual meeting in Malmo, Sweden, on September 3 - the day before Pence's arrival.\n\nShe will only return the afternoon of September 4 after private meetings with Nordic union leaders, her office said.\n\n\"This visit, that was organised by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, has been bouncing a lot around the calendar so that it has been very difficult to organise oneself around it,\" she told Icelandic broadcaster RUV on Tuesday. Her office Wednesday confirmed that she had not changed her mind.", "Icelandic Prime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir said that she won’t be around when Vice President Mike Pence visits the country next month.\n\nThe leader of the Nordic nation has planned for months to give a keynote speech for the Council of Nordic Trade Unions’ annual meeting in Malmo, Sweden on Sept. 3, which happens to be the day before Pence is set to land, her office said.\n\n“This visit, that was organized by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, has been bouncing a lot around the calendar so that it has been very difficult to organize oneself around it,” Jakobsdottir told Icelandic broadcaster RUV on Tuesday.\n\n“The fact is that I was very long ago asked to give the keynote speech at the annual conference of the Nordic trades unions movement and, as everybody knows, I have made workplace matters a personal issue,” she said.\n\nJakobsdottir will return to Iceland the next day, in the afternoon.\n\nThe Green Party member emphasized that her decision to skip the visit was “absolutely not” about spurning the Trump administration.\n\n“I had a good meeting with Mike Pompeo, US Secretary of State, earlier this year and also had a discussion with Donald Trump at the NATO meeting last year. I can promise everyone that when Mike Pence comes here — and I am working on the assumption that the date is now firm – that he will meet a top-ranking team of Icelandic leaders,” Jakobsdottir said.\n\nDuring Pence’s visit, he is expected to discuss Iceland’s importance to NATO.", "The top leader of Iceland said she will miss a visit to her tiny North Atlantic nation by U.S. Vice President Mike Pence next month in favor of speaking at a trade union conference in Sweden.\n\nPrime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir said \"prior commitments\" will keep her from meeting with Pence in early September. She is scheduled to address the Council of Nordic Trade Unions' annual meeting in Malmo, Sweden, on Sept. 3. Pence arrives Sept. 4 en route to the United Kingdom and Ireland.\n\n\"It was already known that I was offered to be the keynote speaker at the annual convention of the Nordic trade unions a long time ago, and like everyone knows I've never been one to shy away from labour market matters,\" Jakobsdottir said in an interview with RÚV, the Icelandic national broadcasting service.\n\nJakobsdottir said that Pence's visit has been organized by the nation's foreign ministry and \"has been moving back and forth on the calendar so it has been difficult to plan around it.\"\n\nThe prime minister is a member of her country's Green Party. She supports abortion and LGBT rights and climate change activism. Although some in her party have been critical of Pence, Jakobsdottir insisted she is not trying to snub him.\n\n\"No, not at all,\" she said in the RÚV interview. \"I had a good meeting with Mike Pompeo, the United States Secretary of State, earlier this year and likewise had a conversation with Donald Trump at a NATO meeting last year. I can assure everyone that when Mike Pence arrives in Iceland – I just hope the date is final now – that he will meet with Iceland's finest leaders.\"\n\nThe decision to visit Sweden and miss Pence was made before President Trump canceled his planned September trip to Denmark after its prime minister said the Danish government had no interest in discussing the sale of Greenland to the U.S.\n\n\"This is unprecedented for an Icelandic prime minister,\" historian Thor Whitehead told The Associated Press. \"I doubt any other Western leader would decide to address a friendly conference abroad instead of welcoming a major foreign ally.\"\n\nPence's trip was announced in mid-August and it was meant \"highlight Iceland's strategic importance in the Arctic and NATO's efforts to counter Russian aggression in the region,\" the White House said.\n\nLast month it was announced that the U.S. will spend $57 million to house two fighter jet squadrons at Keflavík airport near Reykjavik.", "Iceland's leader won't be around to welcome Pence\n\nREYKJAVIK, Iceland (AP) — Iceland's leader has announced she will skip U.S. Vice President Mike Pence's visit to her Nordic nation, opting instead to keep a prior commitment to attend a trade union conference in Sweden.\n\nPrime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir said she's planned for months to give the keynote speech for the Council of Nordic Trade Unions' annual meeting in Malmo, Sweden on Sept. 3, the day before Pence's arrival. She has no plans to return the following day for his visit.\n\nShe told Icelandic broadcaster RUV on Tuesday that the visit \"has been bouncing a lot around the calendar so that it has been very difficult to organize oneself around it.\" Her office Wednesday confirmed she hadn't changed her mind.\n\nThe decision was made before President Donald Trump canceled plans to visit Denmark.", "REYKJAVIK, Iceland (AP) — Iceland's leader has announced that she will skip U.S. Vice President Mike Pence's visit to her Nordic nation, opting instead to keep \"prior commitments\" by attending a trade union conference in Sweden.\n\nPrime Minister Katrin Jakobsdottir said that she's planned for months to give the keynote speech for the Council of Nordic Trade Unions' annual meeting in Malmo, Sweden, on Sept. 3 — the day before Pence's arrival. She has no plans to return the following day for his visit.\n\n\"This visit, that was organized by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, has been bouncing a lot around the calendar so that it has been very difficult to organize oneself around it,\" she told Icelandic broadcaster RUV on Tuesday. Her office Wednesday confirmed that she had not changed her mind.\n\nShe also underscored that the arrangement was \"absolutely not\" about snubbing the Trump administration and that she had earlier this year met with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. The decision was made before President Donald Trump announced that he would cancel a visit to another Nordic nation, Denmark.", "Vice President Mike Pence used a speech Wednesday in Artesia to gain momentum for a new trade agreement between the United States, Canada and Mexico.\n\nPence joined David Barnhardt, interior secretary, and Wilbur Ross, commerce secretary, to tout the positives of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA).\n\nAll three spoke in a series of trade policy events hosted by America First Policies, a non-profit trade group, the latest of which was in southeast New Mexico.\n\n“You are providing the energy independence that has eluded the U.S. since the first Arab oil embargo,” Ross said. “USMCA will bring more than 125,000 jobs to the U.S.”\n\nMORE: Vice President Mike Pence visits New Mexico to discuss USMCA\n\nPence said he was honored to be in the Permian Basin.\n\n“It is great to join you here at the renaissance of America’s energy in the Permian Basin,” Pence said.\n\nHere are some takeaways from Pence’s speech that could impact Southeast New Mexico.\n\nThe North American Free Trade Agreement was enacted in January 1994 under President Bill Clinton.\n\nNAFTA caused the loss of approximately 700,000 jobs as production moved away from the U.S., according to Pence.\n\nThe USMCA maintains tariff-free access to the Mexican and Canadian markets for American producers while also eliminating other trade restrictions in place from NAFTA.\n\nMORE: How does the USMCA trade deal differ from NAFTA?\n\n“The hard-working men and women of America are forgotten no more,” Pence said.\n\n“It will make America more prosperous. The USMCA will grow American jobs.\"\n\nNew Mexico’s energy industry will benefit from USMCA\n\n“America’s energy industry is booming here in the Permian Basin and all of America,” Pence said.\n\nNew Mexico’s economy depends on trade with Canada and Mexico and the USMCA opens new markets for New Mexico products, including energy.\n\nMORE: New Mexico on pace for record $7.8 billion revenue thanks to oil production\n\n“The USMCA is a win-win for New Mexico and a win for America,” Pence said.\n\n“It will guarantee no tariffs on American oil. (It will) keep New Mexico’s economy growing and keep energy expanding in the Permian Basin.”\n\nRyan Flynn, executive director of the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association, said oil and gas development in the Permian Basin gave the United States traction in world energy markets.\n\n\"The United States is no longer at the mercy of Russia and Saudi Arabia,\" he said.\n\n\"In New Mexico we're playing a huge part in the energy renaissance in the United States.\"\n\nPresident Donald Trump, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and former Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto signed the USMCA on Nov. 30, 2018.\n\nIn order for the USMCA to take effect, it must be approved by the U.S. Congress.\n\nPence called on those in attendance to pressure New Mexico’s Congressional delegation and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.\n\n\"I call on Speaker Pelosi to bring USMCA to the floor,\" Pence said. \"People in Congress need to hear from their leader.\n\nMORE: Trump administration, Dems make progress on new NAFTA\n\n“The clock is ticking and I figured New Mexico would be the best place to turn up the heat.\n\n\"We need to stand up and speak with one voice.\"\n\nPence said the USMCA sets a strong template for future trade agreements that will put American workers and businesses first.\n\n\"The USMCA requires automatic components taking incentives to move out of the U.S.,\" Pence said.\n\nHe said the USMCA would cut extensive regulations and said President Trump has removed “unnecessary regulations” since he took office.\n\n“This president has signed bills rolling back more red tape than any president in history,” Pence said.\n\nMORE: Artesia oil services company Elite Well Services prepares for Mike Pence visit\n\nBefore Pence's speech, Curtis Ellis, senior policy analyst tor America's First Policies, Flynn, Josh Jemente, director of government affairs for HollyFrontier in Artesia, Mark Veteto, president of Me-Tex Oil in Hobbs and Raye Miller, Artesia's mayor, warmed the crowd up on the potential benefits of the USMCA.\n\n\"The USMCA would take out some components of NAFTA that weren't fair and equitable,\" Miller said.\"Our economic system allows everyone to reach that success.\"\n\nDemocratic Party of New Mexico Chair Marg Elliston said Pence's message was not honest.\n\n“Vice President Pence made the same false claims today that we’ve been hearing from the Trump administration for the last two years,\" Elliston said in a released statement following Pence's appearance.\n\n\"He may try to spin the GOP tax bill as a benefit to working class families, but the biggest savings have gone straight to the richest and most powerful. The Trump administration’s actions speak louder than their words, and Vice President Pence’s speech today was just another example of that hypocrisy.”\n\nMike Smith can be reached at 575-628-5546 or by email at MSmith@currentargus.com or @ArgusMichae on Twitter.", "Nikki Haley dismissed speculation that she could replace Vice President Mike Pence on the presidential ticket in 2020, decrying \"false rumors\" in a tweet on Wednesday. The former U.N. ambassador has previously assured the public that she would not challenge President Trump in a primary in 2020, and this latest tweet comes after Mr. Trump affirmed that he intends to keep Pence on the ticket.\n\n\"Enough of the false rumors. Vice President Pence has been a dear friend of mine for years. He has been a loyal and trustworthy VP to the President. He has my complete support,\" Haley wrote in what appeared to be an unprompted tweet. The tweet included a picture of her and Pence at the United Nations.\n\nRumors have circulated in the past that Haley might replace Pence on the ticket. Haley left the administration last year.\n\nMr. Trump told reporters this week that he was \"very happy\" with Pence and called him an \"outstanding VP.\"\n\n\"I think that he has been incredible in terms of the love that a lot of people, especially if you look at the evangelicals and so many the others, they really have a great respect for the vice president, and so do I. And so do I think most people,\" Mr. Trump told reporters on Monday. He also said that speculation about changing vice presidents was \"standard\" for any administration.\n\n\"Everybody thought that President Obama was going to change Biden. They thought second term, he was going to change that. Everybody thought that, but he didn't do that. But no, I'm very happy with Mike Pence,\" Mr. Trump continued.\n\nMr. Trump addressed rumors that Haley could replace Pence in an interview with Fox Business Network in June.\n\n\"I love Nikki. She's endorsed me. She's my friend. She's part of my campaign, but Mike has been a great vice president,\" Mr. Trump said. \"I love Nikki and there are places for Nikki, and Nikki's future is great, but Mike Pence is the person, 100%. We won together. We have tremendous evangelical support. You can't break up a team like that.\""], "summary": "The office of the Prime Minister of Iceland Katrín Jakobsdóttir confirms that she will not meet the Vice President of the United States Mike Pence on his visit in September, citing \"prior commitments.\""}
{"document": ["Former Vatican treasurer, and most senior Catholic cleric in the world to be convicted of child sexual assault, maintains innocence after losing appeal\n\nThe most senior Catholic cleric in the world to be convicted of child sexual abuse, Cardinal George Pell, has lost his appeal against his conviction, but maintains he is innocent.\n\nIn a brief statement issued after the decision the Vatican reiterated that Pell maintained his innocence, and that it was now “Pell’s right to appeal to the high court”.\n\n“At this time, together with the church in Australia, the Holy See confirms its closeness to the victims of sexual abuse and its commitment to pursue, through the competent ecclesiastical authorities, those members who commit such abuse,” the statement also said. No mention was made of stripping Pell of his cardinal title.\n\nOn Wednesday the Victorian court of appeal in Melbourne, Australia, dismissed Pell’s appeal, with two of the three appellant judges describing the complainant who accused Pell as a compelling, truthful witness.\n\nFacebook Twitter Pinterest The Vatican’s response. Photograph: Declaration of the Director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni, 21.08.2019\n\nThe jury had not been unreasonable in convicting Pell on one count of sexual penetration of a child under the age of 16 and four counts of an indecent act against a child under the age of 16, the chief justice, Anne Ferguson, and appeal court president justice, Chris Maxwell, found.\n\nA third judge, Mark Weinberg, disagreed, finding the complainant was inclined to embellish aspects of his testimony and that he could not exclude the possibility that some of what he said was concocted. But in the court of appeal judges are required only to reach a majority decision.\n\nPell was escorted back to jail, where he will continue to serve a six-year sentence for sexually abusing two 13-year-old choirboys in 1996, while he was archbishop of Melbourne. After Sunday solemn mass at St Patrick’s Cathedral in Melbourne, Pell orally raped one of the boys in the priest’s sacristy and indecently assaulted both of them. Pell offended again against one of the boys about a month later, when he grabbed the boy’s genitals in the church corridor, once more after Sunday solemn mass.\n\nVictim advocates cheer as Pell appeal rejected: 'Hallelujah – proof there is a God' Read more\n\n“Throughout his evidence, [the complainant] came across as someone who was telling the truth,” Ferguson said. “He did not seek to embellish his evidence or tailor it in a manner favourable to the prosecution. As might have been expected, there were some things which he could remember and many things which he could not. And his explanations of why that was so had the ring of truth.”\n\nPlay Video 1:21 'We are not used to this': victim advocates welcome rejection of Cardinal Pell's appeal – video\n\nThe judges unanimously agreed that Pell’s other two grounds of appeal, which concerned legal issues, failed. He will be eligible for parole in 2022.\n\nThrough his lawyer the complainant issued a statement, saying: “Some commentators have suggested that I reported to the police somehow for my own personal gain.\n\n“Nothing could be further from the truth. I have risked my privacy, my health, my wellbeing, my family. I have not instructed any solicitor in relation to a claim for compensation. This is not about money and never had been. Although my faith has taken a battering it is still a part of my life, and part of the lives of my loved ones.”\n\nThe second victim died of a heroin overdose at the age of 30 in 2014, and his father shed tears after the appeal dismissal.\n\nIn a statement, Pell’s spokeswoman said the cardinal was “obviously disappointed with the decision today”.\n\n“However his legal team will thoroughly examine the judgment in order to determine a special leave application to the high court. Cardinal Pell maintains his innocence. We thank his many supporters.”\n\nWhen he learned his fate in the court, Pell bowed his head slightly, but did not show any expression.\n\nPell was made a Companion of the Order of Australia in 2005 for his service to the Catholic church and for his work in education and social justice. Following the court decision, Australia’s prime minister, Scott Morrison, said he believed Pell would be stripped of those honours.\n\n“That is a process that is done independently, and that course will now follow,” he said.\n\nThe archbishop of Melbourne, Peter Comensoli, called upon the public to respect the court’s decision. He said that his thoughts and prayers were with the man who had brought Pell before the courts.\n\nAt the verdict George Pell didn't flinch; he just pursed his lips a little. He was going back to jail | David Marr Read more\n\n“I humbly acknowledge it has been a challenging time for him, and I stand ready to offer pastoral care and spiritual help, should he seek it,” Comensoli said. Pell, too, would receive care. “In Christian charity, I will ensure that Cardinal Pell is provided pastoral and spiritual support while he serves the remainder of his sentence, according to the teaching and example of Jesus to visit those in prison,” he said.\n\nThe president of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, Archbishop Mark Coleridge, offered similar sentiments, saying: “This has been and remains a most difficult time for survivors of child sexual abuse and those who support them”.\n\n“We acknowledge the pain that those abused by clergy have experienced through the long process of the trials and appeal of Cardinal Pell,” Coleridge said. “We also acknowledge that this judgment will be distressing to many people.”\n\nThe decision and reasons from the appellant judges ran to some 300 pages, but Ferguson read a summary of the judgment to a court packed with media, survivors and Pell supporters on Wednesday.\n\n“Cardinal Pell’s conviction and this appeal have attracted widespread attention, both in Australia and beyond,” she said.\n\n“He is a senior figure in the Catholic church and is internationally well known. As the trial judge, Chief Judge Kidd, commented when sentencing Cardinal Pell, there has been vigorous and sometimes emotional criticism of the cardinal and he has been publicly vilified in some sections of the community. There has also been strong public support for the cardinal by others. Indeed, it is fair to say that his case has divided the community.”\n\nShe said it was important that Pell was not made a scapegoat for any perceived failings of the Catholic church to address child sexual abuse. But she was unequivocal about her and Maxwell’s judgment in relation to the five charges on which Pell was convicted.\n\n“The complainant was a very compelling witness, was clearly not a liar, was not a fantasist and was a witness of truth,” she said.\n\n\n\n\n\n", "MELBOURNE, Australia — An Australian court on Wednesday upheld the sexual abuse conviction of Cardinal George Pell, the highest-ranking Roman Catholic leader ever found guilty in a criminal court in the church’s child sex abuse crisis.\n\nThe cardinal, 78, once an adviser to Pope Francis, was sentenced to six years in prison in March.\n\n“He will continue to serve his sentence,” said Chief Justice Anne Ferguson of the Supreme Court of the state of Victoria in Melbourne, who presided over the case with two other top judges.\n\nCardinal Pell was found guilty in December of molesting two 13-year-old boys after a Sunday Mass in 1996 at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Melbourne, and groping one of them again months later. A gag order meant the verdict was not unsealed until February, after a second trial involving Cardinal Pell was canceled.\n\nThe case has garnered broad attention both for its secrecy and the precedent it set. Abuse survivors had hailed the conviction as proof that judicial systems can hold even the most senior prelates accountable in the global child sexual abuse scandal that has stained the church’s image.", "George Pell arrives at the Supreme Court of Victoria in Melbourne, Australia. Photo: Reuters", "Cardinal George Pell's conviction for sexually assaulting two choirboys was upheld by an Australian court on Monday.\n\nThe 78-year-old former Vatican treasurer — the most senior Catholic official to be convicted of sexually abusing children — will continue to serve his 6-year prison sentence. He is not eligible for parole until he is 81.\n\nA jury in December found Pell guilty of all five charges related to sexually assaulting the two boys at a Melbourne church in 1996.\n\n'He is not a scapegoat'\n\nPell's lawyers had argued at an appeal hearing that the unanimous verdicts in December were \"unsatisfactory\" and unreasonable because the jury did not have sufficient evidence to find the cardinal guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. But in the end, they failed to convince the majority of the appeals court.\n\nThe court rejected the appeal with a two-to-one ruling, with the majority writing they agreed it \"was open to the jury to be satisfied beyond reasonable doubt Cardinal Pell was guilty as charged\".\n\nRead more: After Pell verdict, the Catholic Church must reform\n\nSupreme Court of Victoria Chief Justice Anne Ferguson read out the summary, saying, \"Having reviewed the whole of the evidence, two of the judges of the court of appeal ... have decided that it was open to the jury to be satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that Cardinal Pell was guilty of the offenses charged.\"\n\n\"Again, as the trial judge observed, he is not to be made a scapegoat for any perceived failings of the Catholic Church, nor for any failure in relation to child sexual abuse by other clergy,\" she said.\n\nPell's lawyers may still challenge the Victoria state Court of Appeal's decision in Australia's highest court.", "Actor and human rights campaigner Magda Szubanski has joined abuse survivors in support of Cardinal George Pell's unsuccessful appeal against his sentence for historic child sex abuse.\n\nAbuse victims gathered outside the Supreme Court of Victoria and roared in support when his appeal was dismissed by a 2-1 majority on Wednesday morning.\n\nWasting little time, Szubanski took to social media, tweeting: \"Truth has prevailed over power.\"\n• George Pell appeal verdict: Cardinal to remain in jail as Victorian Supreme Court rejects bid\n• Priests will risk jail if they don't report child abuse under new Victorian laws\n\n\"The court of appeal, refuting the dismissive words of Pell, finds the witness/victim is 'not a liar, not a fantasist but a witness of truth'.\n\n\"My heart goes out to that brave man.\"\n\nChrissie Foster, who with her late husband fought for years for compensation for their two girls who were abused by a Catholic priest, says the decision was a \"joyous moment\".\n\nOutside the court, she told reporters it sent a message that victims would be believed and hoped it encouraged more to speak out.\n\n\"It's a crime that really is hard to prove because it's one word against the other - always has been.\n\n\"Here we have, today in our court, in Victoria, the Supreme Court, saying - we believe the victim.\"", "Appeals court upholds convictions against Cardinal George Pell, the most senior Catholic found guilty of child sex abuse\n\nMELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Appeals court upholds convictions against Cardinal George Pell, the most senior Catholic found guilty of child sex abuse.", "George Pell will remain incarcerated for at least another three years and two months, after the Supreme Court of Victoria rejected his appeal.\n\nBy a majority of 2-1, the Court of Appeal has determined there was sufficient evidence to convict the cardinal of the sexual assault of two choirboys more than 20 years ago, and the jury's verdict of guilty beyond reasonable doubt is sound.\n\nWatch the video on George Pell's arrival in court above\n\nFormerly Australia's most senior Catholic cleric - and one of the most powerful men in the Vatican - Pell was convicted on December 11, 2018, of five counts of historic child sex abuse.\n\nHe has been held in Melbourne Assessment Prison since March this year, serving a six-year sentence with a minimum three-year eight-month period.\n\nAlthough he will be subsequently transferred to a more permanent prison, it is highly likely he will be kept in isolation no matter where he is incarcerated, for his own protection.\n\nBy the time of his earliest possible release he will be 81 years old.\n\nPell has already indicated that if his appeal against the guilty verdict failed, he would not seek a reduction to his sentence.\n\nBut it is not yet clear whether he will now apply to take his appeal to the High Court.\n\nHe will have 28 days to make that decision, and if his lawyers decide to take this option, there is a chance Pell could get out of jail on bail.\n\nThe University of Melbourne's criminal appeals and procedure expert, Professor Jeremy Gans, said this would be highly unusual - even Lindy Chamberlain stayed behind bars while her appeal was being heard.\n\n\"But everything about the Pell case is different,\" Gans said.\n\n\"There is a chance the court could take into account issues such as his failing health or other prison issues and grant him bail.\"\n• George Pell mural removed by car park because it was 'offensive'\n• Get more national breaking news here\n\nWhen sentencing the cardinal in March, Judge Peter Kidd conceded the disgraced cleric may die in jail.\n\n\"I am conscious that the term of imprisonment which I am about to impose upon you carries with it a real, as distinct from theoretical, possibility that you may not live to be released from prison,\" Kidd said.\n\n\"Facing jail at your age, in these circumstances, must be an awful state of affairs for you.\"\n\nHowever, the judge described Pell's offending as on the more serious end of the scale.\n\n“I see this as callous, brazen offending,\" he said.\n\n\"Blatant. I think it did involve breach of trust, he did have in his mind some sense of impunity, how else did he think he was going to get away with this exploiting of two vulnerable boys.\n\n\"And there was an element of force here.”\n\nPell was made a Companion of the Order of Australia by Prime Minister John Howard in 2005.\n\nIt is almost certain he will now be stripped of this honour.\n\nThe most recent high profile Australian to be stripped of an Order of Australia honour is entertainer Rolf Harris, who was convicted of multiple historical sexual assault charges in the UK in 2014.\n\nA 'Strip Cardinal George Pell of his Order of Australia' petition on Change.org has so far collected more than 212,000 signatures.\n\nUpon his release, Pell will not be welcomed back into the Vatican fold.\n\nIn December, Pope Francis dumped Pell from his “C-9” inner circle of advising cardinals – the Vatican equivalent of a cabinet.\n\nThe Australian cleric's five-year term as the Vatican’s powerful head of the Secretariat for the Economy, where he oversaw the Vatican’s finances, expired a matter of days before the suppression order on his guilty verdict was lifted earlier this year.\n\nIt was not renewed.\n\nFrancis is expected to directly speak about the conviction of his former close aid within the next 48 hours.\n\nWhen the suppression order was lifted on February 26, the Pope issued the following tweet:\n\nHe also delivered a sermon in the Vatican addressing the “scourge of the sexual abuse of minors” including those by “deceitful consecrated persons.”\n\nThe Vatican's own investigation into allegations against the Cardinal, which commenced on February 27, continues.\n\nChristopher Lamb, Vatican correspondent for the international Catholic news outlet The Tablet, said although church investigations and trials tend to use the findings in the civil courts as part of their own procedures, the process is still completely separate, with the Pope as ultimate judge.\n\nIt is understood the Vatican investigation also intends to take evidence from the complainants involved in the second Pell trial, referred to as the \"Ballarat swimming pool case\" that was abandoned after a judge ruled in March there was a lack of evidence.\n\nShould the Vatican investigation find the allegations against him \"credible\" (as opposed to \"beyond reasonable doubt\", which is the requirement under criminal proceedings) the church will have no alternative other than to defrock him.", "The local Church in Australia and the Holy See react to the decision of the Supreme Court of Victoria, Australia, on the dismissal of Cardinal George Pell’s appeal.\n\nShortly after the 2-1 decision announced by the Supreme Court of Victoria, Australia, dismissing Cardinal George Pell’s appeal, both the local Church in Australia and the Holy See released statements containing their reaction to the decision.\n\nA statement released by Cardinal Pell’s spokesperson said, “Cardinal Pell is obviously disappointed with the decision.”\n\nIt then notes that his legal team will be examining the judgement to “determine a special-leave application to the High Court” of Australia. The statement ends declaring once again that in spite of “the 2-1 split decision, Cardinal Pell maintains his innocence.”\n\nThe President of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, Archbishop Mark Coleridge, released a statement shortly after the decision was announced.\n\nIn it, he stated, “the Catholic Bishops of Australia believe all Australians must be equal under the law and accept today’s judgement accordingly.” While acknowledging that the “long process of the trials and appeal of Cardinal Pell” has been a difficult moment for those who have survived sexual abuse by the clergy, Archbishop Comensoli also acknowledged that Wednesday’s judgement “will be distressing to many people.”\n\nMelbourne’s Archbishop Peter Comensoli said in his statement that he “respectfully” received the decision and encouraged others to do so as well. He acknowledged the “complexity of the search for the truth” in Cardinal Pell’s case and said his “thoughts and prayers are with the man who brought this matter before the courts.”\n\nThe Archbishop expressed his readiness to “offer pastoral and spiritual help” to the plaintiff “should he seek it,” as well as the assurance that Cardinal Pell will be “provided pastoral and spiritual support while he serves the remainder of his sentence.”\n\nArchbishop Anthony Fisher noted in his statement that the judge’s 2-1 split decision “is consistent with the differing views of the juries in the first and second trials, as well as the divided opinion amongst legal commentators and the general public.”\n\nHe then encouraged “everyone to maintain calm and civility,” as well as committing himself and the Archdiocese of Sydney to do everything possible “to ensure that past crimes are never repeated and that Church environments are the safest possible for children and vulnerable adults.”\n\nThe Director of the Holy See Press Office released a statement acknowledging “the court’s decision to dismiss Cardinal Pell’s appeal”. The statement reiterates the fact that Cardinal Pell “has maintained his innocence throughout the judicial process.”\n\nIt concludes confirming the Holy See’s “closeness to the victims of sexual abuse and its commitment to pursue, through the competent ecclesiastical authorities, those members of the clergy who commit such abuse.”\n\nWith thanks to Vatican News, where this article originally appeared.", "MELBOURNE: Former Vatican treasurer Cardinal George Pell lost an appeal against his conviction for sexually abusing two 13-year-old choir boys and will remain in prison for at least another three years, an Australian court ruled on Wednesday.\n\nPell, the highest ranking Catholic worldwide to be convicted of child sex offenses, was sentenced in March to six years in jail after being found guilty on five charges of abusing the two boys at St. Patrick’s Cathedral while he was Archbishop of Melbourne in the late 1990s.\n\nSupreme Court of Victoria Chief Justice Anne Ferguson said on Wednesday that two of the three judges hearing Pell’s appeal “decided that it was open to the jury to be satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that Cardinal Pell was guilty of the offenses charged” and rejected his appeal.\n\nThe jury in the trial heard testimony from a victim who described how Pell had exposed himself to the two boys, fondled their genitals and masturbated and forced one boy to perform a sex act on him. The other victim died in 2014.\n\n“I am grateful for a legal system that everyone can believe in, where everybody is equal before the law and no one is above the law,” the surviving choir boy, now in his 30s, said in a statement read out by his lawyer, Vivian Waller of Waller Legal.\n\n“The criminal process has been stressful. The journey has taken me to places that, in my darkest moments, I feared I could not return from,” he said in the statement.\n\n Under the terms of his sentencing, Pell will be eligible for parole in October 2022, when he will be 81.\n\n“Cardinal Pell is obviously disappointed with the decision today,” his spokeswoman, Katrina Lee, said in a statement, adding that he maintained his innocence.\n\nShe said his legal team was examining the judgment to determine whether to lodge a special leave application to the High Court of Australia to hear an appeal. Pell has 28 days to file the application.\n\n There was no immediate comment from the Vatican.\n\nPell appealed his conviction to Victoria’s Court of Appeal on three grounds, but mainly on the argument that the jury’s verdict was unreasonable based on the evidence at the trial.\n\n However the court ruled in a 2-1 judgment that the conviction was reasonable, with two judges saying the surviving victim was a “compelling witness, was clearly not a liar, was not a fantasist and was a witness of truth.”\n\n“As might have been expected, there were some things which he could remember and many things which he could not. And his explanations of why that was so had the ring of truth,” said the two judges.\n\n In contrast they said the evidence by people supporting Pell varied in quality and consistency.\n\n They dismissed Pell’s argument that sexual abuse would have been physically impossible due to his heavy robes, saying “the robes were capable of being maneuvered in a way that might be described as being moved or pulled to one side or pulled apart.”\n\nOutside the court in Melbourne, small groups of activists and victims of abuse cheered once they heard the verdict.\n\n“Here we have today in our court, in Victoria, the Supreme Court, saying, ‘we believe the victim and we uphold the jury’s verdict’,” Chrissie Foster, a prominent advocate for victims who has followed the case, told reporters.\n\n“No one is above the law,” she said.\n\nThe pope has previously said he would wait for Australian civil justice to take its course before commenting on the case publicly.\n\nPell is still a Cardinal in the Catholic Church. Even if he resigns as a cardinal, he would still be a priest.\n\n Before he could be dismissed from the priesthood, the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) would have to find him guilty following a separate canonical trial or abbreviated procedure, known as an “administrative process.”\n\nThe CDF has been looking into the accusations against Pell since his conviction in Australia.\n\n Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the courts had done their job and the justice system must be respected. He also said he expected Pell would lose his Australian honors.\n\nPell was made a Companion of the Order of Australia in 2005 and awarded a Centenary Medal in 2001.\n\n Pell’s legal team had appealed his conviction on three grounds, but the three appeal judges only permitted the unreasonable verdict argument to be heard.\n\nThe dissenting view from Justice Mark Weinberg said the victim “was inclined to embellish aspects of his account” and he said the evidence contained enough discrepancies and inadequacies to cause him to doubt Pell’s guilt. Weinberg said that in his view the convictions could not stand.\n\nPell’s case has attracted global attention as it brought a growing crisis of sexual abuse in the Catholic church spanning scandals in the United States, Chile and Germany right to the heart of the papal administration.\n\nThe Australian judges said Pell should not be made a “scapegoat for any perceived failings of the Catholic church nor for any failure in relation to child sexual abuse by other clergy.” They said his conviction and sentence was not vindication of the trauma suffered by other victims of abuse.\n\nThe Australian Catholic Bishops Conference, the Catholic church’s top body in Australia, said it accepted the court’s decision and acknowledged the pain that those abused by clergy have experienced through Pell’s trials and appeal.", "Cardinal George Pell will learn the outcome of his appeal as the Supreme Court of Victoria hands down its ruling.\n\nThe former Archbishop of Sydney and Melbourne was sentenced to six years in prison, to serve a minimum of three years and eight months.\n\nIn June, he appealed the guilty verdict, but not the sentence.\n\nREAD MORE: All the possible outcomes from the appeal and what they mean for Pell"], "summary": "The Supreme Court of Victoria rejects an appeal made by Cardinal George Pell against a six-year jail sentence for child sexual abuse."}
{"document": ["The British Foreign Office on Tuesday said it was “extremely concerned” by reports that trade and investment officer Simon Cheng Man-kit of the Hong Kong office has been detained by Communist China while traveling to the mainland for a business event. Cheng was listed as a “missing person” for over a week before there was any official confirmation he was in custody. The Chinese government has not explained why he was arrested.\n\nCheng, 28, disappeared 12 days ago while returning from a business trip to Shenzhen, the tech-hub mainland city closest to Hong Kong. Shenzhen is the city where China has been massing ominous police and paramilitary forces to signal Hong Kong protesters that Beijing’s patience is not without limits. The latest dark messaging from the Chinese Communist Party is that Shenzhen might replace Hong Kong as China’s business gateway to the outside world if Hong Kong proves itself to be ungovernable.\n\nCheng planned to return home to Hong Kong by train immediately after attending the conference in Shenzhen on August 8, as chronicled by the Hong Kong Free Press:\n\nAt 10:37pm on the day he left Hong Kong, Cheng told his Taiwanese girlfriend that he was on a high-speed rail train to return to Hong Kong, “ready to pass through the boarder [sic],” according to a screenshot. “Pray for me,” Cheng told his girlfriend in a message. The Express Rail Link has an arrangement in which border checks are not conducted in the mainland but at a joint checkpoint at the underground levels of the West Kowloon Terminus. Cheng could have been detained at the joint checkpoint, which is considered Chinese territory. Cheng did not return to work on August 9. According to his girlfriend, the British Consulate-General told Cheng’s family members to report the case to the police after they met with Nicola Barrett, a consul at the consulate. There were no arrests made at the mainland Chinese police station of the West Kowloon Terminus on August 8 and 9, an officer of the station told HK01 in a phone call. Cheng’s girlfriend said a unit at the Immigration Department, which provides assistance to Hong Kong residents outside of Hong Kong, told her on August 10 that Cheng was under administrative detention in mainland China, but the reason and location of his detention were unknown.\n\nThe West Kowloon Terminus of the Hong Kong rail station was one of the biggest controversies in the city before the attempt to pass a new extradition law cause the current protest movement to erupt. Part of the terminus was essentially classified as Chinese soil, governed by mainland law instead of Hong Kong’s special autonomous laws, for the stated purpose of making rail travel to Shenzhen easier. The idea was that travelers could pass through border security and “enter” China without leaving the rail station, rather than going through a cumbersome customs check when their train actually crossed over the Hong Kong border.\n\nCritics said the terminus arrangement compromised Hong Kong’s autonomy and could make it easier for mainland police to arrest people from Hong Kong and drag them back to China. One reason protests against a proposed extradition bill broke out was that critics feared China would use easier extradition procedures to grab people from Hong Kong and “disappear” them into the opaque and politicized mainland judicial system.\n\nThe British Foreign Office said on Tuesday it was “seeking further information from authorities in Guangdong Province and Hong Kong” about Cheng’s whereabouts and condition.\n\n“We are extremely concerned by reports that a member of our team has been detained returning to Hong Kong from Shenzhen,” the Foreign Office said.\n\nCheng works for the Scottish Development International department of the British consulate. The Scottish government is reportedly working with the Foreign Office on his case.\n\nThe South China Morning Post reported on Tuesday that a lawyer on the Chinese mainland hired by Cheng’s family “could not find any record of him in any detention center in Shenzhen or Guangzhou.” The family has been told only that Cheng is being held under “administrative detention” rules, which nominally require Chinese authorities to launch a formal criminal investigation no later than August 23.\n\n“At first I didn’t want his case to go public because I was worried exposure would further jeopardise him, but now I really don’t know what else I can do,” Cheng’s girlfriend, identified only by her surname “Li,” told the SCMP.\n\nLi said the family’s encounters with the authorities were frustrating, as Cheng’s employers seemed reluctant to get involved with the case and would not help the family hire mainland legal assistance because Cheng was supposedly “off-duty” when he disappeared. Hong Kong officials refused to tell the family which arm of the mainland Chinese government arrested him.\n\nLi told the SCMP she and Cheng did not attend any Hong Kong protests together, but she allowed for the possibility he attended one without her, or might have interacted with the protest movement online.\n\nThe BBC quoted travelers who spoke of disturbing Chinese behavior on the Hong Kong border, including intrusive security checks and searches of personal electronics for material relating to the Hong Kong protest movement. One traveler from Hong Kong said Chinese police forced her to delete a hundred photos of the protests from her phone before she was allowed to cross the border.\n\n“My observation is that they check two people out of three. The situation is quite severe. None of my friends want to go to mainland China now,” she said, a sentiment that might grow more intense if the disappearance of Simon Cheng Man-kit blows up into a major international incident.", "HONG KONG (AP) — The Latest on Hong Kong's protests (all times local):\n\nThe British foreign ministry says it is \"extremely concerned\" about an employee of its Hong Kong consulate missing since crossing into China on a business trip.\n\nA statement from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said it was seeking information from Hong Kong and Guangdong province about the fate of the employee who was detained while crossing from the Chinese city of Shenzhen into Hong Kong.\n\nLocal media identified him as Simon Cheng Man-kit, a trade and investment officer at the Scottish Development International section of the consulate, who attended a business event in Shenzhen on Aug. 8. They say he never returned to Hong Kong despite plans to do so the same day via the high speed rail link Express Rail Link.\n\nChinese authorities had no immediate comment Tuesday on the statement.\n\nHong Kong protest organizers have rejected the city leader's plan to set up a platform for dialogue, calling it a trap that is aimed at wasting time.\n\nMembers of the Civil Human Rights Front on Tuesday were responding to Chief Executive Carrie Lam's announcement that she is immediately setting up a \"communication platform\" to resolve differences to end the protests.\n\nThe group's vice-convenor, Wong Yik-mo, said Lam is \"not responding at all\" to the protest movement's demands, including genuine democracy and an independent inquiry into alleged police brutality.\n\nHe said, \"We do not trust Carrie Lam, we do not trust her lies.\"\n\nJimmy Sham, another member, suggest that if Lam wants dialogue, she should come to a protest.\n\nThe Civil Human Rights Front has organized several mass anti-government rallies that have attracted huge crowds in recent months, while many other groups that have joined the leaderless movement have held their own events.\n\nThis story has been corrected in the 2:30 p.m. entry to say the protest movement is not calling for Lam's resignation.\n\nHong Kong's leader says she's setting up a \"communication platform\" to resolve differences in the city after months of anti-government protests.\n\nChief Executive Carrie Lam also said Tuesday a fact-finding study will look at the causes of the protests and the police response to them.\n\nThe movement held a massive but peaceful rally on Sunday after earlier protests had been marked by violence. Lam and other officials have conditioned dialogue on the protest movement remaining peaceful.\n\nLam's comments fell short of the protesters demands, including for her resignation and an independent inquiry into what they say was police brutality.", "HONG KONG (AP) — The Latest on Hong Kong's protests (all times local):\n\nThe British foreign ministry says it is \"extremely concerned\" about an employee of its Hong Kong consulate missing since crossing into China on a business trip.\n\nA statement from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said it was seeking information from Hong Kong and Guangdong province about the fate of the employee who was detained while crossing from the Chinese city of Shenzhen into Hong Kong.\n\nLocal media identified him as Simon Cheng Man-kit, a trade and investment officer at the Scottish Development International section of the consulate, who attended a business event in Shenzhen on Aug. 8. They say he never returned to Hong Kong despite plans to do so the same day via the high speed rail link Express Rail Link.\n\nChinese authorities had no immediate comment Tuesday on the statement.\n\nHong Kong protest organizers have rejected the city leader's plan to set up a platform for dialogue, calling it a trap that is aimed at wasting time.\n\nMembers of the Civil Human Rights Front on Tuesday were responding to Chief Executive Carrie Lam's announcement that she is immediately setting up a \"communication platform\" to resolve differences to end the protests.\n\nThe group's vice-convenor, Wong Yik-mo, said Lam is \"not responding at all\" to the protest movement's demands, including genuine democracy, her resignation and an independent inquiry into alleged police brutality.\n\nHe said, \"We do not trust Carrie Lam, we do not trust her lies.\"\n\nJimmy Sham, another member, suggest that if Lam wants dialogue, she should come to a protest.\n\nThe Civil Human Rights Front has organized several mass anti-government rallies that have attracted huge crowds in recent months, while many other groups that have joined the leaderless movement have held their own events.\n\nHong Kong's leader says she's setting up a \"communication platform\" to resolve differences in the city after months of anti-government protests.\n\nChief Executive Carrie Lam also said Tuesday a fact-finding study will look at the causes of the protests and the police response to them.\n\nThe movement held a massive but peaceful rally on Sunday after earlier protests had been marked by violence. Lam and other officials have conditioned dialogue on the protest movement remaining peaceful.\n\nLam's comments fell short of the protesters demands, including for her resignation and an independent inquiry into what they say was police brutality.", "BEIJING (AP) — The British foreign ministry said it is “extremely concerned” about an employee of its consulate in Hong Kong who has been missing since crossing into China on a business trip.\n\nA statement from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said it is seeking information from Hong Kong and Guangdong province about the fate of the employee, who was detained while crossing from the Chinese city of Shenzhen into Hong Kong.\n\nLocal media reports identified him as Simon Cheng Man-kit, a trade and investment officer at the Scottish Development International section of the consulate. The reports say he attended a business event in Shenzhen on Aug. 8 but never returned to Hong Kong despite plans to do so the same day.\n\n“We are extremely concerned by reports that a member of our team has been detained returning to Hong Kong from Shenzhen. We are providing support to his family and seeking further information from authorities in Guangdong Province and Hong Kong,” said the statement, which was forwarded by the British Embassy in Beijing.\n\nIt is unclear whether the man possessed a diplomatic passport, but the seizure of consular staff of any status or rank is highly unusual. Despite Beijing’s declaration of a “golden era” in Sino-British ties, relations have grown tense in recent months amid pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, a British colony for 156 years before its handover to Chinese rule in 1997.\n\nAsked about the case at a daily briefing on Tuesday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang responded, “I’m not aware of that.”\n\nPress officers for the Guangdong police and Ministry of Public Security could not be reached by phone. The ministry did not immediately respond to faxed questions about the case.", "HONG KONG (AP) — The Latest on Hong Kong's protests (all times local):\n\nThe British foreign ministry says it is \"extremely concerned\" about an employee of its Hong Kong consulate missing since crossing into China on a business trip.\n\nA statement from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said it was seeking information from Hong Kong and Guangdong province about the fate of the employee who was detained while crossing from the Chinese city of Shenzhen into Hong Kong.\n\nLocal media identified him as Simon Cheng Man-kit, a trade and investment officer at the Scottish Development International section of the consulate, who attended a business event in Shenzhen on Aug. 8. They say he never returned to Hong Kong despite plans to do so the same day via the high speed rail link Express Rail Link.\n\nChinese authorities had no immediate comment Tuesday on the statement.\n\nHong Kong protest organizers have rejected the city leader's plan to set up a platform for dialogue, calling it a trap that is aimed at wasting time.\n\nMembers of the Civil Human Rights Front on Tuesday were responding to Chief Executive Carrie Lam's announcement that she is immediately setting up a \"communication platform\" to resolve differences to end the protests.\n\nThe group's vice-convenor, Wong Yik-mo, said Lam is \"not responding at all\" to the protest movement's demands, including genuine democracy and an independent inquiry into alleged police brutality.\n\nHe said, \"We do not trust Carrie Lam, we do not trust her lies.\"\n\nJimmy Sham, another member, suggest that if Lam wants dialogue, she should come to a protest.\n\nThe Civil Human Rights Front has organized several mass anti-government rallies that have attracted huge crowds in recent months, while many other groups that have joined the leaderless movement have held their own events.\n\nThis story has been corrected in the 2:30 p.m. entry to say the protest movement is not calling for Lam's resignation.\n\nHong Kong's leader says she's setting up a \"communication platform\" to resolve differences in the city after months of anti-government protests.\n\nChief Executive Carrie Lam also said Tuesday a fact-finding study will look at the causes of the protests and the police response to them.\n\nThe movement held a massive but peaceful rally on Sunday after earlier protests had been marked by violence. Lam and other officials have conditioned dialogue on the protest movement remaining peaceful.\n\nLam's comments fell short of the protesters demands, including for her resignation and an independent inquiry into what they say was police brutality.", "HONG KONG (AP) — The Latest on Hong Kong's protests (all times local):\n\nThe British foreign ministry says it is \"extremely concerned\" about an employee of its Hong Kong consulate missing since crossing into China on a business trip.\n\nA statement from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said it was seeking information from Hong Kong and Guangdong province about the fate of the employee who was detained while crossing from the Chinese city of Shenzhen into Hong Kong.\n\nLocal media identified him as Simon Cheng Man-kit, a trade and investment officer at the Scottish Development International section of the consulate, who attended a business event in Shenzhen on Aug. 8. They say he never returned to Hong Kong despite plans to do so the same day via the high speed rail link Express Rail Link.\n\nChinese authorities had no immediate comment Tuesday on the statement.\n\nHong Kong protest organizers have rejected the city leader's plan to set up a platform for dialogue, calling it a trap that is aimed at wasting time.\n\nMembers of the Civil Human Rights Front on Tuesday were responding to Chief Executive Carrie Lam's announcement that she is immediately setting up a \"communication platform\" to resolve differences to end the protests.\n\nThe group's vice-convenor, Wong Yik-mo, said Lam is \"not responding at all\" to the protest movement's demands, including genuine democracy and an independent inquiry into alleged police brutality.\n\nHe said, \"We do not trust Carrie Lam, we do not trust her lies.\"\n\nJimmy Sham, another member, suggest that if Lam wants dialogue, she should come to a protest.\n\nThe Civil Human Rights Front has organized several mass anti-government rallies that have attracted huge crowds in recent months, while many other groups that have joined the leaderless movement have held their own events.\n\nThis story has been corrected in the 2:30 p.m. entry to say the protest movement is not calling for Lam's resignation.\n\nHong Kong's leader says she's setting up a \"communication platform\" to resolve differences in the city after months of anti-government protests.\n\nChief Executive Carrie Lam also said Tuesday a fact-finding study will look at the causes of the protests and the police response to them.\n\nThe movement held a massive but peaceful rally on Sunday after earlier protests had been marked by violence. Lam and other officials have conditioned dialogue on the protest movement remaining peaceful.\n\nLam's comments fell short of the protesters demands, including for her resignation and an independent inquiry into what they say was police brutality.", "Hong Kong: Britain's Foreign Office said Tuesday it was \"extremely concerned\" by reports that a Hong Kong consulate employee had been detained by mainland Chinese authorities on his way back to the city.\n\nThe Hong Kong consulate refused to confirm the man's name or further details of the apparent incident.\n\nBut reports in local news outlet HK01 said the consulate employee had failed to return after travelling to Shenzhen in Guangdong province, an hour outside Hong Kong, for a one-day business meeting on August 8.\n\n\"We are extremely concerned by reports that a member of our team has been detained returning to Hong Kong from Shenzhen,\" a Foreign and Commonwealth Office spokesperson said in a statement.\n\n\"We are providing support to his family and seeking further information from authorities in Guangdong Province and Hong Kong,\" it added.\n\nThe incident comes as the financial hub is facing its worst political crisis in decades.\n\nPro-democracy protesters have staged weeks of rallies that have often descended into violent clashes between police and protesters.\n\nThe demonstrations were triggered by a controversial extradition law but have broadened into a call for wider democratic reforms.\n\nChina had promised to respect the freedoms in the semi-autonomous territory after its handover from Britain in 1997.\n\nHong Kong enjoys liberties unseen on the mainland, including freedom of speech, unfettered access to the internet and an independent judiciary.", "Topline: Britain has expressed concern over media reports that an employee at its consulate in Hong Kong has been detained in mainland China after visiting Shenzhen on August 8.\n• Fears were raised after Simon Cheng, 28, failed to turn up to work on August 9. He was due to return from a business meeting in Shenzhen the day before, according to Hong Kong news site HK01. On the night of his planned return, he told his girlfriend over the phone that he was on the train back, before he lost connection.\n• A representative from Britain’s consulate in Hong Kong said: “We are extremely concerned by reports that a member of our team has been detained returning to Hong Kong from Shenzhen. We are providing support to his family and seeking further information from authorities in Guangdong and Hong Kong.”\n• Cheng, a trade and investment officer who worked in the consulate's Scottish International Development department, has since been reported missing. Cheng’s girlfriend and family believe he has been detained by the Chinese authorities.\n• Hong Kong Police said at a press conference on Tuesday it had not been notified by mainland officials over the detention of Cheng.\n• Hong Kong’s immigration department confirmed to Reuters that it had received a request for assistance from one of Cheng’s family members, and it said it was assisting the family.\n\nKey background: The disappearance of Simon Cheng cuts to the core of the political crisis that has gripped Hong Kong for the last three months. Millions of Hong Kongers have taken to the streets over the last 11 weeks to voice their opposition to the city government's now-suspended plan to create an extradition bill with mainland China.\n\nOpposition and business leaders in the semi-autonomous Chinese city voiced concerns about the rule of law in China, and the use of \"black jails\" and the forced disappearances of dissident voices by mainland authorities.\n\nThe disappearance of Cheng, a trade official, with the British Consulate in Hong Kong follows reports police at the mainland border were checking travellers' phones for evidence of involvement in the protest movement. Chinese officials and state-media have sabre-rattled for weeks over British and U.S. politicians, including President Donald Trump, speaking out over police crackdowns over the protesters that have broadened to include calls for free elections, and protections of civil liberties guaranteed following the handover of the former British colony in 1997.", "HONG KONG (AP) — The Latest on Hong Kong's protests (all times local):\n\nThe British foreign ministry says it is \"extremely concerned\" about an employee of its Hong Kong consulate missing since crossing into China on a business trip.\n\nA statement from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said it was seeking information from Hong Kong and Guangdong province about the fate of the employee who was detained while crossing from the Chinese city of Shenzhen into Hong Kong.\n\nLocal media identified him as Simon Cheng Man-kit, a trade and investment officer at the Scottish Development International section of the consulate, who attended a business event in Shenzhen on Aug. 8. They say he never returned to Hong Kong despite plans to do so the same day via the high speed rail link Express Rail Link.\n\nChinese authorities had no immediate comment Tuesday on the statement.\n\nHong Kong protest organizers have rejected the city leader's plan to set up a platform for dialogue, calling it a trap that is aimed at wasting time.\n\nMembers of the Civil Human Rights Front on Tuesday were responding to Chief Executive Carrie Lam's announcement that she is immediately setting up a \"communication platform\" to resolve differences to end the protests.\n\nThe group's vice-convenor, Wong Yik-mo, said Lam is \"not responding at all\" to the protest movement's demands, including genuine democracy and an independent inquiry into alleged police brutality.\n\nHe said, \"We do not trust Carrie Lam, we do not trust her lies.\"\n\nJimmy Sham, another member, suggest that if Lam wants dialogue, she should come to a protest.\n\nThe Civil Human Rights Front has organized several mass anti-government rallies that have attracted huge crowds in recent months, while many other groups that have joined the leaderless movement have held their own events.\n\nThis story has been corrected in the 2:30 p.m. entry to say the protest movement is not calling for Lam's resignation.\n\nHong Kong's leader says she's setting up a \"communication platform\" to resolve differences in the city after months of anti-government protests.\n\nChief Executive Carrie Lam also said Tuesday a fact-finding study will look at the causes of the protests and the police response to them.\n\nThe movement held a massive but peaceful rally on Sunday after earlier protests had been marked by violence. Lam and other officials have conditioned dialogue on the protest movement remaining peaceful.\n\nLam's comments fell short of the protesters demands, including for her resignation and an independent inquiry into what they say was police brutality.", "BEIJING/HONG KONG (Reuters) - Britain’s foreign office said it was seeking more information about reports that a Hong Kong staff member had been detained in mainland China.\n\n“We are concerned by reports that a member of our team has been detained while returning to Hong Kong from Shenzhen,” a Foreign and Commonwealth Office spokesperson in Beijing said in an emailed statement.\n\n“We are providing support to their family and seeking further information from authorities in Guangdong Province and Hong Kong.”\n\nSimon Cheng, an employee at the U.K. consulate in Hong Kong, did not return to work on August 9 after visiting Shenzhen the previous day, Hong Kong news website HK01 reported, citing an interview with his girlfriend.\n\nThe U.K consulate in Hong Kong did not immediately respond to a request for comment."], "summary": "The Foreign Ministry of China confirms that United Kingdom consulate in Hong Kong employee Simon Cheng, who was reported missing, is administratively detained for 15 days by Shenzhen police."}
{"document": ["Image copyright Press Trust of India Image caption Mr Chidambaram is a former finance minister\n\nIndia's former finance minister, Palaniappan Chidambaram, has been remanded in police custody by a federal investigative court.\n\nThe four-day remand enables him to be interrogated by officers from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).\n\nHe is being investigated over allegations that he cleared foreign investments in exchange for bribes while he was finance minister in 2007.\n\nMr Chidambaram, 73, has denied any wrongdoing.\n\nHe appeared before the court on Thursday evening following his arrest amid chaotic scenes on Wednesday night.\n\n'Vendetta'\n\nThe court ruled that during his remand, he would have daily access to his family and lawyers and would undergo a medical check-up every 48 hours.\n\nA senior member of the main opposition Congress party and an MP since 1984, Mr Chidambaram has also served as home minister.\n\nOfficers from the CBI scaled the walls of his Delhi home on Wednesday to arrest him. Chaotic scenes unfolded as supporters and media surrounded his car as he was driven away.\n\nThe Delhi High Court had rejected an application for bail on Tuesday and hours before his arrest Mr Chidambaram's legal team had approached the Supreme Court.\n\nHis lawyer told the court that the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government was carrying out a \"politically-motivated vendetta\" against Mr Chidambaram and his son, Karti, who is also implicated in the case.\n\nSenior Congress leaders have also accused the BJP of \"misusing power\".\n\nSkip Twitter post by @RahulGandhi Modi's Govt is using the ED, CBI & sections of a spineless media to character assassinate Mr Chidambaram.\n\n\n\nI strongly condemn this disgraceful misuse of power. — Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) August 21, 2019 Report\n\nThe BJP has not responded to the allegations, but its spokesperson told the NDTV news website that Congress should be ashamed that Mr Chidambaram had turned into an \"absconder\".\n\nEarlier on Wednesday, the CBI had said they could not find Mr Chidambaram. But he then appeared at a press conference to reject accusations that he had been \"hiding from the law\", saying he had instead been consulting with his lawyers.\n\nA Harvard Business School graduate, Mr Chidambaram has served as finance minister four times.\n\nHis first two stints - between June 1996 and March 1998 - were in successive coalition governments, both of which collapsed about a year after they were formed. During his brief second term, he slashed taxes, including corporate rates, as part of what the Indian media hailed as a \"dream budget\".\n\nHe again served as finance minister under the Congress-led government from 2004 to 2008 before he was appointed home minister. He replaced Shivraj Patil, who resigned amid criticism in the wake of the Mumbai attacks.\n\nImage copyright Getty Images Image caption Mr Chidambaram's son, Karti Chidambaram, is a Congress party MP\n\nHe is also a lawyer and has practised in the Madras High Court and the Supreme Court.\n\nHe is being questioned over allegations that he cleared foreign direct investment worth tens of millions of dollars to INX Media in 2007 when he was finance minister. Karti Chidambaram allegedly received kickbacks from INX at the time that the investment was cleared by the finance ministry.\n\nBoth men, who strongly deny the allegations, are being investigated by the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which investigates financial crimes.\n\nThe CBI arrested Karti Chidambaram in 2018, but he was later released on bail. He is a Congress MP from the southern state of Tamil Nadu.", "NEW DELHI: Police arrested former Indian finance minister P. Chidambaram late on Wednesday (Aug 21) in relation to alleged corruption and money laundering, a day after the Delhi High Court rejected his application to seek exemption from arrest.\n\nChidambaram was arrested by federal police on a warrant issued by a competent court, a spokesman for the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said.\n\nThe CBI and Enforcement Directorate - India's financial crime fighting agency - have alleged that Chidambaram abused his official position while he was finance minister. Officials have also alleged Chidambaram was involved in money laundering and conspired around the approval of a telecommunications deal in 2006.\n\nChidambaram denied any wrongdoing, speaking at a news conference hours before his arrest.\n\nChidambaram, who served twice as finance minister in the previous Congress party-led coalition that ran India for a decade, has approached India's top court seeking to appeal the High Court ruling rejecting his application to prevent an arrest.\n\nThe Supreme Court is due to hear his petition on Friday.\n\n\"Between now and Friday, I shall walk with a clear conscience and my head held high,\" Chidambaram told reporters.\n\nAfter the press conference, in dramatic scenes televised across Indian media, police officers reached Chidambaram's residence and jumped over the wall to enter the premises.\n\nHe was then taken away in a car that his party supporters tried to stop briefly, local media reported.\n\nThe allegations in the case centre around the role of Chidambaram, who is a senior leader of the Congress party that is now in opposition, his son Karti Chidambaram, and several former government officials, in approving the acquisition of telecoms firm, Aircel Ltd, by a Malaysian firm, Maxis Bhd.\n\nThe individuals accused in the case face charges of \"abuse of official position and criminal conspiracy in giving illegal approval,\" a CBI official told reporters last month.\n\nMaxis and Karti Chidambaram have previously called the allegations unfounded.\n\nChidambaram, 72, a Supreme Court lawyer, has been a vocal critic of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his policies.", "NEW DELHI: Police arrested former Indian finance minister P. Chidambaram late on Wednesday over alleged corruption and money laundering, a day after the Delhi High Court rejected his application to seek exemption from arrest.\n\nChidambaram was arrested by federal police on a warrant issued by a competent court, a spokesman for the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) said.\n\nThe CBI and Enforcement Directorate - India's financial crime fighting agency - have alleged that Chidambaram abused his official position while he was finance minister. Officials have also alleged that Chidambaram was involved in money laundering and conspired around the approval of a telecommunications deal in 2006.\n\nSpeaking at a news conference hours before his arrest, Chidambaram denied any wrongdoing.\n\nChidambaram, who served twice as finance minister in the previous Congress party-led coalition that ran India for a decade, has approached India's top court seeking to appeal against the High Court ruling rejecting his application to prevent an arrest.\n\nThe Supreme Court is due to hear his petition today.\n\n\"Between now and Friday, I shall walk with a clear conscience and my head held high,\" Chidambaram told reporters.\n\nAfter the press conference, in dramatic scenes televised across Indian media, police officers reached Chidambaram's residence and jumped over the wall to enter the premises.\n\nHe was then taken away in a car that his party supporters tried to stop briefly, local media reported.", "NEW DELHI (AP) — Federal investigators have arrested a key opposition Indian National Congress party leader at his home.\n\nPalaniappan Chidambaram was taken into custody on suspicion of conspiring with a Mauritius-based firm to illegally obtain money for his son’s company while he was India’s finance minister in 2006.\n\nAbhishek Dayal, a spokesman for the Central Bureau of Investigation, confirmed the arrest.\n\nInvestigators took Chidambaram from his New Delhi home on Aug. 21 night and drove him to the Central Bureau of Investigation’s office.\n\nHis son Karti Chidambaram has already been named as a defendant in the money-laundering case involving 3 billion rupees ($43 million).\n\nChidambaram denies the allegation and accuses Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government of pursuing a political vendetta.\n\nHe suffered a setback as a court Aug. 20 rejected his bail plea in the case.", "Two Indian investigative agencies – the Central Bureau of Investigation and the economic intelligence agency - Enforcement Directorate, had sought to take Chidambaram into custody for questioning on Tuesday. Since they weren't able to find him, the investigative agencies posted a notice outside his home.\n\nChidambaram is facing charges for allegedly facilitating foreign investment in a media company while he was Finance Minister in the former Congress Party-lead coalition government, when he provided his son with financial favours.\n\nThe former cabinet minister had approached the High Court of Delhi for anticipatory bail, but the court rejected his plea, saying “the petitioner is the kingpin or key conspirator in the case,” leaving it open for the investigative agencies to take him into custody.\n\nOn Wednesday, the Enforcement Directorate issued a ‘Look Out Notice’, to prevent Chidambaram from leaving the country.\n\nThe former minister, through a team of India's top lawyers, approached the Supreme Court of India for relief against the High Court order. However, he has not been granted a hearing so far.\n\n“The antecedents of the Petitioner are impeccable. He has never been an accused of any offence. There is no possibility of his fleeing from justice,\" Chidambaram’s lawyers argued in the top court, adding \"custodial interrogation is not at all warranted\".\n\nMeanwhile, the opposition Congress Party has voiced their support for Chidambaram.\n\n​Former Congress President Rahul Gandhi accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of using the Enforcement Directorate to character assassinate Chidambaram. His sister and General Secretary of the Congress Party Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said, “the truth is inconvenient to cowards, so he is being shamefully hunted down”.\n\n​Chidambaram, who is strident critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s policies, is also embroiled in an aviation scandal.", "NEW DELHI — An Indian court on Thursday ordered a former finance minister into police custody for questioning for four days, in a case stemming from government approval of foreign investment in a local media company, a judge said.\n\nThe rare action against P. Chidambaram, a top leader of the main opposition Congress party and a trenchant critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, drew opposition accusations that the authorities are pursuing a political vendetta.\n\nChidambaram was arrested at his New Delhi home on Wednesday after federal police agents jumped over the wall when they found the gates closed. On Thursday he appeared before a federal police court which said it needed to hold him until Aug. 26 for further questioning.\n\n“Considering all the facts of the case, the police custody is justified,” judge Ajay Kumar Kuhar said.\n\nThe allegations in the case center around the role of Chidambaram, his son Karti Chidambaram, and several former government officials, in approving foreign direct investment in local media firm INX Media in 2007.\n\nThe Central Bureau of Investigation says the approval was illegal and that it was a case of “abuse of power.”\n\nChidambaram who was finance minister at the time said the approvals were done by a government committee and he didn’t have any role to play. His son who runs a consultancy also denied any wrong.\n\nChidambaram, 73, looking slightly pale, appeared in court flanked by police agents and lawyers. The court said his family could see him for 30 minutes each day during his custody.\n\nThe Congress party accused the Modi government of building a false case against the former finance minister.\n\n“The vindictive, selective and malicious manner in which former finance minister and home minister P. Chidambaram has been persecuted and prosecuted is nothing short of a brazen, personal and political vendetta by Modi government,” the party said in a statement. ($1 = 71.8600 Indian rupees) (Additional reporting by Nigam Prusty in NEW DELHI; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani, William Maclean)", "High drama unfolded in New Delhi late Wednesday as officers from India's equivalent of the FBI scaled the walls of a former finance minister's home to arrest him on corruption charges, local media reported.\n\nEarlier in the day, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had alerted airports to prevent Palaniappan Chidambaram, finance minister from 2004-2008 and again from 2012-2014, from leaving the country.\n\nChidambaram, 73, earlier this week failed to secure bail and had not been seen since Tuesday, until he showed up at the headquarters of the opposition Congress party on Wednesday to proclaim his innocence.\n\nAt a news conference, he called his accusers \"pathological liars\".\n\nIndia's former Finance Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram (C) sits in a vehicle after he was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officials in his residence in New Delhi, India.\n\nDriving then to his home in the upscale Jor Bagh neighbourhood, he was tailed by around 30 CBI officers who knocked at the doors before scaling the boundary walls, the Press Trust of India reported.\n\nOnce three officers were inside, they opened the gates to allow team members to enter, while others rushed to the back door to secure all exit points, PTI reported.\n\nAfter Chidamabaram was arrested, party supporters gathered outside the home to protest. Some jumped on the car in which the politician was taken away, the agency said.\n\nKarti Chidambaram, son of former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram, leaves a protest against the detention of political leaders in Kashmir after the scrapping of the special constitutional status by the Indian government, India. Photos: Reuters\n\nChidambaram has been charged in relation to alleged kickbacks and money laundering involving a media company when he was finance minister under former premier Manmohan Singh.\n\nHe was expected to appear in a special CBI court on Thursday, PTI reported.", "Police investigators in India have arrested the country's former finance minister, Palaniappan Chidambaram, on suspicion of involvement in corruption and money laundering.\n\nDozens of officers from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) scaled the walls of Chidambaram's house in India's capital, New Delhi, before taking him away in a car late on Wednesday, the Press Trust of India reported.\n\nHis supporters tried to prevent the arrest by jumping onto the car, according to a video posted on Twitter by the ANI news agency.\n\nAbhishek Dayal, a spokesman for the CBI, confirmed the arrest to the Associated Press news agency.\n\nEarlier on Wednesday, the CBI had alerted airports to prevent the 73-year-old Chidambaram from leaving the country.\n\nThe CBI has accused Chidambaram, finance minister from 2004-2008 and again from 2012-2014, of abusing his official position and involvement in money laundering in clearing foreign direct investments worth tens of millions of dollars.\n\nHis son, Karti Chidambaram, has already been named as a defendant in the money-laundering case involving three billion rupees ($43m).\n\nChidambaram, a member of the opposition Congress Party, has denied any wrongdoing and accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government of pursuing a \"political vendetta\" against him.\n\nModi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party came to power after defeating a Congress party government in 2014 and won a second term in 2019 national elections.\n\nChidambaram was taken into custody a day after the Delhi High Court rejected his application to seek exemption from arrest. His lawyers approached the Supreme Court to prevent his arrest and the top court is due to hear his petition on Friday.\n\nInvestigators could not find him until Wednesday evening, when he unexpectedly appeared at the Congress party headquarters for a news conference.\n\nHe appealed to officials to wait until Friday for a ruling by the top court, and called his accusers \"pathological liars\".\n\nTeams of CBI officials then rushed to the Congress party's headquarters and later his home in the Jor Bagh neighbourhood to arrest him.", "An Indian court on Thursday ordered that a former finance minister belonging to the opposition Congress party be held for four days for questioning by investigators in suspected bribery and money laundering cases.\n\nPalaniappan Chidambaram appeared before Judge Ajay Kumar Kuhar a day after he was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation, India's FBI, at his New Delhi home.\n\nGovernment Solicitor-General Tushar Mehta asked for five days' custody for a detailed questioning of Chidambaram, but the judge agreed to four days.\n\nProsecutors say Chidambaram as the country's finance minister in 2007 facilitated 3 billion rupees ($43 million) in foreign investment in an Indian media company, which allegedly paid kickbacks to his son, Karti Chidambaram. His son has been named as a defendant in the case.\n\nTimes Now television channel quoted the CBI as saying that kickbacks amounted to $5 million.\n\nChidambaram and his son deny the allegations and accuse Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government of pursuing a political vendetta.\n\nModi's Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party came to power after defeating a Congress party government in 2014 and won a second term in 2019 national elections. Several senior Congress politicians and high-ranking government officials faced bribery charges after the hosting of the New Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games.\n\nFor years, anti-corruption campaigners have said the party in power uses the top investigating agency to cover up wrongdoing and target political opponents.", "(Bloomberg) -- India’s former finance minister and a senior leader of the main opposition Congress party, Palaniappan Chidambaram, has been arrested by the country’s federal investigative agency for alleged irregularities during his tenure as finance minister.\n\nChidambaram and his Congress party have accused the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi of targeting opposition leaders, calling the action a “political vendetta.”\n\nA lawyer with a degree from Harvard Business School, Chidambaram is one of the most prominent members of the Congress party and is a lawmaker in the upper house of parliament.\n\nHe’s been facing allegations since May 2017, when the Central Bureau of Investigation registered a case against his son and unknown officials from the finance ministry for corruption and irregularities in an overseas investment approval when Chidambaram was the finance minister in 2007. Since then, the Enforcement Directorate which investigates financial crimes has also begun investigating a case of alleged money laundering.\n\nChidambaram had sought interim protection in both cases, however the Delhi High Court on Tuesday refused to grant him bail, saying he appeared to be “kingpin” and “key conspirator” of the alleged scam.\n\nNow 73, he was finance minister for more than six years in Manmohan Singh’s Congress-led coalition government until 2014 and was also the country’s home minister following the November 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai.\n\nChidambaram could not be reached for comment. Earlier he denied all allegations and said the government has been intimidating him to silence his criticisms of the Modi administration.\n\nTo contact the reporter on this story: Bibhudatta Pradhan in New Delhi at bpradhan@bloomberg.net\n\nTo contact the editors responsible for this story: Ruth Pollard at rpollard2@bloomberg.net, Unni Krishnan"], "summary": "Indian senior opposition Rajya Sabha MP and former Cabinet Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram is arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation on charges of corruption and money laundering during his term as Minister of Finance. Chidambaram says to the Supreme Court that the government is practicing a \"politically-motivated vendetta\" against him and his son Karti, who is also an opposition MP."}
{"document": ["Indonesia shuts internet as tension rises in Papua\n\nIndonesia's government shut off the internet after unrest in Papua\n\nIndonesia has blocked internet access in the province of Papua over fears that a stream of offensive and racists posts online will spark more violent protests in the region, the government has said.\n\nRiots and demonstrations brought several Papuan cities to a standstill this week, as buildings were torched and street battles broke out between police and protesters in Indonesia's easternmost territory.\n\nA rebel insurgency against Jakarta's rule has simmered for decades in the island region, which shares a border with Papua New Guinea.\n\nBut the riots appear to have been triggered by the arrest of dozens of Papuan students, who were also pelted with racist abuse, in Java at the weekend.\n\nIndonesia slowed internet service in recent days to clamp down on hoaxes, provocative comments and racist abuse targeting Papua's ethnic Melanesian population, but it shut down service completely late last night.\n\n\"As of this morning, there is still a full block on internet access,\" said Indonesia's communications ministry spokesman, Ferdinandus Setu.\n\n\"The amount of racist and provocative content online was very high ... and it went viral.\"\n\nThe region's three internet providers cooperated with the shutdown, but many users managed to get around the block, Mr Setu said.\n\n\"The restrictions have not been that effective,\" he added.\n\n\"We're still evaluating the situation ... and will probably lift the block by this afternoon if possible.\"\n\nCalm appeared to have been mostly restored today after Indonesia sent in 1,200 extra police and military to Papua, with some 45 protesters reportedly arrested.", "Indonesia has deployed more than 1,000 security personnel to West Papua and cut internet access, amid days of violent demonstrations in what activists say are the largest protests to occur in the region in years.\n\nProtests continued on Thursday including in the capital Jakarta, where demonstrators flew the banned Morning Star flag in front of the state palace. Scores have been arrested for raising the symbolic flag of independence in the past, with one activist, Filep Karma, spending more than ten years in prison for the offense before he was released in 2015.\n\nOn Wednesday, violent unrest occurred in Fakfak, where a market was set ablaze and street battles erupted between police and protesters.\n\nWaving the Morning Star flag, protesters chanted “we are not red and white”, in reference to the colours of the Indonesian flag.\n\nPolice fired tear gas after the crowds set fire to a market and destroyed ATMs and shops, local media reported. The crowd dispersed when riot police fired warning shots. Indonesian media reported police arrested 45 people, including some they accused of masterminding the protests and damaging buildings.\n\nIt followed days of large and violent protests across multiple cities in the region, which is divided into the provinces of Papua and West Papua.\n\nThe groundswell of anger that has fuelled the demonstrators was sparked by an incident in the Javanese city of Surabaya on the weekend, where nationalist groups goaded Papuan students with racist taunts, calling them “monkeys”, “pigs” and “dogs”.\n\nThe exiled West Papuan leader, Benny Wenda, said the subsequent arrests of the Papuan students in Surabaya had “lit the bonfire of nearly 60 years of racism, discrimination and torture of the people of West Papua by Indonesia”.\n\nIndonesian soldiers stand guard during a protest in Timika, on 21 August. Photograph: Jimmy Rahadat/AP\n\nAngered by the racist slurs, Papuans began taking to the streets on Monday, first in Jayapura, from where violent protests have since spread to Manokwari, Fakfak, Timika and, on Thursday morning, Nabire, where demonstrators held signs with messages such as: “Papua merdeka, itu yang monyet inginkan,” or “Free Papua, this is what the monkeys want.”\n\nAs an additional 1,000 military and police troops were sent in, Indonesia’s communications ministry announced on Wednesday that internet access would be temporarily blocked in Papua and its “surrounding areas” to “accelerate the process of restoring security”.\n\nShow more\n\nIt followed days of an internet slowdown, and will last “until the atmosphere of Papua returns to being conducive and normal”, the ministry said.\n\nAlso on Wednesday, 5,000 people rallied in and around the city of Timika, the closest town to the massive Freeport gold and copper mine, where demonstrators reportedly threw rocks at the local parliament building and tried to tear down its fence.\n\nHundreds also marched through the streets of Sorong city, where protesters destroyed parts of an airport and about 250 inmates escaped in a prison break on Monday, according to West Papua’s police chief, Herry Rudolf Nahak.\n\nA building was set on fire by rioting in Sorong. Photograph: Hasyim Kelirey/AFP/Getty Images\n\nIndonesia’s chief security minister, Wiranto, who goes by one name, headed to Papua late on Wednesday in a bid to quell tensions, while President Joko Widodo was scheduled to visit next week.\n\nActivists criticised the internet blackout, saying it would make it difficult to verify facts and ensure people’s safety, in an area where access by foreign journalists is already restricted. For days, photos and videos posted on social media have provided a rare glimpse at the extent of the unrest.\n\nThousands of people march on the street during a protest in Jayapura on 19 August. Photograph: FRANS/EPA\n\nJakarta has called for calm in its easternmost territory, where an insurgency against Indonesian rule has simmered for decades.\n\nThe protests have exposed simmering faultlines, with independence leader Wenda saying Papuans felt like second-class citizens in Indonesia.\n\n“I myself was spat at by an Indonesian schoolgirl at high school, just because of the colour of my skin. Every Papuan has a similar story to tell. Events like these show why we have been struggling for a referendum on independence for so many decades,” Wenda said.\n\nWhile the exiled leader welcomed efforts to ease tensions, conciliatory statements from Indonesia’s president would not be enough: “Papuans will not stop fighting until we achieve equality, self-determination and a referendum on independence.”\n\nIn a recent interview, Wenda told Guardian Australia the oppression of the West Papuan people, including through arbitrary arrests and military operations, and through its transmigrasi policy – migrating other non-Papuan Indonesians to the province to alter its ethnic make-up, and make Papuan people the minority – amounted to a “slow-motion genocide” of the Papuan people.\n\nIndonesian soldiers arrive in West Papua following protests that were triggered following the arrest of Papuan students in the Indonesian city of Surabaya. Photograph: Antara Foto/Reuters\n\n“Everything we fight is for our political independence, and our sovereignty, and also we want to run our own affairs. That is what we are fighting for, and for peace, no more killing, no more rape, we want to live peacefully with our neighbouring countries like Australia, like PNG and Indonesia.”\n\nPapua is a former Dutch colony in the western part of New Guinea that is ethnically and culturally distinct from much of Indonesia. It was incorporated into Indonesia in 1969 after a UN-sponsored ballot that was seen as a sham by many.\n\nSince then, a low-level insurgency has plagued the mineral-rich region. In recent years, some Papuan students, including some who study in other provinces, have become vocal in calling for self-determination for their region.\n\nPolice chief Herry Rudolf Nahak said authorities had the situation under control after more than a thousand additional police and soldiers were deployed from other cities, including from Jakarta, Bali and Makassar.", "JAKARTA: Indonesia has cut off Internet access in eastern Papua to prevent provocative posts online from fuelling violence, after protesters torched buildings, a market and a prison over mistreatment of students and perceived ethnic discrimination.\n\nPolice have flown in 1,200 additional officers to Papua to quell sometimes violent protests since Monday in several towns, including Timika – which stands near the giant Grasberg copper mine operated by Freeport McMoran’s Indonesian unit – as well as Manokwari, Sorong, and Fakfak.\n\nSmaller demonstrations and rallies in favour of Papua flared up throughout Indonesia yesterday, while Indonesia’s chief security minister, police chief and military commander visited Sorong to inspect where the most violent protests had occurred.\n\nTwo new rallies, described as peaceful by officials, unfolded in the Nabire and Yahukimo parts of Papua, according to Indonesian news site Kompas.\n\nA separate and more tense protest erupted yesterday in Jakarta where more than a hundred Papuan students demonstrated in the heart of the Indonesian capital.\n\nAs they marched from the Indonesian army headquarters to the gates of the presidential palace, demonstrators shouted pro-independence slogans demanding “referendum for Papua” or “freedom for Papua”.\n\nSome held posters demanding the right to self-determination and “to end racism and colonialism in West Papua”.\n\nAnother smaller Papuan student protest also started on Thursday in the nearby city of Bogor.\n\nIndonesia’s communication ministry has blocked access to telecommunication data and internet to prevent Papuans from accessing social media since Wednesday night, though calls and text messages will still work, Ferdinandus Setu, ministry spokesman said.\n\n“This is an effort to curb hoax and most importantly stop people from sharing provocative messages that can incite racial hatred,” he said, adding that the curb may be lifted “if the situation has calmed”.\n\nPolice have arrested 34 people in Timika, where thousands of protesters threw rocks at a parliament building, houses, shops and a hotel on Wednesday, officials told local media.\n\nThey accuse 13 of being members of a pro-Papua independence separatist group.\n\nPresident Joko Widodo has been informed that the situation in Papua was under control, his Cabinet Secretariat said in a statement late on Wednesday.\n\nWidodo has sought to ease tensions and improve welfare by building infrastructure in the provinces.\n\nHe has visited the restive region more frequently than any of his predecessors, and plans to go to Jayapura, the capital of Papua province, next month, to open a new bridge, the secretariat said. — Reuters", "MANOKWARI, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia has deployed more than 1,000 security personnel to the restive province of West Papua amid spreading protests and violence, police said Wednesday.\n\nProtests sparked by accusations that security forces had arrested and insulted Papuan students in East Java’s Surabaya city turned violent on Monday, when demonstrators torched a local legislative building and set fire to cars in Manokwari, the provincial capital.\n\nThe protests were triggered by videos circulated widely on the internet showing police, backed by soldiers, calling the Papuan students “monkeys” and “dogs.”\n\nPapua is a former Dutch colony in the western part of New Guinea that is ethnically and culturally distinct from much of Indonesia. It was incorporated into Indonesia in 1969 after a U.N.-sponsored ballot that was seen as a sham by many.\n\nSince then, a low-level insurgency has plagued the mineral-rich region, which is divided into two provinces, Papua and West Papua. In recent years, some Papua students, including some who study in other provinces, have become vocal in calling for self-determination for their region.\n\nPolice stormed dormitories in Surabaya, Indonesia’s second-largest city, on Sunday after Papuan students staying there refused to be questioned over allegations that they had intentionally damaged the Indonesian flag in the dormitory’s yard.\n\nEast Java police spokesman Frans Barung Mangera said 43 students were detained but released hours later after no evidence was found that they had damaged the flag. The videos showing the behavior of security forces sparked national outcry.\n\nWest Papua Police Chief Herry Rudolf Nahak said authorities have the situation under control after more than a thousand additional police and soldiers were deployed from other cities, including from Jakarta, Bali and Makassar.\n\nNahak said protesters also destroyed parts of an airport and about 250 inmates escaped in a prison break in Sorong on Monday.\n\nHe said several hundred demonstrators in Fakfak, another city in West Papua, burned a market and destroyed ATMs and shops early Wednesday.\n\nVideos posted by residents in Fakfak and circulated online show demonstrators chanting “Freedom Papua” and holding banners demanding a referendum for independence. The crowd, including a man holding the morning star flag that is a separatist group symbol, are seen throwing rocks at police, who respond with tear gas as grey smoke billows from burning market.\n\nSeveral thousands of protesters, many wearing headbands with a separatist flag, also staged peaceful rallies Monday in Jayapura, the capital city of Papua province.\n\nNahak said the situation was brought under control after the additional police and soldiers were sent in.", "Indonesia's Papua province was hit by fresh unrest yesterday as more than 1,000 security personnel were sent to the restive region after violent protests. Protesters torched a traditional market and other government buildings in the town of Fakfak in the latest violence, national police spokesman Muhammad Iqbal said. Iqbal said additional personnel would be sent to Manokwari and Sorong, where protesters set fire to buildings on Monday and Tuesday. \"The situation is under control,\" Iqbal said. \"We are prioritizing persuasive measures and communicating with community and religious leaders,\" he added.\n\nJakarta has called for calm in its easternmost territory following riots triggered by the detention of dozens of Papuan students at the weekend. There were also demonstrations in the town of Fakfak on the western edge of the island, which is divided between the Indonesian province of West Papua and the independent nation of Papua New Guinea. The latest protests come after several cities in resource-rich Papua were brought to a standstill this week, including in Manokwari where businesses and the local parliament building were set ablaze by angry demonstrators.\n\nIndonesian security forces have intensified operations in Papua after separatist rebels killed about two dozen construction workers building a road in December. Separatists have fought for independence for the region since the 1960s. Papua and West Papua provinces make up the Indonesian half of New Guinea island.", "Indonesia has cut off internet access in eastern Papua to prevent provocative posts online from fuelling violence, after protesters torched buildings, a market and a prison over mistreatment of students and perceived ethnic discrimination, Reuters reports.\n\nPolice have flown in 1,200 additional officers to Papua to quell sometimes violent protests since Monday in several towns, including Timika – which stands near the giant Grasberg copper mine operated by Freeport McMoran’s Indonesian unit – as well as Manokwari, Sorong, and Fakfak.\n\nIndonesia’s chief security minister, police chief and military commander visited Sorong on Thursday to inspect where the protests erupted, but there were no reports of fresh demonstrations there.\n\nWhile a separatist movement has simmered for decades in Papua, with frequent complaints of rights abuses leveled against Indonesian security forces, the recent anger appears to be linked to racist slurs against Papuan students who were detained last week.\n\nThe students were arrested from their dormitory in the city of Surabaya in East Java after being accused of disrespecting the Indonesian flag during a celebration of Indonesia’s Independence Day.\n\nIndonesia’s communication ministry has blocked access to telecommunication data and internet to prevent Papuans from accessing social media since Wednesday night, though calls and text messages will still work, Ferdinandus Setu, ministry spokesman said.\n\n“This is an effort to curb hoax and most importantly stop people from sharing provocative messages that can incite racial hatred,” he said, adding that the curb may be lifted “if the situation has calmed”.\n\nPolice have arrested 20 people in Timika, where thousands of protesters threw rocks at a parliament building, houses, shops and a hotel on Wednesday, Dedi Prasetyo, a national police spokesman said by telephone from Sorong.\n\nNo arrests have been made in other Papuan towns, Prasetyo said.\n\nPapua and West Papua provinces, the resource-rich western part of the island of New Guinea, were a Dutch colony that was incorporated into Indonesia after a widely criticized UN-backed referendum in 1969.\n\nPresident Joko Widodo has been informed that the situation in Papua was under control, his Cabinet Secretariat said in a statement late on Wednesday.\n\nWidodo has sought to ease tensions and improve welfare by building infrastructure in the provinces. He has visited the restive region more frequently than any of his predecessors, and plans to go to Jayapura, the capital of Papua province, next month to open a new bridge, the secretariat said.", "TIMIKA, Indonesia (Reuters) - Indonesia has arrested 34 people and cut internet access in its easternmost region of Papua to rein in violence after protesters torched buildings, a market and a prison over mistreatment of students and perceived ethnic discrimination.\n\nPolice have flown in 1,200 more officers to quell sometimes violent protests since Monday in towns such as Manokwari, Sorong, Fakfak and Timika, near the giant Grasberg copper mine operated by Freeport McMoran’s Indonesian unit.\n\nThe communication ministry has blocked the internet and telecoms data to prevent Papuans from accessing social media since Wednesday, although telephone calls and text messages are unaffected, said ministry spokesman Ferdinandus Setu.\n\n“This is an effort to curb hoaxes and, most importantly, stop people from sharing provocative messages that can incite racial hatred,” he added.\n\nSmaller demonstrations and rallies in support of Papua flared nationwide on Thursday, while the chief security minister, police chief and military commander visited Sorong to inspect the sites of the most violent protests.\n\nOfficial said two rallies in the Nabire and Yahukimo areas of Papua were peaceful, the Kompas news site said.\n\nIn Jakarta, the capital, more than a hundred Papuan students marched from army headquarters to the gates of the presidential palace, shouting pro-independence slogans demanding “Referendum for Papua” or “Freedom for Papua”.\n\nSome held posters demanding the right to self-determination and an end to racism and colonialism in West Papua.\n\nPapuan students also held a smaller protest in the nearby city of Bogor.\n\nA separatist movement has simmered in Papua for decades, with frequent complaints of rights abuses by security forces, but the recent anger appears to be linked to racist slurs against Papuan students who were detained last week.\n\nThe students were arrested and teargassed in a dormitory in the city of Surabaya in East Java after being accused of disrespecting the Indonesian flag during an Independence Day celebration.\n\nPresident Joko Widodo has urged the army and police chiefs to act against officers who behaved in a “racist manner” towards students, his chief of staff told news channel CNN Indonesia.\n\nPolice have arrested 34 people in Timika, where thousands of protesters threw rocks at a parliament building, houses, shops and a hotel on Wednesday, police said. They accuse 13 of being members of a pro-Papua independence separatist group.\n\nPapua and West Papua provinces, the resource-rich western part of the island of New Guinea, were a Dutch colony that was incorporated into Indonesia after a widely criticized U.N.-backed referendum in 1969.\n\nWidodo has sought to ease tension and improve welfare by building infrastructure in the provinces.\n\nHe has visited the restive region more often than any of his predecessors, and plans to open a new bridge next month in Jayapura, the capital of Papua province, his secretariat said.", "Manokwari: Indonesia has imposed an internet blackout in the Papua and West Papua provinces, after sending 1500 officers, in an attempt to stem unrest triggered by the heavy-handed treatment of Papuan protesters on Java island from spreading, an official says.\n\nData communications have been shut down since Wednesday in the provinces \"until the situation gets back to normal,\" Communications and Information Technology Ministry spokesman Ferdinandus Setu said on Thursday.\n\nPolice sent 1200 reinforcements to three West Papua districts, where most of the violence has taken place this week, spokesman Muhammad Iqbal said on Wednesday. The military has also sent 300 additional troops.\n\nIn the latest unrest, protesters torched a traditional market and government buildings in the town of Fakfak on Wednesday, police said, but insisted the situation was under control.", "Indonesia has blocked internet access in unrest-hit Papua over fears that a stream of offensive and racists posts online will spark more violent protests in the region, the government said Thursday.\n\nRiots and demonstrations brought several Papuan cities to a standstill this week, as buildings were torched and street battles broke out between police and protesters in Indonesia's easternmost territory.\n\nA rebel insurgency against Jakarta's rule has simmered for decades in the island region, which shares a border with Papua New Guinea.\n\nBut the riots appear to have been triggered by the arrest of dozens of Papuan students -- who were also pelted with racist abuse -- in Java at the weekend.\n\nIndonesia slowed internet service in recent days to clamp down on hoaxes, provocative comments and racist abuse targeting Papua's ethnic Melanesian population. But it shut down service completely late Wednesday.\n\n\"As of this morning, there is still a full block on internet access,\" communications ministry spokesman Ferdinandus Setu told AFP.\n\n\"The amount of racist and provocative content online was very high... and it went viral.\"\n\nThe region's three internet providers cooperated with the shutdown, but many users managed to get around the block, Setu said.\n\n\"The restrictions have not been that effective,\" he added. \"We're still evaluating the situation... and will probably lift the block by this afternoon if possible.\"\n\nCalm appeared to have been mostly restored Thursday after Indonesia sent in 1,200 extra police and military to Papua, with some 45 protesters reportedly arrested.\n\nIndonesia's chief security minister Wiranto, who goes by one name, flew to the island late Wednesday with the head of the military and Indonesia's national police chief.\n\nThey were expected to hold a press briefing Thursday in riot-hit Manokwari city.\n\nIn Jakarta, more than 100 demonstrators calling for Papuan independence scuffled with police near the presidential palace, while dozens of placard-holding demonstrators protested in Bali's capital Denpasar.\n\nThe unrest was sparked by reports that authorities tear-gassed and briefly detained some 43 Papuan university students in Surabaya, Indonesia's second-biggest city, on Saturday -- the country's independence day.\n\nPolice in riot gear stormed a dormitory to force out students who allegedly destroyed an Indonesian flag, as a group of protesters shouted racial slurs at them, calling them \"monkeys\" and \"dogs\".\n\nPapua has been the scene of a decades-old rebel insurgency aimed at gaining independence from Indonesia, which took control of the former Dutch colony in the 1960s.\n\nSecurity forces have long been accused of committing rights abuses against Papuans who say they have not shared in the region's vast mineral wealth.", "Indonesia has cut off internet access in eastern Papua to prevent provocative posts online from fuelling violence, after protesters torched buildings, a market and a prison over mistreatment of students and perceived ethnic discrimination.\n\nPolice have flown in 1,200 additional officers to Papua to quell sometimes violent protests since Monday in several towns, including Timika - which stands near the giant Grasberg copper mine operated by Freeport McMoran's Indonesian unit - as well as Manokwari, Sorong, and Fakfak.\n\nSmaller demonstrations and rallies in favor of Papua flared up throughout Indonesia on Thursday, while Indonesia's chief security minister, police chief and military commander visited Sorong on Thursday to inspect where the most violent protests had occurred.\n\nTwo new rallies, described as peaceful by officials, unfolded in the Nabire and Yahukimo parts of Papua, according to Indonesian news site Kompas.\n\nA separate and more tense protest erupted on Thursday in Jakarta where more than a hundred Papuan students demonstrated in the heart of the Indonesian capital.\n\nAs they marched from the Indonesian army headquarters to the gates of the presidential palace, demonstrators shouted pro-independence slogans demanding \"referendum for Papua\" or \"freedom for Papua\".\n\nSome held posters demanding the right to self-determination and \"to end racism and colonialism in West Papua\".\n\nAnother smaller Papuan student protest also started on Thursday in the nearby city of Bogor.\n\nWhile a separatist movement has simmered for decades in Papua, with frequent complaints of rights abuses levelled against Indonesian security forces, the recent anger appears to be linked to racist slurs against Papuan students who were detained last week.\n\nThe students were arrested from their dormitory in the city of Surabaya in East Java after being accused of disrespecting the Indonesian flag during a celebration of Indonesia's Independence Day.\n\nIndonesia's communication ministry has blocked access to telecommunication data and internet to prevent Papuans from accessing social media since Wednesday night, though calls and text messages will still work, Ferdinandus Setu, ministry spokesman said.\n\n\"This is an effort to curb hoax and most importantly stop people from sharing provocative messages that can incite racial hatred,\" he said, adding that the curb may be lifted \"if the situation has calmed\".\n\nPolice have arrested 34 people in Timika, where thousands of protesters threw rocks at a parliament building, houses, shops and a hotel on Wednesday, officials told local media. They accuse 13 of being members of a pro-Papua independence separatist group.\n\nPapua and West Papua provinces, the resource-rich western part of the island of New Guinea, were a Dutch colony that was incorporated into Indonesia after a widely criticised U.N.-backed referendum in 1969.\n\nPresident Joko Widodo has been informed that the situation in Papua was under control, his Cabinet Secretariat said in a statement late on Wednesday.\n\nWidodo has sought to ease tensions and improve welfare by building infrastructure in the provinces. He has visited the restive region more frequently than any of his predecessors, and plans to go to Jayapura, the capital of Papua province, next month, to open a new bridge, the secretariat said. (Reporting By Jessica Damiana, Agustinus Beo Da Costa and Tabita Diela Writing by Gayatri Suroyo and Fanny Potkin; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore and Michael Perry)"], "summary": "Indonesia cuts off Internet in the provinces of Papua and West Papua amid pro-independence unrest."}
{"document": ["Doha, Qatar - United States officials and Taliban representatives have resumed negotiations in Qatar's capital on finding a peaceful solution to Afghanistan's long-running war that has killed hundreds of thousands of Afghan civilians.\n\nKey issues in Thursday's talks, which began a day after US special envoy Zalmay Khalilzad arrived in Doha, remain the withdrawal of US and other foreign forces from the country and a commitment by the Taliban that Afghanistan will not be used as a launchpad for global attacks.\n\nThe two sides entered peace negotiations in October last year, and an agreement on these two central issues would set the stage for separate negotiations between Afghan officials and the Taliban on a permanent ceasefire and a power-sharing government.\n\nThe Taliban has so far refused to speak to the Afghan government, calling a \"puppet regime\". The group says any engagement with Kabul would grant it legitimacy.\n\nIn a statement confirming the start of the ninth round of US-Taliban talks, group spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said on Thursday that General Scott Miller, the commander of the US forces and the NATO-led non-combat Resolution Support (RS) mission in Afghanistan, was also present at the meeting in the Qatari capital.\n\nAfter the conclusion of the eighth round of talks last week, a Taliban representative in Doha who is part of the group's negotiating team said a peace deal was \"near\", without providing further details.\n\n\"This [eighth] round of talks has been very productive and we are near to an agreement that will be finalised and hopefully announced in the next coming weeks,\" he said.\n\nIn June, during the seventh round of talks, both sides said there was an understanding on troop withdrawal but the details, including a timeline, had not been worked out yet.\n\nAbout 14,000 US troops and some 17,000 troops from 39 NATO allies and partner countries are in Afghanistan in a non-combative role.\n\n'Plans on Afghanistan'\n\nUS President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly expressed eagerness to remove forces from Afghanistan, said this week that the US military role in the country has effectively turned into a \"ridiculous\" police force.\n\nHe also singled out India and Pakistan as he urged other countries to assume the battle against armed groups.\n\nThe US invaded Afghanistan 18 years ago, seeking to remove the Taliban for sheltering al-Qaeda in the wake of the September 11, 2001, attacks.\n\nLast month, Trump argued he could easily win the Afghan war - Washington's longest military engagement abroad - by wiping out the country but added he did not \"want to kill 10 million people\".\n\n\"I have plans on Afghanistan that, if I wanted to win that war, Afghanistan would be wiped off the face of the Earth. It would be gone,\" Trump told reporters. \"It would be over in - literally, in 10 days. And I don't want to do, I don't want to go that route.\"\n\nThe comment drew a stiff response from Afghanistan's presidential palace which demanded his comments be clarified.\n\nA record 3,804 Afghan civilians were killed last year due in part to stepped-up air attacks by US-led forces and an increased number of suicide bombings, the United Nations said in a February report.", "KABUL (Reuters) - The United States and the Taliban officials resumed talks in Qatar on Thursday to firm up a deal enabling the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan in return for the Taliban security guarantees, the Taliban and senior U.S. official said.\n\nAfter 18 years of war and months of direct talks with the Taliban leaders, the United States appears to be at the cusp of reaching a deal that could allow a pullout of foreign forces followed by a ceasefire between the warring sides.\n\nTwo Taliban spokesmen said the ninth round of talks between the United States and the Taliban representatives started on Thursday evening, and a senior U.S. official privy to the peace negotiations said the “crucial meeting iron out smaller details had begun” in Qatar’s capital city, Doha.\n\nAbout 20,000 foreign troops, most of them American, are now in Afghanistan as part of a U.S.-led NATO mission to train, assist and advise Afghan forces. Some U.S. forces carry out counter-terrorism operations.\n\nU.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday the U.S. military role in Afghanistan has basically turned into a “ridiculous” police force in a sign that he is open to a U.S. troop drawdown there after 18 years of war.\n\nZalmay Khalilzad, an Afghan-born U.S. diplomat who has been leading the negotiations with the Taliban since last year is scheduled to travel to Kabul after his talks with the Taliban officials.\n\n“Khalilzad will inform the top Afghan leaders about the peace deal and then finalize a declaration to end the war in Afghanistan,” the U.S. official said on condition of anonymity.\n\nThe two sides have held discussions over a potential agreement on four key issues: a Taliban guarantee that it will not allow foreign militants to use Afghanistan as a launchpad to conduct attacks outside the country, the complete withdrawal of U.S. and NATO forces, an intra-Afghan dialogue and a permanent ceasefire.\n\nThe Taliban now control more territory than at any point since the United States bombed them out of power in 2001 for sheltering al Qaeda, the group blamed for the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States.\n\nIt has demanded a complete withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan and has rejected holding direct talks with the Afghan government.\n\nPresident Ashraf Ghani who is seeking reelection in September said on Thursday the Afghan government would be present in any potential peace negotiations with the Taliban as they move to another phase of the process.\n\nTwo American service members were killed in Afghanistan on Wednesday, bringing the number of U.S. troops killed in Afghanistan to at least 14 in 2019.", "The United States and Taliban officials have resumed talks in Qatar to firm up a deal enabling the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan in return for Taliban security guarantees.\n\nAfter 18 years of war and months of direct talks with Taliban leaders, the US appears to be on the cusp of reaching a deal that could allow a pullout of foreign forces followed by a ceasefire between the warring sides.\n\nTwo Taliban spokesmen said the ninth round of talks between the United States and the Taliban representatives started on Thursday evening.\n\nA senior US official privy to the peace negotiations said the crucial meeting to iron out \"smaller details\" had begun in Qatar's capital city, Doha.\n\nAbout 20,000 foreign troops, most of them American, are now in Afghanistan as part of a US-led NATO mission to train, assist and advise Afghan forces. Some US forces carry out counter-terrorism operations.\n\nUS President Donald Trump said on Tuesday the American military role in Afghanistan has basically turned into a \"ridiculous\" police force, in a sign that he is open to a US troop drawdown there.", "Doha - The United States and the Afghan Taliban have resumed peace talks in Qatar to try to conclude an agreement that would bring an end to the longest US overseas military intervention.\n\nThe crucial ninth round of talks in the yearlong dialogue process got under way Thursday in the Qatari capital of Doha amid expectations it will lead to the much-awaited peace agreement between the two adversaries.\n\nThe talks come a day after clashes with Taliban insurgents in northern Afghanistan killed two American soldiers, bringing the number of US military fatalities in the country this year to 14, exceeding the 2018 total.\n\nZalmay Khalilzad, the special reconciliation envoy for Afghanistan, is leading the American side while Sher Muhammad Abbas Stanekzai is heading insurgent negotiators, said a Taliban spokesman. “Head of occupation forces Scott Miller was also present in these negotiations,” Zabihullah Mujahid said, referring to the American commander of US and NATO troops in Afghanistan.\n\nKhalilzad will travel to Kabul for meetings with the Afghan leadership after concluding the meeting in Doha.\n\nThe Afghan-born chief US negotiator tweeted before leaving Washington on Tuesday that “we will try and close on remaining issues. We’re ready. Let’s see if the Taliban are as well.”\n\nThe deal, if reached, would require Washington to announce a timeline for withdrawing US-led foreign troops from the country. In return, the Taliban will give guarantees they will not allow transnational terrorists to use Afghan soil for attacks against other countries.\n\nThe agreement would pave the way for talks among the Taliban and Afghan stakeholders, including representatives of the government in Kabul. Those talks will focus on a permanent cease-fire and issues related to future governance in Afghanistan.", "PESHAWAR: Senior members of the Afghan Taliban said they resumed peace talks with the US in Doha on Thursday, adding they were optimistic about success of the negotiations.\n\nPleading anonymity, a member of the Taliban negotiating team in Qatar said that all their senior leaders and members of the peace council held lengthy sessions before start of the meeting with the US delegation.\n\nTaliban spokesmen in Doha, Suhail Shaheen and Zabihullah Mujahid in Afghanistan confirmed that the 9th round of the peace talks with the US began on Thursday.\n\n“We resumed peace talks with the US today on August 22 in Doha. Maulvi Mohammad Abbas Stanakzai led the Islamic Emirate (Taliban) while Zalmay Khalilzad represented the US delegation in talks,” Zabihullah Mujahid said.\n\nHe said the US military commander in Afghanistan General Scott Miller also participated in the talks.\n\nA senior Taliban leader and member of the negotiations team said they had already resolved major issues with the US and hoped a peace agreement could be signed before conclusion of the current session.\n\n“We are hopeful this time as we have already discussed all issues in detail with them (US) and could sign the peace accord if they proved sincerity in talks. I must say we resolved most of the major issues and hurdles in the talks and there should be no problem in the ongoing session,” said the Taliban leader. Pleading anonymity, he said the Taliban shura, headed by their supreme leader Sheikh Haibatullah Akhundzada, and their Qatar-based Political Commission, led by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, spoke in detail and discussed all matters related to the peace talks.\n\n“Our negotiation team is well prepared and they have the authority to make decisions. But the question remains whether the US officials would make unrealistic demands,” he said.\n\nAccording to Taliban sources, US officials were willing to announce the withdrawal plan of their forces from Afghanistan but in return they wanted Taliban to declare a ceasefire across the country. Taliban rejected this demand.\n\n“We told them we would announce a ceasefire in the areas from where the US troops are withdrawn. Also, we made a commitment to announce ceasefire but they would need to stop all type of military operations against Taliban in Afghanistan,” said the Taliban leader in Qatar.\n\nAlso, Taliban said the US wanted Taliban to give them more than a year for withdrawal which they didn’t accept.\n\nTaliban agreed on a six-month period for US to withdraw all its forces from Afghanistan.\n\n“Let’s see what happens this time. We agreed on the intra- Afghan dialogue after signing the peace agreement with the US. However, we made it clear to the US that we would not hold direct peace talks with the Afghan government,” he added.", "PESHAWAR: Senior members of the Afghan Taliban said they resumed peace talks with the US in Doha on Thursday, adding they were optimistic about success of the negotiations.\n\nPleading anonymity, a member of the Taliban negotiating team in Qatar said that all their senior leaders and members of the peace council held lengthy sessions before start of the meeting with the US delegation.\n\nTaliban spokesmen in Doha, Suhail Shaheen and Zabihullah Mujahid in Afghanistan confirmed that the 9th round of the peace talks with the US began on Thursday.\n\n“We resumed peace talks with the US today on August 22 in Doha. Maulvi Mohammad Abbas Stanakzai led the Islamic Emirate (Taliban) while Zalmay Khalilzad represented the US delegation in talks,” Zabihullah Mujahid said.\n\nHe said the US military commander in Afghanistan General Scott Miller also participated in the talks.\n\nA senior Taliban leader and member of the negotiations team said they had already resolved major issues with the US and hoped a peace agreement could be signed before conclusion of the current session.\n\n“We are hopeful this time as we have already discussed all issues in detail with them (US) and could sign the peace accord if they proved sincerity in talks. I must say we resolved most of the major issues and hurdles in the talks and there should be no problem in the ongoing session,” said the Taliban leader.\n\nPleading anonymity, he said the Taliban shura, headed by their supreme leader Sheikh Haibatullah Akhundzada, and their Qatar-based Political Commission, led by Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, spoke in detail and discussed all matters related to the peace talks.\n\n“Our negotiation team is well prepared and they have the authority to make decisions. But the question remains whether the US officials would make unrealistic demands,” he said.\n\nAccording to Taliban sources, US officials were willing to announce the withdrawal plan of their forces from Afghanistan but in return they wanted Taliban to declare a ceasefire across the country. Taliban rejected this demand.", "Doha, Aug 23 (IANS) The US and Taliban have resumed peace talks in Doha, Qatar, aimed at chalking out a deal on the withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan in exchange for a Taliban commitment on security and negotiations with the government in Kabul.\n\nSources familiar with the ninth round of the talks said the negotiations, that began on Thursday, will focus on three key issues: the mechanism of Taliban prisoners release; a decision on whether to keep US intelligence in Afghanistan after a peace deal; and at what level of leadership the peace deal between the two sides should be signed, TOLO News reported.\n\n“The recent statement by the US President that some part of the US intelligence will remain in Afghanistan has turned into a matter of discussion for the Taliban and it has raised some concerns. In this round, they will again discuss the issue in detail,” said Sayed Akbar Agha, a former Taliban commander.\n\nThe Wall Street Journal citing the US officials has said that the Taliban initially demanded an immediate pullout, however, the US negotiators pressed for a withdrawal stretched over 18-24 months while the Taliban softened their demand to nine to 12 months.\n\nBefore the talks began on Thursday, US Special Representative on Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad had said that Washington was ready to seal a peace deal with the Taliban if the group was ready for it.\n\nMeanwhile, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani on Wednesday assured that peace would finally prevail in the war-torn country and that the nation should not have any concern about the ongoing talks between the US and the Taliban in Doha.", "DOHA: The US and the Taliban said they would return to talks in Qatar on Friday aimed at bringing a close to Afghanistan’s 18-year conflict.\n\nTaliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told a media WhatsApp group that day two of the ninth round of negotiations in Doha would “restart after evening prayers and will continue till late evening”.\n\nA source close to the US negotiating team confirmed to AFP that “talks will resume this afternoon”.\n\nThe US, which invaded Afghanistan and toppled the Taliban in 2001, wants to withdraw thousands of troops but only in return for the insurgent group renouncing Al-Qaeda and curbing attacks.\n\nWashington is hoping to strike an agreement with the Taliban by September 1 — ahead of Afghan polls due the same month, and US presidential polls due in 2020.\n\nTaliban lead negotiator Abbas Stanikzai told AFP Thursday that talks had been “going well”.\n\nThe talks are expected to focus on establishing a timeline for the US withdrawal of its more than 13,000 troops.\n\n“We’ve been there for 18 years, it’s ridiculous,” US President Donald Trump told reporters Tuesday.\n\n“We are negotiating with the government and we are negotiating with the Taliban,” he added.\n\n“We have good talks going and we will see what happens.”\n\nBut thorny issues remain unresolved, including power-sharing with the Taliban, the role of regional powers including Pakistan and India, and the fate of Afghanistan’s incumbent administration.", "DOHA: The US and the Taliban said they would return to talks in Qatar on Friday (Aug 23) aimed at bringing a close to Afghanistan's 18-year conflict.\n\nTaliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told a media WhatsApp group that day two of the ninth round of negotiations in Doha would \"restart after evening prayers and will continue till late evening\".\n\nA State Department official told AFP that US special envoy to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad and his team \"have made progress on advancing a peace process\".\n\nBut the official added that \"we do not have an estimate for how long it may take to close out the remaining issues.\"\n\nA source close to the US negotiating team earlier confirmed to AFP that talks would resume Friday afternoon.\n\nThe US, which invaded Afghanistan and toppled the Taliban in 2001, wants to withdraw thousands of troops but only in return for the insurgent group renouncing Al-Qaeda and curbing attacks.\n\nWashington is hoping to strike an agreement with the Taliban by Sep 1 - ahead of Afghan polls due the same month, and US presidential polls due in 2020.\n\nTaliban lead negotiator Abbas Stanikzai told AFP Thursday that talks had been \"going well\".\n\nThe talks are expected to focus on establishing a timeline for the US withdrawal of its more than 13,000 troops.\n\n\"We've been there for 18 years, it's ridiculous,\" US President Donald Trump told reporters Tuesday.\n\n\"We are negotiating with the government and we are negotiating with the Taliban,\" he added.\n\n\"We have good talks going and we will see what happens.\"\n\nBut thorny issues remain unresolved, including power-sharing with the Taliban, the role of regional powers including Pakistan and India, and the fate of Afghanistan's incumbent administration.", "The United States and the Afghan Taliban have resumed peace talks in Qatar to try to conclude an agreement that would bring an end to the longest U.S. overseas military intervention.\n\nThe crucial ninth round of talks in the yearlong dialogue process got under way Thursday in the Qatari capital of Doha amid expectations it will lead to the much-awaited peace agreement between the two adversaries.\n\nThe talks come a day after clashes with Taliban insurgents in northern Afghanistan killed two American soldiers, bringing the number of U.S military fatalities in the country this year to 14, exceeding the 2018 total.\n\nZalmay Khalilzad, the special reconciliation envoy for Afghanistan, is leading the American side while Sher Muhammad Abbas Stanekzai is heading insurgent negotiators, said a Taliban spokesman.\n\n“Head of occupation forces Scott Miller was also present in these negotiations,” Zabihullah Mujahid said, referring to the American commander of U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan.\n\nKhalilzad will travel to Kabul for meetings with the Afghan leadership after concluding the meeting in Doha.\n\nThe Afghan-born chief U.S. negotiator tweeted before leaving Washington on Tuesday that “we will try and close on remaining issues. We’re ready. Let’s see if the Taliban are as well.”\n\nThe deal, if reached, would require Washington to announce a timeline for withdrawing U.S.-led foreign troops from the country. In return, the Taliban will give guarantees they will not allow transnational terrorists to use Afghan soil for attacks against other countries.\n\nThe agreement would pave the way for talks among the Taliban and Afghan stakeholders, including representatives of the government in Kabul. Those talks will focus on a permanent cease-fire and issues related to future governance in Afghanistan.\n\nPresident Donald Trump said on Tuesday his envoys have held “very good discussions” with the Taliban, though he cautioned that a troop withdrawal agreement might not be realized.\n\nTrump has been a strong critic of U.S. involvement in overseas wars. He promised during his 2016 presidential campaign that he would extricate America from international conflicts.\n\nThe American president appears to be in a hurry to withdraw U.S. forces from Afghanistan before next year’s presidential election, in an effort to boost his bid for another four-year term.\n\nTrump has emphasized that even in the event of a peace deal with the Taliban that involves troop withdrawal, the U.S. would leave behind a “very significant intelligence” force for operations against the Islamic State and al-Qaida, maintaining that Afghanistan is “a breeding ground” for terrorists."], "summary": "A ninth round of peace talks between the United States and the Taliban starts in Doha, Qatar."}
{"document": ["Image copyright EPA Image caption The injured were transported to hospitals in the nearby town of Zakopane\n\nAt least four people died and more than 100 were injured in lightning strikes during a thunderstorm in Poland, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki says.\n\nThe worst bolt fell on a group of hikers at the summit of Giewont, a popular peak in the Tatra range in the south of the country.\n\nA fifth person was killed in neighbouring Slovakia. At least one of the victims was said to be a child.\n\nThe storm is said to have descended suddenly after a sunny morning.\n\n\"Nobody expected such a sudden storm to break out and from our human point of view it was something which was impossible to predict,\" Mr Morawiecki said an emergency meeting in the region.\n\nThere were reports of casualties in different parts of the mountain range. At least four rescue helicopters were sent to the area.\n\nThe worst incident occurred on Thursday at the top of the 1,894m (6,214ft) Giewont mountain, where a metal cross is sited.\n\nA lightning bolt is thought to have struck the 15m structure at a time when a large number of hikers were at the summit, and the current then travelled along a metal railing.\n\n\"We heard that after (the) lightning struck, people fell. The current then continued along the chains securing the ascent, striking everyone along the way. It looked bad,\" Polish mountain rescue service chief Jan Krzysztof told the country's PAP news agency.\n\nA resident in the mountain resort town of Zakopane in the Tatra region posted a video showing the thunderstorm.\n\nZakopane Mayor Leszek Dorula has reportedly declared Friday a day of mourning.\n\nLocal radio in the city of Krakow posted video of a rescue helicopter on its way to Giewont.", "Four die, over 100 hurt in thunderstorm in Poland's Tatra mountains\n\n\n\n\n\nFour people died and more than a 100 got injured in heavy thunderstorm that passed over Poland's Tatra Mountains on Thursday. A group of tourists nearby Giewont summit were struck by a lightning.\n\nWATCH THE FULL EDITION OF TVN24'S NEWS IN ENGLISH AT TVN24 GO\n\nFour people, two of them children, died and more than 100 were injured during a thunderstorm in Poland's Tatra mountains on Thursday, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said.\n\nA fifth person was killed by the storm in the West Tatras in neighbouring Slovakia, mountain rescue services reported.\n\nLightning hit a group of tourists on Giewont, a 1,894-metre mountain in Poland, after a sunny morning turned stormy, according to witnesses quoted on private broadcaster TVN24.\n\nTourists climbing Giewont often aim to end their trip at the summit, where a 15-metre iron cross was installed in 1901. The cross is believed to attract lightning.\n\n\"Nobody expected such a sudden storm to break out and from our human point of view it was something which was impossible to predict,\" said Morawiecki after a meeting of an emergency council in the southern town of Zakopane.\n\nThe mayor of Zakopane, Leszek Dorula, declared Friday a day of mourning, Polish news agency PAP reported.\n\nOther victims were hurt in different parts of the Tatra range, which spreads over 57 kilometres in southern Poland.\n\nJoanna Sieradzka, spokesman for the Kraków Ambulance Service, said on TVN24 that five helicopters had been involved in the rescue effort.\n\nPresident Andrzej Duda expressed condolences to all affected by the cataclysm.", "W momencie uderzenia pioruna w rejonie masywu Giewontu przebywało kilkudziesięciu turystów. Trwa tam akcja ratunkowa Tatrzańskiego Ochotniczego Pogotowia Ratunkowego. Jak powiedziała Kinga Czerwińska, zastępca rzecznika prasowego Lotniczego Pogotowia Ratunkowego, na miejsce wysłane zostały też cztery śmigłowce. Są to \"Ratownik Szósty\" z Krakowa i \"Ratownik Piąty\" z Kielc, a także śmigłowiec z Gorlic i Gliwic.\n\nREKLAMA\n\nTatry. 4 ofiary śmiertelne burz. Trwa akcja ratunkowa\n\nDo załamania pogody w Tatrach doszło ok. 13. Jako pierwszy o tragedii poinformował TOPR. Z najnowszych informacji wynika, że kilka osób zginęło od porażenia pioruna w różnych miejscach Tatr, natomiast kilkanaście osób zostało rażonych na samym Giewoncie (doszło tam do tzw. \"masowego porażenia\"). Naczelnik TOPR Jan Krzysztof poinformował, że w wyniku gwałtownych burz w Tatrach zginęły 4 osoby, w tym dwójka dzieci. Około 80 ma być rannych, w tym kilka w bardzo ciężkim stanie. W Tatrach, szczególnie w okolicy Giewontu, trwa akcja ratunkowa, w której bierze udział kilka śmigłowców TOPR i LPR.\n\nZ kolei po słowackiej stronie Tatr zginął czeski turysta - spadł w przepaść po rażeniu piorunem, a dwie inne osoby zostały ranne.\n\nAkcja ratunkowa wciąż trwa, ratownicy próbują dotrzeć do wszystkich poszkodowanych. - Mamy bardzo ciężką sytuację - skomentował Jan Krzysztof. Pod szpitalem w Zakopanem non-stop lądują śmigłowce ratunkowe. Przewieziono tam co najmniej kilka osób.\n\nTuryści relacjonują, że burza zerwała się nagle. - Był błysk i zaczęło grzmieć. Byliśmy już praktycznie w połowie drogi na szczyt, postanowiliśmy szybko zawrócić. Grzmiało z każdej możliwej strony, zerwała się nawałnica - mówił na antenie TVN 24 turysta, który był w okolicach Giewontu chwilę przed załamaniem pogody. Z innych niepotwierdzonych doniesień wynika, że najbardziej poszkodowani zostali turyści, którzy w trakcie burzy schodzili ze szczytu Giewontu trzymając się stalowego łańcucha.\n\nOprócz rejonu Giewontu, do porażenia turystów doszło również na Polanie Kondratowej, gdzie trwa akcja ratunkowa - informuje serwis Zakopane Nasze Miasto. Schronisko na Hali Kondratowej jest nieczynne - zostali tam przetransportowali ranni, którzy są teraz opatrywani. Do silnych wyładowań doszło też m.in. przy ulicy Pod Blachówką w Kościelisku.\n\nDo ostatniego tak tragicznego w skutkach porażenia turystów doszło w Tatrach ostatni raz 15 sierpnia 1937 roku. Wówczas zginęły 4 osoby, a 13 zostało rannych.\n\nPiorun uderzył w Giewont. Infolinia dla rodzin\n\n\"W związku z wydarzeniami w Tatrach w Starostwie Powiatowym w Zakopanem uruchomiona została infolinia. Pod następującym numerem telefonu będzie można uzyskać informacje o poszkodowanych:\n\n18 201 71 00\" - podał na Twitterze wiceszef MSWiA Paweł Szefernaker.", "Lightning strikes across the Tatra Mountains in southern Poland and neighbouring Slovakia have killed five people and injuring more than 100 others in an area popular with hikers and families, authorities said.\n\nLightning strikes across the Tatra Mountains in southern Poland and neighbouring Slovakia have killed five people and injuring more than 100 others in an area popular with hikers and families, authorities said.\n\nFive dead and 100 hurt by lightning strikes in Tatra Mountains\n\nWitnesses said the thunderstorm came suddenly on a day that began with clear weather.\n\nFour people were killed on the Polish side, including two children, a spokeswoman for the Polish air ambulance service, Kinga Czerwinska, told the news broadcaster TVN24.\n\nSlovak authorities said one person died in their nation.\n\nThe lightning strikes hit the Giewont peak as well as other locations across the Tatras.\n\nSome of the injured were brought by helicopter to a hospital in the Polish mountain resort of Zakopane.\n\nPrime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, who went to Zakopane said some among the over 100 injured were in very serious condition with severe burns or head injuries.", "At least five people were killed, including two children, and more than 100 injured after lightning struck in the Tatra Mountain range on the border of Poland and Slovakia on Thursday.\n\nFour people were killed on the Polish side, among them were the two youngsters, a spokeswoman for the Polish air ambulance service, Kinga Czerwinska, told news broadcaster TVN24. Slovak authorities confirmed one person died on their side of the range.\n\n\"More than 100 people are injured,\" Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said after arriving in the nearby mountain resort town of Zakopane.\n\nMany of the wounded suffered severe burns or head injuries.\n\nThe Tatra Mountains lie on the Polish border with Slovakia and form a natural divide between the two countries, around 110 kilometers (70 miles) south of Krakow.\n\nRead more: German tourist dies after lightning strike in Italy\n\nPoland's voluntary mountain rescue organization, TOPR, said rescuers had been sent to the Giewont summit, which overlooks Zakopane, where a group of people, among them children, had been struck by lightning.\n\nA bolt hit a 15-meter-high (49-foot-high) metal cross at the mountain's 1,894-meter peak and is believed to have been the principal cause of the fatalities. The cross was installed in 1901.\n\n\"A dozen people were struck by lightning around Mount Giewont,\" recovery service chief Jan Krzysztof told reporters.\n\nKinga Czerwinska, of the Airborne Ambulance Service, said four helicopters had been sent out to help the injured, as well as to search for survivors.\n\n\"There were a lot of incidents involving lightning strikes today in the Tatras,\" Krzysztof added. \"We heard that after lightning struck, people fell... the current then continued along the chains securing the ascent, striking everyone along the way. It looked bad,\" Krzysztof said.\n\nAt the beginning of the day, the weather was favorable, but conditions deteriorated as the day progressed, culminating in the storms.\n\nEvery evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.", "WARSAW, Poland — Lightning struck across the Tatra Mountains in southern Poland and neighboring Slovakia on Thursday, killing five people and injuring over 100 others in an area popular with hikers and families, authorities said.\n\nWitnesses said the thunderstorm came suddenly on a day that began with clear weather. The lightning strikes pummeled Poland's Giewont peak, a trekking destination that is 1,894 meters (6,214 feet) high, as well as other locations across the Tatras.\n\nFour people were killed on the Polish side, including two children, a spokeswoman for the Polish air ambulance service, Kinga Czerwinska, told the news broadcaster TVN24.\n\nThe Slovak rescue service said a Czech was killed after lightning knocked him off Banikov peak. The tourist fell hundreds of meters (yards) down the side of a mountain.\n\nRescuers with the Polish Tatra emergency service, known as TOPR, said they believe the lightning probably hit some of the metal chains installed on Giewont peak to aid tourists in their climb.\n\nSome of the injured were brought by helicopter to a hospital in the Polish mountain resort of Zakopane and Krakow province governor Piotr Cwik told reporters that the death toll could certainly rise.\n\nA Rescue helicopter brings people injured by lighting that struck in Poland's southern Tatra Mountains during a sudden thunderstorm, in Zakopane, Poland, on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019. (AP Photo/Bartlomiej Jurecki)\n\nPrime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, who went to Zakopane, said some among the over 100 injured were in very serious condition with severe burns or head injuries, as they fell after the lightning strikes or were hit by falling rocks. He extended his sympathies to their relatives.\n\nThe Tatras, part of the Carpathian mountain range, are the highest mountains in Poland and in Slovakia and attract tourists from near and far with scenic lakes and peaks that soar to 2,655 meters (8,710 feet).\n\nThursday's lightning strikes were the worst accident in the Tatras since August 1937, when lighting killed four people on Giewont.\n\nFootage on TVN24 showed rescuers racing to a helicopter to get to the peak in rainy, foggy weather and then a helicopter landing at the hospital in Zakopane with injured people.\n\nRescue workers planned to keep checking the mountains for anyone else who might need help.\n\nTourist Grzegorz Pyzel told TVN24 he was halfway up Giewont peak with his wife in clear weather when suddenly they heard thunder and thought it was a jet overhead.\n\n\"But soon lightning struck and we turned back. Suddenly it started pouring and you could hear thunder roaring from every possible direction,\" Pyzel said.\n\nThe couple reached a shelter on Hala Kondratowa, at the foot of the mountain, and soon others started coming in, saying there were injured people further up the mountain, he said.\n\nIn another rescue operation in the Tatra Mountains, TOPR emergency workers have been searching for two spelunkers who went missing in a cave on Saturday after being trapped by rising water. Rescuers used small amounts of explosives to widen passages in uncharted parts of the Wielka Sniezna cave, Poland's deepest and longest, to look for the missing cavers.\n\nOn Thursday, the body of one of the two was found, an official said.\n\nRELATED: Lightning strikes a 'hole in one' on golf course in Moyock, N.C.\n\nRELATED: What was really going on in the viral video that appeared to show a man being struck by lightning?", "Polish authorities say 5 dead, more than 100 people injured in lightning strikes in Tatra Mountains\n\nWARSAW, Poland (AP) — Polish authorities say 5 dead, more than 100 people injured in lightning strikes in Tatra Mountains.", "Five people have been killed and 100 injured, some seriously, during thunderstorms in Poland's Tatra Mountains and the West Tatras in Slovakia.\n\nPiotr Cwik, governor of the province of Krakow, told reporters that the death toll from Thursday could rise.\n\nLightning struck a popular hiking destination atop Mount Giewont, along the border of southern Poland and northern Slovakia.\n\nTourists climbing Giewont in Poland often aim to end their trip at the top, where a 15 metre iron cross was installed in 1901.\n\nRescuers believe the cross could have acted as a type of lightning rod. There are also metal chains along the trail to the summit that hikers often use to help climb to the top that could have conducted the electricity from the lightning bolt.\n\nOther victims were hurt in different areas of the mountain range, which spreads over 57 kilometres in southern Poland.\n\nFour helicopters and emergency crews were used to transport the injured off the mountain safely.\n\nAlso on Thursday, Polish rescuers found the body of one of two cavers who became trapped in the mountains after a tunnel flooded and blocked their exit.\n\n\"The first of the cavers has been found in the cave is dead. More information will be available tomorrow,\" said the local mountain rescue service, TOPR.\n\nThe two became trapped in the Wielka Sniezna cave, the longest and deepest in the Tatra Mountains, on Saturday, when colleagues notified the rescue services.\n\nIn the West Tatra on the Polish Slovakia border, a man was killed when lightning knocked him into a gorge, the Slovak Mountain Rescue Service said. His companion, a Czech woman, was injured.", "WARSAW, Poland\n• Lightning struck across the Tatra Mountains in southern Poland and neighboring Slovakia on Thursday, killing five people and injuring over 100 in an area popular with hikers and families, authorities said.\n\nWitnesses said the thunderstorm came suddenly on a day that began with clear weather. The lightning strikes pummeled Poland’s Giewont peak, a trekking destination that is 6,214 feet high, as well as other locations across the Tatras.\n\nFour people were killed on the Polish side, including two children, a spokeswoman for the Polish air ambulance service, Kinga Czerwinska, told the news broadcaster TVN24.\n\nThe Slovak rescue service said a Czech was killed after lightning knocked him off Banikov peak. The tourist fell hundreds of yards down the side of a mountain.\n\nRescuers with the Polish Tatra emergency service, known as TOPR, said they believe the lightning probably hit some of the metal chains installed on Giewont peak to aid tourists in their climb.\n\nSome of the injured were brought by helicopter to a hospital in the Polish mountain resort of Zakopane and Krakow province governor Piotr Cwik said that the death toll could certainly rise.\n\nPrime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki, who went to Zakopane, said some among the over 100 injured were in very serious condition with severe burns or head injuries, as they fell after the lightning strikes or were hit by falling rocks. He extended his sympathies to their relatives.\n\nThe Tatras, part of the Carpathian mountain range, are the highest mountains in Poland and in Slovakia and attract tourists from near and far with scenic lakes and peaks that soar to 8,710 feet.\n\nThursday’s lightning strikes were the worst accident in the Tatras since August 1937, when lighting killed four people on Giewont.\n\nFootage on TVN24 showed rescuers racing to a helicopter to get to the peak in rainy, foggy weather and then a helicopter landing at the hospital in Zakopane with injured people.\n\nRescue workers planned to keep checking the mountains for anyone else who might need help.\n\nTourist Grzegorz Pyzel told TVN24 he was halfway up Giewont peak with his wife in clear weather when suddenly they heard thunder and thought it was a jet overhead.\n\n“But soon lightning struck and we turned back. Suddenly it started pouring and you could hear thunder roaring from every possible direction,” Pyzel said.", "Four people — including two children — were killed and more than 100 were injured during a thunderstorm in Poland's Tatra Mountains on Thursday, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said.\n\nA fifth person was killed by the storm in the West Tatras in neighbouring Slovakia, mountain rescue services reported.\n\nLightning hit a group of tourists on Giewont, a 1,894-metre mountain in Poland, after a sunny morning turned stormy, according to witnesses quoted on private broadcaster TVN24.\n\nTourists climbing Giewont often aim to end their trip at the summit, where a 15-metre iron cross was installed in 1901. The cross is believed to attract lightning.\n\n\"Nobody expected such a sudden storm to break out, and from our human point of view it was something which was impossible to predict,\" said Morawiecki after a meeting of an emergency council in the southern town of Zakopane.\n\nThe Slovak rescue service said a Czech tourist fell hundreds of metres down the side of a mountain and was killed after lightning knocked him off Banikov peak.\n\nRescuers with the Polish Tatra emergency service, known as TOPR, said they believe the lightning probably hit some of the metal chains installed on Giewont peak to aid tourists in their climb.\n\nSome of the injured were brought by helicopter to a hospital in the Polish mountain resort of Zakopane, and Krakow province governor Piotr Cwik told reporters that the death toll could certainly rise.\n\nMorawiecki said some among the over 100 injured were in very serious condition with severe burns or head injuries, as they fell after the lightning strikes or were hit by falling rocks.\n\nThe mayor of Zakopane, Leszek Dorula, declared Friday a day of mourning, Polish news agency PAP reported.\n\nThe Tatras, part of the Carpathian mountain range, are the highest mountains in Poland and in Slovakia, and attract tourists from near and far with scenic lakes and peaks that soar to 2,655 metres.\n\nThursday's lightning strikes were the worst accident in the Tatras since August 1937, when lighting killed four people on Giewont.\n\nJoanna Sieradzka, spokesperson for the Krakow Ambulance Service, said on TVN24 that five helicopters had been involved in the rescue effort.\n\nTourist Grzegorz Pyzel told TVN24 he was halfway up Giewont peak with his wife in clear weather when suddenly they heard thunder and thought it was a jet overhead.\n\n\"But soon lightning struck and we turned back,\" Pyzel said. \"Suddenly it started pouring, and you could hear thunder roaring from every possible direction.\"\n\nThe couple reached a shelter on Hala Kondratowa, at the foot of the mountain, and soon others started coming in, saying there were injured people farther up the mountain, he said.\n\nIn another rescue operation in the Tatra Mountains, emergency workers were searching for two spelunkers who went missing in a cave on Saturday after being trapped by rising water. Rescuers used small amounts of explosives to widen passages in uncharted parts of the Wielka Sniezna cave, Poland's deepest and longest, to look for the missing cavers.\n\nOn Thursday, the body of one of the two was found, an official said."], "summary": "At least four people are dead and more than 100 injured after lightning strikes the summit of Giewont in the Tatra Mountains, Poland. Another person is killed in Slovakia."}
{"document": ["Image copyright Reuters Image caption Concert goers filmed the stretchers coming into the venue\n\nAt least five people have been killed in a stampede at a rap concert in the Algerian capital.\n\nThousands had gathered at a stadium in Algiers to see rapper Abderraouf Derradji, better known as Soolking, perform when a stampede is said to have broken out at one of the entrances.\n\nTwenty-one people were injured in the stampede and taken to hospital, medical sources told local media outlets.\n\nThe concert then went ahead and was carried live on Algerian TV.\n\nLocal news site TSA reported that of the five young people killed, three were male and two female.\n\nYou may also be interested in\n\nVideo footage posted on social media showed medics carrying a person believed to be a victim of the stampede on a stretcher outside the stadium.\n\nA journalist who was at the concert, Linda Chebbah, told BBC Newsday that from the beginning it looked like something was wrong.\n\n\"There were way too many people for this stadium. On the pitch, people were jostling for space. There were so many people at the concert, that I'm not surprised an accident happened.\"\n\nAlgerian musician Soolking has not yet commented on the incident on social media.", "ALGIERS (Reuters) - At least five people were killed in a stampede at a packed rap concert in the Algerian capital on Thursday night, a hospital source said.\n\nThousands had gathered at the concert of local rap star Abderraouf Derradji, known as “Soolking”, in a stadium in Algiers.\n\nNo further details were immediately available", "At least five people were killed in a stampede at a rap concert in Algeria.\n\nThe concert and the stampede happened in Algiers, the Algerian capital, on Thursday night.\n\nThe BBC quoted a local news site, TSA, as stating that the victims included three males and two females.\n\nThousands of people had gathered at a stadium to see rapper Abderraouf Derradji, better known as Soolking, perform when the stampede broke out at one of the entrances.\n\nOver a dozen people were also injured in the stampede.\n\nDespite the stampede, the concert continued and was aired live on TV.", "Algiers: At least five people were killed in a stampede at a packed rap concert in the Algerian capital on Thursday night, a hospital source said.", "ALGIERS: Five people were killed and 23 others injured in a stampede at a concert at a stadium in Algiers, the country’s state news agency APS reported on Friday, citing a hospital official.\n\n The crush took place at the August 20 Stadium in central Algiers before a concert by famous Algerian rapper Abderraouf Derradji, also known as Soolking, late on Thursday.\n\n The fatalities were three young women and two men, the director of an Algiers hospital, Abdelsalam Banana, said. He put their ages at 20 to 25 years.\n\n He added that the cause of their death would not be determined before post-mortem examinations are conducted on their bodies.\n\n Earlier on Friday, the civil defence agency said the stampede claimed five lives and injured around 100 others.\n\n The incident resulted from jostling by a large crowd of fans at a small entrance to the stadium where the concert was held, APS reported, citing witnesses.\n\n The concert was shown live on Algerian state television.\n\n Around 45,000 fans, mostly teenagers, attended the concert, according to Algerian news portal Echorouk online. — dpa", "A person is carried on a stretcher by medics following a stampede at a rap concert in the August 20, 1955 (Stade 20 Aout 1955 Algiers) stadium in Algiers, Algeria in this still frame obtained via social media video August 22, 2019. FACEBOOK @SECURITEROUTIERE.DZ.PAGEOFICIAL/via REUTERS. A person is carried on a stretcher by medics following a stampede at a rap concert in the August 20, 1955 (Stade 20 Aout 1955 Algiers) stadium in Algiers, Algeria in this still frame obtained via social media video August 22, 2019. FACEBOOK @SECURITEROUTIERE.DZ.PAGEOFICIAL/via REUTERS.\n\nALGIERS (Reuters) – At least five people were killed in a stampede at a packed rap concert in the Algerian capital on Thursday night, a hospital source said.\n\nThousands had gathered at the concert of local rap star Abderraouf Derradji, known as “Soolking”, in a stadium in Algiers.\n\nNo further details were immediately available", "Five people were killed and 100 others injured in a stampede before a concert at a stadium in Algiers, the civil defence agency said on Friday.\n\nThe crash took place in a Stadium at the central Algiers before a concert by Algerian rapper, Abderraouf Derradji, also known as Soolking late Thursday.\n\nThe dead were two girls, two boys and a 21-year-old man, the civil defence added in a statement.\n\nThe concert went on as scheduled and was shown live on state Algerian television.\n\nAround 45,000 fans, mostly teenagers, attended the concert, according to an Algerian news portal, Echorouk online.\n\nEyewitnesses said the scramble occurred when guards failed to direct people to entrances in an orderly manner.", "Five young people were killed and dozens more injured in a stampede at a packed rap concert in the Algerian capital, a spokesman for the rescue services said Friday.\n\nThe stampede took place Thursday night as fans thronged an entrance of the August-20 Stadium where rapper Soolking was to perform.\n\nThe 29-year-old has won a huge number of fans in the North African country, his song \"La Liberte\" (Freedom) becoming a mainstay of anti-government protests that will enter their seventh month on Friday.\n\nCaptain Nassim Bernaoui of the civil protection unit told AFP there were five victims of the crush: \"two young girls aged 19 and 22 and three boys aged 13, 21 and 16.\"\n\nDozens of people were lightly injured, Bernaoui said, 86 of whom were treated on the spot with another 32 taken to hospital.\n\nEight others were transferred to the Mustapha Pacha hospital in Algiers in critical condition, he added.\n\nThe APS news agency quoted the head of the hospital, Abdeslam Bennana, as saying the five killed in the stampede were two young men and three young women -- all in their early to mid-20s.\n\nAccording to the agency, the incident took place at around 1900 GMT, adding that the concert went ahead as planned but with a 30-minute delay.\n\nAlgerian journalist Akram Kharief, who specialises in defence and security issues, said that thousands of fans began gathering outside the stadium from mid-afternoon.\n\nMore than 30,000 people were estimated to have attended the concert, APS reported.\n\n\"There were only four small entrances allowing people to enter one at a time,\" Kharief told AFP.\n\n\"This caused a stampede... and people fell\" as they pushed to get inside before the start of the concert, he added.\n\nFrance-based Soolking, whose given name is Abderraouf Derradji, shot to stardom last year and was to perform just a single concert in his home country Algeria.\n\nHe dedicated the song \"La Liberte\" to protesters engaged in months of anti-government demonstrations and it has been heard on the streets on a weekly basis during rallies.\n\nAlgerians launched the unprecedented protest movement in February, initially against a bid by veteran president Abdelaziz Bouteflika to seek a fifth term in office.\n\nBouteflika eventually resigned in the face of mass protests but the movement has not let up, continuing to rally weekly on Fridays to demand a complete overhaul of the ruling regime.", "People are being tended by rescue workers during Algerian rap artist Abderraouf Derradji’s concert, known as Soolking, at a stadium in Algiers, Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019. The concert caused some deaths and injuries in a stampede as fans thronged an entrance at the rap concert in the Algerian capital. (AP Photo/Fateh Guidoum)\n\nALGIERS, Algeria (AP) — Prosecutors have opened an investigation into the cause of a stampede ahead of a rapper’s concert at an Algiers sports stadium that left five youths dead, including a 13-year-old.\n\nThe prosecutor’s office in Sidi M’Hamed said in a statement on Friday that an inquiry to determine the circumstances of the drama the night before was being opened.\n\nThe TSA online news site said that a stampede erupted at the entrance to the stadium that killed five people aged 13 to 22. The concert by Algerian rapper Soolking had not yet started.\n\nThe site quoted civil defense spokesman Khaled Benkhelfallah as saying that 86 others were rescued. He said he knew nothing of the circumstances that led to the stampede.", "Prosecutors have opened an investigation into the cause of a stampede ahead of a rapper's concert at an Algiers sports stadium that left five young people dead, including a 13-year-old.\n\nThe prosecutor's office in Sidi M'Hamed said in a statement yesterday that an inquiry to determine the circumstances of the drama the night before was being opened.\n\nThe TSA online news site said that a stampede erupted at the entrance to the stadium that killed five people aged 13 to 22. The concert by Algerian rapper Soolking had not yet started.\n\nThe site quoted civil defense spokesman Khaled Benkhelfallah as saying that 86 others were rescued. He said he knew nothing of the circumstances that led to the stampede."], "summary": "At least five people are killed and 21 others injured in a stampede at a rap concert in Algiers, Algeria."}
{"document": ["日本と韓国の軍事情報包括保護協定＝「ＧＳＯＭＩＡ」について、韓国政府は、延長せずに破棄することを決めたと発表しました。これについて外交ルートを通じて日本政府に通告するとしていて、日韓の対立は安全保障分野にも波及することになります。\n\n軍事情報包括保護協定＝「ＧＳＯＭＩＡ」は、日本と韓国が2016年に締結したもので、１年ごとに延長されていますが、どちらかが毎年８月24日までに通告すれば協定を破棄できることになっています。\n\n\n\n自動更新の期限が24日に迫る中、韓国大統領府は、22日午後３時からＮＳＣ＝国家安全保障会議を開き、日本との「ＧＳＯＭＩＡ」について協議し、その結果について大統領府のキム・ユグン（金有根）国家安保室第１次長が発表しました。\n\n\n\nそれによりますと、日本政府が輸出管理の優遇対象国から韓国を除外する決定をしたことについて、「明確な根拠を示さなかった」と指摘し、「両国の安全保障協力の環境に重大な変化をもたらした」としています。\n\n\n\nそのうえで「このような状況で安全保障上、敏感な軍事情報の交流を目的に締結した協定を続けることは、わが国の国益に合致しないと判断した」として、「ＧＳＯＭＩＡ」を延長せずに破棄することを決めたと発表しました。\n\n\n\nこれについて韓国政府は、協定の自動更新の期限のあさってまでに、外交ルートを通じて日本政府に通告するとしています。\n\n\n\n「ＧＳＯＭＩＡ」をめぐっては、日本とアメリカは継続を呼びかけていましたが、韓国国内では、日本政府の輸出管理をめぐり対抗措置として破棄すべきだとする意見が出ていました。韓国側による協定の破棄で、日韓の対立は安全保障分野にも波及することになりました。\n\n韓国「協定持続は国益に合致しない」 記者会見で、韓国大統領府国家安保室のキム・ユグン（金有根）第１次長は、「日本政府が安全保障上の理由があるとして輸出管理の優遇対象国から除外し、両国の安保協力関係に重大な変化をもたらした。このためＧＳＯＭＩＡを持続するのはわが国の国益に合致しないと判断した」と述べました。\n\n日本政府「信じられない」 防衛省幹部はＮＨＫの取材に対し、「信じられない。韓国は、いったい、どうしていこうというのか。政府としても、これから、対応を検討していく」と述べました。また、別の幹部は、「想定外の対応で、韓国側の主張を冷静に分析する必要がある。韓国側は、輸出管理の問題を理由にあげており、政府全体として、どうするか考えていかなければならない」と述べました。\n\n\n\n政府関係者はＮＨＫの取材に対し「残念ではあるが、韓国側の対応がどうであれ、日本側としては、太平洋戦争中の『徴用』をめぐる問題への姿勢は変えられない。防衛面では、日米の連携もあり、ただちに影響がでるとは考えにくいが、今後、防衛当局間での意思疎通がさらに難しくなるおそれはある」と述べました。\n\n安倍総理大臣は、午後６時半ごろ、総理大臣官邸を出る際に、記者団が韓国政府の発表について、日本政府の対応を質問したのに対し、片手を上げたものの、答えませんでした。\n\n在日米軍「日米同盟は不変」 在日米軍司令部は、ＮＨＫの取材に対し、「韓国と日本に関することなのでコメントできない」としています。そのうえで「アメリカと日本の同盟がこの地域の安全保障の礎になっていることに変わりはない」と強調しました。\n\n欧米メディアも速報 「ＧＳＯＭＩＡ」の破棄を韓国政府が決めたことについて欧米のメディアも速報で伝えています。\n\n\n\nロイター通信は、「日本と韓国のあいだでは歴史認識や貿易をめぐる対立が深まっていた。日本側が輸出管理の優遇対象国から韓国を除外したことによって、『重大な変化』を招いた」と伝えました。\n\n\n\nまた、フランスのＡＦＰ通信は、「北朝鮮による相次ぐミサイル実験に直面するなか、安全保障面での協力に影響が及ぶことが懸念されている」と伝えました。\n\n\n\nさらに、アメリカのＡＰ通信は、今後への影響について、「今回の韓国の決定は、東アジア地域におけるアメリカの重要な同盟国どうしの間で緊張がさらに高まることが予想される」と解説しています。", "South Korea is ending its intelligence-sharing pact with Japan in a dramatic escalation of the two countries' trade war. It is a move that could strip Japan of vital information about North Korea's nuclear program.\n\nSouth Korea's National Security Council decided to end the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) after an hour-long meeting on Thursday, Reuters reported, adding that President Moon Jae-in personally approved the plan.\n\nThe GSOMIA was due to be automatically renewed this Saturday unless one side canceled it, Reuters and South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported.\n\nThe South Korean presidency blamed Japan for the termination of the deal, citing a \"trust issue\" it had created in the two countries' bilateral security relations, Yonhap reported.\n\nKim You-geun, the deputy director South Korea's National Security Council, noted in a Thursday statement that Japan had on August 2 dropped South Korea from its list of favored trading partners \"without providing clear ground.\"\n\nThis, he said, led to a \"grave change in security cooperation circumstances between the two nations,\" Yonhap reported.\n\nSouth Korea also dropped Japan from its export whitelist ten days after Tokyo's decision, and created an entirely new country category to punish Japan economically.\n\nThose moves mean that Japanese and South Korean exporters of \"strategic\" goods will now have to go through additional screening to sell abroad.\n\nRead more: South Korea created a new category of country specifically to punish Japan in their escalating trade war\n\nA truck drives between shipping containers at a container terminal at Incheon port, South Korea, in May 2016. Kim Hong-ji/Reuters\n\nThe decision to terminate the GSOMIA came shortly after Japan and South Korea's foreign ministers met in Beijing on Wednesday and Thursday, but failed to achieve a breakthrough, Yonhap and Reuters reported.\n\nThey have, however, promised to continue talking.\n\n\"Although ties between Japan and South Korea are in a very tough situation, we believe we should cooperate with South Korea where cooperation is necessary,\" Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Thursday, shortly before Seoul's announcement to end GSOMIA, Reuters reported.\n\nJapan and South Korea have had tense relations since at least 1910, when Japan colonized South Korea and ruled it with an iron fist until 1945.\n\nTensions bubbled to the surface late last year when the South Korean Supreme Court ordered Japanese companies to compensate Korean laborers who were forced to work for them during World War II.\n\nThe Japanese government maintains it settled all colonial-era debts in a 1965 pact, and many Japanese companies refused to comply with the court's order.\n\nRead more: South Korea and Japan's trade war has gotten so bad that some South Korean gas stations are refusing to refuel Japanese-made cars\n\nChinese Premier Li Keqiang (center) at a meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono (left), South Korean Foreign Minister (second-left), and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (second-right) in Beijing, China, on Thursday. Japan and South Korea failed to make headway in this meeting. How Hwee Young/Pool via Reuters\n\nWhy ending the intelligence pact is a big deal\n\nGSOMIA went into effect in November 2016, and was apparently created out of the US's strong encouragement, Yonhap and the Associated Press (AP) reported.\n\nThe intelligence pact sped up information exchange between the two countries, which previously only exchanged information via the US, the AP reported. The US has separate security pacts with both Japan and South Korea, which officials say won't be affected, according to Yonhap.\n\nAll three countries have an interest in maintaining security cooperation as China continues to expand its military and naval power in the region, and North Korea's nuclear program continues to be a threat.\n\nNorth Korea has long used missile tests to make threats against South Korea, with many of the projectiles landing in the Sea of Japan.\n\nKim Jong Un's regime completed six missile tests within the space of a month this summer to protest against the US and South Korea's joint military drills.\n\nImages of North Korea's missile launch shown on TV at the Seoul Railway Station in South Korea on July 25, 2019. Ahn Young-joon/AP\n\nThe US has repeatedly urged its two Asian partners to resolve their differences.\n\nLt. Col. Dave Eastburn, a spokesman for the US Department of Defense, said according to Yonhap and Reuters: \"We encourage Japan and Korea to work together to resolve their differences. I hope they can do this quickly.\"\n\n\"We are all stronger — and Northeast Asia is safer — when the United States, Japan and Korea work together in solidarity and friendship,\" he added. \"Intel-sharing is key to developing our common defense policy and strategy.\"\n\nThe US has a total of 80,000 troops in South Korea and Japan combined, according to the AP.\n\nAnkit Panda, a security expert and adjunct senior fellow at the Federation of American Scientists, told The New York Times: \"We're going to lose an important source of information-sharing between our two allies at a very dangerous time.\"\n\n\"I think the two countries can be fairly described as adversaries now,\" he added. \"In Seoul, the idea is if we can do something that will hurt Japan more than it will hurt us, then it's worth doing.\"", "South Korea plans to terminate a military intelligence-sharing agreement with Japan, prompting concerns about security cooperation between Seoul, Tokyo and Washington as North Korea's nuclear and missile threat looms over the Korean Peninsula.\n\nIt's the latest breakdown between Seoul and Tokyo: Earlier this month, Japan removed South Korea from its \"whitelist\" of favored trade partners, prompting a retaliation in kind.\n\nThe Blue House, South Korea's presidential residence in Seoul, announced Thursday that it will end the General Security of Military Information Agreement – a pact pushed by the Obama administration and signed in 2016 as a way for the two countries to exchange valuable information on threats posed by North Korea, China and Russia.\n\n\"The government of the Republic of Korea decided that maintaining this Agreement, which was signed to facilitate the exchange of sensitive military information, does not serve our national interest,\" Kim You-geun, deputy director of the country's National Security Office, said in a statement.\n\nSeoul's decision was made public before a Saturday deadline that would have automatically renewed the agreement for another year. South Korea appeared to be preparing for an extension, but that changed after Japan abruptly dropped the country from its list of preferred trade partners.\n\nOn Thursday, Kim blamed Tokyo for altering their relationship through the downgrade, providing \"no concrete evidence\" for the decision. Japan has also imposed export controls on products that are essential to South Korea's booming technology industry.\n\nTokyo said the move was made on national security grounds. But the two countries' disputes also trace back to Japan's colonial occupation of Korea between 1910 and 1945. A South Korean Supreme Court ruling last year allowed Korean victims of forced labor during World War II to seek compensation from Japanese firms. South Korea also shut down a Japanese-funded foundation that supported Korean comfort women who were forced into sexual slavery during the war. Both actions incensed the Japanese government.\n\nJapan's downgrading of trade ties with South Korea escalated tensions between the countries and triggered protests outside the Japanese Embassy in Seoul. South Korean President Moon Jae-in vowed that \"we will never again lose to Japan.\" And the prospect of pulling out of the military intelligence-sharing agreement began.\n\nAccording to South Korea's Joongang Daily newspaper, Seoul and Tokyo have communicated about military intelligence matters at least seven times this year. That includes exchanges on the North's recent spate of short-range missile tests, even after Tokyo's decision to downgrade its trade relationship with Seoul.\n\nLast month, Japan's Foreign Minister Taro Kono said Tokyo would prefer to continue sharing intelligence, especially on North Korea. On Thursday, Taro said Seoul's decision \"completely misreads the security situation in Northeast Asia,\" according to the Kyodo news agency.\n\nSouth Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha told reporters on Thursday that the decision amounted to a \"trust issue.\" She said Seoul is preparing to explain the decision to both Japan and Washington — and that the decision is \"a separate issue from the South Korea-U.S. alliance.\"\n\nWashington has long sought to build accord between Seoul and Tokyo as another mechanism to confront North Korea and a burgeoning China.\n\nBoth Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and special envoy on North Korea Steve Biegun have reportedly nudged America's allies to patch up their differences. But critics accuse Washington of letting the bad blood boil between Tokyo and Seoul for too long before intervening.\n\nForeign policy experts also note that the U.S. faces a challenge in countering the deep veins of nationalism that both Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and South Korean President Moon Jae-in have mined for their own political gains.\n\nWhether or not there is an immediate response from North Korea, China or Russia, those countries are likely pleased with the growing rift inside the U.S. web of alliances.", "SEOUL/TOKYO — South Korea said on Thursday it will scrap an intelligence-sharing pact with Japan, drawing a swift protest from Tokyo and deepening a decades-old row over history that has hit trade and undercut security cooperation over North Korea.\n\nSeoul’s decision not to extend the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) shows how the political and trade dispute between the Asian neighbors and US allies has now hit some of the region’s most sensitive security issues. The agreement had been due for automatic renewal on Saturday.\n\nThe arrangement was designed to share information on the threat posed by North Korea and its missile and nuclear activities — a threat underlined by the North’s recent launch of a series of short-range ballistic missiles.\n\nExplaining its decision, South Korea’s Kim You-geun, a deputy director of the presidential National Security Council (NSC), said Japan had created a “grave change” in the environment for bilateral security cooperation by removing South Korea’s fast-track export status this month.\n\n“Under this situation, we have determined that it would not serve our national interest to maintain an agreement we signed with the aim of exchanging military information which is sensitive to security,” Kim told a news conference.\n\nRelations between the northeast Asian neighbors began to deteriorate late last year following a diplomatic row over compensation for wartime forced laborers during Japan’s occupation of Korea.\n\nThey soured further when Japan tightened its curbs on exports of high-tech materials needed by South Korea’s chip industry and again this month when Tokyo said it would remove South Korea’s fast-track export status.\n\nJapan’s foreign minister, Taro Kono, criticized Seoul for what he said was mixing the export controls with security issues.\n\n“Given such issues as North Korea, everyone probably understands the importance of this agreement. But this decision was made while linking it to Japan’s review of export controls,” he told reporters.\n\n“I cannot help saying they are completely misreading the security environment.”\n\nHe said Tokyo had summoned the South Korean ambassador in protest.\n\nThe South Korean decision is likely to be met with dismay in the United States, which fears weakened security cooperation.\n\nSouth Korea’s won currency extended losses against the dollar in offshore non-deliverable forward trade, falling by some 0.4 percent against the dollar in five minutes after the announcement on concern that trade disputes with Japan could be drawn out.\n\nIntelligence sharing is key to developing a common defense policy and strategy, and all three countries are safer when they work together, Pentagon spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Dave Eastburn said.\n\nSouth Korea’s foreign minister, Kang Kyung-wha, emphasized that the decision to end the intelligence pact was because South Korea had lost trust in Japan.\n\n“We will continue to strengthen cooperation with the United States and develop the alliance,” she told reporters in Seoul.\n\nSouth Korea’s defense ministry said that regardless of the end of GSOMIA, it would maintain a “stable” joint defense posture based on a robust alliance with the United States.\n\nOne Western military source said the intelligence-sharing was sometimes limited but nevertheless an important area of cooperation in the face of threats from North Korea.\n\nGSOMIA facilitated the sharing of information on North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats, which remain despite a series of summits and negotiations with North Korea, said Cho Tae-yong, a former South Korean national security adviser who worked on the deal when it was first signed.\n\n“Ending GSOMIA is not only the wrong card to play to press Japan, but it is just not helpful for our security,” he said.\n\nThe decision also comes as China and Russia have been more assertive in the region, flying their first joint military air patrol together in July, which triggered an international incident with South Korea and Japan.\n\nBefore the signing of the agreement in 2016, under US pressure, South Korea and Japan shared intelligence through the United States.\n\nSouth Korea went ahead with the deal at the time despite opposition from some political parties and a large section of the public, who remain bitter over Japan’s actions during its colonial rule of Korea from 1910 until the end of World War Two.\n\nA 2012 attempt to seal the deal fell apart in the face of opposition in South Korea toward military cooperation with Japan.\n\nRelations between the two US allies now appear to be at their lowest since they normalized ties in 1965, plagued by bitterness over Japan’s occupation, which included the use of South Korean forced labor at some Japanese firms.\n\nSouth Korea had warned it could reconsider the GSOMIA after Japan imposed export curbs and then stripped South Korea of its favored trading partner status.\n\nSeoul said those moves by Japan were in retaliation for a South Korean Supreme Court order for Japanese companies to compensate some of their wartime forced laborers last October.\n\nJapan condemned that ruling, saying the matter was resolved by a 1965 treaty normalizing ties. It has also cited unspecified security reasons for its export controls.", "South Korea said on Thursday it will scrap an intelligence-sharing pact with Japan, a decision that could further escalate a dispute over history and trade and undercut security cooperation on North Korea.\n\nThe decision was announced after an hours-long debate within the presidential National Security Council (NSC).\n\nThe General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) was due to be automatically renewed on Saturday, unless either side decided to cancel it.\n\nJapan created a “grave change” in the environment for bilateral security cooperation by removing South Korea’s fast-track export status, citing security concerns without providing clear evidence, said Kim You-geun, a deputy director of the National Security Council.\n\n“Under this situation, we have determined that it would not serve our national interest to maintain an agreement we signed with the aim of exchanging military information which is sensitive to security,” Kim told a news conference.\n\nSouth Korea would deliver a formal notice to Japan within the due date, Kim said.\n\nThere was no immediate reaction from Tokyo, but Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said before the announcement that the deal bolstered security cooperation between the two countries.\n\n“Although ties between Japan and South Korea are in a very tough situation, we believe we should cooperate with South Korea where cooperation is necessary,” Suga told a regular news conference earlier on Thursday.\n\nThe decision is likely to be met with dismay in the United States, which fears weakened security cooperation. The accord is important for efforts to fend off North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats.\n\nThe U.S. envoy on North Korea, Stephen Biegun, raised the issue during a meeting with South Korea’s deputy national security adviser, Kim Hyun-chong, before the NSC gathering.\n\nThe United States played a key role in initiating the hard-won GSOMIA, which was clinched in 2016 after a 2012 plan fell apart in the face of domestic opposition in South Korea toward military cooperation with old foe Japan.\n\nRelations between the two U.S. allies are seen at their lowest since they normalised ties in 1965, plagued by bitterness over Japan’s 1910-45 occupation of the Korean peninsula, which included the use of South Korean forced labour at some Japanese firms.\n\nSouth Korea had warned it could reconsider the GSOMIA after Japan imposed export curbs on some materials vital to South Korean chipmakers and stripped South Korea of fast-track export status.\n\nSouth Korea called the Japanese action retaliation for a South Korean Supreme Court order for Japanese companies to compensate some of their wartime forced labourers last October.\n\nJapan condemned the ruling, saying the matter was resolved by a 1965 treaty normalising ties. Japan cited unspecified security reasons for the export controls.", "TOKYO/SEOUL (Reuters) - Japanese Minister of Defence Takeshi Iwaya said on Friday South Korea’s decision to end an intelligence-sharing pact was regrettable and showed it failed to appreciate the growing security threat posed by North Korea.\n\nSouth Korea officially informed Japan on Friday of its decision to scrap the intelligence-sharing agreement, further straining ties amid a dispute over South Koreans pressed into forced labor during Japan’s wartime occupation of Korea.\n\n“North Korea’s repeated missile tests threaten national security, and cooperating between Japan and South Korea and with the U.S. is crucial,” Iwaya told reporters.\n\nTies between the East Asian neighbors, both important U.S. allies, were already at their lowest ebb in years before South Korea’s decision to end the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA).\n\nThe dispute over forced laborers has also spilled over into trade, with Japan putting restrictions on exports of semiconductor materials to South Korea and removing it from a list of nations given preferential trading terms.\n\nJapanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said on Friday Japan still expected South Korea to keep its promises on the contentious issue of wartime forced labor and to work to rebuild trust.\n\nUnder the GSOMIA, which had been due for automatic renewal on Saturday, the two countries shared information on the threat posed by North Korea’s missile and nuclear programs.\n\nSouth Korea will share intelligence with Japan through a three-way channel involving the United States, South Korea’s deputy national security adviser Kim Hyun-chong said on Friday, meaning Japan and South Korea are likely to revert to sharing intelligence through the U.S. military.\n\nThe United States, which fears weakened security cooperation in the region, expressed dismay over South Korea’s decision, announced on Thursday, to end the pact and urged the two countries to continue to engage with each other.\n\nKim said the decision to end the intelligence-sharing deal was inevitable as Japan had ignored South Korea’s repeated offers of dialogue to resolve what Japan said was damaged trust between them.\n\n“I think this situation will be an opportunity to upgrade the South Korea-U.S. alliance, in close cooperation,” Kim said,\n\nThe Trilateral Information-Sharing Agreement (TISA) between the United States, Japan and South Korea, which Japan and South Korea will revert back to after their GSOMIA ends, specifies a narrower range of information to be shared, Kim said.\n\nUnder the TISA, the countries can share information about North Korean nuclear and missile threats, while GSOMIA’s range included information “directly or indirectly related to” North Korean nuclear or missile threats, Kim said.", "South Korea has said it will scrap an intelligence-sharing pact with Japan, drawing a swift protest from Tokyo and deepening a decades-old dispute that has hit trade and undercut security cooperation over North Korea.\n\nSouth Korea’s Kim You-geun, a deputy director of the presidential National Security Council, said Japan had created a “grave change” in the environment for bilateral security cooperation by removing South Korea’s fast-track export status this month.\n\n“Under this situation, we have determined that it would not serve our national interest to maintain an agreement we signed with the aim of exchanging military information which is sensitive to security,” Kim told a news conference.\n\nThe agreement – called the the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA) – had been due for automatic renewal on Saturday. The arrangement was designed to share information on the threat posed by North Korea and its missile and nuclear activities – a threat underlined by the North’s recent launch of a series of short-range ballistic missiles.\n\nRelations between South Korea and Japan began to deteriorate late last year following a diplomatic row over compensation for wartime forced labourers during Japan’s occupation of Korea.\n\nThey soured further when Japan tightened its curbs on exports of high-tech materials needed by South Korea’s chip industry, and again this month when Tokyo said it would remove South Korea’s fast-track export status.\n\nThe US, which fears weakened security cooperation in the region, expressed dismay. Secretary of state Mike Pompeo said: “We’re disappointed to see the decision the South Koreans made about that information-sharing agreement. We’re urging each of the two countries to continue to engage.”\n\n“There is no doubt that the shared interests of Japan and South Korea are important and they’re important to the United States of America,” he added.\n\nJapan’s foreign minister, Taro Kono, criticised Seoul for mixing export controls with security issues. He said: “Given such issues as North Korea, everyone probably understands the importance of this agreement. But this decision was made while linking it to Japan’s review of export controls.\n\n“I cannot help saying they are completely misreading the security environment.“”\n\nHe said Tokyo had summoned the South Korean ambassador in protest.\n\nSouth Korea’s Defence Ministry said that regardless of the end of GSOMIA, it would maintain a “stable” joint defence posture based on a robust alliance with the United States.\n\nPentagon spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Dave Eastburn said the integrity of US mutual defence and security ties needed to be maintained despite frictions in other areas of the relationship between Japan and South Korea.\n\n“The Department of Defense expresses our strong concern and disappointment that the Moon administration has withheld its renewal of ... GSOMIA,” he said, referring to South Korean president Moon Jae-in.\n\nGSOMIA facilitated the sharing of information on North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats, which remain despite a series of summits and negotiations with North Korea, said Cho Tae-yong, a former South Korean national security adviser who worked on the deal when it was first signed. “Ending GSOMIA is not only the wrong card to play to press Japan, but it is just not helpful for our security,” he said.\n\nAnalysts in the US also saw the move as misguided and some blamed an inward-looking Trump administration for failing to pay sufficient attention to its allies.\n\n“This is what America First gets us – everyone for themselves in lieu of a collaborative network of partners,” Daniel Russel, the State Department’s top diplomat for Asia until early in the Trump administration, told the Nelson Report online newsletter.\n\n“At a time when North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile arsenals are rapidly expanding, the abrogation of GSOMIA directly harms US national security,” he said. “And at a time when China’s assertiveness and new capabilities represent an unprecedented challenge, the disintegration of the US-led alliance system is a disaster.”\n\nChina and also Russia have become more assertive in the region, flying their first joint military air patrol together in July, which triggered an international incident with South Korea and Japan.", "South Korean police officers stand guard in front of Japanese embassy as a rally demanding the South Korean government to abolish the General Security of Military Information Agreement, or GSOMIA, an intelligence-sharing agreement between South Korea and Japan, is held near the embassy, in Seoul, South Korea, Thursday, Aug. 22, 2019. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)\n\nSEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea said Thursday it will terminate an intelligence-sharing deal with Japan that focused on classified information about North Korea, a surprise announcement that is likely to set back U.S. efforts to bolster security cooperation with two of its most important allies in the Asian region.\n\nSouth Korea attributed the decision to its bitter trade dispute with Japan, which has plunged the two countries’ relations to their lowest point since they established diplomatic ties in 1965. Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono called the decision “extremely regrettable” and summoned the South Korean ambassador to protest the linking of trade and security issues.\n\nThe U.S. expressed disappointment in the decision. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the U.S. hopes that “each of those two countries can begin to put that relationship back in exactly the right place.” The U.S. is urging Japan and South Korea to continue to talk, he said.\n\nMany experts had predicted that South Korea would be unlikely to spike the 3-year-old intelligence-sharing deal for the sake of its relations with the United States. South Korea has been seeking U.S. help in resolving the trade dispute, and Seoul and Washington have also been working together to restart stalled talks on stripping North Korea of its nuclear weapons.\n\nSouth Korea’s presidential office said it terminated the intelligence deal because Japan’s recent decision to downgrade South Korea’s trade status caused a “grave” change in security cooperation between the countries.\n\n“Under this situation, the government has determined that maintaining the agreement, which was signed for the purpose of exchanging sensitive military intelligence on security, does not serve our national interests,” Kim You-geun, the deputy director of South Korea’s presidential national security office, said in a nationally televised statement.\n\nHe said South Korea would formally notify Japan of its decision before Saturday, the deadline for an extension of the pact for another year.\n\nJapanese Foreign Minister Kono said in a statement that the decision “was an action that completely misjudged the current security environment in the region and is extremely regrettable.”\n\nHe said South Korea’s linking of trade and security was “absolutely unacceptable, and we firmly protest to the South Korean government.”\n\nSince early last month, Japan has imposed stricter controls on exports to South Korea of three chemicals essential for manufacturing semiconductors and display screens — key export items for South Korea — and decided to remove South Korea from a list of countries granted preferential trade status.\n\nSouth Korea accuses Japan of weaponizing trade to punish it over a separate dispute linked to Japan’s brutal colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula from 1910 to 1945. Japan denies that, saying its steps were taken because of unspecified security concerns.\n\nThe Japanese trade curbs triggered an outburst of anti-Japan sentiment in South Korea. Many South Korean citizens rallied in the streets, canceled planned holiday trips to Japan and launched widespread boycotts of Japanese beer, clothes and other products. The South Korean government, for its part, decided to downgrade Japan’s trade status.\n\nSome experts say the tit-for-tat actions could eventually hurt South Korea’s economy more than Tokyo’s. Many big South Korean manufacturers including Samsung rely heavily on materials and components imported from Japan, while Japan doesn’t import many vital materials from South Korea.\n\nLiberal South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who earlier declared his country would “never again lose” to Japan, used the Aug. 15 anniversary of Korea’s liberation from Japan to extend an olive branch. Moon said Seoul will “gladly join hands” if Tokyo wanted to talk.\n\nThe Pentagon on Thursday expressed “strong concern and disappointment” in the collapse of the agreement.\n\n“We strongly believe that the integrity of our mutual defense and security ties must persist despite frictions in other areas” of the South Korea-Japan relationship,” said Lt. Col. Dave Eastburn, a Pentagon spokesman. “We’ll continue to pursue bilateral and trilateral defense and security cooperation where possible.”\n\nOn Wednesday, the top U.S. envoy on North Korea, Stephen Biegun, told reporters in Seoul that he appreciated what he called “strong and continued cooperation between the U.S., South Korea and Japan.”\n\nThe intelligence deal went into effect in 2016, reportedly at the strong urging of the United States, which wants to boost three-day security cooperation to better cope with North Korea’s nuclear threat and a rising China. The United States stations a total of 80,000 troops in the two Asian countries, the core of America’s military presence in the Asia-Pacific region.\n\nExperts said the deal enabled a quicker exchange of information between Seoul and Tokyo, because they had previously exchanged intelligence via the United States. In 2012, the countries nearly forged a similar deal but it was scrapped at the last minute following a vehement backlash in South Korea.\n\nHowever, it is unclear how effective the deal has been for both countries, especially on intelligence on North Korea, one of the world’s most secretive countries. But there has been a general consensus that South Korea needed information gathered by Japanese satellites and other high-tech systems, while Japan enjoyed signal, voice and human intelligence from South Korea.\n\nSouth Korea’s Defense Ministry said in a statement Thursday that it will try to maintain a “stable and perfect combined security posture” with the United States regardless of the termination of the intelligence deal. It called the South Korean-U.S. alliance “powerful.”\n\nSouth Korean government and ruling party officials have publicly questioned how Seoul could share intelligence with a country that questioned Seoul’s handling of sensitive materials imported from Japan. Without providing concrete evidence, some Japanese officials including Prime Minister Shinzo Abe have suggested that some critical Japanese materials with potential military applications exported to South Korea may have reached North Korea. Seoul flatly denies that.\n\nThe fate of the deal had divided people in South Korea. Some argued that South Korea should do whatever it could to inflict pain on Japan, and that just floating the idea of ending the intelligence deal could force the United States to persuade Japan to lift its trade curbs. But some stressed that the deal’s cancellation would impair relations with the United States at a time when South Korea faces many security challenges including the stalemated North Korean nuclear talks.\n\nMoon’s government has lobbied hard to facilitate talks between the U.S. and North Korea on the nuclear crisis. But the diplomacy has remained largely stalemated for months, and North Korea now says it won’t go through South Korea to talk to the United States. The North recently test-fired a series of short-range missiles and other weapons capable of striking much of South Korea.\n\nLast month, a Russian military plane allegedly violated South Korean airspace in the first such trespassing by a foreign warplane since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War. Russian and Chinese warplanes allegedly also made a highly unusual joint entrance to South Korea’s air defense identification zone, in what analysts said was an attempt to see how the Seoul-Washington-Tokyo security cooperation worked.\n\nSouth Korea’s main conservative opposition party accused the Moon government of confusing “genuine courage” with “foolhardy courage.” The Liberty Korea Party said security coordination with Washington and Japan needed to be solidified in the face of strengthening cooperation among Russia, China and North Korea.\n\n“We would have lots of things to lose from the deal’s termination,” said analyst Go Myong-Hyun of the Seoul-based Asan Institute for Policy Studies. “If the U.S. turned its back on South Korea, we would be completely isolated in Northeast Asia.”\n\nOn Thursday evening, about 30 anti-Tokyo activists gathered near the Japanese Embassy in Seoul to welcome the intelligence deal’s termination. Jubilant participants held placards that read “The scrapping of the South Korea-Japan deal is a people’s victory.”\n\nAssociated Press journalists Lee Jin-man in Seoul, South Korea, and Mari Yamaguchi and Yuri Kageyama in Tokyo contributed to this report.", "SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea will stop exchanging classified intelligence on North Korea with Japan amid a bitter trade dispute, Seoul said Thursday in a surprise announcement that is likely to set back U.S. efforts to bolster security cooperation with two of its most important allies in the Asian region.\n\nSouth Korea's decision to cancel the intelligence-sharing pact will also further aggravate its ties with Japan, which are already at their lowest point since the two countries established diplomatic ties in 1965. Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono called the action \"extremely regrettable\" and summoned the South Korean ambassador.\n\nMany experts had predicted that South Korea would be unlikely to spike the 3-year-old intelligence-sharing deal for the sake of its relations with the United States. South Korea has been seeking U.S. help in resolving the trade dispute, and Seoul and Washington have also been working together to restart stalled talks on stripping North Korea of its nuclear weapons.\n\nSouth Korea's presidential office said it terminated the intelligence deal because Japan's recent decision to downgrade South Korea's trade status caused a \"grave\" change in security cooperation between the countries.\n\n\"Under this situation, the government has determined that maintaining the agreement, which was signed for the purpose of exchanging sensitive military intelligence on security, does not serve our national interests,\" Kim You-geun, the deputy director of South Korea's presidential national security office, said in a nationally televised statement.\n\nHe said South Korea will formally notify Japan of its decision before Saturday, the deadline for an extension of the pact for another year.\n\nJapanese Foreign Minister Kono said in a statement that the decision \"was an action that completely misjudged the current security environment in the region and is extremely regrettable.\"\n\nKono said South Korea's linking of trade and security issues was \"absolutely unacceptable, and we firmly protest to the South Korean government.\" He said he conveyed Japan's position to the South Korean ambassador.\n\nSince early last month, Japan has imposed stricter controls on exports to South Korea of three chemicals essential for manufacturing semiconductors and display screens — key export items for South Korea — and decided to remove South Korea from a list of countries granted preferential trade status.\n\nSouth Korea accuses Japan of weaponizing trade to punish it over a separate dispute linked to Japan's brutal colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula from 1910 to 1945. Japan denies that, saying its steps were taken because of unspecified security concerns.\n\nThe Japanese trade curbs triggered an outburst of anti-Japan sentiment in South Korea. Many South Korean citizens rallied in the streets, canceled planned holiday trips to Japan and launched widespread boycotts of Japanese beer, clothes and other products. The South Korean government, for its part, decided to downgrade Japan's trade status.\n\nSome experts say the tit-for-tat actions could eventually hurt South Korea's economy more than Tokyo's. Many big South Korean manufacturers including Samsung rely heavily on materials and components imported from Japan, while Japan doesn't import many vital materials from South Korea.\n\nLiberal South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who earlier declared his country would \"never again lose\" to Japan, used the Aug. 15 anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japan to extend an olive branch. Moon said Seoul will \"gladly join hands\" if Tokyo wanted to talk.\n\nThere was no immediate reaction from the U.S. government. On Wednesday, the top U.S. envoy on North Korea, Stephen Biegun, told reporters in Seoul that he appreciated what he called \"strong and continued cooperation between the U.S., South Korea and Japan.\"", "SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — South Korea will stop exchanging classified intelligence on North Korea with Japan amid a bitter trade dispute, an official said Thursday, a surprise announcement that is likely to set back U.S. efforts to bolster security cooperation with two of its most important allies in Asia.\n\nSouth Korea’s decision to cancel the intelligence-sharing pact will further aggravate its ties with Japan, which already are at their lowest point since the two countries established diplomatic ties in 1965. Japanese media said Tokyo will lodge a protest with Seoul and quoted unidentified Tokyo officials as calling the South Korean move “extremely regrettable” and “unbelievable.”\n\nMany experts predicted that South Korea would be unlikely to spike the 3-year-old intelligence-sharing deal for the sake of its relations with the United States. South Korea has been seeking U.S. help in resolving the trade dispute, and Seoul and Washington have been working together to restart stalled talks on stripping North Korea of nuclear weapons.\n\nSouth Korea’s presidential office said it killed the intelligence deal because Japan’s recent decision to downgrade South Korea’s trade status caused a “grave” change in security cooperation between the countries.\n\n“Under this situation, the government has determined that maintaining the agreement, which was signed for the purpose of exchanging sensitive military intelligence on security, does not serve our national interests,” Kim You-geun, the deputy director of South Korea’s presidential national security office, said in a nationally televised statement.\n\nHe said South Korea will formally notify Japan of its decision before Saturday, the deadline for an extension of the pact for another year.\n\nJapan’s Kyodo News agency quoted an unidentified Japanese government official as saying the South Korean decision was “extremely regrettable.” Public broadcaster NHK said an unidentified Japanese official described the decision as “unbelievable,” while another official said it was unlikely to have much impact on Japanese security.\n\nSince early July, Japan has imposed stricter controls on exports to South Korea of three chemicals essential for manufacturing semiconductors and display screens — key export items for South Korea — and decided to remove South Korea from a list of countries granted preferential trade status.\n\nSouth Korea accuses Japan of weaponizing trade to punish it for a separate dispute linked to Japan’s brutal colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula from 1910 to 1945. Japan denies that, saying its steps were taken because of unspecified security concerns.\n\nThe Japanese trade curbs triggered an outburst of anti-Japan sentiment in South Korea. South Korean citizens rallied in the streets, canceled planned holiday trips to Japan and launched widespread boycotts of Japanese beer, clothes and other products. The South Korean government, for its part, decided to downgrade Japan’s trade status.\n\nSome experts say the tit-for-tat actions could hurt South Korea’s economy more than Tokyo’s. Many big South Korean manufacturers, including Samsung, rely heavily on materials and components imported from Japan, while Japan does not import many vital materials from South Korea.\n\nThe intelligence deal took effect in 2016, reportedly at the urging of the United States, which wants to boost three-way security cooperation to cope with North Korea’s nuclear threat and a rising China. The United States stations a total of 80,000 troops in the two Asian countries, the core of U.S. military presence in the Asia-Pacific region.\n\nExperts said the deal enabled a quicker exchange of information between Seoul and Tokyo, because they had previously exchanged intelligence via the United States. In 2012, the countries nearly forged a similar deal but it was scrapped at the last minute, after a vehement backlash in South Korea.\n\nHowever, it is unclear how effective the deal has been for both countries, especially on intelligence on North Korea, one of the world’s most secretive countries. But there has been a general consensus that South Korea needed information gathered by Japanese satellites and other high-tech systems, while Japan enjoyed signal, voice and human intelligence from South Korea.\n\nSome South Korean government and ruling party officials have questioned how Seoul could share intelligence with a country that questioned Seoul’s handling of sensitive materials imported from Japan. Without providing concrete evidence, some Japanese officials, including Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, have suggested that some critical Japanese materials with potential military applications exported to South Korea may have reached North Korea. Seoul denies that.\n\nThe fate of the deal divided people in South Korea. Some argued that South Korea should do whatever it could to inflict pain on Japan, and that just floating the idea of ending the intelligence deal could force the United States to persuade Japan to lift its trade curbs. But some stressed that the deal’s cancellation would impair relations with the United States at a time when South Korea faces many security challenges, including the stalemated North Korean nuclear talks.\n\nSouth Korean President Moon Jae-in used the Aug. 15 anniversary of Korea’s liberation from Japan to extend an olive branch, by saying Seoul will “gladly join hands” if Tokyo wants to talk. He earlier had declared his country would “never again lose” to Japan."], "summary": "South Korea decides against extending the General Security of Military Information Agreement (GSOMIA). South Korean officials express that the exclusion from Japan's preferred trade list on 12 August eliminated any benefit to maintaining the agreement."}
{"document": ["Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Alaa Sheikhi said ahead of sentencing that he was not responsible for the death of Daniel Hillig\n\nA Syrian man has been sentenced in Germany to nine and a half years in prison over the fatal stabbing of a man in Chemnitz last year.\n\nAlaa Sheikhi, 24, was found guilty of \"joint manslaughter and serious physical injury\" over the death of Daniel Hillig, a 35-year-old carpenter.\n\nA second suspect, an Iraqi, is thought to have fled Germany after the attack.\n\nThe case led to violent protests in Chemnitz, where far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has strong support.\n\nAhead of his sentencing on Thursday, Sheikhi denied any responsibility for the death of Hillig.\n\nSpeaking through an interpreter, he said: \"I can only hope that the truth is brought to light here and that a just verdict is pronounced.\"\n\nSheikhi, who had reportedly remained silent throughout the trial, told German public broadcaster ZDF in a telephone interview just two days before the verdict that he did not touch either the victim or the knife that killed him.\n\n\"I just ran away,\" he said, adding: \"I swear on my mother I did not touch him.\"\n\nThe sentencing comes one year after thousands of neo-Nazis marched through Chemnitz, where AfD hopes to increase its share of the vote in elections in Saxony and neighbouring Brandenburg on 1 September.\n\nWhat do we know about the attack?\n\nIn the early hours of Sunday 26 August 2018, a fierce fight broke out between \"multiple nationalities\" on the sidelines of a street festival in the eastern German region of Chemnitz, near the Saxony capital of Dresden.\n\nIt remains unclear what triggered the brawl - police at the time dismissed online rumours that Hillig, who had a German mother and a Cuban father, had been defending a woman from sexual assault.\n\nDuring the fight, Hillig was stabbed and critically injured. He later died in hospital of heart and lung wounds.\n\nTwo other German men with him at the festival, aged 33 and 38 at the time, were seriously hurt, police said.\n\nSheikhi, who arrived in Germany in 2015, was arrested hours after the attack, along with another Iraqi man, who was released due to a lack of evidence.\n\nWhat about the protests?\n\nFriends of the victim later told local media that misreporting following the incident had helped fuel far-right protests in the region.\n\nSeveral xenophobic assaults were reported in the days after the attack. They were described as racist \"hunts\" and images emerged showing demonstrators chasing people and flinging bottles and fireworks.\n\nThe far-right protests, some involving thousands of people, led to violent clashes with police and counter demonstrators.\n\nMedia playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Protests over a the murder in the eastern city of Chemnitz turned violent last year\n\nChemnitz is a region where the AfD party and the Pegida movement are particularly strong. They deplore German Chancellor Angela Merkel's liberal immigration policy.\n\nIn 2015, Chancellor Merkel decided to let in a record 890,000 asylum seekers. Syrians fleeing the civil war comprised the biggest group.", "A Syrian asylum seeker accused of a killing that sparked a week of far-right street violence in the eastern German city of Chemnitz in 2018 has been found guilty of manslaughter.\n\nAlaa Sheikhi, 24, was sentenced to nine and a half years in prison by the Chemnitz higher regional court on Thursday.\n\nThe trial was held in the state capital of Dresden for security reasons and because of what the court called the “extraordinarily high public interest”.\n\nThe timing of the ruling is sensitive, coming just a over a week before state elections in Saxony in which the far-right and anti-immigrant Alternative für Deutschland could emerge as the strongest party.\n\nThe court verdict also comes almost exactly a year after Sheikhi and an accomplice are believed to have stabbed to death 35-year-old Daniel Hillig, a carpenter with German-Cuban roots, following a confrontation.\n\nThe main suspect, a 22-year-old Iraqi man referred to in German media only as Farhad A, remains at large and is believed to have fled the country.\n\nThe atmosphere in Chemnitz turned sour soon after news of Hillig’s death became public, culminating in two days of far-right street violence that left several people injured.\n\nSome people were filmed chasing foreigners through streets, while others were seen with Nazi-linked banners and giving the straight-arm salute.\n\nAfter police shut down a street festival, Chemnitz became the scene for a week of far-right protests, attended by thousands of neo-Nazis from across the country.\n\nThe Chemnitz riots also threw into doubt the future of Angela Merkel’s coalition government. At the time, the German chancellor’s spokesperson, Steffen Seibert, condemned the attacks, saying “such riotous assemblies, the hunting down of people who appear to be from different backgrounds or the attempt to spread hate in the streets, these have no place in our country”.\n\nBut the head of Germany’s domestic intelligence agency, Hans-Georg Maaßen, directly contradicted the chancellor, telling the Bild newspaper that he shared “the scepticism towards media reports of rightwing extremists chasing down foreigners in Chemnitz”, and that “deliberate misinformation” had been spread.\n\nIn the fall-out over the comments Maaßen lost his job and the governing coalition between Merkel’s centre-right CDU and the centre-left SPD clashed to a point where their working alliance appeared to be on the brink of collapse.", "A 24-year-old Syrian man was sentenced to nine- and-a-half years in jail Thursday for a knife killing that sparked racist street violence and far-right protests in the eastern German city of Chemnitz\n\nBerlin, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 22nd Aug, 2019 ) :A 24-year-old Syrian man was sentenced to nine- and-a-half years in jail Thursday for a knife killing that sparked racist street violence and far-right protests in the eastern German city of Chemnitz\n\nThe court found that Alaa Sheikhi, together with an Iraqi man still at large, stabbed to death 35-year-old German Daniel Hillig in the early hours of August 26 last year.\n\nDefence lawyers appealed the verdict, arguing that the court had buckled under societal and political pressure, but chief justice Simone Herberger said she saw \"no doubt about his guilt\".\n\nThe manslaughter conviction comes at a sensitive time, one year after thousands of neo-Nazis and enraged citizens marched through Chemnitz, and 10 days before state elections in the ex-communist region.\n\nSheikhi, who arrived in Germany during the 2015 mass migrant influx to Europe, was detained hours after the attack, together with another Iraqi who was later released for lack of evidence.\n\nDefence lawyer Ricarda Lang had argued that the case against Sheikhi was based only on questionable, late-night witness testimony rather than fingerprints, DNA or other forensic evidence.\n\nLang also asserted, shortly before the verdict, that the court was \"not unaffected by the political situation in Chemnitz\" and may convict the defendant because \"someone needs to take the blame so that Chemnitz stays quiet\".\n\nThe trial was held not in Chemnitz but in Saxony's state capital Dresden, for security reasons and because of what the court called the \"extraordinarily high public interest\".", "A court in Germany has sentenced a Syrian man to nine and a half years in jail over a fatal stabbing that sparked far-right riots in the eastern city of Chemnitz.\n\nJudges on Thursday convicted asylum seeker Alaa Sheikhi of manslaughter and dangerous bodily harm in the killing of a German national in August 2018.\n\nDefence lawyers appealed the verdict. They said there was no evidence the 24-year-old defendant had helped stab Hillig and suggested the court had been swayed by the political debate in the high-profile case.\n\nBut chief justice Simone Herberger said she saw \"no doubt about his guilt\".\n\nThe verdict comes barely a week before elections in the two eastern states of Saxony and Brandenburg, in which the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is expected to make big gains.\n\nThe trial took place in Dresden, the capital of Saxony, rather than Chemnitz, for security reasons and because of what the court called the \"extraordinarily high public interest\".\n\nThe court heard that a fugitive Iraqi, a 22-year-old identified only as Farhad A, was the first to confront 35-year-old Daniel Hillig in the early hours of August 26 last year. He and Sheikhi then stabbed Hillig, a carpenter with German-Cuban roots. The victim died of internal injuries.\n\nSheikhi, who arrived in Germany during the 2015 refugee influx to Europe, was arrested hours after the attack, together with another Iraqi who was later released for lack of evidence.\n\nThe main suspect in the case is still being sought on an international arrest warrant.\n\nSheikhi, who denies the charges against him, remained silent throughout much of the trial. He spoke only on the last day to say he hoped \"the truth is brought to light and a fair verdict is given\".\n\nRicarda Lang, a defence lawyer, argued the case against Sheikhi was based only on questionable, late-night witness testimony rather than fingerprints, DNA or other forensic evidence.\n\nLang also asserted, shortly before the verdict, that the court was \"not unaffected by the political situation in Chemnitz\" and may convict the defendant because \"someone needs to take the blame so that Chemnitz stays quiet\".\n\nFollowing the killing, thousands of neo-Nazis, members of AfD, and football hooligans assembled in Chemnitz to protest against migration.\n\nIn some cases, the mobs randomly attacked people of foreign appearance and, in follow-up mass rallies, fascist activists openly performed the illegal Hitler salute.\n\nLocal Jewish, Turkish and Iranian restaurants at the time became targets of xenophobic vandalism.\n\nThe violence also spurred counterdemonstrations by supporters of immigration in Chemnitz.\n\nThe AfD welcomed the verdict against Sheikhi. In a post on Facebook, it said it hoped the Iraqi suspect would be found soon and added that Chemnitz had been unfairly \"branded as a playground for right-wing radicals\".\n\nOpinion polls show that the AfD could become the biggest party in Saxony and Brandenburg in the September 1 elections.", "BERLIN: A 24-year-old Syrian man was sentenced to nine and a half years in jail on Thursday (Aug 22) for a knife killing that sparked racist street violence and far-right protests in the eastern German city of Chemnitz.\n\nThe court found that Alaa Sheikhi, together with an Iraqi man still at large, stabbed to death 35-year-old German Daniel Hillig in the early hours of Aug 26 last year.\n\nThe manslaughter conviction comes at a sensitive time, one year after thousands of neo-Nazis and enraged citizens marched through Chemnitz, and 10 days before state elections in the ex-communist region.\n\nThe far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which has railed against immigrants and Islam, is forecast to poll strongly in the state of Saxony and neighbouring Brandenburg on Sep 1.\n\nThe court heard that the fugitive Iraqi, a 22-year-old identified only as Farhad A., was first to confront Hillig, a carpenter with German-Cuban roots.\n\nBoth he and Sheikhi then stabbed Hillig, who died of heart and lung wounds, as well as another man, named as Dimitri M, who was badly injured.\n\nSheikhi, who arrived in Germany during the 2015 mass migrant influx to Europe, was detained hours after the attack, together with another Iraqi who was later released for lack of evidence.\n\nDefence lawyer Ricarda Lang had argued that the case against Sheikhi was based only on questionable, late-night witness testimony rather than fingerprints, DNA or other forensic evidence.\n\nLang also asserted, shortly before the verdict, that the court may convict and jail the defendant because \"someone needs to take the blame so that Chemnitz stays quiet\".\n\nThe trial was held not in Chemnitz but in Saxony's state capital Dresden, for security reasons and because of what the court called the \"extraordinarily high public interest\".\n\nNews of the killing a year ago spread within hours on social media and led neo-Nazis, angry football hooligans, extremist martial arts fans and others to march through Chemnitz.\n\nIn some cases, the mobs randomly attacked people of foreign appearance and, in follow-up mass rallies, fascist activists openly performed the illegal Hitler salute.\n\nLocal Jewish, Turkish and Iranian restaurants at the time became targets of xenophobic vandalism.\n\nAs the extremist AfD, Pegida and Pro Chemnitz movements marched in Chemnitz, and anti-fascist groups organised large counter-protests, a political fight also raged in Berlin.\n\n\n\nIn a controversy that shook Chancellor Angela Merkel's coalition government, the then-domestic spy chief Hans-Georg Maassen, an outspoken critic of her liberal immigration policy, questioned her assessment that the violence amounted to organised \"hunts\" of ethnic minorities.\n\nMaassen, a member of Merkel's Christian Democrats (CDU), eventually had to step down. But he has recently been touring eastern Germany with speaking engagements outlining his hardline stance on immigration and security.\n\nThe Chemnitz unrest threw a harsh spotlight on the drab city of 240,000 people, formerly known as Karl-Marx-Stadt, which has had an extremist subculture since the turbulent years after the 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall.\n\nIn the 1990s it was an early hideout for a militant neo-Nazi cell dubbed the National Socialist Underground, which was only uncovered in 2011 after its members had murdered nine immigrants and a police officer.\n\nLast October, police arrested eight men accused of having formed the far-right militant group \"Revolution Chemnitz\".\n\nAnd in March, fans of fourth-tier football club Chemnitzer FC paid tribute to the recently deceased former security chief Thomas Haller, co-founder of a group called \"HooNaRa\", short for Hooligans-Nazis-Racists.", "A court in the German city of Chemnitz convicts a Syrian asylum-seeker over a fatal stabbing last year that touched off far-right protests.\n\nThe state court in Dresden convicts Alaa S. of manslaughter and dangerous bodily harm in the killing last August of Daniel Hillig.\n\nJudges sentence the 24-year-old defendant, whose last name wasn’t released in line with German privacy laws, to 9 years and 6 months in prison, slightly less than the 10-year-sentence prosecutors had demanded.\n\nDefense lawyers had called for their client to be acquitted, citing lack of evidence.\n\nAn Iraqi suspect in the case is still being sought on an international arrest warrant.\n\nFollowing the killing, thousands of neo-Nazis, members of the far-right Alternative for Germany party and others assembled in Chemnitz to protest against migration.", "Alaa S., suspected of being responsible for the stabbing of Daniel H. in Chemnitz, arrives for at a court in Dresden\n\nDRESDEN, Germany (Reuters) - A German court sentenced a Syrian asylum seeker to nine and a half years in prison on Thursday over the fatal stabbing of a man in the eastern city of Chemnitz last year that triggered the worst far-right riots Germany had seen for decades.\n\nThe verdict handed down in the city of Dresden in the high profile case comes barely a week before elections in the region in which the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is expected to make big gains. The AfD welcomed the verdict.\n\nIt is almost exactly a year since the stabbing which led to thousands of right-wingers, including neo-Nazis and soccer hooligans, marching through Chemnitz and clashing with left- wingers and police.\n\nImages of skinheads or far-right demonstrators chasing migrants, performing the Hitler salute and attacking a Jewish restaurant, raised questions about how Germany should deal with its far-right, especially after the 2015-16 migrant crisis.\n\nThe 24-year-old Syrian, identified only as Alaa S., according to German rules, was convicted of manslaughter. The Cuban-German victim, Daniel Hillig, died of his injuries after being stabbed in Chemnitz on the sidelines of a local festival.\n\nThe Syrian was also convicted of inflicting serious bodily harm on another victim, Dimitri M., who was injured but survived.\n\n\"The accused was today found guilty of joint manslaughter and grievous bodily harm. He has therefore been sentenced to a jail term of nine years and six months,\" a spokeswoman for the court said.\n\nDefense lawyers, who had called for their client to be acquitted, argued there was no evidence that their client had helped stab the victim and said they would appeal.\n\nGerman authorities have also issued an international arrest warrant for an Iraqi suspect who has been on the run since the incident. They believe he was the main culprit in the killing.\n\nThe AfD said on Facebook it hoped the Iraqi suspect would be found soon and added that Chemnitz had been unfairly \"branded as a playground for right-wing radicals\".\n\n\"No verdict will return Daniel H. to his family and friends but at least it brings some justice in a reality that claims new victims every week,\" it said.\n\nOpinion polls show that the AfD could become the biggest party in the two eastern states of Saxony and Brandenburg, which hold elections on Sept. 1.\n\nThe trial took place in Dresden, the capital of Saxony state rather than in nearby Chemnitz because of the high level of public interest in the case.", "The man accused of the killing that led to a week of far-right violence last year in Chemnitz was found guilty of manslaughter at a court in Dresden on Thursday, and sentenced to nine and a half years in prison. Alaa S., a 23-year-old Syrian asylum-seeker, had always maintained his innocence, while state prosecutors had demanded an 10-year prison sentence for \"joint manslaughter and serious physical injury.\" The prosecution case was largely based on the testimony of an employee at a nearby kebab shop.\n\nIn an interview with public broadcaster ZDF a few days before the verdict, Alaa S. swore that he did not touch either the victim or the knife that killed him. His lawyers pointed out there was no DNA evidence linking him to either, though in their final statement on Thursday, prosecutors said his guilt had been proved.\n\nThe main suspect, 22-year-old Iraqi Farhad A. who had previously been accused of stabbings, has not been found and is believed to have fled the country. A third suspect, another young Iraqi, was released last September for lack of evidence.\n\nFor the people of Chemnitz, the verdict is unlikely to bring closure to what escalated into a series of ugly events last year, and attracted major media coverage to the city.\n\nOn the day after Daniel H.'s killing, a city street festival that had been running the whole weekend turned sour, and some people were filmed chasing migrants, while the police appeared unable to control the situation. When the festival was abruptly shut down, it gave way to a week of far-right protests, attended by thousands of neo-Nazis from across the country, often in violent confrontation with Antifa counterprotests, and desperate attempts by the local government to find dialogue with citizens.\n\nThese were followed by a major rock concert in Chemnitz, and huge demonstrations in Berlin and other German cities under the hashtag #WirSindMehr (\"We are more\"), meant to highlight Germany's open and inclusive culture.\n\nIf you weren't looking for it, you might not even notice the plaque for Daniel H. on the broad sidewalk of Chemnitz's Brückenstrasse that marks the spot where he died. The small silver metal plate, engraved with a peace symbol, has replaced a pool of candles and flowers that were laid here for days in the aftermath of the death.\n\nBut a lot has happened in Chemnitz since last summer. Concerts and exhibitions emphasizing tolerance, diversity and openness have come thick and fast. In July this year, the center of the city was transformed into a festival ground for the Kosmos concert, this time under the hashtag #WirBleibenMehr (\"We will remain more\").\n\nIn the same vein, the city festival that was abruptly cut short last year will be replaced this weekend with a three-day street festival, entitled Herzschlag - Chemnitz lebt! (\"Heartbeat – Chemnitz is alive!\"), organized not by the city but by a local initiative.\n\nThe city authorities, with support from the federal government, have also invested more money in cultural and educational projects. One of these is Chemnitz Open Space, and can be found right behind the giant sculpture of Karl Marx's head, both Chemnitz's most famous landmark and the focal point for any demo — including the far-right protest that sparked so much trouble last year.\n\nOpened in May, Chemnitz Open Space allows local artists and activists to put on exhibitions and workshops meant to foster the city's democratic culture. (One exhibition inside details Chemnitz's connections with the National Socialist Underground terrorist organization). One of the project managers is Rebecca Dathe, who was spending Wednesday afternoon planting new plants in the grassy area next to Karl Marx - the same lawn where hundreds of far-right extremists and riot police officers stood a year ago.\n\nThe awareness has heightened. Dathe describes how, until last summer, many people in Chemnitz would simply accept that their neighbors or friends had far-right opinions. \"The events last year caused many people to get more engaged more politically,\" she says. \"You noticed that the incidents showed that people are dealing with far-right extremism more consciously. They don't just look away.\"\n\nThat much was backed up by Franz Knoppe, project director for the Chemnitz cultural and educational organization ASA-FF, the \"Network for Global Learning.\" \"There are a lot or people working on this, seeking out space for dialogue, spaces to tell stories,\" he told DW. \"And a lot of the events are really full. A lot is happening.\"\n\nBut beneath these efforts at political engagement in Chemnitz, the politics in the city can't be hidden. The results of the city council election in May this year returned the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) 18% of the vote, a close second to the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU). That doesn't sound that much, except that the far-right group Pro Chemnitz, which includes some neo-Nazis, and which organized last year's far-right demo in the wake of Daniel H.'s death, took another 8% and now has five of the 60 seats in the city council.\n\nKarsten Hilse, an AfD Bundestag member for Saxony, says last year's demos have been misrepresented. \"Of course there were some far-right extremists there,\" he said. \"But a young man was murdered, and then citizens got together who weren't far-right extremists, but just normal people like you and me, who said, 'right, this is enough now'.\"\n\n\"What annoyed a lot of Chemnitzers is that hardly anyone talked about the murder afterwards, but only about the people who demonstrated,\" he argued. \"But if you're a normal citizen, you go to work, you pay your taxes, and then you say ok, now I'm going on the street to say: 'I just don't agree with this migration policy anymore.' And then when the media suddenly describes you as a far-right extremist, then of course you get really angry.\"\n\nDespite the city's best cultural efforts at fostering tolerance, many Chemnitzers resist what they see as attempts to impose an ideology. \"If it becomes too demonstrative, then it becomes divisive,\" said Knoppe. \"The 'Wir Sind Mehr' demos are an act of self-assurance: 'Maybe we are more,' but it doesn't open the people who maybe didn't want to march with the Nazis, but also didn't like the fact that Daniel H. was killed.\"\n\n\"A lot of East Germans just know how to poke people to get a reaction. They say, 'oh, we're not allowed to say Nazi, then I'll say Nazi'.\" he said. \"And then you're suddenly in this reflexive zone.\" By way of illustration, Knoppe points to a video released in mid-August by the local rapper Bengalo Dobermann, which honors Thomas Haller, a hooligan who died earlier this yearhaving built a banned far-right organization associated with Chemnitz's local football club. The rap mocks tolerance as a \"piper\" everyone has to dance along to, and dismisses press and politicians as \"being in the same boat\" while dismissing the \"loyalty\" of people like Haller.\n\nBut even as they react allergically to political moralization, which, according to Knoppe, \"reminds people of communist East Germany,\" there is evidence that the people of Chemnitz do get on at basic day-to-day level. Drinking a coffee on a quiet August afternoon, Knoppe tells an anecdote about how his own children play in football teams with children of immigrants and children of AfD voters. He knows that some of them attended the far-right demos last year.", "Berlin, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 22nd Aug, 2019 ) :A 24-year-old Syrian man is expected to face a court verdict Thursday over a knife killing that sparked far-right street violence and protests in the eastern German city of Chemnitz.\n\nThe ruling comes at a sensitive time, one year after thousands of neo-Nazis and enraged citizens marched through Chemnitz, and just over a week ahead of state elections in the ex-communist region.\n\nThe far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which has railed against immigrants and islam, is forecast to poll strongly in the state of Saxony and neighbouring Brandenburg on September 1.\n\nIn the high-profile manslaughter case, in which a verdict is expected after 1200 GMT, prosecutors charge that Alaa Sheikhi, together with an Iraqi man still at large, stabbed to death 35-year-old German Daniel Hillig in the early hours of August 26, 2018.\n\nThe Iraqi, a 22-year-old identified only as Farhad A.\n\n, was first to confront Hillig, a carpenter with German-Cuban roots, according to the prosecution which wants Sheikhi jailed for 10 years.\n\nBoth the Arabs then allegedly stabbed Hillig, who died of heart and lung wounds, as well as another man, named as Dimitri M., who was badly injured.\n\nSheikhi, who arrived in Germany during the 2015 mass migrant influx to Europe, was detained hours after the attack, together with another Iraqi who was later released for lack of evidence.\n\nDefence counsel for Sheikhi argued that the case against him is flawed and based only on questionable, late-night witness testimony rather than fingerprints, DNA or other forensic evidence.\n\nThe trial has been held in Saxony's capital Dresden for security reasons and because of what the court called the \"extraordinarily high public interest\".", "DRESDEN — A Syrian man was sentenced to nine and a half years in prison by a German court on Thursday over the fatal stabbing of a man in the eastern city of Chemnitz last year that triggered the worst far-right riots Germany had seen for decades.\n\nThe verdict handed down in the city of Dresden in the high profile case comes just over a week before elections in the region in which the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is set to make big gains.\n\nIt is almost exactly a year since the stabbing which led to thousands of right wingers, including neo-Nazis and football hooligans, marching in Chemnitz and clashing with left wingers and police.\n\nImages of skinheads or far-right demonstrators chasing migrants, performing the Hitler salute and attacking a Jewish restaurant, raised questions about how Germany should deal with the right wing, especially after the 2015-16 migrant crisis.\n\nThe 24-year-old Syrian, identified only as Alaa S., according to German rules, was convicted of manslaughter. The Cuban-German victim, Daniel Hillig, died of his injuries after being stabbed in Chemnitz on the sidelines of a local festival.\n\nHe was also convicted of inflicting serious bodily harm on another victim, Dimitri M., who was injured but survived.\n\n“The accused was today found guilty of joint manslaughter and grievous bodily harm. He has therefore been sentenced to a jail term of nine years and six months,” a spokeswoman for the court said.\n\nDefense lawyers, who had called for their client to be acquitted, argued there was no evidence that their client had helped stab the victim and said they would appeal.\n\nGerman authorities have also issued an international arrest warrant for an Iraqi suspect who has been on the run since the incident. They believe he was the main culprit in the killing.\n\nThe trial took place in Dresden, the capital of Saxony state, rather than nearby Chemnitz because of the high level of public interest in the case. (Reporting by Reuters Television; Writing by Madeline Chambers; Editing by Alison Williams)"], "summary": "A Syrian man is jailed for manslaughter in relation to a stabbing in Chemnitz, Saxony, Germany last year. The killing sparked far-right protests and riots in the city."}
{"document": ["Rape-slay convict Antonio Sanchez may not walk free any time soon after all, and is not likely to do so, until he has served his full 40-year prison term, according to justice department officials amid public outrage over reports that the former mayor might be released early due to his “good conduct.”\n\nIn separate press conferences on Thursday, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra and Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) Director General Nicanor Faeldon said Sanchez was not eligible under a 2013 law that credits good conduct time allowance (GCTA) for an early release.\n\nADVERTISEMENT\n\nThe former mayor of Calauan, Laguna province, and six of his aides were each sentenced to serve seven 40-year prison terms for the rape-murder of Eileen Sarmenta and for the murder of Allan Gomez, both University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) students in 1993.\n\nUnder the Penal Code, no person should be imprisoned for more than 40 years even if convicted in multiple cases.\n\nThe family of Gomez clarified that the two students were not college sweethearts but were just close to each other, saying his fraternity was affiliated with Sarmenta’s sorority.\n\nHeinous crimes\n\nGuevarra said prisoners convicted of heinous crimes and those who have committed drug offenses while incarcerated should be excluded outright from benefiting from Republic Act No. 10592, which shaves years off a prisoner’s prison term for good behavior.\n\nHe said he had told Faeldon to conduct a “process of elimination” of prisoners not qualified for GCTA because the law excluded “recidivists, habitual delinquents, escapees and persons charged with heinous crimes.”\n\n“I have given instructions to the BuCor chief that the review of GCTA for high-profile or heinous crimes be conducted with a lot of care, caution and circumspection,” Guevarra said.\n\n“If a person is charged with heinous crime, not qualified at all,” he said.\n\nHe noted that Sanchez was found in possession of a sachet of “shabu”(crystal meth) and a bag of marijuana leaves in his cell in 2006.\n\nADVERTISEMENT\n\nIn 2010, prison guards confiscated P1.5 million worth of shabu stashed in one of the former mayor’s Virgin Mary statues and in 2015, he was found illegally keeping appliances in his cell.\n\nDrug possession alone, Guevarra said, “is not (a mere) infraction; that is a crime.”\n\n‘Many violations’\n\n“I am surmising the guidelines of the BuCor would make that person ineligible already,” he said.\n\nFaeldon agreed with Guevarra, noting that based on a preliminary assessment, Sanchez had committed “many violations” since he walked into the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa after his conviction on March 14, 1995.\n\n“He has many involvements in some not good behavior that maybe would disqualify him. That’s really the probability,” the BuCor chief told reporters.\n\n“He may not be qualified to go home today or in the next few months. … It may take him several years,” he added.\n\nFaeldon said the 2006 drug charges were dropped by the Muntinlupa court in 2011, but the dismissal would have no bearing on the BuCor’s review of Sanchez’s conduct.\n\n“As far as the [BuCor] is concerned, his arrest was legal and he committed a violation of the prison rules,” he said.\n\nThe shabu discovered in his cell in 2010 and the appliances seized in 2015 were “clear antithesis of what good behavior should be,” Faeldon said. “These will be points to be raised against him to be qualified for the application of the good conduct time allowance.”\n\nDisqualified\n\nHe said the period of incarceration of around 11,000 prisoners across the country would be recomputed for GCTA, but he estimated that only around 1,000 would qualify for reduced sentence.\n\nAmong those who would be disqualified were “high-profile” inmates, as well as drug lords and those who “provided sanctuary or supported drug peddlers while they were here,” he said.\n\nTo quash rumors that Sanchez had already been released and was seen in his hometown, journalists were allowed to take photos of the 73-year-old walking inside the maximum security compound.\n\nBuCor spokesperson Eusebio del Rosario Jr. said Sanchez was doing fine inside his cell but had complained of cataract.\n\n“He’s usually holed up in his cell, praying and kneeling before his Virgin Mary statue,” Del Rosario said.\n\nEileen’s family\n\nSarmenta’s mother, Maria Clara, who was shocked and angered by the prospect that Sanchez might soon walk out of prison, was thankful for the justice department’s clarifications.\n\n“God is not sleeping. And we have complete trust and faith in the law,” she told the Inquirer.\n\nShe was indignant, however, over the former mayor’s prison lifestyle and suspected that some of the prison authorities could have been bribed to say that he showed “good conduct.”\n\n“His lifestyle there shows that he lives like a king—he has aircon, TV, carpeted floor, two bedrooms and more than a million [pesos worth of] shabu in his possession. Aren’t those infractions? Show us proof that he behaved well in jail,” Sarmenta said.\n\n“Did money talk so evaluators could vouch for his ‘good conduct’ in prison? Or is it a matter of whom you know in government? We can’t help thinking,” she said.\n\nEven after 26 years since her daughter and her friend were brutalized, she still could not bear seeing the face of Sanchez, she said.\n\n“After the promulgation I don’t want to see his face, not even in picture or in television. Now, whenever I see his face on TV, I want to throw something at it or shut it off,” she said.\n\nThe 74-year-old retired staff member of the House of Representatives lives with her husband and a grandson in their home in Las Piñas City.\n\nEileen would have been 48 on Sept. 16, her mother said. “He (Sanchez) is a monster. He is a menace to the society.”\n\nShe said that while the family was looking at courses of action, they wanted the government to be transparent.\n\n“The law is the law. You cannot oppose the law but we just want it to be fair,” she said.\n\nAllan’s family\n\nAt UP Los Baños on Thursday, Gomez’s 73-year-old mother, Iluminada, and her eldest son, OJ, joined around 200 students and teachers protesting the early release of Sanchez.\n\nCarrying banners saying “No to release of Sanchez,” they carried lighted candles while marching around the sprawling campus.\n\nGomez told the Inquirer that releasing Sanchez would only put to waste the years spent on getting a conviction against an official who was also allegedly involved in other illegal activities in Calauan.\n\n“Only our case had brought the end (to Sanchez), hopefully, and the awakening, hopefully. But people have short memory, no?” she said.\n\n“Here came an event (Allan’s murder) that although painful had awakened people. We thought it would continue, but it did not simply because our government system is not protecting our people,” she said.\n\nThe retired UPLB professor’s family was still keeping the Tamaraw FX van that her son and Sarmenta had used on the night they were abducted by Sanchez’s men in June 1993.\n\nSarmenta’s body was found inside the van, which was recovered in Barangay Mabacan in Calauan. Gomez’s body was recovered about 5 kilometers away in Barangay Imok.\n\nThe young Gomez, who would have been 45 this year, was in his senior year as an agriculture student at the state university and had promised to buy his mother a farm that is now only a picture she has been keeping all these years.\n\n“It’s pathetic, tragic,” his mother said.\n\nThe law that would allow prisoners to be released earlier than their prison term has good intentions, she said.\n\n“But people have to understand that what’s shocking is [this could be] a political ploy,” she said, without elaborating.\n\nRead Next\n\nLATEST STORIES\n\nMOST READ", "The GCTA law allows deductions from sentences of persons deprived of liberty on the basis of good behavior. But how is it calculated and what are the nuances of the law?\n\nNATIONAL. The New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City. File photo by LeAnne Jazul/Rappler\n\nMANILA, Philippines – Government officials on Thursday, August 22, changed their tune on the possible early release of convicted murderer-rapist Antonio Sanchez.\n\nBureau of Corrections (BuCor) chief Nicanor Faeldon said that he may not be among the thousands of inmates set for release soon, based on reported misdemeanors during his imprisonment. Even Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said on Friday, August 23, that based on the letter and spirit of the law, Sanchez, former Calauan mayor, would be ineligible and disqualified from availing of the benefits of the Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA) law.\n\nSanchez, who was convicted in 1995 for the deaths of University of the Philippines-Los Baños students Eileen Sarmenta and Allan Gomez in 1993, was initially announced as among those who would benefit from the GCTA law. (LISTEN: [PODCAST] Ang batas na puwedeng magpalaya sa rapist-murderer na si Antonio Sanchez)\n\nThis triggered a major backlash from the public. But what is the law about?\n\nWhat is the Good Conduct Time Allowance Law all about?\n\nRepublic Act No. 10592 or the GCTA law was signed in 2013 under then-president Benigno Aquino III.\n\nIt amended several articles under the Revised Penal Code, including Article 97 which lays out the allowance for good conduct for persons deprived of liberty (PDLs).\n\nIn a nutshell, the GCTA law allows for deduction of sentences of PDLs, depending on how well they abide by rules and regulations inside “any penal institution, rehabilitation, or detention center or any other local jail.” It essentially awards good behavior and recognizes rehabilitation.\n\nThe 2013 amendments to the Revised Penal Code, according to a factsheet by the Supreme Court, also expanded the application of the GCTA to the preventive suspension period, increased the number of days that may be credited, and allowed additional deductions, among others.\n\nWho is covered by the GCTA Law?\n\nThe GCTA law initially was planned to prospectively cover convicted inmates.\n\nThe Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of the law, penned by then-justice secretary Leila de Lima and interior secretary Mar Roxas in 2014, provide for prospective application.\n\nWhy prospective? According to Section 4 of the IRR, the rules provide “for new procedures and standards of behavior for the grant of good conduct time allowance…and require the creation of a Management, Screening and Evaluation Committee.”\n\nIn 2014, however, several National Bilibid Prison (NBP) inmates questioned this provision before the SC. Top human rights lawyers, including Rene Saguisag and others from the Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG), intervened in support of the petition.\n\nThe provision, FLAG said at the time, “discriminates, without any reasonable basis, against those who would have been benefited from the retroactive application of the law.”\n\nOn June 2019, voting unanimously, the SC granted the petition, making the GCTA law retroactive. In his concurring opinion, SC Associate Justice Marvic Leonen said that the prospective provision of the 2014 IRR “implies that all inmates detained or convicted prior to its effectivity can no longer be rehabilitated for a successful reintegration into society, effectively trampling upon their dignity as human beings.”\n\nAccording to Bureau of Corrections chief Nicanor Faeldon, 1,000 inmates may be set for mass release.\n\nHow about those convicted of heinous crimes?\n\nThis has been the point of contention of arguments that arose after news broke about Sanchez’s possible early release. The former mayor committed gruesome and horrific acts that merited his conviction in relation to the deaths of the two UPLB students and a father and son in Laguna.\n\nThere was a clash between the interpretations of Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra and former justice undersecretary Reynante Orceo who was part of the joint committee that drafted the law manual. Guevarra said heinous crimes should be excluded, while Orcelo said heinous crimes are still \"technically\" included. (READ: Can heinous crimes be excluded from good conduct time allowance law?)\n\nSenate President Tito Sotto is for amending the law, while Senator Franklin Drilon is against such move. (READ: Amid Sanchez news, senators split on amending reduced prison term law)\n\nHow is the GCTA computed?\n\nSection 3 of RA 10592 provides the guidelines for calculating the GCTA of inmates:\n• None For the first two years of imprisonment: For each month of good behavior, 20 days will be deducted from the total sentence. If a convict behaved well each month, 480 days, or roughly one year and 3 months, will be deducted from his prison term.\n• None For the 3rd to 5th years: For each month of good behavior, 23 days will be deducted, or a total maximum deduction of 828 days, or roughly two years and 3 months, from the prison term.\n• None For the 6th to 10th years: 25 days for each month of good behavior or a total deduction of roughly 1,800 days, or roughly 4 years and 1 month, from the prison term.\n• None For the 11th and successive years: A month of good behavior equals a 30-day deduction. This means that a person serving 25 years who was well-behaved every month from his 11th to 25th years would get a prison term reduction of 14 years and 7 months.\n• None In addition, an inmate shall get 15 days additional reduction for each month of study, teaching, or mentoring service.\n\nThis means that a PDL who has been in jail for 25 years and who showed good behavior during imprisonment, can have as much as 19 years deducted from his or her jail term.\n\nWhat can affect a PDL’s possible early release?\n\nMisdemeanors can make or break a PDL’s chance of an early release based on the GCTA law.\n\nAccording to the uniform manual on time allowances and service sentence released by the DOJ in 2017, the basis for disqualification from GCTA benefits is violation of any of the following prison rules:\n• Unauthorized selling or bartering with fellow PDL of items not classified as contraband\n• Littering or failing to maintain cleanliness and orderliness in quarters and/or surroundings\n• Taking the cudgels for reporting complaints on behalf of other PDLs\n• Late in formation during PDL headcount without justifiable reason\n• Failure to report for work without sufficient justification\n• Failure to render assistance to an injured personnel or fellow PDL\n• Failure to assist in putting out fires inside the prison\n• Behaving improperly or acting boisterously during religious, social and other group functions\n• Swearing, cursing or using profane or defamatory language directed at other persons\n• Malingering or pretending to be sick to escape work assignment\n• Spreading rumors or malicious intrigues to besmirch the honor of any person\n• Failure to stand at attention and give due respect when confronted by or reporting to any prison of authority\n• Forcing fellow PDL to render personal service for him/her and/or to others\n• Exchanging uniforms or wearing clothes other than those issued for the purpose of circumventing jail rules\n• Loitering or being in an unauthorized place\n• Writing, defacing, or drawing on walls, floors or any furniture or equipment\n• Withholding information which may be inimical or prejudicial to prison security\n• Possession of lewd or pornographic literature, photographs, and sexual items\n• Absence from cell, brigade, place of work during headcount, or at any time without justifiable reason\n• Failure to turn over any implement/article issued after work detail\n• Making untruthful statements or lies in any official communication, transaction, or investigation\n• Keeping or concealing keys or locks of places in the prison which are off-limits to PDLs\n• Giving gifts, selling, or bartering with any prison authority\n• Keeping unauthorized amount of money, jewelry, cellular phones or other communications devices, luxurious properties and other items classified as contraband under the rules\n• Tattooing others or allowing him/her to be tattooed on any part of the body, or keeping paraphernalia to be used in tattooing\n• Forcibly taking or extorting money from fellow PDL or visitors\n• Punishing or inflicting injury or any harm upon him/herself or other PDL\n• Receiving, keeping, taking or drinking liquor and prohibited drugs and smoking\n• Making, improvising or keeping any kind of deadly weapon\n• Concealing or withholding information on plans of escapes\n• Unruly conduct and flagrant disregard of discipline and instructions\n• Escaping, attempting or planning to escape from the institution or from any guard\n• Helping, aiding, or abetting others to escape\n• Fighting, causing any disturbance or participating therein and/or agitating to cause such disturbance or riot\n• Willful disobedience to a lawful order issued by any prison authority\n• Participating in kangaroo court, an unauthorized or irregular court conducted with disregard for or perversion of legal procedures as mock court by the PDL in a prison;\n• Failing to inform the authorities concerned when afflicted with any communicable disease, such as tuberculosis, sexually-transmitted diseases, etc.\n• Engaging in gambling or any game of chance\n• Committing an act which is in violation of any law or ordinance\n• Committing an act prejudicial to good order and discipline\n• Any behavior which might lead to disorder or violence, or such other actions that may endanger the facility, the outside community or others\n• Any act analogous to the foregoing\n\nWho are in charge of reviewing time allowance?\n\nThe same manual of the DOJ lays out the process, involving key employees.\n\nThe person deprived of liberty is screened by a time allowance supervisor at the end of each month.\n\nThe Management, Screening and Evaluation Committee then reviews for appropriate action, including recommendation to prison authorities, of the grant of the time allowance.\n\nThe prison authorities will then act on the recommendation – approve, disapprove, or return it. Decisions will be posted in various places inside the prison facility\n\nAppeals can be made if there are errors or irregularities seen in the evaluation. – Rappler.com", "But, says Justice Secretary Guevarra, if someone is denied clemency, he can still qualify for early release based on good conduct time allowance\n\nSANCHEZ. Convicted former mayor of Calauan, Laguna Antonio Sanchez is seen inside the Maximum Security Compound of the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City on August 22, 2019. Photo by Lito Borras/Rappler\n\nMANILA, Philippines – It turns out convicted rapist and murderer Antonio Sanchez applied for executive clemency but was denied in 2019.\n\nHis application was denied outright by the Board of Pardons and Parole, and never reached the Office of the President. Granting clemency is a presidential power, on recommendations by the board.\n\n\"Board of Pardons and Parole, at that level, executive clemency was denied, but as I said that's a totally different matter,\" Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said on Thursday, August 22.\n\nGuevarra said that executive clemency is a different process than being eligible for a reduced prison term under the law on good conduct time allowance or GCTA. The GCTA law sets standards for sentence reduction based on good behavior. (READ: Eileen Sarmenta's mother demands proof of rapist Sanchez's good behavior)\n\n\"Hypothetically, if that same person na hindi napagbigyan ang application for executive clemency is eligible for good conduct time allowance and it is enough para masabi na puwede na s'yang ma-release, then he will be released notwithstanding the fact that his application for pardon was previously denied dahil magkaiba ng legal basis 'yun,\" Guevarra said.\n\nPrisons chief Nicanor Faeldon changed tunes Thursday and said that, based on reported misdemeanors, Sanchez may not be included in the first wave of mass release.\n\nSanchez was sentenced to a total of 9 terms of reclusion perpetua – 7 for the rape and double murder of college students Eileen Sarmenta and Alan Gomez, and 2 for the double murder of Calauan political figure Nelson Peñalosa and son Rickson. The sentences coincided with each other.\n\nArticle 70 of the revised penal code sets rules on serving successive sentences, the maximum period of which should not exceed 40 years. It means that despite 9 reclusion perpetuas, Sanchez shall serve time for only 40 years.\n\nSanchez has been in jail for 25 years, and the GCTA law made retroactive by the Supreme Court qualified the convicted former mayor for early release if good conduct is proven.\n\nHowever, Faeldon said misdemeanors, such as stashing drugs inside Bilibid, will affect his good conduct time record, such that Sanchez may still stay inside prison \"for several years.\"\n\nSanchez was caught with marijuana in prison in 2006, with P1.5-million worth of shabu in 2010, and with airconditiong unit and flat screen TV in 2015.\n\nThe Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) said it has assigned more than 60 personnel working round the clock to study the good conduct time record of all qualified inmates, including Sanchez. – Rappler.com", "Are the likes of the Antonio Sanchez eligible for reduced sentence? The ambiguous provisions of the GCTA law should either be interpreted by the Supreme Court or amended by Congress.\n\nMANILA, Philippines – The story began Tuesday night, August 20, when reporters received unverified information that convicted rapist and murderer Antonio Sanchez, imprisoned in Bilibid for 25 years, might be walking free soon.\n\nReporters asked Justice Secretary Guevarra for confirmation. In one text message, Guevarra said Sanchez \"may actually be released,\" and in another he said the convict \"is very likely for release.\"\n\nReporters then had a telephone conference with the justice secretary, who explained that a July 2019 Supreme Court ruling made the 2013 Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA) law retroactive, and would therefore apply to inmates like Sanchez.\n\nThe GCTA law can slash by up to 19 years the sentence of an inmate jailed in the 1990s if he had behaved well throughout his term. For every month of sustained good behavior, an inmate earns points, whose total, by the time of the effectivity of the law, will be used to determine the number of days by which his sentence will be reduced.\n\nOn Thursday, August 22, Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) Director General Nicanor Faeldon said that while Sanchez is eligible to avail himself of the GCTA, he might still have to stay in Bilibid for several years because of misdemeanors he reportedly committed, like stashing drugs in his jail cell and smuggling in luxuries like kubol, television, and airconditioning unit.\n\n\"Preliminary, kasi marami siyang involvement sa some not good behavior eh baka hindi nga siya qualified, that's really the probability. He may not be qualified to go home today or in the next few months, mukhang hindi sya mapapasok kaagad. Baka abutin pa siya ng several years,\" Faeldon said.\n\nThis was around noon of Thursday. By this time, reporters had also pointed out to Guevarra that aside from the Eileen Sarmenta-Allan Gomez case, Sanchez was also convicted for the double murder of Nelson and Rickson Peñalosa.\n\nGuevarra had this to say at the time: Sanchez can still get early release \"only if he has earned enough good conduct credits during imprisonment.\"\n\nAt this point, the messaging had become: while Sanchez is eligible to avail himself of good conduct time allowance, he may not have that many credits yet for early release.\n\nNot qualified at all\n\nLate afternoon Thursday, Guevarra called for a press conference at the Department of Justice, where he was asked: does the law disqualify people convicted of heinous crimes from availing themselves of the benefits of good conduct time allowance?\n\n“If a person [is] charged with a heinous crime, [he is] not qualified at all\" had become Guevarra's stand.\n\nBy Friday, August 23, Guevarra had an explanation: the wording of Section 1 and Section 3 of the law means that only inmates eligible for credit of preventive imprisonment (CPI) are also eligible for GCTA. Because people charged of heinous crimes are not eligible for CPI, then they are also not eligible for GCTA. (Read more on that here.)\n\nOver at Malacañang, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo would echo Guevarra.\n\n“This is the letter and the spirit of the law. Thus, the inevitable conclusion is that all those convicted of a heinous crime, including Mr Antonio Sanchez, would be ineligible and disqualified from availing the benefits of the GCTA,” said Panelo.\n\nAmid the backtracking, Guevarra said: \"It's been a tough process of interpreting the wordings of a law that has certain ambiguities in its provisions. In the end, however, it is the spirit and the intention of the law that guided us in taking a position.\"\n\nDespite a categorical statement from both Guevarra and Malacañang that the likes of Sanchez are not eligible for reduced sentenced under the GCTA law, the final answer lies with the law.\n\n\"Clarity could be obtained through an amendment of the subject law or an interpretation by the Supreme Court in a proper case. If there is doubt, either the Supreme Court interprets or Congress amends,\" the justice secretary said. – Rappler.com", "Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo says a review of the law 'reveals that it is categorical in excluding recidivists, habitual delinquents, escapees, and persons charged with heinous crimes from the benefit of its coverage'\n\nWILL HE STAY IN JAIL? Rapist and murderer Antonio Sanchez is seen inside the Maximum Security Compound of the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City on August 22, 2019. Photo by Lito Borras/Rappler\n\nMANILA, Philippines – Malacañang said on Friday, August 23, that based on the \"spirit and letter of the law,\" rapist and murderer Antonio Sanchez is not qualified for early release.\n\nPresidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo cited the provision of Republic Act No. 10592 or the law on good conduct time allowance (GCTA) that disqualifies those convicted of heinous crimes from availing of reduced prison terms under the law.\n\nPanelo said a review of the law “reveals that it is categorical in excluding recidivists, habitual delinquents, escapees, and persons charged with heinous crimes from the benefit of its coverage.”\n\n“This is the letter and the spirit of the law. Thus, the inevitable conclusion is that all those convicted of a heinous crime, including Mr Antonio Sanchez, would be ineligible and disqualified from availing the benefits of the GCTA,” said Panelo.\n\nPanelo was Sanchez’s lawyer in the rape-slay case of Eileen Sarmenta, and the murder of Sarmenta’s friend Allan Gomez. Both were students of the University of the Philippines-Los Baños when they were killed in 1993.\n\nSanchez was sentenced to 7 terms of reclusion perpetua for the 1993 murder-slay case, and two terms of reclusion perpetua for the murder of Nelson Peñalosa and son Rickson.\n\nPanelo assured those opposed to the early release of Sanchez that the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) under the Department of Justice (DOJ) would conduct a thorough and “careful” review of the GCTA of convicts.\n\nHe said Malacañang supports the DOJ's directive to BuCor “to carefully and cautiously review the GCTA of persons who have been found guilty by the courts of having committed high profile, heinous crimes or crimes so grave that show extreme moral depravity.”\n\nPanelo reiterated that reduced prison terms would be granted only to those who are entitled to it, based on the determination of the DOJ which supervises BuCor.\n\nHe also welcomed the planned Senate inquiry into the earlier reported possible early release of Sanchez.\n\nOn Tuesday, August 20, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said that Sanchez would be among those who would benefit from the retroactive application of RA 10592 as he had been in jail for more than 25 years. The 2013 law used to be prospective in application, but the Supreme Court had ruled that it would be retroactive, to cover cases prior to its enactment.\n\nHis statement sparked public outrage over the possible early release of Sanchez, as families of his victims demanded proof of his good behavior in prison.\n\nGuevarra, as well as BuCor chief Nicanor Faeldon, later said on Thursday, August 22, that Sanchez was ineligible for release.\n\nFaeldon had cited Sanchez's misdemeanors, such as stashing drugs inside Bilibid, affecting his good conduct time record. As such, the former mayor may still stay inside prison \"for several years.\" – Mia Gonzalez/Rappler.com", "Senate President Vicente Sotto III wants to amend the Good Conduct Time Allowance law to exclude heinous crime convicts, but Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon disagrees\n\nMAXIMUM SECURITY. Convicted former mayor of Calauan, Laguna Antonio Sanchez is seen inside the Maximum Security Compound of the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City on August 22, 2019. Photo by Lito Borras/Rappler\n\nMANILA, Philippines – Senators are divided on whether there's a need to amend the retroactive law which allows for the early release of inmates based on good conduct, even as Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said the law should be reviewed.\n\nAfter public outcry on the possible release of rape and murder convict Antonio Sanchez, Senate President Vicente Sotto III filed Senate Resolution No. 107 on Thursday, August 22, which seeks a review of Republic Act (RA) No. 10592 or the Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA) law with a view of amending it.\n\n\"Basta't classified na heinous crime, hindi dapat mag-qualify. Dapat reclusion perpetua ka. Tutal ayaw n'yo ng death penalty, sige reclusion perpetua ka. You die in your cell,\" Sotto said in an interview with reporters.\n\nBut pending review of the law, Sotto said the GCTA law should be temporarily stopped as it supposedly allowed the early release of Sanchez despite reports of illegal acts in his cell.\n\n\"Right now, it has to be stopped because the computation is not correct,\" Sotto said.\n\n\"Perhaps, someone can bring it up to the [Supreme Court] for a temporary restraining order so that it will not be executed right away,\" he added.\n\nSenator Panfilo Lacson also supported amending the early release rule, with the proposal of a maximum reduction of 15% from total jail time.\n\n\"An amendment is in order. Aside from legislating a maximum of only 15% reduction for good conduct time while in prison, there must be offenses that should not make the convicts avail of parole or pardon, such as those committed with extreme gruesomeness like terrorism, rape with homicide, and the like,\" Lacson said.\n\nSection 1 of RA 10592 mentioned that \"recidivists, habitual delinquents, escapees and persons charged with heinous crimes are excluded from the coverage of this Act.\"\n\nDoes it mean that the present law already excludes persons convicted of heinous crimes from availing of good conduct time allowance?\n\nLaw professor Ted Te said it does not.\n\nSection 1 largely deals with subtracting the period of preventive imprisonment from the total sentence. Preventive imprisonment is the preconviction jail time of a person over a non-bailable offense.\n\nTe said that Section 1 only applies to preventive suspension and not to GCTA as a whole.\n\n\"The limitations as to multiple offenses and recidivism and commission of heinous offenses apply only to Art. 29 (preventive imprisonment), not to Art. 97 (GCTA),\" Te said.\n\nTe added, \"The sole question appears simply to be a factual one – had he been on good conduct such that it would merit the allowances?\"\n\nThis was also Guevarra's view: \"The battle is not legal but factual: is a Person Deprived of Liberty (PDL) eligible for GCTA? If yes, how much time credit?\"\n\nNo need for amendments\n\nBut Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon shared a different view and dismissed the need for amendments of the GCTA law as it is already \"good.\"\n\nDrilon pointed the blame on the High Court's decision to apply the GCTA law retroactively. The SC ruling allowed qualified convicts imprisoned prior to the enactment of the 2013 GCTA law, starting from the early 1990s, to avail of early release.\n\n\"There is no need to amend the law. Maliwanag naman. (It's clear.) There are rules as to how to avail of the benefits,\" Drilon said.\n\n\"Ang nangyari lang, (What happened) was the SC struck down as unconstitutional that provision which made it a rule that it is applicable prospectively. The SC says it must be retroactively, that's why prisoners like Sanchez benefited from it,\" Drilon added.\n\nDrilon also filed a resolution seeking for an inquiry into the computation of Sanchez's GCTA that reduced his jail time. He also appealed to the Department of Justice (DOJ) to stop the release of the rape-slay convict.\n\n\"I made an appeal to the DOJ: Do not release mayor Sanchez. Ngayon, kung talagang ipipilit nila, I would assist the Sarmenta family to bring the case before the regular courts. Ku-kwestyunin natin 'yung exercise of that discretion to release Sanchez, dahil mali iyan para sa akin,\" said Drilon, who was the justice chief when Sanchez was convicted.\n\nBut Guevarra said they \"never insisted\" on the release of Sanchez.\n\n\"The DOJ has never insisted on the release of mayor Sanchez and he (Drilon) doesn't have to threaten this department. The conduct of a legislative inquiry is most welcome, as the people are reacting to the effects of the law that the Congress itself enacted in 2013,\" Guevarra said.\n\n\"This maybe [is] a good time for the Congress to review its own creation,\" the justice secretary added.\n\nLater on Thursday, Bureau of Corrections chief Nicanor Faeldon changed his tune and said that Sanchez may not be among the thousands of inmates to be released soon due to reported instances when illegal drugs and unauthorized equipment were found in his cell. – Rappler.com", "Several celebrities take to social media to express dismay over the possibility, and recall how they saw the face of evil in former mayor Antonio Sanchez\n\nOUTCRY. Bianca Gonzalez, Angel Locsin, and Bituin Escalante are among the celebrities who cried out against the possible early release of convicted rapist-murderer Antonio Sanchez. Rappler file photos\n\nMANILA, Philippines – Several celebrities were among those who cried out against the possible early release of convicted murderer and rapist Antonio Sanchez.\n\nIn 1993, Sanchez, then-mayor of Calauan, Laguna, was convicted for the rape-slay of University of the Philippines-Los Baños student Eileen Sarmenta, and for the murder of her boyfriend Allan Gomez.\n\nOn August 20, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said that Sanchez, who has served 25 years of a maximum 40-year sentence, may be released from Bilibid soon under a retroactive law on Good Conduct Time Allowance (GCTA) that can slash sentences of inmates jailed in the 1990s by up to 19 years.\n\nMany took to social media to express their dismay at the news, including several celebrities.\n\nOn Twitter, singer Bituin Escalante said: \"I was in my Freshman year in UPLB when Eileen Sarmenta and Allan Gomez were abducted, dehumanized, and murdered. This case was one of the few times our justice system actually worked and now these monsters in government seek to reverse that,\" she said, adding the hashtag \"#FuckThisGovernment.\"\n\nIn additional tweets, she questioned Sanchez's \"good behavior\" as the basis for his release. She cited instances of Sanchez violating Bilibid rules, including when shabu was found stashed in a Virgin Mary statue in his cell in 2010, and when guards siezed a television and airconditioning unit in his cell in 2015.\n\nEscalante also pointed out that Sanchez never paid reparations to the families of his victims, or apologized for his crimes.\n\nShe urged her followers to sign a petition calling for the DOJ to let Sanchez serve his sentence.\n\nMusicians Saab Magalona and Diego Mapa tweeted a link to the same petition on their timelines.\n\nModel and host Bianca Gonzalez also tweeted about the petition.\n\n\"Mas madami namang ibang deserving ng second chance...'yung nagnakaw ng cellphone o de-lata para may pangkain ang pamilya niya.... Madaming kasong ganun sa kulungan, di hamak na mas deserving sa second chance kumpara sa proven guilty na rapist at killer,\" she said in a tweet.\n\nIn another tweet, Bianca recalled hearing about the news of Sarmenta's rape and murder when she was in grade school, saying, \"Dun ko naramdaman at nakita na may kasamaan pala sa mundo (that's when I felt and saw that there was evil in the world).\"\n\nBianca was retweeting director Quark Henares, who, on his own timeline said: \"I was in the Seventh Grade when Mayor Sanchez killed Eileen Sarmenta. That’s when I first heard about pedophilia and gang rape, and when I realized the world was not a nice place. I got a physical reaction finding out he was freed.\"\n\nActor Edu Manzano also chimed in on Twitter, saying: \"Were all the 11,000 inmates also convicted of rape and murder? What don't they get about multiple life sentences?\"\n\nComedian Ogie Diaz described the news as \"Nakakagigil (frustrating).\"\n\n\"Sumawsaw pa si Sen. Bato na 'deserve ng second chance' daw si Calauan Mayor Sanchez. Kung sa pamilya kaya nila nangyari 'yung ni-rape na si Sarmenta, pinagpasa-pasahan ng 6 pa bukod ke mayor at si Gomez na kasama ni Sarmenta ay pinatay din, ganyan pa rin kaya ang sasabihin nila?\" he asked\n\nDirector Antoinette Jadaone posted an image on Instagram that said, \"No to Sanchez's release,\" sharing a viral Facebook post about Sanchez's case in the caption.\n\nActresses Angel Locsin and Angelica Panganiban sounded off in the comments.\n\n\"Naalala ko 'to. This is pure EVIL. Nakakanginig laman (I remember this. This is pure EVIL. My insides are shaking),\" Locsin said.\n\nAfter the outcry, Bureau of Corrections chief Nicanor Faeldon backtracked and said on August 22 that Sanchez may not be released after all.\n\nFaeldon said that the convict's involvement in 'some not good behavior' may not qualify him for release.\n\n\"He may not be qualified to go home today or in the next few months. Mukhang hindi sya mapapasok kaagad (It looks like he would not qualify right away),\" Faeldon said.\n\nMalacañang also said on Friday, August 23, that after a review of the law, its \"inevitable conclusion\" was that Sanchez was not eligible for early release. – Rappler.com", "THE Department of Justice (DOJ) on Tuesday, August 20, said convicted rapist and murderer Antonio Sanchez may walk free out of prison as he becomes one of the 11,000 inmates eligible for release under a new law.\n\nAccording to Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra, Sanchez would benefit from the recent ruling issued by the Supreme Court (SC) that orders the retroactive application of the number of days credited to prisoners for their good-conduct time allowance (GCTA).\n\n“He (Sanchez) is not the only one involved here but also thousands under detention, persons deprived of liberty. So many prisoners’ good-conduct time allowances would be subjected to recomputation. Maybe one after the other they would be released,” he said.\n\nThe Republic Act (RA) 10592 amended provisions of the Revised Penal Code and allowed the credit of preventive imprisonment and revision of GCTA of persons deprived of liberty.\n\nUnder the law, 20 days will be deducted for each month for good behavior during the first two years of imprisonment, while 23 days for each month will be deducted during the third to fifth year. From sixth to 10th year, 25 days will be deducted for each month of good behavior; and 30 days for each month from the 11th year to succeeding years.\n\nAdditionally, 15 days will be deducted for each month of study, teaching or mentoring time rendered by the prisoner.\n\nSanchez, a former mayor of Calauan, Laguna, was sentenced in 1995 to seven counts of reclusion perpetua (or 40 years imprisonment) for the rape-slay of Eileen Sarmenta and murder of Allan Gomez, students from the University of the Philippines Los Baños.\n\nSanchez, upon conviction, was brought to the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa in 1995. He has served 26 years in prison from the time of his arrest to present.\n\nHowever, Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) spokesperson Sonny del Rosario said the former mayor has already served 49 years — beyond the maximum penalty of 40 years — based on the computation of his GCTA, as reported by The Manila Bulletin.\n\nSeveral senators on Thursday, August 22, condemned the possible release of Sanchez, saying that the convicted rapist and murderer does not deserve to be released from jail.\n\nSenate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, who was Justice secretary at the time that the crime happened, expressed his shock over the news, urging the justice department to withhold Sanchez’s release pending a review of his qualifications.\n\nHe also said he plans on filing a resolution for Senate hearings into how the Board of Pardons and Parole computes the GCTA, pointing out that Sanchez was caught twice concealing illegal drugs inside the prison.\n\n“From the records it would appear that he has not changed at all, engaging in shabu distribution, 10 years after he was convicted in 1995. In 2006, he was charged with illegal possession of drugs…In 2010, he was caught again with P1.5 million worth of shabu concealed in a statue of the Virgin Mary,” Drilon told ANC.\n\n“In 1995, we prosecuted him successfully and sentenced him to 7 life sentences. Is that just ignored when the Bureau of Corrections allowed him this good time allowance?” he further said.\n\nMinority Sen. Risa Hontiveros echoed his sentiments, noting that Sanchez is not qualified to have his jail term reduced as his supposed good conduct while in prison remains to be questionable.\n\n“Sanchez has shown no signs of remorse and displayed no effort at improving himself in behavior or character inside the penitentiary,” she said in a statement.\n\n“Freeing an unrepentant criminal who refuses to take responsibility for his brutal crimes and has even committed new and serious crimes while serving time is not restorative justice,” Hontiveros added.\n\nSenate President Vicente Sotto III also said Sanchez should not be released from jail, explaining that the former mayor has yet to indemnify the victims’ families.\n\nRights group Karapatan Secretary General Cristina Palabay, meanwhile said: “This case was considered as one of the triumphs of the Philippine judicial system at that time, yet, it seems that convicted criminals can still pull a few strings to surreptitiously orchestrate their escape, shamelessly disguised as ‘award’ for their alleged good conduct.”\n\n“If released, Sanchez’s case will be another glaring example of how dysfunctional and unfair our current judicial system is. We cannot allow this to happen,” she added.\n\nFamily of rape-slay victim Sarmenta called for concrete proof of Sanchez’ good behavior from the authorities.\n\n“We need to see, give us a copy of the computation, of proof that he is really well-behaved,” said Clara, Sarmenta’s mother, in a phone interview with Rappler on Thursday.\n\n“How could he have good behavior when he didn’t follow all the rules; he had an airconditioning unit, he had a cellphone, and to top it all off, he had shabu hidden in a statue of Mama Mary,” she pointed out.\n\nClara expressed heartbreak over the news of Sanchez’s possible release.\n\n“To tell you the truth, I wasn’t able to sleep last night. Everything came back to me. the pain, the struggle, bringing back our lives together. Bumalik ulit lahat ‘yun (Everything came back). I’m really sorry that I’m crying,” she said.\n\nHer daughter would have turned 48 on September 16.\n\nOn June 21, 1993, Sarmenta, along with her boyfriend Gomez, were kidnapped by Sanchez’s six henchmen. Sarmenta was presented as “a gift” to Sanchez by then-Calauan police deputy chief George Medialdea.\n\nGomez was beaten outside the rest house of Sanchez, while Sarmenta was raped by Sanchez inside. After the former mayor was done, he tossed Sarmenta to to his men who proceeded to gang rape her. She and Gomez were subsequently killed by Sanchezs men.", "Understand the GCTA law and the Supreme Court ruling that surrounds this issue.\n\nMANILA, Philippines – The reported possible release of convicted rapist and murderer Antonio Sanchez, even though he has only served 25 years in 9 terms of reclusion perpetua, is a result of different laws, the latest of which was a Supreme Court ruling this July.\n\nIt is mainly anchored on Republic Act No. 10592, signed in 2013 by former president Benigno \"Noynoy\" Aquino III, that provides guidelines on how to compute the good conduct time allowance (GCTA) of an inmate which is deducted from his total sentence.\n\nThe reduced prison term is based on good behavior of the inmate. For a well-behaved inmate from the '90s, the GCTA law can slash up to 19 years off of his sentence.\n\nFor Sanchez, the Bureau of Corrections has since changed its tune, saying that reported misdemeanors inside jail may mean the convict can still stay in jail \"for several years\" more.\n\nThe Department of Justice has made the biggest backtrack – Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra is now saying that as a convict of a heinous crime, Sanchez is not eligible at all to avail of good conduct time allowance. Malacañang has agreed with Guevarra.\n\nUnderstand the GCTA law and the Supreme Court ruling that surrounds this issue. – Rappler.com", "Human rights lawyer Edre Olalia suggests excluding certain types of heinous crimes from the reduced prison term law\n\nBILIBID CONVICTS. A thousand Bilibid convicts are set to be released soon because of a Supreme Court ruling that retroactively applied a law on reduced prison term. File photo by Ben Nabong/Rappler\n\nMANILA, Philippines – Convicted rapist and murderer Antonio Sanchez killed two more people – a father and son – aside from the University of the Philippines (UPLB) Los Baños students; but that will have no legal bearing on his release because the revised penal code states the maximum prison time shall not exceed 40 years.\n\nSanchez has been in jail for 25 years, but he is set to be released soon because the Department of Justice (DOJ) said he has put in sufficient good conduct time allowance (GCTA) that reduced his maximum 40-year term.\n\nSanchez' sentences for the two different crimes in the early 90s coincided with each other. Because the maximum period is 40 years, being convicted for two separate crimes will not affect the computation of good conduct time allowance.\n\nJustice Secretary Menardo Guevarra pointed this out, saying: \"I'm sure that all of these things are being taken into consideration but take note that multiple sentences are served simultaneously, not one after the other.\"\n\nGuevarra added: \"Good conduct subject to time allowances is the conduct exhibited during prison time, not conduct before imprisonment, no matter how reprehensible it may have been.\"\n\nSanchez qualified for a 2013 law on new guidelines on how to compute good conduct time allowance. A Supreme Court (SC) ruling issued July this year declared that the law shall be applied retroactively, meaning it should include inmates jailed before the law was passed like Sanchez.\n\nPublic backlash followed the news of Sanchez' impending release, but human rights lawyers were bound to agree with the SC ruling because of equality of laws.\n\nEdre Olalia of the National Union of Peoples' Lawyers (NUPL) suggested instead a review of the 2013 law to possibly amend it so that individuals who commit certain \"heinous crimes\" are disqualified from availing the good conduct reduced prison term.\n\n\"It is better to impose life imprisonment in its literal sense for such very limited and well defined crimes like Sanchez,\" said Olalia.\n\nBut Olalia was compelled to add that reform and rehabilitation should still be factored in.\n\n\"Still, if there is proven genuine remorse and real prospect for rehabilitation, parallel out of detention commitments and reportorial mechanisms can be granted,\" said Olalia.\n\nIn January 1999, the Supreme Court upheld the sentence of 7 terms of reclusion perpetua against Sanchez for the rape-slay case of UPLB student Eileen Sarmenta and her boyfriend Allan Gomez.\n\nIn August 1999, the High Court imposed a sentence of 2 terms of reclusion perpetua against Sanchez for the double murder of Nelson and Rickson Peñalosa.\n\nNelson was the political leader of Sanchez' opponent for the mayoral seat at the time, according to court records. Rickson was Nelson's son who was in the in the same vehicle that Sanchez' men shot at. This happened on April 1991, two years before the 1993 UPLB rape-slay case.\n\nThe Peñalosa double murder case, however, was only brought to court in 1994. The trial court decision was issued on December 1996. Sanchez was already in jail then for the UPLB case.\n\nEven though Sanchez was sentenced to different terms of reclusion perpetua for two different crimes, Article 70 of the Revised Penal Code says if the convict shall serve two or more penalties, those penalties shall be served successively for a duration of up to three times the maximum penalty but which shall not exceed 40 years.\n\nGuevarra said a thousand other convicts will benefit from the retroactive application of the reduced prison term law. The Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) has started processing inmates from 1993, Guevarra said. – Rappler.com"], "summary": "Philippine Department of Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra and Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) Director-General Nicanor Faeldon says that former Calauan Mayor Antonio Sanchez is ineligible under a 2013 law that credits good conduct time allowance (GCTA) for an early release from prison."}
{"document": ["Gov. Jay Inslee of Washington, who mounted a dogged presidential candidacy raising the alarm about climate change, dropped out of the 2020 race on Wednesday after struggling to earn a place in the next Democratic primary debate.\n\nMr. Inslee plans to compete for a different office instead — the one he already holds.\n\n“I want to continue to stand with you in opposing Donald Trump and rejecting his hurtful and divisive agenda, while strengthening and enhancing Washington State’s role as a progressive beacon for the nation,” he said in an email to supporters on Thursday announcing his plan to run for a third term in 2020.\n\nWhile his presidential campaign had “advanced the dialogue” on climate change, Mr. Inslee said, he had concluded that the electoral obstacles before him were insurmountable.\n\n“I’m not going to be the president, so I’m withdrawing tonight from the race,” Mr. Inslee said in an interview Wednesday night on MSNBC, where he first revealed he was ending his campaign.", "Jay Inslee in for third bid for governor\n\nOLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announced his bid for a third term as governor in an email to supporters, saying that while it was an honor to run for president, he wants to continue his work leading the state.\n\nInslee sent the email detailing his plans Thursday morning, hours before he was to appear at a news conference at Planned Parenthood in Seattle regarding the Title X family planning program. He wrote that Washington state \"shows the economic power of progressive action.\"\n\nInslee ended his 2020 presidential bid Wednesday night after nearly six months. He had made fighting climate change the central theme of his campaign, and said he was confident that Democrats would select a nominee who would champion climate change issues.\n\nGovernors in Washington state aren't subject to term limits, though most haven't served more than two terms. The last three-term governor in Washington was Republican Gov. Dan Evans, who served from 1965 until 1977.", "WASHINGTON D.C. (CBS) — Washington Governor Jay Inslee, who made fighting climate change the central theme of his presidential campaign, announced Wednesday night that he is ending his bid for the 2020 Democratic nomination. Inslee announced his decision on MSNBC, saying it’s become clear that he won’t win. He has kept the option of running for a third term as governor open throughout his presidential campaign but didn’t immediately say what his political plans were.\n\n“This is sort of the bookends of my campaign,” Inslee said on MSNBC. “We started seeing that climate change had to be the number one job of the United States. I felt very good saying that the first days of my campaign. I feel very good saying that now. And the reason is this has just become more urgent – a billion tons of ice melted in Greenland uh the other day. But we also have had so many people that I have met who are inspiring, who want us to act, who have helped me. We have had 130,000 people help me in this campaign.”\n\n“But it has become clear that I am not going to be carrying the ball, I am not going to be the president, so I’m withdrawing tonight from the race,” he added.\n\nInslee, 68, became the third Democrat to end his presidential bid after U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell of California pulled out of the primary last month followed by former Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper last week.\n\nWhile Inslee had qualified for the first two presidential debates this summer, he struggled to gain traction in the crowded Democratic field and was falling short of the requirements needed to appear on two high-profile stages next month: the third DNC debate in Houston and a CNN town hall focused on climate change, Inslee’s key issue.\n\nHe had recently hit one of the markers – 130,000 unique donors. But he had yet to reach 2% in any poll and would have needed to hit that level of support in four qualifying polls.\n\nInslee is a former congressman and served as Democratic Governors Association chairman in 2018 when the party flipped seven Republican-held gubernatorial seats. He kicked off his campaign in March in Seattle, standing in front of a blue-and-green campaign logo with an arc of the Earth, declaring climate change the nation’s most pressing issue.\n\nInslee was a champion for the clean energy industry in Congress and wrote a book on the topic. And he’s pushed for state policies to curb greenhouse gas emissions blamed for global warming. On the day he announced his presidential bid, the state Senate passed a key piece of his legislative climate agenda, a measure that seeks to eliminate fossil fuels like natural gas and coal from the state’s electricity supply by 2045. The measure, later passed by the House and signed by Inslee in May, made Washington the fourth in the nation to establish a mandate to provide carbon-free electricity by a targeted date. A few additional states have enacted legislation related to clean energy requirements since May, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.\n\nIn addition to pushing for a dedicated debate on climate change, Inslee’s campaign has been rolling out climate proposals, including calling for the nation’s entire electrical grid and all new vehicles and buildings to be carbon pollution free by 2030. He’s also proposed a clean break between the federal government and the fossil fuel industry, ending tax breaks for oil companies and banning all drilling and extraction on federal lands and beneath federal waters.\n\nInslee released his sixth and final climate proposal, a plan focused on agriculture and farmers, hours before he announced he was dropping out of the race.\n\nIn a video released Tuesday on Twitter, Inslee thanked supporters for helping him pass the 130,000 individual donor mark.\n\n“Together we have put the climate crisis front and center in the 2020 race,” he said. “And thanks to you, every candidate knows they have to have a robust plan to defeat the climate crisis.”\n\nInslee didn’t say whether he planned to seek a third term as governor.\n\nGovernors in Washington state aren’t subject to term limits, though most haven’t served more than two terms. The last three-term governor in Washington was Republican Governor Dan Evans, who served from 1965 until 1977.\n\nWhile the filing deadline for the state’s 2020 elections isn’t until next May, three Democrats have already signaled they will run for governor if Inslee doesn’t: Attorney General Bob Ferguson, Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz and King County Executive Dow Constantine. The political dominos continue with Democratic candidates lining up to run for attorney general and lands commissioner if Ferguson and Franz end up not seeking reelection to their posts.\n\nA few Republicans have already announced plans to run for governor, including Phil Fortunato, a state senator, and Loren Culp, the police chief of Republic, in eastern Washington. A Republican has not occupied the governor’s office in more than three decades.", "Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announces he's ending 2020 Democratic presidential bid, saying it's become clear he won't win\n\nOLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announces he's ending 2020 Democratic presidential bid, saying it's become clear he won't win.", "Washington Gov. Jay Inslee is out of presidential race. Will he run for a third term as governor?\n\nWashington Gov. Jay Inslee has dropped out of the race for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, facing his inability to garner enough support to qualify for the third round of candidate debates and the upcoming CNN town hall on climate change.\n\n\"It's become clear that I'm not going to be carrying the ball,\" Inslee said on the Rachel Maddow Show. \"I'm not going to be the President, so I'm withdrawing tonight from the race.\"\n\nInslee was the first high-profile presidential hopeful to run on the issue of the world's climate crisis. The candidate's latest policy proposal, a program for planet-friendly American agriculture, came out his 24 hours before his withdrawal.\n\n\"Thank you to my Governor Jay Inslee for bringing such a powerful and passionate focus on climate change to the 2020 debate,\" tweeted U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash. \"His leadership has shaped the debate.\"\n\nRELATED: Connelly: Inslee unlikely to make stage for Dems' climate town hall, third debate\n\nThe withdrawal poses a question likely to be answered soon. Will Inslee try to become the second Washington governor -- Dan Evans was the first -- to serve three consecutive terms?\n\nAlready, two state officials -- Attorney General Bob Ferguson and State Lands Commissioner Hilary Franz -- were informally building support. In turn, at least four leading Democrats were mapping out campaigns for Attorney General, including state Solicitor General Noah Purcell, a top Ferguson deputy.\n\n\"We're not done: Proud of you boss,\" Inslee's communications director Jaime Smith wrote on Facebook.\n\nInslee was being coy, tweeting: \"As we turn to the future, I will have more to say about what comes next for me in the days ahead.\"\n\nRELATED: Inslee executive communications director: Leaving one life to savor another\n\nBut a well-placed (and generous) Democratic donor, who asked not to be named, commented: \"Knowing Jay and especially Tracy, I expect the emails will be flying within hours.\" (He was referring to ubiquitous Inslee fundraiser Tracy Newman.)\n\nThe Associated Press, citing its own unnamed sources, predicted that Inslee will announce almost at once.\n\nState Sen. Reuven Carlyle, D-Seattle, an architect of the state's climate legislation, wrote in Facebook: \"Jay Inslee elevated our nation's civic discourse and boldly placed the issue of climate action on the front burner of the 2020 presidential agenda. He has done our state proud. We welcome him home with respect and pride.\"\n\nInslee announced for President on March 1. He made a strong initial impression on such programs as \"The View,\" wowing host Joy Behar. He cited Washington's record of enacting progressive climate legislation, e.g. phaseout of coal energy. He was praised by such publications as The Atlantic as having the most comprehensive climate policy proposals in the crowded Democratic field.\n\nBut a record in a Western state did not resonate in debates and joint appearances. Inslee never registered higher than 2% in any poll, and was at a flat-out zero in recent surveys nationally and in New Hampshire and Iowa.\n\nInitial Republican reaction was tacky. \"Will he reimburse the taxpayers for the $millions we were forced to spend on security during the vanity run?\" tweeted state Republican Chairman Caleb Heimlich.\n\nIn contrast, Andrea Mitchell of NBC News tweeted: \"Exiting with a powerful message. Class act.\" University of Washington President Ana Mari Cauce thanked Inslee for moving the climate crisis \"front and center.\"\n\nRival candidate Cory Booker tweeted: \"Thank you Jay Inslee for advancing the conversation about the urgent threat of climate change our country is better off for it. I know you will continue to be a powerful voice and move the needle on this issue.\"\n\nThe Washington governor's office has been in Democratic hands for 35 years. The Evergreen State has run through five consecutive Democratic governors. Three -- Chris Gregoire, Gary Locke and Booth Gardner -- quit after two terms.\n\nA Puget Sound expatriate, Ryan Morden, displayed \"Jay Inslee for President\" buttons on Twitter, and wrote: \"Shucks, it's back to Cascadia for Inslee. I bought a pack of these in hopes of getting him on the next debate stage.\"\n\nThe Democrats' presidential race moves on, with a big crowd expected when Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., comes to town Sunday for an afternoon town hall.", "OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — Washington Gov. Jay Inslee announces he's ending 2020 Democratic presidential bid, saying it's become clear he won't win.", "OLYMPIA, Wash. — Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, who made fighting climate change the central theme of his presidential campaign, announced Wednesday night that he is ending his bid for the 2020 Democratic nomination.\n\nInslee said that he was confident that Democrats would select a nominee who would champion climate change issues but that it had become clear that he wouldn't be the person selected. Inslee said he was not endorsing anyone but would support whoever is the nominee.\n\n\"I believe we're going to have a candidate to fight this battle,\" he said on MSNBC. \"I'm inspired by the people I've met across the country. I'm not going to carry the ball but we're going to make sure somebody is.\"\n\nHe has kept the option of running for a third gubernatorial term open throughout his presidential campaign and said he would discuss his political plans Thursday.\n\n\"I need to go back to the state of Washington and talk about what I'm going to do in my future political career,\" Inslee said.\n\nInslee, 68, became the third Democrat to end his presidential bid after U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell of California pulled out of the primary last month followed by former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper last week.\n\nWhile Inslee had qualified for the first two presidential debates this summer, he struggled to gain traction in the crowded Democratic field and was falling short of the requirements needed to appear on two high-profile stages next month: the third DNC debate in Houston and a CNN town hall focused on climate change, Inslee's key issue.\n\nHe had recently hit one of the markers — 130,000 unique donors. But he had yet to reach 2% in any poll and would have needed to hit that level of support in four qualifying polls.\n\nInslee is a former congressman and served as Democratic Governors Association chairman in 2018, when the party flipped seven Republican-held gubernatorial seats. He kicked off his campaign in March in Seattle, standing in front of a blue-and-green campaign logo with an arc of the Earth, declaring climate change the nation's most pressing issue.\n\nInslee was a champion for the clean energy industry in Congress and wrote a book on the topic. And he's pushed for state policies to curb greenhouse gas emissions blamed for global warming. On the day he announced his presidential bid, the state Senate passed a key piece of his legislative climate agenda, a measure that seeks to eliminate fossil fuels like natural gas and coal from the state's electricity supply by 2045. The measure, later passed by the House and signed by Inslee in May, made Washington the fourth in the nation to establish a mandate to provide carbon-free electricity by a targeted date. A few additional states have enacted legislation related to clean energy requirements since May, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.\n\nIn addition to pushing for a dedicated debate on climate change, Inslee's campaign has been rolling out climate proposals, including calling for the nation's entire electrical grid and all new vehicles and buildings to be carbon pollution free by 2030. He's also proposed a clean break between the federal government and the fossil fuel industry, ending tax breaks for oil companies and banning all drilling and extraction on federal lands and beneath federal waters.\n\nInslee released his sixth and final climate proposal, a plan focused on agriculture and farmers, hours before he announced he was dropping out of the race.\n\nIn a video released Tuesday on Twitter, Inslee thanked supporters for helping him pass the 130,000 individual donor mark.\n\n\"Together we have put the climate crisis front and center in the 2020 race,\" he said. \"And thanks to you, every candidate knows they have to have a robust plan to defeat the climate crisis.\"\n\nWhile Inslee hasn't yet said whether he plans to seek a third term as governor, governors in Washington state aren't subject to term limits, though most haven't served more than two terms. The last three-term governor in Washington was Republican Gov. Dan Evans, who served from 1965 until 1977.\n\nWhile the filing deadline for the state's 2020 elections isn't until next May, three Democrats have already signaled they will run for governor if Inslee doesn't: Attorney General Bob Ferguson, Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz and King County Executive Dow Constantine. The political dominos continue with Democratic candidates lining up to run for attorney general and lands commissioner if Ferguson and Franz end up not seeking reelection to their posts.\n\nA few Republicans have already announced plans to run for governor, including Phil Fortunato, a state senator, and Loren Culp, the police chief of Republic, in eastern Washington. A Republican has not occupied the governor’s office in more than three decades.", "Washington Gov. Jay Inslee is dropping out of the 2020 presidential race, he announced Wednesday night on MSNBC’s “The Rachel Maddow Show.”\n\nInslee had centered his campaign around climate change, calling it “the most urgent challenge of our time.”\n\n“This is our moment to put the greatest threat to our existence, to our economy, to our health, at the very top of the nation’s agenda,” Inslee said in March at his campaign’s kickoff event in Seattle.", "Washington Gov. Jay Inslee, who made fighting climate change the central theme of his presidential campaign, announced Wednesday night that he is ending his bid for the 2020 Democratic nomination.\n\nInslee said that he was confident that Democrats would select a nominee who would champion climate change issues but that it had become clear that he wouldn't be the person selected. Inslee said he was not endorsing anyone but would support whoever is the nominee.\n\n\"I believe we're going to have a candidate to fight this battle,\" he said on MSNBC. \"I'm inspired by the people I've met across the country. I'm not going to carry the ball but we're going to make sure somebody is.\"\n\nTwo people close to Inslee told The Associated Press that he planned to announce in an email to supporters Thursday that he would be seeking a third term as governor. The two spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the announcement publicly.\n\nInslee, who had previously been scheduled to visit New Hampshire on Thursday, will now be back in Washington state for a morning news conference at Planned Parenthood in Seattle regarding the Title X family planning program.\n\nInslee, 68, became the third Democrat to end his presidential bid after U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell of California pulled out of the primary last month followed by former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper last week.\n\nWhile Inslee had qualified for the first two presidential debates this summer, he struggled to gain traction in the crowded Democratic field and was falling short of the requirements needed to appear on two high-profile stages next month: the third DNC debate in Houston and a CNN town hall focused on climate change, Inslee's key issue.\n\nHe had recently hit one of the markers — 130,000 unique donors. But he had yet to reach 2% in any poll and would have needed to hit that level of support in four qualifying polls.\n\nInslee is a former congressman and served as Democratic Governors Association chairman in 2018, when the party flipped seven Republican-held gubernatorial seats. He kicked off his campaign in March in Seattle, standing in front of a blue-and-green campaign logo with an arc of the Earth, declaring climate change the nation's most pressing issue.\n\nInslee was a champion for the clean energy industry in Congress and wrote a book on the topic. And he's pushed for state policies to curb greenhouse gas emissions blamed for global warming. On the day he announced his presidential bid, the state Senate passed a key piece of his legislative climate agenda, a measure that seeks to eliminate fossil fuels like natural gas and coal from the state's electricity supply by 2045. The measure, later passed by the House and signed by Inslee in May, made Washington the fourth in the nation to establish a mandate to provide carbon-free electricity by a targeted date. A few additional states have enacted legislation related to clean energy requirements since May, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.\n\nIn addition to pushing for a dedicated debate on climate change, Inslee's campaign has been rolling out climate proposals, including calling for the nation's entire electrical grid and all new vehicles and buildings to be carbon pollution free by 2030. He's also proposed a clean break between the federal government and the fossil fuel industry, ending tax breaks for oil companies and banning all drilling and extraction on federal lands and beneath federal waters.\n\nInslee released his sixth and final climate proposal, a plan focused on agriculture and farmers, hours before he announced he was dropping out of the race.\n\nIn a video released Tuesday on Twitter, Inslee thanked supporters for helping him pass the 130,000 individual donor mark.\n\n\"Together we have put the climate crisis front and center in the 2020 race,\" he said. \"And thanks to you, every candidate knows they have to have a robust plan to defeat the climate crisis.\"\n\nTalking to reporters after a campaign event in Los Angeles, 2020 candidate Elizabeth Warren credited Inslee with bringing climate change to the center of the presidential debate.\n\n\"I really appreciate what he added to this campaign, and I hope he's going to stay in the fight for what he believes,\" she said.\n\nWhile the filing deadline for the state's 2020 elections isn't until next May, three Democrats had already signaled they would run for governor if Inslee didn't: Attorney General Bob Ferguson, Commissioner of Public Lands Hilary Franz and King County Executive Dow Constantine. The political dominos continued with Democratic candidates lining up to run for attorney general and lands commissioner if Ferguson and Franz end up not seeking reelection to their posts.\n\nFranz said Wednesday night that she's not disappointed that she won't be entering the governor's race, saying that she loved her current job and has \"a lot of work to do.\"\n\nState Republican Party Chairman Caleb Heimlich said he thinks Inslee could be vulnerable in a reelection bid.\n\n\"Getting elected to a third term is a tough task,\" he said. \"And doing so on the heels of a failed presidential campaign where you sent a message to voters that you want a different job, that doesn't sit very well.\"\n\nA few Republicans have already announced plans to run for governor, including Phil Fortunato, a state senator, and Loren Culp, the police chief of Republic, in eastern Washington. A Republican has not occupied the governor's office in more than three decades.\n\nGovernors in Washington state aren't subject to term limits, though most haven't served more than two terms. The last three-term governor in Washington was Republican Gov. Dan Evans, who served from 1965 until 1977.\n\nAssociated Press writer Michael R. Blood contributed to this report from Los Angeles.", "WASHINGTON -- Gov. Jay Inslee has announced he will seek a third term as governor of the state of Washington just a day after leaving the Democratic primary race for president.\n\nInslee, whose main platform for the presidency was combating climate change, tweeted Thursday “I want to continue to stand with you in opposing Donald Trump and rejecting his hurtful and divisive agenda, while strengthening and enhancing Washington state’s role as a progressive beacon for the nation.”\n\n“That’s why, today, I’m announcing my intention to run for a third term as Washington's governor. Join me,” he continued.\n\nHe ended his White House bid because, he said, it had \"become clear\" that he would not receive the Democratic presidential nomination.\n\nInslee has been Washington's governor since 2013, and is currently the only Democrat running for that office.\n\nWashington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson had said he was waiting for Inslee to make a decision on his political future before announcing whether he would consider running for governor, according to the Spokesman-Review. Ferguson said Thursday that he will support Inslee’s bid and seek re-election as attorney general. It would also be his third term as the state's top law enforcement officer if Ferguson wins.\n\nA few Republicans will also vie for Inslee’s office in a state that hasn’t seen a Republican governor since the last one left office in 1985.\n\nInslee said in his announcement that he intends to continue working to fight climate change: \"The state of Washington has provided the nation a roadmap for climate action, innovation, and economic growth. And we’re not done yet.\"\n\nThis year, the state passed a 100%-clean energy bill that requires Washington's energy to come entirely from renewable sources by 2045."], "summary": "Washington governor Jay Inslee drops out of the presidential primaries to focus on his re-election bid."}
{"document": ["The iconic white and orange stripes of United Launch Alliance’s storied Delta 4 rocket took to the skies for the last time in a medium configuration Thursday morning as it hauls an advanced GPS military satellite to orbit.\n\nLaunched at 9:06 a.m. from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station’s launch complex 37, the Delta 4 rocket is carrying the second in a series of new advanced satellites called GPS III for the Air Force.\n\nWatch the launch here.\n\nIt’s the last liftoff for Delta 4 in a medium configuration after 17 years of launches. ULA is phasing out the rocket to make way for its new Vulcan Centaur, which could launch from the Space Coast as soon as 2021. The Delta 4-Heavy still has another five remaining launches carrying large payloads through the early 2020s.\n\n“This is the final Delta 4-Medium launch, and I want to recognize the contribution this rocket and the people behind it have made to national security,” said Col. Shane Clark, mission director for the GPS III mission, during a news media conference call.\n\nDelta 4-Medium will get its send-off with an important payload on board — both for the military and for everyday users.\n\nCraig Bailey / AP A United Launch Alliance Delta IV Medium rocket lifts off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Friday, March 15, 2019 in Cape Canaveral, Fla.. The rocket is carrying a communications satellite for the U.S. Military. (Craig Bailey/Florida Today via AP) A United Launch Alliance Delta IV Medium rocket lifts off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Friday, March 15, 2019 in Cape Canaveral, Fla.. The rocket is carrying a communications satellite for the U.S. Military. (Craig Bailey/Florida Today via AP) (Craig Bailey / AP)\n\nGPS has become such an integrated part of everyday life, said Bill Gattle, the president of Space Systems for L3Harris Technologies, which built the navigation technology on the satellite, that people may not recognize how many different systems rely on the satellites that provide global positioning.\n\n“One of my favorite things because of kids is [to remind people that] Pokémon Go would not be possible without GPS,” Gattle said, referring to the popular phone app. “It just has very far-reaching capability into our everyday lives.”\n\nThat’s why the Air Force has invested in a new class of GPS satellites that will eventually replace the ones on-orbit now with upgraded technology. Built by Lockheed Martin, the GPS III class of satellites started to launch to median Earth orbit, 10,900 nautical miles above Earth, on Dec. 23. The second satellite in what could one day be a set of as many as 32 will go to space, if all goes well, on Thursday.\n\nGPS III satellites will connect more than 4 billion military, commercial and civil users with GPS around the world. For regular users, the satellites come equipped with the capability to connect with other GPS systems, like Europe’s Galileo, making it easier to stay connected overseas.\n\n“On the ground if you’re in Europe, you’ll be able to pick up either one and use them,” Gattle said.\n\nFor military personnel in particular, the GPS satellite will provide three-times better accuracy and eight-times improved anti-jamming capabilities to protect the signals from being intercepted by other forces. The spacecraft will also be able to stay in orbit 15 years — about 25% longer than the GPS satellites on-orbit today.\n\nMost importantly, the systems on these satellites are designed to be “hack proof,” Gattle said.\n\n“[They have] information insurance, so we’d know if people were inside it,” he said. “This is the first time we will have that software protection.”\n\nThose safeguards are particularly important at a time when insuring the nation’s assets in space against cyber attacks from other countries has increasingly become part of the conversation — so much so that it would be built into the mission of President Donald Trump’s proposed Space Force military branch.\n\n“Space is scary and wonderful at the same time,” Gattle said. “It’s scary in the fact that we have an infrastructure that is at risk and wonderful because there is a ton of opportunity for us to make a difference. [The Apollo generation] were truly pioneers on the human front. We are really pioneering some new technology.”\n\nWant more space news? Follow Go For Launch on Facebook. Contact the reporter at cherrera@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-5660; Twitter @ChabeliH", "CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A veteran rocket has made its final voyage, lofting a next-generation GPS satellite into orbit around Earth.\n\nThe last United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta IV Medium rocket lifted off on Thursday morning (Aug. 22) at 9:06 a.m. EDT (1306 GMT) on the vehicle's 29th mission. After nearly two decades in service, the massive orange-and-white launcher leapt off the pad at Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and delivered its final payload, a GPS III satellite for the U.S. Air Force.\n\nThe launch went off without a hitch after a few technical issues popped up, marking the second success in a month for ULA, which now has four launches under its belt this year.\n\nVideo: Watch the Last Launch of a Delta IV Medium Rocket\n\n Related: Meet the Delta Rocket Family of the United Launch Alliance \n\n\n\nThe flight also marks the last time a single-stick Delta IV will soar aloft and the last time an RS-68 engine (which powers the rocket) will fly alongside two solid rocket motors. Going forward, only the single-stick's big brother, the — which consists of three single-stick cores strapped together — will ferry payloads to orbit.\n\nEventually, ULA plans to phase out both Atlas and Delta and rely strictly on its forthcoming Vulcan rocket to carry cargo (and humans) to space. That next-generation rocket is expected to come .\n\nVulcan is a more affordable alternative to its predecessors. According to ULA, the launcher will boast 3.8 million pounds of thrust and will be able to carry 56,000 pounds to low-Earth orbit. The vehicle will be powered by Blue Origin's BE-4 engine and six strap-on solid rocket boosters.\n\nThe still-in-production launcher has even racked up some sweet contracts. ULA recently announced that Vulcan will launch the upcoming and\n\nThe rise of the EELV\n\nIn the mid-1990s, the Air Force had a clear goal: to ensure the U.S. had reliable access to space. This meant there needed to be more affordable launch vehicles that could routinely carry payloads to orbit.\n\nThat need gave rise to the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program — now known as the National Security Space Launch program — which fostered the development of both the Atlas and Delta vehicles.\n\nThe massive Delta IV, with its hefty lift-capacity, was preceded by a smaller, teal and white rocket, known as the Delta II. (The 125-foot-tall monolith and its is now a relic of the past, having officially retired in September 2018.)\n\nWith its nose cone painted to resemble a shark — an homage to the vehicle's military roots — the Delta II started off its career in the same way the Delta IV is ending its own: with a GPS satellite. On Valentine's Day (Feb. 14) 1989, carried the first full-scale GPS satellite into space and kickstarted the navigation constellation that we continue to depend on decades later.\n\nThat first GPS satellite was originally slated to hitch a ride to orbit on the back of a . But after the Challenger's tragic explosion in 1986, the Air Force had to find new rides for its planned satellite constellation. With the shuttle program grounded for the foreseeable future, President Ronald Reagan directed the military to develop its own rockets, which is where the EELV program comes into play.\n\nHaving multiple launch vehicles at their disposal meant that the Air Force would have options on how best to transport national security and other payloads into space, while also ensuring that space would never be out of reach.\n\nTo that end, the EELV program furthered the development of the Atlas and , ensuring the Air Force had continuous access to space but also that each vehicle was configurable, allowing them to carry a variety of payloads.\n\nHowever, the vehicles weren't identical backups for each other, with slightly different means of propulsion. Unlike the Atlas V which relies on refined kerosene as its primary fuel, the Delta IV instead uses liquid hydrogen to power its RS-68 engines. This difference in fuel produces quite the spectacle as the hydrogen-powered Delta essentially lights itself on fire before taking off.\n\nULA CEO Tory Bruno told Space.com before the launch that this was a sentimental moment for the team. The Delta IV Medium has been a tremendous workhorse for the Air Force. \"Even though she [sic] lives on in the remaining flights of the Heavy, it is a bittersweet launch for our team,\" he said.\n\n\"I will miss this medium class of rockets the most,\" he said. \"Especially the Delta IV, the one that lights itself on fire before blasting into space.\"\n\nThe Delta IV Medium features one center core booster and either two or four strap-on solid rocket motors to give it an added boost. For this launch, the vehicle was adorned with two solid rocket motors, which jettisoned just under two minutes after liftoff.\n\nSince its introduction in 2002, the 207-foot-tall Delta IV Medium has flown a total of 29 times, 15 of those in today's two-booster configuration. The rocket has carried a plethora of payloads including ones dedicated to national security, science, and communications.\n\nThe first of this launched in December 2018, atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. SpaceX also secured launch contracts to ferry the next few GPS satellites into space.\n\nThe new batch of satellites will provide more modern capabilities to the aging constellation with signals that are three times more accurate and up to eight times more powerful than previous iterations.\n\nThe Air Force named this second flight of the GPS III satellite Magellan as a tribute to the first explorer to sail around the world, Ferdinand Magellan. The spacecraft, built by Lockheed Martin, will ultimately be a part of a massive 31-satellite constellation, providing precision timing and navigation for both military and civilian users, as well as improving anti-jamming capabilites.\n\nNext up for ULA is the launch of an uncrewed Starliner spacecraft. The flight, currently planned for September, will be similar to SpaceX's of its Crew Dragon spacecraft, which took place in March. The space agency plans to use both vehicles to take astronauts to the International Space Station this year or next.\n\nFollow Amy Thompson on Twitter . Follow us on Twitter or .", "CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — The final launch of the Delta IV Medium rocket is set to take place Thursday morning as is retiring the rocket after nearly two decades of flights.\n• ULA's new rocket will be the Vulcan Centaur\n• Launch window starts at 9:01 a.m. ET today\n• Watch it live on Spectrum News or stream it live on our website and mobile devices\n\nHowever, on Thursday morning, ULA tweeted out that there was an indication of a hydrogen leak, but the countdown is still proceeding.\n\n\"We're flying out the Delta IV medium,\" said Tony Taliancich, ULA Launch Operations director and general manager. \"Our plan and strategy is to eventually transition our team towards the Vulcan Centaur for the future. That is our vehicle that we're positioning ourselves for the long term competition and survivability in the market.\"\n\nEventually the Delta IV Heavy and Atlas V rockets will also be retired to make way for the next generation Vulcan rocket.\n\nThe medium is the single \"stick\" version of the Delta IV rocket. It first launched in 2002, and this will be its 29th flight.\n\nThe rocket has been used primarily to launch national security satellites for the U.S. military.\n\nOn board this Delta IV Medium is the GPS III satellite for the U.S. Air Force.\n\nNicknamed Magellan, it is the second in a series of 10 next generation GPS III satellites built by Lockheed Martin.\n\nIt is designed to improve accuracy, making it three times more accurate for military users. It also has up to eight times improved anti-jamming capabilities to make sure important signals used by our troops are not interrupted.\n\nIn addition, the satellite broadcasts a compatible signal with other international GPS systems, allowing us the ability to receive signals from other country's satellites.\n\nIn addition to the 10 GPS III satellites, the Air Force selected Lockheed Martin to build 22 additional GPS III Follow On satellites with additional capabilities.\n\nSo in total, the company is under contract to build 32 GPS satellites for the military.\n\nThursday's 27-minute launch window opens at 9:01 a.m. ET and runs until 9:27 a.m. ET from Space Launch Complex 37 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.", "United Launch Alliance (ULA) is preparing for the launch of the second Global Positioning System III (GPS III) satellite for the US Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center.\n\nNamed Magellan, the second GPS III SV02 satellite will be launched on board a Delta IV rocket today at Space Launch Complex-37 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, US.\n\nLockheed Martin delivered the second GPS III satellite to Cape Canaveral in March.\n\nThe launch of GPS III SV02 will be ULA’s Delta IV Medium rocket’s 29th and final flight. The company will transition to the Vulcan Centaur next-generation heavy-lift launch vehicle.\n\n\n\nULA government and commercial programmes vice-president Gary Wentz said: “As we prepare to launch the final Delta IV Medium, we look forward to continuing its legacy through the purpose-built Vulcan Centaur.\n\n\n\n“We are proud to continue our strong support of the GPS programme with this launch.”\n\nThe Delta IV Medium+ (4,2) configuration vehicle features two solid rocket motors produced by Northrop Grumman.\n\nThe Lockheed Martin-built GPS III system features advanced satellites and a new signal for civil users. It is intended to support the modernisation of the global navigation network.\n\nGPS III SV02 is expected to add high-power, more accurate and harder-to-jam signals to the GPS constellation.\n\nThe GPS III system has up to eight times enhanced anti-jamming capabilities and three times improved accuracy when compared to the GPS II satellite design block.\n\nEarlier this month, ULA launched the US Air Force’s fifth Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) communications satellite on board the Atlas V 551 rocket.", "On Thursday morning, spectators will gather around one last time to see United Launch Alliance launch its last candy corn-colored Delta IV rocket to space from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.\n\nDelivering a GPS satellite to medium Earth orbit, tomorrow's launch marks the end of an era for the \"single-stick\" configuration of a Delta IV rocket. The three-core Delta IV Heavy meanwhile will continue to fly into the 2020s.\n\nFor those wanting to catch a sight of the rocket's final flight, here's what you need to know for tomorrow's launch:\n• Teams are looking to launch no earlier than 9 a.m. from Launch Complex 37. The launch window remains open until 9:27 a.m.\n• Weather forecast is 80% \"go.\" In the event of a delay, weather drops slightly to 70% \"go\" for a Friday launch.\n• Since ULA does not recover its boosters like SpaceX, residents won't hear sonic booms for Thursday's launch.\n• Onboard the rocket is the U.S. Air Force's GPS III satellite called, \"Magellan,\" after Ferdinand Magellan — a Portuguese explorer who led the first circumnavigation around the world 500 years ago.\n• The satellite aims to provide better accuracy for military users; up to eight times improved anti-jamming capabilities; a more robust design that will extend the spacecraft life to 15 years, making it 25% longer than any current GPS satellite in orbit; a new civil signal that will make this satellite the first to broadcast with other international Global Navigation Satellite Systems.\n• Originally supposed to launch on an Atlas V rocket, the satellite onboard Delta IV is now equipped with two adapters — one for Delta and the other for Atlas — and was upgraded to include a common avionics system that can be streamlined on any of ULA's rockets.\n• Spectators can expect to see a smoky trail due to Delta IV's two strap-on solid rocket motors, which differs from SpaceX's Falcon 9, for example, which for the most part doesn't leave a bright white, vertical plume of smoke.\n• With the retirement of the medium-class Delta IV rocket comes ULA's next vehicle, Vulcan Centaur, set to liftoff no earlier than 2021.\n• Full coverage kicks off at 7 a.m. Thursday at floridatoday.com/space and will feature in-depth coverage, photos, charts and more. Ask the space team — Emre Kelly, Antonia Jaramillo and Rachael Joy — questions and strike up a conversation. We will also be hosting ULA's live webcast of the launch.\n\nContact Jaramillo at 321-242-3668 or antoniaj@floridatoday.com. Follow her on Twitter at @AntoniaJ_11.\n\nJoin floridatoday.com/space at 7 a.m. Thursday for countdown chat and updates, including streaming of ULA's launch webcast.", "After 17 years and 29 missions, the final United Launch Alliance Delta IV rocket to ever fly in a medium configuration soared over the Space Coast one last time Thursday morning, delivering a powerful GPS satellite to orbit. After a few minor technical issues, the launch went off without a hitch, soaring into the hazy morning sky as hundreds of onlookers watched, hoping to catch a final glimpse of the Delta 4-Medium. Company President Tory Bruno tweeted that the liftoff was \"hot, straight and normal.\" LIFTOFF of the United Launch Alliance DeltaIV rocket, modernizing the Global Positioning System to benefit the world with the practical aspects of space! usairforce AF_SMC LockheedMartinulalaunch) August 22, 2019 The payload is the second in a series of A Delta 4 rocket lifts off from from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on December 5, 2014 carrying NASA's Orion spacecraft on its first test flight Today's historic event is also the last time a single-stick Delta IV will soar aloft and the last time an RS-68 engine - used to power the rocket - will fly alongside two solid rocket motors. Looking to the future, the single-stick's big brother, the Delta IV Heavy - made up of three single-stick cores strapped together - will be used to launch payloads into orbit. ULA eventually will be phasing out both the Atlas and Delta launch vehicles, relying on the company's The Vulcan Centaur rocket has not flown yet but is a next-generation lifter developed in large part for the United States Air Force's National Security Space Launch (NSSL) program. Vulcan Centaur is a new class of space launch vehicle with the performance of a heavy launch vehicle in just a single core. ULA's Delta IV rocket launched NASA’s Orion capsule on its first orbital test flight and sent the Parker Solar Probe on its journey to become the fastest robot in history while surfing through the sun's atmosphere. The Delta IV single-core rocket lifted off on Thursday morning (Aug. 22) at 9:06 a.m. EDT (1306 GMT) on the vehicle's 29th mission. - leaping off the pad at Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and delivering its final payload, a GPS III satellite for the U.S. Air Force.After a few minor technical issues, the launch went off without a hitch, soaring into the hazy morning sky as hundreds of onlookers watched, hoping to catch a final glimpse of the Delta 4-Medium. Company President Tory Bruno tweeted that the liftoff was \"hot, straight and normal.\"The payload is the second in a series of next-generation GPS satellites and is nicknamed Magellan after the 16th-century Portuguese explorer. The satellite was built by Lockheed Martin and is officially called GPS III.Today's historic event is also the last time a single-stick Delta IV will soar aloft and the last time an RS-68 engine - used to power the rocket - will fly alongside two solid rocket motors. Looking to the future, the single-stick's big brother, the Delta IV Heavy - made up of three single-stick cores strapped together - will be used to launch payloads into orbit.ULA eventually will be phasing out both the Atlas and Delta launch vehicles, relying on the company's new Vulcan rocket to carry cargo (and humans) to space. That next-generation rocket is expected to come online sometime in 2021.The Vulcan Centaur rocket has not flown yet but is a next-generation lifter developed in large part for the United States Air Force's National Security Space Launch (NSSL) program. Vulcan Centaur is a new class of space launch vehicle with the performance of a heavy launch vehicle in just a single core.ULA's Delta IV rocket launched NASA’s Orion capsule on its first orbital test flight and sent the Parker Solar Probe on its journey to become the fastest robot in history while surfing through the sun's atmosphere.", "CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A rocket that's the last of its kind has delivered the newest, most powerful GPS satellite to orbit for the Air Force.\n\nUnited Launch Alliance's Delta IV medium-class rocket lifted off Thursday morning from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. It was a fitting swan song for the rocket. Company President Tory Bruno tweeted that the liftoff was \"hot, straight and normal.\"\n\nThe Delta IV Medium ended its nearly two-decade run with 29 launches. Denver-based United Launch Alliance says it will be replaced by the still-in-development Vulcan rocket.\n\nThe newly launched GPS satellite is the second in a series of next-generation navigation spacecraft. It's nicknamed Magellan after the 16th-century Portuguese explorer. Lockheed Martin, also based in Colorado, built the satellite.\n\nWhat other people are reading right now:\n• 'God blessed me with a platform to speak.' Man who saved baby near highway continues to spread generosity years later\n\n►Make it easy to keep up-to-date with more stories like this. Download the 10News app now.\n\nHave a news tip? Email desk@wtsp.com, or visit our Facebook page or Twitter feed.", "The second Global Positioning System III (GPS III) satellite, named Magellan has been successfully launched into orbit on a Delta IV rocket, the Untied Launch Alliance (ULA) said in a news release on Thursday\n\nWASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd August, 2019) The second Global Positioning System III (GPS III) satellite, named Magellan has been successfully launched into orbit on a Delta IV rocket, the Untied Launch Alliance (ULA) said in a news release on Thursday.\n\n\"A ULA Delta IV rocket carrying the second GPS III satellite, designated Magellan, for the US Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center lifted off from Space Launch Complex-37 on August 22 at 9:06 EDT [Eastern Daylight Time],\" the release said.\n\nThe launch was the 29th and final flight of the Delta IV Medium rocket and the 73rd GPS launch by an Untied Launch Alliance vehicle, the release noted.\n\n\"The GPS III system, built by Lockheed Martin, represents the next step in modernization of the worldwide navigation network with a new generation of advanced satellites offering improved accuracy, better anti-jam resiliency and a new signal for civil users,\" the release said.\n\nThe Delta IV Medium launch rocket included a 4-meter payload fairing and two Northrop Grumman solid rocket motors with a booster core powered by the RS-68A engine, the release said.\n\nThe Delta Cryogenic Second Stage was powered by the RL10B-2 engine, both made by Aerojet Rocketdyne, the release added.", "Follow live as United Launch Alliance targets a 9:01 a.m. liftoff of its last \"single-stick\" Delta IV rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. The launch window will remain open until 9:27 a.m.", "CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A rocket that’s the last of its kind delivered the newest, most powerful GPS satellite to orbit for the Air Force on Thursday.\n\nUnited Launch Alliance’s Delta IV medium-class rocket blasted into a hazy morning sky from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. It was a fitting swan song for the rocket. Company President Tory Bruno tweeted that the liftoff was “hot, straight and normal.”\n\nTwo hours later, the satellite separated from the upper stage and the company declared success.\n\nThe Delta IV Medium ended its 17-year run with 29 launches. Denver-based United Launch Alliance said it will be replaced by the still-in-development Vulcan rocket. The Delta IV Heavy, meanwhile, will continue to soar.\n\nThe newly launched GPS satellite is the second in a series of next-generation navigation spacecraft. It’s nicknamed Magellan after the 16th-century Portuguese explorer. Lockheed Martin, also based in Colorado, built the satellite.\n\nThe Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education. The AP is solely responsible for all content."], "summary": "The second GPS IIIA satellite is successfully launched by a Delta IV Medium rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. It is the last launch of the Delta IV Medium vehicle."}
{"document": ["In an unusual situation, Roscosmos launched the Soyuz MS-14 crew vehicle without any humans aboard. The move is testing critical upgrades to the Soyuz MS series spacecraft, specifically the vehicle’s abort system interface with the upgraded Soyuz 2.1a rocket which will take over crew launch duties next year.\n\nWhile no humans were aboard, Soyuz MS-14 carried a humanoid robot, called Skybot, up to the International Space Station. While the liftoff – from Site No. 31/6 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, at 23:38:31 EDT on Wednesday – was nominal. The docking on Saturday was aborted ahead of final approach due to issues with the KURS rendezvous system on the ISS. Following a relocation of Soyuz MS-13, MS-14 docked on Monday night.\n\nNo humans for Soyuz MS-14:\n\nSoyuz MS-14 was purposely not carrying any humans to orbit, instead acting as a test vessel to perform in-flight verification and validation of new motion control and navigation systems, a revamped descent control system, and a new abort system software interface with the Soyuz 2.1a carrier rocket.\n\nThis non-human test flight is necessary to clear the way for Russian crew launch transition from the Soyuz-FG to the Soyuz 2.1a rocket beginning in Spring 2020.\n\nThe Soyuz 2.1a rocket was designed from the outset to be a crew launch vehicle; however, delays to its introduction led to the creation of the Soyuz-FG rocket to bridge the gap between the aging Soyuz-U and the Soyuz 2.1a.\n\nWith Soyuz 2.1a now in steady operation and ready to assume crew flight duties, Roscosmos is conducting this non-human mission to verify that the Soyuz MS spacecraft’s Launch Abort System will not trigger when the Soyuz 2.1a rocket rolls onto the proper azimuth (heading) after liftoff.\n\nPrior crew vehicle launches from Russia utilized the Soyuz-U and Soyuz-FG rockets, which both used analog Flight Control Systems. Those systems were incapable of rolling the rocket onto course after launch.\n\nTherefore, the Soyuz-U and Soyuz-FG rockets had to literally be turned on their launch pad to the correct launch azimuth so that all the rocket had to do after liftoff was simply pitch over onto the proper trajectory.\n\nSee Also LIVE: Soyuz MS-14\n\nL2 Russian Section\n\nL2 ISS Section\n\nClick here to Join L2\n\nAs such, the Soyuz MS crew spacecraft’s Launch Abort System was designed so that if it detected a roll in the rocket’s orientation it would trigger the abort system to pull the crew away from what would be a failing rocket.\n\nBut the Soyuz 2.1a uses digital Flight Control Systems and performs a roll to align itself to the correct launch azimuth after lifting off.\n\nThat creates a disconnect between the Soyuz 2.1a rocket and the Soyuz MS-series crew vehicle.\n\nTo account for this, Roscosmos has designed a software patch that will now be tested in-flight with Soyuz MS-14.\n\nEssentially, this patch tells the Soyuz MS-14’s flight computers that a roll after liftoff is “Okay” and to not trigger an abort when the roll program begins.\n\nThe Launch Abort System for the Soyuz is a critical safety feature – as seen in October 2018 when the Soyuz MS-10 mission aborted at booster separation because of a critical failure of the Soyuz-FG rocket.\n\nThe abort saved the lives of the two crewmembers, who are currently on the International Space Station having relaunched on their mission in March 2019.\n\nЗдравствуйте, друзья! Сегодня учился открывать бутылку минеральной воды и подносить её к технологическому отверстию, которые вы называете ртом pic.twitter.com/pfrjyHXCih — FEDOR (@FEDOR37516789) July 28, 2019\n\nIn addition to the abort system test, this mission is performing in-flight testing of a new navigation system and a revamped descent control system. This will rigorously test these new systems that will be standard on the upcoming Soyuz GVK uncrewed cargo spacecraft that is set to debut in 2022.\n\nA detailed launch to docking rendezvous timeline is available on L2.\n\nWhile the flight was proceeding without issue, the final leg of its arrival suffered an issue when the KURS system failed to lock on to the Soyuz, resulting in the spacecraft slewing ahead of final approach.\n\nKURS won't lock on for final approach. Soyuz MS-14 is basically slewing all over the place. Won't be final approach unless this is corrected. pic.twitter.com/4peFya8LS0 — Chris B – NSF (@NASASpaceflight) August 24, 2019\n\nWith the crew losing sight of the vehicle and having to find it by looking out of the window, controllers in Houston called up to make sure the US crew was awake, as the situation became slightly tense. However, there was no immediate danger to the ISS given the Soyuz was not approaching as final approach was not commanded.\n\nAn abort was commanded and the Soyuz began to depart the region surrounding the ISS, called the Keep Out Zone.\n\nSoyuz MS-14 still departing. Aborted docking attempt. KURS failed to lock on and the Russian ISS crew lost track of it. ABORT commanded. MS-14 does not have a TORU back up system. pic.twitter.com/wxrdmxfhmp — Chris B – NSF (@NASASpaceflight) August 24, 2019\n\nThe issue was the result of a problem on the ISS – the KURS signal amplifier – as opposed to the Soyuz itself. This system will be replaced while another attempt to dock the Soyuz will take place next week.\n\nHowever, this will be via a convoluted plan, where the Russian crew enter Soyuz MS-13, move it to another port and then make a second attempt to dock Soyuz MS-14 on the vacated port.\n\nThe first part – the relocation of Soyuz MS-13 – was successfully completed.\n\nREDOCKING: Manual relocation of Soyuz MS-13 has been successful. Now Soyuz MS-14 can arrive in less than 24 hours time. pic.twitter.com/bCbbWw5aF6 — Chris B – NSF (@NASASpaceflight) August 26, 2019\n\nSoyuz MS-14 then evenutally followed the mitigation path by docking with the vacated spot on Monday.\n\nA robotic crewmember for Soyuz and the Station:\n\nWhile Soyuz MS-14 was not carrying humans to space, it does have a crewmember.\n\nSkybot F-850, formerly known simply as FEDOR (Final Experimental Demonstration Object Research), is a Russian humanoid robot – complete with arms and legs – built to replicate the movements of a remote operator.\n\nSkybot can also conduct some actions autonomously.\n\nThe robotic humanoid will – in part – provide G-force and temperature information inside Soyuz during the various phases of launch and rendezvous with the Station.\n\nAfter the rendezvous with the Station, Skybot will be brought inside the ISS where a series of movement tests – both commanded by the Russian crew and autonomously performed – will be carried out by the Russian crew during the robot’s 2 week mission.\n\nIn addition to the motion tests, Skybot will also test its voice program and ability to communicate with the Station’s Russian crew. It will also assist the crew with certain task in order to assess the robot’s ability to function in microgravity.\n\nIn so doing, Skybot will become the second semi-autonomous robotic humanoid to carry out a mission aboard the Station.\n\nThe first was NASA’s Robonaut2.\n\nUnfortunately, the two ISS robotic crewmembers will not meet each other as Robonaut2 is currently on Earth undergoing final upgrades before re-launching to the Station.\n\nAfter two weeks on Station, Skybot will be placed back inside the Soyuz MS-14’s Descent Module. Soyuz will then undock from the ISS on 6 September for landing back in Kazakhstan.\n\nDuring Deorbit, Reentry, and Landing, Skybot will once again provide G-force and temperature regime information.\n\nThis is currently Skybot’s only planned mission to the Station, though Russian officials have not ruled out a much longer follow-up mission should this one prove successful.\n\nSkybot and Robonaut2 – the ISS’s robotic crewmembers:\n\nSkybot – in a sense – is the Russian cousin of NASA’s Robonaut2 robotic humanoid.\n\nRobonaut2 launched to the International Space Station on 24 February 2011 on the Space Shuttle Discovery’s STS-133 mission.\n\nAfter 7 years in space, Robonaut2 returned to Earth on 5 May 2018 on the CRS-14 SpaceX Dragon for maintenance, repairs, and upgrades.\n\nAt the CRS-14 pre-launch news conference, NASA stated that the plan was to relaunch Robonaut2 in “about a year.”\n\nNow a little more than a year later, NASASpaceflight checked on the status of Robonaut2. In response, NASA said, “As of now, Robonaut2 is targeted for a return to the International Space Station no earlier than (NET) late 2019. Teams continue to prepare Robonaut2 for on-orbit tasks, complete fit checks and train future crew members heading to station.”\n\nBased on the “late 2019” relaunch date, two options are available: The NG-12 Cygnus flight from Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems, which is targeting a NET 21 October launch, or the SpaceX CRS-19 Dragon mission, currently targeting launch NET 4 December.", "Welcome to Edition 2.12 of the Rocket Report! This week's report might as well be brought to you by United Launch Alliance—but never fear, dear readers, no one influences the report—because there is a lot going on with the Colorado-based company. This week, ULA flew its final single-stick Delta IV rocket, and the company is in the midst of transitioning to its new Vulcan-Centaur booster.\n\nAs always, we welcome reader submissions, and if you don't want to miss an issue, please subscribe using the box below (the form will not appear on AMP-enabled versions of the site). Each report will include information on small-, medium-, and heavy-lift rockets as well as a quick look ahead at the next three launches on the calendar.\n\nAir Force seeks bids for small, medium payloads. The US Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center's Launch Enterprise is requesting industry bids for the Orbital Services Program-4, intended to launch payloads of 180kg or larger into orbit. The Air Force will procure about 20 missions over the next nine years, SpaceNews reports. Bids are due August 29.\n\nSeeking more responsive launch ... Under the last such program, only SpaceX and Orbital Sciences (now Northrop Grumman) were able to deliver payloads. With the flurry of new launch vehicles under development, however, this time around there are likely to be many more bidders. As part of the program, the Air Force seeks to increase it capacity to launch on demand. Contracts must be flexible and responsive,\" Col. Rob Bongiovi said. \"The program balances technology, mission risk, and schedule while leveraging rapidly evolving market forces to cultivate a resilient and affordable launch capability for US government needs.\"\n\nChina's Smart Dragon 1 reaches orbit. The semi-private China Long March Rocket Corporation successfully launched its Smart Dragon-1 booster on Saturday for the first time. The 19.5-meter long, four-stage solid-fueled launch vehicle can launch up to a 200kg payload to a Sun-synchronous Orbit. According to the company, Smart Dragon-1 has already secured six launch contracts, with its second flight planned for as soon as late 2019.\n\nSo many competitors ... As we've been saying, a multiplicity of Chinese companies is flooding the small-satellite launch market with new rockets. NASASpaceFlight.com notes that Smart Dragon-1 is the fourth new Chinese smallsat launch vehicle to debut in the last 10 months. LandSpace's ZhuQue-1 and OneSpace's OS-M1 both failed on their first flights, but iSpace's Hyperbola-1 succeeded in July. All four launch vehicles use three or four solid-rocket motor stages and have a capability of several hundred kilograms to low Earth orbit. (submitted by Ken the Bin)\n\nIndia invites private firms to build PSLVs. As part of the country's \"Make in India\" initiative, the Indian space agency ISRO has invited companies to bid for a contract to produce up to five cores of its workhorse Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle. Indian space officials said they believe the country's private aerospace industry is up to the task, The Times of India reports.\n\nBids due soon ... A consortium of companies is anticipated to bid on the contracts, as no single company is expected to be able to build one of the small-satellite launch vehicles. Bids are due by early September. It is interesting to see how different countries around the world are seeking to take advantage of their rising aerospace industries. (submitted by Ken the Bin)\n\nVulcan, Falcon 9 in a new race to the Moon. This week, Astrobotic announced that its Moon lander would be one of the payloads on the maiden flight of the Vulcan rocket, currently set for a 2021 launch. This mission came as part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services program, which seeks to deliver small science payloads to the surface of the moon.\n\nRaces within races ... Not to be outdone, the Japanese company ispace on Thursday announced that it had adjusted the timeline for its first lunar lander, Mission 1, to fly in 2021. The soft-landing spacecraft will fly as a rideshare payload on a Falcon 9 rocket. ispace also announced that it plans to partner with US-based Draper, which is also in the running for future Commercial Lunar Payload Services program contracts. Thus there is not only a race to the Moon among commercial companies but between the two big US rocket companies. (submitted by platykurtic)\n\nJapan's rocket industry has a novel approach to competition. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Japan's major launch company, is developing the H3 rocket to be more cost-competitive with SpaceX and other providers around the world. As that competition is heated, Nikkei Asian Review reports that the Japanese conglomerate has a plan to diversify its interest further by providing weather data services.\n\nSome questionable assumptions ... The company's \"weather forecasting service\" will use data from satellites launched by its rockets to predict weather for periods of two weeks to two months, according to the report. The company plans to start by selling its forecasts to big US grain traders, and other potential customers include electric utilities and marine shipping companies. The only problem we can see with this plan is that satellite data is not a weather forecast (there needs to be a good model), and weather predictions are only reliable out to about 10 days due to chaos theory. (submitted by BH)\n\nRussia flies a fully automated Soyuz mission. With a robot rather than a cosmonaut in the commander's seat, a Russian Soyuz spacecraft rocketed into orbit from Kazakhstan late Wednesday en route to the International Space Station, Spaceflight Now reports. This was the first Soyuz crewed vehicle to fly without cosmonauts in 33 years.\n\nWhy no people? ... The automated test flight was conceived to test the compatibility of the Soyuz spacecraft with the upgraded Soyuz-2.1a booster, a modernized variant of the venerable Russian rocket family that is slated to begin launching crews next March. A Progress supply ship that launched on this upgraded booster in April 2015 went into an uncontrolled spin after separating from the Soyuz third stage, and this prompted Russian officials to fly the first Soyuz crew capsule on a Soyuz-2.1a rocket without people aboard. (submitted by Ken the Bin)\n\nFinal single-stick Delta IV rocket lifts off. On Thursday morning, a Delta IV-medium rocket lifted off from Florida carrying a GPS III mission for the US Air Force. (It looked amazing). The mission also marked the final flight of the GEM-60 strap-on solid-rocket motors built by Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems, Spaceflight Now noted. Northrop Grumman derived the GEM-60 booster from the smaller GEM-40 and GEM-46 motors that flew on the Delta 2 and Delta 3 rockets.\n\nA bit too costly ... The Delta IV-Medium rocket family logged 29 missions in its career, beginning in 2002. All 29 of the Delta IV-Medium missions were successful, giving the rocket an unblemished record. But in today's cost-competitive era, the rocket simply costs too much to fly. According to the US Government Accountability Office, the Delta IV-Medium costs $164 million per flight, nearly three times as much as a comparable Falcon 9 booster.\n\nThe VAB gets its first commercial tenant. Northrop Grumman will assemble and test its new Omega rocket inside the the Vertical Assembly Building's High Bay 2, one of four high bays in the building at Kennedy Space Center. The company is also modifying NASA's mobile launcher platform-3 to serve as the launch vehicle's assembly and launch platform. Northrop Grumman signed a Reimbursable Space Act Agreement with NASA for use of the facilities, the agency said.\n\nPay me some rent ... President Trump has said he loves to see private companies using NASA facilities and \"paying rent\" to the government. In this case, we're not sure how much of this money is coming from Northrop as opposed to the government, because the Omega launch vehicle is being developed with funds largely from the US Air Force. We're also not sure if this partnership will last should the Air Force not choose Omega as one of its two preferred vehicle for national security launch contracts from 2022 to 2026. (submitted by Ken the Bin)\n\nClipper moves forward, but it doesn't have a rocket yet. NASA has given its ambitious Europa Clipper mission a green light to proceed into final design and then into construction of the spacecraft, Ars reports. The multibillion-dollar mission remains on target for a launch in 2023 or 2025, but it still doesn't have a launch vehicle, which is kind of important for a spacecraft bound for Jupiter.\n\nAn answer needed ... Congress has insisted that the Clipper mission fly on the Space Launch System rocket, which would provide a shorter trip by a couple of years. However, the White House has said Clipper should fly on a commercial rocket because this would cost hundreds of millions of dollars less and because there is no guarantee the Space Launch System rocket will be available for a flight in 2023 or even 2025. This largely political issue will not be solved by NASA, but the Clipper mission's planners need to know their launch vehicle sooner rather than later to finalize its design. (submitted by Tfargo04)\n\nAtlas and Delta factory begins transition to Vulcan. A booster prototype for the first stage of the Vulcan Centaur rocket will roll out of a sprawling United Launch Alliance factory in early September, then make the short trip across the parking lot to a test facility, SpaceNews reports. The results of the tests—expected to continue into next year—will help validate the integrity of the design.\n\nForward into the future ... Five major Vulcan components are now in different stages of assembly and will be completed over the next 12 months, Mark Peller, ULA vice president of major development, told the publication. \"We just finished the booster structural test article, we have two Centaur upper-stage test articles, plus a booster and upper stage for first flight,\" Peller said. \"Early next year, we'll start building the second article and we'll be transitioning the Decatur factory to recurring production of the Vulcan rocket.\" (submitted by Ken the Bin)\n\nSierra Nevada designs a launch vehicle-agnostic space habitat. On Wednesday, Sierra Nevada Corporation showed off its proposed in-space habitat for the first time, Ars reports. The inflatable habitat is, first and foremost, large. It measures more than 8 meters long, and with a diameter of 8 meters, it has an internal volume of 300 cubic meters, which is about one-third the size of the International Space Station.\n\nAny fairing you like ... The selling point for Sierra Nevada's habitat is its size, which is possible because the multi-layered fabric material can be compressed for launch, then expanded and outfitted as a habitat once in space. It can fit within a standard payload fairing used for launch vehicles such as SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket, United Launch Alliance's Vulcan booster, or NASA's Space Launch System. It is light enough for any of those rockets to launch to the Moon.", "Call it one giant leap for a robot. Russia has launched a humanoid robot named \"Fyodor\" to the International Space Station on the first uncrewed Soyuz spacecraft ever to visit the orbiting laboratory.\n\nThe Soyuz capsule — which typically carries a crew of three into space — lifted off with food, supplies and the Skybot F-850 robot from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan late Wednesday (Aug. 21) at 11:38 p.m. EDT (0338 Aug. 22 GMT) It was 8:38 a.m. Thursday local time at the launch site.\n\nThe Soyuz capsule launched into orbit atop a Soyuz 2.1a rocket, a variant of Russia's workhorse booster that has only flown uncrewed Progress vehicles until now. Its Soyuz MS-14 spacecraft is carrying 1,450 lbs. (660 kilograms) of supplies for the station's six-person crew.\n\n\"A flawless climb to orbit for Soyuz MS-14 in its test flight, the first launch of a Soyuz vehicle on a 2.1a booster,\" NASA spokesperson Rob Navias said during live launch commentary.\n\nImage 1 of 2 A Russian Soyuz 2.1a rocket launches an uncrewed Soyuz capsule carrying the humanoid robot Skybot F-850, nicknamed \"Fyodor,\" on a test flight from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan. (Image credit: Roscosmos) Image 2 of 2 Liftoff occurred at 8:38 a.m. local time on Aug. 22, 2019. (Image credit: NASA TV)\n\nNavias said Russia's Skybot F-850, affectionately nicknamed \"Fyodor,\" appeared to be doing well as it sat in the commander's seat of the Soyuz spacecraft. A television view from inside the Soyuz showed the robot clutching a small Russian flag in its right hand as a toy cosmonaut bobbed around the cabin as a zero-gravity indicator.\n\n\"He made it to orbit and is en route to the International Space Station,\" Navias said of the robot.\n\n\"Fyodor,\" a Russian robot officially designated Skybot F-850, sits in the commander's seat of the Soyuz MS-14 spacecraft after successfully reaching orbit on Aug. 22, 2019. A Russian flag is clutched in its right hand. (Image credit: NASA TV)\n\nA Soyuz test flight\n\nAccording to Navias, this Soyuz launch is a critical shakedown flight to test the performance of the upgraded Soyuz capsule and the Soyuz 2.1a booster before the first crewed flight on the rocket in March 2020.\n\n\"The Soyuz 2.1a booster, equipped with a new digital flight control system and upgraded engines, is replacing the Soyuz FG booster that has been used for decades to launch crews into space,\" NASA officials wrote in a statement . \"The Soyuz spacecraft will have an upgraded motion control and navigation system, as well as a revamped descent control system,\" they added.\n\nThe mission will also help Roscosmos develop a cargo version of the Soyuz capsule capable uncrewed reentry to return experiments and other gear to Earth, Navias said. Russia's Progress cargo ships can currently only deliver supplies, and are filled with trash and discarded at the end of their missions.\n\nIf all goes well, Soyuz MS-14 will arrive at the International Space Station early Saturday (Aug. 24).\n\nWhile Fyodor sat in the commander's seat during the launch, it is not piloting the spacecraft to its destination later this week. Rather, the Soyuz's own navigation system (called Kurs) will automatically direct the spacecraft to rendezvous and dock with the space station.\n\nIf Kurs fails, the Russian cosmonauts on the space station can send a command to Soyuz to disable Kurs and trigger an abort, sending the spacecraft to a safe distance away, NASA officials told Space.com.\n\nRobot on a mission\n\nImage 1 of 3 Russia's Skybot F-850 seen during testing on Earth. It's nickname is \"Fyodor.\" (Image credit: Roscosmos) Image 2 of 3 Russia's space agency Roscosmos says the Skybot F-850 will serve as a \"social companion\" for human crew on the International Space Station. (Image credit: Androidnaya Technika) Image 3 of 3 Russia's humanoid Skybot F-850 can act autonomously, or mimic the actions of a human controller. (Image credit: Androidnaya Technika)\n\nHow the Fyodor Skybot fares on this mission will help inform on how comfortable astronauts feel on the Soyuz 2.1a rocket as they rattle through launch, streak through Earth's atmosphere and make an approach to their orbiting home in space. The robot is expected to report on conditions such as the forces it encounters during flight, including the point at which it begins to feel microgravity.\n\nFyodor is one of the latest versions of Russia's FEDOR robots , a five-year-old line of humanoids that are so versatile they have been used in driving cars or conducting rescue work. As the first of its kind in space, the Fyodor Skybot F-850 includes unique features such as vibration-resistant materials, and algorithms to reduce its movement so that it does not accidentally damage the International Space Station.\n\nBut FEDOR's advanced robot hands will be included on Skybot; in past tests on Earth, these have been used for dexterous tasks such as working fire extinguishers or welding gas torches – impressive feats, although both unlikely activities for Skybot in the confined environment of the space station.\n\nOnce the Fyodor robot reaches the International Space Stations, cosmonauts will move it into the Russian Poisk module for five days of experiments and tests to see how it performs in microgravity. The robot will then be packed back aboard the Soyuz for a return trip to Earth on Sept. 6.\n\nFyodor is the latest in a lineup of space robots for station activities.\n\nNASA's Robonaut2 (which has a head and arms, but no legs) performed simple test tasks between 2011 and 2014. Following some difficulties, it was returned to Earth in 2018 , and should make another flight to the space station in 2020.\n\nOther space station robots have included a European \"social robot\" that recognizes faces (also known as Crew Interactive Mobile Companion ), the Japanese Kirobo robot who chatted with astronaut Koichi Wakata , and a couple of generations of NASA free-flying robots ( SPHERES and the more advanced Astrobee ).\n\nEditor's Note: Visit Space.com Saturday for live docking coverage of the Soyuz MS-14 spacecraft carrying the Fyodor Skybot F-850 robot. NASA's live webcast will begin at 12:45 a.m. EDT (0445 GMT), with docking scheduled for 1:30 a.m. EDT (0530 GMT).", "If you would like to see more articles like this please support our coverage of the space program by becoming a Spaceflight Now Member . If everyone who enjoys our website helps fund it, we can expand and improve our coverage further.\n\nAn unpiloted Russian Soyuz spacecraft, with a humanoid robot in the commander’s seat instead of a cosmonaut, is scheduled for liftoff late Wednesday (U.S. time) from Kazakhstan on a test flight to verify the spaceship’s compatibility with the new-generation Soyuz-2.1a rocket set to begin launching crews to the International Space Station next year.\n\nFlying without a crew, the Soyuz MS-14 spacecraft set for launch from Site 31 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome at 11:38:31 p.m. EDT Wednesday (0338:31 GMT; 8:38:31 a.m. local time Thursday) to kick off a two-day pursuit of the space station.\n\nThe Soyuz MS-14 spacecraft will be the first Soyuz ship to fly without a cosmonaut crew in 33 years. Officials from Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, decided to conduct the unpiloted launch as a full-up test flight of the Soyuz-2.1a rocket with the Soyuz spacecraft.\n\nThe Soyuz-2.1a rocket variant has launched dozens of times since 2004, including ten flights with Progress cargo freighters on missions to resupply the space station.\n\nBut one of the Progress supply ships launched on a Soyuz-2.1a booster in April 2015 went into an uncontrolled spin after separating from the Soyuz third stage. Russian engineers traced the failure to a botched deployment of the Progress spacecraft from the Soyuz third stage.\n\nThe 2015 Progress accident prompted Russian officials to fly the first Soyuz crew capsule on a Soyuz-2.1a rocket without people aboard.\n\nThe Soyuz-FG variant currently used to launch Soyuz crews to the space station is set for retirement later this year.\n\nOne more Soyuz-FG rocket remains in Russia’s inventory, and it is scheduled to launch Sept. 25 carrying the Soyuz MS-15 spacecraft into orbit with commander Oleg Skripochka, NASA co-pilot Jessica Meir and flight engineer Hazzaa Ali Almansoori, set to become the first person from the United Arab Emirates to fly in space.\n\nThe Sept. 25 launch of the Soyuz MS-15 spacecraft is the final planned mission to lift off from Site 1 at Baikonur, the same facility used on the launch of Yuri Gagarin on humanity’s first orbital flight in April 1961.\n\nBeginning next March, Soyuz crews will launch on Soyuz-2.1a boosters from Site 31 at Baikonur, which is outfitted for the upgraded Soyuz-2 family.\n\nThe Soyuz-2.1a’s upgrades include a modernized digital flight control system, replacing the analog guidance system on older Soyuz models, along with improvements to engine injection systems.\n\nAfter launching from Kazakhstan, the Soyuz MS-14 spacecraft will raise its altitude and match its orbit with the space station, setting up for a docking with the Poisk module at 0530 GMT (1:30 a.m. EDT) Saturday.\n\nInstead of a crew, the Soyuz MS-14 spaceship will haul 1,450 pounds (657 kilograms) of cargo to the space station, including the Russian Skybot F-850 robot, a two-legged, two-armed humanoid stand-in for a cosmonaut commander.\n\nThe Skybot F-850 will not manipulate any flight controls during the Soyuz mission, but sensors on the robot’s body will measure key environmental parameters during the flight, including launch, docking and landing.\n\nAlexander Bloshenko, a science advisor at Roscosmos, said the Skybot F-850 robot will conduct experiments at the space station prepared by Russian engineers.\n\nRussian cosmonaut Alexander Skvortsov will work with Skybot F-850 after it arrives at the station. Skvortsov will be able to communicate with the robot, according to Roscosmos.\n\nSkybot F-850 will copy the movements of Skvortsov during a series of tests in orbit. If the tests are successful, Russia could launch upgraded robots that could work outside the space station, helping crews with tasks on spacewalks, or allowing cosmonauts to avoid spacewalks altogether, Bloshenko said.\n\nThe Skybot F-850 robot is an evolution of Russia’s FEDOR series of robots, which engineers originally developed for rescue operations. Videos from ground testing have shown the FEDOR robot shooting guns, lifting weights and driving a car.\n\nThe Russian Foundation for Advanced Research Projects, with a role similar to DARPA in the U.S. government, led the development of the FEDOR robot.\n\nSkybot F-850 is not the first robot to travel to the space station.\n\nNASA’s experimental Robonaut 2 robot launched to the station in 2011, but the robot returned to Earth last year in need of repairs. Robonaut 2 could return to the space station later this year.\n\nRoscosmos created a Twitter account for the Russian robot set to fly to the station, complete with tweets composed from Skybot F-850’s point-of-view.\n\nIn one tweet, it wrote that conditions inside the Soyuz MS-14 spacecraft were tight. The robot can “barely fit among the cargo in the cabin” of the spaceship, the tweet said.\n\nThe Soyuz MS-14 spacecraft will remain at the space station for more than 13 days. The spaceship — with Skybot F-850 — will undock from the Poisk module at 2:13 p.m. EDT (1813 GMT) on Sept. 6, heading for a parachute-assisted landing in south-central Kazakhstan at 5:35 p.m. EDT (2135 GMT).", "MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd August, 2019) A Russian state commission during its session on Thursday approved a launch of the Soyuz-2.1a carrier rocket loaded with the Soyuz MS-14 rocket with humanoid robot Fedor on board.\n\n\"A state commission decided on the readiness of the Soyuz-2.\n\n1a carrier rocket for the fuelling and launch, which is planned for 06:38 a.m. Moscow time [03:38 GMT],\" Roscosmos wrote on Twitter.\n\nThe Soyuz MS-14 spacecraft carrying FEDOR will be launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to the International Space Station (ISS) and will return to Earth in 17 days.", "If you would like to see more articles like this please support our coverage of the space program by becoming a Spaceflight Now Member . If everyone who enjoys our website helps fund it, we can expand and improve our coverage further.\n\nWith a robot rather than a cosmonaut in the commander’s seat, a Russian Soyuz spacecraft rocketed into orbit from Kazakhstan late Wednesday (U.S. time) en route to the International Space Station on a critical test flight before crews begin riding an upgraded Soyuz booster next year.\n\nA Soyuz-2.1a rocket fired into a clear sky over Site 31 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 11:38:32 p.m. EDT Wednesday (0338:32 GMT; 8:38:32 a.m. local time Thursday), right on time to launch on a trajectory to intercept the space station.\n\nThe kerosene-fueled launcher arced toward the east-northeast from Baikonur, shedding its four first stage boosters and launch escape system less than two minutes after liftoff. An aerodynamic shroud later released from the Soyuz spacecraft, and the Soyuz core stage shut down and fell away nearly five minutes into the mission.\n\nOn-board video views showed the rocket’s staging events occurring as intended, and a third stage RD-0110 engine powered the Soyuz MS-14 spacecraft into orbit. The capsule deployed from the third stage nearly nine minutes into the flight, and the Soyuz MS-14 spacecraft’s solar arrays and navigation antennas unfurled moments later, just as they would on a mission carrying a crew to the space station.\n\nBut the Soyuz MS-14 spaceship launched without a crew — the first Soyuz crew craft to fly without cosmonauts in 33 years — to allow Russian engineers to conducted a fully automated test flight. The experimental mission was conceived to test the compatibility of the Soyuz spacecraft with the upgraded Soyuz-2.1a booster, a modernized variant of the venerable Russian rocket family that is slated to begin launching crews next March.\n\nThe Soyuz-2.1a rocket variant has launched dozens of times since 2004, including ten flights with Progress cargo freighters on missions to resupply the space station.\n\nBut one of the Progress supply ships launched on a Soyuz-2.1a booster in April 2015 went into an uncontrolled spin after separating from the Soyuz third stage. Russian engineers traced the failure to a botched deployment of the Progress spacecraft from the Soyuz third stage.\n\nThe 2015 Progress accident prompted Russian officials to fly the first Soyuz crew capsule on a Soyuz-2.1a rocket without people aboard.\n\nThe Soyuz-FG variant currently used to launch Soyuz crews to the space station is set for retirement later this year.\n\nOne more Soyuz-FG rocket remains in Russia’s inventory, and it is scheduled to launch Sept. 25 carrying the Soyuz MS-15 spacecraft into orbit with commander Oleg Skripochka, NASA co-pilot Jessica Meir and flight engineer Hazzaa Ali Almansoori, set to become the first person from the United Arab Emirates to fly in space.\n\nThe Sept. 25 launch of the Soyuz MS-15 spacecraft is the final planned mission to lift off from Site 1 at Baikonur, the same facility used on the launch of Yuri Gagarin on humanity’s first orbital flight in April 1961.\n\nBeginning next March, Soyuz crews will launch on Soyuz-2.1a boosters from Site 31 at Baikonur, which is outfitted for the upgraded Soyuz-2 family.\n\nThe Soyuz-2.1a’s upgrades include a modernized digital flight control system, replacing the analog guidance system on older Soyuz models, along with improvements to engine injection systems.\n\nThe digital control system allows the Soyuz-2.1a rocket to execute a roll program a few seconds after liftoff to reach the correct azimuth to align its flight path with the space station’s orbit. The Soyuz-FG rocket currently used to launch Soyuz crews has to be rotated into the correct orientation on the launch pad before liftoff.\n\nAfter its successful ride into space, the Soyuz MS-14 vehicle will raise its altitude and match its orbit with the space station, setting up for a docking with the Poisk module at 0530 GMT (1:30 a.m. EDT) Saturday.\n\nInstead of a crew, the Soyuz MS-14 spaceship is hauling 1,450 pounds (657 kilograms) of cargo to the space station, including the Russian Skybot F-850 robot, a two-legged, two-armed humanoid stand-in for a cosmonaut commander.\n\nSkybot F-850 sat in the Soyuz MS-14 spacecraft’s center seat during launch, holding a Russian flag in one hand. Soon after reaching orbit, an in-cabin video feed showed the robot turning its head side-to-side.\n\nThe Skybot F-850 will not manipulate any flight controls during the Soyuz mission, but sensors on the robot’s body will measure key parameters — such as acceleration, vibrations, temperature and humidity — during the flight, including launch, docking and landing.\n\nAlexander Bloshenko, a science advisor at Roscosmos, said the Skybot F-850 robot will conduct experiments at the space station prepared by Russian engineers.\n\nRussian cosmonaut Alexander Skvortsov will work with Skybot F-850 after it arrives at the station. Skvortsov will be able to communicate with the robot, according to Roscosmos.\n\nCosmonauts will move Skybot F-850 will into the space station for five days of experiments and tests, before returning the robot to the Soyuz capsule for the trip back to Earth, according to Rob Navias, a NASA spokesperson.\n\nMeasuring nearly 6 feet (1.8 meters) tall and weighing about 350 pounds (160 kilograms), Skybot F-850 will replicate the movements of Skvortsov during a series of tests in orbit. If the tests are successful, Russia could launch upgraded robots that could work outside the space station, helping crews with tasks on spacewalks, or allowing cosmonauts to avoid spacewalks altogether, Bloshenko said.\n\nThe Skybot F-850 robot is an evolution of Russia’s FEDOR series of robots, which engineers originally developed for rescue operations. Videos from ground testing have shown the FEDOR robot shooting guns, lifting weights and driving a car.\n\nThe Russian Foundation for Advanced Research Projects, with a role similar to DARPA in the U.S. government, led the development of the FEDOR robot. FEDOR stands for Final Experimental Demonstration Object Research.\n\nSkybot F-850 is not the first robot to travel to the space station.\n\nNASA’s experimental Robonaut 2 robot launched to the station in 2011, but the robot returned to Earth last year in need of repairs. Robonaut 2 could return to the space station later this year.\n\nRoscosmos created a Twitter account for the Russian robot set to fly to the station, complete with tweets composed from Skybot F-850’s point-of-view.\n\nIn one tweet, it wrote that conditions inside the Soyuz MS-14 spacecraft were tight. The robot can “barely fit among the cargo in the cabin” of the spaceship, the tweet said.\n\nThe Soyuz MS-14 spacecraft will remain at the space station for more than 13 days. The spaceship — with Skybot F-850 — will undock from the Poisk module at 2:13 p.m. EDT (1813 GMT) on Sept. 6, heading for a parachute-assisted landing in south-central Kazakhstan at 5:35 p.m. EDT (2135 GMT).\n\nNavias said the Soyuz MS-14 spacecraft will also test new systems during re-entry and landing, which could pave the way for Russia to develop a payload return vehicle based on the Soyuz design.\n\nSpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft is currently the only vehicle capable of returning significant cargo to Earth from the space station. There is limited room for crews to bring home equipment or experiment specimens inside the cramped Soyuz descent module.", "Call it one giant leap for a robot. Russia has launched a humanoid robot named \"Fyodor\" to the International Space Station on the first uncrewed ever to visit the orbiting laboratory.\n\nThe Soyuz capsule — which typically carries a crew of three into space — lifted off with food, supplies and from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan late Wednesday (Aug. 21) at 11:38 p.m. EDT (0338 Aug. 22 GMT) It was 8:38 a.m. Thursday local time at the launch site.\n\nThe Soyuz capsule launched into orbit atop a Soyuz 2.1a rocket, a variant of Russia's workhorse booster that has only flown uncrewed Progress vehicles until now. Its Soyuz MS-14 spacecraft for the station's six-person crew.\n\n\"A flawless climb to orbit for Soyuz MS-14 in its test flight, the first launch of a Soyuz vehicle on a 2.1a booster,\" NASA spokesperson Rob Navias said during live launch commentary.\n\nNavias said Russia's Skybot F-850, affectionately nicknamed \"Fyodor,\" appeared to be doing well as it sat in the commander's seat of the Soyuz spacecraft. A television view from inside the Soyuz showed the robot clutching a small Russian flag in its right hand as a toy cosmonaut bobbed around the cabin as a zero-gravity indicator.\n\n\"He made it to orbit and is en route to the International Space Station,\" Navias said of the robot.\n\nAccording to Navias, this Soyuz launch is a critical shakedown flight to test the performance of the upgraded Soyuz capsule and the Soyuz 2.1a booster before the first crewed flight on the rocket in March 2020.\n\n\"The Soyuz 2.1a booster, equipped with a new digital flight control system and upgraded engines, is replacing the Soyuz FG booster that has been used for decades to launch crews into space,\" NASA officials . \"The Soyuz spacecraft will have an upgraded motion control and navigation system, as well as a revamped descent control system,\" they added.\n\nThe mission will also help Roscosmos develop a cargo version of the Soyuz capsule capable uncrewed reentry to return experiments and other gear to Earth, Navias said. Russia's Progress cargo ships can currently only deliver supplies, and are filled with trash and discarded at the end of their missions.\n\nIf all goes well, Soyuz MS-14 will arrive at the International Space Station early Saturday (Aug. 24).\n\nWhile Fyodor sat in the commander's seat during the launch, it is not piloting the spacecraft to its destination later this week. Rather, the Soyuz's own navigation system (called Kurs) will automatically direct the spacecraft to rendezvous and dock with the space station.\n\nIf Kurs fails, the Russian cosmonauts on the space station can send a command to Soyuz to disable Kurs and trigger an abort, sending the spacecraft to a safe distance away, NASA officials told Space.com.\n\nHow the Fyodor Skybot fares on this mission will help inform on how comfortable astronauts feel on the Soyuz 2.1a rocket as they rattle through launch, streak through Earth's atmosphere and make an approach to their orbiting home in space. The robot is such as the forces it encounters during flight, including the point at which it begins to feel microgravity.\n\nFyodor is one of the , a five-year-old line of humanoids that are so versatile they have been used in driving cars or conducting rescue work. As the first of its kind in space, the Fyodor Skybot F-850 includes unique features such as vibration-resistant materials, and algorithms to reduce its movement so that it does not accidentally damage the International Space Station.\n\nBut FEDOR's advanced robot hands will be included on Skybot; in past tests on Earth, these have been used for dexterous tasks such as working fire extinguishers or welding gas torches – impressive feats, although both unlikely activities for Skybot in the confined environment of the space station.\n\nOnce the Fyodor robot reaches the International Space Stations, cosmonauts will move it into the Russian Poisk module for five days of experiments and tests to see how it performs in microgravity. The robot will then be packed back aboard the Soyuz for a return trip to Earth on Sept. 6.\n\nFyodor is the latest in a lineup of space robots for station activities.\n\nNASA's (which has a head and arms, but no legs) performed simple test tasks between 2011 and 2014. Following some difficulties, it was returned to Earth in 2018 , and should make another flight to the space station in 2020.\n\nOther space station robots have included a European \"social robot\" that recognizes faces (also known as ), the Japanese Kirobo robot , and a couple of generations of NASA free-flying robots ( and the more advanced ).\n\nEditor's Note: Visit Space.com Saturday for live docking coverage of the Soyuz MS-14 spacecraft carrying the Fyodor Skybot F-850 robot. NASA's live webcast will begin at 12:45 a.m. EDT (0445 GMT), with docking scheduled for 1:30 a.m. EDT (0530 GMT).\n• None The International Space Station: Inside and Out (Infographic)\n• None Cosmic Quiz: Do You Know the International Space Station?\n\nFollow Elizabeth Howell on Twitter @howellspace. Follow us on Twitter and on .", "The first blastoff of the Soyuz MS-14 spacecraft on a Soyuz-2.1a rocket confirmed the rocket's readiness for such regular launches, Roscosmos State Space Corporation chief Dmitry Rogozin told reporters Thursday\n\nSAMARA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd August, 2019) The first blastoff of the Soyuz MS-14 spacecraft on a Soyuz-2.1a rocket confirmed the rocket's readiness for such regular launches, Roscosmos State Space Corporation chief Dmitry Rogozin told reporters Thursday.\n\n\"Today we confirmed that we may do this. Telemetric data from the android was completely standard and suits us,\" Rogozin said.", "MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 22nd August, 2019) Russia's humanoid robot Fedor was successfully launched into space inside the Soyuz MS-14 vehicle atop the Soyuz-2.1a carrier rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on Thursday, the webcast on the Roscosmos website showed.\n\nThe rocket lifted off at 06:38 a.m. Moscow time (03:38 GMT) as planned.\n\nDuring the launch, Fedor said the legendary \"Let's Go!\" phrase, which Yuri Gagarin, the first human to travel to space, said during his historic launch on April 12, 1961, the webcast has shown.\n\nApproximately eight minutes after the launch, Soyuz MS-14 was placed into the orbit, according to the webcast.\n\nThe spacecraft is now to fly to the International Space Station under the two-day scheme. It is expected to dock to the station at 08:30 Moscow time on Saturday.\n\nNotably, during the launch, Roscosmos tested an emergency rescue system of Soyuz MS-14. The spacecraft was launched for an unmanned mission for testing interoperation between it and the new Soyuz-2.1a carrier for the first time ahead of future manned mission launches.", "In a critical test before using an upgraded booster to launch crews to the International Space Station, the Russians launched an unpiloted Soyuz crew ferry ship from Kazakhstan late Wednesday. It had a humanoid robot known as the Skybot F-850 strapped into the commander's seat.\n\nCarrying sensors to measure launch vibrations, accelerations and other environmental factors, the robot will be brought inside the station after docking Saturday for five days of engineering tests. It then will be strapped back in for a return to Earth on Sept. 6.\n\nBut the primary goal of the flight is to verify the suitability of the upgraded Soyuz-2.1a booster to launch astronauts and cosmonauts to the station and to check out a variety of Soyuz upgrades. According to initial reports from Russian flight controllers, it did just that, chalking up a flawless climb to space.\n\n\"Reports from the Russian mission control center indicate the 2.1a booster did its job perfectly, placing the Soyuz MS-14 into a perfect orbit on its trajectory toward the International Space Station,\" said Rob Navias, NASA launch commentator at the Johnson Space Center in Houston.\n\nThe 2.1a rocket already had been successfully used to launch unpiloted Progress cargo ships, but one of those suffered a malfunction in 2015. While the problem was resolved, the Russians decided to stage one flight with a Soyuz crew ship as a final test.\n\nThe next Soyuz crew -- commander Oleg Skripochka, NASA Flight engineer Jessica Meir and United Arab Emirates guest cosmonaut Hazzaa Ali Almansoori -- is scheduled for launch Sept. 25 aboard an older-style Soyuz-FG booster. That will be the final crew launch off the pad Yuri Gagarin used -- Site 1 -- at the dawn of the space age.\n\nIf all goes well, the Russians will begin launching crews aboard the Soyuz-2.1a booster early next year from site 31, the pad used Wednesday, at the Baikonur Cosmodrome.\n\nThe test flight got underway at 11:38 p.m. EDT (8:38 a.m. Thursday local time) when the rocket's first-stage engines rumbled to life with a familiar burst of flaming exhaust. An instant later, the rocket began climbing away from its firing stand, launching directly into the plane of the space station's orbit.\n\nThe launching marked the first unpiloted flight of a Soyuz spacecraft in 33 years.\n\nIn-cabin video showed the 350-pound Skybot F-850, also known as FEDOR, an acronym for Final Experimental Demonstration Object Research, strapped into the command module's center seat, holding a red, white and blue Russian flag.\n\nThe climb to space appeared to go smoothly and eight minutes and 45 seconds after liftoff, the booster's third stage engine shut down and the Soyuz MS-14/60S spacecraft separated to fly on its own. A few moments later, the ferry ship's two solar arrays and navigation antennas unfolded and locked in place.\n\nIn-cabin video showed the Skybot moving its head up, then to the right and left as if looking around the cockpit. It was, presumably, carrying out commands beamed up from the Russian mission control center.\n\nDeputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said in a widely reported tweet, \"We are not creating a terminator but artificial intelligence which will have a great practical importance in various fields.\"\n\nIn any case, the Soyuz flight plan called for a series of remotely programmed rendezvous rocket firings to catch up with the space station, setting up an autonomous docking at the upper Poisk module around 1:30 a.m. Saturday. The ferry ship is scheduled to undock from the station on Sept. 6, landing on the steppe of Kazakhstan to wrap up its mission."], "summary": "The uncrewed Soyuz MS-14 mission to resupply the International Space Station commences. Its launch is a successful test of a Soyuz spacecraft atop a Soyuz-2 launch vehicle, which will replace the Soyuz-FG as the carrier rocket for Soyuz spacecraft starting next year."}
{"document": ["BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian troops on Friday reclaimed a cluster of towns they had lost early in the eight-year-old war, pressing their offensive in the northwest, the country’s last big rebel stronghold.\n\nA damaged military tank is seen in Idlib countryside, Syria in this handout released by SANA on August 22, 2019. SANA/Handout via REUTERS\n\nThe army drove out the last rebel fighters from the Hama countryside - the latest in a string of crushing blows across Syria - and advanced on a Turkish military post there.\n\nGovernment forces have pounded the south of Idlib province and nearby Hama from the air and the ground this week, prompting a new civilian exodus. Hundreds of people have been killed in the campaign since late April, the United Nations says.\n\nRebel officials did not respond to requests for comment.\n\nPresident Bashar al-Assad turned towards Idlib after shoring up his rule in most of Syria with Russian and Iranian help.\n\nStill, the prospect of more advances in parts of Syria that remain outside his control is obstructed: in the northwest by Turkey’s interests near its border, and in the northeast by the presence of U.S. forces alongside Kurdish fighters.\n\nAnkara backs rebel forces that control swathes of territory north of Idlib under its sphere of influence, and some that have a presence in Idlib.\n\nTurkish President Tayyip Erdogan told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Friday that Syrian army attacks were causing a humanitarian crisis and threatening Turkey’s national security.\n\nIn a phone call, Erdogan said the attacks violated a ceasefire in Idlib and damaged efforts for a solution in Syria, the Turkish presidency said.\n\nThe latest army gains have put Turkish troops in Idlib in the firing line and threaten Ankara’s hopes of preventing a new wave of refugees on its border.\n\nWAVE OF REFUGEES\n\nMany of the 500,000 people uprooted by the latest fighting in the northwest have fled towards the Turkish border.\n\nUnder its deals with Moscow and Tehran, Ankara has forces at a dozen military posts in the Idlib region, including one in the town of Morek, which the Syrian army pushed into on Friday.\n\nTurkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said the forces were not trapped.\n\n“We are discussing this issue with Russia and Iran,” he told a news conference in Beirut. “We are there not because we cannot get out, but because we do not want to get out.”\n\nA series of Russian-Turkish negotiations, including a truce deal brokered last year to set up a “demilitarized” buffer zone, have failed to end fighting in Idlib.\n\nThe Syrian army said on Friday that it had seized control of a handful of towns and their environs in south Idlib and northern Hama, including Khan Sheikhoun, Kfar Zita and Morek.\n\n“After heavy strikes in recent days and a full siege ... our brave soldiers managed to cleanse the towns and villages,” its statement said. “The advance is still continuing at a high pace.”\n\nSlideshow (5 Images)\n\nThe latest push expands state control of a highway that stretches from the capital Damascus to the city of Aleppo, state TV said.\n\nA live broadcast from Kfar Zita, which insurgents had controlled since 2012, showed deserted streets lined with buildings pockmarked by shellfire.\n\nMoscow and Damascus say they are responding to militant attacks by the former Nusra Front, a jihadist alliance now known as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham that is the dominant force in Idlib.", "BEIRUT, LEBANON (12:40 P.M.) – The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) has taken control of the entire northern Hama pocket this morning after the remaining militants either fled to the Turkish observation post or surrendered to the military.\n\nAccording to a military source in Hama, the Syrian Army has taken control of the last five towns that were under the control of Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham and Jaysh Al-Izza.\n\nThe five towns that were previously under militant control were Kafr Zita, Al-Latamnah, Latmeen, Morek, and Lahaya.\n\nThe source said the Syrian Army has moved their troops toward the Turkish military’s observation post in Morek; however, no clashes are expected.\n\nThe Turkish regime has already said they will not withdraw from the observation post, despite being surrounded by the Syrian Arab Army.\n\nWith the Syrian Army in control of this former militant pocket, they have managed to secure the government strongholds of Al-Sqaylabiyeh and Mhardeh.\n\nIt is likely that the Syrian Army will now shift their attention to either Ma’arat Al-Nu’man or the Al-Ghaab Plain.\n\nAdvertisements", "Syrian army troops seized a pocket of territory in the northwest where they had encircled rebels and a Turkish military post on Friday, reclaiming towns they lost early in the war.\n\nGovernment forces pounded the south of Idlib and nearby Hama with air and ground attacks this week, pressing an offensive that has caused a new exodus. The United Nations says the escalation since late April has killed hundreds of people.\n\nThe northwest corner is all that remains in the hands of rebel factions who have suffered a string of crushing blows across Syria in the more than eight-year war.\n\nPresident Bashar al-Assad has turned to the Idlib region after clawing back control of most of Syria with key help from Russia and Iran. Still, the prospect of more advances is obstructed not only by Turkey’s interests near its border but also US forces alongside Kurdish fighters in the northeast.\n\nThe latest army gains have put Turkish troops in Idlib in the firing line and threaten Ankara’s hopes of preventing a new wave of refugees on its border.\n\nThe pocket that came under state rule on Friday includes a few towns and their environs which rebels had held since the early years of the conflict.\n\nRebel officials did not respond to requests for comment.\n\nThe army imposed “a choking siege” on insurgents in the Hama countryside on Friday morning, state-run Ikhbariya said.\n\nThe capture of six towns and nearby hills expanded state control of a highway running through them, which stretches from the capital Damascus to Aleppo city, it added.\n\n“The north Hama countryside is now fully safe,” the channel’s correspondent said in a live broadcast from the town of Kfar Zita. He said soldiers were searching for landmines.\n\nThe Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said pro-government force recovered Kafr Zita, which insurgents had controlled since 2012, and some towns nearby.\n\nThe fate of a Turkish military post in one of the towns which was also encircled, Morek, remained unclear, the UK-based war monitor and state TV said.\n\nUnder its deals with Russia, Turkey has forces stationed at a dozen military posts across Idlib. Ankara backs rebel forces that control swathes of territory further north near its border, and some that have a presence in Idlib.\n\nMoscow and Damascus say they are responding to militant attacks by the former Nusra Front, a jihadist alliance now known as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham which is the dominant force in Idlib.", "On August 21, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and the Tiger Forces liberated the town of Khan Shaykhun and the areas of Khazanat and Tal Taeri, thus fully encircling remaining militants in northern Hama.\n\nThe Hayat Tahrir al-Sham strong points of Kafr Zita, Lataminah, and Morek, as well as the nearby settlements of Lahaya, Markabah, Latmin and Sayad are now fully cut off from their radical counterparts in the Idlib zone. A Morek observation post, where Turkish troops are deployed, is also encircled.\n\nKhan Shaykhun, located on a highway linking Damascus with Aleppo, is one of the biggest urban centers in southern Idlib. For years, it had served as the key stronghold of al-Qaeda-linked militants. Currently, SAA troops are working to secure their recent gains and preparing for a further push to clear the rest of northern Hama.\n\nReacting to the Syrian military advance, a Turkish presidential spokesman, Ibrahim Kalin, saidthat all observation posts, including the one near Murak, will remain in their positions in Greater Idlib. He also revealed that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will speak with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on the phone over the situation in Idlib in the next couple of days.\n\nThese remarks were accompanied with common Turkish media propaganda accusing the SAA of violating the ceasefire regime and oppressing so-called moderate rebels. But in fact, Turkey just admitted its tactical loss and inability to rescue militants in this part of Syria.\n\nAnother important point of Kalin’s statement was dedicated to the US-Turkish ‘safe-zone’ agreement on northern Syria. According to the Turkish side, joint partrols US and Turkish forces will soon be launched east of the Euphrates, within the area controlled by US-backed Kurdish groups. Ankara see these groups as terrorist organizations and has repeatedly shelled their positions. So, it will be interesting to look how this claim will be implemented if US-backed formations remain deployed in the areas of supposed joint patrols.\n\nBEIRUT, LEBANON (10:10 P.M.) – The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) scored a major victory in the southern countryside of the Idlib Governorate this week when the jihadist rebels abandoned several areas, including the strategic city of Khan Sheikhoun. Since the militant withdrawal from Khan Sheikhoun, the Syrian Arab Army has moved into the city and begun clearing the empty neighborhoods, while also securing other areas east of the city. According to a military source near the front-lines, the Syrian Arab Army has completed the siege of northern Hama after capturing several points near the town of Al-Ta’manah in the southern countryside of Idlib. While Al-Ta’manah has not been captured, the Syrian Army has seized most of the points south and east of the town, leaving only a small area left under the control of the jihadist rebels. At the same time, with the Ta’manah-Khan Sheikhoun Road closed off, the Turkish Armed Forces now find themselves encircled by the Syrian Arab Army at the town of Morek. Turkey has already announced that they will not abandon their observation post at Morek, despite the recent militant setbacks. The Turkish regime has also warned the Syrian military about “playing with fire” in this area, especially after the Syrian Air Force almost hit their military convoy in southern Idlib.\n\nFiled under: Al Qaeda, Erdogan, neo-Ottoman, SAA, The 5 Seas Region, Turkey, USA, War on Syria | Tagged: Hama, Khan Sheikhoun, Liberation of Idlib |", "BEIRUT, LEBANON (10:40 P.M.) – The Syrian Arab Army scored a new advance along the Hama-Idlib axis on Thursday, seizing several sites from the last jihadist rebels in the area.\n\nAccording to a field report from this front, the Syrian Army began the day by capturing the hilltop of Tal Sayyed and the nearby village of Sayyed.\n\nFollowing this advance, the Syrian Army would capture several other areas along the Idlib-Hama axis, including Tal Huwayz, Al-Bashir Driving School, and Wadi Al-Anz.\n\nA source near the front-lines told Al-Masdar News that most of the militants that once controlled this area fled north before the Syrian Arab Army closed the pocket.\n\nHe added that several militants are still in the pocket, but most are situated near the Turkish Armed Forces at the observation post in the town of Morek.\n\nSince the start of the week, the jihadist rebels have suffered several setbacks at the hands of the Syrian Army; this includes the loss of the strategic city of Khan Sheikhoun.", "BEIRUT, LEBANON (1:15 P.M.) – The Syrian Arab Army (SAA) recently announced that their forces were in full control of the once militant-held northern Hama pocket.\n\nAmong the areas captured by the Syrian Arab Army were the key towns of Kafr Zita and Al-Latamnah; these two towns were previously the strongholds of Jaysh Al-Izza in northern Hama.\n\nAs shown in the short video below, the Syrian Army is now inside of Kafr Zita after the remaining militants either surrendered to the military or fled to the Turkish observation post in Morek.\n\nWith these areas now clear, the Syrian Army will shift their attention to either the militant stronghold of Ma’arat Al-Nu’man or the Al-Ghaab Plain.\n\nCurrently, the Turkish military has established an unofficial observation post between Khan Sheikhoun and Ma’arat Al-Nu’man; however, the Syrian Army can attack from a different flank.\n\nThe Turkish regime has already announced that they will not withdraw from any observation post in northwestern Syria, despite being encircled by the Syrian military at the town of Morek.", "BEIRUT, LEBANON (7:45 P.M.) – The Syrian Arab Army’s (SAA) capture of Khan Sheikhoun last Thursday proved to be the nail in the coffin for the militant forces in northern Hama, as just one day later, the military’s high command announced full control over the once militant-held pocket.\n\nDespite claims by Hay’at Tahrir Al-Sham about defending their northern Hama pocket at all costs, the jihadist group ultimately succumbed to the pressure and fled the pocket before being completely encircled by the Syrian Arab Army.\n\nAccording to a military source in the area, some militants chose to stay back and try to fend off the Syrian Arab Army attack; however, they ultimately gave us their fight by either surrendering to the military or fleeing to the Turkish observation post at Morek.\n\nAs a result of this advance by the Syrian Army, they were able to fully secure their two strongholds, Mhardeh and Al-Sqaylabiyeh, which were constantly targeted by the militants in the northern countryside of the Hama Governorate.\n\nWith this region captured, the Syrian Arab Army has two choices: attack Ma’arat Al-Nu’man to the north or the Al-Ghaab Plain to the northwest.", "Syrian Army General Command vows to liberate all areas from terrorists\n\nThe General Command of the Army and Armed forces announces : Khan Sheikhon city and the towns and villages of Morke, Latamneh, Kafer Zeitta, Latmin, M’arkabeh, Lahaya and Kaeb al-Fars plus strategic hills are now cleansed from terrorists.\n\n“With strong determination to achieve victory, our armed forces positioned in the north of Hama and in the south of Idleb continued to advance on the ground and to defeat armed terrorist groups holed up in the region after inflicting heavy losses upon them,”the Command’s statement said today.\n\nIt went on to say: “After intensive strikes carried out over the past days and cordoning off the northern countryside of Hama, our brave soldiers have managed to clean the following towns: Khan Sheikhoun, Morek, Latamneh, Sayad hill, mostawda’at, Wadi Anz, Wadi Asal, Kafer Zetta, Latmin, M’akrabeh, Lhaya , Fares hill, Latmin, hill, Wadi Hasmin, Wadi Qesmin and Kaeb al-Faras.”\n\nThe statement affirmed the continuity of military operations against terrorist organizations till the liberation of all areas.\n\nIt stressed that operations will go ahead to remove the huge number of landmines planted previously by terrorists in the liberated areas in order to allow civilians to return to their homes in the region as soon as possible.\n\nIt had to happen sooner or later, the Turk plan to sever Idlib has flopped miserably. Abu Muhammad Al-Jawlaani’s plan to create a new all-Sunni Salafist Idlib nation is now at the very bottom of the abyss. American planners had better reckon with their own feckless plans to redefine the Middle East. Syria has won. Russia has won. Iran has battered all comers in a fight of the century. Technology, tactics and resilience marked this glorious day when the terrorists and their propagandists had to eat crow once and for all. I hope the dish was small and tasty.\n\nAs of this morning, Damascus time, the Syrian Army, its allies and supporters, have established full hegemony over all Hama Province for the first time since 2013. Khaan Shaykhoon, is now completely liberated. Don’t believe any of the propagandists who tell you there are “pockets of stiff resistance” in the south of the town. Don’t believe them. My source in Latakia whose wife has sent me his messages says he is there and is watching as engineers defuse explosive devices left behind by the cowering enemy in Khaan Shaykhoon itself.\n\nHere are the towns that were liberated in both Hama and Idlib as of this morning:\n\nI just received a report that an entire garrison of Turks has been surrounded near Al-Mawrek. With the new T-90s and their home-built Sarab 1 and 2, the Turks will find it somewhat challenging to break the siege that’s tightening around them. It is a glorious day for the SAA.\n\nOn August 23, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA), the Tiger Forces and their allies fully libearated the northern Hama pocket, including the towns of Kafr Zita, Lataminah and Morek.\n\nMORE ON THE TOPIC:\n• Syrian Army Deploys Troops, Battle Tanks Meters Away From Turkish Post After Capturing Murak (Video, Map)\n• Syrian army achieves decisive victory over terrorist groups in Hama and Idleb\n• Syria, China Stress Need to Continue the Fight against Terrorism\n• A humanitarian corridor opens in Soran (Hama countryside) for citizens to leave the areas controlled by terrorists.\n• US-Backed “Qasad” Continues to Terrorize Civilians in the Syrian al-Jazira Region\n• Turkification, Crimes of Killing and Kidnapping Continue in Syrian Areas Occupied by Turkish Regime\n\nFiled under: Al Qaeda, Axis of Resistance, Erdogan, neo-Ottoman, Russia, SAA, Syria, Turkey, War on Syria | Tagged: AngloZionist Empire, Hama, Khan Sheikhoun, The Idlib Offensive, Turkification Nortth Syria, US-Turkey-Israel “Triple Alliance\" |", "CAIRO - Syrian state media report that government forces now control all of northern Hama province for the first time since 2012 and that they have encircled a Turkish military monitoring post in the town of Morek. Turkish President Erdogan says that he will discuss the issue with Russian President Vladimir Putin when they meet next week.\n\nSupporters of the Syrian government in the country's fourth largest city of Hama shot fireworks into the air overnight, following news by state media that the Syrian military had captured all of northern Hama province for the first time since 2012. A Syrian Army spokesman announced the victory over state TV late Friday.\n\nHe said Syrian Army forces have pursued their advance in the north of Hama and the south of Idlib provinces, liquidating armed rebel groups after inflicting heavy casualties on them, and that army forces are intent on continuing operations to liberate all Syrian territory.\n\nAmateur video showed Syrian Army forces encircling a Turkish military monitoring position in the northern Hama town of Morek. Syrian forces did not, however, attack the Turkish position.\n\nTurkish media reported that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will protest the Syrian government advance to Russian President Vladimir Putin when he visits Moscow on Tuesday. Erdogan claims that Damascus has not respected the de-escalation agreement signed in the Russian resort town of Sochi, last year.\n\nA Syrian state TV correspondent in northern Hama reported that the Syrian Army was demining areas it had recaptured from rebel groups and had re-opened a large stretch of the main highway linking Damascus to Aleppo, which it had recaptured.\n\nOne Syrian Army officer told Syrian state television the \"most significant part of recapturing the area was the fact that it allowed many residents of these towns to be able to return home.\"\n\nA woman resident of a town already under government control was also pleased by the victory:\n\nShe said the government victory means there no longer will be any warning sirens going off and that children can now play outside safely and be able to return to school.\n\nNadim Shehadi, executive director of the Lebanese American University Academic Center in New York, told VOA that he does not think the Syrian government military operation in northern Hama is a \"significant victory.\" He also envisions a sort of stalemate settling over Syria, like the one that prevailed in Iraq between 1991 and 2003, with the country remaining under economic sanctions.\n\nSyrian government analyst Mahmoud Maraie told state TV, however, that the advance of government forces in Hama was a \"major victory,\" since it \"allows the government to take control of the area for the first time since 2012, defeating several terrorist groups.\"\n\nHe also claimed that \"Turkey did not abide by the Sochi agreement signed in 2018, forcing the Syrian government to find a military solution.\"\n\nDamascus insists that Turkey had agreed to stop supporting what it considers terrorist groups in the Idlib and Hama provinces and to allow the re-opening of the strategic main highway linking Syria's two largest cities, Damascus and Aleppo.", "BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian army troops pushed deep into a pocket of territory in the northwest where they encircled rebels and a Turkish military post, seizing towns the insurgents have held for years, state TV and a monitor said on Friday.\n\nThe army has imposed “a choking siege” on the cluster of towns, with much of it coming either under army control or within firing range, state-run Ikhabriya TV said.\n\nSoldiers captured a dozen hills, expanding state control of a main highway that runs through the area and stretches from the capital Damascus to Aleppo city, it added.\n\nSeveral rebel officials did not respond to requests for comment.\n\nThe Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said pro-government force, backed by Russia, recovered the town of Kafr Zita from rebels who had controlled it since 2012. A Turkish military post in the nearby town of Morek was now also encircled, the UK-based war monitor and state TV said.\n\nUnder its deals with Russia, Turkey has forces stationed at a dozen military posts in Idlib. The latest army advances have put Turkish troops in the firing line and threatened Ankara’s hopes of preventing a new wave of refugees on its border.\n\nTen of thousands of people have fled towards the Turkish border in recent days as air and ground attacks battered parts of Idlib and Hama in northwest Syria, the country’s last big rebel stronghold. The United Nations says the offensive has killed hundreds of people since it began in late April."], "summary": "The Syrian Army captures the entire northern Hama-southern Idlib rebel pocket, asserting control over the strategic towns of Kafr Zita, Al-Lataminah and Murak, as well as numerous villages and an archaeological site, following the withdrawal of rebel forces."}
{"document": ["Beirut, 23 August 2019 (dpa/MIA) – Syrian government forces seized territory from rebels in the northern province of Hama, including a town where pro-opposition Turkey has an observation post, a war monitor said on Friday.\n\nTurkey has set up 12 observation posts in north-western Syria since a truce was reached in September between Moscow and Ankara to establish a demilitarized buffer zone in and around a key rebel enclave in Iblib province.\n\nThe Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Friday that al-Assad’s forces recaptured the town of Morek, thus completing their control of the northern countryside of Hama. Morek is home to a Turkish observation site.\n\n“The fate of the Turkish observation point and its personnel in Morek is still unknown,” observatory head Rami Abdel-Rahman told dpa.\n\nBut Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, who is in Lebanon, denied that any Turkish soldiers in Syria are under siege.\n\n“Let me correct your information,” Ankara’s top diplomat told reporters in Beirut during a joint presser with Lebanese Foreign Minister Jubran Bassil.\n\n“There are no besieged Turkish soldiers in Syria,” Cavusoglu said.\n\n“Our observation posts in Syria are not besieged, and nobody can besiege our soldiers,” he emphasized.\n\nHe also said that Turkey had no intention of leaving the areas where it has these posts.\n\nCavusoglu said Turkey has been working with Russia and Iran, another important supporter of al-Assad, to find a political solution to end the conflict.\n\nTurkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Friday that the Syrian government’s violations and attacks in Idlib were causing a major humanitarian crisis.\n\nThe two leaders spoke by phone for the first time after three civilians were killed and 12 wounded in an attack on a Turkish military convoy in north-western Syria this week.\n\nErdogan said the attacks in Idlib were damaging attempts to find a solution while also posing a serious threat to national security, state news agency Anadolu reported.\n\nThe breakthrough in the countryside of Hama is the first for government forces since 2012, according to the observatory.\n\nOn April 30, the Syrian government, supported by Russian air power, began a massive military offensive against rebels in the provinces of Hama and neighbouring Idlib, the last major opposition stronghold.\n\nA ceasefire in the region collapsed earlier this month.\n\nGovernment forces have since recaptured around 30 towns and villages from rebels there, according to the observatory.\n\nDamascus-based Al Akhbariyeh television on Friday confirmed that government troops have “tightened” a siege on the rebels who are still in rural Hama.", "Syrian Regime Forces Surround Turkish Army Post\n\nFILE PHOTO: A street vendor sells toys next to rubble of damaged buildings in the city of Idlib, Syria May 25, 2019. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi/File Photo\n\nAsharq Al-Awsat\n\nRegime forces surrounded a Turkish military observation post on Friday after overrunning nearby villages following their capture of the key northwestern town of Khan Sheikhoun from opposition fighters, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.\n\n\n\nThe town of Morek, where the Turkish troops have been cut off, lies in the north of Hama province, part of the opposition-ruled region centered on neighboring Idlib province that has been under regime assault since late April.\n\n\n\n\"Regime forces have surrounded the Turkish observation post in Morek after capturing other towns and villages in this pocket,\" the Observatory said.\n\n\n\nOpposition fighters had withdrawn from the area ahead of the army's entry into Idlib province’s Khan Sheikhoun on Wednesday.\n\n\n\nGovernment forces overran the rest of the pocket, including the town of Kafr Zita without resistance.\n\n\n\nThe observation post in Morek is one of 12 the Turkish army set up along the front line between government forces and the opposition fighters last year.\n\n\n\nAnkara vowed on Tuesday that it would not abandon any of the posts and warned Damascus \"not to play with fire\".\n\n\n\n\"We will do whatever is necessary to ensure the security of our soldiers and observation posts,\" Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told reporters in Ankara.\n\n\n\nThe troops' mission was to oversee the establishment of a buffer zone agreed by Ankara and Moscow in September.\n\n\n\nBut the fighters failed to pull back from the zone as agreed and in April, government and Russian forces resumed intense bombardment of the region.", "BEIRUT: Syrian government forces surrounded a Turkish military observation post in the northwest on Friday after overrunning nearby areas, upping the stakes with Ankara in its Russian-backed offensive against Idlib region.\n\n The move angered Turkey, with Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu saying his country’s troops will not quit the observation post as Moscow said that it has agreed with Ankara to “activate mutual efforts” to ease the situation in Idlib.\n\n The town of Morek, where the Turkish troops have been cut off, lies in the north of Hama province, part of a fighter-ruled region centred on neighbouring Idlib province that has been under government assault since late April.\n\n Government forces took control of Morek and other nearby towns including Kafr Zita on Friday, Syrian state news agency SANA said.\n\n Fighters and allied rebels withdrew from the area ahead of the army’s entry into the strategic town of Khan Sheikhun on Wednesday and government forces took control without resistance, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.\n\n “Regime forces have surrounded the Turkish observation post in Morek after capturing other towns and villages in this pocket,” said the Britain-based monitor.\n\n Speaking at a new conference in the Lebanese capital, Cavusoglu said, “our observation point there is not cut-off and nobody can isolate our forces and our soldiers.”\n\nNO SECURITY\n\n “We are there, not because we can’t leave but because we don’t want to leave,” he told reporters, adding that the issue was being discussed with Damascus allies Russia and Iran.\n\n The Morek observation post, established under a deal with Moscow, is one of 12 the Turkish army set up along the front line between government forces and the fighters and their rebel allies last year.\n\n On Tuesday Cavusoglu vowed that the Turkish army “will do whatever is necessary” to defend these positions.\n\n The Turkish presidency has also said that it would not abandon any of it observation posts in Syria.\n\n The troops’ mission was to oversee the establishment of a buffer zone agreed by Ankara and Moscow in September. But the fighters failed to pull back from the zone as agreed and in April, government and Russian forces resumed intense bombardment of the region.\n\n The Kremlin on Friday said that Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed to “activate mutual efforts” to ease the situation in Syria’s Idlib region.\n\n “They discussed the issues of Russian-Turkish cooperation in the context of stabilisation of the de-escalation zone,” a statement said.\n\nHUMANITARIAN CRISIS\n\n Erdogan is to host his Russian and Iranian counterparts for a summit in Ankara next month to discuss the latest developments.\n\n The Turkish presidency on Friday said regime attacks in Idlib have led to a “grave humanitarian crisis”.\n\n “These attacks damage the efforts to regulate the Syrian conflict,” it said.\n\n The Idlib region, which sits on the Turkish border, is the last major stronghold of opposition to Syria’s Russia-backed government.\n\n Since January, it has been ruled by the Hayat Tahrir al Sham alliance, which is led by fighters from Syria’s former Al Qaeda affiliate.\n\n Other rebel groups allied with Turkey were forced to cede overall control.\n\n On August 8, Syrian government forces launched a ground offensive with Russian support against the southern part of the rebel-held region, eyeing control of the main highway from Damascus through Idlib province to second city Aleppo.\n\n Khan Sheikhun and Maarat al Numan both lie along the highway.\n\n “I see (Syrian President Assad) continuing his offensive as momentum is on his side, capturing more of Idlib… and securing more strategic infrastructure,” said Syria researcher Samuel Ramani.\n\n Damascus said Thursday it will open a corridor for civilians to leave the area.\n\n But most civilians had already fled before the pocket was cut off, according to the Observatory. — AFP", "The Syrian Army may eliminate Turkish observation points in the Idlib de-escalation zone to cut off supplies of terror groups that are operating in the area, the aide of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad, Bouthaina Shaaban, told the Al-Mayadeen broadcaster.\n\n“The Turkish observation point in the settlement of Morek is under siege. The Syrian army will be able to eliminate Turkish observation points and terrorists,” Shaaban said on Friday.\n\nShe pointed out that Turkey was supplying terror groups with weapons.\n\n“Turkey has not complied with the agreements, signed in Astana [currently, Nur-Sultan] and turned the observation points into facilities, used for redeploying weapons and occupying our territories,” Shaaban added.\n\nThis week, the Syrian Army has been conducting a successful operation in the Hama province, which borders Idlib to the southwest, capturing the strategic town of Khan Sheikhoun and the villages of Kafr Zita, Ltamenah, Latmeen and Tal Fas. Morek, which hosts the Turkish observation point, remains unseized to date.\n\nOn Thursday, Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy said that Turkey would maintain its presence at the observation post despite the Syrian army’s operation.", "DAMASCUS - Syrian state TV announced Friday that government forces had entered several villages in northern Hama province in their advance towards Idlib, the last province completely in the hands of opposition forces. Backed by the Russian Air Force, troops answering to President Bashar al-Assad have taken control of the villages of Latamneh, Latmeen, Kfar Zeita and Lahaya.\n\n\n\nThey have also taken Morek, where Turkish military are stationed at an observation post. Syria state TV reported the news without saying what had happened to the Turkish troops.", "Omar Haj Kadour, AFP | A picture taken with a drone shows damaged buildings in the rebel-held town of Morek, in the northern countryside of Hama province on October 13, 2018.\n\nSyrian government forces surrounded a Turkish military observation post in the northwest on Friday after overrunning nearby areas, upping the stakes with Ankara in its Russian-backed offensive against the jihadist-ruled Idlib region.\n\nThe move angered Turkey, with Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu saying his country’s troops will not quit the observation post as Moscow said that it has agreed with Ankara to “activate mutual efforts” to ease the situation in Idlib.\n\nThe town of Morek, where the Turkish troops have been cut off, lies in the north of Hama province, part of a jihadist-ruled region centred on neighbouring Idlib province that has been under government assault since late April.\n\nGovernment forces took control of Morek and other nearby towns including Kafr Zita on Friday, Syrian state news agency SANA said.\n\nJihadists and allied rebels withdrew from the area ahead of the army’s entry into the strategic town of Khan Sheikhun on Wednesday and government forces took control without resistance, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.\n\n“Regime forces have surrounded the Turkish observation post in Morek after capturing other towns and villages in this pocket,” said the Britain-based monitor.\n\nSpeaking at a new conference in the Lebanese capital, Cavusoglu said “our observation point there is not cut-off and nobody can isolate our forces and our soldiers.”\n\n“We are there, not because we can’t leave but because we don’t want to leave,” he told reporters, adding that the issue was being discussed with Damascus allies Russia and Iran.\n\nThe Morek observation post, established under a deal with Moscow, is one of 12 the Turkish army set up along the front line between government forces and the jihadists and their rebel allies last year.\n\nOn Tuesday Cavusoglu vowed that the Turkish army “will do whatever is necessary” to defend these positions.\n\nThe Turkish presidency has also said that it would not abandon any of it observation posts in Syria.\n\nThe troops’ mission was to oversee the establishment of a buffer zone agreed by Ankara and Moscow in September.\n\nBut the jihadists failed to pull back from the zone as agreed and in April, government and Russian forces resumed intense bombardment of the region.\n\nThe Kremlin on Friday said that Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed to “activate mutual efforts” to ease the situation in Syria’s Idlib region.\n\n“They discussed the issues of Russian-Turkish cooperation in the context of stabilisation of the de-escalation zone,” a statement said.\n\nErdogan is to host his Russian and Iranian counterparts for a summit in Ankara next month to discuss the latest developments.\n\nThe Turkish presidency on Friday said regime attacks in Idlib have led to a “grave humanitarian crisis”.\n\n“These attacks damage the efforts to regulate the Syrian conflict,” it said.\n\nThe Idlib region, which sits on the Turkish border, is the last major stronghold of opposition to Syria’s Russia-backed government.\n\nSince January, it has been ruled by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham alliance, which is led by jihadists from Syria’s former Al-Qaeda affiliate.\n\nOther rebel groups allied with Turkey were forced to cede overall control.\n\nOn August 8, Syrian government forces launched a ground offensive with Russian support against the southern part of the rebel-held region, eyeing control of the main highway from Damascus through Idlib province to second city Aleppo.\n\nKhan Sheikhun and Maarat al-Numan both lie along the highway.\n\n“I see (Syrian President Bashar al-) Assad continuing his offensive as momentum is on his side, capturing more of Idlib... and securing more strategic infrastructure,” said Syria researcher Samuel Ramani.\n\nDamascus said Thursday it will open a corridor for civilians to leave the area.\n\nBut most civilians had already fled before the pocket was cut off, according to the Observatory.\n\nSince the end of April, more than 400,000 people have fled their homes, particularly in the south of Idlib and north Hama, the United Nations says.\n\nAround 900 civilians have been killed, according to the Observatory.\n\nFollowing a string of victories against jihadists and other rebel groups, Assad’s government now controls around 60 percent of Syrian territory.\n\nThe war in Syria has killed more than 370,000 people since it started with the brutal suppression of anti-government protests in 2011.", "BEIRUT: Syrian government forces surrounded a Turkish military observation post in the northwest on Friday after overrunning nearby areas, upping the stakes with Ankara in its Russian-backed offensive against the jihadist-ruled Idlib region.\n\nThe move angered Turkey, with Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu saying his country’s troops will not quit the observation post as Moscow said that it has agreed with Ankara to \"activate mutual efforts\" to ease the situation in Idlib.\n\nThe town of Morek, where the Turkish troops have been cut off, lies in the north of Hama province, part of a jihadist-ruled region centred on neighbouring Idlib province that has been under government assault since late April. Government forces took control of Morek and other nearby towns including Kafr Zita on Friday, Syrian state news agency SANA said.\n\nJihadists and allied rebels withdrew from the area ahead of the army’s entry into the strategic town of Khan Sheikhun on Wednesday and government forces took control without resistance, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. \"Regime forces have surrounded the Turkish observation post in Morek after capturing other towns and villages in this pocket,\" said the Britain-based monitor.\n\nSpeaking at a new conference in the Lebanese capital, Cavusoglu said \"our observation point there is not cut-off and nobody can isolate our forces and our soldiers.\" \"We are there, not because we can’t leave but because we don’t want to leave,\" he told reporters, adding that the issue was being discussed with Damascus allies Russia and Iran. The Morek observation post, established under a deal with Moscow, is one of 12 the Turkish army set up along the front line between government forces and the jihadists and their rebel allies last year.\n\nOn Tuesday Cavusoglu vowed that the Turkish army \"will do whatever is necessary\" to defend these positions. The Turkish presidency has also said that it would not abandon any of it observation posts in Syria. The troops’ mission was to oversee the establishment of a buffer zone agreed by Ankara and Moscow in September.\n\nBut the jihadists failed to pull back from the zone as agreed and in April, government and Russian forces resumed intense bombardment of the region. The Kremlin on Friday said that Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed to \"activate mutual efforts\" to ease the situation in Syria’s Idlib region.\n\n\"They discussed the issues of Russian-Turkish cooperation in the context of stabilisation of the de-escalation zone,\" a statement said. Erdogan is to host his Russian and Iranian counterparts for a summit in Ankara next month to discuss the latest developments.\n\nThe Turkish presidency on Friday said regime attacks in Idlib have led to a \"grave humanitarian crisis\". \"These attacks damage the efforts to regulate the Syrian conflict,\" it said.\n\nThe Idlib region, which sits on the Turkish border, is the last major stronghold of opposition to Syria’s Russia-backed government. Since January, it has been ruled by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham alliance, which is led by jihadists from Syria’s former al-Qaeda affiliate.\n\nOther rebel groups allied with Turkey were forced to cede overall control. On August 8, Syrian government forces launched a ground offensive with Russian support against the southern part of the rebel-held region, eyeing control of the main highway from Damascus through Idlib province to second city Aleppo.\n\nKhan Sheikhun and Maarat al-Numan both lie along the highway. \"I see (Syrian President Bashar al-) Assad continuing his offensive as momentum is on his side, capturing more of Idlib... and securing more strategic infrastructure,\" said Syria researcher Samuel Ramani.\n\nDamascus said Thursday it will open a corridor for civilians to leave the area. But most civilians had already fled before the pocket was cut off, according to the Observatory. Since the end of April, more than 400,000 people have fled their homes, particularly in the south of Idlib and north Hama, the United Nations says.", "ANKARA (Reuters) - Syrian government forces opened fire on a Turkish observation post in northwest Syria, two Turkish officials told Reuters on Thursday, but there were no Turkish casualties.\n\nThe incident came after an air strike halted a Turkish military convoy and killed three civilians on Monday as the convoy headed south towards another observation post.\n\nTurkey has 12 observation posts in northwest Syria, set up under an agreement with Russia and Iran. On Wednesday, Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said all of Turkey’s observation posts will remain in place, and support to the posts will continue.", "Syrian forces have gained control over the villages of Morek, Lahaya, Maarkaba north of Hama and a Turkish observation post, a military source told Sputnik on Friday\n\nKHAN SHEIKHOUN (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd August, 2019) Syrian forces have gained control over the villages of Morek, Lahaya, Maarkaba north of Hama and a Turkish observation post, a military source told Sputnik on Friday.\n\n\"Syrian Forces gained control over the villages of Morek, Lahaya, Maarkaba north of Hama and the ninth Turkish observation post,\" a military source said.", "Syrian regime forces have surrounded a Turkish military observation post in the embattled north-western province of Idlib today, after they overran a number of neighbouring towns.\n\nIn a viral video recorded by the Turkish soldiers and posted on Twitter today, Syrian troops and military vehicles including tanks can be seen approaching the area near the town of Morek, where one of the 12 observation posts manned by the Turkish military is stationed.\n\nThe Syrian army’s march toward the Turkish observation post has taken place after its forces, along with Russian and Iranian troops, captured Morek and its surrounding towns, pushing further into the province of Idlib in its campaign to retake the last major stronghold of the Syrian opposition.\n\nThe UK-based organisation Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) has stated that “Regime forces have surrounded the Turkish observation post in Morek after capturing other towns and villages in this pocket.” On their arrival at the areas, the army found them to be “deserted” following the withdrawal of opposition forces prior to its entry.\n\nAnkara promised on Wednesday that it would not abandon any of its observation posts which were established in the north and north-west of the country under deal struck with Russia, the Syrian regime’s ally and supporter in the region, and has warned the regime “not to play with fire”. Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told reporters that “We will do whatever is necessary to ensure the security of our soldiers and observation posts.”\n\nThe primary purpose of the observation post was to oversee the creation of a buffer or de-escalation zone in Idlib, which was agreed upon between Turkey and Russia in September 2018. Since then, however, that plan has been largely foiled by the regime’s all-out land and air assault on the province since April. Over the past week in particular, the regime and its allies have been making rapid advances in the campaign to retake Idlib, with one of the most recent devastating losses for the Syrian opposition occurring earlier in the week when the city of Khan Sheikhoun and its surrounding hills and checkpoints fell into the regime’s hands.\n\nThe army’s surrounding of the Turkish observation post has raised concerns, however, that it could take direct military action against the post and the Turkish soldiers besieged in it. It would not be the first time that regime forces have attacked the posts and their soldiers; they have previously shelled military bases. On Monday, the regime also conducted an air strike on a Turkish military convoy passing through Idlib, causing many to anticipate a looming direct military confrontation."], "summary": "The Turkish observation post near Murak is encircled by government forces."}
{"document": ["FILE – In this Monday, Aug. 12, 2019 file photo, plumes of smoke rise after an explosion at a military base southwest of Baghdad, Iraq. A fact-finding committee appointed by the Iraqi government to investigate a massive munitions depot explosion near the capital Baghdad has concluded that the blast was the result of a drone strike. A copy of the report was obtained by The Associated Press Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2019. (AP Photo/Loay Hameed, File)\n\nJERUSALEM (AP) — Israel was responsible for the bombing of an Iranian weapons depot in Iraq last month, U.S. officials have confirmed, an attack that would mark a significant escalation in Israel’s long campaign against Iranian military entrenchment in the region.\n\nThe confirmation comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is hinting strongly that his country is behind recent airstrikes that have hit bases and munitions depot belonging to Iran-backed paramilitary forces operating in Iraq.\n\nThe mystery attacks have not been claimed by any side and have left Iraqi officials scrambling for a response, amid strong speculation that Israel may have been behind them. Earlier this week, the deputy head of the Iraqi Shiite militias, known collectively as the Popular Mobilization Forces, openly accused Israeli drones of carrying out the attacks, but ultimately blamed Washington and threatened strong retaliation for any future attack.\n\nSuch attacks are potentially destabilizing for Iraq and its fragile government, which has struggled to remain neutral amid growing tensions between the United States and Iran.\n\nFormer Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, known for his strong allegiance to Iran, warned of a “strong response” if it is proven that Israel was behind the recent airstrikes.\n\nIn statements issued Friday by his office, he also said that if Israel continues to target Iraq, the country “will transform into a battle arena that drags in multiple countries, including Iran.”\n\nThere have been at least three explosions at Iraqi Shiite militia bases in the past month. U.S. officials now confirm Israel was responsible for at least one of them.\n\nTwo U.S. officials said Israel carried out an attack on an Iranian weapons depot in July that killed two Iranian military commanders. The U.S. officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter with the media.\n\nThe July 19 attack hit a militia base in Amirli, in Iraq’s northern Salaheddin province, causing a huge explosion and fire. A senior official with the Shiite militias at the time told The Associated Press that the base housed advisers from Iran and Lebanon — a reference to the Iranian-backed Lebanese Hezbollah group. He said the attack targeted the headquarters of the advisers and a weapons depot.\n\nIranian media reported a funeral for a “shrine defender” named Abolfazl Sarabian the next day, which typically denotes someone fighting in Iraq and Syria.\n\nOn Aug. 12, a massive explosion at the al-Saqr military base near Baghdad shook the capital, killing one civilian and wounding 28 others. The base housed a weapons depot for the Iraqi federal police and the PMF. The most recent of the explosions came Tuesday night, at a munitions depot north of Baghdad.\n\nThere have been weeks of speculation in Israel that the army is attacking targets in Iraq.\n\nIn an interview with a Russian-language TV station Thursday, Netanyahu indicated the speculation is true.\n\n“I don’t give Iran immunity anywhere,” he said, accusing the Iranians of trying to establish bases “against us everywhere,” including Syria, Lebanon, Yemen and Iraq.\n\nAsked whether that means Israel is operating in Iraq, Netanyahu said: “We act in many arenas against a country that desires to annihilate us. Of course I gave the security forces a free hand and the instruction to do what is needed to thwart these plans of Iran.”\n\nThe New York Times, citing Israeli and U.S. officials, reported Friday that Israel bombed an Iranian weapons depot in Iraq last month.\n\nIt would be the first known Israeli airstrike in Iraq since 1981, when Israeli warplanes destroyed a nuclear reactor being built by Saddam Hussein. It also steps up Israel’s campaign against Iranian military involvement in the region.\n\nIsrael has previously acknowledged hundreds of airstrikes on Iranian targets in neighboring Syria, primarily arms shipments believed to be destined for Iran’s Hezbollah allies.\n\nIsrael considers Iran to be its greatest enemy and has repeatedly vowed that it will not allow the Iranians, who are supporting the forces of Syrian President Bashar Assad, to establish a permanent military presence in Syria.\n\nTo strike Iraq, Israeli warplanes could potentially travel through neighboring Syria — although that would likely require Russian agreement.\n\nThe other, more complicated option would be for Israeli warplanes to travel through Turkey, a former ally that now has cool relations with Israel, or through Saudi Arabia, to carry out strikes on Iraq.\n\nIsrael and the Saudis do not have formal diplomatic relations, but are believed to have established a behind-the-scenes alliance based on their shared hostility toward Iran.\n\nIsraeli attacks in Iraq are potentially destabilizing for the volatile country, at a time when it is beginning to recover from a devastating fight against the Islamic State group, and decades of war and conflict before that.\n\nThe comments by al-Maliki, who was prime minister for eight years and now heads a Shiite bloc in parliament, follow fiery threats to the U.S. made hours earlier by the powerful Hezbollah Brigades, an Iran-backed militia. In a statement, it held the U.S. responsible for the strikes and said any new attacks will be met with a harsh response.\n\n“Be sure that if the confrontation between us starts, it will only end with your removal from the region once and for all,” it said.\n\nThe U.S. maintains 5,000 troops in Iraq, and some groups such as the Hezbollah Brigades want them to leave.\n\nBaldor reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Qassim Abdul-Zahra in Baghdad and Zeina Karam in Beirut contributed.\n\nThis story has been corrected to show that the last known Israeli airstrike in Iraq was in 1981, not 1980.", "FILE – In this Monday, Aug. 12, 2019 file photo, plumes of smoke rise after an explosion at a military base southwest of Baghdad, Iraq. A fact-finding committee appointed by the Iraqi government to investigate a massive munitions depot explosion near the capital Baghdad has concluded that the blast was the result of a drone strike. A copy of the report was obtained by The Associated Press Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2019. (AP Photo/Loay Hameed, File)\n\nBAGHDAD (AP) — An Israeli airstrike on an Iranian weapons depot in Iraq, confirmed by U.S. officials, is threatening to destabilize security in the volatile country that has struggled to remain neutral in the conflict between Washington and Tehran.\n\nIt would be the first known Israeli airstrike in Iraq since 1981, when Israeli warplanes destroyed a nuclear reactor being built by Saddam Hussein, and significantly expands Israel’s campaign against Iranian military involvement in the region.\n\nThe July 19 attack targeted a base belonging to Iranian-backed paramilitary forces in Amirli in the northern Salaheddin province, and killed two Iranians. The attack was followed by at least two other mysterious explosions at munitions depot near Baghdad belonging to the militias.\n\nNo one has claimed responsibility for any of the attacks, which have set back security and stability in the country just as it appeared to be on the path to recovery following a devastating fight against the Islamic State group, and decades of war and conflict before that.\n\nEarlier this week, the deputy head of the Iraqi Shiite militias, known collectively as the Popular Mobilization Forces, openly accused Israeli drones of carrying out the attacks but ultimately blamed Washington for allowing it to happen and threatened strong retaliation for any future attack.\n\nIraq’s government, by contrast, has said it is investigating the attacks and has yet to determine who was behind them, warning against attempts to drag Iraq into any confrontation.\n\nSecurity analyst Motaz Mohieh said Iraq’s weak government will not be able to announce the results of its investigation “because it will constitute an embarrassment” for it.\n\n“These strikes will continue to target the factions associated with Iran that cause a threat to Israel and the U.S. presence,” he predicted.\n\nThe fallout could directly affect the future of thousands of American troops in Iraq, providing ammunition and pretext for hard-line factions who want them to leave.\n\nSignificantly, a leading Shiite Muslim cleric followed by some Iraqi militant factions issued a public religious edict, or fatwa, on Friday that forbids the presence of U.S. troops in Iraq following the strikes.\n\nIn his fatwa, Iran-based Grand Ayatollah Kazim al-Haeri also urged Iraq’s armed forces to “resist and confront the (U.S.) enemy,” a call that is likely to inflame tensions in Iraq.\n\nFormer Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki also weighed in, warning of a “strong response” if it is proven that Israel was behind the recent airstrikes in Iraq.\n\nIn statements issued by his office, he also said that if Israel continues to target Iraq, the country “will transform into a battle arena that drags in multiple countries, including Iran.”\n\nU.S. forces withdrew from Iraq in 2011, but returned in 2014 at the invitation of the government to help battle IS after it seized vast areas in the north and west of the country, including the second-largest city, Mosul. A U.S.-led coalition provided crucial air support as Iraqi forces regrouped and drove IS out in a costly three-year campaign.\n\nThe U.S. maintains about 5,000 troops in Iraq, and some groups say there’s no longer a justification for them to be there now that IS has been defeated.\n\nThe comments by al-Maliki, who was prime minister for eight years and now heads a Shiite bloc in parliament, follow fiery threats to the U.S. made hours earlier by the powerful Hezbollah Brigades, an Iran-backed militia. In a statement, it held the U.S. responsible for the strikes and said any new attacks will be met with a harsh response.\n\n“Be sure that if the confrontation between us starts, it will only end with your removal from the region once and for all,” it said.\n\nTwo U.S. officials said Israel carried out an attack on the Iranian weapons depot in July that killed two Iranian military commanders. The U.S. officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter with the media.\n\nA senior official with the Shiite militias at the time told The Associated Press that the base housed advisers from Iran and Lebanon — a reference to the Iranian-backed Lebanese Hezbollah group. He said the attack targeted the headquarters of the advisers and a weapons depot, causing a huge explosion and fire.\n\nIranian media reported a funeral the next day for Abolfazl Sarabian, identified as a “shrine defender,” which typically denotes someone fighting in Iraq and Syria.\n\nOn Aug. 12, a massive explosion killed one person and wounded 28 at the al-Saqr military base near Baghdad, shaking the capital. The base housed a weapons depot for the Iraqi federal police and the PMF. The most recent of the explosions came Tuesday night, at a munitions depot north of Baghdad.\n\nThere have been weeks of speculation in Israel that the army is attacking targets in Iraq.\n\nThe confirmation comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hinted strongly that his country is behind recent airstrikes on bases and munitions depot belonging to Iran-backed paramilitary forces operating in Iraq.\n\nIn an interview with a Russian-language TV station Thursday, Netanyahu indicated the speculation is true.\n\n“I don’t give Iran immunity anywhere,” he said, accusing the Iranians of trying to establish bases “against us everywhere,” including Syria, Lebanon, Yemen and Iraq.\n\nAsked whether that means Israel is operating in Iraq, Netanyahu said: “We act in many arenas against a country that desires to annihilate us. Of course I gave the security forces a free hand and the instruction to do what is needed to thwart these plans of Iran.”\n\nThe New York Times, citing Israeli and U.S. officials, reported Friday that Israel bombed an Iranian weapons depot in Iraq last month.\n\nIsrael has previously acknowledged hundreds of airstrikes on Iranian targets in neighboring Syria, primarily arms shipments believed to be destined for Iran’s Hezbollah allies.\n\nIsrael considers Iran to be its greatest enemy and has repeatedly vowed it will not allow the Iranians, who are supporting the forces of Syrian President Bashar Assad, to establish a permanent military presence in Syria.\n\nTo strike Iraq, Israeli warplanes could potentially travel through neighboring Syria — although that would likely require agreement from Russia, which operates in Syrian skies in support of the Syrian president. Israel and Russia maintain a hotline to prevent their air forces from clashing in Syrian airspace.\n\nOn Friday, Netanyahu spoke by telephone with Russian President Vladimir Putin. According to a statement from his office, the leaders discussed the situation in Syria, with emphasis on tightening the military coordination mechanisms.\n\nThe other, more complicated option would be for Israeli warplanes to travel through Turkey, a former ally that now has cool relations with Israel, or through Saudi Arabia, to carry out strikes on Iraq.\n\nIsrael and the Saudis do not have formal diplomatic relations, but are believed to have established a behind-the-scenes alliance based on their shared hostility toward Iran.\n\nBaldor reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Zeina Karam in Beirut, Josef Federman in Jerusalem and Amir Vahdat in Tehran, Iran, contributed.\n\nThis story has been corrected to show that the last known Israeli airstrike in Iraq was in 1981, not 1980.", "FILE – In this Monday, Aug. 12, 2019 file photo, plumes of smoke rise after an explosion at a military base southwest of Baghdad, Iraq. A fact-finding committee appointed by the Iraqi government to investigate a massive munitions depot explosion near the capital Baghdad has concluded that the blast was the result of a drone strike. A copy of the report was obtained by The Associated Press Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2019. (AP Photo/Loay Hameed, File)\n\nJERUSALEM (AP) — Israel was responsible for the bombing of an Iranian weapons depot in Iraq last month, U.S. officials have confirmed, an attack that would mark a significant escalation in Israel’s long campaign against Iranian military entrenchment in the region.\n\nThe confirmation comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is hinting strongly that his country is behind recent airstrikes that have hit bases and munitions depot belonging to Iran-backed paramilitary forces operating in Iraq.\n\nThe mystery attacks have not been claimed by any side and have left Iraqi officials scrambling for a response, amid strong speculation that Israel may have been behind them. Earlier this week, the deputy head of the Iraqi Shiite militias, known collectively as the Popular Mobilization Forces, openly accused Israeli drones of carrying out the attacks, but ultimately blamed Washington and threatened strong retaliation for any future attack.\n\nSuch attacks are potentially destabilizing for Iraq and its fragile government, which has struggled to remain neutral amid growing tensions between the United States and Iran.\n\nFormer Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, known for his strong allegiance to Iran, warned of a “strong response” if it is proven that Israel was behind the recent airstrikes.\n\nIn statements issued Friday by his office, he also said that if Israel continues to target Iraq, the country “will transform into a battle arena that drags in multiple countries, including Iran.”\n\nThere have been at least three explosions at Iraqi Shiite militia bases in the past month. U.S. officials now confirm Israel was responsible for at least one of them.\n\nTwo U.S. officials said Israel carried out an attack on an Iranian weapons depot in July that killed two Iranian military commanders. The U.S. officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter with the media.\n\nThe July 19 attack hit a militia base in Amirli, in Iraq’s northern Salaheddin province, causing a huge explosion and fire. A senior official with the Shiite militias at the time told The Associated Press that the base housed advisers from Iran and Lebanon — a reference to the Iranian-backed Lebanese Hezbollah group. He said the attack targeted the headquarters of the advisers and a weapons depot.\n\nIranian media reported a funeral for a “shrine defender” named Abolfazl Sarabian the next day, which typically denotes someone fighting in Iraq and Syria.\n\nOn Aug. 12, a massive explosion at the al-Saqr military base near Baghdad shook the capital, killing one civilian and wounding 28 others. The base housed a weapons depot for the Iraqi federal police and the PMF. The most recent of the explosions came Tuesday night, at a munitions depot north of Baghdad.\n\nThere have been weeks of speculation in Israel that the army is attacking targets in Iraq.\n\nIn an interview with a Russian-language TV station Thursday, Netanyahu indicated the speculation is true.\n\n“I don’t give Iran immunity anywhere,” he said, accusing the Iranians of trying to establish bases “against us everywhere,” including Syria, Lebanon, Yemen and Iraq.\n\nAsked whether that means Israel is operating in Iraq, Netanyahu said: “We act in many arenas against a country that desires to annihilate us. Of course I gave the security forces a free hand and the instruction to do what is needed to thwart these plans of Iran.”\n\nThe New York Times, citing Israeli and U.S. officials, reported Friday that Israel bombed an Iranian weapons depot in Iraq last month.\n\nIt would be the first known Israeli airstrike in Iraq since 1981, when Israeli warplanes destroyed a nuclear reactor being built by Saddam Hussein. It also steps up Israel’s campaign against Iranian military involvement in the region.\n\nIsrael has previously acknowledged hundreds of airstrikes on Iranian targets in neighboring Syria, primarily arms shipments believed to be destined for Iran’s Hezbollah allies.\n\nIsrael considers Iran to be its greatest enemy and has repeatedly vowed that it will not allow the Iranians, who are supporting the forces of Syrian President Bashar Assad, to establish a permanent military presence in Syria.\n\nTo strike Iraq, Israeli warplanes could potentially travel through neighboring Syria — although that would likely require Russian agreement.\n\nThe other, more complicated option would be for Israeli warplanes to travel through Turkey, a former ally that now has cool relations with Israel, or through Saudi Arabia, to carry out strikes on Iraq.\n\nIsrael and the Saudis do not have formal diplomatic relations, but are believed to have established a behind-the-scenes alliance based on their shared hostility toward Iran.\n\nIsraeli attacks in Iraq are potentially destabilizing for the volatile country, at a time when it is beginning to recover from a devastating fight against the Islamic State group, and decades of war and conflict before that.\n\nThe comments by al-Maliki, who was prime minister for eight years and now heads a Shiite bloc in parliament, follow fiery threats to the U.S. made hours earlier by the powerful Hezbollah Brigades, an Iran-backed militia. In a statement, it held the U.S. responsible for the strikes and said any new attacks will be met with a harsh response.\n\n“Be sure that if the confrontation between us starts, it will only end with your removal from the region once and for all,” it said.\n\nThe U.S. maintains 5,000 troops in Iraq, and some groups such as the Hezbollah Brigades want them to leave.\n\nBaldor reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Qassim Abdul-Zahra in Baghdad and Zeina Karam in Beirut contributed.\n\nThis story has been corrected to show that the last known Israeli airstrike in Iraq was in 1981, not 1980.", "US officials have confirmed that Israel was responsible for the bombing of an Iranian weapons depot in Iraq last month, an attack that would mark a significant escalation in Israel’s years-long campaign against Iranian military entrenchment across the region.\n\nThe confirmation comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is strongly hinting that his country is behind recent airstrikes that have hit bases and munitions depot belonging to Iran-backed paramilitary forces operating in Iraq.\n\nThe mystery attacks have not been claimed by any side and have left Iraqi officials scrambling for a response, amid strong speculation that Israel may have been behind them.\n\nEarlier this week, the deputy head of the Iraqi Shiite militias, known collectively as the Popular Mobilization Forces, openly accused Israeli drones of carrying out the attacks, but ultimately blamed Washington and threatened strong retaliation for any future attack.\n\nSuch attacks are potentially destabilizing for Iraq and its fragile government, which has struggled to remain neutral amid growing tensions between the United States and Iran.\n\nThere have been at least three explosions at Iraqi Shiite militia bases in the past month.\n\nAmerican officials now confirm Israel was responsible for at least one of them.\n\nTwo American officials said Israel carried out an attack on an Iranian weapons depot in July that killed two Iranian military commanders.\n\nThe US officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter with the media.\n\nALSO READ: Iraq paramilitary chief retracts accusation against US\n\nThe July 19 attack struck a militia base in Amirli, in Iraq’s northern Salaheddin province, causing a huge explosion and fire.\n\nA senior official with the Shiite militias at the time told The Associated Press that the base hit housed advisers from Iran and Lebanon - a reference to the Iranian-backed Lebanese Hezbollah group.\n\nHe said the attack targeted the headquarters of the advisers and a weapons depot.\n\nOn August 12, a massive explosion at the al-Saqr military base near Baghdad shook the capital, killing one civilian and wounding 28 others.\n\nThe base housed a weapons depot for the Iraqi federal police and the PMF.\n\nThe most recent of the explosions came Tuesday night, at a munitions depot north of Baghdad.\n\nThere have been weeks of speculation in Israel that the army is attacking targets in Iraq.\n\nIn an interview with a Russian-language TV station on Thursday, Netanyahu indicated the speculation is true.\n\n“I don’t give Iran immunity anywhere,” he said, accusing the Iranians of trying to establish bases “against us everywhere,” including Syria, Lebanon, Yemen and Iraq.\n\nAsked whether that means Israel is operating in Iraq, Netanyahu said: “We act in many arenas against a country that desires to annihilate us. Of course I gave the security forces a free hand and the instruction to do what is needed to thwart these plans of Iran.”\n\nEarly Friday, the New York Times, citing Israeli and US officials, reported that Israel bombed an Iranian weapons depot in Iraq last month.\n\nIt would be the first known Israeli airstrike in Iraq since 1981, when Israeli warplanes destroyed a nuclear reactor being built by Saddam Hussein.\n\nIt also steps up Israel’s campaign against Iranian military involvement across the region.\n\nIsrael has previously acknowledged hundreds of airstrikes on Iranian targets in neighboring Syria, primarily arms shipments believed to be destined for Iran’s Hezbollah allies.\n\nIsrael considers Iran to be its greatest enemy and has repeatedly vowed that it will not allow the Iranians, who are supporting the forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, to establish a permanent military presence in Syria.", "Strong explosions occurred on 20 August near the base of the Iraqi air force, “al-Bakr”, located in the province of Salah al-DIN, approximately 70 km North of Baghdad. According to some reports, the explosions took place at the rocket warehouse Shiite Pro-Iranian militia “Kataib Imam Ali” (“the Battalions of Imam Ali”), a member of the coalition of Forces of popular mobilization “al-Hashd al-SHAABI”.\n\nThe website Kurdistan24 notes that in several kilometers from the base, “al-Bakr” the training base of the American army and coalition forces. According to eyewitnesses, some exploding rockets flew in the direction of the American base. Information on casualties among the US military didn’t arrive.\n\nSome media reported about the dead and wounded, including among the civilian population. Media associated with Hizbullah, claim that there were no injuries. The representative of the Ministry of defence of Iraq-Tahsin khafājī said that near the scene is a warehouse of weapons and ammunition of the regular Iraqi army, him and no damage was reported.\n\nIt has been suggested that the warehouse was dealt an airstrike. Some witnesses said that the attack was carried out with drones, reports Haaretz. Air attack also was reported by Reuters, Sky News and Al Arabiya. About the drone attacks, said the Iraqi military, although the Minister of defence of Iraq after visiting the scene said that the cause of the explosions is not yet established.\n\nAccording to Sky News, blew up about 50 missiles delivered from Iran. Some Iraqi officials have suggested that the base attacked by the Israeli air force with F-35 fighters or unmanned aircraft, reports NEWSru.co.il. In this case, according to them, Israel had to agree in detail the operation of the American command, since the goal was near the training base of the U.S. army.\n\nPublished in the London pan-Arab newspaper Asharq AL-Awsat, citing Western diplomatic sources writes that in recent weeks, the Israeli army attacked the Iranian warehouses of missile weapons on the territory of Iraq, acting under the agreement with Russia and the United States to Israel’s security in Iraq and Syria. The article mentioned the strikes on targets in Iraq on 19 Jul, 12, and 20 August.\n\nThe newspaper notes that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently hinted that his country was behind an airstrikes in Iraq, saying: “Iran never has immunity. We will act against them wherever necessary”. Official confirmation of the involvement of the IDF in the incident no. The evening of 20 August, the Prime Minister of Iraq Adil Abdul-Mahdi announced that the decision on transfer of all the armories outside of the city and tightening security measures in the airspace of the country.", "JERUSALEM (AP) — U.S. officials have confirmed that Israel was responsible for the bombing of an Iranian weapons depot in Iraq last month, an attack that would mark a significant escalation in Israel's years-long campaign against Iranian military entrenchment across the region.\n\nThe confirmation comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is strongly hinting that his country is behind recent airstrikes in Iraq.\n\nTwo American officials said Israel carried out an attack on an Iranian weapons depot that killed two Iranian military commanders. The U.S. officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter with the media.\n\nThere have been weeks of speculation in Israel that the army is attacking targets in Iraq.\n\nIn an interview with a Russian-language TV station on Thursday, Netanyahu indicated the speculation is true.\n\n\"I don't give Iran immunity anywhere,\" he said, accusing the Iranians of trying to establish bases \"against us everywhere,\" including Syria, Lebanon, Yemen and Iraq.\n\nAsked whether that means Israel is operating in Iraq, Netanyahu said: \"We act in many arenas against a country that desires to annihilate us. Of course I gave the security forces a free hand and the instruction to do what is needed to thwart these plans of Iran.\"\n\nEarly Friday, the New York Times, citing Israeli and U.S. officials, reported that Israel bombed an Iranian weapons depot in Iraq last month.\n\nIt would be the first known Israeli airstrike in Iraq since 1980, when Israeli warplanes destroyed a nuclear reactor being built by Saddam Hussein. It also steps up Israel's campaign against Iranian military involvement across the region.\n\nIsrael has previously acknowledged hundreds of airstrikes on Iranian targets in neighboring Syria, primarily arms shipments believed to be destined for Iran's Hezbollah allies.\n\nIsrael considers Iran to be its greatest enemy and has repeatedly vowed that it will not allow the Iranians, who are supporting the forces of Syrian President Bashar Assad, to establish a permanent military presence in Syria.\n\nStriking Iraq would be far more complicated than reaching neighboring Syria.\n\nThe Israeli warplanes would likely have to travel through Turkey, a former ally that now has cool relations with Israel, or through Saudi Arabia, to carry out the strikes on Iraq.\n\nIsrael and the Saudis do not have formal diplomatic relations, but are believed to have established a behind-the-scenes alliance based on their shared hostility toward Iran.", "The Latest: Former Iraq PM warns Israel of 'strong response'\n\nBAGHDAD (AP) — The Latest on the situation in Iraq, after U.S. officials confirmed Israel last month bombed a weapons depot belonging to Iran-backed Shiite militias (all times local):\n\nFormer Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is warning of a \"strong response\" if it is proven that Israel was behind recent airstrikes in Iraq.\n\nIn statements issued by his office on Friday, he also said that if Israel continues to target Iraq, the country \"will transform into a battle arena that drags in multiple countries, including Iran.\"\n\nThe comments by al-Maliki, who was Iraqi prime minister for eight years and now heads a Shiite bloc in parliament, came hours after U.S. officials confirmed Israel was responsible for the bombing of an Iranian weapons depot in Iraq last month.\n\nThat marks a significant escalation in Israel's years-long campaign against Iranian military entrenchment across the region.\n\nU.S. officials have confirmed that Israel was responsible for the bombing of an Iranian weapons depot in Iraq last month, an attack that would mark a significant escalation in Israel's years-long campaign against Iranian military entrenchment across the region.\n\nThe confirmation comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is strongly hinting that his country is behind recent airstrikes in Iraq.\n\nTwo American officials said Israel carried out an attack on an Iranian weapons depot that killed two Iranian military commanders. The U.S. officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter with the media.\n\nThere have been weeks of speculation in Israel that the army is attacking targets in Iraq.\n\nIn an interview with a Russian-language TV station on Thursday, Netanyahu indicated the speculation is true.", "JERUSALEM (AP) — U.S. officials have confirmed that Israel was responsible for the bombing of an Iranian weapons depot in Iraq last month, an attack that would mark a significant escalation in Israel's years-long campaign against Iranian military entrenchment across the region.\n\nThe confirmation comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is strongly hinting that his country is behind recent airstrikes that have hit bases and munitions depot belonging to Iran-backed paramilitary forces operating in Iraq.\n\nThe mystery attacks have not been claimed by any side and have left Iraqi officials scrambling for a response, amid strong speculation that Israel may have been behind them. Earlier this week, the deputy head of the Iraqi Shiite militias, known collectively as the Popular Mobilization Forces, openly accused Israeli drones of carrying out the attacks, but ultimately blamed Washington and threatened strong retaliation for any future attack.\n\nSuch attacks are potentially destabilizing for Iraq and its fragile government, which has struggled to remain neutral amid growing tensions between the United States and Iran.\n\nThere have been at least three explosions at Iraqi Shiite militia bases in the past month. American officials now confirm Israel was responsible for at least one of them.\n\nTwo American officials said Israel carried out an attack on an Iranian weapons depot in July that killed two Iranian military commanders. The U.S. officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter with the media.\n\nThe July 19 attack struck a militia base in Amirli, in Iraq's northern Salaheddin province, causing a huge explosion and fire. A senior official with the Shiite militias at the time told The Associated Press that the base hit housed advisers from Iran and Lebanon — a reference to the Iranian-backed Lebanese Hezbollah group. He said the attack targeted the headquarters of the advisers and a weapons depot.\n\nOn August 12, a massive explosion at the al-Saqr military base near Baghdad shook the capital, killing one civilian and wounding 28 others. The base housed a weapons depot for the Iraqi federal police and the PMF. The most recent of the explosions came Tuesday night, at a munitions depot north of Baghdad.\n\nThere have been weeks of speculation in Israel that the army is attacking targets in Iraq.\n\nIn an interview with a Russian-language TV station on Thursday, Netanyahu indicated the speculation is true.\n\n\"I don't give Iran immunity anywhere,\" he said, accusing the Iranians of trying to establish bases \"against us everywhere,\" including Syria, Lebanon, Yemen and Iraq.\n\nAsked whether that means Israel is operating in Iraq, Netanyahu said: \"We act in many arenas against a country that desires to annihilate us. Of course I gave the security forces a free hand and the instruction to do what is needed to thwart these plans of Iran.\"\n\nEarly Friday, the New York Times, citing Israeli and U.S. officials, reported that Israel bombed an Iranian weapons depot in Iraq last month.\n\nIt would be the first known Israeli airstrike in Iraq since 1981, when Israeli warplanes destroyed a nuclear reactor being built by Saddam Hussein. It also steps up Israel's campaign against Iranian military involvement across the region.\n\nIsrael has previously acknowledged hundreds of airstrikes on Iranian targets in neighboring Syria, primarily arms shipments believed to be destined for Iran's Hezbollah allies.\n\nIsrael considers Iran to be its greatest enemy and has repeatedly vowed that it will not allow the Iranians, who are supporting the forces of Syrian President Bashar Assad, to establish a permanent military presence in Syria.\n\nStriking Iraq would be far more complicated than reaching neighboring Syria.\n\nThe Israeli warplanes would likely have to travel through Turkey, a former ally that now has cool relations with Israel, or through Saudi Arabia, to carry out strikes on Iraq.\n\nIsrael and the Saudis do not have formal diplomatic relations, but are believed to have established a behind-the-scenes alliance based on their shared hostility toward Iran.\n\nThis story has been corrected to show that the last known Israeli airstrike in Iraq was in 1981, not 1980.", "The Latest: Former Iraq PM warns Israel of 'strong response'\n\nBAGHDAD (AP) — The Latest on the situation in Iraq, after U.S. officials confirmed Israel last month bombed a weapons depot belonging to Iran-backed Shiite militias (all times local):\n\nFormer Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is warning of a \"strong response\" if it is proven that Israel was behind recent airstrikes in Iraq.\n\nIn statements issued by his office on Friday, he also said that if Israel continues to target Iraq, the country \"will transform into a battle arena that drags in multiple countries, including Iran.\"\n\nThe comments by al-Maliki, who was Iraqi prime minister for eight years and now heads a Shiite bloc in parliament, came hours after U.S. officials confirmed Israel was responsible for the bombing of an Iranian weapons depot in Iraq last month.\n\nThat marks a significant escalation in Israel's years-long campaign against Iranian military entrenchment across the region.\n\nU.S. officials have confirmed that Israel was responsible for the bombing of an Iranian weapons depot in Iraq last month, an attack that would mark a significant escalation in Israel's years-long campaign against Iranian military entrenchment across the region.\n\nThe confirmation comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is strongly hinting that his country is behind recent airstrikes in Iraq.\n\nTwo American officials said Israel carried out an attack on an Iranian weapons depot that killed two Iranian military commanders. The U.S. officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter with the media.\n\nThere have been weeks of speculation in Israel that the army is attacking targets in Iraq.\n\nIn an interview with a Russian-language TV station on Thursday, Netanyahu indicated the speculation is true.", "JERUSALEM (AP) — U.S. officials have confirmed that Israel was responsible for the bombing of an Iranian weapons depot in Iraq last month, an attack that would mark a significant escalation in Israel's years-long campaign against Iranian military entrenchment across the region.\n\nThe confirmation comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is strongly hinting that his country is behind recent airstrikes that have hit bases and munitions depot belonging to Iran-backed paramilitary forces operating in Iraq.\n\nThe mystery attacks have not been claimed by any side and have left Iraqi officials scrambling for a response, amid strong speculation that Israel may have been behind them. Earlier this week, the deputy head of the Iraqi Shiite militias, known collectively as the Popular Mobilization Forces, openly accused Israeli drones of carrying out the attacks, but ultimately blamed Washington and threatened strong retaliation for any future attack.\n\nSuch attacks are potentially destabilizing for Iraq and its fragile government, which has struggled to remain neutral amid growing tensions between the United States and Iran.\n\nThere have been at least three explosions at Iraqi Shiite militia bases in the past month. American officials now confirm Israel was responsible for at least one of them.\n\nTwo American officials said Israel carried out an attack on an Iranian weapons depot in July that killed two Iranian military commanders. The U.S. officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter with the media.\n\nThe July 19 attack struck a militia base in Amirli, in Iraq's northern Salaheddin province, causing a huge explosion and fire. A senior official with the Shiite militias at the time told The Associated Press that the base hit housed advisers from Iran and Lebanon — a reference to the Iranian-backed Lebanese Hezbollah group. He said the attack targeted the headquarters of the advisers and a weapons depot.\n\nOn August 12, a massive explosion at the al-Saqr military base near Baghdad shook the capital, killing one civilian and wounding 28 others. The base housed a weapons depot for the Iraqi federal police and the PMF. The most recent of the explosions came Tuesday night, at a munitions depot north of Baghdad.\n\nThere have been weeks of speculation in Israel that the army is attacking targets in Iraq.\n\nIn an interview with a Russian-language TV station on Thursday, Netanyahu indicated the speculation is true.\n\n\"I don't give Iran immunity anywhere,\" he said, accusing the Iranians of trying to establish bases \"against us everywhere,\" including Syria, Lebanon, Yemen and Iraq.\n\nAsked whether that means Israel is operating in Iraq, Netanyahu said: \"We act in many arenas against a country that desires to annihilate us. Of course I gave the security forces a free hand and the instruction to do what is needed to thwart these plans of Iran.\"\n\nEarly Friday, the New York Times, citing Israeli and U.S. officials, reported that Israel bombed an Iranian weapons depot in Iraq last month.\n\nIt would be the first known Israeli airstrike in Iraq since 1981, when Israeli warplanes destroyed a nuclear reactor being built by Saddam Hussein. It also steps up Israel's campaign against Iranian military involvement across the region.\n\nIsrael has previously acknowledged hundreds of airstrikes on Iranian targets in neighboring Syria, primarily arms shipments believed to be destined for Iran's Hezbollah allies.\n\nIsrael considers Iran to be its greatest enemy and has repeatedly vowed that it will not allow the Iranians, who are supporting the forces of Syrian President Bashar Assad, to establish a permanent military presence in Syria.\n\nStriking Iraq would be far more complicated than reaching neighboring Syria.\n\nThe Israeli warplanes would likely have to travel through Turkey, a former ally that now has cool relations with Israel, or through Saudi Arabia, to carry out strikes on Iraq.\n\nIsrael and the Saudis do not have formal diplomatic relations, but are believed to have established a behind-the-scenes alliance based on their shared hostility toward Iran.\n\nThis story has been corrected to show that the last known Israeli airstrike in Iraq was in 1981, not 1980."], "summary": "U.S. officials confirm that an airstrike on an Iranian weapons depot in Amirli, Iraq on July 19 that killed two Iranian military commanders was conducted by Israel. The strike is the first known Israeli attack inside Iraq since Operation Opera in 1981."}
{"document": ["Al-Qaeda has accused Pakistani security forces of detaining the wife of its chief, Ayman al-Zawahiri, and two other families of the insurgent group’s “martyrs” for nearly a year.\n\n\n\nIn a statement, the leadership of al-Qaeda on Friday alleged “treacherous Pakistani forces” captured Zawahiri’s wife and others as they left the former Taliban stronghold of Waziristan bordering Afghanistan about a year ago due to continuous airstrikes.\n\n\n\n“We ... hold Pakistan’s government and its treacherous army and their American masters responsible for their criminal acts,” the statement said.\n\n\n\nThere was no immediate comment from Pakistan.\n\n\n\nZawahiri, an Egyptian, became the leader of al-Qaeda following the 2011 killing of Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad, Pakistan by US Navy SEALS. He is believed to be hiding somewhere in the region.\n\nLast Update: Friday, 23 August 2019 KSA 16:58 - GMT 13:58", "Islamabad: Al-Qaeda has accused Pakistani security forces of detaining the wife of its chief, Ayman al-Zawahiri, and two other families of the insurgent group's \"martyrs\" for nearly a year.\n\nIn a statement, the leadership of al-Qaeda on Friday alleged \"treacherous Pakistani forces\" captured Zawahiri's wife and others as they left the former Taliban stronghold of Waziristan bordering Afghanistan about a year ago due to continuous airstrikes.\n\nIt said: \"We ... hold Pakistan's government and its treacherous army and their American masters responsible for their criminal acts.\"\n\nThere was no immediate comment from Pakistan.\n\nZawahiri, an Egyptian, became leader of al-Qaeda following the 2011 killing of Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad, Pakistan by U.S. Navy SEALS. He is believed to be hiding somewhere in the region.\n\nGet the best of News18 delivered to your inbox - subscribe to News18 Daybreak. Follow News18.com on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and on YouTube, and stay in the know with what's happening in the world around you – in real time.\n\nSubscribe to Moneycontrol Pro and gain access to curated markets data, trading recommendations, equity analysis, investment ideas, insights from market gurus and much more. Get Moneycontrol PRO for 1 year at price of 3 months. Use code FREEDOM.", "The following report is now a complimentary offering from MEMRI's Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM). For JTTM subscription information, click here.\n\nOn August 22, 2019, Al-Qaeda's central command released a statement via its media wing Al-Sahab condemning the Pakistani authorities for detaining the families of the foreign mujahideen for nearly a year at the behest of the U.S. intelligence services.[1] The statement names one of wives of Al-Qaeda leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri among the families that were held in Pakistan after leaving Waziristan more than four years ago.\n\nThe statement begins by saying the \"traitorous\" Pakistani authorities have held, on the orders of U.S. intelligence, the mujahideen's families for nearly one year. The statement then lists the three families, including one of the wives of Al-Qaeda leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri, as follows: Hajar Nazih Nushi Rashid, the widow of \"martyr\" Sufyan Al-Maghribi, and her children; Iman Nazih Nushi Rashid, the widow of \"martyr\" Abu 'Ubaydah Al-Maqdisi, and her children; and Sayyidah Muhammad Ahmad Halawah, the wife of Sheikh Ayman Al-Zawahiri.\n\nSaying that the three women and their families were arrested in Pakistan after departing Waziristan more than four years ago due to \"repeated bombardments,\" the statement adds that \"all attempts at mediation and negotiation with the traitorous and agent Pakistani Army, which continues to detain these vulnerable families at the behest of their American masters, have failed so far.\"\n\nThe statement goes on to say that Al-Qaeda holds \"the Pakistani government and its traitorous army and their American masters responsible for their criminal acts.\" The statement concludes by citing Quran 26:227: \"And soon will the unjust assailants know what vicissitudes their affairs will take.\"", "Pakistani security forces have detained the wife of Al-Qaeda chief, Ayman al-Zawahiri, and two other family members of the groups 'martyrs' for nearly a year, according to a statement released by the insurgent group on Friday.\n\nAl-Qaeda claimed that \"treacherous Pakistani forces\" captured the family members including Al-Zawahri's wife a year ago as they left Waziristan, a former Taliban base bordering Afghanistan due to airstrikes, reported Associated Press.\n\n\"We ... hold Pakistan's government and its treacherous army and their American masters responsible for their criminal acts,\" the statement said.\n\nThe current leader of Al-Qaeda, al-Zawahri is an Egyptian who took over the group's leadership after US military forces killed Osama bin Laden in Pakistan's Abbottabad region in 2011.\n\nWhile Pakistan has not commented on the statement, Zawahiri is said to be hiding in the country.\n\nAl-Qaeda's statement came a day after US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper confirmed the death of 9/11 mastermind's son, Hamza bin Laden.\n\nThe US official confirmation comes weeks after it was reported that he was killed during the last two years in an operation that involved the United States. Hamza who is believed, to be 30 years old, may have been killed before the US announced a $1 million bounty on him in February 2019.\n\nAccording to the documents found in the Abottabad house, Bin Laden was preparing Hamza to replace him as the terror outfit's leader. Later on, Hamza was assumed to have donned the role of a deputy to the Alqaeda's current chief, Al-Zawahiri.\n\nThe United Nations Security Council reported that the deteriorating health of Al-Zawahiri has raised doubts about the global terrorist organisation's succession.\n\nPakistan has often been accused of supporting terrorists in Afghanistan including the Al-Qaeda. Yesterday, the terror watchdog Financial Action Task Force's (FATF) Asia Pacific Group placed Pakistan in its \"enhanced expedited follow-up list\".\n\nThe list, which is believed to be similar to be blacklisted, APG found the country non-complaint to 32 of the 40 parameters on money-laundering and terror financing.\n\nThe announcement came a day after Prime Minister Imran Khan said that 40 different militant groups were operating in Pakistan when the country joined US war on terror after the 9/11 attacks in 2001.\n\n\"We were fighting the US war on terror. Pakistan has nothing to do with 9/11. Al-Qaeda was in Afghanistan. There were no militant Taliban in Pakistan. But we joined the US war. Unfortunately, when things went wrong, where I blame my government, we did not tell the US exactly the truth on the ground,\" the Pakistani PM said as quoted by news agency PTI.\n\nHowever, India has accused Pakistan of its state-sponsor of promoting cross-border terrorism in the disputed Jammu and Kashmir region.\n\nEarlier this month, Indian intelligence reports stated Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) has given terrorist group, Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) full permission for conducting suicide bomb attacks in the valley and cause as many casualties as they can, without worrying about \"collateral damage\".\n\nUS President Donald Trump in the middle of negotiating peace talks in Afghanistan with the Taliban and the Afghan government.\n\nThe US government have stated that the withdrawal of US troops in a bid to end the 19-year war will be done over a period of time to ensure political stability and avoid security resurgence of Taliban's state control in the region.", "New Delhi: Al-Qaeda leadership has accused Pakistan’s security forces of detaining the wife of its chief Ayman al-Zawahiri along with two other families of their ‘martyrs’ for nearly a year.\n\nThe insurgent group released a statement alleging that “treacherous Pakistani forces” had “captured” Chief Zawahiri’s wife while they were leaving Waziristan, former Taliban stronghold adjacent ot Afghanistan, about a year ago due to continuous airstrikes.\n\n“We … hold Pakistan’s government and its treacherous army and their American masters responsible for their criminal acts,” read the statement, as reported by news agency Associated Press.\n\nPakistan has not given any immediate response to their statement.\n\nZawahiri, who hails from Egypt, took command as the leader of al-Qaeda following the 2011 killing of Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad, Pakistan by United States Navy SEALS. He is believed to be hiding somewhere in the region.\n\nNotably, the terror front ha been trying to make a comeback in Afghanistan under a resurgent Taliban, strengthening their alliance in their ‘jihad’. The Al-Qaeda and Taliban leadership have repeatedly stressed the importance of their nature of alliance as “military and religious instructors” for their jihadist motive, a UN report stated.", "ISLAMABAD (AP) — Al-Qaida has accused Pakistani security forces of detaining the wife of its chief, Ayman al-Zawahiri, and two other families of the insurgent group’s “martyrs” for nearly a year.\n\nIn a statement, the leadership of al-Qaida on Friday alleged “treacherous Pakistani forces” captured Zawahiri’s wife and others as they left the former Taliban stronghold of Waziristan bordering Afghanistan about a year ago due to continuous airstrikes.\n\nIt said: “We … hold Pakistan’s government and its treacherous army and their American masters responsible for their criminal acts.”\n\nThere was no immediate comment from Pakistan.\n\nZawahiri, an Egyptian, became leader of al-Qaida following the 2011 killing of Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad, Pakistan by U.S. Navy SEALS. He is believed to be hiding somewhere in the region.\n\nCopyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.", "WASHINGTON: US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper has confirmed the death of Hamza bin Laden, the son and designated heir of Al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden.\n\n\"That's my understanding,\" Esper said in an interview late Wednesday (Aug 21) with Fox News, when asked if Hamza bin Laden was dead.\n\n\"I don't have the details on that. And if I did I'm not sure how much I could share with you,\" he added.\n\nUS media reported at the beginning of August that Hamza was killed during the last two years in an operation that involved the United States, citing US intelligence officials.\n\nBut President Donald Trump and other senior officials have refused to confirm or deny it publicly.\n\n\"I don't want to comment on it,\" Trump told reporters when asked.\n\nThe 15th of Osama bin Laden's 20 children and a son of his third wife, Hamza, thought to be about 30 years old, was \"emerging as a leader in the Al-Qaeda franchise,\" the State Department said in announcing the reward.\n\nSometimes dubbed the \"crown prince of jihad,\" he had put out audio and video messages calling for attacks on the United States and other countries, especially to avenge his father's killing by US forces in Pakistan in May 2011, the department said.\n\nThat work made him important in attracting a new generation of followers to the extremist group which carried out the Sep 11, 2001 attacks on the US which left nearly 3,000 dead.\n\n\n\nHis father's death in 2011 and the rise of the more virulent Islamic State group saw Al-Qaeda lose currency with younger jihadists, but the group appears to have been plotting a stealthy comeback under leader Ayman al-Zawahiri."], "summary": "Al-Qaeda accuses \"treacherous Pakistani forces\" of detaining the wife and two other relatives of the group's leader Ayman al Zawahiri for over a year."}
{"document": ["FILE PHOTO: Employees work at the assembly line of jerked beef at a plant of JBS S.A, the world's largest beef producer, in Santana de Parnaiba, Brazil December 19, 2017. REUTERS/Paulo Whitaker\n\nHELSINKI (Reuters) - Finland, which holds the European Union’s rotating chairmanship, called on Friday for the EU to look into the possibility of banning Brazilian beef from its markets due to devastation caused by fires in the Amazon rainforest.\n\n“Finance Minister Mika Lintila condemns the destruction of Amazon rainforests and suggests that the EU and Finland should urgently review the possibility of banning Brazilian beef imports,” Finland’s finance ministry said in a statement.", "Finland and the European Union are considering a ban on the import of Brazilian beef, citing the Latin American country's failed environmental policies, amid record wildfires in the Amazon rainforest, the Finnish government said in a statement on Friday\n\nHELSINKI (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd August, 2019) Finland and the European Union are considering a ban on the import of Brazilian beef, citing the Latin American country's failed environmental policies, amid record wildfires in the Amazon rainforest, the Finnish government said in a statement on Friday.\n\n\"Finance Minister Mika Lintila condemns the destruction of the Amazon rainforest and informs that the European Union and Finland are considering a ban on the import of Brazilian beef,\" the statement read.\n\nAccording to the statement, Finnish President Sauli Niinisto, Prime Minister Antti Rinne, Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto and other members of the government have also raised concerns over the situation in Brazil.\n\nFinland is currently chairing the European Union.\n\nLintila noted that the discussion of the issue would be launched in September if there was no progress by that time.\n\nSerious wildfires have been making their way through the Amazon for three weeks now. According to satellite data provided by the Brazilian National Institute for Space Research, there has been an over 80 percent increase in the number of wildfires between this year and last year, which is an unprecedented rate.\n\nThe situation is blamed on the right-wing policies led by Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who encouraged deforestation by loggers and farmers.\n\nFrench President Emmanuel Macron urged the G7 leaders to discuss the issue at the upcoming summit in the French resort city of Biarritz from August 24-26.", "HELSINKI (Reuters) - Finland, which holds the European Union’s rotating chairmanship, called on Friday for the EU to look into the possibility of banning Brazilian beef from its markets due to devastation caused by fires in the Amazon rainforest.\n\n“Finance Minister Mika Lintila condemns the destruction of Amazon rainforests and suggests that the EU and Finland should urgently review the possibility of banning Brazilian beef imports,” Finland’s finance ministry said in a statement.", "While the wildfires raging in the Amazon rainforest may constitute an “international crisis,” they are hardly an accident.\n\nThe vast majority of the fires have been set by loggers and ranchers to clear land for cattle. The practice is on the rise, encouraged by Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil’s populist pro-business president, who is backed by the country’s so-called “beef caucus.”\n\nWhile this may be business as usual for Brazil’s beef farmers, the rest of the world is looking on in horror.\n\nThe rainforest, known as “the planet’s lungs,” produces about 20% of the world’s oxygen.\n\nOn Friday, Finland’s finance minister called for the European Union to “urgently review the possibility of banning Brazilian beef imports” over the Amazon fires.\n\nBrazil is the world’s largest exporter of beef, providing close to 20% of the total global exports, according the United States Department of Agriculture a figure that could rise in the coming years.\n\nLast year the country shipped 1.64 million tonnes of beef — the highest volume in history — generating $6.57 billion in revenue, according to the Brazilian Beef Exporters Association (Abiec), an association of more than 30 Brazilian meat-packing companies.\n\nThe growth of Brazil’s beef industry has been driven in part by strong demand from Asia — mostly China and Hong Kong. These two markets alone accounted for nearly 44% of all beef exports from Brazil in 2018, according to the USDA.\n\nAnd a trade deal struck in June between South America’s Mercosur bloc of countries and the European Union could open up even more markets for Brazil’s beef-packing industry.\n\nSpeaking after the agreement as announced, the head of Abiec, Antônio Camardelli, said the pact could help Brazil gain access to prospective new markets, like Indonesia and Thailand, while boosting sales with existing partners, like the EU. “A deal of this magnitude is like an invitation card for speaking with other countries and trade blocs,” Camardelli told Reuters in July.\n\nOnce implemented, the deal will lift a 20% levy on beef imports into the EU.\n\nBut, on Friday, Ireland said it was ready to block the deal unless Brazil took action on the Amazon.\n\nIn a statement Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar described as “Orewellian” Bolsonaro’s attempt to blame the fires on environmental groups. Varadkar said that Ireland will monitor Brazil’s environmental actions to determine whether to block the Mercosur deal, which is two years away.\n\nHe added Irish and European farmers could not be told to use fewer pesticides and respect biodiversity when trade deals were being made with countries not subjected to “decent environmental, labor and product standards.”\n\nIn June, before the furor over the rainforest began, the Irish Farmers Association called on Ireland not to ratify the deal, arguing its terms would disadvantage European beef farmers.\n\nDeal or no deal, Brazil’s beef industry is projected to continue expanding, buoyed by natural resources, grassland availability and global demand, according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).\n\nAnd, with that growth, comes steep environmental costs.\n\nBrazil’s space research center (INPE) said this week that the number of fires in Brazil is 80% higher than last year. More than half are in the Amazon region, spelling disaster for the local environment and ecology.\n\nAlberto Setzer, a senior scientist at INPE, told CNN that the burning can range from a small-scale agricultural practice, to new deforestation for mechanized and modern agribusiness projects.\n\nFarmers wait until the dry season to start burning and clearing areas so their cattle can graze, but this year’s destruction has been described as unprecedented. Environmental campaigners blame this uptick on Bolsonaro, who they say has encouraged ranchers, farmers, and loggers to exploit and burn the rainforest like never before with a sense of impunity.\n\nBolsonaro has dismissed accusations of responsibility for the fires, but a clear shift seems to be underway.\n\nAnd if saving the rainforest isn’t enough to convince carnivores to stop eating Brazilian beef — the greenhouse gas emissions the cattle create may be.\n\nBeef is responsible for 41% of livestock greenhouse gas emissions, and that livestock accounts for 14.5% of total global emissions. And methane — the greenhouse gas cattle produce from both ends — is 25 times more potent that carbon dioxide.\n\nAn alarming report released last year by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, said changing our diets could contribute 20% of the effort needed to keep global temperatures from rising 2°C above pre-industrial levels. Namely, eating less meat.\n\nStill, global consumption of beef and veal is set to rise in the next decade according to projections from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO).\n\nA joint report predicted global production would increase 16% between 2017 and 2027 to meet demand.\n\nThe majority of that expansion will be in developing countries, like Brazil.", "Finland will propose a ban on Brazilian beef imports to protest over Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro's response to massive Amazon fires, the country's finance minister said on Friday.\n\nFrench President Emmanuel Macron is leading international pressure on Bolsonaro over the Amazon rainforest fires, threatening to block a major trade deal with the EU.\n\nFinland's Finance Minister Mika Lintila condemned the destruction of rainforests and proposed \"the EU and Finland urgently look into the option of banning the import of Brazilian beef\".\n\nFinland currently holds the rotating presidency of the European Council.\n\n\"Now we need effective action from the EU... I am ready to raise the issue with my EU Finance Minister colleagues who will be coming to Helsinki in September, if there is no progress before then,\" Lintila said.\n\nThe fires in the world's largest rainforest have sparked protests around the planet and ignited a war of words between Bolsonaro and Macron, who has described the wildfires as an \"international crisis\".", "The European Union piled pressure on Friday on Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro over fires raging in the Amazon basin, with Ireland and France saying they could block a trade deal and Finland urging a ban on Brazilian beef imports.\n\nBolsonaro has rejected what he calls foreign interference in domestic affairs in Brazil, where vast tracts of the Amazon rainforest are ablaze in what is known as the burning season.\n\nEnvironmentalists have blamed deforestation for an increase in fires and accuse the right-wing president of relaxing protection of a vast carbon trap and climate driver that is crucial to combating global climate change.\n\nFrench President Emmanuel Macron’s office said Bolsonaro had been lying when he played down concerns about climate change at the G20 summit in Japan in June and that, in this light, France would oppose the farming deal struck between the EU and the Mercosur countries: Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay.\n\nIrish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said Dublin would vote against the free trade deal unless Brazil acted to protect the rainforest.\n\nVaradkar said he was very concerned at the record levels of rainforest destruction, and that the Irish government would closely monitor Brazil’s environmental actions in the two years until the Mercosur deal was ratified.\n\n“There is no way that Ireland will vote for the EU-Mercosur Free Trade Agreement if Brazil does not honour its environmental commitments,” he said in a statement.\n\nIreland would need other EU states to help form a blocking minority if it wants to kill the deal, reached in June after 20 years of negotiations.\n\nBut the Irish government is under pressure to defend its beef farmers, already suffering from Britain’s looming EU exit and low prices, by seeking to ensure Mercosur countries do not flood the market with cheaper beef.\n\nFinland, which currently holds the EU’s rotating presidency, suggested a ban on Brazilian beef imports.\n\nPrime Minister Antti Rinne said the fires were “a threat to our whole planet, not just to Brazil or South America”.\n\n“We must find out whether the Europeans have something to offer Brazil to help prevent this kind of fires in the future,” he added.\n\nLeaders of the world’s most advanced economies are also expected to discuss the matter when they meet for the G7 summit in France this weekend.\n\nBritish Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s office said he would use the gathering to call for international action to protect the world’s rainforests.", "Mikko Kärnä (Centre), a second-term Member of the Finnish Parliament from Lapland, on Friday demanded that the European Union ban the imports of soy and meat from Brazil. The ban, he said, is warranted because the slash-and-burn agriculture practised in the country’s rainforests is posing a threat to the future of the entire mankind.\n\n“While the European Union and other countries are combating climate change, rainforests are being ruthlessly burned to make way for soy farming and livestock rearing in Brazil,” he said.\n\n“Everyone who uses products directly or indirectly reliant on Brazilian soy is destroying the climate. We must have the courage to impose a boycott on all Brazilian meats and soy products until this reckless behaviour in the rainforests has come to an end. In Finland, [Kesko] S Group and Lidl should remove all such products from their shelves immediately.”\n\nThe UN, he added, should discuss the situation and agree on sanctions to compel Brazil to comply with the Paris Agreement.\n\n“Brazilian President Jari [sic] Bolsanaro’s [sic] statements surrounding the catastrophe are inexplicable and the man seems to be so crooked that he has to screw a knit cap on his head. We’re not dealing with ‘an environmental psychosis’ but with an emergency affecting the entire humanity,” underlined Kärnä.", "DUBLIN/BRUSSELS, Aug 23 (Reuters) - The European Union piled pressure on Friday on Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro over fires raging in the Amazon basin, with Ireland and France saying they could block a trade deal with South America.\n\nBolsonaro has rejected what he calls foreign interference in domestic affairs in Brazil, where vast tracts of the Amazon rainforest are ablaze in what is known as the burning season. He said the army could be sent to help fight the fires.\n\nFrench President Emmanuel Macron's office said Bolsonaro had lied in playing down concerns about climate change at the G20 summit in Japan in June and that, in this light, France would oppose the deal struck between the EU and the Mercosur countries: Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay.\n\nIrish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said Dublin would vote against the deal unless Brazil acted to protect the rainforest.\n\nVaradkar said he was very concerned at the record levels of rainforest destruction, and that the Irish government would closely monitor Brazil's environmental actions in the two years until the Mercosur deal was ratified.\n\n\"There is no way that Ireland will vote for the EU-Mercosur Free Trade Agreement if Brazil does not honour its environmental commitments,\" he said in a statement.\n\nIreland and France would need other EU states to help form a blocking minority if they want to kill the deal, reached in June after 20 years of negotiations.\n\nThe Irish government is under pressure to defend its beef farmers, already suffering from Britain's looming EU exit and low prices, by seeking to ensure Mercosur countries do not flood the market with cheaper beef.\n\nBut the EU executive, the European Commission, warned against burying the deal, saying it could help to put pressure on Brazil.\n\n\"This is the best way to create legally binding commitments with countries that we want to respect our environmental standards,\" said Commission spokeswoman Mina Andreeva. \"The best tool that we have is the EU-Mercosur agreement.\"\n\nShe noted that the text included punitive mechanisms to be used if certain climate-related conditions were not met.\n\nFinland, which currently holds the EU's rotating presidency, suggested a ban on Brazilian beef imports. Prime Minister Antti Rinne said the fires were \"a threat to our whole planet, not just to Brazil or South America\".\n\n\"We must find out whether the Europeans have something to offer Brazil to help prevent this kind of fires in the future,\" he added.\n\nFinland's finance minister said he would raise the issue with his EU peers at a meeting in Helsinki on Sept. 13-14.\n\nLeaders of the world's most advanced economies are also expected to discuss the matter when they meet for the G7 summit in France this weekend.", "While the wildfires raging in the Amazon rainforest may constitute an \"international crisis,\" they are hardly an accident.\n\nThe vast majority of the fires have been set by loggers and ranchers to clear land for cattle. The practice is on the rise, encouraged by Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil's populist pro-business president, who is backed by the country's so-called \"beef caucus.\"\n\nWhile this may be business as usual for Brazil's beef farmers, the rest of the world is looking on in horror.\n\nSo, for those wondering how they could help save the rainforest, known as \"the planet's lungs\" for producing about 20% of the world's oxygen, the answer may be simple. Eat less meat.\n\nIt's an idea that Finland has already floated. On Friday, the Nordic country's finance minister called for the European Union to \"urgently review the possibility of banning Brazilian beef imports\" over the Amazon fires.\n\nHow much meat Brazil exports: Brazil is the world's largest exporter of beef, providing close to 20% of the total global exports, according the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) — a figure that could rise in the coming years.\n\nLast year the country shipped 1.64 million tonnes of beef — the highest volume in history — generating $6.57 billion in revenue, according to the Brazilian Beef Exporters Association (Abiec), an association of more than 30 Brazilian meat-packing companies.", "“Finance Minister Mika Lintila condemns the destruction of Amazon rainforests and suggests that the EU and Finland should urgently review the possibility of banning Brazilian beef imports,” Finland’s finance ministry said in a statement. (Reporting by Anne Kauranen)\n\nSouth Africa is in a very real battle. A political fight where terms such as truth and democracy can seem more of a suggestion as opposed to a necessity.\n\nOn one side of the battle are those openly willing to undermine the sovereignty of a democratic society, completely disregarding the weight and power of the oaths declared when they took office. If their mission was to decrease society’s trust in government - mission accomplished.\n\nAnd on the other side are those who believe in the ethos of a country whose constitution was once declared the most progressive in the world. The hope that truth, justice and accountability in politics, business and society is not simply fairy tale dust sprinkled in great electoral speeches; but rather a cause that needs to be intentionally acted upon every day.\n\nHowever, it would be an offensive oversight not to acknowledge that right there on the front lines, alongside whistleblowers and civil society, stand the journalists. Armed with only their determination to inform society and defend the truth, caught in the crossfire of shots fired from both sides.\n\nIf you believe in supporting the cause and the work of Daily Maverick then take your position on the battleground and sign up to Maverick Insider today.\n\nFor whatever amount you choose, you can support Daily Maverick and it only takes a minute."], "summary": "Finland, current chair of the European Union, asks the bloc to contemplate a ban on beef from Brazil in response to the ongoing disaster."}
{"document": ["China said Friday it will impose new tariffs on $75 billion worth of U.S. goods and resume duties on American autos.\n\nThe Chinese State Council said it decided to slap tariffs ranging from 5% to 10% on $75 billion U.S. goods in two batches effective on Sept. 1 and Dec. 15. Those dates happens to be when President Donald Trump's latest tariffs on Chinese goods are to take effect.\n\nIt also said a 25% tariff will be imposed on U.S. cars and a 5% on auto parts and components, which will go into effect on Dec.15. China had paused these tariffs in April.\n\nStocks tumbled and bond yields fell following the announcement.\n\nThe retaliatory tariffs came after Trump earlier this month surprisingly ended a trade war cease-fire by threatening to impose 10% tariffs on another $300 billion of Chinese goods. Some of those tariffs have been delayed to December to avoid any impact on holiday shopping season and some items were removed from the list.\n\n\"In response to the measures by the U.S., China was forced to take countermeasures,\" the state council said in a statement. \"The Chinese side hopes that the U.S. will continue to follow the consensus of the Osaka meeting, return to the correct track of consultation and resolve differences, and work hard with China to end the goal of ending economic and trade frictions.\"", "WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th August, 2019) The United States will increase tariffs by another five percent on $550 billion worth of Chinese goods that are already being taxed in response to Beijing's new retaliatory measures, US President Donald Trump said in a statement.\n\n\"Starting on October 1st, the 250 billion Dollars of goods and products from China, currently being taxed at 25 percent will be taxed at 30 percent,\" Trump said via Twitter on Friday.\n\nThe US president also said the tariff on the remaining $300 billion worth of Chinese goods and services that will go into effect on September 1 will now increase from 10 percent to 15 percent.\n\nEarlier on Friday, the Chinese State Council said tariffs ranging from 5 to 10 percent would be applied to $75 billion worth of US goods, with some taking effect on September 1 and others on December 15.\n\nThe latter batch will also include a 25 percent duty on American cars.\n\nThe US Trade Representative's office in a statement said it will begin implementing the tariffs effective October 1 after a notice and comment period. The remainder will go into effect on the already scheduled dates\n\nFor the 10% tariffs on approximately $300 billion worth of Chinese imports that the President announced earlier this month, the tariffs will now be 15%, effective on the already scheduled dates for tariff increases on these imports.\n\nChina's newly announced tariffs on Friday are in response to Trump's announcement earlier this month of the initial 10 percent tariffs on $300 billion in Chinese goods, although some items have since been removed from the list and others delayed until after the holiday shopping season.", "Stock markets reacted negatively to the news with most European and US stock indexes falling\n\nPresident Donald Trump has furiously responded to China's decision to impose new retaliatory tariffs on American goods.\n\nIn a series of tweets, Mr Trump said he was ordering US companies to look at ways to close their operations in China and make more of their products in the United States instead.\n\nHowever, the president cannot compel American companies to abandon China and gave no detail on how he might proceed with any such order.\n\nPresident Trump tweeted: \"Our country has lost, stupidly, trillions of dollars with China over many years.\n\n\"They have stolen our intellectual property at a rate of hundreds of billions of dollars a year and they want to continue.\n\n\"I won't let that happen! We don't need China and, frankly, would be far better off without them.\n\n\"The vast amounts of money made and stolen by China from the United States, year after year, for decades, will and must stop.\n\n\"Our great American companies are hereby ordered to immediately start looking for an alternative to China, including bringing your companies home and making your products in the USA.\"\n\nIt comes after Beijing announced tariffs on $75bn (£61bn) of US goods as a retaliatory response to the White House's plans to raise tariffs on an additional $300bn (£245bn) of Chinese imports.\n\nThe world's second largest economy will raise tariffs by 5-10% on American goods in two batches starting from 1 September and 15 December, mimicking US moves on the schedule.\n\nChina's commerce ministry said the country will re-impose tariffs on US auto parts and for the first time will begin to target crude oil exported from the US.\n\nIt said in a statement: \"China's decision to implement additional tariffs was forced by the US's unilateralism and protectionism.\"\n\nStock markets reacted negatively to the news with the all major European US indexes falling sharply. News of the tariffs also sent Brent crude oil down by $1 to $58.30 (£47.65).\n\nMeanwhile, Federal Reserve chairman Jerome Powell said President Trump's trade wars have complicated the central bank's ability to set interest rate policies but offered no clear signal about further interest rate cuts.\n\nSpeaking at conference in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Mr Powell pointed to increasing evidence of a global economic slowdown and suggested that uncertainty from the American leader's trade wars had contributed to it.\n\nChris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at broker IG said: \"It was all going swimmingly, until Trump decided to respond with a series of dramatic tweets regarding China.\n\n\"Even a rate cut in September will likely be insufficient to appease the White House, meaning that investors should expect a volatile autumn.\"\n\nEarlier, Mr Trump in an apparent reference to the new tariffs called on the Federal Reserve to acknowledge the impact of the tariffs while making its decisions on interest rate levels.\n\nAgathe Demarais, global forecasting director at The Economist Intelligence Unit called Beijing's move a \"mild\" and \"proportionate\" response.\n\nShe said: \"The recent rise in nationalist, patriotic behaviour in China means that it would have been impossible for the Chinese government not to react to the latest US tariffs.\n\n\"The US-China trade war will continue to weigh on investors' sentiment in the coming months, putting a serious drag on global growth.\"", "US President Donald Trump says he has \"hereby ordered\" American companies with operations in China to \"immediately\" start looking for an alternative after Beijing announced a series of retaliatory tariffs.\n\nBut as markets in the US, Asia and Europe tumbled, the White House offered no further details or explanation of Trump's intentions.\n\nInstead, the president tweeted he would be responding to China's tariffs on Friday afternoon.\n\n\"This is a GREAT opportunity for the United States,\" he wrote.\n\nThe US has said it plans to impose 10 per cent tariffs on $US300 billion ($A444 billion) of Chinese goods in two steps, on September 1 and December 15.\n\nChina responded on Friday with new tariffs on $US75 billion ($A111 billion) of US products in retaliation, deepening a conflict over trade and technology that threatens to tip a weakening global economy into recession.\n\nChina also will increase import duties on US-made autos and auto parts, the Finance Ministry announced.\n\nTariffs of 10 per cent and 5 per cent will take effect on two batches of goods on September 1 and December 15, the ministry said in a statement.\n\nIt gave no details of what goods would be affected but the timing matches Trump's planned duty hikes.\n\nThe announcement comes as leaders of the Group of 7 major economies prepare to meet in France this weekend.\n\nWashington is pressing Beijing to narrow its trade surplus and roll back plans for government-led creation of global competitors in robotics, electric cars and other technology industries.\n\n\"Our great American companies are hereby ordered to immediately start looking for an alternative to China, including bringing ... your companies HOME and making your products in the USA. I will be responding to China's Tariffs this afternoon,\" Trump tweeted on Friday.\n\nThe White House did not immediately respond to questions about what authority the president has to order private companies to change their business practices.", "China retaliates with tariffs on $75 billion of US goods", "The Latest: China strikes back, $75B in tariffs on US goods\n\nWASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on the escalating trade war between the U.S. and China, the world's two largest economies (all times local):\n\nChina is putting into place tariffs on $75 billion in U.S. products in retaliation for the Trump administration's latest planned tariff hikes.\n\nChina said Friday that it will also increase import duties on U.S.-made autos and auto parts. The retaliation pulled global markets into negative territory\n\nTariffs of 10% and 5% will take effect on two batches of goods on Sept. 1 and Dec. 15. Beijing gave no details of what goods would be affected but the timing matches Trump's planned hikes.", "The US-China trade war ratcheted up yet again on Friday, with Beijing unveiling a new round of retaliatory tariffs on about $75 billion worth of US goods.\n\nChina will place tariffs of 5% or 10% on US imports starting on September 1st, according to a statement posted by China’s Finance Ministry.\n\nThe Ministry also announced plans to resume tariffs on US imports of automobiles and automobile parts. The tariffs would be 25% or 5%, and would take effect on December 15th. The new tariffs will target 5,078 products, including soybeans, coffee, whiskey, seafood and crude oil.\n\nLast week, China said it would take countermeasures after the United States announced it would impose 10% tariffs on Chinese imports worth $300 billion.\n\nThe United States postponed the implementation of about half of those tariffs, which will cover several categories of Chinese-made consumer goods, until December. They had been due to take effect in September.\n\nChina’s announcement sparked an angry response from US President Donald Trump on Twitter. Trump said he will be responding to China “this afternoon.”\n\n“We don’t need China and, frankly, would be far better off without them,” Trump wrote. He also “ordered” American companies “to immediately start looking for an alternative to China.”\n\nUS markets, which had struggled for direction earlier in the day, dropped on the comments. The Dow was down as much as 400 points, or 1.6%, in late morning trading.\n\nThe US Trade Representative’s office did not immediately comment on China’s tariffs announcement.\n\nThe move comes amid indications the ongoing trade war is having an impact on the world’s two largest economies. Industrial production in China — an important indicator for the country’s economy — grew just 4.8% in July compared to a year earlier, according to China’s National Bureau of Statistics. That’s the worst growth for that sector in 17 years.\n\nAmerican factories are also contracting for the first time in a decade and red lights are flashing in the bond market, where the yield curve has inverted. Such inversions, where the 10-year Treasury yield dips below the two-year Treasury rate, are historic predictors of a coming recession.\n\nThe US Chamber of Commerce, which represents the interests of more than 3 million businesses, called on China and the United States to “get back to the table” to discuss issues important to both sides, including intellectual property and market access.\n\n“Today’s Chinese retaliation is unfortunate, but not unexpected. The fact of the matter is that nobody wins a trade war, and the continued tit-for-tat escalation between the U.S. and China is putting significant strain on the U.S. economy, raising costs, undermining investment, and roiling markets,” the statement said.", "China Announces New Tariffs On U.S. Goods\n\nChina on Friday announced a new round of tariffs on $75 billion worth of American good. NPR's Emily Feng tells Morning Edition that U.S. cars will be subject to the new levies.\n\nChina is firing back in the trade war with the United States. It announced new tariffs this morning on U.S. products and opened a new front in the dispute, the U.S. auto industry. Now, this is all happening as the U.S. has levied tariffs on China in an attempt to get it to lower its trade surplus with the United States. NPR's Emily Feng is on the line from Beijing.\n\nKING: So tell us about what these new Chinese tariffs cover.\n\nFENG: Well, the tariffs are in two rounds, and in total, they cover $75 billion of U.S. goods in more than 5,000 product categories. They include everything from consumer products to, notably, American cars and car components. The first round of tariffs go into effect September 1, the second December 15. And then on December 15, there will be additional tariffs of 5% to 25% on American cars and car components.\n\nThese car tariffs had been suspended in December and then again in April back when relations between the two countries and trade negotiations had been going better. So this announcement that American-made cars and car components are going to be taxed again is a restart of tariffs that had been previously suspended.\n\nThe reason why there are these two rounds is that these dates - September 1 and December 15 - match perfectly the schedule for new American tariffs that are going to be imposed on about $300 billion of Chinese goods...\n\nKING: Making my next question to you, Emily, kind of redundant, but has China explicitly said why it's doing this? Have they said this is in response to what the U.S. is up to?\n\nFENG: There are very conflicting narratives. According to China's narrative, the U.S. broke its promises. President Trump and President Xi Jinping had met at the G-20 summit in July in Osaka, Japan, and they had patched things up on the trade front and agreed that they would not announce new tariffs if China made new purchases of U.S. agricultural products. And those agreements were reiterated in July.\n\nBut then, nothing happened. China never made a move to buy more agricultural products. And so a week after Shanghai trade talks in July, President Trump said he was going to impose new tariffs. And China has responded. So according to the Chinese, the U.S. broke promises. If you ask the U.S., they say China broke its promises first. They never bought agricultural products.\n\nKING: The U.S. trade negotiators and China's trade negotiators are supposed to meet soon for another round of trade talks. What do these new tariffs mean for those negotiations?\n\nFENG: It means that they're currently deadlocked. The U.S. wants Beijing to buy more U.S. goods and also to get rid of state subsidies to tech sectors in China. Beijing wants the U.S. to get rid of all of its tariffs. Keep in mind the two countries have just announced new tariffs on one another, and China is not buying any more U.S. goods. So all this is not looking great for trade talks that are supposed to be scheduled for September.\n\nBefore that face-to-face meeting happens, there is supposed to be a phone call that's scheduled between the top negotiators from both countries. That has not yet happened. And so there is a possibility that trade talks do not happen in September.\n\nKING: And, Emily, just one last thing. We know - we have learned throughout this trade war that a tariff is a tax that is often, in the end, paid by consumers. So to some extent, I would imagine that Chinese consumers will be preparing to pay more for American goods. Is that right?\n\nFENG: They are, but China has prepared its citizens well. Over the last year, state media has put out a lot of content saying that China needs to fight this trade war, that China is capable of being independent. And I think that China is - China has always said that its economy under a centralized leadership is better at lasting - at - is better at withstanding the economic pressures of a trade war.\n\nKING: NPR's Emily Feng in Beijing. Emily, thanks so much.", "Trump Lashes Out At China After Beijing Sets New Tariffs On U.S. Goods, Autos\n\nPresident Trump promised to respond Friday after China said it will slap tariffs on $75 billion autos and other U.S. goods. And he \"ordered\" U.S. companies to stop doing business with China.\n\nU.S. stock markets fell sharply after Trump's tweets on China. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down more than 400 points. Both the Dow and the S&P were down about 1.7% in late morning trading.\n\nFriday's announcement by China marks an escalation in a trade war that has rippled through the world economy and raised fears of a U.S. recession.\n\nThe first batch of tariffs will go into effect Sept. 1, and a second, on autos and auto parts, is due to go into effect Dec. 15. The tariffs range from 5% to 25%.\n\nTrump tweeted that he \"will be responding to China's Tariffs this afternoon.\"\n\n\"My only question is, who is our bigger enemy, Jay Powell or Chairman Xi?\" Trump said, referring to the Federal Reserve Chairman, whom he's been urging to cut interest rates, and China's leader.\n\nTrump said the United States has lost \"stupidly\" trillions of dollars to China over the years, citing the theft intellectual property. \"We don't need China and, frankly, would be far better off without them,\" he said.\n\nTrump said U.S. firms doing business with China should look elsewhere.\n\n\"Our great American companies are hereby ordered to immediately start looking for an alternative to China, including bringing your companies HOME and making your products in the USA,\" he said. It was unclear what Trump could do to force U.S. companies to make such a move.\n\nChina's finance ministry called the new tariffs \"a forced move to deal with U.S. unilateralism and trade protectionism.\"\n\nEarlier this month, the Trump administration postponed until Dec. 15 new 10% tariffs on some imports from China that were due to take effect Sept. 1. They were part of a new set of tariffs on $300 billion worth of goods that triggered a sharp selloff in the U.S. stock market.\n\nPresident Trump said the delay was intended to ease the effect on U.S. consumers during the holiday shopping season.\n\nLast September, China set tariffs on $60 billion in U.S. goods in retaliation for U.S. duties.\n\nThe $75 billion in goods affected by China's latest tariffs would represent more than 60% of the $120.3 billion worth of U.S. goods exported to China last year.\n\nU.S. and Chinese negotiators are due to meet in September for a new round of trade talks but have not yet confirmed a date.", "China Announces New Tariffs On U.S. Goods\n\nChina on Friday announced a new round of tariffs on $75 billion worth of American good. NPR's Emily Feng tells Morning Edition that U.S. cars will be subject to the new levies."], "summary": "China retaliates on the United States' latest tariff decisions by imposing tariffs of up to 25% on some American goods."}
{"document": ["Lashing out on Twitter against China’s plan to impose retaliatory tariffs against U.S. products, President Donald Trump made this demand: “Our great American companies are hereby ordered to immediately start looking for an alternative to China, including bringing your companies HOME and making your products in the USA.”\n\nThe tweet raises many questions, including whether the president has the authority to “order” American companies to find alternatives to manufacturing in China. Stocks fell sharply across the board, but technology companies were among the worst hit.\n\nHis idea sounds nice in theory—let’s make American technology manufacturing great again!—but it ignores the complexity and interconnectedness of global supply chains. The fact is, the president’s demand is largely impossible to fulfill.\n\nAmerican technology companies rely on China for components, for manufacturing and as buyers of goods. China is the world’s second-largest economy, with the largest population, and the biggest manufacturing base. It is also the top exporter, and after the U.S., the world’s largest importer.\n\nWhile the president might not like it, the fact is that the two nations are inextricably entwined. Still, his demand is dragging tech shares lower.\n\nAdvertisement\n\nThe poster child for U.S.-China trade tensions remains Apple (ticker: AAPL), which generates close to 20% of its revenues there, and which has claimed it has created 4.8 million jobs in China in manufacturing, apps, and other areas. The company also operates more than 40 retail stores in China.\n\nCompanies like Apple rely on contract manufacturers in China for many reasons. The cost and abundance of labor is one reason, but so is capacity and manufacturing sophistication. As much as the White House might like companies like Apple to extricate themselves from China, what he is asking would be both almost impossible and economically disastrous.\n\nWhat the president’s demand does signal is that any thawing of the trade war with China is far away. That is not good news for the many technology companies that manufacture, buy parts, or sell goods there.\n\nApple shares were down 4% on Friday afternoon. Chip stocks, which have huge exposure to China in terms of revenue, were hit hard as well. Intel (INTC) was down 3%, Micron Technology (MU) fell 3.5%, and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) declined by 5%.\n\nAdvertisement\n\nSellers of tech hardware were down, too: Dell Technologies (DELL) was off 5.3%, and Cisco Systems (CSCO) dropped by 2%. Among Chinese stocks, Alibaba Group Holding (BABA) was down 3.5%, while Hon Hai Precision Industry (HNHPF), a Taiwan-based business with a lot of manufacturing capacity in China, was off 2%.\n\nThe Nasdaq Composite, dominated by technology shares, was down 2.7%, outstripping respective losses of 2% and 2.2% in the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500.\n\nWrite to Eric J. Savitz at eric.savitz@barrons.com", "WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump declared Friday that he had “hereby ordered” American companies with operations in China “to immediately start looking for” an alternative after Beijing announced a series of retaliatory tariffs.\n\nBut as markets in the U.S., Asia and Europe tumbled, the White House offered no further details or explanation of Trump’s intentions.\n\nInstead, the president tweeted that he would be “responding to China’s Tariffs this afternoon.”\n\n“This is a GREAT opportunity for the United States” he wrote.\n\nThe U.S. has said it plans to impose 10% tariffs on $300 billion of Chinese goods in two steps, on Sept. 1 and Dec. 15. China responded Friday with new tariffs on $75 billion of U.S. products in retaliation, deepening a conflict over trade and technology that threatens to tip a weakening global economy into recession.\n\nChina also will increase import duties on U.S.-made autos and auto parts, the Finance Ministry announced. Tariffs of 10% and 5% will take effect on two batches of goods on Sept. 1 and Dec. 15, the ministry said in a statement. It gave no details of what goods would be affected but the timing matches Trump’s planned duty hikes.\n\nThe announcement comes as leaders of the Group of 7 major economies prepare to meet in France this weekend.\n\nWashington is pressing Beijing to narrow its trade surplus and roll back plans for government-led creation of global competitors in robotics, electric cars and other technology industries.\n\nOn Friday, Trump tweeted, “Our great American companies are hereby ordered to immediately start looking for an alternative to China, including bringing… your companies HOME and making your products in the USA. I will be responding to China’s Tariffs this afternoon.”\n\nThe White House did not immediately respond to questions about what authority the president believes he has to order private companies to change their business practices. And it remained unclear hours after his tweets exactly what he had in mind.\n\nTrump was meeting Friday morning with his trade advisers, according to two people with knowledge of the situation. They were discussing various potential options, including the possibility of imposing a 25% tariff on all Chinese exports to America, one of the people said. They spoke to AP on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to disclose details of closed-door meetings.\n\nPeter Navarro, who advises Trump on trade policy, tried to downplay the impact of Chinese tariff hikes ahead of the meeting. He said they were “well anticipated” and would only strengthen Trump’s resolve.\n\nChina’s government appealed to Trump this week to compromise in order to reach a settlement.\n\nThat came after Trump warned that the American public might need to endure economic pain in order to achieve long-term results.\n\nThe United States, Europe, Japan and other trading partners say Beijing’s development plans violate its market-opening commitments and are based on stealing or pressuring foreign companies to hand over technology. Some American officials worry they might erode U.S. industrial leadership.\n\nChinese leaders have offered to alter details but are resisting giving up a development strategy they see as a path to prosperity and global influence.\n\nThe talks are deadlocked over how to enforce any deal. China insists Trump’s punitive tariffs have to be lifted as soon as an agreement takes effect. Washington says at least some have to stay to ensure Beijing carries out any promises it makes.\n\nTrump announced plans to raise tariffs Sept. 1 on $300 billion of Chinese products after talks broke down in May. Increases on some goods were postponed to Dec. 15.\n\nTrump escalated “trade frictions” and is “seriously threatening the multilateral trading system,” the China’s Finance Ministry said. “China was forced to take countermeasures.”\n\nA separate statement said tariffs of 25% and 5% would be imposed on U.S.-made autos and auto parts on Dec. 15. Beijing announced that increase last year but suspended it after Trump and his Chinese counterpart, President Xi Jinping, agreed at a meeting in December in Argentina to put off further trade action while they negotiated.\n\nTrump and Xi agreed in June to resume negotiations. But talks in Shanghai in July ended with no indication of progress. Negotiators talked by phone this month and are due to meet again in Washington next month.\n\nBMW, Tesla, Ford and Mercedes Benz are likely to be the hardest hit by the Chinese auto tariffs. In 2018, BMW exported about 87,000 luxury SUVs to China from a plant near Spartanburg, S.C. It exports more vehicles to China than any other U.S. auto plant.\n\nTogether, Ford, BMW, Mercedes and others exported about 164,000 vehicles to China from the U.S. in 2018, according to the Center for Automotive Research, a think tank in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Most of them are luxury cars and SUVs with higher profit margins that can cover higher U.S. wages. The exports are down from about 262,000 in 2017.\n\nTesla, which is building a plant in China, last year got about 12% of its revenue by exporting about 14,300 electric cars and SUVs from California to China, according to Barclays. Most of Ford’s exports are from the Lincoln luxury brand, but most of the vehicles it sells in China are made in joint venture factories.\n\nTrump already has imposed 25% tariffs on $250 billion of Chinese products. Beijing retaliated by imposing its own penalties on $110 billion of American goods. But their lopsided trade balance meant China was running out of imports for retaliation.\n\nFriday’s announcement, if it applied to goods not already affected by Chinese penalties, would extend tariff hikes to everything China imports from the United States. That would match Trump’s hikes, which cover almost all of what Americans buy from China.\n\nMcDonald reported from Beijing. Associated Press writers Tom Krisher in Detroit and Deb Riechmann in Washington, D.C., contributed to this report.", "The “chosen one” says never mind.\n\nPresident Donald Trump raised some eyebrows earlier this week when he glanced heavenward and referred to himself as “the chosen one” to take on China.\n\nHe took the comment back Friday.\n\nWhen a reporter asked Trump what he had meant by referring to himself as the “chosen one,” the president looked annoyed.\n\nREAD MORE: Donald Trump threatens to tax French wine ‘like they’ve never seen before’\n\n“You know exactly when I meant,” Trump said.\n\nThe president spoke as he was departing the White House for his trip to the Group of Seven summit in France.", "BEIJING, China — President Donald Trump on Friday called on U.S. companies with operations in China to consider an alternative place to do business after Beijing announced a series of retaliatory tariffs Friday.\n\n\"I will be responding to China's Tariffs this afternoon,\" Trump tweeted. \"This is a GREAT opportunity for the United States.\"\n\nU.S. markets tumbled, as did markets in Asia and Europe.\n\nRELATED: Trump flip-flops on tax cuts, saying US has 'strong economy'\n\nRELATED: President Trump: 'I am the chosen one' to take on China\n\nThe U.S. has said it plans to impose 10% tariffs on $300 billion of Chinese goods in two steps, on Sept. 1 and Dec. 15. China on Friday announced new tariffs on $75 billion of U.S. products in retaliation for those tariffs, deepening a conflict over trade and technology that threatens to tip a weakening global economy into recession.\n\nChina also will increase import duties on U.S.-made autos and auto parts, the Finance Ministry announced.\n\nThe announcement comes as leaders of the Group of 7 major economies prepare to meet in France this weekend.\n\nTariffs of 10% and 5% will take effect on two batches of goods on Sept. 1 and Dec. 15, the ministry said in a statement. It gave no details of what goods would be affected but the timing matches Trump's planned duty hikes.\n\nWashington is pressing Beijing to narrow its trade surplus and roll back plans for government-led creation of global competitors in robotics, electric cars and other technology industries.\n\nOn Friday, Trump tweeted, \"Our great American companies are hereby ordered to immediately start looking for an alternative to China, including bringing your companies HOME and making your products in the USA. I will be responding to China's Tariffs this afternoon.\"\n\nThe White House did not immediately respond to questions about what authority the president believes he has to order private companies to change their business practices.\n\nThe spiraling conflict has battered exporters on both sides and fueled concern it might drag down weakening global economic growth.\n\nPeter Navarro, who advises Trump on trade policy, tried to downplay the impact of Chinese tariff hikes. He said they were \"well anticipated\" and would only strengthen Trump's resolve.\n\nChina's government appealed to Trump this week to compromise in order to reach a settlement.\n\nThat came after Trump warned that the American public might need to endure economic pain in order to achieve long-term results.\n\nThe United States, Europe, Japan and other trading partners say Beijing's development plans violate its market-opening commitments and are based on stealing or pressuring foreign companies to hand over technology.\n\nSome American officials worry they might erode U.S. industrial leadership.\n\nChinese leaders have offered to alter details but are resisting giving up a development strategy they see as a path to prosperity and global influence.\n\nThe talks are deadlocked over how to enforce any deal. China insists Trump's punitive tariffs have to be lifted as soon as an agreement takes effect. Washington says at least some have to stay to ensure Beijing carries out any promises it makes.\n\nTrump announced plans to raise tariffs Sept. 1 on $300 billion of Chinese products after talks broke down in May. Increases on some goods were postponed to Dec. 15.\n\nTrump escalated \"trade frictions\" and is \"seriously threatening the multilateral trading system,\" the Finance Ministry said. \"China was forced to take countermeasures.\"\n\nA separate statement said tariffs of 25% and 5% would be imposed on U.S.-made autos and auto parts on Dec. 15. Beijing announced that increase last year but suspended it after Trump and his Chinese counterpart, President Xi Jinping, agreed at a meeting in December in Argentina to put off further trade action while they negotiated.\n\nTrump and Xi agreed in June to resume negotiations. But talks in Shanghai in July ended with no indication of progress. Negotiators talked by phone this month and are due to meet again in Washington next month.\n\nBMW, Tesla, Ford and Mercedes Benz are likely to be the hardest hit by the Chinese auto tariffs. In 2018, BMW exported about 87,000 luxury SUVs to China from a plant near Spartanburg, S.C. It exports more vehicles to China than any other U.S. auto plant.\n\nTogether, Ford, BMW, Mercedes and others exported about 164,000 vehicles to China from the U.S. in 2018, according to the Center for Automotive Research, a think tank in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Most of them are luxury cars and SUVs with higher profit margins that can cover higher U.S. wages. The exports are down from about 262,000 in 2017.\n\nTesla, which is building a plant in China, last year got about 12% of its revenue by exporting about 14,300 electric cars and SUVs from California to China, according to Barclays. Most of Ford's exports are from the Lincoln luxury brand, but most of the vehicles it sells in China are made in joint venture factories.\n\nTrump already has imposed 25% tariffs on $250 billion of Chinese products. Beijing retaliated by imposing its own penalties on $110 billion of American goods. But their lopsided trade balance meant China was running out of imports for retaliation.\n\nFriday's announcement, if it applied to goods not already affected by Chinese penalties, would extend tariff hikes to everything China imports from the United States. That would match Trump's hikes, which cover almost all of what Americans buy from China.\n\nAssociated Press writers Tom Krisher in Detroit and Deb Riechmann in Washington, D.C., contributed to this report.", "WASHINGTON – Reacting to a new round of Chinese tariffs imposed on U.S. goods, President Donald Trump said Friday that he ordered U.S. companies to \"start looking for an alternative to China\" – though it was not clear what order he was referring to.\n\nIn a series of tweets posted before Trump flies to France for the G-7 meeting of world leaders – where the global economy and trade issues will take center stage – Trump blasted China's latest action and vowed to announce retaliatory moves soon.\n\n\"Our great American companies are hereby ordered to immediately start looking for an alternative to China, including bringing our companies HOME and making your products in the USA,\" Trump wrote. \"I will be responding to China’s Tariffs this afternoon.\"\n\nWhite House officials did not respond to questions about what actions, specifically, what Trump was referring to. His posts came hours after Chinese officials announced in state media they impose tariffs ranging from 5% to 10% on an additional $75 billion in U.S. goods, further escalating trade tensions between Washington and Beijing.", "President Donald Trump on Friday used a tweet to order U.S. companies to find an alternative to doing business with China, as he lashed out at Beijing's latest round of retaliatory tariffs and pledged to respond to them later in the day.\n\nIt was unclear exactly what Trump meant with the order or how much force it has, but the tweets captured the president's frustration as his escalating trade war with China weighs on the economy and heightens the risk of a recession during an election year.\n\n\"Our Country has lost, stupidly, Trillions of Dollars with China over many years. They have stolen our Intellectual Property at a rate of Hundreds of Billions of Dollars a year, & they want to continue,\" Trump wrote. \"I won’t let that happen! We don’t need China and, frankly, would be far better off without them.\"\n\nHe countinued, \"The vast amounts of money made and stolen by China from the United States, year after year, for decades, will and must STOP. Our great American companies are hereby ordered to immediately start looking for an alternative to China, including bringing your companies HOME and making your products in the USA. I will be responding to China’s Tariffs this afternoon. This is a GREAT opportunity for the United States.\"\n\nChina on Friday announced a fresh round of tariffs on $75 billion in U.S. goods, threatening to exacerbate anxieties about a languishing global economy. The tariffs will range from 5 to 10 percent, Beijing said, and will go into effect in waves beginning Sept. 1 and Dec. 15.\n\nChina’s state-run news agency Xinhua quoted the country’s tariff commission Friday, which said the penalties were in response to levies threatened by the U.S. on $300 billion worth of Chinese goods.\n\n“The U.S. measures have led to the continuous escalation of China-U.S. economic and trade frictions, which have greatly harmed the interests of China, the U.S. and other countries, and have also seriously threatened the multilateral trading system and the principle of free trade,” Beijing said.\n\nThe announcement from China was shortly followed by a speech from Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell in which he said the central bank stands ready to do what is necessary to support the record-long U.S. economic expansion. But he did not signal that significant interest rate cuts will be coming soon, angering Trump.\n\n\"As usual, the Fed did NOTHING! It is incredible that they can 'speak' without knowing or asking what I am doing, which will be announced shortly. We have a very strong dollar and a very weak Fed. I will work 'brilliantly' with both, and the U.S. will do great,\" Trump tweeted.\n\nHe then launched a personal attack on Powell, writing, \"My only question is, who is our bigger enemy, Jay Powell or Chairman Xi?\"\n\nEarlier on Friday, White House trade adviser Peter Navarro, who provides a strong protectionist voice on U.S. trade talks within the Trump administration, denied that China's announcement caught the White House off guard and downplayed the impact of the move.\n\n“This was a move that was well-signaled,” he told CNN’s Jim Sciutto in an interview. “It's breaking news I guess, but it was well anticipated.”\n\nThough he conceded the economy was slowing, Navarro blamed the Fed for slow-walking interest rate cuts, calling economic worries \"a pure Federal Reserve effect on higher interest rates.\"\n\nNavarro was pressed on some business leaders’ admissions that the uncertainty because of the trade war was dampening investment, but he again blamed monetary policy emanating from the Fed.\n\n“They can't make investments because the Fed raised interest rates too far, too fast — that policy — Fed policy is if you raise interest rates, you cut down investment and you cut down exports,” he argued.\n\nThe latest front in the tariff battle between China and the U.S. comes as fears grow about a recession. Trump has tweeted relentlessly about the issue in recent days, pinning blame on Fed Chairman Jerome Powell while he heralded what he says is a booming economy.\n\nThe central bank and Powell have become favorite punching bags of Trump as ominous economic signs have emerged ahead of next year’s election.\n\nBut, Navarro told Sciutto unprompted at the top of the interview, there's \"no anxiety in the White House about the economy.”\n\n\"We don't run around the West Wing with anxiety. We look at the chessboard and we see basically a strong Trump economy growing at 2 percent because of tax cuts, deregulation, cheap energy and trade,\" he said.\n\nNavarro also defended Trump's decision this month to delay tariffs on certain Chinese goods like electronics and some clothing until Dec. 15, citing a desire to avoid the tariffs hampering the Christmas shopping season. He would not say if Trump would reimpose those tariffs in light of China's latest move, saying the White House would have conversations about it and reiterating that \"what I can tell you this is this news today is not breaking news.\"\n\nIn his later tweets, Trump also singled out shipping companies, writing, \"Also, I am ordering all carriers, including Fed Ex, Amazon, UPS and the Post Office, to SEARCH FOR & REFUSE, all deliveries of Fentanyl from China (or anywhere else!). Fentanyl kills 100,000 Americans a year. President Xi said this would stop - it didn’t. Our Economy, because of our gains in the last 2 1/2 years, is MUCH larger than that of China. We will keep it that way!\"", "Reacting to a new round of Chinese tariffs imposed on U.S. goods, President Donald Trump said Friday, August 23 he “hereby ordered” U.S. companies to “start looking for an alternative to China” – and he pledged to respond formally within hours, USA Today reports.\n\nIn a series of tweets posted before he flies to France for the G-7 meeting of world leaders – where the global economy and trade issues will take center stage – Trump blasted China’s latest action and vowed to announce retaliatory moves soon.\n\nMarkets plunged Friday as it became clear the trade war between Washington and Beijing was escalating. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was off by more than 500 points in midday trading, following a series of dramatic declines last week.\n\nTrump said he would respond to the latest tariffs “this afternoon.”\n\n“Our great American companies are hereby ordered to immediately start looking for an alternative to China, including bringing our companies HOME and making your products in the USA,” Trump wrote.\n\n“We don’t need China and, frankly, would be far better off without them,” he added.\n\nWhite House officials did not respond to questions about what actions, specifically, Trump was referring to as pundits opined on social media that the president cannot easily order companies to pursue other markets. His posts came hours after Chinese officials announced in state media they will impose tariffs ranging from 5% to 10% on an additional $75 billion in U.S. goods, further increasing trade tensions.", "WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump said on Friday he was ordering U.S. companies to look at ways to close their operations in China and make more of their products in the United States instead, a rhetorical strike at Beijing as trade tensions mounted.\n\nTrump cannot compel U.S. companies to abandon China and he gave no detail on how he might proceed with any such order, although he said he would be offering a response later on Friday to tariffs on U.S. products announced by China earlier in the day.\n\n“Our great American companies are hereby ordered to immediately start looking for an alternative to China, including bringing your companies HOME and making your products in the USA,” Trump said on Twitter. “We don’t need China and, frankly, would be far better off without them.”", "President Donald Trump in a series of tweets is ordering all U.S. companies with operations in China to begin looking for alternatives in response to retaliatory tariffs from Beijing.\n\nTrump on Friday said that he will respond in hours to an announcement Friday that China was retaliating to U.S. tariffs with a slate of its own protective measures.\n\nTrump is also ordering Fed Ex, Amazon, UPS and the U.S Postal Service to begin searching for fentanyl in all packages from China.\n\nEarly on Friday, China said it would put into place tariffs on $75 billion in U.S. products in retaliation for the Trump administration's latest planned tariff hikes.", "WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump said on Friday he was ordering US companies to look at ways to close their operations in China and make more of their products in the United States instead, a rhetorical strike at Beijing as trade tensions mounted.Trump cannot legally compel US companies to abandon China immediately and he gave no detail on how he might proceed with any such order, although he said he would be offering a response later on Friday to tariffs on American products announced by China earlier in the day.The US dollar rose sharply against the Chinese yuan, US stock markets fell and oil prices dropped on Trump's latest salvo against China.\"Our great American companies are hereby ordered to immediately start looking for an alternative to China, including bringing your companies HOME and making your products in the USA,\" Trump wrote on Twitter . \"We don't need China and, frankly, would be far better off without them.\"Experts said tax policy changes and sanctions could be used to restrict or reduce US business activity in China, but it would take years to disentangle the world’s two largest economies. The consequences of a complete break to the world economy would be severe, they said.China, for instance, holds $1.11 trillion in US Treasury securities.For many products sold in the United States, there are few alternatives to Chinese production, and shifting production for major goods produced there could take years and be expensive.American companies could also sue the US government in response to any order to shutter plants in China. The most effective option for Trump would be to restrict federal procurement from any companies that do business in China.Bill Reinsch, a former senior Commerce Department official, said Trump had limited options to force US companies to quit China, and it would make little economic sense.That would hit companies like Boeing Co, Apple Inc and General Motors Co, which are both big US contractors and have large business interests in China.\"We can’t be a market economy and do that,\" Reinsch said. \"No one’s going to pay attention to it anyway. Companies do what they’re going to do.\"Many US companies have already begun moving some operations out of China due to rising labor costs. But others, including General Motors, have large plants there to supply the Chinese market. They would resist any pressure to close their facility there, given the size and importance of the Chinese market, Reinsch said.Last week, Trump backed off his September 1 deadline for 10% tariffs on remaining Chinese imports, delaying duties on cellphones, laptops and other consumer goods.The US Trade Representative's Office delayed tariffs on more than half the $300 billion in Chinese-made goods telling companies the delay covered product categories where China supplies more than 75 percent of total US imports."], "summary": "U.S. President Donald Trump states on Twitter that he has \"hereby ordered\" that U.S. companies find an alternative for manufacturing in China and relocate \"HOME.\""}
{"document": ["President Donald Trump on Friday counterpunched against retaliatory tariffs announced by Beijing earlier in the day, pledging to hike the rates importers must pay on Chinese-made goods even higher.\n\nTrump said the US will raise tariffs from 25% to 30% on $250 billion in goods that are already being taxed starting October 1.\n\nHe also threatened to ratchet up promised tariffs on the remaining $300 billion in Chinese imports from 10% to 15%. Those tariffs, which would hit mostly consumer items, are set to begin taking effect September 1, though most goods will be duty-free until December 15 — a move Trump made to avoid putting a damper on holiday retail sales.\n\nThe President’s announcement came after Beijing unveiled a new round of retaliatory tariffs on about $75 billion worth of US goods. China will place additional tariffs of 5% or 10% on US imports starting on September 1, according to a statement posted by China’s Finance Ministry.\n\nIt was the latest escalation in an ongoing trade war that has triggered a worldwide economic slowdown and which, for the moment, shows no sign of quick resolution.\n\n“China should not have put new Tariffs on 75 BILLION DOLLARS of United States product (politically motivated!),” Trump said on Twitter.\n\nThe intensifying fight unnerved investors, sending the Dow dropping more than 700 points at its worst, closing down 2.4%, or 623 points.\n\nThe US Trade Representative Office, which acts as the country’s top trade negotiator, said it would “begin the process of increasing the tariff rate to 30% effective October 1 following a notice and comment period.”\n\nEarlier Friday, Trump ordered US companies doing business in China to find an “alternative” and had promised to deliver further action after he met with his economic team at the White House.\n\n“We don’t need China and, frankly, would be far better off without them,” Trump tweeted. “Our great companies are ordered to immediately start looking for an alternative to China, including bringing your companies HOME.”\n\nChina trade experts said the moves will only deepen the impasse between Washington and Beijing.\n\n“Everyone knew this was coming,” said Craig Allen, president of the US-China Business Council. “There was no doubt this was coming. The response to it is surprising and disappointing. ”\n\nStocks finished a volatile trading day sharply in the red Friday, after a selloff driven by the new retaliatory tariffs from China and the President’s criticism of Federal Reserve policy.\n\nTrump again attacked Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell over interest rates, which Trump insists are too high even after a rate cut last month.\n\n“My only question is, who is our bigger enemy, Jay Powell or Chairman Xi?” the president tweeted referring to Chinese leader Xi Jinping.", "Washington (CNN) President Donald Trump on Friday counterpunched against retaliatory tariffs announced by Beijing earlier in the day, pledging to hike the rates importers must pay on Chinese-made goods even higher.\n\nTrump said the US will raise tariffs from 25% to 30% on $250 billion in goods that are already being taxed starting October 1.\n\nHe also threatened to ratchet up promised tariffs on the remaining $300 billion in Chinese imports from 10% to 15%. Those tariffs, which would hit mostly consumer items , are set to begin taking effect September 1, though most goods will be duty-free until December 15 -- a move Trump made to avoid putting a damper on holiday retail sales\n\nThe President's announcement came after Beijing unveiled a new round of retaliatory tariffs on about $75 billion worth of US goods . China will place additional tariffs of 5% or 10% on US imports starting on September 1, according to a statement posted by China's Finance Ministry.\n\n\"We're having a little spat with China and we'll win it,\" Trump told reporters Friday night before departing for the annual G7 summit in Biarritz, France. \"We put a lot of tariffs on China today, as you know. They put some on us, we put a lot on them.\"\n\nRead More", "Topline: The trade war between the U.S. and China escalated on Friday after President Donald Trump said he would raise tariffs on goods already subjected to the taxes from 25% to 30%. Additionally, he said he would increase a new round of tariffs set to take effect on Sept. 1 from 10% to 15%.\n• In a series of tweets, Trump expressed anger toward China, which earlier on Friday placed tariffs on $75 billion of American goods and cars.\n• The existing tariffs will be raised to 30% on Oct. 1, Trump said.\n• Markets had already fallen sharply Friday as investors contended with recession fears and Trump's remarks that American companies find an alternative to China.", "WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th August, 2019) The United States will increase on October 1 the imposed tariffs on $250 billion worth of Chinese goods from 25 percent to 30 percent as a response to China's new retaliatory tariffs, US President Donald Trump said in a statement.\n\n\"Starting on October 1st, the 250 billion Dollars of goods and products from China, currently being taxed at 25 percent will be taxed at 30 percent,\" Trump said via Twitter on Friday.\n\nThe US president also said the tariff on the remaining $300 billion worth of Chinese goods and services that will go into effect on September 1 will now increase from 10 percent to 15 percent.", "(CNN) — President Donald Trump on Friday counterpunched against retaliatory tariffs announced by Beijing earlier in the day, pledging to hike the rates importers must pay on Chinese-made goods even higher.\n\nTrump said the US will raise tariffs from 25% to 30% on $250 billion in goods that are already being taxed starting October 1.\n\nHe also threatened to ratchet up promised tariffs on the remaining $300 billion in Chinese imports from 10% to 15%. Those tariffs, which would hit mostly consumer items, are set to begin taking effect September 1, though most goods will be duty-free until December 15 — a move Trump made to avoid putting a damper on holiday retail sales.\n\nThe President’s announcement came after Beijing unveiled a new round of retaliatory tariffs on about $75 billion worth of US goods. China will place additional tariffs of 5% or 10% on US imports starting on September 1, according to a statement posted by China’s Finance Ministry.\n\n“We’re having a little spat with China and we’ll win it,” Trump told reporters Friday night before departing for the annual G7 summit in Biarritz, France. “We put a lot of tariffs on China today, as you know. They put some on us, we put a lot on them.”\n\n“We’re up to about $550 billion — they’ve been hitting us for many, many years for over $500 billion a year, taking out of our country much more than 500 billion a year,” he added. “So we want that stopped.”\n\nIt was the latest escalation in an ongoing trade war that has triggered a worldwide economic slowdown and which, for the moment, shows no sign of quick resolution.\n\n“China should not have put new Tariffs on 75 BILLION DOLLARS of United States product (politically motivated!),” Trump said on Twitter.\n\nThe intensifying fight unnerved investors, sending the Dow dropping more than 700 points at its worst, closing down 2.4%, or 623 points.\n\nThe US Trade Representative Office, which acts as the country’s top trade negotiator, said it would “begin the process of increasing the tariff rate to 30% effective October 1 following a notice and comment period.”\n\nEarlier Friday, Trump ordered US companies doing business in China to find an “alternative” and had promised to deliver further action after he met with his economic team at the White House.\n\n“We don’t need China and, frankly, would be far better off without them,” Trump tweeted. “Our great companies are ordered to immediately start looking for an alternative to China, including bringing your companies HOME.”\n\nChina trade experts said the moves will only deepen the impasse between Washington and Beijing.\n\n“Everyone knew this was coming,” said Craig Allen, president of the US-China Business Council. “There was no doubt this was coming. The response to it is surprising and disappointing. ”\n\nStocks finished a volatile trading day sharply in the red Friday, after a selloff driven by the new retaliatory tariffs from China and the President’s criticism of Federal Reserve policy.\n\nTrump again attacked Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell over interest rates, which Trump insists are too high even after a rate cut last month.\n\n“My only question is, who is our bigger enemy, Jay Powell or Chairman Xi?” the president tweeted referring to Chinese leader Xi Jinping.\n\nLate Friday night, Trump told reporters he wouldn’t stop Powell if the chairman wanted to resign.", "President Donald Trump slapped back at Beijing, tweeting that new U.S. tariffs, slated to go into effect Sept. 1, would be at a rate of 15%, up from the planned 10%.\n\nThe news followed Beijing’s announcement earlier Friday that it will place tariffs on $75 billion of U.S. imports, and it amounts to yet another escalation in the U.S. trade war with China. Just hours earlier, the president said U.S. companies were “hereby ordered” to find alternatives to making and procuring goods in China.\n\nThe Dow Jones Industrial Average closed down more than 620 points, or about 2.4%, on Friday. The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite fell sharply as well.\n\nIt’s getting hard to keep track of the tariff salvos crossing the Pacific.\n\nThe U.S. has tariffs on about $250 billion of Chinese goods, in place since 2018. The tariff rate was 10% and was slated to go to 25% this past Jan. 1, a decision that was delayed by Trump as a sign of good faith in negotiations. Rates went up in May, however, because progress was slow.\n\nThe Office of the United States Trade Representative said Friday that tariff rate will now go to 30%, effective Oct. 1.\n\nThe president announced 10% tariffs on an additional $300 billon more Chinese imports via Twitter this month, but the U.S. later delayed putting those levies in place until September. Tariffs on some products, such as Apple (ticker: AAPL) iPhones, were delayed until the holiday shopping season, minimizing the impact on U.S. consumers.\n\nThe tariff rate on items not listed for holiday delays, most of the additional $300 billion in goods, will be at 15% on Sept. 1. That means that the vast majority of imports from China will be taxed at rates between 15% and 30%.\n\nThe trade war is heating up and all signs point to more volatility on Monday.", "The U.S. Trade Representative’s office on Friday said it would hold a public comment period before raising tariffs on $250 billion in Chinese imports on Oct. 1 from 25% to 30% after China announced what the U.S. considers “unjustified tariffs.”", "WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Trade Representative’s office on Friday said it would hold a public comment period before raising tariffs on $250 billion in Chinese imports on Oct. 1 from 25% to 30% after China announced what the U.S. considers “unjustified tariffs.”\n\nIt said 10% tariffs on about $300 billion worth of additional Chinese-made consumer goods would be increased to 15%, effective on the already scheduled dates for tariff increases on these imports.\n\nChina on Friday said it would impose retaliatory tariffs on $75 billion of U.S. goods, targeting crude oil for the first time and renewing punitive duties on American-made autos. That came after U.S. President Donald Trump unveiled plans to impose the 10% tariffs on products such as cellphones, toys, and clothing on Sept. 1 and Dec. 15."], "summary": "President Trump announces an increase in the tariffs set to take effect on September 1, October 1 and December 15, from 10% and 25% to 15% and 30%, respectively. The Office of the United States Trade Representative says it will \"begin the process of increasing the tariff rate to 30% effective October 1 following a notice and comment period\"."}
{"document": ["Seth Moulton ends presidential campaign\n\nMoulton is the third candidate to drop out in the past eight days; insiders expect the field to be culled even further in the coming weeks.", "WASHINGTON _ Rep. Seth Moulton is dropping out of the presidential race, his campaign spokesman said Friday, after a brief campaign that never left the ground.\n\nMoulton plans to formally announce his departure from the crowded field at the Democratic National Committee meeting in San Francisco on Friday. Campaign spokesman Matt Corridoni confirmed Moulton was leaving the race.\n\n\"Although it might not have been Seth's year, he leaves the race with an enhanced national profile, having proved himself to be a next-generation foreign policy leader in the Democratic Party who has broad appeal,\" Corridoni said.\n\nThe Massachusetts congressman failed to qualify for any of the three Democratic presidential debates based on polling and fund-raising numbers.\n\nFormer Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper and Washington Governor Jay Inslee both dropped out this week. Their departures were preceded by Representative Eric Swalwell of California. Hickenlooper is pursuing a Senate seat, while Inslee and Swalwell are seeking re-election.\n\nMoulton is an Iraq War veteran and focused his campaign on national security issues. That earned him the endorsement of retired General Stanley McChrystal, who led U.S. forces in Afghanistan.\n\nBut his lack of national name recognition, having only been in the House since 2015, and focus on foreign policy made it difficult for him to ever consistently poll at 1%.\n\nMoulton, 40, raised $1.2 million in the second quarter. He officially entered the race in April.\n\nOn Aug. 7, the Washington Post reported Moulton was laying off at least half of his staff of 30. The move came a day after a Boston Globe poll found he had 0% support in New Hampshire, an important primary state and neighbor to his home of Massachusetts.\n\nPHOTO (for help with images, contact 312-222-4194):", "In a move that will surprise few who have followed his campaign, Seth Moulton dropped out of the race for the 2020 Democratic Party presidential nomination on Friday. Others, however, may be surprised to learn someone named Seth Moulton was running for president.\n\nThe Massachusetts congressman spent little time in Iowa after declaring his candidacy on April 22. He never held a campaign event in Iowa City. He visited Cedar Rapids once, speaking at Progress Iowa’s Corn Feed on July 14. He wasn’t alone that day; 11 other Democratic presidential candidates spoke at the event.\n\nDespite serving four years in Congress, Moulton was virtually unknown outside of Massachusetts when he launched his campaign for president. Moulton’s one moment in the national spotlight came in early 2018, when he led a failed attempt by conservative Democrats congressmen to prevent Nancy Pelosi from becoming Speaker of the House.\n\nIn the most recent Iowa Poll, Moulton was at 0 percent.\n\nThe congressman apparently feels that timing was a major problem in his presidential bid, telling the New York Times on Friday that waiting until April to launch his campaign “was a bigger handicap than I expected.”\n\nThroughout his brief campaign, Moulton repeatedly warned his fellow Democrats against embracing major reforms and big government programs. He did the same in his exit interview with the Times.\n\n“I’ve always said that veering too far left could result in us losing this election, and that Trump will be harder to beat than most people think,” Moulton said.\n\nMoulton, who has decided to run for reelection to Congress, said he has no current plans to endorse another presidential candidate.", "(CNN) — Rep. Seth Moulton will end his presidential bid on Friday during a speech at the Democratic National Committee summer meeting in San Francisco, according to prepared remarks of the speech the Massachusetts Democrat plans to deliver.\n\nThe decision closes out a campaign in which the candidate failed to get traction or make this year’s Democratic debates.\n\n“Today, I want to use this opportunity, with all of you here, to announce that I am ending my campaign for president,” Moulton plans to tell the DNC meeting. “Though this campaign is not ending the way we hoped, I am leaving this race knowing that we raised issues that are vitally important to the American people and our future.”\n\nMoulton, a Marine veteran and three-term congressman who represents Boston’s northern suburbs, will tell the audience that he plans to run for reelection to Congress and relaunch Serve America, a PAC that looks to elect Democrats with service backgrounds.\n\n“I will continue to fight for a new generation of leadership in our party and our country,” he plans to say. “And ​most of all, I will be ​campaigning my ass off​ for whoever wins our nomination in 2020.”\n\nMoulton entered the race later than most — in late April — and failed to catch on with more than 20 Democrats vying to take on President Donald Trump.\n\nThe congressman failed to register in national or statewide polls and did not garner the needed fundraising to qualify for either the June or July Democratic debates.\n\nMoulton centered his bid on his personal military service and traveled the country to talk about his plan to incentivize national service at events during which the congressman personally did a service project. Moulton had hoped that his focus on national security and service would set him apart in the large Democratic field, but the congressman was boxed out by other military veterans — namely Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard and South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg.\n\nMoulton has told staff and friends that he plans to continue pushing the Democratic Party on issues that motivated his campaign, like issues facing veterans, the need to incentivize national service and the importance of a comprehensive strategy around national defense.\n\nThose efforts will commence on Monday when Moulton hosts a town hall for veterans in Fairfax, Virginia, alongside General Stanley McChrystal, a military leader who endorsed Moulton’s 2020 bid.\n\nAides to the congressman said they hope that he could be in line for a host of administration posts, should a Democrat in the White House in 2020, including secretary of veterans affairs, defense secretary and United Nations ambassador.\n\nMoulton is the latest Democratic candidate to get out of the 2020 race, following California Rep. Eric Swalwell, former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee.", "Seth Moulton ended his campaign for the 2020 Democratic presidential primary nomination.\n\nThe Massachusetts congressman announced he would instead seek reelection in his home state, addressing members of the Democratic National Convention its annual summer meeting Friday. Moulton’s primary bid ended four months after it began, but experiences along the campaign trail left the Marine Corps veteran inspired, he said.\n\n“I find hope here in this room, and in rooms like it across America, where Democrats are banding together—despite all of our differences—to beat Donald Trump,” Moulton said. “That hope is what gets us, as individuals, through the darkest of times. And it is what will lead our country through the darkest of times as well.”\n\nMoulton struggled to meet criteria set by the DNC to participate in its third primary debate. He neither earned 130,000 individual donations nor gained 2% support in national polls.\n\nThe crowded field of Democrats is slimming down. Washington Gov. Jay Inslee dropped out, preceeded by Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper and U.S. Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif.\n\nCandidates have until Aug. 29 to qualify for the next debate, scheduled for Sept. 12 and 13 in Houston. Each Democrat who dropped out cited the higher debate threshold while ending their campaign.\n\nSeveral of Moulton’s competitors praised him as an “American hero” for highlighting veterans issues on the campaign trail. Before serving in Congress, he served four tours in the Iraq War.\n\n“I will be campaigning my ass off for whoever wins our nomination in 2020,” Moulton said.", "WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Representative Seth Moulton, who mounted a long-shot bid for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, ended his campaign on Friday, warning that the party must now decide how far left it wants to move.\n\n“Today, I want to use this opportunity ... to announce that I am ending my campaign for president,” Moulton will say at a speech before the Democratic National Committee meeting in San Francisco, according to remarks provided by his campaign.\n\n“Though this campaign is not ending the way we hoped, I am leaving this race knowing that we raised issues that are vitally important to the American people and our future.”\n\nMoulton, a 40-year-old Iraq War veteran who plans to seek re-election to the district he represents in Massachusetts, failed to garner the support he needed to qualify for any of debates. Without appearing in those nationally televised events, he had little hope of gaining traction.\n\nHe is the third Democrat to end a presidential campaign this month. Washington Governor Jay Inslee dropped out of the race earlier this week, and former Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper did so the week before.\n\nMoulton stopped short of endorsing one of his rivals for the nomination but said the crowded race with more than 20 Democrats appeared to have narrowed. The nominee will take on President Donald Trump, the likely Republican nominee, in November 2020.\n\n“I think it’s evident that this is now a three-way race between (former Vice President Joe) Biden, (U.S. Senator Elizabeth) Warren and (U.S. Senator Bernie) Sanders, and really it’s a debate about how far left the party should go,” Moulton told the New York Times in an interview ahead of his announcement.\n\nBiden represents the more centrist faction of the Democratic Party, while Warren, of Massachusetts, and Sanders, of Vermont, back more liberal policies.\n\nOther Democrats who fail to qualify for the third debate, which will be held on Sept. 12-13 in Houston, may also feel pressure to exit the race. Candidates must have at least 130,000 unique donors and reach 2% in four opinion polls by Aug. 28 to qualify.\n\nThose who have yet to qualify include U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and Michael Bennet of Colorado and Montana Governor Steve Bullock.\n\nMoulton built his political career by challenging the party’s establishment. After the Democrats regained control of the U.S. House of Representatives in 2018, Moulton helped organize opposition to Representative Nancy Pelosi’s bid to again become speaker of the House. He failed at that effort.\n\nHe used his presidential campaign to draw attention to veterans issues, including post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, and access to healthcare.", "Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) will announce Friday that he is dropping out of the 2020 presidential race during an address at the DNC's summer meeting in San Francisco.\n\nThe big picture: Moulton launched an unlikely campaign focused on his centrist policies and military experience. His exit further winnows a crowded Democratic field — made smaller in the past week by the withdrawals of John Hickenlooper and Jay Inslee — and he told the New York Times that he sees \"a three-way race\" between Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders \"about how far left the party should go.\"", "Rep. Seth Moulton is dropping out of the 2020 race", "(ABC News) — Combat veteran Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., who wanted to add “president” to his long list of accomplishments — four tours of duty in Iraq, three Harvard degrees, four years in the U.S. Congress — announced on Friday that he’s dropping out of the 2020 presidential race.\n\nStruggling to meet the Democratic National Committee’s requirements, Moulton missed both the first and second Democratic presidential debates and isn’t expected to meet the threshold for the third debate next month hosted by ABC News in partnership with Univision.\n\nDuring his speech Friday at the DNC’s summer meeting in San Francisco, Moulton is expected to tell the committee, “Though this campaign is not ending the way we hoped, I am leaving this race knowing that we raised issues that are vitally important to the American people and our future.”\n\n“For the first time in my life, I talked publicly about dealing with post-traumatic stress from my four combat tours in Iraq,” he continues, according to prepared remarks from his campaign.\n\nIn June, Moulton told ABC News he wasn’t worried about making the debates because he was seeing momentum on the ground and didn’t think meeting the DNC’s donor metrics was “a good use of resources.”\n\nDuring his 123-day presidential bid, Moulton campaigned in nine states where he held at least 56 events and focused mostly on national security, national service and mental health.\n\nThe Bronze Star recipient brought an unmatched passion for service to the 2020 presidential race by continuously hosting veteran and military themed events: roundtables with JROTC students, military family groups, town halls with veterans, American Legion and VFW visits and most recently, Moulton visited the Veterans Community Project, a Kansas City based nonprofit that builds tiny houses for homeless veterans.(MORE: Democrat Rep. Seth Moulton to run for president in 2020: ‘I’m not a socialist. I’m a Democrat.’)\n\nOpening up about his own experience with PTS (post-traumatic stress), Moulton launched a “Veterans Mental Health” tour and released a mental health plan that advocated for a national mental health hotline, routine mental health check-ups for active duty military personnel and veterans, and called for funding for yearly mental health screenings for high schoolers.\n\nMoulton also used these past four months, in part, to repeatedly point out President Trump’s lack of military experience, with the most recent comment being at the Iowa State Fair last week when a fairgoer yelled “Go Trump!” and the Marine replied “If you want a draft dodger, he’s your guy.”(MORE: Presidential candidate Rep. Seth Moulton talks reclaiming patriotism from Trump, Republicans)\n\nSo what’s next for Seth Moulton? The congressman is expected to run for reelection in Massachusetts’ 6th Congressional District and to relaunch his PAC, Serve America, which helped elected 21 new Democrats to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2018.\n\n“While this is the end of my campaign, it is certainly not the end of our efforts,” he will say this afternoon. “I will once again be running for Congress in the 6th District of Massachusetts, my home, and I can’t wait to get back at it.”", "WASHINGTON — U.S. Representative Seth Moulton, who mounted a long-shot bid for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, ended his campaign on Friday, warning that the party must now decide how far left it wants to move.\n\n“But today, I want to use this opportunity … to announce that I am ending my campaign for president,” Moulton was to say at a speech before a Democratic National Committee meeting in San Francisco, according to remarks provided by his campaign.\n\n“Though this campaign is not ending the way we hoped, I am leaving this race knowing that we raised issues that are vitally important to the American people and our future.”\n\nMoulton, a 40-year-old Iraq War veteran who represents a district in Massachusetts, failed to garner the support he needed to qualify for the Democratic debates. Without appearing in the debates, he had little hope of gaining traction.\n\nMoulton stopped short of endorsing one of his rivals for the nomination, but said the race appears to have narrowed.\n\n“I think it’s evident that this is now a three-way race between (former Vice President Joe) Biden, (U.S. Senator Elizabeth) Warren and (U.S. Senator Bernie) Sanders, and really it’s a debate about how far left the party should go,” Moulton told the New York Times in an interview ahead of his announcement.\n\nHe built a political career by challenging the party’s establishment including after the Democrats took control of the U.S. House of Representatives in g2018, when Moulton helped organize opposition to Representative Nancy Pelosi’s bid to again become speaker of the House. He failed at that effort. (Reporting by Ginger Gibson Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Jonathan Oatis)"], "summary": "U.S. Representative for Massachusetts Seth Moulton announces his suspension of his 2020 presidential campaign."}
{"document": ["Sri Lanka has officially ended four months of emergency rule imposed after a series of suicide attacks that killed more than 260 people, left the government in disarray and raised fears of renewed ethnic tensions in the island-nation.\n\nPresident Maithripala Sirisena allowed the emergency rule, which was put in place shortly after the April 21 bombings, to lapse by not signing a decree that would extend it for another month.\n\nHe had previously extended the order on the 22nd of every month following the massacres that happened when suicide bombers attacked three churches and three hotels around the capital, Colombo, and the eastern town of Batticaloa on Easter Sunday.\n\n\"The minister of defence will not extend the state of emergency,\" the official government news portal tweeted on Friday.\n\n{articleGUID}\n\nThe emergency laws gave the military and police sweeping powers to arrest and detain suspects without court orders. Critics charge it has been used to unfairly target Muslim citizens.\n\nHundreds have been arrested since April as the government used the emergency order, as well as curfews and social media blackouts, to tighten security across the country and hunt members of two local Muslim groups it said were responsible for the attacks.\n\nThose groups had claimed allegiance to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIS), although a Sri Lankan investigator said in July that the groups were inspired, but not directly linked, to ISIL.\n\nSri Lankan authorities say all those directly responsible for the suicide bombings have either been killed or arrested.\n\nA return to normal?\n\nThe end of emergency rule signifies a perceived calm returning to the country, which relies heavily on its $4.4bn tourism industry that has suffered since April. Several foreigners were killed in the bombings, which also wounded at least 500 people.\n\nTourist arrivals had slumped by 70 percent in May and 57 percent in June, compared with the previous year.\n\nEarlier in the week, John Amaratunga, the tourism minister, had asked the president to relax the emergency law in hopes of signalling to foreign holidaymakers that the situation in the country was back to normal, according to the AFP news agency.\n\nThe government and the country's security apparatus remain in disarray since April, with accusations that officials did not act upon near-specific intelligence from foreign agencies before.\n\nA parliamentary committee is investigating who was responsible for not taking the timely action.\n\nIn July, authorities arrested Inspector General of Police Pujith Jayasundara and former Secretary to the Ministry of Defence Hemasiri Fernando over allegations they failed to prevent the attacks.\n\nOpponents have accused Sirisena of failing to act on precise Indian intelligence that attackers were about to hit Christian churches and other targets in Sri Lanka.\n\nThe country is set to hold a presidential election later this year.\n\nThe tensions have buoyed support for Nandasena Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the brother of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who is planning to run on a platform of restoring national security.\n\nGotabaya had been accused of war crimes committed during the 26-year-long conflict between the government and Tamil separatists, but is hailed as a hero by many for helping to bring the civil war to an end a decade ago.\n\nMany arrested under emergency order\n\nMilitary and police have been accused of targeting the country's Muslim minority, activists and politicians under the emergency order, provoking further fear after the bombings threatened to inflame tensions between the majority Buddhist and minority Muslim populations. Muslims make up nearly 10 percent of Sri Lanka's population of 22 million.\n\nIn June, a police spokesman told Al Jazeera that 2,289 people - including 1,820 Muslims - had been arrested in \"connection to the Easter Bombings and related incidents\".\n\nThat month, the EU said it was \"deeply concerned by the political and religious pressure being directed at Sri Lanka's Muslim community which is undermining peace and reconciliation in the country\".\n\nCalls for ethnic violence by hardline Buddhist groups have also been reported across the country.\n\nIn May, mobs in the North Western Province destroyed hundreds of Muslims' properties, including shops and mosques, and killed one in what many believed to be retaliation for the April attacks.\n\nIn June, all of Sri Lanka's Muslim ministers resigned in protest over the government's failure to ensure the safety of its Muslim citizens.", "President Maithripala Sirisena has been extending the emergency on 22nd of each month since April 21 attacks on 3 hotels and 3 churches.\n\nSri Lanka's parliament is currently investigating security lapses that led to the Easter attacks despite intelligence warnings. (Photo: File)\n\nColombo: Sri Lanka has ended a four-month state of emergency declared after Easter suicide bombings by Islamist extremists that killed 258 people, officials said Friday.\n\nPresident Maithripala Sirisena has been extending the emergency on the 22nd of each month since the April 21 attacks on three hotels and three churches. However, his office confirmed that Sirisena had not extended it for another term and thereby allowed the emergency to end on Thursday.\n\n\"The President did not issue a fresh proclamation extending the emergency by a further period,\" an official source said. The official government printer also confirmed that there was no notification reimposing the state of emergency, which gives sweeping powers to police and security forces to arrest and detain suspects for long periods.\n\nThe government used the emergency as it tightened security across the country and hunted members of a local jihadist group which was held responsible for the attacks and which claimed allegiance to the Islamic State group.\n\nPolice have said that all those directly responsible for the suicide bombings have either been killed or arrested. This week Tourism Minister John Amaratunga said he had asked the president to relax the draconian law to signal to foreign holidaymakers that the situation in the country was back to normal. Sri Lanka's parliament is currently investigating security lapses that led to the Easter attacks despite intelligence warnings.\n\nSirisena himself has been accused of failing to act on precise Indian intelligence that jihadists were about to hit Christian churches and other targets in Sri Lanka. A parliamentary public inquiry has been told Sirisena -- who is also the minister of defence and law and order -- failed to follow proper national security protocols.\n\nThe mainly Buddhist nation of 21 million people was about to mark a decade since ending a 37-year-long Tamil separatist war when the Islamist extremists struck.", "COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lanka has ended four months of emergency rule imposed after Easter Sunday suicide attacks killed more than 260 people, the president's office said Friday.\n\nPresident Maithripala Sirisena allowed the emergency rule to lapse by not signing a decree extending it for another month.\n\nTwo local Muslim groups have been blamed for the attacks on three churches and three hotels in and around Colombo and the eastern town of Batticaloa.\n\nSeven suicide bombers participated in the attacks. Another committed suicide after his attempt failed, while another killed herself to avoid capture.\n\nThe emergency laws gave the military and police sweeping powers to arrest and detain suspects.\n\nSri Lanka's government and the security apparatus are accused of not acting upon near-specific intelligence from foreign agencies ahead of the attacks, and a parliamentary committee is investigating who was responsible for not taking timely action.\n\nThe blasts, which killed a number of foreign tourists, caused a serious setback to the country's lucrative tourism industry.", "COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Sri Lanka has ended four months of emergency rule imposed after suicide attacks on Easter Sunday killed more than 260 people.\n\nThe president's office said President Maithripala Sirisena allowed the emergency rule to lapse by not signing a decree extending it for another month.\n\nThe emergency laws gave the military and police sweeping powers to arrest and detain suspects.\n\nTwo local Muslim groups have been blamed for the attacks on three churches and three hotels in and around Colombo and the eastern town of Batticaloa.\n\nSeven suicide bombers participated in the attacks. Another committed suicide after his attempt failed, while another killed herself to avoid capture.", "Sri Lanka on Friday withdrew an emergency law imposed after Easter Sunday attacks, a military spokesman said,...", "The Bishops’ Conference of Sri Lanka has called for an “independent and impartial” investigation into the bombings of three churches and three hotels on Easter Sunday. The leaders claim that this investigation must bring about justice for the victims by holding those responsible before the law.\n\nOn April 21, Easter Sunday, suicide bombers reportedly supported by ISIS attacked three churches and three luxury hotels in Sri Lanka. As a result, 263 people were kill and another 600 were wounded. Among the dead and wounded were many Sri Lankan Christians who were attacked while celebrating Easter in their churches.\n\nIn an open letter, the Bishops’ Conference of Sri Lanka said, “Although various efforts of recovery by the government are appreciable, we wish to repeat that what is most important is to do justice by bringing those responsible before the law rapidly.” Read more", "COLOMBO: Sri Lanka has ended a four-month state of emergency declared after Easter suicide bombings by Islamist extremists that killed 258 people, officials said on Friday.\n\nPresident Maithripala Sirisena has been extending the emergency on the 22nd of each month since the April 21 attacks on three hotels and three churches. However, his office confirmed that Sirisena had not extended it for another term and thereby allowed the emergency to end on Thursday.\n\n\"The president did not issue a fresh proclamation extending the emergency by a further period,\" an official source said. The official government printer also confirmed that there was no notification reimposing the state of emergency, which gives sweeping powers to police and security forces to arrest and detain suspects for long periods.\n\nThe government used the emergency as it tightened security across the country and hunted members of a local jihadist group which was held responsible for the attacks and which claimed allegiance to the Islamic State group.\n\nPolice have said that all those directly responsible for the suicide bombings have either been killed or arrested. This week Tourism Minister John Amaratunga said he had asked the president to relax the draconian law to signal to foreign holidaymakers that the situation in the country was back to normal.\n\nSri Lanka’s parliament is currently investigating security lapses that led to the Easter attacks despite intelligence warnings. Sirisena himself has been accused of failing to act on precise Indian intelligence that jihadists were about to hit Christian churches and other targets in Sri Lanka.", "COLOMBO (Reuters) - Sri Lanka on Friday withdrew an emergency law imposed after Easter Sunday attacks, a military spokesman said, signifying the return of calm to the island nation which is set to vote in a new head of state later this year.\n\nPresident Maithripala Sirisena imposed emergency law in April after more than 250 people were killed and 500 wounded in Islamist militant bombings across churches and luxury hotels on Easter day.\n\nThe army will continue to assist police for internal security, military spokesman Sumith Atapattu told Reuters.\n\nThe emergency gave police and military extensive powers to detain and interrogate suspects without court orders.\n\nAlmost all militants suspected to have links with the attackers have either been arrested or killed, Sirisena has previously said.\n\nThe Indian Ocean island is set to vote for a new president in an election due before Dec. 9, with political parties already having kicked off campaigning.", "COLOMBO. Sri Lanka’s central bank cut its main lending rate Friday for the second time in three months hoping to lift the economy as its struggles in the wake of the devastating Easter attacks that hit the key tourism sector.\n\nThe Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) said the rate at which it lent to commercial banks was reduced by 50 basis points to 8.0 per cent.\n\nIt added that the 50-basis-point cut in May had not translated into cheaper credit for consumers and expected the latest move to reflect in market lending rates.\n\n“It is essential that market lending rates are lowered by bank and non-bank financial institutions in response to their reduced cost of funds, thereby boosting credit flows to productive sectors, and in turn help the revival of the economy,” the bank said in its monthly economic review.\n\nSri Lanka’s economic growth slowed to 3.2 per cent last year from 3.4 per cent in 2018, but had been expected to pick up in 2019 until the devastating attacks by a home-grown jihadist group that killed hundreds and hammered tourism and consumer spending.\n\n“Although economic growth is expected to recover gradually towards its potential in the medium term, domestic and global headwinds are likely to delay this recovery,” the bank said.\n\nFinance Minister Mangala Samaraweera expected revenues from tourism — one of the country’s biggest income earners — to plunge $1.5 billion this year because of cancellations by foreign tourists after the bombings, but the industry expects a faster recovery.\n\nThe government allowed a state of emergency to lapse on Thursday as authorities announced they had arrested or killed those directly responsible for the attacks.\n\nThe International Monetary Fund released a delayed loan instalment to Sri Lanka following the bombings, helping government efforts to stabilise the economy.\n\nThe global lender released $164 million under a three-year $1.5 billion bailout that was suspended in October during a power struggle between the president and the prime minister.", "Lasith Malinga was appointed as the captain of Sri Lanka for the upcoming three-match T20I series against New Zealand, starting from September 1, announced the Sri Lanka Cricket Board (SLC) on Saturday. The 15-member Sri Lanka squad, which was announced on Saturday, did not have the name of experienced all-rounder Thisara Perera.\n\nMalinga, who retired from ODIs last month, will lead a revamped Sri Lankan side. As many as nine members of the squad who were part of the their last T20I series against South Africa have been shown the door. Danushka Gunathilaka, who last played an international game for Sri Lanka in January 2019, returns to the squad.\n\n“The following 15 member Sri Lanka T20 squad was approved by the Minister of Telecommunication, Foreign Employment and Sports Honorable Harin Fernando to play the upcoming 03 Match T20I Series vs New Zealand, which starts on September 1, 2019, at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium,” SLC said in a statement.\n\nSri Lanka’s squad for the T20I series against New Zealand: Lasith Malinga (c), Niroshan Dickwella (vc), Avishka Fernando, Kusal Janith Perera, Danushka Gunathilaka, Kusal Mendis, Shehan Jayasuriya, Dasun Shanaka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Akila Dananjaya, Lakshan Sandakan, Isuru Udana, Kasun Rajitha, Lahiru Kumara, Lahiru Madushanaka.\n\nEarlier this week, New Zealand had also announced their 14-member squad. The team will be lead by pacer Tim Southee as regular skipper Kane Williamson was given rest for the series.\n\nNew Zealand’s 14-member squad for three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka: Tim Southee (c), Todd Astle, Tom Bruce, Colin de Grandhomme, Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Scott Kuggeleijn, Daryl Mitchell, Colin Munro, Seth Rance, Mitchell Santner, Tim Seifert (wk), Ish Sodhi, Ross Taylor.\n\nCurrently, Sri Lanka and New Zealand are taking on each other in the two-match Test series. The first Test was won by Sri Lanka by six wickets.\n\nIn the ongoing second Test, Sri Lanka registered the score of 244 in the first innings.\n\nWhile filing this story, New Zealand had reached the score of 61/2 in their first innings."], "summary": "Sri Lanka ends its state of emergency, four months after the Easter bombings."}
{"document": ["The Israeli military attacked targets near Damascus late Saturday in what it said was a successful effort to thwart an imminent Iranian drone strike on Israel, stepping up an already heightened campaign against Iranian military activity in the region.\n\nThe late-night airstrike, which triggered Syrian anti-aircraft fire, appeared to be one of the most intense attacks by Israeli forces in several years of hits on Iranian targets in Syria.\n\nLt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, a military spokesman, said Iran’s Revolutionary Guards’ Al Quds force, working with allied Shiite militias, had been planning to send a number of explosives-laden attack drones into Israel.\n\nConricus said Israel had monitored the plot for several months and on Thursday prevented Iran from making an “advanced attempt” to execute the same plan. Then, Iran tried again late Saturday to carry out the same attack, he said.\n\n“We were able to thwart this attack with fighter jets,” he said, saying the Iranian attack was believed to be “very imminent.”\n\nHe said Israel’s chief of staff was meeting with senior officers and forces were on high alert near the Syrian frontier.\n\nOn Twitter, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the attack by Israeli warplanes a “major operational effort.”\n\n“Iran has no immunity anywhere,” he said. “If someone rises up to kill you, kill him first.”\n\nIsrael has acknowledged carrying out hundreds of airstrikes in Syria in recent years, most of them aimed at arms shipments believed to be headed from Iran to its Shiite proxy Hezbollah. Direct clashes between Israel and Iranian forces have been rare.\n\n“This was a significant plan with significant capabilities that had been planned for a few months,” Conricus said. “It was not something done on a low level, but rather top down from the Quds Force.”\n\nSyrian state TV announced late Saturday that the country’s air defenses had responded to “hostile” targets over Damascus and shot down incoming missiles before they reached their targets.\n\nState TV did not give further details about the Israeli attack.\n\nIsrael has repeatedly vowed that it will not allow Iran to establish a permanent military presence in Syria, where Iranian troops have been fighting in support of President Bashar Assad during the country’s eight-year civil war.\n\nIn recent days, US officials have said that Israeli strikes have also hit Iranian targets in Iraq.", "BEIRUT - War monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said two members of Lebanon's Hezbollah group and one Iranian were killed in Israeli strikes around the Syrian capital Damascus overnight. BEIRUT - War monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said two members of Lebanon's Hezbollah group and one Iranian were killed in Israeli strikes around the Syrian capital Damascus overnight.\n\nAn Israeli military spokesman on Saturday said Israeli aircraft struck Iranian forces near Damascus that had been planning to launch \"killer drones\" at targets in Israel. An Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander on Sunday denied that Iranian targets had been hit in the strikes.\n\nvar cont = `Join Jerusalem Post Premium Plus now for just $5 and upgrade your experience with an ads-free website and exclusive content. Click here>>\n\n\n\n`; document.getElementById(\"linkPremium\").innerHTML = cont; (function (v, i){ });", "The Israeli air force struck in Syria to prevent an Iranian force from launching an attack on the Jewish state with drones armed with explosives, the army said Sunday.\n\nWhile Israel operates regularly in Syria, it rarely acknowledges its actions so swiftly, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warning arch-foe Iran it had no immunity from his state's military.\n\nIn a briefing to reporters, military spokesman Jonathan Conricus said that late Saturday the Israeli air force \"was able to thwart an Iranian attempt led by the Quds force from Syria to conduct an attack on Israeli targets in northern Israel using killer drones.\"\n\nAccording to Conricus, the Israeli attack took place in Aqraba, southeast of Damascus, and targeted \"a number of terror targets and military facilities belonging to the Quds force as well as Shiite militias.\"\n\n\"The aggression was immediately confronted and so far the majority of the enemy Israeli missiles have been destroyed before reaching their targets,\" the source added.\n\n\"The aggression is still going on and the air defence is able to counter the targets, dropping most of them\" in the south of the country, the Sana agency said early Sunday.\n\nSince the beginning of the war in Syria in 2011, Israel has conducted hundreds of strikes in Syria, most of them against what it says are Iranian and Hezbollah targets.\n\nHours after the strike in Syria, a Hezbollah official said one drone had come down and another had exploded in one of the group's strongholds in the Lebanese capital Beirut.\n\nThe official could not confirm if the drones were Israeli or if they had been shot down by Hezbollah.\n\nIn a statement issued just minutes after the Israeli army announced its attack, Netanyahu hailed the military's \"major operational effort\" in thwarting the attack planned by \"the Iranian Quds force and Shiite militias.\"\n\nMilitary spokesman Conricus said Israel held both Iran and the Syrian regime responsible for the planned drone attack, noting that forces in northern Israel were on \"elevated readiness to respond to any development\".\n\nHe also noted that while Iranian forces had launched rockets and missiles at Israel from Syria three times during 2018, the use of \"kamikaze\" drones set to explode on their targets was a new and \"different tactic\".\n\nThe Jewish state insists that it has the right to continue to target positions held by Iran and its ally Hezbollah out of self-defence.", "A high-ranking Iranian official on Sunday denied Iranian positions had been hit by Israeli air strikes near the Syrian capital overnight.\n\n\"This is a lie and it is not true,\" Mohsen Rezaie, the secretary of the Expediency Council, told ILNA news agency in response to Israeli claims its air force struck Iranian positions in the war-torn country.\n\n\"Israel and America do not have the power to attack various centers of Iran, while the advisory centers that we have, have not been harmed,\" said Rezaie, a former commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards.\n\n\"Actions taken jointly by Israel and America in Syria and Iraq are against international regulations and defenders of Syria and Iraq will soon respond to them.\"\n\nIran, along with Russia, has been a key supporter of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in the country's devastating civil war that broke out in 2011.\n\nIt denies sending professional troops to fight in Syria, saying it has only provided military advisers and organized brigades made up of volunteers from Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan.", "Israeli fighter jets carried out airstrikes in Syria to thwart a planned attack on Israel by Iran-backed fighters using armed drones, the Israel Defense Forces said Saturday night.\n\nThe Israeli military said its strike targeted operatives from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards’ Quds Force as well as Shiite militias who had been planning on sending attack drones into Israel.\n\n“The IDF, by Israeli aircraft, was able to thwart an Iranian attempt led by the Quds force from Syria to conduct an attack on Israeli targets in northern Israel using killer drones,” military spokesman Jonathan Conricus told reporters.\n\nGet The Times of Israel's Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Free Sign Up\n\nConricus said Israel had monitored the plot for several months and on Thursday prevented Iran from making an “advanced attempt” to execute the same plan. Then, Iran tried again late Saturday to carry out the same attack, he said.\n\nAccording to Conricus, the Israeli attack targeted “a number of terror targets and military facilities belonging to the Quds force as well as Shiite militias.”\n\n“This was a significant plan with significant capabilities that had been planned for a few months,” Conricus said. “It was not something done on a low level, but rather top down from the Quds Force.”\n\n“The threat was significant and these killer drones were capable of striking targets with significant capacity,” he said.\n\nThe rare Israeli announcement of a strike inside Syria came minutes after Syrian state television reported air defenses were activated against hostile targets.\n\nThe state news agency claimed that “most of the hostile Israeli missiles were destroyed before reaching their targets.”\n\nThe IDF said the strikes targeted sites in the town of Aqrabah, southeast of Damascus, near the city’s airport.\n\nIt was not immediately clear if there were casualties in the strike.\n\nThere was no immediate comment from Iran on the attack.\n\nConricus said Israel’s chief of staff was meeting with senior officers and forces were on high alert near the Syrian frontier. Hebrew-language media reported that an Iron Dome anti-missile battery had been deployed to northern Israel.\n\n“Iran has no immunity anywhere. Our forces are operating in every arena against Iranian aggressiveness,” he said in a statement.\n\n“If someone rises up to kill you, kill him first,” he added, referencing a Talmudic passage justifying pre-emptive action. “I have directed that our forces be prepared for any scenario.”\n\nA twitter account maintained by the Israeli government tweeting in Persian shared a video purporting to show the strike, alongside a translation of Netanyahu’s statement.\n\nThe Israeli military has acknowledged carrying out hundreds of airstrikes in Syria in recent years, on targets linked to Iran, which is backing President Bashar Assad’s regime in the Syrian civil war.\n\nBut Israel has seldom confirmed any one specific strike.\n\nNetanyahu has recently upped his rhetoric against Iran amid reports that Israel has carried out strikes on targets linked to Tehran outside of Baghdad.", "The attack took place in Aqraba, southeast of the Syrian capital of Damascus. Tehran is considered to be one of Damascus’s closest allies. Military spokesman Jonathan Conricus told reporters: “The IDF (Israeli Defence Force), by Israeli aircraft, was able to thwart an Iranian attempt led by the Quds force from Syria to conduct an attack on Israeli targets in northern Israel using killer drones.\n\nThe attack targeted: “A number of terror targets and military facilities belonging to the Quds force as well as Shiite militias. “The threat was significant and these killer drones were capable of striking targets with significant capacity.” The Quds force are part of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards. Mr Conricus claimed on Thursday Israel had prevented an attempt to launch a drone attack but did not provide further details. READ MORE: Iran unveils powerful new missile defence system as talks dismissed\n\nSince the beginning of the Syrian Civil War, Israel has launched several strikes across the border, which it has said are against Iranian and Hezbollah targets. Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shiite militant group is considered a proxy of Tehran and supports the regime of Bashar al-Assad. In June 2016, Israel launched Operation Good Neighbour to provide humanitarian aid to civilian victims of the conflict but in September last year, the IDF announced the operation would be closed due to the return of Mr al-Assad’s government to power in the south of Syria. Ever since the current Iranian regime gained power in the 1979 Islamic Revolution, they have not recognised Israel and leadership refers to Israel as ‘the Zionist regime.”\n\nIsrael accuses Iran of involvement in terror attacks against Israeli and Jewish targets. As reported by the Times of Israel, Mohammad Reza Naqdi, the commander of Basij militia of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said in 2015 that “erasing Israel of the map” is “nonnegotiable”. He added: “The Zionists should know that the next war won’t be confined to the present borders and the Mujahedeen will push them back.” The Basij is a religious volunteer force founded in the midst of the 1979 revolution to act as a moral police and suppress dissenting voices. Iran’s last Shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, had enjoyed warm relations with Israel but the revolutionary leader Ayatollah Khomeini declared the state to be an “enemy of Islam” and “The Little Satan”.", "Israel's military said in the early hours of Sunday morning that its fighter jets had attacked targets in Syria on Saturday in order to prevent what it described as a \"very imminent\" drone attack launched by Iran.\n\nWhile Israel has carried out hundreds of airstrikes against Iranian targets in Syria over the past years, Saturday's appeared to be one of the most intense.\n\nIn a briefing to reporters, military Spokesperson Lt. Col. Jonathan Conricus said that Iran had been planning to send explosive-laden attack drones into Israel.\n\nHe added that the country had been monitoring the plot for several months and on Thursday had prevented Iran from an even earlier launch.\n\n\"The threat was significant and these killer drones were capable of striking targets with significant capacity,\" Conricus said. He described it as an attack planned from the top down rather than a low level attack.\n\nConricus said Iran's Revolutionary Guards' Al Quds force, as well as allied Shiite militias, were behind the attempted attack.\n\nRead more: Is Iran's Revolutionary Guard a terror group as US says?\n\nHe added that the Israeli strikes were aimed at \"a number of terror targets and military facilities belonging to the Quds force as well as Shiite militias\" in the area southeast of Damascus.\n\nIran supports the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad and Israel wants to prevent Iran from establishing a permanent foothold in Syria, where its Shiite proxy Hezbollah increasingly operates in support of Assad's government forces.\n\nConricus said that Israel's chief of staff was meeting with senior officers and that military forces were on high alert near the border with Syria.\n\nIn the past Israel has not been quick to announce its airstrikes. However, the military announced Saturday's strikes very shortly after they took place.\n\nImmediately after the military's announcement, President Benjamin Netanyahu tweeted a statement on the operation. He described the Israeli airstrikes as a \"major operational effort\" and warned that Iran would not be immune from Israeli strikes, regardless of location.\n\n\"Iran has no immunity anywhere,\" he added in his Tweet. \"If someone rises up to kill you, kill him first.\"\n\nThe airstrikes triggered Syrian anti-aircraft fire. Syrian state TV reported that air defenses had responded to \"hostile\" targets over Damascus and shot down incoming missiles but did not provide further details.\n\nEach evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.", "JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli military attacked targets near Damascus late Saturday in what it said was a successful effort to thwart an imminent Iranian drone strike on Israel, stepping up an already heightened campaign against Iranian military activity in the region.\n\nThe late-night airstrike, which triggered Syrian anti-aircraft fire, appeared to be one of the most intense attacks by Israeli forces in several years of hits on Iranian targets in Syria.\n\nLt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, a military spokesman, said Iran’s Revolutionary Guards’ Al Quds force, working with allied Shiite militias, had been planning to send a number of explosives-laden attack drones into Israel.\n\nConricus said Israel had monitored the plot for several months and on Thursday prevented Iran from making an “advanced attempt” to execute the same plan. Then, Iran tried again late Saturday to carry out the same attack, he said.\n\n“We were able to thwart this attack with fighter jets,” he said, saying the Iranian attack was believed to be “very imminent.”\n\nHe said Israel’s chief of staff was meeting with senior officers and forces were on high alert near the Syrian frontier.\n\nOn Twitter, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the attack by Israeli warplanes a “major operational effort.”\n\n“Iran has no immunity anywhere,” he said. “If someone rises up to kill you, kill him first.”\n\nIsrael has acknowledged carrying out hundreds of airstrikes in Syria in recent years, most of them aimed at arms shipments believed to be headed from Iran to its Shiite proxy Hezbollah. Direct clashes between Israel and Iranian forces have been rare.\n\n“This was a significant plan with significant capabilities that had been planned for a few months,” Conricus said. “It was not something done on a low level, but rather top down from the Quds Force.”\n\nSyrian state TV announced late Saturday that the country’s air defenses had responded to “hostile” targets over Damascus and shot down incoming missiles before they reached their targets.\n\nState TV did not give further details about the Israeli attack.\n\nIsrael considers Iran to be its greatest enemy and has repeatedly vowed that it will not allow Iran to establish a permanent military presence in Syria, where Iranian troops have been fighting in support of President Bashar Assad during the country’s eight-year civil war.\n\nIn recent days, U.S. officials have said that Israeli strikes have also hit Iranian targets in Iraq.\n\nAssociated Press writer Bassem Mroue in Beirut contributed to this report.", "JERUSALEM — Israeli aircraft on Saturday struck Iranian forces near Damascus that were planning to launch armed drones at targets in Israel, an Israeli military spokesman said.\n\n“The strike targeted Iranian Quds Force operatives and Shiite militias which were preparing to advance attack plans targeting sites in Israel from within Syria over the last number of days,” the military said in a statement.\n\nA military spokesman told reporters the forces were preparing to launch “killer drones” at Israel. (Reporting by Maayan Lubell; Editing by David Gregorio)", "Iran rejected Israeli claims of destroying its base in Syria. Iran said the country has no forces operating in Syria.\n\nMohsen Rezaei, the secretary of Iran’s Expediency Discernment Council said Sunday that Israeli military’s statement about hitting Iranian sites on Syria are lies.\n\n“This is a lie and is not true,” Rezaei, a former chief commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), told local media adding, “America [U.S.] and Israel do not have the power to attack Iran’s centers and positions and the Zionist regime’s claims about targeting Iranian positions are lies.”\n\nAn Israeli military spokesperson claimed that an Israeli aircraft Saturday struck Iranian forces near Damascus that had been allegedly planning to launch “killer drones” at targets in Israel.\n\n“The strike targeted Iranian Quds Force operatives and Shiite militias which were preparing to advance attack plans targeting sites in Israel from within Syria over the last number of days,” the military said in a statement in a rare acknowledgment.\n\nThe elite Quds Force is the overseas arm of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC). Israeli military spokesman Jonathan Conricus told reporters the forces Thursday had been preparing to launch “killer drones” armed with explosives at northern Israel.\n\nIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the military had thwarted the planned Iranian attack. “Iran has no immunity anywhere. Our forces operate in every sector against the Iranian aggression,” he said on Twitter.\n\nSyrian state media said Syrian air defenses intercepted “hostile targets” over Damascus, the capital, Saturday night.\n\n“The aggression is ongoing and air defenses are confronting hostile targets and are downing most of them in the southern region,” state media outlet SANA said, indicating areas south of Damascus.\n\nThe Syrian army said in a statement that “the majority of the Israeli missiles were destroyed before reaching their targets.”\n\n“Measures taken jointly by Israel and America in Syria and Iraq are against international regulations and defense forces of Syria and Iraq will soon respond to them,” Rezaei said.\n\nIran has said in the past also that it has no forces operating from Syria and only gave military advise to the country. Syria also rejected claims of the Iranian army in the country."], "summary": "The Israel Defense Forces say their Air Force strikes multiple Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targets in Aqraba near the Syrian capital Damascus. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claims an Iranian attack on Israel using armed drones to be imminent. Syria says it repels the attack and shoots down most of the attackers' rockets."}
{"document": ["Nauru President Baron Waqa loses bid for re-election\n\nUpdated\n\nResults from the Nauru Electoral Commission show the incumbent President of Nauru has lost his bid to return to power.\n\nKey points: Nauru's incumbent President Baron Waqa lost his parliamentary seat in the national election\n\nHis government was accused of trying to artifically boost numbers by granting foreigners citizenship\n\nThere was speculation Finance Minister David Adeang was bidding to oust Mr Waqa by backing a rival candidate\n\nBaron Waqa has not been re-elected for a seat in his constituency of Boe during the national election that took place on Saturday.\n\nThe 59-year-old had held the presidential title since 2013.\n\nMore than 7,000 voters were registered to take part in the poll to determine who will govern for the next three years.\n\nVoters elect members from their constituencies which make up Nauru's Parliament of 19 members.\n\nThose members will ultimately decide who should hold the presidency.\n\nIn the run-up to the election, there was speculation that the country's Finance Minister, David Adeang, was bidding to oust Mr Waqa by backing a rival candidate in his constituency.\n\nRoland Kun, a former Nauruan minister who fled to New Zealand and now lives in Australia, told the ABC that new candidates had been installed in the Boe constituency before the election.\n\n\"In Baron's constituency there's another candidate who has been put up by David Adeang, the Minister for Finance, and he's putting his support behind that candidate instead of his colleague in the Government,\" he said.\n\n\"We know what that's about because from our standpoint, David is pursuing the presidency.\"\n\n\"I think [the election result] is a very clear message that people do want change,\" he said on Sunday afternoon.\n\nPacific expert Tess Newton Cain, who has worked for the United Nations and World Bank in the region, also highlighted the fact that two of the 19 members of parliament are women.\n\n\"This is a significant achievement for Nauru in a region where women are not really well represented in national parliament.\"\n\nMr Waqa was contesting his constituency against four other candidates, with two of them, Asterio Appi and Martin Hunt, elected to Parliament.\n\nAnother candidate in his constituency Mathew Batsiua, a former foreign minister and member of the Nauru 19, was not elected and came fourth.\n\nWill the result impact Australia's offshore processing policy?\n\nNauru became the site of Australia's first offshore processing centre in 2001 under the so-called \"Pacific Solution\".\n\nThe country now draws a sizeable amount of its revenue from the visa fees it charges Australia per asylum seeker, payments and taxes associated with the regional processing centre, as well as aid.\n\nMr Waqa's government favoured keeping the controversial centre open in Nauru, and the change in government now has the potential to significantly impact Australian asylum policy.\n\n\"While the [offshore processing centre] makes significant contributions to the economy of Nauru, that is obviously declining as the centre gets smaller… I think whoever takes over government will be looking at what's next for Nauru in terms of replacing those revenue streams as they dwindle,\" Ms Newton Caine told the ABC.\n\nMr Kun believed there would be no immediate changes to the offshore processing centre because the government still had no \"fallback plan\".\n\nGovernment accused of 'number-boosting'\n\nMr Waqa's Government was accused of artificially boosting its support by granting citizenship to around 118 foreigners.\n\nOne Nauru-born campaign worker told the ABC that these new citizens are mainly Chinese people employed by the Government.\n\n\"It's been posted on Facebook, new names of these Chinese people,\" said a former Treasury worker who was dismissed for criticising Mr Waqa's Government and who asked to remain anonymous.\n\n\"They've been approached with some sort of application with a police clearance and medical check-ups, and it's just like that, overnight you're a citizen.\"\n\nMs Newton Cain said it was \"hard to see how [the number boosting] couldn't have had an impact on the election.\"\n\n\"There are only 7,000 voters in Nauru and as we can see from the results, a number of these seats are won by a very small number — in the hundreds in a number of cases.\n\n\"Any additions to the roll are likely to have an impact,\" she said.\n\nMr Kun said voters had been \"very upset\" by the new names on the electoral roll and had raised their concerns \"all around the country\" in the lead-up to the election.\n\nJoseph Cain, Nauru's electoral commissioner, told the ABC the new citizens had to be included in the electoral roll.\n\n\"The gazette for these new citizens was published at 16.58 on 3 August, two minutes before the roll closed,\" he said.\n\n\"Because the gazette was published before the close of the roll, I am required to obey the law and place these new citizens on the electoral roll.\"\n\nTopics: government-and-politics, elections, community-and-society, immigration, nauru\n\nFirst posted", "Nauru’s president, Baron Waqa, has reportedly lost his seat in parliament.\n\nPreliminary election results from his electorate of Boe show that Waqa, who has been president since 2013, lost out to Asterio Appi and Martin Hunt.\n\nHe only narrowly beat the former cabinet minister and serving opposition member Mathew Batsiua for third place.\n\nThe Nauru parliamentary election was held on Saturday. Seven thousand people voted to make up the 19-member parliament. Results from six of the eight electorates had been published by Sunday morning.\n\nBatsiua was suspended from parliament in 2014 after publicly criticising the Waqa government and is a member of the Nauru 19, a group of protestors facing prosecution over a protest against the removal of Batsiua and two others from parliament.\n\nThe former president Ludwig Scotty, re-elected in May in a byelection, also lost his seat in the Anabar electorate, along with a fellow sitting MP, Riddell Akua. Elected in their place were Maverick Eoe and Pyon Deiye.\n\nAccording to the official Republic of Nauru Twitter account, the home affairs minister, Charmaine Scotty, was re-elected in Yaren alongside Isabella Dageago.\n\nKhyde Menke, Tawaki Kam and Lionel Aingimea were elected in Menang while Milton Dube was re-elected in Aiwo, alongside Rennier Gadabu. The opposition MP Marcus Stephen was re-elected in Anetan, as was newcomer Timothy Ika.\n\nThe former justice minister Roland Kun is out in Buada, with the government MP Shadlog Bernicke retaining his seat alongside Bingham Agir.\n\nMore to come", "Results from the Nauru Electoral Commission show the incumbent President of Nauru has lost his bid to return to power.\n\nBaron Waqa has not been re-elected for a seat in his constituency of Boe during the national election that took place on Saturday.\n\nMr Waqa had held the presidential title since 2013.\n\nMore than 7000 voters were registered to take part in the poll to determine who will govern for the next three years.\n\nVoters elect members from their constituencies which make up Nauru’s Parliament of 19 members.\n\nThose members will ultimately decide who should hold the presidency.\n\nIn the run up to the election there was speculation that the country’s Finance minister, David Adeang, was bidding to oust Baron Waqa by backing a rival candidate in his constituency.\n\nRonald Kun, a former Nauruan minister who fled to New Zealand, told the ABC that new candidates had been installed in the Boe constituency before the election.\n\n“In Baron’s constituency there’s another candidate who has been put up by David Adeang, the Minister for Finance, and he’s putting his support behind that candidate instead of his colleague in the Government,” he said.\n\n“We know what that’s about because from our standpoint, David is pursuing the presidency.”\n\nMr Waqa was contesting his constituency against four other candidates, with two of them, Asterio Appi and Martin Hunt, elected to Parliament.\n\nAnother candidate in his constituency Mathew Batsiua, a former foreign minister and member of the Nauru 19, was not elected and came fourth.\n\nMr Waqa’s Government was accused of artificially boosting its support by granting citizenship to foreigners.\n\nOne Nauru-born campaign worker told the ABC that these new citizens are mainly Chinese people employed by the Government.\n\n“It’s been posted on Facebook, new names of these Chinese people,” said a former Treasury worker who was dismissed for criticising Mr Waqa’s Government and who asked to remain anonymous.\n\nJoseph Cain, Nauru’s electoral commissioner, told the ABC the new citizens had to be included in the electoral roll.\n\n“The gazette for these new citizens was published at 16.58 on 3 August, two minutes before the roll closed,” he said.\n\n“Because the gazette was published before the close of the roll, I am required to obey the law and place these new citizens on the electoral roll.”", "Results from the Nauru Electoral Commission show the incumbent President of Nauru has lost his bid to return to power.\n\nBaron Waqa has not been re-elected for a seat in his constituency of Boe during the national election that took place on Saturday.\n\nMr Waqa had held the presidential title since 2013.\n\nMore than 7,000 voters were registered to take part in the poll to determine who will govern for the next three years.\n\nVoters elect two members from their constituencies which make up Nauru's Parliament of 19 members.\n\nThose members will ultimately decide who should hold the presidency.\n\nMr Waqa's Government was accused of artificially boosting its support by granting citizenship to Chinese nationals who work in their offices.\n\nMore to come.", "Sydney: Nauru President Baron Waqa was voted out of office in the tiny South Pacific island nation after six years in power, media reports said on Sunday.\n\nWaqa was beaten in his seat of Boe in a national election on Saturday. He contested the seat against four other candidates, two of whom won seats in Nauru's 19-member parliament, the ABC reported.\n\nSixty candidates contested the election, seeking the support of 7400 registered voters. Final results were expected later on Sunday.\n\nPolitical instability has plagued Nauru in the past but the previous election in 2016 was deemed by Commonwealth observers to be transparent and fair.", "Baron Waqa is a strong supporter of Australia's hardline policy of detaining refugees on the tiny Pacific island nation\n\nLOST REELECTION. In this file photo, Nauru's President Baron Waqa listens to a speaker during the Smaller Islands States Leaders meeting as part of the Pacific Islands Forum in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, on September 7, 2015. Photo by Ness Kerton/AFP\n\nWELLINGTON, New Zealand – Nauru's president, a strong supporter of Australia's hardline policy of detaining refugees on the tiny Pacific island nation, has lost his seat in a general election, official results showed on Sunday, August 25.\n\nVoters went to the polls on Saturday and selected two rival candidates over Baron Waqa in his electorate of Boe, ending the 59-year-old's 6 years in office.\n\nHis successor will not be known until the 19-member parliament meets to choose a new president, with finance minister David Adeang considered a favorite after being reelected.\n\nWaqa proved a controversial leader at times and Australia's Lowy Institute think tank last year said the country of 11,000 \"lurched towards authoritarianism\" under his leadership.\n\nHis government has made it difficult for international media visiting Nauru to report on conditions facing asylum seekers. (READ: Nauru orders MSF to stop work among asylum seekers)\n\nIt also introduced laws carrying heavy jail terms for political protesters and at times curbed access to sites such as Facebook, which critics said was aimed at curbing dissent.\n\nAustralia's policy of processing asylum seekers on Nauru – and the equally remote Manus island in Papua New Guinea – has proved an economic lifeline for a country which exhausted its previous source of wealth: phosphate deposits used as fertilizer.\n\nNauru's government revenues ballooned from Aus$20 million (US$13 million) in 2010-11 to Aus$115 million (US$77 million) in 2015-16 largely due to fees paid by Canberra linked to the asylum policy, official Australian data shows.\n\nRefugee advocates estimate around 300 refugees remain on the island, down from a peak of about 1,200 in 2014.\n\nRights groups and the United Nations have consistently criticized the conditions faced by refugees, warning indefinite detention causes mental health problems and suicide attempts.\n\nThe Refugee Action Coalition said the latest incident occurred on Friday, when a Pakistani man it identified only as Jamal set himself on fire.\n\nIt said the man was believed to be in a critical condition in intensive care after being flown from Nauru to Brisbane for medical treatment.\n\n\"Jamal is another casualty of Australia offshore detention policy. After 6 years on Nauru, refugees have no secure future. They have lost hope,\" spokesman Ian Rintoul said.\n\n\"Over 300 refugees remain on Nauru, but the government has no resettlement plans.\" – Rappler.com", "FILE PHOTO: Nauru President Divavesi Waqa addresses the General Assembly in New York\n\nSYDNEY (Reuters) - Nauru President Baron Waqa was voted out of office in the tiny South Pacific island nation after six years in power, media reports said on Sunday.\n\nWaqa was beaten in his seat of Boe in a national election on Saturday. He contested the seat against four other candidates, two of whom won seats in Nauru's 19-member parliament, the Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported.\n\nSixty candidates contested the election, seeking the support of 7,400 registered voters. Final results were expected later on Sunday.\n\nPolitical instability has plagued Nauru in the past but the previous election in 2016 was deemed by Commonwealth observers to be transparent and fair.\n\nThe Micronesian nation, with a population estimated at about 11,300 people, once made its money from phosphate mining.\n\nThe island also hosts a controversial detention center housing asylum seekers on behalf of Australia, its biggest foreign aid donor.\n\nUnder Australian law, would-be asylum seekers intercepted trying to reach its shores by boat are sent for processing to offshore camps in Nauru and Papua New Guinea.", "Nauru lawmakers were set to choose a new president after Baron Waqa failed to gather enough votes to stay in office, according to early results of the general election reported on Sunday.\n\nWaqa has ruled the Micronesian nation of 11,300 for the last six years. He is a vocal proponent of the Australian refugee camp on the nation's territory, with Australia's fees providing Nauru with about a third of its national income.\n\nCritics claim Waqa's administration has been moving against dissent, introducing strict anti-protest laws, occasionally curbing access to social media, and hindering international media from reporting fully on conditions inside the refugee camp. Last year, the country ordered Doctors Without Borders to stop working with asylum-seekers.\n\nIn Nauru, the president needs to win a seat in the 19-people parliament before being eligible for the highest office. However, voters apparently backed two of Waqa's rival candidates in his electorate of Boe, keeping him out of the assembly.\n\nThe final result is expected to be announced on Monday. The successor of the 59-year-old politician will only be known after a vote in the parliament. Current Finance Minister David Adeang is considered a favorite.\n\nNauru is the world's smallest republic and the third-smallest country in the world. While the Vatican City State and Monaco have an even smaller surface area, they do not choose their head of state at the ballot box.\n\nAustralia's payments are a major source of revenue in Nauru after the country exhausted its key phosphate deposits. Australia still keeps some 300 asylum-seekers in Nauru, down from a peak of about 1,200 five years ago. A similar camp in Papua New Guinea was closed in 2017.\n\nEvery evening, DW sends out a selection of the day's news and features. Sign up here.", "Nauru's president, a strong supporter of Australia's hardline policy of detaining refugees on the tiny Pacific island nation, has lost his seat in a general election, official results showed Sunday.\n\nVoters went to the polls on Saturday and selected two rival candidates over Baron Waqa in his electorate of Boe, results revealed, ending the 59-year-old's six years in office.\n\nHis successor will not be known until the 19-member parliament meets to choose a new president, although finance minister David Adeang will be considered a favourite if he is re-elected.\n\nWaqa proved a controversial leader at times, with Australia's Lowy Institute think-tank last year saying the country of 11,000 had \"lurched towards authoritarianism\" under his leadership.\n\nHis government has made it difficult for international media visiting Nauru to report on conditions facing asylum seekers.\n\nIt also introduced laws carrying heavy jail terms for political protesters and at times curbed access to sites such as Facebook, which critics said was aimed at curbing dissent.\n\nAustralia's policy of processing asylum seekers on Nauru -- and the equally remote Manus island in Papua New Guinea -- has proved an economic lifeline for a country which exhausted its previous source of wealth: phosphate deposits used as fertiliser.\n\nNauru's government revenues ballooned from Aus$20 million (US$13 million) in 2010-11 to Aus$115 million (US$77 million) in 2015-16 largely due to fees paid by Canberra linked to the asylum policy, official Australia data shows.", "The president of Nauru has lost his bid to retain power in the tiny Pacific nation, losing his seat in a national election, Australian media reported Sunday.\n\nBaron Waqa has been president since 2013 and his support was critical to hosting Australia’s asylum seeker detention facility on the island.\n\nWaqa, 59, had failed to secure enough votes to hold on to his seat in Saturday’s election, according to preliminary returns to the Nauru Electoral Commission, Australia’s national broadcaster ABC reported.\n\nA final announcement of the election result is expected on Monday.\n\nSince 2001 Australia has placed asylum seekers, caught trying to reach Australia by boat, in the Nauru detention facility while their refugee status was processed.\n\nNauru made about a third of its national income from the arrangement.\n\nNauru is the world’s smallest republic, with just 7,000 people eligible to vote for the 19-member parliament that chooses the president.\n\nIt is the world’s third-smallest nation behind Vatican City and Monaco."], "summary": "Voters in Nauru go to the polls to elect new members of parliament. President Baron Waqa loses his parliamentary seat so he is not able to be re-elected in the office he has been holding since 2013."}
{"document": ["Lebanese security stand near the site where an Israeli drone was said to have crashed in a stronghold of the Lebanese Hezbollah group, in a southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Aug. 25, 2019. A Hezbollah official said Sunday that an Israeli drone went down over the Lebanese capital of Beirut and another exploded in the air, amid regional tensions between Israel and Iran. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)\n\nBEIRUT (AP) — Two Israeli drones crashed in a Hezbollah stronghold in the Lebanese capital overnight without the militants firing on them, a spokesman for the group said Sunday, saying the first fell on the roof of a building housing Hezbollah’s media office while the second landed in a plot behind it.\n\nThe drones crashed amid heightened tensions between neighboring Israel and Iran, which backs Hezbollah, and shortly after Israeli warplanes attacked targets near the Syrian capital, Damascus. Israeli aircraft buzzed over Beirut on Sunday, hours after the drones crashed, raising fears of a wider conflict.\n\nHezbollah spokesman Mohammed Afif said a small, unmanned reconnaissance drone fell on a building housing Hezbollah’s media office in the Moawwad neighborhood in Dahyeh, the group’s stronghold in southern Beirut.\n\nHe said a second drone, which appeared to have been sent by Israel to search for the first one less than 45 minutes later, exploded in the air and crashed in an empty plot nearby, causing damage to nearby buildings. He said the second drone was likely armed judging by the damage it caused.\n\nResidents said they heard a loud blast that triggered a nighttime fire.\n\n“We did not shoot down or explode any of the drones,” Afif told The Associated Press.\n\nHe said Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah will give the official and “appropriate” response in a previously-scheduled televised appearance later Sunday.\n\nThere was no immediate Israeli comment on Hezbollah’s remarks.\n\nAP journalists on the scene Sunday said the 11-floor building that houses Hezbollah’s media office as well as nearby buildings suffered minor damage and broken glass. On the second floor, where the group has its offices, shattered glass littered the floors and some of the desks were overturned. A portrait of Nasrallah was on a desk littered with glass.\n\nA Lebanese army statement said an Israeli drone came down while the other exploded in the sky over Beirut, causing material damage.\n\nIsraeli warplanes regularly violate Lebanese airspace and have struck inside neighboring Syria from Lebanon on several occasions, angering Hezbollah and Lebanese officials, who have complained to the United Nations.\n\nLebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri described the crash of the two drones as a violation and “aggression” against Lebanese sovereignty. He said the developments overnight constitute a threat to regional stability and an attempt to push the situation toward more escalation.\n\nLate Saturday, Israeli warplanes struck targets near the Syrian capital in what the Israeli military said was a successful effort to thwart an imminent Iranian drone strike on Israel. The late-night airstrike, which triggered Syrian anti-aircraft fire, appeared to be one of the most intense attacks by Israeli forces in several years.\n\nThe Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitoring group, reported that two Hezbollah members and an Iranian militiaman were killed in that attack.\n\nBut an Iranian general said the Israeli strikes in Syria did not cause any damage or casualties among Iranian forces there.\n\nThe semi-official ILNA news agency quoted Gen. Mohsen Rezaei on Sunday as calling the Israeli claims a “lie.” Rezaei, a senior commander in Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, said “the defenders of Syria and Iraq will soon give an answer” to recent attacks by Israel and the United States.\n\nIn recent days, U.S. officials have said that Israeli strikes have hit Iranian targets in Iraq, in what would be a significant expansion of Israel’s campaign targeting Iranian military entrenchment in the region. Iran supports Hezbollah in Lebanon, as well as an array of government-allied militias in Syria and Iraq.\n\nIsrael has carried out hundreds of attacks in recent years targeting Hezbollah and other Iranian targets in Syria. Israel views Iran as its greatest threat and has said it will not tolerate a permanent Iranian presence in Syria or the transfer of advanced weapons to Hezbollah.\n\nIran and Hezbollah are key military allies of Syrian President Bashar Assad in that country’s eight-year-old civil war.\n\nHezbollah and Israel fought a monthlong war in 2006. The volatile border between the two countries, which remain technically in a state of war, has been mostly calm since.", "Israeli aircraft continued to violate Lebanese airspace on Sunday, flying low over Beirut hours after the drones crashed, raising fears of a wider conflict.\n\nHezbollah spokesperson Mohammed Afif said a small, unmanned reconnaissance drone fell on a building housing Hezbollah's media office in the Moawwad neighbourhood in Dahyeh, the group's stronghold in southern Beirut.\n\nHe said a second drone, which appeared to have been sent by Israel to search for the first one less than 45 minutes later, exploded in the air and crashed in an empty plot nearby, shattering windows in surrounding buildings.\n\nResidents said they heard a loud blast that triggered a nighttime fire.\n\nThere was no immediate Israeli comment on the drone incident or Hezbollah's remarks.\n\nAssociated Press journalists on the scene Sunday said the 11-floor building that houses Hezbollah's media office, as well as nearby buildings, suffered minor damage and broken glass. On the second floor, where the group has its offices, shattered glass littered the floors and some of the desks were overturned. A portrait of Nasrallah was on a desk littered with glass.\n\nA Lebanese army statement said an Israeli drone came down while the other exploded in the sky over Beirut, causing material damage.\n\nIsraeli warplanes regularly violate Lebanese airspace and have struck inside neighbouring Syria from Lebanon on several occasions, angering Hezbollah and Lebanese officials, who have complained to the United Nations.\n\nThe Lebanese Foreign Ministry counted 481 Israeli violations of Lebanese airspace in the past two months, and instructed Lebanon's representative to the UN to submit an immediate complaint.\n\nLebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri said the crash of the two drones constitutes a threat to regional stability and an attempt to push the situation toward more escalation.\n\nIsrael's late-night airstrike Saturday in Syria, which triggered Syrian anti-aircraft fire, appeared to be one of the most intense attacks by Israeli forces in several years.\n\nLt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, an Israeli military spokesperson, said Iran's Revolutionary Guards' Al Quds force, working with allied Shiite militias, had been planning to send a number of explosives-laden attack drones into Israel.\n\nConricus said Israel had monitored the plot for several months and on Thursday prevented Iran from making an \"advanced attempt\" to execute the same plan. Iran then tried again late Saturday to carry out the same attack, he said.\n\nHe declined to give specifics on what targets the Iranians intended to strike.\n\nThe Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitoring group, reported that two Hezbollah members and an Iranian militiaman were killed in the Israeli attack Saturday night.\n\nBut a senior commander in Iran's Revolutionary Guard, Gen. Mohsen Rezaei, said the Israeli strikes in Syria did not cause any damage or casualties among Iranian forces there, adding that \"the defenders of Syria and Iraq will soon give an answer\" to recent attacks by Israel and the United States.\n\nIn recent days, U.S. officials have said that Israeli strikes have hit Iranian targets in Iraq, in what would be a significant expansion of Israel's campaign targeting Iranian military entrenchment in the region. Iran supports Hezbollah in Lebanon, as well as an array of government-allied militias in Syria and Iraq.\n\nIsrael has carried out hundreds of attacks in recent years targeting Hezbollah and other Iranian targets in Syria. Israel views Iran as its greatest threat and has said it will not tolerate a permanent Iranian presence in Syria or the transfer of advanced weapons to Hezbollah.\n\nIran and Hezbollah are key military allies of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in that country's eight-year-old civil war.\n\nHezbollah and Israel fought a month-long war in 2006. The volatile border between the two countries, which remain technically in a state of war, has been mostly calm since.", "AP — From the vast deserts of Saudi Arabia to the crowded neighborhoods of Beirut, a drone war has taken flight across the wider Middle East, raising the stakes in the ongoing tensions between the US and Iran.\n\nIn the year since US President Donald Trump withdrew America from Iran’s nuclear deal, there has been an increase in the tempo of attacks and alleged threats from unmanned aircraft flown by the allies of Tehran and Washington respectively, in the region.\n\nThe appeal of the aircraft — they risk no pilots and can be small enough to evade air-defense systems — fueled their rapid use amid the maximum pressure campaigns of Iran and the US.\n\nGet The Times of Israel's Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Free Sign Up\n\nAs these strikes become more frequent, the risk of unwanted escalation becomes greater.\n\nThe US military nearly launched airstrikes against Iran after a US military surveillance drone was shot down in June. Meanwhile, Israeli fighter jets attack targets in Syria on an almost weekly basis, including on Saturday night. Israel’s reason for the latest bombing: to thwart what it called a planned Iranian drone strike.\n\nIsraeli aircraft then buzzed over Beirut on Sunday, raising the risk of a wider conflict between it and Hezbollah.\n\nThe mounting tensions are rooted in the May 2018 US withdrawal from Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers. Under the deal, Tehran limited its enrichment of uranium in exchange for sanctions relief. In response to Washington’s withdrawal, Iran initially sought diplomatic support from European partners still in the accord, but ever-increasing American sanctions choked off its sale of crude oil in the international market.\n\nIranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif made a surprise trip Sunday to the Group of Seven summit in France to seek support.\n\nThis May, the US sent nuclear-capable B-52 bombers, fighter jets, an aircraft carrier and additional troops to the region over what it described as threats from Iran. Mysterious explosions struck oil tankers near the Strait of Hormuz.\n\nCoordinated drone attacks followed, first from the Iranian-backed Houthi rebels of Yemen. Major attacks targeted the kingdom’s oil infrastructure — one on a crucial East-West Pipeline, the other a major facility deep in the desert of Arabian Peninsula’s Empty Quarter.\n\nSaudi Arabia immediately tied the attacks to Iran, its longtime rival. While Iran denies arming the Houthis, the West and United Nations experts say that drones used by the rebels mirror models used by the Islamic Republic.\n\nMeanwhile, a suspected Israeli strike in Iraq last month targeted a base of Shiite militias allied to Iran — in what would be the first attack to be carried out by Israel in Iraq since 1981. Israel remained mum, and US officials who linked the strike to Israel did not say if drones were involved.\n\nIsrael openly acknowledged striking Syria on Saturday night, in what it described as a pre-emptive attack. The military said it prevented an effort by Iran to position so-called killer drones ahead of an attack on Israel.\n\nThose drones, known to experts as loitering munitions, are similar to the ones being used by the Houthis. The bomb-carrying drone flies to a destination, likely programmed before its flight, and either explodes in the air over the target or on impact against it.\n\nPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is seeking re-election in September, paraphrased a talmudic passage on self-defense after the attack: “If someone rises up to kill you, kill him first.”\n\nIsrael’s military released a map Sunday of what it said were the Iranian supply routes to deliver the planes to Syria. This included what Israel described as the planned drone launch site in the Syrian village of Aqraba, as well as another location in the village of Arneh where a previous launch attempt was allegedly thwarted last Thursday.\n\nLt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, an Israeli military spokesman, said Israel had been monitoring the activity for weeks and struck when it became clear that Iran’s Revolutionary Guard planned to launch the aircraft. He said it is easier to destroy agile, hard-to-detect drones before they are airborne.\n\n“We know the Quds Force spent a lot of effort and time trying to execute this plan,” he said. The Quds, or Jerusalem, Force is the Guard’s expeditionary unit.\n\nIran denied Israel’s strikes in Syria did any damage to its forces.\n\n“It is a lie,” Guard Gen. Mohsen Rezaei said, according to Iran’s semi-official ILNA news agency. However, Rezaei added that the “defenders of Syria and Iraq will soon give an answer,” without elaborating.\n\nRezaei’s response shows the escalatory danger of drone strikes. Overnight in Lebanon, one alleged Israeli drone crashed in Beirut, while another exploded, authorities there said, calling it an Israeli act of aggression and violation of Lebanese sovereignty.\n\nIsrael did not acknowledge the incident. Analysts later said that the drones in Beirut were likely Iranian, not Israeli.\n\nHezbollah was quick to say that it did not fire on any of the drones, underscoring the group’s keenness to avoid further escalation with its southern neighbor.\n\nThe developments, however, present a direct challenge to the group, which is still recovering from a bruising years-long conflict in neighboring Syria that saw thousands of its fighters killed and wounded, while fighting alongside President Bashar Assad’s forces.\n\nHezbollah, which is part of a fragile national unity government already struggling to deal with a serious economic and financial crisis, does not wish to be seen as dragging the country into another ruinous war with Israel, but may be feeling pressured to respond to perceived Israeli provocations.\n\nIn the overnight incident, the first drone, apparently unarmed, crashed onto the roof of a Beirut building where Hezbollah’s media office is located and caused damage to the group’s offices.\n\n“It is clear they had a target,” a Hezbollah spokesman told AP.\n\nHezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was to deliver a speech later Sunday.\n\nThe group has repeatedly warned Israel to stop its nearly daily violations of Lebanese airspace, but has so far shown restraint, despite a series of Israeli attacks that targeted Hezbollah in Syria. Any retaliation, however, risks sparking an unwanted conflict with Israel that the group would much rather avoid.", "Lebanese security stand near the site where an Israeli drone was said to have crashed in a stronghold of the Lebanese Hezbollah group, in a southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Aug. 25, 2019. A Hezbollah official said Sunday that an Israeli drone went down over the Lebanese capital of Beirut and another exploded in the air, amid regional tensions between Israel and Iran. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)\n\nBEIRUT (AP) — Hezbollah said Sunday that two Israeli drones crashed in Beirut overnight without the militant group firing on them.\n\nSpokesman Mohammed Afif said a small, unmanned reconnaissance drone fell on the roof of a building housing Hezbollah’s media office in the Moawwad neighborhood in Dahyeh, the group’s stronghold in the southern part of the Lebanese capital.\n\nHe said a second drone, which appeared to have been sent by Israel to search for the first drone less than 45 minutes later, exploded in the air and crashed nearby — a blast heard by residents of the area.\n\n“We did not shoot down or explode any of the drones,” Afif told The Associated Press.\n\nHe said Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah will give the “appropriate” response in a televised appearance later Sunday.\n\nLate Saturday, Israeli warplanes attacked targets near the Syrian capital in what the Israeli military said was a successful effort to thwart an imminent Iranian drone strike on Israel. The late-night airstrike, which triggered Syrian anti-aircraft fire, appeared to be one of the most intense attacks by Israeli forces in several years.\n\nIt was not immediately clear if the incidents in Syria and Lebanon were related. There was no immediate Israeli comment on Hezbollah’s remarks.\n\nIsrael has carried out hundreds of attacks in recent years targeting Hezbollah and other Iranian targets in Syria. Israel views Iran as its greatest threat and has said it will not tolerate a permanent Iranian presence in Syria or the transfer of advanced weapons to Hezbollah.\n\nIran and Hezbollah are key military allies of Syrian President Bashar Assad in that country’s eight-year-old civil war.", "BEIRUT (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th August, 2019) Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri has called the incident around the two Israeli drones that crashed in southern suburbs of Beirut on Sunday an attack on country's sovereignty.\n\nEarlier in the day, media reported that two Israeli drones crashed near Hezbollah's headquarters in Beirut overnight, while one of them exploded in the air. The blast reportedly caused significant damage to the Hezbollah press service's building and left three people injured. According to other reports, one of the drones was shot down by the Hezbollah movement, while the other one was seized.\n\n\"Prime Minister Saad Hariri views the crash of two Israeli reconnaissance drones in southern suburbs of Beirut as an open aggression against Lebanon's sovereignty and violation of [UN Security Council] Resolution 1701,\" the statement issued by prime minister's press office read.\n\nAccording to the statement, Hariri intends to review further actions with Lebanese President Michel Aoun and the parliament speaker, Nabih Berri.\n\n\"The aggression is represented by the repeated intrusion of the Israeli aircraft into the air space of Lebanon and their presence in the space over Beirut,\" Hariri said adding that Israel's actions threaten regional stability and may provoke a serious crisis.\n\nThe incident came hours after Israel attacked what it describes as Iranian forces in Syria southeast of Damascus. The Israeli military claimed that the operation was meant to foil a purported attack of Iranian combat drones against Israel. Tehran, meanwhile, refuted Israeli military's claim the Iranian forces were hit in the attack.\n\nIsrael considers Iran and Tehran-backed Hezbollah to be its main rivals in the region. Hezbollah operates a military wing that battled Israel during the latter's invasions of Lebanon. Its military wing is also currently active in Syria, where it is fighting on behalf of the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad.", "Lebanese security stand near the site where an Israeli drone was said to have crashed in a stronghold of the Lebanese Hezbollah group, in a southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Aug. 25, 2019. A Hezbollah official said Sunday that an Israeli drone went down over the Lebanese capital of Beirut and another exploded in the air, amid regional tensions between Israel and Iran. (AP Photo/Bilal Hussein)\n\nBEIRUT (AP) — The leader of Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah said Sunday that his group will confront and shoot down any Israeli drones that enter Lebanese airspace from now on, raising the potential for conflict amid heightened regional tensions.\n\nHassan Nasrallah also vowed to retaliate to an Israeli airstrike inside Syria that took place hours earlier, which he said killed two Hezbollah members.\n\nNasrallah’s speech came after one alleged Israeli drone crashed in a Hezbollah stronghold in south Beirut, landing on the roof of a building that houses Hezbollah’s media office, while another exploded and crashed in a plot behind the building, causing material damage, authorities said.\n\nA Hezbollah spokesman said earlier Sunday that the group did not fire on any of the drones. He said the second drone was likely armed, judging by the damage it caused.\n\nNasrallah said one of the drones had been flying low among buildings, calling it a military “suicide mission” and “a clear aggression.”\n\nHe said allowing Israel to keep flying drones over Lebanon would lead to a similar situation as in Iraq, where a series of attacks there targeting military bases and weapons depot belonging to Iranian-backed militias have left the country on edge. U.S. officials say at least one of them was carried out by Israel.\n\nIn Saturday’s strikes near the Syrian capital, Israel publicly stated it was thwarting an imminent drone strike against Israel by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards’ Al Quds Force.\n\nBut Nasrallah said the strikes actually hit a Hezbollah rest house, marking a rare acknowledgement of member deaths in Syria by Israeli strikes.\n\n“I tell Israeli soldiers on the border (with Lebanon) to be cautious and wait. Maybe in a day or two or three or four… do not think for a moment that Hezbollah will allow such matters to pass,” he added.\n\nThe downed drones and cross-border airstrikes come amid heightened tensions between Israel and Iran, which backs Hezbollah.\n\nIsraeli aircraft continued to violate Lebanese airspace Sunday, flying low over Beirut hours after the drones crashed, raising fears of a wider conflict.\n\nHezbollah spokesman Mohammed Afif said a small, unmanned reconnaissance drone fell on a building housing Hezbollah’s media office in the Moawwad neighborhood in Dahyeh, the group’s stronghold in southern Beirut.\n\nHe said a second drone, which appeared to have been sent by Israel to search for the first one less than 45 minutes later, exploded in the air and crashed in an empty plot nearby, shattering windows in surrounding buildings.\n\nResidents said they heard a loud blast that triggered a nighttime fire.\n\nThere was no immediate Israeli comment on the drone incident or Hezbollah’s remarks.\n\nAP journalists on the scene Sunday said the 11-floor building that houses Hezbollah’s media office as well as nearby buildings suffered minor damage and broken glass. On the second floor, where the group has its offices, shattered glass littered the floors and some of the desks were overturned. A portrait of Nasrallah was on a desk littered with glass.\n\nA Lebanese army statement said an Israeli drone came down while the other exploded in the sky over Beirut, causing material damage.\n\nIsraeli warplanes regularly violate Lebanese airspace and have struck inside neighboring Syria from Lebanon on several occasions, angering Hezbollah and Lebanese officials, who have complained to the United Nations.\n\nThe Lebanese Foreign Ministry counted 481 Israeli violations of Lebanese airspace in the past two months and instructed Lebanon’s representative to the U.N. to submit an immediate complaint.\n\nLebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri described the crash of the two drones constitute a threat to regional stability and an attempt to push the situation toward more escalation.\n\nIsrael’s late-night airstrike Saturday in Syria, which triggered Syrian anti-aircraft fire, appeared to be one of the most intense attacks by Israeli forces in several years.\n\nLt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, a military spokesman, said Iran’s Revolutionary Guards’ Al Quds force, working with allied Shiite militias, had been planning to send a number of explosives-laden attack drones into Israel.\n\nConricus said Israel had monitored the plot for several months and on Thursday prevented Iran from making an “advanced attempt” to execute the same plan. Then, Iran tried again late Saturday to carry out the same attack, he said.\n\nHe declined to give specifics on what targets the Iranians intended to strike.\n\nThe Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitoring group, reported that two Hezbollah members and an Iranian militiaman were killed in the Israeli attack Saturday night.\n\nBut a senior commander in Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, Gen. Mohsen Rezaei, said the Israeli strikes in Syria did not cause any damage or casualties among Iranian forces there, said “the defenders of Syria and Iraq will soon give an answer” to recent attacks by Israel and the United States.\n\nIn recent days, U.S. officials have said that Israeli strikes have hit Iranian targets in Iraq, in what would be a significant expansion of Israel’s campaign targeting Iranian military entrenchment in the region. Iran supports Hezbollah in Lebanon, as well as an array of government-allied militias in Syria and Iraq.\n\nIsrael has carried out hundreds of attacks in recent years targeting Hezbollah and other Iranian targets in Syria. Israel views Iran as its greatest threat and has said it will not tolerate a permanent Iranian presence in Syria or the transfer of advanced weapons to Hezbollah.\n\nIran and Hezbollah are key military allies of Syrian President Bashar Assad in that country’s eight-year-old civil war.\n\nHezbollah and Israel fought a monthlong war in 2006. The volatile border between the two countries, which remain technically in a state of war, has been mostly calm since.\n\nAssociated Press writers Fadi Tawil and Bilal Hussein in Beirut and Josef Federman in Jerusalem contributed reporting.", "Hezbollah says Israeli drones crashed without being shot\n\nBEIRUT (AP) — Hezbollah said Sunday that two Israeli drones crashed in Beirut overnight without the militant group firing on them.\n\nSpokesman Mohammed Afif said a small, unmanned reconnaissance drone fell on the roof of a building housing Hezbollah's media office in the Moawwad neighborhood in Dahyeh, the group's stronghold in the southern part of the Lebanese capital.\n\nHe said a second drone, which appeared to have been sent by Israel to search for the first drone less than 45 minutes later, exploded in the air and crashed nearby — a blast heard by residents of the area.\n\n\"We did not shoot down or explode any of the drones,\" Afif told The Associated Press.\n\nHe said Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah will give the \"appropriate\" response in a televised appearance later Sunday.\n\nLate Saturday, Israeli warplanes attacked targets near the Syrian capital in what the Israeli military said was a successful effort to thwart an imminent Iranian drone strike on Israel. The late-night airstrike, which triggered Syrian anti-aircraft fire, appeared to be one of the most intense attacks by Israeli forces in several years.\n\nIt was not immediately clear if the incidents in Syria and Lebanon were related. There was no immediate Israeli comment on Hezbollah's remarks.\n\nIsrael has carried out hundreds of attacks in recent years targeting Hezbollah and other Iranian targets in Syria. Israel views Iran as its greatest threat and has said it will not tolerate a permanent Iranian presence in Syria or the transfer of advanced weapons to Hezbollah.\n\nIran and Hezbollah are key military allies of Syrian President Bashar Assad in that country's eight-year-old civil war.", "BEIRUT (AP) — The Latest on the reported crash of two Israeli drones in Lebanon, following Israeli attacks on Iranian targets in neighboring Syria (all times local):\n\nLebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri has described the crash of two Israeli reconnaissance drones over Beirut as a violation and \"aggression\" against Lebanese sovereignty.\n\nHe said Sunday that the developments overnight constitute a threat to regional stability and an attempt to push the situation toward more escalation.\n\nHariri's comments were the first by a senior Lebanese official after two Israeli drones crashed in a Hezbollah stronghold in southern Beirut.\n\nIsraeli warplanes regularly violate Lebanese airspace and have struck inside neighboring Syria from Lebanon on several occasions, angering Hezbollah and Lebanese officials, who have complained to the United Nations in the past.\n\nAn Iranian general says Israeli strikes in Syria did not cause any damage or casualties among Iranian forces there.\n\nThe semi-official ILNA news agency quoted Gen. Mohsen Rezaei on Sunday as denying claims by the Israeli military that it thwarted an imminent Iranian drone attack on Israel, calling that a \"lie.\"\n\nRezaei, a senior commander in Iran's Revolutionary Guard, says \"the defenders of Syria and Iraq will soon give an answer\" to recent attacks by Israel and the United States.\n\nIran is a key ally of Syrian President Bashar Assad and has sent military advisers and militias to aid his forces. Israel has repeatedly struck Iran-linked targets in Syria, saying it won't tolerate a permanent Iranian presence there or the transfer of advanced weapons to Hezbollah.\n\nIn recent days, U.S. officials have said that Israeli strikes have also hit Iranian targets in Iraq, in what would be a significant expansion of Israel's campaign targeting Iranian military entrenchment in the region.\n\nA spokesman for Lebanon's Hezbollah says two Israeli drones crashed in Beirut without the militant group firing on them.\n\nMohammed Afif says a small, unmanned reconnaissance drone fell on the roof of a building housing Hezbollah's media office in the Moawwad neighborhood in Dahyeh, the group's stronghold in the southern part of the Lebanese capital.\n\nHe says a second drone which appeared to have been sent by Israel to search for the first drone less than 45 minutes later exploded in the air and crashed nearby — an explosion heard by residents of the area.\n\nAfif told The Associated Press Sunday: \"We did not shoot down or explode any of the drones.\"\n\nHe says Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah will give the \"appropriate\" response in a televised appearance later Sunday.", "Analysts speculate drones that crashed in Beirut were Iranian, not Israeli\n\nThe release of a photograph of a drone that crashed in the Lebanese capital Beirut earlier Sunday morning casts doubt on the claim by the Hezbollah terror group that the craft belonged to the Israeli military, with some Israeli analysts speculating the unmanned aerial vehicle was in fact an Iranian model.\n\nIn the predawn hours of this morning, a UAV exploded in the air outside the offices of the Iran-backed Hezbollah, causing damage to the building. A second crashed nearby and was retrieved by the terror group.\n\nBoth Hezbollah and the Lebanese military claimed the drones belonged to Israel.\n\nOfficial Lebanese state media has just released a photograph of the quadcopter-style UAV that crashed. The aircraft does not resemble any of the UAVs used by the Israeli military.\n\nSeveral well-connected Israeli commentators, including a former IDF general, say the drone appeared to be of an Iranian design.\n\nThe Israel Defense Forces refuses to publicly comment on the incident, saying it does not comment on “foreign reports.”\n\nFormer head of Military Intelligence Amos Yadlin, who now heads the esteemed Institute for National Security Studies think tank, speculates that the drone may have been part of a plot by Tehran to send armed drones into northern Israel to bomb military installations and national infrastructure, an attack that the IDF said it foiled late Saturday night with a series of airstrikes in Syria.\n\n“Were Iranian drones prevented from taking off from the Beirut area?” Yadlin writes on Twitter.\n\nThe former intelligence chief says it appeared as though both Israel and Iran were looking to calm the situation following the late-night airstrikes.", "The head of Hezbollah on Sunday threatened Israel after a “drone attack” on the Lebanese Shiite movement’s Beirut stronghold, vowing to “do everything” to thwart future attacks. Hezbollah, considered a terrorist organisation by Israel and the United States, is a major political actor in Lebanon and a key government backer in war-torn Syria.\n\nThe Shiite movement and Israel, which have fought several wars, have upped their belligerent rhetoric in recent months.\n\nThe pre-dawn incident in Beirut came just hours after Israel said it had launched strikes in neighbouring Syria to prevent an Iranian attack on the Jewish state.\n\nNasrallah said the strike had killed two Hezbollah members.\n\nIn a televised speech broadcast to thousands of supporters, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah said the attack on a target in Beirut’s south was the first such “hostile action” since the 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel.\n\nHe said it violated a UN Security Council resolution ending the 33-day war, which killed 1,200 people in Lebanon, mostly civilians, and 160 in Israel.\n\nNasrallah said Hezbollah would do “everything” to prevent similar attacks.\n\n“The time when Israeli aircraft come and bombard parts of Lebanon is over,” he said.\n\n“I say to the Israeli army along the border, from tonight be ready and wait for us,” he said. “What happened yesterday will not pass.” - ‘Do not rest’ Addressing Israelis, he said: “Do not live, do not rest, do not be reassured, and do not bet for a single moment that Hezbollah will allow... aggression of this kind.” Nasrallah said a surveillance drone had flown over the capital’s suburbs, and that an armed drone had then “hit a specific area”.\n\nEarlier, the Lebanese army said two Israeli drones had violated Lebanese airspace over Beirut, and Hezbollah said one had damaged a media centre it runs in a residential building.\n\nA Hezbollah spokesman, Mohamed Afif, said shards from shattered window panes had caused “minor injuries”.\n\nThe Israeli army declined to comment on the Lebanese claims.\n\nEarlier, Lebanon’s President Michel Aoun, an ally of Hezbollah, said the drone incursion targeted “stability and peace in Lebanon and the region”.\n\nPrime Minister Saad Hariri, who is one of the Shiite group’s most prominent political opponents, said the incident was “a threat to regional stability”.\n\nUS Secretary of State Mike Pompeo later Sunday called Hariri to stress the “necessity to avoid any escalation”, the premier’s office said.\n\nEarlier Sunday, the Israeli military said it had been able late Saturday to thwart an attempt by an Iranian force to attack northern Israel with explosive-laden drones.\n\nSince the beginning of Syria’s war in 2011, Israel has conducted hundreds of strikes in the country, most of them against what it says are Iranian and Hezbollah targets.\n\nHowever it rarely acknowledges specific operations so promptly.\n\nMilitary spokesman Jonathan Conricus said the Israeli attack in Aqraba, southeast of Damascus, targeted “terror targets and military facilities belonging to the Quds force (of Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards) as well as Shiite militias”.\n\n“We’ve been tracking the Quds force” for weeks, he said.\n\n“The intention was to fly a number of attack drones towards targets located in northern Israel,” he said.\n\nA Syrian military source quoted by state news agency SANA said anti-aircraft defences detected “enemy targets” late Saturday and responded. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor, said five fighters were killed, but a high-ranking official in Tehran denied Iranian positions had been hit.\n\nNasrallah said those strikes killed two Hezbollah members but that the site hit was a resting place, not a military facility.\n\n“There were just Lebanese youth from Hezbollah in the place that was bombarded,” he said.\n\nOn Sunday afternoon, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu toured the north of Israel.\n\n“Any country that allows its territory to be used for aggression against Israel will face the consequences,” said the veteran premier, who has sought to burnish his security credentials ahead of September elections.\n\nJust minutes after Israel announced its raid, Netanyahu in the morning had hailed what he termed a “major operational effort” in thwarting an attack. “Iran has no immunity anywhere,” Netanyahu said. “Our forces operate in every sector against the Iranian aggression.”"], "summary": "Hezbollah says two Israeli drones went down in the Moawwad neighborhood of Dahieh (South Beirut), Lebanon, and they did not shoot them. A small reconnaissance drone fell on the roof of the Hezbollah media building, then another drone exploded nearby, causing damage to the building. Residents report a loud blast. The Israeli Army says it does not comment on \"foreign reports\". The Lebanese Army confirms the drones as Israeli."}
{"document": ["A top Revolutionary Guards commander on Sunday denied Israeli claims that Iranian targets were hit in an IDF airstrike in Syria, asserting that the Jewish state lacked the power to carry out such attacks.\n\nHowever, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor appeared to contradict Iran’s denial, saying an Iranian combatant and two fighters for the Lebanese terror group Hezbollah were among the fatalities in the strike.\n\n“The Israeli raids targeting Iranian and Hezbollah posts… in the southeast of Damascus killed at least three people — two from Hezbollah and a third who was Iranian,” Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said.\n\nGet The Times of Israel's Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Free Sign Up\n\nLate Saturday night, the Israel Defense Forces made a rare announcement acknowledging it had carried out the attack in Syria against Iranian forces and Shiite militia members, who it said has been been working on a plan to fly explosives-laden “killer drones” into Israel.\n\nIn a statement issued just minutes after the Israeli army announced its attack, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the military’s “major operational effort” in thwarting the attack planned by “the Iranian Quds force and Shiite militias.”\n\n“Iran has no immunity anywhere,” Netanyahu said. “Our forces operate in every sector against the Iranian aggression. I have directed that our forces be prepared for any scenario. We will continue to take determined and responsible action against Iran and its proxies for the security of Israel.”\n\n“This is a lie and not true,” Mohsen Rezaei, who is also secretary of Iran’s Expediency Council, a powerful state body, told the semi-official ILNA news agency on Sunday, according to the Reuters new agency.\n\n“Israel and the United States do not have the power to attack Iran’s various centers, and our [military] advisory centers have not been harmed,” Rezaei added.\n\nThe late-night airstrike, which triggered Syrian anti-aircraft fire, appeared to be one of the most intense attacks by Israeli forces on Iranian targets in Syria.\n\nNetanyahu, who is also defense minister, held a midnight emergency meeting at the Defense Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv with IDF chief Aviv Kohavi and Mossad head Yossi Cohen, as well as other senior defense officials.\n\nLt. Col. Jonathan Conricus, a military spokesman, said forces had been put on high alert near the Syrian frontier after the attack.\n\nOn Sunday morning, members of Israel’s top-level security cabinet warned that Iran should not feel safe “anywhere.”\n\n“We are taking responsibility for the attack in Syria and are saying that Iran should feel it is not safe anywhere,” Environmental Protection Minister Ze’ev Elkin told Channel 13 TV news.\n\n“Iran is working day and night all over the Middle East in order to build an empire that has set for itself the goal of destroying Israel,” Elkin said.\n\nForeign Minister Israel Katz told the Kan public broadcast radio that Israel had openly taken responsibility for the strike — an unusual move — to demonstrate to Iran that it “has no immunity anywhere.”\n\nHe added: “The [Syria] action was intended to cut the head off the snake.”\n\nSyrian state media said it had shot down most of the Israeli missiles. Military analysts often accuse Syria of exaggerating the efficacy of its air defense systems, claiming to have shot down incoming missiles that in fact hit their targets.\n\nAs regional tensions simmered in the wake of the Syria airstrike, the Iran-backed Hezbollah said Sunday that an armed Israeli drone exploded next to the group’s media headquarters in the Lebanese capital Beirut, causing significant damage, and a second crashed. Hezbollah later said the drones had not been shot down.\n\nThere have been few direct clashes between Israel and Iran in Syria. In May 2018, Israel said Iranian forces fired some 20 rockets at Israel, with most being shot down or failing to reach Israeli territory. In response, Israel carried out extensive airstrikes on Iranian positions in Syria.\n\nWhile Israel has acknowledged carrying out thousands of airstrikes inside Syria against weapons transfers to Iran-backed fighters and to keep Iran from gaining a foothold there, it rarely acknowledges individual strikes.\n\nThe ambiguity is part of a strategy seen as helping give Tehran and Damascus cover from needing to strike back to save face. Israel has appeared to apply the same strategy in Iraq, where the IDF has been reported to have carried out a number of strikes on Iran-backed militia positions near Baghdad.", "BEIRUT (AP) — Syrian opposition activists say airstrikes targeting the country's last major rebel stronghold, the northwestern province of Idlib, have killed three civilians, including a woman and her child.\n\nThe Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says the airstrikes hit in the village of Basqala on the southern edge of Idlib.\n\nThe opposition's Syrian Civil Defense rescue group, also known as White Helmets, said its members helped treat the wounded and handed over the bodies of the dead to their families in Basqala.\n\nSyrian government forces have been on the offensive since April 30, during which they have captured all rebel-held areas in the adjoining Hama province.", "Syrian opposition activists say airstrikes targeting the country’s last major rebel stronghold, the northwestern province of Idlib, have killed three civilians, including a woman and her child.\n\nThe Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says the airstrikes hit in the village of Basqala on the southern edge of Idlib.\n\nThe opposition’s Syrian Civil Defense rescue group, also known as White Helmets, said its members helped treat the wounded and handed over the bodies of the dead to their families in Basqala.\n\nSyrian government forces have been on the offensive since April 30, during which they have captured all rebel-held areas in the adjoining Hama province.\n\nThe months of fighting have also displaced more than half a million toward northern parts of Idlib, already home to some three million people.", "BEIRUT (AP) - Syrian opposition activists say airstrikes targeting the country's last major rebel stronghold, the northwestern province of Idlib, have killed three civilians, including a woman and her child.\n\nThe Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says the airstrikes hit in the village of Basqala on the southern edge of Idlib.\n\nThe opposition's Syrian Civil Defense rescue group, also known as White Helmets, said its members helped treat the wounded and handed over the bodies of the dead to their families in Basqala.\n\nSyrian government forces have been on the offensive since April 30, during which they have captured all rebel-held areas in the adjoining Hama province.\n\nThe months of fighting have also displaced more than half a million toward northern parts of Idlib, already home to some 3 million people.\n\nIn this photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, Syrian President Bashar Assad, second right, meets with a Russian delegation in Damascus, Syria, Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2019. Assad said his forces' recent victories in the northwestern province of Idlib \"show the determination of the people and the army to strike terrorists, until all parts of Syria are liberated.\" (SANA via AP)", "A car bomb exploded in the opposition-held Syrian city of Idlib on Saturday, a war monitor and opposition news channel said, as airstrikes hit its outskirts in a government offensive on the last major opposition bastion.\n\nThe Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and opposition-run Orient News said a car blew up in the al-Qusoor neighborhood. The Observatory said the blast killed two and wounded at least 11.\n\nThe city and the surrounding Idlib province in northwest Syria form part of the last big opposition stronghold in Syria.\n\nALSO READ: Turkey says Syria safe zone center with US fully operational\n\nA new push by Syrian government and Russian forces to take the area has seen heavy strikes and advances this week in the south of Idlib province and nearby Hama, prompting a new civilian exodus.\n\nHundreds of people have been killed in the campaign since late April, the United Nations says.\n\nOn Friday Russia-backed Syrian troops reclaimed a cluster of towns they had lost early in the eight-year-old war, driving out the last opposition fighters from the Hama countryside.\n\nIdlib city itself has largely been spared airstrikes since a major bombing campaign on the territory began in late April, but on Saturday its outskirts were hit from the air, the Observatory and opposition media said.\n\nALSO READ: Damascus opens civilian corridor out of opposition-held Idlib: State media\n\nHeavy strikes continued to hit the south of Idlib province, including around Maarat al-Numan, a city that has been a sanctuary for families fleeing former opposition areas around the country.\n\nThis week tens of thousands fled to Syria’s border with Turkey as the fighting advanced.", "TEL AVIV – The IDF spokesperson’s unit on Sunday released a video of Iranian forces in Syria preparing to launch an explosives-laden drone into northern Israel from Syria last Thursday.\n\nThe video, captured by an Israeli field intelligence unit along the border, shows four fighters from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ elite Quds force carrying the UAV through a field to its planned launch point located in the southern Syrian village of Arneh.\n\nIran attempted a second time to carry out the same attack on Saturday night, the army said, prompting a retaliatory strike by Israel.\n\nThe plan to attack was orchestrated by the IRGC’s Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani, the IDF chief of staff said.\n\nThe Iranian fighters intended to target northern Israel with the attack drones, each of which was packed with “several kilograms of explosives,” IDF spokesman Jonathan Conricus said earlier in the day.\n\nThe IDF monitored the Iranian plot for “a number of weeks,” Conricus said.\n\nOn Saturday around 11pm, Israel Air Force jets struck Iranian targets in the Syrian town of Aqraba, south of Damascus, thwarting the “imminent” UAV attack, the army said. According to war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, five personnel were killed in the strikes, two of whom were operatives for the Iranian proxy terror group Hezbollah and one a member of an Iranian militia. The other two have not been identified.\n\n“The Israeli raids targeting Iranian and Hezbollah posts … in the southeast of Damascus killed at least three people — two from Hezbollah and a third who was Iranian,” Observatory chief Rami Abdel Rahman said.\n\n“The strike targeted Iranian Quds Force operatives and Shiite militias which were preparing to advance attack plans targeting sites in Israel from within Syria over the last number of days,” the IDF said in a statement.\n\nIn his own statement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: “Iran has no immunity anywhere. Our forces operate in every sector against the Iranian aggression. I have directed that our forces be prepared for any scenario. We will continue to take determined and responsible action against Iran and its proxies for the security of Israel.”\n\nThe Syrian army said that “the majority of the Israeli missiles were destroyed before reaching their targets,” but Conricus maintained that the damage caused by the Israeli strikes was “significant,” Reuters reported.\n\nA senior official in Tehran denied that Iran’s facilities had been targeted, saying Israel didn’t have the “power” to do so.\n\n“This is a lie and not true,” Mohsen Rezaei, who is also secretary of Iran’s Expediency Council, told the semi-official ILNA news agency on Sunday, according to Reuters.\n\n“Israel and the United States do not have the power to attack Iran’s various centers, and our [military] advisory centers have not been harmed,” Rezaei added.\n\nLast Thursday, Israel prevented Iran from flying the attack drones into northern Israel from the Syrian village Erneh, the IDF spokesman said.\n\nHe would not elaborate on the exact method employed by the military to foil that attack, but said it was “not necessarily kinetic,” suggesting electronic warfare.\n\nThe attack drones were similar to those used by the Tehran-backed Houthi militia in Yemen, Conricus said.\n\n“The modus operandi is similar to what we have seen in other places in the Middle East — in Yemen and Saudi Arabia,” Conricus said.\n\n“The person who led this attack and commanded it was Qassem Soleimani personally. He funded, coached and trained Shiite operatives, who were supposed to carry it out,” IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi said at a meeting of the IDF Northern Command.\n\nKochavi warned that Iran may carry out retaliatory strikes but that Israel would be ready for them “in the best way possible.”\n\nThe IDF has carried out scores of strikes against Iran-linked targets in Syria, but rarely confirms specific attacks.\n\nIn February 2018, the IDF reportedly downed an armed Iranian drone that had infiltrated Israeli airspace.", "BEIRUT - Syrian opposition activists say airstrikes targeting the country’s last major rebel stronghold, the northwestern province of Idlib, have killed three civilians, including a woman and her child.\n\nThe Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says the airstrikes hit in the village of Basqala on the southern edge of Idlib.\n\nThe opposition’s Syrian Civil Defence rescue group, also known as White Helmets, said its members helped treat the wounded and handed over the bodies of the dead to their families in Basqala.\n\nSyrian government forces have been on the offensive since April 30, during which they have captured all rebel-held areas in the adjoining Hama province.\n\nThe months of fighting have also displaced more than half a million toward northern parts of Idlib, already home to some 3 million people.\n\nGet more of the Star in your inbox Never miss the latest news from the Star. Sign up for our newsletters to get today's top stories, your favourite columnists and lots more in your inbox Sign Up Now", "FILE – This Saturday, July 27, 2019 file photo provided by the Syrian Civil Defense White Helmets, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, shows a Syrian man carrying an injured girl after an airstrike hit the northern town of Ariha, in Idlib province, Syria. Syrian opposition activists and a war monitor said Sunday, July 28, 2019, that five people have been killed in airstrikes on Ariha on Sunday as the government keeps up its deadly air campaign against the rebel-controlled region. (Syrian Civil Defense White Helmets via AP, File)\n\nBEIRUT (AP) — Syrian government airstrikes on a town in the country’s northwest killed five people, two of whom were from the same family, opposition activists said Sunday.\n\nThe airstrikes on the town of Ariha came as the government continued its deadly air campaign against the last rebel-held region in Syria.\n\nAnother 21 people were wounded in the airstrikes. The causality figures were provided by both the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor, and the opposition-affiliated first responders known as the White Helmets.\n\nThe town has been particularly targeted over the past week, as the government looks to regain momentum in its stalled offensive against Idlib province, which began in late April.\n\nA day earlier, activists had said an airstrike in Ariha killed 11 people when it hit a busy market there. It is one of the main towns in Idlib province, which along with the surrounding rural areas of Hama province, are home to 3 million people.\n\nThe rebel enclave is dominated by al-Qaida-linked militants and other jihadi groups. The government says it is targeting terrorist locations.\n\nMost of the civilians living in the rebel stronghold have already been displaced by other bouts of violence.\n\nOver the last three years, the government regained control of most of the territories that were initially seized by the opposition in the early days of the civil conflict — now in its 9th year.", "A car bomb exploded in the rebel-held Syrian city of Idlib on Saturday, a war monitor and opposition news channel said, as air strikes hit its outskirts in a government offensive on the last major opposition bastion. \n\n\n\nThe Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said a car blew up in the al-Qusoor neighbourhood. The opposition-run Orient News said the blast killed one and wounded some others.\n\nIdlib province, of which Idlib is the main city, is in northwest Syria and forms part of the last big rebel stronghold in Syria.A new push by Syrian government forces to take the area has seen heavy strikes and advances this week in the south of Idlib province and nearby Hama, prompting a new civilian exodus. Hundreds of people have been killed in the campaign since late April, the United Nations says. Idlib city itself has largely been spared air strikes since a major bombing campaign on the territory began in late April, but on Saturday its outskirts were hit from the air, the Observatory and opposition media said. Heavy strikes continued to hit the south of Idlib province.", "“The defeat of IS in Manbij was a severe blow to several parties seeking to spread chaos, support terrorism and divide Arabs & Kurds”\n\nThe Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reports that Turkish intelligence has been spreading videos that falsely depict Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) soldiers torturing and harassing Syrian citizens.\n\nThe SOHR in England reported recently that Turkish intelligence — in coordination with Qatari media, Syrian opposition websites and pro-Turkish Syrian activists — is trying to cultivate hatred between Kurds and Arabs east of the Euphrates, a Syrian area Turkey has long threatened to invade. The allegedly fabricated videos in particular target the SDF. Ankara considers the US-supported, Kurd-Arab alliance a terrorist organization.\n\nA July 29 video on Al Jazeera shows a supposed SDF fighter in the Syrian city of Manbij speaking with a poor Kurdish accent as he beats a woman and removes her hijab. The man is heard threatening Arab citizens — including women — to get revenge for them not joining the force. The video also shows a Kurdish security vehicle in the background with an SDF flag flying over it, which drew angry reactions on social networking sites.\n\nThe observatory said the Al Jazeera video was a scam for several obvious reasons — mainly because the SDF doesn’t recruit women — and stressed that tracking down draft-dodging conscripts is the job of the military police, whose uniform is different from the SDF. The SOHR also said the vehicle in the video belongs to the Kurdistan Regional Government’s internal security forces known as Asayish, whose uniform is also different from that of the SDF."], "summary": "Iran denies attacks in southern Syria by Israel hit their installations. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition-aligned medium, claims the missiles killed one Iranian and two people from Hezbollah."}
{"document": ["Beijing’s worldview cannot conceive of a leaderless movement: there have to be saboteurs behind it\n\nOn Friday morning, as Hong Kong woke up, the news came in as thick as the incessant rain: Andy Chan Ho-tin, the head of the outlawed Hong Kong National party, was arrested overnight at the airport as he was about to go to Japan.\n\nThen came the news of Joshua Wong’s arrest – one of the most famous pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong. Wong’s name became known in 2012 when, at 15, he organised the protests against the national education curriculum. The curriculum was seen as an attempt at instilling patriotism in Hong Kong’s youth, but described as “brainwashing” by Wong and his supporters. He was one of the leaders of the Umbrella Movement, in 2014 – for which he served time in jail, and is still facing a number of charges. Among the Umbrella Movement’s leaders was Agnes Chow: she, too, was arrested on Friday. Wong and Chow are the co-founders of the political party Demosisto, which, like Chan’s Hong Kong National party, is one of the organisations that emerged from the Umbrella Movement.\n\nNone of them have had a high profile in the current political strife – it is a leaderless movement that has assumed as one of its recognisable slogans Bruce Lee’s motto of “being water”: adaptable, and mobile.\n\nHong Kong protests: Joshua Wong and other pro-democracy figures arrested Read more\n\nCommentators have been trying to find a good label to give to the protests that have been rocking Hong Kong all summer: umbrellas play a less important role than they did in 2014, even if they are still visible as a protective tool against the weather, tear gas, and unwelcome photographs or security cameras.\n\nSome tried to baptise this the Hard Hat Revolution: things have become a lot more violent on the ground in Hong Kong, with the police routinely firing multiple rounds of tear gas, as well as beanbags rounds, rubber bullets, sponge grenades. Police batons are used with abandon, so helmets can be useful.\n\nOn Sunday, Hong Kong also saw an officer fire the first live round of the current protests. In recent decades, such occasions have been rare in the policing of public unrest: it was almost half a century ago that Hong Kong saw shootings by colonial police trying to restore calm in the territory after the leftist riots of 1967, a spillover of the Chinese Cultural Revolution across the then British territory. In 2016 warning shots were fired by a policeman during protests in the working-class Mong Kok district.\n\nProtesters have not reacted idly to the escalation of violence: bricks have been thrown at police since the 2016 incident. That was when a group of activists battled with the authorities to stop them evicting unlicensed street food sellers during Chinese New Year. It became the Fishball Revolution, from the name of a local delicacy. Its leader was Edward Leung, now 27 and serving a six-year jail sentence. The founder of the group Hong Kong Indigenous, his political awakening came through the fear that the local way of life is being eroded by the desire to integrate Hong Kong ever more seamlessly into China. Leung has given the current movement its most enduring slogan: Reclaim Hong Kong, Revolution of Our Time.\n\nQuick guide What are the Hong Kong protests about? Show Hide Why are people protesting? The protests were triggered by a controversial bill that would have allowed extraditions to mainland China, where the Communist party controls the courts, but have since evolved into a broader pro-democracy movement. Public anger – fuelled by the aggressive tactics used by the police against demonstrators – has collided with years of frustration over worsening inequality and the cost of living in one of the world's most expensive, densely populated cities. The protest movement was given fresh impetus on 21 July when gangs of men attacked protesters and commuters at a mass transit station – while authorities seemingly did little to intervene. Underlying the movement is a push for full democracy in the city, whose leader is chosen by a committee dominated by a pro-Beijing establishment rather than by direct elections.\n\nProtesters have vowed to keep their movement going until their core demands are met, such as the resignation of the city’s leader, Carrie Lam, an independent inquiry into police tactics, an amnesty for those arrested and a permanent withdrawal of the bill. Lam announced on 4 September that she was withdrawing the bill. Why were people so angry about the extradition bill? Beijing’s influence over Hong Kong has grown in recent years, as activists have been jailed and pro-democracy lawmakers disqualified from running or holding office. Independent booksellers have disappeared from the city, before reappearing in mainland China facing charges. Under the terms of the agreement by which the former British colony was returned to Chinese control in 1997, the semi-autonomous region was meant to maintain a “high degree of autonomy” through an independent judiciary, a free press and an open market economy, a framework known as “one country, two systems”. The extradition bill was seen as an attempt to undermine this and to give Beijing the ability to try pro-democracy activists under the judicial system of the mainland. How have the authorities responded? Beijing has issued increasingly shrill condemnations but has left it to the city's semi-autonomous government to deal with the situation. Meanwhile police have violently clashed directly with protesters, repeatedly firing teargas and rubber bullets. Beijing has ramped up its accusations that foreign countries are “fanning the fire” of unrest in the city. China’s top diplomat Yang Jiechi has ordered the US to “immediately stop interfering in Hong Kong affairs in any form”. Lily Kuo and Verna Yu in Hong Kong\n\nWhat started as a revolt against an ill-conceived attempt to introduce an extradition bill that would have allowed suspects to be tried in mainland China, spearheaded by the territory’s chief executive, Carrie Lam, has over time has become a fully-fledged fight for universal suffrage (long promised to Hong Kong) and against increasing police violence.\n\nLooking back through the 22 years that Hong Kong has been under Chinese sovereignty, one major aspect emerges as a clear motivator of the growing political dissatisfaction: the lack of channels of meaningful communication between the government and the governed.\n\nStill, the authorities, in Hong Kong and in Beijing, seem genuinely unable to understand that their chosen interlocutors – a motley crew of billionaires and pro-Beijing loyalists – are not representative of most voices. Hong Kong’s Executive Council is appointed by the chief executive, elected by 1,200 people chosen out of the territory’s 7.5 million citizens. In 2017 Carrie Lam got just 777 of those votes.\n\nSince 1997, every Hong Kong administration has refused to engage in any significant way with the pro-democracy camp, in spite of how vastly representative it is. Lam has been no different.\n\nIn recent days Hong Kong has seen an increase in sabre-rattling from China, which has been putting on display its military power near the border. An armed intervention still seems most unlikely, but instilling the fear of it is seen as a useful strategy. And then, after the arrest of close to 1,000 people through the course of the summer, on Friday came the seemingly inexplicable arrests of activists who have kept a rather low profile. This gives us a clue.\n\nEver since Beijing has had to admit it cannot control the information flooding out of Hong Kong, it has reshaped the events into something it could spin: a small group of “black hands” acting behind the scenes and with international support has tried to sow discord into Hong Kong. The “black hand” theory is an old Soviet trope still shaping the Chinese Communist party’s worldview. With Friday’s arrests we can see that it not only uses it as propaganda, but also actually believes it.\n\nThis worldview cannot conceive of a leaderless movement: there have to be saboteurs behind it, whether they are maliciously undermining China’s Five Year Plan, or inciting disaffected people in Hong Kong to ask for a responsive government. That is how the Tiananmen protests ended, too: with a multi-year campaign to unmask and arrest the “black hands” that had caused it, refusing to take into account that the popular sentiment expressed by the millions who took to the streets could be genuine and spontaneous.\n\nWhat this also points out is a common mistake easily made when looking at China’s most assertive, yet seemingly preposterous, pronouncements: what sounds just like propaganda to outside ears might actually be what China’s leadership believes in, given the determination with which it shuts off all dissenting voices. A government that refuses to listen to its opponents, believes its own propaganda.\n\n• This article was amended on 2 September 2019 because an earlier version said that a recent use of live fire was the first in half a century by Hong Kong police facing rioters. There was at least one intervening example, in 2016.", "Beijing: Hong Kong police have fired a live bullet for the first time as clashes with radical protesters worsened on Sunday evening.\n\nIn another first, two water cannons were deployed to clear the streets as tensions intensifed.\n\nAround 8pm in Tsuen Wen, in the western New Territories, a group of masked protesters wielding metal and bamboo poles chased a smaller group of police down Sha Tsui Road.\n\nOne news video showed an officer stumbling over a water barricade and falling to the ground shortly before a gun shot was heard. The sound of the gun shot stopped the advancing protesters in their tracks.", "A Hong Kong police officer fired at least one gunshot Sunday, the first time a live round has been used during three months of protests.\n\nViolent clashes broke out between protesters and police in Tsuen Wan, around 10 kilometres (six miles) from central Hong Kong, after a rally at a nearby sports stadium attracted thousands of people.\n\n\"According to my understanding, just now a gunshot was fired by a colleague... My initial understanding was that it was a uniformed policeman who fired his gun,\" a Hong Kong police officer told reporters.\n\nHong Kong police also used water cannon for the first time Sunday, raising the stakes against protesters who have staged sometimes violent rallies that have rocked the city for the past three months.\n\nOfficers were seen with drawn sidearms as protesters clashed with police in the district of Tsuen Wan after a rally at a nearby sports stadium.\n\nThe financial hub has been gripped by mass rallies that were initially against a proposed extradition bill to China, but have spun into a wider pro-democracy movement targeting the pro-Beijing government.\n\nAs thousands of people marched in the pouring rain to Tsuen Wan, a group of hardcore protesters erected makeshift roadblocks and dug up bricks from the pavements.\n\nAfter firing tear gas in an attempt to disperse the crowds, police drove water cannon vehicles onto the streets, unfurling signs warning protesters they would deploy the jets if they did not leave.\n\nThe jets were later fired from the moving trucks towards a crowd of protesters who ran away, but hardcore group of protesters later threw bricks and Molotov cocktails in violent confrontations with riot police.\n\nThere were no immediate reports of injuries.\n\nPolice had previously said the vehicles, complete with surveillance cameras and multiple spray nozzles, would only be used in the event of a \"large-scale public disturbance\".\n\nThroughout the protests, Beijing has used a mix of intimidation, propaganda and economic muscle to constrict the protests in a strategy dubbed \"white terror\" by the movement.\n\nThe MTR -- the city's metro -- is the latest Hong Kong enterprise to face public censure, after appearing to bend to Chinese state-media attacks accusing the transport system of being an \"exclusive\" service to ferry protesters to rallies.\n\nOn Sunday the MTR shut stations near the main demonstration area in Tsuen Wan, in the second day of station closures in-a-row.\n\n\"However bleak our future is, we're trying to express ourselves rationally,\" said Peter, in his 20s, before the clashes began.\n\n\"We have faith in ourselves and we have faith in our city that some day our demands will be answered.\"\n\nA second rally in the afternoon of a few hundred people -- some of them family members of police -- criticised the government for leaving officers to handle the brunt of the crisis, while also calling for an independent investigation into the police handling of the protests.\n\n\"I believe within these two months, police have got enough opprobrium,\" said a woman who asked not to be named and said she was a police officer's wife.\n\nThe city's officers are often the focus of protesters' anger because of their perceived heavy handling of the rallies.\n\nTen people were left in hospital after Saturday's clashes -- two in a serious condition -- staff said, without detailing if they were police or protesters.\n\nOn Saturday police baton-charged protesters and fired tear gas, while demonstrators threw rocks and bottles later into the night in a working-class neighbourhood.\n\nProtesters say Hong Kong's unique freedoms are in jeopardy as Beijing tightens its political chokehold on the semi-autonomous city.\n\nThe city had appeared to have pulled back from a sharp nosedive into violence, with the last serious confrontation taking place more than a week ago, shortly after protests paralysed the airport.\n\nGet Breaking news, live coverage, and Latest News from India and around the world on NDTV.com. Catch all the Live TV action on NDTV 24x7 and NDTV India. Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagram for latest news and live news updates.", "Riot police gather around small fires during a protest in Hong Kong, Saturday, Aug. 24, 2019. Chinese police said Saturday they released an employee at the British Consulate in Hong Kong as the city’s pro-democracy protesters took to the streets again, this time to call for the removal of “smart lampposts” that raised fears of stepped-up surveillance. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)\n\nHONG KONG (AP) — Police were skirmishing with protesters in Hong Kong for a second straight day on Sunday following a pro-democracy march in an outlying district.\n\nWhile a large crowd rallied in a nearby park, another group of protesters took over a main street, strewing bamboo poles on the pavement and lining up orange and white traffic barriers and cones to try to obstruct the police.\n\nAfter hoisting warning flags, police used tear gas to try to disperse the crowd. Protesters responded by throwing bricks and gasoline bombs toward the police. The result was a surreal scene of small fires and scattered paving bricks on the street between the two, rising clouds of tear gas and green and blue laser lights pointed by the protesters at the police.\n\nPrior to the skirmishes, tens of thousands of umbrella-carrying protesters marched in the rain in Hong Kong’s latest pro-democracy demonstration. Many filled Tsuen Wan Park, the endpoint of the rally, chanting, “Fight for freedom, stand with Hong Kong,” the South China Morning Post newspaper said.\n\nThe march in Hong Kong’s New Territories started near the Kwai Fong rail station, which has become a focal point of protesters after police used tear gas in the station earlier this month. Police with riot gear could be seen moving into position along the march route.\n\nProtesters have taken to the semiautonomous Chinese territory’s streets for more than two months. Their demands include democratic elections and an investigation into police use of force to quell the protests.\n\nA large group clashed with police on Saturday after a march in the Kowloon Bay neighborhood, building barricades and setting fires in the streets. Police said they arrested 29 people, ranging from 17 to 52 years old, for various offenses, including unlawful assembly, possession of offensive weapons and assaulting police officers.\n\nThe clashes, while not as prolonged or violent as some earlier ones, ended a brief lull in the violence. The protests had turned largely peaceful the previous weekend, after weeks of escalating violence.\n\nIn nearby Macao, another Chinese territory, a pro-Beijing committee chose a businessman as the gambling hub’s next leader with little of the controversy surrounding the government in Hong Kong.\n\nHo Iat-seng, running unopposed, will succeed current leader Chui Sai-on in December. Asked about the protests in Hong Kong, the 62-year-old Ho said they would end eventually, like a major typhoon.\n\nProtesters in Hong Kong have demanded that the city’s leader, Carrie Lam, also chosen by a pro-Beijing committee, step down, though that demand has evolved into a broader call for fully democratic elections.", "A Hong Kong police officer has fired a gunshot during protests here, the first time a live round has been used since demonstrations broke out in June.\n\nImages showed several other officers also pointed guns at protesters who were chasing them with sticks and poles.\n\nIn another first, police deployed water cannon against protesters on Sunday, the BBC reported.\n\nThe protests began in the city’s Tsuen Wan district and have since spread to the district of Tsim Sha Tsui.\n\nDemonstrations were sparked by an extradition bill but have since morphed into broader anti-government protests, and developments on Sunday mark a serious escalation in the unrest.\n\nPolice told local media that the gunshot was fired as a warning to protesters, and that several officers had been taken to hospital as a result of the clashes.\n\nBut police Superintendent Leung Kwok-wing did not say where the shot was aimed.\n\nDuring the melee, one older man was seen on his knees pleading with police not to shoot.\n\nBefore the scuffle, black-clad protesters had thrown projectiles at police, including bricks and petrol bombs.\n\nPolice also fired rubber bullets and tear gas, and used two water cannon vehicles to clear barricades and disperse crowds.\n\nImages on social media show the vehicles being driven through the streets of Tsuen Wan, where a group of demonstrators had set up roadblocks and dug up bricks from the pavement.\n\nThe vehicles are equipped with surveillance cameras and multiple water-cannon nozzles, and police had said they would only be used in the event of a “large-scale public disturbance”.\n\nEarlier this month, human rights group Amnesty International warned that the cannons could cause serious injuries and lead to further tensions.\n\nThere was another, more peaceful rally on Sunday comprised of a few hundred people, some of them family members of the police, who called for a political solution to the crisis.\n\nActivists have criticised the police for being heavy-handed during the pro-democracy rallies.\n\nSeveral people were hospitalised on Saturday after violent clashes.\n\nThe latest round of violence comes after an uneasy peace that lasted a little more than a week.", "Hong Kong police fired water cannon on anti-government protesters in an unprecedented move on Sunday, after an initially peaceful march through a residential district in the western Kowloon peninsula took a violent turn.\n\nTwo crowd-control vehicles were dispatched after protesters earlier took control of a major road, where thousands stood behind barricades and shielded themselves from police tear gas with umbrellas.\n\nThe vehicles chased protesters for several hundred metres before they dispersed into surrounding side streets and a nearby mall.\n\nTseun Wan is best known for its tower-block housing estates and new office blocks, but on Sunday its streets descended into chaos as protesters threw a number of petrol bombs and bricks at riot police.\n\nA police officer fired a gun into the air at around 8 pm (1200 GMT) after he was surrounded by eight to 10 protesters, according to a district council protest monitor.\n\nThe clashes were some of the most intense yet in Hong Kong since protests began on June 9 against a legislative bill that would have allowed for criminal extradition to mainland China, which has a separate legal system from Hong Kong.\n\nProtesters braved the heat and smog on Saturday, only to march through intermittent heavy rains on Sunday.\n\nAs demonstrations enter their 12th week, protesters said they are still as determined as ever to protest against the government as they see themselves taking a last stand against political repression from China.\n\n“It’s a last chance. I think the government’s control will be tighter and tighter and I don’t think they will let loose.\n\n”So this could possibly be our last chance to fight,” said protester Phoenix Ip, who attended a police-sanctioned march through western Kowloon with her 2-year-old son and husband.\n\n“I’m pretty pessimistic about the future – but we still have to try.\n\n”At least we tried for our next generation,” she said.\n\nHong Kong is a former British colony that returned to Chinese rule in 1997, and its unique identity and semi-autonomous status remain important rallying points for protesters.\n\nMany believe the city has seen a decline in civil and political rights since the failure of the 2014 democracy protests known as the Umbrella Movement.\n\n“China doesn’t want to lose Hong Kong, they want Hong Kong to become part of China and act like Chinese people who just follow what the government tells them.\n\n“I don’t think anyone wants to see that happen,” said protester Chevron Hor.\n\nWhile China is yet to signal whether it will intervene with its military or police in Hong Kong, Beijing has put renewed pressure on Hong Kong companies to condemn anti-government protests.\n\nEarlier this week the MTR Corporation, which runs Hong Kong’s subway system, received an injunction against protesters.\n\nIt said it may also suspend service without warning to stations where violent clashes occur.\n\nService at stations near Saturday and Sunday’s protests was also suspended.\n\nThe announcement follows commentary in Chinese state media accusing the MTR of colluding with protesters after extra trains were sent to help residents leave a violent protest in July.\n\nThe subway system has played a critical role in helping protesters to move about the city and evade police. (dpa/NAN)", "HARRISBURG, Pa. — Police were skirmishing with protesters in Hong Kong for a second straight day on Sunday following a pro-democracy march in an outlying district.\n\nWhile a large crowd rallied in a nearby park, another group of protesters took over a main street, building barricades with traffic barriers and cones and strewing bamboo poles on the pavement.\n\nAfter hoisting warning flags, police used tear gas to try to disperse the crowd. Protesters responded by throwing bricks and other objects toward the police, leaving the space in between them strewn with bricks.\n\nPrior to the skirmishes, tens of thousands of umbrella-carrying protesters marched in the rain in Hong Kong's latest pro-democracy demonstration.\n\nThe march in an outlying community in Hong Kong's New Territories started near the Kwai Fong rail station, which has become a focal point of protesters after police used tear gas in the station earlier this month. Police with riot gear could be seen moving into position along the march route.\n\nProtesters have taken to the semiautonomous Chinese territory's streets for more than two months. Their demands include democratic elections and an investigation into police use of force to quell the protests.\n\nA large group clashed with police on Saturday after a march in the Kowloon Bay neighborhood, building barricades and setting fires in the streets. Police said they arrested 29 people, ranging from 17 to 52 years old, for various offenses, including unlawful assembly, possession of offensive weapons and assaulting police officers.\n\nThe clashes, while not as prolonged or violent as some earlier ones, ended a brief lull in the violence. The protests had turned largely peaceful the previous weekend, after weeks of escalating violence.\n\nIn nearby Macao, another Chinese territory, a pro-Beijing committee chose a businessman as the gambling hub's next leader with little of the controversy surrounding the government in Hong Kong.\n\nHo Iat-seng, running unopposed, will succeed current leader Chui Sai-on in December. Asked about the protests in Hong Kong, the 62-year-old Ho said they would end eventually, like a major typhoon.\n\nProtesters in Hong Kong have demanded that the city's leader, Carrie Lam, also chosen by a pro-Beijing committee, step down, though that demand has evolved into a broader call for fully democratic elections.", "Six Hong Kong police officers drew firearms and one fired a warning shot for the first time since the demonstrations began 12 weekends ago, police said Monday in a statement.\n\n\"Being surrounded, under attacks and facing threats to life, six police officers withdrew pistols and stayed on guard while giving warnings to the protesters,\" said the statement.", "State-run media outlet Xinhua said the central government had the \"authority\" and \"responsibility\" to intervene and prevent riots in Hong Kong, reiterating comments made former Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping, who oversaw Hong Kong's return to China from British rule under a dual governance setup, which gives the city a separate legal system with more democratic freedoms until 2047.\n\nSunday's pro-democracy protests had begun peacefully. Thousands braved a thunderstorm to march from Kwai Chung to Tseun Wan district, in the city's New Territories. They showed up dressed in plastic ponchos and rain coats, and huddled under a sea of umbrellas.\n\nBut the violence returned Sunday evening, when a smaller, more hardcore group of protesters broke away from the day's main police-approved march -- now a familiar feature of the protests. They used traffic cones and street railings to build makeshift barricades in the street, and threw bricks and petrol bombs at police. Fifteen police officers were injured and sent to the hospital for treatment, officials said Sunday.\n\nLater, a water cannon against a makeshift barricade -- that marked the first time water cannon vans had ever been used in the city. Protesters were pushed back, but again the crowd didn't disperse.\n\nThe Hong Kong police said in a statement that the officers were \"surrounded, under attacks and facing threats to life\" and one officer fired \"a warning shot to the sky without any other choices.\"\n\nIn a statement, police said protesters' actions were \"outrageous and have overstepped the bottom line of a civilized society,\" and added that they \"will take relentless enforcement action to bring the persons involved to justice.\"\n\nA 12-year-old was among the 36 people arrested on Sunday, underscoring that young children are involved in the more violent aspects of the protest movement, days before schools reopen after the summer break.\n\nAccording to organizers on the messaging platform Telegram, the march was intended to reiterate protesters' core demands -- withdrawal of an extradition bill, the dropping of riot charges of those arrested, an independent inquiry into police and greater democratic reforms -- as well as express opposition to alleged police brutality.\n\nViolence also broke out Saturday, after thousands in the city's east Kwun Tong district marched for the movement's five demands, and against the government's installation of \"smart\" environmental monitoring lampposts, which have sparked privacy concerns.\n\nDemonstrators attempted to tear down or dismantle some of the city's 50 newly-installed so-called \"smart lampposts\" -- which have cameras and sensors -- in a protest against perceived government surveillance. The Hong Kong government said the lamp posts, which are intended to track data such as air quality and traffic flow, are not equipped with facial recognition software and \"would not infringe upon personal privacy.\"\n\nThe stand off brought an end to a week of relative calm in Hong Kong, which had seen numerous clashes between protesters and police since early summer. After tear gas was fired nearly every weekend in July, last weekend saw an estimated 1.7 million people brave the heavy rain and heat to march peacefully. The calm continued through the week, with protesters peacefully creating a human chain across the city on Friday -- the 30th anniversary of the Baltic Way human chain.\n\nHowever, senior police officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said this week that officers had been targeted and exposed online even while there was temporary peace on the streets. The police said officers' personal data, contact information, home addresses and more had been shared online, and accused protesters of threatening officers' families.\n\nA group of Hong Kong Police relatives held their own rally on Sunday, calling for a communication platform between the police and the public \"to mend the broken relationship,\" and asking the police to act \"with malice or ill-will toward none,\" according to a Facebook post by organizers.\n\nThe group of about 400 attempted to deliver a letter to Chief Executive Carrie Lam, saying that their relatives in the police force should not be \"used as a shield\" and that Lam should \"settle the political issue with politics.\"\n\n\"After more than two months, everyone is tired. Can we sit down and talk about it?\" she said, acknowledging that there were deeper societal problems beyond the immediate violence that needed to be addressed.", "HONG KONG: Hong Kong riot police fired tear gas and baton-charged protesters who retaliated with a barrage of stones, bottles and bamboo poles on Saturday (Aug 24), as a standoff in a working-class neighbourhood descended into violence, breaking an uneasy peace that had lasted several days.\n\nIt was the first use of tear gas in about 10 days amid protests that have persisted for nearly three months.\n\n\n\nEarlier thousands of demonstrators, many wearing hard hats and gas masks, marched through the industrial Kwun Tong area, where they were blocked by dozens of riot police with shields and batons outside a police station.\n\nREAD: Our coverage of the Hong Kong protests\n\nFrontline protesters - known as \"braves\" - pulled together a barricade of traffic barriers and bamboo construction poles. As the afternoon wore on some fired stones from slingshots, prompting a charge from police, wielding batons and pepper spray.\n\nTears gas swept across the road as protesters retreated, leaving a trail of broken bottles and at least one small fire in their wake.\n\nSeveral of the black-clad protesters were detained as officers swept through.\n\nHong Kong's police force have become the target of the protesters' ire for their perceived heavy-handed response to the months of demonstrations.\n\n\n\nREAD: Skin in the game: Hong Kong protesters get inked\n\n\n\nAntipathy has soared towards the police, who have used baton charges, rubber bullets and tear gas against hardcore protesters, but are also accused of beating peaceful demonstrators.\n\nThe city had appeared to have pulled back from a nosedive into violence, with the last serious clashes taking place a week and a half ago just after the city's airport was paralysed by demonstrators.\n\nBut tension rippled across Saturday's march, where a number of frontline radical demonstrators known as \"braves\" had gathered.\n\n\"I understand being peaceful will not solve the problem,\" 19-year-old student protester Ryan told AFP, giving one name.\n\n\"The government won't respond to peaceful protest. If I am arrested it is because I come out to speak for justice.\"\n\n\n\nPolice chased hundreds of protesters, holding a line underneath a bridge but threatening a new charge.\n\n\"I've never seen Hong Kong in such a situation,\" 65-year-old Dee Cheung told AFP earlier, before explaining why he joined the protests.\n\n\"The youngsters who come out have put their future at stake ... they are doing this for Hong Kong.\n\n\"There might be some things we don't agree with, like the 'braves' who tend to charge. But let's think about why they do that?\"\n\nProtests started against a proposed law that would have allowed extradition to China, but have bled into wider calls for democracy and police accountability in the semi-autonomous city.\n\nAt the airport, all those seeking to enter the terminal had to show valid boarding passes and passports. Train stations feeding the airport, as well as roads to it, were largely clear early on, with a light police presence along some access routes.\n\nCathay Pacific Airways, which has become the biggest corporate casualty of the protests after China demanded it suspend staff involved in the demonstrations, protested against a planned rally by the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions around the airport's \"Cathay City\" HQ on Monday.\n\n\"We have reminded our people that the injunction granted to the Airport Authority of Hong Kong also covers Cathay City, which is the operational hub for our global operations and as such includes facilities that are absolutely critical to our flight operations,\" it said in a statement.\n\n\" ... We have also reiterated to our employees that there is a zero-tolerance approach to any support for or participation in illegal protests, violent activities or overly radical behaviour,\" it said.\n\nThere is no sign of a let-up almost three months after the anti-government demonstrations began. On Friday night, thousands of chanting protesters formed human chains around the city in a peaceful protest dubbed the \"Hong Kong Way\".\n\nOrganisers said 135,000 people took part in the demonstration, inspired by one in 1989 when an estimated two million people joined arms across three Baltic states in a protest against then-Soviet rule that became known as the \"Baltic Way\" or \"Baltic Chain\".\n\nFriday's protest, which included people shining lights on sidewalks and atop Kowloon's Lion Rock mountain, followed warnings from Beijing and city leader Carrie Lam to stop the demonstrations and restore order.\n\nAuthorities have so far refused to meet any of the protesters' five key demands, including calls for an independent inquiry into police brutality, a full withdrawal of the extradition bill, and full democracy.\n\nOrganisers are planning a host of protests in the coming weeks including a mass march, a city-wide strike and class boycotts at universities."], "summary": "In an escalation of the ongoing protests, a police officer fires a gun whilst clearing protesters; this is the first time a gun has been fired by a police officer in Hong Kong since 1967."}
{"document": ["Holidaymakers among 7 dead as helicopter and small plane collide in Majorca\n\nHolidaymakers among 7 dead as helicopter and small plane collide in Majorca\n\nThe cause of the collision is being investigated. Pic: Incendios f.Baleares\n\nSeven people, including two children, have been killed in a collision between a helicopter and a small plane in Majorca.\n\nFive people were on board the helicopter, two of them minors, and they were all likely to be German, the Balearic Islands government said on Twitter.\n\nTwo adult Spaniards were in the small plane. All the people on board the two aircraft were killed.\n\nImage: Two children are believed to be among the dead. Pic: Incendios f.Baleares\n\nAccording to a Spanish news agency, the aircraft crashed into a field following the collision at 1.35pm local time.\n\nEmergency services and local police attended the scene of the accident near Inca on the island, El Pais newspaper reported.\n\nAdvertisement\n\nLocal media said the helicopter was on a sight-seeing tour.\n\nImage: The area of the crash has been sealed off\n\nSpanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez sent \"solidarity and affection\" to the families of the victims via a Twitter message and said that he follows \"with concern\" the information that comes from Inca.\n\nAuthorities have launched an investigation into how the accident happened.", "MADRID — A mid-air collision between a sightseeing helicopter and a small plane on the Spanish island of Mallorca killed seven people Sunday, authorities said.\n\nThe victims included three adults and two children on the helicopter, and two local men on the light plane, the regional government of Spain's Balearic Islands, which include Mallorca, said in a tweet.\n\nLocal media reported the helicopter was on a sightseeing tour. One of the helicopter victims was Italian, private Spanish news agency Europa Press said.\n\nPart of the wreckage from the aircraft landed near houses in a rural area.", "This photo provided by Incendios f.Baleares shows wreckage on a path near Inca in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, Sunday Aug. 25, 2019. Authorities in Mallorca say at least 5 people have died in a collision between a helicopter and a light plane on the Spanish island. (Incendios f.Baleares via AP)\n\nMADRID (AP) — A mid-air collision between a sightseeing helicopter and a small plane on the Spanish island of Mallorca killed seven people Sunday, authorities said.\n\nThe victims included three adults and two children on the helicopter and two local men on the light plane, the regional government of Spain’s Balearic islands, which include Mallorca, said in a tweet.\n\nLocal media reported the helicopter was on a sightseeing tour. One of the helicopter victims was Italian, private Spanish news agency Europa Press said.\n\nPart of the wreckage from the aircraft landed near houses in a rural area.\n\nAuthorities have opened an investigation into what happened.\n\nSpain’s caretaker prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, sent his condolences on Twitter to the victims’ families and expressed sadness at the “tragic accident.”\n\nNo further details were immediately available.", "MADRID (AP) - At least five people were killed Sunday in a collision between a helicopter and a small plane on the island of Mallorca, authorities said.\n\nThe regional government of Spain's Balearic islands, which include Mallorca, tweeted that the crash happened at 1:35 p.m. (1135 GMT).\n\nIt said one of the dead was a minor.\n\nPart of the wreckage from the aircraft landed near houses in a rural area.\n\nAuthorities have opened an investigation into what happened.\n\nSpain's caretaker prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, sent his condolences on Twitter to the victims' families and expressed sadness at the \"tragic accident.\"\n\nThis photo provided by Incendios f.Baleares shows wreckage on a path near Inca in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, Sunday Aug. 25, 2019. Authorities in Mallorca say at least 5 people have died in a collision between a helicopter and a light plane on the Spanish island. (Incendios f.Baleares via AP)\n\nNo further details were immediately available.\n\nThis photo provided by Incendios f.Baleares shows wreckage by a fence near Inca in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, Sunday Aug. 25, 2019. Authorities in Mallorca say at least 5 people have died in a collision between a helicopter and a light plane on the Spanish island. (Incendios f.Baleares Via AP)", "MADRID — A mid-air collision between a sightseeing helicopter and a small plane on the Spanish island of Mallorca killed seven people Sunday, authorities said.\n\nThe victims included three adults and two children on the helicopter and two local men on the light plane, the regional government of Spain’s Balearic islands, which include Mallorca, said in a tweet.\n\nLocal media reported the helicopter was on a sightseeing tour. One of the helicopter victims was Italian, private Spanish news agency Europa Press said.\n\nPart of the wreckage from the aircraft landed near houses in a rural area.\n\nAuthorities have opened an investigation into what happened.\n\nSpain’s caretaker prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, sent his condolences on Twitter to the victims’ families and expressed sadness at the “tragic accident.”\n\nNo further details were immediately available.", "At least five people have been killed in a collision between a helicopter and a small plane on the island of Mallorca, authorities in Spain have said.\n\nAt least five people have been killed in a collision between a helicopter and a small plane on the island of Mallorca, authorities in Spain have said.\n\nSeven people killed after helicopter and plane collide mid-air in Majorca\n\nThe incident, in which one of the deceased is reported to be a minor, happened at 11.35am, according to the regional government of Spain's Balearic islands, which include Mallorca.\n\nEmergency services were at the scene, the authorities added.\n\nPrivate Spanish news agency Europa Press cited unidentified local officials saying the aircraft had crashed into a farm field.\n\nNo further details were immediately available.", "This photo provided by Incendios f.Baleares shows wreckage on a path near Inca in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, Sunday Aug. 25, 2019. Authorities in Mallorca say at least 5 people have died in a collision between a helicopter and a light plane on the Spanish island. (Incendios f.Baleares via AP)\n\nMADRID (AP) — At least five people were killed Sunday in a collision between a helicopter and a small plane on the island of Mallorca, authorities said.\n\nThe regional government of Spain’s Balearic islands, which include Mallorca, tweeted that the crash happened at 1:35 p.m. (1135 GMT).\n\nIt said one of the dead was a minor.\n\nPart of the wreckage from the aircraft landed near houses in a rural area.\n\nAuthorities have opened an investigation into what happened.\n\nSpain’s caretaker prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, sent his condolences on Twitter to the victims’ families and expressed sadness at the “tragic accident.”\n\nNo further details were immediately available.", "At least five people were killed Sunday in a collision between a helicopter and a small plane on the island of Mallorca, Spanish authorities said.\n\nThe regional government of Spain's Balearic islands, which include Mallorca, tweeted that the crash happened at 1.35 p.m. (1135 GMT). It said one of the dead was a minor.\n\nAuthorities added that emergency services were at the scene.\n\nPrivate Spanish news agency Europa Press cited unidentified local officials saying the aircraft crashed into a farm field.\n\nNo further details were immediately available.", "Five people, including one child, are dead after a bizarre mid-air collision involving a helicopter and a small airplane on the Mediterranean island of Mallorca, according to government officials.\n\nThe accident occurred in the sun-bleached town of Inca, near Mallorca’s capital Palma – a destination popular with British tourists.\n\nPhotos of the crash site show the charred wreckage of the two aircraft, in what appears to be a residential area.\n\nThe nationalities of the victims are not yet known.\n\nIf you like this story, share it with a friend!", "Seven dead in midair collision in Spain’s Mallorca\n\nMADRID: Seven people including two children were killed in a midair collision between a helicopter and a light aircraft over Spain´s Mallorca island on Sunday, authorities said. The two aircraft crashed over the central town of Inca at 1135 GMT, the regional Balearic Islands government said. Everyone aboard the two aircraft — two on the light plane and five on the helicopter — perished in the crash, police said."], "summary": "A helicopter and an ultralight airplane plane collide near the town of Inca, on the island of Mallorca, Spain, killing seven people including two children, according to regional government officials."}
{"document": ["Alaska flight 64 takes off from Petersburg airport in July of 2018. (Joe Viechnicki/KFSK)\n\nMultiple Alaska Airlines flights were hit by lightning in Southeast Alaska Sunday.\n\nAlaska Airlines confirms that flights 64 and 65 both had lightning strikes from storms that moved through the northern panhandle and also knocked out power in the capital city Sunday.\n\nFlight 65 was heading to Juneau from Petersburg.\n\n“We were descending into Juneau when they flew through a big cumulus cloud,” said Leo Luczak, a passenger from Petersburg. “It started hailing and then we saw the flash outside the window and heard a big boom from getting hit by lightning.”\n\nThat flight landed in Juneau soon after. Luczak said the pilot notified passengers of the lightning strike and said the plane needed to be inspected. Passengers disembarked and waited in the Juneau airport for a flight to Anchorage later that evening. Juneau’s airport also lost power during the storm. Alaska Airlines says that plane was flown to Seattle without passengers for further inspection.\n\nMeanwhile flight 64 was flying out of Juneau that day and also suffered a separate lightning strike. Instead of landing in Petersburg and continuing on to Wrangell the plane diverted to Ketchikan. The airline says a maintenance technician inspected the plane and cleared it to continue flying. That flight continued on to Seattle. Passengers bound for Petersburg and Wrangell finished their journeys on Monday.\n\nThe company says no other planes were hit Sunday. However, passengers report another strike. Bill Menish of Petersburg said he was on two separate flights hit by lightning in one day. He and his wife were on flight 65 that landed in Juneau.\n\n“We were probably down I don’t know around 20,000 feet or less, probably less and going through some clouds and then all of sudden there’s this more of a, kind of a big pop, and then just immediately on the tail of that was this bright flash,” he described. “It was almost kind of like a reddish yellow flash. It kind of startled everybody. Nobody panicked too bad though that I could tell but it definitely caught everybody’s attention.”\n\nAnd Menish said their connecting flight 76 from Juneau to Seattle also was hit.\n\n“When we took off were climbing out, the same thing only this was actually a louder pop and a brighter flash,” Menish said. “So I don’t know if it was something stronger but it was definitely louder and brighter.”\n\nKTOO radio reports that storms were seen in Pelican as early as 8 o’clock Sunday morning and then moved through Icy Strait, Gustavus, Funter Bay, Douglas Island, and up and down Stephens Passage. A big lightning show was reported in Excursion Inlet, west of Juneau.\n\nDaniel Hartsock, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Juneau explained the storms moved into Juneau in the afternoon.\n\n“They intensified over the Juneau area where we definitely got quite a few lightning strikes with a fairly good sized thunder storm that moved across the Auke Bay and the airport and into the valley and then another storm developed near downtown Juneau and kind of moved over Douglas and that area,” Hartsock said.\n\nJuneau’s electric utility says lightning caused the power outage throughout the capital city that day and said strikes were reported in other parts of Juneau.\n\nMatt Miller at KTOO in Juneau contributed to this report. This story has been updated with additional passenger accounts.", "Take a look at this intense video below. Lightning struck and injured 6 people at the PGA Championship near Atlanta. It happened at the East Lake Golf Club after the third round yesterday afternoon. Play was suspended because of thunderstorms in the area. 5 men and a girl had taken shelter under a tree when the lightning hit (not a good place to stand during a storm, read more about lightning safety below). They were taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.\n\nThere is little you can do to substantially reduce your risk if you are outside in a thunderstorm. The only completely safe action is to get inside a safe building or vehicle. However, if that is not an option stay away from water, metal, tall isolated objects like trees and spread apart from the rest of your group. The best thing you can do is know the forecast and plan ahead. For More Information Visit: NOAA.GOV\n\nLightning is a major cause of storm related deaths in the U.S. A lightning strike can result in a cardiac arrest (heart stopping) at the time of the injury, although some victims may appear to have a delayed death a few days later if they are resuscitated but have suffered irreversible brain damage.\n\nAccording to the NWS Storm Data, over the last 30 years (1989-2018) the U.S. has averaged 43 reported lightning fatalities per year. Only about 10% of people who are struck by lightning are killed, leaving 90% with various degrees of disability. More recently, in the last 10 years (2009-2018), the U.S. has averaged 27 lightning fatalities.\n\nDirect Strike: A person struck directly by lightning becomes a part of the main lightning discharge channel. Most often, direct strikes occur to victims who are in open areas. Direct strikes are not as common as the other ways people are struck by lightning, but they are potentially the most deadly. In most direct strikes, a portion of the current moves along and just over the skin surface (called flashover) and a portion of the current moves through the body--usually through the cardiovascular and/or nervous systems. The heat produced when lightning moves over the skin can produce burns, but the current moving through the body is of greatest concern. While the ability to survive any lightning strike is related to immediate medical attention, the amount of current moving through the body is also a factor.\n\nSide Flash: A side flash (also called a side splash) occurs when lightning strikes a taller object near the victim and a portion of the current jumps from taller object to the victim. In essence, the person acts as a “short circuit” for some of energy in the lightning discharge. Side flashes generally occur when the victim is within a foot or two of the object that is struck. Most often, side flash victims have taken shelter under a tree to avoid rain or hail.\n\nGround Current: When lightning strikes a tree or other object, much of the energy travels outward from the strike in and along the ground surface. This is known as the ground current. Anyone outside near a lightning strike is potentially a victim of ground current. In addition, ground current can travels in garage floors with conductive materials. Because the ground current affects a much larger area than the other causes of lightning casualties, the ground current causes the most lightning deaths and injuries.Ground current also kills many farm animals. Typically, the lightning enters the body at the contact point closest to the lightning strike, travels through the cardiovascular and/or nervous systems, and exits the body at the contact point farthest from the lightning. The greater the distance between contact points, the greater the potential for death or serious injury. Because large farm animals have a relatively large body-span, ground current from a nearby lightning strike is often fatal to livestock.\n\nConduction: Lightning can travel long distances in wires or other metal surfaces. Metal does not attract lightning, but it provides a path for the lightning to follow. Most indoor lightning casualties and some outdoor casualties are due to conduction. Whether inside or outside, anyone in contact with anything connected to metal wires, plumbing, or metal surfaces that extend outside is at risk. This includes anything that plugs into an electrical outlet, water faucets and showers, corded phones, and windows and doors.\n\nStreamers: While not as common as the other types of lightning injuries, people caught in “streamers” are at risk of being killed or injured by lightning. Streamers develop as the downward-moving leader approaches the ground. Typically, only one of the streamers makes contact with the leader as it approaches the ground and provides the path for the bright return stroke; however, when the main channel discharges, so do all the other streamers in the area. If a person is part of one of these streamers, they could be killed or injured during the streamer discharge even though the lightning channel was not completed between the cloud and the upward streamer. See Robert’s story as an example of a streamer injury.", "The Tampa Bay Lightning announced Saturday they signed former St. Louis Blues forward Pat Maroon to a one-year, $900,000 contract. Last season, he played in 74 regular-season games and recorded 28 points while scoring seven points in 26 Stanley Cup Playoff games.\n\nMaroon, a St. Louis native, has bounced around the league the last few seasons but is known for being a gritty player with strong leadership skills. Fresh off a Stanley Cup championship, Maroon gives the Lightning a few things they may have been missing heading into the 2019-20 season.\n\nLooking at the Lightning’s bottom-six forwards, there’s Anthony Cirelli, Mathieu Joseph, Danick Martel, Cedric Paquette, Alex Killorn and now Maroon. Ryan Callahan was a fourth-line leader for the Lightning who had a great presence in the locker room, but his career has essentially ended due to a chronic back injury. With the Maroon signing, the Lightning still have a bottom-six leader some of the younger players can learn from.\n\nThe bottom-six of an NHL lineup isn’t the flashiest job, but Maroon isn’t the flashiest player, and neither are any of the Lightning’s other bottom-six forwards. He’s going to get in front of the net, stir the pot in front of the opposition’s goalie and create more chances to get shots through for the Lightning defensemen.\n\nWhat he will also provide for players like Cirelli, Joseph and Martel is a guy they can play with and learn from on the fly. These are players the Lightning view as young, valuable assets, and having Maroon on their line will only help them gain a better understanding of the NHL.\n\nThe Lightning currently do not have one player on their roster who has won the Stanley Cup. There are a few players who were on the team when they made it to the Cup Final in 2015, but that’s different than actually winning it all. Plus, that was four years ago. The Lightning aren’t looking at the past, and adding Maroon gives the Lightning a guy who knows exactly what it takes to win it all.\n\nMaroon is a role player and every Stanley Cup-winning team needs at least one of those guys on the ice and in the locker room. As was stated earlier, he had seven points in 26 playoff games last year — including a Game 7, double-overtime goal that sent the Blues to the Western Conference Final — but his point totals have never been what sets him apart in the NHL. What does set him apart is his role as a tough, gritty, hard-nosed player, but he also brings fresh playoff experience to the Lightning, something they didn’t get much of last season.\n\nThis deal caught a lot of people by surprise. Many believed the Lightning were focused on getting a contract for Brayden Point, and that’s likely still their top priority, but Maroon comes to the Lightning on a very team-friendly deal. At just $900,000, the team still has over $8 million in cap space this season to sign Point while getting a strong role player in Maroon.\n\nIt’s also come full circle for head coach Jon Cooper, who coached Maroon in juniors in 2006-07 with the St. Louis Bandits. The team won the North American Hockey League’s Robertson Cup and Maroon was named to the NAHL First All-Star team.\n\nRelated: Maroon Is Earning His Place in Blues’ History\n\nSigning Maroon makes a lot of sense for the Lightning. Since they lost Callahan, a great locker room leader, and Erne, a fourth-line grinder, Maroon can fill both of those voids left behind on a very team-friendly contract. He’s also no stranger to Cooper — although it’s been a few years — which should help make the transition from the Blues to the Lightning that much easier.", "An Irishman was hospitalised over the weekend after being knocked out cold during a lightning strike at a golf tournament .\n\nRyan Murphy, 19, was among six people injured after lightning struck a tree at the FedEx Championship in Atlanta, Georgia on Saturday.\n\nLightning struck the top of a 60-foot pine tree and shattered the bark all the way to the bottom during the third round of the tournament.\n\nRyan, a keen golf fan, had travelled to Atlanta to watch Rory McIlroy and was following the golfer when the \"freak\" incident occurred.\n\nThe Co Tyrone teenager had spent the summer working in the US and had planned on going to the tournament before returning home to Ireland.\n\nHis father Terry said: \"He's bruised and shaken and he wants to come home.\"\n\nTerry had spent Saturday evening texting his son about the tournament and had a bad feeling when he heard about the lightning strike.\n\nHe told the BBC: \"I just felt it in my gut so I tried to call him.\"\n\nWhen there was no reply, the family began calling hospitals near the golf course.\n\nAfter about 45 minutes, Ryan answered his phone.\n\nHis father explained: \"I heard the beeping of machines and I knew it was medical.\n\n\"The first thing he said to me was 'Don't say anything to mummy'.\"\n\nThe youngster had scans to make sure there was no internal damage and was back in his hotel room by Sunday afternoon.\n\nHe was hoping to visit San Francisco and New York before coming home, but is now hoping to return to Ireland on Tuesday before going to Queen's University to study structural engineering with architecture.\n\nThe Department of Foreign Affairs has said it is aware of the case and is providing consular assistance.\n\nThe PGA Tour commented: \"EMT tended to those fans and two others immediately and transported them from the property via ambulance for further medical attention.\n\n\"Our latest report is that their injuries do not appear to be life-threatening.\"\n\nAtlanta Police spokesman James H. White III said five men and one female juvenile had sought shelter beneath the tree that was struck by lightning.\n\nHe said they were taken to hospitals for further treatment, all of them alert, conscious and breathing.\n\nThe incident happened shortly before 5pm local time after play had been suspended at 4.17pm. Two lightning strikes struck 28 minutes later.\n\nProfessional golf tournaments became far more vigilant about stopping play amid the threat of lightning after two spectators were killed at separate major championships in the United States in 1991.\n\nOne man was killed and five others injured while sheltering under a tree at the 1991 US Open at Hazeltine in Minnesota.\n\nTwo months later, another spectator died when struck while walking to his vehicle at the PGA Championship at Crooked Stick in Indiana.\n\nHowever, while players and caddies are loaded into vehicles and taken back to the clubhouse in such situations, fans are left to seek their own shelter, and may lack the time to leave the course safely or choose not to do so.\n\nIf you haven't already, be sure to like our Irish Mirror Sport and Irish Mirror GAA pages on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.", "A North Carolina family is seeking a full refund from Alaska Airlines after it claims the carrier “abandoned” their unaccompanied 13-year old daughter, who was traveling alone from Raleigh, N.C. to Spokane, Wash.\n\nDouglas Davila says he received a frantic call from his teenager during a layover at San Francisco International Airport, saying she was left alone. The teen borrowed a cellphone from a sympathetic fellow passenger.\n\n\"It's hard when you hear your son or daughter say, 'I'm by myself in San Francisco,’” Davila said. \"My heart was in my throat. I was shaking,\"\n\nDavila said he not only paid full price for the ticket, but also the $75 extra fee for the service to have his daughter accompanied through the flight, including a gate escort and guardian contact.\n\n“Once you've handed your child over to our care, he or she will remain under supervision at all times,” the Alaska Airlines website notes.\n\nBut Davila said that didn’t happen.\n\n“Our investigation, which includes specific records that tracked the movement of our young guest, indicates employees did meet her when her flight arrived and escorted her to our Service Center at San Francisco International Airport,” Alaska Airlines told a San Francisco television station. “While we had tabs on our young guest the entire time, we understand that she may have felt unsupervised in the crowded area and for that we are deeply sorry. We also think we could have done a better job communicating with her.”\n\nAlaska Airlines issued a refund for the $75 fee but the parents are hoping they can get the full cost of the flight refunded.", "Several people have been struck by lightning at a golf event in Atlanta\n\nSeveral people have been injured after lightning struck a tree at a golf tournament in the US.\n\nThe Tour Championship, being held at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, had been suspended on Saturday afternoon so spectators and players could shelter from a storm.\n\nThe lightning struck a 60ft pine tree just off the 16th tee about half an hour later, shattering the trunk all the way to the bottom.\n\nAtlanta Police spokesman James H White III said five men and one girl had been sheltering under the tree. All six were injured when the lightning struck.\n\nThey were taken to hospital where they were described as alert, conscious and breathing.\n\nBrad Uhl, from Atlanta, was among those who saw the lightning strike.\n\nHe said: \"There was just a big explosion and then an aftershock so strong you could feel the wind from it.\n\n\"It was just a flash out of the corner of the eye. It was raining and everyone was huddled near the tree.\"\n\nThe PGA said the third round of the tournament had been suspended for the day, adding: \"the safety of our fans, players and partners is of the utmost importance\".\n\nLightning strikes have killed 12 people in the US so far this year, according to the National Weather Service.", "Lightning Bitcoin (CURRENCY:LBTC) traded down 2.2% against the U.S. dollar during the one day period ending at 15:00 PM ET on August 26th. Lightning Bitcoin has a market capitalization of $9.77 million and approximately $5.97 million worth of Lightning Bitcoin was traded on exchanges in the last day. Over the last seven days, Lightning Bitcoin has traded 8.1% lower against the U.S. dollar. One Lightning Bitcoin coin can currently be bought for approximately $2.53 or 0.00024518 BTC on exchanges including BtcTrade.im, ZB.COM and CoinEgg.\n\nHere is how similar cryptocurrencies have performed over the last day:\n• Litecoin (LTC) traded up 2.7% against the dollar and now trades at $74.18 or 0.00719140 BTC.\n• UNUS SED LEO (LEO) traded up 0.7% against the dollar and now trades at $1.19 or 0.00011506 BTC.\n• Dogecoin (DOGE) traded down 5.5% against the dollar and now trades at $0.0027 or 0.00000026 BTC.\n• Bytom (BTM) traded 0.1% lower against the dollar and now trades at $0.0874 or 0.00000847 BTC.\n• Verge (XVG) traded down 2.8% against the dollar and now trades at $0.0053 or 0.00000051 BTC.\n• NEXT (NET) traded 10.4% lower against the dollar and now trades at $1.41 or 0.00013647 BTC.\n• TTC Protocol (TTC) traded down 5.3% against the dollar and now trades at $0.0992 or 0.00001073 BTC.\n• Polymath (POLY) traded 1.5% lower against the dollar and now trades at $0.0405 or 0.00000393 BTC.\n• Syscoin (SYS) traded up 13.9% against the dollar and now trades at $0.0308 or 0.00000299 BTC.\n• Matrix AI Network (MAN) traded down 5.7% against the dollar and now trades at $0.0823 or 0.00000799 BTC.\n\nLBTC is a proof-of-work (PoW) coin that uses the Scrypt hashing algorithm. It launched on August 11th, 2017. Lightning Bitcoin’s total supply is 7,465,926 coins and its circulating supply is 3,860,808 coins. The official website for Lightning Bitcoin is lbtc.io. Lightning Bitcoin’s official Twitter account is @LightningBTC. Lightning Bitcoin’s official message board is medium.com/lightning-bitcoin-blog.\n\nLightning Bitcoin can be purchased on the following cryptocurrency exchanges: ZB.COM, BtcTrade.im and CoinEgg. It is usually not possible to buy alternative cryptocurrencies such as Lightning Bitcoin directly using U.S. dollars. Investors seeking to trade Lightning Bitcoin should first buy Bitcoin or Ethereum using an exchange that deals in U.S. dollars such as GDAX, Changelly or Coinbase. Investors can then use their newly-acquired Bitcoin or Ethereum to buy Lightning Bitcoin using one of the aforementioned exchanges.\n\nReceive News & Updates for Lightning Bitcoin Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and updates for Lightning Bitcoin and related cryptocurrencies with MarketBeat.com's FREE CryptoBeat newsletter.", "6-people were injured by a lightning strike at the PGA Tour Championship in Atlanta on Saturday. Nobody was struck by the lightning, but it sent debris flying, and that’s what caused the injuries. 1-person was treated at the scene. The other 5-were hospitalized, but released later that night. Play resumed yesterday, and Rory McIlroy came out on top. He wins $15-million!", "A Cookstown teenager struck by lightning at a US golf tournament is planning to return home on Tuesday.\n\nNineteen-year-old Ryan Murphy was \"knocked out cold\" and left bruised and shaken.\n\n According to his father, Terry, his son had been following Rory McIlroy at the event in Georgia.\n\n Ryan - who had been working in the US over the summer - was sheltering under a tree with other spectators when the lightning struck, injuring him and five other people.\n\n Video footage shared on social media shows the lightning strike hit the tree before a cloud of smoke goes up.\n\n Mr Murphy told the BBC he and his son had been texting each other throughout Saturday, with Ryan providing running commentary of the Tour Championship.\n\n Both are members of Killymoon Golf Club in Cookstown and Ryan had gone to Georgia in the hope of seeing a McIlroy victory.\n\n His father says: “I heard the beeping of machines and I knew it was medical. The first thing he said to me was ‘Don’t say anything to mummy’.”\n\n Ryan told his father he had been sheltering under a tree when the lightning struck and all he could remember was waking up “yards away” with the emergency services all around him.", "Fans are assisted by medical personnel after a lightning strike during the third round of the Tour Championship golf tournament at East Lake Golf Club.\n\n(ABC News) At least six people were injured and play was suspended on Saturday afternoon at the Tour Championship golf tournament in Atlanta when lightning struck at the 16th hole of the golf course, officials said.\n\nThe injured were treated for non-life-threatening injuries and taken to nearby hospitals after a pop-up storm developed and at least two lightning bolts hit the East Lake Golf Club as NBC was broadcasting the Professional Golf Association tournament.\n\nPGA officials suspended the third round of the Tour Championship for the day at 4:17 p.m. due to inclement weather. About a half-hour later, two lightning strikes hit the golf course, according to PGA officials.\n\nOne of the lightning bolts hit a tree near the 15th green and 16th tee of the golf course and people standing nearby were struck by debris, according to a report on the PGA website.\n\nESPN reported that lightning struck the top of a tree near the 15th green and 16th tee and shattered bark all the way to the bottom.\n\n“I felt a little bit of pressure and lightning struck. It was probably about 200 yards away,” a spectator who witnessed the lightning strike told ABC affiliate station WSB-TV in Atlanta.\n\n#breaking\n\nDekalb County firefighters are treating four victims after reported lightning strike @eastlakegc , Dekalb County officials confirmed.\n\nWITNESS: “I felt a little bit of pressure and then lightning struck.”15:18 PM – Aug 24, 2019 · East Lake Golf ClubTwitter Ads info and privacySee Michael Seiden’s other Tweets\n\nFour adult males and a juvenile were seeking shelter near a tree when lightning hit the tree, Atlanta police spokesman Carlos Campos told the Atlanta Journal Constitution.\n\nA spokesman for the DeKalb County fire department said there were six patients.\n\nParamedics treated the people injured and ambulances took them to hospitals for additional medical attention.\n\nPGA officials stopped play for the day and said the tournament would resume at 8 a.m. Eastern Time on Sunday.\n\n“The safety of our fans, players and partners is of the utmost importance. We will provide further updates as they become available,” the PGA said in a statement.\n\nAt the time the play suspended, American Justin Thomas was leading the tournament by one stroke over Rory McIlroy of Ireland and Brooks Koepka of the United States."], "summary": "Lightning strikes on at least two Alaska Airlines planes force them to make emergency landings in Southeast Alaska. Lightning also knocked out electrical service to the state capital, Juneau."}
{"document": ["Advertising Read more\n\nKutupalong (Bangladesh) (AFP)\n\nSome 200,000 Rohingya rallied in a Bangladesh refugee camp to mark two years since they fled a violent crackdown by Myanmar forces, just days after a second failed attempt to repatriate the refugees.\n\nAround 740,000 Rohingya from Myanmar's Rakhine state escaped in August 2017 during the brutal offensive, joining another 200,000 who fled earlier persecution in vast camps in southeast Bangladesh.\n\nChildren, hijab-wearing women, and men in long-skirt lungis shouted \"God is Great, Long Live Rohingya\" as they marched at the heart of the world's largest refugee camp to commemorate what they described as \"Genocide Day\".\n\nUnder the scorching sun, thousands joined in a popular song with the lyrics \"the world does not listen to the woes of Rohingya\".\n\n\"I have come here to seek justice for the murder of my two sons. I will continue to seek justice till my last breath,\" 50-year-old Tayaba Khatun said as tears rolled down her cheeks.\n\nMyanmar had said they were conducting counter-insurgency operations against Rohingya extremists after they attacked police posts, but the UN last year called for Myanmar's top generals to be prosecuted for genocide over the crisis.\n\nRohingya leader Mohib Ullah said the stateless minority wanted to return home, but only after they were granted citizenship, their security was ensured and they were allowed to settle back in their villages.\n\n\"We have asked the Burmese government for dialogue. But we haven't got any response from them yet,\" Ullah told the rally.\n\n\"We were beaten, killed and raped in Rakhine. But still that is our home. And we want to go back.\"\n\nPolice officer Zakir Hassan told AFP some 200,000 Rohingya took part in the peaceful gathering.\n\nSecurity has been tight across Kutupalang camp, the world's largest refugee settlement and home to more than 600,000 Rohingya.\n\n\"Hundreds of police, army and border guards have been deployed to prevent any violence,\" local police chief Abul Monsur told AFP.\n\nThe rally came three days after the failed attempt to repatriate the refugees, which saw not a single Rohingya turn up to return across the border.\n\nOn Saturday, Bangladesh police said they shot dead two refugees during a gunfight in a camp after the pair were accused of killing a ruling party official.\n\nThe Rohingya are not recognised as an official minority by the Myanmar government, which considers them Bengali interlopers despite many families having lived in the country for generations.\n\n© 2019 AFP", "Rohingya refugees perform prayers as they attend a ceremony organised to remember the first anniversary of a military crackdown that prompted a massive exodus of people from Myanmar to Bangladesh, at the Kutupalong refugee camp in Ukhia on August 25, 2018. Source: Dibyangshu Sarkar/AFP\n\nSOME 200,000 Rohingya rallied in a Bangladesh camp Sunday to mark two years since they fled a violent crackdown by Myanmar forces, just days after a second failed attempt to repatriate the refugees.\n\nDuring the brutal August 2017 offensive, around 740,000 of the Muslim minority escaped Myanmar’s Rakhine state — joining those who had fled earlier persecution.\n\nA total of nearly one million refugees now live in three dozen squalid camps in Bangladesh’s southeastern border district of Cox’s Bazar.\n\nOn Sunday, children, hijab-wearing women, and men in long-skirt lungis shouted “God is Great, Long Live Rohingya” as they marched at the heart of the world’s largest refugee camp to commemorate what they described as “Genocide Day”.\n\nUnder the scorching sun, thousands joined in a popular song with the lyrics “the world does not listen to the woes of Rohingya”.\n\n“I have come here to seek justice for the murder of my two sons. I will continue to seek justice until my last breath,” 50-year-old Tayaba Khatun said as tears rolled down her cheeks.\n\nMyanmar has said it was conducting counter-insurgency operations in August 2017 against Rohingya extremists who attacked police posts.\n\nBut the UN last year called for Myanmar’s top generals to be prosecuted for genocide over the crisis.\n\nRohingya leader Mohib Ullah said the stateless minority wanted to return home, but only after they were granted citizenship, their security was ensured and they were allowed to settle back in their villages.\n\n“We have asked the Burmese government for dialogue. But we haven’t got any response from them yet,” Ullah told the rally.\n\n“We were beaten, killed and raped in Rakhine. But still that is our home. And we want to go back.”\n\nRohingya students from schools set up by aid agencies held marches with black flags and chanted “yes Rohingya… no Bengali” — in reference to a term Myanmar has used for the ethnic group, implying they are from Bangladesh.\n\nThe refugees burst into tears as they offered special prayers, seeking divine blessings for people who had died in the offensive. They had large banners urging Myanmar to “talk to us about citizenship and Rohingya ethnicity”.\n\nPolice officer Zakir Hassan told AFP some 200,000 Rohingya took part in the peaceful gathering. Smaller rallies were also held in several other camps.\n\nSecurity has been tight across Kutupalong camp, the world’s largest refugee settlement and home to more than 600,000 Rohingya.\n\n“Hundreds of police, army and border guards have been deployed to prevent any violence,” local police chief Abul Monsur told AFP.\n\nThe rally came three days after the failed attempt to repatriate the refugees, which saw not a single Rohingya turn up to return across the border.\n\nBangladesh and UN officials interviewed nearly 300 families, but none of them agreed to go back to Myanmar where they fear they would be kept in special camps for internally displaced people.\n\nMyanmar blamed Dhaka for the failure, saying it had not followed correct procedure when distributing so-called “verification forms” to potential returnees — a controversial form of identification that falls short of granting Rohingya citizenship.\n\nBangladesh on Sunday said Myanmar’s claims were baseless.\n\n“It is Myanmar’s responsibility to create a conducive environment in Rakhine through decisive actions and to reduce the trust deficit of Rohingyas,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.\n\nBangladesh refugee commissioner Mohammad Abul Kalam told AFP authorities would continue to talk to more refugees in the next few days as part of repatriation efforts.\n\nAmnesty International said ongoing violence in Rakhine “makes immediate repatriation dangerous and unsustainable” and called on Bangladesh to provide schooling for children in the camps, adding that it would have long-term benefits for Dhaka and the refugees.\n\nOn Saturday, Bangladesh police said they shot dead two refugees during a gunfight in a camp after the pair were accused of killing a ruling party official.", "COX'S BAZAR, Bangladesh: Bangladesh police shot dead a third Rohingya refugee on Monday (Aug 26) after they were accused of the murder of a ruling party official that has sparked anger among the local population.\n\nNearly a million Rohingya live in squalid camps in south-east Bangladesh, 740,000 of whom fled a 2017 military offensive against the Muslim minority in Myanmar.\n\nPolice said Mohammad Hasan, a suspected Rohingya \"dacoit\" or gang member, was shot dead after he allegedly opened fire at officers during a raid to arrest him at Jadimura refugee camp.\n\n\"He is an accused in the murder of Omar Faruk,\" local police chief Prodeep Kumar Das told AFP, referring to a ruling Awami League party youth wing official who was shot in the head by suspected Rohingya criminals on Thursday.\n\nOn Saturday police said they had shot dead two Rohingya refugees at the same refugee camp in the Cox's Bazar district over their alleged roles in the murder.\n\nRights activists, who asked not to be named, said they believe the two Rohingya men were killed by police in what appeared to be a staged encounter.\n\nThe incident comes days after a second failed attempt to repatriate the refugees which saw not a single Rohingya turn up to return across the border to conflict-scarred Rakhine state.\n\nOn Sunday, the Rohingya marked two years since the military crackdown in Myanmar with some 200,000 rallying in a refugee camp where refugee leaders vowed they won't return home unless their rights and security are ensured.\n\nFaruk's murder had sparked anger among the local population, with hundreds of furious people blocking a key highway leading to the camp for hours on Thursday, burning tyres and vandalising shops visited by refugees.\n\nRohingya refugees have said the recent bloodshed has created an atmosphere of fear in the camp, where security has been tightened.\n\nWith the latest death, at least 33 Rohingya have been killed by Bangladeshi police and security forces since the exodus in August 2017, a police inspector Ruhul Amin told AFP.\n\nHe said that most were suspected drug traffickers, accused of smuggling yaba, a popular methamphetamine pill from across the Myanmar border.\n\nUN investigators have said the 2017 violence warrants the prosecution of top Myanmar generals for \"genocide\".", "KUTUPALONG, BANGLADESH (AFP) - Some 200,000 Rohingya rallied in a Bangladesh refugee camp on Sunday (Aug 25) to mark two years since they fled a violent crackdown by Myanmar forces, just days after a second failed attempt to repatriate the refugees.\n\nAround 740,000 Rohingya from Myanmar's Rakhine state escaped in August 2017 during the brutal offensive, joining another 200,000 who fled earlier persecution.\n\nThe nearly one million refugees now live in three dozen squalid camps in Bangladesh's south-eastern border district of Cox's Bazar.\n\nOn Sunday, children, hijab-wearing women, and men in long-skirt lungis shouted \"God is Great, Long Live Rohingya\" as they marched at the heart of the world's largest refugee camp, to commemorate what they described as \"Genocide Day\".\n\nUnder the scorching sun, thousands joined in a popular song with the lyrics \"the world does not listen to the woes of Rohingya\".\n\n\"I have come here to seek justice for the murder of my two sons. I will continue to seek justice till my last breath,\" 50-year-old Tayaba Khatun said as tears rolled down her cheeks.\n\nMyanmar had said they were conducting counter-insurgency operations against Rohingya extremists after they attacked police posts, but the United Nations last year called for Myanmar's top generals to be prosecuted for genocide over the crisis.\n\nRohingya leader Mohib Ullah said the stateless minority wanted to return home, but only after they were granted citizenship, their security was ensured and they were allowed to settle back in their villages.\n\n\"We have asked the Burmese government for dialogue. But we haven't got any response from them yet,\" Mr Ullah told the rally.\n\n\"We were beaten, killed and raped in Rakhine. But still that is our home. And we want to go back.\"\n\nYoung Rohingya students from schools set up by aid agencies held marches with black flags and chanted slogans, \"yes Rohingya, ... no Bengali\", in reference to the term Myanmar has used for the ethnic group.\n\nThe refugees offered special prayers, seeking divine blessings for people who had died. They held large banners urging Myanmar to \"talk to us about citizenship and Rohingya ethnicity\".\n\nPolice officer Zakir Hassan told AFP some 200,000 Rohingya took part in the peaceful gathering, which was attended by UN officials.\n\nSecurity has been tight across Kutupalong camp, the world's largest refugee settlement and home to more than 600,000 Rohingya.\n\n\"Hundreds of police, army and border guards have been deployed to prevent any violence,\" local police chief Abul Monsur told AFP.\n\nThe rally came three days after the failed attempt to repatriate the refugees, which saw not a single Rohingya turn up to return across the border.\n\nBangladesh and UN officials interviewed nearly 300 families, none of whom agreed to go back Myanmar where they fear they would be kept in special camps for internally displaced people.\n\nAmnesty International said the ongoing violence in Rakhine \"makes immediate repatriation dangerous and unsustainable\", and called on Bangladesh to provide schooling for children in the camps, adding that it would have long-term benefits for Dhaka and the refugees.\n\nOn Saturday, Bangladesh police said they shot dead two refugees during a gunfight in a camp after the pair were accused of killing a ruling party official.\n\nThe Rohingya are not recognised as an official minority by the Myanmar government, which considers them Bengali interlopers despite many families having lived in the country for generations.", "Thousands of Rohingya refugees have marked the second anniversary of their exodus into Bangladesh by rallying and praying as they demand Myanmar grant them citizenship and other rights before they agree to return.\n\nAlmost 200,000 Rohingya participated in a peaceful gathering, which was attended by UN officials, at the Kutupalong camp in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar on Sunday, police officer Zakir Hassan told AFP news agency.\n\nChildren, hijab-wearing women, and men wearing long lungis shouted: “God is great, long live Rohingya” as they marched in the heart of the world’s largest refugee camp to commemorate what they described as “Genocide Day”.\n\nSome carried placards and banners, reading “Never again! Rohingya genocide remembrance day” and “Restore our citizenship”.\n\nOn August 25, 2017, nearly 740,000 Muslim-majority Rohingya fled Rakhine State for Bangladesh – joining 200,000 already there – after Myanmar’s armed forces launched a brutal crackdown following attacks on security posts.\n\nSunday’s rally came days after a second failed attempt to repatriate the refugees, which saw not a single Rohingya turn up to return across the border.\n\n“We want to tell the world that we want our rights back, we want citizenship, we want our homes and land back,” Mohib Ullah, one of the organisers of Sunday’s protest, told the Associated Press news agency. “Myanmar is our country. We are Rohingya.”\n\n“I have come here to seek justice for the murder of my two sons. I will continue to seek justice till my last breath,” 50-year-old Tayaba Khatun told AFP as tears rolled down her cheeks.\n\n‘Long-term problem’\n\n On Saturday, Bangladesh police said they shot dead two refugees during a gunfight in a camp after the pair were accused of killing a ruling party official.\n\nNearly a million Rohingya live in squalid camps in southeast Bangladesh.\n\nAl Jazeera’s Stefanie Dekker, reporting from the Kutupalong refugee camp, said: “The scale of this camp is like nothing you have ever seen. It has roughly the same population as Islamabad or Oslo.”\n\n“A city of refugees, but without the infrastructure needed to cope,” she added.\n\nThe Rohingya, a mainly Muslim minority, are not recognised as an ethnic group in Myanmar, despite having lived there for generations. They have been denied citizenship and are rendered stateless.\n\nBangladesh and Myanmar signed a repatriation deal in November 2017, with a plan to return the refugees within two years.\n\nBangladesh, with the help of the UN refugee agency, attempted to start the repatriation of 3,450 Rohingya on Thursday for a second time after the last attempt in November, but none agreed to go back voluntarily.\n\n“They asked if we wanted to go back to Myanmar, I said no. They asked me why. I told them that our homes were burned, our family members were raped and killed. This is why we suffered to come here. How can we go back without knowing that we will be safe?” Noor Hossain told Al Jazeera.\n\nRohingya leader Mohib Ullah said the stateless minority wanted to return home, but only after they were granted citizenship, their security was ensured and they were allowed to settle back in their villages.\n\n“We have asked the Burmese government for dialogue. But we haven’t got any response from them yet,” Ullah told the rally.\n\nAl Jazeera’s Dekker said many were too “terrified and traumatised” to go back.\n\n“There are reports that most of the homes of these people have been razed to the ground by the authorities, that other structures have been put up in their place, so where will they be going back to?” she said.\n\n“These are the issues that haven’t been addressed and I think many people tell you realistically that this is going to be a long-term problem for Bangladesh and potentially the region.”\n\n‘Genocidal intent’\n\n A UN-established investigation last year recommended the prosecution of Myanmar’s top military commanders on charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity for the crackdown on the Rohingya.\n\nOn Thursday, the UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Myanmar released a new report concluding that rapes of Rohingya women by Myanmar’s security forces were systemic and demonstrated an intent to commit genocide.\n\nThe report said the discrimination Myanmar practised against the Rohingya in peacetime aggravated the sexual violence towards them during times of conflict.\n\nThe UN has called the Rohingya crisis a “textbook example of ethnic cleansing”.\n\n“The Rohingya genocide is the last step in the continuity of persecution and a deliberate campaign of terror, violence, killings and rape waged against our people that began decades ago,” the UK-based Arakan Rohingya National Organisation (ARNO) said in a statement on Sunday.\n\n“Today, we remember and honour all those who were killed as heroes and martyrs. We will remember them forever.”", "Some 200,000 Rohingya rallied in a Bangladesh refugee camp to mark two years since they fled a violent crackdown by Myanmar forces, just days after a second failed attempt to repatriate the refugees.\n\nAround 740,000 Rohingya from Myanmar’s Rakhine state escaped in August 2017 during the brutal offensive, joining a further 200,000 who fled earlier persecution in vast camps in southeast Bangladesh.\n\nPeople shouted “God is great, long live Rohingya” as they marched in the scorching sun at the heart of the world’s largest refugee camp to commemorate what they described as “Genocide Day”.\n\n“I have come here to seek justice for the murder of my two sons – I will continue to seek justice, ” Tayaba Khatun, 50, said through her tears.\n\nMyanmar had said it was conducting counter-insurgency operations against Rohingya extremists after they attacked police posts, but the UN called in 2018 for Myanmar’s top generals to be prosecuted for genocide over the crisis.\n\nRohingya leader Mohib Ullah said the stateless minority wanted to return home, but only after they were granted citizenship, their security was ensured and they were allowed to settle back in their villages.\n\n“We have asked the Burmese government for dialogue, but we haven’t got any response from them yet,” Ullah told the rally.\n\n“We were beaten, killed and raped in Rakhine. “But still that is our home. “And we want to go back.“Police officer Zakir Hassan said some 200,000 Rohingya took part in the peaceful event.\n\nSecurity has been tight across Kutupalang camp, the world’s largest refugee settlement and home to more than 600,000 Rohingya.\n\nThe rally came three days after the failed attempt to repatriate the refugees, which saw not a single Rohingya turn up to return across the border.\n\nOn Saturday, Bangladesh police said they had shot dead two refugees during a gunfight in a camp after the pair were accused of killing a ruling party official.\n\nThe Rohingya are not recognised as an official minority by the Myanmar government, which considers them Bengali interlopers.", "Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh - On a fateful August morning two years ago, Safina Begum, now 23, fled her charred village in Maungdaw district in Myanmar and slogged through marshland and paddy fields for three days to reach the Kutupalong refugee camp in neighbouring Bangladesh.\n\n\"They [Myanmar army] killed my father and two brothers in front of my eyes. I ran for my life,\" Safina, who has taken shelter in Shalbagan camp for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, told Al Jazeera.\n\nWhile life in the refugee camps is not easy, Safina said she at least does not have to fear for her life here. \"If I go back there, I will die.\"\n\nLike Safina, nearly a million Rohingya live in 27 refugee camps in southern Bangladesh.\n\nMost arrived there two years ago when more than 700,000 Rohingya fled to Bangladesh after a brutal military crackdown by the Myanmar army that started on August 25, 2017.\n\nThey joined hundreds of thousands of Rohingya who were already living in Bangladesh, having fled earlier waves of violence during the 1970s and 1990s.\n\nAkbar Ali, 52, wants to go back. But he says his daughters, one of whom was allegedly raped by the Myanmar army, are too traumatised to go back.\n\n\"My heart cries for my home in Rakhine state. I have spent all of my life there. I used to have farmland. Here I have nothing, living the life of refugees,\" said Ali.\n\nA second attempt to return 3,400 refugees last week failed as refugees said they feared going back to Rakhine without a guarantee of citizenship rights and safety.\n\nKulsum Begum, who lives with her son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren in Shalbagan camp, told Al Jazeera she was content that they have food and shelter in refugee camps.\n\nShe said she \"doesn't ask for more from God\".\n\n\"I only wish my son had a job, but it's very hard for a refugee to get one,\" she said.\n\nMany Rohingya refugees have started small enterprises in the camps.\n\nShafiq (who didn't reveal his surname) was four when he came to Kutupalong camp with his father in 1991.\n\nNow, 32, he runs a tailoring shop inside the Nayapara camp. \"I get a lot of orders from the refugees as I can sew the clothes according to the latest fashion trend.\"\n\nShafiq said he can't remember anything about his homeland.\n\n\"I came here as a child. I have lived as a refugee all my life.\"", "TEKNAF: Bangladesh police said they had shot dead two Rohingya refugees during a gunfight in a refugee camp on Saturday (Aug 24) after the pair were accused of killing a ruling party official.\n\nNearly a million Rohingya live in squalid camps in southeast Bangladesh, 740,000 of whom fled a 2017 military offensive against the Muslim minority in Myanmar.\n\nRights activists, who asked not to be named, said they believe the two Rohingya men were killed by police in what appeared to be a staged encounter.\n\nThe incident comes two days after a second failed attempt to repatriate the refugees, which saw not a single Rohingya turn up to return across the border to conflict-scarred Rakhine state.\n\n\"Both men died as they were rushed to a hospital,\" local police inspector Rasel Ahmad told AFP, adding that the incident took place in Jadimura refugee camp in Cox's Bazar district.\n\nREAD: 'We are hostages': Two years on, Rohingya still in Myanmar trapped by new war\n\nAhmad said the two Rohingya were shot and critically injured during a manhunt for suspects after a youth wing official of the ruling Awami League party was killed, allegedly by armed refugees.\n\nAwami League official Omar Faruk was shot in the head on Thursday, at a settlement near the border town of Teknaf, Ahmad said.\n\nHis murder had sparked anger among the local population, with hundreds of furious people blocking a key highway leading to the camps for hours, burning tyres and vandalising shops visited by refugees.\n\nAhmad said the two men killed on Saturday had been identified as key suspects in Faruk's killing and added that they had been shot while the officers were ambushed by the suspected criminals.\n\n\"It was wrong of the refugees to agitate the locals. We want justice in the quickest possible time,\" said Abdul Matin, a friend of the deceased politician.\n\nRefugees said the recent bloodshed has created an atmosphere of fear in the camps, where security has been tightened.\n\nThe killings came as the Rohingya are set to commemorate the second anniversary of their mass influx into Bangladesh from Rakhine after the brutal military campaign.\n\nUN investigators have said the 2017 violence warrants the prosecution of top Myanmar generals for \"genocide\".\n\nOn Thursday Bangladesh's second attempt to start repatriation of Rohingya back to Myanmar faltered after the refugees said they won't return unless their security is ensured and they were granted citizenship in their homeland.", "Alwaght- Almost 200,000 Rohingya Muslim refugees in Bangladesh have participated in a gathering in Kutupalong camp on Sunday to markthe second anniversary of the Myanmarese army’s brutal crackdown that displaced them, AFP news agency reported.\n\nChildren, hijab-wearing women, and men in long-skirt lungis shouted: \"God is great, long live Rohingya\" as they marched at the heart of the world's largest refugee camp to commemorate what they described as a \"Genocide Day\".\n\nSome carried placards and banners, reading \"Never again! Rohingya genocide remembrance day\" and \"Restore our citizenship\".\n\nOn August 25, 2017, nearly 740,000 Muslim-majority Rohingya fled Rakhine State for Bangladesh - joining 200,000 already there - after Myanmar's armed forces launched a brutal crackdown following attacks on security posts.\n\nThe United Nations termed the offensive “a textbook example of ethnic cleansing,” with soldiers engaging in rape, murder, and the burning down of entire Rohingya villages.\n\nSunday's rally came days after a second failed attempt to repatriate the refugees, which saw not a single Rohingya turn up to return across the border.\n\n\"We want to tell the world that we want our rights back, we want citizenship, we want our homes and land back,\" Muhib Ullah, one of the organisers of Sunday's protest, told the Associated Press news agency. \"Myanmar is our country. We are Rohingya.\"\n\n\"I have come here to seek justice for the murder of my two sons. I will continue to seek justice till my last breath,\" 50-year-old Tayaba Khatun told AFP news agency as tears rolled down her cheeks.\n\nThe Rohingya, a mainly Muslim minority, are not recognized as an ethnic group in Myanmar, despite having lived there for generations. They have been denied citizenship and are rendered stateless.", "The commemorations took place amid heightened tensions in parts of the camps after security forces shot dead two Rohingya Saturday.\n\nAt least 100,000 Rohingya refugees rallied in camps in Bangladesh Sunday, marking two years since the start of a brutal military crackdown in Myanmar that forced more than 730,000 to flee across the border.\n\nMassive crowds gathered in the morning on a hillside for memorial prayers for relatives killed in the violence.\n\nOthers marched under the sweltering sun chanting, “We want justice” and “No more genocide”, some wearing white shirts bearing the words ‘Rohingya Genocide Remembrance’.\n\nThe commemorations took place amid heightened tensions in parts of the camps after security forces shot dead two Rohingya Saturday, saying they were involved in the murder of a ruling party official.\n\nMore than one million people live in the camps in southern Bangladesh in the world’s largest refugee settlement. The majority having fled violence in 2017 that the United Nations says was executed with “genocidal intent”.\n\nRefugees say Myanmar’s security forces and Buddhist civilians carried out mass killings and gang rapes during weeks of “clearance operations”. Myanmar denies those accusations and says they were conducting legitimate operations against Rohingya insurgents who attacked police posts.\n\n“We miss our home, our relatives, our beloved ones who were killed in Myanmar,” said Chekufa, the leader of the Rohingya Women’s Empowerment and Advocacy Network, which organized one of the demonstrations. “We miss them very much today.”\n\nEfforts to begin repatriating 3,450 Rohingya cleared by Myanmar failed Thursday after none agreed to go.\n\nIn Myanmar, Rohingya are denigrated as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, denied citizenship, and subjected to human rights violation.\n\nDespite squalid conditions in the Bangladesh camps, refugees are fearful of returning home without assurances of citizenship and security.\n\n“We are very grateful to the Bangladesh government, but we are living here not like humans but like animals, just eating and sleeping,” Chekufa said.\n\nIqbal Hossain, additional superintendent of police in Cox’s Bazar, told Reuters at least 100,000 Rohingya took part in the protests, which were peaceful.\n\nBut tensions were high in the southern part of the camp, where security forces have been hunting suspects in the murder of a youth wing official from the ruling Awami League.\n\nOmar Faruk was killed in a settlement near Teknaf Thursday, police said. The death sparked riots the following day, with a mob of local people burning tires and destroying shops frequented by refugees.\n\n“A tense situation is prevailing there,” Hossain said Sunday, adding that the two Rohingya shot were killed “in self-defense. We are continuing our drive to arrest others in connection with the killing,” he said.\n\nTwo refugees, who asked not to be named for fear of retribution, said most people from the camp had fled.\n\n“We are very worried and afraid,” said a local mahji, or camp leader. “We don’t know what will happen.”"], "summary": "At Kutupalong, the world's largest refugee camp, in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, 200,000 people gather peacefully to remember the day, in 2017, when a violent crackdown by Myanmarese security forces compelled 740,000 Rohingya to flee over the border."}
{"document": ["(CNN) Conservative radio host and former Illinois US Rep. Joe Walsh will challenge President Donald Trump for the Republican presidential nomination in 2020, he announced Sunday.\n\n\"I'm going to run for president,\" Walsh said on ABC's \"This Week,\" also telling host George Stephanopoulos, \"I'm going to do whatever I can. I don't want him (Trump) to win. The country cannot afford to have him win. If I'm not successful, I'm not voting for him.\"\n\nWalsh had said Thursday that he was \"strongly, strongly considering\" entering the race.\n\n\"I'm not trying to be cute or coy. I've told you before -- if somebody's going to get in there and go after him ... it's got to be done soon,\" Walsh told CNN's John Berman on \"New Day.\" \"You're running out of time. But more importantly, these are not conventional times. Look at the guy in the White House. These are urgent times.\"\n\nOn Sunday, Walsh called Trump \"nuts,\" \"erratic,\" \"cruel\" and \"incompetent.\"", "Conservative firebrand former Illinois Rep. Joe Walsh announced Sunday with ABC News Chief Anchor George Stephanopoulos on ABC's \"This Week\" that he's launching a long-shot Republican presidential primary challenge against President Donald Trump \"I'm going to run for president,\" Walsh told Stephanopoulos in an exclusive interview.When Stephanopoulos pointed out the massive uphill climb Walsh has in front of him in the primary thanks to Trump's overwhelmingly high approval rating within the party, the controversial former congressman argued that conservatives don't have an alternative to the president.\"I'm running because he's unfit; somebody needs to step up and there needs to be an alternative. The country is sick of this guy's tantrum -- he's a child,\" Walsh said.The former Illinois congressman-turned-radio host was once a fervent Trump supporter who's become a fierce critic of the president. Walsh is just the second Republican to jump into the primary behind former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld , who announced back in April but has yet to gain serious traction Trump campaign communications director Tim Murtaugh told ABC News a dismissive one-word response to Walsh jumping into the race: \"Whatever.\"and he is instead focused on offering GOP voters an alternative vision for the party.While he has argued that he plans to make the moral case for his candidacy, the former Tea Party congressman has a history filled with incendiary and controversial statements ranging from using racist slurs on Twitter to promoting falsehoods around former President Barack Obama's birth certificate and that he's Muslim.Walsh only served one term in Congress, but his candidacy does perhaps bring a more current figure from conservative circles into the long-shot picture compared to Weld, who last held public office over 20 years ago. Walsh's nationally syndicated radio show and large online following arguably kept him more relevant.The Trump administration's latest actions around trade and the economy along with what Walsh's team calls an \"incredible reaction\" and flood of support to an op-ed Walsh published in the New York Times last week is what pushed the conservative radio host to jump into the race.Walsh's team says he is set to travel to and spend \"a lot of time\" in the key primary states of Iowa and New Hampshire in the coming weeks.", "SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Conservative radio host and former Illinois U.S. Rep. Joe Walsh will challenge President Donald Trump for the Republican presidential nomination in 2020, he announced Sunday, Aug. 25.\n\n“I’m going to run for president,” Walsh said on ABC’s “This Week,” also telling host George Stephanopoulos, “I’m going to do whatever I can. I don’t want him (President Trump) to win. The country cannot afford to have him win. If I’m not successful, I’m not voting for him.”\n\nWalsh had said Thursday he was “strongly, strongly considering” entering the race.\n\n“I’m not trying to be cute or coy,” Walsh told CNN’s John Berman on “New Day.” “I’ve told you before — if somebody’s going to get in there and go after him … it’s got to be done soon. You’re running out of time. But more importantly, these are not conventional times. Look at the guy in the White House. These are urgent times.”\n\nWalsh, who was elected to Congress with support from the Tea Party movement, has a history of making controversial comments, including some about former President Barack Obama.\n\nIn 2016, he accused Obama of hating Israel, and pushed the false conspiracy theory that Obama is Muslim. He was also accused that year of inciting violence against Obama in the wake of a deadly sniper attack on Dallas police.\n\nA few years earlier, in a 2011 interview, he suggested that Obama was only elected because he was “a black man who was articulate.” Walsh was also once kicked off air for using racial slurs when discussing the Washington Redskins NFL team.\n\nHe said he voted for President Trump in 2016, but only because President Trump wasn’t Hillary Clinton. Where President Trump lost him, Walsh said, was during the president’s news conference with Vladimir Putin at their summit last year in Helsinki, Finland, at which President Trump sided with the Russian strongman over his own intelligence community’s assessments of Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election.\n\nIn 2016, the former Illinois congressman said if Clinton was elected president, “I’m grabbing my musket,” and he called on others to do the same. He later insisted to CNN’s Jake Tapper that his comments were not an incitement to armed revolution. Walsh told Tapper he’s used the phrase “grab your musket” multiple times over the past several years, but never meant President Trump supporters should literally reach for their firearms.\n\nWalsh was featured in a Showtime series in which “Borat” comedian Sacha Baron Cohen wore disguises to prank prominent figures like former Vice President Dick Cheney and former vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin. In a preview of the series “Who Is America?” Walsh was recorded seemingly advocating for arming children.\n\nWalsh later defended himself to CNN’s Michael Smerconish and said he was reading off of a teleprompter, and didn’t know at the time “the whole thing was made up.” He said Cohen is a “funny guy because he gets people to say stupid things. He gets people to say stupid things because he lies to them.”\n\nWalsh had previously called for a Republican to challenge the president, and earlier in August called President Trump an “unfit con man” who is “bad for the country.” But Walsh isn’t the only conservative candidate looking to take on President Trump.\n\nFormer Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld announced in April he would challenge President Trump, telling Tapper on “The Lead” that it would be a “political tragedy” and he would “fear for the republic” if the country had President Trump as president for a second term.\n\nFormer Rep. Mark Sanford told CNN’s Brianna Keilar on “CNN Right Now” in July that he is considering mounting a challenge to President Trump in 2020, with plans in August to explore a possible candidacy. The South Carolina Republican has planned visits to key early-voting states New Hampshire and Iowa.\n\nAny of the three possible Republican contenders, though, would be a long shot against the president, who, according to Gallup, has an 88% approval rating among Republican voters.", "WASHINGTON — Joe Walsh, a former Illinois congressman ad tea party favorite turned radio talk show host, announced a longshot challenge Sunday to President Donald Trump for the Republican nomination in 2020, saying the incumbent is “completely unfit” for office and must be denied a second term.\n\n\"Somebody needs to step up and there needs to be an alternative\" among Republicans, Walsh told ABC's \"This Week,\" adding that \"the country is sick of this guy's tantrum. He's a child. ... He lies every time he opens his mouth.\"\n\nAlready in the race is former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld.\n\nWalsh narrowly won a House seat from suburban Chicago in the 2010 tea party wave but lost a 2012 reelection bid and has since hosted a radio talk show. He has a history of inflammatory statements regarding Muslims and others and declared just before the 2016 election that if Trump lost, \"I'm grabbing my musket.\"\n\nBut he has since soured on Trump, criticizing the president in a recent New York Times column over growth of the federal deficit and calling him \"a racial arsonist who encourages bigotry and xenophobia to rouse his base.\"\n\nWalsh promises to contest Trump from the right as opposed to Weld, who is regarded as fiscally conservative but socially liberal. Weld was the 2016 Libertarian Party vice presidential nominee.\n\nThe road ahead for any Republican primary challenger will certainly be difficult.\n\nIn recent months, Trump's allies have taken over state parties that control primary elections in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and elsewhere. State party leaders sometimes pay lip service to the notion that they would welcome a primary challenger, as their state party rules usually require, but they are already working to ensure Trump's reelection.\n\nSouth Carolina Republicans have gone so far as to discuss canceling their state's GOP primary altogether if a legitimate primary challenge emerges to eliminate the threat.\n\nAt the same time, polling consistently shows that Trump has the solid backing of an overwhelming majority of Republican voters. An Associated Press-NORC poll conducted this month found that 78% of Republicans approve of Trump's job performance. That number has been hovering around 80% even as repeated scandals have rocked his presidency.\n\n\"Look, this isn't easy to do. ... I'm opening up my life to tweets and attacks. Everything I've said and tweeted now, Trump's going to go after, and his bullies are going to go after,\" Walsh told ABC.\n\nAsked whether he was prepared for that, Walsh replied: \"Yes, I'm ready for it.\"\n\nWalsh, 57, rode a wave of anti-President Barack Obama sentiment to a 300-vote victory over a Democratic incumbent in the 2010 election. He made a name for himself in Washington as a cable news fixture who was highly disparaging of Obama.\n\nWalsh was criticized for saying that the Democratic Party's \"game\" is to make Latinos dependent on government just like \"they got African Americans dependent upon government.\" At another point, he said radical Muslims are in the U.S. \"trying to kill Americans every week,\" including in Chicago's suburbs.\n\nHe lost his 2012 reelection bid by more than 20,000 votes to Democrat Tammy Duckworth, who was elected to the U.S. Senate four years later.\n\nWalsh told Obama to \"watch out\" on Twitter in July 2016 after five police officers were killed in Dallas. Just days before Trump's 2016 win over Hillary Clinton, Walsh tweeted: \"On November 8th, I'm voting for Trump. On November 9th, if Trump loses, I'm grabbing my musket. You in?\" Walsh later said on Twitter that he was referring to \"acts of civil disobedience.\"\n\nWalsh wrote in his New York Times column that \"In Mr. Trump, I see the worst and ugliest iteration of views I expressed for the better part of a decade.\"\n\n\"On more than one occasion, I questioned Mr. Obama's truthfulness about his religion,\" Walsh wrote. \"At times, I expressed hate for my political opponents. We now see where this can lead. There's no place in our politics for personal attacks like that, and I regret making them.\"\n\nWalsh said his 2016 vote for Trump was actually against Clinton and faulted Trump for his unwillingness to confront Russian President Vladimir Putin.\n\n\"He encouraged Russian interference in the 2016 election, and he refuses to take foreign threats seriously as we enter the 2020 election. That's reckless,\" Walsh wrote. \"For three years, he has been at war with our federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies, as he embraces tyrants abroad and embarrasses our allies. That's un-American.\"", "A second person has mounted a challenge to US President Donald Trump for the Republican Party's presidential nomination in 2020.\n\nJoe Walsh, a former congressman for the state of Illinois and radio talk show host, announced his bid on Sunday, saying the incumbent president of the United States was unfit for office and must be denied a second term.\n\n\"He's nuts. He's erratic. He's cruel. He stokes bigotry. He's incompetent. He doesn't know what he's doing,\" Walsh told national television ABC's This Week.\n\nThe 57-year-old portrayed himself as a legitimate alternative in a party where he said many are opposed to Trump but are \"scared to death\" of saying so publicly.\n\n\"He's a bully and he's a coward and somebody needs to call him out,\" Walsh said.\n\n\"The bet ... of my campaign is that there are a lot of Republicans that feel like I do. They're afraid to come forward.\"\n\nAsked to respond to Walsh's criticism of the president and decision to run, a spokesman for Trump replied: \"Whatever.\"\n\nThe Republican National Committee, which is responsible for overseeing party processes such as primaries, dismissed Walsh's announcement.\n\nThe party has already combined operations with Trump's re-election campaign, including holding joint events.\n\n\"President Trump enjoys unprecedented support among Republicans. He has already delivered a long list of incredible accomplishments for conservatives and the country. Republicans are firmly behind the president and any effort to challenge him in a primary is bound to go absolutely nowhere,\" said Republican Party Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel.\n\nWalsh won a House of Representatives seat from Illinois as a candidate of the Republican Party's fiscally-conservative Tea Party movement in 2010, but he was defeated by Democrat Tammy Duckworth in his 2012 reelection bid.\n\nAfter leaving Congress, he became a radio talk show host in the city of Chicago.\n\nBill Weld, a former Massachusetts governor, had been the only Republican trying to unseat Trump.\n\n\"I think that is terrific,\" he said. \"It's going to be a more robust conversation.\"\n\nSo far, neither Walsh nor Weld is given much chance of wresting the nomination from the incumbent.\n\nA Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted on August 19 and 20 showed that 87 percent of Republicans approve of Trump's performance in office.\n\nThe RealClearPolitics website shows Trump with an overwhelming poll lead of 72 points over Weld.", "Controversial conservative radio talk show host and former tea party-backed Republican U.S. Rep. Joe Walsh is weighing a presidential run and will make a final decision in September, he told the Tribune.\n\nWalsh, who served a single term in Congress, said he's meeting with potential backers as he considers what most view as a long shot campaign against President Donald Trump to win the GOP nomination next year.\n\n\"I'm not ruling anything out. I am meeting with people, and I would say that anyone who's considering a run, they need to decide by September,\" including him, he said this week.\n\nWalsh backed the president in 2016 — even making a pre-election comment on Twitter that raised some eyebrows: \"On November 9th, if Trump loses, I'm grabbing my musket.\"\n\nIn a phone interview with the Tribune on Wednesday, Walsh said, \"It wasn't so much that I was a big fan of Trump, it's that he wasn't Hillary.\"\n\nThe Republican is known for his incendiary comments. He was once suspended from his WIND AM-560 evening radio show for using a racial slur. Today, he says the president's own controversial comments have served as a \"road to Damascus moment for me.\"\n\nWalsh recently penned a piece in The New York Times in which he accused Trump of being \"a racial arsonist who encourages bigotry and xenophobia to rouse his base and advance his electoral prospects.\"\n\nWalsh said he was was using the Times megaphone to call on someone in the GOP to step up and run against Trump. But it also served as a mea culpa of sorts to the public.\n\n\"So why did I write that piece? I want to apologize for the role I've played in putting what I feel is an unfit con man in the White House,\" he told the Tribune. \"There were times when I moved away from policy and got ugly and personal, made some comments about Obama, my political opponents, that were personal and hateful. In a weird way, seeing Donald Trump these last 2 1/2 years, he's the ugly final personification of that because that's all he does is ugly personal insults. It's made me think, 'Oh my gosh, did people like me who got ugly and personal these last eight or nine years create this monster?' And I think to a degree it did.\"\n\nThe 57-year-old Mundelein resident waved off questions about whether he could do the kind of fundraising needed to spread his name and message. And he'll likely need the money to fend off criticism of his past remarks, and a child support battle with his his ex-wife in which he was portrayed as a deadbeat dad. He and his ex-wife eventually resolved the dispute, which included a stipulation that he was never \"a deadbeat dad.\"\n\nPolling today shows Trump likely would win the Republican nomination in a landslide. His only challenger right now is former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld. As The Hill noted in a recent story, \"a RealClearPolitics average of polls shows Trump has a 72-point lead over Weld.\"\n\nBut a new poll released Thursday by The Associated Press and NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found just 36% of Americans approve of his job performance, while 62% disapprove.\n\nWalsh was in Congress representing a district that encompassed suburban Cook, DuPage and Kane counties. He lost reelection in the 2012 to Tammy Duckworth, who now is one of Illinois' U.S. senators.\n\nSo what caused him to campaign against Trump? Walsh said when the president stood with Russian President Vladimir Putin's in Helsinki last year, seemingly accepting Putin's assertion that his government hadn't interfered in the 2016 U.S. election. That's despite U.S. intelligence presenting evidence to the contrary, Walsh said.\n\n\"(W)hen he stood in front of the world and said I believe this guy (Putin) and not my own intelligence agency, he lost me,\" Walsh said of the 2018 Trump-Putin meeting. Besieged by criticism, the president would later say he misspoke.\n\nAsked whether his change of heart and public apologies are about remaking himself to get back into even local politics if he decides against a presidential bid, Walsh said: \"I don't know and again, I say that only because this is such a weird time. But I'm a conservative who doesn't support Trump. I don't know how viable I am in Republican politics.\"", "WASHINGTON, Aug 25 — Joe Walsh, a conservative former US congressman turned talk show host, today became the second Republican to challenge President Donald Trump for the party’s 2020 White House nomination.\n\nWalsh criticised Trump, who has strong support among Republicans, as a bully who is unfit for office as he announced his long-shot bid.\n\n“I’m running because he’s unfit,” Walsh, 57, told ABC’s This Week programme. “Somebody needs to step up.”\n\n“He’s a bully and he’s a coward and somebody needs to call him out,” Walsh said. “The bet ... of my campaign is that there are a lot of Republicans that feel like I do. They’re afraid to come forward.”\n\nAsked to respond to Walsh’s criticism of the president and decision to run, Trump’s spokesman replied, “Whatever.”\n\nWalsh won a House of Representatives seat from Illinois as a candidate of the Republican Party’s fiscally conservative Tea Party movement in 2010, but he was defeated by Democrat Tammy Duckworth in his 2012 re-election bid. After leaving Congress, he became a Chicago-area radio talk show host.\n\nWilliam Weld, a former Massachusetts governor, had been the only Republican trying to unseat Trump but his candidacy has so far failed to gain traction.\n\nFormer US Representative and South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford said in July he was considering a primary challenge because of the rising federal debt.\n\nWeld, appearing on NBC’s Meet the Press today, said he welcomed Wash’s entry into the race and would welcome Sanford as well.\n\n“It can only contribute to more robust dialogue and that will be good for the country,” he said. “We need to assemble rational people. Sure, a crazed president makes the stock market go down, but that doesn’t mean we have to like it.”\n\nAny Republican challenger will face a formidable re-election effort mounted by Trump, who has consolidated his grip on the party’s national and state machinery. A Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted August 19-20 showed 87 per cent of Republicans approve of his performance in office.\n\nWalsh said he was undeterred. “I think this thing... will catch on like wildfire,” he said. — Reuters", "AP — Joe Walsh, a former Illinois congressman and Tea Party favorite turned radio talk show host, announced a challenge Sunday to US President Donald Trump for the Republican nomination in 2020, saying the incumbent is unfit for office and must be denied a second term.\n\n“He’s nuts. He’s erratic. He’s cruel. He stokes bigotry. He’s incompetent. He doesn’t know what he’s doing,” Walsh told ABC’s “This Week.” The longshot portrayed himself as a legitimate alternative in party, where he said many are opposed to Trump, but are “scared to death” of saying so publicly.\n\nGet The Times of Israel's Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Free Sign Up\n\nPolls shows Trump is backed by most Republican voters, and the lone rival already in the race is former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld, the 2016 Libertarian Party vice presidential nominee who is regarded as fiscally conservative and socially liberal.\n\nUndeterred from pressing ahead with his candidacy, Walsh said, “I think this thing… will catch on like wildfire.” The former Trump booster added: “I’m a conservative. And I think there’s a decent chance to present to Republican voters a conservative without all the baggage.”\n\nWalsh narrowly won a House seat from suburban Chicago in the 2010 Tea Party wave, but lost a 2012 reelection bid, and has since hosted a radio talk show. He has a history of inflammatory statements regarding Muslims and others and declared just before the 2016 election that if Trump lost, “I’m grabbing my musket.”\n\nBut he has since soured on Trump, criticizing the president over growth of the federal deficit and writing in a New York Times column that the president was “a racial arsonist who encourages bigotry and xenophobia to rouse his base.”\n\nThe road ahead for any Republican primary challenger will be difficult.\n\nIn recent months, Trump’s allies have taken over state parties that control primary elections in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and elsewhere. State party leaders sometimes pay lip service to the notion that they would welcome a primary challenger, as their state party rules usually require, but they are already working to ensure Trump’s reelection.\n\nSouth Carolina Republicans have gone so far as to discuss canceling their state’s GOP primary altogether if a legitimate primary challenge emerges to eliminate the threat.\n\nAt the same time, polling consistently shows that Trump has the solid backing of an overwhelming majority of Republican voters. An Associated Press-NORC poll conducted this month found that 78 percent of Republicans approve of Trump’s job performance. That number has been hovering around 80% even as repeated scandals have rocked his presidency.\n\n“Look, this isn’t easy to do…. I’m opening up my life to tweets and attacks. Everything I’ve said and tweeted now, Trump’s going to go after, and his bullies are going to go after,” Walsh said.\n\nAsked whether he was prepared for that, Walsh replied: “Yes, I’m ready for it.”\n\nWeld, in an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” said he was “thrilled” that Walsh was in the race and that Mark Sanford, a former South Carolina governor and congressman, was considering joining them, leading to a “more robust conversation.”\n\n“Who knows? The networks might even cover Republican primary debates,” Weld said.\n\nWalsh, 57, rode a wave of anti-then president Barack Obama sentiment to a 300-vote victory over a Democratic incumbent in the 2010 election. He made a name for himself in Washington as a cable news fixture who was highly disparaging of Obama.\n\nWalsh was criticized for saying that the Democratic Party’s “game” is to make Latinos dependent on government just like “they got African Americans dependent upon government.” At another point, he said radical Muslims are in the US “trying to kill Americans every week,” including in Chicago’s suburbs.\n\nHe lost his 2012 reelection bid by more than 20,000 votes to Democrat Tammy Duckworth, who was elected to the US Senate four years later.\n\nWalsh told Obama to “watch out” on Twitter in July 2016 after five police officers were killed in Dallas. Just days before Trump’s 2016 win over Hillary Clinton, Walsh tweeted: “On November 8th, I’m voting for Trump. On November 9th, if Trump loses, I’m grabbing my musket. You in?” Walsh later said on Twitter that he was referring to “acts of civil disobedience.”\n\nOn Sunday, Walsh said he apologized for past divisive comments.\n\n“I helped create Trump. There’s no doubt about that, the personal, ugly politics. I regret that. And I’m sorry for that,” he said.", "A former Republican Congressman says he’ll launch a primary challenge to US President Donald Trump in 2020. Joe Walsh is now the second candidate to unveil a challenge to President Trump from within his own party, as VOA’s Elizabeth Cherneff tells us in this report", "US President Donald Trump will face a primary challenge ahead of the fall 2020 elections from a former one-term congressman, the ex-lawmaker announced on Sunday, Anadolu reports.\n\nMaking the announcement on U.S. television network ABC, Joe Walsh, former Republican congressman for the Midwestern state of Illinois, accused Trump of incompetence, adding that he “lies virtually every time he opens his mouth” and “stokes bigotry.”\n\n“Friends, I’m in. We can’t take four more years of Donald Trump. And that’s why I’m running for President,” Walsh also said on Twitter.\n\nREAD: Trump’s racism and his campaign for a second term\n\nAfter serving one term in Congress in 2011-2013, Walsh became a conservative radio talk show host.\n\nMost political analysts see Walsh having little chance against Trump, who enjoys support among Republican voters nationwide of some 80%.\n\nThis April former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld announced his own primary challenge to Trump, but so far has received little support.\n\nThe next US presidential election is set for Nov. 3, 2020."], "summary": "Conservative radio host and former Illinois congressman Joe Walsh announces his run for president, becoming only the second Republican to challenge incumbent President Donald Trump."}
{"document": ["A hotly contested election campaign in Georgia’s breakaway Abkhazia region failed to produce a winner on August 25. Based on an early vote count, incumbent Raul Khajimba and opposition candidate Alkhas Kvitsinia will compete in a runoff on September 8. Both are avid supporters of national independence for the de facto republic and believe in close ties with Russia, but differ on issues like corruption and crime.\n\nA record nine candidates contested the race, making a first-round victory unlikely. The campaign was marred in May by the poisoning of Aslan Bzhania, a lawmaker who was tipped as Khajimba’s main challenger. Bzhania had to drop out of the race.\n\nDe facto President Khajimba, who is running for his second term, received just over 26 percent of the 70,000 votes cast. Kvitsinia came close behind with about 25 percent; a veteran of the 1990s separatist war with Georgia, he is endorsed by Bzhania, who is still recovering from mercury poisoning.\n\nAnother candidate, ex-Deputy Foreign Minister Oleg Arshba, also won just shy of 25 percent, but election authorities said on August 26 that the runoff will be between Khajimba and Kvitsinia. Under Abkhazia’s system, the winner must clear a 50 percent threshold. Turnout was about 56 percent.\n\nWeeks before the polls, Russian President Vladimir Putin met Khajimba, a fellow ex-KGB officer, in an apparent show of support. Despite Abkhazia’s near-existential dependence on Moscow for economic and military support, Putin’s endorsement failed to secure victory for Khajimba in the 2004 election, exposing a degree of resistance to Moscow’s will in the recalcitrant region.\n\nThis time, Putin stopped short of formally endorsing Khajimba. The Kremlin leader – widely accused of monopolizing power in Russia for decades – said he was expecting a clean and democratic vote in Abkhazia.\n\nBecause most of the world regards Abkhazia as part of Georgia, credible election observers were not on the ground to monitor the vote. Instead, present were mainly observers from Russia and its allies, Venezuela and Nicaragua. One German parliamentarian – Stefan Keuter, from the far-right Alternative for Germany party – also showed up. Abkhazia’s post-Soviet separatist peers South Ossetia, Nagorno-Karabakh, Transnistria, as well as Ukraine’s twin breakaway territories of Donetsk and Luhansk also dispatched monitors.\n\nAll declared the vote democratic.\n\nGeorgia, on the other hand, called the balloting illegitimate since it disenfranchised Georgians driven out of Abkhazia in the 1990s. “With hundreds of thousands expelled from Abkhazia as a result of the ethnic cleansing there […] the ‘election’ obviously cannot have legitimacy, especially since the occupying force [Russia] controls the area and has virtually unlimited power,” said Vladimer Konstantinidi, a spokesperson for Georgia’s Foreign Ministry.\n\nThe European Union and United States also dismissed the election as illegitimate.", "NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia, James Appathurai, commented on parliamentary elections held on August 25 in Georgia’s breakaway region of Abkhazia. Appathurai stated that NATO does not recognise the elections and it continues to support the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia.\n\n“NATO does not recognise the election held on August 25 in the Georgian region of Abkhazia.\n\nNATO Allies do not recognise the Abkhazia and South Ossetia regions of Georgia as independent states.\n\nThe Alliance reiterates its full support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia within its internationally recognised borders,” the statement reads.\n\nThe second round of so-called elections is expected to be held in Abkhazia on September 8. As a result of the first round of the “Presidential elections” held in the region, so-called president Raul Khajimba was named leader with 26.6% of votes.\n\nThe “Abkhazian central election commission” stated on Sunday evening that votes had been counted at 150 out of 154 polling stations and according to the counting results, Raul Khajimba received 26.6%, Alkhas Kvitsiani – 24.6%, and former so-called deputy foreign minister Oleg Arshba – 24.9% of votes.\n\nAccording to the preliminary results, a second round of “elections” is expected to be held between Raul Khajimba and Oleg Arshba.\n\nRelated Story: Europe, US Do Not Recognize “Elections” in Abkhazia", "Europe and the US have released a joint statement on the so-called “presidential elections” held in Georgia’s Russian-occupied Abkhazia region, saying they do not recognize the legitimacy of the “elections” conducted by the de facto authorities in Sokhumi on August 25, 2019.\n\n“Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Canada, Estonia, Finland, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Romania, Sweden, Ukraine, United Kingdom and United Sates of America do not recognize the legitimacy of the so-called ‘presidential elections’ held in Georgia’s Abkhazia region by the de facto authorities in Sokhumi on August 25, 2019, and will not acknowledge their outcome. Similarly, we do not recognize the legitimacy or outcome of the so-called ‘parliamentary elections’ held in Georgia’s South Ossetia/Tskhinvali region on June 9, 2019.\n\n“We reiterate our full support for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Georgia within its internationally recognized borders.\n\n“We once again urge Russia to fulfill all of its obligations under the 2008 ceasefire agreement, including the withdrawal of its forces to pre-conflict positions and the provision of free access for humanitarian assistance to these regions, as well to reverse its recognition of the Georgian regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent states,” the mentioned countries said in a joint statement.”\n\nThe Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia says that the statement was made upon the initiative of Poland.\n\nThe second round of so-called elections is expected to be held in Abkhazia. As a result of the first round of the “Presidential elections” held in the region, so-called president Raul Khajimba was named leader with 26.6% of votes.\n\nTe “Abkhazian central election commission” stated on Sunday evening that votes had been counted at 150 out of 154 polling stations and according to the counting results, Raul Khajimba received 26.6%, Alkhas Kvitsiani – 24.6%, and former so-called deputy foreign minister Oleg Arshba – 24.9% of votes.\n\nAccording to the preliminary results, a second round of “elections” is expected to be held between Raul Khajimba and Oleg Arshba.\n\nRelated Story: Second Round of So-called Elections to be Held in Occupied Abkhazia", "TBILISI -- The breakaway Georgian region of Abkhazia is holding a 'presidential election' on August 25 in which incumbent separatist leader Raul Khadzhimba is facing eight challengers, according to local election officials.\n\nSeparatist election authorities say that 116,000 people are registered to vote in 152 polling stations across Abkhazia, which Russia recognized as an independent country after fighting a brief war against Georgia in 2008.\n\nTbilisi and Western countries have denounced previous elections held by Russian-backed separatists in Abkhazia and another Georgian separatist region, South Ossetia, as illegal.\n\nThe vote in Abkhazia, where the president is chosen for five years, will be recognized as valid by the separatist authorities if at least 50 percent of eligible voters go to the polls. A candidate needs to gain more than a half of the electors’ votes to win in the first round and avoid a runoff.\n\nThis month marks the 11th anniversary of the five-day war between Russia and Georgia, after which Tbilisi lost its Abkhazia and South Ossetia regions.\n\nOnly a handful of countries have recognized the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, which make up around 20 percent of Georgian territory, and Moscow’s backing of the regions has drawn broad international condemnation.\n\nRussia has maintained troops in South Ossetia and Abkhazia since the war.\n\nOn August 8, the United States and six European countries -- Belgium, Estonia, France, Germany, Poland, and Britain -- issued a joint statement reiterating support for Georgia's independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity. It also urged Moscow to withdraw its military forces to the positions held before hostilities broke out.", "TBILISI -- Incumbent separatist leader Raul Khadzhimba and Alkhaz Kvitsiniya, head of the Amtsakhara opposition party, will face off in a runoff election in the breakaway Georgian region of Abkhazia.\n\n \n\n Separatist election authorities said on August 26 that results of the vote, which Georgia's president has called \"a sham,\" show Khadzhimba and Kvitsiniya placed first and second, respectively.\n\n \n\n \"So far, we have not announced any figures after the first round. We have identified two leaders for the runoff election. Khadzhimba and Kvitsiniya have made it to the runoff,\" Abkhaz election supervisor Tamaz Gogia said, adding that further details will be provided later in the day at a news conference.\n\n \n\n Interfax news agency quoted Gogia as saying the runoff would take place on September 8.\n\n \n\n Election authorities say that 116,000 people were registered to vote on August 25 at 152 polling stations across Abkhazia, which Russia recognized as an independent country after fighting a brief war against Georgia in 2008.\n\n \n\n Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili has called the election \"a sham.\"\n\n \n\n \"The Abkhaz authorities are de facto holding the illegitimate presidential election today. Georgia condemns this sham process as one more violation of our national sovereignty,\" Zurabishvili wrote on Twitter.\n\n\n\n Only a handful of countries have recognized the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, which make up around 20 percent of Georgian territory, and Moscow’s backing of the regions has drawn broad international condemnation.\n\n \n\n This month marks the 11th anniversary of the five-day war between Russia and Georgia that resulted in the occupation by Russian military forces of the two separatist regions.\n\n \n\n A group of more than a dozen Western countries has denounced the elections held by the Russian-backed separatists in Abkhazia and previous votes in South Ossetia as illegal.\n\n \n\n We “do not recognize the legitimacy of the so-called ‘presidential elections’ held in Georgia’s Abkhazia region by the de facto authorities in Sokhumi on August 25, 2019, and will not acknowledge their outcome,” an August 26 joint statement from the group, which includes Britain, Canada, and the United States, said.\n\n \n\n “We reiterate our full support for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Georgia within its internationally recognized borders,” it added.\n\n \n\n The vote in Abkhazia, where the president is chosen for five years, will be recognized as valid by the separatist authorities if at least 50 percent of eligible voters go to the polls.\n\n \n\n Russia has maintained troops in South Ossetia and Abkhazia since the 2008 war.\n\n \n\n South Ossetia held parliamentary elections on June 9 that many Western countries have also called illegitimate.", "MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th August, 2019) Over 150 polling stations will be open across the Republic of Abkhazia, a breakaway region of Georgia, on Sunday for its citizens to cast their ballots in a presidential election.\n\nThere are nine candidates for the office, including current Abkhaz President Raul Khadzhimba, Astamur Tarba, the former head of the republic's Security Service, and defense minister's adviser Oleg Arshba.\n\nThe candidate who gets more than a half of the vote, with a voter turnout above 50 percent, will become next president.\n\nBoth president and vice president will be elected tomorrow.\n\nThe election will be monitored by observers from both chambers of the Russian parliament, as well as the Committee for External Relations of Russia's St.\n\nWhile being a part of Georgia, Abkhazia suffered from ethnic tensions between Abkhaz and Georgian populations, resulting in the 1992-1993 war. The conflict ended with Abkhazia being a de facto independent country. In August 2008, Abkhazia and Russia fend off an attack by the Georgian military leading to the official founding of self-governing Abkhaz nation. It still remains unrecognized by the majority of world's nations, with the exception of Russia, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Nauru and Syria.", "SUKHUM (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 26th August, 2019) The incumbent president of Abkhazia, Raul Khadzhimba, defense minister's aide Oleg Arshba and opposition leader Alkhas Kvitsiniya are getting about a quarter of votes each in a closely contested presidential election, according to the first data of the republic's central election commission.\n\nWith data from 150 of 154 voting locations counted, Khadzhimba is leading with 26.6 percent, Arshba is gaining 24.9 percent, Kvitsiniya is third with 24.6 percent.\n\nIf none of the candidates gets more than 50 percent of the vote, a runoff will be held within two weeks.\n\nNine candidates are running for the presidential post in Abkhazia, which has a population of around 240,000. According to Tamaz Gogia, the chairman of the republic's central election commission, there were 67 international observers and 79 journalists monitoring the election.\n\nEarlier on Sunday, Gogia said the voter turnout had topped 50 percent, which makes the election's results valid.\n\nWhile being a part of Georgia, Abkhazia suffered from ethnic tensions between Abkhaz and Georgian populations, resulting in the 1992-1993 war. The conflict ended with Abkhazia being a de facto independent country. In August 2008, Abkhazia and Russia fend off an attack by the Georgian military leading to the official founding of self-governing Abkhaz nation. It still remains unrecognized by the majority of world's nations, with the exception of Russia, Venezuela, Nicaragua, Nauru and Syria.", "SUKHUM (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th August, 2019) Observers from both chambers of the Russian parliament as well as the Committee for External Relations of St. Petersburg arrived in Abkhazia to monitor the national presidential election, the Russian Embassy in the Caucasian country said.\n\nThe Abkhazian presidential election is scheduled for Sunday. On Friday, head of the Central Election Commission Tamaz Gogia told Sputnik that more than 50 international monitors had arrived in the country.\n\n\"On August 23, the [Russian] embassy met the Russian observers from the Council of Federation, State Duma and the Committee for External Relations of St. Petersburg, who arrived in Abkhazia for the presidential election,\" the embassy said on its Facebook page on late Friday.\n\nNine candidates are running for the presidential post in Abkhazia, including incumbent leader Raul Khadzhimba, former Vice Prime Minister Shamil Ardzinba and defense minister's adviser Oleg Arshba among others."], "summary": "Partially recognized Republic of Abkhazia holds the first round of the presidential election. Incumbent President Raul Khajimba and oppositor Alkhas Kvitsinia heads to second round on 8th September."}
{"document": ["Lebanon’s President Michel Aoun said on Monday his country had a right to defend itself after Israeli drone strikes that were like a “declaration of war”.\n\n\n\n“What happened was similar to a declaration of war which allows us to resort to our right to defending our sovereignty,” Aoun’s office quoted him as saying on Twitter.\n\n\n\nTwo drones crashed early on Sunday in Beirut’s southern suburbs, which are dominated by Hezbollah, prompting the Iran-backed movement to warn Israeli soldiers at the border to await a response.\n\nLast Update: Monday, 26 August 2019 KSA 16:50 - GMT 13:50", "Lebanon’s President Michel Aoun said on Monday his country had a right to defend itself after Israeli drone strikes that were like a “declaration of war”.\n\n \n\n “What happened was similar to a declaration of war which allows us to resort to our right to defending our sovereignty,” Aoun’s office quoted him as saying on Twitter.\n\n \n\n Two drones crashed early on Sunday in Beirut’s southern suburbs, which are dominated by Hezbollah, prompting the Iran-backed movement to warn Israeli soldiers at the border to await a response.", "Lebanese President Michel Aoun on Monday called Israeli attacks on the southern suburbs of the capital of Beirut and the town of Qousaya a \"declaration of war.\"\n\nBEIRUT (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 26th August, 2019) Lebanese President Michel Aoun on Monday called Israeli attacks on the southern suburbs of the capital of Beirut and the town of Qousaya a \"declaration of war.\"\n\nEarlier in the day, Israel reportedly carried out airstrikes against a Palestinian group's position near Qousaya. The strike came after two suspected Israeli drones crashed in Beirut on Sunday.\n\n\"Attacks on the suburbs and the Qousaya area violate the 1701 resolution; these attacks allow Lebanon to use the right to protect its sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity,\" Aoun said during a meeting with UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jan Kubis.\n\nThe president added that the Lebanese people were seeking peace, not war, and \"we do not accept that anyone threatens us in any way.\"", "BEIRUT- Lebanon's President Michel Aoun said on Monday his country had a right to defend itself after Israeli drone strikes that were like a \"declaration of war.\"\n\n\n\n\"What happened was similar to a declaration of war which allows us to resort to our right to defending our sovereignty,\" Aoun's office quoted him as saying on Twitter.\n\nvar cont = `Join Jerusalem Post Premium Plus now for just $5 and upgrade your experience with an ads-free website and exclusive content. Click here>>\n\n\n\n`; document.getElementById(\"linkPremium\").innerHTML = cont; (function (v, i){ });", "The IDF has been on high alert since the weekend following threats from Hezbollah, Iran, and Lebanon.\n\nIsrael attacked an Iranian military base and a terrorist cell in Syria on Saturday night as they prepared to launch a drone attack against Israel. Iran responded with a verbal threat. Ali Rabiei, a spokesperson for Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, was quoted as saying by the Xinhua news agency on Monday, “Israel will pay a high price for its attacks. Repeated acts of aggression against Iraq are black stains on track records of this regime and we condemn any aggression against the sovereignty of regional countries.”\n\nChannel 12 News cited an unnamed senior IDF officer who predicted that a Hezbollah attack would target Israeli military positions.\n\n“The Israeli response to an attack will be disproportionate,” the officer said.\n\nTensions notched up even higher after two drones crashed outside a Hezbollah building in Beirut on Sunday. One of the drones crashed into the roof of the Hezbollah Media Center while the second one exploded in the air and damaged the building. Hezbollah and the Lebanese government blamed Israel but the Israeli government denied the accusation.\n\nLebanese President Michel Aoun discussed the alleged Israeli drone strikes against Iranian military targets in his country with United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon Ján Kubiš, calling them a “declaration of war.”\n\n“What happened was similar to a declaration of war which allows us to resort to our right to defending our sovereignty,” Aoun’s office quoted him as saying on Twitter.\n\nLebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri on Monday held a meeting with envoys from the five permanent members of the UN Security Council which included a representative from the U.S. Lebanese news site Naharnet reported that Hariri called the alleged drone-strike a “clear Israeli violation of Lebanese sovereignty.”\n\nThe Lebanese government is allied with Hezbollah. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah gave a televised speech on Sunday in which he threatened Israel with reprisals.\n\n“From tonight, I tell the Israeli army on the border, be prepared and wait for us,” Nasrallah said in the televised address, threatening that retaliation could come in “one day, two days, three days…”\n\n“The home front is in a state of routine, and we are working to preserve that. The IDF has increased its level of preparedness, both in terms of defense and attack,” said Brig. Gen. Amit Fisher, the head of the IDF’s Bashan Division in the Northern Command.\n\nDespite the rising tensions, it was reported that the IDF requested that the residents of northern Israel continue with their daily routine.\n\n“Civilian activities are to continue as usual. All activities can go on, including trips and agricultural work. There are no restrictions on movement. At the same time, we as a military are advancing preparations for every scenario. There will be a lot of movement in the area,” the IDF stated according to an article on the Walla news site on Monday.\n\nAfter a cabinet meeting on Monday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the situation, calling on the world community to help Israel cope with aggressive Iranian expansionism.\n\n“Iran is working on a broad front to carry out murderous terrorist attacks against the State of Israel,” Netanyahu said. “Israel will continue to defend its security however that may be necessary. I call on the international community to act immediately so that Iran halts these attacks.”\n\n“[Israel will not] tolerate aggression against Israel from any country in the region. Any country that allows its territory to be used for aggression against Israel will face the consequences, and I repeat: the country will face the consequences.”\n\nThe office of U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo confirmed on Sunday that Netanyahu had discussed the situation with the U.S.\n\n“The secretary expressed support for Israel’s right to defend itself against threats posed by the Iranian [Islamic] Revolutionary Guard Corps and to take action to prevent imminent attacks against Israeli assets in the region,” Pompeo’s office said in a statement.\n\n“The secretary and the prime minister discussed how Iran is leveraging its foothold in Syria to threaten Israel and its neighbors. The prime minister noted that Israel would strike IRGC targets threatening Israel, wherever they are located,” the statement said.\n\nIsrael is also coping with increasing rocket attacks from Gaza as well as a wave of deadly internal terrorist attacks.", "Andre Vltchek is a philosopher, novelist, filmmaker and investigative journalist. He has covered wars and conflicts in dozens of countries. Three of his latest books are revolutionary novel “Aurora” and two bestselling works of political non-fiction: “Exposing Lies Of The Empire” and “Fighting Against Western Imperialism”. View his other books here. Andre is making films for teleSUR and Al-Mayadeen. After having lived in Latin America, Africa and Oceania, Vltchek presently resides in East Asia and the Middle East, and continues to work around the world. He can be reached through his website and his Twitter.\n\nAfter the recent Israeli attacks against Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq, the Middle East has found itself in the midst of undeclared war.\n\nAlmost everyone in Lebanon appears to agree. “This time Israel went too far. In just two days, it bombed three countries,” I am told by a local UN staffer based in Beirut.\n\nThe same day, my local barber was talking like he saw it all, his voice full of sarcasm and determination:\n\n“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing tough elections at home, while his wife is on trial for fraud. A bit of excitement during the evening news can only help his chances of regaining attention from his electorate. But we here have had enough; we are ready to fight for our countries.”\n\nBut ‘fighting for their countries’ could prove lethal, as Netanyahu threatened to attack Lebanon as a whole, if Hezbollah decides to retaliate.\n\nMy barber is not just a barber. He is a Syrian engineer, exiled in Lebanon. The entire region is dispersed, derailed and intertwined, after NATO and Israeli attacks, occupations and destabilization campaigns.\n\nOn August 25, Hassan Nasrallah, the head of Hezbollah, put it bluntly during his televised speech in Lebanon:\n\n“The dawn suicide attack is the first act of aggression since August 14, 2006. The Lebanese state’s condemnation of what happened and referral of the matter to the Security Council is good, but these steps do not prevent the course of action to be taken. Since 2000, we have allowed Israeli drones for many reasons but no one moved. Israeli drones entering Lebanon are no longer collecting information, but [carrying out] assassinations. From now on, we will face the Israeli drones when they enter the skies of Lebanon and we will work to bring them down. I tell the Israelis that Netanyahu is running with your blood.”\n\nPresident of Lebanon Michel Aoun went even further, calling the drone attack against his country a “declaration of war.”\n\nMeanwhile, a powerful block in the Iraqi Parliament – the Fatah Coalition – insists on holding the US “fully responsible” for the Israeli attacks, “which we consider to be a declaration of war on Iraq and its people.” The Fatah Coalition wants all US troops to get out of Iraq, as soon as possible.\n\nThere is no doubt that Mr Netanyahu, with his recent combat-drone incursions and bombings, has thrown the entire region into great and unexpected turmoil.\n\nIsrael has been regularly attacking Syria and bombing Palestine for decades. But Lebanon is a totally different story: only its airspace has been habitually violated by the Israeli jets flying towards the Syrian targets. Bombing Iraq is also clearly an escalation of Israel’s bellicose strategy. A bizarre escalation, considering that Iraq is still de facto a state occupied by Israel’s closest ally – the United States.\n\nEverything that is Shia – short of Iran itself (for now) – suddenly became a ‘legitimate target’ for Israel. For many years, Shia Islam has been synonymous with the ideological resistance to Western imperialism in the Middle East: Iran itself, several factions inside Iraq, and Hezbollah, among others.\n\nLebanon is one of the most ‘strategic’ countries in the Middle East and the most divided one. It is based on a ‘confessional’ system. Its government is always at least ‘shaky,’ but often totally dysfunctional. Compared to its Israeli counterpart, its air force consists of toy aircraft, like converted Cessnas.\n\nThe latest Maserati and Ferrari cars drive past some of the most miserable slums in the Middle East. Posh restaurants and cafes are often just a few meters away from destitute beggars. There are hundreds of thousands of refugees in this tiny country, from all over the region: Palestinians, living in dangerous, overcrowded camps with very little hope; Iraqis fleeing war and NATO occupation; and victims of the Syrian war.\n\nThe Lebanese government and the elites are profiting from the refugee crises, allegedly pocketing money from ‘foreign aid.’ Almost nothing is left for social services, or even for defense, let alone for the poor and the lower-middle class.\n\nHezbollah, on the contrary, is providing social services including food supplies, medical care and education to all people residing on Lebanese territory, regardless of race or religion. Plus, it is fighting Israeli invasions, taking into its ranks all Lebanese citizens who want to join. It also fights terrorists in Syria. It is closely linked to Iran. All this, of course, infuriates the United States, Israel and Saudi Arabia. Hezbollah is firmly on the ‘terrorist list’ of the West and its associates.\n\nIsrael is using the fight against Hezbollah and against Iranian-allied positions to justify bombing various countries in the region. It keeps ‘uncovering new plots’ and carrying out ‘pre-emptive strikes’ with the full support of the US administration.\n\nDuring the latest escalation, Israel reportedly conducted three drone strikes in Lebanon’s Beqaa Valley on a base belonging to the secular, Marxist-Leninist, pro-Syrian group, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, which is, predictably, an ally of Hezbollah.\n\nJust a few days ago, I managed to drive to the border between Lebanon and Israel, and then went east, following the so-called Blue Line which is patrolled by the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), for tens of kilometers.\n\nIsraelis have already erected a wall almost all the way from the Mediterranean Sea to the Golan Heights – the Lebanese frontier.\n\nMore than a year ago, the government of Lebanon claimed that ‘building the wall would amount to an act of war.’ Israel couldn’t care less. It put up a huge concrete structure right in front of the Lebanese Army, Hezbollah, and UNIFIL.\n\n“On many occasions, Israelis actually crossed the border, at least a few meters or centimeters, while erecting the wall,” I was told by several local farmers in the village of Markaba. And nothing happened.\n\nAt the town of Kfarchouba, known as a Hezbollah stronghold right next to an eerie wall decorated with children’s drawings, people told me that they are “ready for a conflict; ready to die… if necessary.”\n\nKfarshouba is where the Israelis ‘discovered Hezbollah tunnels,’ which was an official justification for the construction of the walls.\n\n“Nonsense,” I was told by the locals. “Tunnels were there for decades, and Israelis knew about them all along. They were fully barricaded for many years and posed no danger to Israel.”\n\nRight in front of the horrid new Israeli fence, three flags are waving in the wind – those of Palestine, Lebanon and Hezbollah. Next to them, three UNIFIL armored vehicles are parked. Indonesian soldiers are resting, taking selfies.\n\n“Are you going to take action if Israel crosses the line?” I ask them.\n\nThey are grinning at me. No coherent reply is given.\n\nThe Israeli-occupied Golan Heights are just 10km from this point. And several Israeli villages and towns are right behind the wall.\n\nWith the firepower that Hezbollah has, they could be leveled to the ground in just one minute.\n\nAlthough Hezbollah is apparently on ‘high alert,’ so far, the talk about ‘retaliation’ is just talk.\n\n‘Inertia is like slow death to Lebanon’\n\nIn order to bomb targets inside Iraq, Israeli jets had to fly either over the territory of its former ally, Turkey, or over Saudi Arabia. As reported by Al-Jazeera:\n\n“Israel and the Saudis do not have formal diplomatic relations but are believed to have established a behind-the-scenes alliance based on their shared hostility towards Iran.”\n\nIs Israel trying to provoke several Arab countries of the Middle East into yet another war?\n\nOr is this just another ‘humiliation’? Are Beirut, Damascus, Baghdad just going to count punches and remain idle? Are they going to quote, again and again, the UN resolutions, while Israel continuously bombs their cities and countryside, with total impunity and with the approval of the West?\n\nIt is a very tough decision to make. If Lebanon or Hezbollah decide to retaliate, or simply protect their country, thousands will die. Perhaps immediately.\n\nIf they don’t retaliate, new walls will be erected, and the ‘low-key’ bombing campaigns by the Israelis will continue for, most likely, many years to come. As a result, the entire region will continue to be paralyzed.\n\nMy local colleague was more expressive: “This inertia is like a slow death for the whole of Lebanon.”\n\nThink your friends would be interested? Share this story!", "Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has hit back at the critics following a series of recent air strikes across the Middle East.\n\nNetanyahu also accused Iran of producing \"terror attacks\" and said Israel would defend itself \"by any means necessary\", the BBC reported.\n\nIt comes after reports of strikes against Iranian targets and Iran-backed militias in Syria, Iraq and Lebanon.\n\nAn Israeli official said on Monday that some of the attacks \"aren't ours\".\n\nIsrael's military rarely acknowledges operations in Syria, but said on Saturday that it had struck several sites and thwarted an Iranian attack on Israel \"using killer drones\".\n\nTo curb Iranian influence, Israel is believed to have carried out hundreds of strikes in Syria since the country erupted into civil war 2011.\n\nIn a video statement issued on Monday, Netahyanu said: \"Iran is working on several fronts to carry out deadly attacks against the state of Israel. Israel will continue to defend its security by all means necessary.\"\n\nOn Sunday, two drones that the Lebanese army said were Israeli crashed in the southern Beirut district of Dahia, which is dominated by Hezbollah.\n\nOne of the drones hit a building that houses Hezbollah's media office, while the other exploded and crashed nearby, causing material damage.\n\nA Palestinian militant group also also said on Monday that Israel had struck one of its positions in Lebanon's Bekaa valley.\n\nIsrael has not said it carried out these attacks, but Lebanese President Michel Aoun has blamed Israel, saying it was \"similar to a declaration of war\".\n\nHezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has also pledged that the group's fighters would shoot down any drones that entered Lebanese airspace.\n\nMeanwhile, in Iraq, paramilitary factions blamed Israel for strikes on Sunday against military sites and weapons depots.\n\nThe country's President Barham Salih and Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi have called them an \"attack on Iraqi sovereignty\".\n\nIsrael has not officially declared it was behind those strikes either, but Netanyahu has hinted at its involvement in a series of blasts over the last few weeks.\n\nFinance Minister Moshe Kahlon - a member of Israel's security cabinet - said on Monday: \"There are things being attributed to us that aren't ours\". However he would not go into detail.\n\nIsrael has put its military on high alert along its borders with Syria and Lebanon.\n\nAlso on Monday US Vice-President Mike Pence tweeted that America \"fully supports Israel's right to defend itself from imminent threats\".", "Lebanon, Iraq and Iran have declared recent Israeli aggression an act of war after attacks on Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq over the weekend, promising devastating retaliation if the violence continues.\n\nA pair of kamikaze drone attacks on Beirut’s southern suburbs on Sunday and a drone strike on a Palestinian militia in the Bekaa valley early Monday morning were akin to “a declaration of war,” Lebanese President Michel Aoun told the United Nations Special Coordinator on Monday, adding that the aggression “allows us to resort to our right to defending our sovereignty.”\n\nThe international community must reject Israel’s “blatant violation” of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 war between Lebanon and Israel, PM Saad al-Hariri implored ambassadors from the UN Security Council’s permanent members. “Any escalation could develop into a regional cycle of violence that nobody can predict the extent of.”\n\nAnd any Israeli drones overflying Lebanon will be shot out of the sky, Hezbollah secretary-general Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah warned Tel Aviv. “Hezbollah will tolerate no more Israeli drones penetrating Lebanese airspace,” he declared on Sunday after an explosive-laden drone took out Hezbollah’s media center in Beirut.\n\nNor was Lebanon the only nation to draw the line at the eruption of Israeli aggression over the weekend. A powerful bloc in Iraq’s parliament has demanded US troops leave the country after a series of Israeli airstrikes targeting Iran-allied Shiite militias known as Popular Mobilization Units over the past week.\n\nThe Fatah Coalition holds the US “fully responsible” for the Israeli attacks, “which we consider to be a declaration of war on Iraq and its people,” it said in a statement on Monday after yet another drone strike killed a PMU commander in the western town of al-Qaim. US troops, the coalition insists, are “no longer needed” in Iraq.\n\nAnd in Syria, Israeli missiles attacked several targets outside Damascus over the weekend, killing at least two in what the IDF claimed was a preemptive strike against a “large-scale attack of multiple killer drones on Israel” by Iran - ironically, a larger version of what they themselves were preparing to inflict on Lebanon.\n\n“Israel will pay a high price for its actions,” Ali Rabiei, spokesman for Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, told reporters on Monday, calling the bombings “black stains on track records of this regime.” He praised the words of his regional allies, noting they “send a clear and severe message to the Zionist regime that its brazen acts of aggression will not go unanswered.”\n\nIsrael has ramped up its assaults on regional foes as PM Benjamin Netanyahu heads into what promises to be a close election - a re-do of April’s contest which saw him slightly edge out challenger (and former IDF head) Benny Gantz but fail to form a coalition government afterwards. Netanyahu has warned that retaliation by Hezbollah will be met with attacks on the Lebanese state as a whole, and boasted last week that he had given the IDF “a free hand” to “thwart Iran’s plans” - which has so far equated to bombing its allies in three countries.\n\nLike this story? Share it with a friend!", "Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke in a 17-second Hebrew-language YouTube video on Monday, vowing that Israel would continue to “defend its security by any means necessary”.\n\n​“Iran is acting in a broad front to produce murderous terror attacks against Israel. Israel will continue to defend its security by any means necessary”, said Netanyahu.\n\nHe also emphatically called on the international community to take action against what he called the regional threat posed by Tehran and its proxies.\n\n“I call on the international community to act immediately to ensure Iran stops these attacks”, the Israeli prime minister said.\n\nTensions have shot up recently, as Tel Aviv has carried out airstrikes that have targeted what it described as Iranian forces and \"Shiite militia targets\" in Syria.\n\nTensions have shot up recently, as Jerusalem carried out airstrikes that targeted what it described as Iranian forces and \"Shiite militia targets\" in Syria.\n\nThe Israel Defence Forces (IDF) stated on 24 August that the strikes were aimed at stopping a \"pending, large-scale attack of multiple killer drones on Israel\". \n\nA spate of airstrikes in Lebanon and Iraq have also been blamed on Jerusalem, with Lebanon’s President Michel Aoun saying that the attacks attributed to Israel were a “declaration of war”.\n\nAoun made the statement during a meeting with UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jan Kubis.\n\n“What happened resembles a declaration of war that entitles us to resort to our right to defend our sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity”, Aoun said, according to Lebanese news outlet Naharnet.\n\nAoun told Kubis that Israel was responsible for an early Monday morning attack on the Lebanese-Syrian border and a drone explosion in a suburb of Beirut the day before.\n\nThe drone incident followed Israel taking responsibility for an airstrike in Syria that killed two Hezbollah members, with the group’s leader Hassan Nasrallah vowing to retaliate.\n\nIn Iraq, the Fatah Coalition called for the withdrawal of US troops from the country, saying on Monday that it holds the United States fully responsible for the reported Israeli strikes, “which we consider to be a declaration of war on Iraq and its people”.\n\nThe Times of Israel cites Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon as saying on Monday that some recent strikes in the region attributed to Israel “aren’t ours”.\n\n“We’ve gone through a tense and critical 72 hours. The prime minister once remarked that every explosion in the Middle East is attributed to Israel.\n\n I want to tell you that there are also things being attributed to us that aren’t ours. Since I cannot say what was us and what wasn’t, I’m saying that there are things being attributed to us that aren’t ours”, said Kahlon, a member of the high-level security cabinet.\n\nOver fears of retaliatory attacks, soldiers in northern Israel have been put on high alert.\n\nPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday spoke to US Vice President Mike Pence, who said that the US backs Israel’s right to self-defence.\n\n“Had a great conversation with Prime Minister @netanyahu this morning. The United States fully supports Israel’s right to defend itself from imminent threats. Under President @realDonaldTrump, America will always stand with Israel!” Pence wrote on Twitter.", "By AFP - Aug 26,2019 - Last updated at Aug 26,2019\n\nThis photo taken from near the southern Lebanese village of Kfar Kila shows the border wall with Israel on Monday (AFP photo)\n\nBEIRUT — Lebanon's president on Monday said an Israeli drone attack on Beirut at the weekend was a \"declaration of war\" that justified a military response.\n\n\"What happened is a declaration of war,\" Michel Aoun told Jan Kubis, the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, in a meeting.\n\n\"This allows us to resort to our right to defend our sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity,\" he added, in a statement released by his office.\n\nThe army said two Israeli drones had violated Lebanese airspace over Beirut before dawn on Sunday, with one exploding in the air.\n\nHizbollah movement chief Hasan Nasrallah said an armed drone had hit a target in the party's Beirut stronghold, without specifying.\n\nIt was the first such \"hostile action\" since a 2006 war between Hizbollah and Israel, added the head of the Iran-backed party, also vowing to retaliate.\n\n“I have repeatedly said before that Lebanon will not fire a single shot from its border unless it is in self-defence,” said Aoun.\n\n“What happened yesterday allows us to exercise this right,” he added.\n\nEarlier on Monday, Israeli air strikes targeted a Palestinian faction loyal to the Syrian government in eastern Lebanon.\n\nState-run NNA news agency said “three hostile strikes” after midnight hit Lebanon’s eastern mountains near Qusaya town “where the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command has military posts”.\n\nAoun said Israeli attacks on Qusaya and Beirut violated a UN Security Council resolution ending the month-long 2006 war that killed 1,200 people in Lebanon, mostly civilians, and 160 in Israel.\n\nLebanon had filed a complaint against Israel to the UN Security Council.\n\nOn Sunday, Nasrallah threatened Israel after the Beirut attack.\n\n“The time when Israeli aircraft come and bombard parts of Lebanon is over,” he said in a televised speech.\n\n“I say to the Israeli army along the border, from tonight be ready and wait for us,” he added. “What happened yesterday will not pass.”\n\nHizbollah, considered a terrorist organisation by Israel and the United States, is a major political actor in Lebanon and also a key government backer in war-torn Syria.\n\nThe latest incident also came after Israel on Saturday launched strikes in neighbouring Syria to prevent what it claimed was an Iranian attack on Israel.\n\nNasrallah on Sunday said two Hizbollah members were among those killed in the strike. They were laid to rest in Beirut’s southern suburbs on Monday, amid a large turnout of party supporters."], "summary": "Lebanese President Michel Aoun accuses Israel of a \"declaration of war\", and asserts the right of the country to defend itself from aggression in response to Israeli strikes in the Beqaa Valley."}
{"document": ["BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany’s cartel office said on Monday it would appeal a regional court decision to suspend restrictions it had placed on Facebook’s data collection practices to the country’s highest court.\n\nFILE PHOTO: Small toy figures are seen in front of Facebook logo in this illustration picture, April 8, 2019. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo\n\nA court in Duesseldorf had earlier suspended a February decision by the Federal Cartel Office to order Facebook (FB.O) to restrict its data collection in Germany.\n\n“We are convinced that with the available antitrust laws we can take regulatory action,” Andreas Mundt, the head of the cartel office, said in a statement. “To clarify these questions we will file an appeal to the Federal Court of Justice.”\n\nFacebook appealed February’s landmark decision by the cartel office that the world’s largest social network abused its dominant market position to gather information about users without their consent.\n\nThe Higher Regional Court in Duesseldorf said in its ruling earlier on Monday: “The suspension of the order means that Facebook does not have to implement the decision of the Federal Cartel Office for the time being.”\n\nFacebook, the world’s largest social network, declined to comment.\n\nThe court said its temporary injunction removing restrictions on Facebook’s data gathering would be valid until it had made a final decision on the company’s appeal.\n\nGermany, where privacy concerns run deep, is at the forefront of a global backlash against Facebook, fueled by last year’s Cambridge Analytica scandal in which tens of millions of Facebook profiles were harvested without their users’ consent.\n\nThe antitrust watchdog objected in particular to how Facebook pools data from third-party apps - including its own WhatsApp and Instagram - and its online tracking of people who aren’t members through Facebook ‘like’ or ‘share’ buttons.\n\nLast month, Facebook said it would improve user data safeguards as part of a settlement to resolve a U.S. government probe into its privacy practices, which resulted in a $5 billion fine.", "BERLIN — The German cartel office will appeal a regional court’s decision to suspend restrictions it had imposed on Facebook’s data collection practices to the Federal Court of Justice, Germany’s highest court.\n\n“We are convinced that with the available antitrust laws we can take regulatory action,” Andreas Mundt, the head of the Federal Cartel Office, said in a statement. “To clarify these questions we file an appeal at the Federal Court of Justice.”", "BERLIN, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Germany's cartel office said on Monday it would appeal a regional court decision to suspend restrictions it had placed on Facebook's data collection practices to the country's highest court.\n\nA court in Duesseldorf had earlier suspended a February decision by the Federal Cartel Office to order Facebook to restrict its data collection in Germany.\n\nFacebook appealed February's landmark decision by the cartel office that the world's largest social network abused its dominant market position to gather information about users without their consent.\n\nThe Higher Regional Court in Duesseldorf said in its ruling earlier on Monday: \"The suspension of the order means that Facebook does not have to implement the decision of the Federal Cartel Office for the time being.\"\n\nThe court said its temporary injunction removing restrictions on Facebook's data gathering would be valid until it had made a final decision on the company's appeal.\n\nGermany, where privacy concerns run deep, is at the forefront of a global backlash against Facebook, fueled by last year's Cambridge Analytica scandal in which tens of millions of Facebook profiles were harvested without their users' consent.\n\nThe antitrust watchdog objected in particular to how Facebook pools data from third-party apps - including its own WhatsApp and Instagram - and its online tracking of people who aren't members through Facebook 'like' or 'share' buttons.\n\nLast month, Facebook said it would improve user data safeguards as part of a settlement to resolve a U.S. government probe into its privacy practices, which resulted in a $5 billion fine.", "A court in Dusseldorf earlier suspended a February decision by the Federal Cartel Office ordering Facebook to restrict data collection in Germany.\n\n\"We are convinced that with the available antitrust laws we can take regulatory action,\" said Andreas Mundt, the head of the cartel office.\n\n\"To clarify these questions we will file an appeal to the Federal Court of Justice.\"\n\nFacebook appealed February's landmark decision that the social network abused its dominant market position to gather information about users without consent.\n\nThe Higher Regional Court in Duesseldorf said in its ruling earlier on Monday: \"The suspension of the order means that Facebook does not have to implement the decision of the Federal Cartel Office for the time being.\"\n\nThe court said its temporary injunction removing restrictions on Facebook's data gathering would be valid until it had made a final decision on the company's appeal.\n\nGermany, where privacy concerns run deep, is at the forefront of a global backlash against Facebook, fuelled by last year's Cambridge Analytica scandal in which tens of millions of Facebook profiles were harvested without their users' consent.\n\nGermany's watchdog in particular objected to how Facebook pools data from third-party apps - including its own WhatsApp and Instagram - and its online tracking of people who aren't members through Facebook 'like' or 'share' buttons.", "A court in Duesseldorf had earlier suspended a February decision by the Federal Cartel Office to order Facebook to restrict its data collection in Germany.\n\n\"We are convinced that with the available antitrust laws we can take regulatory action,\" Andreas Mundt, the head of the cartel office, said in a statement. \"To clarify these questions we will file an appeal to the Federal Court of Justice.\"\n\nFacebook appealed February's landmark decision by the cartel office that the world's largest social network abused its dominant market position to gather information about users without their consent.\n\nThe Higher Regional Court in Duesseldorf said in its ruling earlier on Monday: \"The suspension of the order means that Facebook does not have to implement the decision of the Federal Cartel Office for the time being.\"\n\nThe court said its temporary injunction removing restrictions on Facebook's data gathering would be valid until it had made a final decision on the company's appeal.\n\nGermany, where privacy concerns run deep, is at the forefront of a global backlash against Facebook, fueled by last year's Cambridge Analytica scandal in which tens of millions of Facebook profiles were harvested without their users' consent.\n\nThe antitrust watchdog objected in particular to how Facebook pools data from third-party apps - including its own WhatsApp and Instagram - and its online tracking of people who aren't members through Facebook 'like' or 'share' buttons.\n\nLast month, Facebook said it would improve user data safeguards as part of a settlement to resolve a U.S. government probe into its privacy practices, which resulted in a $5 billion fine.", "A German court on Monday temporarily suspended a February decision by the cartel office to order Facebook to restrict its data collection practices in Germany.\n\nBERLIN: A German court on Monday temporarily suspended a February decision by the cartel office to order Facebook to restrict its data collection practices in Germany.\n\n\"The suspension of the order means that Facebook does not have to implement the decision of the Federal Cartel Office for the time being,\" the Higher Regional Court in Duesseldorf said in its ruling.\n\nFacebook appealed the landmark decision by the cartel office that the world's largest social network abused its market dominance to gather information about users without their consent. It ordered Facebook to curb its data collection practices.\n\nFacebook declined to comment on the court decision. The cartel office said it would issue a statement on the decision later on Monday.\n\nThe court said its temporary injunction removing restrictions on Facebook's data gathering would be valid until it had made a final decision on the company's appeal.\n\nGermany, where privacy concerns run deep, is at the forefront of a global backlash against Facebook, fueled by last year's Cambridge Analytica scandal in which tens of millions of Facebook profiles were harvested without their users' consent.\n\nIn its February decision, the antitrust watchdog objected in particular to how Facebook pools data on people from third-party apps - including its own WhatsApp and Instagram - and its online tracking of people who aren't even members through Facebook 'like' or 'share' buttons.\n\nLast month, Facebook said it will improve safeguards on user data as part of a settlement to resolve a U.S. government probe into its privacy practices, which resulted in a US$5 billion fine.", "\"The suspension of the order means that Facebook does not have to implement the decision of the Federal Cartel Office for the time being,\" the Higher Regional Court in Duesseldorf said in its ruling.\n\nFacebook appealed the landmark decision by the cartel office that the world's largest social network abused its market dominance to gather information about users without their consent. It ordered Facebook to curb its data collection practices.\n\nFacebook declined to comment on the court decision. The cartel office said it would issue a statement on the decision later on Monday.\n\nThe court said its temporary injunction removing restrictions on Facebook's data gathering would be valid until it had made a final decision on the company's appeal.\n\nGermany, where privacy concerns run deep, is at the forefront of a global backlash against Facebook, fuelled by last year's Cambridge Analytica scandal in which tens of millions of Facebook profiles were harvested without their users' consent.\n\nIn its February decision, the antitrust watchdog objected in particular to how Facebook pools data on people from third-party apps - including its own WhatsApp and Instagram - and its online tracking of people who aren't even members through Facebook 'like' or 'share' buttons.\n\nLast month, Facebook said it will improve safeguards on user data as part of a settlement to resolve a U.S. government probe into its privacy practices, which resulted in a $5 billion (£4 billion) fine.", "BERLIN (Reuters) - A German court on Monday issued an interim injunction suspending a cartel office decision in February which sought to restrict Facebook’s data collection practices in Germany.\n\n“The suspension of the order means that Facebook does not have to implement the decision of the Federal Cartel Office for the time being,” the Higher Regional Court in Duesseldorf said in its ruling.\n\nIt added that a final decision about the appeal will be made at a later stage.", "BERLIN: Facebook scored an interim victory when a German court Monday temporarily suspended restrictions the national competition watchdog had placed on the social network's data collection practices.\n\n\n\nThe Federal Competition Office (FCO) immediately said it would appeal the ruling by the Duesseldorf regional court before the Federal Court of Justice.\n\nThe FCO had found in February that Facebook abused its dominant market position to gather information about users for their advertising business.\n\nIt ruled that users should be asked for consent before data collected by the group's subsidiaries Whatsapp and Instagram and on third-party websites was combined with their social network account.\n\nThe body also ruled that Facebook could not shut out users who refused, and gave the US company four months to present a \"concept\" for compliance and a year to implement it, or face heavy fines.\n\nFacebook responded by saying it would appeal the FCO´s decision.\n\nOn Monday the Duesseldorf court found it had \"serious doubts\" about the FCO's February ruling.\n\n\n\n\"Even if the data processing in question infringed data protection provisions, this would not at the same time constitute a breach of competition law,\" the court said in a statement.\n\nIt therefore issued a temporary injunction and ruled that, pending a final settlement of the issue, \"Facebook does not have to implement the decision of the Federal Cartel Office for the time being\".", "BERLIN -- Facebook Inc. won an appeal to a German antitrust edict regarding how it collects user data across its platforms, including Instagram and WhatsApp, an initial victory for the social-media giant as it faces wide regulatory scrutiny in Europe and the U.S.\n\nThe Higher Regional Court in Düsseldorf on Monday suspended an order of the German Federal Cartel Office to stop Facebook from combining data it collects about users across its platforms, as well on as third-party apps and websites. In a statement, the court said it had \"serious doubts\" about the legal basis for the cartel office's decision, issued earlier this year.\n\n\"Even if the contested data breached data-protection rules, that would not be an infringement of competition law at the same time,\" the court said.\n\nIn February, Germany's cartel office issued a landmark decision against Facebook, arguing that the social network abused its dominant position in the market by collecting data about its users. The antitrust authority said at the time it planned to use its decision as a basis for further crackdowns against other internet companies.\n\nFederal Cartel Office President Andreas Mundt said Monday it planned to appeal the Düsseldorf ruling to the Federal Court of Justice, saying his office disagreed with the court's findings on the legality of competition law.\n\n\"Data and data handling are decisive factors for competition in the digital economy,\" Mr. Mundt said in a statement. \"These legal issues are highly significant for the future state of competition in the digital economy. We are convinced that we can act in this area based on the existing antitrust law.\"\n\nFacebook declined to comment on the ruling Monday. The Palo Alto, Calif.-based company is facing increased regulatory pressure at home and abroad for its privacy and data-collection practices. The Irish Data Protection Commission said earlier this month it was close to concluding an investigation into Facebook's compliance with the European Union's new privacy law, known as the General Data Protection Regulation. In July, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission reached a $5 billion settlement with Facebook to conclude a long-running probe into how it handles privacy concerns."], "summary": "The Federal Cartel Office in Germany announced that it will appeal a decision by a regional court that suspended its restrictions on Facebook's activities. The appeal will bring the dispute, over underlying privacy issues, to the attention of the country's highest court."}
{"document": ["NORMAN, Okla./BOSTON (Reuters) - An Oklahoma judge on Monday ordered Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.N) to pay $572.1 million to the state for its part in fueling an opioid epidemic by deceptively marketing addictive painkillers, a sum that was substantially less than investors had expected, driving up J&J;’s shares.\n\nThe state’s attorney general had filed the lawsuit, seeking $17 billion to address the impact of the drug crisis on Oklahoma. It had been considered a bellwether for other litigation nationwide over the opioid epidemic.\n\n“The expectation was this was going to be a $1.5 billion to $2 billion fine,” said Jared Holz, healthcare strategist for Jefferies & Co. “$572 million is a much lower number than had been feared.”\n\nJ&J; said it would appeal the decision.\n\nShares of J&J; were up 2% in extended trading following the decision, after an initial gain of more than 5%. Other drugmakers that sell opioid painkillers and are defending against similar lawsuits also rose after-hours, including Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd (TEVA.TA) up 2.6%, and Endo International Plc (ENDP.O), up 1.4% higher.\n\nOpioids were involved in almost 400,000 overdose deaths from 1999 to 2017, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Since 2000, some 6,000 Oklahomans have died from opioid overdoses, according to the state’s lawyers.\n\nRoughly 2,500 lawsuits have been brought by states, counties and municipalities nationally seeking to hold drugmakers responsible for opioid abuse nationwide. Oklahoma’s case was the first to go to trial. Some drugmakers have chosen to settle cases.\n\nIn holding J&J; liable after a seven-week, non-jury trial, Judge Thad Balkman of Cleveland County District Court in Norman, Oklahoma, said the state proved that J&J;’s misleading marketing and promotion of its Duragesic and Nucynta painkillers created a public nuisance.\n\n“The opioid crisis is an imminent danger and menace to Oklahomans,” Balkman said.\n\nOklahoma wanted J&J; to help it address the epidemic for the next 30 years by funding addiction treatment and prevention programs.\n\nBalkman said in his written ruling that the award covered only one year of addressing the crisis because Oklahoma did not demonstrate the time and costs needed beyond that.\n\nLance Lang, a 36-year-old recovering user of opioids turned activist in Oklahoma City, said it was “short sighted” for the judge to have only ordered funding for a year. “There’s going to be people struggling with this for years,” he said in an interview.\n\nJ&J; said it will ask that the award be put on hold during an appeal process that could stretch into 2021. The company also said Oklahoma failed to show that its products and activities had created a public nuisance.\n\n“You can’t sue your way out of the opioid abuse crisis,” Sabrina Strong, a lawyer for J&J;, said at a news conference after the verdict. “Everyone must come together to address this. But J&J; did not cause the opioid crisis.”\n\n“ACCOUNTABLE FOR DEATHS AND ADDICTIONS”\n\nThe case was brought by Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter, who alleged that J&J;’s marketing practices helped fuel the opioid epidemic by flooding the market with painkillers.\n\n“Johnson & Johnson will finally be held accountable for thousands of deaths and addictions caused by their actions,” Hunter said.\n\nThe trial came after Oklahoma had resolved claims against OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma LP in March for $270 million and Teva in May for $85 million, leaving J&J; as the lone defendant.\n\nFILE PHOTO: The Johnson & Johnson logo is displayed on a screen on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., May 29, 2019. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File Photo\n\nThe verdict came as two Ohio counties prepare for a scheduled October trial before a federal judge in Cleveland. About 2,000 lawsuits out of some 2,500 filed nationwide are consolidated in the case in Cleveland.\n\nEndo International Plc (ENDP.O) and Allergan Plc (AGN.N) last week agreed to pay $15 million to avoid going to trial in October in a case by two Ohio counties, subject to court approval.\n\nSome plaintiffs’ lawyers have compared the opioid cases to litigation by states against the tobacco industry that led to a $246 billion settlement in 1998.\n\nJoe Rice, a lead plaintiff’s attorney for municipalities in the federal litigation, said if the Oklahoma award were extrapolated to other states, it could mean an annual abatement cost of around $38 billion.\n\n“It does indicate that if I’m in the pharmaceutical business, I’ve got to think long and hard about annual payments of my share of that,” he said.\n\nThe judge overseeing the federal litigation in Ohio has been pushing for a global settlement.\n\nJ&J;, which is among multiple pharmaceutical companies that are defendants in the federal litigation, said it remains “open to viable options” to resolve the Ohio case, including through settlement.\n\nDuring the Oklahoma trial, lawyers for the state argued that J&J; carried out a years-long marketing campaign that minimized the painkillers’ addiction risks and promoted their benefits.\n\nThe lawyers called J&J; an opioid “kingpin” and argued that its marketing created a public nuisance as doctors over-prescribed the drugs, leading to a surge in overdose deaths.\n\nJ&J; countered that its marketing claims had scientific support and its painkillers accounted for a tiny fraction of opioids prescribed in Oklahoma. The company said in a statement that since 2008, its painkillers accounted for less than 1% of the U.S. market, including generics.\n\nSlideshow (2 Images)\n\nTeva said the ruling supported its rationale for settling the case before trial, and said it was preparing to defend itself in the upcoming trial in Ohio.\n\nPurdue, which is also among the defendants in the Ohio litigation, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.", "An Oklahoma judge has ruled that drugmaker Johnson & Johnson helped ignite the state's opioid crisis by deceptively marketing painkillers, and must pay $572 million to the state.\n\nOklahoma sought $17.5 billion, blaming Johnson & Johnson for fueling the crisis that has claimed the lives of more than 6,000 people in the state.\n\nIt's the first ruling to hold a pharmaceutical company responsible for one of the worst drug epidemics in American history.\n\nJudge Thad Balkman delivered his decision from the bench, after presiding over a seven-week civil trial in the college town of Norman, Okla.\n\n\"The defendants caused an opioid crisis that is evidenced by increased rates of addiction, overdose deaths and neonatal abstinence syndrome in Oklahoma,\" Judge Balkman said in a statement.\n\nJohnson & Johnson immediately released a statement saying that the company \"plans to appeal the opioid judgment in Oklahoma.\"\n\nOklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter's suit alleged that Johnson & Johnson, through its pharmaceutical subsidiary Janssen, helped ignite a public health crisis that has killed thousands of state residents.\n\nBalkman's ruling affirmed the key legal argument of the state's case, that the drugmaker had created a \"public nuisance.\"\n\n\"The state met its burden,\" Balkman said in his comments, proving the company acted improperly with its \"misleading marketing and promotion of opioids.\"\n\n\"This is a temporary public nuisance that can be abated and the proper remedy for the public nuisance is equitable abatement,\" he said.\n\nThe amount Balkman ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay falls far short of the $17.5 billion state officials requested, but in his ruling he acknowledged the cost of the recovery effort will be much larger.\n\nIndeed, according to estimates detailed in this decision, the company's $572 million payment would only only fund Oklahoma's opioid recovery plan for a single year.\n\n\"Though several of the state's witnesses testified that the plan will take at least 20 years to work,\" Judge Balkman wrote, \"the state did not present sufficient evidence of the amount of time and costs necessary beyond year one to abate the opioid crisis.\"\n\nThat portion of the ruling took some observers by surprise.\n\n\"If Johnson & Johnson is responsible for the opioid epidemic as a long-term problem, why only provide enough money for one year?\" says Richard Ausness who teaches law at the University of Kentucky and follows opioid litigation closely.\n\nJudge Balkman declined to answer questions about the ruling.\n\nJohnson & Johnson argues that the facts don't support the judge's finding.\n\n\"This judgment is a misapplication of public nuisance law that has already been rejected by judges in other states,\" said Michael Ullmann, executive vice president, general counsel for Johnson & Johnson, in a statement. \"The unprecedented award for the state's 'abatement plan' has sweeping ramifications for many industries and bears no relation to the company's medicines or conduct.\"\n\nAttorney General Hunter celebrated the state's win, despite the discrepancy between the $572 million award and the billions the state had asked for.\n\n\"It's going to be an important step forward in dealing with the epidemic,\" he told reporters. \"Certainly we would have liked to walk out of here with $17 billion, but realistically we've been able to get together almost a billion dollars to help Oklahoma.\"\n\nInitially, Hunter's lawsuit included Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin. In March, Purdue Pharma settled with the state for $270 million. Soon after, Hunter dropped all but one of the civil claims, including fraud, against the two remaining defendants.\n\nJust two days before the trial began, another defendant, Teva Pharmaceuticals of Jerusalem, announced an $85 million settlement with the state.\n\nJohnson & Johnson marketed the opioid painkillers Duragesic and Nucynta. Lawyers for the company say its products were highly regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, among other agencies, and that the state did not provide any evidence showing the company's sales practices helped fuel the crisis. It argued these branded opioid products made up less than 1% of total opioid prescriptions in Oklahoma.\n\nAs NPR reported in July, during the trial the state's expert witness, Dr. Andrew Kolodny, testified that Johnson & Johnson also profited by manufacturing raw ingredients for opioids and then selling them to other companies, including Purdue, which makes Oxycontin.\n\nSpeaking on behalf of Janssen and Johnson & Johnson Monday, attorney Sabrina Strong told reporters that \"litigation is not the answer\" to the opioid crisis.\n\n\"Johnson & Johnson did not cause the opioid crisis. Although it includes some diversion of prescription medicine, it's largely driven by illegally manufactured drugs that are coming into the country from Mexico and elsewhere,\" she said.\n\nThe case is being closely watched by plaintiffs in other opioid lawsuits, particularly the roughly 2,000 cases in the National Prescription Opiate Litigation which is pending before a federal judge in Ohio. That consolidated lawsuit includes 22 defendants — opioid manufacturers and distributors, including Johnson & Johnson.\n\nIn a statement, the co-lead plaintiff attorneys of the Ohio litigation called today's ruling a \"milestone,\" saying the ruling in favor of Oklahoma's public nuisance claims is a \"critical step forward\" for the communities they represent.\n\n\"The ruling in favor of the State of Oklahoma's public nuisance claims confirms what communities have been saying for some time: the opioid epidemic significantly interfered with public health,\" said the attorneys, Paul T. Farrell Jr., Paul J. Hanly, Jr., and Joseph F. Rice.\n\n\n\nThe first court ruling in a wave of lawsuits against the drug industry was decided today. A state judge in Oklahoma ruled that Johnson & Johnson should pay more than $570 million to help ease that state's opioid addiction crisis. The state had asked for as much as 17 billion from the company.\n\nNorth Country Public Radio's Brian Mann joins me now via Skype to talk about this decision.\n\nKELLY: So the judge here, Judge Balkman - what did he say about Johnson & Johnson? How did he explain this ruling?\n\nMANN: You know, he was very measured, very professional in tone but, at the same time, really laid out a devastating view of Johnson & Johnson's behavior here, concluding that the company used misleading marketing pushing the sale of these addictive opioid medications. Here he is speaking from the bench.\n\nTHAD BALKMAN: Defendants caused an opioid crisis that is evidenced by increased rates of addiction, overdose deaths and neonatal abstinence syndrome in Oklahoma.\n\nMANN: And so he concluded that it's the company's responsibility to pay roughly half a billion dollars to help solve this public health crisis.\n\nKELLY: So half a billion dollars - obviously a lot less than the $17 billion Oklahoma was looking for. Is there some way to view this as at least a partial win for Johnson & Johnson?\n\nMANN: Yeah. Johnson & Johnson signaled that that's not how they view it by announcing immediately that they'll appeal this decision. And the reason it's not good - a good sign for the company is, first, that this ruling is, for one, relatively small, a relatively low-population state. So when you multiply their possible liability over the entire U.S. that's been hit by this addiction epidemic, the dollar figures could run into many billions of dollars.\n\nAnother problem for Johnson & Johnson is that their argument here that government regulators and doctors were the ones more directly at fault in this epidemic - you know, those arguments just didn't work in this courtroom. And so it's going to be interesting to see how that plays going forward. But, again, Johnson & Johnson says they will keep fighting this going forward.\n\nKELLY: Do we know, in the meantime, how Oklahoma plans to spend the money?\n\nMANN: So there was a new state law pushed through in Oklahoma just this summer that basically mandates that any money - if this does survive appeal, any money will go into the state's general fund, and that means lawmakers and the governor will decide how it's spent.\n\nAnd this could get messy, you know, and controversial. People worry that this opioid money could be diverted in the same way that tobacco money was often diverted back in the 1990s. Addiction advocates, of course, hope to see a lot of this money go to communities and to families that have been hit hard by this epidemic.\n\nKELLY: And in the short moments we have left, Brian, you flagged there what this might mean for Johnson & Johnson going forward. What about, you know, all these 2,000 local and state governments that have filed similar lawsuits? What signal might this send about liability across the industry?\n\nMANN: Yeah. This is really a powerful moment when all of these companies have to really look at what their potential exposure could be. This has been a devastating year for the pharmaceutical industry. A lot of information has come out about their practices, much of it really unsavory.\n\nAnd there are a lot more of these trials just kind of queued up to the horizon, including a big federal trial in Oklahoma (ph). The federal judge there, Dan Polster, has been pushing the industry to try to reach a big national settlement.\n\nKELLY: And we will see what happens there. Brian Mann, I'm going to have to leave it there.\n\nThanks so much.\n\nMANN: All right, thank you.", "An Oklahoma judge on Monday ruled against Johnson & Johnson in the first trial of an opioid manufacturer, ordering the company to pay the state $572 million for its role in the nationwide epidemic.\n\n“The opioid crisis is an imminent danger and menace to Oklahomans,” said Judge Thad Balkman in Cleveland County District Court, CNBC reports. “The state meant its burden that the defendants Janssen and Johnson & Johnson’s misleading marketing and promotion of opioids created a nuisance as defined by [the law], including a finding that those actions compromised the health and safety of thousands of Oklahomans.”\n\nJohnson & Johnson plans to appeal the decision. The company was the only remaining defendant in the case, which began on May 28th. Teva Pharmaceutical and Purdue Pharma, the widely criticized maker of OxyContin — both of whom denied wrongdoing — reached settlements with the state before the trial (Teva for $85 million, Purdue for $270 million).\n\nThe state argued that, dating back to the 1990s, Johnson & Johnson and pharmaceutical subsidiary Janssen aggressively marketed its opioids to doctors while downplaying the associated risks. According to the New York Times, Johnson & Johnson imported 60 percent of the opiate materials that were used to manufacture opioids in the U.S., while Janssen made an opioid pill and a fentanyl patch. “Defendants caused an opioid crisis that is evidenced by increased rates of addiction, overdose deaths and neonatal abstinence syndrome,” Balkman ruled.\n\nThroughout the seven-week trial, Oklahoma’s attorneys characterized Johnson & Johnson as the “kingpin” of the opioid epidemic, creating an abundance of addictive painkillers and causing a “public nuisance” that could cost the state upwards of $17.8 billion, Politico reports.\n\nWhile the legal fallout remains to be seen, the Oklahoma ruling could set a precedent for future cases, including more than 2,000 similar lawsuits already filed across the county.", "Oklahoma (US): An Oklahoma judge on Monday found Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiaries helped fuel the state's opioid crisis and ordered the consumer products giant to pay $572 million, more than twice the amount another drug manufacturer agreed to pay in a settlement.\n\nCleveland County District Judge Thad Balkman's ruling followed the first state opioid case to make it to trial and could help shape negotiations over roughly 1,500 similar lawsuits filed by state, local and tribal governments consolidated before a federal judge in Ohio.\n\n\"The opioid crisis has ravaged the state of Oklahoma,\" Balkman said before announcing the judgment. \"It must be abated immediately.\"\n\nAn attorney for the companies said they plan to appeal the ruling to the Oklahoma Supreme Court. Before Oklahoma's trial began May 28, the state reached settlements with two other defendant groups — a $270 million deal with OxyContin-maker Purdue Pharma and an $85 million settlement with Israeli-owned Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.\n\nOklahoma argued the companies and their subsidiaries created a public nuisance by launching an aggressive and misleading marketing campaign that overstated how effective the drugs were for treating chronic pain and understated the risk of addiction. Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter says opioid overdoses killed 4,653 people in the state from 2007 to 2017.\n\nHunter called Johnson & Johnson a \"kingpin\" company that was motivated by greed. He specifically pointed to two former Johnson & Johnson subsidiaries, Noramco and Tasmanian Alkaloids, which produced much of the raw opium used by other manufacturers to produce the drugs.\n\nOn Monday, Hunter said the Oklahoma case could provide a \"road map\" for other states to follow in holding drugmakers responsible for the opioid crisis.\n\n\"That's the message to other states: We did it in Oklahoma. You can do it elsewhere,\" Hunter said. \"Johnson & Johnson will finally be held accountable for thousands of deaths and addictions caused by their activities.\"\n\nAmong those seated in the courtroom on Monday were Craig and Gail Box, whose son Austin was a 22-year-old standout linebacker for the Oklahoma Sooners when he died of a prescription drug overdose in 2011. One of the attorneys for the state, Reggie Whitten, said he also lost a son to opioid abuse.\n\n\"I feel like my boy is looking down,\" Whitten said after the judge's ruling, his voice cracking with emotion.\n\nOklahoma pursued the case under the state's public nuisance statute and presented the judge with a plan to abate the crisis that would cost between $12.6 billion for 20 years and $17.5 billion over 30 years. Attorneys for Johnson & Johnson have said that estimate is wildly inflated. The judge's award would cover the costs of one year of the state's abatement plan, funding things like opioid use prevention and addiction treatment.\n\nAttorneys for the company have maintained they were part of a lawful and heavily regulated industry subject to strict federal oversight, including the US Drug Enforcement Agency and the Food and Drug Administration, during every step of the supply chain. Lawyers for the company said the judgment was a misapplication of public nuisance law.\n\nSabrina Strong, an attorney for Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiaries, said the companies have sympathy for those who suffer from substance abuse but called the judge's decision \"flawed.\"\n\n\"You can't sue your way out of the opioid abuse crisis,\" Strong said. \"Litigation is not the answer.\"\n\nAttorneys for the plaintiffs in the cases consolidated before a federal judge in Ohio called the Oklahoma judgment \"a milestone amid the mounting evidence against the opioid pharmaceutical industry.\"\n\n\"While public nuisance laws differ in every state, this decision is a critical step forward for the more than 2,000 cities, counties, and towns we represent in the consolidation of federal opioid cases,\" they said in a statement.\n\nAlso on Monday, the Kentucky Supreme Court declined to review an earlier ruling , making previously secret testimony from former Purdue Pharma President Rickard Sackler and other documents public. The court record was sealed in 2015 as part of a $24 million settlement between Purdue and Kentucky.\n\nThe 17 million pages of documents were being shipped Monday from Frankfort to Pike County, where the case originated. The Pike County Circuit Court Clerk's office could not immediately say how and when they would be available.\n\nGet the best of News18 delivered to your inbox - subscribe to News18 Daybreak. Follow News18.com on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and on YouTube, and stay in the know with what's happening in the world around you – in real time.\n\nSubscribe to Moneycontrol Pro and gain access to curated markets data, trading recommendations, equity analysis, investment ideas, insights from market gurus and much more. Get Moneycontrol PRO for 1 year at price of 3 months. Use code FREEDOM.", "Judge Orders Johnson & Johnson to pay more than $572 million for role in opioid crisis\n\nAn Oklahoma judge has ruled that the corporate giant Johnson & Johnson must pay more than $572 million for the role they played in the state's opioid epidemic, which officials say has killed over 6,000 Oklahomans over nearly 20 years.\n\nThe state's Attorney General, Mike Hunter, said that Johnson & Johnson, as well as their pharmaceutical subsidiary (Janssen) pushed painkiller opioids to doctors while simultaenously downplaying their addictiveness, dating all the way back to the 1990s. According to the state, this attempt to increase sales qualifies as a \"public nuisance\" that has killed thousands of their residents over the past two decades.\n\nJohnson & Johnson disputed that characterization from opposing attorneys, while their own attorney (John Sparks) said that the application of the public nuisance law had been misinterpreted, and said it was previously limited to legal disputes over property or public spaces. The exact total the company is required to pay is $572,102,028.\n\nThe ruling may also establish a precedent for more than 2,000 pending opioid cases against a number of pharmaceutical companies who may instead opt to settle.\n\nThis past March Purdue Pharma, the makers of OxyContin, reached a $270 million settlement with the Oklahoma attorney general's office. Another company, Teva Pharmaceutical, settled with the state for $85 million just days before going to trial. Despite shelling out those large figures, both companies maintain they did nothing wrong.\n\nHunter had been pushing for Johnson & Johnson to pony up $17 billion to the state, which would then be allocated for addiction treatment and overall prevention over the course of the next three decades. As the trial waged on, Hunter said Johnson & Johnson, as well as other similar companies, tried to rush out a \"magic pill\" to bank quick profits while ignoring the scientifically established danger of opiods.\n\n“We’ve shown that J&J was at the root cause of this opioid crisis,” said Oklahoma lead attorney Brad Beckworth, according to The New York Times. “It made billions of dollars from it over a 20-year period. They’ve always denied responsibility and yet at the same time they say they want to make a difference in solving this problem. So do the right thing: come in here, pay the judgment.”\n\nIn December 2018 a St. Louis, Missouri jury found that Johnson & Johnson should pay $4.7 billion because their baby powder caused cancer in some consumers, though no verdict of that size has ever survived appeal. In 2018 Johnson and Johnson had sales worth $81.6 billion.", "NORMAN, Okla. -- An Oklahoma judge is expected to rule Monday in the first state case to go to trial accusing an opioid drugmaker of being responsible for the devastating consequences arising from addiction to the powerful painkillers.Cleveland County District Judge Thad Balkman is scheduled to deliver his judgment in open court at 3 p.m. The case is at the forefront of a wave of similar lawsuits by states, cities, counties and Indian tribes against drug companies over the wreckage caused by the national opioid crisis.Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter has called consumer products giant Johnson & Johnson, the last remaining defendant group in the case, a \"kingpin\" company that helped fuel the most devastating public health crisis in the state's history.Before the six-week trial started in late May, Oklahoma reached a $270 million settlement with OxyContin-maker Purdue Pharma and an $85 million deal with Israeli-owned Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.\"The judge will probably find in favor of (Oklahoma), but will decline to give it a huge damage award, particularly since Purdue, the real bad boy in all of this, was able to cap its liability at the relatively modest sum of $270 million,\" said University of Kentucky law professor Richard Ausness, who has written extensively about opioid litigation.\"Whatever happens, the losing side will probably appeal, so the matter will drag on for several more years.\"Attorneys for Oklahoma outlined a plan developed by state mental health and addiction specialists to abate the opioid crisis that would range between $12.6 billion for 20 years or $17.5 billion over 30 years.Attorneys for Johnson & Johnson say that estimate is wildly inflated and claim the state is trying to hold the company liable for damages without any evidence that it caused the crisis.\"Throughout trial our team repeatedly laid waste to the state's case, which it built on misstatements and distortions,\" John Sparks, local counsel for Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiary, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., said following closing arguments. \"The facts are that Janssen appropriately provided essential pain treatment options to Oklahomans while balancing the inherent risks associated with these medicines.\"", "An Oklahoma judge on Monday found an opioid drugmaker liable for the ongoing epidemic “ravaging” the state, issuing the first ruling in a state lawsuit.\n\nCalling the opioid crisis a “danger and menace” to Oklahomans, Judge Thad Balkman in Norman, Okla. said attorneys for the state had proven their case that Johnson & Johnson and its Belgium subsidiary, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, helped create an addiction crisis and ordered they pay $572 million as part of an abatement plan.\n\nJudge Balkman ruled that Johnson & Johnson’s misleading marketing created a “public nuisance” that compromised the health and safety of thousands of Oklahomans.\n\n“Defendants caused an opioid crisis that is evidenced by increased rates of addiction, overdose deaths and neonatal abstinence syndrome,” Judge Balkmansaid in court Monday. “The opioid crisis has ravaged the state of Oklahoma. It must be abated immediately.”\n\nJohnson & Johnson, the New Jersey-based medical products company, immediately released a statement saying they planned an appeal.\n\nThe judge’s verdict from could set the precedent for the thousands of other lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies across the country.\n\nThe $572 million the judge ordered Johnson & Johnson to pay is a significant decrease from the $17.5 billion over 30 years the state of Oklahoma demanded to abate the crisis.\n\nJudge Balkman did not read from his 42-page ruling in culminating the 8-week trial which saw nearly 50 witnesses brought by the state and Johnson & Johnson. Purdue Pharma and Teva Pharmaceuticals were dropped from the case after reaching multi-million dollar settlements with Oklahoma.", "A judge in Oklahoma has found Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiaries helped fuel the state’s opioid crisis and ordered the consumer products giant to pay 572 million US dollars (£469m).\n\nCleveland County District Judge Thad Balkman’s ruling followed the first state opioid case to make it to trial and could help shape negotiations over roughly 1,500 similar lawsuits filed by state, local and tribal governments consolidated before a federal judge in Ohio.\n\n“The opioid crisis has ravaged the state of Oklahoma,” Mr Balkman said before announcing the verdict.\n\nThe companies are expected to appeal against the ruling to the Oklahoma Supreme Court.\n\nBefore Oklahoma’s trial began on May 28, Oklahoma reached settlements with two other defendant groups — a 270 million-dollar (£221m) deal with OxyContin-maker Purdue Pharma and an 85 million-dollar (£69m) settlement with Israeli-owned Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.\n\nOklahoma argued the companies and their subsidiaries created a public nuisance by launching an aggressive and misleading marketing campaign that overstated how effective the drugs were for treating chronic pain and understated the risk of addiction.\n\nOklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter says opioid overdoses killed 4,653 people in the state from 2007 to 2017.\n\nMr Hunter has called Johnson & Johnson a “kingpin” company that was motivated by greed.\n\nHe specifically pointed to two former Johnson & Johnson subsidiaries, Noramco and Tasmanian Alkaloids, which produced much of the raw opium used by other manufacturers to produce the drugs.\n\n“They’ve been the principal origin for the active pharmaceutical ingredient in prescription opioids in the country for the last two decades,” Mr Hunter said after the trial ended on July 15.\n\n“It is one of the most important elements of causation with regard to why the defendants… are responsible for the epidemic in the country and in Oklahoma.”\n\nLawyers for the company have maintained they were part of a lawful and heavily regulated industry subject to strict federal oversight, including the US Drug Enforcement Agency and the Food and Drug Administration, during every step of the supply chain.\n\nLawyers for the company said the judgment was a misapplication of public nuisance law.\n\nSabrina Strong, a lawyer for Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiaries, said the companies have sympathy for those who suffer from substance abuse but called the judge’s decision “flawed”.\n\n“You can’t sue your way out of the opioid abuse crisis,” Ms Strong said.\n\n“Litigation is not the answer.”\n\nOklahoma pursued the case under the state’s public nuisance statute and presented the judge with a plan to abate the crisis that would cost between 12.6 billion dollars for 20 years and 17.5 billion dollars over 30 years.\n\nLawyers for Johnson & Johnson have said that estimate is wildly inflated.", "A US judge last night ordered pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson to pay £470MILLION for fuelling a deadly \"opiate crisis\".\n\nOklahoma District Judge Thad Balkman agreed J&J may have been responsible for some of the 6,000 painkiller overdoses in the state since 2000.\n\nJudge Balkman, the Cleveland County magistrate, ruled that the multinational should pay a $572m (£468m) settlement in compensation.\n\nJohnson & Johnson manufactures household products like baby powder and cotton buds as well as prescription pharmaceuticals.\n\nAmong its drugs are powerful and addictive painkillers known as opiates.\n\nOpiates have been involved in as many as 400,000 overdose deaths in the US from 1999 to 2017, according to US health authorities.\n\nJudge Balkman ruled in favour of prosecutors who claimed J&J and its subsidiaries flooded the market with the dangerous drugs.\n\nHe wrote: \"The opioid crisis is an imminent danger and menace to Oklahomans.\n\n\"Defendants' opioid marketing, in its multitude of forms, was false, deceptive and misleading.\"\n\nThe US company, worth £280billion, deliberately and aggressively marketed its drugs as wonder-cures for chronic pain, it was alleged.\n\nAnd prosecutors also argued that J&J underplayed the risk of addiction to patients.\n\nOklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter called Johnson & Johnson a \"kingpin\" company that was motivated by greed.\n\nHe pointed to two former J&J subsidiaries - Noramco and Tasmanian Alkaloids - which produced much of the raw opium used by other manufacturers to produce the drugs.\n\nThe cost to Oklahoma state authorities to address the damage caused by opiate abuse will top $17.5bn (£14.3bn) over 30 years, prosecutors argued.\n\nAgreeing with the state's case, Judge Balkman blasted the company for its role in the \"opiod crisis\" that has \"ravaged the state of Oklahoma.\"\n\nHe added: \"It must be abated immediately.\"\n\nThe landmark ruling - which could have far-ranging consequences to the US drugs market - concludes a sometimes emotional three-month trial.\n\nOne of the attorneys for the state, Reggie Whitten, said he also lost a son to opioid abuse.\n\nHolding back tears, Mr Whitten said after the judge's ruling: \"I feel like my boy is looking down.\"\n\nAmong those seated in the courtroom on Monday were Craig and Gail Box.\n\nTheir son Austin was a 22-year-old linebacker for the Oklahoma Sooners when he died of a prescription drug overdose in 2011.\n\nJudge Balkman's verdict followed the first state opioid case to make it to trial.\n\nIt could help shape negotiations over roughly 1,500 similar lawsuits that have been lumped together before a federal judge in Ohio.\n\nMr Hunter said the Oklahoma case could provide a \"road map\" for other states to follow in holding drugmakers responsible.\n\nHe added: \"That's the message to other states: We did it in Oklahoma. You can do it elsewhere.\n\n\"Johnson & Johnson will finally be held accountable for thousands of deaths and addictions caused by their activities.\"\n\nAttorney's for Johnson & Johnson said they would appeal the ruling to the Oklahoma Supreme Court.\n\nIn a lengthy statement, J&J said that it operates lawfully as part of a heavily regulated industry.\n\nSabrina Strong, an attorney for Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiaries, said the companies have sympathy for those who suffer from substance abuse - but called the judge's decision \"flawed.\"\n\nShe added: \"You can't sue your way out of the opioid abuse crisis. Litigation is not the answer.\"\n\nAnd they agreed an $85 million deal with Israeli-owned Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.\n\nWe pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368. You can WhatsApp us on 07810 791 502. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours.", "NORMAN, Okla. -- An Oklahoma judge on Monday found Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiaries helped fuel the state's opioid crisis and ordered the consumer products giant to pay $572 million to clean up the problem.Cleveland County District Judge Thad Balkman's ruling followed the first state opioid case to make it to trial and could help shape negotiations over roughly 1,500 similar lawsuits filed by state, local and tribal governments consolidated before a federal judge in Ohio.\"The opioid crisis has ravaged the state of Oklahoma,\" Balkman said before announcing the verdict. \"It must be abated immediately.\"The companies are expected to appeal the ruling to the Oklahoma Supreme Court.Before Oklahoma's trial began May 28, Oklahoma reached settlements with two other defendant groups - a $270 million deal with OxyContin-maker Purdue Pharma and an $85 million settlement with Israeli-owned Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.Oklahoma argued the companies and their subsidiaries created a public nuisance by launching an aggressive and misleading marketing campaign that overstated how effective the drugs were for treating chronic pain and understated the risk of addiction. Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter says opioid overdoses killed 4,653 people in the state from 2007 to 2017.Mike Hunter has called Johnson & Johnson a \"kingpin\" company that was motivated by greed. He specifically pointed to two former Johnson & Johnson subsidiaries, Noramco and Tasmanian Alkaloids, which produced much of the raw opium used by other manufacturers to produce the drugs.\"They've been the principal origin for the active pharmaceutical ingredient in prescription opioids in the country for the last two decades,\" Hunter said after the trial ended July 15. \"It is one of the most important elements of causation with regard to why the defendants ... are responsible for the epidemic in the country and in Oklahoma.\"Attorneys for the company have maintained they were part of a lawful and heavily regulated industry subject to strict federal oversight, including the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency and the Food and Drug Administration, during every step of the supply chain. Lead attorney Larry Ottaway said during closing arguments that opioid drugs serve a critical health need - to address chronic pain that affects thousands of Oklahomans every day.\"This problem of untreated chronic pain afflicts people here in Oklahoma,\" Ottaway said.Oklahoma pursued the case under the state's public nuisance statute and presented the judge with a plan to abate the crisis that would cost between $12.6 billion for 20 years and $17.5 billion over 30 years. Attorneys for Johnson & Johnson have said that estimate is wildly inflated.Also on Monday, the Kentucky Supreme Court declined to review an earlier ruling, making previously secret testimony from former Purdue Pharma President Rickard Sackler and other documents public. The court record was sealed in 2015 as part of a $24 million settlement between Purdue and Kentucky.The 17 million pages of documents were being shipped Monday from Frankfort to Pike County, where the case originated. The Pike County Circuit Court Clerk's office could not immediately say how and when they would be available."], "summary": "An Oklahoma district court finds Johnson & Johnson liable for exacerbating opioid addiction in the state, and fines them US$572 million. The company announces it will appeal."}
{"document": ["President Trump, when asked about the climate crisis, said he wants clean air and clean water — but also wants the US to hold onto its \"tremendous wealth.\"\n\nA reporter asked Trump, \"What do you think the world should be doing about climate change and do you still harbor that skepticism?\"\n\nTrump said the US has become \"the No. 1 energy producer in the world.\"\n\n\"I feel that the United States has tremendous wealth. The wealth is under its feet. I’ve made that wealth come alive,\" he said. \"And I’m not going to lose that wealth. I’m not going to lose it on dreams — on windmills, which frankly aren’t working too well. ”\n\nTrump said that while he wanted to continue energy production, he see himself as an environmentalist.\n\n\"I want the cleanest water on Earth. I want the cleanest air on Earth. And that’s what we’re doing. And I’m an environmentalist,\" he said.\n\n\"I think I know more about the environment than most people. I want clean air. I want clean water. I want a wealthy country. I want a spectacular country with jobs, with pensions and so many things and that’s what we’re getting.\"\n\nSome context: Earlier today, Trump skipped a session devoted to climate change at the G7 summit.\n\nIn the lead-up to the G7, Trump's aides said he wasn't entirely interested in the climate portions of the summit, believing them a waste of time compared to discussion of the economy.\n\nAfter past G7s, Trump complained that too much time was spent on issues he deemed unimportant, like clearing oceans of plastics.", "The tragic wildfires in the Amazon rainforest are some of the worst in history, and the public is concerned. Luckily, it sounds like world leaders are hearing the public's call for aid and are working on a package that could assist the Amazon. However, one familiar face was missing from this important get together, because Donald Trump skipped a G7 meeting that was all about the Amazon rainforest and environmentalism.\n\nOn Monday, Aug. 26, Group of Seven (G7) leaders met in Biarritz, France and agreed on a $20 million aid package in order to confront the forest fires taking over the Amazon. According to The New York Times, French President Emmanuel Macron and Chilean President Sebastián Piñera also agreed to a long-term program that would focus on forest protection and reforesting lands that have already been cleared. From the looks of it, a lot was done during this meeting. However, U.S. President Donald Trump didn't attend the meeting, and instead sent a Trump administration senior staffer instead, per The Times.\n\nOn Aug. 26, White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham told reporters that Trump had scheduled meetings that conflicted with the G7 meeting. \"The President had scheduled meetings and bilaterals with Germany and India, so a senior member of the Administration attended in his stead,\" Grisham said.\n\nSo far, there's been no word as to exactly what the aid package will go toward. According to Piñera, the countries impacted will need specialized aircrafts and fire brigades in order to take on the wildfires.\n\nThis G7 meeting marks an important step to help the Amazon, which is currently suffering from extreme, out of control fires which threaten to destroy the rainforest which is nicknamed the \"lungs of the planet.\" The ecosystem is one of the largest sources of biodiversity and oxygen in the world, and helps decrease the effects of climate change by storing carbon. Per CNN, as of Aug. 24 there were as many as 80,626 fires burning throughout the portion of the Amazon within Brazilian borders.\n\nAs the president of the United States, it's understandable that Trump had a busy schedule. However, Trump has aired his skepticism about climate change in the past, denying scientific evidence that it's caused by human activities. (At least 97% of climate scientists agree that climate change is primarily man-made, per NASA.) In October 2018, Trump appeared on 60 Minutes and told host Lesley Stahl that he doesn't stand by previous comments he's made that climate change is a \"hoax.\" However, he still isn't fully convinced that global climate change is man-made. He said,\n\nEven though Trump missed this G7 meeting, rumor has it he has big plans for the 2020 meeting. The Times reported that Trump is thinking about holding the next G7 meeting at his National Doral luxury golf resort in Doral, Florida. However, critics have questioned the ethics of such a move, as the Trump-owned resort would see a financial profit off of hosting such a high-profile event. Nothing has been confirmed as of yet, but perhaps the G7 leaders will be swapping their work clothes for swimming suits. Despite the criticism, Trump defended his decision to host the G7 summit at one of his properties to reporters on Monday, Aug. 26. He said,\n\nTrump might have skipped out on this particular G7 meeting, but hopefully the other world leaders will fill him in. One thing is for sure, this aid package could help the Amazon in numerous ways, which could impact all of us. In the meantime, here's how we can help the Amazon ourselves.", "President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump board Air Force One at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., Friday, Aug. 23, 2019, to travel to Biarritz, France, for a G-7 summit. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)\n\nBIARRITZ, France (AP) — The Latest on President Donald Trump (all times local):\n\nPresident Donald Trump is dining with world leaders attending the annual Group of Seven summit in France.\n\nThe opening event of the meeting of the world’s richest democracies is being held at the Biarritz lighthouse with its commanding views of the Bay of Biscay.\n\nForeign policy and security issues are set to be on the agenda for what is being billed as an informal dinner.\n\nThe French presidency has chosen five local chefs, all with Michelin stars, to prepare meals featuring local Basque cuisine for the summit.\n\nPresident Donald Trump French and French President Emmanuel Macron discussed economic and trade issues, as well as security challenges, during their private lunch ahead of the Group of Seven summit in Biarritz.\n\nThe White House says they “discussed the importance of promoting free and fair trade, reducing trade barriers, taxation, and regulation, and ensuring freedom of navigation and commerce as pillars of global economic growth.”\n\nEarlier Macron’s office said he raised a proposal with Trump to bring the U.S. and Iran back to the negotiating table over the latter’s nuclear program — a notion that only garnered passing mention by the White House.\n\nThe U.S. readout of Saturday’s meeting says only that they “also addressed security challenges of mutual concern, particularly the ongoing crisis in Libya, growing instability in the Sahel region, and tensions in the Persian Gulf.”\n\nPresident Donald Trump may be in France for an international summit, but his mind is on news coverage at home after he referred to himself as “the chosen one” and pointed to the sky when discussing a spiraling trade war with China.\n\nTrump is tweeting that he was “being sarcastic, and just having fun.” His comments before boarding Marine One this past week were met by laughs from some of the assembled press members.\n\nTrump is attacking news outlets “who covered it as serious news & me thinking of myself as the Messiah.” He adds: “No more trust!”\n\nTrump is in Biarritz, France, for the Group of Seven summit.\n\nPresident Donald Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron (eh-mahn-yoo-EHL’ mah-KROHN’) held a private lunch before the start of the Group of Seven summit in Biarritz.\n\nMacron, who’s hosting the summit, said the leaders are discussing “a lot of crisis” around the world, including Libya, Iran and Russia, as well as trade policy and climate change.\n\nTrump said the two leaders “actually have a lot in common” and a “special relationship.” He adds, “We’ll accomplish a lot this weekend and I look forward to it.”\n\nAsked if he would follow through on his threat to place tariffs on French wines in retaliation for France’s digital services tax, Trump was noncommittal, saying only that “I love French wine.”\n\nPresident Donald Trump has arrived in France for a summit with world leaders. The Group of Seven meeting in Biarritz comes amid anxieties over a global economic slowdown and the president’s escalating trade war with China.\n\nAir Force One arrived in the seaside resort town on Saturday afternoon.\n\nThe two-day summit is taking place at one of the most unpredictable moments in Trump’s tenure, with his public comments and decision-making increasingly erratic and acerbic of late.\n\nTrump faces a wary reception from fellow world leaders. He’s opened new points of tension with allies on trade, Iran and Russia.\n\nThe summit is scheduled to kick off with a dinner Saturday night. The summit is expected to focus on economic issues and climate change, among other topics.\n\nPresident Donald Trump heads into a summit with global economic powers confronting the consequences of his preference for going it alone in a polarized nation and an interconnected world.\n\nThe Group of Seven nations are gathering in a French beach resort town at one of the most unpredictable moments in Trump’s tenure, with his public comments and decision-making increasingly erratic and acerbic of late.\n\nTrump faces an icy reception on the world stage, where many challenges await.\n\nWith fears of a financial downturn spreading, Trump has ridiculed Germany for its economic travails. But he may well need German leader Angela Merkel (AHN’-geh-lah MEHR’-kuhl) and others to help blunt the force of China’s newly aggressive tariffs on U.S. goods.", "Leaders of the Group of Seven are arriving for a working meeting focused on looming threats to the global economy.\n\nU.S. President Donald Trump and the leaders of the other G-7 countries, France, Britain, Italy, Japan, Germany, Canada as well as the European Union were expected to discuss the spread of trade disputes, notably the U.S. trade war with China.\n\nSunday's gathering in the French seaside resort of Biarritz comes on the heels of the first face-to-face meeting between Trump and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who is hoping for a quick trade accord with the United States as Britain's exit from the European Union approaches.", "Mounted police officers patrol along the beach, with the G7 venue Bellevue in background, Saturday, Aug. 24, 2019 in Biarritz. Leaders of the Group of Seven countries arrive on Saturday to discuss issues including the struggling global economy and climate change until Monday. They include the United States, Germany, Japan, Britain, France, Canada and Italy. (AP Photo/Francois Mori)\n\nBIARRITZ, France (AP) — Leaders of major world economies are meeting to discuss the shaky world economy amid trade disputes and uncertainty over U.S. President Donald Trump’s policies.\n\nTrump tried to play down tensions among Group of Seven leaders after they had dinner Saturday in the southwest French resort of Biarritz. He is worried that the global economic slowdown is spreading to the U.S. before next year’s elections.\n\nThe G-7 leaders are meeting Sunday morning to focus on what they can do together to boost the economy. They include the heads of Britain, France, Germany, Japan, Canada and Italy.\n\nDisputes on trade have unsettled the global economy because businesses don’t know where tariffs will be imposed.\n\nAnti-capitalist protesters also plan demonstrations Sunday after clashing with police near Biarritz on the summit’s opening day Saturday.", "BIARRITZ, France — Leaders of major world economies are meeting to discuss the shaky world economy amid trade disputes and uncertainty over U.S. President Donald Trump’s policies.\n\nTrump tried to play down tensions among Group of Seven leaders after they had dinner Saturday in the southwest French resort of Biarritz. He is worried that the global economic slowdown is spreading to the U.S. before next year’s elections.\n\nThe G-7 leaders are meeting Sunday morning to focus on what they can do together to boost the economy. They include the heads of Britain, France, Germany, Japan, Canada and Italy.\n\nDisputes on trade have unsettled the global economy because businesses don’t know where tariffs will be imposed.\n\nAnti-capitalist protesters also plan demonstrations Sunday after clashing with police near Biarritz on the summit’s opening day Saturday.", "\n• President Donald Trump reportedly derailed a major meeting with world leaders at the annual Group of Seven summit on Saturday evening after he insisted that Russia should be readmitted to the G7.\n• Trump’s comments initiated a discussion at the dinner about “whether the leaders should assign any special weight to being a democracy,” The Washington Post reported. While most of the world leaders staunchly believed they should, Trump didn’t.\n• “The consequence is the same as if one of the participants is a dictator,” an official told The Post. “No community of like-minded leaders who are pulling together.”\n• Trump on Monday announced that he would invite Russian President Vladimir Putin to next year’s summit.\n• Russia was expelled from the then-G8 in 2014 over its annexation of Crimea from Ukraine, which violated international laws and agreements.\n\nPresident Donald Trump derailed a major meeting with world leaders at the annual Group of Seven summit on Saturday evening after he insisted that Russia should be re-invited to the international gathering, The Washington Post reported Tuesday.\n\nThe president interrupted talks of the fires in the Amazon and Iran’s nuclear capacity by advocating for Russia to be readmitted to the gathering of industrialized nations at a dinner in Biarritz, France on Saturday night.\n\nRussia was expelled from the then-G8 in 2014 over its annexation of Crimea from Ukraine, which violated international laws and agreements.\n\nTrump’s comments initiated a discussion at the dinner about “whether the leaders should assign any special weight to being a democracy,” The Post reported. While most of the world leaders staunchly believed they should, Trump didn’t.\n\nA senior official at the meeting told The Post that Trump crossed his arms and appeared to take a more physically combative stance as multiple leaders rejected his comments.\n\n“The consequence is the same as if one of the participants is a dictator,” an official told The Post. “No community of like-minded leaders who are pulling together.”\n\nRead more: Trump is pushing to let Russia re-join the G7, and the White House claims that France approves\n\nTrump may be able to bring Putin back to the G7 as next year’s host\n\nOfficials said that at least two of the leaders present, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Italy’s acting prime minister Giuseppe Conte, did not push back against Trump’s position.\n\nBritish Prime Minister Boris Johnson praised French President Emmanuel Macron’s performance at the dinner on Sunday morning. “You did very well there last night. My God, that was a difficult one,” Johnson said, according to The Post.\n\nTrump on Monday announced that he would invite Russian President Vladimir Putin to next year’s summit.\n\n“Would I invite him? I would certainly invite him,” he told reporters. “Whether or not he could come, psychologically, I think that’s a tough thing for him to do,” because Putin is “a proud person.”\n\nThe US will host next year’s G7 gathering, so Trump may have the power to unilaterally re-invite Putin to the meeting.\n\nRead more: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Greta Thunberg want everyone to fly less to fight climate change. Germany and Sweden are already embracing the ‘flight shame’ movement.\n\nMacron, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and other leaders have made clear that they won’t consider supporting Russia’s readmittance unless the country helps promote peace in Ukraine.\n\n“One year ago, in Canada, President Trump suggested reinviting Russia to the G-7, stating openly that Crimea’s annexation by Russia was partially justified. And that we should accept this fact. Under no condition can we agree with this logic,” European Council President Donald Tusk told reporters over the weekend.\n\nThe president argued last week that it doesn’t make sense to exclude Russia – and its leader President Vladimir Putin – from the gathering “because a lot of the things we talk about have to do with Russia.”\n\nTrump hasn’t mentioned Crimea or suggested that Russia would need to make any concessions in order to rejoin the group as part of his recent push. Instead, Trump has repeatedly blamed President Barack Obama for being “outsmarted” by Russia and then demanding the country’s exclusion.", "The Latest US, France near possible deal on digital tax\n\nBIARRITZ, France — The Latest on the summit of leaders from the Group of Seven democracies (all times local):\n\nFrench officials say the U.S. and France are nearing a possible deal on taxing online powerhouses — and avoiding new tariffs on French wine.\n\nTwo officials said Monday that progress was made at a dinner Sunday night with U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, France’s finance minister and other U.S. officials on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit in Biarritz, France.\n\nFrance introduced a 3% tax last month on French revenues of big tech companies like Google and Amazon, which currently pay next to no taxes on French sales.\n\nU.S. President Donald Trump threatened retaliatory measures on French wine, which could be announced as soon as Monday.\n\nAsked about the wine tariffs Monday, Trump said “it depends on the deal we work out on the digital tax,” which “We’re negotiating right now.”\n\nThe French officials said France would scrap its tech tax if an international tax deal on digital multinationals is in place by 2020 or 2021 — and could reimburse the companies if the international tax is lower than the French tax.\n\nThe officials spoke only on condition of anonymity because they could not be named publicly.\n\nG-7 leaders are wrapping up a summit dominated by tensions over U.S. trade policies and a surprise visit by Iran’s top diplomat.\n\nU.S. President Donald Trump and summit host French President Emmanuel Macron will finish off the three-day summit with a joint news conference Monday.\n\nBut first the leaders of the Group of Seven rich democracies — the U.S., France, Britain, Germany, Japan, Canada and Italy — are holding a string of meetings on climate change, how digitalization is transforming the world and other issues.\n\nThe troubled world economy is overshadowing the meetings in the French Atlantic resort of Biarritz.\n\nMacron also took a big gamble by inviting the Iranian foreign minister to Biarritz, hoping to secure a breakthrough in global tensions over Iran’s nuclear program.", "Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin walks to a working breakfast with President Donald Trump and Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson at the Hotel du Palais on the sidelines of the G-7 summit in Biarritz, France, Sunday, Aug. 25, 2019. (Erin Schaff, The New York Times, Pool)\n\nBIARRITZ, France (AP) — The Latest on the summit of leaders from the Group of Seven democracies (all times local):\n\nFrench President Emmanuel Macron says France and the U.S. have reached a “very good agreement” defusing tensions over a French tax on online giants like Google.\n\nThe tax had prompted threats from U.S. President Donald Trump of heavy tariffs on French wine.\n\nSpeaking Monday alongside Trump, Macron said they made “considerable headway in the spirit of unity” at the Group of Seven summit in Biarritz, France.\n\nMacron said France would reimburse companies who pay the tax once an international tax deal is in place to replace the 3% French tax on French revenues of big online companies. It’s aimed at reducing tax avoidance for digital multinationals.\n\nFrench President Emmanuel Macron says he hopes for a meeting in coming weeks between U.S. President Donald Trump and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.\n\nSpeaking alongside Trump on Monday, Macron said G-7 leaders had agreed that Iran needs to meet its nuclear obligations and that there was a hope for a diplomatic breakthrough in the tensions that have grown since the U.S. left the 2015 nuclear accord.\n\nMacron spoke at the end of the G-7 summit in Biarritz, France.\n\nBrazilian President Jair Bolsonaro says a G-7 agreement on fighting the Amazon fires treats the region like a colony.\n\nThe response came in a tweet Monday morning after French President Emmanuel Macron announced that the Group of Seven had agreed on a $20 million firefighting fund as well as a long-term initiative to protect the rainforest.\n\nAt the same time, Macron savaged the Brazilian president for “extraordinarily disrespectful comments” about his wife and reiterated that Bolsonaro had lied about commitments to deforestation.\n\nBolsonaro, in turn, said Macron’s “ludicrous and unnecessary attacks on the Amazon” were unacceptable and accused him of treating the region “as if we were a colony.”\n\nFrench President Emmanuel Macron says he is considering launching an international campaign to help sub-Saharan African countries fight fires raging in the area that are being compared to the Amazon rainforest fires.\n\nMacron tweeted from the Group of Seven summit Monday that “the forest is also burning in sub-Saharan Africa. We are studying the possibility of launching an initiative similar to what we just announced for the Amazon.”\n\nMacron said earlier Monday that G-7 nations are committing $20 million to countries in the Amazon region to help fight the fires and help with “re-forestation.”\n\nEnvironmental groups have expressed concern about massive fires in African countries including Angola and Congo that are getting less attention than those in the Amazon, which have caused worldwide concern because of their potential impact on climate change.\n\nUN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says that the world faces “a dramatic climate emergency.” He is urging leaders at a Sept. 23 summit in New York to agree to cut greenhouse gas emissions by more than they promised in the 2015 Paris climate accord.\n\nGuterres said Monday at the Group of Seven summit in Biarritz, France, that “we are much worse than we were during Paris (…) And so it’s absolutely essential that countries commit themselves to increase what was promised in Paris.”\n\nGuterres said that Greenland’s ice cap was melting “dramatically” and that 2015 through 2019 were “the five hottest years on record.”\n\nU.S. President Donald Trump has pulled the U.S. out of the Paris accord but Guterres said states, cities and businesses had “the capacity to deliver in relation to climate action.”\n\nU.S. President Donald Trump has missed a discussion on climate with other world leaders at the Group of Seven summit in France.\n\nTrump was scheduled to attend Monday’s session on climate, biodiversity and oceans, but his chair was empty during a portion of the meeting reporters were allowed to witness.\n\nFrench President Emmanuel Macron says that while Trump didn’t attend, his aides were there.\n\nThe president started the morning behind schedule. His meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel was delayed about two hours.\n\nHe then met with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, where he was asked about attending the climate session.\n\nHe said it would be his next stop and that he wants clean air and water.\n\nTrump is a climate change skeptic who once had claimed it’s a hoax that was invented by the Chinese.\n\nSome called it PorkGate. A disagreement between Britain’s prime minister and makers of a distinctive type of pork pies highlighted some of the tensions surround the country as it faces Brexit.\n\nBoris Johnson said on the sidelines of the G-7 summit in France, where he is trying to drum up trade with the U.S., that Britain’s failure to sell Melton Mowbray pork pies is an example of unfair U.S. barriers to trade. He said the pies are sold as far as Thailand and Iceland.\n\nBut Matthew O’Callaghan, head of the Melton Mowbray Pork Pie Association, told the BBC that Johnson had it wrong and that the pies were not sold in those two countries.\n\nDowning Street fought back saying the association was misinformed and sharing the documents Johnson used for the briefing.\n\nTurns out Johnson was only partly correct. The company that makes them, Samworth Brothers, says they once sold a “very small amount” of the pies in those two countries, but decided in 2015 to focus on the U.K. market.\n\nFrench President Emmanuel Macron isn’t backing down in his ongoing dispute with Brazil’s leader.\n\nMacron has threatened to block a European trade deal with Brazil and other South American countries over the Amazon wildfires and what he has described as Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s lies over containing deforestation.\n\nThe back and forth deteriorated over the weekend when Bolsonaro endorsed a Facebook post insulting Macron’s wife, Brigitte. Macron also accused him of missing a scheduled meeting with the French foreign minister in favor of a barber appointment and reiterated that Bolsonaro had lied to him.\n\nMacron said: “It’s sad. First for him and for the Brazilians.”\n\nHe said Brazilian women “are doubtless ashamed to read that about their president” and that he hoped the country would soon have a president who could behave according to the standards of the office.\n\nG-7 countries have agreed to an immediate $20 million fund to help Amazon countries fight wildfires and launch a long-term global initiative to protect the rainforest.\n\nThe announcement came from French President Emmanuel Macron, the host of this year’s meeting of G-7 leaders, and the Chilean President Sebastián Piñera. Macron said that the Amazon represents the “lungs” of the planet and that leaders were studying the possibility of similar support in Africa, also suffering from fires in its rainforests.\n\nMacron said the U.S. supported the initiative, although he acknowledged that U.S. President Donald Trump had skipped Monday’s working session on the environment.\n\nSatellites have recorded more than 41,000 fires in the Amazon region so far this year — with more than half of those coming this month alone. Experts say most of the fires are set by farmers or ranchers clearing existing farmland.\n\nGerman Chancellor Angela Merkel is hailing what she describes as a “big step forward” on Iran at the Group of Seven summit.\n\nG-7 leaders held what Merkel describes as a constructive discussion on Iran Saturday night, which was followed by a surprise visit Sunday by Iran’s foreign minister for discussions with the French hosts.\n\nMerkel said Monday: “It is a big step forward that we not only don’t want Iran to have nuclear weapons, but we also (want to) achieve the solution by political means.”\n\nMerkel was pressed on what progress she saw exactly and on whether U.S. President Donald Trump was prepared to accommodate any move toward alleviating sanctions against Iran. She replied: “I can’t say that at the moment. There is an atmosphere here in which talks are welcomed, in which talks between the Europeans and Iran and particularly France and Iran are welcomed — this is happening in coordination with the United States of America, and that is already a lot.”\n\nBritish Prime Minister Boris Johnson talked trade with his Australian counterpart at the Group of Seven summit in France as he sought to position his nation for a post-Brexit world.\n\nJohnson’s office says he and Prime Minister Scott Morrison “discussed their enthusiasm for an enhanced and deep trading relationship once the U.K. leaves the EU.”\n\nThe two leaders also discussed concerns about Hong Kong “and agreed that it was paramount for all sides to remain calm and peaceful.”\n\nJohnson says it was “fantastic” to talk to Morrison, who “seemed in very high spirits” despite England’s victory Sunday in the third test of the Ashes cricket series.\n\nFrench officials say the U.S. and France are nearing a possible deal on taxing online powerhouses — and avoiding new tariffs on French wine.\n\nTwo officials said Monday that progress was made at a dinner Sunday night with U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, France’s finance minister and other U.S. officials on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit in Biarritz, France.\n\nFrance introduced a 3% tax last month on French revenues of big tech companies like Google and Amazon, which currently pay next to no taxes on French sales.\n\nU.S. President Donald Trump threatened retaliatory measures on French wine, which could be announced as soon as Monday.\n\nAsked about the wine tariffs Monday, Trump said “it depends on the deal we work out on the digital tax,” which “We’re negotiating right now.”\n\nThe French officials said France would scrap its tech tax if an international tax deal on digital multinationals is in place by 2020 or 2021 — and could reimburse the companies if the international tax is lower than the French tax.\n\nThe officials spoke only on condition of anonymity because they could not be named publicly.\n\nG-7 leaders are wrapping up a summit dominated by tensions over U.S. trade policies and a surprise visit by Iran’s top diplomat.\n\nU.S. President Donald Trump and summit host French President Emmanuel Macron will finish off the three-day summit with a joint news conference Monday.\n\nBut first the leaders of the Group of Seven rich democracies — the U.S., France, Britain, Germany, Japan, Canada and Italy — are holding a string of meetings on climate change, how digitalization is transforming the world and other issues.\n\nThe troubled world economy is overshadowing the meetings in the French Atlantic resort of Biarritz.\n\nMacron also took a big gamble by inviting the Iranian foreign minister to Biarritz, hoping to secure a breakthrough in global tensions over Iran’s nuclear program.", "BIARRITZ, France (AP) — The Latest on the summit of leaders from the Group of Seven democracies (all times local):\n\nBritish Prime Minister Boris Johnson talked trade with his Australian counterpart at the Group of Seven summit in France as he sought to position his nation for a post-Brexit world.\n\nJohnson's office says he and Prime Minister Scott Morrison \"discussed their enthusiasm for an enhanced and deep trading relationship once the U.K. leaves the EU.\"\n\nThe two leaders also discussed concerns about Hong Kong \"and agreed that it was paramount for all sides to remain calm and peaceful.\"\n\nJohnson says it was \"fantastic\" to talk to Morrison, who \"seemed in very high spirits\" despite England's victory Sunday in the third test of the Ashes cricket series.\n\nFrench officials say the U.S. and France are nearing a possible deal on taxing online powerhouses — and avoiding new tariffs on French wine.\n\nTwo officials said Monday that progress was made at a dinner Sunday night with U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, France's finance minister and other U.S. officials on the sidelines of the Group of Seven summit in Biarritz, France.\n\nFrance introduced a 3% tax last month on French revenues of big tech companies like Google and Amazon, which currently pay next to no taxes on French sales.\n\nU.S. President Donald Trump threatened retaliatory measures on French wine, which could be announced as soon as Monday.\n\nAsked about the wine tariffs Monday, Trump said \"it depends on the deal we work out on the digital tax,\" which \"We're negotiating right now.\"\n\nThe French officials said France would scrap its tech tax if an international tax deal on digital multinationals is in place by 2020 or 2021 — and could reimburse the companies if the international tax is lower than the French tax.\n\nThe officials spoke only on condition of anonymity because they could not be named publicly.\n\nG-7 leaders are wrapping up a summit dominated by tensions over U.S. trade policies and a surprise visit by Iran's top diplomat.\n\nU.S. President Donald Trump and summit host French President Emmanuel Macron will finish off the three-day summit with a joint news conference Monday.\n\nBut first the leaders of the Group of Seven rich democracies — the U.S., France, Britain, Germany, Japan, Canada and Italy — are holding a string of meetings on climate change, how digitalization is transforming the world and other issues.\n\nThe troubled world economy is overshadowing the meetings in the French Atlantic resort of Biarritz.\n\nMacron also took a big gamble by inviting the Iranian foreign minister to Biarritz, hoping to secure a breakthrough in global tensions over Iran's nuclear program."], "summary": "Group of Seven leaders hold their yearly meeting in Biarritz, France."}
{"document": ["President Joko \"Jokowi\" Widodo has announced that two regencies in East Kalimantan are to be the site of the country's new capital city.\n\n\"The government has conducted in-depth studies in the past three years and as a result of those studies the new capital will be built in part of North Penajam Paser regency and part of Kutai Kertanegara regency in East Kalimantan,\" the President said at a press conference at the State Palace in Central Jakarta on Monday.\n\nHe also said that he had sent a letter to the House of Representatives about the decision and that the government would prepare a bill regarding the capital relocation for the House's approval as soon as possible.\n\n\n\nThe plan to move the capital from the island of Java was first announced by National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) head Bambang Brodjonegoro in April. The new capital is to act as the center of government, while Jakarta would remain the country's business and economic center.\n\nA Bappenas team tasked with studying locations recommended three provinces in Kalimantan, namely South, Central and East Kalimantan, which all fit the requirements for a new capital, including being relatively free from earthquakes and volcanoes.\n\nShortly after the plan was announced, Jokowi visited two alternative locations in Kalimantan, namely Bukit Soeharto in East Kalimantan and the Triangle Area near Palangkaraya in Central Kalimantan.\n\nIn his state of the nation speech in front of at the House complex earlier this month, Jokowi formally asked all officials and representatives in attendance to support his administration’s plan to relocate Indonesia’s capital to Kalimantan.\n\n“The [new] capital is not only a symbol of our nation’s identity, but also represents our nation’s development,” Jokowi said at the time. “It’s for the sake of realizing an equitable and just economy.” (kmt)", "\n\nSmog hangs over Jakarta earlier this month. Officials plan to build a new capital to replace Jakarta, a megacity plagued by pollution, congestion and other environmental problems. (Bagus Indahono/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock)\n\nIndonesia is draining the swamp. A steamy, jungle-clad island best known for orangutans, pygmy elephants and oil fields is to become the site of the country’s new capital, in an ambitious plan to ease pressure on smog-choked Jakarta.\n\nPresident Joko Widodo announced Monday that officials had chosen an area in East Kalimantan province, on the island of Borneo, for the as-yet-unnamed capital. Construction on the 450,000-acre site would start next year, and people would move in beginning in 2024.\n\nAlthough Indonesians for decades have discussed relocating the capital, the need has become more pressing in recent years.\n\nRapid growth has pushed the Jakarta metropolitan region’s population to about 30 million, creating a conurbation that is highly congested and polluted. Jakarta sits at the western end of Java, the world’s most populous island, which is home to more than half of Indonesia’s 265 million people.\n\nBut perhaps the biggest problem: Jakarta is sinking. Two-fifths of the city lies below sea level, and some areas are subsiding by as much as 10 inches a year — a phenomenon caused by the digging of underground aquifers and exacerbated by climate change.\n\nWidodo cited Jakarta’s problems in announcing the move to the new location, about 800 miles across the sea, near the cities of Balikpapan and Samarinda. But he acknowledged that Jakarta will remain Indonesia’s business and trade center.\n\nThe new site encompasses a swath of forest known as the Bukit Soeharto conservation area that is home to numerous species but is also plagued by illegal logging. The country’s planning minister said Monday that some of the land will be set aside to rehabilitate the park and protected forests.\n\n\n\nA man walks on a muddy road between abandoned warehouses and a sea wall in northern Jakarta in July. Parts of the city are being swallowed by the ground as Jakarta sinks at an alarming rate. (Bay Ismoyo/AFP/Getty Images)\n\nMoving the capital won’t be easy — or cheap. Other nations — including Bolivia, Brazil, Kazakhstan and Myanmar — have done it, with varying degrees of success. The effort will cost about $33 billion, Widodo said, with the state funding about one-fifth and the rest to come from public-private partnerships and private investment.\n\nRelocating from Jakarta “isn’t as easy as flipping your hand,” said Arya Fernandes, a researcher at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Jakarta. “The city will still be the anchor of Indonesia’s national politics.”\n\nThe project could be viewed as Widodo’s attempt to burnish his legacy as an infrastructure-minded leader, something that has become his calling card since he took office in 2014, Fernandes said.\n\nCritics of the plan have warned that the cost of moving the capital could be untenable. They also have pointed to previous, failed plans to move the capital elsewhere in Indonesia.\n\nWhat’s more, shifting civil servants and their families to a new city in Borneo will not stop Jakarta from sinking, they say.\n\nThe government “can stop with underground water extraction, for starters, or have alternative sources besides groundwater,” said Heri Andreas, a researcher at the Bandung Institute of Technology who has studied Jakarta’s subsidence challenges. “That would be cheaper than moving the capital.”\n\nCrawshaw reported from Hong Kong.\n\nRead more\n\nDonald Trump Jr. visits Indonesia to tout new resorts and defend his father\n\nAs seas rise, Indonesia is moving its capital city. Other cities should take note.\n\nIndonesians vote in local polls after bitter fight to run Jakarta\n\nToday’s coverage from Post correspondents around the world\n\nLike Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news", "Indonesia’s president has announced the proposed site for the country’s new $33bn capital on the forested island of Borneo. The new city would replace the crowded, polluted megacity of Jakarta, which is slowly sinking into the sea.\n\nThe capital of the world’s fourth most populous country, on the island of Java, is now home to 10 million people and is prone to floods, traffic gridlock and faces the risk of earthquakes.\n\nThe as-yet unnamed new capital would straddle the regions of North Penajam Paser and Kutai Kartanegara in Indonesia’s province of East Kalimantan on Borneo, the president, Joko Widodo, told a news conference.\n\n“It is a strategic location at the centre of Indonesia, close to growing urban areas,” Widodo said at the presidential palace in Jakarta, adding that planning must start immediately if relocation is to begin in 2024.\n\nThe site of the new capital, 2,000km (1,250 miles) north-east of Jakarta, is one of the regions least prone to the natural disasters that regularly hit the archipelago of 17,000 islands.\n\nThere are also economic and political reasons for moving the capital from Java, which Widodo said was home to 54% of Indonesia’s 260 million people and generated 58% of its gross domestic product.\n\nBut environmentalists fear the move would hasten the destruction of forests that are home to orangutans, sun bears and long-nosed monkeys, as well as increasing pollution already on the rise from coal mining and palm oil industries.\n\n“The move will have an environmental impact,” said Greenpeace senior forest campaigner, Jasmine Puteri. “Jakarta has suffered so many failures from pollution, water crisis, and flooding. We don’t want these problems in the new capital.”\n\nOfficials say they want the new capital to be “a smart city in the forest” and have set aside 180,000 hectares (445,000 acres) of government land.\n\nWidodo said moving the administrative centre would cost just under $33bn, of which the state would fund 19%, with the rest coming from public-private partnerships and private investment. The price tag includes new government offices and homes for about 1.5 million civil servants.\n\nKutai Kartanegara and North Penajam Paser have a population of about 900,000 people, out of the total population of 3.5 million in East Kalimantan.\n\nNews of the move was welcomed by the developers’ association in the province, which said it expected a bump in investment. But national business groups were more cautious.\n\n“Investors will need to see what the return on their investment would be,” Hariyadi Sukamdani, chairman of the Indonesian employers association, told Reuters.\n\nIndonesian chamber of commerce deputy chair Shinta Kamdani hailed the new capital as a “positive” for Indonesia, but urged that companies be informed of the timeline for the move of each government office to limit disruptions.\n\nIndonesia is not the first south-east Asian country to move its capital.\n\nIn 2005, Myanmar’s ruling generals moved to Naypyidaw, a town in hills some 320 km (200 miles) away from the colonial era capital, Yangon. In the 1990s, Malaysian leader Mahathir Mohamad built an administrative capital in Putrajaya, about 33 km (20 miles) from Kuala Lumpur.\n\nWidodo said the government would soon submit a bill and the result of a feasibility study to parliament to secure approval for the new capital, a measure that analysts expect will be passed quickly.\n\nPlanning minister, Bambang Brodjonegoro, said land acquisition will start next year.", "Indonesian President Joko Widodo on Monday announced the relocation of the new national capital to replace sinking...", "KUCHING: Indonesian President Joko Widodo has announced today that the country’s new capital will be located in East Kalimantan, media reports said.\n\nThe announcement was made at a press conference in the State Palace in Central Jakarta, the Jakarta Post said, a week after an Indonesian minister prematurely revealed that the province had been chosen.\n\n“The government has conducted in-depth studies in the past three years and as a result of those studies the new capital will be built in part of North Penajam Paser regency and part of Kutai Kertanegara regency in East Kalimantan,” Joko, popularly known as Jokowi, told the press conference.\n\nHe also said in the report that he had sent a letter to the House of Representatives on the decision and that the government would prepare a bill on the relocation for the House’s approval as soon as possible.\n\nThe new capital will act as the center of government, while Jakarta will remain as the country’s business and economic center.\n\nEarlier news reports said the relocation was expected to begin in 2024.\n\nThe Nikkei Asian Review in its report on the announcement today said the location of the country’s new capital was near Balikpapan and Samarinda.\n\nIt pointed out that Balikpapan was home to oil refiners and a port, making it the island’s economic center, and Samarinda is the provincial capital.\n\n“Compared with other cities, much of the necessary infrastructure is already in place. Both cities have an international airport, and they could be connected to the rest of the island via highways and railways,” the report said.\n\nIt added that that the chosen location was in a forested area owned by the government and as such there would be no difficulties in acquiring privately owned land, and “earthquakes, flooding and volcanic eruptions are less common.”\n\nOn August 16, Jokowi formally proposed the relocation of the country’s capital to Kalimantan during his state of the union speech in parliament.\n\nAbout a week earlier, Jokowi said on Facebook: “Our capital will move. It will be on Kalimantan island. The location can be in Central Kalimantan, East Kalimantan or South Kalimantan.”\n\nHe added that all aspects of the capital’s relocation was being studied, including the experience of other countries in moving their administrative centres.\n\n“In deciding on the relocation of the capital, my position is not as the head of the administration but the head of the country. We have to see the bigger picture for our people and country for the next 10, 50, 100 years,” he said.\n\nHe had announced his plan to relocate the capital outside Java in May this year, citing the overpopulation on the island and the need to bring about a more equitable development to its territory.", "President Joko Widodo on Monday announced further details about Indonesia's plans to move its capital from overpopulated Jakarta to Borneo Island.\n\nThe new capital would be located in Borneo's East Kalimantan province between Samarinda City and the port city of Balikpapan.\n\n\"It is a strategic location at the center of Indonesia, close to a growing urban area,\" Widodo told a news conference.\n\nWidodo said the relocation would cost $33 billion (€29.7 billion) and start in 2024.\n\nThe move is to be funded by the state, public-private partnerships and private investment.\n\nThe president earlier this month proposed moving the capital to East Kalimantan but officials had not mentioned an exact location.\n\nJakarta has a population of 10 million and three times that number including nearby areas. It is located on Java Island, a commercial center that accounts for 58% of Indonesia's gross domestic product and is home to about half of nation's 260 million population.\n\nJakarta is prone to floods and is sinking due to the overuse of groundwater. Java is also susceptible to volcanos and tsunamis.\n\nEnvironmental groups have criticized plans to move the capital out of concern for Borneo's vast forests and endangered wildlife.\n\nWidodo said he would soon submit a draft bill to parliament to approve the relocation.\n\nDW sends out a selection of the day's news and features. Sign up here.", "Indonesia President Joko Widodo gestures as he speaks during a press conference at the palace in Jakarta, Indonesia, Monday, Aug. 26, 2019. Indonesia’s president has announced to relocate the country’s capital from overcrowded, sinking and polluted Jakarta to East Kalimantan province. (AP Photo/Achmad Ibrahim)\n\nJAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia’s president says the country’s capital will move from overcrowded, sinking and polluted Jakarta to a site in sparsely populated East Kalimantan province on Borneo island, known for rainforests and orangutans.\n\nPresident Joko Widodo said Monday intense studies over the past three years had resulted in the choice of the location on the eastern side of Borneo island.\n\nThe new capital city, which has not yet been named, will be in the middle of the vast archipelago nation and already has relatively complete infrastructure because it is near the cities of Balikpapan and Samarinda, Widodo said.\n\nHe said the burden has been become too heavy on Jakarta on Java island as the center of government, finance, business, trade and services as well as the location of the country’s largest airport and seaport.\n\nWidodo said the decision was made not to move the capital elsewhere on Java because the country’s wealth and people are highly concentrated there and should be spread out.\n\nCurrently 54% of the country’s nearly 270 million people live on Java, the country’s most densely populated area.\n\n“We couldn’t continue to allow the burden on Jakarta and Java island to increase in terms of population density,” Widodo said at a news conference in the presidential palace. “Economic disparities between Java and elsewhere would also increase.”\n\nIn an interview with The Associated Press last month, Widodo said he wants to separate the center of government from the country’s business and economic center in Jakarta.\n\nJakarta is an archetypical Asian mega-city with 10 million people, or 30 million including those in its greater metropolitan area. It is prone to earthquakes and flooding and is rapidly sinking due to uncontrolled extraction of ground water. The ground water and rivers are highly contaminated. Congestion is estimated to cost the economy $6.5 billion a year.\n\nMineral-rich East Kalimantan was once almost completely covered by rainforests, but illegal logging has removed many of its original growth. It is home to only 3.5 million people and is surrounded by Kutai National Park, known for orangutans and other primates and mammals.\n\nWidodo said the relocation of the capital to a 180,000-hectare (444,780-acre) site will take up a decade and cost as much as 466 trillion rupiah ($32.5 billion), of which 19% will come from the state budget and the rest will be funded by cooperation between the government and business entities and by direct investment by state-run companies and the private sector.\n\nHe said the studies determined that the best site is between two districts, North Penajam Paser and Kutai Kertanegara, an area that has minimal risk of disasters such as floods, earthquakes, tsunamis, forest fires, volcanic eruptions or landslides in the seismically active nation.\n\nIndonesia’s founding father and first president, Sukarno, once planned to relocate the capital to Palangkaraya in Central Kalimantan province.\n\nInfrastructure improvement has been Widodo’s signature policy and helped him win a second term in April elections.\n\nDecades of discussions about building a new capital on Borneo island moved forward in April when Widodo approved a general relocation plan. He appealed for support for the move in an annual national address on the eve of Indonesia’s independence day on Aug. 16.\n\nHe said Monday that his government is still drafting a law on the new capital which will need to be approved by Parliament.", "JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesians leapt in with suggestions of a name for their future capital on Tuesday after the long-awaited announcement of the new city’s location gave no clue what it would be called.\n\n“Saint Jokoburg” and “Jokograd” were among 11 suggestions from Twitter user @Enggalpm after President Joko Widodo revealed the planned location of the new capital on Monday.\n\n“Hopefully they can be taken into consideration,” the user wrote.\n\nSuggestions, serious and lighthearted, swept social media after Widodo - known as Jokowi - said the capital would move in 2024 to the forested island of Borneo from the traffic-clogged, sinking megacity of Jakarta on the island of Java.\n\nThe new site in the province of East Kalimantan will straddle the regions of North Penajam Paser and Kutai Kartanegara, but there was broad agreement that combining those names would be too much of a mouthful.\n\n“Mandalanusa”, which loosely translates as center of the archipelago, was suggested by Twitter user @IdThalamus.\n\nThat reflected the fact that the site is much nearer than Jakarta to the geographic center of a country of 17,000 islands that stretch across an area of more than 5,000 km (3,100 miles) - wider than the continental United States.\n\nA spokesman for the national development planning agency said the name has not been decided. A spokesman for the home ministry could not immediately comment.\n\nIn identifying a site for the new capital, Widodo has got closer than any predecessor to realizing an idea first mooted after independence in 1945.\n\nBut names are a sensitive matter in the world’s fourth most populous country, whose 260 million people encompass more than 300 ethnic groups.\n\nMuslims form around 90 percent of the population, but minorities of Christians, Hindus and others still number in the millions.\n\nIndependence leaders carefully coined the neutral term “Pancasila” - five principles - as the foundation for the new Indonesian state.\n\n“Sri Mahendrakerta”, a combination of Sanskrit words that mean a city that is blessed by the Gods to carry wisdom, uphold justice, and create prosperity, was suggested by Twitter user @AnugrahArgaS6.\n\nOn Facebook, where Indonesia has 130 million users, users suggested the name Kartanegara. Kutai Kartanegara region - in East Kalimantan - was home to a 4th-century Hindu kingdom in what is now the world’s most populous Muslim nation.\n\nPart of the justification for the move was also to get away from Java, where more than half Indonesia’s people live and which has long been politically dominant.\n\n“The name should reflect the unique characteristic of East Kalimantan, because the government has been making an effort to make the capital not Javanese-centric,” said Kunto Adi Wibowo, executive director of pollster Kedai Kopi.\n\n“The new capital should also not contain Joko Widodo’s name because history will remember him as the president who moved the capital. That is enough to be his legacy,” he told Reuters.\n\nJakarta, 2,000 km (1,250 miles) southwest of the site of the new capital and home to more than 10 million people, was named Batavia by Dutch colonists and renamed after independence. In Sanskrit, Jakarta can be translated as “Victory Achieved”.", "Indonesia announces location of new capital on Borneo", "Indonesian President Joko Widodo has picked East Kalimantan as the location for Indonesia's new capital in order to relieve the strain on Jakarta.\n\n\"Jakarta has received overwhelming burdens as the centre of administration, business, finance, trade and services, as well as (housing) the country's largest airport and seaport,\" Mr Joko, popularly called Jokowi at home, told a media briefing yesterday.\n\nThe burden on Java Island, where Jakarta is, has been mounting, as it is home to 150 million people, or 54 per cent of Indonesia's population, and accounts for 58 per cent of its gross domestic product, Mr Joko said.\n\nShifting the capital outside Java would help make future economic development more equitable, he added.\n\nBut first, Parliament will have to pass a law to greenlight the President's plan, which could cost billions of dollars and take shape over the next few years.\n\nUnder the relocation plan, Jakarta will be the commercial capital of South-east Asia's largest economy, while a new city will become Indonesia's administrative capital - akin to the roles played by Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya respectively in Malaysia.\n\nThe Indonesian government had previously shortlisted two regions on the island of Borneo for the new capital: East Kalimantan and Central Kalimantan.\n\nEast Kalimantan is the largest province by land size after Papua and Central Kalimantan, and has vast eastern coastal areas.\n• Two regencies - Penajam Paser Utara and Kutai Kartanegara - in East Kalimantan have been chosen as the site for Indonesia's new administrative centre. Several reasons were cited for the choice. They are sheltered from natural disasters such as earthquakes and landslides. Most other parts of Indonesia experience frequent seismic and volcanic activity due to its location on the Pacific \"Ring of Fire\", where tectonic plates collide. They are situated relatively at the centre of the sprawling archipelago and close to the well-developed cities of Samarinda and Balikpapan. East Kalimantan boasts an international airport in Balikpapan and a domestic one in the neighbouring city of Samarinda, a cargo seaport, six dams and a toll road linking Balikpapan and Samarinda which should be ready this year. The districts have adequate government-owned land - up to 180,000ha - on which the capital can be built.\n\nThese take up parts of its two largest cities, Balikpapan - which is a two-hour flight from Jakarta - and Samarinda, which faces the deep-sea Makassar Strait.\n\nThe new capital will be located between two regencies in the province - Penajam Paser Utara and Kutai Kartanegara - which also face the Makassar Strait.\n\nEast Kalimantan has low poverty levels, a good education base and a small population that could be receptive to newcomers. It is home to a mix of ethnicities.\n\nThe province has an international airport in Balikpapan and a domestic one in the neighbouring city of Samarinda, as well as a cargo seaport and six dams.\n\nAlso, a toll road linking Balikpapan and Samarinda is expected to be ready this year.\n\nJakarta has served as the administrative, financial and trade centre of Indonesia since 1949.\n\nHowever, the city has suffered from traffic congestion, overcrowding, widespread pollution and regular flooding for decades.\n\nJakarta is also sinking by 10cm a year, and its water table is falling as its residents have dug deep wells to draw out raw water.\n\nMr Al Muzzammil Yusuf, an MP from the opposition Prosperous Justice Party, told The Straits Times last week that the government would have to conduct a thorough study on why it is important to move the capital.\n\nHe added that the government has to come up with draft legislation for the move before Parliament can schedule when to start deliberating on the issue.\n\nHe wanted input sought on the issue from academics, experts and non-governmental organisations.\n\nEconomist Ahmad Heri Firdaus, who works with the Jakarta-based Institute for Development of Economics and Finance, agreed, telling Radio Elshinta that he has not seen any thorough study on the subject from the government.\n\n\"We must be careful. There would be a lot of constraints and Indonesia has other priority agenda to boost the economy that are not less important,\" he said, warning that building a new capital would be a costly exercise as well.\n\nMr Joko had earlier tasked National Development Planning Minister Bambang Brodjonegoro with carrying out the study on moving the capital.\n\nThe agency has not made the details of the study public.\n\nPublic Works and Housing Minister Basuki Hadimuljono yesterday said the government would complete the design work and masterplan in the middle of next year, around the same time that it plans to finish drafting a Bill to put before Parliament.\n\nThe move to shift the capital is expected to cost 466 trillion rupiah (S$45.4 billion).\n\nOnce the proposed Bill is ratified into law by Parliament, no future leader can scrap the move without parliamentary sanction.\n\n\"Construction should take three to four years, which includes dams, water sanitation, roads and buildings. God willing, by 2023 to 2024, we will start to move there,\" Mr Basuki said.\n\nPlanning Minister Bambang added that the new administrative capital would initially occupy 40,000ha of land.\n\nThe protected forests in the area would not be touched, he stressed, as they would function as green belts for the new city, which is yet to be named."], "summary": "Indonesian President Joko Widodo announces North Penajam Paser and Kutai Kartanegara regencies as location of the future capital of Indonesia. He says government will prepare a bill to submit in the House of Representatives as soon as possible."}
{"document": ["BEIRUT (Reuters) - The Kurdish YPG militia and U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are set to withdraw from a 5-14km wide strip along the border with Turkey, SDF spokesman Mustafa Bali said on Tuesday.\n\nAs per U.S.-Turkish talks, the width of the border strip into Syria will vary, and will include rural areas or military positions, not cities or towns, Bali told Reuters.\n\nThe SDF, with the YPG at its forefront, controls much of north and east Syria, after seizing territory from Islamic State.", "ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The People’s Protection Units (YPG) this week removed fortifications, forces, and heavy weapons from the northern border area between Serekaniye (Ras al-Ain) and Tal Abyad as part of a new mechanism agreed upon between Turkey and the US.\n\nOn Aug. 7, 2019, Turkey and the US agreed on a new security mechanism designed to address the former’s concerns regarding northeastern Syria. On Saturday, the Turkey-US Joint Operations Center (JOC) officially started its work in the province of Şanlıurfa, which borders Kobani.\n\n“On the 24, we began practical steps in Serekaniye (Ras al Ain) and removed some military fortifications and began withdrawing a YPG unit and heavy weaponry to new areas, handing over border points to local forces,” Zidane Al-Assi, Head of the Defense Committee of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, said in a statement on Tuesday.\n\nOn Aug. 24, one Turkish and one US general flew on the same helicopter over the area as part of the agreement.\n\nAccording to the official Twitter account of the US Central Command, the leadership of the US military, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) began dismantling military fortifications on Aug. 22, just one day after a phone call between the US Secretary of Defense and the Turkish Minister of Defense.\n\n“This demonstrates the SDF’s commitment to supporting the implementation of the security mechanism framework,” CENTCOM said.\n\nOn Aug. 26, similar steps were taken in the town of Tal Abyad.\n\n“These procedures were done to ensure our commitment to these understandings and to show how we are interested in a reaching a solution by way of a peaceful dialogue with neighboring countries,” the security head al Assi said.", "The regional administration in northern Syria dominated by the PKK's Syrian affiliate says the People's Protection Units (YPG) terrorists have started withdrawing from a town near Turkey's border.\n\nThe withdrawal is concerned with a 5 to 14 kilometer-wide strip along the border, Mustafa Bali, a member of the terrorist YPG-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), said Tuesday.\n\nThe first step began three days ago in Ras al-Ayn, from where YPG terrorists withdrew with their heavy weapons and removed some earth mounds.\n\nOn Monday, they repeated the same steps in Tal Abyad, \"showing the seriousness of our commitment to current understandings\" on the buffer zone.\n\nThe town is located across Akçakale district in Turkey's southeastern Şanlıurfa province, where a U.S.-Turkey operations center aimed at creating the buffer area was recently established.\n\nAs per U.S.-Turkish talks for a safe zone in northeastern Syria, the width of the border strip will vary and will include rural areas or military positions, not cities or towns, Bali told Reuters.\n\nIt says the YPG's positions were taken over by local forces, without elaborating.\n\nThe U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) previously issued a statement on Aug. 23 and said \"Within 24 hours of the phone call between United States Secretary of Defense (SECDEF) and Turkish Ministry of Defense (MINDEF) to discuss security in northeast Syria, the SDF destroyed military fortifications, Aug. 22. This demonstrates the SDF's commitment to support implementation of the security mechanism framework\" on the official Twitter account.\n\nA source familiar with the talks told Reuters that although Washington and Ankara were still discussing how deep the zone would go, they had agreed to start work on one stretch of the border.\n\n\"The safety mechanism arrangement is being implemented in phases,\" the source said, adding that arrangements would vary at different parts of the border.\n\nThe source said U.S.-Turkish joint patrols will monitor the removal of heavy weapons, fortifications and tunnels, along with YPG presence between the two Syrian border towns about 100 kilometers (60 miles) apart.\n\nThat stretch is around a quarter of the whole border that could be covered by the zone, which Turkey says should extend 32 kilometers (20 miles) inside Syria.\n\nA senior Turkish official said Ankara and Washington had bridged some, but not all, of their differences.\n\n\"There was a rapprochement, but our insistence on the 20 miles persists. The United States has taken steps to improve this, but they are still not enough,\" the official said. \"It is not possible for us to accept the SDF's presence there.\"\n\nTurkey has been pressing for a safe zone, running east of the Euphrates River toward the Iraqi border, to push U.S.-allied YPG terrorists away from its frontier. On Monday, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Turkish troops would soon enter northeast Syria.\n\n\"Our armed drones, drones and helicopters are in the region,\" he said.\n\n\"We expect our ground troops to enter the region very soon,\" he told supporters in eastern Turkey.\n\nOn Saturday, Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said the joint operations center was at \"full capacity.\"\n\nHe said the first joint helicopter flight took place on Saturday afternoon.\n\nThe SDF, with the YPG at its forefront, controls much of north and east Syria, after seizing territory from Daesh terrorists in a campaign backed by U.S.-led coalition.", "The Kurdish YPG militia will pull forces and heavy weapons from a strip along Syria's border with Turkey under U.S.-Turkish deals, an official in the YPG-led alliance said on Tuesday. \n\n\n\nThe YPG withdrew from the Tal Abyad and Ras al-Ain border positions in recent days, proving it is serious about ongoing talks, the Kurdish-led authority in north and east Syria said.\n\nThe withdrawal marks a sign of progress in talks between Washington and Ankara seeking to resolve deep differences over the presence along the border of Kurdish fighters -- U.S. allies that Turkey sees as enemies.After Ankara repeatedly warned it would launch a military incursion into northeast Syria targeting the YPG, Turkey and the United States said this month they had agreed on the first stages of a security deal along the border.The two countries gave no details of the deal on what Turkey has called a \"safe zone\" inside Syria. It followed months of stalemate over how far the zone should extend into northeast Syria, still a main source of friction, and who should command forces patrolling it.A senior Turkish official and a top Syrian Kurdish official said points of contention remain over the zone, which Turkey wants to extend 20 miles (32 km) into Syria.The YPG spearheads the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) alliance, which controls much of north and east Syria. U.S. troops have been stationed in the region for years, training and arming the fighters who seized territory from Islamic State.President Donald Trump announced late last year he would withdraw the U.S. troops, sparking fears among the Kurds of a Turkish attack, but has so far held back from doing so.U.S. support for the YPG has enraged Turkey, which deems the Syrian Kurdish fighters a security threat linked to Kurdish insurgents at home.SDF spokesman Mustafa Bali told Reuters the strip along the border would vary between 5 and 14 km (3-9 miles) and will include rural areas or military positions, not cities or towns.The YPG and SDF will dismantle barricades there and hand over control to military councils of local fighters, he said.Bali said Turkish and U.S.-led coalition forces would patrol the border strip but be based inside Turkey. The deal creates \"a security mechanism, not safe zone, that assuages Turkey's claims of fearing over its national security,\" he added.Senior Kurdish official Badran Jia Kurd said there was no \"final deal yet as the talks are ongoing, and the threat remains.\" He said the YPG move shows commitment to the agreements.Ankara has already sent its military twice into northern Syria to drive the YPG from its borders in recent years.", "BEIRUT: The Kurdish YPG militia will pull forces and heavy weapons from a strip along Syria's border with Turkey under US-Turkish deals, an official in the YPG-led alliance said on Tuesday (Aug 27).\n\nThe YPG withdrew from some border positions in recent days, proving it is serious about ongoing talks, the Kurdish-led authority running much of north and east Syria also said.\n\nTurkey and Washington agreed this month to create a coordination centre for a planned \"safe zone\" in northeast Syria along the border, including joint patrols. But they gave few details on the zone's size or the command structure of the forces to operate there.\n\nA main point of friction has been how deep the zone would extend into northeast Syria under the deal, which includes joint patrols and will come into effect in phases.\n\nSDF spokesman Mustafa Bali told Reuters the width of the strip would vary along the border between 5km and 14km and will include rural areas or military positions, not cities or towns.\n\nThe YPG and SDF will dismantle barricades \"of defensive nature\" there, and will hand over control to military councils of local fighters, he said.\n\nTurkey has repeatedly said it would not tolerate any delays to the deal by US officials, warning it will mount a cross-border offensive on its own to clear its borders if necessary.\n\nAnkara has already sent its military twice into northern Syria to push the Kurdish fighters from its borders in recent years.\n\nUS support for the YPG has enraged Turkey, which deems the militia a security threat linked to Kurdish insurgents at home.\n\nThe YPG spearheads the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) alliance, which controls north and east Syria, after defeating Islamic State militants with US help.\n\nBali said Turkish and US-led coalition forces would patrol the border strip but be based inside Turkey.\n\nThe deal creates \"a security mechanism, not safe zone, that assuages Turkey's claims of fearing over its national security,\" he said.\n\nThe YPG already withdrew from the Tel Abyad and Ras al-Ain areas, the authority running the SDF region said. The move shows commitment to \"reaching a solution through dialogue,\" the statement said.\n\nAbout 2,000 US troops have been stationed in the SDF region for years, training and arming the fighters in the battle against Islamic State.", "BEIRUT (Reuters) - The Kurdish YPG militia will pull forces and heavy weapons from a strip along Syria’s border with Turkey under U.S.-Turkish deals, an official in the YPG-led alliance said on Tuesday.\n\nThe YPG withdrew from some border positions in recent days, proving it is serious about ongoing talks, the Kurdish-led authority running north and east Syria also said.\n\nThe developments were a sign of progress in talks between the United States and Turkey aimed at resolving deep differences over the presence in the border area of Kurdish fighters — allies of the United States that Turkey sees as enemies.\n\nAfter Ankara repeatedly warned it would launch a military incursion into northeast Syria to push back the YPG from the border, Turkey and the United States said this month they had agreed on the first stages of a security deal along the border.\n\nThe two countries gave no details of the deal on what Turkey has called a ‘safe zone’ inside Syria. It followed months of stalemate over how far the zone should extend into northeast Syria, still a main point of friction, and who should command forces patrolling it.\n\nThe YPG spearheads the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) alliance, which controls much of north and east Syria. U.S. troops have been stationed in the SDF region for years, training and arming the fighters who seized territory from Islamic State.\n\nPresident Donald Trump said late last year he would withdraw the U.S. troops, but has so far held back from doing so, in part to ensure that the Kurds are protected.\n\nU.S. support for the YPG has enraged Turkey, which deems the militia a security threat linked to Kurdish insurgents at home.\n\nSDF spokesman Mustafa Bali told Reuters the strip along the border would vary between 5 and 14 km (3-9 miles) and will include rural areas or military positions, not cities or towns.\n\nThe YPG and SDF will dismantle barricades there and hand over control to military councils of local fighters, he said.\n\nBali said Turkish and U.S.-led coalition forces would patrol the border strip but be based inside Turkey. The deal creates “a security mechanism, not safe zone, that assuages Turkey’s claims of fearing over its national security,” he added.\n\nAnkara has already sent its military twice into northern Syria to push YPG fighters from its borders in recent years.\n\nA source familiar with the talks told Reuters that although Washington and Ankara were still discussing how deep the zone would go, they had agreed to start work on one stretch of the border.\n\n“The safety mechanism arrangement is being implemented in phases,” the source said, adding that arrangements would vary at different parts of the border.\n\nThe source said U.S.-Turkish joint patrols will monitor the removal of heavy weapons, fortifications and tunnels, along with YPG presence between Tel Abyad and Ras al-Ain, two Syrian border towns about 100 km (60 miles) apart.\n\nThat stretch is around a quarter of the whole border that could be covered by the zone, which Turkey says should extend 20 miles (32 km) inside Syria.\n\nA senior Turkish official said Ankara and Washington had bridged some, but not all, of their differences.\n\n“There was a rapprochement, but our insistence on the 20 miles persists. The United States has taken steps to improve this, but they are still not enough,” the official said. “It is not possible for us to accept the SDF’s presence there.”\n\nPresident Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday that Turkish ground troops would enter the planned zone “very soon,” after setting up a joint military center with Washington to oversee the operation at the weekend. Turkish drones and helicopters had already flown over the region, he said.\n\nErdogan said Turkey had made all preparations to carry out its own plans if its expectations are not met.\n\nThe YPG has withdrawn from Tel Abyad and Ras al-Ain, the authority running the SDF region said on Tuesday. The move shows commitment to “reaching a solution through dialogue,” the statement said.", "BEIRUT (Reuters) - The Syrian Kurdish YPG militia has pulled forces and heavy weapons from some positions at the border with Turkey, showing its commitment to ongoing talks, the Kurdish-led authority running much of north and east Syria said.\n\nTurkey and Washington agreed this month to create a joint center for the planned safe zone along Syria’s northeastern border, but gave few details on the size of the zone or the command structure of the forces to operate there.\n\nThe YPG withdrew from the Tel Abyad and Ras al-Ain areas in recent days, proving it is serious about “reaching a solution through dialogue,” the Kurdish-led authority said.", "The Kurdish authorities in northeast Syrian said Tuesday their forces had started to withdraw from outposts along the Turkish border after a US-Turkish deal for a buffer zone there.\n\nThey said work had begun Saturday on “the first practical steps -- in the Ras al-Ain area -- in removing some earth mounds and withdrawing a group of (Kurdish) People’s Protection Units and heavy weapons.”\n\nThe so-called “safe zone” agreed by Washington and Ankara earlier this month aims to create a buffer between the Turkish border and Syrian areas controlled by the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), a group Ankara sees as “terrorists.”", "(Hatha al-Youm | Iraq News )- Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan reviews a guard of honour, Malazgirt in Mus province, Turkey, August 26, 2019. Photo: Presidential Press Office via ReutersANKARA,— Turkish ground troops will enter a planned safe zone in Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava) in northern Syria “very soon,” President Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday, after a joint operation centre with the United States opened at the weekend.Turkey and the United States agreed earlier this month to set up the joint centre for the planned safe zone along Syria’s northeastern border, but gave few details on the size of the zone or the command structure of the forces to operate there.“We are slowly making progress in our efforts to establish a safe zone,” Erdogan said. “Just like many other issues some saw as untouchable, we are putting the east of the Euphrates issue on track,” Erdogan said.Turkey has repeatedly said that it would not tolerate any delays to the agreement by U.S. officials, warning that it will mount a cross-border offensive on its own to clear its borders from the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia if necessary.The goal of the zone is to create a buffer between the Turkish border and the Kurdish People’s Protection Units of Syrian Kurdistan (YPG).On Monday, Erdogan said progress was being made on plans to establish the safe zone, but added that Turkey had made all preparations to carry out its own plans if its expectations are not met.“Our priority is dialogue and cooperation. If we are pushed to a road that we don’t want or face stalling, our preparations are ready and we will implement our own plans,” he said. “Our UAVs and helicopters have entered the region. Very soon, our ground troops will also enter the region.”The comments come two days after Turkish Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said the joint U.S.-Turkey centre became fully operational. Akar also said some YPG positions in the region had been destroyed by U.S. troops as part of the deal.Speaking on Monday, Akar said that talks were underway for Turkish and U.S. soldiers to begin joint patrols in the planned safe zone area “soon.”Ankara and Washington have been at loggerheads over a host of issues including conflicting policies in Syria. U.S. support for the YPG has enraged Turkey, which views the militia as a terrorist organisation linked to Kurdish insurgents inside the country.The Kurdish YPG military group — which has been a key US ally in Syria, said they would help implement the buffer zone in their Kurdish areas along the Turkish border.The YPG has been a key partner to Washington in the fight against the Islamic State group in Syria. The Kurdish YPG forces expelled the Islamic State from its last patch of territory in the eastern Syrian village of Baghouz in March 2019.Washington has for years supported the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the fight against the Islamic State group in Syria, as part of an international anti-jihadist coalition dominated by the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG). But U.S. President Donald Trump abruptly announced the pullout from Syria.The Kurdish PYD and its powerful military wing YPG/YPJ, considered the most effective fighting force against IS in Syria and U.S. has provided them with arms. The YPG, which is the backbone of the SDF forces, has seized swathes of Syria from Islamic State.Syrian Kurds have established an autonomous region in Syrian Kurdistan (Rojava) amid the country’s eight-year war.In 2013, the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party PYD — the political branch of the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) — has established three autonomous Cantons of Jazeera, Kobani and Afrin and a Kurdish government across Syrian Kurdistan in 2013. On March 17, 2016, Kurdish and Arab authorities announced the creation of a “federal region” made up of those semi-autonomous regions in Syrian Kurdistan.Copyright © 2019, respective author or news agency, Ekurd.net | ReutersComments Comments", "Early this month, the United States and Turkey announced they had reached an agreement to set up a joint operations center to “coordinate and manage the establishment of a safe zone” in northeast Syria. This is yet another “zone” planned for Syria after four so-called “de-escalation” zones and a Russian-Turkish agreed “buffer zone” in Idlib were created in the past few years. The new “safe zone” is intended to become a so-called “peace corridor” permitting repatriation of Syrian refugees from Turkey. While there is a significant risk that a new arrangement will further destabilize this highly volatile region and threaten the security of millions of civilians, there is also growing concern that neither Turkey nor the U.S. might fully abide by their humanitarian obligations to ensure the safety and well-being of the persons within the bounds of the “safe zone.”\n\nContrary to some media reports, the idea to set up the “safe zone” in northeast Syria did not originate from President Trump. It can be traced back to Turkish suggestions voiced as early as November 2011. Though the latest proposed “safe zone” is still light on detail, it seems that that the establishment of the zone is, indeed, going ahead. The speed with which Trump’s administration intends to establish the facilities and the zone itself appears quite remarkable, given its previous lack of appetite for the idea, but key details of what the administration terms a “security mechanism” remain vague.\n\nWhat is known about the proposed zone? Some reports suggest that it is essentially designed as the People’s Protection Units (YPG)- exclusion zone: to be cleared of Kurdish YPG troops, their heavy weapons, and their military facilities, with joint U.S. and Turkish monitoring. Once cleared of the Kurdish presence, the area would subsequently be populated with some of the 3.8 million Syrian refugees currently hosted by Turkey. The YPG is a key component of Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the U.S. strongest local ally in the fight against ISIS. The YPG is currently in control of the area where the “safe zone” is to be established. However, the YPG has been seen by Turkey as the Syrian arm of Turkey’s long-time and current foe the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has been designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the United States. Turkey has long bristled at U.S. support for the YPG, particularly along its own border with Syria.\n\nDoes “safe” in the title mean that safety for protected persons will be assured? There is no single legal definition of “safe zones” or “safe corridors.” The former can be described as an area that is protected from attack or, more generally, from the effects of hostilities. The latter refers to a route allowing safe movement out of or through areas of hostilities. However, international humanitarian law (IHL), does provide for several types of protective or demilitarized areas in international armed conflicts.\n\nFor example, under the Fourth Geneva Convention, “hospital and safety zones” may be set up at a safe distance from military operations “to protect from the effects of war, wounded, sick and aged persons, children under fifteen, expectant mothers and mothers of children under seven.” “Neutralized zones” may be created in areas of active hostilities to temporarily shelter civilians taking no active part in hostilities and the wounded or sick, whether combatants or civilians, to protect them from attacks. Safety zones are generally established unilaterally and they can be formed either on a party to the conflict’s own territory or in occupied areas. The parties to the conflict may also establish demilitarized zones, in which measures must be taken to stop use of the area for any military purposes – these may sometimes be colloquially described as “buffer zones” that aim to keep adversaries’ forces apart. Ultimately, no matter which of these types of protective “zone” is at issue, any such zones must provide for the basic welfare and health of civilians and the sick and wounded located there, as well as protection from military operations to civilians within its bounds, as safe refuge is an underlying reason for creation of such zones.\n\nThe uncertainty around the proposed zone makes its legal categorization as a type of humanitarian zone premature. It may be established as a selectively demilitarized zone with a secondary humanitarian objective, which would promise a measure of safety to civilians within the zone. It may potentially be considered as a longer-term safety zone controlled by the United States and Turkey, in which case the United States and Turkey would be Occupying Powers with all of the relevant obligations that apply in occupied areas. In practice though, without an agreement of other parties to the conflict and given the diversity of their political interests, the area may potentially become a renewed battlefield with catastrophic humanitarian consequences.\n\nThe agreement comes at a time when relations between Turkey and the United States appear strained. The Trump administration is looking into implementing sanctions after Turkey acquired the Russian S-400 missile defence system, in addition to blocking Turkish participation in the F-35 weapons program. At the same time, the U.S. is beginning the progressive withdrawal of its forces from Syria, as announced last December. This move appears to be justified by the declared defeat of ISIS. This may also suggest that the level of U.S. support to the YPG, its most effective fighters on the ground against ISIS and Al Qaeda in Syria, is being reconsidered. What’s more, a recent Turkish military build up on the Syrian border threatening a third cross-border intervention apparently increased the United States’ concerns over U.S. personnel getting caught in the fighting should such operation take place.\n\nAs noted above, Turkey has for years been uncomfortable with U.S. support for the YPG. Nevertheless, by creating a YPG-exclusion zone under its control Turkey aims to eradicate any opportunities for a PKK presence in this part of Syria. Turkey has proven with two previous operations, “Euphrates Shield’” in 2016 and “Olive Branch’” in 2018, that it is fully capable of launching offensives in Syria against the YPG and does not need a buffer zone to deter threats along its border. However, taking U.S. support away from the YPG in favor of Turkey would strengthen Turkey’s position vis-à-vis Russia and Syria especially when it struggles to keep the Idlib ceasefire under the Sochi agreement from breaking.\n\nThe YPG’s key concern revolves around the loss of territory that the establishment of a safe zone under Turkey’s lead will ultimately bring. With or without the U.S., the YPG is set to defend the territory under its control. This covers a large swath of Syrian territory, and some major oil and natural gas fields. Accordingly, the YPG would need to redeploy its forces to northeast Syria from other areas in Syria and Iraq that it recently liberated from ISIS. This would leave a vacuum that the resurgent remnants of ISIS and Al Qaida could easily fill. This is a considerable risk that the U.S. cannot ignore, as reports of ISIS regaining strength increase. With the U.S. presence in Syria rapidly shrinking, co-managing a safety zone is bound to divert some of its remaining resources from focusing on fighting ISIS and it will come at a significant cost.\n\nSyria made clear that it will regard any safety zone as a violation of its sovereign territory. As a practical matter, however, the Syrian government cannot control all of its territory. Militarily and politically, it depends significantly on support from Russia. Would Russia accept what might, in effect, turn into a long-term Turkish presence on Syrian territory? Does it accept the risk of an outbreak of hostilities between the YPG and Turkey possibly drawing in the U.S.? Russia does not mind seeing the U.S. stuck in a politically uncomfortable situation, requiring it to take a position on whether to side with Turkey — a NATO ally — or continue to support the YPG against ISIS. Pushing the YPG from the northeast is likely to result in the group’s regrouping in other parts of Syria, and that is also an outcome Russia and Syria want to avoid.\n\nWhat Comes Next?\n\nSyria’s recent condemnation of the U.S.-Turkey plan blames the YPG and Syrian Kurds for the idea of the proposed “safe zone.” The Syrian government is likely, therefore, to exploit the threat of an unwanted Turkish presence on its territory – under the guise of a “safe zone” – to expedite an assault on Idlib province, aiming to subsequently retake Syria’s northeast to prevent any partitioning of its territory and push the YPG outside of its borders. Russia may then propose its own version of a “peacekeeping zone” that would prevent U.S. or Turkish involvement, and any chance for the Syrian Kurds to retain what they have termed “Rojava,” an autonomous Kurdish region within Syrian borders. One way or another, an anticipated large-scale military offensive against Idlib would inevitably bring further suffering to some 3 million Syrians, and possibly in the future to millions located in or repatriated to north-east of Syria.\n\nFinally, Syrians – especially Syrian Kurds – both inside and outside Syria share well-founded fears that Turkey or its proxies, left to their own devices, will permit or encourage potential human rights abuses of the Syrian Kurdish minority seen in Afrin in 2018. The U.S. State Department, in its latest annual human rights report, relying on the UN Commission of Inquiry and several NGO reports, highlighted a pattern of alleged killings, kidnappings, and the mass displacement of thousands of Syrian Kurds during and after the Turkish intervention in Afrin. The report indicated that some Syrian Arab families and Turkmen affiliated with Turkish forces have subsequently resettled in the Afrin area, that street names have been changed to Arabic and Turkish, Kurdish statues and symbols were destroyed or removed, cemeteries were vandalised, and thousands of Syrian Kurdish properties looted. It remains unclear whether Turkish forces actively participated in or encouraged such acts, though it seems plausible that at the very least they may not have tried to stop them.\n\nThe United States and Turkey may attempt to argue against their status as Occupying Powers and refuse to govern the controlled area accordingly, exemplified by the U.S. stand on al-Tanf. Still, they cannot relinquish their duties to assure safety and humanitarian support to the protected persons within the “safe zone,” as required by the norms governing any type of humanitarian zones, including “safe” or demilitarized zones.\n\nNone of this instills any confidence in Syrian Kurds, other ethnic Syrian groups (Christian, Yazidi) and the international community, who fear yet another attempt at the demographic re-engineering of Syrian society and the further eradication of ethnic Syrian Kurds. Any repatriations of Syrians to this area must be voluntary and offer a safe, habitable environment for resettlement. Yet, the chances are that likely military confrontations and uncertain effective governance of the zone will have dire effects on masses of Syrians. One does not need to recall the tragic outcomes of Bosnian “safe areas” in the 1990s to understand why this is so – even the past experiences with various types of “zones” created in Syria are sufficient to raise serious doubt as to whether such a zone will provide safety for anyone."], "summary": "YPG units withdraw from Tell Abyad and Ras al-Ayn as the first stage of the Northern Syria Buffer Zone agreement enters into effect."}
{"document": ["Storm clouds gather as Tropical Storm Dorian moves toward St. Michael Parish, Barbados, Monday, Aug. 26, 2019. Much of the eastern Caribbean island of Barbados shut down on Monday as Dorian approached the region and gathered strength, threatening to turn into a small hurricane that forecasters said could affect the northern Windward islands and Puerto Rico in upcoming days. (AP Photo/Chris Brandis)\n\nSAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Jorge Ortiz, a 50-year-old construction worker, was taking no chances as Tropical Storm Dorian approached Puerto Rico on Tuesday and threatened to brush past the island’s southwest coast at near-hurricane strength.\n\nWiping sweat from his brow, Ortiz climbed up a shaky ladder under the punishing morning sun and tied down pieces of zinc that now serve as his roof because Hurricane Maria ripped the second floor off his house when the Category 4 storm hit in September 2017.\n\nHe was forced to rebuild everything himself and finished just three months ago, and said he received no assistance from the local or federal government.\n\n“They told me I didn’t qualify because it was a total loss,” he said, shaking his head as he added that he was wary about Dorian. “I’m worried that despite all this sacrifice, I’ll lose it again.”\n\nIt’s a concern shared by many across the U.S. territory, where some 30,000 homes still have blue tarps as roofs and where the 3.2 million inhabitants depend on a shaky power grid that Maria destroyed and remains prone to outages even in the slightest of rainstorms.\n\nDorian was located about 415 miles (665 kilometers) southeast of Ponce, Puerto Rico, late Tuesday morning. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said it had maximum sustained winds near 50 mph (85 kph) and was forecast to strengthen during the next 48 hours before passing near or south of the U.S. territory on Wednesday as it moves west-northwest at 13 mph (20 kph).\n\n“The biggest problem will be the rain,” said Roberto García, a forecaster with the National Meteorological Service in Puerto Rico.\n\nThe storm was expected to dump between 3 to 6 inches (8 to 15 centimeters) of rain in the Windward islands, with isolated amounts of 10 inches (25 centimeters).\n\nDorian already caused power outages and downed trees in Barbados and St. Lucia, and a still-uncertain long-term track showed the storm near Florida over the weekend.\n\nThe Hurricane Center issued a hurricane watch and a tropical storm warning for Puerto Rico and for the Dominican Republic from Isla Saona to Samaná and a tropical storm warning for Martinique. Tropical storm watches were in force for Dominica, Saba, St. Eustatius and parts of the Dominican Republic from Isla Saona to Punta Palenque and from Samaná to Puerto Plata.\n\nIn Puerto Rico, some grocery stores ran out of bottled water as people rushed to buy supplies including generators and filled their cars with gasoline.\n\nGovernment officials on the island warned of possible landslides, flash flooding and power outages, with Puerto Rico’s health secretary urging those with certain health conditions such as diabetes to be prepared.\n\nThe island’s transportation secretary acknowledged that crews are still rebuilding roads damaged or blocked by Maria. He said more than 1,000 remain blocked by that storm’s landslides.\n\nGov. Wanda Vázquez signed an executive order on Monday declaring a state of emergency and urged those living under a tarp to stay in one of the island’s 360 shelters if needed. Housing Secretary Fernando Gil said some 9,000 to 13,000 homes with blue-tarp roofs are located in the region that Dorian is expected to affect the most.\n\nOfficials also said they would close all public schools by Tuesday afternoon.\n\nJesús Laracuente, a 52-year-old construction worker who lives in the impoverished neighborhood of Las Monjas in the capital of San Juan, had his doubts about the government preparations. Blue tarps are still visible in his community, which can flood even in light rainstorms.\n\n“The people here are prepared. We already learned our lesson,” he said, referring to Maria. “What despairs us is knowing that the slightest breeze will leave us without power. It’s the government that fails us.”\n\nVázquez said this time, the island’s Electric Power Authority has a vast inventory of equipment to cope with storm damage — $141 million worth compared with $22 million during Maria. That includes more than 23,000 poles, 120,000 lights and 7,400 transformers.\n\nShe said the power company also has signed 33 deals with power companies on the U.S. mainland if more help is needed after Dorian passes.\n\nIn addition, fire departments in Florida were flying teams to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands ahead of Dorian to bring medical supplies and equipment to assist local authorities with rescue efforts if needed.\n\nBut Freddyson Martínez, vice president of a power workers’ union, told The Associated Press that while the electric grid has improved in some areas, he worries about a lack of power line workers and post-Maria patches including lines fixed to palm trees.\n\n“Those are problems that are still being corrected to this day,” he said. “These are the realities we have to face with this storm.”\n\nDorian was expected to move near the Turks and Caicos Islands and southeastern Bahamas on Thursday night or Friday.\n\nMeanwhile, a new tropical depression formed Monday between the U.S. eastern coast and Bermuda. It was located about 370 miles (600 kilometers) southeast of Cape Hatteras in North Carolina and was moving north at 2 mph (4 kph) Tuesday with maximum sustained winds of 35 mph (55 kph). It was expected to become a tropical storm by Tuesday night or Wednesday and continue blowing off the U.S. East Coast this week on a path to Canada’s North Atlantic provinces.", "Tropical Storm Dorian was dumping rain Tuesday on the Windward Islands of the eastern Caribbean, gathering strength on a path to hit Puerto Rico and the eastern Dominican Republic as a hurricane on Wednesday.\n\nThe U.S. National Hurricane Center issued tropical storm warnings for Martinique, St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The center said the storm has maximum sustained winds near 50 miles per hour (85 kph) and is forecast to strengthen during the next 48 hours before hitting the U.S. territory.\n\n\"Dorian is forecast to be a hurricane when it moves near Puerto Rico and eastern Hispaniola,\" the center said.\n\nThe storm was expected to dump between 3 to 8 inches (8 to 20 centimeters) of rain in the Windward islands, with isolated amounts of 10 inches (25 centimeters).\n\nMuch of Barbados shut down as Dorian approached and authorities urged residents to remain indoors amid reports of electrical outages and other minor incidents. Minister of Home Affairs Edmund Hinkson said Tuesday that Dorian \"is said to be weakening and that is great news, but we are not out of danger yet.\"\n\nTropical storm watches were in force for Dominica, Grenada, Saba and St. Eustatius\n\nIn St. Lucia, Prime Minister Allen Chastanet said \"we are expecting the worst\" and announced that everything on the island of nearly 179,000 people would shut down Monday evening ahead of the storm, but it remained below hurricane strength early Tuesday.\n\nSome were still boarding up windows and buying food and water on Monday, but not Joannes Lamontagne, who lives in the island's southwest region. He said by phone that everything at his hotel, Serenity Escape, was already protected.\n\n\"I don't wait until it's announced,\" he said of the storm. \"We're always prepared no matter what.\"\n\nIn Puerto Rico, hundreds of people have been crowding into grocery stores and gas stations to prepare for Dorian, buying food, water and generators, among other things. Many are worried about power outages and heavy rains on an island still struggling to recover from Hurricane Maria, a Category 4 storm that hit in September 2017. Some 30,000 homes still have blue tarps as roofs and the electrical grid remains fragile and prone to outages even during brief rain showers.\n\nForecasters said the storm could pass near or south of Puerto Rico on Wednesday and approach the Dominican Republic on Wednesday night.\n\nOn Monday, Puerto Rico Gov. Wanda Vázquez signed an executive order declaring a state of emergency and provided a list of all the new equipment that public agencies have bought since Hurricane Maria.\n\n\"I want everyone to feel calm,\" she said. \"Agency directors have prepared for the last two years. The experience of Maria has been a great lesson for everyone.\"\n\nShe said public schools will close Tuesday afternoon and that at least one cruise ship canceled its trip to Puerto Rico. She said those without a proper roof can stay in one of the 360 shelters around the island.\n\nAlso on Monday, a new tropical depression formed between the U.S. eastern coast and Bermuda. It was located about 365 miles (590 kilometers) southeast of Cape Hatteras in North Carolina and was moving east at 2 mph (4 kph) with maximum sustained winds of 35 mph (55 kph). It was expected to become a tropical storm by Tuesday night and continue blowing off the U.S. East Coast this week on a path to Canada’s North Atlantic provinces.", "As Tropical Storm Dorian barrels toward Puerto Rico, President Trump has again cited misleading aid numbers in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria.\n\nHe touted $91 billion in aid for Puerto Rico in May — more than half of that $91/92 billion is based on the White House's estimates for costs FEMA could incur in years to come.\n\n$42.2 billion of relief has been appropriated by congress, $20.3 billion obligated to be spent by federal agencies (meaning they have actually committed to spending this money), and $12.6 billion has been spent, according to the federal government’s disaster relief website.", "MIAMI (AP) — Forecasters say the fourth tropical storm of the Atlantic hurricane season is maintaining its strength as it moves toward the Windward Islands.\n\nThe U.S. National Hurricane Center said Sunday that Tropical Storm Dorian could intensify to near hurricane strength over the eastern Caribbean Sea by Tuesday.\n\nAs of 8 p.m. EDT Sunday, Dorian’s center was located about 335 miles (540 kilometers) east-southeast of Barbados and was moving west at 14 mph (23 kph). Maximum sustained winds are at 50 mph (85 kph).\n\nA tropical storm warning is in effect for Barbados, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines. A tropical storm watch was issued for Grenada and Martinique.\n\nForecasters say Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and the Virgin Islands should monitor Dorian’s progress.", "SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Much of the eastern Caribbean island of Barbados shut down on Monday as Tropical Storm Dorian approached the region and gathered strength, threatening to turn into a small hurricane that forecasters said could affect Puerto Rico and its neighbors later in the week.\n\nPrime Minister Mia Mottley closed schools and government offices across Barbados as she warned people to remain indoors.\n\n\"When you're dead, you're dead,\" she said in a televised address late Sunday. \"Stay inside and get some rest.\"\n\nThe U.S. National Hurricane Center issued a tropical storm warning for Barbados, St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. It also issued a tropical storm watch for Dominica, Martinique, Grenada, Saba and St. Eustatius. The storm was expected to dump between 2 to 4 inches (5 to 10 centimeters) of rain in Barbados and nearby islands, with isolated amounts of 6 inches (15 centimeters).\n\nAs of 8 a.m. EDT Monday, the fourth tropical storm of the Atlantic hurricane season was centered about 205 miles (330 kilometers) east-southeast of Barbados and moving west at 14 mph (23 kph). Maximum sustained winds were at 60 mph (85 kph). Forecasters said it could brush past southwest Puerto Rico late Wednesday as a Category 1 hurricane and then strike the southeast corner of the Dominican Republic early Thursday.\n\nIn Barbados, many of the 285,000 inhabitants heeded the government's warning, including Fitz Bostic, owner of Rest Haven Beach Cottages. He said he's prepared in case officials shut down power and utility services as they have in previous storms.\n\n\"We have to be very cautious,\" he said in a telephone interview. \"The word 'storm' frightens me man. I'm very nervous.\"\n\nIn the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico, hundreds of people have been crowding into grocery stores and gas stations to prepare for Dorian, buying food, water and generators, among other things. Many are worried about power outages and heavy rains on an island still struggling to recover from Hurricane Maria, a Category 4 storm that hit nearly two years ago. Some 30,000 homes still have blue tarps as roofs and the electrical grid remains fragile and prone to outages even during brief rain showers.", "Tropical Storm Dorian is churning just east of the Lesser Antilles today and could turn into a hurricane by Tuesday.\n\nIt’s expected to bring tropical storm conditions to the Windward Islands later Monday and pour up to 4 inches of rain over the islands as well as Barbados and Dominica through Tuesday, according to the National Hurricane Center. Some areas in Barbados and the Windward Islands may see up to 6 inches of rain, the center said.\n\nThere were tropical storm warnings for Barbados, St. Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines on Monday and tropical storm watches for Dominica, Martinique and Grenada and its dependencies, the center said..\n\nSwells generated by the storm around the Lesser Antilles on Monday could cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions, the center said.\n\nDorian is a “small tropical cyclone,” the center said, with tropical-storm-force winds that extend outward for up to 45 miles from its center. Later Monday, that center will be near the Windward Islands.\n\nThe storm will intensify by the time it pushes west past the Lesser Antilles and into the Caribbean Sea on Tuesday, CNN Meteorologist Karen Maginnis said.\n\nDorian’s maximum sustained winds have bumped up to 60 mph, the center said, and are expected to slowly strengthen.\n\n“Dorian could be near hurricane strength on Tuesday and Wednesday while it is over the eastern Caribbean Sea,” the center said.\n\nDorian is a compact storm, which makes for a more difficult forecast, especially when it comes to intensity, CNN meteorologist Ivan Cabrera said.\n\nAs it moves west, it will be battling wind shear and dry air, two hurricane killers, Cabrera said. Reliable models show the storm weakening and dissipating before arriving in Puerto Rico and Hispaniola. If the storm manages to overcome the hostile conditions and intensifies, both Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic will face a hurricane threat by midweek.\n\n“Regardless of wind intensity, heavy flooding rain will be possible, with mudslide threat in higher terrain,” Cabrera said.\n\nDorian, the fourth named storm of the hurricane season, will be approaching Puerto Rico by Wednesday evening. Puerto Ricans, with fresh memories of the 2017 disaster, have been bracing for what Dorian may look like.\n\nNearly two years ago, the island was slammed by Hurricane Maria, which unfurled death and devastation and left nearly the entire island without power.\n\nThis week’s tropical storm is expected to turn into a Category 1 hurricane while it’s in the vicinity of Puerto Rico, Maginnis said.\n\nWilfredo Díaz Rosado posted video and images of long lines and empty shelves at Costco and Sam’s Club stores in Puerto Rico.\n\nKrystle Rivera tweeted images showing people with full carts of water at Sam’s Club on Sunday morning.\n\n“Thankfully I’ve been preparing since May,” she said, noting that her family has been stocking up water, canned food and gas.\n\nThe line for water stretched from the entrance to the back storage area, she said.\n\nThe National Hurricane Center says while it’s too soon to determine the magnitude or possible impacts of Dorian on Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands or Hispaniola, those areas should continue to monitor the storm’s progress.\n\nGenerally, hurricane season reaches a peak in the eight weeks around September 10. Two-thirds of all the storms produced in a typical season occur during this period.", "Tropical storm warnings and watches have been posted for the eastern Caribbean islands. Cruise ships begin changing itineraries.\n\nTropical Storm Dorian, the fourth-named storm of the 2019 hurricane season, strengthened on Sunday to near hurricane force, headed for the Windward Islands.\n\nThe 11 p.m. advisory from the National Hurricane Center said maximum sustained winds were near 50 mph, some 14 mph from becoming a Category 1, as the storm churned toward the eastern Caribbean islands.\n\nAt 7p.m. forecasters said the storm is headed for the Windward islands\n\nTropical storm warnings have been issued for Barbados and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. A tropical storm watch has been posted for St. Lucia.\n\nThe National Hurricane Center said additional watches or warnings could be issued for portions of the Windward and Leeward Islands. People in Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Hispaniola were advised to monitor Dorian’s path.\n\nIn advance of the storm, Royal Caribbean cruises said two of its ships, Symphony of the Seas and Harmony of the Seas, changed itineraries from eastern to the western Caribbean routes.\n\nGlad we have you in the office @JamesVanFleet so we can make the right decisions at an early stage! https://t.co/cdt32akw3Q\n\nJames Van Fleet, Royal Caribbean’s meteorologist, confirmed on social media that Symphony of the Seas, which departed on Saturday from Miami, and will sail to San Juan, Labadee and CocoCay ports.\n\nHarmony of the Seas, which departed Sunday from Port Canaveral will instead sail to CocoCay, Cozumel, Roatan and Costa Maya.\n\nCarnival Cruise Lines and Norwegian Cruise Lines have not released any changes to routes as of Sunday afternoon.\n\nDorian’s wind speeds jumped in the afternoon hours on Sunday. The early afternoon advisory pinpointed maximum sustained winds near 40 mph, with higher gusts. By the 5 p.m. update, sustained winds had risen to 50 mph, a 25 percent increase.\n\nTropical storm-force winds extended outward up to 25 miles from the center, the advisory said.\n\nDorian could top hurricane strength by Tuesday over the warm eastern Caribbean Sea, the NHC said.\n\nDorian is expected to produce total rain accumulations of 2 to 4 inches in portions of the Lesser Antilles, with possible isolated maximum amounts of 6 inches.\n\nThe storm is moving toward the west near 14 mph and speed and the current path should continue through Sunday. A turn toward the west-northwest is expected on Monday and continue through Tuesday night.\n\nBy late Monday, Dorian’s center is expected to reach the Windward Islands.\n\nThe storm would stay to the southwest of Puerto Rico before making landfall in the Dominican Republic on Friday. But the cone indicating Dorian’s projected path also covers the southeastern most islands in the Bahamas on Friday.\n\nTropical Storm Dorian grew from the fifth tropical depression of the 2019 season, which had formed early Saturday.\n\nThis weekend, however, South Florida residents were spared the brunt of a tropical disturbance that brewed late last week over the Bahamas. That storm drifted northeast, taking heavy rains and wind with it.\n\nThat said, Palm Beach County forecasters are calling for mid-afternoon thunderstorms in Palm Beach County, with a high temperature of 89.\n\nNHC also reported that a low pressure area located about 300 miles south of Cape Hatteras, NC, is likely to become a tropical or subtropical cyclone in the next few days as it moves slowly northeastward well offshore of the east coast of the U.S.", "TAMPA (WFLA) – When Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico in 2017 it ripped apart the island.\n\nMore than three thousand people are believed to have lost their lives as a result of the storm and for some survivors, the power was out for months.\n\nVictor Morales of Tampa has family in Puerto Rico. “They’re still looking for the refrigerator, washing machine, dryer, and stove and so forth, beds, the whole nine yards was blown away,” said Morales.\n\nDealing with life after the storm became very difficult for Morales’s nephew.\n\n“He would go to a market, a supermarket or whatever, couldn’t find anything and he would tell me that sometimes he cried because he was hungry,” said Morales.\n\nNow Tropical Storm Dorian is heading to the island. The storm doesn’t have the power of Maria, but it is creating worry among many Bay Area residents.\n\nA lot of my cousins got really devastated. They have still to this day, electrical wires that have not been fixed,” said Margarita Torres who also lives in Tampa, but still has family in Puerto Rico. “So now they are bracing of course for the one that’s coming which is double trouble because if it hadn’t been fixed from prior, it’s going to be more disastrous type of thing,” said Torres.\n\nJust the thought of another tropical storm for Puerto Rico is concerning to those who lived through Maria.\n\n“They are very concerned because any winds or anything, because if things have not been repaired properly, you have a lot of loose wooden houses that any slight wind could blow it away,” said Torres who points out much of the island is still recovering.\n\n“You go to the San Juan area and it’s all nice and fixed and beautiful, but in the inner part of the country, going up to the mountains where people are very poor, you didn’t get that, you didn’t get the help. A lot of them complain of, what did the government do with the money because it didn’t come here to help us,” said Torres.\n\nForecasters believe Tropical Storm Dorian will impact Puerto Rico on Wednesday.\n• FCC aiming to improve broadband mapping to better serve rural areas\n• Judge to decide whether John Jonchuck gets new trial by October", "SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Tropical Storm Dorian threatened Puerto Rico with a direct hit on Wednesday, as forecasters said it made a last-minute shift in its path and could reach near-hurricane strength in its approach to the U.S. territory.\n\nThe storm is expected to pass over or near western and central Puerto Rico, with landslides, widespread flooding and power outages possible. President Donald Trump declared an emergency Tuesday night and ordered federal assistance for local authorities.\n\n\"Practically the entire island will be under sustained tropical storm force winds,\" said Roberto García, director of U.S. National Weather Service San Juan, during a press conference late Tuesday.\n\nHowever, he said the forecast could change overnight, adding that late shifts occur with storms such as Dorian that do not have a well-defined center.\n\nDorian was located about 275 miles (440 kilometers) southeast of Ponce, Puerto Rico, on Tuesday night. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said it had maximum sustained winds of 50 mph (85 kph) and was forecast to strengthen during the next 24 hours as it moves west-northwest at 13 mph (20 kph). The storm is expected to dump 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 centimeters) of rain with isolated amounts of 8 inches (20 centimeters).\n\nThe change in the storm's course concerned many across the U.S. territory, where some 30,000 homes still have blue tarps as roofs nearly two years after Hurricane Maria. The island's 3.2 million inhabitants still depend on a shaky power grid that has remained prone to outages since it was destroyed by the Category 4 storm.\n\nJorge Ortiz, a 50-year-old construction worker, was taking no chances. Wiping sweat from his brow, Ortiz climbed up a shaky ladder under a punishing morning sun and tied down pieces of zinc that now serve as his roof because Maria ripped the second floor off his house when it hit on Sept. 20, 2017.\n\nHe was forced to rebuild everything himself and finished just three months ago with no assistance from the local or federal government.\n\n\"They told me I didn't qualify because it was a total loss,\" he said, shaking his head as he added that he was wary. \"I'm worried that despite all this sacrifice, I'll lose it again.\"\n\nThe U.S. National Hurricane Center issued a hurricane watch for Puerto Rico and a tropical storm warning for Puerto Rico, Vieques, Culebra and the U.S. Virgin Islands. A tropical storm watch was in force for the Dominican Republic from Samaná to Puerto Plata.\n\nDorian already caused power outages and downed trees in Barbados and St. Lucia, and a still-uncertain long-term track showed the storm near Florida over the weekend.\n\nAlthough top government officials in Puerto Rico said they were prepared for the storm and had sufficient equipment, a couple of mayors, including those in the western region, said they did not have enough generators or shelters that were properly set up.\n\nJesús Laracuente, a 52-year-old construction worker who lives in the impoverished neighborhood of Las Monjas in the capital of San Juan, also had doubts about government preparations.\n\n\"The people here are prepared. We already learned our lesson,\" he said, referring to Maria. \"What despairs us is knowing that the slightest breeze will leave us without power. It's the government that fails us.\"\n\nJosé Ortiz, executive director of Puerto Rico's Electric Power Authority, acknowledged that the distribution system still has weak areas and could \"suffer\" under winds of 50 to 60 mph. However, he stressed the agency has the needed inventory, including more than 120,000 lights, 23,000 poles and 7,400 transformers.\n\nBut Freddyson Martínez, vice president of a power workers' union, told The Associated Press that while the electric grid has improved in some areas, he worries about a lack of power line workers and post-Maria patches which feature lines affixed to palm trees.\n\n\"Those are problems that are still being corrected to this day,\" he said. \"These are the realities we have to face with this storm.\"\n\nThe island's transportation secretary acknowledged that crews are still rebuilding roads damaged or blocked by Maria, more than 1,000 of which remain blocked by that storm's landslides.\n\nPuerto Rico Gov. Wanda Vázquez urged those living in flood-prone areas or under a blue tarp to move into one of the island's 360 shelters on Tuesday night. Housing Secretary Fernando Gil has said some 9,000 to 13,000 homes with blue tarp roofs are located in the region that Dorian is expected to affect the most.\n\nOfficials also said public schools and government offices would remain closed through at least Thursday.\n\n\"We learned our lesson quite well after Maria,\" Vázquez said. \"We are going to be much better prepared.\"\n\nDorian was expected to move near the Turks and Caicos Islands and southeastern Bahamas on Thursday night or Friday.\n\nMeanwhile, Tropical Storm Erin formed well off the U.S. East Coast on Tuesday night, and the National Hurricane Service said the storm is forecast to move northward over the open Atlantic with no threat to land.\n\nIt was about 690 miles (1,110 kilometers) west of Bermuda and 300 miles (482 kilometers) southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph.", "It just wouldn’t be Labor Day weekend without a hurricane threat to Florida, now would it?\n\nThe National Hurricane Center’s 5 p.m. advisory for Tropical Storm Dorian finds the storm with 60 mph winds, on close approach to the easternmost Windward Islands. Over the last day, Dorian has been strengthening despite being surrounded by a dry mid-level airmass, and continued intensification into a hurricane is possible in the next 24 to 48 hours.\n\nThe official NHC track with this advisory brings Dorian close to Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic midweek, with continued west-northwest motion into the Bahamas into the weekend as a tropical storm. As of 5 p.m., South Florida falls in the shadow of the cone of uncertainty.\n\nHowever, the NHC cone and intensity is smuggling even more internal variability than normal. A key to the forecast is that Dorian is a very small storm, with tropical storm force winds barely extending out 50 miles from the center of circulation. Small storms can both intensify and weaken quickly, and that enveloping dry air means Dorian will likely stay diminutive this week.\n\nThis means the official forecast heading into the cursed Labor Day weekend is an amalgamation of several distinct scenarios. (In non-holiday-weekend miscellaneous bad juju, the precursor disturbance to Dorian was Invest 99L — just like Hermine — and my kids are sick. Both have significant, though non-peer-reviewed, predictive power for hurricane threats.)\n\nLet’s break down some options and odds for what Dorian might be up to on Saturday morning.\n\nDissipated over the eastern or central Caribbean (30%)\n\nThe eastern half of the Caribbean Sea has a well-deserved reputation as a hurricane graveyard. Climatologically, a persistent feature known as a “tropical upper-tropospheric trough” is often nearby, which teams with an acceleration of low-level trade winds to result in maximum shear. Additionally, the Greater Antilles pack rugged terrain with summit heights up to 10,000 feet, which can greatly disrupt a storm’s inflow and mid-level circulation.\n\nFor these reasons, the region between Hispaniola and the Leeward Islands has claimed many a scalp, including those tipped as U.S. landfall threats. Hurricane Debby (2000) and Tropical Storm Erika (2015) are two examples in which the three-day NHC forecast track bought a hurricane to South Florida, but Hispaniola’s terrain instead resulted in complete dissipation of the storm. In 2018, Tropical Storm Kirk and Hurricane Isaac met their demise in the eastern Caribbean due to shear.\n\nPoint being, history teaches us that the chance of Dorian not surviving until Friday is going to remain a significant possibility until it clears Hispaniola, no matter what models or forecasts say. This storm’s small stature makes it especially susceptible to this outcome.\n\nTropical Storm Dorian: Any impacts on Northwest Florida too soon to tell, forecasters say\n\nA weak system in vicinity of the Bahamas (25%)\n\nAs a corollary to the previous option, the possibility exists that Caribbean land interaction does not finish off Dorian, but leaves the storm’s structure in an irreparable state given a marginal environment.\n\nIn this case, Dorian would still be a tropical depression or weak storm continuing west into the general vicinity of the western Bahamas by early in the weekend, but any impacts would be mostly of the rain and irritation variety.\n\nHurricane Ernesto in 2006 and Tropical Storm Emily in 2011 are two semi-recent examples of systems that carried on towards Florida in a diminished state following a rough go in the Caribbean.\n\nA stronger storm in vicinity of the Bahamas (40%)\n\nCrossing the Caribbean isn’t necessarily a kiss of death, as Hurricane Matthew demonstrated in 2016. While Dorian’s track is likely to pass near Hispaniola, there is also a strong possibility that it slides just far enough east of the islands to escape major disruption to its tiny core.\n\nWith subtropical ridging strengthening to Dorian’s north later this week, that combination could lead to a favorable outflow environment coupled with a turn back to the west Friday and Saturday.\n\nIn this case, Dorian would be a stronger tropical storm or hurricane in the vicinity of the Bahamas to start the weekend.\n\nThis doesn’t mean Dorian would necessarily intensify further or continue westward from that point, but given that the storm’s core is minimally disrupted in this scenario, there are more upside intensity risks here.\n\nThere has been a slow trend towards this camp in the last few days’ worth of ensemble model runs.\n\nDorian continues west into the western Caribbean (2%); Dorian turns north towards Bermuda (3%); the crack team of Bruce Willis, Ben Affleck and Steve Buscemi successfully nukes Dorian while a majestic Aerosmith soundtrack plays (0%).\n\nRelated: President Trump's idea on nuking a hurricane? He's not the only one\n\nAs of Monday afternoon, models are evenly divided between the major options. The 12z GFS supports dissipation, the 12z Euro and HWRF keep Dorian relatively weak after a close encounter with Hispaniola, and the 12z UKMET is more bullish on intensity into the weekend.\n\nThere is relatively little daylight between the average tracks of the GFS, Euro and UKMET ensemble model members. Notably, each of those ensembles has some members representing each of the three main scenarios, an indication of very high intrinsic uncertainty.\n\nDorian Analysis: Florida threat grows as 'kill it off' camp of models shift\n\nWhile the temptation to project farther out and speculate on potential landfall scenarios is powerful, it’s also unproductive. By Wednesday, we should have a better idea of if and how Dorian will run the gauntlet in the Caribbean and a stronger handle on the downstream environment.\n\nFor now, it’s prudent for all residents of the Southeast and Gulf Coasts to keep close tabs on Dorian and review your hurricane kits and plans. The peak of the hurricane season is upon us, and preparedness is the key to managing your personal risk.\n\nSo don’t panic, even though you might need to bring a towel for Labor Day weekend. Keep watching the skies.\n\nDr. Ryan Truchelut is co-founder and chief meteorologist at WeatherTiger, a Tallahassee-based start-up providing advanced weather and climate analytics, consulting, and forecasting solutions to enterprises large and small. Get in touch at ryan@weathertiger.com or follow along on Twitter (@wx_tiger) or Facebook."], "summary": "Tropical Storm Dorian is expected to grow stronger as it reaches Puerto Rico, the National Hurricane Center says."}
{"document": ["This website stores cookies on your computer. These cookies are used to improve your experience and provide more personalized service to you. Both on your website and other media. To find out more about the cookies and data we use, please check out our Privacy Policy", "Fires are raging in the Amazon rainforest, and satellite data show a record number of fires burning in Brazil. Wildfires often occur in the dry season in Brazil but according to Brazil’s space agency INPE this year has seen an increase of 80 percent. The reported increase in fires set off a storm of international outrage last week with celebrities, environmentalists, and political leaders blaming Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro for destroying the world’s largest rainforest.\n\nNatural fires in the Amazon are rare, and the majority of the fires currently raging in Brazil were set by farmers preparing farmland for next year’s crops and pasture. INPE’s figures represent an 80 percent increase in fires from the same period in 2018. But there have been large numbers of fires in other recent years as well. READ MORE: Amazon Rainforest fire current status: How much has been burned?\n\nAccording to a manager of Global Forest Watch, the number of fires in the Amazon this year is roughly comparable to 2016. NASA reports fires are common in the Amazon due to the arrival of a dry season in July and fire activity typically peaks in September before ending in November. The space agency wrote: “As of August 16, 2019, an analysis of the space agency’s satellite data indicated that total fire activity across the Amazon basin this year has been close to the average in comparison to the past 15 years.“ Though activity appears to be above average in the states of Amazonas and Rondônia, it has so far appeared below average in Mato Grosso and Pará, according to estimates from the Global Fire Emissions Database. READ MORE: World's lungs are not aflame but Amazon fire is a crisis claims expert\n\nAnd while fires in Brazil have increased, there is no evidence that Amazon forest fires have. What did increase in 2019, are the fires of dry scrub and trees cut down for cattle ranching as a strategy to gain ownership of land. This went up by seven percent. Against the picture painted of an Amazon forest on the verge of disappearing, a full 80 percent remains standing. In addition, half of the Amazon is protected against deforestation under federal law.", "The office for the French president declined to comment.\n\nThe fires are not limited to Brazil, with at least 10,000 sq km (about 3,800 sq miles) burning in Bolivia, near its border with Paraguay and Brazil. (Photo: AP)\n\nBrazil: Brazil said on Tuesday it was ready to accept foreign aid to help fight fires in the Amazon but only if it could determine how it was spent, in an apparent attempt to smooth over a public spat between the Brazilian and French presidents.\n\nThe comments by presidential spokesman Rego Barros came after governors of states in the Brazilian Amazon told President Jair Bolsonaro that they needed the money to help fight the record wildfires in the world’s largest tropical rainforest.\n\n“The Brazilian government, through its president, is open to receiving financial support from organizations and countries. This money, when it enters the country, will have the total governance of the Brazilian people,” Barros said.\n\nSeparately, a diplomatic source in Brasilia told Reuters the Brazilian government had also accepted 10 million pounds from Britain to fight the fires. Bolsonaro’s press office was not immediately available to comment on the information.\n\nEarlier on Tuesday, Bolsonaro had said he would only consider accepting a USD 20 million offer of aid from the Group of Seven wealthy nations if French President Emmanuel Macron withdrew the “insults” against him.\n\nBolsonaro and Macron have been embroiled in a deeply personal and public war of words in recent days, with Bolsonaro mocking Macron’s wife and accusing the French leader of disrespecting Brazil’s sovereignty. Macron has called Bolsonaro a liar and said Brazilian women are “probably ashamed” of him.\n\nThe office for the French president declined to comment.\n\nBrazil’s president is finding himself increasingly isolated on the global stage over his response to the blazes, which threaten what many view as a key bulwark against global climate change.\n\nThe far-right government’s response could threaten Brazil’s trade deals and powerful agribusiness sector, which is a crucial driver of its recession-plagued economy.\n\n“We think that it’s not the moment to turn down money,” Flávio Dino, the governor of Maranhao state, told reporters after a meeting in which Bolsonaro pledged to agree on a package of legislative measures with the states by September 5 to help prevent the surge in forest fires happening again.\n\n“The anti-environment rhetoric could expose Brazil to international sanctions,” Dino said.\n\nThe number of blazes in Brazil has skyrocketed 80 per cent in the year to date compared to the same period in 2018, according to data from space research agency INPE.\n\nAbout 90 km (55 miles) from Porto Velho, in the Amazon state of Rondonia, a Reuters witness saw houses abandoned due to the fierce forest fires. There were isolated patches of rain on Tuesday, but not enough to put out the fires, he said.\n\nWidespread rain that could snuff the fires out are likely weeks away, according to weather data and two experts.\n\nA local farmer, who declined to give his name, said he expected the fires to worsen next week when the forest is usually at its driest.\n\nG7 leaders pledged the USD 20 million after discussing the fires ravaging an area often dubbed “the lungs of the world”.\n\nThe offer, which was made at a summit in France on Monday, has stirred up emotions within Bolsonaro’s nationalist government. Some officials are grateful for the much-needed help, and others view it as a colonial gesture that undermines Brazil’s control of its lands.\n\nBolsonaro raised Macron’s ire on Sunday when the Brazilian leader responded to a Facebook post that compared the looks of his wife Michelle, 37, with Macron’s 66-year-old wife Brigitte. “Do not humiliate the man hahahah,” Bolsonaro wrote.\n\nMacron, who has accused Bolsonaro of lying about climate change policy, called the remarks “extremely disrespectful” to his wife.\n\nRead | 'Macron to withdraw 'insults' for Brazil to accept aid for Amazon fire: Bolsonaro\n\nOn Tuesday morning, Bolsonaro said he would only countenance accepting G7 money if Macron retracted his earlier comments.\n\n“First of all, Macron has to withdraw his insults. He called me a liar. Before we talk or accept anything from France ... he must withdraw these words then we can talk,” Bolsonaro told reporters in Brasilia. “First he withdraws, then offers (aid), then I will answer.”\n\nBarros, the president’s official spokesman, told reporters later that Brazil was open to accepting international aid if it could decide how the money is spent.\n\nUS President Donald Trump on Tuesday tweeted his support for Bolsonaro, an ideological ally on the environment, China and trade.\n\nThe Brazilian president “is working very hard on the Amazon fires and in all respects doing a great job for the people of Brazil - Not easy. He and his country have the full and complete support of the USA!” Trump tweeted.\n\nBolsonaro responded, also on Twitter: “We’re fighting the wildfires with great success. Brazil is and will always be an international reference in sustainable development.”\n\nThe fires are not limited to Brazil, with at least 10,000 sq km (about 3,800 sq miles) burning in Bolivia, near its border with Paraguay and Brazil.\n\nNeighbours Peru and Colombia on Tuesday asked Bolsonaro to attend a meeting on Sept. 6 to discuss the disaster and come up with a long-term coordinated plan to stop deforestation.", "BRASILIA/PORTO VELHO, Brazil (Reuters) - Brazil said on Tuesday it was ready to accept foreign aid to help fight fires in the Amazon but only if it could determine how it was spent, in an apparent attempt to smooth over a public spat between the Brazilian and French presidents.\n\nThe comments by presidential spokesman Rego Barros came after governors of states in the Brazilian Amazon told President Jair Bolsonaro that they needed the money to help fight the record wildfires in the world’s largest tropical rainforest.\n\n“The Brazilian government, through its president, is open to receiving financial support from organizations and countries. This money, when it enters the country, will have the total governance of the Brazilian people,” Barros said.\n\nSeparately, a diplomatic source in Brasilia told Reuters the Brazilian government had also accepted 10 million pounds from Britain to fight the fires. Bolsonaro’s press office was not immediately available to comment on the information.\n\nEarlier on Tuesday, Bolsonaro had said he would only consider accepting a $20 million offer of aid from the Group of Seven wealthy nations if French President Emmanuel Macron withdrew the “insults” against him.\n\nBolsonaro and Macron have been embroiled in a deeply personal and public war of words in recent days, with Bolsonaro mocking Macron’s wife and accusing the French leader of disrespecting Brazil’s sovereignty. Macron has called Bolsonaro a liar and said Brazilian women are “probably ashamed” of him.\n\nThe office for the French president declined to comment.\n\nBrazil’s president is finding himself increasingly isolated on the global stage over his response to the blazes, which threaten what many view as a key bulwark against global climate change.\n\nThe far-right government’s response could threaten Brazil’s trade deals and powerful agribusiness sector, which is a crucial driver of its recession-plagued economy.\n\n“We think that it’s not the moment to turn down money,” Flávio Dino, the governor of Maranhao state, told reporters after a meeting in which Bolsonaro pledged to agree on a package of legislative measures with the states by Sept. 5 to help prevent the surge in forest fires happening again.\n\n“The anti-environment rhetoric could expose Brazil to international sanctions,” Dino said.\n\nThe number of blazes in Brazil has skyrocketed 80% in the year to date compared to the same period in 2018, according to data from space research agency INPE.\n\nAbout 90 km (55 miles) from Porto Velho, in the Amazon state of Rondonia, a Reuters witness saw houses abandoned due to the fierce forest fires. There were isolated patches of rain on Tuesday, but not enough to put out the fires, he said.\n\nWidespread rain that could snuff the fires out are likely weeks away, according to weather data and two experts.\n\nA local farmer, who declined to give his name, said he expected the fires to worsen next week when the forest is usually at its driest.\n\nG7 leaders pledged the $20 million after discussing the fires ravaging an area often dubbed “the lungs of the world”.\n\nThe offer, which was made at a summit in France on Monday, has stirred up emotions within Bolsonaro’s nationalist government. Some officials are grateful for the much-needed help, and others view it as a colonial gesture that undermines Brazil’s control of its lands.\n\nBolsonaro raised Macron’s ire on Sunday when the Brazilian leader responded to a Facebook post that compared the looks of his wife Michelle, 37, with Macron’s 66-year-old wife Brigitte. “Do not humiliate the man hahahah,” Bolsonaro wrote.\n\nMacron, who has accused Bolsonaro of lying about climate change policy, called the remarks “extremely disrespectful” to his wife.\n\nOn Tuesday morning, Bolsonaro said he would only countenance accepting G7 money if Macron retracted his earlier comments.\n\n“First of all, Macron has to withdraw his insults. He called me a liar. Before we talk or accept anything from France ... he must withdraw these words then we can talk,” Bolsonaro told reporters in Brasilia. “First he withdraws, then offers (aid), then I will answer.”\n\nBarros, the president’s official spokesman, told reporters later that Brazil was open to accepting international aid if it could decide how the money is spent.\n\nU.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday tweeted his support for Bolsonaro, an ideological ally on the environment, China and trade.\n\nThe Brazilian president “is working very hard on the Amazon fires and in all respects doing a great job for the people of Brazil - Not easy. He and his country have the full and complete support of the USA!” Trump tweeted.\n\nBolsonaro responded, also on Twitter: “We’re fighting the wildfires with great success. Brazil is and will always be an international reference in sustainable development.”\n\nThe fires are not limited to Brazil, with at least 10,000 sq km (about 3,800 sq miles) burning in Bolivia, near its border with Paraguay and Brazil.\n\nNeighbors Peru and Colombia on Tuesday asked Bolsonaro to attend a meeting on Sept. 6 to discuss the disaster and come up with a long-term coordinated plan to stop deforestation.\n\nNorway’s environment minister on Tuesday urged representatives of oil firm Equinor, fertilizer-maker Yara and aluminium producer Norsk Hydro to make sure their supply chains in Brazil are not linked to deforestation.", "US President Donald Trump on Tuesday offered Brazilian leader Jair Bolsonaro the full support of the United States as Brazil continues to battle wildfires in the Amazon rainforest\n\nWASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 27th August, 2019) US President Donald Trump on Tuesday offered Brazilian leader Jair Bolsonaro the full support of the United States as Brazil continues to battle wildfires in the Amazon rainforest.\n\n\"I have gotten to know President [Jair Bolsonaro] well in our dealings with Brazil,\" Trump said in a statement posted on Twitter. \"He is working very hard on the Amazon fires and in all respects doing a great job for the people of Brazil - Not easy. He and his country have the full and complete support of the USA!\"\n\nOn Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron said that the Group of Seven industrialized countries will urgently allocate about 20 million euro [$22.\n\n2 million] to help extinguish the fires.\n\nThe Amazon rainforest, which produces about 20 percent of the Earth atmosphere's oxygen, is burning from wildfires at a record rate and has drawn international attention.\n\nEnvironmental activists have been staging protests at Brazilian embassies worldwide and accusing Bolsonaro of supporting farmers who are burning the rainforest to expand farming land.\n\nOn Saturday, the Brazilian authorities deployed troops in an attempt to fight the fires.", "BRASILIA, Aug 28 — Brazil said yesterday it was ready to accept foreign aid to help fight fires in the Amazon but only if it could determine how it was spent, in an apparent attempt to smooth over a public spat between the Brazilian and French presidents.\n\nThe comments by presidential spokesman Rego Barros came after governors of states in the Brazilian Amazon told President Jair Bolsonaro that they needed the money to help fight the record wildfires in the world's largest tropical rainforest.\n\n“The Brazilian government, through its president, is open to receiving financial support from organisations and countries. This money, when it enters the country, will have the total governance of the Brazilian people,” Barros said.\n\nSeparately, a diplomatic source in Brasilia told Reuters the Brazilian government had also accepted £10 million (RM51.4 million) from Britain to fight the fires. Bolsonaro's press office was not immediately available to comment on the information.\n\nEarlier yesterday, Bolsonaro had said he would only consider accepting a US$20 million (RM84 million) offer of aid from the Group of Seven wealthy nations if French President Emmanuel Macron withdrew the \"insults\" against him.\n\nBolsonaro and Macron have been embroiled in a deeply personal and public war of words in recent days, with Bolsonaro mocking Macron's wife and accusing the French leader of disrespecting Brazil's sovereignty. Macron has called Bolsonaro a liar and said Brazilian women are “probably ashamed” of him.\n\nThe office for the French president declined to comment.\n\nBrazil's president is finding himself increasingly isolated on the global stage over his response to the blazes, which threaten what many view as a key bulwark against global climate change.\n\nThe far-right government's response could threaten Brazil's trade deals and powerful agribusiness sector, which is a crucial driver of its recession-plagued economy.\n\n“We think that it's not the moment to turn down money,” Flávio Dino, the governor of Maranhao state, told reporters after a meeting in which Bolsonaro pledged to agree on a package of legislative measures with the states by September 5 to help prevent the surge in forest fires happening again.\n\n“The anti-environment rhetoric could expose Brazil to international sanctions,” Dino said.\n\nThe number of blazes in Brazil has skyrocketed 80 per cent in the year to date compared to the same period in 2018, according to data from space research agency INPE.\n\nAbout 90 km from Porto Velho, in the Amazon state of Rondonia, a Reuters witness saw houses abandoned due to the fierce forest fires. There were isolated patches of rain on Tuesday, but not enough to put out the fires, he said.\n\nWidespread rain that could snuff the fires out are likely weeks away, according to weather data and two experts.\n\nA local farmer, who declined to give his name, said he expected the fires to worsen next week when the forest is usually at its driest.\n\nG7 leaders pledged the US$20 million after discussing the fires ravaging an area often dubbed \"the lungs of the world.\"\n\nThe offer, which was made at a summit in France on Monday, has stirred up emotions within Bolsonaro's nationalist government. Some officials are grateful for the much-needed help, and others view it as a colonial gesture that undermines Brazil's control of its lands.\n\nBolsonaro raised Macron's ire on Sunday when the Brazilian leader responded to a Facebook post that compared the looks of his wife Michelle, 37, with Macron’s 66-year-old wife Brigitte. “Do not humiliate the man hahahah,” Bolsonaro wrote.\n\nMacron, who has accused Bolsonaro of lying about climate change policy, called the remarks “extremely disrespectful” to his wife.\n\nYesterday morning, Bolsonaro said he would only countenance accepting G7 money if Macron retracted his earlier comments.\n\n“First of all, Macron has to withdraw his insults. He called me a liar. Before we talk or accept anything from France ... he must withdraw these words then we can talk,” Bolsonaro told reporters in Brasilia. “First he withdraws, then offers (aid), then I will answer.”\n\nBarros, the president's official spokesman, told reporters later that Brazil was open to accepting international aid if it could decide how the money is spent.\n\nUS President Donald Trump yesterday tweeted his support for Bolsonaro, an ideological ally on the environment, China and trade.\n\nThe Brazilian president “is working very hard on the Amazon fires and in all respects doing a great job for the people of Brazil — Not easy. He and his country have the full and complete support of the USA!” Trump tweeted.\n\nBolsonaro responded, also on Twitter: \"We're fighting the wildfires with great success. Brazil is and will always be an international reference in sustainable development.\"\n\nThe fires are not limited to Brazil, with at least 10,000 sq km burning in Bolivia, near its border with Paraguay and Brazil.\n\nNeighbours Peru and Colombia yestetrday asked Bolsonaro to attend a meeting on September 6 to discuss the disaster and come up with a long-term coordinated plan to stop deforestation.\n\nNorway's environment minister yesterday urged representatives of oil firm Equinor, fertiliser-maker Yara and aluminium producer Norsk Hydro to make sure their supply chains in Brazil are not linked to deforestation. — Reuters", "Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro is willing to accept foreign aid for fighting fires devastating the Amazon rainforest, but only if the country controls the funds, his spokesman said Tuesday.\n\nThe announcement suggests Bolsonaro has dropped an earlier demand that French President Emmanuel Macron withdraw \"insults\" made against him before he would accept a G7 offer to help put out the fires in the world's largest rainforest.\n\n\"The Brazilian government through President Bolsonaro is open to receiving financial support from organizations and even countries,\" Otavio Rego Barros told reporters in the capital Brasilia, without referring specifically to the G7's offer.\n\n\"The essential point is that this money, on entering Brazil, will be under the control of the Brazilian people.\"\n\nBolsonaro has been involved in an escalating war of words with Macron over the worst fires to hit the Amazon in years -- blazes that have sparked a global outcry and threatened to torpedo a huge trade deal between the European Union and South American countries.\n\nA top Brazilian official on Monday rejected the G7 countries' offer of $20 million to combat the fires devastating the forest in Brazil and Bolivia, saying Macron should take care of \"his home and his colonies.\"\n\n\"Mr Macron must withdraw the insults he made against me,\" Bolsonaro told reporters in the capital Brasilia earlier Tuesday.\n\n\"To talk or accept anything from France, with the best possible intentions, he has to withdraw these words, and from there we can talk.\"\n\nMacron and Bolsonaro have repeatedly locked horns in the past week, with the French leader accusing Bolsonaro of lying to him about his commitments on climate change and vowing to block the EU-Mercosur trade deal involving Brazil that took decades to negotiate.\n\nOn Monday, Macron rebuked the \"extraordinarily rude\" Bolsonaro after the Brazilian leader personally expressed approval for a Facebook post implying that Brigitte Macron was not as attractive as his own first lady, Michelle Bolsonaro.\n\nBolsonaro has hit back, accusing Macron of treating Brazil like \"a colony or no-man's land.\"\n\nThe latest official figures show 1,659 new fires were started in Brazil between Sunday and Monday, taking the total this year to 82,285 -- the highest since at least 2013 -- even as military aircraft and troops help battle the blazes.\n\nMore than half of the fires are in the massive Amazon basin.\n\nThe governors of several states in the Amazon told Bolsonaro in a meeting Tuesday that international help was needed.\n\nTheir plea comes after Norway and Germany halted around $70 million in Amazon protection subsidies earlier this month.\n\nBolsonaro -- a climate-change skeptic -- has faced criticism at home over his delayed response to the fires, and thousands have protested in Brazil in recent days to denounce the destruction.\n\nBut U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted that the Brazilian leader was \"working very hard on the Amazon fires and in all respects doing a great job for the people of Brazil - Not easy.\"\n\nIn response, Bolsonaro replied: \"We're fighting the wildfires with great success. Brazil is and will always be an international reference in sustainable development.\"\n\n\"The fake news campaign built against our sovereignty will not work. The US can always count on Brazil.\"\n\nIn the hard-hit northwestern state of Rondonia, thick smoke has choked the capital Porto Velho in recent days as fires blacken swaths of the rainforest.\n\nDefense Minister Fernando Azevedo e Silva on Monday said the fires were \"under control.\"\n\n\"It has been exaggerated a little that the situation was out of control -- it wasn't,\" he said. \"The situation isn't simple but it is under control.\"\n\nNearly 2,500 troops and 15 aircraft, including two C-130 Hercules, have been deployed, according to the defense ministry, which has published satellite data it says show a reduction in the number of fires in the nine states spanning the Amazon.\n\nMore than 43,000 troops were available to help put out fires, the government said previously.\n\nRain in some of the affected areas is also helping.\n\nExperts say increased land clearing during the months-long dry season to make way for crops or grazing has aggravated the recurring problem this year.\n\nAlthough about 60 percent of the Amazon is in Brazil, the vast forest also spreads over parts of eight other countries or territories, including the French overseas territory of Guiana on the continent's northeast coast.\n\nBolivia's leftist President Evo Morales on Tuesday gave a half-hearted welcome to the G7 aid pledge, which he described as \"tiny.\"\n\nMorales and his rival for the Bolivian presidency have suspended campaigning to deal with the voracious fires that the president said had destroyed 1.2 million hectares, or more than 4,000 square miles, of forest and grassland since May.", "Lingering smoke in the Amazon is causing concern among Brazilians who say that respiratory problems – particularly among children and the elderly – have increased as fires in the region rage.\n\n“The kids are affected the most. They’re coughing a lot,” said Elane Diaz, a nurse in the Rondonia state capital of Porto Velho, as she waited for a doctor’s appointment at a hospital with her five-year-old-son Eduardo.\n\n“They have problems breathing. I’m concerned because it affects their health.”\n\nThe number of people treated for respiratory issues increased sharply in recent days at a local children’s hospital.\n\n“This period has been very tough. The dry weather and the smoke cause many problems for children, such as pneumonia and coughing,” said Daniel Pires, a paediatrician at the hospital.\n\n“From August 1 to August 10, the median number of cases was about 120 to 130 children with respiratory problems. From August 11 to August 20 it went up to 280 cases.”\n\nGrowing fears over the health impacts are emerging as the number of fires in Brazil surges, with more than 77,000 documented by the country’s National Space Research Institute in the last year.\n\nAbout half of the fires occurred in the Amazon region, with most in the past month.\n\nBut as breathing-related ailments appear to be on the rise, attention to the issue has largely been overshadowed by growing acrimony between Brazil and European countries seeking to help fight Amazon fires and protect a region seen as vital to the health of the planet.\n\nAt a summit in France this week, G7 nations pledged to help fight the flames and protect the rainforest by offering 20 million dollars, in addition to separate cash pledges from Britain and Canada.\n\nBut Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, a far-right climate sceptic who took office this year with a promise to boost development in Latin America’s biggest economy, questioned whether offers of international aid mask a plot to exploit the Amazon’s resources and weaken Brazilian growth.\n\nOn Tuesday, he said that his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, had called him a liar and would have to apologise before Brazil considers accepting rainforest aid.\n\nMr Macron has to retract those comments “and then we can speak”, Mr Bolsonaro said.\n\nIn a video message, Brazilian novelist Paulo Coelho offered an apology to France for what he called Mr Bolsonaro’s “hysteria”, saying the Brazilian government had resorted to insults to dodge responsibility for the Amazon fires.\n\nMeanwhile, within Brazil, a number of people said they supported Mr Bolsonaro despite local and international criticism of his handling of the crisis, exposing a divide that has split the country.\n\nGrace Quale, a hospital laboratory technician who attended a service at an evangelical church on Sunday, said that critics “want to overthrow our president”, and that she did not see a link between Mr Bolsonaro’s environmental policies and the number of people getting treatment for respiratory problems.\n\nOthers said in an open letter that the government’s discourse and measures are leading to a “collapse in federal environmental management and stimulate environmental crimes inside and outside the Amazon”.\n\nMore than 500 employees from environmental regulator IBAMA signed the letter and included a list of emergency measures they recommended, including more qualified management and employees, and a greater budget and increased autonomy.\n\nThe Amazon has experienced an increased rate of fires during drought periods in the last 20 years, but the phenomenon this year is “unusual” because drought has not yet hit, said Laura Schneider, of Rutgers University-New Brunswick.\n\nMs Schneider, an associate professor in the geography department, said fire is commonly used by people to clear land for cultivation, and the actual area burned this year must be measured for an accurate comparison with damage in past years.\n\nWhile many of the recorded fires this year were set in already deforested areas by people clearing land for cultivation or pasture, Brazil government figures show that they are much more widespread this year, suggesting the threat to the vast Amazon ecosystem is intensifying.\n\nBut for now, more immediate consequences of the raging flames were becoming clear.\n\nThe world’s largest rainforest is a major absorber of carbon dioxide, considered a critical defence against rising temperatures and other disruptions caused by climate change.\n\nThe government in the Amazonian state of Rondonia has warned that the burning of land can produce smoke that can “greatly influence atmospheric pollution, putting the life of many at risk”.", "The Brazilian government has reportedly rejected an offer of aid by the G7 countries to deal with the Amazon fires, according to AFP.\n\nOn Monday, Macron announced that the G7 would \"immediately send to the Amazon countries... financial support worth at least about 20 million euros.\"", "The Group of Seven nations on Monday pledged tens of millions of dollars to help Amazon countries fight raging wildfires, even as Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro accused rich countries of treating the region like a \"colony.\"\n\nThe pledge by rich countries included $20 million from the G-7 and a separate $11 million from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Canada has also offered to send firefighting planes to Brazil.\n\nThe funds were widely seen as a relatively small amount for dealing with an environmental crisis of such scale, and it was unclear how exactly the money would be administered on the ground. Brazil's environment minister, Ricardo Salles, said the aid was welcome and that Brazil should decide how the resources are used.\n\nThe international pledges came despite tensions between European countries and the Brazilian president, who suggested the West was angling to exploit Brazil's natural resources.\n\n\"Look, does anyone help anyone ... without something in return? What have they wanted there for so long?\" he said to journalists outside the presidential palace.\n\nBolsonaro has insulted adversaries and allies, disparaged women, black and gay people, and even praised his country's 1964-1985 dictatorship. But nothing has rallied more anger at home and criticism from abroad than his response to the fires raging in parts of the Amazon region.\n\nThe populist Brazilian leader initially questioned whether activist groups might have started the fires in an effort to damage the credibility of his government. Bolsonaro has called for looser environmental regulations in the world's largest rainforest to spur development.\n\nIn response, European leaders threatened to block a major trade deal with Brazil that would benefit the very agricultural interests accused of driving deforestation.\n\nThe impact of the fires and smoke has disrupted life for many in the Amazon region. The airport in Porto Velho, the capital of Rondonia state, was closed for more than an hour Monday morning because of poor visibility. On Sunday, a soccer match of a lower-tier national league was briefly suspended because of smoke in Rio Branco, capital of Acre state, as fire burned in a field outside the stadium.\n\nIn Para state, where fires have swept many areas, resident Moacir Cordeiro said he was worried about their impact on nature and his health. Smoke rose from nearby trees as he spoke.\n\n\"I don't think there are enough people to extinguish the fires,\" said Cordeiro, who lives in the Alvorada da Amazonia region. He said it was difficult to breath at night because of the smoke.\n\nAnother man, Antonio de Jesus, was also worried.\n\n\"Nature shouldn't be killed off like that,\" he said.\n\nFrench President Emmanuel Macron on Monday continued his feud with Bolsonaro, who has endorsed a Facebook post insulting Macron's wife. Macron accused the Brazilian leader of skipping a scheduled meeting with the French foreign minister in favor of a barber appointment and reiterated that Bolsonaro had lied to him.\n\n\"It's sad. First for him and for the Brazilians,\" Macron said.\n\nBrazilian women \"are doubtless ashamed to read that about their president\" he said, adding that he hoped the country would soon have a president who could behave according to the standards of the office.\n\nBolsonaro, in turn, referred to Macron's \"ludicrous and unnecessary attacks on the Amazon\" and accused the French leader of treating the region \"as if we were a colony.\"\n\nThousands of people have demonstrated in cities across Brazil and outside Brazilian embassies around the world. #PrayforAmazonia has become a worldwide trending topic.\n\nBolsonaro has announced he would send 44,000 soldiers to help battle the blazes, which mostly seem to be charring land deforested, perhaps illegally, for farming and ranching rather than burning through stands of trees.\n\nThe move was welcomed by many critics, but some say it's not enough and comes too late.\n\nIn violating environmental agreements, Brazil has been discredited and \"unable to exercise any type of leadership on the international stage,\" said Mauricio Santoro, an international relations professor at Rio de Janeiro State University.\n\nBrazilian military planes began dumping water on fires in the Amazon state of Rondonia over the weekend, and a few hundred of the promised troops were deployed into the fire zone. But many Brazilians again took to the streets in Rio de Janeiro and other cities Sunday to demand the administration do more.\n\nCritics say the large number of fires this year has been stoked by Bolsonaro's encouragement of farmers, loggers and ranchers to speed efforts to strip away forest. Although he has now vowed to protect the area, they say it is only out of fear of a diplomatic crisis and economic losses.\n\nMeeting at a summit in France, the G-7 leaders announced they have agreed to an immediate $20 million fund to help Amazon countries fight wildfires and launch a long-term global initiative to protect the rainforest.\n\nGerman Chancellor Angela Merkel said her country and others will talk with Brazil about reforestation in the Amazon once the fires have been extinguished.\n\nEven so, Germany and Norway recently cut tens of millions of dollars in donations to Brazilian forestry projects, saying Bolsonaro's administration isn't committed to curbing deforestation.\n\nFires are common during Brazil's dry season, but the numbers surged this year. The country's National Space Research Institute, which monitors deforestation, has recorded more than 77,000 wildfires in Brazil this year, a record since the institute began keeping track in 2013. That is an 85% rise over last year, and about half of the fires have been in the Amazon region — with more than half of those coming just in the past month.\n\n\"The government created a sense of impunity among farmers who were willing to commit illegal acts to deforest,\" said Rómulo Batista, a member of Greenpeace Brazil's Amazonia Campaign.\n\nBatista said plant and animal species are under threat, people living in the Amazon region are suffering respiratory problems and \"the rise in deforestation can completely alter the rain patterns by region and devastate agriculture, even in South America.\"\n\nBrazil's federal police agency announced Sunday that it would investigate reports that farmers in Para state had called for \"a day of fire\" on Aug. 10 to ignite fires. Local media said a group organized the action over WhatsApp to show support for Bolsonaro's efforts to loosen environmental regulations.\n\nAssociated Press journalists Anna Kaiser in Rio de Janeiro, Leo Correa in Alvorada da Amazonia, Brazil, Frances D'Emilio in Rome, Sylvie Corbet and Lori Hinnant in Biarritz, France, and Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this report."], "summary": "The Brazilian government through President Jair Messias Bolsonaro is open to accepting financial aid from organizations and foreign countries to help fight fires in the Amazon rainforest on the condition that the funds must be under the country's control."}
{"document": ["Emergency services were scrambled at Beijing International Airport (PEK) after smoke started billowing out of an Air China A330.\n\nHuge plumes of smoke were seen coming out of the aircraft during a turnaround of flight number CA976 between Singapore and Beijing. While passengers were starting to board the aircraft, believed to be registered B-5958, smoke suddenly started coming out of the cargo compartment.\n\nPassengers and crew safely evacuated the aircraft\n\nAs emergency services rushed to the scene, passengers and crew members safely evacuated the aircraft using the jetway.\n\nVideo clip taken by passenger inside the terminal pic.twitter.com/4KnIhzoGIO Featured Video: — ChinaAviationReview (@ChinaAvReview) August 27, 2019\n\nPassengers who were supposed to fly on the A330 to Tokyo Haneda immediately took to social media, posting shocking videos of the fire on Twitter.\n\nHaving had a look at the videos and photos of the incident, it would appear as if the plane may be beyond repair. It looks to have suffered severe damage to the fuselage.\n\nBeijing Airport issued a statement about the incident\n\nBeijing Airport authorities issued a statement confirming that it was a storage unit aboard the aircraft that was on fire.\n\nThe statement reads: “After discussions with the airport staff, it is understood that there are no flames detected on the plane.\n\n“There are no passengers on board.\n\n“We have activated certain protocols to handle the situation. The airport is now running on a normal schedule.”\n\nAir China confirmed the incident on Weibo\n\nAir China also confirmed the incident on the Chinese version of Twitter called Weibo that said the following: “Smoke was detected during boarding in the storage unit of flight CA183, which is set to fly from Beijing to Tokyo.”\n\nCrew evacuated last from the front jet bridge. pic.twitter.com/HM31pj7PRs — ChinaAviationReview (@ChinaAvReview) August 27, 2019\n\n“Crew members and airport staff have successfully put out the smoke. We are investigating the cause of the incident.”\n\nThis remains a breaking story which we will update as soon as we receive more news.", "An Air China Airbus A330 burst into flames right as passengers and crew were boarding, forcing an emergency evacuation of the immediate area at Beijing Airport.\n\nThere have been no reports of injuries and emergency services are on the scene battling the blaze which erupted in the cargo hold of Air China flight CA976 Tuesday.\n\nThe plane had only recently landed from Singapore and the fire erupted as fresh passengers were boarding the aircraft. Eyewitness footage shows passengers filming the flames engulfing the plane they were due to board from the safety of the gangway.\n\nThe cause of the blaze is as yet unknown.\n\nAir China posted a statement on Weibo that said crew members and airport staff had successfully tackled the fire.\n\n“Smoke was detected during boarding in the storage unit of flight CA183, which is set to fly from Beijing to Tokyo,” it said.\n\n“Crew members and airport staff have successfully put out the smoke. We are investigating the cause of the incident.”\n\nLike this story? Share it with a friend!", "An Air China Airbus A330-300 was severely damaged by a cargo hold fire at Beijing Capital International Airport Aug. 27 as passengers were boarding for a flight to Tokyo Haneda.\n\nWhen smoke appeared from the forward cargo hold, the crew immediately ordered passengers to evacuate the aircraft, Air China said.\n\nThe crew members also implemented fire extinguishing procedures, the company said. Despite their efforts, the fire was serious enough to emit black smoke thick enough to obscure part of the airport’s Terminal 3, where the A330 was standing, photographs posted on social media show.\n\nSmoke also emerged from the rear fuselage.\n\nThe fire appears to have burned through the top of the fuselage just ahead of the wing and just behind the forward doors.\n\nThe cause is under investigation, Air China said.\n\nThe aircraft, registered as B-5958 and equipped with Rolls-Royce Trent 700 engines, was delivered in 2014.", "BEIJING (AP) - Large amounts of smoke billowed from an Air China plane Tuesday as passengers boarded at Beijing's airport.\n\nAll passengers were evacuated safely from the plane, which was preparing to fly to Tokyo, Air China said in a statement on its social media page.\n\nThe smoke came from the plane's front cargo hold and the crew quickly took firefighting measures, the airline said, adding that the cause is under investigation.\n\nPhotographs and videos taken by witnesses showed the top part of the plane cloaked in smoke and heavily damaged.\n\nIn 2015, a man attempted to start a fire on board a Chinese flight but was restrained by passengers and crew members and taken into custody. China bans the carrying of cigarette lighters and flammable substances, including spirits, aboard all flights.\n\nIn this photo released by a passenger aboard a plane, shows fire engines as they spray an Air China plane parked at the Beijing International Capital Airport in Beijing, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2019. Large amounts of smoke have billowed from an Air China plane as passengers were boarding at Beijing's airport. Air China says all passengers were evacuated safely from the plane, which was preparing to fly to Tokyo. (AP Photo)", "A passenger aircraft awaiting departure caught on fire in the Capital Airport in Beijing on Tuesday, the airport authority said in a statement on its official Weibo account.\n\n“At about 4 p.m. local time (08:00 GMT), smoke emerged from the cargo compartment of a plane waiting for departure at the Capital Airport. The staff working on the scene confirmed that there was no visible fire on the plane”, the statement said.\n\nThe airport added that there were no passengers inside the plane when the fire broke out and that it initiated emergency response procedures to deal with the fire.\n\nVideos circulated on Weibo showed the plane’s roof being burned through and was heavily damaged by the fire.\n\n​A verified aviation blogger, known as FATIII, on Weibo wrote in a post that the plane involved in the fire was suspected to be for the flight CA976 to Singapore and several fire trucks were deployed to put out the fire.\n\nAir China issued a statement shortly after to address the incident through its official Weibo account on Tuesday.\n\n“On August 27 Beijing time, smoke emerged from the cargo compartment when passengers were boarding the flight CA183 from Beijing to Tokyo”, the carrier said.\n\nSuspect cargo holder fire on an Air China A330 at Beijing Capital Airport right now. More to follow. pic.twitter.com/WVYpzErE09\n\n​According to the carrier, the crew took measures to fight the fire and evacuated passengers safely. The cause of the incident is being investigated, the statement added.", "BEIJING (AP) — Large amounts of smoke have billowed from an Air China plane as passengers were boarding at Beijing's airport.\n\nAir China says all passengers were evacuated safely from the plane, which was preparing to fly to Tokyo.\n\nThe airline says the smoke came from the plane's front cargo hold and the crew quickly took firefighting measures.\n\nIt says the cause of Tuesday's incident is under investigation.\n\nPhotographs and videos taken by witnesses showed the top part of the plane cloaked in smoke and heavily damaged.", "BEIJING — Large amounts of smoke billowed from an Air China plane Tuesday as passengers boarded at Beijing's airport.\n\nAll passengers were evacuated safely from the plane, which was preparing to fly to Tokyo, Air China said in a statement on its social media page.\n\nThe smoke came from the plane's front cargo hold and the crew quickly took firefighting measures, the airline said, adding that the cause is under investigation.\n\nPhotographs and videos taken by witnesses showed the top part of the plane cloaked in smoke and heavily damaged.\n\nIn 2015, a man attempted to start a fire on board a Chinese flight but was restrained by passengers and crew members and taken into custody. China bans the carrying of cigarette lighters and flammable substances, including spirits, aboard all flights.", "\"At about 4 p.m. local time (08:00 GMT), smoke emerged from the cargo compartment of a plane waiting for departure at the Capital Airport. The staff working on the scene confirmed that there was no visible fire on the plane\", the statement said.\n\nThe airport added that there were no passengers inside the plane when the fire broke out and that it initiated emergency response procedures to deal with the fire.\n\nVideos circulated on Weibo showed the plane’s roof being burned through and was heavily damaged by the fire.\n\n​A verified aviation blogger, known as FATIII, on Weibo wrote in a post that the plane involved in the fire was suspected to be for the flight CA976 to Singapore and several fire trucks were deployed to put out the fire.\n\nAir China issued a statement shortly after to address the incident through its official Weibo account on Tuesday.\n\n\"On August 27 Beijing time, smoke emerged from the cargo compartment when passengers were boarding the flight CA183 from Beijing to Tokyo\", the carrier said.\n\n​According to the carrier, the crew took measures to fight the fire and evacuated passengers safely. The cause of the incident is being investigated, the statement added.", "Huge plumes of smoke are billowing from an Air China plane at Beijing Capital International Airport.\n\nShocking video footage shows black smoke rising from the A330 jet as firefighters rush to the scene.\n\nBeijing Capital International Airport has issued a statement confirming a storage unit in the aircraft was producing black smoke.\n\nIt reads: \"After discussions with the airport staff, it is understood that there are no flames detected on the plane.\n\n\"There are no passengers on board.\n\n\"We have activated certain protocols to handle the situation. The airport is now running on normal schedule.\"\n\nPictures shared by tourists at the boarding area of Terminal 3 at the airport shows a burnt roof at the front of the plane.\n\nAir China confirmed the incident as they posted on Weibo, a Chinese equivalent to Twitter, that read: \"Smoke was detected during boarding in the storage unit of flight CA183, which is set to fly from Beijing to Tokyo.\n\n\"Crew members and airport staff have successfully put out the smoke.\n\n\"We are investigating the cause of the incident.\"\n\nWe'll be bringing you the very latest updates, pictures and video on this breaking news story.\n\nPlease check back regularly for updates on this developing story here at Mirror.co.uk .\n\nFor the latest news and breaking news visit Mirror.co.uk/news .\n\nGet all the big headlines, pictures, analysis, opinion and video on the stories that matter to you.\n\nFollow us on Twitter @DailyMirror - the official Daily Mirror & Mirror Online Twitter account - real news in real time.\n\nWe're also on Facebook /dailymirror - your must-see news, features, videos and pictures throughout the day from the Daily Mirror, Sunday Mirror and Mirror Online.", "The smoke was coming from the cargo compartment of the Airbus 330, according to a statement from the airport. Photo: Weibo"], "summary": "An Air China Airbus A330 preparing to takeoff as Flight 183 catches fire during boarding at Beijing International Airport. Passengers and crew successfully evacuate, but the aircraft is severely damaged."}
{"document": ["A Spanish air force pilot has died after his military plane crashed into the sea off the country’s southeast coast.\n\nSpain’s defence ministry said a body found in the water by search teams was believed to be commander Francisco Marin Nunez.\n\nThe pilot managed to eject before his single-seat light attack aircraft crashed into the sea off the coast of La Manga, Murcia, during a training flight on Monday morning.\n\nWe’ll tell you what’s true. You can form your own view. From 15p €0.18 $0.18 USD 0.27 a day, more exclusives, analysis and extras.\n\nFootage posted on social media showed the Spanish-built C-101 hitting the water just before 9.40am local time (7.40am GMT.) The aircraft was seen nosediving before pulling up slightly before impact.\n\nEmergency services dispatched rescue boats and a helicopter to search for the airman.\n\nShape Created with Sketch. World news in pictures Show all 50 left Created with Sketch. right Created with Sketch. Shape Created with Sketch. World news in pictures 1/50 8 September 2019 Damaged homes after hurricane Dorian devastated Elbow Key Island in Hope Town, Bahamas. The hurricane hit the island chain as a category 5 storm and battered them for two days before moving north. Getty 2/50 7 September 2019 An artist performs on Tverskaya street during celebrations marking the 872nd anniversary of the city of Moscow. AFP/Getty 3/50 6 September 2019 Children play football next to a defaced portrait of Former Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe in Harare on the day he died, aged 95. The former leader was forced to resign in 2017, after a 37-year rule, whose early promise was eroded by economic turmoil, disputed elections and human rights violations, has died. AP 4/50 5 September 2019 Authorities work at the scene of a train crash in Yokohama, south of Tokyo. According to media reports, more than 30 people were injured after a train hit a track at a crossing. EPA 5/50 4 September 2019 A police office removes burning tires from the road, as protesters set up fires to block traffic along Airport Road in Abuja, Nigeria. Reuters 6/50 3 September 2019 A riot police officer throws a teargas canister as looters make off with goods from a store in Germiston, east of Johannesburg, South Africa. Police had earlier fired rubber bullets as they struggled to stop looters who targeted businesses as unrest broke out in several spots in and around the city. AP 7/50 2 September 2019 A boat off the island of Santa Cruz in California burns in the early hours of Monday morning. More than 30 people were on board the boat, which is thought to have been on a three-day diving trip. EPA 8/50 1 September 2019 Flowers are laid in a hole in a wall as people gather in the gym of a school, the scene of the hostage crisis, in memory of victims on the fifteenth anniversary of the tragedy in Beslan, North Ossetia region, Russia. More than 330 people, including 186 children, died as a result of the terrorist attack at the school. AP 9/50 31 August 2019 A man sits in front of riot officers during the rally 'Calling One Hundred Thousands Christians Praying for Hong Kong Sinners' in Hong Kong, China. EPA 10/50 30 August 2019 A migrant forces his way into the Spanish territory of Ceuta. Over 150 migrants made their way into Ceuta after storming a barbed-wire border fence with Morocco. AFP/Getty 11/50 A beagle jumps through hoops during a show at the Pet Expo Championship 2019 in Bangkok, Thailand. Although the four-day expo is primarily dog oriented it features a wide array of stalls catering to pet owners' needs as well as showcasing a variety of animals including reptiles, birds, ferrets, and rabbits. EPA 12/50 28 August 2019 Baby elephants rub their trunks against a tree at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust Elephant Orphanage in Nairobi, Kenya. Countries that are part of an international agreement on trade in endangered species agreed on Tuesday to limit the sale of wild elephants, delighting conservationists but dismaying some of the African countries involved. AP 13/50 27 August 2019 Burning rubbles in the market of Bouake, central Ivory Coast, after a fire broke overnight. AFP/Getty 14/50 26 August 2019 French President Emmanuel Macron gestures as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, second from left, sits between British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, left, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel as they take part in a meeting at the G7 Summit in Biarritz, France. The Canadian Press via AP 15/50 25 August 2019 A Brazillian Air Force jet drops water to fight a fire in the Amazon rainforest in the state of Rondonia, Brazil. EPA 16/50 24 August 2019 A police officer prepares to strike a protester as clashes erupt during a pro-democracy march in Hong Kong's Kowloon Bay. AFP/Getty 17/50 23 August 2019 Oxfam activists in costumes depicting leaders of the G7 nations protest in Biarritz, France on the day before the summit is due to be held there. AFP/Getty 18/50 22 August 2019 A vendor sits as she sells models of the Hindu deity Krishna on display at a roadside ahead of the 'Janmashtami' festival in Chennai. 19/50 21 August 2019 A girl reacts next to Pope Francis as he leads the weekly general audience in Paul VI Hall at the Vatican. Reuters 20/50 20 August 2019 A masked dancer takes part in the Nil Barahi mask dance festival, an annual event during which dancers perform while posing as various deities that people worship to seek blessings, in Bode, Nepal. Reuters 21/50 19 August 2019 Protesters take to the street to face off with Indonesian police in Manokwari, Papua. The riots broke out, with a local parliament building being torched, as thousands protested allegations that police tear-gassed and arrested students who supported the restive region's independence. AFP/Getty 22/50 18 August 2019 People survey the destruction after an overnight suicide bomb explosion that targeted a wedding reception in Kabul, Afghanistan. At least 63 people, mostly wedding guests from the Shi'ite Muslim community, were killed and more than 180 injured when a suicide bomber attacked a wedding hall. EPA 23/50 17 August 2019 A man retrieves his prize after climbing up a greased pole during a competition held as part of Independence Day celebrations at Ancol Beach in Jakarta. Indonesia is celebrating its 74th anniversary of independence from the Dutch colonial rule. AP 24/50 16 August 2019 Swiss pianist and composer Alain Roche plays piano suspended in the air at dawn during the 20th \"Jeux du Castrum\", a multidisciplinary festival in Switzerland. AFP/Getty 25/50 15 August 2019 Japan's Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako bow during a memorial service ceremony marking the 74th anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War Two, in Tokyo, Japan. Reuters 26/50 14 August 2019 A woman walks with a Kashmir's flag to express solidarity with the people of Kashmir, during a ceremony to celebrate Pakistan's 72nd Independence Day at the Mausoleum of Muhammad Ali Jinnah in Karachi, Pakistan. Reuters 27/50 13 August 2019 The extraordinary moment a volcano erupted, shooting luminous hot lava from the surface, as a lightning bolt striked the centre of the mountain. Photographer Martin Reitze, 55, captured rare images of volcanic ash escaping from the Ebeko volcano in Russia whilst the lightning froze the ash cloud in time. Martin, from Munich, was standing around a kilometre away from the northern crater of the volcano when it erupted. The volcano expert said: \"The strong lightning which shows in the image is a very rare exception, as it was much stronger than usual.\" Martin Reitze/SWNS 28/50 12 August 2019 People swim in a public bath pool in Zalakaros, Hungary. Some regions of the country have been issued the highest grade of warning by the National Meteorological Service as the temperatures may reach 33-38 centigrade. EPA 29/50 11 August 2019 A pro-democracy protester is held by police outside Tsim Sha Tsui Police station during a demonstration against the controversial extradition bill in Hong Kong. AFP/Getty 30/50 10 August 2019 Muslim pilgrims make their way down on a rocky hill known as Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual hajj pilgrimage, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. AP 31/50 9 August 2019 Waves hit a sea wall in front of buildings in Taizhou, China's eastern Zhejiang province. China issued a red alert for incoming Super Typhoon Lekima which is expected to batter eastern Zhejiang province early on August 10 with high winds and torrential rainfall. AFP/Getty 32/50 8 August 2019 A herder struggles with his flock across a motorway at the city cattle market, ahead of the Eid al-Adha in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. Eid al-Adha is the holiest of the two Muslims holidays celebrated each year, it marks the yearly Muslim pilgrimage (Hajj) to visit Mecca, the holiest place in Islam. Muslims slaughter a sacrificial animal and split the meat into three parts, one for the family, one for friends and relatives, and one for the poor and needy. EPA 33/50 7 August 2019 Kazakh servicemen perform during a ceremony opening the International Army Games at the 40th military base Otar in Zhambyl Region, Kazakhstan. Reuters 34/50 6 August 2019 Paleontologist Naturalis Anne Schulp takes part in the construction of the skeleton of the Tyrannosaurus Rex called Trix in Naturalis in Leiden, The Netherlands. After a month-long tour of Europe, Trix is home in time for the opening of the new museum. AFP/Getty 35/50 5 August 2019 Flowers paying tribute to the eight-year-old boy who died after he was pushed under a train at Frankfurt am Main's station. The horrific crime happened last week and has led politicians to call for heightened security. AFP/Getty 36/50 4 August 2019 Mourners take part in a vigil near the border fence between Mexico and the US after a mass shooting at a Walmart store in El Paso killed 20 people. The suspected gunman behind shooting is believed to be a 21-year-old white man called Patrick Crusius. Reuters 37/50 3 August 2019 Pramac Racing's rider Jack Miller in action during a practice session at the Motorcycling Grand Prix of the Czech Republic. The race will take place on 4 August. EPA 38/50 2 August 2019 An extremely rare Pink Meanie jellyfish on display at the Two Oceans Aquarium in Cape Town. The Pink Meanie was discovered during a nightlight jellyfish dive by the collections team in the waters around Robben Island and in Cape Town Harbour. Pink Meanies are jellyvorous, meaning they feed on other jelly species by reeling them in with their long tentacles. Discovering the Pink Meanie in its early ephyra stage meant the team could study its growth rate which turned out to be very quick as it grew to the metaephyra stage in about a week and a half. The Mexican pink meanie (Drymonema larsoni) was only discovered in the year 2000. A Mediterranean relative, known as the Big Pink Jellyfish (Drymonema dalmatinum) has been known to science since the 1800s but when spotted in 2014 it had been almost 70 years since the last sighting. These jellies are incredibly rare and this new South African species is no exception. EPA 39/50 1 August 2019 Palestinian men breathe fire on the beach as entertainment for children during the summer vacation in Gaza City. AFP/Getty 40/50 31 July 2019 A woman rows a boat through the lotus plants on the waters of Dal Lake in Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian Kashmir. The lake is a popular tourist destination because of its floating gardens and lotus flowers. EPA 41/50 30 July 2019 An effigy of demon Ghantakarna is burnt to symbolize the destruction of evil and belief to drive evil spirits and ghost, during the Ghantakarna festival at the ancient city of Bhaktapur, Nepal. Reuters 42/50 29 July 2019 Hundreds of hot air balloons take part in the Great Line at the Mondial Air Ballons festival, in an attempt to break the 2017 record of 456 balloons aligning in an hour during the biggest meeting in the world, in Chambley, France. Reuters 43/50 28 July 2019 Anti-extradition bill protesters with umbrellas attend a rally against the police brutality in Hong Kong. EPA 44/50 27 July 2019 A general view of stalls closed following yesterday's volcanic eruption at the tourism area of Mount Tangkuban Parahu in the north of Bandung, West Java province, Indonesia. Reuters 45/50 26 July 2019 Protesters rally against a controversial extradition bill in the arrivals hall at the international airport in Hong Kong. AFP/Getty 46/50 25 July 2019 The pack rides in a valley during the eighteenth stage of the 106th edition of the Tour de France cycling race between Embrun and Valloire. AFP/Getty 47/50 24 July 2019 Former special counsel Robert Mueller is sworn in to testify before a House Judiciary Committee hearing on the investigation into Russian Interference of the 2016 Presidential Election. Reuters 48/50 23 July 2019 People cool down at the fountains of Trocadero during a heatwave in Paris. EPA 49/50 22 July 2019 Activists burn an effigy of President Rodrigo Duterte, depicted as a sea monster, during a protest near congress. This is to coincide with his state of the nation address in Manila. AFP/Getty 50/50 21 July 2019 Protesters run from tear gas, fired by police, after a march against a controversial extradition bill in Hong Kong. The masked protesters covered the walls of China's office in Hong Kong with eggs and graffiti following another massive rally. AFP/Getty 1/50 8 September 2019 Damaged homes after hurricane Dorian devastated Elbow Key Island in Hope Town, Bahamas. The hurricane hit the island chain as a category 5 storm and battered them for two days before moving north. Getty 2/50 7 September 2019 An artist performs on Tverskaya street during celebrations marking the 872nd anniversary of the city of Moscow. AFP/Getty 3/50 6 September 2019 Children play football next to a defaced portrait of Former Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe in Harare on the day he died, aged 95. The former leader was forced to resign in 2017, after a 37-year rule, whose early promise was eroded by economic turmoil, disputed elections and human rights violations, has died. AP 4/50 5 September 2019 Authorities work at the scene of a train crash in Yokohama, south of Tokyo. According to media reports, more than 30 people were injured after a train hit a track at a crossing. EPA 5/50 4 September 2019 A police office removes burning tires from the road, as protesters set up fires to block traffic along Airport Road in Abuja, Nigeria. Reuters 6/50 3 September 2019 A riot police officer throws a teargas canister as looters make off with goods from a store in Germiston, east of Johannesburg, South Africa. Police had earlier fired rubber bullets as they struggled to stop looters who targeted businesses as unrest broke out in several spots in and around the city. AP 7/50 2 September 2019 A boat off the island of Santa Cruz in California burns in the early hours of Monday morning. More than 30 people were on board the boat, which is thought to have been on a three-day diving trip. EPA 8/50 1 September 2019 Flowers are laid in a hole in a wall as people gather in the gym of a school, the scene of the hostage crisis, in memory of victims on the fifteenth anniversary of the tragedy in Beslan, North Ossetia region, Russia. More than 330 people, including 186 children, died as a result of the terrorist attack at the school. AP 9/50 31 August 2019 A man sits in front of riot officers during the rally 'Calling One Hundred Thousands Christians Praying for Hong Kong Sinners' in Hong Kong, China. EPA 10/50 30 August 2019 A migrant forces his way into the Spanish territory of Ceuta. Over 150 migrants made their way into Ceuta after storming a barbed-wire border fence with Morocco. AFP/Getty 11/50 A beagle jumps through hoops during a show at the Pet Expo Championship 2019 in Bangkok, Thailand. Although the four-day expo is primarily dog oriented it features a wide array of stalls catering to pet owners' needs as well as showcasing a variety of animals including reptiles, birds, ferrets, and rabbits. EPA 12/50 28 August 2019 Baby elephants rub their trunks against a tree at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust Elephant Orphanage in Nairobi, Kenya. Countries that are part of an international agreement on trade in endangered species agreed on Tuesday to limit the sale of wild elephants, delighting conservationists but dismaying some of the African countries involved. AP 13/50 27 August 2019 Burning rubbles in the market of Bouake, central Ivory Coast, after a fire broke overnight. AFP/Getty 14/50 26 August 2019 French President Emmanuel Macron gestures as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, second from left, sits between British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, left, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel as they take part in a meeting at the G7 Summit in Biarritz, France. The Canadian Press via AP 15/50 25 August 2019 A Brazillian Air Force jet drops water to fight a fire in the Amazon rainforest in the state of Rondonia, Brazil. EPA 16/50 24 August 2019 A police officer prepares to strike a protester as clashes erupt during a pro-democracy march in Hong Kong's Kowloon Bay. AFP/Getty 17/50 23 August 2019 Oxfam activists in costumes depicting leaders of the G7 nations protest in Biarritz, France on the day before the summit is due to be held there. AFP/Getty 18/50 22 August 2019 A vendor sits as she sells models of the Hindu deity Krishna on display at a roadside ahead of the 'Janmashtami' festival in Chennai. 19/50 21 August 2019 A girl reacts next to Pope Francis as he leads the weekly general audience in Paul VI Hall at the Vatican. Reuters 20/50 20 August 2019 A masked dancer takes part in the Nil Barahi mask dance festival, an annual event during which dancers perform while posing as various deities that people worship to seek blessings, in Bode, Nepal. Reuters 21/50 19 August 2019 Protesters take to the street to face off with Indonesian police in Manokwari, Papua. The riots broke out, with a local parliament building being torched, as thousands protested allegations that police tear-gassed and arrested students who supported the restive region's independence. AFP/Getty 22/50 18 August 2019 People survey the destruction after an overnight suicide bomb explosion that targeted a wedding reception in Kabul, Afghanistan. At least 63 people, mostly wedding guests from the Shi'ite Muslim community, were killed and more than 180 injured when a suicide bomber attacked a wedding hall. EPA 23/50 17 August 2019 A man retrieves his prize after climbing up a greased pole during a competition held as part of Independence Day celebrations at Ancol Beach in Jakarta. Indonesia is celebrating its 74th anniversary of independence from the Dutch colonial rule. AP 24/50 16 August 2019 Swiss pianist and composer Alain Roche plays piano suspended in the air at dawn during the 20th \"Jeux du Castrum\", a multidisciplinary festival in Switzerland. AFP/Getty 25/50 15 August 2019 Japan's Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako bow during a memorial service ceremony marking the 74th anniversary of Japan's surrender in World War Two, in Tokyo, Japan. Reuters 26/50 14 August 2019 A woman walks with a Kashmir's flag to express solidarity with the people of Kashmir, during a ceremony to celebrate Pakistan's 72nd Independence Day at the Mausoleum of Muhammad Ali Jinnah in Karachi, Pakistan. Reuters 27/50 13 August 2019 The extraordinary moment a volcano erupted, shooting luminous hot lava from the surface, as a lightning bolt striked the centre of the mountain. Photographer Martin Reitze, 55, captured rare images of volcanic ash escaping from the Ebeko volcano in Russia whilst the lightning froze the ash cloud in time. Martin, from Munich, was standing around a kilometre away from the northern crater of the volcano when it erupted. The volcano expert said: \"The strong lightning which shows in the image is a very rare exception, as it was much stronger than usual.\" Martin Reitze/SWNS 28/50 12 August 2019 People swim in a public bath pool in Zalakaros, Hungary. Some regions of the country have been issued the highest grade of warning by the National Meteorological Service as the temperatures may reach 33-38 centigrade. EPA 29/50 11 August 2019 A pro-democracy protester is held by police outside Tsim Sha Tsui Police station during a demonstration against the controversial extradition bill in Hong Kong. AFP/Getty 30/50 10 August 2019 Muslim pilgrims make their way down on a rocky hill known as Mountain of Mercy, on the Plain of Arafat, during the annual hajj pilgrimage, near the holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. AP 31/50 9 August 2019 Waves hit a sea wall in front of buildings in Taizhou, China's eastern Zhejiang province. China issued a red alert for incoming Super Typhoon Lekima which is expected to batter eastern Zhejiang province early on August 10 with high winds and torrential rainfall. AFP/Getty 32/50 8 August 2019 A herder struggles with his flock across a motorway at the city cattle market, ahead of the Eid al-Adha in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. Eid al-Adha is the holiest of the two Muslims holidays celebrated each year, it marks the yearly Muslim pilgrimage (Hajj) to visit Mecca, the holiest place in Islam. Muslims slaughter a sacrificial animal and split the meat into three parts, one for the family, one for friends and relatives, and one for the poor and needy. EPA 33/50 7 August 2019 Kazakh servicemen perform during a ceremony opening the International Army Games at the 40th military base Otar in Zhambyl Region, Kazakhstan. Reuters 34/50 6 August 2019 Paleontologist Naturalis Anne Schulp takes part in the construction of the skeleton of the Tyrannosaurus Rex called Trix in Naturalis in Leiden, The Netherlands. After a month-long tour of Europe, Trix is home in time for the opening of the new museum. AFP/Getty 35/50 5 August 2019 Flowers paying tribute to the eight-year-old boy who died after he was pushed under a train at Frankfurt am Main's station. The horrific crime happened last week and has led politicians to call for heightened security. AFP/Getty 36/50 4 August 2019 Mourners take part in a vigil near the border fence between Mexico and the US after a mass shooting at a Walmart store in El Paso killed 20 people. The suspected gunman behind shooting is believed to be a 21-year-old white man called Patrick Crusius. Reuters 37/50 3 August 2019 Pramac Racing's rider Jack Miller in action during a practice session at the Motorcycling Grand Prix of the Czech Republic. The race will take place on 4 August. EPA 38/50 2 August 2019 An extremely rare Pink Meanie jellyfish on display at the Two Oceans Aquarium in Cape Town. The Pink Meanie was discovered during a nightlight jellyfish dive by the collections team in the waters around Robben Island and in Cape Town Harbour. Pink Meanies are jellyvorous, meaning they feed on other jelly species by reeling them in with their long tentacles. Discovering the Pink Meanie in its early ephyra stage meant the team could study its growth rate which turned out to be very quick as it grew to the metaephyra stage in about a week and a half. The Mexican pink meanie (Drymonema larsoni) was only discovered in the year 2000. A Mediterranean relative, known as the Big Pink Jellyfish (Drymonema dalmatinum) has been known to science since the 1800s but when spotted in 2014 it had been almost 70 years since the last sighting. These jellies are incredibly rare and this new South African species is no exception. EPA 39/50 1 August 2019 Palestinian men breathe fire on the beach as entertainment for children during the summer vacation in Gaza City. AFP/Getty 40/50 31 July 2019 A woman rows a boat through the lotus plants on the waters of Dal Lake in Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian Kashmir. The lake is a popular tourist destination because of its floating gardens and lotus flowers. EPA 41/50 30 July 2019 An effigy of demon Ghantakarna is burnt to symbolize the destruction of evil and belief to drive evil spirits and ghost, during the Ghantakarna festival at the ancient city of Bhaktapur, Nepal. Reuters 42/50 29 July 2019 Hundreds of hot air balloons take part in the Great Line at the Mondial Air Ballons festival, in an attempt to break the 2017 record of 456 balloons aligning in an hour during the biggest meeting in the world, in Chambley, France. Reuters 43/50 28 July 2019 Anti-extradition bill protesters with umbrellas attend a rally against the police brutality in Hong Kong. EPA 44/50 27 July 2019 A general view of stalls closed following yesterday's volcanic eruption at the tourism area of Mount Tangkuban Parahu in the north of Bandung, West Java province, Indonesia. Reuters 45/50 26 July 2019 Protesters rally against a controversial extradition bill in the arrivals hall at the international airport in Hong Kong. AFP/Getty 46/50 25 July 2019 The pack rides in a valley during the eighteenth stage of the 106th edition of the Tour de France cycling race between Embrun and Valloire. AFP/Getty 47/50 24 July 2019 Former special counsel Robert Mueller is sworn in to testify before a House Judiciary Committee hearing on the investigation into Russian Interference of the 2016 Presidential Election. Reuters 48/50 23 July 2019 People cool down at the fountains of Trocadero during a heatwave in Paris. EPA 49/50 22 July 2019 Activists burn an effigy of President Rodrigo Duterte, depicted as a sea monster, during a protest near congress. This is to coincide with his state of the nation address in Manila. AFP/Getty 50/50 21 July 2019 Protesters run from tear gas, fired by police, after a march against a controversial extradition bill in Hong Kong. The masked protesters covered the walls of China's office in Hong Kong with eggs and graffiti following another massive rally. AFP/Getty\n\nThe air force said the cause of the crash was not yet known and it was still awaiting forensic confirmation of the pilot’s identity.\n\nMr Nunez was a flying instructor at the military’s General Air Academy.\n\nA defence ministry tweet spoke of “great dismay” at his death. It added: “We join the pain of family, friends and air force colleagues.”\n\nParts of the crashed plane later washed up on Galua beach, where the was a strong smell of gas, El Pais reported.\n\nThe accident came a day after seven people were killed in a mid-air collision between a light plane a helicopter in Mallorca, in Spain’s Balearic Islands.", "A Spanish military jet has crashed into the sea off the southeastern coast, killing the pilot, the air force says.\n\nA Spanish military jet has crashed into the sea off the southeastern coast, killing the pilot, the air force says.\n\nThe C-101 jet, used for training, came down near La Manga on Monday morning, an air force spokesman said.\n\nThe C-101 jet, used for training, came down near La Manga on Monday morning, an air force spokesman said.\n\nHe said the cause of the crash, the second air disaster in as many days in Spain, was not yet known. The pilot, who was alone in the cockpit, was a flying instructor.", "MADRID (Reuters) - A Spanish military jet crashed into the sea off the southeastern coast early on Monday, killing the pilot, the air force said.\n\nThe C-101 jet, used for training, came down near La Manga just after 0730 GMT, an air force spokesman said.\n\nHe said the cause of the crash, the second air disaster in as many days in Spain, was not yet known. The pilot, who was alone in the cockpit, was a flying instructor.\n\nThree beaches in the area were closed to sunbathers after wreckage from the crash hit the sand, local authorities said.\n\nOn Sunday, seven people were killed in a collision between a helicopter and a light plane on the island of Mallorca.", "A Spanish military plane crashed into the sea off the country’s southeastern coast early this morning and the pilot appeared to have ejected from the aircraft, the air force said.\n\nThe C-101 jet, used for training, hit the water near La Manga at around 0738 GMT, an air force spokesman said.\n\nIt was not yet clear if the pilot, a flying instructor who was not accompanied by any pupils at the time, had been rescued, the spokesman said.", "MADRID, Aug 26 (Reuters) - A Spanish military plane crashed into the sea off the country's southeastern coast early on Monday and the pilot appeared to have ejected from the aircraft, the air force said.\n\nThe C-101 jet, used for training, hit the water near La Manga at around 0738 GMT, an air force spokesman said.\n\nIt was not yet clear if the pilot, a flying instructor who was not accompanied by any pupils at the time, had been rescued, the spokesman said. (Reporting by Isla Binnie, editing by Andrei Khalip and Andrew Heavens)", "A Spanish military plane crashed into the sea off the country’s southeastern coast early on Monday and the pilot appeared to have ejected from the aircraft, the air force said.The C-101 jet, used for training, hit the water near La Manga at around 0738 GMT, an air force spokesman said. It was not yet clear if the pilot, a flying instructor who was not accompanied by any pupils at the time, had been rescued, the spokesman said.\n\nWe are undertaking a survey to help us improve our content for you. This will only take 1 minute of your time, please give us your feedback by clicking HERE. All responses will be confidential.", "Aug. 26 (UPI) -- A Spanish fighter pilot ejected before his fighter jet crashed into the ocean off the southern coast of Spain on Monday but he didn't survive.\n\nCommander Francisco Marin Nunez's body was found in the water near La Manga Souk. The C-101 training jet hit the water at high speed at about 9:38 a.m. Monday. Several onlookers took video of the crash.\n\nThe C-101 is a training aircraft used by the Eagle Patrol at the San Javier air academy. Nunez was an instructor for the aircraft and was the only occupant in the plane.\n\nThree beaches were closed to the public as investigators searched for debris.\n\nThe crash comes just months after Spain approved a replacement for the aging C-101 fighter, which first entered service in 1980.", "A Spanish military plane crashed on Monday off the southeastern coast and rescue services were searching for the pilot who ejected, the defence ministry said\n\nMadrid, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Aug, 2019 ) :A Spanish military plane crashed on Monday off the southeastern coast and rescue services were searching for the pilot who ejected, the defence ministry said.\n\nThe C-101 -- the same aircraft used by Spain's air force Eagle Patrol aerobatics team -- was on a \"training flight\" when it crashed near the resort of La Manga, a statement said.\n\nOn board was a flight instructor who \"was able to eject before the plane crashed in the sea\".\n\nA video filmed by a witness and posted on Twitter shows a small aircraft falling at a near vertical before trying to straighten up and hurtling into the water.", "Spain’s Defense Ministry says an air force pilot has died after his military aircraft crashed into the sea off a beach in southeastern Spain.\n\n \n\nA ministry statement says a body found in the water is believed to be the pilot’s, although final forensic confirmation is pending.\n\n \n\nIn an earlier statement, the ministry had said the pilot managed to eject before his single-seater light attack aircraft crashed.\n\n \n\nThe Spanish-built C-101 crashed around 9.40 a.m. (0740 GMT) Monday during a training flight.\n\n \n\nThe ministry gave no further details regarding the pilot or the accident.\n\n \n\nVideos on Spanish National Television showed a plane nose-diving into the sea some distance from a beach in the Manga de Mar Menor tourist area.\n\n \n\nEmergency services dispatched rescue vessels to search for the airman.", "The C-101 -- the same aircraft used by Spain's air force Eagle Patrol aerobatics team -- was on a \"training flight\" when it crashed near the resort of La Manga at 9.36am on Monday, a statement said.\n\nAt first reports suggested that the flight instructor on board the plane may have been \"able to eject before the plane crashed in the sea\" and rescue services were dispatched to search for him, the defence ministry said.\n\nBut emergency services in Murcia later confirmed that they had found the lifeless body of the pilot among the wreckage.\n\nHe was named as Francisco Marín Núñez.\n\nA video filmed by a witness and posted on Twitter shows a small aircraft falling at a near vertical before trying to straighten up and hurtling into the water.\n\nThe plane came down near an air base outside the town of San Javier just off Galúa beach.\n\nREAD ALSO: German family among seven dead in mid-air collision in Mallorca"], "summary": "A Spanish C-101 military jet crashes into the sea near La Manga, killing its pilot."}
{"document": ["", "Federal judge temporarily blocks Missouri ban on abortions at or after 8 weeks of pregnancy.", "Federal judge temporarily blocks Missouri ban on abortions at or after 8 weeks of pregnancy\n\nKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Federal judge temporarily blocks Missouri ban on abortions at or after 8 weeks of pregnancy.", "Federal Judge Blocks Parts Of Missouri Law That Bans Abortions After 8 Weeks\n\nPortions of a Missouri law banning abortions after eight weeks of pregnancy were blocked by a federal judge just a day before the legislation was to go into effect.\n\nU.S. District Judge Howard Sachs issued the order halting the law, which also means that any physician who performs an abortion after eight weeks could face prison time and have their license suspended or revoked.\n\n\"While federal courts should generally be very cautious before delaying the effect of state laws, the sense of caution may be mitigated when the legislation seems designed, as here, as a protest against Supreme Court decisions,\" Sachs wrote in his opinion.\n\nSachs denied a full preliminary injunction on technical grounds, but his ruling achieved what he called the \"desired result\" sought by Planned Parenthood for now.\n\nThe legislation that Republican Gov. Mike Parson signed in May does have an exception for medical emergencies, but not for victims of rape or incest.\n\nPlanned Parenthood filed suit to halt the law last month, and its lawyers told the court that the legislation would mean \"patients will be subject to significant and irreparable constitutional, medical, emotional, and other harms for which no adequate remedy at law exists.\"\n\nThe ruling follows several other federal court decisions that have prevented the implementation of restrictive abortion laws in states such as Ohio and Mississippi. Many laws criminalize the procedure as soon as cardiac activity can be detected — as early as six weeks, which is before many women even know they're pregnant.\n\nAnti-abortion rights activists are hoping that legal challenges to one of the state laws will reach the U.S. Supreme Court in an effort to overturn the constitutional right to an abortion established by the landmark 1973 ruling in Roe v. Wade.\n\nIn its July lawsuit, the clinic, Reproductive Health Services of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region, said the Missouri law would \"directly violate long-standing Supreme Court precedent,\" calling it \"Missouri's unrelenting campaign to deny patients the health care they seek and to which they are entitled.\"\n\nThe state's law was written with an eye toward banning the procedure as early as the courts will allow it. If an 8-week ban is thrown out, the law includes a cascading series of 14-, 18-, and 20-week abortion bans that could take effect instead.\n\n\"The hostility to, and refusal to comply with, the Supreme Court's abortion jurisprudence is most obviously demonstrated in the attempt to push 'viability' protection downward in various weekly stages to 8 weeks,\" the judge wrote, referring to how the state crafted the law.\n\nIn a separate process, the fate of the last remaining clinic that provides abortions in Missouri remains uncertain. Parson's administration says the clinic is not meeting state health regulations.\n\nPlanned Parenthood officials say they have done all they can to comply, but that the rules are being arbitrarily enforced for political reasons.\n\nA hearing in that matter is planned for October.", "Federal Judge Blocks Parts Of Missouri Law That Bans Abortions After 8 Weeks\n\nPortions of a Missouri law banning abortions after eight weeks of pregnancy were blocked by a federal judge just a day before the legislation was to go into effect.\n\nU.S. District Judge Howard Sachs issued the order halting the law, whose provisions also call for physicians who perform an abortion after eight weeks to face possible prison time and have their license suspended or revoked.\n\n\"While federal courts should generally be very cautious before delaying the effect of state laws, the sense of caution may be mitigated when the legislation seems designed, as here, as a protest against Supreme Court decisions,\" Sachs wrote in his opinion.\n\nSachs denied a full preliminary injunction on technical grounds, but his ruling achieved what he called the \"desired result\" sought by Planned Parenthood for now. He left in place — at least for now — prohibitions on abortion for reasons of race, sex or a suspected diagnosis of Down syndrome in the fetus.\n\nThe legislation that Republican Gov. Mike Parson signed in May has an exception for medical emergencies, but not for victims of rape or incest.\n\nPlanned Parenthood filed suit to halt the law last month, and its lawyers told the court that the legislation would mean \"patients will be subject to significant and irreparable constitutional, medical, emotional, and other harms for which no adequate remedy at law exists.\"\n\nIn a statement, Kristan Hawkins of the anti-abortion rights group Students for Life called Tuesday's ruling \"a travesty of justice and an insult to the democratic process.\"\n\nAlexis McGill Johnson, acting president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, welcomed the decision blocking a law that she called \"harmful.\"\n\n\"What little abortion access in Missouri is left, will stay in place for the time being. In the meantime, we cannot ignore the part of this law that remains in place, which allows politicians to interfere with the patient-provider relationship,\" she said.\n\nBut Marjorie Dannenfelser, the president of the Susan B. Anthony List, an anti-abortion group, criticized the judge's decision.\n\n\"Missouri is a strongly pro-life state and lawmakers acted on their constituents' will when they passed landmark protections for unborn children and their mothers,\" Dannenfelser said. \"We are extremely disappointed in today's ruling which blocks limits on abortion, even late-term abortions at 20 weeks of pregnancy when the child can feel excruciating pain.\"\n\nSachs' ruling follows several other federal court decisions that have barred restrictive abortion laws from being implemented in states such as Ohio and Mississippi. Many of those laws criminalize the procedure as soon as heartbeat activity can be detected — as early as six weeks, which is before many women even know they're pregnant.\n\nAnti-abortion-rights activists are hoping that legal challenges to one of the state laws will reach the U.S. Supreme Court in an effort to overturn the constitutional right to an abortion established by the landmark 1973 ruling in Roe v. Wade.\n\nIn its July lawsuit, the clinic, Reproductive Health Services of Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region, said the Missouri law would \"directly violate long-standing Supreme Court precedent,\" calling it \"Missouri's unrelenting campaign to deny patients the health care they seek and to which they are entitled.\"\n\nThe state's law was written with an eye toward banning the procedure as early as the courts will allow it. If an eight-week ban is thrown out, the law includes a cascading series of 14-, 18- and 20-week abortion bans that could take effect instead.\n\n\"The hostility to, and refusal to comply with, the Supreme Court's abortion jurisprudence is most obviously demonstrated in the attempt to push 'viability' protection downward in various weekly stages to 8 weeks,\" the judge wrote, referring to the way the state crafted the law.\n\nIn a separate process, the fate of the last remaining clinic that provides abortions in Missouri remains uncertain. Parson's administration says the clinic is not meeting state health regulations.\n\nPlanned Parenthood officials say they have done all they can to comply but that the rules are being arbitrarily enforced for political reasons.\n\nA hearing in that matter is planned for October.", "A new Missouri ban on abortions at or after eight weeks of pregnancy won't take effect Wednesday after a federal judge temporarily blocked it from being implemented.\n\nU.S. District Judge Howard Sachs put a pause on the law as a legal challenge against it plays out in court.\n\nPlanned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri filed the lawsuit, arguing that the law is unconstitutional and goes against the landmark 1973 U.S. Supreme Court Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion nationwide.\n\nThe law includes exceptions for medical emergencies, but not for rape or incest. If courts don't uphold the eight-week ban, the measure includes a series of less-restrictive bans ranging from 14 weeks up to 20 weeks. The policy also bans abortions based solely on race, sex or a diagnosis indicating the potential for Down syndrome.\n\nSimilar laws have been struck down in North Dakota and Iowa.\n\nAttorneys for the state can appeal the judge's ruling. They argue that courts have allowed limits on abortions based on the gestational age of the fetus. In court documents, they told the judge that the state's goal is \"protecting fetal life\" as well as protecting women. During a court hearing Monday, Missouri Solicitor General John Sauer's argument centered on his contention that Planned Parenthood and the ACLU do not have standing to challenge the law.\n\nFederal law allows states to prohibit abortions after fetuses are viable outside the womb, which can be from 24 to 28 weeks.\n\nMissouri's law also includes an outright ban on abortions except in cases of medical emergencies, but that would take effect only if Roe v. Wade is overturned.\n\nMissouri already has some of the nation's most restrictive abortion regulations. Just one clinic in the state performs abortions.", "A federal judge has temporarily blocked a new Missouri ban on abortions after eight weeks of pregnancy on Tuesday, a day before it was set to be implemented.\n\nU.S. District Judge Howard Sachs put a pause on the law as a legal challenge, led by Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri, against it plays out in court.\n\n'The various sections specifying prohibitions on abortions at various weeks prior to viability cannot be allowed to go into effect on August 28, as scheduled,' Judge Sachs said in an 11-page opinion.\n\n'However formulated, the legislation on its face conflicts with the Supreme Court ruling that neither legislative or judicial limits on abortion can be measured by specified weeks or development of a fetus; instead, \"viability\" is the sole test for a State's authority to prohibit abortions where there is no maternal health issue,' he added.\n\nIn May Missouri legislators passed the 'Missouri Stands for the Unborn' act which makes abortion at or after the eight-week mark illegal, as a part of a greater challenge of U.S. abortion laws.\n\nPlanned Parenthood and the ACLU of Missouri filed their lawsuit in late July, arguing the law is unconstitutional and goes against the landmark 1973 U.S. Supreme Court Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion nationwide.\n\nThe Tuesday ruling follows similar struck down legislation in North Dakota and Iowa and blocked abortion restrictions in Arkansas and Ohio.\n\nThe 'Missouri Stands for the Unborn' act includes exceptions for medical emergencies, but not for rape or incest.\n\nIf courts don't uphold the eight-week ban, the measure includes a series of less-restrictive bans ranging from 14 weeks up to 20 weeks.\n\nThe policy also bans abortions based solely on race, sex or a diagnosis indicating the potential for Down syndrome.\n\nThe law would also penalize medical professionals who perform abortions after eight weeks into a pregnancy with up to 15 years in prison.\n\nThe act is controversial as most women don't even know they're pregnant eight weeks into pregnancy. Furthermore it establishes the time frame for an abortion well before the 24-week viability standard established by Roe vs. Wade.\n\nAttorneys for the state can appeal the judge's ruling.\n\nThey argue that courts have allowed limits on abortions based on the gestational age of the fetus. In court documents, they told the judge that the state's goal is 'protecting fetal life' as well as protecting women. D\n\nuring a court hearing Monday, Missouri Solicitor General John Sauer's argument centered on his contention that Planned Parenthood and the ACLU do not have standing to challenge the law.\n\nFederal law allows states to prohibit abortions after fetuses are viable outside the womb, which can be from 24 to 28 weeks.\n\nMissouri's law also includes an outright ban on abortions except in cases of medical emergencies, but that would take effect only if Roe v. Wade is overturned.\n\nMissouri already has some of the nation's most restrictive abortion regulations. Just one clinic in the state performs abortions.", "FILE – In this June 21, 2019, file photo, a motorist enters Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri. Critics of new abortion restrictions in Missouri are headed to court to try to block the law from taking effect. Attorneys for Planned Parenthood will argue Monday, Aug. 26, 2019, that the law should be temporarily blocked until the lawsuit is decided. (Christian Gooden/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP, File)\n\nKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A new Missouri ban on abortions at or after eight weeks of pregnancy won’t take effect Wednesday after a federal judge temporarily blocked it from being implemented.\n\nU.S. District Judge Howard Sachs put a pause on the law as a legal challenge against it plays out in court.\n\nPlanned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri filed the lawsuit, arguing that the law is unconstitutional and goes against the landmark 1973 U.S. Supreme Court Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion nationwide.\n\nThe law includes exceptions for medical emergencies, but not for rape or incest. If courts don’t uphold the eight-week ban, the measure includes a series of less-restrictive bans ranging from 14 weeks up to 20 weeks. The policy also bans abortions based solely on race, sex or a diagnosis indicating the potential for Down syndrome.\n\nSimilar laws have been struck down in North Dakota and Iowa.\n\nAttorneys for the state can appeal the judge’s ruling. They argue that courts have allowed limits on abortions based on the gestational age of the fetus. In court documents, they told the judge that the state’s goal is “protecting fetal life” as well as protecting women. During a court hearing Monday, Missouri Solicitor General John Sauer’s argument centered on his contention that Planned Parenthood and the ACLU do not have standing to challenge the law.\n\nFederal law allows states to prohibit abortions after fetuses are viable outside the womb, which can be from 24 to 28 weeks.\n\nMissouri’s law also includes an outright ban on abortions except in cases of medical emergencies, but that would take effect only if Roe v. Wade is overturned.\n\nMissouri already has some of the nation’s most restrictive abortion regulations. Just one clinic in the state performs abortions.", "KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - A new Missouri ban on abortions at or after eight weeks of pregnancy won't take effect Wednesday after a federal judge temporarily blocked it from being implemented.\n\nU.S. District Judge Howard Sachs put a pause on the law as a legal challenge against it plays out in court, which could take months. He added that Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri likely will succeed in their lawsuit alleging that the law is unconstitutional.\n\nSimilar laws have been struck down in North Dakota and Iowa.\n\nMissouri already has some of the nation's most restrictive abortion regulations. Just one clinic in the state performs abortions.\n\nSachs' ruling says allowing the eight-week abortion ban to be enforced would have blocked about half of reported abortions in Missouri. The judge wrote that it would amount to \"significant interference with plaintiffs' service and the rights of its prospective patients.\"\n\nThe law includes exceptions for medical emergencies, but not for rape or incest.\n\nFILE - In this June 21, 2019, file photo, a motorist enters Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri. A new Missouri ban on abortions at or after eight weeks of pregnancy won't take effect on August 28 after a federal judge temporarily blocked it from being implemented. U.S. District Judge Howard Sachs put a pause on the law as a legal challenge against it plays out in court. Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri filed the lawsuit, arguing that the law is unconstitutional and goes against the landmark 1973 U.S. Supreme Court Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion nationwide. (Christian Gooden/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP, File)\n\nMissouri lawmakers expected a court challenge and included a series of less-restrictive bans ranging from 14 weeks up to 20 weeks in the measure in hopes that one would be upheld. But it's unclear if any of the bans on abortions before fetuses are viable outside the womb, which can be from 24 to 28 weeks, will stick.\n\nSachs wrote that it's \"highly likely that the listed weekly time limits on abortions will be ruled invalid.\"\n\nHe will allow one portion of the policy to take effect: a ban on abortions based solely on race, sex or a diagnosis indicating the potential for Down syndrome. He wrote that abortions based on Down syndrome would be \"somewhat rare, given the window of time needed for adequate testing and consultation.\"\n\nPlanned Parenthood vowed to fight to block that portion of the law, too.\n\n\"Although we are grateful today's ruling allows us to provide care to some Missourians, we will continue to defend the truth: EVERY reason to have an abortion is a valid reason,\" said Colleen McNicholas, chief medical officer for Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region.\n\nThe decision to allow that portion of the law to be enforced was lauded by Republican Attorney General Eric Schmitt, whose office is responsible for defending the law in court.\n\n\"As the father of a child with special needs, Attorney General Schmitt is particularly sensitive to suggestions that an unborn child who will have special needs is any lesser of a human being, and we're glad that provisions relating to that issue were left in place in the judge's ruling today,\" spokesman Chris Nuelle said in a statement.\n\nAttorneys for the state can appeal Sachs' ruling. Nuelle said the attorney general's office is reviewing the full ruling and determining what steps to take next.\n\nState attorneys have argued that courts have allowed limits on abortions based on the gestational age of the fetus. In court documents, they told the judge that the state's goal is \"protecting fetal life\" as well as protecting women. During a court hearing Monday, Missouri Solicitor General John Sauer's argument centered on his contention that Planned Parenthood and the ACLU do not have standing to challenge the law.\n\nMissouri's law also includes an outright ban on abortions except in cases of medical emergencies, but that would take effect only if Roe v. Wade is overturned.", "By The Associated Press\n\nKANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Federal judge temporarily blocks Missouri ban on abortions at or after 8 weeks of pregnancy.\n\nCopyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area."], "summary": "A U.S. federal judge blocks a Missouri law banning abortions eight weeks after conception from going into effect."}
{"document": ["WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 28th August, 2019) The US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on Tuesday said in a statement that nearly 3,000 federal employee are stationed in to Puerto Rico in response to Hurricane Dorian.\n\n\"Currently, nearly 3,000 federal employees in Puerto Rico are ready to respond,\" FEMA said in Twitter post. \"Emergency communications, logistics & transportation teams are also positioned on the island.\n\nFEMA said that hurricane conditions are possible in the US territory of Puerto Rico on Wednesday.\n\nOn Monday, US President Donald Trump denied media reports that claimed he had proposed using nuclear bombs on hurricanes to stop them from reaching the US east coast.\n\nAccording to the Axios portal, Trump had argued at several briefings with homeland and national security officials that bombs should be dropped into the eye of hurricanes forming off the African coast to disrupt them.", "According to the statement, the action authorizes the Department of Homeland Security and Federal Management Agency (FEMA) to \"coordinate all disaster relief efforts which have the purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population\".\n\nIn particular, \"FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize and provide at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency\", according to the White House.\n\nFEMA said earlier on Tuesday that nearly 3,000 federal employees stationed in Puerto Rico would respond to Hurricane Dorian. FEMA also warned that hurricane conditions are possible in the US territory of Puerto Rico on Wednesday.\n\nOn Monday, Trump denied media reports claiming that he proposed using nuclear bombs on hurricanes to stop them from reaching the US east coast.\n\nAccording to the Axios portal, Trump argued at several briefings with homeland and national security officials that bombs should be dropped into the eye of hurricanes forming off the African coast to disrupt them.\n\nAccording to the US-based media reports, Hurricane Maria was the worst natural disaster to hit Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands in decades. The government of Puerto Rico and an independent investigation by the George Washington University have reportedly put the death toll from the hurricane and its aftermath at nearly 3,000.", "Washington (CNN) The Trump administration plans to shift at least $155 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster relief fund to support its policy of returning some migrants to Mexico.\n\nThe Department of Homeland Security has informed Congress it will reprogram and transfer $271 million in total to its immigration enforcement agency from elsewhere in the department, including the FEMA money, according to documents obtained by CNN.\n\nThe moves comes as Tropical Storm Dorian nears hurricane strength as it approaches Puerto Rico.\n\nLast week, the administration announced its intention to hold migrant families indefinitely, aimed at scrapping a settlement that put a 20-day limit on family detention.\n\nDHS notified Congress of its plan to reprogram and transfer funds from agencies over to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, DHS' enforcement arm, on July 26, according to a DHS official. The department plans to transfer around $116 million for ICE detention beds, as well as transportation and deportation, the official said.\n\nThe department will not pull funds for detention beds from the US Secret Service, the Office of the Inspector General, and the Office of Intelligence and Analysis.\n\n\"In this case, this is a must-pay bill that needed to be addressed,\" said the official.\n\n\"We would not say that this is with no risk,\" said the official, who added that it was done in ways to \"minimize the risk\" to agencies that are losing funding.\n\nFEMA said in a statement to CNN, \"This transfer of funds to support the border emergency will leave a remaining balance of $447 million in the DRF (Disaster Relief Fund) Base account. Based on DHS and FEMA's review of historical emergency spending from the DRF Base account, this amount will be sufficient to support operational needs and will not impact ongoing long-term recovery efforts across the country. The DRF Majors account, which provides funding for ongoing recovery efforts, including those supporting communities impacted by the 2017 disasters, has a current balance of approximately $27 billion and is not impacted by the reprogramming.\"\n\nIt's not uncommon for departments, including DHS, to reprogram funds. DHS, in particular, has previously reprogrammed funds for detention beds, for example.\n\nThe reprogramming of money to Immigration and Customs Enforcement is sure to receive pushback from Democratic lawmakers who've criticized the agency.\n\nIn a letter to acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan, Democratic Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard of California, chair of the House Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee, opposed the reprogramming of funds, saying she had \"significant concerns about the intended use of funds\" and the shifting of funds from other components.\n\nHouse Homeland Security Chairman Bennie Thompson said in a statement that the administration is \"flouting the law and Congressional intent to fund its extremist indefinite detention immigration policies.\"\n\n\"Taking money away from TSA and from FEMA in the middle of hurricane season could have deadly consequences. Congress should work to undo the damage this Administration is continually doing to our homeland security infrastructure,\" the Mississippi Democrat added.\n\nDHS plans to transfer $23.8 million from the Transportation Security Administration for immigration enforcement, according to a document obtained by CNN.\n\nEarlier this year, funds for additional detention beds -- as the administration has repeatedly pushed for -- became a sticking point in appropriations negotiations.\n\nDemocrats argued that by allowing ICE to up the number of detention beds, the agency would have the capacity to pursue a broader population of undocumented immigrants, including those without criminal records. But Republicans view the number of detention beds as central to limiting the release of detained undocumented immigrants into the US as they await hearings.\n\nIn the end, the spending bill included funding for an average 45,274 detention beds per day, with the intent to return to 40,520 by the end of the fiscal year, which is the level funded in the last fiscal year, but short of the administration's request of 52,000 detention beds. The reprogramming of funds will up ICE's bed count to roughly 50,000.\n\nIn recent months, however, the agency has been consistently holding more people in detention: As of August 10, 55,530 people were in immigration detention, according to the agency.\n\nThe latest shift in funds will also pull more money from FEMA -- $3.4 million for detention efforts.\n\nAdditionally, $4.3 million will be transferred from DHS' cyber agency.\n\nDHS resources have been stretched thin amid an influx of migrants at the southern border. So far this fiscal year, more than 760,000 migrants have been arrested for crossing the border illegally. Many of them turn themselves in to agents.\n\nIn May, the Trump administration asked Congress for $4.5 billion in emergency funding. The request included additional detention beds. That part of the request was not fulfilled.", "The Federal Emergency Management Agency urged residents of Puerto Rico Monday to prepare for tropical storm Dorian.\n\nFEMA cited the importance of preparation for the upcoming hurricane season in light of the ongoing infrastructure reconstruction in the aftermath of hurricanes Irma and Maria.\n\n“While Puerto Rico continues its efforts to recover from hurricanes Irma and Maria, although it is a smaller and less severe storm, it could have a significant impact. FEMA remains committed to the ongoing and complex recovery efforts on the island, and also to ensure that all residents are better prepared during hurricane season,” the agency stated, in translation.\n\nThe agency urged residents to have an emergency kit ready with a flashlight, medication and other key items. It also directed residents to the FEMA app for real-time emergency updates.\n\nIn preparation for Dorian and the hurricane season, a FEMA spokesperson told FOX Business it recommends residents organize important documents like insurance information and an insurance agent’s name, if a claim is necessary later.\n\nThe FEMA spokesperson added that “it’s critical to have some cash on hand in case ATM machines go down in a natural disaster.”\n\nFEMA derives funding through the Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act. Once a governor, representative or chief executive has assessed damage, the designated leadership can declare an emergency within 30 days. After an emergency declaration and presidential approval, the agency can mobilize funding to support affected areas.\n\n“Most Americans don’t have $400 readily available in a disaster, so if a federal claim must be filed, it’s important people know the procedure so they can focus on recovery,” the FEMA spokeperson said.\n\nThe agency said it was preparing for Dorian and other storms this season through dilligent communication practices and assessing forecasted impact.\n\n\"FEMA is taking all possible preparatory actions in anticipation of impacts, including the forward deployment of personnel,\" the spokesperson said, \"Through its regional office in New York City and Joint Recovery Office in San Juan, the agency is conducting checks of its primary, secondary and contingency communications systems,\"\n\nAccording to FEMA’s website, they will then “recommend an increase in the federal share to not more than 90% for Public Assistance when a disaster is so extraordinary that actual federal obligations under the Stafford Act, excluding administrative cost, meet or exceed a qualifying threshold.”\n\nCLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON FOX BUSINESS\n\nWhen Maria hit, it cost $90 billion in infrastructure damage, per National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), leaving the island in darkness for months and residents without potable water. Irma was a second punch to Puerto Rico, surrounding islands, and Southeastern U.S. slamming the region with over $50 billion in damages. A survey commissioned by the Puerto Rican government found 3,109 people died in the disasters.\n\nIn the wake of disturbing government corruption allegations, FEMA reinstated the Manual Drawdown Process for Puerto, increasing oversight for funds in July. In a statement, the agency alleged Gov. Ricardo Rosselló's contentious resignation provided context for “fiscal irregularities” in the government’s mismanagement of funds.\n\nTransitioning into another forecasted challenging hurricane season, NOAA said the developing El Nino could result in a more destructive and costly season. NOAA increased chances of an above-normal hurricane season to 45 percent, up from 30 percent.", "The Trump administration is diverting millions of dollars from federal disaster relief funds and using it instead to detain migrants and create temporary locations for their court hearings, multiple news outlets reported Tuesday.\n\nIn total, $271 million is being reallocated from various parts of the agency, according to the Department of Homeland Security. But the largest chunk of the money — $155 million — will come from the Federal Emergency Management Agency's disaster relief fund, NBC News and CNN reported.\n\nThe news comes as Tropical Storm Dorian, expected to soon become a hurricane, bears down on the US territory of Puerto Rico.\n\n\"This realignment of resources allows DHS to address ongoing border emergency crisis by alleviating the surge along the Nation's Southwest Border while minimizing the risk to overall DHS mission performance,\" DHS said in a statement.\n\nThe agency said in a press release the 2019 DHS Appropriations Act gave the authority to move the funds.\n\nTropical Storm Dorian is pictured off the coast of Venezuela. NASA / Handout / Reuters\n\nRead more: Immigration officers refused to let a Harvard student into the US after reportedly questioning him about his religion and his friends' anti-American social media posts\n\nThe remaining $116 million DHS funds being reallocated comes mostly from Coast Guard operations and aviation security, DHS officials told NBC News.\n\nOne official told the network that the money was being transferred immediately, and it would fund the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency through September 30.\n\n\"We would not say this is with no risk, but we would say that we worked it in a way to … minimize the risk,\" the official said. \"This was a must-pay bill that needed to be addressed.\"\n\nThe money is being used to support a controversial Trump administration program that forces some asylum-seekers to wait in Mexico while their immigration cases are resolved in the US court system.\n\nDemocrats immediately criticized the move, arguing that the agency had not demonstrated that the reallocation was necessary and that Congress had not approved it.\n\n\"I have grave concerns about DHS's proposed end-run around laws passed by Congress that would drain millions from agencies tasked with protecting the homeland from security threats and natural disasters like hurricanes and wildfires — including CBP, TSA, FEMA and the Coast Guard,\" Sen. John Tester of Montana told NBC News in a statement.\n• Tropical Storm Dorian is pelting the Caribbean with heavy rain and wind. Here's where the storm is heading next.\n• 11 photos show people in Puerto Rico and Barbados preparing for Dorian as the tropical storm batters the Caribbean\n• Trump reportedly suggested using nuclear bombs to stop hurricanes from striking the US", "\n• The Trump administration is diverting millions of dollars from federal disaster relief funds so it can be used for immigration enforcement, NBC News and CNN reported Tuesday.\n• The news comes as Tropical Storm Dorian, expected to soon become a hurricane, bears down on the US territory of Puerto Rico.\n• In total, $271 million is being reallocated from various parts of the Department of Homeland Security, but the largest chunk of the money – $155 million – will come from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s disaster relief fund.\n\nThe Trump administration is diverting millions of dollars from federal disaster relief funds and using it instead to detain migrants and create temporary locations for their court hearings, multiple news outlets reported Tuesday.\n\nIn total, $271 million is being reallocated from various parts of the agency, according to the Department of Homeland Security. But the largest chunk of the money – $155 million – will come from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s disaster relief fund, NBC News and CNN reported.\n\nThe news comes as Tropical Storm Dorian, expected to soon become a hurricane, bears down on the US territory of Puerto Rico.\n\n“This realignment of resources allows DHS to address ongoing border emergency crisis by alleviating the surge along the Nation’s Southwest Border while minimizing the risk to overall DHS mission performance,” DHS said in a statement.\n\nThe agency said in a press release the 2019 DHS Appropriations Act gave the authority to move the funds.\n\nRead more: Immigration officers refused to let a Harvard student into the US after reportedly questioning him about his religion and his friends’ anti-American social media posts\n\nThe remaining $116 million DHS funds being reallocated comes mostly from Coast Guard operations and aviation security, DHS officials told NBC News.\n\nOne official told the network that the money was being transferred immediately, and it would fund the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency through September 30.\n\n“We would not say this is with no risk, but we would say that we worked it in a way to … minimize the risk,” the official said. “This was a must-pay bill that needed to be addressed.”\n\nThe money is being used to support a controversial Trump administration program that forces some asylum-seekers to wait in Mexico while their immigration cases are resolved in the US court system.\n\nDemocrats immediately criticized the move, arguing that the agency had not demonstrated that the reallocation was necessary and that Congress had not approved it.\n\n“I have grave concerns about DHS’s proposed end-run around laws passed by Congress that would drain millions from agencies tasked with protecting the homeland from security threats and natural disasters like hurricanes and wildfires – including CBP, TSA, FEMA and the Coast Guard,” Sen. John Tester of Montana told NBC News in a statement.\n• Tropical Storm Dorian is pelting the Caribbean with heavy rain and wind. Here’s where the storm is heading next.\n• 11 photos show people in Puerto Rico and Barbados preparing for Dorian as the tropical storm batters the Caribbean\n• Trump reportedly suggested using nuclear bombs to stop hurricanes from striking the US", "Puerto Rico was bracing on Wednesday for the arrival of Tropical Storm Dorian, closing schools and diverting cruise liners, as it threatened to reach hurricane strength on its approach to the US territory.\n\nUS President Donald Trump on Tuesday night declared a state of emergency for the island, which is still struggling to recover from devastating back-to-back hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017.\n\nThose hurricanes killed about 3,000 people just months after the territory filed for bankruptcy to restructure $120 billion of debt and pension obligations.\n\nHaving been criticised over the response to the 2017 storms, the White House said in a statement that Mr Trump had approved the emergency declaration, allowing for the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide assistance in coordination with ongoing disaster preparedness efforts.\n\n\"We are better prepared than when Hurricane Maria attacked our island,\" Puerto Rico Governor Wanda Vazquez said during a televised news conference.\n\nMs Vazquez, who took office this month after political turmoil led to the resignation of his predecessor, said preparations for the storm were more than 90% complete, culminating with the opening of emergency shelters.\n\nInfrastructure ranging from electric power lines to telecommunications and banking networks were in better shape than they had been in 2017, she added.", "WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 28th August, 2019) The US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on Tuesday said in a statement that nearly 3,000 federal employee are stationed in to Puerto Rico in response to Hurricane Dorian.\n\n\"Currently, nearly 3,000 federal employees in Puerto Rico are ready to respond,\" FEMA said in Twitter post. \"Emergency communications, logistics & transportation teams are also positioned on the island.\n\nFEMA said that hurricane conditions are possible in the US territory of Puerto Rico on Wednesday.\n\nOn Monday, US President Donald Trump denied media reports that claimed he had proposed using nuclear bombs on hurricanes to stop them from reaching the US east coast.\n\nAccording to the Axios portal, Trump had argued at several briefings with homeland and national security officials that bombs should be dropped into the eye of hurricanes forming off the African coast to disrupt them.", "WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 28th August, 2019) The US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on Tuesday said in a statement that nearly 3,000 federal employee are stationed in to Puerto Rico in response to Hurricane Dorian.\n\n\"Currently, nearly 3,000 federal employees in Puerto Rico are ready to respond,\" FEMA said in Twitter post. \"Emergency communications, logistics & transportation teams are also positioned on the island.\n\nFEMA said that hurricane conditions are possible in the US territory of Puerto Rico on Wednesday.\n\nOn Monday, US President Donald Trump denied media reports that claimed he had proposed using nuclear bombs on hurricanes to stop them from reaching the US east coast.\n\nAccording to the Axios portal, Trump had argued at several briefings with homeland and national security officials that bombs should be dropped into the eye of hurricanes forming off the African coast to disrupt them.", "San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz lambasted President Donald Trump’s tepid response to a likely hurricane bearing down on Puerto Rico in the coming hours, telling him to “get out to the way” as emergency officials prepare for a storm that could threaten recovery efforts still underway more than a year after Hurricane Maria.\n\n“It seems like some people have learned the lessons of the past or are willing to say that they didn’t do right by us the first time and they’re trying to do their best,” Cruz, a vocal critic of Trump, said Tuesday night on CNN. “That is not the case with the president of the United States. We are not going to be concerned by, frankly, his behavior, his lack of understanding, and it is ludicrous. So get out of the way, President Trump, and let people who can do the job get the job done.”\n\nCruz’s comments come as Puerto Rico is preparing for the arrival of Tropical Storm Dorian. While the storm has sustained winds of about 50 miles an hour now, the National Hurricane Center expected it to strengthen into near-hurricane strength as it approached the island Wednesday.\n\n“Some weakening is expected after Dorian moves across the higher terrain of Puerto Rico,” the NHC said in its 11 p.m. news advisory Tuesday. “Dorian is expected to gradually re-strengthen on Thursday and Friday while passing near or to the east of the Turks and Caicos and southeastern and central Bahamas.”\n\nThe island is still recovering from the devastation left by 2017’s Hurricane Maria, which left an estimated 3,000 people dead and caused billions of dollars in damage. Congress has appropriated more than $42.6 billion in disaster relief aid, but only a portion of that has been sent to the island, about $13.9 billion, according to statistics from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.\n\nIt is reprehensible that yet again @realDonaldTrump chooses to lie. Will it ever end.? Congress has approved $40 b and $14b have been disbursed. Would it be too much to ask for you to act Presidenatial and do your job without a lie or an insult? https://t.co/hexoYy71lA — Carmen Yulín Cruz (@CarmenYulinCruz) August 27, 2019\n\nTrump has repeatedly trotted out a $91 billion or $92 billion figure, which is false, in order to attack the level of aid sent to Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory. He has repeatedly criticized the local government, saying it mismanaged federal resources, and opposed sending any more money to the island as it struggled to recover from Maria.\n\nAt the same time, he’s dubbed himself “the best thing that ever happened to Puerto Rico,” saying in July that he did a “great job” there. He has also accused Cruz of being a “poor leader.”\n\nOn Tuesday, the Department of Homeland Security announced that it intended to divert millions of dollars from FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund to help pay for the administration’s immigration control efforts along the U.S.-Mexico border.\n\nThe move was fiercely criticized by some lawmakers, including Cruz and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who called it a “brazen theft” on the eve of hurricane season."], "summary": "The Donald Trump administration is in the process of shifting at least $155 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency to the Department of Homeland Security, in order to fund the return of some migrants to Mexico. The move comes as Tropical Storm Dorian nears hurricane status as it approaches Puerto Rico."}
{"document": ["MOSCOW — A Russian aircraft leasing company that ordered 35 Boeing Max jets is suing the U.S. aircraft maker and seeking to cancel the deal, accusing Boeing of hiding defects in the plane that was grounded after two deadly crashes.\n\nThe Miami-based lawyer for the leasing company said Tuesday it is the first lawsuit filed against Boeing by a Max customer. He said he is talking to other companies about joining the case.\n\nThe lawsuit on behalf of Avia Capital Services was filed Monday in state court in Illinois, where Boeing is based. It claims that Boeing committed fraud and breach of contract and was negligent in how it designed and built the plane and convinced the Federal Aviation Administration to approve it.\n\nA spokesman for Boeing declined to comment, citing pending litigation.\n\nAvia could become the first customer to cancel a signed agreement to buy the Max as a result of the crashes and grounding. In July, Saudi Arabian discount airline flyadeal backed out of a commitment to order 50 Max jets, but unlike Avia, flyadeal never signed a firm order.\n\nNearly 400 Max jets that were being flown by airlines around the world have been grounded since March, shortly after the second of two crashes that together killed 346 people.\n\nAvia ordered Max jets in 2012 and was originally set to begin receiving them this year, but the deliveries were delayed. The company is seeking damages of at least $115 million, which attorney Steven Marks said included a $40 million deposit and $75 million in lost profit, plus additional money for punitive damages.\n\nMarks, who also represents families of passengers who were killed in the two crashes, said he has talked to “several” other Max customers and expects some to join the Avia lawsuit. None are U.S. companies, he said.\n\nExecutives for Southwest, American and United have stood by Boeing through the Max ordeal.\n\nBoeing lost $3 billion in the second quarter after taking a $4.9 billion after-tax charge to cover future costs of compensating airlines and other Max customers. Boeing is working to upgrade flight-control software implicated in the crashes and expects the plane to be cleared to fly in November.\n\nThe Associated Press", "A Russian aircraft leasing company confirmed Tuesday that it has filed the first US lawsuit to cancel an order for 35 Boeing 737 MAX jets.\n\nAvia Capital Services (ACS), a subsidiary of state-owned Russian conglomerate Rostec, confirmed to AFP a report of the lawsuit in the Financial Times, which said it was the first civil action brought by a customer against the US aerospace giant over the 737 MAX.\n\nThe FT reported that ACS had filed the suit in Chicago claiming that Boeing had \"intentionally\" failed to disclose information about the airworthiness of the jet to its customers.\n\nIt accuses Boeing of negligence in selling the \"defective\" aircraft. ACS is seeking $115 million in compensatory damages, and several times that amount in punitive damages, the FT reported.\n\nBoeing's 737 MAX was grounded indefinitely after two crashes killed a total of 346 people, one involving Indonesia's Lion Air and the other involving an Ethiopian Airlines jet.\n\nBoeing has developed a software upgrade to the 737 MAX after problems with a flight handling system were tied to the crashes.\n\nBut the jet -- the company's best-selling aircraft -- has still not been cleared by regulators for liftoff.\n\nBoeing reported a loss of $2.9 billion for the second quarter of this year, its biggest loss ever as the 737 MAX crisis dragged on.\n\nThat was in large part a result of a $4.9 billion charge taken by the company as it negotiates compensation deals with customers.", "FILE – In this April 10, 2019, file photo a Boeing 737 MAX 8 airplane being built for Spain-based Air Europa rolls toward takeoff before a test flight at Boeing Field in Seattle. A Russian aircraft leasing company that ordered 35 Boeing Max jets is suing the U.S. aircraft maker, accusing it of hiding defects in the plane that has been grounded after two deadly crashes. The Miami-based lawyer for the leasing company said Tuesday, Aug. 27, it is the first lawsuit filed against Boeing by a Max customer. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren, File)\n\nMOSCOW (AP) — A Russian aircraft leasing company that ordered 35 Boeing Max jets is suing the U.S. aircraft maker and seeking to cancel the deal, accusing Boeing of hiding defects in the plane that was grounded after two deadly crashes.\n\nThe Miami-based lawyer for the leasing company said Tuesday it is the first lawsuit filed against Boeing by a Max customer. He said he is talking to other companies about joining the case.\n\nThe lawsuit on behalf of Avia Capital Services was filed Monday in state court in Illinois, where Boeing is based. It claims that Boeing committed fraud and breach of contract and was negligent in how it designed and built the plane and convinced the Federal Aviation Administration to approve it.\n\nAvia could become the first customer to cancel a signed agreement to buy the Max as a result of the crashes and grounding. In July, Saudi Arabian discount airline flyadeal backed out of a commitment to order 50 Max jets, but unlike Avia, flyadeal never signed a firm order.\n\nNearly 400 Max jets that were being flown by airlines around the world have been grounded since March, shortly after the second of two crashes that together killed 346 people.\n\nAvia ordered Max jets in 2012 and was originally set to begin receiving them this year, but the deliveries were delayed. The company is seeking damages of at least $115 million, which attorney Steven Marks said included a $40 million deposit and $75 million in lost profit, plus additional money for punitive damages.\n\nMarks, who also represents families of passengers who were killed in the two crashes, said he has talked to “several” other Max customers and expects some to join the Avia lawsuit. None are U.S. companies, he said.\n\nExecutives for Southwest, American and United have stood by Boeing through the Max ordeal.\n\nBoeing lost $3 billion in the second quarter after taking a $4.9 billion after-tax charge to cover future costs of compensating airlines and other Max customers. Boeing is working to upgrade flight-control software implicated in the crashes and expects the plane to be cleared to fly in November.", "A Russian aircraft leasing company confirmed Tuesday that it has filed the first US lawsuit to cancel an order for 35 Boeing 737 MAX jets.\n\nAvia Capital Services (ACS), a subsidiary of state-owned Russian conglomerate Rostec, confirmed to AFP a report of the lawsuit in the Financial Times, which said it was the first civil action brought by a customer against the US aerospace giant over the 737 MAX.\n\nThe FT reported that ACS had filed the suit in Chicago claiming that Boeing had \"intentionally\" failed to disclose information about the airworthiness of the jet to its customers.\n\nIt accuses Boeing of negligence in selling the \"defective\" aircraft. ACS is seeking $115 million in compensatory damages, and several times that amount in punitive damages, the FT reported.\n\nRostec said it was ready to help mediate in the dispute.\n\n\"Rostec and Boeing are solid partners, with a time-proven and stable relationship. The company is closely following the situation with Avia Capital Services and is ready to help the parties come to a compromise,\" Rostec executive director Oleg Yevtushenko said in a statement sent to AFP.\n\n\"We hope that the issues raised can be resolved through dialogue.\"\n\nBoeing's 737 MAX was grounded indefinitely after two crashes killed a total of 346 people, one involving Indonesia's Lion Air and the other involving an Ethiopian Airlines jet.\n\nBoeing has developed a software upgrade to the 737 MAX after problems with a flight handling system were tied to the crashes.\n\nBut the jet -- the company's best-selling aircraft -- has still not been cleared by regulators for liftoff.\n\nBoeing reported a loss of $2.9 billion for the second quarter of this year, its biggest loss ever as the 737 MAX crisis dragged on.\n\nThat was in large part a result of a $4.9 billion charge taken by the company as it negotiates compensation deals with customers.", "MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 27th August, 2019) The Russian leasing company - Avia Capital Services - filed a lawsuit against the Boeing aircraft manufacturer to break the contract on deliveries of 35 Boeing 737 Max jets as these types of planes were worldwide grounded over security concerns.\n\nThe Russian firm, which is a subsidiary of the Russian Rostec state corporation, said that the two deadly plane crashes, involving Boeing 737 Max jets, had happened because of the \"negligent actions and decisions of Boeing\" both in designing the aircraft and \"withholding critical information\" from the US aviation safety authorities, the Financial Times newspaper reported.\n\nThe lawsuit was reportedly filed to the Cook County circuit court in Chicago. The Russian company accuses Boeing of intentionally hiding sensitive safety information about the aircraft so that the jets were purchased by customers.\n\nAvia Capital Services says it has given Boeing a cash deposit of $35 million as part of the order and asks the money to be returned with interest along with $75 million in lost profits.\n\nThe total sum demanded by the company under the lawsuit amounts to $115 million.\n\nTwo Boeing 737 MAX planes have crashed in less than a year: one in Indonesia in October 2018 and another in Ethiopia in March. In the wake of the latest crash, aviation authorities and carriers around the world have either grounded all 737 MAX series aircraft, or closed their airspace to them.\n\nThe investigations into the incidents are underway but experts believe that a new automated stall-prevention system, called MCAS, could be behind the crashes. MCAS commands automatically push down the jet's nose in case of a critical angle of attack. However, when the information coming from sensors is wrong, such actions of the security system may pose a danger to the plane as MCAS commands may overpower pilots' attempts to pull up the nose of the jet. According to investigators, pilots of the crashed Ethiopian Airlines jet needed more than four minutes to realize that incorrect data from sensors urged MCAS to push the nose down in a situation when there was no need in that.", "MOSCOW (AP) — A Russian aircraft leasing company that ordered 35 Boeing Max jets is suing the U.S. aircraft maker, accusing it of hiding defects in the plane that has been grounded after two deadly crashes.\n\nThe Miami-based lawyer for the leasing company said today it is the first lawsuit filed against Boeing by a Max customer. He said he is talking to other companies about joining the case.\n\nThe lawsuit on behalf of Avia Capital Services was filed Monday in state court in Illinois, where Boeing is based. It claims that Boeing committed fraud and breach of contract and was negligent in how it designed and built the plane and convinced the Federal Aviation Administration to approve it.\n\nNearly 400 Max jets that were being flown by airlines around the world have been grounded since March, shortly after the second of two crashes that together killed 346 people.\n\nAvia ordered Max jets in 2012 and was originally set to begin receiving them this year, but the deliveries were delayed. The company is seeking damages of at least $115 million, which Atty. Steven Marks said included a $40 million deposit and $75 million in lost profit, plus punitive damages.", "A Russian aircraft leasing company has filed a lawsuit against Boeing over an order of 737 Max jets, marking the first legal action against the aerospace company by a customer over safety issues.\n\nAvia Capital Services, a subsidiary of state-owned Russian conglomerate Rostec, is suing Boeing to cancel an order of 35 of the 737 Max jets, saying the company of failed to disclose information about the jets' 'defects'.\n\nBoeing's 737 Max jets have been grounded globally since March after two of the model planes crashed in separate incidents killing a combined 346 people.\n\nIn October 2018 Lion Air Flight 610 crashed into the Java Sea 12 minutes after take off, killing 189 passengers and crew on board. In March 2019 Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crashed six minutes after take off, killing all 157 on board.\n\nThe planes crashed following a suspected malfunction with the 737 Max jet's flight handling system.\n\nAvia Capital Services, claims two deadly crashes were due to the 'negligent actions and decisions of Boeing', according to Fox Business.\n\nIn the lawsuit Avia claims Boeing 'intentionally' failed to disclose information about the airworthiness of the jet.\n\nThe Russian company wants to cancel their order for 35 of the 'defective' Boeing 737 Max 8 Jets and is suing Boeing for breach of contract.\n\nAvia told Russian state-owned news agency Tass that Boeing had pushed back the delivery date of the jets from October to March next year and the company is willing to sit down for talks with Boeing and settle out of court.\n\nThey're seeking $115million in compensatory damages and several times that amount in punitive damages, according to the Financial Times.", "MOSCOW -- A Russian aircraft leasing company that ordered 35 Boeing Max jets is suing the U.S. aircraft maker, accusing it of hiding defects in the plane that has been grounded after two deadly crashes.\n\nThe Miami-based lawyer for the leasing company said Tuesday it is the first lawsuit filed against Boeing by a Max customer. He said he is talking to other companies about joining the case.\n\nThe lawsuit on behalf of Avia Capital Services was filed Monday in state court in Illinois, where Boeing is based. It claims that Boeing committed fraud and breach of contract and was negligent in how it designed and built the plane and convinced the Federal Aviation Administration to approve it.\n\nNearly 400 Max jets that were being flown by airlines around the world have been grounded since March, shortly after the second of two crashes that together killed 346 people.\n\nAvia ordered Max jets in 2012 and was originally set to begin receiving them this year, but the deliveries were delayed. The company is seeking damages of at least $115 million, which attorney Steven Marks said included a $40 million deposit and $75 million in lost profit, plus punitive damages.\n\nMarks, who also represents families of passengers who were killed in the two crashes, said he has talked to \"several\" other Max customers and expects some to join the Avia lawsuit. None are U.S. companies, he said.\n\nExecutives for Southwest, American and United have stood by Boeing through the Max ordeal.\n\nBoeing lost $3 billion in the second quarter after taking a $4.9 billion after-tax charge to cover future costs of compensating airlines and other Max customers. Boeing is working to upgrade flight-control software implicated in the crashes, and expects the plane to be cleared to fly in November.", "(MOSCOW) — A Russian aircraft leasing company says it has filed a lawsuit against Boeing over an order of 35 Boeing 737 Max jets, but that it’s open to a settlement.\n\nAvia Capital Services told the state-owned Tass news agency Tuesday that it has brought the lawsuit against Boeing in the United States, accusing it of failing to disclose the information about the jets’ “defects.”\n\nNearly 400 Max jets that were being flown by airlines around the world have been grounded since March, shortly after the second of two crashes that together killed 346 people.\n\nAvia told Tass that Boeing had pushed back the delivery date from October to March next year. It said it is willing to sit down for talks with Boeing and settle out of court.", "related media assets (image or videos) available. Click to see the gallery.\n\n2 related media assets (image or videos) available. Click to see the gallery.\n\nA unit of Russian conglomerate Rostec said on Tuesday it was ready for an out-of-court settlement with Boeing over its order for 35 Boeing 737 MAX jets, a spokesman for Rostec's subsidiary Avia Capital Service told Reuters.\n\nMOSCOW: A unit of Russian conglomerate Rostec said on Tuesday it was ready for an out-of-court settlement with Boeing over its order for 35 Boeing 737 MAX jets, a spokesman for Rostec's subsidiary Avia Capital Service told Reuters.\n\nBoeing MAX 737 jets have been grounded worldwide and airlines are cancelling multimillion contracts following crashes in October and March that killed 346 people.\n\nEarlier on Tuesday, Rostec said its unit had filed a lawsuit in the United States to cancel its order for the 35 MAX jets. The Financial Times, which first reported the move, said Avia Capital Service gave Boeing a cash deposit of US$35 million.\n\nA spokesman for Avia Capital Service told Reuters that delivery of the jets was first scheduled for October 2019 but was moved to March 2022. The Rostec unit had paid Boeing a deposit and was suffering losses from non-delivery, he said.\n\n\"If Boeing executives show a good will, we are ready to hold talks and find a mutually-beneficial out-of-court settlement for compensation of the losses we have suffered,\" he said.\n\nHe added that the jets were ordered for a number of Russian air companies, including domestic low-cost firm Pobeda, a unit of the state carrier Aeroflot .\n\nRussia is mainly using Boeing and Airbus jets for passenger flights, with a number of domestic airlines also adding Russian-made regional Sukhoi Superjet aircraft to their fleets.\n\nThe Rostec subsidiary now wants the deposit to be returned by Boeing with interest, along with US$75 million in \"lost profit\" and about US$115 million in compensatory damages, plus \"several times the amount\" in punitive damages, the FT said.\n\nRostec declined to provide further details about the lawsuit."], "summary": "Russian aircraft leasing firm Avia Capital Services, which has ordered 35 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, sues Boeing in an Illinois court in the first legal action taken by a 737 MAX customer in the wake of the groundings. Avia seek damages and a cancellation of the order, claiming Boeing were fraudulent, breached their contract with Avia, and negligently introduced design flaws to the aircraft and made negligent representations to the Federal Aviation Authority seeking the plane's certification. With nearly 400 jets grounded worldwide since March, lawyers representing Avia say they are discussing the possibility of joining the litigation with other companies."}
{"document": ["Image copyright Getty Images Image caption A VIA Rail passenger train leaves Toronto's Union Station.\n\nA Canadian court has ordered a new trial for two men convicted of terror charges over a plot to attack a train from New York to Toronto.\n\nRaed Jaser and Chiheb Esseghaier were arrested by Canadian authorities in April 2013.\n\nThey were found guilty in 2015 on charges including conspiracy to commit murder for the benefit of a terrorist group.\n\nThose convictions have now been aside due to an \"error\" by the trial judge.\n\nOn Tuesday, an Ontario appellate court judge issued a ruling directing a fresh trial for the pair, arguing that the jury in the trial had been improperly selected.\n\nJaser, 41, a Palestinian from Toronto, and Esseghaier, 36, a Tunisian from Montreal, appealed against their conviction and sentencing in February.\n\nThey cited a number of errors including the rejection of a request they had made regarding jury selection.\n\nThe two were arrested following a joint surveillance operation by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and FBI agents from the US.\n\nThey were alleged to have spent months plotting to kill as many people as possible on the VIA rail passenger train route.\n\nUS officials said at the time that the attack would have targeted a rail line between New York and Toronto, a route that travels along the Hudson Valley and enters Canada near Niagara Falls.\n\nVIA Rail operates passenger rail services across Canada and carries nearly four million passengers annually.\n\nDuring the original trial the prosecution alleged that Jaser and Esseghaier had been motivated by Islamist extremism and they were both sentenced to life in prison without chance of parole until 2023.", "The province’s top court has ordered a new trial for two men sentenced to life in prison for plotting terrorist acts including, for one, planning to derail a Via Rail train, because of the way the jury that heard their trial was picked.\n\nThe case is one of several, including that of Eaton Centre shooter Christopher Husbands, that have been appealed due to a judge’s decision to order a specific method of jury selection against the explicit wishes of the defendant.\n\nAfter a six-week jury trial in 2015, and ten days of deliberations by the jury, both Raed Jaser and Chiheb Esseghaier were convicted of conspiracy to commit murder for the benefit of a terrorist group and of two counts of participating in terrorist activity. Esseghaier was also convicted of conspiracy to derail a Via Rail train, Jaser was not.\n\nBoth men appealed on additional grounds beyond jury selection, including whether Esseghaier’s deteriorating mental health impacted the trial. Esseghaier refused to participate in the trial and did not have his own lawyer.\n\nHaving now been treated for schizophrenia, Esseghaier argues he was unfit during the trial and sentencing.\n\nThose arguments will no longer be heard as a result of the Ontario Court of Appeal’s decision to order a new trial.\n\nOn Tuesday afternoon the Public Prosecution Service of Canada said in a statement it would be proceeding with the prosecution, noting it has 60 days to decide whether to seek leave to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court of Canada.\n\nThe problem with the way the jury was selected stems from a part of the process known as the “challenge for cause” where lawyers are permitted to ask potential jurors about whether their decisions might be biased by pre-trial publicity or by the defendants being visible minorities and Muslim.\n\nThe potential juror’s answers are assessed by two people from the jury pool known as “triers.” They decide if the potential juror should be on the jury or not. The triers can either be “static” —the same two people assess each potential juror and don’t sit on the final jury — or “rotating” where the triers are two people on the jury and they rotate as triers each time a new jury member is selected.\n\nJaser requested rotating triers be used and that the jury pool be excluded from the courtroom while each potential juror was questioned to “protect jury impartiality by avoiding exposing unsworn jurors to other jurors’ answers,” according to the Court of Appeal decision.\n\nSuperior Court Justice Michael Code ruled that the jury pool could only be excluded if static triers were used. He ordered that static triers be used and that all potential and selected jurors be excluded from the courtroom.\n\nThe Court of Appeal has since found this to be incorrect, ordering retrials in some cases and upholding convictions in others. In this case, the Court of Appeal found that Jaser was denied the jury selection option he was entitled to by law. This resulted in “prejudice to the due administration of justice flowing from the denial of a jury selection method which was in law properly invoked,” according to the decision.\n\nThe court also found that since the jury was not properly constituted for Jaser, it cannot be considered to have been properly constituted for Esseghaier, and therefore both men are entitled to a new trial.", "The Ontario appeals court has thrown out the convictions of two men sentenced to life over an alleged al-Qaida-linked plot to attack a Toronto-bound passenger train.\n\nIn a decision released Tuesday, the court ordered a new trial for Raed Jaser and Chiheb Esseghaier, who were arrested by the RCMP in 2013 and found guilty of terrorism in 2015.\n\nThe appeals court set aside their convictions in a unanimous ruling that said “a legal error by the trial judge” had deprived Jaser of his preferred method for selecting jurors.\n\nWATCH: Via Rail terror plotter to appeal life sentence after undergoing mental health treatment\n\nThe pair were arrested following Project Smooth, an RCMP national security investigation that began in 2012 and involved an undercover FBI informant who infiltrated the alleged plot.\n\nEsseghaier is a Tunisian who came to Canada in 2008 and was a doctoral student in Quebec. He had allegedly travelled to Iran and received “direction and guidance” from al-Qaida “elements,” police alleged.\n\nJaser is a former Markham, Ont., school van driver and mover from Abu Dhabi. A Toronto Muslim leader said Jaser’s father had approached him about his son’s religious views.\n\nThe appeal centred on the difference between static and rotating “triers” — those who decide whether to accept a challenge by either the Crown or defence to a potential juror.\n\nRotating triers are two people who will serve on the jury, and they change (rotate) as each additional jury member is sworn in, according to Canada’s Criminal Code.\n\nMeanwhile, static triers are two people, usually appointed by a judge, who hear and determine all challenges until the entire jury has been selected, but who do not themselves become members of the jury.\n\nREAD MORE: 2 men found guilty in Via Rail terror plot asking for new trial, argue jury improperly selected\n\nLeah West, a national security law expert at the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, said rotating triers are now the standard because there is a greater risk of bias with static triers.\n\n“Two people have a huge impact on how the jury gets made up,” she said.\n\nFollowing the appeal decision in their favor, Jaser and Esseghaier can apply to be released on bail, she said.\n\nAs recently as December, the case was cited by the government as a successful disruption of a terrorist attack, as well as an example of the ongoing interest in targeting trains and rail infrastructure.\n\n“The trial judge’s error here took one of the three options, the exclusion of unsworn jurors while using rotating triers, away from Jaser,” the three justices wrote in their decision.\n\nOther high-profile cases have been overturned due to similar errors, including that of a man convicted of 2nd-degree murder in a 2012 shooting at Toronto’s Eaton Centre.\n\nREAD MORE: Jihadi Jack hopes Canada will take him as Trudeau says laws will be enforced\n\n“Fair jury selection is especially important in cases like this with saturation level publicity,” said Megan Savard, an appeal lawyer for Jaser.\n\nSavard said the fundamental difference between rotating triers and static triers was that a jury selected by rotating triers is chosen by a larger group of people, resulting in a more impartial jury.\n\nJaser had wanted rotating triers during jury selection but did not get them, she said. “Mr. Jaser has been in jail since his arrest in 2013 waiting for a fair trial in front of jury chosen legally.”", "Jaser and Esseghaier were found guilty in 2015 on a total of eight terror-related charges between them\n\nChiheb Esseghaier is led off a plane by an RCMP officer at Buttonville Airport just north of Toronto on April 23, 2013. A man found guilty of plotting to derail a passenger train between Canada and the U.S. plans to appeal his conviction at Ontario’s highest court. Esseghaier, a deeply religious Muslim, argues he ought to have been judged by the rules of the Qur’an.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young\n\nOntario’s highest court has ordered a new trial for two men found guilty of terrorism charges in connection with a plot to derail a passenger train.\n\nThe Court of Appeal for Ontario says the jury that convicted Raed Jaser and Chiheb Esseghaier was improperly selected, which means its verdict cannot stand.\n\nJaser and Esseghaier were found guilty in 2015 on a total of eight terror-related charges between them. They were sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole until 2023.\n\nLawyers for Jaser argued the trial judge mistakenly rejected their client’s request regarding the method of jury selection.\n\nThe lawyer appointed to assist Esseghaier — who continues to be self-represented — agreed in written arguments that a new trial must be ordered on that ground.\n\nThe law regarding jury selection was in flux during the trial but the appeal court says the approach used by the judge has since been deemed wrong. Several other cases have been overturned due to similar errors in recent years.\n\nJaser had also raised other grounds for appeal but the jury issue was heard first.\n\nBoth men also previously indicated they wished to challenge their sentences, but the call for a new trial makes that unnecessary.\n\nLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.", "TORONTO -- Two men found guilty of terrorism charges in connection with a plot to derail a passenger train between Canada and the U.S. were granted a new trial Tuesday after Ontario's highest court found the jury that convicted them was improperly selected.\n\nRaed Jaser and Chiheb Esseghaier were found guilty in 2015 on a total of eight terror-related charges between them. They were sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole until 2023.\n\nThe two challenged their convictions, and lawyers for Jaser argued the trial judge mistakenly rejected their client's request regarding the method of jury selection.\n\nThe lawyer appointed to assist Esseghaier -- who continues to be self-represented -- agreed in written arguments that a new trial had to be ordered on that ground.\n\nThe law regarding jury selection was in flux during the trial but the appeal court said in its ruling that the approach used by the judge has since been deemed wrong. Several other cases have been overturned due to similar errors in recent years.\n\nThough Esseghaier, who largely chose not to participate in the trial proceedings, had not expressed a preference as to jury selection, he should receive a new trial, the appeal court said Tuesday.\n\n\"Here, one jury was selected for both appellants. In the circumstances of this case, as the jury was not properly constituted for Jaser, it cannot be considered to have been properly constituted for Esseghaier,\" the court said in a unanimous decision.\n\nJaser had also raised other grounds for appeal but the jury issue was heard first. Both men also previously indicated they wished to challenge their sentences, but the call for a new trial makes that unnecessary.\n\nThe pair was arrested in April 2013 after a months-long investigation that involved an undercover FBI agent who gained their trust and secretly recorded hours of their conversations.\n\nThe two were recorded speaking about terror plots they would conduct in retaliation for Canada's military actions in Muslim countries, including the derailment of a Via Rail train travelling between New York and Toronto.\n\nThose recordings made up the bulk of the evidence in the case.", "The province's top court has ordered a new trial for two men sentenced to life in prison for plotting terrorist acts including, for one, planning to derail a Via Rail train, because of the way the jury that heard their trial was picked.\n\nThe case is one of several, including that of Eaton Centre shooter Christopher Husbands, that have been appealed due to a judge's decision to order a specific method of jury selection against the explicit wishes of the defendant.\n\nAfter a six-week jury trial in 2015, and ten days of deliberations by the jury, both Raed Jaser and Chiheb Esseghaier were convicted of conspiracy to commit murder for the benefit of a terrorist group and of two counts of participating in terrorist activity. Esseghaier was also convicted of conspiracy to derail a Via Rail train, Jaser was not.\n\nBoth men appealed on additional grounds beyond jury selection, including whether Esseghaier's deteriorating mental health impacted the trial. Esseghaier refused to participate in the trial and did not have his own lawyer.\n\nHaving now been treated for schizophrenia, Esseghaier argues he was unfit during the trial and sentencing.\n\nThose arguments will no longer be heard as a result of the Ontario Court of Appeal's decision to order a new trial.\n\nThe problem with the way the jury was selected stems from a part of the process known as the \"challenge for cause\" where lawyers are permitted to ask potential jurors about whether their decisions might be biased by pre-trial publicity or by the defendants being visible minorities and Muslim.\n\nThe potential juror's answers are assessed by two people from the jury pool known as \"triers.\" They decide if the potential juror should be on the jury or not. The triers can either be \"static\" —the same two people assess each potential juror and don't sit on the final jury — or \"rotating\" where the triers are two people on the jury and they rotate as triers each time a new jury member is selected.\n\nJaser requested rotating triers be used and that the jury pool be excluded from the courtroom while each potential juror was questioned to \"protect jury impartiality by avoiding exposing unsworn jurors to other jurors' answers,\" according to the Court of Appeal decision.\n\nSuperior Court Justice Michael Code ruled that the jury pool could only be excluded if static triers were used. He ordered that static triers be used and that all potential and selected jurors be excluded from the courtroom.", "TORONTO — Ontario’s highest court has ordered a new trial for two men found guilty of terrorism charges in connection with a plot to derail a passenger train.\n\nThe Court of Appeal for Ontario says the jury that convicted Raed Jaser and Chiheb Esseghaier was improperly selected, which means its verdict cannot stand.\n\nJaser and Esseghaier were found guilty in 2015 on a total of eight terror-related charges between them. They were sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole until 2023.\n\nLawyers for Jaser argued the trial judge mistakenly rejected their client’s request regarding the method of jury selection.\n\nThe lawyer appointed to assist Esseghaier — who continues to be self-represented — agreed in written arguments that a new trial must be ordered on that ground.\n\nThe law regarding jury selection was in flux during the trial but the appeal court says the approach used by the judge has since been deemed wrong.\n\nSeveral other cases have been overturned due to similar errors in recent years.\n\nJaser had also raised other grounds for appeal but the jury issue was heard first.\n\nBoth men also previously indicated they wished to challenge their sentences, but the call for a new trial makes that unnecessary.\n• Via Rail plotters weren’t sick or addicted — they were evil, FBI undercover agent says\n• Undercover FBI agent who helped Canada nab railway terror plotters has one big regret\n• ‘Delusional’ Via Rail plotter now on anti-psychotics, plans appeal", "TORONTO — Two men found guilty of terrorism charges in connection with a plot to derail a passenger train between Canada and the U.S. were granted a new trial Tuesday after Ontario’s highest court found the jury that convicted them was improperly selected.\n\nRaed Jaser and Chiheb Esseghaier were found guilty in 2015 on a total of eight terror-related charges between them. They were sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole until 2023.\n\nThe two challenged their convictions, and lawyers for Jaser argued the trial judge mistakenly rejected their client’s request regarding the method of jury selection. The lawyer appointed to assist Esseghaier — who continues to be self-represented — agreed in written arguments that a new trial had to be ordered on that ground.\n\nOntario’s Court of Appeal said the trial judge had made an error in denying Jaser his preferred method of jury selection.\n\n“The question here is not actual prejudice, which in these kinds of circumstances is impossible to gauge, but prejudice to the due administration of justice flowing from the denial of a jury selection method which was in law properly invoked,” it wrote.\n\nAs part of the jury selection process, prospective jurors may face questions regarding their ability to remain impartial.\n\nGiven the nature of the accusations against Jaser and Esseghaier, and the significant media attention leading up to the trial, this questioning was deemed necessary in this case, the appeal court said.\n\nProspective jurors were to be asked whether their ability to weigh the case based on the evidence would be affected by the fact that both accused are members of a visible minority and Muslim.\n\nDuring this questioning, two people from the jury pool are given the role of “triers,” which means they consider the answer and determine whether there is sign of bias. Lawyers for both the Crown and the defence then decide whether to allow the person on the jury.\n\nIn a process called “rotating triers” — which is the default method — each newly appointed juror replaces one of the two triers so that the responsibility is shared.\n\nWhile not laid out in the Criminal Code, common law granted the court the discretion to exclude from the room all other prospective jurors during this process or both prospective jurors and those already selected who were not currently acting as triers.\n\nAn alternative process known as “static triers” was created in the Criminal Code in 2008, allowing the accused to ask the court to exclude prospective and selected jurors during the questioning, as long as they could show it was necessary to ensure the jury remained impartial. If the court agreed, it would then choose two people — the static triers — to assess all the prospective jurors. Static triers do not get to serve on the jury.\n\nJaser had requested to have the jury chosen by rotating triers with any prospective jurors excluded from the room, but the trial judge said he no longer had the discretion to make that order, according to court documents.\n\nWhat’s more, the judge said he would not have granted Jaser’s request even if he could, since the issue could be remedied by using static triers, which he then imposed even though Jaser had not formally applied to use them, the documents said.\n\nThere was debate at the time of the trial over whether judges retained the discretion to exclude prospective and some selected jurors when using rotating triers, but it has since been determined that they do, the appeal court said.\n\n“It was an error of law for the trial judge to refuse to exercise a discretion based on a view that a remedy not sought by Jaser would have better achieved his ends,” the appeal court said.\n\nThough Esseghaier, who largely chose not to participate in the trial proceedings, did not weigh in on the issue of jury selection at the time, he should also receive a new trial, the appeal court said Tuesday.\n\n“Here, one jury was selected for both appellants. In the circumstances of this case, as the jury was not properly constituted for Jaser, it cannot be considered to have been properly constituted for Esseghaier,” the court said in a unanimous decision.\n\nSeveral other verdicts have been overturned due to similar errors in recent years, including a conviction on two counts of second-degree murder for Christopher Husbands, the man who opened fire at Toronto’s Eaton Centre in 2012. Husbands also underwent a new trial and was found guilty of manslaughter earlier this year.\n\nJaser had also raised other grounds for appeal but the jury issue was heard first. Both men also previously indicated they wished to challenge their sentences, but the call for a new trial makes that unnecessary.\n\nThe Public Prosecution Service of Canada said in a statement it will proceed with a new trial, and noted it has 60 days to decide whether to seek leave to appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court of Canada.\n\nJaser and Esseghaier were arrested in April 2013 after a months-long investigation that involved an undercover FBI agent who gained their trust and secretly recorded hours of their conversations.\n\nThe two were recorded speaking about terror plots they would carry out in retaliation for Canada’s military actions in Muslim countries, including the planned derailment of a Via Rail train travelling between New York and Toronto.", "New trial ordered in alleged plot to derail Canada-US train\n\nA Canadian appeals court on Tuesday ordered a new trial for two men accused of plotting to derail a passenger train travelling between Toronto and New York, citing errors in the jury selection.\n\n\n\nTunisian national Chiheb Esseghaier and Raed Jaser, a Canadian resident of Palestinian descent, were convicted in 2015 of a conspiracy to commit murders and sentenced to life in prison.\n\nBut the Ontario Court of Appeal ruled that the trial judge mishandled the jury selection process, resulting in an \"improperly constituted jury,\" which means their verdict cannot stand.\n\nProsecutors said the pair had planned to cut a large hole in a railway bridge to derail a Via Rail train, with the aim of killing and injuring passengers and crew.\n\nEsseghaier, who was doing doctoral research in Canada, acted on instructions from extremists, they alleged.\n\nKey evidence came in the form of recordings by an undercover FBI agent who befriended the pair.", "A Canadian appeals court on Tuesday ordered a new trial for two men accused of plotting to derail a passenger train travelling between Toronto and New York, citing errors in the jury selection.\n\nTunisian national Chiheb Esseghaier and Raed Jaser, a Canadian resident of Palestinian descent, were convicted in 2015 of an Al-Qaeda-backed conspiracy to commit murders and sentenced to life in prison.\n\nBut the Ontario Court of Appeal ruled that the trial judge mishandled the jury selection process, resulting in an \"improperly constituted jury,\" which means their verdict cannot stand.\n\nThe trial heard that the pair were \"motivated by Islamic extremism and had planned terrorist attacks on non-Muslim targets or victims.\"\n\nThe attack allegedly would have marked the start of a campaign of terror to try to convince Canada and its allies to leave Muslim lands.\n\nProsecutors said the pair had planned to cut a large hole in a railway bridge to derail a Via Rail train, with the aim of killing and injuring passengers and crew.\n\nEsseghaier, who was doing doctoral research in Canada, acted on instructions from overseas extremists, they alleged.\n\nKey evidence came in the form of recordings by an undercover FBI agent who befriended the pair."], "summary": "An appeals court in Ontario, Canada overturns the terror convictions of Raed Jaser and Chiheb Esseghaier, citing an error by the trial judge regarding jury selection. A new trial is expected to take place."}
{"document": ["Nauru MP Lionel Aingimea has been sworn in as the country's new president, replacing Baron Waqa, who lost his seat in Saturday's general election.\n\nMr Aingimea, a second term MP, defeated David Adeang by 12 to 6 in the parliamentary vote.\n\nThe speaker is former president Marcus Stephen, who won by 12 votes to 7 over Shadlog Bernicke.\n\nMr Aingimea is a former secretary of justice and served as an assistant minister in various portfolios in the previous government.\n\nPhoto: Facebook/ Parliament of the Republic of Fiji\n\nIn his first statements as president, Mr Aingimea said he was humbled to be elected to the position, but acknowledged the tough work ahead of him.\n\nDescribing himself as the \"father of the nation\", he likened the 12,000 population of Nauru as being children who need protection and guidance.\n\nCollaborative approach\n\nThe President said his first duty in office was to address administrative areas such as the appointment of ministers and assistant ministers.\n\nAccording to him there would be a new way in how government deals with assistant ministers.\n\nHe said every minister and assistant minister would start meeting with their heads of department on a regular basis.\n\n\"They need to be briefed by their HODs, they need to come up with a plan, and what's happening,\" he said.\n\n\"And after discussion, they come back to cabinet and they give their vision to cabinet of where they want to go,\" President Aingimea said.\n\nHe said his vision for Nauru was for everyone to work together.\n\n\"Everyone has ideas, everyone needs those ideas to be voiced and when they need to be tempered, to be tempered.\n\n\"That's my vision that we work together as a unit, for the prosperity and the betterment of Nauru,\" he said.\n\nPresident Aingimea is expected to announce his cabinet at the oath ceremony in front of the government office tomorrow (Wednesday 28 August).", "Nauru’s new president, Lionel Aingimea, says he will be like a “father of the nation”, guiding and protecting the South Pacific island’s 12,000 people.\n\nAingimea won the vote for presidency on Tuesday, 12 votes to six, against former finance minister David Adeang.\n\nFormer president Baron Waqa, who has led the nation for the past six years, lost his bid for re-election at last weekend’s poll.\n\nAingimea said in a statement the people of Nauru were like “children that need protecting and guiding”.\n\n“My vision for Nauru is for us to work together, all members of parliament, because everybody has a contribution,” he said. “Everyone has ideas, everyone needs those ideas to be voiced and, when they need to be tempered, to be tempered.\n\n“That’s my vision that we work together as a unit, for the prosperity and the betterment of Nauru.”\n\nIn 2015 he attracted controversy as secretary of justice for overseeing Nauru’s ban on Facebook and other websites. He will announce his cabinet on Wednesday.\n\nThe outgoing president’s support was critical to Nauru hosting one of Australia’s asylum seeker detention facilities on the island.\n\nThe parliamentary election was held on Saturday. Seven thousand people voted to make up the 19-member parliament.\n\nAingimea will inherit a humanitarian crisis for almost 300 refugees remaining on Nauru, with the Nauruan government accused of blocking some medical care to refugees and the Australian government attempting to repeal medevac laws.\n\nMedevac laws allow for doctors to arrange for the urgent medical transfer of a refugee from Nauru or Manus Island to Australia.\n\nIn February the Nauru government passed laws that presented residents of Nauru from being granted a medical transfer to Australia if the referral was based on an online consultation, which is common in the treatment of refugees.", "Former human rights lawyer Lionel Aingimea has been elected Nauru's new President, two days after results showed Baron Waqa was not re-elected after six years in power.\n\nMr Aingimea won a parliamentary vote for the presidency 12-6 over rival David Adeang, the Nauru Government information office reported.\n\nMr Aingimea previously served as Nauru's secretary for justice under Finance Minister David Adeang.\n\nMore than 7,000 voters were registered to take part in the poll to determine who would govern for the next three years.\n\nWhile the result came as a surprise to many, Pacific analyst Tess Newton Cain said it reflected the younger make-up of the new Parliament voted in on Saturday's election.\n\n\"One of the big changes that we've seen is not only a turnover in terms of established people losing their seats and new people coming in, but a lot of these new people are aged 40 and under,\" she told the ABC.\n\n\"This does very much seem a push from the younger generation for something new and maybe accounts for why Mr Aingimea was able to secure the presidency in competition with Mr Adeang.\n\n\"He has [been active in] promoting human rights and the rule of law, so it will certainly be interesting to see whether his leadership provides us with some comfort as to the protection of rule of law in Nauru going forward.\"\n\nThe change in leadership follows calls for humanitarian reform in the tiny Pacific nation.\n\nNauru became the site of Australia's first offshore processing centre in 2001 under the so-called \"Pacific solution\".\n\nThe country now draws a sizeable amount of its revenue from the visa fees it charges Australia per asylum seeker, payments and taxes associated with the regional processing centre, as well as aid.\n\nRonald Kun, a former Nauruan minister who fled to New Zealand and now lives in Australia, told the ABC that the electorate had sent a \"very clear message at the ballot box\".\n\n\"People want a change in approach [of leadership]… people were fed up with the poor governance,\" he said.", "Nauru's Parliament chose Lionel Aingimea as president on Tuesday, three days after elections in the tiny Pacific island nation.\n\nAingimea won the presidency 12-6 over rival David Adeang, the Nauru government information office reports.\n\nTwo-term President Baron Waqa lost his seat when voters swept the majority of Nauru's 19 lawmakers from office in the weekend's general elections. Speaking before Aingimea's election to the presidency on Tuesday, the opposition figure Mathew Batsiua called the general election \"a decisive win for change.\" \"People want a government that's more fair and that doesn't leave people behind.\" Batsiua said.\n\nAingimea, a lawyer trained in Australia, previously worked with the Regional Rights Resource Team NGO. However, Aingimea subsequently worked in the Waqa administration, first as a senior public servant — then as an assistant minister for justice and border control.\n\nNauru \"lurched towards authoritarianism\" under Waqa, according to Australia's Lowy Institute. He attempted to keep media from visiting to report on conditions facing displaced people held on the island to prevent them from reaching Australia, and pursued domestic political opponents through the courts, accusing them of rioting during a 2015 protest outside parliament. Last year, his government had ordered Doctors Without Borders to stop working with displaced people on Nauru.\n\nWaqa supported camps on Naura on behalf of Australia, which provides about one-third of the country's revenue. Australia's policy of processing asylum applicants on Nauru has proved an economic lifeline for the country, which had sold out of its previous source of wealth: phosphate deposits used as fertilizer. Nauru's government revenues ballooned from the equivalent of $13 million in 2010-11 to about $77 million in 2015-16 — largely thanks to fees paid by Australia's government linked to the asylum policy.\n\nAdvocates for displaced people estimate that about 300 refugees remain on the island, down from a peak of about 1,200 in 2014. Rights groups and the United Nations have consistently criticized the conditions faced by displaced people kept at bay from Australia, warning that policies of indefinite detention had contributed to mental health problems.\n\nNauru has a population of just over 11,000, and a surface area of 21 square kilometers (8 square miles) — making it larger only than Monaco and Vatican City.\n\nDW sends out a selection of the day's news and features. Sign up here.", "Lionel Aingimea wins a parliamentary vote for the presidency 12-6 over rival David Adeang, the Nauru government information office says\n\nNEW PRESIDENT. Lionel Aingimea, former assistant law minister for the country of Nauru. Photo from Flickr by Commonwealth Secretariat\n\nWELLINGTON, New Zealand – A former human rights lawyer was elected Nauru's new president Tuesday, following calls for widespread reform in the tiny Pacific nation which Australia uses as a detention centre for asylum seekers.\n\nLionel Aingimea won a parliamentary vote for the presidency 12-6 over rival David Adeang, the Nauru government information office said.\n\nIt comes in the wake of a general election last weekend that saw more than half of Nauru's 19 lawmakers swept from office, including two-term president Baron Waqa.\n\nAdeang had been considered favourite to take the top job from Waqa, a strong supporter of Australia's hardline refugee policy.\n\nAustralia's Lowy Institute think tank last year said the country of 11,000 \"lurched towards authoritarianism\" under Waqa's leadership.\n\nHis government made it difficult for international media to visit Nauru to report on conditions facing asylum seekers and pursued domestic political opponents through the courts, accusing them of rioting during a 2015 protest outside parliament.\n\nSpeaking before Aingimea's election to the presidency, opposition figure Mathew Batsiua said the general election was \"a decisive win for change\".\n\n\"Clearly people have had enough of ... a government that's been cracking down on the rights and freedoms of people,\" he told Radio New Zealand.\n\n\"People want a government that's more fair and that doesn't leave people behind.\"\n\nWhether Aingimea will prove a reformist is unclear.\n\nThe Australian-trained lawyer previously worked as a senior trainer with the Regional Rights Resource Team, a Fiji-based body aimed at promoting human rights in the Pacific.\n\nHowever, Aingimea subsequently worked in the Waqa administration, first as a senior public servant, then as an assistant minister for justice and border control.\n\nAustralia's policy of processing asylum seekers on Nauru – and the equally remote Manus island in Papua New Guinea – has proved an economic lifeline for a country which exhausted its previous source of wealth: phosphate deposits used as fertiliser.\n\nNauru's government revenues ballooned from Aus$20 million (US$13 million) in 2010-11 to Aus$115 million (US$77 million) in 2015-16 largely due to fees paid by Canberra linked to the asylum policy, official Australian data shows.\n\nRefugee advocates estimate around 300 refugees remain on the island, down from a peak of about 1,200 in 2014.\n\nRights groups and the United Nations have consistently criticised the conditions faced by refugees, warning indefinite detention causes mental health problems and suicide attempts. – Rappler.com", "Nauru will have a new leader by the end of the day after its president Baron Waqa lost his bid for re-election.\n\nMr Waqa was the tiny South Pacific island nation's leader for six years but did not keep his seat after the weekend election.\n\nNauru's parliament will convene on Tuesday to elect a new president and Speaker before a cabinet is selected.\n\nThe outgoing president's support was critical to Nauru hosting one of Australia's asylum seeker detention facilities on the island.\n\nSince 2001 Australia has placed asylum seekers caught trying to reach Australia by boat in the Nauru detention facility while their refugee status is processed.\n\nNauru makes about a third of its national income from the arrangement.\n\nThe island is the world's smallest republic, with just 7000 people eligible to vote for the 19-member parliament that chooses the president.\n\nIt is the world's third-smallest nation behind Vatican City and Monaco.\n\nThe Nauruan government made headlines last year when it forced Medecins Sans Frontieres out of the country, abruptly ending the group's free medical care for asylum seeker detainees and locals.\n\nNauru was scathing of MSF, taking particular offence to their \"beloved home\" being labelled an \"open-air prison\".\n\nMSF Australia executive director Paul McPhun told a Senate committee on Monday the group's services were \"high quality, effective\" and in increasing demand.\n\nHe believes MSF were told to leave so they couldn't expore the \"fundamental reality\" of mental health instances on Nauru.", "WELLINGTON: Nauru´s president, a strong supporter of Australia´s hardline policy of detaining refugees on the tiny Pacific island nation, has lost his seat in a general election, official results showed Sunday. Voters went to the polls on Saturday and selected two rival candidates over Baron Waqa in his electorate of Boe, ending the 59-year-old´s six years in office. His successor will not be known until the 19-member parliament meets to choose a new president, with finance minister David Adeang considered a favourite after being re-elected. Waqa proved a controversial leader at times and Australia´s Lowy Institute think tank last year said the country of 11,000 “lurched towards authoritarianism” under his leadership. His government has made it difficult for international media visiting Nauru to report on conditions facing asylum seekers. It also introduced laws carrying heavy jail terms for political protesters and at times curbed access to sites such as Facebook, which critics said was aimed at curbing dissent. Australia´s policy of processing asylum seekers on Nauru — and the equally remote Manus island in Papua New Guinea — has proved an economic lifeline for a country which exhausted its previous source of wealth: phosphate deposits used as fertiliser. Nauru´s government revenues ballooned from Aus$20 million (US$13 million) in 2010-11 to Aus$115 million (US$77 million) in 2015-16 largely due to fees paid by Canberra linked to the asylum policy, official Australian data shows."], "summary": "Lionel Aingimea is sworn in as the President of Nauru, replacing Baron Waqa."}
{"document": ["In this Aug. 15, 2019 photo, Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki is speaking during national observances of the Armed Forces Day in Katowice, Poland. On Tuesday Morawiecki demanded explanations from the justice minister after allegations surfaced the minister's deputy encouraged an online hate campaign against judges critical of the government. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)\n\nWARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland's next annual state budget will for the first time in 30 years not run a deficit, mainly thanks to efficient tax collection and changes to the pension system, the prime minister said Tuesday.\n\nMateusz Morawiecki spoke following a weekly government session that approved a draft 2020 budget where spending and income are balanced at 429.5 billion zlotys ($109 billion).\n\nMorawiecki noted that it is Poland's first budget without a deficit since it became a democracy. It still needs consultations with worker and employer groups and approval from two parliament chambers and the president.\n\n\"We are very responsible in managing the public finances,\" Morawiecki said, promising that the budget will \"no longer be an ATM for tax-evading criminals.\"\n\nThe announcement comes before Oct. 13 parliamentary elections, in which the ruling party is expected to win a majority, chiefly thanks to its program of generous subsidies to families with children and to the elderly.\n\nMorawiecki vowed all these programs will be continued.\n\nThe government's high spending has caused concern among some economists and ordinary Poles about the condition of state finances, especially after inflation started to rise this year.\n\nMorawiecki noted that the state finances were helped by an increase in state income, such as value-added sales tax and corporate income tax, and better collection of personal income tax. Significant funds are also expected from a tax on pension funds, from the sale of 5G wireless licenses and green gas certificates, and by reducing state administration jobs.\n\nThe economy is forecast to grow 3.7% next year, with inflation seen at 2.5 %.\n\nObservers noted that a budget can be amended during the fiscal year, to allow for a deficit.", "Poland plans no budget deficit for first time in 30 years\n\nWARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland's prime minister says the 2020 state budget will for the first time in 30 years not run a deficit, chiefly thanks to efficient tax collection and changes to the pension system.\n\nPremier Mateusz Morawiecki spoke Tuesday following a weekly government session that approved a draft budget where spending and income are balanced at 429.5 billion zlotys ($109 billion).\n\nMorawiecki stressed it is Poland's first budget without a deficit since it became a democracy. It still needs consultations with worker and employer groups and approval from two parliament chambers and the president.\n\nThe announcement comes before Oct. 13 parliamentary elections, in which the ruling party is expected to win a majority, chiefly thanks to its program of generous subsidies to families.\n\nObservers noted a budget can be amended during the fiscal year.", "WARSAW, Poland (AP) - Poland's prime minister says the 2020 state budget will for the first time in 30 years not run a deficit, chiefly thanks to efficient tax collection and changes to the pension system.\n\nPremier Mateusz Morawiecki spoke Tuesday following a weekly government session that approved a draft budget where spending and income are balanced at 429.5 billion zlotys ($109 billion).\n\nMorawiecki stressed it is Poland's first budget without a deficit since it became a democracy. It still needs consultations with worker and employer groups and approval from two parliament chambers and the president.\n\nThe announcement comes before Oct. 13 parliamentary elections, in which the ruling party is expected to win a majority, chiefly thanks to its program of generous subsidies to families.\n\nObservers noted a budget can be amended during the fiscal year.\n\nIn this Aug. 15, 2019 photo, Poland's Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki is speaking during national observances of the Armed Forces Day in Katowice, Poland. On Tuesday Morawiecki demanded explanations from the justice minister after allegations surfaced the minister's deputy encouraged an online hate campaign against judges critical of the government. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)", "WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland’s next annual state budget will for the first time in 30 years not run a deficit, mainly thanks to efficient tax collection and changes to the pension system, the prime minister said Tuesday.\n\nMateusz Morawiecki spoke following a weekly government session that approved a draft 2020 budget where spending and income are balanced at 429.5 billion zlotys ($109 billion).\n\nMorawiecki noted that it is Poland’s first budget without a deficit since it became a democracy. It still needs consultations with worker and employer groups and approval from two parliament chambers and the president.\n\n“We are very responsible in managing the public finances,” Morawiecki said, promising that the budget will “no longer be an ATM for tax-evading criminals.”\n\nThe announcement comes before Oct. 13 parliamentary elections, in which the ruling party is expected to win a majority, chiefly thanks to its program of generous subsidies to families with children and to the elderly.\n\nMorawiecki vowed all these programs will be continued.\n\nThe government’s high spending has caused concern among some economists and ordinary Poles about the condition of state finances, especially after inflation started to rise this year.\n\nMorawiecki noted that the state finances were helped by an increase in state income, such as value-added sales tax and corporate income tax, and better collection of personal income tax. Significant funds are also expected from a tax on pension funds, from the sale of 5G wireless licenses and green gas certificates, and by reducing state administration jobs.\n\nThe economy is forecast to grow 3.7% next year, with inflation seen at 2.5 %.\n\nObservers noted that a budget can be amended during the fiscal year, to allow for a deficit.\n\nCopyright © 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.", "ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s budget deficit has escalated to highest ever in last eight years as it rose to 8.9 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2018-19 which had touched a level of 8.8 percent of GDP in fiscal year 2011-12.\n\nHowever, the budget deficit of 8.9 percent of GDP in 2018-19 stood at equivalent to 38 years back as the deficit reached such an extent in 1979-80. This budget deficit is the second largest ever deficit in last 43 years as once it had escalated to 10.3 percent of GDP in fiscal year 1975-76 during the tenure of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (ZAB).\n\nIn absolute terms, the budget deficit under first year rule of PTI in totality climbed to Rs3,444 billion in fiscal year 2018-19 ended on June 30, 2019, highest ever in the whole history of the country since independence. While the budget deficit during the last year of PML-N in 2017-18 stood at Rs2,260 billion or 6.6 percent of the GDP.\n\nTotal revenues fetched by the country stood at Rs4900.724 billion in fiscal year 2018-19 against Rs5228.015 billion in 2017-18, witnessing a decline by Rs328 billion or 6.27 percent. The FBR collection stood at Rs3,829 billion against initially envisaged target of Rs4,398 billion, registering a shortfall of Rs566 billion. The non-tax revenue fetched Rs427 billion in fiscal year 2018-19 and in last quarter (April-June) the collection increased by Rs6 billion and went up from Rs421 billion to Rs427 billion. The non-tax revenues sharply dropped because of massive depreciation of exchange rate and so profit of State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) literally nosedived. On expenditure front, the total expenditure stood at Rs8,345 billion in 2018-19 against Rs7,488 billion in 2017-18.\n\nThe budget deficit under PTI rule went up by 2.4 percent of GDP in 2018-19 compared to PML-N’s in 2017-18 and it shot up sharply mainly because of massive shortfall in both tax and non-tax revenues. The tax revenues fell short of 1.3 percent of GDP while non-tax revenues by 1.1 percent so revenue shortfall mainly contributed to hike in the budget deficit. The fiscal data of last 43 years showed that once the budget deficit had risen sharply during tenure of ZAB and shot up to 10.3 percent of GDP in fiscal year 1975-76.\n\nDuring the fiscal year of 1979-80, the budget deficit stood at 8.9 percent of GDP. In fiscal year 2011-12 under PPP led regime, Ministry of Finance had reported budget deficit at 6.6 percent of GDP excluding power sector subsidies and with inclusion it climbed to 8.8 percent of GDP. During the decade of 80s and 90s, the budget deficit used to remain on higher side and hovered around over 7 percent of GDP.\n\nThe expenditure went up by 21.6 percent or 1.5 percent of GDP in 2018-19 with major contribution of 1.1 percent of GDP on account of mark-up of loans on domestic and external front. In order to compensate, the development budget was slashed to avoid further slippages on fiscal front. When contacted, former finance minister Dr Hafeez A Pasha on Tuesday said that the budget deficit was estimated at 4.9 percent of GDP on eve of last fiscal year 2018-19 which was revised upward at 5.1 percent of GDP after coming into power by PTI led regime. On eve of budget for 2018-19, it was estimated that the budget deficit would stand at 7.2 percent of the GDP. He questioned what happened in last few weeks of June as the deficit finally ended up at 8.9 percent of GDP. The ability of budget estimation has literally eroded, he added.\n\nDr Ashfaque Hassan Khan, former adviser to Finance Ministry and Dean NUST, said that it was not government of Pakistan alone responsible but IMF itself contributed to substantially rise in the budget deficit in recent history of the country. “The IMF is equally responsible for the highest ever budget deficit because it placed condition to hike discount rate by 6.75 percent and depreciation of exchange rate that added burden in debt to the tune of Rs3.2 trillion”, he added. He said debt servicing had eaten up Rs2.091 trillion that was 5.4 percent of GDP out of which Rs1.120 trillion was added to the total amount spent in interest payment because of increase in discount rate, which was close to 3 percent of GDP.\n\nThis means that the increase in discount rate under prior actions for IMF loan contributes close to 3 percent to the budget deficit, as when discount rate increases by 1 percent, 0.5 percent increases budget deficit.\n\nThis scribe contacted Ayesha Ghous Pasha MNA from PML-N and she said that this government added over Rs7 trillion to debt burden and also reduced the development spending. She said that the slowdown on economic front was playing havoc with lives of masses as the government was making efforts to collect taxes from small businessmen while big business were not on their radar screen.", "The U.S. federal deficit is expanding faster than originally anticipated. The Congressional Budget Office said last week that the annual deficit will exceed $1 trillion in the next fiscal year, which starts in October. Over the next decade, the federal deficit will expand by about $800 billion more than previously predicted, the CBO noted.\n\nIf you’re following along in your “Debt Is Bad” textbook, then you know that a gigantic federal deficit is not great. The current/growing deficit is due in part to spending (on defense and Medicare, in particular) along with the 2017 tax cuts.\n\nWhenever there’s a deficit, it gets added to the national debt, which the Wall Street Journal reminds us is the amount of past and present deficits combined. The last time the deficit topped a trillion was in 2012. The last time we had a government surplus was way back in 2000-2001.\n\nWhat the deficit could mean for a down economy\n\n“In a good economy, we should see the deficit go down. Instead we’re seeing the deficit balloon, and in an economy that’s good but could take a turn,” NBC News’ Stephanie Ruhle explains.\n\n\n\nThe updated deficit numbers are particularly concerning to economists because of recent discussion of an upcoming recession, the Washington Post explained. The government would have a “shortage of tools” like tax cuts or interest rate reductions to fall back on, as it has in previous economic downturns. If there’s anxiety among policymakers about going into further debt as a nation, it may be harder for President Trump (or whomever else may land in office) to push through any sort of stimulus plan like the one we saw about 10 years ago.", "WARSAW (Reuters) - Poland’s government approved a plan on Tuesday to eliminate its budget deficit for the first time since 1990, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said, a move that could help bolster public support for its ambitious social spending plans ahead of a national election on October 13.\n\nRobust economic growth and improved tax collection has kept Poland’s deficits low in recent years, despite substantial welfare spending. Last year’s deficit totaled 10.4 billion zlotys ($2.65 billion) and is to be cut to zero in 2020.\n\n“We present a balanced budget for the first time in 30 years,” Morawiecki told a news conference devoted to the 2020 budget draft approved by his cabinet.\n\nIt has yet to be approved by parliament, which will be reconstituted after the elections.\n\nBoth budget revenues and spending are envisaged at 429.5 billion zloty ($109.40 billion), Morawiecki said.\n\nIn the last election, the opposition criticized the PiS’ social spending programs, saying the country could not afford them. The balanced budget could help to show voters they are fiscally responsible and firm up support for their ambitious social plans.\n\nCritics say however that the budget’s assumptions are based on one-offs and are too optimistic in light of an expected economic slowdown.\n\n“In large extent this is thanks to big one-off payments, such as pension reform fees, CO2 emission certificates, the sale of 5G frequencies - these elements add up to two thirds of the 2019 planned deficit,” chief economist at ING Bank Slaski Rafal Benecki said.\n\nThe budget situation might turn out to be less rosy, especially once economic growth slows down to 3.7% next year from 4.4%, according to a Reuters poll published by Refinitiv.\n\nEarlier, the newspaper Rzeczpospolita reported that the 2020 budget would benefit from the sale of mobile phone frequencies, rights to carbon dioxide emissions and cash connected with a pension reform. Taken together, those steps should bring in 17.8 billion zloty.\n\nAnother 14.9 billion zloty will come from improvements in tax collection and 5.2 billion zloty will come from changes to social security system payments.\n\nHigher alcohol taxes are expected to bring in 1.1 billion zloty, a new tax for millionaires another 1.1 billion zloty and changes to the ecological tax an additional 1.4 billion.\n\n“If you take out 20 billion zloty from Poles’ pockets, and cut spending on health sector at the cost of people suffering from cancer and heart diseases, then you can get a balanced budget easily,” said Izabela Leszczyna, a member of parliament for the opposition centrist party Civic Platform (PO.\n\nDespite scandals that have plagued the PiS in recent weeks, it still leads in opinion polls. Whether it could form a government - alone or in a coalition - would depend on the mix of parties that win seats in the election.\n\nThe newest poll conducted by Indicator pollster for state TV said on Tuesday that PiS could earn 41% of votes, PO 29%, leftist Lewica 11%, and coalition of agrarian party PSL and anti-system Kukiz’15 6%.\n\nIn a reaction to the news on the balanced budget, bond yields fell by seven basis points in the afternoon - mBank dealer, Mateusz Milewski explained that investors expected the government to issue less debt.\n\nPoland’s zloty currency did not react to the news. It is slightly positive, but the market is more focused on the global environment, Warsaw-based dealers said. At 15:08 Warsaw time euro was quoted at 4.366 zloty, up 0.1% on a day.\n\n(This story corrects to clarify timing of budget date in lead).", "WARSAW, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Poland's government plans to move its budget out of deficit in 2020 for the first time in 30 years, Rzeczpospolita daily said on Monday quoting sources close to the government.\n\nLast year's deficit totaled 10.8 billion zloty ($2.75 billion) despite hefty welfare handouts offered by the ruling nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party.\n\nWhen contacted by Reuters, the government spokesman declined to comment saying the decision over the 2020 budget is to be taken only on Tuesday.\n\nRzeczpospolita said the 2020 budget would receive injections from the sale of mobile phone frequencies, rights to CO2 emissions and cash connected with the country's pension system reform. Taken together, the steps will bring in 17.8 billion zloty.\n\nAnother 14.9 billion zloty will come from further improvements in tax collection, and 5.2 billion zloty from changes to social security system payments.\n\nHigher alcohol taxes are to bring in 1.1 billion zloty, new tax for millionaires another 1.1 billion zloty while changes to the ecological tax 1.4 billion, Rzeczpospolita said.\n\nThe government expects economic growth in the biggest post-communist European Union member country to slow to 3.7% next year from 5.1% this year.\n\nRzeczpospolita said that a balanced budget will be a positive factor for the ruling party in the ongoing election campaign. Poles are to vote for their representatives to the lower and upper houses of parliament in October.\n\nLast week, opinion polls showed a decline in support for the PiS after a series of scandals. A PiS parliament speaker resigned after being criticised for using a government jet for private flights with his family and a deputy justice minister resigned last week after a website reported that he sought to discredit judges critical of the government's judicial reforms by planting media rumours about their private lives.\n\nThe Polish zloty was almost unchanged at 4.3825 versus the euro in early trade, according to Refinitiv data.", "CALGARY, Alberta, Aug 27 (Reuters) - Canada's main oil-producing province Alberta said on Tuesday the budget deficit for the three months from April 1 to June 30, 2019, was C$835 million ($629 million), compared with a deficit of C$1.2 billion for the same period a year earlier, because of lower expenses.\n\nIt was the first fiscal update released by the new United Conservative Party government, which was elected in April, and did not include an update on the full-year budget deficit.\n\nAlberta's 2018-19 budget deficit for the financial year ending March 31 was C$6.7 billion, according to government figures released in June.", "[PDF] Download Below Zero Ebook | READ ONLINE \n\n \n\nFile Link => http://ebookcollection.space/?book=0735211965 \n\nDownload Below Zero read ebook Online PDF EPUB KINDLE \n\n \n\nBelow Zero pdf download \n\nBelow Zero read online \n\nBelow Zero epub \n\nBelow Zero vk \n\nBelow Zero pdf \n\nBelow Zero amazon \n\nBelow Zero free download pdf \n\nBelow Zero pdf free \n\nBelow Zero pdf Below Zero \n\nBelow Zero epub download \n\nBelow Zero online \n\nBelow Zero epub download \n\nBelow Zero epub vk \n\nBelow Zero mobi \n\nDownload Below Zero PDF - KINDLE - EPUB - MOBI \n\nBelow Zero download ebook PDF EPUB book in english language \n\n[DOWNLOAD] Below Zero in format PDF \n\nBelow Zero download free of book in format PDF \n\n#book #readonline #ebook #pdf #kindle #epub"], "summary": "Poland anounces a planned national budget with zero deficit for the first time in 30 years."}
{"document": ["For the first time in history, a Russian Soyuz spacecraft linked up with the International Space Station without a human in the driver's seat.\n\nCalled Soyuz MS-14, the unpiloted spacecraft docked at the space station late Tuesday (Aug. 26), parking itself at a port on the aft end of the outpost's Russian Zvezda service module. It was the second attempt by Soyuz MS-14 to dock at the station after a Saturday try ended with a surprise abort.\n\n\"The second time was the charm,\" NASA spokesperson Rob Navias during live commentary just after the Soyuz docked. \"A flawless approach.\" The space station was sailing 260 miles (418 kilometers) over eastern Mongolia when the Soyuz docked at at 11:08 p.m. EDT (0308 GMT).\n\nSoyuz MS-14 is the first Soyuz capsule to visit the space station without a human crew. Russian space officials launched the spacecraft on a test flight on Aug. 22 using an upgraded Soyuz 2.1a rocket, a booster typically used to fly robotic Progress cargo ships. Roscosmos wanted to test an uncrewed Soyuz capsule with the upgraded rocket before actual crewed launches begin in March 2020.\n\nVideo: Watch the Soyuz Docking Abort as It Happened\n\nRobot on board\n\nWhile there was no human crew onboard Soyuz MS-14, the spacecraft was by no means empty.\n\nRussia's space agency Roscosmos packed the spacecraft with 1,450 lbs. (658 kilograms) of food and other vital supplies to help keep the station crew stocked with the supplies. The centerpiece, however, is the humanoid Skybot F-850.\n\nRussia's space agency Roscosmos shows off the humanoid robt Skybot F-850 during tests on July 28, 2019 ahead of its launch on a Soyuz MS-14 spacecraft. (Image credit: Roscosmos)\n\nThe 6-foot-tall (1.8 meters) robot sat in the commander's seat on Soyuz MS-14 during launch and recorded all manner of conditions, such as forces and vibrations, to give engineers an idea of what humans would experience on Soyuz 2.1a launches. Cosmonauts on the space station will also test the robot in space to see how it could make the crew's life easier.\n\nEventually, Roscosmos envisions the robot could one day help explore the surface of another world.\n\nIn Photos: Russia's Humanoid Skybot Robot for Space\n\nAn abort redeemed\n\nImage 1 of 3 The Soyuz MS-14 spacecraft approaches the International Space Station during docking operations on Aug. 26, 2019. (Image credit: NASA TV) Image 2 of 3 The Soyuz MS-14 spacecraft approaches the International Space Station during docking operations on Aug. 26, 2019. (Image credit: NASA TV) Image 3 of 3 The Soyuz MS-14 spacecraft approaches the International Space Station during docking operations on Aug. 26, 2019. (Image credit: NASA TV)\n\nSunday's Soyuz docking comes after busy weekend of spacecraft shuffling aboard the International Space Station to make way for the MS-14 spacecraft. The spacecraft was originally scheduled to dock at the station's top-mounted Poisk module on Saturday, but a problem with the automated rendezvous system on the module forced Soyuz to abort.\n\nIn order to clear the Zvezda module docking port for Soyuz MS-14, Russian cosmonaut Alexander Skvortsov and two crewmates (Andrew Morgan of NASA and Luca Parmitano of the European Space Agency) moved their own Soyuz spacecraft — called Soyuz MS-13 — to the Poisk port. Skvortsov flew the Soyuz manually, avoiding the rendezvous system problems seen by Soyuz MS-14, which does not have a human crew to take manual control.\n\nVideo: Soyuz Can't Lock On to Space Station Docking Port\n\nSunday's Soyuz move set the stage for Monday's second docking attempt by Soyuz MS-14, which went off without a hitch. The spacecraft approached planned, locked on to the station and docked itself smoothly to the Zvezda module. Cameras on the space station caught dazzling views of Soyuz MS-14 as it flew around the station.\n\n\"Congratulations are in order,\" Russian flight controllers radioed station commander Alexey Ovchinin and his six-person Expedition 60 crew after the docking. \"You did a good job,\" another said.\n\nOvchini appeared to think it was just part of a job well done.\n\n\"We all did a good job,\" he said.\n\nThe comings and goings aren't finished yet at the space station. On Tuesday, a SpaceX Dragon cargo ship is scheduled to depart the space station and return to Earth. SpaceX launched the Dragon to the station on July 25 to deliver more than 5,000 lbs. (2,268 kilograms) of supplies for the Expedition 60 crew.\n\nThe Dragon resupply ship, which is on its third trip to the station, will be released from the outpost's robotic art at 10:42 a.m. EDT (1442 GMT) and return 2,700 pounds (1,225 kilograms) of science results and other gear to Earth. If all goes well, Dragon will splash down in the Pacific Ocean about 300 miles west of Long Beach, California to be retrieved later.\n\nYou can watch the Dragon ship's space station departure on Space.com Tuesday, Aug. 27. The webcast will begin at 10:15 a.m. EDT (1415 GMT).\n\nEmail Tariq Malik at tmalik@space.com or follow him @tariqjmalik. Follow us @Spacedotcom and Facebook.", "Roscosmos – the Russian space agency – launched its Soyuz MS-14 spacecraft on August 22, 2019, to the International Space Station (ISS). The mission was initially scheduled to dock at the station’s space-facing Poisk module on August 24, 2019. However, the spacecraft was commanded to back away when a malfunction of equipment on the ISS prevented it from locking on to the module. The spacecraft successfully carried out a second docking attempt on August 26. The Soyuz carries 1,450 pounds (658 kg) of cargo containing food and medical supplies, and equipment to aid scientific experiments. Plus it carries Skybot F-850 – a humanoid robot – that will be tested for its functional capabilities in microgravity. The ISS took to Twitter to confirm Soyuz MS-14’s arrival:\n\nThe spacecraft with its robot cargo is currently at the station’s Zvezda module; Zvezda is Russian for star.\n\nThe unmanned spacecraft lifted off without any hitches onboard the Soyuz 2.1a rocket booster from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. In addition to testing the humanoid robot Skybot, the mission also aims to assess the spacecraft’s new motion control and navigation systems. The spacecraft’s compatibility with the 2.1a rocket will also be studied since Roscosmos aims to use the rocket to launch Russian crews beginning in spring 2020.\n\nWatch the replay of Soyuz MS-14’s launch here\n\nAfter two smooth days into its journey, only when the spacecraft was within about 300 feet (100 meters) of its original target – the ISS’ Poisk module – on August 24 was the fault in the station’s telemetry detected. To ensure the safety to the crew aboard the ISS, the docking of Soyuz MS-14 was called off and the spacecraft moved a safe distance away.\n\nIn order to attempt docking a second time, the Russian cosmonauts manually detached the Soyuz MS-13 from the Zvezda module on August 26, 2019. This 25-minute long relocation of Soyuz MS-13 from the Zvezda module to the Poisk module opened up Zvezda for Soyuz MS-14, where it is currently latched on.\n\nBottom line: Russia’s Soyuz MS-14 spacecraft has docked safely at the station’s Zvezda module. It carries supplies for the crew and a humanoid robot.", "A Russian Soyuz MS-14 spacecraft successfully docked to the International Space Station (ISS) on Monday night, after it failed to go to its “parking spot” on August 24.\n\nThe uncrewed Soyuz MS-14 spacecraft, which had a humanoid robot on board, successfully attached to the space station’s Zvezda module at 11:08 p.m. EDT on August 26, NASA said in a press release. The Soyuz MS-14 spacecraft, which delivered 1,450 pounds of cargo, including the Skybot F-850 humanoid robot, to the Expedition 60 crew, will stay at the orbiting laboratory for 14 days.\n\n“The second time was the charm,” NASA spokesperson Rob Navias said during live commentary after the Soyuz MS-14 spacecraft docked at the space station. “A flawless approach.”\n\nUnlike other Soyuz capsules, the Soyuz MS-14 spacecraft is the first to visit the space station without human crew members, Space.com reported.\n\nOver the weekend, the Soyuz MS-14 spacecraft aborted its first docking attempt due to a potential issue with an amplifier of a navigation system on the space station.\n\nOn August 22, the Soyuz MS-14 spacecraft was sent on a test flight with an upgraded Soyuz 2.1 rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The test flight to the space station aims to monitor the spacecraft’s compatibility with the revamped Soyuz booster rocket. According to NASA, the Soyuz 2.1 booster features a new digital flight control system and upgraded engines. Starting next spring, the booster will be used to transport crews to the space station.", "MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 26th August, 2019) The manned spacecraft Soyuz MS-13 and its crew completed eventual redocking from the Zvezda module of the International Space Station (ISS) to the Poisk module, according to a broadcast conducted by Russian space agency Roscosmos on its website.\n\nThe maneuver was aimed at freeing up the docking port on the Zvezda module for a repeated attempt to dock the Soyuz MS-14 spacecraft with humanoid robot FEDOR inside, which is scheduled for 03.12 GMT on Tuesday. The Soyuz MS-14 failed to dock with the ISS on Saturday due to malfunction of a signal amplifier of the Kurs automated rendezvous system for the Poisk module's docking port.\n\nThe redocking was completed at 03.59 GMT.\n\nThe crew of the Soyuz MS-13 during the operation included Russian cosmonaut Alexander Skvortsov, Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano of the European Space Agency and NASA astronaut Andrew Morgan.\n\nThe operation to redock the spacecraft was carried out by Skvortsov in manual mode, and the crew was wearing the Sokol spacesuits for safety reasons.\n\nThe Soyuz MS-14 with humanoid robot Skybot F-850, nicknamed FEDOR, on board was successfully launched into space on Thursday. On Saturday, the spacecraft, however, failed to dock at the ISS on schedule and started retreating from the station. Later, the spacecraft was pulled to a safe distance from the ISS.\n\nApart from Skvortsov, Parmitano and Morgan, the ISS crew currently comprises Russian cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin and NASA astronauts Christina Koch and Nick Hague.", "KOROLYOV (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 27th August, 2019) Russia's Soyuz MS-14 spacecraft with humanoid robot Skybot F-850, nicknamed FEDOR, on board managed on Tuesday to dock at the International Space Station (ISS) on the second try, the Mission Control Center said.\n\n\"The docking has taken place,\" the Mission Control Center said.\n\nThe docking took place several minutes ahead of the schedule.\n\nOn Saturday, the Soyuz MS-14 spacecraft failed to dock at the ISS on schedule and was pulled to a safe distance from the station. According to a source in the space industry, the failure might have been caused by a possible malfunction of the Kurs docking system.\n\nThe robot, controlled by Russian cosmonaut Alexander Skvortsov with the help of a special suit that reads the operator's movements, will carry out several tasks at the ISS. Fedor is scheduled to return on September 7.", "Moscow: A Russian Soyuz spacecraft carrying a humanoid robot successfully docked with the International Space Station (ISS) on Tuesday following a failed attempt.\n\n\"The docking has taken place,\" said the Mission Control Centre.\n\nThe docking of Soyuz MS-14 spacecraft with the Russian Fedor, short for Final Experimental Demonstration Object Research, robot took place several minutes ahead of the schedule, it said.\n\nThe docking was rescheduled after a failed attempt on August 24.\n\nDuring the first attempt of docking, a fault occurred in the ISS equipment responsible for the safe approach and airlocking, and then the Mission Control Centre decided to withdraw the spacecraft to a safe distance to ensure the safety of the crew and the station.\n\nThe Soyuz MS-14 was launched on August 22 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, with the robot. Fedor is expected to remain at the station for 14 days, Efe news reported.\n\nThe Russian space agency, Roscosmos, has set up several experiments for Fedor, which the robot will report on its Twitter and Instagram account, before returning to Earth.\n\nFedor`s trip into space was advertised with much fanfare in Russia and it is expected to return to the station in 2021.\n\nThe robot has also been chosen to pilot the new Russian spacecraft \"Federation\", whose launch has been postponed until 2022, and it could become the first to travel to the moon.\n\nThe ISS is currently manned by the Russians Alexsey Ovchinin and Alexander Skvortsov, Americans Andrew Morgan, Nick Hague and Christina Koch, and the Italian astronaut of the European Space Agency, Luca Parmitano.", "WASHINGTON: Russian spacecraft carrying humanoid robot successfully docked at International Space station (ISS) on Monday night (local time), confirmed National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).\n\nIt was the second attempt of the spacecraft--Soyuz MS-14. It is carrying the humanoid robot Skybot F-850, nicknamed as Fedor. It is a life-sized, artificially intelligent robot and the first humanoid robot sent to space by Russia.\n\n\"While flying about 250 miles above Eastern Mongolia, an uncrewed Soyuz MS-14 spacecraft successfully arrived and docked to the @Space_Station at 11:08 pm ET,\" said NASA in a statement.\n\nThe spacecraft first attempted to dock on ISS on Saturday but cosmonauts aborted the plan \"because of a problem on the station's side of the so-called KURS automated rendezvous system that prevented its automated docking\".\n\nSoyuz MS 14 was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Wednesday, August 21.\n\nFedor is due to stay on the ISS until September 7, learning to assist astronauts in the space station.", "The manoeuvre was aimed at freeing up the docking port on the Zvezda module for a repeated attempt to dock a Soyuz MS-14 spacecraft with humanoid robot FEDOR inside, scheduled for 03:12 GMT on Tuesday. The Soyuz MS-14 failed to dock with the ISS on Saturday due to a malfunction of a signal amplifier on the Kurs automated rendezvous system for the Poisk module's docking port.\n\nThe redocking was completed at 03:59 GMT.\n\nThe crew of the Soyuz MS-13 during the operation included Russian cosmonaut Alexander Skvortsov, Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano of the European Space Agency, and NASA astronaut Andrew Morgan.\n\nThe operation to redock the spacecraft was carried out by Skvortsov in manual mode, and the crew was wearing Sokol spacesuits for safety reasons.\n\nThe Soyuz MS-14 with humanoid robot Skybot F-850, nicknamed FEDOR, was successfully launched into space on Thursday. On Saturday, the spacecraft, however, failed to dock at the ISS on schedule and started retreating from the station. The spacecraft was later pulled to a safe distance from the ISS.\n\nApart from Skvortsov, Parmitano and Morgan, the ISS crew currently comprises Russian cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin and NASA astronauts Christina Koch and Nick Hague.", "A second attempt to dock a Russian Soyuz spacecraft carrying a Russian humanoid robot to the International Space Station (ISS) has been successful.\n\n \n\n “While the spacecraft were flying about 250 miles [400 kilometers] above Eastern Mongolia, an uncrewed Russian Soyuz spacecraft arrived and docked” at the ISS at 03:00 GMT on August 27, NASA said in a blog.\n\n \n\n \"Docking is registered,\" a commentator at Roscosmos’s mission control center in Korolyov, in the Moscow region, said, according to TASS news agency.\n\n \n\n The Soyuz MS-14 is carrying FEDOR, an experimental Russian robot, as well as supplies, following a failed docking attempt on August 24.\n\n \n\n The ISS port where the Soyuz MS-14 docked was freed before midnight on August 25 by a three-man crew aboard a Soyuz MS-13.\n\n \n\n The humanoid robot is scheduled to stay at the space laboratory until September 7 as it learns how to assist astronauts at the ISS.\n\n \n\n Russia hopes that future models of FEDOR, an acronym for the Final Experimental Demonstration Object Research, will be developed to carry out extravehicular activities.\n\n \n\n A General Motors-designed humanoid called Robonaut 2 made it to space in 2011 with the similar purpose of working in high-risk environments. It returned to Earth in 2018 after technical problems.\n\n \n\n Japan also sent the Toyota-developed Kirobo robot to space in 2013.\n\n \n\n The ISS has been orbiting Earth since 1998 at a speed of 28,000 kilometers per hour.\n\nBased on reporting by Reuters, AFP, and TASS", "MOSCOW: An unmanned spacecraft carrying Russia's first humanoid robot to be sent into orbit successfully docked at the International Space Station on Tuesday (Aug 27), following a failed attempt over the weekend, Moscow's space agency said.\n\nThe lifesize robot named Fedor - short for Final Experimental Demonstration Object Research - copies human movements, allowing it to help carry out tasks remotely.\n\n\"Contact confirmed, capture confirmed,\" a NASA commentator announced, while a statement on the website of Russian space agency Roscosmos also said the Soyuz MS-14 craft had managed to dock.\n\nOn NASA TV, which broadcast the event, the commentator praised the craft's \"flawless approach to the ISS\".\n\n\"Second time was a charm ... the crew is up to seven,\" he said, referring to the six humans already aboard the space station.\n\nThe craft blasted off Thursday from a Russian spaceport in southern Kazakhstan and is due to stay on the ISS until Sep 7, learning to assist astronauts there.\n\nSoyuz ships are normally manned on such trips, but this time no humans were travelling in order to test a new emergency rescue system.\n\nThe MS-14 was carrying 670kg of dry cargo including \"scientific and medical equipment, components for the life support system, as well as containers with food, medicines and personal hygiene products for crew members\", Roscosmos said.\n\nAn aborted attempt to dock on Saturday had increased uncertainty over the future of Russia's space programme, which has suffered a number of recent setbacks.\n\nLast October, a Soyuz rocket carrying an American and a Russian had to make an emergency landing shortly after lift-off - the first failure in the history of manned Russian flights.\n\nOn Saturday, NASA had said the Soyuz craft was \"unable to lock onto its target at the station\".\n\nRussian flight controllers had told the ISS crew it appeared the problem that prevented automated docking was in the station and not the Soyuz spacecraft, NASA added.\n\nFedor is not the first robot to go into space. In 2011, NASA sent up Robonaut 2, a humanoid developed with General Motors that had a similar aim of working in high-risk environments.\n\nIt was flown back to Earth in 2018 after experiencing technical problems.\n\nIn 2013, Japan sent up a small robot called Kirobo along with the ISS's first Japanese space commander. Developed with Toyota, it was able to hold conversations - albeit only in Japanese.\n\nThe International Space Station has been orbiting Earth at about 28,000kph since 1998."], "summary": "The uncrewed Soyuz MS-14 spacecraft successfully docks with the International Space Station on its second attempt, with the Zvezda module. The docking follows the failure of the automated systems aboard the Poisk module with which the spacecraft was originally intended to dock on 24 August. MS-14 carries supplies for the ISS, along with a humanoid robot named Fedor."}
{"document": ["SpaceX\n\nSpaceX’s Mars prototype spacecraft, Starhopper, has flown for the last time in an astonishing flight that it saw it hover 150 meters above the ground, as Elon Musk’s company moves ever close to reaching the Red Planet.\n\nThe historic flight took place today, Tuesday, August 27 at 5.02 P.M. local time from SpaceX’s Boca Chica test site in Texas, where Starhopper has been under development, after approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Here, the vehicle’s single methane-powered Raptor engine lifted Starhopper into the air, with the flight in total lasting 57 seconds before it landed back softly on its landing legs.\n\n\"One day Starship will land on the rusty sands of Mars,\" Musk tweeted after the flight.\n\nThis is the second flight for Starhopper, after a first last month that saw it “hop” about 20 meters above the ground. But this much higher flight showed off the capabilities of the vehicle even further, the successor of which SpaceX hopes will one day take humans to Mars.\n\nThis second flight, which was delayed from a first attempt yesterday, used the same Raptor engine that was used in the first hop, according to NasaSpaceFlight. A significant difference this time was that Starhopper did not just go up and down – it actually moved in the air and landed at a slightly to the side of where it took off from, proving it can maneuver while hovering.\n\nAbout ten minutes prior to the flight, locals were evacuated from the nearby Boca Chica Village in case there were any problems with the launch, which could have caused a shockwave that shattered nearby windows. Fortunately, there didn't turn out to be any problems.\n\nThe spacecraft gracefully took to the air after its engine roared to life, rising high above the ground before shimmying sideways and coming in for a gentle landing. As the smoke cleared the vehicle looked in good condition, and it will now be retired after a job well done.\n\nStarhopper, made of stainless steel, measures about 20 meters tall and nine meters across. It is a smaller version of a bigger vehicle SpaceX is developing called Starship, which will be 55 meters tall. This reusable spaceship is designed to carry up to 100 people into space, launching atop a large rocket also in development called Super Heavy.\n\nTogether, Starship and Super Heavy will use 41 of SpaceX’s innovative Raptor engines to reach space, with the potential for the engine to be refueled on other worlds such as Mars. SpaceX is currently busy building two early Starship vehicles and hopes to begin fully-fledged launches in the 2020s.\n\nStarhopper has been under construction since 2018, with these two tests now signaling a fairly rapid development of the vehicle. Today’s higher hop was designed to see just how well the vehicle could operate at altitude.\n\nSpaceX\n\nWhen Starship eventually starts launching, the idea is that it will be able to repeatedly launch and land at different locations, building on the success of the company's reusable Falcon boosters.\n\nProving this repeated launch and landing is possible is a major goal for SpaceX to show the possibilities of Starship and Super Heavy. The two could be used to transport people to different locations on Earth, according to Musk, as well as also taking people to space.\n\nUltimately, Musk has said both vehicles could replace his company’s existing fleet of Falcon rockets and Dragon spacecraft to carry satellites, cargo, and humans into space.\n\nFollowing this flight Starhopper will not fly again. However, it will live on; SpaceX plans to use it as a stand to test its Raptor engines in the future on the ground. The focus will now shift to the full Starship vehicles, one of which could take to the skies as early as next year.\n\nIf everything goes to plan, this grand Starhopper finale will herald a fascinating period in SpaceX's short history of a little over a decade. If it really can get Starship flying, building on the success of Starhopper, then Mars very well may be in reach.\n\nMusk says he will provide an update on SpaceX's progress with Starship in mid-September. And all will be watching with bated breath to see what comes next.", "SpaceX’s stubby rocket Starhopper shot into the air Tuesday afternoon in a test launch that brings Elon Musk’s company closer to his vision of human travel to Mars.\n\nThe test was Starhopper’s second and highest hop. The craft — a test vehicle for the Raptor engine that will be included in more sophisticated prototypes — was intended to fly about 500 feet in the air Tuesday.\n\nShortly after 5 p.m. CDT, the rocket spewed a stream of flame from its bottom as it flew into the air, rising above the cloud of smoke its launch created. It remained upright and gently drifted sideways as it climbed, peaked and descended, then touched down a short distance away from the launch site. The flight lasted about a minute. When the smoke cleared, Starhopper appeared intact.\n\nThe craft is set to be retired after Tuesday’s flight and cannibalized for parts as the company ramps up work on Starship, the rocket it hopes to send to Mars.\n\nAdvertisement\n\nLast month Starhopper made its first-ever flight, hovering for a number of seconds before landing back on the ground. That test was intended to reach an altitude of about 65 feet. In a July 25 tweet, SpaceX Chief Executive Musk called the flight successful and cheered that “water towers can fly,” a reference to the prototype’s squat, rounded appearance.\n\nSpaceX worked last year on Starhopper at its lesser-known Boca Chica facility in south Texas, before Musk announced work on the prototype at the end of the year and unveiled renderings in January.\n\nRenderings of the Starhopper prototype showed a bullet-shaped stainless steel tube. But in January, Musk tweeted that strong winds had damaged the nose cone. SpaceX decided not to bother making a replacement and instead to do tests without a nose cone, giving the rocket its stubby water tower appearance.\n\nMeanwhile, the Hawthorne company is building other, more complex prototypes of its Mars spaceship. SpaceX workers in Boca Chica and in Cocoa Beach, Fla., are building spaceship prototypes that will have at least three Raptor engines fueled by methane and liquid oxygen. The teams will be doing “simultaneous competing builds” at their respective sites to “see which location is most effective,” Musk tweeted in May. “Answer might be both,” he said.\n\nAdvertisement\n\nHe said last month that one of the prototypes could hopefully fly several thousand feet in a few months.\n\nSpaceX plans to eventually replace its workhorse Falcon 9 rocket, its newer Falcon Heavy rocket and its Dragon capsule with the Starship Mars spaceship and Super Heavy rocket booster.\n\nStarship is intended to carry as many as 100 passengers to the moon and Mars. Last September, the company announced that Japanese e-commerce billionaire Yusaku Maezawa would be the first paying customer to travel around the moon on the vehicle. Maezawa has said his flight will occur in 2023.\n\nMusk has not been shy about SpaceX’s goal of turning humans into a multiplanetary species to protect against any potential extinction on Earth. The company’s current revenue streams are decidedly more terrestrial in nature — satellite launches for commercial and government customers and supply runs for NASA to the International Space Station.\n\nSpaceX’s plans to reach Mars are a cornerstone of the company — employees recently wore shirts that read “Occupy Mars,” and the company’s online store started selling shirts that say, “Nuke Mars,” which refer to Musk’s Twitter musings on how to warm up the Red Planet.", "SpaceX launched its sub-scale Starship “hopper” spacecraft on a brief unpiloted up-and-down test flight at the company’s Boca Chica, Texas, test facility Tuesday, a dramatic demonstration of rocket technology intended to pave the way to a new, more powerful heavy lift booster and, eventually, crew-carrying interplanetary spacecraft.\n\nRunning a day late because of a last-second technical glitch, the squat Starhopper’s powerful methane-fueled Raptor engine thundered to life at 6:02 p.m. EDT, pushing the stubby test vehicle straight up into a clear blue sky atop a jet of flame and a churning cloud of exhaust.\n\nA drone’s eye view of SpaceX’s Starhopper test vehicle blasting off from the company’s Boca Chica, Texas, test facility. SpaceX\n\nThe spacecraft, shaped a bit like R2-D2 from the “Star Wars” movies, appeared to reach its FAA-approved 492-foot (150-meter) altitude limit, moved sideways and slowly descended to an on-target touchdown at a nearby landing pad. The approximately one-minute flight was the rocket’s second “untethered” test following a July jump to an altitude of about 65 feet.\n\nSoaring to an altitude of about 500 feet, the Starhopper test vehicle slewed sideways before descending. SpaceX\n\nThe hardware SpaceX is testing is intended for a fully reusable two-stage vehicle featuring a powerful first stage, dubbed the Super Heavy Rocket, and the winged Starship.\n\nAfter an approximately one-minute flight, the test vehicle safely landed. SpaceX\n\nThe hopper is a sub-scale version of the Starship’s propulsion system, the first to utilize a SpaceX-designed Raptor engine burning cryogenic methane with liquid oxygen.\n\nSpaceX said the new booster-Starship system eventually will replace the company’s Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets as well as the Cargo and Crew Dragon capsules used to deliver supplies and, eventually, astronauts to the International Space Station.\n\n“SpaceX’s Starship and Super Heavy Rocket are designed to deliver satellites to Earth orbit and beyond, at a lower marginal cost per launch than our current Falcon vehicles,” the company says on its website.\n\nWith a 30-foot-wide payload compartment, the Starship will be able to launch larger payloads to Earth orbit than current rocket systems and deliver crews and supplies to the space station, the company says, adding that in the long term, Starship also will be able to deliver crews and cargo to the moon and, eventually, Mars.\n\nSpaceX founder Elon Musk has said the company’s “aspirational goal” is to launch an initial cargo mission to Mars in 2022, followed by a crewed flight as early as 2024. Musk is expected to deliver an update on the rocket’s development soon and those targets could change.", "Aug. 27 (UPI) -- After an aborted attempt earlier this week, SpaceX's Starhopper test vehicle completed its highest flight yet Tuesday, taking off and landing at a launch site on the Texas coast.\n\nIn less than 2 minutes, the vehicle rose nearly 500 feet into the air, traveled to a landing pad 328 feet away and descended, landing in an upright position.\n\nThe Starhopper is the test prototype for SpaceX's Starship, a fully reusable second stage and space vehicle that will be integrated into the company's BFR \"Super Heavy\" rocket. Once in space, Starship will be used to launch and land from other planets and satellites -- from the moon to Mars, for example.\n\nSpaceX attempted to launch the Starhopper on Monday, but officials aborted the test flight after the craft's methane-burning Raptor rocket engine failed to ignite.\n\nSpaceX CEO Elon Musk said on Twitter that a wiring problem inside the engine's igniter was to blame for the engine failure.\n\n\"Raptor uses dual redundant torch igniters,\" Musk tweeted. \"Better long-term, but more finicky in development.\"\n\nThe test site from which the Starhopper launched is adjacent to Boca Chica Village, Texas, a small town 20 miles east of Brownsville. Residents were warned that a malfunction during the test flight could trigger an overpressure event strong enough to blow out windows in nearby homes.\n\nThe warning advised residents to go outside during the test flight.\n\n\"At a minimum, you must exit your home or structure and be outside of any building on your property....to avoid or minimize the risk of injury,\" officials warned residents, according to the Brownsville Herald.\n\nStarhopper made its initial untethered flight, rising 65 feet into the air, last month. Flaming debris from that flight ignited brush fires the scored 100 acres in South Texas' Las Palomas Wildlife Management Refuge.\n\nTuesday's test flight will be the last for this particular prototype. Later this year, SpaceX will begin testing larger prototypes at suborbital heights.", "Aug. 27 (UPI) -- SpaceX will once again attempt to launch its Starhopper test vehicle. Monday's test flight was aborted after the craft's methane-burning Raptor rocket engine failed to ignite.\n\nSpaceX CEO Elon Musk said on Twitter that a wiring problem inside the engine's igniter was to blame for the engine failure.\n\n\"Raptor uses dual redundant torch igniters,\" Musk tweeted. \"Better long-term, but more finicky in development.\"\n\nTuesday's attempt is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. ET. The launch will be streamed live online by several different sources.\n\nThe Starhopper is the test prototype for SpaceX's Starship, a fully reusable second stage and space vehicle that will be integrated into the company's BFR \"Super Heavy\" rocket. Once in space, Starship will be used to launch and land from other planets and satellites -- from the moon to Mars, for example.\n\nIf all goes as planned, Tuesday's test flight will see the vehicle ascend to 492 feet before executing a controlled descent to a landing pad 328 feet away.\n\nThe test site from which the Starhopper will launch is adjacent to Boca Chica Village, Texas, a small town 20 miles east of Brownsville. Residents were warned that a malfunction during the test flight could trigger an overpressure event strong enough to blow out windows in nearby homes.\n\nThe warning advised residents to go outside during the test flight. According to the written warning, a siren will sound ten minutes prior to the launch.\n\n\"At a minimum, you must exit your home or structure and be outside of any building on your property....to avoid or minimize the risk of injury,\" officials warned residents, according to the Brownsville Herald.\n\nStarhopper made its initial untethered flight, rising just 65 feet into the air, last month. Flaming debris from that flight ignited brush fires the scored 100 acres in South Texas' Las Palomas Wildlife Management Refuge.\n\nTuesday's test flight will be the last for this particular prototype. Later this year, SpaceX will begin testing larger prototypes at suborbital heights.", "This afternoon, a prototype of SpaceX’s next generation rocket took to the skies for a second time in south Texas, reaching a height of a small skyscraper before landing back on Earth. The flight demonstrated the vehicle’s ability to take off and land in a controlled manner, and it paves the way for more aggressive testing of the vehicle’s design in the months ahead.\n\nThe test, commonly referred to as a “hop” test, marked the highest flight yet of SpaceX’s prototype, nicknamed “Starhopper.” Equipped with one main engine, the vehicle flew for the first time on July 25th, but it only got about 60 feet (18 meters) off the ground, and the entire scene was shrouded in plumes of exhaust. Today, Starhopper provided a more impressive sight when it took off from SpaceX’s test site in Boca Chica, Texas, slowly climbing to its target altitude of around 500 feet (150 meters). Once there, the vehicle hovered in the air a full minute, before using its engine to land gently back down on the ground.\n\nthe vehicle hovered in the air a full minute\n\nStarhopper’s tests are supposed to evaluate the design and hardware that’ll be used on the company’s future Starship rocket, a monster spaceship that SpaceX is developing to send people and cargo to deep space destinations like the Moon and Mars. Towering around 180 feet (55 meters) tall, Starship is meant to launch from Earth on top of a giant rocket booster called Super Heavy. When it reaches other worlds, the vehicle will land upright with its onboard engines, similar to how SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rockets land on the ground today. It’s also supposed to take off again from these distant destinations to return to Earth.\n\nOn these test flights, SpaceX has been testing a new engine called Raptor, which the company plans to use to power Starship. Starhopper has only been flying with one Raptor, but the final Starship design calls for the spaceship to have six Raptor engines. Three will be optimized to work best in our planet’s atmosphere at sea level, and the other three will be designed to work best in the vacuum of space.\n\nSoon, SpaceX will add more engines to its test flights. The company has been building two new prototype rockets: one in Boca Chica and another at a SpaceX facility in Cape Canaveral, Florida, near where the Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy fly. These two test vehicles are a bit more robust than the Starhopper, which was never meant to be a faithful replica of Starship. (The top portion of Starhopper also fell over during a particularly gnarly wind storm in Texas, and SpaceX opted not to replace it.)\n\nThe newer prototypes will be equipped with three engines each as well as grid fins for steering and better landing gear. The two are meant to perform a series of hop tests that could reach as high as 12 miles (20 kilometers) up in the months ahead. Eventually, SpaceX will fly prototypes that are supposed to achieve orbit during the first launches to space, once SpaceX finishes the Super Heavy booster. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk also noted that the two teams building these prototypes are in a friendly race to reach space first. However, the rules aren’t super strict, it seems. “A success by both in close proximity would be amazing & each would count as a win,” Musk tweeted in August.\n\nAfter performing just two hops, the Starhopper is officially being retired\n\nAfter performing just two hops, the Starhopper is officially being retired as SpaceX focuses on the next prototype rockets. Starhopper will become a souped-up engine test stand where SpaceX can ignite Raptor engines vertically to see how they perform, according to Musk.\n\nNow that this latest test is complete, Musk is poised to give an update on the Starship’s design and progress. Originally, he planned to give a talk at Boca Chica on August 24th, following the 500-foot flight. However, Musk pushed back the event after the Federal Aviation Administration was slow to approve Starhopper’s flight, forcing SpaceX to delay the test until Monday, August 26th. Musk recently suggested that the talk would occur as soon as mid-September, once the three raptor engines are attached to the Boca Chica test vehicle.", "In a video posted online, the SpaceX Starhopper vehicle, which shares some resemblance to an R2-D2 droid, successfully took off from a test site in Boca Chica, Texas, hopping to a 150-meter altitude and then automatically landing on a nearby pad. Cold gas thrusters helped the vehicle to stabilize itself as it moved towards the landing pad.\n\n​The vehicle on the video is the same Starhopper that conducted an 18-meter altitude test earlier in July, according to NasaSpaceflight’s Michael Baylor.\n\n​Before the test hop began, local residents were asked to relocate or at least step outside, because the Raptor engine could create a pressure wave that could potentially shatter windows. The test also warranted the closure of nearby roads between 2 pm and midnight – potentially giving SpaceX enough time for a second test.\n\n​The Raptor engines are designed for the upcoming BFR rocket which Musk hopes will take humans on their first mission to Mars. The booster alone is expected to have 35 Raptor engines, while the full stack is speculated to be up to 41 engines, if Musk’s July tweets are to be believed. In upcoming tests, SpaceX will test several Raptor engines at once, starting with three instead of just one, NasaSpaceflight says.", "Starhopper has hopped. On 27 August, SpaceX’s stubby spacecraft made its highest and longest flight yet from the firm’s Texas launchpad.\n\nThe spacecraft’s , in July, took it just about 18 metres in the air, but with this test it was planned to fly 150 metres up, hover, and move sideways before gently landing on nearby landing pad. SpaceX has not yet confirmed whether Starhopper reached the full 150 metre altitude, but the flight was clearly far higher than the previous test. It lasted nearly one minute from launch to landing.\n\nAfter the test flight, SpaceX CEO Musk tweeted “one day Starship will land on the rusty sands of Mars”. Starhopper is a prototype of SpaceX’s planned Starship spacecraft, which Musk has said the firm will use to send humans to Mars. Starship will be much larger than Starhopper, with six engines compared to the prototype’s single one.\n\nThis test was Starhopper’s last. Two teams in Texas and Florida are building bigger prototypes that are more similar to Starship, with three engines each and more robust landing gear. When those are finished, their test flights are planned to take them as high as 20 kilometres.", "SpaceX has completed a second low-altitude test flight of its ‘Starhopper’ demonstration prototype, which is being used to test technologies that will be used to build the full-scale next-generation SpaceX ‘Starship’ spacecraft. This test involved ‘hopping’ the Starhopper (hence the name, get it?) to a height of around 150m (or a little under 500 feet), the highest it’s flown so far, at a SpaceX test facility in Texas. After the hop, which lasted around 50 seconds (the GIF above is sped up 2X) it successfully navigated itself to a target landing pad a short distance away.\n\nThis is the second untethered test trip for the Starhopper, and will is intended to be its last, as SpaceX moves forward with construction of its Starship Mk I and Mk II prototypes, which is taking place currently and simultaneously at sites in Florida and Texas. Today’s attempt was the second try after a planned test yesterday was aborted at the last second, with SpaceX resetting and ensuring everything was in place for this longer hop, which lasted just under a minute.\n\nIn July, SpaceX ran its first untethered hop, which is designed to test the operation of the Raptor engine SpaceX is developing for Starship, along with other subsystems for use in the production Starship. That flew only for around 22 seconds, and attained a height of just 20 meters (a little over 65 feet).\n\nConstruction is currently in progress at both SpaceX’s Texas and Florida facilities on its full-scale Starship prototypes, which SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is ambitious will begin their own flight testing later this year, in perhaps as little as a few months. The larger prototypes, which should be closer to what will actually launch, will test more Raptor engines working together and aim to fly to higher altitudes, another key step as the company works towards a true first orbital test flight.\n\nUltimately, SpaceX is hoping to replace both Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy entirely with different configurations of Starship, which will help the company in terms of cost efficiency thanks to its fully reusable nature, and streamlining all of its rocket construction efforts around one type of vehicle.", "If you would like to see more articles like this please support our coverage of the space program by becoming a Spaceflight Now Member . If everyone who enjoys our website helps fund it, we can expand and improve our coverage further.\n\nSpaceX aborted an attempted flight Monday of the company’s Starhopper test rocket, a prototype for the company’s next-generation Starship vehicle. The hop test was to fly to a height of around 500 feet (150 meters) over SpaceX’s launch site at Boca Chica, Texas.\n\nSpaceX said teams could mount another attempt for the Starhopper test flight Tuesday."], "summary": "SpaceX executes a successful test of its Starhopper vehicle at Boca Chica. The vehicle was raised 150 metres (490 feet) into the air by its methane-fueled Raptor engine. The engine is planned for use on SpaceX's Starship vehicle – a crewed spacecraft capable of interplanetary flight."}
{"document": ["Bury fans have stepped up protests at Gigg Lane since last week\n\nBury have been expelled by the English Football League after a takeover bid from C&N Sporting Risk collapsed.\n\nThe League One club had been given until 17:00 BST on Tuesday to complete the deal, having been granted an extension to Friday's initial deadline.\n\nBury are the first team to drop out of the EFL since Maidstone's liquidation in 1992.\n\nLeague One will comprise 23 clubs for the rest of the season, with only three teams to be relegated.\n\n\"When the news broke at Gigg Lane, fans instantly let out a huge cry - for help, of disbelief,\" said BBC Radio Manchester's Mike Minay.\n\n\"Fans walked away in instant tears, some crouching down to the floor.\"\n\nEFL executive chair Debbie Jevans said it was \"one of the darkest days\" in the league's history, and added: \"I understand this will be a deeply upsetting and devastating time for Bury's players, staff, supporters and the wider community.\n\n\"There is no doubt today's news will be felt across the entire football family.\"\n\nBolton Wanderers, also of League One, have been given 14 days to avoid being expelled themselves, with their prospective takeover by Football Ventures (Whites) Limited still yet to go through.\n\nIn a statement on Monday, the club's administrators warned they were on the brink of liquidation, saying if they were unable to resurrect the move the club was \"not in a position to carry on trading\".\n\nHowever they said on Tuesday they would \"continue to work through the night\" to complete a deal, adding there would be another update \"as soon as possible\".\n\n'No-one wanted to be in this position'\n\nThe EFL had suspended each of Bury's first six fixtures this season, requesting evidence the Shakers could pay off creditors and had the funding to make it through the campaign.\n\nIn a statement at 23:05 BST on Tuesday, the league said it decided \"after a long and detailed discussion\" to withdraw Bury's EFL membership \"with enormous regret\".\n\n\"No-one wanted to be in this position but following repeated missed deadlines, the suspension of five league fixtures, in addition to not receiving the evidence we required in regard to financial commitments and a possible takeover not materialising; the EFL board has been forced to take the most difficult of decisions,\" Jevans said.\n\nBury were initially given until 23:59 BST on Friday to either provide the required information or find a buyer to take them over.\n\nWith the third-tier side effectively an hour from being thrown out of the EFL, owner Steve Dale told BBC Radio Manchester he had sold the club and they were set to survive.\n\nThat news subsequently secured them an extension until Tuesday to complete the deal, but C&N Sporting Risk quickly expressed concern it was still not enough time.\n\nAn estimated 300 volunteers turned up at the club's Gigg Lane home on Tuesday to help get the ground ready for Saturday's scheduled game against Doncaster Rovers, but their efforts were in vain.\n\nReacting to news of the Shakers' expulsion, Bury North MP James Frith was critical of the EFL and claimed there was a lack of consistency in how it has treated the situations at Bury and Bolton - allowing Bolton to play games but not Bury, for example.\n\n\"I'm angry. My head is in my hands. I feel Bury is the victim… and those left to pick up the pieces are the town and the community. Yes we will rise again and keep the faith but we shouldn't be at this point,\" he told BBC Radio 5 Live.\n\n\"We have to make this a moment in time for lower league football. We are just the latest victim of this. I have had clubs speak to me who are a default payment on a mortgage away from this.\"\n\nBury supporters cleaned the stadium in the hope that their game on Saturday would go ahead\n\nFounded in 1885 and first elected to the EFL nine years later, Bury were playing in what is now known as the Championship as recently as 1999 and have twice won the FA Cup.\n\nNo club has ever dropped out of the third tier before, and the Shakers also become the first FA Cup winners to have been expelled by the EFL.\n\nEngland women's manager Phil Neville, whose mother Jill resigned as Bury's club secretary last week, described their demise as an \"absolute disgrace\" on Friday.\n\nSupporters staged numerous protests in the build-up to the deadline, with former director Joy Hart handcuffing herself to a drainpipe outside their ground and a coffin reading 'RIP Bury FC 1885-?' was placed at the directors' entrance.\n\nGreater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham also wrote to EFL chief Jevans asking for the club to be granted more time \"given the urgency of Bury's plight\".\n\nHow did it come to this?\n\nAt the end of April, Bury were celebrating promotion back to the third tier of English football, but they were already enduring a torrid time off the pitch.\n\nThe club was already in financial trouble when Dale bought it for £1 in December from previous owner Stewart Day, with players and staff often being paid late.\n\nA winding-up petition filed against the club was adjourned three times before eventually being dismissed by the High Court on 31 July.\n\nBy then, creditors had approved a company voluntary arrangement (CVA) put forward by Dale, which was proposed to help settle some of their debts.\n\nThe CVA meant unsecured creditors, including HM Revenue & Customs, would be paid 25% of the money owed - but also triggered a 12-point deduction in the League One table under EFL rules.\n\nFurthermore, the EFL were unsatisfied Bury had given enough evidence of their financial viability, leading to a string of postponed fixtures while the organisation awaited \"the clarity required\".\n\nOn 9 August, the Shakers were given a 14-day deadline to provide the necessary information or face expulsion. That deadline expired at 23:59 BST on Friday.\n\nEmotions were running high as fans volunteered inside the stadium before being asked to leave\n\nHow will it impact the league structure?\n\nThe EFL had already outlined how it intended to balance the leagues if Bury were expelled:\n\nThe current League One season would be completed with 23 teams, with the number of relegation places reduced to three.\n\nFour teams will still be promoted from League Two this season, ensuring League One is rebalanced in 2020-21.\n\nOnly one team will be relegated from League Two, with two to be promoted from the National League as usual.\n\nWhat next for Bury?\n\nIt is not yet certain what will happen to Bury Football Club, its staff and players or the stadium.\n\nPaul Wilkinson was appointed manager on 2 July, but has not taken charge of a game.\n\nBefore Saturday's announcement, the EFL said if the Shakers were expelled the club would \"be free to make an application to the Football Association to rejoin league competition further down the English football pyramid from season 2020-21\".", "BURY, England (AP) — Bury, one of the oldest clubs in English soccer, has been expelled from the Football League after 125 years of membership following its failure to find a new owner.\n\nThe club from Greater Manchester had until Tuesday to provide evidence to the English Football League that it could meet its financial commitments, but was unable to after a takeover bid collapsed.\n\nThe EFL said that “having fully considered all available options, including a number of late expressions of interest provided to the EFL, the EFL board has unanimously determined with enormous regret that Bury’s membership be withdrawn.”\n\nBury is the first Football League club to be kicked out since Maidstone in 1992.\n\nThe team has been unable to play any of its first five games in the third-tier League One this season.\n\nLeague One will now comprise 23 teams for the remainder of the season and the number of relegation places will be reduced to three instead of four.\n\nDebbie Jevans, executive chair of the EFL, said “today is undoubtedly one of the darkest days in the league’s recent history” but added that the EFL “has to place the integrity of our competitions at the heart of every decision we make.”\n\nBury was founded in 1885, joined the Football League in 1894, and has won the FA Cup twice.\n\nMeanwhile, administrators running another financially stricken northwest team, Bolton Wanderers, have been given 14 days to either sell the club or prove they can fund them for the rest of the season.\n\nOtherwise, the EFL said Bolton’s membership will also be withdrawn.", "Bury have been expelled from the English Football League after a day of high drama that will almost certainly result in the 134-year-old club being liquidated.\n\nShakers owner Steve Dale had been given until 5pm on Tuesday to come up with a plan for paying the club's debts and funding them going forward or sell them to someone who can.\n\nIt had been hoped that C&N Sporting Risk would be the answer but the London-based firm pulled out of the deal 90 minutes before the deadline, citing concerns over the club's confusing debt structure.\n\nAnd then, just when all hope seemed lost, Dale claimed he had received three new bids for the club, prompting fans, politicians and pundits to call for more time to explore these options.\n\nBut shortly after 11pm last night, the league revealed its verdict.\n\nIn a statement, it said: \"Having fully considered all available options, including a number of late expressions of interest provided to the EFL, the EFL Board has unanimously determined with enormous regret that Bury’s membership be withdrawn.\n\n\"The EFL Board had maintained that there could be no further suspensions to the fixture list and that these ongoing concerns and the integrity of the competition were a significant factor in the decision.\n\n\"Recent events have highlighted how decisions taken at Bury FC over the last few seasons have caused the Club and individuals close to it significant financial distress and there are a number of matters which, in our view, will require further investigation.\n\n\"League One will now comprise of 23 Clubs for the remainder of the campaign and relegation places in the division reduced to three, which will result in a full complement of 24 Clubs in 2020/21.\n\n“A discussion will take place with EFL Clubs on the consequential impact in League Two when Clubs next meet in September 2019.\"\n\nEFL Executive chair, Debbie Jevans, added: “Today is undoubtedly one of the darkest days in the League’s recent history. The EFL has worked determinedly and tirelessly to avoid this outcome and it is with a heavy heart that this situation has been forced upon us.\n\n“The EFL has to place the integrity of our competitions at the heart of every decision we make, and we simply cannot allow this unacceptable situation to continue or countenance the prospect of postponing further fixtures.\n\n“I understand this will be a deeply upsetting and devastating time for Bury’s players, staff, supporters and the wider community. There is no doubt today’s news will be felt across the entire football family.\n\n“No one wanted to be in this position but following repeated missed deadlines, the suspension of five League fixtures, in addition to not receiving the evidence we required in regard to financial commitments and a possible takeover not materialising; the EFL Board has been forced to take the most difficult of decisions.”\n\nMeanwhile, another club in crisis, Bolton Wanderers, have been given 14 days to save themselves and avoid losing their Football League membership.\n\nThe Trotters were also given a 5pm deadline on Tuesday to solve an impasse in negotiations regarding the completion of a sale.\n\nHowever, despite further negotiations over the Bank Holiday weekend, the EFL have decided to lift the suspension on the notice of withdrawal, which was previously issued per the EFL’s insolvency policy when Bolton entered administration in May 2019.", "MANCHESTER, England: Bury, expelled from the Football League (EFL) on Tuesday after failing to provide guarantees about their finances, have no right of appeal against the decision, EFL Executive Chair Debbie Jevans said on Wednesday.\n\nBury, with 125 years membership of the Football League, became the first team to be expelled since Maidstone in 1992 after a takeover bid fell through just before a deadline to satisfy the EFL about their future.\n\n\"There’s no appeal process. It is within people’s rights to write to us, we await any correspondence, should it arrive,\" Jevans told reporters.\n\nC&N Sporting Risk pulled out of its proposed takeover of the League One (third-tier) side just a few hours before the deadline to meet the league’s requirements saying the club's finances were full of complications.\n\nJevans said she was upset that the EFL had to expel Bury but added that the process was now completed.\n\n\"Devastated, no other word for it. I understand what I’ve heard the fans say. It’s very sad,\" she said.\n\n\"But that decision was made, the share (in the EFL) has been revoked and is now with the EFL,\" she added.\n\nJevans said the EFL, which had postponed five league games and kicked Bury out of the EFL Cup, had no choice after extending their deadline to work with C&N on a potential deal.\n\n\"I don’t honestly know what more we could have done,\" she said.", "BURY BECAME THE first team to be expelled from the English Football League in over two decades after a takeover bid collapsed on Tuesday.\n\nThe two-time FA Cup winners, who only a few months ago were celebrating promotion to the third tier, lost all hope of salvation when a takeover bid fell apart shortly before the 5pm deadline.\n\nThe club from northwest England are the first to be expelled from the league — comprising all the divisions below the Premier League — since Maidstone United in 1992.\n\nBury’s historic rivals Bolton — one of the founders of the Football League but who have been in administration since May — won some breathing space on Tuesday when they were given 14 days to find a buyer.\n\nFor Bury, though, the bell has tolled on their time in the Football League, ending over 100 years of participation which yielded two FA Cups and produced players like former Manchester City and England great Colin Bell.\n\nIronically Bury, who become the first FA Cup winners to be ousted from the league, and Bolton were due to face each other in a televised live match on Sunday week.\n\nBury are the first team to be expelled from the third tier of English football. The remaining 23 teams will complete the season and only three instead of four teams will be relegated.\n\nA BBC journalist at the club’s Gigg Lane ground said that on hearing the news fans burst into tears with some so upset they were “crouching down to the floor”.\n\n“Today is undoubtedly one of the darkest days in the league’s recent history,” said EFL executive chair Debbie Jevans.\n\n“I understand this will be a deeply upsetting and devastating time for Bury’s players, staff, supporters and the wider community.”\n\nFour-time FA Cup winners Bolton, who were in the Premier League as recently as the 2011-2012 season, have been given more time to try and sort out the proposed takeover by a company called Football Ventures (Whites) Limited.\n\n“Despite repeated assurances, we are extremely disappointed that we are still not in a position to reach a successful resolution with the sale of Bolton Wanderers and have therefore taken the decision to lift the suspension on the notice of withdrawal,” said Jevans.\n\n“I again urge all parties to finalise the proposed takeover.”\n\nThe42 is on Instagram! Tap the button below on your phone to follow us!", "Bury FC have been expelled from the Football League following the collapse of a takeover deal, the English Football League has confirmed.\n\nEarlier in the day on Tuesday, C&N Sporting Risk pulled out of a deal to take over the cash-strapped League One side, which led to a 5pm deadline passing without new ownership.\n\nWith current owner Steve Dale unable to secure a buyer, the EFL announced that the \"EFL Board has unanimously determined with enormous regret that Bury’s membership be withdrawn.\"\n\nBury FC will depart the EFL after 134 years of continuous membership.\n\n“Today is undoubtedly one of the darkest days in the League’s recent history,\" EFL executive chair Debbie Jevans said in a statement.\n\n\"The EFL has worked determinedly and tirelessly to avoid this outcome and it is with a heavy heart that this situation has been forced upon us.\n\n“No one wanted to be in this position but following repeated missed deadlines, the suspension of five League fixtures, in addition to not receiving the evidence we required in regard to financial commitments and a possible takeover not materialising; the EFL Board has been forced to take the most difficult of decisions.”\n\nBury had seen all of their competitive fixtures postponed since winning promotion from League Two last season, with players and staff seeing their wages paid late.\n\nWith Bury's expulsion, League One will continue with 23 teams for the rest of the season and have three, rather than four teams relegated to ensure the league has its normal 24 teams for the 2020-21 season.\n\nMeanwhile another League One side, Bolton Wanderers, are set to experience a similar fate as Bury should they not solve their financial crisis in the next 14 days.\n\n“Despite repeated assurances, we are extremely disappointed that we are still not in a position to reach a successful resolution with the sale of Bolton Wanderers and have therefore taken the decision to lift the suspension on the notice of withdrawal,\" Jevans said. \"I again urge all parties to finalise the proposed takeover.\n\n“The reality of this action is that there are now 14 days to secure the Club’s long-term future, and I sincerely hope we can find a way through these challenging circumstances for the benefit of all those who have an association with the Club.”", "BOLTON have been given 14 days to complete a takeover or they will follow Bury being expelled from the Football League.\n\nThe Trotters failed to meet an EFL deadline to prove finances were in place to complete the League One season on Tuesday.\n\nNow they have been served final notice of the withdrawal of their membership of the EFL or they will be thrown out of the competition.\n\nThe last chance comes after Bury failed to complete their proposed takeover and were expelled from the league after 134 years in existence.\n\nBolton now have until 11.59pm on September 12 to revive a takeover by the Football Ventures group from owner Ken Anderson or they too will be thrown out.\n\nAnd the club's future is further in doubt with administrators now having to decide whether to begin the process of liquidating the business.\n\nA warning sent out last week threatened the closure of Bolton would begin this morning if no deal was in place.\n\nLittle progress has been made despite urgent talks behind the scenes, so it remains unclear of the liquidation process will begin today.\n\nWhat Does Bury And Potential Bolton expulsion Mean to EFL Promotion And Relegation? BOLTON have 14 days to complete a takeover or they will follow Bury being expelled from the EFL. The Shakers were thrown out of League One last night after their takeover collapsed - and the Trotters will follow suit unless Football Ventures or another group by complete the purchase from Ken Anderson. To see what that means to promotion and relegation in Leagues One and Two, CLICK HERE\n\nAn EFL statement said: \"Despite further exchanges with the Administrators over the course of the Bank Holiday weekend, and right up until today’s deadline of 5pm, a resolution to ongoing impasse in negotiations regarding a completion of sale at Bolton Wanderers has not yet been found.\n\n\"The EFL Board has therefore taken the decision to lift the suspension on the notice of withdrawal, which was issued as per the EFL’s insolvency policy when the Club entered administration in May 2019.\n\n\"As per the League’s Articles of Association, this will now give the Club 14 days (11.59pm on 12 September, 2019) to meet all outstanding requirements of the League’s insolvency policy or its membership in the EFL will be withdrawn.\n\n \"In respect of the situation at Bolton Wanderers, the administrators now have this period of time to successfully conclude a change of control with a preferred purchaser, or provide sufficient evidence that they are in a position to fund the Club for the remainder of the 2019/20 campaign.\"\n\nEFL Executive Chair, Debbie Jevans CBE, said: “Despite repeated assurances, we are extremely disappointed that we are still not in a position to reach a successful resolution with the sale of Bolton Wanderers and have therefore taken the decision to lift the suspension on the notice of withdrawal.\n\n\"I again urge all parties to finalise the proposed takeover.\n\n“The reality of this action is that there are now 14 days to secure the Club’s long-term future, and I sincerely hope we can find a way through these challenging circumstances for the benefit of all those who have an association with the Club.”", "London: Historic football club Bury on Tuesday became the first team to be expelled from the English Football League in over two decades after a takeover bid collapsed.\n\nThe two-time FA Cup winners, who only a few months ago were celebrating promotion to the third tier, lost all hope of salvation when a takeover bid fell apart shortly before the 1600 GMT deadline.\n\nThe club from northwest England are the first to be expelled from the league -- comprising all the divisions below the top-tier Premier League -- since Maidstone United in 1992.\n\nBury's historic rivals Bolton -- one of the founders of the Football League but who have been in administration since May -- won some breathing space on Tuesday when they were given 14 days to find a buyer.\n\nFor Bury, though, the bell has tolled on their time in the Football League, ending over 100 years of participation which yielded two FA Cups and produced players like former Manchester City and England great Colin Bell.\n\nIronically Bury, who become the first FA Cup winners to be ousted from the league, and Bolton were due to face each other in a televised live match on Sunday week.\n\nBury are the first team to be expelled from the third tier of English football. The remaining 23 teams will complete the season and only three instead of four teams will be relegated.\n\nA BBC journalist at the club's Gigg Lane ground said that on hearing the news fans burst into tears with some so upset they were \"crouching down to the floor\".\n\n\"Today is undoubtedly one of the darkest days in the league's recent history,\" said EFL executive chair Debbie Jevans.\n\n\"I understand this will be a deeply upsetting and devastating time for Bury's players, staff, supporters and the wider community.\"\n\nFour-time FA Cup winners Bolton, who were in the Premier League as recently as the 2011-2012 season, have been given more time to try and sort out the proposed takeover by a company called Football Ventures (Whites) Limited.\n\n\"Despite repeated assurances, we are extremely disappointed that we are still not in a position to reach a successful resolution with the sale of Bolton Wanderers and have therefore taken the decision to lift the suspension on the notice of withdrawal,\" said Jevans.\n\n\"I again urge all parties to finalise the proposed takeover.\"\n\nThe writing had been on the wall for Bury after a rollercoaster of a day for fans and employees alike, when C&N Sporting Risk withdrew their takeover bid offer to Steve Dale, who had bought the club last December for a single pound.\n\nC&N said in a statement they were \"unable to proceed\" with the bid and hinted that Bury's problems ran deep.\n\n\"We will be happy to work together with the EFL to share our findings to help them with their ongoing review of football governance,\" they said.\n\n\"It is essential for the long-term future of all members of the EFL and the broader football family.\"\n\nUnlike Bury, who had yet to play a match this season due to their financial uncertainty, Bolton had fulfilled most of their fixtures, albeit with a team made up of youngsters.\n\nHowever, having been close to a deal last Friday the plug was pulled on it, reportedly due to former owner Ken Anderson wanting assurances from the administrator that he would not be subject to repaying any more money once the club changed hands.\n\nFildraw, the family trust set up by Bolton's great benefactor during their Premier League years, the late Eddie Davies, would not agree to that condition as it has a charge of £10 million ($12.3 million) for debt.\n\nThe Bolton faithful collected round the statue of their most celebrated player, the late former England striker Nat Lofthouse, known as the \"Lion of Vienna\". Tuesday would have been his 94th birthday.\n\nGet the best of News18 delivered to your inbox - subscribe to News18 Daybreak. Follow News18.com on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and on YouTube, and stay in the know with what's happening in the world around you – in real time.\n\nSubscribe to Moneycontrol Pro and gain access to curated markets data, trading recommendations, equity analysis, investment ideas, insights from market gurus and much more. Get Moneycontrol PRO for 1 year at price of 3 months. Use code FREEDOM.", "BURY have been EXPELLED from the Football League after a takeover collapse ended the club's 125-year history.\n\nThe League One side had until 5pm on Tuesday to complete a deal with C&N Sporting Risk.\n\nBut in devastating news for all those involved with the club and football fans as a whole, an agreement could not be reached.\n\nBury - also known as The Shakers - are the first team to drop out of the EFL since Maidstone's liquidation in 1992.\n\nLeague One will now make up just 23 teams until the end of the season, and just three teams will be relegated.\n\nEFL executive chair Debbie Jevans said in a statement released at 11.05pm last night: \"Today is undoubtedly one of the darkest days in the league's recent history.\n\n\"The EFL has worked determinedly and tirelessly to avoid this outcome and it is with a heavy heart that this situation has been forced upon us.\n\n\"The EFL has to place the integrity of our competitions at the heart of every decision we make, and we simply cannot allow this unacceptable situation to continue or countenance the prospect of postponing further fixtures.\n\n\"I understand this will be a deeply upsetting and devastating time for Bury’s players, staff, supporters and the wider community.\n\n\"There is no doubt today’s news will be felt across the entire football family.\n\n\"No one wanted to be in this position but following repeated missed deadlines, the suspension of five League fixtures, in addition to not receiving the evidence we required in regard to financial commitments and a possible takeover not materialising; the EFL Board has been forced to take the most difficult of decisions.\"\n\nAn EFL statement read: \"Having fully considered all available options, including a number of late expressions of interest provided to the EFL, the EFL Board has unanimously determined with enormous regret that Bury’s membership be withdrawn.\n\n\"The EFL Board had maintained that there could be no further suspensions to the fixture list and that\n\n these ongoing concerns and the integrity of the competition were a significant factor in the decision.\n\n\"Recent events have highlighted how decisions taken at Bury FC over the last few seasons have caused\n\n the Club and individuals close to it significant financial distress and there are a number of matters which, in our view, will require further investigation.\"\n\nMeanwhile, Bolton Wanderers, who also face being kicked out, have been granted a further 14 days to sort out a takeover with Football Ventures.\n\nIn a separate statement, the EFL suspended the Trotters' withdrawal notice. The club have been in administration since May.\n\nJevans added: \"The reality of this action is that there are now 14 days to secure the club's long-term future.\"\n\nBury have been fighting financial problems for several years and were taken over by Steve Dale last December with the aim of saving them from going bust.\n\nDale bought the club for just £1 - but since then there have been a string of unpaid bills to companies while players and staff have also missed out on wages.\n\nAmid nerve-shredding financial uncertainty, Bury's first five games of the season were suspended.\n\nThe Shakers exit the game's third tier having not played a match all season.\n\nPlayer Stephen Dawson said he was on the verge of losing his house amid the financial crisis.", "Bury have been kicked out of the Football League in a move that is expected to spell the end for the 134-year-old club.\n\nLate on Tuesday night – despite a number of last-minute takeover offers – the EFL announced that the Shakers, twice winners of the FA Cup had become the first outfit since 1992 to be thrown out of the competition.\n\nBury had been given until 5pm on Tuesday to show that, under controversial owner Steve Dale they had the funds to pay off creditors and fund the rest of the season or complete a sale to the C&N Sporting Risk Group.\n\n1885 - Club is founded on April 24 through a merger between two church teams, the Bury Wesleyans and Bury Unitarians. Club leased plot of land on Gigg Lane on Earl of Derby's estate. 1887-88 - Bury enter the FA Cup for the first time. 1889 - Bury become foundation members of the Lancashire League. 1892 - The clubs wins the Lancashire Cup, beating Everton in the final. Before the match, chairman JT Ingham was reported to have roused the players by saying: 'We shall shake 'em. In fact, we are the Shakers!' The 1892 Lancashire Cup was the first of 11 such titles stretching to 2017-18. 1894 - The Shakers are admitted to the Football League. They win the Second Division title in 1894-95 by nine points, gaining promotion to the top tier. 1900 - Bury win the FA Cup, beating Southampton 4-0 in the final. 1903 - Club wins FA Cup again, downing Derby 6-0, having conceded no goals throughout the tournament. 1925 - Bury come fourth in the First Division - highest-ever top tier finish. 1929 - The club is relegated from the top level, and have not returned since. 1957 - Bury drop out of the Second Division for the first time. 1971 - For the first time, Bury are relegated to the fourth tier. 1997 - Two successive promotions under manager Stan Ternent lift Bury to the second tier for the first time in 30 years. 2001-02 - Financial problems linked to the collapse of ITV Digital take Bury into administration and close to folding. Supporters raises enough money for the club to survive. 2005 - Bury are first club to score 1,000 goals in each of top four leagues. 2012 - The Shakers have a transfer embargo placed on them after financial trouble due to poor attendances. 2018-19 - Bury finish second in League Two to win promotion. Businessman Steve Dale buys the club in December 2018 and pays an outstanding tax bill to avoid a winding-up order. But financial trouble returns in mid-2019.\n\nHowever, the proposed deal collapsed 90 minutes before the deadline and, following a lengthy board meeting and despite a flurry of late offers, the League One outfit was expelled.\n\nBury, promoted last term, had failed to play a fixture this season. In giving their reasons for the stunning move, the EFL said that they were unable to make any further suspensions to the fixture list and added that 'ongoing concerns and the integrity of the competition were a significant factor in the decision'.\n\nThe news has been met with dismay and anger from some of those involved in a number of bids which went in before the EFL's 5pm deadline on Tuesday. Some of those involved are intending to examine an appeal, Sportsmail understands.\n\nAs a result of Bury's expulsion, League One will consist of 23 clubs for the remainder of the campaign, with three teams relegated instead of four.\n\nDebbie Jevans CBE, the EFL's Executive Chair, said: 'Today is undoubtedly one of the darkest days in the League's recent history. The EFL has worked determinedly and tirelessly to avoid this outcome and it is with a heavy heart that this situation has been forced upon us. The EFL has to place the integrity of our competitions at the heart of every decision we make, and we simply cannot allow this unacceptable situation to continue or countenance the prospect of postponing further fixtures.\n\n'I understand this will be a deeply upsetting and devastating time for Bury's players, staff, supporters and the wider community. There is no doubt today's news will be felt across the entire football family.\n\n'No one wanted to be in this position but following repeated missed deadlines, the suspension of five League fixtures, in addition to not receiving the evidence we required in regard to financial commitments and a possible takeover not materialising; the EFL Board has been forced to take the most difficult of decisions.'\n\nMeanwhile, Bury's neighbours Bolton have been given 14 days to secure their own future. The founder members of the Football League have been unable to complete a takeover which would see the Football Venture group take control. That failure has prompted the EFL to lift the suspension on a 14-day withdrawal notice. However, it is understood that following the collapse of the deal over the weekend, those involved are back around the table and steps forward have been made. Sources close to the deal say they are 'cautiously confident' it will go through.\n\nJevans added: 'Despite repeated assurances, we are extremely disappointed that we are still not in a position to reach a successful resolution with the sale of Bolton Wanderers and have therefore taken the decision to lift the suspension on the notice of withdrawal. I again urge all parties to finalise the proposed takeover.\n\n'The reality of this action is that there are now 14 days to secure the club's long-term future, and I sincerely hope we can find a way through these challenging circumstances for the benefit of all those who have an association with the club.'\n\nResignations from the league had been reasonably commonplace prior to the Second World War but Accrington's was headline news. The original Accrington Stanley were members of the Football League between 1921 and 1962. Financial difficulties caused by the purchase of a new stand plunged them into severe trouble and they resigned from the Football League in March 1962 after a last-gasp rescue bid was rejected. The club spent four seasons in non-league before being disbanded. Stanley were reformed in their current guise in 1968. Founded in 1926, Aldershot FC were elected to the Football League in 1932 and stayed there until they went out of business on March 25, 1992 and had to resign from the league. The club had been in serious financial trouble for several years and mounting debts eventually became too much. Aldershot Town were founded immediately and competed in the league between 2008 and 2013, and are currently in the National League. Maidstone United became Football League members in 1989 but had spent outside their means in order to get there and, with their ground not up to scratch, they had to play at Dartford. The purchase of land in Maidstone backfired when planning permission for a new stadium was rejected and the club were liquidated on August 17, 1992 following the postponement of their first match of the season. A reformed club currently plays in National League South. Maidstone were the last club to go out of business while in the Football League but a number of former league clubs have folded since including Darlington, Rushden and Diamonds, Hereford United and Chester City. The latter were relegated from League Two in 2009 and wound up less than a year later in March 2010."], "summary": "English association football club Bury F.C., who were in EFL League One, are expelled from the English Football League (EFL) after a takeover bid to save the club collapses. Fellow EFL League One club and local rivals Bolton Wanderers F.C. are given an extra 14 days to avoid being expelled due to financial difficulty. EFL executive chair Debbie Jevans calls the expulsion of Bury F.C. \"one of the darkest days in the league's recent history\"."}
{"document": ["GAZA CITY (AFP) - Hamas said on Wednesday (Aug 28) that two overnight bombings killed three police officers in the Gaza Strip in what witnesses called suicide attacks as the Palestinian enclave was placed under a state of alert.\n\nWitnesses told AFP that both bombings were suicide attacks by assailants on motorbikes, but there was no official confirmation.\n\nA source familiar with the investigation said a Salafist movement in Gaza that sympathises with the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) group was suspected.\n\nHamas's interior ministry confirmed the three deaths, but spoke only of two \"bombings\" in Gaza City without providing details.\n\nIt said two of the police officers were 32 and the third was 45. Two separate police checkpoints were targeted, it said.\n\nAn investigation was under way as the authorities pledged to track down the \"masterminds\". Hamas leader Ismail Haniya sought to reassure Palestinians in the enclave of two million people.\n\n\"We assure our people that whatever these explosions are, they will be brought under control as with every previous event, and will not be able to undermine the stability and steadfastness of our people,\" he said in a statement.\n\nSuicide bombings are rare in the Gaza Strip.\n\nIn August 2017, a suicide bomber killed a Hamas guard in southern Gaza on the border with Egypt.\n\nHamas, itself an Islamist movement, has run the Gaza Strip since 2007 but has been regularly criticised by more radical Salafist groups in the impoverished, Israeli-blockaded coastal territory.\n\nThe Israeli military said it had not carried out any air raids overnight.\n\nThe bombings come at a sensitive time.\n\nIsrael and Hamas have fought three wars since 2008 and tensions have again risen between the two sides in recent weeks ahead of Israel's Sept 17 elections.\n\nIsrael's military on Tuesday bombed a Hamas military post after militants in the strip fired a mortar round across the border, the latest in a string of such incidents this month.\n\nOn Monday, Israel had launched air strikes against Hamas in response to rocket fire, while it also halved fuel deliveries to the enclave.\n\nThe punitive reduction in the flow of fuel to the strip's main power station means a cut in Gaza's already rationed electricity supply.\n\nThe incidents have threatened a fragile truce that had cooled several severe flare-ups between Hamas and Israel in recent months.\n\nBrokered by UN and Egyptian officials, the ceasefire also involves aid to the Gaza Strip from Qatar.\n\nIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is widely seen as wanting to avoid an escalation in Gaza before the polls due to the political risk involved, but he has faced calls for strong action from his electoral opponents.\n\nAs a result, there has been speculation in Israel that Hamas has turned a blind eye to recent rocket fire and infiltration attempts instead of preventing them in a bid to pressure Netanyahu into further concessions.\n\nHamas has not claimed responsibility for the recent cross-border incidents. Other militant groups, most prominently Islamic Jihad, also operate in the Gaza Strip.", "Islamic State fighters see themselves as part of a global jihadist movement, while Hamas is part of the Palestinian resistance to Israel. On the ground, the two groups have had violent clashes and political disagreements, most notably over Hamas’s relations with Egypt and control of smuggling tunnels on the border between Egypt and Gaza.\n\nIslamic State commanders, in turn, have criticized Hamas for engaging in talks with Egypt over control of the border between Egypt and Gaza, and have publicly invited Hamas members to defect to their group.\n\nIn July 2017, jihadists allied with Islamic State in Sinai participated in an attack on Egyptian security forces in Sinai. That came a year after the Islamic State had tried to scupper talks between Hamas and Egypt by closing off smuggling tunnels between Sinai and Gaza.\n\nHamas, which took over Gaza after a 2007 civil war with the forces of President Mahmoud Abbas, has clashed with the Israeli miliary as it seeks a loosening of the Israeli blockade of Gaza.\n\nA series of violent clashes and cease-fires has unfolded between the group and the Israeli military. In May, in some of the worst fighting in years, Palestinian militants launched about 250 rockets and mortar shells into southern Israel, and the Israeli military responded with airstrikes and tank fire against targets across the Palestinian territory\n\nMore than two dozen people — at least 22 Palestinians and four Israeli civilians — were killed, and homes and businesses were destroyed, in the fighting.\n\nIn March, Israel and Hamas exchanged rocket fire, with one striking the village of Mishmeret, about 20 miles north of Tel Aviv, the Israeli military said. Hamas neither confirmed nor denied that it had carried out the attack. Hours later, Israeli warplanes struck back at Hamas targets throughout the Gaza Strip.", "Hamas said Wednesday that two overnight bomb attacks killed three police officers in the Gaza Strip as the Palestinian enclave was placed under a state of alert.\n\nWitnesses told AFP that both bombings were suicide attacks by assailants on motorbikes, but there was no official confirmation.\n\nA source familiar with the investigation said a Salafist movement in Gaza that sympathises with Islamic State group jihadists was suspected.\n\nHamas's interior ministry confirmed the three deaths, but spoke only of two \"bombings\" in Gaza City without providing details.\n\nIt had earlier said two officers died in \"two explosions targeting police checkpoints\" late Tuesday night, before revising the toll to three.\n\nSuicide bombings are rare in the Gaza Strip.\n\nIn August 2017, a suicide bomber killed a Hamas guard in southern Gaza on the border with Egypt.\n\nHamas, itself an Islamist movement, has run the Gaza Strip since 2007 but has been regularly criticised by more radical Salafist groups in the impoverished, Israeli-blockaded coastal territory.", "GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) - Thousands of Palestinians are taking part in funerals of three Hamas policemen killed in rare bombings at Gaza City checkpoints the previous night.\n\nHamas's Interior Ministry said on Wednesday that investigations were ongoing, but an officer close to the probe said a suicide bomber was involved in one of the blasts that had targeted two checkpoints.\n\nHamas' security service was investigating whether the other also involved a suicide bomber. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to talk to reporters.\n\nThe militant Hamas group hasn't identified possible perpetrators, but the bombings bear the hallmarks of extremists influenced by the Islamic State group.\n\nHamas, which has run Gaza since 2007, has fought several rounds of bloody fighting with radical Salafists. However, these were the first coordinated bombings at Hamas-run checkpoints.\n\nMourners chant angry slogans as they carry the body of Palestinian Hamas police officer, Wael Khalifa, 45, in the family home, during his funeral in the Buriej refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2019. Khalifa and two other Hamas police officers were killed in explosions that ripped through police checkpoints in Gaza City overnight, Hamas' interior ministry said. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)\n\nMembers of the Hamas police force carry the body of Palestinian Hamas police officer, Wael Khalifa, 45, during his funeral in the Buriej refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2019. Khalifa and two other Hamas police officers were killed in explosions that ripped through police checkpoints in Gaza City overnight, Hamas' interior ministry said. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)\n\nRelatives mourn the death of Palestinian Hamas police officer, Wael Khalifa, 45, in the family home, during his funeral in the Buriej refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2019. Khalifa and two other Hamas police officers were killed in explosions that ripped through police checkpoints in Gaza City overnight, Hamas' interior ministry said. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)\n\nRelatives mourn over the body of Palestinian Hamas police officer, Wael Khalifa, 45, in the family home, during his funeral in the Buriej refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2019. Khalifa and two other Hamas police officers were killed in explosions that ripped through police checkpoints in Gaza City overnight, Hamas' interior ministry said. (AP Photo/Khalil Hamra)", "Hamas said Wednesday that two overnight bombings killed three police officers in the Gaza Strip in what witnesses called suicide attacks as the Palestinian enclave was placed under a state of alert.\n\nWitnesses told AFP that both bombings were suicide attacks by assailants on motorbikes, but there was no official confirmation.\n\nA source familiar with the investigation said a Salafist movement in Gaza that sympathises with the Islamic State group was suspected.\n\nHamas's interior ministry confirmed the three deaths, but spoke only of two \"bombings\" in Gaza City without providing details.\n\nIt said two of the police officers were 32 and the third was 45. Two separate police checkpoints were targeted, it said.\n\nAn investigation was underway as authorities pledged to track down the \"masterminds.\"\n\nHamas leader Ismail Haniya sought to reassure Palestinians in the enclave of two million people.\n\n\"We assure our people that whatever these explosions are, they will be brought under control as with every previous event, and will not be able to undermine the stability and steadfastness of our people,\" he said in a statement.\n\nSuicide bombings are rare in the Gaza Strip.\n\nIn August 2017, a suicide bomber killed a Hamas guard in southern Gaza on the border with Egypt.\n\nHamas, itself an Islamist movement, has run the Gaza Strip since 2007 but has been regularly criticised by more radical Salafist groups in the impoverished, Israeli-blockaded coastal territory.\n\nThe Israeli military said it had not carried out any air raids overnight.\n\nThe bombings come at a sensitive time.\n\nIsrael and Hamas have fought three wars since 2008 and tensions have again risen between the two sides in recent weeks ahead of Israel's September 17 elections.\n\nIsrael's military on Tuesday bombed a Hamas military post after militants in the strip fired a mortar round across the border, the latest in a string of such incidents this month.\n\nOn Monday, Israel had launched air strikes against Hamas in response to rocket fire, while it also halved fuel deliveries to the enclave.\n\nThe punitive reduction in the flow of fuel to the strip's main power station means a cut in Gaza's already rationed electricity supply.\n\nThe incidents have threatened a fragile truce that had cooled several severe flare-ups between Hamas and Israel in recent months.\n\nBrokered by UN and Egyptian officials, the ceasefire also involves aid to the Gaza Strip from Qatar.\n\nIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is widely seen as wanting to avoid an escalation in Gaza before the polls due to the political risk involved, but he has faced calls for strong action from his electoral opponents.\n\nAs a result, there has been speculation in Israel that Hamas has turned a blind eye to recent rocket fire and infiltration attempts instead of preventing them in a bid to pressure Netanyahu into further concessions.\n\nHamas has not claimed responsibility for the recent cross-border incidents. Other militant groups, most prominently Islamic Jihad, also operate in the Gaza Strip.", "Hamas said Wednesday that two overnight bombings killed three police officers in the Gaza Strip in what witnesses called suicide attacks as the Palestinian enclave was placed under a state of alert.\n\nWitnesses told AFP that both bombings were suicide attacks by assailants on motorbikes, but there was no official confirmation.\n\nA source familiar with the investigation said a Salafist movement in Gaza that sympathises with the Islamic State group was suspected.\n\nHamas's interior ministry confirmed the three deaths, but spoke only of two \"bombings\" in Gaza City without providing details.\n\nIt said two of the police officers were 32 and the third was 45. Two separate police checkpoints were targeted, it said.\n\nAn investigation was underway as authorities pledged to track down the \"masterminds.\"\n\nHamas leader Ismail Haniya sought to reassure Palestinians in the enclave of two million people.\n\n\"We assure our people that whatever these explosions are, they will be brought under control as with every previous event, and will not be able to undermine the stability and steadfastness of our people,\" he said in a statement.\n\nSuicide bombings are rare in the Gaza Strip.\n\nIn August 2017, a suicide bomber killed a Hamas guard in southern Gaza on the border with Egypt.\n\nHamas, itself an Islamist movement, has run the Gaza Strip since 2007 but has been regularly criticised by more radical Salafist groups in the impoverished, Israeli-blockaded coastal territory.\n\nThe Israeli military said it had not carried out any air raids overnight.\n\nThe bombings come at a sensitive time.\n\nIsrael and Hamas have fought three wars since 2008 and tensions have again risen between the two sides in recent weeks ahead of Israel's September 17 elections.\n\nIsrael's military on Tuesday bombed a Hamas military post after militants in the strip fired a mortar round across the border, the latest in a string of such incidents this month.\n\nOn Monday, Israel had launched air strikes against Hamas in response to rocket fire, while it also halved fuel deliveries to the enclave.\n\nThe punitive reduction in the flow of fuel to the strip's main power station means a cut in Gaza's already rationed electricity supply.\n\nThe incidents have threatened a fragile truce that had cooled several severe flare-ups between Hamas and Israel in recent months.\n\nBrokered by UN and Egyptian officials, the ceasefire also involves aid to the Gaza Strip from Qatar.\n\nIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is widely seen as wanting to avoid an escalation in Gaza before the polls due to the political risk involved, but he has faced calls for strong action from his electoral opponents.\n\nAs a result, there has been speculation in Israel that Hamas has turned a blind eye to recent rocket fire and infiltration attempts instead of preventing them in a bid to pressure Netanyahu into further concessions.\n\nHamas has not claimed responsibility for the recent cross-border incidents. Other militant groups, most prominently Islamic Jihad, also operate in the Gaza Strip.", "Image copyright Reuters Image caption Hamas said security forces were pursuing those behind the bombings\n\nHamas is arresting suspected jihadist activists in Gaza, which the militant Islamist movement controls, after what a security source said were suicide bomb attacks on two police posts.\n\nThree police officers were killed in the attacks, which are thought to have been carried out by extremists with links to the Islamic State (IS) group.\n\nGaza's interior ministry declared a state of emergency after the bombings.\n\nHamas leader Ismail Haniya vowed to hold those responsible to account.\n\nThe bombings would \"not be able to undermine the stability and steadfastness of our people\", he added.\n\nImage copyright AFP Image caption Hamas security forces deployed hundreds of personnel on main roads across Gaza\n\nAccording to reports from Gaza, two police officers were killed in Tuesday night's first attack, in which a motorcycle exploded as it approached a checkpoint.\n\nA second, similar, attack less than an hour later killed another police officer.\n\nIsraeli military sources immediately denied that they had launched any operations in Gaza and suspicion fell on Salafist jihadist factions, who have periodically challenged Hamas' authority in the Palestinian territory.\n\nImage copyright AFP Image caption A state of emergency was declared following the bombings\n\nHamas recently released several prisoners from detention, as a gesture of goodwill, including some members of militant groups affiliated with IS.\n\nThe BBC understands that at least one of the suspected bombers had been previously detained and was one of those recently released.\n\nThe BBC's Wyre Davies in Jerusalem says these rare attacks are embarrassing for Hamas and could be interpreted as a renewed effort by Salafist jihadists to confront the group.", "Hamas said Wednesday that two overnight bomb attacks killed three police officers in the Gaza Strip as the Palestinian enclave was placed under a state of alert\n\nGaza City, Palestinian Territories, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 28th Aug, 2019 ) :Hamas said Wednesday that two overnight bomb attacks killed three police officers in the Gaza Strip as the Palestinian enclave was placed under a state of alert.\n\nWitnesses told AFP that both bombings were suicide attacks by assailants on motorbikes, but there was no official confirmation.\n\nA source familiar with the investigation said a Salafist movement in Gaza that sympathises with Islamic State group jihadists was suspected.\n\nHamas's interior ministry confirmed the three deaths, but spoke only of two \"bombings\" in Gaza City without providing details.\n\nIt had earlier said two officers died in \"two explosions targeting police checkpoints\" late Tuesday night, before revising the toll to three.\n\nSuicide bombings are rare in the Gaza Strip.", "Hamas said Wednesday that two overnight bombings killed three police officers in the Gaza Strip in what witnesses called suicide attacks as the Palestinian enclave was placed under a state of alert.\n\nWitnesses told AFP that both bombings were suicide attacks by assailants on motorbikes, but there was no official confirmation.\n\nA source familiar with the investigation said a Salafist movement in Gaza that sympathises with the Islamic State group was suspected.\n\nHamas's interior ministry confirmed the three deaths, but spoke only of two \"bombings\" in Gaza City without providing details.\n\nIt said two of the police officers were 32 and the third was 45. Two separate police checkpoints were targeted, it said.\n\nAn investigation was underway as authorities pledged to track down the \"masterminds.\"\n\nHamas leader Ismail Haniya sought to reassure Palestinians in the enclave of two million people.\n\n\"We assure our people that whatever these explosions are, they will be brought under control as with every previous event, and will not be able to undermine the stability and steadfastness of our people,\" he said in a statement.\n\nSuicide bombings are rare in the Gaza Strip.\n\nIn August 2017, a suicide bomber killed a Hamas guard in southern Gaza on the border with Egypt.\n\nHamas, itself an Islamist movement, has run the Gaza Strip since 2007 but has been regularly criticised by more radical Salafist groups in the impoverished, Israeli-blockaded coastal territory.\n\nThe Israeli military said it had not carried out any air raids overnight.\n\nThe bombings come at a sensitive time.\n\nIsrael and Hamas have fought three wars since 2008 and tensions have again risen between the two sides in recent weeks ahead of Israel's September 17 elections.\n\nIsrael's military on Tuesday bombed a Hamas military post after militants in the strip fired a mortar round across the border, the latest in a string of such incidents this month.\n\nOn Monday, Israel had launched air strikes against Hamas in response to rocket fire, while it also halved fuel deliveries to the enclave.\n\nThe punitive reduction in the flow of fuel to the strip's main power station means a cut in Gaza's already rationed electricity supply.\n\nThe incidents have threatened a fragile truce that had cooled several severe flare-ups between Hamas and Israel in recent months.\n\nBrokered by UN and Egyptian officials, the ceasefire also involves aid to the Gaza Strip from Qatar.\n\nIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is widely seen as wanting to avoid an escalation in Gaza before the polls due to the political risk involved, but he has faced calls for strong action from his electoral opponents.\n\nAs a result, there has been speculation in Israel that Hamas has turned a blind eye to recent rocket fire and infiltration attempts instead of preventing them in a bid to pressure Netanyahu into further concessions.\n\nHamas has not claimed responsibility for the recent cross-border incidents. Other militant groups, most prominently Islamic Jihad, also operate in the Gaza Strip.", "Hamas said Wednesday that two overnight bombings killed three police officers in the Gaza Strip in what witnesses called suicide attacks as the Palestinian enclave was placed under a state of alert.\n\nWitnesses told AFP that both bombings were suicide attacks by assailants on motorbikes, but there was no official confirmation.\n\nA source familiar with the investigation said a Salafist movement in Gaza that sympathises with the Islamic State group was suspected.\n\nHamas’s interior ministry confirmed the three deaths, but spoke only of two “bombings” in Gaza City without providing details.\n\nIt said two of the police officers were 32 and the third was 45. Two separate police checkpoints were targeted, it said.\n\nAn investigation was underway as authorities pledged to track down the “masterminds.”\n\nHamas leader Ismail Haniya sought to reassure Palestinians in the enclave of two million people.\n\n“We assure our people that whatever these explosions are, they will be brought under control as with every previous event, and will not be able to undermine the stability and steadfastness of our people,” he said in a statement.\n\nSuicide bombings are rare in the Gaza Strip.\n\nIn August 2017, a suicide bomber killed a Hamas guard in southern Gaza on the border with Egypt.\n\nHamas, itself an Islamist movement, has run the Gaza Strip since 2007 but has been regularly criticised by more radical Salafist groups in the impoverished, Israeli-blockaded coastal territory.\n\nThe Israeli military said it had not carried out any air raids overnight.\n\nThe bombings come at a sensitive time.\n\nIsrael and Hamas have fought three wars since 2008 and tensions have again risen between the two sides in recent weeks ahead of Israel’s September 17 elections.\n\nIsrael’s military on Tuesday bombed a Hamas military post after militants in the strip fired a mortar round across the border, the latest in a string of such incidents this month.\n\nOn Monday, Israel had launched air strikes against Hamas in response to rocket fire, while it also halved fuel deliveries to the enclave.\n\nThe punitive reduction in the flow of fuel to the strip’s main power station means a cut in Gaza’s already rationed electricity supply.\n\nThe incidents have threatened a fragile truce that had cooled several severe flare-ups between Hamas and Israel in recent months.\n\nBrokered by UN and Egyptian officials, the ceasefire also involves aid to the Gaza Strip from Qatar.\n\nIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is widely seen as wanting to avoid an escalation in Gaza before the polls due to the political risk involved, but he has faced calls for strong action from his electoral opponents.\n\nAs a result, there has been speculation in Israel that Hamas has turned a blind eye to recent rocket fire and infiltration attempts instead of preventing them in a bid to pressure Netanyahu into further concessions.\n\nHamas has not claimed responsibility for the recent cross-border incidents. Other militant groups, most prominently Islamic Jihad, also operate in the Gaza Strip."], "summary": "Hamas says that on Tuesday night, three Palestinian police officers were killed and several wounded in two separate suicide attacks on police checkpoints. ISIL's affiliate in Gaza, the Sheikh Omar Hadid Brigade, are the suspected perpetrators."}
{"document": ["A Palestinian man was arrested while attempting to enter a West Bank military court with a pipe bomb, the police announced Wednesday.\n\nAccording to a statement, Border Police officers arrested the man at the Samaria Military Court in the village of Salem. A bomb squad neutralized the explosive device and the unnamed suspect was detained and interrogated, police said.\n\nThe Samaria Military Court has been the site of repeated pipe bombing attempts over the years. Most recently, in late May, a Palestinian man was caught trying to smuggle two pipe bombs into the court by hiding them under his shirt.\n\nGet The Times of Israel's Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Free Sign Up"], "summary": "Border Police announce they have detained an unnamed man who tried to bring a pipe bomb into Samaria Military Court in Salim, Nablus, on the West Bank."}
{"document": ["Image copyright EPA Image caption Roads in the city of Saga were flooded due to the heavy rain\n\nThree people are reported to have died as heavy rains pound south-western Japan\n\nAuthorities have asked almost one million people to evacuate, warning \"unprecedented\" levels of rain fall could cause the flooding of rivers, trigger landslides and submerge houses.\n\n\"It is a situation where you should do your best to protect your lives,\" the weather agency said.\n\nJapan's southern island of Kyushu has seen weeks of heavy winds and rain.\n\nAuthorities there had initially issued a level five warning - the highest - and advised more than 800,000 people to leave their homes.\n\nImage copyright Reuters Image caption In Takeo, Saga prefecture, roads, houses and cars were flooded\n\nTwo people are reported to have been drowned in their cars while another man was swept away while escaping from his trapped car.\n\n\"We are seeing unprecedented levels of heavy rains in cities where we issued special warnings,\" Yasushi Kajiwara of the Japan Meteorological Agency had warned.\n\nLater on Wednesday, the flood warning was downgraded but meteorologists said the danger was not over, and torrential rain may hit the same areas later in the day.\n\nEvacuation orders and advisories are not mandatory yet authorities urge people to heed them and seek safety.\n\nThe rain affected the prefectures of Fukuoka, Saga and Nagasaki.\n\nEarlier this summer, Kyushu had already been hit by heavy rain, leading to evacuation advisories for more than one million people.\n\nLast July about 200 people died in western Japan in the country's worst flooding disaster in decades.\n\nIt was the highest death toll caused by rainfall in Japan since 1982.", "TWO PEOPLE HAVE been killed following heavy rains in southwest Japan, prompting flood and landslide warnings and orders for 670,000 people to seek safety.\n\nNearly a million more people were advised to leave their homes after the country’s weather agency raised the alert to its highest level for parts of northern Kyushu.\n\nThe emergency warning is issued “if there is a significant likelihood of catastrophes”.\n\nOfficials confirmed the two deaths, one of which occurred in the western Saga prefecture, where a man was found in a car that had been swept away.\n\nA second man died in Fukuoka as he tried to escape from a car trapped in rising floodwaters.\n\nGovernment spokesman Yoshihide Suga said that a third person, also in Saga, was in a state of “cardiorespiratory arrest” – a term usually employed by Japanese officials to indicate a person’s death before it has been officially confirmed by a doctor.\n\n“There are many reports of damage in different areas due to flooding of rivers, landslides, and submerged houses, and there is a possibility of serious damage occurring in the coming hours,” Suga added.\n\nThe fire and disaster management agency said it had already received multiple reports of flooded houses in Saga and Nagasaki.\n\n“We are seeing unprecedented levels of heavy rains in cities where we issued special warnings,” a spokesman for the Japan Meteorological Agency told reporters.\n\n“It is a situation where you should do your best to protect your lives,” weather agency official Yasushi Kajiwara said.\n\nTelevision footage showed rivers swollen by the rain and parked cars sitting in muddy brown water nearly up to the vehicles’ roofs.\n\nSmall landslides have already been reported.\n\nJapanese authorities regularly urge people to take evacuation orders seriously, particularly after heavy rains last summer in the west of the country killed more than 200 people.\n\nMany of the deaths were blamed on the fact that evacuation orders were issued too late and some people failed to follow them.\n\nEntire neighbourhoods were buried beneath landslides or submerged in floodwaters during the disasters.", "At least two people have died and more than a million have been told to flee their homes after record-breaking rains hit southern Japan Wednesday.\n\nEvacuation orders were issued for almost 850,000 on the island of Kyushu after torrential rains hit around 5am Wednesday, with people advised to leave their homes due to 'a significant likelihood of catastrophes'.\n\nThe orders were issued after a man in his 50s died near the city of Takeo, in Saga prefecture, after his car was swept away by floodwaters shortly after 5am.\n\nA second man in his 70s was also confirmed dead in the city of Yame, around 40 miles from Takeo, where he died trying to escape a flooded car.\n\nA third person, a woman, was feared dead after authorities said she was found in a state of 'cardiac respiratory arrest' after her car was swept into a water channel.\n\nGovernment spokesman Yoshihide Suga said: 'There are many reports of damage in different areas due to flooding of rivers, landslides, and submerged houses, and there is a possibility of serious damage occurring in the coming hours.'\n\nEvacuation orders and advisories issued by local authorities are not mandatory, although officials urge residents to heed them.\n\nThe fire and disaster management agency said it had already received multiple reports of flooded houses in Saga and Nagasaki prefectures.\n\n'We are seeing unprecedented levels of heavy rains in cities where we issued special warnings,' a spokesman for the Japan Meteorological Agency told reporters.\n\n'It is a situation where you should do your best to protect your lives,' weather agency official Yasushi Kajiwara said.\n\nHe also urged those living in areas currently under evacuation advisories to act quickly.\n\n'Please don't wait,' he said.\n\nThe JMA's emergency warnings affect areas in Saga, Fukuoka and Nagasaki, where the severe weather has also disrupted transport, forcing the suspension of some train services and some road closures.\n\nTelevision footage showed rivers swollen by the rain and parked cars sitting in muddy brown water nearly up to the vehicles' roofs.\n\nSmall landslides have already been reported.\n\nAt a station in Saga, stranded passengers sat on benches with water around their ankles.\n\nJapanese authorities regularly urge people to take evacuation orders seriously, particularly after disastrous heavy rains last summer in Japan's west killed more than 200 people.\n\nMany of the deaths were blamed on the fact that evacuation orders were issued too late and some people failed to follow them.\n\nEntire neighbourhoods were buried beneath landslides or submerged in floodwaters during the disasters.", "Two people were confirmed dead on Wednesday as heavy rains pounded southwest Japan, prompting flood and landslide warnings, and orders for 670,000 people to seek safety.\n\nNearly a million more people were advised to leave their homes after the country’s weather agency raised the alert to its highest level for parts of northern Kyushu.\n\nThe emergency warning is issued “if there is a significant likelihood of catastrophes”.\n\nOfficials confirmed two deaths, one in western Saga prefecture where a man was found in a car that had been swept away. A second man died in Fukuoka as he tried to escape from a car trapped in rising floodwaters.\n\nGovernment spokesperson Yoshihide Suga said a third person, in Saga, was in a state of “cardiorespiratory arrest” — a term usually used by Japanese officials to indicate a person’s death before it is officially confirmed by a doctor.\n\n“There are many reports of damage in different areas due to flooding of rivers, landslides, and submerged houses, and there is a possibility of serious damage occurring in the coming hours,” Suga added.\n\nEvacuation orders and advisories issued by local authorities are not mandatory, although officials urge residents to heed them.\n\nThe fire and disaster management agency said it had already received multiple reports of flooded houses in Saga and Nagasaki prefectures.\n\n“We are seeing unprecedented levels of heavy rains in cities where we issued special warnings,” a spokesman for the Japan Meteorological Agency told reporters.\n\n“It is a situation where you should do your best to protect your lives,” weather agency official Yasushi Kajiwara said.\n\nHe also urged those living in areas currently under evacuation advisories to act quickly.\n\nThe JMA’s emergency warnings affect areas in Saga, Fukuoka and Nagasaki, where the severe weather has also disrupted transport, forcing the suspension of some train services and some road closures.\n\nTelevision footage showed rivers swollen by the rain and parked cars sitting in muddy brown water nearly up to the vehicles’ roofs.\n\nSmall landslides have already been reported.\n\nAt a station in Saga, stranded passengers sat on benches with water around their ankles.\n\nJapanese authorities regularly urge people to take evacuation orders seriously, particularly after disastrous heavy rains last summer in Japan’s west killed more than 200 people.\n\nMany of the deaths were blamed on the fact that evacuation orders were issued too late and some people failed to follow them. Entire neighbourhoods were buried beneath landslides or submerged in floodwaters during the disasters.\n\nFor more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.", "Japanese authorities on Wednesday issued a rare evacuation order for 240,000 people in the country's southwest over flood and landslide fears, as officials confirmed a man was killed in heavy rains.\n\nThe evacuation orders came after the Japan Meteorological Agency issued its highest-level alert for several parts of the northern Kyushu region.\n\nThe alert is issued \"if there is a significant likelihood of catastrophes\" and is activated once a disaster is declared, ordering people to take measures to protect their lives.\n\nNearly a million more people are under a lower-level evacuation advisory over the heavy rains.\n\nEvacuation orders and advisories are issued by local authorities but are not mandatory even though officials urge residents to heed them.\n\nThe fire and disaster management agency said it had already received multiple reports of houses flooded in Saga prefecture and officials were working to confirm details of the damage.\n\n\"We are seeing unprecedented levels of heavy rains in cities where we issued special warnings,\" the Japan Meteorological Agency added in a hastily organised press conference Wednesday morning.\n\n\"It is a situation where you should do your best to protect your lives,\" weather agency official Yasushi Kajiwara said.\n\nHe also urged those currently facing evacuation advisories to act before the warning was upgraded further.\n\n\"Please don't wait,\" he said.\n\nThe JMA's emergency warnings affect areas in Saga, Fukuoka and Nagasaki in northern Kyushu, where the rains have already killed one person.\n\nA Saga official confirmed to AFP a man was found dead in his car on Wednesday after being swept away by floodwaters.\n\nThe severe weather has also disrupted transport, with train services partially suspended in parts of northern Kyushu and some roads closed.\n\nFootage on local television showed rivers swollen by rainwater and parked cars surrounded by muddy brown water rising nearly up to the vehicles' roofs.\n\nIn some parts of the affected area, small landslides have already been reported.\n\nInside Saga station, stranded passengers were sat on benches with water around their ankles.\n\nJapanese authorities regularly urge people to take evacuation orders seriously, particularly after disastrous heavy rains last summer in Japan's west killed more than 200 people.\n\nMany of the deaths were blamed on the fact that evacuation orders were issued too late and some people failed to follow them. Entire neighbourhoods were buried beneath landslides or submerged in floodwaters during the disasters.\n\nGet the best of News18 delivered to your inbox - subscribe to News18 Daybreak. Follow News18.com on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and on YouTube, and stay in the know with what's happening in the world around you – in real time.\n\nSubscribe to Moneycontrol Pro and gain access to curated markets data, trading recommendations, equity analysis, investment ideas, insights from market gurus and much more. Get Moneycontrol PRO for 1 year at price of 3 months. Use code FREEDOM.", "Torrential rains have triggered floods and landslides in southwest Japan, killing at least two people and prompting authorities to order more than 900,000 people to leave their homes, while another million were advised to move to safety, reports said.\n\nThe country's weather agency raised the alert to its highest level on Wednesday for parts of the southern island of Kyushu, the third largest of Japan's five main islands.\n\nThe emergency warning is issued \"if there is a significant likelihood of catastrophes\".\n\nOfficials confirmed two deaths to the AFP news agency, one in western Saga prefecture where a man was found in a car that had been swept away.\n\nA second man died in Fukuoka as he tried to escape from a car trapped in rising floodwaters.\n\nMore than twice the usual rainfall for the whole of August has fallen over parts of Kyushu over the past 48 hours, washing away roads, causing rivers to burst their banks and forcing the suspension of train services.\n\nGovernment spokesman Yoshihide Suga said a third person in Saga was in a state of \"cardiorespiratory arrest\".\n\n\"There are many reports of damage in different areas due to flooding of rivers, landslides and submerged houses, and there is a possibility of serious damage occurring in the coming hours,\" Suga added.\n\nWeather agency official Yasushi Kajiwara said the areas issued special warnings were experiencing \"unprecedented levels of heavy rains\".\n\n\"It is a situation where you should do your best to protect your lives,\" he said.\n\nKajiwara also urged those living in areas currently under evacuation advisories to act quickly. \"Please don't wait,\" he warned.\n\nMore than 900,000 people were ordered to evacuate, national broadcaster NHK said, while Japan's Fire and Disaster Management Agency said just over a million others were advised to leave their homes.\n\nThe agency said it received multiple reports of flooded houses in Saga and Nagasaki prefectures.\n\nEvacuation orders and advisories issued by local authorities are not mandatory, although officials urge residents to heed them.\n\nThe Ground Self Defense Force - Japan's military - said it had deployed about 100 troops for disaster relief after a request from Saga prefecture. Public transport and businesses were affected.\n\nAt least 155 people died in July last year when torrential rains swept across western Japan, including the prefectures of Hiroshima and Okayama, in the worst flood-related disaster in three decades.", "Two dead as Japan orders 670,000 to flee heavy rains\n\nTOKYO: Two people were confirmed dead on Wednesday as heavy rains pounded southwest Japan, prompting flood and landslide warnings and orders for 670,000 people to seek safety.\n\nNearly a million more people were advised to leave their homes after the country's weather agency raised the alert to its highest level for parts of northern Kyushu.\n\nThe emergency warning is issued \"if there is a significant likelihood of catastrophes\".\n\nOfficials confirmed two deaths, one in western Saga prefecture where a man was found in a car that had been swept away. A second man died in Fukuoka as he tried to escape from a car trapped in rising floodwaters.\n\nGovernment spokesman Yoshihide Suga said a third person, in Saga, was in a state of \"cardiorespiratory arrest\" -- a term usually employed by Japanese officials to indicate a person's death before it is officially confirmed by a doctor.\n\n\"There are many reports of damage in different areas due to flooding of rivers, landslides, and submerged houses, and there is a possibility of serious damage occurring in the coming hours,\" Suga added.\n\nEvacuation orders and advisories issued by local authorities are not mandatory, although officials urge residents to heed them.\n\nFor those leaving after such warnings, government shelters are available, and some choose to stay with friends and family as well.\n\nThe fire and disaster management agency said it had already received multiple reports of flooded houses in Saga and Nagasaki prefectures.\n\n\"We are seeing unprecedented levels of heavy rains in cities where we issued special warnings,\" a spokesman for the Japan Meteorological Agency told reporters.\n\n\"It is a situation where you should do your best to protect your lives,\" weather agency official Yasushi Kajiwara said.\n\nHe also urged those living in areas currently under evacuation advisories to act quickly.\n\nIn Saga, a mother wearing a life vest in a rescue boat told public broadcaster NHK she had been saved from the floodwaters.\n\n\"I was so scared as I have a little child. I'm worried there could be worse damage because there's an ongoing power outage,\" she said.\n\nElsewhere, a man in a shelter in Saga said he was sleeping as the floodwater entered his home.\n\n\"When I woke up, water surged to my feet,\" he told NHK. \"I've never seen anything like this. It's important to evacuate early.\"\n\nThe JMA's emergency warnings affect areas in Saga, Fukuoka and Nagasaki, where the severe weather has also disrupted transport, forcing the suspension of some train services and some road closures.\n\nTelevision footage showed rivers swollen by the rain and parked cars sitting in muddy brown water nearly up to the vehicles' roofs.\n\nSmall landslides have already been reported.\n\nAt a station in Saga, stranded passengers sat on benches with water around their ankles.\n\nA woman living near an overflowing river said she had been woken by the sound of heavy rain and a warning alarm on her phone indicating a disaster alert.\n\n\"This is very rare. Rice fields and other places are flooded. It's like a sea,\" she told NHK.\n\nJapanese authorities regularly urge people to take evacuation orders seriously, particularly after disastrous heavy rains last summer in Japan's west killed more than 200 people.\n\nMany of the deaths were blamed on the fact that evacuation orders were issued too late and some people failed to follow them. Entire neighbourhoods were buried beneath landslides or submerged in floodwaters during the disasters.", "Two people were confirmed dead on Wednesday as heavy rains pounded southwest Japan, prompting flood and landslide warnings and orders for 870,000 people to seek safety.\n\nMore than a million more people were advised to leave their homes after the country's weather agency raised the alert to its highest level for parts of northern Kyushu.\n\nThe emergency warning is issued \"if there is a significant likelihood of catastrophes\".\n\nOfficials confirmed two deaths, one in western Saga prefecture where a man was found in a car that had been swept away. A second man died in Fukuoka as he tried to escape from a car trapped in rising floodwaters.\n\nGovernment spokesman Yoshihide Suga said a third person, in Saga, was in a state of \"cardiorespiratory arrest\" - a term usually employed by Japanese officials to indicate a person's death before it is officially confirmed by a doctor.\n\n\"There are many reports of damage in different areas due to flooding of rivers, landslides, and submerged houses, and there is a possibility of serious damage occurring in the coming hours,\" Suga added.\n\nEvacuation orders and advisories issued by local authorities are not mandatory, although officials urge residents to heed them.\n\nFor those leaving after such warnings, government shelters are available, and some choose to stay with friends and family as well.\n\nThe fire and disaster management agency said it had already received multiple reports of flooded houses in Saga and Nagasaki prefectures.\n\n\"We are seeing unprecedented levels of heavy rains in cities where we issued special warnings,\" a spokesman for the Japan Meteorological Agency told reporters.\n\n\"It is a situation where you should do your best to protect your lives,\" weather agency official Yasushi Kajiwara said.\n\nHe also urged those living in areas currently under evacuation advisories to act quickly.\n\nThe weather agency issued its highest warning for heavy rain early morning, before downgrading it mid-afternoon.\n\nStill, the agency said heavy rain was likely to continue in western Japan, with high risks of landslides and flooding.", "An emergency warning has been issued by Japan's meteorological agency to residents of Kyushu after the southern island suffered record levels of rain early on Wednesday that threatened to cause landslides, floods and other natural disasters.\n\nPublic broadcaster NHK said one man was found without vital signs in a car that appeared to have been washed away in Saga prefecture, where some areas were hit with rainfall of more than 100mm in an hour.\n\nThe weather agency said parts of northern Kyushu were experiencing torrential rains only seen once in a few decades and assigned the highest alert level of 5.", "Japan’s meteorological agency issued an emergency warning to residents of Kyushu as the southern island suffered record levels of rain early on Wednesday that threatened to cause landslides, floods and other natural disasters.\n\nPublic broadcaster NHK said one man was killed when his car was washed away in Saga prefecture, where some areas were hit with more than 100 mm (4 inches) of rainfall in an hour.\n\nTelevision footage showed cars with their tyres underwater and people wading knee-deep in flooded streets after several rivers broke their banks.\n\nAbout 240,000 residents of Fukuoka, Nagasaki and Saga prefectures in northern Kyushu have been ordered to evacuate, Kyodo news reported.\n\nThe weather agency said parts of northern Kyushu were experiencing torrential rains only seen once in a few decades. It assigned the highest alert level of 5."], "summary": "Three people are killed amidst heavy rains in southwestern Japan. Authorities ask almost one million people to evacuate, warning \"unprecedented\" levels of rainfall could cause the flooding of rivers, trigger landslides, and submerge houses."}
{"document": ["The Aviation Herald Last Update: Tuesday, Sep 10th 2019 19:44Z\n\n24767 Articles available\n\nEvents from Jun 19th 1999 to Sep 9th 2019 www.avherald.com Incidents and News in Aviation List by: Filter: Accident: Rovos Rail CVLP at Pretoria on Jul 10th 2018, engine problem\n\nBy Simon Hradecky, created Wednesday, Aug 28th 2019 14:31Z, last updated Wednesday, Aug 28th 2019 14:33Z South Africa's Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) released their final report concluding the probable causes of the accident were:\n\n\n\nProbable Cause/s\n\n\n\nDuring take-off, the left engine caught fire and the crew continued with the flight without securing the left engine as prescribed in the aircraft flight manual (AFM). The crew declared an emergency and attempted to return to the aerodrome, however, they lost control of the aircraft and collided with power lines prior to crashing into a factory building.\n\n\n\nContributory Factors:\n\n\n\n- Pre-existing damage to the cylinder No 13 piston and ring pack deformation and, most probably, the cylinder No 7’s fractured exhaust valve head that were not detected during maintenance of the aircraft.\n\n\n\n- Substandard maintenance for failing to conduct compression tests on all cylinders during the scheduled maintenance prior to the accident.\n\n\n\n- Misdiagnosis of the left engine manifold pressure defect as it was reported twice prior to the accident.\n\n\n\n- The crew not aborting take-off at 50kts prior to reaching V1; manifold pressure fluctuation was observed by the crew at 50kts and that should have resulted in an aborted take-off.\n\n\n\n- Lack of crew resource management; this was evident as the crew ignored using the emergency checklist to respond to the in-flight left engine fire.\n\n\n\n- Lack of recency training for both the PF and PM, as well as the LAME.\n\n\n\n- Non-compliance to Civil Aviation Regulations by both the crew and the maintenance organisation.\n\n\n\nThe SACAA analysed that neither pilot was licensed to operate a South Africa registered Convair 340/440. The pilot flying was validated only to fly single engine aircraft, however, no multiengine aircraft, the pilot monitoring was licensed to fly multi engine aircraft, however, was not type rated on the Convair until later (however, this was not added to his license).\n\n\n\nThe Licensed Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (LAME) was properly certified to conduct maintenance on Convair 340/440 aircraft. The SACAA stated however:\n\n\n\nThere were no records to indicate when last the LAME had undergone a recurrent training/competency check as required by Part 145.01.11 of the Civil Aviation Regulations. The Aircraft Maintenance Organisation (AMO) could not provide the investigators with the training records of the LAME who was responsible for the maintenance of the Convair 340/440 aircraft. The LAME had misdiagnosed the manifold pressure defect by always removing the manifold pressure gauge whenever there was a left engine manifold pressure defect which was reported twice prior to the accident flight.\n\n\n\nThe SACAA analysed with respect to the aircraft:\n\n\n\nPrior to this accident, the aircraft was last flown on 22 February 2018 and had 18115.1 flying hours. It was then parked for five months before it was flown again on 10 July 2018. The aircraft was being sold and the contract indicated that the aircraft would remain on the RSA register under the registered owner’s name until it was delivered to the new owners in the Netherlands. The new owners were to take delivery of the aircraft in the Netherlands.\n\n\n\nThe maintenance records revealed that on 26 February 2018, the AMO had recorded the defect of a manifold pressure gauge indication on the No 1 engine which was sticky. As a method of rectification, the manifold dual pressure gauge was removed, cleaned, sign off and refitted to the aircraft. On 5 May 2018, the same defect was recorded by the AMO and, again, the manifold dual pressure gauge was signed off as repaired and refitted. The manifold dual pressure gauge was removed twice (in March and July 2018) over a period of four months due to the left engine manifold pressure defect. During the engine inspection and examination, it was evident that the pre-existing damage on cylinder No 7 and cylinder No 13 were the cause of the left engine manifold pressure defect. The LAME misdiagnosed the manifold pressure indication defect by always removing the manifold dual pressure gauge whenever there was a left engine manifold pressure indication defect which was reported twice prior to the accident flight.\n\n\n\nThe engine No 1 manifold pressure drop, as reported by the crew during the take-off roll, was the result of a fractured No 7 cylinder exhaust valve head which subsequently caused backfiring. This explains the flames by the engine cowl flaps above the cowling.\n\n\n\nDuring take-off, fire was seen on the top front side of the left engine cowling and exhaust area (Figures 2/3). The ATC stated that the aircraft continued in a northwesterly direction from the aerodrome over Bon Accord Dam at approximately 2 to 2.5 track miles and at a height of about 800 feet AGL, indicating a rate of climb of 600 to 700 feet per minute (fpm). The ATC confirmed to the investigators that the left engine had caught fire and that the crew had broadcasted a ‘MAYDAY’ call; however, when the crew broadcasted ‘MAYDAY’ they did not indicate the nature of the emergency that they were facing. This statement was confirmed by the recordings of the cockpit GoPro camera that was installed in the cockpit at the time of the accident. Although the left engine caught fire during the take-off roll, the crew continued with the flight and did not abort the take-off. Evidence obtained from the Gopro video camera installed in the cockpit showed the LAME giving the PM the quick reference handbook (QRH). However, the PM elected to ignore and not use the QRH for procedures to be followed during an emergency in-flight engine fire as was the case during this accident flight. This, therefore, explains why the left engine continued to be on fire until the aircraft impacted the ground.\n\n\n\nPilots flying multi-engine aircraft are trained to shut down the engine whenever an engine catches fire or whenever the crew suspects fire in the engine. The engine fire in-flight checklist required that the crew shut down the left engine that was on fire and that the left propeller be feathered. The PF and PM never followed the engine fire in-flight checklist and, as a result, the left engine that caught fire was never shut down or the propeller feathered. Post-accident examinations revealed that the left propeller had not been feathered prior to impact with both engines’ settings consistent with engines at take-off or climb.\n\n\n\nThe aircraft continued with its take-off and climbed to 800 feet AGL (with the left engine still on fire and not secured) before turning right after being cleared by ATC to return to the aerodrome due to the emergency. At this stage, the crew were just observing the LAME who was continuously operating the engine controls and overhead panel switches. This is evident on the Gopro video camera that was installed in the cockpit. Crew resource management was not observed as none of the crew attempted to use the emergency procedures checklist to respond to the inflight left engine fire.\n\n\n\nThe aircraft made another right turn (base leg) while losing height. It continued in that trajectory and the PF lost aileron control. This occurred due to the weakening of the left-wing rear spar because of fire damage that caused the attachment rivets of the aileron cables to melt, resulting in the cables being slack and, thus, loss of aileron control. The loss of aileron control led to the crew losing control of the aircraft and the aircraft colliding with power lines before impacting the factory building.\n\n\n\nThis resulted in the left aileron deflecting slightly up and a left roll. This left roll was exacerbated by the left engine operating at partial power loss due to cylinder No 7 and No 13 malfunctioning while the right engine was at full power. This caused a left yaw as a result of the asymmetric engines and required the PF to always make the right rudder input to correct the left yaw. See Appendix C. This resulted in the crew losing control of the aircraft.\n\n\n\nThe aircraft continued in that attitude while still losing height and impacted the electrical power lines (which were 30 metres high) before impacting trees in the factory yard, the vehicles parked outside the factory building and the factory building with its left wing. The aircraft damaged the factory building as it impacted the centre of the building. The in-board left wing had also separated and was found behind the factory building with its engine a few metres behind the left in-board wing. The right engine had also separated and was found a few metres to the left of the left wing’s position. The aircraft continued for a few metres before impacting the raised ground and stopped at the point of impact. The aircraft broke in two places/points and there was evidence of fire damage on the right side. The right fuel tank still contained fuel which was drained a day after the accident.\n\n\n\nThe LAME was fatally injured, while the crew, two passengers and four other persons on the ground sustained serious injuries. The rest of the passengers and four other persons on the ground had minor lacerations.\n\n\n\nThe last maintenance on the engine completed on 6 July 2018, indicated that the AMO had conducted compression tests on all cylinders for both engine 1 and 2 in accordance with the prescribed maintenance schedule (AMS) J15/09/427. The damage found on piston crown cylinder No 13 and Cylinder No 7 during the engine teardown inspection showed that the damage had existed prior to the accident. This explains the manifold pressure defect that was recorded in March 2018 and on 6 July 2018 prior to the accident. This was a clear indication that not all the cylinders had been subjected to the compression tests as was required during the A, B and C maintenance checks completed four days prior to the accident.\n\n\n\nThe failure of the No. 7 cylinder exhaust valve led to the cylinder cooling fins overheating, thus, causing the failure of the cylinder housing.\n\n\n\nThe failure of the exhaust valve and its housing led to the continuous fire coming from the cylinder through the chamber in the No 7 cylinder, given that the engine operates at a fairly high RPM. That resulted in the front main spar weakening/flaking and the damage to the aileron pulley attachments failing because of the mounting rivets melting. The melting of the rivets resulted in the pulley attachments falling into the wing and slacking the aileron control cables, which caused the aircraft to roll to the left.\n\n\n\nThe fire started in the left engine and evidence showed that the No 7 cylinder was the one with the most damage and was the source of the left engine fire. The fire continued burning through a hole on the No 7 cylinder, causing damage to the front wing spar and the left aileron pulley attachment point, melting the attachment rivets.\n\n\n\nAs a result, the left aileron control cables slacked and the aileron deflected slightly up. With the left engine operating at partial power due to damage and failure of cylinder number 7, the aircraft started rolling to the left. The opening of the left engine cowl flaps in-flight increased the intensity of the engine fire and the left roll.\n\n\n\nPiston No 13 was found with carbon build-up, damaged piston crown and oil rings, indicating that cylinder No 13 was not operating effectively. The damage on the piston crown and oil rings would result in the loss of pressure in this cylinder and the left engine not operating at optimum power.\n\n\n\nThe left engine continued to operate at partial power with the propeller not feathered while the right engine was on full power. Moreover, a non-feathered propeller could induce a high parasite drag on an aircraft performance. The fact that the left engine propeller was never feathered is revealed in the GoPro video camera wherein the crew never discussed securing the left-hand engine.\n\n\n\nThe right-engine settings were generally consistent with the engine being at full power, which was operating normal, and the right propeller’s pitch was consistent with a high rotation power setting.\n\n\n\nApproximately five litres of fuel was drained from the right-wing tanks at the accident site and the fuel was sent for examination. The fuel was consistent with AVGAS 100LL, which was free from contamination. The fuel test report indicated the following: fuel density — 0.717; temperature — 16.5°C; density correction — -0.0029 and 0.7141; batch density — 0.7142 and difference (1) — (2) ± good. The test results revealed that the fuel was good and clean. Two aircraft were refuelled on the same day from the same tank that was used to refuel ZS-BRV and no anomalies were reported. Oil and water methanol samples were examined and found to be within specifications and without contamination.\n\n\n\nThe hole in cylinder 7 which permitted the fire to escape (Photos: SACAA):\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nBy Simon Hradecky, created Tuesday, Jul 10th 2018 17:00Z, last updated Saturday, Aug 11th 2018 19:04Z\n\n\n\nEmergency services reported 4 occupants were trapped inside the aircraft and needed to be freed, all 4 including the pilots received critical injuries. They were flown to a hospital in Johannesburg.\n\n\n\nThe aircraft was being prepared to depart for Europe to join a display in Lelystad (Netherlands) on Jul 23rd 2018.\n\n\n\nThe Aviodrome Lelystad reported three of their museum staff were on board of the aircraft, they are all okay with minor injuries only. The aircraft had been donated to the Aviodrome by Rovos Rail and had been restored into flying condition in the colours of Martin's Air Charter, which later became Martinair. The cost for the restoration into airworthy condition and for the repaint of 350,000 Euros had been spent by the Aviodrome. The aircraft was anticipated to join the display at the Aviodrome on Jul 23rd 2018 and was intended to be kept in airworthy condition by the museum staff. Rovos Rail had used the aircraft for luxus air safaris in combination with train journeys until 2009. The aircraft was subsequently offered for sale. In March 2018 the owners decided to donate the aircraft to the Aviodrome as the owners wanted to ensure a good future for the aircraft. The aircraft was to begin the journey to Europe on Jul 12th 2018, but suffered an accident during a test flight on Jul 10th 2018.\n\n\n\nClose friends of the flight engineer confirmed the flight engineer passed away as result of the accident. The flight engineer had been working for both Rovos Rail and South African Airways. The aircraft, although certified for a two man operation, was crewed with two pilots and two flight engineers in preparation for the trip to Europe.\n\n\n\nListeners on frequency reported the crew joined a right hand downwind for runway 29. While on the downwind ATC offered runway 24 for landing, the crew however opted for the longer runway 29.\n\n\n\nOn Jul 11th 2018 South Africa's Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) reported, that the aircraft belonged to Rovos Rail Tours, the aircraft was departing Wonderboom with the intended destination Pilanesberg. The aircraft carried 3 crew and 16 passengers, 14 South Africans, 3 Dutch and 2 Australians. There were a number of serious injuries on scene, one fatal injury was confirmed on the accident scene. In addition three people on the ground were injured, one of them passed away in the morning of Jul 11th 2018. The aircraft held a certificate of Airworthiness due to expire on August 15th 2018. A team of investigators has been assigned to investigate the accident, a preliminary report is due within 30 days, the investigation however can taken 12 months of more.\n\n\n\nAlthough being a test flight members of the restoration team had been invited to join the flight as appreciation for their work.\n\n\n\nQantas (Australia) told Australian media that their pilot community is in shock over the accident. Two of their most experienced pilots, one of them retired the other current, with over 37,000 hours of flying experience combined (including A380 captaincy) were operating the aircraft.\n\n\n\nBased on a video from another aircraft showing the accident aircraft during the last 90 seconds of flight it appears the aircraft lost substantial height while turning base towards the south and was already just above tree/house roof level while heading south over the road towards the south making it impossible to turn further onto final.\n\n\n\nOn Aug 11th 2018 South Africa's CAA released their\n\n\n\nPilanesberg Aerodrome was closed for fixed wing aircraft due to runway maintenance. A related NOTAM was unknown to crew and staff at Wonderboom airport, who accepted the flight plan and issued takeoff clearance.\n\n\n\nAt about 50 KIAS in the takeoff run the captain commented the manifold pressure was low. After rotation and becoming airborne, one of the passengers - the assistant to the LAME - went to the cockpit and told the crew the left hand engine was on fire. The aircraft continued to climb at about 600-700 fpm until reaching about 800 feet AGL, then began to lose height. The aircraft continued with the left engine fire, the engine fire checklist was never executed and the crew never attempted to extinguish the fire, the engine fire extinguishing system was never activated. The left engine RPM was fluctuating, the engine fire master caution activated and an audible alarm sounded. The control wheel was deflected to the right, the captain commented the ailerons had been lost and requested the first officer to apply rudder. The GOPRO also revealed that the crew was not sure whether they had retracted their landing gear. In addition, crew and LAME were asking each other which engine was on fire although they had been told by the LAME's assistant. At no time the pilots or LAME discussed or attempted the fire drill for the left hand engine, which would have included feathering the propeller, pull the T-Handle to off to shut off all fluids, close the heat source valves, close the cowl doors, place the fuel shut off valve to CLOSED, turn off the fuel boost pump, operate the appropriate fire switch and if needed operate the alternative fire switch. The aircraft lost height, contacted a number of wires parallel to Sakabuka Street just north of the industrial complex, the aircraft impacted, two vehicles and the industrial complex.\n\n\n\nGround witnesses observed and collected melted metal debris, that fell off the aircraft while it remained airborne.\n\n\n\nThe SACAA reported the inflight left engine fire consumed parts of the left wing structure, the aircraft was destroyed by impact forces, the post impact fire damaged the right main gear and engine. In addition the power lines, the two vehicles and the industrial complex sustained damage.\n\n\n\nThe SACAA wrote: \"Initial on-site investigation identified that the fire was most intense in the left engine. Soot, glazing and heat signatures were evident on a number of electrical, air, oil and hydraulic supply lines. An external fire had developed in the lower left region of the left engine nacelle. Airframe fire damage was found on the aircraft’s left wing rear spar and the exhaust area. The right engine fire was post-impact and was observed after the crash.\"\n\n\n\nLast moments of flight and impact aftermath from cabin (Video: unknown):\n\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVewcZzOyTk\n\n\n\nThe last moments of flight filmed from another aircraft (Video: Werner Schulz):\n\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uU9grBWybQ0\n\n\n\nAnother ground observer video of departure (Video: Andries Badenhorst):\n\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zj2J-f7BsGc\n\n\n\nGround observer video of departure:\n\nhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HnAL_fcaXco\n\n\n\nThe aircraft climbing out (Photo: Hanke Fourie):\n\n\n\n\n\nAerial view of the crash site (Photo: Hanno Greyling):\n\n\n\n\n\nZS-BRV on the ground (Photos: ArriveAlive):\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAccident Site and points of impact (Graphics: SACAA):\n\n\n\n\n\nFinal flight trajectory based on video from other aircraft (Graphics: AVH/Google Earth):\n\n\n\n\n\nDetail Map (Graphics: AVH/Google Earth):\n\n\n\n\n\nMap (Graphics: AVH/Google Earth):\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nA Rovos Rail Tours Convair CV-340 in MAC Martin's Air Charter colours, registration ZS-BRV performing a test flight from Pretoria Wonderboom to Pilanesberg (South Africa) with 4 crew and 15 passengers, was climbing out of Wonderboom's runway 29 when ground observers observed smoke from the left hand engine, the aircraft appeared to not climb anymore, estimated height was about 300 feet. The aircraft appeared to maneouver to join a right downwind and turn for final when it lost height, impacted and broke through an industrial building and came to rest about 5.7km/3.1nm east of the airport at position S25.6711 E28.2838. About 20 people on the aircraft and on the ground received injuries, the flight engineer received critical injuries and subsequently died, three other people - reportedly including the pilots - received serious injuries. The aircraft received substantial damage beyond repair, the industrial building was basically split into two halves. On Jul 11th 2018 one of the ground victims passed away, too.Emergency services reported 4 occupants were trapped inside the aircraft and needed to be freed, all 4 including the pilots received critical injuries. They were flown to a hospital in Johannesburg.The aircraft was being prepared to depart for Europe to join a display in Lelystad (Netherlands) on Jul 23rd 2018.The Aviodrome Lelystad reported three of their museum staff were on board of the aircraft, they are all okay with minor injuries only. The aircraft had been donated to the Aviodrome by Rovos Rail and had been restored into flying condition in the colours of Martin's Air Charter, which later became Martinair. The cost for the restoration into airworthy condition and for the repaint of 350,000 Euros had been spent by the Aviodrome. The aircraft was anticipated to join the display at the Aviodrome on Jul 23rd 2018 and was intended to be kept in airworthy condition by the museum staff. Rovos Rail had used the aircraft for luxus air safaris in combination with train journeys until 2009. The aircraft was subsequently offered for sale. In March 2018 the owners decided to donate the aircraft to the Aviodrome as the owners wanted to ensure a good future for the aircraft. The aircraft was to begin the journey to Europe on Jul 12th 2018, but suffered an accident during a test flight on Jul 10th 2018.Close friends of the flight engineer confirmed the flight engineer passed away as result of the accident. The flight engineer had been working for both Rovos Rail and South African Airways. The aircraft, although certified for a two man operation, was crewed with two pilots and two flight engineers in preparation for the trip to Europe.Listeners on frequency reported the crew joined a right hand downwind for runway 29. While on the downwind ATC offered runway 24 for landing, the crew however opted for the longer runway 29.On Jul 11th 2018 South Africa's Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) reported, that the aircraft belonged to Rovos Rail Tours, the aircraft was departing Wonderboom with the intended destination Pilanesberg. The aircraft carried 3 crew and 16 passengers, 14 South Africans, 3 Dutch and 2 Australians. There were a number of serious injuries on scene, one fatal injury was confirmed on the accident scene. In addition three people on the ground were injured, one of them passed away in the morning of Jul 11th 2018. The aircraft held a certificate of Airworthiness due to expire on August 15th 2018. A team of investigators has been assigned to investigate the accident, a preliminary report is due within 30 days, the investigation however can taken 12 months of more.Although being a test flight members of the restoration team had been invited to join the flight as appreciation for their work.Qantas (Australia) told Australian media that their pilot community is in shock over the accident. Two of their most experienced pilots, one of them retired the other current, with over 37,000 hours of flying experience combined (including A380 captaincy) were operating the aircraft.Based on a video from another aircraft showing the accident aircraft during the last 90 seconds of flight it appears the aircraft lost substantial height while turning base towards the south and was already just above tree/house roof level while heading south over the road towards the south making it impossible to turn further onto final.On Aug 11th 2018 South Africa's CAA released their preliminary report stating that a camera had been installed in the cockpit (GOPRO). The cockpit was occupied by the captain, a first officer and the Licensed Aircraft Maintenance Engineer (LAME) conducting the final checks for the flight to the Netherlands, all three had also participated in the ferry flight of another CVLP to Australia two years earlier.Pilanesberg Aerodrome was closed for fixed wing aircraft due to runway maintenance. A related NOTAM was unknown to crew and staff at Wonderboom airport, who accepted the flight plan and issued takeoff clearance.At about 50 KIAS in the takeoff run the captain commented the manifold pressure was low. After rotation and becoming airborne, one of the passengers - the assistant to the LAME - went to the cockpit and told the crew the left hand engine was on fire. The aircraft continued to climb at about 600-700 fpm until reaching about 800 feet AGL, then began to lose height. The aircraft continued with the left engine fire, the engine fire checklist was never executed and the crew never attempted to extinguish the fire, the engine fire extinguishing system was never activated. The left engine RPM was fluctuating, the engine fire master caution activated and an audible alarm sounded. The control wheel was deflected to the right, the captain commented the ailerons had been lost and requested the first officer to apply rudder. The GOPRO also revealed that the crew was not sure whether they had retracted their landing gear. In addition, crew and LAME were asking each other which engine was on fire although they had been told by the LAME's assistant. At no time the pilots or LAME discussed or attempted the fire drill for the left hand engine, which would have included feathering the propeller, pull the T-Handle to off to shut off all fluids, close the heat source valves, close the cowl doors, place the fuel shut off valve to CLOSED, turn off the fuel boost pump, operate the appropriate fire switch and if needed operate the alternative fire switch. The aircraft lost height, contacted a number of wires parallel to Sakabuka Street just north of the industrial complex, the aircraft impacted, two vehicles and the industrial complex.Ground witnesses observed and collected melted metal debris, that fell off the aircraft while it remained airborne.The SACAA reported the inflight left engine fire consumed parts of the left wing structure, the aircraft was destroyed by impact forces, the post impact fire damaged the right main gear and engine. In addition the power lines, the two vehicles and the industrial complex sustained damage.The SACAA wrote: \"Initial on-site investigation identified that the fire was most intense in the left engine. Soot, glazing and heat signatures were evident on a number of electrical, air, oil and hydraulic supply lines. An external fire had developed in the lower left region of the left engine nacelle. Airframe fire damage was found on the aircraft’s left wing rear spar and the exhaust area. The right engine fire was post-impact and was observed after the crash.\"Last moments of flight and impact aftermath from cabin (Video: unknown):The last moments of flight filmed from another aircraft (Video: Werner Schulz):Another ground observer video of departure (Video: Andries Badenhorst):Ground observer video of departure:The aircraft climbing out (Photo: Hanke Fourie):Aerial view of the crash site (Photo: Hanno Greyling):ZS-BRV on the ground (Photos: ArriveAlive):Accident Site and points of impact (Graphics: SACAA):Final flight trajectory based on video from other aircraft (Graphics: AVH/Google Earth):Detail Map (Graphics: AVH/Google Earth):Map (Graphics: AVH/Google Earth):\n\nBy Rod Lovell on Sunday, Sep 1st 2019 03:28Z\n\n\n\n\n\nBy WhiskeyCobra on Saturday, Aug 31st 2019 16:47Z\n\n\n\n\n\nBy WhiskeyCobra on Saturday, Aug 31st 2019 16:38Z\n\n\n\n\n\nBy ErwinS on Friday, Aug 30th 2019 10:11Z\n\n\n\n\n\nBy JayKay on Friday, Aug 30th 2019 06:39Z\n\n\n\n\n\nBy Elderly Kansan on Thursday, Aug 29th 2019 23:37Z\n\n\n\n\n\nBy Adam on Thursday, Aug 29th 2019 14:36Z\n\n\n\n\n\nBy Beobachter on Wednesday, Aug 28th 2019 21:57Z\n\n\n\n\n\nBy Curious Passenger on Wednesday, Aug 28th 2019 17:59Z\n\n\n\n\n\nBy Grounded on Wednesday, Oct 10th 2018 21:08Z\n\n\n\n\n\nBy Helmut on Wednesday, Oct 10th 2018 09:23Z\n\n\n\n\n\nBy Helmut on Wednesday, Aug 22nd 2018 03:36Z\n\n\n\n\n\nBy Brian Johnson on Thursday, Aug 16th 2018 10:04Z\n\n\n\n\n\nBy Skydriver on Wednesday, Aug 15th 2018 14:41Z\n\n\n\n\n\nBy SE210 on Tuesday, Aug 14th 2018 20:20Z\n\n\n\n\n\nBy SE210 on Tuesday, Aug 14th 2018 20:19Z\n\n\n\n\n\nBy (anonymous) on Tuesday, Aug 14th 2018 17:45Z\n\n\n\n\n\nBy Jetman on Monday, Aug 13th 2018 06:42Z\n\n\n\n\n\nBy SE210 on Monday, Aug 13th 2018 05:44Z\n\n\n\n\n\nBy tom on Sunday, Aug 12th 2018 22:37Z\n\n\n\n\n\nBy (anonymous) on Sunday, Aug 12th 2018 20:53Z\n\n\n\n\n\nBy tom on Sunday, Aug 12th 2018 18:55Z\n\n\n\n\n\nBy tom on Sunday, Aug 12th 2018 18:53Z\n\n\n\n\n\nBy Exuma Guy on Sunday, Aug 12th 2018 16:20Z\n\n\n\n\n\nBy Jochen Heiden on Sunday, Aug 12th 2018 16:06Z\n\n\n\n\n\nBy Skydriver on Sunday, Aug 12th 2018 15:55Z\n\n\n\n\n\nBy Hans Siegl on Sunday, Aug 12th 2018 15:12Z\n\n\n\n\n\nBy Sam Coat on Sunday, Aug 12th 2018 13:50Z\n\n\n\n\n\nBy Iain on Sunday, Aug 12th 2018 13:39Z\n\n\n\n\n\nBy Sinclair Stokes on Sunday, Aug 12th 2018 12:09Z\n\n\n\n\n\nAdd your comment: (max 1024 characters) Your Name: Your Email: Subject: Your comment: The Aviation Herald Apps\n\nAndroid and iOS\n\nSupport The Aviation Herald\n\none time\n\nMonthly support 1 €/month\n\nInterview: The human factor named \"Simon Hradecky\" and the team of man and machine Get the news right onto your desktop when they happen © 2008-2019 by The Aviation Herald, all rights reserved, reprint and republishing prohibited. We use cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our site, learn more", "Trimble’s new TMT Fleet Maintenance software module for third-party heavy-duty maintenance providers offers a new level of support for outsourced fleet maintenance activities.\n\nContract Maintenance helps define and manage maintenance service and leasing contracts for fixed and variable billing plans. The new module will also help customers track their service contracts and manage billing by integrating Trimble products and outside accounting providers.\n\nTechnicians will be able to receive real-time notification of service coverages during maintenance visits, while customer invoices will automatically reflect billing information that’s based on maintenance coverage.\n\nThe new contract management tools can now be combined with preventive maintenance systems, repair orders, staff management, and inventory tracking, Trimble says. Profit and loss reports can be generated on service contracts and contract-based revenue reports."], "summary": "The Civil Aviation Authority of South Africa concludes its investigation with a final report indicating the accident was caused by poor maintenance and errors by unqualified pilots."}
{"document": ["BIARRITZ, France (AFP) — The G7 will give US$20 million (18 million euros) to send firefighting planes to tackle the blazes engulfing parts of the Amazon, the presidents of France and Chile said yesterday.\n\n“We must respond to the call of the forest which is burning today in the Amazon,” France's Emmanuel Macron said as President Sebastian Pinera of Chile, a guest of the G7, underlined that, “countries of the Amazon are in dire need of fire brigades and water bomber planes.”\n\nNearly 80,000 forest fires have been detected in Brazil since the beginning of the year — just over half of them in the massive Amazon basin.\n\nThe pledges came as data showed that hundreds of new fires have flared up in the Amazon, even as military aircraft dumped water over hard-hit areas.\n\nMacron had declared the situation an “international crisis” and made it a priority of the summit of the G7, which comprises Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United States.\n\nG7 leaders gathered in Biarritz held talks on the many environmental challenges facing planet Earth, with a focus on the record number of fires destroying swathes of the Amazon.\n\nMacron has threatened to block a huge new trade deal between the European Union and Latin America unless Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, a climate change sceptic, takes serious steps to protect the fast-shrinking forest from logging and mining.\n\nBolsonaro lashed out at the French leader over his criticism and suggested NGOs could be setting the fires to embarrass him — without giving any evidence to back the claim.\n\nBut at the weekend, he finally caved in to international pressure to save a region crucial for maintaining a stable global climate, deploying two aircraft to douse fires and authorising the army to help tackle the blazes.\n\nCanadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his country would send a water bomber plane to fight the Amazon blazes and contribute some US$15 million to the effort.\n\nThe G7 also agreed to support a reforestation plan to be unveiled in September, the leaders said.\n\nBrazil would have to agree to any reforestation plan, as would indigenous communities living in the world's biggest rainforest.\n\nUnited Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres said new planting was needed “to preserve this universal heritage, which is absolutely essential for the well-being of the world's population”.\n\nHe said the issue would be discussed during the UN General Assembly in New York in September.\n\nMacron said it was hoped “at least 30 million” dollars could be raised for the project.\n\nYesterday evening, the French leader met Brazilian indigenous chief Raoni Metuktire, who said he had asked Macron to “help us preserve our lands”.\n\n“The forests and lands of Brazil help the entire planet live,” said the chief, an advocate for indigenous rights.\n\nGreenpeace Executive Director Jennifer Morgan welcomed the G7 aid, but said the club must also “stop fuelling the destruction of the Amazon through the import of agricultural products associated with deforestation and soil degradation”.", "Equipped with hoses connected to rubber backpacks, Brazilian firefighters in the Amazon on Monday raced in a truck along dirt roads toward plumes of smoke after a spotter in a military helicopter directed them to a fast-spreading fire.\n\nA landowner opened the gate of a barbed wire fence and the firefighters set to work, dousing a conflagration they believed was intentionally set to prepare land for crops or pasture. When their water supply ran out, they made a fire break, clearing brush with machetes and chainsaws to starve the blaze of its fuel.\n\nThe smoke-shrouded scene near the lush Jacunda national forest in the Amazonian state of Rondonia, witnessed by an Associated Press team, showed the enormity of the challenge ahead: putting out a multitude of blazes and safeguarding — in the long term — a vast region described by world leaders as critical to the health of the planet.\n\nThe country's National Space Research Institute, which monitors deforestation, has recorded that the number of fires has risen by 85% to more than 77,000 in the last year, a record since the institute began keeping track in 2013. About half of the fires have been in the Amazon region, with many in just the past month.\n\nAt a summit in France, the Group of Seven nations pledged $20 million on Monday to help fight the flames in the Amazon and protect the rainforest, in addition to a separate $12 million from Britain and $11 million from Canada.\n\nThe international pledges came despite tensions between European countries and Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who has accused rich countries of treating the region like a \"colony\" and suggested the West is angling to exploit Brazil's natural resources.\n\nBut the funds, which are widely seen as critical support, are still a relatively meager amount for dealing with an environmental crisis that threatens what French President Emmanuel Macron has called \"the lungs of the planet.\"\n\nThe AP team drove for hours at a stretch outside the Rondonia capital of Porto Velho without seeing any major fires, suggesting that many had been extinguished or burned themselves out since rapidly spreading in recent weeks. Many fires were set in already deforested areas to clear land for farming and livestock.\n\nStill, smoke billowed from charred fields and scrub, shrouding the sky. The airport in Porto Velho closed for more than one hour on Monday morning because of poor visibility caused by the haze.\n\nUnder international pressure to act, Bolsonaro said he might visit the Amazon region this week to check on firefighting efforts and would make 44,000 troops available to fight the blazes. However, the military presence in the area seemed scarce on Monday, with only a few soldiers seen patrolling roads and lending a hand.\n\nAt dawn, the blazing sun was hidden under thick smoke that blanketed the horizon like fog. Trucks carrying fresh timber sped through a road that cut through lands where heaps of ash were piled around charred logs.\n\nSome local residents seemed torn between knowing that the fires were devastating the environment around them, and needing to extract the Amazon's rich natural resources to make a living.\n\n\"We have to preserve the land. The government has to help small farmers more, prioritize and take care of the large reserves, where people do most of the illegal things,\" said Willian Sabara Dos Santos, a farm manager. Behind him, a Brazilian flag on a pole fluttered in the wind next to a statue of a bull that he said was a replica of the iconic \"Charging Bull\" sculpture on New York's Wall Street.\n\nIn a nearby village, Darcy Rodrigo De Souza walked barefoot into a shop where people drank coffee and ate Pao de Queijo, traditional Brazilian cheese bread, on a street named \"New Progress.\"\n\n\"We have many problems with the fires. But we also depend on the wood for our economy. If it wasn't for that, there would be nothing,\" said De Souza, who wore a straw hat. \"It's true that the Amazon has to be protected, but this president is going to protect it. The Americans want us to protect Brazil. But why don't they protect their stuff?\"\n\nAbout 60% of the Amazon region is in Brazil; although the vast forest also spans parts of Bolivia, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru and Suriname. The Amazon's rainforests are a major absorber of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and described by environmentalists as a critical defense against climate change.\n\nOn Monday, army Maj. Fabio da Paixão Pinheiro said officials have determined that the fires around Porto Velho have decreased as a result of rains over the last couple of days.\n\nBut near the Jacunda national forest, thunder boomed as firefighters worked to suffocate flames that continued to burn into the evening.\n\nOne fireman prayed for rain as he put on a protective mask. All around him, the heavy smell of burning wood permeated the air, making it hard to breathe.\n\nAssociated Press writer Luis Andres Henao reported from Jacunda National Forest and AP writer Christopher Torchia reported from Rio de Janeiro.", "Amid smoke from forest fires, cattle graze on a farm along the road to Jacunda National Forest, near the city of Porto Velho in the Vila Nova Samuel region which is part of Brazil’s Amazon, Monday, Aug. 26, 2019. The Group of Seven nations on Monday pledged tens of millions of dollars to help Amazon countries fight raging wildfires, even as Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro accused rich countries of treating the region like a “colony.” (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)\n\nPORTO VELHO, Brazil (AP) — Acrimony between Brazil and European countries seeking to help fight Amazon fires deepened on Tuesday, jeopardizing hopes of global unity over how to protect a region seen as vital to the health of the planet.\n\nA personal spat between the leaders of Brazil and France seemed to dominate the dispute, but it also centered on Brazilian perceptions of alleged interference by Europe on matters of sovereignty, economic development and the rights of indigenous people. Brazil said it will set conditions for accepting any aid from the Group of Seven nations, which offered tens of millions of dollars for firefighting and rainforest protections.\n\nThe Amazon’s rainforests are a major absorber of carbon dioxide, considered a critical defense against rising temperatures and other disruptions caused by climate change. While many of the recorded fires this year were set in already deforested areas by people clearing land for cultivation or pasture, Brazilian government figures indicate that they are much more widespread this year, suggesting the threat to the vast ecosystem is intensifying.\n\nThe effect of the fires was evident in the Amazonian city of Porto Velho, where smoke drifted over the sky for parts of the day. Elane Diaz, a nurse in the city, spoke about respiratory problems while waiting for a doctor’s appointment at a hospital with her 5-year-old-son Eduardo.\n\n“The kids are affected the most. They’re coughing a lot,” Diaz said. “They have problems breathing. I’m concerned because it affects their health.”\n\nStill, Diaz and some other residents in Porto Velho, the capital of Rondonia state, were supportive of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, saying he was doing what he could to protect the Amazon and that international criticism was unfounded.\n\n“Germany had already been helping through NGOs and they couldn’t prevent this,” said Mona Lisa Pereira, an agronomist. “It seems like this is the fire of a lifetime. But it’s not. We have fires every year.”\n\nBolsonaro, who took office this year with a promise to boost development in Latin America’s biggest economy, has questioned whether offers of international aid mask a plot to exploit the Amazon’s resources and weaken Brazilian growth. On Tuesday, he said French President Emmanuel Macron had called him a liar and that he would have to apologize before Brazil considers accepting rainforest aid.\n\nMacron has to retract those comments “and then we can speak,” Bolsonaro said.\n\nIn a video message, Brazilian novelist Paulo Coelho offered an apology to France for what he called Bolsonaro’s “hysteria,” saying the Brazilian government had resorted to insults to dodge responsibility for the Amazon fires.\n\nBolsonaro met governors of states in the Amazon region, some of whom criticized laws that protect the environment and the rights of indigenous people that they said limited opportunities for economic development.\n\nMarcos Jose Rocha dos Santos, the governor of Rondonia state, questioned the intentions of international aid.\n\n“International resources are welcome as long as who uses those resources is us,” Rocha dos Santos said. “We will determine where the money will be applied, it’s useless if those resources get here and go to international NGOs.”\n\nAt a summit in France on Monday, the G-7 nations pledged $20 million to help fight the flames in the Amazon and protect the rainforest, in addition to a separate $12 million from Britain and $11 million from Canada.\n\nOnyx Lorenzoni, the Brazilian president’s chief of staff, sharpened the criticism, saying Europe should use the funds for its own problems.\n\n“Macron could not avoid an obvious fire in a church that is a world heritage site,” Lorenzoni told the G1 news website, referring to the Notre Dame Cathedral that was ravaged by fire in April.\n\nMacron, who has questioned Bolsonaro’s trustworthiness and commitment to protecting biodiversity, shrugged off the snub from the Brazilian president. The French leader said Bolsonaro’s interpretation was a “mistake” and that the aid offer is “a sign of friendship.”\n\nHe said the aid money isn’t just aimed at Brazil, but at nine countries in the vast Amazon region that also spans Bolivia, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana, an overseas region of France. About 60% of the Amazon region is in Brazil.\n\nEven so, Macron has threatened to block a European Union trade deal with several South American states, including Brazil. He has also acknowledged that Europe, by importing soya from Brazil, shares some blame for agricultural pressure on the rainforest. Bolsonaro has previously said he wants to convert land for more cattle pastures and soybean farms.\n\nIn contrast to the tension between France and Brazil, U.S. President Donald Trump praised the Brazilian president. “He is working very hard on the Amazon fires and in all respects doing a great job for the people of Brazil – Not easy,” Trump tweeted Tuesday.\n\nBolsonaro also said that Japan is “extremely aligned with us” and seeks a deeper trade partnership with South American nations.\n\nBrazil’s National Space Research Institute, which monitors deforestation, said the number of fires has risen by 85% to more than 77,000 in the last year, a record since the institute began keeping track in 2013. About half of the fires were in the Amazon region, with most just in the past month.\n\nNeighboring Bolivia is battling its own vast blazes. The largest are in the Chiquitanía region, a zone of dry forest, farmland and open prairies that has seen an expansion of farming and ranching. President Evo Morales, who has been under criticism for an allegedly slow response to the fires, was in the region on Tuesday overseeing firefighting efforts involving more than 3,500 people, including soldiers, police and volunteers.\n\nThe Amazon has experienced an increased rate of fires during drought periods in the last 20 years, but the phenomenon this year is “unusual” because drought has not yet hit, said Laura Schneider of Rutgers University-New Brunswick.\n\nSchneider, an associate professor in the geography department, said fire is commonly used by people to clear land for cultivation, and the actual area burned this year must be measured for an accurate comparison with damage in past years.\n\nThe funds offered this week by the world’s richest countries are widely viewed as useful but insufficient for dealing with the threats to the Amazon in the long term. Under international pressure, Bolsonaro has said he would make 44,000 troops available to fight the blazes.\n\nHowever, federal prosecutors in the Amazon state of Para said they had warned Brazil’s environmental protection agency about a “fire day” organized by farmers earlier this month to clear land. The agency said it lacked support from military police to protect its field teams in risky monitoring operations, according to prosecutors.\n\nGrace Quale, a laboratory technician at the 9 of July hospital in Porto Velho, said more people were undergoing tests because of respiratory problems caused by smoke. Children and the elderly are suffering the most, said Quale, who supports Bolsonaro and believes fires are being set by opponents trying to discredit him.\n\n“What’s happening is disrespectful to our humans, to our animals, because if they end the Amazon, how will we survive?” she said.\n\nTorchia reported from Rio de Janeiro. Associated Press writers Anna Jean Kaiser in Rio de Janeiro and Carlos Valdez in La Paz, Bolivia, contributed to this report.", "Amid smoke from forest fires, cattle graze on a farm along the road to Jacunda National Forest, near the city of Porto Velho in the Vila Nova Samuel region which is part of Brazil’s Amazon, Monday, Aug. 26, 2019. The Group of Seven nations on Monday pledged tens of millions of dollars to help Amazon countries fight raging wildfires, even as Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro accused rich countries of treating the region like a “colony.” (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)\n\nJACUNDA NATIONAL FOREST, Brazil (AP) — Equipped with hoses connected to rubber backpacks, Brazilian firefighters in the Amazon on Monday raced in a truck along dirt roads toward plumes of smoke after a spotter in a military helicopter directed them to a fast-spreading fire.\n\nA landowner opened the gate of a barbed wire fence and the firefighters set to work, dousing a conflagration they believed was intentionally set to prepare land for crops or pasture. When their water supply ran out, they made a fire break, clearing brush with machetes and chainsaws to starve the blaze of its fuel.\n\nThe smoke-shrouded scene near the lush Jacunda national forest in the Amazonian state of Rondonia, witnessed by an Associated Press team, showed the enormity of the challenge ahead: putting out a multitude of blazes and safeguarding — in the long term — a vast region described by world leaders as critical to the health of the planet.\n\nThe country’s National Space Research Institute, which monitors deforestation, has recorded that the number of fires has risen by 85% to more than 77,000 in the last year, a record since the institute began keeping track in 2013. About half of the fires have been in the Amazon region, with many in just the past month.\n\nAt a summit in France, the Group of Seven nations pledged $20 million on Monday to help fight the flames in the Amazon and protect the rainforest, in addition to a separate $12 million from Britain and $11 million from Canada.\n\nThe international pledges came despite tensions between European countries and Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who has accused rich countries of treating the region like a “colony” and suggested the West is angling to exploit Brazil’s natural resources.\n\nBut the funds, which are widely seen as critical support, are still a relatively meager amount for dealing with an environmental crisis that threatens what French President Emmanuel Macron has called “the lungs of the planet.”\n\nThe AP team drove for hours at a stretch outside the Rondonia capital of Porto Velho without seeing any major fires, suggesting that many had been extinguished or burned themselves out since rapidly spreading in recent weeks. Many fires were set in already deforested areas to clear land for farming and livestock.\n\nStill, smoke billowed from charred fields and scrub, shrouding the sky. The airport in Porto Velho closed for more than one hour on Monday morning because of poor visibility caused by the haze.\n\nUnder international pressure to act, Bolsonaro said he might visit the Amazon region this week to check on firefighting efforts and would make 44,000 troops available to fight the blazes. However, the military presence in the area seemed scarce on Monday, with only a few soldiers seen patrolling roads and lending a hand.\n\nAt dawn, the blazing sun was hidden under thick smoke that blanketed the horizon like fog. Trucks carrying fresh timber sped through a road that cut through lands where heaps of ash were piled around charred logs.\n\nSome local residents seemed torn between knowing that the fires were devastating the environment around them, and needing to extract the Amazon’s rich natural resources to make a living.\n\n“We have to preserve the land. The government has to help small farmers more, prioritize and take care of the large reserves, where people do most of the illegal things,” said Willian Sabara Dos Santos, a farm manager. Behind him, a Brazilian flag on a pole fluttered in the wind next to a statue of a bull that he said was a replica of the iconic “Charging Bull” sculpture on New York’s Wall Street.\n\nIn a nearby village, Darcy Rodrigo De Souza walked barefoot into a shop where people drank coffee and ate Pao de Queijo, traditional Brazilian cheese bread, on a street named “New Progress.”\n\n“We have many problems with the fires. But we also depend on the wood for our economy. If it wasn’t for that, there would be nothing,” said De Souza, who wore a straw hat. “It’s true that the Amazon has to be protected, but this president is going to protect it. The Americans want us to protect Brazil. But why don’t they protect their stuff?”\n\nAbout 60% of the Amazon region is in Brazil; although the vast forest also spans parts of Bolivia, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru and Suriname. The Amazon’s rainforests are a major absorber of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and described by environmentalists as a critical defense against climate change.\n\nOn Monday, army Maj. Fabio da Paixão Pinheiro said officials have determined that the fires around Porto Velho have decreased as a result of rains over the last couple of days.\n\nBut near the Jacunda national forest, thunder boomed as firefighters worked to suffocate flames that continued to burn into the evening.\n\nOne fireman prayed for rain as he put on a protective mask. All around him, the heavy smell of burning wood permeated the air, making it hard to breathe.\n\nAssociated Press writer Luis Andres Henao reported from Jacunda National Forest and AP writer Christopher Torchia reported from Rio de Janeiro.", "The Group of Seven nations on Monday pledged tens of millions of dollars to help fight raging wildfires in the Amazon and protect its rainforest, even as Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro accused rich countries of treating the region like a \"colony.\"\n\nThe international pledges at a G-7 summit in France included $20 million from the group, as well as a separate $12 million from Britain and $11 million from Canada. Ottawa has also offered to send firefighting planes to Brazil.\n\nOther groups are contributing support for a region whose rainforests are a major absorber of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Earth Alliance, a new environmental foundation backed by Leonardo DiCaprio, is pledging $5 million in aid, saying the Amazon is one of the \"best defenses\" against climate change.\n\nThe funds are widely seen as critical support, but a relatively small amount for dealing with an environmental crisis of such scale threatening what French President Emmanuel Macron called \"the lungs of the planet.\"\n\nMore than $1 billion, for example, has been paid into a fund to help the Amazon in the past decade. And major donors Germany and Norway recently cut donations to Brazilian forestry projects, saying Bolsonaro's administration isn't committed to curbing deforestation.\n\nIt was unclear how exactly the new money would be administered. Bureaucracy can slow and reduce the amount that reaches programs in the field. Brazil's environment minister, Ricardo Salles, said the aid was welcome and that Brazil should decide how the resources are used.\n\nMore global funding and political will in Brazil will be needed once the fires are extinguished, said John Robinson, chief conservation officer at the Wildlife Conservation Society.\n\nBrazil needs \"legislation and regulations that set clear limits preventing landowners — especially large ones — from burning the forest and converting it to agriculture and rangeland, backed by incentives and investment in alternatives,\" Robinson said.\n\nThe international pledges came despite tensions between European countries and the Brazilian president, who suggested the West was angling to exploit Brazil's natural resources.\n\n\"Look, does anyone help anyone ... without something in return? What have they wanted there for so long?\" Bolsonaro said.\n\nBolsonaro has insulted adversaries and allies, disparaged women, black and gay people, and praised his country's 1964-1985 dictatorship. But nothing has rallied more anger at home and criticism from abroad than his response to the fires in parts of the Amazon region.\n\nThe Brazilian leader says he is committed to protecting the Amazon and prosecuting anyone involved in illegal fires, many of which appear to be to have been set in already deforested areas to clear land for farming.\n\nBut Bolsonaro initially questioned whether activist groups might have started the fires in an effort to damage the credibility of his government, which has called for looser environmental regulations in the world's largest rainforest to spur development.\n\n\"We believe that there are many mining companies and lumber companies and farmers who feel that the president has their backs,\" said Raoni Metuktire, a Brazilian indigenous chief and environmentalist who traveled to the G-7 summit in Biarritz.\n\nIn response, European leaders threatened to block a major trade deal with Brazil that would benefit the very agricultural interests accused of driving deforestation.\n\nThe impact of the fires and smoke has disrupted life for many in the Amazon region. The airport in Porto Velho, the capital of Rondonia state, was closed for more than an hour Monday morning because of poor visibility. On Sunday, a soccer match of a lower-tier national league was briefly suspended because of smoke in Rio Branco, capital of Acre state, as fire burned in a field outside the stadium.\n\nIn Para state, where fires have swept many areas, resident Moacir Cordeiro said he was worried about their impact on nature and his health. Smoke rose from nearby trees as he spoke.\n\n\"I don't think there are enough people to extinguish the fires,\" said Cordeiro, who lives in the Alvorada da Amazonia region. He said it was difficult to breath at night because of the smoke.\n\nAnother man, Antonio de Jesus, was also worried.\n\n\"Nature shouldn't be killed off like that,\" he said.\n\nMacron said the Amazon, while mostly Brazilian, is a world issue and that his message to Bolsonaro is: \"We cannot allow you to destroy everything.\"\n\nBrazil's sovereignty must be respected, Macron said, but the world can help Brazil reforest and build its economy \"while respecting the natural balance.\"\n\nAbout 60 percent of the Amazon region is in Brazil; the vast forest also spans parts of Bolivia, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru and Suriname.\n\nSpeaking on French TV after hosting the G-7 summit, Macron acknowledged that Europe, by importing soya from Brazil, shares some blame for the agricultural pressure on the rainforest.\n\nHe added that Europe's dependence on imported proteins, including soya, for animal feed is \"a very bad choice\" and that he wants Europe to develop alternate sources of protein.\n\nBolsonaro has accused Macron of treating the region \"as if we were a colony.\"\n\nBolsonaro has announced he would send 44,000 soldiers to help battle the blazes, and military planes began dumping water on fires in the Amazon state of Rondonia.\n\nThe move was welcomed by many critics, but some say it's not enough and comes too late.\n\nIn violating environmental agreements, Brazil has been discredited and \"unable to exercise any type of leadership on the international stage,\" said Mauricio Santoro, an international relations professor at Rio de Janeiro State University.\n\nCritics say the large number of fires this year has been stoked by Bolsonaro's encouragement of farmers, loggers and ranchers to speed efforts to strip away forest. Although Bolsonaro has now vowed to protect the area, they say it is only out of fear of a diplomatic crisis and economic losses.\n\nFires are common during Brazil's dry season, but the numbers surged this year. The country's National Space Research Institute, which monitors deforestation, has recorded more than 77,000 wildfires in Brazil this year, a record since the institute began keeping track in 2013. That is an 85% rise over last year, and about half of the fires have been in the Amazon region — with more than half of those coming just in the past month.\n\nRómulo Batista, a member of Greenpeace Brazil's Amazonia Campaign, said \"the rise in deforestation can completely alter the rain patterns by region and devastate agriculture, even in South America.\"\n\nBrazil's federal police agency announced that it would investigate reports that farmers in Para state had called for \"a day of fire\" on Aug. 10 to ignite fires. Local media said a group organized the action over WhatsApp to show support for Bolsonaro's efforts to loosen environmental regulations.\n\nTorchia reported from Rio de Janeiro. Associated Press journalists Anna Kaiser in Rio de Janeiro, Leo Correa in Alvorada da Amazonia, Brazil, Frances D'Emilio in Rome, John Leicester in Paris, Sylvie Corbet and Lori Hinnant in Biarritz, France, and Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this report.", "On Sunday, French President Emmanuel Macron said that leaders of G7 countries agreed to help the countries of the Amazon basin to deal with forest fires that he described as a serious international crisis, while criticizing his Brazilian counterpart, Jair Bolsonaro, for not following his obligations to combat climate change.\n\nThe Brazilian government has rejected an offer of aid by the G7 countries to deal with the Amazon fires , according to AFP.\n\n\"We appreciate [the offer], but maybe those resources are more relevant to reforest Europe,\" Onyx Lorenzoni, chief of staff to President Jair Bolsonaro, told the G1 news website, as cited by AFP.\n\nOn Monday, Macron announced that the G7 would \"immediately send to the Amazon countries... financial support worth at least about 20 million euros.\"\n\nThe Amazon rainforest, which produces about 20 percent of the Earth's atmosphere's oxygen, is burning from wildfires at a record rate and has drawn international attention.\n\nEnvironmental activists have been staging protests at Brazilian embassies worldwide and accusing Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro of supporting farmers who are burning the rainforest to expand farming land.\n\nOn Saturday, the Brazilian authorities deployed troops in an attempt to fight the environmental disaster.", "Amid smoke from forest fires, cattle graze on a farm along the road to Jacunda National Forest, near the city of Porto Velho in the Vila Nova Samuel region which is part of Brazil’s Amazon, Monday, Aug. 26, 2019. The Group of Seven nations on Monday pledged tens of millions of dollars to help Amazon countries fight raging wildfires, even as Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro accused rich countries of treating the region like a “colony.” (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)\n\nJACUNDA NATIONAL FOREST, Brazil (AP) — Equipped with hoses connected to rubber backpacks, Brazilian firefighters in the Amazon on Monday raced in a truck along dirt roads toward plumes of smoke after a spotter in a military helicopter directed them to a fast-spreading fire.\n\nA landowner opened the gate of a barbed wire fence and the firefighters set to work, dousing a conflagration they believed was intentionally set to prepare land for crops or pasture. When their water supply ran out, they made a fire break, clearing brush with machetes and chainsaws to starve the blaze of its fuel.\n\nThe smoke-shrouded scene near the lush Jacunda national forest in the Amazonian state of Rondonia, witnessed by an Associated Press team, showed the enormity of the challenge ahead: putting out a multitude of blazes and safeguarding — in the long term — a vast region described by world leaders as critical to the health of the planet.\n\nThe country’s National Space Research Institute, which monitors deforestation, has recorded that the number of fires has risen by 85% to more than 77,000 in the last year, a record since the institute began keeping track in 2013. About half of the fires have been in the Amazon region, with many in just the past month.\n\nAt a summit in France, the Group of Seven nations pledged $20 million on Monday to help fight the flames in the Amazon and protect the rainforest, in addition to a separate $12 million from Britain and $11 million from Canada.\n\nThe international pledges came despite tensions between European countries and Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who has accused rich countries of treating the region like a “colony” and suggested the West is angling to exploit Brazil’s natural resources.\n\nBut the funds, which are widely seen as critical support, are still a relatively meager amount for dealing with an environmental crisis that threatens what French President Emmanuel Macron has called “the lungs of the planet.”\n\nThe AP team drove for hours at a stretch outside the Rondonia capital of Porto Velho without seeing any major fires, suggesting that many had been extinguished or burned themselves out since rapidly spreading in recent weeks. Many fires were set in already deforested areas to clear land for farming and livestock.\n\nStill, smoke billowed from charred fields and scrub, shrouding the sky. The airport in Porto Velho closed for more than one hour on Monday morning because of poor visibility caused by the haze.\n\nUnder international pressure to act, Bolsonaro said he might visit the Amazon region this week to check on firefighting efforts and would make 44,000 troops available to fight the blazes. However, the military presence in the area seemed scarce on Monday, with only a few soldiers seen patrolling roads and lending a hand.\n\nAt dawn, the blazing sun was hidden under thick smoke that blanketed the horizon like fog. Trucks carrying fresh timber sped through a road that cut through lands where heaps of ash were piled around charred logs.\n\nSome local residents seemed torn between knowing that the fires were devastating the environment around them, and needing to extract the Amazon’s rich natural resources to make a living.\n\n“We have to preserve the land. The government has to help small farmers more, prioritize and take care of the large reserves, where people do most of the illegal things,” said Willian Sabara Dos Santos, a farm manager. Behind him, a Brazilian flag on a pole fluttered in the wind next to a statue of a bull that he said was a replica of the iconic “Charging Bull” sculpture on New York’s Wall Street.\n\nIn a nearby village, Darcy Rodrigo De Souza walked barefoot into a shop where people drank coffee and ate Pao de Queijo, traditional Brazilian cheese bread, on a street named “New Progress.”\n\n“We have many problems with the fires. But we also depend on the wood for our economy. If it wasn’t for that, there would be nothing,” said De Souza, who wore a straw hat. “It’s true that the Amazon has to be protected, but this president is going to protect it. The Americans want us to protect Brazil. But why don’t they protect their stuff?”\n\nAbout 60% of the Amazon region is in Brazil; although the vast forest also spans parts of Bolivia, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru and Suriname. The Amazon’s rainforests are a major absorber of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and described by environmentalists as a critical defense against climate change.\n\nOn Monday, army Maj. Fabio da Paixão Pinheiro said officials have determined that the fires around Porto Velho have decreased as a result of rains over the last couple of days.\n\nBut near the Jacunda national forest, thunder boomed as firefighters worked to suffocate flames that continued to burn into the evening.\n\nOne fireman prayed for rain as he put on a protective mask. All around him, the heavy smell of burning wood permeated the air, making it hard to breathe.\n\nAssociated Press writer Luis Andres Henao reported from Jacunda National Forest and AP writer Christopher Torchia reported from Rio de Janeiro.", "Amid smoke from forest fires, cattle graze on a farm along the road to Jacunda National Forest, near the city of Porto Velho in the Vila Nova Samuel region which is part of Brazil’s Amazon, Monday, Aug. 26, 2019. The Group of Seven nations on Monday pledged tens of millions of dollars to help Amazon countries fight raging wildfires, even as Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro accused rich countries of treating the region like a “colony.” (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)\n\nPORTO VELHO, Brazil (AP) — Acrimony between Brazil and European countries seeking to help fight Amazon fires deepened on Tuesday, jeopardizing hopes of global unity over how to protect a region seen as vital to the health of the planet.\n\nA personal spat between the leaders of Brazil and France seemed to dominate the dispute, but it also centered on Brazilian perceptions of alleged interference by Europe on matters of sovereignty, economic development and the rights of indigenous people. Brazil said it will set conditions for accepting any aid from the Group of Seven nations, which offered tens of millions of dollars for firefighting and rainforest protections.\n\nThe Amazon’s rainforests are a major absorber of carbon dioxide, considered a critical defense against rising temperatures and other disruptions caused by climate change. While many of the recorded fires this year were set in already deforested areas by people clearing land for cultivation or pasture, Brazilian government figures indicate that they are much more widespread this year, suggesting the threat to the vast ecosystem is intensifying.\n\nThe effect of the fires was evident in the Amazonian city of Porto Velho, where a thick pall of smoke covered the sky for most of the day. Elane Diaz, a nurse in the city, spoke about respiratory problems while waiting for a doctor’s appointment at a hospital with her 5-year-old-son Eduardo.\n\n“The kids are affected the most. They’re coughing a lot,” Diaz said. “They have problems breathing. I’m concerned because it affects their health.”\n\nStill, Diaz and some other residents in Porto Velho, the capital of Rondonia state, were supportive of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, saying he was doing what he could to protect the Amazon and that international criticism was unfounded.\n\n“Germany had already been helping through NGOs and they couldn’t prevent this,” said Mona Lisa Pereira, an agronomist. “It seems like this is the fire of a lifetime. But it’s not. We have fires every year.”\n\nBolsonaro, who took office this year with a promise to boost development in Latin America’s biggest economy, has questioned whether offers of international aid mask a plot to exploit the Amazon’s resources and weaken Brazilian growth. On Tuesday, he said French President Emmanuel Macron had called him a liar and that he would have to apologize before Brazil considers accepting rainforest aid.\n\nMacron has to retract those comments “and then we can speak,” Bolsonaro said.\n\nIn a video message, Brazilian novelist Paulo Coelho offered an apology to France for what he called Bolsonaro’s “hysteria,” saying the Brazilian government had resorted to insults to dodge responsibility for the Amazon fires.\n\nBolsonaro met governors of states in the Amazon region, some of whom criticized laws that protect the environment and the rights of indigenous people that they said limited opportunities for economic development.\n\nMarcos Jose Rocha dos Santos, the governor of Rondonia state, questioned the intentions of international aid.\n\n“International resources are welcome as long as who uses those resources is us,” Rocha dos Santos said. “We will determine where the money will be applied, it’s useless if those resources get here and go to international NGOs.”\n\nAt a summit in France on Monday, the G-7 nations pledged $20 million to help fight the flames in the Amazon and protect the rainforest, in addition to a separate $12 million from Britain and $11 million from Canada.\n\nOnyx Lorenzoni, the Brazilian president’s chief of staff, sharpened the criticism, saying Europe should use the funds for its own problems.\n\n“Macron could not avoid an obvious fire in a church that is a world heritage site,” Lorenzoni told the G1 news website, referring to the Notre Dame Cathedral that was ravaged by fire in April.\n\nMacron, who has questioned Bolsonaro’s trustworthiness and commitment to protecting biodiversity, shrugged off the snub from the Brazilian president. The French leader said Bolsonaro’s interpretation was a “mistake” and that the aid offer is “a sign of friendship.”\n\nHe said the aid money isn’t just aimed at Brazil, but at nine countries in the vast Amazon region that also spans Bolivia, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana, an overseas region of France. About 60% of the Amazon region is in Brazil.\n\nEven so, Macron has threatened to block a European Union trade deal with several South American states, including Brazil. He has also acknowledged that Europe, by importing soya from Brazil, shares some blame for agricultural pressure on the rainforest. Bolsonaro has previously said he wants to convert land for more cattle pastures and soybean farms.\n\nIn contrast to the tension between France and Brazil, U.S. President Donald Trump praised the Brazilian president. “He is working very hard on the Amazon fires and in all respects doing a great job for the people of Brazil – Not easy,” Trump tweeted Tuesday.\n\nBolsonaro also said that Japan is “extremely aligned with us” and seeks a deeper trade partnership with South American nations.\n\nBrazil’s National Space Research Institute, which monitors deforestation, said the number of fires has risen by 85% to more than 77,000 in the last year, a record since the institute began keeping track in 2013. About half of the fires were in the Amazon region, with most just in the past month.\n\nNeighboring Bolivia is battling its own vast blazes. The largest are in the Chiquitanía region, a zone of dry forest, farmland and open prairies that has seen an expansion of farming and ranching. President Evo Morales, who has been under criticism for an allegedly slow response to the fires, was in the region on Tuesday overseeing firefighting efforts involving more than 3,500 people, including soldiers, police and volunteers.\n\nThe Amazon has experienced an increased rate of fires during drought periods in the last 20 years, but the phenomenon this year is “unusual” because drought has not yet hit, said Laura Schneider of Rutgers University-New Brunswick.\n\nSchneider, an associate professor in the geography department, said fire is commonly used by people to clear land for cultivation, and the actual area burned this year must be measured for an accurate comparison with damage in past years.\n\nThe funds offered this week by the world’s richest countries are widely viewed as useful but insufficient for dealing with the threats to the Amazon in the long term. Under international pressure, Bolsonaro has said he would make 44,000 troops available to fight the blazes.\n\nHowever, federal prosecutors in the Amazon state of Para said they had warned Brazil’s environmental protection agency about a “fire day” organized by farmers earlier this month to clear land. The agency said it lacked support from military police to protect its field teams in risky monitoring operations, according to prosecutors.\n\nGrace Quale, a laboratory technician at the 9 of July hospital in Porto Velho, said more people were undergoing tests because of respiratory problems caused by smoke. Children and the elderly are suffering the most, said Quale, who supports Bolsonaro and believes fires are being set by opponents trying to discredit him.\n\n“What’s happening is disrespectful to our humans, to our animals, because if they end the Amazon, how will we survive?” she said.\n\nTorchia reported from Rio de Janeiro. Associated Press writers Anna Jean Kaiser in Rio de Janeiro and Carlos Valdez in La Paz, Bolivia, contributed to this report.", "PORTO VELHO, Brazil (AP) — The Group of Seven nations on Monday pledged tens of millions of dollars to help fight raging wildfires in the Amazon and protect its rainforest, even as Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro accused rich countries of treating the region like a “colony.”\n\nThe international pledges at a G-7 summit in France included $20 million from the group, as well as a separate $12 million from Britain and $11 million from Canada. Ottawa has also offered to send firefighting planes to Brazil.\n\nOther groups are contributing support for a region whose rainforests are a major absorber of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Earth Alliance, a new environmental foundation backed by Leonardo DiCaprio, is pledging $5 million in aid, saying the Amazon is one of the “best defenses” against climate change.\n\nThe funds are widely seen as critical support, but a relatively small amount for dealing with an environmental crisis of such scale threatening what French President Emmanuel Macron called “the lungs of the planet.”\n\nMore than $1 billion, for example, has been paid into a fund to help the Amazon in the past decade. And major donors Germany and Norway recently cut donations to Brazilian forestry projects, saying Bolsonaro’s administration isn’t committed to curbing deforestation.\n\nIt was unclear how exactly the new money would be administered. Bureaucracy can slow and reduce the amount that reaches programs in the field. Brazil’s environment minister, Ricardo Salles, said the aid was welcome and that Brazil should decide how the resources are used.\n\nMore global funding and political will in Brazil will be needed once the fires are extinguished, said John Robinson, chief conservation officer at the Wildlife Conservation Society.\n\nBrazil needs “legislation and regulations that set clear limits preventing landowners — especially large ones — from burning the forest and converting it to agriculture and rangeland, backed by incentives and investment in alternatives,” Robinson said.\n\nThe international pledges came despite tensions between European countries and the Brazilian president, who suggested the West was angling to exploit Brazil’s natural resources.\n\n“Look, does anyone help anyone ... without something in return? What have they wanted there for so long?” Bolsonaro said.\n\nBolsonaro has insulted adversaries and allies, disparaged women, black and gay people, and praised his country’s 1964-1985 dictatorship. But nothing has rallied more anger at home and criticism from abroad than his response to the fires in parts of the Amazon region.\n\nThe Brazilian leader says he is committed to protecting the Amazon and prosecuting anyone involved in illegal fires, many of which appear to be to have been set in already deforested areas to clear land for farming.\n\nBut Bolsonaro initially questioned whether activist groups might have started the fires in an effort to damage the credibility of his government, which has called for looser environmental regulations in the world’s largest rainforest to spur development.\n\n“We believe that there are many mining companies and lumber companies and farmers who feel that the president has their backs,” said Raoni Metuktire, a Brazilian indigenous chief and environmentalist who traveled to the G-7 summit in Biarritz.\n\nIn response, European leaders threatened to block a major trade deal with Brazil that would benefit the very agricultural interests accused of driving deforestation.\n\nThe impact of the fires and smoke has disrupted life for many in the Amazon region. The airport in Porto Velho, the capital of Rondonia state, was closed for more than an hour Monday morning because of poor visibility. On Sunday, a soccer match of a lower-tier national league was briefly suspended because of smoke in Rio Branco, capital of Acre state, as fire burned in a field outside the stadium.\n\nIn Para state, where fires have swept many areas, resident Moacir Cordeiro said he was worried about their impact on nature and his health. Smoke rose from nearby trees as he spoke.\n\n“I don’t think there are enough people to extinguish the fires,” said Cordeiro, who lives in the Alvorada da Amazonia region. He said it was difficult to breath at night because of the smoke.\n\nAnother man, Antonio de Jesus, was also worried.\n\n“Nature shouldn’t be killed off like that,” he said.\n\nMacron said the Amazon, while mostly Brazilian, is a world issue and that his message to Bolsonaro is: “We cannot allow you to destroy everything.”\n\nBrazil’s sovereignty must be respected, Macron said, but the world can help Brazil reforest and build its economy “while respecting the natural balance.”\n\nAbout 60 percent of the Amazon region is in Brazil; the vast forest also spans parts of Bolivia, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru and Suriname.\n\nSpeaking on French TV after hosting the G-7 summit, Macron acknowledged that Europe, by importing soya from Brazil, shares some blame for the agricultural pressure on the rainforest.\n\nHe added that Europe’s dependence on imported proteins, including soya, for animal feed is “a very bad choice” and that he wants Europe to develop alternate sources of protein.\n\nBolsonaro has accused Macron of treating the region “as if we were a colony.”\n\nBolsonaro has announced he would send 44,000 soldiers to help battle the blazes, and military planes began dumping water on fires in the Amazon state of Rondonia.\n\nThe move was welcomed by many critics, but some say it’s not enough and comes too late.\n\nIn violating environmental agreements, Brazil has been discredited and “unable to exercise any type of leadership on the international stage,” said Mauricio Santoro, an international relations professor at Rio de Janeiro State University.\n\nCritics say the large number of fires this year has been stoked by Bolsonaro’s encouragement of farmers, loggers and ranchers to speed efforts to strip away forest. Although Bolsonaro has now vowed to protect the area, they say it is only out of fear of a diplomatic crisis and economic losses.\n\nFires are common during Brazil’s dry season, but the numbers surged this year. The country’s National Space Research Institute, which monitors deforestation, has recorded more than 77,000 wildfires in Brazil this year, a record since the institute began keeping track in 2013. That is an 85% rise over last year, and about half of the fires have been in the Amazon region — with more than half of those coming just in the past month.\n\nRómulo Batista, a member of Greenpeace Brazil’s Amazonia Campaign, said “the rise in deforestation can completely alter the rain patterns by region and devastate agriculture, even in South America.”\n\nBrazil’s federal police agency announced that it would investigate reports that farmers in Para state had called for “a day of fire” on Aug. 10 to ignite fires. Local media said a group organized the action over WhatsApp to show support for Bolsonaro’s efforts to loosen environmental regulations.", "Trees are destroyed after a fire in the Alvorada da Amazonia region in Novo Progresso, Para state, Brazil, Sunday, Aug. 25, 2019. The country’s satellite monitoring agency has recorded more than 41,000 fires in the Amazon region so far this year, with more than half of those coming in August alone. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)\n\nPORTO VELHO, Brazil (AP) — The Group of Seven nations on Monday pledged tens of millions of dollars to help fight raging wildfires in the Amazon and protect its rainforest, even as Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro accused rich countries of treating the region like a “colony.”\n\nThe international pledges at a G-7 summit in France included $20 million from the group, as well as a separate $12 million from Britain and $11 million from Canada. Ottawa has also offered to send firefighting planes to Brazil.\n\nOther groups are contributing support for a region whose rainforests are a major absorber of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Earth Alliance, a new environmental foundation backed by Leonardo DiCaprio, is pledging $5 million in aid, saying the Amazon is one of the “best defenses” against climate change.\n\nThe funds are widely seen as critical support, but a relatively small amount for dealing with an environmental crisis of such scale threatening what French President Emmanuel Macron called “the lungs of the planet.”\n\nMore than $1 billion, for example, has been paid into a fund to help the Amazon in the past decade. And major donors Germany and Norway recently cut donations to Brazilian forestry projects, saying Bolsonaro’s administration isn’t committed to curbing deforestation.\n\nIt was unclear how exactly the new money would be administered. Bureaucracy can slow and reduce the amount that reaches programs in the field. Brazil’s environment minister, Ricardo Salles, said the aid was welcome and that Brazil should decide how the resources are used.\n\nMore global funding and political will in Brazil will be needed once the fires are extinguished, said John Robinson, chief conservation officer at the Wildlife Conservation Society.\n\nBrazil needs “legislation and regulations that set clear limits preventing landowners — especially large ones — from burning the forest and converting it to agriculture and rangeland, backed by incentives and investment in alternatives,” Robinson said.\n\nThe international pledges came despite tensions between European countries and the Brazilian president, who suggested the West was angling to exploit Brazil’s natural resources.\n\n“Look, does anyone help anyone … without something in return? What have they wanted there for so long?” Bolsonaro said.\n\nBolsonaro has insulted adversaries and allies, disparaged women, black and gay people, and praised his country’s 1964-1985 dictatorship. But nothing has rallied more anger at home and criticism from abroad than his response to the fires in parts of the Amazon region.\n\nThe Brazilian leader says he is committed to protecting the Amazon and prosecuting anyone involved in illegal fires, many of which appear to be to have been set in already deforested areas to clear land for farming.\n\nBut Bolsonaro initially questioned whether activist groups might have started the fires in an effort to damage the credibility of his government, which has called for looser environmental regulations in the world’s largest rainforest to spur development.\n\n“We believe that there are many mining companies and lumber companies and farmers who feel that the president has their backs,” said Raoni Metuktire, a Brazilian indigenous chief and environmentalist who traveled to the G-7 summit in Biarritz.\n\nIn response, European leaders threatened to block a major trade deal with Brazil that would benefit the very agricultural interests accused of driving deforestation.\n\nThe impact of the fires and smoke has disrupted life for many in the Amazon region. The airport in Porto Velho, the capital of Rondonia state, was closed for more than an hour Monday morning because of poor visibility. On Sunday, a soccer match of a lower-tier national league was briefly suspended because of smoke in Rio Branco, capital of Acre state, as fire burned in a field outside the stadium.\n\nIn Para state, where fires have swept many areas, resident Moacir Cordeiro said he was worried about their impact on nature and his health. Smoke rose from nearby trees as he spoke.\n\n“I don’t think there are enough people to extinguish the fires,” said Cordeiro, who lives in the Alvorada da Amazonia region. He said it was difficult to breath at night because of the smoke.\n\nAnother man, Antonio de Jesus, was also worried.\n\n“Nature shouldn’t be killed off like that,” he said.\n\nMacron said the Amazon, while mostly Brazilian, is a world issue and that his message to Bolsonaro is: “We cannot allow you to destroy everything.”\n\nBrazil’s sovereignty must be respected, Macron said, but the world can help Brazil reforest and build its economy “while respecting the natural balance.”\n\nAbout 60 percent of the Amazon region is in Brazil; the vast forest also spans parts of Bolivia, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru and Suriname.\n\nSpeaking on French TV after hosting the G-7 summit, Macron acknowledged that Europe, by importing soya from Brazil, shares some blame for the agricultural pressure on the rainforest.\n\nHe added that Europe’s dependence on imported proteins, including soya, for animal feed is “a very bad choice” and that he wants Europe to develop alternate sources of protein.\n\nBolsonaro has accused Macron of treating the region “as if we were a colony.”\n\nBolsonaro has announced he would send 44,000 soldiers to help battle the blazes, and military planes began dumping water on fires in the Amazon state of Rondonia.\n\nThe move was welcomed by many critics, but some say it’s not enough and comes too late.\n\nIn violating environmental agreements, Brazil has been discredited and “unable to exercise any type of leadership on the international stage,” said Mauricio Santoro, an international relations professor at Rio de Janeiro State University.\n\nCritics say the large number of fires this year has been stoked by Bolsonaro’s encouragement of farmers, loggers and ranchers to speed efforts to strip away forest. Although Bolsonaro has now vowed to protect the area, they say it is only out of fear of a diplomatic crisis and economic losses.\n\nFires are common during Brazil’s dry season, but the numbers surged this year. The country’s National Space Research Institute, which monitors deforestation, has recorded more than 77,000 wildfires in Brazil this year, a record since the institute began keeping track in 2013. That is an 85% rise over last year, and about half of the fires have been in the Amazon region — with more than half of those coming just in the past month.\n\nRómulo Batista, a member of Greenpeace Brazil’s Amazonia Campaign, said “the rise in deforestation can completely alter the rain patterns by region and devastate agriculture, even in South America.”\n\nBrazil’s federal police agency announced that it would investigate reports that farmers in Para state had called for “a day of fire” on Aug. 10 to ignite fires. Local media said a group organized the action over WhatsApp to show support for Bolsonaro’s efforts to loosen environmental regulations.\n\nTorchia reported from Rio de Janeiro. Associated Press journalists Anna Kaiser in Rio de Janeiro, Leo Correa in Alvorada da Amazonia, Brazil, Frances D’Emilio in Rome, John Leicester in Paris, Sylvie Corbet and Lori Hinnant in Biarritz, France, and Geir Moulson in Berlin contributed to this report."], "summary": "Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro announces all Amazon-region nations except Venezuela will meet to discuss a coordinated response to the disaster. He also reiterates rejection of G7 money to assist the efforts unless French President Emmanuel Macron issues him an apology, but after meeting with Chilean President Sebastián Piñera accepts an offer of four firefighting aircraft from Chile."}
{"document": ["Why did this happen?\n\nPlease make sure your browser supports JavaScript and cookies and that you are not blocking them from loading. For more information you can review our Terms of Service and Cookie Policy.", "Minister of National Defence Gabriel Les on Wednesday and Thursday will participate in Helsinki, Finland, in the informal meeting of defence ministers from the EU member states, reads a press release of the MApN (Ministry of National Defence).\n\nAccording to this source, the meeting will be chaired by the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, with General Secretary of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, and the UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, to participate.\n\nThe programme includes a series of working sessions to debate on maritime coordination, artificial intelligence and new technologies, as well as the impact of climate changes and the surrounding environment on security and defence.\n\nA common session with the foreign affairs ministers will be held on Thursday afternoon, to focus topical issues in the hybrid threats field, specified the same source."], "summary": "Finland, current chair of the European Union, writes to the body's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, urging the use of the EU's \"full toolkit\" including foreign and trade policy to counter the use of deliberate fires as a means of deforestation in Brazil."}
{"document": ["Tropical storm Dorian is wreaking havoc in the Atlantic Ocean, tracking heavy rainfall, severe winds and dangerous surf over Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and US and British Virgin Islands. Hurricane watches and tropical storm warnings are in force, as the weather system continues towards Florida. The National Hurricane Centre has issued advisories for wind, rain and surf as the weather system intensifies.\n\nCurrently, the storm is packing wind speeds of 60mph and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 60 miles from the centre. At first, Dorian was forecast to reach just Category One hurricane status before weakening, however now forecasters are predicting the weather system will strengthen to Category Two status before hitting Florida. A Category Two hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson wind scale is classified as having wind speeds for between 96 and 109mph. The NHC describe Category Two hurricanes as having: “Extremely dangerous winds will cause extensive damage: Well-constructed frame homes could sustain major roof and siding damage.\n\n“Many shallowly rooted trees will be snapped or uprooted and block numerous roads. Near-total power loss is expected with outages that could last from several days to weeks.” Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said on Tuesday he had received a briefing from the Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Moskowitz and it is time to start preparing for Dorian. Mr DeSantis said: “Based on the current track of Tropical Storm Dorian, all residents on the East Coast should prepare for impacts, including strong winds, heavy rain and flooding. “Make sure to have your supplies ready and follow @FLSERT [Florida Division of Emergency Management] and local media for the latest updates on the forecast.” Read More: Hurricane Dorian spaghetti models: Dorian to become a hurricane\n\nCurrently, the weather system is approaching several Caribbean islands and is expected to be close to a Category One hurricane as it approaches Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic on Wednesday and Thursday according to CNN meteorologist Dave Hennen. For Puerto Rico, CNN meteorologist Chad Myers warned the storm could easily damage already fragile infrastructure on the island where 2,975 people died from Hurricane Maria two years ago. Mr Myers said: “There’s already so much damage on the ground from (Maria) that this isn’t going to take a lot to make a significant amount of damage, especially flooding.” A state of emergency has been declared on the island, and Puerto Rico Governor Wanda Vázquez Garced urged people to prepare for the storm. Ms Vázquez said on Twitter: “For citizens who do not yet have safe roofs, we will have shelters ready.”", "- Governor Ron DeSantis has declared a state of emergency for the counties in the path of Hurricane Dorian.\n\nDeSantis said that all Floridians on the East Coast should prepare for impact, as the National Hurricane Center (NHC) projects that Dorian could reach Category 3 hurricane status before making landfall in Florida. It is expected to be a Category 2 by the time it passes over Orlando.\n\n“Today, I am declaring a state of emergency to ensure Florida is fully prepared for Hurricane Dorian,” said Governor DeSantis. “It’s important for Floridians on the East Coast to monitor this storm closely. Every Florida resident should have seven days of supplies, including food, water and medicine, and should have a plan in case of disaster.”\n\nBy declaring a state of emergency, DeSantis ensures that state and local governments have ample time, resources, and flexibility to prepare. DeSantis said that the State Emergency Operations Center will activate to a Level 2 on Thursday morning, enhancing the coordination between federal, state and local emergency management agencies.\n\nRELATED: Central Florida residents stock up on supplies ahead of Hurricane Dorian\n\n“Because of the uncertainty in the track of this storm, every resident along the East Coast needs to be ready,” said Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Jared Moskowitz. “By having an Executive Order in place and by activating the State Emergency Operations Center to a Level 2, we are fully prepared to support any community that might be impacted.”\n\nFox 35 meteorologist Glenn Richards said if Dorian hits Florida as a Category 3 hurricane, it could be the \"largest and most powerful hurricane to hit Central Florida in over 30 years.\"\n\nFor the latest on Dorian, visit ORLANDOHURRICANE.com.\n\nYou can also monitor the tropics with the Fox 35 Weather App.", "Saturday should be partly cloudy with a 60% chance for showers and scattered storms. If Dorian gets bigger than expected we could see less of a chance for storms because of the outflow or sinking air out ahead of it as it approaches Florida. Right now as the forecast stands the chance for this drying effect would not be happening so count on a few storms for Saturday as well.", "Tropical Storm Dorian is expected to strengthen into a Category 2 hurricane before making landfall in Florida on Labor Day.\n\nThe storm is forecast to strengthen into a Category 1 hurricane by Friday morning as it tracks to the east of Turks and Caicos and will continue to strengthen to a Category 2 storm by Sunday morning before it makes landfall along the east coast of Florida or Georgia Monday morning, CNN meteorologist Haley Brink said.\n\nFlorida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday that he received a briefing from the Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Moskowitz and that it is time to start preparing for Dorian.\n\n“Based on the current track of Tropical Storm Dorian, all residents on the East Coast should prepare for impacts, including strong winds, heavy rain and flooding,” DeSantis said. “Make sure to have your supplies ready and follow @FLSERT [Florida Division of Emergency Management] and local media for the latest updates on the forecast.”\n\nA well-known forecast model is predicting Tropical Storm Dorian will pack hurricane-force winds when it reaches the Florida Peninsula.\n\nRecent runs of the European model, operated by the European Center for Medium Range Forecasting, have been trending a stronger storm over the past 48 hours.\n\nThe model has constantly brought the center of the storm to the eastern coast of Florida, somewhere between Jacksonville and West Palm Beach.\n\nRight now, Dorian is approaching several Caribbean islands.\n\nThe tropical storm is expected to be near a Category 1 hurricane as it approaches Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic on Wednesday and Thursday, CNN meteorologist Dave Hennen said.\n\nBut it could impact more than just the Caribbean: By the end of the week, what’s left of Dorian is expected to move toward the Bahamas and southeastern parts of the mainland US.\n\nA word of warning, though: “It is still way too early to forecast impacts,” Hennen said about Florida.\n\n“There’s already so much damage on the ground from (Maria) that this isn’t going to take a lot to make a significant amount of damage, especially flooding,” Myers said.\n\nEarly Wednesday, the storm was about 240 miles east southeast of Ponce, Puerto Rico, according to the National Hurricane Center.\n\nPonce Mayor Maria “Mayita” Melendez told CNN there are still people with tarps over their homes in the city, which she estimates was hit with $1 billion in damages from Maria.\n\nOne resident, Lucy Beascochea, said the tin roof over her home still has holes in it, meaning every time it rains, water leaks in. She told CNN she is nervous about the approaching storm.\n\nPuerto Rico Gov. Wanda Vázquez Garced on Monday declared a state of emergency for the island and urged people to prepare for the storm.\n\n“For citizens who do not yet have safe roofs, we will have shelters ready,” Vázquez said on Twitter.\n\nAbout 360 shelters are available across the island for a capacity of 48,500 people, the government’s official Twitter account said Monday. And about 70 hospitals were prepared to handle emergencies, officials said.\n\n“Thankfully, I’ve been preparing since May,” said Krystle Rivera, whose family has been stocking up on water, canned food and gas in anticipation of the hurricane season.\n\nThough not yet a hurricane, Tropical Storm Dorian is expected to bring severe conditions to the Caribbean.\n\nTwo-thirds of Puerto Rico is likely to receive tropical storm force winds, CNN meteorologist Brandon Miller said. As of the early hours of Wednesday, Dorian had sustained winds of 60 mph.\n\nFrom Wednesday to Thursday, Puerto Rico could get 4 to 8 inches of rain, and the US Virgin Islands, Haiti and Dominican Republic could receive up to 4 inches, according to the hurricane center.\n\nPuerto Rico and eastern parts of the Dominican Republic are under a tropical storm warning, and Puerto Rico is under a hurricane watch, the hurricane center said Tuesday evening.\n\nA tropical storm warning means tropical storm conditions are expected within 36 hours, and a hurricane watch means that hurricane conditions are possible within 48 hours.\n\nAfter passing Puerto Rico, Dorian is forecast to move near or over eastern Hispaniola on Thursday and move north, the hurricane center said.\n\nBy the end of the week, what’s left of Dorian is expected to move toward the Bahamas and possibly into the southeastern parts of the United States.\n\nBy Friday evening, the storm is forecast to strengthen into a Category 1 hurricane as it tracks east of Turks and Caicos. It will then strengthen to a Category 2 by Sunday morning before making landfall on the east coast of Florida or Georgia.\n\nThat means Florida may see a hurricane over Labor Day weekend.\n\nFlorida Gov. Ron DeSantis urged residents to start preparing for Dorian to come their way.\n\n“Based on the current track of Tropical Storm Dorian, all residents on the East Coast should prepare for impacts, including strong winds, heavy rain and flooding. Make sure to have your supplies ready and follow @FLSERT [Florida Division of Emergency Management] and local media for the latest updates on the forecast,” DeSantis said.\n\nBut that may not mean it’s time to cancel travel plans: “It is still way too early to forecast impacts,” CNN meteorologist Dave Hennen said.", "The National Hurricane Center, which expects winds from Dorian to arrive across Florida on Saturday morning, said in its forecast the entire East Coast, from the Georgia border to just north of Key West, is in the cone of probability for landfall Sunday morning.\n\nTALLAHASSEE — Most of Florida could see a wet Labor Day weekend, with the East Coast facing tropical-storm force or stronger winds from Tropical Storm Dorian.\n\nIn a tweet Tuesday, Gov. Ron DeSantis advised East Coast residents to start preparing for Dorian.\n\n“Based on the current track of #TropicalStormDorian, all residents on the East Coast should prepare for impacts, including strong winds, heavy rain and flooding,” DeSantis tweeted. “Make sure to have your supplies ready and follow @FLSERT (the Florida Division of Emergency Management) and local media for the latest updates on the forecast.”\n\nDeSantis held a conference call with Emergency Management Director Jared Moskowitz and later with the entire state emergency response team.\n\nWith South Florida Water Management District meteorologists predicting rainfall of up to 8 inches in some areas over the weekend, the district announced Tuesday it has started to draw down canals to help local drainage districts and governments reduce flooding.\n\nForecasters remain uncertain on the track and strength of the hurricane season’s fourth tropical storm.\n\nThe National Hurricane Center, which expects winds from Dorian to arrive across Florida on Saturday morning, said in its forecast the entire East Coast, from the Georgia border to just north of Key West, is in the cone of probability for landfall Sunday morning.\n\n“Whether it’s a remnant that doesn’t have a chance to regenerate or if it’s a hurricane, it does look like it’s going to take aim on the state of Florida,” said Mark Wool, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Tallahassee. “The track may shift north or south a little bit. Currently, it’s forecast to track in somewhere just south of Cape Canaveral, so somewhere on the East-Central Florida coast.”\n\nThe center of Dorian was southeast of Puerto Rico and Hispaniola on Tuesday.\n\nWood said the current path could lead to mountains in Hispaniola disrupting the system, but Dorian could strengthen “once it passes by those islands and gets to the Bahamas.”\n\nWool noted the weather service is providing information to Florida State University, whose football team is playing Saturday in Jacksonville against Boise State.\n\n“We are going to be keeping them informed about what conditions are going to be looking like there,” Wool said. “It has happened in the past where football games have been postponed because of tropical systems. We are going to make sure they have that information at the ready to make that call, if the time comes to do so.”", "FLORIDA — Tropical Storm Dorian is expected to strengthen into a Category 2 hurricane before making landfall in Florida on Labor Day.\n\nThe storm is forecast to strengthen into a Category 1 hurricane by Friday morning as it tracks to the east of Turks and Caicos and will continue to strengthen to a Category 2 storm by Sunday morning before it makes landfall along the east coast of Florida or Georgia Monday morning, CNN meteorologist Haley Brink said.\n\nFlorida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday that he received a briefing from the Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Moskowitz and that it is time to start preparing for Dorian.\n\n“Based on the current track of Tropical Storm Dorian, all residents on the East Coast should prepare for impacts, including strong winds, heavy rain and flooding,” DeSantis said. “Make sure to have your supplies ready and follow @FLSERT [Florida Division of Emergency Management] and local media for the latest updates on the forecast.”\n\nA well-known forecast model is predicting Tropical Storm Dorian will pack hurricane-force winds when it reaches the Florida Peninsula.\n\nRecent runs of the European model, operated by the European Center for Medium Range Forecasting, have been trending a stronger storm over the past 48 hours.\n\nThe model has constantly brought the center of the storm to the eastern coast of Florida, somewhere between Jacksonville and West Palm Beach.\n\nRight now, Dorian is approaching several Caribbean islands.\n\nThe tropical storm is expected to be near a Category 1 hurricane as it approaches Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic on Wednesday and Thursday, CNN meteorologist Dave Hennen said.\n\nBut it could impact more than just the Caribbean: By the end of the week, what’s left of Dorian is expected to move toward the Bahamas and southeastern parts of the mainland US.\n\nA word of warning, though: “It is still way too early to forecast impacts,” Hennen said about Florida.", "Tropical Storm Dorian is expected to strengthen into a Category 2 hurricane before making landfall in Florida on Labor Day.\n\nThe storm is forecast to strengthen into a Category 1 hurricane by Friday morning as it tracks to the east of Turks and Caicos and will continue to strengthen to a Category 2 storm by Sunday morning before it makes landfall along the east coast of Florida or Georgia Monday morning, CNN meteorologist Haley Brink said.\n\nFlorida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday that he received a briefing from the Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Moskowitz and that it is time to start preparing for Dorian.\n\n“Based on the current track of Tropical Storm Dorian, all residents on the East Coast should prepare for impacts, including strong winds, heavy rain and flooding,” DeSantis said. “Make sure to have your supplies ready and follow @FLSERT [Florida Division of Emergency Management] and local media for the latest updates on the forecast.”\n\nA well-known forecast model is predicting Tropical Storm Dorian will pack hurricane-force winds when it reaches the Florida Peninsula.\n\nRecent runs of the European model, operated by the European Center for Medium Range Forecasting, have been trending a stronger storm over the past 48 hours.\n\nThe model has constantly brought the center of the storm to the eastern coast of Florida, somewhere between Jacksonville and West Palm Beach.\n\nRight now, Dorian is approaching several Caribbean islands.\n\nThe tropical storm is expected to be near a Category 1 hurricane as it approaches Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic on Wednesday and Thursday, CNN meteorologist Dave Hennen said.\n\nBut it could impact more than just the Caribbean: By the end of the week, what’s left of Dorian is expected to move toward the Bahamas and southeastern parts of the mainland US.\n\nA word of warning, though: “It is still way too early to forecast impacts,” Hennen said about Florida.", "Follow the storm with the FOX8 Hurricane Tracker.\n\nTropical Storm Dorian is expected to strengthen into a Category 2 hurricane before making landfall in Florida on Labor Day.\n\nThe storm is forecast to strengthen into a Category 1 hurricane by Friday morning as it tracks to the east of Turks and Caicos and approaches Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic on Wednesday and Thursday. It may continue to strengthen to a Category 2 storm by Sunday morning before it makes landfall along the east coast of Florida or Georgia Monday morning, the National Hurricane Center said.\n\nFlorida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday that he received a briefing from the Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Moskowitz and that it is time to start preparing for Dorian.\n\n\"Based on the current track of Tropical Storm Dorian, all residents on the East Coast should prepare for impacts, including strong winds, heavy rain and flooding,\" DeSantis said. \"Make sure to have your supplies ready and follow @FLSERT [Florida Division of Emergency Management] and local media for the latest updates on the forecast.\"\n\nA well-known forecast model is predicting Tropical Storm Dorian will pack hurricane-force winds when it reaches the Florida Peninsula.\n\nRecent runs of the European model, operated by the European Center for Medium Range Forecasting, have been trending a stronger storm over the past 48 hours.\n\nThe model has constantly brought the center of the storm to the eastern coast of Florida, somewhere between Jacksonville and West Palm Beach.\n\nRight now, Dorian is approaching several Caribbean islands.\n\nBut it could impact more than just the Caribbean: By the end of the week, what's left of Dorian is expected to move toward the Bahamas and southeastern parts of the mainland US.\n\nA word of warning, though: \"It is still way too early to forecast impacts,\" Hennen said about Florida.", "ORLANDO, Fla. - Florida remains in the direct path of Tropical Storm Dorian, but it's unclear exactly how the storm will impact the Sunshine State.\n\nAs of Tuesday morning, Dorian was 15 miles west-northwest of St. Lucia and moving west-northwest at 13 mph. Dorian is packing sustained winds of 50 mph.\n\nAs Dorian treks toward Florida, there are three main scenarios that could take place, according to News 6 meteorologist Candace Campos.\n\nAs Dorian tracks northwest into the Caribbean, it will be greeted with plenty of obstacles, the first being drier air surrounding the storm.\n\n\"This helps to hinder significant development right off the bat,\" Campos said.\n\nThe second obstacle could be stronger wind shear.\n\n\"This increase in upper-level flow and shear within the next few days could help rip apart the system,\" Campos said.\n\nThe last obstacle ahead for Dorian, is a possible run-in with land.\n\n\"The island chain is covered with steep and rugged terrain, with some mountains reaching 10,000 feet,\" she said. \"Any interaction with these type of land masses could spell trouble for Dorian.\"\n\nThere is a chance that wind shear and rough terrain will weaken the storm, but not completely kill its chances of survival.\n\nCampos said this is especially true if Dorian threads the needle between Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, a small strait between the two islands called the Mona Passage.\n\nIn this case, Dorian would remain a weak tropical storm with winds greater than 35 mph.\n\n\"The biggest impact to Florida would be rough surf and heavy tropical downpours by the holiday weekend,\" Campos said.\n\nThe third scenario is that Dorian maintains its tropical storm status throughout its journey in the Caribbean and then strengthens over the warm waters near Florida.\n\n\"Sea surface temperatures around the Bahamas and closer to our coast are currently running between 80-85 degrees,\" Campos said. \"This could be the fuel Dorian needs to strengthen even further, resulting in Dorian becoming a strong tropical storm or even a weak Category 1 hurricane.\"\n\nImpacts to Florida could include winds near 75 mph, tropical downpours and isolated tornadoes.\n\n\"No matter which scenario Dorian follows, being informed and prepared is always your best plan of action ahead of any storm,\" Campos said.\n\nWatch News 6 and stay with ClickOrlando.com for the latest updates on the tropics.", "“Our highest priority is the safety and security of the people in the path of the hurricane,” Mr. Trump said, “and I will be rescheduling my trip to Poland in the near future.”\n\nCities across the state are filling sandbags and clearing drains.\n\nWith Dorian’s predicted intensity increasing, officials up and down Florida’s east coast warned residents to take precautions on Thursday.\n\nIn Daytona Beach, city crews cleared storm drains and reduced water levels in retention ponds. At Port Canaveral, boat captains were warned not to wait too long to enter safe water. And in Brevard County, east of Orlando, jail inmates filled sandbags for residents.\n\nClosings and cancellations were already being announced. The University of Central Florida, in Orlando, said it would close Friday evening through at least Tuesday. At Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach, a mandatory campus evacuation was set to take effect on Friday, with classes called off until further notice.\n\nAnd a Florida State-Boise State college football game, scheduled for Saturday evening in Jacksonville, was moved west to Tallahassee and rescheduled for earlier in the day. And a Rolling Stones concert in the Miami area scheduled for Saturday was moved up to Friday because of the weather, the band said.\n\nBut the lack of clarity on the storm’s track complicated some planning. “It’s too early to make decisions about evacuations,” said Mayor Lenny Curry of Jacksonville. “We may very well find ourselves at some point in the next 24 or 48 hours calling for evacuations — depending on what this storm does.”\n\nIn Miami-Dade County, Mayor Carlos A. Gimenez said that county services were continuing as normal, but that residents should begin taking steps to ready their homes."], "summary": "Florida Governor Ron DeSantis declares a state of emergency in anticipation of Hurricane Dorian, which is expected to make landfall in the state within days."}
{"document": ["Tourists have been banned from swimming with bottlenose dolphins in New Zealand in a bid to protect them from “being loved into extinction”.\n\nThe population of bottlenose dolphins in the Bay of Islands, on the country’s east coast, has fallen in recent years and the species is classified as endangered in New Zealand.\n\nAccording to the country’s Department of Conservation (DOC), people are “simply loving them too much” as heavy boat traffic is causing dolphins to spend less time carrying out important biological behaviours such as “feeding, nursing their young and sleeping”, as they opt to spend time socialising with humans instead.\n\nWe’ll tell you what’s true. You can form your own view. From 15p €0.18 $0.18 USD 0.27 a day, more exclusives, analysis and extras.\n\nA report published by Massey University in 2016, commissioned by the DOC, found a link between the high level of interaction between boats and dolphins and the decline in numbers.\n\nResearchers discovered the dolphins spent 86 per cent of daylight hours near to at least one boat.\n\nShape Created with Sketch. World's most endangered animals Show all 17 left Created with Sketch. right Created with Sketch. Shape Created with Sketch. World's most endangered animals 1/17 Amur Leopard Endemic to the far east of Russia, the Amur Leopard has a population of around 84 and is critically endangered. Here follows every species that the WWF lists as critically endangered. Getty 2/17 Yangtze Finless Porpoise Endemic to China's Yangtze River, the Yangtze finless porpoise has an estimated population of 1000-1800 Kenichi Nobusue 3/17 South China Tiger When discovered in the 1950s, the South China tiger population was estimated to be 4000, by 1996 it was estimated to be only 30-80. Scientists consider the tiger to be \"functionally extinct\" as one has not been sighted for over 25 years 4/17 Sumatran Orangutan The Sumatran orangutan was once found across the island of Sumatra and even further south on Java. Today it is found only in the island's north and its population stands at 14,613 Getty 5/17 Western Lowland Gorilla Though it is the most populous of all gorilla subspecies, the western lowland gorilla is still critically endangered and its population has declined by 60% in the last quarter century Getty 6/17 Sumatran Rhinoceros The Sumatran rhinoceros is the smallest of the surviving rhinoceros species. Only 80 are known to be living today. The last male Sumatran rhino in Malaysia died on 28 May 2019 Willem V Strien 7/17 Sumatran Tiger There are fewer than 400 Sumatran tigers left today. They are severely threatened by deforestation and poaching Getty 8/17 Eastern Lowland Gorilla Half of the rainforest of the Democratic Republic of Congo in which these gorillas live has been destroyed the past 50 years. There were 17,000 Eastern Lowland gorillas in the 1990s but scientists estimate their population has declined by over 50% since then Getty 9/17 Vaquita The world's rarest marine animal has a population of only 30. They were discovered in 1958 and are endemic to Mexico's Gulf of California Paula Olson / NOAA 10/17 Javan Rhino The most threatened of all rhino species, there are only an estimated 58-68 Javan rhino left Reuters 11/17 Saola The saola was first sighted in 1992, being the first large mammal to be discovered in over 50 years. Scientists have only sighted saola in the wild four times and it is considered critically endangered 12/17 Sumatran Elephant The Sumatran elephant population now stands at only 2400-2800 Getty 13/17 Malayan Tiger The Malayan Tiger population now stands at only 250-300 Getty 14/17 Hawksbill Turtle The population of the Hawksbill Turtle has declined by more than 80% in the last century. They are threatened by black market poachers who kill them for their shell Getty 15/17 Black Rhino The population of the black rhino dropped by 98% in the years 1960-1995 due to poaching, it stands today at around 5000 Getty 16/17 Cross River Gorilla The population of the Cross River gorilla has been damaged by deforestation and poaching, it now stands at 200-300 Julie Langford 17/17 Bornean Orangutan The population of the Bornean orangutan has been reduced by over 50% in the past 60 years, now standing at around 104,700. Their habitat has been reduced by at least 50% in the 21st century Getty 1/17 Amur Leopard Endemic to the far east of Russia, the Amur Leopard has a population of around 84 and is critically endangered. Here follows every species that the WWF lists as critically endangered. Getty 2/17 Yangtze Finless Porpoise Endemic to China's Yangtze River, the Yangtze finless porpoise has an estimated population of 1000-1800 Kenichi Nobusue 3/17 South China Tiger When discovered in the 1950s, the South China tiger population was estimated to be 4000, by 1996 it was estimated to be only 30-80. Scientists consider the tiger to be \"functionally extinct\" as one has not been sighted for over 25 years 4/17 Sumatran Orangutan The Sumatran orangutan was once found across the island of Sumatra and even further south on Java. Today it is found only in the island's north and its population stands at 14,613 Getty 5/17 Western Lowland Gorilla Though it is the most populous of all gorilla subspecies, the western lowland gorilla is still critically endangered and its population has declined by 60% in the last quarter century Getty 6/17 Sumatran Rhinoceros The Sumatran rhinoceros is the smallest of the surviving rhinoceros species. Only 80 are known to be living today. The last male Sumatran rhino in Malaysia died on 28 May 2019 Willem V Strien 7/17 Sumatran Tiger There are fewer than 400 Sumatran tigers left today. They are severely threatened by deforestation and poaching Getty 8/17 Eastern Lowland Gorilla Half of the rainforest of the Democratic Republic of Congo in which these gorillas live has been destroyed the past 50 years. There were 17,000 Eastern Lowland gorillas in the 1990s but scientists estimate their population has declined by over 50% since then Getty 9/17 Vaquita The world's rarest marine animal has a population of only 30. They were discovered in 1958 and are endemic to Mexico's Gulf of California Paula Olson / NOAA 10/17 Javan Rhino The most threatened of all rhino species, there are only an estimated 58-68 Javan rhino left Reuters 11/17 Saola The saola was first sighted in 1992, being the first large mammal to be discovered in over 50 years. Scientists have only sighted saola in the wild four times and it is considered critically endangered 12/17 Sumatran Elephant The Sumatran elephant population now stands at only 2400-2800 Getty 13/17 Malayan Tiger The Malayan Tiger population now stands at only 250-300 Getty 14/17 Hawksbill Turtle The population of the Hawksbill Turtle has declined by more than 80% in the last century. They are threatened by black market poachers who kill them for their shell Getty 15/17 Black Rhino The population of the black rhino dropped by 98% in the years 1960-1995 due to poaching, it stands today at around 5000 Getty 16/17 Cross River Gorilla The population of the Cross River gorilla has been damaged by deforestation and poaching, it now stands at 200-300 Julie Langford 17/17 Bornean Orangutan The population of the Bornean orangutan has been reduced by over 50% in the past 60 years, now standing at around 104,700. Their habitat has been reduced by at least 50% in the 21st century Getty\n\nThey warned bottlenose dolphins could disappear from the Bay of Islands completely if the population continues to plummet.\n\nIn an attempt to tackle the decline, the government has banned boat tours which allow customers to swim with the marine mammals in the Bay of Islands.\n\nNew, stricter rules also limit the amount of time the tours can interact with the animals to 20 minutes. Tours can only visit in the morning and afternoon, to give the dolphins more time to themselves.\n\nThe Massey University study, carried out between December 2012 and April 2015, identified a population of 96 bottlenose dolphins in the Bay of Islands – a 66 per cent decline compared to previous research published in 2002.\n\nThere are now estimated to be just 31 of the dolphins in the area.\n\nResearchers also found that 75 per cent of baby bottlenose dolphins were thought to have died before reaching independence – an increase of 52 per cent compared to a study in 2009.\n\nAt the time of the 2016 report, Sue Reed-Thomas, the DOC’s northern North Island director of operations, said: “It’s very difficult to manage a group of wild animals swimming freely.\n\nIndependent news email Only the best news in your inbox Independent news email Only the best news in your inbox Enter your email address Continue Continue Please enter an email address Email address is invalid Fill out this field Email address is invalid Email already exists. Log in to update your newsletter preferences Register with your social account or click here to log in I would like to receive morning headlines Monday - Friday plus breaking news alerts by email Update newsletter preferences\n\n“The dolphins often swim towards boats themselves and you simply can’t put a barrier around them or monitor every interaction they have.\n\n“Everyone who puts a boat on the water in the Bay of Islands needs to be aware of the problem so they play their part in protecting the local dolphin population.”", "The New Zealand government has banned tourists from swimming with bottlenose dolphins in an attempt to save the struggling species.\n\nAccording to the department of conservation [DoC] research has shown that humans were “loving the dolphins too much” and human interaction was “having a signifiant impact on the populations resting and feeding behaviour”.\n\nThe ban on swimming with bottlenose dolphins applies to tour operators in the North Island’s Bay of Islands region, which is popular with tourists for its warm climate and golden beaches. Other dolphin tours that interact with different species of dolphin in other parts of the country are still permitted.\n\nBottlenose dolphins prefer to swim in coastal regions, making them vulnerable to human activity, and their numbers in the Bay of Islands have declined by 66% since 1990, according to DoC.\n\nA core group of only 19 bottlenose dolphins visit the region regularly now, and the latest reports show a 75% mortality rate among their calves – the highest seen both in New Zealand, internationally and in captivity.\n\nAlongside banning tourist swims with bottlenose dolphins, DoC have stipulated that tour operators may interact with the dolphins only for periods of 20 minutes (reduced from 30 minutes) at a time, and all tour operators will be restricted to visiting either morning or afternoon, in order to provide a block of time where the dolphins are left alone.\n\nThe possibility of creating a marine mammal sanctuary in the Bay of Islands is also being investigated by DoC, research partners and local Māori tribes.\n\nTour operators in the Bay of Plenty have raised concerns about the impact the new ban will have on tourism numbers, and said less tour operators on the water will mean fewer eyes watching out for how private boats interact with the vulnerable population.\n\nTourists can still swim with common or dusky dolphins in tours operated in the South Island.", "Tourists are to be banned from swimming with charismatic dolphins in one of New Zealand’s most famous holiday destinations in a bid to protect the struggling species from too much attention.\n\nResearch shows people are \"loving the dolphins too much\" in the Bay of Islands, north of Auckland.\n\nBoat trips offering passengers a chance to frolic with fast-moving, playful pods have been axed because of sharply falling numbers.\n\nThe population of bottlenose dolphins in a region known for its golden beaches and warm climate has crashed from 270 in 1999 to a current estimate of 31, a fall of almost 90 per cent.\n\nA study by New Zealand’s Department of Conservation (DoC) has shown that human interaction was “having a significant impact on the population’s resting and feeding behaviour”.\n\nA core group of only 19 bottlenose dolphins regularly visit the Bay of Islands, and the latest reports show a 75 percent mortality rate among their calves – the highest seen both in New Zealand and internationally, in the wild and in captivity.\n\nSwimming with some of nature’s most intelligent creatures has been a thrill for many visitors to New Zealand’s subtropical North Island. Bottlenose dolphins travel in social groups and communicate by a complex system of squeaks and whistles."], "summary": "New Zealand bans tourists from swimming with bottlenose dolphins, saying dwindling numbers are linked to excessive interaction with tourists, as the animals choose socialising with people over necessary biological functions. Authorities say the species risks \"being loved into extinction\"."}
{"document": ["Image copyright Reuters Image caption Outside the bar, friends and families gathered to search for missing loved ones\n\nAt least 25 people have been killed in a Mexican bar fire that police say was set deliberately by gang members.\n\nAnother 11 were badly injured in the blaze in the Caballo Blanco (White Horse) bar in Coatzacoalcos, a port city in Veracruz, on Tuesday night.\n\nSurvivors said men believed to be gangsters blocked the exits before setting the venue on fire.\n\nMexican media reported that the bar was peppered with gunfire and Molotov cocktails were thrown inside.\n\nPresident Andrés Manuel López Obrador said the attack was \"shameful\", and that an investigation would look into how some of the suspects had recently been freed from custody.\n\nThere would be a particular investigation into whether there was any collusion with authorities in connection with their release, he said.\n\nVeracruz regional governor Cuitláhuac García said police were in pursuit of the attackers and vowed that they \"will not go unpunished\".\n\nLater, he added that one suspect, named Ricardo, was known as \"La Loca\", and had been released 48 hours after his arrest last month.\n\nOutside the White Horse bar, police and ambulances crowded the street.\n\nOne woman standing nearby told a reporter for AFP that she was looking for her son, like many others there. Her son worked as a cleaner at the bar, and she had already searched the local hospitals.\n\n\"I just want to know if he's OK,\" she said.\n\nImage copyright EPA Image caption The exits were reportedly blocked off before the fire was kindled, witnesses said\n\nOfficially, prosecutors are only saying that the fire \"may have been the result of a vile attack\" and are still investigating.\n\nThe Veracruz state prosecutor's office denied having ever held the suspect known as Ricardo, saying instead that federal prosecutors had been responsible.\n\nGang violence, often driven by the drug trade, is not uncommon in Veracruz, one of the most violent regions in Mexico.\n\nIt is a popular route for illicit drug shipments or human trafficking destined for the United States - and rival gangs battle for territory and dominance.\n\nLast year, a mass grave of suspected drug cartel victims was found containing the skulls of at least 166 people. In 2017, another mass grave with 250 victims in it was found.", "At least 23 people were killed and 13 badly wounded in a fire that was likely caused by an “attack” at a bar in eastern Mexico, prosecutors said Wednesday.\n\nThe fire in the city of Coatzacoalcos, which broke out Tuesday night, “may have been the result of a vile attack,” said a statement from prosecutors in the state of Veracruz, a flashpoint in the bloody turf wars between Mexico’s rival drug cartels.\n\nMedia reports said a Molotov cocktail had been thrown into the bar.", "At least 23 people were killed and 13 badly wounded in a fire at a bar in eastern Mexico that is being investigated as an attack, authorities said Wednesday.\n\nThe fire in the city of Coatzacoalcos, which broke out Tuesday night, “may have been the result of a vile attack,” said a statement from prosecutors in the state of Veracruz, a flashpoint in the bloody turf wars between Mexico’s rival drug cartels.\n\nMedia reports said the fire broke out when attackers burst into the bar and threw Molotov cocktails.\n\n“The devious crime of a few moments ago in Coatzacoalcos will not go unpunished,” Veracruz Governor Cuitlahuac Garcia said in a tweet.\n\nFrantic family members rushed to the bar, the Caballo Blanco (White Horse), looking for their loved ones, said an AFP reporter at the scene.\n\n“I just want to know if he’s OK,” said a mother looking for her son, who worked as a cleaner at the bar, after searching for him in vain at local hospitals.\n\nThe interior of the bar was wrecked and charred, with chairs overturned and debris littering the floor. A heavy contingent of police and emergency vehicles gathered outside the building.\n\nVeracruz is one of the most violent regions in the country.\n\nIts strategic location on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico makes it a popular route for drug cartels and for human traffickers bringing undocumented migrants to the United States.\n\nBloody battles between warring cartels and gangs frequently erupt in the state.\n\nFor more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.", "MEXICO CITY, Aug 28 (Reuters) - At least 23 people died in a bar fire in the southeastern Mexican port of Coatzacoalcos late on Tuesday after a suspected attack, authorities said, in what appeared to be one of the most deadly acts of criminal violence under the current government.\n\nEight women died along with 15 male victims after the fire in the \"Caballo Blanco\" bar, according to a statement by the attorney general's office of the state of Veracruz.\n\nAnother 13 people were seriously injured and are being treated in hospital, it said.\n\nVeracruz state governor Cuitlahuac Garcia suggested the fire may have been the result of a dispute between gangs.\n\nSome Mexican media reported that gunmen had fired shots on the bar before setting it ablaze with Molotov cocktails.\n\nThe deaths follow an attack in April on another bar in Veracruz in the city of Minatitlan that killed 13 people and drew criticism from President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who took office in December pledging to curb gang violence.\n\nSo far the number of murders in Mexico has continued to rise after reaching record levels last year, and Lopez Obrador has said more needs to be done.\n\nVeracruz governor Garcia said on Twitter that as in the case of the attack in Minatitlan, the perpetrators would be brought to justice and that the state would not tolerate criminal gangs.\n\nThe Gulf Coast state is a major transit point for drugs making their way north towards the U.S. border and has long been convulsed by violent turf wars between organized crime groups.", "At least 23 people were killed and 13 badly wounded in a fire at a bar in eastern Mexico that is being investigated as an attack, authorities said Wednesday\n\nCoatzacoalcos, Mexico, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 28th Aug, 2019 ) :At least 23 people were killed and 13 badly wounded in a fire at a bar in eastern Mexico that is being investigated as an attack, authorities said Wednesday.\n\nThe fire in the city of Coatzacoalcos, which broke out Tuesday night, \"may have been the result of a vile attack,\" said a statement from prosecutors in the state of Veracruz, a flashpoint in the bloody turf wars between Mexico's rival drug cartels.\n\nMedia reports said the fire broke out when attackers burst into the bar and threw Molotov cocktails.\n\n\"The devious crime of a few moments ago in Coatzacoalcos will not go unpunished,\" Veracruz Governor Cuitlahuac Garcia said in a tweet.\n\nFrantic family members rushed to the bar, the Caballo Blanco (White Horse), looking for their loved ones, said an AFP reporter at the scene.\n\n\"I just want to know if he's OK,\" said a mother looking for her son, who worked as a cleaner at the bar, after searching for him in vain at local hospitals.\n\nThe interior of the bar was wrecked and charred, with chairs overturned and debris littering the floor. A heavy contingent of police and emergency vehicles gathered outside the building.", "WASHINGTON: At least 23 people were killed after a fire broke out in a bar in southern Mexico Tuesday night, NBC News reported, with authorities investigating a possible arson attack.\n\nThirteen others were left seriously injured following the blaze in the southern port city of Coatzacoalcos, NBC said, citing a statement from the state attorney general´s office.\n\nThe office condemned “what may constitute a malicious attack,” it added.\n\nCiting reports, The Los Angeles Times said Molotov cocktails had been thrown into the bar.\n\nImages carried by local media showed a wrecked interior with chairs overturned and debris littering the floor, and emergency vehicles and police outside the building.\n\n“The devious crime of a few moments ago in Coatzacoalcos will not go unpunished,” the governor of Veracruz state said in a tweet.\n\nVeracruz is one of the most violent regions of Mexico. Drug trafficking routes to the United States pass through it, and bloody battles frequently erupt between rival drug gangs.", "A suspected arson attack on a bar in southern Mexico on Tuesday night has killed 23 people and injured 13.\n\nThe attackers started a vicious blaze that ripped through Caballo Blanco bar in Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, killing eight women and 15 men.\n\nState police are investigating a possible arson attack, which may have been started with petrol bombs, and said the search for the attackers continues.\n\nGovernor of Veracruz Cuitlahuac Garcia suggested that a gang dispute was involved in the blaze.\n\nThe attack, along with the killing of 19 people in the western city of Uruapan earlier this month, is likely to renew fears that the public violence of the 2006-2012 drug war has returned.\n\n'In Veracruz, criminal gangs are no longer tolerated,' Garcia wrote of the attack, adding police, the armed forces and newly formed National Guard are searching for the culprits.\n\n'The devious crime of a few moments ago in Coatzacoalcos will not go unpunished', he continued in a tweet.\n\nThe state attorney general's office condemned 'what may constitute a malicious attack.'\n\nPhotos of the scene showed a wrecked interior with chairs overturned and debris littering the floor, and emergency vehicles and police outside the building.\n\nThere was no immediate information on the condition of the injured.\n\nCiting reports, The Los Angeles Times said Molotov cocktails had been thrown into the bar.\n\nIt is located in a storefront on a busy commercial street in Coatzacoalcos, a city whose main industry has long been oil and oil refining.\n\nThe attack came almost eight years to the day after a fire started in 2011 at a casino in the northern city of Monterrey killed 52 people. The Zetas drug cartel staged that attack to enforce demands for protection payments.\n\nThe Zetas, now splintered, have also been active in Coatzacoalcos.\n\nVeracruz is one of the most violent regions of Mexico. Drug trafficking routes to the United States pass through it, and bloody battles frequently erupt between rival drug gangs.", "At least 23 people were killed and another 13 severely injured when assailants attacked a night club in Mexico's Gulf coast port city of Coatzacoalcos.\n\nThe attack, which started on Tuesday night, killed 8 women and 15 men.\n\nRead more: Against the current: Femicide in Mexico on the rise and growing more brutal\n\nLocal media reported men first opened fire with maschine guns and then threw Molotov cocktails inside the El Caballo Blanco (The White Horse) table dance bar when it was packed full of people.\n\nPictures on the night club's Facebook page show images of dancers, customers, walls painted with nude women and \"VIP rooms.\"\n\nThe attorney-general's office said they were working with police to investigate and find the perpetrators.\n\nVeracruz Governor Cuitlahuac Garcia Jimenez said that the \"criminals\" would not go unpunished.\n\n\"In Veracruz criminal groups are no longer tolerated,\" he wrote on Twitter.\n\nVeracruz is one of the most violent states in Mexico with fierce fighting between criminal groups for control of drug trafficking and other criminal activities.\n\nSo far this year, more than 1,600 people have died from violence in the state, an average of seven deaths per day.\n\nSome local media likened the attack to one in 2011 on a bar in Monterey that killed 52 people.\n\nThe Zetas drug cartel carried out that attack using fire and guns to enforce demands for protection payments.\n\nEvery evening, DW sends out a selection of the day's news and features. Sign up here.", "23 killed in attack on bar in southern Mexico\n\nMEXICO CITY (AP) — An attack on a bar in Mexico's Gulf coast city of Coatzacoalcos killed 23 people and injured 13 late Tuesday.\n\nThe attackers started a fire that ripped through the bar, killing eight women and 15 men. There was no immediate information on the condition of the injured.\n\nPhotos of the scene showed tables and chairs jumbled around, apparently as people tried to flee.\n\nThe state prosecutor's office in the Gulf coast state of Veracruz said the search was continuing for the attackers.\n\nVeracruz Gov. Cuitlahuac Garcia suggested that a gang dispute was involved in the attack.\n\n\"In Veracruz, criminal gangs are no longer tolerated,\" Garcia wrote of the attack, adding police, the armed forces and newly formed National Guard are searching for the attackers.\n\nState police identified the establishment as the \"Bar Caballo Blanco.\"\n\nThe tatty bar is located in a storefront on a busy commercial street in Coatzacoalcos, a city whose main industry has long been oil and oil refining.\n\nThe fire may have been started with gasoline bombs.\n\nIt came almost eight years to the day after a fire at a casino in the northern city of Monterrey killed 52 people. The Zetas drug cartel staged that 2011 attack to enforce demands for protection payments.\n\nThe Zetas, now splintered, have also been active in Coatzacoalcos.\n\nThe attack, along with the killing of 19 people in the western city of Uruapan earlier this month, is likely to renew fears that the violence of the 2006-2012 drug war has returned.", "Veracruz [Mexico], August 28 (Sputnik/ANI): At least 23 people were killed and 13 others have sustained severe injuries following a fire in a bar in Mexico's southern Veracruz State, General Prosecutor's Office said in a statement on Wednesday.\n\nThe incident occurred late on Tuesday in El Caballo Blanco bar in the port city of Coatzacoalcos.\n\n\"As a result of the fire in the bar, 23 people have been killed -- eight women and 15 men. Thirteen people have sustained serious injuries and are already receiving medical assistance in different medical centres,\" the General Prosecutor's Office said.\n\nLocal authorities are currently investigating the reasons behind the fire, with prosecutors trying to find out if the fire resulted from an attack.\n\nAccording to Razon newspaper, the fire broke out after an attack in which Molotov cocktails were used, but the authorities have not yet confirmed the information. (Sputnik/ANI)"], "summary": "28 people are killed in a bar fire in Coatzacoalcos, Veracruz, Mexico, that police believe was caused by an attack by drug cartels. Mexican media reports that Molotov cocktails were thrown inside."}
{"document": ["Commuters using Metrobus services in Tshwane were left stranded on Wednesday after the city withdrew its services due to safety concerns.\n\nThe suspension comes after bus drivers were intimidated on Tuesday by taxi operators.\n\nThe conflict began when taxi drivers fought with alleged drug dealers, which led to a driver being shot dead.\n\nRELATED: Taxi drivers and alleged drug dealers scuffle leads to fatality in Tshwane CBD\n\nTaxi drivers took to the streets, saying they are tired of drugs in the area.\n\nRay White on the Xolani Gwala Show speaks to EWN reporter Bonga Dlulane and Tshwane Transport MMC Sheila Senkubuge.\n\nDlulane says the situation in the capital is worse than it was on Wednesday morning.\n\nWhat is happening here is nothing short of a war zone, firefighters are trying to put out fires in shops in the CBD. The situation is calm but tense at the moment. — Bonga Dlulane, Reporter - EWN\n\nIt appears that the anger by taxi drivers is focused on foreign nationals as there are shops that have been looted and burnt down, he adds.\n\nDlulane says the police are currently monitoring the situation.\n\nWhen the police try to calm a situation on one part of the city, violence flares up in another area. When police fire rubber bullets, the crowds retaliate with stones. — Bonga Dlulane, Reporter - EWN\n\nSenkubuge says the situation is tense in the capital and she is waiting on law-enforcement agencies to give her feedback on whether arrests have been made.\n\nWe are meeting with law-enforcement agencies along with taxi association leaders to try and sort this matter out as speedily as possible. — Sheila Senkubuge, Transport MMC - City of Tshwane\n\nShe adds that even though the situation is handled, bus services will remain suspended.\n\nListen below to the full conversation:", "South African Capital City, Pretoria, CBD has descended into chaos, as reports coming in from sources claim that foreign-owned shops have been targeted by angry rioters.\n\nWhat is happening in Pretoria CBD?\n\nBased on the information that is circulating on social media, it is not safe to be walking in and around the Pretoria CBD area.\n\n#PretoriaCBD current scenes. Police remain outnumbered and looting & torching of spaza shops continues #sabcnews pic.twitter.com/yKRSS8tp9f — Sipho Stuurman (@Sipho_Stuurman) August 28, 2019\n\nAccording to @TrafficSA, a well-reputed road traffic news source, riots have broken out in the capital’s central business district, and foreign-owned shops are at the receiving end of the violence.\n\nWhat has fuelled the riots?\n\nThe details are sketchy at the moment but it appears that the riots have been fuelled by the death of a taxi driver.\n\nAvoid using Pretoria CBD routes today. Apparently a South African man was shot by Nigerians after witnessing them selling drugs and seeing the actual supplier. May his soul Rest In Peace! 🙏🏽🙌🏽 #pretoriacbd pic.twitter.com/uGrmgjSzFl — O L E T I L W E 🌈 (@Iam_Kardas) August 28, 2019\n\nPolice have not issued an official statement nor has the City of Tshwane issued any updates on the events that are unfolding in Pretoria CBD.\n\nHowever, according to research, the revolt allegedly comes after a taxi driver was murdered by foreign nationals. This, however, has not been confirmed as SAPS in Pretoria have not said anything.\n\n@TrafficSA has, on Wednesday morning, issued a warning to motorists and commuters: Avoid Pretoria CBD at all cost.\n\nThis is a developing story. More information will be provided as and when we receive updates.", "Pretoria - Firefighters have been given protection to put out fires and save burning buildings on Lilian Ngoyi Street amid anti-drugs protests in the Pretoria CBD. The work is proving to be difficult as some of the burning stores are still locked and special equipment is needed to break them open\n\nWhile they spray water on the relentless fires, explosions can be heard coming from inside the buildings.\n\n \n\n Earlier in the morning, the firefighters could not do their work as protesters chased them away from the buildings.\n\nArmed police officers have surrounded the buildings they are trying to save.\n\nHowever, store owners are heartbroken and disappointed that they've now lost all their stock.\n\nTaxi operators said they want Police Minister Bheki Cele to come and talk to them to show that taxi drivers' concerns are also taken serious.\n\nXolly Tshabalala of Santaco said: \"It's about time the police show us that they take taxi drivers seriously in this country.\n\n\"We are not xenophobic, we are fighting to protect the youth of this country.\n\n\"Drug dealers are ruining the lives of our young people selling them nyaope and other drugs right here in town and they get away with it.\n\n\"They even killed one of our taxi drivers and that will just go unpunished.\"\n\nThe chaos comes a day after traffic came to a standstill in the CBD when taxi drivers blocked intersections with metro buses.\n\nThey are angry after a Nigerian national allegedly shot and killed a taxi driver on Tuesday.", "Pretoria - Chaos has erupted in the Pretoria CBD as taxi operators torched stores owned by foreign nationals who they suspect are dealing drugs to the youth. Taxi operators are angry after a Nigerian national allegedly shot and killed a taxi driver on Tuesday.\n\nThe taxi drivers had confronted alleged drug dealers and buyers near Bloed Street Mall. The drivers have been at loggerheads with the drug dealers for a while.\n\nIt was at that moment that shots were fired, killing a taxi driver.\n\nThe current situation is very hostile and police are not having much luck stopping the torching and looting of stores.\n\nLooters can be seen running up the streets with stolen television sets and breaking the phones of those taking pictures or recording video.\n\nThe chaos comes a day after traffic came to a standstill in the CBD when taxi drivers blocked intersections with metro buses.\n\nTshwane metro police department spokesperson senior superintendent Isaac Mahamba said their members managed to clear the road and remove the buses to relieve traffic.\n\nMotorists on Tuesday had to find alternative routes to navigate through the heart of the nation's capital.\n\nAlternative routes meant motorists driving the wrong way down one-way streets, illegal U-turning and using any space they could find in order to get out of the city centre as quickly as possible.\n\nTuesday's shooting infuriated taxi operators, who have been taking strong action against drugs in the CBD. They hijacked numerous buses and blocked roads.\n\nRoads and Transport MMC Sheila Lynn Senkubuge condemned the violence that resulted in disruption of public transport operations.\n\n“A shooting which resulted in the death of a taxi driver is reported to have incited the riots.\n\n\"The riots led to two A Re Yeng and three Tshwane Bus Services and Gautrain buses as well as two trucks being utilised to blockade the roads.", "A taxi driver was killed during a protest which erupted in the Pretoria inner city after taxi operators tried to forcefully remove alleged drug addicts from the streets.\n\nThe Gautrain bus service was forced to stop operating on Tuesday after what it described on its official app as \"escalating violence\" in the Pretoria CBD.\n\nSAPS spokesman Capt Mavela Masondo confirmed that a group of taxi drivers had been complaining of drug addicts at the Bloed rank.\n\nHe said that the taxi drivers chased after a suspected drug addict and a shot was fired. One of the taxi drivers was hit, and was declared dead on the scene.\n\n\"There is no information as to who shot the taxi driver,\" said Masondo.\n\nNo arrests have been made.\n\nCity of Tshwane MMC for transport, Sheila Senkubuge, told SowetanLIVE that parts of the inner city came to a standstill as six vehicles were seized by disgruntled protesters on Tuesday afternoon.\n\n“A shooting which resulted in the death of a taxi driver is reported to have incited the riots, which led to two A Re Yeng buses, three Tshwane Bus Service [TBS] buses, a Gautrain bus and two trucks being used to blockade the roads,” said Senkubuge.\n\nThe A Re Yeng and TBS bus operations were halted for the rest of the day \"in the interest of safety\", she added.\n\nThe seized buses were not damaged.\n\n“The taking of a human life is never justified and the perpetrators of this murder and unlawful usage of public transport vehicles must be made accountable for these crimes,” Senkubuge said.\n\nAccording to information received by TimesLIVE's sister publication SowetanLIVE, it is understood that a group of taxi operators decided to clean the city’s streets of \"nyaope boys\" after learning that taxi drivers were now using the drugs.\n\nIt is unclear whether the group was made up of taxi drivers or owners, but the group pounced on one of the spots where the drugs were sold.\n\nAccording to sources, people believed to be police officers were found by the taxi operators involved in the selling of the drugs. Shots were then fired which resulted in the death of the taxi driver.\n\nIncited by the shooting, angry taxi operators then used the city’s buses to block traffic to “deal” with the nyaope boys.\n\nAccording to Traffic SA there was \"heavy congestion\" in the CBD due to roads being closed. Shops were also closed.\n\nAttempts to get comment from SAPS and metro police were not immediately successful on Tuesday evening.", "Protests have once again erupted in the Pretoria CBD as motorists were met with a chaotic scene on Tuesday.\n\nIOL reports that two A Re Yeng buses, three Tshwane Bus Service buses and Gautrain buses were hijacked by enraged taxi drivers to block roads and resist drugs in the region.\n\nMotorists were essentially trapped in the streets of the CBD, resorting to illegal U-turns and driving through one-ways until police removed the buses and cleared the road.\n\nTaxi drivers in Pretoria have clashed with drug dealers on numerous occasions in the past. It is reported that drivers in the area confronted known drug affiliates in the city, an advance that was rejected by dealers and buyers.\n\nPolice condemned the shooting, as well as the actions of the taxi drivers.\n\nProtests recently erupted in the Pretoria CBD as an unauthorised bus strike plagued the city for days, with the South African Municipal Workers Union (Samwu) blocking the CBD with municipal trucks and buses. The strike was a result of the City of Tshwane’s decisions to upgrade salaries of top executives by 18%, dating back to 2017, in which lower-level employees were left out.\n\nFor more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.", "Pretoria - Chaos similar to that witnessed during the strike by municipal workers a few weeks ago played itself out yet again following a commotion sparked by taxi drivers' action against drugs in the CBD on Tuesday. Traffic came to a standstill and just as what happened when municipal workers blocked major intersections with metro buses during the strike, motorists on Tuesday had to find alternative routes to navigate through the heart of the nation's capital.\n\nAlternative routes meant driving the wrong way down one-way streets, illegal U-turning and basically using any space and corridor they could find in order to get out of the city centre as quickly as possible.\n\nThe taxi drivers had confronted drug dealers and buyers near Bloed Street Mall.\n\nThe drivers have been at loggerheads with the drug dealers for a while.\n\nAn altercation ensued after the dealers and buyers reportedly resisted.\n\nIt was at that moment that shots were fired, killing a taxi driver.\n\nThe incident infuriated taxi operators, who have been taking strong action against drugs in the CBD.\n\nTshwane metro police department spokesperson senior superintendent Isaac Mahamba said their members managed to clear the road and remove the buses to relieve traffic.\n\nRoads and Transport MMC Sheila Lynn Senkubuge condemned the violence, which resulted in disruption of public transport operations.\n\n“A shooting which resulted in the death of a taxi driver is reported to have incited the riots.\n\n\"The riots led to two A Re Yeng and three Tshwane Bus Services and Gautrain buses as well as two trucks being utilised to blockade the roads.\n\n“A Re Yeng and Tshwane Bus Services operations were halted for the remainder of the day in the interest of safety. A Re Yeng C3 and F5 feeder routes were among the affected public transport routes as riots unfolded in the vicinity of Bloed Mall.\n\n“The affected streets included Sisulu, Boom and Soutpansberg. At the time of this release, ceased buses and trucks were reportedly not damaged,” said Senkubuge.\n\nThe MMC said the taking of a human life was never justified and that the perpetrators of this murder and unlawful usage of public transport vehicles to block roads should be punished.\n\n“The City would like to apologise for the inconvenience caused by the disruptions to public transport operations within the CBD,” she said from the scene in the tragedy.\n\nSenkubuge added that the details of the deceased would be communicated after notification of the next of kin and through police platforms.\n\nSAPS spokesperson Captain Mavela Masondo said while a case of murder would be opened, investigations had already started looking for the culprit.\n\n“At the moment we don't have any information about the suspect or suspects, but we are on top of the matter.\n\n\"We are, however, also appealing to members of the public to help us catch the person responsible.” He urged people with information to contact the police on 0860 10111.", "With the murder of Mrs. Obianuju Ndubuisi-Chukwu, a Nigerian insurance chief, still fresh, another Nigerian has been killed in the former apartheid enclave.\n\nThe latest killing brings to about 200, Nigerians killed in xenophobic attacks between 2016 and this year.\n\nSouth Africa is home to about 800,000 Nigerians, mostly young people, according to unofficial records.\n\nMrs. Ndubisi-Chukwu, who was the Deputy Director-General of the Chartered Insurance Institute of Nigeria (CIIN) and was killed on June 13 in her hotel room in South Africa.\n\nThe teenager, Chinonso Obiaju, 17, a Nigerian still in high school, was shot dead in Johannesburg on Saturday.\n\nRead Also: Buhari, South Africa President to meet over xenophobic attacks\n\nThe President of the Nigerian Union in South Africa, Adetola Olubajo, who confirmed the killing to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), said the deceased student lived in Roodepoort, Johannesburg with his guardian.\n\nOlubajo told NAN on the telephone that his guardian, Mike Nsofor, disclosed that he was shot at about 6.30pm.\n\n“He went to buy from a shop with his friend and someone chased and opened fire on them, killing him,’’ he quoted the guardian as saying.\n\nHe added that the family would be burying him in South Africa, noting that the union’s leaders in Johannesburg would be contacting him on developments.\n\nOlubajo said they were going to the police on Monday to finalise on the registry and provision of his papers.\n\n“He was born here I learnt and the mother is in the U.S.\n\n“I have spoken to Mike Nsofor to pass the Nigerian community’s condolences and call for justice to be served in this case as anybody who hunts down a young schoolboy couldn’t have any justifiable reasons,’’ Mr Olubajo said.\n\nHe implored the federal government to urgently protect Nigerians in the Diaspora.", "A taxi driver was killed in a shooting and riot in Pretoria on Tuesday.\n\nTshwane transport MMC Sheila Senkubuge said in a statement that parts of the inner city came to a standstill as disgruntled protesters seized six vehicles on Tuesday afternoon.\n\nAccording to Sowetan, people believed to be police officers were found by taxi operators to allegedly be involved in the selling of the drugs.\n\nShots were reportedly fired, resulting in the death of the taxi driver. Angry taxi operators then used the City’s buses to block traffic to “deal” with the nyaope (drug) boys.\n\n“A shooting which resulted in the death of a taxi driver is reported to have incited the riots, which led to two A Re Yeng buses, three Tshwane Bus Service (TBS) buses, a Gautrain bus and two trucks being utilised to blockade the roads. A Re Yeng and TBS operations were halted for the rest of the day in the interest of safety,” Senkubuge said.\n\n“A Re Yeng C3 and F5 feeder routes were among the affected public transport routes as riots unfolded in the vicinity of Bloed Mall. The affected streets include Sisulu, Boom, and Soutpansberg streets. At the time of this release, the buses and trucks were reported as not damaged.\n\n“The taking of a human life is never justified and the perpetrators of this murder and unlawful usage of public transport vehicles must be made accountable for these crimes.”\n\nThe details of the deceased will be communicated after notification of the next of kin and through the police platforms.\n\nSenkubuge apologised for the inconvenience caused by the disruptions to public transport within the CBD and urged commuters to avoid the CBD and take alternative routes and modes of transport.\n\nFor more news your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android."], "summary": "Pretoria, the administrative capital of South Africa, experiences widespread looting and violent attacks by rioters focused on foreigners. Police are currently outnumbered and many businesses have been set on fire. The riots follow the death of a taxi driver reportedly shot by Nigerian drug dealers after they realized he had seen them complete a drug deal and had also seen their supplier. Bus services are suspended and authorities say the capital is currently unsafe."}